By Richard Montgomery
In my 15 years experience as a public school superintendent, I have never written a response to a report referenced in a local newspaper. But, today I am thinking of the public school children of this community who are far above average in behavior and performance.
I am thinking about the dedicated teachers, instructional assistants, campus administrators, district administrators, librarians, administrative assistants, nurses, social workers, technology specialists, maintenance workers, bus drivers, food service staff, custodians, all various other support personnel, and volunteers who come to school every day working with their minds, hearts, and hands to achieve phenomenal results in the areas of learning and student performance.
They are reason today I cannot as a conscientious professional educator/leader sit quietly in the aftermath of the “verifiable facts” as presented to the Huntsville City Council on Oct. 20, 2009, by a committee spokesperson charged with finding out “why companies are bypassing Huntsville.”
Reported under the headline “Panel: Changes needed to bring new business” three factors were cited that need to be considered – one of them being, “Huntsville has a reputation for having poor schools with lack of discipline and a horrible drug problem”. It is true that some people have that very perception. It is also true that perceptions can be wrong. Honest people when apprised of real “verifiable facts” change their misperceptions. The following should challenge us to do just that.
First, in the 2007-2008 school year Huntsville Independent School District concluded its 100th year of service with its highest student performance in the history of the Texas Public School Accountability System.
The district garnered an unprecedented 21 Gold Performance Awards from the Texas Education Agency for improvements in student performance as well as increased percentage of students scoring at the “commended” level on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.
Additionally, regarding the same academic standards the following increases in “commended performance” have been achieved since 2005:
Third grade math – 65% increase, 3rd grade reading – 20.59% increase; 4th grade math – 53.85% increase, 4th grade reading – 25% increase; 5th grade math – 152.94% increase, 5th grade science – 192.86% increase; 6th grade math – 77.27% increase; 6th grade reading – 24.32% increase; 7th grade math – 90% increase, 7th grade reading – 43.48% increase; 8th grade math – 180% increase, 8th grade reading – 42.11 % increase, 8th grade science – 33% increase; high school exit level math – 107.69% increase, exit level English Language Arts – 133.33% increase, exit level social studies – 168.42% increase, and exit level science – 2500% increase (no, that is not a misprint!).
Wouldn’t you like to see your business or stock portfolios perform as such levels!
Are you ready for some more “verifiable facts?” Over the past two years, Huntsville Independent School District has developed a very aggressive “early college” program in that we have dual credit agreements with both Sam Houston State University and Lone Star College. It is possible for an HHS student to earn an associate’s degree from Lone Star while in high school, or earn a bachelors degree from SHSU within five years from their freshman year in high school. We also have a very successful and growing Advance Placement program that over the past four years has doubled the number of students receiving college credit in high school. Again, this year we have seen another 40% increase in Advanced Placement enrollment. One of the most powerful indicators of a high school’s academic strength is the quality of its Advanced Placement program. Ours, in addition to the preceding statistics, has just achieved renewal of its accreditation by the College Board.
There is more – for those pursuing college and those more inclined toward a trade or technical skills career, Huntsville High School offers 73 different courses in 15 occupational clusters taught by 23 full-time state certified instructors. In the past four years we have added numerous Career and Technology Education courses of study leading to a state license or certification while in high school.
These include cosmetology, computer maintenance, pre-pharmacy, nursing, culinary arts, veterinary medical assistant, agricultural machinery operation, and more. Every year we see an increase in the number of students who compete at the state level in the FFA, Family Consumer Science, and Criminal Justice programs (last year 33 students from these areas qualified to compete at the state level – five of which placed first at Area and one placed first at State).
In the past four years, we have also added a state-of-the art pre-engineering program. Last year this program earned national accreditation, which among other things means that our students who successfully compete these courses in high school receive automatic credit at most of the major engineering schools in the United States. Next year we will add a comparable program in bio-medical sciences. There is not another district in this region that can compete with Huntsville ISD regarding these learning opportunities.
