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Tincy Miller weighs in on updates to Dyslexia Handbook

August 30, 2010 By

For Immediate Release
Monday, August 23, 2010

Contact
Alexis DeLee at (512) 633-2620

Tincy Miller weighs in on updates to Dyslexia Handbook

(Dallas) – Today, Geraldine “Tincy” Miller, State Board of Education member for District 12, participated on a dyslexia task force to update the state’s Dyslexia Handbook. The meeting, which took place at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, in Dallas, culminated with recommended changes to the Handbook that serves as a guide for teachers of dyslexic students. The proposed changes will be discussed and voted on at the September meeting of the State Board of Education (SBOE).

“While great strides have been made to identify and properly teach students with dyslexia, I want to ensure that we do everything possible to make their path through education successful,” Miller said. “These proposed changes bring us one step closer to a time when all of Texas’ dyslexic students have a chance at educational achievement.”

While a more thorough revision of the Dyslexia Handbook will be made after the 82nd Legislature, the recommendations made today were all based on changes to existing – or the creation of new – laws.  The proposed changes also incorporate new information related to recent scientific studies and best practices for diagnosing and teaching students with dyslexia.

The committee was composed of 14 members, including some of the state’s leading experts in the field of dyslexia and speech-language pathology.

Miller, who will not be returning to the SBOE after November, has been instrumental in making dyslexia a recognized disability in Texas. She has distinguished herself by promoting better curricula and programs for dyslexic children, by facilitating the passage of the first dyslexia legislation in the state, and by creating the Dyslexia Handbook as a guide for teachers of dyslexic students.

Miller was formerly a reading specialist in the Reading Laboratory at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, where children with dyslexia could learn to read, write and spell. There she saw the difficulties dyslexic children faced because their disability was ignored by the public school system. This, along with her personal experience with a son who was identified at age 19 with dysgraphia, led her to get involved as an active member of the SBOE.

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Tincy Miller Receives Simmons Luminary Award

November 19, 2009 By

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 19, 2009

CONTACT
Alexis DeLee at (512) 633-2620

Tincy Miller Receives Simmons Luminary Award

(Dallas) – Geraldine “Tincy” Miller, today received a Simmons Luminary Award from Southern Methodist University’s Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education. The award recognizes outstanding leaders in education.

“I am honored to be a part of such an esteemed group of individuals,” Miller said. “Over my 25 years serving District 12 in the State Board of Education, I have made it my mission to ensure that every Texas public school student has the resources they need to succeed. The two other honorees have each made a significant contribution to education. I am humbled to receive this great honor.”

Miller received her award at a reception and dinner this evening on the SMU campus. Awards were also presented to former Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and St. Philip’s School and Community Center Headmaster and Executive Director, Terry J. Flowers.

“The Simmons Luminary Awards honor women and men who are real education reformers – people willing to step outside the status quo and follow evidence, rather than tradition, to improve outcomes for our students,” said David Chard, Leon Simmons Dean of the Annette Caldwell Simmons School. “This year’s three recipients serve as beacons on the education landscape.”

“People are frequently satisfied with great ideas,” Chard said. “But ideas aren’t enough. What we don’t often have are people like Tincy Miller, who realized that her focus on her son’s dyslexia needed to be expanded to all dyslexic children. Her willingness to make a bold change in policy and practice has dramatically improved students’ lives.”

Miller, who graduated from SMU in 1956, has served on the Texas State Board of Education since 1984. She has distinguished herself by promoting better curricula and programs for dyslexic children, helping to pass the Texas State Dyslexia Law for public schools, facilitating the creation of the Dyslexia Handbook: Procedures Concerning Dyslexia and Related Disorders and helping establish the first statewide dyslexia academies.

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Tincy Miller calls for Transperancey in Adopting Instructional Materials and Protection of the Permanent School Fund

November 17, 2009 By

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, November 17, 2009

CONTACT
Alexis DeLee at (512) 633-2620

Tincy Miller calls for transparency in adopting instructional materials and protection of the Permanent School Fund

(Austin) – In preparation for this week’s State Board of Education (SBOE) Meeting, Geraldine “Tincy” Miller, SBOE Member for District 12, called for members to maintain transparency in the Board’s adoption process for instructional materials and to consider with caution a recommendation to allow the Permanent School Fund to invest in facilities for charter schools.

Changes to the State’s adoption and distribution of instructional materials were made by lawmakers during the 81st Legislative Session. It is now up to the Board to authorize those modifications. While the law goes into affect in 2010, Miller suggests holding off until the issue has been vetted further.

“Regarding the State’s adoption of proposed materials, I don’t think anyone realized the ultimate effect of this law. Under it, a book can be placed the Commissioner’s List with no public or elected officials’ oversight. We need to ensure that our adoption process is transparent, that it matches the curriculum, and that it is error-free.”

Miller, who has been on the Board for more than 25 years, was instrumental in designing its textbook adoption process, which has been a model that other states have followed. Additionally, she has actively shielded the Permanent School Fund from a number of attempts to use it for purposes outside its original intent. Earlier this month, an idea was put forward to invest in charter schools. Private investors contend that this is not a wise move. Miller agrees.

