August 25, 2025 at 6:00 PM - Regular Meeting
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A. Call to Order
Description:
The Board President or designee will call the meeting to order.
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B. Roll Call
Description:
The Board President or designee will call the roll of members.
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C. Student-Led Pledge of Allegiance
Description:
Students from Smithville Elementary will lead the group in the pledge. Those students are: Brock Vinklarek, Samuel Rodriguez, Preston Behrens, Elijah Heimann, Max "Julian" Jones, Benjamin Jones, Evelyn Garza, Nicholas Gil, Cora Williams, Cash Sweeney, Chloe Cox, Bailey Goertz, Scarlett Goertz, Hazel Goertz, Hallie Herschap, Molly Ornas, Ryan Sanchez, Stetson Kunz, Blake Peacock, Leighton Davis and Katherine Hannath.
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D. Public Hearing - 2025-2026 Proposed Budget and Tax Rate
Description:
School districts are required by state law and board policies CCG [Legal] and CE[Legal] to conduct a public hearing on the proposed budget prior to adoption. Any taxpayer of the District may be present and participate in the public hearing. Under board operating procedures, the Board will decide at the beginning of the meeting whether the hearing will be to (1) gather input only or (2) dialog with the public. Unless the Board takes action to declare the meeting a dialogue with the public, all hearings will be for gathered input only. According to law, the public notice of the hearing must be published at least 10 days but no longer than 30 days before the date of the public meeting. The public notice of this hearing was published in the Elgin Courier on August 13, 2025, which is 12 days before the hearing. Notice of this hearing was also posted on the District website. A presentation of the 2025-2026 proposed budget will be provided. The public will be invited to provide comments and the Board will hear comments provided by the public.
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E. Public Comment
Description:
Citizens wishing to address the Board of Trustees must indicate their intent by listing their name on the Communications from the Public sign-in sheet located on the table at the entrance to the boardroom prior to the start of the meeting. Those providing public comment should include a brief indication of the topic(s) to be addressed.
Comments to the Board of Trustees under this provision will be limited to three minutes. The Board of Trustees will listen to public comment during this portion of a regularly scheduled meeting, but they will not respond or participate in a discussion of the topic. |
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F. Consent Agenda
Description:
Board members routinely approve items on the consent agenda as a group. These are routine agenda items as specified in the Board Operating Procedures.
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F.1. Minutes
Description:
State law requires that a record be kept in the form of official minutes on each meeting held by a governmental body and that these minutes be approved at the next regular meeting.
Included are the minutes from the July 21, 2025 regular meeting and the August 11, 2025 special meeting.
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F.2. Financial Statements
Description:
Monthly reporting of financial position in relation to the budget. The Board is provided monthly financial statements.
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F.3. Investment Report
Description:
In order to meet legal reporting requirements for investments, the Board receives quarterly reports on District investments.
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F.4. State Aid Comparison - Budgeted vs. Earned
Description:
The Board has requested a monthly status report of earned state aid in relation to the budget.
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F.5. Earned vs. TEA Payments
Description:
The Board has requested a monthly status report of earned state aid in relation to the budget.
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F.6. Tax Collection Report
Description:
Attached is the Tax Assessor-Collector's Report.
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F.7. Budget Amendments
Description:
Budget Amendments allow for properly appropriated funds for the necessary expenditures of the District. Budget Amendments on the function level require Board approval.
The business office provides monthly monitoring and reporting to the Board of Trustees of potential areas that require amendment and the reasons they are necessary. |
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F.8. Financial Report
Description:
The business manager, Stacy Tiner, will review the financial disbursements for the previous month with the Board of Trustees. No action is required.
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F.9. Annual Approval of Self-Certification of the Micro-Purchase Threshold for FY 2025-2026
Description:
The Federal Office of Management and Budget allows school districts to increase their micro-purchase threshold, for federal expenditures, from $10,000 to $49,999 if the LEA is a low-risk auditee for its most recent federal audit. This item must be reviewed and approved on an annual basis. This increase will allow Smithville ISD to continue making annual purchases up to $49,999 without soliciting competitive price or rate quotations if the District considers the price to be reasonably based.
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F.10. Approve a Resolution regarding Extra-Curricular Status of the 4-H Organization and County Extension Agents
Description:
In order to allow Smithville ISD students to show their projects under 4-H during instructional days and receive state funding under the extra-curricular activity provision of attendance accounting action must be taken by the Board of Trustees to establish an adjunct faculty agreement between the District and the Bastrop County Extension department and adopt a resolution recognizing the Bastrop County Texas 4-H Organization as an approved extra-curricular organization.
It is recommended that the Board approve an adjunct faculty agreement between the District and the Bastrop County Extension department and approve the resolution recognizing the Bastrop County Texas 4-H Organization as an approved extra-curricular organization. |
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F.11. Annual Approval of Required Training for School District Staff
Description:
In accordance with the requirements of Senate Bill 1267, the Superintendent shall annually recommend the District’s professional development plan for all District employees. The Board shall annually review the professional development clearinghouse published by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) and annually approve the District’s professional development plan. The District’s professional development plan must:
It is recommended that the board approve the required training plan for school district staff as presented.
