Education news

Updated June 27, 2008, 1:30 p.m.

The Hays Highway

San Marcos schools superintendent joins educators delegation to China
From school districts as diverse as Schenectady, N.Y., Salt Lake City, Utah, and San Marcos, hundreds of educators are traveling to China this summer to learn about the language and culture of one of the world’s oldest civilizations.
(June 27, 2008)
See the Kyle Mercury story.

District changes names of two schools
Hays CISD trustees agreed to change the names of two schools Monday night while also allowing their bond advisors to time $86.7 million in new bonding authority for maximum effect.
(June 19, 2008)
See the Kyle Mercury story.

London announces retirement as Hays CISD superintendent
Five years after unifying a divided school district to pass three school bonds, Hays CISD Superintendent Kirk London announced Monday night that he will retire at the end of the 2008-09 school year.
(June 17, 2008)
See the Kyle Mercury story.

Cornerstones laid for two new schools
Two new Hays CISD elementary schools are on their way to opening in August with the leveling of their cornerstones late last month.
(June 9, 2008)
See the Kyle Mercury story.

Hays CISD improves preliminary TAKS scores
Hays CISD registered improvement for all student subgroups in preliminary results from the latest Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.
(June 5, 2008)
See the Kyle Mercury story.

Hays CISD to graduate 600 seniors this weekend
A week of high school graduations in Hays County begins tonight, when Hays High School will walk 322 seniors at Bob Shelton Stadium.
(May 30, 2008)
See the Kyle Mercury story.

Hays trustees approve $1,000 teacher bonus
Teachers, counselors, nurses and librarians will receive an additional $1,000 over course of next school year. Other district employees get a two percent raise.
(May 27, 2008)
See the Kyle Mercury story.

Konecki named new Travis Elementary principal
Niki Konecki, a San Marcos CISD administrator since 2005, has been named principal of Travis Elementary School.
(May 22, 2008)
See the San Marcos Mercury story.

Hays CISD hikes meal prices 20 cents
Hays CISD trustees approved a price increase of 20 cents across the board for school meals while switching food service providers.
(May 21, 2008)
See the Kyle Mercury story.

Foundation awards more than $40,000 in grants
The San Marcos Education Foundation awarded innovative teaching grants totaling more than $40,000 as part of the San Marcos school district’s technology fair.
(May 20, 2008)
See the San Marcos Mercury story.

Hays teachers get innovation grants
The Hays CISD Education Foundation gave $31,000 in grants for innovative teachers Thursday night at the districtwide technology showcase. For the school year, the education foundation gave out $70,000 in innovative teaching grants.
(May 18, 2008)
See the Kyle Mercury story.

Presley’s influence wide and deep
Bob Presley, the Hays CISD’s long-time deputy superintendent who has recruited dozens of principals and hundreds of teachers to the school district, is retiring after 43 years in the profession.
(May 13, 2008)
See the Kyle Mercury story.

Voter turnout varies in Saturday elections
Saturday’s elections brought out little interest in the San Marcos school board, but considerable interest in the Buda City Council.
(May 13, 2008)
See the Kyle Mercury story.

Hays CISD names top teachers
The Hays CISD recently named its teachers of the year for each of 17 campuses, plus special education. (May 2, 2008)
See story.

Rose: school finance is back
State Representative Patrick Rose told Hays CISD trustees Monday night that school finance will be back on the table during the next legislative session. The trustees were glad to hear it. (April 23, 2008)
See story.

Hays CISD could face tax vote
If Hays CISD officials want to continue raising teacher pay, they believe they'll have to ask voters for a tax-rate increase in a year. But they can still build new schools without increasing the tax rate. (March 27, 2008)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Beating the vote
The Hays CISD trustees won't let an extra minute pass before building a fifth middle school. They've already approved construction documents, though they won't know if they have the money until the May 10 bond election. (March 20, 2008)
See The Daily Drive entry.

