Montgomery Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Heath Morrison has named Montgomery Elementary School Principal Carrie Fitzpatrick as the district’s new Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education.
In her new position, Fitzpatrick will join the superintendent’s Senior Leadership Team and support the district’s six elementary campuses while growing, mentoring and monitoring campus leadership by focusing on improving student outcomes and school performance and enhancing the educational experience and learning environments across the district.
“Carrie is an extraordinarily talented and transformative leader in our district,” Morrison said. “I am thrilled to welcome her to this important role and excited to see the amazing impact her leadership and high standard of excellence will have on student achievement across Montgomery ISD.”
Fitzpatrick holds 23 years of experience in public education, having served as Principal of Montgomery Elementary School for the previous four years. Before joining Montgomery ISD, she spent 13 years as a principal in the Conroe Independent School District. Fitzpatrick began her career in education as a teacher in 1998.
“It has been a privilege and an honor to serve the Montgomery Elementary School Community as their principal,” Fitzpatrick said. “I will dearly miss my Bearcat family, but I could not be more excited for the incredible opportunity to continue serving Montgomery ISD in this leadership role.”
Fitzpatrick will assume the role of Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education from Wendy Graves, who is retiring from the district in August. Graves served a total of 30 years in Montgomery ISD, where she spent the previous 10 years as the district’s Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education and 10 years as principal of Montgomery Elementary School. Fitzpatrick will begin her new role following the end of the current school year.
Fitzpatrick holds a Bachelor of Science in Academic Studies and Master of Education Administration from Sam Houston State University.
Montgomery ISD will immediately begin a broad search process to identify the next Montgomery Elementary School Principal.
The final meeting in the MISD Strategic Plan Town Hall series will take place on Tuesday, April 27 from 6-7:30 pm at Montgomery Jr. High School. Following an introduction by Superintendent Dr. Heath Morrison, attendees will have the opportunity to attend a breakout session covering a topic addressed in the MISD Board of Trustees’ five adopted district goals.
MISD is developing a three-year Strategic Plan in alignment with the MISD Board of Trustees’ five adopted district goals:
Academic Achievement
School Safety
Finance & Operations
Human Capital
Communications & Customer Service
The Strategic Plan is being developed by a district Task Force comprised of parents, MISD staff, students and other district stakeholders. The final Strategic Plan will consist of measurable key performance indicators surrounding the board’s district goals and will contain district initiatives and strategies intended to meet targets in the performance indicators. The final strategic plan will be adopted by the Board of Trustees in June and take effect at the start of the 2021-22 school year.
If you would like to provide your input regarding the areas addressed in the district’s goals, please join us for this important discussion!
You can participate in a breakout session remotely via one of the following links:
This week the MISD Board of Trustees approved a compensation plan containing raises for the 2021-22 school year for all Montgomery ISD employees. I want to thank the many employees who reached out with kind comments and to express their gratitude about the board’s actions. While we intend to do more for our employees in future years, the work behind this compensation plan has truly been a journey, beginning with the 2% raises approved by the board in October.
When looking at making additional salary increases across the district, we needed several items to make informed decisions, including data and your input. Since October, we conducted an internal study of how our salaries compare to neighboring districts, engaged a third party to review how we staff campuses and district offices and provide options to become more efficient, brought in all campus principals to assist in our decision-making, visited with staff at all 10 campuses and the district office and held two budget Town Hall meetings. Having the necessary data to make decisions and receiving feedback from employees were extremely important to us as we developed this compensation plan.
On top of the 2% raises approved in October, we’re excited to have had the opportunity to put forward a proposed compensation plan with an additional $3,300 for teachers (about a 5% raise), and an additional 3% pay raise for all other district employees. While there still work to be done to make Montgomery ISD salaries in the region, we hope this shows our commitment to prioritizing staff compensation in our budgeting.
I wanted to point out a few additional important points about the compensation plan.
First, the compensation plan adopted by the board takes effect upon the start of your 2021-22 school year contract or beginning of the next fiscal year, depending on your contract length and type of employment. What this means is that you will begin to see the raises and increased stipends reflected in your paycheck at the start of your 2021-22 duty schedule, depending on the number of work days in your contract. For at-will employees, the raises will begin at the start of your work schedule beginning in the next fiscal year, which starts July 1.
Second, we have received some questions regarding the adjusted teacher hiring schedule. The hiring schedule salaries have been increased to become more competitive in the region. The teacher hiring schedule was also extended from 22 years to 30 years. I wanted to clarify a few items on this. First, with the adopted raises, a current Montgomery ISD teacher’s salary is designed to be – at a minimum – higher than what is reflected in the new salary schedule. The hiring schedule salaries reflect what a teacher entering Montgomery ISD would be compensated. For example, a teacher with two years of experience, entering Montgomery ISD during their fifth year of teaching would now have a starting salary of $55,875. This figure was increased from the $52,242 outlined in the previous 2020-21 hiring schedule. Current fifth year Montgomery ISD teachers received the 2% raise in October and will have also received the additional $3,300, bringing their salary to start their sixth year of teaching in Montgomery ISD above the $55,875 listed in the teacher hiring schedule.
