Bonham, TX --- A regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of Bonham ISD was held August 19, 2024 in the Bonham ISD Administration Center, 1005 Chestnut Street in Bonham, Texas.
Chance Roberts called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. All board members were present except Sean Floyd and Myles Galyon. Carlous Gilstrap led the invocation. Board members led the pledges to the US and Texas flags.
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Warrior Talk
Carlous Gilstrap wanted to welcome everyone back to school. He said it was good to see all activities happening around the district. LaTonia Arris said she has loved all the pictures and fun she has seen. She said she enjoys the junior high updates and is excited to see the dirt moving on the new school. Kenzie McCraw said the social media work has been amazing for the district, highlighting all that is going on across the district. Jason Fox said that with all the changes this school year, everything has been very smooth. He had high praise for staff coming together. He later added that he has heard lots of good about our police department from teachers, staff and community.
Chance Roberts echoed all that the other board members stated and added that all athletics are off to a good start. Roberts also expressed enjoyment in working with the superintendent to welcome students at the drop-off lanes on the first day of school at I.W. Evans. Roberts also read several thank you notes out loud. More than one note expressed appreciation for the $500 surprise bonus for all teachers at the start of the school year.
Superintendent Dr. Joy Wilson had high praise for Chief Templeton who provided assistance with pick-up at Finley Oates today. On the first day of school, pick up took until 4:05 p.m. and today it was finished by 3:15 p.m.
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There was no Public Comment.
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Board approved the Consent Agenda which included approval of meeting minutes and financial statements and bills payable for July.
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Reports to the Board – board accepted written reports from Assistant Superintendent, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operations Officer, Director of Child Nutrition and Superintendent. Wilson reviewed the list of 5 open positions in the district and noted that all teaching positions are fully staffed.
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BISD Chief of Police Hunter Templeton swore in officer Bryant Smith. Templeton noted that Smith is a 2010 Bonham High School graduate and reviewed all of Smith’s prior law enforcement experience, which included work at the VA in Bonham.
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Board approved an additional personnel unit - additional police officer. The district has a grant that will cover the cost of one year of salary for two officers. With this additional officer, there are now a total of four officers in the district. It is currently unclear if the district can re-apply for the grant. Wilson stated that they will reapply if they can.
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Board approved two additional Police Units - Two Police Officer Vehicles. One new vehicle is for the new officer. The second is for replacing one existing police vehicle.
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Board approved a Budget Amendment. The original district budget included only an estimate for the co-op services. The FCSSA board met recently and the actual amount is now known, so the budget for co-op services needed to be increased. Roberts noted that there has been a significent increase in this part of the budget over last three years and also a corresponding increase in number of students receiving these services.
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Board approved giving the Superintendent the authority to execute the contract or choice by the district to pay recapture to the state.
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In an information item, board members were provided a copy of the 2024-2025 Employee Handbook. Wilson noted that the changes to dress code were marked in red.
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Board approved 2024-2025 BISD Student Code of Conduct.
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Board approved purchase over $50k for TASB insurance. Jason Busby explained that the districts total cost for insurance increased about $52k over last year. This includes Directors & Officers insurance, general liability, property, auto and workers compensation. Busby stated that L.H. Rather is not covered by flood insurance, however once the new school is built and renovated, it will be out of the flood plain and will be able to be covered once construction is complete.
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As an information item, the board was given copies of the 2024-2025 Campus Parent/Student Handbooks.
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As an information item, the board was given an update of Locally Certified Teachers under BISD's District of Innovation Plan.
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Board took no action on the Resolution regarding the Lease Agreement of real property by Bonham ISD consisting of the Auditorium and Gymnasium to the Fannin Youth Initiative, located south of L.H. Rather Junior High. Wilson explained that they do not have a finalized document yet, as the recent changes are being reviewed by lawyers for the district and the nonprofit. The district has requested financial reports from the nonprofit to provide reassurance that they have the funds to operate the facilities. The nonprofit has provided a list of board members and other information as requested by the district. The board expressed appreciation to the nonprofit for stepping up to utilize and maintain the space and for providing after-school care. Dax Bruner with FYI was present to answer questions. He stated he is a youth pastor and substitute teacher.
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Board approved PIA (Public Information Act) Calendar as required by HB 3033.
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Board approved 2024-2025 T-TESS Appraisers
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Board approved 2024-2025 T-TESS Appraisal Calendar.
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As an information item, the board was given the 2024-2025 Campus Testing Calendars and Assessment Data Board Reporting Schedule.
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After much discussion and many questions, the board approved Policy change to DNB(LOCAL): Performance Appraisal - Evaluation of Campus Administrators. Wilson explained that this would shift from local system to a rubric-based standardized system that would align with the system currently used to evaluate the teachers. This system allows the administrators to document throughout the year what they are accomplishing towards their goals and what they are being evaluated on.
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Board approved a resolution for Fannin County 4-H Extension Services organization to receive extra-curricular status.
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Board approved Fannin County Extension Service Adjunct Faculty Request.
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Information Item: 2024 STAAR/EOC Performance Report
Wilson reported that there is a lawsuit pending with the state, therefore the A-F rating for school districts across the state has been paused. Wilson reviewed the testing results for each grade, as compared to our region and state. There was much discussion and many questions with the board and staff. Wilson had high praise for BHS having “exponential” growth and noted that for that campus, this is more than the test scores, as it also includes graduation rates, and other items to impact the district scores.
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Board went to Executive Session at 7:30 p.m. and returned at 8:21 p.m. Pursuant to Texas Government Code section § 551.074, there was discussion of personnel matters pertaining to evaluations, duties, terminations, replacements, reassignments, hiring, and additions to the staff
1. New Hires: Melissa McDaniel ~ Finley-Oates; Kaylee McCullough ~ Bailey Inglish; Courtney Allen ~ Administration; Madison Braley ~ Finley-Oates; Brian Cottier ~ BHS; Kelsa Horton ~ BHS; Maria Deleon ~ Finley-Oates; Treyson Jones ~ L.H. Rather; Dorothy Morgan ~ Transportation; Pamala Harvey ~ Finley-Oates; Emily Donahue ~ Finley-Oates;
2. Reassignments: Joe Goodson ~ BHS;
3. Resignations: Maria Deleon ~ Finley-Oates; Christi Fox ~ BHS; Andrea Pearson ~ I.W. Evans; Mike Maxam ~ Transportation; Maria Figueroa ~ Cafeteria; Ana Rios ~ Finley-Oates; Karen Humphrey ~ Transportation;
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The board took no actions after Executive Session. The meeting adjourned at 8:21 p.m.