Dr. Lana Collavo was named Lone Finalist in a unanimous vote.
On Tuesday, May 9, at a Special Board Meeting of the Natalia ISD Board of Trustees, Dr. Lana Collavo was named the Lone Finalist for Superintendent for the Natalia ISD (7-0 vote). Dr. Collavo earned her undergraduate degree from Texas A&M College Station, her master’s degree from Corpus Christi State University, and her doctorate from Texas A&M – Kingsville. “I truly believe that Dr. Collavo was God sent,” Natalia ISD Board Vice President Tiffany Rodriguez said. “We are truly blessed to have her joining us to lead our awesome staff and students, and we have full faith in her abilities.” She is an experienced educator, serving as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, program director, assistant superintendent for special education and special programs, and superintendent. She was superintendent for Jourdanton ISD for 11 years and has been an interim superintendent for Natalia ISD twice and for Kenedy ISD. She states, “I am excited to be back in Natalia ISD and look forward to working with the Board, the staff, the students, and the community. I plan to continue the school community’s efforts to continually provide effective and innovative programming for the students of Natalia ISD.” Dr. Collavo is married with three grown children and six grandchildren. By law, the Board must wait 21 days before they are able to offer her a contract. “I appreciate the feedback we received from our district administration which allowed this process to be very short and easy,” Natalia ISD Board President Eric Smith said. “Dr. Collavo is a team player, a calm and steady hand, and a true educational veteran who will lead by example and truly build a team where input and collaboration are allowed to help maximize our potential. I look forward to working as a team of 8 for our community, our staff, and most of all, our students. Dr. Collavo and her husband plan to move to the Natalia ISD community, where she will be involved in the great things happening in our district and community.
By Anton Riecher Uncertainty over final appraised property values might make it impossible for Devine ISD to meet its budgeted salary increases for teachers without additional funds from other sources, school district director of finance Shannon Ramirez told trustees Monday night. She cited property value protests, ADA losses and provisions in state tax law as contributing to the expected shortage. The expected losses in tax collection and state funding is projected at $2.5 million “To increase our salaries we need additional funds either by increasing ADA (appraisal district appraisals) or reducing staffing positions,” Ramirez said. Trustees proposed referring the matter back to the individual campuses to identify possible budget cuts. Trustee Renee Frieda said she would expect strong recommendations in view of the situation. “It would need to be zero based budgeting where you go in and say ‘I want you to revalidate every position you have and convince us’ or ‘I’ve identified these as improvements we have to have.’ If we are going to make this happen we need an X percent reduction and each campus needs to identify that reduction.’” The report comes in the wake of the district’s failure to win approval for a $32.3 million bond issue earlier this month. Ramirez reported that as of April 30, 2023 preliminary district property values show a 25 percent increase in certified value for Medina County. By contrast, neighboring Frio County showed only a nine percent increase from 2022 certified values. Chief among the issues leaving appraised values in flux are property value protests by landowners, she said. “We adopt our budget on preliminary values in June taking into account protests under review,” Ramirez said. “When we received certified values in August they were much lower than projected due to the number of protests approved.” Reductions due to appraisal protests resulted in a $500,000 shortage in tax collection estimates. Add to this another $500,000 short fall expected due to appraised value loses, Ramirez said. Trustees based their 2022-2023 budget on a projected ADA of 1830. However, as of May 5, six weeks ADA stood at only 1804.993. A further loss of $1.5 million in state funding is forecast due to the provisions of Texas tax law. For the last three years the state comptroller’s office has ruled Medina County property values invalid based on their own property value studies. The law provides that after three consecutive years of invalid values a school district must use the state’s values versus those arrived at by the county. “This creates a loss of over $1.5 million in state aid,” Ramirez said. As are many other Texas school districts, Devine ISD to appealing the state comptroller’s action. However, proceedings regarding the conflict are not expected to be resolved until August or later. Devine and Natalia school districts are among approximately 25 percent of Texas districts in which the state comptroller has assigned values after ruling the county appraisals invalid. Frieda said the two percent “step” increase adopted by the school district in keeping with Texas Education Agency proposals lags far behind the inflation rate of 8.3 percent reported in the United States in 2022. Board president Nancy Pepper said the salaries increases lag behind those offered in neighboring counties. “I just don’t like seeing us under surrounding districts,” she said.
