Bass Sworn in as Trustee for Area 2
Trustee Erin Bass, who represents Area 2, was sworn in during the Board's January meeting. Bass will serve until the next election on May 1, filling the vacancy created when Dr. Rosie Montgomery resigned in December. Bass is a former educator, graduate student and stay-at-home mom. Three of her four children attend Belton schools.
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Student Showcase - Belton Theatre |
Members of the cast of Freaky Friday: A New Musical from Belton High School were showcased at the January Board meeting. The ensemble, featuring Annie Bailey, Megan Sloane, Ashley Reyes, Jordan Pilgrim, Maddie Clark, Jackson Reasoner, Zeke Payne and Eden Irom, performed "Oh Biology" from the show. There are three opportunities to take in a full show: 7 p.m. Feb. 5-6 and 2 p.m. Feb. 7 at the BHS Performing Arts Center.
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District Moves Forward with Collective Vision
At January's meeting, the Board approved the district's Journey of a Graduate, a collective vision that articulates the community's aspirations for students in Belton ISD. The Journey will unite the district with a shared outlook and inform all future decisions, including long-range facilities and strategic plans.
The process to create this shared vision included a design team of about 100 students, staff, teachers, administrators, parents and community members. The team met virtually four times from November-January to discuss the hopes, aspirations and dreams stakeholders have for Belton ISD students.
The design team arrived at these final six competencies that were most important for graduates of Belton ISD to have: perseverance, adaptability, critical thinking, collaboration, communication and empathy.
More information about the district's Journey of a Graduate, including definitions of the core competencies, is available at www.bisd.net/journey.
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Board Approves 2021-2022 Calendar
The Board approved the 2021-2022 school year calendar, which includes the first day of school on Aug. 18 and the last day on May 25. To arrive at this calendar, district leaders weighed input from community members provided through a ThoughtExchange survey in December and feedback from members of the Districtwide Educational Improvement Council (DWEIC) and campus leaders.
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City of Belton Presents Check to Belton ISD
Mayor Wayne Carpenter and City Manager Sam Listi of the City of Belton presented a check to Board President Suzanne M. McDonald at the January meeting. This money, from the Child Safety Fund Fees, will support the district's use of crossing guards to keep children safe.
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Board Committee Reports
Policy: The policy committee did not meet this month.
Facilities: The facilities committee met on Jan. 20 and continued discussions about revising the process of naming new facilities. Several projects are in the works or will be starting soon, including replacing the pool membrane at the Swim Center, the expansion work at the BHS tennis courts and bleacher additions at LBHS baseball/softball fields. The committee is anticipating a completed facilities assessment report in March.
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Superintendent's Report
- Enrollment Update: The district has 12,788 students as of Jan. 20, which is 86 more than reported at the last Board meeting.
- Smith reported that a highlight of his month has been attending campus visits with Board members.
- The district continues to hold steady in Scenario 3 of the COVID-19 Response Plan but is closely monitoring the situation around the state, in Bell County and within Belton ISD schools.
- Smith thanked staff members for graciously helping cover classrooms which has allowed the district to keep schools open.
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Board Recognition - Belton ISD School Board Members |
Belton ISD schools showered Board members with thanks at the January meeting in honor of School Board Recognition Month. These committed volunteers provide vision and leadership in their roles as advocates, ensuring a link between the community and classroom, so that exceptional learning experiences are possible for each and every child in our district. We are proud to celebrate these men and women! |
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Consent Agenda Highlights
- Unaudited financial report for the mont ending Dec. 31, 2020
- Gift, grants and bequests
- Budget amendment #4 for 2020-2021
- Annual report of student activity funds maintained at high schools
- Authorize the purchase of real property
To review Belton ISD board meeting agendas and full packet materials, click here.
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