[00:00:01]
[CALL TO ORDER]
GOOD EVENING.I WOULD ASK EVERYONE TO PLEASE SILENCE YOUR CELL PHONES.
A QUORUM OF THE BOARD MEMBERS IS PRESENT IN THE BOARD AUDITORIUM.
THEY INCLUDE CASSANDRA AUZENNE BANDY, JEANETTE GARZA LINDNER, RIC CAMPO, MYSELF, AUDREY MOMANAEE, ROLANDO MARTINEZ, PAULA MENDOZA AND ADAM RAVON.
BOARD MEMBER MICHELLE CRUZ ARNOLD IS JOINING US LIVE VIA ZOOM.
BOARD MEMBER ANGELA LEMON FLOWERS IS IN TRANSIT FROM AN OUT OF TOWN EDUCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM.
IF THERE ARE ANY ELECTED OFFICIALS IN THE AUDIENCE THIS EVENING, PLEASE STAND AND BE RECOGNIZED.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, THE BOARD HAS PARTICIPATED IN MANY COMMUNITY EVENTS, AND A WORKING GROUP OF THE BOARD HAS PLANNED ADDITIONAL MEETINGS OVER THE NEXT TWO MONTHS TO GET INPUT ON WHAT IT IS WE WANT FOR THE CHILDREN OF HOUSTON ISD.
THANK YOU TO THE COMMITTEE FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK.
ROLANDO MARTINEZ, CASSANDRA AUZENNE BANDY AND MICHELLE CRUZ ARNOLD.
THANK YOU. THE LIST OF HOSTED EVENTS IS AVAILABLE ON THE BOARD'S WEBSITE.
OUR FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS TO HEAR FROM SPEAKERS TO AGENDA ITEMS.
[SPEAKERS TO AGENDA ITEMS]
WE ARE GLAD YOU ARE HERE AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU.VERBAL AND OTHER DISRUPTIONS BY PERSONS DURING THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE AS THEY INHIBIT THE BOARD'S ABILITY TO CONDUCT BUSINESS AND THE PUBLIC'S ABILITY TO OBSERVE THOSE PROCESSES.
WE HAVE 20 SPEAKERS REGISTERED THIS EVENING.
EACH SPEAKER WILL BE GIVEN TWO MINUTES TO ADDRESS THE BOARD PER BOARD POLICY.
BUT YOU MAY NAME YOUR OWN CHILD.
IF YOU ARE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK VIA ZOOM, WE MUST SEE YOU LIVE WITH YOUR CAMERA ON AS YOU SPEAK.
THE FIRST ITEM HELD FOR REGISTERED SPEAKERS IS THE REPORT ON NES AND NES ALIGNED SCHOOLS.
PLEASE COME TO THE MICROPHONE.
THIS SPEAKER WILL BE FOLLOWED BY DEREK BROSE.
THE STATE APPOINTED BOARD OF MANAGERS IS BEING SOLD A BILL OF GOODS.
THE VISION MR. MILES HAS FOR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR INCLUDES CONVERTING SCHOOL LIBRARIES INTO PSEUDO PRISON CELLS, STAFFING SCHOOLS WITH UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS, SUPPRESSING THE VOICE OF TEACHERS, USING FLAWED METRICS TO SLANDER THEM AND DISMISSING COMMUNITY FEEDBACK.
THE NES SYSTEM ISN'T INNOVATIVE OR GROUNDED ON EMPIRICAL RESEARCH.
IT IS A BILL OF GOODS, A FALSE PROMISE.
IT'S A CHARACTERISTIC MANIFESTATION OF THE ED REFORM DISEASE.
MAYA ANGELOU WARNED US, WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER, DO BETTER.
PLEASE PUSH BACK AND RAISE QUESTIONS.
TONIGHT, YOUR FAILURE TO PUSH BACK TONIGHT WILL REVEAL HOW MUCH YOU INTEND TO DO BETTER FOR HISD.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DEREK BROSE.
NO. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MELISSA YARBOROUGH.
MS. YARBOROUGH. I'M SORRY? OKAY. IS MS. CAMPOS HERE? PLEASE COME UP TO THE MICROPHONE, FOLLOWED BY CELINA MANZANO.
HELLO. I ACTUALLY JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I DID NOT KNOW THAT EQUITY WOULD HURT THIS BAD.
IT HURTS. I DID NOT KNOW THAT EQUITY FELT LIKE THIS.
I THOUGHT EQUITY WAS A GOOD THING.
BUT IT DOESN'T FEEL THAT WAY WHEN YOU'RE REMOVING EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL THAT WE HAD IN OUR SCHOOL.
SO YOU'VE TAKEN OUR LIBRARIES, YOU'VE TAKEN OUR TEACHERS.
OUT OF 28 TEACHERS, ONLY EIGHT TEACHERS CAME BACK.
WHY? BECAUSE IT'S A SLAP IN THE FACE.
YOU GUYS HAVE TOTALLY RUINED THESE TEACHERS LIVES.
[00:05:03]
YOU'VE NOT ONLY DONE THAT, BUT YOU'VE ALSO RUINED OUR SUMMER.I HAVE SPENT THE ENTIRE SUMMER FIGHTING TO GET MY TEACHERS BACK, TO KEEP MY DUAL LANGUAGE.
WHO WAKES UP IN THE MORNING AND SAYS, I KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO DO? I'M GOING TO TEACH AMERICA TO READ BY TAKING THE LIBRARIES.
WHAT? WHAT IS THAT? IT JUST DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT.
IT FEELS LIKE A DIRECT HIT TO OUR COMMUNITY, TO OUR BLACK AND BROWN SCHOOLS.
I DON'T SEE THIS HAPPENING TO THE WHITE SCHOOLS.
I FEEL LIKE WE'RE GOING BACKWARDS IN OUR HISTORY AS AMERICANS.
I ALSO JUST FOUND OUT THAT YOU GUYS ARE TRYING TO PAY $1.5 MILLION TO GET ROSETTA TO TEACH US.
I GUARANTEE IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK, NOT IN OUR SCHOOL AND I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN EITHER.
I THINK THAT'S ALL I REALLY HAD TO SAY.
I DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING PREPARED.
IT HURTS WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING TO OUR SCHOOLS.
IT HURTS. IT'S, EQUITY DOESN'T, I LOOKED UP WHAT EQUITY MEANT.
AND THIS IS NOT EQUITY, I PROMISE YOU.
THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SELENA MANZANO.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DANA CASTRO.
HI. I'M A PARENT OF A CHILD AT COOP ELEMENTARY.
IF YOU DON'T SEE IT ON MY SHIRT, YOU SAID LIBRARIES ARE NOT FOR TEACHING KIDS TO READ, MR. MILES. WELL, YOU'RE RIGHT.
IT'S TEACHERS THAT DO THAT USING THE LIBRARIES.
SO PROTECTING OUR LIBRARIES THAT WE DO HAVE IS PARAMOUNT AND MORE IMPORTANT, TANTAMOUNT TO OUR SURVIVAL OF A CIVILIZED SOCIETY. BY CLOSING OUR LIBRARIES, YOU HAVE CONVENIENTLY TAKEN THE ARGUMENT OVER BANNED BOOKS OUT OF THE QUESTION.
A VERY NUCLEAR OPTION OF YOU, SIR.
I SEE HOW YOU HAVE CAVED TO ABBOTT AND HIS MINIONS.
NOW, BY NOT RESPONDING TO OUR DIRECT QUESTIONS DURING THESE MULTIPLE MEETINGS, YOU HAVE ENABLED YOURSELF TO BE ABLE TO CHANGE YOUR NARRATIVE ONCE THE SCHOOL YEAR STARTS ALLOWING YOU TO CLAIM SUCCESS ON ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T GO WRONG.
OBVIOUSLY, IT'S WHAT I WAS PLANNING ON, RIGHT? I SAID IT ALREADY, MILES.
YOU'RE MAKING IT LOOK WORSE THAN IT IS.
I KNOW YOU'RE TYPE, BUT GUESS WHAT? THE NEEDLE WAS MOVING BEFORE YOU ARRIVED.
BEFORE YOU BOARD OF MANAGERS ARRIVED IN 2017, HARVEY HIT US.
TAKING TWO YEARS MINIMUM FOR OUR CITY TO RECOVER.
ALL GONE. CLOTHES, TOYS, SCHOOL SUPPLIES.
THEN IMMEDIATELY WE WERE HIT WITH THREE YEARS OF COVID.
SO WHATEVER SUCCESS YOU ATTEMPT TO GLEAN FROM OUR HARD WORK IS NOT GOING TO BE YOURS.
IT BELONGS TO OUR PARENTS AND TEACHERS.
PLEASE, BOARD OF MANAGERS, MILES, REMEMBER THAT MUCH FROM TODAY, BECAUSE WE WILL REMEMBER YOU.
AND THE MULTIPLE CALLS PER YEAR FOR SCHOOLS WHERE LOCKDOWNS WERE NEEDED PUT OUR CHILDREN AT RISK.
HARRIS COUNTY. THANK YOU, MS. CASTRO. HISDPD CAN'T AND DON'T VISIT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
OFFICERS ARE ONLY AT MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? THANK YOU, MS. CASTRO, YOUR TIME IS UP.
[INAUDIBLE] ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
MA'AM, THANK YOU. YOUR TIME IS UP.
THE NEXT ITEM HELD FOR REGISTERED SPEAKERS IS THE DISTRICT STRUCTURE OF THE UNIT CONCEPT.
WILL MEG SETH PLEASE APPROACH THE MICROPHONE? IS MISS SETH HERE? THE NEXT ITEM HELD FOR REGISTERED SPEAKERS IS TEACHER VACANCIES.
WE'LL BEGIN WITH SPEAKERS WHO ARE SIGNED UP TO ADDRESS THE BOARD IN PERSON.
WILL MS. JUDITH CRUZ PLEASE APPROACH THE MICROPHONE.
WE WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE MS. CRUZ FOR HER SERVICE AS A TRUSTEE TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
BUENAS NOCHES, BOARD MEMBERS AND SUPERINTENDENT MILES.
I'M AN HISD TRUSTEE, THE TEXAS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR THE TRUST AND AN HISD PARENT.
I HOPE THAT YOU WILL SHARE THE LONG TERM PLAN FOR ADDRESSING OUR TEACHER VACANCIES.
I WOULD ALSO HOPE THAT YOU WILL BE SHARING THE NUMBER OF VACANCIES THE DISTRICT HAS.
[00:10:02]
I RECOGNIZE THAT WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS A TEMPORARY SOLUTION.THANK YOU TO THIS ADMINISTRATION FOR BEING COMMITTED TO KEEPING AND SCALING DUAL LANGUAGE.
IT'S AN. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE DATA FOR OUR STUDENTS WHO TAKE ASSESSMENTS IN SPANISH, WHETHER NATIVE OR NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS, THEY OUTPERFORM THE ENGLISH TEST TAKERS BY LARGE MARGINS. SPANISH IS THE SCIENCE OF READING BECAUSE IT IS NATURALLY PHONETIC.
I'M CURIOUS TO SEE THE WEB OF DATA AND WONDERING IF THE BOARD IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE GOALS AND CONSTRAINTS SET BY THE ELECTED BOARD UNDER THE LONE STAR GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK THAT EXPIRE AT THE END OF THIS COMING SCHOOL YEAR? I DON'T BELIEVE THE TARGETS THAT WE ADOPTED CHALLENGED THE ORGANIZATION, SO I HOPE THAT YOU WILL REVISIT THAT AND I HOPE THAT YOU WILL LOOK CLOSELY AT OUR METRICS AND TARGETS FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS.
IF YOU ARE LOOKING STRICTLY AT THE A THROUGH F ACCOUNTABILITY, EVEN WITH THE COMING CHANGES, IT MASKS THE ACTUAL POST-SECONDARY OUTCOMES FOR OUR STUDENTS, MEASURE THE ACTUAL OUTCOMES SUCH AS MATRICULATION AND EARNED ASSOCIATE'S DEGREES OR CERTIFICATES, NOT JUST THE INDICATORS THAT GET THEM CLOSER TO THAT.
OUR STUDENTS HAVE SO MUCH POTENTIAL.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ALLISON CHAPIN.
THANK YOU, MA'AM. MY NAME IS ALLISON CHAPIN.
I HAD TO. I COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE.
BY THE WAY, I'M STILL WAITING TO BE CONTACTED BY YOUR HR DEPARTMENT TO LET ME KNOW EXACTLY WHAT MY BENEFITS ARE, MY PAYOUT, HOW MY HEALTH INSURANCE IS GOING TO CONTINUE, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED IN OUR BOARD FOR NOT ASKING QUESTIONS, HARD QUESTIONS.
I SERVED ON A BOARD FOR FIVE YEARS AND NEVER.
AND I CERTAINLY NEVER SERVED ON A BOARD WHERE THE CONSTANT VOTE WAS NINE TO NOTHING.
I DISAGREE WITH WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO TEACHERS.
YOU'RE PUTTING WARM BODIES IN THE CLASSROOM, SO YOU SHOULD NOT BE CALLING THEM TEACHERS.
THEY HAVE NOT STUDIED CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION.
PEDAGOGY, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
THE WAY THAT I HAVE AND MANY OTHER TEACHERS HAVE.
I'M GLAD THAT I QUIT ON THE 14TH BECAUSE I'M LOOKING AT WORKING PEOPLE, WORKING FOR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS AND DEANS THAT ARE NOT CERTIFIED AND THE POLICIES YOU KEEP ENACTING, THE WHOLE FINANCIAL YOU'RE GETTING RID OF 14 POLICIES.
14 POLICIES ON THIS BOARD AGENDA.
IS THAT REALLY HOW YOU SHOW YOU VALUE PROFESSIONALISM? THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
OUR NEXT ITEM HELD FOR REGISTERED SPEAKERS IS TEACHER CERTIFICATION WAIVER.
WILL COURTNEY REVELS PLEASE APPROACH THE MICROPHONE? THIS SPEAKER IS ALSO REGISTERED TO ADDRESS DESTINATION 2035.
HEY, EVERYBODY. I JUST WANTED TO ADDRESS THE TEACHER CERTIFICATIONS.
I DON'T AGREE WITH RELAXING THE CERTIFICATIONS JUST BECAUSE IT'S ALREADY TEA'S RESPONSIBILITY TO RECRUIT TEACHERS, PUT SOME PRESSURE ON THE STATE OF THE STATE TO DO THEIR PART OF THE JOB.
WHAT IS DESTINATION 2035 AND HOW DOES THAT IMPACT THE SENIORS THAT ARE GRADUATING AND MOVING INTO THE 2025 WORKPLACE OR THE 2026 WORKPLACE? YOU CAN'T JUST SKIP OVER TRYING TO YOU CAN'T JUST SKIP OVER BECAUSE THAT ALSO SHOWS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE NO INTENTION TO LEAVE, RIGHT? SO AGAIN, I DON'T AGREE WITH, I WISH YOU GUYS WOULD RECONSIDER THE TEACHER CERTIFICATION VOTING THAT POLICY OUT BECAUSE WE NEED TO PUT THE PRESSURE BACK ON THE STATE TO DO THEIR JOB OF RECRUITING AND RETAINING TEACHERS.
MS. NORMA THOMAS IS OUR NEXT SPEAKER.
[00:15:03]
IS MS. THOMAS HERE? NOW, THE NEXT ITEM HELD FOR REGISTERED SPEAKERS IS THE 2023 2024 CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT WITH CASSANDRA JONES.PLEASE APPROACH THE MICROPHONE.
MS. JONES? MS. JONES IS NOT HERE.
THE NEXT ITEM HELD FOR REGISTERED SPEAKERS IS VENDOR AWARDS.
WILL SARAH RIVLIN PLEASE APPROACH THE MICROPHONE? MS. RIVLIN, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES.
MR. MILES WANTS THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE PURCHASES OF UP TO $2 MILLION WITHOUT BOARD APPROVAL.
ON PAGE 36, HE STRIKES OUT THE REQUIREMENT THAT A RECORD OF CONTRACT BIDS CALLED TABULATIONS BE KEPT ON FILE IN BOARD SERVICES, MEANING THERE WILL BE NO EVIDENCE OF QUESTIONABLE DECISIONS.
MILES AND JIM TERRY WERE KNOWN FOR SHADY FINANCIAL DEALINGS IN DALLAS.
IF THEY BANKRUPT THE THIS DISTRICT, YOU WILL BE ON THE HOOK FOR IT FOR APPROVING THIS AGENDA.
IT'S NOT FAIR, BUT THAT'S THE TRUTH.
T ISN'T GOING TO REFUND US AND THEY'RE GOING TO PUBLICLY BLAME YOU, WHICH AGAIN, IS NOT FAIR.
THE OTHER THING I DO HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT IS THE $1.5 MILLION PURCHASE OF ROSETTA STONE, WHICH IS A COMPUTER PROGRAM SOFTWARE FOR LEARNING LANGUAGES.
AND I'M HOPING THAT THAT'S NOT WHAT MR. MILES MEANS WHEN HE SAYS HE'S GOING TO EXPAND DUAL LANGUAGE IN THE DISTRICT.
SITTING KIDS IN FRONT OF A COMPUTER FOR ONE HOUR IS NOT THE SAME AS HAVING A CERTIFIED BILINGUAL TEACHER, AND HE DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH BILINGUAL TEACHERS TO TEACH DUAL LANGUAGE ON ALL OF THE CAMPUSES THAT HE'S SAYING HE'S GOING TO DO IT ON.
THE NEXT ITEM HELD FOR REGISTERED SPEAKERS IS INVESTMENT OFFICERS.
WILL ANN EAGLETON PLEASE APPROACH THE MICROPHONE? MS. EAGLETON, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES.
HELLO. I'M GOING TO REMIND YOU, MY FIRST TIME HERE, I MENTIONED TO YOU THAT YOU HAVE A FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION TO THIS DISTRICT.
YOU ARE THE FINANCIAL STEWARDS.
I KNOW THAT'S NOT PART OF LONE STAR GOVERNANCE, BUT IT'S PART OF YOUR JOB DESCRIPTION.
OKAY. I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHO WROTE THESE POLICIES.
TERRY WROTE HIMSELF AS CFO TO BE THE LONE PERSON TO DECIDE HOW HISD INVESTS THEIR MONEY.
I DON'T KNOW WHY THERE'S A NEED TO CUT AWAY THE COMPTROLLER AND THE TREASURER.
WHY CAN'T THIS BE A GROUP EFFORT? THIS ISN'T A SUPERSTAR SHOW WHERE WE'RE ONLY GOING TO HAVE TWO PEOPLE MAKING EVERY DECISION.
YOU SERIOUSLY NEED TO ASK WHO'S WRITING THESE POLICIES BECAUSE IT IS UNDERMINING YOUR AUTHORITY.
IT'S UNDERMINING EVERY KIND OF FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT.
IT'S UNDERMINING TRANSPARENCY.
AND IF YOU VOTE AND GO WITH THIS, YOU'RE GOING TO NEED TO HIRE AT LEAST SIX PEOPLE FOR THE PUBLIC INFORMATION DEPARTMENT, BECAUSE THAT MEANS WE HAVE TO PIR EVERY SINGLE THING, THINGS THAT SHOULD BE READILY AVAILABLE AT THE BOARD SERVICES, THE TABULATIONS OR BE AVAILABLE ONLINE.
WE ARE BEING GRIFTED BY GRIFTERS THAT JUST CAME IN FROM OUT OF TOWN.
IF I WERE YOU, I WOULDN'T AGREE TO ANY OF THE STUFF THEY ARE PROPOSING.
AND I'M NOT A LOVER OF LAWYERS.
IT IS A BLIZZARD IN HELL THAT I'M DEFENDING LAWYERS.
BUT YOU NEED YOUR LAWYER, SO PLEASE GET WITH IT, PEOPLE.
YOU ARE, LIKE, BEING LED TO THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE.
AND I HOPE YOU'RE NOT USING THE XANAX THAT LONE STAR GOVERNANCE IS TO JUST HAPPILY GO ALONG.
WILL SARAH TERRELL PLEASE APPROACH THE MICROPHONE? MS. TERRELL, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES.
YOU CAN RELINQUISH YOUR OVERSIGHT DUTIES, BUT YOU CANNOT ESCAPE YOUR FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY.
URGED TO MAKE MAJOR POLICY CHANGES IN AN EMERGENCY WITH NO SECOND READING IN SEPTEMBER.
[00:20:03]
YOU SHOULD HAVE A POLICY COMMITTEE WRITING POLICY WITH HELP FROM YOUR LEGAL COUNSEL, THE ONE THAT MIKE MILES KICKS OUT OF THIS ROOM ON PAGE 27 OF THE AGENDA.IT SHOULD NOT BE WRITTEN BY THE SUPERINTENDENT.
THE CFO SEEMS TO HAVE WRITTEN THIS INVESTMENT POLICY HIMSELF WITHOUT INPUT FROM LEGAL.
IT MAKES HIM THE SOLE INVESTMENT OFFICER AND AND ASSUMES EXTENSIVE EXPERTISE ON HIS PART.
WHILE STRIKING LANGUAGE ABOUT TRAINING AND USING ADVISORS.
MR. TERRY IS NO INVESTMENT WIZARD AND HE WILL HAVE EXTENSIVE OTHER DUTIES AS A CFO.
THE INVESTMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF FOUR EXPERT CITIZENS IS ELIMINATED.
MILES AND TERRY DO NOT WANT ANYONE TO KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING.
THIS WHOLE AGENDA IS BAD FAITH AND IT SHOULD BE SETTING OFF ALARMS WITH YOU REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU THINK A $100,000 CONTRACT, A $5,000 DONATION OR A $50,000 SOLE SOURCE SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT IS PETTY AND BENEATH YOUR ATTENTION.
