District Update�Fall 2024

GISD Board of Trustees

Corey Hardin

President

Marvin Royal

Vice President

Nathan Dempsey

Secretary

Phil Neelley

Trustee

​

Latecia Hendricks

Trustee

Dan Doss

Trustee

​

Laura Otts �Trustee

​

Leopard Pride-Who We Are

Gainesville High School

Grades 9-12 | Built in 2006

Gainesville Junior High

Grades 7-8 | Built in 1958

Gainesville Intermediate

Grades 5-6 | Built in 1997

Chalmers Elementary

Grades 2-4 | Built in 2000

Edison Elementary

Grades PreK-1 | Built in 1961

Head Start

Early Childhood | Built in 2000

6 campuses

GISD Strategic Plan�VISION 2026

The strategic plan articulates a bold vision and goals for the next 3-5 years, and is based on the following four priorities:

Academics

Recruitment & Retention

Connectedness

Equity

�

OUR MISSION

We ensure students and staff develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for immediate and future success, through a cooperative effort of school, home and community.

​

OUR VISION:

Reaching every student every day to be �learners and leaders.

Learners today, Leaders tomorrow, Leopards forever!

OUR CORE BELIEFS

EQUITY

We believe access to a world class education in Gainesville is a right for all not a privilege for a few.

EXCELLENCE

We believe in challenging ourselves and the bar we have created for academic, social, and emotional success in Gainesville.

DIVERSITY

We believe that a diverse student and staff population enriches the learning environment.

INNOVATION

We believe we are preparing students for a future we cannot predict.

PARTNERSHIP

We believe strong partnerships are critical to achieving our vision.

SAFE AND COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT

We are committed to creating a learning environment that is safe, secure and comfortable, both physically and emotionally for all students.

GISD Demographics

Serving English learners in GISD

​

Fall 2023 snapshot enrollment: 3,088 students

• 62 immigrants
• 1007 were identified as Emergent Bilingual (EB)

vs 938 in 2022

• 11 different languages – English, Russian, Pilipino (Tagalog), Gujarati (Indian), Arabic, French, Vietnamese, Portuguese*, Spanish, Mandarin* (China), and Nepali* (India)

*denotes new language this year

Leopard Pride- Who We Are

GISD Visual Arts Earns TAEA District of Distinction

Summer Reading Program

By 2026, ensure all students are reading on grade level by the 3^rd grade

​

LITERACY GOAL

This past summer, ALL students in PK3 to 2^nd grade received a packet of books in their home language to read at home with family. Stories with Stewart books were from these packets.

​

• GHS graduates can attend NCTC FREE for two years

• ALL students qualify for free tuition!

Collegiate Academy

Option 1: Earn an Associate of Arts degree with 60 college hours

Option 2: Earn 44 college hours and be considered “core complete” at any public university in Texas

Option 3: Earn 3 to 30 college hours, giving students a jumpstart on college

Dual Credit Advantages

Financial: 1/5 the cost for students and FREE for economically disadvantaged students

​

Transfer Credits: Substantial jump in course credits with the possibility to graduate with a Masters degree in the same amount of time to obtain a Bachelors degree

2024 ASSOCIATE DEGREE GRADUATES

2024 CORE COMPLETE GRADUATES

Dual Credit & Workforce Certifications

• The Class of 2024 included:
• 15 students earn a Welding I certificate from NCTC and 5 who earned a Cosmetology certificate
• 4 students who graduated Core Complete
• 4 students who graduated with an Associates degree
• The Class of 2025 is on track to have TEN students earn an Associates degree

​

GISD Promise Program

• New program to increase the affordability and access to dual credit courses.
• First cohort of students were selected from the 8^th grade class.
• This group will have 100% of their dual credit course tuition, fees, and books paid for by the District
• Our goal is for 100% of these students earn an Associate degree

Advanced Academics Expansion

• New advanced math course for 6^th grade
• Exploring the option to offer Spanish I beginning in 6^th grade

• Now offered in grades 4-12
• Robotics coaches at each campus
• Competitions will begin in the Spring!

Robotics comes to GISD!

