Teachers take school beautification needs into their own hands

Three teachers at the Alternative Education Center took it upon themselves to spruce up an area of their campus to provide a more appealing and inviting area. Science teachers Mr. Shannon Helm and Mrs. Sally McClure along vocational electives and economics teacher, Duston Moore thought a spot in the foyer was in need of some beautification. So they literally took matters into their own hands. They bought mulch and plants and then spent a few hours planting and trimming in the area to make sure it was ready for school. The result is a more appealing section of the school.

"They did this on their own time and with their personal money," said Raymond Cook, social studies department head. "As you can see, it is a great improvement and we were ready to greet our students with pride."

Before

 After

Thanks and kudos to these teachers for going above and beyond their duties for students.

Staff kicked the year off with Convocation

On Wednesday, August 21, the entire Mansfield ISD staff gathered for the annual Convocation event to kick off the school year. Convocation is our pre-back-to-school event when we get a chance to bring all the employees together in what we hope is a fun, festive and motivating experience. This year, we tried something a little different and asked one of our assistant principals, Josh Roberts, to be our host. (In addition to serving as a veteran educator, Josh is also no stranger to the stage as one of the members of Four Day Weekend improv comedy troupe in Ft. Worth.)

Our keynote speaker was Mr. Flip Flippen from The Flippen Group and he gave an inspirational message of encouragement and support through stories. Flip is Chairman of the Flippen Group, a respected leadership development and talent assessment company and the largest educator training company in North America. (Mr. Flippen also laid the groundwork for the Teen Leadership teacher certification program and classes that are offered at all MISD high schools.)

Check out the photo gallery from the 2013 Convocation:

 

A special thank you to the cadets from Legacy High School Junior ROTC for the presentation of colors and to our MISD staff singers who performed the National Anthem:

• Adam Zrust, Legacy, Director of Choirs
• Keli Ferrier, Summit, Director of Choirs
• Reginal Wright, Mansfield, Director of Choirs
• Jane Andrews, Mansfield, Associate Director of Choirs
• Josi Alexander, Timberview, Director of Choirs
• Philip Glenn, Lake Ridge, Director of Choirs 

On top of the fun atmosphere, funny host, and motivational speaker, staff heard from the new Superintendent, Dr. Jim Vaszauskas, School Board President, Mrs. Beth Light, as well as Education Foundation Board President, Mr. Mike Leasor.

The following videos were also shown during the event:

God Made a Teacher

What Makes a Great Teacher?

District Energy Champion Recognition

Timberview High School teacher, Tim Maschal, was recently named Mansfield ISD's Energy Champion for his efforts in organizing an efficient and energy-saving campus. Mr. Maschal was commended during the October, 2012 School Board meeting. Due to the buy-in from staff and students during the 2011-12 school year, Timberview High School realized a savings of over 38% in energy costs!

Congratulations, Mr. Tim Maschal.



Read more about the District Wide Utility Management Standards.

Which Green Beans Took the Gold?

Over the past month, eight campuses have been competing in a Green Bean recipe contest held by the Mansfield ISD Student Nutrition Department. 

Teachers, custodians and aides submitted their favorite green bean recipe to their school’s Student Nutrition Manager to prepare and offer to students. Each campus selected their students’ favorite recipe and entered it into the Finals. 

On Friday, February 10, Brenda Prescott, a third grade teacher from Martha Reid Elementary, won the competition by a landslide with her “Crumby Green Beans!” On Valentine’s Day, the Martha Reid Student Nutrition Team presented Prescott with an Avante360 gift card and a Great Recipe Idea certificate. Each student in Prescott’s class received a coupon for a Frozen Fruit bar of their choice. 

In addition to the prizes, Prescott’s recipe (with a slight name change) will be added to the menu at all school campuses on Wednesday, March 7. 

“Student Nutrition is excited to include students and faculty in our recent recipe contest,” said Gaylan Mathis, Student Nutrition Director. “We are looking forward to putting the winning recipe on our menu!”