Next, I want to be clear that while the teacher hiring schedule has been extended to 30 years, employees with 30+ years of experience still receive the $3,300 raise, and any salary increases approved each year by the board. Again, the hiring schedule reflects the salary of an individual entering the district for the first time, not existing Montgomery ISD employees, whose salaries will be – at a minimum – higher than what is outlined in the updated teacher hiring schedule. It’s also important to note that, while uncommon, a 30+ year teacher entering Montgomery ISD would receive a higher salary than what is listed at the 30-year mark in the hiring schedule. A 30-year range is common across many school district teacher hiring schedules.
Finally, I want to point our that professional, administrative, and auxiliary salary scales were all increased in the newly-adopted compensation plan. Many of you have inquired about raises being based on the midpoint of your salary. With the increased midpoints, the adopted raises for employees will actually be greater than they would have otherwise been without this adjustment. An adjustment to the salary scales is not something that has occurred when raises were approved in the past. Increasing the salary scales is an important component of making all district salaries more competitive.
Again, highlights of the Montgomery ISD 2021-22 Compensation Plan include the following:
Current MISD teachers receive a $3,300 pay raise (about 5%), for a total increase of approximately 7% over 18 months when factoring in the 2% raise provided in October – for a total raise of $4,055.
All other district employees receive a 3% pay raise, for a total of 5% over 18 months when factoring in the 2% raise provided in October.
The teacher salary schedule has been extended from 22 to 30 years.
Salary scales have been increased (Minimum, Midpoint, Maximum). Raises are calculated based on the increased salary midpoint.
Stipends reduced in summer 2020 have been restored to their previous amount.
In the coming weeks, employees will receive a letter containing their projected salary for the 2021-22 school year. The Human Resources and Finance teams are working diligently to produce individualized letters to all employees. This is an enormous effort being put forward, and I want to express my sincere gratitude for their hard work on behalf of all district staff!
It was truly a pleasure to recognize our outstanding assistant principals during the Board of Trustees meeting this week. Our district is blessed to have this amazing group of leaders who play a key role in providing all students with a high-quality education. They work so hard each day to keep our campuses running efficiently and effectively, attend after-school and extracurricular events and always go the “above and beyond” – especially this year – to serve the needs of students and families.
Here’s a short video featuring Oak Hills JH principal Tim Williams and Montgomery HS Principal Dr. Andria Schur expressing their gratitude for our assistant principals!
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The final meeting in our MISD Strategic Plan Town Hall series will take place next Tuesday, April 27 from 6-7:30 pm at Montgomery Jr. High School.
As you may know, we are developing a three-year Strategic Plan in alignment with the MISD Board of Trustees’ five adopted district goals:
Academic Achievement
School Safety
Finance & Operations
Human Capital
Communications & Customer Service
The Strategic Plan is being developed by a district Task Force comprised of parents, MISD staff, students and other district stakeholders. The final Strategic Plan will consist of measurable key performance indicators surrounding the board’s district goals and will contain district initiatives and strategies intended to meet targets in the performance indicators. The final strategic plan will be adopted by the Board of Trustees in June and take effect at the start of the 2021-22 school year.
If you would like to provide your input regarding the areas addressed in the district’s goals, please join us for this important discussion!
Lake Creek HS VEX Robotics Team advances to global competition!
There was some great news over at Lake Creek HS this week that I want to “shout out”! This week, the Lake Creek HS VEX Robotics Team advanced to the global competition!
Lake Creek’s robotics teams began the school year with one goal in mind, return to the VEX Robotics World Championship. Throughout the year, students competed in virtual and in-person tournaments, and after each of these tournaments, teams would refine their robot and code to improve their world rankings. On Monday, team 2854Y, which is comprised of Garrett Denley, Niko Howell, Aiden Suarez, Colin Nerren, Colton Bailes, and Colton Jenkinson, accomplished their goal, and received their invitation to “Worlds”!
The VEX Robotics World Championship will take place over the course of a week starting on Sunday May 16th and running through Saturday May 22nd. Team 2854Y has been one of the top performing robotics teams across the globe throughout the whole season and has received much praise from other teams and coaches on the design of their robot.
Final Rankings:
World – 144th
United States – 101st
Texas – 7th
Gulf Coast Region – 4th
Way to go, Team 2854Y!
Pictured from left to right: Garrett Denley, Aiden Suarez, Niko Howell
Early Voting underway for MISD Board of Trustees May 1 Election
Early voting for the MISD Board of Trustees election kicked off this week! Two seats on the MISD Board are up for election on May 1.
