John P. Kelly
Boerne ISD 

We are excited to team up with the Hill Country Daily Bread, SAM's Kids, and a UTSA mentoring effort to provide comprehensive one-on-one mentoring to at risk students in grades 4-8. Dianne Benac and others secured a grant of almost $200,000 for the current school year - with possibilities for a two year extension. Boerne ISD will host portions of the program at Middle School North, Curington, and Fabra during the first year and will prepare for expansion to other campuses in years 2 and 3.  Research clearly shows that a one-on-one, meaningful relationship with an adult is the absolute best way to help needy children. Although our school district already has various mentoring programs in place, this comprehensive additional program should make a big difference. Community members interested in mentoring may want to call the Hill Country Daily Bread or my office.

By the time you read this, our Boerne High School band will have left to participate in an historic first by competing at the state championships. Our send-off Tuesday morning had the band's eight buses driving through Curington, BMSN, and Fabra on their way out of town with children and staff cheering them on at each stop. The band competed in the preliminaries at 1 p.m. at the Alamodome. There were a total of23 Texas bands performing.

The University Interscholastic League (UIL) collected enrollment numbers this month. We have 2,028 high school students in grades 9-12. In February 2008, UIL will announce re-alignment schedules for the next two years.  We'll find out whether Champion High is designated 5A or 4A. Two years ago, the cut-off for 5A was 1,986 students.  Thus it's likely that Champion High could be 5A for two years even though Boerne High School will re-open in August 2009 as a likely 3A campus. If all of this happens, Champion High would "return" to 4A status in August 2010. 

We receive more questions about the coming high schools than probably any other topic. Don Tillis (director of facilities), Stan Leech (athletic director) and I are giving informational talks this semester before each PTO in the district about this. We've already spoken to the Kendall, Fair Oaks Ranch and Cibolo Creek schools and will be speaking at the others soon. At these meetings, parents hear about school choice, future attendance boundaries, UIL rules affecting the high school, construction plans for both campuses, etc.

The Texas Department of Transportation committed (a year ago) to funding a traffic signal at the opening to the Champion campus on Highway 46 and funding a traffic signal and road improvements for the existing Boerne High School campus. We've just been told that TxDOT has lost some federal funding and must re-prioritize their projects. Our two projects are in jeopardy. We are working through channels to establish the absolute necessity for a signal at the new high school site by August 2008 - and at the existing high school by August 2009 (when it re-opens).

Construction of the new Boerne – Samuel V. Champion High School should be completed by April 2008.  This gives us several months to get the equipment, furniture, landscaping, etc. to that school before it opens in August 2008.  Probably the more critical timeline involves closing down Boerne High School on the last day of instruction in May 2008 – with a mere 14 months to get that school ready for its re-opening in August 2009.