Texas Public Policy Foundation
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📍 Drive to NATALIA ISD Office   📅 Monday, November 16, 2026 to Calendar
📄 View Official Agenda
Heads up, Texas taxpayers: we’ve reviewed the upcoming NATALIA ISD agenda and found 2 items that deserve your attention before the gavel falls.
ALERT (LEVEL 9)
Federal Grants Lock District into Expensive Consultants
📅 November 16, 2026
The district plans to approve improvement plans funded by state/federal ‘LIFT’ grants that commit hundreds of thousands of dollars to an outside consultant, the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET). The plans also use grant money for ‘payroll costs,’ creating new staff positions that local taxpayers will be on the hook to pay for in three years when the grant money disappears.
Response

DEMAND THE DETAILS: Contact the Natalia ISD Board (see the Official Agenda link for contact info). Ask: ‘Regarding Item 6.C, what is the total cost of contracts with NIET? What specific positions are being funded by the LIFT grant’s ‘payroll costs,’ and what is the plan to pay for them when the grant ends? Do not create a future tax hike for Natalia taxpayers.’

💰 Impact: Future Unfunded Mandates
WARNING (LEVEL 7)
District-Wide Push for Social-Emotional Learning
📅 November 16, 2026
Under the banner of ‘well-being,’ the district’s proposed improvement plans embed ‘Social-Emotional Learning’ (SEL) programs across all campuses. These plans call for ‘in-class character lessons,’ ‘student well-being check-ins,’ and resources for ‘behavioral health’ and ‘positive school climate,’ shifting focus and resources from core academics to subjective psychological programming.
Response

DEMAND A RECORDED VOTE: Contact the Natalia ISD Board. ‘Regarding Items 6.A and 6.B, the district’s focus should be academic excellence, not subjective ‘social-emotional’ programming. I urge you to remove strategies related to SEL from the improvement plans and demand a roll-call vote to see where each trustee stands.’

💰 Impact: Mission Drift, Bypassing Parents
Local Officials
Address 805 PEARSON ST, NATALIA, TX 78059
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