Panther Nation,

We had a very productive October Board meeting. The highlight of the meeting was a celebration of Mr. Clay Cole's 13 years of service to the LHISD community.

Student Panther Champions of the Month:

• Liberty Hill Elementary - Elise Wright
• Bill Burden Elementary - Emerson Downey
• Rancho Sienna Elementary - Addison Chapman
• Santa Rita Elementary - Aiyana Tiongco
• Liberty Hill Intermediate - Ashley Burnett
• Liberty Hill Junior High - Josiah Smith
• Liberty Hill High School - Andrew China-Aquirre

Teacher Panther Champion of the Month:

• Teacher of the Month - Cassidy Ness - Bill Burden Elementary
  
• Staff Member of the Month - Gina Ketchem - Athletics
  

Recognition and Celebration for Liberty Hill ISD Board of Trustee, Mr. Clay Cole

Information and Updates

• Campus and District Plans. Dr. Toni Hicks gave her last presentation to the Board of Trustees before her transition to superintendent of Jarrell ISD. She presented the district plans and celebrated the work of the campuses, curriculum team, and teachers in not only the creation of the plans but the hard work and dedication of the staff this year during the pandemic.
• Construction Updates. Sledge Engineering updated the board on the construction progress of Santa Rita Middle School and the Liberty Hill High School expansion.

Consent Agenda

• Enrollment. The current enrollment is 5525, up 10 students in the last week.
• Financial Report. This report includes updates on tax collections, investments, expenditures, amendments, and bond status.
• Athletic Vendors were approved as vendors for athletic supplies and equipment.

Action Items:

• 2020-2021 District and Campus Improvement Plans. The board approved the district and campus plans as required by TEA.
  
• Building commissioning services for new middle school. The 2015 Energy Code requires certain amounts of 3rd-party Building Commissioning services to verify proper operations and efficiencies of installed HVAC and electrical systems. LHISD solicited vendors via Request for Qualifications as this is a professional service. The board approved McKinstry Essention, LLC, out of Austin, TX as the most qualified provider for LHISD.
• New Policy CW(LOCAL) - Naming Facilities policy. With two schools opening in the fall and many more to come, the board approved a new policy that defines the process for naming new school facilities or renaming current facilities. The board approved the new policy.
  
• Consideration and possible action on approving additional iPads for students. The board approved the purchase of 198 iPads to replace outdated devices that do not run current education apps needed in our classrooms and devices to cover expected growth.
  
• 2020-2021 academic calendar. The board approved a change to the current school calendar that makes Monday, November 9th a teacher workday. This day will allow teachers to plan for the next phase of students who are returning to in-person learning and help with the logistics of transition to the next grading period.
  
• Business Office Reorganization. The board approved changing the open business office position from a data entry position to a Budget Analyst. This move will allow the business office to better serve the district and community by identifying candidates with specific business office skills.
• Two additional Technology positions. The board approved the hiring of two additional technology department positions to help with the overload of technology work orders and the rise in maintenance due to the increased number of devices this school year. Those positions are a Helpdesk Support Specialist and Computer Support Technician.
• New Hire. The board approved the hire of Katie Hall as a new junior high ELA teacher, replacing Amber Datillo who resigned last week.

Teachers, have you heard? The LHISD Education Foundation Grant application is live, and we look forward to receiving yours.

LHEF will host a grant-writing workshop to help walk you through the process and answer any questions. Mark your calendars teachers. #makethedifferencelhef #inspire

Liberty Hill ISD Education Foundation

The application and more information available at :

https://www.libertyhill.txed.net/Page/1030