Brazosport ISD Board Highlights

Extra Mile Award
The Board of Trustees presented an Extra Mile Award to The Gulf Coast Scientist Organization from Dow Chemical, Freeport, for their donation of $1,500 to the Brazosport High School Science Department.  In assisting the Board with the presentation, Stuart Dornburg, Executive Director of Administrative Services, explained that this money was used to purchase laboratory kits and equipment to support the Chemistry in the Community courses.  The donation is part of their Local Outreach Program in which this organization is dedicated to helping promote and support science education opportunities for children in the community.  Chemistry students at Brazosport High School, now and for years to come, will benefit from this generous gift.  The Board thanked representatives Patricia Ansems, Bernard Dems, and Michael Mullins of The Gulf Coast Scientist Organization for their generous contribution.
The Board also presented an Extra Mile Award to L. D. Knox in recognition of time spent volunteering at Brazosport High School.  For the past two (2) years, L.D. Knox has been instrumental in assisting around the guidance and administrative offices.  Brazosport High School stated that not only do they appreciate his volunteer efforts but that he is always a pleasure to be around.  The Board thanked L.D. Knox, on behalf of BISD and Brazosport High School for his generous contribution of time to the students of the District.

Student Recognitions
The Board of Trustees recognized Brazoswood High School junior, Lauren Smith, for taking first place in the 5A UIL Cross Country State Meet.  In assisting the Board with the presentation, Executive Director of Administrative Services, Stuart Dornburg, reported that Lauren completed the state meet race in a time of 11.15.  Lauren had previously achieved a string of nine straight cross country wins that included seven regular season meets and both the District 24-5A and Region III meets.  Lauren has also been named to the 5A Girls All-Region III team, was a nominee for Houston area “Girl Athlete of the Week”, and most recently was named to the Texas Running.Com All-State Team.  Lauren has also been recognized as the “Runner of the Year” by Texas Running.Com.  In addition to being named state champion, Lauren qualified to run in the Footlocker National Championship race held recently in San Diego, California where she placed 17th out of the 40 best in the United States.
The Board of Trustees also recognized the following student athletes for being named to the Academic 5A All-State Football Teams for the 2007-2008 school year by the Texas High School Coaches Association:

Brazoswood High School:

Team members are selected by a point system that awards points for GPA, class rank, and SAT or ACT scores.  To be nominated, a student athlete must have an overall GPA of 92 or above, be a member of the team in good standing at the time of the nomination, and be of good moral character.

The Board of Trustees also recognized two (2) additional Brazoswood High School football players for their on-field performance.  Each year, the Associated Press Sports Editors select an All-State Football Team.  Brazoswood High School has the honor of having two (2) players named to the Class 5A All-State team.  Brazoswood running back Yobes Walker, a two-year starter who rushed for 2,217 yards this season, scoring 17 touchdowns, was named to the All-State 2nd Team.  Yobis also received the 24-5A District Most Valuable Player award this year, leading the Houston area in rushing. Teammate Andre Van Leeuwen, an inside linebacker for the Bucs, was an Honorable Mention All-State Team pick for this year.  He led the Bucs with 46 unassisted tackles, 89 assists, 5 tackles for losses, and 4 fumble recoveries.  Andre was also recognized as the Co-Defensive Player of the Year for District 24-5A.

Following the student recognitions, Superintendent Ripple and the Board, joined by Mr. Dornburg, congratulated these student/athletes in their achievements and wished them the best of luck in their future endeavors.

School Board Recognition Month - January 2008
Members of the Brazosport Independent School District Board of Trustees were presented with flowers and goodie bags along with framed certificates of appreciation, by Superintendent Ripple on behalf of the students and faculty of BISD in recognition of School Board Recognition Month.  Executive Director of Administrative Services, Stuart Dornburg, explained that Governor Rick Perry has proclaimed January 2008 as School Board Recognition Month in Texas in an effort to build an awareness and understanding of the important function an elected school board plays in communities and schools.  Mr. Dornburg read from Governor Perry’s proclamation, as follows:

“Education fosters success.  From grade school to university, a solid education establishes the foundation on which we build futures of achievement and advancement, futures that give fruition to the fulfillment of dreams and expectations.  Members of school boards, men and women, who share a commitment to serve their communities, dedicate themselves to ensuring that students are given every opportunity to excel through education.  In collaboration with others including educators, school boards are essential members of the education community.”

