The Lingleville ISD School board approved an updated salary schedule, handbooks and regulations amidst much discussion about state mandates during the regular meeting Thursday, July 24 in the cafeteria.
In presenting the proposed salary schedule, LISD superintendent DeeCee McDougal said she started with the new minimum salary and increases which have been mandated (but not fully funded) by the state and checked into the rates of other local school districts to make sure they are staying competitive and the district’s teachers are being fairly paid.
Passed under HB2, the state set mandatory retention increases in district under 5,000 students at $4,000 for teachers with 3-5 years experience and $8,000 with five or more years.
In drafting the new schedule, the district also included a local salary adjustment of $3,100 across the board while educators with a Masters degree will get an extra $500 and teachers with over 20 years get $500 per each additional year of service.
Although not mandated, the district also announced a $2,000 increase for teachers under 3 years. At Will employees also received a salary increase of $1,550 across the board.
McDougal said she felt that the rates were good, noting they were higher than many other schools in the area and said they pay the most for insurance locally.
The school board members present voted unanimously for the updated salary schedule.
The board also voted on new handbooks for employees, students and athletes as well as a code of conduct with principal Brian Sanders reading the changes to each, announcing the vast number of changes made to align with new state legislature and TASB (Texas Association of School Board) guidelines.
Changes to the student handbook drew the most discussion, particularly in reference to the policy not allowing the use of personal communication devices (cell phones, smart watches and tablets) during school hours. Board members inquired if this applies to when kids are on field trips or involved in extracurricular activities away from the campus.
Boardmember Andrew Grimm said he was conflicted about the policy because he knows kids sometimes need to send a quick message to their parents throughout the day. Fellow boardmember Jerod James commiserated, saying he sees the benefit of students being off the devices during school days but the absence could lead to problems in emergencies. Fellow boardmembers Monty Williams and Brent Hallmark spoke in favor of the policy with Williams noting the problems of kids texting the entire school day and Hallmark saying a local employer was having issues finding younger employees who don’t stay on the devices during work hours.
McDougal and Sanders explained the policy would allow students to have the devices on silent but if they were observed, there would be penalties for usage or if they go off, ranging from them being taken up at one offense to ISS at three.
Grimm noted the state mandate instructed for the devices to be restricted during instructional time and asked why it was expanded to the whole school day. McDougal and Sanders said the proposed wording came from TASB guidelines, which said the entire school day.
Initially it appeared the student handbook vote would be split, as James asked for more information and there were only four members present. Hallmark, Williams and James approved it with Grimm voting against, saying he would have voted for it if the device policy said specifically during instructional time.
McDougal and Sanders assured they would be using common sense in upholding the policy and everyone stated they appreciated the active discussion and viewpoints.
Boardmembers present also voted to deny home school participation in the district’s UIL events such as team sports with several saying the home school students wouldn’t have to be held to the same standards as LISD students and the school would be providing for participant/athletes without getting the state compensation.
The board also approved up to $185,000 for the purchase of a school bus with storage as facilities and maintenance director Rowdy Whitefield said the bus could be acquired soon and two of the district’s buses could be put to auction afterwards. The discussion followed previous talks in May where it was announced that money had been in the budget for several years and the district had an issue with a bus on a school trip.