January 2, 2018 IT WILL BE HERE BEFORE YOU KNOW

 

January  2,  2018     IT  WILL  BE  HERE  BEFORE  YOU  KNOW  IT.  WILL  YOU  BE  READY?     Welcome  to  this  new  year.  2018!  Can  you  believe  it?  I  am  not  sure  about  you,  but  for  me,  time  is  flying   too  fast.     I  hope  your  Christmas  was  as  nice  as  mine.  Christmas  Day  at  the  farm  with  our  family  was  wonderful.   Enjoying  our  grandbaby’s  first  Christmas  was  a  true  blessing!  Every  year  Christmas  seems  to  provide  the   perfect  break  –  long  enough  to  catch  your  breath  and  remember  how  to  relax,  but  not  so  long  that  you   forget  everything  that  needs  to  be  done.     Speaking  of  things  that  need  to  be  done,  do  you  realize  that  it  is  only  49  days  before  early  voting  in   the  March  6th  primary  election  begins?  Hopefully,  you  have  already  confirmed  that  all  staff  members  and   eligible  students  are  registered  to  vote  in  this  election.  They  have  until  February  5th  to  get  that  done.  A   small  reward  (like  a  blue  jeans  day  for  the  professional  staff)  seems  to  work  wonders.     As  we  work  to  elect  the  state  legislature  your  students  and  teachers  deserve,  please  encourage  your  staff   and  students  who  are  eligible,  to  vote  during  the  early  voting  period.  Before  they  go  to  the  polls  to  vote,   however,  do  all  you  can  to  ensure  that  they  are  all  informed  voters.  Jason  Marshall,  the  superintendent  of   the  Palestine  ISD,  had  great  success  educating  his  staff  before  the  2016  primary  election.     On  the  day  before  early  voting  began,  the  Palestine  ISD  held  staff  development.  The  morning  was   dedicated  to  educating  the  staff  about  voting,  about  the  issues,  and  about  the  job  of  a  legislator.  As  the   employees  filed  into  the  auditorium  for  the  morning’s  activities,  each  person  received  a  program  of   activities  and  a  card  with  a  number  on  it.  Jason  began  the  morning  by  welcoming  an  auditorium  packed   with  all  of  the  PISD  employees  (about  600  people).  In  a  brief  discussion,  Mr.  Marshall  pinpointed  some   important  facts  that  his  educators  needed.  For  instance,  he  began  by  talking  about  how  poor  the  voter   turn-­out  in  Texas  had  been  for  the  2014  primary  (only  10%  of  the  eligible  voters  had  bothered  to  vote).   Then  he  informed  the  group  that  in  their  county  which  is  heavily  Republican,  fewer  than  10%  of  the   population  had  voted  in  the  Republican  Primary.  Finally,  Jason  referenced  the  card  with  the  number  that   each  person  had  received,  he  asked  them  to  look  at  the  number,  and  if  they  had  the  number  29  please   stand.  He  then  informed  the  group  that  those  29  people  standing  represented  the  29  Palestine  ISD   employees  who  had  voted  in  the  2014  primary.  A  gasp  could  be  heard  from  the  audience!  After  stressing   again  the  importance  of  educators  voting,  Mr.  Marshall  continued  with  information  about  TRS  and  an   explanation  of  vouchers.     The  morning  continued  with  the  high  school  government  teacher  providing  a  “Civics  101”  followed  by  the   community’s  state  representative  and  state  senator  each  explaining  the  branches  of  state  government   and  each  branch’s  role  in  governing  our  state.     The  final  activity  of  the  morning  was  Reverend  Charles  Johnson  addressing  the  group.  In  just  a  short   time,  Reverend  Johnson  had  the  meeting  feeling  like  an  old-­time  revival  meeting!  Every  educator  left  that   convocation  inspired  to  vote.  In  2016,  over  85%  of  the  Palestine  ISD  employees  voted  in  the  primary   election.  Wow,  what  a  turn-­around!  In  2014  only  5%  of  the  PISD  staff  voted  in  the  primary  and  in  2016  

