Today's News
Joe Smith: CSCOPE Decision: Local Control Took a Blow - May 21, 2013
Local control took a blow yesterday . Tom Bowman, Superintendent Corrigan ISD, stated the following in an interview:
"For Dan Patrick to be deciding what's going to be in our curriculum is all at the heart of the problem for me. . . I trust our local community and our local school board. I'll take my chances with my community and with my school board when it comes to making decisions about what we're teaching and how effectively we're teaching it."
Equity Center: Calendar Rules for End of 83rd Legislative Session
We wanted to take a moment to remind everyone of the House and Senate deadlines (set by rules) for the 83rd Regular Legislative Session which will come to a close on May 27, 2013. It is important to note each chamber may suspend their own rules and the dates listed below could change.
May 21, 2013, 08:48
Omar's Corner - State Aid Template Update for SB 1. New! Late last week, the Conference Committee on SB 1 agreed on the funding elements to be used for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years. An official Template for Estimating State Aid will not be released until SB 1 has been signed into law. However, if you wish to model the SB 1 effects on your state aid, you can make the following changes to the latest release of the state aid template (Release 3 dated March 19, 2013):
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May 21, 2013, 08:48
The Front Pages Of Today's Oklahoma Newspapers Are Crushing The number of children that died in the tornado has been revised, some are indicating that 7 children were killed. - js The latest reports from Moore, Oklahoma indicate that at least 91 people have died in a monstrous tornado. 20 are children. The death toll is expected to rise. The front pages of Oklahoma newspapers capture the devastation.
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May 21, 2013, 08:48
TASBO Bill Status Report
The Texas Association of School Business Officials Bill Tracking
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May 21, 2013, 08:47
Recently released Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) data are now available on the agency website. links on the main School Finance Reports and Data page
Dan Patrick CSCOPE Press Conference
May 21, 2013, 08:41
CSCOPE to No Longer Offer Lesson Plans to Texas Schools
Since November, the state-developed curriculum delivery system used by 70 percent of Texas school districts has generated hours of testimony in multiple hearings before legislative committees and the State Board of Education. The debate comes as a result of concerns about a perceived anti-American agenda in its optional lesson plans and a lack of transparency behind its operations. Some educators have also objected to the prescriptive way districts have implemented the system, which can involve governing every aspect of teaching.
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May 21, 2013, 08:39
East Texas school districts not happy with removal of CSCOPE curriculum
An online curriculum system used by more than 800 school districts in Texas may no longer exist come August 31. As of Monday morning, teachers who use CSCOPE were notified that next school year they will no longer be able to use the developed lesson plans.
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May 21, 2013, 08:39
Texas Company Scraps Controversial Lesson Plan System CSCOPE - NPR perspective: After uproar over some lesson plans some conservatives deemed un-American, a Texas company has decided scrap a curriculum system used by 877 school districts that were too small or too poor to produce their own. "The CSCOPE era is over," Texas state Sen. Dan Patrick, who was leading the charge against the program, said in a statement. Patrick and others had introduced legislation that would have added more scrutiny to the lesson plans produced by the program. The legislation was scheduled to be debated, but CSCOPE pulled the plug before that.
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May 21, 2013, 08:39
Texas curriculum dropped after complaints from lawmakers
The state's regional Education Service Centers no will longer issue lesson plans - and will forbid their use after Aug. 31 - for a popular online curriculum system that became a lightning rod for conservatives who criticized it as anti-American, legislators announced Monday.
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May 21, 2013, 08:39
AFT says:TRS Bill Protects All Current School Employees From Benefit Cuts, Grants Benefit Boost to Nearly All Retirees
As passed by the Texas House today, the session’s major bill on Teacher Retirement System benefits, SB 1458, includes four key elements of a fair deal: –it exempts all current school employees from adverse benefit changes; –it provides cost-of-living relief to nearly all current retirees; –it raises state contribution rates and provides that state and district contributions combined will exceed employee contributions; and –it phases in higher employee contributions gradually over four years. Now the Senate needs to be persuaded to accept the House amendments that put the first two of those four elements in place. Please be ready to act on an alert tomorrow to send your legislators a message of support for the bill as amended by the House.
