Johnson’s presentation detailed that, as of Feb. 28, $3.7 million of the $9.6 million professional services budget had been utilized. Total design on all projects is 95% complete. The next phases are procurement, construction and administration.

To date, only 5% of total available bond expenditures have been committed — $6.8 million of the $135 million available. In February, significant financial commitments included laundry upgrades at Wimberley High School (WHS), audio enhancements and bus security upgrades.

Regarding the buses, Ryan Rosborough — another representative of AGCM — stated that cameras have been “strategically added” to enhance bus security.

“You might remember, previously, we didn’t have external cameras or backup cameras, so the driver couldn’t see in reverse,” noted Rosborough.

Since the last update, revisions have been made to the Blue Hole Parking Project from Bid Package 1. According to Johnson, the updated design will “increase the availability of parking spots [to get] in and out of the parking lot easier.” Construction is anticipated to begin once a contractor is approved.

The baseball and softball fields also received their Dark Sky certification since the last update. Johnson regarded this as a big milestone and said the football field was next on the list.

“It’s going to be great. No more dark areas on the football field,” the representative stated.

After the bond presentation, the board approved a redesign that will combine Danforth Junior High School (DJH) and the Wimberley ISD Central Administration Building into one plat, or tract of land. This project is included in Bid Package 2 and its execution has been a collaborative effort with the city.

The existing plats are “one big drainfield if you look at it,” Johnson stated, as he displayed a map of the Danforth property. “We avoided any drainage easements and the property can be treated as one plat.”

The replat includes construction of a wall around the combined properties. Johnson explained that adjustments had to be made all around to meet the 8-inch high coding requirement after the board inquired whether the wall served a purpose outside of aesthetics.

The board also approved a contract with Texas Air System for the WISD cooling tower refurbishment project. The refurbishment was originally contracted to Bartlett Cocke, the construction manager for bid packages 2 and 3, but was pulled for outside contracting.

Mike Doyle, chief financial officer for WISD, explained that Texas Air System will “provide the same services that Bartlett Cocke or their sub[contractor] would have done already, but we’re able to save some on percentage fees or markups there.”

He added that “time is of the essence” for this project, as the cooling tower is in such a state that repairs are needed as soon as possible.

According to Johnson, the bond management team will “have a lot going on” with six ongoing projects and “design will be transitioning to construction and administration.” Next month, work will continue on Blue Hole Parking negotiations, WHS and DJH permitting, roofing and HVAC materials procurement and miscellaneous improvements that were not discussed in detail.

For its overall budget, Doyle stated that the board earned more than $1.5 million in the second quarter of fiscal year 2026-27 and saw an effective return of 3.99%. Including quarter one, the district has earned around $3.2 million. Those funds earned are banked and reinvested into capital improvement projects as part of the bond package.

“At the speed that we’re moving, we’re in a great position. As [Johnson] pointed out, we’re already breaking ground on multiple projects. We’re going to start seeing some significant payouts in the next coming months,” concluded Doyle.

The board of trustees will hold its next regular meeting Monday, April 20.

The candidates were selected from nearly 3.6 million students expected to graduate from high school in the year 2026. Inclusion in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program is one of the highest honors bestowed upon graduating high school seniors, stated a news release. Scholars are selected based on superior academic and artistic achievements, leadership qualities, strong character and involvement in community and school activities.

Further consideration will be based on the students' essays, self-assessments, description of activities, school recommendations and transcripts.

The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 by Executive Order of the President to recognize some of the nation’s most distinguished graduating seniors for their accomplishments in many areas: academic success, leadership and service to school and community. It was then expanded in 1979 to recognize students demonstrating exceptional scholarship and talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. In 2015, the program was expanded once again to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical fields.

Annually, up to 161 U.S. Presidential Scholars are chosen from among that year’s senior class, representing excellence in education and the promise of greatness in America’s youth, the release continued.

A distinguished panel of educators will review these submissions and select approximately 600 semifinalists in the spring. The Commission on Presidential Scholars, a group of eminent citizens appointed by the president, will select the finalists and the U.S. Department of Education will announce the scholars in the summer.

To commemorate their achievement, U.S. Presidential Scholars are awarded the Presidential Scholars Medallion.

For more information about the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, parents and students can email the U.S. Presidential Scholars Office at PSP@scholarshipamerica.org or call 507.931.8345.

Prior to item discussion, several community members took to public comment to voice their concerns, including a McCormick Middle School student, who expressed that playing on two sports teams the year prior is what motivated him to come to school. These coaches are also teachers, he continued, one of whom inspired him to take an engineering course in high school.

“Because of them, I work hard in class every day to try my best on and off the field. Ive been putting in the work to get better and move up [teams] next year, but with these changes, I wonder [what will happen] … Many of [my friends] can't afford to play outside of school because of the costs … I [also] wonder how many students will stop showing up when they don’t have something to look forward to.”

A Hays CISD educator, Jessie Hartgrave, spoke on the effects coming toward teachers, specifically those that will lose stipends for their work in the special education (SPED) department.

“SPED is one of the most difficult jobs to get filled; that’s why this stipend exists. If we take away these stipends, it will take away good, qualified teachers and it will take away good, qualified SPED and inclusion teachers, as well,” said Hartgrave. “[Teachers] are the only group that is being asked to take less money next year than we were paid this year, not [Superintendent Dr. Eric] Wright, who is a top-10 earner of superintendents in the state of Texas, not his cabinet and not the people that work in this [administration] building. The teachers are the ones being asked to take the cut and it’s not fair.”

He also added that the district has “bonded the community to death” in regard to the several bonds that have been brought forward in recent years.

Tobias Elementary School fifth grade teacher Ruah Gleason shared that she is concerned about the number of students who will be in the classrooms, as soon, her new reality will be 27 11-year-olds in one room. This will prevent teachers from being able to provide the best education, she said, adding that they are being asked to do less with more.

“What’s being proposed is not only disappointing, it’s truly unacceptable. Let’s be clear about the facts. Hays CISD has consistently grown exponentially each and every year. At the same time, funding pressures from expiring federal dollars, shifts in revenue and other factors were not sudden, nor were they unpredictable. These were known realities, yet the plan before us is asking students and campuses to absorb the consequences of that lack of planning,” said Fabiola Sanchez, Parent Teacher Student Association president at McCormick Middle School.

According to Wright, the process to begin discussing budget cuts started after the failed tax ratification election (TRE) in November last year. The district was initially projecting a need to cut $20 million per year for three years, or 200 positions, to make the budget sustainable moving forward, but expanding from three to five years has allowed the cuts to lessen.

Wright then covered the history of funding, reminding the board that prior to the most recent legislative session, the basic student allotment kept its pre-pandemic funding of $6,160. Now, it is at $6,215, though, to keep pace with inflation, the increase would have needed to be $1,000. This funding from the state is placed into the district’s maintenance and operations (M&O) funding, which is the bucket that pays salaries, buys fuel, pays bills and more, he said. This is the only discretionary money the district has, as the other is dictated to state-specified categories that the school is then annually audited on.

The other bucket — which is what many get confused by, said Wright — is the interest and sinking fund. This is sponsored locally and is how athletic facilities and other additions are paid for.: “I would love to take the money that we spend on the track and the turf and pay salaries with it, but by law I can’t do that … So, today, we aren’t talking about the interest and sinking part or any of the bond elections or the money that built this building or any of that. We’re talking about money for operations and salaries.”

Comparing Texas to the other states, the national average is $17,870 per student, but in Texas, including earmarked funding, it’s $14,104, said Wright, ranking the state at 38/50. As far as how much money is spent on each student, the average is $9,861, while Texas is $5,835, landing it at 47/50.

“Since 2019/2020, Texas has increased M&O funding by $12.05 billion. Of that amount, $11.67 billion is absorbed by retention allotments, student growth, state mandates, hold harmless funding, programs for certain districts, teachers and students and previously unfunded employee pay increases. This leaves $380 million in net M&O funding for other operating increases, equal to $69 per student,” read the presentation.

The superintendent said if the state was keeping pace with inflation, it would have been $1,000. Instead, it’s at $69.

Regarding staffing numbers, Wright noted that residents comment that the district is “top heavy” when it comes to staffing administration, but that the state average is 4.7%, while the district has cut its down to 3.4%.

Additionally, he shared that the tax rate has decreased from $1.4677 to $1.1546 since 2020: “That’s why we thought we might have an outside chance of getting our taxpayers to vote for the TRE because the tax rate has been decreased every single year, but it’s just bad timing and the voters spoke.”

Moving onto the proposed plan, Wright said that staff shifted to five years as compared to the original three, “so the pain wouldn’t be felt all at one time” and instead of taking an axe to programs they “took a scalpel to them.”

“None of the cuts that we’re going to recommend are good. They all are harmful, but it’s at a point where we have to be sustainable and we have to get this account back up, so that we can continue to pay the payroll and continue to pay the bills,” he said.

These propositions would be implemented in the 2026-27 school year and would be saving $12.25 million. Wright stated that if the district can make the proposed cuts this year and earmark it in the budget for the next four years, then it will be able to put $90 million back into the fund balance. The fund balance is necessary because the district has months where no income is coming in, due to when state and tax payments are distributed, so this is to fill that void.

From this $90 million, $25 million is needed to open up the new schools, which have also been pushed back from the original opening dates. Now, Comprehensive High School #4 and Middle School #7 would open in 2030, while Elementary School #18 would open in 2028.

Trustee Johnny Flores asked how McCormick and Johnson High School will be affected, since they were the primary schools that were looking for relief when it came to these new facilities. Wright stated that because the demographers estimate on students was incorrect this year, due to low enrollment, the schools have less students than expected. So, it can be held off, but when the maximum number of students is reached, then they will begin the cap and overflow model, which includes sending students to campuses that are not as full.

The cuts that are recommended are as follows:

Central office and district staff personnel cuts: $2,689,539

• Reduces district from two deputy superintendents to one.

• Restructures the Curriculum and Instruction Department leadership team by eliminating deputy academic officer positions and reclassifying the leadership positions into a lower pay grade.

• Reduces total number of central office positions by 5%

Increased class sizes: $5,040,000

• Increases student to teacher ratio in Pre-Kindergarten to fourth grade up to 24:1.

• Increases student to teacher ratio in fifth grade up to 27:1.

• Increases student to teacher ratio in sixth through 12th grade up to 30:1.

• Reduces needed teacher positions by 63 districtwide (to be absorbed predominantly through attrition).

Fine arts and athletics reductions: $826,700

• Reduces the number of secondary fine arts positions at most secondary campuses

• Reduces total districtwide athletic budget by 8.5%

• Reduces the number of athletics teams offered at secondary campuses by removing “C” and some “B” teams.

• Eliminates stadium manager stipend.

Suspension of certain staff stipends, incentives and surcharge payment coverage: $2,284,105

• Suspends select staff stipends and incentives until an unknown future fiscal year, which includes: $1,500 special education recruitment/retention incentive, $1,500 bilingual recruitment/retention incentive and stipends for teachers with masters — $2,000 each annually — and doctoral degrees — $4,500 each annually.

• Requires retired employees who are rehired to pay the Teacher Retirement System surcharge costs.

