Aledo ISD Board of Trustees finalize 2022-23 business

Even though school is out for the summer, students are in full-on vacation mode, and teachers are enjoying some much-needed time off, the same cannot be said for the Aledo School Board. The business of tending to the needs of the district never end, especially when that district is growing the way Aledo is.

When the Board of Trustees met on Monday, June 19 the session was a near three-hour long marathon tackling a wide array of topics. The board finalized business from the 2022-23 school year during a portion of the meeting before transitioning to planning for the future.

The first order of business as the meeting got underway was for the Board to take some time to acknowledge the academic achievements of Aledo’s student athletes. In total there were 27 varsity athletes who received all-state academic awards during the spring season. 

Scott Kessel, Executive Director of Student Services, took the podium next to update the board of trustees on what the Student Health Advisory Council had done for the year. A trio of students who served on the SHAC during the 2022-23 school year were allotted time to speak about their experience working on the council and the impact it made on them. Kessel wrapped up by praising the members who made a student-produced educational short film aimed at informing other students on the dangers of fentanyl. 

Onward and Upward

With a bow on the 2022-23 school year, the board shifted focus to the 2023-24 school year and beyond. 

With the passage of the bond election, the board moved forward on several budgetary items in preparation for the years to come. The largest ticket item up for approval were the plans for the Lynn McKinney Elementary School project. 

With the board approving the plans, the initial dirt work for the school is slated to begin within the next couple of weeks, pending the construction company acquiring all the necessary permits. Once construction gets underway, the project is expected to take a year to complete with doors slated to open just in time for the beginning of the 2024-25 school year. 

Also on the docket for the meeting was an opportunity for the board to address some of the transportation needs for the district. Aledo ISD has an aging bus fleet with significant wear and tear while simultaneously being tasked with servicing the largest district in the metro from a square mileage perspective. With the passage of the bond, the board had the opportunity to approve the purchase of new school buses to replace a number of the more seasoned buses from the fleet. 

Another item requiring significantly less investment, but no less important approved by the board was the purchase of protective shields for the Aledo ISD police officers across the district. 

To view Monday’s meeting, or any previous board of trustees meeting, in their entirety go to aledoisd.org. Full videos of the meetings can be found by clicking on the school board tab at the top of the page, and then scrolling down to the icon for school board videos.