Center for the Performing Arts receives official names

At the Tuesday, November 17 regular board meeting, school trustees approved measures that decided a location for and puts an official name on the recently approved auditorium and professional development facility.

The new name is Mansfield ISD Center for the Performing Arts. The two venues inside the Center will bear the names of two former district officials: Claude Cunningham Performance Hall and the John Washington Professional Development Center.

Claude Cunningham Performance Hall - Cunningham retired in May 2009 as associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction, after 14 years in MISD and 39 years in Texas education. In 1995, Dr. Cunningham was hired to serve as Executive Director of Student Services and Secondary Instruction in the Mansfield Independent School District. He was promoted to Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction in 1998 and to Associate Superintendent in 2006. During his tenure in Mansfield he has been responsible for the leadership and direction of all student instructional and support programs, campus operations and District planning.
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The performance hall will will accommodate 5500 people with an additional 500 on the stage. This would allow for a seating capacity of 6000 to accommodate our high school graduations. Other uses for the performance hall will include:

• A location for high school performing arts departments' musicals and other large stage productions;
• 5th-12th grade band and choir performances;
• Host UIL band competitions and competitive cheer events; and
  
• Outside group and performance/production use for a rental fee.

John Washington Professional Development Center - Washington, who worked for 36 years in the Port Arthur school district, retired in 1990 and moved to Mansfield. Mr. Washington joined the MISD School Board in 1996, becoming the first African-American elected to the Mansfield ISD School Board. His focus was always on the children, his background in education and his eloquent way have endeared him to not only the students, but parents, staff and community members.
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The main feature of the professional development center's design is one large room that can accommodate up to 500, but can also be divided into six separate rooms for training. This large professional development room could host other events that are currently being housed outside the district.

Proposed MISD Orchestra Program

Mansfield ISD Trustees will hear a proposal to launch an orchestra program at their regular meeting Tuesday, November 17, 2009. The program would launch in the fifth grade by the following schedule:

2010-2011: A fifth grade pre-orchestra rotation is added

2011-2012: A sixth grade beginning orchestra is formed at each intermediate school

2012-2013: Middle school orchestras are established

2014-2015: High school orchestras are introduced at each high school

2017-2018: Fifth - Twelfth grade orchestra classes and programs are in full implementation

Initially, this program would require the district to hire three string teachers for the 2010-2011 school year. By the 2014-2015 school year, approximately 12 additional string teachers will need to be hired to staff the programs. In some cases, string teachers will be used as itinerate teachers, which means they are shared between different campuses. Other initial costs being considered are the costs of any instruments and instrument storage.

Please let us know your opinion on the proposed orchestra program in the comments below.

(Photo: November 5-6, 2009, the Arlington Symphony performed for the Mansfield ISD fourth grade students.)

2009 Bikes for Angels campaign

The Automotive Technology Department at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy kicked off their school fundraiser, Bikes for Angels Fund for Christmas 2009.

Awesome doesn’t even begin to describe the effort by the the students at BBCTA Auto Tech. Last year, the Auto Tech students raised over $21,000 to buy 425 bicycles for Angel tree students at our Intermediate and Elementary schools in the Mansfield area. They were also able to donate 75 bikes to the Meredith Hatch Foundation in Mansfield as well as gave bikes to the YMCA of Arlington, Cleburne Family Crisis Center who assists battered women and children, Operation Blessing and Frazier Elementary School in Burleson.

It meant so much for the instructors and students delivering the bikes to see counselors, principals, teachers and some of the recipients with tears of joy in their eyes.

This year's goal
The group started the new school year with a main goal of trying to raise $25,000 and buy at least 600 bicycles for needy children who would otherwise not get bikes for Christmas.

"I have been teaching for over 20 years and have never seen a group of students get so excited about a project as they do for our Bikes for Angel’s fund," said Rick Curlee, BBCTA Auto Tech Facilitator.

"We had students bringing everything in from Ziploc bags full of change to a student turning over his weekly paycheck to help some of these children. We had many students who had actually been on Angel Trees when they were younger themselves. Our goal last year was $10,000 and we reached that goal in only three days. We would sincerely like to ask you to help us beat last year’s total by making a donation of any kind to our fund. We can use almost any type of donation."

He's not kidding! Some examples of donations the group can accept are:

• Cars, running or not, and in any shape. Cars must have title and will either be resold or scrapped
  
• Auction items (They held an Auction at their Car Show on Saturday, October 31 and raised approximately $3,000.)
  
• Scrap metal
  
• Checks, cash, even your spare change is accepted. It all adds up to bicycles.
  
• Salon Packages
• Assorted Gift Certificates
  

Students will visit classrooms, businesses, and their immediate communities trying to raise funds. Students collecting will have a color copy of this form with them. They also welcome almost any type of sponsorship for the cause.

If you have any questions about this campaign or would like to support, contact Mr. Rick Curlee at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy via e-mail curlri[at]mansfieldisd.org or by phone at 817-299-1939. If you help the campaign via a check, please make it out to: MISD Auto Tech and put "Bikes for Angels" in the memo of the check. All monies raised during this campaign go to bicycles.

2008 Bikes for Angels Photo Gallery:

Exploring a century of education

The following is a guest post from Amanda Rogers, Managing Editor of the Mansfield News-Mirror. It first appeared as an article in the October 23, 2009 issue of the Mansfield News-Mirror's Mansfield Life section.
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The world can change in 100 years, particularly the past century.

