Fort Worth ISD Superintendent, Dr. Kent Scribner, on Wednesday reflected on the challenges schools faced during the pandemic, as well as the changes he believes have been made for the better.
“The pandemic was a wake-up call. There is no way we want to go back to the way it always was, ”Scribner said.
Scribner was a prominent panelist at Wednesday’s annual state of education lunch hosted by the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. He was accompanied by other education and business leaders who discussed the role of education and the changing needs of businesses and workers.
“The pandemic was a crisis that we must not leave unused. It disrupted our system. It allowed us to reflect. It has enabled us to understand the importance of an extended school day, extended school year and technology, ”he said. “We also recognize that with the extra dollars we have all received to recover from the pandemic, they must go to the students who are most needed. The pandemic, if any … sheds light on the disparities that exist in our community. “
Prior to the pandemic, Scribner said computing devices like laptops and Chromebooks were being made available to all students between 6th and 12th grade, but not the youngest students in the district.
“As a result of this community’s investment in our students, we now have a tablet for our youngest learners … a Chromebook, a laptop for all K-12 students,” he said. “We built four Wi-Fi towers in our neediest zip codes, Stop Six, Morningside, Rosemont. We have eight more zip codes deployed in December and January with Wi-Fi towers and 4,000 modems. Not just for schoolchildren so that they can go about their work, but also for parents. “
Dr. Harrison Keller, Texas Commissioner for Higher Education, was part of the discussion about the current and future workforce.
“So how do we strategically invest this money so that we can improve quality and better adapt to our current new employee needs, which have changed much faster than everyone expected?” Asked Keller.
Scribner said the district is focused on preparing students for college and careers.
“We believe we have a high concentration of high-demand, high-paying high school student jobs here in Fort Worth. We know that four out of five of the most sought-after jobs require slightly more than high school but less than four year college, ”he said. “So we really want to help our students break this cycle of poverty and, through our partnerships with business, receive a family-friendly wage right after high school.”
The panel was moderated by Daniel Pullin, the John V. Roach Dean of the Neeley School of Business at the TCU.
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