Forney ISD board approves foundation grants, 1% retention stipends and multimillion-dollar construction contracts
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Summary
Trustees unanimously accepted $149,305.83 in Forney Education Foundation grants, approved a 1% retention stipend budgeted in the district and awarded construction contracts totaling roughly $85.4 million across an aquatic/golf package and the OC Academy expansion.
At its regular meeting Monday, the Forney Independent School District Board of Trustees approved a package of routine and substantive items including grant acceptance, staff retention pay, construction contracts and personnel actions.
Justin Eatherly, executive director of the Forney Education Foundation, told the board the foundation received 164 grant applications and planned to fund 75 teacher proposals this year, and he asked trustees to accept a total awarded amount of "$149,305 and 83¢." The board moved to accept the donation and approved it without opposition.
On personnel and compensation, Associate Superintendent John Chase reviewed the district's retention-pay practice and the proposed 1% retention stipend. Chase said the district budgeted $1.5 million for retention and estimated the payment would cost about $1.3 million; he noted that full-time teachers would receive about $707 under the proposal. The board approved the stipend.
Board members also approved casting the district's 619 votes for two nominees to the Kaufman Central Appraisal District board (Danny Kirby and Bruce Wood), following staff guidance on a split-vote allocation.
The board voted to award construction contracts and budgets recommended by district consultants: an aquatic facility and new golf facility bid package totaling $23,676,688 to be funded from 2019 bond savings and the general fund, and an OC Academy expansion project budget of $61,708,992 to be funded from 2022 bond proceeds. Jeff Fisher presented the bid summaries and trustees approved the contracts as presented.
In personnel action, the board voted to find that an employee (named in the record as Destiny Radcliffe) abandoned employment and directed the administration to seek sanctions against the educator certificate with the State Board of Educator Certification.
What happens next: staff indicated that awarded projects will move forward with contracting and that the district will notify affected employees and families for staffing and transfer steps related to the new Jacobs Elementary.