Denton ISD Our Impact In Your Community Magazine October 2016 | Page 6

Let Us and Our Legislators Know What You Value in Great Schools By Dr. Jamie Wilson Superintendent of Schools A s many of you know, two years ago we began the process of developing our own community accountability report in an effort to gather input from – our employees – as well as our parents and district stakeholders. The end result was the initial “What We Value” report that was shared with the community last September and can be found on our district homepage. Our communications team worked diligently with departments across the district to compile this information again, entitled “What We Value 2.0” to show everyone in the community the progress we are making toward the goals initially established by the people that we serve. This version of the report also includes feedback from our parents and employees that will help continue to mold the climate and culture at each of our campuses and across the district. Please view the report and continue to provide us with input on how we can make Denton ISD the best school district in Texas. We, as a district, continue to be engaged with those in our community because we want our students to find success in life after they walk across the stage with a diploma in hand. Yet our state legislature continues to grow more disengaged with school districts across the state, by continuing to focus the sole basis of a student’s success on their performance on one test, taken on one day in the middle of one of their school years. In June, the State Board of Education issued a public survey on STAAR and accountability in schools. More than 27,000 Texans completed the survey and the information gathered will become part of a report to legislative leaders and to the Texas Commission on NextGeneration Assessments and Accountability. A report called the Texans Speak: Public Feedback on Assessment and Accountability Systems summarizes the comments received from the survey and from a series of community meetings held across the state. I encourage each of you to take the time, review the report here: http://bit.ly/2crFO7z and speak up when it comes to supporting public education because our students’ education is about more than a single score, on a single day, on a single test. In this edition of “Our Impact in Your Community,” I hope you will join us as we celebrate the opening of our two newest campuses, Bell Elementary and Braswell High schools. Both schools are named for leaders in our community who definitely left a legacy – more specifically, selfless service to our community’s youth. Also, we are featuring a story on Denton High’s Kevin and Colton Atkinson, whose relationship with Keller native, Lyndon LaPlante, has inspired thousands. It’s a story that is very personal to me – one I’ve witnessed for more than a decade and I know that you will enjoy. Please contact us if you have story ideas or things you wish to see covered by emailing [email protected]. 6