25 minute read
Digital Frontier by Matt Yeager
How Garland ISD implemented a private cellular network infrastructure pilot program to ensure the success of all students during remote learning
by Matt Yeager
Like school districts across the country, Garland ISD faced a significant challenge in ensuring equitable access to remote instruction for their 37,000 economically disadvantaged students — about 68% of the district’s total enrollment — during the COVID-19 pandemic. After providing all students with 1:1 devices at the beginning of the school year, the district ascertained that approximately 13,000 of their students were without reliable high-speed internet service at home. Due to the ongoing need for student connectivity at home and to bridge this digital gap, earlier this year GISD’s board of trustees approved the implementation of a private cellular network infrastructure pilot program. This pilot program will service the two areas in which the district’s most economically disadvantaged families reside, as indicated by the district’s connectivity heat map. The goal of the pilot program is to provide and evaluate private cellular network connectivity at home to ensure access to online instructional resources and information 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year — not just during school hours. Using the Band 48 Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) authorized by the FCC for private cellular service, the pilot will begin with 200 end users per site to test signal strength and connectivity speeds at various points up to 1.8 miles away from the cell tower. Why a private cellular network? • High-speed connections up to 100
Mbps with unlimited data • GISD-owned and managed towers, network infrastructure and cellular service • GISD-owned and managed hotspot devices convert cellular signal from the towers to Wi-Fi for district device connectivity • Extension of the current GISD network infrastructure. Provides access to district network resources and internet, as well as content and internet filtering, in a setting similar to connecting to GISD Wi-Fi at school • A private cellular network’s total cost of ownership is less than the ongoing monthly service fees charged by hotspot providers over five years. After the initial phase of the pilot program, GISD will evaluate the efficacy of the initiative with the hope of expanding the service to ensure that no matter what challenge the district faces in the future, all students will have the opportunity to access the critical learning resources they need to succeed in today’s changing world.
MATT YEAGER is executive technology officer in Garland ISD and a Texas K-12 CTO Council Member.
One day at a time
by Dacia Rivers
School counselors look ahead, offer tips for helping students, staff recover from a pandemic school year
The 2020-21 school year has been a feat — for administrators, teachers, students, parents — for everyone. As it winds down, school staff are no doubt ready to breathe a sigh of relief while at the same time realizing it’d better be a quick one. A new school year is on the horizon and no one can say what it holds for sure. Everyone working in a public school has been working extra hard this year, and counselors are no exception. From connecting with students remotely to welcoming students back into classrooms, all while also supporting their fellow staff members and carrying on their regular duties, counselors had their feet held to the fire this year and they’ve come out confident in the need for the work that they do.
A sudden shift
Dyann Wilson is a sixth grade counselor at Teague Middle School in Aldine ISD. When COVID-19 first forced students into remote learning, she took quick steps to reach her school community. With the help of a twin sister who serves as the head of technology in Montgomery ISD, Wilson adjusted her work to use Wakelet, a program that would allow her to share information virtually. “When all this happened, I was so used to being in one little bubble where I didn’t go outside of my job role,” Wilson says. “I didn’t try new tools because when you’re a counselor, you already have so much on your plate.”
Lesa Pritchard, executive director of whole child services in Boerne ISD, agrees that the counselors she works with in the district learned the importance of being flexible when the pandemic hit. “Things change from day to day, and you have to move forward,” she says. “Uncertainty can cause you to be stagnant. You have to learn to move forward even when you don’t have all the answers.” As the pandemic forced Wilson to move outside of her comfort zone, she found herself enjoying the change. She adapted to using technology to reach her students, and found her efforts were needed more than ever. “Whenever kids think that something traumatic is happening, on or off campus, they’re always worried about not coming back to campus,” Wilson says. “For them, school is comfort. This is where they see their friends, where they get free meals. When COVID took that from them and they went home indefinitely, they struggled.” Wilson says students’ needs were the primary focus in Aldine ISD when the pandemic hit, but counselors in the district realized that many of their fellow staff members also needed support. New staff in the district, especially those who had moved for their jobs and had no local family or friend groups, struggled with being isolated at home. Counselors found themselves providing support not only to students, but with adults who worked in the district. Aldine ISD counselors created a virtual calming room, a website anyone can visit and click on different links aimed at relaxation, such as the soothing sound of ocean waves, live zoo animal videos and coloring apps. “It’s a website anybody can go to when they’re feeling boxed in or need a break and need to push that reset button,” Wilson says. “Especially for kids, instead of sending them to discipline, we need ways to help calm them and meet their emotional needs.”
