BURTON ISD STAAR, EOC SCORES MOSTLY ABOVE STATE AVERAGE
End-of-year testing results for Burton ISD are above the state average in most categories.
During Monday’s Burton School Board meeting, Elementary School Principal Melinda Fuchs said students surpassed the state averages in 29 of 30 available categories. Superintendent Dr. Edna Kennedy said the district saw gains in every area of STAAR testing and End of Course (EOC) exams, when compared to 2019.
Dr. Kennedy said these are “great results looking back in what we had to deal with.” Fuchs said the district “could have made a lot of excuses” in relation to COVID-19, but the hard work of teachers and students was evident in their scores.
While A-F accountability ratings from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) were paused for the 2020-21 school year, Dr. Kennedy said she believes if ratings were given out this year, the school district would be within a high “B” or an “A” rating.
Also on Monday, trustees reviewed budget projections for the 2021-22 school year. The district is currently planning on a budget of $8,401,434 for the new year, compared to the 2020-21 budget of $7,869,006.
The largest appropriation in the budget comes from payroll for instruction, which increased from $3,133,035 to $3,300,020 in the proposed budget. Campus administration costs are projected to increase from $459,567 to $533,495 because of a new instructional coach position. The largest increase in the budget from last year comes from a higher expected recapture payment to the state, projected at $1.5 million compared to $1.1 million from the previous year.
The district expects to have $7,574,771 in its general fund in the new budget, up from the 2020-21 general fund amount of $7,124,174.
Dr. Kennedy said these budget figures will be “very close” to what will be presented to trustees next month for budget adoption.
During Dr. Kennedy’s superintendent report, she announced that a new floor has been put in at the band hall. She also said the district currently has 506 enrolled students, after ending the school year with 475 students.
Also at Monday’s meeting, the board:
- Approved a testing coordinator stipend of $500 each for two testing coordinators, one for elementary school and one for secondary school.
- Renewed TASB’s worker’s compensation coverage. This year’s contribution will be $13,740, compared to last year’s amount of $13,210. The increase is due to inflation and rising payroll cost.
- Approved a board policy update as recommended by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) policy service, pertaining to purchasing and acquisition, facilities construction, compensation and benefits like leaves and absences.
- Approved TASB’s investment policy.
- Delegated contractual authority to obligate the school district under Texas Education Code for the 2021-22 school year. This allows the school district to accept transfers and purchase attendance credits.