El Paso ISD trustees discuss ‘North Star’ goal to raise number of A/B schools, end F-rated attendance

El Paso — At a special El Paso ISD Board of Trustees workshop on Aug. 27, trustees and consultants reviewed a proposed district “North Star” goal that would set an ambitious target for increasing the percentage of students attending A- or B-rated campuses and removing students from F-rated campuses.

Consultants from the System of Great Schools (SGS) network urged trustees to pair any long-term target with annual planning and routine performance checks. “Every system is perfectly designed to get the results you get,” consultant Paul Pastorek said, quoting W. Edwards Deming during the workshop.

The consultants and district staff described a yearly five-step planning cycle that begins with a quality seats analysis — an annual review of each campus’ academic, enrollment and talent data — that the team said should be ready for trustees by October. Administration would return in December with school-by-school recommended actions so the board can link the decisions to the budget-planning timeline.

Why it matters: Texas school accountability carries consequences for persistently low-performing campuses. Trustees pressed for guardrails that would limit student enrollment in F-rated campuses, and several trustees urged adopting a near-term objective to ensure no student attends an F-rated campus while pursuing a longer-range A/B target.

Key details discussed - Current baseline and targets: Consultants noted the district moved from roughly 37% to about 59% of students in A/B seats after recent work; trustees debated targets ranging from the commonly used 80% in five years up to 90% as a more aggressive aim. Several trustees and staff emphasized adopting an interim guardrail to eliminate F-rated attendance sooner. - Quality seats analysis (QSA): The QSA will combine state accountability results, interim assessments, enrollment and utilization data, talent metrics (e.g., staff experience), attendance and other indicators. Trustees were told the QSA should be refreshed each year and used to identify which schools need universal supports, targeted interventions or intensive actions (such as ACE restarts). - Timeline: Consultants recommended QSA by October, action recommendations by December to align with TEA grant cycles and district budgeting, and school-level execution beginning the next school year with ongoing performance management.

Discussion and concerns Trustees asked how QSA findings would reflect community preference and noted past engagement efforts (for example, destination-district redesign) that produced mixed results on transportation and neighborhood-school preferences. Trustee Leah Hanani and others said that while many parents want high-quality neighborhood schools, other families also seek specialized programs, so the district must gather representative family input.

What the board directed or will review next - Administration and SGS consultants will produce an updated QSA for October and a recommended set of school actions by December tied to the budget cycle. - Trustees discussed adopting an explicit North Star goal and adding a short-term guardrail (no students attending F-rated campuses); no formal board action was taken at the workshop.

Context and next steps Consultants said districts often adopt a North Star goal alongside annual school planning and performance management so progress is visible year to year. Trustees asked for annual calendars showing when they will receive interim data tied to the board’s goals and for clarity about which metrics the board will use to hold administration accountable.

Ending Trustees left the workshop with a shared sense of urgency about addressing low-performing campuses and a direction to review the QSA and return to the board with specific recommendations and a monitoring calendar this fall.