RECOGNITIONS
The Board recognized Jones Elementary Principal Angie Aron (pictured), who was recently named the Region 18 Principal of the Year by the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association. During her short time at Jones, the campus improved it's TEA rating from an "F" to a "B." This is the second time Mrs. Aron has earned the honor. She was previously recognized in 2018 while leading the campus at Burnet Elementary. This marks Mrs. Aron's 28th year in education, and 27th with MISD. 

POLICE DEPARTMENT
The Board approved a plan to expand the district police department. The three-year plan will include adding officers to increase police presence at elementary schools. 

STUDENT SERVICES EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Melissa Horner has been approved as the new Executive Director of Student Services. Mrs. Horner started teaching in MISD 27 years ago. She was promoted to assistant principal in 2010, and principal in 2012. She has served as principal at Bowie Fine Arts Academy since 2016. Congratulations, Mrs. Horner! 

THIRD FUTURE PARTNERSHIP
The Board approved authorization for Third Future Schools (TFS) to partner with Lamar Elementary as an in-district partnership operator. TFS would begin operating Lamar in the 2023-24 school year, with an initial contract lasting three years. The MISD Board will review the school's performance to ensure they are meeting all requirements. Parents and community members can learn more about the transition at a meeting this Friday, March 31 at 5:30 p.m. at Lamar. 

RECOGNITIONS
This month's recognitions acknowledged achievements and honors received by high school students in a variety of disciplines. Honorees include state qualifiers and others in choir, theater, speech & debate, and Business Professionals of America. Recognized students and their parents were invited to attend. Additionally, Coach Thad Fortune represented the MHS football team, which recently received the Innovation in Volunteerism Award from the Governor of Texas. 

PERFORMANCE REPORT HEARING
The Board held a public hearing to review the Texas Annual Performance Report (TAPR). The Texas Education Agency has released the annual performance report for all districts and campuses for the 2021-22 school year. Visit midlandisd.net/accountability and click Annual Performance Report for complete instructions to find your campus.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
The Board approved the promotion of Shannon Torres to the position of Executive Director of School Leadership. Currently serving as the principal at Legacy High School, Torres was named Principal of the Year for Region 18 by the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals.

After starting her educational career in Amarillo, she came to Midland in 2013 and served as an assistant principal at MHS and principal at Midland Freshman before she was named Legacy principal in 2020. 

Torres will finish out the school year as principal before fully transitioning into her new role.

GENERAL COUNSEL
The Board approved the hiring of Chad Crowson as the district's next General Counsel. Crowson comes to MISD from Ector County ISD, where he served as the Executive Director of Choice Programs, Access and Support.

Crowson received his law degree from the University of Houston, and he spent several years in private practice in the Houston area. He earned his bachelor's in political science and government from the University of Texas at Austin and his master's in educational leadership and administration from Lamar University.

Crowson is a former principal at Spring Branch ISD, was an assistant principal at Klein ISD and held several positions, including as an assistant principal, at La Porte ISD.

• RECOGNITIONS
  This month's recognitions celebrated achievements and honors received by our athletes and coaches during the fall athletics season. This included recognitions for Legacy High volleyball, football and cross country and Midland High volleyball and football. Congratulations to all who were recognized! MISD also took a moment to thank our Board of Trustees as a part of School Board Recognition Month. This included messages from students across the district. 

  ACADEMIC UPDATE
  The Board heard a report on Goal Progress Measures 1.3 and 2.3. These Lone Star Governance goal progress measures focus on improving STAAR scores in math and reading among 3rd grade students. In both subjects, the report showed that MISD students are on track to achieve the goals.

  EDUCATION FOUNDATION
  The Board heard an update from the Midland Education Foundation. The report outlined finances and impact of the Foundation in 2022.

   

  2023-24 CALENDAR
  The Board voted to approve the 2023-24 academic calendar.

   

   

   

  NEW ADMINISTRATORS
  The Board voted to approve the hire of two new District administrators. Roberto Cedillo will serve as Deputy Superintendent and Ashley Osborne will serve as Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning. Cedillo and Osborne are both former MISD employees who most recently served in ECISD, where Cedillo was the Executive Director of Leadership and Osborne was the Executive Director of Talent Development. Both are set to begin at MISD on January 30.

  EMPLOYEE PAY FOR JAN. 6
  The Board voted to approve resolution to pay MISD staff who did not work when school was cancelled Jan. 6 due to the boil water notice.

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
The meeting started with Christmas carols performed by members of the Midland High School Choir dressed in festive attire.

ACADEMIC UPDATE
The Board heard a report on Goal Progress Measure 5 and Superintendent Constraint Measure 3.1. These Lone Star Governance goals focus on increasing the four-year graduation rate for all students and the percent of students achieving TSI Met Criteria in English and Math. MISD met the goal of 90% of the graduating class of 2021 achieving graduation in four years, and outperformed the state average for graduation rates for emergent bi-lingual and special education students!

MHS TURF FIELD
The Board approved accepting a donation and authorizing expenditures to install a turf field at Midland High School. The field, to be installed at the lot along A Street, will provide a safe environment for band practice, athletic practices and more, which will cut down on the number of students driving back and forth from campus to fields at Loop 250 N and Big Spring. The project is funded through community donations (40%) and district dollars (60%).

