FWISD Announces 2022 Summer Workweek Schedule | Community Input Needed on FWISD's Safe Return to Learning Plan : Take the Survey Now Through Feb. 18! | FWISD To Interview Eligible Principal Applicants Saturday | FWISD Accepts Voluntary Teacher Transfer Applications: Application Deadline Is March 1 | FWISD Celebrates School Counselors | O.D. Wyatt HS Athletics Patriarch Coach Willie Criss | Passes Away | FWISD Celebrates Black History Month | McLean MS Coach Selected For the THSCA R.O.C.K. Coaches Mentoring Program | FWISD Perks Plus Discount of the Week: FWISD Employees Eligible for Low-Cost T-Mobile Service Plans | Board Approves District PPE, Air Purifier Purchases | FWISD Girls Flag Football Pilot Kicks Off with Jamboree At AT&T Stadium | FWISD Alumnus To Play In Super Bowl LVI Sunday | View more stories throughout the week on the Inside FWISD Blog
COMMUNITY INPUT NEEDED ON FWISD's SAFE RETURN TO LEARNING PLAN
Take the Survey Now Through Feb. 18!
The Fort Worth ISD seeks to hear from stakeholders on the Safe Return to Learning and Continuity of Services Plan, designed to provide structure and resources for the FWISD community following the COVID-19 District closure and the subsequent return to 100% in-person instruction.
The brief survey is now open to District stakeholders and available through Friday, Feb. 18. Survey responses are anonymous, and questions are available for review prior to taking the survey.
In the fall, Fort Worth ISD received more than $261 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds (ESSER III) to address learning recovery and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds are designated for one-time or short-term spending over the next four summers and three full fiscal years.
In addition to a plan for the use of ESSER III funds, the District was required to create the Safe Return to Learning and Continuity of Services Plan. This plan must be reviewed and revised as needed every six months with input from District stakeholders.
Stakeholders can also provide feedback about the plan by visiting the FWISD Let’s Talk online platform or during public comment at the Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, Regular Board Meeting. Participants must adhere to all Fort Worth ISD Guidelines for Public Comment. The Feb. 22 board agenda will include a presentation with survey results and an update on the use of ESSER III funds and the Safe Return to Learning and Continuity of Services Plan.
For questions about the survey, please email AskEval@fwisd.org.
FWISD TO INTERVIEW ELIGIBLE PRINCIPAL APPLICANTS SATURDAY
Fort Worth ISD’s search for campus lead and assistant principals takes the next big step this Saturday, Feb. 12.
Internal and external candidates who applied last month and met eligibility requirements for the District’s 2022-2023 campus principal and assistant principal pools have been invited to participate in the Assessment Center Screening Process. On Saturday, prospective campus principals will interview with FWISD campus administrators and executive directors from the School Leadership, Innovation, and Academics departments. The process determines which principal candidates will advance to the next phase of the campus leadership search.
“The Campus Administrator Assessment Center is another example of Talent Management thinking differently. This rigorous event allows all qualified applicants a chance to apply for critical campus leadership positions well before the school year comes to a close," said Dr. Raúl Peña, FWISD Chief Talent Officer. "By identifying high-performing candidates early, we can secure top talent with Letters of Intent, ensuring that their current supervisors have adequate time to fill the vacancies they leave behind. All of this ensures we have highly qualified teachers in the classroom when the new school year starts."
For questions about the campus principal and assistant principal pool process, email Sammy Monge, Principal Talent Consultant, at smonge@fwisd.org.
FWISD Accepts Voluntary Teacher Transfer Applications
Application Deadline Is March 1
Eligible Fort Worth ISD educators interested in moving to another campus for the 2022-2023 academic year can now apply for a Voluntary Teacher Transfer.
The application remains open through Tuesday, March 1, to current FWISD classroom teachers who meet eligibility requirements. View the application on the Talent Management career website by clicking the Voluntary Teacher Transfers panel.
Qualified educators applying for a Voluntary Teacher Transfer must:
- Be employed for a minimum of two years at their current school.
- Perform at a level that “meets expectations” in their current assignments based on the educator’s most recent teacher appraisal. Teachers must rate as “Progressing” or “Proficient” or better in all T-TESS (Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System) domains thus far this year.
