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Lamar Consolidated Independent School District board meeting, date not confirmed yet

2 h 02 min

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Finance committee recommends 3% raise as Lamar CISD staff project balanced budget 41:29

  • A district staff member told the board the district expects to increase its fund balance by $10.8 million at the end of the year and that the Finance Committee recommended a 3% raise, 3% property growth and the low enrollment projections for the next budget. 39:37
  • A staff member reported that the district began the school year with 7,214 students receiving special education services and now serves 8,331 students. 58:20
  • A staff member presenting the demographics report said the district is projected to add between approximately 1,600 and 1,900 new students annually. 1:15:07
  • The board unanimously approved a motion by Zach Lambert to employ personnel as discussed in closed session. 1:59:05

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Item by item (9)
  1. Call to order and pledges 10:31
    • Jacci Hotzel called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM and said a quorum was present with all members. 10:31
    • Students led the Pledge of Allegiance and the Pledge to the Texas Flag. 11:03
  2. Recognitions and introductions 11:59
    • The district recognized three seniors named National Merit finalists and two Morgan Elementary 5th graders who competed among 519 students at the Global Amazing Shake competition. 12:06
    • A Solution Tree representative honored 13 campuses for PLC distinctions, including 10 for Promising Practices and 3 for Model PLC. 15:55
    • The district recognized a volunteer who retired after 42 years at Bowie Elementary and introduced a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois for narcotics detection and tracking. 21:13
  3. Board, committee and superintendent reports 25:21
    • Jon Welch thanked the Community Relations Department for organizing gatherings for faith leaders, elected leaders and parents. 26:12
    • Jacci Hotzel recognized a retiring principal who has spent 27 years in the district. 32:32
    • Jon Welch reported that the Fast Growth Committee met for the second and final time of the school year. 33:51
  4. Consent agenda 37:22
    • Jacci Hotzel asked whether trustees wanted to pull any consent agenda items and then called for a motion to approve the consent agenda. 37:22
    • The motion carried. ~37:55
  5. Board member training report 38:02
    • Jacci Hotzel announced that all board members exceeded the minimum required continuing education, which is 10 hours for new trustees and 5 for veteran trustees. 38:14
    • Individual totals read by Jacci Hotzel ranged from 23 to 39.25 hours. 38:14
  6. Next year budget planning 39:30
    • A district staff member said revenues are projected at $534.6 million against a budget of $535.8 million, with expenditures expected to come in $12 million under budget and the fund balance projected to increase by $10.8 million. 40:06
    • The staff member said the Finance Committee recommended 3% property growth, the low enrollment projections and a 3% raise that would increase the teacher scale by $2,200. 41:29
    • One board member expressed support for the 3% raise, saying inflation generally averages 3%. 44:43
  7. Special education instructional update 58:13
    • A staff member said the district had 1,678 special education referrals as of April 7th, 2026, including 457 rolled over from the prior year. 58:20
    • The staff member said the district will have added 71 self-contained classrooms over five years, with 20 slated to open for the upcoming school year, and will continue offering stipends to special education staff. 1:03:35
    • Jon Welch asked why special education numbers continue to rise, and the staff member cited autism spectrum disorders and a state requirement to place students initially diagnosed with dyslexia in special education. 1:10:13
  8. Demographics report 1:15:00
    • A staff member said the district is forecast to have more than 57,600 students by the 2030⁠-⁠31 school year and to exceed 66,200 students by the end of the 2035⁠-⁠2036 school year. 1:23:36
    • George Arroyos asked what would happen if growth decreased after the recent bond package, and a staff member said the district does not sell bonds or build buildings until students arrive. 1:25:07
    • A staff member said 125 seats would be added at Roberts Elementary School and 325 at Lehman Junior High. 1:26:51
  9. Closed session and personnel action 1:27:30
    • The board adjourned to closed session at 7:47 PM to discuss personnel, land acquisition or consultation with its attorney. 1:27:53
    • Zach Lambert moved that the board approve the employment of personnel as discussed in closed session. 1:59:05
    • The motion carried unanimously. 1:59:22

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

Who spoke

Who spoke

We can’t yet tell who is speaking at this board’s meetings.

Video: posted by the district as “Lamar CISD Live Board Meeting | 04-21-26”