The gist
The plan includes reassigning students from Mill Street to one of four campuses, based on bilingual status, zoning and capacity. If trustees approve the turnaround plan, they will submit the plan to the Texas Education Agency, and the TEA will notify LISD officials if the plan is approved by late January, Superintendent Lori Rapp said at an October work session.
The plan states that after students are reassigned, Mill Street will function as an early childhood education center. LISD currently only has one early education campus, the Lillie J. Jackson Early Childhood Center, and district documents state the facility is overcrowded.
Some background
The TEA requires school districts to create turnaround plans for schools that receive unacceptable accountability ratings, a D or F, for multiple years in a row, according to LISD’s website. Mill Street received an F for the last three consecutive school years.
High teacher turnover has contributed to the low accountability ratings, with experienced teachers having to spend time training new teachers, leaving less time for instruction, according to a report from Chief Schools Officer Lory Litchfield at an Oct. 6 work session.
Looking ahead
District officials plan to reopen Mill Street as an early childhood education campus for the 2026-27 school year. In the meantime, Rapp said the goal is to get Mill Street an accountability rating of C for the 2025-26 school year.
“Our shared goal as a district is to have a rating of a C at Mill Street,” Rapp said.
LISD officials will submit the plan to the TEA by Nov. 21, Rapp said.
