School board approves 2024-25 calendar, declares unopposed candidates as elected; students, staff of the month honored
By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
At their March 18 meeting, the Breckenridge Independent School District’s Board of Trustees approved the official calendar for the 2024-25 school year, canceled the unnecessary election and honored the students and employees of the month from each school.
This 2024-25 BISD Calendar draft was presented to the school board and approved on March 18.
The school district intends to continue with a schedule similar to this year, giving students and staff most Fridays off.
Students will start school on Aug. 7, and teachers and staff starting on July 30. New Teacher Orientation will start on July 24. Each month, there will be at least one Friday designated as a “Staff Workday” or a “Staff Development Day,” for which teachers and staff will be expected to work but students do not have to attend.
One change this year is that special days for “accelerated instruction” have been cut. Instead, time for accelerated instruction has been worked into the regular school day, BISD Superintendent Bryan Allen said during the meeting. Additionally, the elementary schools’ daily schedules will be increased by 10 minutes next school year; the high school and junior high schedules will remain the same as this year.
The schedule gives students and staff two weeks off at Christmas, one week off for Thanksgiving, a week off for Spring Break, and wraps up before Memorial Day in May, Allen said. There will only be one Monday holiday during the school year — Sept. 2 for Labor Day. Students and staff will also have off Thursday, Jan. 9, for the annual Stephens County Junior Livestock Show. There are two Fridays in May 2025 designated as “bad weather days,” but attendance will only be required on those days if bad weather requires the schools to be closed on other days during the school year.
The last day of school next year will be May 22, 2025, with graduation scheduled for May 23, 2025.
School Board Election
This year, there were two BISD school board positions open — Place 1, currently held by Graham Reaugh, and Place 2, currently held by Paul Lippe. Reaugh and Lippe did not choose to run for re-election. Each of their positions had only one candidate each — Ky Kennedy for Place 1 and Cheyanna Gill for Place 2.
Because there were no contested races, the school district was not required to hold an election.
During the March 18 meeting, the school board approved an order declaring Kennedy and Gill as elected and canceling the previously scheduled election.
Students, Staff, Teachers of the Month
BISD Superintendent Bryan Allen congratulates fourth-grader Matthew Reed for receiving the March 2024 Student of the Month award from South Elementary Principal Patricia Gonzales, right. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
The Breckenridge Independent School District honored the Students, Support Staff and Teachers of the Month at the March 18 school board meeting.
Each of the district’s four schools introduced the student, teacher and staff member of the month at the beginning of the meeting.
The Students of the Month are Rylee Miller, East Elementary; Matthew Reed, South Elementary; Kael Gwaltney, Breckenridge Junior High School; and Christian Flores, Breckenridge High School.
The Teachers of the Month are Randie McCullough, East Elementary; DeAnn Jordan, South Elementary; Kaitlan Prewitt, BJHS; and Cassie Johnson, BHS.
The Staff Members of the Month are Amanda Wright, East Elementary; Elizabeth Cisneros, South Elementary; DeeDee Waggoner, BJHS; and Misty McAlmond, BHS.
Kindergarten student Rylee Miller is presented with the March 2024 Student of the Month award by East Elementary Principal Shannon Deen. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
East Elementary library paraprofessional Amanda Wright, right, is honored by Principal Shannon Deen as the school’s Support Staff Member of the Month. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
First-grade teacher Randie McCullough, right, is presented with the East Elementary Teacher of the Month award by Principal Shannon Deen. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Fourth-grader Matthew Reed receives the March 2024 Student of the Month award from South Elementary Principal Patricia Gonzales. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Fourth-grade math teacher DeAnn Jordan, right, is presented with the Teacher of the Month award by South Elementary Principal Patricia Gonzales. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Breckenridge Junior High School science teacher and athletics coach Kaitlan Prewitt, right, is presented with the Teacher of the Month award by Principal Laura Gibson. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
DeeDee Waggoner, the counselor at BJHS, is honored as the Support Staff Member of the Month by Principal Laura Gibson, left. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Breckenridge High School sophomore Christian Flores receives the March 2024 Student of the Month Award from Principal Paul Armstrong. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Misty McAlmons, instructional paraprofessional at BHS, is presented with the Support Staff Member of the Month by Principal Paul Armstrong. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Theatre Arts teacher Cassie Johnson is honored as the Teacher of the Month by Breckenridge High School Principal Paul Armstrong. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Cutline, top photo: The Breckenridge Independent School District Board of Trustees met on March 18 and approved the 2024-25 academic schedule, passed an order declaring the unopposed candidates for the school board as elected and honored the students and staff of the month. Pictured are, from left, Superintendent Bryan Allen, Board President Nic McClymond, Board Secretary Carrol Kanady and out-going board member Graham Reaugh. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
