February 23, 2026 at 6:00 PM - Regular Meeting

Description:  It has been found and determined that in accordance with the policies and orders of the Board, the notice of this meeting was posted publicly at the Administration Building in accordance with the terms and provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code, Section 551.001 et. seq., and that all of the terms of said article have been fully complied with and that the 3 working days notice required has been properly and correctly given.

Description:  At this time, the Board will listen to comments from the public and others regarding both agenda action items and items that are not on the agenda. No action may be taken on non-agenda items. Public participation is limited to the designated open forum portion of a regular meeting. Any person wishing to address the Board concerning an item on the agenda for an open meeting must register with the Board secretary by email at egilpin@hfhorns.net no later than 10:00 a.m. the day of the Board meeting.  Any person wishing to address the Board concerning an item not on the Agenda can register with the Board Secretary at any time prior to the Board meeting.  Speakers will not be permitted to criticize HFISD employees, whether addressing the Board on an Agenda item or a subject not on the posted Agenda.

Description:  March 9 - 13

Description:  As a result of the ongoing bond projects, the board will continue to receive monthly updates and information throughout the life of the projects to their completion.

The administration, architects, and/or the general contractor will discuss general items and answer questions for the board.  In addition, specific items will be discussed relating to, but not limited to, consideration of extending the contractor’s completion timeline, the construction progress to date, and approving potential change orders. In addition, the board will consider scheduling a site visit.

The board will also consider a ribbon cutting ceremony in March 2026.
 

Description:  Hamshire-Fannett ISD conducted a survey of staff and community for approximately five years, from about 2014 to 2019. The board then, at times, created goals around survey needs. In addition, the data from the survey was also used in developing parts of campus and district plans that would address needs revealed in the survey.
The administration will present the board with an updated proposal to possibly conduct the survey again.  

 

Description:  Each school board in the state of Texas has the authority to authorize the naming of school facilities, in part or in whole, in accordance with its adopted Local Policy CW. The Board also directed the superintendent to develop an administrative process for naming facilities, which is CW Regulations.
The board will review, discuss, and decide whether to proceed with actions, or not, regarding the naming of district facilities.  
 

Description:  Texas Education Code section 25.0823 was added by Senate Bill 11 (SB 11) in the 89th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature in 2025. The statute allows a school board to adopt, by record vote on a prescribed resolution, a policy requiring every campus of the district or school to provide students and employees with an opportunity to participate in a period of prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious text ("Daily Prayer Period") on each school day in accordance with the law. A school board does not have to adopt a Daily Prayer Period, but a board does have to vote by March 1, 2026, on whether to adopt a resolution on the matter.
The board will consider the requirements of SB 11 and take appropriate action to adopt or not adopt a policy related to SB 11.
 

Description: 

The Board of Trustees have been supplied with detailed background information regarding each item of business on the "Consent Agenda" if one is so indicated, or it has been discussed at a previous meeting of the Board. All items will be acted upon by one vote without being discussed separately.  If requested by a Board member, individual items may be removed from the"Consent Agenda" to be discussed and voted upon separately.  All items are as recommended by the Superintendent.

Description:  In conjunction with Hamshire-Fannett ISD Board policy, it is a requirement that the minutes of the previous Board meeting(s) be approved by the Board at a subsequent Board Meeting.

A copy of the minutes is included in each Board member’s agenda packet for perusal and awaits Board action.
 

Description:   It is a customary and accepted Board procedure as a standard order of business at regular Board meetings for the Board to take action in relation to the approval of expenditures for the elapsed period since the last Board meeting.

Pertinent information relating to the financial condition of the District and the resolution of district indebtedness is provided for Board perusal and utilization.

Description:  The Board is aware of the need for the budget amendment for the 2025-2026 fiscal year as presented in the attachment.

Executive Summary
As our educational environment becomes increasingly digital, the limitations of our current Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals tier present growing risks to data security and constraints on instructional efficiency. This proposal recommends an upgrade to a premium tier—Education Standard or Education Plus—to transition our institution from a reactive posture to a proactive, secure, and data-driven ecosystem. By investing in these advanced tools, we will:

1. Strengthen Cybersecurity: Move beyond basic encryption to enterprise-level threat detection and remediation.

2. Reclaim Instructional Time: Automate administrative tasks like roster syncing and log analysis, allowing staff to focus on students.

3. Elevate Student Outcomes: Provide interactive, AI-driven learning tools and robust academic integrity features that are currently unavailable.

Introduction Our current "Fundamentals" tier of Google Workspace for Education has served as a reliable baseline, but the complexity of modern cyber threats and the demand for personalized learning now require more sophisticated tools. To ensure our district remains a leader in both safety and innovation, I am proposing an upgrade to our Google Workspace environment.

I. Security & Risk Mitigation The "Standard" and "Plus" editions introduce the Security Center, providing a unified dashboard to monitor our domain's health. Currently, responding to a malicious email or a data leak is a manual, time-consuming process. With the Security Investigation Tool, our IT team can identify and delete a phishing email from every student and staff inbox simultaneously, neutralizing threats in seconds rather than hours.

