According to a release from Lufkin ISD, Superintendent Lynn Torres has selected Daniel Spikes, Ph.D. as the hire for the Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services. Dr. Spikes will be returning home to Lufkin from the University of South Carolina (UofSC) where he currently is an Assistant Professor in the Educational Leadership and Polices Department in the College of Education. He will join the Lufkin ISD team after he completes his contract at the university in May. Mr. Johnny Giles, former Assistant Superintendent at Lufkin ISD, will serve as interim during the transition. Dr. Spikes was born and raised in Lufkin, Texas, where his parents Pastor Willie Spikes, Sr. and Charlotte Spikes reside.  view article

With the investigation into the hazing assault involving Montgomery High School varsity football team players still ongoing in the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, yet another investigation has been initiated by the Montgomery ISD, but this time it involves employees of the District. According to tips received from several teachers at Montgomery High School, the Vice Principal of Montgomery High School, Edward Lopez, is currently under investigation for sexual harassment of other teachers and employees in the school. view article

Vera Longoria, the second year elementary math teacher at May ISD, is a former Brownwood junior high school coach and teacher. She is the granddaughter of Dr. Bobbie Newman, former Howard Payne President, and daughter to college sweethearts Bobbie and Fred Strickland. Longoria took a less conventional path in becoming a teacher than she did in finding her husband Robert Longoria, who was the quarterback when she attended Stamford High School. After falling in love in grade school, the Stamford High graduates headed to New York state as he served in the U.S. Army at Fort Drum. In those seven years, Longoria landed a job at the Nancy O Club event planning. view article

Terrell High School freshman English teacher, Micah Rice, was honored alongside 39 educators from the State of Texas at the Texas Teacher of the Year Awards Ceremony on Friday, October 26 at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas. Rice, who was named the 2019-2020 Region 10 Secondary Teacher of the Year in August, represented Terrell ISD and Region 10 at the state level. At the event, Rice had the opportunity to meet the other Region winners as well as participate in a special session with Mike Morath, Commissioner of Education for the Texas Education Agency. view article

A Marshall ISD football player is alive after he collapsed during a game earlier this week. If not for the quick thinking of the athletic trainer, things might have turned out differently. Being prepared is vital for everyone on and off the field, a lesson learned in East Texas. You prepare for it, but don’t think it will ever happen. That’s what one woman is saying after an emergency on the field. Now, she’s hoping her hours of training will continue to help her players. view article

The Maypearl Independent School District is mourning the loss of its long-time head coach and teacher Brian Bilbrey. Bilbrey, a baseball, varsity football and powerlifting coach and science teacher, passed away at 41 on Oct. 25 after “a fierce battle with cancer,” according to the district. He worked in special education over the past year, the district confirmed. view article

A former McKinney ISD teacher is under arrest, charged with continuous abuse of a child. Kirby Glynn Smith, 50, was arrested Tuesday is currently being held in the Collin County Jail on $100,000 bond, according to jail records. McKinney police said Smith was formerly a teacher at Dr. Jack Cockrill Middle School in McKinney, where a former student made an outcry about the alleged abuse. view article

An assistant principal at a North Texas middle school was arrested after being accused of sexually abusing a student, police said Wednesday. McKinney police said Kirby Glynn Smith, 50, was charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child after a boy reported the man to authorities. Smith was booked into jail on a $500,000 bond. view article

McKinney ISD students are in for a scare, as MISD has declared it will still be holding school on the Friday after Halloween, despite a student petition asking for the day off that has garnered over 10,000 students’ signatures. The Change.com petition racked up nearly 10,200 signatures—almost 40% of MISD enrollment for the 2019-20 school year—as of noon on Wednesday, Oct. 29, and the number continues to increase. However, the district still has not budged. view article

Melissa Funk has been teaching at Waters Elementary for six years. When she started teaching the fourth grade three years ago, she decided to allow her students to come up with a unique way to greet her in the mornings. “I tell them as soon as they join my classroom at the beginning of the year that they need to come up with the handshake and so it’s very personalized to them, and they get real excited,” said Funk, “Some of them are kind of apprehensive because they’re not sure what to kind up with but they get very excited and can’t wait to show me their handshake.” view article

