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Lake Travis schools
August 26, 2009
Lake Travis ISD's proposed tax increase would prompt election
At its meeting Thursday, the Lake Travis school board will consider approving a $81.1 million 2009-10 budget and a $1.34 tax rate that would need voter approval.
The district, which enrolls about 6,300 students, will have a public hearing before voting on the budget. Trustees meet at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Educational Development Center, 607 RR 620 North.
The proposed tax rate is $1.3359 per $100 valuation — $1.06 for maintenance and operations and $0.2759 for debt. The owner of an average-valued home, $300,246 after exemptions, can expect a tax bill of $4,010.99, an increase of $224.19, about 6 percent more than last year’s bill.
The maintenance and operations rate is a two-cent increase and will automatically trigger a so-called rollback election in November.
The budget includes an across the board raise of $1,476 for teachers and professional staff —, what was mandated by the Legislature — and an average 3 percent raise for all other staff.
At the meeting, the school board also may approve stricter standards for substitute teachers. The district currently requires a minimum of a high school diploma or GED and are considering a minimum of 60 hours college credit.
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August 19, 2009
Judge sides with district on visitor background checks
A federal judge Tuesday ruled in favor of the Lake Travis school district in a lawsuit filed by parents challenging the district’s requirement that school visitors undergo background checks.
U.S. District Court Judge Sam Sparks ruled that Yvonne Meadows’ constitutional rights and state law were not violated when school officials said she could no longer visit the elementary school her child attended unless she submitted to a background check.
In his summary judgement, Sparks said the “plaintiffs fail to cite a single case which establishes a parental right to access to a child’s classroom or other school areas while school is in progress and other students are present. In fact, the relevant case law directly contradicts the plaintiff’s position, finding no parental right of access to classes.”
However, Sparks also added that “neither party in this case has acted like mature adults should act. Nor is either party in this case blameless for turning this into a federal case when it never should have been litigated to begin with.”
School district officials said Wednesday that they were pleased with the results.
“We’re happy to put this behind us,” district spokesman Marco Alvardo said. “This provides affirmation that we’re doing the right thing and we’re doing everything we can to provide a safe environment.”
“The decision was not surprising,” Meadows said Wednesday. She said several federal judges have ruled in favor of school districts on the issue.
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April 22, 2009
Lake Travis school board raises public information law questions
Under state law, governmental bodies such as school boards have to post agendas prior to their meetings. The law says that the posted notice of a meeting must contain the date, hour, and place of the meeting and a description of each subject to be discussed at the meeting.
According to the Texas Attorney General’s Open Meetings Handbook, “the notice must be sufficient to apprise the general public of the subjects to be considered during the meeting.”
The Lake Travis school board is posted to discuss “a matter regarding a public school student” at its Thursday night meeting. (Read the agenda for yourself.) District spokesman Marco Alvarado said that the district’s lawyers believe that the posting complies with state law.
Does knowing that the board will discuss “a matter regarding a public school student” give you a good sense of what the board will be talking about? Do you think the district is obeying the law?
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February 3, 2009
Local school superintendents back off pay raises
At least two local school administrators are declining pay raises in an effort to demonstrate fiscal restraint in the face of a national recession.
Lake Travis Superintendent Rocky Kirk, currently one of the best paid supers in Central Texas — second only to Austin’s Pat Forgione — asked that the Lake Travis school board limit his raise this year to 2 percent, rather than the full 4 percent raise he is eligible for. In a statement, Trustee Jim Cummings wrote that Kirk, top right, asked for the smaller raise after sharing “his concern about the national economy in general and the impact that it is having on the Austin region, and to some extent, on the Lake Travis ISD community.” (Read board President Cummings’ comments on Kirk’s contract.)
So Kirk was making $231,520 in base pay and will now make $236,150 in base pay. He could have had $240,781 in base pay. (Superintendents’ base pay doesn’t include other benefits like district-paid insurance premiums, contributions to retirement accounts, car allowances, etc.)
And the lone finalist for the Hays superintendent’s post, Jeremy Lyon, middle right, isn’t asking the board for more than the current Hays superintendent makes. The move from his current position in Oregon, which pays about $172,000 in base pay, to Hays is going to be a lateral move for him financially, he said. (FYI, the cost of living is about a third less in Hays County than in the Portland area.)
