The Longview ISD Board of Trustees approved the purchase of interactive display boards, during their regular meeting Monday, Dec. 12th.
Dr. Wayne Guidry, Assistant Superintendent of Finance, said the district has invested heavily with multiple funding sources including grant and local funds updating and upgrading classroom display technology from older interactive projectors to newer interactive flat panel boards (or SmartBoards).
The district will purchase around 200 boards, at a total cost of approximately $1.6 million.
LISD Director of Technology Mr. Brian Pitts explained that SmartBoards are interactive whiteboards with a touch screen, and there are currently 422 boards in classrooms across the district.
"Most campuses have new technology in each instructional classroom and the district would like to substantially complete that district-wide initiative by adding interactive boards to rooms at Foster Middle School, Longview High School, and Bramlette Elementary," he said.
Course Selection Guide
Board members approved the 2023-24 Course Selection Guides for LISD Secondary campuses: Forest Park, Foster, and Judson middle schools, and Longview High School.
Each year the Course Selection Guides are updated by campus staff and presented for approval. In preparation for scheduling for the upcoming year, courses are added or deleted as student needs are considered.
"Course selection guides need approval in a timely manner in order to plan for the upcoming school year; staffing, schedule planning, purchasing, and so forth," said TCIS Chief of Schools Mr. John Wink. "Change is constant, and various programs are added in an attempt to benefit students, in addition to regular changes reflected in the course selection guides."
For more information about these changes, please contact your student's campus principal directly.
Public Hearing
Later, the board held a public hearing to discuss the state’s financial accountability rating.
The Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) was created by the Legislature in 2001 and was designed to encourage public schools to better manage their financial resources to provide the maximum allocation possible for direct instructional purposes.
FIRST scores school districts on 15 financial indicators, such as administrative cost expenditures, the accuracy of a district's financial information submitted to the Texas Education Agency, and any financial vulnerabilities or material weaknesses in internal controls as determined by an external auditor.
School districts are given a numeric grade for the indicators. The numeric grades, when totaled, correspond to a letter grade of A, B, C, or F. The letter grades correspond to the ratings "superior," "above standard achievement," "meets standard" or "substandard achievement."
District welcomes transfer students
Board members approved accepting over 700 non-resident students seeking transfer into the district, an increase from last year and a continuation of the ongoing trend of the last decade.
Of the hundreds of students accepted into Longview ISD, the overwhelming majority cited the educational opportunities at Longview ISD as their primary reason for transferring.
Superintendent Dr. James Wilcox said the transfers come from 'in and around the Longview area,' as well as from other East Texas communities like Tyler, Chapel Hill, Henderson, and even as far away as Nacogdoches.
"It's a testament to the quality education being provided by our excellent staff, our exceptional academic offerings, and the reputation of our students' achievements, that these families are choosing to enroll their students in Longview ISD," he said. "These aren't move-ins — though we certainly get quite a few of those each year — but these are residents of other communities, who are willing to drive to Longview for their children to attend our schools. That's a big deal."
Ms. Dolly Soule, Supervisor for the LISD Welcome Center, said attendance and discipline records "have been checked for all students."
"Principals have been given the information and the opportunity to make a recommendation on each student," she said.
Superintendent's Report
During the Superintendent's Report portion of the meeting, Dr. Wilcox received an update on the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) program.
Longview ISD increased the total number of TIA-designated teachers across the district from 81 in the 2020-21 school year to 156 in 2021-22. With the October 2022 TIA data submission, 24 additional teachers are recommended for new designations along with 5 current designees moving up for the 2022-23 school year.
Dr. Wilcox also received various departmental reports from LISD Transportation and Community Relations, as well as updates on Campus Safety, the LISD Backpack Program, District Garden and Composting Project.
Other items in his report included the latest RAPTOR (Rapid Algorithmic Prototyping Tool for Ordered Reasoning) data from the Office of Innovation, as well as presentations on the Quality Seats Analysis (QSA).
In addition, Dr. Wilcox received updates from public school charter partners: East Texas Advanced Academies (ETAA), Longview Educates And Prospers (LEAP), and the Texas Council for International Studies (TCIS).
Donations to Campuses
Board members approved:
- Donation of $20,000 from Network Investments to help cover expenses for a Judson Middle School trip to Ron Clark Academy;
- Donation of $8,500 from Network Investments to cover multimedia production equipment and licensing for Judson Middle School;
- Donation of $7,100 from Lobo Tennis Booster Club to purchase equipment, supplies, and help cover travel costs for competition;
- Donation of $3,174.93 from Hudson PEP PTO to purchase campus technology items;
- Donation of $1,000 from Victor's Concrete for LHS Welding to purchase equipment, supplies, and help cover travel costs for competition;
- Multiple donations from supporters of the LHS Interact Club to help purchase lettered L-O-B-O-S flags for football games: JCH Operations ($350) and Sean & Tracey Goram-Welch ($290);
- Donation of $500 from Perry D. Reed & Company for LHS Film Club to purchase equipment, supplies, and help cover travel costs for competition;
- Donation of $300 from John Alvatroni for Lobo Cross-Country to purchase equipment, supplies, and help cover travel costs for competition;
- Donation of $300 from Kay Ray for LHS Culinary Arts to purchase equipment, supplies, and help cover travel costs for competition;
- Donation of $150 from Austin Bank for Judson "Sapphires" dance team to purchase equipment, supplies, and help cover travel costs for competition;
- Donation of $100 from Ron Peacock for the Junior National Honor Society to purchase equipment, supplies, and help cover travel costs for competition; and
- Donation of $80 from Vertical Raise for Hudson PEP's Spring Trip Fundraiser.
In other business...
During the course of the meeting, the LISD Board of Trustees also:
- APPROVED Minutes and Board Time Use Tracker for Nov. 14, 2022 Regular Meeting;
- APPROVED the Board's Quarterly Progress Tracker; and
- APPROVED Budget Amendment No. 4.
For more info
Trustees usually meet in the boardroom of the LISD Education Support Center (1301 E. Young Street), but often set special-called meetings at various locations around the district. The next regular meeting is tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. Jan. 9, 2023.
For more information about the Longview ISD Board of Trustees please click here.