By Rickie R. Harris

As West Orange – Cove CISD continues to move forward, we are working to address essential facility demands that are required in order for us to continue to provide a safe educational environment for our students and staff.

In our Transportation department, we are installing designer wraps on two activity buses that are used for traveling to and from field trips and sporting events. We have chosen to wrap these buses, as an alternative to paint. The wrap allows up to celebrate our students and our district. We hope to have these vehicles on the road soon!

In the coming months, we will also install security cameras at West Orange- Stark Elementary School and at North Early Learning Center; and, we will replace various chillers on our campuses so that we can provide the best air quality for our students.

These are only a few examples of important facility improvement and repairs that we are currently addressing. However, we have many other facility needs; and as a district, we are working to determine the best way to meet them.

To continue to provide the best air quality for our students, we need to replace chillers district-wide. We also need to begin replacing transportation units. Additionally, we need to enhance our instructional technology at all facilities. Finally, we need to begin to update our athletic facilities by addressing our playing fields, our gymnasium floors and bleachers, and the scoreboards at our schools.

As WOCCISD moves forward, these major facility concerns must be addressed. We welcome your feedback and support as we strive to provide the best education for the students of our community.

At this time, we are also requesting stakeholder response to a survey regarding our upcoming 2018-2019 school calendar. Several calendar options, traditional and non-traditional, are being considered. All are viewable on our website: www.woccisd.net. After reviewing the options, we would like for parents/guardians to participate in a survey regarding their preference. This survey also includes an opportunity to comment. An additional survey will be posted soon regarding school uniforms and standardized dress at our prekindergarten through eighth grade campuses. We value and appreciate your opinion. As contemporary author John Maxwell said, “One is too small a number to achieve greatness.”

We wish you a restful and safe Thanksgiving holiday.

Go Mustangs!

Rickie R. Harris is the Superintendent at West Orange – Cove CISD