Trustees approve design documents for 14th elementary school

At the board meeting Monday, the Hays CISD board of trustees voted to approve design documents for the district’s 14th elementary school, tentatively scheduled to open in September 2018. The school will be located on High Road in Kyle. The district hopes the opening will help relieve overcrowding at elementary schools in the eastern and southern parts of the school district. Elementary No. 14 was originally planned to cost $33,925,000. After trustees directed district staff to pursue cost-saving designs, changes were made related to the school's entry, roof and outdoor classrooms. These changes will save the district $28,800 and brought the expected cost down to $33,896,200. However, Trustee Esperanza Orosco was still concerned about how expensive the elementary school would be. “I still am not comfortable where we’re at regarding cost of this school. I still feel we can do more to get that cost down,” Orosco said. “I don’t know what that is because I don’t know about construction; I don’t know about design. That is not my forte. But I really think we need to review that again and get that cost down somehow.” President Holly Raymond made it clear that the district fully intends to save where it can and return those funds to taxpayers through paying down existing bond debt. Throughout the design and construction process, trustees said they will make reducing the cost an active priority without diminishing the quality of the building. The school will be financed by the 2017 bond, if it passes. Because the school was listed as costing $33,925,000 when the board called the bond election, the election order and the ballot language will reflect that original amount, district spokesperson Tim Savoy said in an e-mail. The board approved the design documents for the elementary school. Trustee Orosco was the only one to vote against the motion. This general plan will be used again in the future for the 15th district elementary school to save money on design costs, district staff said.

Board adopts anti A-F rating resolution

The board unanimously voted to adopt a resolution that calls on the Texas Legislature to repeal the A-F district rating system. In January, mock results released by the state gave Hays CISD grades that Superintendent Michael McKie called “disappointing.” Districts and campuses were scored with letter grades from A-F based on closing gaps in achievement between students of varying socio-economic and racial backgrounds, as well as graduation rates, standardized test scores and other factors. Domain I grades student achievement; Domain II addresses student progress; and Domain III focuses on closing performance gaps. Domain VI covers postsecondary readiness. Most Hays CISD campuses received scores of Cs and Ds. According to the resolution, at least 16 states have implemented a similar rating system, but there is no definitive research that suggests these ratings have improved student or school performance. Fifty-five percent of the A-F grades are based on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test, or STAAR test, which the resolution calls “a high-stakes, standardized test that does not accurately measure student learning.” Hays CISD joins districts in Austin, Bastrop, Dripping Springs, Elgin, Round Rock and Wimberley in adopting an anti-A-F rating resolution.

Water skiing receives recognition as an extracurricular activity

Water skiing student-athletes who attend Hays CISD schools are one step closer to being afforded authorized absences like other athletes. This year, it was brought to the district’s attention that Hays CISD has several potential Olympic-level water skiers living in the district borders. However, water skiing isn't a UIL sport. When students competing travel and miss school, they aren't eligible for excused absences. The board voted unanimously to allow UIL competition rules and eligibility criteria to apply to water skiing students, a power given to school districts by the state. As an approved extracurricular activity, the district will appoint adjunct faculty to oversee and supervise students participating in the water skiing program without compensation.