Education
BY JAMES T. NORMAN
Aim for the STAARs More Alvin ISD, Friendswood ISD and Pearland ISD students approached grade level—or had higher passing rates—in nearly every STAAR when compared to the state and regional averages. Key
Alvin ISD welcomes new board member After bidding farewell to former Trustee Vivian Scheibel, who resigned due to an out-of-district move, the Alvin ISD board on Aug. 14 appointed Gabe Garza to nish out her term. Garza will serve until the spring 2024 elections, according to the district’s website. He is a Texas Tech graduate and has served on many committees within the district, as well as several other boards.
Local districts approve tax rate elections To help close shortfalls in their respective budgets, both Friendswood ISD and Pearland ISD’s boards of trustees unanimously decided to move forward with a voter-approval tax rate election, or VATRE, which will be held Nov. 7. The big picture PISD is facing a $12.7 million shortfall in its new budget, according to district documents. A VATRE would add more than $11 million in extra revenue. FISD o cials hope to generate $1.2 million from its VATRE. The district’s general fund this year has a shortfall of $2.45 million, according to district
PISD to defer state- mandated safety plan Pearland ISD will need more time and money before it can meet all the requirements in a new state bill intended to improve safety on campuses. House Bill 3, which went into e ect Sept. 1, requires school districts to have an armed guard on each campus throughout the day. While the bill provided some new funding, PISD Superintendent Larry Berger said the district will still need $3.5 million to satisfy the requirements. The hope is for funding to come from either the state or through grants, he said. In the meantime, the district will bring on a sergeant and four o -duty o cers to rotate between campuses not currently covered. Trustees voted on Aug. 21 to reconsider the plan in a year.
3rd grade
4th grade
5th grade
Tax bills before and after Despite potential VATREs raising tax rates above the max set by the state, Friendswood ISD and Pearland ISD’s new tax rates would both be lower than previous years.
100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0
Alvin ISD
Friendswood ISD
With VATRE
Without VATRE
Reading Math
Reading Math Reading Math
Pearland ISD
State 2023
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY COMMUNITY IMPACT
$1,000 $1,500 $2,000 $2,500 $3,000 $3,500 $4,000 $4,500 $5,000
Local districts outscore region on STAAR Spring 2023 results for the State of Texas Assess- ments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, were released on Aug. 16, which was later than usual due to a redesign of the test. The gist
with a 90% or higher passing rate in almost every exam, both PISD and AISD saw improvement in some tests when compared to its spring 2022 passing rates. Quote of note “This year’s results show the e orts of our educators continue to deliver improved results for students,” Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said in a news release.
“I am humbled to be entrusted with pursuing [the best] for every student attending an Alvin ISD school.”
documents. The details
0 $500
Alvin ISD, Friendswood ISD and Pearland ISD outscored both the regional and state averages in nearly all non-Spanish exams. While FISD scored the highest out of the bunch
In both cases, the new tax rate would be lower than previous years due to recent state legislation compressing tax rates.
Friendswood ISD
Pearland ISD
GABE GARZA, AISD TRUSTEE
NOTE: THE ABOVE TAX BILLS ARE BASED ON HOMESTEADS ASSESSED AT $350,000. SOURCES: FRIENDSWOOD ISD, PEARLAND ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
SHADOW CREEK 11023 Shadow Creek Pkwy (281) 977-1027
PEARLAND 10555 Pearland Pkwy (713) 987-9205
ALMEDA 11130 Gulf Fwy (713) 910-3941
FRIENDSWOOD 3126 FM 528 (281) 648-5473
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