GISD tables DPS lease agreement, approves changes to graduation honors

The Gonzales ISD School Board met for their regularly scheduled meeting Monday, Nov. 13 at the GISD administration building.

Two of the big agenda items that were discussed at the Thursday meeting were the interlocal cooperation contract with the Texas Department of Public Safety and amending policy EIC LOCAL about Local Graduation Honors.

DPS Lease Agreement

The board was presented with a proposed interalocal contract with DPS to lease the district property at 1711 N Sarah Dewitt Drive, but Chief Financial Officer Amanda Smith recommend the board to table this agenda item.

“We have been working with Texas DPS to reach all of the fine-tuned language on a lease agreement. And unfortunately, with two state agencies working together, there's a lot of legal requirements that we have to work through and come to mutual understanding and agreement on,” Smith said.

Smith added the district and the DPS had certain legal requirements in order to find a way to live in harmony.

“And to date, we are still working out the utility billing. That's the only piece of the lease agreement that we still haven’t quite found a way for both entities to be in requirements with their legal necessities,” Smith said.

Smith added the district is in support of this lease agreement contract. The board approved 4-0 to table the agenda item.

EIC LOCAL, Local Graduation Honors

In other board business, the board went over policy EIC LOCAL, Local Graduation Honors at the last meeting. The board tabled this item to discuss the changes.

“Two proposals that were put in front of us last time, just to remind everybody, in regards to this action item was to calculate GPA in the fall semester, or up to the third nine weeks. We decided to table it to discuss other options and that's why we're bringing it back to you,” GISD Superintendent Dr. Elmer Avellaneda said.

Avellaneda added the district did not want to mess with the top 10 percent banquet at the end of the school year and how it is important for the staff, students and community.

Avellaneda suggested that the board go with the third nine weeks so the top 10 percent distinction is as close to accurate as possible.

Gonzales High School Principal Jonathan Basha spoke to the board about this agenda item and he said that this year’s top 10 percent is going to be a close race and mentioned how they’ll handle that at graduation.

The board approved, 4-0, for the top 10 percent grades to be determined at the end of the third quarter and the valedictorian and salutatorian determined by the final grades.

The board approved the following agenda items:

--approved the resale bid for suit 7236 property R15946