Filed November 15, 2016
Introduction
Defendant, Huntsville Board of Education (the “Board”), files this day its second, annual Consent Order Report with the Court. The Board has filed this notice to help the Court, and the citizens of Huntsville, better understand the many documents that compose this Consent Order Report. This notice provides context and explains notable features of nearly every document in the Consent Order Report.
As the Court is well aware, the Consent Order (Doc. 450) requires a variety of reports. Nearly all reports require data from the preceding school year, which, for this year, began July 1, 2015 and ended June 30, 2016. Unlike last year’s report, the data in these documents are from year 1 of the Board’s implementation of the Consent Order.
The first year of implementation was a learning experience for the Board, the City of Huntsville, the students and their families. There are many aspects of this year’s report – such as student discipline data – that the Board believes are aberrations. The first year of implementing any change is difficult, and the Consent Order required many changes. Additionally, many of the difficulties associated with these changes were exacerbated by a number of factors present for the 2015-16 school year:
- Issues driven by the interactions of newly blended student populations;
- Confusion and reluctance on the part of the faculty, staff, and administration concerning the boundaries set by the Consent Order; and
- During at least the latter half of the 2015-16 school year, the City of Huntsville, like the rest of the country, experienced the issues associated with the political season being in full swing.
Despite the aforementioned challenges, the Board remains steadfast in its commitment to a faithful and successful implementation of the Consent Order. This commitment to the Consent Order is evident in the Director of Strategy and Innovation’s work. First, although not required by the Consent Order, the Board developed and revealed a new website prior to the start of the 2016-17 school year. This new website is more user-friendly, and the Board believes the new website will be more effective in conveying information to students and their families.
Additionally, under the guidance of the Director of Strategy and Innovation, central office administrators worked to operationalize all parts of the Consent Order. To do so, every central office administrator worked with the Director of Strategy and Innovation to develop procedures, forms, and other guidance documents for implementing every section of the Consent Order. The procedures and supporting documents were designed so that all the steps necessary to successfully implement the Consent Order would be contained in formal, streamlined procedures. In other words, the procedures were designed so that even if all new employees took over the implementation of the Consent Order, the transition would have only a minimal effect, if any, on implementation. The development of these procedures was an enormous task. As a frame of reference, the development of procedures began shortly after the Court’s entry of the Consent Order and continues even today.
Importantly, the Consent Order Report shows some areas of success and promise. Like last year, the creation of this report required extensive work to collect the necessary information and to compile the information into a reportable format – the latter being a central focus of this year’s report. Board employees performed this daunting task while simultaneously working to implement the Consent Order. It is the Board’s hope that this filing will provide the Court and the Huntsville community a meaningful update of the Board’s implementation progress.
More Information About Each Consent Order Report
As part of its Consent Order Report Filing, Huntsville City Schools also files a cover document that provides more details about the reports. This document is called a "Filing Notice," and it includes clarifications, pertinent background information, and any other information that HCS thinks will help the Court and the public better understand the work that it is doing to implement the Consent Order. Before clicking on the invidual report category links below, it is recommended that you read the cover document. To access that document, please click the following link:
Second Consent Order Reports:
- Student Assignment
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M-TO-M Transfers
II.D.8.a: A report containing the following information for each application requesting a transfer effective for that school year: student identification number; applicant name; address; race; grade level; home/zoned school; school(s) to which transfer sought; each type of transfer requested; the outcome (including, for each transfer granted, identification of the school to which the transfer was approved); and the basis for the denial, if any. II.D.8.b.1: Transfer wait list information maintained pursuant to Section II.D.2.b.12., as of the expiration date of the wait list. The District may report this information separately or as part of the Excel spreadsheet described in Section II.D.8.a.
II.D.8.b.2: Results of M-to-M surveys conducted pursuant to Section II.D.6.b.
II.D.8.b.3: District marketing efforts regarding the M-to-M program, including examples of marketing materials.
Magnet Schools/Programs
II. F. 1: For each magnet program, student applicant data for the previous school year that includes: the number of applicants, disaggregated by race; the number of students accepted, disaggregated by race; the number of students who are not accepted, disaggregated by race (including reason(s) for a student not being accepted); the number of students enrolled, disaggregated by race; and the number of students who withdrew or transferred out of the magnet program, disaggregated by race, (including the reason(s), to the extent available, for the withdrawal or transfer).
II.F.2: A report of magnet marketing and recruitment efforts taken for the previous school year, including samples of brochures and advertisements, and where appropriate, the date and location of the marketing and recruitment.
II.F.3: A report of the magnet courses offered at each magnet school/program for the current school year.
II.F.4: The District’s efforts to review and respond to duplication of magnet courses in the District since the District’s previous annual report.
II.F.5: A report that includes for each student enrolled in a dual enrollment course: the student's name or identification number; school attended; the magnet program attended, if any; grade; the name of each dual enrollment course; and the institution of higher education affiliated with each dual enrollment course.
- Equitable Access To Course Offerings & Programs
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III.M.1.a: A list of all AP and IB diploma courses taught in each high school for the current school year and the enrollment in each AP or IB Diploma course in each high school for the current school year, disaggregated by race.
III.M.1.b: Academic proficiency of students in English and Math in the District and by school, as measured by the State assessments for the previous school year, disaggregated by race.