World wars can be fought, man can walk on the moon, fatal diseases can be conquered, telephones can become commonplace and carried in our pockets and communication can progress from telegrams to the Internet.

The Mansfield school district has been through it all, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

Growing from a few students in a leftover building to more than 30,000 on 39 campuses (as soon as Annette Perry Elementary opens), the district has survived recessions, depressions, war, racial conflict and unprecedented growth to become a respected name throughout the Metroplex and the state.

This fall school officials formed a committee to decide how to celebrate a century of education. Because I love history and I’m incredibly nosy, they put me on the committee. Our first task was to figure out what to do. Most of us don’t know any centenarians, at least not ones as vital as the Mansfield school district. Do we hold a party, send a card?

We decided to start by looking back at where the district had started and documenting its life and the times that it had seen, sort of a "This Is Your Life, MISD."

This turned out to be a lot more involved than we thought, and we’re only through the first decade. First, we explored the school board minutes, starting with the first trustee election May 22, 1909, and the creation of the school district – the handwritten school board minutes. Just so we’re clear, penmanship was a lot better 100 years ago, but that doesn’t mean that all those flourishes are easy to read.

We also discovered that the same people kept getting elected.

Then we found the same names on the city elections when we dug into the City Council’s (again handwritten) minutes from the same period. Not only were they all the same people, but they were hiring family members and making payments for goods and services to their own businesses. At first we thought this was a big scam, something today’s ethics seriously frown on. Then we figured out with only a few people living in town, there were only a few business people in Mansfield and most of them were on the school board.

Teachers and principals who have survived opening a new campus know how much work it is to get a school up and running, everything from hiring employees, setting up classrooms, lunchrooms and libraries to choosing a mascot and ordering textbooks. Imagine starting with nothing, not even chalk.

The first thing the school board did was start hiring teachers, then find a place to hold classes. The Mansfield Academy, a private school (pictured at right) that closed in the summer of 1909, sold the new district its buildings at the corner of what is now North Walnut Creek Drive and East Broad Street, where the school administration buildings are today. [PHOTO credit: Mansfield Historical Museum]

Then there was setting policies — like no student dating — making repairs on the building, setting tax rates, installing lights, hiring a superintendent and even what to do when the water in the well goes bad.

Exploring what was going on around these people while they were making all these decisions was just as interesting, with a war in Europe that Americans soon became a part of to states entering the union. (New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii weren’t even states when the Mansfield school district opened.)

To fully explore the century of the Mansfield school district is a big undertaking, one that the committee plans to take in small decade-size bites. Once a month in Mansfield Life, we will document a different decade, following the district’s growth and progress with a 100-year timeline. The first decade, 1909-1919, is featured in this section on Pages 8B-9B.

[View PDF versions of 1909-1919 Page 1 and Page 2.]

A lot of work and exploration has gone into this historical detective work. I hope you enjoy it and learn as much as we did.

Site location for Performing Arts Auditorium and Professional Development Center

At the October 27 Regular School Board meeting, the MISD School Trustees moved to "put the MISD Performing Arts Auditorium and Professional Development Center at The Shops at Broad pending the final resolution of a tri-party agreement between MISD, City of Mansfield and Forest City Developers at the November 17th Board Meeting."

What does this mean?
The Board, along with district administrators, are committing to building the now approved facility at The Shops at Broad (Highway 287 and Broad Street) location as long as a mutually beneficial agreement can be made.

Currently under consideration is an agreement that has the district trading 12 acres it owns near Mary Orr Intermediate School for 12 acres inside the development that the city owns.

District Superintendent Dr. Bob Morrison remains committed to keeping MISD from incurring any additional construction costs related to building at The Shops at Broad site.

Over the next three weeks leading up to the November 17 Regular School Board meeting, negotiations will continue to take place. The District has set the November 17 deadline in order to begin construction as soon as possible so they are able to take full advantage of the comparatively low construction costs.

The plans now are to have the Performing Arts Auditorium and Professional Development Center construction completed Spring 2012 in time for graduations.

Mansfield Legacy Bronco Band heading to state

Updated Wednesday, November 4, 2009: The LHS Bronco Band finished 7th overall in the state after an exhausting day at the UIL state marching band competition. From a report in the fort Worth Star-Telegram, "The 180-member band was up at 4 a.m. to make a 6 a.m. practice. They performed in the preliminaries about 9:15 a.m. and returned to Alamodome’s field at 7:15 p.m. to perform in the state 4A UIL marching band finals."

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On Saturday, October 24, the Mansfield Legacy High School Bronco Band advanced out of the Area UIL Marching Band competition and is heading to the state contest. This accomplishment represents the first such UIL state marching band advancement for the Mansfield ISD.

The 186-member Bronco Band takes its show entitled “Signal to Noise,” which according to Director Mr. Glenn Fugett, is about the use of electronics and the evolution of the orchestra.

“The band had two terrific performances,” said Fugett. “I am especially pleased with how well they are playing. The students have so much determination. They love what they are doing and they believe in the show.”

The LHS band advanced to the UIL Area competition following a great effort along with a select group of fellow 4A schools including the Mansfield Timberview Wolf Band which also competed over the weekend. (Watch the Wolf Band's show from the UIL Area Competition.)

