John Classe serves the Frisco Independent School District as Secretary of the Board of Trustees in Place 6.
Operating as usual
12/15/2020
Today, our Accounting II and Securities and Investment students had a front-row seat at the CTE Center to the issuance of voter-approved bonds for the Frisco Independent School District. Representatives from SAMCO and RBC Capital Markets led our students through the process of pricing and issuance of bonds in the financial markets. Thank you to the representatives from these institutions for once again giving a real-world look at how FISD funds construction and other capital projects.
12/14/2020
Today, we began a visioning process for how to possibly better accommodate growth in Frisco ISD. Representatives from campuses, curriculum, fine arts, athletics, and special education gathered to envision what may become our next campus. #FriscoFutureReady #ourFISDstory
12/05/2020
Leadership Frisco Class XXIV spent the day Friday learning about the education systems available here in Frisco. Wrapping up Education Day was a Q&A session with the Frisco ISD Board of Trustees. We had thoughtful questions from this group. Thanks for contributing to the future of this great community!
The Virtual FEF, Gary Burns 5K + Fun Run starts today. ๐โโ๏ธ ๐โโ๏ธ ๐๐ป Participate from wherever you are on your favorite jogging or walking path. Most importantly, FEF needs you to sign up and join in, so this wonderful organization can continue to provide financial support to Frisco ISD graduating seniors and teachers. Donโt delay; get moving today! ๐
The Virtual FEF Gary Burns 5K & Fun Run is on Saturday October 17, 2020 to Saturday October 31, 2020. It includes the following events: Virtual 5K, Virtual Fun Run, Stafford Middle / Community (Ranger) Trail, Warren Sport Complex, Wakeland / Cottonwood Creek, Beavers Bend Park, Spears Elementary / C...
The 87th Texas Legislature will convene in January. Legislators always face tough decisions, but in the era of COVID-19, the choices will be all the more difficult. Significant progress was made in the 86th to support Texas public schools and provide property tax relief. Frisco ISD stands prepared and ready to assist our legislative partners in the next session. Together, we can continue the momentum.
A big thank you to the dozens of staff, students, and community members who participated in the development of these priorities. ๐๐ผ
The priorities will serve as a guide to facilitate conversations with lawmakers during the 87th Legislative Session and raise greater public awareness about issues affecting FISD.
10/15/2020
Coffee Talk is now โInside Scoopโ with a deeper dive into a timely Frisco Independent School District topic. Come meet district leadership in an informal setting, learn more about your district, and ask questions. Weโll do 4 of these throughout the year. Today, we look at our COVID protocols and recent changes. โ๏ธ ๐โโ๏ธ๐โโ๏ธ ๐ฌ
Ms. Irene is still at it โ bringing a little joy and normal to 2020! โค๏ธ ๐ฎ bit.ly/3ntS4XS
In Frisco ISD, a crossing guard is getting some attention while she dances her way across the street every morning and dances into the hearts of the community.
Today, the FISD Board of Trustees adopted a tax rate of $1.3102 โ a rate that is more than 2.8ยข lower than the 2019 tax rate โ marking the third year in a row that we have been able to lower the property tax rate. In total, we have lowered the rate by approximately 15ยข in that time and maintain one of the lowest school tax rates in all of North Texas.
In Frisco ISD, we often talk about the importance of partnerships. Here and now, it is no different. It is the partnerships we have forged with our community and state leaders that have enabled our ability to deliver tax relief to property owners all while expanding student opportunity and teacher support.
Today, the FISD Board of Trustees adopted a tax rate of $1.3102 โ a rate that is more than 2.8ยข lower than the 2019 tax rate โ marking the third year in a row that we have been able to โฆ
09/23/2020
Congratulations to Sharon โ a 5th grader at Friscoโs Vaughn Elementary โ for winning the Google Doodle contest! Check out google.com today and see her artwork on display.
Sharon takes a very thoughtful approach to friendship: โWhat you look like on the outside isn't as important as who you are on the inside.โ I couldnโt agree more Sharon. Weโre very proud of you! https://bit.ly/3hWiTA3
09/17/2020
Today is North Texas Giving Day. Please join me in offering financial support as you are able to the Frisco Education Foundation and Frisco Fastpacs. These two organizations provide so much assistance to the children of the Frisco Independent School District each year and especially during the pandemic. They need your help now more than ever.
