Wichita Falls — Dr. Donnie Lee, superintendent of Wichita Falls ISD, briefed the City Council on Jan. 21 about district achievements and invited city leaders to participate in the district's Principal for a Day program.

Lee said Wichita Falls ISD was one of only three districts statewide selected for consideration by the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) Future Ready superintendent group, and that the district opened two new comprehensive high schools on time and under budget. Lee said the district also renovated Hershey Middle School earlier than planned using $2,100,000 generated from bond interest so the work did not reduce the district's fund balance.

"We opened them up on time. And we opened them up under budget," Lee said of the two high schools. He told council members that three years ago the district had a fund balance of about $21 million and today has about $49 million.

Lee said the district provided raises this year averaging 5 to 8 percent for staff and gave a $1,000 bonus to every employee at convocation. He described curriculum investments — an elementary math curriculum (to be called Bluebonnet) and Texas Amplify reading curriculum — funded in part through partnerships with the McCoy Foundation and the Texas Education Agency so the district paid no local portion for a $4 million package.

Lee invited council members and other city leaders to be "principal for the day," a half-day program designed to show officials day-to-day campus operations including arrival, lunch duty and instruction time. "You're gonna actually be the principal for half the day," Lee said, describing car pickup duty, lunch duty and classroom visits as part of the experience.

Council members asked clarifying questions about facilities and staffing; Lee emphasized that campus principals are key drivers of student success and described the district's teacher advisory council and other stakeholder efforts.