September 2015

Share the great news about public education by adding the FOTPS logo to your webpage and social media.

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.

We want to share our story with Texans across the state, and we need your help to continue our work.

All public school districts in Texas are invited to enroll in our Friends of Texas Public Schools Network for the 2015-16 School Year.

If you were a member of the network last year we want to welcome you back for the 2015-16 school year. If you haven't been a member of our network before, we hope you will consider joining us this year.

Raise Your Army of Ambassadors

Now is the time to budget and make plans to include the Ambassador Training Academy Staff Development Series as part of your strategic mix for 2015-16.

Training the 600,000+ people who work in our schools to step up as ambassadors for themselves, their students, and their schools is the most effective long-term strategy for restoring the public's confidence in public education and neutralizing the destructive rhetoric leveled against Texas public schools.

Ambassador program participants gain actionable strategies for raising morale, strengthening the culture of brotherhood, and restoring public pride, hope, optimism and confidence in their schools.

Contact Leslie Milder at lmilder@fotps.org, or by phone at 214-498-7680 to get started.

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Texas Leads the Nation in High School Graduation Rates

Commissioner of Education Michael Williams announced that the Texas high school on-time graduation rate set by the Class of 2014 reflects another all-time high for the state and marks the seventh consecutive year the overall rate has increased.

According to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) report, Secondary School Completion and Dropouts in Texas Public Schools, 2013-14, the graduation rate for the Class of 2014 was 88.3 percent, which is 0.3 percentage points higher than the previous record set by the Class of 2013.

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Spotlight on Our Regional Service Centers

The state of Texas has a state-wide system of 20 regional education service centers created by the 59th Texas Legislature to assist school districts across the state. Their role in public education across Texas is to assist school districts in improving student performance in each region of the system, enable school districts to operate more efficiently and economically, and implement initiatives assigned by the legislature or commissioner.

Friends of Texas Public Schools will feature one of these service centers in each edition of this e-newsletter, letting readers know about the great things these behind-the-scenes educators are doing for Texas students.

Region Spotlight: Region 1

The Region One Educational Service Center is located in South Texas on the United States/Mexico border. Region One serves 37 school districts and 10 charter school systems in the seven county areas of Cameron County, Hidalgo County, Jim Hogg County, Starr County, Webb County, Willacy County, and Zapata County. The Service Center is located in Edinburg, Texas.

"We work very hard to be cost effective and to find creative solutions for our educators and administrators. We know that budgets are tight and our job is to help them do their job better by providing the best quality services for the best price." said Dr. Cornelio Gonzalez, Executive Director of Region One.

A great example of the Center's ability to find creative solutions is the creation of the Deep South Texas Financial Literacy Alliance (DSTFLA). The Alliance was created by the Center's GEAR UP Ready, Set, College! Partnership, and brought together college, university, community and banking partners with the goal of increasing the financial literacy awareness of families in deep South Texas by the year 2017. The Alliance represents local institutions of higher education, financial institutions, business and community entities, and meets several times a year.

"We found a unique opportunity for individuals from different sectors to come together and work towards a common agenda," explains Melissa Lopez, Region One GEAR UP Specialist. "The Alliance members have become a family and while it is comprised of various institutions including eight banking institutions, they all have a vision and passion for improving the financial status of our communities."

Click here to read more about the DSTFLA.

For more information about Region One ESC, visit www.esc1.net.

Featured Corporate Sponsor

Powell & Leon, LLP is founded on an uncompromising commitment to client service. The attorneys at Powell & Leon are dedicated to fostering client relationships built on trust, working closely with their clients to provide timely, accurate and candid legal advice and to provide policy-makers with the information they need to make their clients' interests. The firm has a comprehensive and diverse education law practice, and their experience representing public schools and other educational institutions in all facets of education law have contributed to their statewide prominence in the area of Texas school law.

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Meet our New Executive Director

FOTPS is pleased to announce that Stacey Ford Osborne has been selected as the organization's first full-time Executive Director. Ms. Osborne, who is the CEO and Principal at the Economic Vitality Corporation, will replace Amber Fulton, who served as the part-time director for five years prior to Ms. Osborne's hiring.

Scott Milder, Co-Founder of FOTPS, said that Ms. Osborne will help expand the organization's mission and provide leadership as the organization enters the next phase of its development. "Amber Fulton did a great job of creating a solid foundation for our organization, and we are excited to move forward with Stacey as our first full-time executive director. One of the many things we found intriguing about her is her background in economic development, which is something we plan to capitalize on with our organization. She brings a great deal of experience and enthusiasm to the table, and I know that she will help us broaden and deepen our reach across Texas in the years ahead."