Just after Fort Worth ISD trustees lost their legal fight to stop the state takeover of the district, school board member Wallace Bridges announced his resignation on Friday.
A state administrative court ruled in favor of the Texas Education Agency, concluding no factual disputes would justify overturning Commissioner Mike Morath’s decision to intervene in the 70,000-student district because of failing academics. This clears the way for Morath to install new leadership over the city’s largest school system.
With the takeover now certain, Bridges said Friday the effectiveness of elected trustees is diminished, prompting his own decision to step down now.
The administrative law judges’ order was issued Thursday and can’t be appealed. The final decision explaining the order is expected within 30 days.
District leaders pushed back on the ruling, calling the loss “deeply disappointing.”
Important decisions are made in our community every day. Your support ensures the Fort Worth Report can cover and share those stories — freely and independently.
Board president Roxanne Martinez argued the judges disregarded the meaningful progress taking place throughout FWISD and the voices of families and voters who believe in local leadership.
Still, trustees said they remain focused on the safety, well-being and success of every student and will continue working with educators and community partners to support the district during the transition.
“Our students deserve steady leadership, strong schools and a community that stands behind them,” she said. “That remains our unwavering focus.”
The court’s ruling affirms the agency’s position regarding required intervention in Fort Worth ISD, TEA spokesperson Jake Kobersky said.
Daily classroom instruction is not expected to change immediately, but the ruling removes the final barrier to the intervention.
“This action does not change our focus,” Superintendent Karen Molinar said in a statement, noting that FWISD educators remain dedicated to “keeping student success at the center of every decision.”
Bridges resigns
Bridges said he could no longer remain on a school board without any authority.
“You really don’t have a voice,” Bridges said.
In the past year, Fort Worth ISD made strides in improving student achievement — especially among Black students — but it wasn’t enough to quell his worries about the state intervention, Bridges said.
He credited trustees’ hiring of longtime Fort Worth educator Karen Molinar as superintendent for course correcting the district and said he’s proud of the district’s new and recent focus on its highest-need students.
“We were really focusing on putting resources there,” Bridges said. “For the first time, I felt that we were moving in the right direction.”
Morath ordered the state intervention this fall after the now-closed Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade received five consecutive failing academic ratings.
Texas law requires the commissioner to either close a persistently failing campus or appoint a board of managers to govern the district — authority that replaces locally elected trustees. FWISD trustees closed that Forest Oak campus in May 2024.
The decision to close Forest Oak came under the tenure of former Fort Worth Superintendent Angélica Ramsey.
Bridges pointed to the board’s unanimous decision to hire Ramsey as his biggest regret during his time as a trustee. Ramsey, a former Midland schools superintendent, resigned in 2024 after months of a fractured relationship between her and the board — and the community.
Ramsey was a big fish in a small pond in rural Midland but leading a major urban district in a city of more than 1 million required a different expertise, Bridges said.
“She said all the right things, but when it came down to some of the challenges we were dealing with in this city, the ocean was too big,” he said.
Ramsey declined to comment Friday.
In her resignation letter, Ramsey said her leadership had some positive outcomes and that students were the heart of the district.
Bridges was elected in 2022 to fill an unexpired term following the death of his predecessor. He secured a full four-year term in 2025 after running unopposed.
Martinez thanked Bridges for his service, describing him as a thoughtful advocate and public education supporter who led with integrity, kindness and love for students and families.
“He showed up to campuses, listened to parents and teachers, and never lost sight of why this work matters,” the board president wrote in a statement. “I am grateful for his partnership and his commitment to doing what he believed was best for Fort Worth ISD students.”
Bridges plans to remain active in neighborhood associations and other community organizations.
Takeover next steps
Fort Worth trustees sought the expedited administrative review as a way to secure a deeper review of the facts surrounding the state’s decision, emphasizing trustees wanted to work with state leaders while prioritizing students, Martinez previously said.
Fort Worth ISD argued the state should have paused sanctions for the struggling Forest Oak campus under provisions in Texas law and maintained the district was already making progress toward improving student outcomes.
State officials countered that intervention was required by law after the campus posted five consecutive failing grades.
The three-judge panel removed four affidavits submitted by the state after siding with Fort Worth ISD that the statements included unsupported claims and hearsay.
However, that did not change the outcome of the case.
La Joya ISD is the only district known to have previously mounted a similar challenge through the state administrative process, Kobersky said. Judges ultimately sided with the agency, and a board of managers and superintendent was appointed in February 2024.
The decision arrives as the state prepares to install new leadership over Fort Worth schools, including the managers and appointing a superintendent, in the coming weeks. Morath has said Molinar is among candidates for the top administrator post.
Morath appointed a conservator, Christopher Ruszkowski, in November to oversee the transition.
State-appointed managers will assume the powers and duties of elected trustees until Morath determines the district has made sufficient academic progress to return to local control — a process that typically lasts at least two years.
The takeover — the second-largest in Texas — stems from longstanding academic struggles across the district and has prompted debate among parents, educators and civic leaders about how best to improve student outcomes while preserving local voices.
With the administrative review decided, attention now shifts to who will ultimately lead Fort Worth ISD — and how quickly the state will begin reshaping the district’s direction.
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1.
Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or @_jacob_sanchez.
Learn about The Texas Tribune’s policies, including our partnership with The Trust Project to increase transparency in news.
