Elgin ISD School Board Meeting - May 18, 2026

001It is 700 p.m. and I call this meeting of the Elgen Independent School District to order. I'd like to announce that there is a quorum of the board present that this meeting has been duly called and posted in the time and manner required by law. Next item will recite the pledge of allegiance. At this time, I'd like to ask Mr. Gagoni with the ACE department, and he's going to introduce our ACE students to lead us in the pledge. >> Good evening, Dr. Reutder, Mr. Mitchell, board members. Um, I have here um some of our um outstanding students. I have um um Adah Shakari from EIS, Danny Howard from PTW, Odessa Howard from NY, Mia Maldonado from EES, Klaya Steward from Harvard Reach, and Selia Munos from Trinity Ranch. The flag United States of America to

002the other indivisible and for One more. Oh, hold on. All right. Thank you. The next item on the agenda is public comment. Before we begin, I will remind our audience members the board's procedures for handling public comments. The public comment portion of our meeting is available to members of the public who wish to address an item on tonight's agenda. Anyone who wishes to speak during public comment must sign in prior to the start of the meeting and list the agenda item they want to discuss. Each public comment speaker will be allowed a maximum three minutes to address the board. Any public testimony speakers who require a translator will receive up to 10 minutes to address the board. The public comment portion of the meeting will allow all speakers who have signed up before the start

003of the meeting to address the board regarding an item on tonight's agenda. Please keep your comments and criticism civil and courteous. Please also avoid using profanity and refrain from making personal attacks on others during the opportunity to speak. Last, we ask that you not discuss students who are not your own child. If a speaker is seeking board resolution of a specific complaint, that concern should be addressed through the district's grievance process. District policy DGBA has been established for addressing employee complaints. Policy FPNG is the avenue for filing parent complaints and policy GF addresses community member complaints. Grievance forms can be obtained at any campus administration office or in the central administration office. Mrs. Wilson will be the timekeeper for this evening and she'll notify you at the minute mark. First speaker for this evening is

004Bana Munoz. Good evening, superintendent. My name is Viviana Mones, and currently I would like to talk about what y'all's plans are to get wrestling at Elgen High School. Um, I myself have reached out earlier in the school year um to talk about getting wrestling as a club as it's not UIL sanctioned here in Elgen. It's something that I very much enjoy. Um, I'm a two-year varsity wrestler from Houston. I placed at districts multiple times as well as I am a um regional qualifier and I started a club on my own. I have roughly 10 students who come weekly and we enjoy it. We have a good time and I've heard rumors about it becoming UIL sanctioned in 2028. And I was just wondering if there would be able to have any way to speed up

005that timeline as I will be graduating class of 2027 and I feel that it would be unfair to get the foot in the door to start a wrestling club, teach them the fundamentals as well as get people excited, interested in it without being able to experience it myself. We will address that but the administration don't answer those questions at this time. >> Yes sir. I understand. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Non please forgive me. I don't want to tear this name Kila. She'll correct me I'm sure. Hello. Good evening, superintendent and school board. Um, my name is Trisha Laya and um, I'm proudly uh, worked for this district for six years and I've been able to have the opportunity to raise my family and have them start here at Elen ISD. Um, one of

006the greatest reasons I've remained here at this uh, district is the child care support um, provided through the child development center. Having access to affordable and reliable child care has made it possible for me and other employees to continue serving this district while caring for our families. Uh the CDC has provided affordable tuition, nutritious breakfast and snacks and caring staff who support working families every day. Those supports have made a real difference for district employees like myself. Because of that, I want to respectfully share my concerns regarding the upcoming changes, specifically the uh tuition increase um that will also impact uh the nutritious uh breakfast and meals that's being provided that will no longer be provided by the CDC, that will be provided by the parent. Um per this notice, this it was sent back

007on May 1st. Um, I did take the steps at uh trying to reach out to the E, but I have not received any response back. I understand that operational costs are rising. However, from a parent and employee perspective, it is difficult to understand paying more while we're receiving less support. Um, meal and snacks have been a meaningful part um of the value families through the CDC, especially for working parents, balancing long hours and daily routines. As stakeholders who serve the district, many of us rely on the CDC because it supports our ability to continue showing up for students every day. Removing food services may appear small on paper, but for working families, it adds additional financial time and planning burdens on top of increased tuition cost. It simply I simply ask for greater transparency and

008consideration of employee friendly voice moving forward. I value this district and the CDC staff. >> Yeah. >> And I hope the district uh sorry I hope the needs of the district employees and the children continue to remain a priority in the future decisions. Um thank you for your time. I just wanted to express those concerns that I have. Thank you. >> Thank you Valerie Knight. Good evening, Mr. President, board of trustees, and Dr. Ritter. I am speaking tonight as well on behalf of the budget. There are things that are concerning that the community is not aware of. My particular subject tonight is in regards to communities and schools. Being in the workshop, I was able to hear that conversation. I did hear Dr. Carnegie say that they had feedback from principles. My concern is did

009you have feedback from staff? Did you have feedback from the communities? Elgen ISD communities and schools operates directly with Elgenists to remove non-academic barriers to education such as poverty, food insecurities, and mental health challenges. CIS provides wraparound support to keep vulnerable students engaged on track to not just graduate but to achieve in life which I believe Elgen ISD frequently states we want to graduate well-rounded students. Cutting CIS actually costs the districts more. CIS is a public partner private participation partnership. If I'm incorrect and that has changed, please educate me and let me know. But the district only pays for a fraction of the cost to sation a program manager. CI imp CIS impacts teacher workload and burnout goals. Elgen ISD's documented improvement goals which explicitly states student mental health behavior interventions and closing academic goals.

010With that said, if you cut this program, those crisises don't just disappear. They simply land on the desks of our already overwhelmed teachers and principles. Do not balance the budget on the backs of our most valuable students and staff. Please keep a CIS in Elgen ISD. Our first rating continues to drop and we can't just blame that on the fast growth. It's about how our taxpayer dollars are spent that directly impact our students. CIS directly impacts our students. Please keeping it in our schools. Thank you, >> Lauren. Canon. Good evening, Mr. President, members of the board, Dr. Ritter. My name is Lauren Cannon and tonight I'm speaking from personal experience and for many families in Elgen ISD who may not always have a voice in rooms like this. Communities and schools is not just another

011program in Elgen ISD. For many families, it is the difference between surviving and drowning. I know this because I lived it. When I became a new single mom, I was overwhelmed trying to hold everything together. I was working hard, doing everything I could for my children, and still wondering how I was going to make it all work. There were moments when I truly did not know how I was going to provide certain things for my that my children needed. Communities and schools stepped in during one of the hardest chapters of my life and helped my families in ways that I will never forget. They connected us with resources, support, and opportunities that I simply could not have afforded on my own at the time. More importantly, they gave me a piece of mind knowing my

012children were seen, supported, and cared for. Programs like CIS are not easy to talk about in numbers and budgets. But behind every number is a real family, a real child, and a real parent who is trying their best. The thought of communities and schools no longer being here for families in Elgen ISD is honestly heartbreaking. There are parents right now sitting in survival mode trying to keep food on the table, trying to keep their friends encouraged, their kids encouraged, and make sure they don't fall behind. CIS helps carry that burden when families cannot do it alone. Not every child has stability waiting for them at home, and not every parent has a support system. Communities and schools often becomes that support system. And the reality is if this program disappears, the needs of these families

013do not disappear with it. The struggles do not magically go away. The only difference is family lives. One of the few places they know they can turn to for help. Communities and schools matter because people matter. Families matter. Our students matter. And I can say with complete honesty that my own children's lives are be better because CIS was there when I needed them the most. Thank you. >> Thank you. This concludes the public comment portion of the agenda. Next item, recognition. Mr. Rodriguez. >> Good evening, President Mitchell, superintendent, members of the board. My name is Al Rodriguez. I'm your executive director of communications and community engagement. We have several recognitions tonight and we're going to begin with Miss Howard. Good evening, President Mitchell, Dr. Ritter, members of the board. My name is Maggie Howard, and

014I have the immense pleasure of serving this district as the director of CCMRCT and PE Tech. Tonight, I had the honor of presenting several students from career and technical student organizations at Elgen High School who qualified and competed at the state level. First, I'm proud to recognize Elizabeth Selenus for her outstanding accomplishments in automotive service technology through SkillsUSA Texas. Elizabeth made school history this year by earning first place in automotive service technology at the District 10 Skills USA competition in February. District 10 is the largest and most competitive district in the state. Her advancement marked the first time Elgen High School has advanced to the state level in automotive service technology event and the first time since 2018 that Elgen has advanced to a state skills USA competition in any event. At the State Skills

