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Congratulations to the following New Supers
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Superintendent Vacancies
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| Vacant | Elkhart ISD; Search by: Arrow Educational ServicesINFO | Vacant | Lumberton ISD; Search by: Arrow Educational ServicesINFO | Vacant | Presidio ISD; Search by: Arrow Educational ServicesINFO | Vacant | Tom Bean ISD; Search by: Tom Bean ISD Board of Trustees & Kelly LuskINFO | Vacant | Montgomery ISD; Search by: Thomposon & Horton LLP - Dr. Mike Moses & David ThompsonINFO | Vacant | Santa Rosa ISD; Search by: O’Hanlon, Demerath & CastilloINFO | Vacant | Uvalde CISD; Search By: Region 20 ESCINFO | Vacant | Fairfield ISD; Search by: Walsh, Gallegos, Trevino, Kyle & Robinson P.C.& Education Consultant Dr. Ann DixonINFO | Vacant | Calvert ISD - Latisha Crockett-Tennell, Interim Superintendent,Calvert ISD; Search by: O’Hanlon, Demerath & CastilloINFO | Vacant | Blooming Grove ISD; Search by: Blooming Grove ISD Board of Trustees & Gary MartelINFO | Vacant | Ben Bolt-Palito Blanco ISD; Search by: O’Hanlon, Demerath & CastilloINFO | Vacant | Carrizo Springs ISD; Search by: O’Hanlon, Demerath & CastilloINFO | Vacant | Sabinal ISD; Search by: Richard W Grill & Sabinal ISD Board of TrusteesINFO | Vacant | Valley View ISD; Education Solutions and Services Mike Smith & Letha HopkinsINFO | Vacant | Dickinson ISD; Search by: Dickinson ISD Board of TrusteesINFO | Vacant | Muenster ISD; Search by: Impact Education Specialists - Doug Williams, Kevin Worthy, Blake Cooper and Stan SurrattINFO | Vacant | La Gloria ISD; Search by: La Gloria ISD Board of TrusteesINFO | Vacant | Whitney ISD; Search by: Whitney ISD Board of TrusteesINFO | Vacant | Dickinson ISD; Search by: SPALDING NICHOLS LAMP LANGLOISINFO | Vacant |
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What you need to know about Texas’ school safety policies
Texas lawmakers have mandated armed guards at every public school, panic buttons in classrooms and more staff training. In response to the deadliest school shooting in Texas, lawmakers have upped legislation concerning gun and school safety. House Bill 3 passed late last year, which created the requirement for an armed security guard to be present on all campuses and also ramped up mental health resources for students. In Texas, the responsibility for establishing the guidelines for public school safety belongs to the Texas Education Agency and Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office along with the TxSSC. These rules have been updated since the 2022 tragedy in Uvalde, but some experts worry that parents and guardians still don’t know the intricacies of school safety policy. Brian Clason, program manager of training and education for the Texas State School Safety Center, says the best thing parents can do to protect their children is to develop relationships with teachers and school faculty to learn more about safety protocols before an emergency occurs. “Your school leaders should know who you are, and you should know who they are,” he said.
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Preventive Law: Blackhole Consequences of Shooting STAAR
We see it every year: parents trying to opt their child out of STAAR testing. Some claim it’s against their religious beliefs, some claim it’s bad for their children’s mental health, and some have no problem stating they just don’t want to participate. Below we’ll discuss the constellation of consequences that students may face for their parent’s choice of opting out, and what issues your school district might encounter if more and more parents begin to follow this trend.
TEA delays release of new school rankings as districts raise concerns over fairness
The agency is revising a new A-F accountability formula, which would have resulted in more drastic accountability drops than expected. The Texas Education Agency will delay the release of A-F accountability scores for the state’s public schools until later this fall in order to tweak a new formula that would have sent many districts’ grades plunging, the agency announced Tuesday. “You do want to set reasonable goals,” said TEA Commissioner Mike Morath. “And if no campuses in the state can possibly achieve it given current levels of performance, that isn't a reasonable goal.”
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Billions in Bonds on Ballots Around Houston
Less than one percent of voters in Harris County have turned out to vote. On May 4, 270 local jurisdictions across the state will hold bond elections totaling $17.4 billion. More than $1 billion of that long-term debt is owed to local jurisdictions in Harris County.
Harris County’s largest request—half of the total amount across the county—is for Galena Park ISD, which is asking voters to approve $530 million in debt.
