The How & The Why

At our July 24, 2025 Covington Independent School Board meeting, we were presented with a troubling reality: a disturbingly high number of our students are moving from school to school within the district during the school year. These aren’t just numbers on a report. They’re kids trying to learn while their lives are in constant motion.

As a board member, an uncle to school aged kiddos, and a lifelong advocate for this community, I can’t ignore what that means. Every time a child changes schools mid-year, they lose learning time, relationships, and a sense of stability. And that kind of disruption isn’t just academic. It’s emotional, social, and in many cases, avoidable.

If we truly want to improve outcomes for our students, we must shift our mindset to address the root causes of this mobility, not just through curriculum and instruction, but by wrapping support around the whole household. Below are several ideas I try to incorporate every chance I can. Some ideas are already in motion, others require bold leadership and deeper community partnership:

1. Invest in Income-Aligned Housing Through School Partnerships

Let’s think bold. What if Covington Independent Schools worked alongside local developers, nonprofits, and city leaders to help create income-aligned housing options. Affordable, stable homes designed specifically for families with students in our schools?

We already know housing insecurity is one of the leading causes of mid-year student transfers. By identifying unused district land or collaborating on mixed-use developments near school zones, we could offer priority housing options that keep families rooted in place. Imagine a school-adjacent housing complex that includes community rooms, child care, and afterschool enrichment—offering stability with dignity.

Other cities have taken steps in this direction. Covington has the creativity, the will, and the heart to lead the way.

2. Make Schools a Hub for Wraparound Services

When families are in crisis, school should be the place they can turn to first—not last.

We must expand our existing services to have a firmer link to social services that provide the following:

• Housing and eviction prevention referrals

• Utility assistance support

• Mental health counseling

• Job training connections for families

These aren’t extras—they’re essentials. And when families can access them through a school they trust, we remove barriers and build lasting relationships.

3. Create a Covington Family Stabilization Fund

Sometimes, it only takes one unexpected event like a missed paycheck, a hospital visit, a car breakdown, to push a family out of their home.

What if we created, or worked with a partnering social service agency, to create a Family Stabilization Fund. It would be a pool of emergency micro-grants or zero-interest loans that could help families weather a short-term crisis without having to uproot their children. Developed in partnership with local foundations and administered through trusted community-based organizations, this fund could keep more kids in the same classrooms from August to May.

4. Engage Parents in Co-Creating Solutions

We can’t solve family instability for our community—we have to solve it with them.

By hosting regular listening sessions, establishing parent leadership teams, and inviting caregivers into decision-making spaces, we build trust and shared ownership. Families support what they help shape—and they stay where they feel heard and valued.

5. Invest in Hope

Finally, let’s remember: stability isn’t only about preventing crisis—it’s about creating opportunity. When students and families see their futures reflected in our schools, through the arts, advanced learning programs, job pathways, mentorships, and culturally affirming experiences, they want to stay. Hope, when nurtured, becomes an anchor.

What we discussed at the last board meeting was more than a statistic—it was a call to action. A child changing schools mid-year is not just a scheduling challenge; it’s a symptom of larger systemic issues that we can—and must—address head-on. If we’re serious about student success, then we must also be serious about family stability. The work starts with us.

In service and community,