Template Update from Omar Garcia: Summary of Finance

Omar Garcia with BOK Financial Securities has a new release (Release 4 dated 07/9/2018) that is now available for download.  This new release makes changes the Effective M&O Tax Rate calculations and makes adjustments to the EDA and NIFA weights (see Notes tab).  As always, please stay tuned for any new developments.

Equity Center:  Legislative Update: Texas Commission on Public School Finance

The Texas Commission on Public School Finance met Tuesday morning to hear discussions from the TEA and Legislative Budget Board on public education funding sources and trends, including the varying, and somewhat controversial, measurements of the state and local share of overall funding.  

Recommendations From Outcomes Working Group

July 3, 2018- 9:30 a.m  Capitol Extension, State Capitol Building - Room E1.026  Agenda   

New From TEA

• 2018-2019 Preliminary Summary of Finances 7/10
• Special Education Grant Opportunities Released in Support of the Strategic Plan and Corrective Action Response
• Local Share of the Foundation School Program Cost
• 2017-18 Bus Accident Reporting Survey is Open
• Request for Competitive Letters of Interest for New GEAR UP Texas Cohort 6/29
• Reminder - 2017-2018 Gun Free Schools District and Campus Reports Due June 28 6/15
• 2018-2019 Fund Code Deletions for Actual and Shared Services (SSA) Actual Reporting 6/14
• Zika Virus Protection and Prevention 6/11
• Abbott’s School Safety Plan - Immediate Opportunities to Improve Campus Security Through Available School Safety Supports 6/11
• Provision of Services for Students with Dyslexia and Related Disorders - Revised June 6, 2018
• 2018 Tax Information Survey open for data submission June 1, 2018, and will close at midnight on August 31, 2018 6/7
• Provision of Services for Students with Dyslexia and Related Disorders 6/6

Preventive Law: Updates from the Feds: FERPA Surveillance Video

In April, the Family Policy Compliance Office (FPCO) issued new guidance concerning FERPA and video surveillance. It answers some of the ongoing questions that districts have wrestled with as video surveillance has become more prevalent.

Dallas ISD Police Chief: New Way To Communicate Can Make Schools Safer

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – When school starts next month, police officers in the largest school district in North Texas will have a new tool to keep each other, students, and teachers safe. For the first time ever, Dallas ISD police officers can now communicate directly with Dallas police officers over their portable and car radios. view article  

San Benito, Southwest Key enter agreement

The San Benito Consolidated Independent School District will educate undocumented immigrant children held in a federally-funded shelter. The school board has entered into an agreement with Southwest Key Programs to provide educational services to children housed in the shelter at the former site of the Dolly Vinsant Memorial Hospital. view article  

Nominees Announced for 2018 Superintendent of the Year Award

(Austin)—Regional winners of the annual Superintendent of the Year (SOTY) award have been announced. Sponsored by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), the SOTY program has recognized exemplary superintendents for excellence and achievement in educational leadership since 1984. Regional superintendents of the year nominated by regional selection committees are the following:

Secret Service rolls out new ways to identify and stop student attackers

The Secret Service – known for protecting the president – is now using their expertise to protect schools in the wake of a spate of deadly mass shootings. The new guidelines on enhancing school safety are based on research from the U.S. Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center. Lina Alathari, the author of the operational guide, told ABC News that although guns were used the majority of the time in the crimes studied, the report also includes attacks carried out using a "lethal weapon," such as a knife, gun or explosives. After the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, the Secret Service approached the Department of Education and offered to use the same methods they use to study assassins to study school shooters. view article  

Dallas ISD Teaches Parents About Special Education Programs

Making the best decision to choose the correct program for children with special needs could be tough, especially when it’s time to find the resources available for their education. The Dallas Independent School District has created a variety of programs with the goal of helping kids in the classroom. “We collaborate with schools to help kids with special needs to have success in the classrooms,” said Sylvia Bogacha, Dallas ISD supervisor of special education. view article  

Texas schools that want to arm their employees have two choices

Following a deadly mass shooting at Santa Fe High School, Gov. Greg Abbott rolled out a 40-page plan to keep schools safe. Proposals ranged from beefing up existing mental health screening programs to encouraging voluntary use of gun locks at home, but one component seemed to divide lawmakers, districts and Texas schools: arming school employees. If Texas schools want to arm their staffs, they have two options. One is the Marshal Program, which Abbott proposed using state funds to help schools implement. It allows local school boards to authorize employees to carry a handgun on campus, but they must be specially trained and licensed by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. Under the program, armed school personnel can't carry firearms around students. view article  

