Menu

Pasadena ISD board meeting, Sep 22, 2026

1 h 16 min · 11 public speakers

AI in schools ▶ 46:42Budget cuts and layoffs ▶ 14:20

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 16 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
  4. Casey PhelanPresident
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Pasadena ISD superintendent says district will not move to TRS-ActiveCare on January 1st 3:03

  • The superintendent said the district had pulled the agenda item on moving to TRS-ActiveCare and would not make the move on January 1st. 3:03
  • Speakers at public comment said the proposed insurance premiums would have taken a large share of their pay and asked the district to communicate with employees earlier. 5:44
  • Casey Phelan said the proposed health insurance item had been removed from the agenda and that administrators and the board had heard employees' concerns. 37:39
  • The board later approved a total tax rate of $1.1654 and a bond construction expenditure authorization. 1:11:47

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (14)
  1. Call to order and public comment rules 0:02
    • Casey Phelan called the meeting to order, stated that a quorum was present and said one trustee was absent. 0:21
    • Casey Phelan said speakers would have 3 minutes each and asked them not to name specific employees or students. 0:55
  2. Superintendent statement on insurance proposal 3:03
    • The superintendent said the agenda item to move to TRS-ActiveCare had been pulled and the district would not move to it on January 1st. 3:03
    • The superintendent said the intent had been to let the board ask questions and evaluate the proposal, and took responsibility for how the information was communicated. 3:03
    • The superintendent said the financial challenges facing the district were not unique among Texas school districts. 3:54
  3. Public comment on employee health insurance 4:58
    • A speaker at public comment said the proposed plan would have raised a monthly premium from $110 to $455, which the speaker called a 314% increase. 6:37
    • Several speakers at public comment asked the district for earlier communication, transparency and employee involvement before decisions on benefits. 10:44
    • A speaker at public comment asked the board to consider whether the district could afford to rent the Fertitta Center for graduation. 17:47
  4. Board comments on insurance proposal 37:39
    • Casey Phelan said the administration and board had received numerous written comments and would continue working to find solutions while being good stewards of district resources. 37:39
    • One board member said the board had not been as open or as transparent as soon as it should have been, and said it was wrong to think the board did not care. 39:13
    • One board member said the information on the item was not received in a timely manner and took responsibility as vice president for moving along with the item. 41:26
  5. Closed session and consent agenda 43:02
    • Casey Phelan adjourned the board to closed session and announced the board reconvened in open session at 8:02 PM, with no special recognition. 43:02
    • Casey Phelan announced the consent agenda motion carried. 43:49
  6. Administrative personnel appointments 43:49
    • Paola Gonzalez moved to approve addenda items A and B for administrative personnel. 44:00
    • Paola Gonzalez announced appointments to a behavior analyst position in special education and a project director position for the remainder of the 2026⁠-⁠2027 school year. 44:21
    • A speaker said personnel agenda item number 2 had been pulled and certified and support personnel lists were for information only. 45:44
    • The motion carried. ~44:19
  7. Digital innovation and wellness spotlight 45:44
    • A district staff member presented work tied to the Portrait of a Graduate and the 2025⁠-⁠2030 strategic plan, including use of generative AI and digital well-being. 46:42
    • A district staff member said the district formed a task force last year. 49:04
    • The presentation included a video on digital citizenship and a partnership with the San Jacinto College Computer Science and Cybersecurity program. 49:47
  8. Pre-K program spotlight 56:56
    • The pre-K coordinator said the district has about 137 pre-K classrooms and received the Demand Builder Award by Good Reason Houston. 57:18
    • The pre-K coordinator said the district offered 132 placements for pre-K-3 students this school year and received 567 applicants within a 2-week window. 57:18
  9. High school graduation dates and venue 1:05:44
    • The board considered 2026⁠-⁠2027 high school graduation dates, times and locations, and a lease agreement with Fertitta Center at the University of Houston for 2027 graduations. 1:05:44
    • Paola Gonzalez said the venue is an additional expense but lets families invite multiple family members, and said the stadium also has its cost of use. 1:06:56
    • The motions on the graduation dates and the Fertitta Center lease each carried. 1:06:23
  10. Instructional contracts and grants 1:07:31
    • The board considered the Advise Texas contract and MOU for 2026⁠-⁠2027 in the amount of $75,000, a College Transition innovative course and San Jacinto College services. 1:07:31
    • The board considered an Active Attack Response Equipment Grant Program award of $12,048.75, a Port of Houston Authority maritime sponsorship of $10,000 and a 21st Century Community Learning Centers continuation grant of $2 million. 1:08:31
    • The board considered a cruise experience for senior students January 21st through the 25th, 2027, at a cost of approximately $550 per student. 1:10:01
    • The motions on the College Transition course and the San Jacinto College services each carried. 1:07:49
  11. Budget amendments and tax rate 1:10:38
    • The board considered August 2026 budget amendments and a resolution authorizing employee compensation for the bad weather day on September 1st, 2026. 1:10:38
    • The board considered the 2026 appraisal roll and a tax rate of $0.8254 for maintenance and operations and $0.3400 for interest and sinking, for a total of $1.1654. 1:11:30
    • The motion on the resolution authorizing employee compensation for the bad weather day carried. 1:10:49
  12. Bond construction authorizations 1:12:18
    • The board considered AEA number 35 for the New Jessup Elementary School replacement project in the credit amount of $35,531. 1:12:18
    • The board considered AEA number 42 in the amount of $29,505 and change order number 001 for the New Bailey Elementary School replacement project. 1:13:07
    • Each of the motions carried. ~1:12:53
  13. Complaint resolution, security and delegates 1:13:28
    • The board considered naming an official voting delegate and an alternate to the 2026 TASB Delegate Assembly. 1:14:33
    • Each of the motions carried. ~1:14:14
  14. Next regular meeting date 1:15:01
    • The board considered setting the next regular meeting for Tuesday, October 27th, 2026. 1:15:01
    • The motion carried, and the meeting adjourned at 8:34 PM. 1:15:18

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

Other meetings

Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “PASADENA ISD Meeting of the Board of Trustees 9/22/26”