July 20, 2015 Board Meeting
Board Briefs covers the highlights of each month's board meeting. More details can be found online at www.bisd.net.

Belton ISD Agricultural Barn Completed
On Monday, school board members closed out the project to build a barn for the district's agricultural sciences program. Construction of the facility was completed in June.

Located off of FM 93 near Loop 121, the barn includes 30 small animal pens, six hog wash pens, five steer pens, and one steer wash pen. The total cost for the project was $569,975.

A dedication ceremony for the new facility is set for 8 a.m. on Sept. 15.


  
Superintendent's Report

New Teacher Orientation

About 140 new employees are expected to participate in the sessions, which will be held August 10-13.

 

School Security

There have been five break-ins at Belton ISD campuses this summer. In each incident, some small electronic items were stolen, and offices were ransacked. Several copy machines were also broken. During one, a hard drive containing the personal information of 936 students was stolen.

 

Belton ISD is responding to the break-ins in three ways: by working with law enforcement to identify and prosecute those responsible, by notifying those who had their information stolen and offering them free credit monitoring services, and by enhancing our existing safeguards. While the specific security measures in place at each campus are tailored to that location, security cameras monitor every facility. Alarms, safes, security lighting, and other systems are also used. Staff members have been reviewing the existing security measures, and some steps have already been taken to increase security. Other security measures are also being evaluated.

 

Construction Update

At Bhs9 and Lake Belton Middle School, new safety vestibules have been completed. Also at Bhs9, work to replace the roof and HVAC units is proceeding on schedule. While rain had delayed work on the track and turf at Tiger Field, crews are now working two shifts. The field is expected to be completed in September.

 

North Belton Middle School Traffic Patterns

The City of Temple has been working to widen Prairie View Road. Unfortunately work in front of North Belton Middle School will not be completed before the start of school. To provide access to the front parking lot, a temporary road/entrance will be built connecting the lot to Westfield Boulevard. Maps and more information will be available soon.

 

It was fun to celebrate the national success of our construction trades students on Monday night. It was also a reminder of the great learning opportunities available to all of our students.


At the high school level, 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 can participate in dozens of different student clubs and organizations, and they have the opportunity to compete in 20 different UIL Class 6A sports.

We're able to provide such varied and unique learning opportunities, because we live in a community that supports our kids. Thank you for that!

I'm excited to welcome our students back to school for the 2015-2016 academic year. From pre-kindergarten to high school, this is going to be a great year to be a Belton Tiger!

Sincerely,

Susan Kincannon, Ed.D.
Superintendent
RECOGNITIONS
SkillsUSA TeamWorks National Competition

 

Last month, Bryson Coufal, Chris Foss, Andrew Mendoza and Austin Snyder placed fourth in TeamWorks at the 2015 SkillsUSA National Leadership Conference. They placed seventh at nationals in 2014 and won the state championship in both 2014 and 2015. Construction trades teacher Craig Sullivan coached the students, who graduated from Belton High School in June.

 

During the TeamWorks competition, a team of construction trades students is given three days to build a construction project that requires carpentry, electrical, plumbing and masonry skills. At the national competition, students also deliver a presentation on their experience in the construction trades and how they have used those skills to better their community.


 

Project Apple Tree

 

This year Project Apple Tree will support about 1,500 students in Belton ISD. For families who qualify, the project provides each child with a new outfit, school supplies, a dental kit, and personal hygiene products. Free immunizations will also be available during the distribution day, which is August 17. 

 

Jeannette Kelley, a former school board member and elementary school principal in Belton ISD, founded Project Apple Tree, which is now in its 15th year.


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