CDC 2017 survey shows Houston with lowest measles vaccination rate among key U.S.cities

A 2017 report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that among major U.S. cities surveyed, Houston has the lowest rate of measles vaccination among young children.  The study looked at vaccination rates among a large sample group of children between 19 and 35 months old in 2017, which was the most recent data available. view article  

Dr. Mary Springs Superintendent of Three Rivers ISD passes away

The faculty, students and community of Three Rivers ISD are in our prayers.  Here is a link to Dr. Mary Springs services

Superintendent Search: Santa Rosa ISD has announced a Lone Finalist

Santa Rosa ISD Board of Trustees has chosen Angela Gonzalez, Superintendent of Ramirez CSD,  as Lone Finalist for Santa Rosa ISD Superintendent of Schools. Details and updates will continue to appear on our search page as things progress. 

Superintendent Search: Sanger ISD Hires TASB ESS to Conduct Search

Sanger ISD Board of Trustees voted to hire TASB Executive Search Services (ESS) to conduct a search for a new superintendent. Details and updates will appear on our search page as things progress.

Superintendent Search: Hitchcock ISD is Searching for a New Superintendent

The Board of Trustees of the Hitchcock Independent School District is searching for an outstanding, qualified administrator to lead the school district. Details and updates will appear on our search page as things progress.

Texas’ school finance system is unpopular and complex. Here’s how it works.

Despite their political rifts, Republicans and Democrats, House and Senate lawmakers, and rural and urban Texans all agree the state needs to change the way it funds public schools. That consensus is the culmination of decades of lawsuits against the state claiming Texas schools are not adequately or equitably funded. view article  

Analysis: Here’s your property tax cut, maybe. Heads up — it’s expensive.

A new proposal to cut school property taxes in Texas perfectly outlines the political problem facing lawmakers: It's terribly expensive, and other taxes have to be raised to pay for it.  Springer wants cuts. But it would cost a small fortune, more than $6 billion a year, and he’s a Republican, and he certainly doesn’t want to try to persuade a conservative Legislature to raise taxes. He wouldn’t actually cut them, either: He’s proposing a swap, cutting local school property taxes by getting rid of some popular exemptions to state taxes. view article  

In Wake Of Measles Cases, Health Advocates Want Texas To Change Its Vaccine Exemption Law

Following an announcement by La Porte ISD that an elementary student is suspected of having contracted measles, local health advocates stopped by a Houston ISD school Wednesday to urge Texas lawmakers to revisit the state’s vaccination laws. “We know once vaccine coverage starts to decline the first breakthrough infection you always see is measles,” Hotez said. “Measles is like a biomarker of declines in vaccine coverage. It’s a biomarker that we’re not doing our job in getting our kids vaccinated.” view article  

Central superintendent Allen Garner announces plans to retire

After 12 years at Central ISD, Allen Garner has announced his intentions to retire as superintendent from the school effective Aug. 31.  According to a press release, the Central ISD Board of Trustees will soon begin discussions on appointing a new superintendent.  Garner has spent 28 years in public education as well as 17 years as superintendent. He started his career at Humble ISD and has since worked as an administrator at Hudson, Martinsville and Central.  In addition to his time as superintendent, he has served as a teacher, coach, assistant principal and high school principal.

New From TEA

• 2019–2020 Testing Calendar 2/1
• State Board of Education UpdateState Board of Education hosts free conference Jan. 30 1/15
• 2017-2018 Federal Report Cards are now available 1/10
• TEA releases 2017-2018 Texas Academic Performance Report
• 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 Testing Calendars 12/13
• TEA releases final 2018 academic accountability ratings 12/13
• Applications Open for Joining the System of Great Schools Network 12/7

Preventive Law: Who Needs Bus Driver Certification?

Texas Education Code § 34.007 allows (but does not require) a district to operate “an economical public school transportation system.” That same section requires that all bus drivers must be certified in accordance with Texas Department of Public Safety rules. Employees who drive regular bus routes must be certified by the DPS or be currently enrolled in an approved school bus safety education course. Tex. Transp. Code § 521.022(e). Because some employees who are not regular bus route drivers, especially extra-curricular coaches, must sometimes transport students, it is important to know if they must also hold school bus driver certification. The answer to the question is found by a combination of the Texas Transportation Code and the Texas Administrative Code.

