Hawkins ISD Board of Trustees
Assistant elementary principal added; Asbestos

By JOHN SPARKS

to be abated

 

Newly installed trustee Bill Holmes was initiated into service on the Hawkins School Board with a four-and one-half hour session on Monday, June 4. Welcome Bill! (do understand, however, 11:30 p.m. is no where near the record for adjournment.)

Meeting in regular session Monday, the Hawkins Independent School District Board of Trustees approved 1) the addition of an administrative position of assistant principal at the elementary school, 2) the expenditure of up to $50,000 to fully abate asbestos, 3) the expenditure of $29,584 for an additional half-inch of asphalt on the parking lot north of the High School, 4) the expenditure of $6,515 for four suspended electrical heaters at the elementary school, and the expenditure of $21,981 for student athletic insurance and student catastrophic insurance.

The board also elected officers for ’07-’08. Ed Tunnell will continue as president as will Edwin Simmons as vice-president. Wende Haney was elected secretary and Shane Bogard assistant secretary.

Because of the increasing enrollment at the elementary school, the complementary growth of teaching staff and the administrative and supervisory burden this growth places on the administrative duties, HISD Superintendent Dan Rose and Letha Weurch, elementary school principal recommended the addition of an assistant principal for the upcoming school year. A job description and a projected salary range of $45-$55,000 accompanied the recommendation. The board’s consideration of this proposal took them into executive session for an hour. They returned to approve the recommendation by a vote of 6-1 with Trustee Simmons casting the “Nay” vote.

Trustees heard a report from Rose and Architect Brice Davis on the need for the abatement of asbestos containing floor tile and mastic. Such asbestos containing construction materials were commonly used 30-40 years ago when the Haswkins schools were first constructed. With the renovation program underway and new laws and regulations regarding the removal of the contaminated materials, the district must employ a certified abatement contractor to remove the materials. Timing of the abatement work is critical to an already tight construction schedule for for the renovation program that is fully underway. Preliminary bids for the abatement ranged from $40,000 to $51,000. Trustees authorized Superintendent Rose to negotiate up to the high bid for the work.

After lengthy discussion, the board approved the “qualified” recommendation of Superintendent Rose to add a half-inch of asphalt to the previously approved one-inch to overlay the main student parking lot which also serves as the athletic event parking lot. The cost of adding the half -inch is $29,584. The vote was four-to-one to approve the recommendation with two abstaining. Trustee Clayton Atteberry abstained because he is the contractor on the paving project.

Architect Davis reported the need for an add-on in the renovation project. Davis said four suspended gas heater units in the elementary gym, dressing rooms and toilets must be replaced. None were found to be in working order and new building codes and regulations prohibit the installation of suspended gas-fired units. Davis recommended the installation of electric heaters as a cost of $6,515.

Baker Insurance, a new carrier for the district’s student athletic insurance was selected from among six bidding agencies. The cost for the premium plan three level is $21,981, very comparable to last year’s premium level. An optional voluntary plan is available for all students at a cost of $19-to-$24 for the school year through Baker. Details of the plan will be provided to parents for consideration. Superintendent Dan Rose reported tax collections at 96 percent with $7,359,213.35 collected through the month of April this year. In other action, trustees:

- accepted a donation from ExxonMobil in support of the annual Pit Crew Robotics competition;
- recognized service of out-going trustee Denny Rucker;
- accepted appreciation plaque from FFA;
- recognized completion of Level 5 Nutrition certification by Donna Hall;
- discussed TASB Leadership Conference for Trustees June 14-16 in San Antonio;
- tentatively set Saturday, August 4 as a “bridge-building” training session for trustees and staff;
- reviewed preliminary TAKS test results, and
- approved a one-year probationary employment contract for teacher/coach Jeremy Whitten.

Trustees are next scheduled to meet in regular session Thursday, July 7 at 7 p.m. A special meeting of the board can be called with 72-hours notice.