LGISD Enrollment Slightly Down, 79 Students Learning from at Home

The La Grange I.S.D. Board of Trustees met Monday, Nov. 16. Here’s a roundup of the action and discussion at the meeting.

Amendments to the 2020-21 Budget

The board approved amendments totaling $65,600 for the following items:

David Bennett, director of technology, requested $2,600 for the purchase of a new and improved backup server and software. This will be a yearly purchase to enhance the district’s cybersecurity and will be budgeted going forward.

Diana Fitzpatrick, director of finance, requested $14,000 for the purchase of 5Cast and SSight software from ForeCast5 Analytics for the current budget year. This product will assist in budgeting, forecasting, and reporting financial data to the board and the community as well as the Texas Education Agency. This will be a yearly purchase and will also be budgeted going forward.

Sharon Muzny, director of operations, requested $49,000 for the prorated wages and benefits for the transportation supervisor position for the remainder of the fiscal year. These funds will also be budgeted going forward.

Administrative Reports

Superintendent Bill Wagner reported the current enrollment was 1,871. This is down from 1,925 at the same time last year. He told the board that TEA has made a change in the online learning policy. It now states that if students are not successful with online learning, school districts can require the students attend in-person classes. This will be enforced for those who are failing or have excessive absences. Students who fall into one of these two categories will be asked to report back to school on Nov. 30 if at the elementary school or middle school, and Dec. 1 if at the high school. The only exceptions will be for those who have a medical excuse. If that is the case, there is a form that must be filled out by the doctor stating why the student must remain an at home learner. There are currently 79 students participating in the at home learning — 54 at La Grange Elementary, 11 at La Grange Middle School, and 14 at La Grange High School.

Director of Operations Sharon Muzny reported that three of the maintenance department employees have attended training for landscaping maintenance and ornamental turf. She is planning for them to get certified so that the district will not have to contract out those services. There have been two online auctions of surplus materials. A third is planned for later this school year. Marion Fenix has been named as lead bus operator. She has been with the district for three decades. Brian Fair has been named as transportation supervisor. He comes to the district from Midway ISD. He will start on Nov. 30.