Extra Credit

Texas Senator Wendy Davis to hold town hall meetings on public education

Two town hall meetings on Saturday will focus on public education topics, including funding, accountability and curriculum issues.

The town halls are being held by Texas Senator Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth). (Davis at a 2011 education town hall at Paschal High School/Joyce Marshall)

• In Arlington: 9:30 a.m. at the Mac Bernd Professional Development Center, 1111 W. Arbrook Blvd.
• In Fort Worth: 2 p.m. at Nichols Martin Hall at Texas Wesleyan University, 1309 Wesleyan St.

Jessamy Brown

Teachers to rally, march to Austin capitol for Save Texas Schools event on Sat

Teachers and public education supporters are traveling to the state capital this weekend for a Save Texas Schools march and rally at the Texas capitol.

Organizers expect about 15,000 people to the Saturday event. The rally is to start with a march from the Congress Avenue bridge to the capitol site.

Here's their battle cry: "Say NO to school funding cuts, vouchers and a broken testing system. Say YES to great public schools for ALL Texas children."

The group's website says that a group from Everman ISD is chartering a bus to Austin.

And Fort Worth-based United Educators Assocation is taking a bus full of folks, leaving about 6 a.m. on Saturday morning from Tarrant County College-South Campus, says Steven Poole, UEA executive director.

Here are the details:

• March: 10:45 a.m. on the Congress Avenue Bridge to the capitol. Gathering at the Austin American-Statesman at the corner of Riverside Drive and S. Congress Avenue.
• Rally: Noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Texas State Capitol on the South Steps, Congress Avenue & 11th Street
• Directions and Parking: here.

Many educators have traveled to Austin in recent weeks while the legislature is in session. Fort Worth school district teachers Dolores Rayas and Raul Duran joined 400 teachers who met with state legislators at the Association of Texas Professional Educators' lobby day on Feb. 11. Rayas and Duran teach at Como Montessori School, according to a news release from spokeswoman Ashley Anthony.

And Kennedale school district trustees, district administrators and city of Kennedale reps spent Feb. 12 in Austin. They met with Rep. Bill Zedler, Sen. Wendy Davis and Rep. Diane Patrick, said Erin Hyden, school district spokeswoman. (R: Kennedale Day at the state capitol. Via KISD)

Jessamy Brown

 

Mirabeau B. Lamar Day was a coup for schools

If you can read this post, Texans, thank Mirabeau B. Lamar, the second president of the Republic of Texas. 

He championed the Education Act, passed on Jan. 26, 1839, which set the foundation for Texas public schools. The Daughters of the Republic of Texas later designated the date as Mirabeau B. Lamar Day.

Though the 1836 Texas Constitution called for "a general system of education," nothing happened until the Georgia-born Lamar was elected in late 1838 on a vow to get Texas schools up and running.

Texas was cash-strapped but land rich, so Lamar decided to use public domain lands (and their value) to endow education. Each county got three leagues (more than 13,000 acres each) for public schools, and 50 leagues were designated to fund higher education in the new republic.

County schools had received more than 4 million acres of land by the time the State  of Texas switched to a different school funding mechanism.

_Shirley Jinkins

 

"Our taxpayers value education in Crowley ISD:" Voters OK tax rate hike

Update:

A link to the entire Star-Telegram article from Friday is now available.

Original post:

Crowley school district voters passed a measure Wednesday to raise the property tax rate by 13 cents.

The increase will net the school district an extra $7.6 million in operating money, Star-Telegram staff writer Shirley Jinkins reports.

The new total tax rate will be $1.67 per $100 of property value. An owner of a $135,000 home, the average in the Crowley district, will pay an extra $114 a year in property tax. The tax increase passed by a two-thirds vote in the two-county district.

The total between Tarrant and Johnson County voters was 66.1 percent passing to 33.9 percent against.

Here are more details and FAQs about the Tax Ratification Election.

Shirley Jinkins via Jessamy Brown

 

Keller district convocation features speeches, awards show spoof

Keller ISD employees kicked off the year Aug. 22 at convocation with speeches wrapped by an awards show spoof.

New Superintendent Randy Reid and Board President Kevin Stevenson gave speeches, and I'll hit the high points in next week's Keller Citizen.

The fun portion of the program featured the "Kisdy Awards" with principals and administrators hamming it up on the red carpet and in videos. Timber Creek staff members and administrators from across the district were the audience for the show in the TCHS Fine Arts Center while other employees watched live feeds at their home campuses.

Much like the Superbowl for non-football fans, the "commercials" were the highlights of the show. Audience members voted on their favorite feeder pattern "commercial."

Hinson celebrates award

The Charger Connection feeder pattern won top honors with their take on "The Office."
Central's David Hinson and Friendship's David Rische got big laughs playing "Michael Scott" and "Dwight" type characters. 

Fossil Ridge feeder pattern leaders did their own version of "Messing with Sasquatch." Was that really Ridge Principal David Hadley in a Chewbacca costume?

