SCHOOL BOARD VOTES TO DONATE PROPERTY

  

At the Brenham School Board meeting Monday, Superintendent Sam Bell proposed forming a strategic planning committee to review the district’s mission statement and develop future goals for the district.  The committee would be made up of 28 members that would include business representatives, parents, recent BISD graduates, campus representatives, and two members from the school board.  Susan Jenkins volunteered to be one of the school board representatives on the committee.  The other school board members asked to wait until the meeting dates were known before they volunteered.

In other action, the board voted to begin the process of donating the former home economics building at the old Alton campus to the Pickard High School Reunion Association.  The association had originally asked to receive it and the adjacent gymnasium, which were both part of the Pickard High School campus, but the school district decided to retain the gym for now.  The donation to the non-profit organization will be a lengthy process including public hearings, and it will come with some restrictions, such as the property must be used for educational purposes.

The board also received an enthusiastic report on BISD’s Outdoor Education Program from Natalie James.  She reviewed how the Outdoor Education Program helps students apply science and math skills to real life study of nature.  James stated that in the past year, local volunteers have donated over 1500 hours of service to the program.  It has also received a 20 thousand dollar grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.   Board member Ray Weiss commented that after his boys went to the Nails Creek Park part of the program, they talked about it for weeks.