10/16/2020
Here is my response to some specific questions posed to Sweeny ISD School Board Candidates by The Facts. I understand not everyone has access to The Facts either online or hard copy, so I wanted to ensure my point of view regarding important issues reaches as many people as possible.
QUESTION 1
How can the district balance student safety with academic and emotional needs during COVID-19?
The safety, health and emotional wellbeing of our staff, students and their families are the utmost priority when making decisions related to how the district should proceed during the COVID-19 pandemic. With that in mind, the district should provide each student with the best opportunity to succeed academically either virtually or in person. Each SISD family has different circumstances and providing the option each nine weeks to attend in-person or to learn virtually allows families the flexibility to make the best decision for their own family. This, in turn, helps support the emotional repercussions of COVID-19, along with safety and academic priorities. Allowing for flexibility in many aspects of virtual learning, such as assignment due dates and attendance, is critical for each student’s success academically and emotionally based on their own family situation. The district providing the resources such as iPads, hotspots, school supplies and free breakfast and lunch has ensured all students are provided the same opportunities and resources, whether they are a virtual or in-person learner. There have been a significant number of people affected by the job market during the pandemic, so these resources provided are critical for many families in our district.
Communication in both directions is the key to overall success from a safety, academic and emotional standpoint. Ensuring the safety protocols put in place within the district for in-person learning are being followed is critical to the success of these measures, which leads to success academically and emotionally. Likewise, communication is key when there is room for improvement. Frequent communication from the district to students and families in conjunction with communication from students and families to the district with all forms of feedback will help the district make adjustments and keep moving forward in a positive direction during this current learning situation. Communication followed by action is a personal strong suit of mine.
QUESTION 2
Sweeny ISD teachers recently proposed a new Life-Ready Learner Profile for the district to strive toward regarding their students. What are your thoughts on the proposed plan? How would you suggest that the district implement the plan for both in-person and remote learners?
My career involves the hiring of professionals from maintenance craftspersons and operators to engineers and administrators. As a leader in my field, I believe the Life-Ready Learner plan is critical to preparing students with the tools and characteristics for their future in the workforce. The seven tenets of the plan include: person of integrity, collaborative leader, empathetic citizen, resilient achiever, solution-oriented contributor, digital literacy learner and innovative thinker, and are directly aligned with the qualities and traits companies are looking for in current and future employees.
Before implementing this program with the students, it must be communicated to teachers and staff across the district to gain alignment and a commitment from each one of them. This communication and alignment should be led by the teachers and staff who developed the Life-Ready Learner program in a bottoms-up approach with input from all teachers and staff in order to develop common lessons aligned from Pre-K to seniors.
Once there is alignment and commitment, implementation should be consistent for both in-person and remote learners. The teachers should be using the same terminology whether they are teaching students in their classrooms, on a Zoom call, through a recorded video lesson or any other method being utilized to teach students. The expectations and accountability for students to learn, understand and implement these seven Life-Ready Learner tenets should be consistent regardless of learning environment.
The digital literacy learner tenet has already gained traction within the district. While helping my two boys with their virtual school during the first four weeks of the school year, I noticed a new technology course that focused on using digital media responsibly and instilling the important concept of responsible digital citizenship when using social media.
QUESTION 3
Sweeny ISD was allocated $354,837 in CARES Act funding. Do you feel that was an adequate reimbursement for the district’s needs and what is your stance on TEA’s current funding of Texas schools?
The $354,837 in CARES Act funding is the maximum amount Sweeny ISD is eligible for reimbursement of COVID-19 expenses from March to May of 2020. The amount eligible for each district in Texas is based on the district’s size and demographics. However, this is not guaranteed money. The district must submit documentation of expenses to be approved by the state in order to receive all or a portion of these CARES Act funds and that approval for SISD is currently still outstanding.
Prior to the pandemic, the Sweeny ISD school board and administration supported and promoted innovation and already had technology for students at all levels. This aided the district to quickly transition to virtual learning in the spring. This also allowed our district to go above and beyond in several other ways. Mobile hotspots were purchased from a second provider to allow all students the best opportunity possible to complete their virtual learning. The district provided free breakfast and lunch for any student, including the option of home delivery. To be able to provide this resource, the nutrition staff and bus drivers worked countless hours beyond their normal schedules.
Sweeny ISD is considered a Robin Hood district by the TEA, which means it’s a property-wealthy district and required to give a portion of money to the state for distribution to other school districts. In previous years, Sweeny ISD had to give back millions of dollars annually. Recently, the Texas House Bill 3 passed, allowing districts like Sweeny ISD to keep more funds within the district. SISD Superintendent Tory Hill spent countless hours advocating for House Bill 3 in order to allow Sweeny dollars to stay in Sweeny. This, among many other reasons, is why I support Dr. Hill’s direction for the district.
