Update from Rockwall ISD Board of Trustees Monthly Meeting of Monday, May 20, 2024

Rockwall, TX (May 21, 2024) – NOTE: Board meeting summaries highlight different agenda items. Board meeting videos are available for viewing within 24-hours of the meeting at www.rockwallisd.com

Recognitions
Congratulations to the following students and student groups who the Board of Trustees recognized for the following accomplishments:

• Elementary Stock Market Winners – Each year, the SIFMA (Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association) announces the student winners of the Stock Market Game™ competition in Texas. The second-place student winner of the competition in North Central Texas is Joshua C. from Springer Elementary in the 4th and 5th grade category. To secure this win, the students had the second-highest portfolio value 4th and 5th grade category.

• Rockwall High School Boys Gymnastics State Champions for the 4th Year in a Row – The Rockwall Boys Gymnastics Team was ranked number one in the State of Texas all season and closed out their monumental season by winning their 4th State Gymnastics Championship in a row. Congratulations to Coach Cameron Sweny and the team for their unprecedented feat!

• Rockwall High School Girls Gymnastics Team State Runners-Up – Rockwall Girls’ Gymnastics finished as Runner-Up in the Texas High School Gymnastics Coaches Association (THSGCA) State Championships for the second year in a row. This year’s team showed tenacity and perseverance finishing as state-runners up in 2nd place. The team is coached by Stephanie Tyson and Megan Haught. Congratulations!

• Rockwall High School Lady Jacket Soccer Team State UIL Bronze Medalists – The Lady Jackets Soccer team advanced to the University Interscholastic League (UIL) Texas Soccer Tournament for the second time in school history and the second time in three years. The Lady Jackets Soccer Team competed in the semifinals and earned a bronze medal as state semi-finalists. Congratulations to Coach Kristov Martinez and the Lady Jackets Soccer Team on their outstanding season!

• Rockwall-Heath High School Girls State Track and Field Championship Medalists – The Rockwall-Heath Lady Hawk track team had a fantastic showing at the UIL State Track and Field Championships. Two Lady Hawks medaled in one of the most competitive high school track meets in the country:
o Tessa DelGrosso won third place in the girls’ high jump. Her jump of 5’7” tied for first but because of previous misses she finished in 3rd place.
o Brooklyn Nalley was runner-up in the Class 6A Girls’ Pole Vault. Brooklyn cleared the height of 12’ 9” to finish 2nd in a highly competitive event.

• Rockwall-Heath High School Infiniti and Rockwall High School Walk the Line A Capella Choirs for Advancing to International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA) Finals – The Rockwall-Heath High School Infiniti A Cappella Choir and the Rockwall High School Walk the Line A Capella Choir advanced to the International Championship of High School A Cappella Finals competition in New York City on April 28th. To qualify for this contest, Rockwall-Heath High School won first place in the Southwest Division of ICHSA, which includes schools from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Rockwall High School won the Wildcard Round, which includes all 2nd and 3rd place groups across the nation.
At national competition, Rockwall-Heath High School’s Infiniti Choir finished in second place and was invited to perform in the college division contest the following night. Rockwall-Heath High School also won Best Choreography. Rockwall High School’s Walk the Line Choir placed fourth in the finals competition. Rockwall County was the only city or state in the nation with two high schools represented at ICHSA Nationals. Congratulations to these two choirs and their directors Leia Browning and Lauren Smith!

• Gold Medal VASE Contest Winners – Approximately 35,000 students participate in the Texas Art Educators Association Visual Art Scholastic Event (VASE) contest each school year. The gold seal is the highest honor you can receive at the state VASE contest, and only 165 entries were selected for the Gold Seal. Students winning a Gold Medal or a Gold Seal include:
o Rockwall High School: McKinley Martin, Laney Bailey, Clark Sneau, Mia McCallum, and Madeleine Blackburn earned a gold medal.
o Rockwall-Heath High School: Phavain Dennis received a gold medal. Taylor Simmons, Sarah Trevion, and Nicholas Jean-Pierre received the Gold Seal.
• Dr. Gene Burton Academy State Champions Representing Various Career & Technical Education Programs:
o DECA State and International Qualifiers – Led by their advisors, Dori Brown and Alisha Bridges, a total of 23 GBCCA students competed against more than 6,000 students at DECA State Career Develop Conference (CDC). Three seniors won State Finalist and two advanced as International Qualifiers competing at the DECA International Competition (ICDC) in Anaheim, CA. The International Qualifiers worked hard to improve their knowledge and application of learning for their exam and role-play performances for their Marketing Communications event at the ICDC.
§ State Finalist and International Alternate: Caleb Tosch (RHHS, Sr.) – Accounting Applications
§ State Finalists and International Qualifiers: Skyler McLarry (RHHS, Sr.) – Marketing Communications, Simone Shems (RHHS, Sr.) – Marketing Communications
o 2024 High School BBQ State Championship 3rd Place Winner – The High School BBQ Champions, led by their coaches Sean Hill and Chandler Romero, competed in the 2024 State Championship in Round Rock. Grand Champion Jackson Jeffus was the Texas 3rd place winner for ribs at State. This win helped place the team in the top 20 out of 98 teams. Congratulations! For Team Smoke, individual accolades to Jackson Jeffus, who places 3rd in the ribs competition.
o Students Placing at the Technology Student Association (TSA) State Conference – The Technology Student Association State competition was held in Fort Worth in April. Led by their advisors, Kim Card and Renee Aube, these architecture and fashion design students worked diligently and successfully represented GBCCA. We are so proud to recognize them for placing at the state competition.
§ Architectural Model Design (Beginner): Adeline Berg (2nd), Ellie Graves (3rd), Lauren Rummel (5th)
§ Architectural Model Design (Experienced): Landon Horn (1st). Austin Smith (2nd)
§ Interior Design-Residential (Beginner): Avery Smith (4th)
§ Architectural Design Group Model: Alexis Buchanan, Allie Buchanan, Justin Cothran, Riley Guidotti-Vrana (8th)
§ CAD-Architecture: Landon Horn (3rd)
o Rockwall-Heath High School Black Hawk Robotics Team for Placing at State Competition – The Rockwall-Heath High School Black Hawk Robotics Team 3310, led by their coaches Nicole Harvey and Kyla Baker, competed against the top 86 teams in the state at the 2024 UIL First Robotics Championship in Houston. Team 3310 won 2nd place in their event, placing them 9th in Texas. This outstanding finish qualified 3310 to compete in the World Championship. Congratulations to Black Hawk Robotics!
o Rockwall High School Full Metal Jackets Robotics Team for Placing at State – The Rockwall High School Robotics Team 1296, Full Metal Jackets, led by their coaches David Smith and Melissa Bunch, concluded their season with remarkable achievements at the UIL State Robotics Tournament. Competing among a pool of over 200 teams, Team 1296 secured an impressive 14th place in the state rankings earning them a spot at the UIL 2024 First Robotics World Championship. At the State Tournament, David Smith, a long-time mentor and GBCCA teacher, earned the prestigious Woodie Flowers finalist title because of his invaluable guidance and mentorship. Congratulations to the Full Metal Jackets!