Congratulations to these bands and supporters on jobs well done.

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Updated 10/27/09 - Below is a video produced by the LHS Rider Online student newspaper about the Bronco Band's UIL Area win:

State UIL marching band contest - Nov. 3: Class 4A competition

Place: Alamodome, San Antonio

Cost: $10 for students, $15 for adults for a single session. An adult one-day pass to the preliminaries and finals is $25.

Schedules will be posted on the University Interscholastic League Web site

Legacy Bronco Band
Timberview Wolf Band

Poverty Simulation an Eye-opening Experience

While the students enjoyed a day off of school, staff members from Linda Jobe Middle School participated in an exercise designed to give them a glimpse into the lives of some of their students who live at or below the poverty line.

The Jobe Middle School staff took part in a poverty simulation experience based on a program by the Missouri Association for Community Action where "participants role-play the lives of low-income families, from single parents trying to care for their children to senior citizens trying to maintain their self sufficiency on Social Security."

The task of each family is to provide food, shelter and other basic necessities during the course of four 15-minute "weeks" while interacting with various community resources.

The community resource volunteers in this simulation included Mansfield ISD administrators and support staff. Resource volunteer roles included a police officer, utility collector, pawnbroker, grocer, mortgage/rent collector, Quick Cash manager, social service caseworker, Community Action worker, employer, child care worker, schoolteacher (played by school namesake, Linda Jobe), faith-based agency staffer, and a bank/loan officer.

The experience
After the simulation, the staff "families" held a debriefing period during which participants shared amongst themselves and the larger group their thoughts about what they learned and specific impressions on the exercise.

A few of the insights shared by the staff included:

• Most of us were doing what we could just to make it.
• Many people are victims of circumstance.
• I was scared to death of losing my job.
• It was a rough experience.
• We didn't know what to do, but we wanted to do the right thing.
• Thinking about the children in class and their families, it became apparent how challenging it must be.
• This was such a learning experience.
• Children with no food will have a difficult time just sitting quietly at home or learning in school.
  
• Unexpected circumstances can have a directly negative impact on the classroom experience.
  
• Feelings of helplessness are a reality for many.

The facilitator stressed how this program was a simulation and not a game. It was a simulation tool used to help participants view poverty from different angles in an experiential setting. The object was to sensitize the staff to the realities that are faced by low-income students and their families. Linda Jobe Middle School teachers had a small taste of the frustration and challenges that are everyday experiences for some students.

Linda Jobe Middle School staff members are invited to provide any additional feedback from the poverty simulation via comments.

Related information

• National Center for Children in Poverty
• Tarrant County Services for children & families
• Mansfield Cares
• City of Arlington Community Services
  

Where's my kindergartner's report card?

There seems to be some confusion as to why report cards did not go home this first six weeks period with kindergarten students. To the parents of kindergarten students, you are not alone. It's the same for first graders too.

Why?

Kindergarten and first grade are a little different from the upper grades in that the report card is very complex and teachers will take the first 12 weeks (the first two six-weeks grading periods) to evaluate the students.

The teachers spend time observing the students during their time in centers, using manipulatives, and interacting with other students. The teachers record observations and ultimately share them with parents during conferences as well as later in the year through the regular six-weeks reporting period.

The first kindergarten and first grade report cards are scheduled to go home on Thursday, November 19. If you have any additional questions, please contact your teacher.

Teaching Civility in Uncivil Times: A Parent's Role

From Kanye to Congress, the notion of civility seems to be getting a ton of attention in the national spotlight and for some reason gets a little lost in translation these days.

Next week, renowned speaker Dr. Adolph Brown will spend some time with the District's middle school students in a special presentation entitled "Character Counts."

Dr. Brown (pictured at right with Asst. Supt. of Communications, Terry Morawski) will address themes of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and civility for the middle school students.

On Tuesday, October 6, he will provide an opportunity for parents to listen to what they can do to help in a program entitled, "Teaching Civility in Uncivil Times: A Parent's Role."

We invite the MISD community to attend this special presentation at the Willie Pigg Auditorium.

Schedule for Middle School Assemblies
October 5-7, 2009

Monday, October 5
9:30 - 11:00 AM Coble MS
1:30 - 3:00 PM Howard MS

Tuesday, October 6
9:30 - 11:00 AM, Wester MS
1:30 - 3:00 PM, Jones MS

PARENT MEETING
7:00 - 8:30 PM
Willie Pigg Auditorium

Wednesday, October 7
9:30 - 11:00 AM, Worley MS
1:30 - 3:00 PM, Jobe MS

We want to know what you think. What do you think parents (and perhaps the greater community) can do to help foster civility? Do you think this is even a problem? The comments are yours.

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MISD has invited Dr. Adolph Brown to provide presentations and speeches for a few years for staff, high school, and middle school students.

From the Rumor Mill

We haven't done this in a while, so it's time to check in with some rumors that we've heard floating around the District.

Rumor #1 - Mansfield Legacy High School is the second largest high school (square feet) in the state. False.

Sorry to disappoint you on this one. LHS is about 425,000 sq ft and in this area there are at least four high schools that a larger including McKinney Boyd High School (530,680 sq ft), Prosper High School (590,000 sq ft), Northwest Byron Nelson High School (504,000 sq ft), and Allen High School (582,000 sq ft).

