July 19, 2021 at 6:00 PM - Regular Meeting
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A. Call to Order
Description:
The Board President or his/her designee will call the meeting to order.
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B. Roll Call
Description:
The Board President or his/her designee will call the roll of members.
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C. Pledge of Allegiance
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D. Public Hearing - ESSER III
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E. Public Communications
Description:
Citizens wishing to address the Board of Trustees have so indicated by listing their name on the Communications from the Public sign-in sheet located on the table at the entrance to the boardroom if the meeting is done in person, or at the link provided on the published board agenda if conducted remotely. Those signing have given a brief indication of the topics to be addressed.
Comments to the Board of Trustees under this provision will be limited to three minutes. The members of the Board of Trustees will listen to citizen presentations during this portion of a regularly scheduled meeting, but they will not comment or participate in a discussion of the topic. |
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F. Consent Agenda
Description:
Board members routinely approve items on the consent agenda as a group. These are routine agenda items. Board members have the option to ask questions regarding any of the items listed under "consent agenda".
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F.1. Minutes
Description:
State law requires that a record be kept in the form of official minutes on each meeting held by a governmental body and that these minutes be approved at the next regular meeting. Included in this board packet are minutes from the June 21, 2021 board meeting.
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F.2. Financial Statements
Description:
Monthly reporting of financial position in relation to the budget. The Board is provided monthly financial statements.
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F.3. Investment Report
Description:
Meet legal reporting requirements for investments.
In order the meet legal reporting requirements for investments, the Board receives quarterly reports on District investments.
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F.4. State Aid Comparison - Budgeted vs. Earned
Description:
The Board has requested a monthly status report of earned state aid in relation to the budget.
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F.5. Earned vs. TEA Payments
Description:
The Board has requested a monthly status report of earned state aid in relation to the budget.
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F.6. Tax Collection Report
Description:
Attached is the Tax Assessor-Collector's Report.
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F.7. Bond Payments Resolution
Description:
First National Bank and Lone Star Investment Pool, depositories for Smithville ISD, require that the Board pass a resolution each time we wire transfer our bond payment.
Attached is a resolution for the Board’s approval.
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G. Information Items
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G.1. Financial Report
Description:
The Chief Financial Officer, Jean Ann McCarthy, will review the financial disbursements for the previous month with the Board of Trustees. No action is required.
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G.2. Superintendent's Report
Description:
The Superintendent will update the Board on important issues pertaining to the District.
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G.3. Second Draft of the 2021-2022 District Budget
Description:
The school district staff is currently in the process of developing the proposed budget for the 2021-2022 school year. The process began in January with budget planning at the campus level. The Board must adopt the final budget on or before August 31, 2021 in accordance with legal requirements.
Budget hearings were conducted with each campus principal and each department director. Expenditure adjustments from the first draft were made based upon input received from SISD staff as well as the public. The first draft of the 2021-2022 district budget was presented to the Board of Trustees at the June 21, 2021 regular meeting.
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G.4. Preliminary STAAR Test Results 2021
Description:
The purpose of this agenda item is to inform the Board concerning student performance on the state mandated STAAR testing. The report will allow the district staff to disaggregate the data by sub-groups, grade levels, and subjects in order to plan for improvement in the future in the area of student performance. A more comprehensive report will be given to the Board of Trustees at the August meeting when all results have been received and analyzed.
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G.5. Review of Board Policy EIC (Local)
Description:
The Superintendent would like to review Board Policy EIC (local) as it pertains to current course offerings and class ranking calculations.
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G.6. Clarification of Public Use of District Facilities
Description:
The Superintendent has received requests by community groups to use district facilities, including Tiger Stadium. To this point, the Superintendent has not allowed outside for-profit organizations to use Tiger Stadium. This is a discussion item for clarification of current policy and possible future implications.
