ROYSE CITY – Royse City ISD Superintendent Randy Hancock announced this week that he will retire from his position this June.

He informed school board members at their meeting Monday night. Tuesday morning he told staff members, and then he made a public announcement at the Royse City Chamber of Commerce luncheon the same day.

“It has been a phenominal 34 years in the world of education,” said Hancock. “The last five years in Royse City have been absolutely incredible. This is a special place.”

He said he has no plans after retirement.

By J.J. Smith, Publisher

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.

(Royse City Herald Banner) Taxpayers in the Royse City Independent School District over the age of 65 will soon see their tax bill drop a bit as a result of a recent vote by the local school board.

By a unanimous vote, the Royse City ISD chose to increase the homestead exemption for taxpayers over the age of 65 from $13,800 to $25,000 at least week’s RCISD Board of Trustees meeting.

According to Jimmy Butler, the district’s financial director, the change would affect 760 homeowners living in the RCISD. RCISD Superintendent Randy Hancock stated that Rockwall’s exemption was $30,000, while school districts to the east of Royse City maintained an exemption of $10,000.

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By J.J. Smith. Due to inclement weather, all Rockwall, Royse City and Garland ISD schools are closed today and all after-school activities have been either cancelled or postponed.

Many government offices have also either been closed or will open late.

All Rockwall County offices will  be closed all day. City of Rockwall offices will not open until 10 am. No word has been received or is posted on the websites of the Cities of Fate, Heath, McClendon-Chisholm, Rowlett or Royse City.

Temperatures are in the high 20s at 5:30 am but are expected to rise to 34 degrees by 10 am and to 38 degrees by 2 pm today. The snow has stopped falling in North Texas and the Winter Storm Warning is no longer in effect.

More area weather closings can be found on the WFAA-TV website.

By J.J. Smith. Most and perhaps none of Rockwall County’s public and private schools will be showing President Obama’s controversial live speech to school children in their classes Tuesday morning at 11 a.m (Central Time).

Rockwall ISD will provide ”optional access” at a designated location on each campus.

Royse City ISD and Heritage Christian Academy (HCA)will not.

The Fulton School’s administrators were meeting Friday morning and have not yet decided.

RISD and RCISD will use their websites to make a recording and text of his speech available for students and parents to view at their convenience. 

According to a letter sent home yesterday with children from RISD, “due to the important content and historical nature of President Obama’s address, we will provide all students and their families optional access. ”

“On each campus the president’s address will be available at a designated location.”

“Please contact your campus administrator if you would like your student to view the message as it is broadcast live.”

RISD will also post “the full content of the message” on the RISD website home page” “so all students and their parents and guardians will have access to President Obama’s address at their convenience.”

“Our main goal is to keep the decision in the hands of the parents,” said RISD Director of Communications Sheri Fowler.

According to the RCISD website, ”Royse City ISD will not be attempting to show this event live to our students.”

“ There are too many issues,  including the capability of our technology system to stream a live event to all classrooms, as well as the fact that it will be during the lunch time of many of our students and staff.”

“ However, we will make a recording available to our social studies teachers for them to use at their discretion.  Parents always have the ability to opt their children out of the viewing of any video.  This should be done by contacting the teacher or the principal at the appropriate campus.”

HCA administrators said they had no particular comments to offer.

In a letter last week to the nation’s school principals, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the speech streamed live from the White House website would simply challenge students to work hard, set educational goals and take responsibility for their learning.

But some education experts and parents are criticizing the speech because they say a suggested lesson plan that calls on school kids to write letters to themselves about what they can do to help Pres. Obama  establishes the president as a “superintendent in chief” and may indoctrinate children to support him politically.

Pres. Obama will deliver the national address directly to students on Tuesday, which will be the first day of classes for many children across the country. Most Texas schools have already been in session for two weeks.

“The goal of the speech and the lesson plans is to challenge students to work hard in school, to not drop out and to meet short-term goals like behaving in class, doing their homework and goals that parents and teachers alike can agree are noble,” Tommy Vietor, a White House spokesman, told FOXNews.com. “This isn’t a policy speech. This is a speech designed to encourage kids to stay in school.”

But in advance of the address, the Department of Education has offered educators “classroom activities” to coincide with Obama’s message. 

That’s the main reason for the controversy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Royse City ISD will proceed with its upcoming sports banquet, band concert and PTO meetings as scheduled, despite the Swine flu outbreak, since the Texas UIL has not cancelled school events within school districts.

The announcement was made yesterday by RCISD Superintendent Randy Hancock, in which he also clarified that no students will be taken outside of RCISD for any field trips, contest or competition.

The full text of the statement can be read on the RCISD website.

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