Manor ISD approves retention stipends as superintendent outlines broad safety review and upgrades

Manor Independent School District trustees on Dec. 16 approved one-time retention stipends for safety staff and heard a broad safety-and-security update from the superintendent that outlined next steps after a recent school incident, including a multi-agency after-action review, an external safety audit, and proposed capital upgrades.

In a 6-0 vote, the board approved the stipends as presented by administration: sworn peace officers who remain through the last instructional day will receive a $1,000 retention payment; campus safety staff and hall monitors who remain through the last instructional day will receive $500. The motion to approve the stipends was moved by Trustee Caitlin Lowery and seconded by Trustee Rodriguez Barnett. The board deliberated but did not amend the amounts; a later proposal to increase the stipends failed to receive a second and the original amounts were adopted.

Why it matters: Trustees and the superintendent said survey results and community input point to officers, cameras and hall monitors as measures families and staff say make them feel safer. The board authorized the stipends immediately as a recruitment and retention measure while administration continues to develop longer-term proposals for cameras, entry systems and cultural interventions.

Superintendent's account and next steps

Superintendent Dr. Sarmani delivered the update and described three near-term processes: a criminal investigation led by the district attorney and city police (which the superintendent said the district will not lead), a multi-agency after-action review that will examine how responding agencies interacted, and a planned audit by a Texas Education Agency–affiliated vendor network called the Texas State Safety Consortium.

“What will happen ... is there is something called an after action review. It's a multi agency response ... and we will be present. We are not running that,” the superintendent said.

The TEA-linked audit will include both a physical security assessment and a behavioral/cultural analysis of the senior high school, the superintendent said, noting the audit teams will have authority to interview staff and other participants.

Survey and community input

Administration reported an internal safety survey had 2,200 responses and said the largest single item of community confidence named in the survey was the presence of sworn officers. The superintendent told trustees the survey question asked respondents to name the "3 to 5 current safety tools that make you or your students feel safest," and that officers, cameras and hall monitors were the top responses; the superintendent also said one open-response item repeatedly asked the district to address speeding on Joyce Turner Drive.

Capital and operational proposals

The superintendent told the board there is money in the 2019 bond (contingency and interest) that can be applied to camera upgrades already underway; technology staff are prioritizing higher-quality cameras and additional placements. He also outlined a plan to solicit competitive bids for weapons-detection systems and said, “They are gonna cost somewhere near about a hundred thousand dollars an entryway.” He estimated roughly 15 entryways could mean approximately $1.5 million, and said the bond contingency funds could be used.

The superintendent also described non-capital steps: reinstituting counseling programming that students asked for, rolling recommended changes into the district improvement plan with named assignees and dates for accountability, retraining administrators on policies, and launching community conversations through faith-based and other partners.

Board reaction and implementation

Trustees asked for disaggregated survey reporting (separating parent and student responses) and for more detail before the board authorizes large purchases in January. The superintendent invited trustees to view facilities with staff once vendors and product options are identified.

Votes at a glance

- Closed-session action (personnel): Board moved that "the board make a finding that there is not good cause to support Rafael Morales' resignation from his position at Manor ISD." Motion by Trustee Patrick Patterson; second by Mr. Martinez. Vote: 6-0 (passed). (Action recorded in closed session and announced in open session.)

- Consent agenda (11.1–11.7): Motion to approve items 11.1–11.7 as presented. Motion by Trustee Stacy Howard; second by Trustee Patrick Patterson. Vote: 6-0 (passed).

- Retention stipends for safety staff (item 12): Motion to approve stipends as presented (sworn officers $1,000; hall monitors/safety staff $500 after last instructional day). Motion by Trustee Caitlin Lowery; second by Trustee Rodriguez Barnett. Vote: 6-0 (passed).

What to watch next

Administration said it will bring a request authorizing specific weapons-detection contracts and camera upgrades to the Jan. 21, 2025 regular meeting (if vendor vetting is incomplete, multiple options will be presented for trustee selection). The superintendent also said the after-action review and the TEA-linked audit were expected in the near term and that final recommendations and the full safety survey data would be posted publicly and folded into the district improvement plan.