Recess to closed or executive session pursuant to Texas Government Code, 551.074 Personnel Matters: To deliberate the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee; or to hear a complaint or charge against an officer or employee; and Texas Government Code 551.071 - consultation with attorney.

Making a Difference

• Transportation
• FJH

 

Celebration of Excellence

• Technology Student Association
• BPA
• Skills USA
• Robotics
• FHS Girls Soccer
• FJH Choir
• FHS Art
• UIL Debate

 During each meeting of the Board of Trustees, time is set-aside for those who desire to address the Board. Persons who wish to participate in this portion of the meeting shall sign up using the audience participation form and shall indicate the topic about which they wish to speak. No presentation shall exceed three minutes. Delegations of more than five persons may be asked to limit their presentations to allow for each person to represent their views.  The Board shall not deliberate on any item not included on the agenda during this portion of the meeting. The Board will listen to your comments and may ask clarifying questions. Should there be a speaker who has registered to speak to multiple topics, the Board President shall direct the speaker to consolidate his or her comments for which he or she has registered and the speaker shall be given a total of three minutes to make his or her consolidated comments.  The president may interrupt or terminate an individual’s statement when it is too lengthy, repetitive, or obscene.  Please sign up by presenting the form to the Secretary, Superintendent, or Board President prior to the audience participation portion of the meeting.

The District charges fees for participation in UIL sports and Speech/Debate at Friendswood High School and Junior High.  Participation fees are utilized as revenue to offset costs of expenditures for stipends, referees, judges, travel, fees for entry, equipment, materials, etc. 

Currently, fees are split into Tier 1 ($150 for HS/$75 for JH) or Tier 2 ($100 for HS/ $50 for JH) with Tier 1 being a higher fee amount for most activities, such as: band, baseball, basketball, football, golf, soccer, softball, speech/debate, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball, and water polo.  Tier 2 includes drill team, cross-country, varsity cheerleading, and wrestling.  There is a maximum for each child and each family.  The maximum for HS is $150 per student/$75 per student for JH.  The maximum per family is $300. These fees are recorded to revenues in the general fund.  In the 2025-26 fiscal year, the District collected approximately $185K in participation fees.

The District is required to have an annual review of financial statements by independent auditors.  Whitley Penn has been performing these audits for the past several years.  Their fee will not exceed $64,000 which is $3,000 (4.9%) more than the last year.  However, this fee is based on the assumption that unexpected circumstances will not be encountered during the audit.  If significant additional time is necessary, they will bring the matter to our attention and arrive at a new fee estimate before we incur additional costs.  If the District elects to confirm account balances electronically as it has in the past, the fee is an additional $500-$750.  The District recommends approval of the engagement letter inclusive of audit and confirmation fees.

The Engagement Letter is attached for your review.

Each time a school library catalog is updated, the FISD Board of Trustees must vote to approve or reject the proposed list of new library materials. The materials included on the list have been reviewed by our campus Media Integration Specialists and have been publicly posted on our district website for at least 30 days.

Texas Education Code 25.001(b)(6) requires foreign exchange students who choose to reside in a school district shall be enrolled as students in that district unless a TEA waiver is granted. Historically, foreign exchange students who sought enrollment in the District were represented by a single professional organization however, numerous new foreign exchange programs have surfaced that have varied criteria and host requirements. These new organizations have resulted in a significant increase in students who wish to participate in foreign exchange programs.

This increased number of students wishing to participate and the inconsistent program criteria have caused school districts to carefully consider whether to accept foreign exchange students for enrollment and to limit the number of students who are accepted. To maintain quality instruction and support services for foreign students who are enrolled, FISD wishes to seek a waiver. Since 1996, FISD and other area districts have received TEA waivers to allow exemption from the requirement to enroll all foreign exchange students placed by nationally recognized foreign exchange programs with host families residing in the district. As in prior years, FISD desires to seek a three-year exemption waiver which will allow the District to limit the number of foreign exchange students to 5 students.