Stacy Rosa Named Billie Stevenson Elementary School Principal
Stacy Rosa has served students and staff in public education for eighteen years. Most recently, Mrs. Rosa has provided leadership at Rockwall High School as the Associate Principal of Curriculum and Instruction. She also served as an assistant principal at Rockwall-Heath High School for four years and as an assistant principal in Garland ISD for five years. In addition to her campus leadership experience, Mrs. Rosa provided instructional leadership as an elementary and secondary instructional coach and Math teacher in grades 6-8 in Temple ISD. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Instruction from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and a Master of Education in Teacher Leadership from Lamar University.
Mrs. Rosa’s professional experiences include:
• Elementary and Secondary Instructional Leadership at Instructional Coach;
• Associate Principal for approximately 2,900 students at Rockwall HS;
• Extensive experience leading the PLC process, building strong teams, and leading campuses in academic excellence;
• Extensive experience leading campuses in a variety of special programs;
• Nine years as campus assistant principal; and
• Rockwall ISD Aspiring Principal Academy Participant.

Academics Update Summer 2024
The Academics Department leadership team has planned approximately 150 total professional development opportunities for staff thissummer. There will be a variety of in-person, virtual, and conference-style sessions for teachers to select and customize their summer professional learning. Additionally, many out of district opportunities will also be presented for staff this summer.

For students, Rockwall ISD teachers will provide ten different summer school opportunities for students Pre-K through grade 12 at four different campuses at different times from May 29 through July 22. For high school students, required state End of Course testing will be offered in English I and II, Algebra I, Biology and US History.

Approval of the State Board of Education (SBOE) 2024 Proclamation for Instructional Materials – Science
The Board approved the recommendation for science instructional materials aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) required by the Texas Education Agency. The science instructional materials were pre-approved for adoption by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

2024 Facilities Bond Committee Update
Facilitators provided an update on the committee’s work. The committee has met seven times, devoting more than 14 hours. Committee members presented proposed projects for new construction, capital needs, safety/transportation/technology, and Fine Arts/athletics/CTE to the committee. Upon the recommendations of the small group work, the large committee voted on projects, with a final recommendation from the committee for the Board of Trustees coming in June.

Date, Time and Location for 2024-2025 Budget and Proposed Tax Rate Hearing Approved
The Board of Trustees set the date, time and location for the 2024-2025 budget and proposed tax rate hearing for Monday, June 17, 2024, 6:00 pm, in the Rockwall ISD Administration Building Room 600, 1050 Williams Street, Rockwall, Texas.

Update on Proposed Student Breakfast Meal Prices for the 2024-2025 School Year
Rockwall ISD participates in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program (NSLP) and receives federal reimbursements to help offset the District’s food and operational costs. As part of this program, the United States Department of Agricultural (USDA) requires that the district annually review its meal prices to ensure that they are at appropriate levels. Based upon this annual review and in addition to the District maintaining a positive fund balance reserve, the District is not required to increase meal prices for the upcoming school year. However, the total paid and reimbursement amount does not provide enough funds to cover the food costs and the nonfood items.

When comparing District meal prices to peer districts (see below) the District tends to rank near the bottom of meal prices charged. The Administration is recommending an increase of $0.25 from the current $1.50 to $1.75. This would align the district meal prices to approximately the average of all peer districts surrounding Rockwall ISD. This agenda item was informational only and the Board did not take action.

Press release submitted by Luci Mouton, edited for publication in Blue Ribbon News. Courtesy photos.

  board of trustees meeting, feature, featured, Rockwall ISD