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Comal Independent School District board meeting, Sep 17, 2026

1 h 28 min

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 1 h 28 min.

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Comal ISD board adopts $1.0748 tax rate and approves improvement plans 1:19:24

  • The board heard a bond construction update and voted 7⁠-⁠0 to approve the 2026⁠-⁠2027 district and campus improvement plans. ~43:16
  • The board also approved the consent agenda and consent item 6E, each by a vote of 7 in favor and 0 opposed. 1:02:20
  • A district staff member said the rate was the same as the current year's rate and that the tax rate did not go up. 1:20:03
  • The Comal ISD board voted 6⁠-⁠0 to adopt a tax rate of $1.0748, which the motion described as effectively a 2.68% increase in the tax rate. ~1:24:28

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Item by item (12)
  1. Opening of the meeting 2:41
    • Courtney Biasatti called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM and said a quorum was present. 2:41
    • Russ Garner led a prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance and the Pledge to the Texas Flag. 2:59
  2. Student and program recognitions 5:54
    • A staff member recognized 37 students who took part in the Texas Boys State and Texas Bluebonnet Girls State leadership programs. 6:29
    • The staff member said Comal ISD was one of only 39 districts in the state named a Texas Way District of Distinction, and that Davenport High School won the UIL Lone Star Cup as the top 4A school in Texas. 13:20
    • The district's band, theater and visual arts programs were also recognized. 17:28
  3. Public comment 25:26
    • A speaker at public comment described a privately funded model for building single-family home communities for district employees. 27:00
    • A speaker at public comment raised a First Amendment concern about the district's ability to mute speakers on its livestream and cited a pending federal case. 29:19
    • A speaker at public comment challenged the district's book removal procedures, cited SB 13 and read passages from a book the speaker said is available in 4 district schools. 36:04
  4. Board president comments on library review 39:16
    • One board member said the board takes the library review seriously and that SB 13 is a law the district must follow. 39:36
  5. Bond construction and capital projects update 43:16
    • A staff member said approximately $396 million, or 83.8% of the total, had been spent toward completion of Bond 2021 projects, which included new campuses, land acquisition, buses and technology upgrades. 44:54
    • The staff member said $317 million, or approximately 56.8%, of the $558.6 million approved in May of 2023 has been incurred, and that Elementary School Number 22 remains on schedule for delivery in the summer of 2027. 47:17
    • One board member said the superintendent and staff have continuously delivered transparency. 52:55
  6. Strategic plan quarterly report 59:10
    • A staff member said the report was the first quarterly report for the '26-'27 school year and that the board would receive the annual report from the '25-'26 school year in November. 59:10
    • The superintendent said the district and campus improvement plans are aligned with the strategic plan. 1:00:43
  7. Consent agenda 1:00:57
    • Tim Hennessee asked to remove item 6E, the 4th quarter investment report and 2025⁠-⁠26 annual investment report, from the consent agenda. 1:01:38
    • Russ Garner moved to approve the consent agenda as amended. 1:02:08
    • The consent agenda passed 7⁠-⁠0. ~1:02:20
  8. Investment reports 1:02:20
    • Tim Hennessee asked about a 49 basis point drop in the average yield to maturity and how the district ladders its investments. 1:02:49
    • A staff member said maturities depend on how liquid the district must be for construction and payroll. 1:04:01
    • A staff member said the district plans to reinvest funds after summer projects finish and will invest with a new, higher-yield investment pool. 1:04:33
    • The board approved item 6E 7⁠-⁠0. ~1:06:27
  9. District and campus improvement plans 1:06:27
    • A staff member presented the 2026⁠-⁠27 district and campus improvement plans and said Texas Education Code 11.251 requires the board to approve them annually. 1:06:51
    • In response to Russ Garner, a staff member said Wednesday walks had been changed this year to a new format of calibrated walkthroughs with principals from each feeder pattern. 1:15:07
    • Amanda Jones asked how individual campuses use the plans, and a staff member said campus staff are expected to know each campus's top priorities. 1:17:23
    • The board approved the plans 7⁠-⁠0. ~1:19:36
  10. 2026 tax rate adoption 1:19:36
    • A staff member said the Tier 1 rate is 0.6048 and the Tier 2 rate is 0.12, for a total M&O rate of 0.7248, and that the I&S rate remains at 35 cents. 1:20:03
    • Tim Hennessee said the district has maintained the I&S rate of 35 cents for well over 9 years. 1:21:18
    • In response to Russ Garner, a staff member confirmed an extra 20% homestead exemption and said the effective tax rate is 77 pennies. 1:22:26
    • The board adopted the rate 6⁠-⁠0. ~1:24:42
  11. Appraisal district board nominations 1:25:04
    • A staff member said the district receives notifications of open positions on the boards of directors of its appraisal districts and may make nominations by resolution. 1:25:13
    • Tim Hennessee moved to approve the resolutions for the nominations to the Comal County Appraisal District Board of Directors, and Courtney Biasatti said the nominees currently serve on that board and were being renominated. 1:26:57
    • The nominations passed 6⁠-⁠0. ~1:27:21
  12. Adjournment and upcoming meetings 1:27:31
    • Courtney Biasatti said the next board workshop is Thursday, October 15th at 6:30 and the next regular meeting is Thursday, October 22nd at 7 PM, and adjourned the meeting at 8:25 PM. 1:27:31

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

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Video: posted by the district as “Comal ISD Board of Trustees Meeting - September 17, 2026”