Russell to lead Snyder Junior High School

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Snyder Intermediate School principal Jerry Russell has been named Snyder Junior High (School) Head of School.
The announcement was made by Dr. Alan Wimberley, Chief Education Architect for ResponsiveEd, this week as the company and Snyder ISD are formalizing plans for a partnership with ResponsiveEd for the 2020-21 school year.
“While a relationship between a nonprofit charter school company and a traditional school district would seem to be difficult at best, the educators in the community are carving a new path, and forging fresh ground, for other educators to follow,” Wimberley said in a press release. 
Other deans at Snyder Junior High School will be Dean of Academics Rebecca Mebane, Dean of Operations Joshua Parker, Dean of Instruction Brittany Arellano, Dean of Students Dr. Keith Parker, Dean of Athletics Garrett Tiner and Dean of Premier Academy Seth Summers.
A Dean of Academic Advising will be announced at a later date.
“From day one, I genuinely know that Snyder educators will resolve Snyder issues,” Wimberley said. “However, I’m also proud to lead in this effort because the educators and community here are already making me feel welcomed and I’m excited to commit all of my energy and time to be in Snyder.”
Wimberley said the deans will manage the daily academic and operations of the campus and that he will serve as the education architect and will focus on the instructional and learning capacity of the school.
The junior high campus will implement the IQ Precision Mastery Learning System which will leverage the best of teachers and technology to offer students the most optimum learning environment possible.
Russell said he welcomes the new approach.
“ResponsiveEd will bring a fresh, successful, proven system of education that will be a roadmap for the future and a template for the best we can offer for future generations,” he said. 


School Board meets
At their meeting Thursday evening, the Snyder ISD school board tabled the only item of new business, which would have authorized ResponsiveEd as the district’s innovative partner. Delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have delayed development of the contract between the two entities.
“We were hoping to have a contract to approve, but everything’s been delayed with the COVID-19,” said Superintendent Dr. Eddie Bland. “We have a first draft of the contract from ResponsiveEd. We have shared that with legal counsel, and we should have a counterproposal draft by early next week that we will submit to ResponsiveEd.” 
Bland said that the initial deadline from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for submitting the application for the partnership, including the contract, was March 31.
“They have extended that to the end of April now,” he said.
The school board approved several consent agenda items during the meeting, including one- and two-year contract extensions for district-level administrators, campus-level administrators; a probationary contract offer to a Michael Widenor, a prospective teacher/coach from Bandera; minutes of the Feb. 13 and Feb. 27 school board meetings; finance reports and accounts payable; a request to TEA for reimbursement of an ad valorem tax credit provided to Scurry County Wind LP; cancelation of the 2020 school board election because incumbents are running unopposed; approval of purchase of three 72-passenger buses at no more than $355,000, two 14-passenger buses at no more than $135,000, two ag pickup trucks at no more than $38,000 for one and no more than $11,000 plus a trade-in pickup for the other; approval of contracts for Erate caching equipment at $3,995 for a one-year contract on a server, $148 and $165 per month for cable modems at DAEP, Stanfield and the maintenance building, $451 for internet access and $168,585, discounted to $33,717 through an 80 percent discount from Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC); approval of the 2020-2021 school calendar; and approval of a resolution allowing the superintendent to make critical timely decisions related to employee compensation during the COVID-19 crisis.
During the meeting, Bland provided an update on the district’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He reported that people taking advantage of the district’s meal program has increased over the four days since it started.
“The first day we had about 500 meals, the next two days in the 700s, and today (Thursday) we went to 824,” he said. 
The district has enrolled six new students since the pandemic closed campuses, he added.