Socio- Emotional Supports

• Contracted with Communities in Schools of North Texas for a full-time staff member at Gainesville Intermediate in 2021-22
• Expansion of CIS to Junior High in 2022-23
• Expansion of CIS to Chalmers in 2023-24
• Addition of District SEL Counselor position in 2022-23
• Addition of 2^nd District SEL Counselor position in 2023-24

​

GHS Agriculture Facility Expansion

Additional 9,000 sf inside space

42 additional pens

Additional 10,000 sf covered exercise pen

Reconfiguration of previous facility for classrooms, office, wash and grooming bays

FUTURE HOME OF GISD ADMIN COMING SOON!

Take a tour!

FUTURE EARLY CHILDHOOD �LEARNING CENTER

Current administration building

Current Head Start campus

Other Projects

• GHS track resurfacing
• GHS field event area
• Chalmers & GIS flooring replacement
• Indoor facility interior repairs
• Locker removal at GIS
• Replace outdated science lab tables at GJH
• Replace two roof top HVAC units at GHS
• New softball scoreboard (donated by Glenn Polk)

SAFETY & SECURITY

• Smart Tag implementation for bus riders is almost complete
• Centegix Crisis Alert Safety System
• GISD currently employs 4 full-time GISD police officers
• Door Locking Policy
• Visitor Identification Plan
• EOP – Emergency Operations Plan/Reunification Plan
• Student identification cards at GJH and GHS
• Secure vestibules

​

​

Student Ten Year Student Enrollment Projections

From Demographer’s Report

​

• Gainesville ISD will continue to experience enrollment growth due to a favorable local economy and housing market.
• There are over 100 new home lots that are expected to be delivered within GISD in the next several months.
• The district is forecasted to add 30 to 50 single family homes a year for the next 5 years.

​

​

Source: Templeton Demographics

Residential Growth = New Students

Liberty Pointe

• 850 total future lots
• 232 acre development
• Groundwork underway on phase one (102 lots)

Chalmers

Elementary School

Multi-family Activity

Rock Creek Apartments

• 756 future units
• Will be built in phases
• Plat filed with city in March

Winston Luxury Apartments

• 300 total units
• Request to rezone to multifamily approved by city in October 2022

GISD Finances�

$25,433,864

GISD is forecasted to add an additional $1,000,000 to fund balance for the 22-23 budget year

School Finance: The Big Picture

A school district’s budget is generated from three sources:

• Local Tax Effort
• State Funding
• Federal Funds (Grants)

For 20 years in a row, GISD has received a SUPERIOR Rating on the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST Report).

Federal Funds

• Appropriated for special programs or to provide services to a specific group of students
• Cannot be used to replace state or local dollars to fund a program (supplanting)
• About half of federal funds go directly to school districts
• The remainder goes to the State.

• Provides state funding to school districts
• Administered by TEA
• Meant to ensure that all school districts, regardless of property wealth, receive “substantially equal access to similar revenue per student at similar tax effort, considering all state and local tax revenues of districts after acknowledging all legitimate student and district cost differences.”

State Funds

• Generated from property taxes (not sales taxes)
• Cooke County Appraisal District sets taxable home values
• Called “ad valorem” taxes

Local Funds

2024-2025 Adopted Tax Rate

• At the August 19, 2024 Board of Trustees meeting, the Board approved the 2024-2025 tax rate of $0.8582.
• The $0.8582 consists of a M&O rate of $0.7552 and I&S rate of $0.1030.
• The overall tax rate was reduced by $0.0154.
• The overall tax rate has been reduced by $0.4718 since 2012.

​

​

For the average citizen� this is similar to:

​

• New home purchase
• House renovations
• Land for a home
• New appliances
• New home computer
• New car

Local Tax Effort

Total Tax Rate $0.8582

Each year, a school district adopts two tax rates, which determine the total tax rate

$0.7552

$0.1030

Maintenance & Operations Tax Rate

Funds the day-to-day maintenance and operations of the district

• Salaries (for teachers and other staff) 80%
• Bus repairs, maintenance and fuel
• School supplies and materials
• Utilities (electricity, water, gas)
• Software, computers, etc.

​

For the average citizen� this is similar to:

​

• House repairs
• Car fuel
• Routine services
• Groceries
• Cleaning Supplies
• Utilities

$0.7552

Interest & Sinking Tax Rate

Funds debt repayment for “big ticket” items:

• New building construction
• Existing building renovations
• Land purchases
• Program-specific equipment
• Technology
• School buses

​

For the average citizen� this is similar to:

​

• New home purchase
• House renovations
• Land for a home
• New appliances
• New home computer
• New car

$0.1030