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Board Approves District and Campus Plans
On the first day of school, Belton ISD's school board was preparing for the year ahead and for years to come. During this month's meeting, trustees adopted improvement plans for the district and each campus. The plans, which are required by law, identify priorities for the school year and drive the district's budget.
There are several common themes among the plans including increased support for advanced academics and expanded professional development. Sophomores, who earn the highest scores on PSAT practice exams, will be eligible for college scholarships and get additional help preparing to take that test in their junior year. Teachers will receive high-quality training in writing instruction from local experts and through programs offered by Columbia University and Baylor University.
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Advanced Placement (AP) Scholars
This year, The College Board is honoring 99 Belton ISD high school students as AP Scholars. These awards are given to students for "college-level achievement" as demonstrated by their performance on AP exams. The awards are divided into four categories: AP Scholars, AP Scholars with Honor, AP Scholars with Distinction and National AP Scholars. The number of these awards earned by Belton ISD students has been steadily increasing from 23 in 2010 to a total of 107 this year.
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School Board Adopts Budget and Tax Rate
Guided by the district and campus plans, the school board adopted a $95.9 million budget for the district's general fund. That represents a 1.45 percent increase over the general fund budget for the previous fiscal year.
Salaries account for 80.6 percent of the district's general fund expenditures. Earlier this year, the board approved a two percent salary increase (based on the midpoint of each salary range) for district employees and a $25 increase in the district's monthly health insurance contribution. New staff members have also been added to support increased student enrollment.
State funding and local property taxes make up the bulk of the general fund revenue. Over time, the share of state funding has been declining, and in turn, the share of local funding has increased. That local funding is generated by the district's maintenance and operations tax rate, which will be $1.17 per $100 of assessed valuation for 2017-2018. That rate has been stable since voters approved it in a 2008 tax ratification election.
The other component of the district's tax rate is the interest and sinking rate, which pays for the district's debt service. In May, voters authorized issuing bonds to fund the construction of a new high school, new elementary school and renovations at two existing facilities. At the time, the district's financial advisor projected that issuing the bonds would increase the interest and sinking tax rate by 18.69 cents.
After closing the sale of the bonds last week, the actual increase in the tax rate will be 16.3 cents for a total interest and sinking tax rate of 43.3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. According to district officials, the lower than expected tax impact is the result of a strong bond rating, low interest rates and growth in property values.
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National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA) All American
For the third consecutive year, Belton High School (BHS) student athlete Noah Henry has been selected by NISCA for their All America list of 100-meter backstroke swimmers. Henry is one of just three student athletes from BHS to ever be recognized as an all-American, and he is the first to receive the honor in multiple years.
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Trustees Approve SBMS Principal and CTE Director
During the meeting, trustees also approved the superintendent's selection of Kevin Taylor to be the principal of South Belton Middle School and Stephanie Ferguson as the district's director of career and technical education.
Taylor served as an assistant principal at South Belton Middle School for the past six years. He has 21 years of experience in education including 15 in Belton ISD. During his career, Taylor has also been an elementary teacher, elementary principal and high school principal. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and a master's degree in educational administration from Tarleton State University.
Ferguson comes to Belton ISD from New Braunfels ISD where she was most recently the director of career and technical education. Prior to that, she served as the district's communications director and was a high school teacher. Ferguson has 24 years of experience in education, a bachelor's degree from Sam Houston State University, and a master's degree in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Texas at San Antonio.
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mikeroweWORKS Foundation 2017 Work Ethic Scholarship
Andres Zapata, a 2017 BHS graduate, has been awarded a $5,500 mikeroweWORKS Foundation Work Ethic Scholarship to study construction management at Texas State Technical College. As part of the foundation's response to the nation's widening skills gap, the scholarship "provides financial assistance to qualified individuals with a desire to learn a skill that is in demand." Zapata was the lead plumber for the BHS team that took first place in the TeamWorks event at the 2017 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference.
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Superintendent's Report
First Day of School
Belton ISD schools had 11,129 students in attendance Monday, which was an increase of 267 students over the first day of school last year. The district's enrollment typically continues to increase between the first day of school and the official state count in late October.
Texas Education Agency Accountability Ratings
Belton ISD and all of the district's schools received the state's highest accountability rating, "met standard." Additionally the number of distinctions earned by the district's schools increased to 38 from 27 last year.
Teaching and Learning Conference
Earlier this month, more than 900 teachers and paraprofessionals participated in a two-day professional development conference organized by Belton ISD's curriculum department. Sessions focused on supporting teachers to meet the individual needs of special education, English language learners, and advanced academic students. It also included topics to support digital learning, instructional practices, and content knowledge.
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