Teachers who were involuntarily placed at their current school this academic year are eligible to apply for a 2022-2023 voluntary teacher transfer.
Talent Management officials say they expect all transfers to be completed by June 1. Teachers granted transfers must serve a minimum of two years in their new assignment before requesting another transfer.
Educators who are not approved for a transfer by June 1 will remain in their current assignment.
“Extenuating circumstances may necessitate transfers after June 1 and require approval of the requesting principal, current principal, the designated chief, and Talent Management,” writes Dr. Raúl Peña, Chief Talent Officer, in a recent memorandum to principals.
For additional information, email teachfortworth@fwisd.org.
FWISD Celebrates School Counselors
The Fort Worth ISD is joining the country in observing National School Counseling Week.
The observance, Feb. 7-11, 2022, recognizes the work of counselors in United States schools and the impact they make in helping students achieve academic success and plans for their future. Sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), the National School Counseling Week 2022 theme is “School Counseling: Better Together.”
“School counselors work with all students to remove barriers to learning by addressing students’ academic concerns, career options, and social/emotional skills,” said Jill Cook, ASCA executive director, in a recent statement. “School counseling programs help to increase student achievement and provide a much-needed resource for students, parents, teachers and administrators. School counselors are integral to student success.”
Schools across FWISD are celebrating their campus counselors this week with social media posts and appreciation demonstrations.
O.D. Wyatt HS Athletics Patriarch Coach Willie Criss Passes Away
The Fort Worth ISD is saddened by the recent death of longtime O.D. Wyatt High School head football coach, Willie B. Criss.
Mr. Criss died Sunday, Feb. 6. He was 86.
For more than four decades, Mr. Criss coached high school football, winning more than 100 games. He retired from FWISD in 2007.
“‘Daddy’ Criss, as so many called him, was an icon of Fort Worth and a titan in the community. He touched and changed the lives of so many,” reads a statement issued by the District and the FWISD Athletics Department this week. “His influence and impact were a powerful force that resounded through Fort Worth and the athletic world.
“The legacy of Coach Criss and the storied acts of selflessness will live for generations.”
Read more about Mr. Criss’ life and legacy in this recent Fort Worth Star-Telegram article.
The Fort Worth ISD extends its deepest sympathy to the Criss family and everyone impacted by Coach Criss’ life.
FWISD Celebrates Black History Month
Join the Fort Worth ISD (FWISD) all February long in celebrating Black History Month. Nationally-themed “Black Health and Wellness” this year, we are celebrating Black scholars, medical professionals, health and wellness practitioners.
Board Recognitions
The celebration kicked off at the Feb. 8 Board of Education meeting with a recognition honoring the work and contributions of African Americans. Throughout the month, the District is posting stories and images on social media that acknowledge the work of African American leaders. Posts include FWISD alumna, former educator, and 2019 Wall of Fame honoree Opal Lee, who played an integral role in seeing that Juneteenth is recognized as a federal holiday. Classroom and hallway displays and featured books in campus libraries also celebrate Black History throughout the District.
Student-Created Museum Project
Fort Worth ISD’s Dolores Huerta Elementary will host an African American Heritage Student-Created Museum Project, Feb.11-28. Classroom exhibits, produced by pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students, will celebrate African American authors and illustrators in children’s literature, role models, family history, and traditions. The museum is open to visitors, who will receive an exhibit guide. Museum-goers must make a reservation through the school and are encouraged to wear masks on campus.
Free Streaming Productions for Students and Teachers
FWISD community partner the Children’s Education Program of Performing Arts Fort Worth at Bass Performance Hall is offering teachers and students free original streaming productions that celebrate the life and legacies of African American trailblazers.
The streaming productions tell the story of the nation’s first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, featuring Arlington Heights High School alumnus and 2019 Wall of Fame honoree Major Attaway. The story of Bessie Coleman, America’s first black female pilot to perform a public flight and the first woman to obtain an international pilot’s license, is also available for streaming as is Legends and Legacies, a documentary highlighting unsung Black heroes from Fort Worth.
