The Whitney Independent School District (WISD) Board of Trustees met in a regular session Monday, December 11. The board heard a presentation from the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) and approved proposals to create a district police department and allow chaplain volunteers at school.
Cheryl Hoover presented the TASB Staffing Survey Report. The report compared WISD’s staffing ratios with similar “peer” districts as well as with state averages and professional benchmarks.
After an explanation of the process and how comparisons and recommendations are made, Hoover gave an overview of WISD’s enrollment statistics over the last five school years. At the time of data collection, there were a total of 1,487 students enrolled in WISD for the 2023-24 school year. The district has seen a growth of about 2% in the five years.
WISD has three full-time-equivalents (FTEs) in the category of curriculum instruction compared to the peer average of nearly five. In business and finance, the district has 2.5 FTEs, and in human resources, the district was shown to have half of a position which would lie in the business department, as is typical for a district of this location and size.
The TASB benchmark for assistant principals is one to every 450 students, where WISD has a ratio of one to every 372. The district employs nine campus administrators compared to the peer district average of 7.5. No recommendations were made in these areas.
The benchmark for counselors is one to every 350 students. WISD has one to every 259 students, but for elementary, the ratio is one to 711 students; TASB recommended the district hire an additional elementary counselor.
For libraries, Whitney has five FTEs, and the peer district average is 3.6. WISD has four nurses and one LVN working in the clinics, a ratio of one to every 371 students where the typical ratio is around one to 700. No recommendation was made.
The benchmark for campus clerical work is 5.5 positions for every 1,000 students. A recommendation was made to reassign one of the district’s positions in this field from the high school to the intermediate school. The non-campus clerical benchmark for WISD would be six positions, which the district is right under at five. A recommendation was made for the district to determine if there is a need for an additional position in this field.
The state averages about 15 educational aides for every 1,000 students, meaning the district’s benchmark would be 24 positions. The district has 42 positions in this area, and a recommendation was made to absorb some of these positions by attrition over time.
In special education staff, a recommendation was made to absorb one teacher and five aides.
The elementary teacher benchmark is one to 22 students, where WISD has one to 17.9. For middle and high school, the master schedules were deemed to be quite efficient though suggestions were made to divide students out and increase class size; the state average for middle school is 22 to 25, and WISD averages 18. High school averages were near the same.
For high school, WISD has a ratio of one coach to 14 athletes and one teacher to 16 students. It was suggested that, if needed, coaches could teach as well. For middle school, the coach-to-athlete ratio is one to 10, while the teacher to student ratio is one to 15.
In maintenance and grounds, the benchmark is one maintenance worker to 67,000 square feet and one groundskeeper to 35 acres. WISD employs seven maintenance and grounds staff where the benchmark for the district is 12. “If they’re saying that they’re working pretty hard, they probably are.” Hoover said.
The benchmark in custodial work is one worker to 23,000 square feet. WISD falls short of this, employing 15 in this area where 30 is recommended.
In the area of child nutrition, TASB uses the metric of meals per labor hour. WISD’s meals per labor hour number 40 to 53, where 70 is the benchmark. A recommendation was made to absorb six cafeteria positions.
For transportation, WISD employs 16 staff, where the peer district average is 19. In technology, WISD employs six staff and the peer district average is about four. No recommendations were made in these areas.
In other agenda items, the board approved the creation of a police department for the district. Board member Jason Sneed said that while the process will take time and money, “the last thing I want to tell any parent is that we failed to take action on this because we were fearful for money.”
The board approved a resolution allowing chaplain volunteers in WISD schools. According to Senate Bill 763, each school district in the state is required to vote on the subject before March 1, 2024.
The legislation allows school districts to employ or accept chaplains as volunteers to “provide support, services and programs for students as assigned by the board of trustees of the district or the governing body of the school.”
The board considered approving and raising the stipend for a behavioral unit teaching position the district is attempting to fill from $5,000 to $10,000. Board member Katie Foster made a motion to table the item and consider action at a later date, which passed unanimously.
During open forum, Tyson Griffin made a public comment in reference to a lack of space in locker rooms and requested to schedule an appointment with board President Charles Buzan and Superintendent John McCullough regarding the issue.
Amanda Coe made comments to the board regarding bullying in WISD schools. Samantha Harvey had also signed up to speak and ceded her time to Coe.
“I’m here with a group of parents who are dealing with a big increase in bullying in the schools — my son has been at the intermediate school and we’ve had several incidents where another student has physically hurt him; since third grade we’ve had five,” Coe said.
“I’ve worked with the administration on solutions to these issues, but while my issues have gotten better, their children have had bigger incidents that have kept coming. We don’t think there’s enough focus here on the mental health. We are down a counselor, and it is showing in our children.”
She explained in detail physical assaults on her own child and the children of others, and emphasized the mental effects of such bullying.
Referring to another parent, she said, “We watched as her son went from outgoing and happy to hating school and making himself sick to avoid being there. Now, even though his situation has improved, he’s having to deal with the anger that has built up over the last few years.”
“There’s a high number of D.O.I. teachers, and I know that there aren’t enough veteran teachers to mentor or train these newcomers. Because of this, some of the things aren’t being seen — they’re not being reported properly, or they’re being excused or brushed off by the teachers. My nephew had an issue in his classroom, and his teacher allowed the situation to spiral out of control. As it mounted to a head, this teacher made the situation worse by telling my nephew that he needed to give the other student ‘grace’.”
She said, “I’ve heard this viewpoint being passed along to other kids; the message being given by some of those staff members to these kids is ‘that kid’s problem is more important than yours’.
“I’ve spoken with administration, and I know that there are things in the works to fix these shortcomings, that they know of — but things aren’t being reported. They’re working to coach the teachers and faculty as best they can, but there has to be a better focus on mental health to prevent these matters.”
Superintendent John McCullough presented the staff member of the month, Ray Hall, who serves as a bus driver and is also part of the district’s maintenance team.
About Hall, Director of Operations Russell Gauer wrote: “Since he began work at the district, we’ve received nothing but compliments about his work ethic and willingness to help others complete various projects throughout the district. He is a very humble man, and his actions, how he completes his work, are testaments to his character. We are fortunate to have him as part of our Whitney ISD team.”
Superintendent McCullough also provided his report. WISD enrollment currently stands at 1,461, and the board passed its third random intruder audit, where trained state inspectors make unannounced campus visits to test school security.
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