August 17, 2026 Board Briefs
The Taylor ISD Board of Trustees met for its Regular Meeting on August 17, 2026. Highlights from the meeting include:
- MSE bilingual teacher Clara Lopez and THS students Landon Coulter, Jose Martinez, and Grace Yanez receive the 1+ Coin of Excellence
- The Board adopted a tax rate of $1.0638, maintaining the same rate as the 2025–2026 school year.
- THS CTE teacher receives $5,000 grant from Baylor Scott & White & TEE Foundation
RECOGNITIONS
Priority 2: Exceptional Workplace Climate - Superintendent’s Coin Of Excellence
For the August Board Meeting, Dr. Garcia awarded four Superintendent 1+ Coin of Excellence Awards.
The staff recipient is Main Street Elementary second-grade bilingual teacher Clara Lopez. In addition to going above and beyond for her students in the classroom, Clara is deeply committed to supporting Taylor ISD families. She has taught evening classes through the district’s relaunched Adult ESL Program, helped lead parent engagement events, secured TEE Foundation grants and organized summer school field trips to enrich the student experience. Clara exemplifies 1+ in action through her dedication to serving students and families both inside and outside the classroom.
The three high school students who received the recognitions are Landon Coulter, Jose Martinez, and Grace Yanez.
These three students were hired by the district to help our maintenance and technology teams over the summer! They helped execute our large strategic initiatives from technology refresh, infrastructure updates, furniture moves, and building maintenance over the summer! These three students have been phenomenal support and an extra set of hands supporting our Operations Teams.
Priority 3: Strong Partnerships - TEEF Grant Recipients
TEE Foundation Executive Director Anita Volek shared the latest recipient of a grant: Sarah Martin. Ms. Martin is a CTE Health Science teacher at THS, and received a $5,000 grant from Baylor Scott & White in an effort to support education and workforce development opportunities that help prepare students for future careers in healthcare.
Priority 1: Excellence in Student Outcomes - College Board Awards
The Board recognized Taylor High School and Legacy ECHS students who earned accomplishments through the College Board National Recognition Program. It’s an academic honor that highlights high school sophomores and juniors for strong grades and stellar performance on PSAT and AP exams.
These awards are based on top exam scores, excellent grades, and the communities they are a part of.
Recipients include:
- Adit Bhakta
- Arya Roy
- Elaine Hamann
- Morgan Patschke
- Allan Sanchez
- Athens Lenart
- Jamie Alesso
- Malia Pegram
- Caleb Polasek
Priority 2: Exceptional Workplace Climate - Communications Awards
The Communications Department and Jeremy Rodgers were recognized for winning two Awards of Excellence from the 32nd Communicator Awards for two videos: “100th Year of the Duck” and “What’s My 1+?”
Both videos earned top recognitions after being evaluated by professionals across the industry, including JP Morgan, Netflix, and PepsiCo.
Priority 3: Strong Partnerships - 3 on 3 basketball - Jason Hennington
Community member Jason Hennington was recognized for his work in setting up the Taylor Press 3-On-3 Tournament for the past 13 years. The tournament is used to raise money for scholarships for a senior from each of the Taylor High School basketball teams. The Shining Stars, a local nonprofit that focuses on adults with special needs, operate the concession stand and keep all of the proceeds.
REPORTS
Priority 4: Efficient Financial Stewardship - 2025 Bond Update - VLK Architects
VLK Architects shared an update on their work developing the district’s 2025 bond projects at Taylor High School, Taylor Middle School, and PK-8th grade STEM Spaces.
The architect firm has led curation and community involvement meetings on three major pieces of the 2025 Bond project: Renovations at TMS, the THS master plan, and the THS multi-purpose facility. The meetings have served to gather input from the community, staff, and students to understand the needs and vision for the facilities now and in the future. The input has guided the development of initial designs for the spaces, ensuring actual experience is at the center of each project.
The community meetings are about to be complete, leading to design concepts and development. Construction on the major projects is slated to begin in the Spring/Summer 2027.
Priority 3: Strong Partnerships - TEE Foundation Update - Anita Volek
TEE Foundation Executive Director Anita Volek presented the Foundation’s annual report to the Board of Trustees, highlighting its continued investment in Taylor ISD students and classrooms.
This year, the Foundation awarded nearly $87,000 across six campuses, including 27 Mallard Grants and one Game Changer Grant. The Foundation generated more than $300,000 through fundraising events, donations, and its endowment fund, while Taylor ISD provided $25,000 to support supplies and operational costs.
Events such as Purse Bingo and Food Dudes continue to play an important role in raising funds that are reinvested directly into opportunities across Taylor ISD.
Priority 1: Excellence in Student Outcomes - Personal Communication Plan Updates - Jennifer Patschke
Secondary principals provided an update on ongoing communication with students and families regarding dress code, personal device, student ID, and campus entry expectations. Campuses are reinforcing these procedures consistently while also using positive incentives, including Duck Bucks, to recognize students who meet expectations.
Now in the second year of the state-mandated personal device requirements, campus leaders also reported seeing increased student engagement outside the classroom.
Priority 4: Efficient Financial Stewardship - 2026 Tax Rate Presentation - Jina Self
Taylor ISD Chief Financial Officer Jina Self presented the proposed 2026-2027 tax rate of $1.0638, which would maintain the same rate adopted for 2025-2026.
Self also highlighted that Taylor ISD’s tax rate has decreased approximately 32% over the past 10 years, with no increase proposed for the coming year.
NEW BUSINESS
Consideration and Possible Action to Approve Designation of Officer Resolution
The Board approved a resolution formally designating Chief Financial Officer Jina Self as the district official responsible for calculating and reporting the required annual tax rates in accordance with state law.
Consideration and Possible Action to Approve the Resolution Certifying the 2026 Tax Roll
The Board approved the 2026 property tax roll prepared by the Williamson County Tax Assessor, as required by state law.
Consideration and Possible Action to Amend the 2026-2027 Budget to Append the Tax Rate Calculation Forms
The Board approved adding the required tax rate calculation forms to the district’s 2026-2027 budget. The updated budget, including the forms, will be posted on the district website in accordance with state requirements.
Consideration of the No New Revenue and Voter Approved Tax Rates and Possible Approval of the Resolution for the Proposed I&S Rate above Minimum
The Board approved an Interest and Sinking (I&S) tax rate above the minimum required debt amount of $0.3249 per $100 valuation for the payment of schedueld or anticipated debt obligations.
Consideration and Possible Action to Adopt the Ordinance to Set the 2026 Taylor ISD Tax Rate
The Board approved setting the tax rate to $1.0638, keeping the same tax rate as the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
Consideration and Possible Action to Approve Student Mental Health & Counseling Services RFP Selections - Daniella Ogundare
The Board approved Impact Counseling as the district’s top-ranked provider for student mental health and counseling services for the 2026-2027 school year. The district will begin contract negotiations with Impact Counseling.
CONSENT AGENDA - APPROVED
A. Minutes
Regular Meeting - July 20,2026
B. Tax Report
C. Monthly Financial Report
D. Request for Purchasing Approval
E. Annual Investment Report
F. Approve 4-H Adjunct Faculty Agreements for Williamson & Milam County
G. Review of T-Tess Appraisal Timeline & Appraisers for 2026-27
H. Approve Triennial Review of Student Wellness Plan
You can watch the full recording of the meeting on YouTube at this link.