Today is the last day of school for
Spring Branch students. What a long, strange year this has been starting with
Hurricane Ike, and ending with the
swine flu, and the April flood. But our District weathered each of these challenges.
Our preliminary State testing data shows significant improvement over last year marking what will likely be the 6th consecutive year of improving results (more on this in an upcoming post). A record 87% of our students took the
SAT or
ACT test this year, and our results improved. We continue to perform
well above the State averages in every academic measurement, and we are moving toward fulfilling our mission to be the
premiere college focused district in Texas. We also continued our progress toward meeting the goals outlined in the District's
Five Year Educational Plan, and beginning in the Fall, we will start our
Early College program. Also this Fall, the District's new
homework policy, which was finalized in February, will go into effect.
While there is much work left to be done in school finance reform, the recently completed
Legislative Session will bring modest but welcome changes to the accountability system, and perhaps an additional $2.5m per year in funding. And our Pre-K program was repeatedly held up as a beacon of success by not only our legislators, but also legislators from around the State.
The
2007 Bond program continued to move forward with groundbreaking ceremonies at Hollibrook and Westwood, with two more scheduled to break ground soon. The 80+ new buses purchased were all on the road this year.
Technology integration continues to be a focus in the District. We are adding Smartboards at every campus, and the District is now fully wireless at every campus.
Our communication efforts continue to advance. The District's
website has become an excellent communication vehicle this year. Our call out system proved invaluable during the
Hurricane when many people only had a working cell phone for receiving updates. We produced the first
Annual Report to the Community, and the District's branding initiative is underway. We also had a record number of
Good Neighbors,
mentors, educational and facilities task force participants, and community and business partners this year.
The District received another
flawless audit report this year. While we face a deficit budget this year, we have continued to increase efficiencies throughout the District through cost reductions.
As I visit our schools in the District throughout the year, I am always impressed by the level of teaching and student engagement that I see at every level in our District. While there is always room to improve, Spring Branch continues to be a great District thanks to the hard work of our students, teachers, administrators, and of course, our parents and our community.
Have a great, restful Summer! You've earned it!
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