An Internal Newsletter from the
Sherman ISD Communications Department
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Voting in the Primary is Primary to Our Democracy |
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By Kevin Brown, Ed.D.
TASA Executive Director
Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, far right, far left, or somewhere in between on the political spectrum, voting in the primary elections is the most important civic responsibility we have as Texans. In our state, the most important elections occur in the primaries, so it is critical that educators (and all citizens) fulfill their civic duty and cast a well-informed vote.
Why are the primaries so important? In a word: gerrymandering, or the practice of manipulating the boundaries of electoral constituencies to favor one party. I live in Austin nowadays, and it is safe to say that a Democrat usually wins in the general election, so the real battle for the seat occurs in the Democratic primary. When I lived in San Antonio, my area of town was a Republican district; whoever won the Republican primary was almost guaranteed to win the general.
In the last mid-term primary elections in 2018, only 8.9% of the 17.1 million registered voters in Texas participated in the Republican primary, and only 6.4% of registered voters participated in the Democratic primary. That is downright embarrassing turnout.
It also means that in statewide races, which have all gone to the Republicans since 1994, only about 4.5% of the general population (50.1% of Republican primary voters) determined who won state office or a local election with only Republican candidates. In the Democrats’ case, only 3.3% of the general population (50.1% of Democratic primary voters) help choose the winners. Every vote makes a difference.
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Grayson County Election Information |
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Early Voting: Feb. 14-25
Primary Election: March 1
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Updates from Human Resources |
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Sherman ISD pays employees for a portion of unused local leave at retirement, in accordance to Board Policy DEC (Local).
If a professional contracted employee intends to retire at the end of the 2021-2022 school year, he or she must submit a letter of resignation to Human Resources no later than 4 p.m. on the deadlines listed below.
If a non-contracted employee intends to retire and desires payment for local sick leave, then he or she must submit a letter of resignation to Human Resources no later than two weeks prior to the last day of the semester.
If a retiring SISD employee does not meet this requirement, he or she will not be paid for any local sick leave upon retirement as determined by SISD Board Policy. If you have any questions, please email Jill O'Neal, executive director of human resources.
Spring Retirement Deadlines
- 187 Day Contract Employee- Friday, February 25, 2022
- 197 Day Contract Employee- Friday, February 25, 2022
- 207 Day Contract Employee- Friday, March 4, 2022
- 226 Day Contract Employee- Friday, April 1, 2022
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Certified employees will receive emails from the HR department when their certificate is about to expire. These emails are generated automatically. Once you have updated your certification, please let the HR department know you have updated your certificate. You can call extension 2020, or email hr@shermanisd.net, to update the expiration date on your certificate in TEAMS. You will continue to receive emails about your certification until you notify HR of the update. |
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403(b) Plan and 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan |
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TERRP Retirement Match - 2021-2022 TERRP Investment Plan |
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The Teacher/Employee Recruitment and Retention Program (TERRP) is a local governmental, tax-qualified retirement savings plan and trust established under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue code retirement program established and operated by the Education Service Center Region 10.
This plan will supplement the 403(b)/457 employee plans with District contributions. The employees’ money will be put into their own investment accounts. The District contributions will be put into a separate TERRP account until the employee separates from service.
Plan Highlights:
- The District will match employee deferrals up to 1% of pay for employees.
- The employee is zero percent vested in years one and two. The employee becomes 50% vested in year three, 75% vested in year four and 100% vested in year five.
- The employee must be employed on the last day of the plan year (August 31) to keep the District contribution for that year.
- The plan year runs from September 1 to August 31 each year.
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Sandra and AJ's Chili and Bean Cookoff |
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Proceeds benefit Women Rock, Inc. |
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This annual event takes place from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26 at Texoma Harley, 4000 N. US Highway 75 in Sherman.
Entry fee is $25 per entry, and the public tasting costs $5 per person.
You can enter as an individual or as a team. All chili and bean types welcome. Dishes must be prepared and cooked on site with a 2-gallon pot entry minimum. Setup and cook time begins at 8 a.m. Public tasting begins at noon. Chili and bean turn-in time is 1 p.m. Judge samples will be collected at 2 p.m.
First and second place winners will be chosen by judges through a blind taste test. The People's Choice award is chosen by popular public vote.
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December 2021 Employee Recognition |
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The Sherman ISD Board of Trustees recognized the Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Month, Employee of the Month and Team of the Month at their Jan. 24 board meeting. |
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Secondary Teacher of the Month
Angela Franklin, Sherman Middle School
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Employee of the Month
Nancy Dodson, Piner Middle School
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Elementary Teacher of the Month
Alyssa Woody, Perrin Early Childhood Center
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Team of the Month
Sherman High School Biology Team
Brian Batts, Owen Meachum, Suzy Richardson, Heather Moothart, Stacy Ramay and Carolyn Tucker
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COVID Reporting
If you test positive for COVID-19 during Winter Break, please complete the SISD Employee Reporting Form. The form will be monitored during the break. Impacted employees will be contacted on January 2 and a return to work date will be set.
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Notifications of Positive Case
Communication Guidelines for SISD Teachers and Staff
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The SISD Communications Department notifies families via email when an individual on their campus reports a positive case of COVID-19. These emails direct parents to the SISD COVID Dashboard for further information about cases on a certain campus.
If you receive questions about a notification from parents or students, please direct them to the SISD COVID Dashboard for further information.
The tabs at the bottom of the dashboard will open a campus-specific spreadsheet that gives additional information on each case. At the elementary level, cases are identified by positive test date, student/staff, grade and homeroom. At the secondary level, cases are identified by positive test date, student/staff, grade and extracurricular activities/clubs.
Due to privacy laws, we cannot release further information regarding individual cases.
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We would love the opportunity to feature honors and recognitions received by SISD employees. Please send accomplishments and news to Arena Blake at ablake@shermanisd.net.
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