February 15th, which is scheduled as a snow day on the 2009-2010 calendar, will be the day we use to make-up our school closing on January 29th. Students will be attending school February 15th.

D.A.T.E. Grant

In 2009-10, Lubbock-Cooper ISD is participating in a non-competitive grant program available to all school districts called District Awards for Teacher Excellence, commonly referred to as D.A.T.E.

District Awards for Teacher Excellence (D.A.T.E.) Fact Sheet

Overview:

♦ Created by House Bill 1, Article IV of the 79th Texas Legislature in 2006 (T.E.C.Ch 21, Subchapter O, § 21.701).

♦ FY 2009 approximately $147.5 million in state funds are available.

♦ All districts are eligible to opt in. District grant award amounts will be based on the average daily attendance (ADA) of the 2007-2008 school year.

♦ District planning committees will develop district awards plan and determine which campuses are eligible to participate. Campus participation is approved by a simple majority of the campus’ classroom teachers.

♦ Establish, and make public, eligibility requirements.

Purpose:

The D.A.T.E. grant will provide funding to support the establishment of district-wide goals and the implementation of a financial awards system designed to specifically:

                   Award staff for positively impacting student achievement;

                   Target the district’s most in-need campuses to improve teacher quality;
                   Create capacity and sustainability for improved instruction within the district.