Flour Bluff ISD board approves $662,165 GMP, architect award and budget amendment; personnel slate approved after closed session

The Flour Bluff ISD Board of Trustees on Tuesday approved multiple business items including a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for a parking-lot addition, an architect award for primary-school work, and a budget amendment to fund teacher incentive payments.

In action items, the board approved a GMP of $662,165 for the ECC parking-lot addition after staff and representatives from the district's construction manager-at-risk discussed bid-select items and cost lines. Jacobs representatives, including Chris Powowski, were present during the discussion.

The board also approved awarding architect services to Fluger Architects (transcript lists both "Bluger" and "Fluger") to allow the district to build new fourth-grade classrooms sooner and renovate an existing elementary building into staff office space. Trustees debated renovation-versus-new-construction cost tradeoffs and accepted staff's recommendation to pivot to the addition.

Finance staff presented budget amendment number five to increase both revenue and expenditure lines to cover Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) disbursements. The presenter said roughly 124 teachers will receive TIA payments this year, up from 48 teachers last year; the board approved the amendment without recorded opposition. The presenter also clarified the action item number in the board packet to ensure the record reflected "number five."

The board moved into closed session under the Texas Government Code and returned at 7:15 p.m. with a statement that no decisions were made in closed session; in open session trustees then moved and approved personnel recommendations.

Votes at a glance: - Consent agenda (minutes, interlocal agreements, dress code, optional flexible school-day program): approved without items pulled. (Motion by Mr. Hooper; second by Mr. Gerlock; unanimous) - 2026'027 board meeting dates: approved. (Motion by Mr. Hooper; second by Mr. Gerlock; unanimous) - GMP for ECC parking lot ($662,165): approved. (Motion and second recorded; unanimous) - Architect award for primary-school addition (Fluger/Bluger Architects): approved. (Motion by trustee; unanimous) - Budget amendment No. 5 (TIA funding): approved. (Motion and second; unanimous) - Personnel recommendations after closed session: approved in open session. (Motion and second; unanimous)

What the board approved and why: District staff said approving the GMP and architect award accelerates needed classroom capacity and enables more efficient use of campus space; the budget amendment was required to distribute TIA payments to a substantially larger pool of teachers this year. Trustees asked clarifying questions about cost differentials between renovation and new construction before approving the architect contract award.

Sources: Meeting agenda and action item discussion during the Flour Bluff ISD Board meeting.