Smithville ISD December School Board Meeting Recap

By Kristen Meriwether, Publisher

Updated Dec. 18, 2025, 3:45 p.m.: This story originally stated an additional $2.5 million was allocated for capital projects. That figure was not additional, but included in the $3 million designation. The story has been updated below.

The Smithville ISD school board held its last regular meeting of the year on Monday. Here is a short recap of the actions taken:

Money for HVAC

In the spring, SISD had a third-party vendor conduct a study to assess the physical condition of the district’s facilities and to see if they align with current and future needs. A report was given to the district in July.

“One of the highest priority items they identified in that study were our HVAC systems, particularly at our high school — which is 20 years old — and at Brown Primary,” Superintendent Dr. Molley Ealy said at Monday’s meeting.

Ealy said the district is currently evaluating a procurement process to replace those units, which would need to take place over the summer when students are not on campus.

She said of the district’s $11 million fund balance, $3 million has been designated toward maintenance, with $2.5 million going towards capital projects.

Demographics Study

The district is currently undergoing a demographics study, which will help the district prepare for expected growth. This will provide projected enrollment by campus for the next five years.

SISD is using Zonda Education, which worked with Elgin and Bastrop on their studies. This gives them a unique understanding of countywide growth.

Zonda is expected to meet with officials from the city of Smithville to see what kind of local development is in process or planned. The study is expected at the February school board meeting.

Library Books Approved

Senate Bill 13, passed during the most recent Texas legislative session, requires school districts to give public notice before new books can be added to school libraries.

SISD invited community members to view the library materials from Oct. 27 through Dec. 14, and a list of all materials can be found here.

If a parent sees a book or topic in the library (physical or online) that they do not want their child to read, parents can contact the school, and the library can ensure the student does not check out that particular book or topic.

Board member Grant Gutierrez asked Assistant Superintendent Dr. Bethany Logan how often this was utilized, and she replied, “very limited,” saying she believed there might be two.

Logan said that prior to the passage of the bill, the district had always been able to accommodate a parent’s request and offer a different book for an assignment, something she said she didn’t see changing.

The board unanimously approved the materials on Monday, and those books are now available for students to check out.

Compensation Plan Updates

The board approved updates to the 2025-26 compensation plan to add the director of human resources position. The role is for 226 days (a full-time position), and the salary range is $82,800 to $120,000.

The plan also reduced the number of days for the high school registrar from 226 to 207.

Strategic Plan Update

The administration updated the board on Priority 4 in the district’s strategic plan, which focuses on financial and operational systems.

The district has achieved a Superior rating from the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas for 21 years in a row and holds a Transparency Star from the Texas comptroller, which recognizes local government transparency.