Trustees discuss superintendent search process

The Ector County Independent School District Board of Trustees decided to contact four companies that submitted proposals to search for a new superintendent to present their pitches. Superintendent Tom Crowe announced his retirement in May, effective Dec. 22. Last month, trustees sent a request for proposal to potential search firms and received four responses. view article  

Official: 911 issues delayed response to school massacre

Read and consider this article in the school safety debate. - js - SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — In the crucial first minutes after a gunman began shooting students and staff at a Florida high school, law enforcement's response was hampered by quirks in the local 911 system that caused many calls from inside the school to be transferred, the chairman of a commission investigating the massacre said. view article  

Ben Bolt:  BBPB ISD Lone Finalist for Superintendent

BEN BOLT – Ben Bolt - Palito Blanco Independent School District Board of Trustees named Dr. Mike A. Barrera as the lone finalist for the superintendent position at its July 3 meeting. Dr. Barrera is an able administrator, former classroom teacher, and tested leader. He is currently the Assistant Superintendent for District Operations at McAllen Independent School District. view article  

Secret Service guides schools on assessing student threat

The U.S. Secret Service offered help Thursday to school districts struggling with how to recognize students at risk of becoming the next school shooter. Five months after an expelled student was charged with opening fire at his former Parkland, Florida, high school, killing 17 people, guidance being distributed nationwide focuses not just on identifying troubled students, but assessing their risk of becoming violent. It's meant to be part of the comprehensive safety plans that schools follow to secure their buildings and respond to emergencies. view article  

Local property taxes won’t stay with some local schools

Three local school districts could send at least half a million dollars of property tax money back to the state this year. Thanks to a funding mechanism known as recapture, Argyle, Lake Dallas and Pilot Point ISDs are projected to surrender a combined $529,143 of their local tax revenue to the state in an attempt to equalize wealth between school districts. The three schools are among the 217 Texas districts that will send back $2.69 billion in property taxes, according to The Dallas Morning News. To calculate recapture payments, state officials divide property tax values within a district by the average daily attendance of its students.  view article  

Voter registration deadline nears for Magnolia ISD Tax Ratification Election

The Magnolia ISD board of trustees unanimously voted May 21 to call a Tax Ratification Election for Aug. 14 to provide additional funding for campus safety, employee salaries and student programs. Early voting begins July 30 for the election with voter registration ending Monday, July 16. In addition to registering to vote for the Aug. 14 election, here are a few things to note about MISD’s election. view article  

Marlin ISD board of managers had no comment on the superintendent’s contract

After an executive decision, the Marlin Independent School District Board had no announcements or comments about the superintendent's contract on Wednesday. The Marlin ISD Board of Managers called for a special meeting to discuss the superintendent's contract. The district has been on the state's improvement required list for six years, longer than any other district on the list. It had its accreditation temporarily revoked by the state, but has a year to improve. view article  

Assigning a letter grade is a poor way to evaluate education

Evaluating public school districts, individual schools, teachers and principals is valuable and important. It also is difficult to do so in any sort of objective, apples-to-apples manner which attempts to compare one district, school, teacher, or principal to another. Done well, the accountability process instead would focus on providing identification of concerns as well as mentoring and professional support in a constructive, non-punitive manner. Done poorly, the process becomes a destructive, misleading label which destroys morale and provides unwarranted justification for weakening an institution that has played an undeniably vital role in creating the greatest nation on earth. view article  

FAMILY SEPARATIONS UPDATE

Federal officials said Thursday they had reunited all “eligible” immigrant children with their parents — 57 of the identified 103 “tender age” kids. But lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union charged they have no way to confirm those numbers at all in a court filing Thursday — and they recounted a number of anecdotes where federal officials mishandled reunifications: view article  

Dallas ISD Needs 150 School Bus Drivers

Just over a month before the start of the launch of its first school bus service, the Dallas Independent School District still needed 150 more drivers as a two day hiring fair began Thursday. The new service is the result of voters deciding to close troubled bus agency Dallas County Schools last year after NBC 5 Investigates reports on safety problems and management scandals. view article  

Palestine ISD considers arming teachers

After meeting with local public safety experts Thursday, Palestine Independent School District Safety Coordinator William Stewart said the district will consider arming teachers and staff under the state's guardian and marshal programs. Acknowledging the programs were controversial, Stewart said he will continue to gather information from the community before making a recommendation to the School Board. He said Westwood has a guardian program. view article  

Georgetown ISD nearing completion of ‘secure entrances’

