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August 27, 2010

Dear Lovejoy Community:

We are closing in on the end of the first week of school. I hope your sons and daughters have gotten off to a great start and if there have been any bumps in the road, I hope you have let the school know. It is our mission to provide the best school experience for each child everyday of the school year. In order for that to happen, we need to build a strong partnership between the school and all parents.

Sad News for Gavan Goodrich

Gavan Goodrich, principal at LHS, received a phone call yesterday morning that his brother who lives in St. Louis had died unexpectedly. His brother is one year younger than Gavan and apparently had a heart attack in his sleep. He had been in good health and this was a huge shock to the entire family. Gavan will be out for a few days, but plans to return next week. If you would like to do something for Gavan, I am suggesting that people could make a memorial donation in the name of Gavan’s brother to the Foundation for Lovejoy Schools (FLS) and then Gavan can select something for Lovejoy High School in his brother’s name. If you are interested in this option, please contact FLS executive director, Vickie Deerman at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Kohl’s $500,000 Contest

I told you about the contest that Kohl’s is running to award a $500,000 cash prize to 20 schools. The contest runs through Facebook and our local private school, Lucas Christian, is still in the top 10 and if they can hold their position will get the half million dollar prize. I have been told that they could pay off the note on their property ($499,000) if they win this contest. If you would like to help, follow this link: http://apps.facebook.com/KohlsCares/search. You get 20 votes so you could also vote for a LISD campus, but we got a late start to make a serious run. I think it would be great if Lucas Christian brought this prize home to our community.

Next Legislative Session

As I am sure you have heard the State of Texas is facing a very challenge budget development when the Legislature convenes in January. Current estimates are looking at a potential $18 billion shortfall. One of the options being considered is to cut state funding to public education. We will be watching the legislative work very closely to ensure that if cuts are enacted that they occur in an equitable manner.  Another option being discussed is requiring school district to utilize their existing fund balances to replace state aid. This is a troubling option as we rely on our fund balance to meet operational costs until local taxes begin to come in during December. If we do not have a sufficient fund balance, we could be forced to seek a short term loan. I have made a commitment to keep you informed of the possible solutions that could come from this next legislative session.

Please let us know if we can provide assistance to make this the best school year ever for your son or daughter.

With Respect,

Ted Moore

Superintendent

Lovejoy ISD