Upcoming Special Board Meeting 06.30.25 at 6:00 PM
Click HERE to view agenda.
SEGUIN, Texas (June 18, 2025)—The Seguin ISD Board of Trustees adopted its 2025-2026 budget during its regular meeting on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. The $84.9 million budget includes a $5.8 million deficit, which is subject to change due to recent legislative changes.
Elizabeth Banks, Seguin ISD interim superintendent and chief financial officer, says that the deficit total includes $2.9 million in budget additions deemed necessary and/or unavoidable, as well as step increases for teachers, and the estimated $2.8 million deficit that is the current 2024-2025 budget which serves as the starting point for the 2025-2026 budget.
“Those budget additions include rising costs that everyone is facing in our current economy, as well as staffing and resources we need to meet needs on our campuses,” Banks said. “We want to ensure that we still provide for our students and staff.”
Banks says the district’s business department and leadership team are looking at all possible options to reduce the deficit, including potential funding opportunities in Career and Technical Education (CTE). Seguin reduced its 2024-2025 deficit by $1.2 million, which included efforts to optimize CTE funding.
The board is considering a Voter-Approved Tax Ratification Election (VATRE) to maximize the district’s Golden Pennies for state funding. Banks says passing a VATRE would provide an additional $2.5 million or more annually.
Texas law requires school districts to pass a budget before a new fiscal year; Seguin ISD’s fiscal year begins July 1. Given the recent legislative changes, the district will amend its budget after July 1, 2025.
“This is the first version of our budget; the Texas Education Agency has started sharing guidance on House Bill 2. This budget is simply a placeholder. Substantial budget amendments will come to the board for approval in August,” Banks said. “We are reviewing that guidance to help us determine how HB 2 funding will affect staff compensation and revenue, and then we will adjust the budget accordingly. Our goal is to have a clear outline from TEA and a compensation plan ready before September, when a majority of our staff begin their new contract.”
Banks and the Board of Trustees will work with Dr. Jack Lee, the lone finalist for Superintendent, on potential amendments. The Board is scheduled to hold a final vote on his hiring at a special meeting on July 10.
SEGUIN, Texas (June 17, 2025)—The Seguin ISD Board of Trustees has named Dr. Jack Lee as its lone finalist for Superintendent. Dr. Lee will join Seguin ISD from Bullard ISD, where he has served as Superintendent since 2019.
During his time in Bullard, he led the 4A district to an “A” rating, restructured the district’s curriculum, established a mental health support system, and successfully passed a $103 million bond to help fund new facilities.
His prior experience includes five years with Blooming Grove ISD, where he served as a high school principal and eventually superintendent; as well as Hillsboro ISD, where he worked as assistant principal and band director.
Dr. Lee holds a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in Music Education from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Doctor of Education from Texas A&M University-Commerce. A native of Whitney, Texas, Dr. Lee also played basketball, performed in the high school band, and served as senior class president at Whitney High School. His wife Jessica also works for Bullard ISD; they have two children, Jackson (14) and Emmy (10).
The selection of Dr. Lee marks the end of a two-month search process conducted by Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Executive Search Services. The Board hired TASB in April, accepted applications through May, and conducted interviews in June.
The district’s current interim superintendent, Elizabeth Banks, will continue in the role during the state-mandated 21-day waiting period. Trustees will hold a final vote on Dr. Lee at a special meeting on July 10.
Upcoming Public Meeting 06.17.25 at 6:00 PM
Click HERE(opens external link in new window) to view agenda.
The Seguin ISD Board of Trustees will be hosting a board meeting on May 20th @ 6:30 PM. You can find the agenda at the link below:
AGENDA(opens external link in new window)
Click HERE to watch LIVESTREAM
When students return to six of Seguin ISD’s elementary schools this fall, they will have brand-new furniture in their classrooms and libraries. That means summer cleaning; time to make room for these new chairs, desks, tables, and more by removing the old.
Seguin ISD is committed to ensuring that the existing furniture will not go straight to the landfill. Rather than taking on the financial burden of auctioning or storing the furniture, it will be decommissioned. Decommissioning means the furniture will be removed, donated, and/or recycled.
As part of a team effort with Pfluger Architects, furniture vendor Indeco, and decommissioning agent East End Transfer & Storage, Seguin ISD's old furniture will have new life in different communities in need, potentially those recovering from a natural disaster. Furniture that is not suitable for repurposing will be disassembled and recycled. An estimated 50-90 percent of furniture from a single campus may be repurposed or recycled.
"Seguin ISD is excited to reimagine our classrooms while being responsible citizens,” Elizabeth Banks, Seguin ISD interim superintendent, said. “By decommissioning these items, we will be providing other schools with furniture that they may truly need; it's a wonderful opportunity for our district to lend a hand."
The decommissioning process started at Rodriguez Elementary and Vogel Elementary on June 2. Work will shift to Jefferson Elementary, Koennecke Elementary, Patlan Elementary, and Weinert Elementary over the next two weeks.
Seguin ISD maintenance will then wax the existing floors while crews replace the flooring in each school library. Classroom, office, and library furniture will arrive starting in mid-June, with installation to continue through the end of the month.
Seguin ISD would like to thank the community for its support of Bond 2022, which made this $7.5 million furniture replacement project possible. The district is also grateful to the staff, parents, and community members on its Revisioning Committee, which met with students and staff to ensure all chosen furniture will meet their needs.
Staff will receive training with the new furniture on their campuses in August, just before students return to school on August 12, 2025. McQueeney Elementary will receive its new furniture once its new campus opens in 2026.
photos provided by Robyn Popa, Pfluger Architects