Mullen Board adopts 2025–26 budget, approves payroll and multiple project payments

The Mullen Board of Education adopted the district’s 2025–26 budget and approved routine claims and vendor payments during its Sept. 8 meeting.

Board members voted unanimously to approve payroll of $317,872.88 and district claims including General Fund $150,823.99, Lunch Fund $9,825.86, Depreciation Fund $95,962.50 and Activity Fund $18,130.84. The meeting minutes record multiple motions carried with roll-call tallies (for example: Casey Phillips: yes; Dane Peterson: yes; Liza Simonson: yes; Michael Stichka: yes; Mike French: yes; Patrick Wright: yes — yes: 6, no: 0). The minutes also show approval of a $109.55 claim from the Hooker County Tribune.

The board approved final vendor payments tied to capital projects funded from the depreciation fund: a final payment to Facility Advocates for the lighting renovation (current billing $49,437.50 on a revised contract of $197,750.00), a final payment to Cooley Well Drilling & Trenching for elementary retaining-wall work ($23,245.00 listed in claims), and approval of ByteSpeed payment for the 6–12 computer-lab upgrade (Depreciation Fund item: $23,280.00). The claims register included detailed line items for general operations and vendor services.

President Liza Simonson opened the meeting and announced the meeting materials and legal notices were available to the public; the minutes note she announced that “the Open Meetings Act is posted on the west wall.” The board’s actions on budget and claims complete a public-adoption step required before filing budget documents with state authorities; the agenda materials indicate the budget hearing was held as part of the meeting process.