The ϱ ISD Board of Trustees has approved Third Future Schools to turn Mendez Middle School’s academic performance around as part of what’s called an 1882 partnership.
Why it matters: Mendez has been rated as an “F” school by the Texas Education Agency since 2013. If the campus doesn’t improve academics during the 2022-23 school year, or the Texas Education Agency could take over the district.
- The new partner has outlined a plan to improve the campus to a “D” rating in the 2022-23 school year, improve to a “C” rating in the 2023-24 school year, and a “B” rating by the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years.
How we got here: ending the previous partnership with T-STEM Texas in December. That same month the board terminated the partnership and the district started engaging with the Mendez community to find a new partner.
- On Feb. 8, the district made a call for 1882 proposals due Feb. 25.
- The district began screening the received proposals on Feb. 28 and notified the on March 1.
- Throughout March, a transition oversight committee received presentations from the finalist and made a final recommendation to the administration.
- The was brought to the ϱ ISD Board of Trustees for final approval March 24.
Zoom out: Along with this new partner, ϱ ISD leaders announced in February that sixth-grade would be transitioning to 10 elementary schools that feed into Martin and Mendez middle schools. This transition would reduce the number of fifth graders who unenroll from ϱ ISD instead of attending those two middle schools.
- After the announcement, (66.41%) of sixth-grade families intend to stay enrolled at their elementary schools.
- Another 17.67% said they are transitioning to another ϱ middle school.
- Before, on average, 40% of sixth-grade families from those schools went to Martin and Mendez middle schools.
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