Recognizing it takes leadership at the top to set the tone for students and teachers, Cleveland ISD recognized their principals and assistant principals at the October board meeting on Monday. “Thank you for all you do for your students, staff, and our district,” read a CISD press release on Tuesday. Across the nation, federal officials, congressmen, and state leadership are recognizing the efforts of school leaders by declaring October as National Principals Month. Gov. Greg Abbott also joined national leadership with a declaration for Texas. view article

The Going the Extra Mile (GEM) recognition is a district acknowledgement of Garland ISD employees who display superior commitment, innovation, leadership, work ethic, accomplishments and initiative. Garland ISD GEM (Going the Extra Mile) Recognition is open to any GISD employee, and anyone can nominate an employee as a GEM. Those selected are notified and recognized at a GISD Board of Trustees meeting once a month. view article

Leander ISD hires new CFO

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Elaine Cogburn was selected as the new CFO by the Leander ISD Board of Trustees. (via Brian Perdue, Community Impact Newspaper)  Cogburn takes over for Lucas Janda, who left LISD in September to take a job with a private financial firm, according to LISD spokesperson Corey Ryan. Ellen Skoviera has been serving as the interim CFO.  Cogburn will be joining Leander ISD starting Nov. 4, according to an LISD press release.  Cogburn comes from Plano ISD, where she served as executive director for financial services, and brings with her some 23 years of experience in education. Before working at PISD, she was the assistant superintendent for finance and operations at Dripping Springs ISD. view article

The woman charged in connection with a crash the critically injured a teen appeared before a judge Monday. What happened: Chinyere Iheagwam, 56, is accused of speeding and driving recklessly in a school zone and slamming into 18-year-old Anthony Velasquez -- a Hastings High School senior – before hitting another student’s vehicle as school was letting out. view article

An Alief ISD cafeteria worker can no longer drive without permission after she allegedly hit a student with her vehicle. Chinyere Iheagwam, 56, was charged with with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for her role in a crash that injured a student. view article

Warren High School football coach Jeff Robbins was placed on administrative leave Monday morning pending the results of an investigation that he allegedly injured a male student last week, Northside ISD spokesman Barry Perez said. Perez said the investigation is in response to an allegation the student was injured after Robbins made physical contact with him. NISD Employee Relations, NISD Police and Child Protective Services are conducting the investigation. view article

A Fort Worth ISD teacher is in Tarrant County Jail, accused of having an improper relationship with a student. Albert Jason Robles, a teacher at Trimble Tech High School, faces charges of sexual assault of a child under 17, an improper relationship between a teacher and a student and indecency with a child with sexual contact, according to Tarrant County Jail records. view article

For close to 50 years, the late Loren Stephens gave of himself for the students of Lamar County and Paris ISD. On Saturday, his legacy was honored at the annual I Love Paris banquet. Roughly 300 people were in attendance for the event, which featured accounts from family, friends and co-workers of Stephens, who worked for 48 years as an educator, coach, bus driver, principal and administrator for Paris. view article

A former Rockwall ISD middle school orchestra teacher was arrested by Rockwall authorities Monday on a charge of Improper Relationship Between Educator and Student, according to Rockwall ISD. Marc Allison was arrested Monday, jail records show. Rockwall ISD sent a letter to parents Monday saying Allison, a former orchestra teacher at Cain Middle School, had been arrested. The district knew in July about Allison's "conduct that violated Board Policy," according to the letter. Allison was placed on administrative leave, as per district policy, while the district investigated claims against him. view article

Two teachers from Frenship and Levelland are being recognized in Austin today as Texas Teachers of the Year. Sara Simpson from Oak Ridge Elementary, Frenship ISD was selected as Region 17 Elementary Teacher of the Year. Cathrine McMahan from Levelland Middle School, Levelland ISD was selected as Region 17 Secondary Teacher of the Year. view article

Big congratulations are in order for one of Ysleta Independent School District's teachers. Michelle Sandoval was named the 2020 Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year on Friday. Sandoval, an eighth grade teacher at Parkland Middle School, was named Teacher of the Year by the Texas Association of School Administrators at a special ceremony and luncheon in Austin, Texas. It's the states highest honor for middle and high school teachers view article

Ysleta ISD teacher Michelle Sandoval and Weatherford ISD teacher Karen Sams are the 2020 Texas Secondary and Elementary Teachers of the Year. The Texas Association of School Administrators held its awards ceremony and luncheon at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. Friday afternoon. “It’s all about positive energy, kindness and making sure that we instill that into them every day,” Sandoval said about connecting with her students. “Out there in El Paso. we may not have all the resources that really big schools might have, but we make it work every single day and resilience is a huge thing on our campus.” view article

