School board to hold public hearing, monthly meeting tonight

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

The Copperas Cove Independent School District board of trustees will hold a public hearing tonight at 6 p.m. in the administration board room, located at 703 W. Ave. D. 
The public hearing is to receive an overview of CCISD’s report from the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas, or FIRST, report to include the district’s rating for the 2015-2016 school year and allow for a time of public comment.
After the public hearing, the board’s regular monthly meeting will follow at 6:30 p.m.
Several recognitions are on the agenda this evening to include CCISD principals for National Principals Recognition Month, along with presentation of the Texas Association of School Boards Media Award to local media partners to include KWTX, KXXV, KCEN, the Copperas Cove Leader-Press, and the Cove Herald.
Five budgeted expenditures exceeding $25,000 are up for a formal vote tonight, with all planned purchases coming from budgeted funds. 
These expenditures include two professional services agreements, one with Leach’s Literacy Training, LLC, which will work with an “academic leadership team” from each campus as well as train teachers to establish consistency and fidelity in literacy in CCISD. The fee is $37,000 and will be paid for with 2016-2017 Title II Part A funding. The other PSA is with Texas Educational Consultative Services, Inc., in the amount of $36,250, for which TECS will conduct a needs assessment for the district and its 11 campuses in order to develop district and campus improvement plans.     
Another purchase is 276 TI 84 calculators from D&H Distributing Co. at a cost of $26,799.60. The calculators will be for four 8th grade science teachers, DAEP and Crossroads science teachers, and high school biology teachers. The purchase of one new school bus is also up for approval by the board this evening, in the amount of $97,712, as is the purchase of 38 Dell laptops for campus administrators in the amount of $33,375.78 of budgeted funds. 
Several out-of-state trips are on the agenda for the evening, to include a trip for two staff members to attend the DoDEA III grant post-award meeting in New Orleans November 15-17, as well as two coaching-related conferences to include the American Football Coaches Association Convention and the Conditioning Association Coaches Conference, both in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 3-6 and January 7-10, 2018, respectively. The Pride of Cove Band and Color Guard are planning to travel to Orlando, Fla. March 9-14, 2018, with the cost of that trip being paid for by activity funds.
Another class size waiver request is being presented to the board this evening for approval, to include one kindergarten, three second grade and two fourth grade classes in the district which have enrollment higher than 22. 
The district administration is also requesting approval for applying to become a member of the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance.
A time of open forum is available at the beginning of the meeting and those interested in speaking should sign in ahead of time. The board holds a workshop at noon Monday prior to the day of the meeting.