May 17, 2021 at 6:00 PM - Regular Meeting

Description:  The Board President or his/her designee will call the meeting to order.

Description:  The Board President or his/her designee will call the roll of members.

Description:  Students at Brown Primary and Smithville Elementary will lead the group virtually in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Description:  Article XVI, section 1 of the Texas Constitution requires all elected or appointed state and local officers to take the official oath of office and to subscribe to the anti-bribery statement (Form 2201-Statement of Officer) before entering upon the duties of their office.  Local officers must retain the signed statement with the official records of the office.

Description:  "Before entering upon the duties of the office of Board of Trustee, the Trustee shall take the oath or affirmation of office and shall file it with the President of the Board."  Education Code 11.061; Tex. Const. Art. XVI, Sec. 1

At the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees in January the Board called for its regular election to be held on May 1, 2021.  In accordance with the election code, the newly elected Board members, Nancy Towry, Place 3 and Alan Hemphill, Place 4, will be sworn in at the next regular meeting following the regular election date, which is May 17, 2021.
Denise Behrens, acting in her capacity as a public notary, will administer the oath of office for the newly elected School Board Trustees.

Description:  Board policies BDAA [Legal] and BDAA [Local] specify that the Board will elect a president, vice-president, and secretary at the first meeting after each election and qualification of Trustees.

Board Operating Procedures adopted by the Board in June of 2020 specify the criteria for Board officers and the process for selecting Board officers.  Any member of the Board may nominate a trustee member for an officer position.  No Board member can hold an officer position without one-year minimum Board experience.  Board officers shall be elected by plurality vote of the members present and voting.  Board officers shall serve for a term of one year or until a successor is elected.  Officers may succeed themselves in office, however, an officer shall be limited to two consecutive terms in any one position.

For information purposes:

Alan Hemphill - elected as President in November 2020 and has served one term
Candice Parsons - elected as Vice-President in November 2020 and has served one term
Nancy Towry - elected as Secretary in November 2020 and has served one term

 

Description:  Once again, our hats are off to the outstanding achievements of the students at Smithville I.S.D., as well as their instructors. 

We would like to recognize our CX Debate District Champions Brooklyn Hemphill and Rachel Frerich, for qualifying for state competition and Lainie Hubbard for state qualification in News Writing.  

Smithville I.S.D. had three athletes who competed at the state track meet; Nikolette Schmidt placed 5th in pole vault, Brice Chabot placed 7th in the 100m Dash and in the 200m Dash and Charles Hodge IV placed 7th in the 400m Dash.  Outstanding!

Congratulations to Emma Huerta, who placed 11th at the state powerlifting meet.

The following students qualified for state competition in Floriculture: Crystal Lopez Digat, Kaylee Winegarner and Steeley Earp.  Great job, ladies!

