November 2019
Construction and Demographic Updates Presented

During their regular November Board meeting, trustees received updates on the construction of Lake Belton High School, the district’s second comprehensive high school campus, as the demographer’s fall 2019 report indicates continued growth for the district.

Work at the Lake Belton High School site has progressed to include more than 90% of exterior walls complete and will soon include a Bronco on the student entrance side. Installation of millwork and science lab casework along with exterior brick, and mechanical and plumbing continues. Softball and baseball backstops has been completed, perimeter fence posts and preparation for turf will begin soon, and sidewalks have been poured throughout the site including walkways where athletes and fans will stroll between fields.
Lake Belton High School Tour

During a November 6 Tour of the Lake Belton High School site, Board Members had the opportunity to discuss progress on interior and exterior features of the almost 400,000 square foot campus with the project's contractors and architects.
Lake Belton High School will open in August 2020, beginning with students in grades 9 and 10. At the same time, Bhs9 will be repurposed as Belton Middle School. The significance of opening these two additional secondary campuses next school year and the board’s ongoing efforts to plan and prepare for student growth was further underscored by Templeton Demographics’ annual fall demographic update . Templeton’s analysis indicates that Belton ISD's enrollment will be 12,500 students by 2020 as the district continues to add approximately more than 300 students each year.

Currently, the largest grade levels in the district are grades five through nine. Lake Belton High School is projected to open next fall with more than 800 9th and 10th grade students and Belton Middle School’s projected enrollment exceeds 700 students when it opens next fall.
Board Committee Reports

Policy Committee Report:   The Committee met on November 4. They discussed Board Operating Procedures. The Policy Committee reviewed the entire document, deleted some areas, added to some areas, and pulled topics of interest from other school districts to add into the document. 

Facilities Committee :  The Facilities Committee did not meet prior to the November regularly scheduled board meeting, therefore a report was not presented.
Congratulations
Belton Rotary Educator of the Quarter
Christina Hennig, 5th grade teacher, Chisholm Trail Elementary

Temple Rotary Educator of the Month
Amy Jourden, Dyslexia teacher, Tarver Elementary
Belton Middle School Principal Approved

The Board of Trustees approved Stacie Seveska as the principal of Belton Middle School. Seveska will remain in her current role as Director of Student Services and begin assisting with planning and staffing arrangements to open Belton Middle School in the fall of 2020.
 
Seveska has 19 years in education and has served as a teacher, coach, assistant principal and associate principal, and before joining Belton ISD, served as a lead assistant principal in Leander ISD. She earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology/biology from East Texas Baptist University, where she also played college basketball, and then went on to earn a master’s degree in education administration and supervision from the University of Phoenix.
Dual Language Program Tour

This month the Belton ISD Board of Trustees had the opportunity to visit classrooms at the Belton Early Childhood School and Southwest Elementary as a part of a special tour of the district's Dual Language Program.
Interim Superintendent's Report

  • Records and Retention Policy: A policy review will be conducted in light of planning for digitalizing all Belton ISD records over the next 5-7 years. The district will use DocuNav to develop software to store this information. The scanning of information is conducted in-house and the need for additional outsourcing will be reviewed. The district is working on a plan for the retention of electronic records and the destruction of non-required records.
  • Leadership Lunch: Our first Leadership Lunch went very well with about 30 people representing various public, private and community organizations in Bell County in attendance.  There were seven common areas of concern noted below. The group decided that the next meeting in January would be focused on two areas indicated by an *. Baylor Scott & White and MHMR will be added to our list of invitees.
  • Collaboration between State and Local governmental entities including sharing of resources
  • Mental Health/Homeless*
  • Safety/Security/CPS case increases
  • Census*
  • Growth and Infrastructure
  • Talent Attraction/Employability
  • Transportation
  • EpiPens Installed: We will be purchasing EpiPens for all BISD nursing stations for about $4,000. We deem this as necessary for the health and safety of our students.
  • Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR): Although not required, Belton ISD is working on the CAFR. This is considered a financial best practice and we appreciate CFO Jennifer Land and her team for taking this additional step.
  • Head Football Coach Positions: The application deadline for both the Belton High School and Lake Belton High School Head Football Coaching positions is December 1, 2019.
  • Newly Posted Positions: In preparation for the 2020-2021 school year, our HR department will be posting and interviewing for many positions over the next two months.
  • Renovations at Admin Building: We will begin renovating the main entrance and lobby at the district administration building to enhance the safety and security of the facility.
New Courses Added for 2020-2021
The majority of the courses are CTE courses to complete 4-year career pathways. They may or may not make depending upon student enrollment.
Targeted Improvement Plans
The Board approved Targeted Improvement Plans which are required by the Texas Education Agency for six of our campuses: South Belton Middle, Lake Belton Middle, Chisholm Trail Elementary, Miller Heights Elementary, Leon Heights Elementary, and Southwest Elementary. Targeted improvement strategies are identified in the campus improvement plans located at https://www.bisd.net/domain/251.
Are You Smarter than a Third Grader?

Which answer choice does NOT describe the number 7,140?
A. The sum of seven thousands and fouteen tens
B. The sum of seven thousands, one hundred, and forty tens
C. The sum of seven thousands, one hundred, and four tens
D. The sum of seven thousands, one hundred, and forty ones

Board members and Dr. Battershell solved, or attempted to solve, some of the most recent released STAAR test questions during a presentation about the level of rigor of STAAR questions. See how you do!
Answer: B
Consent Agenda Approvals:

  • Previous Minutes
  • October 31 Financial Report
  • Gifts & Grants
  • Budget Amendment #2 for 2019-2020
  • Expenditures over $50,000 - Smartnet Renewal
  • Additional Certified T-TESS Appraisers for 2019-2020
  • Engagement for Legal Services for Redistricting following the 2020 Census
  • Resolution for Appointment to Tax Appraisal District of Bell County Board of Directors

To view materials from November meetings, visit www.bisd.net/boardmeetings .