Board of Trustees

Regular meetings are held on the third Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the Board Room of the Administration Building unless noted otherwise on the agenda.


Meet the BISD Board of Trustees

 

Mason Howard

Mason P. Howard
Board President

Email: [email protected]
Term Ends: May 2026

District 7 - [MAP]

Mason P. Howard was elected to the school board in May of 2011.

Mason P. Howard of precinct 7 explains why he chose to run for the BISD board. “I was born here and grew up here. I wanted my children to experience the schools that I attended - Stephen F. Austin, Freeport Intermediate and Brazosport High School (’87). My parents grew up here and graduated from Brazosport High School in 1963. My grandmother graduated from Freeport High School in the 40’s. My family is from here… I have a vested interest in BISD. The Brazosport area is a great place to live, work, and rear a family.

Howard has lived in BISD his entire life and is married to his wife, Paulette, a BISD educator. Mason and Paulette have two children, Micheal Paul (B’Port Class of 2010) and Robin Lindsey Viola (B’Port Class of 2017). Mr. Howard is a contractor who has been in business for himself since 1999. His company’s name is Mason Builder’s, which specializes in remodeling and additions.

BISD is an even better “place to live, work, and rear a family” because of Mason P. Howard’s service to our community. Thank you, Mr. Mason Howard, for setting the course for educational excellence for all BISD students!




Scott Schwertner

Scott Schwertner
Board Vice President

Email: [email protected]
Term Ends: May 2026

District 6 - [MAP]

Mr. Scott Schwertner is a proud product of Brazosport ISD and graduate of Texas A&M. He was first elected to the BISD Board of Trustees in May 2014 and is now serving his third term.

Schwertner is a partner with the state tax consulting firm Invoke Tax Partners. He was previously elected as a Lake Jackson City Councilman (2010-2014). 

Scott and his wife Kristen are both active in the community as volunteers for a number of local charities and organizations. They have two daughters attending BISD schools. Schwertner can regularly be found cheering on BISD athletic teams as well as attending numerous school activities and concerts.

Scott Schwertner has stated that he believes that “A strong BISD is vital to the success of our community and most importantly to the future of the children of our community."

Thank you, Mr. Scott Schwertner, for setting the course for educational excellence for all BISD students!



Jerry Adkins

Jerry Adkins
Board Secretary

Email: [email protected]
Term Ends: May 2027

District 2 - [MAP]

Jerry Adkins was elected as a BISD Board member in May 2013 to fulfill an unexpired two-year term. He was reelected in 2015 and again in 2018, serving Single-Member District 2 (Clute area). Adkins is an advocate for public education, serving on the Legislative Advocacy Network (LAN) for Region 4, and is a two-time representative to the National School Board Association Advocacy Institute.

Mr. Adkins has lived in the Brazosport community for over 48 years with his wife, Barbara. Their three children are all products of Brazosport ISD (Ogg Elementary, Clute Intermediate, Brazoswood High). Mr. Adkins worked as a project manager for Dow Chemical, retiring after 42 years of service.

“I believe our school district needs to develop responsible citizens by providing the best education from the best teachers,” Mr. Adkins stated regarding his educational beliefs and values. “As a Board member, a priority is to encourage, motivate and support BISD’s effort to provide the best education possible for all student-learners in BISD by working as a team with board members, administrators, teachers, staff, students, parents and the community.”

Adkins added that he is very appreciative to the community for the approval of the 2019 BISD Bond. “We all enjoy seeing progress on new schools, CTE Center, as well as more to come over the next several years. All of these major improvements will benefit our BISD student-learners.”



Joe Rinehart
Joe Rinehart

Board Assistant Secretary

Email: [email protected]
Term Ends: May 2027

District 1 - [MAP]

Joe Rinehart, a lifelong resident of Lake Jackson, attended elementary and junior high school in Lake Jackson and graduated from Brazosport High School in 1966. He graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Health and Physical Education with a Minor in History. Between 1969 and 1971 he served with the US Army in the Vietnam Conflict.

In 1978 Mr. Rinehart began his teaching and coaching career at Freeport Intermediate School before moving to Brazoswood High School in 1980 where he worked for his high school coach, LZ Bryan. Mr. Rinehart taught all courses offered in the Secondary Social Studies curriculum while teaching in BISD. He was named Teacher of the Year at Brazoswood HS in 2001 and retired in 2012 after 34 years in public education, all in BISD.

Mr. Rinehart was elected to the Lake Jackson City Council in 2003 and served all three terms allowed by term limits. He was elected to City Council again in 2011 and then was elected Mayor in 2012 and left office in 2018 due to term limits.

