With rapid growth in the Georgetown area and the construction of new schools, Georgetown ISD has been working on enhancing educational opportunities for students.



1. Community-based accountability system



  • At the Feb. 21 school board meeting, GISD trustees voted to implement a community-based accountability system that will allow the district to set its own standards and monitor its progress while still complying with state regulations.

  • GISD officials expressed concern after the Jan. 6 release of the Texas Education Agency’s preliminary A-F rating system grades.

  • Educational consultant Denise Collier and testing expert John Tanner will help implement the system, which will reflect community values. The accountability system is driven by the GISD mission and aligned with the GISD strategic plan.

  • The timeline set for the implementation of the new system is spring 2017-2018.


2. Wagner Middle School transition


Wagner Middle School transition




  • Heavy rains in the early construction phases delayed the completion of the new Wagner building, but the campus should be move-in ready in mid- to late October.

  • Sixth- and seventh-grade students set to attend Wagner Middle School in the fall will begin the upcoming 2017-18 school year at the Williams Elementary School campus.

  • Williams students and staff will be moving to the newly constructed Purl Elementary School facility upon completion of the 2016-17 school year.

  • All of the same instructional and extracurricular opportunities available at GISD’s other middle school campuses will be available at Wagner.


3. High school schedule changes



  • Changes to Georgetown and East View high schools’ schedules will create modified block schedules that will allow for first- and eighth-period classes to meet every day for 50-60 minutes. Periods 2-7 would still operate on an A/B day schedule meeting every other day for 90 minutes.

  • Bryan Hallmark, assistant superintendent of operations and school leadership, said these changes would allow for more customized
    learning as well as increased career and technology education involvement.


4. District of Innovation status official



  • After adopting a resolution to explore a district of innovation, or DOI, designation last May, GISD’s DOI plan was finalized Feb. 21 following approval from the district advisory group Feb. 8.

  • The district’s plan includes seven different exemptions allowed by the DOI legislation, including an earlier school start date and re-evaluating teacher  certification requirements for some subjects.

  • The GISD DOI plan will go into effect for the 2017-18 school year and will be reviewed each year.


5. New attendance zones



  • The board of trustees approved new attendance zones for the 2017-18 school year to accommodate the opening of new school buildings.

  • An updated plan and maps can be found on the district  website, www.georgetownisd.org, along with information concerning rezoning, transfer requests and grandfathering.




Source: Georgetown ISD/Community Impact Newspaper