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G.7. Tentative August Agenda Items
Description:
a. Public Hearing on Proposed Budget
b. Financial Report c. Superintendent’s Report d. Annual SHAC Report e. Annual Technology Report f Adoption of 2021-2022 District Budget and Tax Rate g. Approval of District and Campus Improvement Plans h. Personnel |
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H. Action Items
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H.1. Call for Public Hearing on Proposed Budget and Tax Rate
Description:
The goal of the District is to adopt a budget and set the tax rate for the 2021-2022 school year. State Truth in Taxation laws require the school district to publish a public notice of public hearing to discuss the proposed budget and proposed tax rate for the new fiscal year. Legally the budget must be developed on or before August 20th, 2021 and adopted by August 31st, 2021. The school district will publish the notice of the public hearing in the local newspapers to comply with state laws and timelines for budget adoption and setting of the tax rate.
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H.2. Consider Approval of 2021-2022 Salary Schedules
Description:
District administrators have been working on an updated salary schedule for teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and trades for the upcoming school year 2021-2022. Salary schedules are necessary to calculate the 2021-2022 budget, and it has been Smithville I.S.D.'s practice to inform staff as early as possible of any changes to the salary schedules. Staff will be returning to work prior to the next regular board meeting. Salaries have to be set each year and have a major impact on the district budget, which must be adopted no later than August 31, 2021.
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H.3. Consider Approval of RFP for Security Fencing at Brown Primary
Description:
This Request for Proposals (RFP) will be used by the District as a tool in the decision making process in the best interest of the District. This RFP is issued for the purpose of negotiating a contract for Security Fence Installation at the Brown Primary campus to improve the safety for our students and staff. The expenditure will be purchased through General Operating funds, not Bond funds, to save the district costs
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H.4. Approval of Expenditures in Excess of $50,000 for the Smithville ISD Playground Project
Description:
The purpose of this agenda item is to authorize the purchase of two playgrounds, as well as upgrades to the current 3rd grade playground and Brown Primary playground to meet ADA requirements. The Superintendent and Chief Financial Officer obtained proposals from two companies that were recommended for these types of projects.
Based on the proposal from Game Time, the total cost of all 4 projects is $596,771.53. This proposal can be reduced in scope and cost, as approved by the Board of Trustees.
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H.5. Consider Approval of 2021-2022 Student Code of Conduct
Description:
As a practice, the Student Code of Conduct for the upcoming school year is reviewed, revised and ultimately approved by the Board prior to the commencement of the new school year. Administrators have reviewed the current Code of Conduct and have made necessary revisions. The proposed 2021-2022 Student Code of Conduct is included for the Board's review.
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H.6. Review and Approve 2021-2022 Student Dress Code
Description:
The student dress code is annually reviewed by the administration, campus site-base committees, and the district site-base committee. The Board will need to formally adopt the dress codes for the district. After review from the above-mentioned groups, attached are the student dress codes for the secondary school and the elementary schools of the district for 2021-2022. There are no changes to the primary/elementary/secondary dress code this year.
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H.7. Consider Possible Revision of Board Policy DC (Local) as it Pertains to the Board of Trustees as the Final Hiring Authority
Description:
At this time, Board Policy DC (Local) states that the Board of Trustees maintain all authority to hire contracted staff year round. We have found that this can cause a bit of conflict when trying to fill positions between board meetings in the summer months of June, July and August. Districts in Texas are not required to release an employee from contract later than 45 days before the first day of instruction. For this reason, at times it is imperative that we have the flexibility to hire staff prior to that deadline. Many times this is not conveniently near a regularly scheduled board meeting, and it may not be feasible to call a special meeting each time this situation comes up. We have consulted with the Texas Association of School Boards and have been advised that many school districts in Texas amend their policy to allow the Superintendent to be the final hiring authority, provided that the Board of Trustees is kept informed at all times, of staff being hired under contract during the months of June, July and August when it is not practical to wait for a regularly scheduled meeting. Mrs. Burns requests that the Board amend policy DC (Local) to include a provision to allow the Superintendent to hire contracted staff during the months of June, July and August without action by the Board of Trustees, and to keep the Board informed of each occurrence.