Rumor #2 - Mansfield High School is 100 years old. False.

As it turns out, Mansfield HS is 85 years old this year. However, we do have a centennial celebration this year and it's for the Mansfield ISD. Yes, the Mansfield Independent School District is 100 years old this academic year. Plans are underway to mark this historic year with events, projects, and opportunities for the community to join in the fun. Look for future posts and information on the District's Web site for details as they develop.

Rumor #3 - Teachers are going to be fingerprinted for criminal background checks. True.

The Texas Legislature passed a law in 2007 (SB 9) requiring fingerprint-based criminal background reviews for certain school employees.

Beginning in November 2009, the following groups of staff members will be fingerprinted and processed:

• All MISD substitute teachers (certified and non-certified)
• All MISD certified educators
• All MISD paraprofessionals working (certified or non-certified)
• Note: All non-certified school employees must submit fingerprint information to the Department of Public Safety before starting work for a District.

We are providing information regarding the fingerprinting on the Personnel Web pages, including an FAQ page. It is our hope that employees will read through this information carefully and understand the process especially for those whose name on their teaching certificate doesn't match their driver's license because of a name change. Additionally, both TEA and the State Board of Educator Certification are maintaining pages with information.

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Send us your rumor mill items and we'll take them on here. You can send us one via comments or by emailing blog@mansfieldisd.org . If you send it by email, be sure to let me know it is a rumor mill item in the subject line.

Possible Site Location for Proposed Auditorium and Professional Development Center

Updated October 28, 2009: At the October 27, 2009 Regular School Board Meeting, Board Trustees approved a motion to put the MISD Performing Arts Auditorium and Professional Development Center at the Shops at Broad location pending the final resolution of a tri-party agreement between MISD, City of Mansfield and Forest City Developers at the November 17th Board Meeting.

Updated September 24, 2009: At the September 22, 2009 Regular School Board Meeting, Board Trustees approved the construction of the performing arts auditorium and professional development center by a 6-0 vote.
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The developer of The Shops at Broad Street, working with the City of Mansfield, has approached the school district with a proposal to locate the proposed Performing Arts Auditorium/Professional Development Center to the land at Broad Street and Highway 287.

The school district is examining the proposal and is addressing the following conditions:

• The land will be given to the school district at no cost to the district.
• The school district will retain the 25 acres of land behind Ben Barber to be used in the future as the district deems necessary.
• The school district will retain 100% ownership of the facility.
• The district will incur no additional cost to the overall construction price if we decide to move the facility to the The Shops at Broad Street.
• If any non-MISD group wants to use the facility, they will pay a rental fee and meet MISD requirements for use.
• There will be no special consideration given to the City of Mansfield for the use of the facility.
• The City of Mansfield or any outside group would have the ability to rent the facility if they are willing to pay the rental fee.
  

The reason given for gifting the land to the school district is that if the facility is built it would spur additional development at The Shops at Broad Street. This would also lead to greater sales tax revenue. There will be additional meetings with the city and the developer of the The Shops at Broad Street to discuss the proposal and other possible considerations.

District technology upgrades taking shape

Guest post by Dr. Doug Brubaker, Assistant Superintendent for Technology and Information Services

In June 2009, the MISD School Board approved approximately $6.7 million in technology upgrades using the district's revenues from natural gas leases. Budget amendments were approved for the first $3.7 million of these projects.

Areas of focus for 2009-2010 include

• testing -- and replacing as needed -- any deteriorated cable at 16 of the district's schools that were constructed prior to 2000
• installation of Microsoft Office on all K-8 teacher workstations and student lab computers (completed early August 2009);
  
• replacement of up to 1500 desktop computers for use by teachers and in student computer labs; and
  
• replacement of out-of-warranty or non-enterprise class switches. (A network switch is a computer networking device that connects network segments. Approximately 66% of all district network switches are out of warranty or were not designed for an organization of MISD’s size.)

Replacing the switches will permit the Department of Technology Development to provide more reliable services to end users and quicker responses to classroom needs.

Looking ahead
Other projects planned for the next 18-24 months with these funds include

• a desktop virtualization pilot;
  
• installation of wireless access points for instructional areas at all campuses;
• telephone upgrades;
• two additional phases of desktop replacements to address needs at remaining campuses; and
  
• the deployment of up to 400 presentation carts and interactive slates.
  

Improvement of customer service is also a focus for the new Department of Technology Development. Four additional support techs have been added to our team, and a new work flow management system will enable our group to document and address campus needs more efficiently. Other funds were used for these improvements.

Our team is very excited about the equipment and services that we will be able to provide in the coming months to support instruction at all MISD schools.

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The preceding information was provided by Dr. Doug Brubaker, Assistant Superintendent for Technology and Information Services. It was originally appeared as a comment he left on the recent post about the proposed auditorium and professional development center, but it is relevant and important information to share with the community on its own.

Statement on proposed auditorium and professional development center

Mansfield ISD is considering moving forward with the construction of the Performing Arts Auditorium/Teacher Professional Development Center. I will be providing information as to why the administration is proposing to move this project forward at this time. The Performing Arts Auditorium has been under consideration for more than five years. In that time, the district has reviewed auditorium designs ranging from a seating capacity of 3500 to 5000. The project was not included in prior bond programs due to the cost, the fast growth of the district and the need for schools.

