By Kayla Fleming
The spring 2026 semester has begun, and it didn’t take long for LEAP students to be back in full swing. After a week of planning for upcoming events, volunteerism in the community, and promoting “Empty Bowls,” we made our way to the January meeting of the Huntsville Independent School District Board of Trustees.
President Ken Holland kindly met with us more than half an hour ahead of the meeting, providing insight into the Board, its operations, its annual budget (approximately 117 million), and what was on the agenda for the evening.
While the agenda didn’t formally include us, President Holland did introduce us as “special guests” to the audience, which was a nice way to begin the evening. What was nicer, however, was to see faces familiar to us from our other work in the community. Shannon Hollis, HISD’s PIO was there, as was Assistant Superintendent Paul Trevino, both of whom we had worked with during M*A*S*H*. Tom Waddill, with whom we work on the Lions Club Flag Project, was there with his team of young journalists (Huntsville High Yearbook and “The Hive”, who were recognized for their productivity.
Other recognitions included Ms. Shotwell (Educator of the Month) and Ms. Tiffany Matchett (Employee of the Month), as well as recognitions for campuses with best student attendance and best faculty attendance; a group of student leaders–all of whom, we were impressed to see, stood up to receive their award and walked up to trustees and shook their hands.
Stewart Elementary was recognized for having a 92.41 percent student attendance rate during December…
…and Principal Ashley Fisseler accepted that award. Huntsville Elementary received recognition for having the highest staff attendance (more than 96 percent!), and Principal Natalie Barrett accepted the award.
As part of School Board Appreciation Month, Matt Lahey, the Director of Media at HISD, presented a video featuring interviews with the School Board. We had a chance to learn things such as Trustee Amanda Burris’s favorite teacher was Debra Dean (Calculus) ; Ken Holland enjoyed listening to the Downton Abbey soundtrack; and Sherri Odom had lived in both Hawaii and Panama growing up; Tracy Stoudt’s philosophy is, “I can’t make a difference from my couch;” and Rissie Owens could sneak to her grandmother’s house, which was across the street from her school, allowing her to “take recess anytime I wanted to…”
This was a great way to learn about the sitting board members, and to see examples of what motivates people to civic leadership.
Following a short recess, the Trustees got down to the serious business of governing the School District.
This involved a lengthy consent agenda, dispatching items such as the minutes in a quick vote; updates by Asst. Superintendent Dr. Nkrumah Dixon on partnerships with SHSU’s College of Education and grants;
…a vote on whether to adopt SB 11, which involved carving out school time for “religious text reflection” (the Board voted no, unanimously); and a year-end audit report by Celina Cereceres of Whitley Penn. In the latter update, we had a chance to learn about the different funds the District relies, operating reserves, and the different categories of compliance. We also learned that HISD received excellent marks!
With their primary business complete, the Trustees went into recess for Executive Session, with a planned evaluation of Superintendent Scott Sheppard. Before their recess, however, we had a chance to speak with several of the Trustees who thanked us for coming. It was a perfect end to an educational and welcoming introduction to the Huntsville Independent School District Board of Trustee meeting!
Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics 