Shayma Alzubi said she rejected a $130,000 Fort Worth ISD district-level position and is asking a federal judge to reinstate her as principal of Western Hills High School before students return August 10.
Alzubi said FWISD Chief of Staff Louis Kushner and Deputy Superintendent and Chief of Schools Daniel Soliz offered her a Principal Program Administrator position July 6 that would begin July 13, according to a declaration filed with her motion for a preliminary injunction.
“I applied for the position of Principal and that is the job I was hired to do,” Alzubi wrote. “That is the job I have worked for and so that is the job I want.”
Alzubi’s declaration lists a $130,000 annual salary for the proposed position. A May 19 compensation quote for the Western Hills principal position listed an annual salary of $120,849.06, according to exhibits filed with the motion.
FWISD told Western Hills families and staff July 8 that it had promoted Alzubi to a district-level administrative leadership position and named Lucio Rodriguez interim principal for the 2026-27 school year, according to Alzubi’s declaration. Alzubi said she had already declined the proposed position.
District calls proposed job a promotion
FWISD described the district-level position as a promotion that aligned with Alzubi’s “demonstrated strengths as an educator and administrator,” according to the Fort Worth Report.
District leadership said it conducted a “thorough review of matters that had been raised publicly” but withheld specific findings because personnel matters are confidential. Alzubi said she has not received notice stating whether the district found that she violated its social media policies.
The proposed role would focus on academic acceleration, college, career and military readiness pathways, master schedules and leadership development for campus administrators, district leadership said.
“This role represents an opportunity to leverage Ms. Alzubi’s extensive experience and proven leadership capabilities to support students and staff across Fort Worth ISD,” district leadership said in a statement published by the Fort Worth Report.
FWISD did not directly address Alzubi’s assertion that she had rejected the position before the district told Western Hills families it had promoted her to the role, according to the Fort Worth Report.
Federal case seeks immediate reinstatement
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, FWISD reassigned Alzubi on May 26 after social media posts and images tied to her account circulated online. The material involved Black Lives Matter, DACA, Palestine, Sharia and the district’s COVID-19 mask policy.
The district initially said the posts “may not align with the district’s social media policy and expectations for staff” and that Alzubi would remain reassigned while it investigated.
Alzubi sued FWISD in federal court, alleging the reassignment retaliated against her protected speech in violation of the First Amendment and treated her unequally based on religion and national origin in violation of the 14th Amendment. No court has adjudicated the allegations.
A federal judge dismissed an earlier version of the case without prejudice because her legal team had not included local counsel, as court rules require. Alzubi refiled the lawsuit July 9 with Fort Worth attorney Jason C.N. Smith added to her legal team.
Her motion for a preliminary injunction asks the court to immediately reinstate her as Western Hills principal for the 2026-27 school year. The complaint also seeks damages, attorney fees and litigation costs.
Attorneys with the CAIR Legal Defense Fund and Fort Worth attorney Jason C.N. Smith represent Alzubi in the case.
The Dallas Express reached out to FWISD for comment on Alzubi’s decision to reject the position but did not receive a response before publication.
Provided by Dallas Express