The facility
The current design being considered will accommodate 5500 people with an additional 500 on the stage. This would allow for a seating capacity of 6000 to accommodate our four high school graduations. Our current graduations are located at The Potter’s House in Dallas County. In addition to graduations, the facility would allow all district employees to be trained at one time. In preparation for a time when a performing arts auditorium might be built, the district purchased 25 acres directly behind Ben Barber Career Tech Academy. This location was chosen due to the available parking that could be used when the Performing Arts Auditorium hosted large events.

Other uses for the auditorium would include:

• A location for high school performing arts departments' musicals and other large stage productions. (Mansfield ISD has one auditorium that is being used by 14 secondary campuses, including four high schools.);
• 5th-12th grade band and choir performances;
• Host UIL band competitions and competitive cheer events;
• Outside group use for a rental fee
  

The Teacher Professional Development section of the facility would allow all teacher trainings in the district to occur in one location. The main feature of the design is one large room that can accommodate up to 500, but can also be divided into six separate rooms for training. This large professional development room could host other events that are currently being housed outside the district. The Education Foundation’s annual Academic Recognition Banquet could be hosted there as well as booster club organization and local PTA events. The Teacher Professional Development Center also features three computer-training rooms that will be used by our teachers. Current teacher training on computers must take place at our schools in student computer labs.

Finance considerations
I have provided an explanation of the need of an additional auditorium/training center, so now I will discuss the cost and source of construction funding. The district just recently signed the contract on the construction of high school five at a cost of $60 million. In the 2006 bond election, voters approved the high school five facility at a projected cost of $84 million. These estimates were based upon construction costs and the rate of inflation. The district decided over a year ago to delay the construction of high school five for one year due to a decrease in student growth. In that year, the economy slowed and construction costs fell. Therefore, the district was able to save $24 million in the construction of high school five.

The administration began to explore additional construction projects. The current proposal was deemed as the highest need in the district. The reason we are looking to move this project forward now is to take advantage of the current construction market. To provide a comparison, the 2005 estimate for a performing arts auditorium that only seated 5000 and didn’t have a 24,000 square foot teacher training facility was placed at $50 million.

The projected cost of the proposed Performing Arts Auditorium/Teacher Professional Development Center is $39 million. This is $11 million less than the smaller 2005 proposed auditorium which didn’t have a Teacher Professional Development Center. If we were to add the cost of the 24,000 square foot training center to the 2005 proposal, it would have added an additional $5 million to the construction costs. Therefore, the current proposal is between $15 and $16 million less than it would have been if built in 2005.

The cost of the current facility is $39 million. The construction savings of high school five totaled $24 million. The additional $15 million needed to build the facility will come from previous bond packages. The interest gathered during the duration of the bond as well as other sources such as new gas well revenues could be used to offset the additional cost. This is not the first time the district has proposed building a facility that was not on a bond program. In the 2001 bond program, the district was able to secure enough funds from savings on construction projects and interest earnings to build an additional elementary school. In the 1999 bond program, the district renovated the Historic High School building with interest earnings.

Why now?
The reason is simple. Current construction costs are allowing a window of opportunity. This opportunity, if taken, will not only help every student in our performing arts programs, but graduations to take place in district. The auditorium and training rooms will be used by our Mansfield ISD community. The room that can hold up to 500 can be used for banquets as well as school board meetings. The advantage of moving school board meetings to this location will allow the district to take the current board room and use it some day as additional staff offices. This will enable our administration buildings to accommodate district growth for many years.

The reason for providing this message is to get the information out to our patrons. I want everything we do to be transparent. Please feel free to comment on the proposal. If you have any additional questions, post your questions to the blog and I will make sure an answer is provided. There are two upcoming school board meetings that provide opportunities for public feedback. Those school board meetings are at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, August 25 and September 22.


Sincerely,

Bob Morrison, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

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Updated AUGUST 21, 2009: Based on questions raised by comments, Dr. Morrison has provided the below answers. Questions were reworded to represent multiple comments.

First, I would like to thank everyone for offering his or her comments and questions. It has been great to see the discussion and interest in this project. Feel free to post any additional comments and questions below.

Dr. Morrison

Q: Why do we need a fifth high school, or any of these additional facilities?
A: Mansfield ISD will have over 31,000 students this year and a total of four high schools. Our current high school populations total 9,159 students. High schools in Mansfield ISD are built to support 2,500 students. Other districts do build high schools that are larger and/or smaller than ours, but our standard has been set at 2,500. If Legacy HS would not have been built, the three remaining high schools would currently support approximately 3,053 students. When high school five is scheduled to open, our four current high schools are projected to be over their capacity of 2,500.

Q: Does the district consider increased maintenance cost when approving facility construction?
A: Yes, increased maintenance costs and staffing are part of any building proposal.

Q: What about the inequities between existing schools, especially related to technology?
A: The school board approved this summer to update all the technology throughout the school district beginning with the older schools. There are 16 schools that have been targeted with the recabling project. Summit HS, as well as 15 other schools, will be completely rewired to allow for a fast and reliable Internet connection. Testing of the cabling at these schools will begin the first week of school. Cable that does not meet industry standards for performance will be replaced.