Running for Board of Trustees Position 4:
Trey Kirby
Christina Sato
Jay Grimes
Running for Board of Trustees Position 5:
Linda Porten
Early voting dates and times are:
Monday, April 19 – Saturday, April 24 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Monday, April 26 – Tuesday, April 27 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
For a list of early voting locations, visit the Montgomery County Elections website at www.elections.mctx.org.
MISD Education Foundation’s ‘Together we Grow’ is Saturday!
I’m looking forward to seeing you all at the Montgomery ISD Education Foundation’s inaugural Together We Grow community fundraiser tomorrow evening, April 24 at 7 p.m.!
Together We Grow promises to be a wonderful evening, all in support of the Montgomery ISD Education Foundation, which is essential to our work as a district. The Foundation provides students with college scholarships and funds innovative, forward-thinking classroom and campus projects and provides teachers with tools needed to enhance their ability to educate our students.
I want to thank all, especially MISD parents and Foundation board members Jessica Grace and Shannan Reid who worked “overtime” to make Together We Grow a reality. We’ll see you all on Saturday!
Trustees approve raises for all district employees, including additional $3,300 for teachers
The Montgomery ISD Board of Trustees adopted a compensation plan for the 2021-22 school year containing across-the-board salary increases for all district employees during their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 20. In total, the compensation plan includes an additional $3.8 M in salary and stipend increases across all employee groups.
The adopted Montgomery ISD Compensation Plan for the 2021-22 school features an additional $3,300 raise (approximately 5%) for current MISD teachers and an additional 3% raise for all other employee groups. These increases are in addition to the 2% across-the-board pay raises approved by the Board for all district employees earlier this school year. With the adoption of this compensation plan, in 18 months, current Montgomery ISD teachers will have received an approximate 7% total pay increase, or a total of $4,055, with all other employee groups receiving a 5% total raise. Additionally, employee stipends that had been previously decreased or eliminated during the previous budget cycle have been restored in the adopted compensation plan.
“Our dedicated employees in Montgomery ISD have stepped up in so many ways during this challenging year,” Board President Matt Fuller said. “I could not be more thankful for their tireless efforts this school year, and, while I’m looking forward to the opportunity to do even more for our employees, I’m excited that the compensation plan adopted by the board tonight provides them with well-earned raises entering the next school year.”
The compensation plan also increases the pay scale on the district’s teacher salary schedule. A first-year teacher entering Montgomery ISD will now have a starting salary of $54,450. The previous salary for a first-year teacher in Montgomery ISD was $51,000.
In addition to approving the district’s compensation plan, trustees also approved teacher contracts for the 2021-22 school year.
“The raises provided to teachers and district staff are not only well-deserved but also exercise the fiscal responsibility needed to ensure we have the opportunity to approve a balanced district budget heading into the next school year,” Board Vice-President Gary Hammons said. “For the first time, our board has simultaneously adopted a compensation plan along with teacher contracts. This approach to budgeting displays an ability to manage the district’s budget responsibly while prioritizing our valuable employees.”
Trustees are expected to adopt the district’s annual operating budget during its monthly Board meeting in June.
“Our school district budget should always be aligned with our priorities,” Trustee Trey Kirby said. “I’m pleased with how this compensation plan adopted by the board recognizes the hard work of our teachers and staff this year through a targeted, data-driven approach to providing increases to district salaries.”
Highlights of the Montgomery ISD 2021-22 Compensation Plan include the following:
Current MISD teachers receive a $3,300 pay raise (approximately 5%), for a total of 7% over 18 months when factoring in the 2% raise provided in October – for a total raise of $4,055.
All other district employees receive a 3% pay raise, for a total of 5% over 18 months when factoring in the 2% raise provided in October.
The teacher salary schedule has been extended from 22 to 30 years. (Employees on the teacher pay scale with more than 30 years still receive annual pay increases approved by the Board)
Salary scales have been increased (Minimum, Midpoint, Maximum). Raises are calculated based on the increased salary midpoint.
Stipends reduced in summer 2020 have been restored to their previous amount.
The 2021-22 Montgomery ISD Compensation Plan can be viewed here.
“Earlier this school year, after approving an ongoing 2% raise for all district employees, the board and superintendent made a firm commitment to seek additional pay increases for our teachers and district staff,” Board Secretary Linda Porten said. “I’m hopeful and excited about the path we are headed as it relates to compensating our wonderful employees in Montgomery ISD. They truly represent the heart and soul of this district, and we must continue to prioritize their compensation.”
During the meeting, MISD trustees also approved a Request for Proposal from Cenergistic, an award-winning energy management consultant firm. Cenergistic will advise the district on energy management and consult on best practices for energy efficiencies across all campuses and facilities. The district anticipates realizing a net savings of at least $300,000 in the first year of the partnership and continued significant savings over the following five years.