015USA Leadership Conference in Corpus Christi in April, Elizabeth competed against 26 of the top automotive students from across Texas, completing a demanding 4-hour contest featuring 12 automotive service and professionalism stations designed to test both technical skill and workplace readiness. Elizabeth delivered an impressive performance, finishing within approximately 27% of a perfect score in an exceptionally competitive field. She was also one of only two female competitors in the event, further highlighting her determination and commitment to excellence in a traditionally male-dominated industry. Although she narrowly missed qualification for the national contest, her performance reflected an outstanding level of preparation, dedication, and technical ability. Providing support, mentorship, and leadership this year is automotive instructor and Skills USA adviser Michael Silk. At the area 12 CDE contest held at Texas A&M University, the horse judging team earned a third place

016finish in the area and a first place finish. We get get them all up here. Yeah, get them all up here. >> Third place finish in area and first place finish in Star District. securing a qualifying spot at the state FFA career development event competition. Horse development challenges students knowledges of equin science and the horse industry as they evaluate and rank horse breeds based on characteristics, confirmation, and performance. Competitors also defend their placings through oral reasons presented to official judges and complete a comprehensive written exam. Horse judging team members here tonight are Kavanagh Ballard, Preston Moss, who placed 17th overall, and Hayden Winsel, who placed fifth overall out of 126 competitors. The Elgen FFA marketing plan team also recently competed at the state CD contest hosted by Sam Houston State University in April. The team

017developed and presented a comprehensive marketing plan for Coyote Creek Organic Feed Mill and Farm, applying real world business and agricultural marketing skill through a simulated client consultant experience. Competing against some of the top teams in Texas, the team finished just one point shy of advancing to the final round and earning a spot among the top 10 teams in the state. Those members, all of them are here tonight. Preston Moss, Nico Munz, and Camila Sandival. Also at the area 12 speaking development event held last Thursday, Nico earned a second place finish in the soil soil stewardship event, securing a spot at the state SDE contest taking place on June 1st. In this event, students are challenged to write and deliver a speech focused on agricultural conservation and the importance of reasonable land management practices and protecting

018natural resources. Nico speech focused on soil conservation and groundwater stewardship. And then also worthy of noting, following a rigorous election process against nine other candidates, Preston Moss was selected as the first vice president of Texas FFA area 12. We look forward to seeing him take on area leadership during the 2627 school year. These students dedicated countless hours to preparation this year and represented Elgen FFA with professionalism, leadership, and pride at every level of competition. And advising the state qualifying teams and individuals this year are FFA adviserss Becky Moss and Mattie Music. Wildcat Barbecue was proud to host a regional qualifier event last fall where two home teams competed to represent Wildcat Barbecue. Both teams earn placements across multiple categories and secure top five overall finishes, qualifying for the Texas High School Barbecue Championship this spring.

019State Advancing team members here tonight are Anna Susita, Katherine Rios, Bethany McKenzie, Melanie Rodriguez, and Ureli Ardondo. The Wildcats delivered an impressive regional performance, earning two top three finishes in ribeye steak, including one regional championship title, along with a second place finish in ribs and five additional top five category finishes in grilled cheese, chicken, and Dutch oven upside down cake. At the state contest held in Burnett on May 2nd, the Wildcats once again showcased their talent and competitiveness, finishing 39th overall among nearly 90 Texas teams. They earned a qualifying spot at the national high school barbecue competition taking place next month in the colony, solidifying their place among the top 100 high school barbecue teams in the nation. Now in only their third year of competition and having advanced the state all three years, Wildcat

020Barbecue continues to demonstrate remarkable dedication, skill, and teamwork under the leadership of barbecue coach and food science instructor Mattie Music. Hey, it's awesome. Finally, I'm proud to recognize the accomplishments of our Wildcat welders for an outstanding inaugural season, competing as an official club in the Texas High School Welding Series. Throughout the year, these welders competed in multiple regional qualifier events and successfully earned advancement to the state competition. Here tonight are Degan Smith, Jovon Vara, William Velasquez, Juan Medina, Edwin Zuniga, and Michael Pardinz. Together, these students achieved remarkable success throughout the season, earning a combined $52,000 in scholarships, securing 19 industry recognized welding certifications, and recording 10 top 10 contest placements. At the state competition held this month in Abalene, students competed against nearly 600 qualifying welders from across Texas in the D9.1 3F lap weld

021certification event. Competitors were challenged to demonstrate advanced welding precision and technique for the opportunity to place among the top 20 and advance to a second round competition for a chance to earn a top three title. William Velasquez, Michael Cardinz, and Juan Medina successfully passed the certification weld earning the industry certification and Dean Smith earned a place among the top 20 competitors in the state advancing to the day two events where he competed in advanced pipeto-late vertical weld challenge. In addition to the certification weld contest, Dean Smith placed fifth in the torch cutting contest and Jovon Bar earned fourth place in the AWP knowledge exam. In their very first year competing as an official club, these students have already established a highly competitive and accomplished program. Their success reflects countless hours of hard work, technical training,

022commitment to excellence, and the expertise and leadership from their adviserss, Andrew Buckler, who could not attend tonight, Brighton Buchanan and Joshua. Congratulations to all these students and advisers for their exceptional competitive seasons. We can look forward to continued success from these teams in the years ahead. A lot of hands to shake tonight. Good evening, President Mitchell, Dr. Ritter, and the board. My name is Jens Anderson, athletic director for Elgen ISD. I have the privilege tonight to recognize our academic all-state recipients for our winter and spring sports. You guys can come on out at this time. If anybody has shown up a little bit late, you can join us on the stage as well. The following members of our athletic program met the requirements to be recognized as academic all state. The qualifications include being a

023senior who is in good standing with the athletic program, having an overall high school GPA of 92 or above, as well as the consideration of class rank and ACT and SAT scores. We're extremely proud of all of our athletes, trainers, and managers who have achieved this honor and are pleased to recognize them here tonight. When your name is read, folks, you can kind of stand forward and give a smile and a wave. Wyatt Brockmire, second team, tennis and golf. Ethan Weiser, honorable mention, tennis. Javon Nash, honorable mention, boys basketball. Shrebinique Williams, second team girls basketball and girls track. Trinity Martinez, honorable mention, girls basketball and softball. Julian Vasquez, second team, boys soccer. Jason Galia, second team boys soccer. Aurelio Mononttoya, honorable mention, boys soccer. Eric Portillo, honorable mention, boys soccer. Camila Munoz, second team, girls

024soccer. Maya Compano, second team, girls soccer. Liliana Geron, honorable mention, girls soccer. Camila Perez, honorable mention, girls soccer. Bianca Galindo, first team softball. Julia Price, honorable mention softball. Benjamin Canton, first team boys track. Matthew Ko, first team boys track. Xavier Seday, second team boys track. Angel Castanada Aguiar, second team boys track. Legacy William, honorable mention, girls track. Zer Clemens, honorable mention, girls track. Bella Dejas, honorable mention, girls track. Kaya Fields, honorable mention, girls track. Paloma Ortiz, second team golf. And Sebastian Monroy, second team boys powerlifting. Sorry. The next group I have the privilege to recognize are our regional qualifies qualifiers. for boys and girls track. You guys can come on out. Some of them are happening to go all the way around here. They were just up here for academic all state. These athletes worked

025extremely hard this season and truly made us proud on the track. Run fast and turn left. We also have some of our coaches joining us here tonight. Run fast and turn left right. Good job. Push recognition is to Mr. Matthew Ko who qualified for regional track in the 3200 which is two miles which long ways to run and turn left. Matthew had a PR on the season of 9332 and finished in seventh place at regionals. Matthew Ko there you go. Next is our girls 4x100 meter relay consisting of Zire Clemens, Avery Rodman, Heaven Crawford, Tamara Walker and alternates Royal Brown and Bella Nejos. The relay qualified for the from the area meet in regionals with a fourth place finish and a time of 50.26 seconds. And finally, yeah, there you go. We'll clap for him

026every time. And finally, Miss Tamro Walker also qualified for regionals in 100 meter dash having secured first place in the district meet a couple of weeks prior with a season best time and for everything we can find at minimum tie the school record of 12.24 seconds in 100 meter. It's a walking Also joining us on the stage are head girls track coach Caleb Cone, head boys track coach Charles Hodgej, and assistant coaches Hope Pollock and Jessica Stone. Shake hands cuz baby. Good evening, President Mitchell, Dr. Ritter, and members of the board. I am Dr. Bianca Viala Er, coordinator of dual credit programs and early college high school. And tonight, Elgen High School is proud to recognize six outstanding early college high school students who recently represented Elgen ISD and Austin Community College through an exceptional

