Have Questions? We Have Answers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. If there is a change to the timeline, how will that be relayed to the staff?
A. It will be emailed out and posted on the FAQ page.

Q. Is this a done deal, is it final?
A. Yes

Q. What is the timeline for Special Units?
A. It is still being worked on, when it’s finalized it will be shared.

Q. Will the Life Skills program be expanded to more than one elementary?
A. This is still being discussed. Student needs will be evaluated when it comes to duplicating services
on campuses.

Q. How will extra-curricular be affected such as Fine Arts?
A. Extra-curricular activities and Fine Arts are being looked at. We are not looking to close any
programs, but add to them and find space for them.

Q. Will start/stop times change at the campuses?
A. Elementary times will remain the same at this time, but the details are still being worked out.

Q. Does Collins Middle School have the room to take additional kids?
A. Facilities just finished up a capacity study and a large number of students will fill up the building.
We may have to put portables up until we determine how many classrooms are needed.

Q. Can Fort Worth help pay for some of the costs associated with this realignment since we take kids from Fort Worth on our campuses?
A. We’re looking at a lot of options but until we know what the cost is going to be, we can’t say
where the money will come from for sure yet.

Q. What will happen with DAEP?
A. Nothing at this time.

Q. As teachers, are we responsible for moving our own things?
A. No. You will be responsible for packing your things and labeling them. We are planning to
contract with a professional moving company that can come in on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
and do the move when we aren’t here so there is minimal disruption in our workday.

Q. Does the IR status for the buildings change?
A. The code stays with the building.

Q. Are the names of the campuses changing?
A. No. The campus names will remain the same with the exception of it being an elementary or
intermediate campus, i.e. Howry Elementary instead of Howry Intermediate.

Q. Will EC-6 certifications be able to put in transfer requests?
A. Yes.

Q. Where is co-curricular going to end up?
A. They will just shift to the campus where the kids go.

Q. What about employees that are ½ and ½?
A. We are still working on that. Specialized positions are still being looked at and will have a
different timeline.

Q. When will we get information on what new positions will be available at the new Pre-K/Kindergarten center?
A. There won’t necessarily be new positions.

Q. Will there be different hours at the Early Childhood campus?
A. It will be a full 8 hour day.

Q. How will it work with transportation, will hours be staggered/different and the younger kids be
left at stops alone?
A. The logistics are still being looked at with Transportation and these topics will be taken into
consideration.

Q. Does the bussing include Pre-K?
A. Pre-K requires seatbelts, and busses aren’t equipped with seatbelts, so right now the answer
would be no.

Q. Will we be able to take more/fewer kids for the Pre-K program due to this realignment and moving
them to a different campus?
A. It will be at least the same amount of students as long as we have the teachers.

Q. Is there going to be an administrator at the Early Childhood campus that has a strong background
in Pre-K and Kindergarten?
A. We have curriculum specialists in-house that will be helping us with that.

Q. Will there be more STEM/STEAM academies?
A. We may have a wing of STEM/STEAM at Howry and then possibly add it at other campuses. We
are still considering different options.

Q. Is there any rezoning being done?
A. No, it’s not necessary.

Q. I have a question about building capacity and increased students and administrators.
A. A facility study was done and the increased number of students will fill up CMS, so we will need to
bring in some portable buildings initially for the overflow until we can determine how much more
space is needed.

Q. What about the gym and cafeteria? We don’t fit in them now with the number of students we
have.
A. Bonds may have to be refigured as to how they are used. It is one of the things we are still looking
into.

Q. Where will the money come from for the extra personnel? Do the bonds cover that?
A. Bonds are just for the buildings. We are still going to have the same number of students so we
will still have the same number of teachers and staff, they will just be moving campuses. We
aren’t expecting to need to hire extra/additional personnel.

Q. How high of a priority is the gymnasium in the plan when we can’t all fit in the gym at once and we
can’t go outside for physical education?
A. Physical Education is still an instructional program. We don’t want to lose any programs due to
space. We will have to come up with a master schedule and see what it looks like. We might
have to get creative with how we teach Phy. Ed. next year.

Q. ILS is split between grades. Will there be extra help coming here to assist with that?
A. Based on the number of students coming here, help will be coming based on the needs of the
students.

Q. You mentioned so many square feet per student, are the classroom sizes going to be enlarged to accommodate that?
A. No, we just need to make sure we have enough room for each kid in the classroom. We are
repurposing space in the schools for our needs that might have been underutilized before as well.

Q. Eighth-grade hallways are crowded.
A. We may need to remove lockers. Options are being looked at.

Q. When is the next bond issue being considered?
A. Some of the bonds haven’t been issued yet.

Q. If we are a Pre-K or Kindergarten teacher, do we need to fill out a transfer request form or will we automatically be transferred to Effie Morris?
A. Yes, please, so we know that you want to continue teaching Pre-K or Kindergarten.

Q. If Pre-K bussing isn’t taking place, can we assure parents that there will be enough time to get students from one campus and then to Effie Morris if they have to drop off?
A. Absolutely! It will affect our bus drivers as well. We will make sure there is adequate travel time
between campuses.

Q. Will there be someone at Effie Morris to ensure that previous teachers’ materials will be cleaned out of classrooms, cupboards, drawers, etc., so we don’t have to?
A. Yes, and a professional moving company will be handling the move.

Q. What about the libraries at each campus and their materials and resources?
A. This has been brought up by the librarians and it is not finalized yet. The librarians will continue to
meet to discuss what books should be going to which campuses.

Q. What about Special Programs?
A. The timeline is still being worked on for this group, but the continuum of services will continue.

Q. Will we have resources (technology) at this campus (Miller) for students?
A. The resources will follow the students to whatever campus they go to. If there aren’t enough
resources then we will need to look at filling in the gaps.

Q. What about playground equipment? Is it age-appropriate?
A. Effie Morris equipment will accommodate younger kids, so there is no issue with the equipment.

Q. Are we going to have extra days to get our classrooms ready this year due to the move?
A. We are working on the calendar, nothing has been finalized yet.

Q. Are there going to be any curriculum changes?
A. No.

Q. What about start times at each campus? How will those work?
A. They are still being worked on, but they will definitely be staggered start times.

Q. Why did Effie Morris become the early childhood campus and Howry become the primary school?
A. Space can be better utilized by making this shift. It is hard to get daycare licensing and Effie
Morris already has it.

Q. Will there be support in place for the students regarding the transfer of schools to help with
anxiety?
A. A lot of teachers will be moving with kids so familiar faces will help ease the anxiety. We will have
back to school sessions for families to visit campuses and get familiar with the school.

Q. Will there be Athletics for 6th graders?
A. The master schedule is not finalized yet, it is still open for discussion.

Q. Are you going to be adding another gym at Collins?
A. The school can accommodate some additional students. We will likely need to add portables
initially, until space can be more accurately assessed and see what is deemed necessary before
any construction begins.

Q. Will there be another counselor at the middle school?
A. We are looking into it.