February 24, 2025 at 6:00 PM - Regular Meeting
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A. Call to Order
Description:
The Board President or his/her designee will call the meeting to order.
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B. Roll Call
Description:
The Board President or his/her designee will call the roll of members.
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C. Student Led Pledge of Allegiance
Description:
Students from Smithville Elementary who have received the most Tiger Tokens for the month will lead the group in the pledge. Those students are:
1st Grade: Renata Andrade-Soto Jaydah Bledsoe Ariana Bailey 2nd Grade: Rylan Blackwell Penney Behrens Emilee Alvarado 3rd Grade: Julieta Andrade-Soto Austin Andrus Elias Barron 4th Grade Blaize Behrens Keatyn Becker Liberty Alloy-Bailey 5th Grade: Serenity Blakeley Stewart Charity Bennett Destin Anderson |
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D. Board Recognitions
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D.1. Smithville Elementary Tiger of the Month
Description:
Smithville Elementary School is excited to celebrate outstanding students by introducing the "Tiger of the Month" recognition. Elementary staff will nominate students who exhibit characteristics such as kindness, strong character, and helpfulness. Each month, one exceptional student will be honored by the campus, recognized at the school board meeting, and will receive a special yard sign to proudly display at home.
Smithville Elementary is pleased to announce that we have two Tigers of the Month! They are: Genevive Guerra in 1st grade and Nico Borja, in 2nd grade. Good job little tigers! |
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E. Public Communications
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. |
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F. Consent Agenda
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".
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F.1. Minutes
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.
Included in the board packet are the minutes from the January 27, 2025 regular meeting, the January 29, 2025 special meeting and the February 3, 2025 special meeting.
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F.2. Financial Statements
Description:
Monthly reporting of financial position in relation to the budget. The Board is provided monthly financial statements.
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F.3. Investment Report
Description:
Meet legal reporting requirements for investments.
In order the meet legal reporting requirements for investments, the Board receives quarterly reports on District investments. |
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F.4. State Aid Comparison - Budgeted vs. Earned
Description:
The Board has requested a monthly status report of earned state aid in relation to the budget.
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F.5. Earned vs. TEA Payments
Description:
The Board has requested a monthly status report of earned state aid in relation to the budget.
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F.6. Tax Collection Report
Description:
Attached is the Tax Assessor-Collector's Report.
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F.7. Budget Amendments
Description:
Budget Amendments allow for properly appropriated funds for the necessary expenditures of the District. Budget Amendments on the function level require Board approval.
The business office provides monthly monitoring and reporting to the Board of Trustees of potential areas that require amendment and the reasons they are necessary.
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G. Information Items
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G.1. Financial Report
Description:
The business manager, Sean Sanchez, will review the financial disbursements for the previous month with the Board of Trustees. No action is required.
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G.2. Superintendent's Report
Description:
The Superintendent will update the Board on important issues pertaining to the District.
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G.3. Smithville ISD Strategic Plan 2023-2027 Update
Description:
Dr. Logan, Assistant Superintendent, will give a regular progress report/update on the Smithville I.S.D. Strategic Plan.
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G.4. Child Nutrition Calendar Input
Description:
Mrs. Biehle, Child Nutrition Director, would like to address the board about the possible impact a four-day calendar will have on her staff and students who received child nutrition services.
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G.5. Tentative March Agenda Items
Description:
a. Financial Report
b. Superintendent’s Report c. Board Recognitions d. Strategic Plan Update e. Smithville's Southside History Project f. Presentation of 2025-2026 High School Course Catalog g. Consider Extension of Audit Services h. Resignations and Employment of Certified Personnel i. Consider and Take Action Regarding Certified Staff Contract Renewal |
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H. Closed Session
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I. Action Items
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I.1. Consider Adoption of a Resolution Designating BOKF, NA as the Paying Agent/Registrar for Certain of the District's Outstanding Public Securities and Matters Related Thereto
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I.2. Remove Business Manager Currently Listed as User for TexPool, Lone Star Investments, First National Bank and all other Financial Accounts Associated with Smithville I.S.D., and Add New Business Manager when Hired
Description:
Due to the dismissal of current Business Manager Sean Sanchez, and pending hire of a new Business Manager, the district representative for TexPool, Lone Star Investments, First National Bank and all other financial accounts associated with Smithville I.S.D. will be Superintendent Cheryl Burns. This board agenda is to take action to remove Mr. Sanchez from all accounts and add the new business manager when hired.
