Pearce focuses on recruiting efforts

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Pearce Middle School is focusing strongly on recruiting students just four days before the first day of school on Monday, trying to fill in a big gap in student enrollment.

So far, only 138 students have enrolled in the newly repurposed school, a huge difference from 519 students enrolled at the end of the last school year. The school hopes to have as many students as last year.

New Principal Trana Allen, who comes from the Round Rock Independent School District, will be leading the school and said they're hoping much of that student enrollment gap will be filled by students showing up the first day of school to enroll. Thursday marks her first official full day on the job.

"I don't know if there's a better word than scrambling," said Allen. "There have been a lot of people who have been working very hard."

Principal Allen understands some parents may choose to transfer their kids to a different school.

"Because of past history, there may be parents who want their children to go to other schools and they're trying to figure that out and that's why they haven't declared a school," said Allen.

Before the first day of school, however, school officials will be hitting the pavement as part of a "community walk" sweeping through 400 homes in the Pearce attendance area in hopes of raking in more students for the school.

"Pearce is open," said Allen. "That's the first message. Secondly, come back. Are there fears, concerns or misconceptions about the school?"

Allen said they'll be knocking on doors between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Friday, letting parents in the area know that the middle school is open and that they want students to come back.

And that's not the only gap school officials are looking to fill. There are still five open spots for new teachers, even after adding 10 new teachers to the team.

Of last year's teaching staff, only 50 percent returned under the new repurposing plan.

Pedro Rello came to Pearce Middle School Thursday morning to make sure his daughter Perla was enrolled for the first day of school.

"We never knew if the school was going to be closed until the very end," said Rello.

Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott approved the district's repurposing plan for Pearce Middle School Aug. 4, just a day after the Austin Independent School District board of trustees unanimously approved the plan for the troubled school during a special meeting.

Allen said school employees have had to scramble to make last-minute preparations for the school's opening, saying there have also been long nights and weekends in the process.

The school's future was unclear for most of the summer after AISD announced last month the school would close because of low TAKS test scores for eight out of the last 10 years.

Under the deal worked out with the State Board of Education, the school will offer new leadership and more services to try and help students achieve.

Allen took RRISD's Berkman Elementary from a rating of acceptable to exemplary in just two years.

The school's 40-page repurposing plan called for a stronger focus on ESL programs, more parental involvement and recruiting and retaining qualified teachers and principal.

Meanwhile, the state's education commissioner said the problems Pearce Middle School faced are not limited to just that campus. Scott said the problems plague every eastside school, with the problems beginning in middle school.

In the newest round of ratings, every eastside high school, except for Liberal Arts and Science Academy High school, had a rating of unacceptable.

The entire repurposing plan can be found on the AISD Web site.

Some parents have decided to transfer their children to a different school this academic school year, saying they were tired of the school's past problems.

But come Monday, teachers and staff at Pearce Middle School will be ready for a tough, but hopefully successful school year.

"I think it takes a special person to want to teach at Pearce," said Bill Frain, Returning Teacher. "We've had some struggling scores. We really brought them up last year."