Coppell Chronicle Vol. 3, No. 30
Coppell High Boasts Most Merit Semifinalists • Coppell ISD Joins Accountability Lawsuit • Unusual Home Will be Built on Denton Tap • Arts Center Operates at $2 Million Deficit
I drove over to MacArthur Boulevard and Belt Line Road this morning, so I could patronize a business affected by DART’s closure of that intersection. I found out the hard way that Ecclesia Bakery & Brunch is closed on Sundays, but the staff at Donut Palace was more than happy to take my money.
On my way there, I noticed for the first time a yellow sign warning eastbound drivers of the Northlake Road intersection, which was the subject of a recent article. (See “Isolated Neighborhood Stuck in Fast Lane” in Vol. 3, No. 27.) When I texted Prasad Choppa, my primary source for that article, to ask how long the sign has been up, I interrupted his process of texting a picture of it to me. So I guess it hasn’t been there very long.
That’s not the deceleration lane Choppa wants, but it is evidence of this newsletter’s power and influence, he typed without an ounce of humility.
Coppell High Boasts Most Merit Semifinalists
Coppell ISD announced last week that 49 of its students — all but one of whom attend Coppell High School — have been named National Merit semifinalists. That’s a record total for the district, breaking last year’s mark of 40 semifinalists, which also included one New Tech High student.
“This achievement is a reflection of these students’ hard work, dedication, and the exceptional education they receive from our outstanding teachers starting in elementary school, then middle and high school, as well the support of their incredible parents and families, and the entire Coppell ISD community,” Superintendent Brad Hunt said in a press release that includes all of the semifinalists’ names. “We are immensely proud of our 49 National Merit semifinalists and look forward to celebrating their success as they continue along their academic journey.”
No Texas school has more semifinalists this year than Coppell High’s 48. After poring over the complete list of semifinalists from Texas, I believe Coppell is one of only six campuses in the state with 40 or more:
Coppell: 48
Katy Seven Lakes: 46
Austin Westwood: 45
Allen: 43
Plano West: 43
Southlake Carroll: 40
I had to do my own arithmetic because the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s press release attached to that statewide list starts with this: “Caution: Using numbers of semifinalists to compare high schools, educational systems, or states will result in erroneous conclusions. The National Merit Scholarship Program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The program does not measure the quality or effectiveness of education within a school, system, or state.”
Throwing that caution to the wind, here’s how Coppell’s number of semifinalists stacks up against the totals for its athletic competitors in District 6-6A:
Coppell: 48
Plano West: 43
Flower Mound: 36
Plano East: 22
Hebron: 20
Plano: 9
Flower Mound Marcus: 8
Lewisville: 0
And here’s how Coppell ISD compares to the adjacent school districts:
Lewisville ISD: 65 (36 at Flower Mound + 20 at Hebron + 8 at Flower Mound Marcus + 1 at The Colony)
Coppell ISD: 49 (48 at Coppell + 1 at New Tech)
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD: 14 (10 at Grapevine + 4 at Colleyville Heritage)
Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD: 5 (4 at Newman Smith + 1 at R.L. Turner)
Irving ISD: 1 at Singley Academy
Semifinalist status is based solely on how well a student did on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. To become a finalist, a semifinalist has to submit a detailed application, write an essay, be endorsed and recommended by a school official, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s performance on the qualifying test. About 95 percent of semifinalists are expected to become finalists, and approximately half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship.
Coppell ISD Joins Accountability Lawsuit
On the one hand, Coppell ISD is trumpeting its students’ scores on a standardized test, the PSAT/NMSQT. But on the other hand, the district is suing the Texas Education Agency to prevent it from issuing ratings that are primarily based on students’ scores on a different standardized test, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR).
On Tuesday, the Coppell ISD trustees unanimously voted to join a lawsuit that originated with Kingsville ISD. According to the O’Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo law firm, Coppell ISD is among 27 districts that are parties to the suit, including four others based in Dallas County: Duncanville ISD, Grand Prairie ISD, Lancaster ISD, and Richardson ISD.
