Natalia ISD Board approves 187K to update various programs

The Natalia ISD Board of Trustees approved 185K of expenditures Monday night during their regular scheduled March Board of Trustees Meeting this past Monday, March 16th.
Within the approvals included $99,000 in a huge push to revitalize their district libraries and advance literacy and numeracy, which support the district’s Student Outcome Goals.
“This funding will ensure that our libraries provide the students of Natalia ISD with current titles and higher level reading selections,” said Lori Robinson, Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction.” The libraries will also be able to increase the amount of maker-spaces and STEM resources available to our students.”
Approvals also included $3,000 for TI Navigator Calculators and $10,000 for graphing calculators, which will allow students to learn mathematics in a more dynamic, research-based manner.
“These devices are more than ‘just a graphing calculator,'” Robinson said. “They have the ability to create collaborative student learning within each device, produce vivid graphics, and ensure our students are competitive with students in other districts.”
An additional $75,000 was approved to update the Welding Program to further focus on CTE programs within the district.
“Our district has been dedicated to providing the best resources to help increase literacy within our district and community,” Natalia ISD Board President Eric Smith. Anytime you are fiscally responsible as a district and as a board, it is an honor when you can afford to make such large purchases within a school year such as these we did last night. All of these items purchased will be huge blessings to children all across our district, especially when it comes to our library and AG Facility.”
Budget Amendments were approved to help cover the purchases above.
Other Action: The Natalia ISD Board Of Trustees also passed an emergency resolution which allowed the district to assure that during these trying times, that all employees including hourly employees would continue to receive a paycheck. The resolution was three pages in length and given to the board by their law firm.
An annual Investment Policy was provided to the district which is required by law which showed Natalia ISD current investments in both Security State Bank as well as Tex-Pool.
An Elementary Special Education new Aide position was approved by the board of trustees as well due to the fact they have increased in student enrollment in this area.
The final big approval was approving a recommendation from Athletic Director Ilyan Martinez to bring Jr. High Baseball and Softball into the mix for 2020-2021 school year. Martinez spoke to the board explaining that every district in their competitive district was doing the same and explained numerous benefits he saw from doing so.
“We are really excited to get our Jr. High programs started,” Natalia Athletic Director Ilyan Martinez said in reference to the approval. “This will give us the opportunity to work with our kids a lot sooner. We will be able to lay a strong foundation for our baseball and softball programs like we have with other sports. It is an exciting time for our program and we are looking forward to getting this project started. We appreciate our board and administration for supporting this project.”
All items above were approved with 7-0 votes by the entire Natalia ISD Board of Trustees.
The final three Reports included a report on the possibilities of looking into a “District of Innovation” as well as a report on the current status of construction within the district.
The final item discussed was the current state of the district in relation to COVID-19. Natalia ISD would like to encourage the community to follow social media and webpage postings for numerous updates throughout the coming days in relation to new developments.
At the conclusion of the meeting, President Smith asked that Dr. Freeman Hensley Cone and his wife Debbie come to the front of the Jr. High Cafeteria. Smith praised Cone and his wife for their dedication to the district and thanked them for all they had done for the community. Smith wished the two of them along with their children the best of luck in LaVernia ISD.
Mrs. Cone and her children will conclude their time in Natalia throughout the remainder of the year as Dr. Cone is set to begin his first day in LaVernia this coming Friday.
Natalia ISD has handed the reins to Interim Superintendent Dr. Alex Flores who has been working daily with the board and administration with a game plan to help finish the school year in relation to the COVID-19 ever changing situation.
Courtesy Natalia ISD