Spring is officially here, and while that means blue bonnets and warmer weather, it also means one of the busiest times of the school year as we race toward the last day in May. It’s also a busy time of year for the school board, which met last night. Here are a few of the highlights from the meeting.
Fifth grader Sofia Duran started the meeting by leading everyone in the pledges of allegiance. Sofia goes to Corey Academy of Fine Arts and Daul Language and did a great job. Thank you, Sofia!
Following Sofia, percussionists from Seguin High School performed for the board at the beginning of the meeting. The upper-class members of the percussion ensemble from Seguin’s band played a piece called “Coffee Break,” under the direction of Nathan Boyer.
Then the board honored another Seguin upper classman, the April student of the month, senior Conterrace Green. Green is one of those students who wows you. He is academically driven, respectful and curious. He’s involved in multiple clubs and sports on campus and is vice president of Seguin’s National Honor Society. Congratulations, Conterrace!
One of the reasons Arlington ISD has outstanding students is because the district also has outstanding community partners like the Arlington Athletics Hall of Honor Foundation. The board presented the Foundation with the Community Partner Award of Appreciation for their dedication to supporting Arlington ISD athletes, providing scholarships and creating opportunities for future generations.
After all of the awards, the board received several reports, including an update on the 2019 Bond program from Kelly Horn, the assistant superintendent of facility services. The 2019 Bond program is a $966 million five-year capital program that includes new construction, renovations and facility condition improvements, along with capital purchases for technology, fine arts and transportation. There is a lot of construction still going on in the district, including the new Joey Rodriguez Junior High School, which is now less than five months away from opening.
On the topic of Rodriguez Junior High, the board approved a number of purchases for the new school last night, including classroom furniture, cafeteria tables and fine arts furniture.
The trustees also heard a progress update related to the district’s plan to improve literary and math proficiency and performance objectives as outlined in the District Improvement Plan required by House Bill 3. Dr. Natalie Lopez, Arlington ISD assistant superintendent of research and accountability, presented on student outcomes from the second curriculum assessment of the school year.
Those are just a few of the highlights from the meeting. If you would like more details on any of these, or any of the items not covered in the Board Brief, please click here to watch the entire meeting.