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Pflugerville ISD board approves new superintendent contract
The Pflugerville ISD board of trustees approved a contract to hire Quintin Shepherd as superintendent during a special board meeting April 29. Shepherd will officially start in the role May 28, per district representatives. How we got here Steve Flores has served as interim superintendent since December, following the resignation of former six-year superintendent Douglas Killian. Killian announced his resignation after being named the lone finalist to serve as superintendent of Cypress-Fairbanks ISD.
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US Supreme Court Denies Porn Industry Efforts to Block Age Verification Laws
The Supreme Court of the United States has denied efforts from the pornography industry to block Texas’ age-verification legislation.
In a one-sentence order issued today, SCOTUS stated that “The application for stay presented to Justice Alito and by him referred to the Court is denied.”
This follows an emergency appeal by the Free Speech Coalition—which is representing multiple companies within the pornography industry—to SCOTUS earlier this month asking the Court to overturn a ruling in a lower court that allowed House Bill 1181 to remain in effect, according to the National Review.
HB 1181 forces pornography websites to establish “reasonable” methods for verification that users are 18 years old or older.
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East Texans brace for prolonged evacuation orders after rainfall drenches Polk County
East Texans are bracing for an evacuation order in Polk County to stay in place for several days after heavy rainfall led the Trinity River to overflow, forcing operators at a nearby dam to release the floodgates.
Rainfall in the Polk County region and elsewhere in the state is expected to prolong the evacuation order, officials said.
In the two days leading up to Monday’s declaration, the north end of Polk County — Groveton — saw 10.92 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service. Further north, into Trinity County, that total rose to 11.8 inches of rain.
This is an unusual total for the region, which typically sees less than an inch of rain per day. But storms formed and reformed above Polk County and those north of it, leaving the county in a deluge over the weekend.
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TEA is using computers to grade the STAAR test. Just don’t call it AI, officials say
The Texas Education Agency is defending its decision to let computers grade students’ STAAR essay test questions in the face of mounting criticism from parents and teachers who question the fairness of an automated scoring system.
Agency officials told Hearst Newspapers the system echoes an approach taken by at least 20 other states and helps cut costs. Starting last December, all student essay responses were fed through a computer program for scoring. About one-quarter were then reviewed by human scorers for accuracy.
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Fort Worth ISD to Return Potentially Inappropriate Books to Library Shelves
A Fort Worth ISD Spokesperson confirmed some books will be back on the shelves in the next couple of weeks. After the Fort Worth Independent School District removed over 100 books for further review over concerns of inappropriate content, the district is now planning to return some books back to the library shelves.
Following months of parental outrage over sexually-explicit materials in student libraries, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 900 by State Rep. Jared Patterson (R–Frisco). HB 900 prohibits school libraries from housing materials that are sexually explicit, vulgar, or educationally unsuitable. It also sets up state standards for keeping inappropriate sexual content out of all school libraries and classrooms.
As reported by The Dallas Express, Tarrant County Citizens Defending Freedom had found 76 different books to be sexually explicit and violent. More than 500 copies of the books were available in Fort Worth ISD libraries. In response, TCCDF emailed Fort Worth ISD officials who closed the libraries for review.
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US Supreme Court Denies Porn Industry Efforts to Block Age Verification Laws
The Supreme Court of the United States has denied efforts from the pornography industry to block Texas’ age-verification legislation.
In a one-sentence order issued today, SCOTUS stated that “The application for stay presented to Justice Alito and by him referred to the Court is denied.”
This follows an emergency appeal by the Free Speech Coalition—which is representing multiple companies within the pornography industry—to SCOTUS earlier this month asking the Court to overturn a ruling in a lower court that allowed House Bill 1181 to remain in effect, according to the National Review.
HB 1181 forces pornography websites to establish “reasonable” methods for verification that users are 18 years old or older.
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Carroll ISD school board approves staff raises
Last month Carroll ISD board of trustees approved a salary increase for staff and teachers for the 2024-25 school year. The decision stems from a Texans for Excellence in Education study, which found that many CISD salaries were below market average, said Tamy Smalskas, assistant superintendent for administration. The organization is a nonprofit that seeks to provide guidance to public schools. The details The salary increase will be achieved by providing a 3% of midpoint raise for staff across the board, Smalskas said. A midpoint salary is the middle point in a salary range of a particular pay grade usually between the highest and lowest salaries. Teachers, administration and clerical staff are all different pay grades. The 3% raise applies to the midpoint salary of each pay grade in the district.
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Bryan ISD addresses budget as Texas schools brace for financial squeeze ahead of 24-25 academic year
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) -As the school year draws to a close, districts across Texas are grappling with a trifecta of financial hurdles: inflation, the expiration of pandemic-relief grants, and stagnant state funding.
