LGISD School Board Holds Monthly Meeting

The La Grange school board held their monthly meeting Monday with plenty on their plate.

Here are the highlights:

• The meeting started with four people addressing the board during the public comment period. Jeff Kelly thanked the board for renovating the bathrooms in the old Hermes Gym. Kelly, a longtime member of the La Grange Optimist Club, had asked the board to repair the aging bathrooms last year to better accommodate the hundreds of kids, parents, and fans who attend Optimist basketball and volleyball games in the facility. Becky Snyder then addressed the board, complimenting them on the new guardian controls which allows parents to take the initiative to keep their kids from checking out certain books. She said she hoped it would ease the strain on school librarians. She also urged the board to follow policies that kept the separation of church and state. Patsy Parker then followed, urging the board to look at every decision they make and realize that each of those decisions could be classified as following the Kingdom of God or not. Jeff Parker then spoke and said he hoped the new guardian controls was not to be considered the only solution to the school library materials issue. He said the decisions of the board should align with the conservative, Christian values of the community.

• Superintendent Andy McHazlett announced that there have been four graduates from the new Leopard Academy, a non-traditional route to a diploma. Three of those graduates were going to be honored at the next board meeting.

• McHazlett said the current enrollment of LGISD stands at 1,864 students with the 8th, 9th and 10th grade classes among the schools’ biggest (about 160 kids a class) while the smallest class is actually kindergarten, with just 109 students.

• The board officially gave McHazlett authority to approve a job order contract of up to $500,000 for renovation of the high school field house at the football stadium.

• Assistant Superintendent Stacy Eilers gave a report to the board on some at-risk student data. Here are some interesting notes from the data she presented: -- There are currently no students pregnant or parenting kids of their own.

-- 45 students are classified as homeless -- 147 students (7.9 percent of the student body) are classified as dyslexic -- 489 students (26.6 percent) have previously performed unsatisfactorily on the STAAR test and upon taking the test again, did not show significant improvement -- 337 students (18.3-percent) are considered Limited English Proficient

• Technology Director Dave Bennett informed the board that the school has grant money that will cover the cost of replacing and streamlining the school’s security camera system.

• The board approved a number of personnel changes including hiring a new third grade teacher, Kelly Haas and new aides Rebecka Gartman and Brandon Williams. Resignations were accepted from bus driver Mary Dela Rosa, Aide Monica Mangum, Bus/ Cafeteria worker Norma Mc-Kenzie, groundskeeper Jake Mulholland and secretary Bamba Scott.