COURTESY PHOTO

St. Gabriel’s Catholic School fourth- and fifth-graders learn about Cincinnati Art Museum and Omaha’s Durham Museum exhibits via recent tele-presence sessions.

St. Gabriel’s Catholic School students recently took virtual field trips via live tele-presence sessions to the Cincinnati Art Museum and Omaha’s Durham Museum.

Fourth- and fifth-graders were among the first to learn about the Underground and Transcontinental Railroads using the school’s new interactive program. These sessions are part of a technology initiative to measure the effectiveness of cutting-edge educational tools in the classroom.

The school, as have others in Austin, has taken notice of the need for students to be well-versed in not only traditional areas of study but also those involving the ever-advancing world they will grow up and live in.

“Our mission is to raise our children to be world-ready leaders,” said Steve Balak, St. Gabriel’s head of school. “This means we must equip them with the right tools and 21st century skills necessary for their success. We also recognize that any new classroom tool must have a positive impact on learning and performance which requires a rigorously appropriate evaluation.”

St. Gabriel’s will disclose its findings as this and other programs are implemented and metrics are gathered throughout the year.

“We are committed to excellence and believe it is our responsibility to share the data and what we learn with fellow educators and the community both locally and globally in an effort to strengthen students’ ability to learn and achieve,” Balak said.

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Principal Mark Robinson said that none of the school’s students or staff members came into contact with the bat.

Upon locating the bat in an inactive or weakened state, school officials immediately prevented anyone from entering the locker room, Lake Travis ISD officials said.

LTISD Maintenance Department then removed the bat and sent it to Travis County for testing.

The county notified the district late Tuesday that the bat tested positive for rabies, but LTISD officials said they believe no one came into contact with the bat.

“District and campus administrators, in cooperation with the maintenance department, are currently working together on a thorough inspection of the HBMS campus in an effort to make sure that there are no other bats present,” Robinson wrote in a press release. “The district will put into place any necessary facility improvements to protect the building, its students and staff.”

He cautioned students to use caution if they encounter an animal on campus and immediately notify a staff member.

“Though we have no reason to believe that anyone came into contact with the bat, it is critical that students be reminded that no one should ever handle an animal found on campus,” Robinson wrote.

Anyone who has questions or concerns may call the school office at 533-6400 or the Texas Department of State Health Services – Infectious Disease Control at 776-7676.

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Christopher Allen will serve as the district’s deputy superintendent.

Allen is the interim superintendent at Midway ISD in Waco, the same district where new LTISD Superintendent Brad Lancaster served as superintendent before taking on his new role in January.

Allen earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Texas at Arlington and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Texas at Austin.

He has also served as a classroom teacher, high school assistant principal, high school principal and as assistant superintendent for administration at Midway during his 16-year professional career in the Birdville and Grapevine-Colleyville school districts and the University of Texas University Charter School.

During his tenure at Midway, Allen assisted with the successful implementation of several key initiatives resulting in increased student performance.

Susan Bohn, who had been filling a dual role as deputy superintendent and general counsel, will retain her position as the district’s attorney and take on assistant superintendent duties.

April Glenn will replace Allison Cobb as principal of Serene Hills Elementary School this summer.

Cobb will finish the school year as Serene Hills’ principal before she assumes her new role as administrator of LTISD’s Disciplinary Alternative Education Program in July.

The program educates grades 7-12 in classrooms adjacent to the Lake Travis High School campus.

“This was a decision made by the superintendent in the best interest of the district,” said Marco Alvarado, LTISD director of communications.

Cobb, a former president-elect of the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association, served as assistant principal at Lakeway Elementary School from 2004-08 before opening Serene Hills Elementary in fall 2008.

Glenn, a Lakeway resident, has spent the last 12 years of her professional career as the principal of Dennis E. Cowan Elementary with Austin ISD. The 20-year AISD educator holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Texas at Austin.

She is a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society of Outstanding Female Educators and a former Capital of Texas Counseling Association Administrator of the Year.

LTISD also named three new assistant principals for the 2012-13 school year.

Juanita Worthy will serve as assistant principal at Bee Cave Elementary School, and Amanda Toon and Susan Mitchell will serve as assistant principals at Hudson Bend and Lake Travis middle schools, respectively.

With more than 30 years of service in public education, Worthy has spent the past 12 years of her career at Bee Cave Elementary in various capacities. She earned a bachelor of science degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in educational management from the University of Houston. Worthy will assist school principal Janie Braxdale in accommodating student enrollment that increased by nearly 20 percent from a year ago.

