>> GOOD MORNING. THIS MEETING IS NOW CONVENED.
[Call to Order]
[00:00:03]
THE TIME IS 9:15 AM.BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT IN THE BOARD AUDITORIUM ARE TRUSTEE SANG, TRUSTEE HERNANDEZ, TRUSTEE ALLEN, TRUSTEE SANTOS, AND TRUSTEE DEIGAARD.
I WOULD LIKE TO ASK EVERYONE TO PLEASE SILENCE ALL CELL PHONES.
OUR FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS TO HEAR FROM SPEAKERS TO SPECIFIC AGENDA ITEMS. HOWEVER, THERE ARE NO SPEAKERS TODAY.
WE WILL NOW MOVE TO THE HEARING PORTION OF OUR MEETING.
[DISPUTE RESOLUTION HEARING, JAMES WILMORE, FORMER OFFICER, POLICE DEPARTMENT]
THE PURPOSE OF THIS MEETING IS TO CONSIDER THE DISPUTE FILED BY JAMES WILMORE, FORMER POLICE OFFICER IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.HEARINGS INVOLVING COMPLAINTS AGAINST DISTRICT EMPLOYEES ARE TO BE HELD IN CLOSED SESSION UNLESS THE EMPLOYEE WHO IS THE SUBJECT OF THE HEARING REQUEST AN OPEN HEARING.
IF BOTH PARTIES REQUEST AN OPEN SESSION DURING THIS HEARING, THE BOARD MAY GO INTO CLOSED SESSION TO CONSULT WITH ITS ATTORNEY UNDER THE TERMS OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTIONS 551.071.
IF ANY BOARD MEMBER WISHES TO SEEK ADVICE OF COUNSEL, PLEASE MAKE THIS REQUEST KNOWN TO ME.
FOR THE RECORD BRIDGETT BRUMBAUGH WITH THE COMBINED LAW ENFORCEMENT S ASSOCIATIONS OF TEXAS, WHICH IS CLEAT REPRESENTING JAMES WILMORE IS PRESENT.
PAUL LAMP WITH KBS LAW GROUP, REPRESENTING THE ADMINISTRATION IS PRESENT.
ELNEITA HUTCHINS-TAYLOR HISD GENERAL COUNSEL, IS PRESENT.
LISA MCBRIDE FROM THE FIRM OF THOMPSON AND HORTON LLP, IS PRESENT TO ADVISE THE BOARD.
IF ANY PARTIES ARE NOT INVOLVED IN THIS HEARING, YOU MAY LEAVE THE AUDITORIUM AT THIS TIME.
THE BOARD WILL NOW ADJOURN TO CLOSE SESSION UNDER CHAPTER 551 OF TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, OPEN MEETINGS ACT, SUBSECTIONS 551.004,.071,.072,.073,.074,.076,.082,.0821,.083,.084, AND.089.
SHOULD BOARD FINAL ACTION VOTE OR DECISION ON ANY MATTER CONSIDERED IN THE CLOSED SESSION BE REQUIRED SUCH FINAL ACTION VOTE OR DECISION SHALL BE TAKEN AT THE OPEN MEETING COVERED BY THIS NOTICE UPON THE RECONVENING OF THIS PUBLIC MEETING OR AT A SUBSEQUENT MEETING OF THE BOARD UNDER NOTICE THEREOF.
THE BOARD HAS ADJOURN TO CLOSE SESSION AT 9:18 AM.
WE'VE CONVENED IN OPEN SESSION THE TIME IS NOW 9:43 AM. DO I HAVE A MOTION?
>> I MOVE THAT WE UPHOLD THE DECISION OF THE HEARING OFFICER AND DENY THE GRIEVANCE.
>> WE HAVE A MOTION BY TRUSTEE HERNANDEZ AND A SECOND BY TRUSTEE SANG. PLEASE VOTE.
>> FIVE, FOUR, AND TWO ABSTAIN.
A LETTER NOTIFYING BOTH PARTIES OF THE ACTION OF THE BOARD SHALL BE PREPARED AND SIGNED BY THE DIRECTOR OF BOARD SERVICES AS SOON AS IS PRACTICAL.
THE HEARING IS CONCLUDED AT 9:44 AM.
TRUSTEES, WE WILL NOW RECEIVE A PRESENTATION.
[SUPERINTENDENT’S UPDATE ON 100 DAY REPORT]
SUPERINTENDENT'S UPDATE ON 100-DAY REPORT.SUPERINTENDENT HOUSE, PLEASE BEGIN YOUR UPDATE.
FIRST THING I'D LIKE TO DO IS JUST INDICATE THAT I'M EXTREMELY EXCITED AND PROUD TO BE THE SUPERINTENDENT OF HISD OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST 100 DAYS IS A REFLECTION OF THAT.
[00:05:01]
THE SLIDES THAT I'M ABOUT TO GO THROUGH, YOU RECEIVED INFORMATION IN REFERENCE TO THIS REPORT.I BELIEVE DURING OUR LAST BOARD MEETING, YOU GUYS WERE THE FIRST TO HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT THIS REPORT AND WHAT THE FINDINGS WERE ALL ABOUT.
AS YOU'LL SEE. SEE IF I CAN GET MY SLIDES WORK HERE.
THERE WE GO. AFTER 100 DAYS AS SUPERINTENDENT HERE IN HISD, OF COURSE, WE WANTED TO SHARE WHAT WE'VE COLLECTIVELY ACCOMPLISHED AND WHAT WE'VE HEARD AND LEARNED FROM ENGAGING WITH OUR COMMUNITY.
WHAT WE'LL FOCUS ON IMMEDIATELY AND OVER THE YEARS TO COME TO MAKE HISD, THE DISTRICT THAT PROVIDES ALL STUDENTS WITH AN EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE.
I JOINED HISD KNOWING THAT WHILE MANY AMAZING THINGS WERE HAPPENING IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, THERE ARE ALSO AREAS WHERE WE CAN AND MUST DO BETTER FOR OUR CHILDREN AND OUR FAMILIES.
AS A FORMER ATHLETE, I HAVE AN INHERENT DESIRE TO WIN.
I KNOW MANY OF YOU, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU WERE ATHLETE OR NOT, YOU WANT TO WIN AND YOU WANT TO WIN FOR CHILDREN.
THAT'S WHY WE ARE THE TEAM OF TEEN.
I WANT TO WORK WITH THE HISD TEEN, PARENTS, YOU ALL AS A BOARD AND TRUSTEES TO ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENTS, WIN BY RECEIVING THAT ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL AND THE SUPPORTS NEEDED TO THRIVE AND BECOME COLLEGE AND CAREER-READY.
THIS REPORT WILL BEGIN WITH HIGHLIGHTING WHAT WE'VE ALREADY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACCOMPLISH IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
WE'LL THEN SUMMARIZE WHAT WE'VE HEARD AND LEARNED ABOUT THE DISTRICT THROUGH A DEEP DIVE IN TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT WITH STUDENTS, PARENTS, STAFF, AND COMMUNITY.
LASTLY, IT WILL HIGHLIGHT THE CRITICAL DISTRICT PRIORITIES I'VE DEVELOPED THROUGH SUCH ENGAGEMENT THAT WILL SERVE AS THE CORNERSTONE FOR ALL OF OUR EFFORTS MOVING FORWARD.
WE SAFELY OF COURSE, REOPENED A SCHOOL DISTRICT OF NOW 194,000, APPROXIMATELY 500 STUDENTS FOR IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION.
WE DID THAT, OF COURSE, WE'LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A VERY LOW COVID POSITIVITY RATE.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THE RATE THERE WAS 0.21 WHICH WAS ONE OF THE LOWER RATES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
WE ALSO DEVELOPED AND LAUNCHED A VIRTUAL SCHOOL OPTION FOR OVER 23,000 STUDENTS WHO HAVE COMPROMISED IMMUNE SYSTEMS. WE STARTED THE SCHOOL YEAR WITH MORE CERTIFIED TEACHERS THAN WE'VE HAD IN QUITE SOME TIME, THROUGH A BOLD MOVE AND DEPLOYMENT OF MANY CENTRAL OFFICE EMPLOYEES TO THE SCHOOLS THAT WE NEEDED THEM.
WE DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED A STUDENT RE-ENGAGEMENT PLAN, WHICH YOU-ALL ARE AWARE OF THAT ALLOWED FOR US TO BRING BACK OVER 18,000 STUDENTS IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BETWEEN THE TIME SCHOOL STARTED AND WHERE WE ARE PRESENTLY.
THIS HAS BEEN A VERY EXCITING SCHOOL YEAR SO FAR AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO ENGAGE.
EVEN ENGAGE WITH OUR TEACHERS ASSOCIATIONS IN REFERENCE TO A PHONE BANK THAT THEY PUT TOGETHER AND SUPPORTED IT.
ENGAGEMENT HAS BEEN A MAJOR PORTION OF WHAT WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO.
WE'VE ALSO UTILIZED FEDERAL COVID DOLLARS THAT YOU ALL ARE AWARE AND WAYS TO SUPPORT BOTH STUDENTS SAFETY, LEARNING, AND WELL-BEING.
THIS HAS INCLUDED EXPANDING OUR TUTORIAL SERVICES ACROSS ALL SCHOOLS, INVESTING IN ADDITIONAL COUNSELORS, WRAP AROUND SPECIALISTS, AND PROVIDING ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO STUDENTS WITH THE GREATEST NEEDS.
WE'VE ALSO BEGUN THE PROCESS OF TRANSITIONING TO A NEW APPRAISAL SYSTEM/EVALUATION SYSTEM.
THIS PARTICULAR SYSTEM WILL HELP INCREASE THE CAPACITY OF OUR EDUCATORS AND HAVE A DIRECT AND POSITIVE IMPACT ON OUR STUDENTS LEARNING.
WE'VE ALSO ENLISTED THE SUPPORT OF PHILANTHROPIC IN SOME OF THE NATION'S TOP EXPERTS TO HELP US EFFECTIVELY PLAN AND IMPROVE AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM.
THESE EXPERTS ARE HELPING US EVALUATE AND IMPROVE IN AREAS LIKE SPECIAL EDUCATION, CURRICULUM, FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, HR, FINANCE, AND OTHERS, AS WELL.
AS YOU ALL KNOW MOST RECENTLY, EVEN THOUGH I THINK WE MADE AN OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT YESTERDAY.
