John Kelly, Ph. D.

God willing and the creek don’t rise (literally), by the time you read this we will have welcomed back our teachers for the 2007/08 school year. This is likely the last year the 500 plus members of our professional staff will fit into the Boerne High School auditorium. Next year we open Champion High with its auditorium seating capacity of almost 1,000.

I planned a presentation highlighting our goals and aspirations for the coming year and reflecting back on the accomplishments and challenges of 2006/07. Here are some of the main points:

• We have some tremendous new talent to complement the awesome array of teacher expertise in our audience. As one measure of potential, Boerne ISD received approximately 3,100 applications this summer for our open positions.

• We anticipate approximately 6,300 students this year, a comparatively modest enrollment increase.

• We have a huge list of state and national level awards compiled by students and staff. These range from a selection as among the best schools in the state by Texas Monthly to outstanding AP and SAT scores. We count 36 commendations from the state for 2006 campus and district test scores and other academic measures.

We also “Confront the Brutal Facts,” to borrow a term from Jim Collins’ book “Good to Great,” After eight straight years of increasing TAKS scores on every exam and for every sub-population (i.e. Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students), we leveled off in spring 2007 and even lost points within our sub-populations in the subjects of math and science. We note that though we had a relatively modest enrollment increase last year, we had a hugely disproportional increase in the number of economically disadvantaged students who took the various TAKS tests in 2007.  This is partially because of a push to put more special-education students in the testing system, as required by new federal requirements. Now, the state and federal government is pushing even more additional students into that system during 2007/08. (Indeed, the federal goal is to have 97 percent of the American student body tested on grade level standardized testing.) Though the vast majority of our test scores for disadvantaged students are higher than state averages, just “better than average” is certainly not acceptable to us.

Our administration (I) should have done a better job identifying and intervening with the increased number of disadvantaged students last year. We’ll highlight themes and corresponding actions from a book titled “Whatever it Takes” that emphasizes early intervention over “catch-up” remediation. Though we have student-mentoring programs throughout the district, tutorial programs on site in the poorest areas of our community, and a large number of other services, we are watching the demographics of our district change – and must adjust to meet the greater need. I predict we will quickly rise to the occasion and produce superior results in 2007/08. As always, we’re bolstered by a community that expresses gratitude for our efforts and anticipates high achievement for all students.

Regarding continuing student drug and alcohol abuse, I’m outlining our expanded programs and services this year and asking teachers and coaches to be instructive, exemplars and vigilant. We hope to appeal to the student leaders among us to help set the example for their peers.

I’m asking them to help unify the community through the great transition coming as we open a new high school in August 2008 and renovate before re-opening BHS in 2009/10. We can’t please everyone on school attendance boundaries, UIL participation rules, staffing assignments or even the colors on the new campus but we can help focus the community’s primary energy and emotions on the things that matter more and most.

We know we are extremely blessed to live and work in this community and that, for those to whom much is given, much is expected.