ROCKWALL – Letter To The Editor (a copy of the letter sent today by a Rockwall parent to Rockwall ISD Superintendent Jeff Bailey):

Dear Mr. Bailey:

I have nothing but praise for the Rockwall Independent School District and their actions during the severe storm on April 3rd, 2012.

Two of my grandchildren are students at Ouida Springer Elementary School and several events that took place were witnessed by my daughter first hand. Parents who came to the school to check on their kids were told that students would not be released, but parents were welcome to come in and wait out the storm. I received a text at 2:49 p.m. from the Rockwall County Sheriff’s Department and The National Weather Bureau indicating that the tornado warning had been discontinued.

At 3:17 p.m. that warning was reissued. I am guessing that during that 27 minutes some students were put on buses throughout the district with the assurance that all was ok. As some of those buses were already in neighborhoods, bus drivers probably determined that students would be safer in their homes than on buses returning the distance to school. I do know that a few buses left Springer a few minutes before the reissued warning and reached John King Blvd., a block away. Upon hearing the reissued warning they immediately turned around and returned to the school. Some of the students and teachers remained in the school past 6 p.m. until they could be safely released to their parents.

As a former educator I know that in every crisis situation there will be a few disgruntled parents who either do not have all the facts or have never had to take responsibility for a classroom, school, or district, during a crisis situation. There will always be a few mistakes made and lessons learned. In this instance, I think RISD did a superior job of keeping parents informed by email messages and the news media, and by personally insuring the safety and welfare of the students.

Sincerely,

Kay McKown

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ROCKWALL – Letter To The Editor (a copy of the letter sent yesterday by a Rockwall parent to Rockwall ISD Superintendent Jeff Bailey):

Dear Mr. Bailey,

I am appalled that RISD sent elementary-aged children home on school buses during yesterday’s severe weather outbreak. My ten-year-old twins were placed on a school bus shortly before a tornado touched down in Forney that was headed toward Rockwall. According to my daughters, the tornado sirens began sounding while they were on the bus.  The school bus driver dropped them off at their bus stop and said, “run as fast as you can to your house.”

Every day I put my faith in RISD that the safety of my children is its top priority. Yesterday, as I watched the weather events unfold from my office in Dallas, every maternal instinct told me to go home and protect my children. But there was a line of tornadic storms blocking my route.  And so I took solace in knowing that my daughters’ schools were among the safest buildings during a severe storm, and that the leadership and staff at RISD had the training and competence to keep my children safe.

Apparently my trust was misplaced.  RISD made a gross misstep by putting children on school busses during yesterday’s extreme weather. We were fortunate not to be more seriously affected by the storms.  My family was fortunate to have a trusted nanny at home who knew to keep an eye on the weather and the safest place in my home to survive a tornado.  But how many children did you send home to empty houses?  How many elementary-aged children would know to come home and turn on the news and where to hide in their houses?

The “what-ifs” are unbearable to contemplate.  While I watched news footage of tractor-trailors being hurled through the air, my children were placed on a school bus. While I watched in horror as tornados moved toward Rockwall, my children were loaded on a bus, dropped off, and essentially told to “run for it.”

RISD created a possibly deadly scenario yesterday when it released children while there were still severe storms in the area that were tracking toward Rockwall.  This cannot happen again. Immediate measures must be taken to ensure that it does not happen again.

I request that you forward me RISD’s policies regarding student safety and dismissal during severe weather. If appropriate policies are not already in place, new policies must be created immediately. If appropriate policies were already in place, then steps must be taken to ensure that they are followed and that all leadership and staff  is appropriately trained to implement those policies.

My understanding is that DISD did not send any children home on school buses yesterday.  This was certainly the most prudent action to ensure that the children were safe and no children were home alone during severe weather. I cannot understand why RISD did not exhibit the same good sense.

I look forward to hearing from you soon regarding RISD’s severe weather policies and the steps that RISD is taking to ensure  that this does not happen again.

Best regards

Misty Hubbard Gutierrez
Attorney at Law
Thomas, Feldman & Wilshusen L.L.P.

,

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ROCKWALL – Local high school athletes will be back in action this week practicing for the 2011-12 volleyball, tennis and football seasons.

Volleyball:

Girls’ volleyball practices began yesterday at Rockwall, Heath and Royse City high schools.

Scrimmages will begin Aug. 5 for Rockwall at Arlington Martin and Aug. 6 at Plano West at times to be announced.

Heath will scrimmage at Mansfield Friday at a time to be announced and at home at 10 am Saturday against a team to be announced.

Royse City will scrimmage Aug. 5 at 10 am at South Hills High School in Ft. Worth and Aug. 6 at home at 10 am vs. a team to be announced.

Rockwall’s varsity, JV and freshman teams will play their first games of the season Aug. 9 vs. Forney or North Mesquite at 5 pm with the location to be announced.

Heath’s varsity, JV and freshman teams play their first games Aug. 9 at Mesquite Poteet, beginning at 6 pm.

