Round Rock ISD names new district administrators

During its May 17 meeting, the Round Rock ISD board named the new Great Oaks Elementary School principal and a deputy superintendent for instruction and administration.

Heath Frazer will replace Jana Stowe as principal for Great Oaks, 16455 Great Oaks Drive. He previously was assistant principal at Callison Elementary School in Round Rock.

Coming from Houston ISD, Martha Salazar-Zamora will be the deputy superintendent for instruction and administration. She most recently held the title of assistant superintendent of school support services in Houston.

Boards reject proposal to pull bus routes off hazardous service list

Trustees voted against removing nine bus routes from the hazardous service list, which would have saved Round Rock ISD $170,000.

"It's not worth the savings if one child is injured," trustee Terri Romere said.

Instead, the board elected to approve adding three routes to the list that will affect Anderson Mill Elementary, Grisham Middle and Westwood High schools from south of Pecan Park Boulevard to include the Extended Stay motel on Research Boulevard just north of Pecan Park. Each route costs about $17,000.

The district buses any student that lives farther than 2 miles from his or her school. The district will only bus students within that 2 miles if the students lives along a designated hazardous route.

Trustees had concerns that removing several routes would require students to cross A.W. Grimes Boulevard, which is a multilane street, and removing routes to several Title 1 campuses, which are those designated as economically disadvantaged and receive federal funding, and to areas where students live in apartments.

The routes that were on the table for removal would have eliminated bus service to several apartment complexes, including Las Brisas, Chandler Creek, Madison at Stone Creek, Polo Club, Hidden Timber, Vista Ridge and City North at Sunrise Ranch apartments.

"We've got a very low budget line item expense here, yet it's affecting, in my opinion, a large part of our mission that's getting these kids to school safely," trustee Bobby Seiferman said. "To me sometimes we just hit the wall on what we can cut. And I think this is it. There's a lot of apartments here."

Round Rock ISD employees to see 3 percent pay increase

Employees at Round Rock ISD will see 3 percent pay increases starting with the 2012-13 school year.

"I'm pleased that we are in the position we're in," trustee Catherine Hanna said. "I applaud once again the conservative fiscal approach that district has shown so that we are in a better position than many of the districts that really have been devastated by state cuts."

Teachers, librarians and registered nurses will see base salary start at $42,300, or a $1,500 increase. Counselors and other licensed professionals will start at $47,300, also a $1,500 increase. All other raises will be 3 percent for positions including coordinators and directors of various programs, assistant principals, principals, administrative assistants, custodians and food service.