DHS Art students completed this awesome mural on the side of the Devine VFW building. See story inside.
The mural is approximately 75 feet long and 16 feet tall. Last Wednesday May 10th, twenty two students worked for 8 hours to paint the mural on the side of the original Devine High School Auditorium, now home of the Devine VFW. “DHS students in the Art 2 class worked together to design the mural based on the patriotic theme with the purpose to honor veterans,” said DHS art teacher Nicole Hamby. “It is the largest mural in Devine!” “The mural isn’t quite finished. The plan is to add shading and silhouettes of Service Members on the right side of the mural,” Hamby said. The final design will be a waving USA flag with silhouettes of nopales cactus to represent Devine.
DHS art students worked together in all phases of the project, to design and paint the giant mural, Mrs. Hamby said.
Any businesses or organizations interested in commissioning DHS students to design and paint a mural next school year are invited to contact DHS Art teacher, Mrs. Nicole Hamby, via email at nicole.hamby@devineisd.org. DHS Student Artists on this mural are: Hector Bernal D’Angelo Cardenas Jiselle Corral Arabelle Davalos Miranda Delgado Diego Estrada Antonio Gamboa Jayden George Jesse House Miranda Jimenez Carlos Mendez Peralta Johanna Navarro Isabell Nuncio Anahi Ortigoza Deisy Ramirez Ashley Rivera Jordan Roberts Luciano Rodrigez Joseyandel Saavedra Valerie Salinas Neveah Teniente Serenity Whitaker
Both of the Devine ISD Bond Election Propositions failed this past Saturday, May 6, 2023, one by only 39 votes. Proposition A Proposition A was for $31 Million and included improvement projects at each campus. It failed by only 39 votes. Totals were 362 For and 401 Against. While 474 Early voted, 289 voted on election day. (Totals include Medina and Frio County polls). Proposition B Proposition B $1.2 Million was for four new tennis courts. It failed by 172 votes. Totals were 294 for and 466 against. Early voters 472 and 288 voted on election day. (Includes Medina and Frio County polls). “Although the bond did not pass, and while, yes, we are disappointed, we know there was much support during the process of making decisions and the process to call for a bond election. We recognize that the decision to vote for a bond is a difficult one and not made easily. Throughout this process, we have been humbled by the participation and support from the community”, said Todd Grandjean, Superintendent of Devine ISD Schools. “We certainly want to express our gratitude to our staff and community members who served on the Facilities Committee who spent many hours studying the many needs of our district and prioritized what we felt were the most important ones. As we move forward, we will continue to work to find critical funding and make improvements to our facilities, and to ensure students’ academic success.”
A letter by Superintendent Grandjean follows.
Thank you for your participation and support Dear Community Members, All of us at Devine ISD would like to express our sincere gratitude for your participation in the recent school bond election. We want to tell you that we truly appreciate your investment in our students and our school district. We believe that the community of Devine is deeply invested in our schools and students. Although the bond did not pass, and while, yes, we are disappointed, we know there was much support during the process of making decisions and the process to call for a bond election. We recognize that the decision to vote for a bond is a difficult one and not made easily. Throughout this process, we have been humbled by the participation and support from the community. We certainly want to express our gratitude to our staff and community members who served on the Facilities Committee who spent many hours studying the many needs of our district and prioritized what we felt were the most important ones. As we move forward, we will continue to work to find critical funding and make improvements to our facilities, and to ensure students’ academic success. We have a dedicated school board and school staff and know that with a supportive community, we will continue to work together to provide solutions and opportunities that will benefit our students and our community. Again, thank you for your support and participation in the bond election, and we look forward to working together with you for the future of our students in Devine ISD. Sincerely, Dr. Todd Grandjean Superintendent Devine ISD
DISD Board of Trustees unanimously voted to call for a $33.2 million bond election for Saturday, May 6, 2023. The decision was made at a called meeting, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023. “It was after much thought and discussion that we decided that this is the best route for the district. Facilities Committee members looked at and considered many things before they made their presentation to the board detailing what they thought were our most important areas, especially those concerning the increase of safety and security,” DISD Board President Mrs. Nancy Pepper said. Calling for a bond election comes after several months of Facilities Committee meetings to determine the district facility priorities. “We formed this committee in the fall. We reached out to both our staff and the community so that everyone could have input,” Superintendent Dr. Todd Grandjean said. Two propositions will be on the ballot. All