GCISD INSIGHT
Summer 2024 Edition
The official magazine of Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District
Vision • Mission • Priorities Vision Mission
Honor Our Legacy. Equip for the Future. Achieve Excellence.
About the cover
Grapevine High School graduate, Nneoma Obinabo, is celebrated at her former elementary school’s Senior Walk.
We promote good citizenship and prepare, motivate, and encourage each student to reach his or her full potential.
Priorities
Student Achievement and Post-Secondary Preparedness
▶ Academic Growth and Development
▶ College and/or Career and/or Military Readiness
▶ Safety and Well-Being
▶ Student Involvement
Faculty and Staff Recruitment, Retention and Capacity-Building
▶ Recruitment
▶ Employee Retention and Employee Satisfaction
Parents, Families, and Community Satisfaction and Engagement
▶ Parents and Families Satisfaction and Engagement
▶ Community Engagement and Partnerships
▶ Corporate and Business Based Partnerships
Strong Financial Stewardship and Internal System Efficiency
▶ Transparent Financial Stewardship
▶ Effective and Efficient District Operations
▶ Long Range Facility Management Plan
2024-2025 GCISD Board of Trustees
President Shannon Braun, Vice President Mary Humphrey, Secretary
Kathy Florence Spradley, Dalia Begin, Tammy Nakamura, A.J. Pontillo, Dianna Sager
As we close out the summer, it is with great excitement that I welcome you to the 2024-2025 school year. Whether you are a returning member of our district or a new face joining us for the first time, I’m thrilled you chose GCISD and hope this year will be filled with growth, learning, and wonderful experiences.
Over the summer, our dedicated staff has been working tirelessly to prepare for the upcoming school year. From hiring premier talent to enhancing our facilities, we are committed to providing an exceptional learning environment where every student can thrive. Our theme this year is “Together for Tomorrow,” as we strive to work together to create a future filled with success for our students.
A strong school community is built on the foundation of collaboration and communication. This year, we will be focusing on strengthening the partnerships between our schools, families, and the broader community. We encourage you to get connected, attend school events, and participate in the many opportunities we offer to engage
Letter From the Superintendent
with our schools. Your involvement plays a key role in the success of our students and our district.
We remain committed to excellence and will continue to uphold high academic standards, providing our students with the resources and support they need to achieve their full potential. Our talented and dedicated educators are at the heart of this mission, and I am confident that they will continue to inspire and guide our students to success.
As we embark on this new school year, I am eager to get started. Together, we will navigate the challenges and celebrate the successes that come our way, as we experience another year of growth, achievement, and memorable opportunities for all in GCISD.
Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our schools. Here’s to a fantastic 2024-2025 school year!
Sincerely,
Brad Schnautz, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools
GCISD Family,
GRADUATION RECAP
Grapevine High School
Congratulations to the 480 students who graduated from Grapevine High School on May 23, 2024. The graduating class earned over $15 million in scholarships and will be attending prestigious universities such as Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Northwestern University, Rice University, Stanford University, Texas A&M University and the University of Texas. Among the many impressive accolades of this class are perfect ACT and SAT scores, 10 National Merit Finalists, a U.S. Presidential Scholar, admissions to three military academies and a record-breaking class GPA of 5.9. In their four years, GHS seniors claimed numerous 5A State Championships in events like soccer, baseball, wrestling, cross country and swim and dive. They were also state champions in Math and Number Sense, earned Future Farmers of America awards and were named DECA state winners.
Colleyville Heritage High School
Congratulations to the 458 students who graduated from Colleyville Heritage High School on May 23, 2024. These graduates will be attending schools like Baylor University, Dartmouth College, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Pennsylvania, Texas A&M University and the University of Texas, to name a few. Six students plan to serve their country after high school, and many will be going to trade schools for careers in welding and mechanics. The Class of 2024 earned $19 million in academic, athletic and fine arts scholarships, and completed more than 5,000 hours of community service. This group recorded the highest number of participants in Peer Assistant Leadership, Hope Squad and Student Leadership. The boys cross country, girls cross country, girls volleyball and girls soccer teams all competed in the state tournament this year.
iUniversity Prep
The iUniversity Prep Class of 2024 included 203 students who earned over $17 million in scholarships. These graduates are all unique, and their post-graduation plans reflect their hard work. Six alumni will be earning certificates in programs like real estate, cosmetology, diagnostic medical stenography, paramedic and optician assistant. Twenty-four students are going into a two-year college program, and 130 are going to a four-year program. One graduate is already a skilled carpenter, and six are professional athletes in areas such as hockey, dance, gymnastics and golf.
