College Station Independent School District

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April 2022 CSISD Board Meeting rEcap

April 2022 CSISD Board Meeting Recap
Posted on 04/19/2022

Note:  This is an overview of some of the items on the April workshop and meeting agendas. This recap does not include every item on the agenda. Official meeting minutes will be made available on www.csisd.org following approval at the May board meeting.  A video and audio recording of the meeting will be made available within seven business days of the meeting at csisd.org.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The College Station ISD Board of Trustees met Tuesday, April 19.  The following discussions and actions are of note.

WORKSHOP

2022-23 Employee Health Plans:  Chief Administrative Officer Molley Perry gave an update on the district’s plan to leave TRS-ActiveCare health insurance and select a new provider in the open market for the 2022-23 health plan year.

In August, 2021, the board chartered a committee to evaluate new options and in December 2021, the board voted to leave the TRS-ActiveCare pool following the committee’s recommendation and additional research supporting that leaving TRS ActiveCare would benefit CSISD employees.

CSISD engaged with Gallagher Consulting to assist with the process of a Request for Proposal for a new healthcare insurance provider. The TASB Health Plan rated highest overall in the RFP process.  New healthcare plans available to employees next year will include four options and be comparable in benefits and in premium rates to this year’s TRS-Active Care plans.

The TRS-ActiveCare plans have sharply increased each of the last few years, including an eight percent average increase last year.

During the regular meeting, the board authorized the superintendent to engage in final negotiations with TASB Benefits Cooperative and the Texas Municipal League for employee health plans beginning in the 2022-23 plan year.

Beginning in May, CSISD will communicate finalized 2022-23 rates, plans and employer contributions to its employees. These new plans will be effective on September 1, 2022. 

Report on Academic Achievement and Class Rank Committee:  Executive Director of Secondary Education Tiffany Parkerson gave a report on the progress of the Academic Achievement and Class Rank Committee.

This committee began work in September to consider the board’s local policy EIC, which governs Grade-Point-Average (GPA) calculation, the weighted grading system, and graduation honors with the understanding that no current high school students would be impacted by any proposed changes.  Any changes would be implemented with the graduating class of 2027 (current 7th-graders).

The committee has reviewed the current board policy EIC (Local), examined this policy in comparison districts, and learned about the implications of GPA and college admissions.

The committee has come to consensus on the four decision points they have been tasked to explore.

First, the committee has come to consensus around a three-tiered, weighted grading system.  Tier 1 would include advanced placement (AP) classes, while Tier 2 would consist of Advanced courses and Academic Dual Credit courses.  All other courses would be considered Tier 3.  

The second decision point in which the committee has come to consensus is the grade points associated with each of the three tiers.  The new system would award a maximum of 6.0 grade points for Tier 1 courses, a maximum of 5.5 grade points for Tier 2 courses, and a maximum of 5.0 grade points for Tier 3 courses. Currently CSISD has a two-tiered weighted grading system.  Tier 1 courses include Advanced Placement (AP) and advanced courses, while Tier 2 consists of all other courses, including academic dual credit classes.

The committee also came to consensus on the courses to be included when calculating a student’s GPA used for class rank.  The recommendation is that the calculation will include the eight highest semesters of the four core subject areas and the two highest semesters of languages other than English.

Previously, the GPA calculation included grades from all subject areas. However, the allowable exclusions did not ensure the GPA calculations to be consistent across the graduating class. The purpose of this policy is to set parameters on how the district compares students with each other based on course rigor and academic achievement.  The recommended changes create a more equitable basis on which to calculate the individual student performance compared to others in their graduating class.

The final decision point addressed the portion of the policy surrounding local graduation honors.  The committee recommends applying the current honor graduate ranges to the new three-tiered conversion system.  To be recognized as an honor graduate, students must achieve a GPA of 5.0 or better for Summa Cum Laude, 4.8 to 4.99 for Magna Cum Laude, and 4.5 to 4.79 for Cum Laude.

The committee feedback will be taken to edit Board Policy EIC(Local), and the board is expected to take action on this policy change at the May meeting.

School Health Advisory Council Report:  By law, every school district in Texas must have a School Health Advisory Council (SHAC), and the majority of its members must be parents who are not employed by the district.  The law also states the group must meet four times throughout the year and provide a yearly report to the board.

This year the SHAC worked to implement House Bill 1525 legal changes, updated the CSISD Wellness Plan, new state Board of Education TEKS for Health and Physical Education, and a recommendation to the board regarding Health Instruction Materials Adoption.

From these topics, the SHAC recommendations to the Board of Trustees include:

  • Receive the updates to the CSISD Wellness Plan.
  • Adopt the Health and PE Instructional materials which include contraception and condom use in terms of human reality rates instead of theoretical laboratory rates.   NOTE:  These adopted materials are part of the Human Sexuality Instruction that parents must opt-in in order for their child to receive the instruction.  In other words, if parents do not “opt-in” their child will not receive this instruction.

The board is expected to take action on the Health and Physical Education materials adoption during its May meeting.

Report on Budget Development for 2022-23:   Chief Financial Officer Amy Drozd made a second presentation regarding the development of the 2022-23 budget.  

The board reviewed updated 2021-22 budget numbers and a draft of revenue and expenditure projections for the 2022-23 fiscal year.  Various scenarios for the 2022-23 budget were presented with assumptions of enrollment growth of 3.5% (from the 2021 snapshot date) and overall property value growth of 7%.  

CSISD will continue to review staffing and budget requests, monitor and adjust revenue projections, and update expenditure projections over the next four months.  The 2022-23 budget and tax rate will be adopted at the August board meeting.

2022 Summer Work Hours:  Beginning this summer, most CSISD employees who work summer months will change to a four-day work week.

In past summers, employees worked from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Friday.

Beginning Tuesday, May 31, and lasting through Friday, July 22, CSISD employees will work from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Monday through Thursday with a 30 minute lunch.  

Office hours for the public will be Monday through Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Some departments will still utilize five-day work weeks to ensure district operations continue.

MEETING

Purchases/Bid Approvals:

  • Approved the purchase and installation of kitchen serving lines for A&M Consolidated Middle School from Mission Restaurant Supply in the amount of $222,811 using 2021 Bond Funds and Child Nutrition Funds.
  • Approved the RFP for internal connections - category 2 network equipment from Layer 3 Communications in the amount of $571,815.45 utilizing 2021 Bond Funds.
  • Approved the purchase of elementary music instruments from the String & Horn Shop in the amount of $88,413.38 using 2021 bond funds.
  • Approved a contract with MSB Consulting Group for medicaid consultation and billing services for June 1, 20022 through June 30, 2025.
  • Approved the purchase of a truck from Grapevine Dodge Chrysler Jeep in the amount of $56,000 using 2021 Bond Funds.
  • Approved the contract for the renovations of seven restrooms at A&M Consolidated High School to SpawGlass Construction in the amount of $475,000 using 2021 Bond Funds.
  • Approved a change order contract with Entech Sales and Service for the purchase and installation of a boiler at the CSISD Natatorium in the amount of $26,469 for a revised contract amount of $165,047.82 using 2021 Bond Funds.

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