The Brownwood ISD (BISD) Board of Trustees met for a regular session meeting on Monday, March 14, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. The session was called to order by Board President, Michael Cloy. Father Francis Onyekozuru from Saint Mary’s Queen of Peace Catholic Church gave the invocation. Northwest Elementary students Madalyn Current and Kelli Moody led the Pledge of Allegiance.
STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Northwest Elementary Choir students, pictured to the right, performed two songs led by Music teacher Dean Kiesling.
INSTRUCTIONAL FOCUS
BISD Deputy Superintendent, Liesa Land, presented a brief introduction along with a video regarding an optional 30 additional school days to be offered for PK-5th in the summer of 2023. These days will not only include core subjects, but may also include areas such as fine arts, STEM, and more. BISD was recently selected to implement this initiative and will move to a 180-day academic calendar to better meet the needs of students and families.
RECOGNITIONS
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. March 2022 honorees were Woodland Heights Elementary first-grade teacher Dawn Hilburn and Coggin Intermediate School Digital Media Specialist Carol Gilbreth. Spotlight honorees are pictured with (top) Woodland Heights Assistant Principal Kassie Russell, Woodland Heights Principal Jeanette Lancaster, and BISD Trustee Eric Evans, and (bottom) Coggin Intermediate School Principal Stacy Loftin and Trustee Evans.
School Counselors
Brownwood ISD school counselors from Brownwood Middle School (BMS), Coggin Intermediate School (CIS), East Elementary, Northwest Elementary, and Woodland Heights Elementary were recognized for receiving the CREST Exemplary Award. Those recognized included Denise Cox, Angie Bertrand, Kerri Jacobson, Rachel Griffin, Dawna Fulton, Marci Reagan, Lindsey Bigham, LeeAnn Stork, Kimber Bennet, and Marci Reagan. Recipients are pictured below along with BISD Mental Health Coordinator Danielle Howard, BISD Deputy Superintendent Liesa Land, and BISD Trustee Diane Thompson.
CIS Robotics Team
The Robotics team at Coggin Intermediate School received first place in the Intermediate Division at the San Angelo Stock Show Robotics competition. Team members included Roman Delgado, Kinsler Doremus, Jaxon Mouser, Rylan Martin, and Evan Smith. Team members are pictured below along with BISD Trustee Amary Doremus, CIS Principal Stacy Loftin, BISD Trustee Diane Thompson, Robotics coaches Amber Shipman and Sherri Land, and BISD Trustee Codie Smith.
Math Teachers
Dawn Hilburn (Woodland Heights) and Jan Briggs (Woodland Heights) were recognized for exemplary service in strengthening student academic achievement. Recipients are pictured below along with Woodland Heights Assistant Principal Kassie Russell, Woodland Heights Principal Jeanette Lancaster, and BISD Trustee Amary Doremus.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
Dr. Young provided the following updates and information:
• Budget update
• A letter from Region 15 noting no contested races for their board election
• ESSER 3 COVID funding requires an in-person instruction plan six-month review
DISCUSSION & ACTION ITEMS
DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS
BISD Community Relations Report: Dr. Young presented a summary of the communicationsrelated data provided by BISD Community Relations Coordinator, Charles Musgrove. The communications report contained updates and data on several projects including Project Neighborhood, billboard campaigns, and other digital communication metrics. Since June 2021, sixty press releases and 145 School Messenger direct communications (Email/SMS) have been sent. The report also contained a summary of website and social media statistics which indicate continued growth in all social media platforms. Highlights also included three Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) STAR awards received (Chick-fil-A video – Gold, District of Choice Billboard – Silver, Teaching at BISD Video – Bronze) and the continued use of a Communications Intern, a college student recommended through a partnership with Howard Payne University.
