Goliad 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. read more

Rick Miller is hardly the first Texas legislator to make a racist remark. The news here is that he was roundly and quickly abandoned by elected Republican leaders who usually disappear into their lairs when words like Miller’s are spoken. In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Miller assessed two of his Republican primary opponents in racial terms: “He’s a Korean,” he said of Jacey Jetton, a former county GOP chairman. “He has decided because, because he is an Asian that my district might need an Asian to win. And that’s kind of racist in my mind, but anyway, that’s not necessary, at least not yet.” view article

• ESC Superintendent Survey
• House Bill 3 (HB 3) Implementation: K-2 Diagnostics
• House Bill 3 (HB 3) Implementation: Transportation Funding 11/8
• House Bill 3 (HB 3) Implementation: Special Education Allotment Advisory Committee 11/8
• House Bill 3 (HB 3) Implementation: Compensatory Education Allotment Advisory Committee 11/8
• Information for Districts and Charter Schools Identified as Having a High Dropout Rate 11/8
• Official Notification of the 2018–2019 Release of Final FIRST Ratings 11/1
• House Bill 3 (HB 3) Implementation: Additional Days School Year10/18
• House Bill 3 (HB 3) Implementation: Reading Advisory Committee 10/18
• Blended Learning Planning Grants for Math Innovation Zones and Non-Math Blended Learning Pilots10/18
• Reporting of Industry-Based Certifications
• 2020–2021 Annual Survey of Children in Local Residential Facilities for the Neglected/Delinquent (SC9000)
• House Bill 3 (HB 3) Implementation: Blended Learning Grant Program 10/11

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The teenager accused of fatally shooting multiple people at Santa Fe High School last year has been moved to a North Texas mental health hospital after a judge ruled that he is mentally unfit to stand trial. Dimitrios Pagourtzis arrived at the North Texas State Hospital in Vernon from the Galveston County Jail on Thursday. view article

On March 31, 2018 Maria Mamaux went into cardiac arrest. “I was very blessed to have the right people in the right place at the right time with knowledge of CPR,” the Aragon Middle School principal said. “I was transported to the hospital at that point and had a stent placed in (my heart). Fast-forward to this year and I went in to have a stress test done at the end of June and realized the stent was no longer working properly.” view article

In the wake of Texas House Bill 3, passed during the last Texas Legislature session, the Amarillo Independent School District is considering partnering with private childcare providers to help supplement its pre-K program. In a Facebook post, the district announced a public meeting on December 12 to begin reviewing proposals for the partnerships. In a statement, AISD said both parents and the private businesses involved can benefit from a partnership. view article

Curtistene S. McCowan Middle School student, Jordynn West, was honored by the City of Glenn Heights Mayor, Harry A. Garrett, and members of the City Council at their regular board meeting on Tuesday, December 3, 2019. The 8th grader received a proclamation from the city for her outstanding accomplishments in academics and competing nationally in Track & Field. view article

Students and parents in College Station ISD have less than a week to honor their favorite teacher or principal. The College Station ISD Education Foundation, in partnership with Light Pediatric Dentistry, are honoring teachers with its Star Educator award. For just $10, students can recognize and thank their favorite staff member at College Station ISD. The educator will get a congratulatory card, a Star Educator pin, and recognition in The Eagle newspaper and on the foundation's website. view article

Last month, Corsicana ISD announced the establishment of the first chapter of The Penguin Project in Texas. The Penguin Project provides access to theater, demonstrating that the special challenges of a disability shouldn't prevent a child's ability to participate in life's experiences. The actors will be students with special needs accompanied by student mentors who will assist them in their performance. CISD hosted its first information session for The Penguin Project Monday, Dec. 2. Another session is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5 at Corsicana High School, featuring an opportunity to hear from Dr. Andrew Morgan, founder of The Penguin Project. view article

At Dallas ISD’s downtown CityLab High, a holiday tradition became a learning tool as students staged a unique ‘Polar Express’ event for younger scholars Thursday. “We’ve been reading a book!” a Sam Houston elementary student exclaimed. “I really liked it!”​ view article

Johnny Gallegos started to feel nauseous and sleepy — so much so that the 18-year-old couldn’t get off the bus. He was on a “toxic tour,” an expedition in which a local advocacy group takes participants to some of the Houston-area neighborhoods most affected by pollution from sources such as petrochemicals and metal recyclers. Something in the air was making him feel sick. view article

