Dallas ISD board could consider building new South Oak Cliff High School following complaints

Students and supporters of South Oak Cliff High School could be a step closer to getting a new building. The Dallas ISD Board of Trustees is expected to weigh in on the issue for the first time in early April during a discussion about the 2015 bond program. Trustees could consider replacing the 1951 building or continue with plans to make less expensive improvements. view article  

March 2408:20 AM

 

From what we’ve seen and heard, ongoing meetings of concerned community members on various ways to bolster both neighborhoods and the troubled Waco Independent School District campuses in them have demonstrated determination, resourcefulness and ingenuity. We’re especially excited about novel efforts to encourage more parental involvement in the academic instruction and daily attendance of local children.

TEA Commissioner Requests AG Opinion on SB 507

On March 11, 2016, the Texas Education Agency Commissioner of Education, Mike Morath, requested an opinion from the Texas Attorney General on the implementation of SB 507. This new law requires video surveillance of certain special education settings upon request beginning in the 2016-2017 school year. In an earlier blog post, I outlined the provisions of SB 507. view article  

Complaints: Former Frisco coach told black students he’d ‘hang them from a tree’

The Frisco School District has released documents tied to the investigation of racist comments made by a former football coach. Todd Campbell was an assistant coach at Centennial High School. He was put on administrative leave last November after the district received many formal complaints of his alleged comments from offended students and their parents.  view article  

Red Oak ISD: Builder agrees to pay for Shields Elementary tornado repairs

More than two months after a tornado hit Shields Elementary School in northern Ellis County on Dec. 26, Red Oak ISD confirmed Thursday that the original builder of the school, Ratcliff Constructors, has agreed to pay for the repairs. Fox 4's Lori Brown began investigating concerns about the quality of construction at the school  in Glenn Heights after an exterior wall collapsed in the tornado. view article  

Poth ISD board picks Paula Renken

She has served since January as the interim superintendent of the Poth Independent School District (ISD). After March 9 -- when the state-mandated 21-day waiting period runs out -- Paula Renken will take the helm in a permanent capacity, after the board of trustees Feb. 17 named her as the lone finalist in their superintendent search. view article  

Students to see revamped SAT in March, Cy-Fair ISD encourages practice

This spring, high school students throughout the U.S.—including those at Cy-Fair ISD—will be introduced to an entirely redesigned SAT as the College Board, a nonprofit organization that designs and administers the SAT, has drastically changed one of the most popular college aptitude tests in the country. Beginning in March, students will take a redesigned SAT that, according to the College Board, does away with the difficult vocabulary section and adds in more straight forward questions based on real-world college and career concepts. view article  

Istation Scores Predict Student Success on STAAR

Istation reports a study linking student results on Istation assessments with a high probability of passing Texas' standardized reading test. This study updates Istation's previous prediction band study completed in March 2014 that tracked student performance on Istation's Indicators of Progress (ISIP™) assessments and STAAR (State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness) scores. view article  

Slow your roll: Frisco ISD bans hoverboards

Any Frisco ISD student who got a “hoverboard” for Christmas and wants to show it off at school is in for a rude awakening. The trendy mode of transportation will no longer be allowed on Frisco ISD campuses, the district announced Wednesday. view article  

New Texas law may prompt longer school days

Some San Antonio students may have to wake up a few minutes earlier next school year. Parents can blame it on the politicians who passed a new state law changing the amount of time students spend in school. During the last legislative session, lawmakers approved House Bill 2610. view article  

Longer School Days Ahead For Arlington ISD Students

Arlington parents are hoping a few extra minutes in school every day will mean their students are out for summer break days earlier. The school district is about to lengthen its school days hoping to either provide a buffer in case weather-related school closures are needed or give everyone an early summer break. When kids go to school they’re literally on the clock. Their school year isn’t over until the school has clocked 17,600 minutes of student time. Arlington is hoping it can push all those minutes into a shorter school year. view article  

Judson ISD board to discuss rescinding school’s name

A special board meeting for the Judson Independent School District is set to take place Wednesday night. On the agenda is the possibility of rescinding the name of Dr. Willis Mackey High School. The school was named after the district's former Superintendent who retired last year, and the topic has since been widely debated. view article  