The Bryan Independent School District is among those addressing these obstacles head-on as they prepare for the 2024-2025 academic year.
In a recent letter to parents, Superintendent Ginger Carrabine reassured families that all student programs would continue, and returning staff members would retain their positions. However, the district outlined several budgetary adjustments, including leaving central office vacancies unfilled and restructuring responsibilities. Additionally, reductions in travel for conferences and adjustments to class ratios are on the agenda.
These measures come amidst broader statewide concerns highlighted by the Texas State Teachers Association. Clay Robison, a spokesperson for the association, underscored the critical issue of funding shortages he says are exacerbated by legislative inaction.
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Gov. Abbott orders TEA to ignore Biden’s Title IX revisions protecting LGBTQ+ students
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) are pushing back on President Joe Biden's recent revision of Title IX, which includes safeguards for LGBTQ+ students. Title IX is a civil rights law enacted in 1972 that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools or education programs that receive federal funding. Among the Title IX changes announced last week are new rules to clarify that Title IX also forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBTQ+ students who face discrimination will be entitled to a response from their school under Title IX, and those failed by their schools can seek recourse from the federal government. Abbott, on Monday, tweeted on X that he sent a letter to the president condemning his recent revision of Title IX, saying it "forces schools to treat biological men as women." In his letter, Abbott said he instructed the Texas Education Agency to ignore the president's "illegal dictate" and that "Texas will not adhere to the new rules." "Title IX was written by Congress to support the advancement of women academically and athletically," the governor wrote in his letter. "The law was based on the fundamental premise that there are only two sexes—male and female. You have rewritten Title IX to force schools to treat boys as if they are girls and to accept every student’s self-declared gender identity. This ham-handed effort to impose a leftist belief onto Title IX exceeds your authority as President. I am instructing the Texas Education Agency to ignore your illegal dictate."
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Leon Alcala, PLLC
WEBINAR: THE NEW TITLE IX REGULATIONS: WHAT DO ADMINISTRATORS NEED TO KNOW TO BE READY?
Join us for our upcoming webinar
Date: June 10, 2024
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Where: Webinar
Cost: $175 per participant
Presented by: John Janssen
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Eichelbaum Wardell Hansen Powell & Muñoz, P.C.
Land Commissioner Buckingham Opposes Biden’s ‘Reckless’ Offshore Wind Energy Sale
Commissioner Dawn Buckingham cites issues that will arise from building wind turbines in the Gulf of Mexico. Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham sent a letter to the Biden administration opposing its second proposal for an offshore wind energy sale in the Gulf of Mexico. Last year, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management—a branch of the U.S. Department of the Interior—auctioned off three proposed wind farm leases, including one in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and two areas 24 miles off the coast of Galveston. While one energy company secured the 102,480-acre Lake Charles lease, no companies bid on the Galveston leases—one listed at 102,480 acres and the other at 96,786 acres. The second proposal for an offshore wind energy auction by BOEM would cover 410,060 acres in the Gulf of Mexico. In response to the proposed auction, Buckingham sent a letter calling the introduction of hundreds of wind turbines “reckless.”
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Texas Republicans have tried to rein in property taxes for five years. Has it worked?
Texas has spent billions of dollars to drive down property taxes. Many homeowners saw a significant tax cut last year, per a Texas Tribune analysis. A longtime homeowner in McAllen. A senior living in southeast Austin. The owners of a home in a quickly gentrifying Dallas neighborhood. Each saw a sizable cut in their property tax bill in 2023 after the Texas Legislature funneled billions of dollars into tax cuts, according to a Texas Tribune analysis. For the past five years, Republican lawmakers have been on a crusade to rein in the state’s property taxes, among the highest in the nation. Last year, they went big with a $12.7 billion package comprised of tax breaks for homeowners and money for school districts to drive down how much they collect from property owners, which usually represents the biggest portion of Texans’ property tax bills.
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Waco ISD shares the efforts they’re making towards safety and security in the district
The district has received more than $2 million from the Texas Education Agency for safety and security and enhancements. The district has received more than $2 million from the Texas Education Agency for safety and security and enhancements. A lot of Central Texans are concerned about safety and security in our neighborhoods. According to events reported by the Gun Violence Archive, just this year, there have been more than 18 school shootings in the United States thus far. 25 News got the chance to walk through one Waco ISD school to see how students in our community are being protected.
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South Plains districts seeing positive changes after 4-day-week shift
LUBBOCK, Texas — Several school districts in the South Plains, most recently Abernathy Independent School District, have adopted the four-day school week concept. EverythingLubbock.com previously reported the decision for Abernathy ISD came from the teacher shortage and wanting to give teachers more time to plan. “Their schedules are so busy. They typically have a 45-minute conference period where they’re expected to get their grading done, they’re planning for the next week … they rarely have time to go to the bathroom,” Superintendent Aaron Waldrip said.
