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Huntsville ISD board approves contracts, appoints Mans Park Middle principal and recognizes staff and students
Summary
The Huntsville ISD Board approved consent items and contracts, unanimously appointed Colby Olifant as Mans Park Middle School principal, and recognized multiple staff and student achievements including Coach Elliott's community award and district Capturing Kids Hearts honors.
The Huntsville Independent School District Board of Trustees voted to approve the consent agenda and contracts and unanimously appointed Colby Olifant as principal of Mans Park Middle School during the regularly scheduled meeting.
The board approved the consent agenda after a motion by Miss Owens and a second by Miss Watcher; members voted by raised hands and the motion passed. Later, after a closed session, the board voted to approve all contracts listed in item 14 A through D; the motion to approve the contracts passed unanimously.
A motion to name Colby Olifant as principal of Mans Park Middle School was made, seconded, and approved with no opposition. The transcript records the motion and unanimous approval but does not identify the motion maker by name, so the board's action is reported without attributing the motion to an individual.
The meeting also included multiple recognitions. Superintendent Dr. Shepard called out athletic and academic successes, including the Hornets soccer team (7–3–2 district record) and multiple student awards in welding, FFA, culinary arts and UIL band. Coach Elliott was honored with the 2026 Gulf South Summit Outstanding Community Partner Award for 17 years of partnership with Sam Houston State University; Elliott accepted the award and credited the district's special education team and university partners.
Dr. Shepard also announced that Huntsville ISD was named a 2025–26 Capturing Kids Hearts National Showcase District and that six campuses would be formally recognized at the May board meeting. For March 2026, Samuel Walker Houston Elementary received the highest student attendance (93.06%) and highest staff attendance (97.81%) recognitions.
The board recessed briefly during the meeting and confirmed there were no public comments. Staff reminded trustees of upcoming dates, including a budget workshop on May 7 and the next regular meeting on May 14.
No dissenting votes were recorded for the contracts approval or the principal appointment; both carried on unanimous raised-hand votes. The board indicated an additional brief closed session would follow for an item with no report-out, and the live stream ended when no further action remained.
