Board Briefs
January 2023
Board Approves Hiring of Tarver Assistant Principal
The Belton ISD Board of Trustees approved the hiring of Alysa Curtis at its January meeting as assistant principal at Tarver Elementary.
Curtis, who is in her 10th year in education, served six years as a teacher at Southwest Elementary before becoming an instructional coach at Sparta Elementary in 2019. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and a master's degree from the University of Texas-Arlington.
Student Showcase - Drumline from Lake Belton High School
The meeting's student showcase included performances by percussion ensembles from the Wind Symphony and Wind Ensemble as well as cadences from the entire drumline.
The LBHS drumline includes Victoria Alfano-Holz, Matthew Antuna, Graycin Barrett, Jayden Bautista, Olivia Cromwell, Gunnar Crook, Marc Crosby, Halle Curb, Caleb Fowler, Luke Frobish, Andrew Glass, Abby Hajovsky, Roberto Jennings, Nolan Koloroutis, Abbie Kuykendall, Christian New, Grace Robinson, Ben Shimabukuro, Ethan Smith, Ethan Suarez-Camacho, Emily Trcka and Kourtney Zelmer.
The group is under the direction of Craig George and Bobby Yerigan.
Trustees Hear Update on Goal 1
Administrators provided an update on Goal 1 of the district’s five long-term goals that were approved by trustees in July 2021. In October 2022, the board adopted key progress measures (KPM) for each goal. For Goal 1, the KPM is that every campus and central office will implement two or more new, targeted strategies to increase partnerships with parents by May 2023.
In November, parents weighed in on the parameters district leaders should consider as they planned for attendance boundary adjustments ahead of the opening of two new elementary schools. Parents will have additional opportunities to voice their thoughts in upcoming community feedback sessions.
The district has also created a parent-focused, twice-monthly email newsletter targeted at parents and hosted meetings with parent groups to brainstorm opportunities to collaborate. Leaders are working to improve the process of becoming a parent volunteer after hearing how cumbersome it was for parents and campus staff.
Administrators are also planning for a future community-wide Parents as Partners conference and working on an annual parent survey scheduled to deploy later this spring.
Board Recognition - Bronco Esports State Champions
Three Lake Belton High School students brought home a first-of-its-kind win for Belton ISD last month — an esports state championship. The Bronco Esports APEX Legend Red team — consisting of seniors Dylan Klunk and Caden Rice and junior Aiden Scammell — edged out 82 other APEX teams to remain undefeated during Vanta’s Texas Esports League that began last fall. The program is coached by Kristie Shepherd.
This team, in its third year of existence, provides a wonderful opportunity for students to practice perseverance and communication, two of the district’s Journey of a Graduate competencies.
Board Recognition - Texas High School Coaches Association Academic All-State Recipients
Belton ISD is celebrating student-athletes and athletic trainers who were named to Texas High School Coaches Association Academic All-State teams in cross country, volleyball and football. To be nominated, seniors must be in good standing with their team, of good moral character and have an overall GPA of 92 or above. Class rank and SAT/ACT test scores are also taken into consideration.
Recipients from Belton High School:
Football
Lennox Underwood Jr., Aidan King, Cole Chrisman, Isaac Jones, Isaiah Devasure and Aidan Stock (second team); and Mason Ramm, Noah Moaga, Zachary Erickson, Ethan Sandoval, Grant Baggerly and Karson Dunn (honorable mention). Brett Sniffin is the head football coach.
Cross Country
Bryce Roberts (first team); Ethan Vazquez Miranda, Cole Chrisman and Clayton Oaks (second team); Caleb Packard, Kaitlyn MacDonald, Raenah Smith, Karina Orona, America Villegas and Esperanza Leal (honorable mention). Holly Lamberte is the head coach.
Volleyball
Charlotte Kalline and Paige Champlin (second team); and Makaelyn Perez (honorable mention). Krystal Yerigan was the head coach last season.
Recipients from Lake Belton High School:
Football
Chase Moore and Hayden Nix (first team); Maria Miller, Connor Crews, Brady Johnson, Claire Peterson, Dominic Simpson, Lilliana Kaita, Reid Hill, Christian Kunz, Madison Combest, Caleb Oldham and Collin Espinosa (second team); and Haley Coski, Keuntaye Williams, Bruce Onchweri, Brinley Jetton, Tristan Robin, Connor Brennan, Evan Roland, Jaydon Leza, Chase Thorp, Floyd Bristol, Jackson Myers and Aaron Tagle (honorable mention). Brian Cope is the head football coach. Whitney Rodgers and Monty Summrall are the athletic trainers.