Our elementary schools consistently perform well on state assessments and other measures of academic strength. Additionally, with average enrollment between 575 and 600 students at each elementary campus, the teacher student ratio in most classes is well below the state allowable. The learning environment is orderly, buildings are well-maintained, and most classrooms are equipped with up-to-date computers and engaging interactive electronic Promethean boards.
Our middle level schools are equally well-equipped and staffed – in fact, at Huntsville Intermediate School and Mance Park Middle School teams of students have the benefit of working with their own team of teachers who know them not just as names on a class roll, but as individual young people.
The teachers know the students well – their learning styles, their strengths and weaknesses, their academic and developmental needs. They understand the challenges of this age and provide wonderful guidance and nurturing support for these young people as they make the transition from childhood to adolescence. And, the academic results at this level are impressive – for example, last year more middle grades students (5-8) performed at the commended level on the state assessments than passed the TAKS five years ago! That is amazing considering the standards have increased every year.
Stop for a moment and think… Do these accomplishments seem possible in a district where the schools are “poor” and there is a “lack of discipline and a horrible drug problem?” Research and common sense indicate that improved academic learning and declining discipline do not live in the same house. What about the additional accomplishments and strengths of Huntsville Independent School District in the areas of extracurricular activities? Our athletic teams (boys and girls) consistently achieve winning seasons, including district championships and beyond.
We have athletes every year who represent us at the state level – and in many instances not only are selected to all-district and all-state honors, but place on all-district and state academic teams as well.
Further, Huntsville is regaining a reputation in the region/state as a leader in music education with Sweepstakes Award winning bands and award winning choirs. Our theater arts and art programs are filled with talented students and teachers who receive multiple honors annually. Many of our student groups such as the Interact Club are community-service minded and contribute to the advancement if the quality of life in Huntsville and Walker County. Many other examples of accomplishment outside the academic classroom could be cited as evidence of Huntsville ISD’s strength and continual improvement.
What about discipline and drugs? Again, over the past four years the district has seen consistent improvement in student discipline as evidenced in these facts: 35% decrease in fighting, 92% decrease in minor classroom disruptions, 20% decrease in severe classroom disruptions, 84% decrease in rude/disrespectful behavior, and 87% decrease in disobedient/defiant behavior. Improvements are also evident regarding substance abuse: 27% decrease in alcohol use/possession, 25% decrease in tobacco use/possession, and 3% decrease in marihuana use/possession. On Oct. 27 our high school staff imposed a “lockdown” and conducted comprehensive procedures to ensure the safety and security of the students. All students were scanned by trained personnel using hand held metal detectors. All classrooms (not individual persons) were searched by drug detection dogs handled by police/narcotics officers. Here is what was found: one student in possession of herbal supplements and two students in possession of tobacco. This is a “horrible drug problem?”
I am not denying that students in Huntsville ISD use/possess drugs. First, drug abuse is a worldwide societal issue that is no respecter of place (no school public or private and no community is exempt).
This is not an excuse – it is just a reality that we must acknowledge and deal with as a school and community. The sooner we all do so, the better our efforts will be to rid our schools of these unwelcome behaviors regardless of how pervasive or rare they may be.
As your school superintendent, I will continue to support and insist on using all legal means of dealing with the presence of drugs and the occurrence of gang behavior in our schools. I will welcome any assistance from the public concerning information that may lead to the identification of such problems and/or ideas anyone may have about solutions. I will continue to maintain an open door policy and listen carefully to all concerns. What I will not do is sit quietly while some lay the blame for what is clearly a community problem on the schools.
And, I will not remain silent while some speak authoritatively on matters that they have neither fully researched nor understood all the while dishonoring the efforts of students and staff in a school district that is strong and getting stronger.
The verifiable evidence is clear that Huntsville public schools do not qualify to be the scapegoat for lagging local economic development – to the contrary, they are an asset to the community and one of the major attractions for growth.
