October 20, 2025 at 7:00 PM - Regular Meeting

Description:  Announcement by the Board President whether a quorum is present and that notice of the meeting has been posted in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code Chapter 551 as required by law.

Description:  "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Description:   "Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible." 

Description:  Both the 7th and 8th grade boys Florence Middle School Cross Country won the Team District Championship and the following individuals were medalists in the meet:
7th Grade: Rowdy Phillips 4th Place, Kason Stafford 8th Place and Owen Reeder 10th Place.
8th Grade: Primitivo Martinez 1st Place, Sebasian Saldivar 4th Place, Ivan Pineda 7th Place, and Preston Hamm 8th Place.
Congratulations to all of these athletes on bringing the Cross Country District Championship home. 
   
 

Description:  The Florence ISD Education Foundation is awarding 18 grants to teachers totaling $34,451.69 this year. Members of the foundation will present the grants to the staff who applied for the grant.

Description:  Sarah Stephens from Florence Elementary School has been selected as the FISD September Teacher of the Month. From her nomination:
I would like to recognize Sarah Stephens for the phenomenal job she is doing in the classroom and the incredible leadership she demonstrates throughout the school. Sarah goes above and beyond daily — creating a warm, engaging, and structured learning environment where students feel valued and excited to learn. Her positive energy, strong classroom culture, and commitment to excellence are evident in everything she does. She leads by example, supports her colleagues, and consistently contributes to building a strong, positive school community. We are so grateful for her dedication, creativity, and the lasting impact she has both on her students and our campus.

Description:  Each year, the month of October is set aside to recognize and celebrate the dedication and hard work of our school principals. Because of their vision, leadership, and commitment, our students are more successful than ever. Thank you to our incredible principals, Dr. Russell Porterfield, Lauren Neil, and Ercilia Paredes for making a difference every day in the lives of their students and staff. Attached is the proclamation from Governor Greg Abbott declaring October as Texas Principals Month.

Description:  The Board encourages comments about the district from members of the public.  Anyone who has signed up to speak in advance of the meeting in accordance with the Board procedures may do so at this time.  The Board asks that each participant's comments pertain to district business and be no longer than 5 minutes.  For any member of the public who is accompanied by a translator, your time will be doubled as required by law.  Remember that the Board may not discuss or act upon any issues that are not posted on our agenda.  In addition, the Board has adopted policies to provide prompt and equitable resolution of complaints and concerns for employees, students or their parents, and the general public.  Copies of our district policies and procedures on public comments and filing complaints are available on the district website. 

Description:  TEC §89.1265  requires all school districts to conduct an annual evaluation of the Bilingual/ESL program. The purpose of the evaluation is to determine program effectiveness to ensure academic success. The annual evaluation report shall be presented to the board of trustees before November 1 of each year.

Description:  The Board’s participation in and knowledge of the District’s Investment Policy and procedures ensures that District funds are properly invested with the judgment and care required. The District’s adopted Investment Policy requires that investment transactions for the District be reported to the Board on at least a quarterly basis. There are also actions to be taken annually.

The first is a Board review of the investment policy and investment strategies. The Board is required to adopt a written instrument stating that it has performed this review. It records any changes made to the policy or investment strategies. The second action is an annual report to the Board on the investment program and investment activity.

The third is a Board compliance audit of management controls on investments and adherence to established policies. This audit is performed in conjunction with the annual financial audit.

No changes are recommended at this time to the District investment policy.

Description:  The Public Funds Investment Act requires new District Investment Officers to attend training from an independent source, containing at least ten hours of instruction relating to the investment officer's responsibilities (CDA Legal). Subsequently, continuing education of eight hours is required every two years.

Training must be from a recommended independent source and approved by the Board of Trustees. Each of the recommended trainers is actively involved in public school professional development and will provide a selection of quality investment training opportunities. 

Description:  The Board approves the list of brokers who may engage in investment transactions with the District CDA(LEGAL). 

The adoption of the Broker list allows the District the ability to prudently manage investments as needed, through the purchase of allowable securities, to improve earnings on District funds.  

This list of authorized dealers is provided by Meeder Public Funds. Meeder has provided the investment advisory services for the 2022 Bond proceeds. Those funds or balances are now exclusively in Texas Range or Verabank accounts, as projects wind down.

Description:  TASB Region 13 has a vacancy on their Board of Directors. Local boards are invited to submit a nominee to fill this interim position. This vacancy will be filled by the TASB Board in December and serve until the next Delegate Assembly in October 2026. Instructions for nominations and all forms necessary to complete a nomination are attached.

Description:  FISD has 44 HVAC units that have surpassed their life expectancy, some that are original units at FHS from 1999. Over the past two years, we have had to make emergency replacements on units several times when units cannot be repaired. This project will bring our units to modern code and use the current refrigerant, as the majority of the existing units use a refrigerant that is two generations old and very expensive to procure. O'Connell Robertson has performed our HVAC design work in Florence ISD since my arrival. They have proven to provide exceptional service and follow-through on the project. They will also provide Commissioning Services upon completion of the project. The cost for the design service and construction administration is 7% of the total cost of work, which will be determined through a Competitive Sealed Proposal. The cost for Commissioning Services is 2% of the total cost of work.

Description:  Board Policy CV(LEGAL), as amended by the 89th legislative session, requires the Board to select the procurement method that provides the best value for the district for contracts valued at or above $100,000.00. For this project, it is the opinion of the District and the Architect that the best value will be gained by the use of a Competitive Sealed Proposal.  A timeline for the project will be established this week and once proposals are received and rated, final rankings will be brought back to the Board for approval. Construction is expected to commence as soon as the summer vacation begins, with expected substantial completion on July 31, 2026.

Description:  There are no resignations or new hires for the previous month.