With an emphasis on special education, Toon has 15 years of teaching experience at the middle and high school levels, having spent the past 12 years at Hudson Bend Middle School.

She holds a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from the University of California at Riverside and a master’s degree in educational administration from Concordia University in Austin. Toon joins school principal Mark Robinson and assistant principal Steven Lott on the HBMS administrative team as they prepare for the school’s upcoming expansion.

A former campus Teacher of the Year, Mitchell has spent the past six years of her career at Lake Travis Middle School where she served as a language arts teacher and held numerous campus leadership roles.

She earned a bachelor of science degree in secondary education from John Brown University and a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of St. Thomas. Mitchell will assist school principal Russell Maedgen and assistant principal Janet Pyne with the planning for and transition to the new LTMS campus.

“As we begin to prepare for the 2012-13 school year, I am confident these individuals will provide the appropriate leadership to strengthen the quality of our programs districtwide on behalf of the students we serve,” said Lancaster in a press release.

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Staff writer

Lake Travis ISD’s revenues overcame a deficit budget this fiscal year.

The district earned $1.86 million in savings this year, according to Johnny Hill, assistant superintendent for business, financial and auxiliary services.

At their regular meeting Thursday, LTISD trustees approved amendments to the 2011-12 budget, which will allow a $1.54 million surplus to be transferred to the fund balance.

The 2011-12 budget had a deficit of more than $310,000, which made savings for the district total $1.54 million, Hill said.

The majority of the savings comes from a High Cost Fund award, a federal competitive grant aimed at addressing the needs of high-need children with disabilities and the financial impact to districts, Hill said.

LTISD received the grant in March, netting $1.2 million, he said.

“We’ve actually received it every year for the past five years, but it’s competitive, so it’s not a guarantee,” Hill said. “We don’t know going into the year that we’ll get it for sure.”

The grant is intended to reimburse the district for money taken from the general operating budget and used to cover the “high cost of educating kids,” he said.

The costs of each high-need student must be at least $35,000 to meet eligibility requirements for a High Cost Fund award, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Because the district anticipated that Austin Energy would raise electricity rates this year, the budget reflected a higher allotment for plant and maintenance operations, Hill said.

But because Austin Energy has not yet raised rates, the district saved $186,500 this year, he said.

Because class ratios were raised last year, the district left three contingency positions vacant, saving the district $150,132 this year, Hill said.

The district had budgeted for $6.19 billion in property values, but values were assessed by the Travis County Appraisal District at $6.21 billion, which increased the expected local tax revenue, Hill said.

Actual local tax revenue was $179,794 more than what the district had budgeted for, he said, but because of the gain in tax revenue, LTISD lost $84,815 in state aid and recapture costs jumped $36,971.

In total, the district gained $58,008 because of the increased appraisal of property values.

The district gained an additional $228,391 for Weighted Average Daily Attendance because the district had more students in attendance than anticipated, Hill said.

For each student, the district receives state WADA funding. The amount of state funding anticipated when the 2011-12 budget was written was less than Lake Travis school district actually received.

In addition, because the WADA funding was more than anticipated, recapture, or Robin Hood, costs decreased $37,691, bringing the total of WADA savings to $266,082.

The $1.54 million in savings will be transferred to the fund balance, which is used to “cash flow our district until tax revenue comes in,” Hill said.

“The second thing we use the fund balance for is to protect the district from legislative shortfalls,” he said.

The fund balance may also be used for one-time capital expenditures, Hill said.

At Thursday’s meeting, the board also discussed salary increases for the 2012-2013 budget.

Holly Morris-Kuentz, LTISD executive director for administrative and human resource services, presented the board with a chart which compared the district’s salaries to those at neighboring districts.

The district’s starting teacher salary of $41,504 is less than Leander ISD’s starting teacher salary of $42,000, Round Rock ISD’s $41,825 and Austin ISD’s $42,025.

The average teacher salary at LTISD of $46,830 is below those at Dripping Springs, Eanes and Leander ISDs, which all sit at $48,000.

According to Morris-Kuentz, Austin and Round Rock ISDs are anticipating a 3 percent raise for the 2012-2013 school year.

Eanes ISD is anticipating a 2.5 -percent raise, and Leander ISD is anticipating a 2-percent raise, she said.

