​Dear Kappans,
I hope you are enjoying the nice autumn weather we recently received and that your academic year is going well!  If you were unable to attend our first general meeting on September 18, you missed out on a very special presentation. PDK Chapter 12 was extremely honored to welcome State Representative James Talarico, who represents District 52 in the Texas Legislature. He is a former middle school English teacher and is currently serving on the House Committee on Public Education. Representative Talarico shared with us the key components of House Bill 3, including property tax reform and teacher pay raises, as well as other relevant topics related to education. Most importantly, he stressed the role of civic involvement and bipartisanship.  Don’t forget that the state of Texas will be having an election on November 5 to approve a long list of amendments to the current 474 amendments in our state constitution. While many people think it’s all right to sit out what can be considered a “nonimportant” election, any election is important.  These proposed amendments will affect many aspects of our daily lives, so make sure to research the issues and go out and vote!
 
Read for the Record is a global campaign that generates public support for high quality early reading and highlights the importance of building children’s vocabulary and love for reading.  On November 7, 2019, children and adults worldwide will gather to read Thank You, Omu!, the 2019 Read for the Record book. PDK Chapter 12 members have a chance to volunteer as celebrity readers.  Thanks to our Vice President of Membership Azucena (Susy) Garcia, principal at Sanchez Elementary in Austin ISD, we have to opportunity to read at Sanchez, which is currently sharing its site with Metz at 84 Robert T. Martinez, Jr. Street, 78702.  Because our next general meeting is on the day before Read for the Record Day, an email will be sent out later in October to chapter members with more specific information on the times during November 7th that Sanchez will host volunteer readers.  More information on Read for the Record Day can be found at https://www.jstart.org/read-for-the-record/.
A celebration of generosity and gratitude, Thank You, Omu! tells the story of a woman who makes a thick red stew that smells so delicious it brings neighbor after neighbor to her door.  Time after time, Omu shares, until suddenly it’s dinnertime and there’s no more stew for her! When there’s one more knock on the door, Omu is surprised when her community brings her a special meal to show their gratitude.  I know I am looking forward to reading this book to Susy’s students and hope you can join me on November 7 as we address important character education traits including sharing, generosity, and friendship!
 
Our next general meeting will take place on Wednesday, November 6, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the UT Sanchez Building.  Remember that the Parker Conference Room in is our new meeting room on the third floor in Room 352. Free parking is available at the Bob Bullock Museum’s parking garage after 5:00 p.m.  In keeping with this year’s theme of Innovations and Trends in Education, we are honored to have Dr. David Kauffman, the Executive Director of Multilingual Education in Austin ISD, joining us as we take a closer look at Dual Language education.  Please save the date now and always feel free to bring one or more educator friends! Until November 6Th!
 
Joe M. Ramirez
PDK Chapter 12 President, 2018-2020

​Dear Kappans,
It is my pleasure and honor to welcome all of you to the 2019-2020 academic year! It is also hard to believe that I will be concluding my term as your chapter president after our last meeting in April. The PDK Chapter 12 Executive Board has been busy this summer planning some very informative sessions that I hope you will attend throughout the year. Because of the construction issues around the University of Texas, we will be meeting at the Travis Early College High School Library from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. for the first meeting.  The location of our other three excellent programs will be in the University of Texas Parker Conference Room 352 in the Sanchez Building.
Throughout my tenure as your chapter president, I have continued to stress the three goals that have been at the heart of Phi Delta Kappa since it was organized in 1906 at the University of Indiana – leadership, research, and service. As Kappans, I urge all of you to continue to exercise these attributes as we continue to grow as life-long learners and face the increasing challenges to the system of public education in this nation.
Leadership: Serve as a mentor to other educators on your campus. Set a positive tone and offer support to educators new to the profession. Bring one or more of your colleagues to a PDK general meeting and encourage them to join our organization. Get involved and contact your state legislators when issues impacting public education are up for debate and legislation.
Research: Continue to broaden your horizons. We are never too old to learn something new.  Volunteer to serve on our grants committee so that you can read some of the innovative research proposals that graduate students have submitted for potential funding from our committee. Take advantage of the 2020 PDK study trip in July and join me in South Africa and Zimbabwe to learn about different systems of education to see how they compare to our own system of public education.
Service: Volunteer for Read for the Record Day on November 7 at one of our local campuses.  This year’s selection is Oge Mora’s Thank You, Omu!, which addresses the concept of community. More information on Read for the Record and signing up to pledge to read at a campus can be found at https://www.jstart.org/read-for-the-record/.
These are just a few examples on how you can follow PDK’s goals. There are many other ones that can also support the concepts of leadership, research, and service.
Our first meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 18. State representative and former public educator James Talarico from Round Rock will update our chapter on education legislation recently approved by the 86th Texas Legislature.
Future meetings address two innovative programs based on extensive academic research. At our November 6 meeting, Dr. David Kauffman, Executive Director of Multilingual Education for Austin ISD, will address the dual language program that the district has been using for several years. Dr. Angela Valenzuela and Travis Early College High School teacher Andrew Gonzales will address the development of the ethnic studies course that was recently implemented in Austin ISD and other Texas school district when they join us on February 19. Of course, I always enjoy our traditional end-of-year meeting and dinner, which will be held on April 22, that recognizes our scholarship and grant recipients and is also the time when new chapter officers are installed.
With this in mind, consider broadening your leadership potential by volunteering to serve as a future chapter officer. Positions that will be filled in April include president, vice president of programs, secretary, and treasurer.  Think about it during the year and contact Dr. Rosemary Morrow, chapter past president, if you are interested in submitting your name for one of these offices for the 2020-2022 academic years.
I wish all of you the best as we begin this new academic year and hope that you can join us at this year’s meetings. As I stated before, bring one or more of your fellow educators to these meetings. We must continue to grow our membership if we want an organization like Phi Delta Kappa to remain active for another one hundred plus years.
Sincerely,
Joe M. Ramirez, PDK Chapter 12 President, 2018-2020