Coppell ISD Director of Communications Amanda Simpson told me a second group of districts has filed a similar suit with assistance from the Thompson & Horton firm. I assume Dallas ISD is among that group, because it was not on the list I received from O’Hanlon even though its trustees on Thursday also voted to sue the TEA. Thompson & Horton did not immediately respond to my request for its client list.
The major complaint in these suits is that Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath (who is a former Dallas ISD trustee) has not sufficiently explained the new methods his agency will use to calculate A through F grades for the state’s schools and districts. Those ratings were supposed to be released on Sept. 28, but Morath said Tuesday that they would be delayed until October while the TEA makes some adjustments. Meanwhile, Gov. Greg Abbott is widely expected to call a special legislative session in October focused on one of his pet issues — vouchers that could be used for discounted tuition at private schools. Lower grades for public schools would likely be fodder for legislators who support vouchers.
During Tuesday’s special Coppell ISD board meeting, Chief Communications Officer Angela Brown told the trustees that the TEA situation was akin to playing an entire football season without knowing how the games would be scored.
“We’ve already completed one season or one school year and are well into the next season or school year without knowing the accountability performance measures from the TEA,” Brown said. “We believe this is extremely unfair to our teachers and our students.”
Although the TEA has not fully explained its methodology grading schools and districts, it did release students’ scores on the STAAR tests given last spring. On Aug. 16, I received an email from Coppell ISD via Parent Square that included a unique code I could use to access my now-freshman’s eighth-grade STAAR results. If you haven’t taken a peek at your kid’s scores yet, try searching your inbox for a similar email.
An Aug. 16 press release from the TEA said 52 percent of Texas students met grade-level expectations in reading and language arts, exceeding the final pre-pandemic mark of 47 percent. But in mathematics, the statewide metric of 43 percent meeting expectations last spring was still below the 2019 mark of 50 percent.
The final sentence of that release includes a link to a portal where you can drill down to STAAR data for individual districts and campuses. That’s where I got these percentages for Coppell ISD.
“Coppell ISD believes in a robust Community Based Accountability System or CBAS, in which the STAAR tests, which the TEA primarily relies upon for its ratings, is just one data point to measure our students’ academic success,” Superintendent Brad Hunt said in a press release about the lawsuit. “However, the arbitrary application of the TEA’s new rating measures without the required advanced notice of what these measures are will potentially give the appearance that schools across the state, including in Coppell ISD, may be declining.”
Unusual Home Will be Built on Denton Tap
At the moment, there are no homes in Coppell with a Denton Tap Road address, but the City Council has greenlit plans for such a residence.
By a 6-0 vote on Tuesday, the council approved a zoning change requested by architects Jose Fernando Teruya and Eliana Moromizato Teruya. The longtime Coppell residents plan to build a house and an office building on an oddly shaped tract on the west side of Denton Tap, due south of Bailey Orthodontics.
When the Coppell Planning and Zoning Commission held a hearing on the Teruyas’ project last month, Commissioner Cindy Bishop had to recuse herself. That’s because Bishop and her husband reside directly across an unnamed creek from the Teruyas’ land.
(See “Architects Design Own Home on Denton Tap” in Vol. 3, No. 26.)
However, Bishop was free to speak her mind on Tuesday, when she expressed concerns about how the development would affect her and her neighbors on Wales Court. I’d love to tell you exactly what she said, but I procrastinated transcribing her comments until this morning, when I discovered that the video of Tuesday’s meeting is not available.
I can recall from watching the meeting live that Director of Public Works Mike Garza said his staff is not overly concerned about how the Teruyas’ development would affect erosion along the creek. Senior Planner Mary Paron-Boswell’s written report says the Teruyas plan to save 72 percent of the trees on the commercial lot and “as many trees as possible” on the residential lot.
