Lancaster ISD board adopts improvement plans, approves student travel and a contested DEI certification; declines further probe of 2004 land transaction

The Lancaster Independent School District Board of Trustees on Sept. 18 adopted the district and campus improvement plans required under Texas law, approved two out‑of‑district student trips and authorized the superintendent to file a state-required certification about diversity, equity and inclusion duties — a measure that drew a split vote and an abstention. The board also voted not to pursue further investigation into a 2004 land sale-and-exchange referenced in a prior Weaver and Tidwell report, and continued discussion of undispersed funds held by the Lancaster Education Foundation while awaiting guidance from the attorney general’s office.

The district improvement plan (DIP) and the campus improvement plans (CIPs) were presented by Dr. Barker, who asked trustees to adopt the documents as required by statute. “My ask tonight, is that you adopt the district improvement plan and the campus improvement plans for the school year,” Dr. Barker said during the meeting. The board approved the plans by unanimous vote after trustees heard summaries and goal alignment tied to House Bill 3 targets, including district benchmarks the presentation listed as: 45% third‑grade math at meets, 50% reading at meets and 90% college‑career‑military readiness (CCMR) for cohorts.

The board approved two student travel requests. Trustees voted to allow the Lancaster High School band to attend the Grambling State University homecoming parade on Oct. 11, 2025, and to send the boys basketball team to the Pride of the East Side Showcase at Douglas High School in Oklahoma City in November 2025. Both motions passed unanimously.

On a separate, contested measure, the board voted to authorize the superintendent to file the annual certification required by Senate Bill 12 and section 39.008 of the Texas Education Code that districts confirm compliance with Texas Education Code 11.005 and 28.0022 regarding prohibitions on certain DEI duties and related disciplinary policies. Dr. Gray summarized the state provisions before the vote: “Tonight, we are requesting approval for a resolution certifying compliance with Texas Education Codes 11.005 and 28.0022,” he said. The resolution passed with four trustees voting in favor, one trustee voting no and one abstention; the meeting record identifies the no vote as Trustee Darryl Cluis and the abstention as Secretary Carolyn Morris.

Trustees debated whether to open another inquiry into a real estate transaction trail that Weaver and Tidwell LLP had referenced during earlier work. Trustee Carolyn Morris — who placed the item on the agenda — said she sought clarification and records about the April 2004 sale-and-exchange that underpinned later transactions. “I was the one that requested that this item to be placed on the agenda,” Morris said during discussion. An initial motion to table the matter for the next closed session failed. The board then approved a motion to not take further action on additional investigation of the 2004 agreement as presented in the Weaver and Tidwell report; that motion carried 4–2.

Separately, trustees discussed undispersed funds held by the Lancaster Education Foundation and the board’s prior demand letters and inquiries. Legal counsel confirmed the district has asked the Texas attorney general for enforcement assistance; counsel said the AG’s office has been contacted and the district is awaiting the office’s response. Trustee Morris urged continued attention to the matter, noting the funds relate to students. “These are dollars that belong to children, not belong to this board,” she said.

Other reports to the board included the July 2025 financial statement and operational updates. Dana Shaw Moseley presented the July financial summary and told trustees the district had saved $22,294,050 since 2021 by prepaying bonds and had realized additional savings in 2025 from refunds listed at roughly $5.5 million in the presentation. Dr. Marcus Jackson reported a year‑to‑date attendance rate the presentation recorded as 96.06%, which he described as the highest in five years.

Operations updates noted repairs and vendor accountability issues: elevators at Lancaster Middle School were repaired after vendor deadlines, flood damage remains under repair at the Tiger Stadium elevator with a target of Oct. 10 for completion, and the district upgraded scoreboard software to a cloud‑based platform. Facilities staff also described weekly campus walkthroughs, cafeteria vendor changes and plans to improve server room monitoring to reduce future district outages.

The board meeting concluded with routine calendar items and reminders about upcoming district events. Several trustees and administrators invited the board to classroom walkthroughs and community events tied to the new academic year.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda (minutes, fiscal leases): motion to approve by Trustee Kendall Smith, second by Vice President Queenie Nichols — motion carried unanimously. - District and campus improvement plans: motion to approve by Vice President Queenie Nichols, second by Secretary Carolyn Morris — motion carried unanimously. - Weebill band trip to Grambling (10/11/2025): motion to approve by Trustee Cortez, second by Secretary Carolyn Morris — motion carried unanimously. - Running Tigers boys basketball trip (Nov. 2025): motion to approve by Trustee Cortez, second by Vice President Queenie Nichols — motion carried unanimously. - Resolution certifying compliance with Texas Education Code 11.005 and 28.0022 (SB 12 / §39.008): motion to approve by Vice President Queenie Nichols, second by Trustee Cortez — carried 4 in favor, 1 no (Trustee Darryl Cluis), 1 abstention (Secretary Carolyn Morris). - Motion regarding further investigation of April 2004 sale-and-exchange (Weaver & Tidwell): motion to not take further action carried 4–2.

The board packet and meeting materials list the district’s improvement summaries, CIPs for each campus and supporting financial slides.