Seeking responsible efficiencies through energy management is one of the strategies the district will continue to engage in when identifying financial savings across the district. Earlier this school year, the district also engaged with the Texas Association of School Boards to conduct a comprehensive review of district staffing across all levels and provide options to increase efficiencies. The district implemented options in the TASB study to identify $2.4 M in savings without a reduction in force.
“The work behind balancing the district’s budget and seeking efficiencies necessary to provide our amazing teachers and district employees has truly been a journey,” Superintendent Dr. Heath Morrison said. “This was a deliberative, input-driven process. We still have work to do relating to compensation. But I hope the effort put forth in this compensation plan is a strong illustration of our commitment to prioritizing employee pay through transparent and responsible fiscal management.”
Teacher of the Year and Spirit of Montgomery Award Winners
The final campus votes are in! I am excited to announce the Teacher of the Year and Spirit of Montgomery Winners!
I could not be more thankful for the incredible leadership each of our Teacher of the Year and Spirit of Montgomery award winners has provided to their campuses during this challenging school year. I always say that true leaders rise to the top during the most difficult of times. In a year like no other, which has presented unprecedented challenges and has required innovative, bold problem solving, these leaders have stepped up to the call to serve our students and families. Each represents the values, characteristics and qualities that makes Team Montgomery ISD such an amazing and special group of public servants.
The full list of 2021 Teacher of the Year and Spirit of Montgomery winners is below:
Montgomery ISD Teachers of the Year
Keenan ES – Lauren Coughlin
Lincoln ES – Patty Barfield
Lone Star ES – Stacy Ritchie
Montgomery ES – Kelli Kojis
Madeley Ranch ES – Emily Larson
Stewart Creek ES – Marianne Elias
Montgomery Jr. HS – Tamara Lumpkin
Oak Hills Jr. HS – Wendy Jebousek
Lake Creek HS – Alison Rice
Montgomery HS – Deborah Vierkant
Spirit of Montgomery Winners
Keenan ES – Nikki Taylor
Lincoln ES – Dana Kuciemba
Lone Star ES – Monica Lemke
Montgomery ES – Niki Manceaux
Madeley Ranch ES – Kristi Miller
Stewart Creek ES – Linda Bailey
Montgomery Jr. HS – Courtney Buckner
Oak Hills Jr. HS – April James
Lake Creek HS – Stacy Brown
Montgomery HS – Sandra Farris
Please join me in congratulating and thanking our 2020-21 Teacher of the Year and Spirit of Montgomery award winners!
Lauren Coughlin
Nikki Taylor
Dana Kuciemba
Patty Barfield
Monica Lemke
Stacy Richie
Kelli Kojis
Niki Manceaux
Deborah Vierkant
Sandra Farris
Emily Larson
Kristi Miller
April James
Wendy Jebousek
Linda Bailey
Marianne Elias
Alison Rice
Stacy Brown
Courtney Buckner
Tamara Lumpkin
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Sincerely,
Dr. Heath Morrison
Superintendent
Montgomery ISD
MISD Board of Trustees Monthly Meeting
The Montgomery ISD Board of Trustees will meet for their regular monthly board meeting next Tuesday, April 20 at 6 p.m. in the Board Room of the District ESC. I’m excited to share that on Tuesday, we will be presenting to the Board for their consideration an updated district compensation plan containing across-the-board teacher and staff raises for the 2021-22 school year.
In October 2020 after the Board adopted a 2% raise for all district employees, I committed to you that we would work diligently to seek ways to provide additional salary increases for the 2021-22 school year. Our proposed compensation plan will include additional across-the-board salary increases and other adjustments that I believe will represent a significant step in the right direction in terms of making Montgomery ISD salaries more competitive in the region. We will share additional information about the 2021-22 compensation plan at the Board meeting and communicate more details after it is considered by trustees.
Second Round of COVID-19 vaccinations at the District ESC
If you received the first round of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccination at the District ESC on Monday, March 22, you may schedule an appointment for your second round on Friday, April 30 between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the District ESC. Any individual who received the first round of the vaccine should have received an email from the Montgomery County Health District this week with instructions on how to sign up for an appointment on April 30. If you did not receive your email, please check your “spam” folder. Per the CDC, second doses can be administered 24 days and up to 42 days after the first dose. As always, this is being provided as a courtesy to employees. The COVID-19 vaccine is not required.
I want to give a special shout-out this week to MHS Senior Reid Turner and College & Career Coordinator Laurie Zuehlke.
For the past year, Reid and Ms. Zuehkle have represented MHS and MISD as the Texas Association of Student Councils (TASC) President School! This weekend, during a state and caucus convention that will include over 2,000 students from across the country, Reid will give one final speech before “passing the gavel” on to a new leader.
