Reporter: Ellie Mahan
August 24, 2023
The Whitney ISD Board of Trustees met in a regular session Monday, August 14 to discuss the district budget, hear administrator reports and review other agenda items.
The board discussed the 2023-2024 district budget, and Tamara Harrison, WISD business manager, was available to answer questions from the board. Last year’s budget was based on an average daily attendance of 1,321, and this year’s budget will be based on an average daily attendance of 1,360.
When board member Amy Hoffman asked about an approximate $150,000 decrease in the counseling budget, Harrison explained that in the previous year, the district budgeted for two campus counselors at the elementary and intermediate schools, and then one counselor, rather than two, worked at those campuses for half of the school year. One counselor was hired this year to work at both campuses. Therefore, one less employee was factored into the budget.
Superintendent John McCullough also noted that other employees were listed under the counseling section in the previous budget, and now they are listed under the correct section.
McCullough stated, “Tamara has done an excellent job of cleaning up what is supposed to be in the right code. I’ve thanked her for that. I think you’re going to see a big difference in everything being cleaned up.”
A meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, August 29 to discuss the school district’s budget and proposed tax rate in more detail. Public participation in the discussion is invited.
Harrison also gave an overview of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III planned expenditures. ESSER II funds were being put toward teacher salaries. ESSER II, which was signed into law in December 2020 through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, will be available for use until September 30, 2023. Since ESSER II is set to expire soon, the teacher salaries that were funded through ESSER II will now be funded by ESSER III. ESSER III funds will also go towards summer school expenses and counseling services of Klaras Center For Families. ESSER III funds are available for use until September 30, 2024.
Tony Zuniga, who operates TKash ATM Services in Whitney with his wife, presented the board with the possibility of placing an ATM machine at sporting events, starting with football games on Friday nights.
Currently, admission charges at football games are accepted in the form of cash or Venmo. An ATM would eliminate the need for digital payment through applications. The ATM services would require no upfront charge to the school because an ATM machine, marketing items and canopy would be provided.
Zuniga said that he and his wife were looking for a new way to give back to his community, and he believes that an ATM could be convenient for both football game attendees and those keeping up with ticket purchases. Zuniga is planning to donate a portion of the transaction fee to the Whitney ISD athletic department or booster clubs.
He stated that the district could start with a contract that lasts until the end of December and then potentially extend the contract if the service benefits both parties.
The board approved security officer job duties and responsibilities so that the district could post the employment opportunity and accept applicants. The district plans to hire two security officers as WISD employees. The security officers will not be able to make arrests or write tickets and will call Whitney Police Department or Hill County Sheriff’s Office for assistance when needed.
During administrator reports, Elementary School Principal Amber Seely said that professional development days helped elementary school teachers create great curriculum guides for their subject matter for the year. She said that the teachers have been getting to know each other again and building connections.
Intermediate School Principal Layna Philipp said, “We have quite a few new students this year. We have around 20 brand new, new to district, and still increasing, so I think that is interesting and exciting growth.”
She also said that the intermediate school has added new classes to their special subjects rotation called “Cats’ classes.” The classes will allow students to explore interest and passion-driven activities and learn skills that can be used outside of the classroom, such as vehicle maintenance and laundry techniques. Community members may be invited to the classroom in the future to assist with the real-world learning.
Middle School Principal Jaime Velasco reported that meet the teacher night was a success at the middle school, with high participation. “Maintenance Monday” or “Fix It Friday” was introduced to the campus. Velasco said, “That is for students that tend to fall behind on assignments. That will give them an opportunity during Cats’ time to catch up.”
High School Principal Kendra Hensley shared that the beginning of the school year at the high school is off to a smooth start. Fish Camp was held for freshmen before the first day of school. She announced that the freshmen make up the largest class at WHS currently, with 137 freshmen enrolled as of the day of the board meeting.
The total number of Whitney High School students between the main campus and the alternative setting was 460 on the day of the board meeting. Twelve new staff members were welcomed at the high school this year.
District-wide enrollment on the day of the board meeting was 1,488, which is an increase from last year’s enrollment of 1,459.
Athletic Director David Haynes said that athletics is off to a good start as well, stating, “Last year we had around 60-something football players, and we’re pushing around 95 right now. Both locker rooms are full.”
A junior Wildcat program is starting for football, volleyball and cheerleaders. Varsity athletes will befriend a signed up elementary or intermediate school student. The mentors will write notes to their younger friends, and the younger child will receive a shirt from the player.
Haynes said, “It is building that bridge between all the campuses and giving the young ones some role models to look up to. That is what we are getting ready to start right now, so we are super excited about that.”
The new Whitney ISD webpage was presented by Kristy Smith, director of technology at Whitney ISD, with the help of Stephanie Robison, webmaster, Apple and Google administrator and campus technician. Smith said that Robison has been working tirelessly over several months to design an aesthetically pleasing website that is easy to navigate. The website contains a scrolling news feed for each campus that feeds into a larger district-wide news feed.
Other features of the website include a renewed athletic page that is being updated with sports schedules and a faculty and staff directory with a new design. To add a personal touch and demonstrate that the school district is meaningful to staff members, Robison is adding the graduating years to the faculty and staff profiles of Whitney Wildcat alumni.
The board approved the TASB property, auto and unemployment compensation. The insurance deductible was unchanged, while the total amount increased by $36,000.
Increases were made in the area of property. The cost of privacy and information security also increased, due to the cyberattack that occurred at WISD during last school year.
The Hill County Appraisal District budget for 2024 was approved. WISD reportedly makes up 15.25% of the overall levy for Hill County.
Nominated by the board as a TASB delegate was Jason Sneed, vice president of the board, with Amy Hoffman, board member, being nominated as the alternate delegate.
New hires are: David Sheppard, baseball coach; Heather Sheppard, elementary school teacher; Heather Milam, WHS English teacher; Jesse Scales, sixth grade science teacher; Amy Fox, elementary school special education teacher; Rex Unruh, high school girls’ basketball coach; Jaime Velasco, middle school principal; and Crystal Haubert, elementary nurse.
The board voted to move the October 9 school board meeting to Monday, October 16. Columbus Day is Monday, October 9, and school will not be in session, so the board voted to move the meeting to the following week so that school will be in session on the day of the meeting. The board also voted to move the March 11 school board meeting to Monday, March 4 so that the meeting can be held before the start of spring break.
The next regular meeting will be held Monday, September 11.
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