Technology upgrades are a very high priority for the district. For example, we are adding a fourth rotation to our elementary schools for technology. Keyboarding has also been moved to the fifth grade so that students can use this skill throughout their secondary years. Additional course offerings will also be offered to students in 6-8 grades in the future.

Q: Why does the proposed facility have 6,000 seats? If the facility is mainly that large to support graduation, why not just hold graduation at Vernon Newsom Stadium?
A: The size of this facility is directly related to graduations and the ability to provide a location where all staff could meet for professional development. Each year, we struggle to secure a location that is big enough to house our high school graduation ceremonies. It is true that Newsom Stadium is more than sufficient to hold graduation, but the common concern is the temperature and unpredictability of the weather in Texas in June.

Q: How will Arlington and Grand Prairie residents feel about building a facility designed for usage by the City of Mansfield?
A: There are no current agreements for any particular city to have special usage of the facility. If it should be built, any organization (including city, county and state groups) will be able to use the facility if they are willing to pay a rental fee and meet our requirements. Any rumor about special consideration for the City of Mansfield is a rumor.

Q: Why are we interested in a professional development facility, especially considering all other needs of the district?
A: The reasoning behind the professional development center is clear. The district needs a place to provide our teachers the necessary training to meet the academic needs of our students. We currently train our teachers and staff at locations throughout the district. No available meeting room can currently seat over 100 staff members. The new facility would be able to seat up to 500 staff members for a training session or meeting.

Q: Will the professional development facility be utilized for banquets and special events?
A: The facility includes a kitchen that will be able to support catering needs for up to 500 people. District events that are currently held in other rented spaces would be able to make a home at the center, like an Education Foundation banquet or a Booster Club meeting, for example. The rental fee for district-related groups would be equivalent to current fees, which cover utility and cleaning costs.

Q: With the state of the economy, this facility seems like an unnecessary extravagance. Have you considered this point of view?
A: I do agree that the general economy is less than stellar, but the current state of the economy is actually responsible for our ability to fund this facility. Like our current school construction projects, I intend to continue the district’s record of building functional and durable facilities. I do also believe it is necessary to build structures that are points of pride for our school communities, but with a focus on getting the district a good value within a reasonable budget.

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View the Conceptual Design Presentation of the Performing Arts Auditorium/Teacher Professional Development Center. (Please note, this is a large file and may take longer to load at slower connection speeds.)

Updated SEPTEMBER 2, 2009: Please read the related post regarding the possible site location in coordination with the City of Mansfield.

Updated SEPTEMBER 24, 2009: At the September 22, 2009 Regular School Board Meeting, Board Trustees approved the construction of the performing arts auditorium and professional development center by a 6-0 vote.

School namesake tours newest middle school

The namesake for MISD's newest middle school, Mrs. Linda Jobe had an opportunity last week to tour the new campus that bears her name.

Mrs. Jobe and a few family members were guided by Mr. Demetrus Liggins, the school's principal.

Linda Jobe Middle School will open on August 24, 2009 with the start of the 2009-2010 school year.

Visit the photo gallery.

Earlier in the month, the namesake for the district's new intermediate school toured his campus as well.

It is also worth noting that the district's new elementary school, Annette Perry Elementary, is scheduled to open later in the school year.

Remembering Vernon Newsom

Today I lost a dear friend and mentor. Vernon Newsom was more than just the superintendent of Mansfield ISD. He was a man of integrity. He had a passion for kids and compassion for all of those who had served with him.

I had just attended a superintendent's conference in Minneapolis with him and his wife Nadyne. He was looking forward to exploring the United States while on vacation as well as being back in Mansfield for the naming ceremony of the Vernon Newsom Stadium.

I have many wonderful memories of Mr. Newsom. Please feel free to share any of your memories or stories below.

Sincerely,
Dr.Morrison
MISD Superintendent

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Mr. Newsom, who recently retired from the District, died July 22 from injuries he sustained in a motorcycle accident while vacationing in South Dakota with his wife.
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The MISD Community is invited to share any thoughts and or memories you would like to leave in the comments below.

School namesake tours newest intermediate

The namesake for MISD new intermediate school, Mr. Asa E. Low Jr. had an opportunity to tour the campus that bears his name.

Mr. Low and a few family members were guided by Mr. Jason Short, the school's principal.

Asa E. Low Jr. Intermediate School will open on August 24, 2009 with the start of the 2009-2010 school year.

School is just around the corner

It is hard to believe it, but we are just over 30 days until the start of a new school year.
(Seriously, where has this summer gone?!)

Here are just a few things as we get ready for the new year:

• Check out Back to School information - school supply lists, schedule pick-up and more
• Download your printable 2009-2010 Calendar as well as the A-B Student Calendar.
• Updated immunization requirements for kindergarten and 7th grade (don't wait until the last minute)
• Athletics - Physicals will be held at Mansfield HS on August 1 from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM.
• Speaking of athletics - Join us for Fan Fest 2009 on Thursday, August 13
• Remember the Texas Sales Tax Holiday is August 21-23
  

We are excited to open up a couple of new campuses, Linda Jobe Middle and Asa E. Low Jr. Intermediate. The District will hold dedication services for these two new campuses on Sunday, August 23. Details to come. (For those of you paying attention, I have not included Annette Perry Elementary since that campus will open up later in the school year.)

I hope you enjoy the remainder of your summer.