THESE ITEMS ALWAYS APPEAR ON THE BOARD AGENDA.
YES, THEY ARE USUALLY APPROVED WITHOUT DISCUSSION, BUT THERE IS A DETERRENT AND TRANSPARENCY EFFECT TO HAVING THEM ON THE AGENDA AND IN OUR ARCHIVES.
YOU ARE NOT HOSTAGES AND THE END DOES NOT JUSTIFY THE MEANS.
IT IS YOUR REPUTATION AND IT IS OUR MONEY.
WELL, MINDY WILSON, PLEASE APPROACH THE MICROPHONE.
I'M A PARENT OF TWO HISD STUDENTS AND WE NEED TO BE HONEST.
INCREASING THE SUPERINTENDENTS PURCHASING AUTHORITY FROM 100,000 TO $2 MILLION BEFORE SEEKING BOARD APPROVAL IS UNHEARD OF AND OBSCENE ON A NATIONAL SCALE.
LOS ANGELES UNIFIED HAS 565,000 STUDENTS.
THEY HAVE AN $18 BILLION BUDGET, YET THEIR SUPERINTENDENT CAN ONLY SPEND UP TO $500,000 WITHOUT BOARD APPROVAL AND PUBLIC INPUT.
CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE 340,000 STUDENTS, A $9.4 BILLION BUDGET, AND THEIR SUPERINTENDENT CAN ONLY SPEND $500,000 BEFORE SEEKING BOARD APPROVAL AND PUBLIC INPUT.
LAS VEGAS CLARK COUNTY HAS 300,000 STUDENTS, A $3.2 BILLION BUDGET.
HERE WE ARE IN HOUSTON WITH A $2 BILLION BUDGET.
AND MIKE MILES THINKS THAT HE SHOULD SPEND $2 MILLION WITHOUT BOARD APPROVAL OR PUBLIC INPUT.
DO YOU SEE HOW EGREGIOUS THIS IS FOR HISD STAKEHOLDERS AND TAXPAYERS? DO YOU? HOW IS THIS EVEN ALLOWED TO HAPPEN? HOW IS THIS EVEN? THIS IS EVEN SHAMEFUL ON A NATIONAL LEVEL.
WE DEMAND TRANSPARENCY FOR EVERY POLICY AND DOLLAR SPENT IN HISD.
THIS IS NOT THE REASON TO DO IT.
WILL CHRISTIE BREWSTER PLEASE APPROACH THE MICROPHONE? I'M YOUR CERTIFIED RETIRED SCHOOL NURSE, COMING BACK WITH SOME MORE REQUESTS FOR CLARIFICATION.
I GOT A LITTLE BIT OF A CONCERN IN REGARD TO THIS POLICY CHANGE REQUEST.
AND THEN THE ADD IN WAS PREFERENCE FOR VETERANS.
NOW, HERE IS MY QUESTION, CLASS.
HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO LAST? WHAT'S YOUR TIME FRAME? BECAUSE I'M SURE YOU'RE GOING TO CONFIRM THE INFORMATION THAT THESE APPLICANTS GIVE.
[00:25:01]
I'M ALL FOR VETERANS AND THEY SHOULD HAVE A LITTLE INPUT IN WORK SETTINGS, BUT NOT CONFIRMING THE APPLICATION INFORMATION? SERIOUSLY EDUCATIONAL ENTITY.I'M FOR THE SAFETY OF MY CHILDREN.
WE'RE IN SOME STRANGE TIMES IN HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, NOT TO MENTION IN THE WORLD.
YOUR RATIONALE WAS TO STREAMLINE THE APPLICATION PROCESS.
LET'S DON'T MAKE IT SO QUICK THAT WE BRING SOME NUTS IN HERE.
EVEN THOUGH YOU SAY YOU'RE GOING TO DO A BACKGROUND CHECK.
WHY ARE WE BOTHERING TO HAVE THESE JOB FAIRS AND RESUMES IF THE INFO IS NOT GOING TO BE CONFIRMED? I'M ALL HERE FOR THE CHILDREN, THIS RETIRED SCHOOL NURSE.
WILL RUTH HOFFMAN PLEASE APPROACH THE MICROPHONE? THE SPEAKER IS ALSO REGISTERED TO ADDRESS LEGAL AND LOCAL MISS LACK.
RUTH HOFFMAN, CURRENTLY A SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST.
BUT I STARTED WORKING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN 1992 AS A TEACHER AT WESTBURY HIGH SCHOOL.
MY FAVORITE EXAMPLE IN 1993, WHEN THE NEW BUILDING OPENED AT WESTBURY HIGH SCHOOL, WE DISCOVERED THAT DESPITE FACULTY AND STAFF ALL HAVING COMMENTED AND SEEN THE PLANS IN ADVANCE, THERE WAS NOT A SINGLE FACULTY BATHROOM IN THE WHOLE THING.
THAT IS BAD AND YOU CANNOT CHANGE IT.
I HAVE MET A LOT OF BRILLIANT PEOPLE IN MY LIFE, BUT I HAVE YET TO MEET ONE WHO HAS THE COMBINED KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE TO BE IN A POSITION TO UNILATERALLY MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT EVERYTHING FROM PERSONNEL POLICY TO CURRICULUM TO VENDOR SELECTION WITHOUT THE INPUT OF EXPERIENCED AND KNOWLEDGEABLE ADVISORS.
THAT IS JUST ASKING TOO MUCH OF ANYONE BECAUSE NOBODY CAN KNOW ALL OF THAT.
AND WHEN WE CONSIDER THAT ANY ONE OF THESE DECISIONS COULD DRAMATICALLY IMPACT THE LIVES OF THE STUDENTS WE ALL CARE SO MUCH ABOUT, IT FRANKLY SEEMS UNFAIR TO PUT MR. MILES OR ANYBODY ELSE IN THE POSITION OF HAVING TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS ALONE.
I AM SURE THAT HE WOULD BE UNABLE TO LIVE WITH HIMSELF IF HE WERE TO INADVERTENTLY MAKE A DECISION THAT BROUGHT HARM TO STUDENTS OR FAMILIES OR STAFF. SECOND, WHILE I'M SURE IT WAS UNINTENDED, I'M ALSO SURE THAT THESE PROPOSALS WILL SEND THE MESSAGE THAT TEACHERS AND STAFF ARE NOT TRUSTED OR RESPECTED AS PROFESSIONALS, IN CONTRAST TO OTHER MESSAGES ABOUT VALUING AND WANTING TO ATTAIN AND RETRACT, I MEAN RETAIN AND ATTRACT EXCELLENT TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS.
THANK YOU, MA'AM. LEADS TO IMPROVED COMMUNICATION AND IMPROVED RELATIONSHIPS.
OUR SPEAKER IS REGISTERED TO ADDRESS THE BOARD VIA ZOOM.
MS.. SMITH, PLEASE ADMIT MARIA BENZAN.
MS. BENZAN IS NOT ON ZOOM, BUT I BELIEVE MELISSA YARBOROUGH SIGNED IN TO SPEAK AND IS HERE NOW.
OKAY. MS. YARBOROUGH WAS REGISTERED TO SPEAK ON THE TOPIC OF THE REPORT ON NES AND NES ALIGNED SCHOOLS.
OH, YOU'RE HERE? YES. PLEASE GO AHEAD.
THANK YOU. I AM A PARENT AT PUGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND MR. MILES HAS MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT STAAR SCORES ARE THE END ALL, BE ALL, IT'S EVERYTHING.
AND, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK ANYBODY HERE IS AGAINST IMPROVING STAAR SCORES.
IN FACT, I'M A TEACHER AND I'M ALL FOR IT.
HOWEVER, THERE'S TWO PROBLEMS WITH BASING EVERYTHING ON IT.
SO BASING EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING ON JUST THIS, THAT DOESN'T GIVE ME A LOT OF CONFIDENCE.
BUT THE OTHER PROBLEM IS, EVEN IF WE ARE GOING TO SAY, LET'S PUT ALL OUR EGGS IN THE STAAR BASKET, WE HAVE THIS PROBLEM OF IF IT'S NOT DIRECTLY, IF IT'S NOT DIRECT INSTRUCTION ON SOMETHING THAT'S TESTED IN STAAR, IT'S SEEN AS AN OBSTACLE.
AND THAT'S A BIG PROBLEM BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST THE ELA CLASS THAT HELPS KIDS PASS THE ELA STAR.
[00:30:06]
IT IS THE PE, IT'S THE ART, IT'S THE MUSIC, IT'S ALL THAT STUFF THAT HAS BEEN SAID TO BRING LESS VALUE THAT ACTUALLY BRINGS MORE VALUE TO THE KIDS BECAUSE SOME OF THOSE KIDS ARE JUST SHOWING UP BECAUSE OF THAT ART TEACHER BECAUSE OF THAT SPORTS THEY CAN DO IN PE.EVERYTHING THAT'S NOT TESTED ON STAR IS BEING SQUASHED RIGHT NOW WITH THESE PLANS.
SO NOW ART TEACHERS ARE SAID TO HAVE LESS VALUE AND ARE ACTUALLY BEING PAID LESS.
WE'RE GOING TO TAKE JOY OUT OF SCHOOLS.
WE HAVE TO HAVE ALL OF THESE THINGS TO GIVE OUR KIDS THE BEST EDUCATION POSSIBLE BECAUSE I WANT MY CHILDREN TO BE READY FOR 2035, TOO, BUT NOT JUST READY TO PASS STANDARDIZED TESTS. THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT MORE TO LIFE THAN JUST THAT.
THANK YOU. EMILY, HAS ANYBODY ELSE WHO WASN'T HERE CHECKED IN? THAT CONCLUDES OUR HEARING OF REGISTERED SPEAKERS FOR THIS MEETING.
THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE SPEAKERS.
OH, I'M SORRY TWO FOLKS HAVE CHECKED IN.
OKAY. DO THEY NEED TO CHECK IN WITH YOU OR.
AND IF YOU CAN ANNOUNCE YOURSELF, PLEASE.
CAN I GO FIRST? HOLD ON JUST ONE MOMENT.
CAN YOU ANNOUNCE YOUR NAME, PLEASE? YES. MY NAME IS MEG SETH.
OKAY, MS. SETH, I REMEMBER YOU BEING LISTED HERE.
THE IDEA INCLUDES EDUCATING MORE CHILDREN IN NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS RATHER THAN SEPARATE SCHOOLS.
REMOVING STUDENTS FROM A REGULAR CLASSROOM TO A ZOOM ROOM IS AGAINST MOST PLANS.
THERE IS NO EXTRA EXTRA CRITERIA FOR REMOVAL OR CRITERIA TO BE BROUGHT BACK INTO THE CLASSROOM.
PLUS, PARENTS ARE NOT INFORMED OF THIS CHAOTIC MEASURE.
CHILDREN WILL NOT THRIVE IF THEY HAVE FOCUS OR ORGANIZATION PROBLEMS. IN A LARGE ROOM OF MISBEHAVING STUDENTS MAKING TEACHERS PAY RELIANT ON TEST SCORES IS ANOTHER SLAP IN THE FACE FOR SPECIAL ED KIDS BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT BE WELCOMED IN A REGULAR CLASSROOM FOR FEAR OF BRINGING DOWN TEST SCORES, REMOVING LIBRARIES, A TERRIBLE REMOVAL FOR OUR KIDS.
SPENDING THEIR DAY DOING WORKSHEET AFTER WORKSHEET IS NOT A WAY TO INCREASE READING SKILLS.
FED HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN MISHANDLED IN HISD WITH MULTIPLE LAWSUITS PLAGUED THIS DISTRICT.
SUPERINTENDENT MILES PUBLICLY ADMITTED HE DOESN'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT SPECIAL ED.
THE BOARD OF MANAGERS HAVE NO SPECIAL ED BACKGROUND.
THE LOCKDOWNS WERE DETRIMENTAL TO LOW INCOME KIDS.
KIDS WITH DISABILITIES SUFFERED THE MOST.
DON'T DO ANOTHER CATASTROPHIC DECISION.
THANK YOU, MA'AM. THE LAST REGISTERED SPEAKER IS.
YES. CAN YOU PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR NAME? DERRICK BROSE.
OH, YES, SIR. YOU ARE REGISTERED TO SPEAK AT FIRST.
SORRY FOR BEING LATE. NO PROBLEM.
HOUSTONIAN. I DON'T HAVE ANY CHILDREN IN HISD, BUT I'M HERE IN SOLIDARITY.
SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A COUPLE NOTES THAT I THINK HAVE ALREADY BEEN REPEATED MORE ELOQUENTLY THAN I CAN FOR ONE TO SECOND, THE TEACHER THAT JUST SPOKE A MOMENT AGO ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THOSE CREATIVE PROGRAMS, THAT STANDARDIZED TESTING IS NOT EVERYTHING TO CATALOGING HOW INTELLIGENT A CHILD IS, HOW GREAT THEY CAN BE IN LIFE OR ANY OF THOSE THINGS. AND WE NEED TO NOT BE TAKING FURTHER STEPS, WHICH IT APPEARS UNDER.
[00:35:04]
SPACE. AS FOR ME AS A TROUBLED YOUNG CHILD, MY PARTNERS HERE AS WELL, SHE CAN SPEAK AS SOMEBODY WHO WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO INTEGRATE WITHOUT BILINGUAL PROGRAMS THAT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET TO KNOW HER FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND DO GOOD IN HER COMMUNITY WITHOUT THOSE PROGRAMS. SO I JUST AM HERE TO ECHO THOSE CONCERNS.I ALSO, AGAIN, COMMEND THE TEACHERS WHO ARE DOING WHAT THEY CAN.
I DON'T THINK TAKING AWAY POWER FROM THEM, GIVING POWER TO ONE SINGLE PERSON IS EVER A GOOD IDEA.
BUT DEFINITELY NOT. YOU KNOW, WE HEARD THE NUMBERS EARLIER, THE STATS THAT WERE QUOTED.
IT JUST DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A GOOD IDEA.
AND I DON'T THINK TAKING THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS AND AS THEY EXIST, THIS IS MY PERSONAL OPINION, BUT MANY OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS, THE EDUCATION MODELS THAT COME IN, THEY'RE COMING FROM. I BELIEVE, A COLONIST MINDSET.
THERE'S ALREADY PROBLEMS WITH SOME OF THE EDUCATIONAL THINGS BEING TAUGHT.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE.
AND WE NEED TO BE TEACHING THE KIDS TO QUESTION AUTHORITY AND TO THINK CRITICALLY AND ENCOURAGE MORE CREATIVE FORMS OF EDUCATION AS OPPOSED TO TRYING TO MAKE IT EVEN MORE DOGMATIC. THANK YOU.
MA'AM, CAN YOU PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME? MY NAME IS RUTH KRAVITZ.
MA'AM, I DON'T THINK YOU'VE BEEN REGISTERED TO SPEAK THIS EVENING.
HOLD ON ONE SECOND. WE DON'T SHOW YOU AS REGISTERED.
THEY GAVE ME MY LITTLE THING AND I FILLED IT OUT.
ON YOU SO MUCH. JUST ONE SECOND.
WHAT'S UP? YOU SAID YOU REGISTERED TO SPEAK.
CAN YOU TELL ME TODAY? I REGISTERED TO SPEAK YESTERDAY BEFORE NOON.
I SHOULD REALLY JUST GIVE A DIFFERENT SPEECH BECAUSE THIS IS A STRANGE NEW WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN.
BUT SINCE WE HAVE TWO MINUTES.
THERE'S NEVER REALLY BEEN A BOARD AGENDA AS HORRIFYING AS THIS ONE.
AND YOU WELL-INTENTIONED, GOOD PEOPLE NEED TO HOLD THE LINE.
THIS AGENDA IS NOT ABOUT CHILDREN.
AND NOW YOU WANT HISD TO LITERALLY HIRE ANYONE WITH A DEGREE WHO IS BREATHING.
I'M HEARING THAT APPLICANTS ARE SHOWING UP IN THEIR CHONCLAS STRAIGHT FROM THE BEACH.
AS A FORMER ADMINISTRATOR, I KNOW THAT WON'T BODE WELL FOR OUR CHILDREN.
THIS AGENDA IS ABOUT GIVING ADULTS UNFETTERED ACCESS TO BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
LET'S LOOK AT ONE EXAMPLE THAT PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN ABOUT, BUT WE NEED TO SAY IT AGAIN.
MILES COULD WRITE UP A $2 MILLION CONTRACT TO HIS COUSINS SPIN BIKE COMPANY.
AND NO ONE, NOT THE BOARD, NOT THE PUBLIC WOULD BE WISER.
MIKE MILES IS ACTING LIKE A MAN WITH A TRUST FUND.
I'VE JUST TAKEN MY YOUNGEST CHILD'S CREDIT CARDS AWAY FOR A REASON, AND YOU NEED TO TAKE HIS AWAY.
AND LET'S HOPE MY CHILD DOESN'T WATCH THIS.
YOU ARE RUNNING HISD INTO THE GROUND WHEN EVERY OTHER DISTRICT IS DEALING WITH THE HORRIBLE REALITIES OF OUR GOVERNOR UNWILLING TO PROVIDE MORE STATE FUNDING FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN. AND YET THERE IS UNLIMITED FUNDS HERE FOR US TO SPEND.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT YEAR? WHICH SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED? IF YOU REALLY WANTED TO STRENGTHEN OUR SCHOOLS AND I WOULD SUPPORT YOU IF YOU DID THESE THINGS FIRST, INCLUDE THE ELECTED BOARD AND DECISION MAKING.
YOU ARE ALL GOOD PEOPLE. YOU'VE ONLY BEEN HERE A MINUTE.
THANK YOU, MA'AM. THANK YOU. FINISH MY SENTENCE.
MA'AM? MA'AM? NO, MA'AM. MA'AM.
EVERY SINGLE ONE IS BAD, MA'AM.
MA'AM IS TURNING LIBRARIES INTO ZOOM DETENTION CENTERS.
MA'AM. EVALUATING TEACHERS, PLEASE.
OR HIRING TEACHERS WITHOUT ANYTHING AT ALL.
I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU SO MUCH, MA'AM.
MA'AM. THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO RUN A SCHOOL DISTRICT.
THANK YOU, MA'AM. AND NOT THE WAY TO BUILD MEANINGFUL.
CAN WE? RELATIONSHIPS WITH ADULTS, SHOW UP ON SATURDAY THANK YOU, MA'AM. HAVE A NICE DAY.
SO THAT CONCLUDES OUR SPEAKERS FOR TODAY.
THANK YOU. SUPERINTENDENT MILES NOW HAS INFORMATION TO SHARE WITH THE BOARD.
[PRESENTATION OF WORK SESSION TOPICS]
THE BOARD, AS YOU WALK OVER, HAS POSED A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS ON A NUMBER OF THE TOPICS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE SPEAKING ABOUT TONIGHT THAT ARE ON THE AGENDA.[00:40:02]
AND WE UNDERSTAND THOSE QUESTIONS WILL BE RESPONDED TO AND DISCUSSED THIS EVENING.MR. MILES WILL LET YOU GET READY.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE MET AND GONE OVER THE DESTINATION 2035 PLAN.
A LOT OF MISINFORMATION TODAY FROM THE CROWD.
THEY OBVIOUSLY HAVEN'T BEEN LISTENING VERY WELL.
SO WE'RE GOING TO REPEAT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO, THAT WE'VE ALREADY BEEN TALKING ABOUT.
AND I THINK THAT WILL HELP BOTH OF US, BUT ALSO THE AUDIENCE.
SO FIRST THING, THIS IS A TRANSFORMATION.
THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT.
THAT MEANS WE'RE NOT DOING THE SAME THING THAT WE'VE ALWAYS DONE, AND THAT SCARES PEOPLE.
AND IT'S HARD FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THINGS THEY HAVEN'T SEEN.
SO THAT'S ALSO UNDERSTANDABLE.
I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING, BUT THEY'RE NOT.
THESE TWO. THIS ONE'S WORKING.
THIS ONE'S. OH, YEAH? YEAH. ARE YOU SURE? YEAH. OKAY. WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT.
WE'VE DONE A LOT IN TWO MONTHS AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE RIGHT.
WE'VE WE'VE PUSHED THE ENVELOPE QUITE A BIT IN JUST TWO MONTHS.
SO I JUST WANTED TO GO OVER SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE.
SO WE DID ROLL OUT A DESTINATION 2035 PLAN AND RECALL, I SAID WE COULD HAVE WAITED A YEAR, BUT I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ALSO WANT US TO MOVE FAST AND SO THAT WE CAN RETURN THE DISTRICT AFTER THE INTERVENTION.
WE PUT OUT A DESTINATION 2035 PLAN.
WE PASSED A REVISED BUDGET, OF COURSE, BECAUSE THAT HAD TO BE DONE IN JUNE BY LAW.
I'VE PERSONALLY SPENT SIX FULL DAYS TRAINING PRINCIPALS DURING THE LAST TWO MONTHS.
WE REVISED 13 BOARD POLICIES IF THE BOARD AGREES NEXT WEEK.
WE'VE ALSO, TRIED TO COMMUNICATE THE INFORMATION IN THESE MEETINGS.
I THINK THERE'S 9 OR 10 OF THEM.
YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS THAT ONE THAT WAS REALLY WELL ATTENDED WAS THE VIRTUAL EVENT.
OVER CLOSE TO 500 PEOPLE ATTENDED THAT ONLINE VIRTUAL MEETING.
CENTRAL OFFICE REORGANIZATION.
THAT WAS A HEAVY LIFT IN JUST TWO MONTHS.
WE REORGANIZED MOST OF THE DEPARTMENTS IN CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION.
