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Farmersville Unified trustees approve routine trips and grants, honor retirees and students; Peace Garden presented by students
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Summary
The Farmersville Unified School District board on April 14 approved routine trip and grant items (including a $600,000 21st CCLC supplemental award), recognized a retiring teacher and the city’s $20,000 pool support, and heard a student-led presentation on a Foodlink-funded Peace Garden.
The Farmersville Unified School District board on April 14 recognized longtime educators and community partners, approved a package of routine trips and grants, and heard a student-led presentation about a new Peace Garden funded by a three-year Foodlink grant.
Alma Espinosa, the district’s extended-learning programs and services coordinator, presented a plaque to the city of Farmersville after she told the board that the city contributed $20,000 to support the summer operation of the community swimming pool at the Jim Wyly Aquatic Center. "This partnership has allowed students and families to access safe, supervised and affordable aquatic opportunities during the summer months," Espinosa said.
The board moved quickly through consent and action items. Trustees unanimously approved multiple student trips and professional conferences, accepted equipment and school-account donations, and approved a supplemental 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) award of $600,000. Board members also approved an amendment with the California Teaching Fellows Foundation after correcting a packet error; staff confirmed the correct amount as $167,398.85 and noted the contract language restricting use to after-school activities.
A focal moment of the meeting was a presentation from Freedom Elementary’s Step Up team. Mario Flores, Freedom Elementary school social worker, introduced student leaders who described the Peace Garden as a calm, supervised space on campus for social-emotional learning and reflection. "We're not just growing a garden, but we're growing leaders," Flores said. Student Sofia Amador summarized the project: "We called it the Peace Garden. The vision is that our Peace Garden students can grow plants, work together, and turn negative feelings into positive actions." Students credited the three-year Foodlink grant and local partners — including the Farmersville City Council and community organizations — for the project’s funding and support.
Other actions included approval of an MOU with California State University, Fresno for school social work interns; an MOU with Education First Stories for Impact; and multiple staff development approvals (MTSS and AVID conferences among them). The board also adopted a resolution placing a classified employee on a 39-month reemployment list and approved several personnel items. The board took the administrative assistant II job-description discussion into closed session and later approved the job description and salary placement upon reconvening. The district announced that closed-session items on labor negotiations, public-employee discipline and anticipated litigation resulted in no action.
The meeting closed with routine scheduling: trustees set future meetings for April 28 and May 12, 2026, and adjourned at 9:40 p.m.
