February 3, 2025
Dear AHISD Families-
As we find ourselves in February, there is certainly much to celebrate about what we love about AHISD! At the top of the list, I celebrate the strong relationships that make Alamo Heights such a special community. Whether through the kindness shared among students, the support from dedicated staff, or the partnerships with families, this month serves as a reminder of the power of connection in making our district the best.
February Feedback
Our community-wide survey, February Feedback, will launch on February 10th to gather insights from parents, teachers, and students on key aspects of the school experience. Parents will be asked about school climate, safety, academic expectations, program effectiveness, and whole-child education. Teachers will provide feedback on job satisfaction, school climate, relationships with administrators and parents, and professional learning. Students will have the opportunity to evaluate and provide direct feedback on each of their teachers. Parents will receive an email with a link to the survey, which will also be accessible through campus home webpages.
Budget Update
My messages these last few months have kept you informed about our process in developing the budget for the 2025-2026 school year. As a reminder, planning for 2025 is based on 2019 allocations as there has been no additional funding by the Legislature in the 88th session and there is a great deal of uncertainty about what to expect in this current 89th session. While I remain hopeful that some additional dollars will be allocated to public education during a time of continued surplus at the state level, we must prepare now for next year’s budget with reductions based on the deficits we’ve had to pass these past two years.
The initial recommendation for reductions was presented at the January Board Meeting.
The recommendations to the Board came after input by the Budget Advisory Council and District staff. The goal was to reduce the budget by $5 million.
While these decisions are challenging, our commitment to providing an exceptional educational experience for students and creating an environment that values our teachers and staff remains at the core of our work.
Download this flyer for more detailed information.
Advocating for Public Education
Last week, I had the opportunity to visit the Capitol and speak with some of our elected officials and members of their staff about the needs of Alamo Heights ISD. Our AHISD delegation included Dr. Alfaro, Trustees Carey Hildebrand, Hunter Kingman and Lauren McLaughlin, AHSF Board Member, Elizabeth Marceau and two students from my Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council, Jack Holliman and Ale Zapata. A personal highlight for me during the visit was seeing our students in action sharing stories of the AHISD experience and speaking with such admiration for their teachers!
It is so important for our AHISD community and neighbors to be actively engaged this session. If you would like to partner with our efforts,
please fill out this Google form. Please
review this flyer to see the funding that is desperately needed in AHISD, and reach out to your legislators to let them know our needs.
Award-Winning AHISD Staff
At our January Board Meeting we celebrated our 2025 Campus Teachers of the Year and announced our 2025 District Teacher of the Year. Braden Cain from AHHS is our District Teacher of the Year and he will now represent us as the AHISD nominee for the Trinity Prize for Excellence in Teaching and Region 20 Teacher of the Year.
Last week we learned that Salena Valdes, Assistant Principal at Woodridge Elementary, has been named the Region 20 Assistant Principal of the Year for the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA)! She will be honored in June at the annual TEPSA conference. One of the region honorees will be selected to represent Texas in the NAESP National Assistant Principal of the Year Awards.
We are so proud of both Braden and Salena and are fortunate they share their talents with us in Alamo Heights ISD.
On Location Video of the Month
Finally,
I invite you to watch my latest On Location video which highlights some of the engaging learning experiences provided by teachers at Howard ECC. I was able to visit during a Candyland themed day of learning activities.