Black History Month was established in 1926 by author and historian, Carter G. Woodson. For 50 years, the acknowledgment of Black history was a weeklong observance. In 1976, the week was expanded to a month-long celebration. Learn more about Black History Month at https://blackhistorymonth.gov/.
McLean MS Coach Selected for the THSCA R.O.C.K. Coaches Mentoring Program
Aaron Mateer, a coach at Fort Worth ISD’s McLean Middle School, joins the Texas High School Coaches Association’s (THSCA) R.O.C.K. Coaches Mentoring Program this spring.
The 2022 class of mentees, which includes 42 Texas coaches, were recently selected to participate in the second annual R.O.C.K. (Rare, Outstanding, Compelled, and Knowledgeable) Coaches Mentoring Workshop, March 20-21, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The workshop develops and retains young coaches and connects them with mentors. The R.O.C.K. Coaches Mentoring Program is a partnership of the THSCA and Texas A&M University’s Thornton -McFerrin Coaching Academy.
Coach Mateer has been an educator for seven years and is currently in his third year at McLean Middle School. He coaches volleyball, girls’ basketball, track, and soccer.
Learn more about the R.O.C.K. Coaches Mentoring Program here.
FWISD Perks Plus Discount of the Week: FWISD Employees Eligible for Low-Cost T-Mobile Service Plans
An exclusive offer for low-cost T-Mobile service plans is available for Fort Worth ISD employees through Monday, Feb. 14.
For as low as $14 monthly, APEX, with T-Mobile for Government, is offering District employees service plans that include unlimited talk, text, and data. The offer is among the featured Fort Worth ISD Perks Plus Discount of the Week savings items made available through the FWISD Talent Management Department. Active FWISD employees with a current District-issued email address qualify for the offer.
Click here for additional details.
District employees are encouraged to check the Fort Worth ISD Perks Plus Discount of the Week page often for special offers available to District staff. FWISD partners with multiple area businesses to offer great discounts on products and services to employees.
Board Approves District PPE, Air Purifier Purchases
In a continued effort to ensure student and staff safety and limit the spread of COVID-19, the Fort Worth ISD Board of Education approved at the Jan. 25 regular meeting the purchase of additional personal protective equipment (PPE) and air purifiers for multiple District facilities.
The approved PPE includes face masks and shields, gloves, disinfectant wipes and sprays, hand sanitizer, and partitions. Funded with Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funds, the PPE buy is not to exceed $2.5 million.
At the same meeting, the board approved the purchase of air purifiers for all FWISD school’s main offices and nurse’s offices. ESSER Funds not to exceed $70,736 will support the buy, Board documents state.
FWISD is also purchasing 50 ultraviolet air purifiers to test ventilation effectiveness in portable building classrooms. Two UV air purifiers will be placed in portables at soon-to-be-identified FWISD campuses. ESSER Funds not exceeding $68,750 will be used to buy the UV air purifiers.
For other recent actions taken by Board trustees, view archived meeting videos here or on the Fort Worth ISD LIVE YouTube channel.
FWISD Girls Flag Football Pilot Kicks Off with Jamboree at AT&T Stadium
The media buzz continues for the Fort Worth ISD varsity girls flag football pilot launching this March with 15 teams.
On Saturday, Feb. 5., the Dallas Cowboys, Nike, NFL FLAG, and the NFL Foundation hosted FWISD student-athletes for a jamboree event where they learned flag football skills, drills, techniques, terminology and heard from Cowboys legend DeMarcus Ware.
Watch this NBC 5 (KXAS-TV) video to learn more about the event.
FWISD Alumnus to Play in Super Bowl LVI Sunday
A’Shawn Robinson, an alumnus of Fort Worth ISD’s Arlington Heights High School, is headed to Super Bowl LVI this Sunday with the Los Angeles Rams.
Learn more about the 2013 alumnus from those "who remember him when" in this recent article from The Dallas Morning News.
Share your story ideas, successes, calendar items, photos, questions and feedback with us at Inside@FWISD.org. Content submissions are due no later than 10 a.m. Fridays for the next edition. Check the Inside FWISD blog, www.fwisd.org/insidefwisd, regularly updated throughout the week with additional content and features.