News Update
New superintendent shares thoughts on FISD school visits
By Anthony Tosie, atosie@starlocalnews.com, @anthonytosie on Twitter
At Frisco ISD's Monday school board meeting, new Superintendent Jeremy Lyon updated board members on his thoughts on the district's schools, which he's been visiting since assuming his new position.
Lyon noted that he gives the district a "fresh set of eyes" that may provide a different perspective on the district's activities. So far, however, Lyon said he hasn't seen anything he didn't expect -- just what he says is a well-run school district.
"What I'm seeing is you have campus principals that have done a very, very good job in creating a positive environment and morale on school campuses," he said. "... It's about ownership of learning by your educators, and [we've] got that in this school district."
Prior to Lyon's report, board members discussed the state's standardized STAAR test, which most members were dissatisfied with. Board members said the high frequency of testing and the amount of subjects were areas of concern.
Renée Ehmke, president of the school board, said state legislators need to look at why the test may not work as well as intended.
"What message can we send Austin on why this is so scary and concerning?" she asked district staff. "We're not saying don't keep them accountable or give them benchmarks, but some changes need to be made."
Lyon agreed with the board's assessment of the STAAR test in his school-visit report, saying the test is something that can cause a negative climate in schools.
"How do you keep a school climate positive and students focused in light of this machine that is grinding accountability to the point that there's not many educators who will look you in the eye and say, 'This is a good thing for the children,'" he said.
Despite the concern, Lyon said Frisco ISD schools are doing a good job maintaining high levels of expectations while still being "an inviting place" for staff to work and students to attend. Lyon cited both school principals and well-maintained schools as a reason for that atmosphere.
Lyon's report also noted Frisco ISD schools foster a safe environment and applauded the job district employees do keeping students safe while making sure operations are efficient.
"If you haven't been to an elementary school at dismissal time, you should check that out -- our airports could learn something about how you move people," he said. "It takes them about 12 minutes to distribute and disperse up to 800 students safely and in a very personal way."
Lyon noted that he gives the district a "fresh set of eyes" that may provide a different perspective on the district's activities. So far, however, Lyon said he hasn't seen anything he didn't expect -- just what he says is a well-run school district.
"What I'm seeing is you have campus principals that have done a very, very good job in creating a positive environment and morale on school campuses," he said. "... It's about ownership of learning by your educators, and [we've] got that in this school district."
Prior to Lyon's report, board members discussed the state's standardized STAAR test, which most members were dissatisfied with. Board members said the high frequency of testing and the amount of subjects were areas of concern.
Renée Ehmke, president of the school board, said state legislators need to look at why the test may not work as well as intended.
"What message can we send Austin on why this is so scary and concerning?" she asked district staff. "We're not saying don't keep them accountable or give them benchmarks, but some changes need to be made."
Lyon agreed with the board's assessment of the STAAR test in his school-visit report, saying the test is something that can cause a negative climate in schools.
"How do you keep a school climate positive and students focused in light of this machine that is grinding accountability to the point that there's not many educators who will look you in the eye and say, 'This is a good thing for the children,'" he said.
Despite the concern, Lyon said Frisco ISD schools are doing a good job maintaining high levels of expectations while still being "an inviting place" for staff to work and students to attend. Lyon cited both school principals and well-maintained schools as a reason for that atmosphere.
Lyon's report also noted Frisco ISD schools foster a safe environment and applauded the job district employees do keeping students safe while making sure operations are efficient.
"If you haven't been to an elementary school at dismissal time, you should check that out -- our airports could learn something about how you move people," he said. "It takes them about 12 minutes to distribute and disperse up to 800 students safely and in a very personal way."
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