Hearne ISD Challenges: Real but Consistent with Texas Districts

 

Hearne ISD undoubtedly faces challenges, particularly in the areas of elementary math and reading.  Low scores in those two areas earned Hearne Elementary a D rating from TEA two years ago, according to the recently released Texas Education Association accountability ratings for 2022-23.  

In response, Hearne elementary has adopted aggressive instructional practices focusing on those two areas and has, as a result of its own testing, seen improvement.  How successful these measures have been is yet to be documented against state standards, since the 2023–24 ratings have not been released. 

To put Hearne Elementary’s D grade in context, 1 out of 5 campuses in the state earned either a D or an F, with one entire school district, Fort Worth, in danger of a state take-over for a string of F grades.

Midland, Wichita Falls, and Beaumont school districts have had low grades district-wide four years in a row and may face a take-over if ratings do not improve.  Hearne, however, does not face that threat. 

Exacerbating the problem is TEA’s raising its standards; making it harder to achieve grades A - C; over the last two years. 

Low grades are typically equated with poverty, and over 90% of Hearne’s students are in the “impoverished” category, contributing to the problem. On the other hand, Hearne HS has a higher percentage of graduates than the state average, with fewer drop-outs than the state average. 

A secondary but related problem is lower than desired attendance.  That cuts into school funding which cuts into efforts to improve, but, additionally, when children are not in class, they are not getting the instruction they need. With attendance rates running between 91 and 93 percent, Hearne needs to improve, a challenge they readily admit.  But again, this is a problem districts state-wide are encountering. Since COVID, attendance rates have dropped. 

HISD has been proactive in addressing these deficits.  It has an advisory panel (the Hearne Educational Foundation Board) loaded with TAMU professors of education who share “best practices” and hope to guide Hearne ISD in a winning direction.  It has experts in its own administration who consistently make data-based recommendations.  

HISD has also benefited from having a more consistent administration, having frequent changes in superintendents and other administrators in the past made progress difficult.  Superintendent Johnson also cites a unified and consistent school board.