BUT WE'VE COMPLETED THE CIRCLE OF BRINGING OUR CABINET TOGETHER AND I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE TALENT THAT WE'VE BROUGHT ONTO THIS TEAM TO MAKE
[00:10:01]
A CABINET THAT I BELIEVE IS ONE OF THE STRONGEST IN THE NATION.DURING MY FIRST 100 DAYS AS HISD SUPERINTENDENT, I SOUGHT AS MANY OPPORTUNITIES AS POSSIBLE TO HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY AND LEARN ABOUT CURRENT ISSUES AND THE FUTURE ASPIRATIONS FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
I DID THIS BY VISITING SEVERAL DIFFERENT CAMPUSES ACROSS HOUSTON, MANY DIVERSE COMMUNITIES TO SEE FIRSTHAND THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE UP AGAINST ON A DAILY BASIS.
I PARTICIPATED IN DIFFERENT FOCUS GROUPS, MEETINGS WITH STUDENTS, PARENTS, TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS, TO UNDERSTAND THEIR EXPERIENCES AND HOPE FOR THE DISTRICT TO DO BETTER.
I ALSO HOSTED 16 DIFFERENT TOWN HALLS ACROSS THE CITY TO GET CANDID FEEDBACK REGARDING WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT AND WHAT NEEDS TO IMPROVE AS WELL.
IN ADDITION, I MET WITH COMMUNITY LEADERS SPANNING MULTIPLE DIFFERENT SECTORS, INCLUDING GOVERNMENT, BUSINESS, RELIGION, NON-PROFIT, TO HEAR THEIR PERSPECTIVE AS WELL.
HERE ARE THE THINGS I HEARD AND LEARNT FROM THE BROAD ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE THERE WERE DIFFERENT THEMES THAT CAME OUT DURING THAT TIME.
PARENTS AND STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY, HIGHLY PRIORITIZE AND DESIRED CARRYING AND EFFECTIVE, ENGAGING EDUCATORS, AS WELL AS SUPPORT STAFF.
THE NEED TO DEVELOP AND RECRUIT AND RETAIN EFFECTIVE TEACHERS, PRINCIPALS, AND SUPPORT STAFF WAS OFTEN CITED OVER AND OVER AS BEING EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND SOMETHING THAT THE DISTRICT SHOULD AND NEEDS TO FOCUS ON.
THERE'S A WIDESPREAD DESIRE AND IMPERATIVE IDEA TO STRENGTHEN TEACHING AND LEARNING AT ALL SCHOOLS, THE QUALITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING VARIES GREATLY ACROSS THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
THERE'S A DIFFERENCE IN CURRICULUM TESTING AND CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION THAT'S LEADING TO INEQUITABLE ACADEMIC OUTCOMES, ESPECIALLY FOR CHILDREN WHO ATTEND MORE THAN ONE HISD SCHOOL OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, THAT CONSISTENCY IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO FOCUS MOVING FORWARD.
THE COMMUNITY IS VERY PROUD AND SUPPORTIVE OF IT'S HIGHLY ACCLAIMED SCHOOLS AND MAGNET PROGRAMS. BUT THERE'S A DESIRE AND NEED FOR MORE HIGH PERFORMING SCHOOLS AND SPECIALTY PROGRAMS. ESPECIALLY IN UNDESERVED COMMUNITIES.
I HEARD THAT OVER AND OVER IN OUR LISTENING ALARMS AND FEEDBACK THAT I RECEIVED, MANY PARENTS AND STUDENTS EXPRESS THAT WHILE THE DISTRICT HAS VERY HIGH PERFORMING SCHOOLS AND SPECIALTY PROGRAMS, THERE ARE AREAS IN THE COMMUNITY WHERE THESE PROGRAMS AND SCHOOLS DO NOT EXIST.
THE DISTRICT OFFERS A WIDE PORTFOLIO OF SERVICES AND RESOURCES FOR OUR STUDENTS.
BUT THESE ARE IN MANY WAYS INEQUITABLE IN TERMS OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF THOSE SCHOOLS ACROSS OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
STUDENT AND FAMILY EXPERIENCES IS VERY DIFFERENT ACROSS CAMPUSES AND NEIGHBORHOODS.
THIS INCLUDES THE FUNDAMENTAL SERVICES LIKE FACILITIES WE'VE HEARD ABOUT LIBRARIES WE'VE HEARD ABOUT THE SOCIAL AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.
WE'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT FINE ARTS, EXTRA CURRICULAR, AND ACCESS TO ADVANCED COURSES.
MANY FAMILIES WHO HAVE CHILDREN WITH EXCEPTIONAL NEEDS, WHICH I THINK EACH OF YOU ARE AWARE OF. WE'RE FRUSTRATED.
THEY SHARED MANY OF THOSE FRUSTRATIONS IN ONE PARTICULAR TOWN HALL THAT WE HAD.
WE KNOW THAT STUDENTS WITH EXCEPTIONAL NEEDS INCLUDE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS AS WELL, THAT ARE NOT REALIZING THEIR FULL ACADEMIC POTENTIAL WITHOUT THE NECESSARY SUPPORT AND NEEDS THAT WE NEED TO PROVIDE.
SOME OF THESE STORIES I HEARD FROM PARENTS AND STUDENTS WERE UPLIFTING AND INSPIRING, SIMILAR TO MY OWN STORY.
WHILE OTHERS WERE HEARTBREAKING AND EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO HEAR WITH MY OWN EARS.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE A FOCUS AND WILL BE A FOCUS.
NOW AS YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN RIGHT NOW, I'M A DISTRICT LEADER THAT IS EXTREMELY EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE FOLLOWING FIVE PRIORITIES WILL GUIDE AND SHAPE OUR DECISIONS, OUR ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES, OUR ACTIONS MOVING FORWARD.
THESE PRIORITIES ARE THE DIRECT REFLECTION AND RESPONSE TO WHAT I'VE LEARNED AND HEARD STUDENTS, PARENTS, COMMUNITY, YOU, OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST 100 DAYS.
THE FIRST ONE ON THE FAR LEFT-HAND SIDE ON THE SCREEN IS CULTIVATING WORLD-CLASS TALENT.
[00:15:03]
THE SECOND ONE IS PROVIDING EQUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES AT EVERY SCHOOL.NUMBER 3, PROMOTING HIGH-QUALITY TEACHING AND LEARNING.
ENSURING GREAT SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMS ARE IN EVERY COMMUNITY.
THEN FINALLY, DELIVERING EFFECTIVE SERVICES AND SUPPORTS TO STUDENTS WITH EXCEPTIONAL NEEDS.
NOW CULTIVATING WORLD-CLASS TALENT, I'LL TOUCH ON EACH ONE OF THESE JUST FOR A SECOND.
WE PLAN ON IMPLEMENTING AN AMBITIOUS COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY TO RECRUIT, DEVELOP, AND RETAIN EFFECTIVE AND CARING TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS, AS WELL AS SUPPORT STAFF.
BUT A LOT OF TIMES, SCHOOL SYSTEMS CAN LEAVE OUT THE IDEA OF SUPPORT STAFF.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COVER THE GAMUT AND THAT THE DEVELOPMENT THAT WE FOCUS ON IN TERMS OF THIS PARTICULAR PRIORITY IS COMPREHENSIVELY INCLUDING OUR SUPPORT STAFF AS WELL.
THE SECOND PRIORITY HERE, AS YOU'LL SEE, PROVIDING AN EQUITABLE OPPORTUNITY RESOURCES AT EVERY SCHOOL.
WE WILL MOST DEFINITELY ENSURE THAT EVERY SCHOOL PROVIDES AN EQUITABLE FAMILY AND STUDENT CORE EXPERIENCED THAT SUPPORTS THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WHOLE CHILD.
THERE WE GO. PROMOTING HIGH-QUALITY TEACHING AND LEARNING, OF COURSE IS THE THIRD HERE.
OUR PLAN IS TO PROVIDE ENGAGING AND RIGOROUS CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION THAT BOLSTERS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE PERIOD.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE STRONG CURRICULUM, YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOLID TEACHING AND LEARNING TO ENSURE THAT STUDENTS GET EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEED IN ORDER TO PERFORM.
BEFORE HERE, OUR PLAN IS TO ACCELERATE IN THIS PRIORITY STUDENT PERFORMANCE THROUGH BOLD INNOVATIVE ACTIONS AND PERSISTENTLY UNDER PERFORMING SCHOOLS.
WE WILL BE TAKING SOME ACTIONS IN REFERENCE TO SOME OF OUR LOWEST PERFORMING SCHOOL.
I'M EXCITED, WE'VE GOT SOME OF THAT PLANNING AND SOME OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS UNDERWAY ALREADY AND I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT MOVING FORWARD WITH SOME BOLD ACTIONS THAT SOMEONE AGREE WITH.
BUT I'M ONE THAT FEELS LIKE IF YOU STAND IDLE AND DO THE SAME THING, YOU CAN'T MAKE THE PROGRESS THAT YOU NEED TO MAKE FOR CHILDREN.
DELIVERING, OF COURSE, EFFECTIVE SERVICES AROUND SPECIAL NEEDS OR EXCEPTIONAL NEEDS STUDENTS.
PLAN HERE IS TO IMPLEMENT HIGHLY-QUALITY SYSTEMS AND SERVICES THAT INCREASE ACHIEVEMENT FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIALIZED NEEDS.
INCLUDING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES OR THAT ARE ON IEPS.
NOW LOOKING AHEAD, I'M VERY CONFIDENT THAT BY FOCUSING ON THESE FIVE PRIORITIES, WE WILL BECOME A BETTER SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT PROVIDES ITS STUDENTS AND FAMILIES WITH AN OUTSTANDING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY THAT THEY NEED AND THAT THEY DESERVE.
AS WE LOOK AHEAD, I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO COLLABORATE WITH THE COMMUNITY AND IN MY TEAM TO DEVELOP A STRATEGIC PLAN THAT THAT I PLAN TO SHARE IN MARCH OF THIS COMING YEAR.
THIS PLAN WILL PROVIDE US WITH A BLUEPRINT FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
THIS PLAN WILL BE A MULTI-YEAR PLAN THAT WILL FOCUS ON THE NEXT FIVE YEARS AND WILL OUTLINE THE MAJOR ACTIONS WE WILL TAKE TO ADVANCE EACH OF THE DISTRICT PRIORITIES.
