Lake Worth ISD has new leadership after Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath on April 23 appointed a new superintendent and five-member board of managers who are tasked with overseeing improving student outcomes for the 3,200-student district.
Ena Meyers is the new superintendent of Lake Worth schools. Meyers is a longtime public educator with more than two decades of experience in Texas schools. She most recently served as deputy chief of strategic initiatives at Houston ISD and has worked as a teacher, principal and district leader.
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The appointments follow months of uncertainty in the small district northwest of Fort Worth, where community members, teachers and elected trustees pressed state leaders for clarity on why former Superintendent Mark Ramirez was forced out despite early signs of academic improvement. Meanwhile, as opposed to the hundreds who applied to be a Fort Worth ISD manager, only 14 initially sought to serve on Lake Worth’s.
In a press release, Morath said the newly appointed leadership team brings the experience needed to improve academic outcomes, strengthen district systems and build a foundation for long-term success.
“Lake Worth ISD students deserve a school system that prepares them for success in college, career or the military,” Morath said. “The newly appointed Board of Managers and superintendent bring the experience and commitment necessary to improve academic outcomes, strengthen district systems and build a strong foundation for long-term success in Lake Worth ISD.”
The takeover stems from years of low academic performance, including five consecutive failing ratings at Marilyn Miller Language Academy under Texas’ academic accountability system.
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In September, district leaders adopted what they called ambitious goals to raise reading and math performance, improve attendance and lift every campus to at least a B rating by 2028. Ramirez said then that Lake Worth had no choice but to move with urgency as Morath weighed the intervention.
A month later, Morath visited Lake Worth schools and said state action was ultimately required, though he had not yet decided whether that would mean closing Marilyn Miller or installing managers.
By December, he announced the takeover and said Lake Worth needed “a completely new leadership environment.”
Ramirez, who was hired in May and drew strong public support during his short time in the district, was later told he would not be a candidate to remain superintendent. Elected trustees repeatedly questioned that decision, arguing Ramirez brought structure, urgency and optimism to a district that had long struggled.
I haven’t paid that much attention to Lake Worth ISD since its takeover was announced. It’s a small district that’s not like HISD in many ways, and I’ve been more focused on Fort Worth ISD because I want to see how its experience compares to ours, to see what lessons we can take from that. However, while the Fort Worth Report does a lot of good reporting on both of these takeovers, they kind of skimped on a key aspect of this story.
Meyers’ appointment likely signals Miles’ controversial education reforms — centered on a strict instructional model and district-issued learning materials — will continue to spread across the state.
Her appointment occurs as school districts seek to avoid takeovers and improve struggling schools by outsourcing certain schools’ management to the Colorado-based charter network, Third Future Schools, that Miles founded. At least seven Texas districts are moving to partner with Third Future Schools to improve a total of 12 schools. Two other districts are expanding existing partnerships with the charter operator.
Meyers was hired by HISD in July 2023 shortly after Miles was named as superintendent in the district’s takeover. Meyers is deputy chief of schools for New Education System schools and earns $223,600, according to HISD records. She was a principal in Third Future Schools before joining HISD, her LinkedIn page shows.
Her appointment is the latest in a series of HISD officials joining districts undergoing state takeovers across Texas. Fort Worth ISD hired an HISD official to be deputy superintendent, and HISD executive directors were hired to be Fort Worth regional chiefs.
My point in following these stories was to see what I could learn about how Mike Morath and the TEA view the HISD and Mike Miles experience. I figured even in a small, not-at-all-like-HISD district such as Lake Worth, I’d get some clues. That sure is what happened here. Good luck, Lake Worth. You’re gonna need it. Feel free to reach out to our veterans of the process as you go.