Southwest ISD Board Update
January
JANUARY 18 MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
Indian Creek Elementary School's Student of the Month is Keni Alas. Keni is described as an amazing 5th grader! As a Twice Exceptional young man, Keni’s love for learning can be seen and heard through his passion for knowledge, his dance creativity, his sense of humor and his compassion for others. In his own words, Keni describes himself as, “kind, awesome, handsome and kind of whiney!”
The student of the month for Kriewald Road Elementary School is Imaya Jackson.
Imaya, who is new to the school, brings much joy to her campus. She is described as determined to succeed in anything she puts her heart into. She is a part of many extracurricular activities. She is the secretary for Student Council, Solar Club, and Robotics. She is a respectful young lady to her peers and to adults around her. With her integrity and dedication, she will continue to succeed in her studies and in the future.
Scobee Middle School’s Student of the Month is Milagros Robles-Martinez.
Milagros, the youngest of six children, is described as a great leader. She works hard toward her goals and is truly the leader of the 8th Grade student body. The athlete and straight “A” student has a “go get it” mentality and her grades and performance in the classroom are a reflection of her hard work and commitment. She has also been a faithful volunteer. She is the first to volunteer for a good cause such as caring for stray animals, giving to the homeless, and adopting a family in need during the most needed times of the year.
Divanhy Salazar, a senior, is the Student of the Month for CAST STEM High School. She is described as an innovator, leader, and advocate for more women in STEM and has worked with young women across the District and the city to encourage their participation in the STEM pathway. Divanhy is an active student on campus with National Honor Society, ACE Mentorship, Theatre, and Technology Student Association (TSA), where she has held leadership positions. Divanhy is an engineering student who is positioned to earn her Associates of Science degree with an engineering focus from Palo Alto College before her high school graduation. In addition, she was accepted into the UTSA Engineering program and was awarded the Distinguished Presidential Scholarship for a total of $20,000, as well as being selected to become a member of their Honors College.
CAST STEM HS is also being recognized for a great achievement.
Ms. Catherine Hoffman, Lead Counselor, worked with seniors Pandora Hernandez, Isaiah Tober and Natalie Zepeda to assist every senior at CAST STEM HS to complete their ApplyTexas and FAFSA applications. The team helped the Class of 2022 achieve 100% student completions for ApplyTexas and FAFSA IDs. The three seniors worked as a Senior Task Force for Choices Beyond the Bell at SW Legacy HS and assisted 50 senior completions and then helped Southwest HS to achieve 64 senior completions of Apply Texas or FAFSA IDs. Ms. Hoffman, Pandora, Isaiah, and Natalie, congratulations on your commitment to service to others to achieve their next step in the journey to college.
2022 Board Appreciation
Governor Greg Abbott declared January 2022 as School Board Recognition Month
as a tribute to the hard-working school board members who play such an important
role in our communities and schools. In a proclamation Gov. Abbott cited trustees' key role in public education. "They work with parents, education professionals, and community members to create successful learning environments for our students. Our school boards continue to be instrumental as they tackle new challenges for Texas public schools and serve the ever-evolving needs of our students," the proclamation reads. During the board meeting, SWISD Superintendent Lloyd Verstuyft echoed the Governor's sentiments. "We appreciate the time you commit to making sure we do our due diligence, create pathways for our students to move forward and working with our school community. Thank you for all that you do to make SWISD a premiere district." A video of appreciation produced by the District's Fine Art Department was then played in tribute to the SWISD Board of Trustees.
Presentations
Director of Facilities and Maintenance Thomas Krueger presented the results of the District's online auction, which took place from November 5 through November 16, 2021. The auction consisted of 117 lots. It grossed the District $85,672.00 and netted $68,334.91 after fees were paid to Lemons Auctioneers. Last year’s auction grossed the District $76,420.00 and netted $61,136.00. That auction consisted of 175 lots.
