Montgomery ISD schools and district offices will remain closed through Friday, Feb. 19. No remote or in-person learning will occur on Friday, Feb. 19. In-person instruction is scheduled to resume on Monday, Feb. 22.
The decision to close on Friday was reached after consulting with local officials as well as neighboring superintendents and determining that roads and highways will be unsafe for travel due to freezing weather through the remainder of the week. Additionally, many of our families and staff members are still dealing with power outages and other weather-related issues in their homes, eliminating a remote-learning day as a viable option. And, like many homes in our district, some of our facilities and campuses are also experiencing weather-related issues, which we are in the process of addressing.
Thank you all for your patience and flexibility this week. We will always work diligently to provide weather-related information as quickly as possible.
Due to continued power outages in the area, forecasted inclement weather on Wednesday and icy and hazardous road conditions predicted through Thursday, Montgomery ISD schools and district offices will now remain closed through Thursday, Feb. 18. No remote or in-person learning will occur on Wednesday, Feb. 17 or Thursday, Feb. 18.
We will continue to monitor the weather and will provide an update for Friday, Feb. 19 on Thursday.
Please continue to watch for updates via recorded phone call, email, text message and on the district’s website and social media accounts.
The MISD Board of Trustees regular monthly board meeting originally scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 16 has also been postponed to Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. in the Board Room of the District Education Support Center.
Due to widespread power outages in the area, Montgomery ISD’s all-remote learning day originally scheduled to occur on Tuesday, Feb. 16 has been cancelled. No in-person or remote learning will occur on Tuesday, Feb. 16. All schools and district offices will be closed. The district intends to apply for a missed school day waiver from the Texas Education Agency due to the power outages, which would allow for the ability to not need to use an inclement weather day to make up the instructional minutes.
We are continuing to monitor the weather and will provide additional updates. Our next update will be Tuesday, Feb. 16, or as soon as possible.
Please continue to watch for updates via recorded phone call, email, text message and on the district’s website and social media accounts.
The MISD Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, 2/16 is still scheduled to be held, although it may be postponed to Thursday, 2/18.
Building a Budget that Prioritizes Employee Compensation
Thank you to all who attended our first Budget Town Hall meeting this week at the District ESC. It was well-attended with highly engaged staff and stakeholders. Our budget development process for 2021-22 is in its early stages, and as I stated during the discussion, increasing employee compensation is our top priority.
Identifying the funds necessary to provide meaningful pay increases wont come without some challenges. The threat of a recapture – aka “Robin Hood” – payment to the state, inequitable per-student funding we receive when compared to our neighboring districts, and other factors like a limited fund balance are all challenges we need to overcome. Despite these challenges, District senior leadership and campus principals are working diligently together to identify areas of possible savings that could be allocated directly towards increasing employee compensation.
My commitment to you through the entire budget process is transparency and proactive, collaborative communication. In the coming weeks, we’ll share with you information on how the budget is being developed as well as specific budget-related items being discussed. We’re a long way from making any recommendations to the Board of Trustees, and even further away from a final decision and budget adoption in June.
I look forward to a transparent and collaborative budget development process.
Sincerely,
Dr. Heath Morrison
All Classes to be Remote on Tuesday, Feb. 16
Due to likely unsafe road conditions resulting from the forecasted inclement weather impacting our region, all Montgomery ISD schools will shift to remote instruction on Tuesday, Feb. 16. No in-person classes will be held on Tuesday.
Students will be contacted by their school regarding remote learning activities for Tuesday, Feb. 16. In-person classes are scheduled to resume on Wednesday, Feb. 17.
A remote learning day on Tuesday, Feb. 16 rather than a closure, will ensure that we will not need to add additional instructional days to the 2020-2021 school year calendar.
Please know that weather-related decisions are not taken lightly. When making a decision to close or shift to remote learning due to weather, the district works closely and consults with county officials as well as neighboring superintendents. All decisions are made with the safety of students and staff as the top priority.
In making weather-related decisions, we attempt to provide as much advance notice as possible to our families. This decision was made early due to weather reports showing unusually cold and inclement conditions in our region early next week.
Please be safe and, if possible, adhere to the advice of local authorities regarding road travel in the area.
MISD Board of Trustees Meeting – Feb. 16
The MISD Board of Trustees is still scheduled to meet for its monthly regular meeting on Tuesday. Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. in the Board Room of the District ESC.
