Taylor ISD hears attendance plan and T Foundation report; board recognizes retiring custodian

Trustees received updates on attendance, community philanthropy and staff recognitions at the meeting.

District staff framed attendance as central to student success and outlined operational steps to improve daily rates: automated and manual daily calls beginning at 9 a.m., coordination with transportation for pick‑ups, use of CIS for home visits, additional cleaning and water‑bottle filtration to reduce illness, truancy‑prevention coordination with Judge Hredden and campus incentives such as banners and assemblies. "We will continue with our daily all calls," an attendance leader said while describing the phone‑call process and coordination with transportation staff Carl and John Matthews.

The T Foundation presented its annual report to the board. The foundation said Taylor ISD paid $30,000 toward the executive director’s salary and provided about $5,000 in office support; the foundation reported awarding $96,300 in grants (including teacher, mallard and game‑changer grants) and stated incoming funds totaled about $270,000 from fundraising, outside donations, district investment and interest. The presenter also summarized funded projects — Texas Reads One Book, book vending machines, VEX robotics startup kits, interactive gym projection systems and living museum exhibits — and thanked district staff for partnership at board meetings.

The board then presented the Superintendent’s Coin of Excellence to custodian Adam Garcia, who is retiring after 27 years of service; trustees and staff praised his decades of work keeping campuses safe and welcoming.

What happens next: attendance teams will continue daily monitoring and incentive programs, staff will work with CIS and the courts on truancy prevention, and the T Foundation will continue fundraising and grantmaking in support of campus projects. The board scheduled normal follow‑up and documentation to be posted as part of board reports.

Attendance quoted details - "Regular attendance allows students to participate in more extracurricular activities. It helps build peer relationships, and it helps access and access enrichment opportunities," the presenter said.

T Foundation financial note - Presenter reported incoming funds of about $270,000 and said "our expenses totaled $1,966,500" as stated in the foundation presentation; the presenter did not provide a detailed line‑item reconciliation during the meeting and that figure appears inconsistent with the other totals in the presentation.