MISD board approves priority list for Meredith Foundation

Posted 12/21/16

During their monthly meeting last Monday, the Mineola School Board approved three resolutions, approved the Meredith Foundation request priority list and was updated on the Texas Academic Performance …

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MISD board approves priority list for Meredith Foundation

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During their monthly meeting last Monday, the Mineola School Board approved three resolutions, approved the Meredith Foundation request priority list and was updated on the Texas Academic Performance Report and the Flex-Mod scheduling introduced this year.

Superintendent Kim Tunnell updated the board on the 2015-2016 Texas Academic Performance Report. The district overall is currently in stage one – the highest stage attainable – but more work was needed in improving math and social studies scores across the board.

High School Principal David Sauer gave a report on the new flex-mod scheduling. He said that freshman and sophomores were new to the system and had struggled early in the year but as time goes by, the students are becoming comfortable with the scheduling. Juniors and seniors were excelling at the new format and students involved in extra-curricular activities were as well. The struggles of students were expected according to Assistant Principal Jennifer Knipp but that those struggles would level off as the year progressed.

Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations William Bjork presented information items and the financial report. Bjork informed the board that the district had $7.8 million on hand and that was up $209,000 from last month. Tax collections began the last week of October and Bjork reported that 14.5 percent had been collected since and that it would increase significantly with December and January collections.

Tunnell added that attendance was at 95.4 percent, slightly down from last month. Although the attendance was more than 95 percent, Tunnell indicated that the figure was low due to the cold and flu season arriving.

The board approved a priority list of requests for the Meredith Foundation, who has provided approximately $6.4 million to the Mineola school district since 1958.

The top priority was for scholarships totaling $30,000. The second item on the list is the addition of a girls changing room in the field house for $35,000. A new stadium speaker system for $10,000 was third and a security gate and cameras – totaling $30,000 – for the high school was fourth on the list. Improvements for the primary school playground – including a new walk way and shading for it – was fifth on the list for $42,983.

A new digital phone system was also on the list for $134, 794 and improvements to the nature trail at $32,000. The last two items on the priority list were instruments for the middle and high school bands for $44,498 and new signs for the stadium, ball fields and campuses at $10,000.

The board unanimously approved two resolutions during the meeting. The first resolution was legislative priories for 2017 which include a repeal of the A-F accountability system, a repeal of vouchers for education saving grants and improving state funding. The second resolution went more in-depth about the A-F accountability system and the desire to repeal it. According to Tunnell, the system places a label on children without considering other factors and is too complex and filled with ‘governmentese.’

The Community Facility Advisory Committee – made up of 32 community members, staff and parents – met four times between Nov. 17 and Dec. 7 and committee member Jason Redding was present to advise the board on their findings. Redding spoke on safety and security of existing structures.

The committee came to the conclusion that a new high school was needed and called for construction of a new high school – with the middle school to be moved into the new facilities – while the elementary school would be moved to the middle school facilities. Redding suggested calling for a bond election in May 2017.

In other news:

The board unanimously approved a resolution and interlocal agreement to join the PACE purchasing cooperative. It allows the school district purchasing power for materials through Amazon.

The board unanimously approved a $750 bid from Charles Crowe for an old district box-truck.

The board approved the hiring of a new primary school nurse and instructor for the Head Start program.

All board members were present for the meeting.