The Tomball Independent School District board of trustees on Dec. 16 adopted procedures to appoint a replacement for Trustee Position 1, which was formerly held by Tina Salem. The board set an application deadline of Jan. 7 at 4:30 p.m., said Unidentified Speaker 1, and directed staff to post the application and instructions on the district website and social media.

The move came after a closed session conducted under provisions of the Texas Government Code that the board recited at the start of the special meeting. Unidentified Speaker 1 said the closed session topics included consultation with the board attorney and deliberations related to real property, personnel matters and security; no voting took place in closed session.

During open session, the board placed Item A on the consent agenda — 'adopt procedures for appointment of board member as discussed with legal counsel in executive session' — and a motion to adopt that item was made, recorded as 'So moved.' Unidentified Speaker 1 noted the motion was made by Mr. McStravick and seconded by Mr. White. After discussion of application details, Unidentified Speaker 1 announced, 'All those in favor motion carries unanimously at this time.'

The procedures approved require the district to publish an application form with accompanying instructions and an affidavit. Unidentified Speaker 1 said incomplete or missing applications will be discarded, and applicants may obtain notarization at the district's front office or use another notary and submit documents by email. The board will review applications during the January work session to determine which applicants merit interviews; notices will be sent to selected applicants the following Tuesday morning and interviews are expected the Tuesday night of the January board meeting.

Unidentified Speaker 4 clarified the vacancy: 'What we're talking about is the Tomball Independent School District trustee position 1, which was formerly, occupied by Tina Salem,' and said the term for the position is scheduled to expire in December 2026. Unidentified Speaker 3 cautioned the board could choose not to appoint anyone if members do not reach agreement, saying they were 'hopeful' for strong candidates but acknowledging that an appointment is not guaranteed.

The board exchanged brief high-level comments and holiday greetings before adjourning. The meeting record shows the board then called a motion to adjourn, which was seconded and carried, and the special meeting concluded.

Next steps: the district will post the application and instructions on the Tomball ISD board page and homepage banner; staff will notify selected applicants for interviews as outlined and, if an appointment is made, the appointee would likely be sworn in at the February board meeting.