School PR on a Shoestring
TSPRAn Kirk Lewis honored
Former TSPRA President Kirk Lewis honrored as Texas Tech Distinguished Alumni
On November 11, 2011, The Texas Tech Alumni Association honored four Distinguished Alumni. Among them was Superintendent of Pasadena ISD, Kirk Lewis, who served as president of TSPRA in 2003-2004. The award recognizes alumni who have made significant contributions toward furthering the excellence of Texas Tech University through outstanding accomplishments, careers and/or through extraordinary measures of service.
Link to the Texas Tech story.
Photos:
1 & 2 - Kirk Lewis and his family
3 - Distinguished Alumni Recipients, left to right: Michael Gilbert, Kirk Lewis, Brigadier General Charles Q. Brown, and Larry Byrd
4 - Distinguished Alumni Recipients with Texas Tech Alumni Association VP, left to right: Michael Gilbert, Kirk Lewis, Bill Dean, Brigadier General Charles Q. Brown, and Larry Byrd
5 - Kirk Lewis and Bill Dean, Executive Vice President and CEO, Texas Tech Alumni Association
6 - Kirk Lewis and Texas Tech University Chancellor Kent Hance
Talking Points Lawsuits filed against the State
This file is provided by Leander ISD. It is a summary of the lawsuits filed against the State of Texas in regards to the state's public school finance system.
Talking Points Downloads a Word .doc file
TTSFC Lawsuit Against the State
Texas Taxpayer & Student Fairness Coalition Files School Finance Lawsuit
On October 10, 2011, a coalition of more than 150 public school districts, taxpayers and parents filed a lawsuit against the state of Texas in Travis County district court alleging that the state's public school finance system does not treat taxpayers and school children fairly and therefor is unconstitutional. Named as plaintiffs to represent the coalition, known as the Texas Taxpayer & Student Fairness Coalition, were the Hillsboro, Hutto, Nacogdoches, Pflugerville, San Antonio, Taylor and Van Independent School Districts.
The following links are shared by the Equity Center. Lauren Cook, director of communications for the Equity Center has provided TSPRA with the latest Talking Points just released here.
• The Equity Center's new release on the lawsuit [pdf]
• The Equity Center's latest Talking Points 10/11/2011 [pdf]
• Original Talking Points released earlier 9/13/2011 [pdf]
• The filed petition [pdf]
2012 Annual TSPRA Conference
Register now and make your room reservations.
If you are interested in being a conference sponsor or having an exhibit booth, contact the State Office at 512-474-9107.
Go to the link.
Book your hotel room now!
School has officially started, which means the winter holidays will be here before we know it, which means the TSPRA Annual Conference (February 13-15, 2012) is right around the corner! Keeping in mind the group of members whose travel budgets have been cut or reduced, we have negotiated with the Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol to keep the room rate at $139 per night! Remember to make arrangements with your TSPRA friends now if you're looking for a roommate. Please visit the Annual Conference page to find the link with the discounted room rate for TSPRAns. And keep an eye on that page later this fall for conference registration, schedule and 50th Anniversary Celebration activities
Aledo ISD board vice president named TSPRA's 2011 Key Communicator
 AUSTIN, TX -- July 20, 2011 -- The Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) Awards Committee has selected Bobby J. Rigues as the association's 2011 Key Communicator. Rigues, who serves as vice president for the Aledo ISD Board of Trustees, earned this prestigious award as recognition for his significant support of Texas public schools through effective communications. In the face of overwhelming budget cuts to public schools by the Texas Legislature earlier this year, he united districts throughout the state with the "Make Education a Priority" campaign. The award will be presented to Rigues by TSPRA president Tim Carroll, APR during the 2011 Texas Association of School Administrators/Texas Association of School Boards Convention on September 30-October 2, 2011. More than 6,000 public school officials are expected to attend this year's conference in Austin. Click here to read the entire press release.
Northside ISD awarded SchoolMessenger 2011 Act Local Grant
Santa Cruz, CA -- July 12, 2011 -- SchoolMessenger, a leading provider of parent notification solutions for education, today presented Northside Independent School District (ISD) of San Antonio, TX with its first SchoolMessenger Act Local Grant. The grant was awarded during the SchoolMessenger Showcase Session at the 2011 National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) National Seminar in San Antonio.
