Jessica Alonzo

The meeting commenced with an invocation and pledges. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to the acknowledgement of January as School Board Recognition Month, featuring remarks from the Mayor of Lubbock and a video presentation highlighting the trustees' dedication to students and the community. Public comments focused heavily on an ongoing personnel matter concerning Coach Tamar Courtourtney of Estacado High School, with several speakers urging the Board not to terminate his contract and demanding consistency in how disciplinary actions are handled across the district. Another major discussion point raised by the public was the district's optimization plan, with concerns expressed that decisions might disproportionately affect the East Lubbock area, emphasizing the need for responsible stewardship of resources.

The meeting commenced with a prayer and pledges, followed by recognitions. Key recognitions included state FFA leadership development state qualifiers from Talkington FFA in parliamentary law and job interview events, DECA state qualifiers from LECH High School and Monterey High School, recipients of the football all-state academic award for having a GPA of 92 or above, recipients of the ERP honor role award for successful student achievement data, and the third cohort of newly certified or recently recertified National Board Certified Teachers. The Board also recognized its designation as a national board champion for the third consecutive year. Following an executive session, the Board took action to hire Marco Stewart as the principal of Leach High School and Brenda Buts as the director of specialized instruction.

The workshop focused on reviewing student progress measures based on the second nine-week assessment, aligning with the district's Northstar goal of having 80% of students serve on an AMB campus by 2022's target. Key discussions included elementary math performance, where third-grade math showed positive trends while fifth-grade math was concerning, requiring intervention resources. Fourth-grade math showed minor dips compared to the previous year's cohort. Science data was also reviewed, noting that new standards and test changes are still being navigated. In middle school, there were significant concerns regarding sixth-grade math and reading scores, though eighth-grade math showed positive momentum and growth. For reading/RLA, sixth and seventh-grade scores indicated a downward trend, prompting the district to engage outside consultants to provide support and resources, particularly focusing on writing skills and preparing for the STAR assessment. High school algebra showed stability and slight increases in meet and master levels, indicating progress in rigor.

The meeting included recognitions of a student for the I am Texas Art and Writing Contest and two students for the National FFA Convention Agra Science Fair. An executive session was held, followed by a motion to hire Nathan Mullins as the Director of District Technology Support. The board discussed and approved the 2025-2026 district and campus improvement plans, turnaround plans, and targeted improvement plans. They also approved a resolution casting votes for the Levik Central Appraisal District Board of Directors and the first amendment to the ground lease agreement with Texas Tech University, with an addendum for a barrier to prevent traffic onto the property. Additionally, the board approved the classification of fund balance and district purchases, including software called Timely for staffing efficiencies. The meeting concluded with a workshop portion presenting the audit.

The board meeting included recognitions of the 2025 holiday card art contest winners from elementary, middle, and high school divisions, as well as the Thespian Festival National Qualifiers and the Texas Art Education Association award winner recipients. Athletic awards for cross country, volleyball, and team tennis were also presented. The board also discussed and reviewed the approval of budget summary report, budget amendments, and budget transfers, statement of taxes collected in the investment report for the month of October 2025.