During this meeting, trustees will give a special recognition to our school counselors in honor of National School Counseling week, which was Feb 1-5. Thanks to all who joined us in celebrating our amazing school counselors last week.
During this unprecedented year, the work of our school counselors has been especially heroic. In fact, over the years, the duties of school counselors has expanded well beyond the traditional “guidance counselor” role. School counselors now fill the critically important role of providing a comprehensive developmental school counseling program that focuses on student social and emotional well-being, in addition to academic success.
During the board meeting, Trustees will also consider adoption of a Board Resolution urging Governor Greg Abbott to prioritize school district employees in the next round of COVID-19 vaccinations. While we respect every individual’s right to make their own healthcare-related decisions, we believe that public school employees should be an eligible recipient of the vaccines, given the magnitude and importance of their roles.
Second Strategic Plan Town Hall Meeting
Mark your calendars for the next Strategic Plan Town Hall meeting at Lake Creek HS on Thursday, Feb. 25 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
We’re thrilled with the level of excitement and participation in the work to develop the district’s strategic plan. At the next Town Hall, we’ll discuss possible district initiatives and strategies to be included in the final plan. The initiatives and strategies developed during this process will be designed to empower the district to meet the goals and performance objectives adopted by the Board of Trustees.
As a reminder, the five district goals adopted by the Board of Trustees are:
Goal 1: Academic Achievement
Goal 2: Safety
Goal 3: Operations and Finance
Goal 4: Human Capital
Goal 5: Communications & Customer Service
Thank you for your participation in the strategic planning process!
Superintendent Shout-Out: LCHS Principal Phil Eaton
Mr. Eaton coached for 17 years, amassing over 400 wins at stops in Humble ISD and Pasadena ISD. Please join me in congratulating Mr. Eaton for this remarkable, well-deserved recognition!
Congratulations, Coach Eaton!
(I hope you enjoy the photos in the slideshow of Mr. Eaton during his coaching “prime”)
BONUS Superintendent Shout-Out: Teresa Tipton
Earlier this month, I made a difficult announcement that Teresa Tipton would be leaving the district for a new professional opportunity.
Today, I’m excited to inform you that Teresa has decided to remain with us as our Benefits, Leave and Worker’s Compensation Specialist! Montgomery ISD is blessed to have a dedicated employee like Teresa.
Please join me in thanking Teresa for her commitment to Team MISD!
Schools and Offices Closed on Monday for Presidents’ Day
All schools and district offices will be closed on Monday, Feb. 15 in observance of Presidents’ Day.
In the history of our great nation, we’ve had many courageous and bold leaders occupy the White House. The president I admire most is Abraham Lincoln. I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from him:
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
Due to likely unsafe road conditions resulting from the forecasted inclement weather impacting our region, all Montgomery ISD schools will shift to remote instruction on Tuesday, Feb. 16. No in-person classes will be held on Tuesday.
Students will be contacted by their school regarding remote learning activities for Tuesday, Feb. 16. In-person classes are scheduled to resume on Wednesday, Feb. 17.
A remote learning day on Tuesday, Feb. 16, rather than a closure, will ensure that we will not need to add additional instructional days to the 2020-2021 school year calendar.
Please know that weather-related decisions are not taken lightly. When making a decision to close or shift to remote learning due to weather, the district works closely and consults with county officials as well as neighboring superintendents. All decisions are made with the safety of students and staff as the top priority.
In making weather-related decisions, we attempt to provide as much advance notice as possible to our families. This decision was made early due to weather reports showing unusually cold and inclement conditions in our region early next week.
Please be safe and, if possible, adhere to the advice of local authorities regarding road travel in the area.
Here are a few other items of note:
Girls’ Varsity soccer game start times scheduled tonight (Friday) have been changed to 4 p.m. at Lake Creek HS, and 5 p.m. at Montgomery HS. JV girls’ soccer games have been cancelled.
Extracurricular activities on Saturday, Feb. 13 will be held as scheduled.
Extracurricular activities scheduled Sunday, Feb. 14 through Tuesday, Feb. 16 are cancelled.
The MISD Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. is scheduled to be held as normal.
As a reminder, all schools and offices will be closed in observance of Presidents’ Day on Monday, Feb. 15.
