February 23, 2015 Board Meeting
Board Briefs covers the highlights of each month's board meeting. More details can be found online at www.bisd.net.

Trustees Approve 2015-2016 Calendar

At their monthly meeting, the Belton ISD Board of Trustees approved the district calendar for the 2015-2016 school year. The calendar can be found online at www.bisd.net/calendar.

 

In August, teachers will report to campuses on the 14th for a workday, and students will report for the first day of classes on the 24th.

 

In November, schools and offices will be closed for the week of Thanksgiving. In recent years, the week had been a holiday for students while Monday and Tuesday were in-service days for teachers and staff.

 

Next year, the district will be closed for winter break from December 21 through January 1 and for spring break the week of March 14.

 

In June, the last day of classes will be the third while the fourth will be a workday for teachers and staff.

 

Facilities Projects Move Forward

School board members also approved moving forward on several projects, so aging facilities can continue to meet the needs of the district's students.

 

The board approved moving forward with work on the HVAC units at Belton High School (BHS) and Bhs9. Most of the units at these campuses are original, which means that they are over 20 years old and nearing the end of their lifecycle. Many were also damaged in a March 2014 hail storm. With insurance proceeds off-setting much of the cost, the district will replace units that are at the end of their lifecycle and repair others.

 

The board also received an update from Michael Marrs Architects on work at the BHS Career Center, Bhs9 and Lake Belton Middle School (LBMS). At the career center, drainage has been improved to remove water that had collected underneath the building, and additional work to prevent moisture from damaging the structure is ongoing. This summer, new entrance vestibules will be built at Bhs9 and LBMS to enhance the security of those campuses.

 

It has been 22 years since the track was installed at Tiger Field and nine years since the field was installed. Meanwhile excessive soil movement and drainage issues have damaged both. These systems have reached the end of their serviceable life, which is about 20 years for the track and eight to ten years for the field.

 

Monday night, the board approved moving forward with a project to stabilize the subsurface limiting soil movement under the area and to improve drainage. When that work is completed, the track and field will be replaced giving the more than 1,000 student athletes who use Tiger Field a better place to practice and compete. 

 

Superintendent's Report

Texas Public Schools Week
Texas Public Schools Week is March 2-6, 2015, and activities are planned every day next week to celebrate our public schools. A list of those events is online at www.bisd.net/publicschoolsweek.

 

On Wednesday, Belton ISD's annual Celebrate Public Schools Week Luncheon will take place at UMHB at 11:30 a.m. It's an opportunity to celebrate all the ways that public schools strengthen the community and that community supports public schools.

 

 

Black History Month

February is Black History Month, and all across the district, students have been studying the heritage, accomplishments and culture of African Americans in the United States. 

 

This year will also mark the 120th anniversary of the first class to graduate from the West Belton High School, the first black high school in Belton. In 1936, the school moved to a new building on Smith Street and was named for T.B. Harris. The last class graduated from Harris High School in 1966.

 

Starting last summer with the reunion of the Ex-Students of West Belton-Harris High School, the communications department has been interviewing alumni and collecting photos and other memorabilia for a video highlighting the school's history

 

  

Whether I'm talking with alumni, current students or other people in our area, I'm often struck by the connection between our public schools and our community.


Our public schools are open to every student regardless of his or her background. We provide an education that challenges all of our students to excel. While the video above reminds us that there have been times when our schools fell short of that ideal, it is a commitment at the core of everything we do today:  Every Kid A Winner.


Our public schools connect us to our past and lay the foundation for our future. In Belton ISD, high school students can choose from 94 career and technical education courses, 57 advanced placement and dual credit courses, and 22 fine arts and humanities courses. They learn in a technology-rich environment and graduate ready for college or a career.

 

And in Belton ISD, we're blessed to live in a community that supports our students. From cheering on our student athletes to applauding our student musicians and actors, the community turns out for school events. The community has also helped us manage our fast-growing student enrollment, and members of the Long-Range Facilities Planning Committee are meeting now to prepare for continuing growth over the next decade.


As we get ready to celebrate Texas public schools next week, I'm reminded that our schools and our community grow stronger together.


 

Sincerely,

Susan Kincannon, Ed.D.
Superintendent
RECOGNITIONS
National Merit Scholar Finalist

Tristan Boss, a senior at Belton High School, has been selected as a finalist in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Competition.

District Swim Champions

For the third year in a row, both the girls and boys swim teams are district champions. Noah Henry placed fifth in the boys 100 yard backstroke at the state swim meet.

FFA Recognitions

BHS will be represented at the Texas Archery in Schools Program State Scholarship Championship by 41 FFA students. Also 40 FFA students were grand champions, reserve grand champions and/or first place winners at the Bell County Youth Fair and Livestock Show.

THSCA Academic All-State Football Team

Eight BHS football players were named to the Texas High School Coaches Association Academic All-State Football Team. 

SkillsUSA State Qualifiers

BHS will be represented by 11 students at the SkillsUSA state competition. They are competing in construction, plumbing, electrical, woodworking and forensic science events.

FCCLA State Qualifiers

At the Region III Family, Career and Community Leaders of America Conference, Amanda Reyes, Emily Starr and Ellena Navarro qualified to attend the state conference.

All-Area Band Students

Of the 36 Belton ISD students, who earned a spot in the Texas Music Educators Association Region 8 All-Region Band, 10 students advanced to the TMEA Area D All-Area Band. 


For more pictures of students and staff members recognized at this month's meeting, visit our Facebook page.

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