Aldine ISD Trustees Hold Monthly Board Meeting Oct. 20

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Aldine ISD Trustees held their Oct. 20 Board meeting with some Board members attending live in the Board Room of the Donaldson Administration Building and others via videoconference following the modified open meetings act by Gov. Greg Abbott. Board President Paul Shanklin and Members Randy Bates and Steve Mead joined Aldine ISD Superintendent Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney and the Executive Leadership Team members in the Board Room. At the same time, Vice-President Rose Avalos, Secretary Connie Esparza, Assistant Secretary Dr. Kimberly Booker, and Member Dr. Viola M. Garcia participated in the meeting via videoconference.

Several elected officials honored the Aldine ISD Board of Trustees to recognize School Board Recognition Month during the Jan. 14 Board meeting.

Staff Assignments Announced

During the Oct. 20 Board meeting, Aldine ISD Superintendent Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney announced several staff assignments.

• Victor Vonder Haar was named Bankruptcy/Tax Attorney after serving as an Attorney for the Texas Department of Transportation.
• Marc Harris was promoted to Police Captain after serving as a Sergeant with the Aldine ISD Police Department.
• Ivan Tamoya was named Family and Community Engagement Specialist with the Family and Community Engagement Department after serving as an Assistant Principal at Magrill Primary School.
• Kathy Brown was named an Assistant Principal at Teague Middle School after serving as the Magnet Coordinator/Dean of Students at Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan Middle School with Houston ISD.
• Laah Buie was named an Assistant Principal at Aldine High School after serving as an Inclusion Teacher at the same school.
• Jose Lara Collazo was named an Assistant Principal at Mead Middle School after serving as a Teacher Specialist at Wainwright Elementary School in Houston ISD.
• Laura Matias Segovia was named an Assistant Principal at Eckert Elementary School after serving as a Bilingual Skills Specialist at Johnson Elementary School.
• Demetra Walker was named an Assistant Principal at Nimitz Ninth Grade School after serving as the Director of Curriculum for Virtual Learning and Special Population with Houston ISD.
• Jasmine Crowell was named a Counselor at Conley Elementary School after serving as an English Language Arts Teacher at Cypresswood Elementary School.
• Ranita Jones was named a Special Education Counselor at Lewis Middle School after serving as a Special Education Counselor at Carter Academy.

“Welcome to all who are new to Aldine and congratulations to those who have been promoted in Aldine,” Dr. Goffney said.

Trustees Dr. Kimberley Booker, Rose Avalos recognized

 During the Oct. 20 Board meeting, Chief Communications Officer Sheleah Reed announced that Trustees Dr. Kimberley Booker and Rose Avalos would represent Aldine ISD with two state organizations. Dr. Booker has been selected to the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Leadership TASB Class of 2021. Dr. Booker is one of 27 school board leaders from across the state selected for the yearlong leadership program through a competitive application process. Ms. Avalos has been reelected to a three-year term on the TASB Board of Directors. Ms. Avalos will represent TASB Region 4, Position H.

Blanson CTE senior named National Merit Scholar Finalist

During the Oct. 20 Board meeting, Katy Roede, Chief of Schools, introduced Blanson CTE High School Principal Ben Ibarra, who announced that Blanson senior Miguel Chacón had been named a National Merit Scholar Semi-Finalist. Miguel is ranked No. 1 in his class and hopes to attend MIT next year. “I am very glad I’m a student in Aldine,” Miguel said. “Aldine has given me so many choices.” Miguel will learn in the spring if he is selected as a National Merit Scholar. The district’s recent National Merit history includes Eisenhower HS’ Som-Mai Nguyen, a Finalist in 2013, and Semi-Finalist Ruben Oblitas from Victory Early College HS in 2015.

