Every school district has a school board, and the school board is elected locally, by our community. (Hence this election coming up!) Here is our district's School Board webpage: https://www.manorisd.net/about-us/board-of-trustees.

RESPOSNIBILITIES

Contrary to popular belief, school boards do not have direct power over every single decision made for our school district. Their role focuses on five things: 1) adopting goals/priorities for the district, 2) adopting policies, 3) hiring/evaluating the superintendent, 4) adopting a budget (and setting the tax rate, see the August 19th board meeting agenda!), and 5) communicating with the community. More details about these responsibilities and other FAQs can be found here: https://www.tasb.org/.../texas-school-board-roles....

MEETINGS

School boards hold monthly meetings, which are open to the public (except for the closed session part, for legal reasons). They can also call special meetings at other times if they need to. Our school board posts their agendas for upcoming meetings and minutes for past meetings here: https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Organization/938.

The meetings are held in the board room of the MISD Administration building, and you are welcome to attend! I have been attending for years, and these meetings have helped me learn a lot about our school district. But if you can't make it in person, don't worry! Monthly board meetings are also live-streamed on YouTube and the videos of the meetings are posted to the MISD YouTube account afterward in case you missed it. You can find the district's Youtube account here: https://www.youtube.com/@manorisdtv.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Feel free to ask questions in the comments or email me at drcaitlinlowery@gmail.com.

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Manor ISD has over 9,000 students enrolled. Included in that number are over 300 students whose families choose to transfer them to Manor ISD from neighboring areas.

Not included in that number are over 4,000 students whose families live within the school district but choose to transfer them to outside schools. The majority of them choose charter schools.

Why is this important? It is important because families have a choice, and if they are not choosing their local district then we need to do better. Manor ISD should be a district that families seek out, not a district they settle for.

I just want fellow parents in our district boundaries to know that I see you. You want the best for your children and you advocate for them with every decision you make, including where they go to school. In this campaign, I am running for you too. I am running to be part of the solution so that our district will fulfill its mission to provide high-quality educational services for all scholars. I know every family has a choice when it comes to their children's education, and I want to help make Manor ISD a choice that you want to make every single time.

Did you know that the student transfer report can be found on TEA's website? If you would like to review the report yourself, click here and search for Manor ISD: https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/cgi/sas/broker...

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Feel free to ask questions in the comments or email me at drcaitlinlowery@gmail.com.

I received a message this morning from a dedicated community member that had questions about specific curriculum being used in the district. So, I wanted to share some of the insights I discussed with them.

CHOOSING CURRICULUM

Manor ISD has made it a common practice to form a committee of stakeholders to review curriculum options and give recommendations to the district. These committees often include district staff, campus educators, parents, and even students! (My own daughter served on a math committee in recent years.) Once the district makes their decision, the curriculum is presented for approval at a board meeting and the school board votes on whether to approve it.

I would love to see more communication around current committees and opportunities to serve on various district committees, though I will save that discussion for another post!

USE OF CURRICULUM

Districts often (though not always) sign a multi-year contract with a specific curriculum. This can provide consistency for both educators and students, though if stakeholders experience challenges with the curriculum they may also wonder why the district doesn't just change to something new. This is why it is helpful to know the length of the contract a district is committing to with a curriculum company and where the district currently is in that contract commitment.

CURRICULUM LEGISLATION

Additionally, HB 1605 is currently playing a huge role in curriculum choices moving forward, as math and reading curriculums are currently being reviewed to be added to a list of designated 'High-Quality Instructional Materials'. Districts who use curriculums on that designated list will be eligible for new funding entitlements, which is a huge incentive considering the lack of funding being given to school districts at the moment. This list is is expected to be voted on in November and will likely impact curriculum choices made by districts moving forward (including Manor ISD).

Here is a link to read more if you're interested: https://tea.texas.gov/.../house.../house-bill-1605-and-imra

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Feel free to ask questions in the comments or email me at drcaitlinlowery@gmail.com.

Are you turning 18 soon? Have you changed your name or address since you registered to vote? Have you checked your registration status recently?

Not only is this year a presidential election, but you also have the chance to vote for your local Mayor, City Council, School Board Members, Propositions, and more! So, here is what you need to know:

• The LAST DAY to register is October 7th for the upcoming election.

• You can register if you are 17 years and 10 months old on the date your application is submitted and will be 18 on election day.

• Your registration record can be put on 'suspense' if your name or address have changed.

• You can register to vote when getting your drivers license or state ID!

Don't wait Manor. Make sure your voice will be heard on election day.

Register to vote here: https://vrapp.sos.state.tx.us/index.asp

Check your registration status here: https://teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/MVP/mvp.do