Challenges ahead
COVID learning loss is a bit of a buzz term right now. While the effects of the pandemic on student learning haven’t yet been fully realized, early research shows it’s a significant issue. A McKinsey & Co. report released in late 2020 states that students are an estimated three to five months behind where they would be in a typical school year. “When you’re on campus, you’re engaged. There’s people in front of you educating you,” Wilson says. “When you’re at home and it’s just you and that computer, it can be difficult. That’s been a struggle for us, getting virtual students to be more engaged online.” In Aldine, some students are still unaccounted for, neither signing into virtual learning or coming back to inperson school. Wilson worries about these students, but is happy that the district has created a CARES team at each campus, made up of staff who go out into the community to try to locate these students and bring them whatever they may need, from Chromebooks to food. When students do return to campus, it’s not as though a switch has been flipped and everything can just go back to normal, Pritchard and Wilson warn. Students and staff have been through a lot, and many are still struggling. “Once you’re experienced that kind of trauma, once you have experienced something you never thought was possible, you can’t go back to not experiencing that,”
Comprehensive school counseling programs during school closure
Ensure your school counseling website is up-to-date and reflects the current operations of the program. Include: • Services available to students and how to access them • Digital resources for individual planning and social-emotional well-being • Clear, current contact information for counseling staff and hours of operation/expected wait time for response • Links to approved mental health and support resources in the community • Directions for what a student in crisis should do (e.g., contact 911, suicide prevention hotline, etc.)
Communicate early and often • Students and families may not realize that the counseling program is operating or what services are available. Consider sending weekly updates highlighting your services and resources and reminding families of upcoming milestones. • Carefully review digital resources for quality and accuracy before promoting them to students and parents. • Promote self-care with all students, families, and educators.
Source: TEA
> See One Day, page 16
Pritchard says. “We all need to feel safe in our environment, and the pandemic has caused us all to feel less safe.” Pritchard points out that the next school year will bring more students who are new to campus than usual. High schools will welcome freshmen and sophomores who have never set foot on the campus before. Likewise with kindergarten and first grade students, along with sixth and seventh graders. Preparing for these new challenges means school staff will be putting in more effort, working harder and longer hours to try and help students get back on track. “Everyone’s more exhausted this time of year than they normally are,” Pritchard says. “Everyone’s going to need a break, and in some cases, we won’t get a break because we’re doing to have a more intensive summer program to try to get our students caught up.”
Support school staff
Staff retention is on every administrator’s mind. After an exhausting year and with new challenges to come, school staff need support now more than ever. Pritchard and Wilson say that for counselors to be able to reach out and help students and staff, they need the freedom to do the work they are trained to do, without distraction. They need to be allowed to be whole counselors. “Take as many non-counseling duties off of them as you can,” Pritchard suggests. “Make sure they have the time and emotional energy to be able to give the kind of support they need to offer.” Wilson says that in the past, she was made to wear many different hats as a counselor, being asked to help with discipline or cover non-counseling duties. This year her school hired a new principal, and Wilson says the new administration’s dedication to counseling staff has elevated the work she is able to do. “I think the most important thing is for an administrator to know the role of the counselor, and if they don’t know, to ask,” she says. “When we are able to do our job, we know it makes a difference. If we can meet the needs of our students and our staff, you can see the change on campus.” In Boerne, counselors have created a Tuesday night program called The Well, where students, parents and staff are invited to talk to counselors and each other. The event, offered both virtually and in-person, allows everyone to relax and connect with those facing similar struggles and frustrations. “We continue to stick together and support each other,” Pritchard says. “And we get through it, just one day at a time, and remind everybody that we’re all just doing the best that we can, and that’s enough.” In Aldine, Tuesdays are “Take Care Tuesdays,” where counselors send staff a Wakelet newsletter full of mindfulness activities, healthy eating tips, exercises and humor. The goal is to remind staff to reset and recharge, and let them know they can always reach out to the school counselors. “We all started as educators in the beginning, we were all in a classroom at one point,” Wilson says. “We need to be mindful of that and make sure that we’re supporting the teachers. We have to make sure their needs are being met.” Pritchard adds that self-care is for everyone, and administrators who aren’t taking time for themselves can’t be of much help to others. “Administrators have been stressed. This has been a difficult year, budget-wise, it’s a legislative year, and we have all had to be flexible,” she says. “Administrators need to make sure that they’re taken care of, that they find a balance between work, relationships and family time, so that they have energy and patience for their staff and students.”
