Election Day was last week, and voters across Texas elected new members for the State Board of Education, the entirety of which was on the ballot. If you’re scratching your head wondering what it is, don’t worry! We’ll explain.

• What is it? The State Board of Education is a 15-member elected body that sets standards for Texas public schools. 
• What do they do? Board members review curriculum and instructional materials, set graduation requirements, consider new charter schools, oversee the Texas Permanent School Fund, and have the final say on the state’s educator certification rules.
• Who represents Fort Worth and Tarrant County? We have two State Board of Education members. Republican Pat Hardy represents District 11, which covers most of Tarrant County and extends west and south to cover four other counties. Democrat Aicha Davis represents District 13, which covers parts of Fort Worth, all of Arlington and extends to Dallas County. Both incumbents were re-elected last week.
  • Use this tool from the state to find out who represents you.
• How long do they serve? Board members serve four-year terms. However, the term length changes after redistricting, which happened in 2021. That means when the board is sworn in early next year, they will draw to determine which seven members will have a shortened two-year term and be up for re-election in 2024 and who will serve a full four-year term.

 🦃 It’s turkey time! 🦃 Thanksgiving break starts Monday, Nov. 21, and ends Friday, Nov. 25. Students return to school on Nov. 28.

• Looking for some fun activities to enjoy with your kids? Consider reading a book together or learn more about your family’s history. Here are some more ideas. 
• As y’all enjoy your break, the School Report will, too. We’ll be back in your inbox on Tuesday, Nov. 29.

The United Educators Association recently released data on teacher pay across North Texas. Kristen took a look at the Tarrant County numbers.

• Teachers in North Texas continue to be some of the best paid in the state, but the teachers association says they still deserve more.
• Castleberry ISD offers the highest pay for a first-year teacher with a four-year degree in Tarrant County, where the pay is $60,892.
• Kristen broke down the data to let you check out the pay scale in each Tarrant County district. Just select the district you want to view or districts you want to compare.
• The data looks at teacher pay by years of experience with a bachelor’s degree and does not include any stipends.

Fort Worth ISD administrators presented projections for how well they think third-grade students will do on the math portion of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness in May. They’re bracing for a possible slip. Jacob examined the data.

• If they took the math STAAR now, 17% of third-graders would meet grade level. That is a 12 percentage point drop from the 29% who met grade level this past spring.
• But administrators have hope students will gain ground and could exceed projections and results from the spring. “We have a lot of great things happening in classrooms around the district, and we know that this is not a self-fulfilling prophecy,” Sarah Arispe, an associate superintendent, said.
• At the campus level, teachers use this data to determine how to best support students. The district also uses it to determine which students may need to attend Saturday school and have in-school tutoring.

Know an outstanding student or teacher who should be part of this newsletter? Now you can nominate a teacher or student of the week! Each week, we plan to feature a top student and teacher in the School Report.

• To nominate a student, use this form.
• To nominate a teacher, use this form.