Board Meeting: June 22, 2021

DRAFT BOARD NOTES – June 22, 2021

Workshop Items

Discussion & Review of Student & Parent Handbook 2021-2022

Angela Ricks, Director of Student Services, provided information on items

that have been added to Student Handbook which included consent to provide a mental health care service, consent to record a student, special education referrals; FAFSA or TAFSA – students enrolled in the grade 12 must complete a FAFSA or TAFSA before graduating from high school; promotion & retention, remote instruction, student illness, video cameras, cafeteria. Deletions from the Student Code of Conduct included STAAR Testing- HB 3906 eliminates the stand-alone writing assessments for grades 4 and 7 beginning with the 2021-2022 school year; attendance which references attendance practices specific to the pandemic; transportation removed sections related to Bus Student Access Card as it is now part of the student ID cards.

Discussion & Review of Student Code of Conduct 2021-2022

Dr. Jeff Russell, Area Superintendent, provided information regarding items

that have been added to the 2021-22 Student Code of Conduct which includes under Academic Integrity Policy Consequences, First Offense - campus administration will be informed depending on the weight of grade (minor/major) and severity of infraction; under consequences of First, Second and Third Offense - Teacher will document violation of academic integrity within classroom and/or administrator will document in eSchool or document locally.

Discussion of ESSER III Funds

Susannah O’Bara, Dr. Mike Mattingly and Dr. Scott Niven all provide an update

 on the Esser II Plan for the district to ensure that we meet the compliance component for the TEA. Funding will come to the district in 3 parts. Total amount is $22.7M. Feedback for the grant included getting the input of our stakeholders within the district through the “Thought Exchange” feedback program that provided the feedback process used from June 1-10, 2021. The purpose of the report is to share the Denton ISD Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Grant III of a little less than $22 million. Two-thirds of the grant can be used now and the remaining balance. The parents of all 30,000 students, students of all high schools, all staff and over 1000 community members. 180 students responded. The number 1 need that the students wanted was to help with their social and emotional learning. The number one need for the parents was class size, they want support to help students not just to make the classroom smaller. The use of funds will go to supporting teachers, rigorous instructional materials, more time, empower parents and other supports such as Facilities and Technology. Dr. Mike Mattingly, Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction provided information regarding new Zone Impact Coaches who will work with elementary, middle school and 9th grade Algebra. Dr. Mattingly also provided information on specifics of what each of the Learning Acceleration Framework included. Dr. Scott Niven, Chief Financial Officer provided the details for how the money will be allocated. Zone Impact Coaching Teams - $785,000; Curriculum Writing Acceleration - $90,000; Summer Programming - $620,000; Intensive Tutoring - $300,000; Dr. Niven also provided the COVID related expenditures from 2019-20 = $870,551; 2020-21 = $4,906,829; 2021-22 - $1,309,898.

Report Items

6th Reporting Period 

Angela Ricks, Director of Student Services provided information regarding the 

sixth reporting period. There are 29 instructional days in this 6th Reporting Period. The district ADA% for 2020-2021 Reporting Period 6 is 96.52%, we do not have any data to compare this to from last school year due to COVID-19. EP Rayzor had the highest attendance percentage for elementary campuses in Denton ISD at 98.54%. Harpool had the highest attendance percentage for middle school campuses in Denton ISD at 99.28%. Guyer had the highest attendance percentage for high school campuses in Denton ISD at 97.15%. 6th grade had the highest ADA% at 97.79%, followed by 7th grade with 97.69%. Pre-K had the lowest ADA% at 94.22%, followed by Early Childhood Education (EE) with 94.27%.

2020 - 2021 End Of Year Attendance Report

Angela Ricks, Director of Student Services provided information regarding

campus and district ADA percentages for the 2020-2021 school year (August 26, 2020 through May 27, 2021). There are 160 instructional days in this school year. The district ADA% for the 2020-2021 school year is 96.85%, this is a decrease from last school year when the ADA% was 97.25%. There are 2 factors that may influence the final ADA % for this school year. The pandemic, which had a negative impact on attendance and enrollment. And the extreme winter weather and resulting damage to campuses which caused Denton ISD schools to temporarily close.

Discipline Update

Dr. Jeff Russell, Area Superintendent provided discipline data on State

reported data involving any disciplinary action that removes students from their instructional setting. Dr Russell explained that although the data is improved, it is inconclusive regarding our intervention plans. There were several bright spots when evaluating year to year including reductions in the percentages of Davis School Placements and In-School Suspension Placements. The 2020-2021 school year will be a stand-alone year, but it will provide valuable information as students return to face-to-face instruction.

Professional Staff Appointments, Resignations & Employment  

Jesus Lujan is named new principal at Borman Elementary, replacing Emily McLarty who was recently named Director of Human Resources - Staff Engagement.

Other Items of Note

Dallas Summer Musicals (DSM) announced the 2021 winners of the 10th Annual DSM High School Musical Theatre Awards (HSMTA). 

Guyer High School garnered ten nominations, resulting in two Guyer students and one staff member ultimately being recognized for their work in the school’s production of “The Phantom of an Opera.”

Parker Jackson, Class of 2021 graduate, was named Best Actor, and Emily Langley, Class of 2021 graduate, earned the theater major scholarship award of $2,500 for her standout

performance. 

Guyer High School’s theater musical director and technical director, Chris Crotwell, received accolades as his production of “The Phantom of an Opera” was recently named Best Musical Direction during the 2021 DSM Awards.

Of note – Guyer’s nominations were performances and individuals in two productions –

“Bright Star” and “Phantom of the Opera.” Eleshia Crotwell is the Theater Director at Guyer High. Dr. Shaun Perry serves as the principal.

 

The Betty Lynn Buckley Awards Ceremony was recently hosted at the Casa Manana Theater in Fort Worth. Guyer High School’s Ryley Patten, Class of 2021 graduate, was named Best-Supporting Actress in a Musical, for her performance in “Bright Star.” Participation is open to students in Denton, Wise, Parker, Hood, Johnson and Tarrant County. Eleshia Crotwell is the Theater Director at Guyer High. Dr. Shaun Perry serves as the principal.

 

Two members of the Guyer High School orchestra and a member of the Denton High School orchestra were named “Outstanding Performer” at the UIL Texas State Solo & Ensemble Awards. Denton ISD had several gold medalists across its four high school campuses and three standout students were named first in the state on their respective instruments. The “Outstanding Performer” Award is the highest award in the state of Texas for an individual performer and it is selected by the adjudicator from all state gold medalists. Denton High School sophomore Maya Huber received “Outstanding Performer” for her performance on the cello. The Denton High School Orchestra is led by Julianne Booth and Carrie Atkins. Joel Hays serves as the principal.

Guyer High School had two students win including Ocean Xie, junior, won “Outstanding Performer” for his performance on violin, and Christian Luevano, Class of 2021 Graduate, won the “Outstanding Performer” distinction for his performance on bass. The Guyer High Orchestra is under the direction of Michelle Hanlon and Jeremy Atkins. Dr. Shaun Perry serves as the principal. 

Staff Spotlight Denton ISD recognizes all campus Teachers of the Year each May as a celebration of teaching excellence. Esme Gamez, Hodge Elementary 2020-2021 Teacher of the Year, was selected by her peers for her unwavering love and dedication for her students and colleagues. However, a life defining diagnosis prevented her from attending the district’s celebration. In her final days, friends and students honored her for her commitment to education and passion for learning. They seized the opportunity to share with her, and the world, the incredible impact her teaching talents have made on countless people – focusing us all on the ultimate lessons of love. Andrea Hare serves as the principal of Hodge Elementary School.