Southwest ISD Board Update
June
ESSA Public Hearing
The Director of External Funding and Grants Loretta DeZavala delivered a presentation on the federal grant application for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). As part of the annual requirements, districts are obligated to hold a public meeting to discuss federal grants, including the ESSA Consolidated Federal Grant application. This application encompasses grants such as Title I, Title II, Title III, and Title IV. These grants aim to provide funding to address various needs related to student achievement, professional development for teachers and administrators, support for English Learners, migrant education, and well-rounded education.
During two public meetings held in May, program administrators provided an overview of the funding provided by Title I, Part A, Title II, Title III, and Title IV. They also presented a summary of the Comprehensive Needs Assessment, highlighting strengths, areas for improvement, and priorities for utilizing ESSA grant funds during the 2023-2024 school year. The district's plan for the ESSA Grant has been drafted and approved during the District Improvement Team meeting, and parents were actively involved through their participation in two public meetings.
ESSER Public Hearing
During this public hearing, detailed information was shared regarding the plans for the ESSER II and ESSER III (Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief) Grants, along with an overview of the collaboration process.
For the ESSER II and ESSER III Grants, a steering committee comprising approximately 60 members initiated the process of identifying needs that fall within the scope of these grants. This committee was further divided into eight subcommittees to address specific areas, including Learning Loss (Elementary, Middle Schools, High Schools), Targeted Interventions, Operations & Continuity of Services, CDC Mitigations & Safely Reopening Schools, Social Emotional Learning, and Leadership & Well-Rounded Education.
Each subcommittee collaborated with principals, teachers, and program administrators to identify the needs within their respective areas. Additionally, a survey was created to gather public input and feedback on priorities from the community, parents, students, and staff. The district received a total of 1212 survey responses, including an open-ended section for additional ideas and suggestions.
The district conducted two public meetings to engage parents, community members, and staff in discussions regarding the ESSER II and ESSER III grant plans. It is worth noting that the district is set to receive $14,664,502 in ESSER II funds and $32,945,029 in ESSER III funds.
June 20 Board Meeting Highlights
National Post Secondary Strategy Institute (NPSI) Hope Award Winners
On June 8th, the Southwest ISD Counseling Department received recognition in Washington, DC for being awarded the National Post Secondary Strategy Institute (NPSI) Power of Hope Award. This prestigious national award honors two school districts that have successfully transitioned school counselors into a centralized role, empowering them as data-informed leaders with the necessary resources to assist all students in pursuing educational credentials beyond a high school diploma. Lindsay Allen, Southwest High School Lead Counselor, on behalf of Principal Amanda Wagner, graciously accepted the award on behalf of the district. Luis Gonzalez and Alex Vallejo were recognized for their outstanding leadership and support of the SWISD Counselors.
Palo Alto College Alamo Promise Recognition
In the past few years, SWISD has had the opportunity to collaborate with Palo Alto College on the Alamo Promise Program. This program offers our graduating seniors the chance to enroll in Palo Alto for six consecutive semesters or until they earn their Associates Degree. It provides full coverage of tuition and fees for all eligible students. Delilah Marquez, Vice President for Student Success at Palo Alto College, provided details about the participation of SWISD Class of 2023 in the Alamo Promise.
Presentations
A-F Refresh Assessment and Accountability Update
During the fall, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) will unveil the A-F accountability ratings, including the new 2023 ratings. In addition, they will publicly release the 2022 "What If" ratings, facilitating easier comparisons to aid continuous improvement plans going forward. Executive Director for Assessment, Accountability, and Research Lisa Bolte, presented a set of information items to provide a clear and detailed explanation or clarification regarding the changes to the A-F accountability system and gave an overview of the EOC STAAR scores.
Demographics
Brent Alexander with School District Strategies presented an update on the 2022-2023
District Demographics. He provided on the District Demographics for the 2022-2023 academic year. Following two years of decline during the pandemic, district enrollment has rebounded.
Over the past year, there has been an increase of 470 students in total enrollment, which translates to a 3.5% growth rate. This 3.5% annual growth rate is the highest year-over-year increase the district has seen in 11 years.
