Georgetown Edition | April 2026

BY GRACIE WARHURST & CHLOE YOUNG

GISD to replace buses without seat belts Georgetown ISD discussed purchasing 23 new buses for $4.3 million to meet a new state law during its March 30 meeting. Senate Bill 546, passed in 2025, requires all public school buses to have three-point seat belts by September 2029. The gist By August, GISD is expected to have 122 buses in its eet, 99 of which will have three-point seat belts. All current GISD buses used for daily routes have three-point seat belts, said Clint Pruett, GISD executive director of support services. The buses without three-point seat belts are 10-17 years old with an average of 180,000 miles. Due to their age and mileage, GISD is recommending replacing the them for $150,000-$170,00 each.

GISD proposes hiring more behavior sta

General education behavioral sta

Current

Proposed

1 behavior coordinator & 4 behavior coaches

1 behavior coordinator

Georgetown ISD is aiming to better assist teachers in addressing student behavioral issues. At a March 9 board workshop, district o cials discussed hiring 10 new behavior coaches and paraprofessionals. The context GISD elementary teachers have requested more behavior support amid increased behavioral challenges among students in recent years, Superintendent Devin Padavil said. “Students have changed in the last ve years,” Director of Intervention Tamra Marbibi said. “Some of their early formative years where they’re building their communication [and] their ability to read people ... some of those skills are lacking and needing reinforcement in the classroom.”

2 paraprofessionals

8 paraprofessionals

SOURCE: GEORGETOWN ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT

The update GISD o cials have proposed hiring four behav- ior coaches and six additional behavior parapro- fessionals for general education classrooms. The new positions could assist teachers by modeling instruction and o ering advice for responding to students’ behavior during class, Padavil said. GISD may repurpose some current district positions to ll these roles. The district may still see a net increase in expenses, Padavil said.

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GEORGETOWN EDITION