027college level research project completed in their English 1302 course. So the students are Aurelia Guerrero, Caitlyn Schultz, Zoe Nunnery, Sky Odinario, Alexa Perez, and Stephania Giharo. Their research project was titled Austin's Addiction: Exploring the Drug Problem in Austin, Texas, and it was accepted into a prestigious Austin Community College student research symposium where they presented their findings on April 25th at ACC Highlands. What made this project extremely special was they were the only high school students at that symposium amongst traditional adult ACC students. Guided by the research question, how does drug abuse affect individuals and communities? Each student conducted extensive research and interviewed a community member to better understand the causes, consequence consequences, and broader societal implications of substance abuse. Their work explored several critical themes including dangers and consequences of drug abuse, the importance of

028a strong and supportive community and the effects of ostri ostracization and stigma on individuals struggling with addiction and the impact of societal corruption on the distribution of drugs. Students also examined the factors that can lead individuals toward substance abuse and proposed ways society can help mitigate this growing issue through education, prevention, advocacy, and compassionate support. As a part of their presentation, they provided the audience members with a wealth of resources for individuals and families affected by addiction, including treatment and counseling services, as well as organizations where community members can donate or volunteer to support recovery efforts. These students conducted their research using a structure that very closely mirrors the methodology and format commonly used in a master's thesis or doctoral dissertation. They accomplished this level of scholarship as high school juniors, demonstrating extraordinary maturity, yes,

029critical thinking and academic rigor. Their work gives us great hope for the future advocates, researchers, and leaders they are becoming. Please join me in congratulating these students and their outstanding academic achievements. No. Hey, I'm going to step in for Mr. Reyes who couldn't be here tonight. So, I have his prepared uh speech for you. Hopefully, I can do it better than him. We'll see. Good evening. I'm proud to share some exciting news that reflects the the heart of who we are as a district. In early April, Elgen ISD was named a capturing kids hearts national showcase district. The highest recognition award by the organization or school for school systems demonstrate exceptional culture, strong relationships, and a deep commitment to students. The honor is especially meaningful because it comes just three years after we begin our

030partnership with capturing kids hearts. In a relatively short time, our staff has embraced the work in a way that clearly is making a difference in our students. To put this in perspective, only about 30% of participating districts nationwide receive this distinction. That places Elgenistd among a select group of districts across the country that that are leading the way in building positive student centered learning environments. In addition to the district res recognition, six of our campuses were also honored with national level implementation awards. Booker T. Washington, Elgen Elementary, Harvest Ridge, Naidig Elementary, and Elgen Armed all received the showcase award. Trinity Ranch Elementary received a rising star award. I'd like to pause here for a second to recognize the leaders, teachers, and staff at each of these campuses. Their recognition is a direct result direct result

031of their daily commitment to students. At its core, capturing kids hearts is about one simple idea. Relationships come first. When students feel seen, valued, and supported, they are more engaged, more confident, and more successful, not just academically, but as individuals prepared for, quote, the open essentials of life beyond school. This work directly aligns with our district priorities and reflects the culture of what we want in every classroom and every campus. I want to thank our board of for your support and for this work and to our staff for bringing it to life each and every day for our students. Thank you, Mr. Rates. >> Good evening, President Mitchell, Dr. Ritter, members of the board. We're proud to recognize the teachers in Elgen who have earned designations to the Texas Teacher Incentive Aotment. This distinction represents

032more than a title. Earning a TIA designation requires demonstrated excellence measured through classroom observations and documented student growth. The three levels of designation are recognized, exemplary, and masters and are earned through our locally approved designation system. These levels represent the highest levels of teacher effectiveness in the state. I'd like to start by acknowledging our recognized teachers. Margarita Almazan, Leia Anderson, Joanna Ba, Emily Bran, Kimberly Carlin, Zena Casales, Tessa Joiner, Jacqueline Mcunas, Taylor Pakornney, Alba Keros de Corona, Amber Ribera, and Mindy Torres. These teachers represent or are part of the top 33% performing teachers in Texas. Now I'd like to present our exemplary teachers, Dorothia Amanda Casides, Emily Conrad, Crystal Contreras, Loose Echarta, Christina Gera, Christine Hernandez, Hazel Humphre, Alex Lungren, Monica Martinez, Cynthia Nicks, Jose Padia, Annabelle Rios, Martha Solless, Tina Terrell, and Amy Wells.

033These teachers are among the top 20% in the state of Texas. And finally, I'd like to present our master teachers, Janette Courtourtney, Caitlyn Culp, Anna Fencil, Jessica Garza, Michelle Gonzalez, Dagmar Hansen, Ashley Richardson, Kimberly Rodman, and Aaron Tetro. These teachers are among the top 5% in the state of Texas. These teachers earn these designations based on the 2425 data. We will sub be submitting our 2526 data in October to TEA and we will bring you a whole new group of teachers next year this time. Thank you. I was trying to get her to walk this way, but she decided to go down the Emily White would present our one town, one dream award. Good evening, President Mitchell and Superintendent Rutder and members of the board. This evening, we are celebrating our uh one team wondering

034recognition. As you know, our theme this year for the 2526 school year has been we're all in this together. And each month we've been recognizing someone who meets that qualification. Our first honore tonight comes from Harvest Ridge Principal Megan Worley. And she says that Joanna Smith, the librarian at Trinity Ranch Elementary, truly exemplifies the spirit of Elgen ISD's one team, one dream award. Mrs. Smith has taken Harvest Ridge Elementary under her wing and has been purchasing books, helping their library in a variety of ways. She supports them by helping purchase books, working with vendors, and ensuring that they receive important communication and all kinds of resources. Congratulations to Joanna Smith. Our next honore comes from Maggie Howard, our director of CTE, CCMR, and PE Tech, who says that Bo Godfrey, a United States Air Force

035veteran and chairman of the Basser County Cruisers, exemplifies the spirit of we're all in this together through his strong advocacy and support for students and programs at Elgen High School. In his leadership role, he actively champions the automotive program and the National Naval Defense Corps of Cadetses, fostering career readiness, leadership, and community connection. Congratulations to Bo Godfrey. That concludes our recognitions for the event. >> Thank you. Wonderful round of recognition. Let's give a wonderful round of applause. All right. Next item, action items and business regarding the May 2nd, 2026 board of trustees election, the issuance of certificate of election and signing statement of offices and then the swearing in the new elected board of trustees. >> Uh I have a question. Did you have the canvas of the votes? >> Okay. The two members that

036came as the votes were Mr. Vega and Cheryl Reese. >> You can do that. >> Yes. >> My question is that >> just verifying what the votes that were turned in. >> Mrs. Martin, what's your name? from county and then I spreadsheet as well. >> Yeah, it's usually two board members, right? >> Yeah. >> But it's so it is legal to have to for a board member to canvas even though they're on the election. I just want to make sure that we are clean. >> Yes, ma'am. >> We appreciate your question. Thank you. >> This is Martin. Good evening, President Mitchell, Dr. Ritter, board of trustees. My name is Melanie Martin. I'm the executive assistant to the superintendent at school board. Um, at this time, I'd like to ask Mr. Mitchell and Miss Reese, please

037come over to the stage or some official documents that need to be signed before we can get them sworn in. >> Mr. Mr. Mitchell, if you could please sign the two certificates of election there on the top for yourself and for Miss Ree, Please. After that, there is the statement of officer for each of you to sign, please. Thank you, ma'am. Okay. At this time, we will swear in the newly elected trustees. Trustees, please raise your right hand. Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I state your name. do solemnly swear >> do solemnly swear >> that I will faithfully execute the duties >> that I will faith faithfully execute the duties >> of the office of the Elgen ISD board of trustees >> of the office of the Elgen ISD board of

038trustees >> of the state of Texas >> and will to the best of my ability >> preserve protect and defend >> the Constitution and laws of the United States >> the Constitution and of the United States >> and of this state. So help me God. >> Congratulations, Mr. Mitchell and Miss Ree. Thank you. Yes. At this time, we'll turn it over to Dr. >> The floor is now open for nominations for board president. >> I nominate Byron Mitchell for board president. Fire Mitchell has been nominated for the office of president. Are there any other any further nominations for the office of president? Then if not nominations are closed. All in favor of Byron Mitchell as board president raise your hand. Say I. I. All oppose. Byron Mitchell is elected president. Congratulations. >> Thank you. >>

039At this time, the floor is now open for nominations for board vice president. Tanisha has been nominated for vice president. Are there any other nominations? Nominations are closed. All in favor of Tanisha Wilson as board vice president, please respond by I and raising your hands. Well, >> any opposition? >> Motion passes 70. Congratulations, Mrs. Wilson. Next, uh the floor is now open for nominations for board secretary. >> I nominate Cheryl Reese. She's done a great job this year. The nominations for Cheryl Reese. Are there any other nominations? Not nominations have closed. All in favor respond by I and the raising of your right hand. No closing. Motion passes seven. Mrs. Reese and then finally the floor is now open for nominations for board parliamentary. >> I nominate Mr. Barry Barker. Nominations for Mr. Barry Barker.

