2019 Summer Conference Topic Descriptions€¦ · 19/07/2019  · 2019 Summer Conference Topic Descriptions Thursday, July 18, 2019 Topic Sessions I 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. 1 First Year

2019 Summer Conference Topic Descriptions

Thursday, July 18, 2019 Topic Sessions I 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. 1 First Year Teachers: The Human Piece - Krista Marx, Elgin ISD In this day and age of ever-increasing numbers of teachers coming to the field via alternative certification, there are certain elements of the profession for which many new teachers are un- or under- prepared. To address this need and support our teachers, Elgin ISD has added an additional component to traditional onboarding practices. Along with the usual curriculum, technology, and "business" of teaching, tricks of the trade (and of the community) are shared with new teachers by the Human Capital department. This element, we believe, is pivotal to supporting the newest teachers to our district and especially those who are brand new to teaching. During this session, participants will take on the role of "new teacher" to sample the "Emphasis on Human" training and begin the process of developing such a session for their home districts. *Note: If time allows, we will also explore a bit of the mentorship platform utilized by Elgin ISD. (REPEATED) 2 An "Invest"ment Blueprint for Teacher Retention - Dawn Harris, Gilmer ISD In this session, Dr. Dawn Harris, Assistant Superintendent for Gilmer ISD, will guide district administrators on an engaging, interactive journey through the evolution of GISD's Invest Mentoring program. GISD's struggles and celebrations will be the roadmap for administrators to follow in order to propose the design or refinement of their district's mentoring program to meet the needs of all new teachers regardless of their certification route (traditional or alternative). Participants will learn how to utilize their district's mentoring program as a recruiting tool for new hires and how to collaborate with district personnel, campus principals, the superintendent, and members of the school board. Lastly, administrators will leave with practical "investment" strategies that can be shared and implemented in the 2019-2020 school year. 3 Educator Boundaries - Where Are the Lines Drawn? -Wesley Johnson, Escamilla & Poneck, LLP Julie Leahy with TCTA and Wesley Johnson with Escamilla & Poneck, LLP formerly worked together at the State Board for Educator Certification. This session will explore potential "lines" that might exist, or be crossed, by educators and provide perspectives on issues surrounding legalities that may or may not exist or be created in a variety of scenarios. 4 Good Intentions are not Enough: Supporting a Culture of Professional Ethics -ProEthica – Meredith Christiansen, ProEthica & Toni Thompson, San Antonio ISD Educators face daily ethical dilemmas, but seldom do they have the opportunity to discuss the ethical principles that should guide decisions, as well as the risks and vulnerabilities inherent in the profession. The ProEthica program, a multi-year professional learning program, was designed to assist practitioners in using decision making framework. In this interactive session, participants will explore how one Texas school district, San Antonio ISD, has implemented this intensive educator ethics professional learning program that has helped district employees gain the knowledge and skills to navigate ethical dilemmas. Participants will have the opportunity to explore an ethical dilemma and hear from district leadership about their goals.

5 FMLA/TDL/ADA Basics – Mark Goulet & & Haley Turner, Walsh Gallegos When must the district accommodate an employee’s health condition? When is an employee entitled to Family Medical Leave or Temporary Disability Leave? What if the employee is not eligible for either form of

leave, or has exhausted all available leave? This session will help HR professionals sort through the sometimes confusing and overlapping FMLA, TDL, and ADA laws and benefits. 6 Texas Teachers 7 Retaining the Best Educators in the Teacher Shortage Era – Melva Cardenas PowerSchool Student success begins with having the knowledge and tools to recruit and retain top talent. With the current teacher shortage, teacher retention is critical. In this interactive session, you will learn strategies to improve teacher retention, and attendees will be able to share best practices implemented that attract and retain effective teachers. 8 Substitutes: A New Day -Kathryn Robertson, Welch Carpenter & Tamira Griffin, McKinney ISD “Substitutes aren’t really employees. Right?” In this session, we will discuss how McKinney ISD’s HR department is changing the perception of substitutes within the district and creating a positive substitute culture. Specific examples will be shared related to benefits, orientation, training and communication.

9 Best Practices for Responding to Complaints of Sexual Harassment - Charli Searcy, TASB This session will provide school personnel and districts with best practice strategies for responding to complaints of student-to-student and employee-to-student sexual harassment. By implementing the strategies in their organizations, attendees will foster safer learning environments for students and reduce the risk of liability. Personnel and districts will learn to: Promote staff and student awareness of inappropriate interactions, laying the foundation for a collaborative effort to reduce or eliminate sexual harassment; Respond appropriately and timely to complaints of student-to-student and employee-to-student sexual harassment; Report sexual misconduct of an employee in compliance with State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) requirements; and ‚ Reduce the risk of liability. Additionally, this session will include a lecture and the use of interactive methods to train and test the audience on the material. There will also be a designated time for questions and comments.