• DANCE PERFORMANCE
  The meeting started with a dance performance by the Legacy High School Dolls.

   

  BOARD RECOGNITIONS
  The Board recognized Bonham Elementary School for academic achievement. Not only did Bonham improve its TEA grade from a "D" to a "B", but the campus was also recently named a Model PLC Campus by Solution Tree.

   

  BOARD OFFICERS
  The Board voted for its new officers for the 2022-24 term. Bryan Murry will continue his role as President, Tommy Bishop was elected as Vice President, and Katie Joyner was re-elected to Secretary.

  
  CLASSROOM COVERAGE RATE
  The Board approved an increase in the rate of pay for teachers who cover a classroom when a substitute cannot be present. The rate will increase to $30 per period for all teachers. 
  
  

   

  TARGETED IMPROVEMENT PLANS
  The Board approved Targeted Improvement Plans for Achievement Zone campuses. The TEA requires Targeted Improvement Plans for campuses that receive a “not rated” grade. The plan serves as a guide for improving student achievement to meet state standards. Only nine MISD campuses received the “not rated” grade in the most recent TEA ratings, down from 19 in 2019. 

  
  ACADEMIC UPDATE
  The Board heard a report on Goal Progress Measures 1.1, 2.1, 3.1, and 4.1 which track data in reading and math for pre-K students, as well as reading and math scores for students in grades 4 - 8. Highlights include pre-K students being on track for letter sounds, and for math. 4th - 8th graders are also on track for reading and math.

   

  LONG RANGE PLAN
  The Board received a report from the Long Range Planning Committee. The report included the Committee’s recommendations to address the following topics:

  • Educational experience
  • Safety and security
  • Growth
  • Aging conditions

  The highest ranked priority for capital improvement projects was Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing, followed by two new 9-12th grade high schools and an elementary school in Northeast Midland. The report will next be reviewed and approved by the Planning Committee before it comes back to the Board. No action was taken on this item. 

  FINANCIAL REPORT
  The Board received the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. The report is part of an audit analyzing financial statements from the past year. The Board received a clean, unmodified audit report, the highest standard. The Board also received certified tax values for 2022.

• LEGACY CHOIR
  The Legacy High School Choir opened the meeting with a beautiful performance of the National Anthem.

   

  "A" FINANCIAL RATING 
  The Board conducted a public hearing as required by the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST). This rating grades each district based on financial management and solvency. The most recent ratings, released in August, showed Midland ISD earned an "A," worthy of a "Superior" rating. 

  INTRUDER DETECTION AUDIT REPORT
  The Board received a report on findings from the Intruder Detection Audit conducted by Region 18 in conjunction with the Texas School Safety Center.

  ACADEMIC UPDATES
  The Board heard a report on Goal Progress Measures 1.2, 1.3, 2.2, and 2.3 which address math and reading performance data for K through 2nd and 3rd graders. Based on Beginning-of-Year assessment, students are on-track to meet end-of-year targets for reading and closely monitoring math progress.

  The Board had a robust discussion on data from Year One of Intersession. You can view the materials presented here. The Board requested additional data prior to decisions regarding next year’s school calendar.

• ACADEMIC UPDATES
  The Board heard an in-depth report on the State Accountability Performance ratings that were formally released last month. The report from TEA showed the district earned a "B" rating.

   

  
  SUPERINTENDENT UPDATE
  The Board named Kellie Spencer as Acting Superintendent. Mrs. Spencer currently serves as the Chief of Administrative Services. The Board also started the search process for a permanent Superintendent but will not make a hiring decision until after the November election. 

  
  
  
  

  PARTNERSHIP SCHOOLS
  The Board did not take action to provide notice of termination to the REACH Network or Ben Milam International Academy. This means that the current operating contracts are still in place. The Board voted to approve the expansion of IDEA Travis to include grades 9-12. IDEA Travis will serve grades pre-K through 9 starting in 2023-24, then expand by one year each year until 2026-27, when the campus will serve grades pre-K through 12. IDEA will take on the costs of additional facilities. 

  
  TAX RATE
  The Board adopted the 2022-23 tax rate of $0.0702 for I&S and $0.8446 for M&O for a combined rate of $0.9148. The M&O rate is $0.1088 less than last year's rate.

• LONE STAR GOVERNANCE
  The Board heard a report on academic goals regarding math and reading performance data for 3rd grade and 4th-8th grade students. Midland ISD is thrilled to share that we have met all four of the Lone Star Governance goals for the first time since implementation. Notably, 3rd grade students exceeded performance target goals by 10% in math and 9% in reading. Additionally, 4th-8th grade reading scores exceeded targeted reading goals by 16%. The goals are based on the percentage of students that meet or exceed their individual growth goals.

  STAAR RESULTS
  The Board received a report on 2021-2022 STAAR results. MISD received an overall rating of a B, with 13 campuses receiving individual ratings of As or Bs. You can read more about the rating here.

  BOARD ELECTION
  The Board officially called for the next School Board election. Elections will be held in the fall for Districts 3, 5, and 6.