Student Facts | Location | Community | Teacher Benefits
Technology Benefits | Insurance Benefits

RISD has approximately 35,100 students in 55 schools. RISD includes most of the city of Richardson and parts of the cities of Dallas and Garland within its boundaries.

Student test scores show that the Richardson Independent School District's overall performance is above state levels for all grade levels in math, reading, and writing. Continuing the trend of increasing numbers of high performing schools, 27 RISD schools were rated in the top two categories. More RISD seniors are named as National Merit Finalists and Semifinalists than in most districts in Texas.

More state honor bands, choirs, and orchestras have been selected from RISD in the last 25 years than from any of the remaining 1,050 school districts in Texas.

RISD students consistently post SAT scores that are well above the area, state, and national averages.

Close to $19,074,351 million in scholarships were offered to the 2005 senior class.

RISD athletic teams compete in 5-A divisions.

Fourteen different sports provide opportunities for male and female in new state-of-the-art facilities which include four synthetic turf fields, four new tracks and baseball/softball lights.

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Richardson provides access to a large variety of homes and apartments to meet your expectations and your budget.

RISD includes the city of Richardson, which has more than 600 high-tech companies and the University of Texas at Dallas located within its city limits.

The high-tech corridor is second only to downtown Dallas in terms of the number of job opportunities.RISD is located near major universities, including the University of Texas at Dallas, Southern Methodist University, the University of North Texas, the University of Dallas, Texas A&M University at Commerce, Texas Woman's University, and the University of Texas at Arlington.

RISD is located near the Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport. RISD is within a renowned medical care network of doctors and hospitals.

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RISD is part of the Dallas metropolitan area and provides quick access to world-class entertainment, shopping and arts district.

RISD has more than 260 business and community partners in the community that contribute yearly to fund enhanced opportunities for competitions and events, scholarships, and student and teacher incentives.

RISD Parents give more than 400,000 volunteer hours to our schools each year. Business and community leaders give more than 10,000 volunteer hours.

RISD Tomorrow, a foundation to support education in the RISD annually honors STAR teachers with recognition and a monetary incentive. The foundation also supports other RISD initiatives.

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The RISD includes an environmental center, living materials center, and Enterprise City, which teaches free enterprise to fourth- and seventh-grade students.

The RISD has 18 Blue Ribbon Schools.

One of the top 25 school districts in the United States recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, the American Federation of Teachers, and the Institute for Responsive Education.

U.S. News and World Report named an RISD high school as an "Outstanding American High School." A study conducted by the University of Chicago's National Opinion Center listed the school as one of nine in North Texas that were "most effective" in providing a quality education.

An RISD high school has won the state and national Academic Decathlon competition six times.

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RISD's beginning teacher salary makes the district competitive in the metroplex. All RISD teacher salaries continue to be competitive for all levels of experience.

Outstanding teachers in RISD are recognized annually and given financial rewards by the RISD Tomorrow Foundation.

Low student/teacher ratios are an RISD standard. The district-wide average for elementary classes in kindergarten through fourth grade is 19:1 and 23:1 in grades five and six.

Stipends

Critical needs stipends are paid as a first-year bonus to new teachers hired in selected critical need areas.

Bilingual teachers receive an annual stipend.

A mentor program is provided for all teachers new to RISD.

Secondary teachers teach five classes in a seven-period day.

RISD teachers are in the enviable position of teaching at professional heights through a comprehensive staff development program.

A Leadership Development Academy has been implemented for teachers interested in administration.

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Cellular phone systems are in all schools, providing each teacher with a cellular phone and voice mail.

All teachers/librarians have a presentation station with printer.

All student computers in classrooms, libraries and labs are less than four years old.

In accordance with the RISD bond package, instructional technology is regularly being upgraded.

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The district, in conjunction with the RISD Employee Benefit Committee, continuously reviews and monitors the RISD benefit plans to assure a competitive benefits package for its employees.

The Richardson Independent School District is pleased to make the following benefit programs available to all eligible employees:

Health Insurance

RISD offers TRS ActiveCare medical coverage. The plan offers three PPO options and is administered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and Medco. For example, TRS ActiveCare 2 offers a comprehensive level of benefits with a $500 individual deductible and $25 copay for primary care physicians and $35 for specialists.

TRS-ActiveCare assists you and your family in case of illness or injury. The plan covers many health care needs, including preventive care and physician office visits, inpatient and outpatient services, behavioral health, prescription drugs, and more. More than 85 percent of all doctors and hospitals throughout the nation contract with Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.

Group Life Insurance

RISD provides a $10,000 basic term life policy and $10,000 accidental death and dismemberment insurance to all eligible employees at no cost.

Group Supplemental Life Insurance

Employees are provided access to group supplemental term life coverage to address their specific needs. Employees may purchase up to four times their base pay in additional life coverage. Employees who elect coverage for themselves may also purchase coverage for their spouse and children.

Disability Insurance

RISD offers district employees the opportunity to purchase short and long-term disability insurance programs at discounted group rates in order to replace a portion of their income if they experience a disability.

Dental Plans

RISD employees are offered a choice between two dental programs.
The Dental PPO plan, which allows you the freedom of choice to select your dentist, with specific levels of reimbursement for procedures.

The second plan is a Dental HMO, in which you select a participating dentist from a network to manage your dental care. This plan offers lower premiums and reduced co-pays for performed procedures.

Health Care Reimbursement Account - Flexible Spending Account

This option allows you to set aside dollars from your salary on a pre-tax basis to pay for eligible medical, dental, vision, and hearing expenses not covered by insurance plans. This might include charges for co-payments, deductibles, co-insurance, prescription co-pays, glasses, etc.

This option allows you to set aside dollars from your salary on a pre-tax basis to pay for eligible dependent care expenses, such as day care for children or a disabled spouse. This gives you the opportunity to take your dependent care tax credits throughout the plan year rather than at the end of the year.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

RISD provides all eligible employees and their dependents access to confidential professional counseling services to assist them with various emotional and mental health issues at no cost. In addition to the counseling benefits, the Employee Assistance Program also offers legal and financial assistance.

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