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When Hurricane Harvey barreled ashore Aug. 25, it disrupted
schooling for as many as 1.4 million Texas public school students or about one
of every four pupils in the state.
Sixty counties in the Coastal Bend and Houston area have now
been declared disaster areas by Gov. Greg Abbott. Most districts and charter schools have
re-opened. However, a few districts that suffered severe damage, such as
Aransas County ISD, Aransas Pass ISD and Port Aransas ISD, estimate that they
will not open until October.
Commissioner of Education Mike Morath recently told the
State Board of Education that Texas educators have provided numerous “acts of
heroism” as they’ve helped their communities respond to the hurricane and
related flooding. For example, about three dozen schools in the Houston area
alone served as emergency shelters.
“What we have seen was public service on an epic scale,”
Morath said.
 The 2017 Heroes for Children reicipients are (front row, left to right) Mary Pencis, Amanda Rogers, Carol Ann Youens, Stacie Jahn, Cyndi Matteson, Maria Vega, Olga Charles, (back row, left to right) Charles Lyons, Evelyn Lyles, Ian Hemmings, Teresa Cook, Chelsea Elliott, Thomas French, Mike Senchack. Not pictured is Frederick Jefferson.
Fifteen school volunteers who have by a
conservative estimate collectively provided 127 years of serve to Texas public
schools were named Heroes for Children by the State Board of Education (SBOE)
in September.
The Heroes for Children honorees are selected annually
by board members and recognized for their volunteerism in the public schools of
their communities. Each hero received an individual plaque recognizing his or
her service, a copy of the resolution approved by the board and photographs
commemorating the ceremony. Each hero’s name is also engraved on a plaque that
is permanently displayed at the Texas Education Agency.
Learn more about the good works of these outstanding volunteers
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The State Board of
Education recently honored Pranay Varada, who is the 2017 National Geographic Bee winner.
Last school year as an
eighth-grade student in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School
District, Varada was one of 2.6 million students nationwide who competed in the
bee.
He studied intensively
during the 2016-2017 school year as he was determined to improve his previous
year’s standing when he finished in sixth place nationally.
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Work is under way to create a new Long-Range Plan for Public Education,
which is expected to establish goals for Texas public schools through the year
2030.
The State Board of Education (SBOE), which under Texas law is required to
adopt a plan, recently appointed the Long-Range Plan for Public Education
Steering Committee, based on the advice of The Boston Consulting Group. This 18-member steering committee, made up
of state board members, various stakeholder group representatives and
representatives from three state agencies, held its first meeting Sept. 12.
The committee learned about the state’s changing demographics and examined
other state’s long-range plans during the initial meeting. Stay up-to-date with
the committee’s work at http://tea.texas.gov/SBOE/long-range_plan/.
Two
Coppell businesses are the recipients of the 2017 Employers for Education Excellence award.
Earning
the gold-level award are Las Colinas Federal Credit Union and The Depository
Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), a market infrastructure provider for
the global financial services industry.
“These
businesses, like so many others across the state, provide valuable support to
our Texas public schools. Through the businesses’ commitment of time and
resources, they provide practical assistance that helps to build strong schools
and communities,” said Donna Bahorich, chair of the State Board of Education.
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A summary of actions taken at the Sept. 15 State Board of Education meeting is now available.
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