WE RIGHT SIZED CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION, ELIMINATING 2334 POSITIONS.
THOSE WERE, MANY OF THOSE WERE VACANCIES.
SO THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT MANY PEOPLE.
I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT IN A LITTLE BIT.
THAT ALONE WOULD HAVE BEEN A LOT OF SCHOOLS.
AND I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT ACTUALLY MEANS.
[00:45:06]
MEANT TO BE IN A NEW EDUCATION SYSTEM, SCHOOLS AFTER WE TALKED TO THEM ABOUT GETTING TEACHER OR COMMUNITY INPUT.57 SCHOOLS STEPPED UP, VOLUNTEERED TO BE PART OF THE NEW EDUCATION SYSTEM SCHOOLS.
THAT MEANS THERE'S 85 SCHOOLS NOW, 31% OF THE DISTRICT THAT AGREED TO BE IN TRANSFORMATION.
SCHOOL LEADERS, TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS.
WE DEVELOPED AND PREVIEWED THE LARGEST PRINCIPAL PAY FOR PERFORMANCE PLAN IN THE NATION.
IF THE BOARD PASSES THIS IN SEPTEMBER.
AND WE'RE DRASTICALLY LOWERING THE AMOUNT OF WORK THEY HAVE TO DO WITH REGARD TO THAT BUREAUCRACY.
WE'VE ALSO REDUCED TEACHER VACANCIES FROM CLOSE TO 800.
THAT'S ACTUALLY CLOSER TO 900 TO UNDER 238 BY THE END OF JULY.
AND WE WILL GET CLOSE TO ZERO BY THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
644 VACANCIES WERE THERE AT THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR LAST YEAR.
WE INCREASED COMPENSATION FOR APPROXIMATELY 2350 TEACHERS BY $10,000 THIS YEAR.
WE ALSO INCREASED COMPENSATION FOR ANOTHER 1200 TEACHERS, THE TEACHERS BY APPROXIMATELY 25,000.
15,000 ON THE BASE, PLUS ANOTHER 10,000 STIPEND.
AND WE CONDUCTED SIX FULL DAYS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR SCHOOLS AND INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS.
THAT IS A LOT OF WORK IN JUST 60 DAYS.
HISD. SO THE VISION THAT WE'VE PUT TOGETHER, WE'RE ALREADY MOVING OUT ON.
A VISION THAT'S ACTIONABLE, NOT JUST A BUNCH OF WORDS ON A PIECE OF PAPER.
WE SAID 150 SCHOOLS THROUGH A WHOLE SCHOOL TRANSFORMATION.
BUT WHOLESCALE TRANSFORMATION OF 28 SCHOOLS WAS WHAT WE WANTED TO DO THIS YEAR.
LOOKS LIKE WE'LL DO A WHOLE SCALE TRANSFORMATION OF 85 SCHOOLS.
THE VISION OF 150 WHOLESCALE TRANSFORMED SCHOOLS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT FOUR YEARS, SO WE'RE WAY AHEAD OF WHERE WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE. IT'S GOING TO COME AT SOME COST, MEANING CAPACITY, FINANCES, AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT.
IN THE MEANTIME IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS.
THERE ARE SOME THINGS I THINK WE HAVE TO ADJUST.
BECAUSE THERE'S THERE'S ENOUGH ADJUSTMENT AS IT IS.
AND SO THERE'S MORE CLARITY AND MORE URGENCY ABOUT THE FUTURE.
BEFORE THE SKILLS GAP IS LOCKED IN.
WE'VE TALKED BEFORE ABOUT THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP BEING LOCKED IN BECAUSE THE COUNTRY HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO THE COUNTRY HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO CLOSE THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP.
AND I THINK IF WE DON'T DO OUR JOBS WELL.
A SKILLS GAP THAT'S LOCKED IN.
[00:50:03]
I GIVE US ABOUT EIGHT YEARS.AS A COUNTRY. AS AN URBAN DISTRICT.
COULD WE HAVE SOMEONE ASK THAT LADY, CAN YOU PLEASE STOP DISRUPTING? THANK YOU. I THINK WE HAVE ABOUT EIGHT YEARS.
THAT SKILLS GAP, AND THAT MAKES OUR JOB EVEN MORE IMPORTANT.
IT MAKES IT EVEN MORE IMPORTANT FOR US TO DO BOTH THINGS.
AND I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT A COUPLE OF THOSE.
THE OTHER TWO THINGS THAT THAT ARE CONSIDERATIONS OR ADJUSTMENTS.
NUMBER ONE. SOME OF THE SYSTEMS IN THE DISTRICT, THE SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN ARE LESS EFFECTIVE THAN I THOUGHT THEY WERE. MORE COLLOQUIALLY MESSED UP THAN I THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE.
WE'VE HAD TO REALLY STREAMLINE THINGS JUST TO GET TEACHERS HIRED HERE.
AND SO WE'RE HAVING TO SPEND MORE TIME THAT'S NOT PART OF DESTINATION 2035, BUT WE'RE SPENDING THE TIME AND EFFORT BECAUSE IT IS SO BACKWARD. THE SECOND THING IS WE NEED TO UPGRADE OUR CTE COURSES.
CAREER TECH ED IS PART OF THE PRIORITY WORK AREAS.
IT'S NUMBER 8 OR 9 IN THE LIST OF PRIORITY WORK AREAS.
I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT WHAT WE DO IN THE DISTRICT, OUR CTE PROGRAMS, AND WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO TO WHERE WE NEED TO BE AND THE WHOLE SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE UPGRADE D.
IN SOME CASES, THEY NEED TO BE LIKE REFORMED FROM THE GROUND UP.
WE WILL SPEND SOME TIME THIS YEAR DEVISING AND AND IMPROVING OUR CTE PROGRAMS THAT WE WILL START IN THE 24-25 SCHOOL YEAR, ESPECIALLY WITH REGARD TO AI.
WE NEED COURSES, CTE COURSES THAT ARE TIED TO AI TO HELP OUR JUNIORS AND SENIORS AND IN YOUNGER GRADES IF WE CAN REALLY USE AI AS THEY ENTER THE WORKFORCE.
WE WILL HAVE TO SPEND MORE MONEY IN THE UNDERSERVED SCHOOLS IN PARTS OF THE DISTRICT THAN WE WILL EQUALLY ACROSS THE BOARD, BUT ACROSS THE BOARD, WE NEED AN UPGRADE ON OUR CTE PROGRAMS. SO YOU'LL SEE THAT COMING TO THE BOARD AS WE WORK THROUGH THIS YEAR.
AND THAT WAS SOMETHING WE DIDN'T HAVE IN DESTINATION 2035.
LIKE I SAID, WE DID HAVE CTE, BUT NOT THIS LEVEL OF ATTENTION.
SO, THE BOARD MAY OR MAY NOT REMEMBER THAT NES AND NES ALIGNED ARE THE SAME, EXCEPT FOR TWO THINGS, BUT EVERYTHING ELSE IS THE SAME.
ONE NO RECONSTITUTION FOR ALIGNED SCHOOLS.
WE DIDN'T HAVE TIME AND WE DIDN'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DO THAT.
NUMBER TWO, THE COMPENSATION PLAN FOR NES ALIGNED SCHOOLS.
THE BASE SALARY IS THE SAME AS THE SALARY SCHEDULE IN THE DISTRICT.
THE SCHOOLS HAVE THAT HOSPITAL MODEL PAYMENT PLAN, AS YOU KNOW.
BUT THE COMPENSATION PLAN WAS THE SAME AS THEY'VE ALWAYS HAD THE STEP AND LANE SCHEDULE.
AND BY THE WAY, NOT ONE PERSON LOSES SALARY ACROSS THE DISTRICT IF THEY WERE HERE.
THE OTHER THINGS FOR NES AND NES ALIGNED.
JUST I'M GOING TO RACE THROUGH THIS BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME.
BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO JUST REMEMBER WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT WHEN WE SAY NES? WHAT ARE THE SUPPORTS? SO, THE STAFFING MODEL IS DIFFERENT.
NOT ONLY ARE THERE, OF COURSE, TEACHERS, BUT THERE ARE TEACHER APPRENTICES AND LEARNING COACHES.
WE HOPE NOT TO HAVE ANY SUBSTITUTES IN THE NES AND NES ALIGNED SCHOOLS RIGHT NOW.
WELL, WE'LL TALK ABOUT VACANCIES HERE IN A MINUTE, BUT I CAN JUST TELL YOU, WITH REGARD TO THE STAFFING, AS FAR AS TEACHERS IN THE SCHOOLS, WE HAVE CLOSE TO ZERO VACANCIES RIGHT NOW, CLOSE TO ZERO HOSPITAL MODEL COMPENSATION.
[00:55:03]
POSITION. THE INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL.LET ME SPEND A A MINUTE ON THIS.
THE INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL IS PROVEN TO TO WORK REALLY WELL.
WE IN OUR PROFESSION, THERE'S A COUPLE PHRASES THAT YOU YOU MAY NOT KNOW.
THAT'S WHERE THE TEACHER GUIDES THE STUDENT DIRECTLY.
AND THE STUDENTS RECEIVE GRADE LEVEL INSTRUCTION.
THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WITH SCAFFOLDS TO HELP THE KIDS WHO ARE BEHIND.
AND THEN THERE'S ANOTHER MODALITY WHICH WE USE, AND IT'S CALLED DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION.
YOU CAN'T HAVE BOTH REALLY, BECAUSE KIDS NEED BOTH DIRECT INSTRUCTION.
YOU CAN'T HAVE ONE OR THE OTHER.
THEY NEED DIRECT INSTRUCTION, ESPECIALLY KIDS WHO ARE BEHIND AND THEY NEED DIFFERENTIATED.
IN OTHER WORDS, KIDS WHO ARE AHEAD SHOULD BE CHALLENGED.
KIDS WHO ARE BEHIND SHOULD GET MORE TIME WITH THE EXPERT, NOT A PARAEDUCATOR, BUT WITH THE TEACHER.
SO, THE LSAE MODEL, USUALLY IT'S 90 MINUTE CLASS.
THE FIRST 40 TO 45 MINUTES, THE KIDS GET DIRECT INSTRUCTION AT GRADE LEVEL.
GRADE LEVEL IS IMPORTANT SO THAT WE DON'T SELL OUR KIDS SHORT WITH SCAFFOLDS.
SO THAT'S THE FIRST 40 TO 45 MINUTES.
THEN THEY TAKE A TEN MINUTE MINI QUIZ CALLED A DEMONSTRATION OF LEARNING.
THAT'S WHERE WE FIND OUT WHETHER THEY ACTUALLY LEARNED WHAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO LEARN.
AND THEN RIGHT AFTER THAT, THE KIDS ARE SPLIT INTO FOUR GROUPS.
KIDS ARE STILL LEARNING THE OBJECTIVE.
THEY STRUGGLED STILL EVEN AFTER 45 MINUTES.
WE CALL THEM LEARNERS AND THEY WILL HAVE ONE SET OF ACTIVITIES OR ASSIGNMENTS THAT'S NOT AS RIGOROUS AS THE ACCELERATED, BUT IT WILL ALSO BE SCAFFOLDED AND GUIDED.
THEN THE KIDS WHO ARE NEAR PROFICIENT, THAT THEY'RE NOT QUITE PROFICIENT.
THEY'RE GOING TO GET A SEPARATE ASSIGNMENT.
THE KIDS WHO ARE PROFICIENT, THEY GET HARDER WORK, MORE RIGOROUS, MORE TEXT AT THEIR LEVEL.
AND THEN FINALLY ACCELERATED KIDS GET EVEN MORE CHALLENGING WORK.
SO, THE PROFICIENT STUDENTS AND THE ACCELERATED STUDENTS GO INTO THE TEAM CENTER.
AND FOR EVERY KID, THERE'S TWO TEAM CENTERS THEY CAN GO TO.
ONE IS AN INDIVIDUAL WHERE THEY WORK INDIVIDUALLY.
ANOTHER TEAM CENTER IS WHERE THEY CAN WORK IN PAIRS.
THESE STUDENTS OVER HERE WORK INDEPENDENTLY.
AND THEN THEY'LL BE ABLE TO WORK IN PAIRS.
BUT THAT'S WHAT A TEAM CENTER IS.
IT IS WHERE THE WORK HAPPENS FOR PROFICIENT AND ACCELERATED KIDS LEARNING COACHES HELP.
AND WHEN YOU SEE 150 6TH GRADERS IN THE ROOM ANNOTATING READING INDEPENDENTLY, WORKING HARD, THAT'S SOMETHING TO SEE.
SO THAT'S WHAT A TEAM CENTER IS.
AND SOMETIMES IT'S CO-LOCATED IN A LIBRARY.
THAT'S TRUE. BUT THIS INFORMATION THAT'S OUT THERE PURPOSELY MISINFORMING, INTENTIONALLY GETTING IT WRONG AFTER IT'S BEEN EXPLAINED A LOT. THAT'S JUST WRONG.
WHAT IT IS, IS WHAT I JUST DESCRIBED.
LET'S TALK QUICKLY THEN, IF THE IF THE BOARD WILL ALLOW ME TO TALK ABOUT THE DISCIPLINE AND THE TEAM CENTER SO THAT ONCE AGAIN, I CAN EXPLAIN IT FOR THE RECORD, AND THEN PEOPLE WHO INTENTIONALLY GET IT WRONG WILL HAVE NO EXCUSE.
WE'RE ALL USED TO ISS, IN-SCHOOL SUSPENSION.
IN-SCHOOL SUSPENSION FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS.
THAT'S A THAT'S A THING IN MANY SCHOOLS.
BUT ISS IS USUALLY A ROOM WHERE KIDS GO SO THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE SUSPENDED.
[01:00:02]
AND IT'S OFTEN A ROOM WHERE THEY SPEND HOURS AND THE WORK IS PAPER PACKETS.AND THEY SIT THERE AND YOU CAN IMAGINE A PERSON SITTING IN THEIR ROOM WATCHING.
OKAY. THAT IS NOT WHAT NES OR NES ALIGNED SCHOOLS DO.
THAT'S WHAT OTHER SCHOOLS ARE DOING TODAY THAT I DON'T SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT, BUT THAT THEY SHOULD IN THE NES AND NES ALIGNED SCHOOLS. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS IF A KID HAS A DISCIPLINE PROBLEM.
IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THEIR INFRACTION IS.
THEY MAY CALL PARENTS, THEY MAY SUSPEND OR THEY MAY REFER THAT.
THAT'S A PROCESS THAT HAPPENS IN THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE.
IF A CHILD IS ACTING UP FOR WHATEVER REASON, EVEN GOOD REASONS.
RIGHT. BECAUSE THEY HAD A BAD NIGHT.
THEY'RE HUNGRY, WHATEVER IT IS, IF THAT CHILD NEEDS A TIMEOUT AND THEY'LL BE TALKED TO BY A COUNSELOR OR A PRINCIPAL OR SOMEBODY LIKE THAT, IF THEY JUST NEED A TIMEOUT, THEY'LL GO TO THE TEAM CENTER.
AND THEY WILL WORK ONLINE SO THAT THEY DON'T MISS INSTRUCTION.
THERE WON'T BE A LOT OF THEM IN THERE.
AND THEN WHEN OTHER KIDS COME IN, THOSE PROFICIENT KIDS, THE PROFICIENT KIDS WILL WORK.
IT IS THE BEST WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT CHILD IS, FIRST OF ALL, TAKEN CARE OF.
IT IS LESS LIKE DETENTION THAN ANYTHING ELSE OUT THERE.
AND YET THERE'S MISINFORMATION OUT THERE.
BECAUSE THEY WANT IT TO FAIL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BUT THE KIDS WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF.
THEY SHOULD COME SEE IT FIRST.
BEFORE THEY, YOU KNOW, SPREAD EVEN MORE NONSENSE OR MISINFORMATION.
SO THAT'S WHAT A TEAM CENTER DOES.
AND THAT'S PART OF THE NES AND NES-A MODEL.
ART OF THINKING, ONE OF THE SPEAKERS, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS.
HOLD ON, SUPERINTENDENT MILES, CAN WE PLEASE.
UNFORTUNATELY, I CAN'T SEE EVERYBODY WHO'S SPEAKING.
BUT IF WE CAN, PLEASE KEEP IT DOWN SO THAT WE THE BOARD.
OKAY, THEN. THEN THIS IS YOUR FIRST.
MA'AM, PLEASE STOP DISRUPTING THE PRESENTATION.
IF AFTER ONE WARNING WE WILL BE ASKING THE PERSON WHO CONTINUES TO DISRUPT TO LEAVE THE ROOM.
SO WE APPRECIATE IF YOU CAN BE RESPECTFUL OF THE PROCEEDING.
THANK YOU. ONE OF THE SPEAKERS WAS TALKING ABOUT ART OF THINKING.
MS. SETH, THIS IS YOUR WARNING.
I'M SORRY, BUT IF YOU CONTINUE TO DISRUPT, WE'RE GOING TO ASK YOU.
IF THE FOLKS IN THE BACK, CAN WE TURN UP THE VOLUME? MAYBE. LET'S TURN UP THE VOLUME.
BUT. SO THIS IS A BOARD PRESENTATION.
THE BOARD IS HERE TO LISTEN TO WHAT SUPERINTENDENT MILES HAS TO SAY.
AND WE APPRECIATE ALL THE PUBLIC COMMENTS THAT WE'VE HEARD.
WE ALSO WOULD LIKE YOU TO HEAR EVERYTHING THAT'S BEING SAID BY MR. MILES, WHICH MEANS THAT WE ALL NEED TO BE RESPECTFUL OF EACH OTHER.
WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO ADJUST THE VOLUME IF WE CAN.
WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO ADJUST THE VOLUME.
SUPERINTENDENT MILES, PLEASE CONTINUE.
IT'S NOT JUST READING, WRITING, MATH.
ANY SCHOOLS, THIRD GRADE THROUGH 10TH GRADE HAVE ART OF THINKING CLASS.
IT'S NOT ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE STATE.
WE START IN THIRD GRADE AND WE FINISH IN 10TH GRADE FOR THOSE THINGS.
IT'S NOT INCORPORATED, IT'S A CLASS THAT HAS THOSE THINGS I JUST MENTIONED.
[01:05:01]
THAT'S THE NES AND NES ALIGNED MODEL.SO WE DO EVEN MORE CRITICAL THINKING THAN THE REGULAR SCHOOLS, STUDENT TRAVEL.
YOU REMEMBER THAT SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADE.
AND IF WE HAVE ENOUGH MONEY, SOME NINTH GRADERS WILL GO AND TRAVEL OUT OF COUNTRY AS EIGHTH GRADERS.
DEIGAARD COURSES? NO, IT'S NOT ABOUT JUST READING, WRITING, MATH.
NOT ONLY WILL KIDS GET ELECTED, THEY WILL ALSO GET TWO CLASSES A WEEK OF WHAT WE CALL DYAD, WHICH IS MARTIAL ARTS, PHOTOGRAPHY, DANCE, GRAPHIC DESIGN, THOSE SORTS OF CLASSES.
YES. AND SPIN CLASS FOR SOME KIDS.
AND SO THAT WHOLE REPERTOIRE IS GOING TO BE GIVEN TO KIDS THAT THEY WILL HAVE MORE OF.
PAY FOR PERFORMANCE AS PART OF THE EVALUATION SYSTEM FOR NES AND NES ALIGNED SCHOOLS.
WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THAT SINCE THE BEGINNING, JUNE, JUNE 1ST.
THE COACHING MODEL FOR TEACHERS IN THE NES AND NES ALLIANCE SCHOOLS IS IS ON THE JOB EMBEDDED COACHING THAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE NES AND NES ALLIANCE SCHOOLS AND ACTUALLY THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT.
CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORTS.
WE TALKED ABOUT HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS.
YES. AND WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE THE TEACHERS WITH THEIR LESSON PLANS, THEIR DEMONSTRATION OF LEARNING THE POWERPOINT, THE ANSWER KEY AND THE FOR DIFFERENTIATED ASSIGNMENTS THAT I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT.
WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE THAT FOR THE TEACHERS SO THEY CAN FOCUS ON THE WORK.
AND TEACHERS WHO HAVE BEEN IN THIS MODEL LOVE IT.
THEY HAVE BETTER WORK LIFE BALANCE.
AND LAST DOORS ARE OPEN EARLY, 6:30 AND CLOSED LATER.
ALL RIGHT. SO THAT'S THE NES AND NES MODEL.
I KNOW THAT WAS FAST, BUT THAT WAS JUST A REFRESHER.
EVERYTHING ELSE IS MISINFORMATION.
AND I SUSPECT PEOPLE WILL HOPEFULLY COME AND SEE WHAT IT'S LIKE.
BUT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THAT WE ARE GOING TO TAKE CARE OF OUR KIDS EVEN ON DAY ONE.
THANK YOU, BOARD. SO WE HAVE COMPLETED QUITE A FEW TRAININGS THIS SUMMER AND THE THE SITE ON THE LEFT WILL SHOW YOU WHAT WE'VE ALREADY FINISHED. THE FIRST WEEK OF JUNE, WE TRAINED OVER 1200 DISTRICT LEADERS AND CAMPUS LEADERS FOR THREE STRAIGHT DAYS.
WE TRAINED LEADERS AGAIN ON THE 18TH AND THEN JUST THIS WEEK TO THE FIRST TWO DAYS, WE HAD A LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE MONDAY AND TUESDAY FOR ALL ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS AND PRINCIPALS.
THAT WAS A VERY SUCCESSFUL TRAINING.
I JUST LOOKED AT THE FEEDBACK TODAY FROM ALL OF THOSE CAMPUS LEADERS.
WE STILL HAVE QUITE A BIT COMING UP AUGUST 7TH THROUGH THE 10TH.
