CISD discusses campus security

The Cameron Independent School District Board of Trustees discussed campus security and an agreement with the Burleson-Milam Special Services Cooperative during a meeting Monday night.

CISD Superintendent Kevin Sprinkles told the board the final installations of access controls at Yoe High School are being done.

Sprinkles said there are budgeted funds for the high school and Ben Milam in this year’s budget. 

He asked if the board would like to go ahead and do the junior high and elementary school, too.

“I don’t know how I feel about having two campuses controlled and not the other two,” Sprinkles said. “This is a huge opportunity to improve our safety. If we can have card reader access and blank out all the keys. You can control those pretty good.” 

He said the cost of adding the other two campuses would be around $16,500.

Board member Greg Hoelscher said it would be a good idea to just go ahead and do it.

The board directed Sprinkles to look into it and bring an action item back next meeting.

Sprinkles also discussed the district’s safety survey that was recently done with teachers and staff. He said that 33.9 percent of respondents said the campuses are safe for students and staff.

He said that enrollment in the district is down by about 12 students from the end of last year. He said that is concerning for funding, but they are working on it.

The board also discussed an interlocal agreement with the Burleson-Milam Special Services Cooperative to provide services for the district.

Sprinkles said the Legislature took the Texas Education Agency out of the oversite of cooperatives that provide services for special education, so that now the districts will have to have an agreement for those services.

“We have to go back to the table and develop a new agreement,” Sprinkles said. “That doesn’t mean anything will change, but we have to look through it.”

The board approved a resolution to delegate the superintendent to make decisions about the agreement.

Sprinkles said the goal is to have a great cooperative and make sure the needs of the children are being met.

In other business the board: accepted donations from the First United Methodist Church and Yoe Booster Club; approved nominations for the Milam Appraisal Board of Directors; approved the purchase of two new school buses; and honored district principals and assistant principals for Principal’s Month across the state.