The annual SchoolMessenger Act Local Grant program recognizes one K12 public school district each year that has used communications programs and public relations to make a positive impact in their local community. Northside ISD was singled out this year for its innovative use of social media to engage parents and its local community. The District can use its award to fund additional communications programs or communications scholarships for students.
TSPRA welcomes three new zone coordinators
On Thursday, June 16, the TSPRA executive committee unanimously voted to approve three new zone coordinators: Mike Rockwood, Sheldon ISD (Houston/Beaumont Region); Mike Adkins, Ector County ISD (Far West Region); and Abby Cloud, Mansfield ISD (North Central Region). These zone coordinators were appointed by their respective area vice presidents to provide support of membership service functions. These new coordinators will serve their areas for the next year.
We're thrilled to see more TSPRAns getting involved and would ask you to join us in congratulating Mike, Mike and Abby in their new roles!
2011 Conference Photos
Reminisce about the great time you had, the knowledge you gained and the connections you built at the 2011 Annual Conference by clicking through our conference photos, thanks to TSPRAn and photographer Ian Halperin (Mesquite ISD). To view the photos, members should login to our website in the top, right-hand corner then go to the blue MEMBERSHIP tab > MEMBER AREA > MEMBER GALLERY. We look forward too seeing all your bright, shining faces again at the 2012 Conference in Austin (February 13-15)!
TSPRA president honored with national mentoring award
 The National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) has selected TSPRA president Tim Carroll, APR (Allen ISD) as the 2011 Barry Gaskins Mentor Legacy Award recipient. Since entering the school public relations profession in 1981, Tim has not only dedicated himself to elevating the practice of public relations in education but also to helping his colleagues hone their skills and abilities in order to better serve our schools.
"Tim truly cares about the future of public schools, kids and those with whom he works each day," said colleague Cody Cunningham, chief communications officer at McKinney ISD. "He is both a great mentor and friend to hundreds of individuals in school PR, and both the profession and many individuals, including myself, owe him a debt of gratitude."
The Barry Gaskins Mentor Legacy Award recognizes a practicing school public relations professional for outstanding efforts in mentoring colleagues new to the profession, providing counsel and advice on job success and creating programs to assist peers in improving their PR skills and knowledge.
Click here to continue reading...
Five professional award recipients added to long list of stars
Five of our most outstanding TSPRA and community members were recognized as 2011 Professional Award recipients at the TSPRA Annual Conference in Arlington, TX on February 23-25, 2011. Please take a moment to congratulate the following winners:
Professional Achievement: Christy Willman, Lamar CISD
Most Valuable Member: Corpus Christi ISD Communications Department
Rookie of the Year: Maya Bethany, Lindale ISD
Bright Idea Award: Amy Smith, Alamo Heights ISD
Media Award: Rachel Slade, Williamson County Sun
Want to see a list of past winners? Visit our Awards section.
Register today for the 2011 Annual Conference!
Join us for the TSPRA Annual Conference, Wednesday, Feb. 23 through Friday, Feb. 25, 2011, in Arlington, TX! Attendees will hear from nationally-recognized keynote speakers Linda Rutherford (Southwest Airlines), Bill Lively (Super Bowl XLV Host Committee) and John Quiñones (ABC News). Being in Texas's sports epicenter, we'll also offer field trips to a Stars hockey game and tours of the Ranger's and Cowboy's stadiums and their multimedia operations. Friday's conference will feature invaluable extended professional development sessions from veterans of the trade Jim Lukaszewski and Lynn Rossi Scott. Visit the Annual Conference page under the Conferences & Workshops tab for registration, schedule and speaker information.
All 2009/10 memberships expire on Oct. 31, 2010
Be sure to renew your membership and mail your check by Monday, Oct. 31, 2010 to avoid any inturruption in service. If you need to add/remove members to your district, change membership levels or have any questions, please contact the TSPRA office at 512-474-9107. To renew, login first then click here.
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