Snyder trustees approves 2017-18 school calendar

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Thursday, the Snyder ISD board of trustees formally approved a 2017-18 calendar that gives students a little more time off while still providing state-mandated instruction time.

The next school year will begin Aug. 28 and, barring the district’s having to use bad weather days, the last day of class will be May 25, 2018.

New teachers will report to their “boot camp” indoctrination session Aug. 1-3, and teacher work days and in-service will follow the next two weeks.

The week immediately prior to the start of the school year will be devoted to the district’s “STAAR Camp,” in which students — who must apply to participate — can receive extra instruction on subjects covered in the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) standardized test. Other STAAR Camps will be held on Feb. 16 and Feb. 23, 2018.

The new schedule features the following holidays — Labor Day, Sept. 4; Columbus Day, Oct. 9; Thanksgiving, Nov. 20-24; Christmas, Dec. 21-Jan. 3; spring break, March 12-16; Good Friday, March 30; and Memorial Day, May 28.

Another built-in break for students is in October, when they will have a two-day “Fall Break” from Oct. 9-10.

Dr. Rachael McClain, chief academic officer for the school district, said a committee of administrators and teachers devised three possible school calendars, with the adopted schedule being the one they “strongly” endorsed.

Trustees also held a 90-minute closed session, after which they announced the following administrator contracts were renewed for the 2017-18 school year:

• Snyder Primary School: Canita Rhodes, principal; Kelly Anderson, assistant principal; and Rebecca Mebane, elementary instruction.

• Snyder Intermediate School: Jerry Russell, principal; and Katy Cade, assistant principal.

• Snyder Junior High School: Jorge Mendez Jr., principal; Traci Heflin, assistant principal; and Kenneth Rush, associate principal.

• Snyder High School: Chris Yeschke, principal; David Tate and Travis Gregory, assistant principals; Cory Mandell, athletic director; and Leticia McJimsey, special education.

• District administration: Dr. Randy Burks, deputy superintendent/financial officer; Clay Cade, maintenance and operations; Dr. Rachael McClain, academic officer; Jeffrey McGinnis, director of technology; and Kathy Scott, programs coordinator.

The following resignations were announced, teacher/coaches Ricky Shubert and Jeffrey Mathews; teachers Therese Landis and Cynthia Banner; and Snyder Primary assistant principal Valerie Yeschke.

In other business, trustees approved naming Fisher County AgriLife Extension Agent Nick Dixon as an adjunct faculty member and the alternative procurement methods for parking lot asphalt.