GISD Super Gives One-Year Report

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

GRAPELAND – Grapeland Independent School District (GISD) Superintendent Dr. David Maass gave a one-year review and open meeting for parents and GISD employees at the Lorena Schultz Auditorium Thursday, Mar. 28. 

The gathering was announced a day before Good Friday and the Easter weekend, as it marked one year since Maass was selected to serve as the district’s Superintendent and he wanted to both share his progress and take the temperature of the opinions of those in the community. 

With principals, some GISD board members and many faculty on hand, Maass thanked the crowd for coming to hear and speak with him, saying this was not a formal meeting and open to comments. 

“My idea of coming here and for this meeting was to be as transparent as possible and keep the community involved,” Maass said. “We are getting close to the end of the year and it’s flown by so fast, but we’re getting ready for some of the things we want to do next year. But the main goals are transparency, consistency and stability.”

Maass mentioned he spoke with as many GISD staff and parents as he could and quickly heard about certain discipline problems in the district, some facilities needing overhaul and more stability in retaining teachers. Maass said the district has begun to address all three this year. 

Saying teachers are going to leave every year given the competitive market, Maass touted the fact that the district was able to fully staff and now has salaries in place competitive with all other districts in the region. He said he is creating an environment with an open door policy, where people can come to him, administrators or teachers directly, in order to address concerns they may have. 

GISD has been able to tighten purchasing procedures and eliminate waste, saving the school money. When desks were broken beyond repair, Maass discovered they were being stored. He told staff broken equipment beyond use should be discarded and reported. 

The district has taken on many remodeling projects, from the junior high to the sports field to a special changing facility for the softball team, who previously had to change in the girls’ bathroom. Maass stressed both girls and boys sports were equally important and encouraged everyone to attend a softball game at the Grapeland field following the meeting. 

Maass also discussed the trend of local school districts starting their own police departments, with GISD to become official sometime this spring, once all the paperwork has been approved and returned. 

The district is working on making the junior and senior high school schedules match, so students from either campus participating in band can all be together. Maass admitted the new football turf and related renovations were before his time, but noted the track is now ready and the district hopes to host district meets at the facility. 

“Graduation ceremonies for seniors will be held Friday, May 17 at 8 p.m.,” Maass noted. “That may seem a little late but it’ll be nicer when the sun goes down a little and not shining in people’s faces – sweating and all that other stuff that could happen in the sun!”

The district created its own DAEP, or disciplinary alternative education program, to provide students with severe discipline issues a place where they can focus on studies and get back on track. GISD had been sending students to Crockett ISD, but there was only space for two at a time. With its own facility, the district has more flexibility and can directly oversee the students’ behavior in the program. 

Maass did not mention the exact number of students in the program, saying, “It fluctuates on the number of kids in there but teenagers do weird things sometimes. We’re not here to punish kids and I don’t want teachers to feel we have to punish kids,” Maass said. “Our number one priority needs to be educating kids. But like I said, teenagers do crazy things sometimes, and there are consequences when things happen. Hopefully, from the consequences we give them, they learn their lesson and as they get older and become adults, they don’t do crazy things.”

Asking for parents to get involved in setting budgets, Maass noted about 85% of a school district’s money goes to payroll, meaning they have to be careful about where and when they spend the remaining money. Priorities and timelines must be agreed upon, as no school will ever have enough funds to implement every program or refurbish every room.

Maass thanked the GISD board members and introduced the district’s new Business Manager, Katie Streetman, who have all worked together to make sure the district can hire, retain – and even poach talent from other districts – as needed. 

The meeting, although brief, was a call for more participation from both parents and the community in the direction of Grapeland schools. While there will always be issues and problems to solve, Maass was able to connect with those present and address the present and future of the district. 

Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]