Education
BY ALEX REECE
Education Edition
2024
Welcome to Community Impact 's annual Education Edition. This guide features the latest updates and resources about local K-12 public school options in your community. All of the stories were written by our team of local journalists, and all of the advertisements are from nearby businesses who support our mission to provide free, useful news—please show them your gratitude by supporting them.
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What's inside
FISD shows increase in advanced academics (Page 15)
Voters to see $1.08 billion bond —learn the details (Page 17)
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Frisco ISD achieves 2nd-highest PTA participation in Texas “A No. 1 priority for us, aside from supporting at that local level, is advocating for all kids and making sure every child’s potential is a reality and we do that [by] advocating at the local level, making sure that every kid is treated the same no matter what their background is, what their family is, how old they are,” Arakas said. “We make sure that everyone is treated equally throughout the district.” 2nd largest Parent Teacher Association in the state 24,796 members in 2023
When the Frisco ISD 2024-25 school year began, more than 24,000 Parent Teacher Association members also headed back to school. FISD has the second-highest participation rate for PTAs in Texas at 24,796 members in 2023, said Cyndi Arakas, president of the FISD Council of PTAs, a support network for FISD’s 74 campuses and 73 PTA groups. “The goal [of a PTA] is having a voice for every child,” Arakas said. The overview A PTA is a volunteer group of parents and teach- ers that strive to ll any gaps in school funding from either the state or the district, Arakas said. For example, Arakas said a common project for elementary school PTAs is to raise money through events like fun runs or carnivals for an outdoor playground cover or for more library books. PTA support goes beyond fundraising, Arakas said.
74 campuses
73 Parent Teacher Association groups
SOURCE: FRISCO ISD COMMUNIT Y IMPACT
FISD PTAs give out scholarships to high school seniors and, in legislative years, the FISD Council of PTAs will go to the Capitol steps in Austin and rally for legislative procedures that support public schools, Arakas said. “Whatever is purchased by a PTA is hitting the whole school, the whole community, versus a grade or a class,” Arakas said. What it means The high number of PTA members in FISD adds
weight behind their requests to legislators, Arakas said. The 2024-25 school year is also a legislative year, meaning the Frisco Council of PTAs will be traveling to the state Capitol in February, Arakas said. “When we’re coming down and knowing we have almost 25,000 members, that’s what the important part of the membership is,” she said.
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FRISCO EDITION
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