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📍 Drive to PANHANDLE ISD Office   📅 Wednesday, November 18, 2026 to Calendar
📄 View Official Agenda
Heads up, Texas taxpayers: we’ve reviewed the upcoming PANHANDLE ISD agenda and found 4 items that deserve your attention before the gavel falls.
WARNING (LEVEL 6)
Requires Verification

Renewal of Law Firm Retainer with Lobbying Ties
📅 November 18, 2026
The district is set to renew its legal retainer with Walsh Gallegos, a law firm that also lobbies the Texas Legislature. This means local property tax dollars could be funding efforts to influence state policy, potentially against the interests of taxpayers seeking fiscal restraint and local control.
Response

DEMAND THE DETAILS: Contact the Panhandle ISD board before the meeting. ‘Regarding Item 5.D, please disclose the full cost of the Walsh Gallegos retainer and confirm whether any portion of these taxpayer funds will be used for lobbying activities. Tax dollars should not be used to lobby the legislature.’

💰 Impact: Undisclosed Lobbying Fees
WATCH (LEVEL 5)
Requires Verification

Vague Superintendent Evaluation Criteria
📅 November 18, 2026
The board plans to adopt the evaluation instrument for the Superintendent without making the document public. Taxpayers have a right to know if their district’s leader is being judged on student academic achievement and fiscal responsibility, or on subjective ideological goals like ‘equity’ initiatives.
Response

DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Contact the Panhandle ISD board. ‘Before you vote on Item 6.B, please post the proposed Superintendent Evaluation Instrument online. Taxpayers deserve to know the criteria for the district’s top job.’

💰 Impact: Politicized District Leadership
WATCH (LEVEL 4)
Requires Verification

Adoption of Undisclosed County ‘Hazard Plan’
📅 November 18, 2026
The district is voting to adopt the ‘Carson County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan’ without providing the text of the plan to the public. These plans can sometimes be used to implement controversial climate or land-use policies that fall outside the scope of basic emergency preparedness.
Response

INVESTIGATE: The ‘Carson County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan’ (Item 6.C) is not included in the agenda packet. Contact the board and ask for the full plan to be posted so the public can review it for any hidden climate or land-use policies before the district adopts it.

💰 Impact: Adopting ESG-style Policies
WATCH (LEVEL 4)
Requires Verification

Vague ‘EB Student Evaluation’ Policy
📅 November 18, 2026
The board is reviewing a student evaluation policy titled ‘EB Student Evaluation 2025-2026′ without providing the document. Such policies can be a vehicle for introducing social-emotional learning (SEL) surveys or other methods of collecting subjective data on students’ beliefs and attitudes.
Response

INVESTIGATE: The district has not provided the text for ‘EB Student Evaluation 2025-2026’ (Item 5.E). Contact the board and ask them to publish the full policy text online before the vote so parents can see what criteria will be used to evaluate their children.

💰 Impact: Student Data Harvesting
Local Officials
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