During the regular Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday, Texarkana Independent School District Superintendent Paul Norton gave a report on how he and other superintendents in Bowie County are addressing the Texas Education Association's A-F school rating system. Released to the public Jan. 6, it was meant solely for use during the 85th session of the Texas Legislature, which opened Jan. 10.
Norton said the superintendents' goal was to make sure state legislators are aware of their concerns with the rating system, which is scheduled to go into effect in 2018.
"Students are better served by a comprehensive community-based accountability system that looks beyond high-stakes, multiple-choice tests to meaningful assessments that have value for students, parents and teachers," Norton said in a press release. "As a district, we cannot embrace or recognize a rating or ranking of our schools based on this narrow of an indicator or a single day performance of our students. I am committed to addressing true measurable results that in turn allow us to develop students who are great digital citizens, people of character and individuals who can, will and are competing in a global work environment."
In other business, the board heard a report on the number of classes in the district which exceed the 22:1 student to teacher ratio for grades kindergarten through fourth grade. Fourteen classes from Highland Park, Morriss and Nash elementaries currently exceed the ratio due partly to increased enrollment.
Vendor approval was given for the district's flooring needs for 2017-18, and two proposals totaling $243,238 for two new school buses and new lockers for the field house.
Trustees also called a board member election on May 6. Terms will expire for Amy Bowers of District 4, Gerald Brooks of District 2 and Fred Norton Jr. of District 7'. All have indicated they will seek re-election.
A tuition of rate of $5,359 was also set for ineligible students attending TISD during the 2017-18 school year. The fee is established annually for students which are ineligible for state funding, and is based on the estimated Adjusted Basic Allotment the district anticipated receiving from the state.