Lake Travis ISD officials are considering raising salaries between 2 percent and 3 percent. With 2-percent raises, the district’s budget is projected to have a deficit of $1.9 million next school year. With 3-percent raises, the district’s budget is projected to have a deficit of $2.2 million next school year.

Without raises, the budget for the 2012-2013 budget has a deficit of $1.1 million.

Also at Thursday’s meeting, LTISD Superintendent Brad Lancaster announced that the deputy superintendent vacancy had been posted online.

Susan Bohn, who serves as deputy superintendent and general counsel for LTISD, will continue to serve the district as assistant superintendent and general counsel.

“Dr. Lancaster decided to split her duties up,” said Marco Alvarado, LTISD director of communications. “She will supervise the district’s legal services, human resources and communications.”

Once hired, the deputy superintendent will serve as chief operations officer, supervising principals and the extracurricular programs department, Alvarado said.

Within 24 hours of posting the position, the district received eight applications, Lancaster said.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF LTISD

Twenty-six Lake Travis High School students recently showed their artworks at the State Visual Arts Scholastic Event.

Twenty Lake Travis High School students received superior ratings and medallions, including eight coveted Gold Seal awards, at the State Visual Arts Scholastic Event on April 13-14 at Bryan High School in Bryan school district.

The Gold Seal is the top state award presented to exemplary works of art chosen by the event’s jury panel.

“Only the top 151 pieces of art out of approximately 25,000 pieces judged across the state were awarded the Gold Seal, and we received eight of them,” LTHS art instructor Diane Wrinkle said. “This is the highest number of Gold Seal awards ever received by LTHS in a single year.”

Wrinkle said that from the 90 pieces of art submitted by schools in Region 13 North that qualified for state, 30 belonged to LTHS.

Sponsored by the Texas Art Education Association, VASE is one of the largest curricular competitions in the nation. At the state VASE, jurors look for originality of concept, technical expertise, understanding of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and the interpretation of the student’s stated intent for each project.

State VASE results are:

•Kelly Adamo – superior rating;

•Jerry Benson (2 pieces) – 4 superior ratings and Gold Seal;

•Baylie Bright – Gold Seal;

•Cassie Butterfield – average rating;

•Ashley Cardwell – excellent rating;

•Alex Chaheine – superior rating;

•Abby Colety – superior rating;

•Kate Colley – excellent rating;

•Tina Coyne – excellent rating;

•Katherine Dash (2 pieces) – excellent rating and Gold Seal;

•Anneka Decaro – superior rating;

•Ben Rodgers – Gold Seal;

•Ryman Stringer (2 pieces) – superior rating and Gold Seal;

•Madeleine White (2 pieces) – superior rating on both;

•Lorelle Dewitt – Gold Seal;

•Jess Dewoody – Gold Seal;

•Kamaryn Ehlers – superior rating;

•Sydney Hagy – superior rating;

•Kristina Hoffman – Gold Seal;

•Keilany Knight: superior rating;

•Delaney Maberry: superior rating;

•Morgan Moulckers: superior rating;

•Niki Naftzger: excellent rating;

•Miranda Najera: superior rating;

•April Owusu: excellent rating; and

•Natalie Rodgers: superior rating.

Additionally, VASE awarded LTHS student Madeleine White a $400 scholarship for a drawing she created at a workshop during the state event. VASE artwork from the regional and state competitions, except for the Gold Seal artwork, was on display during Lake Travis SpringFest on Saturday at Hill Country Galleria in Bee Cave.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF LTISD

The National Merit Scholarship Program selected Lake Travis High School seniors, from left, John Stenson, Priyanka Gaur, Ryan Peters, Nicole Norwood and Alyssa Barnes as 2012 National Merit Finalists. Not pictured is finalist Joy Sontich.

Lake Travis High School seniors Alyssa M. Barnes, Priyanka Gaur, Nicole E. Norwood, Ryan K. Peters, Joy K. Sontich and John Pendleton Stenson have been selected as 2012 National Merit Finalists by the National Merit Scholarship Program.

According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s website, the program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.5 million entrants each year—and by meeting published program entry/participation requirements (nationalmerit.org). Barnes, Gaur, Norwood, Peters, Sontich and Stenson were among 15,000 students across the country that advanced as National Merit Program Finalists.

Finalists must have an outstanding high school academic record, be endorsed and recommended by their school principal and submit SAT scores that confirm their earlier qualifying test performance.

