Wichita Falls ISD superintendent criticizes education savings accounts, urges action on attendance and discipline

Dr. Donnie Lee, superintendent of the Wichita Falls Independent School District, told the Board of Trustees on Monday that enrollment is steady but average daily attendance has dropped to 93.27 and that the district plans principal and teacher incentives to push attendance higher. He argued that state policy proposals, including education savings accounts, threaten public-school funding and oversight.

Lee said recent classroom and community visits have reinforced the district’s priorities while raising doubts about how private-school admissions would interact with publicly funded vouchers. “This is Andrea Shivaler. She’s the head of school at Denton Academy. She said, ‘We want families here that God wants here,’” Lee told trustees, quoting a private-school statement he said was published. “If we’re really talking about…