Irion County ISD September 29 2026
Updated: Sep 30
Agenda Analysis | Meeting Review | Meeting Documents | Commentary | Last Meeting
A. Agenda Analysis
Time: Note the time of this meeting is at 7:30 am. There's no requirement in the Texas Open Meeting Act addressing what time is a lawful time. This Board always meets around 6:00 pm. Can they meet early? Yes. The law provides that meetings only have to be "open to the public". (Texas Gov't Code 551.002.) A meeting at 7:30 is generally no less accessible than one around 6:00 pm. Contrast that with a meeting at, say, 4:00 am. An argument might be made that meeting was inaccessible to the public because of its unusual time, and therefore it would not be "open to the public".
Approve the tax roll, Item 3 a. : This is the final tax roll that should firmly determine the District's income next year from 2026 taxes. I'm unsure why this wasn't approved before Aug 31; I recall there is a good reason, I just don't remember it.
DIP and CIP, items 3b and c: I had to reach out to Supt. Heath to decode these. These are the "District Improvement Plan" and "Campus Improvement Plan". Each year there are modifications to the TEA required plans. Here is the 24-25 District Improvement Plan, for example.
B. Meeting Review
Meeting documents - I will post them in the near future.
Tax Roll, item 3A: The Board approved the tax roll.
District and Campus improvement plans, items 3B & C: After a few brief comments from Supt. Heath, the Board approved.
C. Commentary
Meeting location: I was in such a hurry on this page I didn't realize that I had not posted the location. The meeting was at Duke's Mercantile and Coffee (Facebook), no doubt a show of support by the Board for their former member, Ashley Hill, who owns and runs the place. Can public meetings be held at private businesses like this? Yes, meetings have to be generally accessible to the public, and this one definitely was. She brews a good drip, and there's ample half and half in a side fridge. I recommend it. 103 N. Broadway, Mertzon, Texas 76941.
NYT article: 30 Ideas for Fixing US Schools, Ranked by Experts.
Advocacy tip: When you don't understand the language being used in a public meeting agenda (like CIP and DIP), just reach out to the governmental body and ask for an interpretation.
Links: McDonald Observatory, Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center. Here's an example of a star cluster, the Wild Duck Star Cluster, that you can see while at the Observatory at one of their Star Parties. We stayed at a nearby AirBnB, but another option for lodging that is in the mountains and quite close to the Observatory is The Prude Ranch. I also recommend the horseback rides at the ranch.
What you aren't seeing on Government in the Sun: political endorsements and race analysis. Again, this is more of an experiment in civics than a political or news site. My exception will be evaluating how politics have impacted the 765 kV line cases. Stay tuned for that over on my 765 kV page at the Commentary section.
Copyright 2026 G. Noelke