• Requires employees to begin paying the necessary fees and paycheck deductions previously covered by the district out of their Teacher Incentive Allotment payments.

Restructuring of attendance and Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) reporting: $550,932

• Reduces the number of PEIMS clerks by half and centralizes duties.

• Reduces the number of days worked each school year for attendance clerk positions.

Library and social services reductions: $860,000

• Consolidates secondary campus librarians, reducing the number of district librarians by seven.

• Cuts the Communities in Schools (CIS) social services program in half.

“We tried to make our cuts as equal as possible throughout the district, so that we could still have a functional and high performing school district,” said Wright.

“The hardest thing for me on this list is the increased class sizes,” said trustee Courtney Runkle. “There’s nothing about it I like. My kid sits in those classes, too, and I’ve been in them and they are full. But what I do know is that I know that we have amazing teachers and I know that our teachers always figure it out, unfortunately because that’s what they’ve had to do. We’re going to figure it out again and they’re going to give the best quality education to our students.”

For staff members that will be affected, whether losing money, days or entire jobs, the superintendent shared that the Human Resources Department met with them to have a face to face discussion. Although still impacting them, he emphasized that the district wanted to let them know as soon as possible, so that they could begin making the necessary changes for themselves, since this won’t take place until next school year.

Hays CISD is also allowing those losing their jobs to apply for other positions within the district internally.

For the extracurricular activities, Wright said that staff didn’t want to remove any of the programs, so they didn’t. However, this does mean that coaches will have to think differently about them now. For example, C Teams will be removed, but this would increase the number of students on the A and B teams instead. There was also a coach recommendation of having a fifth quarter during games, so those that didn’t get to play in the first four quarters would still have the opportunity to play.

Furthermore, because fees will be introduced, a sliding scale could be brought forward based on students that receive free and reduced lunch.

Runkle stated that if anything is going to change with these activities, such as costs, then communication needs to be made clear immediately because the PTAs, booster clubs and parents are already planning for next year.

The affected library services were chosen from data, said Wright. At the elementary schools, circulation is high, since students are learning how to read. The same isn’t true at the middle and high school levels. Because of this, it was decided that a lead librarian would be implemented for all middle schools and all high schools, while keeping the library technicians.

Along with the cuts, Wright explained that the situation could be aided by improving attendance performance. Currently, the district sits at 93.7% attendance. For every 1% the district can raise its attendance rate, it receives $1.5 million in funding. He also said that an online program is being explored and will be sent out on surveys that could potentially pick up other students, including families that have been impacted by or are concerned about Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Hays CISD could also ask for another TRE election. Even $0.03 would add $12 million a year to the district’s budget, said Wright.

“I want to address the elephant in the room and that’s Dr. Wright’s salary. I want to tell you why that is. I sat on the two days of interviews when we hired him in 2016 and y’all, there wasn’t a close second that came before us. This [situation] could be a lot worse, if we didn’t have the leadership that we do. He’s paid well and that’s because, otherwise, other school districts would steal him,” said trustee Vanessa Petrea.

Those on the board also touched on the failure of the Texas Legislature to provide funding for schools, emphasizing that Hays CISD is not the only district facing these challenges.

“We tell you to go advocate at the state level, [and] absolutely go advocate at the state level, but advocacy alone isn’t going to balance our budget, so we have to do both. So, here we are doing both. This administration has tried really hard to protect the environment of the classroom,” Runkle stressed. “Our teachers do more and more. Our staff is asked to do more and more. Our district is not unique to other districts, especially in the state of Texas … We did hope that the state was going to come through. We shouldn’t have hoped.”

“Instead of just funding general public education, they’re trying to fund three different tiers now. They have public schools, they have charters and now, they’re going to have vouchers. There’s just not enough money to go around to fund all three and do quality,” said Wright.

Flores echoed this, stating that a continuous cycle has been created by the legislature creating unfunded mandates that take away from funding and create uproar in communities, while then offering vouchers for private schools.

Despite these frustrations, Flores concluded that, “When we say 100% Hays CISD, that’s exactly what we mean and we are going to get through this.”

Trustee Byron Severance motioned to approve the item, followed by a second from Petrea. It passed 7-0.

For more information on the budget cuts, visit www.hayscisd.net/o/hcisd/page/reductions2026.

Apollo was established in 1990 and serves investors in credit, equity and real assets strategies, according to its website.

Black acted as chair and CEO since the company's inception, but later stepped down from his position in March 2021, stated the Associated Press to “focus on family, health and ‘many other interests.’”

Prior to lessening his role within the organization, Apollo purchased Shutterfly — Lifetouch’s parent company — in 2019. This was following Epstein’s death in August 2019.

In 2025, Black’s name was noted numerous times in the Epstein files — a collection of documents detailing activities of Jeffrey Epstein — following their initial release.

The culmination of the Epstein files follows the charge of sex trafficking minors and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors. According to the Department of Justice, the financier allegedly “sexually exploited and abused dozens of underaged girls by enticing them to engage in sex acts with him in exchange for money … In creating and maintaining this network of minor victims in multiple states to abuse and exploit sexually, Epstein worked with others, including employees and associates who facilitated his conduct by, among other things, contacting victims and scheduling their sexual encounters with Epstein at the New York Residence and at the Palm Beach Residence.”

While awaiting his trail, he died by suicide in 2019. Since then, several influential names have been mentioned in the files, which contain allegations of sexual abuse.

Black was found more than 8,000 times in the files, where there were transactions from the CEO in amounts sometimes exceeding $100,000. Additionally, in 2016, an email reads that “Leon Black will come see JE tomorrow at 10 a.m. … He may want breakfast … Please be prepared …” There are also other appointments with Black listed throughout the files.

Although Apollo didn’t purchase Shutterfly — and thus, Lifetouch — until 2019, a month after Epstein’s death in August, parents and school districts raised concerns, following the connection to Black. Some questioned whether student portraits were passed around in the alleged sex trafficking ring hosted by Epstein. This led to several districts severing their ties with the photography company, including Athens ISD in Texas and Carter County Schools in Kentucky.

Lifetouch released a statement in response to the distress:

“When Lifetouch photographers take your student’s picture, that image is safeguarded for families and schools, only, with no exceptions. Lifetouch does not – and has never provided – images to any third party,” said CEO Ken Murphy. “Funds managed by subsidiaries of Apollo Global Management are investors in Shutterfly, the parent company of Lifetouch. Neither Apollo nor its funds are involved in the day-to-day operations of Lifetouch and therefore no one employed by Apollo has ever had access to any student images.”

Murphy also stated that “Lifetouch is not named in the Epstein files,” and though there are no seemingly explicit mentions in conversations or photos, a purchase statement period from 2019 in the files does note that a $106.70 purchase was made from Lifetouch.

“This is an online social media conspiracy, with no basis in facts. We don’t know how the rumor started but we want to ensure the public has the facts about this situation, which is unfairly impacting our business and employees,” Murphy continued.

Despite this assurance from Lifetouch that student portraits are secure, two school districts within Hays County have shared that they will be reconsidering their contract with Lifetouch come fall 2026.

Blake Barington, Dripping Springs ISD communications specialist, stated that, currently, five of six elementary schools in the district use Lifetouch for school portraits and, although photo days for this school year are complete, the district will be reviewing the contract to determine whether it will continue. According to a 2024 post to the district’s high school website, senior photos seem to be taken by Cady Photography.

Hays CISD has been using Lifetouch for more than 15 years, said chief communication officer Tim Savoy. Most recently, a request for proposal was done in 2018 — prior to Apollo’s acquisition — and awarded Lifetouch the contract to serve all campuses. This decision was likely based on several factors, including product quality, ability to integrate with district information technology and cost to parents, said Savoy. Additionally, he said that the contract is through The Interlocal Purchasing System bidding cooperative, which vets vendors for compliance with state regulations. The district also does not pay for Lifetouch’s services.

The contract, continued Savoy, shared that Hays CISD does not independently own the photos taken by Lifetouch, as, “It is standard in the photography business for photography companies and independent photographers to retain the copyrights to photos in an attempt to prevent customers from buying one photo and reproducing them without paying for photography packages. When people buy photographs from professional photography companies, they are usually actually just buying a license to have a version of the photographs. Though the district doesn’t technically own the copyright to the photos, Lifetouch is bound by federal law to protect student privacy.”

The photographers are also screened by Hays CISD and student information is limited in release, with the district only sharing what is necessary to conduct picture day.

“We learned of the connection with the rest of the country earlier in February,” shared Savoy. “Moving forward, and prior to fall picture days, the district will continue to conduct a thorough review of Lifetouch and potentially consider other vendors in accordance with policy and state procurement laws.”

To streamline this process, the district has created a committee to consider — if the district can under the current agreement with Lifetouch — soliciting proposals from photography vendors.

“The district needs parents to choose to allow children to have fall pictures taken and understands that parents must be comfortable with the company awarded the contract to take school photos in Hays CISD,” Savoy said.

For more information on Hays CISD’s current contract status, visit www.hayscisd.net/lifetouch.

Wimberley ISD is the only district to not have a contract with Lifetouch, according to Allen Bruggman, communications director. Instead, Austin photographing company Photo Texas has been the provider for Danforth Junior High School since 2013, Jacob’s Well Elementary School since 2021 and Blue Hole Primary School since 2022. Recently, Wimberley High School entered into an agreement with Cady Photography based on photo quality, speed of delivery and other perks, said Bruggman, though it previously used Photo Texas, as well.

Cady Photography’s contract provides joint ownership to the photos, while informing “WISD that they do not share or sell data in any way, and are SOC 2 compliant, which is a voluntary framework for service providers to prove they securely manage customer data. Photo Texas claims that no data or metrics are sold to third parties, that they're compliant with [Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act] student privacy regulations, and all previous years' photos are securely archived and encrypted,” the director shared.

“Wimberley ISD remains steadfast in its commitment to making the safety and security of our students our highest priority,” he concluded.

As the remaining contracts with Lifetouch remain uncertain, parents, such as Dripping Springs resident Teresa Tautfest, urged the districts on social media to “hire local” instead, while Mari Verastegui said that her family has opted out of photos with Lifetouch in Hays CISD.

For community members wishing to search the Epstein files to conduct their own research, visit www.justice.gov/epstein.

Current trustee Raul Vela Jr. will return to his Single Member District 1 seat for the 2026-29 term, as he is unopposed.

Conversely, trustees Johnny Flores and Vanessa Petrea, who sit in the Single Member District 2 and Trustee At-Large seat, respectively, will not be running for reelection.

Flores opted to run for the Hays County Commissioners Precinct 2 seat and secured his position for the November election, following his win in the March primary.

Petrea took to social media to announce her decision, stating that, “After much thought and reflection, I have decided that I will not be running for reelection to serve on the Hays CISD Board of Trustees … Hays CISD is a special place because of the people who show up every day for our students and I will always be proud to have played a small part in that work since joining the board in 2017. I look forward to continuing to support public education and our community in new ways.”

Instead, community members will see new faces, with Katy Armstrong, Jose Luis Perez, Alex Zavala and Ashlee Thurston campaigning for the seats.

Armstrong, running for the Single Member District 2 seat, previously participated in the May 2024 election, but lost to trustee Geoff Seibel.