WE'RE TAKING QUITE A FEW CAMPUS LEADERS TO ODESSA TO SEE AN ON SITE SCHOOL IN PROGRESS.
JUST WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE DAY TO DAY.
AND THEN THE 14TH THROUGH THE 18TH, WE HAVE ALL CAMPUS TEACHER TRAINING AT NRG ALONG WITH AN AMAZING
[01:10:09]
CONVOCATION, ONE OF THE FIRST THAT I'VE HEARD THAT HOUSTON HAS DONE.SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING THE WEEK THAT ALL OF TEACHERS AND CAMPUS LEADERS WILL BE ON CAMPUS THE WEEK OF AUGUST 21ST THROUGH THE 25TH TO PREP FOR THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, AUGUST 28TH.
SO WE'LL TRAIN PRINCIPALS WITH MR. MILES AND MYSELF IN THE MORNINGS ON TUESDAYS, ONCE A MONTH, AND THEN THE NEXT DAY WE'LL DO HALF DAY TRAININGS WITH ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS.
AND THIS IS THE SCHEDULE FOR THE YEAR.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHIEF MASSEY.
ALL RIGHT. NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE IS WHAT IF DATA.
THE STAAR SCORES WILL COME OUT ON THE 20 IN SEPTEMBER.
SO IF A IF A SCHOOL GETS A C IN THE IN THE STAAR SCORES, IS THAT GOOD OR BAD OVERALL? WELL, IT'S GOOD IF THEY WERE A D BEFORE AND IT'S NOT AS GOOD IF THEY WERE B BEFORE.
SO HOW WOULD YOU KNOW WHAT THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN BEFORE.
SO THE STATE CALCULATOR, THIS IS NOT HISD DATA.
THE STATE CALCULATES WHAT IF SCORES, MEANING IF THEY TOOK THE SAME SCORES AND APPLIED THE NEW METHODOLOGY, WHAT WOULD THE SCHOOL OR DISTRICT HAVE RECEIVED? THAT IS WHAT IF SCORES.
WE'LL GET NEW DATA IN SEPTEMBER, BUT STILL IT'S GOOD TO LOOK AT TO SEE KIND OF GIVE US A HINT AT WHAT WE PROBABLY WILL RECEIVE WHEN THE SCORES COME OUT.
THE WHAT IF DATA DECREASES THE 22 RATING FROM A, B 88 TO A C.
27% WOULD HAVE DECREASED ONE LETTER GRADE LIKE FROM AN A TO A B OR B TO C.
57% OF THE HIGH SCHOOL'S WOULD HAVE DECREASED ONE LETTER GRADE.
AND THESE ARE THE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE D AND F'S.
THESE ARE THE NUMBERS OF SCHOOLS THAT HAVE DNF.
SO THERE'S 52 D AND F SCHOOLS.
IF THIS WHAT IF DATA HOLDS? SO IF WE'RE CLOSE TO THAT.
A LITTLE ABOVE OR A LITTLE BELOW.
IT'S GOING TO BE AROUND 50 SCHOOLS THAT HAVE D OR F STATUS.
AND THEN IF YOU LOOK AT NES, NES-A OR NON NES, YOU CAN SEE THE D & F SCHOOLS THERE.
TAKE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE NES-A, THE NES ALIGN, THE 57 SCHOOLS THAT VOLUNTEERED.
20 OF THEM HAVE D OR F SCORES.
24 SCHOOLS THAT ARE NOT ANTI NOT NES, NON NES ALIGNED.
20 OF THEM HAVE DS AND FOUR HAVE FS.
YES, MA'AM, THAT THAT IS FINE.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE QUESTIONS ON THIS? THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON.
CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT? WHAT WERE SOME OF THE SPECIFIC ISSUES OR THINGS THAT YOU FOUND? AND THEN HOW DID WE CORRECT SOME OF THOSE THINGS? YES, SIR. DO YOU WANT ME TO SPEAK ABOUT IT NOW OR WHEN WE GET TO TEACHER VACANCIES? I CAN DO I CAN DO IT NOW OR I CAN DO IT NOW.
IF YOU CAN JUST ADDRESS THE SYSTEM ISSUES, NOT SO MUCH THE VACANCIES, BUT JUST THE SYSTEM ISSUES.
[01:15:02]
YEAH, AND THEY'RE RELATED.BUT LET ME JUST GIVE YOU A COUPLE EXAMPLES OF THE SYSTEM ISSUES THAT WE HAVE.
WE CALL THE MEETING OF THE PEOPLE IN H.R.
OR COMMUNICATIONS OR IT WHO WHO PLAY A ROLE IN HIRING ONE TEACHER.
15 TO 20 PEOPLE SHOWED UP IN THE ROOM, I THINK.
IS THAT RIGHT, KERRY? ABOUT 15 OR 20 PEOPLE SHOWED UP.
ABOUT A DOZEN PEOPLE HAVE TO EITHER SEND SOMETHING BY EMAIL, RECEIVE SOMETHING, SEND SOMETHING TO TEA, RECEIVE SOMETHING BACK, GO TO THE PRINCIPAL, GO TO THE PERSON.
WHY? BECAUSE THIS PERSON, THE APPLICANT, HAS TO GO IN THE HISD PORTAL, WHICH IS SOMETHING TO NAVIGATE INSTEAD OF GOING ON INDEED OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BY THE WAY. THEY HAVE TO GO TO THE PORTAL.
THEN SOME PIECE OF PAPER GOES TO THE THE PRINCIPAL OR THE SCHOOL AND THE SCHOOL GETS SOME NAMES.
THEN THEY HAVE TO CALL THIS PERSON.
THE PERSON RESPONDS. AND IF THEY GET A POSITION, THEY DON'T HAVE A POSITION YET.
THEY HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE PORTAL.
SOME OTHER PERSON IN HR HANDLES IT.
ONE PERSON SENDS SOMETHING TO BACKGROUND CHECKS AND OTHER PERSON SENDS SOMETHING TO CERTIFICATION.
IT GOES BACK TO THE PERSON TO SAY, WOULD YOU WANT US TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOU BEFORE YOU GET AN OFFER LETTER? SO THEY HAVE TO SEND BACK THE PIECE OF PAPER SAYING, YES, GO AHEAD.
AND THEN THOSE PROCESSES START.
THEN THEY FINALLY GO TO BACK TO THE CANDIDATE AND SAYS, WE WANT TO GIVE YOU AN OFFER LETTER.
DO YOU WANT TO STILL BE PART OF HISD? THEN THAT PERSON HAS TO SAY YES.
THEN IT GOES TO ANOTHER PERSON THAT SAYS, OKAY, WHAT SALARY SHOULD THEY HAVE? AND THEN ONCE THEY FIGURE OUT THE SALARY THEY HAVE, THEN THEY SEND IT BACK TO THE PERSON.
THAT PERSON HAS TO AGREE TO THE SALARY.
I MEAN, IT IS THAT CONVOLUTED.
SO THAT'S WHY WHEN I SAY IT'S DYSFUNCTIONAL IN MANY WAYS, I CAN GIVE YOU A LOT MORE DETAILS ABOUT POSITION CONTROL NUMBERS IF YOU WANT THE BRAIN DAMAGE.
BUT THAT'S HOW BAD THE PROCESS IS.
WHEN I WAS IN DALLAS, WE HAD 880 TEACHER VACANCIES AT THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
I GOT THERE ON JULY 1ST AND DALLAS HAD 10,000 TEACHERS.
AND IT WAS VERY SIMILAR, NOT AS BAD AS HOUSTON, BUT VERY SIMILAR.
AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET THOSE DOWN IN TWO YEARS TO 12 AT THE START OF THE YEAR.
PROCUREMENT IS ANOTHER THING THAT'S REALLY CONVOLUTED IN THIS IN THE DISTRICT RIGHT NOW.
WE WANT TO BUY MORE LAPTOPS OR VIEWSONIC'S.
SO WE HAD TO STREAMLINE SOME OF THOSE PROCESSES.
IT TAKES FOREVER FOR ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER.
WE'VE GOT TO STREAMLINE TO GET IN WITH THE MODERN WORLD.
AI IS GOING TO TAKE OVER THOSE SYSTEMS PRETTY SOON, SO WE'VE GOT TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? MR. RIVON? THANK YOU.
SUPERINTENDENT. JUST TO CLARIFY ON THE DATA YOU PRESENTED, CAN YOU NOT HEAR? WELL, ALL RIGHT.
SORRY. LET'S BRING THIS IN CLOSER.
GOOD. SO BASED ON THE DATA YOU PRESENTED HERE ON ON THE WHAT IF DATA, JUST WANT TO CLARIFY.
SO BASED ON THE PRIOR PERFORMANCE, THIS IS BASED ON PRIOR PERFORMANCE, CORRECT.
AND SO AS THE 2022 AND 23 DATA IS CODIFIED, THEN THE NUMBERS COULD POSSIBLY GO UP OR DOWN, CORRECT? OKAY. AND THEN THIS IS EQUIVALENT ON THE NES AND NSA ALIGNED SCHOOLS TO ROUGHLY A THIRD OF THE POPULATION.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT. YES, THE D&F CAMPUSES.
THAT'S RIGHT. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I GOT A GOOD UNDERSTANDING.
OKAY. GOT IT. AND AGAIN, THANKS FOR CLARIFYING AGAIN, BECAUSE THIS DOESN'T MEAN IT WILL BE THIS WAY.
THIS IS WHAT IF BASED ON THE 22 DATA, SO THE 23 DATA IS COMING TO THINKS THIS WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, APPROXIMATE TO WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE.
THANK YOU. ON THE CTE UPGRADE THAT YOU MENTIONED, HOW CAN YOU GIVE US SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT WAS WORSE THAN YOU THOUGHT? AND WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT OTHER DISTRICTS ARE DOING THAT YOU WOULD EXPECTED TO SEE HERE THAT YOU DIDN'T?
[01:20:05]
YEAH. SO A COUPLE OF THINGS.I WAS. AND I KNOW PEOPLE ARE WORKING HARD AND WE DO NEED VOCATIONAL.
WE NEED ALL KINDS OF CAREER TECH.
ED AND IF YOU GO OUT TO BARBARA JORDAN CENTER, WHEN I WENT OUT THERE AND THEY WERE THERE WORKING HARD, THERE WERE NO KIDS THIS SUMMER, BUT THEY THEY WALKED ME AROUND.
AND I APPRECIATE THAT WE HAVE THOSE SORTS OF COURSES.
BUT WHEN I WALKED AWAY, YOU KNOW, I WAS THINKING.
ALL RIGHT, WE NEED THOSE COURSES.
WHERE'S THE END AND WHAT OTHER TYPE OF COURSES? I JUST TELL YOU, FRANKLY, IT WAS MY FATHER'S OLDSMOBILE.
BUT IT'S NOT. IT'S THE SAME AUTO SHOP THAT I WAS IN IN 1974 WHEN I GRADUATED.
YES, THEY HAD THE HEALTH, BUT THE HEALTH IS MORE ABOUT THE HUMAN BODY RATHER THAN PARAMEDIC EMT.
NONE OF THOSE SKILLS WERE BEING TAUGHT THERE.
YES, COSMETOLOGY IS GOOD, BUT IT'S NOT A HIGH SKILLED JOB.
AND WHERE'S THE AND WHERE'S THE AND.
THE AND IS IN BELLAIRE AND LAMAR.
COMPUTER SCIENCE GRAPHIC DESIGN WORKING WITH AI THAT'S THE AND.
SO THAT IS WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
AI, SOME OTHER DISTRICTS ARE ALREADY STARTING CAREER TECH ED KIDS WHERE STUDENTS WORK WITH AI TO GET READY FOR THE WORKPLACE ALREADY.
AND SO WE NEED TO DO BETTER WITH THAT.
WE WILL ADD, BUT WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS CREATE THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO LOOK CLOSELY AT WHAT WE'RE DOING, REVAMP THE THING, ADD, ESPECIALLY AI FOR ALL OF OUR KIDS.
WE NEED TO POUR MORE RESOURCES IN THE UNDERSERVED PARTS OF TOWN.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE'RE GOING TO IGNORE THIS GROUP OVER HERE.
WE'RE GOING TO ALSO INCREASE THEIR AI COMPETENCIES AS WELL.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? MS.. AUZENNE BANDY? HELLO? OKAY, WE'RE GOOD.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS AROUND CTE.
I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
I WOULD JUST LIKE TO POINT OUT, COMING FROM A HIGH SCHOOL THAT HAD A VERY ROBUST COSMETOLOGY PROGRAM, WE UNDERSTAND THAT THOSE TYPE OF SKILLS ALSO TEACH OUR COMMUNITY HOW TO BE ENTREPRENEURIAL.
AS FAR AS THE NEW METHODOLOGY THAT THE WHAT IF MODEL IS SHOWCASING HERE, CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW IT'S DIFFERENT FROM THE PREVIOUS ONE PREVIOUS METHODOLOGY? YEAH, THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT ARE PRETTY CRITICAL IN THE NEW METHODOLOGY AT TEA.
AND I'M NOT I'M NOT AN EXPERT FROM TEA, BUT A COUPLE OF THINGS.
IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY AT SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS, AND I DON'T NEED TO POINT OUT THE EXACT NAME OF THE SCHOOLS, BUT 67% OF THE KIDS CHECK THAT BOX BY DOING WORD OFFICE MICROSOFT OFFICE CERTIFICATION, WHICH IS PRETTY SIMPLE TO GET.
SO THAT'S NOT THE INTENT OF THE CCMR SCORE.
SO THAT'S GOING TO BE HARDER TO GET.
RIGHT, BECAUSE CCMR IS LAGGING.
IT'S THE YEAR PREVIOUS THAT APPLIES TO THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
SO WE WILL HAVE THIS WHEN THE END OF THIS YEAR HAPPENS.
WE WILL HAVE THE CMR SCORES THAT'S COMING OUT IN SEPTEMBER.
THE SECOND THING IS THE CUT POINTS FOR READING AND I BELIEVE MATH ARE A LITTLE BIT HARDER.
SO THOSE THOSE MINOR THINGS WILL MAKE IT HARDER FOR US TO GET A HIGHER ACCOUNTABILITY RATING.
THAT'S WHY YOU SEE THE WHAT IF DATA IS ALREADY WORSE.
[01:25:05]
AND THE BOARD WILL RECALL THAT ONE OF THE BIG CRITERIA FOR GETTING OUT OF THE INTERVENTION IS THAT WE CAN'T HAVE ANY SCHOOL WITH MULTIPLE YEARS OF DNF STATUS. SO THIS IS GOING TO BE A HEAVY LIFT AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WORK BOLDLY TO DO IT.MS. MENDOZA, YOU HAVE A QUESTION? THANK YOU. I'M GOING TO GO BACK TO THE TRAINING AND.
NOT SURE WHAT YOU WANT. YOU CAN ANSWER IT OR SHE CAN ANSWER IT.
HOW DOES THE TRAINING THAT HAS ALREADY TAKEN PLACE AND THAT IS SCHEDULED COMPARE TO THE.
HOW DOES THE TRAINING THAT MISS MASSEY REPORTED ON COMPARED TO THE TRAINING THAT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE, INCLUDING WHAT'S SCHEDULED FOR THE YEAR? YEAH.
AND I DON'T I DON'T HAVE A GREAT ANSWER FOR IT.
I CAN GIVE YOU WHAT WHAT I'VE HEARD IN ANECDOTES, BUT THE TRAINING HAS BEEN LARGELY AUTONOMOUS.
SO YOU HAVE A LOT OF VENDORS AND CONTRACTOR SERVICES HAVING DONE TRAINING IN THIS DISTRICT, SOME OF WHICH IS TRAINING TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM. YOU HAVE SOME TRAINING, TRAINING PRINCIPALS ON INSTRUCTION.
YOU HAVE SEVERAL DIFFERENT VOICES OF TRAINING.
WE WILL DO THE TRAINING OURSELVES AND WE WILL HAVE EVERYBODY ON THE SAME PAGE.
WHEN WE SAY EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION, IT LOOKS LIKE THIS.
AND THAT'S THE WAY IT SHOULD BE, BECAUSE THE EVALUATION SYSTEM IS ABOUT INSTRUCTION.
AND SO YOU WANT IT TO BE CONSISTENT ACROSS THE DISTRICT.
SO THAT'S HOW IT'S BEEN DIFFERENT.
THE OTHER THING IS THE PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING THE TRAINING, INCLUDING ME, ARE THE ONES WHO ARE MAKING SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS ALIGNED.
AND AS A SUPERINTENDENT, AS CHIEFS, THEY RARELY DO THE TRAINING.
IN THIS DISTRICT, WE DO A LOT OF THE TRAINING.
SO I KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT ALL THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN A PART OF, THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS ON HOW THE ACCOUNTABILITY WILL BE BOTH FOR US AS WELL AS THE SUPERINTENDENT AND YOUR TEAM.
SO I WOULD LIKE AND I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS IS GOING TO WORK AND I DON'T KNOW HOW IT WILL HAPPEN.
BUT THAT WHETHER IT'S QUARTERLY OR EVERY OTHER BOARD MEETING, THAT MAYBE WE HAVE SOME TYPE OF REPORT LIKE THE 60 DAY REPORT THAT SAYS SCHOOL STARTED ON THE 28TH AND HERE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED.
YEAH, I THINK THAT'S I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
THAT'S WHAT WE'VE INTENDED TO DO ANYWAY, NOT JUST ACADEMICALLY, BECAUSE WHEN WE DO THE NWEA MAP ASSESSMENTS OR THE DIBLE ASSESSMENTS IN THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR TO DO A BASELINE, YOU'RE GOING TO GET A REPORT OUT.
WHEN WE DO IT MIDDLE OF THE YEAR, YOU'RE GOING TO GET A REPORT OUT.
AND THEN FINANCIALLY, YOU'RE GOING TO GET A REPORT EVERY MONTH ON IT.
SO, YOU KNOW, THE DISCUSSION ABOUT FINANCES AND BY THE WAY, THAT WAS A PERSONAL ATTACK THAT WE SHOULDN'T LET GO ABOUT ME AND JIM TERRY, YOU KNOW, BEING RUINING THE BUDGET OR TAKING MONEY OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, THAT'S THAT'S UNWARRANTED AND ABSOLUTELY FALSE.
JIM TERRY AND I RAISED THE FUND BALANCE IN DALLAS FROM 115, WHICH IS EASILY RESEARCHABLE TO 350 MILLION, 115 MILLION TO 350 MILLION IN 3 YEARS.
WHILE WE DID PAY FOR PERFORMANCE, THE LARGEST ONE IN THE NATION.
SO THAT'S OUR RECORD, CLEAN RECORD.
NEVER ANY QUESTION ABOUT FINANCES AND PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO SPEAK THOSE FALSEHOODS.
ALL RIGHT. SO ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? LET'S KEEP GOING. ONE MORE QUESTION.
MR. MARTINEZ. SO, SUPERINTENDENT MILES, I KNOW YOU THERE'S A REFERENCE TO NON NES SCHOOLS.
AND SO SOME OF THE COMMENTS IN OUR MEETINGS HAVE BEEN ABOUT RESOURCES FOR NON NES SCHOOLS.
OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE A FOCUS ON NES AND NES LINE.
SO TO ADDRESS THESE WHAT IF SCENARIOS FOR THESE NON NES SCHOOLS, WHAT ARE WE DOING TO SUPPORT THEM THROUGHOUT THIS NEXT YEAR? YEAH. SO IT'S A NUANCED QUESTION.
IT'S A COMPLICATED QUESTION. HERE'S THE ANSWER.
ONE OF THE CHALLENGES OF THIS DISTRICT IS THAT IT'S BEEN VERY AUTONOMOUS.
[01:30:03]
SCHOOLS HAVE HAD THEIR OWN BUDGETS.THEY MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS ABOUT WHO TO HIRE.
WHY? BECAUSE THIS PRINCIPAL PICKED TO HAVE A LOT OF TEACHERS.
THIS PRINCIPAL PICKED TO HAVE A LOT OF OFFICE MANAGERS, ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS, ETCETERA.
THAT'S BEEN THE CULTURE FOR A LOT OF TIME.
PEOPLE HAVE WANTED THEIR AUTONOMY.
I WANT TO HAVE THREE APS INSTEAD OF TWO, AND I'LL TAKE FEWER TEACHERS.
WE HAVE SCHOOLS OUT THERE THIS YEAR THAT WENT OVER BUDGET OR LAST YEAR AND BECAME OUR PROBLEM IN JUNE THAT WERE OVER BUDGET BY 3 OR $400,000.
ONE SCHOOL, ONE SCHOOL, $300,000.
BUT SEVERAL SCHOOLS THAT DID THAT, NO CONSEQUENCE, NO CHECK HOW IT GOT TO THAT POINT.
I DON'T KNOW. THAT'S ANOTHER SYSTEMS PROBLEM.
NOW, I'VE BEEN VERY CAREFUL IN SAYING I DON'T WANT TO TAKE OVER THE WHOLE THING, RIGHT? WE HAVE TO DO IT IN AN ORDERLY MANNER.
HERE'S THE ANSWER, THOUGH, THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, AND THAT IS IF THEY ARE DEAR SCHOOL.
FIRST OF ALL, EVERYBODY ACROSS THE BOARD ARE GOING TO GET SPECIAL ATTENTION IN SPECIAL EDUCATION.
I'LL SHOW YOU IN A MINUTE HOW WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT.
AND 20% OF THE PRINCIPAL'S EVALUATION IS TIED TO SPECIAL EDUCATION.
WE'RE GOING TO DO INSTRUCTIONAL TRAINING, INSTRUCTIONAL FEEDBACK.