“The Board’s primary responsibility is to be good stewards of the Fund. While I support charter schools, this proposal could put the Fund at risk because the schools don’t have a good track record for being financially stable. While overseeing the Fund, it is most important that we invest wisely so we can continue paying for the children’s textbooks in perpetuity.”

The Permanent School Fund was created in 1874 to ensure that every Texas student has the most basic classroom resources. The fund generates revenue from oil and gas income on state owned land so that funding for textbooks is not dependent on varying tax bases from district to district. The Board must ensure that the fund remains profitable by making sound investments and by defending it from attempted raids for purposes other than textbook funding. Board members have considered seeking an Attorney General’s Opinion to determine if it has the ability to make investments in charter schools.

In addition to debate about instructional materials and Permanent School Fund investments, the SBOE will also discuss the code of ethics for the Permanent School Fund, various aspects of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English and Spanish Language Arts and Reading, and curriculum and graduation requirements.

The meeting of the full board starts tomorrow at 9 a.m.

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Miller Calls for Experienced Investment Team as SBOE Considers Firms to Oversee the Permanent School Fund

July 13, 2009 By

For Immediate Release
Monday, July 13, 2009

Contact
Alexis DeLee at (512) 633-2620

Miller calls for experienced investment team as SBOE considers firms to oversee the Permanent School Fund

(Austin) – Geraldine “Tincy” Miller, member of State Board of Education for District 12, says that experience needs to be the determining factor in choosing a team to provide Investment Counsel Services and Global Custody and Securities Lending Services for the Permanent School Fund. The Board has been in the selection process for the past year. It has received proposals from a number of fund managers from across the country, and it is set to make a final decision this week at a meeting of the Committee on School Finance and Permanent School Fund.

In her 25 years on the Board, Miller has fought to protect the fund from raids by the legislature to pay for other school expenses. However, equally important is the guarantee that the fund can generate enough revenue to accomplish its purpose of providing free textbooks to all Texas school children.

“The oversight and protection of the Permanent School Fund is one of the State Board of Education’s key responsibilities, as well as ethical transparency,” Miller said. “Therefore, the Committee on School Finance and Permanent School Fund must choose a fund manager with a proven track record. We cannot afford to leave the management of this endowment in inexperienced hands and risk losing such a valuable state asset.”

The Permanent School Fund was created in 1854 to provide free books to Texas school children. It is one of the top 10 endowments in the country and ranges from $17 to $20 billion. As of last Friday, July 10, the market value of the Fund was $18.4 billion and generates approximately $700 to $800 million a year. The Fund has always met the obligation of providing enough money to pay for all the textbooks for each student ($4.6 million) with plenty of money left over to meet instructional needs.

The current Texas system for funding instructional content is a national model because it ensures every child has materials in every subject. Textbook funding is equitable and adequate, and districts do not have to strain up against their tax rates to make sure all students have the learning materials they need.

The SBOE meeting will take place this week from Wednesday, July 15 through Friday, July 17. Discussion of the investment teams will take place on Tuesday, July 14 at 1 p.m. and Wednesday, July 15 at 8:30 a.m. at a meeting of the Committee on School Finance and Permanent School Fund. During the full board meeting, the SBOE will be adopting the new updated curriculum for Career and Technical Education and will receive an update on the new legislation passed during the most recent session of the Texas Legislature. All final votes will be taken on Friday morning.

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Miller Awaits Continued Debate on Social Studies Standards at Board of Education Meeting

May 19, 2009 By

For Immediate Release
Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Contact
Alexis DeLee at (512) 633-2620

Miller awaits continued debate on social studies standards at
Board of Education Meeting

(Austin) – Geraldine “Tincy” Miller, member of State Board of Education, District 12, is looking forward to the continued debate on the State’s social studies standards this week at a full meeting of the Board.  The debate will focus on whether a proposed draft of the new standards removes or changes significant historical references.

“I am all in favor of presenting a more balanced and well-rounded illustration of our history, but we cannot allow it to be rewritten,” Tincy Miller said. “We have a lot to be proud of when it comes to the ideas of our forefathers, and we must maintain those in our school curricula.”

The concern about the new standards was first examined at the Board’s meeting in March when Brooke Dollens Terry of the Texas Public Policy Foundation brought the issue to light. In her public testimony, she identified places where individualism, free enterprise system and personal responsibility were changed or removed from the social studies textbooks. Terry also pointed out that references to Daniel Boone, Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan and Robinson Crusoe were removed. The Committee on Instruction considered it last month and made recommendations to the full Board.

The Instruction Committee supported maintaining traditional American values as part of the curriculum. Additionally, it recommended that the State Board of Education’s panel of social studies experts assess the standards and go over them one-by-one at the Board’s meeting in July.

The Board meeting will take place this week from Wednesday, May 20 through Friday, May 22. Discussion of social studies standards will occur at the Thursday morning portion of the meeting. The career and technology curriculum will be discussed on Wednesday afternoon. All action items will have a final vote on Friday. The Board’s Committee on School Finance and Permanent School Fund, the Committee on Instruction and the Committee on School Initiatives will also meet this week while the Board is in Austin.

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