SSISD School Board Meeting Briefs; Personnel Changes
The Sulphur Springs Independent School District School Board held their monthly meeting Monday night in the Administration Building board room.
During the public forum portion of the meeting, board members were presented with an update on the Civic Center auditorium renovation project by Charlie Wilson, supervisor for the project. Wilson told the board that they expect the renovations to be completed by mid-May in hopes of a children’s concert scheduled for May 15th being one of the first events in the newly renovated auditorium.
Board members were then presented with numerous administrative reports. Gina Wilder, Kathy Wright and Josh Williams reported on the spring District 15-5A UIL Academic competitions that SSES, SSMS, and SSHS students participated in and all three coordinators discussed ideas to improve the interaction between the three campuses to create more excitement and better results in future competitions.
Kimberly Williams presented a report on the 2015-2016 School Health Advisory Committee activities. Williams said that the committee’s involvement with the annual Kid’s Safe Saturday proved to be beneficial. Williams also presented the board with the new committee membership list for 2016-2017 that is composed of community members, SSISD students, parents of students, and school district faculty and the board approved the new members. Members of the School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC)2016-2017:
1. Heath Anderson –parent member
2. Veronica Arnold–SSISD-Food Services Director
3. Brittany Bales –SSISD-SSHS student
4. Tammi Carrell–SSIS-Athletic Trainer
5. Jill Dietze–parent member
6. Laura Kosub-Doughtie –parent member-local physician
7. Kathy Froneberger –SSISD-SSHS nurse
8. Debra Garner–SSISD-Bowie nurse
9. Amy Griggs–parent member
10. Traci Haire –parent member
11. Sidney Hawkins–SSISD-SSHS student
12. Johanna Hicks–community member-Ag Extension Agent
13. Abbey Martin–SSISD-SSHS student
14. Allison Martin–SSISD-Technology Dept
15. Shanna Martin–community member-Can Help Organization
16. Sylvia Millsap –community member-Dept of State Health Services
17. Susan Mooney –parent member
18. Shana Romero–SSISD-SSES nurse
19. Tenny Tanton –parent member
20. Liz Vice –parent member
21. Kimberly Williams–SSISD-Speech Pathologist
22. Robbin Vaughn–parent member
The board approved six action items during the meeting which included:
- an Instructional Materials Allotment TEKS Certification Form for 2016-2017
- a Head Start Priority Screening Instrument
- 2016-2017 School Health Advisory Council members
- an update to the local board policy for FFA
- engagement letter with Rutherford, Taylor & Company, P.C. to conduct audit services for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2016.
- 2016-2017 School Calendar proposals
During executive session, board members discussed and considered approval of 2016-2017 professional employment contracts, the hiring of Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education and State & Federal Programs, hiring of Director of Food Services, Principal of Travis Primary school, and other personnel to be employed or reassigned. The board also discussed 16 total resignations across 7 campuses (see below).
PERSONNEL
Professional employment contracts were approved, as recommended, for the 2016-2017 school year.
Resignations
Perla Molina Part-time Head Start Aide ECLC
Laura Cleveland SpEd Teacher Bowie
Yolanda Cleveland SpEd Aide Bowie
Delaina Russell Grade 1 Teacher Lamar
Maria Rivera Grade 1 Bilingual Teacher Travis
Brooke Doughtie Elem. Instructional Technology Spec SS Elementary
Maria Rodriguez Grade 3 Bilingual Teacher SS Elementary
Angeles Yanez Title I Aide SS Elementary
Diane Shipley 7th Gr. ELA Teacher Middle School
Marisha Harris Science Teacher High School
Allison Irvin SpEd Teacher/Coach High School
Johnny Irvin SpEd Teacher/Coach High School
Sandra McAndrew Counselor High School
Stacie Yarbrough Science Teacher High School
New Personnel
Josh Williams Asst. Supt. Secondary Ed/State & Admin Bldg
Federal Programs
Veronica Arnold Director of Food Services Admin Bldg
Michelle Wallace Principal Travis Primary
Christina Shadix SpEd Teacher Bowie
Natalie Martino Trainer Middle School
Justin Maness SpEd Teacher/Coach High School
Personnel Change New position/campus Former position/campus
Mariana Hernandez Pre-K Bilingual/ECLC Grade 2 Bilingual/Travis
Kaley Perry Science/High School SpEd Aide/Middle School
Retirement
Carol Worsham Principal Bowie
Jossie Jimmerson SpEd Aide Bowie
No Arrests, No Accidents in Winnsboro April 4-10
Winnsboro Police Department reports no arrests and no accidents during the seven days of April 4-10. They responded to 185 calls for service, issued 54 citations, and 51 warnings during the time.
Lady Cats Softball Rescheduled
Due to field conditions following rainfall Monday, the Lady Cats softball game originally set for Tuesday evening at 6, has been rescheduled. The Lady Cats, 7-3 in district play and 23-5 for the season will now play host to Mt. Pleasant at Lady Cat Park Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
Hail, Heavy Rain as Severe Thunderstorm Moved Through Hopkins County Monday During 5 o’clock Hour
Monday’s five o’clock hour was somewhat intense in Hopkins County as a severe thunderstorm passed through Cumby at 4:40 p.m., Sulphur Springs at 5:10 p.m. and Como at 5:45 p.m.
