McKinney, Texas — Each month, after our board meeting, we provide our community with a brief summary of events and items covered during the meeting.
We started the meeting with celebrations and recognitions.
We honored our School Resources Officers or SROs as they’re often called. We are grateful for all they do to keep our McKinney ISD schools safe.
Next we recognized our Paraprofessionals of the Month. This month’s winners are: Adriana Gonzalez from Burks Elementary and Martha Olvera from Faubion Middle School.
We celebrated our “Every Student, Every Day” Award. This month’s winners are Kylar Herod from Lawson Early Childhood School and Zeruiah St. James from Malvern Elementary.
We honored our McKinney ISD schools and counselors who received the CREST award. This year we had 24 campuses who received the award.
Next we celebrated our McKinney ISD Lives Kind recipient: Valley Creek Elementary.
We recognized our Counselor of the Year: Vanessa Arbaiza from Cockrill Middle School.
We celebrated our McKinney ISD campuses who have received Level 3 of the High Reliability Schools (or HRS) Certification. It’s important to note that only 9 school districts in the United States have accomplished this! We also recognized Frazier Elementary for receiving Level 1 HRS Certification, which was a big accomplishment for that school in its first year.
We wrapped up the recognition portion of the meeting by showcasing the 9 McKinney ISD TMEA All-State Participants. Fifty-five thousand students in Texas audition and only 2% become all-state musicians. These musicians are the top performers in the state of Texas, and we are proud of how they represent our district.
We then held the public comment portion of the meeting followed by closed session.
Next the Board moved into the presentation portion of the meeting where we heard from Dr. Dennis Womack, Assistant Superintendent of Business Operations, about the long-range facility plan and the future work of the committee.
The Board was presented with a proposal for the Caldwell Dual Language Academy, Finch Monolingual Program, and Attendance boundary adjustments including Webb Elementary. Dr. Womack shared more details about the program review, including information about the planning and preparing for the adjustments. Becky Jackson, Director of Data and Analytics, shared more about the accountability considerations that went into preparing for this change.
Zabdi Gonzalez, Senior Director of English Language Support, outlined the three options for our students and the choices parents will have through this process. She also shared details about the dual language program and clarified the differences in the one-way and two-way programs. The Board approved the proposal for the 2025-2026 school year.
Jennifer Akins, Chief School Improvement and Federal Programs Officer, presented the public hearing on the Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR) and College, Career and Military Readiness (CCMR).
The Board approved the consent agenda and then moved to the discussion and action portion of the meeting.
The Board reviewed and approved the board legislative priorities presented by Aretha Jackson, Senior Director of Legal Affairs. The legislative priorities include a focus on school finance, assessment accountability, and to provide resources to recruit and retain great teachers who will champion a variety of learning pathways and provide exceptional experiences for our students.
Dr. Womack provided insight into the current state of finance and public education funding in Texas and how it impacts McKinney ISD. Marlene Harbeson, Chief Financial Officer, shared a budget update for the 2025-2026 school year. Additionally, the Board reviewed a proposal from Alana Chisum, Assistant Superintendent of HR, to declare a reduction in force due to a program change and a consideration and approval of Central Office employment areas that will be affected by the RIF. The Board members approved and moved forward.
Then the Board reviewed and approved the monthly written reports.
Those are the highlights from this month’s meeting. Thank you for watching, and we look forward to bringing you the highlights from our next regularly scheduled board meeting on March 31st at 6 PM at the McKinney ISD Community Event Center.