We are closely monitoring weather reports of potential freezing rain, ice, and possibly snow late this weekend into early next week. Should weather conditions become too hazardous for travel in the area, the district will make a decision to shift to all remote learning on Tuesday, Feb. 16. We will make a final decision as soon as possible to provide families with time to make arrangements.
As the weekend progresses, please visit the MISD Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as our website (www.misd.org) for updates. If a decision is made to shift to remote learning, notifications will be sent out via email, text message and recorded phone call.
Please know that weather-related decisions are not taken lightly. When making a decision to close or shift to remote learning due to weather, the district works closely and consults with county officials as well as neighboring superintendents. All decisions are made with the safety of students and staff as the top priority.
All extracurricular events on campuses this Saturday will be held as scheduled.
As a reminder, all schools and offices will be closed in observance of Presidents’ Day on Monday, Feb. 15.
Our school counselors play a critical role in both the academic and social and emotional well-being of our students. Each day, they push our students to achieve the goals and aspirations they’ve set for themselves, while ensuring that each of them receive the support they need to be successful. I could not be more thankful for the hard work and dedication our counselors have shown this year. They are truly making a tremendous impact on the lives of Montgomery ISD students, and the work they have contributed to our district’s collective efforts this year is without a doubt one of the reasons that nearly 95% of our students are currently participating in traditional, in-person instruction.
Showing appreciation for our counselors is especially important – even personal – to me. When I entered high school as a student, going to college was not an option I was considering. However, my high school guidance counselor not only inspired me to pursue college, but also helped me secure the scholarships I needed for financial support along the way. I would not have become the first person in my family to attend college and ultimately obtained my Master’s degree and Ph.D. without the guidance, support and inspiration of my counselor.
It has been a pleasure getting to know our dedicated counselors during my time as superintendent. Seeing their passion and dedication to our students is inspiring, and I’m excited about the work being performed in our district strategic plan to further strengthen the role of counselors in Montgomery ISD.
Sincerely,
Dr. Heath Morrison
MISD Strategic Planning Survey
As we continue our district strategic plan work, it’s important that we survey our employees, parents, students and community members on important issues encompassing the five Board of Trustee-adopted district goals, which are: Academics, Safety, Operations and Finance, Human Capital, and Communications and Customer Service.
Diverse community and stakeholder participation in the district strategic planning process is important to us as our strategic plan task force committees work on Key Performance Indicators and initiatives and strategies designed to meet our district goals.
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey by clicking the link below. The survey takes approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.
We appreciate your time and feedback. The survey will close at 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 15.
On Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 6 p.m., we will hold a Budget Town Hall meeting in the Board Room of the MISD Education Support Center.
At this Town Hall, Chief Financial Officer Kris Lynn and I will discuss our budgeting process and priorities for the 2021-22 school year and provide the community with an overview of district revenues and expenditures. As we work through our budget process, we are fully committed to transparency, active engagement and making meaningful improvements to employee salaries.
I look forward to the community’s participation in these discussions.
Student Leadership Council Meetings
MHS
LCHS
It is always the highlight of my week when I have the pleasure of meeting with our student leaders. This week, I held my monthly meetings with my student leadership councils at Montgomery HS and Lake Creek HS.
These leaders never fail to impress me with their passion and insight on how we can improve the student experience in Montgomery ISD. During this meeting, students provided us with valuable input on our strategic planning survey, which was launched today. We also discussed their personal growth as leaders by reviewing one of Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: First seek to understand, then to be understood.
Communication Council Meetings
This week I met with my District Elementary and Secondary Communication Councils. These groups are comprised of a representative from each campus who each bring to me various issues, thoughts, concerns and suggestions raised by their colleagues. In addition to the issues brought forward by members of the councils, we discussed the district strategic plan process and also spent time talking about culture and morale across the district.
These conversations are not only important, but valuable to me as we seek constant improvement in how the district supports our teachers and other campus-level staff. I charge myself, and my leadership team, with responding to the issues raised by the communications councils in writing, which we always share districtwide to all staff.
Our goal is to provide written responses to issues raised by the communications councils within the next two weeks.
Superintendent Shout-Out: Jayson Kimberly
This week, I want to give a Superintendent Shout-out to Montgomery High School’s Jayson Kimberly, who was recently featured on KPRC Channel Houston Life for his fantastic work through his own non-profit organization, Leave it for the Pooch. As the proud owner of a rescue dog, I am especially moved by Jayson’s story and dedication to this outstanding cause.
