LGISD Board Talks COVID, Construction, Leaky Roofs
Highlights from the Monday’s monthly meeting of the La Grange Independent School District Board of Trustees:
Public comment
Trey Cunningham addressed the board during comments from the public on Monday night concerning the school’s dress code policy. He specifically addressed the policy of wearing earrings by only females. He feels this policy is sexual discrimination against the males and that the policy should be changed.
Brenda Estrada addressed the board concerning the safety of our students because of the increased numbers of COVID cases. She asked that the board consider implementing a mask mandate for the district to help protect the children.
According to the data collected from LGISD, from Aug. 18-Sept. 20, there have been 86 students and 21 staff members with confirmed cases of COVID. According to Superintendent Bill Wagner, “With 1870 students and 300 employees, we have had 107 positive cases. We have had 4.93% of our students/staff test positive since school began on August 18. Also, our 10 day window of infections at any one time is even less right now.”
Construction Update
Tony Nielsen from Claycomb Architects gave an update to the board on the stadium and drainage system. The stadium itself should be completed by the end of this month. The asphalt has been placed on the track. The rubberized track is scheduled to be completed after football season with a target of Dec. 5-9.
The drainage system is due to be completed by the end of October.
Roofing Concerns
Director of School Operations, Sharon Muzny gave an informational report to the board on the condition of several of the roofs within the district. She told the board that several of the roofs have begun to leak and have been patched over the years. They are now exploring options to look at the possibility of having these roofs replaced. Tony Nielsen of Claycomb and a representative from Sika Roof met with Muzny to review the current status and needs. Nielsen has provided rough draft roof schematics for the buildings in question. They are in order of priority: La Grange High School cafeteria, Hermes Gym 2 locker room and front entrance, La Grange Elementary Music Center, Student Services & Technology, and LGISD Administration building. Muzny stated that as of right now, if all of the roofs were replaced at the same time, the cost of materials alone would amount to approximately $824,000. Board member Dr. Marc Fitzpatrick asked, “If it rains tonight, are any of these four entities that are going to be compromised from 2 in. of rain?” Muzny replied, “The high school roof leaks when it rains. There are trash cans under where the leaks are occurring in the high school and at the Hermes Gym.”
New Hires and Resignations
The board approved a oneyear probationary teacher contract for the 2021-2022 school year for Crystal Perez. New paraprofessional hires for La Grange Elementary School are Jessica Ortiz, Maddison Stafford, and Brittni Ward. Kellie Kutchka was hired by La Grange Middle School and Yeli Cerda was hired as bilingual/ESL support.
Resignations were received from Karina Chavez and Megan Galindo.