I am so proud of Reid for representing MHS and MISD in this capacity. Reid served on my MHS Student Advisory Council and has a bright and successful future ahead! I also want to thank Ms. Zuehlke for her leadership, guidance and dedication to cultivating the next generation of leaders. Next year, Ms. Zuehlke will be serving the TASC District 7 (Houston Area) as the District Coordinator and will be on the State Board of Directors as the Past President school.
Strategic Plan Town Hall Meeting – April 27 at Montgomery Jr. HS
This is a reminder that the third and final Strategic Plan Town Hall meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 27 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Montgomery Jr. HS.
Over the past several months, a strategic plan for our district has been under development by five task force committees containing stakeholders from all over the district. Each task force is focused on one of the Board’s adopted goals: Academic Achievement; School Safety, Finance & Operations; Human Capital; and Communications & Customer Service. Each task force has held a number of meetings, conducted SWOT analyses and has developed proposed district initiatives and strategies intended to make marked improvements in areas addressed by the board’s goals.
The district Strategic Plan will ultimately consist of a set of key performance indicators intended to measure the district’s growth in areas addressed by the board’s five goals. District initiatives and strategies designed to meet the key performance indicators will be included as part of the Strategic Plan.
I’m proud of the public input that has gone into the development of the Strategic Plan, and I hope anyone who has an interest in one of the topics covered by the board’s adopted district goals will attend on April 27. A draft Strategic Plan will be presented to the Board in May and trustees will adopt the Strategic Plan along with the 2021-22 district budget in June.
National Administrative Professionals Day is April 21
Wednesday, April 21 is National Administrative Professionals Day! Our administrative staff across Montgomery ISD play a vital role in our work to serve and educate the over 9,000 students in our district. I am grateful for their dedication to our district and students – we could not operate successfully as a school district without their service. Please join me in recognizing and thanking our amazing administrative professionals next week!
The Montgomery High School Music Department has earned the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. Now in its 22nd year, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students.
To qualify for the Best Communities designation, Montgomery High School representatives answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.
“It is an honor for our MHS Music Department to be recognized with this award. Involvement in Choir and Band are extremely important to developing the whole child,” Montgomery High School Choir Director Heather Orr said. “Our music programs have great kids, incredible parents, and we are fortunate to have an amazing administration. I am just thrilled about their unending support and dedication to the music programs.”
Since the passage by Congress in 2015 of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and a stated emphasis on a well-rounded education, many school districts have re-committed to music and arts education programs and found that in this time of a national pandemic, provides a valuable way to keep students engaged in school. ESSA provides designated funding for well-rounded educational opportunities through Title IV Part A Student Academic Success and Achievement grants. NAMM Foundation research has revealed that these grants are being widely used by school districts to address instructional gaps in access to music and arts education.
“This program has shown me how to go above and beyond in all that I do,” Montgomery HS Senior Lydia Wilson said. “We could easily just stop at being “great”, but we’ve always had the mindset that we can constantly do better in all that we do, so I’ve learned that and implemented it in life outside of choir.”
Important Update on High School Graduation Ceremonies
I wanted to provide you with an update on high school graduation ceremonies.
The date of our graduation ceremonies are scheduled for Monday, May 24 at 7 p.m. for Lake Creek HS and Tuesday, May 25 at 7 p.m. for Montgomery HS.
After consulting with both campus principals, and taking into consideration the desire of our graduates to have flexibility in the number of guests they may invite, we have decided to adjust our plans and move forward with an outdoor graduation ceremony at the Montgomery ISD Athletics Football Stadium.
District administration had been working with the principals and administration teams at both high schools to plan indoor graduation ceremonies at Sam Houston State University that would allow graduates to invite multiple guests. However, we were recently informed by the university that capacity at the ceremonies would be limited to 25% attendance with strict social distancing measures in place. As a result, continuing with the ceremonies at Sam Houston State University would limit guests to no more than three per graduate and restrict other graduation features like having bands in attendance. Throughout this year, seniors at both high schools expressed to me that flexible attendance and having traditional graduation ceremony features in place, like the bands, were top priorities for them.
The dates and times of our graduation ceremonies are unchanged.
Moving the graduation ceremonies to the Montgomery ISD Football Stadium will allow for much greater flexibility in the number of guests our graduates may invite. We firmly believe that although outdoors, a graduation ceremony at the MISD Athletics stadium will provide our graduates and their families with the memorable experience they deserve.
We’re excited to plan an exciting graduation ceremony for our seniors More details, including a contingency plan should weather impact the outdoor ceremony will be shared by each campus in the coming weeks.
Thank you for your continued flexibility.