“While this is a single-member position, I will still represent all students, families and staff across the district with integrity, honesty and passion,” said Armstrong.

She stated that she pledges to support district families, trim the budget and listen and learn.

Contending for the same seat is Perez, a father of four. According to his campaign page, he has lived in Kyle for the past 16 years.

The at-large position will be held by either Zavala or Thurston.

“My family has called this area home for more than five generations. My parents, aunts, uncles and siblings attended these schools and I did, too,” said Zavala. “Now, my kids are in Hays CISD — along with countless cousins and members of our extended family. I’m a local, family-run small business owner and I’ve spent years serving through [parent-teacher associations], district committees/councils and nonprofit work.”

Thurston’s candidate application detailed that she lives in Buda and has been in the county for seven years.

For more information on the upcoming election, visit www.hayscisd.net/o/hcisd/page/election2026.

A two-time defending Texas History Day champion, Gillum placed first in the Junior Division Individual Website category for her project, “The King’s Revolutions: Rethinking the Historical Significance of Elvis Presley in 1950s America.” Her website explores the 2026 National History Day theme, “Revolution, Reaction, Reform.”

National History Day (NHD) is a nonprofit education organization that offers year-long academic programs that engage more than 500,000 middle- and high-school students around the world annually in conducting original research on historical topics of interest.

With the regional victory, Gillum advances to compete at the Texas History Day Contest Saturday, April 11, in Austin.

The district is beginning the naming and branding process now, so it can be incorporated into the design of the new campus. The comprehensive high school will serve approximately 2,500 students in grades 9-12 and will be located on Darden Hill Road, just east of Cypress Springs Elementary School.

Community feedback collected through this survey will help the High School #2 Naming & Branding Committee develop a recommendation for the DSISD Board of Trustees to consider, including the school’s name, colors and mascot.

Construction of High School #2 was included in DSISD’s bond program approved by voters in May 2025, with campus design funded through the 2023 bond.

The survey is open through Thursday, March 5, and can be found at www.dsisdtx.us/hs2survey.

The bill was adopted during the 89th Texas Legislature, amending Section 25.901 of the Texas Education Code, “Exercise of Constitutional Right to Pray” by allowing prayer or meditation to be encouraged in school, as previously reported by the News-Dispatch. However, requiring or coercing someone to pray or meditate is still prohibited under law.

According to the bill, school boards statewide were given the option to require campuses to provide students and employees the opportunity to participate in a period of prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious text on each school day.

While they are not required to adopt the bill, there was a deadline to make a decision by March 1, 2026, bringing forth the item to the DSISD Board of Trustees at its most recent meeting.

Before the item was introduced, several members of the community stepped up to speak during public comments.

One of those was Cathy Thomas, whose daughter graduated from DSISD in 2019. She urged the board to vote against the school prayer and religious text reading policy. She has felt firsthand — growing up in a small town among people of different denominations — the pressure that she needed to have a different faith.

“It was from my science teacher, who was also our principal. It got so bad that my mother had to go to the school board about it. We don’t want kids to feel that kind of pressure and this bill, I am afraid, will make it have that. There is already a time of reflection and student-led prayer, if it’s open to all students of any and all faiths, schools are welcome to do it,” Thomas said. “I really draw the line at teacher-involved prayer and Bible study during school hours.”

She then pleaded for the board to protect students’ education by not taking away more time from the instructional time, their right to belong by not being made to feel different because of their beliefs and their right to be who they are without governmental coercion.

“Reject state-organized prayer in our schools. Let the parents and faith communities they choose continue to be the primary teachers of their children when it comes to faith and respect to those who don’t subscribe to a particular faith, but teach that ethical behavior at home,” she said.

Victoria Holtom, a parent of Sycamore Springs Elementary School students, agreed that the board should vote against the bill, maintaining a “clear separation of church and state.”

“My 7-year-old should absolutely not receive religious instruction from his teachers at public school,” Holtom said, fighting back tears. “He has been alienated already among his peers. Many biblical teachings vary widely across denominations, as we’ve heard, and our educators can not be aligned on how to deliver these messages. For many of them, the suggestion that they try would be a huge violation of their rights and ethical obligations as teachers and mentors.”

Another community member, Natalie Kemp, pointed out that students and staff already have the right to pray or read religious texts during non-instructional time. Creating an official district-sanctioned prayer period “does not expand religious freedom, it simply creates new administrative responsibility and legal risk for our district.”

She added that, as stated in SB 11, school districts will be responsible for their own attorney fees and legal costs if disputes arise. This would expose DSISD to potentially significant liability, Kemp said.

“Every dollar spent on attorney fees is a dollar taken away from classrooms, teachers and students,” Kemp said.

Following discussion in closed session, what was brought before the board is a resolution in favor of declining every campus of the district to provide a period of prayer and reading of religious text for students and employees.

According to trustee Rob McClelland, the board acknowledges and respects the rights of students and employees to engage in religious expression, prayer and reading of religious texts in school, as allowed under the Constitution.

“A public school student has the absolute right to individually, voluntarily and silently pray or meditate in school in a manner that does not interrupt instructional or other activities of the school,” McClelland said. “Lastly, the board directs the superintendent to continue to take efforts to protect the ability for our students and our employees to exercise these rights without discrimination or retaliation.”

The board unanimously approved the resolution, ultimately declining the adoption of SB 11.

The DSISD Board of Trustees will meet next at 6 p.m. March 30.

This follows the passing of Senate Bill (SB) 546, which added a subsection to the Texas Transportation Code, that requires school districts to ensure that buses are equipped with a three-point seat belt for each passenger, including the operator.

The only exception is if the board of trustees determines that “it is not feasible, in consideration of the district’s budget and student needs.”

According to Max Cleaver, chief operations officer, the compliance date isn’t until Sept. 1, 2029, but for now, SB 546 requires the district to report what seat belts are currently in its bus fleet and what the estimated cost is at this time to either upgrade or purchase new equipment.

Prior to providing the status, director of Transportation Cassandra Behr shared the history of seat belts within school buses. The presentation noted that in 1977, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration implemented safety standards, such as high-backed, cushioned seats, rather than requiring seat belts.

This shifted in the 1980s, as some states began requiring lap belts. It wasn’t until the late 1990s and early 2000s that bus manufacturers started doing safety tests for three-point seat belts, said Behr.

In 2017, with SB 693, all buses created in the year 2018 or later required three-point seat belts for all passengers. That being said, she explained that districts were allowed to bypass this law, citing funding.

Now, with the current bill, Behr specified that a bus may be exempt if installing the seat belts would void the vehicle’s warranty, but that buses manufactured in years prior to 2018 must be retrofitted to comply by 2029.

“Senate Bill 546 established detailed reporting requirements for districts and [the Texas Education Agency], so that the state can track compliance challenges and estimate those financial needs,” said Behr. “We must submit required information with documentation by 11:59 p.m. on May 29, 2026. That documentation required includes: board agendas and minutes, proving that we had a public meeting; we have to report how many buses that we had in our fleet at the time of our presentation that do not have seat belts, that have only a lap belt or that two-point seat belt and are equipped with three-point seat belts; and we have to have the cost of the district to equip all buses with three-point seat belts.”

Currently, the district has 136 general education and 41 special education buses in compliance, 18 special education buses out of compliance, two general education buses without sealt belts and 18 buses that cannot be retrofitted.

Behr stated that the district has reached out to companies to determine how much retrofitting would cost. To add seat belts to the two general education buses that can be updated, it would be approximately $50,000 each and then, for the special education side, Behr stated that there are seven Thomas Built Buses that would amount to $280,000 total and 10 International Buses for $314,415.94.

This comes to a total of $694,415.94 to retrofit the buses, as compared to an estimated $3.7-$4.2 million to replace 20 general education buses — the two that can be retrofitted and the 18 that cannot be updated — and $3.1 million for the special education buses, said Behr, concluding her presentation.

“So, essentially they’re asking us to find out whether funding is available to do all this. We have two more legislative sessions to really see if the state can actually increase our allotment or help fund this,” said trustee Johnny Flores. “Knowing what’s happened in past sessions, that’s not a guarantee. What are the other funding options that are available to actually get this done?”

Staff noted that there could be a 2027 bond or grants that could become available at a later date.

“I’m not going to hold my breath for the state to act on this,” said Flores. “It’s mandated, but it’s unfunded, just making sure everyone understands.”

Behr shared that the district is in a good place, compared to others that have 100 buses out of compliance, as the board acted in adding more seat belts, following the crash of the Tom Green Elementary School bus in March 2024.

She also shared that the district has 10 buses on order that will replace some of the special education buses, along with a grant opportunity that will be brought to the board next month that could help. Despite this, the numbers that were presented are accurate at the time of the meeting, which is what was required by the state.

The item required no action.

Additionally at this meeting, the board was informed of the district’s Policy Committee recommendation regarding SB 11, which provides the opportunity for districts to create a designated prayer time during the school day.

Trustee Esperanza Orosco stated that the district’s Policy Committee met earlier this month to discuss the bill.

“The committee confirmed that the district’s current policy appropriately safeguards religious freedom and inclusivity. The resolution before you recommends that the Hays CISD Board of Trustees vote against adopting a state organized prayer policy for the district, [so] that [it] is consistent in its commitment to retaining a respectful, lawful and inclusive educational environment,” said Orosco.

The trustees voted unanimously at the Feb. 23 meeting to adopt a resolution “affirming our constitutional and legal right to choose to pray in school,” rather than adopting a prayer time.

The Hays CISD Board of Trustees will meet next Monday, March 30.

SB 11 — adopted during the 89th Texas Legislature — amends Section 25.901 of the Texas Education Code, “Exercise of Constitutional Right to Pray” by allowing prayer or meditation to be encouraged during school. Requiring or coercing someone to pray or meditate is still prohibited under law.

All boards statewide were presented with the option to require “every campus of the district or school to provide students and employees with an opportunity to participate in a period of prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious text on each school day,” read the amendment.

The bill took effect Sept. 1, 2025, allowing districts to opt in for the 2025-26 school year. No district is required to adopt the bill. However, every school district was mandated by the state to take decisive action on the bill by March 1 of this year.

With the deadline approaching, the board of trustees heard a presentation from Jason Valentine, the district’s assistant superintendent, on the bill’s requirements and potential challenges.

To participate in the Daily Prayer Period, each parent and employee would have to sign a consent form for their child or themself. The bill also states that only consenting students and employees are allowed to hear the prayer and bars the prayer period from being held during instructional time. The time for prayer or Bible reading would have to take place in a designated space with supervision.

According to Valentine’s presentation, adopting the bill in Wimberley ISD could generate peer pressure from consenting students for nonconsenting students to participate or foster religious division. The assistant superintendent also touched on “daily administrative challenges to track consent, dedicated time/space and supervision to ensure legal compliance.”

Valentine emphasized that not adopting the senate bill does not erase the existing right to pray in school if one chooses, which the Constitution also protects. “We have found that some school districts offered an alternative resolution acknowledging what rights already exist in schools,” he said.

