TITLE: Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Allen Independent School District.

SUMMARY: Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Allen Independent School District.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The Allen Independent School District has provided generations of young Texans with a quality education, and local residents are celebrating the district's 100th anniversary in 2011; and WHEREAS, Citizens of Allen voted in 1910 to convert its common school district, which had been established in 1883, to an independent school district; a bond election funded construction of a two-story brick building with six rooms and an auditorium, which remained the main classroom facility for five decades; and WHEREAS, The district faced numerous challenges early in its history, including shrinking enrollment, inadequate facilities, and a shortage of teachers and courses; in the 1940s, Allen ISD trustees began actively recruiting educators, and concerned citizens helped to keep them in the district by providing them with housing and paying their salaries through PTA donations; and WHEREAS, During the 1950s, voters supported two bond elections by wide margins, and in 1959, the district opened Allen High School; enrollments began to rise in the following decade, and finally exceeded 500 for the first time in the 1968-69 school year; Rountree Elementary School opened as the district's first elementary school in 1974; and WHEREAS, The 1980s brought considerable growth as farmland yielded to new subdivisions, and the student population of 3,700 in 1986 doubled by 1993; expansion continued apace during the 1990s as the district built a number of new schools, including the state-of-the-art Allen High School in 2000; and WHEREAS, Today, Allen ISD serves some 19,000 students on 22 campuses; it earned an Exemplary rating from the Texas Education Agency in 2010, with 18 individual campuses rated Exemplary and two rated Recognized; in addition to offering instruction in several foreign languages and an international baccalaureate program, the district sponsors a broad range of vocational courses; moreover, it enjoys strong community support for its athletics, and a bond election funded construction of a $59.6 million football stadium that seats 18,000 fans; and WHEREAS, The Allen Independent School District has changed dramatically over the course of the past century, but it has not wavered in its commitment to providing high-quality educational opportunities to area students, and its rich tradition remains a tremendous source of pride for the surrounding community; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas Legislature hereby commemorate the centennial celebration of the Allen Independent School District and extend to all those associated with the district sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the district as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Paxton Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 612 was adopted by the House on March 10, 2011, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House