October 18, 2021 – After celebrating AISD principals in honor of National Principals Month with a reception in the banquet hall at the new AmTech Career Academy, the Board moved to the criminal justice area at AmTech for its October 18 regular meeting.
Superintendent Loomis and the four assistant superintendents for elementary, middle and high schools presented beginning-of-the-year student achievement data, that gives a picture of the amount of learning loss due to the pandemic. Assistant superintendents Jessica Cardenas and Lisa Morgan said compared to other districts in Region 16, AISD students experienced slightly greater learning loss, but compared to the state average, learning loss was less in AISD. Mr. Loomis said at any given time last year, 15 – 20 percent of AISD students were getting instruction remotely. He said the District learned that even with high quality resources and tremendous effort on the part of teachers and administrators, families did not have systems in place to support learning at home. “We learned that brick and mortar counts and we learned the importance of the classroom teacher,” Loomis said.
The Board approved performance objectives of all 55 Campus Improvement Plans, and they approved the District Improvement Plan goals and performance objectives. Mr. Loomis said these improvement plans are living, breathing documents and objectives and strategies can be adjusted throughout the year depending on needs and results.
In keeping with a Board priority of ensuring a safe and secure environment, the Board approved the purchase of telephones for all district classrooms, at a cost of about $683,000. Trustees also purchased five vacant lots south of Emerson Elementary School.
The Board acknowledged gifts and donations totaling $6,850, given to various schools this month from Selma Martin, Kim Grogg Martin, Fluhman Outdoor, Inc., the Alex O’Brien Tennis Foundation, Education Credit Union, Seana Strand, Amarillo National Bank, the Downtown Kiwanis Club, Amarillo Association of Realtors, and Bill and Janet Hodge.
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