Each month, after the McKinney ISD Board of Trustees meeting, the board provides our community with a brief summary of events and items covered during the meeting. This month, Board Secretary Harvey Oaxaca reports.
McKinney, Texas — The McKinney ISD’s Board of Trustees June meeting is in the books. I want to share with you a few highlights from our meeting last night.
We started the meeting with celebrations and recognitions.
Educational Results Partnership has released its annual “Honor Roll” list of top performing school districts in Texas, and McKinney ISD has been named to the list! In addition to that, five schools have been named “Honor Roll” schools. They include:
Evans Middle School
Faubion Middle School
McGowen Elementary
Scott Johnson Middle School
Slaughter Elementary
In total, 835 schools in Texas made the Honor Roll; that is approximately 12 percent of the schools in the state of Texas, and only 10 percent of the school districts in Texas were named to the Honor Roll list. We are proud of our district for being named an honor roll district, and we are proud of our five schools for being named honor roll schools. We are so thankful for our hard-working staff members who made this happen. It is a direct result of their diligent efforts.
McKinney ISD also received the GFOA Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. This is the 8th year in a row for our district to receive this honor.
During the meeting we welcomed several new administrators to their roles; they included:
Jae Gaskill as Director of Career and Technical Education
Tawn King as Director of Human Resources
Irma Garcia as Senior Director of Elementary Teaching and Learning
Justin Penio as Principal of McKinney North High School
Dr. David Hodum as Principal of McKinney Boyd High School
Melissa Hernandez as Principal of Evans Middle School
Inetra Nelson as Principal of Malvern Elementary
Jennifer Larriviere as Principal of Minshew Elementary
Next on the agenda were presentations.
Sheila Due, the Chief Executive Officer for the McKinney Education Foundation gave a presentation on MEF and all that they do in partnership with McKinney ISD to help serve our students and their families.
Becky Jackson, Director of Data and Analytics, provided a presentation on the Preliminary STAAR data for 2024.
Dr. Dennis Womack, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, presented general notes on education finance. He shared with us several significant facts, including the reality that Texas public school funding is driven by student attendance and NOT by local property values. It is crucial for our students to be in school.
He also provided a budget update and budget additions that have an impact on the 2024-2025 McKinney ISD budget.
Chief Financial Officer Marlene Harbeson presented the recommended 2024-2025 budget and held the tax rate public hearing.
Rusty May, Director of Safety and Security, recommended the approval of the Evolv Security Detection System for use at the McKinney ISD Stadium, our three high schools and the DAEP campus.
This system is a state-of-the-art, proactive measure designed to strengthen our existing safety protocols. The Evolv system is designed to detect a range of potential threats, including weapons, in a non-intrusive manner. It utilizes advanced technology to screen individuals as they enter the school premises, providing an added layer of security without disrupting the flow of students entering and leaving the campus. The implementation of the Evolv Security Detection System underscores our commitment to maintaining a safe and supportive environment where all students can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. The board approved the use of the Evolv Security Detection System.
The Board of Trustees re-elected Philip Hassler as the McKinney ISD School Board President, Amy Dankel as the School Board Vice President, and Harvey Oaxaca as the School Board Secretary.
Those are the highlights from this month’s meeting. If you would like more details on anything covered in our meeting, please click on the link to view the entire meeting.
Thank you for watching, and we look forward to bringing you the highlights from our next regularly scheduled board meeting on August 26 at 6 p.m.