As he told the commission last month, Jose Fernando Teruya assured the council that health, safety, and welfare are his profession’s top priorities (as reflected in the American Institute of Architects’ Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct). He also said building a home and office building on his property would prevent people from treating it like a park. During that portion of his presentation, Teruya showed the council pictures he had taken of graffiti that has been spray-painted under Denton Tap Road as it crosses Grapevine Creek.
I intended to take my own pictures of that graffiti on Saturday afternoon, but I didn’t even have to leave the sidewalk in front of the Teruyas’ property to view some public art. Somebody recently provided a makeover to the “SOLD” sign that’s been displayed there for more than a year.
I emailed that photo to Teruya on Saturday and asked him if he was aware of the painting. He has not yet replied, but when I drove by the property again this morning, the artwork had been removed.
The public hearing on the Teruyas’ zoning request was one of five conducted during Tuesday’s meeting, and it was the only one featuring any speakers in opposition. Here are some quick-and-dirty summaries of the other cases:
• By a vote of 5-1 — with Jim Walker being in opposition and Brianna Hinojosa-Smith being absent — the council approved the revised plans for a Kroger fuel station that shifts the pumps to the parking lot’s southeast corner. (See “Kroger’s Landlord Agrees to Move Pumps” in Vol. 3, No. 26.) Kevin Nevels, who joined Walker in voting against the original plans in June, told Kroger’s representatives on Tuesday, “I think that you guys are trying to do the right thing. I think you listened to a lot of concerns that citizens had; you listened to the concerns that the council had and took steps to try to mitigate as much of that as possible.” The council agreed to remove the condition that Nevels proposed in June that would have forbidden fuel deliveries between 3 and 4 p.m. on school days. Walker made a motion on Tuesday to add more lighting restrictions, but none of his peers seconded it.
• Almost everybody present was in favor of Airbnb “Superhost” Lorna Bell continuing to offer a spare bedroom in her Kaye Street home as a short-term rental; Walker cast the lone dissenting vote. (See “Policy on Short-Term Rentals Put into Practice” in Vol. 3, No. 29.) The council took no action on Bell’s request for a refund on the associated $525 fee, but most of them seemed inclined to codify a discount on such fees for senior citizens. Such a policy should appear on a council agenda soon, with a retroactive aspect that would benefit Bell. (This blurb was updated after publication.)
• After being assured that a second tank farm at the AstraZeneca facility on Wrangler Drive would be just as safe as its existing tank farm, the council approved zoning changes that will allow the pharmaceutical giant to ramp up its 24/7 production of a drug called Lokelma, which is not made anywhere else. (See “Prescription Powder Produced Only in Coppell” in Vol. 3, No. 26.)
• Did you know trees can have knees? That sounds Seussian to my ears, but it’s a big problem for Magnolia Park homeowner Kristina Lowe. Five Leyland cypress trees on land owned by the East Lake Homeowners Association have been spreading into her yard and creating “cypress knees.” Lowe and the HOA have agreed to cut the trees down, and the council approved a zoning change that spares either party from paying $10,600 worth of tree removal fees.
Arts Center Operates at $2 Million Deficit
In the fiscal year that ends this month, the Coppell Arts Center will cost about $2 million more to operate than it will generate. How big of a problem is that? That’s up to the City Council to decide.
The council was briefed on that operating deficit on Aug. 29, when they listened to a presentation from Brett Egan, president of the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland. Back in February, the city and the Coppell Arts Center Foundation teamed up to commission a study of the Arts Center’s operations and finances. (The cost of that study? $65,000.)
Egan said about 10 to 15 percent of the Arts Center’s expenses are covered by its revenues, while the remaining 85 to 90 percent are “contributed or subsidized.” In the long term, he said, a sustainable ratio would be more like 45 percent earned versus 55 percent subsidized.
“You are, at this point, in the trajectory of the center, requiring more subsidy than the ‘typical’ arts center,” Egan said.
