The Brownwood ISD (BISD) Board of Trustees met for a regular session meeting on Monday, February 10, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. The session was called to order by Board President Michael Cloy. Greater Faith Community Church Youth Pastor Frances Barron gave the invocation. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by East Elementary 5th grade students Cutler Clark, Carter Bean, and Kinlee Castillo.
STUDENT PERFORMANCE
East Elementary 5th grade students performed a musical exercise routine under the direction of Music teacher Ms. Leslie Booth and PE teacher Ms. Kim Harvey.
INSTRUCTIONAL FOCUS
BISD Deputy Superintendent, Liesa Land recognized staff members who work in the district’s Dyslexia Program. Brec Espinoza, Cindy Woolf, Jennifer Mares, Staci Cadena, and Lisa Thomason were presented with certificates of excellence for their services to BISD students. Honorees are pictured below with their campus principals, BISD Trustee Diane Thompson, and Director of Special Populations Rebecca Faulkner (Not pictured: Lisa Thomason).
RECOGNITIONS
The following groups and individuals were recognized by BISD and were presented with certificates highlighting their achievements
BISD SPOTLIGHT
The BISD Spotlight recognizes members of the faculty and staff who go the extra mile to ensure excellence in education for all our students. Spotlight recipients are chosen from peer nominations. February 2025 honorees were Woodland Heights Elementary teacher Sherri Land and BISD Network Administrator Matthew Lowrey. Spotlight honorees are pictured with BISD Trustee Diane Thompson and (top) Woodland Heights Assistant Principal Kassie Parrish and Principal Jeanette Lancaster, and (bottom) BISD Director of Technology Jimmy Fisher.
TEXAS BUYBOARD – BISD FINANCIAL RESOURCES & SAVINGS
BuyBoard consultant Melanie Sementilli recognized Brownwood ISD and Accounts Payable Clerk Sandra Vara with a rebate check for saving the district $16,145 by utilizing the BuyBoard local government purchasing cooperative. Vara and Sementilli are pictured below with BISD Trustee Tim Wilson and Director of Finance and Grants Heidi Gardner
TEPSA 2025 REGION 15 ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR
East Elementary Assistant Principal Jennifer Gwathmey was recognized as the TEPSA 2025 Region 15 Assistant Principal of the Year. Ms. Gwathmey is pictured below with BISD Trustee Tim Wilson and East Elementary Principal Christi Burks.
BISD TRANSPORTATION
The BISD Director of Transportation Maria Arellano was recognized for her excellence in coordination and the execution of a plan to get students safely home when the entire BISD bus fleet was grounded during dismissal due to a gas leak in front of the transportation facility. Arellano is pictured below with BISD Trustee Tim Wilson and Director of Student Services Ginger Alford.
2024 VARSITY FOOTBALL
The 2024 Brownwood Lions Varsity Football team was recognized as Bi-District Champions. Team members earned several honors including 28 Academic All-District, 18 All-District, 5 FCA All-Stars, 13 Big Country Blitz, and 7 Academic All-State. Those recognized for All-State honors included Braeden Stacks, Enrique Vazquez, Isaiah Rosas, Jack Field, Kaleb Rabast, Wesley Isquirdeo, and Weston Wolf. Honorees are pictured below with coach Sammy Burnett and BHS Assistant Principal Brian Harris.
BROWNWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL (BMS) ONE-ACT PLAY
BMS UIL One-Act Play cast and crew were recognized for their accomplishments placing fourth with their show “A Midsummer Night’s Nap” and individual awards earned by Emma Belez (Best Stage Manager), Coulter Day (Best Female Supporting Role), Jakob Limon (Best Male Supporting Role), Madison Putman (Best Lead Role), and Ainsely Badgeley (Best Female Lead Role). Students Belez and Limon are pictured below with Theatre teacher Keren Moss and BMS Principal Mykia Anderson
EXECUTIVE SESSION
The Board entered executive session at 6:53 p.m. to discuss personnel matters, security matters, and real property. The Board exited the executive session at 7:50 p.m. and returned to regular session.
AUDIENCE FOR GUESTS
Six people addressed the Board regarding Head Football Coach Sammy Burnett whose contract was up for renewal with other administrator contracts. Six individuals spoke: current Brownwood Lion assistant coach Bryan Clark, Tammy Robinson, Paul Infinger, Draco Miller, James Ray Williams, and Marc Followwell.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
Dr. Young provided the following updates and information:
• The Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) program expansion at Brownwood ISD has been approved by the state. With the expansion including a broader range of subjects, BISD will receive a combined total of approximately $600,000 from the state that will go to high performing teachers.
