A new principal is leading O.D. Wyatt High School following the exit of two previous leaders and a high-profile controversy over a Facebook post by a staff member.
Fort Worth ISD has selected Armando Gallegos for the school’s top spot. Gallegos, who started Oct. 11, had been the principal at Bonham Elementary in Midland since July 2022.
“I want to make sure that we are providing our students with the best possible quality education, Gallegos told the Report on Oct. 18. “I want to make sure that my students feel welcome to the school and feel safe from the school.”
Fort Worth ISD faced challenges filling the position before school started in August. The district previously announced Rian Townsend as the new principal for the campus. Two days later, Townsend told the Report he was no longer in the position. In August, Townsend was appointed the executive director of IDEA Public Schools in Tarrant County.
Former principal Howard Robinson at O.D. Wyatt resigned in July following a staff member calling the campus “ghetto” in a Facebook post. Roberto Santana filled in as interim principal.
“We do not have a statement regarding his hiring, but what we can share is our absolute excitement about our new principal joining the team. With Dr. Gallegos’s unwavering passion for education, innovative vision and boundless enthusiasm, we’re confident he’ll spark positive change and inspire greatness at O.D. Wyatt High School,” according to a district spokesperson.
Gallegos has a decade’s experience working at the high school level, including being the assistant principal at Arlington High School, he said. He was a principal in El Paso ISD and San Antonio ISD.
Gallegos is one of Fort Worth ISD’s most recent hires from Midland ISD, the West Texas district that Superintendent Angélica Ramsey previously led.
One of the biggest challenges to starting a position in the middle of the school year is to work closely with teachers to learn about different ways of thinking, Gallegos said.
“My vision is clear: I see a vibrant, inclusive and innovative learning environment where every student feels empowered to reach their full potential,” he said. “It’s not only a cliche, this is something that I feel very strongly about.”
Dang Le is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at dang.le@fortworthreport.org or via Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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