040Are there any other nominations? Nominations are closed. All in favor respond by I the raising of your right hand. >> I opposes motion passes no. Congratulations. This completes the reorganation of the board this evening. Thank you. Next item, we're calling for approval of the minutes of the April 20th 26 board workshop and regular meetings, the May 1st, 2026 special call meeting, and the May 13th call special call meeting. >> I make a motion that those meeting minutes be accepted. >> Motion by Mrs. Ree, second by Mr. Ber. Any question? All in favor said motion, please raise your right hand. Any opposers? Motion passes 70. Thank you. Uh, next item, superintendent report. >> Right. Um we are excited to say at our Wildcat welcome that we held for elementary roundup um we have already enrolled 170

041new students to Elgen ISD. excited to welcome those little guys into our schools. And it was a very successful Wildcat welcome where families were able to come and get get a shirt and visit the campus and get to meet with staff, the principles, and send teachers there and just really give them an opportunity to feel very welcome at their new campuses. So, we're we're this is always an exciting time when we have those new families moving in and coming to our schools. And this includes like our prek and kinder their first time in school. Next, we got to uh celebrate our seniors these past few weeks. It's been amazing. All of our senior celebrations and one of them was signing day. We had signing day for our Wildcat athletes. We had some students who were

042going for um different sports and get to go play at the college level. We also had signing day for our students who are going and serving in the military and who are also going for uh performing arts and other scholarship opportunities on in their universities that they have chosen. It was a great exciting opportunity for them to be celebrated and we thank you to Miss Staples and her staff for making it such a special time for those kids. >> Yeah. Next, we had our Elgen High School academic awards. Our students collectively received over $7 million, although I think that might have even been higher than that. I think it was like $9 million um in scholarships. At the academics awards ceremony, and this is where our students received their scholarships and were uh acknowledged and

043celebrated for the scholarships that they have received for academic recognition. And we also had lots of community support and those folks who from our community who were there to present those scholarship awards, many of you in this room. And so we can't say enough about what a great event this is and a great time to celebrate our kids. And we so appreciate all of the um support with scholarship money that our community has has collected for our kids. And they're really looking forward to using that scholarship money where they're going to go in their next stage. So, we're happy for those kiddos. We also had um the academic recogn recognition ceremony for our top 10%. This was the event in which our Elgen Education Foundation, who we thank so much for supporting and sponsoring this,

044and our students all got some scholarship money from EEF. And they got to invite um one significant adult from their past through their K through 12 journey in Elgen ISD. And they got to invite that significant adult to join them on the stage. the adult received a great framed picture of the student and the adult with something that the student had written about them and we read those off and it was just a really special event. So again, thanks to Elgen High School for a great event and we got to hold these so much of this in our view auditorium. Boy, that is special right there. How great to have that to have that facility to celebrate our kids. So another great event. Next, we had um uh teacher appreciation week was this past week

045with lots of celebrations across the district at all of our schools. And we can't say enough. It was great. It was great to honor our teacher incentive a lotment teachers tonight. But we're so appreciative of all of our teachers and the hard work that they put in for our students. Just lots of commitment, dedication, and sacrifice. And we thank all of our teachers for their hard work and what they do for our kids in Milan. We were able to have our Elgen number six elementary community meeting and received lots of great feedback from parents and community members who attended and were able to see um some initial uh layouts of a new campus that's going to be uh going up in Elgen soon. It's our next elementary school, number six, if you can believe it.

046And the Lone Farm community is where that is going to be built. Um, and so they also got to select and vote on some different aspect or concepts, I guess, of what the school externally would look like and what kinds of things they liked about the school. We had lots of participation in staff and some parents. It was just a really good activity for everyone to participate in. So, more on that as we continue that design process for the new elementary school that's coming. Next, we had ACC graduation and the chancellor's reception. This is celebrating those kids who um have already graduated. They get this degree before they graduated from Elgen High School. So, they've already graduated from ACC. And it was a phenomenal both two different evenings, but phenomenal evenings to celebrate these kids.

047We are very proud of our students in our early college high school program and our PEK welding and our students who have the four years of hard work dedication and it really pays off and we're very very proud of these kiddos. And looking ahead, we have our Phoenix High School graduation on May 21st um in our auditorium. our end of year ceremony for all staff where we will be highlighting all of our staff and different awards, retirees and years of service, teachers of the year and employees of the year for different departments and those will be held in our new auditorium. Our Elgen High School graduation at Shoreline on May 22nd, Friday night this week and then we're closed for Memorial Day and summer school starts June 1st. So I saw him pulling together supplies

048for summer school today. I believe that's already time. So, an exciting time for all of us and we wish all of our students and families a safe and restful summer. Lastly, our enrollment, our current enrollment is 6,171 students. Still growing and we're welcoming those kids every single day. Looking forward to all of them that are going to be joining our district. Thank you. >> Next item is the president's report. The only thing I'll have because um there'll be an event going on before our next meeting. We will be celebrating Yogen Junth on June the 11th through the 13th. Uh so we invite the community to come out for that. It's always lots of fun, food and music. So and uh as far as the board members are, anybody reporting on anything or any committees that

049they've served on prior to this meeting? So, a couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting with Miss Staples at the high school for a few hours, meeting with some of the teachers and some of the students, and it was so rewarding because what it did, like this can get really political fast. It's just the nature of the business that we do, right? But it reminded me of why I decided to run, right? It grounded me and it's always students first. And so, it was great to be able to see that and see some of the kids that I see out in the community and and run up to me like, "What are you doing here?" And I was like, "Watching. I'm always watching and seeing what y'all are doing, but doing amazing

050things at the high school as as all of our schools are. But I do encourage our board members, if you have an opportunity, um get with the principles, see if you can spend some time at the school just seeing this is our why. This is why we're here. So, I really enjoyed that. I thank you, Miss Staples, for that. >> Thank you. >> Anyone else? >> All right, this concludes the president's report. We'll move to the consent agenda. >> I'm sorry. >> Sorry. Go ahead. >> Oh, being asked to approve tax report refunds and adjustments for April 2026. Approve financial statement and budget amendment listing for April 2026. Approve investment report for April 2026. Approve budget amendments for the 12 months ending June 30th, 2026. Approve the designation of the officer of the 2026 tax

051rate calculations. Approve purchases greater than $50,000. Uh, consider approval of a contract with Panorama Education for the MTSS student database for 2026 27. Consider approval of a contract with same goal for use with compliance and documentation for special programs for 2026 2027 districtwide phone system. Uh, consideration and approval of wastewater connection contract. Uh, RFP 2026-12 special program services. Approval of purchase of two vehicles for CTE. Approval of the purchase of a rescue utility truck for transportation services. Approve staffing recommendations. Consider approval of electric easement at Elvin Elementary. Consider approval of waterline easement for Legacy Oak Middle School. And consider approval of resolution declaring former church sites as surplus property. That comprises the consent agenda. Are there any questions? I had a question on uh Panorama. I wanted to find out what system are we currently

052using to document that data >> that so currently we are using Panorama. We just finished up a contract with them that I believe was a five-year contract. It may have been four. It was either a four or five year contract that ends this year in 2526. Previously, we had contracted with them for surveys for students, families, and staff as well as our MTSS database. After getting feedback from our our campus principles and talking um at the cabinet level, we believe we can do the surveys inhouse at a much lower cost. So, we do no we no longer have the surveys on the approval list. So, with Panorama, we will only be renewing the MTSS database portion. which would you go ahead and tell us what the MTSS part is? >> Thank you. Yes, I will.