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H.8. Review and Approve Local Board Policy Update 117 and Affected Policies
Description:
The District must update and maintain its local policies with the most recent legislation and educational regulation changes. In your packet of information, you have been provided the Update 117 Local Policy Overview and Update 117 Legal Issues. The attachments provide you with information concerning the policy changes found in the update. The information included in the board packet is a summary of each of the policy changes. The update includes changes to the following local board policies:
CH (Local) CV (Local) DEC (Local)
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H.9. Consider Approval of 2021-2022 TTESS Appraisers and Appraisal Calendar
Description:
The Board must approve the district appraisal calendar and the list of administrators trained to evaluate teachers. Teachers must be evaluated annually by trained and board approved appraisers. For the 2021-2022 school year, the District plans to continue to use the state-adopted appraisal system, Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS). All appraisers will be trained before they conduct classroom observations. Teachers are evaluated on performance in the classroom, staff development activities, and performance of students on the campus. A list of appraisers and the appraisal calendar is included in the board packet.
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H.10. Schedule a Date for Board Team of Eight Training
Description:
The Board, along with the Superintendent, is required to participate in at least three hours of team building conducted by the Texas Association of School Boards, or another registered provider, on an annual basis. It is time to schedule the Team of Eight team building work shop for this year. Mrs. Kay Douglas, a facilitator for TASB that we have used in the past, is available for a workshop on Monday, August 16, 2021.
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H.11. Personnel
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H.11.a. Resignations of Certified Personnel
Description:
The Superintendent would like to inform the Board of the following resignations:
Echoe Burkhart - teacher at Smithville Elementary Paulette Bonorden - teacher at Smithville Elementary Brenda Garbe - teacher at Smithville Junior High Ashley Ramirez - teacher at Smithville Junior High Shelly Huerta-Johnson - teacher at Smithville Junior High Patricia Rivers-Taylor - teacher/coach at Smithville Junior High Jacob Rigby - newly hired teacher/coach at Smithville Junior High Dena Beattie - teacher at Smithville High School No action is required. |
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H.11.b. Employment of Certified Personnel
Description:
According to Board Policy DC [Local], the Superintendent has the authority to make recommendations to the Board regarding the selection of all personnel.
Veronica Donahue - Teacher Degree - BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara Certification - Out of State Certification Years of Experience - 5 years Campus - Smithville Elementary To replace Paulette Bonorden Hanna McDorman - Teacher Degree - BA from Midwestern State University Certification - Alternative Certification for Music grades PK-12 Years of Experience - 0 years Campus - Smithville Elementary To replace Echoe Burkhart Haley Nunn - Teacher Degree - BS from University of Houston, Clear Lake Certification - Mathematics grades 4-8 Years of Experience - 1 year Campus - Smithville Junior High To replace Jenny Davis Oscar Nunez - Teacher/Coach Degree - BS from UTPA Certification - Special Education grades EC-12, Spanish grades 6-12, PE grades PK-12 Years of Service - 22 years Campus - Smithville Junior High To replace Shelly Huerta-Johnson's teaching position and Jacob Rigby's coaching position Joe (Brad) Bass - Teacher Degree - BS from Texas Tech University Certification - Vocational Agriculture Production grades 6-12 Years of Experience - 4 years Campus - Smithville High School To replace Erich Schatte Linda Neville - Teacher Degree - BA from Our Lady of the Lake University Certification - Life Science grades 7-12 Years of Experience - 1 year Campus - Smithville High School To replace Dawn Vinklarek Shawna Randall - Teacher/Coach Degree - BS from Texas Tech University Certification - Alternative Certification pending for Science 7-12 Years of Experience - 0 years Campus - Smithville High School To replace Maygan Washington Jaqueline Alvey - Teacher Degree - BA from Texas State University Certifications - Secondary Mathematics grades 6-12, Technology Applications grades EC-12 Years of Experience - 25 years Campus - Smithville High School To replace David Leist's teaching position |
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H.11.c. Superintendent's Mid-Point Review
Description:
Board Policy BJCD [Legal] requires the Board to annually evaluate the Superintendent. One part of the appraisal process involves the superintendent completing and providing to Board members a self-evaluation. The self-evaluation is presented to the Board in December, and the superintendent’s evaluation by the Board takes place in closed session in January. The Superintendent would like to provide the Board with a mid-point review of her progress and accomplishments. She will present this to the Board in closed session.
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