Dear School Law Section Members:
I am honored to serve as the Chair of the School Law Section for the 2016-17 school year. Although many of us in the Sec- tion may not have intended to practice school law, I think we are all very pleased to have ended up here. I truly believe that no other Section has the collegiality and mutual respect as there is between teacher’s lawyers, administrator’s lawyers and school district’s lawyers. Clearly, the spirit of cooperation among our members enriches the programming the Section provides through the annual Section Retreat and participation in the UT School Law Conference.
Last year’s Section Retreat at Moody Gardens in Galveston was another success, and we were honored to present Neal Adams with the Kelly Frels Lifetime Achievement Award. Our gratitude goes out to Ellen Spalding, the immediate past Chair, Giana Ortiz and Catosha Woods, the Program Chairs for the Retreat, and all others who lent a hand in presenting and preparing for the Retreat. Similarly, the 2017 UT School Law Conference held February 24-24, 2017 at the AT&T Conference Center in Austin was stellar. A heartfelt thank you is extended to the planning committee. We now look forward to the 2017 Section Retreat, as we return to the Hyatt Hill Country Resort in San Antonio on July 27 – 30, 2017. If you have not attended the annual Section- Retreat before, I strongly encourage you to do so. It is a great way to build and strengthen your professional relationships while earning CLE credit in a congenial environment.
In addition to the Section Retreat and the UT School Law Conference, this Newsletter is another valuable resource for Sec- tion members. Leticia McGowan has worked tirelessly for many years as an editor of the Section Newsletter. Joining her this year as a co-editor is Giana Ortiz. I want to personally thank Leticia and Giana for their continued work. Please contact them with any ideas for future articles or information to distribute to the Section. You can reach Leticia at lmcgowan@dallasisd.org or Giana at gortiz@ortizlawtx.com. The Section Newsletter is reviving its Editorial Review Board. There is an opportunity for six (6) Section members. This is the perfect opportunity for young associates and those new to the Section to become more active in the School Law Section. If you have an interest in serving on the Newsletter’s Editorial Review Board, please contact either Leticia, Giana or me.
Thank you for giving me the chance to serve as this year’s Section Chair. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to send me an email at fred.stormer@uwlaw.com.
Sincerely,
Fred A. Stormer Section Chair 2016-17