Monday night’s Whitesboro ISD school board meeting began with a series of student and staff recognitions. Whitesboro Elementary UIL Academic students (second through fifth grade),
who were named District Champs after December’s competition, were presented with certificates for team and individual honors. More than 90 students earned individual medals, while 19 teams placed either first or second.
Next, the board recognized teachers and staff of the month for each campus. At Whitesboro High School, Teacher of the Month is Berna Dette Orr and Employee of the Month is Connie Farren. At Whitesboro Middle School, Teacher of the Month is Janet Ledbetter and Employee of the Month is Perla Gomez. At Whitesboro Intermediate School, Teacher of the Month is Tracie Huhnke and Employee of the Month is Debra Brule. At Hayes Primary School, Teacher of the Month is Traci Reynolds and Employee of the Month is Cindy Ortiz.
Regarding school bond projects, school administration recently took teachers to pick out classroom furniture for the new Early Childhood Center (ECC) that is currently being built. The group purchased $694,000 worth of furniture, which will outfit the entire ECC. This money was already factored into the overall budget. The district is still anticipating an Aug. 1 move-in date for the building.
Also with the new ECC comes the need for new staff positions. The board approved the opening of job postings for a principal, counselor, nurse, PE/coach, music, officer, receptionist and librarian.
In other business, the board voted to cancel the May 2 school board election, as the three incumbents are running unopposed.
The board approved a new phone system for the district which will provide a phone for every classroom that includes a built-in PA system so teachers and staff can communicate more effectively. The new system will be a five-year plan and includes a one-time fee of $49,631.42 with a $20,000 service/maintenance fee for the following four years. After reviewing several companies and plans, this was the system that seemed to best meet the district’s needs.
State mandates require all school buses to have seat belts, so WISD must now install seat belts in seven buses that currently do not have that feature. Superintendent Ryan Harper provided a report with cost estimates of around $70,000 per bus, bringing the total to $423, 500. The board accepted the report.
Harper also alerted the board that next year, three of the largest classes will be heading to Whitesboro Middle School. As a result, the district needs to purchase two portable buildings which will be situated between the library and the sixth grade wing. Harper has located two used buildings which the district could use for three years, then sell back to the company. The total would be $141,810 for both buildings. The board approved.
Lastly, a recent Intruder Detection Audit found that one internal door in one of the schools did not latch as it should have when it was closed. The closing mechanism wasn’t working properly and will be repaired.
