Participation in School Finance Litigation 12/06/11
The Board voted unanimously for RISD to join school finance litigation against the State of Texas. RISD will join a coalition of school districts represented by Haynes and Boone, LLP. The district asserts that the current school finance system impairs its ability to provide adequate education to students and that the current financing model constitutes an unconstitutional statewide property tax.
The coalition that RISD will join is one of several that have filed or plan to file suit against the State of Texas. Haynes and Boone previously represented districts, including RISD, in litigation filed in 2005 that was ultimately successful in challenging the State's previous school finance system.
RISD is hopeful that the litigation will result in additional funds from the state, which will allow districts to provide a quality education and to meet the higher expectations that are required under the newly implemented school accountability program.
"If they are successful on adequacy, it will be a win for every school district in the state," Dr. Waggoner said.
Joining the litigation will cost RISD approximately $43,000, based upon a $1 per WADA fee that all participating districts will pay.
Current News
2012-13 Student Academic Calendar 12/06/11
After two months of discussion and stakeholder feedback, the Board formally approved Option 3 as RISD's 2012-2013 Student Academic Calendar. The approved calendar features the traditional length of Winter Break, first semester exams before Winter Break, an end to the school year of June 6 and graduations on June 9 and 10, 2013. More than 3,800 stakeholders responded to the calendar survey, with 74 percent of respondents favoring Option 3.
Stults Road Students Embark on
a Trip Around the Globe 01/13/12
Stults Road sixth graders and kindergarteners are going on a world tour this year, starting in New Zealand and ending in the United Kingdom, with stops in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
They are following the adventures of David Aycock and Toby Tull as the young men embark upon their Global Encounter. The students will follow David and Toby through videos, GPS maps, blogs and online polls. Students from throughout the school will also be able to track David and Toby as the sixth graders and kindergarteners update their progress on maps posted in the school's hallways.
Stults Road was the final stop for David and Toby before the two Texans flew off to New Zealand to begin their adventure.
Principal Darwin Spiller is leading the Global Encounter enrichment cluster, which will teach students about geography, cultures from around the globe and the technology used to connect David and Toby to American students, including those at Stults Road.
"I wanted to find a way to expand the enrichment cluster concept," Spiller said. "All the sixth graders and each of the kindergarteners are linked – it's a huge virtual component."
While David and Toby have an itinerary they will follow, the students they interact with through blog questions, online polls and Twitter updates will help to direct their activities day to day.
"I pressed hard for our kindergarten and sixth grade students to be a part of this Global Encounter - World Tour because I strongly believe that all students, regardless of academic status, have the right to participate in enrichment opportunities which tap into their interests and inspire them beyond the regular classroom setting," Spiller said.
All RISD staff members can access the RISD Intranet using the link above. However, in order to access
the Intranet
from home, you must first make a VPN connection to the district's computer network.
