The Alba-Golden School Board approved a district-wide 3% general pay increase for the upcoming school year Monday’s. The initiative to improve pay fulfilled a goal set by the school board at the beginning of the calendar year. 

The decision followed a Texas Association of School Board (TASB) review of Alba-Golden pay and a comparative analysis with 20 surrounding school districts. The analysis revealed a lag in the district’s pay scale, especially for teachers in their first nine years of teaching.

The board made known that special adjustments for any positions that fell below the market medium will receive added compensation. The overall result of these adjustments will be a 4.6% increase. 

The new pay grade and rates will be effective Sept. 1. The pay increase is fully accounted for in the 2024-25 proposed budget. 

Superintendent Shelby Davidson informed the trustees that all teaching positions had been filled for the upcoming year. 

The board approved the hiring of Pete Bell as elementary school principal and Heidi Driskill as a first-grade teacher. Secondary school hires included Crystal Barton (English), LeeAnn Cockrum (math), John Derington (band director),  Chelsea Dooley (math), Sheila Hartin (science), Lisa Langford (science), Kimberly Martin  (ag science), and Chris Sieber (coach/teacher).

The board approved resignations from Tracy Browning, Anna Holcomb, Teresa Landry, Taylor Manley, Muna Mitchell and Riley Stack. 

Business Manager Kaitlynn Hawley briefed the proposed 2024-25 budget, in which payroll expenses amounted to 56% (or $6.1M) of the $11.4M budget. Hawley described the proposed budget as a conservative budget which incorporates the new payroll costs, restores funding to all line items which had been covered by federal COVID-related grants, meets all departmental requirements and is balanced. 

Food Service Director Laura Reid confirmed for the board that the state had just approved the application to provide cost-free breakfast and lunch for all students for the 2024-25 school year. 

The board received two informational briefings. Angela Breitkreutz of the non-profit organization Bright Cross described the efforts of the local communities in readying enough framed copies of the U.S. national  motto, “In God We Trust” to outfit each classroom in Alba-Golden schools.  

Additionally, Wood County Sheriff Lt. Miles Tucker volunteered to describe the communications system, CopSync, to the board. Although the system had been in use at Alba-Golden since 2013, advances required refamiliarization. 

Curriculum Director Megan Smith briefed the board on the results of the spring STAAR testing. The report was encouraging as Alba-Golden students surpassed the state and regional average marks in fourth grade math, sixth grade reading, eighth grade reading, English I, biology and U.S. history. Not meeting the state standards and/or exhibiting a downward trend were fifth, sixth and eight grade math.  

A host of preparatory items were dispatched by the board. All votes were unanimous. The board approved Monday, Aug. 12 as the public hearing date for setting the tax rate; certified the superintendent to serve on the Region Advisory Committee; approved the secondary school, model employee and athletics handbooks; retained Rutherford and Taylor of Greenville as auditors for the coming budget year; approved the employee compensation plan; and approved the tax collection agreements with Rains and Wood Counties.