Tuesday night's Georgetown ISD board of trustees meeting featured a busy agenda, including updates about rezoning, A-F school ratings and district of innovation.
Attendance zone changes delayed
A final recommendation on proposed attendance zone changes was expected to go before the board tonight but was put on hold until the school board's February meeting.
Bryan Hallmark, GISD assistant superintendent of operations and school leadership, said timing and setbacks, including the delay of Wagner Middle School opening, led to the delay.
Wagner Middle School, which was expected to be open at the start of the 2017-18 school year, is now not expected to open for students until next January because of several rain delays, and a transition plan has to be created for when it opens, according to Hallmark.
Hallmark said he does not expect any major changes from the original rezoning plan that was presented Dec. 12.
A-F ratings
The school board approved a resolution calling on the Texas legislature to repeal the new A-F rating system, which grades each school district and school, and allow school districts to create their own system that aligns with state requirements.
Preliminary A-F ratings were released by The Texas Education Agency Jan. 6. Although Georgetown ISD scores met the standard overall, several schools received unsatisfactory ratings.
GISD superintendent Fred Brent addressed the rating system at the meeting.
"As a superintendent of schools, a father and an educator, I have a lot of challenges with this A-F accountability system," Brent said. "This type of testing is not a true measure of student learning, and we do not believe it is the thing that should drive our district. We do want to be accountable, but we struggle with this measure."
Brent said the board will be looking into designing a community-based accountability system that will help the district determine how to measure the effectiveness of education on children.
GISD spokesperson Suzanne Marchman said she expected more information to come at the February board meeting.
District of Innovation plan
More details were provided tonight concerning the GISD DOI plan that was released Jan. 8.
One of GISD's proposed rules would allow the district to set a start day for school annually that begins on or after the second Wednesday of August and ends no later than the first week of June.
The district has chosen seven different exemptions to propose for its students and faculty, including reevaluating teacher certification requirements. While teachers in core subject areas, bilingual classes and special education would be required to maintain certification, the exemption would allow the district to hire non-certified teachers in specialty vocations and trades areas.
GISD could also be exempt from a state law that requires students to attend class 90 percent of the school days to earn class credit. If the plan passes, GISD will maintain a minimum attendance percentage for traditional classes while allowing for flexibility in students demonstrating mastery of content through an innovative system at a more flexible pace. This exemption would allow the district to not penalize students who miss class for legitimate school activities as well as explore online and blended coursework options.
Brent said he believes the plan works well with GISD's mission.
"I have nothing but appreciation for the teachers, community members and parents who are tied to this work [with the DOI plan]."
Other proposed changes include updates to district improvement plans and clarifying channels of communication concerning student behavior.
A public meeting at Forbes Middle School will be held at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 8 concerning the DOI proposals.
Pending approval from an advisory committee and the board of trustees, GISD could become an official DOI as soon as the 2017-18 school year.
For more detailed coverage of GISD's DOI plan, visit the website to view the extended story from our January edition.
Recapture election
GISD Chief Financial Officer Steve West recommended an item to the board concerning a community election over the gathering of recapture funds.
State law requires the district to hold a communitywide election to choose a course of action concerning recapture funds. Per TEA rules, schools can either send funds directly back to the state or choose to partner with another school district, which would receive any extra tax dollars from GISD because it is considered a tax-wealthy district, according to the state.
West said in 2016-17 the amount of recapture jumped to $3.4 million and expects that it will jump to more than $10 million next year.
The district will begin moving forward with the next steps in the coming months.
