Extra Credit

New trustee proposes renaming new Fort Worth school for her opponent

Shortly after being sworn in Tuesday night, trustee Tobi Jackson thanked longtime trustee Jean McClung 
for her 20 years on the school board. Jackson beat McClung earlier this month for the District 2 seat, which represents parts of east Fort Worth.

Jackson suggested trustees consider renaming the new Forest Middle School, set to open in 2011, in honor of McClung. During her time on the board, McClung pushed to establish the district's truancy court and for gender-based schools, the first of which opens in August. Trustee Judy Needham also expressed support for naming the middle school after McClung.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Trustees wants to cut Fort Worth's truancy court program to help budget

Trustee Juan Rangel said it's time to make "big-ticket" cuts to save money as the district faces tough financial challenges ahead. Among those cuts should be doing away with the district's truancy court run in cooperation with the city.

"We've been playing this game for a long time and nothing happens," he said, adding that students still miss school and it's difficult to hold parents accountable. "I don't think it's done us any good."

Fort Worth was the first in the nation to create such a court dedicated specifically to addressing truancy issues.

His comments came Tuesday night during chief financial officer Hank Johnson's latest budget update, which now shows an expected shortfall at $13 million.

The update outlined about $2.6 million in some targeted cuts--including travel, legal fees, contracted services, substitutes for some support staff (not teachers), extra help for professional and support staff and night shift stipends during summer months. About half a million in cuts will come from reorganizing central administrators, which the superintendent plans to detail at next week's budget workshop.

Johnson said the district will also need to spend about $3 million more next year for additional teachers to meet the district's growth and to operate the new Hazel Harvey Peace Elementary School that opens in August.

Johnson has said the district may have to dip into its reserves (currently at about $102 million) to make up some of the shortfall. Tuesday he cautioned against moving forward with raises that could deplete the reserves. He said that money may be needed if the state's budget woes mean that school officials will have to make up for funding cuts locally. Texas is facing an $18 billion shortfall when legislators meet next year to set the state's budget for the next two years. Already state agencies have had to the current 2010-2011 biennium, including the Texas Education Agency.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Fort Worth showcases payroll review tool

Chief financial officer Hank Johnson is now showing trustees a tool administrators have put in place to help keep track of payroll. The system allows officials to review each payroll in various ways to look for glitches. For example, he said, officials can search the system for all paychecks that had a difference of more than 5 percent from employees' previous paycheck. Graphs also help officials keep track of overtime and other pay, which will help in monitoring the district's budget, he said.

The district converted to a new payroll system last year that led to various problems of overpayment, underpayment and sometimes no payment at all. District officials have said they've collected most of the $1.3 million overpaid to employees and former employees.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Fort Worth superintendent delays vote on a new assistant superintendent post

Trustees were to consider creating a new assistant superintendent position that would oversee advanced and accelerated learning. But some spoke out against creating another central administrator in a tough budget year.

Superintendent Melody Johnson pulled the item from the budget saying she would explain the position in detail next week when she is expected to discuss a central administration reorganization aimed at saving about half a million dollars. Johnson said the assistant superintendent position would not add a new person or cost more money.

Earlier in the meeting, Steven Poole, deputy executive director for the United Educators Association that represents area school employees, spoke against the position concerned it would cost the district more money. He said the district has long been telling employees that money is tight and raises may not happen and some positions may not be filled. But creating such a position tells employees that money can be found for the higher levels of administration and not them.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

New school trustees sworn in at board meeting

Fort Worth's newest trustees were sworn in tonight. They are Tobi Jackson, representing the east side's District 2, and Ann Sutherland, representing District 6 in southwest Fort Worth.

Jackson, 49, grew up in the Eastern Hills area and is assistant director of education at ATI. She is shown at right.

Sutherland, who is celebrating her 71st birthday tonight, is a retired educator and budget analyst who spent much of her career in California. She is pictured below.

Longtime trustees Judy Needham and Christene Moss were sworn in for their seats as well. Trustee Juan Rangel was elected the board's vice president. Trustee T.A. Sims was secretary.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Fort Worth school trustee frustrated by lack of forensic audit RFP

Trustees are set to vote on hiring a consultant to help the district improve its payroll system process. Mishaps with the new system caused about $1.3 million in overpayment and an internal audit identified various processes that needed to be improved.

But trustee Carlos Vasquez was frustrated that tonight’s vote will not include a request for proposal for a forensic audit into payroll. Trustees approved seeking an RFP for such an audit that would look into last year’s payroll to see if problems were deeper than what the internal audit found.

“To the public and me, it still seems like we’re dragging our feet on this,” by not moving forward with an RFP for the forensic audit, he said at tonight's school board meeting.

Chief Financial Officer Hank Johnson said he had hoped to bring such an RFP sooner but that it takes time to identify all the paperwork needed, locate where it is and how it is kept for such an audit so that a proper proposal can be drafted. Johnson came to the district in December about a month before the internal audit into the payroll was released.

Vasquez said he was also frustrated that the management letter accompanying the district’s annual fiscal audit has not been provided to the board. The board approved the annual fiscal audit in January to send to state officials as required but did not have the management letter.

Johnson said he was reviewing what deficiencies the management letter identified and working to develop solutions to present to the board along with the letter.
-Eva-Marie Ayala

Grab a lawn chair and head to Riverside

Tuesday afternoon Riverside area students will show off their skills at the River Fest 2010 at Carter-Riverside High School.

Performers include the middle school's orchestra, choir and guitar ensemble and students from Bonnie Brae, Charles Nash and Riverside Applied Learning Center. The high school's drumline, one-act play group, orchestras and jazz ensemble will also perform. 

Most of the performances will be outside at the campus gazebo.

River Fest runs 3:30-6 p.m. The high school's choir will have a concert in the auditorium immediately following the event in the auditorium.

The admission is free but food and drinks will be sold. Patrons are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

TCC Chancellor named Local Freedom's Sister

Erma Johnson Hadley was named a Local Freedom's Sister.

Freedom's Sisters, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and the Cincinnati Museum Center, highlights the lives of 20 African-American women whose efforts to promote liberty and equality. Find out more here. 

UNT chemistry student will attend meeting of Nobel Laureates

Chris Dewberry, a fourth-year doctoral student from Flower Mound, is among 500 students worldwide who will be attending a meeting of Nobel Laureates this summer in Germany.

Find out more here.

UT-Arlington gets nearly $1 million boost from National Science Foundation

UT-Arlington has been awarded $987,000 from the National Science Foundation to help increase the number of students attaining doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and math. Find out more here.

Diane Smith