Board Update
SEPTEMBER 19 MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
Students of the Month
Cage Owens, a 4th-grade student at Big Country Elementary School, has been selected as the Student of the Month. Cage has been a part of the BCE community for several years, consistently demonstrating outstanding citizenship on campus. Cage's kindness and courtesy are truly exceptional. He goes out of his way to ensure that everyone around him feels comfortable and valued. He not only helps his fellow students but goes above and beyond to be a valuable classroom helper. Cage also contributes to the community by picking up trash on his daily walks to and from school, actively participating in beautifying the campus. His actions are motivated by a genuine desire to help, without expecting recognition. Cage Owens is a true embodiment of kindness and compassion.
Ximena Aldape, a 5th-grade Dual Language student at Bob Hope Elementary, is the Student of the Month. She stands out as an exceptional student, consistently striving for excellence due to her enthusiasm for learning. Ximena's academic achievements are noteworthy. During her 3rd and 4th-grade years, she achieved a perfect score in Reading STAAR and reached the Masters level in math. She approaches every challenge with determination and a relentless pursuit of answers, never shying away from difficulties. Ximena's strong work ethic has been evident from an early age, as she has been actively participating in AAA Ready Writing in Spanish since the 2nd grade.
Sy Rae is a 7th grade student at McAuliffe Middle School that truly shines as a dedicated and motivated learner. Her teachers share that Sy Rae approaches her studies with a genuine enthusiasm for learning that is infectious to her peers. She demonstrates an impressive commitment to academic excellence by consistently achieving top grades in all her classes. Sy Rae is also very courteous, kind, respectful, intelligent, and goes out of her way to help others. One of the most striking qualities that Sy Rae possesses is her natural leadership ability. As an elite member of the Rocket volleyball team, all of Sy Rae’s teammates look up to her as a leader and role model on the court and in the classroom. Her parents shared that Sy Rae has always loved school and takes on everything she does as a competition, which explains why she is part of two high school softball teams outside of school competing with fifteen and eighteen year old’s. Sy Rae loves her family and always enjoys spending time with them having BBQs. Sy Rae wants to attend Baylor University and become a Pathologist!
CAST STEM High School is proud to recognize Adrian Cisneros for his remarkable accomplishments this past summer. Adrian is a senior at CAST STEM High School. He is a proud alumni of Elm Creek Elementary and McNair Middle School. This past summer, Adrian attended a STEM summer camp at Rice University where he took part in the Exxon/Mobil Carbon Capture & Storage pilot project. His dedication, hard work, and unwavering commitment truly paid off, showcasing his exceptional talent and determination by winning not one, but two prestigious trophies out of 450 campers! This remarkable feat not only reflects Adrian’s personal excellence but also brings immense pride to our entire CAST STEM campus. Outside of school, he is an active member at his church and is always helping out whenever he is called upon. Adrian plans to attend college after graduation and pursue a degree in Computer Science.
Special Honors
During the SWISD Board meeting, Texas State Representative John Lujan was in attendance to present two resolutions. The first resolution commemorates Florinda Bernal, who has earned the esteemed Master Trustee designation through the leadership TASB program. The second resolution is dedicated to Richard Baker in recognition of his exceptional achievement in receiving the 2023 State of Texas Law Enforcement Achievement Award.
Presentations
Construction Update
Thomas Krueger, Director of Facilities and Maintenance, gave an update on various construction projects around the District to include the synthetic turf at the baseball and softball fields at Southwest and Southwest Legacy High Schools, and the SWHS Freezer cooler replacement.
Enrollment Update
Superintendent Ball gave an update on student enrollment. The numbers show that families are choosing Southwest ISD. The district has surpassed 14,000 students, and enrollment continues to increase daily.
State Assessment and Accountability Update
Lisa Bolte, Executive Director for Assessment, Accountability, and Research, provided an update on STAAR scores and accountability results, comparing them to other Bexar County School Districts. Students in grades three through high school were given the opportunity to take STAAR tests in April and May of 2023. Results from these STAAR tests were used to determine accountability letter grades.
Items Approved
The Board has granted approval for the new Social Worker evaluation template.I n order to bring social worker evaluations in line with the SWISD Commitments, we've utilized leadership categories featuring indicators and role-specific behaviors to create this fresh evaluation system. We will conduct a pilot program using this evaluation tool involving all social workers. Our objective is to set goals, monitor the effectiveness of the new evaluation system, and subsequently analyze the data and feedback from both supervisors and the social workers being evaluated, with the aim of making any necessary improvements to the system.
Construction Manager at Risk Contract for the New Central Administration Building Project
The Board approved Kencon Constructors, LLC as the Construction Manager at Risk for the New Central Administration Building project. The contract for this undertaking amounts to $865,000.00 and will be funded through the bond. Bids for the CMAR contract were solicited on August 29, 2023, resulting in the receipt of 10 bids. These bids encompassed costs for both the pre-construction and construction phases, spanning a range from $665,204.00 to $2,745,298.00. District Staff and RVK Architecture meticulously evaluated and ranked the bidding firms based on the selection criteria published in the solicitation. Out of the 10 submitted bids, Kencon Constructors was the highest-scoring firm.
Schematic Design Drawings for the SWHS Stadium Press Box Renovation
The Board has granted approval for the Schematic Design drawings, which were conceived and presented by Pfluger Architects. In a collaborative effort, District staff and Pfluger Architects identified the program and design requirements for the SWHS Stadium Press Box Renovation project. The project is allocated a budget of approximately $5,500,000, and funding for it will be derived from the 2023 Bond funds.
2023-2024 Purchase from SchooLinks
The Board has granted approval for the purchase of SchooLinks for the 2023-2024 academic year. SchooLinks is a modern college and career platform that offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to enhance student performance and empower educators within SWISD. SchooLinks will provide valuable resources for our campuses, including career inventories, transcript audits, course planning, resume and portfolio development, and the capability for electronic signatures on four-year plans. The platform's services will benefit all students in grades 8 through 12. Specifically, SchooLinks will serve Southwest High School, Southwest Legacy High School, CAST STEM High School, as well as all 8th-grade students in our four middle schools.
Superintendent Remarks
Dr. Jeanette Ball announced that the Board gave their approval for the appointment of Jesus Hernandez as the Chief of Staff within the Division of Administration and Human Resources. Additionally, Brandon Crisp has been promoted to the role of Deputy Superintendent.
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