Students may not start classes until August 22, but for new Superintendent Thomas Wallis, preparing for the school year began on July 1. Wallis, the former Superintendent of Palestine ISD, began reading about the new Superentindent’s job in mid-Spring, as it appeared in postings on Texas Education websites, but hadn’t initially considered applying for the position.

After December 2007, when a national recession was declared by the National Bureau of Economic Research, state and federal budgets have been under intense scrutiny. A central aspect of the state’s budget that is being considered for budgetary cuts is the education system.