Annual Report

2016

Dear Royse City ISD Family, Our small school district and the communities we serve are seeing major growth as new families look for a place to call home. This growth has us busy in planning mode for future facility and instructional needs. No one area, though, is more important than our focus on the individual needs of each child and creating a joyous place to learn. Simply put, school should be fun! We are changing the ways that we teach. We are creating new spaces for kids to learn that suit their preferences. Clubs and organizations are on the rise across the district. Unique programs like RCHS’ Chrome Squad are attracting visitors from across the United States. We are proud of the achievements of our students and staff. To every family we serve, I want to say thank you for partnering with us. Together we successfully prepare our graduates for college, careers and the workforce. Go Bulldogs! Sincerely, Kevin Worthy Superintendent of Schools

IN THIS ISSUE... Campuses

3

Academics

4

Demographics

5

Financials

6

Teachers of the Year

7

Technology & Innovation

8

School Board

9

Strategic Planning

10

Education Foundation

11

ANITA SCOTT ELEM. 1401 Erby Campbell Blvd. Royse City, Texas 75189 Principal: Don Jacobs 972-636-9991

HARRY H HERNDON INT. 300 Blackland Road Fate, Texas 75132 Principal: Shanna Brown 469-721-8101

ROYSE CITY HIGH SCHOOL 700 S. FM 2642 Royse City, Texas 75189 Principal: Dr. Sean Walker 972-636-9991

DAVIS ELEM. 1500 FM 1777 Royse City, Texas 75189 Principal: Cynthia Pense 972-636-9549

RUTH CHERRY INT. 1400 FM 1777 Royse City, Texas 75189 Principal, Richard Pense 972-636-3301

H.H. BROWNING ACADEMY 810 Old Greenville Rd. Royse City, Texas 75189 Principal: Lloyd Blaine 972-635-5077

MISS MAY VERNON ELEM. 100 Miss May Drive Fate, Texas 75132 Principal: Shannon Hayes 972-635-5006 2016-2017

WILLIAM R. FORT ELEM. 2801 FM 35 Royse City, Texas 75189 Principal: Danette Dodson 972-636-3304

2016-2017

ROYSE CITY MIDDLE SCHOOL 1310 East Highway 66 Royse City, Texas 75189 Principal: Jere Craighead 972-626-9544

ACADEMIC DISTINCTIONS Royse City ISD earned twice as many distinction designations in 2016 when compared to 2015 for student achievement. The Texas Education Agency awards distinctions to campuses relative to a group of 40 comparable schools. Ruth Cherry Intermediate Academic Achievement in Mathematics WR Fort Elementary Academic Achievement in Mathematics Top 25% Student Progress HH Herndon Intermediate Academic Achievement in Mathematics Top 25% Student Progress Top 25% Closing Performance Gaps Postsecondary Readiness Miss May Vernon Elementary Academic Achievement in Mathematics Top 25% Student Progress Top 25% Closing Performance Gaps

2016-2017

William Fort Elementary & Miss May Vernon Elementary were nominated by the Flippen Group to receive a Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase School award for the 2016-2017 school year. In 2003, Royse City ISD began an initiative to transform its campuses into an emotionally safe and relationally connected place for students, staff, and parents to come alive with a love for learning. After researching programs used by some of the nation’s most successful schools, Royse City ISD leaders chose to bring Capturing Kids’ Hearts to its campuses. Teachers and staff have learned processes to connect students with their peers and adults on campus, and to create classrooms where students are excited to enter and learn every day. As a result of implementing Capturing Kids’ Hearts, Royse City ISD has enjoyed fostering relationships with students across the district. From Kindergarten to 12th grade, educators are benefiting from the training they have received from Capturing Kids’ Hearts. Most important though, are the bonds that students form with their teachers and coaches.

RCISD AT-A-GLANCE OUR STUDENT BODY 5,209 (May 2016) 5,445 (January 2017) Caucasian Hispanic African American Two or More Races Asian American Indian Pacific Islander

58.5% 30.9% 6.2% 2.8% 0.9% 0.5% 0.1%

Economically Disadvantaged

36.4%

Graduates on Recommended H.S. Graduation Plan

83.7%

Caucasian Hispanic African American Two or More Races All Other

355 Teachers

24.5 %

Teachers with Advanced Degrees

Teachers Avg. Experience

FINANCIALS 2015-16 ACTUAL OPERATING REVENUE $55,480,419 Local State Federal

Federal State Local

$23,215,877 $30,298,144 $1,966,398

2015-16 ACTUAL OPERATING EXPENDITURES $55,635,064 Instruction

$22,616,327

Res. & Media Serv.

$532,349

Curriculum & Staff Dev.

