Are we focused on the right priorities?

I’m a firm believer that our buildings, our football stadiums, and busing facilities, have been the highlight of the ISD for quite some time. I think we lost sight of the fact that none of these things would exist if it weren’t for the one crucial part that we may have been neglecting all this time…. that being our teachers. 

I think we need to look at the prioritization of the students needs when it comes to their safety, education and developmental progress. By focusing on this priority we can administer care to the ones that are directly in contact with them on a daily basis. These are our children. How many teachers are willing to garner their own money to buy supplies for extra projects in their classrooms? How many teachers have to come face-to-face with sick kids everyday? How many teachers, who probably have kids, never get a break as often as needed? Who are the ones that are sculpting our children into adults outside of the home? Teachers, that’s who! I’m a parent of 5 kids, I couldn’t fathom trying to corral 18 everyday.

We can see all the press on the football stadium, the bus barn, as well as the plans for Lowery, but none of this would be happening if it weren’t for the teachers. Why is it we don’t treat our most valuable asset with the same respect as multi-million dollar facilities? We build these facilities to highlight how we are growing, but at the same time we neglect to secure our best asset. It’s through our educators that we attract an abundance of students to our campuses. Now its time we start to treat our teachers with the value they represent. Let’s move outside of the box and focus on bringing in, and retaining the best teachers in the nation. The best way to start is by paying them what they deserve.

I am hoping that good things are to come.

Take this survey and lets get the dialogue going.

Dr. Michael Myers

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Arming our Teachers and then advertising it -- sounds good to me!

In a recent article out of Houston Texas, the School District has decided to take a different stance on the approach to school security -- it's an approach I agree with wholeheartedly. You can read the article yourself entitled, "Texas school boosts security with controversial signs". Essentially, I believe in our ability to let teachers carry firearms under Concealed Handgun Licensing, as well as undercover and uniformed Police officers, then advertising that fact to the public with posted signs. I think it is a great way to keep the kids safe.

As a CHL holder myself, training is involved, as is testing. You would also know that you carry in a way that nobody knows the weapon is on you. These standards  would apply to our teachers as well. The issue of safety is of the upmost concern, and the security of our kids is even more important.

Outside of arming our teachers, I also believe in a fully involved video surveillance solution, but, I want to take it a step further. I want to put cameras in every classroom and hallway of the entire school district. But, not just for the purposes of security, rather as an educational tool for the ISD. We can incorporate our all-encompassing video solution as one where we can use it for those students who can't make it too class due to sickness, or those students that have to be schooled at home, or those students who physically have a hard time attending on campus. Along with our ability to grant access to students, it also carries an inherent ability of securing the campus, thus, juxtaposing our security needs with the educational functionality.

Just a thought.


Dr. Michael Myers

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Allen Football and the Band....WOW!

If you haven’t already, you need to go to one of our football games. It’s a fantastic experience that is bread from the stock of our children and capped with a huge investment of a stadium. Once you see the band perform at half-time, that alone will make you beam with pride. We can talk all we want, or struggle in our conversations about what decisions need to be made that should take priority, but the stadium, is in itself, a beacon for Allen and will serve the community well. If you have never been to a game, then I invite you to come and see what your tax dollars have bought. I would be thrilled to show you the suites above the stadium, which by the way, is the best spot to see the band and the football game.  Just let me know, but please don’t send me anonymous blog postings because I can’t respond if I don’t know who it is – and I don’t post any comments on the blog.

In the end you need to take the time to go to one of the games. I can guarantee that you will be amazed, and whatever you do, don’t miss half-time!

Dr. Michael Myers

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Heeee's Baaaaack!

I've decided to open back up this blog, but, not to protest decisions made by the board, rather to give insight into my decision process while reviewing board decisions. This blog will not be about disclosing discourse with my fellow board members, or provide any type of insight into how they are thinking, I can't, I'm not in their heads. I can only speak on what I am thinking, and where I am going on certain issues. This blog is for the benefit of the school district, not a tool of destruction.

In the past it has been known that transparency has always been a huge issue, when it came to the public knowing what is going on with its elected board. I ran on the statement that I would try and open that transparency up, so that the community can be more involved.  That is what I am doing now.

I originally started this blog as a way to properly answer the press and the questions being asked to me. Instead of me answering the press, or people in the community, who would email me a question then contort the message I was delivering, I decided to start a blog. I post their question, then verbatim, state my answer on the blog. It seems to be a very effective tool against false accusations, or misstatements in the press. I would encourage others to do the same. In the end, I stand behind my writings. I am not perfect, and don't claim to be, but, I intend to do what's best for our kids, and a blog is a great way to get the message out -- my message. I will do my best to answer related topics, and topics of concern, and how they are portrayed in my mind.

One of those recent topics, that I know most of us are all concerned with, are the plans for the Lowery Freshman Center. First off, I need to let you know, we will face another large bond election to make this happen, which no one should be complaining about being that we just built a $60 Million dollar football stadium and approved a $30 Million dollar bus parking facility. If we can spend almost $100 Million of football and buses, then the needs of our kids education should outweigh any decision in the near future.

In my mind the rebuilding of Lowery Freshmen Center should have come first, but, I wasn't a board member back then, and can't figure out what the decision process was -- which is ironic being that I am a board member now. Either way, it is a decision that has already been made, and now we can enjoy the fruits of college level football in our high school stadium and brag about slab of concrete with its own gas pumps. I ask you this, if our football players can enjoy such a big beautiful stadium in their high school years -- what will they be able to enjoy if they just go to a community college, or a University that doesn't have such facilities to play in? What are we teaching them, as adults? What will they have to look forward too? We need to send a message to our kids that their education is more important, and what better way than rebuilding the Lowery Freshman Center (LFC) as an Advanced Center of Academics? A facility that comes in line with our brand new football stadium, bus barn and our beautiful High School campus.

I'm envisioning a leading edge, and totally advanced, Freshman center that incorporates advanced sciences, academics, and trade specialities. Let us rebuild the entire LFC landscape to create an academic institution that everyone in the nation will crave. We did it with a multi-million dollar football stadium -- why not our Freshman Center? We can foster partnerships with local hospitals for clinical training; or local law firms for legal studies; or local crafts and automotive shops for advanced studies in mechanics. Why not a research center that is supported by some of our leading, and local, high-tech corporations?

We must allow the community to get involved, through focus groups, board postings and web interaction. Cast online votes for designs and implementations. Solicit input from the community like we have never done before. We should aim for a school that resembles the High School's ambience, and bridge the two campuses into one academic institution that people will strive to be a part of. We can't just bring them here with a football stadium, and a new bus parking lot, we need to bring them here for the academics. Allen High School is first in the State when it comes to football, now its time to be the first in the State when it comes to academics. We should aim to be the grazing area for Harvard, Yale, Baylor and the likes, what better way than putting our money where our mouths are?


Dr. Michael Myers


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