In a letter signed by more 160 faith leaders across Texas, the authors urged school boards not to adopt SB 11: “Requiring families to opt into a system that already protects their children's religious rights at school distracts from a school's mission of educating children,” the letter stated. The faith leaders provided an alternative resolution, which Wimberley ISD drew from in its own resolution Affirming our Constitutional and Legal Right to Choose to Pray in School.”

Before moving to a vote, trustee Lexi Jones stated, “I appreciate that we already have these constitutional protections in place.” She added that adopting SB 11 was an unnecessary measure.

“We have a time of reflection on our campuses. It’s already in place,” stated Rob Campbell, board president.

He reiterated member Jones’ sentiment and stated that the process of implementing a daily prayer period would be burdensome.

A record vote was taken to decline the adoption of SB 11 and move forward with the resolution. In the event of a record vote, each trustee must individually vote yes or no on an agenda item. The trustees voted “yes” 6-0 to approve the resolution.

In the alternative resolution, the board affirmed its dedication “to cultivating and maintaining a respectful school environment for students and teachers of any or no religious background; and supports the rights of individuals to pray in its schools.”

The board of trustees will hold its next regular meeting Monday, March 23.

"Dear Hays CISD Family,

Yesterday, a 12-year-old boy showed up at Lehman High School in tears – afraid and lost. He left Simon Middle School without permission during a student protest earlier that day and walked five-and-a-half miles until he found another school campus. He didn’t know how he was going to get home. The outstanding staff at Lehman, of course, comforted him and helped him reunite with his parents. The incident wasn’t on social media or the news, and it didn’t compete for attention. It was just a simple, quiet illustration – one of many – that highlighted some of the lesser-known effects of the campus walkouts. We are doing our best to keep kids in class, but when hundreds of students simultaneously head to the doors, we don’t have enough staff at each campus to stop them, nor are we allowed to physically restrain them. This is why I am again asking all parents to help us to keep kids safe by encouraging them to stay in class.

You may likely have already heard this from your child, but in addition to me reaching out to you, we have added a pop-up message on all school district student devices that reminds them they do not have permission to skip school.

Our district is not an abstract entity. It is a collective of people – employees, parents, students, community members, and taxpayers. There are tens of thousands of us and probably as many opinions. I’ve heard many of those perspectives in recent days. We have had people upset that the district didn’t take a stand one way or the other – again because we can’t. Others have infused meaning where there is none – interpreting what we say and do as reason to believe we have indeed chosen a side.

Recent national events are upsetting in so many ways. I understand that. We’re not just talking about federal policy. Real lives are affected and there is real fear. It’s absolutely polarizing. What we are trying to do in our school district is to escape the either/or choice presented by these national issues, over which we have no control. There is a third option for us, and that is standing for education and student safety.

Yesterday, I spoke with you about the consequences for students who walk out of class. Today, I want to tell you about the consequences for our school district. The Texas Education Agency released guidance for school districts late Tuesday regarding student walkouts. There are three key parts: (1) districts could lose funding which is based on daily student attendance, (2) teachers who facilitate protests could be investigated by the state and face sanctions against their professional teaching licenses, and (3) school districts could be assigned state monitors, conservators, or a board of managers to replace the locally elected school board.

I care about funding, but not funding instead of students. That is also not an either/or choice. I care about funding because I care about kids. The money pays for student opportunities, supplies, and salaries to keep the best teachers and staff in the state working in our district. I don’t want your local tax dollars to remain in the hands of the state. I want as much of that money as we can get back in our community and invested in our children. Additionally, no one wants to see young teachers lose their careers or local voice replaced by the state. Yes, the state does have the power to replace your locally elected school board members with people appointed by the state government.

This is why we continue to implore parents to speak with children about doing what they need to do, but in the right way. If you want to be angry – be angry, but be angry at the right people. If you want your children to protest, you must sign them out of school and leave school property. Students must understand that the ramifications of their actions using schools as their platforms probably won’t mean much to the federal government, but they will mean a great deal to our local community, which includes themselves.

Please continue to have conversations about the best way to express the rights afforded in our Constitution. Exercising rights also means considering responsibility. The two go hand-in-hand. While the cause of the student protestors may well be just – it’s not for me to say in my official capacity, I can say with certainty, if they keep doing it from school, they are doing it on the wrong stage.

Sincerely,

Eric"

“They are intentionally preliminary, I guess you could say, so that we can start building and coming up with some of those base revenue calculations,” said chief financial officer Randy Rau during his presentation to the board. “Just as late as today, some of those assumptions changed when we got our certified values in from the state just this past Friday. So, I’ve been working even today on some of the revenue calculations, but, again, these are just a starting point to get it going.”

The key assumptions and parameters include the following:

•   Student enrollment of 8,940 — reduced to 98% for funding estimates

•   Average daily attendance rate of 95.25% — based on a five-year average

•   Property value growth estimate of 4%

•   99% collection rate for property taxes

•   1% pay increase for all staff

•   Number of new full-time employees to be determined

•   Health insurance contribution at $405/month

•   1% projected increase in operational budgets to account for inflation

•   Budget parameter level of deficit approval based on board policy of 2%

•   Maintaining the same tax rate

According to agenda documents, general fund revenue projections are based on current law and assume the maximum compressed tax rate and, while the Teacher Retention Allotment provided additional funding in the first year of the two-year cycle and increased the compensation baseline for teachers, the allotment does not increase in the second year. As a result, any locally-funded pay increases in 2026–27, slower student growth and impacts on inflation place additional pressure on district resources and limit revenue growth.

Because of this, the administration recommended a 1% pay increase for all staff as a  preliminary planning assumption.

Trustee Rob McClelland asked if there were any major deviations from previous budget parameters and assumptions.

The chief financial officer responded that the only thing that was scaled back on was the property value growth, which is currently at 4%, but it was at 5% last year: “Since they changed [the homestead exemption] going from the $100,000 to $140,000, it almost reset everything, so the year we are in is almost like base year. So I kind of wanted to scale it back and keep in mind, some of these were done before we even got our state values in,” Rau said.

Traditionally, the budget parameters would be conservative estimates, McClelland explained, so preliminarily looking at a 4% property value growth is a good place to start.

Rau explained that as district administration goes through the budget process, the board will be informed of any updated assumptions and parameters. Additionally, the child nutrition and debt service fund budgets will be developed and presented to the board at a later workshop.

The Dripping Springs ISD Board of Trustees meets next at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23.

AUSTIN — Two families have been left devastated after Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) suddenly deemed their children unfit to attend. After an attempt to rid the school of deaf students with a disability, the parents claim, some children are left to receive a lesser deaf education.

Heather Skeen’s son was born profoundly deaf, meaning that he has no hearing or access to sound. He also cannot use amplification devices, such as cochlear implants or hearing aids, due to his anatomy. This means that American Sign Language (ASL) is his native language.

Skeen lives in Buda, so when considering options for her child, his home district — Hays CISD — was not the first choice. She explained that this is because the school district does not endorse ASL. Instead, it teaches Exact English, which Skeen noted is a tool developed to help deaf children read English, rather than a language.

Because of this, his parents believed that TSD was the best opportunity for him. The school, Skeen continued, is the only one within Central Texas that offers a fully-based ASL learning environment.

“All of their instruction is in ASL and it’s a large Deaf community, so he has access to great language models there from other day children [and] from other deaf adults that work on campus. It’s a language rich environment; it’s a culturally rich environment for his deaf culture. [TSD is] considered one of the top five deaf schools in the country,” she said.

Her son began attending in 2017.

This opportunity to be enriched within a Deaf community is the same reason that Nolan and Jennifer Astrein moved from California to Texas.

After touring Deaf schools across the nation in early 2023 and speaking with families, the Astreins decided that TSD was the best program for their son, who they enrolled in Early Childhood Intervention, a state program that provides support and services from birth to age 3 for children with developmental delays, disabilities or certain medical diagnoses.

Skeen’s and the Astreins’ sons are deaf plus, which is when a child is deaf, but also has additional disabilities. For example, both of the families' children need support when it comes to feeding.

This was something that Nolan and Jennifer made clear when they were searching for a school.

“These are all things we had talked about with the staff and the faculty before moving, like ‘What would these programs be like? Who would [our son] be with?’ We got to tour the classroom that he was in [and] we got to meet some of the teachers. We really liked the program and they were able to fulfill the additional needs [he has],” emphasized Nolan.

Although the special education department, which Skeen’s son was planning to join once he reached the age requirement, and the special services class in prekindergarten — that Jennifer and Nolan were hoping to put their child in — dissolved, the families were still happy with TSD.

Skeen, Nolan and Jennifer applauded their sons’ experience with the school, sharing that they felt the school was meeting their needs and supporting their children — “Up until they didn’t,” stressed Nolan.

According to Nolan and Jennifer, faculty made clear to them that their son, who attended the ECI program on TSD school grounds, was not actually a student, despite having a school identification card and student number. Because of this, he would have to be evaluated prior to moving into the prekindergarten program.

It was this initial evaluation that resulted in their son being kicked out of the institution.

Similarly, Skeen’s son, who had been a student for eight years , received an annual assessment that deemed him unfit for the school.

Both children had been determined to have an intellectual disability or cognitive deficits prior to the determination that they could no longer attend TSD.

According to Riley, a staff member at TSD, the school’s reactions to these cognitive impairments is new. Although not revealing their exact length of employment, Riley shared that they noticed “there have been a lot of changes in a negative way” since Peter Bailey’s induction as superintendent in September 2023.

For example, with the dissolution of the special education department, Riley explained that there has seemingly been no attempt to retain the teachers that were equipped to attend to the needs deaf-plus students. Although the deaf-plus students still attending TSD are not neglected, Riley stated that there have been no attempts by the school to replace the certified personnel that have left or provide training to certify other teachers, so there is limited staff equipped to meet their needs.

Applied classes have been created in lieu of the department, said the staff member. These are not labeled as special education, rather they offer slightly modified curriculum and are “few and far between.”

The alleged attempt to limit services for those students is throughout the school, including in the Access Program, which is available for students above 18 years old. This is an opportunity for students to learn life skills, such as budgeting, culinary and woodworking, but instead of the classes being for students that need a bit more guidance, it is being tailored to the students that already have good skills: “It’s almost like they’re just trying to absolve the whole special needs population altogether and try to almost make it more of an elite population … A one-size-fits-all and if you don’t fit [within] that, your needs are too much,” the staff member explained.

“Things have really escalated and it’s been made very clear that we are not to accept students with severe cognitive or behavioral needs. Instead of providing that training to the staff there, the kids are just being kicked out,” they said.

Riley also noticed the increase of families leaving from their Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) Committee meetings and not returning to school.

They explained that TSD is steadily requesting cognitive evaluations for students with behavioral issues or who are slightly slower than some of their peers, though they are not following the appropriate process.

Riley emphasized that, typically, after the evaluation, families would have an ARD meeting, where they learn the results. This meeting would discuss any recommended accommodations and the committee would agree or disagree. It is then that ARD would inform the family if they feel that TSD is no longer a good fit for the child. This is in accordance with what TSD public information officer Gabriel Cardenas confirmed, which is that the ARD committee is the only entity that makes decisions regarding a student's education program, including services and placement, as required by state law.

Despite this, Riley alleged that instead, ARD is delivering the results of the evaluation and, to their knowledge, ending the meeting there. Separately, the TSD admissions office is calling parents and stating that their child is no longer fit for TSD, they stated.

