Aldine ISD Board of Trustees Hold Monthly Meeting

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The Aldine ISD Board of Trustees held their monthly meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 15.

During the Nov. 15 Board of Trustees meeting, Aldine ISD Superintendent Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney announced several staff assignments.

• Aaron Guerra was named an Assistant Principal at Nimitz Ninth Grade School after serving as a Science Teacher at MacArthur High School.
• D’Shanna Moss was named Program Director of Secondary Guidance, Counseling, and Student Support after serving as the Lead Counselor at Eisenhower High School.
• Dr. Neelam Singh was named an Assistant Principal at Teague Middle School after serving as the Instructional Specialist at that same school.
• Xochila Minajares was named Elementary Program Director of Multilingual Compliance after serving as the District’s Multilingual Coach.
• Hope Garza was named Primary/Middle School Program Director of Multilingual Compliance after serving as an Assistant Principal at Davis Ninth Grade School.
• Tony Silva was named Payroll Manager after serving as Payroll Supervisor.

Teaching, Learning, and Leading Department Highlights, Principal, Teacher

During the Nov. 15 Board meeting, Chief of Schools Dr. Katy Roede recognized Carver High School Principal Dr. Tracie Robinson and Eisenhower High School Science. Teacher Remelia Arpino.

Dr. Robinson was recognized for being named the Texas Art Education Association’s Principal of the Year. Dr. Roede said Dr. Robinson’s commitment to uncovering every gift of every child is demonstrated in her leadership at Carver High School. She supports the arts through her visibility at contests, events, and in the classroom, and she also communicates directly with parents to applaud the success and efforts of her students. Dr. Robinson collaborated with district and campus leaders to elevate the arts program at Carver High School, ensuring every opportunity presented to Carver students would be captured, cultivated, and promoted.

Arpino was named the 2022 High School Science Teacher of the Year by the Science Teacher Association of Texas. She was recently honored at the organization’s Conference for Advancement of Science Teaching (CAST) in Dallas. Arpino is an 18-year veteran teacher at Eisenhower. She also serves as the team lead for life and fourth-year sciences. Arpino is currently in her fourth year as a Fellow with the Texas Leadership Initiative for Inquiry Science Teaching Noyce Fellow through Rice University. She was named the Senior Division Science and Engineering Fair of Houston Teacher of the Year for 2022. Arpino challenges her students and helps them grow academically and socially. She strongly believes in using nature as part of the classroom and initiated a School Pollinator and Garden program at Eisenhower High School.

Students, Police Officer Recognized

During the Nov. 15 Board meeting, several Aldine ISD students and a Police Officer were recognized for their leadership.

Several Aldine ISD students were recognized for being a part of the Norman Borlaug Youth Agriculture Program through Texas A&M University. Students participating in the program are Amara Santiago and Thompsona Thompson of Blanson CTE High School, Coral Almazan of Avalos PTECH High School, Jameleth Palma of Aldine High School, and Jayla Palmer of Victory Early College High School.

Aldine ISD Police Chief Paul Cordova named Officer Kevin Bryson as his department’s Employee of the Month. Officer Bryson is the Campus Officer at Teague Middle School.

Financial Audit Approved

During the Nov. 15 Trustees meeting, Chief Financial Officer Stan Osborne presented the district’s Audit Report, prepared by external auditors Whitley Penn, for the 2021-22 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 Report will now be forwarded to the Texas Education Agency.

Grants Announced

During the Nov. 15 Board meeting, Stacey Smith, Director of Special Programs, announced several grants.

• Aldine Ninth Grade Principal Dr. Kinesha Wiley and Instructional Literacy Specialist Clemencia Ramirez secured a $1,142 Donors Choose grant to purchase books celebrating Hispanic culture.
• Lane School Principal Dale Prioleau and Teacher Ramona Harris secured a $9,998 grant from Texas A&M University to implement the TAMU Work-Based Learning Project at Lane School. The project creates authentic work experiences for high school students with disabilities in Texas. Through funding, training, and technical assistance, the project will help Lane School students with pre-employment skills and provide them with meaningful work experiences leading to paid employment.
• MacArthur High School Principal Shauna Showers, Cross Country Coach Patrick James, and Tennis Coaches Brandon Blake and Albert Davila secured a $13,000 grant from the East Aldine Management District. During the summer, the MacArthur tennis program offered students an opportunity to learn the sport of tennis, engage in physical fitness and build self-confidence. The grant also funded MacArthur’s summer fitness program, which focused on keeping students active during the summer.
• Dr. Diaka Melendez, Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services, secured a $125,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to fund the “Helping Others Pursue Excellence” program. The program will provide innovative services that promote a positive self-image, increase critical thinking, encourage personal and civic responsibility, and improve resiliency skills and college and career exploration through mentorships.
• Grace Delgado, Executive Director of Multilingual Services, secured a $154,000 grant from the Texas Education Agency to implement the Texas Reading Initiative program. The program aims to have all K-5 students reading on grade level.

The grants announced at the Nov. 15 Board meeting totaled $303,140.

Trustees Approve Action Items

During the Nov. 15 Board meeting, Aldine ISD Trustees approved the following action items:

• Approved the minutes from previous meetings
• Approved an interlocal agreement with Sam Houston State University and Aldine ISD for training and technical assistance at Lane School for transition services for the 2022-23 school year
• Approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Houston Downtown (UHD) Educational Talent Search (ETS) high schools (i.e., Aldine Senior High School, Davis High School, Eisenhower High School, MacArthur High School, and Blanson CTE High School)
• Approved a Service Agreement between the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Aldine ISD for implementing the All for Them vaccination program
• Approved the YES Prep Eisenhower rate for the 2022-23 school year
• Approved the Additional Day School Year school calendar changes for the 2022-23 school year
• Approved the District and Campus Goals and Performance Objectives for the 2022-23 school year
• Approved single contracts and purchases of more than $50,000

Before starting the Nov. 15 Board meeting, the Eisenhower High School JROTC Color Guard presented the colors. Black Elementary students Nicolas Bonilla and Erick Cisneros led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance and Pledge to the Texas Flag. The December Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 13, in the Board Room of the Donaldson Administration Building. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m.