We Believe In Helping Others



Since we began Focus Points in February 2011, I have written two posts (March 29 and November 4 ) about how our students believe in helping others. Our students understand "what counts." Helping others is part of "our DNA" just as "high achievement for all students" is the "C-FB ISD way."

C-FB ISD students believe in helping others because they just know it's the "right way of life," and in our district, we follow our character values. The seven traits are respect, pride, integrity, service, responsibility, cooperation, and citizenship. You can find our students modeling these values in our classrooms, on our playing fields, in the performance halls, and out in our communities. Although our students have service projects throughout the school year, November and December seem to be the two months when they are extremely busy working to help those in need.


McLaughlin artists Georgia Harris, Alexis Robledo,
Kevin Puente and Ceasar Torres
along with art teacher Jeannie Dewar
hold pumpkins that brightened patients' trays.



We value and appreciate the service agencies and organizations that work with our students to show them how to conduct projects that will better the world not only in our community but sometimes in a country half way around the world as Sheffield Primary students have been doing. The pre-kindergartners through second graders recently raised funds for "Pennies for Africa" which builds schools in Zambia, Africa.

An ongoing project for the McLaughlin Art Club is creating hospital tray favors for the Dallas Medical Center. The students design tray favors for every holiday. The students brighten up food trays of the people who are spending their holidays as patients in the local hospital.

Freeman students make
PB&J sandwiches.

Ranchview High School and Bernice Chatman Freeman Elementary students joined forces for a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich drive for the Irving homeless. The Freeman students collected 183 jars of peanut butter, 139 jars of jelly, 84 loaves of bread, and 51 boxes of sandwich bags. The student council members of both schools made 2,790 peanut butter & jelly sandwiches.

Canned food, toys and clothing are items our students collect for local agencies this time of year. For example, the Freeman Elementary community collected 429 pounds of food for Irving Cares, and June R. Thompson Elementary collected 435 cans for Metrocrest Social Services. Other school organizations donating to Metrocrest Social Services include R. L. Turner's METSA, Ted Polk's Student Council, the Furneaux Elementary fourth graders, Creekview's Wrestling Team, DECA, Cross Country Team while the Creekview Student Council is working with Scottish Rite Hospital.


The Creekview Cheerleaders raised $7,000
for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

Often times our schools join forces with other groups. For example, since our Early College High School is located on the Brookhaven College campus, the students and staff are working with the Brookhaven Police Department and Brookhaven College Student Government to provide gifts to 50 “angels” from The Family Place.

Our students not only run collection drives, but they also volunteer at various agencies. The Ted Polk Student Council will be helping the Salvation Army and Metrocrest Social Services this holiday season while the Creekview girls' soccer team will visit the Corinthians to sing carols and provide special goodies for the residents.

The projects listed here are just samplings of what our students, faculty and staff do for others. Our C-FB ISD students along with the educational team often times work quietly behind the scene taking care of individuals or developing special projects that make a difference in our schools and community.  We appreciate those students and our team members who realize the importance of being involved and giving to others.

Photos of Freeman and Ranchview Making PB&J Sandwiches

Photos - June R. Thompson Donates Food To Metrocrest Social Services

Photos - A Sampling of Service Projects

A Time of Thanksgiving

This week in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District, our students and most staff are out for a  week-long break due to the Thanksgiving Holidays. Thanksgiving has been an important time throughout our country's history, with President Abraham Lincoln issuing the first Presidential Proclamation designating a Thanksgiving Day.

 Forty-Year Pin Recipients  Kay Edmondson, Sara Gambrell
with Board President Nancy Cline and Dr. Burns

We in C-FB ISD have much to be thankful for when it comes our public school system.  We have great facilities and the latest technology.  But, what really makes our school district stand out from all the rest are the people who have chosen our district as their professional home. 

In early November, your Board of Trustees hosted a service awards dinner for district staff members. The individuals honored had completed 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and even 40 years of service in C-FB ISD.  In fact, we had 273 staff members with those years of service.  These team members have made life-long commitments to C-FB ISD and make our district what it is today.