DACIA RIVERS is editorial director of Texas School Business.
Recommendations for maintaining a commitment to student wellness and postsecondary readiness
Articulate a vision for counseling and define expectations with input from the counseling staff. • Integrate counseling support. Let counselors join morning meetings to connect with students. • Spread out logistical duties like tracking down absent students across school staff or, if the resources are available, hire additional staff. Prioritize counselors’ time with students and take flexible and creative approaches as needed. • Be intentional about scheduling. Give students (and families) an advisory period as a chance to connect. This may require flexibility and may need to take place outside of school hours to accommodate the needs of students and their caregivers. Ensure counselors have access to resources and supports to adapt to supporting students in this new environment. • Consider the need for privacy in virtual counseling sessions. Counselors may need to connect with students in a safe meeting space or use a tele-counseling platform. • Offer training and support that meet the specific needs of counselors. As the pandemic has increased trauma, grief and isolation, counselors may need explicit training in these areas.
Source: Harvard Graduate School of Education
> Continued from page 10
Killeen ISD
Now serving as executive director for elementary schools is Iris Felder, who most recently led Brookhaven Elementary. Initially a teacher at Reeces Creek Elementary, she holds a master’s degree in education, curriculum and instruction from the University of Phoenix.
Lamar CISD
Nick Codutti is now head football coach and campus athletic coordinator at Fulshear High School, coming to his new job from Tomball ISD, where he was assistant head football coach at Tomball High School. The 12-year educator is a graduate of WilliamJewell College with a master’s degree from William Woods University. Brian Gibson has been selected to serve as principal of one of Lamar CISD’s new campuses, Morgan Elementary, when school begins in August. Principal of Velasquez Elementary since 2014, he has also been an assistant principal, teacher and math specialist in Fort Bend ISD. He received his bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University and his master’s degree in education from Prairie View A&M University, where he is at work on his doctorate in educational leadership. Sherri Henry, now principal of Velasquez Elementary School, was most recently assistant principal of Beasley Elementary School. She has been an educator for 15 years and holds a bachelor’s degree from Lamar University, a master’s degree from Prairie View A&M University and a doctorate in education from Walden University.
Creighton Jaster is the newly appointed principal of another new campus, Wright Junior High. He has led Lamar Junior High since 2015 and previously was an assistant principal at Lamar Consolidated High School. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a master’s degree from the University of Houston at Victoria. Brian Randle has accepted the position of head football coach and campus athletic coordinator at Randle High School. An educator for 18 years, he most recently held the same position at Mayde Creek High School in Katy ISD. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas A&M University at Kingsville. Greg Tielke is the new principal of Lamar Junior High after having served as an associate principal of Lamar Consolidated High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Sul Ross State University and his master’s degree from Lamar University.
Leander ISD
Monica de la Garza-Conness, who began her career in Seguin ISD, is the new principal of Bagdad Elementary School. She took her first administrative position in Austin ISD’s Sadler Means Young Women’s Academy, going on to work as principal of Martin Middle School and as a school improvement facilitator. She graduated from Texas State University and earned her master’s degree in education administration from Concordia University.
Lewisville ISD
The district’s newest elementary school, designated as a STEM academy and as yet unnamed, will have Stephanie Lawson as principal when it opens in August. Currently an elementary virtual administrator, she was previously principal of Lewisville Elementary. She began her career in Arkansas, joining LISD in 2005. She is a graduate of the University of Central Arkansas, from which she also earned her master’s degree in education.
Longview ISD
Craig Coleman has been named chief innovation officer for Longview ISD. He has been an educator for more than 20 years, working as a teacher, assistant principal and principal before serving as superintendent of Harleton ISD. In addition, he was a professor in the department of secondary education and educational leadership at Stephen F. Austin State University. The district’s new assistant superintendent of business, transportation and technology is Wayne Guidry, who comes to LISD from Spring Hill ISD, where he was superintendent. He previously was an administrator in Hubbard and Hamshire-Fannett ISDs and West Orange-Cove CISD. Now serving as the district’s director of employee relations is Shalona McCray, who has been with LISD for more than a decade. She has served as a teacher, principal and administrator.
Horace Williams, who joined the district in 2013, has accepted the position of deputy superintendent. He previously served as superintendent in Diboll ISD and on Staten Island, NY. Former Carthage ISD superintendent John Wink is now Longview ISD’s coordinator of policy and new schools. An educator for more than two decades, he also served in Gilmer, Tatum and Hallsville ISDs and was most recently superintendent of Carthage ISD. John York, newly appointed chief human resources officer, has been a teacher, principal and district administrator in various districts in east Texas in his 30-year career.
