In a year characterized by fiery debates in the realm of public education, school boards across Texas had plenty to deliberate.
Frisco ISD’s board members made several moves over the course of 2023, ranging from tackling school bullying to boosting financial incentives in a bid to retain employees.
Here is a rundown of Frisco ISD’s biggest debates and actions in 2023, as reported by Community Impact.
Critical Race Theory
Early in 2023, Frisco ISD’s school board considered a proposal from trustee Marvin Lowe to ban critical race theory (CRT) and related philosophies that might stir up controversy in the classroom.
As covered by The Dallas Express, trustees decided not to adopt the ban in a 5-2 vote on February 13. Those opting against the proposed measure argued that the proposal’s language was overly broad and redundant in light of the anti-CRT law passed by state lawmakers in 2021.
However, Lowe maintained his defense of the measure, stressing CRT-inspired philosophies were also behind other district practices implemented “in the name of equity,” such as bucket grading and race-based categorization of student honors, as he previously told The Dallas Express.
Public Comment Rules
Later that same month, the school board voted 6-1 in favor of adopting a new policy that would restructure the public comment section of each meeting in favor of Frisco ISD “stakeholders,” as reported by The Dallas Express. This meant that parents, school district employees, residents, and students would be prioritized over other members of the public who fall outside the district’s constituency.
The move came in the wake of heated discussions over transgender bathroom use and CRT.
“I think it’s important that those that are in the audience and those that are watching on the stream know if they’re hearing from Frisco ISD constituents or if they’re hearing from someone outside of our district,” school board president René Archambault told Community Impact.
Transfer Policy in Bullying Cases
A unanimous decision by trustees on June 12 amended Frisco ISD’s transfer policy when it comes to cases of bullying or sexual assault.
It extended the protections given to victims to their siblings, allowing them to opt for the perpetrator to be transferred if they find themselves on the same campus. Yet the request can only be made after other disciplinary actions have been attempted, according to the language of the policy.
Joining Lawsuit Over State’s Accountability Rating Changes
In September, the Frisco ISD school board decided to join dozens of public school systems in a lawsuit against the state.
The plaintiffs claim that changes made by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) as to how it tracks student achievement scores and assesses districts were unlawful and would “arbitrarily lower performance ratings for many school districts and campuses even though their performance improved,” as previously covered by The Dallas Express.
The release of the TEA’s A-F Accountability System for the 2022-2023 school year has been delayed by order of the court pending a decision on the lawsuit.
Frisco ISD has been a relatively high-performing school system, boasting an on-time graduation rate of 99%, with roughly 74% of its students scoring at grade level on their STAAR exams during the 2021-2022 school year, according to the latest TEA accountability reports. The department received an overall A rating in 2021-2022; none of its 72 campuses scored lower than a B.
Meanwhile, Dallas ISD — one of several North Texas school systems seeing declines in student enrollment over the past few years — only managed to graduate 81.1% of its Class of 2022 in four years. Only 41% of Dallas ISD students scored at grade level that school year. Dallas ISD was rated a C overall.
Bonus for Boosting Teacher Retention
At a meeting on November 13, trustees unanimously voted in a retention incentive of 1% of an employee’s salary plus $50 for every year served in the district.
“This is a little bit greater than what we’ve provided in the past,” said Kimberly Smith, Frisco ISD’s chief finance and strategy officer, according to Community Impact.
