Reprint from the Progress Times - February 15, 2008
©Progress Times 2008 - All Rights Reserved

Three Mission schools named exemplary by TEA

 

By Rick Reynoso

In a scheduled public hearing the Mission Consolidated Independent School District (MCISD) board of trustees received the district's Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) Report for the 2006-2007 school year on Wednesday, February 13. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) submits the report annually based on a wide range of information on the performance of students in each school district. The purpose of the report is to emphasize student achievement and provide a basis for accountability.

According to Testing and Evaluation Coordinator Nelda Rios, three elementary schools (Midkiff, Mims and Waitz) received exemplary status, nine schools received recognized status and six were deemed acceptable. The graduation rate for the Class of 2006 was at 74.2 percent, with 1.1 percent receiving a GED, 16.8 percent continuing high school and a 7.8 percent drop out rate. By comparison, the state of Texas and Region 1 had graduation rates of 80.4 percent and 73.5 percent, 2.3 percent and 1.3 percent GED, 8.6 percent and 13.1 percent continuing high school and 8.8 percent and 12.1 percent drop out rates, respectively.

The report also showed the district's results regarding college readiness. The average SAT score for the district was 932, with the state and Region 1 scoring 991 and 886 respectively. The average ACT score was 17.5, while the state average was 20.1 and Region 1 average was 17.3.

"Overall I think our district is doing very well," said Rios. "We still have some room for improvement though."

Board member Oscar Martinez agreed with Rios, saying that more work is needed.

"I realize that all of you are working hard," said Martinez. "I'd like to thank everyone involved that's working the trenches, which is our teachers and administrators."

Superintendent Oscar Rodriguez, Jr. also agreed, saying that the report is the result of the teachers.

"I do want to say that we can't let up," said Rodriguez. "As you can see the standards keep going up and the state keeps raising the bar. So we have to keep increasing our efforts to make sure our kids are college ready when they graduate from our high schools."

In the proceeding scheduled meeting, the board was presented with a proposal to change school attendance zones for elementary and junior high schools for the 2008-2009 school year. According to Executive Director for Technology Tomas S. Perez, the purpose of the attendance zones is to eliminate overcrowding, allow for future growth, minimize student transportation and allow campuses to house students safely. A source of contention arose regarding the effect on K. White Junior High, which will see an increase of students. According to David Mann, an teacher at K. White, the school is already overcrowded.

"I'm in a hallway where I can't use the restroom during the break because there are so many students in the hallways," said Mann. "I have to wait until my lunch or any time after school. Adding 200 students to an already overpopulated campus is going to hurt the student."

Local parent Janie Salinas, who came with a group of other parents, disapproved of the attendance zones saying that she originally moved to her neighborhood because it was two blocks to the elementary schools.

"Our children walk to school," said Salinas. "That was why we moved to our neighborhood. Now we'd have to drive two miles to drop off one child and five miles to drop off the other."

Board member Danny Carrera said that he understood both the positions of the teachers and of the parents.

"As an ex-educator, I know what it's like to teach in an overcrowded school," said Carrera. "I think that we as board members have to react either way. We need to be responsible and staff the schools. The ideal thing would be to have another junior high today, but we can't build it."

Board member Dan Gerlach agreed, saying that compromise was needed in order to look ahead.

"The reality is that we are not a rich school district," said Gerlach. "We try to make the best we can with the money we get. We have to look to accomodate but we also have to look at future expansion."

The board approved both the elementary and the junior high school proposed attendance zones.

Also on the agenda was the selection for principals for R. Cantu Junior High School and Escobar/Rios Elementary School. The board approved Joe Rios, currently the principal for Bryan Elementary, as the principal for R. Cantu Junior High. Sara Pas, who is the assistant principal for Alton Memorial Junior High, was selected as principal for Escobar/Rios Elementary.