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WEATHERFORD ISD Board Briefs

February 12, 2015

7:00 p.m.

BOARD  MEMBERS  PRESENT  President  Paul  Paschall,  Vice  President  Ashley  Conlon,  Secretary  Jeff  Geyer,  Member  Gail  Wirtanen,  Member  Dr.  Joshua  Tarbay,  Member  Tiffany  Branson,  and  Member  Mike  Guest.    RECOGNITIONS  • SHREK  the  Musical  

• Students  and  staff  members  who  were  part  of  the  SHREK  the  Musical  production  at  Weatherford  High  School  were  recognized  by  the  Board.  On  behalf  of  the  entire  cast,  WISD  recognized  some  of  the  main  characters  from  the  production  as  well  as  students  who  were  in  charge  of  lighting,  sound,  costume  design,  stage  managers,  and  choreography.  

o Shrek  –  Anthony  Thorn  o Princess  Fiona  –  Paulie  Cocke  o Donkey  –  Bryant  Huggins  o Lord  Farquaad  –  Cole  Lucas  o Dragon  –  Emma  Beaird  o Choreographer  –  Rachel  Keith  o Costume  Design  –  Amanda  Fitzgerald  and  Kelsie  Schlosser  o Lights  –  Isaac  Moore  o Sound  –  Cody  Sexton  o Stage  Managers  –  Chandler  Dewveall  and  Zach  Tabor  o Angela  Arthurs  –  Theatre  Director  at  WHS  o Wes  Taylor  –  Theatre  Arts  Teacher    o Jaclyn  Justice  –  Theater  Arts  Teacher  

It  was  estimated  that  between  2,000  and  2,500  people  attended  the  productions.  Also,  Jerry’s  GMC  was  recognized  for  underwriting  the  production  costs  as  well  as  additional  acknowledgments  to  all  of  the  local  businesses  who  supported  the  musical  with  playbill  advertising  and  in-­‐kind  donations.    

• TCEA  Library  Media  Specialist  of  the  Year  • Curtis  Elementary  Librarian  Shawna  Ford  was  recognized  for  being  

named  one  of  three  finalists  for  the  Texas  Computer  Education  Association’s  (TCEA)  Library  Media  Specialist  of  the  Year.  TCEA  recognizes  Texas  certified  librarians  who  actively  promote  the  integration  of  technology  in  the  library  media  center  and  who  work  collaboratively  with  administrators,  teachers,  and  students  to  promote  and  support  the  integration  of  technology  throughout  the  curriculum.    A  few  examples  of  Ford’s  amazing  work  on  how  she  integrates  technology  into  her  instruction  include  the  following:  

       

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  o Every  fourth  grade  student  at  Curtis  Elementary  has  a  Kidblog  account.  o She  created  the  Digital  Bookworms  Club  for  Curtis’  third  grade  students.  o She  regularly  brings  the  outside  world  into  the  lives  of  Curtis  students  through  Skype  or  Google  

Hangout.  o She  is  the  recipient  of  multiple  Education  Foundation  grants  including  her  Maker  Space  program  

that  allows  students  the  opportunity  to  collaboratively  work  on  creative  projects.  o She  was  nominated  for  the  Best  Library/Librarian  Blog  in  2013  and  2014  by  the  Edublog  

Awards.  o She  hosts  a  coding  and  robotics  club  every  Wednesday  after  school  in  the  library.  

 • TASA  iTunes  U  

o Curtis  Elementary  Librarian  Shawna  Ford  and  WHS  Ninth  Grade  Center  Librarian  Sarah  Altom  were  recognized  for  their  contributions  to  the  Texas  Association  of  School  Administrators  iTunes  U  expansion  project.  During  the  three-­‐day  summer  camps  at  the  Apple®  Campus  in  Austin,  teams  of  experienced  teachers  and  content  specialists  identified  and  developed  collections  of  TEKS-­‐aligned  digital  resources  in  middle  school  core-­‐subject  content  areas  and  high  school  subject  areas.  The  collections  of  resources  are  designed  to  foster  creativity,  collaboration,  and  critical  thinking  skills  in  an  engaging,  digitally  rich  learning  environment.  

