Mike Falick's Blog

Spring Branch ISD Special Board Meeting Thursday October 2 at 8:00a to Discuss Make Up Days Related to Hurricane Ike

Our Board is scheduled to meet this Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 8:00a to discuss make up days related to Hurricane Ike.  I will post the results of that discussion on my blog as soon as the meeting concludes.

Houston PBS to Air "2 Million Minutes" - This is a Must Watch Documentary

A few weeks ago, Houston's Channel 8 and the Houston A+ Challenge presented the first Houston screening of the documentary 2 Million Minutes.  If you are unfamiliar with this documentary, click here (or look after the jump) for a short synopsis (more information is available on the 2 Million Minutes website).

Channel 8 is broadcasting 2 Million Minutes on three different days:

Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 8-9pm
Sunday, October 5, 2008, 6-7 pm
Friday, October 10, 2008, 1-2 pm

I strongly urge you to spend an hour watching this compelling documentary.

I received an email from Channel 8 that suggests the following post-viewing discussion suggestions for classroom or dinner table conversation:

• What motivates each student in the film?
• How did the teaching and learning that you saw in the film look different in each country? How did it look the same?
• What did parental/family involvement look like in each of these students’ lives?
• From your unique vantage point, what does this film say about education and global competition in the 21st century economy?
• What could we apply from this film to make students in the Houston area more competitive in a global economy?
• Teachers: As you look at your own scope and sequence, which components are helping your students gain a competitive edge in the global economy?  What could be improved?
• Principals: Does your school encourage students and teachers to apply a global perspective to learning? What could improve?

Spring Branch ISD Board Passes Resolution Calling for Significant Changes to the Proposed Uniform GPA Mandates

On Monday September 22, 2008, our Board passed this Resolution opposing the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's proposed uniform grade point average rules and calling for significant revisions and input from K-12 stakeholders that to date has been nearly entirely absent. 

I urge other school districts and concerned citizens to adopt similar resolutions and to contact members of the THECB to urge reconsideration of the proposed rules.  You can also send written comments to Natalie Coffey, Senior Program Director, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, P.O. Box 12788, Austin, Texas, 78711 within 30 days of the date of publication in the Texas Register by October 4, 2008.

Please see these prior posts here, here, and here for more information on this important issue.

(Click on the images to enlarge).

How Much is $700 Billion or Why the Numbers for Our National Debt and the Proposed Bailout Need Some Perspective

As I was attempting to get some perspective on how much $700 billion really is, or for that matter the $11+ trillion national debt, I was reminded of this prior post from March 2007.  The reality is that these amounts are inconceivable, even with this explanation repeated from the prior post.

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What's the Difference Between a Million, a Billion, and a Trillion? This Will Astound You!

I ran across this explanation of the difference between a million, a billion, and a trillion recently.  This provides perspective.

What's the difference between a million, a billion, a trillion?

A million seconds is 13 days.
A billion seconds is 31 years.
A trillion seconds is 31,688 years.

A million minutes ago was – 1 year, 329 days, 10 hours and 40 minutes ago.
A billion minutes ago was just after the time of Christ.

A million hours ago was in 1885.
A billion hours ago man had not yet walked on earth.

A million dollars ago was five (5) seconds ago at the U.S. Treasury.
A billion dollars ago was late yesterday afternoon at the U.S. Treasury.   

Here is some perspective on TRILLION:

Trillion = 1,000,000,000,000.

The country has not existed for a trillion seconds.
Western civilization has not been around a trillion seconds.
One trillion seconds ago – 31,688 years – Neanderthals stalked the plains of Europe.

Google Labs' In Quotes Lets You Search for and Compare What the Presidential Candidates have said by Keyword

Google Labs has created a very useful site called In Quotes that searches for and compares what the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates have been quoted as saying in the news media.  Obviously Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama are the most relevant, but you can also see what Gov. Palin and Sen. Biden and the past presidential candidates have said.

Recap of Tonight's Regular Monthly Meeting

Our Board held its regular monthly meeting tonight.  Here's a recap of the issues discussed and actions taken on tonight's Agenda.

Our first agenda item was an update on damage from Hurricane Ike.  By Wednesday, all of our schools except Hunters Creek Elementary will be open.  Hunters Creek continues to wait on power restoration at which time it can re-open.

No one spoke during Citizens Participation.

We next had a hearing on the District's 2008 Schools Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST).  I am pleased to report that for the sixth consecutive year, Spring Branch achieved the highest possible rating of Superior Achievement.

Our next agenda item was the consideration of amendments to Board Superintendent Operating Procedures #1, 11, and 17.  We postponed consideration of possible amendments to #17 until our October Workshop meeting.

We then had our Board member liaison reports (each Board member serves in a liaison capacity).

We had our first reading of Legal and Local Policies contained in TASB Update 83, and we considered amendments and approved FFA (Local) Student Welfare and Health Services.

Our first action items on the Agenda included the approval of the Budget Status Summary with Budget Amendments as of August 31, 2008, and the Facility Improvement Program Monthly Status Report with Project Detail Changes as of August 31, 2008.  As we do in every monthly meeting, we also approved the awarding of a number of contracts.

Next we considered and approved the creation of 2 new District Task Forces -- the Alternative Learning Task Force and the Individual Learning Plan Task Force.  Both of these Task Forces will explore and make recommendations for the implementation of components of the Five Year Educational Plan.

