Superintendent Update - October 2013

Watch the Superintendent Update - October 2013 on YouTube:

MISD Superintendent, Dr. Jim Vaszauskas, discusses the upcoming October Parent/Teacher Conference dates, another DSO on the Go event at The Center (November 10) benefiting the MISD Education Foundation, and the JROTC competition (October 5) that will take place at Newsom Stadium.

2nd Grader Throws First Pitch at Rangers Game

Walker Shaw, 2nd grader at Nancy Neal Elementary, received the opportunity to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Texas Rangers game on Tuesday, June 11, 2013. The Mansfield ISD Education Foundation held a fundraising auction recently to win the first pitch opportunity. Even though the Rangers ended up losing the game against the Indians, Shaw was all smiles after this winning pitch to start his summer. Way to go, Walker!

Texas Rangers Mansfield ISD Night - May 25

Mansfield ISD students, staff, family and friends are invited to spend an evening with the Texas Rangers on Friday, May 25, 2012. The MISD community is eligible for a savings of over 40% off regular gate price for our selected game. Plus, $2 from each ticket sold is donated back to the district.

--> Use the promo code: RangersISD and purchase discounted tickets online
(be sure to select the May 25 - TOR - 7:05PM CDT.)
Or download the printable order form (PDF).

Arrive early to listen to members of the Mansfield Legacy High School Choir perform the national anthem and see other pre-game activities involving Mansfield ISD.

For questions or orders of 10 or more tickets, please email isdnights@texasrangers.com.

But wait, there's more...

You could win 6 Free Tickets + 2 Parking Passes to the MISD night at the Ball Park with a click of a button.

The Mansfield ISD Education Foundation will give away 6 tickets + 2 Parking passes to the Friday May 25 Texas Rangers vs. Toronto Blue Jays game. Tickets are located in section 32 (Home Plate). Everyone who goes to the Foundation Facebook page and clicks “Like” between May 2 and May 23 will automatically be entered into the drawing for the tickets and parking passes.

And still more...

Would you like to throw out the first pitch? The MISD Education Foundation is auctioning off the ceremonial first pitch opportunity + four game tickets to the May 25 MISD Night at the Ballpark. This online auction begins Monday, May 14 and ends Wednesday, May 23 at 4:00 pm. Email your bid to lindabacsik@misdmail.org. Current bid will be posted each morning on the foundation website at www.mansfieldisdfoundation.org as well as the Foundation Facebook Page. Check to see what the current bid is each day. Winners will be notified on Thursday, May 24 and given instructions. For questions on Foundation items, call 817-299-6354.

Ok, that's it. Go Rangers!

Education Foundation Academic Recognition Banquet

Each year, the Mansfield ISD Education Foundation honors the Top 60 graduating seniors with an Academic Recognition Banquet. This event gives these students an opportunity to thank an educator who has made a great impact on their academic career. The 2012 Academic Recognition Banquet was held on the evening of Monday, April 23 at the Arlington Convention Center.

Below is a mock press conference created for the Education Foundation to highlight some of these stellar seniors.

Education Foundation Diamond Ball

The Mansfield ISD Education Foundation Presents: The Diamond Ball on Saturday, October 29, 2011 at 6:30 PM at the Omni Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas. Join the Education Foundation and KDFW news anchor Steve Eager, as they honor Chris Huckabee, Philanthropist & CEO of Huckabee, Inc as well as Ashley Purgason, Distinguished Scholar from the 2002 class of Mansfield HS who is now a NASA Researcher.

• Black Tie Optional
• Private Reception for Honored Guests and Table Sponsors
• The event includes Dinner, Dancing, Live Music, Silent and Live Auctions

Single Tickets are available at $125 per person and a limited number of Table sponsors are still available at $2000. RSVP online by October 24, 2011 or contact the MISD Education Foundation office for more information at 817-299-6355.

New Foundation Mini-Grant Program

The MISD Education Foundation has started the "WeCan...Choose!" mini-grant program. This new grant program inspires teachers to write grants for projects and materials for immediate implementation in their classrooms.

The goal is to give our parents and our community an opportunity to help us fund more of these terrific projects and get much needed resources into our classrooms to benefit our children.

NOTE: From August 29 – September 29 you can donate online to specific "We Can...Choose!" grants.

The MISD Education Foundation is a 501c3 organization that has provided more than $2.3 million to teachers in our district to fund innovative projects in our classrooms. Over the past 12 years the Foundation has funded more than 990 grants though two grant rounds a year. In addition to the new mini grant program, teachers can apply for up to $1000 and a grade level or campus can apply for up to $5000. Special THINK BIG grants provide $10,000 in funding. These grants are made possible by the generous donations from businesses and corporations and individuals and organizations in our community.

Mansfield High School Students Fall for Physics

Image by danieljohnsonjr via FlickrEver wonder what goes on inside your body as it drops 300 feet at 75 miles per hour from the peak of a rollercoaster? With the help of an Apple iPod Touch device and a little bravery, the physics students from Mansfield High School were able to solve this thrilling mystery.

