Huge Crowd Attends Board Meeting

There was a huge crowd at Monday night’s meeting of the Jeff Davis County Board of Education.
Parents, grandparents and other family of 18 Jeff Davis Primary School students gathered to watch as Primary School Principal Dr. Shelly McBride and School Superintendent Dr. Chris Roppe presented certificates of achievement to the young students who have excelled in the classroom this school year.
Recognized for having the highest growth on the MGD (Multi Grade Diagnostic) Assessment from August to January were Christian Aguirre, Emerson Smith, Zy’Mir King, Zoey Bush, Riley Reagin, Khali Washington and Zamir West.
And recognized for having the highest growth on the DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) Assessment from August to January were Kase Medders, Finley Miller, Isabella Gilbert, Natonga Reddish, Cabe White, Yeison Arreguin, Ivy Cooper, Carter Cabaniss, Bryson Hood, Lilly Reynolds and Kinsley Waters.
Dr. Deidra Higgins gave updates on Curriculum and Professional Learning for the school system. Each school’s School Improvement Specialist gave a brief overview of what developmental tools are utilized in each grade level.
Dr. Roppe pointed out to the board that in the January meeting, the board failed to give final approval to the 2023-2024 school calendar. The board voted unanimously to approve the calendar.
Board members showed some reluctance to approve an out-of-state school trip — that actually was an out-of-country trip to Barcelona, Spain. Susan Thompson, a French teacher at Jeff Davis High School, had organized the trip to take 15 students on the trip, which is planned for June, 2024. High School Principal Dr. Greer Smith eased the board’s concerns about the safety of students and teachers by pointing out that the organization sponsoring the out-of-country trip had been doing so for many years and assured them that if, at the time of the trip, there was any sign of unrest in the area, the trip would be cancelled.
Following the monthly financial report from Finance Director Betty Corbitt, Dr. Roppe presented certificates of completion of the Legal Issues and Ethics for Boards to all board members.
Following a closed session, the board reopened the meeting to accept the resignation of primary school custodian Amy Pitts, and accept the retirements of elementary school teacher Cherie Harper, primary school teachers Bonnie Edwards, Paul Glass and Dennis Kirby, high school teacher Richard Ryles, and middle school teacher Sheila Edwards.
The board approved re-hiring certified administrative personnel for 2024 and hired primary school custodian Rodney Workman.