Sincerely,
Dr. Heath Morrison
Superintendent
MISD Master Teacher Cohort Celebrates Completion
This week, the MISD Master Teacher Cohort Class of 2018 celebrated the completion of the two-year program!
The pandemic delayed a few of the activities involved, but these persistent teachers refined their skills in the areas of content, pedagogy, and technology. The cohort sessions included in-person trainings, virtual experiences, book studies, and peer observations, and each member earned additional technology for their classroom. It was a valuable learning experience for all, and we are proud of their accomplishments!
Congratulations to the MISD Master Teach Cohort Class of 2018!
Heather Brown, Cheryl Hartner, Katye Hight, Matthew Monk, Robin Riley, Cindy Siple, Leah Taska, Carolyn Veillon, Sarah Wieghat, Tanya Gardner, Kerrie Johnson, Melissa Nordstrom, Nicole Petillo, Kristin Stevenson, Sheradon Sullivan, and Jennifer Gerbrecht
Superintendent Shout-Out – Montgomery HS ChoirEarns National Recognition
This week’s Superintendent Shout-Out goes to Heather Orr and the Montgomery HS Choir!
The MHS choir has received the “Best Communities for Music Education” recognition from the NAMM Foundation! Through this recognition, MHS earned the 2021 Support Music Music Merit Award through the Best Communities for Music Education.
What makes this award special is that there are only 80 high schools in the nation that earned the Music Merit Award.
I want to send a special thank you to the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce for hosting an outstanding Board of Trustees Candidate Forum on Tuesday evening at Lake Creek High School. This was an outstanding opportunity for our community to attend and hear first-hand from the individuals seeking to serve on our Board of Trustees. I’m thankful to all who participated in this event by attending in-person, submitting questions for the candidates, or watching it on Facebook Live.
Thank you to our students, teachers and staff for their patience and flexibility on Monday when the Texas Education Agency’s online testing vendor experienced statewide outages. The issues experienced by TEA’s vendor did not affect students taking the STAAR on paper. Unfortunately, this was a statewide issue, and completely out of the district’s control. The TEA canceled testing on Monday while their vendor worked to resolve the issues. Campuses will keep you updated as it pertains to the re-scheduled test date.
This week, we completed our “Budget Road Show”, having now met with staff from all 10 campuses as well as the district office to discuss our work to develop the district’s 2021-22 budget recommendation to the Board of Trustees. As I stated during each of these meetings, meaningful improvements to employee pay has been – and remains – our top priority as we work to finalize a budget recommendation to the Board. I want to thank each of you who asked questions, provided input and gave comments during these discussions. Your critical feedback empowers me and my leadership team to improve how we serve you and our students. You have my full commitment of continued transparency and collaboration through the budget process.
It is our plan to bring forward to the Board of Trustees a proposed district compensation plan at the April 20 Board meeting. Putting a compensation plan forward now, rather than at the conclusion of the budget process, allows employees to have an understanding of what their compensation will look like heading into the next school year. We will provide additional information as it becomes available.
I enjoyed the opportunity to discuss are plans regarding an enhanced district compensation plan beginning in the 2021-22 school year.
As a reminder, all schools and district offices will be closed on Friday, April 2.
Have a safe and relaxing weekend!
Sincerely,
Dr. Heath Morrison
Superintendent
Wendy Graves is retiring in August
It is with a wide range of emotions to announce that, after three decades of outstanding service to Montgomery ISD, Wendy Graves is retiring in August 2021. While we are sad to be losing a valued colleague, we celebrate her many accomplishments in the district and are excited about the next step in her leadership journey.
Wendy is in her 30th year with the district, having started her career in education as a teacher at Montgomery HS. She went on to become an assistant principal at Montgomery Intermediate School before being named principal of Montgomery Elementary School, a role she served in for 10 years. Wendy has achieve countless incredible accomplishments throughout her career, but perhaps the greatest was while a principal at Montgomery Elementary School. Under her leadership, MES became the district’s first ever Blue Ribbon School – a highly prestigious and coveted national honor awarded to schools for academic excellence and closing achievement gaps. Wendy was eventually named the Assistant Superintendent of Elementary, where she has spent the previous 10 years.
Over the past year, I have learned that Wendy’s knowledge, experience, selflessness and countless contributions to our district are what make her such an incredible leader in our district. She has been a trusted member of my leadership team and I am grateful for her many contributions during my first year as superintendent.
Please join me in congratulating and thanking Wendy Graves for her service to Montgomery ISD. We wish her all the best as she enters her next chapter.
Efforts to re-open campuses
Over the last several weeks, district administration has been working with principals and campus leadership to bring back a sense of normalcy for students and families on campuses. During the March Board meeting, I announced to trustees that this work had been underway, and I’m excited to let you know that many pre-COVID activities are returning, including proms, field days, Kindergarten and 5th grade celebrations, and volunteers on campus. This school year continues to present unique, unprecedented challenges. As we work diligently to close out this school year strong, it’s important that we continue to find ways to safely restore student, family and volunteer activities in our district.
