School board approves new attendance zones for Legacy 2017 schools


MARSHALL, Texas – Marshall ISD’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved a new attendance zone plan for the 2017-2018 school year, the first year of the district’s new Legacy 2017 schools, during the board’s December Regular Meeting held Monday night in the Pat Smith-Gasperson Board Room.

MISD will be consolidating from its current six K-4 elementary schools to three newly-constructed, K-5 elementaries, and a renovated STEM Academy at the current Sam Houston Middle School.

The new plan separates the district into three attendance zones, one each for the new elementary schools located at current sites of Price T. Young Middle School, William B. Travis Elementary and David Crockett Elementary.

The new plan will include two bilingual programs at both Crockett and Travis, with non-STEM bilingual students living in the Price T. Young zone attending Travis.

The new STEM Academy at Sam Houston will continue to serve as a magnet school, as it has for the past three years at its current location at South Marshall Elementary.

Under the approved plan and with estimated enrollment from each of the zones, Crockett is expected to serve approximately 702 students. Travis’ approximate enrollment is at 703. Both schools have an enrollment capacity of 750.

At Price T. Young, enrollment in the first year is estimated at 619, while estimated enrollment at the new STEM Academy at Sam Houston is currently estimated at 567.

The district will be closing current elementaries at J.H. Moore, Robert E. Lee, South Marshall and Carver, although MISD is looking into possibilities of repurposing those facilities for further district use.

Currently, the district’s Pre-Kindergarten/Head Start campus will remain at Washington Early Childhood Center.

Students in grades 6-8 in Marshall will move into the district’s new junior high school under construction on East Travis Street. The current Marshall Junior High School will close but will be repurposed for other district use.

Facilities that are not repurposed, or sold, will be demolished. However, there are no plans to demolish the current Marshall Junior High, which served as Marshall High School from 1924-1980.

The Legacy 2017 building program is a result of a $109,210,000.00 bond election approved by MISD voters in May of 2015.

Other actions of note from Monday’s board meeting included:

• Marshall Junior High seventh-grader Travis Bister opened the meeting by leading both pledges to the U.S. and Texas flags.

• Marshall High School cross country student-athletes Frida Enrriquez and Martha Fajardo were recognized for being named to the Academic All-State team. Enrriquez and Kiari Johnson were also recognized for advancing to the regional meet earlier this fall.

• MHS volleyball student-athletes who earned recognition on the All-District team were recognized. These students included Gabby Moore, Kiari Johnson, Haylie Rich, Chloe Buchanan, Cate Truelove, Maycee Griffin, Keara Irving, Jasmine Mitchell, Ja’Kiya Fisher and Khalia Anderson. Gabby Moore, Haylie Rich, Cate Truelove, Chloe Buchanan and Maycee Griffin were also honored for being named to the Academic All-District team.

• Members of the MHS Debate team were also recognized for their performance at the Carthage Academic Invitational last month. These students included Dakota Epps, Nathan Hicks, Criston Cade, Deshona Jernigan and Jackson Roth.

• Anika Perkins, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, presented an overview of the district’s Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR). The TAPR pulls together a wide range of information on the performance of students in each school and district in Texas every year. Performance is shown disaggregated by student groups, including ethnicity and socioeconomic status. The reports also provide extensive information on school and district staff, programs and student demographics. In addition to the public hearing, the report will be available on the district website and copies of the report in its entirety will be available at every campus and the central administration building.

• Kristin Byrd, Assistant Superintendent for Business and Financial Services, presented MISD’s annual FIRST (Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas) Report. In the report covering the 2014-2015 school year, MISD received a Superior rating for financial management. Under the FIRST report, every school district in Texas is required to prepare an annual financial management report that includes the district’s financial management performance rating provided by TEA for the current and the previous rating year and six required disclosures, which include:

o A copy of the Superintendent’s contract (published on the district’s website)
o A schedule of reimbursements received by the Superintendent and each board member
o A schedule of compensation and/or fees received by the Superintendent from other school districts or outside entities
o A summary of gifts valued at $250 or more received by each board member
o Summary of business transactions between the district and board members for fiscal year 2015

• Helen Warwick, MISD Board of Trustees President, gave a report on the Continuing Education Training for MISD Board Members. The Texas Education Code requires board members to get ongoing continuing education in accordance with a State Board of Education (SBOE) rule. The rule, board members are required to get three different kinds of continuing education, and the rule requires that the Board President publicly announce which members have met, exceeded or are deficient in meeting the requirements. Warwick announced that all members of the MISD school board have met the requirements.

• Rachel Campa, Bilingual/ESL Coordinator, presented a proposal for restructure of the design of the district’s Bilingual Education Program. Campa provided specific information on converting the MISD Bilingual transitional program model to a researched-based, dual language model. The model is Gomex & Gomex one-way dual language. The changes will provide the opportunity for ELL (English Language Learners) to receive an enriched curriculum and will begin the dual language, one-way model in Pre-K through first grade on all bilingual campuses for the 2017-2018 school year.

• Robert Wilbanks, LAN Project Manager for MISD’s Legacy 2017 building program, presented his monthly report on the status of each of MISD’s construction projects. All projects are still scheduled for completion in time to open all facilities in August of 2017.

• Trustees approved minutes of a Special Called Meeting on Nov. 1, 2016; Board Workshop on Nov. 8, 2016; Special Meeting for Agenda Review on Nov. 10, 2016; and Regular Meeting on Nov. 14, 2016.

• Trustees approved donations from Mary Leary; DC Distributers (to Crockett Elementary) and DC Distributors (to J.H. Moore Elementary); and the Marshall Education Foundation.

• Trustees approved the monthly financial reports for November.

• Trustees approved the district’s Performance Based Monitoring Analysis System (PBMAS) Improvement Plan as presented by Dr. Melinda Jennings, Director of Special Programs and Accountability. Based on the ratings received in the PBMAS system, MISD was required to submit a plan to the Texas Education Agency regarding concerns in the district’s CTE (Career and Technical Education) and Special Education programs.

• Trustees approved the District Improvement Plan as presented by Dr. Melinda Jennings, Director of Special Programs and Accountability. The District Improvement Plan is submitted each year to guide the district in decisions regarding instruction and operations. Data is gathered and reviewed to provide strategies to improve the district process as well as improve the education of MISD students.

• Trustees approved the annual review of the MISD Investment Policy and designation of Investment Officers. The district’s designated Investment Officers are Dr. Jerry Gibson, Superintendent, and Kristin Byrd, Assistant Superintendent of Business and Financial Services.

• Trustees approved the purchase of contracted fiber installation services to connect new campuses in the Legacy 2017 building program to MISD’s underground fiber infrastructure. This includes replacement and repair of existing fiber hand holes, and installation of fiber patch panels at each campus main distribution frame closet.

• Trustees approved the purchase of 253 Promethean 70” ActivPanel Touchscreens to be installed in classrooms at each of the new Legacy 2017 schools. This will give every classroom in MISD a Promethean ActivPanel Touchscreen beginning in the 2017-2018 school year.

The January meeting of the MISD Board of Trustees is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 5:30 p.m. An Agenda Review for that meeting will be held on Thursday, Jan. 13, at noon.

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