Have a Degree? Want to be a Teacher? Click here for details

Community Forum Video and Q&A

Community Forum Video
Part 1 - Introduction and Challenges
Part 2- Facilities Challenges
Part 3 - Master Plan and "A Closer Look" by Dr. Hayes
Part 4 - Budget
Part 5 - Conclusion

Community Forum Question & Answer - Bel Air - Thursday, December 6, 2007

1.What is the current debt of AISD--prior to bond issue?
As of 11-30-2007:
Bonds (1999 Series, refinanced with lower interest rate in 2005) $14,547,543
Maintenance Tax Note $ 2,400,000
Total Debt $16,947,543

2. How soon will it (new building and grade alignment) start? Who goes first?
The start date of the building projects depends on board action. If the board acts in February to call a bond vote and the voters approve the bond in May, the building would start in the fall of 2008. The schedule of the completion of the projects is tentatively set as:
Fall 2009:
MS wing complete (6th grade transitions to new wing)
Additions and changes to all other campuses complete
Fall 2010:
New RC Fisher Elementary School complete (grade realignment goes into effect)

3. Will teachers have input in classroom reconfigurations?
Yes. Teachers will be asked to make a choice into staying at current campus or at same grade level.

4. Does your plan provide for long term future growth of Henderson County’s population?
The current facilities plan approved by the Athens Board of Trustees provides room for growth. Current capacity at each campus has been thoroughly studied. With the help of a demographer Athens ISD will project future growth patterns and our 2020 Plan will address keeping our schools from overcrowding situations we find ourselves in at this time.

Community Forum Question & Answer - R C Fisher Campus - Monday, December 10, 2007

1. Will students be allowed to transfer to more successful campuses such as a recognized to an exemplary one after reconfiguration?
No, students will not be allowed to transfer to a school based on the academic rating of the school. The district is committed to ensuring that Athens ISD will provide an excellent education for all students at all of our campuses.

2. Reconfiguration is not mentioned in the strategic plan, district improvement plan, and campus improvement plan, district website or 20-20 vision. Why has it not been included and publicly discussed if it was an idea and priority dating to at least 2005?
The 2020 Vision is similar to a strategic plan therefore the strategies to achieve the goals are seldom mentioned in the plan. The plan is more of a document that states vision and goals. Numerous times in the 2020 Vision and in the district plan there is reference made to alignment for systemic improvement and systemic excellence. Since the new configuration that has been adopted by the board is an alignment that is more conducive to academic excellence, it does serve to meet the goal addressed in both the 2020 Vision and the District Improvement Plan.

3. If the bond election is not successful what alternatives are in place for the needs of the present facilities?
The school district has established a capital projects fund. This is money set aside from maintenance and operations to address immediate, unexpected and preventive maintenance needs at each campus. The problem is there are so many immediate needs the capital projects fund cannot address them all, so some projects would have to be postponed to a later date.

4. What is the number of students from PK-3rd grade presently?
1161. Based on that number what would each proposed campus have in the way of students in grades PK-3?
Our enrollment changes slightly on a weekly basis, but if South was to open today the numbers would look something like the following:

              Total     Asian     Black     Hispanic     White

Bel Air       387       2         55        134          196

South         387       2         55        134          196

R.C. Fisher   387       2         55        134          196

This is what the zoning advisory committee would strive for on each campus.

5. Bel Air already has traffic congestion. What is the proposed plan for dealing with that issue?
With the configuration change the traffic congestion should be exceptionally better. If the campus were to open today there would be 180 fewer students which means fewer cars and buses around the Bel Air campus.

6. Have you considered the present state of the nation, including “Athens” concerning problems with foreclosures in the residential market place?
Athens ISD has discussed this issue with the Henderson County Appraisal District, local realtors and bankers. The subprime mortgage market foreclosures appear to have no significant presence within AISD and no significant impact on the AISD property values.

7. Have you included private and Christian schools as an option to accommodate the potential increase?
No, Christian schools would not be an option to accommodate the student increase.

8. How will the lines be drawn for the campuses?
Using very sophisticated technology software and the help of a demographer and the Attendance Zone Advisory Committee the lines would be recommended to the Athens Board of Trustees for approval. The Committee will be made up of parents from each zoning area and Athens ISD staff.