On the other hand, Austin Superintendent Pat Forgione, bottom right, who earns a base salary of $284,563, in the fall asked for reimbursement for his $6,200 hearing aids, a negotiated perk that Forgione hadn’t taken advantage of in past years.
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January 6, 2009
Economic slump major bummer for Texas cheerleaders
The Dallas Morning News reports that the economic slump could be responsible for the lower than usual turnout at a major cheerleading competition:
More than 3,000 cheerleaders from 17 states participated in the two-day National Cheerleaders Association senior and junior high school national championship, which concludes Monday. About 5,000 people are expected to view the event at the Dallas Convention Center.
Both numbers represent declines from 2007 attendance figures, organizers said. They cited the stumbling economy as the reason several out-of-state teams didn’t come to Dallas.
Still, the Lake Travis team, right, cheered to a first place finish in the “Intermediate Medium Varsity” category, economy be darned.
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October 30, 2008
Do schools events and election day collide?
I’ve been asked to write a story about school districts scheduling events like band performances and football games on election day and how that might affect parents, teachers, coaches and other Texans of voting age.
So:
Are you a parent worried that attending the UIL State Marching Band Contest at the Alamodome Tuesday might keep you from voting?
Or a parent concerned that enjoying the musical stylings of the Fall String Festival at Zilker Park during your lunch break might prevent you from reaching the polls?
If your kid is supposed to play in an 8th grade away football game Tuesday night, is that going to conflict with you doing your civic duty?
If you’re affected by these scheduling dilemnas, go ahead and weigh in in the comment section below, or email me.
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September 12, 2008
ACT college testing postponed
FROM AISD:
The ACT college test corporation has postponed testing scheduled for Saturday, September 13, at Texas school districts affected by Hurricane Ike.
In Austin ISD, tests were scheduled to be given at Anderson, Akins, Lanier, Reagan, and Travis high schools.
ACT indicated that it will contact those students who were registered for the test with rescheduling information later this Fall.
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September 3, 2008
Lake Travis school super gets raise
The Lake Travis school board unanimously approved a $6,000 raise for superintendent Rocky Kirk, right, last week. (The vote was 6-0, with board member Jason Buddin absent.)
Kirk’s $231,520 base salary makes him the the second-highest paid superintendent in Central Texas. Only Pat Forgione, superintendent of the 80,000-plus Austin school district, makes more.
Here’s a chart of Central Texas superintendents’ base salaries based on 2007-8 Texas Education Agency data. The chart doesn’t include additional benefits that can be worth thousands like annuity payments, car allowances and health club memberships.
In addition to his base salary, Kirk receives annual $5,000 payments into a tax-free annuity account, monthly payments equal to his contributions to the Texas Teacher Retirement System, and 15 leave days a year beyond the number other administrators receive.
The district also pays the premiums for Kirk and his immediate family’s health insurance. Last week, the board amended his contract to include an annual $6,000 payment for Kirk to use to purchase life insurance.
This August, the approximately 6,000-student Lake Travis school district received a “recognized” rating under the state’s school accountability system and five of its seven schools received the highest or second-highest accountability ratings.
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August 25, 2008
First day of school jitters, snafus, and whatchamacallits
Today’s the first day of school everywhere in Statesman-land except Pflugerville and Round Rock.
Rejoice or mourn, the choice is yours.
Statesman photographer Larry Kolvoord talked to 4-year-old Madison Briones, right, this morning at Sanchez Elementary. Madison was heartbroken after learning that she wouldn’t be able to attend pre-kindergarten classes on the first day because of a paperwork glitch.
‘Everybody is going to school besides me,’ she cried to her mom.
Did you experience any first day of school issues? Have any words of advice to offer Madison?
Updated, 5 p.m.: Leander school district spokesman Dick Ellis says that the district welcomed 27,528 students to school today without a hitch. The district opened four new campuses today too.
“It was perfect,” he said. “A really good first day.”
Check out the sights and sounds of Leander’s first day of school.
Updated, 8/26, for the curious: A Sanchez assistant principal told the Statesman that Madison got her paperwork straightened out and will be in class Wednesday morning.