Lennar Homes donates $15,000 to Dunn Elementary

 During the Oct. 20 Board meeting, it was announced that Lennar Homes donated $15,000 to Dunn Elementary School. Dunn Elementary Principal Terese Pollard said the funds would be used to purchase technology for classrooms to ensure that teachers and scholars will continue to utilize technology in their classrooms. “The continued support and resources provided by Lennar have allowed us to ensure that each of our scholars has what they need to be academically successful. ‘All Means All’ in Aldine ISD, and Lennar has helped us make this come to fruition. We are so appreciative of Lennar’s generosity.” Lennar has been a Dunn business partner since 2015.

Employees Recognized

During the Oct. 20 Board meeting, several Aldine ISD employees were recognized for their contributions to the district daily.

Juan Vargas, Director of Buildings and Properties, named Teague Middle School as his department’s Building of the Month. The custodial staff is under the direction of Head Custodian Jennifer Martinez Reyes.

Dr. Jill Metcalfe, Executive Director of Transportation, named Nathan Bauman as her department’s Employee of the Month. Bauman is the Fleet Manager at the Eastside Transportation Department.

Grants Announced

During the Oct. 20 Board meeting, Stacey Smith, Director of Special Programs, announced several grants.

Escamilla Elementary Principal Susan Rehan and teachers Morgan Delaney and Dr. Monica Loas secured a $1,395 grant from Donors Choose. The money will fund Delaney’s “Creating History while Teaching History” program and will provide funding for Loas’ program to add literature to the school’s library for coding, girl empowerment, cultural diversity, and games for learning about government.

Avalos P-TECH High School Principal Dr. Diana Del Pilar and teachers Glenn Bailey, Julian Barnwell-Joseph, Jonathan Duncan, and Thomas Raphael secured a $3,000 grant from the East Aldine Management District to provide supplemental resources and instructional supplies for the art, science, and elective classrooms and to outfit spaces with personal protection equipment.

Dr. Martha Escalante, Executive Director of the Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Department, and Sheleah Reed, Chief Communications Officer, secured a $65,000 grant from Houston Endowment and a $250,000 grant from Good Reason Houston. The funds from Houston Endowment will be used for leadership training, while the funds from Good Reason Houston will be used to establish a Campus Liaison program for FACE’s campus outreach.

The grants announced at the Oct. 20 Board meeting totaled $334,395.

Trustees Approve Action Items

During the Oct. 20 Board meeting, Aldine ISD Trustees approved the following action items:

• Approved district and campus improvement goals and performance objectives for the 2020-21 school year.
• Approved the Interlocal Pilot Agreement with Spring ISD and Cy-Fair ISD for Automated Attendance Extraction.
• Approved the Rose M. Avalos Pathways in Technology Early College High School Interlocal Agreement with Lone Star College.
• Approved bids for spirit apparel, fundraiser vendors, instructional supplies, photography services, professional and counseling services, restaurant, food and catering vendors, retail stores purchases, travel and tour services, and bid contract renewals.
• Approved contracts for purchases of more than $50,000.
• Approved the National Cooperative Alliance (NCPA) Interlocal Agreement.
• Approved the general fund budget amendment for Period 4 for the 2020-21 school year.
• Approved the monthly Tax Office refunds.
• Approved the Interlocal Agreement between Harris County and Aldine Operation Connectivity.
• Approved revisions to Board Policy AE (local) on Educational Philosophy to be effective immediately.

Board members complete SBOE training

 During the Oct. 20 Board meeting, Board President Paul Shanklin announced that all seven Trustees had exceeded the required board member training hours required by the State Board of Education. Position 1 Trustee Randy Bates has completed 77.50 hours of training, Position 2 Trustee Shanklin has completed 78.50 hours of training, Position 3 Trustee Rose Avalos has completed 67.50 hours of training, Position 4 Trustee Connie Esparza has completed 79.75 hours of training, Position 5 Trustee Steve Mead has completed 69.50 hours of training, Position 6 Trustee Dr. Kimberley N. Booker has completed 68.75 hours of training and Position 7 Trustee Dr. Viola M. Garcia has completed 70.75 hours of training.

The November Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 17.