WE'VE ALREADY MOVED FORWARD TO PUT TOGETHER A AN OWNER OF EACH PRIORITY AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL.
I'VE ALREADY HAD, I THINK SIX OR SEVEN MEETINGS TO START FOCUSING ON WHAT THESE OWNERS OF THE PRIORITIES WE'LL FOCUS ON.
AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THIS PLANNING LOOKS LIKE.
I ENCOURAGE THE COMMUNITY TO CONTINUE TO BE ENGAGED AS WE DEVELOP A BLUEPRINT.
I ASK THAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT MAY BE LISTENING.
REALLY TAKE A LOOK AT THIS PLAN AND PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INSIGHT TO SURVEY THAT WE'VE PUT OUT THERE THAT CAN BE ACCESSED AT WWW.HOUSTONISD.ORG/PROGRESS.
THE LAST THING I WANT TO MENTION IS JUST MY SINCERE THANKS.
I HAD A CHANCE OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS TO ADDRESS THE MEDIA AROUND WITH IT.
THERE WAS PROBABLY THREE VERY COMMON QUESTIONS THAT CAME UP DURING THAT TIME.
ONE OF THEM HAD TO DO MASK AND THE OTHER ONE HAD TO DO WITH LIBRARY BOOKS.
THE THIRD HAD TO DO WITH HOW'S YOUR BOARD AND HOW IS YOUR BOARD DOING? I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT SINCE JULY 1 TO THIS POINT,
[00:20:02]
I'M VERY ENCOURAGED AROUND THE WORK, AROUND THE FOCUS THAT WE HAVE AS A TEAM OF 10.THIS PODIUM MAY HAVE BEEN TURNED THE OTHER WAY.
ON JULY THE 1ST WHEN YOU ALL ACCEPTED ME AS A SUPERINTENDENT IN THIS DISTRICT.
BUT IT'S TURNED THIS WAY FOR A REASON.
I WANTED TO COME AND HAVE THIS CONVERSATION IN FRONT OF YOU FOR A REASON.
BECAUSE I'M JUST AS ENCOURAGED AS I WAS ON JULY 1 AS I AM RIGHT NOW.
I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO WORK AS A TEAM OF 10.
ALL OF US GETTING BETTER, ALL OF US CONTINUING TO GROW, AND ALL OF US DOING THE WORK THAT WE NEED TO DO FOR THE CHILDREN IN HISD. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU, MR. HOUSE. TRUSTEES, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE LOG INTO THE QUEUE.
WE WILL DO OUR USUAL TWO ROUNDS FOR TWO MINUTES WITH THE OPTION OF A THIRD ROUND WITH A MOTION SECOND AND A VOTE.
>> THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT HOUSE.
I REALLY APPRECIATE HEARING THE DIRECTION THAT YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE OUR DISTRICT AND WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED SO FAR.
THE FIRST ONE, ON ONE OF THE SLIDES YOU TALKED ABOUT ACCELERATING STUDENTS' PERFORMANCE AT OUR HISTORICALLY STRUGGLING CAMPUSES.
ARE YOU ALSO GOING TO BE, IN THAT BRACKET, INCLUDING STUDENTS WHO ARE PERFORMING BEHIND GRADE LEVEL, BUT THAT ARE IN CAMPUSES THAT AREN'T LOW-PERFORMING?
>> ABSOLUTELY. I THINK THAT'S A PART OF WHAT WE'RE DOING IN OUR ESSER WORK.
TO GIVE AN EXAMPLE, MY SON IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
HE'S AT A CAMPUS THAT HAS DONE VERY WELL, BUT THERE ARE SOME AREAS WHERE HE STRUGGLED AS WELL.
BUT HE'S HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE OF THE ESSER DOLLARS THAT HAD BEEN PROVIDED TO GET TUTORING ON EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY.
I'M ACTUALLY PICKING HIM UP ONE DAY A WEEK, SHARING THAT DUTY AND RESPONSIBILITY WITH MY WIFE.
THAT OPPORTUNITY IS AT EVERY SCHOOL AND IN ONE OF THE PIECES THAT YOU SAW ON THE PRESENTATION WAS HOW WE'RE DEPLOYING THOSE ESSER DOLLARS TO ENSURE THAT ALL STUDENTS, NOT JUST STUDENTS AT OUR LOWEST-PERFORMING SCHOOLS ARE RECEIVING SUPPORT SERVICES, BECAUSE, UNFORTUNATELY, THE PANDEMIC PRESENTED A SITUATION WHERE REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU WERE AT A LOW-PERFORMING SCHOOL OR HIGH-PERFORMANCE SCHOOL, IT PRESENTED A SITUATION WHERE YOU DEFINITELY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET BEHIND.
WE ARE CONTINUING OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT TWO-PLUS YEARS, TWO AND A HALF YEARS, THOSE SERVICES WILL BE IN PLACE TO HELP CLOSE THAT LEARNING GAP.
>> THANK YOU. I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT.
I JUST THINK IT'S ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO BE MINDFUL THAT THERE CAN BE STUDENTS THAT ARE NOT SEEN, THAT EVEN WITHOUT COVID WE'RE BEHIND AND WEREN'T GETTING THE SUPPORTS THAT THEY NEEDED, AND THAT WE ARE FOCUSED ON STUDENTS AND NOT JUST SCHOOLS AND THE OUTCOMES OF OUR CHILDREN.
>> MY SECOND QUESTION IS EXPANDING CHOICES IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES.
I'M REALLY GLAD THAT THAT IS GOING TO BE A PRIORITY IN THIS PLAN AND I'M CURIOUS HOW YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT APPROACHING THIS.
I RECOGNIZE YOUR STRATEGIC PLAN IS NOT COMPLETE, BUT JUST GIVE GETTING A GLIMPSE INTO THE THOUGHT PROCESS ON THIS.
WE HAVE BEEN LOSING STUDENTS TO OTHER SYSTEMS, WHETHER IT'S OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS, CHARTER SCHOOLS, AND EVEN WITHIN COMMUNITIES WHERE THERE'S BEEN DECLINING ENROLLMENT TO MAGNET SCHOOLS ACROSS THE DISTRICT.
SO, IS YOUR APPROACH TO REVITALIZING AND EXPANDING CHOICES GOING TO BE A TOP-DOWN APPROACH OF THIS IS WHAT WE AT THE ADMINISTRATIVE LEVEL THINK IS NEEDED HERE AND THEN MARKET IT TO FAMILIES, OR ARE YOU GOING TO BE WORKING WITH FAMILIES THAT WE'VE LOST, WHO ARE MAKING THESE OTHER CHOICES, WHO ARE SENDING THEIR CHILDREN TO SCHOOL ACROSS TOWN, OR GOING TO A CHARTER [NOISE] SCHOOL TO ATTRACT THEM BACK? WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR FROM HISD TO ATTRACT BACK?
IT'S FOCUSED ON WHERE WE'RE LACKING IN TERMS OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES FOR KIDS [NOISE].
I RESONATE SO WELL BACK AND I CAN'T REMEMBER THE MOTHER'S NAME THAT HAD OUR DAUGHTER THERE WITH HER AT ONE OF THE HIGH SCHOOLS AND SAID SHE TRAVELS AN HOUR PLUS ONE WAY TO GET HER KID TO SCHOOL BECAUSE THIS PARTICULAR SCHOOL ALIGN TO WHAT HER CHILD NEEDED.
THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO CHANGE.
ALL OF THE ABOVE, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THE NEEDS ARE AND MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A BETTER EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF WHAT OUR PROGRAMS AND SCHOOLS LOOK LIKE.
[00:25:06]
>> [NOISE] THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT HOUSE.
JUST ECHOING TRUSTEE DEIGAARD, I DO SHARE A CONCERN.
I THINK IN THE PAST THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF TOP-DOWN APPROACH TO NEW PROGRAMS, NEW MAGNETS AND IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY YIELD THE FRUITS THAT WE'RE NECESSARILY LOOKING FOR.
I WANTED TO ASK, WHAT ARE THE METRICS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT? CAN WE GET ON THE SLIDE, THE FIVE PARTIES? SORRY, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE A PRINTOUT OF THIS, RIGHT?
>> JUST WHERE YOU HAVE THE FIVE.
>> WE CAN SEE MORE. YEAH, RIGHT THERE.
THANK YOU. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO KNOW THAT YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED WHAT YOU'VE SET OUT TO ACCOMPLISH?
>> WE WILL BE SETTING UP SOME METRICS AS WELL.
WE'RE WORKING CLOSELY WITH A TECHNICAL PROVIDER THAT HAS HELPED US GATHER A LOT OF THE DATA OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST 100 DAYS.
TO HELP US GET TO THAT POINT, WE'LL BE WORKING WITH THAT TECHNICAL PROVIDER ON HOW WE MEASURE.
WE ALSO HAVE A DEPARTMENT IN THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT TAKES A LOOK AT PROGRAMS AS WELL.
SO, BETWEEN THE TWO, WE WILL HAVE A WAY TO BE ABLE TO MEASURE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF WHAT WE'RE DOING SPECIFIC AROUND THESE PARTICULAR PRIORITIES.
>> THANK YOU. I SHOULD HAVE PUT SLIDE NUMBERS ON MY NOTES.
>> JUST BACK TO PRIORITY 4 AND I KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING TRUSTEE DEIGAARD RAISED, ENSURING GREAT SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMS IN EVERY COMMUNITY.
I GUESS IF YOU CAN ELABORATE MORE ON HOW YOU ENVISION THAT, BECAUSE WE'VE HAD A MASS EXODUS IN CERTAIN POCKETS OF THE CITY, EITHER PHYSICALLY MOVING OUT OF THE DISTRICT OR JUST CHOOSING OTHER SCHOOLS.
WHAT'S GOING TO BE THE DRIVER TO BRING THEM BACK? WHAT DO YOU ENVISION?
>> I WANT TO PREFER SOMETHING THAT TRUSTEE DEIGAARD HAD INDICATED EARLIER.
WE GOT TO THIS PARTICULAR POINT SIMPLY BECAUSE OF WHAT I'VE HEARD, WHAT I'VE GATHERED OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST 100 DAYS, BUT THE WORK HAS RECENTLY STARTED, SO WE DON'T HAVE THE PLANS TO SHARE WITH YOU TODAY.