Hallsville ISD leader to resign

Hallsville ISD Superintendent Jim Dunlap says he will resign effective at the district's next board meeting Dec. 14. Dunlap, who recently went on the district's radio station, Bobcat Radio, to announce his decision, said he has no other comment until after the board meeting. "Really, all I wanted to say was to the staff, and that has already been broadcast on Bobcat Radio," he said this week. view article  

Michelle Faust of Round Rock ISD Joins North American Solutions

North American Solutions (NAS), a leading provider of insurance and risk management services for public entities, is excited to announce that Michelle Faust, currently Director, Safety & Risk Management at Round Rock ISD, will be joining the NAS team in January. view article  

Superintendents should have teaching experience

There is no replicating the classroom teaching experience, and having that experience should not be optional for public school superintendent job candidates. The State Board of Education is voting in Austin today on the states requirements for public school superintendents and is considering removing teaching experience from the list of qualifications. view article  

School board extends student/teacher ratio

Extending the student/teacher ratio for a few third-grade classes and approving a request made by the Texas A&M Agri-life Extension office were the only highlights during November's Plainview ISD school board meeting Thursday. With a unanimous vote, PISD trustees voted to approve an application for a waiver to exceed the ... view article  

Pottsboro ISD board identifies dangerous roads, stresses student safety

The Pottsboro Independent School District’s board of trustees discussed a resolution to receive funding for a service they already provide during their regular meeting earlier this week. PISD Superintendent Kevin Matthews explained that Texas law does not provide transportation funding to school districts if the district is transporting students that live within two miles of the schools they attend, unless those areas are dangerous for students to cross. In this situation, that is the case, Matthews said. The board identified five areas they qualified as hazardous: Highway 289, Highway 120, FM 996, FM 1417 and Cardinal Lane. - See more at: http://heralddemocrat.com/news/schools/pottsboro-isd-board-identifies-dangerous-roads-stresses-student-safety#sthash.NCQqqUs4.dpuf view article  

TEA: LA MARQUE ISD’S ACCREDITATION REVOKED, TO BE ANNEXED BY ANOTHER DISTRICT

Officials with the Texas Education Agency confirmed Thursday that the troubled La Marque school district has lost its accreditation and will be annexed by another district. In a letter addressed to the Board of Trustees and La Marque ISD, Commissioner of Education Michael Williams says the school district will be closed, effective July 1. He cites the district's rating of "academically unacceptable" for 2011 and a rating of "improvement required" in the state of Texas' academic accountability rating system for 2013 and 2014. view article  

Editorial: Hallsville ISD does a poor job dealing with bullying incident

Schoolhouse bullying is nothing new. It has been going on for decades wherever someone bigger, tougher or meaner believed they could get away with abusing another child. And wherever it's happened, it has been harmful to the person being bullied in degrees ranging from intimidation and fear to causing children to commit suicide, or even murder. view article  

TEA announces closure of La Marque ISD

The La Marque Independent School District will officially be no more. The Texas Education Agency informed the La Marque ISD school board that the district will be annexed by another district after failing to meet standards for academic and financial accountability, TEA spokesperson Gene Acuna said. view article  

Lighting mitigation plan a no for DSISD

The denial of an alternative light mitigation plan for Dripping Springs ISD’s new baseball/softball complex put in to motion an inventory of outdoor lighting at all district facilities. On Oct. 13, the Dripping Springs City Council turned down the Dripping Springs ISD’s proposed lighting mitigation. view article  

Teen beaten by Pasadena ISD officer settles for $60,000

A teen who was severely bruised in a "brutal and excessive" nightstick attack by a Pasadena ISD school resource officer has settled his federal lawsuit for $60,000. Cesar Suquet Jr. was 16 in May 2014 when he went to the principal's office at South Houston High School to retrieve his cell phone, which had been confiscated earlier that day. His request was declined and he was told to leave. view article  

Texas Supreme Court Hears Case Over Texas Homeschool Rights

When Gene and Shirene McIntyre met with an attendance officer in the El Paso Independent School District in November 2006, their nine grandchildren had already been homeschooled for more than a year. But they were concerned the kids weren’t getting a proper education. view article  

Weaver Elementary School launches Chinese language program for kindergartners, first-graders

