GIFTED STUDENTS
Fri, 2015-12-11 05:00
News Staff
CCISD Trustees take time to honor community members, students and teachers
By DAVID J. HARDIN
Honoring community members, students and teachers was the main theme at Tuesday’s CCISD Board of Trustees meeting.
After the pledge of allegiance and the invocation, CCISD superintendent Joe Burns and the Trustees took time to hand out praise and awards to members of the CCISD community in front a large crowd of families and friends.
The first thing Burns did was recognize Star Group - Veterans Helping Veterans and Jno G. Lewis Lodge #622 of Copperas Cove who donated turkeys to CCISD families for Thanksgiving through Communities in Schools.
Burns then announced that students from the Martin Walker Elementary students Gifted Education Program were finalists in the Study Island Back to School Contest.
The students decorated computer labs to improve the quality of life for students schoolwide. The students were under the guidance of teacher Lorraine Pesce.
Continuing with the accolades, the trustees recognized all of the CCISD Campus communications liaisons with the Newsmaker Award for their transparent look into school education practices through the media for parents, community, and all stakeholders.
Students from Copperas Cove High School were recognized for being finalists in the CCISD Christmas Card Design Contest. The finalists included Mikaya Butler and Nicole Thorpe, but the winning design came from Robert Hamilton.
The CCISD trustees then took time to thank the Copperas Cove Rotary Club who donated a dictionary to every third grader in the school district, as well as the donation of two bicycles on behalf of Wal-Mart, which happens every six weeks for the one boy and one girl with a perfect attendance.
Finally Burns and the Trustees said farewell to several dedicated employees who have put in many years of service to CCISD and their students.
Retiring teachers included Lyndal McCulley, 24 years; Rhonda Schulze, 17 years; Jerry King, 23 years; Kim Makosky, 22 years; Ernestine Zschiesche, 25 years; Michael Zschiesche, 24 years; Judy Wild, 28 years.
After the recognitions were concluded, the board continued with the meeting’s agenda.
The first item on the agenda was a recommendation made to the board during the workshop held on Monday. The board was asked to approve a contract of $35,000 with ProCare Therapy, Inc. which is a Special Education Services company, DBA: Michelle Radford. Since May 2015, CCISD has been trying to hire a full-time speech and language therapist but has secured these services through a contract with Radford.
The trustees approved accepting the report on the Continuing Education Requirements for school board members.
They also approved an amendment to the 2015-2016 budget, which deals with providing additional assistance to campuses in the area of radio support.
Looking at facilities maintenance and improvements, they also approved the sealed competitive proposal as the delivery method for replacing the electrical system at Fairview Elementary and authorized Burns to negotiate contracts with the contractor who provides the best value to the district.
The board also recommended the district proceeding with engineering and schematic design for replacing the HVAC unites at Hettie Halstead Elementary School and also approved going forward with the engineering and schematic design of a new front parking lot at S. C. Lee Junior High School.
The next CCISD Board of Trustees meeting will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. at the CCISD Administration Building Board Room, 703 West Avenue D.