AISD expects safety visit soon

By Melinda L. Lucas

After canvassing and approving the delayed board election more than a week ago, Albany ISD’s trustees reelected the same slate of officers to serve until the next election, which is expected to be held as usual in May.

Robert Montgomery will continue to serve as president of the board, while Kelly Head was reelected as vice president and Kalico Leech as secretary. 

The board also approved a number of basically routine resolutions and action items, most of them required as part of various audits conducted throughout the year.

“I know it seems as though we approve a lot of these types of resolutions,” said AISD superintendent Jonathan Scott, “but they’re all necessary to prove that you as a governing body have seen and have approved what goes on in our district.”

Among Monday’s action items were the following:

•Passing a resolution to give the superintendent authority to revise AISD’s synchronous/asynchronous plan, discontinuing remote learning, which was discussed at last month’s meeting;

•Accepting Abilene Regional Day School’s program for the deaf, an annual agreement which fulfills needs of deaf students, if needed; 

•Approving the district and campus improvement plans, which basically updated last year’s documents;

•Okaying the district’s required emergency operation plans; 

•Approving the elementary campus’ Targeted Improvement Plan, which is the same as what was approved last year because the school did not have the opportunity to improve the state accountability scores for NSES. 

Safety Visit

Scott told the board that the district is due for a three-year audit for the emergency plan, explaining that a disguised or anonymous visitor would arrive on campus and see if they can find unlocked doors or find students who will let them into buildings.

“This is not a punitive thing,” said the superintendent. “We just get a report on how we can do better.”

Other Business

•The final audit for 2020-2021 school year was approved, with Scott reporting that he had received the final audit for the ESSER grant.

•Scott also reported that holes in the walking track at the elementary campus had been filled in, and the city had bladed the path. The appearance of other holes in the NSES playground were being investigated.

•The superintendent said that new cameras were being purchased and installed by the school staff to improve the district’s aging security system.