School opening is smooth and orderly - Shiner Gazette

School opening is smooth and orderly
playground plans and old school property topics
of discussion at September SISD meeting
Thursday, September 20, 2007

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There were a few surprises on opening day of the new SISD campus. And all were good surprises according to reports given by principals Sue Gottwald and Trey Lawrence at the school board meeting on September 12.

"We had a smooth beginning," said Mrs. Gottwald. "The children gave adapted well, student pick up has gone well and concerns about high school students mixing with elementary students show no problems. In fact the older students have actually been a big help."

Mr. Lawrence said he expected confusion and chaos on opening day but everything went well.

"We really like the hall space where kids have room to move without congestion," he said. He also noted that student pick up is working well with all students on buses and/or picked up by parents within 10 minutes.

Mrs. Gottwald outlined some plans for the elementary playground. She said pea gravel and canopies for the children's play station and for a sitting area have been ordered.

The cost is approximately $7,000 and will be financed by the PTO.

The Girl Scouts have planted the first tree on campus and Mr. Anthony Bevis has graciously donated and will plant about a dozen trees and grass on the campus grounds. The Bevis family has moved to the Shiner area and have students enrolled in the school.

Mrs. Gottwald told the board the first priority is the need for fencing in the back to separate the playground from the service area for student safety. The board gave approval.

She said curriculum will focus on K-5th grade science and writing with special attention given to the fifth grade science.

Shiner ISD will host the District UIL meet on December 3-4. "We are looking forward to an excellent year," she said.

Mr. Lawrence said the computer and science labs are up and running and the library should be in full operation soon with more books ordered. He said the biggest changes are in the cafeteria area and in campus maintenance.

"Once we get the playground situated, we'll be well underway."

Board members also discussed possible uses for the old campus and all agreed that the old 2-story high school building had to be demolished and removed. Superintendent Lawrence was given the okay to get cost estimates for the removal and report back to the board next month. Mr. Lawrence noted that the old gyms will still be used by students at times.

Several options were discussed regarding the rest of the property. It could be sold as one parcel or in parts. Another suggestion was the possible use of the junior high wing for a special needs facility for use by area school districts.

Dr. Maurice Wilkinson said she felt that the district could give something back to the community.

"It is an ideal location that could serve as a playground for youth, park or community/youth center. She said this could possibly be done with the help of some other entity - city, county, individuals, etc.

"We need to give some serious thought as to how we can best develop this property for the benefit of the community," she added.

All the options and suggestions will be thoroughly studied before a final decision is made.

In his financial report, Superintendent Lawrence said that the district is still due some funds from the state. Laura Kaspar asked if the funds could be used to make payments on the lease purchase bonds. Mr. Lawrence said he would rather use the extra money for other needs of the school first, especially a new bus. "Our first priority is to our kids - we'll see after the audit where we stand."

President Denise Overton said the board needs to assess what is needed, short term and long term.

The board accepted the resignation of Mona Yackel and hired Trudy Taylor on a probationary contract for 2006-07 as a high school content mastery teacher.

In other action the board reviewed the budget as presented and approved Shannon DeForest as adjunct faculty member.

reprinted by permission.
The Shiner Gazette is published weekly in Shiner, Texas.
Agnes Sedlmyer, Managing Editor and Myra Lampley, News Editor
Contact them at 361-594-3346, or by e-mail at shinergazette@sbcglobal.net.

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