And last, but certainly not least, members of our SHS Tiger Band who qualified for state competition in UIL Solo and Ensemble including: Flute Trio-Devany Flores, Amy Frushay, Alexis Olivas; BbClarinet Trio-Mia Burns, Abbey Frushay, Joanna Ngim; Mixed Clarinet Quartet-Chloe Callan, Mia Burns, Abbey Frushay, Chelsa Skotnicki; Saxophone Quartet-Bradley Boatright, Samatha Gurley, Charles King, Trevor Persinger; Misc. Woodwind Ensemble-Trinity Campion, Tristan Campion, Bodie Hughes, Joanna Ngim, Alexa Oballe-Escareno, Donley Romo-Pargas, Leah Segura, Micah Southwell, Kylie Tiner, Amanda Vinklarek; Misc. Woodwind Ensemble-Kaitlyn Berryann, Sage Bryan, David Burch, Rachel Frerich, Jasmin Huerta, Taylor Macedo, Chassity Navarette, Trevor Persinger, Codie Segura, Kylie Spencer; Flute Choir-Devany Flores, Amy Frushay, Alondra Hernandez, Alexis Olivas, Kylie Spencer, Amanda Vinklarek; Clarinet Choir-Annabella Bryan, Melvin Evans, Abbey Frushay, Anna Garner, Clare Johnson, Alexa Oballe-Escareno, Aizik Trevino; Misc. Saxophone Ensemble-David Burch, Rachel Frerich, Micah Southwell, Tristan Campion, Bodie Hughes, Charles King; Horn Quartet-Iain Ferrell, Alyson Gray, Grace Hamilton, Michelle Holloway; Trombone Quartet-Crystal Lopez Digat, Logan Motyka, Mason Southwell, Aiden Trevino; Tuba/Euphonium Quartet-Damien Cazares, Crystal Lopez Digat, Logan Motyka, Mason Southwell; Brass Quintet-Carlee Edwards, Iain Ferrell, Jesse Mayes, Braeden Smith, Nikki Turner, Dylan Bowling, Pedro Duran, Xavier Evans, Cody Kennon, Zachery Montgomery; Craig Bryan, Emma Burch, Grace Hamilton, Brianna Knight, Mason Utecht; Brass Sextet-Dylan Bowling, Craig Bryan, Alyson Gray, Cody Kennon, Sophie Prince, Aiden Trevino; Percussion Ensemble-Samantha  Dworaczyk, Ian Fettes, Brooklyn Hemphill, Lydia Johnson, James Schuck.

Wow!  Smithville ISD has very talented students and dedicated staff!!

We are proud of all of our students and the recognition they have earned for Smithville schools, and are pleased to take this opportunity to recognize them.
 

Description:  Each nine-weeks the middle school and high school faculties select an outstanding student from their respective campus.  Students are rated on a scale of 1 to 10 on such criteria as grades, honesty, enthusiasm, cooperation with teachers and their peers, class participation and leadership.

Carina Berryann, an eighth grader and Konner Namken, also an eighth grader, have been selected as the outstanding students for the fourth nine-weeks from Smithville Junior High. Carina is the daughter of Doug and Ana Berryann., and Konner is the son of Courtland and Sheila Namken.  Two students have been selected as outstanding students from Smithville High School for the fourth nine-weeks.  They are Jasmin Huerta, a sophomore, and Isaac Gonzales, a senior.  Jasmin is the daughter of Maria Guadalupe and Jose Huerta and Isaac is the son of Leslie Gonzales and Daniel Garcia.
Our congratulations to all of these students!
 

Description:  Citizens wishing to address the Board of Trustees have so indicated by listing their name on the Communications from the Public sign-in sheet located on the table at the entrance to the boardroom if the meeting is done in person, or at the link provided on the published board agenda if conducted remotely. Those signing have given a brief indication of the topics to be addressed.
Comments to the Board of Trustees under this provision will be limited to three minutes.
The members of the Board of Trustees will listen to citizen presentations during this portion of a regularly scheduled meeting, but they will not comment or participate in a discussion of the topic. 

Description:  Board members routinely approve items on the consent agenda as a group.  These are routine agenda items.  Board members have the option to ask questions regarding any of the items listed under "consent agenda".

Description:  State law requires that a record be kept in the form of official minutes on each meeting held by a governmental body and that these minutes be approved at the next regular meeting.

Attached are the minutes of the April 19, 2021 regular board meeting and the May 11, 2021 special meeting.

Description:  Monthly reporting of financial position in relation to the budget.  The Board is provided monthly financial statements.

Description:  Meet legal reporting requirements for investments.
In order the meet legal reporting requirements for investments, the Board receives quarterly reports on District investments.

Description:  The Board has requested a monthly status report of earned state aid in relation to the budget.

Description:  The Board has requested a monthly status report of earned state aid in relation to the budget.

Description:  Attached is the Tax Assessor-Collector's Report.

Description:  Budget amendments are necessary to properly appropriate funds for necessary expenditures of the District.  Budget amendments on the function level require Board approval.  The CFO routinely performs monitoring of District finance and reports to the Board any potential areas that require amendment and the reason the amendment is necessary.

Description:  The Chief Financial Officer, Jean Ann McCarthy, will review the financial disbursements for the previous month with the Board of Trustees.  No action is required.

