Posted Date: 10/17/2023
October 9, 2023 — The October Board meeting began with a presentation from Superintendent Doug Loomis regarding Amarillo ISD’s declining enrollment. Mr. Loomis said AISD’s enrollment has dropped by almost 4,000 students since 2015-2016. He said this is primarily due to declining birth rates, an aging population and fewer school-age children in the community, as well as limited new housing developments within AISD boundaries. The presentation provided a comparison of Amarillo ISD to other school districts and communities across Texas that resemble Amarillo’s demographics. Mr. Loomis discussed the funding implications of this enrollment loss and possible options for dealing with the loss. To view the entire enrollment presentation, click here.
The meeting continued as Trustees approved the 2023-2024 District Improvement Plan goals and performance objectives, as well as Campus Improvement Plan performance objectives for each of AISD’s 55 schools. All of the improvement plans are based on the needs of the students at each campus and are developed by committees of administrators, teachers, parents, community members, and business leaders. The plans also contain strategies and evaluation measures and are working documents that are revised as needed throughout the school year.
The Board approved Dick Bivins Stadium as the location for 2024 high school graduation ceremonies. Administration recently conducted a survey of AISD seniors and their parents and results showed a majority are in favor of continuing to host outdoor graduations at the stadium.
Finally, Trustees acknowledged gifts and donations in the amount of $13,002 given to schools this month from Tammy Zeidy; Christina and Adam Ufford; Mallory and Andrew Rae; Matt Moles Allstate Agency; Amanda Garten; David Garten; Osgood LaGrone Monument Company; Advanced Eye Care; Junk Monkey; Aaron Wallace with Northwestern Mutual; Ideacom Amarillo; Ms. Piggy’s Bakery; Amarillo Education Foundation; Park Hill Fellowship; Timothy and Tamara Risko; Charles and Linsay Brooks; Hugh and Carla Fristoe; Cody and Lezly Welch; Tyler and Trudy Keeling; Thanh Nguyen and Vinh Le; Torri Hatch; Inger Williams; Amarillo National Bank; Rodney and Tamara Steph; Education Credit Union; and Pak-A-Sak.