April 20, 2026 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:  Congratulations to the 8th Grade Boys Football Team for winning the district championship this year. We had to wait until now to recognize them because many of them were involved in basketball as well and could not attend a board meeting. These athletes gave their all this year and were rewarded with the District Championship.
Congratulations to the 8th Grade Boys Track Team as they followed up their football district championship by winning the track district championship. We are so proud of your accomplishments and can't wait to see you perform again next year.
We would like to recognize the individual champions from the Middle School District Track Meet:
8th Grade Boys
Primitivo Martinez — 1st Place - 2400 Meter Run and the 1600 Meter Run
Sebastian Saldivar - 1st Place - 800 Meter Run
Liam Scales - 1st Place - 300 Meter Hurdles
Alex Cruz-Olalde — 1st Place - 200 Meter Dash
Sebastian Saldivar, Primitive Martinez, Jate Crow, and Joey Magdaleno - 1st Place - 4x400 Meter Relay
7th Grade Boys
Damian Villafranco — 1st Place in the 100 Meter Dash, 1st Place in the 400 Meter Run, and 1st Place in the 200 Meter Dash
Dylan Seaboch — 1st Place in Discuss
Congratulations on a very successful track season.
Congratulations to Rylee Smithee who won 1st place at the HOSA State Competition for Speaking Skills and qualified for the HOSA International Leadership Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.
 

Description:  The FISD Teacher of the Month for March is Mrs. Amanda Merrell. She has made a tremendous impact in a short amount of time at Florence High School. As a first-year theater arts teacher, she has completely rebuilt our theater program. She has invested countless hours preparing students, developing productions, and outfitting the program with costumes and set pieces while also seeking out professional development to strengthen the program's long-term success. 
In addition to her work in theater, she excels in the ELA III classroom, where students are engaged, working diligently, and demonstrating strong academic growth. She has also worked tirelessly with an intervention group of freshmen boys, providing targeted support to help them meet standards on the ELAR I EOC. She is highly respected by her department as an outstanding educator and collaborative team member. We are grateful for her energy, dedications, and expertise she brings to campus. She is truly making a difference for our students and school community.

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:  Mr. Kirkpatrick will review the attached spreadsheet to explain any new items added to the list and the expenses associated with each.

Description:  As we are working through the budget building process for the 2026-2027 school year, it appears that we will once again be facing a budget deficit in FISD. This deficit is likely to occur even if no raises are offered to staff and any raises offered would only increase the deficit. Mr. Kirkpatrick will discuss the options being considered to increase revenue in the Maintenance and Operation (M&O) budget. Items to be discussed include:
1. Holding a Voter Approved Tax Ratification Election in November. Currently, FISD does not capture 3.3 Copper Pennies that we are eligible to collect under state law. Conservatively, if the voters approve a VATRE, it would generate an additional $250,000-$300,000 in M&O revenue.
2. Use the M&O Fund Balance to pay off the 2015 Maintenance Tax Note. Doing so would allow us to keep $200,000 in the M&O budget that currently goes toward the annual payment of the note.
3. Allow homeschool students to participate in CTE, UIL Activities, and certain courses. Under current law, the district would receive $1500 per student per activity from the state. As vouchers are now a reality in Texas, it is expected that more students will opt for homeschooling. By offering the courses and activities that are not typically offered in the homeschool curriculums, we could keep these students connected to the school and generate additional revenue.
 

Description:  As required by state law, the Board President will read a summary of Board Member Training Hours for the previous year.

Description:  Auditor will audit the financial statements of the governmental activities, the business-type activities, each major fund, and the aggregate remaining fund information, including the disclosures, which collectively comprise the basic financial statements of Florence ISD as of the year ending August 31, 2026. Standards provide for certain required supplementary information (RSI), such as management’s discussion and analysis (MD&A), to supplement Florence ISD's basic financial statements. Auditor is also engaged to report on supplementary information other than RSI that accompanies Florence ISD's financial statements, such as the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) and required TEA Schedules.

Description:  To prepare the meat lab at FHS for renovations, 1 Priority Environmental Services will provide environmental remediation and demolition. Environmental testing revealed that mold counts are above acceptable ranges. The materials containing mold will be disposed of in accordance with state and federal regulations. Once complete, final sampling will be performed for final clearance. Once final clearance is achieved, they will continue demolition to prepare for the remodeling project.

