Southwest ISD Board Update
November
NOVEMBER 16 MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
Public Hearings
Overview of Schools FIRST (Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas)
Assistant Superintendent of Business and Finance Brandon Crisp presented results of the District's rating under Texas’ School FIRST financial accountability rating system for the 2019-2020 school year. SWISD received a "Superior" rating of 94 out of 100 possible points. This is the 19th year in a row that SWISD received a "Superior" rating. By Texas law, every school district's financial health must be evaluated annually. The primary goal of Schools FIRST is to achieve quality performance in the management of a school district's financial resources.
ESSER II and ESSER III Amendments
Assistant Superintendent of Administration and Human Resources Frances Barcenez presented background information on ESSER II and ESSER III amendments for the 2021-2022 school year. The amendments are a result of input from a steering committee, public hearings, and parent and student surveys. The funds address the need to reopen schools safely, sustain safe operations, address social-emotional needs, and address learning loss due to COVID-19.
Hidden Cove STEAM is proud to recognize Arturo Vallejo as its student of the month. The 6th grader is described as a standout leader. He maintains excellent attendance and is on the A/B honor roll consistently. He is a member of the inaugural HCSA Chief Science Officers program, the HCSA safety patrols, and the 6th Grade LEGO Robotics team. Arturo is a STEAM project participant in campus PBL for designing outdoor learning spaces that will exemplify the school's mission statement of creating innovative educational experiences which meet the needs of modern learners!
8th-grader Carlos Trevino is Resnik Middle School's student of the month. In addition to being an A Honor Roll student and a fantastic member of the journalism club, he is also a valuable member of Resnik’s cross country team. Last month, a coach from another district wrote a letter stating that he was impressed with his sportsmanship. Carlos was seen helping and encouraging another student finish a race. His teachers and coaches say he is a natural and authentic team leader who has it all: grit, integrity and is the definition of a true teammate.
The student of the month for Southwest Legacy High School is senior Alessandra Ramon. She is described as an exceptional young lady with a strong academic record. She is dedicated to her chosen program of study, Education and Training. She is involved in the organizations Texas Association of Future Educators and Family, and Career and Community Leaders of America, for which she holds an officer position. She continuously finds ways to be a leader on campus. Alessandra embraced an opportunity and a need when she stepped into a vacancy on the homecoming King and Queen ballot. She campaigned, gave it her all, and won the title Princess representing the FCCLA organization and the Career Technical Education Department. Alessandra has charisma, poise, and most of all, motivation to succeed. She would love to come back to SWISD and teach at Sky Harbour Elementary.
Presentations
AlamoPROMISE 2021
Palo Alto College's Vice President of Student Success Gilberto Becerra gave the Board of Trustees a presentation on the AlamoPROMISE, a scholarship provided by the Alamo Colleges. SWISD students enrolled in Southwest High School and Southwest Legacy High School, if eligible, can receive this scholarship for up to three years or until the completion of an associate’s degree, whichever comes first. This “last-dollar” scholarship will fund the cost of tuition and required fees after the student’s financial aid awards are applied. Senior students at Southwest High School and Southwest Legacy High School have to complete their Save Your Seat (SYS) application to begin the process. Once students have completed their SYS application, they must complete their admission application through Apply Texas to one of the five Alamo Colleges. They must also complete and submit their FAFSA or TASFA application as well.
Blue Santa Parade Announcement
Trustees were given information on this year's Blue Santa Parade and Festival. For many years the Southwest Communities in Action Coalition has worked together with law enforcement, community agencies, Southwest ISD, and South San Antonio ISD to celebrate and pay tribute to public servants who put their lives on the line to help keep our community safe. South San Antonio ISD will host the Blue Santa Press Conference announcing the official event on December 7, 2021, at 9:30 am at Five Palms Elementary School. Everyone is welcome to attend. On December 11, 2021, Blue Santa will ring in the holiday season when he arrives in the SAPD Blue Eagle helicopter at Miller’s Pond Community Center. He will then lead a parade of City of San Antonio officials, Bexar County officials, special guests, community and school district representatives, and organizations through neighborhoods located near Old Pearsall Road for approximately 2.5 miles. A holiday celebration will follow at Millers Pond Community Center. The parade is scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m.