(photo credit: This Year's Love)

New Immunization Requirements

On March 5, 2009 new immunization requirements took affect that will have an impact on all incoming kindergartners and 7th grade students. The changes are as follows:

Kindergarten - All students entering kindergarten, statewide, will be required to have:

• 2 doses of Hepatitis A 2 doses of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine
• 2 doses of varicella vaccine (or a written statement from a parent/legal guardian, or physician stating the child has a positive history of varicella disease (chicken pox).

7th Grade - All students entering 7th grade will be required to have:

• 2 doses of varicella vaccine (or a written statement from a parent/legal guardian, or physician stating the child has a positive history of varicella disease (chicken pox). 1 dose of Tdap vaccine (if it has been 5 years since their last dose of tetanus-containing vaccine).
• 1 dose of meningococcal vaccine

*Please note - These changes are in addition to the current immunization requirements*

This information can be downloaded from the MISD Health Services Web page as well as on the Department of State Health Services Web site.

In the interest of transparency, please note: parents can also find information on exclusions from compliance which are "allowable on an individual basis for medical contraindications, reasons of conscience, including a religious belief, and active duty with the armed forces of the United States."

If you have any questions regarding the new immunization requirements, please contact your primary health services provider or the MISD Health Services Department at 817-299-6370.

MISD Minutes - Apple iPod Touch for Pre-K

Before the school year ended, elementary Pre-K students received a head start on the technology learning curve by using Apple iPod touch units in class. This is the first program of its kind in the MISD.


The Details
(from Yvonne Davault, ESL/Bilingual Foreign Language Program Coordinator)

How many? PreK ~ 63, (3 per PK classroom in the district)

How much $? Approximately $14,500.00 (iTouch, $193.00, shield, $6.88, case, $15.04, 4-unit charging dock, $51.54)

Where did the funds come from? Title III or Limited English Proficiency (LEP) funds

Which campuses? These devices were purchased for all elementary campuses, including Perry, except Boren and Spencer that do hot have PreK.

What was the motivation for this implementation? With the introduction of the new TEA Prekindergarten Technology Guidelines we were perplexed at how to meet the goals for using to extend their knowledge and to enrich their learning of curriculum content and concepts. During one particular meeting, new Superintendent, Dr. Bob Morrison, took out his iPhone and the idea was born. We decided to obtain the Apple iPod touch, which is an iPhone without the phone, and accomplish all these goals and more.

From there we made the purchase, prepared and implemented a six-hour training day for the PreK teachers to receive their iPod touch(es) and training focused using applications specific to early childhood and English Language Learners. The idea was for each PreK class to have a technology center using the iPod touch(es). The day was a huge success! The teachers were excited and prepared to use the devices the very next day.

What's next? We will continue to support our PreK teachers with this project through training and update information as we learn.

Our next "project" is 5th and 8th grade LEP Science students. We have purchased 260 Apple iPod touch devices for the 5th and 8th grade LEP students to help increase their science knowledge through a different a method of learning. Title III monies were also used for this purchase.

MISD Minutes - The Art of Dairy

Legacy HS graduate places 3rd out of 9000 nationwide entrants in the Lucerne Dairy art contest. Contestants submitted ideas for the contest and finalists created their visions on life-sized dairy cows.

Related

• Mansfield student artist wins big with creative cow

Linda Nix Memorial Garden Dedication

On Friday, June 5, the staff of Ben Barber Career Tech Academy gathered to dedicate a small garden outside of the campus in honor of Linda Nix, a business teacher, who passed away in early December, 2008 after a long battle with cancer.

Attendees of the dedication heard from a few of Nix's co-workers and family members and each received a balloon to release along with bookmarks with advice that she gave freely. [Dedication Photo Gallery]

Linda's Advice for Living:

1. Find your passion and pursue it.
2. Uncover your natural talents
3. Try out lots of different jobs before you choose a career.
4. Meet all kinds of people and stay in touch.
5. Live below your means.
6. Do for others.
7. Exercise, eat right, don't smoke or do drugs.
8. Travel.
9. Read everything you can.
10. Find the "right one."
11. In relationships, isolation is a bad thing.
12. Do your best for yourself.
13. Always do the right thing.
    

Linda Nix taught business in the district for over eleven years. In addition to preparing real-world projects to supplement state approved business classes, she wrote proposals for several innovative business/finance courses. She pioneered the BCIS II course in which students have the opportunity to take the Microsoft Office Specialist certification tests. She applied for and received a Tarrant County College Mini-grant in order to fund the certification service for Ben Barber students. She also received several of the Mansfield ISD Education Foundation innovative teaching grants as well as the Heartbeat Award.

Photojournalism students give back through Giving Gallery

Note: This is a guest post by Sharon Ellman, Summit High School Photojournalism Teacher

[On Monday, June 1] a group of my advanced photo students took a big check over the the Mansfield Education Foundation to surprise the Executive Director Linda Bacsik. I think she really was surprised and the kids had a great time finishing what they started.

In case you haven't been following my story I'll give you a recap. The Mansfield Education Foundation awards innovative teaching grants

to teachers in MISD. When a teacher wins they have a prize patrol that comes to the teachers classroom with a big check for the amount of the grant and balloons. The prize patrol consists of school board members, the superintendent, members of the foundation and the media. It's all very exciting for the teachers and students.