Description:  The light poles in the FHS parking lot are rusting and need to be replaced. The new light poles will be similar to the poles installed on the band practice field and will have two fixtures per pole to provide additional lighting. (Currently one fixture per pole). At FMS, the concrete bases will be demolished as they are leaning, and new bases will be installed with new poles and fixtures.

Description:  The parking lot between FMS and the stadium is damaged beyond repair and needs to be replaced. This proposal from PAVECON will provide for a new cement-stabilized asphalt parking lot and pavement markings as well as new fire lane restriping at both FMS and FHS.

Description:  This TIPS Job Order Contract (JOC) proposal will provide for the construction of a new 25' x 50' x 10' metal building for storage of maintenance equipment behind their new office. The metal building will have two open bays and one enclosed bay and will allow for our equipment to be stored in a dry environment. The enclosed bay will allow for secure storage of maintenance items.

Description:  The FMS Band Hall still has the original carpet from when it was built. The carpet is in very bad shape and cleaning it has not removed the odor. The florescent lights will be replaced with LED fixtures and the ceiling tile will be replaced as well. Finally, the entirety of the band hall will be painted.

Description:  The tile floor in the kitchen at FMS is broken in places and the health department has cited it in their inspection. The flooring to be used is epoxy flooring like the flooring we used in the kitchen at the new elementary school. It will hold up much better than the tile that is currently in the kitchen.

Description:  The press box at Stampede Stadium is desperately in need of an update. The carpet is coming apart at the seams, the ceiling is sagging and broken, and the walls need painting. After the donation of the HVAC system for the press box and the new windows, this would be the last need in the press box for quite some time.

Description:  The cafeteria at FHS is used as a common meeting place for school functions and theater performances. It is also used by the public. In order to ensure that the cafeteria continues to be a highlight for the district, we are requesting that the entire cafeteria be repainted, and all light fixtures be replaced with LED fixtures. The ceiling tile will also be replaced.

Description:  The library at FHS needs to be updated. The flooring is original and despite steam cleaning, remains stained and dirty. The walls need to be repainted and the lighting upgraded to LED. The district recommends replacing the ceiling tiles as well. As the library is used for all board meetings and is very public-facing, we need to ensure that it remains a great facility.

Description:  The student laptops currently in use at FHS and FMS are due for replacement as they were purchased in 2020. The cost above is for 600 new 14" touchscreen laptops and the associated costs to configure them. 

Description:  When the FHS front office was remodeled in 2019, new carpeting was not installed throughout. This project will replace the original carpet in the front office not previously replaced in 2019 to provide a uniform appearance. The carpet being replaced has been steam cleaned, but still is stained in many areas.

Description:  We currently do not have enough seating for all the fans at the baseball and softball games. This project will add new bleachers with more seating capacity to replace the fiberglass bleachers and the portable bleachers.

Description:  As shown in the attached map, one of the proposed transmission lines would run just north of the Florence Elementary School. Our community has voiced their concern that this could have negative health and environmental impacts on our students. The attached resolution allows the Superintendent to file a Motion to Intervene on behalf of the District in order to make the case for the proposed transmission line to be relocated to another location that is a further distance from our elementary campus.

Description:  As a member of IEI (Institute for Education Innovation), the district is able to send one administrator at very little cost to the district to three conferences hosted by IEI. The 2026 District Leaders Connect Conference is being held in Denver, Colorado, from May 11-13. The purpose of the conference is to allow district leaders to participate in focused networking and professional development and collaborate with other thought leaders to develop sustainable solutions for urgent issues in public education. 

Description:  HOSA students will attend the HOSA International Leadership Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. Four total students plus the advisor will be attending the conference, with one student having earned the right to compete in the competition after advancing from the state competition. Total cost of the trip is $5007.30.

Description:  As the Texas Education Agency continues to make changes to CTE course sequencing and offerings as well as the changes to CCMR, the district recommends adding this position so we have a dedicated individual ensuring every student is on an aligned pathway. The coordinator would provide leadership and coordination of Career and Technical Education, career advising, internship development, dropout prevention, attendance improvement, and Section 504 services. The position would be responsible for expanding high-quality CTE opportunities, strengthening partnerships with business and industry, increasing student engagement, and supporting systems that ensure students remain on track for graduation and postsecondary success. The goal would be for the position to fund itself with increased attendance and CTE offerings.