BISD Technology Report: Dr. Young presented information regarding recent technology projects within the district provided by BISD Director of Technology, Mark Stanley. The BISD Technology Department currently supports approximately 5343 computing devices in addition to well over 900 other devices such as Promethean boards, printers, document cameras, and network-related equipment. The report noted the importance and quality of work done in Instructional Technology, working with teachers to help them implement digital content and software in their classrooms. Students are being exposed to new technologies and resources that were not available to them in the past. Tynker was a specific piece of software that was highlighted. Tynker offers blockbased coding challenges and courses for students in elementary through high school. It prepares students to transition into real world programming languages. With over 9,000 lines of code written by BISD elementary students, the amount of engagement is impressive.
Information pertaining to additional classroom equipment installations, district safety and security technology, and current and upcoming projects was also provided.
School Nutrition Contract Update: Brownwood ISD has a four-year contract with Southwest Food Excellence (SFE) to provide school meal services. As mandated, a request for proposals was sent out this year and BISD Superintendent of Business and Finance Mitch Moore provided an update on the process. Four bids were received. The companies that turned in bids were Chartwells, SFE, Aramark, and Taher. A selection committee consisting of five members from the School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) will meet and provide a recommendation to TDA. The results will be brought to the Board for final approval at the April Board Meeting.
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF PROJECT NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVE
Over the last three years, campus configurations were examined. Project Neighborhood moves 4th and 5th grades back to neighborhood elementaries and creates a Pre-K-6th school at Coggin Intermediate. Six community meetings were held throughout the district providing information and collecting feedback. A section on the website was created to provide parents and the public with up-to-date information, links, and more regarding Project Neighborhood (https://www.brownwoodisd.org/projectneighborhood). Mapping software containing detailed demographics and student data was utilized to redraw elementary attendance zones with the addition of Coggin Elementary. Community feedback was used to tweak boundaries and address concerns. Parents will be able to enter their address online and see the new attendance zones on an interactive map by visiting https://www.brownwoodisd.org/elemzones. Trustee Evans made a motion to approve the reorganization of BISD campus grade levels as outlined in the Project Neighborhood plan. This includes any needed attendance boundary changes, the shift to 3 & 4-year-old Pre-K, and changes in staff assignments. Trustee Jones seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF INSTRUCTIONAL CALENDAR FOR 2022-2023
The district’s Site-Based Decision-Making Committee met, as well as solicited input from their campuses in order to develop two calendars. The staff was polled for their preference and there were 269 who answered the survey. The poll results were: Calendar A – 116, and Calendar B – 153. Based on the recommendation of the Site-Based Decision-Making Committee and the results of the employee poll, Trustee Jones made a motion to approve Calendar B. Trustee Smith seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF ADDITIONAL DAYS TO THE 2023 SCHOOL YEAR FOR PRE-K-5
The TCLAS Steering Committee developed a summer calendar for 2023 that includes up to 30 additional days. A grant was received to provide funding for the optional days which would be offered in the summer of 2023. These days will not only include core subjects, but may also include areas such as fine arts and STEM activities. Based on the recommendation of the TCLAS Steering Committee, Trustee Evans moved to approve the optional additional days to the 2023 school year for grades Pre-K-5. Trustee Thompson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
CONSENT AGENDA
The following items were listed for consideration on the Consent Agenda. 1. Minutes from February 28, 2022 Board Meeting 2. Minutes from February 7, 2022 Board Meeting Trustee Smith moved that the Consent Agenda be approved as presented, with Trustee Thompson seconding the motion. The motion was unanimously approved.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
The board moved into executive session at 7:42 p.m. to discuss personnel matters. They returned to open session at 8:26 p.m. No additional action was taken.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
• Early Release Day – March 25, 2022
• Early Release Day – April 14, 2022
• Good Friday Holiday – April 15, 2022
• School Holiday (Bad Weather Day) – April 18, 2022
• Next Board Meeting – April 11, 2022
• Summer Leadership Institute – Ft. Worth – June 29-July 2, 2022