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September
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Tyler ISD Board of Trustees Named 2005 Region VII School Board of the Year and Texas Honor Board
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The Tyler ISD Board of Trustees has been named the
2005 Region VII School Board of the Year.
Region VII includes 96 public school districts in East
Texas, encompassing 17 counties.
The school boards were judged by a selection
committee in ten areas related to board performance
and effectiveness including: Functions as a
policy-making body; Adherence to adopted board
policies; Support for educational performance in
accordance with state-established standards;
Support for educational improvement projects;
Commitment to a code of ethics; Provision of financial
support for the school system; Participation in
workshops and other performance improvement
programs; Placement of the welfare of children
served by the school system above personal or
political motives; Public relations efforts, including
community awareness; and Maintenance of
harmonious and supportive relationships among board
members.
Tyler ISD now knows that the Board is one of only six
school boards that have been named Honor
Boards for the state of Texas. The 2005 School Board
Awards competition is sponsored by the Texas
Association of School Administrators (TASA).
During the Texas Association of School Boards/Texas
Association of School Administrators (TASB/TASA)
45th Annual Convention, each of the Honor Boards
will be interviewed by the TASA School Board Awards
Committee. As a result of those interviews, the 2005
Outstanding School Board Award for the state of
Texas will be selected and the winner will be
announced at the Convention's Third General
Session.
The other five Texas Honor Boards are: Alvin ISD,
Belton ISD, Nederland ISD, Ricardo ISD,
San Antonio ISD.
Superintendent, Dr. David Simmons, nominated the
Board for this award. The nomination of the Tyler
ISD Board of Trustees highlighted many initiatives and
improvements in the district, in both academics and
fiscal responsibility, over the past two years.
Academic achievements included: expansion of the
International Baccalaureate program, increased
participation and achievement in Advanced Placement
testing, expansion of magnet programs at Bell
Elementary School and Jones Elementary School,
improved TAKS scores, increased SAT/ACT test
participation, and a reduction in the achievement gap
between white and minority students.
Improvements to educational environments, provided
by the successful bond election in November, 2004
was also cited as a significant accomplishment. The
district has also received numerous awards over the
past several years for financial management including
a rating of “Superior” by the Texas Education
Agency, a “Certificate of Excellence in Financial
Reporting” by the Association of School Business
Officials International, and the “Certificate of
Excellence” by the Government Finance Officers
Association of the United States and
Canada.
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Andy Bergfeld, District 1 - Board President |
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Five years in office, term expires in 2007.
After graduating from Robert E. Lee High School in
Tyler, Andy Bergfeld earned a scholarship to
Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He
holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from
Southern Methodist University, and a Juris Doctorate
from the South Texas College of Law. He has served
as a trial attorney, real estate broker, transactional
lawyer and owner of the Colonel John Dewberry
House Historic Museum. He is a board
member for the Tyler Salvation Army, coach for the
Robert E. Lee High School summer football team,
PATH Community Homes Advisory Board, former
Chairman of Ducks Unlimited-Tyler, and former board
member of Historic Tyler. Bergfeld is married to wife
Shawn and they have two sons, Andrew and George.
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Kristen Baldwin, District 4 - Vice President |
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Three years in office, term expires in 2008.
Kristen Baldwin holds a Bachelor of Arts in
Accounting from San Diego State University, a
Masters of Business Administration, with an emphasis
in International Business, from the University of San
Diego, and a Certificate in Government Contract
Management from San Diego State University. She
has served as a Contract Manager for Science
Applications International Corporation and a Senior
Contract Administrator and Cost Accountant for
Cubic Corporation. She is involved in Grace
Community Church: Kids Kingdom and married to
husband Bill, who is an Assistant U.S. Attorney.
They have three sons, Alex, Matthew, and Kevin.
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Gladys Johnson, District 2 |
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Seven years in office, term expired April 2005.
Gladys Johnson attended Grambling State
University, Stephen F. Austin University and earned a
Bachelors Degree and a Masters of Education from
East Texas State University. She served as a
teacher, coach, elementary school counselor, and an
elementary principal. She has been involved in
Habitat for Humanity of Smith County and the
Coalition of Life Organ Bank of East Texas. She was
married to the late Dr. David Johnson and they have
one daughter, Rose.