Along with a service award pin, the School Board approved a compensation plan to honor these employees for theirs years of service.  For every 5 years, an individual is a C-FB ISD staff member, he receives $500.  For example, a 10-year staff member receives a $1,000 service award check.  This is the fourth year that we’ve included this incentive for employees who return to C-FB ISD year after year. I've heard some staff members call it “longetivity pay.”   This project is just another way that we thank our team members for their loyalty to our district, to our students and our goal of "high achievement for all students."

Thirty-five Year Pin Recipients Deborah Holmes, Cathy Webb
Mary Bass with Board President Nancy Cline and Dr. Burns

Mark Twain once wrote, “Your work is a self-portrait, autograph it with excellence.” This quotation describes the people who are C-FB ISD employees. Our staff strives for excellence in every assignment. Our team members give incredible hours. Regardless of the job or role, our staff goes the extra mile. And, they believe in this district.  For the past two years, we have asked the Human Resources Department of the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) to conduct a survey of C-FB ISD employees.

We have used the information to determine how our team perceives specific issues and also learned how they feel about C-FB ISD.  As community members, you should be proud that nearly all (99%) like the work they do.

Ninety-two percent indicated they would recommend C-FB ISD to a friend as a good place to work. The vast majority of the participants say that they have the support of their co-workers, and there is a sense of camaraderie within their work group.  Our C-FB ISD team members are the "unsung heroes" who are shaping tomorrow's leaders.
What our educational team thinks about C-FB ISD mirrors the viewpoints from our annual parent survey. Our 2011 parent survey told us that 90 % of our parents were satisfied with their child’s campus. 

We in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District are thankful that our parents are satisfied with their child's campus.  However, in our district, we believe in a model of continuous improvement, which means that we are always striving to do better.  After all, our goal is "high achievement for all students."

More 'Share Your Stories'; Be a Part of Our Campaign

As we approach this season of thanksgiving, this is a great time for you to participate in our "Share Your Story" campaign. For the last year, we have been encouraging people to tell their special positive stories about C-FB ISD.

We want people to share their success stories that they usually tell their friends, family and neighbors about their schools, teachers and district with us. We are looking for the stories that set C-FB ISD apart from the other public school systems in Texas and the nation.

We appreciate the wonderful experiences that former and current students, parents, grandparents, teachers, and community members have written and even videotaped. Our Strategic Communication Services team has been to Homecoming games, Senior Honor Breakfasts, Employee Appreciation Events and other activities  recording these messages. You can see the already taped stories on our Vimeo Channel or at Share Your Stories Videos.

Here are just a few of the written stories that have been shared:

"Excellent opportunities for the students, and the administrators and staff are fantastic to work with as parent volunteer. C-FB ISD is our home."  

Story From C-FB ISD Facebook

"After I attended C-FB ISD my entire school career, I wanted my son to also attend school in C-FB. My son currently attends Farmers Branch Elementary.  From the first day of kindergarten, the school has been very supportive of me and my son.  ...  I work very closely with the administrators and teachers. Parent involvement really does go a long way. The more you support your child the more the staff of the school can help your child improve. "

Former C-FB ISD Student and Current C-FB ISD Parent

“The teachers at McKamy truly care about the future of each child and focus on ways to challenge each student to reach their full potential. Their lesson plans hold the child's interests and make learning fun. The staff have always been caring and attentive to each student's unique needs. I'm starting our tenth year at McKamy and I cannot imagine our children anywhere else.”

Parent of former and current McKamy Elementary School students

The Share Your Story section on our website is available for anyone but especially for prospective families and future C-FB ISD team members to hear from "real C-FBers" on what makes our district special for students and of course, families. And, we believe the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District is one of the best professional homes for educators too!

Do you have a story to share?

We know that there are hundreds and hundreds of stories about the spirit of our district and how a C-FB ISD team member made a difference in the life of a student or a family.  We also know that our signature instructional programs set our graduates on their chosen career paths. And, our fine arts and athletic programs even impact the lives of our students. Or, if you are a C-FB ISD educational team member, you may want to tell us why you made the decision to make our district your professional home.

Are you willing to share?  We've made it really easy for you. We've created a form where you can write your story. We simply ask you to limit your story to less than 250 words. Share Your Story Form

We know that C-FB ISD is a great place to learn and to work. We have outstanding students. We have a great community that supports our students and believes in our work. We have an educational team who believes in our goal of high achievement for all students.

We encourage you to share your positive story about C-FB ISD today!

