COPPERAS COVE – Copperas Cove ISD took a step toward investing in student programs and employee benefits.
Tuesday, during a regular meeting of the CCISD Board of Trustees, the board unanimously approved the purchase of a new Ford F-250 pickup truck for use by the Copperas Cove High School Agricultural Sciences programs.
“This addresses a large need within our Career & Technical Education programs, as our Ag Science program lacks a dedicated vehicle for transporting students and supplies, picking up supplies or checking on project status,” said Superintendent Dr. Brent Hawkins. “This purchase not only helps us in building our Ag programs, but it does so while keeping the program from losing out on needed transportation during busy stretches.”
Trustees also approved an agreement with The Baldwin Group to move employee benefits processing from U.S. Employee Benefits Service Group after a committee worked with the district’s human resources department to evaluate multiple vendors who provide benefits enrollment and processing services.
The Baldwin Group was the committee’s top choice by a considerable margin.
“We believe this change will allow for a more positive experience for our staff when they go to enroll in health, dental, vision and any other insurance or retirement benefits they receive as part of working in Copperas Cove ISD,” Hawkins said.
Trustees also approved goals, which will help shape the direction of the district for the 2025-2026 school year. These goals are also what Superintendent Dr. Hawkins will be evaluated on each year.
In Goal 1, which addresses student outcomes, the board addressed its House Bill 3 goals, setting its goals to raise the percentage of 3rd-grade students that score “Meets Grade Level” or above on STAAR Reading & Language Arts from 55% to 65% and from 45% to 55% on STAAR Math by June 2029, as well as raising the percentage of graduates who meet the criteria for CCMR set by the TEA from 87% to 90% by June 2029.
The board also stated that the district will re-establish an art program on each elementary campus, explore the constitution of STEM, digital and fine arts, Montessori and two-way dual language programs at the elementary level, while also building on success in Career & Technical Education by adding internships, dual credit and P-TECH opportunities to the district.
In Goal 2, focused on operations, the board has pledged for the district to continue to be a good steward of taxpayer funds and implement specific procedures for budget development and expenditures to monitor spending and live within projected resources.
The board also stated the district will evaluate current facilities to meet the needs of its students, analyzing current enrollment, course offerings and effective use of facilities to develop a plan to remodel or repurpose existing facilities and the need for new construction.
Finally, in Goal 3, the board focused on board, staff and community relations. In this, the district will foster a culture that engages all aspects of the community, proactively sharing information about the district, operations and achievements from within the district with the community as a whole through a variety of channels.
“These goals from the Board of Trustees will shape how we approach everything from finances and staffing to communication, facilities and instructional programming,” Hawkins said. “We look forward to positively impacting the students of our community in alignment with the vision of our trustees.”
Additionally, the board approved the purchase of 304 student technology Chromebooks as part of a pilot program in the district’s approach to student and teacher technology needs, the repair of a portion of the roof at Copperas Cove High School, renewal of Capturing Kids’ Hearts for staff at the secondary campuses, renewal of Schoology as the district’s learning management system and renewal of the district’s student accident insurance program in a manner which will provide a financial savings to the district.
The Board of Trustees is next scheduled to hold its regular May workshop and meeting. The workshop is scheduled for Noon on May 13th in the Board Room at the District Service & Training Center, with the regular meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. May 14th at Lea Ledger Auditorium on the Copperas Cove HS campus.
Agendas for each meeting will be posted outside the District Service & Training Center 72 hours prior to each meeting. Once posted, they can also be viewed at CCISD.com/SchoolBoard.