April 24, 2018
 
Northwest Board Notes: April 23 Meeting
 
The Northwest Independent School District Board of Trustees met yesterday - Monday, April 23 - during a regularly scheduled meeting. This is a recap of the major actions and reports from the meeting. To see every item that was discussed or voted on, click here.
Budget workshop addresses 2018-19 financial year forecast
A budget workshop held immediately before the regular board meeting addressed Northwest ISD's 2018-19 financial year, including a five-year financial forecast, personnel expenditures and potential cost-saving measures.

The district faces three primary financial challenges in 2018-19: the normal expenditure increases from adding a significant amount of new students, becoming a Chapter 41 school district (also known as "Robin Hood," requiring it to send local tax money to the state), and the loss of ASATR funding from the state. The administration will monitor both anticipated revenue and requests of expenditures over the next several weeks as the budget recommendation is refined.

District financial staff will begin work on possible budget options for 2018-19, with different amounts of the district's fund balance used in each to help trustees decide their recommendations. Trustees will also give the district input on whether to eventually hold a tax ratification election. Trustees indicated they may prefer to wait a year before deciding whether to hold a TRE to gain more community feedback and analyze possible internal efficiencies.

Budget workshops will continue to be held before the start of each regularly scheduled board meeting prior to the creation of a proposed budget. District financial staff plan to present possible budget options at the May 14 meeting to trustees.

Carrie Jackson named next principal of Northwest High School
Carrie Jackson Northwest ISD trustees unanimously approved Carrie Jackson as the new principal of Northwest High School.

Ms. Jackson comes to Northwest ISD from the neighboring Keller Independent School District, where she has served as principal of Timberview Middle School since 2010. Prior to opening Timbeview, she was principal at Keller's Indian Springs Middle School. She has held administrative positions at Nimitz High School and Crockett Middle School in Irving ISD.

Ms. Jackson has a bachelor of science from East Texas State University (now Texas A&M University-Commerce). She transferred there after spending two years at Austin College in Sherman, where she played basketball. She received her master of education leadership from Texas Woman's University. She has served in leadership roles for four years with the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals, with the current title of president for 2017-18.

She has received numerous honors, such as the National Association of Secondary School Principals Digital Principal of the Year in 2013, a PTA Life Membership Award in 2015 and most recently served on the National Forum Texas Schools to Watch. She has been invited to deliver the closing keynote address for the National Principals' Conference in Chicago this summer and has given numerous presentations across the nation and state on digital leadership and connecting with the school-community through social media.

Northwest High School will arrange for a meet-and-greet to introduce Ms. Jackson when she assumes her role in July.

Michael Griffin named assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction
Michael Griffin Trustees approved Dr. Michael Griffin as the district's new superintendent for curriculum and instruction, elevating the longtime district staff member from her current role as executive director of elementary education.

Dr. Griffin has served in several positions at Northwest ISD, beginning her career in the district as a classroom teacher at Haslet Elementary before advancing to become assistant principal of Justin Elementary and then principal of Haslet Elementary. In 2013, she was named the district's executive director of elementary education. Outside of her experience with Northwest ISD, Dr. Griffin has served as a classroom teacher in Texas, Arizona and California.

In her role, Dr. Griffin will oversee principals across the district as well as academics at all levels. She takes the former role of Dr. Robert Thornell, who became the district's deputy superintendent for curriculum and instruction in 2017.

Dr. Griffin has a bachelor of science in elementary education from Texas Tech University, a master's in education from the University of Arizona and a doctorate in education from Nova Southeastern University. She has received numerous professional accolades, including graduating from the Learning Forward's national leadership academy and Raise Your Hand Texas' cohort presenting at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Additionally, she has given presentations about educational leadership across both the state and nation.

She will officially begin her new role in July.

Staff medical premiums for 2018-19 unchanged from 2017-18
Trustees approved the district's proposed medical premiums for the 2018-19 plan year, with no change in premiums from the current plan year for all three health plans.

All three primary medical plans offered by the district - core, basic and high deductible - will maintain their current premiums for the coming year. This will be the third consecutive year the basic and high deductible plans have not received a premium increase, and the first year the core plan will not receive an increase.

The district is currently in the process of comparing prescription plan services. For dental and vision, Ameritas will serve as the district's new plan provider, with the latter plan seeing a decrease in rates from the last plan year. The disability plan option will see a 20 percent rate increase, which equates to about $15 per month. If the district had stayed with its current plan provider, the increase would have gone up to 30 percent.

Contractor for facility projects approved
Trustees approved Joeris General Contractors as its construction partner for three district facility projects: the additions and renovations to the Box Agricultural Center as well as renovations to Hatfield and Prairie View elementary schools (for partial roofing renovations and HVAC units).

Work on all three projects will begin soon. The projects are part of the district's 2017 bond package. For more information about current and upcoming projects included in that package, visit www.nisdtxbond.org.

In other action, the board
  • Approved a contract to renew Aramark's food service agreement with the district for the 2018-19 school year.
  • Recognized the district's most recent staff ambassador graduates. Staff ambassadors learn about Northwest ISD and public education in general at several sessions, discussing successes they've had at their campuses and sharing ideas for improvement.
  • Recognized student Katerina Deschaine for her prompt action to assist a bus driver during a potential health scare.
  • Recognized the district's Twitter account for being named among the top 10 school district accounts in the area by the Texas Social Media Research Institute.
  • Recognized Nathan Cage for earning the district's Going the Extra Mile customer service award for the current semester.
  • Recognized Little Black Bag House Calls and CareDirect Texas for supporting Seven Hills Elementary School and Chisholm Trail Middle School through the Partners in Education program.
A Nance Elementary School student led the pledge.
A Nance Elementary School student led the pledge.
Trustees recognized the newest staff ambassadors.
Trustees recognized the newest staff ambassadors.
Trustees recognized Katerina Deschaine for her potentially life-saving efforts.
Trustees recognized Katerina Deschaine for her potentially life-saving efforts.
Trustees recognized the district Twitter account for recently being named among the top in the area.
Trustees recognized the district Twitter account for recently being named among the top in the area.
Trustees recognized Nathan Cage for being named a Going the Extra Mile award winner.
Trustees recognized Nathan Cage for being named a Going the Extra Mile award winner.
Trustees recognized Little Black Bag House Calls and CareDirect Texas for supporting Prairie View Elementary School and Chisholm Trail Middle School through the Partners in Education.
Trustees recognized Little Black Bag House Calls and CareDirect Texas for supporting Seven Hills Elementary School and Chisholm Trail Middle School through the Partners in Education.
Principals from Seven Hills and Chisholm Trail pose with their Partners in Education supporter.
Principals from Seven Hills and Chisholm Trail pose with their Partners in Education supporter.