Five months after the Board of Trustees for the Fort Worth Independent School District hired Kent P. Scribner as superintendent, trustees approved his reorganization plan that will shrink the leadership team and save the district more than $1.3 million.
Before the vote Scribner tweeted: "Excited to share the new org structure that focuses on preparing every student for success in college, career & community leadership."
After trustees voted to support him, Scribner tweeted: "Our new org structure will send more resources to FWISD schools and support the work of teachers."
Here is the news release sent to NBC 5:
FWISD SUPERINTENDENT MOVING FORWARD WITH REORGANIZATION PLAN
Fort Worth, Texas – Superintendent Kent P. Scribner’s plan to raise academic achievement in the Fort Worth ISD includes the reduction of executive administrators and the reassignment of Central Office employees and resources to schools where they are most needed.
Dr. Scribner presented the plan at the Tuesday, February 9 meeting of the Board of Education – and trustees voted their support.
The moves, which could save the District more than $1.3 million, will focus efforts on four critical areas: kindergarten readiness, early grades reading, middle grades math, and high school graduation.
“Our mission is to prepare students for success in college, career, and community leadership,” said Dr. Scribner. “Although graduation rates are up and SAT and Advanced Placement (AP) scores are improving, much work remains.”
The reorganization will emphasize student achievement and the equitable allocation of resources by:
- Reducing central office positions and shifting resources to campuses
- Creating a flatter structure
- Streamlining resources to schools and reduce duplication of services
Specifically, Dr. Scribner announced he will eliminate all deputy superintendent roles, push 70 teaching specialists from central administration out to school campuses, and shrink his leadership team to ten people. The team will include a Chief Academic Officer, Chief of Elementary Education, Chief of Secondary Education, Chief of Planning and Policy, and Chief of Equity and Excellence.
“This reduction of force in executive administration and other central office positions will allow for the reallocation of teacher support professionals to become embedded at campuses and support the teachers with the greatest need,” he said.
Dr. Scribner concluded his presentation by announcing a plan to bring together community stakeholders - parents, businesses, higher education, non-profit organizations, and the faith-based community - to establish a “collective impact” on the success of all children in the Fort Worth ISD.