 Through  this  experience,  our  librarians:  o Contributed  to  a  statewide  repository  of  innovative  teaching  and  learning  resources.  o Learned  the  latest  techniques  on  developing  and  implementing  quality  educational  

experiences  for  students  in  an  engaging,  digital  format.  o Networked  with  forward-­‐thinking  colleagues  from  across  Texas.  

 • Community  Education  

o Board  members  recognized  the  Community  Education  Department’s  45th  anniversary  within  the  Weatherford  community.  It  is  the  oldest  continuing  education  department  in  the  state  originally  formed  by  then  superintendent  Raymond  Curtis,  Board  President  Shirley  Hall,  and  the  department’s  first  director  Bill  Pounds.    In  these  45  years,  ComEd  has  provided  a  multitude  of  learning  opportunities  from  crafts  to  financial  planning  and  activity  related  programs,  along  with  youth  sports  camps  and  leagues  supporting  the  athletic  programs  in  WISD.      The  WISD  Community  Education  continues  to  be  one  of  the  premier  community  education  programs  in  the  state.  The  department  has  served  as  a  developmental  site  for  many  programs  such  as  the  Kids  Unite  Summer  camps  (‘71),  the  WISD  Volunteer  Program  (‘84),  After  School  Program  (‘85),  D.A.R.E.  (‘90),  the  PASS  Learning  Center  (‘94)  and  the  WISD  Virtual  Campus  (‘08)  which  have  all  now  been  integrated  into  the  fabric  of  the  District.      Three  years  ago,  ComEd  also  operated  the  3rd  largest  driver  education  program  offered  by  a  public  school  district  in  the  state.  The  Kids  Unite  After  School  and  Summer  Camp  Program  is  celebrating  30  years  of  service  this  year  with  more  than  200  students  participating  in  the  extended  day  program.        The  Adult  Education  Cooperative,  organized  in  1987  to  initially  serve  Parker  County,  has  since  expanded  to  include  Palo  Pinto  and  this  year  adding  Wise  County  providing  adult  literacy  programs  for  high  school  equivalency  and  English  as  a  Second  Language  to  adults  in  this  area  free  of  charge.    

       

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 The  Community  Education  Advisory  Committee  through  its  Storybook  Summer  Reading  Program  has  provided  two  books  to  every  kindergarten  child  in  Weatherford  ISD  for  the  past  20  years.        The  programs  of  Community  Education  are  self-­‐sustaining  and  supported  through  either  grants  or  tuition  payments  for  classes.    Community  Education  has  been  an  asset  to  Weatherford  ISD  and  its  community  for  the  past  45  years  and  is  poised  to  continue  that  mission  for  the  next  45  years  helping  to  make  WISD  a  world-­‐class  district  of  choice.    Representing  the  Community  Education  Department  at  Thursday’s  Board  meeting  were:  

! Dr.  Chip  Evans  –  Director  of  Community  Education  ! Jody  Lafferty  –  Administrative  Assistant  ! Carla  Stone  –  Community  Education  Coordinator  ! Anita  Marcle  –  Registrar  ! Donnie  McGowen  –  Adult  Education  Supervisor  ! Becky  Nelson  –  Adult  Education  Program/Professional  Development  

 SUPERINTENDENT’S  REPORT  /  COMMUNICATIONS  AND  INFORMATION  

• Hear  Seguin  Elementary  School  campus  report  o Seguin  Elementary  Principal  Frances  Adams  and  students  from  Seguin  Elementary  shared  a  

presentation  that  demonstrated  how  their  teachers  challenge  and  inspire  them  in  a  safe,  nurturing  environment  to  succeed  in  the  global  community.  

• Hear  Leading  Indicator  Process  (LIP)  report  • Hear  Report  from  the  Facility  Advisory  of  Citizens,  Teachers,  and  Students  (FACTS)  Committee  

