TOWN STAFF REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
title
Discuss, consider and act regarding WA Resolution 24-43 to approve amendments to the terms of the Charter issued by the Texas Education Agency for the Operation of Westlake Academy as an open-enrollment charter school to include changes to the limit on class size and changes to the secondary boundary from which applications for admission are accepted (Dr. Kelly Ritchie, Head of School)
body
STAFF: Dr. Kelly Ritchie, Head of School
BACKGROUND:
Class Size:
When the Town of Westlake applied for the original Westlake Academy Charter in 2003, the school offered only grades 1-6, with class sizes capped at 25 students per class. However, as the school has expanded to include grades K-12, maintaining the original class size of 25 in all classes has become increasingly challenging. This is due to adding more course offerings in Middle and High School and the need to support differentiated learning to meet the diverse needs of all students.
Secondary Boundary:
Students residing within the designated Secondary Boundary may apply for admission to Westlake Academy through the annual lottery. Offers of enrollment are contingent on the availability of space after accommodating returning students and new applicants that reside within the Primary Boundary (Town of Westlake).
In April of 2008, the list of school districts included in the Secondary Boundary was expanded from the original seven districts of Birdville, Carroll, Grapevine-Colleyville, Keller, Lewisville and Northwest ISDs to include students in the following ISDs.
|
● Argyle ISD |
● Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD |
● Lake Dallas ISD |
|
● Arlington ISD |
● Fort Worth ISD |
● Lewisville ISD |
|
● Azle ISD |
● Frisco ISD |
● Little Elm ISD |
|
● Birdville ISD |
● Garland ISD |
● McKinney ISD |
|
● Boyd ISD |
● Grand Prairie ISD |
● Northwest ISD |
|
● Carroll ISD |
● Grapevine-Colleyville ISD |
● Paradise ISD |
|
● Carrollton ISD |
● HEB ISD |
● Ponder ISD |
|
● Coppell ISD |
● Highland Park ISD |
● Springtown ISD |
|
● Decatur ISD |
● Irving ISD |
● Weatherford ISD |
|
● Denton ISD |
● Keller ISD |
|
|
● Duncanville ISD |
● Krum ISD |
|
DISCUSSION:
Amendment to Class Size:
Maintaining small class sizes remains a priority at Westlake Academy; however, providing a variety of educational experiences to meet students' academic needs is equally important. To balance these priorities, some classes, primarily non-core classes, may need to accommodate more students to ensure adequate support and smaller class sizes in core curriculum courses.
While every effort will be made to balance class sizes and keep them as small as possible, the Administration believes it is in the best interest of students and staff to allow Secondary classes to exceed 25 students, when necessary. This approach helps preserve smaller class sizes for core subjects, where personalized attention is critical.
The recommendation is to continue to cap all Primary Years Programme (PYP) classes at 25 students per class while adjusting caps for Middle and High School classes to a maximum of 28 students for core classes and 30 students for non-core classes, as needed.
Amendment to Secondary Boundary:
A key aspect of a Westlake IB education is active engagement in the community, participation in school activities, collaboration with classmates on school and CAS (Community and Service) projects, as well as involvement in extracurricular and enrichment programs.
However, long commutes between home and school can hinder a student’s ability to fully participate in these essential activities. As a result, Westlake Academy’s administration believes it is in the best interest of both the students and the school to reduce the Secondary Boundary to a smaller, more geographically proximate area.
At present, there are no students enrolled from the following districts. We recommend requesting a charter amendment to remove these districts from our approved Secondary Boundary.
|
● Arlington ISD |
● Garland ISD |
● McKinney ISD |
|
● Azle ISD |
● Grand Prairie ISD |
● Paradise ISD |
|
● Boyd ISD |
● Highland Park ISD |
● Ponder ISD |
|
● Decatur ISD |
● Krum ISD |
● Springtown ISD |
|
● Duncanville ISD |
● Lake Dallas ISD |
● Weatherford ISD |
|
● Fort Worth ISD |
● Little Elm ISD |
|
With over 1,500 students on our lottery waitlist each year, the removal of these districts from the Secondary Boundary will not affect our ability to fill any open spaces during enrollment.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There will be no fiscal impact.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends requesting a Charter Amendment from TEA to increase the number of students allowed per class in Middle and High School classes and to reduce the number of school districts included in the Secondary Boundary.
ATTACHMENT(S):
Current enrollment by home school district.
WA Res 24-43 Charter Amendment Class Size & Secondary Boundary
BOARD OF TRUSTEES ACTION/OPTIONS:
1) Motion to approve
2) Motion to amend with the following stipulations (please state stipulations in motion)
3) Motion to table
4) Motion to deny
Westlake Academy Enrollment by Home School District
School District Current Enrollment
Argyle 10
Arlington 0
Azle 0
Birdville 12
Boyd 0
Carroll 191 (includes Westlake residents)
Carrollton-Farmers Branch 6
Coppell 6
Decatur 0
Denton 11
Duncanville 0
Eagle Mt - Saginaw 9
Fort Worth 0
Frisco 2
Garland 0
Grand Prairie 0
Grapevine - Colleyville 35
Highland Park 0
Hurst-Euless Bedford 3
Irving 6
Keller 368 (includes Westlake residents)
Krum 0
Lake Dallas 0
Lewisville 9
Little Elm 0
McKinney 0
Northwest 210 (includes Westlake residents)
Paradise 0
Ponder 0
Springtown 0
Weatherford 0