BRENHAM SCHOOL BOARD ADOPTS LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES, EXTENDS ADMINISTRATOR CONTRACTS

  

Addressing the teacher shortage, allowing local flexibility, funding districts based on enrollment and rejecting a voucher system are some of the Brenham School Board’s requests for state legislators this spring.

The board on Monday adopted Brenham ISD’s list of legislative priorities, formally listing what the district wants to see accomplished in the 88^th Texas Legislature, which continues through May.  The priorities were established in collaboration with Brenham ISD’s fellow school districts in Education Service Center Region 6.

Among Brenham ISD’s requests when pertaining to teachers are removing the surcharge paid by districts when hiring a retired teacher and increasing the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) multiplier.

The district is also asking legislators to avoid writing bills that give the Texas Education Agency (TEA) or the Texas Education Commissioner sole responsibility to define standards and expectations.

In terms of school funding, Brenham ISD requests that lawmakers increase the state’s basic allotment and fully fund all-day Pre-Kindergarten. 

For school accountability, the district wants the TEA to not assign A-F ratings this year due to ongoing changes being made to the accountability system and assessments.  In lieu of that, it requests a gap year or phase-in period and for ratings to be limited to “Met Standard” or “Did Not Meet Standard.”  It also asks for greater information on the state’s scoring system for districts and campuses.

Brenham ISD’s last bullet point for the Texas Legislature is safety and security.  The district wants proper funding to meet the state’s requirements for safety and security standards while retaining local control to be able to customize expenditures based on the needs of the community.  It also asks for added safety and security funding to be retroactive to spring 2022 expenses, so that districts that used other funds to improve school safety are not penalized.  Finally, the district is looking for the state to make improvements in mental health and student support and reinstate laws that address habitual absenteeism among students and their guardians.

After an executive session, the board approved the contract extensions of several administrators.  They include Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services Clay Gillentine, Chief Financial Officer Thad Lasater, Facilities and Maintenance Director Paul Aschenbeck, Child Nutrition Services Director Kasandra Davis, Safety and Security Director Jay Huffty, Special Education Services Director Christine Johnson, Human Resources Director Christie Olivarez, Director of Instruction Peggy Still, Athletic Director Danny Youngs, Technology Services Director Rodney Leer, and Chief Appraiser Dyann White.