• BISD Bond Updates:
o Exterior and interior construction is ongoing at the new Multi-Purpose Activity Center at BHS. The facility is expected to be ready for use by August 2025.
o At Gordon Wood Stadium the foundation for the new concession stand has been poured and drilling has begun for the pillars to support the new press box and bleacher expansion.
o Baseball and Softball field improvements are nearing completion with the new parking lot set to be paved within the next few weeks.
o Demolition at the middle school locker room has been completed. BHS locker room demolition will begin immediately after school gets out in May.
o Approximately 1.4 million dollars has been spent on safety and security updates throughout the district since the bond passed.
o New bleachers are installed and in use in the BMS gyms.
o The new elementary gym floors did not meet quality expectations and will be replaced with a better product at the company’s expense.
o Coggin auditorium seating and other improvements are complete and in use.
o The BHS tennis facility renovations are complete and the courts are in use for competitions this year.
• Upcoming events were announced including the early release on February 14, the bad weather make-up day on February 17, Spring Break March 10-14, and the next Board Meeting scheduled for March 17.
DISCUSSION & ACTION ITEMS
DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS
• Public Hearing on Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR): BISD Trustee Diane Thompson made a motion for the Board to enter a public hearing for the TAPR report. BISD Trustee Roderick Jones seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously and the Board entered the public hearing. The TAPR pulls together a wide range of information on the performance of students in each school and district in Texas every year. Performance is shown disaggregated by student groups, including ethnicity and socioeconomic status. The reports also provided extensive information on school and district staff, programs, discipline, and student demographics. The TAPR report will be available on each campus and on the district’s website. A motion to adjourn from the public hearing was made by BISD Trustee Codie Smith. BISD Trustee Tim Wilson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
• Budget Calendar: A calendar was provided containing target dates for regular budget activities, meetings, and processes scheduled through 2025 leading into the 2025-2026 school year.
• School Nutrition Report: Southwest Food Service Excellence (SFE) provided a report regarding the status of the School Nutrition Department and ongoing initiatives including district-wide free lunches and various promotions and events. Utilizing photos from various meals prepared around BISD, the report highlighted efforts to increase student participation and promoted SFE’s continued vision, student-driven menus, and additional innovations.
• Pre-K, Kindergarten, & Head Start Roundup: Dates and times for the upcoming 2025-2026 prek and kindergarten pre-qualification events were provided. Pre-qualification is open to Pre-K children (ages 4) and Kindergarten children (age 5). Pre-registration events will be held at Brownwood ISD Central Support Center on April 2-3 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. A flyer with dates, times, and eligibility information has been prepared and will be released to the community.
FIRST READING: TASB INITIATED POLICY UPDATE 124
This update included TASB localized policy manual updates including revisions on eight LOCAL policies including Financial Ethics, Investments, Intellectual Property, Employee Standards of Conduct, Special Programs, Gifted and Talented, Child Abuse and Neglect, and Conduct on School Premises. Details are available in the Board Book published on the Brownwood ISD website (https://www.brownwoodisd.org/boardbook). The update was presented as a first reading only, with no action on the item scheduled until next month.
CONSIDER ACTION ON REAL PROPERTY
BISD Trustee Roderick Jones made a motion to authorize the superintendent to negotiate and execute a contract for the sale of district-owned property located at 403 Fisk in accordance with the guidelines discussed in the Executive Session and Texas Government Code 551.072. BISD Trustee Justin Posey seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF 2025-2026 SCHOOL CALENDAR
The district’s Site-Based Decision Making Committee met, as well as solicited input from campuses in order to develop two calendars for the 2025-2026 school year. It was noted that the proposed calendars include a modified schedule with a one-hour earlier dismissal on every Friday. The staff were polled for their preference and there were 291 who answered the survey. The poll results were Calendar A – 127; Calendar B – 66; Calendar C – 98. BISD Trustee Amary Doremus made a motion to approve calendar A based on the recommendation of the SiteBased Decision Making Committee and the results of the employee poll. BISD Trustee Roderick Jones seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
The Board re-entered executive session at 8:33 p.m. to further discuss personnel matters. The Board exited the executive session at 8:57 p.m. and returned to regular session.
CONSENT AGENDA
The following items were listed for consideration on the Consent Agenda.
1. Approval of Administrator Contracts
2. Approval of 2024-2025 TIPS Plans for Coggin, East and Brownwood Middle School
3. Adult Breakfast Price Increase
4. Minutes from January 13, 2025
BISD Trustee Codie Smith moved that the Consent Agenda be approved with the exclusion of the contract for Sammy Burnett. BISD Trustee Posey seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously
CONTRACT FOR SAMMY BURNETT
BISD Trustee Codie Smith made a motion not to extend the contract for Sammy Burnett. BISD Trustee Amary Doremus seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-3 with Trustees Jones, Smith, Doremus, and Posey approving and Trustees Cloy, Thompson, and Wilson opposing.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Reminders:
• Early Release: 02/14/25
• Bad Weather Make-Up Day (for January 10th closure): 02/17/2025
• Spring Break: 03/10-03/14/2025
• Next Board Meeting: 03/17/2025
The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.