Description:  The Superintendent will update the Board on important issues pertaining to the District.

Description:  Smithville ISD administrators will present an update on COVID-19 as it pertains to instruction and mitigation plans for the district.

Description:  School district attorneys will be present at the meeting to update the Board of Trustees on the timeline and the status of the Big Star Solar, LLC project as it relates to the district.

Description:  High School Graduation will be held on Friday, May 28, 2021 at 8:00 p.m. at Tiger Stadium in Smithville, Texas.  The Board is invited as a group to participate in the ceremony.  Mr. Tucker Copeland, high school principal, will be present at the board meeting to go over the events of graduation night.

 

Description:  Tentative items to be included on the June regular agenda:
a.  Financial Report
b.  Superintendent’s Report
c.  Covid-19  Update
d.  First Draft of the 2021-2022 District Budget
e.  Technology Report
f.   Discuss Board Policy EIC (Local)
g.   Schedule Board Meeting Dates for 2021-2022
h    Board Self Evaluation
i.   Personnel
 

Description:  A summary of the financial impact of the Value Limitation Application from Big Star Solar, LLC is attached for information purposes.

Description:  On March 2, 2021 Governor Greg Abbott issued Executive Order GA-34 relating to the opening of Texas in response to the COVID-19 disaster, which included the guidance that public schools may operate as provided by, and under the minimum standard health protocols found in, guidance issued by the Texas Education Agency.  In response to this executive order, TEA published an updated Public Health Guidance for Schools, which addressed wearing of masks as follows:

Health and Hygiene Practices: Masks
1. For the purposes of this document, masks include non-medical and medical grade disposable face masks and cloth face coverings (over the nose and mouth). Full-face shields may be used 8 in place of a mask to protect eyes, nose, and mouth whenever a mask is not feasible or whenever the education context may benefit from the ability to see an individual’s full face.

2.  Schools must comply with the following requirements:

• Every student, teacher, or staff member shall wear a mask over the nose and mouth when inside a school building, school facility, facility used for school activities, or when in an outdoor space on school property or used for school activities, wherever it is not feasible to maintain six feet of social distancing from another person not in the same household; provided, however, that this mask requirement does not apply to the following: ? Any person younger than 10 years of age, except where a school system determines it is developmentally appropriate; ? Any person with a medical condition or disability that prevents wearing a mask; ? Any person while the person is consuming food or drink, or is seated in a dining area to eat or drink; ? Any person while the person is: (a) exercising outdoors or engaging in physical activity outdoors; and (b) maintaining a safe distance from other people not in the same household; or ? Any person while the person is giving a speech for a broadcast or to an audience.
•  The above mask-wearing requirements do not apply to any school system that was exempted from the face covering requirements of Executive Order GA-29 during its effect due to a county judge attestation filed with the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
• The governing board of a school system may modify or eliminate by formal action the above mask-related requirements.

3. In addition to the mask-wearing requirements listed above, school systems may require the use of masks or face shields for adults or students for whom it is developmentally appropriate.

4. It may be impractical for students to wear masks or face shields while participating in some non-UIL athletic or other extracurricular activities. In situations where masks are required by this guidance and when it is impractical for students to wear masks or face shields during those activities, schools must require students, teachers, staff, and visitors to wear masks or face shields when entering and exiting facilities and practice areas and when not actively engaging in those activities. Schools may, for example, allow students who are actively exercising to remove masks or face shields, as long as they maintain at least six feet of distance from other students, teachers, and staff who are not wearing masks or face shields. However, schools must require students, teachers, and staff to wear masks or face shields as they arrange themselves in positions that will allow them to maintain safe distancing.

It has been requested by parents and community members that the Board of Trustees review and possibly revoke or alter the current mask practice.

Description:  Our current agreement with IQS, Inc became effective June 15, 2019.  The agreement was for one year with four possible renewals each year thereafter by amendment upon approval of the Board of Trustees.  This request is the 2^nd renewal request for this contract.   
Per the terms of the custodial service agreement, it is the recommendation of administrative staff that the Board of Trustees renew the custodial contract with IQS, Inc for an additional year.

