What to watch: The Midland ISD Board of Trustees will meet on Tuesday, July 21, to vote on whether the district should sue the state over the Robin Hood school funding system, consider refinancing some of the district’s debt to save $58.8 million in interest, and get a first look at the district’s projected accountability ratings before the state releases them in August.

Key points:

  • Robin Hood lawsuit: Trustees will vote on whether to sue the state over Texas’ recapture school funding system, arguing that the current version violates the Texas Constitution. Even if MISD won, the lawsuit would not automatically end Robin Hood. At most, a court could require the Legislature to rewrite the school funding formula, as happened in 2005.

The district’s legal argument is that changes lawmakers made in 2019 created a “categorically different” system in which the state now sets each district’s maintenance-and-operations tax rate outright, making it a state property tax banned by Article VIII of the Texas Constitution.

The agenda packet does not state how much the lawsuit would cost taxpayers. It includes no fee agreement or engagement letter with the law firm, though the draft petition asks the court to require the state to pay attorney’s fees if MISD prevails.

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  • $58.8 million refinancing: Trustees will consider refinancing a portion of the district’s outstanding debt, a move administrators estimate would save about $58.8 million in interest through 2054. MISD currently has about $1.6 billion in outstanding principal and interest, according to the Texas Bond Review Board, much of it tied to the district’s $1.4 billion bond package voters approved in 2023.

The agenda packet stated that the district completed a similar refinancing last year, which it says saved about $48.5 million.

  • Accountability ratings preview: Superintendent Stephanie Howard will give trustees a preview of the district’s projected A-F accountability ratings before the Texas Education Agency releases the official ratings in August. MISD earned an overall C in the 2025 ratings, scoring 72 out of 100. Fourteen campuses earned an A or B, 14 earned a C, and six received a D or F.
  • November trustee election: Trustees will order the Nov. 3 school board election. Districts 3 (Tommy Bishop), 5 (Brandon Hodges), and 6 (Sara Burleson) are up for election. Candidate filing opens on Saturday, July 18, and closes on Monday, August 17.
  • Student Code of Conduct: Trustees will consider adopting the 2026-27 Student Code of Conduct, including a change allowing the district to temporarily remove a student from class when necessary to address immediate safety concerns.
  • Special education vendor: Trustees will consider approving a pool of special education vendors that could provide evaluations, speech therapy, psychology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and staffing as needed. The district estimates the contracts could total about $2 million annually.

The vendor pool comes as MISD continues reviewing its special education program following last year’s investigation into a classroom at South Elementary. Trustees were previously told a consultant would complete a phased improvement plan this summer, but those findings have not yet been released publicly.

  • Fine arts grant: Trustees will review roughly $26 million in potential middle school fine arts construction projects and consider applying for grant funding to help pay for them. The agenda packet does not identify the grant source or the amount the district plans to request.
  • Flexible school days: Trustees will consider continuing the Optional Flexible School Day Program, a state program that allows students who are behind on credits or at risk of dropping out to attend on flexible schedules.

MISD reported in the agenda packet that 194 students participated during the 2025-26 school year. Of 120 students eligible to graduate, 111 did so, a 94% graduation rate, and the district estimates the program prevented 176 students from dropping out.

  • Board legal services: Trustees will consider renewing the board’s legal services agreement. The contract carries no annual retainer fee, while legal work beyond routine consultations is billed hourly.
  • Administration org chart: Administrators will report that the district published a central office organizational chart online after Trustee Matt Friez requested one during a June board meeting. The chart lists 53 central office positions, the majority at the director level or above.