Danielle Grimes named principal of Peterson Elementary School
Trustees approved Danielle Grimes as the new principal of Peterson Elementary School, providing the school with its leader to begin the 2019-20 school year.
Mrs. Grimes currently serves as assistant principal of Keller ISD’s Eagle Ridge Elementary School, which she has assisted leading for the past five years. She has previously served as a dyslexia teacher and instructional coach for Keller ISD.
Mrs. Grimes holds a master’s degree in administration and supervision from Lamar University and a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Texas Tech University. She has created and facilitated numerous trainings for campuses focused on instructional best practices, lesson planning using technology and social emotional learning.
She replaces Justin Vercher, who Northwest ISD trustees recently approved as principal of Tidwell Middle School. She will begin her new position as principal of Peterson Elementary immediately.
Guaranteed maximum price for aquatic center set
Trustees approved a guaranteed maximum price of $36.5 million for the district aquatic center, which will begin construction this summer and has an anticipated opening of January 2021.
The facility will be used for district swim teams, water safety and swimming lessons, community purposes, and more. The district is partnering with Texas Health Resources to provide orthopedic and rehabilitation services at this location as well.
Voters approved the aquatic center as part of the 2017 bond package. For information about it and other building projects, visit
www.nisdtxconstruction.org.
Staff compensation approved
Trustees approved proposed compensation options for district employees, including raises and health benefits.
The recent state education bill mandates that a set amount of additional funding go toward teacher compensation, and trustees passed Northwest ISD’s compensation for the 2019-20 school year. As part of the plan, a 3 percent midpoint raise was approved for teachers along with counselors, nurses and librarians, as well as non-administrative personnel (those not in a supervisory role). Of that group, all teachers, counselors, nurses and librarians with 6 or more years of experience would receive a 4 percent midpoint raise instead of the 3 percent midpoint raise in order to meet the requirement of prioritizing salary increases for more experienced classroom teachers under H.B. 3. Additionally, a 2 percent midpoint raise was approved for administrators (those with supervisory roles).
Another aspect of overall compensation approved is an increase in the district contribution for employee insurance of an additional $25 per month, for a total district contribution of $350 per month.
District of Innovation policies approved
Northwest ISD will have a few new policy alterations beginning with the 2019-20 school year as part of District of Innovation updates.
Trustees approved changes regarding the following items for the new policies:
- Limited subject areas for teacher certification exemptions to CTE, dual credit and world languages
- Added a procedure to approve a mentor teacher with fewer than three years of experience
- Clarified a superintendent recommendation is required to extend probationary contracts for experienced teachers
- Required elementary students to score 90 percent or better on a criterion-referenced test to accelerate a grade level in math
- Establish factors to consider to determine student mastery and award class credit
- Clarified that district officials may refuse entry or eject a person from a district property without warning or written notice to best ensure the safety of students
For additional information about District of Innovation distinction,
click here.
In other action, the board
- Recognized Newk’s as a district Partner in Education, providing its support of students and schools.
- Accepted gifts to the district in excess of $100,000. These gifts were from a variety of sources, such as booster clubs supporting athletic and fine arts teams.
- Entered into an agreement with the University of Texas at Arlington’s College of Education to provide a supervised learning experience. Northwest ISD maintains similar agreements with other universities, such as the University of North Texas, to support future teachers.
- Updated policies – including report cards and class rank procedures – to fit with the new nine-week grading period.
