By Becky Brewster
The Culberson County-Allamoore ISD Board of Trustees met in Regular Session on June 29, 2020. In keeping with the mandates from the state and federal government concerning social distancing, the Board again met through video-conferencing.
The Board was presented with the District’s audit report for FYE 2018-2019 prepared by Smith and Rives, P.C. The District received an “unmodified opinion” which is the best opinion that can be rendered. The Trustees were informed that the District ended the year with a $8.6 million increase in net position, much of which is in the Interest and Sinking (I&S) Fund that holds the funds for the bond payments. The net position increased to almost $27 million which includes a General Fund fund balance of $5.67 million and a Debt Service fund balance of almost $12 million. Financially, the District is in a healthy position. The Board approved the audit report as presented.
The Trustees then discussed the proposed 2020-2021 school calendar which marks the start of school at August 17, 2020. Supt. Ken Baugh stated that “next year is going to be really unusual,” noting that “no matter what we build, we will end up changing it.” Although August 17 is stated to be the start of the school year, it is still undecided what that school year will look like. The options are in-school, online, or a combination of both methods of teaching. Baugh notes that the proposed calendar builds in catch-up days as well as anticipating shutdowns related to COVID-19. Ultimately, everything hinges on final guidance from the State. Acknowledging the uncertainties, the Board approved the 2020-2021 school calendar as presented.
The Board approved a “Missed School Days” attestation. This attestation provides the means for the District to recoup COVID-19 related expenses.
The Board also passed a resolution waiving the requirement for physical exams for UIL activities for 2020-2021. It was noted that for those parents that wish their child to take a physical exam, arrangements can be made. However, physicals will not be mandatory for UIL participation.
Baugh presented a resolution regarding state accountability, noting that testing for accountability does not make sense at this time. He stated that the District would be testing students at the beginning of the year to obtain a marker showing where each student is at with the lost months of classroom instruction. Baugh indicated that the District will be receiving the same accountability rating for 2019-2020 as they received the previous year, noting that this doesn’t really mean anything. Trustee Eddie Seyffert indicated that he believed that testing should take place, but that the scores should not impact budgets and funding.
Academic accountability ratings for Texas school districts and campuses will be waived for 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The Texas Education Agency announced that all districts and campuses will receive a designation that reads “ Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster” in 2020.
In other business, the CCAISD Board members:
Approved Third Quarter Investment Report
Approved the consent agenda.
Accepted staff resignations from Adrian Norman and Juan Martinez
Heard various reports.