Carthage ISD superintendent John Wink made time during their Monday board meeting to recognize the district's teachers. view article

Two Edinburg CISD coaches inducted into Hall of Fame

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The Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees recently honored Economedes High School Girls Head Basketball Coach Mariana Casarez Campos and Kennedy Elementary School Physical Education Coach Lesley Zambrano Salinas for being inducted into the 2019 Javelina Hall of Fame. read more

College Station High School teacher, Jim Dawson, has been teaching for almost 40 years. He's a construction science teacher that was recently nominated for the 2019 Safety Educator of the Year Award. Dawson has dedicated his life to better the lives of students in College Station. view article

The Council of the Great City Schools and McGraw-Hill Education selected Dallas ISD teacher Eric Hale as the recipient of the 2019 Annual Queen Smith Award, which recognizes a top educator in the country working in an urban school district.  Hale, who teaches kindergarten and first grade at David Burnet Elementary School, will receive the award at the council’s conference happening Oct. 25 in Kentucky. The award comes with a $5,000 check and plaque to honor his significant contributions to urban education and the children he serves. view article

The Lubbock Independent School District on Thursday announced Jeff Baum, LISD’s former chief financial officer, will continue to work in the district’s administrative office. Baum will oversee special projects at the discretion of Lubbock ISD Superintendent Kathy Rollo, according to a news release. The district’s news release was sent out Thursday morning immediately following a Lubbock ISD Board of Trustees meeting. No action was taken at the meeting regarding Baum, although trustees met in an extended executive session, which is kept private. view article

A high school teacher in North Texas is off the job accused of sending inappropriate text messages to a student. But the teacher is pushing back claiming he's being let go because he's gay. Dr. Josh Hamilton lives his life like an open book. The 32-year-old says he's struggled with PTSD, depression and recently came out as gay. view article

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - The Lubbock Independent School District’s Chief Financial Officer, Jeff Baum, has tendered his resignation effective June 30, the end of his current contract.  For unconfirmed reasons, Baum was placed on paid administrative leave in mid-September. LISD did release a statement to KCBD NewsChannel 11 and said his leave was not connected to his fiduciary responsibilities. view article

An Alief ISD employee who left a student in critical condition after allegedly speeding through a school zone and striking him has been identified. Chinyere Iheagwam, 56, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after driving “at a high rate of speed” through a school zone outside Hastings High School and striking an 18-year-old student. The student was crossing High Star Drive near the west Houston school around 2:40 p.m. when Iheagwam allegedly struck him. view article

Effective Nov. 1, substitute teacher pay rates in the Austin Independent School District will increase by $10 per day. Salaries will go up to $85 for non-degreed subs, $90 for those with degrees and $95 for degree-certified substitutes. This comes as AISD has seen an increase in substitute vacancies to fill-in for teachers who are sick, on leave, or using personal or professional days, among other reasons. view article

The Leadership Rowlett Class 29 was recognized during Tuesday night’s Garland ISD regular Board of Trustees meeting. Mida Milligan, executive director of communications and public relations, said the group spent most of the day Tuesday touring the district and learning about GISD and what it has to offer students and families, as well as the communities of Garland, Rowlett and Sachse. view article

Prosecutors say an Alief ISD cafeteria worker was driving at more than double the posted speed limit in a school zone when she hit a Hastings High School student with her car. On Thursday afternoon, a hearing officer set Chinyere Iheagwam’s bond at $30,000 for her aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge during a probable cause hearing in downtown Houston. view article

The Lubbock ISD issued a statement on Thursday morning saying former CFO Jeff Baum has been reassigned. Lubbock ISD also said he will resign effective on June 30, 2020. Other than to say his reassignment is not connected to financial or fiduciary responsibilities, no explanation was given. view article

Waco Independent School District Superintendent Susan Kincannon demoted five administrators and replaced three of them with people outside of the district as part of a reorganization of the district’s staff, less than two months into her role.  Kincannon introduced the new administrators at Thursday’s board meeting. She also introduced a new role to the district, chief of staff, that has been filled by the district’s spokesman, Kyle DeBeer. view article