February 21, 2020
Students enjoyed Valentine's Day parties last week! Charter Oak Elementary students made special valentines for service members.
Message from the School Board President:

Dear , 

These are exciting times for Belton ISD. Following a five-month community-driven search process, the district has officially hired its new superintendent, Dr. Matt Smith.

Most recently serving as the Chief of Staff in Leander ISD, Dr. Smith has more than two decades of experience in public education serving as a classroom teacher, at-risk program coordinator, athletic director, campus administrator and district administrator. And while his extensive resume leaves no question that he is qualified for the role, my fellow trustees and I are excited to have selected a superintendent that we believe is committed to investing in our students, in our staff and in our shared purpose in a meaningful and authentic way. We are confident that he will embrace and enhance our district’s culture as we continue to address our fast-growth and shape the future of our students and community.

Dr. Smith’s first official day as Superintendent of Schools for Belton ISD is Monday, February 24, but he isn’t waiting for that first day school bell to ring before he begins listening to our community. This week he launched our first district-wide ThoughtExchange to begin to hear the important perspectives of our students, staff, parents and community members. This open and transparent virtual community conversation is LIVE for you to participate in through February 26 and I would encourage you all to share your thoughts and rate the thoughts of others to ensure your voice is heard.

The strength of Belton ISD’s enduring success is directly related to our tremendous staff that serve students each day and our Big Red Community that supports them. It is with the continued commitment of both that we can say with certainty that we are excited for our future with Dr. Smith.

Being able to look ahead with such positive enthusiasm is in part due to the leadership that Belton ISD has benefited from since August. Thank you to Dr. Robin Battershell for stepping up for our kids and this community to serve as our Interim Superintendent. Having Dr. Battershell in this role, afforded my fellow board members and I the chance to truly dive deep into the superintendent search process with the knowledge that our students and staff had her strong, steady leadership to support them.

I am grateful to each trustee for the hours spent in reviewing community feedback, reading through application materials, conducting in-depth interviews and ultimately making such an important decision for our district’s next leader.

Welcome to our Big Red Community, Dr. Smith!

Sincerely,

Suzanne M. McDonald
President, Board of Trustees
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
As Dr. Matt Smith joins the Belton ISD community he wants to hear from you - our students, parents, staff and community members! Participate in our first district-wide ThoughtExchange to share your important perspectives on what you would like him to understand as a new leader in our district. Share your thoughts and engage in this open community conversation by using the "Star" feature to rate others here:  http://bit.ly/39Pz6D8
Our Fine Arts Department gave another tremendous performance during this year's musical, "Into the Woods." So much hard work goes into these productions, and this year's show was once again excellent!
BOARD COMMITTEE REPORTS
Policy: The policy committee met on February 3 and reviewed changes to the District's Emergency Operations Plan in accordance with newly adopted Senate Bill 11, and continued review of Board Policy. The committee's next meeting will be March 2 to discuss Cybersecurity and its continuous review of Board Policy.

Facilities: The facilities committee met on February 19. Mike Morgan and Jarrod Sterzinger, O’Connell Robertson Architects, reviewed elementary attendance boundaries and strategic planning for land and facilities with the committee. The committee proceeded with a discussion about a developer’s land request. This request was tabled until the March meeting. They discussed capacity issues and agreed that portables at Chisholm Trail Elementary would allow the board and administration time to determine longer term solutions while still maintaining the 2019 attendance zones. The committee recommended taking a proposal for additional playground equipment at all elementary schools to the regular March board meeting for a total cost of $2.1 million dollars. The work would be completed over the summer and ready for the 2020-2021 school year. Athletic Director, Sam Skidmore, discussed short- and long-term athletic facilities needs. David Bennett updated the committee on the capital Improvements list approved at the October board meeting. Projected costs for adding pens at the ag complex were discussed with these items probably appearing on a future bond. Jarrod Sterzinger also discussed options and costs for future expansion at Chisholm Trail Elementary, renovations at the former Administration Building on 6th Avenue and the gymnasium behind the current Administration Building. The committee recommended taking the improvements to the 6th Avenue building to the March regular board meeting and deferred any decision on the old gym for the March committee meeting. The committee toured the gym and 6th Avenue building prior to adjourning. The committee's next meeting will be March 18.
Winter sports are winding down as spring sports get underway. Boy swim team were district champs and the girls were district runner-up. The boys and girls basketball teams fell short of the playoffs, but the boys team having their best record since 2004. Both soccer teams remain undefeated in district play. Powerlifters finished their seasons on top and another six athletes signed letters of intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at the next level. Our National Championship Cheerleaders competed to defend their title, and the Magic Belles and Color Guard dazzled at their Showoffs on February 7.
Calling all tennis players ...come play for the kids of Belton ISD!

The Belton Educational Enrichment Foundation is excited to announce the 2020 Annual Tennis Tournament to be held at 8:30 am on Saturday, March 28 at Wildflower Country Club. Register your team at the link below or select one of their Sponsor Level Packages.

Thank you for supporting the kids of Belton ISD!
Superintendent Snippets :

  • Another Leadership Lunch was held on February 12 with continued discussion on the Census 2020 and Central Counties Services provided more information about homelessness in our area. The next meeting will be hosted by the Central Texas Council of Governments sometime in March.
  • We enjoyed a visit by Leadership Belton on February 13 at South Belton Middle School for Education Day. Jill Ross, Lake Belton High School Principal, also presented information on the new high school.
  • Speaking of LBHS, Ms. Ross will present information on the new fight song and other items related to the opening of LBHS at the March Board meeting.
  • Belton ISD and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor co-hosted paraprofessional training on February 17 at UMHB. The training focused on teacher certification options and resources.  It is great to be able to grow our paraprofessionals into future teachers. Thank you to our Human Resources Department and UMHB!

In closing, people ask, “What are you going to do when you re-retire?” I will return to Brian (my sweet husband), babies (my three little blonde granddaughters) and bees (yes, I am an apiary)!” I approached retirement as an opportunity to learn new things, thus we were always busy exploring travel, hobbies, and new adventures. So I would expect the adventure to continue with one change, I will now return to Brian, babies and bees, but I will add one other very special "B" to my list - Belton ISD! Thank you for the journey! 

Robin Battershell, Ed.D.
Interim Superintendent, Belton ISD
Thank you for your service to Belton ISD, Dr. Battershell!