LGISD: Head of Cafeteria Retiring; Pivot on Roof Plan
Highlights from Monday’s LGISD School Board Meeting:
Comments from the public
Since January is school board appreciation month, Dr. Randy Albers wanted to thank the board for all their hard work. He wanted to encourage them to continue to make wise decisions for all the children in La Grange ISD.
Jan Hill addressed the board concerning school safety. Last month she asked the board to consider installing metal detectors at all the entrances of the school. She asked the board to consider installing metal detectors at the entrances of sporting events as well. She also feels that there needs to be a person in authority near each of those entrances to respond to any alerts.
Resignations, New Hires
Nancy Fritsch-Tielsch longtime child nutrition director at LGISD gave her notice of retirement from the district effective June 24, 2022. Other resignations received were: Judy Supak-high school teacher, Sharon Woelfel-elementary school nurse, and Roger Briones.
The district hired Monica Lemus and Vivica Wheeler as paraprofessionals.
Administrative Reports
Superintendent Bill Wagner reported that the current enrollment is 1,859 students. The attendance rate for the year went from 93% to 91.79%. For the month of January the attendance rate is 82.02%. There were 35 students who tested positive for COVID on Jan. 18, 16 on Jan. 19, nine on Jan. 20, five on Jan. 21 and 13 students on Jan. 24. Many substitutes are being used to fill the positions due to the absences or employees from COVID.
The academic banquet has been scheduled for April 25.
President Gary Drab reported that the board will meet with representatives from Region 13 on Feb. 28 to continue the discussion on the search for a new superintendent.
Assistant superintendent Stacy Eilers stated that academic UIL season is in full swing. The elementary and middle school UIL took place last week Tuesday and this week Monday. Each school did the events at their own campuses and are currently grading and compiling results. The speaking events will take place later in February and it is hopeful that they will be able to participate as a group.
High school UIL starts next Tuesday, Feb. 1 with CX debate. This will take place here in La Grange. UIL one-act play will be on March 4 and all the other UIL events will take place the week of March 21.
Director of operations Sharon Muzny reported that the problem with the lights at the tennis courts has been addressed. The lights were often on at night. The electrical problem will soon be fixed and the lights will not turn on after 10:30 p.m. at all.
Roof Project Comment
John Haworth of Haworth Roofing in La Grange, wanted to give his opinion on what type of roofing the school should consider for the replacement roofing that was on the agenda. After examining the roof himself, he feels that the problem is the insulation has failed on the roof and not the roofing material. He feels that metal should be used for the roof replacement.
Superintendent Bill Wagner thanked the board for all the hard work they have done and gave them a gift of thanks in honor of school board appreciation month. He said that the school board members work countless hours to make tough decisions that affect our community and students.
Roof Replacement
Board member, Calvin Mersiovsky asked several questions about the choice of using membrane on a pitched roof. After some discussion, the board approved the purchase of roof replacement for the locker rooms and front entrance roofs of Hermes Gym 2 with TIPS purchasing co-op pricing totaling $115,968.38 through Coryell Roofing and Construction, Inc. This will be a membrane roof similar to the roof material on the new La Grange Elementary School.
The board asked director of operations Sharon Muzny to solicit bids for a metal roof replacement for the high school/ middle school cafeteria roof.
2020-21 Audit
An audit for the 2020-21 school year was performed by Singleton, Clark & Company, PC. The audit found the financial statements are accurate and presented fairly.
Band Uniforms
Chris Cooper, head band director for LGISD, shared information with the board about a proposed design of possible new band uniforms. The current uniforms have been used for 10 years and are beginning to fade and show their age. The current uniforms are made of heavier material that requires dry cleaning. The proposed uniforms would be a lighter weight fabric and would be machine washable. There will be a prototype presented at the February meeting.
Annual Performance Report
Assistant Superintendent Stacy Eilers presented the annual performance report review. This report included the following information from the District and Campus TAPR (Texas Academic Performance Reports. Here are a few of the keys takeaways from this report:
• La Grange ISD is above state average in all content areas – reading, writing, math, science, and social studies
• LGISD is above the state average in attendance
• LGISD is below average the state average in dropout rates
Copies of these documents are available for the public at all campuses, the admin. office, and the chamber of commerce.