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May 21, 2013, 08:38
Equity Center Legislative Alert:
SB 1 Conferees Come to Agreement on Public Education Funding Late last Friday, Senate Bill 1 conferees came to an agreement on Article III of the state budget. As of this report, we know they have agreed to an estimated $3.9 billion for public education, but we cannot confirm at this time how the money will be distributed. We will send an update as soon as we have more information. If you would like to know how it will affect your district please give us a call. - Equity Center
May 21, 2013, 08:37
Premont ISD to learn its fate at Tuesday news conference Premont ISD seems poised to find out its fate as the state's education commissioner comes to town Tuesday to announce an unprecedented partnership between the district and Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
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May 21, 2013, 08:37
Premont ISD to Partner With A&M-Kingsville
Struggling Premont Independent School District will stave off closure by partnering with Texas A&M University-Kingsville, state and local officials plan to announce on Tuesday. Years of poor academic performance and shoddy finances have threatened the small school district's future. Rather than shutter it, the Texas Education Agency has approved a memorandum of understanding between the district and A&M-Kingsville.
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May 21, 2013, 08:37
Save Texas Schools Alert-School Takeover Bill Tomorrow-Act Now! Letter from Save Our Schools:This bill, which would authorize state takeover of schools that miss standards for as few as two years, is dangerous on many levels. Save Texas Schools gave a document to all 150 House Members last week that gives lots of details, but the short version is this: Most struggling schools turn around within 2-3 years under the current system of interventions and supports, which are extensive and work in the majority of cases. They don't need or want the state to take the school away from local control.
May 21, 2013, 08:37
Texas House mulls new district for failing schools
The Texas House is considering a proposal that would create special districts operated by turnaround experts to improve struggling schools. The bill by Dallas Democratic Sen. Royce West cleared the Senate May 1. The House will likely vote on it on Tuesday — but has proposed enough changes to send its version to conference committee to be reconciled with what the Senate passed.
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May 21, 2013, 08:37
Criticized curriculum system scraps lesson plans
A much-maligned curriculum system designed to help teachers adhere to state educational requirements and used by hundreds of school districts across Texas will stop offering lesson plans amid mounting pressure from some conservatives who claimed it was promoting anti-American values. State Sen. Dan Patrick said Monday that the 20-member board overseeing the CSCOPE system will vote to effectively gut it later this week
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May 21, 2013, 08:36
Is the road back for Democrats paved with education dollars?
Maybe this is what the road back looks like for Democrats. Outnumbered and outgunned legislatively, Democrats nevertheless achieved a budget victory by pressuring Republicans to restore more funding to public education.
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May 21, 2013, 08:35
How Much Is Texas Going To Dip From the Rainy Day Fund?
The Texas State Legislature is said to have reached a budget deal last Friday that includes a $3.4 billion increase in public school funding, $2 billion for a water development fund and $1 billion in tax cuts. The biggest question still being asked is, “How much is Texas going to dip from the Rainy Day Fund?” In April, the Texas Senate passed a bill that called for taking $5.7 billion from the Rainy Day Fund, or Economic Stabilization Fund. The Rainy Day Fund had a balance of $8 billion as of January 1, 2013 after a $1.9 billion transfer from natural gas and oil production taxes in November 2012.
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May 21, 2013, 08:32
Tornado Hits West Texas Town Of Blanket
A small town in West Texas is cleaning up after a tornado hit there on Monday night. The twister tore through the town of Blanket in Brown County, just west of the Comanche County line. Thankfully, no injuries have been reported.
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May 21, 2013, 08:32
A Green Light for Pension Hikes, Double Dipping
This is one in a series of occasional stories about ethics and transparency in the part-time Texas Legislature. In the span of a few minutes on Monday, the Texas House gave the green light to pension increases for state elected officials and then watched the effort to ban “double dipping” by politicians crash and burn without a vote.
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May 21, 2013, 08:31
Feilke: Standardized testing is a form of child abuse
I am an elementary school counselor in Texas and have been for the past 30 years. I have observed a dramatic decline in the overall psychological climate of our schools. In my professional opinion, the elementary schools are now toxic environments for young children in grades K-5. We are doing the exact opposite of everything that research and experience tells us is necessary for the healthy, well-balanced development of children.
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May 21, 2013, 08:31
Mike Miles passes exam to get Texas superintendent certificate, district says
Dallas ISD Superintendent Mike Miles is expected to soon receive his superintendent certificate now that he passed the certification exam, the district said Monday.
Miles, who enrolled in a Lamar University program in August to get certified, had until the end of June to get it.
