Dr. Rollo Talks New Elementary School, Coronado Coach & AgriSTEM

Tuesday on KFYO Mornings with Dave King and Matt Martin, the Superintendent of the Lubbock Independent School District Dr. Kathy Rollo joined Dave and Matt to talk about the new Anita Carmona Harrison elementary school, what they are looking for with Texas legislation, charter schools, the updated virtual learning numbers, getting staff vaccinated, a new Coronado coach, AgriSTEM expansion and more.

Dr. Rollo started the discussion by talking about the new school that is under construction. Previously, Lubbock ISD made the decision to take three of their existing schools and consolidate them into one larger school, and Rollo explained that they now have a name for it.

The school will be called the Anita Carmona Harrison Elementary School, named after a woman who was the first Latino person to grow up going all the way through Lubbock ISD schools and graduate from Texas Tech. She then taught in Lubbock for many years, wrote the first bilingual curriculum, and later retired.

"She has definitely left a very positive impact on the community, and is a wonderful role model for students," Rollo said.

The school is set to finish construction and be ready in August 2021.

The superintendent also gave an update on the state of their schools, both for kids in person, as well as virtually, and even staff. Rollo explained that they had 30 percent of students enrolled in virtual learning at the beginning of the school year, but that by bringing kids back to in person learning, they have brought that number to 15 percent, which is down 5 percent from last month.

Lubbock ISD will soon be taking STAAR tests, which Rollo believes will provide important data on how kids are doing, and the schools are working towards creating a safe place for kids, who are currently doing virtual learning, to come and take the test.

Another topic of discussion was their plans to find a new coach for Coronado athletics. Rollo explained that Coach Parr has decided to move on to a new opportunity in the Dallas area, and she thanked him for his service to the school. She went on to say that they have posted the position up, and have gotten quite a bit of interest in it. Interviews will begin on February 8th and will consist of two rounds before they approve a new coach in a meeting on February 25th.

Finally, Dr. Rollo discussed their plans for AgriSTEM expansion. The Superintendent explained that it is the final large bond project that passed in 2018 that still needs to be completed. Construction on an AgriSTEM facility has not yet been started because Lubbock ISD has been meeting with stakeholders to find out what types of programs need to be included to better prepare students to go into the agriculture workforce. She went on to say that right now, their programs mostly consist of animal science, but that they are looking to add more pathways, specifically in science related positions like Vet Techs, meat related programs to prepare students for Texas Tech, and Ecology.

Watch the full interview with Dr. Kathy Rollo in the video above.

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KFYO Mornings with Dave King & Matt Martin airs weekday mornings live, from 6:00 AM to 8:30 AM on News/Talk 95.1 FM and 790 AM KFYO, online at KFYO.com, & on the free KFYO app.