The Brownwood ISD (BISD) Board of Trustees met for a regular session meeting on Monday, March 15, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. The session was called to order by Board President, Michael Cloy. BISD Trustee, Eric Evans, gave the invocation and Board President, Michael Cloy, led the Pledge of Allegiance.
INSTRUCTIONAL FOCUS BISD
Deputy Superintendent, Liesa Land, reported the participation levels and success of the Fine Arts and Music programs within Brownwood ISD: East Elementary (MUSIC – 285 students taught by Jennifer Gwathmey), Northwest Elementary (MUSIC – 405 students taught by Dean Kiesling), Woodland Heights Elementary (MUSIC – 409 students taught by Amy Adams), Coggin Intermediate School (4TH MUSIC – 226 Students taught by Holly Bush, 5TH MUSIC – 58 students taught by Kayla Torres, 6TH CHOIR – 27 students taught by Kayla Torres, 5TH ART – 64 students taught by Rebecca Holcomb, 5TH & 6TH ART – 122 students taught by Rebecca Holcomb, 6TH BAND – 66 students taught by Leslie Lambert and Megan Yeats), Brownwood Middle School (7TH & 8TH ART – 147 students taught by Julie Mize, 7TH & 8TH BAND – 127 students taught by Ethan and Megan Yeats, CHOIR – 75 students taught by Christy Weid, Theatre – 84 students taught by Jen Evetts) Brownwood High School (THEATRE – 261 students taught by Brittany Martin and Shannon Lee, ART – 152 students taught by Kimberly Van Huss, BAND – 125 students taught by David Lambert, CHOIR – 55 students taught by Jennifer Reeves).
***
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 2021 honorees were BHS Special Education teacher, Reed Ellett and BISD Maintenance Department supervisor, Jerry O’Neal.
***
AUDIENCE FOR GUESTS
Martha Canon (Woodland Heights Elementary parent) spoke in favor of maintaining the mask protocols currently in place at Brownwood ISD.
***
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT BISD
Superintendent, Dr. Joe Young provided a financial report. It was noted that BISD is 49.3 percent complete with the school year and has used 49.7 percent of the budget, meaning that expenses are very much aligned with what was budgeted for the year. A State Funding Estimate was also provided with good news that the Hold Harmless protections enabled in the Fall would be continued through Spring. With the Hold Harmless protections enabled by the Texas Education Agency, the district faces a 1.06-million-dollar loss due to the pandemic’s toll on enrollment rather than the higher 1.6-million-dollar loss. The district has taken the steps necessary to handle the loss without affecting the classroom.
Dr. Young provided an update regarding the status of vaccines available for district employees. A registration form has been sent to all employees to sign up and BISD has been working closely with the city and local health department to coordinate a vaccine clinic which is expected to take place soon.
***
DISCUSSION & ACTION ITEMS
DISCUSSION AND CONSIDERATION OF ACTION BASED ON GOVERNOR’S EXECUTIVE ORDER EO-GA-34
The Board unanimously chose to keep the current mask protocols in place until further notice. Dr. Young thanked those who sent feedback on all sides of the issues. A significant factor was the close contact definition and the low number of quarantines the district is currently experiencing. It was discussed how quarantining students or staff would be academically damaging at this point of the year.
DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS
BISD Community Relations Report: Dr. Young presented a summary of the communicationsrelated data provided by BISD Community Relations Coordinator, Charles Musgrove. Dr. Young noted the high number of School Messenger communications that have been processed since the beginning of the pandemic (Phone Calls: 1351, Emails: 519,980, SMS: 240,228). The report also contained a summary of website and social media statistics which indicate continued growth in all social media platforms. Public relations highlights included social media effectiveness, communications budget, increasing press releases and reporting, video, utilization of BHS Audio/Visual and Photography programs, 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 5002 computing devices in addition to well over 900 other devices such as Promethean boards, printers, document cameras, and network related equipment.
BISD took part in TEA’s Operation Connectivity to ensure all students would have a computing device if the district was forced to move towards 100% remote learning. After evaluating needs, 800 iPads and 100 AT&T hotspots were ordered. These iPads have been distributed throughout the elementary classrooms, bringing the number of available iPads in each room to approximately 16.
The district also applied for and was awarded the 2020-2021 Technology Lending Grant. The grant enabled the district to purchase 410 Chromebooks and 5 AT&T hotspots for Brownwood Middle School.
Dr. Young praised the Technology Department, noting their continued positive reviews among staff and their ability to keep district technology running smoothly.
***
CONSENT AGENDA
The following items were listed for consideration on the Consent Agenda.
- School Nutrition Contract Renewal
- Application for Missed School Days Waiver
- Resolution Authorizing Employee Pay – Snow Emergency
- Resolution Regarding Depository Contract
- Interlocal Agreement with the City of Brownwood – Security
- Minutes from February 8, 2021 Board Meeting
- Minutes from February 12, 2021 Board Meeting
Trustee Evans 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 7:16 p.m. to discuss personnel matters. They returned to open session at 8:02 p.m. No additional action was taken.
***
ANNOUNCEMENTS
• UIL Academic Meet – Early Release for BMS Only – Thursday, March 18, 2021
• Early Release (2 hours early) – ALL – Thursday, April 1, 2021
• Good Friday Holiday – Friday, April 2, 2021
• Next Board Meeting – April 12