III.M.1.c: A list of teachers hired or assigned by each high school to teach an AP or IB Diploma course in the current school year, the course(s) taught by each teacher, the number of sections taught by each teacher, and the credentials of each teacher.
III.M.1.d: A report for each school that includes the employee number of each teacher, his or her race, professional degrees, certifications, years of experience (less than 3 years and more than 3 years) and course or courses taught.
III.M.1.e: A list of professional development activities required by Section III conducted in the previous year, including the date, duration, subject matter, presenter, and number of individuals in attendance by group (e.g., principals, teachers, etc.).
III.M.1.f: A list of parent/guardian outreach activities conducted in the previous school year, including the date, duration, and approximate number of individuals in attendance, and estimate of participation levels by race.
III.M.1.g: A list of student support services offered in the previous school year pursuant to Section III.H.
III.M.1.h: A report for the previous school year of the results of the survey required by Section III.I.7. and action steps taken based on the survey results.
III.M.2: The District will provide the data reviewed and the plans developed pursuant to Section III.M. to the United States. The District will provide a summary of the data reviewed and the plans developed pursuant to Section III.M. to the Court.
- Extracurricular Activites
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IV.H.1: A list of extracurricular activities offered in the District, by school and core activity category where applicable.
IV.H.2: School participation rates and targets in the Elementary School Core Activity and the Middle/Junior High School Core Activities and any actions taken by the District to support schools in meeting participation targets.
IV.H.3: A description of measures taken by the District to make students aware of academic clubs and related extracurricular opportunities.
- Faculty
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V.D.1: A list of the members of each committee involved in the recruitment, hiring, assignment, retention, or promotion of administrators, faculty, and certified staff. The list will include: name of committee; each committee member's name; his or her race; position (title and location) and date(s) on which he or she served on the committee.
V.D.2: Documentation of any exigent circumstances pursuant to Section V.A.1.
V.D.3: The total number of certified administrators, by race and position, in the District’s central office.
V.D.4: The total number and percentage of teachers and administrators, by race and by position, in each school facility operated in the District. For reporting purposes, principals will be identified separately from assistant principals.
V.D.5: A list of each certified staff member, such as administrators and faculty, transferred, including: his or her name; race; position; self-reported years of experience; school to which he or she was previously assigned; school to which he or she was transferred; effective date of the transfer; indication of whether the transfer was requested by the certified staff member or initiated by the District or both; and the reason(s) for the transfer.
V.D.6: A description of the measures the District is taking to ensure the equitable selection of Black principals pursuant to Section V.A.2.
V.D.7: A list of all recruiting/job fairs in which the District participated, including the date and location of each such fair.
V.D.8: A list of each central office certified administrator hired, including the administrator’s name, race, position, date of hire, and starting salary (including step and grade).
V.D.9: A list of each central office certified administrator promoted, including the administrator’s name, race, prior position and salary, and new position and salary.
V.D.10: A list of each certified staff member, such as administrators and faculty, who received incentive pay, including his or her name, race, position (title and location), salary grade and step, and incentive amount.
V.D.11: A list of certified staff members, such as administrators and faculty, who were demoted, suspended, or dismissed/terminated, including each person’s name, race, position/title, and date of demotion, suspension, or dismissal/termination.
V.D.12: A list containing information about each candidate submitted to a school for consideration to fill a vacant position, including: candidate’s name; his or her race; an indication of whether he or she was screened at the District level; his or her certification(s), if any; his or her self-reported total years of experience; school and vacant certified position for which his or her name was submitted; date on which that submission occurred; candidate(s) selected by the principal to fill the vacant certified position; and candidate(s) placed in the position.
V.D.13: A list of all candidates nominated for the TOSA program, or any similar program, and for each eligible candidate: candidate’s name; his or her race; school to which he or she was assigned; grade level(s) and/or course(s) he or she taught; individual who nominated him or her; an indication whether he or she accepted any invitation to interview; members of his or her interview committee; and an indication whether he or she was selected to participate in the TOSA program or any similar program.
- Facilities
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VI.C:
The District’s progress on the construction of Morris Pre-K-8 School, Jemison High School, McNair Junior High School, Grissom High School, Whitesburg Pre-K-8 School, Hereford Elementary School, and on the renovation of AAA.
The District’s progress on the renovation of Martin Luther King Elementary School.
The District’s progress towards removing remaining portable classrooms.
Implementation of the District’s Playground plan.
Implementation of the District's SMALLab Plans.
- Student Discipline, Positive School Climate, & Effective Classroom Management
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VII.I.1: The District’s Student Code of Conduct implemented after the effective date of this Consent Order or after the previous annual report.
VII.I.2: A list of professional development activities required by Section VII, including the date, duration, subject matter, presenter and number of individuals in attendance by group (e.g., principals, teachers).
VII.I.3: The information provided to parents/guardians pursuant to Section VII.
VII.I.4: For each school, the total number and percentage of students receiving a disciplinary referral, disaggregated by race, in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, expulsion, school referrals to law enforcement and alternative school placement and plans/strategies developed and implemented as a result of the District’s review in Section VII.G.
- Monitoring, Reporting, & Oversite
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X.A: The District will provide the United States a copy of its student enrollment database electronically in Microsoft Excel or similar format and will file with the Court a report of its student enrollment, disaggregated by school and race.
X.G: The District will provide the United States and the Court with its annual budget and a list of District expenditures related to the implementation of the Consent Order for the previous school year.
