Lake Highlands Freshman Center
What’s best for students: a consolidated 9-12 high school or a freshman center? Lake Highlands can have the best of both, says Richardson ISD.
RISD will consolidate Lake Highlands High School and Lake Highlands Freshman Center, but – even after the merger – 9th graders will remain in the freshman building. The plan, outlined in a letter to the community and clarified in FAQs, is available below and on the RISD website. You can watch a video of LHHS Principal Frank Miller and LHFC Principal Bill Gallo discussing the plan here.
The merger will take one year to complete, as RISD officials use the 2015-16 school year to work with Texas Education Agency (TEA) officials, following TEA protocols to create one school. The consolidation permits more coordinated efforts between principals, teachers and staff, especially with items such as student scheduling, course offerings and teacher-sharing. “Vertical teaming,” or coordination between same-subject teachers at various grade levels, should become easier, too.
The first system to consolidate – a TEA requirement – will be counseling and schedule pick up. Freshman counselors will move to LHHS, and students will stay with the same counselor for four years.
Freshman courses will remain in the freshman building, and many freshman-only events will be continued. Students and parents at LHFC and LHHS will be given opportunities in the coming months (and years) to help refine how freshmen integrate into student life at LHHS.
Changes were discussed in the fall as part of a plan to handle rapid enrollment growth – 10% in RISD and 25% in LH over the last 5 years – and accommodate state mandates including career and technology education (CTE, sometimes called vocational education). Fully integrating freshmen into the LHHS building was initially proposed by RISD, which met resistance from parents and community members. For reasons both academic and social, parents said (and I wrote here), keeping freshmen separate makes sense for Lake Highlands.
Consolidation will enable construction to occur at LHHS only, resulting in taxpayer savings. The early college high school, discussed at previous planning meetings, will now be studied as a RISD-wide option and not built within LHFC.
Though daily student life won’t change much, creating a single academic unit won’t be without a few hiccups. The new LHHS will be a campus with two unattached buildings – that can’t be helped. But – for all the reasons expressed by the community and heard loud and clear by RISD leadership, freshmen will remain at LHFC.
Members of the stakeholder advisory team (disclaimer: I was one) and RISD officials welcome your feedback. You may contact RISD at cindy.read@risd.org or 469-593-0284 or leave your public comment here on the blog.
April 2, 2015
Dear Wildcat Parents and Community,
We are writing to share an update about addressing secondary enrollment growth in the Lake Highlands area, one of RISD’s priority goals.
During the last several months, we have evaluated ways to strategically address the logistical and instructional challenges inherent to current operations of LHHS and LHFC. District staff analyzed enrollment growth and demographic projections, new high school graduation requirements, college and career readiness opportunities and more. We also invited several community members to serve on a stakeholder advisory team to study and reflect on a grade configuration that would best serve students in the LH feeder pattern long term. Parent and community feedback received during the fall semester was instrumental in guiding our dialogue and we kept it in the forefront during our data-driven discussions. A consistent theme emerged – a separate facility for freshmen which provides a nurturing transitional environment was greatly valued by the community.
After thoughtfully reflecting on the feedback from the Lake Highlands community, examining the logistical and instructional challenges associated with separate campuses, and envisioning the benefits of a united four-year high school, we are committed to a plan that honors community values and serves our students’ educational needs. This plan maintains the LHFC building as a separate building to serve ninth graders, operating as a portion of LHHS and continuing to be fully staffed instructionally and administratively. The united 9-12 model will provide our students with a number of academic and instructional benefits.
While continuing to serve ninth graders in a separate building, we plan to request permission from the Texas Education Agency to combine campuses into a united academic unit under the Lake Highlands High School name. For the long term, we anticipate that new classroom construction will be needed at the main LHHS building to accommodate enrollment growth. For more details, please see the attached FAQs or view them online via the LHFC, LHHS, or RISD websites.
We offer special thanks to the members of the Lake Highlands community who served on our stakeholder advisory team: Jerry Allen, Greg Duval, Donna Halstead, Carolyn Murray, Carol Toler, and Joan Walne. Their efforts and perspectives have been invaluable in this process.
As we prepare for the 2015-2016 transition year, we encourage your feedback and ideas. Please contact any of us using the means listed below. Thank you again for your dedication and thoughtful input into this evaluation and planning process.
Sincerely,
Kay Waggoner, Ph.D., Superintendent, 469-593-0401, kay.waggoner@risd.org
Frank Miller, Principal, LHHS, 469-593-1000, frank.miller@risd.org
Bill Gallo, Principal, LHFC, 469-593-1300, bill.gallo@risd.org
Lake Highlands High School (LHHS)/Lake Highlands Freshman Center (LHFC) Transition FAQs
1) When will LHHS and LHFC become a single academic unit?
Pending approval by the Texas Education Agency, the 2015-2016 school year will be used to plan and prepare, with 2016-2017 being the first year that LHHS will operate as a 9-12 academic high school in the two existing facilities.
2) What will be the impact on freshmen compared to the existing model? Will there be a transition or adjustment for students?
Very little will change from a ninth grader’s perspective. As they do currently, freshmen will still take their core classes, have lunch and utilize the library in the separate LHFC building. As now, some freshmen taking advanced classes may walk to the main building for that purpose.
The most noticeable differences for ninth graders will be enhanced course offerings, the chance to work with the same counselor throughout their 9-12 career, and more opportunities to be involved in extra-curricular clubs and activities at the main building.
3) Will ninth graders still have opportunities to participate in freshmen-only events and extra-curricular activities?
Yes. The opportunities currently available to freshmen to participate in athletics and fine arts will not change. Freshmen-only events and activities will continue to be offered.
4) What are the benefits of LHHS and LHFC becoming a single academic unit?
Coordinating the schools academically will provide benefits and maximum flexibility in areas of course offerings, instructional planning, counseling, scheduling, space usage and student opportunities:
*Enhanced course offerings and curriculum related to the state’s new graduation plans that allow students to choose graduation pathways based on personal interests
*A counseling program that allows students to work with the same counselor for four years, encouraging a richer advisory relationship and more consistent preparation for the college or career of their choice
* Stronger instructional alignment and opportunities for 9-12 teachers in each academic area to work and plan together
* Increased efficiencies and flexibility in class scheduling and administration due to a single master schedule and state identification number with the Texas Education Agency
*Additional co- and extra-curricular opportunities for freshmen, including more chances to engage in school spirit activities and be part of the Wildcat culture
5) Will any staff members lose their jobs?
We do not anticipate that staff members will lose their jobs. The LHFC will continue to serve ninth graders, as it does now. Core subject teachers at the LHFC will continue to teach ninth graders and the building will retain a fully staffed administrative team.
6) Will the school receive a single accountability rating?
Yes. Ninth graders will be considered part of LHHS for accountability purposes.
7) How many classrooms will need to be added to the main LHHS building and what is the projected cost?
Current enrollment projections and program needs call for 24 classrooms to be added to LHHS to accommodate additional students. The classrooms would tentatively be part of a 2016 bond referendum and built prior to the 2020-2021 school year. The current projection for a 24 classroom addition to LHHS is approximately $22.9 million.
8) Will an early college high school be located in either LH building?
No. RISD will continue to study the possibility of offering a district-wide early college high school option to students in the future as part of planning for a potential 2016 bond referendum.
9) Would students still travel between the two buildings?
Yes, students would still travel between the two buildings to take classes at about the same rate as currently occurs.