I took this picture in New Mexico this March as my family and I headed out on our Spring Break journey. I was struck by the wide open space and relative calm of what I saw out my windshield -- that, compared to the frantic normal pace left behind, for a time, in my rear view. Little did I know before we would return to Texas, our frantic normalcy would come to a screeching halt.
Since then in hindsight, I can thankfully count many blessings: dinners at home every night of the week with 100% attendance, regular Zoom happy hours with extended family near and far, and time to just sit with Melanie and talk.
As a board member, this experience has been the most challenging in my six years of service. We owe a lot to those who have rallied to offer mutual support across our community and to our FISD family -- including the staff of this district who have relentlessly navigated an ever-changing course from then to now. And they've done it repeatedly.
It's been nearly six months to the day since our kids went on Spring Break. Thursday, that break ends as we welcome many of our students back on campus. Undoubtedly, we've still got road ahead of us. But Thursday will mark a big step on our journey home.
If you canโt make it out to see our students take the field this year, you donโt have to miss the action. Nearly all middle school and high school athletic events will be available to view online. This will be a great alternative for parents, grandparents, other family, and friends to join in where they otherwise canโt or arenโt comfortable.
2020 has forced us to rethink nearly every aspect of education. This expansion is one example of FISD getting creative for the benefit of our community.
During the 2020-21 school year, Frisco ISD will offer live video streams of nearly all sporting events held at the District's high school and middle school athletic facilities.
08/13/2020
The first day of the 2020-2021 school year is upon us. It won't look like anything any of us have ever before seen, but I know there have been untold hours spent by our teachers, support staff, and administration preparing for this day -- nights, weekends, planning, adjusting, and reworking for an ever-changing environment.
We're entering a time that will be different for sure, and the odds of perfection are long. Grace. Patience. Mutual support. These are needed by all. I know parents need it as do our staff. And our kids need to see and hear it modeled. Let's lift each other up this year. If you need help, ask for it. Ask for it as you would from your friend, your neighbor, or your family.
I hope all of our students, staff, and families experience a year full of growth, new experiences, and broadened horizons. I know we can do it. Many hands make light work. #StrongerTogether #ourFISDstory
Today, the Frisco Independent School District announced additional flexibility for our students who have chosen face-to-face instruction but who will be starting the 2020-'21 school year virtually until September 3rd.
In recent days, additional courses have been added to our Virtual Academy in response to requests from parents and students.
I am thankful for our hard-working administrative team who continue to respond to feedback and concerns received from our community by providing additional flexibility and choice for our students where possible and allowed by the state of Texas.
I expect more announcements will follow as we approach the start of the 2020-'21 school year on August 13th. Thank you to all who have reached out.
Chief Academic Officer Dr. Wes Cunningham explains how expectations have changed slightly for face-to-face students during the first three weeks of school.
See the breakdown of parent-chosen instructional method from commitment forms received through July 14. On this page, you can also drill into the data by campus. Changes will be accepted soon. More info at the link below.
Frisco ISD has released data related to the instructional environment selected by families for the 2020-21 school year. As of July 14, 47% of families selected on-campus learning and 44% selected virtual learning. See a detailed campus by campus breakdown: http://ow.ly/CBwX30qZzA6
07/04/2020
Have a safe and happy 4th of July! ๐ฝ ๐บ๐ธ
โYou will never know how much it has cost [my] generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make a good use of it.โ -- John Adams
06/29/2020
Detailed guidance to assist parents with the decision of whether to send children back to their FISD campus or to our FISD virtual academy...
As Frisco ISD prepares for the 2020-2021 school year, parents will be asked to complete their student's commitment form by July 10.
Since 2007, prudent management of our bond issuance and refinancing has saved Frisco ISD taxpayers more than $300 million in interest costs and facilitated our ability to accommodate unprecedented growth. ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ปโ๐ซ ๐ See how trends in the bond market have worked to your benefit...
Frisco ISD recently took advantage of favorable conditions in the municipal bond market, saving nearly $70 million in interest costs or just over $3.3 million per year for the next 21 years.
06/23/2020
Yesterday evening during a relatively quiet meeting, the Frisco ISD Board of Trustees passed a budget for the next fiscal year taking one important step toward opening in August. The budget, of course, continues to prioritize funding for student growth, class size for more personal instruction, and competitive compensation to attract and retain the best educators. However this year, we continue to expand upon the offerings for our community as promised. This budget funds our expansion of Pre-K providing full-day services across the district to eligible families for the first time. We have continued the expansion of our 1:1 technology initiative putting the learning tools of today into more students' hands. We're hiring additional personnel to support our special education students -- a population whose growth has outpaced that of the district as a whole. Further, we are adding resources to support counseling, social/emotional health, and student programs both academic and extracurricular.
