BY ROBERT MORALES
CCAISD trustees on Monday voted to call an election for two trustees in May. The terms for Trustees Rocio Oñate and Lisa Cottrell will expire in May. Trustees serve three-year terms.
Monday’s meeting was the first meeting without former superintendent Marc Puig, who resigned in December to accept a position at San Benito CAISD in South Texas. This was interim superintendent Debbie Engle’s first meeting.
Trustees went into closed session later in the evening and accepted Ms. Engle’s interim superintendent contract. Board members also voted to begin looking for a search firm for the superintendent position. Board president Paul Uranga will present information to trustees at the next regular board meeting on Feb. 23 that members decided to delay for a week because of the President’s Day holiday on Feb. 16.
In other action, trustees decided to enter into an interlocal agreement with the Town of Van Horn for the softball field. The Town of Van Horn has offered to donate the field to CCAISD; however, members decided that it was more prudent to enter into a one-year agreement until a decision can be made about whether a new park will be built.
Ms. Oñate stressed as she has in the past that girls’ softball field is too far from campus. Short of building a new field, there are no other solutions other than to use the current field owned by the city. This issue is not new. For years, various individuals have championed equality in the girls’ programs under Title IX of the federal statutes.
That law reads, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.â€
Trustees voted to approve the “sale of lots†from the Culberson County Appraisal district. The lots were described as having no access and being “landlocked.†No other information about the buyers or where the properties were located was provided on the agenda.
Other action taken included:
• Approved 4-H Faculty Forms: This is part of no pass, no play. The form allows the Culberson County Extension agent to investigate grades.
• Approved Professional Development Waiver for 2015-2016
• Approved participation in new teacher evaluation system pilot program
• Discussed a grant from Texas Department of Criminal Justice (CJD) for Boys and Girls Club. A check made out to the club was not deposited in a timely manner, and the matter was resolved by another check being issued.
