TEMPLE, Texas — The Temple Independent School District’s Purchasing Department has been honored by the Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO) with a 2025 Award of Merit for Purchasing Operations. Temple ISD was one of just 80 educational organizations from across the state to be recognized with an Award of Merit.
The TASBO Award of Merit for Purchasing Operations is based on an application process that reviews submissions from education organizations covering eight different subject areas regarding their purchasing operations. Those topics range from everything from purchasing policies and procedures, to department organization, staffing, and certifications, to communications with both internal and external vendors, to the technology and software used in the department. Temple ISD’s purchasing department also worked closely with the district’s finance department on the application process. Volunteers with the TASBO Purchasing and Supply Management Research Committee evaluate the award criteria to ensure that it represents the latest best practices. That group then reviews new and recertification applications to select the qualifiers for the Award of Merit. For 2025, only 80 recipients, including Temple ISD, met the stringent criteria to qualify for the award.
“It is very rewarding to be recognized with the Award of Merit because it shows the community that we are being good stewards of the tax dollars that support our schools,” said Marc Floyd, purchasing coordinator for Temple ISD. “It also shows that we are following all the state, federal, and local policies when it comes to purchasing. We work to get the best value for the district to make sure that we are stretching our budgets as far as possible. TASBO has a good network to help you share best practices and has mentors you can reach out to for help. It means a lot to have peers review our application and make good comments, and that lets us know that we are doing things the right way when it comes to purchasing and warehouse operations.”
This the first time the Temple ISD purchasing department has been recognized with the TASBO Award of Merit. The Temple ISD purchasing department is comprised of Floyd, Jennifer Kincaid – purchasing specialist, Todd Copeland – warehouse specialist and courier, and Samuel Santos – warehouse specialist.
“I am very proud of our purchasing department for earning such a significant state-wide honor,” said Brandy Stanford, chief financial officer for Temple schools. “The team works hard to follow the best practices and has solidified our policies and procedures. It is so important to make the best use of taxpayer dollars, and this recognition helps underscore our commitment to maximizing our purchasing power and fiscal responsibility.”
The Award of Merit was established in 2009 to recognize Texas school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, and education services centers that are committed to following professional standards in the acquisition of goods and services. The Temple ISD Purchasing Department was honored at an awards reception on Wednesday (February 26) in Austin during the 2025 TASBO Annual Conference. The department will also be recognized at the TISD school board meeting on March 17th.