053It is a multi-tered systems of support. So any student who um maybe needs a little bit of extra support to meet the grade level expectations has information in this database where teachers work to set goals for the student. They document what interventions they'll be using in order to help those students reach those goals and then we use it to track and see if those interventions are working and if they're not then what are we going to do differently? >> Okay. So then um the other question I had about that uh data is at the end of a contract um if we decide not to go back with them, how would we get our data or would they keep our data? We would get it in a download. Um just I I don't know that I

054can speak to pain specifically because I haven't asked that question of them. But just in general, whenever we leave a particular product, we uh we negotiate with them the best way to get our data. Sometimes it's that we download it ourselves. sometimes that they can provide it to us in a particular format but we would own that ad add that data at the end of the contract >> and if we have to download it oursel what system would we be downloading it into? Well, we would ask David De Brock, the technology director, the best way to do that. Often, uh, what we do is if it were to go away, we would be replacing it with a different product because we need to track that information, right? >> And so, we would see what file

055formats and such would upload into the new system and do it that way. >> Do we have kind of like a backup system, Mr. David? uh in the event that uh something happened with uh Panorama the I don't know they could get uh corrupted their files or whatnot but is there a backup system that we are looking at possibly having >> believe they host correct and so they have backups in place with their system so we discontinate I'm just thinking of the bus transportation thing when we were trying to download the information from them for the bus schedules. We had an issue because the systems were not compatible. So, I'm just was just kind of thinking ahead on that. >> I think that's it. Thank you so much. >> Right. Any other questions about the

056consent agenda? >> Motion to pull and table item H6E from the consent agenda. >> Motion to pull item 6E ARFP 2026 special program Services. you want to look at it later. >> Um, >> I prefer that we tabled it, but um, if we want to discuss it, that's >> okay. >> Well, that's been a motion by Mr. Barker. Is there a second to that? >> A second. >> Second by Mrs. Wilson. All right. So, there's been a motion and a second to pull that item for later consideration. All in favor of that. Raise your right hand. Posers one. Okay, that's passes 61. That item will be pulled for later consideration. All right. So, with that pull now, I'll ask for a motion to approve the consent agenda as is. Motion by Mr. Baker, second by

057Mrs. Wilson to approve the consent agenda. Any questions? All in favor, please raise your right hand. Any opposes? One abstension. So motion passes. Six with one extension from Mr. Barker. Thank you. Next item, information item, update on construction projects, including the 2021 and 2024 bonds. Mr. Rain. Uh, good evening, President Mitchell. Uh, Dr. Ritter, board of trustees. Um, excited to bring you another update on our construction projects across the district. Um, each month we've got a lot of progress, so it's nice to be able to, uh, get in front of everybody and show them updates to the projects. Um right here we've got a shot of uh middle school number two legacy that we'll jump into in a minute. Uh but this project does seem to move very quickly every time we take a look.

058Um here at the transportation facility, this is uh really the last project uh the last large project we see with the 2021 bond. Um in the consent agenda, what we see uh was an approval for the wastewater connection. Uh this is really one of two things holding up completion on this project. um FM100 expansion and this wastewater connection to Triata. On this diagram, you can see uh the proposed route there um at the bottom of the screen is the overall site for the uh transportation site there on the Elgen ISD property side and uh to the north is the Triata side. So what we've negotiated um with the adjacent property owner is a connection to their wastewater line. uh they while they've started some construction um on that Triata development uh they've had some challenges

059with permitting authorities and and they are uh I won't say stalled right now but they've slowed a little bit but uh we're going to be allowed to go ahead and continue our wastewater connection uh following that yellow line. Um ultimately it'll end up um a little bit further to uh what's planned north here ending up at FM100 just a little further uh to the west. So uh thank you for the approval on that. we'll work with the contractor to go ahead and get that work started. Um that'll last about be about a 90-day schedule. So that'll put us out in the summer by that time. We do hope that we have some progress with FM1100 expansion and text dot. Um and again the adjacent developers will be involved in that conversation as well. Uh that's

060a multi-party um endeavor to get turn lanes installed on FM100 um all the way west down to First Baptist. So, um, this project is moving forward, but there's a few things that are outside of our control, but we are still seeing some progress. Um, Harvest Ridge Elementary portables, um, will be installed. Uh, right now, we're targeting, uh, fall installation for these. We do have drawings back. These aren't, uh, super impressive. I'll admit they're, uh, just black and white renderings. Right now, we have selected some colors. Um, but, uh, portables as they are, they'll they'll go quick. Uh, they'll, uh, be delivered and then we'll get utilities installed. But uh we are working with the permitting authorities even though it's a just a small project. Uh we still do have to work with city of Elgen

061um Altess and Mud, the municipal utility district, fire marshall, uh Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, all the permitting authorities that you would have to for a larger project. So um a lot of hoops to jump through for this, but uh things are moving forward. We're excited uh to be able to give campus a little bit more space there. And again, we expect to have those in place uh this fall. uh property maintenance projects with 21 bond. You've seen this slide uh in a similar format before, but uh through some recent conversations with administration, we did uh change up the schedule just a little bit. Uh we saw a lot of progress in this uh gray area on this slide. We uh gave notice to proceed to the contractor to get started in the gray

062area uh what was formerly the prek hallway. They've made significant progress in that. Um and we do expect most of that area uh to be released in early June. Uh they think most of that work will be uh completed within the next month or so. Um as soon as school is out at the end of this week, they'll move into the office area, the library, the cafeteria, and get started in that. Um target uh completion for that area will be August uh July 30th rather. Um so they've got a lot of work to do over the approximately eight weeks of summer. Um and then they'll transition into that orange area. So they'll stay at the front of the building, uh get that work completed. There's about six classrooms and a couple of adjacent rooms there.

063But they'll work to get all of that area on the south of the sheet completed. And then in the spring of 2027, they'll move into that uh blue area on the back side of what is the north area of the building closest to the playground. They'll hit that area next spring. And if that takes a little bit longer, we don't anticipate that it will, but if if for some reason they run into challenges, they could um just extend that work into the uh summer next year. But, um, overall, we're pleased with this schedule. Um, the contractor is already making quick progress. Um, we're coordinating with in-house teams, our technology team. We've got furniture movers coming at the end of this week. So, it'll be a quick process, but we're pleased with the uh work that's

064already been seen. >> Randy, how long has this project for the HVAC's been going on? >> How long? >> Yes, sir. >> Uh, so it'll last uh another year. So, we've got um again, based on this, uh, we'll see them all the way through to next summer. Uh so they'll just continue to rotate through uh based on the enrollment numbers that we're seeing at this campus. Um we do have some empty wings. We worked with the uh campus administration um to strategically locate the students. So um as they move through some of these wings will be empty just based on the lower numbers that we're seeing at this campus right now. So, um, as they move into that orange area, for example, um, that that camp that area of the campus will be empty. As

065we move into fall, um, when the students come back in the fall and August, uh, there won't be any students in that area. So, the contractor will just move into that space and then they'll, um, hop into the space in blue in the spring. Um, so January next year, they'll move into that area in the blue. We won't have students in that area. So, we've worked with Miss Martinez and her staff uh to coordinate that to make sure students are able to logistically move around to the empty spaces of the building um and avoid interaction with the contractor. >> You make an interesting point. We have space over at uh this is Elgen Elementary School. >> Yes, ma'am. >> And I know we talked about the portables going in at uh Harvest Ridge. I was

066just kind of trying to figure out why we didn't move some students from Harvest Ridge over to Elgen Elementary since we do have space over there. >> Yeah. I mean, I think as we consider reszoning, uh this would have been uh something that we'd have to uh get pretty creative with to uh to zone students from the Harvest Ridge and that northern boundary and funnel them into here. Uh they're obviously right now not in the same uh boundary. So, we would have to redraw would have had to redraw boundaries to get those students into here. Um, but I think as you know, as we go through in the next couple of years, uh, we know boundaries are going to be aligned, for example, for Legacy Middle School. So, those are some things we're going to

067have to evaluate over the next couple of years is what those new elementaryments look like. >> Okay. >> Try to balance those out. >> Um, continuing priority maintenance projects. I last month I showed you all a picture of uh some of the work that we're doing on the uh um middle school stadium. Right behind us, some structural upgrades to some of the rusted metal. This is an oversight uh an overview rather of the entire project. Um on the left side of the screen, you can see the concessions and the restroom building, but really what I want to point out is the highlighted areas. That's a lot of the uh paving and concrete upgrades that are going to be on the site that'll allow for better um circulation access um ADA parking things that um either

068don't exist at all right now or are in very poor condition. Um so really this is kind of a two-tiered um uh process with this project. Uh there are some structural upgrades to the steel and the wood decking, but the other half of this is ADA upgrades at that campus. uh just has not seen it all or the when they were there um it was decades ago and they've just been in disrepair for quite some time. So um between the two uh this project will look much much better uh by the time students are playing on this site again in September. So uh this is just a quick oversight for that. Um combination of 2021 and 24 and priority maintenance projects on the left there. This this project looks pretty busy, but I wanted to

069point out just a couple of features on the left. One of the pro one of the goals of our playground replacements at the three elementaries were really to provide um some balance with the uh play elements that we see um the the uh playgrounds across the district. We've got a different number, different ages playing all these. So, as we looked, you can see on that diagram there, there's there's slides and um climbers. Uh there's handicap accessibility aspects to this. That was one of the targets when we looked at uh uh this project. We didn't just pick, you know, a prettier exciting playground. We were very strategic and uh thoughtful as we looked at these to uh try to balance as best we could to make sure the playgrounds across the district, uh whether it's at

