The Houston school board has extended the stay of Superintendent Scott Dill to keep his current three-year contract in tact.
With a unanimous vote at Tuesday’s monthly meeting, the board pushed Dill’s contract forward through the 2017-’18 school year. He agreed to his current three-year deal last summer.
“I’m appreciative of the support from both the board and the local community,” Dill said.
In the middle of his third year as leader of the Houston R-1 School District, Dill came to Houston in 2007 as middle school principal. He was hired as new superintendent in January 2012 after one month as “acting superintendent.”
Dill was the visionary behind a $4 million bond issue that made roof repairs to four district buildings, put air conditioning inside Hiett Gymnasium and nearly doubled the size of the cafeteria. Construction is set to conclude at the beginning of the next school year as the current middle and high school buildings are connected with a two-story structure that features a new library.
After two previous bond issues under previous administrators were defeated, Dill led the way for 72-percent approval from voters in April 2013.
“My time here in Houston has been great,” he said. “We’ve accomplished some very significant things. From my perspective, we’re still at the very beginning of what we can accomplish together.”
Dill said he and his family are happy in the community. His wife, Amy, is the elementary principal. They have two daughters in the district.
“As long as the community supports the work we’re doing under my administration, I would like to be here,” Dill said. “If at some point that attitude changes, then it will be time for me to move on. But right now things are going well.
“This is where I live, where I work and where I want to be”
Also at the monthly meeting, board members:
-Approved the academic calendar for the 2015-’16 school year.
-Received a construction update from Dill, who shared the immediate success of the expanded cafeteria. He said the room eliminated split shifts for high school students and no longer forces middle school students to break for lunch in the middle of class.
-Heard from Dill the district plans to install a permanent irrigation system at the football field. It will also be reseeded.
-Extended an offer to Britany Cheek as a certified teacher and volleyball coach for the 2015-’16 school year. Cheek later declined the offer.
-Accepted resignations from: Kay Stilley (bus driver) effective Dec. 19; Daleene Wade (coop secretary) effective Jan. 2; and Maggie Jadwin (Community Betterment Y.O.U.T.H. sponsor) effective immediately.
-Employed Jennifer Martin as sponsor of the HMS Science Club for the remainder of the school year.
-Hired Jeff Malam as a bus driver pending verification of a background check.
-Gave Dill latitude to employee a paraprofessional prior to the February board meeting.
-Received information from Dill related to current and historical tuition rates for the district. No action was taken.
-Amended the director/coordinator list for the current school year to reflect the promotion of Kelsen Gilbert to technology systems coordinator.
-Contracted with VIP Properties to list the building trades house for $239,500.
-Selected an unnamed scholarship winner.
The next monthly board meeting is 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10, at the Exceptional Child Cooperative.
PDF: Official minutes from the January Houston school board meeting