Georgetown ISD is getting closer to making all its campuses safer this upcoming school year. The district is installing what it calls "secure entrances" at every school. "Safety and security is a huge priority for our school board,” said Bryan Hallmark, assistant superintendent of operations and school leadership. “Our community and our district staff." view article  

Students at Galveston ISD will receive free breakfast and lunch for 2018-2019 school year

Students in a Texas school district will be receiving free meals for the 2018-2019 school year. Galveston ISD announced Thursday morning that thanks to the Department of Agriculture's Community Provision program, the district would provide breakfast and lunch for students at no charge.  view article  

Dallas ISD Holds Hiring Fair Ahead Of New School Year

Dallas ISD needs 150 bus drivers in addition to bus monitors. view article  

Northside ISD holds job fairs to fill auxiliary positions

There will be two Northside ISD job fairs to look out for next week: Tuesday, July 17, and Thursday, July 19.  "We are currently looking to add some amazing people in our custodial, child nutrition and transportation departments," said Mark Rustan, director of human resources at Northside ISD. view article  

New Braunfels ISD adds bond projects, proposes first tax increase in more than a decade

At its June 25 budget meeting the New Braunfels ISD board of trustees amended its proposed bond package that will be decided on by voters in November. The board added almost $11 million in bond projects, which, if passed, will go toward new computers, school buses, and security and safety measures. The total proposed bond amount now sits at $118.3 million. view article  

White Oak ISD “feeling the crunch” to finish bond project

Despite “feeling the crunch,” construction crews are making significant progress on the White Oak ISD bond project, the superintendent said during a board meeting Thursday. The $19 million bond project includes a new high school science wing, athletic field house, school roofs and primary, intermediate and middle school air handler systems. view article  

SETX districts may start monitoring students’ social media for threats

Amid a heightened awareness of school safety issues in the wake of shootings this spring, local districts could spend thousands of dollars next year to identify and receive instant alerts of potential threats made on social media. They're considering joining together to pay for a Vermont-based company, Social Sentinel, to screen public posts on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites for language that indicates possible threats. Region 5 superintendents met Wednesday at the Education Service Center to discuss the program, which sends a notification to designated administrators when a possible threat is identified. view article  

New Waco ISD Tech Summit shows off blended learning possibilities

A small robot, about a cubic inch in size, glowed brightly as it rolled around desks and expanded minds during Waco Independent School District’s inaugural Tech Summit on Thursday. Dozens of teachers attended the event at University High School to learn new classroom tools and earn professional development hours. “We’re pretty happy with the (attendance) number since it’s our first go-round,” professional development director Patrick Uptmore said. view article  

Hutto ISD to implement ‘flexible’ schedule option at River Horse Academy

Responding to an apparent need for alternative attendance options, the Hutto ISD board of trustees on Thursday night approved implementation of the Optional Flexible School Day Program at the River Horse Academy beginning in the fall. The Optional Flexible School Day Program is a state-approved plan that allows districts to provide “flexible hours and days of attendance for students,” according to the Texas Education Agency website. The Optional Flexible School Day Program is available for students in grades 9-12. view article  

Town hall set up to decide how money is spent for Santa Fe High School shooting victims

Friday marks eight weeks since the Santa Fe High School shooting in which 10 people were killed and many other injured after a student opened fired in the school’s art wing. Since then, people from across the world have donated money to help the victims. On Thursday, there was a town hall meeting to help decide how those donations should be distributed. view article  

Suspect arrested in North Mesquite High School burglary

Last night at about 6:15 p.m., Mesquite Police officers responded to a call in the 1900 block of South Parkway in Mesquite, of an individual believed to be the subject involved in the burglary and vandalizing of North Mesquite High School.  view article  

Police investigate break-in at Gainesville ISD facility

Thousands of dollars worth of items are reportedly still missing after a break-in earlier this week at the Gainesville Independent School District bus barn on Radio Hill Road, according to school officials. Interim Superintendent Larry Smith said the potential burglary suspects came onto the school district’s property at about 10 p.m. Tuesday after they cut a hole through a fence on “property south of our property.” From there, Smith said two holes were cut into the district’s perimeter fence — one “just big enough for a person to go through” and one about “10 feet wide for a truck to fit through.” view article  

Rally to help prevent teen suicide

When 14 Brazoria County teenagers attempted suicide within a span of six weeks, Brenda George knew something was wrong. “I really said, ‘I’m way too busy,’” said George, pastor of New Birth Church in Freeport. “But God said, ‘No, you cannot be too busy, because these children need a voice.’” view article