“We are proud of these students for their remarkable achievements,” said LTHS principal Kim Brents. “Their success also reflects the quality and caliber of our teachers and staff who directly impact student learning. These students show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.”

Barnes will enter the Business Fellows program at Baylor University, Gaur will attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she will likely study biomedical engineering and Norwood will study biomedical engineering at Texas A&M University. Additionally, Peters will attend the University of Kentucky on a full scholarship and study math, Sontich plans to attend the University of Texas where she will pursue math and astronomy, and Stenson will attend Baylor University where he plans to major in mechanical engineering.

Between April and June, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation will notify approximately 8,400 finalists nationally that they have been selected to receive a Merit Scholarship award worth almost $36 million collectively.

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The unanimous vote was taken by the Gunter board of trustees at a special called meeting April 28.

“I am thankful to the Gunter ISD Board of Trustees for the confidence and support they have afforded me and am truly humbled by the opportunity to serve as superintendent for such an incredible community,” Siler said. “It has been a tremendous privilege to work with the Lake Travis ISD community for the past eight years, and I will carry many special memories and friendships with me.”

Siler earned a bachelor of arts degree in politics and philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh, a master’s degree in educational administration from Texas State University and a doctorate in educational administration from the University of Texas.

While studying at Pitt, Siler was captain of the women’s swim team and earned Academic All-American honors. She began her professional career as a world geography teacher and head swimming coach with the Pflugerville school district then served as assistant principal for instruction at Marble Falls High School.

She arrived at LTISD in 2004, and since that time, has held several administrative positions including associate principal for curriculum at Lake Travis High School, director of academic services, and most recently as executive director for academic and organizational development. Additionally, Siler currently serves as an adjunct professor at Concordia University.

“Jill has made significant contributions at various levels of our district during her tenure at LTISD,” said Brad Lancaster, LTISD superintendent. “Specifically, Jill’s unique talents and skills for data analysis, organizational development and planning are truly remarkable and will serve her well at Gunter. On behalf of the entire LTISD family, we share Jill’s excitement as she prepares to take the next step in her career and appreciate her service to our district.”

Siler will replace Superintendent Kevin Worthy who is leaving Gunter to take a job at Royse City ISD.

“She was just heads and shoulders above the rest,” Gunter board president Kelly Martin told the Herald Democrat after the board named Siler as its finalist over 40-plus applicants for the position.

With roughly 850 students in three campuses, Gunter is a Texas Education Agency-rated Recognized district. The Gunter board is expected to offer Siler an employment contract later this month.

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Staff writer

During a budget workshop Thursday, the Lake Travis school district board discussed the district’s 2012-2013 budget, which is slated to have a deficit of $1.1 million without employee raises.

“Last year we were cut $3.3 million,” said Johnny Hill, LTISD assistant superintendent for business, financial and auxiliary services. “They’re cutting us an additional $1.7 million this year.”

State funding cuts to the district total $5.1 million for the 2012-2013 school year.

The district’s Weighted Average Daily Attendance revenue, which is generated from the state, will drop from $6,170 per student this year to $5,696 per student in the 2012-2013 school year.

State funding cuts to the district total $8.4 million for the biennium.

The 2012-2013 proposed budget stands at $82.12 million, an increase of $420,000 from its 2011-12 budget.

“It does not include any kind of salary increases,” Hill said. “This is preliminary.”

At the regularly scheduled meeting in May, the board will consider adding salary raises to the 2012-2013 budget, he said.

“We’re looking at a raise between 2 (percent) and 3 percent,” Hill said.

District administrators will narrow in on a raise percentage after looking at the raise percentages nearby districts are establishing for the upcoming school year, he said.

“We make sure that we’re competitive in our market area, which is central Texas, and our surrounding districts like Leander, Round Rock and Austin ISD,” Hill said.

Austin school district is aiming to raise salaries by 3 percent in the upcoming school year, he said, and Leander school district is slated to raise salaries by 1 percent.

With 2 percent raises, Lake Travis school district’s budget is projected to have a deficit of $1.9 million next school year. With 3 percent raises, the district’s budget is projected to have a deficit of $2.2 million next school year.

“We will continue to work to try to get the deficit as low as possible before the budget is approved in August,” Hill said.

Cuts to staff positions will not be a part of the 2012-2013 budget, he said.

When piecing the budget together last year, the district experienced a multitude of cuts.

