OUR TURN: Volunteers make difference for MFISD students in need

This summer, the Marble Falls Independent School District got a disturbing wake-up call from the Texas Education Agency. School accountability ratings for the district had dropped, even to the point where Marble Falls High School is now rated academically unacceptable based on scores from the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.

There is a solution to the problem, and it doesn’t just involve teachers.

Calling all volunteers.

Hundreds of other Texas schools also dropped in their rankings, including Burnet High School. One can blame the fact that TEA changed the way it measured scores, making the judging tougher; that certain classroom population groups did poorly in math, science or reading; but in the end, the low scores achieved one thing for sure: They gave MFISD a black eye.

As any savvy coach will tell you, a loss is still a loss.

Why is this important? Well, other than the fact it indicates some students are not learning what they should, low scores also have a ripple effect on the community at large — including economics. When new businesses or people look at relocating to an area, one of the criteria they examine is whether the schools are any good. Dropping scores might tell them they need to go elsewhere.

MFISD officials and new Superintendent Rob O’Connor can argue they’re doing the best they can with what they have, but state-mandated budget cuts, staff losses through attrition and even poor morale among some faculty have all taken their toll.

There is a solution, however: community involvement. Just as in the days of old when townspeople rallied to support the one-room school house, today’s MFISD patrons can step in, offer their services and fill the gaps among lost faculty by simply volunteering.

A prime example is a reading mentorship program at Marble Falls Elementary School, but this is by far not the only such program in the district.

Right now, Marble Falls Elementary is looking for more assistance with a volunteer-supported program initiated several years ago that gives students the chance to practice their reading outside the classroom.

Volunteers dedicate 15 to 30 minutes a week.

“Strong reading skills — developed at an early age — can really set a student up for success,” said Christi Chisholm, a reading specialist at the school.

She’s right.

But making it work takes practice, as well as support from parents and mentors.

Which is why more members of the community should step up and offer their help. Just think of the wealth of experience in this region that can be offered by all the retired professionals alone.

But volunteers don’t have to be retired professionals, former educators or even anyone who has experience tutoring young readers. They just need to be people who care about their schools and the students who attend.

Of course, MFISD can help make the process smoother for would-be volunteers by creating a central clearinghouse to sign up. A few weeks ago, district officials said they were working on a system. If so, it’s probably time they shared that knowledge with the taxpayers.

Making MFISD shine again as a beacon of academic excellence is not an impossible task. But teachers alone can’t do it. Mentorship programs such as the one at Marble Falls Elementary show it will take the community as a whole to raise accountability ratings.