SUPERINTENDENT'S SOAPBOX

Welcome to Academy ISD's website and this opportunity for the stakeholders of this District to share their thoughts and ideas with me. As many of you know my door is always open, but there are times when it is impossible to drop by or make an appointment. So, please feel free to use this forum to express to me your concerns as well as your kudos. I look forward to any opportunity that will allow us to become partners in the education of our young people.








Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Vote Today!

I would just encourage everyone to exercise their civic right today and VOTE! This democracy we live in was founded upon a set of beliefs and virtues, and the willingness to stand up and state those publicly. Today we continue to have a voice in the formation and continual reformation of our country through our election process. Have a great day and don't forget to VOTE!

Friday, October 15, 2010

The First Six Weeks

The first six weeks is in the books! Academy ISD students were very successful this first grading period. It is apparent that they have retained much of the knowledge gained last year and are willing to meet the rigorous challenges of the 2010-2011 academic school year. Our teachers have been very pleased with the attitudes and work ethic of our students. Our coaches and athletes are working extremely hard to represent our schools and District on every field or court of competition. Other extracurricular groups are preparing for another banner year at Academy ISD.

Halloween is around the corner, so please remember to drive safely and look out for all the ghosts and goblins trick-or-treating this year!

Also Early Voting begins on Monday Oct. 18th!! Remember to vote!!!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

October "Stinger" Article

The following is the "Superintendent's Soapbox" article from the "Stinger":

Superintendent’s Soapbox

Welcome back to Academy ISD for another great year in “Bumblebee Country”! As always, we have extremely high expectations for this school year. I know that our staff, students and parents will work diligently to ensure that this year will be one to remember. From the kindergarten student, anxious about the newness of their world to the senior ready to complete their journey, only to begin another chapter in life, all of our students are excited about 2010-2011. Or staff is elated to have the opportunity to witness the intellectual and social growth of our kiddos. Parents can rest assured that their babies are being taken care of and that their involvement and input is welcome and a vital part of our success.
The combined efforts of students, staff and parents have brought about incredible results over the last several years. Most recently, the Texas Education Agency rated our District as “Recognized” for the 2009-2010 school year. Both the elementary and middle school were rated ‘Recognized” and the high school was rated “Exemplary”. The faculty and staff at these campuses are to be commended for the professionalism and willingness to go the extra mile to ensure student success. To put it into perspective, there are 1700 high schools in the State and only 200 were rated “Exemplary”. What an accomplishment! Here at Academy ISD we will continue to strive to provide all of our students the tools they need to be successful and competitive in an ever-changing world.
One of the variables that impact student performance and campus climate is the condition of the school facilities. The design, capabilities, and relevance of the school infrastructure are crucial components of the plans to meet the programmatic needs of the District. As most of you are aware the District recently had a $14.995 million bond fail in May. After the failure of this bond a 30 member community group was formed as a “bond steering committee” to work with the District to determine the needs of the school community and to help guide any future bond projects. The group met, toured the District facilities and prioritized the needs of AISD. As a result of this group, several meetings and an eventual recommendation to the board of trustees, the school board called an election in November for a bond in the amount of $13.425 million. This latest bond dedicates approximately $9.4 million to construction and improvements to the elementary school campus. High school improvements are approximately $3.525 million and the remaining $500,000 would be considered for district-wide improvements. I would like to personally thank the “bond steering committee” for their hard work and dedication to the school children of Academy ISD. Remember to register to vote. Remember to VOTE!!!
As we begin 2010-2011, understand that we can all play a part in making this a great school year. There is much work to be done and much fun to be had. I wish every student and every staff member, the very best and I hope that we are creating memories today that will last a lifetime. Go BEES!!!

Friday, September 10, 2010

Thoughts and Prayers

All of us have trying times in our lives. We struggle raising our kids, we struggle at school and we may struggle financially. All of us face difficulty at some point in our lives. Today as we reflect about our struggles and count our many blessings, let us also direct our thoughts and prayers to others who have been tragically affected in the past few days.

First, in our community we suffered the loss of a husband, father and friend as well as a Bumblebee supporter, in Daniel Gray. I just returned this afternoon from the funeral and would ask all of us to keep his wife and three boys in our prayers.

Second, our neighbors to the west of us in several communities have suffered tremendous losses from flooding. I spent the entire day yesterday helping my sister in Salado with her and her family's recovery effort. Many families in Salado and other communities lost everything they owned. Lets not forget them as we lay our heads down at night.

"BEE PRIDE" means BEE Community!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Car Line Traffic!

Parents, please be patient with the car line traffic. As most of you are aware, the congestion will decrease in a few weeks. It seems as the days go by parents find the optimum time to drop off and pick up their students. This eleviates much of the traffic and alot of the stress. Remember to drive friendly!

Also--- please help us keep our students safe by minding the school zone speed limits and refraining from cell phone use in the school zones.

Great Start To A New Year!!

We had a great start to a new school year here at Academy ISD. We look forward to what this year may bring. I am certain that our students will enjoy a high degree of success both in the classroom and on the fields of competition. Parents, thank you for allowing us to educate your children. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful students here at AISD.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Corrected Press Release- November Bond Election

Early voting is in October, not November as indicated in previous post. The following is the corrected press release:

NEWS RELEASE
ACADEMY ISD
CONTACT: KEVIN SPRINKLES, SUPERINTENDENT
254.982.4304
ksprinkles@academy.k12.tx.us



ACADEMY ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES CALLS NOVEMBER BOND ELECTION

On Nov. 2, voters in Academy school district will decide on a $13.425 million bond for additions and renovations to the elementary school and high school, as well as other district-wide facility improvements.

