Vidor ISD trustee Rollie G. Burr resigns; board appoints Rodney White

Rollie G. Burr, a longtime member of the Vidor Independent School District Board of Trustees, submitted a resignation effective Jan. 6, 2025, and the board voted to accept it during the Jan. 6 meeting.

Burr said in a written letter read at the meeting that he had served “over 30 years” on the board and that his term was scheduled to run through May 2026. The letter said Burr had already planned for that to be his final term and that the resignation made his retirement earlier than expected. “It has been my honor and privilege to serve on this board for over 30 years,” the letter said.

The departure moved the board to consider filling the vacancy. After an executive session held under the Texas Government Code sections cited by the board, trustees returned to open session and appointed Rodney White to the seat vacated by Burr. The board member who made the motion to appoint named White in open session; the motion was seconded and the appointment passed by voice/raise of hands with a 6-0 tally.

White was sworn in at the meeting. During the swearing-in he recited the oath of office, beginning, “I, Rodney White, do solemnly swear … that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of Vidor Independent School District Board of Trustees … so help me God.”

Before the resignation and appointment votes, a member of the public, Mike Helms, addressed the board during the public-comment period and referenced agenda item 4B (the board’s process for filling Burr’s seat). Helms congratulated the district on a recently passed bond and told trustees he would welcome the opportunity to serve, while also urging the board to select the person it judged best to move the district forward.

Also on Jan. 6, following the executive session, the board approved hiring recommendations presented in closed session. A motion to approve the employee recommendations as presented passed 7-0.

The board said the executive session discussion had invoked personnel exceptions in the Texas Government Code, specifically citing section 551.074 (personnel) and section 551.075 (deliberations regarding a prospective gift or matter involving a public employee). The board announced that any action on matters discussed in executive session would be taken in open session and followed that procedure for the resignation acceptance, the appointment, and the hiring approvals.

No additional details about the incoming trustee’s term length, the pool of applicants considered, or individual vote roll calls were provided in open session. The resignation letter included Burr’s statement of gratitude to the community and a note that he would continue to pray for the district, its administration, staff and students.

The meeting concluded after the board completed the swearing-in and the hiring approvals.