MISD Education Foundation’s Together We Grow Community Fundraiser
As a reminder, the MISD Education Foundation is holding its first community fundraiser, Together We Grow, on Saturday, April 24 from 7-11 p.m. The event will take place outdoors at the Old Community Center in Historic Montgomery. This is a casual, adult night out with live music featuring the band Rapture and a BBQ dinner catered by locally owned Jr’s.
Together We Grow is a remodeled version of the Foundation’s annual Gala. Our Foundation board members, especially Jessica Grace and Shannan Reid have worked tirelessly on behalf of our district to make this a successful fundraiser for their scholarship and teacher grant programs.
There is also a competition to award one Montgomery ISD Principal with a $2,000 grant for a campus “Hustle Project”. You can help a campus win by sharing the ticket link and encouraging people to buy campus sponsorship tickets for the “Hustle Project” they would like to receive the grant. A video of each campus “Hustle Project” can be viewed here.
I encourage all employees to show their support for the Foundation by attending this event on April 24! Tickets to the event can be purchased here.
Superintendent Shout-Out: Lake Creek HS Varsity Softball
The Lake Creek Varsity Softball team is turning heads attracting some serious statewide attention, having improved their record to 24-0 after defeating Caney Creek this past Tuesday. The Lions are currently ranked #1 in the Area, and #2 in Texas and #18 in the nation according to MaxPreps. I want to give Head Coach Michelle Rochinski and the entire team a Superintendent Shout-Out for the amazing run they have put together so far this season!
The Lions take on New Caney tonight (4/1) at 6:15 p.m. at Lake Creek HS. Get out and support the Lions as they go for 25 in a row!
The Lake Creek Varsity Softball team and all other spring sports schedules can be viewed here.
Thank You HCA Houston Healthcare Conroe!
I would like to send a special thank you to HCA Houston Healthcare Conroe and CEO Matt Davis for their generosity this week in providing every Montgomery ISD employee with a lunch from Joe’s Italian Restaurant in Conroe. On Monday and Tuesday, Matt Davis and his leadership team personally delivered the lunches to all schools and district offices! I am incredibly grateful for this kind gesture to our hard-working employees and appreciate our partnership with HCA Houston Healthcare.
I hope you all had a wonderful Spring Break with a chance to relax and recharge in preparation for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.
This week, we were back in full swing at the District Office with a monthly Board of Trustees meeting, four “budget road show” meetings and a COVID-19 vaccination event for employees. I would like to send a special thank you to all who made this vaccination event opportunity possible for our employees.
I’m enjoying the opportunity to speak with campus employees during our budget update meetings. So far, I’ve had meetings at Stewart Creek, Lone Star, Keenan, Lincoln and Montgomery Schools, and Montgomery Junior High School. Next week, we’ll wrap up the meetings with stops at Oak Hills Junior High School, Madeley Ranch Elementary School, and Lake Creek and Montgomery High Schools. It has been a privilege to present to you the process we are going through to provide meaningful, across-the-board pay increases for employees. Your feedback during these meetings has been beneficial and improves our ability to better serve you.
Next week, all MISD employees will be provided a free lunch meal from Joe’s Italian Restaurant courtesy of HCA Houston Healthcare Conroe! We’re very grateful for this kind gesture from HCA Houston Healthcare Conroe and CEO Matt Davis, who is a parent in our district. I’m grateful for his organization’s partnership and generosity this year. Below is when each staff group will receive their meal next week:
Monday, March 29: Maintenance, Transportation (Liberty St. Location), Lincoln ES, Madeley Ranch ES, Montgomery ES, Montgomery Jr. HS, Montgomery HS, Stewart Creek ES
Tuesday, March 30: District office, Transportation (Bear Cub Dr. Location), Keenan ES, Lake Creek HS, Lone Star ES, Oak Hills Jr. HS.
Below you will find a few important updates on issues and events happening around the district. Please take a few moments to read this week’s MISD Minute to stay current on important district-related items. We have reached the “home stretch” of the 2020-21 school year, and I look forward to working together for ensure a strong finish!
Sincerely,
Dr. Heath Morrison
Superintendent
March Board of Trustees Meeting
On Tuesday, the MISD Trustees met for their regular monthly Board meeting.
The Board took action on a few important items, including the issue of district health protocols in response to Governor Greg Abbott’s Executive Order GA-34, which rescinded the statewide mask mandate and delegated authority over school district health protocols to the Texas Education Agency (TEA). In response, TEA advised school districts that mask mandates should remain in place, but allowed a board of trustees to remove or modify a district’s mask-wearing policy through an official vote. TEA also urged school district’s to consult with local public health officials when making this decision.
