THOUGHT: “One cannot find peace in work or in pleasure, in the world or in a convent, but only in one’s soul.” Maugham

DATES: February 2 THS BB vs. Chapel Hill – H

THS Soccer vs. Chapel Hill & Diboll – H

February 5 THS BB @ Spring Hill

THS Soccer vs. Center - T

February Board Meeting

· The February meeting of the TISD Board of Trustees will be held on Monday, February 8, 2010, at 5:00 p.m. in the Central Administration Building. The tentative agenda follows.

CONSENT ITEMS

1. Minutes of the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees on January 11, 2010.

2. 2006 Bond Phase II Final Payment – It is expected that the final close out documents will be completed and final payment can be considered for RPR. CV(LOCAL) requires Board approval before final payment can be issued.

3. Land Purchase Resolution – This resolution is recommended by district attorney to finalize the purchase of the property on Jefferson Street.

4. Review Board Member Training – BBD(LEGAL) states, “Annually, at the meeting at which the call for election of Board members is normally scheduled, the President shall announce the name of each Board member who has completed the required continuing education, who has exceeded the required hours of continuing education, and who is deficient in the required continuing education. The President shall cause the minutes to reflect the information and shall make this information available to the local media.”

5. Trustee Election - May 8, 2010 is election day with TISD Board positions 4 & 5 held by Everigester Adams and Dennis Williams being on the ballot.

6. 2010-11 School Calendar – The calendar as recommended by the District Improvement Team was discussed at the January meeting and is very similar to the current year calendar.

7. Interlocal Agreement With City of Tatum and Rusk County – The County has requested some minor changes in the wording of the interlocal approved by the District for upgrading Jefferson Street.

ACTION ITEMS

1. Camera System - This recommendation would place 133 cameras, divided amongst all four campuses, at a cost of $190,000.

2. Reduction in Force: Program Change – There are currently three positions being considered for reduction due to program changes being created by changes in curriculum mandates by the State and TISD 21^st century focus for 2009-10. These positions aren’t publicly identified in this news report so the confidentiality can be maintained for the three individuals that could be affected.

DISCUSSION ITEMS

1. 2010-11 Budget & Revenue Projections – Salary increase numbers will be presented for budget expenditures and tax rate information will be discussed on revenue. The Board will further explore the possible impacts of state legislative action in 2011 that could affect future hold harmless calculations and the highest possible M&O rate that could be set for the district to benefit from any new hold harmless calculations.

2. FNF(LOCAL) Student Rights and Responsibilities: Interrogations and Searches – The current policy requires all students in extra-curricular activities to be provided initial testing at the first part of the year and describes that during initial testing 15 students every two weeks will be tested. This rate of testing doesn’t allow for all students to be provided the initial testing until the second semester, so the administration will have a recommendation to increase the rate of initial testing to meet the intent of the policy.

3. Sudden Link Internet Connection – The district currently has 8 T-1 lines providing 12 Meg of band width for internet connection at a discounted E-rate cost of $1,456 per month. These T-1 connections are new for this year and have decreased connectivity problems in the district. The Sudden Link proposal would provide a fiber optic connection of 100 Meg for an E-rate cost of $690 per month on a five year lease. There is a one-time installation E-rate cost of $53,130.

DISCUSSION ITEMS

1. Monitoring Reports on TISD Campus Improvement Plans – As part of the TISD continuous improvement process the yearly campus plans are monitored with a report provided to the Board at the February meeting.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

1. Real Property: Purchase of Real Property – The district’s ongoing strategy of expanding campus size will be discussed as appropriate.

2. Personnel: Employment of Administrative Personnel – The contracts of administrative personnel will be considered for extension.

Bats at THS

· Two colonies of bats have invaded the exterior wall at THS in separate places. The district has contracted to have the bats relocated, entrance holes closed and bat presence cleaned up. This will take approximately three weeks.