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August 21, 2008
Central Texas back to school calendar
August 25 - First day of classes for following school districts: Austin, Bastrop, Del Valle, Dripping Springs, Eanes, Georgetown, Hays, Lake Travis, Leander, Manor, San Marcos and Wimberley. Also first day of classes at Austin Community College, and St. Edward’s and Southwestern universities.
August 26 - First day of classes for Lago Vista, Pflugerville and Round Rock ISDs. August 27 - First day of classes for Texas State University and the University of Texas.
September 1 - The following school districts are closed for the Labor Day holiday: Austin, Bastrop, Del Valle, Dripping Springs, Eanes, Georgetown, Hays, Lago Vista, Lake Travis, Leander, Manor, Pflugerville, Round Rock, San Marcos and Wimberley. It’s also a holiday at Austin Community College, St. Edward’s University, Southwestern University, Texas State University and the University of Texas.
September 2 - First day of classes at Huston-Tillotson University.
September 10 - First day of classes at Concordia University.
Check your local district’s website for first-day details, like Austin’s school bus stop locator, and other events.
If you’re lucky enough to live in Wimberley, for example, your kids can get vaccinations and free haircuts — two of any child’s favorite activities — at the Back to School Fiesta on Saturday from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the United Methodist Church of Wimberley.
(Cal Warlick cartoon at right)
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June 16, 2008
You Oughta Be in Pictures Monday: Lake Travis student gets diploma after nine tries
Lake Travis school district spokesman Marco Alvarado sent us this story about a former migrant student who passed the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) — and earned her Lake Travis High Schol diploma — after nine tries at the TAKS test.
Alvarado writes that Guadalupe Jaimes, 23, pictured above on the left receiving her diploma from school staff, passed the science portion of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) on her ninth try, officially earning her diploma from Lake Travis High School (LTHS):
School principal Charlie Little and staff from the counselor’s office arrived at the Chicken Express in Lakeway where Jaimes works unannounced just before the lunch-hour rush on May 20 and presented Guadalupe with her diploma.
“I am so happy,” said Jaimes, a native of Nuevo Copaltepec, Mexico, who was joined at the impromptu ceremony by her sister Hilda, nieces Jessica and Alex, and nephew Fernando. “I didn’t expect this. I know how I feel, but I can’t find the words to say it.”
While most freshmen enter high school at the age of 14 or 15, Guadalupe was 17 years old when she enrolled at LTHS in the fall of 2002. But even more challenging, she didn’t speak a word of English. Upon enrollment in Texas public schools, students like Guadalupe labeled as Limited English Proficient (LEP) are initially exempt from taking the TAKS. However, they are closely monitored by their teachers and counselors via a Language Proficiency Assessment Committee—or LPAC—to ensure the TAKS is administered at the earliest practical date. At one point, Guadalupe’s LPAC indicated she did not understand English well enough to master TAKS. But with assistance from LTHS Spanish/English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher Jessie Bejarano and others who were determined to see her succeed, Guadalupe persevered.
In order to graduate from a Texas public school, all students must pass each section of the TAKS which includes Reading, Writing, Math, Social Studies, and Science. For Guadalupe, science proved to be an obstacle, eight obstacles to be exact. But just as Ms. Bejarano was determined to help Guadalupe master the English language, LTHS science teacher Angela Frankhouser focused all efforts on Guadalupe and the challenges she faced with the TAKS.
“Guadalupe’s success is a result of her hard work and perseverance,” said Ms. Frankhouser. “She never quit. Her success was the culmination of the time and dedication of many science teachers and counselors at the high school that worked closely with her. Each time she was to take the test, Sherrie Raughton—our head counselor—made sure to arrange tutoring with our amazing science teachers. Many people contributed to Guadalupe’s success. The greatest contribution, however, was from Guadalupe herself. She made this happen.” “Ms. Angela,” as Guadalupe refers to her, “helped me get through (the science TAKS),” admitted the youngest of five sisters and a younger brother who attends Lake Travis Elementary School. Guadalupe’s ninth and successful attempt came in April 2008. “I am thankful to Ms. Bejarano and Ms. Angela for helping me graduate.”
While her current employment provides Guadalupe with a steady diet of valuable experiences and a reliable income, she doesn’t plan on serving-up legs and thighs for too long. “I want to go back to school and become a bilingual teacher.”
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