Board Brief - 08.25.25

A quorum of the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD Board of Trustees met for a Regular Board Meeting on August 25, 2025, at 6:30 PM at Austin Elementary. The following items were presented, discussed, acted upon, or approved.

Strategy III, Result 1: Showcase students and staff throughout the District.

View the full recognition presentation here.

Congratulations to the 15 students from the Class of 2029 who earned four high school credits as 8th-graders during the 2024-2025 school year! These students set the bar for their classmates and are on the road to graduation!

Individuals who wish to participate during the portion of the meeting designated for public comment shall sign up with the presiding officer or designee before the meeting begins, as specified in the Board's procedures on public comment. BED(LOCAL)

• No Comments

Presenter: Marshall Harrison

Strategy IV: We will be responsible stewards of our resources.

The public hearing provides opportunities for the District administration to present the proposed budget and for the Board and the public to ask questions related to the budget. The administration presents a balanced budget for all three funds (General Fund, Child Nutrition, and Debt Service) that the Board of Trustees adopts annually. View presentation here.

Presenter: Marshall Harrison

Strategy IV: We will be responsible stewards of our resources.

The public hearing provides opportunities for the District administration to present the proposed tax rate and for the Board and the public to ask questions related to the rate. The administration presented a recommendation for the overall tax rate remaining at $1.0000, which is made up of $0.67 for M&O and $0.33 for I&S. View the presentation here.

Items approved 6-0

Yeas: Zamarripa, Kington, Gonzales, Anchondo, McKinney, Orosco

Nays: None

View Minutes here.

Annually, the district must renew its Property and Casualty Insurance. Due to the size and complexity of our policy and to meet the procurement laws, PBTISD utilizes an insurance brokerage firm. Last spring, we conducted a reappraisal of the district; there was no cost to the district to conduct this reappraisal. The administration recommended that the Board of Trustees approve the Property and Casualty Renewal Proposal as presented by USI with the carrier Texas Political Subdivision, with a proposed annual premium of $1,251,139.

The purpose of the San Antonio Area Foundation is to support and enhance educational programs and opportunities available to all students who live within the PBTISD boundaries and to support the faculty and staff. The district utilizes this to fund the Grow Your Own (GYO) program. This GYO program allows district employees to apply for the opportunity to receive higher education at no cost to the employee. This resolution would allow the district to request reimbursement from the San Antonio Area Foundation for all costs associated with the GYO program as of the end of the fiscal year.

The Board shall amend the budget when a change is made, increasing functional spending categories, revenue object accounts, and other resources. The district anticipates adding money to the fund balance; however, this budget amendment addresses the board-approved functions to ensure adequate funds are budgeted for the entire fiscal year.

Fund balance has been a central topic of discussion during legislative sessions. It will likely remain an area of debate during future sessions, which could impose regulations on Texas school districts. This resolution authorizes the administration to transfer excess funds above $30,043,106, the unassigned fund balance, to the construction fund. Transferring surplus funds from the District's M&O fund to our construction funds allows legislators to see that the District has a strategic plan to address facility needs and decrease the tax burden on our community.

Over the last six-plus months, the 2025-2026 Fiscal Year Budget has been in the development phase. Budget adoptions by the Board are done at the Function Level, thus allowing the administration to manage the funds within any particular Function to support the overall effectiveness of the District’s operations. The budget must be adopted by August 31st, and before the adoption of the tax rate for the tax year in which the fiscal year covered by the budget begins. Education Code 44.004(f)–(g) The administration presented a balanced budget for all three funds (General Fund, Child Nutrition, and Debt Service).

A board may not impose property taxes in any year until it has adopted a tax rate for that year, and the annual tax rate must be set by ordinance, resolution, or order. The vote on the ordinance, resolution, or order setting the tax rate must be separate from the vote adopting the budget. The administration recommended an overall tax rate of $1.0000, which is made up of $0.67 for M&O and $0.33 for I&S. With the proposed tax rate, the district will be able to continue defeasing bonds, saving taxpayers millions of dollars and lessening the number of years the district has outstanding debt.

Defeasance is when a borrower sets aside sufficient funds to cover their debt obligations. By defeasing bonds early, PBTISD will save voters at least $300 million in interest, depending on how much payment the district can make based on tax collections. Over the past few years, the district has saved taxpayers $166,665,863 due to defeasing bonds.