I THINK IT WOULD HAVE TRULY BEEN A TOP-DOWN APPROACH TO BE ABLE TO TAKE WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IN 100 DAYS AND PUT TOGETHER A PLAN.
WE NEEDED TO DEVELOP PRIORITIES AROUND EXACTLY WHAT THE NEEDS ARE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PLANNING.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING AT THIS JUNCTURE.
WE HAVE A MAP NOW WITH ALL OF THE BOLDED PRIORITIES AT THE TOP.
NOW WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND MAP THIS TRIP OUT OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FEW MONTHS UNTIL MARCH.
I KNOW THERE MAY BE OTHER QUESTIONS AROUND HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO CERTAIN THINGS BUT THAT'S WHY WE HAVE AN OWNER OF EACH PRIORITY THAT WE'VE ASSIGNED.
THAT OWNER WILL WORK WITH THEIR PARTICULAR ASSIGNED CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAMS TO ENSURE THAT WE DEVELOP THE BEST PLAN MOVING FORWARD FOR EACH ONE OF THESE PRIORITIES.
>> THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT.
HOW LONG WILL THIS SURVEY BE OPEN?
>> IT WILL CLOSE AFTER NEXT FRIDAY.
SO NOT FRIDAY BECAUSE OF THANKSGIVING BUT THE WEEK AFTER.
>> OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THOSE WERE MY QUESTIONS.
>> THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT HOUSE FOR THESE UPDATES.
REALLY EXCITING TO SEE THE PROGRESS THAT YOU'VE MADE OVER THE LAST 100 DAYS AND EXCITED FOR WHERE WE'RE HEADED.
MY FIRST QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH OUR BOARD GOALS.
WHEN YOU CAME TO THIS DISTRICT, WE SHOULD REVIEW OUR BOARD GOALS AND OUR SUPERINTENDENT CONSTRAINTS, AND WE HAD GONE THROUGH OUR OWN PROCESS IN 2020 TO CREATE AND TO UPDATE THOSE GOALS AND CONSTRAINTS FOR WHICH WE HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE.
I'M WONDERING NOW THAT YOU'VE DONE YOUR OWN INVESTIGATION AND YOU'VE LAID OUT YOUR OWN PRIORITIES, HOW DO YOU SEE THESE AS ALIGNED TO THE GOALS THAT WE'VE LAID OUT FOR YOU? DO YOU FEEL THAT OUR GOALS THAT THE BOARD HAS SET ARE ALSO FOCUSED ON WHAT WE NEED TO BE FOCUSED ON IN TERMS OF EDUCATION IN THIS DISTRICT?
>> TO ANSWER THE LAST PORTION OF YOUR QUESTION FIRST, I DO BELIEVE THE GOALS ARE ALIGNED TO WHAT WE SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON AND AS KIDS, WE SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON IMPROVING THE EXPERIENCE FOR OUR CHILDREN AND OUR FAMILIES.
I DO BELIEVE, TO GO BACK TO THE FIRST PORTION OF YOUR QUESTION,
[00:30:01]
THAT THESE PRIORITIES ARE IN STRONG ALIGNMENT WITH THOSE GOALS.THEY FEEL GOOD TO ME. I THINK THEY'RE FOCUSED ON WHAT WE SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON.
THEY'RE FOCUSED ON THE ISSUES THAT WE'VE SEEN, THEY'RE FOCUSED ON THE HISTORICAL PROBLEMS THAT HAVE CONTINUED TO EXACERBATE OVER THE COURSE OF TIME.
>> PRETTY GOOD. THANK YOU. I DO AS WELL.
I SEE THAT THESE PRIORITIES ARE GOING TO TAKE US TO WHERE WE NEED TO BE IN TERMS OF ACHIEVING THESE GOALS. THANK YOU.
MY SECOND QUESTION IS YOU MENTIONED CONSULTANTS, PART PARTNERS THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY TO HELP US TO THINK ABOUT THESE PRIORITIES AND DEVELOP OUR PLAN.
CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT WHO YOU'RE WORKING WITH AND WHY YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE WITH THEM?
>> ONE OF THE ONES SPECIFICALLY THAT I'VE BEEN REALLY ENCOURAGED ABOUT THE FEEDBACK, WHICH IS GROUP THAT WE REALLY NEEDED TO GET INVOLVED WITH PRETTY QUICK WAS SPED STRATEGIES.
THEY'RE ORGANIZATION THAT HAS SOME RICH HISTORY, ESPECIALLY IN THE TURNAROUND EFFORT WITH THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
THE TWO OWNERS OF THAT COMPANY REALLY WORKED VERY, VERY HARD TO MAKE SOME THINGS HAPPEN IN LOUISIANA THAT PUT THEM IN A DIFFERENT PLACE IN TERMS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
THEY'RE ONE THAT WE'VE PROBABLY BEEN CONNECTED WITH THE LONGEST.
THEY'D BEEN WORKING WITH OUR SPED DEPARTMENT.
WE'VE ACTUALLY MADE SOME MODIFICATIONS AS WELL.
WE HAVE A BRAND NEW EMPLOYEE THAT WE'VE JUST RECENTLY HIRED AS WELL THAT WILL BE LEADING UP OUR EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS EFFORT.
ALSO THAT I'M EXTREMELY EXCITED ABOUT.
SHE WAS DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT IN PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND AND HAS CHOSEN TO COME HERE AND JOIN THE JOURNEY.
EVEN THOUGH SHE'S NOT A CABINET MEMBER, CHIEF LEVEL MEMBER, SHE WAS A CABINET MEMBER IN OUR LAST SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT HAD A GREAT HISTORY.
THAT'S GOING TO DO SOME EXCEPTIONAL WORK.
THAT'S JUST ONE OF A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT PARTNERS THAT WE'VE BROUGHT IN.
WE'VE ALSO WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH A LADY BY THE NAME OF BETSY ARONS.
BETSY IS AN HR PROFESSIONAL THAT HAS WORKED ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
SHE RUNS A HUMAN CAPITAL ACADEMY.
IT'S WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR HUMAN CAPITAL DEPARTMENT.
WE'VE DONE AN ASSESSMENT OF OUR HUMAN CAPITAL PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS AND HOW THEY'VE BEEN DEPLOYED.
WE'LL BE UTILIZING THAT ASSESSMENT TO DRIVE THE WAY.
I'VE WORKED WITH MISS ARONS IN THE PAST IN MY PREVIOUS ROLE AS DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT IN TULSA.
SHE WAS PREVIOUSLY IN CHARGE OF HR FOR THE NEW YORK PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
I HAVE A VERY CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH BETSY AND TRUST, I KNOW THAT HER WORK WILL ASSIST US MOVING FORWARD TO ACCOMPLISH THE PRIORITY THAT WE KNOW WE HAVE TO FOCUS ON.
WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH ANOTHER OUTSIDE ENTITY TO TAKE A LOOK AT FINANCES AS WELL.
I THINK IT'S WATERSHED THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH TO TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THE DIFFERENT BUCKETS AND ALLOCATIONS.
BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU ALL HAVE HEARD EVEN BETTER THAN I HAVE OVER THE COURSE OF TIME IS THAT THERE'S BEEN A DEFICIT HERE.
THERE HAS BEEN A DEFICIT THERE.
WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT THAT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE MOVING FORWARD, WHAT WE NEED TO CUT.
YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A COMPILATION OF OUTSIDE VOICES THAT I REALLY WANTED TO COME IN AND TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE DOING AMONGST A COUPLE OTHERS.
BE GLAD TO PROVIDE SOME ADDITIONAL INSIGHT IF NEEDED BE.
>> THANK YOU AND I APPRECIATE THAT.
AS TEACHERS, WE KNOW THAT WE BEG, BORROW, AND STEAL, NOT LITERALLY, BUT WE TAKE BEST PRACTICES USED FROM OTHER CLASSROOMS AND I'M EXCITED TO SEE US TAKE BEST PRACTICES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY.
THEN MY FINAL QUESTION, IF I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME, IS AROUND HOW DO WE GET TO THE HIGH QUALITY TEACHING AND LEARNING AND HAVING THOSE CARRYING AN EFFECTIVE EDUCATORS? I LOVE THAT YOU HEARD THE COMMUNITY WHEN THEY SAID YET EFFECTIVE EDUCATORS, BUT ALSO CARING EDUCATORS BECAUSE OF THAT HUMAN ELEMENT.
I'M GLAD THAT YOU LIFTED THAT UP.
I HEAR FREQUENTLY FROM PARENTS AND FROM TEACHERS THAT THEY ARE 100 PERCENT BOUGHT INTO WANTING TO IMPROVE INSTRUCTION AND LEARNING IN OUR SCHOOLS BUT ARE
[00:35:01]
FRUSTRATED THAT EFFORTS TO DO THAT OFTEN SEEM TO LEAD TO MORE TEACHING TO THE TEST, MORE TASK FORCE [NOISE], HOW DO WE AVOID THAT?>> I THINK THE WAY WE GET THERE IS BUILDING CAPACITY.
THE WAY WE START TO BUILD CAPACITY IN THE MANNER THAT WE NEED TO IS NUMBER 1, STARTING WITH A STRONG AND MEANINGFUL EVALUATION SYSTEM.
WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DECIPHER WHO ARE OUR STRONGEST TEACHERS ARE, WHO ARE WEAKEST TEACHERS ARE.
I THINK WE NEED TO KNOW WHO OUR WEAKEST TEACHERS ARE FOR A SPECIFIC REASON.
IT'S NOT ABOUT FIRING YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS, IT'S ABOUT DEVELOPING YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS.
I'M EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY AND USE OUR STRONGEST TALENT AND INCENTIVIZE INDIVIDUALS TO BE IN SOME OF OUR HIGHEST NEED TO OUR SCHOOLS AND SITUATIONS.
THEN THOSE THAT NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT, WE BUILD THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS THAT WILL ALLOW US INTERNALLY TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE GIVING EDUCATORS EXACTLY WHAT IT IS THAT THEY NEED SO THAT THEY CAN GROW.
I THINK ONCE YOU SEE SUCCESS IN THE CLASSROOM, THE OTHER YOU MENTIONED CARING AS WELL, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT EDUCATORS, PRINCIPALS, TEACHERS, SUPPORT STAFF HAVE A MENTALITY THAT THEY UNDERSTAND WHY THEY'RE THERE, WHY THEY'RE DOING THE WORK, AND THEY'RE THERE FOR CHILDREN.
