Colleagues,

In our latest edition of Inside FWISD, you will find information about:

• Fort Worth ISD Social Emotional Learning Survey Starts Monday: All Teachers, 3^rd-12^th Grade Students Encouraged to Participate
• FWISD Recognizes October Customer Service Stars
• MUNIS Application Upgrade Set For November 17-22
• One Week of Early Voting Left For November 2 Elections:  Ballot includes Fort Worth ISD Bond Propositions
• Photo of the Week: FWISD Celebrates World Sight Day Distributing Free Eyeglasses to Nearly 200 Students

Look  for more stories and information about and for FWISD employees on the Inside FWISD blog

To honor the memory and life of service of former U.S. Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell, President Joseph R. Biden has ordered all U.S. flags to be lowered to half-staff until sunset Friday, October 22, 2021.

The Fort Worth ISD will comply with this order, and flags will remain at half-staff until the close of school on Friday. Please note, flag protocol prescribes that no flag is to fly higher than the U.S. flag, meaning that all flags in Texas should be flown at half-staff for the same duration.

You’ll be going to the polls Tuesday, November 2, 2021 to decide the outcome of the Fort Worth ISD Bond election! You are cordially invited to attend one of two information sessions with Dr. Scribner via Zoom tomorrow (link below). 

SUPERINTENDENT DR. KENT P. SCRIBNER ENCOURAGES EACH DEPARTMENT TO PARTICIPATE IN ONE OF THESE EMPLOYEE TOWN HALL MEETINGS.

The Fort Worth ISD Board of Education approved a resolution calling for a bond election of $1,490,400,000. The election will not result in a property tax rate increase. The proposal will, among other things, address renovations at the District's middle schools and a new elementary school in Benbrook.

Specifically, voters will consider four propositions:

• Proposition A would provide $ 1,211,000,000 for the construction, renovation, acquisition, and equipment of school buildings in the District. This includes upgrades to middle schools as well as the construction of a new elementary school.
• Proposition B allocates $ 98,300,000 for the construction, acquisition and equipment of existing Fine Arts facilities. This includes upgrades to auditoriums.
• Proposition C would provide $ 104,900,000 for the construction, acquisition and equipment of stadiums in the District.
• Proposition D would provide $ 76,200,000 for the construction, renovation and equipment of recreational facilities in the District. This includes the replacement of turf at existing athletic stadiums.

Administration Building

Zoom Information Session

Tuesday, October 19

10-11 a.m. or 3-4 p.m.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83325953925

Colleagues,

In our latest edition of Inside FWISD, you will find information about:

• New FAQ Answers Employee Inquiries About Stipend Documenting Full  COVID Vaccination Status
• Early Voting for November 2 Starts Monday
• New FWISD Gold Seal Catalog Helps Students Choose Their Path to Success
• Notice To Employees About Using Visitor’s Parking at the Administration Building
• Free Digital Performance Spotlights First Black Female Pilot Bessie Coleman : Production Available for Classroom Use Through October 31

Look  for more stories and information about and for FWISD employees on the Inside FWISD blog

Attention Fort Worth ISD educators, administrators and school staff!

Head to McDonald's now through October 15 for a free Thank You Meal during breakfast hours. At participating McDonald’s locations, educators across the country with a valid ID required will receive an Egg McMuffin, Sausage Biscuit, or Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit, plus hash browns and a medium soft drink or Premium Roast or iced coffee.

Thank you for all you do to inspire and empower our community.

 Town Hall Sessions Set for October 9, 11 to Discuss Single-Member Board Districts Changes

Join the Fort Worth ISD Board of Education-appointed Redistricting Committee tonight for a town hall session discussing redistricting to FWISD’s school board single-member districts.

The community is invited to join the in-person town hall at 6 p.m.  today, Monday, October 11 in the North Side High School Auditorium, 2211 McKinley Ave. Fort Worth. 

Each decade, the Fort Worth ISD participates in a redistricting process of its single-member Board districts to guarantee equal voter representation. This is determined through equal or equivalent population counts based on the most recent U.S. Census data. During the redistricting process, Board single-member districts are redrawn to reflect population growth or decline or any other demographic changes.