One of the numbers in Egan’s presentation that got my attention was the $300,000 worth of revenue the Arts Center will bring in via rental and usage fees charged to outside parties. He said that’s more than double the budgeted amount of $135,000.
“This testifies to the good work of the management,” Egan said. “It testifies to the attractiveness of the venue.”
As for reducing the deficit, he presented a multipronged strategy to cut it in half or “eat the elephant one bite at a time.”
Egan said execution of this strategy would require a revised scheduling protocol that prioritizes the “Presents” series of touring shows over events staged by the Arts Center’s resident companies such as the Coppell Community Chorale and Theatre Coppell. That’s something Arts Center Managing Director Ginene Delcioppo told the City Council a year ago, but we’re still a year away from a possible change due to the resident companies’ contracts.
(See “Arts Center May Flip Script on Bookings” in Vol. 2, No. 28.)
It would also require finding another place for the resident companies to rehearse; there was talk of using the building at South Coppell Road and Southwestern Boulevard that was a temporary home for the Cozby Library during its reconstruction. Finally, it would require focused fundraising and coordination by the Coppell Arts Center Foundation and the Coppell Arts Council.
That last point is outside the City Council’s purview. Although they were not making any decisions during their Aug. 29 meeting, they are expected to do so on Sept. 26. City Manager Mike Land asked them to focus on “the evolution of the relationship between the resident companies and the Arts Center.” With representatives of those resident companies in the room, Land said the council may decide that the relationship does not need to evolve.
“Here’s the deal: One of your options is not to make a change,” Land said. “And if that’s true, then I will say to you every budget season, ‘That’s not a conversation that we’re going to have, because you’ve already made that decision.’ Right? We don’t have this conversation about the library. We don’t have this conversation about The CORE. We only continue to have this conversation about the Arts Center.”
Because Land brought up those other facilities, Council Member Jim Walker asked him for comparable stats on revenues and expenses. Land’s ballpark figures were that The CORE and the Cozby Library each cost about $2 million per year to operate. Membership dues and rental fees at The CORE cover about half of its expenses, but the Cozby Library brings in virtually no revenue because, you know, it’s a library.
(Land described the library’s revenues with a phrase that was new to me: “de minimis.” According to Merriam-Webster, it means “lacking significance or importance; so minor as to merit disregard.”)
Mayor Wes Mays reminded everyone that the Arts Center’s financial situation aligns with what the council was told when the facility was being planned and built.
“We’re pretty much on track with where we said we’d be back then,” Mays said. “Expenses have been going down, revenues have been going up, so I just see this as the next evolution in that trend.”
Chronicle Crumbs
• On Tuesday, the Coppell City Council had a closed-door discussion regarding “property located north of Southwestern Boulevard and west of Freeport Parkway,” per their agenda. Last month, both of their regular meetings include private discussions regarding “economic development prospects north of Sandy Lake Road and west of Freeport Parkway.” Hmm …
• This Thursday, the Coppell Planning and Zoning Commission will consider yet another zoning change for Terry Holmes’ long-gestating Blackberry Farm development. The major request is that he wants the subdivision to be a gated community, but he also wants to augment the farmhouse/amenity center near the entrance with a pool, a bocce court, and two pickleball courts.
• Speaking of pickleball, the City of Coppell is seeking a new manager for the Wagon Wheel Tennis and Pickleball Center. The job posting says the salary range is between $59,600 and $86,500 annually.
• During Thursday’s meeting of the Coppell Library Advisory Board, Chair Martha Garber praised Amy Pittman-Hassett for serving as the interim director of library services, and she also said a permanent replacement for Dennis Quinn was “coming on board.” If that permanent replacement’s name has been announced anywhere, I’ve missed it.
• A collection of tapestries by Coppell resident Alli Rogers Andreen will be displayed at the Cozby Library and Community Commons until the end of September. “The Block Party” is intended to echo the visual language of suburban homes and neighborhoods.
