The Bandera ISD Board of Trustees opened the 202526 school year on Aug. 11 with recognition of a major donation, updates on federal funding and student enrollment, and approval of several new policies tied to recent state legislation.
All board members were present.
The meeting began with the acceptance of a $25,145 donation from Buddy’s Septic and Water Well Service to purchase scoreboards for the district. Superintendent Gary Bitzkie, Athletic Director Joel Amedee, and Board President Brittany Hicks accepted the gift, which was presented by board member Roger Byrd.
Rebecca Norton, executive director of the Frontier Times Museum and member of the Bandera County Historical Commission, and Patricia Moore, executive director of the Bandera County Convention and Visitors Bureau, thanked BISD for hosting the Smithsonian Institute’s Crossroads: Change in Rural America program in July.
According to Norton, the exhibition drew approximately 2,500 visitors, most of them Bandera County residents.
New Special Services Director Sarah Minner was introduced to the trustees by Assistant Superintendent Donald Tosh. The consent agenda passed without comment, and there were no citizen comments.
Bitzkie reported that the first-week student count for 2025-26 was 2,099, up from 2,048 on the first day of the previous school year, and noted a decrease in no-show students from 183 to 146.
Tosh reviewed federal allocations for the district under the Every Student Succeeds Act. Bandera ISD received $531,879 in Title I funds, all of which will pay for staff positions to improve educational programs for all students.
Title II, Part A funding for teacher training and recruitment increased by $1,000 to $90,168. Title III funds for English Language Learners were managed through a shared service arrangement with ESC Region 20 due to the small allocation.
Title IV, designated for safety and security, dropped by $4,000 to $40,622. The Perkins Grant, supporting career and technology programs, provided $26,828.
Tosh also briefed the board on legislative changes from the 89th Session.
Students are no longer permitted to use cell phones during the school day, with penalties ranging from confiscation on the first offense to alternative school placement on the fifth offense.
Exceptions for medical or special education purposes require principal approval.
Educators must now report abuse, neglect, or trafficking within 24 hours instead of 48. Mandatory alternative school placement for vaping offenses has been repealed, aligning with current BISD policy.
All classrooms are required to display a 16-by-20-inch copy of the Ten Commandments, which the district had completed by the first day of school, Aug. 4.
Changes were also made to the District of Innovation plan, including policies related to uncertified teachers, student discipline, the School Health Advisory Committee, and grievance procedures.
School board agendas must now be posted three business days prior to meetings, and trustees must vote on whether homeschool students can participate in public school UIL activities. Library policies were revised so that all book acquisitions, including donations, must be approved by the board, and parents have the right to monitor and restrict what their children check out. Classroom libraries are subject to the same rules.
In regular business, the board approved $43,665 for new athletic lockers for boys’ and girls’ locker rooms, opted out of homeschool participation in UIL activities, and approved the 2025-26 Student Code of Conduct.
Tosh presented a teacher certification waiver for a middle school teacher currently teaching math with a science certification, who is working toward obtaining a math certification.
The board also approved Texas Association of School Boards Update 125, affecting seven policies, and noted that Update 126, which will address the recent legislative changes, is expected in October.
Trustees approved the revised District of Innovation plan, ordered the Nov. 4, 2025, board election for three trustee positions, designated Bitzkie to approve the purchase of Chapter 49 attendance credits, and approved Budget Amendment 1.
Incumbents Brittany Hicks and Heidi Battle are running unopposed for places five and six, while Greg Butler will not seek re-election for place seven.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 7:30 p.m.
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