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THOUGHT: "Don't argue for other people's weaknesses. Don't argue for your own. When you make a mistake, admit it, and learn from it - immediately." Stephen Covey
DATES: April 24 Volunteer Luncheon - 11:30 TMS Library
April 25 THS BB vs. Tatum - H
THS Regional Track Meet - Palestine
April 26 THS Regional Track Meet - Palestine
2008 Property Values
•· Representatives from Luminate and Pritchard & Abbot have agreed to a 2008 value on the plant, $1,379,166,140. This is an increase of $148,000,000or 12%. The overall values are expected to experience additional increases due to oil and gas values. This 12% increase will not make a difference in the M&O tax rate or revenue but will represent an additional $500,000 in I&S revenue at an estimated $0.34 rate.
THS Band
•· Congratulations again to the THS band for a First Division at the Regional Concert and Sight Reading Contest! The data in my office goes back to 2000-01 and this is the only first division received.
2006 Phase II
•· Work is progressing at each site until the rain slows down dirt work. A brief update is in the table below.
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SITE
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UPDATE
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Field House
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The majority of the plumbing and HVAC duct work has been installed. The interior mason walls and exterior brick is currently being installed.
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Press Box
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The footings and retainer wall by the stands have been poured. The elevator shaft is being formed and should be poured next week. The top of the retainer wall by the stands is roughly the height of the floor on the first level. The steel is to be delivered May 1.
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Community Park
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The road to allow access across the pipe lines has been erected and dirt is being moved from the baseball field to the t-ball field.
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In the News (From the TASA Express News)
•· According to the Dallas Morning News, Governor Rick Perry will run for re-election in 2010. When asked by a reporter if it would be a three-way race, Perry responded, "I don't know about them, but it will be Perry in 2010". Political insiders speculate that Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst may challenge Perry for the governorship. Senator Hutchinson issued the following statement regarding Perry's announcement: "I am encouraged by the growing number of Texans asking me to return home to run for Governor to provide leadership for our state. It is too early to make an announcement about the 2010 race. Right now I remain committed to serving the people of Texas in the United States Senate and helping our Republican candidates win crucial elections this fall." Governor Perry will soon become the longest serving governor in Texas history.
•· The Select Committee on Public School Accountability met in San Antonio at the North East ISD Community Learning Center on April 14. Members of the first panel, Business and Community Perceptions, stressed the importance of a system that allows local discretion when making decisions about student needs. Panel members also discussed the need for data and enhanced incentives that could be used to promote programs that encourage the pursuit of higher education. The majority of discussion centered on acknowledgement that additional resources were necessary to support the needs of our very diverse student populations, and that standards should be raised in a realistic time frame while considering "meaningful progress." Members of the second panel, School District Measures, discussed issues related to performance pay and value-added systems. The committee was also encouraged to keep the measurement scale wide (beyond TAKS) and look at the "economy of time" when considering interventions. Members of the third panel, Origins of the Accountability System, reviewed the history of the current accountability system, noting there was a system of "anarchy" prior to the current system. The committee heard from two additional panels, Parent and Taxpayer Perceptions and School Boards and School Community Organizations. Some panel members asked the committee to make changes to the current system that they deem punitive in nature. Others recommended that the committee develop an accountability system that is transparent, understandable, proportioned fairly, includes a review of incremental progress, provides recommendations for improvement vs. labeling, compares districts with similar populations, and disaggregates data.
Dee W. Hartt, Ed. D.
Superintendent
Tatum ISD
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