Everything Ties Together

At our November School Board meeting, we shared the restructured 2011-12 District Improvement Plan along with the updated 2011-12 Strategic Improvement Plan.  The updated Strategic Plan focuses on performance targets aligned with the district goal of "high achievement for all students" and our four supporting objectives.

District Improvement Council Chairman Matthew Pruitt, sixth-grade teacher from Ted Polk Middle School, presented an overview of the district plan.  Mr. Pruitt did an excellent job outlining the plan and the council's role.  State law mandates all Texas school districts have a District Improvement Council.

In C-FB ISD, we take the District Improvement Council's role seriously.  Our council's members represent teachers, parents, community members, principals and district administrators. The council meets regularly during the school year. Members learn about and give input on the budget, the district calendar, instructional matters and special annual topics such as school start times.

The District Improvement Plan follows the district's vision, mission, statement of beliefs and graduate profile. All of these can be found on the district website.  In the District Improvement Plan, there are numerous action strategies outlined for the C-FB ISD team to accomplish the four supporting objectives.  At the School Board meeting, we highlighted strategies that our team will be working on to move our district forward this school year. To see the strategies we highlighted, please click through our PowerPoint presentation below.

Our Strategic Improvement Plan outlines district-wide performance targets being used to measure our four strategic objectives.  The Education Resource Group (ERG) provides much of the data that the district uses.  The ERG performance matrix was developed to identify school districts that obtain high academic performance in the most financially efficient manner. An October Focus Points outlined the benefits of ERG's work.  Other student achievement data that we will use to evaluate our performance include STAAR (the new state accountability system),  SAT and ACT (college entrance exams) results and the high school graduation rate.

As we work to improve to the learning environment for our students and staff, we will evaluate our student attendance rate and disciplinary placements.  We will use the results from the annual staff survey conducted by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) to monitor our success as well.

Increasing operational effectiveness has always been a priority, but in today's world, we are working through even greater major financial shortfalls than ever before.  At the same time, we are staying the course for high academic achievement. We will be using the ERG data as we measure our financial effectiveness among the 200 largest Texas school districts.

Our fourth objective revolves around increasing the stakeholder confidence of the district. We will measure our efforts through our annual parent survey and our employee survey.  For example, in our 2011 parent survey, 88.6% of our parents said that they were satisfied with the district.  We continue to build confidence through open communication as well face-to-face communication with parents, staff, community and business leaders.

As you look through our documents, you will see C-FB ISD has a plan to move our work forward.  We in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District are committed to high achievement for all students.  We know that the community will join us in our efforts to help all of our students achieve high levels in the A's: academics, the arts and athletics.

Board District Improvement Plan 2011-2012

Serving and Honoring Others



Newman Smith Vocal Ensemble

 In C-FB ISD, we always talk about our singular goal of high achievement for all students.  We believe that it is important that our team knows what our purpose is as we move our students' learning forward.  Along with our students learning reading, writing and math, we also emphasize the ideals on which this country was established.

In 1996, a group of parents, teachers, and students worked with the School Board to develop the district’s character values. They selected seven standards that they believed were concepts on which this country was founded. The seven traits are

• respect
• pride
• integrity
• service
• responsibility
• cooperation
• citizenship

R. L. Turner ROTC

Our goal as educators is to model these principles throughout our district whether in the classrooms, on the playing fields or in district offices. We want our students, families and the entire community to know that character values are alive and well in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District.

In November, our students and staff model respect and citizenship as they celebrate Veterans Day. The students hold assemblies, special ceremonies and other projects where they welcome veterans as well as men and women who are currently serving in the armed services.  These activities are planned by our students because they understand the sacrifices made by these men and women.

One of Our Heroes at R. L. Turner

Earlier this week, R. L. Turner and Newman Smith High Schools held assemblies.  Our students are so honored to have these men and women on their campuses. Sometimes, we are not sure who benefits more from these events – the students or the individuals being recognized.


In C-FB ISD, we so appreciate the staff members who collaborate with the students who participate in the assembly as members of the color guard, the choir, and other performance groups.  Your talents provide such inspiration to the veterans and armed service members whom your schools are honoring, but at the same time, you are showing them what is right with public education in C-FB ISD. 

