BISD board meets about closing campus

The Breckenridge Independent School District board of trustees presented the possibility of closing North Elementary, on Monday, Jan. 20 at the School Administration Office. The board considered the option as a way to help with accountability while creating a more efficient operation of district resources and facilities.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is currently writing rules to reconfigure campuses in districts around Texas. The reconfiguration is defined as Improvement Required, which Breckenridge ISD is in the first year of.

“We’re at a disadvantage with the state accountability system because we have a campus that has only one testing grade,” said Interim Superintendent Earl Jarrett.

The board provided a possible scenario for the change which consists of:
East: Pre K-2, South: 3-5, Junior High 6-8, High School 9-12.

“North Elementary is a second and third-grade campus with the third- grade being the only testing grade, and a large portion of the accountability system is whether the students are showing growth and since there is only one testing grade on the campus we can’t show that growth,” said Jarrett.

While the board is not ready to make any recommendations, the trustees will research the accountability possibilities for combining the schools. They will provide a comprehensive presentation in February, which will include the effects on the budget and staffing.

For the full story, see the Wednesday, Jan. 29 edition of the Breckenridge American.