Six-year-old Harry Brown plopped down on the colorful rug in his kindergarten class and shook a clear little plastic container with two dice. He looked at the sets of dots facing up, added the two numbers aloud and pointed to the total number in Mandarin Chinese on his worksheet. view article  

Identity Crisis: Managing the Tx Digital Textbook Nightmare (Updated)

School districts have been caught flat-footed in the last two years, facing an onslaught of digital textbook providers who follow no standard data file creation process. This problem is called "user provisioning," (a.k.a. account provisioning) a fancy way of saying that you have to create usernames and passwords in EVERY online system students and staff will need to use. view article  

El Paso: Only on ABC-7: Chapin High teacher’s draws explicit image on student’s assignment

An El Paso ISD parent was shocked by what she says a Chapin High teacher drew on her son's class assignment. "I'm an educator myself so I said, there's no way the teacher really did this," said parent Sandra Green. According to Green and the EPISD -- it happened. Chapin High Language Arts teacher Kim Juzdowski drew a penis across the student's assignment because he wasn't doing anything in class -- if you get the metaphor. view article  

TEA assigns monitor to Marfa ISD

Marfa ISD board of trustees groaned when Superintendent Andrew Peters announced he hired a Professional Service Provider (PSP), also known as a monitor as a result of the school district not meeting Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) academic standards. Holly Roberts, recently retired at Midland ISD, will assist MISD to meet TEA standards. Marfa ISD received an “improvement required” in TEA’s 2015 accountability rating, the only district in the tri-county area to get that moniker. Schools in Alpine, Fort Davis, Valentine and Presidio met standard and also received distinction designations. view article  

Marlin ISD expects answer from TEA by Christmas

Marlin Independent School District Superintendent Michael Seabolt said during Tuesday’s board of trustees meeting that he thinks Commissioner Michael Williams will decide before the end of 2015 whether the district should stay open. view article  

Harrison County DA: Hallsville ISD coach under investigation

Harrison County District Attorney Coke Solomon says there is a criminal investigation involving a Hallsville High School coach on administrative leave who recently resigned. Solomon said his office forwarded a request for information about Dean McDaniel to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office for an opinion on whether to withhold the information because he believes releasing it could interfere with the investigation. view article  

Carrollton: C-FB ISD approves settlement in voting rights lawsuit

The Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD (C-FB ISD) Board of Trustees on Thursday  approved a settlement agreement with Guillermo Ramos and Brewer Storefront in relation to a voting rights lawsuit. The board approved the settlement agreement by a 5-2 vote. Board members Frank Shor, Nancy Watten, Nancy Cline, James Goode and John Mathews vote in approval. view article  

More TX Students Expected To Fail STAAR Tests This Year As Grading Gets Tougher

The standardized tests Texas students will take in the spring will be harder to pass. That’s because state Education Commissioner Michael Williams this week announced tougher grading requirements. But student performance on the so-called STAAR test hasn’t improved as expected, and one education expert believes more students will fail. view article  

Business Owner Sues Arlington ISD Over Planned Ag Center

For nearly 15 years, the Arlington Independent School District has been searching for the right project to fill a piece of land it owns in the 3200 block of Pioneer Parkway. When voters approved a bond package in 2014, officials said they finally found a good one. "We want to make this a successful district facility that serves both the community and the students well," said Leslie Johnston, spokesperson for Arlington ISD. view article  

Irving ISD student detained for ‘suspicious device’

A MacArthur High School freshman said school officials overreacted and called police after mistakenly thinking a digital clock he rebuilt looked like a fake bomb. "They arrested me and told me I committed a crime of a hoax bomb - a fake bomb," he told News 8. view article  

Socorro ISD seeing increase in ‘Next Level Learning’

With its refreshed, laser-sharp focus on creating a college-going culture via Operation College Bound, Socorro ISD is seeing significantly more students taking Advanced Placement courses and earning college credit through exams now than what was seen just three years ago. view article  

Michael Hinojosa Expected To Be Named Lone Dallas ISD Superintendent Finalist Today

This afternoon, the Dallas school board is expected to name interim superintendent Michael Hinojosa the lone finalist to be the permanent school leader. He already had the job for six years before he left in 2011.  Trustees who served when he was here offer their take on Michael Hinojosa 2.0. view article