AISD SCHOOL NOTICE FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

Beginning with the 2003-04 school year, Andrews ISD Elementary Students will attend the campus designated for their grade level:
Kindergarten Clearfork Elementary
1st Grade Clearfork Elementary
2nd Grade Clearfork Elementary
3rd Grade Devonian Elementary
4th Grade Underwood Elementary
5th Grade San Andres Elementary

PreKindergarten students who reside within the city limits east of Main Street will attend San Andres.
PreKindergarten students who reside within the city limits west of Main Street will attend Underwood.
PreKindergarten students who reside within a school bus zone will be assigned to a campus after registration.

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***For information on Grade Level Campuses Click Here.

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During the September 10, 2002, AISD Board of Trustees meeting, the Board requested
a proposal from the elementary principals for grade level configurations for the
Andrews elementary schools.
The principals developed the following proposed arrangement for grade level campuses:
Clearfork    Kindergarten - 1st grade - 2nd grade
Devonian     5th grade
San Andres   Pre Kindergarten (Cinderella) - 3rd grade
Underwood    Pre Kindergarten (Peter Pan) - 4th grade 

Using this proposed configuration, Dr. Goodman held two planning sessions to address
the various issues which would be involved in making a transition to grade level
campuses for the 2003-2004 school year. 

During the first session (9/19/02), the principals and administration discussed
each transitional area and identified the elements which are presented in this
report. A draft copy of the report was reviewed in the second session (9/24/02).
Upon review, each administrator had the opportunity to suggest changes and/or
revisions to the document. No changes were proposed.

Special Programs
Special education services must be located to best serve all students. Students with disabilities must be placed in the "lease restrictive" environment, allowing "mainstreaming" with other students as appropriate. Age-grade appropriate placements range from two years below to two years above a general education student's typical age-grade placement. Preliminary expectations, based upon past and current numbers,
indicate the following possibilities for grade level campuses:

Early Childhood Special Education Unit:
For students with disabilities, aged 3 to 5, the most appropriate campus location for an Early Childhood classroom is one with kindergarten, first and second. (one teacher, two aides)

Multi-handicapped Units: One classroom serving younger students who are more severely and profoundly disabled is most efficiently located on a campus spanning kindergarten through second grade. In such a campus grade composition, students with severe and profound disabilities who are age three to age nine could be provided an age-grade appropriate setting. (one teacher, two aides)
One classroom serving older students and those students with less severe disabilities is most efficiently located on a fourth grade campus. Students with severe and profound disabilities who are age seven to age eleven could be provided an age-grade appropriate setting. (one teacher, two aides)

Behavioral Adjustment Unit: One classroom serving all eligible elementary special education students identified with a serious emotional disturbance is best located on the third grade campus. Most
students requiring this restrictive, self-contained setting do not usually exhibit significantly disruptive behaviors before age six and could be served to age ten. (one teacher, one aide)

Content Mastery Units:
All four campuses require one Content Mastery classroom each. (one teacher and one aide per classroom)

Resource Units:
The fourth grade and the fifth grade campuses require one Resource Room classroom each. (one teacher and one aide per classroom)

Speech-Language Pathologists:
A minimum of three SLPs is needed to serve all four elementary campuses.

Diagnosticians:
A minimum of three Diagnosticians is needed to serve all four elementary campuses.

Title 1:
A K-1-2 campus will require two Title I classrooms; the other three campuses will require one Title I classroom each. (I teacher and one aide per classroom)

Administration, Teacher, and Staff Reassignments and Transfers

Principals, secretaries, and clerks will be assigned to the campus on which they are currently working.

Teachers will be assigned to the grade level which they are teaching currently and will move with the grade level to the appropriate campus.

Teachers in special areas (art, music, library, physical education, Title I Reading) will continue to be assigned to the campus where they currently work.

Teachers in special program areas (special education resource, content mastery, bilingual resource) will remain at their current campus unless the unit is to be moved, in which case, they will move with the unit.

Teacher assistants who are currently assigned to a grade level (PreK, K) will move with those grade levels to the appropriate campus.

Teacher assistants who are assigned to special programs will be moved to the campus which will have the program. Because of the restructuring of the special education program, some reassignments may need to be made to address the needs of the programs. Mr. Allen and the principals involved will determine the most advantageous assignments for the program.

In the event the teacher assistant's main assignment continues to be on their current campus, he/she will continue with that assignment.

In the event positions become available, through resignations or other adjustments, the current employees may use the district's standard procedure to request a transfer. The employee will initiate this procedure by discussing the situation with their current principal, the principal of the campus where the position is available, and completing a formal written request for transfer. The district's Teacher Transfer Request Approval form is then completed for approved transfers.

Timeline to Effect Changeover

October, 2002 Board Decision

November, 2002 Develop teacher and staff rosters for 2003- 2004
Communicate to the community and public

January - May, 2003 Disseminate various information to faculties, including campus meetings for the
2003-04 school year

May 23-30, 2003 Teachers pack materials to be moved; must be complete by 5/30

June 2, 2003 Moving begins

July 25, 2003 All transition complete

Logistics

Teacher's Responsibilities:
Teachers will be responsible for packing all materials and supplies in boxes. Teachers will be responsible for marking all boxes with their name, grade level,
and the name of the school to which they will be moving.
Teachers will be responsible for moving all personal items not in boxes.
Teacher's items must be packed, marked and ready to move by May 31, 2002.

District's Responsibilities:
AISD will provide boxes, if needed.
AISD will move all of the teacher's boxes to the appropriate campus and room. AISD will air condition all elementary campuses during the week of May 26 -
May 30. (8:00 am - 5:00 pm)
AISD will move all textbooks and library books. Librarians will develop grade level appropriate book inventories for each campus.

