June 24, 2024
Dear CISD Community,
I hope you are having a wonderful and relaxing summer. I am sharing this update on tonight’s Board Meeting as part of our ongoing commitment to transparency and engagement throughout our budget planning process. I also feel it is important to share crucial Board action that affects our community. As a reminder, the Board Briefs summary and presentations for each meeting are available at www.coppellisd.com/boardbriefs.
During tonight’s meeting, Dr. Greg Axelson was formally introduced as the new principal of CHS9. Dr. Axelson has shown a commitment to professional learning communities and relationships with teachers, families and students during his tenure at CMS North that I know will make him an incredible leader for CHS9. Having his extensive experience at both the middle school and high school level makes him a perfect fit for CHS9. I am excited to see what Dr. Axelson will do in his new role at CHS9.
Also at the meeting, the Trustees approved:
The 2024-2025 Employee Compensation Plan with a 3 % raise for CISD employees;
The 2024-2025 Student Code of Conduct, which includes the following updates:
Page 9 — the addition of “Nicotine products, including nicotine pouches” to the section Possession of Prohibited Items
Page 10 — the addition of “Sharing work with another student” & “The use of artificial intelligence to complete an assignment in part or whole unless approved by the teacher” was added under Miscellaneous Offenses in reference to Academic Dishonesty. Additional information about the use of AI within CISD will be included in the Student Handbook;
An updated Agreement with the Dallas County Sheriff's Department for the placement of sheriff's deputies at Coppell Middle School West, Canyon Ranch Elementary, Richard J. Lee Elementary and Valley Ranch Elementary for the 2024-2025 school year at a cost of $520,441.59;
The Memorandum of Understanding regarding the Dallas County Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (DCJJAEP); and
The Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Policy Update 123 affecting (LOCAL) policies.
The Board also took the following action regarding the 2023 Bond with funds coming from the bond budget:
Approved One Source Building Services for the repair and addition of irrigation systems at nine elementary schools affected by the construction of new playgrounds and the removal of existing playgrounds at a cost not to exceed $130,000;
Approved Terracon Consultants, Inc. as the construction materials observation, engineering, and testing services company for the construction of the Coppell High School fine arts building, the Coppell High School tennis center additions, and for the Valley Ranch Elementary additions at a cost not to exceed $250,000;
Approved the proposal from Nitor for the installation of Integrated Camera Surveillance and Card Access Solution at 5 Elementary Campuses — Valley Ranch, Mockingbird, Richard J. Lee, Wilson and Canyon Ranch — for a total cost not to exceed $2 Million; and
Approved the proposal from Red River for the purchase and installation of network switching equipment not to exceed $350,000.
During tonight’s workshop, Trustees also heard reports and updates on the following topics:
You can review tonight’s presentation at https://5il.co/2pqj8, the Board Briefs at www.coppellisd.com/page/board-meeting-briefs and the video from tonight’s Workshop at www.coppellisd.com/o/cisd/page/board-meeting-video. The video should be available in the morning.
Details on our budget and budget planning process are available at www.coppellisd.com/budget. We also have a Frequently Asked Questions page on the budget available at www.coppellisd.com/o/cisd/page/budget-challenges-faq. As a reminder, the community can share budget questions or feedback via email at input@coppellisd.com.
I would like to remind our community again, that all Board Workshops and Board Meetings held during June and July will be in the Large Group Instruction (LGI) room at Coppell Middle School West for anyone who would like to attend in person. The next Board Meeting is on Monday, July 22 at 6 p.m. The board room at the Vonita White Administration Building will be closed for those two months for a refresh that is part of the voter-approved 2023 Bond.
Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to our district.
Sincerely,
Dr. Brad Hunt
Superintendent
Coppell Independent School District