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Board actions at a glance: MOUs for Reading Academies, wage‑payment resolution and SBEC complaint authorization
Summary
At its Jan. 23, 2025 meeting, the Northwest ISD board approved two Reading Academies MOUs, passed a resolution to pay employees for days missed during an emergency weather closure and authorized the superintendent to file complaints with the State Board for Educator Certification for two teachers who resigned without good cause.
The Northwest ISD Board of Trustees took several formal actions during the Jan. 23 regular meeting. Key motions and outcomes are summarized below.
Memoranda of Understanding — Reading Academies (Items E and L) - Item E (Reading Academies local implementation): Motion to approve by Doctor Rausch, second by Mrs. Murphy. Outcome: approved, tally recorded as 6–1. Administration said the local implementation will fund two in‑district trainers with capacity to train up to 120 teachers (the district expected ~112 participants), and described the local model as more cost‑effective than sending teachers to a regional center. - Item L (Reading Academies comprehensive cohort): Motion to approve by Mr. Schluter, second by Mrs. Kopp. Outcome: approved, tally recorded as 6–1. Administration said bilingual teachers in the comprehensive cohort will attend regional‑center training because the district lacks in‑house capacity for that cohort; administrators who must complete the training would face minimal cost (about $300).
Resolution regarding wage payments during emergency weather closure (Item B) - Motion to approve the wage‑payment resolution for staff during the January 2025 winter closure was moved by Mrs. Copp/Cook and seconded; the board approved the resolution (vote recorded as unanimous, 7–0). The resolution directs the district to pay employees for the closure days and fulfills the state’s requirement for a formal resolution.
Authorization to file complaints with the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) - The board considered two resignations submitted by teachers (Hannah Burrell and Amy Niram — names read from the record). Motion by Mrs. Murphy, second by Doctor Simpson to find that good cause did not exist under Texas Education Code §21.210(c), to decline to accept the resignations, and to authorize the superintendent to file complaints with the State Board for Educator Certification seeking sanctions for abandonment. Outcome: motion approved (vote recorded as unanimous, 7–0).
Notes and follow up - Several trustees pressed administration for clearer cost accounting on the Reading Academies implementation and expressed concern about duplication with pre‑service university training. Administration agreed to return with a detailed cost breakdown and to continue state advocacy on the mandate. - The wage‑payment resolution follows the district’s decision to close schools for inclement weather and aligns with prior practice to pay staff for emergency closures when the board adopts a resolution.