Thank you to all who attended our first Strategic Plan Town Hall meeting at Montgomery High School on Thursday evening. The excitement behind the work to develop our Strategic Plan is a testament to this community’s desire to elevate and position our school district as the “Premier” district in Texas. The Strategic Plan will serve as a roadmap to how we get to “Premier”.
The feedback from the Town Hall meeting has been very positive. During the breakout session portion of the meeting, there was active listening and authentic conversations occurring throughout the five groups. It was exciting to see a diverse group of stakeholders come together to discuss how we can further improve our district through the Strategic Plan.
Dr. Morrison’s Strategic Plan Town Hall Introduction – Jan. 28, 2021
Development of the Strategic Plan is being led by a Task Force of district leaders in conjunction with district parents, staff, students and community members. The plan will align with the MISD Board of Trustees’ adopted goals for the district. The five district goals, which were finalized in October 2020, are as follow:
Goal 1: Academic Achievement: MISD will provide a challenging curriculum, assess individual student achievement and support efforts to ensure excellent academic performance.
Goal 2: School Safety: MISD will vigorously enforce policies and procedures that promote a safe and orderly environment.
Goal 3: Operations and Finance: MISD will responsibly manage the use of financial and operational resources in order to sustain equitable funding to support academic excellence and to provide safe, efficient operations of the district.
Goal 4: Human Capital: MISD will recruit, support, develop and retain highly qualified and effective personnel.
Goal 5: Communications and Customer Service: MISD will provide proactive and frequent engagement with employees, parents, and community to ensure effective communication, superior customer service, and a strong culture within the district.
I entered Montgomery ISD as Superintendent with an intentional commitment to listen and learn from students, parents, staff and community stakeholders. That’s why it’s important to me that all who want to participate in the development of the strategic plan are provided the opportunity to have a voice. We plan to host two more Strategic Plan Town Hall meetings before it’s adopted by the Board in May.
Please mark your calendars for our next Strategic Plan Town Hall meeting on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. at Lake Creek High School.
With appreciation,
Dr. Heath Morrison
MISD Budget Town Hall Meeting – Tuesday Feb. 9
On Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 6:00 p.m., we will host a Budget Town Hall meeting in the Board Auditorium of the MISD Education Support Center. This Town Hall will provide an overview of the district’s annual budget and our process for the 2021-22 school year.
As we work on a budget for 2021-22, and beyond, we are committed to complete transparency in how we develop and ultimately approve a district budget. As I have shared previously, continuing to focus on employee compensation is one of my top priorities.
Additionally, it’s important that our budget process is in alignment with the development of our Strategic Plan. I encourage all who are interested to remain engaged and informed as we work on our 2021-22 district budget. Please join us and share your thoughts and priorities for the district’s budget.
COVID Rapid Testing Initiative
Our voluntary COVID Rapid Testing program has been a success and has received extremely positive feedback. We’re pleased to continue to offer this cost and time saving benefit to staff and families. To date, we have provided nearly 200 rapid tests – at no charge – to students and staff. This program would not be successful without the dedication of our outstanding school nurses. I want to thank our Director of Special Programs Dr. Amy Busby and all of our dedicated nurses who have made this testing initiative possible.
As a reminder, the voluntary tests are available for employees on campus and by appointment at the District’s Education Support Center. Testing for students is only available by appointment at the District ESC.
You can learn more about the voluntary COVID Rapid Testing program and schedule an appointment for a test on our website by clicking here.
A Retirement Reception for the “Grand Bear”
A special thanks go out to all who attended Bobby Morris’ retirement reception on Tuesday at MHS. Bobby leaves an impressive legacy in MISD, having worked in the district for over 22 years. He joined MISD as Principal of Montgomery High School in 1998 and went on to join district administration in 2009 as Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services and eventually our Chief Operating Officer in 2015. Bobby’s accomplishments throughout his remarkable career have had a positive impact on thousands of students and their families.
Coming into MISD, Bobby became a trusted voice for me. Bobby’s input and wisdom were always in the best interest of our district, and I learned so much from him in a short period of time. Bobby will be forever missed in the MISD family. His impact on our students, families, and this community will be felt for many years ahead.
At the reception, I especially enjoyed the MHS Madrigals performance singing the MHS Alma Mater.
A Farewell and Congratulations to Teresa Tipton
It is with excitement, but also great regret, that I announce Teresa Tipton has accepted a career advancement opportunity and will be departing MISD in February.
