BISD welcomes Lankford
By Nathan Straus News Reporter

Nathan Straus Photo New BISD Councilmember Bobby Lankford shakes hands with Superintendent Elton Caldwell. Lankford's first meeting was Monday, November 12.

The search for Brownsboro Independent School District's new councilmember is over. Bobby Lankford of Chandler has been selected.

Elton Caldwell, Brownsboro Independent School District's superintendent, said Lankford has a broad range of professional experience.

"I think he's going to be a good addition to the board of trustees," Caldwell said.

Lankford, a retired airline pilot, sat in his council chair Monday, November 12, where he immediately went to work, along with the other members of the board of trustees, listening to several proposals and presentations to the board.

The council took a look at the grooming requirements for male hair at the junior and senior high schools. Due to talk of students growing out their hair for charity, the rules for hair length were up for discussion.

The current requirements for students state high school males can't have hair below their eyebrows or longer than their earlobes. Hair must be off shirt collars and trimmed neatly, with no ponytails or buns, or other distracting styles or colors.

Middle school males need their hair to be clean, and it can't interfere with sight, reading or writing or any of the day's activities. Bangs can't fall across the eyes or below eyebrows. Hair must remain its natural color. The matter will come up for debate in future meetings.

Armko Industries, a roofing company, presented a presentation on their roofing inspection package. The package will encompass Brownsboro and Chandler's elementary schools, as well as the Brownsboro annex. The inspection will identify problems in roofs such as sun damage and water damage. No decision was made during the meeting.

The board also approved early release of students for workshops. On December 14, January 18, and February 14, the students will be released starting at 1 pm. Workshops will last the rest of the school day.

In addition, the council also approved of the campus' membership in Super Net II. Super Net II will provide BISD internet access up to around seven times faster than the current speed. There will be a $14,000 monthly fee paid yearly, beginning in the 2008- 2009 school year, and annual membership will cost $1,500, bringing the total yearly cost to $15,500.

Five of the campuses received Gold Performance Acknowledgements, and Brownsboro Junior High School got one in writing. The acknowledgements focus on not just passing tests, but passing tests by a considerable margin.

The whole district also did well in regards to energy management, said Kevin McCarthy, executive director of operations. Up to $507,537 has been saved since McCarthy began to oversee the conservation of the district's energy uses almost five years ago.

McCarthy said most of the savings were a result of teachers and faculty turning lights and climate control systems off when buildings and classrooms were not in use.

Furthermore, the district has now met the No Child Left Behind Highly Qualified Teacher requirement, and now 100 percent of the teachers employed by BISD are highly qualified, meaning the teachers employed by the district have a bachelor's degree and exhibit subject matter competency. The school did not have all highly qualified teachers in the 05-06 school year.

Furthermore, Caldwell recommended the hiring of two new teachers. One, Kristal Foshee, an English teacher for the high school, has already worked at the school for two weeks. The second, Holly Griffith, a substitute teacher for the junior high school, will work for the junior high school as a reading teacher.