BURTON SCHOOL BOARD ADDRESSES TEACHING VACANCIES, CONTRACT AGREEMENTS
The Burton School Board dealt with several contracts and agreements at its meeting Monday.
The board accepted the contracts of new elementary and high school positions for the 2019-20 school year, recommended by Elementary Principal Melinda Fuchs and High School Principal Matthew Wamble.
Fuchs recommended the hiring of 4th grade teacher Kayla Krell moving to the area from Houston, and 1st grade teacher Stephanie Sullivan moving from New Braunfels.
The board also accepted the resignation of 4th and 6th grade teacher Tiffany Beinlich, who was with the school district for a year.
Wamble recommended Angela Rhodes, coming from Huffman ISD, to fill the K-12 counselor position. He also recommended James Little to continue serving as the district’s director of student services.
Superintendent Dr. Edna Kennedy said the only positions left vacant after these hirings are two high school English positions, in addition to the position left open by Beinlich. The motion on the contracts was voted 6-1, with Tracey Cox opposing.
The board also accepted two hirings through the Burton Special Services Cooperative. The cost for the positions is split between the Burton, Dime Box, and Round Top-Carmine school districts. The positions serve all three districts, but they are housed in Burton.
The positions include the hiring of Holly Horton as a full-time diagnostician, replacing the part-time employees previously working the position. Dr. Kennedy said the cost to the district wouldn’t change much with this hiring. The other position is Angela Fuller, who is already employed with the cooperative as a speech pathologist assistant, but will come back as a speech pathologist once she finishes her certification.
Also in session, the board increased dental and vision employer contributions. For dental, the premium is increasing from $24.72 to $27.83, with 64 employees taking part. For vision, it is increasing from $7.02 to $7.63, with 65 employees participating. Altogether, the difference makes up an extra $3,834.83 the district has to account for.
During her report, Fuchs announced the district received a $10,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority for a shade cover at the playground. Fuchs said they are in the process of getting quotes and different equipment on the playground. She also said the district is in the middle of planning staff appreciation week, set for May 6-10.
In his report, Wamble discussed a new dual enrollment program coming in the fall for high school students. He said, along with Blinn, it will give students additional options for high school and secondary credit. He also said he and Little recently met with an ASVAB coordinator to discuss offering ASVAB for 10-12th grade Burton students
Wamble also commended the four students who recently competed in a UIL academic meet in Corpus Christi. One of those students, Gavin Kirkman, placed sixth in his competition. He also congratulated the Burton FFA livestock and wildlife teams who have advanced to the state competiton, to be held later this month.
The board also approved:
- Region VI Education Service Center Contract agreements. Dr. Kennedy said a lot of these services are things the district could not provide on its own, due to the cost of those services. She said costs did not change much from the previous year.
- Lightspeed as the provider of the district’s Internet content filter.
- A board resolution extending depository contract for funds. Dr. Kennedy said this agreement allows the district to do business with Burton State Bank.