Giddings ISD trustees approve pay-scale updates, $200,000 for tennis-court lights and hire high-school principal

GIDDINGS, Texas — The Giddings ISD Board of Trustees on June 19 approved a slate of personnel, pay and budget measures and hired a new high-school principal following a closed-session personnel discussion.

Trustees unanimously approved the consent agenda, which included prior meeting minutes, payment of May bills, campus activity account reviews, the 2024–25 budget review, the quarterly financial report and several service agreements and memoranda of understanding (including agreements with Jones and Cowen Physical Therapy, an independent-contractor agreement with Kimberly Harden, Translate Solutions, Specialized Assessment & Consulting, LLC, and an MOU with Connections Individual & Family Services).

In separate votes the board approved the district's 2025–26 teacher pay scale, adjustments to administrative, paraprofessional and support-staff pay scales, and three cost-of-living measures: a $9,000 adjustment for employees on the administrative pay scale and a 4% COLA for paraprofessional and support staff. Trustees also approved the 2025–26 stipend, extra-duty and substitute pay schedule and voted to add $25 to the district contribution toward employee health insurance.

Board members voted to accept a quote from Musco Lighting to install three poles and lighting at the district tennis courts and approved a budget amendment to fund the project from fund balance. District budget materials included a fund-balance transfer of $200,000 for equipment to pay for the lights.

On policy matters the board gave final approval to local policy changes to implement a four nine-week grading calendar (local policies EIA and EIC) and approved updates to FD and FM to opt out of allowing nonresident homeschooled students who reside in GISD boundaries to participate in UIL activities consistent with the district's adopted local policy change. The board also heard a first reading of TASB Policy Update 125 on a series of local policy revisions; no action was taken on that reading.

After a closed-session personnel review under Texas Government Code §551.074, trustees voted to hire Chad Seitz as Giddings High School principal. The hiring motion passed unanimously.

All motions recorded in the meeting minutes passed unanimously; the minutes record motions and seconders but do not list individual roll-call votes in the minutes text.

Why it matters: The pay-scale approvals set the district's compensation framework for 2025–26, including higher starting teacher pay and expanded administrative, paraprofessional and support pay ranges and cost-of-living adjustments. The tennis-court lighting project will be funded from the district's fund balance and was approved by a separate budget amendment.

Votes at a glance (motions recorded in the meeting minutes): • Consent agenda (minutes, May bills, budget review, quarterly financial report, service agreements, MOU) — mover: Roy Kruemcke Jr.; second: Adam Awad; outcome: approved (motion passed unanimously). • Approve 2025 GHS band trip to Texoma Marching Arts and Leadership Academy — mover: Spencer Schneider; second: Heather Garner; outcome: approved (unanimous). • Approve local policy updates for four nine-week calendar (EIA and EIC) — mover: Roy Kruemcke Jr.; second: Spencer Schneider; outcome: approved (unanimous). • Approve local policy updates FD and FM (UIL SB 401 opt-out) — mover: Spencer Schneider; second: Adam Awad; outcome: approved (unanimous). • Approve Musco Lighting quote for tennis-court poles and lights — mover: Adam Awad; second: Pat Jackson; outcome: approved (unanimous). • Approve budget amendment funding tennis-court lights from fund balance — mover: Spender Schneider; second: Heather Garner; outcome: approved (unanimous). • Approve 2025–26 teacher pay scale — mover: Spender Schneider; second: Adam Awad; outcome: approved (unanimous). • Approve administrative pay-scale adjustment — mover: Roy Kruemcke Jr.; second: Pat Jackson; outcome: approved (unanimous). • Approve $9,000 adjustment for employees on the administrative pay scale — mover: Spencer Schneider; second: Heather Garner; outcome: approved (unanimous). • Approve paraprofessional pay scale — mover: Pat Jackson; second: Roy Kruemcke Jr.; outcome: approved (unanimous). • Approve support-staff pay scale — mover: Spencer Schneider; second: Heather Garner; outcome: approved (unanimous). • Approve 4% COLA for paraprofessional and support staff — mover: Heather Garner; second: Pat Jackson; outcome: approved (unanimous). • Approve 2025–26 stipend, extra-duty and substitute pay scale — mover: Adam Awad; second: Roy Kruemcke Jr.; outcome: approved (unanimous). • Approve adding $25 district contribution toward employee health insurance — mover: Heather Garner; second: Spencer Schneider; outcome: approved (unanimous). • Approve updating existing contract with current GISD tax attorney — mover: Roy Kruemcke Jr.; second: Pat Jackson; outcome: approved (unanimous). • Approve hiring Chad Seitz as Giddings High School principal (action following closed session) — mover: Spencer Schneider; second: Pat Jackson; outcome: approved (unanimous).

What the minutes do not specify: Individual roll-call vote tallies for each trustee are not printed in the minutes text; motions are recorded as "passed unanimously." The meeting minutes also do not specify the detailed scope or total contract price for the Musco Lighting quote beyond the motion to approve the quote and the budget amendment allocating $200,000 from fund balance for equipment.

Sources: District meeting minutes (June 19, 2025) as provided in the published board packet; budget amendment note specifying a $200,000 fund-balance transfer for equipment.