By DAVID MAMARIL HOROWITZ
david.horowitz@bgdailynews.com

The Bowling Green Independent School District Board of Education on Monday evening evaluated Superintendent Gary Fields, authorized creating a director of alternative programs and safety position and approved the district’s proposed committee members for its Comprehensive District Improvement Plan.

The board unanimously gave the OKs on these and all other agenda items at its Monday meeting.

The board determined that Fields this last year has proven exemplary across cultural, managerial and collaborative leadership, the board’s three categories of focus.

“He exceeds the standards identified in this report and has established himself not only as a leader in our district, but as a statewide educational leader,” Board Chair Michael Bishop read from the evaluation.

The new position – director of alternative programs and safety – will oversee alternative educational programs and all school safety initiatives, Fields said.

BGISD provides such educational programs for students homebound for medical reasons and at the Juvenile Detention Center, the crisis stabilization unit and the Compass Academy of the Bowling Green Learning Center, according to Fields.

These roles have fallen under the purview of Director of Pupil Personnel D.G. Sherrill. His areas of management include school attendance policies; court referrals; the Court Designated Worker Office; and administrative teams, teachers and staff supporting students who experience difficulty attending school.

“Some of his responsibilities have increased,” Fields said. “He has mental health counselors. He has family resource counselors … We had put too much on that one position. So, it’s just a way to get some of those responsibilities in the hands of someone who can devote all their time to those things.”

Fields said BGISD wants to place someone in the new position by Jan. 1.

Also, BGISD selected more than a dozen committee members for its Comprehensive District Improvement Plan, for which the district passed a framework in 2023 to last three years – with three overall goals related to academic achievement, equity and community.

With Director of Instructional Programs Darlene Porter as the lead administrator, the committee will “review goals and progress to develop an annual goal,” BGISD Director of Communications Leslie McCoy said.

In the 2023-established framework, the academic goal is to raise student achievement “through effective alignment of the preschool-12th grade curriculum,” McCoy said. This, she said, includes “strategies to increase proficiency for all students in math, reading, science and social studies.”

The goal of equity refers to “increas(ing) student achievement and reduc(ing) achievement gaps by identifying and addressing inequities across student programming and services,” according to the district framework.

And, the community goal entails “creat(ing) and sustain(ing) a school culture among students and staff that supports each group to excel and achieve at high levels,” according to the framework.

Fields also said Monday he anticipates hiring a fifth school resource officer in December.