A proposal to rezone a portion of the north side of Lewisville ISD could send some students zoned for the Lewisville High School feeder pattern to Marcus High School. During a work session Monday Joseph Coburn, chief schools officer, updated the Board of Trustees on a plan to rezone an area that would impact Highland Village Elementary and Valley Ridge Elementary. Doing so could cause some students who are currently zoned to go to LHS to go to Marcus. view article

When visiting Bush Elementary Wednesday morning, Texas Education Agency commissioner Mike Morath said the school was “clearly a loving learning environment.” “The sort-of minimal entrance requirement (to becoming an educator) is love,” Morath said. “You have to have dedicated staff that believe all kids can learn, and they’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen. That’s just what you’ll see here.” The 2018-19 academic year was a game-changer for Bush. It was the second-highest-achieving elementary school in the district – just behind Carver Center, the gifted-and-talented school. view article

The state of Texas is facing a critical shortage of teachers. The state is predicting more than 700,000 teachers are going to be needed in the next decade. A program called “Why Teach” run by teachers and students is working to help fill the void in Amarillo. “Our goal for TAFE (Texas Association Future Educators) and AISD (Amarillo Independent School District) in general is to recruit students who want to become teachers,” said Michelle White, TAFE member & educator at Palo Duro High School. view article

Lonnell Shackles, an Austin crossing guard, knows the choreography. First, his right hand goes up, holding a stop sign to the cars inching toward the intersection of Wheless Lane and Berkman Drive in East Austin outside Harris Elementary School. Shackles then puts his left hand out, blows on his whistle twice and ushers a student or three across the road. Shackles, 72, has been a crossing guard for Austin for six or seven years, and now, he's one of dozens of crossing guards across the U.S. who have been nominated in the America's Favorite Crossing Guard contest. view article

After a gunman killed 22 people at an El Paso Walmart in August, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick laid part of the blame for acts of mass violence on graphic video games that teach "young people how to kill." On Wednesday, a gaming industry representative rejected that conclusion while appearing before a special Texas Senate committee that Patrick created to study violence and propose solutions to limit, if not stop, future attacks. view article

When a child in a public school needs a cafeteria lunch but doesn’t have funds to pay for it, the burden of lunch debt often falls on the student. National news and public backlash can follow overzealous school administrators who take it upon themselves to punish children for lack of funds. This is usually because the balance on an account with SchoolCafe—or another service that lets parents pay for children’s lunches or track their eating habits—is insufficient.  A recently publicized case involved elementary student Jefferson Sharpnack at Green Primary School in northeast Ohio. This past September, on a day that happened to be his birthday, the staff took away his lunch of cheesy breadsticks as he ate with friends.  view article

Laredo ISD students are putting their taste buds to the test! Elementary, middle and high school students were in a food paradise Tuesday morning. They all had the opportunity to try a hundred different kinds of products as part of the 7th annual Food Expo Extravaganza. view article

Students are learning so many advanced classes in schools these days…. even kindergartners can code robots. But give a 16-year-old some cash and ask them to make change, you may get a stumped look on their face. One North Texas School says it's time to change that. Just like the classic board game, Ms. Burleson's Financial Literacy class at Forney High School teaches "Life." view article

The Merkel Independent School District’s (MISD) eSports program has been recognized by Texas School Business magazine’s 13th Annual Bragging Rights issue. According to a news release, the Bragging Rights issue, which calls for nominations and is published every December, recognizes school districts that have implemented programs that are bettering the lives of Texas students, schools and communities. view article

Levelland ISD was sued on Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019, by the family of Ginger Barnes for a deadly collision involving a school bus. According to KAMC News, the bus hit a pedestrian at 6:30 a.m. on February 12th, 2019 on 19th Street along the far western edge of Lubbock. view article

Before going into training for the evening, Rose Haggar Elementary School teachers were visited Wednesday by Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Plano President Jerri Garison, PISD Superintendent Sara Bonser, PISD Education Foundation Senior Executive Director Jamee Jolly, Plano City Council Member Kayci Prince – marketing executive at Baylor Scott & White – and several others. The group was there to celebrate a $15,000 donation from Baylor Scott & White for the district’s social emotional learning programs. view article

