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Board Meeting - Aug. 11, 2015
Board receives 2nd quarter growth report
Mr. Rocky Gardiner, vice president at Templeton Demographics, reported the second quarter growth for 2015. The neighborhoods of Cross Oaks, Paloma Creek – South and Pecan Creek continue to lead the area in annual closings and distribution.By the fall of 2016, the district will reach beyond a 28,000 student enrollment and is on track to reach 35,700 by 2024 – that’s an average growth of 3,900 students every five years. With the current attendance zones, Navo Middle School enrollment will exceed 1,500 in five years, and this year portable buildings have been added to the campus. The addition of Middle School No. 8 between Martop and McCormick roads in Oak Point is instrumental in relief.
Mr. Gardiner also pointed out that the district currently is on pace for 1,560 home closures this year, 360 more than the average for the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and should see an average of 12,000 new homes throughout the next decade. The addition of those homes projects to approximately 21,000 additional students requiring approximately 20 new schools over the next 25 years.
Board receives update on Lone Star TIA
Mr. Dwight Goodwin, director of instructional technology, shared details of the 2015 Lone Star Technology in Action (TIA) Conference the district hosted in July. Participants included more than 1,300 educators representing 79 districts, with more than 400 attendees as non-district participants.“The conference was exceptional and I heard comments from teachers in other districts that they will return next year and bring their colleagues,” said Barbara Burns.
Presenters included technology professionals from California, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts and Australia. And TIA’s rate of outside participation from external districts increased for the second consecutive year.
“Next year we will have Jamie Gassap, Google Educational Evangelist, so it’s official we are a big time conference,” said Goodwin.
The TIA Conference for 2016 has been scheduled for July 19-20.
Board holds discussion on child nutrition program
Ms. Robin Wantland, director of child nutrition services, led a discussion on the services offered by the department. During the 2014-15 school year, the team served 3.1 million meals to students.That translates to 734,321 breakfasts, 2.2 million lunches and 130,144 snacks. During the summer months, more than 41,000 meals were severed through the summer feeding program. The department has a goal to serve more locally sourced, regionally grown fresh fruit and vegetables this school year, made possible through a new partnership with produce vendors in Dallas.
“I really appreciate the emphasis you place on the educational value we include in sharing with our children in regards to where their meals come from. Honestly, it’s something we should all be doing,” said Trustee Dr. Jim Alexander.
Board reviews athletics report
Mr. Joey Florence, athletic director, reported on the status of athletic programs and teams across the district. He pointed out that the district offers 18 high school and 8 middle school sports for boys and girls and that for the 2014-15 school year, 4,654 students in secondary schools participated in the program – 150 more students than the prior year.“We are about excellence, but more than that - we are also about providing experiences and building life skills for our kids,” said Florence.
The department recognized 485 varsity scholar athletes for outstanding achievement, meaning they maintained a 3.5 GPA and participated in at least one sport.
Mr. Florence also said that the department is applying a program started at Ryan High School that tracks injuries sustained by all athletes involved in athletics to all other schools across the district. Each of the district’s high schools will have reports on the injuries sustained by their student athletes at the 2015-16 school year.
“Thank you for setting a true example of true sportsmanship, and setting a great example for our coaches who in turn set an important example for our students,” said Mia Price.
Board reviews fine arts report
Mr. David McCullar, director of fine arts, presented a review of fine arts programs across the district. He shared that 12,875 elementary and 12,160 secondary (93.7 percent) students participate in one or more fine arts classes. That’s a district average of 96.8 percent of our student population.Mr. McCullar noted that Denton ISD was recently named to the “Best Communities for Music Education in America” list. He also pointed out that new area and regional alignments for musical competitions will allow the district save costs on travel.
In other action, the Board
- Approved Denton County 4H as an extra-curricular activity.
- Retained Templeton Demographics, LLC until 2016 for planning and forecasting purposes.
- Approved the Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) for School Resource Officers (SRO) at secondary campuses.