School News
McKinney to close ACT Academy, free up finances
By McKinney ISD
Mar 26, 2004

The MISD Board of Trustees met in a regular meeting on Tuesday night and approved a recommendation to close the district’s ACT Academy at the end of this school year due to financial reasons.

The ACT Academy is a non-traditional kindergarten through twelfth grade school that serves 257 students and specializes in self-directed or constructivism theory of education. The school opened in 1993 after the district received a one-of-a-kind $6.5 million federal grant for the first two years of operation. The school district has been paying for the school since the grant funding expired. The cost of operating a small school has created financial issues for the school district.

Dr. David Anthony, MISD superintendent, made a presentation to the board members that detailed the facts that led to his recommendation to close the ACT Academy.

“In 2002, Ms. (Geralyn) Kever (board president) and other board members presented to groups throughout MISD regarding the impending difficulties that MISD would face due to student population increases, decreasing property value growth and failure of the legislature to address public school finance issues,” Anthony said.  “The foresight of the Trustees aided in communicating and preparing our district for the current financial dilemma.  School districts across the state now face similar funding dilemmas.”

In 2003, the Trustees contracted with WCL Enterprises for a Financial Effectiveness and Efficiency review, patterned after the Comptroller’s review for school districts.

 “The purpose of the review was to gain insight on how the District could become more efficient in using financial and human resources,” he said.

He said the external auditors determined that MISD earned 44 commendations for “best practices.”  Best practices were defined by the consultant as practices that would be shared with other districts as recommendations to improve effectiveness and efficiency, he said.

“WCL Enterprises also recommended more than 40 areas in which financial effectiveness and efficiency could be improved,” he said. More than 30 recommendations were implemented during the 2003-04 school year and the rest were scheduled for review during 2003-04. Thirteen recommendations required further study by the school district.

Anthony outlined the thirteen recommendations. One of the recommendations included the closure of the ACT Academy.

Anthony detailed the many factors causing the financial crisis for MISD, including the significant decrease in state funding and enrollment growth.

“Our student enrollment was at 9,800 when I came here five years ago and we are more than 16,000 today,” he said.  “We grew by more than 6,700 students in the last five years and will grow more than 7,000 students in next five years.”

“When I came here in 1999, MISD was receiving about $2,500 per student from the state,” he said. “We are getting about $700 per student now. We have a maxed out the maintenance and operations tax rate at $1.50, and we have a near maxed out interest and sinking tax rate at 48 cents.”

“Last year, for the first time, our student population increased by 8.9 percent and our property values went up by 8.2 percent, which is not a good trend,” he added. “We are on track for less of a property value increase next year. Next year, we will have to cut  $3.7 million out of the budget.”

He shared that the district would see a net savings of $1.2 million if the ACT Academy closed.

“This is not about excellence, not about quality, not about commitment,” he said.  “It is hard to finance and fund a K-12, 250-student school. Based on information presented, I recommend MISD discontinue funding and operation of ACT after the 2003-04 school year. This will not be the last painful decision made by this board based on the financial picture. For those of you who are vested in ACT, I am sorry. This is a luxury we simply cannot afford.”

Several board members spoke about the difficult decision to close ACT Academy.

“Any decisions impacting students are not taken lightly,” said Wade Johnson, board vice-president. “We have looked at the issue of ACT Academy funding for a few years. The quality of education has never been the issue. We had to look at whether or not this is something we can afford. Sometimes you have to make decisions you don’t like, but when you look at the overall picture, this is in best interest of district.”

“I remember when we received this grant and the excitement about the money,” said Betty Petkovsek, trustee. “I attended every one of the informational meetings at that time, and the question that was continually asked was ‘How are you going to pay for it when grant runs out?’ For 10 years, we did it. My kids attended ACT and I know it is a great place, but we simply cannot afford it.
This is one of toughest decisions we have been faced with.”

“We have said that we have to do more with less,” Kever said. “This is a rubber-meets-the-road example. It is a sad day. ”

 The ACT Academy will close at the end of this school year. ACT students will attend school in their attendance zone for the 2004-05 school year. MISD will place ACT Academy staff members at other MISD campuses.

In other business, the board approved the recommendation to hire Donna Rother, current principal at Scott Johnson Middle School, as the principal at McKinney High School. For more information on this recommendation, go to http://www.mckinneyisd.net/NewPrincipals.htm

The board also approved a recommendation to name Todd Young, current principal at Bennett Elementary School, as the principal of Middle School #4, and Suzy Woodard, Vega Elementary School principal, as the principal of Elementary #16. More information on their appointment can be found at http://www.mckinneyisd.net/NewPrincipals.htm


In an effort to better recruit starting teachers to MISD, the board approved a recommendation of $36,600 as the minimum starting salary for first year teachers next year. This will be based on a bachelor’s degree and a 188-day contract.

