Grapeland ISD and City Collaborate on School Security
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
GRAPELAND – The Grapeland Independent School Board (GISD) board met for the first time with the newly-elected members in place. The meeting gave updates on the football field renovation, teacher salaries and the City of Grapeland city council members joined GISD for a joint executive meeting regarding school security.
The GISD board has undergone quite a facelift since only a few months ago, with a new board president, two other new members and recently hired Superintendent Dr. David Maass. The new board now includes Board President Chance Huff, Vice President Ryan Richie, Secretary Allen Cheatham, along with members Travis Brown, T.C. Howard, Timothy Howard, Sr. and Cannon Vickers.
Heather Wood, Director of Student Services at Grapeland High School explained the relationship the district maintains with Angelina College regarding supporting students by subsidizing their dual-credit classes as they look to finish high school with an Associate’s Degree. Wood told the board some of the classes the district has been paying for are not being accepted by other universities, leading to a waste of student time and district money. Wood noted some of the new laws from Austin, including the offer for any student receiving a free lunch to qualify for the free college credit payments.
The district has agreed with the college to only pay for core classes – encompassing 36 total hours in order to eliminate students taking classes that may not transfer. As before, students are responsible for paying for any college-level credits taken during the summer or elective classes. Superintendent Maass told the board the district had considered scaling back some of these classes if they would not be transferable and beneficial to Grapeland students, but the district would support paying for classes in the so-called “core-complete” category.
The board reviewed the district budget, with newly-elected board member T.C. Howard requesting more detailed budget information more frequently, with Maass proposing a format to provide the board with more information.
Questioned about an expense for school security, Maass explained he had hired an outside security consultant who works for several school districts in the state and proven himself to be an expert and analyzing campuses, getting them ready to pass state inspections and submitting the paperwork and documentation the state requires. The district has added some cameras in certain “dead spots” between buildings and is working on contingency plans – including what to do in the case of a train derailment – given how close the schools are to the train tracks. The board also agreed to get the principal from each campus to decide which areas could be declared “open” at each school. These would be unlocked areas accessible during the school day to all students such as a library or cafeteria.
GISD Athletic Director Jordan Wood updated the board on the progress on the football and track field. Wood said the first part of the project progressed so quickly he was waiting for all of the turf to come in before it could be laid and set in place. There were questions from the board about the track areas, fencing and drainage as Wood said he should be ready to practice in about a month, given good weather and fast work. Wood also revealed a proof of the design for the new scoreboard which was made possible by donations from NUCOR-Vulcraft and Prosperity Bank.
Maass presented the board with a plan to revise teacher salaries for the next school year, representing an overall 3% increase, with some teachers receiving more or less based on comparisons with nearby school districts. GISD had discovered some of their salaries, especially for newer teachers were lagging behind other districts in the area and the board discussed and accepted this recommendation. The board also agreed to hire four new teachers at the high school, including an art teacher, and English teacher and two special-education teachers who would also help coach baseball.
As the GISD board prepared to go into executive session, the members of the Grapeland City Council filed in along with Grapeland Mayor Mitchell Woody. Woody and the council had forgone their own meeting to join the school district in order to work out the details for a Security Resource Officer (SRO) for the district.
While some area districts have opted to form their own school police departments, GISD felt they wanted an on-site officer, but with Grapeland Police Department only a few seconds down the road, decided to go with an SRO.
The school district will pay for the officer and add additional money to keep the salary competitive, while the city of Grapeland will cover the costs of benefits, equipment and certification.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