070some of the older campuses or some of the newer campuses, had as close to possible the same number of those play elements. uh climbing structures, um slide uh slide features, transfer stations for those that are less mobile, uh those types of features. So, those are some of the things that we took into consideration as we make playground selections for each of the campus. So, um you know, folks may wonder how did we arrive at decisions on uh which campus and which school got uh what type of playground. These are some of the decisions that uh that went into that. colors can be, you know, blue or green or whatever, but these are ultimately some of the things that helped guide our decisions as we went through that. Um, on the right side, we see uh

071gym and bleachers at Elgen High School and Middle School. The the image there is, of course, the large bleaches at the high school. Those bleachers will be refurbished. They've got some decking repairs that need to be made. There are some missing seats and end pieces. We'll certainly take care of that. Um, in Elgen Middle School, um, in their large gym, they will get a full bleacher replacement. We we've just had a number of repairs that just um haven't been able to uh to hold up. So, we'll have a a full replacement there. But overall, we've worked with uh the campus administration to make them aware of that and uh Coach Anderson as well to make sure activities that were in those areas can either be relocated or we could work around. So, we're excited about

072being able to give them some better accessibility for the fans. Uh moving into 2024, we did have a big milestone there for Legacy Oak Middle School. So, this is a few images of our uh beam signing or our topping out ceremony that we had back on April 27th. This was a great turnout. I know a couple of board members were there. Administration was there. This was really a celebration for the workers on site u to give them uh just acknowledgement for finishing out all the structural steel um on that facility. Um that's uh it's come a long way. So, we got some nice images there of uh of our team. Uh but that was a great acknowledgement and accomplishment for those crews. Um, inside the building, we can see stairs already going up. So, we're

073accessing the second floor of that building and and moving on up there. Um, interior wise, we've got a lot of drywall going in there. You can see the different types there. All all the overhead MEP fire suppression systems are going in. Uh, moving along there. And then the overview site. Uh, you can see the uh the two larger sections there. That's the two gyms. We've got roofing there. The lighter gray sections. Uh that's exterior waterproofing going on. Um again overhead and in wall mechanical electric and plumbing systems continue to be installed. Um across the campus um further north in that picture you can see it's a little more complete. If you look down in the uh bottom section you can just see some skeleton of the structural steel there. So they'll just continue progressing down

074uh through those classroom wings. Um on any given day they've got about 200 workers on that site. So it's a it's a very busy site. as we get it more and more closed in, um any rain days we have will be less and less impactful. Uh those workers can just continue to work inside. So, we've been out there on some pretty wet days and and contractors uh they just stay inside and stay working. So, um it's it's been good. They've had a few rain days that they had to claim, but not very many. So, um it's good to see all the all the concrete uh driveways um being poured. So, circulation around the site um again is is not being heavily impacted at this point due to rain. those types of things are are not

075as impactful as they were early on. So, making really good progress. Uh CTE press box back out at the stadium. You can see here we're making uh quick progress here as well. Interior framing is going up. You can see the uh metal framing. The door frames there are in overhead duct work uh overhead mechanical systems overall are complete. Overhead fire suppression uh lines are now complete. These these uh photos are a few weeks old. um front canopy, though you can't be seen in this picture, um that is is installed now, but uh exterior sheathing, that's the yellow you see there. Uh that'll continue all the way around. Um down in the circulation area, when you think about uh access to restrooms and concessions, they're getting ready to pour that concrete. Uh there was some uh

076drainage and things they had to do around there, but they're getting ready to pour that. Uh but you'll see window um installation in this building before you know it. If you drive out there in the parking lot, you'll be beginning to see windows going in soon. Um, couple of months ago, we uh brought to you electrical switch gear for approval. So, we'll see electrical gear being replaced in June. So, part of this area out there at the stadium will have electrical shutdown for a few weeks uh coming up in June, but that'll allow uh those folks to install all new electrical out there. Uh that'll serve everything at the stadium. Uh so, that'll be a great improvement for that site. Overall, we're still on track for a November 2026 completion. And this will be a

077really nice facility for uh both CTE and athletics. They were on site last week. Maggie Howard and Xanderson got to go up in there and take a look around and uh it was really exciting to get some of our our end users in the facility. Nice for them to to just take a look and get a bird's eye view from both sides. Our homestead CTE culinary again sticking with CTE for a little while. It's nice to create these unique spaces for them. Framing drywall is growing up really quickly. You can see there on the on the top left that installation drywall and framing nearing completion on the bottom left. Uh we've got some large HVAC equipment is already set. Uh we expect HVAC equipment to be started up uh close to the end of this

078month, maybe early June. So, it's getting close to be a conditioned space. Um we've got some duck work nearing completion. Um you can see on the right hand side there the size of those uh vent hoods. That's one of two that'll be in that uh culinary kitchen. It's just a great space for our students uh to give them an opportunity to learn uh some of the culinary skills that'll be uh taught in that uh class. But uh that's a really unique space and that's a really a really large hood once you're in there. But u some of that work will continue overhead. The mechanical electrical plumbing um fire sprinkler work is underway even this week. Uh but overall we are uh still continuing to uh stay on track with the scheduled completion of August of

0792026. So exciting to think just a few months away we'll have students in this space. And as Dr. M uh Ritter mentioned earlier, we uh did have a community meeting uh just last week uh for elementary number six. Uh this is a drone shot of Lun Farm. If you've driven north on Countyline Road, uh you may have seen the construction uh for that development. um L Farm. They've already uh driven by there this morning. They've already got some of these roads paved. So, um the uh this narrow site there right against the road, that's their uh first uh section of that development. They expect to have that ready by early June and then they'll go into further sections of the development. But you can see back in the red, that's approximately where our school site

080is at. So, uh it's a 12 acre site um set for about 800 students. So be similar capacity to what we've seen in Harvest Ridge and Trinity Ranch. Uh roughly 85,000 square feet. So again, we'll continue with our internal stakeholder meetings. We'll likely have another one or two community meetings. We do want to continue to uh gather valuable input from our uh community folks. Uh but overall construction timeline will be contingent upon uh future bond sales, but uh we know the kids are are still continuing to come. So we we'll continue with design and then we'll see where we go with bond sales from there. Any question? >> Just a few. Yes. As far as the HVAC systems at Del Elementary, what is the lifespan of those improvements? Seem to be doing a lot of

081HVAC work at school. >> Yeah, definitely. That's a great question. Um, we like to say at least 15 years. Um, most of our equipment that we've uh been replacing is 20 years plus. Um, so some of the uh equipment has been 18 to 22. We replaced some, you know, to your point, we awarded, I think, three HVAC projects this past summer. Um, some of the equipment that uh we replaced at the high school, for example, um was from the original uh on the fieldhouse was from the original 2003 uh when that fieldhouse went up 2003 2004. So it was 23 years old. So, we like to say 15 years is a good mark. It's not to say it won't run after that, but deficient uh efficiency decreases significantly. Um at that point, you're often just

082pouring money into it with constant repairs. Um so, that's when we start to target um putting funds toward replacement. But we know that's not always feasible. So, we we certainly still have a lot more throughout the district that's older than 15 years. And just one more question as it relates to the bleacher repairs at the high school. As part of that, will they be improving those railings? >> What is it? The >> the railings that are part of those bleachers >> and rails. >> Right now there are no there are no plans called out to in uh improve the the bleachers, the grand stands, but that is something we could look at. um but it wasn't called out on the facility condition assessment, but that is a process that we are going through right now

083to evaluate um conditions across the district. So, that's something we'll look at closely and see if that's uh something we need to address. >> Yeah, I mean the gym. >> Oh, in the gym? Yes. >> Okay. I apologize. I thought Yeah. Yes. Yes. As as we uh refurbish the bleachers, the handrails, yes. all will be replaced so that they're um back the way they were when that uh set of bleachers was new. Yes, sir. >> Apologies for the misunderstanding. >> No problem. >> I had a couple of questions um on the recycling as you're changing the the playground systems out at the different elementary schools. Are we recycling those old playground >> equipment to any particular place or >> with the metal itself will be recycled? >> Okay. Um the the plastic I I honestly

084could not tell you. Um but the metal itself will be Yes, ma'am. >> Okay. And then um we're replacing the canopy already at Harvest Ridge. >> The the courtyard of Harvest Ridge did not have a canopy. The playgrounds did, but the courtyard itself did not. Um that was that was something we discovered at Trinity Ranch that needed one, and it was too late at Harvest Ridge to add it. and we've just been trying to get in there at any opportunity. We tried to do it at Christmas break and we just didn't have enough time and unfortunately we just kept having to put it off until we had a longer window to get in there. Uh we're going to have to take down part of the fence. Um there's some in that and if you remember

