The Amarillo ISD Board of Trustees will consider setting the district’s 2026 property tax rate Monday while also opening the door to a potentially significant change in how the district handles naming rights for facilities, including Dick Bivins Stadium.
Trustees will meet Monday, Sept. 14 for their regular monthly meeting. The agenda includes a public hearing on the proposed tax rate followed by possible action to formally adopt the rate for the 2026 tax year.
Before adopting the overall property tax rate, the board is scheduled to separately consider an Interest and Sinking tax rate that exceeds the minimum debt rate allowed under state tax law. The I&S portion of a school district’s tax rate is used to pay debt associated with voter-approved bonds and other eligible obligations.
Another item likely to draw attention involves the names attached to Amarillo ISD properties.
Trustees will discuss possible revisions to the district’s policy governing the naming of facilities. The proposed discussion specifically addresses financial donations and contracts in exchange for naming rights to district facilities or portions of those facilities.
Dick Bivins Stadium is specifically identified in the agenda.
The discussion could establish a framework for Amarillo ISD to enter financial arrangements that attach a donor or sponsor’s name to district property. The agenda does not identify a potential sponsor, proposed financial terms or a specific naming-rights agreement for Dick Bivins Stadium, and trustees are not scheduled to approve such a contract as a separate agenda item.
Instead, the board will consider whether its existing naming policy should be revised to address those types of arrangements. Any changes could have implications beyond the stadium by establishing how Amarillo ISD handles future financial contributions tied to naming all or portions of district facilities.
Dick Bivins Stadium is one of Amarillo’s most recognizable school athletic facilities and has long served as a venue for high school football and other events. Putting its name into the naming-rights discussion makes the policy debate more consequential than a routine administrative revision.
Trustees also have several other financial and administrative matters on Monday’s agenda. The board will consider an amendment to the district’s 2026-27 budget and review monthly financial reports covering the district budget, investments, employee insurance funds, workers’ compensation and purchase orders.
The consent agenda includes proposed purchases for a web application firewall, Everway curriculum materials for centralized classrooms and NCS Pearson clinical assessments and software services. Trustees will also consider internet safety measures, including continued use of Lightspeed Filter and Palo Alto technology to filter online content.
School safety will receive attention as well. The board is scheduled to review results from the district’s 2026 safety and security audit before its submission to the Texas School Safety Center. Trustees may also discuss findings from districtwide intruder detection audits and other security matters.
Superintendent Dr. Deidre Parish is scheduled to present a beginning-of-year scorecard report, while board members will provide updates from campus visits and education-related meetings and events.