Marlin ISD
A new head football coach and assistant athletic director has been announced. Ruben Torres comes to Marlin from El Paso ISD’s Franklin High School. Prior to that, also in El Paso, he was head football coach and athletic coordinator at Socorro ISD’s El Dorado High School and Ysleta ISD’s Ysleta High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at El Paso.
Meadow ISD
Bric Turner, who came to Meadow ISD in 2017 as secondary principal, has been named district superintendent. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas Permian Basin and his master’s degree in education administration from Lubbock Christian University.
Mesquite ISD
The appointment of Angel Rivera as deputy superintendent has been approved by the Mesquite ISD board of trustees. He will transition from his most recent position, assistant superintendent for innovation and leadership. The University of Houston Clear Lake graduate has been an educator for 20 years, working in Pasadena, Nacogdoches, Mansfield and Garland as well as Mesquite. He earned his master’s degree from the University of St. Thomas and his doctorate from Stephen F. Austin State University.
New TEPSA president Lorena Zertuche sings praises for school leaders
by James Golsan
New Texas Association of Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA) President Dr. Alma “Lorena” Zertuche would not be where she is today without the support and sacrifices made by her family. A first-generation immigrant from Mexico and naturalized American citizen, she’s quick to credit her family, especially her husband, Michael, and her parents, Drs. Ramon and Alma Borreno, with all they have done to support her throughout her career. “My parents used to say, we’re not rich, so your inheritance is your education,” Zertuche says. She adds, jokingly, that all hope of her using that education to join her parents in the medical field went out the window the moment she had to start dissecting animals during junior high school science classes. “I couldn’t stand the smell of formaldehyde or the sight of blood!” It was another family member, her aunt, who set Zertuche on the path toward becoming an educator. “Every summer growing up, we would go and visit my family in Ciudad Juarez, where my dad’s youngest sister was a kindergarten teacher, and I would help her with her classroom, preparing for the next school year, that kind of thing.” By the time she reached high school, Zertuche knew education was the right career for her. She began exploring prospective educator events and set her sights on attending the best education college in the country, which Zertuche says was the George Peabody College at Vanderbilt University at the time. Upon graduating, Zertuche was prepared to start teaching immediately, but her parents, ever education focused, encouraged her to immediately pursue her master’s degree. She spent a year at the Teachers’ College at Columbia University earning a master’s in curriculum and instruction (an experience she says she “absolutely loved”), then returned to the Houston area to begin her teaching career. “I returned to my alma mater district, Spring Branch ISD, and taught everything there,” Zertuche says, as she covered nearly every grade and subject matter offered at the elementary level in Texas. Much as she did during the course of her education, Zertuche excelled. She was nominated for Spring Branch’s Teacher of the Year award during just her fourth year as an educator. While she did not win, her principal had seen enough of her quality work, as well as her leadership skills, to encourage Zertuche to pursue her doctorate and subsequently a leadership role in the education field.
It took some pushing. Zertuche loved teaching and did not want to leave the classroom, but she ultimately chose to pursue her doctorate at Baylor University. During her ninth year as an educator, she landed her first leadership position, an assistant principalship at Bear Creek Elementary School in Katy ISD. Once again, she excelled in her role. During the final year of a sevenyear turn as an assistant principal at Bear Creek, Zertuche was awarded National Distinguished Principal for the State of Texas, an achievement made all the more remarkable by the fact that she would not officially become Bear Creek’s lead principal until the following fall. While Zertuche loved being a principal and the community around Katy ISD — she led the school through the Hurricane Harvey catastrophe during the fall of 2017 — when it came time to take the next step in her career, she was ready for a change. She is now the community engagement coordinator for Spring ISD, where she has established a new mentoring program and jokes that while she used to dread becoming one of “those people at the central office” during her classroom days, she works to be mindful of the relationship dynamics that exist between district offices and campus leadership, and is focused on building and strengthening the education community at Spring ISD. A longtime TEPSA member (she first became involved with TEPSA as she pursued her doctorate), Zertuche credits the organization with many aspects of her professional development and says organization members are at the front of her mind as she assumes the presidency this summer. “We’re member-owned, and membergoverned, and my theme for my first year is ‘Singing our Praises for School Leaders,’ because our school leaders have been through so much this last year. With all the changes they have been through [due to the COVID-19 pandemic], the work they do is nothing short of heroic.” Zertuche’s career as an educator has been defined by excellence and passion. Those qualities shine through both in the classroom and at the campus leadership level, and they will continue to do so at Spring ISD and TEPSA in the coming years.
