LISD approves new faculty positions

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By Wesley Gardner
LPR Editor

The Lockhart school district board of trustees at a specially called meeting on Monday approved the creation of 18 new staffing positions for the 2020-21 school year.
According to Deputy Superintendent Kimberly Brents, the new positions are being brought on to meet the needs of the district’s fast-growing student population, as well as to meet budget allocation requirements stipulated by House Bill 3, a sweeping school finance bill passed in 2019 that provides more money for Texas classrooms.
Among the new positions include nine instructional aides at George W. Carver Early Education Center and five interventionist teachers to support the district’s elementary campuses.
Trustees also approved two assistant principal positions, with one assisting at Lockhart Junior High School and the second working at Lockhart High School.
Two additional positions approved include an aide to support the growth of the Cub House Child Development Center and a HVAC technician for the maintenance department, though Brents said neither position would be filled until next year once the district has a chance to determine the actual need.
In other business, trustees approved a resolution that will allow the district to continue paying staff members who are instructed not to report to work, though the resolution includes a measure that stipulates on food service workers will continue to be paid time-and-a-half.
“Now that the Governor [Greg Abbott] has lifted the stay at home order, LISD employees can work from home or their place of work,” the resolution reads. “Food service employees of the LISD are not able to maintain a 6-foot distance from each other while performing their job duties and are not able to work from home due to the nature of their job.”
District officials said due to these limitations, food service workers will continue to be paid at the premium rate of one and half times their regular rate.
Trustees also approved amending the general budget by just over $551,000 for the purchase of capital outlay items, which includes fixed assets such as furniture and communication items, as well as any items used to extend the life of those assets.
Among the purchases include about $63,000 for the purchase of instruments for the district’s new orchestra program that will kick off next year.
The purchases also include roughly $178,000 for outdoor and athletic improvements that will entail replacing the playground equipment at Clear Fork Elementary with a handicapped accessible playground, in addition to tennis court resurfacing and repainting the competition gym floor.
Additional purchases approved include classroom furniture for portable buildings at Strawn Elementary, Clear Fork Elementary, Lockhart Junior High School and Lockhart High School, as well as furniture and art for the new art teacher that will start next year.

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