over  85%  of  them  did.     To  help  your  staff  become  informed  voters,  let  me  recommend  that  you  send  them   to  TexasEducatorsVote.com.  With  a  click  of  Research  Candidates  at  the  top  of  the  page,  a  click   at  Teach  the  Vote,  another  click  of  Search  for  Candidates  and  your  home  zip  code,  educators  can  find   available  information  about  candidates  for  elected  office.     As  a  final  attempt  to  educate,  why  not  work  with  your  local  retired  teachers’  organization,  your  League  of   Women  Voters,  or  a  local  teachers’  group  to  hold  a  candidate  forum  so  that  your  community  can  hear   from  the  candidates  themselves  their  positions  on  issues  that  affect  your  local  community?     So  now  you  have  them  registered  and  educated.  “Is  there  anything  that  works  to  get  educators  to  actually   vote?”  you  may  ask.  Well,  I  am  glad  you  asked  because  there  is.  First,  provide  opportunities  during  the   day  to  allow  staff  members  to  vote.  Encourage  them  to  use  their  conference  period,  lunch  break,  or  other   breaks  in  their  day  to  actually  go  vote  and  then  reward  them  for  voting.  If  transportation  is  an  issue,  a   retired  teacher  has  suggested  to  us  that  other  retired  teachers  might  be  willing  to  drive  a  church  van  (you   might  just  have  to  ask)  to  and  from  the  polls.     Here  is  a  strategy  that  works.  Donnie  Webb,  the  superintendent  of  the  Hudson  ISD  was  telling  me  about   the  way  the  Hudson  ISD  had  99+%  employees  voting  with  a  plan  implemented  by  Mary  Ann  Whiteker   before  her  retirement.  The  administration  challenged  all  staff  members  to  vote  in  the  2016  primary.  They   promised  the  campus  with  the  highest  percentage  of  their  staff  who  brought  their  “I  VOTED”  sticker  to   their  principal  or  supervisor  five  blue  jean  days!  Donnie  said  that  the  Hudson  is  going  to  replicate  the   plan  again  for  the  2016  primary.  Hudson  ISD,  thank  you  for  sharing  this  simple  but  effective  strategy!     It  just  takes  a  simple  three-­step  plan:  (1.)  be  sure  that  everyone  is  registered  to  vote,  (2.)  provide   resources  to  help  them  educate  themselves  on  the  issues  and  candidates,  and  (3.)  provide  the  time  and   incentives  (if  needed)  for  everyone  to  vote.     Good  luck  as  we  all  work  together  to  help  educators  make  a  real  difference  in  Texas  by  voting!     COMMUNITIES  LOVE  THEIR  SCHOOLS     I  know  that  making  the  statement  that  communities  love  their  schools  is  bold.  However,  I  think  there  is   evidence  to  support  it.  You  are  just  returning  from  the  Christmas  break.  In  the  month  of  December,  how   many  pounds  did  you  pack  on  from  food  and  snacks  brought  to  school  by  parents?  Cooking  is  hard  work,   and  it  is  a  work  of  love!       As  further  proof,  I  offer  the  results  of  the  school  bond  elections  held  in  November.  People  do  not  vote  to   pay  higher  taxes  unless  they  support  their  schools.  Here  are  the  facts:  bond  elections  passed  in  33  TACS   school  districts  totaling  just  a  little  under  $2  BILLION!     If  you  are  thinking  that  your  district  needs  some  facility  upgrades  but  you  don’t  know  where  to  begin,  think   of  Genesis  Partnership.  Dr.  Paul  Trautman,  with  over  twenty  years  of  experience  in  facility  consultation   and  management,  can  ably  lead  you  through  needs  assessment,  master  planning,  bond  election   planning,  and  project  management.     You  can  take  it  from  a  client…me.  With  Dr.  Trautman’s  help,  and  in  a  community  that  took  some  pride  in   pinching  pennies,  we  were  able  to  pass  the  largest  bond  in  the  school’s  history  with  almost  no  opposition.   His  thorough  analysis,  clear-­headed  thinking,  and  detailed  explanation  of  the  district’s  needs  in  an  open   school  board  meeting  crystalized  the  community’s  action.     With  a  quick  email  to  [email protected],  you  can  have  a  proven  professional  on  your  team  and  at  a   cost  that  you  can  afford.     Why  not  see  what  Dr.  Trautman  can  do  for  you?  

  8TH  ANNUAL  AP  HONOR  ROLL     College  Board  announced  the  8th  Annual  AP  Honor  Roll  this  week.  15  Texas  Association  of  Community   Schools  districts  are  on  the  list!     The  AP  District  Honor  Roll  recognizes  school  districts  committed  to  increasing  access  to  AP  for   underrepresented  students  while  simultaneously  maintaining  or  increasing  the  percentage  of  students   earning  AP  Exam  scores  of  3  or  higher.  AP  District  Honor  Roll  recipients  are  committed  to  expanding  the   availability  of  AP  courses  among  prepared  and  motivated  students  of  all  backgrounds.     We  send  our  hearty  congratulations  to  each  of  these  districts  for  their  excellent  work  and  recognition!       Carroll  Independent  School  District   China  Spring  Independent  School  District   Cleveland  Independent  School  District   Coppell  Independent  School  District   Eanes  Independent  School  District   Florence  Independent  School  District   Hutto  Independent  School  District   Lake  Travis  Independent  School  District   Longview  Independent  School  District     McGregor  Independent  School  District   Pampa  Independent  School  District   Santa  Maria  Independent  School  District     Tomball  Independent  School  District   Van  Alstyne  Independent  School  District     Wylie  Independent  School  District  (of  Abilene)     Nice  job,  y'all!!!!