Seen and Heard at the February 2025 School Board Meeting

Posted Date: 02/24/2025

February 10, 2025 – The February Board meeting began with several public comments expressing concerns about student safety and privacy, specifically in relation to Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) at AISD schools.

During the Superintendent’s Report, the Board heard updates on student performance and mid-year data across both elementary and secondary levels. Assistant superintendents and instructional staff shared successes, initiatives, and opportunities for growth.

• In high school academics, all campuses showed positive growth. Assistant Superintendent for High Schools, David Bishop, noted that while test scores were impacted when the District lost ESSER funding following the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a reduction in tutors, AISD students still outperform peers in similar districts.
• The middle school instructional team shared their ongoing efforts to strengthen math instruction and improve performance across all subject areas. Principals have worked together to create a unified teaching model and are now offering more Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), with teachers requesting even more sessions.
• The elementary team reported strong progress, particularly with foundational skills and Rate of Improvement (ROI) data. Kindergarten students showed higher-than-expected growth, and moving forward, instructional coaching and PLCs will focus on key subject areas.

In election news, the Board called for a School Board election on May 3, 2025, for the purpose of electing four members to the AISD School Board. The four positions up for election are four-year terms currently held by Doyle Corder, Kayla Mendez, David Nance, and Don Powell. More information about the election and candidates is available here.

The Board approved submitting a low attendance waiver request to the Texas Education Agency for two weather-related school days in January. Attendance on these days was less than the prior year average by ten percent or more. The waiver will exclude these low-attendance days from the district’s average daily attendance calculations for state funding purposes.

Finally, the Board expressed appreciation for gifts and donations totaling $17,966.95, given to various schools by Caprock Football Booster Club, Tradewind Community Church, Micro Technologies, Raising Cane’s, Amarillo Area Corvette Club, American Legion Auxiliary Hanson Unit, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, United Supermarkets, and Shelia Burton.