Financially, the district is in a sound position. The board will be taking action this fall to lower the district's property tax rate for the third year in a row -- a reduction of more than 14 pennies on the total tax rate since 2017. Much work has gone into getting us here, and efforts to work with our legislators and educate our community on Texas school finance have begun to bear fruit.
In the present environment, there is not much that feels normal, but this team of administrators and trustees has been hard at work to deliver quality and choice to our students as well as support to our educators all while remaining flexible in our response to what 2020 has thrown at us. I am proud of the work of this group and to be a part of Frisco ISD.
If you had told me when I posted this picture back on August 15th (the first day of school) what the world had in store for the Frisco ISD community this year, I'd not have believed you in a million years. But here we are -- officially wrapping up the last day of "school" for our students. โผ๏ธWhat a spring it has beenโผ๏ธ
I want to send a personal thank you to the kids, parents, teachers, staff, and administrators who supported this herculean effort these past two months. You were giving, flexible, empathetic, and trusting. Thank you.
To the seniors: I am thrilled to be able to celebrate your accomplishments with you this weekend. I can't wait to see the excitement in your faces as you gather as a class and take that deserving walk to become graduates of the Frisco Independent School District. Congratulations to all of you! ๐๐
Finally, the feedback we've received as a board this spring, the thanks, constructive criticism, and the grace shown has really put a spotlight on the best of our community. We've got plenty more to do, and we're certainly at our best when we do it together. #ourFISDstory
First day is here! Make it a great day Frisco ISD! #FISDFirstDay #ourFISDstory
05/28/2020
This was a very memorable day for all of us back in 2017. Rest In Peace Congressman Johnson. Thank you for your service.
Far and away, the Top 10 Luncheon is one of the coolest events of the spring season during which the top 10 graduates from each of our high schools share their accomplishment with parents and a teacher who has profoundly impacted their K-12 experience. ๐จโ๐ ๐ฉโ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐จโ๐ซ ๐ฉโ๐ซ
This year, we didnโt get to celebrate these students normally, but take a look here and enjoy a video presentation of the ๐ฏ Frisco Independent School District top 10 graduates from across this great district.
Congratulations seniors! ๐ The future looks bright! ๐
See the list of top 10 graduates from the Class of 2020.
05/20/2020
Big props to the Frisco Education Foundation for bringing Scholarship Night to over 600 of our seniors' doorsteps. ๐ ๐ ๐ COVID-19 may have changed a lot of plans this spring, but it was great to be a part of this reimagined celebration for the #ClassOf2020.
Here are just a few of the stops we made this morning on our route to greet these Liberty High School Redhawks scholarship recipients.
Thank you to Texas Health for your support of our Frisco Independent School District Class of 2020 and to the #FEF Board for turning lemons ๐ ๐ into lemonade.
Itโs a good news kind of week. Check out this new partnership opportunity for our Frisco ISD graduates...
Starting with the Class of 2021, Frisco ISD graduates in the top 25% of their graduating classes will earn automatic admission to Tarleton State University.
Application approved and on track for delivery in 2021. โ ๐๐ผ
The Secretary of the Navy has approved Frisco ISDโs request to establish a Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NNDCC) unit at Lebanon Trail High School. The District is committed to establishing a new NNDCC class effective in the 2021-22 school year. Details: http://ow.ly/lwhQ30qFbdL
05/08/2020
We plan, we pivot, and we plan again ๐ง -- all worth it to be able to congratulate the Frisco Independent School District Class of 2020 together, in person, at Toyota Stadium with their families present cheering them on. ๐ ๐
Special thanks to our administrators and principals who have been diligent and flexible as we've tried to thread this needle. ๐๐ผ Thanks, too, to the City of Frisco for their assistance and the FC Dallas organization for their willingness to help our 10 high schools find a place to gather.
I'm really looking forward to this class salvaging just a part of this time of year. It has always been my favorite as a trustee. ๐ฉโ๐ ๐จโ๐ Itโs time to celebrate!
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It was a successful and fast-paced visit to Washington this week with the National School Boards Association and hundreds of school board members from across the United States. In part, we were the students โ learning the latest on issues of critical importance affecting public school children. It was also a time for us as trustees to meet with legislators and advocate for legislation addressing these issues...