Largent Unfiltered: Season Two / 01 Conversation with David Anderson of HillCo Partners

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Lovejoy ISD Superintendent Ted Moore Resigns Amid ‘Inappropriate Conduct’ Allegations

Lovejoy ISD in Collin County is refusing calls for an explanation about why longtime Superintendent Ted Moore was allowed to resign Wednesday despite allegations of inappropriate conduct. Moore led the school district of more than 4,000 students for more than a decade until a Lovejoy School Board meeting Wednesday night when a statement was released saying he’s resigning immediately and mentioned inappropriate conduct with adult victims. view article  

Houston ISD votes to continue search for permanent superintendent

There was another HISD school board meeting Thursday, and another night of dissension and pointed debate. The most heated exchanges revolved around the decision on whether to suspend the search for a new superintendent. "Just temporarily suspend it until TEA have come down with their investigation," implored Trustee Wanda Adams. "See what their findings will be." view article  

North Texas Superintendent Resigns Amid ‘Inappropriate Conduct’ Allegations

Lovejoy ISD in Collin County is refusing calls for an explanation about why longtime Superintendent Ted Moore was allowed to resign Wednesday despite ...allegations of inappropriate conduct. view article  

New Release of Template: Release 1 for February 2019

Omar Garcia with BOK Financial Securities has a new release (Release 1 dated 02/07/2019) that is now available for download.  This new release loads the preliminary 2018 values as recently certified by the Comptroller’s office and makes other minor adjustments (see Notes tab).  As always, please stay tuned for any new developments.

Troy: School board votes to call $18.25 million bond election

The Troy School Board has voted unanimously to call a $18.25 million bond election on May 4. If approved, proceeds from the bond issue would fund “substantial additions and renovations at Troy High School and Mays Elementary as well as make improvements to Raymond Mays Middle and Troy Elementary schools,” the district said in a press release. view article  

Bryan ISD school board votes to add $12 million bond to May ballot

During the May 4 election, residents in the Bryan school district will have the chance to vote on a $12 million bond. Bryan school board members voted 5-0 Thursday to add the bond to the upcoming ballot. The bond, which is relatively small compared to most school bonds, will be used to address immediate needs. Those proposed project areas and their cost are as follows: safety and security concerns ($2,643,750), leaky roofs on five buildings ($4,193,640), school bus replacements ($2,800,000), CTE Center purchases ($1,000,000), maintenance work ($962,610) and a $400,000 contingency for any unexpected costs. view article  

Hutto ISD calls for $194 million bond election in May

Residents living in Hutto ISD boundaries will see a $194.4 million bond proposal on their ballots this spring. Following months of committee meetings, the Hutto ISD board of trustees Feb. 14 voted unanimously to put the bond proposition on May’s ballot. “We’ve been going over this,” Hutto ISD board President Connie Gooding said. “This was not a hasty decision.” view article  

Breaking down the proposed $154 million Nederland ISD bond

The Nederland school board is moving forward with a bond proposal on the may ballot, more than $154 million which would go towards building a new high school, improving four of its elementary schools, and more. view article  

‘School Hardening’ Not Making Students Safer, Say Experts

It may be no surprise that 2018 was the worst year on record for school shootings. According to federal data, there were 94 gun incidents at U.S. schools last year. That’s an increase of almost 60% over the previous high, recorded in 2016. One of those incidents of course was the horrific shooting on Feb. 14, 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 students and staff members. This attack – and the many school shootings that followed –  galvanized a long-dormant national debate over gun violence. Students  mobilized across the country, demanding elected officials step up and fix the nation’s lax gun laws. view article  

In the year since Parkland there’s been a school shooting, on average, every 12 days

In the year since a troubled teen gunned down 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, shootings have continued at schools across America. Since Parkland, by CNN's count, there have been at least 31 incidents at K-12 schools in the United States in which someone was shot. That averages out to a shooting every 11.8 days. In those shootings 19 people were killed and another 44 were injured. view article  

LAWMAKERS MOVE TO END RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION FOR MANDATORY VACCINATIONS

Amended bill, which must still pass Assembly and Senate, would only let children skip immunizations based on medical reasons. Opponents say it erodes personal rights The New Jersey Assembly passed a measure late last week removing the religious exemption as a reason parents can refrain from having their children vaccinated.  While the measure was just an amendment to a larger bill on mandatory immunization (A-3818), it signaled a new position state officials may be taking in the controversial vaccination debate. view article  

Top employees at youth lockup fired in latest shakeup at Texas juvenile justice agency

AUSTIN — Five of the top employees at the youth lockup north of Dallas have been terminated amid ongoing efforts to right the state's juvenile justice agency. Superintendent Mike Studamire, Assistant Superintendent Deidra Reece, Manager of Security Operations and Support Programs Cathryn Hudspeth, Manager of Facility Programs and Services Ron Stewart and Dorm Supervisor Carl Motley have all been let go from their positions at the Gainesville State School since the fall. The Texas Juvenile Justice Department, the agency that runs Gainesville and the state's four other youth lockups, has also suspended its equine therapy program. view article  