Principals in the Keller High feeder pattern lip-synched to "Holding Out for a Hero" with Principal Jeff Bradley saving the school from flooding toilets.

Who knew so many principals in one feeder pattern could sing so well? Timber Creek Principal Todd Tunnell, Caprock's Angie Nayfa and Trinity Springs' Lindsay Anderson sang about "525,600 regulations" and "How about STAARs?"

If you've got the notion, you can check out the show online:

http://ktube.kellerisd.net/education-center/features/XCbKe3lZCPun_IQZh77l?page=2

-- Sandra Engelland

Tonight: Carroll school board invites public to comment on proposed budget

Carroll school board trustees are scheduled to vote tonight on a proposed estimated $82 million budget that includes at 1 percent salary increase for employees and is supported by a two-cent increase in the maintenance and operations portion of the property tax rate.

Voters will decide the fate of the 2-cent increase during a Sept. 15 Tax Ratification Election. In July, the board voted to adopt a tax rate of $1.42 per $100 of assessed property value. The board also decided to decrease the debt service portion of the total tax rate by 1.5 cents. (A Tax Ratification Election was triggered because the school board is considering raising the maintenance and operations portion by 2 cents.)

If voters approve the tax rate increase, residents would see a net tax rate increase of 0.5 cents, or about $25 per year. If the proposal is rejected, the total tax rate would be $1.40.

That hike is expected to generate about $1.1 million to help reduce a $3 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2012-2013.

The district expects to raise $691,000 from pay-to-ride fees.

The biggest cost to the district is instruction with an estimated $36 million expected to be spent on teaching. The second highest is expense is a $13.9 million payment to the state. Carroll is considered a property wealthy district and must send money to the state every year under the state's share-the-wealth school funding program dubbed Robin Hood.

Detailed budget information is available on the school district website. Want to review the agenda? Here's the site.

The board is meeting at Johnson Elementary School while construction is underway on a new administration center located in the former Carroll Middle School campus.

A public hearing on the proposed 2012-2013 budget is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m., Monday Aug. 20, at Johnson Elementary School, 1301 N. Carroll Ave., Southlake. A vote on the budget is scheduled for later in the meeting. 

-Diane Smith and Jessamy Brown 

 

 

 

Mansfield Timberview HS senior wraps up graduation with a nod to old-school rap

Here's Mansfield Timberview High School's salutatorian Kaitlyn Williams sending her classmates out into the world with a rap inspired by Will Smith's Fresh Prince of Belaire. Total awesomeness.

 

 

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Birdville schools employees to get a $450 payment next year

Birdville school district employees will get a supplemental payment totalling $450 next school year, but there won't be across-the-board pay raises. 

Trustees on Thursday voted to give the payment to full-time employees in two parts: half will be in a November paycheck and the rest is to be given in May 2013.

In a resolution signed by board president Ralph Kunkel, trustees noted that many staffers have given extra time and effort in their jobs.

The resolution reads, in part, that the board is acting "as a result of the great uncertainty surrounding the amount of state funding that will be made available to the District for the funding if its operations for the 2012-2013 school year, the District is unable to accurately forecast what funds will be available for budgeting for that school year."

Also while salaries for nearly all returning teachers, librarians and nurses will stay the same for the 2012-2013 school year, Birdville is offering slightly less to beginning teachers. The salary for a teacher with no experience will be $48,000, down from $48,250 in 2011-2012. Teachers with one year of experience will earn $48,250.

Jessamy Brown

 

It's Dr. Shaq now. NBA star earns doctoral degree in education

Legendary basketball star Shaquille O'Neal earned his doctoral degree from Barry University in Florida this weekend. 

O'Neal began is doctoral journey five years ago at Barry, located in Miami Shores. At his graduation press conference -- because you knew there had to be one -- he thanked his parents for pushing him to always continue learning because they knew one day he would have to retire from basketball. 

"I'm not done. I think I'll try law school next," O'Neal said.

In turn, his mother bragged on her son in this video about how he supported his family members through college as well.

The university's site notes that he had been working toward his doctorate prior to NBA retirement while juggling many other commitments in broadcasting, business and family. His doctoral project was titled "How Leaders Utilize Humor or Seriousness in Leadership Styles."

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Photo courtesy of Barry University

Fort Worth school board to reelect officers tonight

The school board is set to elect officers once again tonight. The board has had several changes in recent months after the unexpected resignation of former board President Ray Dickerson, who stepped down in December citing health concerns.

Juan Rangel was named president shortly afterward. But trustees still had to fill the vacancy remaining on the nine-member board. Last month, Joe Ralph Martinez was appointed by trustees to fill the one year remaining on the District 8 seat. State law requires the board to reelect officers after a new member is appointed or elected.

In other business, trustees are set to approve the summer school schedule that will include cuts to elementary school offerings and will vote on whether to increase school lunches from $1.90 to $2.05.

-Eva-Marie Ayala