MY GOAL IS TO BUILD CAPACITY AROUND NOT ONLY THE ACADEMIC ACUMEN AROUND, WHAT THAT NEEDS TO LOOK LIKE, BUT ALSO UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCES.
MANY OF OUR TEACHERS COME FROM SITUATIONS WHERE IT'S MUCH DIFFERENT THAN WHERE THEIR KIDS COME FROM.
UNDERSTANDING WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
BUILDING CAPACITY, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS, EVALUATION SYSTEMS, THAT'S A BIG PART OF WHAT WE'LL BE DOING.
NOT TO MENTION THE IDEA OF HAVING STRONG CURRICULUM AROUND THEM TO ENSURE THAT WHATEVER THAT THEY'RE DELIVERING IS CONSISTENT AND QUALITY.
>> THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT.
A LOT OF MY QUESTIONS HAVE ALREADY BEEN ANSWERED.
FIRST OF ALL, RIGHT HERE ON SLIDE 7, THESE PRIORITIES, IN MARCH, SHOULD WE ANTICIPATE THAT EACH LEVEL OF THESE PRIORITIES WILL GIVE US SOME STRUCTURE SO WE CAN KNOW WHAT IS BEING OFFERED TO ACCOMPLISH LEVEL 1, WHAT'S BEING OFFERED TO ACCOMPLISH LEVEL 2? IS THAT WHAT WE ARE TO EXPECT?
>> YOU HIT NAIL ON THE HEAD. WITH A FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN, EVERYTHING WOULD BE ALIGNED TO THESE PARTICULAR PRIORITIES.
BUT IT WILL BREAK DOWN EXACTLY WHAT THE TURNAROUND STRATEGIES WILL BE AT X SCHOOLS.
WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IN TERMS OF ACCOMPLISHING THE MAGNET DESERTS IN X AREA.
THE SPECIFICITY WILL BE BUILT.
WHEN I MENTIONED THAT WE'VE ASSIGNED A TEAM MEMBER FOR EACH ONE OF THESE PRIORITIES, THAT'S WHAT THOSE TEAM MEMBERS ARE BEING ASSIGNED FOR RIGHT NOW TO BUILD THE PLAN SPECIFICALLY AROUND EACH PRIORITY.
WE'RE SIMULTANEOUSLY GOING TO BE HAVING FIVE GROUPS WITH THAT TECHNICAL SUPPORT, WORKING HARD OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FEW MONTHS TO BUILD A PLAN FOR EACH PRIORITY.
YOU WILL HAVE A ROBUST FIVE PLANS IN ONE [OVERLAPPING] THAT WILL BUILD A MULTI-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN.
>> I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THAT.
GOING BACK TO SLIDE 6, AGAIN, THIS IS TOUCHING ON WHAT TRUSTEE SUNG MENTIONED ABOUT STRENGTHENING THE TEACHERS IN PLACE.
BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY, WE CAN'T WAIT UNTIL MARCH FOR THAT.
HAVE MEASURES BEEN PUT IN PLACE RIGHT NOW SO WE CAN STRENGTHEN THE TEACHERS THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE RIGHT NOW?
>> WE HAVE A CURRENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
WE HAVE CURRENT SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES IN PLACE AND THERE ARE SOME GOOD THINGS GOING ON WITH THOSE SUPPORTS.
WE DO HAVE A CURRENT EVALUATION SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS FOR US TO GET OUT AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO TEACHERS IN TERMS OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT.
BUT I JUST TRULY BELIEVE THAT WE CAN DO BETTER.
WE'LL CONTINUE DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING UNTIL WE START OUR PILOT WITH THE EVALUATION SYSTEM, UNTIL WE START WITH SOME OF THE REVAMPING THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING WITH OUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS AS WELL.
IT'S NOT THAT WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING IN PLACE,
[00:40:02]
WE DO HAVE THINGS IN PLACE.BUT OUR PLANS ARE TO HAVE A MORE ROBUST OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OVER THE COURSE OF TIME.
>> THANK YOU. THEN MY LAST QUESTION IS, NOWHERE IN THE PLAN DO I SEE ANYTHING ABOUT SAFETY FOR OUR CHILDREN.
HOW IS THIS BUILT-IN? BECAUSE WE HAVE TO PROVIDE SAFETY FOR OUR CHILDREN TO EDUCATE THEM.
>> SAFETY IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT I THINK UPCOMING DECEMBER, IS IT DECEMBER 11? DECEMBER 2ND, LAW ENFORCEMENT WORKSHOP.
MY HOPE IS TO HEAR A MORE SHIFT TO SAFETY.
IT WASN'T AS MUCH OF A THEME THAT I HEARD FROM SCHOOL TO SCHOOL.
I KNOW YOU AND I HAVE HAD THAT CONVERSATION SPECIFICALLY AROUND A SCHOOL OR TWO, BUT IT'S DEFINITELY A FOCUS THAT WE WANT TO PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO MOVING FORWARD.
>> THANK YOU, MR. HOUSE. AS WE'RE ENTERING OUR LOCATION INTO OUR WAYS, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU'VE GIVEN US, YOU'RE SAYING THIS IS WHERE WE'RE GOING, THIS IS WHERE WE'RE HEADED, FOR THE LOCATION THAT I'D LIKE TO BE IN, IT'S GOING TO BE IN THERE PROVIDING EQUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES AT EVERY SCHOOL.
I'D LIKE TO JUST KNOW WHERE YOU'RE HEADED WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING SURE THAT ALL SCHOOLS HAVE A LIBRARY AND A LIBRARIAN NURSES, COUNSELORS, WRAPAROUND SPECIALISTS, FACILITIES, PLAYGROUNDS AND JUST FUNCTIONAL CLASSROOMS AND FINE ARTS PROGRAMS. WHERE ARE WE HEADED IN THAT WAY?
>> AGAIN, I GO BACK TO WHAT TRUSTEE DIGARD INDICATED THAT THE PLAN IS TO TAKE THESE PARTICULAR PRIORITIES.
I'VE GOT A TEAM THAT'S GOING TO BE WORKING FOR EACH ONE OF THESE PRIORITY THAT'S ALREADY STARTED WORKING WITH EACH ONE OF THESE PRIORITIES TO BUILD WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE OVER THE COURSE OF TIME.
I DON'T HAVE THAT IN FRONT OF ME.
IT WAS IMPORTANT TO GATHER THE INSIGHT AND INFORMATION TO GET TO THIS PARTICULAR POINT AROUND WHAT'S IMPORTANT FOR OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT.
THERE MAY BE SOME MATERIAL CHANGES OVER THE COURSE OF TIME.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT HOW WE PROVIDE SERVICES CENTRALLY OR DECENTRALIZE, THERE MAY BE SOME CHANGES IN TERMS OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FROM SCHOOL TO SCHOOL.
BUT I WANT TO ALLOW FOR AN HONEST OPPORTUNITY AND A TEAM FOR EACH ONE OF THESE TEAMS TO BRING FORWARD.
THERE'S BEEN SOME GOOD THINKING ALREADY.
BUT UNTIL WE HAVE THAT FINAL PLAN THAT WE DELIVER IN MARCH, THIS IS WHERE WE ARE AND WE'RE BUILDING TOWARDS THAT PARTICULAR POINT.
>> MY SECOND HALF OF THAT QUESTION AS FAR AS POLICY WAS CONCERNED THAT SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD HAVE NEEDED TO HAVE THAT TEAM OF 10 TRAINING, LIKE TO KNOW [OVERLAPPING] IT COMPARES YOUR STRATEGIC PLAN PLUS OUR BOARD GOALS.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT TRUSTEE DIGARD WAS MAYBE [OVERLAPPING].
>> I'M STRONGLY IN SUPPORT OF WHAT THAT I'VE ACTUALLY ALREADY STARTED MY OWN STUDY OF THE LONE STAR GOVERNANCE MODEL AS WELL HAVE A CHEAT SHEET THAT I KEEP ON MY DESK.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, IN REFERENCE TO WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, BUT I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT ONCE RUN OFFS ARE OVER, THAT THE TEAM IS A GROUP, TAKES A CLOSE LOOK AT IT, GOES THROUGH IT TOGETHER.
I THINK IT'S A BETTER OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO CONTINUE OUR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT AS A TEAM SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE, FOCUS ON THE WORK THAT THAT'S IN FRONT OF US.
>> THEN ONE MORE THING ABOUT WHAT YOU SAID, THE IDENTIFICATION OF WORLD-CLASS TEACHERS, THE TALENT THAT WERE COMING HERE WITH THAT SYSTEM THAT YOU USED TO IDENTIFY THEM.
I JUST WANT TO KNOW IF THERE'S GOING TO BE A SUBJECTIVE COMPONENT, ARE TEACHERS SUPPOSED TO HAVE YOU TALK ABOUT HAVING A LOVE FOR KIDS? MANY TIMES WE MISS THAT ASPECT FROM THE TOP DOWN, LIKE WE FORGET ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND THE CULTURAL COMPETENCIES THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE AS EDUCATORS TO BE ABLE TO EMPATHIZE WITH WHAT OUR KIDS ARE GOING THROUGH.
EVEN AS A BOARD MEMBER, I'VE FELT AUTHORIZED AND THAT'S ADULTS.
IS THERE SOMETHING IN THE TEACHER IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM? LET ME NOT ASK THE QUESTION BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO GIVE ME WHAT YOU'VE TOLD EVERYONE ELSE HERE TODAY.
KEEPING THAT IN MIND, I'D LIKE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION TO TAKE HEARTENED THAT AND BUILD A PLAN AROUND THAT BECAUSE THAT'S A COMPONENT THAT'S ALWAYS MESSY.
>> [NOISE] I FEEL VERY GOOD ABOUT OUR NEW CHIEF TOWN OFFICER.
[00:45:05]
I ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT HIS BACKGROUND IN TERMS OF WHAT HE'S DONE IN BALTIMORE CITY SCHOOLS.>> I FEEL VERY GOOD. I THINK THE THEORY OF ACTION IN MY EYES STARTS WITH LEADERSHIP.
YOU ALL PROVIDED ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME HERE.
