Trustees approve gas lease

The Coppell ISD Board of Trustees moved forward Monday night to finalize an oil and gas lease with Chesapeake Energy on 160 acres of school property west of Denton Tap Road. The deal will give the district $724,000 up front, and royalties following drilling and production.

Chesapeake Energy is paying $4,500 per acre to buy the rights to drill under CISD land, said Sid Grant, assistant superintendant of business and support services.

The money earned from the lease will go directly to the school district and is not eligible for state recapture, he said.

The largest area of land available for the underground drilling is at Coppell Middle School West. The 160 acres also include: Coppell High School and Pinkerton, Wilson and Cottonwood Creek Elementary schools, he said.

The drilling company will find a vacant piece of property within city ordinances to do the surface drilling, Grant said.

“They would not be drilling on any of our property,” he said. “They’re drilling at a mile or two miles beneath the surface, and it’s a hole that’s only several inches wide.” School district staff also filled the board in on upcoming programs.

IB Program

The International Baccalaureate (IB) program in Coppell starts in the fall 2009. The program will encompass interested juniors and seniors, who will earn an IB diploma.

“It’s not really an elite academic program. I would love to see 50 percent of our students participate,” said Todd Kettler, director of advanced academics.

The students will take IB classes in six areas: English, foreign language, social studies, experimental sciences, math and fine arts or elective.

“There is a very strong thread that is woven through all six curriculums, and that is international mindedness. We want students to look at the world globally,” said Mechelle Bryson, director of secondary curriculum. “Our borders have just been knocked down by computers and the Internet.”

Final grades are determined by how the students perform on exams and essays for each course. Each student will have a grade in the class for their GPA, and they will also have IB grades on a scale of 1 to 7, Kettler said.

To earn the IB diploma, the students must earn at least a cumulative 24 points, he said.

As part of the curriculum, students must take at least three higher level courses and exams, Kettler said.

“If I am a science math student, then I’m going to take those higher-level math and science classes,” Bryson said.

Higher-level courses last for two years, and standard-level courses typically last for one year, Kettler said.

Every student will take a higher level English course, because, she said, the students need to know how to write well.

IB students take courses separate from the rest of the school, with very few exceptions, Kettler said.

There will be various electives and humanities courses specifically for IB students like IB film, he said.

But even with a full IB schedule, there will still be extra time in the school day for students to incorporate other electives, he said.

“We want them to be able to participate,” Kettler said. “Contrary to some images out there, the IB students aren’t the ones sitting out there studying all day; they’re football players, writing for the newspaper and singing in the choir.”

The program is not restrictive as long as students are able to meet certain requirements, like completing Algebra II before their junior year, Bryson said.

“It really is a very all-inclusive program. There will students who are labeled ‘gifted.’ There will also be students with a strong work ethic and intellectual curiosity,” she said.

All aspects of program are sent for external review before the student can receive her diploma, Kettler said.

But, once the student has the diploma, it is recognized around the world, which is unlike a traditional high school diploma, he said.

Senior Scholars

Senior Scholars is an early college experience just for North Lake, where students who have completed most of their high school requirements can go to the college for a full day, Bryson said.

There are three options for the students: The first option allows students to take 12 hours of college courses per semester so that they are able to return to high school for extracurricular activities. They will enter college as a sophomore, she said.

The second option allows students to take 12 hours of courses per semester and also be a part of the work studies program and get a job, she said.

The final option allows students to take 15 hours per semester, Bryson said.

It is an extension of dual-credit opportunities mandated by Texas House Bill 1, she said.

There will be a parent-student meeting on the subject at 6:30 p.m. March 25 at Coppell High School.