Monitor Photo/Russell Slaton
Kerens ISD school board members meet Kerens Secondary School’s February Students of the Month, introduced by Secondary School Associate Principal Kristen Lynch (from left), featuring Kate Kent, Kynzee Elmore and Diego Torres Feb. 26.

KERENS—Kerens ISD (KISD) school board members approved four budget amendments during their Feb. 26 meeting.
One of those amendments reallocates about $1.3 million of property tax revenues into the district’s spending blueprint, according to KISD Business Manager Kaitlyn Cotten. A second one, Cotten continued, recognizes an excess from Texas Tax Code Chapter 313 school value limitation agreements worth $15,000, which she said then passes on to the district’s attorneys for projects related to the agreements.
A third budget amendment, the business manager told the board, is worth $59,800 to pay Lochridge Priest, which KISD Director of Student Services and Operations Brad Atkeisson explained goes toward sewer line repairs. The fourth amendment recognizes $24,600 from a Texas Department of Agriculture food service grant, Cotten said.
In other business, the board:
• Approved a $25,405.67 payment to Dawson ISD for the Navarro County Alternative Education Program.
• Learned from Superintendent Martin Brumit that the district will hold a May 4 election for two school board seats held currently by Board President Teresa Jennings and Board Member Anne Beckman, with Andrew Lewis filing as a challenger.
• Heard from Atkeisson that the district’s enrollment stands at about 640 students, up from about 540 pupils at this time during the previous school year.
• Learned from Brumit that KISD is “totally compliant” with the state-mandated Emergency Operations Plan, which is guided by the Texas School Safety Center.
• Discussed and held for later action, to be combined with other local policy updates, a local policy change recommended by the Texas Association of School Boards to comply with state law, namely checking library books for what the state legislature deems as objectionable material.