“I would like to see this amount as the minimum. Once the budget is finalized, we would like the latitude to increase it if the budget allows it,” Dr. Anthony said.

In the recognition section of the meeting, the board recognized the MHS Academic Decathlon Team.

For the first time in 13 years, MISD participated in the regional Academic Decathlon program. An MHS team made up of nine members and two alternates recently placed first in the regional competition. The team also won 59 individual medals. They also placed third in the Super Quiz Relay.

The first place win at regionals qualified the team for state competition, where two individual medals were earned.

The Academic Decathlon contest includes 10 events involving multiple-choice exams in seven areas. Additionally, students are required to present a prepared and an impromptu speech and participate in an interview.

Those students recognized include: Zach Alexander, Lacey Lewis, Andrew Barton, Allison Kunz, Jorge Basabe, Ken Morris, Emily Cope, Elena Muniz, Chase Gamradt, Lauren Lewis and Ashley Richards. Coaches are Janice Norrell and Marie Kunz.

The board also approved the membership of the Priority One Committee. More information on Priority One can be found on the MISD website.

Board members also hired Bracewell and Patterson to conduct the superintendent search for MISD. Anthony has been named the sole finalist for the superintendent position in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD and is expected to depart MISD in June.

Kever said the board interviewed four excellent superintendent search firms and had a difficult time narrowing the field down to one. Bracewell and Patterson is represented by attorney David Thompson and Dr. Mike Moses, current superintendent in Dallas ISD. They have worked with several districts with more than 10,000 students, including Lewisville ISD,  Northside ISD, Corpus Christi ISD and Cypress-Fairbanks ISD. They are currently working with Richardson ISD.

“We certainly had a very productive dialogue with the group and this is going to be a process that we anticipate will culminate in a new superintendent by the start of next school year,” Kever said.


The board also awarded a contract for the Dowell Middle School, Eddins Elementary and Faubion Middle School technology upgrades, which will be completed this summer. They renewed professional teacher and professional support personnel contracts, approved the construction manager at risk delivery method for construction of high school #3, and heard a report by Deputy Superintendent Ted Moore about the third grade Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills reading test results.

Moore said more than 90 percent of the students passed in all student groups and 55 percent of our students earned the “commended” recognition, which is 20 percent higher than the state average.

“This makes a statement about our success and the level of education we are providing in this district,” Kever said. “Our students are getting the job done. They are meeting a high level of expectation across all levels. I want to extend praise to the third grade teachers.”

In the hearing of delegations two and from the board, the trustees heard from residents of the area east of Lake Forest Drive that is currently in the Reuben Johnson zone, but will attend Bennett Elementary in 2004 - 05. They also heard from parents living in the Briar Ridge neighborhood and from ACT Academy parents.

The next regular meeting of the board will be held on April 27, 2004.

REZONING/SPECIAL PARAMETERS

Back in January, the MISD Board of Trustees began the rezoning process by publicizing special parameters that will impact a group of secondary students whose zone could be changed.

Those parameters follow:

Middle School Zones
2003-04 7th graders may remain in their current school during the 2004-05 school year, if they provide their own transportation for their eighth grade year.  However, they MUST attend the high school designated by the Spring 2004 realignment of attendance zones UNLESS THE STUDENT CURRENTLY HAS AN OLDER SIBLING IN HIGH SCHOOL.

2003-04 8th graders may attend high school in 04-05 based on the current zones or the new zones.  If an 8th grader chooses to attend a high school outside his/her attendance zone, the parents must provide transportation.  Sibling transfers will NOT be permitted.

High School Zones
2003-04 9th-11th grade students will have the option of attending the HS in the new attendance zone or their current high school, as long as they provide their own transportation.  Sibling transfers will not be permitted.

Exclusions
Students who begin attending ninth grade at one high school cannot move to the other high school, without suffering UIL penalties.
The parameters listed above are true ONLY for those who do not move their residences outside their current attendance zones.

Students who plan to exercise one of the above options must fill out a special parameter form, which has been sent to all secondary campuses and is available on the MISD website behind the rezoning link. The form must be returned by May 3, 2004. Students who will be attending school in their new 2004-05 attendance zone do not need to fill out a form.