Budget Update

Brownsville ISD officials will present three draft budget recommendations to the Board of Trustees Budget Committee for discussion purposes on Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 5:30 PM in the Boardroom. Consultants with the Texas School Alliance estimate possible funding reductions for Brownsville ISD at $15.9 million, $31.3 million and $50.6 million. The three draft budgets to be presented are based on these estimates.

Brownsville ISD, like all Texas school districts, is grappling with the $18–$27 billion budget shortfall announced by the Comptroller at the start of the legislative session. Since funding for public education makes up approximately 44% of the state budget, local school districts are feeling a major impact.

Brownsville ISD’s current budget of a little over $505 million includes almost $326 million in state revenues. All school districts are slated to lose funding in the coming biennium. Just how much BISD will lose will not be known until the Texas Legislature officially formalizes and approves the budget which is several months from now. Superintendent Brett Springston and the Board of Trustees continue to monitor the legislative events in Austin and their impact on BISD.

Community Leaders Go Back to School

Brownsville ISD will host its popular Principal for a Day (PFAD) activity on Friday, February 18, 2011. Each BISD campus has invited a business or community leader to serve as a guest principal for the entire morning. Started in 1992, Brownsville’s PFAD has enabled hundreds of local leaders to experience the joys and challenges of school administration. The guest principals will begin the day at their assigned schools where they will shadow the campus administrators and participate in a variety of school activities. The day will conclude with a luncheon which allows participants to share stories about the morning they spent in the principal’s office. Over the years, many Brownsville PFAD guest principals, inspired by their experiences, have continued their involvement with BISD schools.

Parent Behavior Training

Everyone is invited to attend a parent training presented by the BISD Behavior Specialists on Wednesday, February 16, 2011 from 9:00-11:00 AM at Vela Middle School located at 4950 Paredes Line Road. The topic is “Behavior Strategies for the Home.” It is a back to the basics session with strategies to manage your child’s behavior including how to raise healthy, well-adjusted children and create a peaceful home environment. For more information, call Gary Wilhite at 548-8400.

Change in Crimestoppers Number

The hotline number for BISD’s Scholastic Campus Crimestoppers Program has been changed to 408-0049. The tips hotline assists in maintaining safe and secure schools. Monetary rewards are available to reporting individuals upon completion of a prosecution or arrest for reported crimes. The identities of reporting individuals are kept confidential and no court testimony is required.

Superintendent Addresses Parents

Superintendent Brett Springston addressed parents from the schools served by the Pace and Veterans Clusters at a Coffee held on February 8, 2011 at Veterans High School. Two more Superintendent’s Coffees will be held in March and April. View the Powerpoint presentation made at the first Superintendent’s Coffee in English or Spanish.

New Location for Fine Arts

The BISD Fine Arts Department has been relocated to the Central Administrative Building (CAB), Suite 228. The department’s telephone number, 982-3730, remains the same.

BISD Weather Update Updated: February 2, 2011 at 4:03 pm

Brownsville ISD schools and offices will be closed on Thursday, February 3, 2011 and Friday, February 4, 2011 due to expected frigid weather, frozen precipitation, hazardous road conditions, and short-term electrical outages. District officials will continue to closely monitor reports from the National Weather Service and work with all local and state agencies during this winter storm.

BISD Maintenance Department personnel and all head custodians will need to check with their supervisors to see what needs to be done to secure district facilities. Any maintenance problems should be reported immediately to Rey Arteaga, Maintenance Administrator, at 466-5635 or Carlos Guerra, Assistant Superintendent for Operations, at 455-7796. BISD Police and Security Services personnel will also monitor and patrol district facilities.

Further updates will be communicated to district stakeholders via the district’s website, www.bisd.us; KBSD TV, the district’s instructional television station (Cable Channel 17.17); local television and radio stations and newspapers.

Regular district operations will resume on Monday, February 7, 2011.

Change in Madrigal Dinner
The Madrigal Dinner scheduled for Friday, February 4, 2011 has been changed to Saturday, February 5, 2011 at the same time and location.

