The Belton ISD Board of Trustees adopted district goals for the 2023-2024 school year at its regular meeting on Monday. The five goals have remained consistent for the last three years.

Deputy Superintendent Malinda Golden told trustees that the five goals are the same ones being used in the current school year and next year each will have updated key performance measures to gauge progress toward the goals.

“Goals keep our system focused on our strategic plan and on the most meaningful work. By adopting the same overall goals for subsequent years, we are honoring the hard work of our parents, staff, and community stakeholders who volunteered their time to help us craft the BISD strategic plan,” Golden said.  “We’ve made significant strides this year, and we know there is work left to do. Through the thoughtful leadership of our Board of Trustees, we will continue to challenge ourselves to dig deeper into our strategic plan and ultimately move the district forward.”

The district’s five goals are:

1. Strengthen and support the engagement of all stakeholders in the pursuit of the BISD vision

2. Ensure exceptional learning experiences for each and every student

3. Attract, retain and support a world-class team of employees

4. Develop a district-wide culture of value, support and growth amongst all students and staff

5. Maximize our use of resources for both current priorities and plans for the future

“It’s exciting to know that the momentum we’ve gained will not be slowed as we transition into the new school year,” Golden said. “Continuity is a positive force as we work toward of vision of empowering each and every learner to pursue their dreams and enrich their communities.” 

In other news, trustees heard an update from Michael Morgan, assistant superintendent of operations, on school safety audits that will be conducted this spring following procedures developed by the Texas School Safety Center. Texas law requires an audit once every three years.

“This audit is part of our comprehensive safety plan,” Morgan said. “This spring, we’ll be partnering with colleagues at the Belton and Temple police departments to assess our strengths and weaknesses at each of our 19 campuses. It’s just another layer of proactive measures to ensure we’re doing everything we can to keep students and staff safe.”

Findings will be presented to trustees in June before a final report is submitted to the Texas School Safety Center by the end of August.

The board also heard an update on how $100,000 in campus improvement funds are being utilized across the district. Trustees approved the funds to invest in a culture of continuous improvement and encourage innovation.

“Campus leaders have brought us phenomenal ideas on how they can transform underutilized spaces and create learning opportunities that inspire problem-solving and enhance collaboration among students,” Gabi Niño, executive director of elementary education, said. “Our selection committee has chosen several projects to fund, and they’re in various implementation stages. We will continue to assess the impact of individual projects and their potential impact on other campuses.”

Projects include a STEM integration lab at Miller Heights Elementary, the establishment of an esports team at Belton New Tech @Waskow and the creation of a maker space at Sparta Elementary and outdoor learning spaces at Lakewood Elementary and Belton Early Childhood School. North Belton Middle School is receiving learning manipulatives to increase student engagement in math instruction. Tarver Elementary requested professional development training that will help create a relationship-driven campus culture and student connectedness.

“We really appreciate our trustees’ support for our value of ‘continuous improvement,’” Niño said. “It’s been meaningful to see how each campus has customized their request based on the needs of their particular school community.”