May 19, 2014 Board Meeting
Board Briefs covers the highlights of each month's board meeting. More details can be found online at www.bisd.net.

Canvassing May 10 Election Results 

At their monthly meeting, trustees canvassed the results of the election held on May 10. Voters reelected Jason Carothers and Amanda Winkler to three-year terms as at-large members of the board. After Carothers and Winkler were sworn in, the board reorganized selecting officers for the next year. All three current officers were reelected: Pittenger as president, Penny Digby as vice president, and Mike Cowan as secretary. 

Early Childhood School Renovations

The board approved a project to prepare Tyler Elementary School to become the Belton Early Childhood School. This summer, bathrooms will be updated to accommodate smaller children. A restroom will be added in the nurse's office. Lockers will be removed while the walls and floors in the main hallway are refinished.

Hiring New Administrators

The board approved candidates to fill four key administrative positions starting in the 2014-2015 school year.

Tiffany Weiss will become the principal at Leon Heights Elementary. She is currently the assistant principal at High Point Elementary and previously held that position at Sparta Elementary. In addition to four years with Belton ISD, Weiss has seven years experience as a middle school academic advisor and teacher in Killeen ISD. She holds a bachelor's degree in history and a master's degree in educational administration.

Floridalia Zuniga-Gray will bring 23 years of experience to her role as the district's bilingual director. She is currently an instructional coach in Manor ISD and has also served as a bilingual specialist, a bilingual reading interventionist, and a reading recovery teacher. Zuniga-Gray holds a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies and bilingual education and a master's degree in educational administration.

Richard Thomas will be the district's next fine arts coordinator. He is currently the band director at Red Oak High School and has also directed bands in Keller and Arlington ISDs during his 18 years as an educator. Thomas holds a bachelor's degree in music education and a master's degree in educational administration.

Sam Wilds has been selected as the district's next advanced academic services coordinator. He currently teaches social studies in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Temple High School. During 20 years in education, Wilds has also served as an IB coordinator and an associate principal. He holds a bachelor's degree in curriculum and instruction and a master's degree in history. 

Superintendent's Report

BHS Class of 2014

629 students will be participating in the commencement exercises for Belton High School this year. The graduation ceremony starts at 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 5 at the Bell County Expo Center.

 

For the past two years, attendance at Belton High School's commencement ceremony has exceeded the capacity of the Expo Center Arena. As a result, tickets will be required for all guests attending this year's ceremony. Each member of the BHS Class of 2014 will receive nine tickets. This number was determined by dividing the available seats by the number of graduates 

 

Preliminary STAAR Results
In the initial administration of the fifth- and eighth-grade reading and math tests, Belton ISD outperformed the state average on all four tests. More students passed, and more more students tested at the advanced level.
 
Fifth-grade math results were particularly strong. 88 percent of Belton ISD students passed compared to 79 percent statewide, and 36 percent of students were advanced compared to 22 percent statewide. 
 
While we recognize our students' success on standardized tests today, these results are only a snapshot of students' learning taken through the lens of a single test on a single day. I recently wrote a letter to parents about the STAAR test results. You can read it on our website at www.bisd.net/Page/7674.
Financial Transparency Webpage

When local residents pay their property taxes or vote to approve a bond issue, they're trusting the district to be good stewards of their tax dollars. It's a responsibility that the board and administration take seriously. Trustees reviewed a new financial transparency webpage that is part of that commitment. The page is a resource to learn how tax dollars are providing students with an education that prepares them to excel in tomorrow's world. Visit it online at www.bisd.net/transparency.

We have so much to celebrate as another school year comes to a close.
 
This week, Belton High School's three state qualifiers competed at the 2014 Academic UIL State Meet. Christina Gaw placed fourth in headline writing, Victor Alexander finished eighth in accounting, and John Jennings finished 11th in science. 
 
We're also celebrating the accomplishments and milestones of our colleagues. In meetings on each campus and with each department, we're recognizing staff members who have served 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and even 40 years with Belton ISD as well as those who are retiring. (You can see the list here.)
 
During these meetings, we're updating the district's employees on what changes they can expect when they come back in the fall. This is an exciting time for Belton ISD, and the video below is a great preview of the work that we'll be undertaking this summer.
 
 
 
Sincerely,

 

Susan Kincannon, Ed.D.
Superintendent
RECOGNITIONS
Academic UIL State Qualifiers

 Three students from Belton High School qualified for the state academics meet.

Track and Field 

Regional and State Qualifiers

Six students qualified for the UIL Track & Field Region I Meet, and three of them advanced to the state meet.  

Baseball District Championship 

 The Tigers finished the season with a 20-10 record and the district championship.

Boys Golf District Championship and State Qualifier

The Tigers won their second straight district championship at the District 8-5A Tournament, and Matthew Lawyer qualified for the state tournament. 

Girls Soccer District Championship 

The Lady Tigers brought home their tenth consecutive District 8-5A Championship.

Girls Doubles Tennis District Championship

The girls-doubles team of Lauren Phillips and Abigail Kendall won the district championship.

President's Vision Poster Contest

 SBMS students Cierra Olivarez and Kenzie Daniell took third place in the middle school division of the President's Vision Poster Contest.

Band UIL Sweepstakes

The BHS Wind Ensemble received a varsity sweepstakes award, and the BHS Symphonic Band received a non-varsity sweepstakes award. 

Choir UIL Sweepstakes

 The BHS Varsity Treble/Women's Choir and the BHS Varsity Mixed Choir both earned sweepstakes.

Outstanding History Teacher of the Year

The Sons of the American Revolution, Texas Society presented their Outstanding History Teacher of the Year Award to Gretchen Foster from Belton High School.

Grow Your Own Scholarship

Myriam Lawson and Lorena Guillen were selected to receive Grow Your Own Scholarships to continue their education.

Temple Rotary Educator of the Month

Jana Heath is a kindergarten teacher at Southwest Elementary. She is completing her second year at Belton ISD.

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