21^st Century Update

· The TISD goal of high levels of academic achievement beyond passing TAKS has been addressed in the CIA process over the past several years with staff development, instruction, student work and teacher collaboration on the topic of rigor and relevance. Each component can be related to the rigorous and relevance rubric to improve the rigor and relevance for our students. Currently, TISD is exploring the expansion into 21^st century skills with the following four groups of staff members researching and formulation recommendations.

1. 21^st Century Skills – This group has identified 21^st century skills from 4 different sources and divided into groups to research and identify the pros and cons of each. The four sources are The Partnership of 21^st Century, enGuage 21^st Century Skills, National Educational Technology Standards and the American Association of School Librarians.

2. Pedagogy of Project Design & Learning Model – This group has identified five project design (instructional strategies) options and two learning models for consideration. The project design options are further development of essential questions, Buck Institute Project Based Learning, Expert 21, Intel Teach Elements and Oracle Think Quest. The learning models being reviewed are the Big6 and Independent Investigation Model (IIM).

There has been some discussion on whether these elements of 21^st century will replace the current rigor and relevance rubric in the CIA process, the answer is no. Both the project design and learning model occurs as instructional strategies and student activities that will be related to the current R&R framework, similar to the way the process currently works with essential questions and student tasks. Rigor and relevance will continue to be a focus for instruction, student work, professional development and teacher collaboration in TISD.

3. Program Implementation – This committee is reviewing the following three options: incorporating into the current CIA process for teachers as an extension of correlating the existing student activities from the essential question on the R/R quadrant to 21^st century skills. This first option could be implemented for all teachers, or particular grade levels or subject areas. The other two options consider 21^st century skills being taught as an elective/pullout program or provide 21^st century projects to be completed outside of the school day for grade level promotion and/or graduation.

The program implementation can be different at the various campuses.

4. 1-1 Technology – This committee is reviewing various hardware options to be considered for 1-1 implementation.

EXAMPLE of CIA PROCESS W/PROJECT DESIGN, LEARNING MODEL & 21^ST CENTURY

PK-16

· THS will host a meeting for seniors and their parents on financial aid for colleges on February 11, 2010 at the lecture hall at 6:00 p.m. Representatives from several colleges will be available for additional information and to answer questions. Mrs. Rowe will also meet with the sophomore students and their parents to review their PLAN score interpretation information. The PLAN test is ACT's College readiness test administered to tenth grade students.

· www.mappingyourfuture.org is a one-stop site for students, parents, and counselors with information on financial strategies, career options, and college planning. The site is sponsored by a group of guaranty agencies who participate in the Federal Loan Program (FELP).

· According to Forbes magazine, the list of the top five recession-proof careers include: Registered nurse, Retail-sales, Accountant, Occupational therapist and Financial advisor.

In the News

· STAAR will replace the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), which is the criterion-reference assessment program that has been in place since 2003. The STAAR name, pronounced the same as star, will be used for the 12 end-of-course assessments mandated by SB 1031 in 2007 and the new grade 3-8 assessments mandated by HB 3 in the 2009 legislative session. The new tests will be used beginning in the 2011-2012 school year. Students in the graduating Class of 2015, who are currently in seventh grade, will be the first students who must meet the end-of-course testing requirements, as well as pass their classes, in order to earn a diploma. The new tests will be significantly more rigorous than previous tests and will measure a child’s performance, as well as academic growth. The grade 3-8 STAAR tests in reading and mathematics, by law, must be linked from grade to grade to performance expectations for the English III and Algebra II end-of-course assessments.

· During a speech at the Texas Association of School Administrators’ Midwinter Conference in Austin, Commissioner Scott said the last TAKS-based school accountability ratings will be issued in 2011. Ratings will be suspended in 2012 while a new accountability system is developed. The new state rating system will debut in 2013.

· On January 15, 2010, the State Board of Education adopted amendments to the graduation requirements. The new requirements are effective beginning in the 2010-11 school year. School districts retain the authority to add requirements beyond what is required in state law and rule for graduation. Detailed changes can be found at http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/taa/stanprog012510.html.

Dee W. Hartt, Ed. D.

Superintendent

Tatum ISD

(903)947-0161