[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6077220,"mediaKeyId","2964995-4b75145808959ed23650ee6258e03329","parentId",2964995,"title","Superintendent outlines school-finance risks and teacher-pay proposals as House and Senate plans diverge","audioSeconds",181,"startMs",2334000,"endMs",2515000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2964995-4b75145808959ed23650ee6258e03329&start=2334&end=2515","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2964995-4b75145808959ed23650ee6258e03329/thumbnail_2334000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6077220/Texas/Superintendent-outlines-school-finance-risks-and-teacher-pay-proposals-as-House-and-Senate-plans-diverge","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6077220-d8e6ff983998b3ee36023a6532dff668/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162120&Signature=gvlbBRM1xpdh4k~eQ~RQgAzk67OeTxovIFn87ILgEEBj0zWUIYO2nqWSULqvm7ns4BRRvtPycF68U4H1DUTP2w7UqhR~mjxLsogwPlI9WTeH4Pmu~CVHOjd1yNVUSVaqp27~sUMmea2-sYJF0IRX7G2zPwmLMVYDXVtxsSBODoRcptt1sDxZXXzUFHpzDxKRE8eInAu2x0rt0upr32MWxLQJwEDEzmAg3y-KbpgdDiyHLyRqWKHsezlqUVzEok-k3kNVUtqf8hxeZzUSs01kg0r0DT1qb3xPseAZnHqiPjaMR5JVvk7dG8PcqcsL2EkKOZTGRehDUpgi84h5rGfFWA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Tyler ISD","date","2025-04-11T21:07:08.047Z","article","The superintendent briefed the Tyler ISD board on the ongoing state budget and education negotiations in Austin, flagging a key divergence between the House and Senate plans for teacher compensation and concerns about potential funding disparities between rural and urban districts.

The superintendent said the House and Senate are taking different approaches to raising teacher pay and that some Senate formulas risk allowing smaller or rural districts to offer higher pay for certain experience bands than larger central-city or suburban districts, because of how the formulas are structured and because a prior cost-of-education index was removed. He said the district and allied mid-size districts (Amarillo, Lubbock, Abilene and others) are monitoring proposed changes and contacting legislators to request cleanup or clarification.

On other budget matters, the superintendent described the state’s “basic allotment” as the primary source for many operating costs (buses, utilities, supplies) and said that increases in required safety and special-education spending often come out of the same pool, constraining local flexibility. He said special-education enrollment and service needs have grown materially (the district’s special-education percentages have risen since earlier caps were eliminated) and argued for better state funding of those weights.

The superintendent discussed voucher proposals and said the board does not support vouchers; he noted concerns about potential private- or charter-school “pop-ups” that could draw public funds and then leave students to return to the district if the private provider fails. He characterized the long-term state finance debate as recurring and cautioned trustees that while headlines can dramatize a funding crisis, the district’s historically conservative financial management positions it to weather likely outcomes.

Why it matters: state funding formulas and any major policy changes (teacher-pay structures or vouchers) would affect local budgets, staffing recruitment and program services across Tyler ISD.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2025-04-10 School Board Workshop","oneSentenceSummary","Tyler ISD’s superintendent briefed trustees on current school-finance negotiations in Austin, highlighting differences between House and Senate teacher-compensation approaches, concerns about rural-versus-urban funding disparities, and the potential impacts of vouchers and special-education funding.","taxTitle","TYLER ISD, School Districts, Texas","taxId",14340,"location","Texas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6077224,"Tyler ISD safety update: TEA vulnerability review, door practices, behavioral-threat pilot and TxDOT pedestrian grant progress",294,1320000,1614000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2964995-4b75145808959ed23650ee6258e03329&start=1320&end=1614","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2964995-4b75145808959ed23650ee6258e03329/thumbnail_1320000.jpg","/articles/6077224/Texas/Tyler-ISD-safety-update-TEA-vulnerability-review-door-practices-behavioral-threat-pilot-and-TxDOT-pedestrian-grant-progress","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6077224-8db6378b2ff868a6bd26e1022e4d7b3c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162120&Signature=QfK5DCE8~PTjVMWUU7VBRJU9RbUoNZ32jT4XQ376cn74HWO3Ue9T9lAE6g000hX7gUOeUa5~5gz6f0Y6siFaLF-zAVDkzz0GgX2p9wXRUobXwlO3VOAhfggreOxDx~~6PNhzqmIAmPJrpUDaptaHrCE1cbzAr4rWK9r1QE7N-NxSRMZfskN7hlZ0RPmv8IhJ9J-hS3d~piMmys5nsOFEw1CcoY4WoNRYv9fWnAZsJXwazdKhR4oMmHS~KzdP5RcNFGnverMTW4uquqf6Pbzn04j3sFmb6t3yvCBgW3tD8fJWdf2EbGLPvxjFJnA3gFtYYxO~0lEQt~ZtaP7qcsvMrQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tyler ISD safety and security leadership told the Board of Trustees that the Texas Education Agency will conduct a district vulnerability assessment across 22 campuses in March next year. Agent Millslegel (district safety lead) said TEA will use a system called Sentinel for the assessment and will be on-site about two weeks.

