Brookesmith ISD: Closing or not?
By Timothy Chipp of the Abilene Reporter News
"Brookesmith Independent School District, in Brown County, could be closing at the end of the school year, according to a Texas Education Agency representative.
According to the TEA, financial constraints are the cause, though the school superintendent refused to comment on the situation when reached by the Reporter-News.
"We're working through some stuff. Once we have it figured out, we'll comment," Superintendent Guy Birdwell said. "But for now, we're not going to comment on this. Every time we do, it gets twisted around."
DeEtta Culbertson, information specialist at TEA, said communication between the district and the agency has focused on financial trouble the district faces. She said Brookesmith ISD, which has an average daily attendance of 115 students, likely won't be able to afford to stay in business beyond the end of the school year.
She said TEA is not involved in any action against the school district, which wasn't always the case. In 2014-15, the district faced closure after a threat of accreditation revocation due to both poor financial and academic performance for four consecutive years.
Since an agreement between the agency and the district, TEA has not levied sanctions against the district and a conservator, which was in place to monitor finances, was removed, according to a message posted to the district's website on June 6.
"This is a great milestone and shows our tremendous progress, both academically and financially," the message says. "We are moving forward."
http://www.reporternews.com/news/educat ... 88431.html
By Timothy Chipp of the Abilene Reporter News
"Brookesmith Independent School District, in Brown County, could be closing at the end of the school year, according to a Texas Education Agency representative.
According to the TEA, financial constraints are the cause, though the school superintendent refused to comment on the situation when reached by the Reporter-News.
"We're working through some stuff. Once we have it figured out, we'll comment," Superintendent Guy Birdwell said. "But for now, we're not going to comment on this. Every time we do, it gets twisted around."
DeEtta Culbertson, information specialist at TEA, said communication between the district and the agency has focused on financial trouble the district faces. She said Brookesmith ISD, which has an average daily attendance of 115 students, likely won't be able to afford to stay in business beyond the end of the school year.
She said TEA is not involved in any action against the school district, which wasn't always the case. In 2014-15, the district faced closure after a threat of accreditation revocation due to both poor financial and academic performance for four consecutive years.
Since an agreement between the agency and the district, TEA has not levied sanctions against the district and a conservator, which was in place to monitor finances, was removed, according to a message posted to the district's website on June 6.
"This is a great milestone and shows our tremendous progress, both academically and financially," the message says. "We are moving forward."
http://www.reporternews.com/news/educat ... 88431.html
