School Lands Fitness Grant
School Superintendent Steve Long announced at the school board meeting Oct. 13 that the school has been awarded a $221,000 National Fitness Foundation grant which will provide Nautilus and comparable exercise equipment for use by both the community and students. The equipment, which is to be located in the weight room of the athletic complex building at the school, includes 17 pieces of strength equipment; 6 pieces of cardiovascular equipment; emergency medical response equipment, plus in-service training and certification.
The grant money is part of a fitness program, which will require the school to keep records and file monthly reports of use and results. Long said after the equipment is installed, and technicians are trained, hours for public use will be made available. He hopes to have it all ready for use by Christmas, he said.
The school will be required to take out a loan for the equipment, and then the NFF will reimburse each payment, including interest. If the NFF should fail, the school is responsible for repaying the money. The GCISD school board approved the grant, pending approval by the school district’s attorney.
Long said a projector, software and screen, plus a 'polycam’ for distance learning, have been purchased with other grant money for use at the community center.
Dollars to be Moved to Certificates of Deposit
Long reported that he had found interest on certificates of deposit ranging from .80 to 2.18 for terms of six months to two years. The board voted to move $1 million from the First National Bank of Sterling City to the Bank of the West in Coahoma for 12 months at 2.18 percent interest.
Long said the school is considering upgrading its vocational facilities, and he gave the board a drawing of a possible floor plan. He said the drawing, which was done by vocational teacher Rusty Hollingsworth, was a starting point for determining costs. If such a facility were built, Long said the existing one would probably become an auto mechanics/ bodywork shop. Long said the school needs to provide more vocational training for students who don’t want to pursue a traditional college education.
School’s Web Site New and Improved
Secondary Principal John Petree reported that the school has its web site up and running with lots of new content. He encourages everyone to check out GCISD on the web at http://gcisd.esc18.net. He says it takes a few minutes for the site to load the first time, so be patient. There are several links, and more to come as the webmastering class works on the site. Petree notes that the GCISD’s Board Policy Manual is online at the site, and will be kept updated there.
Petree reported a 97 percent parent attendance rate at the recent “Report Card Night” at the school. The event is designed to involve parents with their kids’ teachers and to deal with any problems or academic needs that may exist.
Petree said aides are helping in kindergarten and first grade, both of which have 22 students. He said awards were given in an Oct. 8 awards assembly for Spanish, PE, Technology, Honor Roll and Perfect Attendance.
More Emphasis on ACT and SAT Exams
Koby Abney presented a manual he has developed for kids and their parents which is designed to help them make preparations for taking the ACT and/or SAT tests. He said the sooner a student starts getting ready for the tests, the better. He said students should begin taking the preliminary versions of those tests as early as possible, so they become familiar with the kinds of questions the tests will present. He said ACT and SAT tests measure different types of knowledge, and students should choose which test to ultimately take based on their own strengths.
School Board President Jimmy Eggemeyer and Abney agreed that colleges are concerned about things other than test scores, such as community involvement and extracurricular activities. But both said the colleges’ bottom line in choosing students is the score from one of these tests.
Public Hearing Nov. 10 for School’s State Financial Report
Long reported that the state’s financial indicator for school districts gave the local school a negative rating on only one of 21 points: that the district had not spent at least 54 percent of its funds for instruction. Long said he called the Texas Education Agency and asked how we were supposed to spend 54 percent for instruction, when we are required to give away 52 percent to other schools. Long said he was given no real answer. A public hearing on school's state financial report will be Nov.10 at 6 p.m..
According to Long, we will be sending $2.7 million to Jim Ned ISD this year. By agreement with Jim Ned, 25 percent of this money will go to “Ed Link 18,” a technology arm of the Region 18 Service Center, of which GCISD is a part.
Board member Doug Schaefer commented that he would like to be sure that, in the future, our WADA money goes to a district that taxes at the maximum level. He said he was upset to learn that some districts get money from others without taxing to the maximum in their own districts. GCISD taxes at the maximum level of $1.50 per $100 valuation. Jim Ned’s taxing rate is $1.41 plus 11 cents for bond debt service, totaling $1.52 per $100 valuation.
Long announced Region 18 has received an $809,000 “Technology on Wheels” federal grant. He says part of that money will outfit a Greyhound-type bus with equipment for taking technology to remote schools in the region that might not otherwise have it. Long said Kenneth Chandler is GCISD’s contact person for the project.
School enrollment figures are: K–6, 146 (plus 14 in pre-kindergarten); 7–8, 40 and 9–12, 90, for a K–12 total of 276.