Bridges Accelerated Learning Center
Bridges graduated 70 students from the Class of 2024, the highest number of graduates in the last seven years. While at Bridges, the senior class completed a total of 1,319 courses and four students earned a total of $2,500 in scholarships. Congratulations to the Class of 2024!
Collegiate Academy
In 2024, Collegiate Academy graduated 94 students who earned a combined $5.9 million in scholarships. Eighty percent of these students were also on course to obtain their associate degree, an achievement that few high school graduates attain. The 2024 senior class was very accomplished, with many of them moving on to the state UIL Academics competition and earning a spot at the state UIL One-Act Play competition.
WELCOME BACK
Resources for a Successful School Year
Welcome back to GCISD for the 2024-2025 school year! Check out the district’s back-to-school resources to help you navigate starting a new school year. For updates about a specific campus, please check its website and social media pages.
Dress Code
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD dress standards are established to prevent disruption and support the safety of all students, staff and campus visitors. All students are expected to dress in a respectful manner within the acceptable standards of the educational community.
School Calendar
Start planning your 2024-2025 school year by viewing the instructional calendars. There are calendars for GCISD, iUniversity Prep and Collegiate Academy.
School Hours
As students head back to school, please verify your child’s school start and end times. For additional details regarding lunch schedules for each school, please reach out to the respective campus.
Attendance
Attendance matters! Absences from class may result in serious disruption of a student’s learning and educational experiences. Parents and students are encouraged to avoid unnecessary absences. Two important state laws govern attendance. Visit the attendance page to read reminders and updates to GCISD attendance requirements.
Transportation
Bus service is available for students who reside more than two miles from their designated school. Eligibility for regular student bus service is determined by a two-mile measurement taken from the campus to the address of the student.
GCISD uses the SMART tag system, which enhances student safety and security by providing real-time updates on student bus rides and alerting bus drivers if a student tries to exit at the wrong stop or board the wrong bus. This system also allows transportation staff to give parents timely information about their child’s location.
Nutrition
Applications for free and reduced-price meals are now available. Scan the QR code and complete yours today to have your paperwork in time for the start of the school year.
Extended Day Program
GCISD’s Extended Day Program (EDP) offers a high quality before and after school program for students in Pre-K through fifth grade. EDP provides structured expanded learning opportunities to help students grow.
Immunizations
Students must be in compliance with the immunization requirements listed in order to attend school. When your child receives immunizations please submit a copy of the immunization record so the school nurse can update the school records.
Download the GCISD App
Did you know that GCISD has its own app? The app is your one stop-shop for all things GCISD. The Rooms feature allows you to chat with your student’s teachers. The event section shows a list of events throughout the district and you can select your student’s school within the app. The Live Feed is where you’ll find updates from the administration about what’s going on in the district right now. Never miss a thing by downloading the new app.
GEARING UP FOR ANOTHER YEAR IN GCISD
In Athletics, GCISD athletes prepared for another great year. The district has strength and conditioning camps and skill camps at each high school for grades 7-12 going all summer to prepare them to perform at their best this year. There are also summer leagues, team camps and college camps available for students to attend to improve their skills.
In Fine Arts, GCISD high school marching bands are getting ready for the upcoming school year by hosting summer camps. Starting with the week after the last day of school, high school band students came up to campus periodically to work on marching fundamentals and their show music for next year.
In Transportation and Fleet Services, buses ran throughout the summer to multiple locations. Staff maintained and prepared the fleet, and planned new routes for the upcoming school year.