“We were about as efficient as we can possibly be with staff,” he explained.

Because of the reduced state funding, the district eliminated staff positions through attrition and raised student-to-staff ratios for the 2011-2012 school year, Hill said.

Student-to-staff ratios for grades seven through 12 usually sit at 25-to-1, but the ratio rose to 28-to-1 at the district’s middle schools and 30:1 at Lake Travis High School.

State law requires public school districts to maintain a 22-to-1 student-to-staff ratio at elementary schools.

Lake Travis kept its ratios at 22-to-1 for pre-kindergarten through first grade, 23-to-1 for second and third grades, 24-to-1 for fourth grade and 26-to-1 for fifth and sixth grades.

Cuts to staffing included the elimination of three administration positions, four food service employees, five bus drivers, 13 maintenance employees and 15 instructional employees, Hill stated.

In total, the district cut 40 positions through attrition for the 2011-2012 school year, but staffing will be on the uptick next school year, Hill said.

Because district enrollment is expected to grow 6 percent for the 2012-2013 school year, staff positions will have to be added to “meet the new demands,” he said.

“We’re adding about 400 to 450 kids a year,” Hill said.

The proposed budget includes the addition of 26.75 full-time equivalent positions, all but seven of which are teaching positions. The district will hire three assistant principals for the next school year.

Payroll costs to the district will jump $2.1 million next school year because of the expiration of the Education Jobs Fund Grant, a $1.02 million federal grant awarded to the district in August 2011.

However, the district will net $331,000 over the 2012-2013 school year because of a 5 percent decrease in health insurance costs to the district.

Employees’ health insurance rates and benefit options will remain the same, Hill said.

In addition, the $158.45 million bond the district secured last November is reflected in the 2012-2013 budget, showing the tax rate increase from $1.31 to $1.40 per $100 of assessed property value.

“Our tax rate is going up for the first time in a long time, since 2007-2008,” Hill said. “But it’s not going up more than it’s ever been. In fact, it’s been quite a bit higher than that in the past.”

Throughout the past 20 years, the tax rate reached its highest at $1.94 during the 1998-1999 school year.

Despite state funding cuts, LTISD is still “very financially solvent,” Hill said.

The Texas Education Agency recommends that districts have at least 20 percent of the amount in the operating budget saved in fund balance, Hill said, and LTISD has well over that.

The district’s fund balance is $27.1 million, which is 33 percent of the district’s $81.7 million budget.

Hill said his biggest concern about the next legislative session rested with how Additional State Aid for Tax Reduction will be calculated.

For the 2005-2006 school year, the state instituted a new formula for calculating WADA, which brought the district’s funding down. To bring the WADA funding back up to the district’s targeted revenue, the state awarded tax reduction aid to the district.

Lake Travis school district received $10.7 million in tax reduction funding this year and is expected to receive $8.3 million next school year.

“We stand to lose that ASATR money,” Hill said. “We will definitely get it this next year because it was set up in the law that way. We have another legislative session that will happen in 2013 where it will be up for debate again.”

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LSU Daily Reveille

PHOTO BY BENJAMIN OLIVER HICKS/THE DAILY REVEILLE

Louisiana State University junior Elizabeth Connor, a 2009 Lake Travis High School graduate, adjusts the Miss LSU crown atop her head at the pageant March 18.

Sparkling sequins dominated the stage of the Union Theater as 21 Louisiana State University ladies put their best stilettoed foot forward March 18 in hopes of being crowned Miss LSU-USA 2012.

But in the end, only finance junior Elizabeth Connor could claim the crown.

Connor, who graduated from Lake Travis High School in 2009 where she was homecoming queen and won Miss Teen Austin, won after accumulating the highest scores in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown and interview.

This year is the 13th anniversary of the Miss LSU-USA pageant, a philanthropic event hosted by the Delta Zeta sorority.

The sorority raises about $40,000 each year through the pageant, which goes toward aiding local and national charities including the Baton Rouge Speech and Hearing Foundation and the Painted Turtle Camp, according to a news release.

The dark curtain lifted to unveil the contestants, who performed a choreographed number to a mash-up of “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” and “Material Girl” while donning short, black, sparkling dresses and heels.

Next, the they paraded down the stairs in the middle of the stage and twirled in bikinis and heels for the swimsuit portion, while Jennifer Hale, Delta Zeta alumna and WVUE sportscaster, announced the women’s height, hair color, eye color and hobbies.

