Ott's Outlook
February 2023
The second semester is off to a great start and I could not be more proud of our staff and students! This year we are embarking on a new journey in Temple ISD as we seek to develop and implement a framework for how we lead. Everyone in Temple ISD is a leader – students, teachers, support staff, professional staff – everyone. Leadership is not about a position or a title. We all lead in different ways in our workplaces, homes, churches, and neighborhoods.
But what does it mean to lead and how do we develop leaders across the district? Finding answers to these questions has been an area focus for the Senior Leadership Team over the last year and we are excited to share our Temple ISD Leadership Definition Framework with you! At the heart of the framework are three core commitments: Connect with All, Commit to Excellence and Invest in Growth. The video below provides an overview of the development process and in the next few months we will dive deeper into understanding what each of these core commitments really means.
The new year also marks the beginning of the 88th Texas legislative session. The Temple ISD Board of Trustees is committed to advocating for our students, staff, families and community on public education issues. In December, the Trustees met with each of our area representatives - Senator Pete Flores, Representative Brad Buckley, and Representative Hugh Shine - to discuss priorities related to safety and security, school funding, accountability, and removing unfunded mandates. After these meetings, the Trustees drafted Legislative Priorities for the 88th session which were adopted at the January board meeting. These priorities are included below and serve as our foundation for our advocacy. In addition to these priorities, we are working with Temple College to support higher education efforts to expand opportunities for dual credit as the legislature is considering funding these courses for low-income students.
As you can tell, we are not letting the dust settle. Our commitment to excellence means that we continue to forge new paths and new partnerships on behalf of the entire Temple ISD community.
Sincerely,
Bobby Ott
SAFETY ALLOTMENT
Advocate for increased funding of the School Safety Allotment and local flexibility for school districts to work with their communities to adequately meet student and staff safety needs related to hardening of facilities, social and emotional support, training, and security personnel.
FUND SCHOOLS BASED ON TOTAL STUDENT ENROLLMENT INSTEAD OF STUDENT ATTENDANCE
School districts are currently funded based on the average daily attendance of students, which is less than the total student enrollment. School districts provide staff and materials accounting for every student enrolled whether they attend regularly or not, and the current funding structure provides insufficient revenue to school districts for the provision of basic educational services. Temple ISD supports the use of enrollment as the standard for school funding without reducing the basic allotment.
STATE ENDORSED LOCAL ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM
Advocate for the establishment of a comprehensive accountability system that looks beyond high-stakes, multiple-choice exams to meaningful assessments that have value for students, parents, and teachers. The development of a local accountability system would include flexible measures that local communities value and receive official acknowledgement from the Texas Education Agency.
VOUCHERS
Oppose any state plan that would use vouchers, tax credits, taxpayer savings grants, tuition reimbursements, or any other means to divert public tax dollars to private entities, homeschooled students, or parents, with little or no academic or financial accountability or transparency to the state, taxpayers, or local communities.
TAX COMPRESSION WITH LOCAL DISCRETION
In the event of tax compression, advocate for local discretion without spending restrictions to ensure that the needs of students, staff, and communities are met. Local discretion would include bond and tax ratification elections.
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Click below to see plans for each campus!
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Wildcat Swimmers Earn District Honors
Relays Advancing to Regionals: Girls 200 Yard Medley Relay, Boys 200 Yard Medley Relay, Boys 200 Free Relay, Girls 400 Yard Free Relay and the Boys 400 Yard Free Relay.
Individuals Advancing to Regionals:
Junior Miranda Kraan was DISTRICT CHAMP in the 100 Yard butterfly. She also finished 3rd in the 100 Yard Backstroke. She will advance to Region in both events.
Junior Jordan Jerigan finished 5th in the 500 Yard Freestyle, advancing to Region.
Sophomore Kiersten Waworuntu finished 3rd in the 200 Yard Freestyle and 2nd in the 100 Yard Butterfly advancing to Region in both events.
Freshman Jered Wozniak finished 5th in the 200 Yard Freestyle and 4th in the 500 Yard Freestyle advancing to Region in both events.
4 Students Earned First team All-District Honors
6 Students Earned Second Team All-District Honors
6 Students Earned Honorable Mention All-District
The SmartTAG Parent Portal is now Open!
Alumni Spotlight - Joe Medrano '88
Joe Medrano has a has a very successful career in public service and currently serves as the Chief Investigator for the Bell County Attorney but he is probably most proud of being a graduate of Temple HS class of 1988.
Joe comes from a family of Temple Wildcats. He "bleeds blue" in every sense of the phrase. Since 2005, you could find him sitting in bleachers, in the pressbox, along the sidelines, in the dugout, or the concession stands working hard to make sure kids received the best experience possible, simply because they are part of the Wildcat family also.
Once Joe gets "in" with an organization, his steadfast involvement never wavers. He's reliable, dependable, and leads students and the people around him with integrity. He's a constant in the Wildcat family, and a lifelong member of the Temple community. Joe represents the grit, hard work, and determination you expect to be synonymous with a "Temple Wildcat".
Joe- For this and so very much more, we are proud to honor you in our Alumni Spotlight!
You can nominate a special Temple ISD alum for our Alumni Spotlight!
Temple ISD has a long history of excellence and we have had many, many graduates who have gone on to exemplify our vision to become influential and impactful leaders in their local communities and beyond. Temple ISD Alumni Spotlight will feature alumnus and alumna that have represented our community and our district in a positive way.
To nominate yourself or a Temple ISD graduate, please complete our online Alumni Spotlight Nomination Form. Nominations will be reviewed and candidates selected by the Temple ISD Board of Trustees Policy Committee.
...Now that you know, please share our story with others!
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TEF All-Star Pins
Give the perfect gift to your favorite TISD employee – staff, teacher or administrator! Honor them with an "All Star" pin through the Temple Education Foundation. Each "All Star" honoree will receive your special note and an "All Star" pin on Valentine’s Day!
Visit the TEF website at All Star Recognition - Temple Education Foundation to order your pins. Notes of appreciation can be completed through the online order form or by emailing Kathy for assistance at kathy@templeeducationfoundation.org. Forms are also available in the TEF office or can be sent via email per request. Handwritten notes due to the TEF Office by Friday, February 10.
Thanks for your support of our TISD Employees and the Temple Education Foundation!
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Garcia "I Have a Dream" Gallery Walk
Celebrating the Wildcat Way
District Swim Meet
CTO leading the customer service charge
Region 12 Leaders and Mentors
Tem-Cats come from behind win
Meeting Jasper @ THS
Jr. Wildcats Banquet
Spreading kindness @ Scott
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Bobby Ott, Ed.D.
Email: bobby.ott@tisd.org
Website: https://www.tisd.org/apps/pages/Superintendent
Phone: 254-215-6760
Facebook: facebook.com/templeisd
Twitter: @OttTempleISD