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The December school board meeting on Monday, December 14th started with a favorable report from Keith Neffendorf, an independent auditor, on the district’s financial status. 2008 was a good financial year for the district with no findings. The general fund ended the year with a $4,513,488.00 balance, just slightly over the optimal fund balance. The district is set to weather these tough economic times, bearing any unforeseen circumstances. Interestingly, 70% of the funding for the district came from local sources.

Next, Principal Julie Storer led a tour of the LBJ High School. During this tour, Storer emphasized the courses offered in Career and Technology Education. LBJ High School has 201 students of which 173 are enrolled in these courses. Board members visited the classroom of Project Lead the Way where teacher Jana Schmidt and several of her students demonstrated the projects they have been working on this semester. These projects are hands-on real world type experiences intended to introduce students to areas of study in math and science they may not normally pursue. For example, one demonstration showed how inventors improve on past inventions in order to make a device faster and more capable of doing the action for which it was invented. In this demonstration, the progression of the camera from its inception to current photographic technologies was showcased. The board members also visited the eCampus Credit Recovery Program and Early College Start classroom and were briefed by Mary Jane Holden, facilitator in the lab, on the purpose of each.

The Credit Recovery Program is an online based curriculum that allows students to recover credit lost due to course failure. The early College Start Program is an on-line course as well with direct access to courses offered through Austin Community College. Qualifying students must have completed their Sophomore year and have at least 10 high school credits, the equivalent of the junior level. Students must also pass the Compass test with a satisfactory score and have done well on the TAKS test. If a student decides to take advantage of this program, he or she could graduate with up to 36 college credit hours. These courses are free; however, if a student does not complete the course or fails, then they must repay the district for the course. The purpose for housing these two programs within one classroom is for the students enrolled in the Early College Start Program to motivate those in the Credit Recovery Program.

The ESP lab, which is located in the library, offers tutoring and easy access to library and technology sources. The BMIT Lab (Business Management, Marketing and Technology), taught by coach John Sherrill, uses real world situations and current technology to provide students experience with basic business practices. The intro course teaches students how to use Word, Power Point and other programs commonly found in the workplace. Students also learn basic interview techniques, resume writing, and how to create a business plan. One other area Storer touched on were courses offered in agriculture, food and natural resources as well as in architecture and construction. These are taught by Steven Meier and Myron Uecker.

The board then moved back to the board room to continue their regular meeting. Nobody signed up to speak during open forum and the consent agenda passed unanimously. On the Action items list, the board voted to approve the sale of the dilapidated house located on school property. Superintendent Shanley said that he intended to put the house up for sale through the surplus sale. A motion was made and approved. Next, the board approved the continuing education credits board members earned after taking various CE courses.

During the Superintendent’s report, Shanley gave an overview of the various construction projects that are ongoing or have been completed. A store front type partition was installed at the Central Office to provide more privacy during school hours. The baseball field concession stand is being updated and the stands at the softball field are being enlarged. Also, in conjunction with the City of Johnson City, a concrete drainage project, located next to the Middle School playground, was completed and will hopefully provide relief to neighborhood residents during heavy rains and keep the parking lot from washing away.

Superintendent Shanley reported that overall enrollment was down to 678 from 680 last month.

Afterwards, the board went into closed session. When the open meeting resumed, Randy Brodbeck announced the resignation of Coach Bart Broadwater and the subsequent hiring of Andrea Perez to replace him. Broadwater was the 7th grade Science teacher. Ms. Perez, formally a paraprofessional at the high school, was offered a probationary contract through the end of the school year as his replacement.