For the second straight year, Mineola ISD began the fall with record enrollment.

Classes resumed last Thursday, and the district has 1,730 students.

That is an increase of 82 students from the beginning of last year when there were 1,648.

Superintendent Cody Mize said at Monday’s school board meeting that 176 of those are transfers from other districts, with neighboring Alba-Golden and Quitman contributing the most, and as far away as Chapel Hill and Wills Point.

“That says a lot about the work that’s being done here,” he said.

Those students are weighted more heavily toward the lower grades, with 20-plus in most.

School Trustee Jill Quiamnbao noted that is a full classroom per grade.

The numbers fall off at the high school level with 42 spread among the four classes.

Mize said the opening of the new Primary School has gone well, with the expected traffic challenges the first few days.

“We will continue to watch that and make adjustments,” he said.

For the first time in at least 25 years, there were no student cars parked along Patten St. in front of the high school. With the elementary school closing, there is plenty of on-site parking.

There is a lot less congestion in other areas as well, Mize said.

Business Manager Keith Sparkman reviewed the 2024-25 proposed budget, which will be voted on by the school board on Aug. 31 at 9 a.m.

The notice on property taxes appears elsewhere in this edition, and the proposed property tax rate is a slight decrease.

He is proposing a $20,788,106 spending plan, down slightly from last year’s $20.9 million.

Sparkman said the budget will be tight. It will be balanced. No pay raises are included other than the usual step pay increases.

The district will continue to pay $440 per month for employee health insurance, which does not quite cover the full cost of the least expensive plan offered.

Sparkman detailed several areas where the district might be able to bring in additional revenues, but those numbers cannot yet be tied down.

One would be additional state funds from higher enrollment.

The board approved making a $55,000 payment on the principal of the 2022 school bond that built the primary school, which will be paid from excess revenue in the bond payment account.

Trustees made official the policy that all classroom doors are to be locked from the inside during class times.

Mize said the staff has already been doing a good job of that.

Per new state guidance, a policy was adopted that over-the-counter medications given to students by the school nurse must be accompanied by a written order from a health care provider. It must be renewed annually.

The memorandum of understanding with Kilgore College for the fire training program at Grand Saline was approved, though no Mineola High School students are enrolled due to scheduling conflicts, whhich could change.

The bid of Barriga Lawn Service for $34,200 annually for the new primary campus lawn maintenance was approved.

The required migrant student policy was approved. The district had no migrant students last year.

The bid was approved to use the final federal COVID relief dollars to purchase student Chromebooks.

The board approved Eagle Oil and Duko Oil for fuel and petroleum products. Both have been serving the district for several years.