Houston ISD trustees to consider suspending superintendent search

Houston ISD trustees could vote Thursday on whether to suspend the district's ongoing superintendent search in light of a recently launched state investigation into potential violations of open meetings laws. Three HISD trustees are seeking to pause the search until Texas Education Agency officials complete their investigation and all appeals are exhausted. The inquiry began in late January, with no timetable disclosed by the TEA. The three board members -- Wanda Adams, Jolanda Jones and Rhonda Skillern-Jones -- have opposed the search for a new superintendent, arguing the district should permanently retain Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan. The trustees' opposition to the search pre-dates the state investigation. view article  

Three Rivers ISD holding vigil for superintendent

A candlelight vigil is being held tonight to honor Three Rivers ISD Superintendent Dr. Mary Springs after she suffered from a medical emergency. A post to Three Rivers ISD Facebook pagesaid her family took her off of life support on Wednesday. “We expect that she will pass and join her parents within the next few hours,” the post from the family said. “After that, she will continue to give back as we honor her wish to be an organ donor.” view article  

Official admits mistakes in voter probe, apologizes for rollout

In a letter to all members of the Legislature that was made public Thursday, Texas Secretary of State David Whitley admitted that more care should have been given to producing an accurate list before revealing last month that his office had flagged 95,000 registered voters as possible non-U.S. citizens. Whitley also apologized for confusion created by his Jan. 25 announcement and promised to take steps to ensure “a more accurate and efficient” process for identifying potential noncitizen voters in the future. Appointed secretary of state by Gov. Greg Abbott in mid-December, Whitley was named in three federal lawsuits after his office directed county elections officials to investigate the citizenship status of the suspect voters and Whitley forwarded the list to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to investigate and prosecute illegally registered voters. view article  

This Texas school district is considering setting up its own police force. Over 200 others already have.

J.J. Strong has been a cop at Round Rock High, near Austin, for four years. His job involves roaming the halls on the lookout for kids causing trouble, like starting fights, smoking weed, or just generally being up to no good. And all the while, he's constantly thinking about what he'd do if someone burst into the school with a gun. Officer Strong is a school resource officer, a part of a program that dates to the 1950s and has grown rapidly in the past few years. But in the post-Parkland era, the Round Rock Independent School District is one of many considering a self-contained, in-house police department, something 248 other districts in the state have already done — 34 in the last year alone. view article  

Sam Houston HS In Arlington Placed On Lockdown After Report Of Possible Weapon On Campus

Arlington police responded to Sam Houston High School in regards to a fight at around 9 a.m. Friday. A school resource officer had reported seeing someone reach into their waistband, as if to draw a weapon, during the fight. The school located at 2000 Sam Houston Drive was placed on lockdown, according to the Arlington Independent School District, as police investigated the incident. view article  

STUDENT CHEATING

As I have participated in and observed education over the past 25 years, my opinion on student cheating has evolved.  Originally, I believed that cheating in school was a sign of dishonesty and weak character. And with college and post-secondary students, I still lean that direction. But with K-12 students I don’t think that is generally the case. I think with children and adolescents it’s more a function of trying to please adults and/or meet expectations without adequate resources. view article  

Wesley Null and Diane Ravitch: The Heart of a School is Its Teachers: Treat Them with Love and Respect

Wesley Null, vice provost for undergraduate education at Baylor University, and I wrote this piece for the Dallas Morning News. Texas legislators are revising the state’s school finance laws. We wanted to put before the public the importance of paying teachers well. Some legislators are enthusiastic about what they call “outcomes-based funding,” which would send more money to affluent districts and less money to needy districts. This would be a huge mistake for obvious reasons. It’s reverse Robin Hood. view article  

Frisco Administrators Save Suicidal Student 1,000+ Miles Away

If there's one thing school teachers anticipate each day, it's to expect the unexpected. Kim Frankson, Jess Johnson and Laurie Ortel work at Ashley Elementary in Frisco. They've perfected the art of multi-tasking but a single text message in December brought it all to a stop. view article  

Buckley expects property tax reform

State Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, expects the Texas Legislature to accomplish its biggest goal this year: Property tax reform. But it is not solely about reining in property tax bills, he said during an interview with The Texas Tribune on Thursday. He said it is a more comprehensive issue that includes lawmakers funding their expenditures and fixing school finance. “If we can put that together and build these things in the House on top of House Bill 2, we can get to a (good) place,” Buckley said, referring to the lower chamber’s legislation that would limit local governments’ revenue.  view article