The Lamar CISD Board of Trustees met on Tuesday, September 15. To watch the full video of the board meeting, click the link below. The next regular board meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, October 20.

The pledge student for the September 15 Board Meeting was Journei Allen from Navarro Middle School, representing the Red Track.

Trustees officially welcomed new Lamar CISD Police Department Chief Matthew Rodrigue, along with the district's new in-house counsel, Ryan Pacher.

The Board held three public hearings during the September 15 meeting, addressing the items listed below.

The Board of Trustees approved the district's 2026-2027 Proposed Tax Rate, including a maintenance and operations (M&O) rate of $0.639 per $100 of taxable assessed valuation and an interest and sinking fund (I&S) rate of $0.50 per $100 of taxable assessed valuation.

The newly adopted rate represents a decrease of the total tax rate for district residents, down from $1.1469 (per $100 of taxable assessed valuation) in 2025-2026 to $1.1390 in 2026-2027.

The Board approved the resolution regarding the District’s agreement to proceed with a Taxable Value Limitation on Eligible Property agreement with Tesla, Inc., as Tesla prepares to make a final site decision for the planned construction of its Project Crystal Sun manufacturing facility, which would make key parts for solar panels.

Tesla's application was filed with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts under the Texas Jobs, Energy, Technology, and Innovation (JETI) Act, Texas Government Code § 403, Subchapter T. Following the Board's vote, the JETI application will now proceed to the Governor's office.

Members of the community can learn more about the proposal by rewatching the Board's Sep 10, workshop meeting, which included an in-depth presentation and discussion on the JETI application and Tesla's proposed project. 

Video of the September 10 workshop can be found at the link below. 

The District prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex or disability. Additionally, Texas Education Code Section 11.005 and District policy prohibit District employees, contractors, vendors, and service providers from performing, carrying out, or assigning certain responsibilities or job duties at, for, or on behalf of the District. This notice clarifies District policy prohibiting the consideration of race, sex, color, or ethnicity in District operations and decision-making.

Consistent with Texas Education Code § 11.005, the District is specifically required to prohibit certain activities related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The Certificate of Compliance will be kept on file by the Texas Education Agency along with required certificates from districts across the state.

The Board voted to approve the design committee's recommendation for the proposed exterior of the new Red Track high school campus, approved by voters as part of the 2025 Bond.

The Trustees received an informational presentation on Lamar CISD's 2026 Q2 Demographics Report and updated enrollment projections, which continue to indicate rapid growth in enrollment over the coming years.

The latest demographic report, along with an archive of previous reports, can be found at the link below.

The Board discussed several Future Action Items including the adoption of the Avant World Languages Assessments platform for academic acceleration and additional credit-by-exam opportunities for students with multiple language proficiencies. The Board also considered possible actions on the naming of the new Red Track Secondary Schools, together with a proposed pilot of Lamar CISD's Online Academy, which would be offered through a partnership with online school provider K12.