9. If a parent on the North side chooses to send their child to one of the other campuses, will this be allowed?
A policy on transfers will be developed and presented to the Board of Trustees for approval. This policy will outline the proper procedures for transferring from one attendance zone to the other.

10. Will the district provide transportation if parents want to send their child to Bel Air or South?
No policy on this issue has been developed at this time for Athens ISD. Most policies on other schools rule that if a transfer is granted for a student in one attendance zone to attend another attendance zone the parents are responsible for the transportation of the child.

11. How will the reconfiguration impact our current bond debt?
The facilities plan approved by the AISD Board of Trustees includes some grade reconfiguration. The facilities plan is currently estimated to add approximately $30 to $35 million of bonded indebtedness to AISD.

12. Will teacher assignments to neighborhood schools reflect the ethnic composition of the students?
To ensure ethnic distribution of staff members on our campuses is not a goal of the school district. We do want our district professional staff members to be reflective of our student population and we will work toward that goal, but we will always hire the best qualified person to educate our children.

13. What is the capital fund account? How much? What does this extra in reference to regular maintenance operation entail?
The Capital Fund is an account that provides money for major capital equipment and building renovation needs. This years capital funds is approximately $500,000.

14. What is the regular maintenance operation fund responsible to maintain? How broad of a spectrum?
The Maintenance and Operations Fund, sometimes known simply as the “Local Maintenance Fund” is the general operating fund of Athens ISD. It is the fund used for the general instruction, student services, transportation, facilities maintenance, administration, security, technology and general debt service (not bonds) of the District. The 2007-2008 Maintenance and Operations Fund budget is $24,083,405, which includes wages, contracted services, supplies, utilities, general insurance and other general district expenses.

15. Will the bond issue be put before the voters? If yes, when?
The board must take action to place the bond before voters and the latest that an election can be called is in February if the election is to be held in May. The only times that a bond election can be held is in May and November.

16. When will the reconfiguration zones be determined and communicated to the public?
It is our goal to have this information to the board in the February 2008 Board meeting.

17. Do you realize the reconfiguration will decrease real estate values in a certain zone?
Athens ISD intends that all schools will bring value and contribute a positive presence for all areas of the district.

18. How many square feet of playground is recommended by the TEA for K-3? Will the “new” Fisher campus meet that recommendation?
TEA does not set standards for playgrounds.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that new playgrounds make appropriate accommodations for disabled children. It's important to provide diverse and stimulating play experiences for children of all abilities. There are no national mandatory standards for playground equipment, but Texas has laws that require playgrounds to follow standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials. Some states require playgrounds to follow standards set in the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) Handbook for Public Playground Safety.

19. Has AISD conducted a psychological assessment concerning the present success of the current grade level of each campus impacted by the proposal?
AISD has not done a psychological assessment of our students and has no plans to do so. We do get input from our staff members and from parents in an informal manner. We have completed a survey of parents and community members last year that supported the board’s decision regarding reconfiguration of the grades.

20. Where are the board members that were opposed to this proposal?
We have had 4 to 5 board members present at each of the forums and at least one board member who was a dissenter has been present at each of the forums. We have not had all of the board members who were in the majority present at any of the forums.
It should be remembered that our board acts as a corporate body once a decision is made, it is the decision of the school board of trustees.

21. Where will the R C Fisher school be built?
The new R.C. Fisher will be built where the current R.C. Fisher stands.

22. Is there going to be a unified district wide curriculum? If the grades are aligned, will all of our students be learning the same? How will it effect the sub grouping of the minority students?
We began to write a district-wide curriculum last year and plan to have it completed in June 2008. The board passed a policy in 2007 that directed all of our teachers to teach the district adopted curriculum. We do not anticipate that there will be sub grouping of any of our students.

23. What are you going to do with the flooding at South Athens Elementary?
Through PBK’s in-house engineering firm we will be developing plans to address the drainage at all Athens ISD campuses.

