Board to discuss armed guards
HUTTO – On Aug. 10, the Hutto Independent School District board of trustees will discuss the district’s response to the new House Bill 3. The bill requires school districts to place at least one armed officer or employee on each campus as part of a school safety push by Texas legislators.
The trustee meeting will take place at 6 p.m. at Hutto ISD Administration Building Board Room, located at 200 College Street.
“HB3 gives three options for an armed security presence,” said HISD Police Chief William Edwards. “Either school-based law officers, SROs (school resource officers) contracted through the city or county, or commissioned peace officers hired as security officers.”
Edwards said districts also have the option to pass a “just cause exception” if there is a lack of funding or resources. The district would then be tasked with developing an alternative standard to the security measure.
At the board meeting, trustees will discuss what option the district will use to fulfill the requirements and also how to fund the initiative.
“The funding from the state falls extremely shy of the needs,” Edwards said. “It would supply about one officer. When we start adding officers to cover the campuses we’ll also have to add supervisory positions to stay within the standards.”
HB3 was signed by Governor Greg Abbott on June 14 and will become effective Sept. 1. The bill would provide districts with at least $100 per student and $15,000 per campus to maintain and improve school safety.
District welcomes new teachers
New teachers and staff filled the Ninth Grade Center as Hutto Independent School District held its employee orientation Monday, July 31.
The district welcomed 189 new employees, including 130 new teachers.
The event was intended to introduce newcomers to the Hippo Nation culture, according to a district spokesperson. Hutto High School cheerleaders lined the entrance to welcome newcomers, and the band played the Hutto Fight Song and the Hutto High School song.
School district staff officially returns to work Aug. 2. A pep rally for all staff, which HISD calls its annual Convocation, will be Friday, Aug. 4. Chet Garner, creator and host of The Daytripper podcast and television show, will be the featured speaker. The elementary and secondary teachers of the year for 2023 will also speak.
Students return to school on August 10 for all Hutto schools except Veterans’ Hill Elementary, which begins their school year Aug. 9.
Superintendent candidate introduction
Hutto ISD will be announcing the lone finalist for the new superintendent at its board of trustees meeting on Aug. 10. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at Hutto ISD Administration Building Board Room, located at 200 College Street.
The announcement caps a 13-week search for a candidate to lead the district. The finalist was chosen from among 54 applicants.
After the announcement, Texas law mandates a minimum 21-day waiting period before the finalist can be installed as superintendent.
Retiring superintendent Celina Estrada Thomas’ last day at Hutto ISD is Aug. 31.
Portables ease crowded schools
Hutto ISD has added seven new portables to ease overcrowding and ensure all students have classrooms ready when school starts. The facilities are being installed at Cottonwood Creek Elementary, Hutto Elementary School and Hutto Middle School.
Portables must meet school safety requirements, including 8-foot fencing. The district says electrical work and setup should be finished by Aug. 5 so teachers can prepare their classrooms by the first day of school.
The buildings cost approximately $200,000 each, including installation.
“Each portable building has the capacity to house two separate classrooms—instructional space that is similar in size / square footage to regular classrooms inside the school buildings. In all, these seven new portables allowed Hutto ISD to add 14 additional classroom spaces among the three campuses,” according to a district spokesperson.
