Temple ISD board approves sale of former Kaylor Elementary to Academy Mosique for $650,000

The Temple Independent School District Board of Trustees voted May 11 to sell the former Kaylor Elementary campus at 411 Lark Trail to Academy Mosique for $650,000, following a lengthy discussion about neighborhood preferences and possible effects on enrollment and district finances.

Trustee Ronnie Gaines moved the motion to accept Academy Mosique’s bid, which a seconded motion carried. The board recorded one abstention; the trustee who said they would abstain did so publicly before the vote but was not named on the record during the meeting.

Board members and district staff described multiple meetings with residents of the Bird Creek neighborhood, who — according to a statement read into the record on behalf of absent trustee Shannon Dean — “overwhelmingly stated they wanted to see a nonprofit in that area.” The statement, read aloud by a board member, urged the district to prioritize local nonprofit uses over higher-priced bidders.

District officials told trustees a proposed charter-school partnership with a nonprofit was not feasible and therefore could not be considered as part of the bid evaluation. In discussion, trustees flagged two central concerns: protecting prior district investments in nearby schools (citing Samson Howard and Thornton Elementary) and potential long-term revenue losses if students transfer out of district schools.

During deliberations the administration estimated roughly 130–140 elementary students live in the immediate neighborhood area that previously fed the campus. Trustees discussed state revenue figures for per-student funding; the administration referenced a per-student figure of about 10,300 and a separate per-student difference of roughly $139 used in the board’s math to estimate how many students would be needed to close the revenue gap between competing bids. Using that $139-per-student difference, trustees said about 22 students would be required to offset the gap between the two highest bids over a single year.

Mr. Gaines framed the motion with a written set of findings read into the record: that selling to a charter school could cause long-term negative financial impact tied to anticipated enrollment loss, and that selling to a local nonprofit would serve the public interest by preserving community trust. After a second, trustees voted to approve the sale to Academy Mosique for $650,000.

The board did not record a full roll-call tally in the meeting minutes beyond noting the motion passed with one abstention. The district will proceed with whatever closing steps are required under the sale contract and any applicable internal review processes.

The property sale discussion began as part of the meeting’s action items and concluded before committee reports and the athletics presentation.