24. If the elementary is excellent, why do you feel all of the transitions are necessary? (R C Fisher is a recognized campus)
It is the goal of this school district to strive for continuous improvement. Our elementary schools do a great job because of our excellent teachers and the work they do everyday. It is also the goal of the school district that our students perform at an excellent standard throughout their school experience. With the realignment of grades, we are putting our schools and our students in a position to be more successful all the way through high school graduation.

25. If R C Fisher is rebuilt, in the future would it only have Blacks and the very poor?
No, we will have schools that will be reflective of the district population. Currently in our district in grades 1-3 we have 175 African American students. We notice through an analysis of the district map that these African American students live all over our district. We also notice that overall there is a fairly equal distribution of all students throughout our district. We will put together a boundary advisory committee made up of community members from all over our district to make recommendations regarding boundaries.

Community Forum Question & Answer - Athens South Elementary - Tuesday, December 11, 2007

1. If the teacher is the primary driver of success in the classroom, then why have they been out of the classroom so much this year?
In order for students to achieve at higher levels, curriculum must be written and taught with the critical learning objectives aligned for consistency and continuity. Vertical teams will meet for a total of three days during the 2007-2008 school year to align curriculum. To ensure that our students are learning the curriculum, we are also writing six weeks tests that align to the curriculum being taught. Teachers on the test-writing team meet for one half day each six weeks. Athens ISD is working to continually improve our curriculum documents as they are used as the primary instructional tool.

2. Why is the AISD board not considering new construction on the 17+ acres East of S.P. Barkley?
Over the last 1½ years the Athens ISD Board of Trustees has looked at a huge amount of possible scenarios, plans and options for the Long Range Facilities Plan.
Several of those options included a new structure on Madole Street property. In the end, the plan chosen did not include a new structure on Madole Street.

3. Would there be economic advantages to consolidating new school facilities in the area of the intermediate, annex, and high school?
This could be answered yes and no. Sometimes when you solve one problem we create another. At this time we have traffic congestion problems at South Athens Elementary and Bel Air Elementary. To add more to the areas of intermediate, annex and high school would create a traffic problem. Economic advantages would only be seen if there was a different configuration to what we currently have. The plan as approved by the school board helps eliminate traffic problems, touches every campus with a new or improved campus, addresses safety at all campuses and ensures our students will be taught in 21st century classrooms.

4. Why did the board decide only to bring 1 board package to the public?
The board voted to bring this plan to the voters after a long discussion and investigation.

5. Is there enough room at RC Fisher to accommodate a K-3 building with enough room for a playground?
Yes, our architects indicate that there is enough space.

6. Would the best use of Fisher be to use it “as is” for a special needs campus?
Due to growth issues, we will need some additional space. We do feel that the location will serve the district well as a campus for our elementary students.

7. Has the AISD taken into consideration the recent (2007) United States Supreme Court ruling in the cases of: Parents involved in community schools vs Seattle School District No. 1 and Meredith vs Jefferson County Board of Education in regards to deciding where the school boundaries will go?
Since we are not assigning children to campuses based solely on race, we are in compliance with all federal laws.

8. What legal counsel has AISD retained for advice regarding this issue?
We have consulted our school attorney.

9. Does the AISD see this elementary school assignment issue as one that could potentially be divisive in the community?
No, the AISD believes that the community of Athens can look beyond the issues that adults have with the configuration and see the greater benefits for our students. The issue of students coming to a campus and staying 1 or 2 years has a detrimental impact on learning and relationship building especially for students from economically disadvantaged homes. The issue that comes out regarding competition between schools for best teachers, students, etc. should not drive the decision to do what is best for our students. The competition issue is something that adults will have to learn to deal with in a mature manner knowing that the school district has a responsibility to provide excellent education for all of our students.

10. Has the bond underwriter projected the loss of ad valorem tax revenue from the homes to be located in the less desirable RC Fisher district?
Athens ISD expects the new school and school improvements to add value and positively contribute to the entire school district.

11. Is the RC Fisher campus going to provide the best racial diversity?
The simple answer is, yes. We will use the help of very sophisticated technology software, a demographer and a School Boundary Advisory Committee made up of concerned parents and community members to follow some basic criteria to establish boundaries and when everyone is in agreement recommend those boundaries to the Athens ISD Board of Trustees for approval.