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HB 3343 Brings Employees Extra Cash
Beginning in September, all IISD employees who are
active contributing members of the Teacher Retirement System (TRS)
are eligible to receive $1,000 per year in supplemental
compensation. Texas House Bill 3343 provides for an increase in
state funding specifically for school personnel to help pay for
health insurance and other benefits.
All IISD employees have received an information
packet about HB 3343 and how to sign up for the supplemental
compensation by June 7. An election form in that packet must be
returned to campus secretaries as part of teachers’ end-of-year
check out. The law requires that every employee contributing to TRS
complete and sign the election form.
All district employees will also be required to
complete a new Cafeteria 125 enrollment form during open enrollment
August 1 to August 31, 2002.
The supplement will not count as salary for
retirement purposes and will not be subject to retirement
contributions. Any or all of the supplement may be used to pay for
qualified benefits available under the District’s Cafeteria 125
plan. This includes health insurance, voluntary insurance programs,
and medical expense reimbursement accounts. If any employee elects
not to enroll in such benefits or chooses to take the supplement as
income, federal taxes will apply.
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Sick Leave Bank Instates New Directors
The board of directors of the sick leave bank,
which allows IISD employees to contribute and borrow from a mutual
cache of sick days, certified the election of five new board
members. The following employees will serve on the board for the
next two years: Christy Johnson, Lee, elementary representative;
Natalie Picquet, Travis, middle school representative; Vanessa Vega,
Irving High, high school representative; Whit Johnstone,
Planning/Evaluation/Research, administration representative; and
Martha Pike, Crockett, food service representative.
Other board members are: BJ Watkins, MacArthur;
Wes Pyfer, Nimitz; Kay Kelbly, Bowie; Ginny LeViseur, Brandenburg;
and Tammi Askins, Service Center.
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Electronics Lab Featured In Marketing Piece
Academy electronics teacher Gary Kennedy and his
students are featured in a multimedia CD that will be distributed
across the country to help promote partnerships among high schools,
junior colleges and technical industries.
The CD, entitled Journey to Futuropolis,
was produced by Texas Instruments for the North Texas Tech Prep
Consortium. Kennedy said the former director of the consortium who
works at T.I. had seen the success of IISD electronics students and
wanted to highlight the program in the video. The goal of the
project is to encourage other partnerships like the consortium. The
CD highlights a North Texas program that allows high school
electronics students to advance through a special curriculum at
Richland College and then move on to employment at Texas
Instruments. Kennedy said he has three students who will enroll in
the program when they graduate next month.
The video was shot at the electronics lab at
Ratteree. Kennedy said there are also plans to make a commercial to
be shown on television and in movie theaters.
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Austin Teacher Named Asian Educator of the Year
Austin teacher Hoki Chieko has been named IISD
Asian Educator of the Year. A native of Japan and now a U.S.
citizen, Chieko has taught special education in Irving ISD for two
years. She has a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and
a master’s degree from the University of Texas – Pan American.
The award is sponsored by the Greater Dallas Asian
American Chamber of Commerce. Chieko will be honored at a banquet
June 27.
In her application essay, Chieko wrote, “As
teachers, we must never forget our mission and goal – to touch the
life of each child we teach and help them to recognize they are
someone deserving the best life can offer, someone with merit and
value, someone deserving of love.”
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MacArthur Library Selected for Grant
The MacArthur library media center has been
selected to receive a 3M Detection System through the 2002 3M Salute
to Schools program. The system will help staff keep track of books
and set off an alert if books are taken from the library without
being checked out.
MacArthur librarians Mary Boyd and Marlee Clark
applied for the grant. Their application was chosen by a group of
their peers from the American Association of School Librarians.
MacArthur is one of 112 schools across the nation
to receive the donation.
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MacArthur Senior Wins Travis Scholarship
Grant Sullivan, a senior at MacArthur, will
receive a $200 scholarship awarded by the Travis Junior National
Honor Society. This is the second year that the school has sponsored
the scholarship. It’s awarded to a former Travis student graduating
from high school. Travis gifted and talented teacher and Junior NHS
sponsor Teri Hyde organized the award. It was presented at the
Travis Junior NHS induction ceremony April 29.
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Brown Partner Provides Free Dental Treatment
Ten Brown students got free dental appointments on
May 9 thanks to the benevolence of their partner in education,
Roadway Trucking, and the Professional Golf Association, the Senior
Professional Golf Association, and an organization known as
Christina’s Smile. Those groups have combined to build a mobile
dentists office in a Roadway trailer complete with four dentist’s
chairs. Two weeks ago, dentists from across the Metroplex
volunteered their services to serve less fortunate children in the
area. Brown’s 10 students were among dozens who were treated.
Pat Poe, a counselor at Brown, organized the trip
to Dallas where the treatments were given. She said students were
chosen based on need. None of their parents had dental insurance.
Students received fillings, extractions,
cleanings, and whatever else was needed that could be done in one
visit, Poe said.