In Facilities, the turf fields at CMS, GMS and HMS were replaced. New rooftop units were installed at CES, DES, CMS, CTMS and GHS. In total, 116 HVAC units were replaced. Deep-cleaning and maintenance of all buildings also took place throughout the summer.
In Safety and Security, cameras with new technology were installed, card readers were updated and emergency notifications are being updated. Reviews were also conducted to ensure our facilities meet state safety regulations.
In Nutrition Services, kids’ cooking classes and summer feeding sites were offered. New uniforms were ordered for the staff, and let’s not forget interviewing! In addition, the staff planned and perfected menus, ensuring they’re both nutritious and delicious to fuel students for success. Recipe testing is in full swing to meet the district’s high nutritional standards.
In Counseling, summer preparation started with receiving supply donations from supportive community partners. As counselors returned to work in July, they were hard at work preparing character education, ways to further educate on career, college and military readiness, and finalizing schedules for a year of great academic rigor.
Grapevine High School Baseball defeated Lucas Lovejoy High School 6-5 to win the 2024 UIL 5A State Championship. This is the second baseball state championship in school history. GHS is also the first school from the DallasFort Worth area to win the state championship since Colleyville Heritage brought home the gold in 2019.
For the first time in school
GCISD facilities were in full use this summer.
Colleyville Heritage High School and Grapevine High School hosted numerous camps ranging from football to softball. Campers attending the CHHS baseball camp received special prizes, including signed baseballs from famous CHHS alumni including Kansas City Royals shortstop and MLB AllStar Bobby Witt Jr. and Atlanta Braves pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver.
GCISD’s Career and Technical Education program participated in a one-week Public Safety Camp. They were given a firsthand look at the operations of the Grapevine Police Department and Grapevine Fire Department, including jail operations, dispatch, crime scene and criminal investigations areas, SWAT and fire and arson operations.
Congratulations to Grapevine High School students Emilia and Sara
in love with the
Thanks to the encouragement of their coach and their unstoppable work ethic, the doubles partners remained undefeated for the entire spring semester.
Graduating seniors visited their former GCISD elementary and middle school campuses during the “Senior Walk” tradition. The class of 2024 was met with high-fives, smiles and cheers as they walked the halls one last time.
Gyöergy on their well-deserved victory in the UIL 5A Girls Doubles State Championship. After moving to Grapevine from Hungary in November, they were encouraged to join the high school tennis program, where they fell
game.
history, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD’s Collegiate Academy advanced to the UIL 3A One-Act Play State Championship. CA’s performance of “Front” received group and individual awards on their journey towards state, including the Region III Championship, which was another first in school history.
Welcoming Our New GCISD Staff Members
Throughout the summer months, GCISD welcomed its new employees at new hire orientation sessions. These orientations were organized by the Human Resources Department to educate the new staff members on safety, benefits and what they can expect now that they are a part of the GCISD family. These new employees came to GCISD from other districts and universities throughout the state and country. Some are even GCISD alumni returning home to serve students – a full-circle moment!
GCISD’s Extended Day Program
Did you know that GCISD’s Extended Day Program (EDP) offers a high-quality before and after school program for students in Pre-K through 5th grade? Visit www.GCISD.net/EDP to learn how EDP keeps GCISD students challenged, inspired, and on the move before and after normal school hours.
GCISD IS HIRING
Are you ready for an exciting career? Join the Grapevine- Colleyville ISD family! Working in a school district isn’t just for educators. Our employees are the most important resource for providing a quality educational program for the students of this community.
Setting the 2024 Bond in Motion
On May 4, 2024, GCISD voters approved the district’s $150 million bond referendum. Achieving the passage of three bond propositions is no small feat and thanks to the community’s support, the district will be able to address aging conditions, such as replacements for roofs, electrical, plumbing, lift stations, and heating and air conditioning equipment.
The propositions also address safety and security updates, technology infrastructure, device replacement for the district’s 1:1 program, buses, equipment updates for several student programs and equipment improvements at the GCISD Swim Center.
What’s happening and what’s next?
