IC ISD Board Meeting June 23 2025
- G. Noelke
- Jun 20
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 25
Agenda Analysis | Meeting Review | Meeting Documents | Commentary | Last Meeting
A. Agenda Analysis
Meeting date: June 23.
Administrative reports, item 3: In the "how to read an agenda" department, I know from regularly reading these agendas that noticeably absent from this agenda are reports from Principal Parker and A.D./Asst. Principal Morrow. Again, read agendas also for what is missing. Sometimes its relevant, sometimes its not.
Bond design and construction, item 5: This is the standard bond language, though if memory serves it is about time for the next design stage to be approved - the drainage and band field.
Update 125, item 6: This appears to be a TASB policy update. To get into the weeds here, try this search. You might be able to find some interpretive guidelines posted by other school districts. (Note: when I used to sue nursing homes at the AG's office for abuse to residents, defense counsel invariably would whine that nursing homes could not possibly comply with the law because they were over regulated. I don't know, maybe our schools are over regulated. "Local control" is meaningless once you try to digest the meaning of all these policy changes. Nursing homes, by the way, are NOT over regulated.)
Closed session, item 10a and action items from closed, item 11: In the last year there has been talk of the District moving from the Menard special ed coop to the one in Wall. I’m unaware of anything in the Open Meetings Act that would permit this topic to be determined and finalized in a closed session, so hopefully this will be addressed at item 11. These services are not cheap, and there is reason to be concerned about funding. The Texas Legislature purportedly dedicated $834 million to special ed reforms, but the future of funding from the Department of Education appears questionable.
Everything else: Typically, bond construction updates will be at Supt. Moore’s administrative reports at item 3a.
B. Meeting Review
Administrative reports and bond matters, item 3 a: The reports were quite brief. Ms. Lakey did not have a specific report, and Supt. Moore mentioned that she is doing a walk through on the new field this week. She also mentioned, and I recommend, her video updates on the IC ISD YouTube page. Check out Moore's Monday Minutes each week here.
Bond design and construction, item 5: My sense is that the initial plans for the band field and drainage project behind (east of) the band hall have changed dramatically. Here the Board approved only a 40x60 paved area that will drop off (taper?) at the end to the East. There was no discussion about it including, or being connected to, a flood control project. A Gallagher rep was present and answered a few of the Board's questions on the project. I will be asking about the scope of this project in my next open records request. Advocacy tip: motions to change the use of bond funds or omit or revise bond projects are not explicitly announced. That is, what you won't hear are motions like, "I move that we not longer do project A, as represented to the community before the bond election, but instead do in its place revised project A." For my series on "How to read an open meeting", you are going to have to read some tea leaves during the meeting and probably do a document request. When bond projects get amended it may be impossible to understand the amendment even by attending the meeting.
Special education/dyslexia matters, items 4, 10a and 12: This also will be a topic for my next open record request. The District has been subject to a TEA review, while at the same time, as discussed above, it is considering a different Sped coordinator. (Upon further refection, I may have it wrong above. Perhaps the consideration for a new coordinator is the Small School Coop in Angelo.) In any event, the review by TEA did not appear too problematic. And, there was no discussion of the merits of a new coordinator after the executive session at item 12. The matter was tabled by the Board. It is impossible to tell whether there are ongoing negotiations with a new partner or whether this is a fiscal issue. I am keeping Sped and dyslexia issues on the table because, well, these are the hidden students not getting celebrated with tennis courts, a new gym or new football field each time a bond rolls around. Moreover, at some point in time there are going to be consequences for the current attempt at eliminating the Department of Education by the Trump administration. It appears to me that the federal government is turning a blind eye.
I recommend reading my page on this Irion County Commissioners' Court meeting in conjunction with this page. I am attempting to connect how the City of Mertzon, IC ISD and Irion County all are dependent upon one another on flood issues at City Park. Maybe a situation has arisen where cooperation among these 3 will be a must. I hope so.
C. Commentary
Best I can tell, there’s nothing in the law that mandates a district to develop, adopt and follow a specific strategic growth and capital improvement plan. My read is that this sort of planning is recommended by TEA rules but not mandatory. The consequence of that is visible here, where 2024 bond funds are being used to take out an ADA compliant sidewalk put in with 2019 bond funds next to an undersized cafeteria built in 1976. Not visible above is the new cafeteria floor paid for with 2019 funds. As I recall from the board meetings, the Board had it reinstalled in 2022 because of its initial imperfections. So, two floors were installed. Well, the skid steer in the photo below sits on top of where that new floor once was.
The IC ISD campus is comprised of a patchwork of buildings built during the last 115 years, all a testament in some way to inadequate planning. That lack of planning, at least in recent years, can be tied to the Board, a revolving door of superintendents, TEA and the Texas legislature. Notably, the legislature has created an incentive for the District’s wealth to be invested into buildings instead of the many other intangible things that make up a good education. The community generally goes unaware of the particular inefficiencies of how bond funds are spent, or perhaps it is just safer to not speak up in such a small community.
While I supported the 2024 bond vote, it sure is difficult to watch these public dollars spent this way. I have a long memory because I’ve had to work so hard to protect my property. It is impossible to look the other way.
Copyright 2025 G. Noelke
