Board Recap for November 18, 2025

The following items are listed in order as they were addressed by the board.

16 people signed up to address the Board:

- Michelle Saengerhausen: "10 Library Books on compliance"

- Patricia Buckley on "10A"

- Kim Saunders on "10A"

- John S. Carter on "10.A. Library Books"

- Helen Sue Carter on "10.A Library Books"

- Jim Davis on "SB 13 & FIRST AMENDMENT"

- Lori Davis on "10a purchase of library books SB13"

- Lynette Leanox on "SB12 & SB412"

- Debbie Heimbach on "10A Library FCC"

- Delores "Mica" Arellano on "Books in Public School Libraries (10A), positive vs. negative material for children to read"

- Forrest Fletcher on "Guadalupe County Appraisal Board"

- Eric Norman on "10a book list"

- Tess Coody-Anders on "Removal of Books/Adherence to Strategic Plan"

- Abigail Crettenden on "10A"

- Ann Craig on "10/A School Books/Library"

- Melissa Villarreal on "10/A School Book"

PARENTS

As a reminder to our Seguin High School families, the 9th- and 10th-grade parent night will be held tomorrow (Nov. 19) at the high school beginning at 6 P.M.

COMMUNITY

Thank you to those who joined us this morning for our ribbon-cutting at Barnes Middle School. We celebrated the work completed under Bond 2022, which includes additions to the library, cafetorium, fine arts space, parking lot, and a classroom wing.
If you were unable to join us today, we hope you’ll join us in celebrating the next portion completed under Bond 2022 - the expansion of our Transportation Department! Stay tuned for details - we’ll announce that very soon.
We are also grateful for those who donated during today’s HOSA blood drive at Seguin High School. Your donations will save lives this holiday season.
Seguin ISD is grateful to the community and our community partners for their continued support of the Seguin Education Foundation. It was an honor to join the SEF Directors as they surprised our teachers with $119,000 in grants! We are looking forward to the fantastic projects our teachers will accomplish with that financial support to promote learning.

ACADEMICS

I am excited to announce that 15 students have completed their graduation requirements at MBLC this semester. Our first MBLC graduation will be held next month on December 16; we hope everyone will join us. Dr. Duffek also confirmed that students have completed 282.5 credits. We are proud of all of you for your hard work!
Congratulations to the Barnes Academic UIL students who recently competed at the BASIS San Antonio-Shavano meet over the weekend. We had four students place in the top 3 for History, Science, and Spelling!
Several Spanish spelling bees are being held across the district this week; best of luck to all our students competing!
I know progress reports went out last week. Students, we are in the final stretch of our first semester; stay focused. Teachers, I know this can be a challenging time of year as we look forward to these holiday breaks. We are here to support you - you’ve got this!

ATHLETICS

Basketball season has tipped off for our middle school and high school athletes. We hope you will come out to support the Toros, Toreadors, and Matadors this season.
Golf and Spring Tennis are also getting underway.
Congratulations to Hannah Patterson & Braylee Lawson on their fourth-place finish at the San Marcos Thankful for Tennis tournament!
Congratulations to the Lady Matador Volleyball team on a fantastic season. These athletes advanced to Area and put up a fight against Smithson Valley. Eight of these young ladies were also recognized with All-District Awards as well, including District MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year. Way to go, Matadors!
We have some very hard-working athletes here in Seguin ISD, both in their respective sports and in the classroom. Congratulations to the five tennis and volleyball student-athletes recognized for Academic All-State, and the 11 volleyball student-athletes who were recognized for Academic All-District.

CTE

Our 8th-grade students will attend the Career Expo tomorrow at the Seguin Coliseum. This will be an excellent opportunity for them to learn about future opportunities in the workforce.
Our pharmacy tech students and parents visited Lamar State College - Orange to learn about dual credit requirements and opportunities.
Several CTE classes will benefit from SEF’s generosity through grants, including construction, engineering, law enforcement, and pharmacy. Thank you, SEF!
Thank you to the local businesses that donated prizes for our cosmetology students’ annual hair and makeup contest. Your support is vital to our programs, and we love opportunities to see our students shine.

