May 28, 2008 - Austin School Trustees Sworn In; New Officers Elected  
 
The Oath of Office has been administered to one newly-elected and three re-elected Austin School Trustees, as a result of the Saturday, May 10, election. Being sworn-in for her first term was District 3 Trustee Christine Brister, who replaces retiring Trustee Johna Edwards. Returning to the Board for another term are Trustees Sam Guzman, District 2; Mark Williams, District 5; and Annette LoVoi, At-Large Position 8.

Following administration of the Oath of Office, Trustees elected Board Officers —Mr. Williams was re-elected President; Trustee Vincent M. Torres, District 4, will again serve as Vice President, and Trustee Lori Moya, representing District 6, was elected the Board’s new Secretary.  
 
Trustees also paid tribute to Ms. Edwards at her final meeting as a member of the Board. She has served as the District 3 Trustee, representing North Central Austin, for eight years. Superintendent Forgione said of Ms. Edwards, “Johna was always there for special events, celebrations, or important meetings, cheering on students and staff, or listening to parental concerns. She truly cares about every Austin student, parent, and Austin school employee.”  
 
Middle Level Education Plan  
 
Dr. Paul Cruz, Assistant Superintendent for Middle Schools, presented to Trustees the Middle Level Education Plan Belief Statements, Mission Statement, Strategies, Objectives and Results Statements that have been developed by the Middle Level Education Plan Task Force.  
 
The Office of Middle Schools presented to Trustees the District’s Middle Level Report about student performance on November 26, 2007, and the Board requested a Middle Level Education Plan for 2008-2009. Subsequently, the Middle Level Education Plan Task Force developed Belief Statements, a Mission Statement, Objectives, and Strategies for change to improve middle schools. Action Teams met from February through May to develop the specific action plans.  
 
Detailed information about the Middle Level Education Plan is available on the AISD website at  
http://www.boardbook.org/apps/bbv2/public/detail_wrapper.cfm?MeetingKey=MjAwMTU4NDY%3D  
 
Administrative Appointments  
 
Trustees approved the following administrative appointments:  

• Susan Galvan as principal of Martin Middle School. Ms. Galvan has been a secondary school administrator in Brownsville and Los Fresnos ISDs. She earned a bachelor’s degree from California State University, and Master’s degree from the University of Texas.
• Amy Taylor as principal of Small Middle School. Ms. Taylor has served Round Rock ISD as a teacher and middle and high school administrator since 2000. Currently, she is associate principal of Stony Point High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Southwest in Hobbs, New Mexico, and a master’s degree from Southwest Texas State University.
• Dr. Winnie Ruth Harvin as principal of Winn Elementary School. Dr. Harvin is currently an elementary principal for Waco ISD, and has been an assistant principal with Killeen ISD. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, and master’s degree from Howard University, and a doctoral degree from the University of Sarasota.
• Dr. Maria Montoya-Hohenstein as Executive Principal for South Elementary Schools. She has served AISD as principal of Pecan Springs Elementary since 2005, and as a Language Arts Administrative Supervisor. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Trinity University, a master’s degree from the University of Nebraska, and a doctoral degree from the University of South Dakota.
• Edmund Oropez as Executive Principal for High Schools. He has been principal at Lanier High School since 2004. He has also held administrative positions in Weslaco ISD. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and a master’s degree from the University of Texas Pan American.

 
 
Apple at Work Bond Program  
 
As projects of the 2004 Apple at Work Bond Program, Trustees approved contracts with:  
 

• C.L. Carson for $1.692 million for renovations at Burnet Middle School. Projects include construction of additional parking, installation of an elevator, renovations of athletic dressing rooms, restrooms, and showers. Work will be completed by August 2008.
• C.L. Carson for $318,350 for renovations at Pillow Elementary School. Projects include installation of a playslab cover, partition and carpet replacements, and installation of a security card access system. Work will be substantially complete by September 2008.
• S&G Contracting for $1.289 million for renovations at Andrews and Harris elementary schools. Projects at Andrews include installation of heating and cooling rooftop units for the library and cafeteria, replacement of floor covering in the library, and additional of exterior security lighting. Projects at Harris include window replacement, a cafeteria addition, and additional of exterior security lighting. Work will be substantially complete by January 2009.
• S&G Contracting for $223,000 for roofing and restroom renovations at Pease Elementary School. Work will be substantially complete in August 2008.
• S&G Contracting for $827,000 for renovations at Bailey and Covington middle schools. Projects at Bailey include installation of exterior security lighting, drainage improvements, and replacement of the gym sound system. At Covington, work includes acoustical improvements in the band room, floor-covering replacements, restroom renovations, and repairs to the heating and cooling systems. Work will be substantially complete in August 2008.
• Barecky Construction for $1.13 million for renovations at Reagan High School and the Clifton Career Center. Projects at Reagan include restroom renovations, remodeling of the counseling area, window replacement, and installation of emergency lighting. At Clifton, work includes installation of electrically-operated doors, partition replacement, and installation of digital heating and cooling controls. Work will be substantially complete by October 2008.
• Home Construction Services for $1 million for renovations at Lamar Middle School. Projects include parking lot repairs, window and door replacements, restroom renovations, electrical upgrades, boiler replacement, and roof repairs.

 
 
Recognitions  
 
Trustees recognized and congratulated Austin High School English teacher Eric Cruz as the 2008 Austin Teacher of the Year, as well as finalists for the honor, Pickle Elementary teacher Catherine López, and Ann Richards School teacher Shamaa Lakshmanan, Elementary and Middle School Teachers of the Year, respectively.  
 
President Williams also announced that Superintendent Forgione has been named recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the National Parent-Teacher Association.  
 
The next Regular Meeting of the AISD Board of Trustees is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday, June 9, 2008, in the Auditorium of the Carruth Administration Center, located at 1111 West Sixth Street. All Board meetings are carried live on Time Warner and Grande Communications Cable Channel 22 and the AISD website at http://www.austinisd.org