Don't miss Our Schools, Our Voice Rally on February 7
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CISD News with Dr. David Faltys, CISD Superintendent
All across the state, school districts are holding publicbrrallies, forums or community gatherings to share facts about school finance andbrthe impact past Legislative cuts have had on the education being provided tobrour children.
In Carroll ISD, we lost $8 million during the last biennium.brThose losses have resulted in fewer administrators, teachers and support staffbrto serve the children of this community. They have also resulted in bus riderbrfees and reduced services for Carroll parents. And although it is true thatbrpublic education takes the largest piece of the state's budget pie, it's alsobrtrue that Texas trails most other states in spending per pupil. Carroll is justbrone of hundreds of districts suing the state of Texas over the current failedbrschool funding system.
On February 7, Carroll, Grapevine-Colleyville and Kellerbrschool districts will join together to host a public education rally atbrGrapevine High School. The event – Our Schools, Our Voice - serves as abrreminder of all the good things happening in our public schools and how we mustbrMake Education A Priority in thisbrcurrent Legislative Session. The event will feature student performances,brmotivational speeches, short video clips on how your tax dollars are beingbrspent and steps you can take as taxpayers to get involved and make your voicesbrheard in Austin.
But one rally on one given night is not enough. We want youbrto stay on top of this Legislative Session; communicate with your lawmakers andbrlet them know that you do not want further cuts to public education and thatbrmoney taken from schools needs to be restored. We all want to operate morebrefficiently and we are working to do everything we can to minimize the impactbron the classroom, but we are at a crossroad in our budget deficit. We will dobrour part, but we need the Legislature to work with us and to ensure publicbrschool funding remains a priority.
At the funeral of long-time Carroll Superintendent Jack D.brJohnson, we were reminded that “better schoolsbrmake better communities.” We were also reminded through the life and legacybrof this great educator that you can never go wrong by making quality education forbrall students a priority. That’s our message, plain and simple.
The men and women who represent us in Austin need to Make Education A Priority. They need tobrhear from all of us – not just educators, but from parents and voters – on abrregular basis that investing in our children – in their education – is a stepbrin the right direction for our state’s future.
Texas public schools are all for accountability, raising thebrbar and challenging students with a rigorous curriculum, but we are againstbrhigh-stakes testing that labels students or campuses based on one test, or onebrsnapshot in time. We are against mandates that come unfunded and tie the handsbrof locally elected School Board members.
Our children deserve to be our top priority; and while throwingbrmoney at districts won't guarantee solutions, taking more money away from them willbronly make matters worse. If you are concerned about larger class sizes,bradditional fees and the loss of valued services and staff, please make yourbrvoice heard. Get involved; contact those who represent you in Austin and makebrsure they know what your priorities are as a taxpayer and voter.
Dr. David Faltys serves as Superintendent of Carroll Independent School District, the largest 5A Exemplary district in the state of Texas. He was named by the 2010 Region XI Superintendent of the Year after being nominated for the award by his local School Board. David and his wife, Jennifer, have four children: Dave, Peyton, Kenton and Lauren.