Magnolia ISD board approves February financials, contract renewals and cancels uncontested election

The Magnolia Independent School District Board of Trustees on March 17 unanimously approved its consent agenda, which included the February 2025 minutes and monthly financial statements.

The board accepted the Business Office recommendation to approve payroll earnings and operating expenses for February 2025 totaling $30,362,079 and acknowledged a February check register total of $12,403,498, according to the district's memorandum from Assistant Superintendent of Operations Erich Morris.

Trustee Dacia Owens moved and Trustee Sonja Ebel seconded approval of Consent Agenda items A–G, which also included approval of out-of-district transfers, renewals of assistant superintendent contracts for the 2025–26 school year for Dr. Ben King and Dr. Erich Morris, and review of findings in a recent safety audit. The motion carried unanimously with six trustees voting in favor; one trustee (Jordan Blake) was recorded absent.

As part of the consent action, the board approved an order to cancel the uncontested May 3, 2025 trustee election and adopted a certification naming incumbents as elected. The certification lists Dacia Owens (Position 1), Sonja Ebel (Position 2), and Gary Blizzard (Position 3) as unopposed and therefore elected, consistent with Texas Election Code procedures.

Board President Gary Blizzard and district staff confirmed the votes were recorded on the official minutes and supporting financial exhibits attached to the March meeting materials. No dissent or roll-call breakdown beyond "carried unanimously" is recorded in the minutes.

Next steps: the district will post the cancellation order at each polling location that would have been used on election day, as required by the order.