Getting students to school has become such an emphasis at Houston High School that the School Resource Officer has driven to a student’s home, woke him up and brought him to campus this year.
HHS Principal Amanda Munson shared the example with the board of education at Tuesday’s monthly meeting as part of her “Building School Improvement Plan” presentation.
Munson said her building has created strategies to improve attendance rates for high schoolers. Attendance emails are sent out each Friday and reports are run every three weeks. Students below 90 percent receive a phone call. There are also incentives for grade level points in battle of the classes as well as prize drawings for students with good or improved attendance.
Munson said the efforts have yielded some positive results with attendance currently at 94 percent – up two percentage points from the same time last year.
“We’ve really tried the last two years to focus on the 90/90 requirement – 90 percent of our students here 90 percent of the time,” she said.
Students who are notoriously absent, Munson said, have been required to check in with a teacher or staff member daily. Officer Cathryn Davis, the district’s SRO, has also been involved.
“We’re being intentional about identifying those at-risk for attendance,” she said.
Middle School Principal Tracy Hughes said her BSIP goals include an emphasis on effective teaching and learning. It includes academic as well as emotional and behavioral marks.
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Additionally, Hughes said she has prioritized leadership and culture within the middle school staff, including creating a motivational team to meet with teachers to discuss instructional strategies and receive feedback.
In the elementary, Principal Jody Jarrett has established a pair of academic goals. The first is growth and performance by grade level to track trends and strengths and weaknesses. The second is continuing to evaluate data from reading plans to identify areas for improvement.
Possible decision on track lanes in January
Dr. Justin Copley, superintendent, told the board he anticipates a final decision on the number of lanes for the new rubber track as part of Proposition K.I.D.S. could be finalized in January.
Copley said since the November board meeting, he met once with project manager GeoSurfaces to discuss the scope and details of the track portion of the bond. He anticipates an additional meeting – and possible final decision – before the board meets again in January.
“We want to give ourselves the best possible chance at a successful bond in April,” Copley told the board.
Along with the new track, the $2.95 million no levy increase bond issue will renovate the middle school gymnasium and exterior of the Fine Arts Building as well as pay off the Piney River Technical Center lease financing.
The election is April 7, 2026.
Director interview and more from meeting
Also during the just over 50-minute meeting, board members:
- Recognized HHS senior Addison Neugebauer for completing her year service as student liaison to the board.
- Approved the following: budget amendments including an increase in local revenues and decrease in county as well as recently received grants; 2024-2025 Single Audit Compliance; job descriptions for paraprofessionals and bus drivers and reviewed job descriptions for food service director and food service worker.
- Increased bus trip and shuttle driver pay from $14.10 per hour to $15 beginning Jan. 1 to align with state minimum wage.
- Heard from Copley that interviews are ongoing to hire the next director of the Exceptional Child Education Cooperative. The current director, Jennifer Johnson, is retiring at the end of the school year.