Venus ISD board approves multiple policy and personnel items, authorizes stipend and budget amendment; several procurement items tabled
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Summary
At its July meeting Venus ISD trustees approved local policy changes, the 2025–26 employee handbook, numerous contracts and co‑op memberships, a teacher salary schedule and a one‑time retention stipend; the board tabled Transfinder and the related CDW hardware purchase pending additional quotes and data.
The Venus ISD Board of Trustees voted on a package of policy, personnel and purchasing items at its recent meeting, approving several contracts, policy updates, training providers and a one‑time employee retention stipend while tabling selected transportation procurement items for further review.
Trustees approved a set of local policy updates (Policy Update 125), which included clarifying changes to board organization and governance language and an update to discipline and attendance language. The board also approved the employee handbook for the 2025–26 school year; that handbook incorporates changes required by recent statutes and Senate Bill 571 reporting requirements for misconduct and reporting timelines.
On personnel and pay matters the board adopted a teacher salary schedule that incorporates the state’s House Bill 2 teacher retention allotment and added local funds to provide additional increases for steps 0–2 and a separate scale for librarians and nurses. Trustees also approved a one‑time retention stipend: $1,000 for full‑time employees and $500 for part‑time employees to be paid August 1 to employees employed during the prior school year; the board approved a budget amendment to pay the stipend from fund balance.
The board approved multiple vendor contracts and purchasing authorizations: Candor Consulting for school psychologist and speech‑language services; Superior Pediatrics for occupational and physical therapy services; instructional materials for middle‑school social studies; and a number of purchasing cooperative memberships intended to expedite procurement and obtain cooperative pricing (Allied States Purchasing Co‑op, CTPA, EPIC6, SETX). Trustees also approved Public Funds Investment Act training providers for fiscal 2025–26.
Trustees approved the VHS band trip to Branson, Missouri for spring 2026; the presenter said the cost per student would be about $1,029 (quad occupancy) and that the district and boosters are working to ensure cost does not prevent participation. The board approved the T‑TESS appraisers list for the 2025–26 school year.
The board approved prevailing wage rates for district construction projects and authorized other routine motions appearing on the consent agenda. The board tabled the Transfinder routing system and related CDW hardware purchases pending additional vendor quotes, clarified ridership and parent‑app adoption figures, and details about card readers and installation labor.
Motions were typically moved and seconded from the board dais; where individual roll‑call tallies were not recorded in the public transcript, minutes show motions carried by voice vote or consensus.