Volleyball
Sydni Cartwright (first team); Danica Bingham and Paige Roehl (second team); Presley Pattrick and Brianna Arizmendi (honorable mention). Liz Ramsey is the head coach.
Cross Country
Dalilah Zuniga (first team); Erica Dawson and Lauren Heartsfield (second team); and Spencer Mason and Jordan Axelsen (honorable mention). Austin Wooten is the head coach.
These recognitions highlight the district’s value of a continuous improvement mindset modeled by staff and cultivated in classrooms and athletic endeavors.
Board Recognition - Belton FFA State Qualifiers
Three teams of students from Belton FFA competed at the Texas FFA contest last month.
The broadcasting team of Yulissa Gray, Tanner Kastner and Raena Smith presented an eight-minute radio broadcast about feral hogs. The team was a semi-finalist and placed in the top 24 teams out of 764 teams statewide.
The public relations team of Braden Gutierrez, Macey Weber and Kooper Hobson prepared an eight-minute presentation on the FFA organization targeted toward million-dollar donors. They were semi-finalists and placed in the top 24 teams out of 391 teams statewide.
The agriculture issues forum team of Laken Easton, Emma Canales, Victoria Canales, Addison Hicks, Kadence Sigler and Trinity Collins created a 15-minute presentation titled “Inflation Reduction Act: Short-Term Relief or Long-Term Damage?” The group was a semi-finalist, placing in the top 24 out of 203 teams statewide.
The students are led by Brad Hobbs and Allison Hall.
Congratulations to these students who have demonstrated many of our Journey of a Graduate competencies, including critical thinking and empathy, to earn this recognition.
Board Committee Reports
Policy: The policy committee met on Jan. 9 and continued reviewing multiple local policies as part of the TASB policy review.
Facilities: The facilities committee met on Jan. 17 and heard updates on bond projects.
Board Recognition - Texas Thespians National Qualifiers
Eight Belton ISD theatre students qualified for nationals after receiving superior ratings during the annual Texas Thespian Contest in November.
National qualifiers from Belton High School are Anaise Lopez-Rodriguez (monologue); Addison “JoJo” Fogle and Courtney Kidd (solo musical); and Brennan Winn (costume design). Melissa Stuhff is BHS’ theatre director. Marie Phillips is the technical director.
National qualifiers from Lake Belton High School are Liam McCullagh (marketing); Dakota Branch (solo musical); and Baylee Janicke and Jonas Dotson (duet acting). Denise Larsen is LBHS’ theatre director and Ty Carter is the technical director.
Congratulations to these students who demonstrate adaptability and collaboration — two of the district’s Journey of a Graduate competencies — in their theatre pursuits.
Superintendent's Report
Board Recognition - School Board Appreciation Month
The Big Red Community is celebrating Belton ISD’s Board of Trustees in January for School Board Recognition Month. As committed volunteers with a passion for public education, Belton ISD’s School Board members serve our students, staff and taxpayers through their commitment to the district’s mission. They provide vision and leadership in their roles as advocates, ensuring a link between the community and the classroom so that exceptional learning experiences are possible for each and every child in our district.
Trustee service revolves around service to our community. Last year trustees averaged a little over 100 volunteer hours attending board and committee meetings plus training sessions. They spent an average of 65 additional volunteer hours at events, like graduation and visiting campuses, and meeting with state and local representatives. On top of these time commitments, they also frequently attend athletic and fine arts activities.
President Jeff Norwood (Area 1) was elected in 2016.
Vice President Ty Taggart (At-Large) was first elected in 2017.
Secretary Manuel Alcozer (Area 5) was first appointed in 2018.
Suzanne M. McDonald (Area 3) was first elected in 2013.
Janet Leigh (At-Large) was first elected in 2017.
Mr. Chris Flor (Area 4) was first elected in 2018.
Mrs. Erin Bass (Area 2) was first appointed in 2021.
Consent Agenda Highlights
- Unaudited financial report for the month ending December 31, 2022
- Gifts, grants and bequests
- Expenditures over $50,000 (Gibson Consulting Group for student/parent surveys, True North Consulting Group for sentry managed security services, CDW for Google Workspace for Education Plus and Region 10 Education Service Center for CrowdStrike Antivirus Solution)
- Supply, equipment and service bids
To review Belton ISD board meeting agendas and full packet materials, click here.
Belton ISD
Email: communications@bisd.net
Website: www.bisd.net
Location: 400 N. Wall Street, Belton
Phone: 254-215-2000
Facebook: facebook.com/BeltonISD
Twitter: @BeltonISD