KISD's Student Packet

Katy Citizen Watchdog$

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KISD’s Student Packet

Just before school started, copies of the KISD Elementary 2007-2008 Student Information Packet were sent to elementary principals. The contents included a Free & Reduced Lunch application, a Parent Permission form for lunch visitors, a KEYS Mentor Profile application, a Back to School information sheet, a school district calendar, an information sheet entitled "What's New in Technology, a VIPS flyer, an enrollment card with coding information, a District Attendance Notification, a page entitled "Is Your Child's School Bus Ready?" an information sheet for parents of students receiving school bus transportation, eNews and campus visitor tracking information, information on "Meal Pay and food service, Facts about Head Lice, Facts about the West Nile Virus, and information on KISD employment opportunities.

As background information, one must remember that part of the Xpediant mess that was highlighted and uncovered prior to last year's bond elections, included the fact that Xpediant and the previous superintendent got rid of a perfectly fine, functioning, quality print shop dispensing with the faithful employees and equipment. IKON OFFICE SOLUTIONS was selected as the replacement vehicle for KISD Printing. Teachers and aides have been complaining to the Watchdogs ever since about printing matters. Hiring out the print work means there's no one at that point who catches even spelling errors.

Notable in the packet described above which was sent to principals were all the corrections that quickly ensued. Memos from Janine Phillips, the Executive Director for Elementary Education, point out the following flaws made in the documents:

1. Ms. Phillips explains that "the "Consent to Perform Criminal History Background Check form has raised several questions and concerns." She is afraid that parents will not understand that KEYS mentor applicants are the only ones who need to complete the form provided. To fix the problem, she suggests that labels be printed by principals to attach to each child's flyer that state "Only KEYS applicants need to complete this form" or "For KEYS applicants only" since the form seems to be confusing.

2. Also, the 'Parent Permission for Elementary Lunch Visitors' form is incorrect as it does not match recent revisions made to Regulation GKC."

Instructions are then given thusly: "Distribute the packets to your teachers. Ask them to do the following:

Cross/Blacken/White out [take your choice] "Parent Permission for Elementary Lunch Visitors" listing on the front cover of the packet.

Gently remove the "Parent Permission for Elementary Lunch Visitors" form from the packet.

Find the 2007-2008 Instructional Calendar in the packet and make a large, bold 'X' on the calendar (The revised calendar will be sent home as a separate item.)"

3. But wait! In the next memo, these instructions appear:

Ms. Phillips suggests that an idea by Terri Majors on how to fix the calendar should be followed so that "instead of putting an 'X' on the calendar as is suggested in the first memo to principals, she now wants them to place a label on the calendar letting parents know that a corrected calendar will come home as a separate item." Also a note is being sent to parents that states that the "Communications Department is printing new 2007-2008 Instructional Calendars at 'no cost' to campuses, and that the new calendars will be delivered to your campus as soon as possible..."

4. Additionally "The KISD Attendance Notification page contains three spelling errors (the words 'instruction,' 'determined' and 'effort' appear as 'instuction,' 'determinded' and effore' and 'district-wide is missing a hyphen).

Ms. Phillips goes on to say that "We definitely do not want to send home to parents a document of this nature. As such I recommend that you remove the offending page and cross/blacken/white out [sic] that particular listing on the cover page. As for a replacement page...this information can go home as a separate document or in a campus newsletter."

Obviously we are talking about thousands of pages of corrections that the taxpayers get to fund!

My conclusions are that 1) it was a mistake to get rid of KISD's print shop, 2) someone needs to be held accountable for not reviewing these packets BEFORE they were printed, 4) teachers and volunteers have better things to do than correct Administrative screw ups, 5) someone besides the taxpayers needs to pay for all the reprints of documents that seem to be necessary, and 6) perhaps an additional flyer should be attached named "Is Your School Ready to Begin?"

This situation is simply outrageous.

Mary McGarr, Katy Citizen Watchdog$

Date: 08/29/2007