BURTON SCHOOL BOARD SWEARS IN THREE MEMBERS

  

It was literally standing room only at the Burton School Board meeting Monday evening as interested members of the community stood around the edges of the conference room as the meeting took place.  The board canvased the election results and swore in David Warner Sr., Tracey Cox and Jeff Harmel as board members.  The board then named Demetrius Colvin Sr. to continue as its President, Jeff Harmel as Vice-President and Linda Hasten as Secretary.

Shelia Ripple (L) issues the oath of office to board members Tracey Cox, David Warner Sr., and Jeff Harmel as a packed room looks on Monday.

The board voted to secure a loan for up to $150,000 for the purchase of school busses for the district.  Superintendent Dr. Edna Kennedy said that the school district has been approved for a $128,000 grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for two 59 passenger busses and one 77 passenger bus, but the grant will not be awarded until September 1st.  The total cost for the three busses would be approximately $264,000 and three older busses of the same size would have to be traded in as part of the grant program.

The Board accepted the resignations of two instructors, science teacher Susan Abke correction - English Teacher Lacey Aubihl (Susan Abke's resignation was accepted at the April board meeting) , and Coach Kurt Ramsey.  They also voted to hire two instructors, Baily Dallmeyer and Francis Hyles to 1 year contracts.  They also welcomed two new hires to the district, Katie Kieke from Bellville and softball coach James Little from Rice Consolidated.

The board also voted to request a low attendance waver day for February 7th of this year.  On that day, only 84 percent of the students were in attendance due to illness, compared to 97 percent on that day in 2017.  If the TEA grants the low attendance waiver, the district won’t be penalized in funding for that day.

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11 Comments

  1. I find it strange no talk about security. After the Parkland shooting, police made themselves visible at the school. But since then not so much. Maybe for the rest of the year, they will be there. Why not get them to stay all year?
    And what about armed guards patrolling the halls, etc? Eliminating all the ways to enter the buildings. A shooter can easily bypass the offices and get in anywhere. Make everybody enter thru one or two entrances with metal detectors. Dan Patrick said yesterday to think out of the box like making different start times. Everybody should have radios to stop fights at least. More adults need to be visible.

  2. I don’t think running a/c for two hours once a month will break the bank.
    Obviously, the district thinks cost is no object since it still paying that bus driver who hasn’t worked for 6 montns

    1. I respectfully can tell you haven’t been to many board meetings recently. They have gone on for more than two hours most months, not including executive session.

      But it would cost more to air it for that time compared to the Administration meeting room, moreso if few people attend. It won’t cut costs and be counterproductive to the argument.

      Additionally said driver was getting paid $150 every payment, and if they’re contracted for a lump amount no matter what happens, it’ll still be paid. Rare but happens. Also, there was no mention of paying it back, so both there can be argued.

      Really the best thing to do is talk to the higher ups who schedule these. They have their reasons, mine are observations nothing more.

  3. It was very interesting to hear about a bus drivers concerns regarding the safety of the children. I am also interested to see a copy of the letter that Susan Abke presented to the board too regarding her reasons for resignation. An excellent teacher that will be missed. Copies of these letters can be requested at the Burton ISD Office as it is a public record.

    1. Good to hear the public can get copies of letters handed in at board meetings. I will spread the word. Maybe this Will open eyes and more will attend board meetings and speak up. Numbers speak volumes.

      1. My understanding is Abke resigned to another issue, though her opinion on other issues would be fair game.

        It was clear to many at the meeting the disgust of last April’s meeting was heard clearly in public forum. Personally I don’t see a value in doing this except to stir up the hornets nest more – and that is to me just as disconcerting as the issues of the past months.

        My understanding is these letters are NOT public record as they involve an employee’s reasons for leaving that have not been made public by employee (Ramsay chose to give his in public).

        You may have to file a freedom of information act request, and be prepared for it to be rejected for that reason.

  4. For the most part, the meeting seemed positive.
    However, standing room only and lack of a/c and difficulty hearing anything outside of the conference room.
    That meeting should have been conducted in the auditorium with the board seated as a panel with microphones and facing a seated audience.
    I can’t believe they really didn’t anticipate large attendance, especially after all the controversy generated from last month’s meeting.
    Hopefully, they’ve learned their lesson.
    Next month maybe they can make it look like they really want the public to attend.

    1. I’m not exactly sure that “learned their lesson” is a fair assessment. The past few months they’ve had low turnout to meetings – even in the more controversial months, when there’s been few people actually addressing complaints in person. The A/C was also working – body heat is a factor no matter how low it goes. Have talked to them myself a few times – they want the public to attend – they just don’t.

      What I would suggest is talking to the superintendent and seeing why, because there are many reasons in the last month of school why the auditorium might not have been accessible. Doesn’t do any good to air complaints otherwise.

      1. Executive meetings should be done in that little room.
        The public meetings should always be done in the auditorium, for the simple reason of a rare instance like monday nite.
        A formal display of a professional looking panel will present to the public that it IS PROFESSIONAL and that it serves the public, and not some secret society.
        Someone commented on the story regarding April’s meeting, “…skeletons will come out…”
        Well, they’re starting to come out.
        And the crowds will come.
        I think this new board will rise to the challenge and turn this district around for the sake of the kids and the taxpayers.
        They will need the auditorium.

        1. Change is Coming – the administration building and the auditorium are in two buildings. Are you telling people that Burton ISD should spend money to air condition two buildings? To me that’s counterproductive to your wanting what’s best for the taxpayers.

          Plus, if you’ve been in that auditorium, it’s a HUGE expense on the gamble that there will be a large crowd.

          One of the reasons I think Cox and Warner were elected was to cut wasteful spending in some areas (and there is some), and just doing them in the auditorium all the time would increase expenses as it takes a lot to fill that room with air conditioning or heating.

          As I’ve said before – even in the controversial months (there have been at least four I can count – the April meeting was when it came to a ‘head’) the attendance has been low. Even this month in my honest opinion it was low given the swearing in ceremony.

          But complaining here that the venue needs to chance does nothing – I again suggest talking with the superintendent with your viewpoint and they go from there.

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