The MISD Board of Trustees met on Tuesday, Aug. 24 and approved the campus improvement plans. The state of Texas requires that every public school campus develop an annual plan outlining goals and objectives for the school year. All of the MISD campus plans highlight strategies to make improvements to the
academic quality.

“We like our campus plans simple and focused,” Ted Moore, deputy superintendent, said prior to introducing the campus principals scheduled to report on their plans.

Donna Rother, principal at McKinney High School; Sandra Barber, principal at Malvern Elementary; Patty Jackson, principal at Faubion Middle School; Deb Beasley, principal at Slaughter Elementary; and Beth Parker, principal at Glen Oaks Elementary, all presented a brief report about their campus improvement
plans. Parents may access their school’s campus improvement plan through the campus link on the MISD website at www.mckinneyisd.net.

“I am glad this action item was placed at the top of the board agenda,” said Geralyn Kever, board president. “What you are doing at the campus is absolutely the main thing. The commitment you exert in working to make sure no child is left behind is commendable. I was really motivated by the common threads I read
in the executive summaries of these plans.”

"I really appreciate the collaboration among the principals,” said Lynn Sperry, trustee. “We are all in this together and I appreciate you sharing ideas and not being so competitive.”

“This is not MHS ISD or Malvern ISD,” said Tom Crowe, superintendent. “This is McKinney ISD. The thing that has impressed me is that the principals understand that. They are not independent contractors. They have demonstrated a willingness to share ideas and resources with each other. It is not a competition, it is collaboration.”

Moore also presented a report about the commended performance of MISD students on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test. Students earn a commended performance on the TAKS test when they score a 90 percent or above on the test. Moore said he was pleased with the percentages of MISD students who earned the commended performance. MISD surpassed the state percentage of students earning the commended performance on every test at every grade level.

Additionally, Moore said that a recent Dallas Morning News ranking placed McKinney ISD fifth in the Dallas area for the percentage of students earning commended performance.

Moore also shared with the board great news about Valley Creek Elementary School and Dowell Middle School. Both schools were selected as high-performing schools through the Just For the Kids Organization.

The National Center for Educational Accountability sponsors the Just For The Kids (JFTK) organization. A goal of JFTK is to motivate educators and the public to take action to improve schools by giving them a clear picture of a school's academic condition and identifying the effective practices found in high-performing schools.

A long-term study of high-performing Texas schools resulted in the identification of three levels of best practices (district level, campus level, and classroom level) that, together, create a system of success in
high-performing school districts in Texas. The Texas Best Practice Framework outlines these district, school, and classroom level practices and provides specific examples from high-performing schools and districts.

Just for the Kids (JFTK) utilizes both quantitative and qualitative research techniques. Key to the research methodology is the school selection criteria. Schools are selected based on the quantitative Just for the Kids analysis of student assessment data. The study also hinges on the inclusion of both high-performing and average-performing schools to identify critical differences in practice that contribute to differences in student outcomes. Over the study’s four-year history, JFTK researchers have visited nearly 100 high-performing
schools and 40 average-performing comparison schools.

Valley Creek and Dowell have been selected by JFTK because of their superior student achievement and best educational practices. Both campuses will be included in the Just For Kids website and spotlighted in the Best Practices framework. Further information about the campus selection process and the Best Practices framework can be found at http://www.just4kids.org/jftk/index.cfm?st=Texas&loc=Home.

The board also set the tax rate for the 2004-05 school year. Steve Fortenberry, chief financial officer for McKinney ISD, said the school district is recommending the tax rate that was previously discussed by the board in June. The 2003-04 tax rate for maintenance and operations was $1.50 per $100 valuation. This is the maximum allowed by state law. The interest and sinking portion of the tax rate, which pays for school bonds, was 48 cents per $100 valuation in 2003-04.

MISD recommended a two cent increase to the interest and sinking portion of the tax rate. Therefore, the M&O rate will remain at $1.50, and the I &S rate will increase to 50 cents.

“Being at the $1.50 rate is not at all unique,” Fortenberry said. He said that 494 of the 1,031 school districts in Texas have reached the $1.50 cap.

“This represents 48 percent of the districts in Texas,” he said. “Another 197 districts have tax rates that fall between $1.45 and $1.50, representing 19 percent of Texas school districts.”

He said the need for the 50-cent I&S rate makes McKinney ISD unique. In order to build new schools and renovate existing campuses, the district has needed to sell a large number of bonds, creating a need for the 50-cent I & S rate.

“The district has faced enormous challenges in keeping up with the facility needs due to our fast growth,” he said.

The average home in McKinney ISD is valued at $187,900. After the $15,000 homestead exemption, the assessed value becomes $172,900. Therefore, the owner of an average-valued home would see an increase of $34.58 per year.

In other business, the board approved an agreement with Verizon Wireless that will generate $180,000 in revenue for MISD. Dennis Womack, assistant superintendent for plant management, said MISD will be leasing ground space at Slaughter, Eddins, Wolford and Walker elementary schools, as well as Dowell
Middle School, to Verizon Wireless. The five-year contract will bring an estimated $180,000 annually to MISD.

The board also voted to change the meeting schedule from one meeting per month to one work session and one regular meeting per month. To view the new board schedule, go to http://www.mckinneyisd.net/departments/board/

The board also tabled an agenda item related to heat rate pricing and removed an agenda item regarding a parent transportation presentation. The transportation issue was resolved by the administration prior to the meeting.

In the consent agenda, the board approved budget amendments, bids, personnel recommendations, a contract with LaPorte ISD for Medicaid Administrative Outreach Claims Processing and an Atlanta, Georgia trip for the MNHS journalism class.

Crowe provided the board with a first-week of school report, stating the district had grown by more than 1,300 students over last year.

The board also recognized Haley Rush, the student council president at MNHS. She led the board in the Pledge of Allegiance before presenting a report on MNHS. A student representative from MHS will be presenting a report at the September board meeting.

The next work session of the board will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Sept. 21. The next regular board meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 27.