​Dear Kappans,
It’s hard to believe that the 2018-19 academic year is drawing to an end!  It seems just like the other day that I took the oath to be your chapter president, and now, I am halfway through my term.  PDK Chapter 12 really has had a very successful year.  We have grown our membership, are in the homestretch to finalize our fundraising strategies by establishing our chapter as a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt non-profit organization and have had some very enlightening speakers on the status of pre-K in Texas, instructional strategies for pre-service teachers, and an update on the 86th Texas legislative session.
If you were not present at our February 20 meeting, you missed a very informative presentation by HillCo lobbyist David Anderson, who gave us a much clearer understanding of how school finance and property tax reform go hand-in-hand. Be sure to stay informed on current legislative issues.  The situation is not as bleak as in the 85th session when it comes to potential teacher/librarian pay raises and TRS pension increases, but you never know what the legislature may decide, which reminds me of a saying that one of my government professors at UT used to say: “There are two things that people should not watch while they are being made – sausage and Texas legislation!” Get involved and contact your local legislators if you have concerns about relevant issues or just want to thank them for their support. The Texas Legislature Online website at https://capitol.texas.gov/Resources/contactText.aspx can link you to your state representative and state senator as well as the committees on which they serve. 
Officers for the 2019-2021 cycle were also elected at the February 20 general meeting.  Congratulations to Membership Vice President Ryan Hayes, Foundation Representative Ann Margaret Hudson, Scholarship Representative Warren Faulkner, Research Representative and UT Liaison Dr. Bonnie Elliott, Historian Debbie Sansom, and Newsletter Editor Norma Jost for committing the next two years of their very busy schedules to serve on the PDK executive board.  I also want to extend a warm welcome to our most recently inducted chapter members:  Tammy Eutsey, Debra Hayes, Teresa Razo, and Lynn Reed-Campbell. 
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for our final meeting of this academic year on April 17.  We will be installing our new officers, inducting additional new members, and recognizing the recipients of our two $1000 PDK scholarships and our research grant.  If we expect students to put forth and sustain high levels of effort, then we must motivate them by recognizing their accomplishments regularly. Clear recognition of authentic accomplishment is a hallmark of an effort-based education for our students. Recognition of accomplishment can be tied to opportunities to participate in events that matter to students and their families, so I always look forward to this last meeting when we have an opportunity to recognize these achievements and meet our recipients and their parents. We will provide a catered sandwich dinner at $10.00 a person so I hope to see all of you at the Dean’s Conference Room at the UT Sanchez Building on April 17.
Your executive board will be busy this summer as we plan our programs for the 2019-2020 academic year.  Our goal is to continue to keep you informed on what the state legislature decides to do on educational issues as well as bringing in different speakers on instructional programs and trends. 
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support this past year and to wish you a very safe and relaxing summer holiday filled with new adventures!
Sincerely,
 
