McDade ISD School Board Meeting 4/19/22
McDade ISD Schoolboard Meeting
April 19, 2022
Reporter- Shann Turner
Meeting called to order at 6:03 pm
Pledge to American and Texas flags
The superintendent, 6 board members, secretary, myself and one local citizen were in attendance.
Public Comment- I announced our Homecoming Rodeo and gave details
Item A- School Test Standard- Gina Sanders
Teachers had to teach more to try to make up for ground lost during Covid. The time away from school did affect testing levels. A teacher presented benchmark graphs, and said that progress was being made.
Item B- Transportation and Facilities- Terry Johnson
Head of this department spoke about bus issues, getting a bus barn, stating that cost for this was being explored, and need for portables to add classrooms.. The board voted 6-0 to let the Superintendent purchase portable using her discretion.
Item C- Board Operating Procedure- Postponed
Item D- Superintendent discussed getting a new auditor.- Super Stidham
Voted to remain with Singleton and Clark
Item E- Discuss attorney to represent McDade ISD- Super Stidham
Voted to remain with Walsh & Gallegos 6-0
Item F- Discuss Criteria for Baca Award- Super Stidham
Award has to go to a Senior. Teachers ask to table this until future meeting
Item G- Discuss Strategic Plan- Super Stidham
The Superintendent, H Stidham proposed moving to a 4 day school week for students. She spoke on the reasons this would be a good thing to attract teachers, and figure out how to not negatively affect employees with this change for 25 min. She stated that even though the 2022-2023 Calendar had been completed and approved, that she would like to implement this for the upcoming year. After the 25 min of discussion, the president moved that there should be a community discussion regarding a change of this magnitude. The president set the meeting date for May 5th, 2022 at 6:30pm.
Item H- Discuss Region 13 Board Training- Super Stidham
Item I- Discuss Budget Amendment- Super Stidham
Requested that Architect is moved to $25,000. $19,000 has been spent.
Recommended that child nutrition grant be applied for, $12,204 available. Voted in favor 6-0
Item J- Discuss and approve board meeting dates for 2022-2023- Super Stidham
Meeting dates approved as presented- 3rd Tuesday of each month @ 6:00pm. Voted Yes 6-0
Item K- Discuss Board training at Governance Camp- Attendees- Super Stidham, J Miller, and M Dube. Board received 1 hour of domestic training.
This part of the meeting went on for about an hour, and was titled “RESET 2022- Redefine. How to be INCLUSIVE and ACCEPTED.” Super discussed how hard it is for kids to follow “50 min schedule”, how trauma impacts learning process. She stated that some kids can be “pinpointed by getting into trouble because of something that they had no control of, and how this could be very “uncomfortable.” She stated that teachers and staff should know “how to ask how their weekend went, without making them (students) uncomfortable about dysfunctional life stuff.”
Mr Miller spoke next. He stated that he liked the idea of hiring students to assist on tasks in the summer. He said that he learned a lot of “insight into students today.” He stated that “they want us to stop comparing our education to their education. It is not the same as today’s students.”
He then stated that “we need to stop labeling kids by behavior, but by potential. We should not use the label ‘At Risk’, but instead use “At Potential.” He talked at length about the “minds of modern day students’, and about the depression and hate brought on by “social media and the internet”, but then later stated that the kids said they “do not trust adults, and do not want to talk to counselors at school.” To this, Miller recommended possibly finding an app for students to “share with when they needed to talk to someone.” Miller’s final recommendation was that they consider creating a “Safe Room like they have in Austin.” He stated that in this room the students can “Destroy things they bring from home, like with a baseball bat, and then the school would dispose of the items.” He stated that this is a way to help “the students deal with anger, and help them de-stress, and stay out of fights.”
Item L- Discuss How to intentionally improve student voice in the School District- M Dube
Dube recommended that school board members would spend time listening to student issues. It was suggested that the board meet with students once a month, round table style.
President Dube said that he would like to have students serve on committees to make sure that our “priorities line up with students.” His key takeaway from the training was the question “How should McDade ISD have greater involvement from students regarding decisions?”
He proposed that the board start doing “Round Table” with students in May. Will work on getting a date for this.
Item M- Discuss Bond Election Calendar- H Stidham- No action taken
Item N- Discuss Amendments to McDade Code of Conduct- Super Stidham
Stated that racial and sexual harassment “are high on the radar.” Board said that discussion was needed on how to get this across to parents and students. President Dube said that they would not “discuss consequences in open discussion.” voted 6-0
Item O- Discuss bringing in civil engineer for septic drainage issue- Super Stidham
Motion was made to allocate funds of $6,500 for a civil engineer to evaluate septic and drainage. Voted 6-0
President Dube moved to adjourn and begin Closed Session at 10:21 pm
Board returned at 11:07pm
Dube moved to retroactively update Band Director with “level of effort” discussed in closed session.Voted 6-0 to pass
I had left, and do not know what the Consent Agenda entailed, but it passed 6-0
Topics presented for next board meeting
J Brade moved to adjourn meeting at 11:18 pm. Motion passed 6-0
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Shann Turner