Each student is expected to respect the rights and privileges of other students, teachers, and District staff. All teachers, administrators, and other District personnel are expected to respect the rights and privileges of students. The student handbook contains information on curriculum, grading, extracurricular activities, and other topics students and parents will likely need during the school year. View the Student Handbook here.

Senate Bill 12 (SB 12), 89th Legislature, requires the board of trustees to develop a parental engagement plan. The PBTISD Parent and Family Engagement Committee met on August 14, 2025, to discuss and recommend revisions to the Plan. The PBTISD Parent and Family Committee is composed of PBTISD administrators, teachers, parents, and community members. Representatives from each campus were present. The PBTISD Parent and Family Engagement Committee did recommend the proposed PFE Plan.

Due to increased student participation in the Culinary and Agriculture CTE programs, additional FTEs are requested for the 2025-26 school year. The administration requested that “Ghost” positions be re-established to allow for the recruitment of top talent and/or hard-to-fill positions.

• EFB (LOCAL): INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES - LIBRARY MATERIALS
• FD (LOCAL): ADMISSIONS
• FM (LOCAL): STUDENT ACTIVITIES
• FNCE (LOCAL): STUDENT CONDUCT - PERSONAL COMMUNICATION DEVICES/ELECTRONIC DEVICES

Approved 6-0

Yeas: Zamarripa, Kington, Gonzales, Anchondo, McKinney, Orosco

Nays: None

• Student Outcome Goal #3: The percentage of graduates who meet the criteria for College, Career, and Military Readiness will increase from 66% to 81% by August 2027.
• Student Outcome Goal #4: The percentage of students who graduate within four years will increase from 90.3% to 95% by August 2027.

Approved 6-0

Yeas: Zamarripa, Kington, Gonzales, Anchondo, McKinney, Orosco

Nays: None

Superintendent Constraint #1: The Superintendent shall not allow safety and security initiatives to be

a secondary priority

• 1a. The review and/or update of the Multi-Hazard Emergency Operation Plan will increase from once a year in June 2023 to no less than twice yearly by August 2025

Superintendent Constraint #2: The Superintendent shall not allow the collaborative partnership between home, school, and community to deteriorate.

• 1a. An Administrative report on a collaborative partnership with other stakeholders will increase from 0 per year in June 2023 to 4 per year by June 2025.

View the presentation here.

Approved 6-0; Board is in compliance.

Yeas: Zamarripa, Kington, Gonzales, Anchondo, McKinney, Orosco

Nays: None

Board Constraint #1: The board shall not publicly criticize any decision made by the school board or administration.

Approved 6-0

Yeas: Zamarripa, Kington, Gonzales, Anchondo, McKinney, Orosco

Nays: None

The Board committed to adopting the Lone Star Governance (LSG) governance model for school boards in the Spring of 2022. While the Board Goals, Goal Progress Measures, and Constraint Progress Measures are intended to run concurrently for five years, the CPMs only ran for three years, and changes have impacted the GPMs. View the updates here.

8:02 PM

EXECUTIVE SESSION may be called for the purposes permitted by the Texas Open Meeting Act, Texas Government Code Section 551.001 through 551.146, Section 551.071 Consultation with Attorney, Section 551.072 Real Property, 551.074 Personnel Matters (Appointment, Employment, Evaluation, Reassignment, Duties, Discipline, Dismissal, Complaint).

• 8.A. Review and discuss the Superintendent Evaluation
• 8.B. Review and discuss the proposed Superintendent Goals for the 2025-2026 school year

10:48 PM

Approved 4-2

Yeas: Zamarripa, Kington, Gonzales, McKinney

Nays: Anchondo, Orosco

• Approved Superintendent evaluation

Approved 6-0

Yeas: Zamarripa, Kington, Gonzales, Anchondo, McKinney, Orosco

Nays: None

• Approved the proposed Superintendent Goals for the 2025-2026 school year

• 10.A. Date for next Regular Board Meeting - September 22, 2025

• 10.B. Request items for the next agenda

The Board adjourned at 10:51 PM on August 25, 2025.

This newsletter aligns with Strategy III: We will broaden and strengthen partnerships with staff, families, and communities through transparency and effective communication.