Extra Credit

#FirstBell Contest: Tell us about your first day of school

School is back in on Monday at most Tarrant County area districts and Star-Telegram reporters will be out and about at several campuses.

We'll be tweeting our observations on Back to School and we want you to join in.

Parents, grandparents, students and teachers: post your experiences and photos from the first day of school using the hashtag #FirstBell. And don't forget to include the name of the school and/or location in your tweet.

Tweets with the #FirstBell hashtag may be used by the Star-Telegram online or in print.

The Star-Telegram is running a contest, giving folks to participate the chance win a backpack filled with school supplies, Mom2Mom gear and 4 tickets to the Movie Tavern.

Jessamy Brown

 

48 percent of Texas schools failed to meet federal Adequate Yearly Progress

Update on Thursday: The Texas Education Agency says that 48 percent of Texas campuses failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress standards this year, compared with 26 percent of campuses that missed the federal benchmark in 2011.

That means 44 percent of campuses met the federal AYP targets for 2012; 8 percent of campuses were not evaluated because they were new campuses, for example.

Original post:

We're still going through the data. But locally, Arlington, Birdville, Crowley, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw, Everman, Fort Worth, Grapevine-Colleyville, Hurst-Euless-Bedford, Keller, Kennedale, Mansfield and Northwest are among the Tarrant County area districts that failed to meet the AYP standards.

Aledo and Southlake Carroll school districts are among those that met the federal requirements.

Read more in the Star-Telegram. We'll keep updating the article this afternoon.

Here's the news release from the Texas Education Agency.

Look up your school's results here.

Jessamy Brown

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/08/08/4165114/majority-of-texas-schools-fail.html#storylink=cpy

Southlake Carroll ends year on top in the race for Lone Star Cup sports bragging rights

Southlake Carroll schools finished first in the annual Lone Star Cup competition recognizing top sports and academic performance, University Interscholastic League officials announced Friday.

Carroll racked up 100 points in the program after winning five team state titles and numerous district championships. Carroll Senior High School's varsity football team won the 2011 5A Division I championship.

Carroll schools and the City of Southlake held a parade honoring students who finished in first place in state and national competitions on behalf of the district on April 22. It was at Southlake Town Square.

Photo: swimmers and divers threw beach balls to fans during the parade. (ST/Jeffery Washington)

In 5A, Conroe schools in The Woodlands finished the year in second place with 92.5 points, according to Lone Star Cup standings released Friday. In third place is San Antonio Reagan with 76 points. Arlington's Martin High finished in 10th place in a three-way tie with Laredo Alexander and San Antonio Churchill with 58 points each.

In 3A, Argyle finished first with 94 points. And in 4A, Aledo finished eighth with 68 points followed by Byron Nelson High in Northwest schools in ninth place with 64 points.

Results won't be official until July 1.

The Lone Star Cup is given each year to five high schools in Texas, each representing the five UIL classifications, based on their team performance in district and state competitions.

Standings include these sports: state and area marching band, team tennis, cross country, volleyball, football, swimming and diving, wrestling, girls basketball, boys basketball, soccer, golf, track and field, academics, one act play, softball and baseball.

Winning schools get a trophy and a $1,000 scholarship from UIL.

"On behalf of the CISD Athletic Department, I'd like to thank all of our student-athletes, parents, administrators, and the Dragon Nation for your efforts this year," Carroll Athletic Director Kevin Ozee wrote on the Carroll Athletics blog.

Jessamy Brown

Aledo names finalist for superintendent

This week Aledo trustees named Dan Manning as the lone finalist for superintendent. He has been serving in the post on an interim basis since Don Daniel retired in May.

Manning had been executive director of administration for Aledo since 2008. He has 27 years in public education.

"The reputation of quality in Aledo has been well earned through the hard work and dedication of our outstanding board, district leaders, staff and students, matched with the support of our community," Manning said in a news release. "I am committed to continuing and raising that standard of excellence so our students will graduate with not only a diploma, but also with exciting options for their futures."

He began his teaching career in Arlington and later served in administrative positions in Crowley, including as a principal and director of curriculum and professional development. In Keller, he was the executive director of intermediate and middle schools. His wife, Becky, is a teacher in Keller. The couple has four grown children, two of whom are teachers.

Manning will have public meetings to meet community members, the first of which will be at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 1 at Stuard Elementary. Another will be Aug. 8 at the Daniel Ninth-Grade Campus.

His contract is expected to be finalized next month.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Details of school finance deal struck in Texas Legislature released

State officials hashed out a nearly last-minute deal on school finance late yesterday. Today we're seeing the details of how the state will cut $4 billion from Texas public schools in the next two years.

Tarrant County area schools will lose $260 million over the next two years. Under the deal, the Fort Worth school district will lose nearly $40 million over the next two years. Arlington will lose almost $29 million. Click here for a complete list of district-by-district cuts.

Included in the deal are efforts to eliminate target revenue by 2018. The complex system was created during the 2006 overhaul of school finance that set different per-pupil funding levels for each school district. However, the deal also establishes a joint legislative committee to address school finance between now and the 2013 legislative session.