Royse City’s four teams will open their season Aug. 9 at Little Elm at 5 pm.

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ROCKWALL – School buses may not pick up children anymore who live within two miles of school buildings if the Rockwall ISD school board approves the outsourcing of transportation services to Durham School Services at their public meeting May 23.

That’s just one of many allegations made by several RISD Transportation Department employees to TheRockwallNews.com this week when they also charged the Transportation Department has been “chronically mismanaged” for years, resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars – if not more.

According to the RISD employees, who asked their names not be used for fear of retribution, they decided to speak out when they heard that RISD Chief Financial Officer Mike Singleton recommended the outsourcing of transportation to save $500,000 per year at the school board meeting May 9, because “tax-payers deserve to know the real story” about at least part of what’s going on behind the scenes due to the school funding battle.

They said Singleton has even admitted to Transportation department employees that mismanagement has been a big problem there and challenged him to publicly divulge how he intends to save that much money in detail because they don’t believe it’s possible through outsourcing. They added he has not responded to them about the two mile radius and seems to be trying to keep it secret.

“Durham is in this to make a profit,” one concerned employee said.

They added that if RISD really wanted to save money they should have made a host of changes in the Transportation department over the past several years.

For example, they said RISD has “gone through” about 250 bus drivers at a training cost of about $1,000 each during the past two years because the school district pays its bus drivers among the lowest starting wages in the state.

“The starting wage in RISD is only $11 per hour, about $5.50 less than elsewhere. In Royse City, for example, the starting wage is $17.85 per hour,” one Transportation employee said.

“Because the wages are so low, to get bus drivers to work here, Rockwall has been offering free commercial drivers licenses that normally cost $3,000,” another employee said. “The joke is that hundreds of people have come to Rockwall to get their free CDLs and then hired on elsewhere because the pay is much higher at all the other school districts.”

“Just go to Rockwall and get your CDL for free. Don’t tell them you’re leaving. That’s what all the other school district transportation people are saying.”

“RISD just paid them to sit there. Then the drivers went somewhere else to work where they could get paid more.”

“What kind of way is that to run a transportation department?” they asked. “If they really wanted to save money, Rockwall wouldn’t do such a thing.”

They added if the school district really wanted to save $500,000 then it would have implemented Carol Keeton Strayhorn’s report from several years ago that recommended school buses not pick up children within two miles of schools.

“But Rockwall wanted to pass the bond election to finance the football stadium expansion, the aquatic center and more, so they chose not to follow her suggestions back then and tell anybody.”

In addition, they charged that from that bond election, $2 million were supposed to go to the Transportation department for upgrades, but they’ve never seen any of it because the RISD Administration has chosen to use it elsewhere.

“Probably in the football stadium,” one employee said. “They really wanted that.”

Another example the upset employees mentioned was that bus drivers are too often required to go back and pick up children who are late and miss the bus.

“Having to go back and pick up children who can’t get to the bus stop on time costs time and money,” said one employee.

Then there’s the incident two years ago when a bus driver lost control of a school bus, it ended up in a pond and a child was seriously injured, they said.

They charged he should never have been driving the bus for many months because he had health problems which required he use a small oxygen tank to breathe while driving.

“He had tubes running up his nose while he was driving from the oxygen tank, sitting right next to him on the dashboard,” an employee said.

“What if that oxygen tank would have blown up when the bus crashed?” another asked. “It could have caused an explosion which could have injured or killed a bunch of children!”

The employees said they asked then Director of Transportation, Brad Hamrick, why he allowed the man to keep driving with an oxygen tank on board and if he realized what the consequences would be if the driver “got in an accident.”

“Brad said ‘I’m covered by it because my superior knows about it’,” said one employee, who added his superior at that time was Risk Management Executive Dr. James Parker who, after being demoted, is now about to retire as the Director of Transportation. Hamrick is no longer with RISD.

In addition, the upset employees charged the supervisors under Hamrick, Debbie Burns and Sheila Powers, knew about the driver’s health problems because the driver came to meetings for months with his oxygen tank.

“Back when the accident happened, RISD said it was an air pump. It was no air pump, it was an oxygen tank,” one employee said.

Several employees said they believe that RISD should let Burns and Powers go.

“What we have is the worst management in the world,” one said.

“The same people who have been mismanaging the department for years are still there,” said another. “It’s been chronically mismanaged.”

By J.J. Smith, Publisher

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Two challengers have filed to run against Rockwall ISD Board of Trustees member Stan Lowrance D.D.S. for his Place 7 seat in the May 14 school board election.

Local realtor Stephanie Adams and technical project leader Randy Oakes will be his opponents.

Place 6 incumbent Leigh Plagens will run unopposed for her seat.

