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Wichita Falls ISD presents turnaround plan to place Hershey Middle under Third Future Schools management
Summary
At a Wichita Falls Independent School District Board of Trustees meeting, district staff presented a turnaround plan that would place Hershey Middle School in a management partnership with Third Future Schools, shifting day-to-day operations and staffing while funding would come from a grant application plus district and Title funds.
At a meeting of the Wichita Falls Independent School District Board of Trustees, trustees heard a presentation on a turnaround plan to place Hershey Middle School under a district charter-style partnership with Third Future Schools, a school management organization.
The plan matters because Hershey has been “identified for comprehensive support,” staff said, citing the Texas Education Agency accountability system’s closing-the-gaps measure. District staff told trustees the partnership is intended to rapidly improve outcomes through changes to leadership, staffing and instruction.
Ms. Difery, a district staff member who presented the plan, said, “Turnaround strategy for Hershey Middle School is a school improvement strategy that is based on a district charter partnership.” She described Third Future Schools as a management organization that would “assume day to day operations of the campus” with an emphasis on leadership, data-driven instruction and rapid improvement.
Under the proposal, Third Future Schools would provide an extended-year calendar with 10 additional school days and summer programming; a personalized learning plan for each student; 90 minutes daily of math and reading instruction; intensive professional development and teacher observation; supports for special populations; and use of NWEA MAP assessments to track growth from the start to the end of the year, staff said. “They will be assessing student progress through daily demonstrations of learning,” Ms. Difery said.
District staff said funding for the partnership would come from a planned grant application through what the presentation called the “18 APG partnership,” supplemented by a per-pupil allocation from district funds and Title plans. Presenters stated the district would provide $61.60 per pupil to Third Future Schools, calculated on the district’s weighted average daily attendance.
Trustee Ward (first name not specified) asked whether the district expected to receive the grant; staff replied they expect to apply for and to receive the grant and confirmed the $61.60 per-pupil allocation would be paid from district funds. When asked who would hire teachers, presenters said Third Future Schools would make personnel decisions and would have “complete control over this staffing.”
Board oversight would include midyear and end-of-year meetings between the board and Third Future officials to assess progress; presenters said Third Future would provide an additional deficiency plan if progress were insufficient. The full written turnaround plan is posted on the district website and a public feedback survey link is available, staff said.
No formal motion or vote was taken during the presentation, and no members of the public signed up for comment on the item. The meeting adjourned shortly afterward.
