Superintendent's Letter - Monday, April 11, 2022

 April 11, 2022

What a great time to be a Burton Panther!!!

TEA aims to improve teacher retention coming out of pandemic.

Recently, Texas Education Agency (TEA) Commissioner Mike Morath presented the 2021 Annual Report to the State Board of Education, showing just how much student learning was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The state has been aware of the ‘COVID slide’ for a while now, but with this report, the state is able to compare STAAR testing scores from the year before the pandemic (2018-19 school year) to the year coming out of the pandemic (2020-21). STAAR testing was not issued during the 2019-2020 school year due to the onset of the outbreak. It shows testing scores for reading and math, in particular, have significantly decreased. An accompanying chart shows the percentage of students who meet STAAR grade level standards. For math scores in particular, for third graders, it decreased by 18%. For eighth graders, it decreased by 19%. Morath went on to explain how the state is planning to tackle the “slide”, which starts with addressing the teacher shortage. “We know that teachers are, in fact, the most important in-school factor impacting student outcomes. In-school is important, because there are other factors in a student’s life,” Morath said. Earlier this year, the governor established the Teacher Vacancy Task Force, with the TEA leading its efforts. Part of that task force’s goal specifically focuses on retention. The full article can be accessed @ https://www.kxan.com/news/education/texas-education-agency-aims-to-improve-teacher-retention-coming-out-of-pandemic/

We look forward to hearing more from our state representatives as information develops. We welcome you to visit Burton Independent School District and thank you in advance for taking time to find out more about our schools, our professional staff, our exemplary students, and our excellent academic programs. Burton Schools are a perfect place to get an education that will prepare your child for a bright future. There is a tremendous amount of community support that goes into the success of our programs in Burton ISD. We appreciate everyone who helps make a positive impact on our schools. All of us working cooperatively make Burton ISD better together. So very proud to be a BURTON PANTHER! Lots of great things going on this semester. Follow all of our activities on the Burton ISD website @ www.burtonisd.net, check out the Burton ISD app, and keep up with the latest happenings on the Burton ISD Facebook page and other social media venues.

The pride of the Burton Panthers is embedded in all of us whether we are a student, an alumni, a community member, a staff member and employee, a parent, board member and/or a proud supporter and in many cases all of the above. We love our Panthers and like to think that the culture we are providing in educating our students is a reason why parents want their children to attend Burton ISD. We value our school district and always put students first. We are prepared to Dream Big, Sparkle More, and Shine Bright as the Future is Now for the Burton Panthers in 2022!!! Have a blessed week and GO BIG RED!