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Willis Independent School District board meeting, date not confirmed yet

2 h 46 min

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Willis ISD board approves superintendent evaluation and contract extension, health plan renewal 2:31:04

  • A district staff member led a third budget workshop and projected that the maintenance and operations tax rate would be compressed to 0.6409. 31:26
  • The board voted 5⁠-⁠0 to approve revisions to its class ranking policy and to renew the district's health insurance plan. 2:26:34
  • After a closed session, the board voted 5 to 0 to approve the superintendent's annual evaluation and extend the superintendent's contract. 2:44:44

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Item by item (15)
  1. Long-range facilities plan presentation 0:01
    • The committee also recommended a 12-classroom addition at Warwick Early Education Center, a CTE center addition, a Yates Stadium renovation, tennis courts at the high school and new elementary schools around 2031. 3:02
    • Scott Carson asked about the Yates Stadium plan, and a staff member said moving the detention underground to create parking would let the district meet the parking code. 29:12
  2. Budget workshop on taxes and debt 31:14
    • A staff member said taxable values were up just over 7.7% and projected a maintenance and operations rate of 0.6409. 31:26
    • The staff member said the district has over $747 million in debt and could issue up to $90 million with no tax rate increase. 31:26
    • The staff member described a refunding of select 2016 and 2017 bonds with a maximum authorization of just under $58 million and a defeasance of $1.16 million in principal. 42:51
  3. Regular meeting opening 45:41
    • The regular meeting began at 5:50 PM with a quorum present, followed by a roll call, the pledges and an invocation. 50:56
  4. Introductions of new administrators 52:23
    • A staff member introduced the new principal of Turner Elementary and the new district coordinator of 504 and dyslexia. 52:50
  5. Consent agenda and pulled items 56:42
    • The chair said there were no public comments, and Paulett Traylor asked to remove items B, C and P from the consent agenda. 56:42
    • A staff member said Bays Achievement Center in Huntsville is a 30-minute drive compared with an hour and a half, and that item C proposes moving students from ABS West in Houston there for the 2026⁠-⁠27 school year. 58:18
    • A staff member said item P, a teacher externship agreement with Workforce Solutions, would place teachers in jobs tied to the district's career programs. 1:02:01
    • The board approved the remaining consent items 5⁠-⁠0, then approved items B, C and P 5⁠-⁠0 on a motion by Paulett Traylor. 57:44
  6. Early literacy progress update 1:04:54
    • A staff member said the goal is to raise the share of 3rd grade students meeting grade level on the reading assessment from 54% to 77% by August of 2030. 1:05:15
    • The staff member said 1st grade students meeting projected growth rose from 54% to 58%, while 2nd grade rose from 62% to 63%, just below the annual benchmark of 64%. 1:05:15
    • The board voted 5⁠-⁠0 to approve the progress update on a motion by Paulett Traylor. 1:11:46
  7. Federal grants update 1:11:40
    • A staff member said the district went from about 7 grant programs totaling $4.6 million in 2023 to 26 programs totaling more than $11.2 million. 1:12:37
    • The staff member said a new GEAR UP grant provided $220,000 in year 1 funding, and 74 rising 8th grade students took part in summer programs. 1:15:16
    • The staff member said a 30-day public comment period on federal grants would open the next day through a form on the district website. 1:27:15
  8. Financial, investment and insurance reports 1:32:49
    • A staff member said local revenue exceeded the adopted budget and projected a slight general fund surplus. 1:32:52
    • A staff member said investment rates averaged 3.75 in the 3rd quarter and the district was evaluating locking in rates around 4% for a portion of funds. 1:33:52
    • An insurance consultant said the plan's projected annual cost is $8.1 million, medical claims were up 25% and the renewal was a 23% increase over current cost. 1:40:08
  9. Student handbook updates 1:52:37
    • A staff member said handbook changes were minimal and included an opt-out form for health-related services, lockboxes for confiscated phones and a ban on blankets and pillows. 1:54:45
    • Paulett Traylor asked how addresses are verified, and a staff member said a changed address requires a new proof of residence before enrollment. 1:58:58
    • One board member said enforcement of the dress code has been lacking and inconsistent and said the district needs to make a bold move in that direction. 2:04:06
  10. Capital projects update 2:07:28
    • A staff member said the scoreboard project was 20% complete with completion expected around the 30th of July, and an elementary school from the '22 bond was 98% complete with completion in August of 2026. 2:07:42
    • The staff member said Cannon Elementary was 20% complete for November 2026, the transportation center was more than 20% complete and the 9th grade center was around 10% complete. 2:11:02
  11. Class ranking policy revisions 2:16:25
    • A staff member said the revisions make the weighted GPA the official calculation for class rank and remove reference to the unweighted 4.0 GPA. 2:17:24
    • The staff member said valedictorian and salutatorian candidates must be continuously enrolled for the final 2 years, and beginning with the class of 2027 the valedictorian will be the highest-ranking graduate. 2:23:51
    • The board voted 5⁠-⁠0 to approve the revisions on a motion by Paulett Traylor. 2:26:34
  12. Change order and health insurance renewal 2:26:33
    • Scott Carson moved to approve a deductive change order of $2,645,439.78 and a final payment of $418,792 for a middle school project. 2:27:40
    • A staff member said the auditor recovered about $1.6 million more than anticipated. 2:29:19
    • Chad Jones moved to approve Blue Cross Blue Shield as the health insurance carrier and the proposed monthly funding levels for the 2026⁠-⁠2027 plan. 2:31:04
    • The change order motion carried, and the health insurance motion carried 5⁠-⁠0. 2:31:28
  13. State association delegate selection 2:31:24
    • A staff member said the Texas Association of School Boards delegate assembly will be held October 9th, 2026, in Houston. 2:31:45
    • The board voted 5⁠-⁠0 to name a voting delegate and an alternate on a motion by Chad Jones. 2:33:16
  14. Long-range plan discussion 2:33:24
    • A staff member said the item was placed so the board could give feedback, after which staff could return with the full plan to submit to TEA. 2:33:52
    • Paulett Traylor asked how hard it would be to change the plan after submission, and a staff member said the board would have to vote to alter it. 2:39:16
    • A staff member said there is no deadline, but the plan must be in place before the next bond committee. 2:43:20
  15. Closed session actions and adjournment 2:43:36
    • The board convened in closed session and reconvened in open session at 11:10 PM. 2:43:36
    • The superintendent said the next meeting is August 19th at 5 PM, starting with a public meeting on the proposed budget and tax rate. 2:45:35
    • The board voted 5⁠-⁠0 to approve personnel on a motion by Scott Carson, and 5 to 0 to approve the superintendent's evaluation and extend the superintendent's contract. 2:44:39

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

Who spoke

Who spoke

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Video: posted by the district as “Willis ISD Board Meeting - July 8, 2026”