 

UPDATE: Here's the local district-by-district breakdown. 

District name 
Aledo                               $5,415,240
Arlington                          $28,944,047
Azle                                 $5,265,993
Birdville                            $11,063,577
Burleson                           $7,345,677
Carroll                              $8,085,954
Castleberry                       $1,948,475
Crowley                           $9,076,757
Eagle Mountain-Saginaw    $20,336,740
Everman                           $2,384,536
Fort Worth                       $39,188,679
Grapevine-Colleyville        $13,504,670
Hurst-Euless-Bedford       $22,630,622
Keller                               $28,949,003
Kennedale                        $1,693,966
Lake Worth                      $2,983,716
Mansfield                         $25,104,342
Northwest                        $22,496,680
White Settlement             $4,252,858
Total                                $260,671,532
 

-Eva-Marie Ayala

North Texas students to make up for February snow day on Friday

Remember the ice-covered roadways and subfreezing temperatures during the mega snowstorm in February? Schools were closed and classes canceled, at some districts for up to four days.

So Friday will not be a day off for many students. Districts will be holding classes to make up for lost time.

Many districts got state waivers allowing officials to only have to make up two of the days. Several districts scheduled classes on Friday, which is often a day off just before Easter weekend.

As best we can tell from websites, school districts holding classes on Friday include:

(Be sure to check with your school district's calendar for the schedule).

Aledo, Birdville, Burleson, Carroll, Castleberry, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw, Fort Worth, Grapevine-Colleyville, Hurst-Euless-Bedford, Keller (early release through middle school), Kennedale, Northwest and White Settlement.

UPDATE: These school districts are listed on their websites as closed on Friday: Arlington, Azle, Crowley, Lake Worth and Mansfield.

Jessamy Brown

 

 

 

 

North Texas teachers to rally at Capitol on Saturday

Hundreds of teachers from North Texas are making preparations to travel to Austin for a huge march and noon rally at the Texas Capitol on Saturday.

As many as 10,000 educators, parents, students and other supporters are expected at the Save Texas Schools event.

“The proposed legislative cuts to public education funding are unacceptable. Texas – we deserve better,” the group says on its website.

Before the rally, student groups, including a drumline and a “student-led positive hip hop group,” are scheduled to perform for the crowd, the agenda says.

Scheduled rally speakers include Connor Brantley, a Fort Worth school district student, Bobby Rigues, vice president of the Aledo school board and Michael Hinojosa, Dallas schools superintendent.

The march is at 11:00 a.m., starting from 12th and Trinity streets. That’s one block east of the Capitol grounds.

The rally is from noon to 2 p.m. on the south steps of the Texas Capitol, at Congress Ave. and 11th Street.

UPDATE: United Educators Association, based in Fort Worth, reports they are sending four buses of teachers and parents from Tarrant, Denton and Johnson counties -- that's 224 people. And they expect that another 300 to 400 more people will be carpooling and caravaning, said Executive Director Larry Shaw.

Jessamy Brown

Carroll school district supporters rally at Texas Capitol

A contingent of Carroll school district trustees, students and residents are at the Capitol as part of Tarrant County Day at the state Legislature on Wednesday and Thursday.

The group of about 20 supporters held a rally this morning on the Capitol steps.

Details: PoliTex

Texas school districts tell legislators to make education a priority

The campaign to get Texas school districts to adopt similar resolutions urging legislators to "Make Education a Priority" during the session reached a milestone on Tuesday.

The 516th resolution was reached, and surpassed, on Tuesday -- that's one more than half of the 1,030 school districts in the state, according to a news release from the Texas Association of School Boards. 

So far, 529 school districts have passed the resolution, according to the Make Education a Priority website.

The campaign has scheduled a news conference to celebrate the event on Monday in Austin.

The initiative was launched by the Aledo school board and spearheaded by its vice president Bobby J. Rigues.

Jessamy Brown 

Fort Worth teen athletes leave for Italy

Today about 100 high school athletes from the area left for Reggio Emilia, Italy, for an international Olympiade youth sporting event that involves about 4,000 students from around the world. They are expected to arrive tomorrow. The town is one of Fort Worth's Sister Cities and the group will post updates and scores at its web site during the event, which runs through Aug. 26. Fort Worth sponsors the only United States representatives for the event, who compete in various sports including baseball, soccer, gymnastics, swimming, track & field, basketball, volleyball and tennis.

Here is a short postcard note from Micayla Brown, forward soccer player and senior at Paschal High School (pictured in purple here from a March 2009 game):

Arriving at the airport and seeing all the USA shirts gathered around was so invigorating, I’m so excited to be going to Italy and thankful for the opportunity Fort Worth Sister Cities has given me. I don’t think I realize how amazing an honor this is, not only to be representing girls soccer but our country.

I can’t express how much this means to see all my friends who are just as eager as I am to go overseas and play the game we love. I’m here with my teammates Emily Saville from North Crowley High School, Jordan Dickens from Granbury High School and Molly Pearson from Aledo High School, and we can’t wait!

Sister Cities officials say pictures to come soon.

-Eva-Marie Ayala