The Examiner (Navasota, Tex.), Vol. 118, No. 31, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 6, 2013 Page: 3 of 18
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^be^mtiiner
March 6, 2013 ^ Page 3A
Navasota ISD names new assistant superintendent
The Navasota ISD
Board of Trustees ap-
proved the employment of
a chief financial officer/as-
sistant superintendent of
business operations at a
special board meeting
Tuesday. Superintendent
Rory Gesch also an-
nounced the reassignment
of two current district em-
ployees to the positions of
chief learning officer and
chief administrative offi-
cer. All three moves are
part of an organizational
restructuring strategy de-
signed to help the school
district most efficiently di-
rect its energies and re-
sources toward
transforming its schools to
better serve the needs of
the 21st century learner
and the Navasota ISD
community.
Through strategic plan-
ning and work with other
districts around the state
over the last 18 months,
the school district has been
examining its capacity to
meet the needs of students
who will be competing in
a rapidly changing and in-
creasingly digital world,
according to Superintend-
ent of Schools Rory
Gesch.
"Looking at the future
direction of the district,"
Gesch said, "steps are
being taken to ensure that
a community-based vision
of success, educationally
and economically, is in
place to keep Navasota
and Navasota ISD relevant
for years to come. The
need to have our students
ready to compete in a
changing digital world is
paramount for the success
of our students and our
community."
Gesch said reorganiz-
ing the district's structure
will allow NISD to make
adjustments within the
school system to provide
services that meet the
changing needs of students
while also honoring the
historic needs of the com-
munity.
"It's the need to create
more engaging learning
environments for students
that is guiding the deci-
sion-making process re-
garding the structure
within the school district
and how the district's re-
sources can most effi-
ciently and effectively be
directed toward that goal,"
Gesch said. "The purpose
is always to work toward
creating an environment in
which students can feel a
connection to their com-
munity, their peers, and
their school while obtain-
ing an education that pre-
pares them for the world
they will encounter when
they graduate."
The Board of Trustees
approved the employment
of Tim Seymore as Chief
Financial Officer/Assistant
Superintendent of Busi-
ness Operations. Seymore
comes to Navasota ISD
from Jayton-Girard ISD
where he has served as Su-
perintendent for six years.
Seymore has also served
as a chief financial officer
for nine years. Seymore,
who began his career in
education as a math
teacher, has a B.S. in
Mathematics and an
M.Ed. in School Adminis-
tration from Angelo State
University. Seymore is
married and has two chil-
dren.
The position of Chief
Learning Officer will be
filled by Scott Powers,
currently the district's in-
structionaltechnology/co
mmunications coordinator.
Powers has spent his entire
career in Navasota ISD
and worked as a technol-
ogy applications and jour-
nalism teacher at Navasota
High School for 11 years.
Powers is working toward
a doctorate in curriculum
and instruction at Texas
A&M University where
he also completed a M.Ed.
in Educational Technol-
ogy and a B.S. in Journal-
ism. Powers is married
and has one child.
"Scott has a strong vi-
sion for learning and a
deep passion to see stu-
dents succeed as well as a
deep understanding of the
direction in which the dis-
trict is moving and has
helped shaped that direc-
tion," Gesch said. "Scott's
ability to communicate
and remain focused on the
students of the district
while assisting other
members of the staff, fac-
ulty, and community to
understand the needs of
our students will allow
him to be successful as the
go-to person in charting
the direction for student
learning in Navasota."
The position of Chief
Administrative Officer
will be filled by Ronnie
Gonzalez, currently the
district's Director of Tech-
nology and Communica-
tions. Gonzalez has spent
his entire career in Nava-
sota ISD beginning as a
history and computer
teacher at Navasota Junior
High School. Prior to his
current position, in which
he has served for eight
years, Gonzalez also
served as a district tech-
nology specialist for two
years. Gonzalez is work-
ing toward a doctorate in
educational leadership and
administration at Lamar
University. He has a
M.Ed. in Educational
Technology and a B.S. in
Kinesiology from Texas
A&M University. Gonza-
lez is married and has two
children.
