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Back-to-school Plans for 2021 Planes de Regreso a la Escuela para 2020-2021
Online Enrollment
2020-21 New Students
Inscripción
2020-21 Nuevo estudiante
Online Enrollment
2020-21 Returning Students
Inscripción
2020-21 estudiante existente
Video: A few moments with Dr. Jackson
July 15
Students at La Porte ISD will begin school as scheduled on August 19 with virtual instruction delivered by teachers who will work from their campus classrooms. Students will return to school on September 8 for face-to-face or virtual learning.
“Health and safety are major concerns for all of us right now because of COVID-19,” said Dr. Walter Jackson, La Porte ISD superintendent of schools. “This virtual instruction plan provides the social distancing for students and staff. Our teachers will instruct from their individual classrooms, and students will receive instruction at home.”
Instruction from classrooms to homes additionally helps protect the integrity of the district’s educational offering, because teachers have many more tools at their disposal on campus, Jackson added.
“Also, working our regular schedule during this brief period will provide for a smoother transition when our students return to school in person,” he said.
La Porte IS Ready!
Want to see our 2020-21 Instructional Calendar? It's available here.
June 3
The La Porte ISD Board of Trustees on June 3 unanimously approved the hiring of Dr. Walter Jackson as the district’s next superintendent.
During the brief meeting, Dr. Jackson announced that he and his family were planning to move to La Porte in just days from Brenham, where he served as superintendent for five years.
“Thank you to the Board,” he said. “Thank you to this wonderful community … The decisions we will make every day – you have my word – will be that we are doing it for the benefit of students and teachers.”
The Board on May 12 named Jackson as the lone finalist for the position after a months-long search, and by law, had to wait 21 days before finalizing his employment.
He will succeed Superintendent Lloyd W. Graham, who announced his retirement in November.
May 21
Though the celebrations were anything but typical, the behind-the-mask smiles were plenty as La Porte ISD representatives on May 21 surprised the 2020-21 district and rookie teachers of the year with the announcement of their selection.
La Porte Elementary teacher Shannon Fanning and Lomax Jr. High teacher Faith Miller will represent the district as the Elementary and Secondary Teacher of the Year, respectively, for 2020-21. Bayshore Elementary teacher Yelitza Cienfuegos is the 2020-21 District Rookie Teacher of the Year.
The three superlatives received their honors in the form of small group celebrations at their home campuses under the guise of a required meeting. Traditionally, the teachers of the year are announced at the annual Service Awards Banquet in the presence of about 300 colleagues.
“We didn’t want the COVID-19 social distancing requirements to put a damper on celebrating our honoree, so we had to be creative with it,” said Dr. Kade Griffin, Lomax Jr. High School principal.
La Porte Elementary Principal Carol Williams and Bayshore Elementary Principal Donna Spaugh concurred.
The teachers received yard signs, flowers and balloons — not to mention some in-person fanfare from co-workers, campus, and district administrators. Additional celebrations will take place throughout the year, including being honored by the Board of Trustees.
A panel of community and industry volunteers selects the district honorees from among the campus teachers of the year. A district committee reviews nominations to determine the rookie award.
Fanning and Miller will represent La Porte ISD in the Region 4 Teacher of the Year program, from which the honorees qualify to be considered for Texas Teacher of the Year.
Rookie of the Year – Yelitza Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos is a first-year kindergarten teacher at Bayshore Elementary School. She is a 2018 graduate of the University of Houston-Clear Lake, where she was a member of the National Honor Society and Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education.
Elementary Teacher of the Year – Shannon Fanning
Fanning is a 17-year veteran educator who has taught 12 years of her career in La Porte. She has been a GT instructor, and has also taught dual language, and – for the past eight years – fifth-grade science. Fanning holds an M.A. in Teaching Leadership from Grand Canyon University and a B.A. in Education from Regis University.
Secondary Teacher of the Year – Faith Miller
Faith Miller has taught in La Porte since she graduated from East Central University in 2015. She is an eighth-grade math and algebra teacher and is also the math instructional team lead on her campus. Miller holds a B.S. in Mathematics with a Math Education concentration.
2020-21 Campus Teachers of the Year
James H. Baker Sixth - Jeff Collier
Bayshore Elementary - Kelsey Smith
College Park Elementary - Lynnsey Jackson
DAEP - Gloria Solomon
Heritage Elementary - Kimberley West
Jennie Reid Elementary - Kelli Llewellyn
La Porte Elementary - Shannon Fanning
La Porte H.S. (core) - Sarah Kotasek
La Porte H.S. (non-core) - Adrian Wiltz
La Porte Jr. High - Amy Woodall
Lomax Elementary - Denise Pool
Lomax Jr. High - (Donna) Faith Miller
Rizzuto Elementary - Courtney Prewitt
The Academy of Viola DeWalt - Jessica Emmons
May 12
The La Porte ISD Board of Trustees on May 12 named Dr. Walter Jackson, Brenham ISD superintendent, as the lone finalist for the district’s superintendent of schools.