The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning that turned into a tornado warning for Hopkins, northern Rains, and Southeastern Hunt counties. At 4:40 a severe thunderstorm was located near Campbell moving east at 40 mph. The storm contained wind gusts up to 60 mph and hail from pea size to softball size. The severed weather warning expired at 5:45 p.m.
Photo of hail by Amanda Story in Rockdale Road area
KSST followed the storm from Hunt County through Hopkins County into Franklin County giving warnings to those along county roads and communities affected by the hail. Reports come in to KSST from individuals throughout the affected area. A resident on County Road 2301 reported marble sized hail as did residents north of FM 1567 and in the Black Oak Community. Nickel sized hail from I-30 to the Sulphur Springs Livestock sale and on County Road 1174, Country Road 2174, was reported. Half dollar sized hail on County Road 1174 and softball sized hail on FM 269 and FM 852 with heavy rain were the most severe hail reports received. Pea sized hail fell at KSST studios on Shannon Road, Azalea Lane, Woodbridge areas, County Road 1100 off State Highway 19 four miles south of Pilot Truck Stop, and in the Star Ridge Community. Rain and sunshine followed the heavier storm in the Coleman Park area. A variety of sizes for hail was experienced in the Greenpond area.
No wind damage reports were made to KSST.
The storm was a second band of rain that had passed through the area after brief rains were experienced Monday morning. A third band of storms remained to the west with storm warnings given to those in Collin and Hunt Counties until 6:30 p.m. Those storms were moving east along State Highway 380 toward Greenville and also Hopkins County. KSST will continue to monitor this storm front. The county and surrounding area is under a severe thunderstorm watch until 9 p.m.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Hopkins County until 5:45 p.m.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT WORTH HAS ISSUED A
* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR…
HOPKINS COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS…
SOUTHEASTERN HUNT COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS…
NORTHERN RAINS COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS…
* UNTIL 545 PM CDT
* AT 440 PM CDT…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR CAMPBELL…OR
8 MILES EAST OF GREENVILLE…MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.
HAZARD…60 MPH WIND GUSTS AND HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL.
SOURCE…RADAR INDICATED.
IMPACT…HAIL DAMAGE TO VEHICLES IS EXPECTED. EXPECT WIND DAMAGE
TO ROOFS…SIDING…AND TREES.
* THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR…
CUMBY AROUND 450 PM CDT.
SULPHUR SPRINGS AROUND 510 PM CDT.
COMO AROUND 525 PM CDT.
Deadline to Claim Certain Social Security Benefits is April 29th
After April 30th, requests to file and suspend will be subject to a new set of rules. April 29, 2016, is the deadline to claim certain Social Security benefits under existing rules. Anyone who is 62-years of age or older by the end of 2015, including those who celebrate their 62nd birthday on January 1, 2016, can file a restricted claim for spousal benefits when they turn 66. They do not have to do anything before then. In order to claim only spousal benefits, worth half of the other spouse’s full retirement age benefit amount, the first spouse must actually be collecting Social Security benefits or must have been old enough—at least 66—to have filed and suspended their benefits by the April 29 deadline.
Filing and suspending under current rules by the April 29 deadline allows a worker to trigger benefits for a spouse or dependent child while their own benefit continues to grow by 8% per year up to age 70. A person has the right to request a lump sum payout of suspended benefits any time up to age 70 instead of collecting the delayed retirement bonus.
Under the new rules that take affect April 30th, no one will be able to collect benefits on a worker’s earnings record during a suspension. The rules also specifically eliminate the lump sum payout option which can be particularly valuable for single people who have no spouse to collect a survivor benefit after their death.
Divorced spouses are not affected by the new file-and-suspend restriction. Even if an ex-spouse files and suspends his benefit, it will not affect the ability of a former spouse to collect benefits on his earnings record. However, both spouses and ex-spouses who turn 62 after January 1, 2016 will lose the right to claim spousal benefits only on their mate or ex-mates’ earnings record. Whenever these claim Social Security, they will be paid the highest benefits to which they are entitled, whether their earnings or as a spouse. They will never be able to claim only spousal benefits at full retirement age to allow their own benefits to group until age 70.
The new law will not affect survivor benefits which are unchanged under the new law. Anyone entitled to both their own retirement benefits and the benefits as a surviving spouse will still be able to claim one type of benefit first and switch to the other later.
One source for more information on how to increase your social security benefits before the new rules go into effect is Craig Johnson, Edward D. Jones, Oak Avenue, Sulphur Springs.
Severe Thunderstorm Watch Until 9 p.m. Monday
WATCH COUNTY NOTIFICATION FOR WATCH 85 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
139 PM CDT MON APR 11 2016.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 85 IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS
IN TEXAS THIS WATCH INCLUDES 30 COUNTIES
IN CENTRAL TEXAS
ANDERSON FREESTONE HENDERSON
HILL
IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
COLLIN COOKE DALLAS
DELTA DENTON ELLIS
FANNIN GRAYSON HOOD
HOPKINS HUNT JACK
JOHNSON KAUFMAN LAMAR
MONTAGUE NAVARRO PALO PINTO
PARKER RAINS ROCKWALL
SOMERVELL TARRANT VAN ZANDT
WISE YOUNG