It all began last school year, when Physics teacher Michael Strange received a grant from the Mansfield ISD Education Foundation for his program, “iTouch, iDo, iLearn… Better!”

The grant funds were used to purchase Apple iPod Touch devices as well as an app called Accelplot, which measures G force with a tool called an accelerometer.

The physics students and teachers visited Six Flags Over Texas for Physics Day, where they spent the afternoon measuring motion, acceleration and velocity on various rollercoasters. The students strapped their iPod Touch devices to their arms as they rode each ride, all the while, the accelerometer tool measured motion on a second-by-second scale.



After conducting their experiments at the amusement park, students returned to the classroom to create 3D digital replicas of each roller coaster. By comparing the data collected during their experiments to the 3D images, they were able to determine the maximum and minimum points of kinetic energy. They were also able to determine that the body felt lightest as they were descending from the highest point of the rollercoaster.

This program transformed a classroom lesson into a fun and creative experiment for students. Physics teachers Michael Strange and Byron Barrett had the opportunity to share this program with other educators at the state Science conference through the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT).

“We hope that this will allow other teachers to imitate what we a doing at Mansfield High to promote and encourage future projects,” said Strange. “Our main goal was to merge Physics learning with today’s technologies.”

Video by: Jacob Pritchard, Sergio Almendariz and Jonathan Harris.

Mansfield Wrestling event benefits Education Foundation

The temperatures may be dropping but the heat is being turned up for a pro wrestling event in Mansfield ISD.

“Big Time Pro Wrestling” is coming to Mansfield. Mark your calendars for the Mansfield ISD Smackdown on January 29, 2011 benefiting the Education Foundation.

The back story...

A war of words started back before the winter break when the wrestlers from the North American Wrestling Allegiance (N.A.W.A.) called out the MISD staff wrestlers...

And then things heated up when the MISD coaches responded...

Watch more of these videos.

Here are the details..

Date: Saturday, January 29, 2011
Place: Mansfield High School Gym
Time: 7:00 pm

Ticket Prices Presale:
Ringside - $20
Floor - $15
Lower Bowl - $12
General Admission - $8
Kids 12 and under - $6
Note: $2 will be added to the ticket prices at the door 

Tickets are on sale at all MISD high school and middle school campuses or at these locations: MISD Education Foundation Office, 1016 Magnolia #200, Mansfield, TX 76063 and Texas Trust Credit Union, 1900 Country Club Drive, Mansfield, TX 76063.

Get the poster PDF (10.33 Mb)

There will be four bouts preceding the main event and a Main Event will feature a four man tag team of MISD Staff members vs. N.A.W.A. wrestlers.

Representing MISD are the following:
Jason (Lil Peezy) Pounds – T.A. Howard Middle School
Mark (The Terminator) Walker – Timberview High School
Chris (Buck Wild) Melson – Legacy High School
Andrew (The Marshmallow) Marsh – Danny Jones Middle School 

Managers:
Jeff Hulme – Mansfield High School
Jason Mutterer – Summit High School
Justin Dearing – Ben Barber/Frontier
Dave Hodgson – Wester Middle School
Brandon Johnson – Jobe Middle School 

Commissioner: Byron McCollum – Coble Middle School
Ring Valet: Bethany Smith – Worley Middle School
Celebrity Referee for Main Event and Announcer: John Rhadigan, Sports anchor from FSN

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The Mansfield ISD Education Foundation:

• Is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit tax-exempt philanthropic organization of citizens; 
• Shares a vision of enhancing education in the Mansfield ISD;
• Works to increase private support for educational activities in the Mansfield ISD;
• Benefits Mansfield ISD students and teachers by supporting activities not funded by tax dollar;
• Fosters creative approaches to education through private grants and involvement; and
• Awards Foundation funds through a volunteer Board of Directors made up of business, community and education leaders.

Special education students open cafe inside Legacy High School

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of dining at the Cowbell Café inside Mansfield Legacy High School. The restaurant is the product of an innovative teaching grant written by teachers, Michelle Lutes and Jayme Schroeder. They received the $2,700 grant from the Mansfield ISD Education Foundation. The grant provided funds to purchase equipment and supplies to run a restaurant/café inside the high school.

That in and of itself is a pretty interesting thing for a school. (Just ask the Culinary Arts team at Ben Barber Career Tech that run Savvy's Bistro which opened in 2006.)

However, what makes this dining experience so unique is that it is through the combined efforts of Legacy special needs students.

According to the grant, students benefit by "gaining food service experience and skills that will lead to future job placement, as well as, reinforce their every day living skills."

Michelle Lutes said they held Cowbell Café job interviews to determine functions from the hosts, servers, kitchen staff, napkin rollers and more all the way through the mini-restaurant roles, each student had a part.

The food was tasty (we had salad, lasagna, plus dessert) and the service was exceptional. The plan is to have seatings on a regular basis each month during the school year.

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The name, Cowbell Café, is a Texas-sized hat tip to the Kowbell Arena which was the world's first indoor rodeo arena. The Kowbell Arena, which is where the Legacy band hall, performing arts center and journalism room are now located, was demolished to make way for the high school.

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.

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.)