TRS News
The TRS announced that it has started allowing members of the public to visit the system’s headquarters “in a limited capacity” based on advance reservations for retirement counseling purposes. TRS headquarters — like most other state agency buildings and the state Capitol — have been closed to the public for several months due to the pandemic.
Injured
Our thoughts and prayers are with retired Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA) Executive Director D.W. Rutledge, who (as of press time), was in a San Antonio hospital intensive care unit following an Oct. 30 bicycle accident. The THSCA is posting updates on his condition.
Stuttering Center
UT Austin says (press release) its stuttering clinic that each year currently serves 500 people — ages 3 to adult — will one day be able to scale up to help 3,000 people a year.
That’s thanks to a $20 million grant, payable over a period of 10 years, provided by a foundation named for Arthur M. Blank, who owns the Atlanta Falcons and co-founded Home Depot.
See also: Austin American-Statesman
College Advising “Chat Box”
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has implemented artificial intelligence “chat box” technology that helps guide high school students in applying for college, and provides advice and support to them while in college (press release).
The system communicates with students 24/7 via text messages, and can direct them to a cohort of live advisers if they need additional support.
The program is designed to be especially helpful to low-income and first-generation college students.
About 60,000 high school seniors last month used the tool to help in completing their ApplyTexas freshmen applications. High school juniors can use the system starting this month.
TSI Test Help
The College Board is offering Texas students and educators access online to free instructional and practice materials related to the updated Texas Success Initiative (TSI) assessment (dubbed TSIA2) via a new TSIA2 Learning Resources Library (info here).
The revised TSIA2 assessment will replace the current assessment on Jan. 11, 2021 (see TEN, Nov. 2).
Charter News
The new campaign, which will run both in English and Spanish, will “encourage policymakers to ‘Think Big’ about education in Houston while spotlighting the flexibility that public charters have.”
ISD Superintendent Pay
The average Texas ISD superintendent salary for
Of the 1,021 ISDs that received the survey, 672 (66 percent) responded. The survey did not include pay info for the 22 ISDs reporting interim or part-time superintendents.
The survey also found that ISD superintendents have served in their current district for a median of three years — and that of the 96 districts reporting new superintendents this school year, 57 hired a superintendent with no prior experience in the position.
Previously released survey results (see TEN, Nov. 2) reflected that the median superintendent pay for this school year was $137,314.