We next considered a Resolution on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Proposed Grade Point Average (GPA) Rules.  I have previously posted information about the urgent need for public comment on this issue.  For more information, please see these prior posts here and here.

We then had an update and discussion on the District's Five Year Educational Plan.

We concluded our meeting with the approval of the items on our Consent Agenda.

Spring Branch ISD School Reopening Announcement

From the SBISD flash email system:

Reopening Update for our Schools

Spring Branch ISD schools will be closed for students on Monday, Sept. 22. Campuses will open at their normal time on Tuesday, Sept. 23, except for the following schools which are without power at this time:

Northbrook High
Westchester Academy for International Studies
Cedarbrook Elementary
Edgewood Elementary
Hunters Creek Elementary
Wilchester Elementary

This list will be updated regularly if changes occur.

These schools have power and will open on Tuesday, Sept. 23:

Prekindergartens: Bear Blvd., Lion Lane, Panda Path, Tiger Trail, Wildcat Way
 
Elementaries: Bendwood, Buffalo Creek, Bunker Hill, Frostwood, Hollibrook, Housman, Meadow Wood, Memorial Drive, Nottingham, Pine Shadows, Ridgecrest, Rummel Creek, Shadow Oaks, Sherwood, Spring Branch, Spring Shadows, Terrace, Thornwood, Treasure Forest, Valley Oaks, Westwood, Woodview
 
Middle Schools: Landrum, Memorial, Northbrook, Spring Branch, Spring Forest, Spring Oaks, Spring Woods
 
High Schools: The Guthrie Center, Memorial High, Spring Branch School of Choice, Spring Woods, Stratford.

Schools without power and closed until further notice:

Elementaries: Cedar Brook, Edgewood, Hunters Creek, Wilchester
 
Middle Schools: Westchester Academy
 
High Schools: Northbrook High, Westchester Academy 

New school reopenings will be announced by 5 p.m. daily beginning on Monday, Sept. 22.

Please check our website at www.springbranchisd.com. You may also dial 713-464-1511 for a recorded message.

Here's an Awesome Inspirational Video of Dallas ISD Student Dalton Sherman Who Asks "Do You Believe in Me?"

Here's an awesome video of a speech by a student named Dalton Sherman that was given at this year's Dallas ISD Convocation.

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Tables Consideration of Uniform GPA Vote Until October 22, 2008: Now It is Critical to Send Your Comments

On September 6, I posted the following:

Another Attack on Local Control: The Higher Education Coordinating Board Proposes Rules that Would Significantly Impact the Calculation of the High School Grade Point Average

Following testimony at the The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Participation and Success Committee Meeting this morning that was nearly unanimous in its criticism of the proposed drastic changes in the manner in which GPAs are calculated, the committee voted to table consideration of the changes until October 22, 2008.

So now is the time for you to act. 

As I previously wrote, here is the THECB's proposed the method to be used to calculate GPAs, and it has some significant problems.  The proposed rules:

• Require a four-point scale,exclude local credit courses
• Include "academic courses included Chapters 110-114" of the Texas Administrative Code "regardless of when the course was taken.  The representative from TASB this morning correctly pointed out that there are many classes in the Recommended High School curriculum that would therefore not be included based on this limitation.
• Provide an additional weight of 1.0 for Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) and dual credit courses
• Require the GPA to be rounded to no more than three decimal places.

You can see the THECB's rationale for the rule changes here.

The proposed rules give NO WEIGHTS to Pre-AP classes.

In addition, the proposed rules give NO WEIGHTS to any career and technology classes.

Finally, it has been reported that THECB is considering implementing these rules with the incoming high school freshman class of 2009-10.  This seems particularly unfair to current middle school students taking Pre-AP classes.

It is unclear whether all of the courses listed in 19 TAC Chapters 110-114 would be considered "academic" for purposes of the uniform GPA methodology.

This issue has flown largely under the radar since the end of the 2007 Legislative Session.  However, it will really heat up over the next several weeks and months.

I encourage you to submit comments on these proposed rule changes.  Comments must be submitted to Natalie Coffey, Senior Program Director, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, P.O. Box 12788, Austin, Texas, 78711 within 30 days of the date of publication in the Texas Register by October 4, 2008.

Emergency Board Meeting: Spring Branch Schools Closed Through Friday, September 19

This morning, our Board held an emergency Board meeting to discuss the status of our campuses, the timeline for re-opening our schools, and to authorize the possible emergency expenditures needed to perform the repairs to our buildings due to damage from Hurricane Ike.  (Click here for the Agenda).

In summary, the District came through the Hurricane very well.  We did sustain roof and other damage to some of our buildings.

The District will not resume classes this week.  The main issue is lack of electricity at approximately 2/3rds of our buildings.  In addition, there are parts of the District where transportation issues exist.

On Friday, September 19, the situation will be re-assessed to determine if classes can resume on Monday, September 22.  Dr. Klussmann and the Board made it clear that it is the desire of the District to get back to normal as soon as possible. 

A question that I am being asked almost as often as when school will be back in session is whether we going to have to make up the missed days.  I think that a decision on make-up days will be made in the next few weeks. 

For more information, please visit the District's website or the alternative website that is only presenting Hurricane update information.