YOU SAW THE PRINCIPALS TRAINING.
WE'RE DOING TEACHERS, ACADEMY, PRINCIPALS, ACADEMY.
SO A LOT OF TRAINING FOR ALL SCHOOLS AND THEN FOR THE D AND F SCHOOLS THAT ARE NON ANTI S AND NON SALINE WILL DO WHAT I WHAT I DID IN DALLAS AND THAT IS WE'LL HAVE A SEPARATE MEETING FOR EACH OF THOSE SCHOOLS AND ASSESS WHAT SUPPORTS THEY NEED.
IF THEY NEED CURRICULAR SUPPORT, WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT.
WE'RE GOING TO OFFER THE LESSON PLANS.
SO THOSE ARE THE SORTS OF SUPPORTS WE'LL PROVIDE.
SO WE'RE GOING TO ASSESS EVERY SCHOOL ON THEIR AUTONOMY, ON THEIR EFFECTIVENESS AND SOME OF THE KEY METRICS, AND THEN WE'LL PROVIDE THE AUTONOMY THAT THEY'VE EARNED, NOT BLANKET AUTONOMY FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
I KNOW THIS IS A LITTLE THIS MAY BE A HARD CONCEPT TO GRASP THIS.
SO FOUR AREAS, WE CALL THEM DIVISIONS.
AND WE'RE TRYING TO PUSH SUPPORTS CLOSER AND THE DIVISION SUPERINTENDENTS AND THEIR TEAM.
EVERY DIVISION HAS FEEDER PATTERNS.
SIX THE WEST DIVISION ONLY HAS FIVE, BUT THE BEL AIR IS SO BIG, IT'S KIND OF LIKE SIX.
SO SIX FEEDER PATTERNS IN A DIVISION.
EACH EVERY TWO FEEDER PATTERNS IS A UNIT.
SO THERE ARE THREE UNITS IN A DIVISION.
AND SO WE'RE GOING TO PUSH THE SUPPORTS TO THE UNITS.
AND WHAT YOU SEE ON THE ON THE MAP, THERE ARE THE UNIT HEADQUARTERS.
SO THERE'S ONE AT KASHMIR, AUSTIN.
HEADQUARTERS FOR THE DIVISION.
AND THEN YOU SEE HATTIE MAE UP THERE, TOO.
THAT IS WHERE THEY'RE LOCATED.
AND IN THOSE PLACES YOU HAVE THREE OF THESE.
SO REMEMBER, DIVISION HAS THREE UNITS BECAUSE THERE'S SIX FEEDER PATTERNS.
THESE UNITS WILL BE AT THOSE LOCATIONS.
AND THAT MEANS AIR SUPPORT IS CLOSER, NOT AT HATTIE MAE, BUT AT THOSE SITES.
[01:35:01]
OKAY, SO THAT WE CAN SUPPORT THE SCHOOLS BETTER AND THERE'LL BE MORE ATTENTION RIGHT NOW.SUPERINTENDENT. EXCUSE ME. YES, MA'AM.
YOU'RE SAYING THAT ALL OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS WILL BE HOUSED AT ONE OF THOSE FOUR HIGH SCHOOLS? THAT'S CORRECT. THANK YOU.
AND WE TOOK CARE TO SELECT THE RIGHT PLACES THAT HAD ENOUGH SPACE.
YOU NOTICE THAT MANY OF THEM ARE HIGH SCHOOLS THAT ARE WAY UNDER ENROLLED.
AT SOME POINT, WE MAY HAVE TO MOVE THE UNITS, THE SUPPORTS TO ANOTHER PLACE.
BUT RIGHT NOW WE HAVE PLACES THAT ARE WAY UNDER ENROLLED AND SO THEY CAN FIT THAT MANY PEOPLE.
ALL RIGHT. WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THIS REORGANIZATION, BUT NOT IN A BOARD MEETING.
JUST TO SHOW YOU, THIS IS HOW MANY POSITIONS WE HAD WHEN WE STARTED.
YOU WILL RECALL AND I SHOULD HAVE PUT IT ON HERE THAT IN THE LAST SIX YEARS, CENTRAL OFFICE EXPENDITURES IN PEOPLE HAS GROWN BY 61%. AND THE ENROLLMENT HAS GONE DOWN 27,000.
SO THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE 10,000 PEOPLE AT THE START OF THE SUMMER, A POSITION, NOT PEOPLE POSITIONS.
AND NOW WE HAVE 7842 POSITIONS.
WHEN PEOPLE LEAVE FOR LEAVE, RETIRE OR WHATEVER.
VACANCIES. THIS IS THE TEACHER VACANCIES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, EXCEPT THE THIRD COLUMN IS AN ESTIMATE. IT'S ALREADY DOWN TO 206.
THESE FOUR DIVISION SUPERINTENDENTS.
AND NOW BE AT 206 TEACHER VACANCIES.
OH, YEAH. COULD THE FOUR OF YOU STAND UP? SO THE ORLANDO RIDDICK, LAURA STOUT, IMELDA DE LA GUARDIA AND LUIS MARTINEZ, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
YOU'RE WORKING REALLY HARD AND THEY'RE NOT DONE.
AND THEY KNOW THAT WE HAVE THREE JOB FAIRS COMING UP ONCE TOMORROW.
THEY'RE DOING INDIVIDUAL JOB FAIRS.
SO AND WE'VE HAD, I THINK JUST YESTERDAY.
SO, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A MASS EXODUS, BUT THAT WAS LAST YEAR.
YES. WITH 644 VACANCIES AT THE START OF LAST YEAR, NOT THIS YEAR.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS NOTION OF CERTIFICATION.
LET ME START AT THE BOTTOM BECAUSE AND I'LL READ IT BECAUSE IT'S A LITTLE BIT SMALL.
SO THE BOTTOM HALF IS THIS LAST YEAR'S NUMBERS.
THE VERY BOTTOM MEANS THAT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, REMEMBER, THERE WERE 644 VACANCIES.
EIGHT PEOPLE FROM CENTRAL OFFICE WENT TO TEACH CLASS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
THERE WAS A I THINK THERE WAS A NEWS STORY ABOUT IT OR SOMETHING.
BUT, YOU KNOW, EIGHT OUT OF 10,000, THAT'S THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A NEWS STORY.
THEN ASSOCIATE TEACHERS ARE SUBSTITUTES.
AND NO OFFENSE TO SUBS, BUT THEY CAN'T REPLACE AN EFFECTIVE TEACHER.
THEN THERE WERE 48 TEACHERS ON NONRENEWABLE PERMIT.
A NONRENEWABLE PERMIT IS A WAIVER, EXCEPT IT'S A WAIVER OF A TEACHER WHOSE MAJOR IS IN EDUCATION.
THE SAME THING AS A WAIVER, BUT AN EDUCATION MAJOR.
SO AND THERE WERE NO ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL WAIVERS AND NO TEACHER WAIVERS.
AND THEN THE THERE'S TWO TYPES OF WAIVERS BEYOND THE PERMIT.
ONE IS FOR ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM CANDIDATES.
[01:40:04]
TEACHERS WHO ARE GETTING THEIR THEIR CERTIFICATION THROUGH AN ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM.THAT'S A WAIVER YOU CAN GET THAT'S ALLOWED BY LAW AND EVERYBODY DOES IT.
THIS DISTRICT DID 320 OF THEM LAST YEAR.
THAT'S ANOTHER WAIVER YOU CAN GET LEGALLY.
WAIVERS FOR CANDIDATES AND CERT PROGRAMS. SO THEY'RE WORKING ON IT.
THIS YEAR WE HAVE 294 SUCH CANDIDATES SO FAR, 294 ALT CERT CANDIDATES, AND WE HAVE 84 TEACHER WAIVERS. TEACHER CERTIFICATION WAIVERS BEYOND THE ALT CERT 84.
THERE ARE 273 SCHOOLS IN THIS DISTRICT.
SO WE'RE DOING VERY WELL WITH OUR HIRING.
BY THE WAY, ALL THOSE TEACHERS HAD AN INTERVIEW.
IT'S NOT LIKE PUTTING A SUB IN OR LEAVING VACANCIES.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, YOU SAID 644.
THERE'S ABOUT 150 TEACHERS LAST YEAR THAT WENT UNFILLED, NOT EVEN WITH THE SUB.
AND I ASKED TOM HILLIARD, OUR CHIEF OF HR.
WELL, WHAT DID THE WHAT DID THE SCHOOLS DO WITH THE 150 POSITIONS THAT WERE UNFILLED? NO SUB.
AND THEY DO WHAT SCHOOLS DO AND WHAT PRINCIPALS DO.
IF THEY HAD THREE THIRD GRADE CLASSES AND ONE WAS VACANT AND THEY JUST HAD LARGER CLASS SIZE FOR FOR A WHILE WHILE THEY WERE TRYING TO HIRE OR THEY PUT TWO CLASSROOMS TOGETHER.
YOU KNOW, PRINCIPALS DO A NUMBER OF THINGS TO TRY TO TO HELP THE KIDS EVEN ON THE FIRST DAY.
AND I'D RATHER HAVE A TEACHER WHO'S BEEN INTERVIEWED.
THAT'S THE RIGHT THING FOR KIDS.
HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE CLOSE TO ZERO WHEN THE WHEN THE SCORES WHEN THE AUGUST 28TH STARTS.
CAN CAN I ASK YOU ABOUT THE THE WAIVERS ON THE ON THE AID FOR TEACHERS? CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHERE THOSE TEACHERS ARE IN TERMS OF BOTH WHAT GRADE LEVELS THEY'LL BE TEACHING AND THEN ALSO WHAT SCHOOLS, IF THEY'RE CONCENTRATED IN ANY PARTICULAR SCHOOL, ANY NON RNS? YEAH, I CAN I DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION, BUT I CAN GET THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU.
MY MY GUESS IS THE VACANCIES WERE ACROSS THE BOARD AND NOT IN THE NES AND NES ALIGNED SCHOOLS.
IN FACT, LIKE I SAID, THERE'S ALMOST ZERO NES VACANCIES TODAY, SO THE, THE CERTIFICATIONS ARE NOT THERE. THE, THE 84 TEACHERS ARE PROBABLY NOT THERE.
THEY'RE IN THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT IS WHAT I IMAGINE.
BUT WE CAN TRY TO GET YOU THAT NUMBER.
OKAY. MADAM CHAIR, JUST A QUESTION OUT OF THE 84.
DO WE ANTICIPATE? DO WE ENCOURAGE THEM TO GET CERTIFIED, NUMBER ONE AND OR.
BE AN EDUCATOR AS A PROFESSION AFTER THEY ENTER OUR DISTRICT.
YEAH, THANKS FOR ASKING, BECAUSE I MEANT TO SAY THIS.
NUMBER ONE, IF YOU WANT TO BE A PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR, YOU SHOULD GET YOUR CERTIFICATION.
SO YES, WE'RE ENCOURAGING THAT.
HOWEVER, HAVING SAID THAT, FOR HISD, THIS IS A ONE YEAR SOLUTION.
WHY IS THAT? BECAUSE THE PAY FOR PERFORMANCE SYSTEM EVALUATES TEACHER ON THEIR EFFECTIVENESS.
THEIR PAY IS NOT TIED TO CERTIFICATION OR YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.
IT'S IT'S IT'S TIED TO HOW EFFECTIVE ARE YOU? SO IF LET'S SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT IN ONE OF THE TEACHERS, ONE OF THOSE 84 TEACHERS IS IS WORKING IN AN NES OR NES ALIGNED SCHOOL AND ANY ESSER LINE SCHOOL, THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THE THE EVALUATION PROCESS THIS YEAR.
[01:45:04]
AND THAT PERSON WILL MAKE $80,000 AS A BASE SALARY.BECAUSE THEY'RE THAT EFFECTIVE.
ANOTHER PERSON WHO'S CERTIFIED IF THEY ARE UNSAT.
THAT PERSON WILL BE NON-RENEWED.
THAT'S HOW THAT'S HOW THE PAY FOR PERFORMANCE SYSTEM WORKS.
EFFECTIVE TEACHERS GET PAID MORE.
LESS EFFECTIVE TEACHERS GET PAID LESS.
THAT IS THE PAY FOR PERFORMANCE PLAN.
AND IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH CERTIFICATION OR YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.
CAN I CAN I ASK ONE MORE QUESTION ABOUT THIS? 84? I KNOW WE HAVE RETIRED TEACHERS OR TEACHERS WHO LEFT THE PROFESSION AND THEIR CERTIFICATION TO EXPIRE OF THOSE 84.
CAN YOU GIVE US I KNOW YOU DON'T HAVE THE NUMBER TODAY, BUT CAN WE GET A NUMBER OF THOSE INSTANCES WHERE IT'S A RETURNING TEACHER OR THAT JUST ALLOWED THEIR CERTIFICATION? YES, SIR. THANKS FOR ASKING.
I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBER TODAY, BUT I CAN GET THAT.
I DID HEAR ANECDOTALLY AND, YOU KNOW, I KNOW ANECDOTES DON'T PROVE ANYTHING, BUT IT DOES SUGGEST THAT SOME OF THOSE TEACHERS ARE TEACHERS WHO HAD LEFT THE PROFESSION OR, YOU KNOW, TOOK A HIATUS, RAISED THEIR KIDS FOR FOR A FEW YEARS AND COME BACK TO TO TEACHING.
SO, YEAH, I'M SURE THERE'S SOME OF THOSE.
YES, SIR. ANOTHER FOLLOW UP JUST ON IN REGARDS TO THE THE PRIOR SLIDE, I THINK, WHICH WAS THE VACANCIES, I THINK YOU WERE AT 650 IN THE PRIOR YEAR, ROUGHLY 650.
AND I WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE 478 THE THE 48 AND THE EIGHT WERE USED TO FILL THE VACANCIES.
THE THE NO, THE 48 ARE ARE LIKE THE ACP TEACHERS.
SO THAT'S NOT COUNTED IN THE THE 644.
OKAY. SO THE 644 MINUS THE 478 THAT THEY WERE, THAT'S HOW THEY WERE FILLING.
AND SO THEY WERE FILLING THE VACANCIES WITH SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS OR EIGHT CENTRAL OFFICE PEOPLE.
GOT IT. AND SO WITH REGARD TO A REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF VACANCIES WE'VE GOT NOW, YOU'RE SAYING THAT WE DON'T NEED THOSE 478 TO FILL.
OBVIOUSLY, THE LOWER NUMBER, WHICH IS CURRENTLY AT 206.
VACANCIES AT THE START OF SCHOOL YEAR.
WE'LL HIRE 50 SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS.
WHAT'S YOUR SENSE FOR ATTRITION? SO THE YEAR STARTS.
TEACHERS REALIZE THIS ISN'T FOR ME.
WHAT'S YOUR SENSE OF THAT AND HOW DO YOU HOW DO YOU PLAN FOR THAT? YEAH, THAT'S THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
SO HERE'S MY HERE'S MY EXPERIENCE.
IN ANY LARGE URBAN DISTRICT, THERE'S A LOT OF MOVEMENT.
AND IT STARTS EVEN ON DAY ONE WHEN YOU HAVE 10,000 TEACHERS AND WE HAVE 11,000, ALMOST 150 TEACHERS.
SO HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD WE LOSE IMMEDIATELY OUT OF 11,000, 100, MAYBE LESS THAN ONE PER SCHOOL.
LESS THAN ONE PER SCHOOL, AND I DON'T HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE HERE WITH THAT.
THAT'S JUST MY EXPERIENCE WITH LARGE URBAN SCHOOL SYSTEMS. AND SO WE'LL WE'LL WE'LL IN MANY CASES WILL OVER HIRE TO PROTECT THAT.
AND IN THE NES AND NES SCHOOLS, THE TEACHER APPRENTICES WILL STEP UP.
IT'S ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NOPE. I THINK WE'RE GOOD.
SO THE APPLICANT VOLUME REMAINS HIGH.
YESTERDAY, WE RECEIVED MORE THAN 1300 APPLICATIONS.
AND MANY OF THOSE APPLICATIONS ARE PEOPLE WE WOULD NOT HIRE AND WE WOULD DISMISS RIGHT AWAY.
BUT A LOT OF THEM WILL BE TEACHERS WHO ARE STRONG OR AT LEAST WILLING TO LEARN AND GROW.
WE'RE CONDUCTING HUNDREDS OF INTERVIEWS EVERY DAY.
I'VE TALKED ABOUT OUR OUR DIVISION SUPERINTENDENTS.
AND THEN WE HAVE ANOTHER HIRING FAIR TOMORROW.
AND THEN EACH WEEK AFTER THAT, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THE DIVISION TROOPS ARE DOING.
SO WE WE FEEL PRETTY GOOD THAT WE'LL COME IN CLOSE TO ZERO.
[01:50:02]
WHICH HAS NEVER HAPPENED HERE.BUT MORE THAN THAT, THIS HAPPENED OVER THE SUMMER.
I TOLD YOU EARLIER, AT LEAST I TOLD THE COMMUNITY, IF YOU'RE HIRING IN JULY, YOU'RE WRONG.
YOU'RE WRONG. YOU SHOULD BE STARTING IN FEBRUARY AND ENDING BY THE END OF JUNE.
NOW, YES, SOME PEOPLE WILL LEAVE OVER THE SUMMER AND YOU HAVE TO FILL THOSE.
BUT STARTING WITH 800 OR 900 VACANCIES IN JUNE.
SUPERINTENDENT. THE WILD CRIES 60 DAYS AGO THAT ALL OF OUR TEACHERS OR MANY TEACHERS WERE GOING TO BE DISENFRANCHIZED AND QUIT.
HAS THAT HAPPENED? NO, THAT HASN'T HAPPENED.
AND NOT ONLY THAT, PEOPLE ARE STEPPING UP.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE STEPPING UP AND GOING TO THE NES AND NES ALIGNED SCHOOLS.
AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A THAT'S A TRIBUTE TO THE TEACHERS HERE IN HISD.
AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF, AS WELL AS THE PRINCIPALS.
THE PRINCIPALS HAVE STEPPED UP.
YOU KNOW, THERE WAS AN EXAMPLE.
YOU KNOW, EVERY TEACHER IN PEW IS GOING TO LEAVE.
PEW IS, I THINK, FULLY STAFFED TODAY.
ALL RIGHT. ANY ANYTHING ELSE? NO, I THINK WE'RE GOOD. PLEASE.
ALL RIGHT. I'M GOING TO. I'M GOING TO STOP THIS SLIDE BECAUSE ALLISON MATNEY WILL PRESENT THE NEXT PART OF THE AGENDA, MADAM PRESIDENT, ON THE DISTRICT'S GOALS FROM LAST YEAR.
WE'LL TAKE JUST ONE SECOND TO SHIFT WHILE YOU'RE SETTING UP.
WE MAY TAKE A QUICK FIVE, SEVEN MINUTE BREAK.
THANK YOU. WE'LL COME BACK AT 7:32.
MY NAME IS ALLISON MATNEY, AND I'M HERE THIS EVENING TO PRESENT TO YOU A VERY BRIEF UPDATE TO BRING YOU UP TO SPEED WITH THE FORMER BOARD'S GOALS AND WHERE WE ARE WITH THOSE.
I ALWAYS IT'S THE TEACHER IN ME.
I ALWAYS WANT TO START WITH KEEPING EVERYONE SAFE.
SO I'M GOING TO TEACH THROUGH SOME OF THE CHARTS AND GRAPHS SO THAT WE HAVE AN EQUAL UNDERSTANDING.
AND THEN WE ALWAYS START WITH A GLOSSARY.
YOU KNOW, THE THING THAT WE DO BEST IN EDUCATION IS, IS ABBREVIATE THINGS.
I'M NOT GOING TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THEM, BUT THEY'RE THERE FOR YOU TO REFERENCE AS WELL.
SO WE'RE GOING TO START WITH GOAL ONE.
AND THE GOAL ONE GOAL FROM THAT IS SET TO EXPIRE IN 2024 IS AROUND THIRD GRADE READING AT OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL.
STANDARD ON STAR WILL INCREASE EIGHT PERCENTAGE POINTS FROM 42% IN JUNE 20TH 19 TO 50% IN JUNE 2024. SO THAT IS THE THE VERY FIRST GOAL THAT WAS SET.
AND I'M GOING TO START WITH THE ONE ON THE LEFT.
AND THE RED LINE IS OUR TARGET.
YOU CAN SEE HERE THERE'S A BLANK SPOT FOR 2020.
WE SHOW A COUPLE OF YEARS OF DATA.
PRIOR IN 2020, WE DID NOT HAVE THE STAR ASSESSMENT.
BUT WE CAN SEE BEFORE THAT COVID YEAR AND THEN MOVING ON PAST, WE SET THAT TARGET FOR 2021 AT 42 AND THEN INCREMENTALLY INCREASED TO THE END TARGET IN 2024 OF BEING 50% OF OUR THIRD GRADERS IN IN READING BEING AT THE MEETS GRADE LEVEL STANDARD OR HIGHER. YOU CAN SEE FOR 2021, IN 2022, THE DATA IS THERE.
THEY'RE THEY'RE DUE ANY MINUTE.
SO THAT IS THE OVERALL READING GOAL.
WE'VE GOT OUR THREE PROGRESS MEASURES.
AND THOSE THREE WERE FIRST GRADE READING.
SECOND GRADE READING AND THIRD GRADE READING ON OUR LITERACY SCREENER.
[01:55:02]
AND AT THE TIME, THAT WAS RENAISSANCE.BUT IN THE PAST IT HAS BEEN RENAISSANCE.
SO WE JUST CALLED THOSE DATA QUALITY ISSUES.
SOMETIMES WE HAD PARENTS HELPING STUDENTS WITH TESTING JUST BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO BE SUPPORTIVE.