Town hall participants will have opportunities to ask questions of committee members and comment on the redistricting process at each event. This session is among the first in a series of public meetings slated over the next several months.

Learn more about the redistricting process and its committee members by visiting fwisd.org/redistricting.

Fort Worth bus drivers and bus attendants will soon see bigger paychecks.

In recognition of their efforts, bus drivers, who currently start at $18.45 per hour, will now have a starting salary of $22 an hour. Bus attendants, who now start at $11.11 per hour, will see a starting salary of $13 per hour.

“And, current bus drivers making more than the new starting salary will receive a similar increase in pay,” said FWISD Chief Talent Officer Dr. Raúl Peña.

These increases will place Fort Worth ISD as one of the top paying Districts in the DFW Metroplex.

The pay adjustment takes effect Saturday, October 9. Employees will see the new salaries reflected in the November 30 pay checks. (Employee Self-Serve will show the updates on October 29.)

Our bus drivers and attendants provide a crucial line of support for the students of Fort Worth ISD: they are the first employees to engage with many of our children in the morning, and the last to see them safely home in the afternoon. Bus drivers and attendants are also among our longest serving employees, with an average tenure of over 11 years of service in FWISD.

There’s even more good news. Fort Worth ISD bus drivers and attendants will also be eligible for a 2021-2022 Transportation Support Bonus.

The bonus awards $1,000 to bus drivers and $750 to bus attendants, employed as of October 1, who serve on a minimum of five routes weekly during the course of the instructional year. Eligible employees include not just those hired as bus drivers or attendants, but other employees serving in the bus driver role this school year due to vacancies.

Additionally, in an effort to build our employee pipeline and create advancement opportunities for current employees, bus attendants who earn a Commercial Driver’s License with S & P endorsements and who then transition into the role of bus driver, will be eligible for the $1,000 bonus, as well.

Production Available for Classroom Use Through October 31

Fort Worth ISD teachers are encouraged to register their fourth to seventh grade classes for a digital performance of “Bessie Coleman: Queen of the Skies.”

Available through Sunday, October 31, this 25-minute digital experience documents the life of Ms. Coleman, the first African American and Native American woman to perform a public flight and the first American woman to obtain an international pilot’s license. “Bessie Coleman: Queen of the Skies” is told by professional storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston. 

Teachers may register for this exclusive digital performance here.

Reservation space is limited for the performance, which is being brought to classrooms by the Children’s Education Program of Performing Arts Fort Worth at Bass Performance Hall. Teachers approved to stream the production will receive unique login credentials from Bass Hall. A downloadable study guide is also available as a resource to teachers interested in sharing more about Bessie Coleman with their students.

“This new streaming production illuminates the life and legacy of Bessie Coleman, a native Texan who was determined to fulfill her dream of learning how to fly,” according to a statement released by Bass Hall.

For additional information, contact Christina Walk, FWISD Visual and Performing Arts executive director,  at 817-814-2620 or christina.walk@fwisd.org; or contact Joseph Niedziela, FWISD K-12 Social Studies and Curriculum Supports executive director, at 817-814-2470 or joseph.niedziela@fwisd.org. 

Colleagues,

In our latest edition of Inside FWISD, you will find information about:

• District Increases Bus Driver and Attendant Pay; Bonus Opportunities Also Announced
• Let’s Talk Redistricting: 2 Town Hall Sessions Set for October 9, 11 to Discuss Single-Member Board Districts Changes
• Volunteers Needed for TAFB Food Distribution: Fort Worth ISD and Tarrant Area Food bank Host Mega Mobile Market at Herman Clark Stadium on Wednesday Nights
• Information Sessions Offer Commitment To Classrooms Bond Details: 7 Public Meetings Left Before November 2 Election
• FWISD Student Fall Break Is October 8-11
• A Worthy Tale: FWISD Plumber Celebrates 49 Years of Service 

Look  for more stories and information about and for FWISD employees on the Inside FWISD blog

Treat yourself to this amazing story reported by WFAA-TV's William Joy.

It's about the power of music - specifically, the power of North Side High School's mariachi program - to change lives while honoring an important tradition.