Core Notes

Dear TCS Families,

Below you will find some important reminders and news about things going on from around the Tuscaloosa City Schools. Please take a moment to read through the information below.

The month of April in our school system means testing time, which is incredibly important as it helps gauge our student progress. Also important to note is that the retention component of the Alabama Literacy Act, passed in 2019, becomes effective with this year’s third graders. Much of it is based on a third grader's ACAP score and means a third grader could be retained, or held back, if the child is not reading on grade level before August 2024.

To ensure our students are ready to test, please make sure they are well rested and have a healthy breakfast the day(s) of their testing. We have amazing students and teachers and are convinced that we are moving the needle forward. Thank you, families, for your support during testing month.

Mike Daria, Ed. D.

TCS Superintendent

A few hundred attendees gathered at the Bama Theatre March 25 for the annual Celebrate the Arts event, highlighting student performances and student work. The event celebrated 100 years of arts in education in TCS. Check out the videos below, where students in the middle school honor band had an exceptional performance, and also showcasing a dance performance.

TCS students will have reduced student ticket pricing when they return for the 2024-25 school year. The new pricing was approved by the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education Tuesday.

Currently, TCS students pay the same cost as anyone else to an athletic event, plus a $1 convenience fee if purchasing the tickets via GoFan. But, starting in the next school year, TCS student ticket prices will be reduced to $3 for high school wrestling, baseball, soccer and all Middle School sports. Student tickets for basketball will be reduced to $4 and outdoor track and field will be reduced to $5. If purchased via GoFan, there will still be an additional $1 convenience fee.

Currently, non-student tickets range from $6 to $11 without the GoFan fee.

The student tickets must be purchased in advanced and do not count toward away games outside of a Tuscaloosa City Schools facility. Students also can only purchase a maximum of one student ticket per event. The new student pricing will go into effect in August.

The annual Battle of the Books competition features students from The Alberta School of Performing Arts Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools - Middle Eastwood Middle School Northridge Middle School and Westlawn Middle School. Dozens of students competed to see who could buzz in first to answer questions from five books in a 3 on 3 round robin tournament.

Watch the video below to learn more.

National Assistant Principals Week, April 1–5, 2024, is a celebration of the unsung heroes in our education system. These dedicated educators work tirelessly to bolster teachers, motivate students, support their principal, create a positive learning community, and face the many unpredictable challenges that land on their desk.

Assistant Principals play a crucial role, and this week is a dedicated time to recognize them for their hard work and commitment to our schools, students, and profession. Please join us in celebrating these incredible school leaders from each of our schools!!

Ensuring educator excellence remains a top priority in the Tuscaloosa City Schools, both now and in the future. This includes recruitment, retention, compensation, development, and support for all staff members, from teachers to social workers to support staff.

However, with the rising costs of inflation, TCS needs to seek additional revenue to continue attracting and retaining exceptional educators. This will enable us to sustain our current level of programs and services while also expanding offerings to position our school system as the premier choice for our community.

Last October, the Board of Education unanimously voted to seek a tax referendum to present to voters in early fall 2024. According to the resolution, if city voters approve a tax referendum, the city's property tax millage rate could increase by up to 11.5 mills.

If approved, the millage increase would generate around $17.25 million per year for TCS, starting in 2025. The last time local tax rates were increased to support the district was in 1986.

For more details on the referendum, please visit www.tuscaloosacityschools.com/referendum.

All schools will have their state assessments in the next weeks.

The ACAP will be administered in grades 3-8 and the ACT will be administered in grade 11. The results from these assessments are used to make decisions for your child's future learning as they are intended to assess his/her learning year-to-date. The results from the assessments are also used to evaluate your child's school and the TCS.

This has been a great year of strong teaching and learning with high expectations for excellence. We are eager for your child to demonstrate strong learning. You can help by talking with your child about the importance of these assessments, make sure they have a good breakfast before school and is well rested during the testing time.

Central High School students have been busy receiving their certification for future careers! This month, five CHS seniors completed their Skid Steer Certification through Shelton State Community College. Another three seniors recently passed their Fiber Optics Certification, also through Shelton State Community College. Congrats students!

