SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 295 WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to recognize Patricia Hanks, who is retiring as superintendent of the Friendswood Independent School District after 15 years of outstanding service; and WHEREAS, Mrs. Hanks joined the Friendswood Independent School District in 1985 as a high school teacher; since becoming superintendent in 2002, she has played an important role in helping the district achieve a balanced budget while maintaining competitive salaries and increasing benefits for district employees; and WHEREAS, Under her leadership, a dynamic advanced placement program was initiated and the number of National Merit Scholars has increased dramatically; the number of students taking the SAT has nearly doubled, with students showing a significant improvement in scoring; and WHEREAS, During her career, she implemented a successful dual enrollment program that has helped more than half of the district's students graduate by taking advanced placement exams and earning at least six hours of college credit; recognizing the importance of including fine arts and athletic activities alongside academics, she led the district to three victories in the Lone Star Cup, which is given to districts for overall success in University Interscholastic League competitions; and WHEREAS, An exemplary educator and administrator, she has been instrumental in the district having been ranked in the top one percent of Texas districts on state assessments; her presence at the Friendswood Independent School District will be greatly missed; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th Legislature, hereby commend Patricia Hanks on her commitment to excellence in education and extend to her best wishes for continued success in all her endeavors; and, be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for her as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate. Taylor of Galveston ________________________________ President of the Senate I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on February 27, 2017. ________________________________ Secretary of the Senate ________________________________ Member, Texas Senate