MY JOB WAS TO BRING IN THE INDIVIDUALS AROUND TALENT THAT I FELT THAT COULD GET THE JOB DONE AND EXECUTE AN EVENTUAL STRATEGIC PLAN.
I THINK WE'RE ON THE PATH, WE ARE DOING EXACTLY WHAT YOU SET OUT TO DO AND WHAT I'M SETTING OUT TO DO AS WELL, AND THAT INCLUDES AROUND HUMAN CAPITAL.
>> AWESOME. I WONDER HE HAS MAYBE WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, THE JOY COMPONENT.
WHAT'S HIS TRACK RECORD ON THAT? LOOKING THAT UP. THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. HOUSE FOR ALL YOUR WORK AND YOUR TEAM'S WORK.
I AM ALSO STILL AS EXCITED AS I WAS ON JULY 1ST.
I'M EXCITED THAT YOU STILL ARE AS WELL.
I ONLY HAVE ONE QUESTION AND THAT IS, HOW CAN THE BOARD HELP YOU?
>> I THINK THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND I APPRECIATE YOU ASKING.
I THINK WHAT THE BOARD CAN DO IS SOMETHING THAT GOES BACK TO WHAT ELIZABETH JUST INDICATED.
THAT'S MAKING SURE THAT THE LONE STAR GOVERNANCE PIECE THAT WE ALL UNDERSTAND AS A TEAM, EXACTLY WHAT OUR RESPONSIBILITIES ARE, BECAUSE IT LAYS OUT WHAT A BOARD'S RESPONSIBILITIES ARE, WHAT A SUPERINTENDENT'S RESPONSIBILITIES ARE.
I THINK THAT IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE, AND THAT WE ADHERE TO THAT MOVING FORWARD.
I THINK WE'VE DONE A GOOD JOB GROWING AND DEVELOPING, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE GROW AND DEVELOP TOGETHER.
THAT'LL BE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR US AS WE KICK OFF 2022, BUT JUST CONTINUING TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THE BOUNDARIES ARE.
I HAVE A TEAM OF GREAT INDIVIDUALS.
BUT WHAT THE BOARD HAS TO UNDERSTAND AND ANY BOARD HAS TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT'S MY TEAM.
NOT THIS BOARD, BUT I'VE SEEN BOARDS IN THE PAST THAT HAVE LED TO ADMINISTRATIVE NIGHTMARES BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT INVOLVED WITH THE WRONG STAFF OR TRIED TO GET INVOLVED WITH CROSSING THAT LINE.
BUT I THINK THE LONE STAR GOVERNANCE, AS ELIZABETH INDICATED, IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO CONTINUE TO HEAD DOWN THE RIGHT ROAD AND MAKES SURE THAT WE'RE CHECKING OURSELVES AS WE MOVE TOWARDS THIS MULTI-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN.
>> THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PRESENTATION TODAY, SUPERINTENDENT HOUSE.
I'M REALLY EXCITED THAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM HAS IDENTIFIED THESE TOP FIVE PRIORITIES TO DELIVER UPON AND TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON DRILLING DOWN IN THESE AREAS AND HOW THEY ARE GOING TO HELP DELIVER ON THE OUTCOMES THAT THE BOARD HAVE SET FOR THE DISTRICT AS FAR AS STUDENT PERFORMANCE AND SUPPORT IS CONCERNED.
I WANTED TO COMMENT ON, NUMBER 1, CULTIVATING WORLD-CLASS TALENT AT ALL LEVELS.
I KNOW THAT THIS PRIORITY IS FOCUSED ON OUR STAFF AT THE DISTRICT, BUT I WOULD ALSO BE CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT THAT MEANS AT THE STUDENT LEVEL, AND FOR PROGRAMMING AND SUPPORTS AS WELL.
>> YEAH, IT'S INTERESTING THAT YOU ASKED THAT QUESTION THAT I THINK ON MONDAY, I SPENT ABOUT AN HOUR-AND-A-HALF AT MAINTENANCE AND FACILITIES, AND I HAD A ROOM FULL OF I BELIEVE THE HEAD OF PLUMBING, THE HEAD OF ELECTRICAL SHOP, THE HEAD OF GROUNDS CREW, ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT CREWS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IS, WHAT COMPONENTS OF GROW YOUR OWN NEED TO LOOK LIKE.
OVERWHELMINGLY, THOSE LEADERS SAID WE HAVE TO GET BACK TO HAVING OUR STUDENTS.
THERE ARE STUDENTS OUT THERE THAT CAN HAVE FRUITFUL CAREERS IN THIS WORK.
THAT WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE ADULTS, BUT IT'S ABOUT UTILIZING SOME OF THE RESOURCES IN MANY OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR CHILDREN AS WELL, SO WE'LL BE DOING MORE OF THAT.
I KNOW YEARS AGO, I WAS TOLD, THEY GAVE ME SOME GREAT HISTORY LESSONS DURING THAT TIME PERIOD THAT WE HAD STUDENT WORKERS AT ONE AND SOME OF THOSE STUDENT WORKERS ENDED UP BEING FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES.
WE STILL DO HAVE SOME STUDENT WORKERS, BUT I THINK THEY'RE FOCUSED ON STUDENTS THAT HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS VERSUS STUDENTS THAT ARE TRYING TO ACQUIRE SPECIFIC INDUSTRY CERTIFICATIONS OR GAIN
[00:50:03]
SPECIFIC SKILL SETS THAT CAN EVENTUALLY ALLOW THEM TO WORK IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AS WELL.[NOISE] WE WILL BE LOOKING BEYOND THE ADULTS, WE WILL BE LOOKING AT OPPORTUNITIES THAT WILL ALLOW FOR KIDS TO BE INVOLVED IN CERTAIN WAYS AS WELL.
>> OKAY. I APPRECIATE THAT, THANK YOU FOR SHARING SOME OF YOUR THOUGHTS.
I THINK THAT THERE'S TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY, WHETHER IT BE ON THE CTE COMPONENT OR WHETHER IT BE OUR INTERNSHIP PROGRAM THAT WE'VE HOSTED.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY SUMMERS WE'VE DONE THAT AND MAYBE WE DIDN'T BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC, BUT THERE ARE LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT WE CAN DO TO BEST SERVE OUR STUDENTS AND DEVELOP THE WORLD-CLASS TALENT, WHETHER IT BE COMPETITIONS, WHETHER IT BE FINE ARTS AND ALL THOSE DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE SEEK TO OFFER FOR OUR STUDENTS.
ALSO, I'M BRINGING UP THE BUDGET, [LAUGHTER] BECAUSE I'M REALLY ANXIOUS AND CURIOUS WHEN WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO START TALKING ABOUT THESE PRIORITIES ALONG WITH HOW YOU'RE GOING TO ACHIEVE THE STUDENT OUTCOMES, AND THE PRIORITIES THAT WE HAVE SET OUT FROM OUR BOARD.
GOVERNANCE MODEL THAT WE HAVE FOR BUDGET CONVERSATIONS THIS YEAR AS WELL.
>> YES, WE MOST RECENTLY GETTING FEEDBACK FROM ONE OF THE CONSULTANTS AROUND FINANCES.
MY EXPECTATION IS TO COME TOGETHER IN A STAFF RETREAT AROUND BUDGET, REALLY TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT WHAT WE TRULY HAVE, WE TRULY DON'T HAVE, AND DETERMINE WHAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO MOVING FORWARD.
WE'LL CONTINUE THE PATH WITH THIS WORK.
BUT I THINK THE BUDGET HAS TO ALIGN TO THAT BECAUSE WE CAN'T GET TO HAVING ALL OF THESE LOFTY EXPECTATIONS AND GOALS AND THEN WE CAN'T PAY FOR IT.
RIGHT NOW, WE'RE GETTING THAT OUTSIDE INSIGHT FROM WATERSHED AROUND TRULY WHAT OUR RESERVE LOOKS LIKE, TRULY WHAT IT IS IN TERMS OF INFORMATION THAT WE'RE PROVIDING YOU, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE MOST SOUND INFORMATION BEFORE WE START THE CONVERSATION.
I'M EXCITED TO GET AN OUTSIDE AND INSIDE LOOK, AND THEN MY PLAN IS TO BRING US TOGETHER IN A RETREAT.
THERE MAY BE SOME MOCK SCENARIOS, AND ONE OF THOSE MOCK SCENARIOS THAT I DID IN MY LAST SCHOOL DISTRICT WAS THAT, HEY, IF WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A DEFICIT AHEAD OF US OF $50 MILLION IN THIS RETREAT, WE'RE NOT GOING TO LEAVE UNTIL WE DETERMINE A LINE WITH OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AND WORK WHERE THAT $50 MILLION IS GOING TO COME OUT OF.
DO WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT WE CONTINUE THE PATH THAT YOU ALL STARTED BACK IN LATE JUNE AND ADD MORE RAISES TO THE MIX ON THE CERTIFIED SIDE AND THE NON-CERTIFIED SIDE? IF WE DO, WE KNOW THAT'S 31 MILLION THAT WE HAVE TO PULL OUT OF THE BUDGET SOMEWHERE ELSE UNLESS WE WANT THIS DEFICIT TO CONTINUE TO GROW.
IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE WILL BE FOCUSING ON, BUT I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL INFORMATION I'M GETTING, BUT THAT'S PROVIDING A MORE CLEAR PICTURE TO ME OF WHAT WE HAVE AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO MOVING FORWARD.
LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING THE WORKSHOP SCHEDULED SOON AS WELL, AND I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT YOUR PLAN AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HOW IT SHAPES OUT WITH THE STAFF, AND WE'LL PROBABLY BE GETTING UPDATES, IT LOOKS LIKE THE TIMELINE FOR COMPLETION IS MARCH.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, SUPERINTENDENT HOUSE.
I'M STILL EXCITED AS I WAS ON JULY 1ST AS WELL, SO THANK YOU.
I KNOW THAT WE HAVE A BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD OF US AS A DISTRICT, AND BETTER SERVING AND BEST SERVING OUR STUDENTS HERE IN HOUSTON. THANK YOU.
>> ONE THING I DID NOT MENTION THAT I FELT, MY GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALL ARE UPDATED FIRST ALWAYS, AND THEN WE'D LIKE TO HAVE A RELEASE DURING OUR STATE OF THE SCHOOLS PUBLICLY.
