Granbury ISD presents AVID, special programs and attendance reports; district highlights scholarships and behavioral trends

School leaders and students gave three substantive program updates at Monday’s Granbury ISD board meeting: a student‑led presentation from AVID seniors, the annual special programs (special education) update, and an academic progress report on attendance and disciplinary removals.

Why it matters: The AVID presentation highlighted college‑going outcomes and scholarship earnings. The special programs update quantified the scope of special education services and staff resources, and the academic report described attendance‑related funding impacts and behavioral trends that affect instructional time.

AVID senior presentation: Students from the district’s AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program described senior‑year outcomes and fundraising. AVID council members reported the senior class set a scholarship goal of $2.3 million and exceeded it: “As of last week, our grand total for only 30 students is $3,200,000,” said Puja Vittelpura, an AVID senior and council member. Students also described college acceptances and announced fall enrollments at institutions including Texas A&M, Texas Tech, University of Alabama and University of North Texas.

Special programs update: Tamara Hudson, special programs coordinator, told trustees the district serves about 1,400 students through special education and about 868 students through Section 504 plans; 663 of the students were identified with dyslexia. Hudson described staffing that supports special programs: 85 teachers, 90 paraprofessionals, 12 diagnosticians, 3 school psychologists, 13 speech therapists (10 speech therapists and 3 speech assistants), occupational therapy staff and other specialists. She said federal IDEA and state rules guide many placements and services.

Academic attendance and disciplinary report: Tammy Clark presented district monitoring of attendance and disciplinary removals. Clark said the district recorded 58,034 absences so far in the year, which she estimated has translated to nearly $2.5 million in missed revenue when multiplied by average daily attendance funding calculations; she distinguished excused and unexcused absences. Clark said the district tracks removals by code (out‑of‑school suspension, in‑school suspension, DAEP placements) and noted that disciplinary removals are more frequent at secondary campuses. The top removal reasons are e‑cigarettes, skipping, disruptive actions, pushing/shoving and disrespect to school personnel. Clark said e‑cigarettes are a statewide problem and noted the district is exploring vape detectors and parent education.

Board comments and next steps: Trustees thanked students for the AVID presentation and praised the special programs staff. Administrators said they will continue monitoring attendance trends and will present accountability and assessment results when they are released by the Texas Education Agency. The special programs team noted partnerships with community organizations — including the YMCA, Cook Children’s and the Brazos River Authority — and initiatives such as Unified Robotics and Special Olympics participation that aim to increase inclusion.

Data and context: Hudson said the district’s state and local expenditures for special programs in 2023–24 were just under $12 million, and the IDEA federal grant for the year was roughly $1.6 million. Clark said attendance dipped in January and February due to flu and that March returned to stronger levels; she labeled some absences as excused or unexcused for funding calculations.