Joe M. Ramirez
PDK Chapter 12 President, 2018-2020

​Dear Kappans,
The PDK Chapter 12 at The University of Texas at Austin Executive Board and I hope that each of you had a safe and festive holiday!  It is hard to believe that half of this academic year has come and gone!  Now, it’s time for our chapter to start focusing on the scholarship process as we support graduating high school seniors who are interested in pursuing a career in education with two $1000 scholarships. Seniors interested in completing our scholarship process are required to respond to the question “Why do you want to be a teacher?”  As I attended the Austin ISD 4th Annual Scholarship Fair with several other executive board members on January 23rd, this question prompted me to think back on my own reasons on why I decided to devote a life career to education.
I had already decided that I would be a teacher before I ever enrolled as a student in the public school system.  You see, I was influenced by two very powerful role model educators with close connections to my immediate family – Mrs. Fé Benavides, who was my maternal grandmother’s next-door neighbor, and my paternal grandfather’s first cousin, Mrs. Carolina Allan Guerra, known to me as “Aunt Carrie.” By the time I first came to know them as a very young child, they both had served long, distinguished careers as elementary teachers in rural South Texas. Both women overcame the challenges Hispanic females pursuing higher education faced in the 1930s when they first enrolled in college and went on to earn not just their degrees in education but also master’s degrees. Our family always placed a value on achieving a proper education and these two women exemplified the success and respect associated with teaching.
During the summer of my elementary grade years, I would often hold class in my paternal grandparents’ free-standing garage, which would later become the site of some great high school parties.  My cousins and younger brother would sit in chairs arranged in this wide-open space as I used caliche stones from their long, tree-lined driveway to write out math and grammar lessons on the wood-paneled walls of the garage, too late to realize that I had made permanent scratches with these stones on the long wall.  My grandparents merely overlooked that, and many years later after I had begun my teaching career, my now-widowed grandmother would walk her guests out to that long driveway as they prepared to leave her home, and she would often take them to the garage, with its scratched walls and tattered scraps of crepe paper still tacked on to the rafters, and tell them “This is where it all started; this was his very first classroom!”
Mrs. Benavides, who was a primary school teacher in Falfurrias, Texas, would often come and have lunch with Mamá Clemencia, since both lived a block from Lasater School.  If I happened to be at my grandmother’s home when Mrs. Benavides came to have lunch, she would take me back with her to her classroom for her afternoon classes, where I learned to finger paint, do basic math problems, and began to grasp the fundamentals of reading with her much older first graders.  I especially loved how she would sit me on her lap as she read aloud to her students in the late afternoon!
Aunt Carrie was perhaps one of the last one-room school teachers in Texas when she retired in 1971 after an over 40-year career in the Ramirez CISD, which is in rural Duval County.  Her classroom was made up of students from grades 1 through 8.  I first remember meeting Aunt Carrie during the New Year’s holiday in 1971, when she came to the “big city” of Falfurrias to spend several days of her winter holiday with my paternal grandparents.  I was in awe that we had a real teacher in our home! First, I was impressed with a delicious pinto bean candy that she made…I have never been able to find such a delicious treat again.  Then, she shared a New Year’s family tradition with me…going around with my grandmother and opening every window in the house a few minutes before midnight to let in the new year’s air and let out the old air.  My grandfather also had me recite to her the states, their capitals, and  the presidents in sequential order.  That must have really impressed her because that summer, she sent me the first package that I ever got in the mail along with a beautiful letter telling me she had decided to retire from education.  The package consisted of flash cards sets of the presidents and the 50 states as well as several maps of Texas, the United States, and the world.  In her letter, she told me to learn these facts by heart so that I could become a great teacher.
Ironically, both Aunt Carrie and Mrs. Benavides passed away during my first year of teaching, a sort of passing of the torch. Mrs. Benavides continued to teach after being diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer and managed to remain in her own classroom until just about a week before her death, a month before the end of her 43rd year in education. 
Many of my own teachers at all grade levels had a tremendous influence on why I wanted to become a teacher, but these two grand old ladies were by far the first.  They truly exemplified the goals of our chapter – service, research, and leadership.  I am optimistic that the lifetime careers they served are repeated in prospective educators who our chapter can support through scholarships.
I look forward to seeing you at the February 20th General Meeting, 6:00-8:00 p.m., Cissy McDaniel Parker Dean’s Conference Room 238, George I. Sanchez Building, The University of Texas at Austin. The gates are up at 5:00 in the Bullock Texas State History Museum for free parking.
Sincerely,
 
