KERENS—Kerens ISD (KISD) trustees voted April 22 to approve buying 150 Chromebook computers for students across all its campuses.
KISD Business Manager Kaitlyn Cotten said the price from Dell Technologies is $44,500. Related to that purchase, trustees approved a budget amendment reallocating $35,000 within the school district’s budget.
The board also approved another budget amendment for $13,400 which pays invoices from LUDCO Inc., a Nacogdoches-based electrical contractor, for work done at the district. The second budget amendment moves money from KISD’s fund balance, Cotten said.
Trustees also heard KISD Superintendent Martin Brumit announce school board hours, which means the continuing education training credits that trustees must by state law undertake annually. The continuing education report shows that all trustees exceeded the minimum hours required, according to the superintendent.
“We go above and beyond,” Brumit said.
Brumit said he and the trustees attend the Texas Association of School Boards’ (TASB) Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) to receive that instruction, which the superintendent stated costs the district about $10,000 annually. That pays for such items as meals and hotel costs, he added.
TASB’s SLI is the organization’s flagship training conference “designed to offer new and experienced school trustees a place to create their own learning journey,” according to TASB’s website. The SLI training is held annually, with a choice of either Fort Worth or San Antonio, TASB says online.
According to TASB, this year’s training is in June, as it will be in 2025 and 2026. Some of the topics the superintendent mentioned that are covered during the training are cybersecurity and school safety. All training options for trustees are based on the continuing education requirements adopted by the State Board of Education, TASB’s website states.