SMITHVILLE I.S.D.
BOARD BRIEFS
The Smithville I.S.D. Board of Trustees met in regular
session on
1. Oath of Office for re-elected board members Denise Behrens, acting in her
capacity as a public notary, administered the Oath of Office to Mike Morgan,
Howard Burns, Jr. and Mike Wittrock, newly re-elected members of the Board of
Trustees.
2. Reorganization of the Board Board policies BDA [Legal] and BDA [Local] specify that the Board will elect a president, vice-president, and secretary at the first meeting after the canvass of each election and qualification of Trustees. Peggy Walicek nominated Craig Williams to serve as president. Howard Burns seconded the motion. Mike Morgan moved that nominations cease, with a second by Kamron Saunders. Mr. Williams was elected by acclamation. Craig Williams nominated Mike Wittrock as vice-president. Peggy Walicek seconded the motion. Howard Burns moved that nominations cease, and Kamron Saunders seconded. Mr. Wittrock was elected vice-president by acclamation. Howard Burns then nominated Peggy Walicek to serve as secretary, with a second by Mike Morgan. Mike Wittrock moved that nominations cease, and Kamron Saunders seconded. Ms. Walicek was elected secretary by acclamation.
3. Recognition of Athletes Achieving Academic All-State and other notable achievements The Board recognized students of Smithville ISD for notable accomplishments. Those students were as follows:
Ryan Richards Academic All-State Basketball
Drew Shaw advancing to state UIL competition in science
Julie Byrom advancing to state UIL competition in spelling and vocabulary
Ian McKee advancing to state UIL competition in Informative Speaking
Julie Byrom National Merit Scholar recognition
Briana James being named Honorable Mention by the MD Anderson Cancer Research Center for her participation in the High School Bench Tutorials Program
4. Outstanding Students for the Sixth Six-Weeks The Board recognized those students chosen from the junior high and high school as outstanding students. JoshuaAnn McRee, eighth grader at the junior high and daughter of Jimmy and Cherrie McRee, was recognized by the Board, as was senior Victoria Morales, daughter of Norma and Alfonzo Camacho, and senior Oliver Borja, son of German and Debra Borja, representatives from the high school.
5. Employees of the Month for May The Board congratulated the Employees of the Month for May. They are Vicki Hall, teacher at the high school, and Angela Maldonado, receptionist at Central Office. Ms. Hall was unable to attend the board meeting, but Ms. Maldonado was present for recognition.
6. Communications From the Public There were no public communications.
Consent Agenda Kamron Saunders moved to accept the Consent Agenda as presented. Peggy Walicek seconded, and the motion carried 7-0. The Consent Agenda consisted of the following:
7.
Minutes from
8. Disbursements
9. Financial Statements
10. Investment Report
11. Tax Collection Report
12. Superintendents Report The Superintendent updated the Board on issues pertaining to the District including new enrollment for 2003/2004,student attendance for 2003/2004 and upcoming board training opportunities.
13. Annual Maintenance Report Bobby Hennesey, Director of Operations, conducts a complete facility inspection of all District facilities in late spring of each year and prepares a written report of the findings. Mr. Hennesey presented the Board with his Annual Maintenance Report.
14. Preliminary Spring TAKS Testing Report Cheryl Burns, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, presented a comprehensive report on TAKS Testing results from tests administered on all campuses in Smithville ISD in the spring of 2004. The report will allow the district staff to disaggregate the data by sub-groups, grade levels, and subject in order to plan for improvement in the future in the area of student performance.
15. School Climate Survey Report Results of the climate survey have not been received by the District, therefore, this item was tabled until the July board meeting.
