Note: This is an overview of some of the items on the November workshop and meeting agendas. This recap does not include every item on the agenda. Official meeting minutes will be made available on www.csisd.org following approval at the December board meeting. A video and audio recording of the meeting will be made available within seven business days of the meeting at csisd.org.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The College Station ISD Board of Trustees met Tuesday, November 17. The following discussions and actions are of note.
WORKSHOP
2021-2022 school year calendar development: The board discussed the process of developing the school calendar for the 2021-2022 school year.
The Districtwide Educational Improvement Council (DEIC) developed calendar options in November and is soliciting feedback from the staff on their respective campus. In addition, there will be an opportunity for students, parents and members of the community to give online feedback on the options developed by the DEIC.
The DEIC will then process the community feedback and present a recommendation to the board at either the January or February board meeting.
Discussion regarding CSISD’s future and current debt position: A report given by Chief Financial Officer Amy Drozd highlighted the results of the 2020 bond refunding, CSISD’s tax rate history, CSISD’s current outstanding debt and future bond capacity.
Due to the refunding of some callable bonds, CSISD taxpayers will realize a net savings of $564,826 over the life of the refunded bonds.
Since 2017, CSISD’s tax rate has dropped from $1.398 per $100 of valuation to $1.229, a decrease of 12.1 percent.
Finally, the board discussed scenarios to determine how a November 2021 bond election could impact the tax rate. For instance, it is estimated that with a conservatively-estimated 2% decline in property values for fiscal year 2022, CSISD could authorize $44.5 million in bond sales with no increase to the tax rate.
Discussion regarding Pre-AP Courses for 2021-2022 school year and beyond: Dr. Penny Tramel led a third discussion regarding the future of Pre-AP classes with the board.
Because of new criteria by the College Board, CSISD has been exploring its options regarding the designation of classes as “Pre-AP” classes. The new criteria will take effect in the 2021-2022 school year.
The new criteria include use of the College Board’s curriculum framework that is designed to be grade-level appropriate and not what CSISD would consider rigorous enough to be considered for the 5.0 grading scale. In addition, the new Pre-AP curriculum is aligned to the Common Core curriculum, and a fee of $3,000 per course offered at each high school would be charged to the district.
Currently, CSISD has on-level courses (4.0 grade points), Honors courses (5.0 grade points), Pre-AP courses (5.0 grade points) and AP courses (5.0 grade points).
Three options were presented to the board at the September workshop and were since considered by a committee of high school students, teachers, counselors and administrators. The three options explored were:
- Option 1: Change Pre-AP courses to “Advanced” courses, to allow the continued use of a more rigorous CSISD curriculum. Honors courses would remain intact. Advanced courses and Honors courses would be graded on a 5.0 scale.
- Option 2: Combine all Pre-AP and Honors courses into “Advanced” courses, to allow the use of rigorous CSISD curriculum. All advanced courses would be graded on a 5.0 scale.
- Option 3: Pay the Pre-AP fee and continue to offer Pre-AP courses using the new Pre-AP curriculum. A determination regarding the grade point scale for Pre-AP courses would be made at a later date. Honors courses would continue to be graded on a 5.0 grading scale.
After meeting three times to consider options and discuss, the committee overwhelmingly supports option 2. To make these changes, the board will consider adjusting language related to “Pre-AP” and “Honors” in policy EIC(Local) at the December meeting.
PUBLIC HEARING
FIRST Report: CSISD recently received a 98 out of 100 possible points and a superior rating in the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) based upon the 2018-19 school year. The purpose of the financial accountability rating system (Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Title 19, § 109.1001) is to ensure that school districts and open-enrollment charter schools will be held accountable for the quality of their financial management practices and achieve improved performance in the management of their financial resources.
MEETING
Board members sworn in, exiting members recognized for service: Thomas Hall (Place 6) and Geralyn Nolan (Place 7) were sworn in as board members. Hall is a new member to the board, while Nolan will be serving her second three-year term.
Hall is replacing out-going Board President Michael Schaefer, who did not seek reelection after serving two three-year terms.
Approval of Executive Director of Secondary Education: College Station High School Principal Tiffany Parkerson was approved for the position of Executive Director of Secondary Education.
In this role, Parkerson, the current principal at College Station High School, will provide accountability, structure, direction, and support to all CSISD secondary schools (grades 5-12). This will include the implementation of instructional best practices and strategies to improve and sustain student achievement and performance. In addition, she will serve as a liaison between secondary principals and central administration on instructional and program implementation.
Parkerson will begin transitioning into her new role in December and a search will begin immediately for her replacement at College Station High School.
Board executive committee reorganization: The board elected officers for the 2020-2021 year. The officers are as follows:
- President: Mike Nugent
- Vice-President: Geralyn Nolan
- Secretary: Jeff Horak
Purchases/Bid Approvals:
- Approved the purchase and installation of playground equipment for Southwood Valley Elementary and South Knoll Elementary from Heartland Park & Recreation, LLC, for $139,601 using 2015 bond funds.
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