Red Oak ISD table vote to renew 10-year teaching option

RED OAK – The Red Oak ISD tabled a vote until the August school board meeting pending a request for additional data points including students’ success rates regarding a successful 10-year ISD program called Edgenuity.

The agenda item was presented to the ISD Trustees by Melissa Sulak, Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction. The idea was to purchase the three-year program that it was said would save the district $14,000 at a cost of $125,000.

The Edgenuity program has been used over the years within the Red Oak ISD for credit recovery at both the Red Oak Middle School and Red Oak High School.

“Edgenuity has served ROISD students very well as a remediation and intervention tool, one of many in our toolbox,” stated Sulak. “After the past 18 months with COVID learning loss, we need Edgenuity now more than ever.

“Along with interventionists, tutors, expanded summer programs, and other intervention and remediation tools, we hope to quickly return our Hawk students to their previous exceptional levels of learning.”

The contract to renew the Edgenuity program provides training for ROISD staff and is an online credit recovery program for high school and middle school students.

The program is also used for DAEP students, Hawk Success, and those with extenuating circumstances who wish to maintain their graduation time frame.

Staff also noted if a teacher or counselor identifies a student as failing at six-weeks, they can use Edgenuity learning modules during select school times or at home to accelerate their intervention and get back on path.

Unit tests must be successfully completed to proceed to the next module. Students who fail a course can complete Edgenuity modules the next semester or even in the summer for credit recovery.

The ISD also uses the courses that follow the Texas TEKS and they have control of the selection of courses and unit tests being conducted in person.

This flexibility is said to allow for a student to continue modules through breaks and even summer and is used primarily for core classes like math, science, English, and social studies.

Place 5 board trustee Penny Story said of the program, “Why don’t we use the money for tutoring and local teachers? You just put them online and they’re out there with the curriculum. Those are natural consequences of having to retake a class they fail.”

Another trustee member, Place 4 John Knight said, “It’s the parent’s responsibility to teach life to the students,” however Place 3 trustee Johnny Knight added, “We have an opportunity to get these kids through their classes to graduate, move on and get on with life.”

The ISD did vote unanimously 6-0 to approve the purchase of a new roof at the Red Oak ISD Education Service Center.

The Education Service Center is the former Red Oak Elementary School, which has had numerous additions throughout the years. The section of roof in need of replacement is 30 years old and has some leak issues that have been patched over the years – approximately 21,000 square-feet of roof surface according to Red Oak ISD staff.

There have in the past been two sections of the roof replaced in the south wing of the building. The bid for the replacement was secured through TIPS (Region 8 ESC – Interlocal Purchasing System) with Coryell Roofing for $173,110.07.

“The new 50mil Duro-last roof and gutters will protect the Red Oak ISD Education Service Center contents for at least the next 15 years,” said Kevin Freels, Assistant Superintendent of District Operations.

“We continue to find affordable ways to maintain the integrity of our facilities without increasing taxes – in fact, ROISD has lowered the tax rate each of the last three years.”