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Board Reviews New Computer Science Program
More than 75 students are enrolled in Introduction to Computer Science, the first class in a new sequence of computer science courses. At this month's school board meeting, two of those students gave trustees a look at the hands-on work happening in the class. One student demonstrated an iPad game that she created where a series of animals move around the screen at increasing speeds while the player tries to tap on them. The other student presented an app that allows the user to annotate images.
Other courses in the computer science sequence will be added over the next two years. Beginning in 2017-2018, a Temple College dual-credit course and an Advanced Placement course will provide two ways for students to earn college credit in computer science while still in high school.
Belton ISD has partnered with CGI Technologies to ensure that the computer science curriculum is aligned with the needs of local employers. The district has also joined the CSforAll Consortium, a national organization that seeks to foster collaboration and share resources in support of quality computer science education.
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National Merit Scholarship Program Commended Students
The National Merit Program has recognized Belton High School (BHS) seniors Madeline Chaput, Brittany Green, Ruopu Jiao and Sierra Reasoner and Belton New Tech High School @Waskow seniors Morgan Callin, Ian Gish and Shane Warren as commended students for 2017.
Each year more than 1.5 million high school students take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholar Qualifying Test. Of those, just 50,000 qualify for the National Merit Program including 34,000 selected as commended students.
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Principal Appreciation Month
Governor Greg Abbott has proclaimed October as Principals Month. His proclamation reads, in part, "As school leaders, principals are entrusted with our most valuable resource - our next generation of leaders. These students are our promise for the future, and it is critical that they receive a rigorous and well-rounded education. ... At this time, I encourage all Texans to acknowledge the important role principals play in ensuring that every child has access to a high-quality education."
During this month's meeting, school board members expressed their appreciation for Belton ISD's principals: Sue Banfield, Belton Early Childhood School; Elizabeth McMurtry, Chisholm Trail Elementary; Amy Armstrong, High Point Elementary; Tiffany Weiss, Leon Heights Elementary; Judy Schiller, Lakewood Elementary; Jennifer Conner, Miller Heights Elementary; Pam Neves, Pirtle Elementary; Stacy Cox, Southwest Elementary; Julee Manley, Sparta Elementary; Michelle Tish, Tarver Elementary; Kris Hobson, Lake Belton Middle School; Joe Brown, North Belton Middle School; Keonna White, South Belton Middle School; Christopher duBois, Belton High School; and Jill Ross, Belton new Tech High School @Waskow. The coordinator of the District Alternative Education Program is Emilio Olivares.
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State of Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year Finalist
LaGay Pittenger, a fifth-grade teacher at Lakewood Elementary School, was one of three finalists to become the 2017 Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year. Pittenger has taught elementary students for 25 years including 23 years in Belton ISD. She is currently the fifth-grade team leader at Lakewood Elementary School. This is the first time that a Belton ISD teacher has been a finalist for state teacher of the year.
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Superintendent's Report
Legislative Update
While the 85th session of the Texas Legislature doesn't convene until January 10th, much of the agenda for the upcoming session has already been established by the interim work of the house and senate committees.
Based on the interim committee charges and recent remarks from the Lieutenant Governor, it is clear that the upcoming legislative session will see a concerted effort to divert tax dollars to private schools through education savings accounts, which are essentially more expansive vouchers that can be used to pay homeschooling expenses in addition to private school tuition.
While legislators won't be forced to act on school finance by the courts, there will likely to be several proposals before the legislature in the upcoming session. However, it's not clear that the proposals will ultimately provide students with adequate funding or taxpayers with greater equity. For example, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Education has called for simplifying funding formulas but has also said that school districts should find ways to do more with less. Additionally some legislators are advocating tying school funding to performance.
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