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May 21, 2013, 08:29
San Antonio: SAISD board taps interim superintendent Perez
San Antonio Independent School District trustees voted late Monday to make interim Superintendent Sylvester Perez their lone finalist for the permanent, top job. The vote was 5-0, with new District 1 trustee Steve Lecholop and recently reelected District 3 trustee Debra Guerrero absent. Perez has been interim superintendent at the district since March 2012, when trustees appointed him in the wake of former Superintendent Robert Duron's resignation. Perez, now 64, had come out of retirement to take the job.
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May 21, 2013, 08:29
Some Dallas ISD students could graduate in 3 years under pilot program in Legislature
A group of Dallas high school students would be allowed to complete their studies in three years before embarking on career training or college under a pilot program that the Senate approved Monday.
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May 21, 2013, 08:25
Spring Hill to swear in new board member
The board of trustees for Spring Hill Independent School District will swear in new board members and elect new board officers at its meeting tonight. Jason Holt is joining the board after running unopposed for the Place 3 position.
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May 21, 2013, 08:25
Former Teacher Lashes out at HISD Apollo 20 Program
HOUSTON (FOX 26) -
At it's launch it was called every bit as critical to Houston's future as "putting a man on the moon".
This week the radical school turn-around program called Apollo 20 will complete it's third year, time enough, according to some experts, to tell whether HISD Superintendent Terry Grier's controversial program has achieved any or all of it's lofty ambitions.
Fox 26's begins a review of the program through the eyes of a former teacher pushed aside in the rush to Apollo.
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May 21, 2013, 08:20
New Orleans' Recovery School District: The Lie Unveiled
Yesterday, I was watching a video clip of the 2011 Aspen Institute debate between Wendy Kopp and Diane Ravitch. In a final effort to defend corporate reform, Kopp tells the audience, "I encourage everyone to see for yourself, study for yourself... New Orleans...."
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May 21, 2013, 08:15
East Texas teachers welcome the end of CSCOPE curriculum
A controversial public school curriculum system is coming to an end. Monday, Senator Dan Patrick, the chairman of the Education Committee, announced that Texas schools would not be able to use CSCOPE lesson plans this fall. CSCOPE is a classroom curriculum used by more than 800 Texas School Districts.
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May 21, 2013, 08:14
New Irving ISD board drops controversial CSCOPE curriculum program
In its first major vote and against staff’s advice, Irving’s newly seated school board pulled the district out of CSCOPE, a curriculum program under attack by conservative groups statewide.
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May 21, 2013, 08:14
Harlandale ISD discusses action after trustee's DWI arrest
The Harlandale ISD school board did not take action at Monday night's meeting following the discussion of possible disciplinary action against board member Anthony Alcoser.
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May 21, 2013, 08:11
Amarillo: AISD board proposes tax increase, approves $1.3M in spending
The Amarillo Independent School District Board of Trustees approved a proposed tax rate of $1.19 per $100 of taxable valuation for the 2013 fiscal year.
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May 21, 2013, 08:10
Corpus Christi ISD staff ask trustees to consider six high schools at Monday meeting
Corpus Christi ISD trustees discuss boundaries under the scenarios of five or six high schools as part of the 2010 bond program.
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May 21, 2013, 08:10
Why Texas Makes Kindergarteners Take Standardized Tests
Kindergarten has meant two very different things for Claudia De Leon and her two children. Two years ago, her son Diego did a lot of artwork and started learning Spanish.
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May 21, 2013, 08:10
Henderson ISD rolls forward with middle school plans
The board of trustees for the Henderson Independent School District voted 6-1 at a special Monday afternoon meeting to use a “construction manager at risk” delivery method for the construction of a new Henderson Middle School.
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May 21, 2013, 08:05
Northside ISD workers group drops suit
The Texas Workers Alliance, a group that represents several hundred Northside Independent School District workers, has withdrawn its federal lawsuit against the district, the group said Monday.
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May 21, 2013, 08:05
Texas budget negotiations stumble amid questions on tax cuts, school funds
House and Senate leaders struggled Monday to protect their complicated deal on the two-year state budget. The two chambers’ budget chiefs clashed over whether a tax-relief package should rely heavily on rebates of a fee on electricity bills.
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May 21, 2013, 08:05
Region 4 ACP – Online Superintendent and Principal Certification. Earn your certificate in one year
Superintendent Certification Program
Delivered entirely through online courses. Face-to-face sessions also available at Region 4 in Houston.
