The Tyler ISD Board of Trustees kicked off its first regular meeting of the school year Monday with a packed house as it recognized teachers and students.

The board honored the nine students who participated in the 2016 Lone Star Leadership Academy, as well as the campuses that earned distinctions in the recent Texas Education Agency’s Accountability Ratings.

Hubbard Middle School teacher Peggy Leonard was honored as the district’s teacher of the month. Leonard has served as a home economics teacher for more than 40 years at Hubbard Middle School.

Hall, Buick and GMC donated $5,000 to the Tyler ISD Communications Department. The auto dealer sponsors the district’s Gary Mooring Award, which honors an exemplary employee of the district each year at convocation. This year’s winner was Caldwell Elementary Arts Academy teacher Kathy Haley.

The board also voted to demolish the district’s old aquatic center.

With the district’s new facility opening last Sunday, the board felt the facility had exceeded its life cycle and the move was necessary to negate liability at the site, which sits at 5201 New Copeland Road.

The district voted to approve Barr-G’s winning bid of $41,750 for the project. The demolition will take place within 35 days.

The board also approved a motion to request class size waivers for some of the district’s elementary school classrooms, which exceeded the Texas Education Agency ratio of 22 students per teacher.

The district had attempted to eliminate overages, but fell just short of its goal, officials said.

Eight classes were over by a total of nine students altogether, compared to 28 classes over by 56 students this time last year.

Twitter: @TMT_Cory