Under the Dome

Under the DomeState Assessment for Academic Readiness

Texas PTA will advocate for a reduced emphasis on state-mandated testing, focusing on grades 3-8, and monitor changes to STAAR for high school students, and limits on benchmark testing for all tested grades.

Background

Texas PTA has worked for several years to reduce the number of and the emphasis on state-mandated tests. We were part of a strong team that reduced high school end-of-course tests from 15 to 5 and have sought to reduce the number of tests that are required in the elementary and middle school grades. We will continue to look for opportunities to pursue these reductions during the next legislative session.
Texas PTA seeks to extend the graduation committee structure created last session through House Bill 149, one in which students who have passed all the courses required for graduation but have been unable to pass up to two of the end-of-course exams required to graduate, can participate in a rigorous process to demonstrate that they have learned the required curriculum. The committee that assigns extra activities, and reviews the student’s work must agree unanimously in order for the student to be allowed to graduate.
Read more about the history of efforts to reduce STAAR.

Oppose Vouchers

Texas PTA will oppose vouchers including Education Savings Account Programs (ESA Programs) and Tax Credit Scholarship Programs that allow state funds to be utilized in private schools not accountable to the taxpayer or the state.
ESAs are a form of voucher that allows eligible parents to use a portion of the funds the state expends for their student’s public school education to fund private school tuition, tuition at eligible institutions, distance education, home schooling materials and curriculum. The remainder of the funds, generally around 30%, are kept by the public school the student previously attended.
Corporations can earn tax credits by donating money to a scholarship program that uses the dollars to pay for private school tuition for students.

Vouchers:

  • Do not ensure accountability – They send public dollars to private schools that are not accountable to the public for producing results.
  • Provide choice for some, not all –
    • Vouchers disproportionately benefit students living in urban areas due to limited access to private schools in rural Texas.
    • Vouchers do not address many needs of low-income, at-risk students such as transportation, free and reduced lunches, textbooks, assessment of special needs, access to additional remediation programs, full cost of tuition.
  • Violate separation of church and state
    • The US Constitution prohibits any government “establishment of religion.” Tax dollars directed toward public schools of religious origin violate that principal.
    • The US Constitution ensures “free exercise of religion”; no government has proper authority to dictate a religious community’s expression of faith. Regulation and oversight always accompany allocation of public tax dollars, thus violation religious freedom.
More about Vouchers

 

Did You Know?

Only a portion of your property taxes, which is marked for schools, actually goes to your local school district. There is a tax rate cap on those funds that go to your local school district. The remaining funds are sent to the state for legislators to spend at their discretion. Often these remaining funds are spent on other state expenses like transportation.

Wouldn’t it be great if the state reinvested those remaining funds back into our public school system, so that our students will have more access to resources and facilities that they need to be successful? While reinvesting these funds back into public school will not solve all of our public school challenges, it would be a great jump start in improving the education of our students.

To learn more about how school financing works, you can access many articles and presentations online, or invite the CFO of your school district to explain how school financing works and what it means for your school district. Then join us at Rally Day February 27, 2017 as PTA and community members from across the state come together to advocate for these funds to be reinvested back into public schools, as well as many other issues that affect the education, well-being and the safety of our students.

Details coming on accountability system…

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Seniors: Apply now for LEF Scholarships

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The scholarship application is NOW open for all LISD Seniors.

The deadline is 4:30pm on Friday, January 27, 2017.

More Information

 

One application puts students in the running for over 275 scholarships!

LISD Sweeps UIL State Marching Band Contest

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Congratulations to the Flower Mound HS Marching Band (1), Hebron HS Marching Band (2) and the Marcus HS Marching Band (3)!

VOTE!

Today is the day! Get out there and vote.

Remember, the Presidential election is important, but you feel the impact of local elections directly.

Voting Locations

PEP Plus College Workshop

Election Season is Here!

Election Day November 8, 2016

Early Voting is Now!

Early Voting Locations

 

It’s your privilege and duty.

vote

Medication Disposal – Sat

LISD and DEA Medication Disposal Day

Saturday,  Oct 22 from 10:00am to 2:00pm

Help prevent pollution and abuse by bringing your expired or unused over-the-counter or prescription medications to a location near you.

Marcus High School drop off @ front of school.

Other disposal locations:

  • Flower Mound High School
    3411 Peters Colony, Flower Mound
  • Hebron Valley Elementary
    4108 Creek Valley Blvd., Carrollton
  • Lewisville High School
    1098 W. Main Street, Lewisville
  • The Colony High School
    4301 Blair Oaks, The Colony

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medication-waste

Creepy Clowns

An LISD Parent Notice – October 2016

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Dear Lewisville ISD Parents,

You may have seen reports in the news and on social media regarding rumors of “creepy clowns” making threats against school districts nationwide. You can be sure we will investigate any and all incidents that are brought to our attention. If any of our campuses are impacted by a credible situation and not simply rumors, that campus will communicate directly with parents.

As always, the safety and security of our students is our top priority. While it has not been necessary to make any operational changes in Lewisville ISD schools as a result of these incidents, we want to assure you we are closely monitoring this concerning trend.

If you or your child observes any suspicious behavior, please report it immediately to your local police department, or to your campus administrators.

Whether they are made against an individual or an entire school, such threats are a serious matter. Several people nationally have been arrested in recent weeks for making false clown threats and they face serious consequences. Threatening schools is a criminal matter, and the police and our district take these situations very seriously.

Thank you for your continued support of Lewisville ISD schools.

Sincerely,
Lewisville ISD

Estimados padres de Lewisville ISD,

Es posible que haya visto reportajes en los noticieros y en las redes sociales con respecto a rumores sobre “payasos espantosos” amenazando a los distritos escolares de todo el país. Puede estar seguro que investigaremos cualquier y todos los incidentes que sean traídos a nuestra atención.  Si alguno de nuestros planteles es impactado por una situación creíble y no por simples rumores, esa escuela se comunicará directamente con los padres.

Como siempre, la seguridad de nuestros estudiantes es nuestra máxima prioridad. Aunque no ha sido necesario hacer ningún cambio operacional en las escuelas de Lewisville ISD como resultado de estos incidentes,  queremos asegurarles que estamos vigilando de cerca esta tendencia.

Si usted o su hijo observa cualquier comportamiento sospechoso, por favor, repórtelo inmediatamente a su departamento de policía local o a los administradores de la escuela.

Ya que estas sean realizadas en contra de una persona o en contra de la escuela completa, tales amenazas son un asunto serio.  Varias personas a nivel nacional han sido arrestadas en las últimas semanas  por hacer amenazas de payaso falsas y enfrentan consecuencias graves. Amenazar una escuela es un asunto criminal y la policía y nuestro distrito toman estas situaciones muy seriamente.

Gracias por su continuo apoyo a las escuelas de Lewisville ISD.

Atentamente,
Lewisville ISD

October PEP

MHS-PEP2MHS Parent Education Program

When: Wednesday, 05-OCT-16 from 6:00p – 7:00p

Where: MHS Library

What: Drug Trends and Social Media

 

Free childcare is available.