Zelene Aragon, the Executive Director of Secondary Curriculum, and Jacque Rodriguez, the Principal of CAST STEM High School, provided an update on the potential plans for the campus. CAST STEM aims to become the leading engineering high school in San Antonio, with a focus on experiential STEM education. Their objective is to enhance economic mobility and equip students with the necessary skills for college and careers, thereby transforming the southside region.
The leadership team of CAST STEM High School, in collaboration with CAST Network and Southwest Independent School District, has been working on various options for the future location of the campus. During the presentation, six scenarios were put forward:
- Relocate to Palo Alto College and commence operations either in August 2023 or January 2024.
- Transition upperclassmen and their teachers to Palo Alto College for two days of the week.
- Devote one year to develop a plan with the involvement of a multi-institution design team, including input from families.
- Use the planning year mentioned in Scenario 3 to secure approval for an 1882 Texas Partnership by October 2023.
- Co-locate with Texas A&M University San Antonio while constructing a new facility.
- Retain the current building as the location for CAST STEM High School.
Feedback from parent and student focus groups will be gathered during the summer to inform the decision-making process regarding the scenarios.
Items Approved
Compensation Plan 2023-2024
The Southwest Independent School District (SWISD) Board of Trustees unanimously approved the 2023-2024 compensation plan package for teachers and staff during the regular board meeting on Tuesday, June 20, 2022. The comprehensive plan encompasses significant raises and retention stipends, reinforcing the district's dedication to recognizing and rewarding its valued employees.
Under the approved plan, all teachers, librarians, nurses, counselors, social workers, and administrators will receive a 5% raise. Clerical and instructional support staff and auxiliary employees will receive an even higher raise of 6%. Click here to read more.
The Board approved the application for Low Attendance Days Waiver for the 2022-2023 school year. This waiver allows districts or campuses to request the exclusion of instructional days from the calculations for Average Daily Attendance (ADA) and Foundation School Program (FSP) funding. The waiver applies to days where attendance is at least 10 percentage points below the previous school year's overall average attendance due to reasons such as inclement weather, health issues, or safety concerns.
During the 2022-2023 school year, Southwest ISD experienced multiple days falling under these categories. The approved waiver will enable Southwest ISD to exclude these specific days from ADA and FSP funding calculations. The following campuses and their respective reasons for low attendance days are as follows:
- Sun Valley Elementary School (04/17/2023): Safety-related issue.
- Big Country Elementary School (04/21/2023): Inclement weather.
- Kriewald Road School of the Arts (04/21/2023): Inclement weather.
- Scobee Middle School (04/21/2023): Inclement weather.
- Resnik Middle School (05/05/2023): Safety-related issue.
2022-2023 Application for Pregnancy Related Services On-campus Compensatory Education Home Instruction (CEHI) Waiver
The Board has approved the Application for Pregnancy Related Services On-campus (CEHI) Waiver for the 2022-2023 school year. Currently, Southwest ISD provides compulsory homebound instruction (CEHI) to school-aged parents during various stages of pregnancy, including prenatal, postpartum, and extended recovery periods. This waiver allows eligible students to receive compulsory homebound instruction on campus with the written approval of a doctor.
The waiver covers the 2022-2023, 2023-2024, and 2024-2025 school years. Instead of receiving instruction at their homes, eligible students will be provided compulsory homebound instruction at a designated site on district property. At this educational setting, CEHI staff will deliver lessons to the students while their infants are cared for by on-site Parent/Child Incorporated (PCI) staff.
School-Age Parent Program Extension
The Board has approved an extension of the School-age Parent Program (SAPP) days to accommodate a new summer work program. Previously, Southwest ISD's SAPP aligned its schedule with the traditional school program.
As part of the extended program, students enrolled in SAPP will have the opportunity to participate in a summer work program. To ensure students can fully benefit from this work program, the SAPP duration will be extended to 216 days. The teacher overseeing this program will also work for 216 days to provide necessary support, supervision, and guidance to the students approved for participation in the work program.
Students who are enrolled in the School-age Parent Program can request consideration for the work program. Factors taken into account for student selection will include age, as well as other criteria such as credits earned and graduation status, among others.
Southwest Independent School District
Website: www.swisd.net
Location: Southwest Independent School District, TX, USA
Phone: 210-622-4300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SWISDsatx
Twitter: @swisd