Aldine ISD Trustees Hold Monthly Board Meeting on November 16

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Three Aldine ISD Trustees sworn in during Nov. 16 Board of Education Meeting
During the Nov. 16 Aldine ISD Board of Education meeting, three Trustees were sworn in to serve four-year terms after being re-elected to their respective seats on Nov. 2 School Board election. Trustees Rose Avalos (Position 3 seat), Conception “Connie” Esparza (Position 4 seat) and Steve Mead (Position 5 seat) were all sworn in by General Counsel Kaye DeWalt.

During the Nov. 16 Board meeting, Aldine ISD Superintendent Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney announced four staff assignments.

• Cierra Nickerson was named Principal of Hall Success Academy after serving as the School Climate and Culture Specialist at the Harris County Department of Education.
• Efrine Regino was named an Assistant Principal at Marcella Elementary School after serving as the Instructional Specialist at Aldine Middle School.
• Margo Tolbert was named an Assistant Principal at Davis Ninth Grade School after serving as the Dance Team Director at Nimitz High School.
• Dr. Pablo Siboldi was named an Assistant Principal at Stephens Elementary School after serving as a fourth-grade Bilingual teacher at Spring Branch Elementary School in Spring Branch ISD.

Trustees Approve Contract Extension for Superintendent Goffney

During the Nov. 16 Board meeting, Aldine ISD Trustees unanimously approved a contract extension for Superintendent Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney. The contract extension is for one year and will run through 2026. Dr. Goffney was hired in May of 2018 and the Board approved a five-year contract. She has previously served as Superintendent of Cold Spring-Oakhurst CISD and Lufkin ISD. She began her tenure as Aldine ISD’s Superintendent on July 2, 2018.

Teaching, Learning and Leading Department Highlights

Aldine ISD’s Visual Arts Program
Chief Academic Officer Dr. Todd Davis highlighted Aldine ISD’s Visual Arts Program during the Teaching, Learning and Leading Department’s program at the Nov. 16 Trustees meeting. Dr. Davis announced that for the third straight year Aldine ISD was awarded the District of Distinction Award by the Texas Art Education Association (TAEA). The award recognizes districts with outstanding leadership in promoting the arts in the district and in the community. More than 1,000 districts in Texas were eligible for the distinction and Aldine was one of only 20 school districts in the state to exceed the rigorous set of standards developed by TAEA. Dr. Davis recognized Kaileigh Newman, AISD’s Director of Visual Arts, for her dedication, passion and leadership as the driving force behind AISD winning the award for the third straight year. Dr. Davis also announced that Eisenhower High School Principal Mandele Davis was named TAEA’s Principal of the Year. This award goes to a principal who has demonstrated extraordinary support for art education and for the visual arts in their school and community.

FACE Honors 3 Individuals For Assisting Aldine Families
Dr. Martha Escalante, Executive Director of the Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Department, recognized Valenica Dotson, Robert Armstrong and Shawn Everhart for assisting Aldine families. Ms. Dotson donated winter coats and jackets to four elementary schools in the district. Mr. Armstrong and Mr. Everhart and their Serving the Community organization donated shoes to students at Davis High School at the start of the school year and will provide 40 families at Magrill Elementary, Dunn Elementary and the Young Women’s Leadership Academy with hams and turkeys for Thanksgiving.

Aldine ISD Employees Recognized

During the Nov. 16 Board meeting, a number of Aldine ISD employees were recognized for their leadership and for the contributions they make to the district on a daily basis.

• Milo Ortiz, Executive Director of Buildings and Properties, named Knippel Education Center as his department’s Building of the Month. The head custodian is Gloria Villatoro Argueta and the school’s principal is Gerald Schattle.
• Aldine ISD Police Chief Paul Cordova named Officer Rashad Angel as the Aldine PD’s Employee of the Month.
• Steve Oakes, Director of Central Receiving and Warehouse Services, named Benny Cole as his department’s October Employee of the Month and Michelle Hernandez as his department’s November Employee of the Month.
• German Enamorado, Executive Director of Transpiration, named Alicia Flowers as the Transportation Employee of the Month.
• Susan D’Amico, Executive Director of Child Nutrition Services, named Melody Wynne as CN’s Employee of the Month. She serves as the cafeteria manager at Eisenhower High School.
• Herb Harris, Executive Director of Maintenance, named Ovidio Flores as the Maintenance Department’s Employee of the Month.
• Perla Lane, Director of Facilities Planning and Construction, named Zachary Harper, as the department’s Employee of the Month.

Financial Audit Approved

During the Nov. 16 Trustees meeting, Alexia Rogers, Assistant Superintendent of Business and Finance, presented the district’s Audit Report, prepared by external auditors Whitley Penn, for the 2020-21 school year. The Audit Report was unmodified or a clean opinion according to Whitley Penn. Whitley Penn stated it was the highest level of assurance to be given on a financial statement. The Audit will now be forwarded to the Texas Education Agency.

Grants Announced

During the Nov. 16 Board meeting, Stacey Smith, Director of Special Programs, announced two grants. Chief of Schools Dr. Katy Roede, and Dr. Autumn Boyd, Executive Director of Postsecondary Outcomes, secured a $4 million grant from Houston Endowment. The funds will be used for the district’s College, Career and Military Readiness Accelerator Initiative. The goal of the program is to increase the number of students to compete for post-secondary college enrollment and industry-based certifications to increase students’ earning potential in the workforce. Eisenhower Ninth Grade Principal Jane Ocanas and Librarian Elizabeth Gilbert secured a $1,500 grant from the Houston CPA Society to purchase books for the school’s library. The grants announced at the Nov. 16 Board meeting totaled $4,001,500.

Board Approves Action Items

During the Nov. 16 Board meeting, Aldine ISD Trustees approved the following action items:

• Approved an Interlocal Agreement between Texas Tech University and Aldine ISD for the purchase of CTE curriculum for the 2021-22 school year
• Approved Head Start Continuation Funding Application for Fiscal Year 2022
• Approved the following bids: awards, incentives and spirit apparel, instructional supplies, materials and equipment, photography services, professional and consulting services, restaurant, food, and catering vendors, retail stores, general operations maintenance and facility suppliers, fresh produce, district wide aluminum walkway covers, district wide concrete services, district wide playground services, district wide plumbing services, and lawn equipment
• Approved contracts and purchases of more than $50,000
• Approved the General Fund Budget Amendment for Period 5 for the 2021-22 school year
• Approved the monthly tax refunds
• Approved the district and campus goals and performance objectives for the 2021-22 school year

The Lewis Middle School LOTC presented the colors at the Nov. 16 Board meeting. Lewis students who participated in presenting the colors were Aareighyia Beauty Thomas, Mariely Garcia, Juliana Moctezuma and Giordano Alric Douse. Students from Dunn Elementary School led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance and the Pledge to the Texas Flag. Those students were Johnny Asay, Ethan Nguyen, Desean Payne, Genesis Bonner and Adrian Ortega.

The December Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 14 in the Board Room of the Donaldson Administration Building.