Millsap ISD News and Notes
January, 2015
Message from the Superintendent
This is the second issue of the Millsap ISD News and Notes. We hope this communication tool proves to be valuable to everyone.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas Holiday. Time with family and friends is always special.
January is School Board Recognition Month. Our seven school board members are highly committed to Millsap ISD. We have an experienced team working on our behalf and I can’t tell you how lucky we are to have such a wonderful board. We will honor them at our meeting Monday, January 19th. Please feel free to attend.
The 2015 Legislative Session is underway. Education will once again be a main topic for the legislature. There are several key issues that will be discussed and considered including: state assessment, state accountability, possible tweaks to HB5, allowing private and homeschool students participation in UIL activities, more analysis of the Teacher Retirement System (TRS), vouchers or tax credits, and on and on. From what I am hearing, I do not expect a great deal of work on the school funding system until the lawsuit is settled by the Texas Supreme Court. There are some funding bills being filed that deal with Instructional Materials Allotment, transportation allotment, and a bill that specifically deals with the Small School Adjustment. The Small School Adjustment is a formula that gives more money in the funding system for districts that are 300 square miles and larger. Our district is approximately 99 square miles. If we received the same funding as districts with 300 square miles or more that would mean approximately $800,000 more in funding per year than what we receive at the present time. The bill that was filed would provide the same funding level for everyone. I encourage all of you to exercise your voice as a citizen and communicate as you feel led with your representatives during this session.
I know we will have a great Spring Semester. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of students every single day!
Business Office
Employee Access
Have you ever needed to view your payroll information from a current or previous pay period? By using Employee Access, this information is just a few clicks away. Employee Access will give you the ability to review:
Calendar YTD Info
Current Pay Info
Deductions
Earnings Per Pay Date
Leave Balances
W2 Info
You also can submit demographic information and address changes. If you don’t have an account, go to the link below and set up a new account.
https://txeis11.esc11.net:8443/EmployeeAccess/app/login?distid=184904
2015 Payroll Checks
Remember that income tax rates change every year. Your January take home pay will not be the same amount as your December take home pay.
Child Nutrition
Junior High Kitchen
At the Millsap Junior High Kitchen, we have a brand new manager, Tina Stevens. She took over as manager in November and has been with Millsap ISD for 4 years. She, along with her husband Harold, have 6 sons and 6 grandchildren. New to the kitchen and district, is Mary Taylor. She started here in October. She has a husband, Matt, and 2 daughters. Returning to the district is Chrissy McLaughlin. This will be her first year in Food Service. She has, 4 children, all of whom attend Millsap schools. Please welcome them all to their new positions.
Technology
The technology department has been working on the following projects to allow for continuing growth and functionality to our network.
We are happy to hear that many of you are using your projectors on a daily basis so we have continued to change these out as soon as possible to keep this component functional and ready for your continued use in the classroom.
The district internet connection has been upgraded on our connecting tower to allow for any necessary bandwidth overages that may occur during our high traffic times.
We have added two servers to our network that will be set up on the High School and Elementary campuses allowing for a quicker login response time and a faster initial connection to the internet. The middle school server is located onsite at the administration building.
We have also added a computer that will monitor and maintain all of the network switches and wireless access points so that we will be alerted to any possible problems that may occur on the network before they become a problem to the teachers and students.
Currently we are working to change the student data server over to a newer unit with a much greater storage space as many of our students have started utilizing the network space for their projects and coursework.
Thank you for your feedback and patience. Please continue to keep us informed regarding issues with the network as we move forward.
Custodial
Happy New Year to everyone; we wish you all health and happiness for this New Year. Speaking of health and happiness, the custodial department has purchased a portable fogger which will assist in keeping our schools disinfected on a grander scale than we can do by hand. We will be using it in all the athletic areas and dining halls once a week, and more often if we feel the need exists. If you have an area of concern, you can let us know, and that evening we will be able to have that area disinfected in a matter of minutes, rather than hours. Let us know as soon as possible if you have an area of concern so that we may stay ahead of problems. All articles will need to be removed from desk tops if we treat a classroom. The area treated will then need some time to air dry, but will be “good to go” by morning. We feel certain this new fogger will aid in keeping us all healthier, and that makes us happy.
Transportation
We have been busy in the Transportation Department since we came back from Christmas break. We have started using a new bus maintenance program called Fleet Mate. This will allow us to have an inventory of parts and be able to track what we have and when we need to order something. It will also help with reminders when services are due and how much the repairs cost.
We are in need of sub drivers. If you or someone you know would like to help out and be a sub driver, come see us!!
Millsap ISD Contact
Website: http://www.millsapisd.net
Location: 201 E Brazos Rd, Millsap, TX, United States
Phone: 940-682-4994