“It happens sort of behind everyone’s back,” the staff member continued. “It’s just administration calling up the parent or video phoning the parent, which that’s against protocol because these types of decisions should be in an individual education plan meeting or ARD meeting decision.”

Skeen experienced this exact scenario.

She explained that her son had a full individual evaluation, which occurs approximately every three years. The assessment included speech, cognitive and behavioral components.

Following the testing, the family met with the ARD committee to review the results. Skeen immediately noted that the scores were lower than previous years — something that she didn’t agree with — and also stated that her son qualified for an intellectual disability.

The mother explained that despite her initial impression of the scores, she signed the paperwork detailing that her son had the disability because she assumed, if anything, that he would have better access to services.

“In the moment, and given my history with the school, I trusted them, that they weren’t going to use this as ammunition to remove my child,” recalled Skeen. “It probably would have been a little different had I not agreed in the meeting [to sign those papers].”

At a previous evaluation, she recalled that the results also said that her son had an intellectual disability, but, at that time, she declined to sign the documents. He continued to attend TSD, seemingly with no issues.

Less than an hour after the 2025 meeting, she stated that she received a vague email that included the assistant principal and a woman in admissions: “I asked, ‘Why are you connecting us with admissions?’ No one said anything [in response] that day and then, the next day, the assistant principal called me and said that my son no longer meets admission criteria and they are referring him out to his home district — or Hays CISD.”

She stated that since that day on Oct. 1, 2025, there has been no formal writing stating that her son has been kicked out of TSD, nor any policies declaring the reason why. Only the school’s general admissions criteria was mentioned, said Skeen.

The criteria Skeen is referencing in TSD’s Board Policy and states the following: “[Texas School for the Deaf] does not serve:

1. students whose needs are appropriately addressed in a home or hospital setting or a residential treatment facility; or

2. students whose primary, ongoing needs are related to a severe or profound emotional, behavioral, or cognitive deficit.”

Later, the policy defines severe or profound emotional or behavioral issues to include severe disturbances of behavior, mood, thought processes or interpersonal relationships, while severe or profound cognitive deficit specifies students that are anticipated to require life-long support and supervision for most aspects of personal care and self direction skills.

These policies, though changing over the years and adding specific language — “intensive medical treatments" and removing "intensive” from “require life-long intensive support” in 2022, “any intervention requiring intensive behavioral supports” and replacing “all aspects of personal care” to “most aspects” in 2025, according to Policy Committee agenda documents —  has been in place since at least 2016, one year prior to Skeen’s son being accepted into the program. It seems that now, the school is attempting to enforce it.

“Over the last several years, TSD has made a very concerted effort to cleanse their school of children that are deaf with additional disabilities, children that have emotional or behavioral needs that are ‘not the right kind of deaf,’ if you will,” said Skeen, adding that even prior to her son’s assessment, she attempted to make her concern over the lack of resources known, offering trainings or aiding in the creation of programs — all of which were met with indifference.

“Since the new superintendent started about two or three years ago, things have been really expedited and, this year in particular, they have kicked out multiple children or attempted to kick out multiple children,” she explained. “It’s not new for TSD to send kids to their home districts, but the way they’re doing it, they’re doing it very quietly. They’re going without taking the proper steps, like, with my son, there was no IEP meeting held; there was no discussion of placement and coordinating that.”

The children that are deaf plus in her child’s class have gradually lessened over the years, she continued, adding that other parents that may not be as familiar with the requirements and legality of the situation have been forced to place their child in a public school district, with little resources.

“We’re in a position of privilege because I used to work there. I’m a behavior therapist; I have a lot of experience and knowledge about these processes and my son’s dad is an attorney … We know what to do; we can do them expediently,” Skeen said.

They proceeded to do exactly that by filing a lawsuit against TSD Oct. 24, 2025.

The school responded by denying all allegations that claim Skeen’s son was removed due to his intellectual disability Jan. 9, 2026.

Since the judge ordered a put in place order, her son is still attending TSD, at least until the end of the school year, but Skeen emphasized that she would like him to continue his education there.

“It’s always been really warm and welcoming. He’s loved there and he loves going there … The best outcome would be that TSD makes their campus accessible and welcoming to deaf-plus kids and their families again,” the mother said.

While Skeen chose to sue, the Astreins are simply trying to move on after multiple attempts to get their son’s decision changed.

According to the denial letter from February 2025, their son “does not meet [TSD’s] admission criteria, due to profound cognitive deficits,” citing regression and limited progress and growth. Nolan and his wife immediately filed an appeal, claiming that teachers and the program director state that he is well-liked, engages positively and is an active part of the community. They acknowledged regression in the past, but noted that he made progress on his most recent evaluation a month prior.

“Research has consistently shown that deaf and hard-of-hearing children require continuous exposure to a rich linguistic environment to build foundational communication skills. Denying him access to TSD at this stage risks deepening the very deficits identified in the admission review,” he stressed.

Despite their efforts, superintendent Bailey responded by expressing that he “must maintain consistency and fairness in our admission process to uphold the standards of our school;” therefore, the appeal was denied.

The father continued to fight for his child by emailing the board president over the course of 2025, explaining that “[My son] may not eat, walk or socialize exactly like you. But he is still deaf — nothing will change that fact your apathy has denied my son his Deaf identity,” with no response.

Furthermore, he filed a complaint with the Texas Education Agency (TEA), which, after an investigation, found that TSD “did not require any corrective actions.”

In the investigation, TSD, once again, stated that Nolan’s son isn’t actually a child receiving special education services at the school, since he was in the ECI program run on the campus by the Statewide Outreach Center. TEA also reported that the school sent a spreadsheet listing categories that students fit in, including: deaf or hard-of-hearing, autism, intellectual disability, speech impairment, noncategorical early childhood and other health impairment.

“In my interpretation of their response, they just flat out lied to the Texas Education Agency,” claimed Nolan.

The parents talked to other families and discovered that they are not alone in this situation. So, Nolan explained that, “Ultimately, [Jennifer] and I decided: Why are we trying to force our kid into a place where he’s no longer wanted? Even if we could somehow manage to get him back [in], what would the experience even be for him?”

“I’ve heard Peter Bailey at board meetings saying that kids like [my son] are expensive. [Parent Infant program supervisor] Rachel Baker emailed me and reached out to me to apologize for that comment and reassure me that that is not how they viewed [my child]. So, I know for a fact that they view [him] as an expense that they don’t want to spend their funding dollars on,” continued the father.

Both Nolan and Skeen alleged that Bailey would rather use the school’s money to beautify the school, by focusing on aesthetics or upgrading the football stadium, rather than support its deaf-plus students.

Nearly a year later, the Astreins’ child attends a special education program through Austin ISD, where he is in a class with no deaf peers or instructors. Now, the family is planning to leave the state of Texas, since the reason for relocation was purely for the school that will no longer serve their son.

“TSD is a special education school that receives special education funding. It cannot choose to serve only deaf and hard-of-hearing students who require no additional services. That is not special education — that is deaf general education. Perhaps the school motto should be changed to: learn, grow and exclude,” expressed Nolan.

“For kids who have special needs, a goal is always for them to be in their least restrictive environment. So, by kicking these students out who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, they’re being sent to schools that sign language … is not the language of those environments. At the end of the day, it’s just a disservice to the students,” concluded Riley. “If your child is more than deaf or hard-of-hearing, I would not recommend sending them here [to TSD].”

TSD did not respond to the Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch's request for comment regarding the allegations.

KYLE — The streets of Kyle and Buda were filled with backpacks, homemade signs, sounds of chants and determination, as more than 500 Hays CISD students participated in a staged walkout Monday, Feb. 2, in protest of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

This comes after the conversation around ICE has begun gaining traction, following the alleged illegal detainment and mistreatment of both immigrants and United States citizens. As a result, thousands statewide — including students in Round Rock ISD, Edgewood ISD, New Braunfels ISD and more — and across the nation have participated in protests. Additionally, the deaths of Keith Porter Jr., Renée Good and Alex Pretti have sparked uproar, the latter of which was recently honored with a candlelight vigil by Kyle residents in Mary Kyle Hartson City Square Park Friday, Jan. 30.

These actions by ICE hit close to home for Hays County residents, as agents were spotted throughout the county in January, resulting in a detained individual being transported to the hospital Jan. 15, according to the Kyle Police Department.

The walkout was planned for several days prior to execution, with participants from Barton Middle School, Live Oak Academy, Hays High School, Lehman High School and Johnson High School students walking out of class at predetermined times throughout the afternoon.

Students of all high schools walked a combined total of more than 10 miles down the streets of Kyle and Buda to make their voices heard, escorted by law enforcement that regularly stopped traffic to ensure student safety.

“I’m doing this because nobody deserves to be afraid of their parents not being able to come home or getting home and their parents not being there. Nobody deserves to be taken unfairly,” said one student.

“I’m joining the protest because I’m a first generation Mexican-American and my parents fought to come to this country. They were both born in Mexico and they came to this country to give me a better life and my sisters a better life. This is why I’m speaking up for them, giving them the voice that they cannot give themselves,” explained another.

During the protests, the district sent out a statement, noting that skipping classes and leaving without permission is against the rules in Hays CISD. Furthermore, it shared that there are policies in place for campuses that can be used for non-school activities, many of which were violated. Students that chose to participate, the statement continued, received unexcused absences and face other potential disciplinary action.

The future consequences were unimportant to the protestors, with one emphasizing that the awareness and the ability to stand up for those who can’t speak for themselves takes priority: “It doesn’t matter in the big scheme of things; it’s a small thing to show solidarity.”

“If we don’t do anything, then what’s the point? We can't just stay silent forever,” another protester emphasized.

As students made their way to Kyle City Hall, they were joined by community members, parents and elected officials who showed up to support, such as Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra, Hays County commissioner Michelle Cohen and Kyle City Council member Claudia Zapata.

At city hall, KPD observed a minor in possession of alcohol, resulting in the arrest of two minors. One of which was charged with assault on a public servant, resisting arrest, interfering with public duties, consumption and possession of alcohol by a minor, while the second was charged with resisting arrest and interfering with public duties. The agency did note that the arrests were not related to the walkout.

Later, a male adult became involved in a physical altercation involving multiple JHS students at the intersection of FM 967 and FM 1626, according to the Buda Police Department.

Officers were dispatched to the scene, where they observed that an adult male in a vehicle and a female juvenile were in a verbal argument, which escalated into a physical altercation.

Buda Mayor Lee Urbanovsky stated that BPD identified the male and has collected a statement. It is now working with Hays CISD to collect witness statements and video evidence from students in attendance.

“This is an emotionally-charged and sensitive issue involving minors that has deeply impacted and rightfully concerned our community. I am urging the community to exercise patience and allow the Buda Police Department to complete their investigation,” said Urbanovsky.

According to a news release statement from Becerra Tuesday, Feb. 3, the altercation is now under investigation by the Hays County Criminal District Attorney’s Office.

“Hays County must remain a community defined by safety, accountability and respect for constitutional order and I remain committed to opposing any conduct that seeks to silence others through intimidation or violence,” said the county judge.

