Early voting for the November 4 General Election is from October 20-31. On the November ballot, the BISD community will have the opportunity to vote on a bond proposal developed by a diverse group of citizens (parents, grandparents, senior adults and business leaders) from all parts of the district. The proposal includes:

Security Upgrades

• Enhance security throughout the District

Rebuilds

• Birdville Elementary
• The Academy at West Birdville Elementary
• North Richland Middle

Science Upgrades

• Provide for safe and compliant science labs

Technology Upgrades

• Provide a robust wireless network to serve every classroom
• Replace obsolete technology devices
• Fund technology upgrades to meet current and future instructional needs
• Will be paid for within five years

Renovations & Upgrades

• Address critical renovation needs requiring action in the next one to three years
• Improve Facility equity among high schools

If voters approve the proposition, the $163.2 million proposal would increase property taxes approximately $3 per month on a house valued at $120,000; approximately $6 a month on a house valued at $225,000; and approximately $9 a month on a house valued at $330,000. (These values are prior to the $15,000 homestead exemption.) However, for residents age 65 or older who apply for the “Over 65” homestead exemption, state law prohibits the district from raising school taxes. Therefore, BISD residents who have an “Over 65” homestead exemption will not see an increase in their school taxes if the bond program is approved by voters.

I want to encourage you to accept BISD’s Get 5 Challenge.

•  Get Informed about BISD’s 2014 bond proposal
• Get Five of your Friends
• Go Vote!

Vote early October 20-31 or on Election Day November 4.

For specific details on the 2014 bond program or voting locations, visit www.bisdbond14.net

Star-Telegram
Editorial
September 2014

Recently, Education Commissioner Michael Williams suspended for one year the requirement for fifth- and eighth-grade students to pass the math portion of the STAAR exam before advancing to the next grade level. This move raised questions across the state as to why this was necessary.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) did not determine how the new math standards will be tested on the fifth- and eighth-grade STAAR math tests until spring 2014. Since these standards were late in being released, and the changes were significant, districts are now having to rewrite curriculum to address the changes and identify and purchase required resources to prepare students for these more rigorous standards. For example, in Birdville ISD, $138,000 was spent on graphing calculators required by the state for testing of eighth-grade students, and an additional $50,000 for math resources due to changes in the fifth-grade math curriculum. In addition to resources, substantial professional development for staff is required to completely implement the new math curriculum.

Given the timeline, the commission’s decision to suspend the required passing of the math portion of the STAAR for fifth- and eighth-grade students is appropriate. By suspending the passing standard for one year, school districts across the state are given time to develop appropriate curriculum, identify aligned resources, and provide necessary professional learning so that students are prepared to be successful.

Darrell G. Brown, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Birdville ISD

BISD is proud to announce it has five National Merit Semifinalists and nine National Merit Commended Scholars for the 2014-15 school year.

Nearly 1.5 million juniors in 22,000 high schools across the country entered the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program last year by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Less than one percent of the nation’s high school seniors received the prestigious designation of becoming a semifinalist this year.

To become a finalist, a semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the high school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

BISD’s 2014-15 National Merit Semifinalists are:

Birdville High School
Erin Ruhlman
Lilly Clegg
Rebecca Hurlburt

Richland High School
Sean Murray
Mark Disalvi

National Merit Commended Scholars are:

Birdville High School
Alexander Healy
Seoyong Kim
Shiva Dheer
Andrew Haas

Haltom High School
Brian Fuller

Richland High School
Baylee Dawson
Steven Conner
Anya Kohnke
Lindsey Butler

The National Merit Scholarship Program will announce additional program honorees later this school year.

How does this bond address science
labs in the district?

Requirements set by the Texas Education Agency in recent years have made our science laboratories deficient in size, quantity and functionality. Because of the state requirements for science and math in high school, there are large numbers of students currently enrolled in these programs.

The Bond Planning Committee reviewed science laboratories at every level across the district focusing on:

• Safety equipment and supplies;
• Adequate space to safely store chemicals;
• Adequate lab/classroom space; and
• Functionality.

The 2014 final bond proposal includes:

• Adding safety equipment and emergency shut-off valves, where needed;
• Adds water and other utilities to meet current standards;
• Addresses state standards (compliance);
• Adds permanent science classroom additions at Birdville High School, Smithfield and Watauga middle schools and Watauga Elementary; and
• Adds modular science laboratories at all other middle schools, except North Ridge Middle School where lab space is sufficient, and Haltom High School.

[Tweet “How does #BISDBond14 address Science Labs?”]

Science Lab Recap

• Number of new science laboratories – 16 new science laboratories (six at Watauga Middle, six at Smithfield Middle, two at Birdville High, and two at Watauga Elementary)
• Number of renovated science laboratories – Two at Shannon
• Number of modular science laboratories – 26 (six at Haltom Middle, six at North Oaks Middle, six at Richland Middle, and eight at Haltom High)