Former administrators say Fort Worth ISD's superintendent hasn't been given enough time to enact change

Teachers say it all the time: their kids show up in the classroom unable to learn.

"They show up hungry," one teacher told us on the first day of school.

Just hours after Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker blasted her for a lack of leadership, Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Angelica Ramsey cut the ribbon on a market inside one of their elementary schools, saying she's having to focus on poverty so much that learning comes second.

"We're going to have 55 food markets at our schools because there's such food insecurity in our city. In two weeks of school, we've had several instances where our students are on hold because of a safety concern that has nothing to do with the school but in the neighborhood," said Ramsey.

"We would always step up, but you have to make a phone call," Parker said.

Parker told NBC 5 she's met with Ramsey and the school board over the district's poor performance, which has existed and failed to improve for more than 10 years now. She said those same poverty problems exist in Houston and Dallas, and their kids still test better than kids in Fort Worth. 

"There's division on the board about her leadership period. And so what they decide to do is their prerogative. But as I stated at the very beginning, I'm committed to work alongside Dr. Ramsey and her team, or any superintendent, because that's my job as mayor because we have to see these scores turn around," Parker said.

Fort Worth ISD's top leader has only been on the job for two years, hired just after COVID. Several former superintendents told NBC 5 that two years is not enough time to see the change the mayor wants. 

"I don't think that's realistic for any leader, particularly of a gigantic organization like Fort Worth ISD," said former superintendent of Lewisville ISD, Kevin Rogers.

"I would say, at a minimum, school districts should give that superintendent four years before you're ever going to see a significant increase," said Doug Williams, executive superintendent of the Texas Association of School Administrators.

Ramsey and the Fort Worth ISD board may be caught up in politics, as several community leaders in Fort Worth are some of the state's strongest advocates for school choice.

"Never had the mayor from my town, never had the mayor of Sunnyvale, come in, it always catches you off guard. There's not a whole lot you can say," said Williams.

"It's absolutely surprising," Rogers said, adding that it wasn't the norm.

In fact, Rogers mirrored Ramsey's remarks on the real root of the problem in Fort Worth. 

"Poverty is one of the major roadblocks for student progress. It's not race. It's not gender. It's poverty," he said.

Newly elected Fort Worth ISD board president Roxanne Martinez sent a statement to NBC DFW regarding the comments.

It read in part:

"Our board is fully committed to a close partnership with the city, ensuring that FWISD continues to prioritize delivering excellent instruction for all students. Together, we can rise to the challenges before us and strengthen our public education system for the betterment of our students, families, and community. I am confident in the board's ability to adopt the newly developed strategic plan with clear goals, initiatives, action steps, and metrics. This plan will guide our efforts to drive student achievement and hold us accountable as we strive to meet the needs of every student in our district."