HPISD Board of Trustees Approves Raise
While your students are on break, HPISD’s Board of Trustees is hard at work preparing for the upcoming school year. Here’s a look at some of the things covered at their meeting Tuesday.
I listed all the gifts that the district received in May here. In other monetary news, the board approved a 2-percent raise to employee’s salaries. Employees received a 2-percent raise last year, as well.
Susanna Ogden and Lynley McAnalley spoke passionately in favor of the district adjusting its GPA policy (specifically, the way that elective classes are ranked). While electives help boost most students’ GPAs, they can actually lower the GPA of exceptional students, a couple of moms testified. The much-debated GPA policy was changed last year, but it sounds like more changes might be in store.
Lisa Ham, the school’s new director of instructional technology was introduced.
Language facilitator Grace Holmen presented the results of research she’s done regarding starting a new language program at the school. Parents favor the Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES) program, which provides a sequential language-learning experience that aims for some degree of proficiency. This type of program would need 75-90 minutes of instruction per week, so more research/discussion as to where to find that extra time must occur.
Bill Spears presented information on how his energy-conservation company, Cenergistic, will help cut costs in the district. The contract offers a money-back guarantee, but board members wanted more concrete facts and figures, so they’ll discuss it again on June 21 at the Finance Committee meeting.
Also discussed: The school’s performance on the TAKS/STAAR test, results of the parent-satisfaction survey, and updates to the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) policy.