BUT THE BIG PICTURE HERE ON THIS SLIDE IS THE RED LINE SHOW.
THE EXPECTED TARGETS FOR EACH YEAR AT THE BLUE LINE, SHOW THE ACTUAL AND WE ARE SIGNIFICANTLY UNDER DOUBLE DIGITS FOR EACH OF THESE INDICATORS UNDER WHERE OUR TARGET THAT OUR PREVIOUS BOARD SET OUT FOR US IN EACH OF THESE AREAS.
WHEN WE LOOK AT GOAL TWO, IT'S A SIMILAR GOAL ONLY WE'RE LOOKING AT MATH HERE.
SO THIRD GRADE STUDENTS SCORING AT MATH INCREASING EIGHT PERCENTAGE POINTS.
OUR STARTING POINT WAS 46 TO SCALE UP TO 54 BY JUNE 2024.
SO AGAIN, SIMILARLY FROM THE READING SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE HERE THE RED TARGET LINE TO SCALE UP TO 54%.
WE SAW A NICE INCREASE FROM 2021 TO 22 IN THE ACTUAL STAAR MATH SCORES AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT. AND HOPEFULLY THAT 2023 WILL BE ABOVE THE TARGET LINE.
BUT AGAIN, WE NEED TO WAIT UNTIL WE HAVE RECEIPT OF THOSE SCORES TO BE ABLE TO REPORT OUT ON THAT.
SO HERE WE'RE LOOKING AT FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD GRADE MATH AGAIN ON THAT SCREENER.
AND YOU CAN SEE SIMILARLY TO THE STAR, THE THIRD GRADE STAR SCORES, THE MATH SCORES ARE A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE TARGET, BUT STILL NOT AT OR ABOVE THE TARGET FOR FOR THIS ANY OF THE PREVIOUS YEARS.
SO WE ARE STILL MISSING THE MARK HERE WHEN IT COMES TO EXPECTED WHERE WHERE WE EXPECTED TO BE BASED ON THE PREVIOUS PREVIOUS TARGETS OUTLINED BY THE PREVIOUS BOARD.
SO WHEN WE LOOK AT GOAL THREE, THAT IS OUR COLLEGE CAREER AND MILITARY READINESS INDICATOR.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THE PERCENT OF GRADUATES THAT MEET ONE OF THE INDICATORS TO TO BE COLLEGE, CAREER, MILITARY READY UPON GRADUATION, INCREASING EIGHT PERCENTAGE POINTS.
WE WERE AT 63% FOR OUR 1718 GRADUATES AND THE TARGET IS TO BE AT 71% FOR THE 2223 GRADUATES.
SO WE HAVE HERE THE METHODOLOGY HAS CHANGED A FEW TIMES.
SO YOU DO SEE A PURPLE LINE IN THERE.
SO AGAIN, RED TARGET LINE, YOU'VE GOT OUR BLUE ACTUAL SCORE THERE AND CMR INDICATORS ARE LAGGING AND SOME OF THEM ARE. WE HAVE TO USE AP SAT TEST DATA.
WE COULD STILL SCHEDULE THEM IN CLASSES, GET THEM REMEDIATION.
SO YOU CAN SEE HERE AGAIN, THE RED TARGET LINES.
WE DID REPORT OUT 10TH GRADE AND 12TH GRADE JUST TO SEE THE MOVEMENT.
BUT AGAIN, THE STORY HERE IS WE'VE GOT SOME OF THESE INDICATORS THAT ARE STILL BEHIND FOR 11TH GRADERS FOR EACH OF THESE THREE AREAS.
OUR FINAL GOAL IS SPECIFICALLY AROUND OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.
AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT READING FOR THAT POPULATION OF STUDENTS IN GRADES THREE THROUGH EIGHT READING AS WELL AS ENGLISH ONE END, OF COURSE.
SO STAAR, END OF COURSE ASSESSMENT AND ENGLISH TWO.
SO THOSE TARGET OUR BASELINE WAS WAS VERY LOW.
YOU CAN SEE HERE THE TARGETS WE DID WE DID SEE SOME NICE INCREASES FROM 21 TO 22.
AND THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR LAST YEAR, WE CONTINUED TO SEE SOME INCREASES.
[02:00:05]
SLIDES. SO THERE WERE SOME SPECIFIC THINGS THAT WERE PUT IN PLACE WITH STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES INSTRUCTIONALLY AND STRUCTURALLY.AND WE SAW THOSE OUTCOMES IN THESE ASSESSMENTS FOR THAT POPULATION OF STUDENTS.
ANY QUESTIONS? I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION.
SO I THINK YOU TALKED ABOUT NWA, MAP VERSUS RENAISSANCE.
CAN YOU JUST SPEAK TO AND MAYBE THIS IS A QUESTION FOR LATER, BUT SUPERINTENDENT MILES OR MS..
MATNEY HOW DO THOSE JIVE WITH STAAR TESTS BETTER OR DIFFERENTLY THAN.
SO THEY'RE BOTH NORMED REFERENCE TESTS.
THEY'RE NATIONALLY NORMED REFERENCE, WHICH MEANS STUDENTS TAKE THE TEST AND THEN IT'S NORMED WITH A SIMILAR POPULATION OF STUDENTS, WHEREAS STAAR IS AN ACHIEVEMENT. SO ALL OF OUR STUDENTS COULD GET A PERFECT SCORE ON STAAR, BUT NOT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS ARE GOING TO BE IN THE 40TH PERCENTILE ON MAP OR OR ON RENAISSANCE.
SO THEY'RE SIMILAR IN THAT WAY.
OKAY. THE OTHER THING IS THAT NWA, IT'S A BETTER MEASUREMENT FOR GROWTH AND PROGRESS MONITORING.
STAAR I AGREE. STAAR IS A ONE TIME SUMMATIVE TEST.
BUT THAT DOESN'T HELP US DURING THE YEAR AND IT DOESN'T REALLY HELP TEACHERS THAT MUCH.
ABOUT 6 MILLION STUDENTS TAKE IT.
SO IT'S A NATIONALLY NORM REFERENCED TEST.
LOOKING AT THE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IMPROVEMENT.
I DON'T KNOW HOW BIG THAT POPULATION IS, BUT IT LOOKS PRETTY AWESOME AND AMAZING.
AND I'M WONDERING BECAUSE PARTICULARLY BECAUSE WE LOOKED AND IT SHOWED THAT THEY WERE THEY ARE NOW ACHIEVING AT PRE HIGHER THAN THEY WERE PRE COVID, IT LOOKED LIKE.
IS THAT I MEAN, IT'S NOT UP THERE, BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S ACCURATE.
AND THEN YOU SAID STRUCTURAL AND INSTRUCTIONAL CHANGES.
ARE THERE ANY LEARNINGS, BEST PRACTICES THAT WE CAN GATHER AND LEVERAGE TO OUR STUDENTS THAT ARE BEHIND? YEAH. SO I'LL START WITH ABSOLUTELY THAT WE ENDED THE YEAR LAST YEAR ABOVE PRE-PANDEMIC.
SO BEST I MEAN THERE'S SPECIAL EDUCATION IS VERY NUANCED.
THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT DISABILITIES OR CHALLENGES FOR DIFFERENT STUDENTS WITH IEPS.
AND THAT'S NOT OFTEN THE CASE.
WE ALSO KNOW THAT SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS ARE OVERWORKED.
GREAT PAPERS LOOK AT EVERY KID INDIVIDUALLY.
THEY ALSO HAVE TO ATTEND ARD MEETINGS.
THEY HAVE TO ATTEND PARENT CONFERENCES.
THEY HAVE TO DO ALL OF THE THINGS ON TOP OF WHAT THEY'RE ALREADY DOING.
SO BEST PRACTICE WOULD BE TO ELIMINATE SOME OF THE WORKLOAD FOR THE SPED.
SPECIAL ED TEACHER HAVE A CASELOAD TIED TO IEP HOURS, NOT THE NUMBER OF KIDS, BECAUSE SOME KIDS NEED ONLY TWO HOURS OF SERVICES OR FOUR HOURS OF SERVICES.
SO 30 KIDS OVER HERE DOESN'T EQUAL 30 KIDS OVER HERE.
AND ALSO TO ENSURE THAT YOU DO MORE WHAT WE CALL RESOURCE CLASSES, GET A SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER WHO IS A MATH EXPERT, WHO'S GOOD AT MATH TO TEACH STUDENTS MATH, SPECIAL ED STUDENTS MATH, GET IT AND GET A SPECIAL ED TEACHER WHO'S GOOD AT READING INSTRUCTION TO TEACH KIDS READING.
SO IT'S IT'S COMPLEX BECAUSE THE KIDS ARE SO DIFFERENTIATED, BUT IT STILL CAN BE DONE.
ADAM. MR. RAVEN, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE BEEN.
DOING IS TRYING TO GET A HANDLE ON.
WE'VE GOT A WE'VE GOT A LOT OF.
ROAD TO TROD AS WE GO FORWARD.
[02:05:01]
AND AS WE GET READY TO SET GOALS AND WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.AND SO AS I'VE RESEARCHED, I'VE FOUND THAT GRADE SCHOOL SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS, ABOUT 60 TO 70% OF THE STUDENTS ARE ACHIEVING AT OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL.
YOU SAW SOME OF THE GOALS THAT WERE PRESENTED.
AND SO AS WE LOOK TOWARDS AND TRACK TOWARDS, YOU KNOW, OUR 35 GOALS, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE BEGIN TO CONSIDER HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE SETTING GOALS TOWARD THAT. AND IN RESPECT TO THAT, I DID ALSO HAVE A COMMENT OR A QUESTION ABOUT CCMR, THE INFORMATION THAT WAS PRESENTED. I DON'T KNOW THAT IT WAS IF THERE'S A WAY TO ADJUST AND ACCOUNT FOR THE NEW RULES AND GUIDELINES FROM TEA.
AND I WANT TO ALSO CONSIDER AND SEE WHETHER YOU'VE GOT ANY PLANS IN PLACE TO ACCOUNT FOR THE LAG THAT EXISTS AND HOW WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TRACKING THOSE TOWARDS AND ACCOUNTING FOR THAT SLIGHT DISPARITY AS WELL.
YEAH, THAT'S THAT'S A TOUGH QUESTION, BUT LET ME ANSWER IT.
THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT THE LAG EXCEPT TRY TO NOT LAG AGAIN THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
RIGHT. THAT'S ONE THING WE CAN DO.
AND DESPITE WHAT EVERYBODY SAYS, WE'RE NOT TEST PREPPING FOR STAAR.
STILL HAVING SAID THAT, THE REASON FOR ENSURING THAT WE DO WELL IN READING AND MATH IS NOT ONLY TO GRADUATE KIDS WHO CAN READ AND DO MATH AND ALSO ADD TO IT YEAR 2035 PREPARATION.
BUT IT'S ALSO SO THAT WE CAN HAVE AN ACCOUNTABILITY RATING THAT GETS US OUT OF INTERVENTION THAT ALSO ENSURES THAT WE CONTINUE TO RECEIVE THE SERVICES THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO RECEIVE FOR ALL THESE KIDS IN THE LOWER PERFORMING SCHOOLS.
SO WHAT WE NEED TO DO WITH REGARD TO STAAR IS WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE REALLY FOCUS ON AT END OF YEAR AND END OF COURSE, EXAMS FOR ALGEBRA ONE, ENGLISH ONE AND ENGLISH TWO.
AT THE SAME TIME GROWING OUR CCMR FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
IT'S ALREADY TOO LATE FOR THIS YEAR.
ANY. MS. LINDER. QUICK QUESTION.
THANK YOU. DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ANY OF THE SPECIFIC ACTIONS THAT WERE INITIATED OR TAKEN IN ORDER TO REACH THESE GOALS WHEN THEY WERE PREVIOUSLY THIS PREVIOUS SET OF GOALS THAT WERE SET? AND WERE ANY OF THOSE SHOWN TO BE EFFECTIVE, SHOWN TO BE INEFFECTIVE? AND WHAT'S PLANNED FOR THIS COMING YEAR IN NON NES SCHOOLS REGARDING ANY OF THOSE? OKAY. I'LL START WITH SPECIAL ED SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE WE SAW SUCH GREAT INCREASES THERE.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS WAS JUST ENSURING THAT A STUDENT'S INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLAN, THEIR IEP WAS WRITTEN ON GRADE LEVEL, THAT IT WAS STANDARDS BASED.
SO JUST THE DEPARTMENT REALLY GOING THROUGH AND MAKING SURE THAT WHEN THE PLAN THAT THE TEACHER IS REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT BY LAW WAS ACTUALLY WRITTEN TO SET EVERYONE UP FOR SUCCESS.
SO IT STARTS THERE IN THAT ARD MEETING, THE ADMISSION REVIEW AND DISMISSAL MEETING THAT PARENTS SIT IN, TEACHERS SIT IN, ADMINISTRATORS SIT IN AND THEY TALK ABOUT WHAT GOALS THE STUDENTS NEED.
SO MAKING THAT CHANGE WE HAD RESPONSES THAT JUST THAT HELPED SUPPORT THE INSTRUCTION IN THE CLASSROOM, WHICH RESULTED IN THE RESULTS THAT I SHARED WITH YOU THIS EVENING.
FOR THE OTHER GRADES, THERE'S NOT MUCH MOVEMENT, AS YOU CAN SEE.
AND TO BE FAIR TO THE ADMINISTRATION, THERE'S A LOT OF AUTONOMY.
AND THERE'S STILL AUTONOMY FOR 188 SCHOOLS IN THIS DISTRICT.
NOT AS MUCH AS LAST YEAR, BUT STILL QUITE A BIT.
AND THE ADMINISTRATION LAST YEAR'S ADMINISTRATION AT LEAST, STARTED TO DO TAKE AWAY SOME OF THAT AUTONOMY WITH REGARD TO HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS.
SO THEY PILOTED AMPLIFY AND EUREKA.
THOSE ARE LANGUAGE ARTS AND MATH CURRICULUM AND THAT'S AN IMPACT THE SCORES YOU SEE, THAT WILL IMPACT 23, BUT IT WAS AN UNEVEN START.
I'M SURE THEY WOULD TELL YOU THAT.
[02:10:02]
MEANING SOME SCHOOLS DID WELL IN IMPLEMENTATION, SOME WELL, SOME DIDN'T.SOME SCHOOLS HAD BOXES OF AMPLIFIERS STILL UNBOXED AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO PART OF THE SOLUTION IS, IS NOT TO TAKE AWAY ALL THE AUTONOMY, BUT TO MAKE SURE THAT IN THE KEY AREAS LIKE CURRICULUM, DESIGN AND INSTRUCTION, THAT WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE.
IN THE MEANTIME, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO OPERATE WITH SOME GOALS AND YOU HAVE THEM IN THE DESTINATION 2035 PLAN, ESPECIALLY AROUND THE PRIORITY WORK AREAS. AS YOU KNOW, YOU CAN READ THE PLAN.
WE'VE TALKED WE DON'T DO MUCH WITHOUT SOME METRIC SO THAT WE GUIDE OUR OUR WORK AND THAT WE CAN MEASURE OUR SUCCESS. SO ALL 11 PRIORITY WORK AREAS, I DIDN'T PUT THEM HERE.
WE'LL TWEAK THOSE, GIVEN THAT WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION NOW.
BUT THOSE ARE THE GOALS AND METRICS FOR THE PRIORITY WORK AREAS, FOR THE LARGE GOALS THAT WE WERE HOPING THE BOARD WHEN THE BOARD GETS INFORMATION, IT WILL INFORM THE GOALS THAT WE HAVE HERE AND THE THEY'RE NOT UNLIKE THE YEAR BEFORE, MEANING THIS, THE FIRST GOAL IS AROUND D AND F SCHOOLS.
THAT IS PART OF THE TEA'S CHARGE TO US.
THAT'S PART OF THE INTERVENTION CRITERIA TO TO EXIT.
SO WE HAVE D AND F RATED SCHOOLS.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'LL BE 50, SO THAT NUMBER WILL CHANGE WHEN THE SCORES COME OUT IN SEPTEMBER.
BUT ALSO WE WANT TO RAISE THE ACCOUNTABILITY RATING FOR THE NES SCHOOLS, RAISE THEM ONE GRADE LEVEL.
THESE ARE NOT SANDBAGGED GOALS.
AND I'D RATHER HAVE CHALLENGING GOALS THAT WE DON'T MEET ALL THE WAY, THEN HAVE EASY GOALS THAT REALLY JUST MAKE US LOOK GOOD BUT DOESN'T HELP THE KIDS.
THAT MEANS 1.5 TIMES THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.
THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR NEA IS ALWAYS ONE.
IN OTHER WORDS, ONE YEAR OF GROWTH ON NWA IS WHAT THE AVERAGE IS IN THE NATION.
WE WANT TO BE 1.5 TIMES THAT IN THE NES SCHOOLS.
BUT THAT'S WHAT OUR KIDS NEED.
SO I TOLD YOU THAT THE THE PERCENTILE RATING.
BUT THE AVERAGE WELL RESOURCED KID IN AMERICA SCORES AROUND THE 65TH PERCENTILE ON NWA. UNDERSERVED KIDS SCORE AROUND THE 30TH PERCENTILE.
SO THERE'S A GAP OF ABOUT 30, 35% OR 25% TO 30% FOR UNDERSERVED STUDENTS.
WE WANT TO MOVE THAT PERCENTILE CLOSER TO THE 60TH OVER TIME.
SO HOW MANY YEARS DOES IT TAKE? TO MOVE A PERCENTILE A KID FROM THE 30TH TO THE 37TH OR 36TH PERCENTILE IS PHENOMENAL IN ONE YEAR. THAT'S 6 OR 7 POINTS IN ONE YEAR, WHICH MEANS IN THREE YEARS YOU CLOSE AT 21%.
SOMEWHERE CLOSE TO THAT, THAT'S WHEN YOU'RE CLOSING THE GAP.
SO NOT ONLY DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE GROWTH, BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE ACHIEVEMENT, PROFICIENCY, GROWTH.
EVERY DISTRICT, WE SHOULD HAVE IT TO SOME GOAL RELATED TO OUR CHARGE.
THE SECOND GOAL HAS TO DO WITH THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION.
I KNOW THAT MOST DISTRICTS DON'T DO THIS.
WE DO BECAUSE THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION IS A LEADING INDICATOR.
EVERYBODY KNOWS WHEN YOU WALK INTO A CLASSROOM, THE INSTRUCTION IS GOOD.
YOU CAN ALREADY TELL THAT THE KIDS ARE GOING TO GROW ACHIEVEMENT WISE.
IF THE INSTRUCTION IS POOR, YOU ALREADY KNOW THE KIDS AREN'T GOING TO GET THERE.
THAT'S WHY IT'S A LEADING INDICATOR AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE GOING TO MEASURE IT IN THIS WAY.
[02:15:04]
THE THIRD GOAL IS OUR SECOND CHARGE FROM THE STATE ESPECIALLY WE HAVE TO HAVE SOME SPECIAL EDUCATION GOAL.THIS IS A HUGE GOAL, 1.4 TIMES THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.
FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS, THAT'S GOING TO BE TOUGH.
BUT THAT'S THE GOAL WE'RE GOING TO SET.
THAT'S WHY IT'S PART OF THE PRINCIPAL EVALUATION SYSTEM.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE ADDING SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE BUILDING RESOURCE CLASSROOMS. THAT'S WHY THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION WILL BE STRONGER.
THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO DO TO GET TO THAT GOAL.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO DO, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT THINGS IN ORDER TO GET THAT GOAL.
AND THEN FINALLY, CCMR, YEAH, WE WE'RE NOT GOING TO JUST NOT DO ANYTHING RIGHT.
WE'VE GOT TO DO BETTER IN CCMR. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'RE GOING TO INCREASE THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WITH COLLEGE, UM, MILITARY PUBLIC SERVICE OR INDUSTRY APPROVED CERTIFICATION BY 5%.
AND THEN THAT SECOND BULLET IS REFLECTS.
WE WILL PUT IN PLACE AN UPGRADED CTE PROGRAM BY THE END OF THE YEAR TO START THE 24-25 SCHOOL YEAR.
I HOPE THE BOARD WILL SUPPORT A $20 MILLION INVESTMENT IN THIS.
AND WE'LL HAVE TO MAKE SOME CUTS AND SOME OTHER THINGS TO DO IT.
BUT THAT'S WHAT OUR KIDS NEED RIGHT AWAY.
I DON'T LIKE PROCESS GOALS AS MUCH AS I LIKE OUTCOME GOAL.
BUT THIS IS ONE THAT'S GOING TO LEAD TO BETTER OUTCOMES DOWN THE ROAD.
OTHER QUESTIONS, MA'AM? ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON THE PRESENTATION SO FAR? IT'S NOT SO MUCH A QUESTION.
SORRY. NOT SO MUCH A QUESTION, BUT A COMMENT.
I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT WE'RE CHALLENGING OURSELVES TO DO BETTER.
SO AS WE CONSIDER GOALS FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, YOU KNOW, WE'LL HAVE A WORKSHOP ABOUT THAT.
BUT MY SUGGESTION TO OUR TEAM IS TO REALLY CHALLENGE OURSELVES.
I BELIEVE IN THE POTENTIAL OF OUR STUDENTS, AND SO WE SHOULD BE EXPECTING MORE FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
AND I CONCUR. I WAS GOING TO SAY THAT THAT SIMILAR SENTIMENT, WHICH IS CONTINUING TO CHALLENGE YOURSELF AND THE TEAM, LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HOW YOU GUYS CONTINUE TO WORK AND TRACK TOWARDS THOSE GOALS.
