Teacher certification program highlighted

By Chris Edwards
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WOODVILLE – At its regular monthly meeting on Monday evening, the Woodville ISD Board of Trustees and district superintendent Lisa Meysembourg took an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the participants and leadership behind the district’s alternative teacher certification program.

The Academy to Certify Teachers (ACT) was started by Jason Hicks and approved by the WISD board last December.

Hicks, who serves as the district’s director of staff support services, was lauded by Meysembourg as “the driving force behind the program.” She also recognized Ashley Weatherford, the district’s curriculum director, for her role in the program.

Meysembourg said that the district is excited to begin the program and hopes that many of the current participants are teaching at WISD “in a year or so.”

At present, there are 11 who are enrolled in the program, nine of whom are already employed within WISD and two who are community members.

Meysembourg acknowledged each of the program’s participants, who were present at the meeting. Those participants are: Kenyatta Williams; Susan Price; Victoria Trimble; Tracy Johnston; Cassie Collum; Ashley Richardson; Alicia Bowen; Tonya Johnson; Holly Shirley; Ashley Nowell and Robert Williams.

Meysembourg added that in March, at a conference, she brought up the topic of the ACT program with representatives from TASB (Texas Association of School Boards) who thought the program idea was innovative, and possibly meriting a future presentation at statewide conferences.

Two years ago Hicks was tasked with addressing alternative certifications programs for prospective teachers. At that time, there were 12 individuals within WISD seeking certification, and at the time that the program was approved in December, there were 26.

Hicks said that statistics show a shortage of 150,000 teachers, nationally, and 10,000 in Texas, with projections showing an increase, by double, within a five-year span.

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The program includes pathways to get paraprofessionals, instructional aides and substitutes certified within three years, and, according to Hicks, a pathway toward a debt-free bachelor’s degree.

The accredited university hosting the program is Indiana Wesleyan, Hicks said, which is a fully accredited brick and mortar institution and not an online “cyber-school,” he said.

Other Business

During Monday’s meeting, the WISD trustees also approved an adjustment to the 2023-24 instructional calendar to meet its state-required allotment of instructional minutes, due to a loss with the bad weather days two weeks ago.

The severe rains necessitated cancelling school, Meysembourg said, which left WISD short in its instructional minutes for the school year. She said that Spurger ISD had applied for a waiver from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for its lost minutes and was approved.

The board approved the application for a waiver through TEA, and the addition of one hour on the last day of school to make up those lost minutes.

Another action item on Monday’s agenda was approved to add WISD to a group called the Student Behavior Coalition, which is a statewide concern, attempting to create legislative policy to better clarify the discrepancies between school disciplinary codes and penal codes.

Meysembourg said the topic was not just an issue with WISD, but statewide; that there is a conflict between the two areas. One example she cited is that of terroristic threats, for which there are penal codes, but no educational laws existent.

“This is to clarify and better align Texas school law with the Texas penal code to make sure all of us are on the same page,” Meysembourg said.

The cost to the district for membership in the coalition is $3,500 per year. The monies from districts toward this go toward attorneys’ fees; attorneys who are helping draft legislation to this end.