The superintendent will request the waiver from TEA for three school years: 2026-27; 2027-28; and 2028-29.

In order for the district to use the Instructional Materials Allotment (IMA) funding provided by the State, the district must declare yearly that it has provided instructional materials which collectively cover all the elements of the TEKS required by the State for each subject and grade level, other than physical education. Additionally, the district must certify that the IMA is used only for expenses allowed by the Texas Education Code.

The attached form is the required document which must be approved and signed by the Board before requests can be made for any additional textbooks or materials through IMA. Friendswood ISD instructional materials provide coverage for 100% of the TEKS and provide appropriate materials with which to teach. The IMA allotment will provide instructional materials, renew technology subscriptions, and purchase technology equipment for the upcoming school year.

There are no proposed changes to fee amounts for the 2026-2027 High School and Junior High Academic Fee Statements. The proposed statements are attached.

Administration recommends approval of a one-time retention stipend for employees on the Non-Teaching Professional (NTP) salary schedule. This recommendation follows the 2025-2026 compensation changes that removed these positions from the teacher salary schedule due to Teacher Retention Allotment funding parameters and budget considerations.

The purpose of this one-time retention stipend is to provide compensation alignment in recognition of prior placement relative to the teacher salary schedule.

This one-time retention stipend will be paid on the August 20, 2026, paycheck to employees who were employed as non-teaching professionals during the 2025-2026 school year. Payment is contingent upon receipt of the employee’s executed 2026-2027 employment contract and active employment with the District at the start of the 2026-2027 school year. Employees who resign or otherwise separate from employment prior to this date will forfeit the stipend. This payment is not TRS-creditable.

The estimated total cost of the one-time payout is $156,000, including benefits.

Positions currently eligible under the Non-Teaching Professional salary schedule include:

• Elementary ARD Facilitators
• Coordinator - Natatorium
• Elementary SPED Program Specialist
• English Specialist / Instructional Coach
• Instructional Coaches
• Instructional Technology Specialist
• Literacy Coaches
• Math Coaches
• Math Specialist / Instructional Coach
• Media Integration Specialists
• Nurses
• Orientation & Mobility Specialist
• Science Specialist / Instructional Coach
• Secondary SPED Program Specialist
• Speech Language Pathologist - Assistant
• Trainers

The Agricultural Barn currently sits on the property that is part of a usage agreement with the Galveston County Consolidated Drainage District (GCCDD).  This agreement provides FISD with the right of first refusal for the purchase of the 5.487 acres should the GCCDD wish to sell this property.  Legal counsel of both entities have reviewed and approved the provisions.

Senate Bill 546 (89th Texas Legislature, Regular Session) updates the Texas Transportation Code to require that all school buses transporting students be equipped with three-point (lap-shoulder) seat belts for each seating position, including the driver.

SB 546 establishes the following requirements:

Effective September 1, 2025:

• The new statute goes into effect.
• School districts must complete a detailed inventory and cost report to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) by the end of the 2025-2026 school year, identifying:
  • Number of buses with 3-point belts
  • Number with 2-point belts
  • Number with no belts
  • Estimated retrofit costs
  • Full compliance deadline: September 1, 2029

All buses used to transport students must be equipped with three-point seat belts unless the district adopts a Resolution of Financial Inability, as permitted by statute.  This resolution must state that the district cannot meet the requirements due to significant financial hardship and must outline a reasonable plan toward compliance.

Board will review proposed terms of settlement agreement with PBK Architects and consider approving the authorization of the Superintendent to negotiate and execute necessary settlement documents.

The Board will consider a final deductive change order and releases of claims with ICI Construction, Inc. for Friendswood High School project and authorize Superintendent to negotiate and execute final project closeout documents.

Natalie Naro Norman, a Special Education Inclusion Resource Teacher at Friendswood Junior High, is currently completing her third year under a Chapter 21 Probationary Contract. In accordance with Texas Education Code 21.102 and Board Policy DCA (LEGAL), the administration recommends extending her probationary contract for a fourth year for the 2026-2027 school year to allow additional time to evaluate her performance and effectiveness.

