The Brownwood ISD (BISD) Board of Trustees met for a regular session meeting on Monday, January 19, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. The session was called to order by Board Vice President, Roderick Jones, Sr. The invocation was given by BISD Assistant Superintendent of Business and Finance, Mitch Moore. BISD Superintendent, Dr. Joe Young, led the Pledge of Allegiance.
INSTRUCTIONAL FOCUS BISD
Deputy Superintendent, Liesa Land provided the latest data from the DIBELS assessment system. The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) are a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of early literacy skills. When comparing the data collected from the beginning of the year to the middle of the year, it shows growth for grades K-4 with progress from Tier 2 & 3 (additional help needed) to Tier 1 (at or above skill level for that grade). The assessment data also showed that progress at grades 5 and 6 fell some. Land noted that at Coggin Intermediate School, which houses grades 4-6, still has 61 remote students (down from 136), while the lower grades are nearly all face-to-face instruction with only 38 remote students remaining in grades K-3, and zero at the Pre-K level. Ms. Land was encouraged by the results and thankful for the great job done by BISD teachers, staff, parents, and students overcoming the educational challenges brought on by the pandemic.
RECOGNITIONS
The following groups and individuals were recognized by BISD and were presented with certificates highlighting their achievements. BISD Spotlight Teachers and Staff: The Brownwood ISD Spotlight recognizes members of the BISD faculty and staff who go the extra mile to ensure excellence in education for all our students. Spotlight recipients are chosen from peer nominations. January 2021 honorees were Brownwood Middle School (BMS) teacher, Amber Evans, and Northwest Elementary staff member, Phil Tobias.
BOARD REPORT BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
BISD Board of Trustees Member BISD Trustee, Dr. Lisa Fowler was recognized for her outstanding service and dedication to the Brownwood ISD Board of Trustees. Dr. Fowler has served on the Board since 2010. She has relocated out of the district and will be resigning her seat.
BISD Board of Trustees – School Board Recognition Month January is School Board Recognition Month, and Brownwood ISD joins the Texas Association of School Boards and other districts across the state to honor the countless contributions of these locally elected advocates for Texas schoolchildren and public schools.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT Dr. Young noted the following upcoming events and changes to the calendar:
• BHS Business Industry and Trade Showcase (BITS) – February 8
• Due to the inclement weather day on Monday, January 11, the following changes have been made to the school calendar:
o Friday, March 5th will no longer be an early dismissal day except for high school. Only BHS will have a three-hour early dismissal due to hosting Bluebonnet Relays. All other campuses will have a full day of school.
o Thursday, March 18th BMS will have a three-hour early dismissal due to hosting the District UIL Academic Meet. All other campuses are on their regular schedule.
o Thursday, April 1st will be a two-hour early dismissal for ALL campuses instead of a three-hour, as previously scheduled.
EXECUTIVE SESSION The Board entered executive session at 6:59 p.m. to discuss personnel matters. The Board exited the executive session at 7:36 p.m. and returned to regular session.
DISCUSSION & ACTION ITEMS
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF 2019-20 FINANCIAL AUDIT The annual financial audit has been completed and Jeremy Stephens from Eide Bailey Accounting Firm, presented a clean audit for the 2019-20 school year. BISD Trustee, Codie Smith moved that the audit be approved as presented. BISD Trustee Roderick Jones seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS
Enrollment/Transfer Report: Dr. Young presented the enrollment and transfer report. There are 257 student transfers into the district as of December 17, 2020. Enrollment is 3389 students (223 remote) as of December 18, 2020.
Quarterly Financial Report: Quarterly financials were presented and included the Quarterly Investment Summary and the November 2020 Tax Assessor Collector’s Report.
TASB-INITIATED POLICY UPDATE 116
The update includes policy and wording changes in Cybersecurity CQB(LOCAL), At-Will Employment DCD(LOCAL), Medical Treatment FFAC(LOCAL), and Conduct on School Premises GKA(LOCAL). Details of the update can be found in the Board Book published on the Brownwood ISD website. This was the first reading. Consideration for approval will be presented in February.
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF SUPERINTENDENT’S CONTRACT
BISD Trustee Tim Jacobs made a motion to extend an employment contract to Dr. Joe Young as Superintendent of Schools from January 20, 2021 to January 20, 2026. Trustee Evans seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. CONSIDER APPROVAL OF RESOLUTION REGARDING EXTENDED SICK LEAVE DURING EPIDEMIC
Paid leave benefits as outlined in the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA) expired on December 31, 2020. Emergency Paid Sick Leave as outlined in the FFRCA paid up to two weeks (80 hrs.) of leave to employees unable to come to work or work remotely from home due to qualifying COVID reasons. This resolution will provide the district an avenue to continue this program at the local level through June 31, 2021. BISD Trustee, Eric Evans moved to approve the resolution as presented. BISD Trustee Diane Thompson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
CONSENT AGENDA
The following items were listed for consideration on the Consent Agenda.
Minutes from December 14, 2020 Board Meeting Trustee Dr. Fowler moved that the Consent Agenda be approved as presented, with Trustee Roderick Jones seconding the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Reminders were announced for the following upcoming events:
• Next Regular Meeting – February 8, 2021
• Team of 8 Training – February 12, 2021
The meeting adjourned at 7:59 p.m.