Pasadena ISD trustees approve fiscal audit, grants, contracts and clinic agreement; multiple travel and construction items pass

PASADENA, Texas — The Pasadena Independent School District Board of Trustees on Jan. 24 approved the district’s fiscal 2024 audit and a series of grants, contracts and construction-related actions, including a renewed partnership with Memorial Hermann to provide on-campus health services.

The board met at noon in the administration building boardroom and voted unanimously to accept the annual comprehensive financial report for the 2023–24 school year after a presentation from auditors with Whitley Penn. Patrick Simmons of Whitley Penn told trustees the firm issued an unmodified (clean) opinion on the district’s financial statements and found no reportable internal-control findings; he said the district’s unassigned fund balance remained near the district policy target at about 25 percent.

The meeting also included routine personnel approvals, approval of multiple cooperative and clinical-placement agreements with higher-education partners, and several grant acceptances, including a $50,000 No Kid Hungry School Nutrition grant and two cybersecurity grants administered through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Why it matters: The audit and the grants together document the district’s fiscal position and ongoing efforts to fund safety, technology and student services beyond state allocations. The Memorial Hermann agreement, in particular, formalizes continued on-site and feeder-pattern clinic services that district officials said deliver care at no cost to families in need.

Key approvals and votes at a glance (all motions carried unless noted):

- Annual comprehensive financial report (fiscal 2023–24). Motion: approve as presented. Mover: Nelda Sullivan. Second: Kenny Fernandez. Vote: 6–0 (Fernandez, Davila, Gonzalez, Kendrick, Sullivan, Casey Phelan). Outcome: approved.

- Consent…