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Hutto ISD superintendent shares reason for resignation after less than 1 year on the job
HUTTO, Texas — After just seven months on the job, Hutto ISD's superintendent has resigned.
Dr. Raúl Peña was named the lone finalist for the role in August 2023 before taking over in September. Peña replaced former superintendent Dr. Celina Estrada Thomas, who retired in May 2023.
During the April 25 board meeting, the district accepted Peña's resignation. He explained his decision to step down, stating a family medical emergency as the reason.
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Cy-Fair ISD getting rid of 50 librarians ahead of upcoming school year as part of budget cuts
The Cy-Fair Independent School District said it's dealing with a projected $138 million deficit for the upcoming school year. Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District is dealing with budget problems which has led it to make significant changes among its staff members. CFISD said it's chopping its librarian staff in half -- from 92 librarians to 42. "Due to a projected $138 million deficit for the 2024-2025 school year, the plan includes a reduction from 92 Campus Librarians to 42 District Librarians," the district said in a statement.
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Comal ISD eyes new model for special education staffing
The Comal ISD Board of Trustees approved about $675,000 in special education programming staffing needs during the April 25 board meeting.
This represents the second of two staffing requests CISD has approved for the 2024-2025 school year. In February, trustees approved about $7.5 million for staffing needs.
Administrators reviewed both demographic projections and the district’s budget to determine the staffing recommendations. CISD is projected to grow by 898 students in the next school year, according to the district.
Staff has also been evaluating the current special education staffing support model and recommends shifting from the current district model to a feeder pattern approach.
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Austin teacher recognized at national STEM competition
HOUSTON (KXAN) — Students around the world gathered in Houston over the weekend to participate in the Conrad Challenge. The annual STEM competition invites thousands of students to Space Center Houston, where they can pitch innovative ideas to change the world.
This year, Austin teacher Joel Schildwachter with the nonPareil Institute was awarded the Innovative Teacher Award. Schildwachter’s class also participated in the challenge, submitting their idea for a health app.
When asked about the honor, Schildwachter instead chose to talk about his class.
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District Expanded Dual Credit Access to High School Sophomores in ‘23-’24 School Year
While the end of the school year is about a month away for students on the traditional calendar, current ninth-graders might still be contemplating what they intend to enroll in or participate in in the tenth grade. Rising 10th-graders considering college should consider dual credit (DC) courses. Aldine ISD and its partner Lone Star College expanded access to high school sophomores this school year via the Accelerated College Academy (ACA); students at all comprehensive high schools have access to it. That is a year earlier than previously offered. In its inaugural year, 51 sophomores are currently participating, with an average success rate of 92% in earning college credit.
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TEACHER CERTIFICATION PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTED
WOODVILLE – At its regular monthly meeting on Monday evening, the Woodville ISD Board of Trustees and district superintendent Lisa Meysembourg took an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the participants and leadership behind the district’s alternative teacher certification program. The Academy to Certify Teachers (ACT) was started by Jason Hicks and approved by the WISD board last December. Hicks, who serves as the district’s director of staff support services, was lauded by Meysembourg as “the driving force behind the program.” She also recognized Ashley Weatherford, the district’s curriculum director, for her role in the program. Source: https://www.easttexasnews.com/tyler-county-news-breakout/6367-teacher-certification-program-highlighted Tyler County News - Breakout © East Texas News
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Dallas ISD police chief on Wilmer-Hutchins shooting: ‘We could have prevented this’
Dallas ISD school staff are going through a retraining process after a student brought a gun to Wilmer-Hutchins High and shot another student in the leg.
The district's police chief says protocols were not followed, resulting in the gun getting inside the campus.
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Dallas ISD Increases Campus Security Following Shootings
School campuses are known to get rowdy as the school year comes to an end, says Albert Martinez, Dallas ISD chief of police, but two recent gun violence incidents are pushing the school district to ramp up security protocols at high schools city-wide. The heightened security follows the recent on-campus shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School and last week's off-campus shooting of two Roosevelt High School football players who were driving with a school employee.
