Board Briefs: May 19, 2025
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Manor ISD’s Board Briefs
Welcome to the latest edition of Manor ISD’s Board Brief! Each month, we will offer a snapshot of key decisions, discussions, and highlights from our most recent board meeting. As always, Manor ISD is committed to transparency and keeping our community informed about the work being done to support our students, staff, and schools. In this update, you'll find information about important approvals, recognitions, and updates on initiatives aimed at enhancing the educational experience across our district.
Meeting recording Meeting Agenda/Boardbook
Scholar Recognitions
Manor New Tech Students Compete at UIL State Track and Field Championships
Two Manor New Tech High School athletes earned spots at the UIL State Track and Field Championships, capping off a standout season with strong finishes against elite competition.
Senior Daevion Lewis placed 4th in the long jump, delivering an impressive performance that marked one of the top finishes in the state. Fellow student-athlete Maliya Curry qualified in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dash, finishing 6th and 7th respectively.
The competition, held at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, brings together the best high school athletes from across Texas each year. For Lewis and Curry, advancing to this level is a reflection of their talent, discipline, and determination.
Closed Session Action Items
Approved - Contract Non-Renewal for Reduction in Force Employees - Alime Sadikova, Kristin Striemer
Approved - Educator Chapter 21 Contract Abandonment - Leland Byrd
Sundal Ali Named Manor ISD Executive Director of Human Resources
Manor ISD has named Sundal Ali as the district’s new Executive Director of Human Resources. With nearly a decade of experience in education and nonprofit leadership, Ali brings a deep understanding of employee engagement, organizational transformation, and equity-driven practices to the role.
Ali most recently served as the Director of Organizational Transformation at Austin ISD, where she led district-wide initiatives focused on staffing, recruitment, retention, and leadership development. In this role, she managed professional development efforts impacting more than 1,200 staff members across 35 campuses and advised senior leaders on key decisions related to budget, hiring, and organizational culture.
Rick Bean Named Executive Director of Special Programs for Manor ISD
Manor ISD has named Rick Bean as the district’s new Executive Director of Special Programs. With more than 20 years of experience in education, Bean brings a wealth of knowledge in special education, instructional leadership, and student support services. His career spans roles from classroom teacher to district administrator, with a focus on serving students at all levels and ensuring programs are aligned to meet diverse learning needs.
Bean has served Manor ISD since 2018 as the Assistant Director of Special Education, where he played a key role in developing and leading innovative instructional programs, overseeing Child Find and 504 processes, managing compliance with state and federal regulations, and supporting curriculum alignment for special education and dyslexia services. His leadership also included spearheading professional development for staff and optimizing budget and vendor resources to improve service delivery across the district.
Brian Reed named new Principal of Decker Middle School
Manor ISD has announced the appointment of Brian Reed as the new principal of Decker Middle School. With more than a decade of experience in educational leadership and a background in military service, Reed brings a proven track record of campus management, instructional leadership, and team development to his new role.
Reed most recently served as Assistant Principal at O'Donnell Middle School in Houston, where he led daily operations for a campus of over 1,300 students and 120 staff. His work included designing the school’s safety plan, developing teacher training programs aligned to campus goals, and managing both scheduling and budgeting processes. In addition to his campus leadership, Reed has been active at the district level, serving on the District Improvement Council and contributing to broader operational planning.
Superintendent Update
Dr. Sormani updated the community on progress implementing new safety recommendations. An audit of the Manor Senior HS campus was recently completed and provided 13 new recommendations. In addition, the audit report rated security employees, including Manor ISD Police, highly. Dr. Sormani also updated trustees that Manor ISD will lease the Weapon’s Detection Systems to try and get them on campus before the year is out, so students, staff and parents can see what they will look like. In past meetings, Dr. Sormani let trustees know that the company that was selected to provide the systems no longer sells them, which greatly delayed the procurement process.
Information Items
Monthly Financial Report
The operating financial report for the month ending April (10/12 or 83.0% of the budget year), reflects the following:
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The General Fund has collected $91,179,126 (89.8% of the budgeted revenue), which is an increase of $4,322,870 or 5.0% year over year.
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The General Fund has spent $96,924,771 (82.5% of the budgeted expenditures), which is an increase of $11,503,778 or 13% year over year.
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The Debt Service Fund has collected $48,203,152 (103.6% of the budgeted revenue) and has spent $32,875,393 (54.2% of budgeted expenditures). Debt service payments are made during the months of February and August.
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The Nutrition Program Fund has collected $6,960,051 (71.7% of the budgeted revenue) and has spent $7,320,060 (65.2% of budgeted expenditures).
Action Items
Approved - School District Teaching Permit for CTE - Daryl Owens, Stefonn Cannon, Melissa Franklin
Approved - New FTEs for Manor Rise Academy for the 2025-2026 School Year
Approved - 2025-2026 Contract Recommendations - May list provided to the Board
Consideration and Approval of Resolution to Authorize Borrowing
The Board authorized the borrowing of $30.1MM (3.75% interest) to meet cash operating needs during the months of July - November (5 months). Cash reserves by the end of June are expected to drop below one months’ reserve and property tax revenues are significantly low during this time of the year. Revenues normally begin to flow in during the month of December and peak during January through March. During the Fall of 2024, the Board also authorized the borrowing $13.1MM (4.08% interest), which was paid off by mid-March, thus saving the district almost $100k in accrued interest.
More and more school districts are having to take similar steps as rising costs and flat state funding make it harder to cover basic expenses. These short-term loans help districts manage cash flow without cutting support for students and staff.
Approved- 1-year Extension of the Superintendent's Contract - The Superintendent’s Contract by 1 year to end on the 30th of June, 2028.