At its regular meeting on Tuesday, the Board of Trustees recognized September as Attendance Awareness Month. The recognition month was established in 2013 by Attendance Works, a national initiative focused on highlighting the importance of regular school attendance. Their efforts encourage schools and communities to take proactive steps to improve attendance, reduce chronic absenteeism, and ensure all students succeed.

KISD recognizes the urgency of addressing the growing crisis of school absenteeism, which greatly impacts student well-being, academic achievement, and graduation rates. The designation of September as Attendance Awareness Month supports a comprehensive approach by the district to reduce chronic absenteeism through prevention and early intervention, fostering positive conditions for learning, and building strong relationships among students, families, educators, and the broader community.

Trustees also approved a resolution to recognize Sept. 17, 2024, as Information Technology Professionals Day. The resolution honors the dedication, skills, and contributions of IT professionals who work tirelessly to keep organizations connected and secure. KISD's 117 information technology staff members play a vital role in managing, maintaining, and advancing the technology and infrastructure that are essential for the district to operate efficiently and effectively. This team plays a crucial role in supporting KISD's mission and objectives.

Trustees heard Tuesday the findings of a teacher time audit that indicated a majority of KISD teachers—86%—perceive workload to be a serious problem.

The results are part of an audit conducted by the Gibson Consulting Group from August 2023 to June 2024 to support continuous improvement in KISD. The audit included interviews, focus groups, a teacher survey, and teacher time diaries to examine workplace responsibilities that may influence teacher satisfaction at work. Results will help the district refine expectations at the district and school levels, as well as systems and processes, to improve teacher recruitment, retention, and overall job satisfaction.

Other key findings include:

• Overall, KISD teachers feel high levels of making an impact in the classroom and engaging in a meaningful way with colleagues.
• KISD teachers, on average, reported working 52.1 hours per week. Of those hours, 47.5 were worked during the week and 4.6 over the weekend.
• During contract hours, teachers spend most of their time on instruction. Outside of contract hours, they spend most of their time on instructional preparation.
• Teachers who spent more time on "teaching tasks" reported higher levels of job satisfaction.
• Unexpectedly covering for a colleague and last-minute campus schedule adjustments negatively impacted job satisfaction.
• About 42% of KISD teachers who responded to the survey reported that they spent too much or far too much time on assessment-related activities.

While the audit report noted that many of the issues described in the data are likely not unique to KISD, Superintendent Dr. Jo Ann Fey said being equipped with this information gives the district an opportunity to implement changes.

"A hallmark of great instructional leadership is the ability to protect instruction time," Fey said. "We are planning to review assessment findings and have teaching staff help us navigate change."

Trustees approved a resolution Tuesday for how to spend the interest accumulated on an $18 million donation to the district from the National Philanthropic Trust. The donation, given in 2022, is the largest-ever donation KISD has received.

According to the newly adopted resolution, the interest from $2 million of the donation—$84,175—will go toward student scholarships managed by the Education Foundation. The interest from the remaining $16 million—$673,480—will go toward enrichment programs and initiatives for advanced scholars.

The donation’s principal amount shall not be accessed except by the approval of a supermajority of the Board.

The resolution, which may be reviewed or revised by the Board as needed, will be developed into administrative procedures to ensure fulfillment of the endowment fund’s goal of providing flexible spending options for student benefit, in perpetuity.

Email: communications@killeenisd.org
Website: www.killeenisd.org/
Location: 200 N W S Young Dr, Killeen, TX 76543, USA
Phone: (254) 336-0000

Mobile App: www.killeenisd.org/app
Facebook: www.facebook.com/killeen.isd/
Twitter: @KilleenISD_