Accomplishments and Goals

WHAT WE HAVE

Accomplished Reflecting on 2 Years of a COVID World

Our district, along with the rest of the world, has endured so much due to COVID-19 in the past two years. From the outbreak of COVID-19, to freezing temperatures, to unthinkable acts of violence against teachers and school children, the past two years are unimaginable. However, with the strength of our resilient community and the heart of a mighty Yellow Jacket, we were able to not only endure, but also to prosper. Here are just a few highlights from the past two years:

OPERATIONS SUPPORT:

In response to the world events, EEISD was able to establish community wide vaccines, provide meals to the community during both COVID-19 and winter storm Uri, and provide Standard Response Protocol training and Reunification training from the Texas School Safety Center to all school administrators.

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY:

A clear plan for the use of ESSER funds was developed to address student needs in COVID recovery. This plan has allowed EEISD to install new chillers, touchless water fountains, and air purification systems in school cafeterias, as well as purchasing PPE for all campuses and departments to provide a sanitary environment for our students and staff.

TECHNOLOGY:

We have and continue to participate in connectivity upgrades, installation of security cameras, purchasing of employee and student laptops, and a move to paperless forms in many departments. The increase of technology on campuses allows us to better prepare our students for the world.

VIRTUAL LEARNING:

When COVID-19 forced schools to close their doors, teachers pivoted quickly and were able to provide continued learning through a virtual platform to allow students to not only continue their education, but also remain connected to their classmates. In the following year, after welcoming students back, the school district was able to create a virtual learning academy for qualifying students.

GOALS 2022-2023

and beyond

This August, we welcomed all staff and students back to campus for the school year. Although COVID-19 remains present and safety precautions are still in place, the feelings of hope and excitement have returned to the hallways of our schools. Planning for the district, moving forward, builds on our strengths and addresses our gap. We believe that, by prioritizing the following areas, we will be able to grow and succeed as a district.

ACADEMICS: In the Fall of 2020, EEISD adopted High Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) for middle school mathematics. This year, the implementation has expanded to include Reading Language Arts in grades K-12. The use of HQIM allows equal access to aligned, rigorous materials by all students.

RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION: Teachers and staff are our most valuable asset. It is a priority to not only retain the most effective teachers and staff, but to also recruit new talent. In the spring of 2022, Edcouch-Elsa ISD was chosen to participate in Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) which, after gathering baseline data, allows for teachers to receive financial rewards based on student growth in the classroom.

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (SEL) HEALTH: The past two years brought

the need for social emotional health into focus. EEISD has taken this need seriously and responded by developing strategies for Tier 1 behavior support district wide, increased the number of social workers on staff, and selected SEL curriculum based on grade band. This goal will expand through continued training of counselors on different crisis situations as well as full implementation of the SEL curriculum.

SAFETY: EEISD takes safety seriously. It is important that our students, staff, and families not only feel safe, but are safe at all of our district sites. EEISD has put training, plans, and protocols in place to establish safe and secure environments. (More on page 15)

EEISD remains committed to growing students and staff to ensure the highest quality education is provided in a safe learning environment. We look forward to our many successes.