I have been the lucky recipient of several innovative teaching grants. I won my first one in 2003, my first year teaching in Mansfield for a grant I called FACES: Friends Across Cultures Experience Success. I was so surprised and excited, that year they even had our school drum line marching through the halls as part of the prize patrol! This fall I won a grant called

The Giving Gallery where my students would host a galley show and sell their photos in a silent auction donating the proceeds to charity. Since the Foundation has been so generous to me and my photo students I thought it would be appropriate to donate the proceeds to them and my students agreed.

Our show was a huge success and we raised $1815 through our silent auction. We decided that it would be fun to turn the tables on the Education Foundation and have our own little prize patrol to surprise Linda to give her our donation. Richie, Terry and Jerry over at MISD communications helped us set her up with a "meeting" so she would be in her office when we arrived and Richie and Jerry came with us to present the check. It was great! Thanks to all the people who bought prints at the auction and supported my students. Thanks to all the people who helped us with our prize patrol today. Thanks to all my students who inspire me to be a better teacher every single day.

If you are interested in making a donation to the Education Foundation to support innovative teaching grants, please visit their website.

(See the photo gallery from the surprise.)

We dropped the ball

It has been far too long since our last post here on the district blog. In our defense, our department has had our sleeves rolled up dealing with communication needs for issues such as Swine Flu, construction delays at a new elementary school, and even Tuberculosis! Plus, we've had a hand in the district's employee reception, administrator retirement receptions, as well as preparations for high school graduations.

(Whew!)

That said, we want to continue to provide a trusted source for district information, behind the scenes knowledge and useful updates so we will work to get (and stay) on a better schedule for you.

You can help
What would you like to see covered here on the district blog? What do you want to know about within the district? There may be a few posts out there waiting to be written.

Thanks for your patience and for your valuable time. Also, look for more guest posts from other people in the district. There are great stories out there and we'll try to bring them to you.

Questions on Hiring of Non-Certified Teachers

Image via Wikipedia

Note: This is a guest post by Mrs. Venetia Sneed, MISD Coordinator of Personnel for Recruiting and Retention.

In response to the questions regarding Mansfield ISD’s hiring of non-certified teachers, I would like to share the following:

Mansfield ISD considers fully certified teachers for all of its open positions. “Fully certified” means that an applicant has completed all of their university or teacher preparation coursework, passed their content and pedagogy state exams, fulfilled their student teaching or one year of internship requirement and has been issued a Standard Teacher Certification from SBEC (the State Board for Educator Certification Agency.)

Teachers issued a Probationary Certificate are still in the process of completing one of the aforementioned components. Currently, MISD does not have an in-house Alternative Certification Program nor do we officially partner with Teacher Preparation Programs to hire their interns or provide the one year internship opportunity.

Once a teacher has obtained a Standard Certification, whether it was acquired via the University Education route (or "Traditional Certification" as mentioned in Dr. Cunningham's previous post) or an Alternative Certification Program, they are eligible to apply and be considered for any MISD opening they are certified to teach.

Having said this, if we are unable to fill a shortage area with a fully certified teacher, we will consider an applicant who is still in the process of obtaining their standard certification. As a matter of fact, we hired a few teachers in this category this school year in the areas of Special Education, Foreign Language, Career Technology, Math and Science. These content areas are typically our high shortage areas.

MISD Substitutes and Aides are encouraged to complete the requirements for their standard certification, as well, so they can be considered for open positions in their certification area.

~ Venetia Sneed

Teaching as a Second Career

So You Would Like to Become a Teacher
by Dr. Claude Cunningham, Associate Superintendent Curriculum & Instruction

The current economy has caused many of our local businesses and industries to make work force reductions. The employees displaced have skills and knowledge which may be of great value to the children of our community. If you are in this situation, you may have decided that it is time to look seriously into teaching as a possible career. Teaching is not easy. Teaching is very time intensive and requires a lot of emotional energy. If it is a fit for you, teaching is one of the most rewarding professions in the world. To make this career change, there are some things that you need to know:

Entering the teaching profession as a public school teacher requires that you become certified by the State of Texas. There are two primary routes to certification; the traditional certification route and an alternative certification route.

Traditional Certification
The traditional pathway to certification is to enroll in the Teacher Education program at a local college or university. Typically, you will be required to take 18 hours of professional education course work. These may include a field experience or internship. Many of our local colleges and universities have special programs for individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree who are looking to change professions. The requirements for these programs may vary, but the number of courses is about the same.

Alternative Certification
There are several programs which offer alternative routes to certification. Some of these are proprietary programs; others are offered through colleges and universities or the regional Educational Service Center (FYI, Mansfield ISD is in ESC Region 11). These programs typically offer intense, short term instructional programs in the summer followed by regularly scheduled follow up sessions in group or individual settings. Alternative certification often allows you to become a regularly employed classroom teacher while completing the certification program.

Either route will result in the receipt of a Texas Standard Teaching License. The State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC) has a very helpful web site which lists all the approved teacher certification programs in the state, traditional and alternative. It will be to your benefit to “shop” the various programs as each has unique requirements. Identify the one that best fits your needs before you commit to any particular program.

Next Steps
If you are interested in determining the opportunities available to you in this area, go to the SBEC Web site and pick the region in which you would like to pursue a certificate. You will be given a list of programs and links to each program.