Designed to integrate theory and practice through district-level field experiences, coursework and reflective seminars
Program begins in September. Visit www.region4acp.net for more information.
Principal Certification Program
Delivered entirely through online coursework.
Coursework and internship activities are designed to provide candidates with a variety of experience that matches the rigor, relevance and building of relationships necessary to be successful on the TExES exam.
Stephen F. Austin State University’s Educational Leadership Online Principal Program:
Five-semester, 30-hour Master’s Degree Program (18-hour certification only option available for those already possessing a master’s and meeting program’s basic requirements)
Only 3 face to face classes: (1) for the internship, (1) for the TExES released test, and (1) for the TExES review
Scholarship available for Texas residents so that total cost is approximately $5800 for the 30-hour program and approximately $3600 for the 18-hour program/FONT>
Stephen F. Austin State University’s Online and Face to Face Superintendent Certification Program:
Complete the 15 hours of Superintendent Certification courses in one calendar year
Receive support to pass the state superintendent exam at no additional cost
Lumberton ISD responds to end of CSCOPE daily lesson plans
The Lumberton school district says a decision by CSCOPE board members to stop offering daily lesson plans won't have a major impact because the district doesn't require teachers to use CSCOPE lessons. Lumberton found itself in the spotlight earlier this year when some students and parents criticized a lesson they said forced some youngsters to wear burqas and promoted anti-American values.
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May 21, 2013, 07:53
HB 2824: How is it fair for some schools to be part of Texas' accountability system, but not others?
If HB 2824 makes it through the Legislature this week, you can pretty much say goodbye to Texas’ method of measuring schools and holding them responsible for their work. I am for innovating with our accountability system, but I don’t see how we keep one if this bill passes. GOP Rep. Bennett Ratliff’s proposal would create a hole in the system that would be very hard to patch over in two years.
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May 21, 2013, 07:52
Mayor Mike Rawlings launches petition urging public to support Dallas schools
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings helped launch an online petition Monday to encourage people to support improving the city’s public schools. Rawlings called the issue bigger than the controversies surrounding Dallas ISD Superintendent Mike Miles, though he renewed his support for him and pushed back at his critics. He said he hopes the petition leads more people to care about the state of Dallas schools.
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May 21, 2013, 07:51
Teachers Will Be Allowed To Carry Guns In Archer City Schools
In August, teachers in Archer City school's will be able to shoot back to protect students if a gunman ever took over the campus. Officials from the Archer City Independent School District are asking the school board to allow teachers to carry concealed handguns. Tonight the board did vote to allow teachers to carry handguns.
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May 21, 2013, 07:49
House approves gun training for some teachers
The Texas House late Monday approved a plan to train some teachers who are already licensed to carry firearms for gunfights that could erupt in their classrooms. With a simple voice vote and no debate, lawmakers passed a proposal drafted by Sen. Dan Patrick that would apply to traditional public school and charter campuses that don't already employ armed guards.
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May 21, 2013, 07:48
Rainy Day Fund eyed for $1.75B school payment
A top House Republican says using the state's Rainy Day Fund is being considered for $1.75 billion owed to public schools as part of a complex Texas budget package. State Rep. Drew Darby said Monday that as the Legislature enters a final and furious week, budget writers want to settle the classroom debt by accessing a projected $12 billion in emergency dollars.
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May 21, 2013, 07:47
Though a minority, Democrats prevail on school funds
From Day One of the 2013 Legislature, outnumbered Democrats repeatedly committed themselves to an overarching goal: restoring billions of dollars in education cuts imposed by lawmakers two years ago. Now, with just over a week left in the 140-day session, Democrats appear to be within reach of a legislative triumph after negotiating a proposed budget accord that reverses most of the public school reductions from 2011.
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May 21, 2013, 07:46
Keller ISD Hopes to Squash Senior Pranks
The Keller school district is making changes in hopes of preventing senior pranks like the ones students pulled at three high schools last year. The Keller Independent School District said in a statement Monday that it was paying close attention to "any kind of threat or the potential of 'senior pranks.'"
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May 21, 2013, 07:45
Our opinion: Wichita Falls ISD slaps TRN with punitive measure
Frankly, the Times Record News feels as though we’ve been hamstrung in our mandate to serve the public trust. Members of the Wichita Falls Independent School District board of trustees, some of whom have always returned our calls in a timely fashion, have been unavailable. They’ve been in meetings. Away from their desks.
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May 21, 2013, 07:45
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