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The Johnson City Independent School Board met in regular session Monday, September 14th, 2009. During Open Forum, the board first heard from Cody Haynes who spoke to them regarding prayer in school. Mr. Haynes understands that the school is required by state law to not allow prayer at school or at school events, like football games. However, he feels that students should be allowed to initiate prayer on their own. Next, Jimmy Skipton and then Thomas Maultsby spoke on behalf on the Blanco County Central Appraisal District. Both asked the JCISD school board to pass the new resolution being presented to them by the BCCAD. Both Skipton and Maultsby felt that the construction of a new building would be the most economical solution for the relocation of offices for the BCCAD. Finally, the BCCAD attorney, Jim Evans, told the board that this new resolution is simply a ratification of the actions already taken by the BCCAD and includes a field note description of the property, cost, loan amount, previous conveyance, and the actual purchase.

Next, the board considered and approved the consent agenda, moving quickly to the action items. The first item up for review was discussion and consideration of the BCCAD resolution. After a brief discussion, the school board voted to approve the JCISD resolution that supported the BCCAD resolution passed by the BCCAD board on August 31st, 2009. Then, A’Lann Truelock, JCISD Business Manager, reviewed the energy audit the district was required to perform by the State Energy Conservation Office.

The audit was conducted by ESA Energy Systems and showed that the high school and elementary campuses were energy efficient, although they did recommend skylights in the 4th grade tunnel. The middle school, though, did not fare as well. The thermostat in the middle school, which encompasses the 7th/8th grade building/wing, the 5th/6th grade building and the library, is not automated. Basically, whoever is near a thermostat can set the temperature. Also, the HVAC units are old and the coils need to be replaced The board is going to consider options for replacing the coils and, within three years, the HVAC units, which would include automated thermostats.

Following the energy audit review, the board held a public hearing on the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas. State law requires school districts to review the integrity of their financial systems. The review, conducted by the Business Manager, measures how well a district handles their finances. JCISD received a score of 80, which is a Superior Achievement Rating. The passing score is 50, so the district is doing very well.

The last action item before the board was consideration of a Texas Association of School Board (TASB) policy regarding compensation and benefits for educators, in particular, leaves and absences. TASB prefers that Texas school districts define in their district’s policy “catastrophic illness.” Superintendent David Shanley recommended that the board approve the definition as set forth by TASB and the board did.

In the Superintendent’s report, Shanley gave an update on the district debt service payment. Unfortunately, at this time, the district will not be able to payoff any debt to I&O (interest and sinking). Shanley then asked the board if they wanted to engage in campus tours during upcoming board meetings. Two meetings per campus would be held. The board could inspect the facilities and receive informational tours by the principals of the programs offered at each campus.

Shanley reported that enrollment at JCISD is at 675, the lowest since the 2002-2003 school year. He then introduced the UIL ballot for splitting 2A districts into divisions prior to the beginning on the 2010-2012 alignment. The 2A conference consists of 32 districts. The districts would basically be split in half with the largest enrollment schools being placed into Division I and the lower enrollment schools into Division II. Each division would then play for a state championship and two state champs would be crowned. Shanley informed the board that he voted in favor of this proposal.

The final item presented by Shanley was a thank you letter written by a student. The student thanked the JCISD board for offering dual credit opportunities. Dual credit courses have enabled her to earn college credits that not only will give her an advantage once she graduates from high school, but also saves money on tuition.