Edcouch‑Elsa ISD board authorizes facilities review for $900,000 planning grant, adopts mandatory training rule and legal contracts as superintendent reports 4,

Edcouch‑Elsa Independent School District trustees on April 30 authorized the superintendent to review district facilities to identify the best site for two career‑technology labs funded by a $900,000 planning grant and approved several policy, staffing and legal actions as Superintendent Dr. Benavides reported district enrollment of 4,312 — 109 fewer students than last year — and average daily attendance rose to 90.15 percent from 89.27.

The board voted to allow district leaders to study the Red Building and other sites to house an HVAC lab and a patient‑care lab required by Region 1 as part of the planning grant. Dr. Benavides told trustees the Yellow Building lacks air conditioning and would require about $200,000 in upgrades; he said the district currently has “about not more than 20 students enrolled” in the program but is targeting an initial 100 students (with a longer‑term goal of 300) and that recruitment money in the grant will begin in May. “Yes. It is a 1 time, and it has to be spent by September 30,” he said about the planning grant.

Why it matters: the labs are tied to the district’s career and technical education offerings and are designed to serve 18‑ to 26‑year‑old students who need industry certifications and high‑school diplomas. Trustees said they want a final facility recommendation returned to the board for approval.

Other actions and reports

- Staffing and program changes: Trustees approved staffing allocations aligned with recommendations from the Texas Association of School Boards and adopted a program change to add reading interventionists and instructional coaches, a personnel and instructional step the superintendent and legal counsel had recommended. The motion to adopt the program change was brought to the board from executive session and approved.

- Board training policy: The board approved an amendment to local policy (BBD/DVD local language as presented) that requires all seven trustees to attend certain state‑required trainings that demand full‑board participation. The policy conditions district‑funded out‑of‑town travel on completion of required trainings and allows the board to consider exceptions in a public meeting if a trustee seeks one.

- Legal actions and settlements: In executive session trustees authorized counsel to accept a mediator’s proposal in a JAMS arbitration matter and instructed counsel and the superintendent to prepare settlement documents and related Texas Government Code compliance materials. The board also adopted a resolution and approved contingent‑fee legal services agreements with outside law firms to represent the district in multi‑district litigation related to youth social‑media usage; the board authorized staff to seek expedited review by the Texas Attorney General where required.

- Consent items and expenditures: A consent agenda item for expenditures over $25,000 was pulled for review during the meeting; trustees later approved it. The board discussed two consulting engineering invoices totaling $32,000 and approved a motion to accept the consent agenda after trustees had opportunity to review the back‑up documents.

- Day care relocation and campus improvements: Trustees approved relocating the district day care to space at the high school (D Hall). District staff said the move will include an outdoor playground estimated at approximately $90,000 and an indoor play area; staff told the board the site will be secured and will meet health‑department permitting requirements before it opens. Dr. Sandy answered board questions about access and safeguards for children in the relocated program.

- Academic monitoring and student work: Trustees heard mid‑year math progress monitoring presentations from principals and campus leaders. Presenters said one campus showed a plus‑26 percentage‑point gain on the winter benchmark (from 17% to 43% on the metric presented), though board members noted charting errors in a few slides during the presentation. Trustees approved the progress monitoring item as presented.

- Truancy court and attendance: Dr. Benavides presented recent truancy court data: for the March 25 session the district reported 45 cases with nine failures to appear, 10 fines and 45 interventions; an April 4 session reviewed 46 cases with eight failures to appear, 32 fines and 46 interventions. The next truancy court session was scheduled for May 2025.

- School safety audit: The district acknowledged it had received an intruder detection audit from the Texas Education Agency and related state safety partners, but Dr. Benavides told the board the district would not disclose detailed audit results publicly because doing so “could lead to compromising important campus security information.” He said specific findings would be discussed in executive session and with the district’s safety committee.

Quotes

Dr. Benavides, superintendent: “Our enrollment for this year is at 4,312. That’s ... 109 students less than what we had last year. And our ADA ... we did go up 1 point.”

Dr. Benavides on the intruder‑detection audit: “It is in the best interest of the students that we do not share this information to the broader public, as it could lead to compromising important campus security information.”

Dr. Benavides on grant timing: “Yes. It is a 1 time, and it has to be spent by September 30.”

What the board directed next

Trustees directed the superintendent and staff to continue facility analysis with Region 1 representatives, to return with a recommendation on the site best suited for HVAC and patient‑care labs and any budgetary implications. Staff will also bring back final contract language and details before executing any binding settlement or legal retainer agreements.

Ending

Trustees completed the agenda after an executive session that produced multiple personnel approvals and legal actions. Board members thanked campus presenters for the academic updates and emphasized interest in fast but careful use of the planning grant to expand career and technical offerings for students and the community.