Fort Worth’s outgoing superintendent, Dr. Karen Molinar, is in line for at least $360,000 from the district under a separation agreement that labels her departure a resignation effective July 31. The payout, defined in district documents as one year of salary and benefits, is scheduled to be paid by the end of the month and also covers accrued vacation and personal leave.
The resignation and separation agreement, approved June 23 and posted by the district, spells out that the Board of Managers will pay Molinar one year of salary and benefits on or before her resignation date and will separately compensate her for 20 accrued but unused vacation days and 15 personal leave days. The contract also requires Molinar to remain available in an advisory capacity through the resignation date and includes provisions for returning district property and cooperating in any legal matters, according to the agreement released by Fort Worth ISD.
That “one year” figure translates to at least $360,000 because the state-appointed superintendent who replaced Molinar, Dr. Peter Licata, has a $360,000 annual contract, and district documents treat the settlement as one year of salary and benefits. His pay matches his predecessor’s, so local coverage has described Molinar’s settlement as at least $360,000, according to reporting by Fort Worth Report via KERA.
Molinar was recently named chief executive officer of the Tarrant County education nonprofit Rev Partnership and issued a statement saying she was “so grateful for the time I spent in FWISD” and that she is “excited for the next chapter” at Rev Partnership. Her appointment and comments were reported when the organization announced her hire earlier this month, according to the Star-Telegram.
State Takeover Set the Stage
The payout follows a Texas Education Agency intervention in Fort Worth ISD earlier this year, when the commissioner installed a Board of Managers and named a state-appointed superintendent to run the district. That move reshaped the district’s leadership and set the stage for Molinar’s negotiated exit. The agency detailed the intervention in a formal notice, and a broader timeline of how Fort Worth ISD ended up under state oversight has been laid out by The Texas Tribune.
The official intervention notice itself is available from the Texas Education Agency, which outlines the commissioner’s authority to appoint a Board of Managers and a superintendent in districts under state control.
Legal and Budgetary Implications
The separation agreement cites compliance with state law and treats the settlement as consistent with Texas Education Code rules on superintendent contracts. Section 11.201(c) of the code defines a “severance payment” and directs the commissioner to reduce a district’s state funding if any severance exceeds one year of salary and benefits. That statutory framework is the guardrail the district will operate under when the payment is recorded and reported, according to Texas Education Code §11.201.
Officials authorized the separation agreement at a June 23 Board of Managers meeting, and the contract contains enforcement language allowing recovery of costs and attorneys’ fees if payments are not made as agreed. The district lists the settlement payment as due on or before July 31, and future public financial records and board minutes are expected to show when the payment is processed and how it is coded in district accounting, as outlined in the district’s separation agreement.
