Highlights of the April 1998 High School Facility/Grade Alignment Committee
Subcommittees
Enrollment Projections
Public Opinion
Site Visit
Academic Impact
Extracurricular Impact
Fiscal Impact
Facilities Impact
Findings of the Enrollment Projections Subcommittee
Projections were based on the following assumptions:
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Current land plans of Coppell, Irving, Grapevine, and Lewisville (within CISD) will remain constant until build-out
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Overall household demographics would remain constant
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CISD boundaries would remain unchanged
Conclusion of the Enrollment Projections Subcommittee
Adopted Population Projection
Public Opinion Subcommittee-Findings
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An overwhelming majority of survey respondents favored some form of grade alignment that would keep all four grades (9-12) on a single campus.
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Number of Survey Respondents
667 citizens
59 teachers
1,093 students
Main Reasons for One Campus as Reported by the Public Opinion Subcommittee
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Fiscal responsibility (cost)
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Preserving a unified community
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Ability to offer a broader range of academic and extracurricular offerings
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The City of Coppell is too small to support two traditional 9-12 high school campuses
Conclusion Based Upon Public Opinion
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The Steering Committee agreed with the Public Opinion Subcommittee that the majority of respondents favored either one single 9th-12th grade campus
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Or, a configuration that would include a 9th Grade Center on the same campus as the other high school
Subcommittee Site Visits - 1998
Possible Building Configurations
OPTION #1: One 9th–12th High School
Continuation of the existing high school configuration
Academic Advantages
Course curriculum with greater depth and breath (more sessions/more courses)
Greater opportunity for teacher sharing regarding curriculum and students
Extracurricular Impact
Greater opportunities-wider variety of activities
Smaller percentage of student will participate in extracurricular activities
Academic Disadvantages or Concerns
Risk of becoming:
Facility Impact
The existing facility would need to be expanded in the following areas:
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classrooms
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cafeteria
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athletics
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fine art facilities
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parking and traffic - flow around the building
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Expansion cost would be $8,000,000
OPTION #2: Two 9th-12th High Schools
Academic Advantages
Extracurricular Impact
Academic Disadvantages or Concerns:
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Potential affects of a decrease in course offerings both in breath and depth
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May require the sharing of teachers between campuses
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Students may have to travel between campuses for some course offerings
Facilities Considerations
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Land limitations within CISD
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Would need to use CMS West as the "new" high school
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Would need to build another new middle school
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"Status"perception could create a division in the community
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Two high schools of equal size would leave the "current" high school building underutilized
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1,250 students in a building designed for over 2,000 students
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Renovation of CMS West and construction of a new middle school would cost $30,000,000
OPTION #3: 9th-10th and 11th-12th Separate Campuses
This option was not given significant consideration due to the inability to obtain the numbers of students necessary on either campus to achieve possible advantages
OPTION #4: 9th Grade Center on a Separate Campus
Insufficient Projected Enrollment
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To be successful with a separate 9th grade center, approximately 800 students would need to be enrolled to allow for appropriate class offerings and facility use
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Projected enrollment at build-out not expected to reach 800 students
Additional Concerns
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Severe restrictions my be imposed on the flexibility of students to participate in extracurricular activities
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Mentoring opportunities for relationships between older and younger students will be severely limited
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Would create two "transition" years (9th grade and then again in 10th grade)
Fiscal Impact
Estimated to cost $20,000,000 to $25,000,000 based upon construction costs of CMS North
Additional Expansion Necessary
OPTION #5: 9th Grade Center within 9th-12th High School
Advantages
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Would feature the physical benefits of a single large high school with slight modifications to include more classrooms and labs for 9th grade
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Would have a separate 9th grade "wing" for core classes
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Provides an area of the building for 9th grade academics
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Academic benefits for 9th grade students are achieved
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Extracurricular opportunities are not restricted for 9th grade students
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Mentoring between students is facilitated
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Best utilizes the existing high school facility
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Provides room for 180 more students than projected
Provide Support for All Students
Establish a Positive Climate
Address Administrative Issues
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Teacher Profile
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Staffing
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GPA
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Planners
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Classroom Sets of Texts
Fiscal Impact - $9,000,000