The MISD Board of Trustees met for their regularly scheduled board meeting on Tuesday, September 19. You can watch the video and read the recap below:
During the September meeting of the Montgomery ISD school board, trustees were presented a Best-In-Class recognition from Cenergistic, the district’s provider of energy conservation services. The recognition culminates a two years-long effort to create more energy-efficient buildings that has paid off financially for the school district.
Montgomery ISD has cut expected energy costs by 23% percent since partnering with Cenergistic in 2021. The Best-In-Class recognition celebrates the district’s success with the Cenergistic energy management program — a comprehensive, technology-driven approach to energy conservation at all levels in the district. Since partnering with Cenergistic, Montgomery ISD has avoided $2.9M in energy costs.
“Since beginning our partnership with Cenergistic, Montgomery ISD has greatly benefitted from the energy savings associated with this work,” Interim Superintendent Dr. Amy Busby said. “Our partnership enables the district to exercise fiscal responsibility with taxpayer dollars and operate as efficiently as possible while providing excellent learning environments.”
As an additional benefit of the Cenergistic program, this year Montgomery ISD earned four ENERGY STAR® certifications. This recognition is presented to the most energy-efficient buildings benchmarked against peers and signifies the buildings are in the top 25%. The four MISD campuses earning ENERGY STAR Certifications are Keenan Elementary School, Lincoln Elementary School, Oak Hills Junior High School and Lake Creek High School.
“Montgomery ISD has created a stellar program,” Cenergistic Founder and CEO Dr. William S. Spears said. “Rising to the top in all the metrics with healthier, more efficient buildings, savings and comfort, the district is truly Best-in-Class. Dr. Amy Busby and the school board, administrators and staff members are to be commended for their leadership.”
Also during the meeting, MISD Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education Dr. Chris Summers provided an update on state accountability and the ratings that schools and districts are set to receive as part of the spring 2023 STAAR test. Test scores released in August indicate Montgomery ISD students continued to perform above the state average in every area tested in the STAAR assessment. Results also indicated year-over-year academic gains against 2022 scores. Results from the STAAR assessment are used by the Texas Education Agency to assign A-F ratings for schools and campuses. Last week, TEA announced the A-F ratings for 2023 would be delayed about a month, pending further analysis. The decision comes as several Texas school districts are filing a lawsuit against the state over changes to how A-F ratings will be calculated. Changes to the rating system, as it stands now, will lower district and school ratings, giving the false perception that schools are under performing despite in some cases actually achieving improvements in scores on the spring 2023 STAAR assessment.
“We are closely monitoring this situation and very much share the concerns of school districts statewide about recent changes to the accountability system,” Board President Laurie Turner said. “While we acknowledge that state assessments are just one measure of how our students are growing and learning, we ask for transparency in changes to scoring methodologies that will have an impact on our school district.”
Trustees also recognized employees from the MISD Maintenance Department and the district’s custodial services vendor, Metroclean.
“We are always excited to acknowledge and celebrate hardworking, dedicated members of Team Montgomery,” Board Secretary Linda Porten said. “There is no doubt that the bond construction across the district this summer has increased their workload, and they have stepped up to ensure our campuses are well-maintained for our students and staff every day.”