INSIDE DSISD

Each January, Dripping Springs ISD and school districts across the state honor their local school boards during School Board Recognition Month.

School Board service is a volunteer position with no salary. Trustees serve a critically important role that requires significant annual mandated training upon election. School board members are the largest group of elected officials in Texas, numbering more than 7,000 statewide.

The theme of this year’s recognition month is “Forward Together” as schools and communities succeed when everyone works together for a brighter future - parents, teachers, students, and district/school leadership.

Thank you DSISD Trustees for your dedication, commitment, and time serving as advocates for DSISD - its students, staff, and schools!

Dripping Springs ISD Board of Trustees are:

Name (Office), Elected to Board, Profession

Dr. Mary Jane Hetrick (president), May 2015, Consultant/Adjunct Professor

Ron Jones (vice president), May 2014, Consultant

Dr. Stefani Reinold (secretary), May 2021, Physician

Olivia Barnard, May 2022, Realtor

Shannon O’Connor, May 2015, Accountant

Tricia Quintero, May 2022, Project Manager

Barbara Stroud, May 2008, Attorney/Mediator

Dripping Springs ISD is excited to announce a new community series in 2023 called DSISD Taxpayer Tuesdays.

DSISD Taxpayer Tuesdays is held the first Tuesday of each month. DSISD invites community members into our schools to join Superintendent Dr. Holly Morris-Kuentz and Deputy Superintendent Elaine Cogburn to learn more about district operations and finances, tour campuses and learn about student programs and successes, and ask questions and share ideas as our fast-growth district paves a path towards the future.

The district invites community members to attend as many sessions as possible as each event will focus on different topics. Series topics include DSISD tax rate and debt, recapture and its impact on the district, the DSISD budgeting process and calendar, and more.

For community members interested in attending, please RSVP here. Information on DSISD Taxpayer Tuesdays can be found at dsisdtx.us/taxpayertuesdays. Each event will be held from 9:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. We ask attendees to arrive to the campus by 9:15 a.m. with their government-issued photo ID to get a visitor’s badge.

Taxpayer Tuesday Dates & Locations

February 7, 2023 / Dripping Springs High School

March 7, 2023 / Sycamore Springs Middle School

April 4, 2023 / Rooster Springs Elementary

May 2, 2023 / Dripping Springs Elementary

The creative work of 21 Dripping Springs ISD students has been recognized by the DSISD Council of PTAs in the 2022-23 National PTA Reflections contest with 12 entries advancing to the Texas PTA competition.

The National PTA Reflections program encourages students of all ages and abilities to explore and be involved in the arts. Through the program, National, Texas PTA and Dripping Springs local PTAs urge students at all grade levels to create and submit original works of art in the medium of their choice, reflecting on a specific theme. This year’s theme was “Show Your Voice!”

Pieces were selected to represent DSISD from various grade divisions (Primary, Intermediate, Middle School, and High School) and categories (Dance Choreography, Visual Arts, Literature, Music Composition, Photography and Film Production). State winners will be announced by Texas PTA in March.

In addition to state qualifiers, 12 additional entries were honored by the district. Students receiving the second-highest recognition, the Award of Excellence, were: Campbell Feeney (DSE, literature), Eliza Anderson (CSE, literature), Eleanor Heitmann (WSE, music composition), Kylar Boyd (DSE, photography), Brody Sansone (CSE, visual arts), Evangeline Crater (RSE, visual arts) and Genevieve Howard (DSMS, visual arts). Claire Berry (RSE, literature), Elise Callas (RSE, visual arts), Sunny Hughes (CSE, visual arts), and Ellis Burgoyne (WSE, visual arts) received Award of Merit recognition, and Kylar Boyd (DSE, visual arts) also earned Honorable Mention for her third Reflections entry.

STATE QUALIFIERS

Dance Choreography

Intermediate – Amelia Callas, RSE “My Powerful Voice”

Film Production

Intermediate – Annika Pace, WSE “Beware the Bathroom Ghost”

Literature

Primary – Brody Sansone, CSE “The Playmaker”

Intermediate - Kylar Boyd, DSE “Standing Up to Bullies”

Middle School - Travis DuBransky, DSMS “Confinement”

High School - James Lee, DSHS “Is This Home?”

Music Composition

Intermediate - Ryker Pantano, WSE “Autumn Rain Shower”

Photography

Intermediate - Olivia George, RSE “I Am Me”

Visual Arts

Primary - Brooklyn Dixson, SSE “I Am Me”

Intermediate - Addison Bogan, WSE “Everyone Blooms”

Middle School - Mya Bartik, DSMS “GENDERLESS”

High School - Molly Tyree, DSHS “Movement”

The window to file an application to be a Dripping Springs ISD Board of Trustees candidate for the May 2023 election is now open and runs through Feb. 17. Two seats will be up for re-election in 2023 – those currently held by Ron Jones and Barbara Stroud. DSISD trustees do not represent "places," but rather are at-large representatives.

An application form can be downloaded here. Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17:

• In person to: DSISD Administration Building (510 W. Mercer St.)

• By mail to: DSISD, attn: Sheila Lamb, PO Box 479, Dripping Springs, TX 78620

• By email to: sheila.lamb@dsisdtx.us

• By fax to: 512-858-3099

An informational School Board Candidate Academy will be held Feb. 13 at 5:00 p.m. in the DSISD Central Office Board Room. Superintendent Dr. Holly Morris-Kuentz will share information about the role and responsibilities of Board members, and answer questions. Attending the meeting does not commit an individual to running for a trustee seat; it is informational in nature.

Board of Trustee candidates in Texas must meet the following qualifications:

• Be a United States Citizen

• Be 18 years of age or older

• Not be mentally incapacitated (as defined in policy)

• Have not been convicted of a felony (as defined in policy)

• Be a resident of Texas continuously for 12 months immediately preceding the filing deadline

• Be a resident of the district continuously for 6 months immediately preceding the filing deadline

• Be a registered voter from the territory of the office sought

See Board Policy BBA Legal for details on the above qualifications and other specific requirements.

Each year, graduating seniors at Dripping Springs High School may choose to participate in the DSHS Senior Showcase with a presentation or exit interview, both of which will be in front of a panel consisting of educators, community members, parents, and professionals. Volunteers with all types and levels of expertise are being sought to serve on these panels. The 2023 Senior Showcase will take place throughout the month of February. To sign-up to be a volunteer, please click here. More information on the Senior Showcase can be found here.