085that's artificial turf there in that courtyard at Harvest Ridge it has some little mounds that at the time we all thought was a good idea. Uh but what they've done that the the smaller students don't see them and they run into them and they trip and fall. So, we're going to take those mounds out of the artificial turf. So, it's going to be a little bit bigger project than what we initially thought. So, summer end up being the best time to do that. >> Okay. But we are replacing the canopies at the other playgrounds >> if they're torn. Yes, ma'am. There's I think six or seven in the project. Um, we evaluated them. Some of them have been replaced with u insurance money over the past few years as big storms came through. Some of

086them were torn or ripped or pulled off. So, some of them are three or four years old. So some of them were in better than >> right and some of them were real DOD. >> So we we took an alternate um there was an alternate bid in this package to pressure wash anything that's left. >> Okay. >> Canopy poles, canopies. So everything will will look new. Even if it's not replaced, it'll be pressure washed at the end. >> Okay. >> Yep. That was part of the part of the package. Yes, ma'am. Great great question. Thank you. >> Thank you, sir. >> Next item, priority 4 update, fiscal and operational assistance. Mr. Mley. >> Good evening, President Mitchell, Dr. Ritter, members of the board. I'm Clark Mley, Elgen ISD's chief financial officer. Typically, Mr. Lan closes

087this for us, but tonight you guys have me, so I'm very happy to um close out our information items. Um tonight I'm presenting to you a priority 4 update. Um priority 4.1 is ensure strong fiscal stewardship and operational efficiency. Um I have sorry there was a slide that wasn't there but I don't think it's important. So priority is fiscal and operational systems. Um 4.1 one is to ensure strong financial stewardship and operational efficiency. And then within 4.1 you have 4.1.1 and 4.1.2. Um the first is to align the budget to strategic outcomes and needs. And for 4.1.2 it's to ensure financial transparency to stakeholders through websites, publication, monthly financial reports, bond oversight committee meetings, and budget meetings. You can see the next column is the progress we've made for 4.1.1. I don't think that we

088will ever have this one green and met progress because it's an ongoing um it's just ongoing that we're we're working to align our budget to our strategic outcomes. But for 4.1.2, we do feel pretty good about meeting progress there as far as being transparent with everything we do. Um the final column is how we show we've done those things. I'm not going to read them here because the next slides will go over those items. So for 4.1.1 aligning the budget to strategic outcomes and needs um here's just some highlights. The approved budget calendar budget priorities and budget presentations for 2627 fiscal year will continue to reflect priorities from Elgen Elgen's district scorecard. Elgen ISD has a healthy fund balance through sound fiscal management and monitoring. Um this past year we added about $5.5 million to

089our fund balance. Um, and that took it to about 39 or exactly 39,648,83, which is $223 days of operating and 61% of expenditures. This year, we did adopt a $1.8 million deficit, but are anticipating a large reduction in this deficit amount at year's end. We keep close relationships with campuses, departments, campuses and departments to allow for facilitation of purchases and alignment with priorities from our scorecard. Um there's collaborative work with federal programs and teaching and learning department to ensure outcomes and needs align to priorities from our scorecard through regular state and federal programs meetings. And we also collaborate a lot with our program managers for the 2021 and 2024 bonds to ensure accurate financial reports for our bond projects. This next slide just kind of highlights the fund balance a little bit. Again, we added

0905,548,183 to the fund balance in 2425, taking our total to over 39 million. For a fund balance, the optimum level is three months of operating expenditures or 90 days. So this kind of gives you a picture of where we sit with 223 days. And then also the 25% we are coming in at 61% of expenditures in the fund balance. So those are uh celebrations for the district. Continuing with 4.1.1, this year there was a lot that that we took on. We transitioned from a centered skyward for our business services in order to obtain a more robust and capable system to help manage our growing district and the financial organization requirements created by this growth. Um, our time tracking is more accurate and current. Uh, employees are able to access financial documents easier and our required

091state and federal reporting requirements are easier to gather and submit. Also, this year we moved our fiscal year start to July 1st, and this allows for improved operations at the start of the year, as well as allowing the district to be more prepared for students as they return from summer. For 4.1.2, ensure financial transparency to stakeholders. Um, here are some of the ways that we do that. Um, our website and other websites where we post required publications, our monthly financial reports to you guys. Um, we have bond oversight committee meetings that we meet with. We have budget meetings. Um, we report to you all on the school financial integrity rating system of Texas. We do have anonymous reporting of fraud available through reach the e and this is my first year as CFO and normally

092you know you're going to have an audit but this year we had four audits that we completed. Um came in from the git and had the summer feeding program this summer. Um, our child nutrition director was noted as exceptional by the auditors in this audit. Of course, we had our annual financial report that we presented to you all previously. We also had an overall child nutrition audit. And I'm happy to say that breakfast in the classroom implementation was the best the auditor has seen. So, kudos to HRE because that's the campus that they reviewed. Um, and we also had an audit of our stop grant. We are still finalizing our work with this audit but have received positive feedback from the auditors on both the business and operational sides for the work carried out in

093this grant. So this is just a Mr. Mley slide. Um no one has done public education any favors financially lately. We have very hard work in front of us. But I feel it's important to recognize the positive positives and I want to commend the board and the district for the position we're in. It doesn't look like this financially in most districts across our state and it's the goal of the business office to maintain the level of fiscal responsibility that has allowed Helgenist to weather these uncertain times and ensure stability for many years to come. Any questions? >> Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Monley. Okay, we got a couple of action items. Uh, first, discuss and approve overall compensation increases for the 26 27 uh, school year. Mr. Martin, >> President Mitchell, Dr. Ritter,

094members of the board, it's me again. How are you all? >> Long time. >> Yes, sir. So I'm happy to present uh Elgen ICD proposed compensation increase for 2627. Many considerations went into the development of the 2627 compensation increase proposal. Enrollment numbers and property value growth are the largest factors in determining a budget for school districts. While growth in both areas are less than in re recent years, Elgen is unique as one of very few districts in our state still experiencing growth in these areas. It's important to leverage our strong financial position while still being fiscally responsible and mindful of the future for our community. While there are still factors to be considered in our overall budget, we are pleased to bring this information to you all today for discussion and approval. the proposed compensation

095increase. At this time, Elgen ICD administration is recommending a 2% a midpoint increase for all staff at a cost of approximately 1,464 $46 $660,000. I I butchered that. I'm sorry. 1,46,660. There you go. Oh, sorry. Make a motion to approve recommendation. >> Second motion by Mr. Moss to approve the recommendation. I think Mr. Baker beat you and Mr. Baker seconds it. Are there any other questions? All in favor of said motion respond by I raise your hand. Closers motion passes 70. Thank you all very >> Thank you. And I want to give kudos to my fellow board members because they are always at the foremost of their minds to do the very best we can uh for these teachers. So I always appreciate the robust conversation we have regarding that. So thank you all. Next

096item consideration and possible approval of contract with TASBY Executive Surf Services for the upcoming superintendent search services. Mr. George got to get it right. >> Enough. fast enough. >> Yeah. Well, uh, good evening, board of trustees. As he said, I'm George Kazanis with the Texas Association of School Boards Executive Search Services. Thank you for the invitation previously to visit with you, uh, briefly during your workshop setting. Um, I thought tonight at this meeting we would just I thought would quickly go over the search process for the public uh so they understand uh TASBY's approach to conducting a superintendent search. So again during any time in the presentation you have a question please stop me and I'll be more than happy to answer your questions. So who are we? Again TASBY was established in 1949. We've

097celebrated over 76 years in existence. Uh we were formed at the request of people like you board members and uh we are of course remain committed to our mission of advocating for educational excellence uh through school advocacy, leadership and high quality services. Of course I'm here tonight to tell you of course executive search service is a high quality service and we would love to work for you in the search for your next superintendent. We've been doing this since 1988. So we're the oldest firm in Texas to be conducting these types of searches. There we go. Uh again, I'd like in the audience to introduce to you Dr. Marian Strauss. She's our senior consultant. She'd wave. Marian, he's right there. Uh and I've already introduced myself. And uh also in in the audience tonight is Mr.

