Judson trustees authorize superintendent to purchase letterman jackets after debate over cost and UIL rules
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Following debate over district savings and UIL rules about the value of awards, the Judson ISD Board authorized the superintendent to proceed with a bulk purchase process for student letterman jackets and related awards. Trustees asked staff to reconcile exact department cost data and to confirm compliance with UIL guidance.
The Judson ISD Board of Trustees on Monday authorized the superintendent to proceed with district purchases of letterman jackets after trustees and staff debated whether eliminating the district-provided jackets produced the claimed savings.
A motion from Trustee Stanford asked the district to regain the ability to provide jackets; trustees discussed whether the earlier efficiency recommendation to eliminate district-funded letterman jackets applied to athletics only or to all activities (band, choir, student council, athletics). The athletics director and an athletics coach provided figures showing athletics-only costs near $8,000 per year for jackets; staff said a district-wide total had been reported in the efficiency list as roughly $20,000.
Trustees also heard conflicting legal advice during the meeting: one email from a UIL athletic director quoted by an athletics staff member said the value of an award may be considered the district s purchase price (so a bulk $25 jacket would be UIL-compliant), while district counsel earlier advised that UIL rules treat an award's value by retail equivalent. After discussion the board chose to authorize the superintendent to arrange purchases (often at a bulk price below retail) and to reconcile budget coding and department-level amounts.
Trustee Stanford moved and the board approved a motion giving the superintendent authority to arrange bulk purchases of jackets. Trustees asked administration to return with a reconciled accounting of the fiscal effect, and to ensure that any award program complies with UIL rules and district policy on awards.
Why this matters: Letterman jackets and similar awards are visible student recognitions. Eliminating district provisioning of jackets shifts costs to families and can affect access for students from lower-income households. District purchases at a bulk price can keep costs lower for families but require clarity about accounting and UIL compliance.
The board asked staff to provide a department-level breakdown and to correct prior budget allocations that had already been adjusted. Athletics staff said they could proceed under the bulk-purchase authority if the board preferred that approach; coaches and trustees noted that district support for awards can be an important recognition for many students.