When kindergartners arrived in late September to Connally Elementary School, a familiar face greeted them each step of the way.
“We wanted them to know that this was their new home,” Connally Elementary Principal Betsy Burnett said. “And that they had people they knew, and then new faces they would get to know around them to help them feel comfortable.”
Consolidating the small district’s three elementary school campuses has been a top priority of Connally ISD since the state of Texas appointed new leadership this spring to turn around academic performances.
Leaders say they believe the consolidation will streamline operations, save money and bolster the district’s academics. Falling enrollment over the last few years has made the consolidation possible.
For decades, elementary students were spread between campuses about 1.3 miles apart. Grades fourth and fifth were housed at the aging campus near Business 77 in Lacy Lakeview, then known as Connally Elementary. Grades first through third were at the newer Elm Mott campus.
Those grades were merged at the beginning of the school year at the Elm Mott campus, now renamed from Connally Primary to Connally Elementary.
That left prekindergarten and kindergarten at the Early Childhood Center next to the old elementary in Lacy Lakeview. Now that kindergartners have moved to the consolidated campus, prekindergartners and daycare will remain at the Lacy Lakeview campus, and the vacated elementary school houses the Disciplinary Alternative Education Program.
Shrinking to save
Consolidation was partly an effort to save money in a district that has been unable to balance its budget for the last several years. Administrators say the strategy is saving money by reducing the need for administrators and staff among multiple campuses.
The district has not realized the full potential savings in consolidation because it is still paying for utility costs at the old campus.
The state-appointed Connally ISD board on Aug. 18 passed a $28.9 million budget, which included a $1.4 million revenue shortfall. New costs included $300,000 for the afterschool enrichment program, as well as a $530,000 increase in employee insurance costs.
Jerry Allen, Connally ISD chief operations and finance officer, said in August that he’s confident Connally will be able to balance its budget next year.
Efficiency gains
Connally ISD had originally planned to consolidate kindergartners at the elementary school just the Friday before fall break in October, but Superintendent Josie Gutierrez moved up the date to Sept. 21.
Burnett said putting kindergartners under the same roof as elementary students makes it easier for administrators to do walk-throughs and implement new academic strategies.
Before the move, special staff for music, physical education, and library would have to travel between campuses to serve kindergartners.
The kindergarten classes had a makeshift library in a classroom converted to house books. Now they can use the much larger elementary school library and attend book fairs.
They will also have access to better amenities such as the gymnasium, a music room and a cafeteria with more food options.
In addition, the kindergarten students no longer have to be transported to the elementary campus for the Cadet afterschool enrichment hour.
“You have everything here for all the kids,” Allen said. “When they’re separated, you do have those services, but it’s almost like a delayed response … We’re providing a service over there, but it’s not to the level that we can’t if they’re on our campus.”
Accountability improvements
Connally ISD officials say the consolidation could also help improve outcomes on the state’s A-F accountability ratings.
Before consolidation, Connally Elementary had received five years of failing ratings under the state’s A-F accountability system. Along with similar underperformance at Connally Junior High, that triggered the state takeover of the whole school district. The Texas Education Agency appointed a new superintendent, a conservator and three school board members to turn the district around.
The accountability ratings are mostly based on testing, which begins in third grade. The consolidation allows the school to track and demonstrate progress over several years, which would help the campus’ overall accountability grade.
The consolidation will help with planning and creating cohesion among the elementary grade levels.
“You don’t have three different campuses with three different plans and three different administrative teams,” Burnett said. “That was a struggle last year.”
In addition, the move to the bigger campus allows the kindergarten students to see modeled behaviors from the older elementary students. At the annex, the kindergarteners were the oldest grade level.
“They don’t know how to act until you teach them how to act, but when you get first grade, second grade, third grade, fourth grade, (and) fifth grade, showing kindergarteners how to act, all of a sudden there’s a different feel in the school,” Burnett said.
The move took about two and a half weeks of planning, with maintenance officials and the five kindergarten teachers working late nights and weekends.
District administrators say the work will pay off.
“It’s not easy. It’s not for the faint of heart sometimes,” Allen said. “But getting it done gives us that reset that we need to be able to say, ‘OK, so now we’ve made it through Year 1.’ Year 2 should be easier.”