After press time Tuesday, Feb. 3, BPD announced the arrest of 45-year-old Chad Michael Watts, of Kyle, in relation to the physical assault on JHS students. The police department shared that further investigation determined Watts to be the primary aggressive, leading to two charges of assault causing bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor.

In response to the walkouts, Gov. Greg Abbott shared a video of the Kyle arrests condemning the actions of students.

“It’s about time students like this were arrested. Harming someone is a crime — even for students. Disruptive walkouts allowed by the schools lead to just this kind of chaos. Schools and staff who allow this behavior should be treated as co-conspirators and should not be immune for criminal behavior," said Abbott. “We are also looking into stripping the funding of schools that abandon their duty to teach our kids the curriculum required by law.”

House Rep. Erin Zwiener rebutted that Abbott is "conveniently ignoring the most troubling incident that happened in Hays,” by focusing on the arrests, rather than the fight between the adult and juvenile.

“Instead of calling for justice against the grown man that assaulted a girl, Governor Abbott is celebrating the arrest of students and calling for the criminal investigation of schools and teachers. He is also threatening the funding of our school districts and spreading the lie that schools are inciting our kids to protest. This follows Governor Abbott ordering an investigation into Austin ISD after similar student-led protests,” said Zwiener.

The House representative is referring to Abbott’s earlier criticism Friday, Jan. 30, following students protesting at the state's capital, when he directed Mike Morath, commissioner of the Texas Education Agency (TEA), to investigate further into the situation.

As a result, TEA announced consequences for students, teachers and school districts in a news release Tuesday, Feb. 3, which stated:

• Students must be marked absent and schools risk losing daily attendance funding if they allow or encourage students to walk out of class
• Teachers that facilitate walkouts will be subject to investigation and sanction, including licensure revocation
• School systems that facilitate walkouts will be subject to investigation and sanction, including either the appointment of a monitor, conservator or board of managers

Simon Middle School students were conducting the sixth protest of the week Tuesday, Feb. 3.

“These are children. They don’t have many formal avenues to influence policy or power, yet they still showed up: thoughtful, organized and clear about the world they want to live in. We owe it to them to listen. Their voices matter and their perspective is often far less hardened than our own,” emphasized council member Zapata.

Hays CISD Superintendent Eric Wright released a statement imploring students to discontinue future protest plans, as there have allegedly been several more in the works.

He acknowledged their right to participate, but stressed that they will not be free from consequences; therefore, he is enacting the following: parents can sign their child out of school to participate, if they desire; students who have not been signed out will continue to receive absences; and disciplinary actions will be stacked, resulting in multiple, separate violations.

The superintendent also addressed a photo of a staff member circulating online displaying protest signs, revealing that he has been placed on administrative leave and “will not be returning to work in Hays CISD,” as “the school district belongs to everyone and we do not, as an entity or as employees, use taxpayer time and resources to engage in political activity.”

“We cannot control the rhetoric from people and politicians on both sides of the aisle and at all levels of government who are engaging in commentary and opinion. However, we, as a community, can control our actions – what we do next regarding these student walkouts,” said Wright. “We pride ourselves on navigating treacherous waters with grace and humility – and smart responses to challenges. While immigration policy is not in our control, it is in our power to resist division and strife. Let’s show everyone, by working together, that we can rise to this occasion and direct our energy appropriately.”

DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe, according to a Dripping Springs ISD news release.

The Texas State Career Development Conference will be held Feb. 19–21 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.

The following students have qualified.

Apparel and Accessories Marketing

Ava Pitkin

Violet Satine

Automotive Services Marketing

Christian Barradas

Business Services Marketing Series

Jaylyn Stiles

Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making

Luci Gomez and Alex Hinsley

Cecilia Loeding and Giana Silver

Entrepreneurship Series

Hima Katta

Franchise Business Plan

Reese Baker and Tana Steinbach

Hospitality Services Team Decision Making

Ava Andrews and Emilia Trevino-Hernandez

Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling Event

Jack McClure

Human Resources Management Series

Sophia Jones

Raya Page

Principles of Business Management and Administration

Piper Granberry

Principles of Finance

Nicole Bockelman

Restaurant and Food Service Management Series

Anusha Manda

Bella Rose

Swaby Singhai

Sports and Entertainment Marketing Research

Advay Marwah

Sports and Entertainment Marketing Series

Ava Lovelace

Travel and Tourism Team Decision Making

Greyson Hill and Harrison Woolard

Rooster Springs

RSES opened in 2007 and is in its 18th year of operation, serving the Belterra neighborhood with a capacity of 850 students. In the May 2025 bond — which was approved by voters — capital improvements for the campus were included and then, the board of trustees awarded Pfluger Architects to oversee the project.

Over the past several months, Pfluger Architects worked on the project, in addition to meeting with district and campus personnel, and has completed the schematic design that was presented to the board during the Dec. 15 meeting.

The design includes several renovations for the next two years, of which are the following:

HVAC updates: Mechanical equipment replacements, construction of a new removable roof hatch, replacement of the outside air units with heat recovery units and general architectural renovations

Upgrades to electrical systems

Plumbing systems will be assessed and replaced as needed

Existing fire protection systems will be enhanced as needed

Video surveillance: Existing cameras to remain, but more locations will be added

Access control systems: Replace all existing card readers and access control devices to new district standards; all exterior doors will have a card reader and contact point; new doors with magnetic hold opens for use during lockdown will be installed to allow for automatic shutting of the doors; and more.

Communication system upgrades

Audio/visual upgrades

Floor and ceiling replacement

Additional second floor restroom

Upgrades to the finish on the exterior and interior

Trustee Rob McClelland noted that the HVAC system has been the worst problem, with some classrooms being too hot, while others are too cold. He also asked if the solution to the issues are being addressed in the scope of the project.

DSISD director of Construction & Planning James Conkle responded that the main issue stems from those being at least 20-year-old units, explaining that the pumps aren’t working quite right and it’s similar to a system in a house, where, after an extended period of time, it’s not going to work like it did when it was new.

Trustee Tricia Carpenter asked if the flooring is the same one that went into Dripping Springs Middle School.

Conkle said they are in the process of vetting new floors, adding that they went to Hutto last week to look at some new flooring that has a different kind of system because the glue was an issue last year with its wet application. However, it will stay within the same price point that doesn’t require waxing or stripping.

“I’ve heard a lot of complaining about the flooring that we’re putting in,” Quintero said. “It’s hurting the teachers’ backs, which I would prefer that they are walking and they are not getting their backs hurt at our schools.”

The board unanimously — with board president Stefani Reinold being absent — approved the schematic design for the renovations at RSES. The next phase is the design development, which will be brought forward for approval once completed.

DSISD 18+ Project

During its Oct. 27 meeting, the board approved the design development for the DSISD 18+ Project — the new Adult Transition Services Center that will serve 18- to 22-year-old special education students who have met graduation requirements, but require continued services for various skills. The students are able to participate in internships, apprenticeships and paid employment to prepare them for post-graduation through the program.

The program was previously housed in 40-year-old portables behind the high school, according to DSISD, and is now temporarily located at Wildwood Springs Elementary for the 2025-26 school year, until the new facility is available.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday, Nov. 13, at the southwest corner of Sawyer Ranch Road and Rachels Canyon Drive — where the new facility will be located — and the board approved Swinerton as the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) contractor for this project Nov. 17.

The construction documents for the DSISD 18+ Project were unanimously approved by the board during its Dec. 15 meeting and now, it is anticipated that the first guaranteed maximum price for the project will be submitted in January 2026.

Band instruments

Every five years, the band directors develop an updated five-year plan to replace instruments and purchase additional pieces, based on the projected number of students who will participate — the most recent plan began in 2024-25 and ends in 2028-29.

The DSHS band director reached out about a month ago with a “good problem, but a bad problem,” explained deputy superintendent Elaine Cogburn, where there are more incoming students that play tuba than there are instruments. Originally, his request was going to be approximately $88,000 for additional tubas and sousaphones, but since he is working with area school districts to borrow instruments, the district would only need to purchase three new sousaphones for $39,741.39 to have enough for all of the students that are expected to play in the 2026-27 school year.

So, the request is for $40,000 for band instruments for the high school to accommodate the student need, Cogburn explained, from the 2018 bond funds, rather than doing it through the regular budget cycle.

“Because of the long lead item on these pieces of equipment, we are asking for additional funding, rather than running this through the regular budget cycle that would embark this spring,” Cogburn said.

Trustee Olivia Barnard questioned what borrowing instruments from another school district or campus looks like.

Cogburn responded, stating that it sounds like it’s a standard practice, but she has never seen an agreement between another district about that.

Barnard said that she would like for district staff to come back with further information on what exactly that would look like in terms of liability, etc. She added that she would like for the board to look at replacing the instruments that the district needs, funding the full request as a follow-up.

Trustee Shanda DeLeon asked about fees that band students would have to pay for renting instruments from the district or campus.

“It’s a very low fee … You have a couple of instruments. We have the marching band instrument and then, we have the other instrument that they play in class,” responded trustee Tricia Quintero. “It’s a low fee a year, so it wouldn’t be enough to actually cover the instrument cost. I am not well-versed on where that money is going.”

The deputy superintendent said that the fees typically goes to insurance to insure larger items.

Due to the strict timing on getting the funding allocated, the board unanimously approved the use of 2018 bond funds for additional band instruments for DSHS.

The DSISD Board meets next at 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 26.

The Band Aid School of Music — currently located in South Austin and Westlake — was officially started in 2009 by James Mays, who had a passion for teaching and helping form bands of youth musicians in the early 2000s. He knew that he wanted to help the younger generation thrive in the industry, as he himself was in a band called Bob Popular in the '80s. This drive of music education even inspired the making of Richard Linklater’s movie, “School of Rock.”

For Mays, it took him some time to realize that he was good at teaching kids music, recalling that, back in 2010, a young band he put together — starting out at only 8 years old — won the National Champion Rock Band competition when they were 12-14 years old. This secured him the title of being a National Champion Rock Band coach.

“I grew up in a musical house. My family's all musicians. My mom taught piano in the house all the time. I always had great music teachers, but I just never thought that I could do it,” he said. “So, it took me a while to admit. Becoming a National Champion Rock Band coach, I finally admitted to myself, ‘Okay, I know what I'm doing. I know how to teach kids music.’”

The school is in its 16th anniversary of operation with a “great staff” of world class musicians who play the major festivals, such as Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and South by Southwest, Mays said.

Starting the school was important to Mays because it allows for the staff to create a healthy alternative where parents feel happy and know their kids are safe in an environment where they are having fun and living their dreams. He added that their mission has become empowering people to enjoy a lifetime love of music.

“There are all kinds of people who want to explore music. Not everybody wants to be a professional musician. We understand that; there's room for everybody. All the science shows the benefits of how much of the brain is lighting up when you play music and how it helps you to think outside the box and to be more creative in whatever endeavor you decide to go into in life or whoever you decide to be,” he explained.

He added that in his experience of teaching for the last 30-plus years, he has heard countless stories from parents that their child was lost, they did not have a great friend group and were outcast or bullied until they found their voice and tribe at Band Aid School of Music.

“Whether they're going to be a musician for the rest of their lives or not, that experience benefits them in whatever they do. It's powerful,” he shared.

