August Regular Board Meeting Recap

Posted Date: 08/12/26 (05:16 PM)

West ISD Families,

This ParentSquare is to help keep you informed of the district's work from our monthly Board Meetings. One of my goals for this year is to send these recaps to everyone following each meeting. This ParentSquare is my first attempt at this new goal. I know this post is lengthy, but I believe you will find the information most helpful. Thank you!

Go Trojans & Lady Trojans!

D. Truitt, Superintendent

Board Meeting Recap
Regular Meeting on Wednesday, August 5, 2026
Online Posted Agenda: https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/821?meeting=750654

Reports Presented to the Board

2026-2027 West ISD Budget and Tax Rate Workshop #2: Mrs. Macik, Director of Business and Finance, presented the following information:
- The proposed 2026-2027 tax rate is $0.79963. This is a decrease of $0.04789 from last year's rate of $0.84752.
  - This is the first time the district’s tax rate has been below $0.80 in 38 years.
  - Since 2021-2022, the district’s tax rate has decreased from $1.37 to the new proposed rate of $0.79963. This is a decrease of $0.5704.
- The proposed 2026-2027 budget is $18,596,038.
  - The proposed budget includes a student enrollment figure of 1,357 students. The recent Zonda Demographics Study projected 1,367 students for the 2026-2027 school year.
  - With a majority of public school districts adopting deficit budgets for the 2026-2027 school year, the district is once again adopting a balanced budget.
  - The proposed budget includes a district staffing decrease of one FTE from 216 in 2025-2026 to 215 in 2026-2027.
  - The proposed budget includes the salary schedule step in pay for all certified teachers, nurses, and counselors.
  - The proposed budget still includes the employee medical contribution of $400 per pay period per employee.
  - This proposed budget still includes the 2025-2026 House Bill (HB) 2 required and local increases in compensation for all district employees.
  - The proposed budget includes the following contingency items: Athletic Uniform Replacements, Technology Replacements, Summer Maintenance Projects (including HVAC work), and Athletics Playoff Travel.
2027-2028 West ISD Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) Proposed Spending Plan Updates: Mrs. Exum, Director Teaching and Learning, presented the following information:
- For the 2025-2026 school year, 61 West ISD teachers received TIA designations from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) totaling $855,842. This designation figure will surpass $1,000,000. for the 2026-2027 school year.
- This presentation was to update the Board on possible recommended changes and updates from the Region 12 Education Service Center (ESC) for a future TIA designation and spending plans. The Board will hear an update and take possible action on a portion of the new plan during an upcoming Special Called Board Meeting on Wednesday, August 26, 2026.

Action Items Approved by the Board

Approved the following 2026-2027 district plans and documents: Student Eligibility Calendar (No Pass, No Play grading period dates), UIL Grades 6-12 Course Exemption List (West High School Advanced Courses), District Assessment Calendar (non-STAAR testing), Duty/Org Chart, Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS) Appraisers and Calendar, Texas Principal Evaluation and Support System (T-PESS) Appraisers, Texas A&M AgriLife 4H Extension Service Adjunct Faculty Agreement and Resolution, and Scholastic Calendar Weather Make-Up Day Plan (2.45 banked days).
- A majority of these documents are located here: https://www.westisd.net/west-isd-handbooks-forms.
- Other Consent Agenda Items included: Budget Report, Check Register, Minutes of the July 15, 2026, Regular Board Meeting, Quarterly Investment Report, and several Budget Amendments.
Approved the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Localized Board Policy Manual Update 127. The recommended updated policies included: BJCF, CAA, DC, DH, DP, DPA, DPB, EHBB, and FFF. The district's online policy manual is located here: https://pol.tasb.org/PolicyOnline?key=868.
Approved the 2026-2027 Student Codes of Conduct and Dress. The updates included: Names of new Campus Administrators and Roles as Campus Behavior Coordinators (CBC), DAEP (alternative campus) times, Vape and Threat Stays at the DAEP, Class IV Legal and Local Stays at DAEP, and Parental Involvement Policy for First-Time Offenders at the DAEP. All district handbooks are located here: https://www.westisd.net/west-isd-handbooks-forms.

Action Items following Closed Session by the Board

Monthly Personnel Report.

Superintendent's Report Presented to the Board

Upcoming Required Board Training on AI and Cyber-Security.
Upcoming Back-to-School Events and Dates.
Reminder about the Upcoming Special Called Board Meeting on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at 6:00 PM at the West ISD Administration Building. This meeting was scheduled to hold the Public Hearing and possible approval of the proposed 2026-2027 West ISD Tax Rate and Budget.
Recent Article in "The West News" about the Former West Elementary School property. Please note there was not an agenda item relating to Race Trac and the former West Elementary School property on this agenda or the agenda for Wednesday, July 15, 2026. I know there has been a lot of information being shared around town and on social media about this matter. I hope these bullet points help everyone better understand the situation.
- Currently, the district does not have a pending bid for the land from Race Trac Petroleum Inc. or any other bidder for the Board to review and consider via an agenda action item.
- The district's bid window to receive new bids from interested parties is not open right now. Also, there are no plans to open it back up anytime soon.
- Previously, the Board took no action on two bids from Race Trac (no action = bid not approved). Please note these bids were a part of a larger project which included several landowners along I-35 as well.
- Our next step is to schedule a joint Townhall with interested members of the West City Council to discuss all possible ideas for the land that can be further discussed and researched together as a team. My hope is that members of the community will attend this meeting to help share project ideas.
- For more information, I shared this article in "The West News a few weeks ago: https://files.smartsites.parentsquare.com/5758/former_wes_land_article.pdf. The article is now a little dated, but it gives a good overview of how the sealed bid process works for the district.