Photo by Wanda Hanson
Concerned parents filled the audience at the regular Houston School Board meeting on September 16. Only a few weeks into the school year, quite a few students have been quarantined due to close contact with a positive case of COVID. The parents had expected to be added to the evening’s agenda. Chairman Tom Stilin suggested that they ask the questions they want answered. The intent was to try to answer the questions by Monday night at a special Covid committee/parent meeting already scheduled. If the board needs to make any official changes to policy after Monday night, they will be able to call a special meeting; such a meeting could be held as soon as 72 hours later.
Questions asked by the public included the following, some of which concerned things other than COVID and quarantining:
•Who makes the call on which students get tested for COVID at school?
•Are parents notified before their children are tested?
•How many who were placed in quarantine recently actually ended up positive for COVID?
•Is there a teacher in the district who has a pride flag in his/her classroom?
•Why was the football team quarantined when the student supposedly with COVID was in class all day?
•How much is the administration doing to monitor whether critical race theory is being taught?
•What are students being taught with the use of CNN 10 (a student news program)?
•What exactly is the curriculum being taught in Houston’s classrooms?
•What expectations are teachers given as to how they provide instruction to quarantined students?
•Is it possible to have a live-stream of their classrooms available for quarantined students?
•How many students tested positive for COVID in the school year 2020-2021? How are they doing now?
•What is the school’s position on coaches and staff badgering students to get vaccinated?
•Will Houston amend their policies on contact tracing and quarantine to make it less strict?
•Will Houston reconsider and eliminate the requirement of masks on school buses?
Photo by Wanda Hanson
Regular business
Superintendent Mary Morem informed the board that she felt the district needed an additional administrative assistant to help with required state reporting paperwork for the entire school district.
She will bring a proposal for staffing realignment after meeting with the staff.
Morem shared that she had planned on asking to purchase a cleaning machine for the locker rooms, but had found a source to obtain a free machine after a demonstration before the end of September. She will be proceeding with the free option.
The teacher master agreement has been approved by the union and was approved by the board with no further discussion.
The board decided to proceed with the live-streaming option offered by SEC for sporting events and other activities. The school will pay the $4,000 per year subscription fee; included in that subscription will be two motion-sensor cameras with free installation along with tech support and importing of games. This will be available as a link on the school’s webpage at no cost; grandparents and relatives will be able to watch games from anywhere.
The board certified the 2021 payable 2022 proposed levy. They reduced the long-term facility maintenance revenue by $270,000 and will levy the maximum for the proposed levy. The current proposal is for 23%. If needed, the board will be able to reduce that levy in December.
In closing, Morem mentioned that currently one of the buses has a computer issue and may need to be replaced. She has been researching bus companies in order to be prepared if a bus needs to be ordered.
The next regular Houston School Board meeting will be October 7, 2021 at 6 p.m. in the high school media center. The public is welcome to attend; there is always a public comment period.
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