Crockett ISD Approves MOUs

Tables Pair of Agreements

By Will Johnson

Messenger Reporter

CROCKETT – While the students may be out for the summer, the business of running a school district is a year-round task as evidenced by the Crockett Independent School District Board of Trustees meeting held on Monday, June 28.

As the meeting got underway, the floor was opened for a public forum. The first person to speak was a parent who voiced her displeasure over the way she believed the district handled disciplinary action pertaining to her child.

The next person was local businessman John Jenkins who expressed his belief an auto mechanics vocational program should be established in the former state school facilities. 

By policy, the trustees are not allowed to respond to matters brought up in the forum.

Following the public comments portion of the meeting, CISD Superintendent John Emerich brought forward an agenda item concerning a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the district and the Greater East Texas Community Action Program Head Start.

“This is an agreement we have had in place for several years which allows Head Start to operate in conjunction with our Pre-K program at our campus. It does offer the parents of students enrolled in both some extra benefits,” he said.

The agenda item was unanimously approved.

Next on the agenda was a second MOU item. This, however, pertained to an MOU between the district and the Crockett Police Department.

“Again, this is an item we have had in place for a couple of years now – just approving an agreement with our city police department to have an officer here during school hours on our campuses,” Emerich said.

Before the vote was taken, Board Secretary Karen Norman commented, “We have had this memorandum in place for the last couple of years. We appreciate the Crockett Police Department but by no means is the police department our discipline. They are here as security to make sure no laws are broken. They are not here to be a threat. In the memorandum, it says there will be one officer. If students get to know that particular officer – hopefully when we select that officer – they will come to the board meeting so everyone can meet that officer and know who they are. The parents can meet that officer and if the students want to come, they can meet that officer as well. It all starts with building relationships.”

The agenda item was unanimously approved.

The board then retired into executive session at 6:15 pm. They emerged from behind closed doors three hours later and the first item addressed after the three-hour executive session was an agreement between the district and Treehouse Academy. The measure was tabled until the next meeting.

Emerich explained the agreement was to have some type of daycare arrangement which would benefit CISD employees. He added he would be speaking with the daycare facility in the very near future.   

The board also tabled a revised sale agreement regarding the Juvenile Justice Center Property. 

“We are looking at some proposals for that. We didn’t feel like that was something we wanted to do right now. The sale is currently going on exactly as it was in the past,” he explained.

The trustees also gave their approval to the 2021-2022 compensation plan.

“We spent a lot of time and effort on this,” Emerich said. “We think this is a fair thing going forward and this is something we can afford – the raises in the compensation plan this year.”

The plan would effectively give all teachers a two percent raise and a one percent raise to all other pay grades as well as job classifications.

Board President Dr. John Garner added, “We support our personnel. We appreciate them very much and we want to reward them. We think this makes us very competitive.”

The 2021-2022 compensation plan was unanimously approved.  

The trustees also approved extending contract offers to the following personnel:

• Rachel Gallaway – Elementary Principal
• Maritha Purperhart – Elementary Assistant Principal
• Matthew Maitland – High School Assistant Principal
• Shannon Wassberg – Elementary Dyslexia Teacher
• Paul Ellsworth – Junior High Career Teacher/Coach
• Richard Martinez – DAEP Teacher/Coach
• Shandy Stewart – Elementary Teacher

The retirements/resignations/terminations of the following CISD personnel were also approved by the Board of Trustees:

• Johnny Taylor – Dean of Students (retired)
• Jennifer Hilliard 
• Lori Dowell
• Sabrina Jones
• Cole Pemberton
• Gualberto Gonzalez Jr
• Luanne Brownd
• Virginia Laws
• Vanessa Dotson
• Janice Parker
• Cortney Turrubiartes
• Christie Johnson
• Natalia Tapia

In other matters brought before the CISD Board:

• Consent Agenda items were approved.
• A list of surplus property for disposal was approved.
• An agreement between the City of Crockett and CISD for property demolition and clean up was approved.   
• A donation in the amount of $500 from the JB and Kathryn Sallas Foundation was accepted by the district.

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].