BCISD MESSAGE: School board election canceled; April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

Recently, the Rotary Club of Burnet gave away more than $13,000 in community grants to local nonprofit and service organizations. As a member of Rotary, I am very proud of its community grants, and it is another reason you can add to my list of why I love living and working in Burnet. This community gives back to its residents, and there are hundreds of volunteers working to serve people in need.

Kudos to Rotary for helping these organizations and a big thank-you to the local nonprofits and service organizations that exemplify the Rotary motto: “Service Above Self.”

About this time each year, I normally would remind readers about the upcoming school board election, but that won’t be happening this year. Due to only one candidate filing in each place for the Burnet Consolidated Independent School District election, the Board of Trustees approved the Order of Cancellation and the Certification of Unopposed Candidates at its special meeting March 5. Incumbents Angela Moore (Place 2) and Robby Robertson (Place 6) and new board member Ross Behrens (Place 4) will be sworn in at the regular meeting May 21.

During the April 16 board meeting, I will have the opportunity to recognize outgoing board member Jeff Hullum, a 1978 graduate of Burnet High School, for his outstanding service to the Burnet school district. Mr. Hullum served on the board from 1998-2005 then again from 2009 until now. There is no doubting his love for Burnet and the Bulldogs. His leadership and contributions to the board will be greatly missed.

As he says, “I take great pride in building and promoting a school system that is the backbone of this city. I want what is best for all students that come through our school system. If I can be a part of this process and help all students along the way, I feel that being on the school board is the place to do it.”

It is easy to take for granted the outstanding leadership, vision, and oversight provided by the BCISD Board of Trustees. As a team, members quietly spend countless hours doing their work on behalf of staff and students. I have a front-row seat to this, and having worked with other boards in other districts, I want our community to know how lucky we are to have these men and women serving as school trustees. For this reason, the BCISD Board of Trustees is being nominated for the 2018 Texas Association of School Administrators School Board of the Year Award, a well-deserved honor.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and a time to celebrate the important role communities play in protecting children. Everyone’s participation is critical. Focusing on ways to build and promote the protective factors, in every interaction with children and families, is the best thing our community can do to prevent child maltreatment and promote optimal child development.

We are lucky that Burnet has the Hill Country Children’s Advocacy Center as a resource to help prevent child abuse and support families that have been victimized by child abuse. To learn more about the center, go to hccac.org.

Finally, this past weekend, I completed the nine-month Thompson Executive Leadership Institute Superintendent Academy. The scholarship I received to attend the academy paid for all academic costs, including a field trip to attend leadership development sessions at Columbia University and visits to several New York City schools. During the academy, I regularly met other superintendents, attended an educational visioning conference, and, throughout the process, was challenged to look at old problems in new ways. It was an outstanding professional development opportunity that has helped me be a better leader. I appreciate the support from the Board of Trustees to attend the academy each month, and I look forward to applying what I have learned in the years to come.

Keith McBurnett is the superintendent for Burnet Consolidated Independent School District. Go to burnetcisd.net for more information.