Update from the Rockwall ISD Board of Trustees meeting from Monday, October 20

(Shown L to R) Chief Academic Officer Dr. Megan Gist, Superintendent Dr. John Villarreal, Rockwall HS senior Harrison McDonald, Rockwall HS senior Seth Paden, and Rockwall HS Principal Dane Steinberger.

Rockwall, TX (October 21, 2025) – The following is a summary from the Monday, October 20 Rockwall ISD School Board meeting.

Recognitions
Congratulations to the following students and student groups that were recognized by the Board of Trustees:

• National Merit Semifinalists from the Rockwall ISD Class of 2026 – More than 1.5 million high school juniors nationwide participated in the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) in October 2024 to enter the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program. Of these, less than one percent, or about 16,000 students, qualified as semifinalists by being among the highest scorers in their respective states. The number of semifinalists from each state is proportional to that state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors. These semifinalists have the opportunity to compete for 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million.
• Rockwall ISD had two students from Rockwall High School who earned recognition as National Merit Semifinalists for the Class of 2026. Congratulations!
  • Harrison M. McDonald (Harrison also attended Dorris A. Jones Elementary, Grace Hartman Elementary, and J.W. Williams Middle School.)
  • Seth D. Paden (Seth also attended Sharon Shannon Elementary School and Herman E. Utley Middle School.)

School Finance Questions
The Board of Trustees asked Senior Chief Finance Officer David Carter to respond to the following questions:

1. Has Rockwall ISD ever paid recapture money to the state? No. Rockwall ISD has never paid recapture, meaning it has never been required to send local tax dollars to the state.
2. If the VATRE passes, will Rockwall ISD have to send local property tax revenue to the state? No. Rockwall ISD will not pay any local property revenue to the state. To be clear based upon the most recent Texas Education Agency data, 100% of all local tax revenue collected will stay right here in Rockwall ISD.

Approval of the Board of Trustees Operating Procedures
The Trustees approved Board Operating Procedures.

Approval of Consultant Design Services and Project Delivery Methods for District Construction Project – Rockwall High School and Rockwall-Heath High School HVAC Central Plant Projects
The Board of Trustees approved the consultant services and project delivery/contract award method for HVAC central plant projects at Rockwall High School and Rockwall-Heath High School. Services will be paid out of the Rockwall ISD 2021 Bond authorization.

Approval of Consultant Design Services and Project Delivery Method for District Construction Project – Rockwall-Heath High School Fire Alarm Replacement Projects
The Board of Trustees approved the consultant services and project delivery/contract award method for fire alarm replacement projects at Rockwall High School and Rockwall-Heath High School. Services will be paid out of the Rockwall ISD 2021 Bond authorization.

Approval of Consultant Design Services and Project Delivery Method for District Construction Project – Ursula Rakow Middle School Parking Lot Expansion
The Board of Trustees approved the consultant services and project delivery/contract award method for a parking lot expansion at Ursula Rakow Middle School. Services will be paid out of the Rockwall ISD 2021 Bond authorization.

Approval of Purchase Pursuant to Board Policy CH Local for Purchase in Excess of $100,000 from Board-Approved Cooperative Purchasing Program for Installation of Playground Shade Structures at Amy Parks and Linda Lyon Elementary Schools
The Board of Trustees approved the purchasing cooperative to purchase playground shade structures at Amy Parks and Linda Lyon Elementary Schools in accordance with Board Policy CH Local for a purchase in excess of $100,000.00. The district standard specification for playground amenities at elementary campuses includes a playground shade structure consisting of a four-post, hip-shape design that provides significant coverage of the playground equipment. Currently, there are two elementary campuses that do not meet this standard: Amy Parks and Linda Lyon Elementary School. Project costs will be paid out of the Rockwall ISD general operating fund (Fund 199).

Approval of for Project Completion for the Springer, Hartman, and Jones Elementary School(s) HVAC Equipment Replacement Projects
The Board of Trustees approved completed HVAC equipment replacement projects from the 2021 bond program for Springer, Hartman and Jones Elementary Schools. Construction costs were paid by the Rockwall ISD 2021 Bond authorization.

Press release submitted by Luci Mouton, Rockwall ISD, edited for publication in Blue Ribbon News. Courtesy photo.

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