There's a new plan to fix struggling schools in Fort Worth and it comes with a $4.5 million price tag.
The idea is to turn five under-performing schools into leadership academies and staff them with top employees. There are financial incentives to get teachers and administrators to buy in.
This covers four elementary schools: Como, John T. White, Logan and Mitchell Blvd, plus Forest Oak Middle School. All five will all stay open until 6:00 p.m. for extra academics and mentoring, plus feeding kids breakfast, lunch and dinner before they go home.
It’s all part of a push for a culture of excellence for both students and staff.
"We need this. These kids need this," said Como Elementary parent Cherrysh Anderson.
She’s one of many parents feeling a new hope, they haven't felt before.
"We're not accustomed to having someone in the district who really stands up for these schools," Anderson said.
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Fort Worth Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Kent Scribner is putting $4.5 million behind a commitment to bring the best teachers and opportunities to five low-performing schools that aren't meeting state standards.
Just 12 percent of Como third graders are reading at grade level. At Logan Elementary it's 7 percent.
"Effective teachers make a difference," said Dr. Scribner.
Now teachers who sign on for a three-year commitment at one of the five schools will get an extra $10,000 each year, $15,000 for administrators.
First preference goes to proven high-performance teachers and staff already working in the schools will have to reapply to stay.
"It's telling everybody to step it up," said Mark Miller.
He’s head custodian, and a parent, at Como Elementary.
"I work very closely with the teachers and I hear a lot of concerns and just being an employee, I think that would be a pretty bad thing if they would have to come and reapply for something that they've been working at most of their lives," Miller said.
Anderson hopes committed teachers will stay on and any new staff will understand the needs of a low-income school.
"There's teachers who have to go out in the hall and they have to calm a child down from crying because something happened at home," Anderson said.
Safeguarding children with longer school hours and more support for what happens inside and outside school walls.
Dr. Scribner noted that staff who don't stay in these five schools will still have a job somewhere else in the district. He met with teachers Wednesday afternoon to answer their questions.
He's also pushing for these schools to be first in line for maintenance and repairs, hoping physical improvements will boost school pride.
The changes are set to kick in this fall. They're partially paid for through a million dollar grant from the Rainwater Charitable Foundation. The remaining $3.5 million is shifted from other district programming.