o The  committee  met  from  December  to  February  at  six  WISD  campuses  to  develop  a  bond  package  to  address  the  District’s  facility  needs.  Chairpersons  Leo  Neely  and  Amy  Crippen  reported  the  committee’s  findings  along  with  a  recommendation  for  the  Board  to  consider  a  $99.2  million  bond  election  in  May.  The  recommendation  was  based  on  the  following  principles:  aging  facilities  and  campus  equity,  grade  alignment,  growth,  safety  and  security,  technology,  career  and  technical  education  (vocational),  and  stewardship  and  fiscal  responsibility.    Members  of  the  FACTS  Committee  included:  Co-­‐Chairs  Leo  Neely  and  Amy  Crippen,  Secretary  Amy  Bonnett,  Ashtin  Ballard,  Emma  Beaird,  Donna  Black,  Linda  Bourland,  Lisa  Coleman,  Carrie  Ellis,  Brad  Goss,  Dr.  Tim  Huggins,  Dr.  Zane  Kemp,  Brian  Lixey,  Kelley  Long,  Frank  Martin,  Rick  McKinney,  Prissy  Neely,  Ramalou  Prince,  Zan  Prince,  Michele  Snow,  James  Tate,  Courtney  Taylor,  John  Thielepape,  Clif  Tramel,  Amy  White,  Lori  Williams,  and  Trey  Woodard.  

• Review  Board  Meeting  Tracking  Data  o Time  tracking  data  was  presented  to  Board  members  including  data  over  the  previous  six  

months.  These  data  includes  the  amount  of  time  spent  on  student  achievement  and  reform  governance  items,  other  governance  items,  miscellaneous  items,  public  speakers,  recognitions,  and  preparation  time.  

• Review  Information  on  the  Development  and  Structure  of  the  WHS  Cheerleading  Program  • Review  the  Business  and  Operations  Department  Work  System  Review  Report  

o This  report  highlighted  the  following  categories  within  the  department:  System  Description,  System  Integrity,  System  Measures  That  Matter,  System  Performance,  and  Recommendations  for  Change  in  System  and/or  Policy.  

 CONSENT  AGENDA  ITEMS  Approved  Consent  Agenda  Items  

       

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1. Tax  report  (December  2014)  2. Comparison  of  revenues  and  expenditures  to  budget  3. Investment  report  4. Cash  position  by  bank  account  5. 2014-­‐2015  General  Fund  Budget  Amendment  #6  

 BOARD  ACTIVITIES  • Upcoming  Meetings:    Board  Work  Session  -­‐  Monday,  Feb.  16,  at  7  p.m.;  Board  Work  Session  -­‐  Tuesday,  

Feb.  24,  at  6  p.m.;  and  Board  Special  Session  -­‐  Thursday,  Feb.  26,  at  6  p.m.  • Board  member  Gail  Wirtanen  said  that  she  would  like  for  the  District  to  look  into  a  single  web  calendar  

that  would  list  all  campus  activities  (including  athletic  events).    NEW  BUSINESS  • Consider  Capital  Projects  for  Summer  2015  

In  August  2013,  the  Board  approved  a  two-­‐year  facility  plan  to  be  implemented  during  the  summer  of  2014  and  2015.  

 • Consider  Order  and  Notice  of  Trustee  Election  

The  Board  approved  the  Order  and  Notice  of  Trustee  Election  to  allow  filing  for  places  on  the  ballot  at  least  60  days  prior  to  the  election.  The  appropriate  Order  and  Notice  will  be  posted  as  required  by  law  with  the  election  being  conducted  at  the  Parker  County  Courthouse  Annex  upon  approval  of  a  contract  with  the  Parker  County  Elections  Administration.    

• Consider  Approval  of  Contract  for  Election  Services  with  the  Parker  County  Elections  Administration  The  Board  approved  entering  into  a  contractual  agreement  with  the  Parker  County  Elections  Administration  to  hold  a  Trustee  General  Election  for  Places  1  and  2  to  be  held  Saturday,  May  9,  2015.  

 • Closed  Session  Per  Texas  Government  Code  

• Discuss  and  consider:  o Personnel  o Recommendation  for  Director  of  Accounting  o Consider  Amendment  to  Superintendent’s  Contract  

The  Board  approved  Patricia  Melendez  as  the  District’s  new  Director  of  Accounting.  She  is  replacing    Emmett  Whitehead,  who  recently  left  the  District.  

 • Adjournment  

 Work  Sessions  and  Special  Session  Information:  Board  Work  Session  -­‐  Monday,  Feb.  16,  at  7  p.m.;  Board  Work  Session  -­‐  Tuesday,  Feb.  24,  at  6  p.m.;  and  Board  Special  Session  -­‐  Thursday,  Feb.  26,  at  6  p.m.    Next  Regular  Meeting:  The  next  regular  scheduled  WISD  Board  meeting  will  be  Thursday,  March  19,  beginning  at  7  p.m.  in  the  DSB  Boardroom.