Lamar Primary renamed to Rowena Johnson Primary

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The Sulphur Springs ISD school board met for their regularly scheduled meeting Monday for items such as special recognition of the class valedictorian and salutatorian, administering the oath of office to two incumbent trustees, proposal of storm damage repairs to the High school, and the renaming of Lamar Primary School to Rowena Johnson Primary School.

During Monday night’s meeting, the board approved changing the name of Lamar Primary School to Rowena Johnson Primary School. 

Rowena Johnson retired in June 2020 after 50 years of service to SSISD, including a stint from 1993 to 2020 at Lamar Primary as elementary principal. Johnson was the first African American elementary principal at SSISD. She died last summer.

At a special recognition for her retirement in June 2020, superintendent Mike Lamb presented Johnson with a plaque of appreciation for her 50 years of “loyal, dedicated service to public education.”

“That is such an amazing feat,” Lamb told Johnson. “You are an awesome lady. You have done incredible things, and we love you dearly.”

Matthew Harper was recognized as Valedictorian, and Kendall Little was recognized as the Salutatorian of the Class of 2021.

Sherry McGraw presented the board with a budget calendar for 2021, with future meetings scheduled in the summer.  

Board trustees Jason Dietze and Kerry Wright ran unopposed and were sworn in for another three year term on the board.

Board officers were elected as follows: president is Robert Cody, vice President is Craig Roberts and the board secretary is Jason Dietze. 

Approval was given for revisions to the Head Start Program’s budget as well as for the adoption of Frog Street Pre-K English and Spanish 2020 curriculum. 

The board approved a proposal for Stone Lake Contractors, Inc. to repair sheet rock that was damaged at the high school during the winter storm.

The board then considered adoption of policies and procedures for the Sulphur Springs “Safe and Supportive School Program Team.”

The Safe and Supportive School Program team would act as a threat assessment team to analyze individuals who make threats of violence or exhibit harmful, threatening, or violent behavior. They would then determine the risk level and an appropriate intervention plan. The team would serve as a safety net for the community and school by conducting fact based investigations and managing proper interventions who are at risk of injuring themselves or others. 

Assistant Superintendent Josh Williams presented the board an update on UIL Academic Competitions across the district. State medalists Haley Archer, Padraig Flannery, Matthew Harper and Kendall Little were present at the meeting and received recognition from the board. 

The board submitted an application to the TEA for a Missed School Day Waiver for the power outage at Barbara Bush Primary. 

The board created a campus identification number for the Austin Academic Center that will help with accountability purposes within the district.