The Italy School Board of Trustees named Craig Bales athletic director and head coach at the board’s monthly meeting held Monday evening.

The board hired Bales in May as head football coach.

In other business, Jimmie Malone, superintendent, recognized Melissa Bedard as October Employee of the Month. Bedard, and her husband, Michael, were present at the meeting.

Bedard, a 1992 graduate of Navarro College and 1995 graduate of SAGU, taught third grade at Stafford Elementary for many years. She began her 13th year at Stafford as counselor.

Carolyn Maevers, principal, said, “She was wonderful in the classroom and is as a counselor.”

Bedard received an ornamental apple and Wal-Mart gift card from Malone.

Academic/Financial reports

Pam Luttrell, director of special services, said the district received their official accountability summary distinguishing Stafford Elementary as a Recognized campus and the junior high/high school campus as Academically Acceptable.

Luttrell also presented the Performance-Based Monitoring Analysis System (PBMAS) report from 2006/2007 through Texas Education Agency (TEA).

She explained that a perfect score is zero. The highest score a district can make is a three. The district received three scores of two and no threes. The imperfect scores, she indicated, are based on over-identifying African-Americans and English as a Second Language (ESL).

Luttrell continued, “This rating is a great improvement and helps remove Italy from TEA’s monitoring list.”

She also presented an Adequate Yearly Progress Data Table (AYP). “Overall,” she said, “it’s a nice rating.”

“If you don’t meet AYP two years in a row, then you go to stage one of remediation as you get it up to standard,” she explained. There are three stages.

Malone said only 66% of the school districts in the state met the AYP standards. Italy’s results are in the pictured table.

Luttrell concluded, “We have seen these kids achieve more because we are out there pushing them more.”

David Wood, interim business manager, presented the financial report to the board.

The district realized more than 100% of its expected revenue. The revenue balance at the end of September was $5,752,114.77.

The board briefly discussed a rather large water bill. Malone said they had not been able to find any leaks. They instructed Malone to contact the City of Italy and find which meter reading was out of alignment.

Other business

The ISD enrollment as of Oct. 15 is 622 students. Refined average daily attendance (ADA) is 596.64 with 321.42 students at Stafford and 275.22 at the high school campus. Malone said that number exceeded the projected number by 15-16 students.

He also reported that the district has reached its maximum transfer for Anglos from Milford. He said the current transfer rate is 29.

The board canvassed votes and approved results from the recent TRE election.

A final vote was taken to change the board’s meeting location from the administration office to the band hall. The next board of trustees meeting is set for Monday, Nov. 17.

Board member Cheryl Owen was not present at the meeting.