Mineola trustees hear need for more uniforms

By TOMMY ANDERSON

tommyandeson@suddenlink.net

Posted 3/8/17

When you have, a good thing going, it takes on the properties of the Energizer Bunny - it just keeps going, and going, and going.

At Mineola’s junior and senior high schools the local Energizer …

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Mineola trustees hear need for more uniforms

Posted

When you have, a good thing going, it takes on the properties of the Energizer Bunny - it just keeps going, and going, and going.

At Mineola’s junior and senior high schools the local Energizer Bunny is the band program, which has been tremendously successful in recent years. The number of students wanting to participate in the band program have grown so much that facilities to accommodate them have been far outgrown.

A good indication of the growth in the band program was underscored in the February Mineola School Board meeting last Monday night when it was noted that $29,000 that was not included in this year’s budget would have to be found somewhere to purchase new high school band uniforms. Not replacement uniforms, but uniforms for new band members next fall. There are only 11 seniors in band this year and 45 new band members will be moving up to the marching band from the eighth grade. That alone will require 34 new.

On May 6 Mineola School District constituents will vote on a $41 million bond issue for the construction of a new high school, a new performing arts center and a new career technology center. Superintendent Kim Tunnell said that the district has had no bonded indebtedness since 2002 and has received a AAA bond rating, the highest that can be attained, for the proposed bonds necessary to fund the upcoming election.

The Mineola ISD has placed on its schedule four dates for Community Forums and Facility Tours. Time for all four dates was set at 6:30 pm. The first of those dates was scheduled for yesterday (Tuesday) after Monitor presstime. The next will be Tuesday, March 21, the third will be Monday, April 3, and the final one will be Thursday, April 20.

Unopposed incumbent school board members Dr. John Abbott and Dr. Kyle Gully received acceptance certification and the board voted to cancel the May 6 school board election.

During the meeting the trustees also voted unanimously to continue Tunnell’s contract for an extended year.

The trustees gave the nod of approval for the 2017-2018 school calendar in the meeting, which calls for school to start (for students) on Aug. 17 and end on May 23. Students will get a full week break for Thanksgiving, Nov. 20-24, but teachers are scheduled for staff development on Nov. 20-22. Christmas break will be from Dec. 21 through Jan. 8 for students and spring break will be March 12-16.

Starting with the new school year attendance will be counted in minutes instead of days. Students will be required to attend 75,600 minutes during the school year. This will be achieved by holding classes from 7:50 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. There will be two early release dates during the year, Oct. 27 for Homecoming and May 23 for the last day of school. On these dates classes will be held from 7:50 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The board accepted a high bid of $200 from Kellie Jo Callison for a 2003 Jeep Cherokee.

Assistant Superintendent for Business Operations William Bjork reported that collection of school taxes was at 85 percent, up 1.4 percent over the same period a year ago. He added that he anticipates collections will hit 90 percent by next month’s meeting.