Boerne ISD officials expect nearly 11,000 students in their 12 school hallways when the new academic year opens Aug. 10.
Bryan Benway, Boerne ISD director of communications, said the district enrolled 400-500 new students for the 2023-24 academic year, creating a projected student total of 10,800 -- continuing a trend of about 6% growth per year.
“We’re seeing our elementary schools grow at a very large rate, which is why elementary school no. 8 is so important,” Benway said, referring to the district’s next new school off Scenic Loop Road near the Corley Farms subdivision, south of town. After a pending name change, the new school will open for the 2024-25 school year.
“That will alleviate (potential overcrowding) at Van Raub, Kendall and potentially Fair Oaks Ranch (elementaries) when we redistrict for that,” he said.
Among changes adopted for the new year – no cellphones in classrooms, and no hoodies worn over the head while inside school buildings.
“We’re going to be enforcing our cellphone policy much more this year,” Benway said during the district’s July 24 new teacher orientation event. “Students are not allowed to have their cellphones in class unless they are working on a specific assignment.”
Enforcement will be districtwide, not just at secondary campuses. “So, students may have their phones taken up by their teacher if they are not following those protocols,” he added.
The district amended the dress code to rule out hoodies, for security and video purposes.
“Students are not going to be allowed wear hoodies over their heads inside this year. That’s so our cameras can see who they are, in case we have to identify them,” he said.
Same with baseball caps – no baseball- type hats or caps can be worn inside “for safety and security reasons, in case we have a situation where we need to ID someone on camera.”
In addition to having police officers serve as School Resource Officers (SROs) at every school, the district will establish hall monitors and additional security at its secondary schools.
“They may be retired law enforcement, retired security, those types of things, we want them to have that kind of background,” Benway said. “ This arrangement is outside the district’s partnership with the police departments. This is something different. But it will be someone that has that type of background.”
A time change is coming – the secondary school day will start five minutes earlier, at 8:30 a.m. to allow for a new advisory period.
“You can go talk to a teacher, you can go to a club meeting, or you can do something that’s involved on the campus,” he said. “It gives students time to get those types of things done instead of coming in earlier or staying later.”
More than 130 new teachers signed on with the district, hirings necessary to handle the projected growth.
The district seeks to continue stellar academic marks, including a 100% graduation rate, an “A”-rating from the Texas Education Agency three years in row, and $22 million in scholarships awarded following the 2022-23 school year.
The 2023-24 school year will also be the final year for retiring Superintendent Dr. Thomas Price. The superintendent is leaving the education field after 37 years, including 17 as superintendent, seven of those at Boerne ISD.
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