JAMES GOLSAN is a writer and education professional based in Austin. Texas Association of Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA) Membership: TEPSA membership includes school leaders of Texas PK-8 schools. Mission: TEPSA provides leadership training, networking opportunities, information and support for school leaders as they strive to improve the education of Texas school children and members’ working conditions. The group maintains its positive impact on legislators, policy makers, communities and other stakeholders to improve the quality of childhood, public education and the principalship, and continues to raise the level of respect for and prestige of the principalship and makes the principalship a highly desired leadership position. Year founded: 1917 Number of members: more than 5,900 Website: tepsa.org
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Kevin Noack steps up to lead Texas’ community schools association
by James Golsan
The Texas Association of Community Schools (TACS) defines the “community schools” in their membership as districts with fewer than 12,000 students in average daily attendance, or districts that have only one high school. While there are some larger districts that might fit the latter half of that definition, that means many of the districts that are TACS members come from smaller communities. Working with such communities is a comfortable fit for Kevin Noack, Palmer ISD superintendent and new TACS president. A native of Olton, he grew up in a small town and attended a small school in a small district, much like those he now represents. Like many who enter the education field, he was partially inspired by family to do so, though not by his parents, as is often the case. “My father owned a grocery store,” Noack says, adding that he saw himself entering the business community while he was growing up. Noack married young, and says it was his wife, a teacher herself, who first gave him the idea that he might like teaching. “I married young and went back to school late, and kind of decided during my first semester, ‘You know what, I’ll go ahead and get my degree and teach science.’” Upon graduating from Wayland Baptist University in San Antonio, Noack did exactly that. He was a classroom teacher for five years, three spent teaching fifth grade science and two teaching physics and physical science. Yet while he loved many things about the education profession, Noack found himself with a rare problem among teachers. “Quite frankly I was bored, come June, July and the first part of August,” Noack says with a laugh (stressing that it was the free time and not the work that got to him). “So I decided to go into administration.” He pursued and earned his master’s degree at Eastern New Mexico University, and in his own words, “never looked back.” He’s been a superintendent for 20 years, the last 12 with Palmer ISD. Though Noack’s education career is long and distinguished, he’s a relatively new member of TACS, especially for someone who has ascended to the organization’s presidency. His involvement with the organization began just five years ago, though Noack is quick to emphasize that he has always been impressed by and respected the work the organization does.
“I really appreciate what they do,” Noack says. “They are a great voice for public schools, especially for districts our size, as well as large and small districts alike.” He adds that he appreciates that the organization has historically gone to bat for its members. “I just really wanted to be a part of it.” As the organization’s new leader, Noack is focused on continuing to grow the organization’s membership (more than 600 school districts and counting as of 2021, which means more than half of the school districts in Texas are TACS members), and is keeping his fingers on the pulse of what’s going on in Austin during the 87th Texas Legislature. For the most part, he’s pleased with what he’s seeing from Texas’ lawmakers regarding their response to the needs of TACS’ member schools. “[Our representatives] have been down at the Capitol what seems like every day talking with legislators, and a lot of what we’ve been hearing is very positive,” he says. “When Governor Abbott came out and said we were going to receive hold harmless [funding] for all of 2021, that was huge for districts whose enrollment is down due to COVID-19.” He also speaks well of the Legislature’s intent to maintain funding for HB 3 (a sweeping school finance bill passed during the 86th Texas Legislature), and adds that, “while there’s always room for a few tweaks,” when it comes to most things legislative, he’s been impressed with what he’s seen from the Legislature during what could have been a fiscally turbulent cycle for Texas schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Noack has proven himself a steady hand with strong leadership skills in the field of Texas education. As TACS assists its member schools through recovery from the pandemic and works to deliver on its core missions of improving instruction at community schools, providing member educators with professional development opportunities, and advocacy for member schools and their communities, Noack’s experience and abilities as an administrator will be a welcome presence.
JAMES GOLSAN is a writer and education professional based in Austin. Texas Association of Community Schools (TACS)
Membership: TACS membership is open to staff at school districts with fewer than 12,000 students in average daily attendance or that have only one high school.
Mission: TACS aims to work for the improvement of instruction in the community schools of the state, provide professional growth programs, support legislation that enhances the opportunities and abilities of community schools to provide quality education programs, and cooperate with other organizations dedicated to such purposes.
Year founded: 1951
Website: tacsnet.org
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