Soon-to-be winner Connor listed deep-sea fishing as one of her hobbies and said she catches “anything that’ll bite.”

Eye-catching evening gowns dominated the second category of the pageant, and then the top 10 contestants fielded questions concerning recent LSU affairs, with a heavy focus on budget cuts.

When Connor was asked what she would say to convince a prospective student to attend the university, she responded by regaling how she developed her love for the school.

“After my first day of class, I called my mom and told her that picking LSU was the best decision I ever made,” she said.

The university offers Southern hospitality at its finest, she said.

Hale said contestants are judged on their knowledge of topics and their ability to articulate, and not for their politics or particular beliefs.

Education freshman Breanne Dicke and nursing freshman Gabby Ricca attended the pageant to see their sorority’s hard work come to fruition.

They said they both knew Connor would win because of her articulate answer to her interview question and her unique dress, which was a classic, off-the-shoulder black gown.

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Staff writer

Ninety-five percent of students in the Lake Travis High School Class of 2010 graduated within four years, revealed the 2011 Education Progress Report, published by the Austin Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce.

The report, which has been published annually for the past seven years, gives residents a feel for Lake Travis school district, said Laura Mitchell, Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce president.

The Education Progress Report also gives newcomers a picture of the community, Mitchell said.

“If you’re considering moving your company here, potentially your family here, it gives you a snapshot of how well the school district prepares children for the workforce,” Mitchell said.

The Texas Education Agency Exemplary District, continually strives for improvement in all subjects, said Brad Lancaster, Lake Travis school district superintendent.

“Every chart you look at, regardless of what it is, has an upward trend,” Lancaster said.

Highlights from the report include:

*Eighty-three percent of students in the Class of 2010 enrolled in college by the fall after graduation, an increase of 3 percent compared to the previous year;

*Ninety-nine percent of all students passed each of the four required Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills graduation tests in 2011, considerably narrowing the gap between student groups; and,

*Eighty-nine percent of all high school juniors demonstrated college level readiness in writing, a significant increase of 16 percent compared to the previous year.

Looking toward the future, Lancaster said he aims to continue to narrow achievement gaps between student groups: Hispanic, White and Economically Disadvantaged.

“If you have results that are less than 100 percent, you want those to be 100 percent,” he said. “We’d like 100 percent of our students to be college ready. We’d like 100 percent of our students to graduate in four years. We want 100 percent of our kids to pass all the tests. It’s hard to do, but that has to be our goal at the end of the day.”

In 2007, 55 percent of Economically Disadvantaged students, 73 percent of Hispanic students, and 92 percent of White students graduated in four years, according to the report.

In 2010, 77 percent of Economically Disadvantaged students, 78 percent of Hispanic students, and 97 percent of White students graduated in four years, according to the report.

“That’s important – you want to do well regardless of skin color and family income,” Lancaster said. “Two things are important – that all the scores have an upward trend and are getting better each year, and we’re narrowing the gap.”

The district’s nearly 7,000 students consistently achieve at levels above state and national averages, according to the report, noting that Lake Travis High School was recognized as one of America’s top high schools by U.S. News & World Report based on its ability to prepare students for college-level work.

Ninety-two percent of graduates in the Class of 2010 took the SAT or ACT Exam, which is considerably more than the statewide average of 62 percent, Lancaster said.

“To me, that’s what stands out most,” he said.

The district’s recognition for college readiness entices new companies to move to the area, growing jobs and boosting Central Texas’ economy, according to the Austin Chamber of Commerce, which actively recruits companies like Apple and Hanger Orthopedic to move to the heart of the Lone Star state.

“[The Education Progress Report] allows the community, especially the business community, to see the progress of the workforce that the school district is producing,” Mitchell said.

When the district is in need, the businesses in area respond, she said.

According to the report, Lake Travis Education Foundation has raised more than $2.6 million benefitting LTISD educators and students since 1985.

The district’s successes in student achievement can be attributed to the academic and extracurricular programs available at the campuses, Lancaster said.

“What we know about college success research is kids who are busy tend to do well,” he said. “To prepare kids for college, it’s good for them to have done an extracurricular activity. It’s good to have done some community service.”

The programs are intended to make students well-rounded individuals, Lancaster said.

“A well-rounded student will do better when they leave here, which means you work hard, you have an active leisure life and you do something that takes the stress off, whether that’s exercise or reading or gardening,” he said. “You’ve got to be balanced.”

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