Board Reviews Weather System, Tax Rate
The Albany ISD Board of Trustees learned more about a new weather monitoring system for student-athletes, reviewed a lower proposed tax rate for the coming year and continued planning for the district’s new school construction project during its regular meeting Monday, July 20.
Board members Joe Tidwell, Matt Bellah and Reggy Spencer were absent from the meeting.
One of the evening’s most significant discussions centered on new University Interscholastic League (UIL) heat safety requirements that will take effect before the start of fall sports.
Superintendent Daryl Stuard told trustees the district is evaluating the purchase of a Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) weather station, a permanent outdoor system that helps coaches determine when weather conditions become unsafe for practices and competitions. The station measures environmental conditions to calculate heat stress, provides real-time data through a mobile app and also includes lightning detection, allowing coaches to monitor both heat and approaching storms from a single system.
Stuard said the district is considering a system costing about $3,500 that would not require an annual subscription fee.
Under new UIL rules, schools must document WBGT readings before practices begin and at regular intervals throughout outdoor workouts. The readings determine when athletes should take additional breaks, remove equipment or move activities indoors because of dangerous heat conditions.
Trustees also reviewed the district’s proposed tax rate for the coming year. Stuard reported Albany ISD’s taxable property value is expected to remain near $325 million, similar to last year. Because of continued state tax compression, the district’s tax rate is projected to decrease from $0.6822 to approximately $0.6754 per $100 valuation.
Although the local tax rate will decline, Stuard said additional state funding is expected to offset the reduction. Current estimates project approximately $2.2 million in local tax collections and about $4.7 million in state aid, providing nearly $7 million in operating revenue.
Elementary Principal Stephanie Kitchens announced that Kenzie Fairchild has been named the district’s new Student Success Coordinator, where she will oversee testing coordination, guidance lessons, UIL activities, new teacher mentoring and other student support responsibilities.
Kitchens also reported that students previously accepted into Head Start, along with other qualifying students, will now be served through Albany ISD’s pre-kindergarten program following the dissolution of the district’s Head Start program.
Teachers have spent the summer preparing for implementation of the district’s new math curriculum. To increase elementary math instruction, pre-kindergarten students will dismiss at 3 p.m. each day, while kindergarten through sixth grade will dismiss at 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 3 p.m. on Fridays.
Trustees unanimously approved TASB Policy Update 127, which includes revisions related to superintendent contracts, employee contracts, gifted and talented education, pre-kindergarten and student safety.
The board also advanced the district’s construction manager-at-risk selection process for the new school project. Teinert Construction submitted the only proposal, and trustees authorized Superintendent Stuard to evaluate the submission, negotiate contract terms and make decisions regarding the selection on behalf of the district.
Board members also discussed preliminary campus design concepts, including student drop-off and pick-up traffic patterns, the location of administrative offices and ways to improve traffic flow as planning continues for the new facility.
