After two years of protests, complaints, and petitions, the Fort Worth Independent School District is expected to do away with its Equity and Excellence Department at the end of the current academic school year.
The foreseen dissolution of the E&E department is a step in administration restructuring due to the district’s drastic decline in enrollment and unbalanced budget.
FWISD trustee Michael Ryan told Texas Scorecard he is more inclined to believe a “rumor” that the superintendent, Angélica Ramsey, will cancel the Racial Equity Committee within the E&E department instead of the entire department.
Ryan also defended the district’s inclusion of an E&E department.
“If I asked 20 people what equity is, I would probably get 19 different answers,” said Ryan. “I would say that, to the board, it means that we will do everything possible within the resources of the district to give every child the best education possible by allocating our resources where needed to help all children succeed.”
However, not everyone voiced the same approval of FWISD’s E&E department.
Hollie Plemons, a mom in FWISD, told Texas Scorecard she was “thrilled to learn that FWISD eliminated the Equity and Excellence Department.”
“After over seven years and $14,000,000 in salaries alone, the department did absolutely nothing to improve outcomes for our students. It was way past time to shut it down,” said Plemons. “FWISD needs to focus on education and stop with the politically divisive agendas that do nothing but destroy our children, our communities, and our city.”
Since the creation of FWISD’s E&E department in 2016, E&E staff members have reinforced racist stereotypes and agendas on FWISD teachers through mandated training and required reading lists.
The department has pushed CRT on teachers and administrators, who are then told to instruct students accordingly.
“I hope that Dr. Ramsey cuts the equity training for our teachers next,” said Plemons. “If that were to happen, I would be much more encouraged for the future of FWISD. I’m also hoping that the board decides to stop the political agendas, as well, and eliminates the Racial Equity Committee. The cancellation of all three would be better than Christmas morning.”
“This is a step in the right direction,” Plemons continued. “But, I’m being very cautious to keep an eye on the FWISD organizational chart to make sure that the mission of the E&E department isn’t just spread out all over the district in other departments.”
FWISD Board Secretary CJ Evans announced the news of the expected elimination of the E&E department due to the restructuring to the Cowtown Republican Women’s meeting this week.
According to Evans, FWISD’s “[reorganization] no longer includes the racial equity department.”
Evans did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s request for comment.
Ramsey will present her restructuring plan with new administrative alignment through department and position eliminations during a board meeting on April 11.
