Eunice Municipal Schools board accepts clean audit, approves calendar, budget and a slate of contracts

The Eunice Municipal Schools board accepted a clean financial audit and approved the district's 2026–27 calendar and budget during its April meeting, voting to approve several facilities and service contracts and to decline a one‑year teacher housing extension request.

An external auditor told trustees the district received an "unmodified opinion on the financial statements," meaning the audit was clean and "there were no conditions that needed to be explained or modified for the report," according to the auditor. The presentation noted a $28,000,000 positive change in net position and that roughly $29,000,000 of revenues were restricted for capital projects and debt service; a $7,000,000 decrease in fund balance on the fund financial statements reflected acquisition of fixed assets rather than operational shortfall.

The board approved the 2026–27 school calendar identified in meeting materials as "version 2," which tracks three federal holidays on the Monday they occur and schedules school on the corresponding Fridays, creating three built‑in four‑day weekends. Administration said staff and the parents who responded to the calendar survey favored version 2.

Trustees also approved the 2026–27 budget and related salary schedules. Administration proposed an across‑the‑board 3% increase for roughly 134 employees, funded in part by changes in state insurance funding; the superintendent said the district's plan was to take state contributions intended for insurance and pass some of that value along to employees as pay. The board separately voted to raise pay for suburban bus drivers to at least minimum wage after trustees raised concerns about historical pay levels.

On personnel‑adjacent business, the board declined a one‑year extension of a teacher housing agreement requested by Sharon Smith; trustees discussed precedent and the limited number of district houses and carried a motion "to decline the request of Miss Sharon Smith." The motion passed on roll call.

The board approved multiple vendor contracts and capital projects: - A $4,449,577 quote from Master Plumbers to install new ceramic tile in all student bathrooms at Eunice High School, including removal of old heaters and replacement of full walls to update 1950s‑era finishes. - A $124,439 quote from Educational Technologies to replace three critical servers; vendor testimony said typical server lifespans are three to six years. - A $67,001.62 purchase of backup batteries for server racks to provide roughly 30 minutes of runtime during shutdowns; administration said existing battery assemblies had been in service 11 years. - A $379,463 districtwide contract with Bob's Painting to prep and repaint metal trim, fencing and select building exteriors, with the goal of unifying campus colors. - A food service management contract with Genuine Foods for the year beginning July 1, 2026; administrators said Genuine Foods was the incumbent and the only RFP respondent but offered a slightly lower price in the first year. - A $30,101 purchase from McKesson for nursing‑program furniture, technology and supplies (including a hospital bed and EKG machines) aligned to the curriculum and local clinical partners. - A contract with Financial Solutions Limited for annual audit services (school years 2025–26 through 2027–28) at $31,888 per fiscal year.

Board members also formally accepted the sale of Series 2026 general obligation bonds in the amount of $9,525,000; administration said the bonds were purchased by Goldman Sachs and the acceptance and paperwork were a formality.

During the public comment period, students Carlos Armendariz and Andre Serrano urged the board to start a high school golf team, presenting a sign‑up sheet they said had more than 20 interested students. Trustees acknowledged the request and asked staff to note it for extracurricular planning.

Superintendent and staff updates included plans for a teacher academy, expansion of the nursing program with a newly licensed instructor and partnerships to support clinical placements, summer school scheduled for June 1–18, and pilot "d‑level" classrooms for developmentally delayed students at specified elementary and middle school sites. Maddy Jordan Elementary Principal Jenny Ortiz reported enrollment figures, testing schedules and summer events, and other building principals summarized testing progress and student physical arrangements with the local clinic.

The board recessed to executive session later in the meeting, returned to open session, and adjourned following a final roll call. The board did not announce further action items beyond the approved motions and contracts.