IC ISD Board Meeting August 12 2025

Agenda Analysis | Meeting Review | Meeting Documents | Commentary | Last Meeting

The foundation for the new transportation maintenance building began to take shape the week before this meeting. The Parkhill and Gallagher engineers and hydrologists are facing some serious challenges with stormwater distribution at this location. Several private residences are subject to potential stormwater flooding from this new stormwater source.

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IC ISD meeting agenda

A. Agenda Analysis

1. Budget, items 2 and 7: Local and state government operate on a Sept to Aug fiscal year, so this agenda shows the key 12th hour matters that must take place before August 31. There will be another meeting before the end of the month to approve the 25-26 year budget. Items 2a and 7 are connected as they do a couple things that are connected. First, the Board will start the process of setting next year's tax rate. Second, the Board will do clean up on this year's budget with budget amendments. I have long thought these kind of budget amendment postings that say only "Discuss/Approve budget amendments" like 7 does are inadequate. Taxpayers need more information on where the budget is being changed because that might be where projections fell short...or where the mistakes are found. Supt. Moore and her CFO Kandra Lakey are clearly running a tighter ship than the previous administration, but this is now a $70+ million budget, and no one in the community, other than myself, is monitoring them. More specificity on the agenda language here would clarify what is really happening. Go here to read about this part of the meeting last year. (See meeting analysis 2a).

   And see my analysis here at New budget posting requirements HB 1522, about how this process will change next year. The new laws take effect Sept. 1, so this budget is not impacted.

2. Personal prayer/reading in relation to HB 1481: Here is 1481, the new law banning cell phones. I haven't caught up with this issue just yet, but for the moment I am taken back with the idea that our state leadership last session would impose billions of dollars of school security measures on Texas taxpayers to protect against school shooters, do absolutely nothing to limit gun owner rights, and then here take away the best security device ever in a shooting emergency: a cell phone that a child can use to call 911. All the fencing that has been put in place and all the (intrusive) electronic surveillance being implemented are not the end of school shooters, folks.

3. New cafeteria prices, item 9: My interest here is whether there is a cost increase and how much. My reading indicates we are going into a recession, so I'm sure the costs here are on the minds of lots of folks.

4. Student handbook, item 10: Will any students be present to say, hey, wait a second? Young people need to learn to question authority, and this matter could be a prime opportunity. Or, if there are any changes made, they may be mundane. I have no particular knowledge about these changes.

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B. Meeting Review

I missed this meeting. Could be a few days to next week before I catch up. So, here’s a reminder: this blog is a one man operation, I do all the writing and photography myself, I have no back office, I earn no income by subscriptions or advertising and I don’t promote it via social media.

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C. Commentary

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Copyright 2025 G. Noelke