SMITHVILLE I.S.D.

BOARD BRIEFS

SEPTEMBER 18, 2006

 

 

The Smithville I.S.D. Board of Trustees met in regular session on Monday, September 18, 2006 beginning at 6:00 P.M.  Items discussed or acted on by members included the following:

 

  1. Recognition of FFA Chapter members for receiving a Gold Superior Chapter Award at the State and National level and recognition of state competitors for Special Olympics – The Board took this opportunity to recognize the achievements of the FFA Chapter for their selection as Gold Superior Chapter at the state level.  Kevin Zehnder and Brett Badders (not present) were given certificates for earning their Lone Star FFA Degree, which they received at the state convention.  Special Olympic athletes, Junior Sias, Quincy Patridge and Johnathan Hernandez (not present) were honored for medals received at the Special Olympic State Games last May.

 

  1. Employees of the Month for August – Employees of the Month for August were Jason Peterson, teacher at the elementary, and Beatrice Flippo, receptionist at the high school.  Mr. Peterson and Ms. Flippo were present at the board meeting to receive certificates of appreciation from the Board of Trustees.

 

  1. Communications from the Public – There were no public communications.

 

Consent Agenda – Kamron Saunders moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented.  Mike Wittrock seconded, and the motion carried 6-0.  The Consent Agenda included:

 

4.      Minutes of the July 17, 2006 regular board meeting and the August 21, 2006 regular board meeting

5.      Disbursements for the month of August 2006

6.      Financial Statements for August 2006

7.      Investment Report

8.      Tax Collection Report

9.      Designated and Reserved Fund Balance

10. Budget Amendments

 

11. Superintendent’s Report – Dr. Mary Hensley, a representative from Austin Community College, addressed the Board concerning the College Connection Program, a pro-active move to encourage more high school students to attend college after graduation.   Mr. Sage made the Board aware of a residency discrepancy that the district is currently addressing, as well as the results of a meeting he recently attended, along with other area superintendents, with Austin Community College.  They are exploring the possibility of annexation of Bastrop County into the ACC district.

 

12. Annual Technology Report – John Harkrider, Network Administrator, presented the Board with his annual report addressing the status of technology within the District.

 

13. Present the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas Ratings for SISD – In compliance with reporting mandates, Rick Boehm, Director of Business, presented the District’s First Rating’s Report to the Board.  Kamron Saunders moved to approve the report as presented.  Mike Morgan seconded, and the motion carried 6-0.

 

      14. Adequate Yearly Progress Report – Under the No Child Left Behind Act, public school

            districts, campuses, and the state are evaluated annually for Adequate Yearly Progress in

Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics. AYP is the accountability measure in the federal accountability system.  Cheryl Burns, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, gave a short report to the Board on the district’s AYP.

 

15. Teacher Certification Status Report – A complete listing of teachers in our district, their teaching assignments, and their certification status was included in the board packet for Board information.  Teachers who are currently enrolled in alternative certification programs or on permits were noted on the list.

 

16. Class Size Report – State law mandates that a 22 to 1 student teacher ratio be maintained at the Kindergarten through 4th grade level.  The Superintendent advised the Board that S.I.S.D. is in compliance and within this required limit, and provided a report on current class sizes through 4th grade.

 

17. Tentative October Agenda Items – Tentative items to be included on the October agenda are:

a.      Superintendent’s Report

b.      Employees of the Month for September

c.      Outstanding Students for the First Six Weeks

d.      TASB Delegate Report

e.      Secondary Campuses Student Council Reports

f.        Site-Based Committee Membership Reports

g.      Budget Amendment

 

      18. Approve a Resolution to Authorize Tax Resale – McCreary, Veselka, Bragg & Allen, P.C.,

delinquent tax attorney for the District, has requested authorization by resolution to place two properties, currently held in trust by S.I.S.D., up for sale for less than taxes, penalty and interest due against the property.  These particular parcels had previously been placed for sale with no minimum bid received.  Craig Williams moved to approve the resolution as requested by McCreary, Veselka, Bragg & Allen, P.C.  Kamron Saunders seconded the motion and it carried 6-0.

 

19. Investment Policy Review – Law requires that the investment policy and the investment strategy shall be reviewed on an annual basis. According to Board Policy CDA [Legal], the Board must adopt a written instrument stating that it has reviewed the investment policy and investment strategies and that the written instrument so adopted shall record any changes that were made.  Mike Morgan entered a motion to approve the investment policy without changes and to adopt the resolution as presented.  Howard Burns seconded, and the motion carried 6-0.

 

20. Review Approved Providers of Investment Training – In accordance with Section 2256.008(a) of the Texas Government Code, the local governing body must approve sources of training relating to investment responsibilities.  Kamron Saunders motioned to approve the recommended independent sources of investment training as presented.  Mike Wittrock seconded the motion, and it passed 6-0.

 

21. Consider Addendum (Revision) to Junior High Student Handbook – Junior High Principal, David Edwards, has requested a revision to the tardy policy currently found in the approved handbook.  Kamron Saunders moved to approve the revision of the junior high handbook as requested by the principal.  Mike Morgan seconded, and the motion carried 6-0.

 

22. Review and adopt Board Policy Update 78 – Included in the board packet were vantage points from Board Policy Update 78, a document recommended by the Texas Association of School Boards to help keep our district policies up to date.  A motion was made by Mike Wittrock to approve Update 78 as presented.  Kamron Saunders seconded the motion, and it carried 6-0.

 

23. Consider Financial Obligation to Complete the Marquee Project – For the past several months, the Superintendent has been actively seeking donors to provide a marquee at the high school campus.  Mr. Sage has been successful in obtaining commitments from the City of Smithville and LCRA to sponsor one-half of the marquee, but has been unsuccessful in getting commitments for the remaining half.  In order to finalize the project, he requested the board to approve a budget amendment to provide funds from fund balance to fund the remainder of the cost of the marquee.  Smithville High School graduating classes of 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 have committed to contributing to the marquee project.  Future graduating classes will also be given the opportunity to contribute.  The board authorized the superintendent to proceed with the marquee project by utilizing funds from LCRA, the city of Smithville, past, present, and future graduating classes of Smithville High School, fund balance, and future contributors.  A motion was made by Craig Williams to use fund balance to finalize the marquee project.  Kamron Saunders seconded the motion, and it carried 6-0.

 

      24. Adjournment – The Board ended its meeting at 8:26 p.m.