The Board of Trustees of Alamo Heights Independent School District - Essay Example

As the first order of business under delegations/recognition, the Spotlight on Excellence was awarded to a Pre-AP English teacher and Coach at Alamo Heights High School. Secondly, Alamo Heights Public Relations Awards were highlighted. Specifically, the Alamo Heights School Foundation and District Communication Office had received three state awards from the Texas School Relations Association. The specifics of those awards were discussed.

            Individual students’ achievement in state academic and sports competitions was recognized.  Alamo Heights High School Student Council was also recognized for achieving the 2011 National Gold Council of Excellence Award from the National Association of Student Councils.

The meeting then turned to possible items for action.  A new format for elementary report cards was presented and the meeting informed that the new designs will be introduced in Fall 2011.  No details were provided.  Similarly, a strategic plan update was recorded in the meetings with scant information.  The only information recorded was that the update was provided concerning the plans for the “multiple lines of district communication” (Board Briefs, 2011).  Other presentations were recorded similarly.  For instance, a revised dual language program and lottery procedures were presented without the benefit of any other details.

The board also took note of donations received and provided details of the donations in terms of the amount and the source of those donations. It was agreed by the board that outstanding bills would be paid and that no further changes would be made to the 2010-2011 budget.  The board also approved the extension of the Southwest Food Service Contract for the academic year 2011-2012.  Likewise, it was agreed to extend the Depository Contract with Frost Bank for a further two years. A construction project for renovations was also approved by an Order Declaring Election of Unopposed Candidates for board elections in May 2011.  The Superintendent provided an update relative to the School Finance “issue” with no further details and also provided an outline of pending relevant legislation (Board Briefs, 2011).

The minutes of the meeting demonstrate that procedural fairness and transparency are important parts of the school district’s administration process.  Although some details were lacking, for instance, once the design of the new elementary report cards, the information released to the public was very important.  The information that the new report cards were presented to a regular board meeting, indicates that the decisions are not made behind closed doors and are made in an open meeting, the minutes of which are recorded for the public’s benefits also significant that the details of donations were provided as this indicates that the public is informed of the school districts’ donations and can monitor whether or not those donations are applied ethically. The minutes of the regular board meeting ultimately inform that finances and other items that impact the school community are the subject of board review, discussion, and decision-making.  It also acquaints the public with the issues that the board discussing and therefore provides an opportunity for public participation.  In other words, by acquainting the public with the issues before the board, the public can if they wish to, write to the board, or speak to board members about issues that might be of concern to them and can be taken up by the board.