The Brownwood ISD (BISD) Board of Trustees met for a regular session meeting on Monday, February 12, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. The session was called to order by Board President Michael Cloy. BISD Trustee Codie Smith gave the invocation. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Coggin Elementary students Jackson Hope, Scarlett Kern and Nixon Hernandez.
STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Coggin Elementary third and fourth graders performed a student version of the song “Wellerman” under the direction of Music teacher Jennifer Brown.
INSTRUCTIONAL FOCUS
BISD Deputy Superintendent, Liesa Land provided an update regarding the district’s Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) program. BISD began the process in 2014 to take part in the state program that provides additional funding for districts to incentivize teachers designated as Recognized, Exemplary, or Mastery-level. To be accepted, the district had to develop a program and meet certain criteria for measuring teacher performance. On February 1, 2024, BISD was notified that it passed data validation and is now a fully approved TIA district. Land expressed her appreciation to BISD Human Resources Director Adrian Horton, who took the lead and helped to complete the process. BISD has recommended 33 teachers for designation. The teachers who stay employed with BISD for the 2024-25 school year, and receive approval from TEA, will receive an allotment in August of 2024. BISD has recommended 15 teachers as recognized, 17 teachers as exemplary, and one master teacher. Those teachers will receive additional take-home pay between $3900 and $22,000 a year over the next five years. Land noted the district will continue to develop the program and capture data with the goal of designating all eligible teachers, in addition to expanding the system to include assessments in more subject areas.
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 2024 honorees were Woodland Heights Elementary kindergarten teacher Adrian Stewart and BISD Maintenance secretary Amanda Roesler. Spotlight honorees are pictured below with BISD Trustee Diane Thompson and (top) Woodland Heights Principal Jeanette Lancaster, and (bottom) BISD Maintenance Director John Smiley
TEPSA 2024 REGION 15 ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR
Brownwood Middle School Assistant Principal Amy Morris was recognized as the TEPSA 2024 Region 15 Assistant Principal of the Year. Ms. Morris is pictured below with BISD Trustee Justin Posey and BISD Deputy Superintendent Liesa Land.
BMS ROBOTICS
The BMS Robotics team was recognized for their team accomplishments during the 2023-2024 season. Team members are pictured below with BISD Trustee Posey, team coach and BMS AV/CTE teacher Ben Cox, and BMS Principal Mykia Anderson.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
Dr. Young provided the following updates and information:
• Dr. Young has met with the Parent Advisory and Teacher Advisory committees. Highlights included positive feedback on communication from teachers, increased security with the Guardians, and the counseling department and school counselors for the role they play in both health and academics.
• The spring Safety & Security meeting followed by the Team of Eight training for Board members is scheduled for February 23, 2024 in Brownwood.
• 2023 Bond Update presented by Bond Program Manager Tammy Gray:
o Coggin Auditorium project is nearly complete with in-house work on accessibility access wrapping up soon.
o The new tennis court complex at Brownwood High School (BHS) is expected to be finished by spring break. Students are already praising the new courts and construction of new security fencing and bleachers is continuing.
o Construction on the new indoor student activity center is expected to begin March 1, 2024, with fences going up and large equipment moving into the area. The project will take an estimated 18 months to complete.
o Other Bond projects are in the design phase with meetings and progress ongoing
DISCUSSION & ACTION ITEMS
DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS
• Public Hearing on Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR): BISD Trustee Codie Smith made a motion for the Board to enter a public hearing for the TAPR report. BISD Trustee Eric Evans seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously and at 6:53 p.m. 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. The public hearing ended at 6:59 p.m.
• Budget Calendar: A calendar was provided containing target dates for regular budget activities, meetings, and processes scheduled through 2024 leading into the 2024-2025 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. The report noted increased participation and positive results which have allowed for customized and healthy menus for BISD. During the 2022-23 school year, a total of 704,840 meals were served, up 55,505 meals over the previous year.
• TIA Update: BISD is now a fully approved Teacher Incentive Allotment District. Individual teachers will be notified when the district receives the official designation report. Designated teachers also receive an email directly from TEA. Teachers submitted for designation were notified by email in the fall. All teachers in eligible teaching positions may qualify or advance their designation every year. (See Instructional Focus section for additional information.)
• Pre-K, Kindergarten, & Head Start Roundup: Dates and times for the upcoming 2024-2025 pre-k and kindergarten pre-registration events were provided. Pre-registration is open to Pre-K children (ages 3-4) and Kindergarten children (age 5). Pre-registration events will be held at Brownwood ISD Central Support Center on Wednesday, April 3, from 11 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on Thursday, April 4, 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.
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF RESOLUTION CONCERNING SENATE BILL 763 REGARDING VOLUNTEER CHAPLAINS
Senate Bill 763, passed by the 88th Texas Legislature, requires each school board to take a record vote between September 1, 2023, and March 1, 2024, on whether to adopt a policy authorizing a campus of the district to employ or accept as a volunteer a chaplain under Education Code Chapter 23. BISD Trustee Evans made a motion to affirm the practice of a district campus permitting a chaplain to provide support, services, and programs for students in accordance with the district’s existing GKG(LEGAL) policy. BISD Trustee Thompson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
CONSENT AGENDA
The following items were listed for consideration on the Consent Agenda.
- Class Size Waiver – East Elementary
- Minutes from January 22, 2024 meeting BISD Trustee Thompson moved that the Consent Agenda be approved as presented.
BISD Trustee Posey seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
The Board entered executive session at 7:11 p.m. to discuss personnel matters including administrator contracts. The Board exited the executive session at 7:45 p.m. and returned to regular session. CONSIDER APPROVAL OF ADMINISTRATOR CONTRACTS
BISD Trustee Posey made a motion to approve administrator contracts for 2024-2025, as presented. BISD Trustee Smith seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Reminders were announced for the following upcoming events:
• Early Release: 02/16/24
• Bad Weather Make-Up Day: 02/19/24
• Spring Break: 03/11/24-03/15/24
• Next Board Meeting: 03/18/24
• Early Release: 03/22/24, 03/28/24
The meeting adjourned at 7:50 p.m.