Core Notes

Dear TCS Families,

I know it's still July, but the first day of school will be here before we know it. Please mark your calendars for Aug. 7, which will be the first day of school for students. We can't wait to see them back in our classrooms. For now, we hope you enjoy the last few weeks of summer.

Below you will find some important reminders and news about things going on from around the Tuscaloosa City Schools. Read below to learn more.

Mike Daria

TCS Superintendent

On Tuesday, September 24, the Tuscaloosa community will vote on a proposed 11.5 mill increase to the ad valorem rate to support our schools.

The last time the TCS ad valorem tax rate was increased was 1986. In 2015, Tuscaloosa residents voted to continue the millage rate set in 1986 and make it permanent. Inflation has risen by 185 percent since 1986, significantly impacting the purchasing power of the district. School costs have increase 272% during the same time period!

Our system has made great progress in the last decade, thanks to dedicated educators and expanded programs such as Pre-K, summer learning, dual enrollment, and workforce development. To sustain and enhance these efforts, additional funding is critical.

To learn more about the referendum, please visit our website.

Did you know that 50.3% of all high school students in the Tuscaloosa City Schools competed in high school athletics in 2023-24? That is about out of every two TCS high school students, some of which compete in multiple sports!

TCS senior athletes also had an average high school GPA of 3.3, Maurice Heard, TCS coordinator of extracurricular activities and safety told the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education on July 9.

Other athletic highlights, as reported to the board, included newly renovated weight rooms in all of the high schools, which were funded with the assistance of the Lt. Governor as well as the state senators and our local state representatives. Other improvements discussed by the board included new visitor-side concession stands at the Paul W. Bryant High School and Northridge High School stadiums, which were funded through City Council members John Faile and Norman Crow. A huge thank you to our elected leaders.

The Tuscaloosa City Schools will host a recruitment fair at Central High School on July 18! TCS is looking to fill 65 open positions across the district. Come join the TCS team!

Summer Learning 2024 was a success, with a record number of participants. Thank you to all the families who sent their children, giving them engaging, summer enrichment that also helped prevent summer learning loss!

Woodland Forrest Elementary student Jaleah, shown abov, said that her favorite thing about summedr learning is getting to learn about space.

Did you know that the TCS Summer Learning program is a nationally-award winning program that is primarily locally funded? If the TCS Referendum for future funding is approved on Sept. 24, that means the program will continue to be free for participants and that it will continue to expand to serve even more students. The program has grown by 445% in the last seven years! TCS funds the program because of the incredible benefits it has to students.

However, due to budget cuts, if the referendum does not pass on Sept. 24, it will mean that the Summer Learning program next year will look very different, serving fewer students and likely returning to a fee-based model. You can learn more about the referendum and what it means for summer learning and other TCS programs here: Referendum - Tuscaloosa City School District (tuscaloosacityschools.com)

For 50 years, students with special mental health needs have been served through Brewer Porch, a program run by The University of Alabama. However, UA announced the closure of that program earlier this year, which included both an inpatient residential program and outpatient, educational day program. Both were closed by May 31.

However, the Tuscaloosa City School students who participated in the outpatient day program still must be served. The Tuscaloosa Board of Education authorized the superintendent to approve a lease for the former Brewer Porch building for outpatient, educational day-program services for its TCS students who have needs that cannot be served in our schools. On July 9, the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education voted unanimously to name the program "The Tuscaloosa City Schools Children's Center."

Some TCS employees, including nine paraprofessionals and three teachers, who previously worked at Brewer Porch, will continue to work at The Children's Center, Dr. Mike Daria, TCS Superintendent told the board on July 9. Additional employees had to be hired in order run the center as a TCS program, including a program coordinator, a mental health therapist, social worker and nurse.

"We will have the full complement," Daria told the board.

Running the facility comes at an additional cost to the system, approximately $750,000 a year, including the hiring of additional employees. However, these are services very much needed and required by TCS students and the system had to step in to provide.

Summer is in full swing, and now is the time to register for the 2024-25 school year at Tuscaloosa City Schools if you haven't already!

Locate your "infosnap" codes and register via PowerSchool to secure your child's spot early and ensure a smooth transition!

Don't wait—register today!

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!"