100 years of Buda school
Buda Elementary School unveiled its historic designation Friday after 100 years of public education at its downtown location. (February 24, 2008)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Dodging a bullet
The Hays and San Marcos school districts dodged a bullet when the Wimberley district voted against its own doom Tuesday night, but the larger winner is the chance for political peace across Hays County. (February 14, 2008)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Big school ballot
If the Hays CISD has conducted more contentious elections in recent years, the May ballot will put a lot on the line, combining a school bond vote with three seats on the board of trustees. (February 7, 2008)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Hays CISD calls bond vote
Recession fears aside, the Hays CISD trustees called Monday night for an $86.7 million school bond election in May. (January 29, 2008)
See story.

UIL sanctions Mariachi
A long-held dream of Hays CISD Trustee Joe Muñoz came true this week when the University Interscholastic League (UIL) announced it will sanction statewide Mariachi competition. (January 12, 2008)
See The Daily Drive entry.

MASBA conference at Hays PAC
The annual Mexican American School Board Association (MASBA) conference will take place this week at the Hays CISD Performing Arts Center, with Hays CISD Trustees Secretary Joe Muñoz presiding. (January 6, 2008)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Innovative teachers
Teachers in Hays CISD received nearly $37,000 in grants last week from the Hays Education Foundation, which has awarded nearly $500,000 in innovative teaching grants since 2000. (December 29, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

No surprises, but a lost bet
The Hays CISD's growth impact committee made the expected recommendations Monday night, but Trustee Joe Munoz wore an unexpected choice of shirt. (December 18, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

GIC proposes $87 million bond
Hays CISD Trustees will consider asking voters for $86.7 million in bonds, per a recommendation from a growth impact committee. (December 8, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Hays CISD zeroes in on zones
A growth impact committee approved Hays CISD elementary school zones including two schools to open in 2008. (December 4, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Hays CISD talks bond money
A growth impact committee for the Hays schools is considering bond amounts ranging from $75 million to $130.7 million for an election next year. (November 30, 2007)
See story.

Waiting to walk
The county's two largest school districts have each changed policy in the last year as to whether seniors who haven't passed the TAKS can walk at graduation. And they've wound up, again, with different policies. (November 29, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Hays and college prep
Hays High School performs at just about the average for Texas high schools when it comes to preparing students for college, according to Texas Education Association (TEA) figures. (November 26, 2007)
See story.

ROTC to Lehman
Hays CISD Trustees authorized Superintendent Kirk London to complete the agreements needed to install a Navy ROTC program at Lehman High School. (November 19, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Hays CISD turns richer, poorer
While property values in the Hays CISD rise, the proportion of economically disadvantaged students increases. (November 18, 2007)
See story.

Slow growth is still growth
Hays CISD hasn't grown 1,500 this year, as feared. But the one-year growth of 1,100 students is still a serious matter as a committee draws elementary school attendance zones. (October 29, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Flack increase
Commentary
Often, someone will mention the Texas legislature, followed by a qualifying subclause — "in its infinite wisdom" — followed by the punch line. The new school tax rates give rise to another example. (August 23, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Budget up, tax rate down
Hays CISD trustees are likely to approve a $121 million budget at a tax rate of $1.4613, down more than 31 cents from last year after school finance restructuring at the state legislature. (August 7, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Surveying school salaries
A salary survey costing $20,000 will help the Hays CISD determine if it's paying support personnel in line with comparable school districts. (June 22, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Raising teachers ... and others
The Hays CISD trustees are considering a pay package that would raise starting teachers to $36,500, and even give employees working fewer than 20 hours per week an additional $600 per year. (May 9, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Bored by school elections
Incumbency on the Hays and San Marcos school boards means not having to face a challenge. (March 30, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Taxing situation
The San Marcos City Council passed a Freeport exemption, but the effect won't be maximized because the San Marcos CISD is in no position to follow suit. (February 23, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Asking for more?
Commentary
It turns out a $122.7 million bond isn't enough to pay for the projects promised by the San Marcos CISD in 2004. So, the school board might ask for another bond. (February 15, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

The old buzzard still buzzes
Ralph Pfluger, one of the oldest sitting school board members in Texas at 76, will run for re-election to the Hays CISD Board of Trustees. (January 23, 2007) See The Daily Drive entry.

Growth pounds harder on Hays CISD
As the Hays CISD addresses enrollment beyond its projections, house closings within the school district reached record highs for every quarter of 2007. (January 23, 2007) See story.

