Our Viewpoint
District makes right move on problems

When the Texas Education Agency revealed its campus ratings a month ago, many in the area were distressed with the Academically Unacceptable rating Jasper High School received from TEA based on the last round of TAKS tests.

Action needed to be taken and that action was put before the public Monday during a special meeting of the JISD board.

While the school district received an Acceptable rating overall, the high school was deemed Unacceptable based on scores of two sub-groups: African American students and Economically Disadvantaged students.

Gwen Gilford, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, talked about steps the district has already put in place to address the problems.

Jasper High School Principal Kevin McCugh talked about the focus on math and new software used to identify where students are having problems.

Cheryl Padgett, a TEA External Member of the Campus Intervention Team, was retained by the district to help address the problem.

Padgett also said that learning has to come first. It has to be the primary focus of the school.

Failure to meet the TEA standards could result in the closing of the school or placing it with alternative management.

The meeting was informative as the district laid out its plans to fix a problem that has been the subject of public comments all over town.

As big of an issue as this is in our community, it was distressing to see only a handful of parents attend the meeting. The district has addressed its problems in open session and only a few parents took the time to attend this valuable meeting.

Somewhere down the road, we may all need to take a closer look in the mirror to find the real reason why our schools fail our students. It may be beating an old horse, but without parent involvement, the educational can fail.

Roses go to….

t Jasper Development District #1 for stepping up and funding an economic development study on fishing tournaments in Jasper County.

t Dam-to-Dam bike ride participants for braving the morning cold temperatures.

t All those who keep the spirit of Halloween alive and well.