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I.3. Consider Approval of Resolution to Waive Staff Make-up Day for Bad Weather Event
Description:
Recently, Smithville ISD canceled and delayed school due to a freezing weather event on January 21, 2025. All schools in Bastrop County were closed, upon recommendation by the Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management. The 2024-2025 calendar had adequate minutes built in to negate make-up for students. It is being proposed that the day be waived for staff and requires no make-up or salary reduction for that day. This is a Board decision, requiring Board action.
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I.4. Consider Approval of Copier Lease Purchase Agreement with Premier Systems, Inc.
Description:
In December 2011 Smithville I.S.D. entered into a lease purchase agreement with Premier Systems, Inc. to place copiers in the district. The agreement was renewed in 2018, and Smithville I.S.D. continues to be satisfied with the service. At this time, we would like to enter into another capital lease agreement with Premier Systems, Inc. to upgrade the copiers currently serving the district, with the addition of one color copier.
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I.5. Consider Approval of Membership and Participation in the Region 10 ESC Multi-Region Purchasing Cooperative for School Year 2025-2026
Description:
The Region 10 Multi-Region Purchasing Cooperative organizes and administers the child nutrition cooperative purchasing and commodity processing program for RA's located in the state of Texas. Authority for such service is granted by Section 8.053 of the Texas Education Code, Chapter 791 of the Texas Government Code, and Chapter 271, Subchapter F, of the Texas Local Government Code. The goal of the cooperative is to obtain substantial savings on food service items through volume purchasing. There is no fee to join.
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I.6. Consideration and Possible Approval of 2025-2026 School Calendar
Description:
Administrators designed potential school calendars that complied with standard state requirements and incorporated suggestions from campus principals and other district staff. Surveys were sent out to solicit input from staff, parents and community members. The campus site-based committees met to review the drafts. The district site-based committee then met to discuss and analyze the calendars presented.
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I.7. Designating School Holidays in Accordance with HB 3033 Public Information Act
Description:
HB 3033 passed during the 88th Legislative Session, effective September 1, 2023, makes significant changes to the Texas Public Information Act (PIA), prompting a need for districts to update their procedures and for the board of trustees to take action. Various provisions throughout the PIA require a governmental entity to act within a prescribed number of "business days." The statute previously did not define the term "business days," However, for years, the Attorney General’s Office interpreted the term "business days" to not include days the governmental entity was closed for business or holidays the governmental entity chose to observe. For school districts, this meant that closures such as fall break, winter break, and spring break were not counted as business days when calculating applicable deadlines. This longstanding interpretation has now been changed by the legislature. Under HB 3033, the only days that do not count as business days are the following:
To take advantage of the 10 additional "non-business days" each calendar year, the board of trustees must officially designate these days. |
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I.8. Consider Approval of TASB Board Policy Update 124 and Edits or Additions to the Following Local Policies: CAA(LOCAL): FISCAL MANAGEMENT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES - FINANCIAL ETHICS, CDA(LOCAL): OTHER REVENUES - INVESTMENTS, CY(LOCAL): INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, DH(LOCAL): EMPLOYEE STANDARDS OF CONDUCT, EHB(LOCAL): CURRICULUM DESIGN - SPECIAL PROGRAMS, EHBB(LOCAL): SPECIAL PROGRAMS - GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS, FFG(LOCAL): STUDENT WELFARE - CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT
GKA(LOCAL): COMMUNITY RELATIONS - CONDUCT ON SCHOOL PREMISES
Description:
The District must update and maintain its policies with the most recent legislation and educational regulation changes. In your packet of information, you have been provided the Update 123 Local Policy Overview. The board should not adopt (LEGAL) policies, but TASB recommends that they be reviewed. Therefore, (LEGAL) policies are included for review in Update 124. The attachments provide you with information concerning the policy changes found in the update. The information included in the board packet is a summary of each of the policy changes. The update includes changes to the following local board policies:
CAA(LOCAL): FISCAL MANAGEMENT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES - FINANCIAL ETHICS CDA(LOCAL): OTHER REVENUES - INVESTMENTS CY(LOCAL): INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DH(LOCAL): EMPLOYEE STANDARDS OF CONDUCT EHB(LOCAL): CURRICULUM DESIGN - SPECIAL PROGRAMS EHBB(LOCAL): SPECIAL PROGRAMS - GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS FFG(LOCAL): STUDENT WELFARE - CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT GKA(LOCAL): COMMUNITY RELATIONS - CONDUCT ON SCHOOL PREMISES
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I.9. Certification of Unopposed Status for the May 3, 2025 School Board Election
Description:
Sec. 2.052. Certification of unopposed status
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I.10. Take Action to Cancel the May 3, 2025 Regular School Board Election Due to Unopposed Candidates
Description:
The regular board election is scheduled for May 3, 2025. Positions up for election are Place 5, currently held by Candice Parsons, Place 6, currently held by Josh Magden, and Place 7, currently held by Michael Hancock. All incumbents have refiled. The deadline to file for a place on the ballot was Friday, February 14, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.. Section 2.051-2.053 of the Texas Election Code states that an election may be cancelled for one of the following three reasons; 1) Each candidate (for full or un-expired terms) whose name is to appear on the ballot is unopposed; 2) The election is one in which a declaration of write-in candidacy is required; and 3) No proposition is on the ballot. Due to the fact that Board of Trustee Place 1, Candice Parsons, Place 5, Josh Magden and Place 7, Michael Hancock are unopposed candidates, we are within Election Code requirements to request cancelation of our regular May election.
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I.11. Personnel
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I.11.a. Resignations of Certified Personnel
Description:
The Superintendent would like to inform the Board of the resignations of: Cydney Marlow, teacher/coach at Smithville High School, Leah Stinson, teacher at Smithville High School, and the retirement of Michael Trost, teacher at the Junior High, and Gail Deeley, teacher at Brown Primary.
No action is required. |
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I.11.b. Employment of Certified Personnel
Description:
According to Board Policy DC [Local], the Superintendent has the authority to make recommendations to the Board regarding the selection of all personnel.
Chris Sexton - Teacher/Coach Degree - BS from Oklahoma Wesleyan University Certification - Health EC-12, PE EC-12, Social Studies 7-12, History 8-12 Years of Experience - 12 years Campus - High School Replacing Jeffrey Neely |
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I.12. Consideration/Action Regarding Administrator Employment Contract Renewals/Extensions
Description:
Board Policy DC Series addresses employment of personnel and contracts. According to Board Policy DC [Local], the Superintendent has the sole authority to make recommendations to the Board regarding the selection of contracted personnel. Final authority for selection and employment of classroom teachers, principals, librarians, nurses, counselors, and other certified contractual personnel is retained by the Board.
The following administrators are currently on a two-year term contract and are in the first year of that contract. The Superintendent recommends the following administrators for a one-year extension of their existing contract which will, in effect, give them a new two-year contract to expire June 30, 2027: Bethany Logan - Assistant Superintendent Tucker Copeland - High School Principal Sarah Vinklarek - Brown Primary Principal The following administrators are currently on a one-year term contract and are being recommended for a two-year term contract to expire in June 2027: Tracy Johnson - Director of Special Education Amanda Hudspeth - Junior High School Principal Holly Brockman - Elementary Principal The following administrators are currently on a one-year probationary contract and are being recommended for a one-year term contract to expire in June 2026: Layne Neumann - Athletic Director The following administrators are currently on a one-year term contract, and are being recommended for a one-year term contract to expire June 30, 2026: Brenda Ricketts - High School Assistant Principal Erin O’Rourke - Elementary Assistant Principal Whitney Brown - Special Programs Coordinator Misty Vasquez - 504 Facilitator |