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Governor Abbott Issues Disaster Declaration For East Texas Flooding
Governor Greg Abbott today issued a disaster declaration for 29 Texas counties impacted by severe storms and flooding that began last week and continues to affect homes, businesses, and the agricultural industry throughout the state. The counties in the Governor’s declaration include: Baylor, Chambers, Dickens, Ellis, Freestone, Galveston, Grimes, Harris, Haskell, Hill, Hood, Hunt, Kaufman, Knox, Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Madison, McLennan, Montgomery, Navarro, Polk, San Jacinto, Somervell, Tarrant, Trinity, Tyler, Walker, and Wichita counties. “The State of Texas continues to provide support and assist communities who have been impacted by recent severe weather and flooding," said Governor Abbott. "This disaster declaration will swiftly provide Texans with all readily available resources needed to recover following storms and flood activity. As several counties in East Texas continue to face ongoing weather threats, Texans in at-risk areas should remain aware of their flood risk and take necessary precautions to ensure the safety of themselves and their loved ones. I thank the countless emergency response personnel and first responders who are working around-the-clock to protect their fellow Texans."
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Dallas ISD announces new security measures districtwide
The district said in a news release that the shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School earlier this month "has shown us areas where we must improve." Dallas ISD says they’ve implemented new security measures districtwide after the shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School earlier this month. “Everyone at Dallas ISD wants the Wilmer-Hutchins High School community to know that our hearts are with them and grateful that our student is on the path to full recovery. The incident has shown us areas where we must improve to keep our schools safe,” the district said in a press release. “Our investigation revealed the handgun was brought into the school during the late entry process during which several safety protocols were not strictly followed.”
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Texas fortified campuses after Uvalde, but gun violence affecting schools continues
In the past two weeks, gunfire has rocked three North Texas school communities. None of the incidents devolved into the kind of mass shooting the nation has come to know too well. But they shook students’ sense of security and ignited questions about what more leaders can do to keep children safe.
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Cy-Fair ISD librarians learn about job cuts, reassignment
CYPRESS, Texas – Librarian jobs are on the chopping block at Cy-Fair ISD as the district discusses major budget cuts.
The district is in a $38 million deficit. Officials said they have not seen an increase in funding in five years. Librarians and parents tell KPRC 2 Superintendent Douglas Killian held a meeting with the librarians at 3 p.m. on Friday. They learned about a proposed plan where many of the librarians could be removed and reassigned.
KPRC 2 Reporter Corley Peel sat down with a Cy-Fair ISD librarian, who asked to remain anonymous. She fought through tears as she shared her thoughts on potentially being removed from her school’s library.
“I personally think that God put me in my job. That I was called to be a librarian. For me personally, the library is the heart of the campus,” said the librarian.
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PreK3 Classes Expanding to All 12 AISD Primary Schools This Fall
In 2021, Aldine ISD began to pilot the prekindergarten for 3-year-olds (PreK3) program at three primary schools: Griggs, Keeble, and Stovall. That will change starting this fall. Due to feedback, families zoned to AISD’s other nine primary schools across the district demonstrated interest and need to have the opportunity to have their eligible students enroll in a PreK3 program at the early childhood/prekindergarten/kindergarten (EC/PreK/K; also called primary campuses) schools their child would attend as a 4-year-old prekindergarten (PreK4) student. Starting in the fall of 2024, all 12 primary schools will offer the PreK3 program.
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BURTON SCHOOL BOARD TO REVIEW SUPT. APPLICATIONS
The search follows the retirement last month of previous superintendent, Dr. Edna Kennedy. Board members agreed on March 19th to engage with Powell Law Group to conduct the search for a new superintendent. Dr. Rob Barnwell, a retired superintendent from Jefferson ISD, is leading Burton ISD in the interim.
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McKinney ISD names 5 administrative roles, including assistant superintendent
McKinney ISD officials have recently announced new leadership roles throughout the district. Superintendent Shawn Pratt announced the new roles during March 25 and April 22 board meetings. The new district leaders include the assistant superintendent of human resources; executive director of elementary school leadership; chief school improvement and federal program officer; director of purchasing; and the principal of Wolford Elementary School. The details Alana Chisum will serve as the assistant superintendent of human resources. Chisum joins MISD from Allen ISD where she has led the human resources department for four years. She has 16 years of experience in education with a decade of administrative experience as a principal, assistant principal and special programs director, Pratt said.
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Thorndale ISD voters to consider first school bond in 25 years
THORNDALE, Texas (KXAN) — The Thorndale Independent School District superintendent said the district has asked voters to consider a $34.5 million bond to help it keep up with a growing student population.
TISD Superintendent Zack Kleypas said the district anticipates enrollment to grow as nearby developments are completed. An example he pointed to was the Samsung Semiconductor facility under construction in Taylor.
The district’s webpage on the bond proposal said it would upgrade parts of existing schools, like giving its middle school a new security vestibule and connect all campuses with transitional hallways.
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