On the afternoon of August 31, a meeting was held for the parents, students, teachers, staff, business partners, and other members of the community of McReynolds Middle School, a member of the Houston school system located in the east side of the city. . Hundreds of people filled the school auditorium, leaving only standing room.
McReynolds, along with Kashmere and Sam Houston of the Houston school, will shut down next spring if they don’t improve their state ranking. McReynolds has been rated “academically unacceptable” by the state for three consecutive years. He has given the 2006-2007 school year a rating of at least “academically acceptable.”
The meeting discussed the 2006-2007 plans to improve McReynolds’ state rating. Speakers included school and district leaders, with Houston School Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra, Board of Education President Diana Dávila, and First Vice President Manuel Rodríguez representing the Houston school district.
The purpose of the meeting was to educate the community on steps being taken to prevent school closure next year, solicit feedback from the public and all stakeholders, discuss what still needs to be done, and garner help, support, and community participation.
Houston Schools installed Jorge Arredondo in 2005 as the school’s principal. Although it was his first time as principal, student progress increased significantly in the 2005-2006 school year from the previous year. McReynolds experienced significant improvement in the areas of math, reading, and writing, earning “Recognized” status from the state in the areas of reading and writing. Additionally, the number of students increased by receiving a “commended” status from the state for their excellent performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test.
Arredondo credits his staff for the improvements, but he had already implemented many changes during the 2006-2007 school year that supported both students and teachers. Some examples:
o New teachers were assigned full-time mentors;
o “Bear (School Mascot) Team Time” was created to provide additional TAKS support to targeted students; Y
o Added new staff: 22 new teachers, two new assistant principals, and another bilingual counselor.
During Arredondo’s discussion, he reiterated his commitment to the McReynolds and said he expects greatness from the students at his Houston schools. He acknowledged his belief that “how much educators care about them” matters more to Houston’s children, citing his own experience with high school teachers “who never gave up on him” and cared what happened to him. He also expressed his belief that all of the McReynolds teachers and staff care deeply about the students at the Houston school and want everyone to be successful.
Houston School Superintendent Saavedra ended his speech by urging everyone in the McReynolds community to get involved as a mentor, volunteer or in other equally valuable roles. Saavedra expressed his confidence in Arredondo and the success of the school during the 2006-2007 school year under Arredondo’s guidance and leadership. Saavedra ended up giving his full support to Arredondo and said: “Whatever he needs, we will do it.”