Furniture:
Building furniture, such as filing cabinets and bookshelves, will remain at each campus. Exchange of appropriate sized student desks and chairs will be determined by the principals.

Cost of Transition:
Labor: $2,500 (6 additional workers at $5.15 per hour = $1,236 a week
(estimate of two weeks to move approx. 50 teachers, library books, textbooks, and equipment)
Transportation: $ 250 (estimate) for fuel
Vehicles - Pickups, trailers and truck provided through school maintenance departments.
Packing materials:
Boxes, markers, tape, etc. - Individual campuses can provide out of existing supplies. Boxes are saved throughout the year.
Signs: $ 350 (estimate)
All campus name signs will remain.
Teacher's nameplates - 50 nameplates at $7.00 each

Renovations

The following is a renovation assessment from Mr. Monte Hunter regarding converting current elementary campuses to grade level campuses:

1. Since K-5 is currently at each campus, the facilities are fairly close to where they need to be. It is anticipated that modifications would be to convert only parts of the school to the grade level being considered.

2. The bond scope included ADA accessibility improvements at all elementaries. It included some restroom upgrades. Depending on the grade level, we would need to change the types of fixtures for the upgrade, but the cost won't change.

3. My inspection and interview with Clearfork staff last week indicated the existing restrooms are OK (according to staff for K-2. Ideally, one would provide a restroom for each classroom in K-1.

4. You may want to consider lowering some drinking fountains at Clearfork for K-2. About $1,500.

5. The playground equipment type may need to be adjusted for the age level at the K-2 campus. The bond includes $83,000 for playground equipment at each of the elementaries except Clearfork. You may want to consider funds for Clearfork playground equipment designed for the K-2 students.

6. I would take another look at improving the site traffic and pick up areas at Clearfork since the percentage of parents transporting children is typically higher with younger students. / think this is more an item of control than physical improvements.

From a facility aspect, Clearfork is more appropriate for older grades because of the community restrooms and generous PE space. The other campuses seem more appropriate for younger grades because of the restrooms in the classrooms. However, AISD staff probably knows best how to align grades at campuses. I recommend you let the educational program drive facilities, not facilities drive the educational program.

Monte

Transportation Issues

Background Information:
Andrews I.S.D. is currently providing transportation for all rural students to elementary, middle school and high school campuses.
The elementary schools are currently set up on the "neighborhood campus" concept. A.I.S.D. is considering changing their elementary format to a "grade level" setting.

Considerations:
If Andrews I.S.D. does covert their elementary campuses to a grade level setting, consideration must be given to transportation issues such as transition, cost, time schedules and feasibility.

Transition:
Transition would need to take place over the summer. This would allow for proper implementation of new routes.

Cost:
Primary indications are that the cost would increase. This is taking into consideration that mileage will increase. Additional buses and driver may also be needed.

Time Schedules:
Early indications are that the schedules would remain basically the same as this year. However, it may benefit the district to have delayed start times for some campuses (shuttling students may take longer).

Feasibility:
If grade level campuses are the best instructional arrangement for the district, this can be done.

Summary:
Seminole, Monahans and Snyder are currently using the "grade level" format in their districts. All three districts have reported that transportation issues where "challenging" when changing to the grade level concept, but they have all found a working solution.
All three districts are shuttling their "in-town" students, which could drive up the cost of transportation ( more mileage, possibly more buses and drivers).
In-town students must report to their "neighborhood" campus in order to be transported to their appropriate grade level campus. However, none of the three districts transported in-town secondary students.
Delivery of students may also take more time. This is where a staggered start for elementary and secondary schools may be the best.
All three districts had different routing methods because of the geographical layout of their communities. So, no "one" method is better that another. It depends on the individual district and community as to what will work best.

Public Notification Process

Any decision to restructure the elementary grades will be communicated to the public though letters to parents, notices and reminders sent in six weeks report cards, newspaper articles, and channel 6 postings.

The reasons for effecting the change, both instructional and financial, will be communicated in faculty meetings. Well informed employees can present the situation to the public in the most effective manner.

The activities presented in this report require the personnel to be actively involved in the planning and transitional projects throughout the remainder of the current school year. This involvement will generate a large community awareness of the change.

Summer Program

The Elementary Summer School and the Bilingual Education summer program will continue to be located at Clearfork Elementary.

Elementary Campuses

Clearfork has 30 large classrooms, divided into five areas of six classrooms each. These classrooms are the largest in the District. Additionally, the building has very large hallways and gymnasiums, a large cafeteria and kitchen area, a spacious learning center. The central office area has a conference room and the building provides a large multipurpose room. Large restrooms are located at the ends of each of the five classroom hallways.

Devonian has 18 classrooms, a very small learning center area and a small cafeteria. The gymnasiums are medium size. The building has additional computer rooms, art and music rooms, and special programs rooms of adequate size. Small individual restrooms are located throughout the building.

San Andres has 16 classrooms. The gymnasiums and cafeteria are small. The learning center is medium sized, but is crowded because of the necessity of providing computer lab space. Small individual restrooms are provided in the hallway beside the classrooms. The Cinderella Kindergarten unit is available for additional classrooms.

Underwood has 16 classrooms, each with individual restrooms. In addition to the library, the campus has two large learning center areas, which may be adapted for additional rooms. The cafeteria and kitchen areas and gymnasiums are small. The art room is very small. Conveniently located across the street from the campus, the Peter Pan Kindergarten unit would provide additional classrooms, if needed.

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