Liberty Hill ISD holds public hearing on federal, state grant spending and seeks community input

Assistant Superintendent Heather Stoner and Kimberly Deusay presented Liberty Hill ISD's required public hearing on the district's federal and state grant spending on June 15, outlining how ESSA, CTE and other program funds were used in 2025'26 and soliciting public input for 2026'27.

"I'm Heather Stoner and I get to serve as assistant superintendent of teaching and learning in Liberty Hill ISD," Stoner said as she opened the presentation, explaining the hearing is a federal requirement and a chance for the community to provide direction on how funds are spent. The presentation was co-delivered by Kimberly Deusay, identified in the meeting as the district's executive director of student support services.

The district described how it allocated ESSA-related funds last year and the purposes for each major funding stream. Highlights the presenters gave included: Title I, Part A money used for an additional interventionist at targeted-assistance campuses and reading resources; Title II used for targeted professional development for teachers and leadership; Title III used for professional learning and supplemental resources for bilingual/ESL programs and newcomer students; a small Title IV allocation used to fund a mental-health professional at a targeted campus; Carl D. Perkins funds used to buy industry-standard equipment for CTE programs and to support training for industry certifications; state compensatory education used to partially fund campus interventionists and summer programming; and IDEA-B funds used for payroll, contracted services and tuition for regional day services.

Stoner and Deusay described the district's process for determining those uses: data-driven needs assessments, consultation with a district improvement committee of parents and community stakeholders, and targeted meetings with campuses that receive the most compensatory funding. The presenters also noted that some performance data shown in the slides were from 2025 because preliminary 2026 scores were not yet finalized.

The board and staff emphasized that detailed records are kept for every grant dollar, including time-and-effort documentation and meeting notes. Stoner said the district will post the presentation and a public feedback form and ‘‘it will be posted . . . for comments from the public . . . through July 17th." The board offered trustees an opportunity to ask questions; trustees thanked the presenters but no public comments were offered at the meeting.

What happens next: the district will accept feedback through the posted survey and incorporate community input as it finalizes spending plans for 2026'27 before submitting required grant applications and reports.