“A bond is a massive undertaking and we want to make sure we do all of the necessary planning and due diligence needed to get projects underway,” stated Paula Barbaroux, GCISD Chief Operations Officer. “That means planning a schedule of which projects get done in the three years of this bond; beginning the design process with our architect and engineers; going through the process of preparing the Request for Qualifications to hire a general contractor and geotechnical engineer firm; negotiating contracts; obtaining Board approval for the contractor and firms that will be doing the work; and working with a financial advisor and bond attorney as well as rating agencies to prepare to take the bonds to market to provide the needed capital. Those are just a few of the number of necessary planning steps and we are doing it on a large scale since our district facilities cover approximately 3.2 million square feet of space.”
Since campuses also have students, staff, instruction and activities occurring throughout the school year, meetings with principals and directors that oversee athletics, fine arts, career and technical education, and safety and security, must also take place. Together with the district’s
bond team, they will review the scope of work for those areas and impact on their campuses.
“We are very appreciative of the community and know that these are their hard-earned dollars that they have entrusted to us, therefore doing things the right way mat ters,” Barbaroux added. “That’s why planning, although involved and time-consuming, is an important part of the process.”
To keep the community informed once projects are started, the district will also be sharing images and project updates on its bond website as well as through the district’s communication channels. Monthly Board meetings will also include planning and construction updates and the finance team will work to establish a tool for financial tracking and reporting of the bond projects.
“We’re excited to get the bond projects kicked off,” Barbaroux added. “This would not have been possible without our community’s support. It tells us that they value education and maintaining buildings that provide our students the best learning environment possible.”
Want to learn more about the 2024 bond? Visit the district’s bond webpage at www.GCISD.net/bond.
GCISD Looks to Potential Voter-Approved Tax Ratification Election (VATRE)
Despite opening with a record $32.7 billion state budget surplus, the 88th Legislative session closed with no additional increase to per-student funding for Texas public schools. Since 2019, there has been no increase by lawmakers to the basic allotment for school districts despite inflation soaring to 19 percent, additional state mandates that are not fully funded, and continuing recapture, otherwise known as “Robin Hood,” payments that some school districts, like GCISD, are required to send to the state each year.
Why a VATRE?
Across the state, school districts closed the 2023-2024 school year with budget deficits in the millions, and some in North Texas have announced budget cuts or school closures. “GCISD is at a crossroads as far as funding,” GCISD Superintendent Dr. Brad Schnautz stated at the June 17, 2024, Board meeting, adding that the VATRE would “amount to approximately $6 million” in revenue for the school district. If the VATRE is not approved, GCISD is facing an estimated $5.5 million deficit in the 2024-2025 school year.
What is a VATRE?
A Voter-Approved Tax Ratification Election would provide GCISD voters the opportunity to decide on a proposed tax ratification for the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) side of the budget, which funds school district
operations, including instruction, staff, transportation, maintenance, extracurricular activities and other daily operating expenses, excluding projects included in the recent bond. Bonds are paid for by a separate Interest & Sinking (I&S) fund, which is debt service.
How would the VATRE Impact GCISD’s Tax Rate?
In the 2023-2024 school year GCISD’s Maintenance & Operations (M&O) tax rate was 0.7290. Even with the three additional “Golden Pennies” from the passage of the VATRE, the overall tax rate is projected to be lowered for the 2024-2025 school year.*
Funds generated by golden pennies in the VATRE are not subject to the state’s recapture, keeping 100 percent of those dollars locally with the school district. In the 2023-2024 school year, GCISD paid the state $31 million, or 22 percent of the district’s budget, in recapture. For the 2024-2025 school year, GCISD is projected to pay $34 million in recapture.
What’s Next?
In order to call an election, a district must first call an Efficiency Audit, which the Board has already approved and an external auditor is scheduled to complete by September. Trustees must call the election by August 19, 2024, in order for the VATRE to be on the November 5, 2024, ballot.
*The overall projected 2024-2025 tax rate is based on the most current estimate available at the time of this magazine’s publication. GCISD is waiting for finalized certified property values from the Tarrant Appraisal District. Please visit GCISD.net for the most current information.