"Ronnie has a deep car-
ing for the students of our
school district and works
to ensure that Navasota
ISD is known for its mer-
its," Gesch said. "He
works diligently and has a
passion to create opportu-
nities for the students of
our district while in our
schools and later in their
lives. Ronnie works to
create a high level of serv-
ice while expanding the
potential of our district to
serve our community."
Bond,
continued from la
security improvements.
Proposition I must be
passed in order for II and
III to have a chance to pass.
The original bond refer-
endum proposition totaled
$9.4 million, but after the
Board met with the facility
assessment committee in
January, Superintendent
Brandon Core, Ph.D. said
Board members directed
them to make further cuts
to the plan that was initially
completed in 2012.
“At the February meet-
ing, the Board charged us
with trying to get every-
thing it is we are needing
and being recommended
by the committee at that
time, but to also drive that
price down. The total at
that point in time was $9.4
million. The total tonight is
$7.82 million, and it’s bro-
ken into three proposi-
tions,” said Dr. Core.
Propositions to
choose from
PBK Architects, Inc.
Architect Ron Bailey of
Houston led a presentation
on the details of the propo-
sitions, while answering
questions from the Board
and other attendees.
Proposition I includes
the construction of a new
sports complex, complete
with a football stadium that
meets specifications for
varsity play; bleachers;
field house with conces-
sions, restrooms and dress-
ing rooms that is modeled
after Iola High School’s;
concrete parking lot for
150 cars; new softball field
that meets Title IX require-
ments; competition base-
ball field; two new tennis
courts; and conversion of
existing baseball field to
play area for elementary
students; amongst other
improvements.
Dr. Core explained that
the field house would be
positioned behind the jun-
ior-senior high school so
that it easily serves the pro-
posed baseball, football
and softball fields.
“Behind the high school
is a relatively flat area and
with the (close) proximity
to the parking, as well as
the other athletic facilities,
it’s least expensive to build
it out there,” said Bailey,
who added that it would
have cost an additional
half-million dollars to build
the athletic complex in
front of the high school be-
cause of the incline.
The additional parking
that will be added to the ex-
isting parking lot at the jun-
ior-senior high school is
also expected to create a
vacant area to be utilized
for marching band practice
during school hours, ac-
cording to the superintend-
ent.
Dr. Core previously said
neither the football field
nor the current softball
field was originally con-
structed for its existing pur-
pose. The current football
field, which may only be
utilized for junior high
games, was initially con-
structed as a track in 2004,
and does not have adequate
space for seating or park-
ing. The softball field was
initially designed for little
league play, and does not
meet Title IX requirements.
In an effort to reduce
costs for the bond referen-
dum, the current lighting
and scoreboard will be re-
located to the proposed ath-
letic complex site.
The estimated cost of
Proposition I is
$4,765,000.
Proposition II includes
the creation of a combined
transportation and mainte-
nance facility. The building
would be positioned be-
tween the athletic complex
and the Ag show barn,
which is .7 of a mile from
the junior-senior high
school.
The combined facility
would not only decrease
building costs and future
maintenance costs, but
would also allow direct
oversight by current Trans-
portation and Maintenance
Operations Director Darren
Cosby. Though the two de-
partments are run as one
department with a single
director and secretary, the
superintendent said the in-
adequate facilities are cur-
rently located at separate
campus sites.
“And to be able to move
maintenance, transporta-
tion and softball to the ex-
isting high school campus
would actually allow us to
free up the site on SH 90,
which I expect to be opera-
tional savings to the dis-
trict,” said Dr. Core.
The relocation of main-
tenance away from the cur-
rent site also assists with
decongestion at the ele-
mentary school site, which
was a goal of the 3 5-mem-
ber facility assessment
committee made up of
community members, busi-
nesses leaders and staff
members from various de-
partments who have been
working on the overall
project for the past 17
months.