Science Fair Cancelled
The BISD Middle School Science Fair scheduled for Saturday, February 5, 2011 has been cancelled due to inclement weather.

BISD Weather Update Updated: February 2, 2011 at 9:45 am

Local power companies are conducting “rolling blackouts” throughout Brownsville in an effort to curtail load. These short-term curtailments are necessary to keep the lights on region-wide. Rolling blackouts will continue throughout Wednesday and will impact BISD campuses and offices. The blackouts should not last longer than 30 minutes at a time. Please be patient and conserve electricity, whenever possible. Brownsville ISD administrators will continue to monitor the weather and road conditions. Information will be communicated to district stakeholders via the district’s website, www.bisd.us; KBSD TV, the district’s instructional television station (Cable Channel 17.17); local television and radio stations and newspapers. BISD will continue to issue weather updates periodically for the remainder of the week.

BISD Weather Update Updated: February 1, 2011 at 4:17 pm

Based on the most current information from the National Weather Service, Brownsville ISD will hold classes at the regular time on Wednesday, February 2, 2011. School buses will also follow their regular schedules and routes. Due to expected frigid temperatures, parents are advised to dress students warmly. All scheduled out-of-district trips for Thursday, February 3, 2011 have been cancelled. District officials will continue to monitor the weather and road conditions and work closely with all local and state emergency preparedness agencies. Any changes will be communicated through the district’s website, www.bisd.us; KBSD TV, the district’s instructional television station (Cable Channel 17.17); local television and radio stations and newspapers. BISD will continue to issue weather updates periodically for the remainder of the week.

AEIS Report Now Available

The 2009-2010 Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) report for Brownsville ISD, as prepared by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), contains a great variety of information on the district as a whole as well as each individual campus. The report is based on the PEIMS data submitted by the district and analyzed and disaggregated by TEA. It also compares the district to state standards, comparable districts and campuses across the state and previous year’s data in terms of student populations, TAKS data, dropout and attendance rates and budgetary allocations. Click here to view the entire AEIS report.

Madrigal Dinner Is Sold Out

The Department of Fine Arts will present the Fourth Annual Madrigal Dinner, “A Feast of Love,” on Friday, February 4, 2011 at the Central Administrative Building (CAB) cafeteria. Doors open at 6:30 PM and dinner is served at 7:00 PM. The Madrigal Dinner features an unforgettable evening in Merry Olde 15th Century England with heraldry, pageantry and song by the Brownsville ISD Court singers.

BISD Weather Update

Based on the most current information from the National Weather Service, Brownsville ISD will hold classes at the regular time on Wednesday, February 2, 2011. School buses will also follow their regular schedules and routes. Due to expected frigid temperatures, parents are advised to dress students warmly. All scheduled out-of-district trips for Thursday, February 3, 2011 have been cancelled. District officials will continue to monitor the weather and road conditions and work closely with all local and state emergency preparedness agencies. Any changes will be communicated through the district’s website, www.bisd.us; KBSD TV, the district’s instructional television station (Cable Channel 17.17); local television and radio stations and newspapers. BISD will continue to issue weather updates periodically for the remainder of the week.

Employee Health Insurance Assistance

Brownsville ISD provides group medical insurance with Mutual Assurance Administrators, Inc. (MAA) as the third party administrator. Diana Morales is BISD’s on-site representative. She can be reached at (956) 698-0112 on Monday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:00 AM-12:00 Noon; Tuesday from 1:00-5:00 PM; and Wednesday from 8:00 AM-5:00 PM. Her email is diana-m@maa-tpa.com and her cell is (956) 572-6354. The MAA Customer Service Line is 1-800-851-8320. The BISD Employee Benefits Department is also available to assist employees at (956) 548-8061 on Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM-5:00 PM.

Go Brownsville!

Brownsville ISD has been named one of five large district finalists competing for the 2011 H-E-B Excellence in Education District Award which carries a prize of $100,000. A team of judges will visit the district on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 to make on-site observations. The other four large district finalists are Conroe ISD, Mesquite ISD, Edinburg CISD, and Harlandale ISD.