098Richard Kick. Mr. Kick is your field service representative uh from TASBY. But one of the things too about our team is uh we are now part of merging the the executive search and field service team together. and I have a team of field service representatives that that through their network will assist in every search that we have. So the field service team are folks that visit campuses, visit superintendent, uh visit other staff members, uh they will be part of the advertising and promotion of any type of search that we do have. They will also be part of the uh vetting of candidates and providing information about credentials of of the folks that will apply to your district. Uh again, that's a picture of the field service reps. All when I did averaging, they all have

099over 15 years of experience themselves. They're retired superintendents, 30 plus years in public schools. Uh we also also have Joy Rivera. They're here in the Austin office that will assist candidates with their questions. Also assist any you you if you have questions too along the way, being sure you have the up-to-date information that you're going to need uh when it when it becomes appropriate. We have served 800 closer really now to 900 districts in doing executive searches since 1988. Uh we want to support and collaborate with you uh through all steps of the process. Uh we are here to work uh on behalf of the board. This is your search. We do not we have just a few key people here in the district that we work with. Uh we're not uh burdening your HR

100departments or anything of that nature. Our fee is all inclusive. So there all the fees paid go back into TASBY which is a member organization goes back into the public school systems of Texas to to reduce operational costs in a number of services across the state. So again our focus is to uh again provide services for superintendent searches. Uh we've talked about this already with decades of experience. Uh, one of the things that we would love to to learn from you either this evening, start this evening, or come back later is learn more about the unique needs of Elgen ISD so we can tailor the search uh to customize the search for you uh and be more than happy to do that so we can find the right leader uh that meets uh uh the

101goals of all of you as board of trustees. It was a pleasure to see all of the outstanding recognitions today to see the outstanding variety of programming that you have and the and and the student successes. So there's a lot and as well as I will say the the outstanding fund balance I'm very fund balance envious if that's the word when I was a former superintendent that is very impressive uh of the balance. So you have so much uh positive in Elgen ISD that certainly would enable us to do well as your search consultant and bring quality candidates to the district. While we excel again our 90% success rate so uh for three-year retention rate uh we're really sitting about 80% plus at or five years uh in the district. And so we work really

102hard for that. We want to work with you with that and look at candidates as the right fit for you and the needs of the district. And so, uh, we want to bring that experience to you to help you find that right person. As I briefly mentioned about customizing services, it's really truly, we want to help. We do have a process. Uh, we we're proud of a process that works in terms of of of the logistics of a search, but we also want to be sure it's unique to you and to Elgen and how we can help you do that. And that is again hearing from you, hearing from the board, hearing your hopes and dreams, uh your your ideas for qualities, characteristics, traits that you're looking for in your next superintendent as well. We

103want to be sure that those are also because of you as an elected trustee that it does reflect local values in what you're what you're searching for. The search process there, we again we every step is intentional. Um I mentioned this to you before, we're open and transparent about the applicant pool. You will see all candidates, all candidate names. We'll certainly list them for you of those that are sitting superintendent first, deputy assistant superintendent, maybe executive directors, directors, and then any principles were to apply. So you see their top position they have held so far in in education. Uh just to give you the array of of candidates will be there. But we're trust me we're working after being visiting with you all after community meetings and community stakeholder input uh your online survey we're

104looking as well we're narrowing in our minds also some candidates that that we hope you at least take a a look at for your for your superintendent position. So the search kickoff um that you'll notice that's why we're an action item tonight. If we are so chosen to conduct your search uh we would like to talk about a timeline. Uh we would like to secure commitments of dates. Uh we would like to finalize and talk about qualities, characteristics, things of that nature that you desire in your next superintendent. And then finally talk about community involvement. Uh what that looks like as I mentioned briefly already about having an online survey, but we are graduating this Friday. So we know and staff heard your end of your party coming up and so we need to talk

105about that and uh how to gather community stakeholder input throughout the summer or if we look to to push it off just a little bit to get to be sure we get uh that information that's that's vital. So during the search uh of course uh we handle all of the advertising. We do all of our your postings. Of course it's with us at TASBY. But one of the things we I need to mention to you as well is that we do post in a number of sites. There's several now that are available to superintendent candidates across the state. We are TASBY, so we are part of also a national group of other schoolboard associations that conduct searches. So your search does get a national reach as well because we have reciprocal agreements with those other

106schoolboard associations across the nation. Uh we we are actively recruiting uh candidates too as soon as you give us the green light to do so. Um they've already talked about community surveys, but again our application uh process is housed with us at TASBY and uh once the application period closes, you'll get the green light and has and have access to our portal to review all the information that is provided by each candidate. Uh as I talked about, we're proud of a video component. I think it's very helpful. It's an opportunity, a short window into who this person may is and and how they respond to several questions. We work with you for the interview. We we help you structure that. Uh we help you design that. Uh we do all of the scheduling and then

107possibly uh when you get to your we call person of interest, we can help schedule a site visit to that candidates's uh district if you so choose to do so wish to do so. So the finalist selection one of the things after the interviews are conducted please understand this I did not mention earlier is that we also part of our process is included as a third party background check so your top candidates that are invited for a second round of interview go through a third party and that is when they're certainly screened criminal any activities nationwide countywide citywide uh credit reports are conducted bankruptcy reports uh will be will be handled we verify employment previous employment verify uh degrees, things of that nature, too. So, we just know that uh that we will take care

108of that uh before, of course, you name your loan finalist. In Texas, that requires a 21-day waiting period. So, again, the first one is just naming of your loan finalist. It's kind of a 21-day cooling period before you actually come in to vote to hire the superintendent with the contract. So, uh, we're we're pretty close generally when we get to the loan filing stage, but it'll be again working with the board or or the board's design if it's so be the president or the board officers about finalizing the contract, terms of salary, terms of that nature. One of the things we offer, of course, with with TASBY is the ability to provide continuing education credits. And so, we would love to come out after about three months uh somewhere between three to six months and

109conduct a transition workshop, team of eight. In other words, team building uh with the new superintendent and you be sure expectations are clear between the board and the new superintendent. Maybe get a great report from the new superintendent from his or her findings of of their listening and learning along the way in the district uh and things of that nature. So, our guarantee that for two years after two years, if it's before two years that your superintendent should leave for any reason, we'll be back. We want to be your partner and we want to be sure uh we would re relaunch the search and conduct the search again to meet your needs to to find the right superintendent. So please know that we'll be here to do that to do that. But we're we're confident

110we can help provide you this initial time with some quality candidates uh that that will meet your local criteria. These are just a couple of different testimonials. I've said this before. Uh we're TASBY and we are a member association. So we conduct searches of all types. So we may conduct searches of students of 130 up to over 50,000 students. But each one as I keep reiterating is unique and different. And uh we we learn our communities and that helps us in our recruiting and gathering of candidates in our different pools. Uh so please understand that and these are just some testimonials there. Now I hope this next part I won't there's a sound issue in this room. So we'll keep going. You might have to help me get through these. Keep going. Keep going. There

111we go. Uh just a couple of search highlights. Uh just to to to again reiterate what I was just mentioning about size of districts. Uh those are some of the larger districts. However, some of course they're in the in the 6,000 range, 7,000 range. Um and then of course some that we have conducted most recently. All right. Questions? Any questions? >> I just have one comment. We've had the opportunity to work with TASBY in the past. Yes, sir. Superintendent sir kind of be professional u feasible easy to work with and so I I appreciate >> Thank you for relationship that we have with you guys. >> Thank you. >> Any question from any other board members? Is there a motion to approve this services? So move motion by Mr. Baker, second by Mr. Barker. Any

112questions? All in favor said motion raise your right hand. Any opposes? Motion passes 70. >> Thank you very much. Appreciate you very much. Hope to be back soon as I said for our planning meeting. Thank you. >> Thank you. It is 8:51 p.m. and the board will reset to close session and reconvene as allowed under sections 551.071 through 551.084 of the Texas government code to discuss purchase exchange lease of value of real property Texas government code 551.072 uh to discuss personnel matters Texas Government Code 551.074 74 and the discussion of interim superintendent application process and potential candidates. Should any final action, final decision or final vote be required in the opinion of the school board with regard to any matters considered in such closed executive session or meeting? Then the final action, final decision or

113vote shall be either an open meeting covered by the notice upon reconvening of the public meeting or at a subsequent public meeting of the school board upon notice thereof as the school board shall return. It is 9:33 p.m. The board will reconvene into open meeting at this time. During the closed meeting, only the items that appeared on the agenda were discussed. No final action, no final decision. A vote was taken during the closed meeting. So the next item we have is approval of the interim superintendent application process. I make a motion that we post the position for the interim superintendent. >> Motion by Mrs. Reese. Is there a second? Second by Mrs. Wilson. Are there any questions? All in favor of the motion to start the interim superintendent application process respond by I. >> I.

114Any opposers? Motion passes. 70. Thank you. This 9:34 p.m. Motion by Mr. Miles. Is there a second? Second by Mr. Barker. All in favor by I. I. 9:34 p.m. And we are adjourned.