ROCKWALL, TX – April 20, 2021 – The following is a Rockwall ISD press release summarizing last night’s RISD Board of Trustees meeting.
NOTE: Board meeting summaries highlight different agenda items due to limited audience opportunities at Board meetings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Board meeting videos are available for viewing within 24-hours of the meeting at www.rockwallisd.com.
Board Recognizes Chris Cuny and Russ Childers for Years of School Board Service
Mr. Chris Cuny, Board of Trustees Place 1, and Mr. Russ Childers, Board of Trustees Place 2, are retiring from the Board of Trustees after 12 years of services as Trustees of the District. As Trustees, Mr. Cuny and Mr. Childers have individually devoted approximately 648 hours in monthly Board meetings and Special Sessions serving the students, staff, and families of Rockwall ISD as unpaid public servants.
As members of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Cuny and Mr. Childers were part of the leadership team that managed Rockwall ISD’s fast growth, a successful bond program, and the construction of seven new campus facilities in 11 years while being fiscally conservative with taxpayer funds. A few of the accolades during their time on the Board:
- Student enrollment grew from 13,732 in 2009 to 17,126 in 2021, a 24% increase;
- A successful 2015 bond program completed under budget that built five new campuses, including the first college and career academy in the District, which has resulted in a 110% increase in student participation in CTE courses;
- Lowered tax rate from $1.47 in 2009 to $1.31 in 2021;
- State accountability rated ‘A’ District two years in a row;
- More than 500 5th graders, approximately 43% of the cohort, enrolled in Advanced Math Pathways program taking compacted or PreAP math courses,
- Top Five Honor Board in the State of Texas for governance, fiscal responsibility, and academic/extracurricular achievement out of more than 1,000 school districts in the state;
- One of the highest graduation rates in the region at 99.6% for the Class of 2020,
- Shook hands with approximately 12,000 high school students as they graduated to higher education, military, technical school, and workforce opportunities.
The Naming of the Field at Wilkerson-Sanders Stadium and the Transportation Center Located at 707 South Clark Street Approved
Cameron-Webb Field at Wilkerson-Sanders Stadium
The Board of Trustees approved the name Cameron-Webb Field at Wilkerson-Sanders Stadium in honor of coaches James Cameron and Dan Webb. Cameron and Webb served Rockwall ISD as football coaches for the Rockwall High School YellowJacket football teams during the mid-‘70s and early ‘80s. Coach Webb was also an assistant principal and principal of Rockwall High School. Together they were a part of the coaching staff that led the YellowJackets to the state semifinals losing to Brownwood, the eventual state champion. Both were known as educators who instilled values of hard work, commitment, dedication, fairness, and determination.
Bill Howlett Transportation Center
The Board of Trustees approved the name Bill Howlett Transportation Center in honor of the longtime former educator. His distinguished career in education spanned 24 years in Rockwall ISD. He served as a math teacher, coach, principal of Rockwall Intermediate School and Rockwall High School, and Assistant Superintendent of Business while also managing the District Transportation Department. Bill Howlett is remembered as a principal who took an interest in students by developing a relationship with them and their families while inspiring students to reach their full potential. He also provided leadership at the District level during a challenging time of rapid growth while maximizing limited financial resources for students, personnel, and the community.
Facilities Bond Committee Presents Recommendation
Members from the Facilities Bond Committee presented the committee’s recommendation for a possible bond proposal to the Board of Trustees. The 60-member committee, made up of parents, staff, and community members, and directed by a professional facilitator, completed their final meeting to review the District’s financial data, current academic needs, projected student growth and overcrowding of secondary facilities. After the extensive study, the Facilities Bond Committee came to a consensus on the proposed bond package. The proposed recommendation, presented as an information item only, includes new construction, replacement campuses, capital projects, and Districtwide facilities improvements for approximately $479 million. Rockwall ISD’s tax rate has declined and is the lowest in 30 years. The next steps include a review of the recommendation and potential tax impact.
Submitted press release by Rockwall ISD, edited for publication in Blue Ribbon News.
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