The mindset that a classroom teacher could bring a different perspective to the Board of Trustees is the main reason Joe sought the District 1 Trustee position. Classroom teachers deal with many different personalities daily and it takes a special person to be successful in this quest. Mr. Rinehart is committed to supporting BISD in providing resources and services that allow teachers to be successful and, therefore, promoting  student success.

Joe and his wife Becky (a BISD retired educator) have been married twenty-seven years. They have two daughters, Molly who lives in San Jose, CA and Meredith who lives in Austin. Both are proud graduates of Brazoswood High School.


Thank you, Mr. Joe Rinehart, for setting the course for educational excellence for all BISD students!



 

Kenneth E. Schulte

Kenneth E. Schulte
Board Member

Email: [email protected]
Term Ends: May 2025

District 3 - [MAP]

Schulte is a retired educator and coach with 37 years of experience, brings a wealth of knowledge and a deep commitment to student-centered education to his new role. He began his career as a teacher and coach, impacting countless students and athletes. After his teaching and coaching career, he served as the Maintenance Director for BISD for four years, demonstrating his dedication to the district's operational excellence. 

With a deep understanding of the challenges facing school districts today, Schulte is committed to ensuring that BISD continues to provide the best for its students. He believes the school board's role is to offer the best education, facilities, faculty, administration, and extracurricular opportunities. Additionally, he emphasizes the importance of holding district leaders accountable for maintaining safe, well-maintained schools staffed by individuals of intelligence and high character.

"My personal connection to BISD is profound," said Schulte. "I attended BISD schools, my children attended BISD schools, and now my grandchildren are attending BISD schools. Having worked at BISD for 30 years, my goal is to ensure that our district remains the best in the state of Texas."

Schulte holds a degree in Physics and Math from Sam Houston State University and has furthered his commitment to the community through volunteer efforts with the BISD Mentoring Program, Brazosport High School Physics Club, and the distribution of school supplies, holiday meals, and hurricane relief projects.

Schulte's appointment fills the vacancy left by the passing of long-serving Board Member Patty Sayes in June 2024. Schulte will serve in this role until the next election for Single-Member District 3, which will be held on May 3, 2025.  

The BISD School Board welcomes Kenneth Schulte and looks forward to his contributions to advancing the district's mission of excellence in education.



Liz Cuellar

Liz Cuellar
Board Member

Email: [email protected]
Term Ends: May 2025

District 4 - [MAP]

Elizabeth (Liz) Cuellar was unanimously appointed to the BISD Board of Trustees in June 2018 and elected in June 2019.  District 4 encompasses much of the Freeport area and portions of Oyster Creek, Jones Creek and Surfside.

Liz is a graduate of BISD and has lived in the Brazosport area for more than 50 years. She and Reuben, her husband of thirty plus years, have three daughters and two sons who are all also graduates of BISD; and four grandchildren. For more than fifteen years, Cuellar has regularly volunteered on six different campuses within the district and was named Bess Brannen Elementary’s Volunteer of the Year for the 2016-2017 school year. 

“I have witnessed how unique each and every student is and how they are not only capable of learning, but also of succeeding,” Mrs.Cuellar stated.


“Helping to plan the education of our youth is not something I take lightly,” Cuellar explained in her application for the position. “I find satisfaction in energetically confronting tough challenges and working through them for a better outcome.” Mrs. Cuellar continues to volunteer and serve all students in BISD.

Thank you, Mrs. Liz Cuellar, for setting the course for educational excellence for all BISD students!
 


Chris Dunn
Chris Dunn
Board Member

Email: [email protected]
Term Ends: May 2025

District 5 - [MAP]

Chris Dunn took the oath of office during the June 17, 2019, regular board meeting. He is a product of BISD, graduating from Brazoswood High in 1980. He and his wife Sherry are the proud parents of two children, Cody and Haley, who are also graduates of Brazoswood High.

“I chose to run for Precinct 5 to support the community and district I’ve been blessed to live in for over 45 years,” he said.

Chris has worked for BASF in Freeport for more than 25 years and has served the community in numerous organizations and projects through this role. “I believe my life experiences and community involvement have prepared me to serve and support BISD to truly accomplish our mission statement to “graduate each student to be future-ready,” he shared.

“It’s an honor to serve and support BISD and the Brazosport community. No greater resource do we have than the youth of this community,” says Dunn.

Thank you, Mr. Chris Dunn, for setting the course for educational excellence for all BISD students!

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