Over the course of the past month, FDISD has become aware of incorrect information being shared through social media platforms. The Board and myself as the new superintendent have strived to be open, honest and transparent about what is happening in the district and why. In this same way, we want to provide some factual information that is not consistent with some of what we have been seeing on social media.
1. No “renovations” have been made to any district buildings at this time. We have spent the summer cleaning and disposing of old or broken items, providing much needed upkeep and maintenance (including tree trimming, painting, deep carpet cleaning, power washing, waxing of floors, and other general items), and working to restore Fort Davis School to a top notch facility. As for the administration building, we are currently working to deep clean that building in order to utilize it as an Early Childhood Center. No renovations of any kind to this building are being done outside of working with a local contractor to build a privacy fence around the building to help with safety. Many of these items have not been completed for some time. All of these items would be considered general upkeep and not any type of renovation.
2. Fort Davis ISD has not purchased any new vehicles since my arrival. The fleet of vehicles currently in service with Fort Davis ISD are the same vehicles that were already in place and purchased by past administrations.
3. While we certainly value our working relationship with County Judge Curtis Evans, he has not been hired to work for Fort Davis ISD as a Fort Davis ISD employee. FDISD has contracted with Judge Evans’s construction company to help with alleviating areas that flood in order to maintain the integrity of our buildings and health of our students.
4. The Fort Davis Indian football field is also not being torn up to build a playground. Many years ago, Fort Davis participated in 11-man football which is played on a larger field. Upon shifting to 6-man football, the field was reduced to accommodate the smaller size.
In order to accommodate a playground now, the district has looked at shifting the football field about 15 yards to the north which would provide a larger play area for a playground. Because the field once was an 11-man field, this shift would not have any impact on the playing surface of our field.
5. Mandatory Board Training was provided to the School Board on June 1. This is a yearly requirement that all school boards in the state of Texas must go through. This training was provided in the district in order to best accommodate the busy schedules of our board members. Other organizations (Texas Association of School Boards, Texas Rural Education Association, etc.) provide training at their annually hosted conferences. Our board was not able to all attend either of these conferences, held in June, so their training was provided in district. A portion of the administration team did attend the TREA training in mid-June. We are also required to have professional development and meet with other school leaders in order to grow in our professional capacities and learn what possible changes could be coming from the state. These types of training and conferences are not new and many of them provide our administrators and board members with great assistance in order to perform the duties required.
6. Fort Davis ISD is not currently under investigation by TEA. The district has had correspondence and corrective actions we have had to complete in the areas of Fiscal Responsibility, Safety and Security, Maintenance of Effort reporting in regards to Special Education, and a review of Student Leaver Data reported by the campus. All of these reviews were from data and information prior to my arrival under previous administrations, but since my arrival our team has worked diligently to get us into compliance with TEA and currently all but 1 review is closed. We are currently working to implement new processes and procedures that will allow us to operate without TEA finding areas in need of corrective action.
7. Declining enrollment in Fort Davis ISD has been occurring since before COVID and continued on once schools returned from the pandemic. Jeff Davis County has also experienced a decline in population at a rate of 3.5-4% per year in that same time with the median age of residents being 58 years old. What does this mean? Simply put, an older population without young children to attend school and a lack of people moving to the area and, instead, moving away, has led to the population of FDISD declining.
8. The movement of students into one building was not meant to lessen the importance of the Dirks-Anderson building. As I stated, I understand the importance of history and want to do all we can to keep that spirit alive. The move was to help reduce overhead costs, bring all staff together to better utilize the talents of all of our employees to help all of our students, improve safety and security across the district, and work to improve the academic performance of the district. This was discussed with the Board of Trustees at the May board meeting. This model is successful across many districts in our region and our state and I know it can be successful in Fort Davis.
I hope this document helps to clear up the misinformation that has been being circulated on social media. I understand that people have opinions on each side of the issue. However, the end goal of the school district, the community, and the parents should be what is best for our students, which includes making hard choices at times in the education environment of today. If we all work together, we can provide a quality educational experience for each one of them.
Jason L. Crow
Superintendent
