Pearland ISD board reviews first strategic scorecard: attendance, safety drills, behavior and curriculum updates tracked

The Pearland Independent School District board received a detailed progress update on a newly adopted strategic scorecard at its Oct. 14 meeting, Superintendent Doctor Berger said. The district framed its targets across four priorities: students, staff, community and finance, and presented multiple beginning-of-year measures for the board to review.

Attendance and student safety: Berger said average daily attendance (ADA) for the first six‑week cycle was 96.68%, down from 97.10% for the comparable period in 2024–25, a decline of 0.42 percentage points. The district said it wants to reach a 97% ADA target by 2029 and is working with campus leaders on attendance incentives.

Safety drills and audits: The district reported completion of required campus drills during a recent “drill week.” TEA security audits found two formal findings in five TEA audits the district recorded; internal audits show door-audit compliance at 78%, badge audits 80% and general safety 89%. Safety director Mr. Palumbo said drills are followed by after‑action reviews and campuses are working through corrective steps.

Behavior and discipline trends: Berger told trustees that early‑year discipline referrals increased versus the same period last year. The district attributed a substantial portion of the rise to stricter enforcement of personal communications device rules and ID policies: electronic communications referrals rose by 765, ID infractions by 540, excessive tardies by 440 and skipping‑class referrals by 79 over last year’s early period. High schools also reported an increase in possession of marijuana referrals; the district noted vape detectors in high‑school restrooms. Trustees discussed whether higher referral counts indicate behavior changes or stronger enforcement by teachers supported by administrators.

Student supports: Counseling services recorded more than 20,000 confirmed counselor office visits districtwide in the nine‑week period, covering academic counseling, social‑emotional work and college advising. The RISE mentoring program reported about 355 active mentor/mentee matches supported by roughly 346 mentors, with about 90 students still waiting to be matched and 52 mentors ready for matches.

Behavior‑threat assessments and monitoring: The district uses a Sentinel system to log screeners and full threat assessments. Berger said last year there were 77 screeners districtwide; for the current nine‑week period there were 11 screeners and one full behavior‑threat assessment so far (the district plans better nine‑week-to‑nine‑week comparisons next reporting period). Technology monitoring (Microsoft Purview) flagged 8,414 communications for review between Aug. 13 and Sept. 26; 12 of those rose to a level warranting principal/parental notification.

Curriculum and professional learning: The district presented a new standardized curriculum template for teachers that includes objectives, prerequisites, language demands and work samples. Doctor Allen and CNI staff said K–8 math, algebra I, K–12 social studies and parts of science and language arts are in advanced stages; upper‑level math and some upper‑level science work remain to be completed. Administrators emphasized the documents are working documents and teachers contribute to refinement.

College, career and military readiness: The board was presented with dual‑credit and AP enrollment numbers and a projected CCMR (college, career and military readiness) rate of 99.2% for 2025–26; administrators cautioned that recent TEA rule changes may remove some CCMR pathways and could lower statewide rates.

Staffing and professional development: HR reported improved onboarding metrics, positive Welcome Week feedback from new employees and pilot new‑teacher mentoring programs. The board asked for a TASB compensation/comparison study to inform pay‑scale decisions; that survey data is expected and will be used to inform compensation discussions.

Facilities and maintenance: The district has implemented FMX work‑order software. August and September completion rates for scheduled maintenance were 78%. District staff said many overdue items reflect parts procurement or scheduling rather than lack of effort; leadership said they expect completion metrics to improve as staff and vendors adapt to the system.

Next steps: The board asked administration to provide clearer periodic benchmark summaries (trend sheets showing where measures are improving or declining) and requested targeted follow‑up materials on items trustees flagged for more detail (for example, curriculum completion timelines, circulation rates for library materials and additional context on discipline referral drivers). Berger said the district will post a public dashboard and continue quarterly scorecard reporting.