Board Highlights

Jeff Birdwell
Jennifer Kelly
Norberto Martinez

In assisting the Board with the awards, Director of Public Information/Communications, Stuart Dornburg, stated that these three individuals provided valuable assistance in identifying, neutralizing, diluting, and removing hazardous chemicals from both of the District’s high school science facilities, and thanked them for their donations of time and expertise toward making the District’s science labs safe.

2004 Gold Performance Awards
Campuses were recognized by the Board of Trustees for Gold Performance Awards.  The Gold Performance Award system acknowledges campuses for high performance on indicators other than those used to determined accountability ratings.  The following campuses received awards for more than 20% of their tested students and student groups achieving “Commended Performance” on a subject area test:

The following two campuses received Gold Performance Awards for high student attendance:

The following two campuses received Gold Performance Awards for a high percentage of students graduating with the Recommended High School Program:

CEI Exemplary Labs

Ms. Connie Stein, representing the Creative Educational Institute (CEI), presented awards to the following campuses for their exemplary CEI labs (number represents years award has been received):

School Board Recognition
In recognition of January as “School Board Recognition Month” in Texas, members of the Board of Trustees were recognized for their tireless service to the District.  Superintendent Okruhlik noted that the Board regularly recognizes individuals and organizations with Extra Mile Awards, and thanked each Board member for, “going the extra mile for the students and staff of the Brazosport Independent School District.”  Board members were also honored with small gifts, posters, and “thank you” notes from students across the District and from Jolene Renfro, on behalf of the Brazosport Federation of Teachers.

2005-2006 District Calendar
After holding a public hearing to discuss a proposed school calendar for the 2005-2006 school year, Board members voted to approve the 2005-06 calendar, pending approval of an early start date by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), and to approve a modified schedule for TAKS testing days.  In opening the public hearing, Stuart Dornburg, Director of Public Information/Communications, explained that current law requires school districts to seek a waiver from the TEA and to hold a public hearing if the first day of instruction begins earlier than the week of August 21.  The approved calendar establishes August 11, 2005, as the first day of instruction.  In addition to the early start date, the approved calendar includes 7 staff development days, 3 early dismissal days, a full-week Thanksgiving recess, 3 weekends for winter break, and a spring break coordinated with Brazosport College.  The last instructional day is established as May 25, 2006.  Mr. Dornburg explained that the calendar had been developed in cooperation with the District Educational Improvement Council (DEIC) and closely resembles the 2004-2005 calendar.  A copy of the approved 2005-2006 calendar is attached.

2003-2004 AEIS/TELPAS Report
The Board held a public hearing to review the 2003-2004 Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) and Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) reports.  Rebecca Rinehart, Director of Curriculum and Accountability, highlighted the 2003-2004 academic, demographic, staff, and financial data contained in the AEIS report, with particular emphasis on student performance indicators.  Mrs. Rinehart also presented Board members and the audience with participation rates in advanced courses and the Recommended High School Program or Distinguished Achievement Program, advanced placement examination participation and success rates, and SAT/ACT comparisons.  Mrs. Rinehart explained that the new TELPAS report is intended to report the progress of limited English proficient (LEP) students in learning English and attaining English proficiency.  After concluding the public hearing, Board members unanimously approved the 2003-2004 AEIS and TELPAS reports and thanked Mrs. Rinehart for her presentation.

TASB Policy Update 73
The Board of Trustees reviewed legal policy changes and voted to add, modify, or delete local policies, as included in Localized Policy Manual Update 73, and as recommended by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB).

2005-2006 Budget Development Calendar
Superintendent Okruhlik reviewed a tentative 2005-2006 budget and tax rate adoption schedule with Board members.  Mr. Okruhlik pointed out that the tentative calendar includes Board workshop dates in March, June, and July, 2005, with adoption of the 2005-2006 budget scheduled for August and adoption of the 2005 tax rate scheduled for September.  Mr. Okruhlik stated that the schedule is similar to the one used for last year’s budget cycle and is subject to change.