VIRGINIA S. Gilstrap
Myersville ISD has a problem every school wishes it had: increased enrollment is presenting extra concern in student drop off and pickup.
Approximately half of its students are transfers, which helps the district make ends meet because of the state funds that follow student attendance.
Concern for students dashing to the cars angled toward the ditch on Myersville Road has prompted calls for the district to make changes to the drop off and pick up roadside.
“It's a little bit bigger issue than I think most people realize,” Superintendent Kelly Dunn said, indicating the drainage area would also need to be addressed.
The school board is considering plans drawn up by Southwest Engineering to rework the entrances on either side of the culvert. However, at their regular meeting on May 6, PCT 4 County Commissioner Brian Carson indicated that, in the 2026 budget cycle, the county would be widening the road which runs all along the school property.
The board asked how much pavement might be gained. Carson couldn’t answer specifi cally, saying “It's basically whatever the school does to address the issue, and then when we come in, we'll just deal with whatever y'all have done.”
“So we’re getting the cart ahead of the horse?” Trustee Kyle Newman asked.
Carson indicated he thought so.
“Is there any way to move that up from the end of 26?” Newman asked.
Carson said no because he has work lined up and scheduled ahead of it. He asked the board what had changed, pointing out that the road has been this way for as long as the school has been there.
“We have more kids,” responded several board members.
“It gets a little crowded,” Dunn said, “but it's about like any school anywhere: you're going to see times of day where it's not best to drive down that road. And you know, your community has to learn to wait until 4:00.”
Dunn suggested the board make the project a priority for getting done over the next three to four years.
In other business, it was noted that the board would be attending training at Region III on May 13, and MISD Trustee Rhonda Goebel would be honored for 25 years of school board service.
Also discussed was a service contract with Victoria Air Conditioning, which the district had not previously had. Dunn was authorized to negotiate a contract on behalf of the district.
Dunn also shared with the board the results released by TEA of the 2023 STAAR test, which was an overall 87/100.
He said that Austin ISD had sued TEA over the A-F ratings, which held up the public release of school data. The 2023 school rating lawsuit was resolved and now the lawsuit over the 2024 ratings is holding up those school reports.
Dunn said the district knew two months after the test how the students did and took steps at that time to address any issues. He said as long as the district stays in the A/B range, he is not too worried about the ratings.
In the superintendent’s report, he listed the flurry of end-ofschool field trips as well as a track meet on May 12 and graduation on May 21.
