The first Town Talk community meeting Tuesday outlined current high school programs and district goals.

The continuous goal of the Kingsville Independent School District is that students graduate from college, career ready, and that the learning derived by the students will leave a legacy.

This goal was emphasized throughout the Town Talk session that also reported on past, present and future KISD plans.

KISD, in an effort to inform parents, students, staff members, business members and the community at large, reported on the district’s progress and vision for the future in visual graphics presentation, followed by a question and answer session at the H.M. King High School auditorium.

The special presentation encouraged community members to provide feedback on potential opportunities for improvement.

Roel Gonzalez, H.M. King High School principal, began the Town Talk meeting. Gonzalez cited the successes of the high school programs that help the students learn academically.

He also praised the University Interscholastic League awards that have reaped honors and more successes for the high school. He praised the optional class schedules that allow students to work and also attend college classes. The dual credit classes will allow students to receive a diploma and also receive college credits that will enable them to obtain a college degree in a shorter time.

“Things are really looking up, and we have many successes,” Gonzalez related to the audience of over 45 people that was actually a good turn out for the first Town Talk meeting.

KISD Superintendent Emilio Castro then conducted the presentation. He wants to celebrate the successes and face the challenges. He noted that he had been with the district four months. (Castro was previously an administrator with the Dallas Independent School District).

He cited the KISD past reflecting on the 2003-2006 voter approved bond issues that provided funds for the new Gillett Intermediate School, a new Harvey Elementary School with construction underway; the renovation of H.M. King High School, new wings at Harrel and Kleberg elementary schools, and covered activity areas.

While he acknowledged the past, he said: “We are thriving in the present.”

“We have six TEA Recognized schools,” Castro said.

KISD has strengthened community and higher education partnerships. He praised the fact that H.M. King High School currently has National Merit Finalists.

Castro said KISD is creating the future. One goal will be to implement an Early College High School with a partnership with Texas A&M University-Kingsville. This will allow high school students to receive 60 college hours.

High school students will leave as college juniors.

This program could begin as early as the next school year.

Another program is the Career Pathways that ensures all students have successful lives, according to him.

“We are moving more competitive at a global area,” Castro said.

Another future goal is to reconfigure elementary schools that will begin with pre-kindergarten 4 to the fourth grade.

“This will allow all kindergarten students to be together and provide relationships,” Castro said.

“The learning will leave a legacy and recognize all KISD become college and career ready students,” he said.

Effective teachers, quality principals and support services will accomplish these academic goals. KISD advocates high expectations for students with rigorous learning; higher critical thinking skills, positive relationships between students and teachers; project based learning and providing college preparatory programs, such as AVID, for high school students.

The goals for effective teachers include professional development, professional learning committee, frequent classroom visits with feedback. Castro wants to improve the hiring and retention of quality teachers. He agrees that KISD needs to provide higher salaries for teachers in order to be competitive for quality teachers.

One of KISD challenges is a need for more parent involvement. KISD has implemented on-line report cards that can be accessed by parents. Another way of communication include the Town Talk sessions, Twitter, E-mail; coffee with the superintendent; press releases, and communicated curriculum.

Castro wants the parents to know the curriculum that he refers to a “refrigerator curriculum.” This information can be placed with a magnet on the refrigerator.

“We want to improve our transparency, but we have challenges,” Castro said.

KISD wants to be supportative of the community. This summer KISD staff participated in two walks knocking door-to-door meeting parents and encouraging everyone to come back to school. The 200 teams criss crossed the city. Community leaders and citizens participated in the event.

“Some people told us no one came to our house; we knew we were on the right track reaching out,” Castro

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After the presentation, Annette Peterson, a young

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“You are on the right track in the area of communication with parents,” Peterson said. She said last year’s e-mail was a good idea.

Another parent, Melissa Windham, also praised Castro and KISD.

“Thank you for doing this,” Windham said referring to the Town Talk meeting.

THE AD IS ATTACHMENT “You are doing an awesome job and things are on the right track,” Windham said. She praised the online grades and having the sports schedules online too. Windham also praised Joe Mireles, Memorial Middle School principal.

“The district has had a bad reputation but I am here to say that you have done great in the Kingsville public schools,” she said. Windham, an H.M. King High School graduate, has children enrolled in the district. She said she would have to promote KISD.

Another parent Deborah De La Cruz also noted that her image of KISD had been terrible in the past.

“Kudos to you,” she said. She praised the programs and wanted to know when they would be implemented. She also has students enrolled in KISD.

. Castro replied that he has plans to present a strategic plan to the KISD board this month with anticipated time frames. The superintendent said that he is already planning grants. Castro related that one of the challenges was the budget constraint.

“We are not where we want to be,” he said.

Castro said some of the programs had already been implemented. Gonzalez addressed De La Cruz’s question explaining that the optional school schedule was ongoing and students were working with Coastal Bend College. The high school now has eight class periods and is better utilizing the staff. He cited an example of a student working at a bank who wants to study accounting.

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EITHER BELOW ATTACHMENT they better listen to him. The superintendent also revealed that a survey would be available to the KISD next week and input would remain anonymous. After that a survey would be conducted in the community.

(Crites, has served as the Senior Army instructor at H.M. King High School for eight years. During his tenure he has helped students obtain over $2.3 million in JROTC scholarships).

“We have a lot of work committed to challenge,” Castro said.

Another parent, who did not identify herself, praised the online grades; however, she expressed some issues that were not complimentary to KISD.

One was the fact that she was supposed to meet with her child’s counselor at the same time the homecoming parade was held.

Another issue that surprised the superintendent and other school officials was the fact that her child received a progress report based on bringing supplies to school. The grades were based on the student bringing those supplies to school.

The high school teacher gave the student 100 for bringing a box of Kleenex; 0 for not bringing a hand sanitizer.

She noted the teachers did not have supplies.

The parent also said that the BCIS teacher required students to bring three ring binders but her child did not bring one. and received a zero.

“It bothers me that this is tied to grades,” Castro replied.

“We are not consistent with grades across the board,” he said.

He said it concerned him that the teachers did not have supplies to help the students.

KISD does have funds for sanitizers and other supplies.

Castro also informed the audiences of their efforts to curb the high school drop out rates by monitoring and measuring learning focusing on the ninth grade students.

Studies show that the majority of freshmen students who fail classes drop out of high school.

Kingsville City Commissioner Al Garcia, one of three elected officials present, praised KISD and Castro.

“As an elected community official, we are concerned with educating our youth and keep them in the community,” Commissioner Garcia said.

He also advocated more parent involvement. Apparently, the KISD Town Talk meeting proved to be successful because it began at 6 p.m. and ended after

p.m. with still people participating in the event.

“We are here to serve you and we are public servants; we need to be consistent in how we do things,” Castro said.