The Aubrey ISD school board approved a new 2026-27 academic calendar at the Feb. 18 school board meeting.
Included in the adopted calendar, which has school starting on Aug. 12 and ending May 27, are several breaks of varying lengths throughout the year, such as an extended Thanksgiving break in November.
“Overwhelmingly the big things we heard from the staff committee were the days around the winter holidays were amazing. It allowed them to wrap up business, go have winter holidays, and perhaps not grade and plan during the winter holidays because they got the day coming back,” Assistant Superintendent Daniel Barrentine said.
Professional development days are also sprinkled throughout the academic year as part of the student holidays.
The board also discussed and acted on Senate Bill 11, a new law requiring public school districts to decide whether to adopt a policy permitting prayer periods and the reading of religious texts in schools.
Secretary Jody Gonzalez led the conversation, stating that he had reviewed the law and spoken with his colleagues and legislators.
He expressed his hesitancy to say no but ultimately voted against the bill.
“Our current policy allows more freedom for the students to express whatever religious belief that they want to express,” Gonzalez said. “I don't want to say no to Senate Bill 11. What I want to do is further evaluate what Senate Bill 11 does to the district and see how we can fully enact Senate Bill 11.”
Trustee Terry Brockett shared similar sentiments and questioned the state’s deadline to act, citing unclear guidelines and unintentioned consequences in places where prayer is already practiced, such as at events like galas, sporting events and other school activities.
“A bill with a good intent could also be made better, he said. “I think there was some good intent behind why they wanted to do this, but it had unintended consequences.'
The board voted unanimously against the bill until more clarity is provided, with Vice President Colleen Dow absent.
Joanie Rouk, the executive director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning, spoke about the Strong Foundations Planning grant, which was rolled out in 2024-25, and how it has affected the district.
“Through that grant, we did develop a K-12 district-wide math instructional framework, grounded in the researchbased instructional strategies,” she said.
Rouk emphasized the need to improve the district’s overall performance in math.
She added that changes and redesigns to the STAAR are not holding up against the 12-year-old curriculum used.
“Our district and campus leaders, through this work of the [Strong Foundations Planning grant] grant, determined that blue bonnet math for kindergarten through algebra two, including the Spanish version for our bilingual and elementary classrooms, best aligns vertically with that framework and our district needs for our students,” Rouk said.
Upon the board's approval of the curriculum, the district will accept the LIFT grant, a three-year program.
“With this grant, it is on-campus, ongoing support for principals and instructional leadership for this math implementation, for teacher facilitators, for teachers,” Rouk said.
She also said the course will offer professional development for the campuses.
Faculty expressed their excitement as the board approved the selection of the bluebonnet math K-Algebra 2 for the 2026-27 school year.
West Elementary Principal Jennie Petrasic presented the school’s 2025-26 focus report, highlighting the campus growth in both staff and student enrollment within the year 202526.
“We're also very diverse, our campus,” Petrasic said. “It's wonderful when you walk around, and you look around. The diversity is obvious, and it's great.”
With a diverse population that speaks over 36 languages at West, she further delved into the breakdown: 59% of students are “at risk,” meaning they are likely to face challenges that may interfere with academic success.
“We do have students that are suffering from homelessness,” Petrasic said. “And I don't believe we have that or not very heavy on our campus last year, so it's another area that, you know, we have kind of a little transient area and some students that have some really big needs.”
Petrasic later added that the school will continue to host events and offer programs that foster camaraderie and academic development among staff and students and families.
Director of CTE and Accountability Dr. Jonathan Lee discussed the Texas Academic Performance Report 2024-25.
Aubrey ISD received a B district rating, with Brockett, Aubrey Middle and Aubrey High School receiving B ratings, but Fuller, Monaco, and West receiving a C rating.
Lee added that after the initial ratings were published, he met with each campus principal to review the data and identify specific areas for improvement.
Continuing in the report, Lee also reviewed the campus STAAR/EOC data and noted positive improvements.
“As I looked at every single grade, we were above state and region average in pretty much every grade and almost every subject across the board,” he said. “In some cases, 5% above, when it comes to the passing standard.”
Paisley McGee/The Post-Signal
