I was invited to attend the 2025 HEB Excellence in Education Awards Sunday night in Austin, and it was nothing short of amazing.  As a first time attendee, I witnessed inspiring acceptance speeches from winners, as well as the keynote address from Admiral William H. McRaven.  As one of the winners stated (and I'm paraphrasing), "these are tough times for teachers, but it's important that we keep going back into the fire and getting the job done".  

Special congratulations goes to the two TREA schools represented:  

https://mailchi.mp/uteach/april_2025?e=3872833e78

https://mailchi.mp/44ea89f9ffa1/dhedf-rural-stem-initiative-special-announcement-oct-2024-issue-18135650?e=228d62bca7

Remember that TREA member districts can sign up for free, just follow the directions on this link.  

https://usarec.ent.box.com/s/1ytgt4szrbn9wc72h91k4mwi7c2asoeg/file/1699330887970

I was honored to be a part of the U.S. Army Education Tour at Fort Stewart last year.  The military is a great avenue for some our rural students who want to get an education and learn valuable skills.  Respectfully, Bill.  

https://ig.utexas.edu/tsgc/k-12-education/

Please check out these resources and events available through TSGC, and pass this link/information on to your staff and others as you see fit.  

Congratulations to these High School boys basketball teams on making it to the State Game!  Winners are in bold.  

1A D2:  Jayton

Congratulations to these Girls Basketball Teams on making it to the State Game!  State champs are in bold.

1A D2:  Saltillo

https://www.smu.edu/simmons/community/leadership-impact/education

 Many of our TREA superintendents and leaders have participated in this program throughout the last several years, and they sometimes hear about it through other TREA leaders and our Newsletters.  Please check it out and tell other school district leaders about it as you see fit.  

https://charlesbuttfdn.org/news/highlights-2024/

Thanks for all the work this Foundation does for Public Education!

https://lemelson.mit.edu/inventeams

Thanks to our friends at DHEDF Rural STEM for letting us know about this.  Are you a TREA member district and not receiving DHEDF Newsletters?  Contact Bill Tarleton at [email protected]  

https://recf.org/vex_worlds/volunteer-vex-robotics-world-championship/-

Consider passing this information along to others in your organization or community that would be interested in volunteering for this event coming up in May.  It is very unique in that this is a World-Wide event being held in Texas this year.  Sheryl and I attended the high school finals portion 2 years ago, and it's more like attending a rock concert for robotics teams, very cool!

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/TXTEA/bulletins/3cf4b6c

We know you have these awesome students in your TREA Member District Schools, let's get them nominated!

https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-basketball-player-saves-opponents-life-honored/63501175

Small town Oklahoma basketball game brings out a hero and saves a life...

TREA past president Mark Keahey and Allen Garner, both former school administrators, have created Education Administrative Resources (EAR) The Budget Notebook, a tailored school finance training program designed for new superintendents and business managers/CFOs preparing for the upcoming budget cycle. These virtual sessions are also ideal for experienced school leaders seeking to learn and grow their skills in the area of school finance and budgeting.  

Participants will receive practical tools, resources, and training for budget preparation, along with step-by-step guidance to organize and estimate their district’s revenue projections. The cost is very affordable at $495 per person.