
Crowley ISD Boardroom Rewind
June 27, 2019 - Meeting Highlights
Board Approves Extra Payments for All Employees
The Crowley ISD Board of Trustees has unanimously approved a budget for the 2019-20 school year that includes two extra payments representing 3-4% of employees’ annual salaries for all district staff.
The budget also includes funding for the new Employee Health Care Clinic for staff and eligible dependents to utilize for affordable health care.
The additional compensation will be split equally into two separate payments made to employees in November 2019 and March 2020 and will be in lieu of permanent salary increases for this school year.
The House Bill 3 (HB 3) school finance law provides districts additional funds to pay teachers, librarians, nurses and counselors. Crowley ISD will exceed the new state compensation requirements with the following extra payments:
- Teachers, librarians and nurses will receive two extra payments totaling 4% of their base pay, on average. The payments will consist of $1,500 plus an additional $800 for zero to five years of experience or $1,000 for six or more years of experience.
- Counselors will receive two extra payments totaling 3% of the midpoint in their pay grade, plus an additional $800 for zero to five years of experience or $1,000 for six or more years of experience.
- All other employees will receive two extra payments totaling 3% of the midpoint in their pay grade.
Prior to HB 3, the district had not expected to be able provide employee raises or additional compensation this school year. The district was previously able to provide 3% raises for six consecutive years, and paraprofessionals most recently received a 4% raise.
The board also approved a new 2019-20 compensation plan, which includes revised pay grades and other modifications recommended during a CISD pay structure study conducted by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB).
District Sets $159.8 Million Budget
The budget also includes funding for a phase-in plan to hire more Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs) to serve at campuses.
The district's tax rate will be approved in August.
CISD Expects No "Improvement Required" Schools
All CISD schools are expected to achieve a "Met Standard" rating from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) based on preliminary results for the 2019 spring administration of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test.
This would be the first time that all CISD campuses have received the top rating of "Met Standard" since the STAAR rating system was introduced in 2013.
CISD saw gains since 2017 in various tested areas across elementary, intermediate, middle and high school levels. View detailed data.
TEA will release official ratings to the public on Aug. 15.
Two Schools Named to Organization's Honor Roll
The Educational Results Partnership (ERP) named Sue Crouch Intermediate School and Sycamore Elementary School to its 2018-19 Honor Roll.
The Honor Roll recognizes schools and districts that have demonstrated consistent high levels of student academic achievement, improvement in achievement levels over time and a reduction in achievement gaps among student populations.
ERP is a nonprofit organization that applies data science to identify strategies that accelerate student success.
The Texas Honor Roll program is supported by numerous businesses and organizations, including the Texas Business Leadership Council, American Automobile Association (AAA) Texas, Macy’s, Wells Fargo, Chevron Corporation and Enterprise Holdings Foundation.
District Recognizes Perfect Attendance
The campuses with the highest Average Daily Attendance rates for the spring 2019 semester are:
Student Attendance Awards
Elementary: Dallas Park and Jackie Carden Elementary (tie)
Intermediate: Sue Crouch Intermediate
Middle School/High School: Crowley 9th Grade Campus
Staff Attendance Awards
Elementary: J.A. Hargrave Elementary
Intermediate: Mary Harris Intermediate
Middle/High School: Crowley 9th Grade Campus
In addition, 738 students across the district had perfect attendance for the entire school year.
Hargrave Highlights Summer Learning Opportunities
Malcolm Wilson, founder of PEAK Advantage, LLC; Kyng Powell, Calob Magana, Taylor Brooks and Hargrave Principal Rolanda McKenzie presented to the board about Hargrave's robotics and coding summer camp.
Students demonstrated their new STEM knowledge for trustees during Thursday's meeting by making robots move and changing the look of a website using HTML coding.
Board Approves New Hires, Announces Assignments
Trustees approved administrative personnel hires:
Larry Williams was promoted to director of Special Services. Williams currently serves as a coordinator in that department. Ruby Batiste serves as the chief of Special Services and Federal Programs and will continue in that role.
Stephanie Gravley was hired as assistant principal at Deer Creek Elementary School. She currently teaches in Granbury ISD and was previously a campus administrator in Hutto ISD. Earlier in her career, Gravely taught at J.A. Hargrave Elmentary School.
Administrators also announced other reassignments:
Megan Dixon, an assistant principal at J.A. Hargrave Elementary, will serve as the coordinator of Innovative Programs for the district.
Joe Roland, currently assistant principal at Jackie Carden Elementary, will serve as assistant principal at J.A. Hargrave Elementary School.
Capricia Bell-Foggle, an instructional support specialist at Jackie Carden Elementary, will become an interim assistant principal at Jackie Carden.
From left to right (front row): Lyndsae M. Benton, board member; Superintendent Dr. Michael D. McFarland; June W. Davis, board president; Mia Hall, board vice president
From left to right (back row): Gary Grassia, board member; Nedra Robinson, board assistant secretary; Dr. La Tonya Mayfield, board secretary; Ryan Ray, board member