Lancaster Independent School District

Lancaster Independent School District
Location of Lancaster ISD in Dallas County
Location
Lancaster, Texas, USA
Information
Type	Public
Enrollment	6,234 (2006-2007)
Superintendent	Dr. Michael D. McFarland

Lancaster Independent School District is a public school district based in Lancaster, Texas (USA). The district serves most of the city of Lancaster and a small portion of the city of Hutchins.

In 2010, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.

The district is led by a Superintendent as well as a seven-member Board of Trustees. The Superintendent is appointed by the Board of Trustees as its Chief Executive Officer. The current Superintendent, Michael McFarland, was appointed in 2010 after Inter Superintendent Dr. Dana Marable. 2011.

Members of the Board of Trustees are elected from seven single-member districts to serve staggered three-year terms. The Board’s main responsibilities include funding the maintenance and operation of district schools, approving district personnel, submitting bond issues to voters for the construction of school facilities, and general management of the district. School Board elections take place in May.

The history of education in Lancaster dates back to 1846. That year, the first school – housed in a one-room log cabin – opened in the area. A tuition of ten cents per student per day was the initial teacher pay. In 1857, the first frame school house was built near the present-day intersection of Jefferson and Third Streets. It was private and tuition based. A school tax was instituted in 1869.

In 1902, citizens petitioned for a bond and tax election to be held for the purpose of constructing a public school building. The Lancaster Independent School District was established in 1905. The William L. White School opened that same year, serving students in grades 1-12. A new high school located on Centre Avenue (site of the current administration building) opened in 1923. Lancaster High School was accepted to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1929, becoming the first such in Dallas County to receive this designation.