New boss, new mission

TRINITY — The Trinity ISD Board of Regent approved a new mission statement for the district based on recommendations from a group who had been reviewing it for several months.

The change was approved at the Oct. 28 meeting.

The new mission statement: “In partnership with our community, Trinity ISD will provide a safe, supportive learning environment that promotes excellence, personal growth, and lifelong learning while preparing every student for a successful future.”

Additionally, the board approved a pared down vision statement: “Learn … Lead … Succeed.”

Relatedly, the board approved a turnaround plan for the Middle School based on the recent accountability scores.

Superintendent Dr. Benjamin Petty said the plan, which is a requirement of the state for accountability, will focus on identifying specific students and tracking their progress to ensure they’re getting help they need through instructional strategies and data analysis.

“We’re excited; I think we’ll see good results,” Petty said.

In other business, the board:

• approved the ESL waiver, which must be submitted each year because the district doesn’t have right amount of teachers that are ESL certified;
• approved the hiring of Lucila Hernandez as Spanish teacher. Petty said the district went three months without one;
• approved the extension of the contract for Danielle Andries for another year; and
• discussed the district’s flexible school day, which recently was approved by the Texas Education Association, and will now create procedures and guidelines to start identifying students that would benefit.