Extra Credit

Arlington bond campaign gaining steam

Supports ofArlington schools $197.5 million bond issue will begin distributing their brightly colored “Vote For Our Kids” yard signs this weekend (see their logo at the left). But, that’s far from all they’re up to.
The Citizens for Arlington political action committee met Tuesday to talk about fund-raising and other activities. Treasurer Craig Forster reported they had about $11,300 in donations. He said previously that they hope to raise about $50,000 over the next few weeks.
The bond election is Nov. 3, with early voting starting Oct. 19. The $197.5 million package includes money for a new elementary school and two school additions to relieve overcrowding at elementary schools in east central Arlington. It also contains millions for buses, technology and fine arts purchases designed to get the district through 2015.

If the district is able to take advantage of some no-interest bonds authorized as part of the federal stimulus package, the bond would cost the owner of a $100,000 home with a $15,000 homestead exemption an extra $40 annually. For property owners with an over-65 exemption, there would be no increase.

Supporters believe that their biggest opponent at this point is the rough economy and voter apathy.
Citizens for Arlington has also set up a Website. It has a frequently asked questioned section and information about how to donate money that will be used for yard signs, direct mail and other publicity. 

- Traci Shurley

Arlington gets $300,000 for foreign language instruction

Arlington schools’ languages department recently got a big boost from the U.S. Department of Education.
The federal agency recently awarded the district a $300,000 grant for the current school year, the first installment in a three-year grant of $900,000, administrators said.

The award is pending approval from the district’s trustees on Oct. 8. If approved it will benefit French, German and Spanish instruction, said Sharon Deering, a district instructional specialist for languages other than English.

Teacher training, curriculum improvements and activities that will involve native language speakers from the community are all part of the plan.

Deering hopes the grant will help students see foreign language classes as “really an opportunity to learn to speak, not just to get two credits to graduate.”

- Traci Shurley

Deadline to get student immunizations is Wednesday

Students must be up to date on immunizations by Wednesday to attend classes, Texas health officials said. Kindergarteners and seventh-graders were given extra time in August because some shot providers were running out of required vaccinations.

The extensions applied only to vaccinations required under a new vaccination schedule, including shots for meningococcus, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis and varicella, Star-Telegram writer Jan Jarvis reported.

- Jessamy Brown

H-E-B gets rebate check for energy efficient lighting

Saving energy has paid off in HEB ISD. Oncor Electric Delivery presented the District with a check for $41,018.42 for installing energy efficient lighting as part of a program offered to governmental entities. They presented the check at the September 15 school board meeting.

 

Oncor Electric Delivery chose CLEAResult Consulting to implement a program called SCORE. The program was offered to governmental entities at no cost, was designed to help participants identify energy efficiency opportunities in existing and newly planned campuses, and provided monetary incentives to implement new energy saving initiatives. 

 

The program’s technical engineers identified T-5 lighting upgrades as one of the energy saving initiatives HEB ISD could implement. In fiscal year 2008-2009, the District installed T-5 lighting in all gymnasiums at a cost of $256,595. The payback on this upgrade is estimated to be five years at approximately $50,000-$60,000 per year.

Texas Senate Bill 7 deregulated the electricity market in Texas in 1999 and required investor-owned utilities to offset 10 percent of their projected annual load growth through energy efficiency programs. Oncor Electric Delivery, HEB ISD’s transmission and delivery service provider, chose to sponsor the SCORE Program to accommodate this mandate. The program goal was to reduce peak kilowatt-hour

H-E-B Hall of Fame Winners

 

The Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, in conjunction with the HEB Education Foundation, has named the 2009 inductees for the HEB ISD Hall of Fame.

The District accepted nominations in six categories. A committee of school district staff, school board members and community leaders selected the winners, who will be inducted at a ceremony in November.

The District inducted its first group in November 2008 as part of its 50^th anniversary celebration.