Joe M. Ramirez  
PDK Chapter 12 President, 2018-2020

Dear Kappans,
I cannot tell you how excited I was about our first chapter meeting last month!  We had a fantastic presentation from TEA Director of Early Childhood Education Jacquie Porter, who immediately joined our chapter at the end of that meeting!  Jacquie’s presentation enlightened us all on what early childhood education looks like in Texas and the challenges that school districts and educators face as they move forward with offering a quality education to our youngest students in the public school system.
I am also excited to let you know that we are growing our membership, largely in part because of the efforts of our Membership Vice President Ryan Hayes.  I want to take this opportunity to welcome seven additional new members, retired special education educator Lynn Reed-Campbell, who spent her career in Austin and Round Rock ISDs. Del Valle ISD’s Dailey Middle School is well represented with Susan López, 6th grade master social studies teacher, and Matthew Holley. I am very happy to see that our chapter now has several new elementary teachers:  Jenna Reynolds from Blake Manor Elementary in Manor ISD and Teresa Razo from McBee Elementary in Austin ISD.  We even have a long-distance member as Bilalah Turner from Glenn York Elementary in Alvin ISD joins.  We are also so happy to welcome Professor Blanca Loya from Texas State University in San Marcos!  The chapter looks forward to collaborating with all our new members as their talents enrich our organization!
Please get involved in PDK Chapter 12 as well as our local community.  The three components of Phi Delta Kappa are “service,” “leadership,” and “research.” As the November midterm elections approach, apply our PDK components to the election as you research the issues and the candidates, making sure to consider what is best for public education.  Voting is both a right and a privilege and participating in the electoral process is a fundamental part of the service and leadership that we give back to our country, state, and local community.
Our nation has a long history of public education. In the 19th century, most Americans came to believe that they could not rely upon church-run schools to create the literate citizenry that our democracy requires and that schools had to be supported from public taxation. School had to be non-sectarian, free, compulsory, and universal; and education had to be a function of the state.  We have to assure that these goals continue to be met as we vote for wise leaders to tackle long-deferred questions about the public schools’ proper form of governance, their relationship to private and parochial schools, and the best way to protect local decision making within complex modern bureaucracies. Although schools do have other purposes, such as preparation for higher education and work, these purposes must remain secondary to educating students to be effective participants in our democratic society.  
Please join us on Wednesday, November 14, for our second general meeting, where we will be learning about nine effective strategies that we can apply as we work with pre-service educators.  Your leadership in mentoring our future educators is essential to sustain our school system.  We hope to see you at the Dean’s Conference Room on the second floor at the Sanchez Building at the University of Texas at Austin beginning at 6:00 p.m., and we urge you to bring at least one friend who might be interested in joining PDK Chapter 12.
Because our next newsletter will not come out until January, I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season.  I also want to extend my appreciation to Newsletter Editor Norma Jost for all the dedication and hard work she puts into to producing this great piece of communication that keeps all of us connected. Take time for yourselves and your families as you reflect on this past year and set goals for 2019!
Sincerely,
 
Joe M. Ramirez
PDK Chapter 12 President, 2018-2020

​Dear Kappans,
As your new chapter president, I am so happy to welcome all of you to the 2018-19 academic year! Your executive board has been quite busy this summer as we move forward in planning this year’s speakers and our annual budget. 
Education is very much a hot topic at the local, state, and national levels. I am looking forward to hearing presentations during this academic year about the current trends in Texas Early Childhood education, pre-service education, and a legislative update in February.  All educators, retired and current, must stay informed on the issues that are affecting us today, including health care, retirement pensions, standardized testing, school safety, and school finance.
We ended the 2017-2018 year with a great meeting on April 18th with a wonderful banquet. We inducted two new members and gave the following awards:

1. Scholarship awards of $1000 each to two amazing students: Cory Gunter from Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville received the Edward Vodicka Prospective Educator Scholarship that is awarded by the local chapter, and Amelia Gollub from Pflugerville High School received the University of Texas Endowed Prospective Educator Scholarship.
2. Timy Baranoff Research Grant Award of $500 to Catherine Lammert from The University of Texas at Austin. Her dissertation focuses on methods of inquiry both as pedagogy and for improving teachers’ work as practice-based researchers. 
3. L.D. Haskew Award to Norma Jost, current PDK Chapter 12 Newsletter Editor, Treasurer, Web Mistress and former Chapter President.

