Your participation in the Friends Network enables Friends to fulfill its mission to facilitate respectful conversations about Texas public schools through honest communication, productive dialogue, and relentless encouragement.
For information or questions, email our Executive Director, Amber Fulton, at
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School districts can piggyback on money-saving contracts available through two national cooperative purchasing programs under one roof, The Keystone Purchasing Network and PEPPM Technology Bidding and Purchasing Program. Both programs advertise and solicit sealed bids, which are awarded to the most responsive and responsible bidders. The result is higher quality at lower prices. |
Friends to Friends
Scott and Leslie,
Seeing you recently reminded me, again, of the hugely important and fabulous work that you do for Texas Public Schools. I'm not sure that we, as a profession, can every thank you enough for what you do. Please know that I/we continue to recognize your heartfelt efforts for our students, teachers and communities. Thank you again & again.
Gayle Stinson, Superintendent Lake Dallas ISD
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DK Haney Roofing is a certified TIPS and TXMAS vendor dedicated to helping schools get roofing projects done. Schools have been our specialty for 23 years, so we can help you navigate insurance claims and board approvals. Our state-of-the-art roof management portal provides instant access to all your roofs and reports. Call 866.379.4846! |
Become an Ambassador for Public Education
Bring our Ambassador Training Academy staff development series to your peeps! Contact Leslie Milder for more information. |
Friends of Texas Public Schools Scott Milder 830 Shores Blvd.
Rockwall, TX 75087
smilder@fotps.org214-497-6411
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Every Kid Needs a Champion
 | | Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion |
Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids." Her response: "Kids don't learn from people they don't like.'" A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.
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The Truth on Cost
by Thomas R. Oehler, K12 Practice Director for the Southern Region and a Board member at SHW Group.
In a recent article in The Washington Times, Susan Combs, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, referred to an early childhood center built in the Austin Independent School District (AISD) as a "Taj Mahal for Tots." Times reporter Phillip Swarts bestowed upon AISD the Golden Hammer award, which is a weekly distinction awarded by The Washington Times for examples of excessive spending of taxpayer dollars.
While I am not the architect for the AISD early childhood center, I have dedicated the past 25 years of my career to exclusively designing educational facilities. So, as you can imagine, I read the article with great interest. Swarts and Combs are clearly of the opinion that AISD spent too much money for their new early childhood facility and that in general, most, if not all, school districts spend too much money on their facilities-even going so far as to label them "superstructures." They supported their belief by using historical cost per square foot and cost per student data to compare the cost of education facilities across the state of Texas and the nation, in an effort to determine an "appropriate" cost for these vitally important elements of every community.
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The New "F" Word in Education
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Worth Ave. Group offers insurance policies perfect for K-12 schools wanting to insure electronic devices. Policies provide replacement cost coverage and protect the devices on and off school grounds. Insurance works perfectly for schools with 1 to 1 programs, designed to issue laptops, iPads or tablets to students and teachers.
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Notable Numbers
Mathematics highlights for Texas 8th graders include:
- The score of 273 for African-American in Texas students was higher than the national score of 263 in that peer group and ranked 4th nationally.
- The score of 281 for Hispanic students in Texas was higher than the national score of 271 in that peer group and ranked 4th nationally.
- The score of 300 for white students in Texas was higher than the national score of 293 in that peer group and ranked 5th nationally.
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Texas Graduates Taking AP Exams has Doubled
Commissioner of Education Michael Williams has announced that the number of Texas graduates taking at least one Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) Exam has more than doubled during the past decade.
In addition, the number of low-income graduates taking at least one AP Exam has more than quadrupled, and the number of Hispanic/Latino graduates taking AP has nearly tripled over the last ten years. This expansion has resulted in a significant increase in the number of qualifying AP Exam scores typically required for college credit.
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News You Can Use Now on Pinterest
Friends of Texas Public Schools has joined the Pinterest bandwagon. We will be adding facts, videos and other important information you can share. Follow us on Pinterest for news you can use and share with your district and communities.
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Advertise with Friends!
With more than a million hits annually on its website and more than 22,000 e-news subscribers, Friends of Texas Public Schools is making advertising/sponsor opportunities available to organizations wishing to reach school leaders across Texas.
For information on getting your organization's message out to Friends of Texas Public Schools followers and readers, please email Amber Fulton at Afulton@fotps.org.
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