Being a Dripping Springs resident himself, Mays has had plans for a long time to expand outside of Austin and, according to him, there is already a rich music culture and it allows families to have a place to go to local without the burden of commuting.

“There's a rich culture here, with Wimberley and Dripping [Springs]. There's a real attention to music. There's big art festivals and that sort of thing here,” Mays said. “We wanted to create something where people didn't have to drive into Austin for this kind of beneficial offering for their kids, where they could stay closer to home.”

At the Dripping Springs location, there will be the following programs:

•   National Champion Rock Band program: Ages 8 years old to adult

•   Private lessons: Ages 4 to 94 years old

•   Intermediate to advanced class: Ages 10 years old to adult

•   There will also be an eventually mommy and me class for preschool children

Most of the students who are starting young have little to no experience, so it’s a good opportunity to explore what the best instrument is for them, Mays explained. However, at 4 years old, the students start out with piano, drums and voice because those are the easiest to access.

Also, while there are instruments at the school, such as piano, they will need something at home to practice, the director said.

Band Aid School of Music is not an accredited school like a student would attend for kindergarten through the 12th grade, rather it's considered an afterschool program, where each student’s schedule is built around their interests and what kind of music they like, Mays explained.

The Dripping Springs location — at 30305 Ranch Road 12 — will be holding a grand opening on Jan. 4, with lessons beginning Jan. 5.

To learn more about the school and pricing, visit www.bandaidschoolofmusic.com.

The bill, voted in by the 89th Texas Legislature, focuses on two aspects: a formal challenge process and parental access to their student’s library activity.

According to Emily Herrin, Hays CISD director of Curriculum & Instruction, a “challenge” is when parents can file a formal report to the school or district regarding a book they feel may not be appropriate for students. This has always been available for parents, said Herrin, but, now, it involves a higher oversight.

The director explained that, previously, if a parent felt that a book should be removed from the library, it would often involve a principal, the school librarian and the parent to determine a solution. This was a process close to the origin of the issue. However, the bill now requires all challenges to be brought forward to the district’s board of trustees.

After a written challenge is submitted, the book must be distributed to a committee within five days of receiving the document. Then, the committee has 90 days to make a recommendation to the board of trustees.

These committees consist of a district leader, a school librarian, staff members and community members, who work together to determine whether the book is suitable for the subject and grade level and adhere to library standards, which include having positive reviews by academic experts, supporting the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), encouraging the enjoyment of reading and representing ethic, religious and cultural groups throughout Texas and the world, said Herrin. Additionally, the committee must identify whether the book contains any of the newly-defined words in the bill, such as:

• Indecent content, which “means content that portrays sexual or excretory organs or activities in a way that is patently offensive.”

• Harmful material to minor, as defined in Section 43.24 of the Texas Penal Code, “means material whose dominant theme taken as a whole: (a) appeals to the prurient interest of a minor, in sex, nudity, or excretion; (b) is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable for minors; and (c) is utterly without redeeming social value for minors.”

• Profane content, meaning “content that includes grossly offensive language that is considered a public nuisance.”

This recommendation is made to the board, where it will determine whether or not to remove the book.

New to the process, other than the additional oversight, is also the requirement to remove the book from the shelves during the challenge process.

Herrin shared that this has been a concern for many librarians.

“The biggest concern right now in the library community is the removal of the book until we get to the committee because that used to not be the case. It used to be that the book stayed, we had enough copies to give everybody to read the book and then, the decision was made after that,” she said.

This process is not only concerning to Herrin, but to other parents, as many have taken to social media to share worries of historical, religious or social books being removed through challenges.

“I think that has been unsettling for a lot of people because it very could look as … we’re taking that one off the shelf and that has historical meaning or that has religious meaning. So, I think that’s something we’re still working to navigate, but that’s part of the process,” said Herrin. “That’s why, when we look through the books, we get committees of people together and say, ‘What of this violates the law? Is this obscene? Is this appropriate?’”

She did share, however, that there is a difference between instructional materials and library materials. This being that instructional materials that may encourage civil discourse may be appropriate in a classroom, but not be allowed in a library, as the key difference is the student has “the selection of choice when we’re talking about that book … So, the conversation about [whether] that is relevant to our community” needs to be discussed with a committee.

The director stated that the formal process has significantly increased the amount of challenges received, with more than 150 to read, recommend and bring to the trustees. Though, because the process is arduous, no challenged books have yet been brought to the board.

Although the board has not made decisions on these books, it has been approving additional materials for the library. Herrin stated that the bill states that any new books the libraries wish to acquire must receive board approval. These books are determined by the previously-mentioned library standards and are a collaborative process by district librarians. Most recently, several new titles were adopted at the October board meeting.

Once these new books are adopted and purchased, they will be added to the online catalogue, where parents can browse and, now, determine whether they want their child to read the book.

The bill notes that parents already have access to several of their children’s records, such as attendance records, test scores, grades, disciplinary records and more, but now includes “records relating to school library materials the child obtains from a school library.”

This means that parents now can enter a portal that allows them to decide whether their child can check out a specific book by ticking a box that would alert a school librarian that the child must select a different reading material. These selections, said Herrin, follow the student throughout their academic career, until the parent alters the selection.

With this new portal are obstacles that the district is facing, said Herrin. Parents can currently browse all titles available at their school library, but the system is not able to determine which books are being challenged and, therefore, no longer available to check out.

Chief communication officer Tim Savoy stated that this has caused confusion amongst people, including several who spoke at the Nov. 18 meeting, since it still lists books that are no longer on shelves. Both Hays CISD staff members noted that the district is working to update the online catalogue to reflect an accurate depiction of library titles, while adding the challenged books to a separate document, which parents can also access.

Despite this, Herrin noted that she is an advocate of the portal, but also shared that challenged books could instead provide an opportunity for parents to educate their children.

One of the books, for example, is “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder,” said the director, which has been heavily circulated through the high schools. Upon researching it, Herrin discovered that it has been adapted into a popular Netflix show, which is most likely why students are picking up the book.

“It begs the other question of, ‘Why is that book popular?’ It’s popular because of the video component that comes along with it. Where are these kids accessing inappropriate materials? They’re accessing it on their phones; they’re accessing it watching Netflix or Hulu or wherever they have access to online stuff,” she said. “Some things are better conversations with an adult, so that they can help kids understand what is actually going on, [but] not everybody has conversations like that at home. I also have to fully recognize that.”

Another example the librarian provided was Junie B. Jones, which was challenged, due to the title character failing to find suitable solutions to her circumstances and calling others "stupid": “That’s a great opportunity for a parent to say, ‘Is that really how we should solve that [issue]?”

These conversations can also be had with a librarian, said Herrin, as she stated that she encourages parents to bring concerns to them, as the book may contain materials that they personally disagree with, that can be solved by restricting access to the child, rather than challenging.

“We have a very large community and we’re growing. We want to support parents and their child’s education and we want to partner together to make sure that we’re making the best choices for kids … It’s absolutely a balance and that’s where I really am a proponent of, if parents have strong feelings about certain books for their kids, I’m thankful for the portal. I’m glad that parents have an opportunity to go and say, ‘You know what? I don’t want my child to check that book out,’” emphasized Herrin. “That’s the beauty of living in this country. We can both agree to disagree and that’s okay. What’s okay for one person and family might not be okay for another and now we have a way in our library catalog for parents to be able to [exercise that].”

To read Hays CISD library policies, visit bit.ly/48m94Zz, under Section E — Instruction, or to learn more about the libraries, online resources and challenges, visit bit.ly/4oHuhSG.

According to Thomas Stone, child nutrition director, the program began when a chef within Southwest Food Service Excellence — the company the district contracts for the department — came up with the idea, thus, forming the program now known as Roving Chef.

The program occurs approximately twice a month when a chef and a nutritionist go to one of the district’s campuses and a group of students — usually selected by the principal as a reward —work with the chef to create food, while learning about healthy eating.

“My chef gets to the school ahead of time and he preps with a nutritionist and they lay everything out, so that way [the kids aren’t] waiting for anything,” explained Stone. “A lot of the items will come in cups and so, it’s kind of preassembled [and] ready for them to put together … The kids will come out, the chef will walk them through the instructions on the recipe, they’ll assemble it [and] if we need to bake it off or cook it, we’ll do it in the back. While it’s cooking or while they’re eating, my nutritionist will talk about some things.”

This includes topics, such as fun facts about the fruit or vegetables they might be trying, how it is good for their body or what isn’t good for their body — just a general opportunity to lead the students in the right direction.

Stone explained that this is also a chance for students to expand their palette and try new foods: “I can’t tell you how many kids I had that have never had a blueberry before, but the thing is, it’s not because of any fault of their own; it’s a socioeconomic thing. So, we introduce these kids to a lot of different fruits and vegetables they normally wouldn’t have and we encourage them to try them.”

After, the students receive a certificate for their completion of the program and the recipe card, as well as the chef hat that they wore during the activity.

Each session offers new recipes that range from fruit sushi to calzones to seasonal dishes. It also varies depending on whether the students are in elementary or high school. New to the program this year is letting the older students in middle and high school cut some of the items themselves and cook them, rather than the chef doing it.

The director noted that this program is important because many children are uneducated on healthy foods and often have unhealthy diets at home. He stated that more instruction given to them in school will lead students to make better decisions for themselves, as well as learn to like more fruit and vegetables in the future.

Additionally, he stated that a lot of children and adults have bad relationships with food, which can hopefully be remedied by showing students that there are options that don’t come from a bag or from the freezer.

Because not all students are able to participate, Stone stated that parents can create a similar experience at home by encouraging their children to try one new item each time they go to the grocery store.

“The other thing is, have your kids help cook because a lot of kids don’t know what goes into recipes and food. So, [they’re] like, ‘Oh, I don’t like onions,’ but half the things they like have onions in them,” he said.

To learn more about the Child Nutrition Department, visit www.hayscisd.net/page/cafe-menus or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HaysChildNutrition.

“Typically, January and February, all season long — those two months — they have a pretty competitive spring season and something new that we have started is that for our varsity dance teams in the fall, they are also competitive now,” said Hays CISD lead dance director Lacey Fastle. “[Similar to] how marching band has a fall [University Interscholastic League (UIL)] assessment, we now have a fall pilot program, where they do the style of dance on the field that you would see during the fall season.”

The pilot program began when the Texas Dance Education Association started advocating to create a statewide competition, hosted by UIL, to encourage fairness and integrity, so the students are not only being evaluated by private companies, said Fastle. Since its debut year in 2024, it has grown from three regions to nine.

The Hays CISD high school varsity dance teams have had a clean sweep, receiving division one ratings, for both years.

Fastle noted that the new competition allows the dancers to focus on technique and skill in their field performances, rather than the usual entertainment and visuals used for football games. These skills are rated in 27 different categories, from spatial awareness, body angles, stamina and more, she continued, with division one ratings requiring a specific score in each classification.

“We’re lucky and blessed that all of our girls work really, really, really hard for us and they wanted to bring home a division one rating,” emphasized the director. “[Dance] is one of the reasons why kids show up to school … The students are doing what they need to do. Our administrators are kicking butt in supporting us, basically advocating for us because in this climate, as we know, fine arts are not always the most supported across Texas, but here in Hays, we’re so lucky that we have awesome support.”

