NATIONAL NEWS

Federal government to issue rules on COVID relief

The Biden administration is set to issue regulations governing two programs in the American Rescue Plan, as well as the federal law governing the privacy of student records and a pilot for new student assessments, among other priorities. The list of upcoming rules also includes those that would affect magnet schools, charter school facilities, and preschool special education grants. One involves the American Rescue Plan’s $800m earmarked to support homeless students, a group that’s been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. The Education Department says its rules for the program will apply to three-quarters of the funding and will focus on the formula that state education agencies use to provide subgrants to local school districts. The other concerns the relief package’s $2.75bn in relief for private schools; the department says this must go to private schools enrolling “a significant percentage of low-income students” and to “schools most impacted by COVID-19.” The government also plans to issue rules for the testing pilot authorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act, the federal Charter Schools Program that’s designed to help states establish or enhance per-pupil funding for charter school facilities, and the federal Magnet Schools Program that will help “magnet schools that incorporate evidence-based designs and strategies that have been shown to both increase diversity and improve outcomes for students.”

Education Week 

Bipartisan bill would fund research into impact of active shooter drills

A bipartisan bill has been reintroduced in the U.S. House, proposing funding to study the impact of active shooter drills on students. Reps. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) are backing the School Safety Drill Research Act, which would give the National Academy of Sciences $1m to research how to prepare for active shooters in ways that are effective and do not cause undue anxiety. “For a practice that is so widespread, we really should not be operating in the dark,” said Rob Wilcox, federal legal director for Everytown for Gun Safety. The group has tried to look at the impact of these experiences on kids. Some are announced ahead of time, so kids know it is coming and are prepared. Others, they get no warning at all. And some go even further, Mr. Wilcox said: "(some schools will do) an unannounced drill where students are caught off guard, (where) an individual is dressed and acting like an intruder and is trying to storm classrooms," carrying and shooting a fake gun. Rep. Perlmutter is optimistic that there’s enough bipartisan support to get Ellie’s idea to the president’s desk, even though funding for the research was derailed last year at the 11th hour.

Education Week 

DISTRICTS

Leander names Rouse HS principal as superintendent

Leander ISD has named Christine Simpson as its next superintendent. Ms Simpson, who currently serves as Rouse High School's principal, will replace former superintendent Devin Padavil, who left to become Taylor ISD's superintendent earlier this year. "We are thrilled that Christine Simpson will be joining our area superintendent team," Superintendent Bruce Gearing, Ed.D. said. "Christine's exceptional leadership, experience at multiple levels in our district and philosophy of continuous improvement will be a great asset as we move our district forward.

The Patch 

Leza named UISD's next Associate Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction

United ISD Superintendent Roberto J. Santos has appointed Emma Leza as the district's Associate Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction. For the past nine years, she has served United as the Executive Director for Instructional Accountability. Before working as Executive Director for Instructional Accountability, she served as the Director for Bilingual Education, as an Assistant Principal at Finley Elementary. Ms Leza succeeds David H. Gonzalez, who has been named Superintendent of Schools for the district. She will assume her new role in July 2021.

Laredo Morning Times 

New Caney hires principal, human resources director

The New Caney ISD board of trustees has promoted a pair of internal employees to administrative roles within the district. Superintendent Matt Calvert announced that Porter Elementary School Principal Nicole Land would be taking over as the district’s human resources director, while Donda Slaydon, Porter High School dean of instruction, will take over the role of principal of Porter Elementary School.

Community Impact 

ELEMENTARY

New principal announced at Georgetown's Carver Elementary

On Monday, the Georgetown ISD board of trustees unanimously approved hiring Tosha VanMetre as Carver Elementary School principal. Ms VanMetre held multiple roles in education before landing her current position. She worked as a geometry teacher and instructional coach at Manor High School, associate principal at Manor Middle School and as an assistant principal at Forbes Middle School in GISD.

Community Impact 

EMPLOYMENT

Argyle ISD approves employee pay raises

Argyle ISD school board members unanimously approved pay raises for employees. Teachers, librarians and nurses can soon expect to start receiving an extra $150 each month because of the raise. Other school district employees can expect pay increases of 3% from the market midpoint. Bus drivers will see perhaps the largest relative increase. The proposal approved by board members will raise their hourly pay a full $3.48 to $20 an hour. Chris Daniel, deputy superintendent for AISD, said those raises are especially needed to keep from losing drivers to neighboring districts.

Denton Record-Chronicle 

FINANCE

Smithville board approves tax breaks for $190m solar project

The Smithville ISD school board has voted in favor of a Chapter 313 agreement with energy company RWE Renewables for a proposed $190m solar project. By approving the agreement - a 10-year appraised property value limitation - the board has authorized tax breaks for a 200-megawatt solar facility and an 80-megawatt energy storage facility. The district will benefit from a revenue protection payment of between $1m and $1.9m, and a supplemental payment of more than $2m to the district over the life of the project, a sum that will come independent of any property taxes RWE would pay on the solar project and outside of any local or state money the district normally receives.

Austin American-Statesman 

OPERATIONS

Students and staff benefit when principals stay close to classrooms

While most principals have spent time as teachers at some point, there is value in remaining closely connected to the classroom. At the Weilenmann School of Discovery, a charter school outside of Salt Lake City, administrators continue to spend time teaching students, which lets them “walk the walk.” Utilizing this approach can help administrators build credibility and leadership; the school community also benefits when teachers can see the vulnerability in their leaders, who in turn are maintaining firsthand experience of how their decisions impact the classroom. In recent years, principals' roles have also increasingly shifted to that of being an instructional leader. This has included revising principal standards and evaluations, creating additional administrative positions to oversee non-instructional duties, and strengthening the roles of principal supervisors.

K-12 Dive 

SECURITY

Opinion: School-safety debate swinging in favor of campus police

Judith Browne Dianis, executive director of the civil rights organization Advancement Project National Office, looks at how the conversation on the role of police in schools has changed in the 13 months since the murder of George Floyd. The decades-long argument for police-free schools, of which Ms Browne Dianis is an advocate for, has seen numerous districts across the nation, including in Minneapolis, Denver, Seattle, Phoenix, and Portland, severe ties with local police. She goes on to note that "the pendulum seems to be shifting back to business as usual," with federal funding allowing schools to monitor students through anonymous reporting systems, social-media surveillance, and threat-assessment teams that coordinate with law enforcement. Not long after cutting ties with the Minneapolis police department, the city’s school board employed tools to digitally surveil their students, and has hired “school safety specialists” to provide security as a “bridge” between in-school interventions and law enforcement. Ms Browne Dianis describes these as "dangerous and unproven practices" that disproportionately criminalize Black and brown students.

Education Week