February 24, 2025 at 7:00 PM - Regular Meeting

Description:  Announcement by the Board President whether a quorum is present and that notice of the meeting has been posted in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code Chapter 551 as required by law.

Description:  "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Description:   "Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible." 

Description:  Luke Nichols - National Merit Finalist - All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from the group of finalists. About one half of all National Merit Finalists receive a National Merit Scholarship each year. To qualify, Luke scored in the top 1% of all test takers on the PSAT/NMSQT ini addition to several other qualifying criteria. On average, 15,000 students earn the National Merit Finalist distinction out of all students tested. Congratulations to Luke for all of his academic achievements.

Ben Conner and Celeste Bradford - Ben and Celeste traveled to San Antonio where they performed with the ATSSB All-State band at the Texas Music Educators Convention on February 12-15. This is the first time in school history that the Florence band placed two band members in the All-State band in the same academic year. Ben was 3rd chair trumpet and Celeste was 1st chair French Horn. This is the highest honor a band musician can achieve in the State of Texas. 

Florence Middle School students competed in the Academic UIL Meet on January 31 in Llano. The following students placed in the top three for Florence Middle School:
7th Grade Art - 1st Place Zoeleigh Henize and 2nd Place Team Zoeleigh Henize and James Schulz
6th Grade Chess Puzzle - 3rd Place Wilmer Perez Pineda
7th Grade Impromptu Speaking - 2nd Place Emily Miller
6th Grade Modern Oratory - 1st Place Madison Atkinson
6th Grade Number Sense - 1st Place Acereth Lopez
6th Grade Science - 1st Place Acereth Lopez

 

Description:  Ms. Karen Foote is a standout leader and a highly deserving candidate for Teacher of the Month. Her professionalism is exceptional, consistently demonstrating a strong work ethic and dedication to excellence. She is always willing to assist colleagues and students, fostering a positive, collaborative environment. Ms. Foote is solution-oriented, focusing on finding practical solutions to challenges that benefit everyone involved. Her openness to constructive feedback and growth mindset are reflected in her ability to apply feedback to improve her work, as seen in her weekly assessments and interim reports. Additionally, Ms. Foote embraces new tasks and challenges with eagerness and determination. She consistently goes above and beyond to support personal and organizational growth.

Description:  The Board encourages comments about the district from members of the public.  Anyone who has signed up to speak in advance of the meeting in accordance with the Board procedures may do so at this time.  The Board asks that each participant's comments pertain to district business and be no longer than 5 minutes.  For any member of the public who is accompanied by a translator, your time will be doubled as required by law.  Remember that the Board may not discuss or act upon any issues that are not posted on our agenda.  In addition, the Board has adopted policies to provide prompt and equitable resolution of complaints and concerns for employees, students or their parents, and the general public.  Copies of our district policies and procedures on public comments and filing complaints are available on the district website. 

Description:  An overview of our Interim Assessment Data will be provided. 

Description:  The eligibility provisions for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program have changed. As a result of this change, a smaller number of our students qualify for Direct Certification, which is the indicator used to determine if a district or campus is qualified to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students for reimbursement by the National School Lunch Program. Lillian Barnett and Beverly Shaw from Region 13 will explain the changes and the impact it will have on FISD and when those changes are likely to occur. 

Description:  In this update, 52 LEGAL policies will change due to changes in the law or other administrative changes. In addition, TASB recommends changes to eight LOCAL policies. An overview of the local policy changes will be provided for the board and community. 

Description:  FISD Board of Trustees Places 6 and 7 were up for election on May 3, 2025. The filing deadline was February 14, 2025, at 5:00 pm. Only the two incumbents met the filing deadline. Gracie Gonzales serves as the election official for Florence ISD, and she has certified that no other applications were filed. As a result, the Board of Trustees needs to receive and accept the Certification of Unopposed Candidates for the Florence ISD Board of Trustees Election.

Description:  As previously stated, both incumbents are unopposed. As a result, this Order of Cancelation certifies that Place 6 and Place 7 Board Positions are unopposed and Mr. Jason Earp, Place 6, and Mr. Joshua Atkinson, Place 7 are hereby elected. 

Description:  Board Policy CV(LOCAL) requires the Board to accept the work once all work has been completed. All work has been completed with the exception of some repairs that were pre-existing that the contractor is repairing. 

Description:  I met with the President of the Florence Youth Baseball and Softball Association to review the attached MOU. She presented the MOU to her board and they approved it. This MOU memorializes the expectations for both the District and the Association, including maintenance and the cost to operate the fields.

Description:  The District is proposing a summer schedule for 2025 that simplifies arrival and departure times and makes our staff available to students and parents during normal business hours.  I recommend that professional employees work Monday through Thursday from 8 am to 4 pm. As a reminder, the district is closed June 30-July 4.

Description:  On January 21, 2025, school was cancelled due to a forecast for freezing precipitation. This resolution authorizes the district to pay employees for that day as allowed by policy DEA (LOCAL) which states, "During an emergency closure, all employees shall continue to be paid for their regular duty day schedule unless otherwise provided by board action. Following an emergency closure, the Board shall adopt a resolution or take other Board action establishing the purpose and parameters for such payments."

Description:  The attached spreadsheet contains the recommendations for continued employment for the administrative positions in Florence ISD. The District recommends approval of all individuals listed.

Description:  The attached spreadsheet contains the recommendations for continued employment for the professional support positions in Florence ISD. The District recommends approval of all individuals listed.

Description:  The District is a member of three investment pools. Texas Class offers daily interest compounding on its accounts and will be a good option for the tax deposits Williamson County processes currently to the TexPool account.  Bond construction investments are processed through the Texas Range pool accounts. The District has a small amount of funds in the First Public LoneStar accounts that could be transferred out to other pool accounts.

Description:  A Request for Proposals was advertised for fencing, with gates, across the north side of the Baseball and Softball fields. The fence would run from the Field House facility to the western boundary of the District property. The attached proposal from Lone Star Fence is recommended for the work at a total cost of $48,000.00. Lone Star Fence has done a substantial amount of fencing work for the District. Safety Standards grant funds will be used for the purchase.