FINE ARTS

Our theatre students competed in the Texas Thespian State Festival! We are proud to announce that our High School troupe was named an All-Star Troupe winner, with 10 National Qualifiers and one All-Star Improv Finalist! Congratulations to everyone who competed in Corpus Christi.
Congratulations to our Mighty Matador Band on a fantastic marching season. They placed 12th out of 27 bands at Area earlier this month. You all have much to be proud of; we know big things are ahead!
Our fine arts department was very excited to receive 8 Seguin Education Foundation grants this year. Our students will benefit from grants awarded in Band, Mariachi, Theatre, Cheerleading, Dance, Ballet Folklórico, Visual Arts, and Elementary Music. Congratulations to those selected!

Madalyn Restuccio

Madalyn's teachers at Ball ECC says she comes to school prepared and ready to learn every day. Her principal, Mrs. Reiley, says she is a team leader and peer model on whom her teachers can rely to model classroom rules and routines. Madalyn’s teachers say she is respectful and helpful; her friends say she is smart and kind. Congratulations, Madalyn!

Korben Ramos

Korben is a fourth grader at Jefferson Elementary. This student council member also earned perfect attendance, a spot on the A-B honor roll, and was named a Rising Matador for math, all in the first 9 weeks of school! His teachers say he brightens any room; they also recognize his respectful character, strong work ethic, & genuine care for others. Congratulations, Korben!

Maxine Reyes

This 7th grader and all-A student was recognized for her kindness and for her work on the Barnes MS Student Council, where her teachers say she represents her fellow students with integrity and character. In addition to the Student Council, Maxine is also involved in the National Junior Honor Society, UIL, and theater. Congratulations, Maxine!

Elli Anderson

Between volleyball, Early College High School, and the AVID Club, this Seguin High School junior is known as a dedicated athlete, student, and team player. Elli’s teachers say she is responsible, dedicated, humble, and a hard worker who does not seek recognition for her efforts but always makes a lasting impact. Congratulations, Elli!

The Board recognized the 66 students from Seguin High School who passed their Advanced Placement exams. These students earned a score of 3 or better on their exams in one of eight subjects, potentially earning them college credit. The maximum score on an AP exam is 5.

While not all students were able to attend, the Board and those in attendance still celebrated and send their congratulations to these hard-working students on their achievements.

Sarai Lopez, Recipient of the Superintendent Apple Award for November 2025

"One of the best things about the Apple Award is that nominations come directly from our employees —the people who keep Seguin ISD running. While I have the honor of presenting the Award, it is inspired by those who make our district what it is and are working with our students every day.

In this case, we received five nominations for the same employee, who is now our November recipient. I want to share some of their thoughts with you because their words carry a lot of meaning.

They described her as someone who is 'the first to lend a hand when a coworker needs support,' and 'is always looking to fill a need.'

'She goes above and beyond to ensure each child feels valued and excited to learn. She is equally admired by her coworkers for her teamwork, positive attitude, and constant willingness to serve others… Her impact is felt not only in her classroom, but throughout the entire school community.'

Those are the words of several coworkers, all recognizing the heart behind this person’s effort to make Seguin ISD and her home campus a better place to learn and work.

This month’s recipient is a Texas A&M-Kingsville graduate who has called Seguin ISD home for more than 15 years, first as a paraprofessional and eventually as a teacher. Her coworkers say she is a team lead dedicated to curriculum planning and family engagement, with students who consistently show growth. She also represented Seguin ISD in her team’s presentation at the 2024 Texas Association for Bilingual Education conference.

In her role as a bilingual pre-K teacher at Ball Early Childhood Center, she is helping lay the foundation for future leaders growing right here in Seguin ISD— and by the testimonies of her coworkers, we are fortunate to have her.

Please join me in recognizing our November Superintendent’s Apple Award recipient, Ms. Sarai Lopez!"

Students "Play, Love, and Learn" at Ball ECC

Ball Early Childhood Center Principal Debra Reiley says the best beginnings on her campus start with joy, compassion, and curiosity. She shared with Board members how Ball's Pre-K students play, love, and learn daily — building the skills and confidence they'll carry throughout life. The presentation also explained how Ball's "Play, Love, and Learn" vision guides its classrooms and interactions, and creates an environment where children feel safe, valued, and inspired to grow.

