Pine Tree ISD is committed to open and honest communication. It is understandable that in a large and dynamic organization, there will be questions and concerns that sometimes lead to suppositions.

Too often, erroneous information gets circulated throughout the community. The purpose of this page is to address such inaccuracies and minimize the turbulence churned up by half-truths, misinformation or misunderstanding. Rumors are no laughing matter. They can be corrosive; they can make people anxious. They damage morale, waste time and can make us less productive. We want to provide the Pine Tree community with accurate, factual information.

Whenever you hear something that raises a question in your mind or sounds like it may not be true, we encourage you to check back on this page to see if we have addressed the topic. If it has not been addressed, please complete the Rumor Report Form which will go to the Public Information Office.

Let us know what you are hearing. We will track down the truth – good or bad – and send you a response. If the rumor is correct, we will confirm it. If it is untrue, we will explain. We may post the rumor/response here if it is determined to be of interest to the patrons of Pine Tree. Our purpose is to give the Pine Tree community access to the most important and accurate information about the district.

Do you have a rumor to report?
Click here to tell us about it.

December 2006

Since we are starting the 2007-2008 school year on September 4th, the following years will also start that late.

Each year the decision for the academic calendar is based on the needs of that year. During the 2007-2008 school year, Pine Tree is starting later than area schools. Superintendent, Lynn Whitaker explains,” Due to the opening of our new Middle 5/6 Campus in the fall of 07, Pine Tree’s start date will be one week later than the majority of the districts in the area. This will help facilitate a smoother start for teachers and students of that campus.” In the following years, the process for selecting calendar dates will be the same as this year: the process begins with a discussion at the campus level, continues with district leadership, and then goes before the District Site-Based committee and School Board for a vote. State legislature rules will also be taken into consideration. State regulations now require that all Texas schools start their year no earlier than the fourth Monday of August. A copy of the 2007-2008 calendar can be found on the district webpage.

January 2007

PT High School and Junior High have made an official decision about scheduling for the next school year.

The process for decision making has begun and proposals from campus personnel and Site Based Decision Making Committees have proposed a change from block to an innovative traditional schedule. The district will not make the decision about scheduling though, until after public meetings to review perspectives.