NISD hires new principal
Navasota Independent School District approved the hire of a new principal Latoya Taylor for the district’s NELC Campus at the regularly scheduled board meeting Monday, April 25.
Taylor will replace Jamie Bates who will be moving out of the state after the school year. Taylor will work alongside Bates for the remainder of the year. The campus houses the W.B. Bizzell Academy and DAEP (Disciplinary Education Alternative Education Campus). Read more about Taylor in the May 4, edition of The Examiner.
Sale of Real Property
Navasota ISD opened a sealed bidding process for property the district owns on South LaSalle Street and Spur 515. Two sealed bids were received by the deadline, one from the City of Navasota and the other from Siva Sundaram with Tarnik Fund LLC.
Board members discussed the sale in closed session and returned to the public forum voting in favor of selling the property for $63,001 to Siva Sundaram with Tarnik Fund LLC.
Board members also discussed the transfer of property to the City of Navasota for the city skate park expansion project in closed session, however took no action.
ESSER Expenditures The board used recommendations by school faculty to make several purchases over $50,000 utilizing ESSER (Emergency and Secondary Emergency Relief Funds); The funds were awarded to the district for COVID-19 relief.
One purchase included furniture from Educator’s Depot (Region VI Epic Coop) for $139,174.23. Included in the purchase are 300 student combo desks for Navasota Junior High. The junior high will also receive 30 new tables (24x48) and 60 stools for sixth grade science labs.
Navasota Assistant Superintendent of Operations, Ronnie Gonzalez, stated a new science wing was built with the 2017 school bond that included classrooms and furniture for seventh and eighth grade science labs. The additional tables and stools will furnish the sixthgrade science labs.
Also included in the purchase are 166 triangle desks with 26 slightly larger, 33 tables (24x48) and 206 chairs for Navasota High School classrooms. Delivery, installation and removal of boxes are included with the purchase.
Esser funds will also be utilized to purchase 138 new Chromebook laptops for teachers. The laptops are $1,080 each ($149,978.40 total) from CDWG.
Funding for contracting Seidlitz Education for $89,660 was also approved with ESSER 3 funds. Seidlitz provides research-based consultations, training, coaching and products to develop language in every classroom.
Navasota Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Learning, Dr. Tracy Bates, said Navasota High School and Navasota Junior High worked with Seidlitz and it has been beneficial. She said Brule also has interest in working with the program.
Keeping it clean
The board approved a one-year contract with SSC Services to provide janitorial service throughout the district. Gonzalez stated the contract with SSC hasn’t increased in three years other than when NISD built new buildings.
The new contract increased from $826,555 to $891,000.
Other Action
• Approved the Physical Education online curriculum for students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade with Quaver Ed for an eight-year, $37,800 contract. Also approved contract with Good heart-Willcox ($19,080 for PE students in sixth through twelfth grade. Both purchases were made utilizing IMA (Instructional Material and Technology Allotment) funds from the Texas Education Agency).
• Canceled board election due to unopposed candidates. Trisha Harris, position 3, Valerie Jefferson, position 2 and Paul Malek, position 1 will be sworn in during the May school board meeting to serve another term
• Approved SHAC (School Health Advisory Committee) resolution allowing the SHAC committee to meet to review and select a new human sexuality instruction provider or stay with the existing provider. SHAC will also host two public forums to review the curriculum before proposing a provider to the school board at the June meeting.
The next scheduled board meeting is Monday, May 16, at 6:30 p.m.