Northside STATE REPRESENTATIVES Independent School District Please express your support of these District 116 – Legislative Priorities to your elected District 117 – officials who represent Northside ISD District 122 – in the . District 123 – District 124 – NISD – Texas’ fourth Largest and Bexar County’s Largest School District District 125 – Justin Rodriguez Northside ISD is the largest public school system To contact your State Representatives, in Bexar County with a 2018-2019 enrollment direct your correspondence or calls to: of over 105,000 students in pre-kindergarten The Honorable (Full Name) through twelfth grade. Since 1995, voters have Texas House of Representatives approved almost $4 billion in bonds to build PO Box 2910 additional schools, renovate existing facilities, Austin, TX 78768-2910 and add technology. TEXAS STATE SENATORS NISD – The Community and its Elected District 19 – Peter Flores School Trustees District 25 – NISD Trustees represent approximately 213,000 District 26 – households located in 355 square miles in northwest Bexar County and parts of Medina To contact your State Senators, and Bandera counties. Seven single-member direct your correspondence or calls to: district Trustees advocate for the needs of more The Honorable (Full Name) than 105,000 students, 14,000 employees, and Capitol Station 346,580 registered voters. PO Box 12068 Austin, TX 78711 NISD – Mission Statement 2013-2018 To stay informed on legislation during the 2019 Legislative Session, visit www.capitol.texas.gov The Northside Independent School District and our community will provide innovative, high- quality, diverse learning experiences for all 2019 students in an ever-changing world. Legislative Brian T. Woods, Ed.D., Superintendent Northside ISD • 5900 Evers Road • , TX Priorities 78238-1606 • 210-397-8500 Benefitting students, nisd.net taxpayers, and employees November 2018 2019 Legislative Priorities Taxation Support legislation that forces charter schools to serve a population of students similar to the area in which the school M’Lissa M. Benefitting students, taxpayers, Support legislation that ties property value increases Chumbley is located and to comply with the elements of TEC Chapter 37. President, and employees within a biennium to an increase in the basic allotment. District 3 Support legislation that amends the statutes that allow for Oppose private school vouchers, tuition tax credits, or any The Northside Independent School District’s continued reductions for commercial/industrial property private program funded by public tax dollars. Board of Trustees supports legislation that will holders to less than market value through tax valuation Oppose the use of the Permanent School Fund to provide provide a long-term solution to increase the lawsuits. funding, credit enhancement, or financing for charter school Carol Harle, Ph.D. state’s funding capacity for public education to facilities. Vice President, District 6 provide sufficient flexibility to address the diverse Programming Support Support changes to accountability and transparency of needs of each individual district, such as: charter schools including timely, well-advertised public Support legislation that provides funding for full-day hearing notices regarding charter expansion, reforming pre-kindergarten programs that includes resources for charter school wait lists, restructuring the application process FINANCE facilities. through TEA, and limiting the approval of new charter Gerald B. Lopez Secretary, Support funding for the actual cost of providing any schools based on proximity to traditional public schools. District 2 Outdated Funding Mechanisms and all programs required in legislation, rules and/or Support legislation that would fund student regulations, and by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY enrollment growth and tie funding weights for economically disadvantaged, at-risk, General Funding Priorities Use assessment results as a diagnostic tool to inform Joseph H. Medina special needs, and English language instructional decisions that support individual students rather Trustee, Support legislation that allows locally elected school District 1 learners to the actual cost to educate these than a high-stakes instrument for accountability purposes. students. boards to set maintenance and operations tax rates without separate voter approval. Support legislation that repeals the “A-F” accountability Support legislation that updates outdated system and replaces it with a system that is comprehensible, formula elements like the cost-of-education Support legislation that links state accountability standards transparent, and mitigates for economically disadvantaged index and the transportation allotment. to funding formulas. students. Robert Blount, Jr. Trustee, Support legislation that adequately funds the Oppose any legislation that limits a district’s ability to Support legislation that increases from 60 to 120 the District 4 Instructional Materials Allotment, recognizes maintain a healthy fund balance, penalizes healthy fund minimum number of days a refugee/asylee must be enrolled the need for technology funding, and balances, or dictates the use of fund balances. in a U.S. school before that enrollment year can count as connects the allotment to the State Board Support measures to maintain a defined benefit plan for “year one” in their progress toward meeting state testing approved adoption cycle. the Teacher Retirement System (TRS). standards. Katie N. Reed Support legislation that improves funding Support legislation that maintains funding to offset the Support legislation that increases support and the quality of Trustee, District 5 for facilities (Existing Debt Allotment, increased cost of the legislatively-mandated increases in existing state resources provided to schools that do not meet Instructional Facilities Allotment, and New TRS contributions. state standards. Instructional Facilities Allotment) to include a Support legislation that allows independent school districts higher percentage of Texas students. SCHOOL CHOICE/CHARTER SCHOOLS to use accountability information to hold themselves accountable to their communities rather than a one-size-fits- Karen Freeman, Support legislation that holds open enrollment charter Trustee, all mandate. District 7 School Safety schools and boards of charter schools to the same Support additional and ongoing funding for standards for transparency that apply to traditional public Support legislation that aligns Texas with the U.S. the implementation of school safety measures schools. Department of Education’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) regulations. with discretion at the local/district level. Support legislation that aligns the commissioner process

Brian T. Woods, for expansion of existing open enrollment charter schools Ed.D. to the charter authorization process. Superintendent, Northside ISD