The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to call for the bond at their Aug. 18 meeting.

The proposed plan calls for construction of a new intermediate classroom wing at the elementary school campus to house grades 3 – 5. The campus would also receive new core facilities, including a cafetorium, library, administrative offices, nurse’s office, play gym, and computer lab. Parent drop-off and pick-up issues would be addressed as well.

The current 1979 building, which would house pre-kindergarten through second grades, would receive some light renovation. Upon completion, the updated campus could house up to 800 students.

The high school campus, which was built in 1988, is also included in the proposed bond. Bond monies would be used to build 2 new science labs, a new life skills room, 2 Agriculture Science classrooms, a new band hall, renovate the library and ag shop, renovate the existing band hall to create additional classrooms, and install new gym seating.

“District-wide improvements,” including new roofs, HVAC replacement, air conditioning for the Field House, as well as other improvements make up the last part of the bond.

The proposal was recommended to the Board by the Bond Steering Committee, a group of 27 citizens who toured facilities, studied enrollment, and learned about state mandated curriculum requirements.

Dana White, committee co-chair, said, “We have more needs than we can afford to address at this time, so we had to prioritize. The proposal we made to the Board addresses our most critical needs and gives the District room to grow by more than 300 students.”

If tax payers approve the bond, the total tax rate for 2011-2012 will be $1.533 per $100 of valuation, an increase of $0.3590.

Per Bell County Appraisal District, the average homestead in Academy ISD is valued at $129,513. With the passage of the bond, taxes on a homestead of this value would go up $34.26 a month.

According to state law, senior citizens’ homestead taxes are not affected by the passage or failure of this bond.

Superintendent Kevin Sprinkles said it will take about two years to sell the bonds, get design input from teachers, take bids, and build the school.

Early voting begins Oct. 18 and runs through Oct. 29. Election Day is Nov. 2.


###

AISD Board Calls Bond Election For November

NEWS RELEASE
ACADEMY ISD
CONTACT: KEVIN SPRINKLES, SUPERINTENDENT
254.982.4304
ksprinkles@academy.k12.tx.us



ACADEMY ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES CALLS NOVEMBER BOND ELECTION

On Nov. 2, voters in Academy school district will decide on a $13.425 million bond for additions and renovations to the elementary school and high school, as well as other district-wide facility improvements.

The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to call for the bond at their Aug. 18 meeting.

The proposed plan calls for construction of a new intermediate classroom wing at the elementary school campus to house grades 3 – 5. The campus would also receive new core facilities, including a cafetorium, library, administrative offices, nurse’s office, play gym, and computer lab. Parent drop-off and pick-up issues would be addressed as well.

The current 1979 building, which would house pre-kindergarten through second grades, would receive some light renovation. Upon completion, the updated campus could house up to 800 students.

The high school campus, which was built in 1988, is also included in the proposed bond. Bond monies would be used to build 2 new science labs, a new life skills room, 2 Agriculture Science classrooms, a new band hall, renovate the library and ag shop, renovate the existing band hall to create additional classrooms, and install new gym seating.

“District-wide improvements,” including new roofs, HVAC replacement, air conditioning for the Field House, as well as other improvements make up the last part of the bond.

The proposal was recommended to the Board by the Bond Steering Committee, a group of 27 citizens who toured facilities, studied enrollment, and learned about state mandated curriculum requirements.

Dana White, committee co-chair, said, “We have more needs than we can afford to address at this time, so we had to prioritize. The proposal we made to the Board addresses our most critical needs and gives the District room to grow by more than 300 students.”

If tax payers approve the bond, the total tax rate for 2011-2012 will be $1.533 per $100 of valuation, an increase of $0.3590.

Per Bell County Appraisal District, the average homestead in Academy ISD is valued at $129,513. With the passage of the bond, taxes on a homestead of this value would go up $34.26 a month.

According to state law, senior citizens’ homestead taxes are not affected by the passage or failure of this bond.

Superintendent Kevin Sprinkles said it will take about two years to sell the bonds, get design input from teachers, take bids, and build the school.

Early voting begins Nov. 18 and runs through Nov. 29. Election Day is Nov. 2.


###

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Bond Steering Committee Update

The bond steering committee has completed a month's worth of meetings and has formulated a recommendation for the school board regarding proposed renovations and new construction for Academy elementary and high school. This committee work extremely hard to identify needs and formulate solutions to meet these needs. There will be a link on our website to a press release from this group. Thank you to all participants in this process and to all of the constituents who gave their opinions in regards to this matter.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Bond Steering Committee Members

The bond steering committee will have their first meeting tonight. The following is a list of the members of this committee:

Kevin Sprinkles
Joe Craig
Gordon Trainer
Michelle Eaton
Jason Lambert
Teena Smith
Brent Boatwright
Doyle Taylor
Connie Koenig
Krista Jones
Gina Abercrombie
Hal Moore
Cindy Sultenfuss
Tony Jeter
Donald Curlee
Rory Morgan
Jodi Brazeal
Becky Riser
Walt Tomlin
Richard "Smitty" Smith
Ken Baker
Calvin Eshbaugh
Dana White
Leo Bringman
Patrick Tomasek
Brenna Clark

I would just like to say thanks to all who have agreed to be a part of this committee. If you have any comments or concerns please contact one of these members.