THE CARGILL CONNECTION, September 2006

Dear friends and supporters,

Fall is just around the corner--our children have started school and football season is underway. I hope it has been a good transition for your family as you have sent your children on their way to school and all of their other activities. Our house seems awfully quiet without the hustle and bustle of three boys during the day!

Let me catch you up on some important State Board of Education news. We meet September 13-15 in Austin, and we will be working on many interesting issues that affect our schoolchildren.

ON THE SEPTEMBER SBOE MEETING AGENDA:

Here is a description of some of the items that are on the September agenda. To see a complete copy, go to the Texas Education Agency website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us. The agenda is posted under “State Board of Education and Commissioner” (on the left). After that screen appears, click on “Meeting Schedule and Agendas” (on the right).

Consideration of Letter to Legislature and Position Paper Regarding Funding for Instructional Materials: The Texas Education Code, §31.021(b), requires the board to set aside out of the available school fund of the state an amount sufficient for the board, school districts, and open-enrollment charter schools to purchase and distribute the necessary instructional materials for the use of the students of this state for the following school year. This item presents for State Board of Education (SBOE) consideration and approval a letter to the Legislature and a position paper regarding funding for instructional materials. (Board member Gail Lowe has composed a detailed letter that very specifically outlines the Board’s position on funding for our students’ textbooks. The Permanent School Fund is the source of this funding but it is the Legislature that actually appropriates the money. If the board agrees on the contents of this letter and on the contents of a position paper, they will be sent to the Legislature. This leaves no room for doubt: the Texas SBOE wants our teachers and students to have their textbooks and other content instructional materials paid for in full and delivered to classrooms in a timely manner!)

Proposed Amendment to 19 TAC Chapter 66, State Adoption and Distribution of Instructional Materials, Subchapter B, State Adoption of Instructional Materials, §66.66, Consideration and Adoption of Instructional Materials by the State Board of Education (Amend the Previous Action to Finally Adopt): This item will provide the State Board of Education an opportunity to amend the previous action to finally adopt the amendment to 19 TAC §66.66, Consideration and Adoption of Instructional Materials by the State Board of Education, approved for second reading and final adoption in April 2006, if the Attorney General certifies their authority to adopt the rules prior to the September 2006 meeting.

Proposed Amendments to 19 TAC Chapter 74, Curriculum Requirements, Subchapter A, Required Curriculum, and Subchapter F, Graduation Requirements, Beginning with School Year 2007-2008 (First Reading and Filing Authorization): This item presents for first reading and filing authorization proposed amendments to 19 TAC Chapter 74, Curriculum Requirements, Subchapter A, Required Curriculum, and Subchapter F, Graduation Requirements, Beginning with School Year 2007-2008. The proposed amendments reflect recent legislation passed by the 79^th Texas Legislature in the regular session and the third called session. (A big thanks to all of the educators and parents who contacted me about the new law concerning the 4^th year of math and science. I received dozens of e-mails in response to my request for comments on these issues. In case you missed my last newsletter, the Legislature passed this law during the special session in May. Students who follow the Recommended or Distinguished graduation plans will be required to complete 4 years of math and 4 years of science. This will start with the freshman class of ’07-’08. The SBOE is charged with overseeing graduation requirements, and we will be looking at specific science and math courses to approve. I met with Rep. Rob Eissler last week and we had a great discussion about graduation requirements. Many thanks also go to several dedicated people at TEA who helped in my quest for information!)

Consideration of Petitions for Adoption of Rule Changes Concerning 19 TAC Chapter 74, Curriculum Requirements, Subchapter F, Graduation Requirements, Beginning with School Year 2007-2008: Two petitions to amend 19 TAC Chapter 74, Curriculum Requirements, Subchapter F, Graduation Requirements, Beginning with School Year 2007-2008, have been received from Ms. Karen North. One petition requests adding computer science as an option for the fourth year of mathematics and the second petition requests adding computer science for the fourth year of science. This item provides the opportunity for the State Board of Education (SBOE) to consider the petitions.

Decision on the Percentage Distribution of the Permanent School Fund: This item provides an opportunity for the board to evaluate and determine the percentage distribution of the Permanent School Fund for the fiscal years beginning September 1, 2007 and September 1, 2008. (By way of explanation, the SBOE determines the percentage distribution of the PSF, but the Legislature actually appropriates the money that will be spent on instructional materials for our schoolchildren. I will watch this very carefully during the next session of the Legislature beginning in January 2007.)

Discussion of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Revision Process: This item provides the opportunity for the State Board of Education to receive an update on the revision of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for English Language Arts and Reading, grades K -12. (I have contacted the nine ELAR teachers from District 8 who will be serving on the work panels again. I nominated these experienced, wise teachers over a year ago and they did go to Austin to review the TEKS. However at that time they were simply allowed to approve a few word changes made by TEA. They are very excited to finally have the chance to get some “real” work done on these state curriculum standards! For more details on my thoughts on this all important issue, please go to www.barbaracargill.com to see the article I wrote entitled, “Help is on the Way!”)

ACTION ITEMS: YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR KIDS!

Please be sure and tell people in SBOE Districts 9 and 12 to vote in November for current State Board members Tincy Miller (our chairman) and Don McLeroy (our vice-chairman). These two wonderful and dedicated board members have been champions for schoolchildren for many years. Texas needs these two individuals to remain on the SBOE in order to help bring about education reform in our public schools!