WE WANT TO DO THINGS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THIS YEAR WITH OUR STATE OF THE SCHOOLS IN TERMS OF WHO'S IN THAT AUDIENCE, I WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE GOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRING OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN, BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO NEED THAT PARTNERSHIP.
THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO OURSELVES, WHETHER IT BE FINANCIALLY, WHETHER IT BE EXTERN AND INTERNSHIP WISE, SO WE WANT TO USE THAT TIME PERIOD TO BRING THEM IN.
I'M WORKING WITH THE HISD FOUNDATION TO DETERMINE WHAT THAT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE AS WELL. JUST FYI.
>> THANK YOU. FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS.
FIRST ONE, CIRCLING BACK ON, WHAT DO FAMILIES WANT FOR THEIR CHILDREN IN SCHOOLS? THE DISTRICT STARTED TO ENGAGE IN A STUDY, I THINK IT WAS WITH U OF H A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO,
[00:55:03]
BUT I THINK THAT JUST FELL AWAY.WHAT DO YOU ENVISION COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MIGHT LOOK LIKE IN NOT JUST FAMILIES THAT ARE COMING TO A MEETING, BUT REALLY REACHING OUT AND ENGAGING PEOPLE TO MAKE SURE WE'RE HEARING FROM ALL VOICES [OVERLAPPING] SUCH AS THE STUDY WOULD HAVE DONE AT U OF H?
>> THERE'S ACTUALLY BEEN QUITE A BIT OF BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON IN A HARK.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF RESEARCH DONE, BUT I THINK WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS TAKE THAT RESEARCH, THAT FEEDBACK AND MAKE IT A PART OF WHAT WE'RE DOING IN OUR PLAN.
>> WAS THAT STUDY COMPLETED AT U OF H?
>> I'M NOT CERTAIN QUITE FRANKLY.
DR. MADNI, DO YOU WANT TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON? I'M NOT UP TO SPEED IN REFERENCE TO WHETHER IT WAS COMPLETED OR NOT.
>> ABSOLUTELY. IN WORKING WITH DR. FOREMAN AT U OF H, THAT STUDY WAS PUT ON HOLD BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC.
THEY HAD TROUBLE ACCESSING FAMILIES, OF COURSE.
WHAT WE'VE DONE IS, WE'VE WRAPPED THAT STUDY INTO THE FAMILY SAGA THAT'S UP THERE RIGHT NOW.
IT WASN'T A SEPARATE STUDY, WE ACTUALLY COMBINED THOSE QUESTIONS WITH THE STRATEGIC PLAN QUESTIONS.
WE'RE GETTING THAT FEEDBACK RIGHT NOW FROM FAMILIES IN A COMBINED EFFORT.
YES, AND THE STUDENTS ARE GOING TO HAVE SOME OF THOSE SIMILAR QUESTIONS.
>> HOW YOU REACHING FAMILIES THAT ARE NOT ENROLLED IN OUR SCHOOLS?
>> WE'RE GOING TO START WITH THE FAMILIES THAT ARE, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THAT.
THOSE FOCUS GROUPS IN OUTREACH AND THEY'VE IDENTIFIED WHO THOSE FAMILIES ARE.
STARTING THAT PROCESS AGAIN NOW THAT WE'RE IN THIS CURRENT STATUS OF THE PANDEMIC.
>> WE'RE REACHING OUT TO FAMILIES WHO HAVE KIDS IN CHARTER SCHOOLS AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS?
>> OKAY. MY NEXT QUESTION FOLLOW UP ON THE BUDGET.
ARE YOU GOING TO START WITH A ZERO-BASED BUDGET?
>> I HAVE ALWAYS STARTED WITH A ZERO-BASED BUDGET, BUT I ALSO HAVE NEVER STARTED WITH A DEFICIT, [LAUGHTER] AS WE HAVE IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
BUT I THINK AS A PART OF A FIVE-YEAR PLAN, I DON'T WANT TO ROLL OUT AN EXPECTATION TO YOU TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I'M GOING TO HAVE A BALANCED BUDGET IN THE FIRST YEAR OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
THE HOPE AND EXPECTATION WOULD BE THERE, BUT WITH $160 MILLION DEFICIT, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE MAY HAVE TO LOOK AT OVER THE COURSE OF TIME, SPREADING OUT.
BUT THAT HAS BEEN MY PRACTICE IN THE PAST, AND I HAVE HAD A BALANCED BUDGET THE LAST FOUR YEARS OF MY SUPERINTENDENTY IN MY LAST SCHOOL DISTRICT.
I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS DISTRICT'S BUDGET FOR A DECADE.
THIS BOARD MEMBER IS NOT INTERESTED IN CONTINUING TO REARRANGE DECK CHAIRS.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A BUDGET THAT IS, HERE'S WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO GO AND WE'RE GOING TO BUILD A WHOLE NEW BUDGET TO GET US THERE, AND A BUDGET THAT IS SUSTAINABLE OVER THE LIFESPAN OF THIS STRATEGIC PLAN.
[OVERLAPPING] NOT JUST WHAT DO WE NEED TO CUT TO ADD, BUT FROM THE BOTTOM-UP, BUILD A NEW PROJECT.
>> BUT IF YOU'RE TELLING ME AS SUPERINTENDENT THAT YOU WANT ME TO PROVIDE A ZERO-BASED BUDGET, THERE WILL BE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO CUT OUT.
>> THERE WILL BE MAJOR CHANGES THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT.
IF WE ARE GOING TO FOCUS ON THESE PARTICULAR PRIORITIES, THERE WILL HAVE TO BE A REARRANGEMENT OF HOW WE ALLOCATE OUR FUNDS.
I THINK WE'RE IN THE SAME PLACE IN TERMS OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING.
ONE OF THE REPORTS I WAS MOST RECENTLY LOOKING AT WAS OUR SMALL SCHOOL SUBSIDIES, AND AS I SAW THAT $30 SOMEWHAT MILLION IN SMALL SCHOOL SUBSIDY IT REMINDED ME OF WHAT THE BOARD DID IN TERMS OF A RAISE FOR EMPLOYEES, WHICH WAS ABOUT $30 SOMEWHAT MILLION.
IT'S SEVERAL DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT ACROSS THE BOARD.
SOME THINGS ARE GOING TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE.
SOME THINGS ARE GOING TO BE VERY DIFFICULT TO TALK ABOUT, BUT SOME THINGS ARE GOING TO BE NECESSARY TO TALK ABOUT WHEN IT ALL COMES TO FRUITION.
>> WELL, WHAT'S REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE IS KIDS WHO GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL NOT FULLY LITERATE, SO I THINK WE AS ADULTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE WILLING TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE SO OUR KIDS DON'T HAVE TO BE LATER.
THEN MY LAST THING IS, THESE ARE THE FIVE PRIORITIES THAT YOU HAVE DECIDED ARE THE KEY THINGS TO ACHIEVE THE FOUR GOALS WITHIN THE FIVE CONSTRAINTS, CORRECT?
[01:00:02]
WHAT WAS NUMBER 6?>> NUMBER 6 IN REFERENCE TO WHAT?
>> WHAT ISN'T INCLUDED ON THIS LIST.
OBVIOUSLY, YOU NEED TO NARROW YOUR [INAUDIBLE] [OVERLAPPING]
>> OKAY. I GUESS WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IS WHY THESE FIVE? I'M NOT ARGUING THAT THESE ARE THE WRONG FIVE AT ALL.
WHAT IS SOMETHING ELSE YOU THINK WE SHOULD FOCUS ON, BUT HASN'T BEEN LIFTED UP TO THE FIVE PRIORITIES?
>> THAT WASN'T THE APPROACH I TOOK.
THE APPROACH THAT WE TOOK WAS THAT THIS WAS WHAT WE HEARD.
IF IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FOUR, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FOUR.
>> GOT IT. OKAY. THAT HELPS. THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT HOUSE.
THE BOARD WILL NOW ADJOURN TO CLOSE SESSION UNDER CHAPTER 551 OF TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE,
[Closed Session]
OPEN MEETINGS X SUB SECTIONS DOT 004, DOT 071, DOT 072, DOT 073, DOT 074, DOT 076, DOT 082, DOT 0821, DOT 083, DOT 084, AND DOT 089.SHOULD BOARD FINAL ACTION VOTER DECISION ON ANY MATTER CONSIDERED IN THE CLOSE SESSION BE REQUIRED, [NOISE] SUCH ACTION VOTER DECISION SHALL BE TAKEN AT THE OPEN MEETING COVERED BY THIS NOTICE UPON THE RECONVENING OF THIS PUBLIC MEETING OR TO SUBSEQUENT PUBLIC MEETING OF THE BOARD UPON NOTICE THERE ARE.
THE BOARD HAS ADJOURN TO CLOSE SESSION AT 10:41 AM ON NOVEMBER 18TH, 2021.
WE'RE NOW READY TO CONSIDER ITEMS POSTED FOR OUR DISCUSSION AND ACTION.
[B-1, APPROVAL OF RESOLUTION ORDERING RUNOFF ELECTION ON DECEMBER 11, 2021, FOR HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT SINGLE-MEMBER DISTRICTS I, V, VI, AND VII, AND AUTHORIZATION TO CONTINUE AN AGREEMENT WITH HARRIS COUNTY TO ADMINISTER JOINT ELECTIONS]
OUR FIRST ITEM IS B1, APPROVAL OF RESOLUTION ORDERING RUNOFF ELECTION DECEMBER THE 11TH, 2021 FOR HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, SINGLE-MEMBER DISTRICTS 1, 5, 6, AND 7.AUTHORIZATION TO CONTINUE AN AGREEMENT WITH HARRIS COUNTY TO ADMINISTER JOINT ELECTIONS. DO I HAVE A MOTION?
>> THANK YOU. WE HAVE A MOTION BY TRUSTEE GUIDRY, AND A SECOND BY TRUSTEE HERNANDEZ.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? TRUSTEE FLYNN VILASECA?
>> YEAH, I JUST HAVE A QUESTION.
ARE THESE THE ONLY POLLING LOCATIONS THAT ARE OPENED ON ELECTION DAY AT THE SCHOOLS IN HIST AND IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S ONE IN ALIEF OR IS HARRIS COUNTY ALSO OPENING ADDITIONAL POLLING LOCATIONS AT COMMUNITY CENTERS AND OTHER SITES THAT THEY TRADITIONALLY HAVE THEM?