Teresa has spent the last 13 years as a dedicated member of our Finance Department, where she served as the district’s Benefits, Leave and Worker’s Compensation Specialist. Many recognize Teresa for her strong dedication to Team MISD. Those who worked closely with her would tell you that Teresa always had a genuine passion to serve MISD staff and improving our district. What makes Teresa special is not only her vast knowledge in all areas of employee benefits and leave, but also her ability to provide the employees of MISD outstanding customer service.
While she was not seeking another opportunity, Teresa’s hard work in MISD positioned herself as a sought after candidate for an Account Executive role with FBS. FBS is our Third Party Administrator that assists us with creation, compliance and maintenance of all health and supplemental employee benefits.
Teresa’s departure is a huge loss for us, but she will always be a member of the Montgomery Family. Please join me in thanking Teresa for her contributions to our district and wishing her the best as she moves into the next stage of her career.
The first MISD Strategic Plan Town Hall meeting will be held this Thursday, Jan. 28 from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at Montgomery HS. All individuals interested in participating in the Strategic Plan development process are encouraged to attend.
Following an introduction and overview of the Strategic Plan development process from Superintendent Dr. Heath Morrison, Town Hall attendees will have an opportunity to participate in one of five interactive breakout sessions.
Each of the five breakout sessions will focus on one of the MISD Board of Trustees adopted district goals, which are:
Goal 1: Academic Achievement: MISD will provide a challenging curriculum, assess individual student achievement and support efforts to ensure excellent academic performance.
Goal 2: School Safety: MISD will vigorously enforce policies and procedures that promote a safe and orderly environment.
Goal 3: Operations and Finance: MISD will responsibly manage the use of financial and operational resources in order to sustain equitable funding to support academic excellence and to provide safe, efficient operations of the district.
Goal 4: Human Capital: MISD will recruit, support, develop and retain highly qualified and effective personnel.
Goal 5: Communications and Customer Service: MISD will provide proactive and frequent engagement with employees, parents, and community to ensure effective communication, superior customer service, and a strong culture within the district.
If you are unable to attend in person, there will be an opportunity to participate remotely via Zoom. Please see the agenda below, which contains instructions on how to participate remotely. (Please note that each agenda item and session has a different Zoom meeting link that you will need to use.)
MISD Strategic Plan Town Hall Meeting Agenda
I. 6 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. – Introduction and Overview of Strategic Plan from Superintendent Dr. Heath Morrison
Link to join Introduction and Overview Zoom Meeting:
On Tuesday, the MISD Board of Trustees met for their January meeting. Highlights of the meeting include the adoption of the 2021-22 academic calendar, a district legislative platform, and approval of a comprehensive facilities assessment on district buildings. Trustees also approved a Board Resolution to ensure that employees who were scheduled to work on the inclement weather closure day on Jan. 11 are compensated. I’ll cover a few of these topics in greater detail in this week’s MISD Minute.
It was important for the board to approve a comprehensive facilities assessment on Tuesday. In order for our district to maintain the high quality campuses, buildings and facilities that our community expects, a third-party assessment of our buildings is needed to ensure we keep our facilities safe and welcoming places for learning.
In addition to these important actions taken by our Board, trustees also voted to extend my contract as Superintendent for one year, through August 2025. I’m incredibly grateful for the confidence our Board is showing in the direction our district is headed by taking this action. I did not request any change to the terms of my existing contract, as I remain laser-focused in our budget process on increasing employee compensation throughout the district.
Please see the remainder of this week’s MISD Minute for updates on things happening around the district!
Sincerely,
Dr. Heath Morrison
School Board Recognition Month
Throughout the month of January, which is School Board Recognition Month, we have been thanking and honoring our Board of Trustees for their service to our community and district. This year’s theme for School Board Recognition month across Texas is “Navigating to Success.” I want to thank all of you who have joined us in recognizing the service of our board and thanking them for leadership in navigating us through this unprecedented school year.
During Tuesday’s Board meeting, we showed the above video, which contains a special message to our trustees from students across the district. Again, please join me in showing your appreciation for our seven elected school board members!
