CCISD board authorizes bad weather day wages, honors student athletes

By BRITTANY FHOLER
Cove Leader-Press 

The Copperas Cove Independent School District approved a resolution authorizing payment of wages for the two days that the district was closed due to bad weather during their regular meeting Tuesday evening. 
The district was closed due to ice and poor road conditions on February 3, 4, and 24, 2022, with the district using the bad weather make-up day on February 21, 2022 to make up one of the missed instructional days. 
Per state law and district policy, students are required to have so many minutes of instruction, whereas employees are required to have so many calendar days. 
With the bad weather make-up day, this left two days of instruction that the district has accommodated with adding minutes to the rest of the school calendar for 2021-2022. 
The resolution states that the district “will not require employees to make up two workdays missed due to closure of school facilities or operations as a result of emergency closure” and that “all employees will be compensated for their regular duty schedule” during the two days of closures. 
The board of trustees approved their consent agenda , which included several items exceeding $25,000 such as the 2022 EES Licensing Agreement in the amount of $165,442.73 to keep Microsoft Windows and Office software current on all district computers; the Network Hardware Upgrade, worth $337,368.90, which will upgrade the firewall at the Network Operations Center and the Disaster Recovery site,  replace switches and indoor wireless access points at Williams/Ledger Elementary, Crossroads High School, and Copperas Cove High School, replace the router at Crossroads High School, Clements/Parsons Elementary, Hettie Halstead Elementary, Martin Walker Elementary and Mae Stevens Early Learning Academy. 
The purchases also include the purchase of classroom furniture for new classrooms at Mae Stevens Early Learning Academy, in the amount of $30,863.51, and at Martin Walker Elementary, in the amount of $33,712.32. The board also accepted a donation of $75 in gift cards by Rick McCain of Land of Lakes for the NSBW Participation Contest and a donation of 80 chicken tenders (approximately $100 worth) from Bush’s Chicken to feed military volunteers at the Adventure Fun Run at Clements/Parsons Elementary. 
Also on the consent agenda was the approval of an out of state trip request for the CCHS DECA chapter to attend the DECA International Competition. DECA had six CCISD students qualify for the International Competition, scheduled for April 22-26, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. The cost for the six students and advisor Raysharon Brown to attend is $12,542.45. 
The board approved an easement at Mae Stevens Early Learning Academy with Oncor Electric Delivery Company in order to have a new transformer installed to provide the necessary power for the addition at Mae Stevens. 
The board also approved the rankings of the proposals for the asbestos abatement at Hettie Halstead and at Martin Walker Elementary Schools. 
The construction budget established by the district’s asbestos consultant was $116,500.00. 
The four proposals came from AAR, Inc., BAD, Team Enterprise and AML Environmental, which were disqualified. The proposal that was ranked the highest was from AAR, Inc. and was for $84,000.
For Martin Walker, six proposals were received, with the construction budget established by district’s asbestos consultant of $111,800.
The proposals were from AAR, Inc., West Texas, Sisk Robb, BAD, Team Enterprise and AML Environmental which were disqualified. The company that scored the highest was West Texas, with a base proposal of $57,650. 
During recognitions, the board recognized several student athletes for qualifying at state playoffs, from the Lady Dawg Volleyball team to powerlifting and wrestling. 
The following were recognized for making state playoffs/bi-district qualifiers: Jakhi Smith, Jiya Edwards, Larisa Perez, Chloe Tuiasosopo, Jamesia Moody, Aaliyah Butler, Emma Wasiak, Kyra Gaston, Leila Cooks, Iliana Buitron, Leeann Edmonds, Ashanti Wright, Alanna Hairston and Joem Toala. 
Toala, Wasiak and Edwards also won the Texas High School Coaches Association Academic All State and the Texas Girls Coaches Association Academic All State. Kyra Gaston was the Texas Sportswriters Association All State Middle Blocker. 
Jiya Edwards, Gabrielle Edouard and Joem Toala made Academic All state for Powerlifting. 
Wrestlers Frankie Limon, Ryan Bithorn and Leeann Edmond each qualified for State, with Limon ranking ninth in the state and Bithorn ranking 10th.