If your child will be five years old on or before Sept. 1, 2024, then it’s time to kick off the kindergarten experience by getting registered with Tuscaloosa City Schools!! For more information about enrollment, visit: https://shorturl.at/bnGKN

A new program from the Tuscaloosa City Schools and the University of Alabama College of Education will help teachers obtain a Master's Degree or Administrative Certificate in Educational Instructional Leadership.

The Tuscaloosa City Schools (TCS) and the University of Alabama College of Education announced the Capstone Administrators Pathway (CAP) Program. This program will provide scholarship funds and assistance to TCS teachers in completing either a Master’s Degree Program in Educational Leadership or the Instructional Leadership Certificate Program.

“The program is part of the commitment that we make as a College of Education to make sure we give back to our community,” said Joyce Alexander, dean of the College of Education.

The program aims to build a sustainable succession plan for school and system leadership by growing leaders within TCS. It will give teachers the experience and credentials needed to become successful administrators.

The 12 program cohort members will receive scholarship funds from the College of Education of $1,000 for the full master’s program or $500 for the Instructional Leadership Certificate Program.

TCS will sponsor participants’ internship course and provide five professional days to assist with the ten-day internship requirement for the programs. TCS will also pay for participants to attend a state conference upon successful completion of the CAP program.

To be eligible for the program, candidates must be current or future TCS teachers who have been accepted into a University of Alabama Master’s Degree Program or the Instructional Leadership Certificate Program. Candidates must also have a principal referral.

The program will provide participants with valuable leadership instruction through a mentor, job shadowing experience, and training from the TCS Central Support Team, school administrators, and the University of Alabama leadership professors.

After completing the program, participants will be awarded automatic membership in the next Future Instructional Leadership Academy (FILA) cohort, an 18-month course of study that provides monthly professional learning experiences to aspiring instructional leaders. FILA allows teachers to shadow high-performing assistant principals or principals and receive mentoring and support from administrators.

Applications for the CAP program are due to the University of Alabama by April 24. If accepted, candidates will be notified by May 15 and begin classes May 18.

May will be here before we know it and so will graduations!

This year, all three TCS high school graduation ceremonies will be held at Coleman Coliseum at UA. For more information about graduations, click here: Graduation - Tuscaloosa City School District (tuscaloosacityschools.com)

The annual Mayor's Cup 5K will be held in downtown Tuscaloosa on April 27, 2024. TCS employees and students can register now for $25 with the code "TCS2024"! Participants can run or walk, but it's more about coming together to support a great cause.

Proceeds from the Mayor's Cup go to benefit Pre-K education in the Tuscaloosa City Schools. Since the inaugural race in 2007, the Mayor's Cup has raised more than $335,000 for pre-K in the city.

To register for the Mayor's Cup, or for more information, click HERE.

Attendance is critical to future success. Please make sure your child is at school, on time, each and every day!

BSN Sports has set up online "swag stores" for our schools where any student, faculty or parent can buy school branded gear. This was a desire that was expressed by students during the Superintendent's student advisory meetings at the high schools last school year.

The "swag" on these sites include a variety of price points, brands, and are in men's, women's and children's sizes, plus they have cups and other items as well. On the main page, they also have gear per sport.

There is also branded gear for the elementary and middle schools, too! To see the middle school and elementary options, on the desktop website, once you have clicked on the type of item to browse, you can go to the sidebar where it says "campus" and then select feeder school, where the items will pop up with other school names. Select the school that you want.

Each feeder zone will receive 10% back of all purchases in the form of a store credit/rebate that can be used for future branded purchases by the school(s). So, support your school and show school pride!

Northridge feeder zone store: NORTHRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL JAGUARS - TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - Sideline Store - BSN Sports

Central feeder zone store: CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL FALCONS - TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - Sideline Store - BSN Sports

Bryant feeder zone store: PAUL W BRYANT HIGH SCHOOL STAMPEDE - COTTONDALE, Alabama - Sideline Store - BSN Sports

It is important to remember that if you or your child see or hear something concerning, please report it to your school's principal. It can be the first step to saving a situation from becoming dangerous. Again, "See Something, Say Something!"