Student Recognition
The Board recognized Brazoswood High School student athlete, Matt Vern, for being selected to the Class 5A All-State Team by the Texas High School Baseball Association.  In addition to this honor, Matt was also selected to play in the High School Coaches All-Star Game recently held at Dell Diamond in Round Rock and the Houston Coaches Area Association All-Star Game at Rice University.  Director of Public Information/Communications, Stuart Dornburg, reported that Matt had been named to the All-District and All-County baseball teams for the past 3 years and had received an Army Scholar Athlete award for Brazoswood High School this past year.  Matt plans to continue his baseball career at Texas Christian University where he has been awarded an athletic scholarship.

Student Drug Testing Policy
The Board of Trustees entertained questions and comments from the public regarding a proposed voluntary student drug testing policy currently being considered for adoption.  Dr. Harvey Graves, with Pinnacle Medical Management (Pinnacle), responded to numerous questions from Board members and the audience regarding legal considerations associated with implementing a drug testing program, program costs, numbers of students tested, testing procedures, schools participating in similar programs, and general program administration.  Dr. Graves explained that current law allows school districts to implement a drug testing program if students voluntarily agree to participate in a random drug testing program as a condition for their participation in competitive extracurricular activities or to qualify for parking privileges, and emphasized to the Board and the audience that the purpose of a student drug testing program is to act as a deterrent against student drug use, not to “catch students using drugs.”  Director of Public Information/Communications, Stuart Dornburg, explained that the proposed policy requires that consent to the drug testing program must be obtained before a student in grades 9-12 will be allowed to participate in any competitive extracurricular activity or obtain a permit to park on campus.  Additionally, parents of students not otherwise participating in the drug testing program may request that their students be included in the program.  Sanctions imposed by the policy include notification of parents, conferencing, counseling, and the following suspensions of parking privileges and participation in extracurricular activities:

Mr. Dornburg reported that grant funding is currently being sought to fund the program, which is expected to cost approximately $35,000 for the first year of implementation.  Following a lengthy period for public comments, the Board voted to approve the proposed student drug testing program for the 2005-2006 school year.

Designation of Delegate to TASB Assembly
The Board of Trustees designated Board members, Joel Welch and Jay Grable, as Brazosport Independent School District’s Delegate and Alternate Delegate, respectively, to the 2005 Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Delegate Assembly.  Each local school board holding an active membership in TASB is entitled to vote as a delegate.  The Delegate Assembly will meet this year in September in conjunction with the annual TASA/TASB Convention in Houston.

TASB Policy Update 75
The Board of Trustees reviewed legal policy changes and voted to add, modify, or delete local policies, as included in Localized Policy Manual Update 75 and Local District Update 18-05, as recommended by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB).

HIPAA Exemption
The Board renewed its election to be exempt from the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) for the upcoming plan year.  The action exempts the District from many of the requirements of HIPAA, but still requires the District to provide departing employees with certification of prior health insurance coverage.

Adoption of Manual Trades Compensation Plan
Board members voted to approve a manual trades compensation plan for 2005-2006, as developed in cooperation with the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB).  The new compensation plan includes seven pay grades, with each pay grade assigned a minimum, maximum, and mid-point salary.  The mid-point salaries are based on market values and are used to calculate future pay raises for each respective pay grade.  The compensation plan includes a 2.25% general pay increase for 2005-06, with other equity adjustments and modifications bringing the overall cost of the new plan to approximately $139,000.

District Vision for 2005-2006
The Board of Trustees approved a vision statement, a mission statement, beliefs, parameters, and District goals for 2005-2006.  Superintendent Okruhlik explained that the organizational statements had been developed by the District’s Administrative Team as part of their June 14, 2005, workshop.  The newly approved vision, mission, beliefs, parameters, and goals are as follows:

Change in Length of School Day
The Board of Trustees approved a modified recommendation from the Superintendent to extend the school day for first and second graders to 3:30 p.m.  Superintendent Okruhlik explained to Board members and the audience that applicable provisions of the Texas Education Code state that a school day shall be at least seven (7) hours in length and that the District’s current practice of releasing K-2 students at 2:30 does not satisfy legal requirements.  Board members discussed the recommendation at length, with particular emphasis given to kindergarten students who would have been affected by the original recommendation and transportation issues associated with the change, before voting to approve an official school day for first and second graders for the 2005-2006 school year beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 3:30 p.m..

2005-2006 Proposed Budget
The Board of Trustees reviewed a proposed budget and tax rate for the 2005-2006 fiscal year.  Michael Abild, Executive Director of Business Services, reported that the preliminary budget presented to Board members at the June 7 meeting had been modified to incorporate the following changes:

Mr. Abild also reported that the proposed budget includes a tax rate increase of five cents ($0.05) to reflect additional debt service requirements associated with the District’s “Primary Bond” program.  Mr. Abild stated that, apart from the above changes, the proposed budget stands unchanged from the preliminary budget presented at the June meeting.  Mr. Abild responded to questions from Board members and concluded by stating that the District plans to hold a public hearing to discuss the budget and the 2005 tax rate during the August 2, 2005, regular meeting.

Other Actions
In other actions, the Board approved the official minutes of the June 7, 2005, Board meeting; approved financial statements for May 2005; and awarded contracts for athletic equipment and supplies (basketball).