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Therelee Washington, District 3 |
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Eleven years in office, term expires in 2007.
Therelee Washington holds a Masters of
Education from Prairie View A&M. He served as the
Waskon Middle School Principal in Waskon, Texas,
a teacher at Douglas Elementary, Principal of Bonner
Elementary School, and Principal of Peete Elementary
School, all three in Tyer ISD. He is a member of
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Psi Delta Kappa, the
Teacher Retirement Association, and is active in
Habitat for Humanity and College Hill Baptist Church.
He is married to wife Jean and they have three
children, Jacquelyn, Ronnie, and Therelee II.
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Brad Spradlin, District 5 |
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Two years in office, term expires in 2006.
Brad Spradlin studied Business and Marketing
at East Texas State University, Tyler Junior College,
Stephen F. Austin University and Southern Methodist
University, Edwin L. Cox School of Business. He holds
the position of Territory Manager for Bryant, North
Texas, a Division of Carrier Corporation. As an active
community-member Mr. Spradlin has also served as
the former President of Christian Services of East
Texas, Christian Homes Board of Directors, a Deacon
at Glenwood Church of Christ, and has been involved
with the United Way and the Boy Scouts of America.
He is married to wife Debbie and they have three
children, Trent, Sarah, and Scott.
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Michelle Carr, District 6 |
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One year in office, term expires 2007.
Michelle Carr has a Bachelor of Arts degree
in Sociology from UCLA (1984) and Masters degree in
social work from University of Southern California
(1987). She received her license from the State
Board in California for private clinical practice in
1989. In 1994, she moved to Texas and was
recognized by the Texas State Board of Social Work
practitioners and licensed for private practice.
Currently, she is on the Parents Services Center
Board as Vice President and on the Literacy Council
board. She is married to her husband of 18 years,
Jeffrey Carr. Their three children all attend school in
Tyler ISD.
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Ron Vickery, District 7 |
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Two years in office, term expires in 2006.
Ron Vickery holds a Bachelor of Business
Administration from Baylor University and a Juris
Doctorate from the Baylor School of Law. He is an
attorney and shareholder for the law firm of Ramey &
Flock, PC in Tyler. Mr. Vickery is an active
member of the Smith County Bar Association, Smith
County Young Lawyers Association, former President
of the East Texas Baylor Club, and has served on
boards with Parents Anonymous, Tyler Teen Court,
and Historic Tyler. He is married to wife Leigh and
they have two children, Will and Smith.
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New School Board Member |
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Orenthia Mason, District 2
Member since May 2005, term expires 2007.
Reverend Orenthia Mason holds a Bachelor of
Science (Elementary Education and English) from
Texas College and Masters of Education (Elementary
Education and Reading) from Stephen F. Austin State
University. Post Graduate Work includes: Mid
Management Certification and Supervision
Certification. Reverend Mason worked in the Tyler ISD
as a teacher at Bell Elementary School,
an Elementary School Consultant and Title I
Coordinator. She was also a principal at Bonner and
Griffin Elementary Schools. Reverend Mason
is currently the Director of Teacher Education at
Jarvis Christian College. Her honors include:
Outstanding Women in America; Woman of the Year
by Women in Tyler; Who’s Who in the South and
Southwest; and Outstanding Educator of the Year by
the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Zeta Phi Beta
Sorority, Tyler Organization of Men,
and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.
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Outstanding boards are easily recognized . . . |
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- They focus on children and programs.
- They support teachers and other school personnel
by providing competitive salaries and necessary
teaching tools.
- They have a strong team-player attitude.
- They are champions for kids.
- They set policies and procedures and hold
administrators and teachers accountable for
implementation.
- They have an unusually strong board-
superintendent relationship.
- They rely on educators to carry out daily school
operations.
- They don’t micromanage.
- They create a tremendous environment of
trust.
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2005 Outstanding Board of Texas will be announced . . . |
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TASB/TASA Convention - Dallas, Texas
October 30, 2005
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Contact Information
phone:
903.262.1064
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