10 Employment Authorization Hot Issues in 2019 and Beyond - James Larsen, Foster LLP Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently quadrupled the number of Form I-9 inspections and in March, the Social Security Administration began issuing No-Match Letters for the first time in years. As a result, an employer's employment eligibility verification policies and procedures are under increasing scrutiny. This presentation will review recent employment authorization developments and provide essential tips to ensure employer compliance. Learning Objectives: 1. Attendees will receive instruction on how to appropriately resolve a Social Security No-Match letter for one or more of its employees. 2. Attendees will learn best practices for verifying employee work authorization based on the latest Form I-9 and how to leverage audits and technology, such as the electronic Form I-9 software and E-Verify. 3. Attendees will receive guidance on how to comply with the anti-discrimination provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act(INA) at the time of application and at the time of hire. With the use of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram on the rise, school employees’ personal lives are less private than ever. How much can school districts control what employees do in their free time (and then post on social media)? What kinds of speech on social media can school districts prohibit? This session will review the standards for regulating employee off-duty speech, the standards for employee electronic speech set by SBEC, and the provisions in District policies and handbooks regarding employee use of social media with students. Topic Sessions II 1:15 - 2:15 p.m. 11 Principal Certification Update for ISDs/HR Hiring Managers and Mentor Principals - Tam Jones TEA This session will walk participants through the upcoming process and components for the principal certification redesign for 2019 including the implications of the new redesign for school districts, HR hiring managers, and mentor principals who will be having future principal intern candidates on their campus. The presentation and facilitated discussion will be interactive for turn-and-talk partners and large group sharing. 12 TRS Legislative Update - Merita Zoga, TRS Learn about new legislative changes that affect TRS members.

13 Lessons Learned: Social Media Stories -Wesley Johnson, Escamilla & Poneck, LLP Join Attorney Wesley Johnson on an update of the law as it applies to employee use of social media and when (and when not) to oversee such use as an employer. The legal implications of First Amendment Rights as they apply to the public employee's ability to communicate using social media will be explored in a fun and engaging format that is sure to entertain as well as educate. 14 HR Laws & More Than You Ever Wanted to Know, Cheryl Hoover & Erin Kolecki TASB Take a deeper dive, beyond basics into employment laws. TASB HR Services team members will provide relevant examples and discussions of HR laws including, FLSA, Title IX, ADA, and FMLA. This session will cover proposed changes of laws, current practices, and successful implementation strategies. HR Administrators will learn more than they ever wanted to know and broaden their scope of best practices of employment laws

15 Employee Mental Health Issues – Laura Rodriguez McLean & Robb Decker Walsh Gallegos Federal and state non-discrimination laws prohibit employers from discriminating against employees with mental health conditions, but accommodating those with mental illness can sometimes be challenging in the school setting. Learn about what inquiries can (and can't) be made regarding employee mental health conditions, and how to effectively, and legally, implement reasonable accommodations. 16 How we work? What we offer? How are we different? – Kay Clark, iteachTEXAS An overall chat about iteachTEXAS . A insider view on what our teachers see in iteach, what we offer and how we set ourselves apart from the other alt cert programs. 17 Training Substitutes for Student Success - Jim Wasser, ESS There are many factors that contribute to a quality substitute program, but perhaps the most important factor is the training provided to substitutes. Training substitutes has proven to be the most effective method of preparing substitutes to meet the demands created by teacher absenteeism. Preparatory training also attracts more substitute applicants as an incentive for recruiting, and significantly improves employee retention. Confident, well-prepared substitutes create a better educational experience for students, teachers, and administrators. This presentation will focus on Best Practice Strategies to instill confidence in substitutes and ensure success in the classroom, because every day counts when it comes to student achievement.

18 From Good to Great: Student Growth Measures - Tammy Kreuz, Kreuz Consulting Group Learn how to transform your district’s practices with measuring student growth in every classroom. The implementation of Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) does not have to be difficult or complex. Learn how to role out this work flawlessly in your district. Participants will learn about a SLO model that can be easily implemented district-wide.