16. Tentative July Agenda Items Tentative agenda items for the July meeting are:
a. Superintendents Report
b. Call for Public Hearing on Proposed Budget
c. Athletic Bids
d. Second Draft of the 2004-2005 District Budget
e. Recognition of PALS/PAC
f. School Climate Survey Report
g. Exit Interview Report
h. Employee of the Month for May
i. Campus and District Improvement Plans
j. Review Board Policy DED [Local]
k. Consider additional copiers for the District
l. Band equipment bids
m. Business and operation bids
n. Student Accident Insurance bids
o. Course catalog for the High School
17. Review and approval of Campus Student Handbooks for the 2004-2005 school year In order to provide timely, detailed, and current information to students and parents about the specific campuses in the District, the principals, along with the Superintendent, review and revise student handbooks for each of the campuses on an annual basis. The handbooks are designed to set the direction, rules, guidelines, and procedures for each campus for the coming school year. The revised handbooks were presented to the Board for approval. Craig Williams moved to approve the student handbooks for the high school, junior high, elementary, and Brown Primary as presented by the campus administrative staff. Mike Wittrock seconded, and the motion carried 7-0.
18. Revised Student Code of Conduct for 2004-2005 The Student Code of Conduct is reviewed and evaluated by administrative staff, and presented to the Board for approval on an annual basis. Mike Wittrock moved to approve the Student Code of Conduct for 2004-2005 as presented. With a second by Kamron Saunders, the motion passed 7-0.
19. Review and approval of District Crisis Management Plan The District Crisis Management Plan was developed in recent years to address response to unforeseen emergency situations that could occur in the District. District staff updates the plan on an annual basis, as personnel changes occur and new situations arise. Kamron Saunders made the motion to approve the District Crisis Management Plan as presented, and Peggy Walicek seconded. The Board voted 7-0 in approval.
20. Review of Board Operating Procedures Following board elections and reorganization of the Board each year, the Board reviews their operating procedures to ensure that all members have input into adopting them. After reviewing their board operating procedures, Kamron Saunders entered a motion to approve the board operating procedures as revised. Mike Wittrock seconded, and the motion carried 7-0.
21. Consideration and Approval of Additional Copiers for the District The Superintendent requested that this item be tabled until the July board meeting.
The Board entered into executive session at
22. Board Self Evaluation The Board conducts a self-assessment once a year to
accomplish the following:
1. Assess governance team effectiveness
2. Review roles and responsibilities in the decision-making process
3. Identify the continuing education needs of the governance team and
team members
4. Initiate dialogue among team members to enhance communications
5. Establish goals for the governance team
Each member of the Board was provided a survey instrument for self-evaluation, which they completed and turned in to the Board President. The results of the Board self-evaluation were discussed in executive session.
23a.Formative Evaluation of the Superintendent The Board has adopted an evaluation
calendar and process for the Superintendent which calls for a mid-year formative
assessment. In weekly communications from the Superintendent, board members were given a copy of the formative assessment appraisal form. Members filled out the appraisal form and returned it to the Board President, who then compiled the individual board member evaluations into a single document. The Superintendents Formative Evaluation results were given to the Superintendent in closed session. Peggy Walicek moved to approve the formative assessment as delivered to the Superintendent in closed session. Mike Morgan seconded, and the motion carried 7-0.
23b.Resignations of Certified Personnel Mr. Sage informed the Board of the following
resignations:
Karrie McCullough teacher at Elementary
Debra Francis teacher at Junior High
Kae Nelson Hansen teacher at Junior High
Todd McCauley teacher/coach at High School
Bill ONeal teacher at High School
Jeanne Jordan teacher at Woodside Trails
Bowen Malek assistant principal at Junior High
Rusty Allen teacher/coach at Junior High
Doug Anderson teacher/coach at Elementary
23c.Employment
of Certified Personnel including Junior High Assistant Principal and
High School Assistant Principal The Superintendent recommended employment of
the following personnel:
Rick Elledge teacher/coach at High School
Jacob Hawthorne teacher/coach at High School
Carl Schow teacher at Woodside Trails
Suzanne Schatz teacher/coach at Junior High
James Philpot teacher at Woodside Trails
Steve Prater teacher at High School
James Little teacher/coach at Junior High
Kendall Flack teacher at Elementary
Walter McLoughlin assistant principal at High School
Andra Sparks assistant principal at Junior High
Howard Burns motioned to approve employment of the above personnel for the 2004-2005 school year. Mike Wittrock seconded, and the motion passed 7-0.
24. Adjournment The Board adjourned its meeting at 9:48 p.m.