Tioga ISD came through its district vulnerability assessment with overall high marks, Superintendent Josh Ballinger said.
He credited former safety and security officer Kurt Hall as well as the current head safety officer James Edland for the work they did to ensure the district has the proper policies and procedures in place as well as practical application of the security measures.
'Some things that had been stalled for a few months got finished,' Ballinger said, crediting that to Edland's area connections.
The bulk of the work, Ballinger said, was the paperwork.
'That two or three months leading into that one day that [the assessor] was here for a few hours was all the document share,' Ballinger said.
He added that the man who performed the assessment was helpful.
'It's really not a gotcha situation,' Ballinger added. 'He wants you to do well.'
One thing the district will be working on is updating its phone system so when anyone dials 9-1-1, dispatch will know which room they are calling from.
Ballinger also complimented the way the teachers handled the assessment.
'Teachers that were stopped in the middle of the hallway and questioned or in the office and questioned handled themselves great,' he said.
Ballinger spoke briefly about the promised abatement from the Texas Education Agency to allow Tioga ISD to continue operations and provide a reprieve from the accreditation being revoked.
'The minute I get [the letter from TEA], I'll scan it in and send it to you guys, but that's hopefully going to be good news, just like we received when we were down there,' he said.
He called the March 3 meeting 'a good day for the district.'
'From what I've researched the last few weeks, since coming back, this essentially means they move us back to probationary and we keep operating the way that we have,' Ballinger said.
Ballinger and Vice President Trina Colteryahn mentioned that many of the letters TEA Commissioner Mike Morath had on hand were handwritten notes from Tioga ISD students.
'It's an experience we'll never forget,' President Dallas Slay said.
The trustees voted Monday to cancel its participation in the May 2 election, as all of the incumbents ran unopposed.
They also voted to keep the rates for the Tioga Early Childhood Development Center and school-side pre-K program the same for the upcoming school year as the current rates.
Ballinger again credited the center for being a draw for community members and staff members alike.
'It's kept a lot of students in the school system, and it's gained a lot of staff, … fantastic staff,' Ballinger said.
The school board is set to have a workshop starting at 9 a.m. Saturday to discuss a TEA Division of Governance and Intervention Report with TEA Conservator Dr. Karen Wiesman, an update about the 2024-25 FIRST rating, budget plans for Fiscal Year 2026, and the teacher pay scale and future programming options for Tioga ISD students.