The Board selected Dr. Jackson after months of candidate reviews and interviews, and community focus groups led by search firm Thompson & Horton LLP. By law, the Board must wait 21 days – June 3 – before voting to hire the new superintendent.
He will succeed Superintendent Lloyd W. Graham, who announced his retirement in November.
“We had some big shoes to fill,” said Board President Lee Wallace, “and Dr. Jackson checked all of the boxes.”
Wallace said that trustees reviewed almost 40 applicants from across the country before narrowing the field to five candidates, and then to two.
“Walter is an excellent fit for the La Porte community,” said Kathy Green, who was Board president when the search began several months ago. “I have such high confidence in him, not only because of his credentials but also because of his personality.”
Dr. Jackson was born in Liberty, Texas, and has served in public education for 27 years, including as a teacher and principal. He has been at the helm in Brenham for five years and was named Region 6 Superintendent of the Year in 2019.
“It is my and my family’s pleasure and honor to be coming to La Porte,” Dr. Jackson said. “I look forward to working with everyone there, meeting with students and staff, and continuing the level of excellence that Mr. Graham and the La Porte administration established.”
Dr. Jackson earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas Southern University. He also holds a master’s from Prairie View A&M University and a doctorate in education from Baylor University.
In addition to serving on the state board for the Texas Association of School Boards Risk Management Fund, he is also a member of the UIL Legislative Council and the Texas Association of School Administrators Executive Board.
“While Dr. Jackson and I are but professional acquaintances, he is known amongst his peers as a child and family-centered professional gentleman,” Superintendent Graham said. “I would be hard-pressed to imagine someone better suited for La Porte and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”
Dr. Jackson and his wife Tanya are the parents of son Braelin, a sophomore at Texas College, and daughter Bailey, a high school freshman.
“We are really excited about our move to La Porte, and we can’t wait to become a part of Bulldog Nation,” he said.
May 11
Maritime Program — Click here for information on a May 13 virtual information session.
April 30
Native Texan, Oscar winner surprises La Porte ISD staff during online meeting
It’s not often that a school staff meeting features an address from an Oscar winner.
But that is exactly what happened Thursday morning, when more than 900 La Porte ISD employees — meeting online — received a surprise drop-in visit from Matthew McConaughey.
“I’m a public school son. My mom taught in public schools for thirty-something years,” the actor, 50, told the group. “What a valuable occupation y’all have. What you do as an educator … that’s never going to go out of style.”
Online meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic are widely becoming the new norm. In the public education sector, those virtual gatherings are needed more often than not. It is also safe to say that most of those meetings aren’t quite as exciting as the one La Porte ISD held Thursday.
“That was amazing. It made my day and put a smile on my face,” said Misti Prock, RN, College Park Elementary School’s nurse. “What a kind man to give his time to talk to us.”
McConaughey, also a University of Texas professor, said he shared teachers’ concern about maintaining contact with students during these times, and encouraged the La Porte ISD staff to remain steadfast in their efforts.
“Let’s all remember that we are going to get out of this. It’s going to pass, and we’ll be looking at this situation of our lives in the rearview mirror … and our students will as well,” McConaughey said.
“Keep your head up. We’ll get out of this on the other side, because that’s just what we’re gonna do.”
Congratulations to the 2020-21 Campus Teachers of the Year. These honorees were selected by their peers and will be considered for the District Teacher of the Year honor in the coming weeks.
2020-21 Campus Teachers of the Year:
James H. Baker Sixth - Jeff Collier
Bayshore Elementary - Kelsey Smith
College Park Elementary - Lynnsey Jackson
DAEP - Gloria Solomon
Heritage Elementary - Kimberley West
Jennie Reid Elementary - Kelli Llewellyn
La Porte Elementary - Shannon Fanning
La Porte H.S. (core) - Sarah Kotasek
La Porte H.S. (non-core) - Adrian Wiltz
La Porte Jr. High - Amy Woodall
Lomax Elementary - Denise Pool
Lomax Jr. High - (Donna) Faith Miller
Rizzuto Elementary - Courtney Prewitt
The Academy of Viola DeWalt - Jessica Emmons