19 Human Resources Hot Topics Panel: 2019-2020 - Chad Timmons, Abernathy, Roeder, Boyd & Hullett, P.C. The discussion panel will cover the latest topics for school personnel administrators to look for going into the 2019-2020 school year. The panel will feature: Kelly Mires: Executive Director of Human Resources, Coppell ISD; Jeff Webb: Associate Superintendent of Human Resources/Administrative & Student Services, Royse City ISD; Marcy Hambrick: Director of Employee Selection and Development, Lovejoy ISD; and Chad Timmons, Director and School Law Attorney, Abernathy, Roeder, Boyd & Hullett, P.C. The panel will include a variety of topics, and the presenters bring years of both practical and legal experience on key issues for human resources administrators. Attendees will walk away with the necessary knowledge to keep their districts abreast of the latest HR topics district administrators should address going into the new school year.

20 edTPA, Equitable Instructional Practices, and the Career Continuum -Andrea Whittaker, Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning and Equity In this session participants will develop a conceptual and practical understanding of edTPA, its history, what it measures and common misconceptions. Throughout the session, Dr. Andrea Whittaker will guide participants to identify how edTPA's constructs are research-based and feature equitable instructional practices supporting learning for all students. Additionally, participants will learn how performance evidence from edTPA can be used by new career teachers to develop professional learning goals and identify resources for support.

Topic Sessions III 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.

21 From Substitute to Guest Educator, It's Not Just a Name Change - Melissa Hutson Northwest ISD

Did you know a student will spend on average one full year with a substitute teacher during their k-12 education? In Northwest ISD, we changed the name "substitute teacher" to "guest educator" to show value to the work they do with our students on a daily basis. 22 Visioning a Teacher Profile - Strategic Talent Acquisition - Norma Costillo Austin ISD As a large, urban school district and the second largest employer in Austin, Austin ISD strives to be an agile, effective organization. Austin ISD believes in investing in it's Human Capital to meet the varied needs of our students and campuses. In efforts to be more strategic around the selection of classroom teachers, we collaboratively visioned, designed, and developed a Teacher Profile to identify the attributes necessary to excel and take advantage of the growth opportunities in our district. The profile serves as a foundation for the generation of tools and resources that guide the candidate recruitment, interview, and selection process. This session examines the steps and learnings from inception to implementation, initial response and feedback, and intended outcomes and goals. 23 Compensation Issues in Small and Rural Public Schools, Ann Patton TASB Compensating employees in small and rural Texas public schools is particularly challenging. Smaller budgets, competing for talent with larger wealthier districts, and complying with federal labor law can be difficult. In this session you will learn how small and rural districts can compete for talent, pay fair wages, and not break the bank. 24 Teacher Certification Redesign Update, Grace Wu, TEA TEA will review and update the group on components of the teacher certification redesign including edTPA, new test development, and new certifications. 25 It's my Right! Katie Payne & Melanie Charleston, Walsh Gallegos What are the limits of an employee’s free speech rights in the workplace? This legal update will provide the latest on employees’ right to “take a knee” pray, discuss their political opinions, and more while on duty. 26 Succession Planning, Donna Ward & Joe Palmer, Temple ISD A process for building capacity within district personnel to ensure the vision and mission of a district continues when a key leader leaves, either expectantly or expectantly. 27 Enabling School Admins with Tech Built for K-12, Frontline Education Why is it that districts who have invested in HRMS, ERP and SIS tools can still be caught working on spreadsheets, paper forms and access databases? You guessed it – Because school data collection and reporting is so complex that it makes it impossible to rely on generic software. In our session, Frontline will introduce you to Purpose Built for K-12 solutions on its unified Insights Platform. Purpose built for K-12 speaks to Position Management/Control designed for the dynamic flow of teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals and support personnel between functions, jobs and locations. It means that administrators can proactively recruit with complete access to metrics, interests and qualifications of over 1.4 million K-12 job seekers. Purpose built for K-12 speaks to real time assessment of teaching credentials in the HRMS system in relation to classroom teaching assignments on the Master SIS Schedule. Purpose built for K-12 speaks to integrated data management of HRMS and SIS with Financial ERP systems and Procurement systems. Purpose built for K-12 speaks to the specific forms, process, contracts, credentials, professional development and employee assessments that enable administrators to leverage technology across the organization. Spend some time with Frontline to see what Tech Built for K-12 can do for your organization. Frontline technology – built for schools by schools. 28 Security of Teacher Retirement, Tim Lee TRTA TRS is the government entity that manages retirees pensions. This session will cover information about TRS and the recent changes made in the legislative session and how this pertains to the security of teacher retirement.

