The No More Excuses, Tyler ISD! Coalition…
a diverse community shining light on the truth
in order to secure the future
for tomorrow’s leaders Paid for by No More Excuses Tyler ISD! Coalition, Ernie Clark, Treasurer Bright spotlight on: 1. Tyler ISD Administration & School Board’s continued lack of support (disrespect) for teachers in classroom & campus discipline (safety) and in academic mission (professional) 2. Continued poor to mediocre academic results for tax dollars spent – even in new schools!
3. Continued serious campus & classroom discipline issues – assaults on teachers, staff and students, disruption of learning
4. Continued questions about new district attendance zones. Where will students go to school? When will we know?
Bond cost is incomplete! • The bond package is NOT $160.5 million! This
does not represent the total cost in taxes to
homeowners & businesses.
• The total cost in taxes for the 30-year debt is
$254.1 million because financing (interest) costs
total $93.6 million that must be added in.
• Just because the District has scheduled the note
payments not to increase the tax rate does not
mean you won’t pay more. This is not free!
JUST the FACTS
¾Our position is not based on emotion.
¾Our position is not just opinion.
¾We are presenting FACTS – as difficult
as they are to live with. These FACTS
are easily gathered from state resources.
In order to make a slogan about
excellence work, you must demonstrate
actual progress and deliver results.
State Comptroller’s 2012 FAST report
FAST = Financial Allocation Study for Texas
•TISD placed amid lower half for efficiency
•TISD spends high levels of money per student
w/mediocre academic results when compared to other school
districts
•TISD in bottom half of 41 school districts when measuring
relationship between district spending and student
achievement.
•TISD received 2.5 of five stars for having relatively high perstudent expenditures & mediocre academic progress when
compared to districts with similar wages, enrollment, location
& student demographics
FAST Details for Tyler ISD
• Of the 25 Tyler ISD schools included, the highest rating received
was 3.5 stars out of 5 (Douglas, Owens, Jack)
• A five-star district = significant academic progress at very low
spending levels per student. A one-star district = low academic
progress at very high spending levels per student
• Five schools — Bell, Birdwell, Ramey, Rice and Woods —
received three-star ratings
• Thirteen schools received either two-star or 2.5-star ratings.
• Jones Elementary received a 1.5 star rating. And three schools
—Boulter, Dogan and Peete —received one-star ratings.
Signs of Decline
• Over the last five years, out of our 25 schools, 19 have declined in state ranking and 6 have improved.
• In a majority of our new elementary schools, academic results have either remained “acceptable” or have declined from “recognized” to merely “acceptable.”
Source: Comptroller’s FAST report
College Readiness
What do the facts say?
2011 Texas Education Agency reports 2011:
59% of eligible TISD students took the
ACT/SAT college readiness tests…
Only 23% tested at or above the criterion (77% failed to meet it)
TEA: Tyler ISD’s College Readiness
¾ TISD below both the state & Region 7 in college readiness for the 2011‐2012 academic year. ¾ TISD below both the state & Region 7 in the percentage of graduates who took the test required to enter college if the student is not exempted by his/her ACT, SAT or state testing scores. Texas Success Initiative
¾ Since 2004, TISD has always been several points below both state & region in college readiness in both Math & English Language arts.
Attendance Zones Matter • Parents should know where their children will attend school. (Work, housing, commutes)
• To maximize existing facilities ‐ efficiency
• For correct placement & sizing of new facilities
• DOJ approval NOT contingent upon passing bond election first…Tyler ISD – no documents to prove claim
• We are still under the federal desegregation order. Why would we invite trouble by neglecting community dialogue and planning? Former Superintendent Reid stated over 2 yrs ago the District would form committees and develop an attendance zone realignment for the entire District. It never happened. Why? Our Core Message
¾ The facts show merely passing school bonds to build new
schools does not deliver high academic results for all students in
Tyler ISD.
¾ Tyler ISD is not producing consistent academic results that
assure us students are getting what they need to master a skill
or a trade, or to earn a degree at any college.
¾ Too many of our students must take remedial courses before
ever taking the first college class. Too many students cannot
read at grade level or above. Both of our high schools are rated
‘Academically Unacceptable.’
¾ Dangerous discipline issues plague many of the schools, while
the students who desire to learn and the teachers who desire to
teach suffer. This is unacceptable and should be to you.
The No More Excuses
Tyler ISD! Coalition agrees
Yes…It’s time alright…
Time to tell the truth
Time to find out what’s wrong
Time to do what’s right for the kids
Time to support good teachers
Time to stop living a lie in Tyler ISD!