BRENHAM SCHOOL BOARD DISCUSSES LIBRARY POLICY UPDATES

  

The Brenham School Board on Monday discussed proposed changes to Brenham ISD’s library policy.

The adjustments are intended to further line up the district’s policy on library book selection with updates to state education and penal code as part of House Bill 900 from the 88^th Legislature.  Brenham ISD Chief of Staff Christine Johnson said the updates expand terms on harmful, obscene, sexually explicit or otherwise inappropriate material as they are defined by the state.

Superintendent Clay Gillentine said this item was placed on the agenda following public comments received during last month’s board meeting, and comes after lengthy discussions from legislators in Austin.  He said future book reviews conducted by the district will follow a new rubric.

Last year, the district reviewed over 30 books to determine whether they were age-appropriate.  Board President Natalie Lange thanked all of the people who served on the book review committee, reading all of the books in question in their entirety.  She said through the committee and the district’s system that notifies parents when a child picks out a book that is labeled mature, this matter is being put in the hands of parents and community members where it should be.

Chief Academic Officer Sara Borchgardt noted that the books originally reviewed were purchased by the district before HB 900 and the state’s new book rating system.  She said the district and campus librarians are keeping in mind how and when books came into the library system when determining if they are developmentally appropriate.

Trustee Kyle Hafner asked if books that passed the district’s previous review would still be ok now with the new policy language.  Gillentine said the books allowed to remain from that review will be re-evaluated under the new rubric and updated penal language.  He mentioned that the review committee, led by Borchgardt and High School Principal Michael Watts, will include returning members along with new ones. 

Also at Monday’s meeting, the board learned about a decision at the high school to reduce the number of early out/late arrival periods for seniors from two periods to one.  Watts said this came after a meeting between a committee of high school stakeholders and Education Service Center Region 6 representatives, where they reviewed graduation, attendance, and College, Career and Military Readiness (CCMR) ratings.  Borchgardt said this should maximize average daily attendance (ADA), enhance Career and Technical Education participation and completion rates, improve student outcomes and readiness, improve school culture and raise expectations.

The topic of ADA came up during the monthly financial report presented by Chief Financial Officer Darrell St. Clair, who shared that the district’s current ADA figures are surpassing what was originally budgeted for.  He said the district’s enrollment as of last week was 4,826, with a budgeted ADA of 93 percent – about 4,500 students – and an actual attendance rate of 95.7 percent. 

St. Clair said if the district keeps it up, it will receive more state funding than originally planned for.  Lange said she is “thrilled” that the ADA numbers are higher than projected, and Gillentine credited the work of campus principals and staff in helping make this happen.