By Dr. Courtney Carpenter, Superintendent, Argyle ISD
Dear Argyle ISD Families,
I hope your summer is going wonderfully and is full of memorable moments and refreshing experiences. While our students have been on summer break, we’ve been hard at work preparing for the new school year starting Wednesday, Aug. 14!
Our teachers have been engaged in professional learning opportunities, focusing on high-yield instructional strategies and curriculum alignment. Simultaneously, Principals and other campus leadership have participated in numerous leadership institutes, working to align our many practices and procedures for consistency across campuses and grade levels.
I’d like to take this opportunity to update you on some important topics as we gear up for an exciting new year, themed The Amazing Race Argyle!
Amazing New Staff
We have welcomed new principals: Shannon Knowles at Argyle High School and Robyn Campbell at Hilltop Elementary. Additionally, Dona Lumsden will helm Argyle Middle School, and Lauren Tullos is hard at work staffing and preparing to open our new school, Jane Ruestmann Elementary. Finally, we are excited to welcome 125 new staff members this year.
Facilities & Long-Range Planning
We have completed all Bond 2017 projects. Bond 2022 projects are well underway, with Elementary 4 (Jane Ruestmann Elementary) opening in August. We broke ground on the new Middle School on FM 407, which has an anticipated completion date of August 2026. We also broke ground on the stadium and indoor activity center at Argyle High School in Canyon Falls, with an anticipated completion date of fall 2025. Bond 2022 also includes Elementary 5, which will begin planning phases in the coming months with an anticipated completion date of August 2027.
Within the next 18 months, we will consider zoning for the transition to two middle schools in the 2026-2027 school year and two high schools in 2027-2028, as well as mascots, colors, and other departmental transition teams.
Collaborative Visioning
I want to praise our Board of Trustees. They are volunteers who love this district and desire to serve the students, staff, parents, and community in Argyle ISD. One paramount duty of the board is to set the vision, mission, and priorities of the district. Our leadership team is excited to work with the Board of Trustees this year to establish a 5-year collaborative vision in academics, student opportunities, and all other organizational and departmental areas.
Funding & Financial Stewardship
This year, we continue to face a persistent budget crisis in Texas public education. The new legislative session begins in January, and our legislative priorities remain steadfast in requesting an increase to the student basic allotment from the State of Texas, which has not been adjusted since 2019 despite record inflation over the past several years. We need our staff and community to engage in legislative advocacy through our platform – TakeActionArgyle.com.
Amazing Support
Finally, thank you to all of our partners, volunteers, and compassionate community members who continue to pour into our staff and students. From Eagle Partners to PTOs/PTAs to our Ministerial Alliance, these partnerships are paramount to Argyle ISD.
Let’s make this year an Amazing one in Argyle ISD!
#TogetherWeSoar
Eagle Bash was incredible! ❤️ Thank you Argyle ISD community for a great turnout! We can't wait for the start of the school year. #TogetherWeSoar | #ArgyleEagles 🦅 pic.twitter.com/0vzlIY7G3P
— Argyle ISD (@ArgyleISD) August 4, 2024
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