Full funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, advancements in school safety, and a focus on our nationโs public schools in the educational choice conversation were all areas of importance.
Thank you to The National School Boards Association for continued coordination of this effort, and a special thanks to the Frisco ISD community for allowing us, as your representatives, to advocate on your behalf for the betterment of our kids and our community.
The Centennial Titan Wrestling team brought home a state championship today to cheering fans complete with a Frisco Police Department escort! Hear Coach Jake Jacksonโs pride in his team as he describes the tournament turnaround that brought home a Titan state championship. ๐คผโโ๏ธ ๐ ๐ฅ
The Frisco Independent School District collective high school choirs share Seasons of Love at #Convocation2019 #OurFISDstory
And thatโs a wrap! Congratulations to the Heritage High School Class of 2019! ๐ฉโ๐ ๐ ๐จโ๐
Weโre just getting warmed up... Congratulations to the Independence High School Class of 2019! ๐ฉโ๐ ๐ ๐จโ๐
The celebration continues... Congratulations to the Reedy High School Class of 2019! ๐ฉโ๐ ๐ ๐จโ๐
The best moments of the year. Congratulations Liberty High School Class of 2019! ๐ฉโ๐ ๐ ๐จโ๐
My sister sent this video to me. She and my mother were both dyslexia therapists for the Frisco Independent School District years ago. We are so excited to be the first school district in the nation to become an IMSLEC accredited dyslexia therapist training center โ benefitting our students as well as others across north Texas. Thank you to NBC DFW for following this story.
Registered voters: Make your voice heard
Sharing this message from the Frisco Independent School District... Registered voters: make your voice heard by voting in the upcoming election! Early voting starts tomorrow, October 22, and runs through November 2. Election Day is Tuesday, November 6. Visit www.friscoisd.org/bond-TRE for detailed polling information.
Congratulations to the first ever graduating class of Frisco Reedy High School. Welcome the Class of 2018!
The Lone Star High School Rangers are moving on after a 35-0 victory over Waxahachie today at the Ford Center at the Star! Nice job Ranger Nation! #rangerssupportrangers
The Fowler Orchestra Ensemble. Amazing!
Ms. LeBlanc receives her recognition.
Congratulations Frisco High School Class of 2017!
Three graduation ๐ ceremonies successfully in the books. We'll celebrate four more today. Congrats to all Frisco Independent School District graduates!
John Classe is a Certified Financial Plannerโข professional and has been serving clients with Bell Financial Group in Frisco since 2002. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a minor in Computer Science from Vanderbilt University. John has served as a Frisco Independent School District trustee since 2014, is a past president of the board, and currently serves as board secretary.
John is a graduate of Leadership Frisco XVI and has served as a board member of the Frisco Education Foundation, Frisco Economic Development Corporation, Frisco Community Development Corporation, a commissioner on the City of Frisco 2013 Charter Review Commission, and a member and chair of the Frisco Parks and Recreation Board.
John and his wife Melanie have two daughters, Harley and Mason, who attend Vandeventer Middle School and Isbell Elementary in Frisco, respectively. John is an assistant soccer coach for Masonโs team and a proud WatchD.O.G.S. dad and PTA member. He tries to make sure he is on WatchD.O.G.S. rotation near each daughterโs birthday. John admits that volunteering a full day at an elementary school can be โharder than a day in the office,โ and encourages all FISD dads and father-figures to get involved and spend a day in their childโs school.
John grew up in the Dallas area as a third-generation North Texan. He spent his early years in Richardson, where he attended Springridge Elementary School. A family move to the St. Louis area led him to realize the advantage of a smaller educational environment. He and Melanie met in high school, where graduating classes were made up of about 450 students. โIt gave me an understanding of what a small school can do for its students,โ John says.
When John and Melanie came back to Texas and started a family, it was the smallโschool model embraced by Frisco ISD that sent them looking for a home in FISD in 2000. Other family members agreed: Johnโs mom Barbara is a retired Frisco ISD educator, and his sister, Jennifer, taught at Anderson Elementary School.
John looks at the growth Frisco has experienced and is most impressed by the planning done by the school district and the city to prepare for it. He believes the school board and the Frisco City Council members work together to build a community people want to live in. โRather than carving out turf for each entity, we have accomplished more here and with greater efficiency because the groups work so well together,โ John says. He sees part of his responsibility on the board as continuing to uphold the strong tradition of cooperation and planning between the school district, parents, and the communities Frisco ISD serves.