The District is requesting approval of the attached additional personnel units for the 2026-2027 school year based on the current student population, district needs, and projected classroom totals.

Attached are the contract proposals for new employees for the 2026-2027 school year.

The Superintendent is recommending approval of one-year Chapter 21, Non-Teaching Chapter 21, and Professional Non-Chapter 21 Contracts for 2026-2027 for the following positions:

Chapter 21: Probationary, Term, and Dual Assignment Contracts for Teachers.

Non-Teaching Professional Chapter 21: Media Integration Specialists, Instruction Coaches, Counselors, Diagnosticians, Nurses, ARD Facilitators, and others.

Professional Non-Chapter 21: Athletic Trainers, Licensed Specialists in School Psychology, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Pathologists, and Natatorium Coordinator.

The attached list includes the employees' names and the types of contracts recommended.

*Assignment & campus are subject to change.

One of the three 315-ton chillers serving Friendswood Junior High failed on or around February 2, 2026.  The failure was caused by a ruptured chiller barrel, which contains and cools the unit’s water supply.  The chiller is approximately 16 years old and has exceeded its expected service life.

The two remaining chillers are currently maintaining adequate cooling for the building; however, they are also nearing the end of their life cycle and will require replacement in the near future.

The District obtained multiple purchasing co-op quotes for replacement equipment.  The District recommends the proposal from CTI Field Services in the amount of $402,435.25 which is the lowest quote received.  Funding for this project will be provided through the 2020 Bond Funds.

In December 2020, the District solicited bids for property insurance for the 2021-2022 term. The Board approved McGriff as the property insurance provider and per the terms of the RFP, at the end of each term, policies may be renewed by mutual consent of the District Administration and the awardee. The district is recommending to renew for the 2026-2027 term.

Like last year, McGriff is offering a premium for $12.5M in flood coverage, blanket coverage vs. scheduled, and $2.5M in unscheduled outdoor properties. Changes for the upcoming year include the removal of the self insured retention layer (previously 10%) and reduced named storm deductible (3% compared to 5%). The recommended renewal also revises: wind driven rain coverage as included compared to the previous $5M limit, $5M of errors and omission compared to the previous $1M, $5M of miscellaneous locations coverage compared to the previous $2.5M, $10M of new location coverage compared to the previous $5M, $10M of ordinance & law coverage compared ot the previous $5M, $1M of transit coverage compared to the previous $500K, $5M unscheduled tracks and fields compared to the previous $2M, and reduced deductibles from $25K to $10K for band uniforms/instruments, EDP equipment and tractors.  These changes significantly lower the District's financial exposure related to catastrophic perils.  The recommended premium represents an overall decrease of $103,991 or 7.17% from the prior year.

The Summary of Coverages with the comparison to the prior year are attached for your review. Joe Blasi of McGriff will be at the meeting to answer any questions.

FISD provides students in grade 2 or higher with a Chromebook to access their digital instructional resources.  Students in grades 2-5 are provided Chromebooks in their classroom with their devices remaining at school.  Students in grades 6-12 are issued a Chromebook which remains with them throughout the school day, and they take it home in the evenings.  

Chromebooks have a replacement life cycle of 5 years which requires a purchase of approximately 1,150 devices annually to maintain the district fleet.  This number includes a 10% overage to provide spare devices while issued devices are being repaired.  

Due to current market volatility, the District recommends authorizing the Superintendent to negotiate and execute the purchase of student devices with a purchasing cooperative vendor, utilizing a multiple-quote process. The estimated projected cost is $430,000 and will be funded out of the general budget.
 

The Chief Financial Officer, Amber Petree, will give a budget update on the 2025-26 (current) fiscal year and will provide revenue estimates for 2026-27.

Provide an update of the current status of the Friendswood ISD Local Teacher Incentive Allotment plan.