BRENHAM SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES INSTRUCTIONAL CALENDAR
The Brenham School Board approved the Instructional Calendar for the next school year at their meeting Tuesday evening. The calendar meets the goals set by the 477 parent responses received and staff requests. The first day of school is Wednesday, August 19th, with a full week holiday for Thanksgiving, and the last school day is May 27th. Spring Break is moved later one week to match that of Blinn College and Texas A&M. 2020-2021 Instructional Calendar
Trustees also heard an update from Durham Transportation about the school bus service. John Elliott Jr. explained Durham’s priorities and said they are dealing with a nationwide driver shortage. Currently, Brenham ISD has 41 bus routes, but only 35 drivers. That means that some students are picked up as early as 5:35 AM and may not make it home until after 5:00 PM. Board President Natalie Lange said having a student endure a 12 hour day at school in unacceptable, especially for elementary students. Elliott said they are offering a completive salary, but they are competing with other companies that offer full time positions. Superintendent Dr. Walter Jackson asked “what would it take to alleviate the problem”. Durham said they will complete a study in about 3 weeks that should answer that question. Jackson said they can bring the results to the board when it is completed.
This month’s “You Make a Difference” award was presented to Christi Yackel and Amanda Stolz for their volunteering with the Toys for Tots drive. This year, the organization presented toys to 462 children in Washington County. The board also recognized Jason Barber as the Texas VFW Smart/Maher National Citizenship Educator of the Year. Barber is a Social Studies teacher and history department chair at Brenham High School.
The school board also:
- Held a public hearing on the Texas Academic Performance report. Sarah Cook, Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Accountability, presented the report which will be available on the Brenham ISD website soon.
- Approved a Financial Audit report from the accounting firm Belt Harris Pechacek. The audit showed no faults.
- Approved the sale on a small ½ acre tract of land to an adjacent landowner off of Alois lane.
- Heard a report on the Fall benchmarks for students from Dr. Jamey Johnson, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction.