2009 Winners

Distinguished LD Bell Graduate

Dr. Jeff Burnett

Distinguished Trinity Graduate

Dr. Randy Alkire

Distinguished Former Employee

Irwin Mathews

Distinguished Former Board of Trustees Member

Lorraine Tatarevich

Distinguished Volunteer

Melody L. Davenport

Distinguished Community Leader

Mary Lib Saleh, Mayor of Euless

Two H-E-B schools selected for state recognition

River Trails Elementary School and Shady Oaks Elementary School have been named to a statewide honor roll list of schools for the best academic performance in Texas. Winning schools are recognized for being the most consistent performers in educating all student groups over a three-year period.

The Texas Business and Education Coalition (TBEC) selected River Trails and Shady Oaks as two of approximately 300 elementary, middle school, and high schools in Texas named to the TBEC Honor Roll. Of the more than 8,000 schools in Texas, fewer than four percent will receive this award.

 

The two recipients will be honored at an event scheduled for November 9, 2009, in San Antonio.

This is the second year in a row for River Trails to receive the award. Shady Oaks Elementary had received the award in 2006 and 2007, and in 2005, Euless Junior High School received the award.

In my estimation, the TBEC Honor Roll is the highest honor that a Texas public school can attain. The methodology is objective, based on TAKS scores, with each school being compared to a group of schools having similar demographics. Schools with student achievement at the top of their comparison group are selected for inclusion to the Honor Roll.

Honor Roll schools rank highest in their individual peer groups, which are schools across the state that most closely resemble their size and student population makeup.

TBEC identifies the Honor Roll schools by analyzing three years of performance data for all Texas public schools. A school must have a high percentage of students meeting state standards on the TAKS tests in all subjects for three consecutive years, with an emphasis on how many students score at the state's highest standard - commended - on all tests.

Texas Business and Education Coalition (TBEC), formed in 1989, is a non-profit organization of business executives and education leaders dedicated to improving the
performance of the public school system by influencing state education policy and stimulating community-based school improvement initiatives.

 

Rapping doc wins swine flu video contest

Need to teach kids how to help prevent the flu? Have them watch the H1N1 Rap by Dr. John Clarke, Medical Director for the Long Island Railroad, who beat out more than 200 other enteries this week in a video contest sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Birdville Students Earn Recognition for AP Scores

Birdville, Haltom and Richland high schools received a combined 136 AP Scholar recognitions for the 2008-09 school year. These recognitions are for junior and senior students who performed well on multiple AP exams during spring 2009. Four students received National Scholars recognition with an average grade of at least four on all AP exams taken and grades of four or higher on eight or more exams. Twenty-six students received AP Scholars With Distinction recognition with an average of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken and grades three or higher on five or more exams. Sixteen students received AP Scholars with Honor recognition with an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP exams and grades of three or higher on four or more exams. Ninety students received AP Scholar recognition for grades of three or higher on three or more AP exams.

Arlington trustees seek advice from volunteers

With budget shortfalls of millions of dollars, the Arlington school district is looking to citizens for help in managing its expenses during tight financial times.

The district is taking applications from volunteers who want to serve on an AISD Citizens Advisory Committee. The charge of the committee calls for it to “to provide recommendations to the Arlington ISD Board of Trustees on issues related to cost reductions, efficiencies, additional revenue, and/or budget changes to the 2009-2010 and future AISD operating budgets and/or AISD programs.”

Trustees will appoint the 28-member committee, which will have representatives from each of the six high school networks. Some relatives of employees are not eligible to serve. For more information, go to the district Website.

- Traci Shurley

Education foundation in Arlington looking for donors

The Arlington ISD Education Foundation held its annual StarMaker fund-raising breakfast Tuesday and attendees received a challenge along with their eggs and hash browns.

Dan Dipert, CEO of Dan Dipert Coaches & Tours, has agreed to match up $100,000 in donations and pledges the foundation receives for its endowment fund over the next year. The fund stands at about $180,000 now and Dipert believes growing it should be a priority.

The foundation uses donations and interest off of the endowment to make grants to teachers throughout the district for innovative classroom programs. They've distributed more than $800,000 since 1994.

Dipert encouraged the crowd at Tuesday's breakfast to think about a teacher who went above-and-beyond and give a donation to help others like them.

"We love all our teachers, but you know as well as I do that there are exceptional teachers and we need to support our exceptional teachers," he said.

- Traci Shurley