The Board of Trustees recently held an information session covering college readiness, early childhood education, and budgetary issues. Two Scorecard items were discussed along with a detailed fiscal forecast.
The first presentation examined the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) standards, which assess student readiness for college-level courses. This year marks the inclusion of juniors and seniors in the reporting to identify trends early. The goal is for 52.3% of juniors and seniors to meet TSI standards by 2029. While junior levels are currently low at 9%, this figure may change as all 11th-grade students will take the SAT during school hours next month. Special education students are performing exceptionally well, surpassing the state average two to one in college and career readiness.
Attention then shifted to early childhood education, focusing on developmentally appropriate practices for Pre-K through second grade students. As this is the baseline year for such reporting, Early Learning administrators are reviewing teacher evaluations from the 2023-24 school year to gauge staff experience levels. It is anticipated that teacher evaluations may initially decline before improving as educators learn more about supporting their students.
Finally, the board addressed an increased budget deficit necessitating stronger savings strategies, including a hiring freeze starting March 1, a spending freeze, and selling real estate.
The next Regular Voting Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 27.