 
PDK Chapter 12 will also be sharing some new ideas on fundraising and growing our membership, but it means all of you will need to pitch in so that we can meet our goals.  I urge all of you to bring at least one prospective new member to our first meeting on Wednesday, October 3, at Sanchez Elementary School.
Remember, our country will be going through midterm elections in November.  In Texas, we will be electing a U.S. senator, governor, lieutenant governor, and other state-wide positions.  If you have not yet registered to vote, please make sure to do so and either vote early or on Election Day, Tuesday, November 6, 2018.  Your vote makes a difference and is needed to support Texas students and educators.
Please make sure to join me for learning and fellowship on October 3 for our first general meeting.  Together, we can make PDK Chapter 12 an even stronger and more distinguished organization!
Sincerely,
Joe M. Ramirez, PDK Chapter 12 President, 2018-2020

Dear Kappans,
As my biennium as PDK Chapter 12 President comes to an end, I want to thank the membership for allowing me to serve as your leader. A special thank you goes to the PDK Chapter 12 officers for 2017-2018. You have worked hard, and I appreciate you! Thanks to Dr. Jonathan Leonard, Program Vice President; Elyse Smith, Treasurer; Joe Ramirez, Secretary; Norma Jost, Chapter Advisor/Past President; Dr. Earin Martin, Scholarship Representative and Warren Faulkner, Foundation Representative. They are finishing their terms in these offices.
The next PDK Chapter 12 regular meeting will be on Wednesday, April 18, 2018, at 6:00 p.m., in the Cissy McDaniel Parker Dean’s Conference Room 238, in the George I. Sanchez Building, at The University of Texas at Austin. Generally, the gates are up in the Bullock Parking Garage by 5:00 p.m., for free parking. This will be a time of reflection, moving forward, and celebrations as we recognize scholarship recipients and others, initiate new members, and install the officers for 2018-2020.
                 
Officers elected for 2018-2020:
President – Joe Ramirez
Vice President, Programs – Azucena (Susy) Garcia
Secretary – Marielo Arazoza Morales
Treasurer – Norma Jost
Chapter Advisor – Dr. Rosemary Morrow
Foundation Representative – Terrie Bovinich
 
The following officers will continue through 2019:

• Vice President, Membership – Ryan Hayes
• Historian – Debbie Sansom
• Scholarship Representative –Warren Faulkner
• UT Liaison/Research Representative – Dr.  Bonnie Elliott
• Newsletter Editor – Norma Jost

Congratulations!
 
As PDK Chapter 12 begins to make plans for 2018-2019, look for exciting leadership with Joe Ramirez as president, new fundraising opportunities under the guidance of Norma Jost, and some new initiatives coming from PDK International. As we seek to reach out to teachers, counselors, administrators, and others in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 and to professors and instructors in higher education, PDK Chapter 12 wants to meet their needs. There is a general election in the fall, and the 86th Texas Legislature will convene in Austin in January 2019.
 
Enjoy the rest of the spring semester and come join the PDK Chapter 12 meeting on April 18 to visit with friends and to celebrate.
 
Rosemary Morrow
President, PDK Chapter 12 at The University of Texas

The New Year has begun, and the Spring Semester is well-underway after a bit of a freeze. PDK Chapter 12 has an exciting program for the February 21 meeting and members will be electing officers for the positions scheduled to be filled. It is an important time for educators to be active the Austin area, across the state, and at the national level.
 The next PDK Chapter 12 regular meeting will be on Wednesday, February 21, 2018, at 6:00 p.m., in the Cissy McDaniel Parker Dean’s Conference Room 238, in the George I. Sanchez Building, at The University of Texas at Austin. Generally, the gates are up in the Bullock Parking Garage by 5:00 p.m., for free parking. Dr. Richard Reddick, Associate Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy, College of Education, will update us on race relations in public schools. Come for fellowship and to hear Dr. Reddick. You will also want to participate in the voting on the officer positions to be filled for 2018-2020. Light refreshments will be served.
The primary elections of 2018 are upon us on Tuesday, March 6. The first day of Early Voting begins on Tuesday, February 20 and ends on Friday, March 2. The last day to apply for Ballot by Mail to be received is Friday, February 23. Applications were mailed to many citizens.
There are several opportunities to provide input to the State Board of Education (SBOE) regarding Special Education and a Long-Range Plan for Public Education. All members of the public are encouraged to participate. You are welcome to forward this information to family and friends across the State of Texas.