Description:  The district is required to bid for depository services every two years (with the possibility of three additional two-year terms).  Depository contracts must be awarded prior to the conclusion of our current contract on August 31, 2021. Bid documents were sent out to all banks located within the district boundaries as required by Texas Education Code 45.206. The bid was received and opened on April 28, 2021 in accordance with purchasing law.   The depository bid was reviewed to determine the best offer for the services requested.  A bid tabulation has been prepared.  

Description:  As a result of the reorganization of the Board of Trustees there will possibly be a change in officers.  The Board President and the Board Secretary must be authorized to sign on the District accounts at First National Bank, the District’s depository.
 

Description:  The purpose of this agenda item is to authorize the purchase of a special needs bus and to authorize the contract for roof repairs on the Elementary gym.

The budget included $57,000 for the repair of the Elementary gym roof. Due to increased construction costs, the actual quoted price will be $65,092. We currently have a special needs bus that is a 2004 model with over 200,000 miles and needs to be replaced. These requested expenditures are within the current budget with the approval of the previous budget amendment.  The District would like to proceed with this action to ensure that the supplies and equipment are delivered in a timely fashion and proper lead time can be given for installation.

Description:  Board policies EFAA (legal) and EFAA (local) address the selection and adoption of instructional materials for the district.  The instructional resource committee recommendation is to adopt all titles on the state approved list.  From the list, each campus will determine the supplemental materials to be ordered based on instructional allotment funds and need assessments for each campus. 
In order to remain in compliance with board policy and state guidelines to enable the district to obtain state funded instructional materials for the school district, the Board of Trustees must certify the use of Instructional Material Allotment Funds for instructional resources within the school district.
The textbook adoption came to the Board in a previous meeting.  However, this is a new template required by TEA that includes all materials currently used in the district and requires additional Board action for approval.
 

Description:  The Superintendent and Chief Financial Officer would like to schedule a workshop for the Board of Trustees in order to solicit input on the 2021-2022 District budget.

Description:  The Superintendent would like to schedule a special workshop of the Board of Trustees to review and/or edit their goals for 2021-2022.

Description: 
The TASA/TASB Convention this year is September 24-26, 2021 and will be held at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas.  The 2021 Delegate Assembly will meet on Saturday, September 25th.

As of now, the convention is scheduled to be held in-person.  If information is received from TASA/TASB regarding possible changes to the date or event schedule due to increase in COVID-19 occurrences, the Board will be updated.
 

Description:  The Board President will set a date for the completed Board Self-Assessment Instrument to be returned for tabulation. The instrument is included as an attachment in the packet for the Board’s convenience.  The Board will address its self-evaluation at the regular June meeting.
 

Description:  The Superintendent informed the Board of the resignation of Dawn Vinklarek, teacher at Smithville High School.  No action was required.

 

Description:  According to Board Policy DC [Local], the Superintendent has the authority to make recommendations to the Board regarding the selection of all personnel.  The Superintendent recommends employment of the following employees:

Leanna Gray - Teacher
Degree - ME from Texas State University
Certification - Life Sciences grades 7-12
Years of Experience - 2 years
Campus - Smithville High School
To replace Dawn Vinklarek

Jacob Rigby - Teacher/Coach
Degree - BA from William Carey University
Certification - Social Studies grades 7-12 from the state of Mississippi, Texas certificate in process
Years of Experience - 3 years
Campus - Smithville Junior High
To replace Gary Anthony

Brandi Lindquist - Teacher
Degree - BS from Howard Payne University
Certification - Generalist grades 4-8, Elem. English grades 1-6, Elem. Self-Contained grades 1-6, Elem. Reading grades 1-6
Years of Experience - 26 years
Campus - Smithville Elementary School
To replace Susan Schobel

To renew the contract of Cyndee Johnson, current teacher at Smithville Junior High, for the 2021-2022 school year.