The RCISD School Board held a regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, August 19 with a special school naming approval, staff recognitions and action items. We aim to keep you informed and up-to-date on board activities with these brief recaps. As always, complete minutes from each meeting are publicly posted upon their approval each month for your reference.
SARA MOSS ELEMENTARY APPROVED FOR NAMING OF ELEMENTARY #8
Located in the Creekside development just east of Ouida Baley Middle School on SH 66, Royse City ISD’s 8th elementary school finally has a name of its own. After a six-person committee convened in accordance with board policy to review names submitted by the community over the summer. The group studied the submitted names and held discussion before reaching unanimous agreement to recommend Sara Moss Elementary to the school board for approval.
Mrs. Moss taught RCHS Home Economics for 25 years. She also taught pre-kindergarten for five years in Royse City ISD and started the district’s first after school care program in 1999. She sponsored student councils, Future Homemakers of America and One Act Play during her career. The committee noted her ability to teach young people skills that would be useful for their entire adult lives.
At the meeting, Mrs. Moss was joined by dozens of family members and friends. She shared that a phone call back in 1977 from her friend Barbara King changed her life when she was recruited to join Royse City High School as a home economics teacher. She found a school and community that she and her family would love for decades to follow. She expressed deep gratitude and honor to the naming committee and school board for choosing her. Sara Moss Elementary will open its doors to students, staff and families in August of 2025.
STAFF RECOGNITIONS
Chief Academic Officer Lorie Squalls presented six staff recognitions from the summer of 2024 for board recognition.
W.R. Fort Elementary Principal Wendy Prater was named a 2024 National Distinguished Principal of the Year for Texas by the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA). Building strong relationships with teachers, students and parents, Wendy Prater has created a positive and collaborative student-centered learning environment at Fort Elementary. Under her leadership, Fort Elementary’s focus on relationship-building has contributed to higher student achievement, teacher retention and community engagement. Mrs. Prater and her school will receive $2,500 each and she will also be recognized at the National Association of Elementary School Principals awards gala in Washington, DC.
Ouida Baley Middle School Principal Angelee Morales was recognized by the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals as the 2024 Texas Middle School Principal of the Year. Ms. Morales demonstrated excellence in professional development, professional growth, collaborative leadership. She was recognized at the 2024 Texas Association of Secondary School Principals conference this summer - first at the Texas Heroes Award Dinner, and at the general opening session.
Director of Administrative Services Brittany Lancaster was one of 30 principals from school districts across Texas to attend a weeklong summer institute at the Principals’ Center at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She formerly served as principal of Miss May Vernon Elementary. The Raising School Leaders program is designed to inspire, challenge, and empower school leaders to bring lasting impact to their campuses and communities, the entire state of Texas, and beyond.
Chief Communications Officer Adi Bryant recently completed the Certified Public Communicator® Program at Texas Christian University. This post-baccalaureate, graduate-level residential program builds successful and ethical leaders through experiential learning, strategic communication plan-building, theoretical instruction, case studies and other interactive instruction. Students graduate from the program with three-year communication plans and policies for their organizations, which are put into action during the year with time for testing and revisions before graduation.
Superintendent Dr. Amy Anderson has been invited to participate in The Holdsworth Center’s Superintendent Leadership Program. The current cohort of the program, which began in July, includes 10 learning sessions over 18 months and coaching from a former superintendent with extensive experience. The goal is to help superintendents succeed in their roles and make a lasting impact on the education system they lead and the students and communities they ultimately serve.
Senior Executive Director of Federal Programs and Strategic Initiatives Tyisha Nelson has been welcomed into Southern Methodist University’s District Leadership Fellows program. The District Leadership Fellows program is a strengths-based leadership development program that enhances the leadership abilities of established and emerging school district leaders through an intensive year-long cohort. Through collaboration with peers and recognized education experts, Fellows are empowered to solve hard problems in their districts, build their leadership skills, and develop lasting educational leadership networks.
BOARD APPROVES GUARANTEED MAXIMUM PRICE FOR DAVID & SHIRLEY MAGNESS MIDDLE SCHOOL
Royse City ISD’s third middle school was approved by the community as a project in the 2023 Bond Program. Bids were received by Northstar Builders Group on August 8, 2024 from subcontractors for the construction of David and Shirley Magness Middle School. The Royse City ISD School Board approved $75,510,902 as the guaranteed maximum price (or GMP) for construction of the middle school. The project is scheduled to begin in October 2024 and be complete prior to the start of the 2026-2027 school year.
TAX RATE APPROVED FOR 2024-2025 - A CONTINUED REDUCTION
The Royse City ISD School Board adopted a tax rate of $1.2552 per $100 valuation for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. This marks six years of consecutive tax rate reductions by the Royse City ISD Administration and locally elected school board. In 2018, the Royse City ISD tax rate was $1.67 per $100 valuation.
ENROLLMENT UPDATE - NEARING 10,000 STUDENTS
Royse City ISD ended the 2023-2024 school year with 9,537 students. The first day of school on August 13 welcomed 9,518 students and by August 19, the enrollment stood at 9,863. Royse City ISD officials anticipate topping the 10,000 student mark in the Fall semester.
BOND 2023 UPDATE
Bond issuance is underway for many large projects in Bond 2023. Groundwork has begun at Worthy Fate High School off of FM 552 which is expected to open in August of 2027. Newly named Sara Moss Elementary has vertical steel beams in place as construction proceeds. The campus will open in August of 2025. Plans are also underway for David & Shirley Magness Middle School on FM 35 just south of Royse City High School. That campus will open in August of 2026.
BOND 2021 UPDATE
Since July, Paula Walker Elementary is complete and is fully operational for students, staff and families. Also now complete are a beautiful office and campus refresh project at Davis Elementary and a school expansion project seen at the front of Ouida Baley Middle School. The Royse City ISD Event Center (adjacent to RCISD Stadium) is the only remaining construction project and is nearing completion and will eventually be home to community events, school board meetings and district-wide professional development training. The Event Center is slated for completion in September of 2024. Land purchases continue for future school sites and district facilities.