Corey Academy Cub Chorus opens board meeting
Welcome to the first Board Brief of 2024. The Arlington ISD Board of Trustees had its first board meeting of the year last night, and here are some of the highlights.
Corey Academy’s Cub Chorus kicked off the new year – and the meeting – right. The Chorus is one of only three elementary choirs in all of Texas to be invited to perform at the 2024 Texas Music Educators Association Convention in San Antonio. Under the direction of Felipe Rosales, the Cub Choir opened our meeting singing “Sisi Ni Moja,” one of the songs they will perform at the convention. And they were wonderful!
Then the board honored a couple of high school students, starting with the student of the month, Lamar High School senior Emiliano Gutierrez Berlanga. The student council president is involved in a long list of organizations and activities, excels in the classroom, and is always willing to lend a helping hand to support staff and peers.
Then the trustees congratulated Juscianni Blackeller, a sophomore from Martin High School, for winning the MLK Art contest, part of Arlington’s Martin Luther King Jr. annual celebration. You can visit ArlingtonMLK.com to see his art along with the other winners from Arlington ISD in the art and essay contests.
Speaking of the MLK celebration, the board presented the Community Powered By Possibilities Award of Appreciation to the Arlington MLK Celebration Committee, Inc. Since 1990, this non-profit organization with membership from across the city – including Arlington ISD – has turned MLK weekend into an annual celebration. Their events always include students, and they award multiple scholarships to students each year. The district appreciates its outstanding partnership with the committee.
January is School Board Appreciation Month, so Peach Elementary art students – under the guidance of teacher Sara Thompson – made the trustees feel special. They presented each trustee with artwork tied to this year’s theme, “Locally Elected, Community Connected.” They did a wonderful job with the art. Thank you to all of them.
After all the fun, it was time to do some work. First off, the trustees approved the order of election for the next board of trustees election. The three-year terms for three seats on the school board will end in May. Early voting starts on April 22.
Among financial items, the board approved the monthly financial report on operations and the district’s investment activity report through December.
Finally, the board received a progress update from Interim Chief Academic Officer Dr. Christi Buell on implementation of the district’s strategic plan for 2022-2027. The five-year plan – Powered by Possibilities – is about providing outstanding equitable programming for all students and meeting the needs of students and staff within the context of unfinished learning.
Those are just a few of the highlights from tonight. If you would like more details on any of these, or any of the items not covered here, please click this link to watch the entire meeting.