29 Human Resources Road Trip: Mapping the Documentation Process - Mari McGowen, Abernathy, Roeder, Boyd & Hullett, P.C. & Tamira Griffin, McKinney ISD In Human Resources Road Trip: Mapping the Documentation Process, Assistant Superintendent and Chief Human Resources Officer Tamira Griffin and school law attorney Mari McGowan will “drive” attendees through documentation and training concerns for the 2019-2020 school year. The presentation will feature the regular documentation process, including trainings for employees at the beginning of the year, documenting performance during the course of the year, and preparing documentation in the spring for nonrenewals. The presenters will also cover “detours” such as employee investigations, and discuss how to approach the Board with employment issues. Prepare to learn the legal and practical knowledge necessary to guide your district through the coming school year.

30 Certification Updates from the Texas Education Agency - Marilyn Cook, TEA This session will highlight important information related to educator certification. (REPEATED)

Friday, July 19, 2019 Topic Sessions IV 8:30 - 9:30 a.m.

31 First Year Teachers: The Human Piece - Krista Marx, Elgin ISD In this day and age of ever-increasing numbers of teachers coming to the field via alternative certification, there are certain elements of the profession for which many new teachers are un- or under- prepared. To address this need and support our teachers, Elgin ISD has added an additional component to traditional onboarding practices. Along with the usual curriculum, technology, and "business" of teaching, tricks of the trade (and of the community) are shared with new teachers by the Human Capital department. This element, we believe, is pivotal to supporting the newest teachers to our district and especially those who are brand new to teaching. During this session, participants will take on the role of "new teacher" to sample the "Emphasis on Human" training and begin the process of developing such a session for their home districts. *Note: If time allows, we will also explore a bit of the mentorship platform utilized by Elgin ISD. (REPEATED)

32 Coaching for Excellence - Bobbi Russell-Garcia, Ysletta ISD

Coaching for Excellence is a strategic process designed to help employees positively change their behavior or performance in order to meet the expectations and standards of working at their district. Through the use of encouragement, counseling, direction, and documentation, this progressive process provides the district with a uniform model to improve employee performance and behavioral deficiencies.

33 Minimizing the Impact of Leave-Related Terminations, Karen Dooley, TASB Termination due to exhaustion of leave can put an employer in ”hot water.” The key to reducing your risk is implementing procedures to manage absences and ensure fair and consistent treatment of employees. This session will show you how to use HR policies and best practices to administer leave when these situations occur.

34 HR Hot Topics, April Mabry & Amy Campbell, TASB District HR staff call and email questions to TASB HR Services on a wide variety of topics, and HR Services staff regularly see trends emerge. Led by the director and assistant director of HR Services, this session will cover many of the ”hot topics” HR staff have inquired about in the past few months. What have districts been asking about this spring and summer? Come spin the HR Wheel of Questions and get the answers in this engaging session. Whether you enjoyed the HR Hot Topics presentation at the winter conference or missed out, come join us for “new” content and a new engaging format. 35 Beyond the Boundaries: Identifying, Reporting, and Investigating Educator/Student Misconduct - Bridgette Collins & Shannon Hewett, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Gandhi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." HR can't expect other departments to take our recommendations for changes if we aren't willing to take a hard look at ourselves! In this session, we will discuss ongoing process reviews being conducted within McKinney ISD's HR department and the mindset changes that are resulting. Specific examples will be shared related to streamlining, consolidation, and other efficiencies that have resulted from this growth and improvement mindset.

36 Bridging the Gap Between Educator Evaluation Systems, Student Growth Measures, and Student Learning- Tammy Kreuz Learn how to transform your district’s practices using data from your educator evaluation system and student growth measures. Participants will learn how to utilize outcomes from educator evaluation systems to create structures and processes to support educators in maximizing success and improve student learning. We will discuss the use of student growth measures, including SLOs, to guide instructional decisions.

37 Strong Leadership Matters Strategies to Recruit and Retain Educational Leaders, Jennifer Barton and Cheryl Hoover, TASB Research indicates that principal leadership is a determining factor of school effectiveness. Each year, more than 20 percent of principals leave their schools resulting in high turnover that is costly, disruptive, and

negatively impacts teacher and student performance. HR consultants with school leadership experience will provide district leaders with key strategies to successfully recruit, retain, and grow school leaders in their district. 38 Certification Updates from the Texas Education Agency - Marilyn Cook, TEA This session will highlight important information related to educator certification.