School Board Meeting rundown

By Art Tanney
Special to the NEWS

 

Various committee meetings of the San Benito Consolidated Independent School District Board took place Thursday night.  The Building Committee discussed the ideas of districtwide canopies and LED lighting for Dr. Garza and La Encantada Elementary.  The Curriculum Committee heard presentations from Berta Garza and Miller Jordan Middle Schools about steps staff are taking and resources being used to improve the discrepancies between students performing well in classes but poorly on state exams.  Included in the presentations were resources teachers are using to help break down the curriculum and to prepare students for the exams’ structures as well as options available to students who need extra support.  Theresa Servellon of the San Benito School District followed those presentations with a review of the Campus Improvement Plans which look at every aspect of running a school and provide related assessment information.  Each campus has a vision, a mission, and a goal.  The ultimate goal according to Ms Servellon is to best serve 100% of the students and ensure they are ready for post-secondary education.  The three year improvement plan will be presented later this year.  The partnership between the Raymondville and San Benito districts with the government funded Nueva Luz Foundation will continue.  The program helps schools provide services to students grades 5-12 and their families who are dealing with trauma or PTSD.  The Finance Committee approved all agenda items related to polling sites for the May 5, 2018 election with one important change: Sullivan Elementary has been replaced by the Fire Station as a polling site.  A thorough discussion of the 2016-2017 independent audit revealed a variety of highlights for the San Benito School District including a growth of capital assets and no new debt.  The net position, the difference between assets and liabilities, grew by approximately $6.5 million solely as a result of operating activity.  Mr. Quentin Anderson from Carr Riggs & Ingram, the third party that prepared the audit, said the district’s financial department was “doing well” and that any prior difficulties it may have had, have clearly been resolved.  It is important to note, as Finance Committee Chairman Orlando Lopez did, the district has not needed to raise taxes for several years.

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