Strategic Plan Town Hall Meeting
We are in the process of developing a three-year Strategic Plan for the district based on the Board’s five adopted goals:
Goal 1: Academics
Goal 2: Safety
Goal 3: Operations and Finance
Goal 4: Human Capital
Goal 5: Communications and Customer Service
From the onset of this process, I have said that I want this Strategic Plan to truly be the community’s plan. With that in mind, we want to gather as much input, from as many stakeholders as possible. Over the next three months, we will hold three Strategic Plan Town Hall meetings. We encourage any interested employees to attend and share their perspectives on how we can further improve our district through the Strategic Plan. We want all employees to have the opportunity to provide input on the direction of MISD.
Please join us for our first Strategic Plan Town Hall meeting next Thursday, Jan. 28 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Montgomery HS.
If you’re unable to attend, there will be an option to participate remotely. We’ll share details on remote participation next week.
Academic Calendar
At Tuesday’s Board meeting, trustees adopted the 2021-22 academic calendar.
I want to thank the members of the District Advisory Committee (DAC) for leading this process and making the final calendar recommendation to our Board. Also, thanks to all parents, staff and community members who provided input on the DAC’s proposed academic calendars through our district survey that was open from mid-December through early January. Over 3,500 district stakeholders provided input, with 57% of respondents preferring the calendar option that was adopted by the board.
During the board’s vote on the calendar on Tuesday evening, I was thankful when Trustee Laurie Turner publicly recognized and commended the clarity and transparency of the calendar recommendation process. Our goal is to always provide as much information as we possibly can, in a clear and transparent manner.
Once again, I want to remind everyone that instructional minutes in the adopted calendar may be subject to administrative adjustment based on the future state requirements relating to remote learning, COVID-19 conditions, weather-related closures and considering the needs of teachers and students.
I’m excited to share that for the first time in the history of our district, our Board of Trustees has adopted a Legislative Platform as state lawmakers enter the 87th Texas Legislative Session.
This action taken by our trustees is an example of work that gets us to being The Premier School District in Texas, and I’m proud that our Board will be working to ensure that the voice of Montgomery ISD will be heard in the legislative process.
Each legislative session, state lawmakers consider hundreds of bills relating to public education. Our board wants to ensure that the needs of our students and teachers are considered as Texas lawmakers make changes to public education.
The 2021 MISD Legislative Platform addresses the following items, which we are calling the “Five Pillars” of the platform:
School Finance
State lawmakers made incredible strides towards improving how Texas public schools are funded through the passage of House Bill 3 in 2019. We’re asking that lawmakers not derail this momentum by implementing funding cuts to our schools in addressing the budget issues imposed on our state’s economy by COVID. Further, we’re asking that lawmakers explore ideas that would support a more sustainable school finance system that lowers the burden on property taxes to fund schools.
State Assessment and Accountability
Earlier this year, the Texas Education Agency announced that all schools and districts will receive a “Not Rated” designation under state accountability this year. Given the challenges associated with the pandemic, we’re thankful for this decision. While STAAR scores will not count this year for state accountability purposes, we believe it’s still important to administer the test this spring in order to get a baseline understanding of where our students are academically, so we can appropriately address any learning loss due to the pandemic.
We’re also asking lawmakers to continue to focus on how state accountability is measured to ensure that instructional practice is aligned, but not driven by state assessments.
COVID-19 Support
We’re asking for continued support from the state as we work through the challenges associated with COVID-19 in meeting the needs of all children. The TEA’s Operation Connectivity program has provided tremendous support to our district, and we would like to see this program remain in place in the long-term as we potentially move forward with remote options for certain students.
Local Control
As a district with the “District of Innovation” designation with the Texas Education Agency, we’re afforded additional flexibilities in local decision-making in areas like school start date and filling high demand teacher vacancies with industry professionals. We’re asking that these local flexibilities remain in place, and that our elected school boards are further empowered to make decisions that best meet the needs of their communities.
School Safety
Keeping our students and staff safe is always our top priority. Therefore, any legislative platform our district develops should include school safety. We’re asking for support in securing buildings and creating safe school environments, and requesting support as we work to meet the mental health needs of students. Securing campuses and addressing the socio-emotional needs of students are both critical components to ensuring schools are safe places where effective academic instruction can occur.
So, what’s next? Well, over the next several weeks state lawmakers will meet and debate legislation at the State Capitol in Austin. They will hear thousands of bills, with many having large implications on school district operations, teacher pay, classroom instruction and curriculum and ultimately, student achievement. You can track legislation being considered at the Capitol here.
The MISD Premier Blog 