One of my mentors, a former superintendent, always used to say “school does not really start until the second six weeks”. He was referring to the issues on campuses with that first report card, eligibility issues, transportation, and behavior issues. Those things that may have escalated as the newness of the school year had worn off. Over the years as a principal and superintendent I have come to realize the wisdom of his words.

Having said that, I appreciate the hard work our parents, teachers, administrators, and staff are putting in insuring that our students are doing their homework, coming to school, and communicating about how we can improve the academic, extracurricular, and social success of all our students.

Enrollment as of October 14th was 2,519 and attendance was 96.5%. For the first six weeks 1,574 students or 62% had perfect attendance. In grades 1st through 12th - 1,024 or 46% made the honor roll. I am proud of our students and teachers and their accomplishments. In terms of academic performance there is no substitute for coming to school every-day and working hard.

There is also no substitute for great community support and the positive impact it can have on the education of students. The Bandera ISD Education Foundation awarded almost $10,000 in innovative teaching grants this week to students and teachers on our campuses. This is the third cycle of grant awards by our foundation and the positive results can be seen and felt on our campuses in a broad range of projects.

Another big event for the district this week was the administration of the PSAT (Pre Scholastic Aptitude Test) that was administered at the high school. All 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students (over 600 of them) participated in the test. The PSAT gives students and parents a preview of their performance on the SAT which is normally taken the summer before and during their senior year. The PSAT is also a qualifying exam for Juniors to the National Merit Scholar Program.

I also reported to the Board of Trustees that Bandera High School will receive an AP (Advanced Placement) award of $2,435 for students who scored a 3 or higher on AP tests in the 06-07 school year. Last year 63 BHS students scored a 3 or higher on their AP exams and BHS will receive over $4,500 in AP award money in next years budget cycle. While this award money helps our high school AP program, the greatest benefit is realized by our stu-dents. A 3 or higher on an AP exam represents at least 3 college credit hours which on the average would cost students $400 at a public university. Bandera ISD offers 17 AP courses in Math, English, Science, Social Studies, Spanish, and Music representing the possibility of BHS students graduating with over $6,000 in tuition cost savings and entering college as a second semester sophomore.

Both the PSAT and AP programs are offered at no cost to our students and represent Bandera ISD’s commitment to preparing our students to enter post secondary education ready to succeed and compete globally for jobs and leadership positions. These goals are reflected in the Bandera ISD Board of Trustees strategic plan, college readiness plan, and graduate profile.

Kevin L. Dyes, Ed.D.