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How we take back our children's education: one person, one question, one school at a time. |
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| Copyright 1999-2007 Peyton Wolcott |
| Conservative Commentary |
| TAS/MUS SCRAPBOOK - PAGE 1 |
| THE BIG PICTURE |
| STORE 'EM IN ANOTHER BUILDING: Lengths to which one district will go to avoid producing documents (North East ISD - San Antonio, Texas) |
| Public Records |
| Sentencing |
| Bremond ISD |
| National School District Honor Roll How to ask your school district to post its checks online here Flyer here NEW! History here |
| Practical steps: How to Organize/Tips 95 Questions How to ask for public records |
| Request: Same-year expense reports for supe Rich. Middleton |
| TAS/MUS Scrapbook - Page 1 Texas supes playing golf Friday of TAKS testing week By Peyton Wolcott Updated Sunday, April 22, 2007/8:10 am |
| Cypress-Fairbanks ISD supe David Anthony (middle) at Lynn's (left) Tapatio Springs bar cart with vendor Ken Coffey (right) (vice president/Institutional Markets, AIG); David Anthony's official portrait on Cy-Fair ISD's website (inset) |
| A 'hidden world' Friday afternoon Texas superintendents and vendors played golf together, often riding in the same carts, at Tapatio Springs Resort in Boerne in the Texas Hill Country near San Antonio. The day was perfect weather for any activity and on the Texas Association of Suburban/ Mid-Urban Schools (TAS/MUS) conference agenda instead of meetings in stuffy no-windows conference rooms it was a golf game on a course described as having "breathtaking" scenery along with "cascading water features" and "challenging golf" by such publications as Texas Golfer at a resort described as "exclusive" by Yahoo Travel and "a hidden world" and "the ideal place for mixing business with pleasure" by World Golf. Thus is was that on a picture-perfect 75-degree blue-sky day, far away from their students and teachers toiling this past week over their Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) tests -- leaving someone else in their absence to attend to multiple clean-up details such as ensuring that all TAKS-associated security details have been followed to the letter in order to protect the integrity of the process -- Texas superintendents along with some wives and administrators and a gaggle of vendor- sponsors toiled under a gentle sun Friday chasing not perfect TAKS scores but a little white golf ball. This raises several questions First, I'd like more information from participating supes regarding their time- management skills as I frankly could use some pointers. How they can be away from their districts during such a crucial week indicates they likely have everything under such control that their actual physical presence in their districts is not necessary. My next question, and likely they've got a reasonable explanation, is this: "If you can be absent from your district for an entire day during such a critical week, are your services really necessary the rest of the year?" Likely here too they've got a really logical well- thought out explanation. Again, this would fall under the category of time management skills and I for one would earnestly like to know more. Talk about being on top of things! |
| ONLINE NOW TEXAS: Arlington ISD Bellville ISD New! Big Spring ISD Blackwell CISD Bremond ISD Chester ISD* New! Conroe ISD* New! Dallas ISD Denison ISD New! Ector Co. ISD New! Electra ISD Holliday ISD New! Houston ISD New! Katy ISD Leander ISD Leonard ISD New! Malakoff ISD Marble Falls ISD McKinney ISD New! Nederland ISD New Caney ISD No.Forest ISD*New! Pasadena ISD*New! Quinlan ISD New! San Angelo ISD Spring Branch ISD Tomball ISD* New! Van Alstyne ISD New! Wimberley ISD New! COMMITTED/SOON El Paso ISD (TX) Galena Park ISD (TX) Keller ISD (TX) Richardson ISD (TX) Sundown ISD (TX) Temple ISD (TX) Ysleta ISD (TX) STATE DOE ONLINE Texas Education Agency PARENTS, TAX- PAYERS, TRUS- TEES ASKING IN: Cedar Rapids PS (IA) ChippewaVall.SD(MI) Cleburne ISD (TX) Comal ISD (TX) Eanes ISD (TX) Lake Travis ISD (TX) Lancaster ISD (TX) Midway-Waco ISD (TX) New York CPS (NY) Omaha PS (NB) Santa Cruz CPS (AZ) *SOURCE-Houston Chronicle |
| National School District Honor Roll $27.2 billion! 36 districts! |
| Texas Association of Suburban/Mid- Urban Schools The Texas Association of Suburban/Mid-Urban Schools (TAS/MUS) is an organization that serves as a net- work for superin- tendents of suburban and mid-urban school districts. TAS/MUS hosts a Fall and Spring Conference each year, held in November and April respectively, that feature prominent speakers. Authentic conversation regarding actual problems Participants find a valuable aspect of these conferences is the time for superin- tendents to engage in authentic conversation regarding actual problems and challenges on topics of importance to superintendents. TASA provides administrative and operational support to TAS/MUS. For additional information on conference registration or membership, please contact Paul Whitton, 800-725-8272. The officers and directors of TAS/MUS believe it is mutually beneficial to develop corporate partnerships. TAS/MUS members want and need to keep abreast of the current education marketplace. TAS/MUS values corporate sponsor- ships as they enhance the quality of our programs and provide important information. (SOURCE--TASA) |
