A Year of Resilience

It’s hard to believe that one year ago this week, our school district was forced to halt in-person instruction due to the spread of COVID-19 in our community. When I think back to one year ago, I recall the fear of the unknown and the impact the pandemic would soon have in school communities across the nation. I remember how difficult and painful it was for educators and students to miss nearly a full semester of in-person instruction. And mostly, I think about activities like graduation, prom, athletics and extracurricular activities that had to be canceled and the thousands of students who never had an opportunity to create a lifetime of memories. These were extraordinarily challenging times.

Fast-forward to today. There’s no doubting that things look a little different. Social distancing, hand sanitizer and masks are now a part of our daily routines – the new (temporary) reality. Yet, because of these adjustments and other health and safety protocols in place, we have been able to offer in-person learning and resume extracurricular activities this year with some normalcy. In fact, Montgomery ISD was one of the first school districts in Texas to re-open for in-person instruction. This community should take great pride in the resilience of Montgomery ISD students and staff.

As we head out for a much-needed Spring Break, lets take a moment to recognize how far we have come from one year ago today. From not knowing when we would be able to return to our campuses, classrooms, and sports fields – to where we stand now – with nearly 95% of students engaged with in-person learning, extra-curricular activities in full swing, and our sports teams on the field.

Nothing about this year has been easy. The challenges we have confronted during this school year have taken a toll on everyone – from a global pandemic, hurricanes and brownouts to a once in a generation winter storm in south Texas. I’m thankful that our community has continually put children first as we have navigated the challenges presented during this unprecedented school year. Let’s celebrate our resilience, take a week to rest, and finish this school year strong.

Below you will find a few important district updates. Thank you for taking the time to read this week’s MISD Minute to stay informed on important issues happening in the district.

Please enjoy a safe Spring Break. We’ll see you on March 22!

Sincerely,

Dr. Heath Morrrison

Superintendent

Montgomery ISD

COVID-19 Vaccine Opportunity on Monday, March 22 at the District ESC

On Monday, March 22, all MISD employees will have the opportunity to receive the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the MISD Education Support Center. All school district employees are now eligible for the vaccine.  

If you are interested in scheduling an appointment, please complete the questions in this link (also below – employee name, date of birth and employee ISD email address). The list will be submitted to the Montgomery County Health District (MCHD) and you will then receive an email to register for your appointment (check your spam folder if you do not get an email).  An appointment is required to receive the vaccine on March 22. Appointment times will be between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=aNXioP38pUiOvteAor6fEImi0qrU-SFPuy0t6YL1d71UNTlRN1k2SktSN09YVlg5NDNKTkVCOU5KSC4u

Please choose a time slot that is during your scheduled conference period, if possible.  If your conference time is in the morning, your campus administration will work with you so that you have the ability to leave campus for your scheduled appointment time.  Please communicate this need so they can make arrangements. 

MISD staff should complete this form by midnight on March 16th. Please park in the back parking lot and enter the doors for the Board Room area.

To view the prescreening checklist for the Moderna vaccine, click this link:  https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/downloads/pre-vaccination-screening-form.pdf

As soon as the 2nd dose of Moderna is available, MCHD will send out an email with registration options.  We plan to work with MCHD to open the MISD ESC as a vaccination site for the second dose, as well. 

This opportunity is being provided as a courtesy to our employees – the vaccine is not mandatory.

Budget Road Show

This week, we completed three stops of our “Budget Road Show”, meeting with ESC staff and the faculties at Stewart Creek ES and Lone Star ES. Financial transparency and providing meaningful salary increases to district employees are our top priorities as we build a district budget for the 2021-22 school year. We’re also committed to developing a district compensation plan to present to the Board of Trustees for approval in April. With a district compensation plan, employees will have a much better understanding of their salaries going into the next school year. It has been exciting to share some of our initial budget development work and proposals for salary improvements with staff across the district. I have enjoyed answering your questions and taking input and feedback.

I look forward to continuing these discussions when we return from Spring Break.

Staff Survey Results – Mask Requirements

This week, we surveyed all staff to gather input on the district’s existing mask requirement. Thank you to all of you who took the time to respond and provide us with your feedback. Your input is important to us as we make important health and safety-related decisions at the district level.

You can see the results of the staff survey here.

Superintendent Shout-Out – Montgomery JH One Act Play

Congratulations to MJH Theater teacher Tammy Lumpkin and the Montgomery Junior High UIL One Act Play students, who were named district champions this week!

We are so proud of your hard work and dedication this year.

Way to go, Bears!

An update regarding the Governor’s Executive Order

I wanted to provide you with an update on Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s Executive Order No. GA-34, which rescinds the statewide mandate regarding the required use of face masks or facial coverings. The Executive Order takes effect on Wednesday, March 10.

On Wednesday, March 3rd the Texas Education Agency issued further clarification regarding the Governor’s Executive Order. TEA clarified that the use of a mask or facial covering is still required when inside a school building, school facility, and facility used for school activities. TEA also stated that a local school board may modify or eliminate any existing district mask-related requirements by taking a formal action.

The Montgomery ISD Board of Trustees will have this issue as an agenda item when it meets for its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 23. Until then, Montgomery ISD will continue to follow its existing health and safety protocols requiring face masks or facial coverings on all district campuses and facilities. 

