Kennard ISD Prepares for New School Year with Staffing, PD
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
KENNARD – The Kennard Independent School District (KISD) held a board meeting Thursday, June 22 to get some of the preparations underway for new staffing and to proceed with the creation of the KISD police department.
The meeting began as the board moved quickly into executive session to work on the staffing issues which come up each year. The board discussed resignations, new hires and approved their list of substitutes for next year.
After the executive session, the board moved to approve several of the measures including a technology contract which gives the district help a couple times a week with their technology, approval of the service which makes sure the lunch menus are up to required standards and orders food and handles special events at the school.
KISD Superintendent Malinda Lindsay discussed the upcoming budget, which will be “tight,” given some of the new hiring, but should be within the budget set for the district.
Also present was soon-to-be KISD Police Chief Michael Allen. Allen has been with Central ISD for five years after working in law enforcement in Angelina County. Allen presented the board with a security study in executive session and will not officially begin until the fall.
In the meantime, Allen and the district are working to establish the police department officially, finish establishing a working relationship with other law enforcement in the county and making plans to make such modifications as required by Texas law, including special windows and fencing where required.
Last fall at a security conference at the school, Houston County Sheriff Randy Hargrove told attendees his deputies cannot be everywhere and the response time could vary depending on where those deputies are stationed in case of an emergency.
With a main highway right outside the school, the campus could be vulnerable to people traveling through the area. The establishment of a KISD police force on site will give the district an officer on campus to deal with day-to-day security and a first line of defense in case of any bigger issues while the “cavalry” arrives to help.
Allen seemed confident and knowledgable, having served many years in both law enforcement and at Central ISD. He said he has a long to-do list and priorities to work on and was eager to get started.
As reported earlier in The Messenger, KISD was one of several local school districts to opt to move to an amended school schedule, referred to as the “four-day week.” While some parents remain skeptical, the district wants to give the program as much support as possible to be able to fairly gauge it’s utility.
The staffing, security and budgeting is all preliminary to getting kids and teachers back to class in August.
As Lindsay herself told the board, “Right now, it’s all about getting ready for the next school year.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