YEAH, THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME TOO.
AND THE TEAM, THERE'LL BE A COUPLE PIECES OF INTERNAL DATA BESIDES THE NWA TEST AND THE ASSESSMENTS.
SO THE DEMONSTRATION OF LEARNING IS TAKEN EVERY DAY.
WE'RE GOING TO KEEP TRACK OF THAT.
WE'LL HAVE THAT DATA FOR YOU SO YOU CAN TRACK THE PROGRESS OF KIDS ON THE DEMONSTRATION OF LEARNING.
THE OTHER THING IS ON THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION WE WILL TAKE.
YOU'LL SEE VERY GOOD RECORD KEEPING ON OUR SPOT OBSERVATIONS.
YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THAT BY WEEK, BY SCHOOL, BY FEEDER PATTERN, BY UNIT, BY DIVISION HOW THOSE THE SPOT OBSERVATION AND THE KEY CHARACTERISTICS ON THE SPOT OF OBSERVATION ADDS UP EVERY WEEK.
SO THAT'S HOW WE TRACK THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION.
IT'S PART OF THE GOAL, AS YOU SAW, AND WE'LL THAT DATA WILL BE AVAILABLE TO YOU.
IT ALSO, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT ALL GOING TO BE GREAT DATA, RIGHT? I MEAN, THERE WE'RE GOING TO BE HONEST AND WE'RE GOING TO BE RIGOROUS.
AND THEN YOU WILL CHALLENGE ME AND SAY, YOU KNOW, WHY ARE WE FALLING DOWN ON THIS OR THAT? AND I HAVE A QUESTION, BUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT IN SOME OF THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS WHERE WE'VE HAD THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS TALK ABOUT PARTNERSHIPS AT THE SCHOOLS CURRENTLY HAVE OR DON'T HAVE, AND SOME OF THE AREAS THAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON.
[02:20:08]
WHAT'S AFTER HIGH SCHOOL.AND SO I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT AND WE'VE SAID THAT WE WILL BE REACHING OUT TO THEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE SOME WONDERFUL PROGRAMS NAI AND THE SHIP CHANNEL AND EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE TO OFFER. I THINK IT'S A WAY TO SAVE US MONEY AS A DISTRICT AND AND PARTNERS.
SO I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT.
YES. AND WE'LL TRY TO BE WAY MORE PURPOSEFUL ABOUT THAT IN AS WE GO FORWARD, NOT ONLY WITH THE CTE PROGRAM, BUT ALSO JUST OTHER PROGRAMS, INTERNSHIPS, APPRENTICESHIPS, BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS, THINGS LIKE THAT.
WE HAVE NOT GOTTEN RID OF CONTRACTED SERVICES OR VENDORS.
WE HAVE STOPPED ANY VENDOR WHO'S ON THE FIELD.
I THINK I'VE EXPLAINED THAT ANALOGY.
SO WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF PARTNERS.
I HAD A MEETING YESTERDAY WITH THE FOLKS FROM BIG BROTHERS, BIG SISTERS.
WE HAD A MEETING TODAY WITH THE GROUP CALLED ABLE THAT THAT WORKS WITH THE CTE PROGRAMS AND THE AND THE REGISTRAR'S FOR HIGH SCHOOL TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THE BEST SCHEDULING POSSIBLE FOR OUR HIGH SCHOOL KIDS.
SO THERE'S THERE'S A LOT OF PARTNERSHIPS ALREADY.
WE NEED TO DO BETTER WITH THE UNIVERSITIES, COLLEGES, THE MEDICAL CENTER AND BUSINESSES.
OKAY. IF THERE'S NOTHING ELSE, THEN WE'LL MOVE ON TO POLICY UPDATES.
MISS WOODS, ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO A PRESENTATION ON POLICY UPDATES? I THINK WE WERE PLANNING ON YOU GUYS ANSWERING, ASKING QUESTIONS.
DO YOU NEED ME TO ADDRESS SOMETHING AT THE BEGINNING? I JUST I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO GO THROUGH A KIND OF AN OVERVIEW.
IS THAT NOT? OH, I CAN DO THAT IF YOU WANT.
WHICH POLICY ARE WE STARTING WITH? AND IF THE BOARD IS OKAY WITH IT, WE'LL DO THE OVERVIEW AND THEN WE CAN ASK SPECIFIC QUESTIONS OF THE POLICIES.
AND THEN I HAVE ON THE AGENDA HERE BUDGET UPDATES FOR AFTER THAT.
IS THAT EXPECTED? OKAY. OKAY, SO THE FIRST POLICY IS BDD LOCAL.
THE THE GIST OF THE REQUEST HERE IS THAT YOU INCREASE THE THE AUTHORITY FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE GENERAL COUNSEL TO SETTLE CLAIMS WITHOUT PRIOR BOARD APPROVAL.
THE BASIS FOR THIS REQUEST IS TO STREAMLINE THE SETTLEMENTS THAT COME BEFORE YOU, AS YOU'VE KNOWN, BECAUSE YOU'VE HAD AT LEAST ONE BOARD MEETING. WE DO GET KIND OF BOGGED DOWN WITH SETTLEMENTS.
IN SOME INSTANCES WE HAVE ISSUES WHERE THE COURT IS ASKING US TO SETTLE CASES QUICKER THAN WE'RE ABLE TO BECAUSE WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOARD MEETING IN ORDER FOR YOU TO STILL UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE DOING.
DO YOU WANT ME TO WAIT AFTER EACH POLICY? NO, I THINK I THINK IT MIGHT BE EASIER.
I DON'T. IT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME.
YOU WANT TO JUST GO THROUGH EACH.
OKAY, LET'S ASK ANY QUESTIONS.
OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS FOR BDD LOCAL? ANYBODY? OKAY [INAUDIBLE].
SO AGAIN, IT LOOKS LIKE THE ASK IS TO MOVE FROM MATTERS LESS THAN $5,000 TO $100,000. SO THE $5,000 WAS ONLY FOR WORKER'S COMP CASE.
THAT'S A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF WHAT WE DO.
SO WITH 27,000 EMPLOYEES, THE AMOUNT OF EMPLOYMENT MATTERS THAT WE HAVE, WE HAVE CONSTRUCTION CASES.
[02:25:06]
SO THERE ARE A LOT OF CASES.AND IT'S NOT REALLY A GOOD USE OF YOUR TIME.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS POLICY? MS. GARZA LINDER.
THANK YOU. ON THE OUTSIDE COUNSEL SECTION, THOSE CHANGES, WHY WOULD THE BOARD, WHY SHOULD THE BOARD SUPPORT GIVING THE SUPERINTENDENT FULL AUTHORITY ON GETTING OUTSIDE COUNSEL? SO YOU'VE ALREADY GIVEN THE PREVIOUS BOARD HAS ALREADY GIVEN THAT TO THE SUPERINTENDENT, BUT IT'S DONE BY A ITEM THAT IS BROUGHT TO THE BOARD.
THIS IS, I THINK, MUCH MORE TRANSPARENT.
THE OFFICE OF LEGAL SERVICES BRINGS A PANEL OF ATTORNEYS FOR THE BOARD TO APPROVE.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE ISSUES COME UP THAT YOU WILL WANT AN ATTORNEY THAT IS EXPERT IN THAT FIELD.
AND SO YOU REALLY WANT TO BE ABLE TO NAME ATTORNEYS BASED ON THE NEED RATHER THAN AND SOMETIMES WE NEED TO ACT IN A TIMELY WAY, WHICH DOESN'T LEND ITSELF TO WAITING FOR THE BOARD MEETING TO REQUEST PERMISSION TO ENTER INTO AN ENGAGEMENT WITH AN ATTORNEY.
AND WE KNOW HOW TO EVALUATE ALSO.
YOU KNOW, I HAVE A LAWYERS UNDER ME, WE EVALUATE WHICH FIRMS ARE DOING THE BEST WORK AND WE MAKE OUR DECISIONS BASED ON THAT AS WELL. WE TRY TO BE VERY, YOU KNOW, CONSIDERATE ABOUT HOW WE USE THE DISTRICT FUNDS.
MR. RIVON. SO THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME LOGISTICAL CHANGES IN LIKE HOW THE FIRM EXTERNAL FIRM SITS AND WHO THEY REPORT TO.
CAN YOU KIND OF GO THROUGH WHAT THAT MEANS.
SO FOR THE THAT IS NOT A CHANGE IN THE BOARD POLICY.
IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THAT EXTERNAL FIRMS NEED TO WORK THROUGH THE GENERAL COUNSEL'S OFFICE.
I AM AN ATTORNEY, RIGHT? THANK YOU. SO I JUST HAD A QUICK QUESTION WITH REGARD TO THE SECTION SPECIAL COUNSEL TO THE BOARD WHERE ELIMINATES REPRESENTATION AND ADVICE AT BOARD MEETINGS.
SO DURING BOARD MEETINGS, WHO WILL BE OUR GO TO ATTORNEY DURING THOSE INSTANCES? I WILL. AND IF WE FIND THAT THERE IS A CONFLICT, THE ETHICAL RULES GOVERN THAT.
AT THAT POINT, WE CAN ENGAGE OUTSIDE COUNSEL IF NECESSARY.
THANK YOU. BUT YOU HAVE YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THAT IF WE IF WE DEEM IT NECESSARY.
AND THOSE ARE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE WOULD HAVE BEFORE THE CONFLICT ARISES.
AND ALSO, AS I UNDERSTAND IT FROM DISCUSSIONS, MY EXPECTATION IS THAT IF THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT THERE'S A PARTICULAR ISSUE THAT COMES UP IN A BOARD MEETING THAT WE NEED, FOR SOME REASON, EXTERNAL COUNSEL WILL HAVE IT PRESENT.
ABSOLUTELY. I'D LIKE TO JUST MAKE A GENERAL COMMENT ABOUT WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT ALL THESE POLICIES AND A LOT OF THE A LOT OF THE CHANGES THAT ARE BEING MADE.
AND I CAN JUST TELL YOU FROM MY EXPERIENCE IN 30 YEARS OF WORKING IN PUBLIC ENTITIES AND DOING MULTIBILLION DOLLAR TRANSACTIONS ACROSS THE CITY OF HOUSTON WITH THE PORT, WITH THE SPORTS AUTHORITY, WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WITH HOUSTON FIRST, THAT THE THRESHOLD LEVELS THAT WE HAVE FOR BOARD INVOLVEMENT ARE THE MOST THE LOWEST AND AND THE MOST MINUTIA THAT I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY BUSINESS CAREER, IN PUBLIC SERVICE, IN THESE POLICIES.
[INAUDIBLE] THESE POLICIES HANDCUFF THE ADMINISTRATION.
THEY HAVE TO COME TO THE BOARD AND SAY, CAN I SETTLE A CASE FOR $5,001 ABOUT A CAR THAT HIT A BUS?
[02:30:03]
AND IT'S LIKE, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? THAT IS NOT WHAT THIS BOARD SHOULD BE DOING.WE HAVE VERY WELL, VERY WELL POSITIONED FOLKS THAT ARE REALLY GOOD AT THEIR JOBS.
AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO DO THE WORK OF THE DISTRICT.
THE SYSTEM TODAY, I THINK, IS FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED BECAUSE OF THE MASSIVE AMOUNT OF MOTHER MAY I'S MOTHER MAY I SETTLE A CASE FOR $5,001? MOTHER, MAY I BUY A CASE OF TOILET PAPER FOR $5,000 BUCKS? TO ME, THAT IS JUST BEYOND RATIONAL.
AND THESE POLICY CHANGES ARE ALL WE'RE NOT TRYING TO USURP ANYBODY.
WE'RE NOT TRYING TO TAKE POWER AWAY FROM THIS BOARD BECAUSE WE APPROVE THE BUDGET.
WE HAVE AN INTERNAL AUDIT FUNCTION.
WE HAVE AN EXTERNAL AUDIT FUNCTION.
WE HAVE INTERNAL CONTROLS THAT MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE GOING ON IS GOING ON ACCORDING TO TO TO THE WAY IT SHOULD BE IN ANY RATIONAL, REASONABLE BUSINESS.
AND THE FACT THAT THESE POLICIES HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE OVER THE YEARS IS, IN MY OPINION, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT OUR HISD EMPLOYEES HAVE IN IN REALLY TAKING CARE OF KIDS LONG TERM BECAUSE THEY'RE ALWAYS ASKING THE BOARD FOR MOTHER MAY I SPEND $5,000 TO FIX, YOU KNOW, TO SETTLE A CASE WHERE WHERE A CAR HIT A BUS.
RIGHT. AND SO I THINK WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT THAT WHEN WE GO THROUGH THESE POLICIES, THAT'S WHY THESE CHANGES ARE BEING MADE, NOT BECAUSE IT'S A USURPATION OF OUR OF OUR OF OUR AUTHORITY, BECAUSE OUR AUTHORITY IS ULTIMATE HERE.
AND ULTIMATELY, THE FINANCIALS WILL BE PRESENTED, THE BUDGETS WILL BE REVIEWED.
AND IF THERE ARE SCHOOLS THAT ARE OVER BUDGET BY $300,000 WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT IN ADVANCE.
NOT LIKE, YOU KNOW, AFTER THE SCHOOL YEAR.
SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE THAT BROAD STATEMENT BECAUSE A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE HERE IS THE SAME THING IN ALL OF THESE, AND THAT IS JUST SIMPLY CUTTING RED TAPE SO THAT OUR GOVERNMENT ENTITY FUNCTIONS BETTER.
OKAY. MS. WOODS I THINK THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM, WHICH IS A POLICY, IS NUMBER 21 APPROVAL TO WAIVE BOARD POLICY BF AND THEN THE CDC LOCAL, IS THAT WHAT YOU HAVE NEXT? CORRECT. AND THEN LET ME JUST SAY A POINT ABOUT THE BF LOCAL.
NORMALLY WE APPROVE BOARD ITEMS. BOARD CHANGES TO POLICY AND TO BOARD MEETINGS.
SO WE'RE ASKING YOU TO JUST DO IT IN ONE.
UNDERSTOOD. CAN YOU SPEAK TO ITEM 21, WHICH IS THE CDC LOCAL? YES. LET'S GET THERE.
OKAY. CDC LOCAL IS THE POLICY, AND I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE.
AND SO THERE'S STILL ONE LITTLE CARVE OUT WHERE IF THE GIFT IS SOMETHING MADE CONDITIONAL, IF SOMEONE WANTS TO A BUILDING NAMED AFTER THEM OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT WOULD STILL BE BROUGHT BACK TO THE BOARD.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT POLICY? IF YOU CAN JUST GO AHEAD.
OKAY. IF YOU CAN JUST CLARIFY ONE MORE TIME FOR ME ABOUT THE $5,000 AND YOU SAID ANYTHING.
SO YEAH, SO NUMBER ONE WILL READ ANY DONATION THAT IS UNDER $5,000 COST OR MARKET VALUE WILL REQUIRE APPROVAL FROM THE DIVISION SUPERINTENDENT OR DESIGNEE.
AND SO AND THEN NUMBER TWO, WILL READ ANY DONATION OF $5,000 OR MORE SO THERE IS NO GAP.
OKAY. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS? OKAY. MISS GARZA LINDER, THANKS.
IS THE INTENTION HERE TO MAKE GIFT GIVING EASIER? AND WHAT ABOUT WHAT ABOUT GIFTS FROM PTOS/PTAS, THEY'RE OFTEN, YOU KNOW, $5,000 OR MORE.
DO YOU EXPECT TO BE SEEING THESE COME TO YOUR DESK? THEY WOULD BE COMING TO YOU WITHOUT THE POLICY.
AND THAT'S THAT'S PART OF WHAT WILL STREAMLINE THIS.
SORRY. GO AHEAD. YEAH, THAT'S PART OF WHAT WE WANT TO DO.
[02:35:05]
ANYTHING OVER $5,000.ANY OTHER COMMENTS? QUESTIONS? CAN WE MOVE ON? YES, SIR. JUST CLARITY.
SO IN THE CHANGE OF THE WRITTEN POLICY, IS THERE SOMETHING THAT ALLOWS FOR A CONTINUAL SUMMARY TO BE PROVIDED OF WHAT THOSE GIFTS ARE WOULD BE ON APPROVAL? JUST. WHERE BECAUSE AT SOME POINT SOMEONE CREATED A POLICY AND THERE'S, YOU KNOW, SOME REASONS BEHIND THAT.
OBVIOUSLY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND VISIBILITY.
AND SO WHAT IS IT THAT GOING FORWARD WILL BE THE NEW STANDARD? AND IS THAT DOCUMENT IN THE POLICY? AND I'M NOT THINKING ABOUT THIS ADMINISTRATION.
I'M THINKING ABOUT FUTURE ADMINISTRATIONS AND HOW WE CONTINUE TO SEE THAT INFORMATION [INAUDIBLE].
I'M JUST TELLING YOU THAT THEY'RE THERE.
AND WE CAN ALSO CALL IT OUT IN THE QUARTERLY REPORTS IF THAT'S THE THE WILL OF THE BOARD.
IT CAN ALSO BE I DON'T WANT TO PUT MORE WORK ON THE INTERNAL AUDIT COMMITTEE, BUT IT COULD ALSO BE PART OF THAT FUNCTION IF THERE'S GIFTS OVER A CERTAIN AMOUNT . TO BOARD MEMBER ADAM'S POINT, IT WOULD IT MAKE SENSE TO ADD THAT TO THE POLICY TO STATE THAT THERE'S A QUARTERLY REPORT TO BE PROVIDED TO THE BOARD.
AND AGAIN, IT'S FOR FUTURE AS WELL.
IT'S NOT JUST FOR US, BUT IT'S FOR FUTURE NEEDS AND FUTURE ADMINISTRATIONS.
I'D WANT TO BE HAVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT BECAUSE OTHERWISE IT'S GOING TO BE A HUGE REPORT.
OKAY. ANY THOUGHTS? I JUST THINK THAT THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WHAT WE'RE REALLY DOING HERE.
RIGHT. WHICH IS WE'RE SIMPLY TAKING THE RESPONSIBILITY OR TAKING HAVING AN EASIER PROCESS.
THERE'S REPORTS THAT YOU CAN FIND THIS STUFF IN EASILY IF YOU REALLY WANT TO SEE IT OR GO TO AN AUDIT COMMITTEE MEETING OR INTERNAL AUDIT COMMITTEE MEETING THAT THAT GOES THROUGH THAT. SO TO ME ADDING ADDITIONAL MOTHER MAY I'S OR TO DO LISTS TO FOLKS IN POLICIES IS THE PROBLEM WE HAVE TODAY.
SO I WOULD RATHER NOT SEE ADD ONS.
BUT BUT I NEED TO SEE THEM EVERY MONTH.
RIGHT? YOU CAN SEE THEM EVERY MONTH IF YOU READ THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
BUT WHY DO ANOTHER REPORT I MEAN, YOU KNOW, SUPERINTENDENT, DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT YOU ELIMINATED TONS OF REPORTS THAT PRINCIPALS WERE DOING THAT YOU THOUGHT WERE A WASTE OF TIME? YES, SIR.
OKAY. I WOULD RATHER AS A BOARD, NOT PUT REQUIREMENTS IN WRITING FOR FUTURE BOARDS OR FOR FOR US THAT THAT YOU CAN GET ANYWAY IF YOU WANTED IT.
RIGHT. I THINK THE PURPOSE AS A POLICY, THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING.
BUT FROM MY STANDPOINT, THE CONTROLS THAT ARE IN PLACE IN THIS AND THROUGH OTHER AUDIT AND OTHERWISE, WHICH RICK HAS TALKED ABOUT, I THINK PROBABLY PROTECT US.
BUT IF THERE'S A REQUEST FOR A PARTICULAR REPORT, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT NEEDS TO GO IN POLICY.
IT MAY JUST BE A PRACTICE, RIGHT? IT'D BE MY SUGGESTION.
I UNDERSTAND AND I APPRECIATE YOUR POINT OF VIEW.
MY POINT IS, IF WE'VE GOT A POLICY, THEN THERE SHOULD BE SOME MEAT BEHIND IT.
AND IF WE WANT JUST A REGULATION AND LET THEM MANAGE IT, THEN DO A REGULATION.
WE DON'T NEED THE POLICY BECAUSE IF WE'RE IF WE'RE MAKING A POLICY ABOUT WHO DOES WHAT IN THE ADMINISTRATION AT THIS POINT, AND THAT'S THE ONLY LEGS ON THE POLICY, THEN IT'S REALLY JUST A REGULATION AND IT'S NOT A POLICY AT ALL.
SO EITHER DON'T HAVE A POLICY OR PUT SOMETHING IN IT THAT ACTUALLY GIVES US SOMETHING THAT WE NEED.
UNLESS THERE'S ANY OTHER COMMENTS.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS? NO, I'LL JUST CLARIFY THAT.
THE POINT OF MY QUESTION WAS, IS THIS GOING TO MAKE IT EASIER, THE GROUND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.
DEVELOPMENT IS GOING TO MAKE THIS EASIER.
IT CERTAINLY WILL MAKE IT EASIER.
[02:40:01]
OKAY. IF THERE'S NO OTHER COMMENTS, LET'S MOVE ON.I THINK ITEM 22 IS RELATING TO BOARD POLICY CH LOCAL.
YES. AND I MIGHT HAVE TO GET JIM TO HELP ME WITH THIS ONE.
YES. THIS IS THIS IS THE ONE THE MAIN QUESTION HERE IS THE SOLICITATION OR PURCHASE ITEMS OF MOVING FROM $100,000 TO $2 MILLION.
