For the third consecutive year, Meridith-Dunbar received an academically unacceptable rating by the Texas Education Agency, prompting administrators to come up with a restructuring plan.
“That became a flag with the state of Texas,” Dr. Robin Battershell, TISD superintendent, said of the third year of being rated unacceptable.
If approved by the board at its regular meeting next Monday, the administration will be allowed to pursue the plan, which will be presented to the state.
“We want to make our changes rather than have them (the state) make our changes,” Battershell said, adding that, generally, TEA does not close down a campus in the third year of an unacceptable rating, but that is the worst case scenario.
Basically, students scored lower this year than in the previous two years in the testing areas - reading, math, writing and science.
“The teachers and staff at Meridith-Dunbar are working as hard as they can,” she said.
It’s now up to the administration and the board.
“We feel at this point, we need to set the campus up to succeed,” she said.
Battershell said the goal is not just to make a rating of acceptable, but go a step further and receive a recognized rating.
The plan calls for transporting fourth and fifth graders to acceptable campuses within the district, matching the students’ needs to the school. “It’s a priority to make sure Meridith students and Meridith parents feel accepted on other campuses,” Battershell said.
Kindergarten through third grade would remain at the Meridith-Dunbar campus, allowing faculty to focus on specific areas of learning.
In addition, the district will seek experienced teachers and pay them a $2,000 stipend to teach at Meridith-Dunbar, transferring less experienced teachers to other schools within the district. “No one loses jobs. Teachers will be re-assigned,” Battershell said.
Despite a drop in scores across the board, the second grade has performed well. JJ Villarreal, TISD assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, said if that remains a constant, next year’s third grade class will continue to do well. It’s really a matter of working with the students at the earlier stages, he said.
Battershell said her two priorities are to make certain the children of Meridith succeed, and to maintain the historical integrity of the campus. “It’s such an integral piece of history for this community and that’s so important,” she said.The school is located in the historic Dunbar High School, which was built in 1951.
As for why students at the school struggle, Battershell said children who grow up in low income homes have a different set of experiences than other students. “When they come in with limited experiences, it’s really hard to build on that,” she said.
The conference room at the administration building was filled Monday night with principals and teachers from other schools within the district, showing a spirit of camaraderie.
“Whatever we decide to do regarding Meridith-Dunbar, Meridith-Dunbar is not alone. We are a family. These are our children,” Battershell said.
