The Salado ISD School Board held a meeting on Wednesday, June 27. The following column is a summary of that meeting.
The school board approved the hiring of six teachers:
Jon Gardner, junior high school social studies teacher
Michael Gunter, junior high school special education teacher/coach;
Brandy Haverland, high school science teacher;
Garrison Rafay, junior high school math teacher/coach;
Katie Rose – 5th grade teacher;
Caty Craig – 3rd grade teacher
Our team of architects provided an update regarding the planning and design of our new middle school. They also presented information regarding the five delivery method options: competitive bid, competitive sealed proposal, construction management agency, construction management at risk, and design/build. The school board selected competitive sealed proposal as the delivery method for our bond projects. The advantages to the competitive sealed proposal option are that it provides selection flexibility, defined project scope, a single point of responsibility for construction, and aggressive bidding with the opportunity to select a more qualified team. The school board also approved proposals for topographic surveys for the current elementary school and new middle school properties.
We presented and discussed the monthly enrollment and financial reports. Our end of year enrollment this year was 1,844 students, as compared to 1,772 students in 2017 and 1,661 students in 2016.
The school board approved the consent agenda, which included a resolution regarding extra-curricular status of 4-H organization, an adjunct faculty agreement with Bell County Extension Agents, the withdrawal of a teacher’s letter of resignation, the 2018-2019 Temple College Dual Credit Program Memorandum of Understanding, and the minutes from the May 21 and June 4 school board meetings.
The school board approved the 2017-2018 final amended budget. A public hearing was held regarding the 2018-2019 budget and the board approved the budget. A public hearing was also held regarding the 2018-2019 tax rate. The proposed tax rate is $1.2238 per $100 of taxable value, which is the lowest tax rate we have had since the 1989-1990 school year. The proposed tax rate is scheduled to be adopted by the school board at the meeting on Monday, August 20.
The school board discussed safety, academic performance, facility maintenance, and employee retention as goals for the 2018-2019 school year. The district goals will be included on the agenda for further discussion and possible approval at our next regular school board meeting.
The board conducted my evaluation as superintendent and extended my contract through June 30, 2023. Our next regular school board meeting will be on Monday, July 16, at 6:00 p.m. All of these meetings are held upstairs in the Salado Civic Center, which is located at 601 North Main Street.