Save the Date for "A Conversation with Greg Conde"
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Julia
Recently painted mural at JT Brackenridge Elementary
First BCEC Campus Visits!
Huge thank you to San Antonio ISD for having me out to visit three of their campuses earlier this week. Dr. J and Hillary - thank you for your partnership and the robust discussions.
I learned so much on the visits and I cannot wait to visit more of your campuses this year.
One thing that was immediately apparent (besides, of course, there needs to be relief on attendance funding) is the deep love educators have for the work that they do everyday.
City of San Antonio ARPA Spending Framework
Last night during City Council's B Session, Council received a briefing on the close-to-final spending framework for spending of $212 million dollars of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars. You can find the PowerPoint here.
Two parts of the spending framework impact could have an impact on our districts:
$10 million for "youth"
$8.4 million for "Digital Inclusion"
The next steps are for City Council to approve the spending framework next week on February 3rd and then the Council Committees will address specific parts of the spending framework. Economic and Workforce Development will address the "Youth" and "Digital Inclusion" programs.
BCEC has been asked to voice our support for "Youth" and "Digital Inclusion" programs - I will send a draft letter in a separate email to get your thoughts.
Update on SBOE and Contract Abandonment Rules
The State Board of Education's Committee on Campus Initiatives met this morning to review the amended rules for contract abandonment.
Unfortunately, while concerns that BCEC raised in our letter were brought up in the meeting, the rules were passed 3-2 (Will Hickman and Matt Robinson were the "no" votes).
The next stop for the rules will be to go before the full board tomorrow for a vote.
I would highly recommend your accountability teams review the two sets closely. From my perspective the rules seem to remove some vital provisions for alternative assessments and parental waivers. I will be taking a closer look this week so we can submit comments on these proposed rules.
Save the Date - February 16th 8:30am
Greg Conde, Director of the Broadband Development Office (BDO), is going to be interviewed by the fantastic Dr. Lloyd Verstuyft on September 16th at 8:30am. These two incredible leaders will discuss the work the BDO is doing across Texas and how it will effect Bexar County over the next few years.