Safety staff described common statewide findings TEA teams have reported, with “doors propped open” cited as the most frequent vulnerability. Millslegel emphasized the importance of staff and substitutes understanding the standard response protocol—“lights, locks, and out of sight”—and said the district will provide substitute packets with a badge, keys, maps and evacuation guidance.

The district reported it has been a pilot participant in a behavioral threat-assessment rollout intended to standardize threat reporting statewide and said the formal rollout goes live next week. Staff said 22 campuses have completed intruder audits (the district reported 88% then said it is 100% since day one; three campuses remain to be scheduled: Tyler High, Moore and Woods).

On communication and alerting, the district said it recently integrated InformaCast alerts with interactive flat panels, office phones and a notification app so that lockdowns, weather or other emergency notices display visually and audibly across campus devices.

Safety staff also reported continued work with TxDOT on a pedestrian-safety project. Millslegel described an initial federal funding round with many applications and said the district’s project would likely be funded through transportation credits for communities under 200,000 people; the application, if approved by TxDOT in Austin, would require a local resolution and involve a federal grant expected to cover approximately $750,000 for the project with a past match level of about 20% by the district (final match percentage and project cost not specified).

Trustees raised concerns about classroom-door windows being covered and staff covering windows; safety staff said the district has drilled peepholes in solid doors (about 270 to date) and reiterated a preference that classroom windows remain uncovered so staff or visitors can see inside during routine and emergency circumstances. Trustees also asked about generator testing; staff said generators and failover were tested and that internet access would reroute automatically if an administrative data center failed.

Why it matters: TEA’s assessment and the district’s corrective work are intended to identify and close security gaps across Tyler ISD campuses. Pedestrian-safety improvements and alerting integrations are operational measures aimed at reducing risk and improving emergency response.","District safety officials briefed trustees on an upcoming Texas Education Agency (TEA) district vulnerability assessment of 22 campuses, statewide findings about propped doors, a statewide behavioral threat-assessment pilot, ongoing intruder audits, and preliminary progress on a TxDOT pedestrian-safety grant application for a crosswalk project.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6077229,"Tyler ISD presents cybersecurity update; district reports 3.2/5 assessment and no breaches this year",75,553000,628000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2964995-4b75145808959ed23650ee6258e03329&start=553&end=628","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2964995-4b75145808959ed23650ee6258e03329/thumbnail_553000.jpg","/articles/6077229/Texas/Tyler-ISD-presents-cybersecurity-update-district-reports-325-assessment-and-no-breaches-this-year","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6077229-a7a2c272a40d61496a30937c5aa8e22e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162120&Signature=L0IM2licVnSl5OC-lScPKs~TMQ~XRi~jYUbPSGElUhwOYBhLQPj~EUuKdnWVtkPmNjZv9tegWtdZGWtfDt4FQydG8yxl6ObHEsX9IS2YlHjTLM2irZ1wZZSibjxy2hwdBejH-tIxx672gQ4ZqhMAp3Q0xNPLNgnstd9XIj~5lZajqKSOxHu3JTXKNbpi8Rpu9WZsdTdhF9YjuNxY74fFJdG~HlNFOKhmMDEmZz~3snXkgKr2DIzMUm22wD~71EWAg97wCz0~jaW2tAG1s32GxZ6NsfZM0Econjm7NFKMd~LUh3IQC-DY91w6HyBFfBuWLdbE-VsUnFJNzi1GsILAiQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tyler ISD IT leaders told the Board of Trustees that the district’s cybersecurity posture improved this year, with the most recent external assessment scoring the district at 3.2 out of 5, up from 2.8 the prior year.

Keesa Sunde, Tyler ISD’s network security engineer, who the administration identified as the district’s cybersecurity coordinator, told trustees the district “scored a 3.2 out of 5,” and that the vendor who performs assessments across about 250 districts reported Tyler ISD is “one of only 2 or 3 districts” they work with that scored a 3.0 or above. Sunde and the superintendent described the score as a balance between access to educational resources and security.

IT staff reported the district blocked more than 48,000,000 spam and phishing emails in the past year, accounting for roughly 80% of incoming mail, and that most malicious messages are blocked before reaching district inboxes. The district also said it completed a secondary data center that is fully operational and contributed to greater than 99% uptime for the past year.

On training and tabletop exercises, the district said it deploys simulated phishing campaigns and follow-up training for staff who click test links. The administration said there were no reported data breaches during the year covered by the update.

Planned investments include real-time threat-detection tools, expanded cyber drills, macro network segmentation to reduce lateral access, and continued enhancement of the InformaCast alerting system. InformaCast integration sends incident alerts across classroom flat-panel displays, phones and the district alert app, the superintendent said, to provide both visual and audible notification during emergencies.

Why it matters: school networks hold student and employee data and support classroom instruction; district leaders said continued investment and staff training are necessary to avoid phishing and ransomware attacks that target K–12 systems nationwide.

