Fort Worth ISD's New Board Appoints Licata, Praises Transparency

0:00It's April 1st. This is Dallas News Today, driven by AI. Fort Worth Independent School District's new state-appointed board of managers held its first meeting on Tuesday, picking officers and confirming the Superintending. They named Pete Jaron as President, Courtney Lewis as Vice President, and Rosa Maria Bardeha as Secretary. The board also officially approved Peter Lakata as acting Superintending on a short 21-day contract. Earlier this week, the board granted Lakata a certification waiver from the Texas Education Agency since his experience comes from Florida schools. This lets him lead while he works on Texas credentials. Lakata stressed that student success in reading and math needs everyone involved, from parents to staff. Community members spoke for over an hour at the start, including two former elected board members. One praised Garen's leadership and said the district is lucky to have him guiding the new team. They see this as a fresh chance under state oversight. The board temporarily suspended some old local policies on duties, ethics and staff assignments

1:03to make changes smoother. Leaders promised better transparency with foliage into details moving forward. No state or federal rules got touched. With Lakata in place and the board set, expect talks on his long-term deal next month. The focus stays on fixing the district through clear goals and open operations.