Laptop purchases
SAN BENITO — The Career and Technology Program will have new laptops.
Last week, school board members approved the purchase of 78 desktop computers and 76 laptop computers for various classes in the CTE program.
The technology is expected to cost about $785 each.
The new hardware will be fully equipped with the up-to-date programs that coincide with the classes.
Those classes include business administration, automotive collision, law enforcement and anatomy and physiology.
Last month, the board approved the purchase of several pricey projects — an ambulance simulator and two greenhouses.
The two greenhouse projects, which have already been budgeted for, will cost the district approximately $62,000.
The ambulance simulator and its included features will cost the district about $67,000 of already budgeted money.
School calendar
SAN BENITO — The district voted last week to finalize the new school calendar.
Several changes have been made, including start times.
The number one concern teachers and staff made clear when revising the school calendar was the early morning start times. Taking those concerns into consideration, the new calendar implements new start times for all schools.
The elementary school will start at 7:45 a.m. and end at 3:15 p.m., the middle schools will start at 8:10 a.m. and end at 3:55 p.m. and the high schools will start at 8:20 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m.
Currently, the elementary and middle schools start at 7:30 a.m. and the high schools start at 8:10 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. for the ninth grade campus.
School personnel over the last couple of weeks were asked to vote on the school calendar for the 2017-2018 school year.
More than 70 percent of district personnel voted, 1,252 votes to be exact. Calendar option B received the most votes with 599, calendar option A received 454 votes and calendar option C received 199 votes.
Education for all
SAN BENITO — The school district also has officially voted in support of undocumented students.
During last week’s school board meeting, the board voted yes in support of a resolution that promotes education for all students regardless of their immigration status.
The resolution includes language stating that:
The district is committed to fostering a culture of trust and respect for all students and their families.
The resolution, which Superintendent Dr. Adrian Vega modeled after the district’s values and goals, maintains that all students will be supported to pursue their passion upon graduation.
“We want our community to feel that SBCISD schools and classrooms are safe, welcoming and inclusive places for all students and all families, regardless of their immigration status,” the resolution states.
Multiple other Texas school districts, including Houston, Austin and San Antonio, have approved similar resolutions.
