Aubrey ISD's Construction Consultant Dr. Scott Niven shared that “things were moving very well” when it came to progress at Elementary No. 5 at the board meeting on Sept. 16.
He shared that the prep work for some of the slab pouring has started, and after that, the team will move on to plumbing and mechanical work.
Other projects in the works include the new administration building and road.
“We've been working with the city, getting everything finalized and all the plat and everything to the city to accept the road,” Niven said. “So that's in process; I think that'll go to the city council this month and get all that completed.”
Board members later approved Saylor to negotiate furniture prices for the new administration building and set a maximum price of $865,533.
Also at the meeting, Joanie Rouk, executive director of curriculum, instruction, and learning, discussed the IXL LevelUp Diagnostic assessment at the school board meeting on Sept. 16.
“This is our first year doing IXL LevelUp [Diagnostic] math and reading,” Rouk said. “Last year we did IXL LevelUp math in first, second and third grade, and this year we expanded it all the way up.”
Rouk explained that students take weekly assessments to track their progress, and the program provides skill recommendations for each student on areas for improvement.
She added that it’s used in addition to class time learning.
“I also want to stress that IXL is not our teacher,” Superintendent Dr. Shannon Saylor said. “... It's diagnosing some things and giving some teachers some real-time data feedback.”
The district received a superior rating on the 2025-26 Preliminary Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) rating, which is based on 2024-25 financial management.
The exact score was 92 out of 100, and Chief Financial Officer Dr. Brian Walton said the eight points lost are tied to the district’s future debt and property values.
“When the legislators changed some things with our homestead exemptions, it lowered our taxable property values,” Walton said. “So that did not help this. As long as we're a fast-growth district and we're continually trying to build buildings, that rating is always going to be challenged by those factors.”
He added that there will be a public hearing for it at the October board meeting.
During public comment, Derek Lomas spoke on inconsistencies he found in the school handbook and dress code.
“Camo and blackout for volleyball is approved,” Lomas said. “Camo [and] blackout for football is not approved. What are we saying, one matters more than the other? No, we're saying we're inconsistent; we don't know our own rules, and we certainly can't enforce [them].”