 



Mr. Tom Lytle, retired Special Forces,
presents Newman Smith Principal
Joe Pouncy a commemorative coin



We are also proud of the respect and admiration that the students in audience have for those who have given so much for our country.  Our students are models of the seven character values adopted by our district.

We have two more assemblies scheduled to honor Veterans Day.  If you are veteran in our community and wish to attend, please contact the principal's office of that school.  We would like to thank you for your service.

Some of Our Heroes at Newman Smith

Blalack Middle School Veterans Day Celebration, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m.

Vivian Field Middle School Veterans Day Celebration, Nov. 15 at 2:45 p.m.



Or, if you are a community member, please join us for these special celebrations to honor those who serve our nation and community.  You will be encouraged by the outpouring of support C-FB ISD students give to the men and women who have given service to our great country.  

We encourage everyone to model the district character values of respect, pride, integrity, service, responsibility, cooperation, and citizenship and to remember that “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”

To view more photos from R. L. Turner's assembly: RLT

To view more photos from Newman Smith's assembly: NSHS

Staying THE Course As We Work Through Financial Issues

Our teachers, principals, and our instructional team remain focused on high achievement for all students. However, school finance and the district's financial status are major conversational topics among staff, parents, and even some community members.  The major funding shortfalls that occurred in the last Texas Legislature are having major effects on the district's financial structure and its future academic and operational structure.

Approved by the School Board in August, the 2011-2012 district budget, has a deficit of $9.7 million. However, the staff is already taking steps to reduce that deficit amount. For the first time, the district requested state waivers for kindergarten through fourth grade that exceed 22 students in a classroom because of financial circumstances. We currently have 63 classrooms in those grades with more than 22 students. By electing not to hire 63 additional elementary teachers, we saved about $3.4 million.  C-FB ISD is not alone in making this decision; neighboring North Texas districts also submitted the same type of state waiver to the Texas Education Agency due to financial constraints.

From 2008 to 2011, we reduced our staffing ranks by 239 through attrition and retirements. These positions included educational aides, teachers, administrators, and auxiliary staff. Since last school year until we started classes this August, another 120 jobs went away through attrition and retirements. Our goal has been to look everywhere and anywhere to reduce costs.

As we look to the 2012-13 school budget, we estimate a shortfall of $20 million based on the state financial data. As our governing organization, the School Board has developed three guiding objectives for us to use to prioritize our programs, operations and compensation.  These objectives will help us evaluate what will cause the least harm to our programs and operations.

Guiding Objectives

• Minimize the impact on student academic achievement
• Minimize the impact on non-academic special services and programs for all students, i.e., extra-curricular and co-curricular programming
• Minimize the impact on the ability to retain and attract quality staff

We will use these guiding objectives to determine how the programs and operations stack up based on their level of importance to the objectives.  This is a systems-based approach in analyzing the programs, operations, and services that C-FB ISD provides. Once we have this information, we will prioritize the proposed cost containments based on which have the least impact on the district's goal of high achievement.  This is no easy to task. 

When the School Board meets on February 16, 2012 in a work-study session on Resource Allocation, we will discuss if there are any cost containments that can be made to help with the pending shortfall. Not only do we to have to think about the impact of these decisions on the district today, but also what impact will these decisions have on the district in the future. 

Revenue Options
There are only two ways under current state law for a public school district to get additional revenue: 1) a tax ratification election and 2) more students. 

First, under current state law, a school district can hold an election to ask its voters to approve taxes for the maintenance and operation of the school district. 

Second, increased enrollment also means more dollars.  When a school district is growing, then that means more money.  Another way to get more students is to open your district to students who live out of your district through open enrollment.  At the November 17 work-study session, the School Board will hear a report on a limited open enrollment policy.  Several North Texas school districts currently have limited open enrollment policies, including Coppell ISD.

Understanding the revenue structure of school finance structure is complex.  This short video, "Texas School Finance Explained," which was produced during the last state legislature gives an excellent overview of how Texas school finance works. Video

We know that any changes that we make due to financial constraints can impact our students and staff. But, these reductions and others will be necessary to adjust to a reduced state funding level.  We believe that everyone who is associated with the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District needs to be aware of the financial implications affecting our schools.  As we work through these serious financial issues, we will continue our commitment to high achievement for all students.