| Curious about TAS/MUS? By Peyton Wolcott Sat., Apr. 21, 2007 So was I. As TAS/MUS does not appear to have its own dedicated web-site, here's a description of this weekend's "Spring Conference" appearing on the Texas Ass'n of School Admini- strators (TASA) website: |
| NOTE: To the best of my knowledge, this commentary is the only published journalism with photographs of any TAS/MUS confer- ences. If you borrow anything from this page, please attribute. |
| Lending a helping hand; the fellow in the black shirt at left (and below at right) identified himself as being with ESC 20; and his friend in the striped shirt next to him said he's with "Valley Financial Advisors." Below right, Linebarger Goggan, Blair & Sampson vendor/lawyer. |
| The photos at right of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Crass raise another interest- ing question: When is a vendor a wife and vice versa? Rhonda Crass is managing partner of Henslee Fowler's Fort Worth office; according to the firm's website, Henslee, Fowler, Hepworth & Schwartz, LLP has offices in several other Texas cities including Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Tyler. Also, Mrs. Crass's posted firm bio states that her primary practice area is "school law." Her husband Ray Crass has been superinten- dent of Mineral Wells ISD since 1997. Here again, I will be contacting Ray Crass to find out more about his time management skills, and how he came to be at Tapatio Springs yesterday rather than back in Mineral Wells with his students and his teachers. |
| Speaking of lawyers, above right is attorney Rhonda Crass, with husband Ray Crass at left and below; at left, David Anthony's cart ID indicating a 12:00 tee-time. More about the photo above right later this week. |
| NOTE: The question will arise from the superintendents, administrators, spouses and vendors depicted, "Should these photos be published?" Yes, for several reasons. Were this a private activity funded entirely by the superintendents out of their own pockets and occurring only on a Saturday/Sunday weekend, I would not have been anywhere near the Tapatio Springs golf course yesterday, a Friday. However, this three-day, Friday/Saturday/Sunday golf tournament is funded by Texas taxpayers in multiple ways, not the least of which is the superintendents' Friday salaries, plus there are fees and other costs such as travel associated with their attendance. Further, the Friday in question was the final day of Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) testing week, one of the most important weeks during all of the Texas academic year. More thoughts regarding the ramifications of superintendents' attending vendor-driven events here. |
| Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Testing Schedule the same day supe David Anthony was here at Tapatio Springs Resort playing golf at TAS/MUS: TAKS Social Studies - Grades 8, 10, 11 Exit TAKS-I Social Studies – Grades 8, 10, 11 Exit TAKS Exit Retest Social Studies |
| A SAMPLING OF BASIC TEXAS EDU- CONFERENCES: Jan. - TASA MidWinter (Austin) Feb. - AASA (out of state) Feb./Mar. - TASBO (rotates, in-state) April - NASB (out of state) April - TAS/MUS (Boerne) June - TASBO (Corpus Christi) June - TASA Summer Conference (Austin) July - TASB SLI (San Antonio) Oct. - TASA/TASB (Houston and Dallas, alternate years) November - TAS/MUS |
| Gulf Coast Area Ass'n of School Boards Fast Growth School Coalition Texas Association of Midsized Schools Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Texas Rural Education Association Texas Association of Rural Schools Texas Association of Midsized Schools Texas School Coalition Texas Association of Community Schools South Texas Association of Schools Equity Center Texas Coalition for Public Schools |
| More about conferences It's not uncommon for me to receive emails and phone calls along the lines of: "My child's principal is always gone!" and "Our superintendent is never at school--he's off at yet another conference!" This first listing shows the basic conferences your top administrators probably attend: |
| In addition to the above conferences, there are specialty conferences for all levels of adminis- trators including, for example, principals and CFO's, such as: |
| A modest and personal observation: It seems education was better off before the formation of so many new organizations starting in the l960's and later--back when superintendents' and administrators stayed home and did their jobs. |
| Mineral Wells ISD TAKS Testing Schedule the same day supe Ray Crass was here at Tapatio Springs Resort playing golf: TAKS Social Studies - Grades 8, 10, 11 Exit TAKS-I Social Studies – Grades 8, 10, 11 Exit TAKS Exit Retest Social Studies |
| Wondering ...Why TASA is being so coy about TAS/MUS? ... Why are no officers with their contact inform- ation listed any- where on TASA's website? ... Why on the weekend of the TAS/MUS confer- ence is it not listed along with these other "Active Confer- ences/Seminars": o UT/TASA Summer Conference on Education o TCWSE Summer Conference Budget Boot Camp for Superintendents o 2007 Texas Assessment Conference Program Application |
| ONLINE CHECK REGISTERS Where we were: April 2007 |
| UPDATE: Newsday (Long Island, New York) reported in December 2007 that water district commissioners had played golf with vendors on a paid work day. More here. |