Extra Credit

Free TAKS tutoring to help seniors graduate starts June 10

High school seniors who still need to pass one or two TAKS tests to graduate can get free tutoring this summer.

The Fort Worth Can Academy is offering the tutoring to any student at any school that failed one or two portions of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills standardized test, preventing the from graduating this spring.

The four-week Operation Success program is scheduled for June 10 through July 3, Mondays through Thursdays at the location at 4301 Campus Drive in Fort Worth. A free meal will also be provided.

For more information: 214-944-1960

Jessamy Brown

#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

 

Arlington schedules public hearings on boundary change

Two public hearing on proposed attendance boundary changes for Arlington’s West and Starrett elementary schools, both of which are in Grand Prairie, will be held this week.
The hearing at West, 2911 Kingswood Boulevard , starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The hearing at Starrett, 2675 Fairmont Drive, is at 7 p.m. Thursday. A committee of parents and administrators met in recent weeks to talk about how to relieve overcrowding at West Elementary. The solution they came up with was adding West students who live in a strip of land north of nearby Starrett Elementary to Starrett’s attendance zone instead. About 160 students would be affected, district officials said. West is currently about 120 students over capacity, with 12 classrooms housed in temporary buildings. Starrett is under capacity. Both schools are east of Texas 360 and south of Interstate 20.
After public hearings at each school, the district’s school board will make a final decision.
- Traci Shurley

Boundary changes to two Arlington schools move forward

Arlington’s school board members gave the okay Thursday night for a pair of public hearings on attendance boundary changes for two Arlington elementary schools in Grand Prairie.
A committee of parents and administrators met in recent weeks to talk about how to relieve overcrowding at West Elementary. The solution they came up with was adding West students who live in a strip of land north of nearby Starrett Elementary to Starrett’s attendance zone instead.
About 160 students would be affected, district officials said. West is currently about 120 students over capacity, with 12 classrooms housed in temporary buildings. Starrett is under capacity. Both schools are east of Texas 360 and south of Interstate 20.
After public hearings at each school, the board will make a final decision.

 

- Traci Shurley

Arlington bond backers close in on goal

Expect to hear more in the coming weeks from Citizens for Arlington, the political action committee formed to support Arlington’s $197.5 million bond issue.
Craig Forster, treasurer for the group, said Wednesday the group has raised more than $31,000 for automated phone calls, mailers and other publicity. Forster previously said the group hoped to raise about $50,000 to use on promoting the bond. The election is Nov. 3 and early voting is going on until Oct. 30.

- Traci Shurley

Tarrant County schools eligible for about $119 million in stimulus

If President Obama signs the stimulus package as expected today, Tarrant County schools could be in line to receive $119 million over the next two years. This House Committee on Education & Labor blog has a state-by-state list of district level estimates for special education and programs for low-income students.

The original stimulus package had targeted about $206 million for Tarrant County schools, about $70 million of which was for modernization and technology upgrades. The package now has $53.6 billion for construction and modernization efforts nationwide, which will be given to districts based on state and federal formulas. About $650 million will be available nationwide for technology grants.

Here's a breakdown of what area schools could receive as estimated by Congress:

District 
Aledo                                $594,000
Arlington                           $25,371,000
Azle                                 $1,747,000
Birdville                            $7,594,000
Burleson                           $1,775,000
Carroll                              $1,364,000
Castleberry                       $1,413,000
Crowley                            $2,813,000
Eagle Mountain-Saginaw    $1,798,000
Everman                           $1,533,000
Fort Worth                        $49,220,000
Grapevine-Colleyville          $3,653,000
Hurst-Euless-Bedford         $6,717,000
Keller                               $4,410,000
Kennedale                        $847,000
Lake Worth                      $1,098,000
Mansfield                         $4,336,000
Northwest                        $1,727,000
White Settlement             $1,594,000

- Traci Shurley and Eva-Marie Ayala

Your A.M. roundup

Today on star-telegram.com:

9 students are hurt in Grand Prairie wreck involving school bus and SUV

Northwest school district trustees rezone houses to Lakeview

Grapevine-Colleyville trustees project 2008-09 budget to be $148.2 million

-Patrick M. Walker