August 24, 2021
August 23 Northwest ISD Board Notes
The Northwest Independent School District Board of Trustees met Monday, August 23, during a regularly scheduled meeting. This is a recap of the major actions and reports from the meeting. To see every item discussed or voted on, click here.
Northwest ISD now the fastest-growing school district in North Texas
Zonda Education provided board members with updated information about home sales and building in the area, revealing that Northwest ISD is now the fastest-growing school district in North Texas based on annual home closings.

In the second quarter of 2021, NISD recorded 3,011 annual home closings for the preceding year. The district was followed by Denton ISD (2,955), Prosper ISD (2,660), Frisco ISD (2,394) and Forney ISD (2,156) to round out the top five fastest-growing school districts in the DFW area. Notably, NISD also has the most vacant developed lots (3,176) and future lots (37,954) of school districts in the region.

The district will see an estimated 6.5% increase (1,651 students) in enrollment this school year compared to 2020-2021, its largest growth in several years. Depending on the housing market, Northwest ISD could see up to 2,000 new students per year in future years.
Decreased tax rates set
Trustees approved the new tax rate for Northwest ISD property owners, setting the total tax rate at $1.292 per $100 of property valuation, a decrease over the previous year’s rate.

The total tax rate is composed of a maintenance and operations rate (for general expenditures), which is set at $0.872, and an interest and sinking rate (for debt expenditures, such as paying off bonds to build new schools) of $0.42. As part of recent state law, maintenance and operations tax rates are set at the state level and then approved by local school districts.

NISD’s new tax rate represents a decrease from its 2020-2021 tax rate of $1.3363 per $100 of property valuation. With its new tax rate, NISD continues to maintain one of the lowest tax rates for both fast-growth and large school districts in North Texas.
Student Code of Conduct approved
Trustees annually review the coming school year’s Student Handbook and Code of Conduct, providing any guidance regarding potential changes before voting on the new Code of Conduct.

Most changes to the document primarily reflect legal or regulatory updates to keep pace with new laws, while other updates are minor in nature, such as making updates for who to contact when a responsibility shifts to a different district employee or department. Trustees approved the revised Code of Conduct after discussing it at the Aug. 9 board meeting.

To see the approved updates to the document, click here.
Reports, discussions addressed by board
District leadership presented each of the following subjects to the board as a report or discussion:

  • Facilities, Planning and Construction Report
  • Fourth Quarter Investment Report
  • Safety and Wellness Report

To view reports or discussion presentations from board meetings, click here.
In other action, the board
  • Recognized Prairie View, Schluter and Seven Hills elementary schools for earning Project ADAM certification for heart health safety.
  • Recognized Atmos Energy for its support of district snack pack and literacy initiatives to help families in need.
  • Recognized Back-to-School Fair sponsors and service providers, including: Galderma, Justin Lions Club, Eyes on Westlake, Justin Family Dentistry, Shears of Steele, 3 Volt, Chasidy Murphy of State Farm, Texas Health Resources, Core Rehab and the Northwest ISD Education Foundation.
  • Approved the selection of members of the district’s Concussion Oversight Committee as required by state education statue.
  • Discussed a proposed agreement with the developer of expansions to Avondale Haslet Road and State Highway 170. A potential action on an agreement could be made at an upcoming board meeting.
Recognitions
Trustees recognized Kelly Biegler, coordinating manager of public affairs at Atmos Energy, who generously provided $10,000 to the Northwest ISD Education Foundation to assist with literacy initiatives in the district. 

Trustees also recognized Justin Lions Club and Eyes on Westlake.These two groups teamed up to administer vision screenings for our students who attended the Back-to-School Fair. 
The board recognized Shears of Steele instructors Heather Fowler, Gabriella Lochridge, and 8 of the cosmetology students who performed haircuts on our students to get them looking beautiful for their first day of school. 
The board also recognized Chasidy Murphy with Chasidy Murphy State Farm Insurance for organizing the donation of more than 250 pairs of brand-new Nike shoes for our students in need. 
The board recognized Northwest ISD Education Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Burton and Alyssa Edstrom, the new director of communications and public relations, for their support of the Back-to-School Fair this year.
The board recognized Noah Burton with Core Rehab for working to provide sports physicals for our student athletes across the district who attended our Back-to-School Fair. 
The board also recognized Justin Family Dentistry, who administered dental screenings for our students and their families at the Back-to-School Fair at no charge and handed out dental care goodie bags to make sure our students are equipped with good oral hygiene tools.
To view photos from Northwest ISD’s board meetings and other district and school events, visit the district Flickr account.