Congratulations to Brenda Prescott and thank you for sharing your delicious recipe! Don’t forget to stop by your school cafeteria on March 7 to sample the award-winning Crumbly Green Beans.

'Get Healthy Texas' Features Impact of Wellness Campaign

Martha Reid Elementary staff was recently featured by our local CBS affiliate for positive results from a friendly health competition among campuses thanks to Methodist Mansfield Medical Center's District-wide wellness campaign.

MMMC Principals' Fitness Challenge - Martha Reid Elementary health feature [VIDEO], dfw.cbslocal.com



Background
The wellness campaign started back in October when Methodist Mansfield Medical Center donated 4,000 pedometers to the Mansfield ISD staff as well as sponsored a Principals' Fitness Challenge program to promote the importance of health and fitness. By helping principals and school personnel create a healthier atmosphere for learning and working, Methodist Mansfield Medical Center hoped to create a healthy environment for the community.

“Methodist Mansfield Medical Center is joining forces with Mansfield ISD to promote healthy schools and improve health and academic outcomes,” said President of Methodist Mansfield Medical Center Laura Irvine at the time of the campaign launch. “By providing pedometers and sponsoring the Principals' Fitness Challenge we hope to increase healthy behaviors, encourage healthy role models for students, increase employee morale and promote a positive community image.”

“I want our employees to know we value their health and wellness,” said Dr. Bob Morrison MISD Superintendent of Schools. “If our staff identifies even small ways to improve their health, we'll have accomplished something positive.”

The Principals' Fitness Challenge was designed for campus administrators to voluntarily challenge themselves to a free and simple-to-follow 12-week fitness and wellness program. The goal is to encourage participants to take the first steps towards living a healthier lifestyle by increasing physical activity and improving nutrition. MISD staff members are invited to participate through championing their administrator and even taking the challenges on themselves.

Check out all of the winning campuses and principals from the challenge.

Budget impact from proposed Texas education funding cuts

Mansfield ISD Superintendent, Dr. Bob Morrison, discusses the financial state of the district as he details the impending Texas state education funding cuts and the possible effects on the District.

Superintendent Budget Letter for the District Community 
(Get a printable PDF version.)


Dear MISD Family:

The reports about Texas’ budget concerns are getting a lot of publicity, and you are probably reading about many school districts who are having serious financial difficulties. Mansfield ISD is in sound financial condition, and the purpose of this letter is to inform you of our plans to deal with the state’s budget difficulty and its impact on our district.

Mansfield is taking a wait and see what happens approach to the state’s budget. It is very early in the state’s budget process, and we know from experience that the first budget drafts will change dramatically as the legislative session continues. We do not want to respond to rumors. Early projections have Mansfield ISD’s 2011-2012 budget being cut between $10-$30 million. Obviously, a $30 million funding decrease would be very difficult to absorb without deep cuts. A $10 million funding decrease would be difficult as well, but the District would be able to absorb the loss with some operating and program adjustments. Our strong fund balance will allow us to wait until we have facts before we respond.  The actual amount of the decrease will determine exactly how we respond.

Our Board and executive council are committed to providing quality instruction for our students and a good working environment for our employees. A recent staffing audit of the District revealed that Mansfield ISD is staffed very conservatively. According to the report, we have 512 fewer administrators, teachers, and support personnel than comparable districts of our size. Because we are already so lean, we do not feel we will have to make any personnel cuts for the 2011-2012 school year. However, depending on the budget reductions, we may not replace the positions of some who retire or voluntarily leave our district. Until we have the facts, I cannot make predictions or guarantees for the 2012-2013 and beyond school years.

We recognize that the state of Texas is in a tough financial situation, and Mansfield ISD is willing to do our part to help our state during this budget crisis. We are committed to operating on a balanced budget and will remain conservative with our staffing. Tighter budgets in the coming years are a reality. However, if you share our concerns with the impending decrease in state funding to public education in Mansfield ISD, I encourage you to contact your legislators. Tell your elected officials that a balanced state budget should not sacrifice the quality of education.