Bond bashers
Commentary
Hays CISD officials must be thrilled with their new $46.3 million bond, but they've got to be doing a double take after 40 percent of the voters went against the package, despite no tax increase. (November 9, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

More bonds? Or larger bonds?
The Hays CISD could have gone out for a $75 million bond without a tax increase, but school officials would prefer smaller bonds more often. (September 5, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

When minus-17 is minus-10
Commentary
That big 17-cent school property tax promised by the state legislature is down to 13 cents in the San Marcos CISD and ten cents in the Hays CISD. (September 5, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

Paying teachers
The San Marcos CISD is trying to avoid being the lowest paying school district in the area. (August 15, 2006) See story.

Student surge
The Hays CISD already has enrolled about 11,600 for this year. Officials hope that number will drop this week. (August 13, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

A long way to go
The Hays CISD needs to bring another 35 percent of its Hispanic and low-income students up to TAKS standard to be rated "exemplary" by the TEA in 2010. (August 9, 2006) See story.

Building a bigger budget
Hays CISD officials propose a $16 million budget increase — with a ten-cent cut in the tax rate. (August 3, 2006) See Daily Drive entry.

Buda upper campus survives
Hays CISD officials have done away with plans to close the upper campus of Buda Elementary School. The decision might have saved a bit of embarrassment. (August 2, 2006) See Daily Drive entry.

Hays CISD calls bond election
Commercial development enables the Hays CISD to ask for a $46.3 million bond without increasing the tax rate. (August 2, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

Perez reprieve
Commentary
Bad news for the San Marcos CISD Superintendent is good news for the San Marcos CISD. (July 12, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

The winds and the whip-poor-wills
Commentary
Business property values are increasing faster than home values in the Hays CISD. But the business increases still need to come faster. (July 7, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

Ted Lehman
Commentary
Buda, Kyle and the Hays CISD lost a great one with the death of Ted Lehman this month. (June 28, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

Perez keeps impressing
It's looking almost inevitable that San Marcos CISD Superintendent Sylvester is headed for San Antonio. (June 23, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

Perez on the move?
San Marcos CISD Superintendent Sylvester Perez is up for the same position in San Antonio. (June 21, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

The four magic pennies
Hays CISD officials can enrich the school district by taxing beyond the new "maximum" rate. (June 16, 2006) See story.

Buda school plan gains momentum
The Hays CISD is likely to vacate the historic upper campus of Buda Elementary School. (June 16, 2006) See story.

The votes are in
Hays CISD voters said they'd rather not vote for a trustee who's already on the school board. (May 13, 2006) See Daily Drive entry.

Two-seated trustee?
Hays CISD trustees secretary Joe Muñoz will remain on the school board even if he loses today's election. What if he wins? (May 12, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

Want a tax break?
Commentary
The Texas legislature is working on a school funding equalization package that will reduce taxes for lower income Texans only if they don't smoke. (May 4, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

Sharp edge on the lege
Commentary
Former Texas Comptroller John Sharp has worked out a plan for tax reform. Until the lege gets its hands on it. (March 29, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

Trustees tackle transfers
Commentary
The Hays CISD has decided to restrict high school transfers, a huge victory for Lehman High School. (March 27, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

Primary education
Commentary
The upcoming primary elections might make actually change how the Texas legislature approaches school finance. (Feb. 15, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

Trustees to tackle high school transfers
The Hays CISD Board of Trustees will try to compromise between school choice and the chance for a new school to thrive. (Dec. 13, 2005) See story.

Hays CISD approves attendance zones
The Hays CISD trustees approved new school attendance zones after major tweaking. (Dec. 13, 2005) See story.

Hays CISD struggles with attendance zones
By and large, the Hays CISD Growth Impact Committee's recommendations for new school attendance zones went over pretty well. But it's never that easy to equalize education. Nov. 24, 2005) See story

State of a district
Texas school finance difficulties are taking their toll on the San Marcos CISD, which approved a budget last month that will run a $1.3 million deficit. The school district plans to spend $47.7 million while expecting only $46.4 million in revenues. (Oct. 15, 2005) See story

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