Brownwood ISD issued the following information Thursday morning:

The Brownwood ISD (BISD) Board of Trustees met for a regular session meeting on Monday, October 3, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. The session was called to order by Board President Michael Cloy. Coggin Avenue Baptist Church Youth Pastor Ricky Cavett gave the invocation. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Woodland Heights Elementary third-grade students Kyndzee Folmar, Lucy Smith, and Cheyenne Musgrove.

STUDENT PERFORMANCE

Woodland Heights third-grade students (above) performed the songs Heart of America and Thankful for the U.S.A., led by music teacher Amy Adams.

INSTRUCTIONAL FOCUS BISD

Deputy Superintendent Liesa Land provided an update on the latest assessment data for K-6 th grade. Land pointed out that overall, students are improving. The areas of English 1 and English 2 have had the most gains. Improvements have also been observed in sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade Biology, US History, and Algebra. Land added that curriculum coordinators and administrators had done a great job supporting the teachers. Land also noted that changes to the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) would be going into effect this year. Students from third grade through high school will now be testing online. BISD students are already familiar with online assessments and should have no problem adapting to the change. Land concluded with a summary regarding updates to the writing portion of the state assessment, including that the STAAR will now include a writing component for students in all tested grade levels.

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. October 2022 honorees were Coggin Elementary School (CES) Special Education teacher Jennifer Angel and CES office clerk Ashley Pinkston. Spotlight honorees are pictured with CES Assistant Principal Jake Senkirik, CES Principal Kali Mclaughlin, CES Assistant Principal Carrie McWhorter, and BISD Trustee Amary Doremus.

Academic Achievement

Andrew Boren and Aishwarya Nigale were recognized for their academic achievements as Brownwood High School (BHS) National Merit Commended Students. Pictured below are BHS Principal Lindsay Smith, Andrew Boren, Aishwarya Nigale, and BISD Trustee Eric Evans.

AUDIENCE FOR GUESTS

Jeina Hooker commented on the current dress code and suggested that it be reviewed for changes, including school uniforms, that could make it more evenly and fairly applied through all the BISD campuses.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

• Thursday, April 6, 2023, will now be a 3-hour early release day for students and staff preceding the Good Friday Holiday.

• Dr. Young attended the first meeting of the year with the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Cabinet, which includes 14 students from grades 6-12. Dr. Young is scheduled to meet with the Parent Advisory Committee on Tuesday, October 4, and then the Teacher Advisory Committee on Wednesday, October 5.

• Updated budget and financial reports were reviewed.

• Homecoming, Spirit Week, and Pink-Out are this week, and it was noted that the varsity football games will now begin at 7:00 p.m.

• Dr. Young thanked the Safety and Security Committee for their work towards keeping BISD kids and staff safe.

DISCUSSION & ACTION ITEMS DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS

Nursing Report: The report provided by BISD Director of Nurses Helen Lacy contained current nursing assignments, indicating a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) serves on each BISD campus except the Coggin Elementary 6th grade building, where Nurse Lacy, who is a registered nurse (RN), is located. It was noted that last year BISD had a total of 24,233 student visits to the nurse, 6,190 medication administrations, and 483 special procedures. Flu vaccines will be offered on campus for employees again this year with the assistance of Jacobs Pharmacy.

Student Health Advisory Council (SHAC): Future meeting dates for SHAC were provided along with updated areas of discussion, including Choosing the Best (Abstinence Curriculum) implementation, Mental Health/ Counseling programs, School Nutrition, Nursing, and more. As required, a yearly review of the wellness policy was completed and passed through the committee without any suggested changes.

English as a Second Language (ESL) Program: The program provides appropriate planned instruction to identified students that are linguistically and culturally diverse. Licenses have been purchased to utilize the Imagine Learning Program and the Summit K-12 Program to provide personalized instruction and engage students one-on-one. BISD employs over 100 ESLcertified staff members. The report also included a breakdown of the 118 ESL students enrolled in BISD schools.

Mental Health Initiative Update: BISD Mental Health Coordinator Danielle Howard provided a Counseling and Mental Health Program report outlining accomplishments from last year and new items and opportunities for this year. It was noted that five separate schools won the CREST Award for Exemplary Counseling Programming. Howard also provided information regarding a new trailer customized as an intentional space for counseling at any campus. The trailer is fitted with a video-only camera for monitoring and will provide a familiar and consistent environment. The report also noted that staff members Marci Reagan, Dawna Fulton, and Leah Parker are all working towards completion of required training and hours to complete their LPC licenses.

Autism Grant Team Report: BISD acquired a 2-year grant for a total amount of $799,500 to support our students with autism. The grant is useable for all students with autism, whether or not identified under the Special Education (SPED) umbrella. BISD Mental Health Coordinator Danielle Howard serves as the Autism Grand Director and elaborated on the grant’s impact within the district. Through the grant, BISD provided 80 teacher assistants with over 22 hours of autism training before the beginning of school. The report also supplied information on the additional Autism Team members within the district and details regarding programs and equipment that will be utilized through the grant to track progress.

Quarterly Investment Report: A Quarterly Investment Summary and Tax Assessor-Collector’s Report for August 2022 were provided to the Board for review.

ANNOUNCE BOARD MEMBER CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS

Board President Michael Cloy reported that all BISD Board of Trustees members met or exceeded the yearly required continuing education hours for 2022. Completing the annual required continuing education is a basic obligation and expectation of any sitting board member under State Board of Education rule.

CONSENT AGENDA

The following items were listed for consideration on the Consent Agenda.

* TSHAC Appointments for 2022-2023

* September 12, 2022 Board Meeting Minutes

Trustee Diane Thompson moved that the Consent Agenda be approved as presented. Trustee Eric Evans seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

The Board moved into executive session at 7:10 p.m. to discuss personnel matters. They returned to open session at 7:54 p.m. No additional action was taken.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The following announcements were made for upcoming events:

• October 10, 2022 – Staff and Student Holiday

• 2022 Region 15 Superintendent’s Conference – October 17-19, 2022

• Site Based-Decision Making Committee Meeting – October 20, 2022

• Early Release for Students/Staff Development – October 28, 2022

• Next Board Meeting – November 14, 2022

The meeting adjourned at 7:56 p.m.