Mrs. Miller, a leader in bringing about positive change for dyslexic children, represents Rockwall County and parts of Collin and Dallas counties. For more information about Mrs. Miller, go to http://www.tea.state.tx.us/sboe/board/miller.html.

Dr. McLeroy has led the charge for reform on the English Language Arts and Reading curriculum standards in Texas. He represents Anderson, Brazos, Camp, Cherokee, Delta, Falls, Fannin, Franklin, Freestone, Grimes, Henderson, Hopkins, Houston, Hunt, Kaufman, Lamar, Leon, Limestone, Madison, Navarro, Rains, Red River, Robertson, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt, Walker, and Wood counties, as well as parts of Collin County. His biographical information is found at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/sboe/board/mcleroy.html.

OTHER HAPPENINGS:

My fall calendar is shaping up. Please contact me at sboecargill@sbcglobal.net if you would like to invite me to visit your school or club meeting. If it is a speaking engagement, we have lively discussions about the TAKS test, textbooks, the TEKS (state curriculum standards), technology and other current education issues!

September 7-8: Charter school interviews in Austin

September 13-15: SBOE meetings in Austin

September 23: Speaker at Concerned Women for America prayer breakfast in

Houston

October 18: Senate Ed committee meeting concerning the SBOE in Austin

November 7: Reader at Oak Ridge Elementary literacy event in Spring

November 13: Speaker at Texas Business Technology Educators Association

conference in Nacogdoches

November 13: Speaker at Delta Kappa Gamma Society meeting (professional

women educators) in The Woodlands

November 15-17: SBOE meetings in Austin

The 2006 ACT and SAT scores have been released. Check this out: On the 2006 ACT, Texas students averaged 20.4 on grammar/usage; the national average was 22.4. On the SAT the number of states with higher grammar/usage scores than Texas was 36; the number of states with higher essay scores than Texas was 43 states. These results simply underline the fact, once again, that the ELAR curriculum standards in our state must be rewritten so that they are concise, specific for each grade, and measurable! When our curriculum standards improve, we will see the scores of our Texas students improve.

I nominated ten math book reviewers to screen the proposed math books for grades 6-12, and they spent a week in Austin this summer. Two reviewed Algebra books, one reviewed Grade 6 math, one reviewed grade 7 math, one reviewed Pre-Calculus, four reviewed AP Calculus, and one reviewed AP Statistics books. Am I ever impressed! I am grateful for these dedicated individuals who volunteered a week of their valuable time to study and evaluate the math books that Texas students badly need.

Charter school interviews were held September 7-8 in Austin. There were many fine applicants for the 21 available charter grants, and the State Board Planning Committee (of which I am a member) visited with each group of applicants for one hour. It was a thorough and arduous process and will benefit many schoolchildren through the option of charter schools.

On October 18^th, the Senate Education Committee will meet to review the operation of the State Board of Education, including its oversight of the Permanent School Fund. The committee will make recommendations, if necessary, for appropriate legislative oversight and review. Many of the board members plan to be in attendance for this meeting.

This is an interesting article that may surprise you about how the TAKS tests are scored. “Texas Flim Flam: Where 35 is a Passing Grade”: <http://www.dallasblog.com/will-lutz/2006/8/1/texas-flim-flam-where-35-is-a-passing-grade.html> Many of us on the board are concerned about this issue and will continue to try to bring about positive changes in the state testing system.

Making a difference in textbooks: Critiques of the major biology books used in Texas and other classrooms, with comments tied directly to page numbers of your edition of the book, are located at www.textaddons.com. This project is the brainchild of Dr. Charles Voss of LSU. Scroll toward the bottom of the home page to find your book and edition.

Does your child’s school air Channel One News during the day? If you do not know the answer, please ask! Read below and then stay on the alert for other poor programming choices made by Channel One News.

“This summer New York City's law department released 1,613 phone calls made to 911 on September 11, 2001. On only one, the call made by Melissa Doi, could both sides of the phone call be heard. It was chilling. Unbelievably, Channel One News made the decision to air clips of that one frantic phone call. Channel One executives thought children down to the age of ten could handle this graphic call. On the night of the tapes release, NBC's Nightly News viewers were warned about the troubling content of the Doi call before it was played. Preteens who are forced to view Channel One News never got such a warning.”

FAMILY CORNER:

For current updates from a very dedicated and hard-working education reporter, go to: http://www.peytonwolcott.com/ Ms. Wilcott has a section on her website which gives point-by-point steps to help local citizens hold their school districts accountable.

Go to www.wildflowerusa.com for information about a wonderful book series featuring Furello the unicorn. These books are non-violent with moral lessons. My own boys loved the Furello books when they were younger. Now there is also a Pineapple series for preschool children through 4^th grade.

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Once again, I thank you for your continued support and interest in what I am doing as your elected SBOE member. I am here for you and for your children, so please contact me with concerns or questions. My e-mail has changed; please make note of it below.

These meaningful words were sent to the members of the Presidential Prayer Team, and I want to share them with you especially as we pause to reflect on the tragedies of 9-11: “But all of us—at home, at war, wherever we may be—are within reach of God’s love and power. We all can pray. We all should pray. We should ask the fulfillment of God’s will. We should ask for courage, wisdom, for the quietness of soul which comes alone to them who place their lives in His hands.”

Sincerely,

Barbara Cargill
State Board of Education, District 8
281-465-8095

New e-mail address: sboecargill@sbcglobal.net

www.barbaracargill.com

Please forward this e-mail to other people who have an interest in education.

THE CARGILL CONNECTION, September 2006

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