February Calendar of Events
Items Approved
The Board approved a resolution to create the Southwest ISD Master’s Degree in
Educational Administration and/or Principal Certification Tuition Reimbursement Program (ASPIRE program). In cooperation with Texas A&M - San Antonio, and in an effort to prepare more staff to become campus administrators, the District will establish a tuition reimbursement program for district personnel interested in obtaining their Principal Certification and/or Master’s Degree in Educational Administration. In exchange for an agreement to complete the course of study in a timely manner and maintain employment with the district for five years after the completion of the program, the district will pay 50% of the tuition costs associated with the one-year program. The District will pay approximately $3,665.87 for each individual in the Principal Certification part of the program and $5,344.05 for each individual in the Master’s Degree plus Principal Certification part of the program.
2022-2023 Truancy Prevention and Intervention Grant Application and Resolution
The Board approved the submission of the Truancy Prevention and Intervention Grant Application and Resolution for 2022-2023. Through this grant, Southwest ISD will continue funding seven Truancy Prevention Liaison positions and one Truancy Prevention Liaison Coordinator position. Liaisons will continue to be assigned to specific campuses to work closely with students, parents, and campus attendance teams to increase student attendance and prevent chronic absenteeism that could result in loss of credits or dropping out. They will develop and utilize interventions aligned with current initiatives and programs and collaborate with campus student support teams to help ensure the social-emotional well-being of students.
Amendment to the SWISD 2021-2022 School Calendar
Board members approved an amendment to the SWISD 2021-22 School Calendar. Texas Education Code (TEC) §25.081 requires districts and charter schools to provide at
least 75,600 minutes of instruction, including intermissions and recess. The Board
approved the current calendar for the 2021-22 school year in March of 2021 but given the
challenges caused by the pandemic, district staff modified the calendar to create three half-days in the spring semester for teacher planning. This plan was approved by the District Improvement Team on January 12, 2022. The planning days will be on Wednesday, February 16, Wednesday, March 23, and Wednesday, April 20. Students will attend school in the morning for four hours and then be released. The district would still be in compliance with the 75,600-minute requirement for instruction as required by the state.
Health Service Reporting Stipend
The Board approved adopting the Health Service Reporting stipend to the district compensation plan.The Texas Education Agency is requiring individualized reporting on students and staff who have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Health services staff who make the reports spend at least five minutes per student/staff member inputting this data. Given the number of COVID positive cases, this is leading to a significant increase in work for health services staff. Based on an estimate of added time, the District anticipates an extra two hours of work-time for each employee involved in this work on top of their regularly assigned duties. Therefore, District leaders believe a $1,000 stipend would be appropriate for employees completing this work. The funds for the stipend come from the ESSR III grant. Calculations for the stipend were made based on the number of cases, the time spent entering data per case, and the current status of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021-2022 Campus Performance Objectives (CPO)
The Board approved the 2021-2022 Campus Performance Objectives. They were created by the campuses and their leadership teams after a careful review of the Comprehensive Needs Assessment and overall data. The goals that were prepared are based off of 2020-2021 campus performance in attendance, content, distinctions and the Closing the Gaps Domain. The objectives will be posted for each campus online on the District website.
Joint Election
Trustees approved a joint election with the City of Lytle. The District will hold the election on May 7, 2022.
Order of Election for Southwest Independent School District
The Board also approved the Order of Election. In May of 2022, the trusteeships of Ida Sudolcan and Sylvester Vasquez Jr. will expire. The District will be contracting with Bexar County to conduct the elections, as has been done in the past. The District will host Early Voting at Central Office and McAuliffe Middle School. The other sites are to be determined. Election Day voting will occur at Big Country Elementary, Bob Hope Elementary, Sky Harbour Elementary, Sun Valley Elementary, SWISD Central Office and the City of Lytle City Hall.
New Courses for CAST STEM
The Board approved new secondary courses for CAST STEM High School. The Curriculum and Instruction master schedule team met with campus leadership and identified new courses for the Spring 2022 at CAST STEM High School. The courses are listed below.
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