Thank you,

Dr. Bob Morrison
Superintendent, Mansfield ISD
____________________________________________________________

Contact your state representative. Find who represents you. http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/
____________________________________________________________

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.

Superintendent Update - October 2010

District Superintendent Dr. Bob Morrison shares his monthly video series for the District community. This month he discusses our new phone notification system, health and fitness initiative with employees, and an update on the Center for the Performing Arts. in this October update.

(This video was shared on the District's YouTube channel earlier this month.)

Welcome fun for our new staff

Last week, new district employees attended the Mansfield Training of Professionals (M-TOP) two-day program. The program is designed to give incoming teachers the fundamentals and important information they need to start the year off right and be successful in the District.

M-TOP was held at two Mansfield ISD high schools. Mansfield High School was the location for sessions from Human Resources and Communications and Legacy High School was used for Curriculum and Instruction. Based on some early feedback, the sessions were pretty successful in helping new staff get a good start while having a little fun.

Check out the photo gallery from the two-day event.

To our new employees, welcome to Mansfield ISD.

Visit the Staff Homepage for more employee information.

(And yes, that was an inflatable slide inside Legacy High School. A special thanks to all who opted to jump in and join the fun.)

School is just around the corner

It's that time of year again. No, not back to school...yet. It's the hot summer days and school district personnel are in and out on staggered vacation days. We've all been getting the last bit of time before another school year begins.

So if you've tried to contact someone in administration and it has taken some extra time to get a return call or e-mail you'll know why. Campus personnel will report back to work soon as well. Thanks for your patience.

But we are getting close
The school year is right around the corner. The first day of school is Monday, August 23, 2010. You still have time to squeeze in some summer fun. Also, be sure check the MISD website for back to school information in the coming days (with registration dates, school supply lists, and more). Don't wait to take care of any immunization needs and athletic physicals.

Enjoy what's left of the summer.

(Image: jaqsphotogarage)

Curriculum conference puts summer on hold for teachers

Today wraps up the Mansfield ISD annual Summer Conference for teachers. These dedicated teachers have put their summer plans on hold for a few extra days to prepare for next year.

Monica Gonzalez, Elementary Language Arts Coordinator, guest posts about the conference:
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This three-day event draws over 500 teachers each day to attend multiple sessions in every content area known to man...well that may be an exaggeration but we do have language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, health, art, GT, CPI, ESL, and even PE, 125 sessions total.

We also have 17 vendors in attendance, providing teachers with a look at available technology and new instructional materials. The conference provides a way for teachers to expand their teaching repertoire and to learn about new instructional materials for the 2010-2011 school year. Teachers are saying: "Great workshop; they did a great job!" "Will definitely use in my classroom." "I got some great ideas and am excited about using them next year." "Loved It!! Best and most effective workshop I have attended in my three years in MISD."


Thanks to the staff at Legacy HS for hosting the summer conference. Thanks to all the presenters! Thanks to MISD Curriculum and Instruction Department for all of the hard work and effort that goes into planning, organizing, and conducting the conference each year!

Inclement Weather Procedures

In keeping with our desire to keep the community informed of some of the behind-the-scenes procedures of general interest, the Administration would like you to be aware of our procedures and preparations relating to weather-related issues.


When bad weather is predicted, administrators pay close attention to forecasts, stay in close contact with neighboring district administrators, and work in coordination with transportation to keep bus drivers on standby in case of early school closings or bus route delays.

During a typical springtime-like weather event (i.e. tornado or severe thunderstorms), Mansfield ISD will take measures to keep students and staff safe:

• MISD will keep students safely in the building until inclement weather passes;
• Safe places have been established for each MISD campus and building, students and staff will gather in these safe places;
• MISD Police stays in constant communication with local emergency services and advises campus administrators when the need arises to implement school procedures such as duck and cover, red alert, and shelter in place (lockdown);
• Any buses in the immediate area of inclement weather will be stopped at the nearest school, and the students will be kept in that campus until the danger passes;
• Since the district covers 94.5 square miles, measures will be taken based on the needs of only the affected campus(es).

