During this week’s meeting of the Brownwood ISD Board of Trustees, Deputy Superintendent Liesa Land presented a STEM report which contained participation and enrollment information for programs that have been implemented through the district including the following: Tynker coding software in Pre-K through 8th grade, a MakerSpace Lab at Coggin Intermediate School (grades 4-6) with iPads and various kits, Lego Mindstorm kits and Computer Robotics which is now offered at Brownwood Middle School as an elective for 7th and 8th grades, and Computer Science classes that have been added at Brownwood High School.

As part of the superintendent report, Dr. Joe Young provided a financial report, spotlight award summary, and noted the schedule of the upcoming Christmas programs has been released and is available on the Brownwood ISD website. The board also heard a first report on the state’s school financial accountability rating system, known as the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST), which ensures that Texas public schools are held accountable for the quality of their financial management practices. BISD Director of Finance, Kati Burke reported that Brownwood ISD received a Superior Rating on the 2017-2018 FIRST Report. This rating is based on school year 2016-2017 data. The district score was 96 out of a possible 100.

Young also offered the career and technical education report. He noted that there has been a big emphasis on CTE in recent years and the district is engaged in expanding and matching up those areas that students find interesting with those that will also benefit our community workforce. BHS Principal Mitch Moore and Assistant Principal Lindsay Smith provided additional insights to the report which included the enrollment information for CTE pathways from 2016 to 2018. CTE pathways highlighted include Health Science, Construction, Education, Welding, A/V Production, Automotive, and Photography. Overall enrollment in CTE pathways has increased each year, with the noted additions of Welding, AV Production, and Photography. Smith also provided information regarding the upcoming Brownwood Industry Tradeshow being held at BHS on December 17th. This provides an opportunity for Brownwood High School and the CTE Department to showcase to local industries and the community the many technical opportunities and certifications being offered through BISD.

During the maintenance and operations portion of the agenda, a report was provided listing the facility projects and upgrades that have been initiated and completed by the Maintenance Department over the past year. Young noted that the BISD Maintenance Director, Justin Felts, has done a great job managing the department to cover all the needs of the district, and because of the certified professionals on staff, the district is able to save money by accomplishing many projects inhouse.