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G. Information Items
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G.1. Superintendent's Report
Description:
The Superintendent will update the Board on important matters pertaining to the District including enrollment updates, upcoming events, and announcements.
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G.2. Smithville ISD Strategic Plan 2024-2028 Update
Description:
Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Bethany Logan, will provide an overview of the District’s strategic plan, specific action steps, and areas of focus for implementation in the 2025-26 school year.
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G.3. Receive a Report on State Assessment and Accountability Results
Description:
Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Bethany Logan, will provide an overview of the District’s performance on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STARR), an overview of the Texas A-F Accountability System, and the Smithville ISD’s performance within this system.
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G.4. Tentative September Agenda Items
Description:
Tentative items for the September meeting include:
a. Student Recognitions b. Superintendent’s Report c. Approval of the 2025-26 District & Campus Improvement Plans d. Approval of SHAC Membership for 2025-26 e. Purchase greater than $50,000 for a school bus f. Personnel |
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H. Action Items
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H.1. Consider Authorizing a Defeasance of Debt in the 2025-2026 Fiscal Year
Description:
Debt defeasance is an early payment on outstanding bonds where the District calls bonds maturing in the future years and pays for those bonds in the upcoming year. Defeasance builds debt capacity while reducing total interest cost paid by the District on its outstanding bonds. Consider adoption of an order authorizing and providing for the defeasance and redemption of certain outstanding obligations of Smithville Independent School District; authorizing the execution of an escrow agreement; and containing other provisions related thereto. Consider the Defeasance not to exceed $790,000 in Outstanding District Unlimited Tax Bonds During the Upcoming Fiscal Year 2025-2026 in Order to Realize an Estimated $652,800 in Interest Cost Savings and to Maintain the District's Property Tax Rate for the Next Fiscal Year 2025-2026 at the Same Tax Rate As the Current Fiscal Year 2024-2025 of $0.1800 per $100 of Taxable Assessed Valuation.
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H.2. Consider Adoption of the 2025-2026 District Budget
Description:
The Board is required to adopt an operational budget before the beginning of each fiscal year, which begins September 1st. Drafts of the budget have been presented to the Board at prior meetings. The Board is also required to conduct a public hearing on the budget before adopting the budget. The hearing was conducted at the beginning of this meeting.
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H.3. Consider Adoption of the 2025-2026 District Tax Rate
Description:
The Board is required to set a tax rate within 60 days of receiving the certified tax roll but no later than September 30th. The Board is also required to conduct a public hearing on the budget and tax rate before setting the tax rate. The tax rate necessary to fund the proposed 2025-2026 budget is $0.9425 per hundred. That includes an M&O rate of $0.7625 and an I&S rate of $0.1800 representing no change in the tax rate for M&O and I&S from the 2024-2025 budget year. The tax rate must be set by passing a resolution from the Board.
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H.4. Accept donation from the Smithville Education Foundation for $20,000 to support the Project Tiger initiative
Description:
In accordance with Board Policy CDC(LOCAL), gifts that a potential donor has expressly made conditional upon the District’s use for a specified purpose shall require Board approval. An anonymous donor recently provided a direct donation in the amount of $20,000 to the Smithville Education Foundation for support of the Project Tiger initiative, the district’s "grow your own" teacher program to support staff in completing their degree and teacher certification. Specifically, the funds will support costs associated with obtaining teacher certification. |
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H.5. Memorandum of Understanding for the Bastrop County Juvenile Boot Camp
Description:
This Memorandum of Understanding ("Agreement") is an interlocal agreement entered into pursuant to Texas Education Code, Chapter 37 and the Texas Interlocal Cooperation Act, Texas Government Code Chapter 791, and is entered into to be effective between Bastrop County, the Bastrop County Juvenile Probation Department, (BCJPD) and the following educational and local government entities: Bastrop Independent School District, Elgin Independent School District, Smithville Independent School District, McDade Independent School District, Cities of Bastrop, Elgin, and Smithville.
Dr. Logan, Assistant Superintendent, will share information about the MOU and answer any questions from the Board of Trustees.
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H.6. Consider Adoption of Updated Board Operating Procedures
Description:
Board Operating Procedures provide a guide to administrative operations of the Board of Trustees, including the development of agendas, Trustee conduct, communication, selection and duties of Board officers, etc. Current Board Operating Procedures will be reviewed, and any discussed changes will be proposed for adoption at a subsequent meeting of the Board of Trustees.
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I. Closed Session
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I.1. Consideration and discussion regarding the Superintendent's annual evaluation instrument
Description:
Board Policy BJCD [Legal] requires the Board to annually evaluate the Superintendent. In accordance with Section 551.074, Personnel Matters, of the Texas Government Code, the Board will meet in closed session to discuss the evaluation instrument. |
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J. Adjourn
Description:
Action will be taken to end the meeting.
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