Fastle stated that the dance teachers enjoy calling the teams “athletic artists,” as they’re treated like a sports team, practicing every day, performing at games and serving their community when called upon.

“This isn’t just a group of girls who are bouncing around looking cute, holding poms. These are things that the [Texas Education Agency] has said are essential skills for you to have as a dancer,” said Fastle.

She emphasized that these students are also learning valuable skills in dance, such as self discipline, social skills, personal executive functioning skills and perseverance — everything needed to be a leader.

“These leadership skills that you learn in dance teams are something that you can apply to any career. So, this isn’t just for kids who want to dance in the future. This is for people who want to be the best of the best, no matter what,” the director stressed.

The Fall Field Assessment allows the students to not only present what they have learned, but also to validate what is taught in the classroom and dance as a whole in the district.

After the increase in participants this year, the assessment has been moved to the monitoring phase, so she expressed that she hopes it will be approved by UIL and hosted by the organization in 2026.

“Hays CISD having a clean sweep for two years in a row is a huge deal for us because we’re just seeing the standard for excellence and we want to continue that standard,” said Fastle.

While only the high school varsity teams participate in the pilot program, each secondary school has both classes and varsity teams, as well. The middle schools have dance one, two and three, with the ability to audition for the varsity team after completing dance one, and the high schools have dance one through four and allow anyone to audition for the junior varsity and varsity team.

The director concluded by sharing that Hays CISD is a “true leader in regard to dance in the Central Texas area,” as having a dance program, studio, dance director and dance team at every secondary campus is a luxury.

This follows the Dripping Springs ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approving an extensive list of library titles at its Monday, Nov. 17, meeting, as the Texas Legislature enacted Senate Bill (SB) 13 during the 89th Legislative Session, establishing new procedures for the review, approval and purchase of library materials in public schools.

Under SB 13, the board of trustees must approve the purchase or acceptance of any new or donated library materials before they can be added to a campus library. Books that are already part of a campus library collection do not require board approval for continued use or replacement, however, prior to board consideration, all proposed titles must be posted for a 30-day public review and comment period.

Other implementations from SB 13 include:

Dripping Springs ISD has established the School Library Advisory Committee (SLAC) to support implementation of SB 13. The committee is responsible for the following: reviewing titles proposed for addition to campus libraries; collecting and reviewing public comments submitted during the 30-day posting period; and providing recommendations to district leadership and the board of trustees for final approval.

Parents and guardians may restrict their child’s access to specific titles and review the list of materials their child checks out from the library. They may exercise these options by creating an account through the Destiny Portal accessible within DSISD’s library catalog system.

SLAC is an optional committee for school districts to host or not, but DSISD elected to do it because it values community partnership engagement and communication with parents, explained director of Curriculum and Instruction Alicia Maphies.

Board president Stefani Reinold asked how often they should expect to see lists of library titles throughout the year, to which Maphies responded that, “We can set our own cadence for meetings. The minimum requirement is two meetings a year; we wanted to meet more than that, so we have set four meetings for this year. So, you can expect lists like this to come around quarterly.”

Trustee Shanda DeLeon asked if there were any public comments on the proposed titles when SLAC posted them. There were not any public comments or concerns on the titles, Maphies said, but the committee was trained in the procurement of the resources and thorough in its research.

Another trustee, Kim Cousins, asked if the books on the list were donations or recommendations by teachers and librarians.

“These are recommendations from our [librarians]. These are not donations,” Maphies responded.

All of the books that are on the list are completely new, Maphies said, as, under SB 13, if a book already exists in one of DSISD’s libraries, then the other libraries at the same level would be able to purchase that same title. Only new purchases will come to the board for consideration.

The full list of library titles can be found on the SLAC’s website at www.dsisdtx.us/page/slac. Parents can access the Destiny Portal to view online catalogs, see what their students have checked out and more at bit.ly/4o4rZfU.

The DSISD board meets next at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 15.

This comes after the proposed $0.12 tax rate increase failed on the Nov. 4 election ballot.  According to official polling results from Hays County, 6,171 voters were in favor of the increase, while 9,691 were against.

“Because that did not pass, we had to take a look again at our tax rate and ask for another approval,” said Deborah Ottmers, chief financial officer (CFO). “This is an example of a rollback tax rate, meaning that we were going to have $1.2746 [if the proposition passed] and, now, we need to roll it back to, not necessarily, exactly where we had it, but that is one of our options.”

This means that the board will be voting to increase the tax rate to its maximum, without calling for a tax rate election, Ottmers explained, which happens to be what the previous tax rate was — $1.1546.

The CFO stated that “to the normal eye,” this will not appear as an increase, since it is the same amount, but that the district has to calculate a no new revenue tax rate. A no new revenue tax rate means that an entity will bring in approximately the same amount of tax revenue that it did the previous year, so, she continued, if someone’s taxes stay the same, it really is an increase.

Trustee Byron Severance motioned to approve the item, with trustee Raul Vela Jr. seconding. The motion to adopt the new tax rate was passed 6-0.

Additionally, the board unanimously voted to approve James Cruz as the new principal for LHS.

Cruz was serving as interim principal at LHS for the past several months and previously served as McCormick Middle School’s principal since 2017. According to the district, Cruz also has 14 years of experience as an educator and principal at  Del Valle ISD.

“It’s a great match and James, you’ve proven to us for many, many years your worth. You’ve done a great job for us over at McCormick; you’re a good, good principal and an even better man. So, we’re excited about having you in place,” said superintendent Dr. Eric Wright.

Cruz earned a Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sports Science from Southwest Texas State University in 2003 and a Master of Education Administration from Concordia University in 2011. He is married to Starr Cruz, who serves as a counselor at Hays High School. Their daughter Juliet is a Hays CISD student and their son James Jr., graduated from Hays High School in 2017. Cruz enjoys spending time with his family and watching his favorite sports teams: The University of Texas Longhorns, the Dallas Cowboys and the San Antonio Spurs.

“As the principal, I want to ensure that each child has access to and receives a quality education. I believe this can be achieved by providing a safe and nurturing environment conducive to learning,” said Cruz. “I envision our school as a place where all students can learn, where teachers can teach and be supported and where all stakeholders are committed to excellence.”

The Hays CISD Board of Trustees will meet next Dec. 8.

Before his time there, Bob graduated from Dripping Springs High School, where he still holds the record for total points scored during his varsity basketball career and was also named first team all-state during his senior year. Following that, he went on to earn his bachelor’s and Master of Education degrees from Southwest Texas State University — he also played basketball for the University of Texas before transferring.

Transitioning to the other side of Hays County, Bob started his coaching and athletic career at Buda High School in 1964. In 1966, the football team finished with a record of 10-2 and won the regional round — the furthest teams could advance in Class B at the time. It was then that, in addition to his winning career as a coach, he became well-known within the community, as his namesake was adorned on Hays CISD’s football stadium. He later moved to Hays High School in 1968, when the high schools consolidated into one district.

Throughout his 47 years with the district, Bob developed an extensive resume of accolades, including 313 career wins, multiple playoff performances, 23 consecutive seasons without a losing record, several state recognition awards and Hall of Honor/Fame inductions and more.

At the time of his retirement in 2012, he held the record for the most years — 43 — a high school football coach has served at one school in the state of Texas, along with the record for most years as a head coach at 47 years.

In remembrance

Hays CISD Superintendent Dr. Eric Wright reflected on his time spent with Bob over the years.

Wright shared that when he was named lone finalist for superintendent in 2017 and then, starting his new position in January 2018, shortly after, Bob was inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame and he was able to attend the ceremony. To Wright, what really struck him about Bob was his humbleness.

“There were several coaches that got inducted in and he was probably the most humble of all of them. What he kept going back to is he constantly thanked his assistant coaches and his family and the community support and most of all, his student athletes,” Wright said. “You can tell that he really was a great mentor and bonded with the kids that he was able to coach for all those years. It’s just a remarkable legacy because it's unheard of to stay in one place for that long and I think he coached here as the district grew in every classification.”

He also remembered a tradition that Bob started, where he would go every Tuesday to Smitty’s Market BBQ in Lockhart for lunch with several community members and, when his schedule allowed, Wright would accompany him.

Wright continued, stating that Bob was always interested in what others had to say — never shining the spotlight on himself, despite his success.

“It was pretty, pretty special that I got to be a part of his life for as long as I was able to because you can tell that he was an outstanding mentor and was just a people person,” he said. “You can tell that he was a Godly man and he loved his family. I totally understand why he was able to achieve the milestones that he was able to achieve and the successes because he invested in people.”

Behind Bob’s long tenure as coach was his wife of 52 years, Beverly, who was there at his games, cheering for him and the team, and supporting his passion for the sport, while they also raised their four children.

“He just lived and breathed football. He loved his coaches — he had the same staff for so long — and he loved his players and really started to take care of them,” she shared. “It was great watching him do what he wanted. I don't think he worked a day in his life because he just loved doing what he was doing.”

Through his long hours of coaching on the field, Bob was still always there to play ball with the kids in the backyard when he would get home, Beverly recalled, and he would also take them to work with him.

Outside of coaching, he had various interests, including playing his guitar and singing, golf, traveling and spending time with his children and grandchildren. Beverly shared that they traveled to a wide variety of places, including West Point — something that Bob always wanted to do to see college teams play — Haiti as part of a mission with their church, Israel, Alaska, Hawaii, New Orleans, Texas beaches and a river cruise in Europe when their kids were young. They also went to New England to see the leaves change in the fall, something they were able to do after he retired.

While she has many memories of Bob that she will continue to carry with her, Beverly shared two: bringing home a fresh bouquet of flowers and dancing with his granddaughter.

“As long as he could drive, he would go to Sam's and do all the shopping for me and he would always bring home a bouquet of flowers for me to arrange. I loved watching him with the kids and the grandkids. He was always ready to play and be silly with them,” she said. “We had the coaches over here one night after a football game and we had won, I think, because they were pretty loud sitting around the table and [our granddaughter] went over there and told him she needed to teach him a dance step. He got up and went right next door into the study and worked with her on teaching him a dance, while all of these coaches were sitting around the table.”

She emphasized that he was her rock and the strength of the family.

Leaving a legacy

A scholarship fund — the Coach Bob Shelton Memorial Scholarship Fund — has been created and dedicated to Bob’s memory, where all proceeds will go toward scholarships for Hays CISD students.

According to Beverly, the coach would have been thrilled and honored to know that this scholarship was available for students.

“He loved for kids to have the opportunity to do all they wanted to do and all they had their heart set on,” she said.

Along with the fund, Wright said that Hays CISD will continue to honor Bob because not only did he shape the athletic program, but many young lives, as well. He added that before every single game, they play a video tribute to the stadium’s namesake as an inspiration for others to see the success that can be had from people in the community and the countless seeds that he planted.

“We're going to do our best to make sure that we keep his legacy alive, but I think he did enough during his own time period that that'll take care of itself because he coached generations of people and so, I think the life lessons that he taught them will live on through others,” he concluded.

To learn more about the scholarship fund, or to donate, visit bit.ly/4olEa8w.