Before the school day: The decision to cancel a school day will be made by the district administration as early as possible and the radio and TV stations listed on the weather information page will be notified. They, in turn, will help us announce the closure along with the rest of our communication efforts.

During the school day: If a significant weather event occurs while school is in session, campus administrators are the assigned decision-makers for appropriate action as need to ensure the safety of students and staff. Campus administrators stay in contact with MISD Police and District Administrators to help make the best informed decisions for their school.

Please do NOT call school offices or teachers for such information. Weather and road conditions can vary greatly from area to area. As a result, parents are the decision-makers on whether or not their students will attend school. Parents need to notify the school office if student will not be in school or if they should be dismissed early due to weather conditions.

Mansfield ISD conducts routine drills to reinforce proper weather procedures. Just like when inclement winter conditions occur, weather severity and road conditions can vary greatly from area to area so we plan and adjust accordingly.


As always, your patience is greatly appreciated during these times as we work to keep students and staff safe.

(Image credit: pixelroiber)

Parenting with Love and Logic Free Training Seminar

Both educators and the general public often view disciplining of students to be one of the most challenging issues in schools today. From minor disruptions to major emotional issues that can affect the learning, appropriate discipline is an important discussion topic.

On Saturday, March 6, 2010 Mansfield ISD parents and teachers are invited to attend a free Parenting with Love and Logic® training seminar at Willie Pigg Auditorium, 8:30 am - 3:00 pm.

This free training seminar is provided through a LOVE CONNECTION grant through the MISD Education Foundation written for parents and teachers in the district by Mary Jo Sheppard Elementary staff.

The grant provides for a speaker from Love and Logic as well as a Parenting Curriculum kit to educate parents on some strategies that have proven to be successful. Join Jedd Hafer for plenty of laughs and lots of practical solutions to some of the most common challenges facing parents, teachers, and anybody who cares for kids. You will hear easy-to-learn strategies, for children of any age, that:

• Help them feel great about themselves
  
• Up the odds of them making wise decisions and resisting peer pressure
  
• Put an end to arguing, back talk, and power struggles
  
• Gain cooperation through the use of choices within limits
  
• Guide kids to own and solve their own problems

According to the Sheppard Elementary counselor, Teresa Franklin, the seminar is "a way to put all the adults in a child’s life on the same page and provide support for the child as well as each other. This program will benefit children all over the district as the most important people in their lives work together to help them develop into responsible citizens in society."

Love and Logic®
According to Charles Fay Ph.D. of Love and Logic, "research has shown that punishment-based approaches actually increase disruptive behavior thus the Love and Logic techniques were established to provide practical ways of teaching pro-social behavior along with responsibility while preventing ever increasing discipline problems."

These techniques are based on five principles including:

1. preserving students self concept;
2. teaching students to solve problems that they have created;
3. ability to share decision-making along with control;
4. providing empathy and warmth along with consequences; and
5. build adult-child relationships.

There will be a morning session as well as an afternoon session on a variety of topics. The training is open to any MISD parent and teacher.

Coat drive nets over 100 donations

What started early this week as a simple request from District superintendent, Dr. Morrison to put together a staff-wide coat drive in light of the cold weather turned into something really great for the Council PTA Clothes Closet.

The request was simple, campuses and departments were asked to designate an area for coat collections and the MISD staff members were asked to bring in gently-used coats to be given to the Clothes Closet. With record-level cold temperatures it was pretty easy to see the need.

Thanks to the quick and thoughtful response from campus and department staff, we were able to provide over 100 coats and jackets to the Clothes Closet.

The MISD PTA Clothes Closet provides clothing items to students in need. Students are referred (via voucher) by school staff. Campus Administrators, Teachers, Nurses, Counselors, and PTA Executive Board Members may present a Clothes Closet Voucher to any student in the MISD needing the opportunity to visit the Clothes Closet. Donations to the Clothes Closet come from MISD schools, the community and local businesses.

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Special thanks to the MISD Distribution Center staff for their flexibility in adjusting their schedules to provide a truck for pick-up and delivery of donated coats.

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.

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.

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.

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.