Audience members joined Superintendent Ripple in thanking the members of the Board of Trustees for their tireless service to the students and staff of the Brazosport Independent School District.

Jay Luce, on behalf of all the Board Members, expressed his gratitude for the showing of appreciation presented. 

District Award for Teacher Excellence (D.A.T.E)
Executive Director of Curriculum and Accountability Services, Rebecca Rinehart, presented Board members with an overview of the state funded District Awards for Teacher Excellence grant.  Mrs. Rinehart opened by saying that this grant is the largest statewide teacher incentive program in the nation.  The intent of the grant is to support the District’s incentive programs that provide meaningful financial awards for the most effective teachers in the District.  The initial notification of award indicated the District would receive $425,000.  However, as approximately half of the districts within the state have elected not to participate in the grant, it is now estimated that the District is eligible to receive approximately $850,000.  At least 60% of the funds must be used to award classroom teachers, while the remaining may be used to fund other activities including (1) recruitment and retention, (2) professional growth, (3) technology used to increase local data capabilities and (4) awards for principals and other campus employees who increase student performance.   Requirements of the grant include, among other things, minimum annual awards of $3,000 per teacher and District matching of 15% in year one, 25% in year two, and 35% in year three.  In addition, the District would need to create a committee of personnel to develop either a District-wide or campus specific plan which would incorporate meaningful, objective goals that are measurable and would identify which teachers would receive awards.  After over viewing the grant, Mrs. Rinehart identified challenges associated with performance based incentive plans. Some of the challenges included designing a plan that provides awards that (1) fairly measure teacher effectiveness and student performance (2) are clear, transparent, credible and understandable to all stakeholders, and (3) ensures teacher collaboration and professionalism in working with students.  Following the presentation, Superintendent Ripple and Board members voiced concerns related to the restrictiveness of the grant, the inadequate funding to provide opportunities for all teachers, the uncertainty of future funding and the potential division among the District that these types of performance based compensation plans can cause.  Jay Luce, directed the District to perform an assessment as to whether the grant is a viable plan and how it would benefit the District.

Resolution Agreement Regarding Special Education Case
The Board unanimously approved a resolution agreement regarding the special education case TEA docket number 047-SE-1107 and related actions. 

BISD Student Enrollment Information
Stuart Dornburg, Executive Director of Administrative Services, presented Board members with a District enrollment report as of December 21, 2007, reporting a 79-student decrease from the same period last year.  Mr. Dornburg also reported that inter-district transfers (transfers from other school districts) are up by 31 students from last year, while intra-district transfers (transfers between campuses) currently total 596.

SB9 - Employee Fingerprinting
Ron Speir, Executive Director of Human Resources presented an overview of Texas Senate Bill 9, commonly known as the “Fingerprinting Bill” and the effects it has and will have on the District.  The bill created the DPS Clearinghouse which is (1) a database containing an employee’s national criminal history, (2) based on fingerprints, photos, and other documents of identification and (3) enables school districts, TEA, and SBEC to access current national criminal history and receive updates for subsequent criminal history of employees.  Requirements include (1) national criminal background checks for all school employees, (2) all SBEC certified educators and substitutes to be fingerprinted by September 1, 2011 and (3) all non-certified personnel and contractors hired after January 1, 2008, to be fingerprinted prior to employment.  SB 9 process for implementation will include among other things, scheduling fingerprinting at an approved site (currently the closest location is Pearland or Bay City) and paying a fee of $44.20.  The District implementation plan will include paying for fingerprinting, contingent upon continued employment for a minimum of six (6) months.  The plan will be re-evaluated during the summer of 2008.

2008-2009 Budget Development Calendar
Director of Business Services, Daniel Schaefer, reviewed a tentative 2008-2009 budget and tax rate adoption schedule with Board members.  Mr. Schaefer pointed out that the tentative calendar includes Board workshop dates in March, June, and July 2008, with adoption of the 2008-2009 budget scheduled for August.  Mr. Schaefer stated that the schedule is similar to the one used for last year’s budget cycle and is subject to change.