• The Texas Education Agency has provided an online survey to solicit feedback on its draft corrective action plan for Special Education. The online survey, which is available on the TEA website (https://tea.texas.gov/TexasSPED), is open to anyone wishing to provide input on the draft plan. Public comments on the draft plan will be accepted through February 18. Following this initial round of public comments and stakeholder engagements, a revised draft plan will be available on or around March 1. Additional public comment will be accepted through March 31.
• Help the SBOE set long-term goals for the Texas public schools by completing an online survey that will be used to set educational priorities. The survey is available in English and Spanish. The English-language survey can be found at http://sgiz.mobi/s3/Long-Range-Planning-Survey  and the Spanish-language survey is available at http://sgiz.mobi/s3/Encuesta-de-opini-n-p-blica-para-Texas. The survey will remain open through 5 p.m. March 2.
• The SBOE is holding a community conversation on the Public Education Long Range Plan on February 20, 4:00-6:00 p.m., at the William B. Travis Building, 1701 North Congress Avenue, Austin. They are targeting members of the Legislature or their aides, but the public is invited. Event registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-conversation-austin-february-20th-tickets-42021038056.

PDK must participate in opportunities such as these to have an impact. The PDK Chapter 12 Board wants to make sure that we are meeting the needs of our membership and we are willing to “think outside the box.” We solicit your input for ways to meet your needs and the needs of all educators, PK-12 and higher education, pre-service teachers, and retirees. Please let us know your thoughts. Thank you for allowing me to serve you as your chapter president. It is, indeed, my honor. I thank the PDK Chapter 12 Board for your dedicated service to the organizations and to Texas education.
 
Rosemary Morrow
President, PDK Chapter 12 at The University of Texas

The school year for P-16 is well underway, and here’s hoping that it is off to a good start for you. PDK Chapter 12 members are very busy! At the September meeting, David Anderson gave an update on the 85th Texas Legislative Session regarding education legislation. As educators, we always need to remain vigilant of decisions made at the local, state, and national levels.

The next PDK Chapter 12 regular meeting will be on Wednesday, November 15, 2017, at 6:00 p.m., in the Cissy McDaniel Parker Dean’s Conference Room 238, in the George I. Sanchez Building, at The University of Texas at Austin. Generally, the gates are up in the Bullock Parking Garage by 5:00 p.m., for free parking.
Bethany Corey, from the Creative Learning Initiative, Austin ISD, will share information about a ten-year initiative to provide “quality arts-rich education for each and every child in Austin ISD” as well as training for teachers to incorporate the arts in all of the content areas. The partnership includes the City of Austin MINDPOP, local artists, and the business community.
Please plan to attend the November 15 meeting and bring a friend. Reach out to your fellow educators to join Phi Delta Kappa. Ryan Hayes, Membership Vice President, will be glad to help with membership forms.
​
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you as your president. PDK Chapter 12 has a long history on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin, and we can continue the legacy with your participation.
 
Rosemary Morrow
President, PDK Chapter 12 at The University of Texas

​As Texans begin the recovery process after Hurricane Harvey left destruction across the eastern half of the state, may we as Phi Delta Kappa members reach out to those among us and beyond who have been impacted. It is times like these that we remember the need to work together. Just as schools and universities are starting up, the learning process has been interrupted. As educators, we know the need to reach out to students and to their families as they attempt to learn new material while facing personal challenges for basic needs. Let us push forward for a successful school year after the rough start.
 
On Wednesday, September 20, 2017, all Chapter 12 members are encouraged to attend our fall regular meeting at Mathews Elementary School, Austin ISD, 906 West Lynn Street, Austin, Texas 78703. Parking is available on the street, and carpooling is encouraged. All educators in the Austin area, PK-12, higher education, and retired, are invited to attend. David D. Anderson, one of our own, will give an Education Legislative Update from the 85th Regular and Special Sessions. There are insurance changes for some current educators and for retirees in the TRS-Care program, there was also other legislation that impacts both PK-12 and higher educations that many of us may not know have passed and will become law. The session will be informative!
 
Thank you for the privilege of serving you as your president. Let us make this a strong year for Chapter 12 and for education in the Austin area and in Texas. Encourage your colleagues to become a part of our chapter.
 
Rosemary Morrow
President, PDK Chapter 12 at The University of Texas