• The Coppell Recreation Development Corporation will hold a public hearing on its 2023-2024 work plan at 6:30 p.m. on Monday in the second-floor conference room at Coppell Town Center. For more details, read this memo:
• The space on North Belt Line Road in Irving that was formerly occupied by Vito’s Pizza Restaurant has been rebranded as Di Memo’s Pizza Mexitalian Restaurant. The largest words on the façade are “PIZZA, PASTA & TACOS.”
• Here’s another oddity from the Irving portion of Coppell ISD: I had never seen a recruiting station exclusively devoted to the U.S. Coast Guard before Saturday. That’s when I spotted this one on Olympus Boulevard.
• In the Aug. 20 edition of the Chronicle Crumbs, I reported that the logo for Shipley Do-Nuts had been removed from the leasing brochure for Coppell Market Center. Last week, I discovered that a “notice of lock-out of commercial tenant” dated Aug. 29 was posted at the space where we’ve been expecting a Shipley for nearly a year, and that form names Shipley as the tenant. Getting locked out before you can even open your doors? Ouch.
Community Calendar
Metrocrest Democrats: The club has invited the Democrats who aim to represent Coppell in Congress and the Legislature to speak at its September meeting. Sam Eppler, Francine Ly, and Sandeep Srivastava are running in U.S. House District 24, while Scarlett Cornwallis, Cassandra Hernandez, and Kate Rumsey are running in Texas House District 115. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Monday at New New Buffet in Addison.
Back to (Home) School Party: The Cozby Library and Community Commons will host a networking event for homeschooling families at 1 p.m. on Tuesday.
September Paint & Sip: Fungus Among Us: Kate Shema of Createria Studios will guide participants through the creation of a mushroom painting between 6 and 8 p.m. on Wednesday at the Coppell Arts Center.
Assistance League of Coppell Meeting: Anne Lehew, Coppell ISD’s Coordinator of Counseling and Social Emotional Learning, will discuss plans for Red Ribbon Week during the meeting that is scheduled to begin at 11:15 a.m. on Thursday in Room 236 at Valley Ranch Baptist Church.
Kaleidoscope: Friday is the deadline to turn in a vendor application for Coppell’s festival of color, culture, and music, which will happen from 3 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 7 in Old Town.
Art, Sip & Stroll: The Coppell Arts Council’s annual fundraiser in Old Town will feature a headline performance by Downtown Fever - An Emerald City Band. The festivities will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday.
Vocal Majority: The a cappella chorus that has performed all over the world will bring their voices to the Coppell Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Assistance League of Coppell Informational Social: Learn about the league’s programs and plans to continue serving the Coppell community during an event scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 28 at the Cozby Library and Community Commons.
Intuitive Eating: Dietitian Kathryn Martinez will be at the Cozby Library and Community Commons at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 28 to discuss why finding pleasure in food is so important to having an eating plan you can stick with.
The Mousetrap: Theatre Coppell will stage nine performances of Agatha Christie’s murder mystery in the Wheelice Wilson Jr. Theatre at the Coppell Arts Center, starting on Sept. 29.
Old Town Coppell Car Show: The Coppell Historical Museum plans to showcase vintage vehicles between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sept. 30.
Sunset Social — Music in Old Town: A band called The Wonderfuls will perform at 7 p.m. on Sept. 30, when a few food trucks will cruise into Old Town Coppell.
Hit Like a Girl: The Coppell Police Department will offer a free self-defense class for women from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 14 and 21 at Life Safety Park. The class size is limited, so registration is required.
CORRECTION: The vote on the Kaye Street short-term rental was 5-1, with Jim Walker casting the dissenting vote.
Thank you for an extensive report of happenings in our city.
There are 2 items that made me react. The first one was that Gov Abbott is still trying to defund our public schools! His actions are abhorrent to public education.
The second was the Coppell Arts Center. I agree that the center should be there for all to enjoy just as the library, our sports fields, the Core, and parks. I do not think it should be judged by revenue. So that my 2cents as a Coppell citizen for the past 43 years!