Ferris ISD building renamed after a man the city will never forget

FERRIS – The Ferris ISD Building, which currently houses Ferris City Hall, was recently renamed after James Harrison, an important figure in the district for a number of years.

A man the city of Ferris is unlikely to forget for many reasons.

When Harrison took the job as Ferris ISD Superintendent in 1987, the school district had a total fund balance of $310,000.  

When he retired in 1998, he left the school with an M&O fund balance of over $7,000,000 and I&S fund balance of $1,200.000.

The growth in the fund balance stands out as even more amazing when one takes into consideration the fact that during this time period, the school district made $11,291,000 in capital improvements without passing any bonds for these projects.  

Harrison began his career with the Ferris ISD as a History Teacher/Coach-Basketball/JV Football. 

He then moved into the position of Jr. High School Principal, Ferris High School Assistant Principal, and Ferris High School Principal before taking on the role of Superintendent.

He was named Administrator of the Year several times during his tenure, was selected as Region X Superintendent and ATPE Superintendent of the year one time and before becoming Superintendent, Harrison was the District Basketball Coach of the Year seven times.

When Harrison became Superintendent in Ferris ISD, the State of Texas had the district’s student achievement ranked in the lower 10 percent of the state. 

Around 1996, Texas A&M completed a study of all the schools in the state and because of this study, A&M determined that Ferris ISD had become the number one school in the state based on achievement by minority students. 

At that time the ISD was also recognized due to the scores of all the districts’ students as being placed in the top 10 percent of the state.

In fact, Ferris ISD had so impressed those watching that the achievements were reported statewide, and before long FISD was being contacted by schools across the state and several around the nation asking what the district had done to accomplish such a turn-a-round by its students. There were even several schools asking if the district could send representatives to Ferris to spend time observing what was taking place.

Harrison and several staff members also visited schools upon request to help their staff learn how to use the model set at FISD to implement in their own district. He was also a guest lecturer on the topic at Texas A&M on several occasions as well.

The district did pass a bond in 1988 for $3,600,000 to build an intermediate school, but the projects he accomplished even without the bond were weighty. These included a new roof on the junior high for $350,000, 10 new classrooms at the high school for $1,200,000, a new cafeteria and library at the high school for $1,400,000, a new roof at the high school for $700,000, a rebuilt track at the stadium for $380,000, a new roof and a/c at Ingram Elementary for $800,000, a new field house and bus barn for $1,400,000, new parking lots at two elementary campuses for $520,000 and the building of McDonald Elementary without bonds used for $4,500,000.

Upon retirement, Harrison chaired a group that was able to convince the community to pass a $45,000,000 bond to build a new high school and make much needed improvements in the district. As well, after the State of Texas passed its new finance system called “Robin Hood”, Harrison was asked to help give seminars explaining the system he implemented at Ferris ISD to other school districts, and even appeared on television concerning the topic.