Among the losses from COVID-19 has been the ability for the Mineola school district to move past the elementary campus’s failing grade on the state accountability system issues in 2019.

Accountability measures were suspended last year after the pandemic shut down Texas schools in March, so the campus did not get a new grade in 2020.

It was announced recently that while students will still have to take the state assessment tests for 2020-21, they will not count toward accountability.

Curriculum Director Jennifer Knipp outlined the district’s latest targeted improvement plans that must be submitted to the state at Monday’s school board meeting.

She explained that the district had to undergo a reflection process with the state education agency that included new challenges such as the COVID-19 learning gap that resulted from shutting down the schools.

She outlined the three main focus areas are campus culture, raising expectations of instruction through planning and data-driven instruction.

Final data is expected later this week, but she showed some positive preliminary numbers, such as a 17% increase in the number of students on grade-level in math and 5% in reading.

“We’re moving in the right direction,” elementary Principal Brittany Thompson said.

Board President John Abbott added, “Good things are happening on that campus.”

The first phase of construction is set to begin at Mineola High School for a new band hall and related renovations.

The school board learned Monday that Sherrill Construction plans to start works as soon as school is dismissed for the holiday break this week. Bids for the various stages of site work totaled $581,164.

Construction Manager Wes McClure said this is well below estimates.

School trustees awarded a bid for $310,000 to Weyerhaeuser to log timber on the district’s 126-acre tract off NE Loop 564.

Consultant Buddy Rosser said the contract allows the company two years to remove the timber, though recent projects have averaged 11 months. The timber stand is about 70% pine, which will be logged.

Rosser said the market was good, as he had initially estimated the district would get a bid in the range of $265,000 to $267,000.

Trustees approved the district’s requests to the Meredith Foundation.

Superintendent Cody Mize said the three principal areas are $50,000 for 10 scholarships for high school seniors, interactive flat panels and laptops for teachers, in addition to campus wish lists.

Board President John Abbott noted that if the foundation does not fund all the projects, the district should consider the items at budget time and in requests to the education foundation.