Longview ISD trustees approved setting an election for Place 2 and Place 4 on May 2nd during their regular meeting Monday night.
Terms for Place 2 trustee Ava Welge and Place 4 trustee Ginia Northcutt are expiring, with both members planning to run for re-election. Longview ISD trustees are elected to serve three-year terms.
As of Feb. 10th both incumbents remain unopposed.
The final day to file for a place on the general election ballot is Feb. 14. Early voting begins April 20 and continues through April 28. Election day is May 2nd.
For more information please contact LISD Elections Coordinator Eriel Harris at (903) 381-2200.
The current Board of Trustees for Longview ISD is Mr. Michael Tubb (Place 1), Mrs. Ava Welge (Place 2), Dr. Chris Mack (Place 3), Mrs. Ginia Northcutt (Place 4), Mrs. Shan Bauer (Place 5), Mr. Ted Beard (Place 6), and Dr. Troy Simmons (Place 7).
Serving as a link between the community and classroom, school board members are elected to establish the policies that provide the framework for public schools. LISD trustees are responsible for an annual budget of more than $78 million, over 8,000 students and nearly 3,000 staffers.
Montessori Training
The board later approved using $175,000 of local and charter school grant funding for Montessori staff training. Grant-funded training will cover the 2020-21 school year.
Dr. Craig Coleman, LISD Director of Innovation, said the Southwestern Montessori Training Center (SMTC), uses a mobile training center to provide on-site training 'offering a deep and comprehensive exploration of the Montessori approach for children 3-11 years of age.'
'The Southwest Montessori Training Center Teacher Certification program is a unique blend of distance learning with a low-residency requirement,' he said. 'The full certification program is a nationally accredited and recognized program for public as well as private Montessori schools around the world.'
Currently all LISD prekindergarten and kindergarten classes use the Montessori style of learning. Ware East Texas Montessori Academy also offers Montessori classes for first- through third-graders, with plans to eventually expand through fifth grade. South Ward Elementary includes elements of Montessori education in their curriculum as well, with plans to eventually expand them campus-wide.
The Montessori Method of education is a child-centered educational approach based on scientific observations of children from birth to adulthood. It is a view of the child as one who is naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared learning environment. Montessori values the human spirit and the development of the whole child-physical, social, emotional, and cognitive.
Teacher education programs affiliated by the American Montessori Society provide comprehensive courses of study that prepare highly skilled, highly qualified Montessori teachers and leaders. The programs include both an academic phase and a practicum/intern experience guided by dedicated professionals.
Dr. Jacqueline Burnett, LISD Director of Montessori Programs, said students complete a variety of meaningful assignments 'which relate directly to their classroom experience and provide opportunities for practical application of the course material.'
'Weekly face-to-face interactions with instructors and fellow students builds a rich and supportive learning community and provides additional opportunities for integration of course topics,' she added.
Textbook Recycling
Trustees approved the 2020 Out of Adoption Textbook Disposal Plan, which Dennis Williams, LISD Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Services, said would help the district 'purge out of date educational materials in an efficient and cost-effective manner.'
Williams said the plan was developed with several goals in mind, specifically: inclusivity, eco-friendliness, community-mindedness, and fiscal responsibility.
Phase I of the plan calls all campuses to purge all of their out of adoption instructional materials, with campus staff permitted to take any of the books set aside for disposal. The remainder will then be shipped to the District Warehouse located in the old Everhart campus.
Then the district bookroom will be purged. Prior to disposal, there will be a time set aside for district staff to come by the warehouse to acquire anything they deem useful.
Local non-profit organizations that have expressed interest in obtaining books for their youth groups will be invited to the warehouse to get anything they need.
For Phase II of the plan Franklin Media Textbook Solutions has agreed to assist Longview ISD in the disposal and recycling of any remaining materials completely free of charge to the district.
'Of course, prior to the sale or disposal of instructional materials, the district must notify the Texas Education Agency of its intent to sell or dispose of instructional materials,' Williams added. 'We will present TEA 's disposal notification form for final approval and signature at a later date. The form requires detailed information which we will not have until we get deeper into the project.'
All funds received by the district from the sale or disposal of instructional materials must be used to purchase instructional materials.
In other business...
Board members also accepted donations of $2,500 from Longview Regional Medical Center (plus two anonymous donations of $2,000 and $1,000) to help fund the Leroy Romines Memorial Tournament, $1,000 from Lobo Baseball Boosters, $750 from Bradley Horn, $120 from Charles Mosley, $50 from Joseph Knox LLC, and $50 from various other donors.
Trustees also approved a $179,875 bid from Aledo-based LW7 Environmental Services for the removal of underground fuel storage tanks and the installation of above-ground fuel storage tanks at the LISD Transportation site
Joey Jones, LISD Chief Financial Officer, said the administration requested proposals for the project and after evaluating the proposals recommended the contract be awarded to LW7 Environmental for $179,875.
For more info
Trustees usually meet in the boardroom of the LISD Education Support Center, 1301 E. Young St. The next regular meeting is tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. March 23rd.
For more information about the Longview ISD Board of Trustees please click here.