Rivera said the schools with the highest energy consumption were Alton Memorial Junior High ($449 per student), Marcell Elementary ($227 per student) and Mission High School ($222 per student). Rivera told the board that a special heavy-duty material that shades glass and blocks 90 percent of the sun’s heat is being installed in schools that have glass entrances.
Leal Elementary had one of the lowest energy consumption levels at $94 per student. Rivera said one of the things this school had for energy savings was a switch that turned off the lights in the parking lots on nights when the school would not be in use. Rivera said using these switches on other campuses would help with energy savings around the district.
Rivera also recommended using new fluorescent bulbs, known to save energy on walkways at Mims and Bryan Elementaries.
Other recommendations, such as placing computers on sleep mode after hours and consolidating more summer schools would save energy for the district.
Setting air conditioning temperatures at 75 degrees for cooling and 70 for heating in all occupied areas would help keep bills down.
The board also considered naming of two new schools in the district. The current policy states that the person a school is named for must have done something beneficial for the children of the district.
A discussion of proposed names for the two new schools currently under construction was held with input from the school naming committee appointed by the district.
One suggestion was that the new middle school be named for W.H. Spinks, who taught in Alton from 1951 to 1954. He was then appointed superintendent of the Alton Independent School District and served in that capacity until 1972. When there was a teacher shortage he doubled as a classroom teacher. At some point after his retirement, Alton ISD became part of the Mission CISD.
Another suggestion was that the school be named in honor of Ralph Cantu, a former superintendent of MCISD.
It was suggested the elementary school be named Spinks Elementary and the middle school be named Cantu Middle School because it would be confusing to have two Cantu Elementaries in the same district.
Another suggestion was that Alton Elementary be renamed Spinks Elementary since it was a part of the Alton district where Spinks was superintendent.
No final decision was made. The board then held a lengthy discussion on the policy of who is selected to have interviews for positions in the district. Board members stated they received complaints from people who applied for jobs but were not called for interviews.
Assistant Superintendent Elizabeth Garza explained that all applications received by human resources are given to a committee for consideration, even those who do not have the qualifications for the position. The committee then ranks them and makes recommendations on who should be considered.
Board members said reviewing the applications of those who did not qualify was a waste of the committee’s time. Otherwise, they were happy with the way the interview process was presented.
The board also looked at financial matters in a special meeting that followed the policy committee. One question posed by Board President Raymond Longoria, was why a local driving school, that paid taxes in Mission, was not considered for student driver education.
He was told the district had used the same firm for the past 15 years. The school provides a licensed instructor with the proper endorsements for the type of instruction required by the district.