June 21, 2018 - At the June 21 School Board meeting, trustees officially accepted the resignation of James Allen. Mr. Allen had been a Board member 19 years. After listening to several public comments on the issue, the Board adopted a resolution and approved an agreement to be a partner, along with Amarillo College, the Amarillo Area Foundation, and the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation, in the Thrive Scholarship program.
Superintendent West introduced State Representative Four Price, who updated the Board on several state initiatives dealing with school safety and mental health. Trustees also heard reports from Dr. West about the ongoing North Heights community engagement process and initial District testing results for 2017-2018. She said AISD scores are above state averages in many areas.
Trustees adopted a 2018-2019 general fund budget of $261,421,523, compared to $260,364,014 budgeted last year. Going into 2018-2019, state revenues are down due to rising property values and a decrease in enrollment last year of about 470 students. The Board is proposing a 2018 tax rate of $1.239 per $100 property valuation, which includes a 5-cent increase over this past year’s rate as a result of the 2017 voter-approved bond election. The Board will adopt the tax rate in August.
The Board approved schematic drawings and preliminary cost estimates from Dekker/Perich/Sabbatini Architects for a bond project at Palo Duro High School, Mann and Travis middle schools and Allen 6th Grade Campus. Expected to cost $12,263,588, the project will refurbish the auditorium and finish out the basement into classrooms at Palo Duro, renovate restrooms and replace sewer lines and plumbing at all four schools, and install bullet resistant glass in exterior doors at Mann, Travis, and Allen 6th grade.
Trustees selected Southwest General Contractors to build the new tennis center for Palo Duro High School at a cost of $3,244,156 and they approved a change order for the Caprock High School tennis center to add a storm water retention pond at a cost of $295,528.
The Board also elected Scott Flow as president of the Board and John Ben Blanchard as vice president and they heard an informational report from CFO Pati Buchenau regarding the 2017 bond issue. All $100 million worth of bonds from the November 2017 election have now been issued.
Finally, trustees accepted gifts and donations totaling $55,791.95, given to various schools this month from Kid’s Inc., the ‘We Got Next’ Club basketball team, UIL Region 1, the 5th Grade class at Sleepy Hollow Elementary, Happy State Bank, Central Church of Christ, Becca Gleason, Dr. James Parker, the Woodlands Elementary PTA, South Georgia Baptist Church, Diane Davis and Anna Bechyne.
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