All About ACE
News from the Spring ISD Advisory Committee on Education
2022-2023 Issue 4
Advisory Committee on Education Convened to Discuss Critical Topics
The district's Advisory Committee on Education (ACE) met on Wednesday, January 25, to discuss important agenda items including the new Principal of Spring High School, answers to the most recently submitted questions by the ACE committee members, and the most recent employee engagement survey results. Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Lupita Hinojosa, began by thanking the ACE committee members for keeping the Spring ISD students safe during the most recent shelter in place called by the district. She went on to explain why the shelter in place was called and why it was important for campuses not to release students during the time of the shelter in place. In other areas of the city, families were unfortunately hurt when attempting to pick up their children and the goal is to let all campuses know to remind parents that they could be putting themselves and others in danger when attempting to pick up students during a shelter in place. Dr. Hinojosa stated that it was important not to lift the shelter in place, until Spring ISD officials knew the outcome. Dr. Hinojosa thanked the ACE committee members for all that they did during the shelter in place and quoted a line from the song "Firework" by Katy Perry. "After a hurricane comes a rainbow," which served as a reminder that the Spring ISD community is shining bright at the conclusion of the most recent shelter in place.
Dr. Hinojosa continued this segment by letting the ACE committee members know that she would be addressing the most recent questions submitted by the committee first, due to having the opportunity to go to Spring High School to support the new principal. The community was set to meet the new principal on Tuesday, January 24th, but the event was moved due to the weather. A teacher, who currently works at Spring High School, chimed in and said that he is "thrilled to have someone that understands the Hispanic and African American community." Dr. Hinojosa told the committee that Mr. Jalen Hemphill, the new Principal of Spring High School, brings a proven track record of success as a transformational leader in education and is trilingual, speaking English, Spanish, and Arabic.
Dr. Hinojosa solicited responses from the ACE committee members by asking them what the Spring ISD North Star Goal and the Board Constraints were. Committee members gave responses like "increasing the number of A&B schools," "no errors in student transcripts," and "implementation of the curriculum with fidelity." Dr. Hinojosa added to the responses by letting the committee know that the North Star Goal also included eliminating D&F campuses and the mission and vision, which is set by the Board of Trustees, is what guides Spring ISD. She went on to say that Spring ISD will continue to monitor the progress measures that are in place, as well as use the MAP MOY data as a progress measure and to provide feedback to campuses. Lastly, Dr. Hinojosa focused on the Theory of Action, adding that we must have professional development that helps teachers implement the Spring ISD curriculum with fidelity.
During the Question and Answer (Q&A) portion of the meeting, Dr. Hinojosa mentioned that the Chiefs of Human Resources and Human Accountability, Academics, and Innovation were present to help support any additional questions and comments that the ACE committee members may have. ACE committee members had the opportunity to submit questions to the Senior Leadership Team prior to the January 25th meeting and the Q&A section of the meeting allowed for Dr. Hinojosa and the present members of the Senior Leadership Team to address them. Dr. Hinojosa and the Senior Leadership Team addressed questions and concerns ranging from MAP testing being given in Spanish, professional development opportunities, spring rewards, and employee leave, to name a few.
For more information regarding the answers to specific questions or concerns addressed during the January 25th meeting, please see your campus or district ACE committee representative.
Employee Engagement Results
Dr. Matt Pariseau, Chief of Innovation and Mr. Shane Strubhart, Chief of Communications, led the Employee Engagement Results section of the meeting. Dr. Pariseau began this section by going over the overall engagement results from the most recent Spring ISD Employee Engagement Survey. He stated that the survey goals were to measure the level of engagement of Spring ISD employees and classify them as highly engaged, engaged, or less engaged and to identify areas where employee engagement can be celebrated and improved. He continued to explain to the committee that the green bar on the slide represents the survey numbers from this school year, the blue bar represents the timeframe during COVID, and the orange bar represents the year before COVID. The survey compared post COVID with pre-COVID and looking at the numbers, Spring ISD is currently at the same level or higher this school year when compared to the survey numbers pre-COVID. Dr. Pariseau continued this section by highlighting a few areas of strength that could still use some improvement. These areas included the Senior Leadership Team visiting campuses more, employees providing input on how Spring ISD accomplishes its goals, giving employees more voice related to influencing decisions on the campus/their department, and working to increase staff morale to name a few. Dr. Pariseau ended this portion by letting the ACE committee members know that the goal in the future is to have 100% participation on all surveys.
Mr. Strubhart began his section of the meeting by introducing the ACE committee members to the SISD Insider. The SISD Insider is for employees and includes a number of features, including a virtual organizational chart, "Let's Talk," forms & documents, and specific updates to SISD Now. Mr. Strubhart walked the ACE committee members through the organizational chart and was able to show the committee some of its capabilities. When using the organizational chart, employees will be able to search for other employees by typing in their name, or they can use the pictures to click on an employee to gain access to their contact information. For new employees, the organizational chart provides an understanding of who the Senior Leadership Team members are, the departments they oversee, and who their direct reports are. Lastly, Mr. Strubhart went over the new features to the district's SISD Now. The SISD Now lists updates regarding things happening within the district and employees are now able to filter. For example, if an employee wants to look at elementary only content, they are able to do so with the click of a button in the new format. He stated that employees can also add events to their calendar from the SISD Now posts.
Make Your Voice Heard! Talk to Your ACE Representative
Every campus in the district has at least one ACE representative elected by the staff to serve in an advisory role to the Superintendent. Central office representatives are also elected to serve, as well as community members who are appointed by the Superintendent to serve on the ACE as another integral voice.
Over the next month, your ACE representatives will share meeting highlights such as those found in this newsletter as well as gather your input to bring to the next meeting. Be on the lookout for updates to be shared at your next faculty meeting (campuses) and or staff special call-meeting (district office). If you want to ensure your views are heard, reach out to your ACE representative. Click here to learn who represents you.
2022-2023 ACE Meeting Dates
Mark your calendar for the remaining ACE meetings of the 2022-2023 school year. Contact your representative and look for updates on key district decisions over the coming months.
The next ACE meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 15 @ 5:00 p.m.