Thorndale ISD honors board members
Thorndale ISD took time to honor its school board members before taking care of business on Jan. 13.
A Board Appreciation Dinner hosted by the Thorndale FCCLA organization was held before the regular board meeting.
FCCLA sponsor Larissa Ensor highlighted the many activities and competitions that the group participates in annually.
The regular meeting began with administrative reports.
Elementary Principal Michael Young was excited to announce the progress they had made in the recent UIL District competition finishing second place overall and earning more points than the past several years. He added that the campus has found a good formula and they plan to keep working to improve until they finish first.
Middle School Principal Scott Frei discussed recent student data and how teachers are using that data every day to make decisions about student growth and remediation.
Technology Director Deby Leschber talked to the board about completing the new cyber security training that was mandated by the recent legislature. She informed the board about how to complete the training through the EduHero online system.
Superintendent Adam Ivy informed the board that his secretary Lou Ann Rubio had resigned and that Amber Robinson, who had been serving as the Middle School Secretary, would be reassigned to the Central Office Administrative Assistant Position. He added that the Middle School secretary position has been posted and that several applicants had already expressed interest.
Board President David Hall presented the consent agenda and with no questions for clarification, he approved it as presented.
Ivy talked briefly about board policy update 114. He reminded the board that this was only the second reading and would not come up for a vote until next month. He summarized all of the local policies and asked the board to send him any questions they have before the next meeting.
Business manager Rebecca Peel presented two budget amendments. One of them recognizes revenue from new loan proceeds and the other was to recognize revenue from Williamson County that was designated to fund equipment for our crossing guard program. The budget amendments passed with a 7-0 vote.
Ivy asked the board to approve the purchase of the new surveillance camera system. He reminded the board that they had written a $25,000 grant for the system but that the actual expenditure was for $27,000. Although the extra money was available from local funds this required board approval because the expenditure was for more than $25,000. The board approved the expenditure with a vote of 7-0.
Ivy talked to the board about a new Interlocal agreement with the Texas Rural Education Association Risk Management Cooperative. He explained that the Co-Cop had changed from a single reinsurer to multiple reinsurers and this signified the need for a new Interlocal agreement. The board approved this with a vote of 7-0.
Up next Ivy informed the board that the district would need to adopt a building standard code to be used for current and future building projects. Ivy stated that the architect was recommending the 2012 International building standards. The board voted 7-0 to approve this.
Ivy then talked to the board about how they wanted to proceed with future facilities needs. He stated that he would like to re-organize a committee to look at past needs assessment and determine how that may have changed. The board discussed the issue and Ivy said that he would begin work on that soon.
The Board went into closed session at 7:30 p.m. to discuss personnel issues and conduct the superintendent’s evaluation. They returned from closed session at 9:01 p.m. and voted 7-0 to approve the contract extension for the superintendent.
They also voted to accept the resignation of Lou Ann Rubio as superintendent’s secretary by a vote of 7-0.
The board briefly discussed board training opportunities and they set the date for the February meeting for Feb. 10 at 6:30 p.m.