By J.J. Smith, Publisher

RISD:

Place 6: Leigh Plagens (incumbent)

Place 7:

Dr. Stan Lowrance (incumbent)

Randy Oakes

Stephanie Adams

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The Rockwall ISD Board of Trustees approved a cost-cutting measure at last night’s trustees meeting to begin laying off school district administration and support services personnel in anticipation of the district’s expected $15 million cut in state funding for the 2011-12 school year.

The exact number of layoffs was not announced, and they do not involve teacher positions, at this point.

Superintendent Jeff Bailey said the approved reductions would save the district about $1.8 million.

In addition, RISD will offer a $1,000 incentive package to the first 25 librarians, counselors or teachers to turn in resignations by March 1, 2011.

School board President David Loftis said he hoped normal attrition and hiring policy changes will help reduce the number of layoffs necessary, but “those alone won’t meet the district’s budget goals,” he said.

Rockwall ISD has also targeted $6 million from its budget with departmental cuts and reduced campus allocations. All contract decisions have been frozen through April, as well.

With the State of Texas facing a $15-25 billion budget shortfall, school districts around the state have been bracing for a $9.5 billion reduction in state funding, which accounts for about 37 percent of overall school district revenue.

Property taxes account for about 56 percent of revenue, with miscellaneous federal and state funds .

Payroll costs alone for employees are responsible for 86 percent of RISD expenditures, or $85,717,445.

According to the RISD website school finance presentation, the $6 million in targeted reductions include:

• Staff Health Center ($700,000)
• Custodial Services ($390,000)
• Maintenance ($362,804)
• Campus Allocations ($301,000)
• Curriculum & Instruction ($250,675)
• Safety/Security ($120,833)
• Athletics ($119,729)
• Finance ($117,503)
• Transportation ($100,000)
• Administrative Services ($42,916)
• Policy Planning ($41,796)
• Human Resources ($33,348)
• Communications ($27,544)
• Superintendent/Board of Trustees ($15,000)

RISD Communications Director Sheri Fowler said an additional $1.9 million will be saved due to an equity transfer after switching from a self-funded health insurance program to the TRS.

Debt service of $546 million will also be paid off this year and saved from next year’s budget.

Even after the above reductions are made, another$9.5 million worth of reductions may be necessary, according to the website presentation.

Bailey is encouraging area residents to contact legislators for help.

“Please write and contact legislators and let them know that public education is a priority and not to cut the funding at the level it is today,” he said.

By J.J. Smith, Publisher

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Two hundred ninety-four Rockwall area children, who previously did not have access to a computer outside of school, received early Christmas presents and now have one at home, thanks to a new Rockwall ISD free surplus computer giveaway program implemented just before Christmas.

According to RISD Communications Director Sheri Fowler, one hundred computers were given away by the school district Dec. 16 at the RISD administration building as part of the district’s “Bridging Home and School” program, developed by Assistant Superintendent Debbie Smothermon and Director of Technology & Information Services Chris Gasaway and his staff.

State legislation allows school districts to place computer equipment that has been declared surplus into the homes of students who have no access to this type of technology outside of school, Fowler explained.

“Under legislative guidelines, all equipment remains the property of RISD, but eligible families are provided the computers free of charge and may keep them in their homes until their student graduates or withdraws from the district or until five years has passed.”

Fowler said families with students in second through sixth grade were invited to apply.

“The district received 256 applications which were evaluated by specific criteria. One hundred students and their families who met the criteria were selected through the application process. Every elementary campus had at least one recipient. In order to receive the equipment, these families were required to attend three training sessions. Computers were distributed at the final session on Dec. 16.”

In addition to the mandatory trainings, the district is providing three optional training sessions for families. The district has also implemented a support structure which includes technical assistance and maintenance/repair access.

“It was absolutely a case of Christmas coming early,” said Fowler.

“The families were so excited and so grateful to be a part of the program and the district is thrilled to find a use for surplus technology that directly benefits students and their families.  It is an ultimate win-win situation.”

By J.J. Smith.

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Dallas Morning News.Yearbooks can be a big rush or a real letdown.

Lots of pictures of your child and it’s great. Just the formal class picture and maybe a glimpse of a cute face at the back of a group and the big book seems a waste.

Yearbook companies are springing up to help avoid disappointment, offering schools and parents a digital way to make the books more personal.

TreeRing, headquartered in California, says it was the first company to offer schools personalized pages in yearbooks. Parents, or the students if they are old enough, can lay out their own pages with photos and text and add them to the standard book.

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NBC5-TV.Rockwall sends 1 million meals to Haiti. Students at Rockwall I.S.D. are making a difference in the lives of people affected by the devastating earthquake in Haiti, with help from the rest of the community.

“Its instilling good values in my children to pass on, it also is helping the community and the world,” said mother Deborah Shultz.

The group of nearly a thousand spent the day creating a million meals to send to Haiti.

“It’s just awesome like this morning we started here at 4:30, we had over 100 community volunteers and student volunteers and staff and our community always supports our students so we’re just really pleased to be a part of it,” said superintendent Gene Barton.

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