The world seems to be short on good news these days. So, from the perspective of the outgoing president of the Waco ISD Board of Trustees, I want to share a few recent positive developments in the district. The list could be much longer.

Improved Facilities

New University High School design

Last May, more than 60 percent of Waco ISD voters approved a $172.5 million bond referendum that will provide facility improvements to every school in the district. Excitement builds as we prepare to break ground on a new University High School and J.H. Hines Elementary School. Waco High School and A.J. Moore Academy will get modern science laboratories and other additions. Next we will replace Dean Highland and Bell’s Hill buildings with state-of-the-art structures.

The referendum turned out to have been ideally timed in terms of the ability to sell the bonds at good rates, take advantage of declining construction costs, and provide much-needed jobs in the community. Separately from the bond, the district is establishing a high-quality daycare center, to further attract and retain quality teachers.

Improved Academics

Just last month, the school board unanimously approved expanding the International Baccalaureate (IB) program to the middle school years beginning in August. This project-based curriculum measured by international standards was put in place last year at Mountainview Elementary. With the implementation of the IB-Middle Years Programme, Lake Air will become a fifth- and sixth-grade campus, while Tennyson will house seventh-and eighth-graders. Reconfiguring these campuses will give intermediate and middle school students four consecutive years of benefits from the IB curriculum.

Improved Board

Don’t be misled by disagreements last summer surrounding the closure of the G.L. Wiley campus. Most school districts dealing with the difficulty of a school closure experience split board votes, lawsuits, and angry parents. The reality is that the present school board asks hard questions and is willing to disagree, but the vast majority of the time ends up reaching a unanimous consensus. Now we are reaching for an even higher mark.

The board recently was invited to join a select group of boards from around the state to receive intense, grant-funded training to maximize our focus on student achievement. The “Team of Eight” (seven board members plus Superintendent Roland Hernandez) is already spending numerous additional hours reworking policies, improving meeting efficiency, and developing methods to manage change without micro-managing staff. The board and staff also are developing a long-range plan with concrete measurements to enable the community to evaluate our successes.

Serving as your board president has been one of my life’s greatest pleasures. I return to my role as a regular board member full of optimism for our students, staff and the “Team of Eight.”