Board Meeting Recap

The Board of Trustees met on January 16, for their regular January Board Meeting. Included below are the most notable information and action items.

 

The pledges to the flags were led by the following Bertram Elementary students: Merle Cota, Rachel Bowman, Raylan Bowman, Emerson Floyd, Addy Weston, and Makayla Goble.

 

The meeting kicked off by recognizing students of the month at Burnet High School. BHS Students of the Month for January are Claire Teague and Jahir Benitez.

 

Hudson Bennet was recognized for earning Academic All-State distinction for Cross Country. 

 

The tables were turned during the meeting as the administration took a moment to recognize the Burnet CISD Board of Trustees as part of School Board Recognition Month. Our Board Members are extraordinary people who voluntarily tackle the enormous job of governing our school district. Their actions and decisions affect the present and future lives of our children. They play a crucial role in CRAFTING the FUTURE in Burnet CISD. As a small token of appreciation, each Board Member was presented with a branded BCISD backpack. 

 

The Board held a public hearing to discuss the District’s Annual Report. A large portion of the report is the past year’s Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR), which pulls together a wide range of information on the performance of students. The TAPR also provides information on school and district staff, programs, and student demographics. A copy of the Annual Report can be found at the following link: https://4.files.edl.io/5b05/01/12/23/230629-e63af9ba-15d3-48d8-a388-92e1ce582b3b.pdf

 

Clay Goehring, Chief Financial Officer, provided an overview of the monthly financial reports, including the 2021 Bond Financial Report.

 

Bo Ledoux with Claycomb Associates, Architects and Calen Shearer with Satterfield & Pontikes Construction, Inc. provided a report to the Board of Trustees regarding the status of projects as part of the 2021 Bond Program. A copy of the Bond Update can be found at the following link:
https://www.burnetcisd.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=2098559&type=d&pREC_ID=2175896

 

The Board approved the District’s 2022 Strategic Plan. This is a 5-year plan and replaces the prior 2017 Strategic Plan. The plan was developed with the input of over 70 people, and the development process was broken up over several days. On November 1 & 2, the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, comprised of 50 members representing staff, students, parents, and community members, met to develop the foundation for a five-year strategic plan. The work included developing a vision statement, mission statement and goals based on the four strands identified through a data and root cause analysis (Highly Effective Curriculum and Instruction; School Community Safety, Support and Well-Being; Strategic Staffing; and Student Future Readiness). On November 7, 8, and 17, the Action Planning Committees added specific actions toward accomplishing the goals. On December 1, members of the Steering Committee and the Action Planning Committees conducted a joint meeting to finalize the draft of the plan. Information about the strategic plan can be found at the following link: https://www.burnetcisd.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=3368774&type=d&pREC_ID=2380345

 

The Board approved an order calling the School Board Election on Saturday, May 6, 2023, and appointment of Doug Ferguson as Early Voting Clerk. Two places will be on the ballot this year: Place 3 – currently held by Suzanne Brown, and Place 7 – currently held by Mark Kincaid. These are three-year terms. The last day to register to vote for the May 6 election is Thursday, April 6.

 

The Board approved the Purchase of Attendance Credits from the State of Texas to offset excess revenue.  This is the mechanism by which the State collects the District’s “recapture” funds that the Board is required to approve each year.  The District’s recapture payment has increased to approximately $10 million annually.  District’s wealth is based on property value per student attendance days.  Property wealthy schools are required to purchase attendance credits to lower their wealth per attendance day.  The recapture payment of $10 million doubles the amount of base State funding BCISD receives. As a reminder, the State is projecting to reduce state spending for the Foundation School Program (FSP) by $4.3 billion in the current school year due to higher-than-expected school property tax revenues. That means that the State will provide less funding for public schools because local taxpayers provided more. A little more than half of that reduction to the FSP is paid for by higher-than-expected recapture payments. This means that the State is requiring Burnet CISD to make a $10 million recapture payment, and a significant portion of those funds won’t go to property poor school districts, but rather to the State’s general fund to be spent how they please.
  
The Board approved a new cover for the Burnet Middle School Greenhouse which was damaged due to high winds.

 

The Board approved an Early Resignation Notification Incentive of $500 for Contract Professionals. With the current enrollment fluctuation and staff retirements, this incentive allows the district to be efficient and accurate while planning for the next budget year.  Additionally, it allows the District to begin the recruitment process early and attract the best for BCISD.

 

The Meeting adjourned at 8:32 p.m., and the next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for Monday, February 20.