Fort Worth ISD (FWISD) held a series of listening sessions at four high schools, but the events quickly turned into a showdown between district leaders and concerned parents. More than 180 community members packed the cafeteria at Arlington Heights High School, nearly double the attendance of the three prior meetings combined.

Parents voice frustration over curriculum and communication

Parents shouted for answers, demanding that Superintendent Peter Licata look them in the eye and address their concerns directly. Licata paced the room, at times looking down at his shoes, while chief of staff Louis Kushner ejected one parent for disruptive behavior.

The recurring themes were a rigid curriculum, high teacher turnover and a lack of transparent communication. Licata opened each session with data showing the district’s academic decline – FWISD is under state intervention after years of failing ratings, and three out of five students cannot read proficiently. He acknowledged the shortcomings, saying, “I’m here because we did not do well. This is not a lifetime job for me. We don’t get out of this without all of us talking about what we can do better.”

Parents call for partnership, not micromanagement

Christina Jones, a parent from South Hills High School, expressed a desire for partnership with the new state‑appointed leadership but questioned whether the district shares that goal. Mario Alcalá, whose two children attend Lily B. Clayton Elementary, attended the Polytechnic High School session to hear Licata directly rather than rely on second‑hand reports. He said complaints should lead to tangible actions, not merely acknowledgments.

R.L. Paschal High School junior Alexander Nguyen attended all four sessions, fearing that the district’s changes might overlook high‑achieving students. He highlighted a specific problem: his French class materials drifted between French and Spanish, and English assignments were so poorly written he could barely parse them. Nguyen suggested that the district let its strongest teachers standardize the materials.

Licata admitted the lessons contain mistakes and that teachers are expected to edit them, sometimes creating new errors. “We’re owning some mistakes in the curriculum that we own, but teachers also can edit it, and they’re edited incorrectly,” he said. At Arlington Heights, Licata promised the district is hiring more teachers to review work before it reaches classrooms.

Contradictions in policy and practice

When district leaders highlighted Nguyen’s complaint as evidence that the meetings were productive, Licata contacted academic administrators during the South Hills session, and curriculum staff corrected the slides the next day. Nguyen, however, asked, “If the slides are wrong, then why are we still enforcing that teachers must use these slides?” He argued that requiring teachers to use flawed materials while expecting them to catch errors creates an impossible standard.

Parents echoed this sentiment, saying they are less opposed to standardized learning than to the narrow way teachers are forced to deliver it. Many worry that micromanagement will drive experienced teachers away, further harming student outcomes.

Calls for genuine parental partnership

Trenace Dorsey‑Hollins, executive director of the parental advocacy group Parent Shield, warned that FWISD’s communication cycle is broken: the district often tells parents what happened after the fact. She urged the district to be “clear, proactive and transparent” to begin repairing trust.

Daniel Trejo Jr. shared a personal example of the communication gap. His son’s first day at Diamond Hill Elementary was marred by a lack of clear drop‑off procedures, leaving Trejo unable to walk his child into the school while other campuses allowed it. District leaders acknowledged the inconsistency, and Licata conceded that the Elevate model’s new procedures had not been adequately explained.

Kushner pointed to FWISD Forward, an in‑house newscast modeled after television news, as a step toward better outreach. The daily video is posted in English and Spanish on the district’s social media channels. However, Alcalá questioned whether an online broadcast reaches the families who need to hear the message most, especially in heavily Hispanic neighborhoods where attendance at the sessions was low.

District’s next steps

Licata and his team said the listening sessions have already prompted changes: curriculum slides flagged by Nguyen were corrected, the meeting format was adjusted to reduce combative questioning, and the superintendent’s weekly newsletter will now include takeaways from each session.

While the district claims to be listening, parents remain skeptical until they see concrete improvements in classroom autonomy, consistent communication and a genuine partnership that respects both teachers and families.

Original reporting: Fort Worth Report — read the source article.