At its meeting, the Perryton ISD board approved Budget Amendment No. 2, the district investment program, a copier lease for Williams Elementary, ordered the May 2, 2016 election and joint election with the city, declared it lacks funds to buy buses for a three-point seat-belt mandate, and extended the superintendent's contract by one year.
Perryton ISD's board voted 0-7 to decline adoption of a statutory resolution related to Senate Bill 11, saying the bill's required procedures for student religious expression are overly prescriptive and could restrict existing voluntary activities.
District staff warned that large disbursement line items can overstate monthly spending because funds are held in CDs; they reported interest tied to recent bond sales of about $2,000,000 and reminded the board of a roughly $150,000 arbitrage projection to reserve.
District staff reported a successful pilot of NWEA math growth testing at kindergarten and Wright campuses and provided attendance figures: about 97% for the first six weeks, 96% for the second and 95.7% for the third six-week period; CTE hiring increased compared with last year.
A Perryton ISD board member reported that third- and fourth-graders identified incorrect words on an initial UIL spelling test, waited about four hours and retook the exam while fatigued; staff said the students still performed well and praised families and coaches.
At a Jan. 4 Perryton ISD meeting, the external auditor reported a $8,692,005.59 general fund balance (about 4.75 months), recommended a six-month reserve goal, said the district's daycare lost $165,000 before transfers, and stated auditors found no fraud; the Texas Education Agency will increase federal compliance checks.
PERRYTON ISD trustees voted 7-0 to suspend broadcast privileges for KYE for the remainder of the 25-26 school year after representatives of the station entered the gym to remove a broadcaster during a student presentation; the board said it will review broadcast access at summer meetings.
The board set its next regular meeting for Dec. 15 and will conduct the superintendent evaluation at that meeting; trustees will receive a form in advance to complete before the meeting.
Board members heard praise for a new 'STEMporium' at Williams Elementary, an alternative certification 'Rise Academy' for teachers, and an emergent bilingual parent night explaining TELPAS testing; district staff emphasized hands-on STEM and family strategies to support students.
The Perryton Independent School District board heard district reports on nutrition, curriculum and athletics, received updates on bus deliveries and equipment diagnostics, and voted to go into a closed session to discuss personnel and attorney consultation; no formal votes were recorded in the excerpt.
