At their regular monthly meeting (which had to be rescheduled to Thursday, Jan. 18 due to weather), the Whitesboro Independent School District (WISD) board of trustees had a lot to celebrate.
With January being School Board Appreciation Month, the board met at 5 p.m. for a special dinner catered by the WISD food services department. The board was also presented with several small gifts as a thank you for the work they do for the district.
At 6 p.m. the board met in executive session where they conducted their annual evaluation of Superintendent Ryan Harper. (At the end of the open session meeting, they agreed to continue his contract.)
At 7:08 p.m., the board entered the Hayes Primary School cafeteria for open session and were met with a full house. Families of elementary level students who had competed in UIL this year were there to see their children recognized for their accomplishments.
April Ollila (5th grade social studies and science teacher and UIL coach) led the presentation and called each student up, one by one, to receive a certificate and shake the hands of each member of the school board. (See the full listing of those students in next week’s issue of the News-Record).
It was also announced that Whitesboro swept the competition in 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grades.
“This is the first time our elementary levels have swept UIL,” Ollila said.
Out of 27 UIL events, 12 had every participant place (including the alternates). Fourteen Whitesboro teams placed 1st; three placed 2nd; and two placed 3rd.
Also recognized at the meeting was Sheila Johnston, director of WISD Food Services. She had recently been named among the top 20 of all food service departments in the state of Texas.
Next, each school principal announced their teachers and employees of the month. At the high school level, art teacher Rheanna Fagan was named teacher of the month while student services counselor Ashley Drake was named employee of the month. At the middle school level, Special Education teacher Rachel Jones was named teacher of the month and food service worker Stephanie Harris was named employee of the month. At the intermediate school, music teacher Ashley Calderon was named teacher of the month while receptionist Angela Wolf was named employee of the month. At Hayes Primary, pre-K teacher Kenda Carey was named teacher of the month and computer lab monitor Lenet Gonzalez was named employee of the month.
Following recognitions, the board continued with the agenda. They agreed to adjust their committed fund balance to $2.5 million, based on last year’s audit report. They also agreed to move $138,280 to their general fund to adjust their worker’s comp fund balance.
They discussed the need for two new school buses, costing a total of $276,560. Harper assured the group they had the money to pay for the buses, and the board approved the purchase. They then discussed the possibility of selling two old buses (Bus 6, a 2013 model and Bus A, a 2011 model) on Renee Bates Auction, a public auction site.
“They cost more to run than their value right now,” Harper said.
The board agreed to list the buses for sale.
Monk Land Management had submitted a bid of $25k to demolish and remove structures on 4th Street property across from Whitesboro Middle School. According to Harper, from dilapidated buildings to old fishery equipment in the ground, the area has become hazardous and needs to be cleared. The board felt the bid was a fair price and agreed to move forward.
School administrators then gave updates on things happening throughout the district. Notably, Food Services has received a grant and will use the money to purchase more fresh produce and bring wagyu beef into the schools. The track resurface project has been delayed, most recently due to weather, as temperatures can’t be below freezing. The hope is for the project to be completed within the next couple of weeks. Whitesboro plans to host a track meet in February. If the track isn’t ready by then, another district has offered to host the event. Details to be determined.
The Athletics Department received their first update from the Lone Star Cup, an annual award given to one high school in each of the six UIL classifications (1A-6A) based on team performance in district and state championships. Whitesboro is currently placed 12th out of 233 schools. The district currently has 444 kids enrolled in athletics in grades 6-12.
Across campuses, schools are gearing up for testing and principals are encouraged by the results they’re beginning to see.
The next school board meeting is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 12. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. with executive session. Open session begins around 7 p.m. Meetings are held at the Hayes Primary School cafeteria and anyone is welcome to attend.