Nearly 200 people came to the March 23 Mineola ISD board meeting, which featured 14 recognitions. Of these, one item was the UIL recognitions, which honored 83 students.

Mineola ISD Superintendent Cody Mize noted that it was “probably one of the biggest crowds that we’ve had at a board meeting in a long time.”

Students and faculty awarded are as follows: Primary School students of the month, Camila Marquez and Dawson Elston; Primary School employee of the month, Coach Samantha Bowker; Intermediate School students of the month, Jesyx Monds and Victoria Paredes; Intermediate School employee of the month, MISD Police Captain Mike Hurst (who was also chosen as the Middle School employee of the month); Middle School students of the month, Jaycee Williams and Canyon Marshall; High School students of the month,  Jaecey Jones and Kingston Straznicky; High School employee of the month, Tabitha Morgan; UIL awards to 83 primary and intermediate students; Texas Association of Future Education (TAFE) awards to 11 students; volleyball awards to Mahayla McMahon and Lucy Goodson; cheer awards to Lyndie Key, Katie Rojas, Makena Quiambao, Clara Marlow, and Kenzie Banks; and Buzz’s Ultimate Effort Award to MISD Police Chief Cody Castleberry.

In UIL, the primary and intermediate schools received 571 points, competing against 7 schools and receiving many medals.

The board also received a check from the Mineola Education Foundation; Mize said the organization was “one of the big reasons Mineola ISD is such a success.” With the check given Monday night, which was in the amount of $105,300, the foundation has granted over $500,000 to the school since its beginning 10 years ago. Spokeswoman Martha Holmes noted that the check was the biggest they had given to the school.

During his superintendent report and discussion, Mize noted that the CTE center will be “coming online to start up the next school year.” The new center will be 3,500 square feet of additional space for the high school. Mize said that construction on the auto mechanics shop will begin in April with planned completion by November.

Coming out of an hourlong executive session, the board also approved several resignations and new professional contracts. One of the new professional contracts is for Jason Johnson, who will be the new MISD assistant athletic director and defensive coordinator. 

Mize discussed the results of the recent District Vulnerability Assessment, which is an item all Texas school districts must comply with in order to meet safety standards. Mize said that, despite the many variables that go into the assessment, the school received a perfect score – something he’s very proud of.

“This is a big team effort. Very proud of our staff and the way that they responded,” said Mize.

The board also approved the 2026-2027 academic calendar, and approved the purchasing of new supplemental instructional materials which will help teachers prepare students for the STAAR test. They voted to accept the District Innovation Plan for 2026-2031, which is “very similar” to the last year’s plan; under the new plan, junior and senior high school students will be allowed to have more excused absences for college visits if approved by a counselor or administrator.