“The growth we are ex-
periencing is mostly hap-
pening at the elementary
campus. Drop off in the
morning is not too bad, but
in the afternoons there are
a lot of people here picking
up kids,” said the superin-
tendent. “We are striving to
do everything we can to
decongest this campus to
allow more space for them
to roam and grow, and
park.”
Between 2001 and
2011, the district as a
whole has incurred a 25
percent increase in student
enrollment. The elemen-
tary school alone has in-
curred a 35 percent growth
and the junior-senior high
school a 17 percent in-
crease in student popula-
tion.
The estimated total cost
of Proposition II is
$1,400,000.
Proposition III includes
the construction of six ele-
mentary classrooms and a
set of restrooms on the
west side of the building,
an additional parking lot
for 30 cars, added security
lighting, as well as district
wide safety and security
improvements worth ap-
proximately $300,000.
“There’s an additional
safety measure in that
classroom addition,” said
Dr. Core. “That would ac-
tually allow us to remove
the current portable build-
ing that elementary fine
arts is in. Not only does
that increase parking, but it
also puts all of our staff and
all of our students under
one secure roof, rather than
having - at any given time
-30 students and a teacher
in a separate facility, some-
what disconnected from
the rest of the campus.”
The estimated total cost
of Proposition III is
$1,655,000.
Estimated cost to
homeowners
According to the super-
intendent, a tax rate impact
analysis shows the average
appraised home value
within the district is
$85,000. Respective home-
owners would incur a
$51.67 increase in taxes
annually if Proposition I
passes; $64.23 for Proposi-
tion I and II; and $66.63 for
Proposition I and III.
Should all three proposi-
tions pass, the combined
annual tax increase on an
$85,000 home would be
$79.14.
KNB,
continued from la
walk improvement
project. Once work is
completed, the north side
of Washington Avenue will
get its work — probably
sometime in the summer.
Sidewalks weren’t the
only construction men-
tioned at last week’s city
council meeting. The city
awarded the contract for
the entrance monuments to
Kolby Construction. The
contracts are worth ap-
proximately $138,000.
“All their references
checked out and we were
pleased with their work,”
Stafford said. “They’re
also local.”
There will be two mon-
uments — one on the north
side of the city and another
on the south side — that
will be positioned at the
split between SH6 and
Business 6. The monu-
ments are part of the pack-
age and funding to build
city hall.
Stafford said all three
bids for the project came
in under budget.
Spring Clean up
Navasota’s annual
spring cleanup is going on
this week, March 4-10, at
the City of Navasota Vehi-
cle Services Center, at 520
Malcolm Street in Nava-
sota. It will be open from 9
a.m. to 4 p.m. through
Sunday. This event is free
for city residents (Proof of
residency is required.)
Acceptable items in-
clude mattresses, box
springs, toilets, sinks, car-
pet and carpet pads, furni-
ture, sofas, couches, auto-
motive batteries, lumber,
metal, cast iron, sheet,
scrap metal, used motor oil
(up to 5 gallons), used oil
filters, stoves, refrigera-
tors, water heaters, wash-
ers, dryers and up to eight
tires (limited to 15-22
inches in size).
Unacceptable items in-
clude hazardous waste,
paint, corrosives, pesti-
cides, herbicides, chemi-
cals, landscaping cross
ties, yardwaste, logs,
stumps, remodeling or
construction debris and no
commercial quantities.
On Saturday, March 9,
there will be a paper shred-
ding day there for residen-
tial customers only.
For more information
contact Navasota Public
Works at 936-825-6450.
Find usonFac^HI
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Boy Scouts
of America
Troop 249
SALE
Sat., March 9,2013
11 am - 1 pm
Trinity Lutheran Church Parking Lot
1530 E. Washington Ave. • Navasota
Only
Includes Chips, Drink & Cookie
**Proceeds will benefit
summer camp attendees**
Make checks
payable to:
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FOR
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SUPPORT!
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McDonald, Scott. The Examiner (Navasota, Tex.), Vol. 118, No. 31, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 6, 2013, newspaper, March 6, 2013; Navasota, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth807953/m1/3/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Navasota Public Library.