projects are recommended with the priority given to improving the safety and security of DISD campuses and students. Proposition A recommends projects at all four campuses and the special education building. High school projects encompass measures to increase security, which include moving the DHS office downstairs and remodeling the current space into classrooms. Also on the list are a new band hall, and converting the existing band hall into a black-box theater. (A black-box theater is a simple space, typically a square room with black walls and a flat floor that will be used as a classroom for theater classes.) Recommended projects at the middle school are an expansion of the boys and girls locker rooms, expanding the library, and a repurposing/remodeling of the cafeteria. At the intermediate school, a secure vestibule (entrance) is recommended to increase safety and security. Ciavarra Elementary recommended improvements include closing in all outdoor corridors, a new building that will include office space with a secure vestibule, early childhood center, including PreK and special education classrooms, a gym and dining area, and improvements to the drop-off and pick-up areas. The new facility will bring the youngest children much closer to the central campus. A total of $2.5 million of the bond is allocated to renovating/expanding or building a new special education building. The current space at the facility is too small to accommodate the current number of staff members, meeting rooms, etc. “After results of the bond election, we will determine the most cost-effective way to proceed with the special ed building,” Dr. Grandjean said. Bond election regulations require recreation facilities to be separate propositions; therefore, Proposition B recommends the addition of four new tennis courts, doubling what is in existence currently.
Lady Pirate Track is STATE BOUND; Cook, Lopez, Gomez, & Sevier
Gomez qualified in both the 800m Run and in the 4x400m Relay along with teammates Lopez, Cook, and Sevier. The talented group of girls set a school record finishing with a time of 4:02.88 which was just enough to qualify as the “Wild Card” team going into their last, and biggest, race of their season.
Jerel Beaty Staff Writer The Lady Pirate track season continues to Austin, its final destination of the 2023 season as Klayre Cook, Marissa Lopez, Moriah Gomez, and Calyssa Sevier all advanced past the regional round this past weekend in Seguin. Gomez qualified in both the 800m Run and in the 4x400m Relay along with teammates Lopez, Cook, and Sevier. The foursome set a school record finishing with a time of 4:02.88 which was just enough to qualify as the “Wild Card” team going into their last, and biggest, race of their season. “Wow! Did we just do that?” was the initial response by head coach Gilbert Ruiz. “That is what went through my head as Moriah was crossing the finish line as the anchor leg in the 4x400m relay 10 minutes after placing 3rd in the 1600m.” It was a monumental moment in the history of Lytle track and field. “Not only did she become the first Lytle track athlete to get on that Regional Track medal stand three times, but she also helped the team set another school record of 4:02.88, bettering it by 5 seconds. This after placing 2nd in the 800m earlier in the day, breaking her own school record set last week at Area (2:20.28) with a time of 2:18.59 and becoming the first female to make it State since Natalie Cortez did it in 2014 in the 1600m and 3200m.” With nine lanes available at Mike A. Myers Stadium in the state’s capital, there will be two teams from each of the four regions along with Lytle who snatched up that sole spot as the next best team out of all Regional track events. “That 4:02.88 was only good for 3rd place (that time would have won last year), but we knew it would give us a chance for the State Wild Card Slot (Fastest 3rd place of all 4 3A Regions) and it did. This after we just ran a 4:07 the day before and I told them we needed at least a 4:04.” Having yet another goal set in front of them, the Lady Pirates did not blink an eye in going for the gusto for what could have been their last race. “They gave it their all for each other for four laps with Calyssa running a :58 split third leg to get us closer and now becoming the first 4x400m Relay to make it to State and the most we have ever had that will be participating at the State Track Meet.” It was a great day for both the Lady Pirates and the Pirates, according to Ruiz. “We had three Personal Records” Ruiz said in reference to Moriah’s and the 4x400m team and included Pirate Robert Wagner who did so in the 800m Run as well. “They set those records in very windy conditions on Saturday and all of those three efforts helped them get to the State Meet that will be held on May 11th for 3A.” Up next Moriah, followed by Robert will run the 800m at 5:20pm Thursday, May 11 at 5:20pm. Marissa, Klayre, Calyssa, and Moriah run the 4x400m Relay at 8:20pm. Results Sevier placed fourth in the 400m Dash with a time of 1:01.20. Lopez also finished fourth in the 800m with a time of 2:26.83, while Cook came in soon thereafter at 2:33.46. Gomez was so close to qualifying for State in the 1600m Run as she came in third with a time of 5:25.82. Samantha Mujica set a personal record in the 3200m with a time of 12:14.91 that placed seventh overall. Congratulations to all Lady Pirates, and best of luck to Klayre, Marissa, Moriah, and Calyssa in Austin!
