New stadium lights are coming to Meredith Memorial Stadium in Mineola, thanks to the stadium’s namesake.

The school board approved a budget amendment Monday night for the grant from the Meredith Foundation that includes $275,300 for the new lights and $50,000 for scholarships to high school graduates.

The board also amended the budget for a new police vehicle. The $33,756 will replace a 2007 Ford that was purchased used and will cost more to repair than it is worth.

It will also require $6,000 in police equipment.

Business Manager William Bjork said the district has spent about half of the $1 million in projected fund balance for the year.

He also reported that tax collections for the year are running slightly behind, at 91.3% through the end of February.

That is down about 1.5% from a year ago.

The annual report on tax collections from Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins and Mott showed about half of the $226,000 in delinquent taxes from 2021 have been collected, and that collections are down slightly in area counties.

The construction account has yielded $535,000 in interest since it was opened in August, Bjork reported.

Enrollment has rebounded to 1,623 students, he said, and attendance rates are up to 96%.

Trustees approved a two-year extension to the district’s depository contract with the First National Bank of East Texas. It is the third and final extension before the service must go out for bids. It expires in August 2025.

Two annual agreements with Tyler Junior College were approved for dual credit courses and college preparatory classes.

Board meetings for the 2023-24 school year were approved, with early dates in November, December, January and February to avoid conflicts with holidays.

The revised academic calendar was approved for 2023-24.

Trustees had asked last month to take another look at the calendar which had a proposed ending date of May 17, a full week before graduation, and no built-in makeup days.

The approved calendar has school continuing through May 23 with early release on May 24 and a school holiday on April 12.

Trustees approved an agreement with the East Texas Food Bank to provide breakfast and lunch for summer school students. The only cost to the district will be a staff member to oversee the program, as compared to multiple staff members when the district operated the service.

Use of Wood County voting machines was approved for the May 6 trustee election. Early voting will be held at the county elections office in Quitman and election day voting will be at Mineola City Hall.