Scope - October, 2007

Austin School Bus Drivers Assist with

Hurricane Dean Evacuation

Hurricane season runs from June to November, but some storms do not always adhere to the designated schedule.  Hurricane Dean, the first major storm of the season, posed a huge treat to some Texas cities along the gulf coastline in the Rio GrandeValley.  To help with evacuations from cities along the Texas gulf coast, about 140 AustinIndependentSchool District bus drivers volunteered to go to McAllen, Texas, to help people in the hurricane’s evacuation path.  The caravan of 68 school buses was led by a police escort.

One of the school bus drivers was Education Austin executive board member Bill Arteaga, who was raised right here in McAllen.  “I was aware that a lot of people were stranded during Hurricane Katrina, so when I was asked to volunteer, I gladly said yes,” said Arteaga.

Fortunately, Hurricane Dean missed the Texas coastline although it did do horrific damage to parts of the Mexican peninsula.  When the threat passed, Arteaga and the other school bus drivers made the 360-mile trip back to Austin in plenty of time to learn their bus routes for the new school year.  “If the need arises again, I’ll go back,” said Arteaga. (Sept. 10, 2007)

AFT/McAllen AFT Proposed the following for PSRP’s

Passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has generated tremendous interest in the standards for employment and training of paraprofessionals.  This is often referred to as certification.  The AFT/McAllen AFT has been the leading advocate for establishing state-level certification systems that meet a variety of criteria, outlined below.

A state level certification system should include the following:

• The requirement of high school diploma or GED for entry-level positions;
  
• Guarantees of  access to ongoing training, provided by school districts or state agencies, to enable paraprofessionals to meet certification/licensure standards and improve their skills as they advance;
  
• “Hold harmless” provisions for currently employed education paraprofessionals.
  

National initiatives include:

• A special task force of teachers and paraprofessionals who developed the AFT’s Standards for Profession.
  
• Tracking of the status of state-level certification.
  
• Serving as lead organization on the Education and Training Voluntary Partnership’s grant –funded project to develop  Skill Standards for Education Paraprofessionals.
  

What McAllen requires of PSRP’s

According to McAllen ISD these are the rules:

·          Employees be assigned to duties consistent with 20 U.S.C. 6319 (g).

·          Regardless of the hiring date, have earned a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent.

·          If hired after Jan. 8, 2002, have one of the following credentials:

o         ▲Completed at least 2 years of study at an institution of higher education;

o         ▲Obtained an associate’s (or higher) degree; or

o         ▲Met  a rigorous standard of quality and can demonstrate through a formal state of local academic assessment:

·          Knowledge of, and the ability to assist in instructing, reading, writing and mathematics; or

·          Knowledge of, and the ability to assist in instructing reading readiness, writing readiness,  and mathematics readiness, as appropriate.

Receipt of a high school diploma is not sufficient to satisfy the formal academic assessment requirement.

RECEIPE OF THE MONTH : 
Five Spice Chicken Wings 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp soy sauce

3 pounds chicken wings

Cooking Directions

1.       Preheat broiler and oil rack of broiler pan.

2.       Stir together ingredients in a large bowl.

3.       Cut wings in halves, pat dry and add to spice mixture, tossing to coat.

4.       Arrange wings in 1 layer on broiler pan and broil 6 to 7 inches from heat turning over once, until browned and cooked through, 16 to 20 minutes.

Prep. Time:  15 mins.

Yield:  4 servings