3.A. Pursuant to Texas Government Code Section §§§ 551.071, 551.074, 551.129 - Consultation with legal counsel including possible telephone consultation with legal counsel, as necessary, to address legal concerns, implications, and answer any legal questions regarding posted agenda items.

3.B. Pursuant to Texas Government code Sections § 551.074 - Discuss personnel matters, including appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline or dismissal of a employee(s).

3.C. Pursuant to Texas Government Code Section § 551.072 - Discuss the sale, purchase, exchange, lease, or value of real property.

3.D. Pursuant to Texas Government code Sections § 551.0821 - Deliberation regarding public school student.

Board adjourned into closed session pursuant to the following sections of the Texas Open Meetings Act

4.A. Possible action on professional personnel, including appointment, employment, evaluation, assignment, duties, discipline or dismissal of a public employee(s).

No action was taken.

8.C. Annual Financial Report for the Year Ended June 30, 2025

10.A. Approval to Purchase District Library Books

The Board of Trustees approved the Purchase of District Library Books.

Motion passed, 7 in favor, 0 opposed.

7.A. Overview of the Annual Financial Management Report regarding the District's 2024-2025 Financial Integrity Rating System (FIRST) ratings based on the school year 2023-2024 data.

Please note that the Board addressed 8.C. prior to Agenda Item 7.

8.A. Personnel Information - Professional Employees

Info Item - Personnel

8.B. First Reading for Consideration of the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Policy Update 126, Affecting LEGAL and LOCAL Policies

8.D. Financial Statements for October 2025

8.E. New Vendors

8.F. Purchases made over $50,000

8.G. Seguin ISD Accountability Improvement

The following items are listed in order as they were addressed by the board.

Mrs. Burns requested to pull Consent Agenda item 9.E. for discussion.

9.A. Approval of Board Minutes of Regular Meeting October 28, 2025

Minutes - Regular Meeting 25.1028

9.B. Approval of Tax Collection Reports for October 2025

Consent Agenda - Tax Collections October 2025

9.C. Approval of Donations Received October 2025

9.D. CFB (Local) Update

9.F. Acknowledge Public Information Act Requests October–November 2025

The Board of Trustees approved the Consent Agenda.

Motion passed, 7 in favor, 0 opposed.

9.E. Submission of a Class Size Exception Waiver to the Texas Education Agency

Consent Agenda - Class Waiver

The Board of Trustees approved the Submission of a Class Size Exception Waiver to the Texas Education Agency.

Motion passed, 7 in favor, 0 opposed.

Please note that the Board addressed Agenda Item 10.A. earlier in the meeting.

10.B. Approval of the 2025-2026 Turnaround Plans (TAP) and Targeted Improvement Plans (TIP)

Agenda - TAP and TIP

The Board of Trustees approved the 2025-2026 Turnaround Plans (TAP) and Targeted Improvement Plans (TIP).

Motion passed, 7 in favor, 0 opposed.

10.C. Official Ballot to Cast Votes for the Board of Directors for the Guadalupe Appraisal District for the 2026-2029 Term and a Resolution for the Submission

The Board of Trustees voted to cast all of its 318 votes for Dr. Al Burns to serve on the Board of Directors for the Guadalupe Appraisal District for the 2026-2029 Term and a Resolution for the Submission.

Motion passed, 4-1.

Ms. Duncan and Mrs. Burns abstained.

- Mr. Bright requested a regular update on class sizes across the district.

- Mr. Bright also mentioned that he stopped by the Bond Oversight Committee meeting recently and thanked those who continue to work on that committee.

- Mr. Dwyer encouraged district staff to stay on top of pipeline work being done near AJB.

- Mr. Guerra echoed Mr. Dwyer's comments on the work being done near AJB.

- Mrs. Burns noted that this week marks one year on the Board for both Mr. Dwyer and herself; she also thanked her fellow board members.

- Mrs. Crettenden mentioned that the next regular board meeting will be held in January, and encouraged the community to support the school holiday events.