Answers to your most important questions about upcoming changes
April 24, 2026

Over the years, Fort Worth ISD has had a reduction in students but not a reduction in overall staff, especially at the administrative level. In order to maintain a fiscally responsible budget as  an organization, strategic decisions must be made in an effort to ensure that all budget 
allocations are successfully implemented in a student-focused manner. This is part of our efforts to right-size FWISD to put more resources directly into classrooms and student services, including for students with special needs and Emergent Bilingual students. Here is what this means for your family.

What is the overall goal?
To right-size our district in a fiscally responsible way, reduce administrative overhead, and put more resources into classrooms, ensuring every student, especially those with the greatest needs, is treated with respect and the highest quality of academic support.

Understanding “reduction in force: program change”: 
This is a formal term used in alignment with FWISD Board Policy. In plain language, it means two things: (1) some positions are being eliminated because certain buildings are closing, and (2) some positions are being reduced to cut administrative overhead so that more funding flows directly to classrooms and student services, particularly for special education and Emergent Bilingual students.

What is changing?
We are reorganizing how student services are delivered to better align support with where students are enrolled and ensure more resources reach classrooms directly.

Why is this happening?
Student enrollment has declined over time, but staffing hasn't adjusted at the same pace. Making fiscally responsible decisions now ensures we can sustain, and strengthen, direct student support long-term.

Will my child still receive support?
Absolutely. Students will continue to receive the support they need. We are restructuring positions to ensure more consistent, high-quality support that is delivered closer to students each day.

Are services being cut?
No. Services are not being eliminated. This is a change in how support is delivered, not whether it exists. Every student retains access to the same level of support.

What about Students with Disabilities?
Special education services will continue without interruption. As part of the organizational redesign, full-time evaluations and related services are being expanded to ensure students are identified, served, and supported in a timely and consistent manner across all campuses.

Full-time, school-based supports are increasing, with a reduced reliance on contracted providers, allowing for more consistent and higher-quality services aligned to student needs. This work is anchored in a clear focus on high-quality inclusion—ensuring students with disabilities have access to grade-level core instruction, with appropriate supports, alongside their peers every day.

What about Emergent Bilingual Learners?
No student is losing their right to language support. Fort Worth ISD will continue providing services to English learners without interruption. What is changing is where and how those services are delivered—not whether students receive them.

As part of our instructional redesign, we are expanding full-time, school-based supports and embedding language development into core instruction across all content areas, moving away from siloed program models. This includes leveraging bilingual staff with deep content expertise, anchored in high-quality instructional materials and effective pedagogy, to ensure strong implementation and support for students across campuses.

The International Newcomer Academy (INA) has been serving fewer students than it was designed for while maintaining a high staffing level. By reallocating those resources, we can support more students across more schools, closer to home. Fort Worth ISD already successfully serves newcomer students with similar needs in comprehensive campuses across the district. 

Building on that approach, newcomer students will receive targeted supports as they enter our system while attending their neighborhood schools from day one—there is no separate transition pathway. Students will have access to the full suite of services, programs, and grade-level instruction alongside their peers, ensuring consistent, high-quality support every day.

What does ‘realignment’ mean?
Staff and services are being shifted to where students are so that support is more accessible, consistent, and effective for every student in Fort Worth ISD.

What if my child’s campus closes?
Students who move to a new campus will receive the same level of support at their new school. The physical building may change, the commitment to your child does not.