El Campo ISD trustees accept Columbus ISD withdrawal, pick Pulaski Construction for 2025 bond projects, adopt Davis‑Bacon wages and approve TXU Energy

The El Campo Independent School District Board of Trustees on June 3 approved multiple procedural and procurement items related to the district's upcoming 2025 bond program and operations.

The board met in a special session at noon and unanimously accepted Columbus ISD's withdrawal from the district's Orientation and Mobility Assessment Services interlocal agreement, approved a recommendation to rank and select a construction manager at-risk for the 2025 bond projects, adopted prevailing wage rates published by the U.S. Department of Labor under the Davis‑Bacon Act for bond work, and approved TXU Energy as the district's energy provider for a five-year term. Each action passed by roll-call-style voice vote with a trustee noted as absent for votes.

Why it matters: the procurement decisions set the contracting path and labor standards for the district's planned 2025 capital projects; the energy contract locks a supplier and a multi-year term that will affect operating costs.

What the board approved and key facts

Votes at a glance: - Acceptance of Columbus ISD withdrawal from the Orientation and Mobility Assessment Services interlocal agreement — motion made and seconded; motion carried unanimously (trustee absent noted). The board recorded that Columbus ISD no longer wished to participate in the agreement and the board accepted that withdrawal. - Selection of Pulaski Construction as construction manager at-risk (CMAR) for the district's 2025 bond projects and delegation to the superintendent to negotiate and execute the final contract — Pulaski (reported variously in meeting materials as the top-ranked proposer) was the highest-ranked firm after a two-step evaluation process. The board approved moving forward and delegated negotiation authority to the superintendent; motion carried unanimously (trustee absent noted). - Adoption of U.S. Department of Labor prevailing wage rates (Davis‑Bacon Act) for the district's 2025 bond work, including fringe benefits — item approved to ensure federal prevailing‑wage compliance on applicable projects. - Approval of TXU Energy as the district's energy provider on a five-year term — board approved selecting TXU over other bidders (NRG/Reliant, Shell Energy, Constellation was described as comparable). A district staff member described a 60-month price cited in the meeting as about $0.0662 per kilowatt-hour but prefaced that figure as approximate.

Details and context

Construction manager at-risk: District materials and board discussion show the district issued a request for proposals and ran a two-step selection process. The district received five proposals; four firms advanced from step 1 to step 2. A selection committee that included district committee members reviewed proposals; meeting remarks identified Pulaski Construction as the top-ranked proposer on both steps. The board approved the recommendation and delegated authority to the superintendent to negotiate and execute a final CMAR contract for the 2025 bond projects.

Prevailing wages: The board voted to adopt the prevailing wage rates published by the U.S. Department of Labor under the Davis‑Bacon Act, including fringe benefits, for the district's 2025 bond projects. Meeting remarks noted that neighboring counties (Jim Wells, Live Oak and Wharton) have similar Davis‑Bacon arrangements.

Energy contract: District staff presented a ranking of energy suppliers. The bidders were described in rank order: TXU Energy (recommended), NRG/Reliant, Shell Energy, and Constellation (the district's incumbent described as comparable). The board approved TXU Energy for a multi-year term (described in the meeting as a five-year, 60-month term) to lock rates starting in the fall. The staff-cited per-unit figure was reported as approximate and prefaced with uncertainty during discussion.

Procedure and personnel notes

Each of the action items was moved and seconded and passed by voice vote. Meeting minutes recorded a trustee marked absent during votes. The board did not hold a closed session. District staffing updates noted a girls' coaching position at the high school remains open, two openings at the middle school, one opening at Mayan pending certification of a candidate, and no openings at Northside or Hutchins.

What the board did not decide

No additional policy changes or substantive amendments to the interlocal agreement, CMAR scope, or the energy contract terms were adopted beyond the approvals and the delegation to the superintendent to negotiate final contract language.

Meeting adjournment

The meeting recessed after the items above and adjourned at about 12:08 p.m., with no further business scheduled.