LISD PART OF NEW DRUG TASK FORCE

The Laredo Independent School District and Webb County Constable Rudy
Rodriguezs office will create a narcotics task force to combat the
flow of drugs in LISD schools.

At a Thursday board meeting, trustees voted to draft a Memorandum of
Understanding that will allow Rodriguez to select at least two LISD
police officers to join two of his deputies.

The task force will use K-9 dog units to make LISD schools "a drug
free zone," Rodriguez told board members.

Roughly 90 percent of all LISD schools fall within his precinct.

"With the advent of whats happening in our border city," Trustee
Jesus Guerra said referring to violent drug wars in neighboring Nuevo
Laredo, "we're in the business of protecting our children."

Guerra sponsored the item with Board President Dr. Dennis Cantu, who
was absent due to a medical emergency.

Also at the meeting, trustees did not immediately approve preliminary
designs for Heights Elementary, as presented by architect John Hickey.

Before the school is demolished and rebuilt into a two-story
structure, trustees said they want to first gather input from
residents who live near the school. A public meeting is expected to
take place within the next two weeks, LISD spokesman Marco Alvarado
said Friday.

The new school is expected to hold a maximum of 450 students, and is
considered one of LISDs smallest. It sits on one city block. School
officials initially considered merging it with Daiches Elementary
several years ago, but an uproar from the community quickly changed
their minds.

Trustee George Beckelhymer asked Hickey if would be possible to
shrink the schools capacity to regain green space lost in the design plans.

Hickey said size constraints would not make Beckelhymers request possible.

"Everybody likes green spaces but (campus officials) said they prefer
the gym (for P.E. and recess) because its air-conditioned," Hickey said.

Trustees also heard an earful from teacher union representatives over
the handling of Level III grievances, which are heard before the board.

Rene De La Vina, field consultant for Texas State Teachers
Association, said TSTA would no longer grant Human Resources any more
extensions for these grievances.

"Whats happening now is we are waiting up to four months to have a
hearing," De La Vina explained Friday. "Its not fair to leave the
employee dangling that long."

He hopes the board will go back to its previous method of hearing a
Level III grievance at regular board meetings, rather than special
called meetings.

The process was changed a few months ago, but the frequent lack of a
quorum has prevented these grievances from being heard, he said.

Parent Lisa Martinez, who has a pending grievance against Daiches
Principal Adriana Lombrana, vented her frustration at the delay in
getting her grievance heard.

Later in the board meeting, Beckelhymer and Trustee Jose Valdez
expressed concern over staffs wishes to quickly spend nearly $1
million in federal grant monies on the child nutrition program.

Margaret Lopez, director of LISDs child nutrition program, said LISD
needs to spend $928,106 right away since the monies are allotted on a
three-month basis.

"I always have a problem when I hear we need to spend money,"
Beckelhymer told Lopez and Chief Financial Officer Jesus Amezcua.
"Its a lot of money for a paint job."

Valdez motioned to have the board wait until their upcoming budget
workshop to see what options are available for spending the money
most efficiently.

Staff said the monies would be used to create "themes" at high school
cafeterias in interest more students to participate in the school
lunch program.

At the meeting, board members voted to name three buildings after
members of the community.

They named the new library at Cigarroa Middle School after Barbara
Flores Cigarroa, and the new literacy center at Cigarroa High School
after Dr. Margaret Cigarroa.

They also named the Christen Middle School gym after Minerva
Rodriguez, a coach at the middle school who taught there 41 years.
She retired in 1995 and passed away in 2003.

Fine Arts Director Victor Gunnoe then presented an update on the
expansion of LISDs K-12 music program.

He discussed the need for hiring an instrument repair technician,
training for non-certified music teachers, funding campus music
programs equitably and implementing a music program at all 20
elementary schools.

Four elementary schools do not have music rooms to accommodate a
full-fledged music program. They are Buenos Aires, Daiches, D.D.
Hachar and Heights.

Two years ago, LISD ordered $300,000 in new instruments, none of
which have arrived, Gunnoe said.

Gunnoe, who is overseeing a newly created fine arts department, said
it will take staff about a year to coordinate all the various programs properly.