Officials with several school districts in south Bexar County are hoping a new partnership with a local university will help recruit and retain teachers and bring more educational programs to the area. Three years ago, East Central Independent School District joined forces with Edgewood, Harlandale, Somerset, South San Antonio, Southside and Southwest school districts, according to ECISD Superintendent Roland Toscano. Toscano said the districts found it challenging to retain and recruit staff members. view article

Soon after being elected, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson called Superintendent Michael Hinojosa with a request: the city needed help producing more police officers to serve the community. Hinojosa met with district leadership and came up with an idea: launch a new Criminal Justice Pathway as part of Bryan Adams High School’s P-TECH, where students can earn up to 60 hours of college credit tuition-free while in high school. Through the pathway, which includes a partnership with the Dallas Police Department (DPD) and Dallas County Community College System, students can graduate high school with an associate degree and relevant training to begin the Dallas Police Department Academy. view article

Discussion over a possible lawsuit against the University Interscholastic League took place during the LISD Board of Trustees Student Services committee meeting among other topics that may impact student athletes — primarily football — on Monday. view article

You don’t expect to see a school desk at a bank or restaurant, but now through Jan. 10, nearly a dozen Cedar Hill businesses are showcasing decorated student desks to help promote academic choice programs available at Cedar Hill ISD. Through the district’s “Choose Your Seat” campaign, families can learn more about the academic programs available by application. CHISD is an open enrollment district; students living in the Cedar Hill ISD attendance boundaries and those outside of the district can apply to any program by Jan. 10 for the 2020-21 school year. view article

Joseph Coburn said it’s too early to know specifically what possible boundary adjustments in Lewisville ISD could look like, but he knows what the advantages would be. Coburn, chief schools officer, updated the LISD Board of Trustees on Monday on preliminary plans to rezone the middle school zones in the Lewisville High School feeder pattern as well as the Valley Ridge and Highland Village elementary zones. view article

The UIL’s new realignment next February will cause a a bit of a stir for Anderson County teams. The University Scholastic League announced the cutoff numbers for classifications for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic and athletic years on Tuesday morning. The cutoff for Class 6A is 2,220 students. Schools with 1,900 to 2,219 students will be in Class 5A Division I for football, while schools with 1,210 to 1,899 students will be in Class 5A Division II. view article

Let's face it. Learning to read isn’t so easy. Second grader Vivian and a handful of other students who needed some reading help were in luck. Each morning the Midway Park Elementary students have breakfast with a friend from another HEB ISD high school. It’s called the Teen Trendsetter program and it's helping both age groups bond and grow. view article

Two schools in Bastrop are closed Thursday after a pipeline break, according to a Facebook post from Bastrop Independent School District. Cedar Creek High School and Bluebonnet Elementary School are closed, per the Facebook message posted at 7:02 a.m. Parents of students at the two schools were notified via call and text. view article

Cedar Creek High School and Bluebonnet Elementary School will not have school today following a water line break, Bastrop ISD said in a Facebook post. The district said parents were told of the closures by phone call and text. Bastrop ISD said it is making arrangements for students who were already on buses when school was canceled. "Parents who have the ability to pick up their children who are at Bluebonnet should do so," the district said. view article

When Marble Falls High School and Highland Lakes Elementary School students and staff return after Christmas break, they’ll find plenty of changes on their campuses. “There will be significant work at the high school,” said Dr. Chris Allen, the Marble Falls Independent School District superintendent. “The building will appear very different when students … return after the holidays. The parent pickup and drop-off will be a lot different as will the way students move around the building.” It’s all part of the $55 million bond that MFISD voters passed in 2018. The district began some work earlier this year, but the major renovations will begin during Christmas break and continue into the new year. view article

Outlawing homework may sound like every kid’s dream, but that dream could become a reality for some El Paso students. Officials at the El Paso Independent School District are considering stopping putting a stop to homework for elementary school students. On Tuesday morning, the EPISD school board heard the results of a survey on the effectiveness of homework for elementary school students. view article

The Census Bureau says 2.2 million fewer students were enrolled in school last year compared to seven years earlier, with the bulk of the dip coming from college enrollment. The Census Bureau on Tuesday said the decline in college enrollment was particularly acute among those 30 or older. view article

Changing enrollment numbers across Southeast Texas are having an impact on more than just football. Numbers released Tuesday by the Texas University Interscholastic League show a reshuffling of high school extracurricular and sports divisions, resulting from changes in enrollment over the last two years. view article