It’s important to note that the TEA guidance did not change – or address – how removing a mask requirement would impact required close contact tracing, social distancing and CDC-required quarantining. This presents challenges in scenarios where campus administrators need to determine close contacts to an individual who tests positive for COVID-19.

For example, under the current close contact and quarantine requirements, in a scenario where an individual wearing a mask or face covering tests positive for COVID-19, only those individuals not wearing masks or face coverings determined to be in close contact with the positive person would be required to quarantine. Conversely, in a scenario where an individual not wearing a mask or face covering tests positive for COVID-19, all individuals – whether they were wearing masks or facial coverings or not – determined to be in close contact with the positive person would be required to quarantine. This scenario has the potential to result in large numbers of required quarantines impacting classrooms, sports programs and even an entire campus. We are currently seeking to gain further clarification from the TEA on quarantine requirements for districts considering removing mask-wearing requirements.

We understand that our community feels very passionately about all sides of this issue. Please know that as a district, our top priorities are the health of our students and staff and ensuring that in-person learning can continue without closing schools or quarantining a large number of students, sports programs or entire classrooms. 

I want to thank our staff, students, and parents for their flexibility and understanding throughout this challenging school year. I am proud of not only how we successfully reopened schools for in-person instruction in August, but also of how we have ensured that our campuses have been able to stay open without any major disruptions due to the spread of the virus. While the state is averaging approximately 56% of students engaged with in-person instruction, MISD has over 94% of our students choosing in-person learning as their preferred method of instruction. We are proud of our students, staff and community.

Again, thank you for your patience as we continue to confront unprecedented challenges.

Sincerely,

Dr. Heath Morrison

Superintendent

Montgomery ISD

School District Personnel Now Eligible for the COVID-19 Vaccine

I am very thankful that our educators, campus staff and other district personnel are now on the COVID-19 vaccine priority list.

We are working diligently to ensure that any employee who wants to receive a vaccine will have access to one. On Monday, March 22 there will be an opportunity for employees who would like the vaccine to receive the here at the MISD ESC. Please know that we will work with your campus principal or supervisor to ensure your duties are covered during the time you need to travel to the MISD ESC to receive the vaccine. More information will be shared in the coming days.

Once again, I want to reiterate that the vaccine is optional. While we are working to provide vaccines as a courtesy to our staff, receiving one will never be a requirement for employment in our district.

Second MISD Strategic Plan Town Hall

Thank you to all who participated in our second Strategic Plan Town Hall meeting at Lake Creek High School on Thursday, March 4.

During this Town Hall meeting, strategic plan task force leaders shared results of each SWOT analysis performed in the first Town Hall meeting in January at Montgomery High School. It was important that each task force do a “deep dive” on perceived strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats relating to each of the five Board goals before starting to develop district initiatives and strategies aimed at targeted and measurable improvements in various areas.

Town Hall attendees also had the opportunity to participate in breakout sessions to discuss possible district initiatives and strategies addressing the district’s five goals: academic achievement, school safety, district finance and operations, human resources, and communications and customer service. I am both excited and thankful for the level of community support and participation in this process. Our five task force committees have grown in number of participants considerably since we first started this work back in December. It has been a true privilege for me to see first-hand the authentic work happening with the ultimate goal of evolving our great school district into the “premier” school district.

We will hold one final Strategic Plan Town Hall meeting in April before finalizing a draft plan to present to the MISD Board of Trustees.

Communication Council Conversation on Budget and Pay Raises

This week I met with our elementary and secondary communications councils to provide them with an overview of the district’s budgeting process for the 2021-22 school year and share with them what is being discussed as it relates to improvements to employee compensation. I also shared with them that it’s our intention to take a district compensation plan to the Board of Trustees for approval in April, meaning that you will have a clear understanding of your salary before signing a contract for the next school year.

As I stated to them during our discussion, we are committed to complete transparency as we develop budget options that provide our employees with well deserved pay raises. Over the next several weeks, I will be meeting with all staff from each campus to discuss our budget plans and answer any questions you may have about this process.

I look forward to engaging in these important discussions with you.

Superintendent Shout-Out – The MISD Fishing Team

I want to give a shout-out to Coach Mark Hooker and the MISD Fishing Team!

Coach Hooker and his anglers know what it takes to build a successful team. Over the past several years, The MISD Fishing Team has achieved historic success, winning several conference titles over nearly 50 competing districts, cementing Montgomery ISD as THE top program in the State!

Check out this awesome feature on these talented students and watch the video below to hear what “victory” means to them!

MISD Education Foundation “Together We Grow” Fundraiser

On Saturday, April 24, the Montgomery ISD Education Foundation is host its first “Together We Grow” community fundraiser on April 24 in downtown Montgomery from 7-11 pm. This is going to be a casual, adult night out with live music featuring the band Rapture, and a BBQ dinner catered by our locally owned Jr’s. Please mark your calendars and make plans to attend!

The goal of the MISD Education Foundation is to support each of our 10 campuses through scholarships, grants, special projects and other financial matters, and this event is a great way to be a part of all that we are doing for MISD schools!

You can purchase tickets for the event here.

A Conversation with Dr. Meeker – Part III

Please take some time to watch my latest conversation with Montgomery Jr. High School’s Dr. Meeker!

In this edition, we discuss the Governor’s new Executive Order, our recent inclement weather closure days, the MISD Strategic Planning and 2021-22 budget development processes, our work to improve employee compensation across the district and the upcoming MISD Board of Trustee elections!