$901,115

Instructional Leadership

$292,656

School Leadership

$3,063,937

Guidance/Counseling

$1,598,643

Health Services

$521,448

Student Transportation

$2,608,309

Food Services

$1,933,493

Extracurricular

$1,500,497

General Administration

$2,038,604

Plant Maint. & Operations

$6,064,762

Security & Monitoring Serv. Data Processing Services Community Services

$315,610 $1,185,392 $587,428

Principal Long-Term Debt

$2,850,891

Interest Long-Term Debt

$4,992,462

Debt Issuance Fees Capital Outlay Shared Serv. Arrangements

$3,550 $1,699,890 $327,701

In 2016, RCISD earned a rating of “Superior Achievement” under Texas’ Schools FIRST financial accountability rating system for financial soundness. The Superior Achievement rating is the state’s highest, demonstrating the quality of Royse City ISD’s financial management and reporting system. RCISD Chief Financial Officer David Carter said, “The finance office and our campus administrators work diligently to be good stewards of public funds while adequately providing for our teachers and students. As a fast growth district, this focus on financial soundness will serve Royse City ISD well when looking at future needs in the district.”

2016 TEACHERS OF THE YEAR JILL FAY District Secondary Teacher of the Year Herndon Intermediate

DAVID SKIDMORE High School

EMILY HAYS Middle School

Generously awarded by Toyota of Rockwall

KATHY CONTRERAS Cherry Int.

HOPE GAFNEY District Elementary Teacher of the Year Miss May Vernon Elem.

MARIBEL RODRIGUEZ Davis Elem.

MELISSA RAGER Fort Elem.

BETHANY BUNNELL Scott Elementary

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION In 2016, Royse City ISD continued the Connected 4 Learning initiative that allows secondary students to have their own Chromebook for school and home use. Managing the thousands of devices that students use each day can be a monumental task. As a result, RCHS developed the Chrome Squad to service, maintain, inventory and replace devices as needed. Chromies are elite student interns who support their peers and their teachers. Their role has evolved from tech support and now propels staff development and student engagement through tech tips. The Chrome Squad has attracted visitors from schools across the United States and was recently featured as one of 12 programs in Texas as “Brag Worthy”.

Photo: Cade Baridon & Skyler Suydam (Chromies) with Digital Learning Specialist Cody Holt

SCHOOL BOARD YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES Julie Stutts, President Place 7 Scott Muckensturm, Vice President Place 5 Christina Carrion, Secretary Place 2 Mike Anderson, Member Place 3 Eric Fort, Member Place 4 Bobby Summers, Member Place 1 Dr. Brian Zator, Member Place 6

The Board of Trustees is comprised of seven board members who are elected by the general public to serve for overlapping terms of three years each. They are not compensated for their service on the board. School Board meetings are open to the public and held at 7:00 PM on the 2nd Monday night of each month, with the exception of days that conflict with school holidays.

STRATEGIC PLANNING 2.0 WHAT IS IT?

Strategic planning is a review and planning process that is undertaken to make thoughtful

decisions about an organization’s future in order to ensure its success. RCISD is embarking on Strategic Planning 2.0 beginning Fall 2016. The previous strategic plan developed in 2013 is now operational. Some notable accomplishments from the 2013 plan were:

Implementation of dynamic and useful professional development for staff

21st Century Learning skills emphasis and innovative district programming The Long Range Planning Committee for facilities and projected growth Advances in teacher recruitment

Pathways for students after graduation that lead to success in career and college

PILLARS OF STRATEGIC PLAN 2.0 - A NEW 3-5 YEAR PLAN TEACHING & LEARNING

HUMAN RESOURCES

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

FINANCES & FACILITIES

COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING

From these pillars, objectives and strategies will be developed to propel RCISD for 3-5 years.

Members of the 2-Day Strategic Planning Team, Fall 2016

EDUCATION FOUNDATION $350,000 AWARDED SINCE 2009 $20,000 GIVEN TO RCISD FOR TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE IN 2016 $27,173.20 GRANTS AWARDED IN 2016 Take a STAND for Learning - Cherry Int. 3,2,1…Galaxy Ed!! - Davis Elem. STEAM Box Startup - Davis Elem. Connecting Parents to 21st Century Learning - Davis Elem. Cubelets Twelve - Jo Nell Mellody Innovation Grant - Davis Elem. Innovation and Imagination at Work - Fort Elem All Aboard the PreK Train: We're Full STEAM Ahead - Fort Elem Bullseye for Bulldogs - Fort Elem. We Write The Songs That Make Fort Sing - Fort Elem. Let's Keep Talking - RCHS Full STEAM Ahead - RCMS It's a Codey World - Unplugged Code Programming through Board Games - Scott Elem. Full STEAM Ahead - Scott Elem. MakerSpace To Go - Scott Elem. Opening the World - Vernon Elem. Extreme Makeover: Lab Edition -- Vernon Elem.

ROYSE CITY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT EPPS EDUCATION SERVICES CENTER 810 Old Greenville Road Royse City, Texas 75189 973-636-2413 [email protected]

@RoyseCItyISD