Lake Worth ISD will start its first full school year under state-appointed leadership with a budget shortfall that district leaders say is designed to improve classrooms, not simply cover costs.
Academic Turnaround Plan
The board of managers on Wednesday unanimously approved a 2026-27 budget with a projected $1.4 million general fund shortfall. Superintendent Ena Meyers presented the shortfall as a planned investment in Lake Worth’s academic turnaround, including new lesson plans, teacher support and staffing changes.
The budget includes about $39.8 million in general fund revenue and $41.2 million in spending. State funding makes up the largest share of revenue, at about $23.6 million, followed by $15.3 million from local sources and $940,000 from federal programs.
Financial Challenges
The shortfall is not new territory for Lake Worth ISD. The district adopted general fund budget shortfalls from 2022 to 2025, according to budget documents. Meyers said the district is still dealing with prior-year financial pressures, rising operating costs and state revenue that has not kept pace with the cost of running schools.
The difference this year is that district leaders are tying the shortfall to a turnaround plan, Meyers said. Lake Worth ISD is under state control after years of low academic performance in all five of its schools. Meyers and the appointed managers are now responsible for improving student outcomes while rebuilding the systems that support schools.
Some of that work began before Meyers arrived. Former Superintendent Mark Ramirez pushed Lake Worth toward common lesson structures, more classroom visits and state-developed Bluebonnet Learning materials before leaving during the takeover transition. Meyers is now building her first budget around that instructional work while adding her own systems for monitoring classrooms and supporting teachers.
Excellence by Design
Meyers said the budget is built around “Excellence by Design,” her framework for Lake Worth’s turnaround. The plan focuses on instruction, leadership accountability, stronger central office systems and literacy and math achievement.
The goal: Protect what students experience in classrooms while the district works toward financial stability over several years. “We do not want our students, at the school and student level, to feel the financial stresses that do come sometimes with the district,” Meyers said.
The approach echoes changes underway in Fort Worth ISD, Tarrant County’s other district under state control, where leaders are moving support closer to campuses and standardizing instruction.
Staffing Investments
One of the larger staffing investments tied to the budget is a $706,125 contract with Scoot Education for 15 TeachStart fellows. Meyers said the fellows will work alongside certified teachers while pursuing certifications themselves.
The district hopes the program will create a pipeline of future teachers for Lake Worth ISD. “We’ve got to get teachers ready and certified,” Meyers said. “We have to have a pipeline somehow.”
The cost is all-inclusive for the school year, she said. She hopes to place the fellows at elementary campuses and seek grant or philanthropic support to expand the model to middle and high school.
Original reporting: Fort Worth Report — read the source article.
