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News from the SBISD Board
Board Meeting Highlights

August 27, 2012

 

Board Agenda: https://v3.boardbook.org/Public/PublicHome.aspx?ak=101920 

 

In opening remarks at the Board of Trustees regular meeting, Superintendent of Schools Duncan F. Klussmann, Ed.D., noted that the first day of school on Monday, August 27, had resulted in positive reports from around the district.

 

The opening of the new, two-story Pine Shadows Elementary School marks the ninth elementary school to be rebuilt under the voter-approved 2007 Bond Plan. Housman Elementary School will open later this year. In addition, first-day district enrollment totaled about 33,000 students, which is expected to increase after the Labor Day break. Typically, enrollment increases during the first few weeks of the new school year.

 

In separate meeting action, the Bond Oversight Committee presented its annual report on Bond-related projects to Trustees. The Board also approved Legislative Priorities and Positions for the 83rd Session of the Texas Legislature. The Texas Legislature will meet beginning in January 2013 on a variety of issues, including school funding. Two years ago, educational funding was reduced by more than $4 billion statewide.

 

Bond Oversight Committee   

Bond Oversight Committee Co-Chairs Curt Martin and David Slattery presented the group's annual report to the Board of Trustees. They noted that many current projects are ahead of schedule. Highlights include:

 

  • 11 new elementary schools are either completed or under way, with design and construction remaining on only two more elementary schools
  • The majority of system upgrades at SBISD buildings and facilities are now completed
  • With only a few exceptions, first round technology projects have also been completed

 

The co-chairs said that community members have generally shared positive comments about the 2007 Bond projects, including the development and use of transition campuses for elementary students and community involvement in new school design and development. Parent, student and staff reactions to new schools have been highly positive.

 

Concerns tend to focus on traffic, fencing and construction issues. In addition, legal requirements that prohibit spending the district's capital budget (bond program) on annual operating needs like salaries or campus budgets (operations) continue to be not well understood publicly. As a result of the many new schools, some community members are asking if more schools will be replaced after this bond is completed.

 

Legislative Priorities & Positions

The Board approved unanimously Legislative Priorities and Positions for the 83rd Session of the Texas Legislature, which will begin in January 2013. The district's goal is that all SBISD students will graduate on time from high school and then successfully complete a 2-year technical degree, a 2-year associate's degree or a 4-year bachelor's degree.

 

Trustees agree that the current state finance system and state accountability (testing) system are inadequate to meet the district's goals, the needs of SBISD students, and the expectations of our community. SBISD therefore advocates the following Legislative action in these areas:

 

Finance

  • Provide locally elected School Boards with the right to set the maintenance and operations tax rate
  • Restore target revenue funding per student for Spring Branch ISD to the level of the 2010-2011 school year
  • Provide for annual increases to target revenue funding per student based on student growth and inflation
  • Eliminate recapture of any tax revenue generated as the result of a tax ratification election
  • Eliminate Chapter 41 recapture (Robin Hood)
  • Support the appropriation of adequate funds to fully fund the cost of any new program mandated by the Legislature

 

Accountability

  • Support the right of the locally elected School Board to develop and implement its own accountability system
  • Support an accountability system that incorporates a variety of assessments including the SAT and ACT. Tools should be aligned with post-graduate opportunities and expectations.
  • Decrease the number of instructional days mandated by the state to test students
  • Eliminate any forced grade impact requirements with the STAAR EOC tests
  • Support an accountability system that decreases the frequency of tests for high-performing students in districts
  • Support accountability tools that are shared with educators prior to and after testing, so  areas of improvement can be identified for future instruction
  • Support accountability for the testing vendor chosen by the State of Texas

A more detailed list of Legislative Positions will be posted on the SBISD website.  

 

 

 

 In other action, the Board of Trustees...

  • Heard quarterly Energy and Investment Reports
  • Approved first reading of a local policy on Other Revenues: Investments
  • Approved several Board Operating Procedures
  • Approved numerous Consent Agenda items

 

 

 

 

 

This publication is produced by the SBISD Communications Department to provide important news and information about district issues, initiatives, and events.  Comments and feedback are welcome.