Advocacy
Advocacy (noun): the act of giving public support for a cause or proposal.
During our 2021-22 opening year, through a School of Excellence survey, CSE PTA members expressed a desire to improve education by growing family engagement in advocacy. This page provides some basic resources for our community to become familiar with Texas public education, information about how we can advocate for better education for our students, as well as some near-term "action alerts" for PTA members.
Advocacy News & Opportunities
CSE PTA and DSISD Council PTA had a great time at Texas PTA Rally Day. We learned about Texas PTA's legislative priorities in the morning, and then met with the state representatives for our school district in the afternoon. Thank you to all who attended!
The DSISD Board called for a May 2023 Bond election for $223.7M. More information about this bond election can be found here: https://www.dsisdtx.us/bond.
DSISD Board of Trustees will have two seats up for election in May 2023. Individuals interested in running for school board can find more information here: https://www.dsisdtx.us/Page/207. The deadline to file for trustee candidacy is February 17.
The next Regular Meeting of the DSISD Board of Trustees is typically 4th Mondays at 6pm. The Agenda and livestream link will be posted on BoardBook prior to the meeting.
Contact the DSISD trustees and Superintendent Morris-Kuentz through their new email address: Teamof8@dsisdtx.us
Education in Texas
There are many levels and entities that make up the public education system in Texas.
Federal Funding and Requirements come from the US Department of Education and other departments, and include things like IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), as well as programs like Head Start, School Lunch Program, and more.
State Funding and Requirements come from the Texas Education Agency (TEA - commissioner appointed by the governor), State Board of Education, and Texas Legislature.
Local Operations and Accountability are the responsibility of the local school districts, overseen by the superintendent and school board.
Local Advocacy - Learning and Engaging
Board of Trustees: includes links to BoardBook (where meeting agenda/minutes, and livestream/YouTube links are posted), as well as election information, board meeting schedule, and more.
Legislative Information Page: includes who our elected local and state officials are, and links to other resources.
Advisory Committees: describes the various different committees that community members can serve on, including Long Range Facilities Planning, Bond Steering, GT Advisory, Student Health, Campus Advisory Councils. Many of these committees have sub-pages where you can find their meeting schedules and materials.
Check out their website for information and updates about our local planning/zoning, transportation, and economic development.
The county website includes info about our elected officials (like county judge, commissioners) as well as county departments such as emergency services, law enforcement, elections administration.
State Advocacy with Texas PTA
The 88th Texas Legislative session is coming up in January-May 2023. As session approaches, CSE PTA will continue to grow our knowledge and skills so that we can effectively advocate for our students and our school.