Pirate Robert Wagner STATE BOUND in the 800m Run
Robert Wagner gets to run the 800m race one more time on the state’s biggest stage as he qualified for the State Meet to be held in Austin on Thursday, May 11. Wagner placed second in Seguin at Regional last week with a time of 1:58.78.
Jerel Beaty Staff Writer Robert Wagner gets to run the 800m race one more time on the state’s biggest stage as he qualified for the State Meet to be held in Austin on Thursday, May 11. Wagner placed second in Seguin at Regional last week with a time of 1:58.78 which was less than a second behind the 800m champion Isai Moran of Great Hearts Northern Oaks who crossed the finish line at 1:57.92. Wagner competes in Austin after Lady Pirate Moriah Gomez runs her 800m which begins at 5:20pm. Wagner was also trying to qualify in the 1600m but came in 12th with a time of 4:59.43. Abel Sanches was in the mix for a state-spot in the 800m as well as he came in fifth at 2:03.63. Brandon Obando was 9th at 2:05.68. Sanchez also ran the 3200m, coming in 7th at 10:03.47. Johnny Rey Alvarez placed 7th in the 1600m at 4:44.72 and was 8th in the 3200m at 10:16.30. Tristan Lopez was the last distance runner in competition for the Pirates. He placed 12th in the 3200m with a time of 10:36.75. The lone speedster in the group was Brandon Adkins as he ran the 200m Dash. He placed 12th in preliminaries at 24.72. The Pirates were well-represented in field events too as Conner Martin competed in Pole Vault and High Jump, Alex Medina in Discus, and both William Davalos and Mario Diaz in Shot Put. Martin vaulted and even 13’0 to place third, missing that state-qualifying spot by one. He high jumped 5’10 to place 9th. Medina was also in that third place finish spot as he threw the discus 146’2. Davalos placed 11th in Shot Put, throwing 42’6. Diaz was 15th in Shot Put with an effort of 37’9.75. Congratulations to all Pirate Regional Qualifiers and best of luck to Robert in Austin!
Devine ISD hired two teachers at this past week’s meeting, and also accepted some exciting grants. Renee Frieda moved and seconded by Chris Davis to approve hiring Kaelyn Campsey and Merritt Gensen as recommended by the Superintendent. Both will work on the Intermediate Campus. Renee Frieda also moved and was seconded by Keri James to authorize the superintendent to hire professional staff for the 2023-24 school year between April 18, 2023 and August 21, 2023 as presented. Carl Brown moved and seconded by Henry Moreno to Approve Devine Education Foundation Grants as presented. This includes two micro-grants–one is for $594.44 for art class to make Cultural Heritage Skateboards and the 2nd is for $1,042 to fund a field trip to HR Farms to study plants. There are also two innovative teaching grants totaling $8,754.88 which will be funded next school year. These grants have not been announced to the recipients yet, and will remain a surprise until the end of year ceremony.