The MISD board of trustees voted to keep the district’s current health protocols in place through the end of the 2020-21 school year and authorized me as Superintendent to remove the district’s mask-wearing requirement on May 31, 2021.
Following the Board meeting, Board President Fuller sent a letter to parents and staff outlining the decision and explaining how it was reached. There were several factors that drove this difficult decision, but the main focus of the board was ensuring that schools could remain open and student activities could continue to thrive for the remainder of the school year. If you have not yet read Board President Fuller’s letter, I strongly encourage you to take a few minutes to read it here.
Please know that this was not an easy decision for our trustees, or one they took lightly. In fact, the final decision had not yet been made as of Tuesday afternoon prior to the board meeting. Our students, staff and community all have very strong opinions on this issue, and I want to thank all who took the time to make their voices heard. I also want to thank our Board of Trustees for their continued leadership.
It goes without saying that, while our district health protocols have ensured that campuses have remained open and student activities have been able to occur, they have posed unique challenges in staff, students and their families. I urge you to continue to exercise compassion and grace when addressing health protocols and the topic of masks with your students.
Revision to 2021-22 Academic Calendar
In addition to addressing health protocols, the board also adopted a minor revision to the 2020-21 academic calendar.
After reviewing the operational minutes in the previously adopted 2021-22 calendar, we determined that an adjustment was necessary in order to account for the possibility of a school-day closure next year. Under the previously adopted calendar, we would not have had the necessary operational minutes to make up any canceled school days, meaning the school year would need to be extended should we need to close schools for any reason. This year alone, with hurricanes, brown-outs and other weather events, our school year would have needed to be extended into June had we not had additional operational minutes built into our academic calendar.
Restoring 15 minutes to the operational day for the 2021-22 school year resolves this issue. It’s important to note that these operational minutes are similar to what has been in place historically in our district, and that the number of staff work days – or daily duty hours – does not change with this revision.
The revised school hours for the 2021-22 school year are as follows:
The full video of the March Board of Trustees meeting can view watched below.
National Nutrition Month
At this week’s Board meeting, trustees and district administration gave a special recognition to our hard-working, dedicated Child Nutrition staff. March is National Nutrition Month, so this week’s board meeting was a great opportunity to thank our child nutrition employees for service to our children and families. The work they perform behind the scenes each day to keep children fed and well-nourished is a vital component to our efforts to ensure academic excellence for all students.
Please take a few minutes to watch the video below highlighting some of the great work of our Child Nutrition Department!
Superintendent Shout-Out: Montgomery High School Senior KalaniHayden
This week I want to send a shout-out to MHS Senior Kalani Hayden!
Kalani, who is a member of my Superintendent’s Student Leadership Council at MHS, made her voice heard by speaking on the issue of district health protocols during the public comment portion of Tuesday’s board meeting. Kalani gave a heart-felt, passionate viewpoint of her opinion on district health protocols and impressed all who were in attendance. It took an incredible amount of courage for Kalani to speak publicly at the board meeting, and I could not be more proud of how she represented herself and her peers.
Kalani is a phenomenal leader who has a bright future ahead!
Final Strategic Plan Town Hall Meeting – April 27 at Montgomery Jr. HighSchool
Please mark your calendars for the final MISD strategic plan town hall meeting on Tuesday, April 27 from 6 – 7:30 p.m. at Montgomery Junior High School. This is a final opportunity to provide your input on targeted items and issues the district should prioritize over the next several years in alignment with the Board’s five adopted goals: Academic Achievement, School Safety, Finance and Operations, Human Capital, and Communications and Customer Service.
The Montgomery ISD Strategic Plan will be finalized in May after we’ve had the opportunity to hold this town hall meeting on April 27.
The Montgomery business community’s support is a vital part of what makes our school district successful. Montgomery ISD is thankful for the ongoing partnership that the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce (MACC) provides, and they have stepped up to once again rally the community behind the Education Foundation’s Together We Grow community fundraiser.
“One of the Chamber’s key initiatives is to invest in our future,” MACC Executive Director Shannan Reid said. “Not just the next business to come along, but also as MISD prepares our young people to eventually return to Montgomery and build the community up for the next generation. The Montgomery Area Chamber is proud to support the MISD Education Foundation’s Together We Grow Community Fundraiser and encourages all Montgomery residents to join in this incredible event.”
The Montgomery ISD Education Foundation’s Together We Grow community fundraiser will be held on Saturday, April 24th from 7-11 p.m. This event is the remodeled version of their annual Gala, and will take place outdoors at the Old Community Center in Historic Montgomery. The Education Foundation board is putting great effort into making this event an inclusive and community-wide venture that will be a successful fundraiser for their scholarship and teacher grant programs.
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