Superintendent Fred Brent led two sessions discussing the impact COVID-19 has had on the district.
“A lot of unanticipated things have happened since we last met in February 2020,” Brent said. “But a lot of good things happened in GISD and in our community.”
According to the district, a total of 2,201,786 free meals were served to GISD students during the 2020-21 school year and more than 10,000 meals were delivered to students’ homes.
“The world shut down,” Brent said. “I was blown away by the men and women that made sure that this happened.”
Brent applauded that GISD provided 2,768 COVID-19 tests to staff and students in three months.
“It was a quick response, and I am so thankful for their work,” Brent said.
With remote learning becoming a big factor for all educational organizations, GISD supplied 12,500 new laptops and tablets in 2021 for instructional use and 1,100 free hotspots for students without internet access. In total, GISD had 58.5 days of remote learning.
Brent also celebrated the dedication that GISD teachers, operational and leadership staff showed in the midst of the pandemic.
Latoya Easter, East View High School principal, visited more than 300 seniors at their homes, knocking on doors with no prior warning, to check on her students.
“It took her 13 days, 10-11 hours a day just so her students could know that she, we were there,” Brent said.
Brent also recognized GISD operations worker Jim Morrison and Forbes Middle School teacher Amanda Sanford for their unrelenting support for their students and co-workers.
“What I love about Georgetown ISD is that our mission is our compass,” Brent said. “Inspire and empower every learner to lead, grow and serve.”
Brent highlighted that, compared to Region 13 and statewide data, GISD had better STAAR averages across the board with the exception of social studies and ELA with room for improvement in all categories.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Brent said. “But we are encouraged by our commitment to instruction, aligning our curriculum and providing the right resources to our teachers and students.”
The all-day event featured informal panels led by different GISD departments, projects and displays from several student organizations as well as performances from the McCoy Elementary Honor Choir, the East View High School string ensemble and its Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps.
