Recap of Tonight's Board Meeting

Our Board held its regular monthly meeting tonight.  Here's a recap of the issues discussed and actions taken:

• I had the privilege of doing the invocation for tonight's meeting which included the flag ceremony conducted by the Webelo Scouts of my son's Cub Scouts Pack as the final requirement for their Citizenship Badge.
• The November Employee of the Month is Aida Interiano, the Assistant Principal at Cedar Brook Elementary.
• The November Volunteer of the Month is Susan Griffin, the PTA President at Rummel Creek Elementary.
• The Texas Business & Education Coalition (TBEC) has named Cornerstone Academy, Memorial Middle School, and Memorial High School as Honor Roll award recipients for high student performance based on individual peer group rankings over a three-year period.  TBEC gave this honor to only 49 middle schools (.xls) and 44 high schools (.xls) in Texas.
• Spring Branch schools received numerous Gold Performance Acknowledgments from the Texas Education Agency.  Here is the PowerPoint presentation (.pdf) showing the campuses receiving these acknowledgments.
• During CItizens Participation, Edie Clark, President of the Spring Branch Education             Association, addressed the Board on ensuring that our campuses are sufficiently air conditioned during the Summer for our custodians.  Wayne Schaper, Jr., Principal of Spring Woods High School, addressed the Board on the need for and importance of a weekly free newspaper for the north side of Spring Branch to highlight student accomplishments.
• The Board received its Quarterly Energy Report (.pdf) that shows increasingly efficient use of energy within the District.  Our energy costs have decreased $137,554 as compared to the same period last year despite higher energy prices.
• The Board approved amendments to the FY 2007 Budget (.pdf), including an amendment to recognize that our Chapter 41 Robin Hood payment to the State for 2006-2007 will be $19,051,201. 
• The Board approved the Facility Improvement Program Monthly Status Report (.pdf).  This is the 1999 Bond program, and as you can see from the Report, construction is nearly complete at all of our campuses.
• The Board approved numerous contracts (.pdf).  (The Promethian ACTIVclassroom contract was pulled from the Agenda and will now likely be on the December 11 Agenda).
• The Board received a report from its Auditor, Don Irby with Null Lairson, P.C.  Null Lairson gave the District a clean audit.
• Finally, the Board approved the 2007-2008 school calendar (.pdf).