II. Operational Efficiency One of the most significant burdens on our teachers is manual data management. By upgrading to Education Plus, we can implement SIS Roster Syncing, which automatically populates Google Classrooms based on our official enrollment data. This single feature reclaims thousands of collective hours at the start of each semester. Furthermore, advanced meeting features like automated transcripts and attendance tracking streamline documentation for IEP meetings and parent-teacher conferences.

III. Student Impact and Academic Integrity The upgrade directly benefits the classroom experience through Practice Sets, which use AI to provide students with real-time hints and feedback as they work through assignments. Additionally, while we are currently limited in our use of Originality Reports, the upgrade allows for unlimited checks. This shifts the tool from a "policing" mechanism to a "teaching" tool, allowing students to check their own work for proper citation before submission.

IV. Financial Investment & Fiscal Responsibility The cost presented in this proposal represents the yearly cost under a three-year term contract. This multi-year commitment allows us to lock in lower rates and ensures budget stability while we modernize our infrastructure.

As an IT department, we are committed to fiscal responsibility and are actively working to bring costs down in other areas—such as consolidating redundant software licenses, optimizing hardware refresh cycles, and moving toward energy-efficient cloud solutions. However, we must begin to view security spending as a complete necessity rather than a discretionary expense.

In the current landscape, the cost of a single data breach or a prolonged ransomware-induced outage far exceeds the annual investment in these proactive security tools. By upgrading now, we are not just buying software; we are purchasing an insurance policy for our district's continuity and our students' digital safety.

Conclusion and Recommendation Upgrading is not merely adding "bells and whistles"; it is about building a resilient infrastructure that protects our students’ data and gives our educators the best possible environment to teach.

Description:  The LWP is intended to be a useful tool for establishing, evaluating, and maintaining a healthy school environment, and for promoting transparency to the public in key areas affecting each school’s nutrition environment. The LWP must focus on nutrition education and promotion, physical activity, and school-based activities that promote student wellness. The Food Service Director collaborates with the Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) to update local policies and promote wellness activities for parents, staff, and our community.
Changes to the LWP per USDA & TDA requirements. A summary of the changes have been provided. The LWP updates were discussed and approved by the SHAC Committee.

Description:  .The Texas Association of School Boards sponsors the yearly award of Superintendent of the Year (SOTY).  Each of the 20 educational regions go through a nomination and select process for SOTY.  The regional awardees move to the state selection process in which five finalists are chosen.  From the final five, the state winner is announced at the txEDCON 2026 TASA/TASB Conference.
 

Description:  The District Calendar Committee is made up of district and campus
administrators, teachers, and parents. The committee met and
listened to feedback from members and their campuses. Factors
included in the proposed district calendar include the following:
· Meaningful/Aligned staff development days throughout the
school year to align with Professional Learning Communities.
· More curriculum and instruction time implemented before
standardized testing in April 2027.
· Two staff workdays in August and 1 staff workday in January
before semester 2 begins.
· Built in minutes recommended by TEA in case of weather
related issues.

Description:  The Texas Education Code (TEC) §25.081 waiver allows the district or
charter school to train staff on various educational strategies designed to
improve student performance in lieu of a maximum of:
2,100 minutes of student instruction for districts and charter
schools that provide operational and instructional minutes; or
5 days of student instruction for charter schools that provide 180
days of operation
TEC 25.081 Waiver
Consider approving the TEC 25.081 waiver to allow 2100 minutes (5
days) to be used in lieu of student instruction hours on the 26-27
school calendar. This time will be used before the first day of school
in preparation for instruction for the school year.
  The Modified Testing Waiver allows a district to adjust the state testing schedule to preserve instructional time and reduce disruptions to campus operations. This flexibility helps ensure students receive focused instruction while still meeting all state assessment requirements. The waiver supports a more efficient testing environment that minimizes lost learning time and maintains compliance with Texas Education Agency guidelines.  

Description:  Board Policy CH (LOCAL) requires budgeted purchases of goods or services costing $25,000 or more, regardless of whether the goods are services are competitively purchased, require Board approval before a transaction may take place.
Switch Electric that has contracted with the district for a quarterly maintenance program for the district generators. The cost of the maintenance will exceed the currently approved limit along with any necessary expenditures that may arise. We would like to get a $35,000 limit approved for this vendor.

Description:  The Board May Convene into Closed (executive) session, in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, TX Govt. Code 551.001, Subchapters D and E or Texas Govt Code section 418.183(f).  Before any closed meeting is convened, the presiding officer will publicly identify the section or sections of the Act authorizing the closed meeting.  All final votes, actions, or decisions will be taken in open meeting.
 

Description:  The district currently has one or more vacant positons.  Interviews are currently being conducted, and the Superintendent will bring recommendations for the position(s) to this Board meeting, if feasible.

Any action, decision or final vote with regard to any matter considered in such closed session, shall be made in open session.

Description: 

The District currently has one or more vacant positions.  Interviews are currently being conducted, and the Superintendent will bring recommendations for the position(s) to this Board Meeting, if feasible.

Description:  It is possible that one or more resignations could be in the process of being submitted to the Superintendent.
If received, the Superintendent will present letters of resignation for board information.