BURTON SCHOOL BOARD INTRODUCED TO NEW STAFF

  

The Burton School Board was introduced to 5 new staff members during their meeting Tuesday evening.  Starting with the district for the upcoming school year: Laurie Gurka as a Pre-K aide, Meredith Dixon as a 5th grade teacher, Shawn Tunner as a special education aide, Cara Coghlan as a Jr. High English teacher, and Jessica Parish as the new volleyball and softball coach.  Also announced but unable to make the meeting was Zack Zorn who will be a High School coach and social studies teacher.

There was no discussion of the Master Facilities Plan during the meeting.  Superintendent Dr. Edna Kennedy stated they will form a committee in a few months to look into options for expanding the campus.  Burton voters rejected an 18 million dollar bond issue last November and the board is considering different options on what campus improvements need to be made.

The board did approve the budget for the Appraisal District and approved using the surplus funds from this year’s budget for three projects.  Chief appraiser Willy Dilworth requested that the funds be used to purchase new computer servers for the tax office, and emergency generator transfer switch, and put towards aerial photography of the county in 2020.

In other action, the board approved changes to a number of policies and procedures for the district and updated the student handbook.  They also approved the purchase of attendance credits from the state as required by Chapter 41, or the Texas Robin Hood law.

The board tabled any action on employee benefits or staff salary increases.  They are waiting on final numbers from the tax office and waiting to see what the special session of the state legislature does.  Superintendent Kennedy did state that the district is working towards a $1,200 increase in teacher pay, 3 percent for other employees, and the possible $1000 teacher bonus if mandated by the legislature.  They are also looking at purchasing cafeteria meals for all staff members to encourage them to eat lunch with the students.

The next Burton School Board meeting is planned for Tuesday, August 15th where the budget for the upcoming school year will be finalized.  The board will then meet again on Monday, August 28th to approve the budget and set the tax rate for the district.

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5 Comments

  1. Oh my! Teachers only have 30 minutes for lunch. Really?? Don’t encourage them to eat with the students!
    Please consider giving the teachers a 30 minutes duty free lunch and time to have adult time/-/-not eat with the kids!
    Maybe the supertindent/business office staff can eat with the kids! Give the teachers a break!
    Woukd love to see the teachers recieve a well deserved 3% annual raise like Dr. Kennedy gets!
    Driven by many an evening to see teachers working long after the dismissal bell. They don’t get paid for 50 hours plus hours a week.
    Business office doors are locked!

    1. Well said “Quite Lunch Break”! The minimal raise they discussed will not even cover the increased cost of insurance premiums for the staff!! The cost for a family is over $1300 per month (according to the TRS website & after the district’s contribution) just for the medical plan alone and that does NOT include dental, vision, life etc… that is all additional. Our teachers could go to larger districts within driving distance and make $10,000 to $15,000 more per year but choose to stay local, teaching OUR children. We should do MORE to retain qualified staff instead of having to hire new teachers year after year! As far as the lunch idea goes, that is ridiculous. I imagine they use those precious few minutes (which averages out to about 20 minutes after walking their classes to the cafeteria and then leaving early to pick them back up according to teacher friends) to take a bathroom break, visit with colleagues and most importantly, regroup for the afternoon ahead. Please do NOT pressure our teachers into feeling like they must eat with their students and take away that needed break.
      Wake up Dr. Kennedy and Burton ISD school board members. Our staff and students deserve the best we can give them.

      1. OMG! Your comparing apples to oranges! Bless your heart, Lol! If you understand anything about how a school budget works you would get that! I’m not saying we shouldn’t pay our teachers more, they do work hard and deserve more, however our tax base can’t support it. Brenham, for example, gets more state funding per student, and has a much larger property tax base than Burton.
        Our taxes would be even more astronomical!
        If anyone needs to wake up it’s Property owners in Texas! The State is proposing this wonderful package for teachers, but they don’t tell you that they are putting the cost back on local tax payers to fund these mandates. Therefore, our taxes will go up over the next 2-3 years if this passes, like 13%( see you later bond election!). I’ve seen a county commissioner and one of our school board members share this information on Facebook! I think our local governments are well aware of what’s going on.
        In regards to the insurance issues, that’s a direct State issue. The State made the insurance changes not the local school boards and only offer $1000, if it passes! (I’m guessing that’s why the board is waiting to see what the State is going to do. Smart move. (May they will cover more if it fails?). My calculations come to a total of a $2200 pay raise, going by the information in this article. Which would exceed your $1300 for family statement. No, I agree, it’s not enough, but you have to be logical when dealing with a tax budget.
        I have to agree with “Panther Parent” on the lunch statement. I see it as a incentive. Not a added duty. I thought it was a nice idea. Seems like they are at least considering the teachers. I didn’t see any detailed information in this article that would allow someone to draw such a conclusion. It clearly did not say you have to except a free lunch. I like how conclusions are draw and we don’t have all the information! It kinda discredits your comments.
        I guess we will all have to wait and see. I totally support all of our school! Just my observations.

    2. Hey, Quiet Lunch Break, It clearly states “encourage” not require. I’m guessing they can go eat their lunch by themselves if they choose to bring one. Wow, straight to the negative.
      Seems to me they are just giving an incentive to volunteers and in return adding another set of eyes to watch over our children safety. It did not say adding duties.
      For the past two years the teachers have gotten a 3% each year. If you are saying you would rather see them get a 3% over the $1200, then perhaps your only speaking for teachers that make over $40K. Do the math. If your referring to the difference in salaries, Everyone has the opportunity to go to school and further their education, just as I believe Dr Kennedy has. I’m sure there are certain criteria’s/educations that the state requires to be a superintendent of a school.
      I’m guessing the business office doors are locked to keep them from working overtime. They are probably hourly employees and not salary. The school has a budget to follow. When teachers take a teaching job, they pretty much know what they are going into, when it comes to extra hours. At least I haven’t met one yet that hasn’t. By the way, I’m hoping to God your not a teacher.
      Why the negativity? I seen a lot of positive things in this report. I hate to see another negative person tearing down our school. Just sad…

      1. To Panther Parent:
        First of all, the ladies have keys at the administration office so locking the doors would not help. If they wanted overtime (if they aren’t salary) they could just open the door. Second of all, I am hoping we have the money to pay good teachers so your child can learn the difference between your and you’re.

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