May 17, 2021 – The School Board said farewell to Board president Robin Malone and welcomed new trustee Don Powell at the May 17 Board meeting. Trustees honored Ms. Malone with an engraved rocking chair, a plaque and her portrait. Powell was elected on May 1 to replace Ms. Malone. He took the oath of office at the meeting as did incumbents Doyle Corder, Kayla Mendez, and David Nance who were re-elected to four-year terms on the Board. Trustees elected Nance as the new president of the Board, and Kimberly Anderson as the new vice president.
The Board recognized a group of 14 AISD high school choir and band students named 2020-2021 All-State musicians by the Texas Music Educators Association. For his Superintendent’s Report, Mr. Loomis and Board members took turns reading from a list of regional, state, and national award winning students and teams. Mr. Loomis also introduced Communications Director Holly Shelton who spoke about the new season of AISD’s award-winning, locally-produced TV show, The Secret Classroom. For more information, visit www.amaisd.org/sc.
The Board set June 21, 2021, as the date to hold a public hearing on the 2021-2022 school district budget and proposed tax rate. The Board also voted to propose a 2021 tax rate of $1.1554 per $100 property valuation. The rate is the same as last year. AISD’s tax rate will not be officially adopted until later in the summer.
In other business, the Board approved an employee compensation plan for 2021-2022 that includes a 3.5 percent raise for all staff and a beginning (0-year) teacher salary of $51,263. As part of the $8.2 million compensation package, the Board also approved an incentive stipend of $400 for certain custodial, child nutrition and grounds pay grades to help the District recruit and retain employees in hard-to-hire areas.
The Board approved the selection of instructional materials for use in Pre-kindergarten classes beginning next year, and they approved an agreement with the Education Credit Union to set up an on-site branch location at the new AmTech Career Academy. The program will provide apprenticeship opportunities and supervised practical application of instruction for students in business management classes at AmTech.
The June Board meeting is scheduled for June 21, 2021. The Board also set the following dates for regular Board meetings in 2021-2022: July 19, 2021; August 16, 2021; September 20, 2021; October 18, 2021; November 15, 2021; December 13, 2021; January 18, 2022; February 21, 2022; March 21, 2022; April 18, 2022; May 16, 2022; and June 20, 2022.
Trustees thanked those who generously gave gifts and donations to AISD and its schools this month. A total of $50,500 was given to various schools from Happy State Bank, Susan O’Brien, Babji Yalamanchili, Walmart in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Administration, Amarillo National Bank, Hibbett Sports, Amarillo Association of Realtors, and Trailer Services of West Texas.
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