1. VEX Robotics

 Jason McKenna of VEX Robotics will do a one-hour virtual presentation to DHEDF Rural STEM Initiative Participating School Leadership on the date and time indicated below:

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TREA is excited to announce a new FREE service to our member districts and their staff members.  This professional development offers many 6 hour modules in a variety of topics you can use as local credit for your PD needs.  This service is available now, and goes through May of 2026.   Please see the link below to set up your account and access the modules, free of charge.  If you have any questions, contact Bill Tarleton or Jared Bigham at Jared@mycredential.com

https://learn.mycredential.com/dashboard/?invite=369d3902aeb06fac2ceecaa97825e275

https://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/news/wylie-isd-superintendent-takes-the-wheel-as-bus-driver/

Seriously though, great job on a positive article for longtime TREA member Joey Light and Abilene Wylie ISD.  

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!

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.  

https://survey.k12insight.com/survey1.aspx?k=RQsUVURsTXQsPsPsP&lang=0

Our friends at NREA and AASA are asking for your input, as there is a push to cut the amount of funding schools get for E-Rate.  Thank you for your consideration. 

Brian Stroman, TREA representative and Bloomburg ISD superintendent teamed up with ESC Region 8 School Safety Director Lee Gill to work with superintendent David Segers and Maud ISD on their District Vulnerability Assessment (DVA).  The result was a No Findings report, the best possible outcome for a DVA.  Great job, Maud ISD!

Remember, Brian and Lee can assist you with your DVA, and even if yours isn't scheduled for this year, it's not too early to get some guidance.  If you need more information, contact Bill Tarleton at btarleton@txrea.com  

See the letter below from Superintendent Wade Callaway explaining this remarkable feat.  Reprint permission given by Mr. Callaway;  emphasis added.  

In early February of 2024, Gruver ISD was contacted by Dr. Garrett Black of the Texas Education Agency(TEA) that Gruver High School had qualified to apply for nomination for the 2024 National Blue-Ribbon Schools Program. Gruver HS’s principal, Delma Haberthur, completed the application and submitted it in early April of the same year. Fast forward to September 2024 and Gruver High School has, in fact, been named a 2024 Blue Ribbon School for “Exemplary High-Performing Schools”.

Thanks to Brian Stroman, superintendent at Bloomburg ISD and TREA Foundation Board Member, he will assist TREA Superintendents with that process free of charge.  Bloomburg was a pilot district and were very successful in that DVA.  He is conducting these consults with the appreciation of the TEA, in that the districts Brian has worked with are extremely more prepared to conduct the DVA than those that haven't.  

It's my understanding that all districts will have to go through this, and will be on a 4-year cycle.  

Congratulations to these TREA superintendents for being named Superintendent of the Year for their ESC Regions!

Region 3:  Bill Chapman - Palacios ISD (now serving London ISD)