Mrs. Trina Silmon (L) is Principal at Baxter Elementary School in Midlothian. She replaced Harper Stewart (R). | Midlothian ISD/Linkedin
Mrs. Trina Silmon (L) is Principal at Baxter Elementary School in Midlothian. She replaced Harper Stewart (R). | Midlothian ISD/Linkedin
Of 573 students at T.E. Baxter Elementary School in Midlothian, 401 weren't on academic track to qualify for college in 2022, according to an analysis of state test scores by South DFW News.
Data published by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) reports that 35 percent of Baxter's white students, 20 percent of its Hispanic students and 12 percent of its black students had “mastered” their grade level in 2022 and were “on track for college and career readiness," as measured by state academic standards.
In 2022, of Baxter's 573 students, 63 of whom were black, 129 Hispanic, 326 white and 41 mixed-race, according to the TEA.
The TEA says students who haven’t mastered their grade level are “prepared to progress to the next grade,” but are not on a college track.
Just eight of Baxter’s 63 black students tested as being on a college track in 2022, and just 26 of 129 Hispanic ones.
For the sixth year in a row, none of Baxter’s 63 black students tested at college track in science.
Only only three black Baxter students on college track in mathematics, according to TEA.
TEA reported that in 2019, 11 percent of black students were on college track in math, along with 20 percent of Hispanic students and 36 percent of whites.
By 2022, those percentages fell to five percent for black students, 17 percent for Hispanics and 33 percent for whites.
New principal
Baxter hired Trina Silmon as its principal in May 2022, replacing Harper Stewart, who left the school after eight years to become superintendent of Hamilton Independent School District, in Hamilton County on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas.
Simon previously worked as an "instructional coach" at Baxter.
In 2015, Stewart and his wife, Ashley, were both hired by Midlothian Independent School District.
Stewart was hired as Baxter's principal and his wife was named "assistant superintendent for school leadership, planning and innovation," a new position created by Midlothian ISD.
They had both previously worked for Graham Independent School District, in Young County.
Ashley Stewart left her position in Midlothian in Nov. 2017 to become "Chief Administrative Officer" of Boerne Independent School District. She left Boerne last December to start a private consulting practice for government school districts, advising them on how to "train" school board members and borrow money from public markets.
She earned $151,203 from Boerne ISD in 2022.
According to his new contract with Hamilton ISD, Harper Stewart earns $140,000 per year, plus a $100 per month stipend for his cell phone.
------
Students on college track at Baxter Elementary School
Source: Texas Education Agency.
Alerts Sign-up