Trustees asked questions about device counts and backup-generator testing; IT estimated about 1,400–1,500 interactive flat panels (IFPs) plus a roughly 2,200–2,500 range for district computer screens and said generators and data-center failover are tested regularly.","District IT leaders reported a cybersecurity assessment score improvement to 3.2 out of 5, blocked tens of millions of spam/phishing emails, completed a secondary data center, and plan investments in real-time threat detection and alerting systems.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6077234,"Tyler ISD board approves athletics director hire, moves to nonrenew one contract and okays retail electric agreement",60,3499000,3559000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2964995-4b75145808959ed23650ee6258e03329&start=3499&end=3559","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2964995-4b75145808959ed23650ee6258e03329/thumbnail_3499000.jpg","/articles/6077234/Texas/Tyler-ISD-board-approves-athletics-director-hire-moves-to-nonrenew-one-contract-and-okays-retail-electric-agreement","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6077234-41de949b0f2b6f54b67cccbfba8a8868/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162120&Signature=NdCjWwKpecCDiMteOYVZxaJyU~hfWWhxAEV4zSzyUZj8sU6BuK8wA50X9CeCPv9rOeX7CamSyie5TwJ3OXrurh~lxcQoFGUVDhDqu3ZeDUBHpMYHwBGa2S1cH9CEGfJmEFos9aUvmO5C6-brb0cxJCnL1KjXcvAlR1z3o-bPtxO3bFucBMvc9y4eStl~KKvQB-H1eXd81HB4xQIwR9Tf1-qZ66ABo8477--~F6twKIBphMtq-ZwG9ZTLbDbnnz3mKdAyHZjR3EOQwx4wehUKN7JYvyw6K6N0Gf6dq4dScWYT37Cvoyoa-FfeEEP1SF0NYcwNwadXe8P8NDkn~FoNVw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Tyler ISD Board of Trustees on an announced meeting date voted to promote Sam Gillespie to director of athletics, authorized the superintendent to sign a retail electric services agreement, and approved a proposal to nonrenew a Chapter 21 term contract for an employee identified as Denise Kambuca.

The board moved, seconded and approved the promotion of assistant athletic director Sam Gillespie to director of athletics. Dr. Crawford introduced Gillespie’s candidacy, describing him as having experience as a head coach in multiple sports and prior service as a small-school athletic director. The motion passed by voice vote; the board president announced the motion carried. Gillespie addressed the board and said he was “honored” and vowed to “work tirelessly to make sure we achieve successful student outcomes.”

Later in the meeting the board voted to propose nonrenewal of a Chapter 21 term employment contract for Denise Kambuca. The motion was made “on the recommendation of the administration.” The board president called for the required notices to be sent after the motion carried.

The board also approved a motion authorizing the superintendent to execute an agreement for retail electric services for the district; trustees voted in favor and the president announced the motion carried. Board leadership said they would discuss details of the electric-services agreement with counsel before final execution.

Why it matters: the athletic director hire places a district employee into a districtwide leadership role that will oversee extracurricular athletics programming; the nonrenewal motion initiates a formal employment contract process under Chapter 21 procedures; and the retail electric authorization allows the administration to finalize a district energy contract expected to affect operations budgets. Each action carried by board vote.

The meeting also included updates on cybersecurity, safety and security, and state legislative developments, which the board heard but did not vote on in this session.

Votes at a glance
- Sam Gillespie, promotion to Director of Athletics — Motion moved by a trustee, seconded, approved by voice vote (outcome: approved). Motion language: “I move that we accept Sam Gillespie as the director of athletics for Tyler ISD.”
- Denise Kambuca, proposed nonrenewal of Chapter 21 term contract — Motion moved “on the recommendation of the administration,” seconded, approved by voice vote (outcome: approved; board president and administration authorized to send required notices). Motion language: “I move that the board propose the nonrenewal of the Chapter 21 term employment contract of Denise Kambuca for good cause and that the board president and the administration be authorized and directed to send the required notices.”
- Authorization to execute retail electric services agreement — Motion moved, seconded, approved by voice vote (outcome: approved; superintendent authorized to execute agreement). Motion language: “I move that we authorize the superintendent to execute an agreement for retail electric services for the district.”

No additional formal actions were recorded by the board in this meeting.","At a regularly scheduled meeting, the Tyler ISD Board of Trustees voted to promote Sam Gillespie to director of athletics, approved a superintendent authorization to execute a retail electric services agreement, and voted to propose nonrenewal of a Chapter 21 term contract for an employee identified as Denise Kambuca.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Superintendent outlines school-finance risks and teacher-pay proposals as House and Senate plans diverge

Tyler ISD safety update: TEA vulnerability review, door practices, behavioral-threat pilot and TxDOT pedestrian grant progress

Tyler ISD presents cybersecurity update; district reports 3.2/5 assessment and no breaches this year

Tyler ISD board approves athletics director hire, moves to nonrenew one contract and okays retail electric agreement