Parents Unhappy With Local Schools Have Option To Transfer

Three local public schools appear once again on the Public Education Grant list for Texas schools released by the Texas Education Agency on Thursday.

All three schools, Jefferson High School, Bassett Middle School and Guillen Middle School, are part of the El Paso Independent School District.

Schools across the state were added to the list because they were rated academically unacceptable or did not meet the 50 percent passing requirement since 2009.

The good news comes from the fact that the state of Texas increased the number of schools on the list by 50 percent from last year, while El Paso kept the same three schools on the list.

Also, each of the three schools has not received an unacceptable rating or low scores on the TAKS test since 2009. Since the schools are kept on the list for three years after those ratings, the schools only need one more year of acceptable performance to be removed from the list.

EPISD officials said they are pleased with the increase of performance of all three schools in the past two years.

?We are very proud that these three campuses have seen marked improvement in scores in the past two years and have met all requirements since 2009,? said Interim EPISD Superintendent Terri Jordan.

Jordan added that EPISD did not expect to be included on next year’s list.

As for parents of children enrolled in the three schools listed who do not want their kids to remain at those schools, there are options available.

EPISD said parents can request transfers to other schools in the district.

?Parents with concerns about the PEG list are encouraged to visit their child?s campus and talk to campus administration about the academic programs in their schools,? Jordan said.

But if students want to transfer, getting them to their new school could be problematic.

The school district in which the student resides is not required to provide free transportation to and from the child’s new school, according to the TEA website. The district will only be responsible for the transportation it already provides.

For a list of the other requirements and how to start the transfer, visit this website.