Kevin O’Connor Kommentary January 27

Bryan ISD school board members fill the upcoming vacancy when assistant superintendent and chief financial officer Kevin Beesaw retires July 1. Beesaw has been in his current position since April 2018 and with BISD since 2012. Taking over is the CFO of the Natalia ISD southwest of San Antonio, Norma Friddle. Board members at Monday’s meeting (April 7) had no comments before or after the vote about Beesaw’s upcoming retirement or his successor. Click below to hear comments from the April 7, 2025 Bryan ISD school board meeting.   News release from Bryan ISD: At the April 7 Bryan ISD School Board Meeting, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved Norma Friddle as the new Assistant Superintendent of Business Services/Chief Financial Officer for Bryan ISD. Friddle comes to Bryan from Natalia ISD where she served as the CFO. Friddle began her career in school finance and business services in 2004 and has worked in finance and business services departments in districts of all sizes, including Del Valle ISD, Comal ISD, and Natalia ISD. She earned her Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2001. Friddle is a registered Texas School Business Administrator through the Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO) organization. She believes in continuing education and enjoys sharing her knowledge with staff to help her team grow professionally. “In school finance, our mission is to empower educators by providing the financial stability and resources needed to help students thrive. I’m excited to collaborate with the team in Bryan to support the district’s vision and drive meaningful outcomes for our schools and community,” Friddle said. Superintendent Ginger Carrabine shared that she is grateful for the current CFO, Kevin Beesaw, and commends his leadership in Bryan ISD as he transitions into retirement this summer. Carrabine expressed confidence with the selection process as there was a strong applicant pool, and Ms. Friddle was ultimately chosen. Noting that “Mrs. Friddle is coming to us with great knowledge and experience, she will be an asset to the Bryan ISD community.”

Bryan police being told where to find the person who took his weed eater and a jigsaw out of a storage shed leads to the suspect’s 40th trip to the Brazos County jail. 45 year old Earnest Warren III was charged with theft, evading arrest with prior convictions, and possession of drug paraphernalia for what happened last Thursday (April 3). Jail records show Warren is also being held as of April 8 for violating parole from an undisclosed prior conviction, four warrants for owing a total of $3,350 in fines and court costs from four district court cases, and a warrant accusing him of a theft in December 2024 which BPD arrest reports say occurred with nine prior convictions. Jail records also show Warren can pay $765 in two Bryan municipal court cases after he is released. Online records show Warren’s jail record dates back to 1999. A Bryan woman was booked at the Brazos County jail for the 60th time last Thursday (April 3). 54 year old Elizabeth Morrow is charged with stealing a wallet that the victim left behind at a convenience store last October. The Bryan police arrest report says Morrow was identified after an officer remembered the pink wrist wallet she had at the time of the theft was the same wallet she left behind at a dollar store five weeks later. The arrest report also says the BPD detective received information from a private investigator who was hired by the victim. As of April 8, Morrow is held in lieu of a $4,000 dollar bond. She was also held on warrants from two cases in Bryan municipal court for failing to pay $1,254.50 in fees and fines. But jail records say she was placed on community service. Online records show Morrow’s jail record dates back to 1989.

Bryan ISD school board members approve replacing the artificial turf at Merrill Green Stadium. The unanimous vote at Monday’s meeting (April 7) awarded a nearly $700,000 dollar contract that will be paid by remaining funds from the 2014 and 2019 bond issues. BISD athletic director Dereck Rush said administrators are still pursuing naming rights to offset the cost of the project. Rush said the project will start in June and will be completed in July. The new turf replaces what was installed in 2016. Rush says the life of the existing turf was shortened by the volume of games and events that are held at the stadium. Rush also said the three companies that submitted proposals did tests that showed the current surface failed a “softness” factor that figures into the safety of football players. Administrators also studied returning to a natural grass field. Rush said natural grass was too expensive to maintain and would limit use. Click below to hear comments from the April 7, 2025 Bryan ISD school board meeting. Listen to “Bryan ISD school board members approve replacing the turf at Merrill Green Stadium” on Spreaker. Original story, April 4, 2025: At the last Bryan ISD school board meeting (March 24), member David Stennis’s report of the last finance committee meeting included looking for the money to replace the Merrill Green Stadium artificial turf and possibly the lights. Click below to hear David Stennis’s comments from the March 24, 2025 Bryan ISD school board meeting.   The agenda for the next BISD board meeting (April 7), the agenda includes awarding a contract to replace the turf. The agenda does not identify the funding source for the $697,664 contract or any details of the contract. A Bryan ISD spokesman tells WTAW News “Pending Board approval, the district will be using remaining 2014 & 2019 bond funds.” Artificial turf was originally installed at the stadium in 2012.