Construction Update
The Board received an update on the construction of the New Aquatics Facilities, SWISD Middle School Tracks Project, and renovations at the Transportation Center. The structural frame of the Aquatic Center is 90% completed. The project is expected to wrap up in the Spring of 2022. All construction on the middle schools' tracks except Scobee is on schedule to be completed in December. The tracks at Scobee will be finished in January due to the effects of inclement weather. The canopy for the Transportation Center was recently completed. Currently, the washing system is on site and ready for installation. This project is scheduled to be finished by the spring of 2022.
Items Approved
Purchase of School Buses
The Board approved the purchase of five, 72-passenger buses and three special needs buses from Thomas Built Buses at a total cost of $887,125.00.This new fleet will replace aging buses. All new buses will have diesel fuel systems, be furnished with air-conditioning and have seat belts installed for all seated areas. District staff received quotes from several bus manufacturers and vendors before recommending Thomas Built Buses to the Board. The company provides buses with better fuel efficiency, lower total operating cost and overall superior durability. Bond Funds will be utilized for this purchase.
Purchase of Student Technology
Trustees approved the purchase of 5,200 Chromebooks. Students in 2nd through 12th grades use Chromebooks as their primary learning devices. Google sets an Auto Update Expiration date for Chromebooks. When a Chromebook reaches that date, it will no longer be able to update its software. A Chromebook that can no longer update loses access to many applications and presents a security risk to the network. There are approximately 5,200 student Chromebooks that will reach their expiration date in June 2022. The cost of the purchase is $1,312,025. This amount will be funded by ESSER III grant funds.
Southwest ISD Scholarship Committee Recommendations for 2021-2022
Trustees approved the District Scholarship Committee's (DSC) recommendations for
equal distribution of funds per student. The Board also approved updated DSC members for the next three years. The DSC is made up of representatives of the SWISD Board of Trustees, community members, district members, high school principals and lead counselors, and the Superintendent. This year the DSC met on November 11, 2021 to discuss updates to the by-laws and changes in the members of the committee. The updates to the by-laws come as a result of the addition of CAST STEM High School seniors. The member changes are the result of staff changes over the course of the year.
Substitute Pay Raise
The Board approved adopting an increase in substitute pay of $25 more per full-day substitute job. Several districts that border Southwest ISD in Bexar County have raised their rates due to labor shortages. In order to stay competitive, prevent the loss of substitutes to
neighboring districts, and limit the number of substitute jobs going unfilled, the District
will implement the following rates:
- Certified: $150/day
- Degreed, Non-Certified and Licensed: $125/day
- Non-Degreed: $115/day
- Instructional Aide: $95/day
- Office & Administrative Support: $95/day
Voting for Bexar Appraisal District Board of Directors for 2022-2023
Trustees approved a resolution to cast their vote for Cheri Byrom to serve a two-year term on the Bexar Appraisal District Board of Directors. Every two years participating tax units are authorized to vote for directors for the Bexar Appraisal District. Southwest ISD has 78 voting units to cast.
Academic Achievement Class Ranking
Trustees approved updates to EIC (Local) policy on Academic Achievement Class Ranking. The first update involves distance learning courses designated as OnRamps or dual credit courses, which will be included in calculation of the GPA. All other distance learning courses will be excluded. The second update is the addition of the Board Resolution to EIC (Local) passed on May 19, 2020, which excluded grades earned after the 3rd 9 weeks of the 2019-2020 school year. The third update is the exclusion of the Pre-AP designation to EIC (Local) policy. SWISD currently uses Honors, Advanced Placement, Dual Credit, OnRamps and regular for course designations on the weighted grade point average chart. The fourth update is adding OnRamps to the dual credit/AP column in the weighted grade point average chart. The fifth update replaces the verbiage of “69-0” with “below 70” on the weighted grade point average chart. The sixth update to the policy is the addition of an overall grade of 70 to earn high school credit for an AP, dual credit course and OnRamps course.
ESSER II and ESSER III Amendments
The Board approved ESSER II and ESSER III amendments for the 2021-2022 school year. As a part of the American Rescue Plan, these grant funds were allocated to Southwest ISD. The intent of these funds is to address the identified needs to reopen schools safely, sustain safe operations, address social emotional needs, and address learning loss due to COVID-19. The plans will be monitored and amended multiple times throughout the course of the grant period which runs through 2023.
Southwest Independent School District
Website: www.swisd.net
Location: Southwest Independent School District, TX, USA
Phone: 210-622-4300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SWISDsatx
Twitter: @swisd