>> HARRIS COUNTY UPDATES A LIST THAT THEY PROVIDE TO US, MAYBE WEEKLY, SOMETIMES BI-WEEKLY.
WE UPDATE THAT NOTICE BASED ON WHAT THEY PROVIDE TO US.
WE ALSO HAVE ON OUR NOTICE AND OUR WEBSITE FOR PEOPLE TO CHECK HARRIS VOTES BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THEY KEEP UPDATED LIST CONSTANTLY.
>> THAT MEANS THERE ARE ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS OUTSIDE OF THESE ONES HERE?
>> CORRECT. THERE WILL BE ADDITIONAL ONES.
>> OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S IT.
CAN YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC WHY WE VOTE ON THIS ITEM?
>> BECAUSE YOU'RE REQUIRED BY LAW AND AS THE BOARD TO CALL AN ELECTION OR A RUNOFF [INAUDIBLE] A COLLECT CHAMBER.
YOU'RE THE GOVERNING ENTITY AND IT'S THE GOVERNING ENTITY IF ITS GOT A CALL, THAT ORDER THAT MUCH.
>> IS IT A CONFLICT OF INTEREST FOR TRUSTEES WHO ARE CANDIDATES TO VOTE ON THIS ITEM?
>> IT IS WHAT WE CALL [INAUDIBLE] YOU'RE REQUIRED TO DO IT AS THE ENTITY.
>> SEEING NO FURTHER REQUEST TO SPEAK, PLEASE VOTE.
OUR NEXT ITEM POSTED FOR DISCUSSION AND ACTION IS D1,
[D-1, APPROVAL OF FALL 2021 CLASS-SIZE WAIVER REQUESTS]
APPROVAL OF FALL 2021 CLASS SIZE WAIVER REQUEST.>> DO I HAVE A SECOND? [OVERLAPPING] WE HAVE A MOTION BY TRUSTEE CRUZ AND A SECOND BY TRUSTEE HERNANDEZ.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? TRUSTEE DEIGAARD?
>> ON PAGE 6, THE LAST QUESTION, HOW MANY PRE-K CLASSES EXCEEDED THE 20 TO 1 RATIO IN 2019?
[01:05:05]
I RECOGNIZED THAT WASN'T PART OF THE CLASS SIZE WAIVER STATUTE BUT DO WE NOT AT LEAST KNOW WHAT OUR CLASS SIZES WERE TO KNOW HOW MANY WAIVERS, NOT HOW MANY WAIVERS BUT HOW MANY WOULD HAVE EXCEEDED THAT 20 TO 1 IN 2019?>> I HEAR YOUR QUESTION AND WE CAN LOOK AT HOW WE CAN PULL THAT AND SEND IT IN.
WHAT WE'LL HAVE TO DO IS LOOK AT WHAT THAT 30 DAY MARK IS, SO WE CAN LOOK AT THAT SEPARATELY.
>> THANK YOU. SEEING NO FURTHER REQUEST TO SPEAK, PLEASE VOTE.
WE HAVE NINE FOR, ZERO AGAINST.
OUR LAST ITEM POSTED FOR DISCUSSION AND ACTION IS K1,
[K-1, APPROVAL OF PROPOSED REVISIONS TO BOARD POLICY BED(LOCAL), BOARD MEETINGS: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION—SECOND READING]
APPROVAL OF PROPOSED REVISIONS TO BOARD POLICY, BED LOCAL, BOARD MEETINGS, PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, SECOND READING.>> WE HAVE A MOTION BY TRUSTEE SUNG AND A SECOND BY TRUSTEE CRUZ.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? TRUSTEE SANTOS? I WAS [INAUDIBLE] OKAY. THANK YOU. THEN I'LL GIVE MY LITTLE SPEECH RIGHT NOW.
REGARDING THIS MOTION, I WANT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUE TRUSTEE CRUZ FOR BRINGING IT FORWARD.
>> SHE HASN'T MADE THE MOTION AND THE AMENDMENT YET.
>> MAKE THE MOTION FIRST. THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU PRESIDENT ELLEN. JUST WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU TO THOMPSON AND HORTON FOR DIGGING DEEP AND GETTING US THE INFORMATION WE NEEDED AND THANK YOU TO SUPERINTENDENT HOUSE AND HIS TEAM FOR MOVING FORWARD WITH THIS DESPITE OUR POLICY.
THAT REALLY DEMONSTRATES LEADERSHIP AND BEING INCLUSIVE OF ALL OF OUR FAMILIES.
I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE TO AMEND BED LOCAL TO ACTUALLY ADD AN ENTIRE SECTION CALLED LANGUAGE ASSISTANT SERVICES AND THE LANGUAGE INCLUDED WOULD BE THE FOLLOWING, AND I'LL PROVIDE A COPY OF THIS MISS JONES.
HIST PROVIDES LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE SERVICES IN RELATION TO BOARD MEETINGS AND BOARD INFORMATION AS REQUIRED BY LAW.
INTERPRETER ASSISTANCE CAN BE REQUESTED FOR FILLING OUT PUBLIC COMMENT FORM FOR BOARD MEETINGS, PROVIDING PUBLIC COMMENT TO THE BOARD, AND SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETATION SERVICES DURING THE IN-PERSON BOARD MEETING OR BROADCAST.
INTERPRETATION SERVICES SHALL BE PROVIDED FOR ALL BOARD MEETINGS IN SPANISH.
PERSONS NEEDING ASSISTANCE IN OTHER LANGUAGES MUST MAKE THAT REQUEST IN WRITING AT LEAST 48 HOURS BEFORE THE BOARD MEETING AT WHICH THE SERVICES ARE NEEDED.
THE DISTRICT WILL ACCOMMODATE THE REQUEST SUBJECT TO INTERPRETER AVAILABILITY.
THE SUPERINTENDENT OR DESIGNEE WILL MAKE AVAILABLE ON THE DISTRICT'S WEBSITE AND IN THE BOARD SERVICES OFFICE INFORMATION CONCERNING HOW REQUEST FOR TRANSLATION AND OR INTERPRETATION SERVICES CAN BE MADE, INCLUDING THE NAME, TITLE, AND CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE INDIVIDUALS WHO CAN ASSIST WITH REQUEST FOR TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION SERVICES.
>> WE HAVE A MOTION BY TRUSTEE CRUZ AND A SECOND BY TRUSTEE SANTOS.
>> THANK YOU. QUESTION FOR LEGAL.
THIS AMENDMENT WOULD BRING BED LOCAL INTO COMPLIANCE WITH TITLE 6 AND ESEA LAWS AND REGULATIONS, CORRECT?
>> YES, AS IT RELATES TO LANGUAGES SPOKEN OTHER THAN ENGLISH.
I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AGAIN TO TRUSTEE CRUZ FOR BRINGING THIS MOTION FORWARD.
I JUST WANT TO SAY FOR TOO LONG OUR IMMIGRANT FAMILIES HAVE BEEN TREATED AS IF THEY ARE INVISIBLE.
WE STILL HAVE A WAY TO GO BUT THIS IS A GOOD FIRST STEP IN A LONG TIME COMING.
I'M PROUD THAT WE HAVE MADE THIS MAJOR ADVANCEMENT OR WE'RE ABOUT TO MAKE THIS MAJOR ADVANCEMENT IN ACCESSIBILITY AS ONE OF THE FIRST ACTS OF THIS BOARD AND A NEW ADMINISTRATION.
[01:10:02]
IT'S NOT JUST A BENEFIT TO THE FAMILIES WHO SPEAK SPANISH, WE ALL BENEFIT BY ENABLING ALL VOICES IN OUR COMMUNITY TO BE HEARD.BY GIVING THEM RESOURCES TO BE INFORMED ABOUT THEIR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION WE GAIN A VALUABLE PARTNER IN MAKING OUR DISTRICT ONE THAT SERVES THE NEEDS OF ALL CHILDREN.
AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL MY COLLEAGUES FOR BEING PATIENT AND UNDERSTANDING OF ALL COMMUNITIES.
>> I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP OF OUR TEAM OF 10 AND RECOGNIZE SUPERINTENDENT HOUSE ALSO FOR MOVING THE BALL WITH HIS ADMINISTRATION AND ALREADY INVESTIGATING AND LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN MAKE THIS REALITY HERE IN HIST.
I APPRECIATE HAVING THE LEGAL CONSIDERATION THAT WE NEEDED TO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GOT THIS POLICY RIGHT.
I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUED COLLABORATION WITH MY COLLEAGUES WHEN WE'RE EXAMINING THESE TYPES OF POLICIES FOR INCLUSIVENESS FOR OUR DISTRICT.
>> SEEING NO FURTHER REQUEST TO SPEAK, PLEASE VOTE.
WE'RE NOW READY TO CONSIDER ITEMS DISCUSSED [OVERLAPPING].
>> THAT JUST PASSED THE AMENDMENT.
NOW LET'S VOTE ON THE UNDERLYING CASE.
>> OUR LAST ITEM THAT NEEDS TO BE POSTED FOR DISCUSSION AND ACTION IS K1 WITH THE AMENDMENT, APPROVAL OF PROPOSED REVISIONS TO BOARD POLICY BED, LOCAL BOARD MEETINGS, PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, SECOND READING. DO I HAVE A MOTION?
>> WE HAVE A MOTION BY TRUSTEE HERNANDEZ AND A SECOND BY TRUSTEE SANTOS.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? PLEASE VOTE. WE HAVE NINE FOR, AND ZERO AGAINST.
WE'RE NOW READY TO CONSIDER ITEMS DISCUSSED IN CLOSED SESSION.
[CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON MATTERS DISCUSSED IN CLOSED OR EXECUTIVE SESSION]
DO I HAVE A MOTION? [LAUGHTER]>> I MOVE THAT THE BOARD APPROVE THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT WITH A FORMER HIST EMPLOYEE ON THE TERMS DISCUSSED IN CLOSED SESSION.
>> WE HAVE A MOTION BY TRUSTEE HERNANDEZ AND A SECOND BY TRUSTEE SANTOS.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? PLEASE VOTE. WE HAVE EIGHT FOR AND ONE ABSTAIN.
WITH NO FURTHER BUSINESS TO DISCUSS, THIS MEETING OF THE BOARD IS ADJOURNED.
THE TIME IS NOW 12:10 PM ON NOVEMBER 18, 2021. THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.