Repairs needed before affected areas can reopen
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that students and staff were relocated Wednesday as a precaution following an engineer's assessment Tuesday. The district plans to use a safe section of South Hi Mount until Nov. 19, the last day the building will be occupied before the Dec. 1 move.
Administrators told families Thursday that operations staff had spotted cracks indicating movement at the campus's northeast end. Workers installed temporary structural supports to stabilize the affected area. This process, known as shoring, uses materials such as timber, steel or beams to support a wall or building.
The engineer recommended keeping those areas empty until repairs are finished. District officials said they had no concerns about the rest of the building, but the limited space available there led them to choose a temporary campus move to maintain a safe and effective learning environment.
South Hi Mount opened in 1936 on Birchman Avenue in the Arlington Heights neighborhood. Its students and staff will have an extended Thanksgiving break, including Friday, Nov. 20, and Monday, Nov. 30, before classes begin at Western Hills Primary.
Families question the timing and destination
Parents' concerns include the building's structural condition, how the relocation will unfold and the prospect of district leadership changing during the transition. District staff barred media from the meeting with families.
Salvador Pulido questioned leaving students at South Hi Mount for another couple of weeks. He would prefer a campus in another neighborhood, suggesting the vacant Milton Kirkpatrick Elementary on the North Side. Of the Western Hills area, he said, "I don't think it's a good idea to move to that school because there are too many bad things in the area over there."
Steven Schirmer said additional assessments could push back the eventual return to South Hi Mount. Although he trusted the principal to manage the relocation efficiently, he wanted the district to hold off on the decision amid uncertainty about its state-appointed leadership.
"My concern is that decisions are being made by individuals in the school district and TEA who will be leaving in a few months with recent changes," Schirmer said. "I think they really need to put a pin on this."
The South Hi Mount Elementary PTA also called for a pause to review alternatives. It asked administrators to communicate clearly and honestly with families and staff and to work with them on a plan that protects safety and the school community while limiting disruption to learning.
A recently closed campus will receive the school
Western Hills Primary is on Mojave Trail in west Fort Worth, roughly a 10-minute drive from South Hi Mount. District officials described it as the nearest vacant facility with room for pre-K through fifth grade. Fort Worth ISD will provide transportation.
The building has stood vacant since the end of the 2025-26 school year, when it closed and its students moved to Western Hills Elementary. Western Hills Primary was among the June 2026 closures under the district's Board of Trustees-approved Better Spaces consolidation plan. That plan began closing campuses in June 2025 and calls for 18 closures by June 2029.
The consolidation also followed a unanimous December 2025 trustee vote to combine Western Hills Primary with Western Hills Elementary beginning in August 2026. According to the Fort Worth Report, the merger was part of an overhaul of six struggling campuses using the state-backed Accelerating Campus Excellence, or ACE, turnaround model. Western Hills had earned a D rating and was in its fourth year of underperformance.
Uncertainty over state-appointed leadership
Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa's campaign position on ending state takeovers has left Fort Worth ISD's current leaders preparing for possible changes after she takes office in January. Board of Managers President Pete Geren said last week that he had spoken with elected school board President Roxanne Martinez about the appointed board's work toward a smooth transition.
Texas law places conditions on returning a district to elected control. The education commissioner may replace individual appointed managers at any time, but generally cannot remove the entire board until the campus responsible for the takeover earns acceptable academic ratings for two consecutive school years, according to the Fort Worth Report. The law also provides for elected trustees to replace one-third of the appointed managers annually during the intervention's final three years.
Fort Worth ISD's takeover followed five consecutive failing accountability ratings at the Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade. That campus closed in 2023.
The district also faces financial and enrollment pressures. Martinez has described a nearly $50 million budget shortfall and shrinking reserves, along with declining enrollment that has left too many classrooms and schools empty.
Return date remains unsettled
South Hi Mount's move is at least the fourth building-related relocation by Fort Worth ISD leaders. Flooding sent Meacham Middle School students to the vacant Edward Briscoe Elementary campus in October. Structural problems forced Daggett Montessori students to begin the school year at De Zavala Elementary. Last school year, foundation problems caused by a water leak led to S.S. Dillow Elementary's closure, with its students dispersed among three campuses.
Principal Elizabeth Foreman White told families in a Wednesday email that the district would determine a return date for South Hi Mount "in the upcoming weeks." She also reassured them that the students, staff and families who define the school community would remain together despite the temporary change of buildings.