Devine ISD bond elections divided into 2 propositions
DISD Board of Trustees unanimously voted to call for a $33.2 million bond election for Saturday, May 6, 2023. The decision was made at a called meeting, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023. “It was after much thought and discussion that we decided that this is the best route for the district. Facilities Committee members looked at and considered many things before they made their presentation to the board detailing what they thought were our most important areas, especially those concerning the increase of safety and security,” DISD Board President Mrs. Nancy Pepper said. Calling for a bond election comes after several months of Facilities Committee meetings to determine the district facility priorities. “We formed this committee in the fall. We reached out to both our staff and the community so that everyone could have input,” Superintendent Dr. Todd Grandjean said. Two propositions will be on the ballot. All projects are recommended with the priority given to improving the safety and security of DISD campuses and students. Proposition A recommends projects at all four campuses and the special education building. High school projects encompass measures to increase security, which include moving the DHS office downstairs and remodeling the current space into classrooms. Also on the list are a new band hall, and converting the existing band hall into a black-box theater. (A black-box theater is a simple space, typically a square room with black walls and a flat floor that will be used as a classroom for theater classes.) Recommended projects at the middle school are an expansion of the boys and girls locker rooms, expanding the library, and a repurposing/remodeling of the cafeteria. At the intermediate school, a secure vestibule (entrance) is recommended to increase safety and security. Ciavarra Elementary recommended improvements include closing in all outdoor corridors, a new building that will include office space with a secure vestibule, early childhood center, including PreK and special education classrooms, a gym and dining area, and improvements to the drop-off and pick-up areas. The new facility will bring the youngest children much closer to the central campus. A total of $2.5 million of the bond is allocated to renovating/expanding or building a new special education building. The current space at the facility is too small to accommodate the current number of staff members, meeting rooms, etc. “After results of the bond election, we will determine the most cost-effective way to proceed with the special ed building,” Dr. Grandjean said. Bond election regulations require recreation facilities to be separate propositions; therefore, Proposition B recommends the addition of four new tennis courts, doubling what is in existence currently. “We are planning to have discussions with all aspects of the community, citizens, clubs–everyone. We will do these in-person and also on a virtual platform,” Dr. Grandjean said. The current interest and sinking tax rate will not increase on the first $11.665 million of the bond. After that there will be a $0.1807 per $100 valuation tax rate increase to the interest and sinking rate. (Interest and sinking is the budget that pays for debt that has been incurred by prior bond sales. The maintenance and operating side includes all the day-to-day running of the district. Bonds can be sold for facilities, purchase of buses, technology.) That increase will bring the total DISD tax rate to $1.2753 per $100 valuation pending maintenance and operation tax rate compression at the end of the current legislative session. The following table assumes the Local Homestead Exemption of $40,000. Home Value Less Homestead Exemption Daily Increase Monthly Increase Yearly Increase $100,000 $60,000 $0.30 $9.04 $108.45 $150,000 $110,000 $0.54 $16.57 $198.82 $200,000 $160,000 $0.79 $24.10 $289.19 $250,000 $210,000 $1.04 $31.63 $379.56
Congratulations to the Devine High School girl’s golf team for making it to state! Pictured above left to right are Arabians Kaylee Romano, Brianna Schafer, Raynee Allen, Gabby Morales, and Kelsey Dishman. The exciting news came in right as we were going to press, so look for full story in next week’s Devine News. We are proud of you Arabians!Devine Tennis players Johnathon Gelinas and Kelsey Dishman are Regional Champs in Mixed Doubles. Now they are headed to STATE! Congrats and good luck!
Devine ISD Superintendent Dr. Todd Grandjeant will host the second meeting Thursday, April 20 at the DSAC auditorium beginning at 6:30 p.m. “I want our community to be informed about the propositions in the bond, and to be able to have any concerns addressed,” Dr. Grandjean said. He will have a short presentation, and then attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions. Dr. Grandjean will also conduct tours of all the campuses Monday, April 10. Those who would like to attend should meet in the DSAC parking lot at 6:30 p.m. A bus will be provided to take everyone to all the campuses. “After touring all campuses and having direct interaction with principals and teachers, it became apparent that our children need many things to happen as far as facilities are concerned in this district. I think we were very thoughtful in our process and were very cognizant of the costs of each project,” Misty Thompson, Facilities Committee, said. Early voting is April 24-28, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., April 29, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., and May 1-2, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Polling location for Medina County residents is the Precinct 4 Annex Building, 317 TX-132 N. For Frio County residents, early voting will take place at the Bigfoot Alternative Center, 13777 FM 472 in Bigfoot. Election Day is Saturday, May 6, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Polling locations are the same as in early voting.
