As a veteran teacher, I know that my colleagues and I have a lot of input that we’re happy to share regarding the strengths and weaknesses we find on a daily basis in the public education system.
Lucky for us, the first objective of the Texas Education Code states that “Parents will be full partners with educators in the education of their children.” While this may seem to simply impact your interaction with a teacher on a campus, it also implies that importance of the community interacting and influencing the larger Texas education system.
The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) is in the process of semi-routine revising of the long-term plan for public education and they’re required to ask for your input. The new plan and long-term goals will be in place through the year 2030 and will inevitably create long-range ripples in the education of the next generation of Texans.
This is where we, the teachers, parents, students, business leaders and stakeholders come in. The board is hosting six community gatherings around the state to gather comments from the public.
According to Community Conversation Dallas, topics up for discussion include, but are not limited to:
- Participation and empowerment of students
- Preparation, recruitment, and retention of educators
- Equity and access
- Commitment and family empowerment
The closest community conversation to Frisco is on December 6th from 6:30 – 8:30 at the Dallas County Community College, El Centro West – Multi-Purpose Room at 3330 North Hampton Road.
The Long-Range Plan for Public Education 18-member steering committee will recommend long-term goals for the Texas public school system based on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges in the system that are presented in these forums and a future online survey.
The Steering Committee is made up of five SBOE Board of Education members, agency representatives from the Texas Education Agency, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and the Texas Workforce Commission along with ten public stakeholders. These stakeholders were chosen out of more than 600 applications received this summer!
Once the Long-Range Plan Steering Committee brings together their recommendations, including your public input, they will then be forwarded to the State Board of Education for adoption in the Fall of 2018.
Register for the free event here, but registration is not required to attend. It is, however, recommended that you do some pre-reading as listed in the above link.
I hope to see you there – I’ll save you a seat! If you can’t make it, keep in mind that the Texas Education Agency will be posting updates here.