CAN WE? WELL, IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO GIVE AN OVERVIEW, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
IF NOT, I MEAN, I THINK PROBABLY MANY PEOPLE HAVE SIMILAR QUESTION ABOUT WHY THE $2 MILLION, HOW DO WE GET THERE? WHAT'S THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT NUMBER VERSUS $100,000? WHAT DOES IT DO FOR THE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION, ETCETERA? AND I'LL START WITH THAT, BUT HAPPY TO HAVE OTHERS CHIME IN.
THIS IS A THIS IS A BIG DISTRICT WITH ACTUALLY SOMEWHERE AROUND $2.7 BILLION BUDGET IF YOU COUNT OTHER FUNDS, NOT JUST THE GENERAL FUND.
AND IF YOU'RE IF YOU IF YOU WANT TO WORK EFFECTIVELY, SOMETIMES THOSE PURCHASES COME IN BIG AMOUNTS.
I MEAN, I'M USED TO WORKING WITH BIG DOLLARS AND SO ARE SOME MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
LAST WEEK OR TWO WEEKS AGO, I HAD JIM BROUGHT TO ME FOUR $500,000 CONTRACTS THAT VENDORS WANTED US TO SIGN FOR SURVEYING IN PREPARATION FOR A BOND FOUR DIFFERENT $500,000 CONTRACTS.
THAT'S $2 MILLION RIGHT THERE.
I DIDN'T SIGN IT IN THIS CASE BECAUSE IT WASN'T COMPETITIVE ENOUGH.
EACH ONE WAS NOT COMPETITIVE ENOUGH.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THAT SORT OF STUFF THAT GOES ON, TOO.
BUT IN ANY CASE, THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT ADD UP QUICKLY.
LOOK AT THE VIEWSONIC'S, THE INTERACTIVE SMART BOARDS.
WE'RE GOING TO PURCHASE, THE EQUIPMENT THAT WE'RE GOING TO PURCHASE IN IN THE NES AND NES ONLINE SCHOOL, JUST THE DESKS, THE STANDING DESKS, THE LIKES OF CHROMEBOOKS, SURFACE PROS.
THOSE ARE ALL HUGE ITEMS THAT WE PURCHASED BECAUSE WE'RE A BIG DISTRICT.
AND SO IT'S NOT LIKE IT'LL BE HIDDEN.
THE BUDGET WILL BE APPROVED OR NOT APPROVED.
THE AUDIT COMMITTEE STILL EXISTS AND THEY WILL BE LOOKING AT THESE THINGS.
THESE HAVE TO BE REPORTED OUT.
SO THIS JUST ALLOWS THE DISTRICT TO MOVE FASTER AND MORE EFFICIENTLY WHEN THERE ARE BIG ITEMS. AND AGAIN, WE'RE A BIG DISTRICT.
JUST BUYING SURFACE PROS FOR EVERYBODY IN THE SCHOOLS OR THE TEACHERS.
NOT EVERYBODY IS A HUGE EXPENSE.
SO THAT'S WHY RAISING IT FROM $100,000 TO $2 MILLION MAKES SENSE.
THOSE OTHER BIG DISTRICTS THAT DON'T HAVE $2 MILLION, THEY HAVE $500,000.
THEY'RE SLOW. THEY'RE BUREAUCRATIC AND THEY'RE NOT GETTING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
RESULTS ARE LESS EFFECTIVE AND LESS EFFICIENT, CHICAGO, LA.
YEAH, THEY'RE NOT GETTING IT DONE.
THEY HAVE A VERY BUREAUCRATIC.
CUMBERSOME PROCESS TO DO ANYTHING BECAUSE IT'S VERY POLITICAL THERE.
AND, YOU KNOW, POLITICS RUN ALL THESE VENDOR CONTRACTS.
CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE CONTROLS THAT ARE IN PLACE WITH REGARD TO THEM? I THINK YOU MENTIONED AUDIT.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WANT TO COMMENT ON? AND JIM AND RICK CAN ALSO CHIME IN BECAUSE THEY'RE THEY'RE IN THE AUDIT.
THEY WILL BE LOOKING AT THE AUDIT INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL.
WELL, THERE'S ACTUALLY THREE WE HAVE TO REPORT OUT EVERY MONTH.
OUR FINANCIAL UPDATES, EVERY QUARTERLY.
WE GIVE EVEN MORE DETAIL ON OUR FINANCES, BOTH THE REVENUE AND EXPENDITURES.
AND THEN THERE'S THE FINANCIAL AUDIT THAT WE HAVE TO DO.
WE HIRE AN OUTSIDE AUDITOR THAT'S THE BOARD WILL WILL FIND AN EXTERNAL AUDITOR TO DO THAT IN CONJUNCTION WITH JIM TERRY, AND THAT WILL BE AN ANNUAL AUDIT THAT'S BY LAW.
AND THEN WE HAVE INTERNAL AUDIT FUNCTION, WHICH I BELIEVE BOARD MEMBER CAMPO IS GOING TO RUN.
AND SO THERE ARE SEVERAL CHECKS AND BALANCES ON THE EXPENDITURES.
AND THEN THERE'S A CHECK FROM ME.
I MEAN, I WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SPENDING OUR MONEY WISELY.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENS IN BIG DISTRICTS THAT GOT THIS DISTRICT IN TROUBLE IS THIS NON COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROCESS, THIS USING VENDORS OF FRIENDS OR OTHER ACQUAINTANCES IN THE IN THE DISTRICT.
POLITICAL INTERESTS, WHATEVER.
AND I DON'T DO THAT AND MY TEAM'S NOT GOING TO DO THAT.
AND SO WE'LL BE PROTECTED THAT WAY AS WELL.
[02:45:02]
I JUST TOLD YOU A REAL EXAMPLE FOUR $500,000 CONTRACTS WEREN'T COMPETITIVE ENOUGH.I CAN GO INTO DETAIL AS TO WHY THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME PEOPLE MAD AT ME AND MAD AT YOU BECAUSE THOSE CONTRACTS THAT WERE WRITTEN BEFORE WE GOT HERE, WE'RE NOT SIGNED.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, MISS MENDOZA? I DO. PROCUREMENT IN THIS DISTRICT HAS BEEN TALKED ABOUT A LOT IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
IF WE DO APPROVE THIS POLICY, THAT THE SAME PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES WILL BE FOLLOWED FOR COMPETITIVE BIDDING, INCLUDING IN THIS POLICY IS THE THE MWB PIECE THAT WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE ALSO SEEKING OUT OUR SMALL BUSINESSES IN THE COMMUNITY.
YES, MA'AM. AND THE GOAL FOR OUR MWB HAS NOT CHANGED.
WE'RE GOING TO STILL TRY TO HIT THAT THAT MARK.
I THINK THE BIGGEST ISSUE HERE IS THE AMOUNT.
BUT AGAIN, I THINK THE BOARD WILL KEEP US HONEST.
I HAVE A REALLY GOOD CFO WHO WAS AN ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER, BY THE WAY, OF FINANCE AT TEA, ALSO KNOWS THE REGULATION AND LAW, THEY'RE VERY STRICT. AND SO AND YOU KNOW, AND WE HAVE OTHER CHECKS AND BALANCES IN THE SYSTEM.
AND MR. RIVON, PLEASE. SO I'M ALSO CONCERNED REGARDING THE THRESHOLDS THAT WE USE. SO I'M INTERESTED IN KIND OF GETTING AN IDEA OF HOW MANY CONTRACTS FALL IN THESE DIFFERENT THRESHOLDS THAT WOULD NORMALLY COME TO THE BOARD AND THAT WILL NO LONGER COME TO THE BOARD.
SO ESSENTIALLY THAT FREES UP SPACE FOR THE SUPERINTENDENTS TIME.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, HOW WE DERIVE THE $2 MILLION SPECIFICALLY AND THEN SEPARATELY.
AND [INAUDIBLE] I CAN WAIT OR I CAN ASK.
BUT IN THE IN THE LATTER PART, TALKING ABOUT SOLE-SOURCE CONTRACTS, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACT OF SMALL BUSINESSES IN THIS REGARD, BECAUSE IF WE UPPED THAT TO $500,000, THAT MAY, YOU KNOW, IN FUTURE TENSE PRECLUDE SOME FOLKS IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS.
SMALL BUSINESSES SPECIFICALLY.
YES, SIR. ON THE FIRST QUESTION, DO YOU WANT TO COMMENT.
I CAN SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO IT.
I THINK I CAN COME BACK WITH THOSE NUMBERS.
I THINK MY TEAM REVIEWS ALL OF THE CONTRACTS THAT GO THROUGH THE SYSTEM.
AND THAT DEPENDS ON WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT.
SO WHEN I STARTED AS A GENERAL COUNSEL, THAT WAS FEBRUARY, END OF FEBRUARY, MARCH.
AND SO BETWEEN THAT TIME AND NOW, WE WENT THROUGH LIKE 200 CONTRACTS.
SO IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT TIME OF THE YEAR IT IS.
BUT I CAN GIVE YOU MORE SPECIFICS.
SO IT'S KIND OF A DIFFICULT NUMBER.
AND IN SOME CASES TIME MATTERS.
I MEAN, LOOK AT WHAT WE DID THIS SUMMER.
I MEAN, IT'S YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO MOVE PRETTY FAST WITH REGARD TO THE SOLE SOURCE.
AND SO I THINK THAT WILL ACTUALLY HELP SMALLER VENDORS IF WE FOLLOW THE SOLE SOURCE RULES, OF COURSE, WHICH AND THEY'RE VERY SPECIFIC, THEY'RE OUTLINED HERE.
SO SOLE SOURCE IS NOT AN EASY THING TO DO BECAUSE WE HAVE TO FOLLOW THE STATE AND FEDERAL STATUTES.
MS. WOODS CAN I ASK A QUESTION ABOUT THE PURCHASING AUTHORITY? AND I'M LOOKING AT PAGE 161 OF THE PACKET, WHICH IS THE STRIKE OUT OF THE LANGUAGE THAT SAYS STATE LAW REQUIRES THE BOARD TO MAKE OR APPROVE A PURCHASE.
AND THEN IT SAYS, UNLESS STATE LAW REQUIRES THE BOARD TO MAKE OR APPROVE A PURCHASE.
AND MAYBE THIS IS A LEGAL QUESTION FOR CLOSED SESSION, BUT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THAT.
[02:50:04]
YEAH, I'LL ANSWER IT IN CLOSED SESSION.AND IT IS. OKAY, WELL, WE'RE GOING TO CLOSED SESSION LATER, SO WE'LL TAKE IT UP THEN.
OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS ITEM? YES, MA'AM. I SUPPORT THE INTENT OF THIS CHANGE.
BUT ISN'T IT A BIT PREMATURE GIVEN THAT THE INTERNAL AUDIT FUNCTION ISN'T SET UP YET AND YOU'VE COMMENTED EARLIER ABOUT THE LEVEL OF CHANGE GIVEN TO THE ORGANIZATION THAT WE'VE JUST GONE THROUGH A LOT OF CHANGE IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS.
SHOULDN'T THE DUST SETTLE A LITTLE BIT ON SOME OF THESE ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES BEFORE WE START TO TRUST THAT THESE PROCESSES ARE GOING TO WORK AS INTENDED? YEAH, I THINK THAT'S A FAIR COMMENT, EXCEPT THAT WE WE HAVE THE OTHER CONTROLS.
SO LEGAL CONTROL, WE HAVE THE REGULAR FINANCE BRIEFINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE BRINGING.
AND EVEN THOUGH THE INTERNAL AUDIT IS BEING SET UP, WE HAVE PEOPLE ON THE BOARD WHO CAN STILL OVERSEE THAT FUNCTION AND WILL OVERSEE THAT FUNCTION EVEN NOW.
SO I THINK THERE'S STILL CHECKS AND BALANCES AND CONTROLS.
AND AGAIN, ALL OF THIS HAS TO BE REPORTED OUT.
OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I DO. SO I DON'T KNOW THE REASON WHY.
I DO AGREE THAT THE $100,000 THRESHOLD IS VERY MINIMAL.
WE DO NEED TO BECOME MORE EFFICIENT AS A DISTRICT.
BUT I ALSO UNDERSTAND THE CONCERNS FROM THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO I THINK THAT'S THE CONCERN FROM OUR COMMUNITY.
SO ONE IS I WOULD ASK THE QUESTION WHY THE REQUEST TO WAIVE THE SECOND READING? WHAT'S THE URGENCY TO DO THAT WITH THIS PARTICULAR POLICY OR ANY OF THE POLICIES, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU? AND THEN I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT.
SO I ACTUALLY LOOKED AT OTHER DISTRICTS NEAR OUR AREA AND IT'S ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH.
IT'S A MIXED BAG. WE HAVE SOME DISTRICTS THAT SAY $50,000 AND THEN ONE LARGE DISTRICT NOT TOO FAR FROM HERE ACTUALLY ALLOWS FOR APPROVALS UP TO ANYTHING UP TO $250,000 OVER THE BUDGETED AMOUNT.
SO LONG AS IT'S NOT OVER $250,000 OVER THAT BUDGETED AMOUNT.
SO I DO BELIEVE, AT LEAST IN MY OPINION, THAT THERE'S A HAPPY MIDDLE THERE, $2 MILLION AGAIN.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE RAMPING UP, WE'RE GETTING STARTED.
AND SO FROM A BOARD PERSPECTIVE, IT'S ABOUT BUILDING TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN OUR PROCESSES.
AND SO THAT'S MY TAKE ON THAT.
YEAH, I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT MAKES SENSE WHAT YOU SAY.
MY TAKE IS THAT BAD ACTORS ARE BAD ACTORS, WHETHER IT'S $100,000, $500,000 OR 1 MILLION, IT'S NOT GOING TO STOP THEM FROM ACTING BADLY NO MATTER WHAT THE AMOUNT IS.
BAD ACTORS SHOULD GET CAUGHT AND DEALT WITH ACCORDINGLY.
AND SO $100,000 IF ANYBODY ON THE TEAM WAS A REALLY BAD ACTOR AND STUPID ENOUGH TO ACT UPON THAT BAD ACTION, THEN $100,000 IS NOT GOING TO STOP THEM FROM DOING THAT.
IN FACT, IT DIDN'T STOP, RIGHT THE PEOPLE FROM DOING IT, RIGHT.
LET ME MAKE A COMMENT ON THIS.
I WILL TELL YOU THAT THE LOWER THE THRESHOLD THAT WE GIVE TO OUR SUPERINTENDENT, THE HIGHER THE RISK THAT BOARD MEMBERS GET GREEDY.
OKAY. BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT ALL THESE CONTRACTS ON PAGE 38 OF THE DECK.
SO THE RISK THAT PEOPLE HAVE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT CONTROL AND WE'RE THE ONES UP HERE, THE NINE FOLKS THAT APPROVE ALL THIS MONEY, WE'RE THE ONES WHO CONTROL THE MONEY.
GUESS WHAT? THAT'S WHERE THE PROBLEMS HAPPEN WITH BOARDS IS THEY GET THIS POWER THING.
I CAN GIVE YOU A CONTRACT, RIGHT? WE TRUST OUR TEAM.
IF WE DON'T TRUST OUR TEAM, THEN WE SHOULD FIRE THEM ALL.
OKAY. WE HAVE INTERNAL CONTROLS IN PLACE.
[02:55:02]
WE HAVE EXTERNAL AUDITS.WE HAVE ALL OF THESE SYSTEMS IN PLACE.
BUT GUESS WHAT? WITH ALL THOSE SYSTEMS IN PLACE, WHETHER IT'S HISD, WHETHER IT'S ANY PUBLIC COMPANY IN AMERICA OR A PRIVATE COMPANY IN AMERICA, COMPLICIT FRAUD HAPPENS BECAUSE AND YOU CAN'T STOP COMPLICIT FRAUD IF YOU HAVE BAD ACTORS, AS SUPERINTENDENT POINTS OUT, GUESS WHAT? ALL YOU HAVE TO HAVE IS TWO PEOPLE OR THREE PEOPLE AND YOU CAN STEAL MONEY ANYWHERE.
AND SO IF YOU THINK THAT A THRESHOLD OF $2 MILLION DOLLARS IS TOO MUCH ON A $3.3 BILLION REVENUE ENTITY, WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS HANDCUFFING THE ADMINISTRATION.
IT'S INTERESTING TO ME TO THINK ABOUT $100,000 VERSUS $500,000 VERSUS 2 MILLION.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND PEOPLE TALK ABOUT, WELL, WE'RE GIVING HIM THIS BLANK CHECK AND THE RIDICULOUS COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE ABOUT INTEGRITY ARE DEFINITELY RIDICULOUS AND AWFUL AND SHOULDN'T HAPPEN.
NOT A $3 BILLION BUDGET IS ABSOLUTELY ABSURD AND RIDICULOUS.
AND IT'S THE FUNDAMENTAL ROOT CAUSE OF PROBLEMS OF DYSFUNCTIONAL CIVIC BOARDS IN AMERICA TODAY.
YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO UNDERSTAND IT.
AND WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO IS SIMPLY PUT YOUR TRUST IN THE SYSTEMS AUDIT, HAVE GREAT LAWYERS, HAVE GREAT BUSINESS PEOPLE, THE CHIEFS THAT ARE RUNNING OUR BUSINESS FOR US, AND WE'RE GOING TO LET THEM RUN IT AND THEY'RE GOING TO DO A GOOD JOB RUNNING IT.
AND IF THEY DON'T, WE'RE GOING TO FIRE THEM.
OKAY. SO THAT'S WHY I THINK WE NEED TO PUT THIS ALL IN PERSPECTIVE.
THIS ISN'T ABOUT US SECEDING CONTROL.
THIS IS ABOUT US SECEDING THE POWER TO THE PEOPLE WHO SHOULD HAVE IT.
AND TAKING IT AWAY FROM THE PEOPLE WHO WELL WERE NOT REALLY TAKING AWAY ANYTHING BECAUSE WE CONTROL ALL THE BUDGETS AND ALL THE MONEY ANYWAY, RIGHT? SO IF WE WANT TO CHANGE SOMETHING, WE JUST DO IT.
AND I THINK THAT'S THE THING I WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN MOST OF THESE POLICIES, WHETHER THEY BE MONEY OR THEY BE PERSONNEL OR THEY BE CONSULTATION OR WHATEVER THEY WHATEVER THEY ARE, IT'S ALL ABOUT MAKING OUR SYSTEM MORE EFFICIENT SO THAT WE CAN DELIVER SERVICES TO KIDS FASTER, BETTER AND IN A SMART WAY.
OKAY. THAT'S WHAT ALL THESE POLICY CHANGES ARE.
AND I WILL TELL YOU, WE HAVE OVER A THOUSAND PAGES OF POLICIES AND WE SHOULD HAVE 50 PAGES AND THEN EVERYTHING SHOULD BE PUT INTO THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE TEAM'S HANDS. AND THEN WE SHOULD HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE RESULTS THAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DELIVER FOR OUR CHILDREN.
THEN WE NEED TO SECOND GUESS EVERYTHING THEY'RE DOING.
BUT I THINK WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL THAT WE DON'T GET INTO THIS MINUTIA MENTALITY BECAUSE GUESS WHAT? THAT'S WHAT BOGS DOWN BOARDS.
SO I THINK THAT'S I'M SORRY IT WAS LONGER, BUT IT WAS IMPORTANT.
AND IT'LL BE SHORT, I PROMISE.
NOT ME. I'LL MAKE IT VERY CLEAR, SUPERINTENDENT I TRUST YOU.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT'S VERY CLEAR.
I TRUST YOU. BUT OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR COMMUNITY IS ALSO IMPORTANT.
TRANSPARENCY IS ALSO IMPORTANT.
AND SO THAT IS PART OF THE TRANSPARENCY PROCESS.
BUT IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT THAT OUR COMMUNITY KNOWS WHERE TO FIND THAT INFORMATION.
AND SO I WILL ASK THAT WE AT SOME POINT DURING BUDGET REVIEW THAT WE CALL IT OUT AND SAY THIS INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC CAN BE FOUND HERE. AND SO THAT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT BECAUSE AGAIN, I HEAR YOU RIC BOARD MEMBER RIC.
I UNDERSTAND WE NEED TO BE MORE EFFICIENT IN HISD.
[03:00:06]
AND SO THAT'S WHAT I WOULD ASK. YEAH.I THINK THAT TRANSPARENCY, WE CAN DO MORE OF.
YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S PRETTY TRANSPARENT.
I MEAN, IF YOU READ THE REPORTS THAT ARE THERE, IT'S VERY TRANSPARENT AND IT'S ONLINE.
YOU CAN READ EVERY DETAIL AND AND IT'S GOT FOOTNOTES AND FINANCIALS AND IT'S JUST MASSIVE.
WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON. AND MR. RIVON, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? NO, LET ME JUST. ANY OTHER? THE ISSUE ON THE FIRST SECOND READING.
SO TYPICALLY IN THE PAST, WE JUST DID AN OVERHAUL OF POLICY AND WE WOULD HAVE FIRST READING HAPPEN AT AGENDA REVIEW, WHICH WE'VE RENAMED TO WORK SESSION, AND WE'RE DOING THINGS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY.
AND SO THE FIRST READING WOULD BE AT AGENDA REVIEW.
THE SECOND READING WOULD BE AT THE BOARD MEETING.
THAT'S WHAT WE DID FOR THE LAST YEAR.
SO WE ARE HONORING THE SPIRIT OF THAT.
THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT WAIVING TWO MONTHS, THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO WAIT TWO BOARD MEETINGS TO DO IT TRADITIONALLY THAT'S THE AGENDA REVIEW AND THEN THE BOARD MEETING.
I BELIEVE THE NEXT ITEM IS 23, WHICH IS APPROVAL OF PROPOSED REVISIONS TO CHE LOCAL.
YES. AND THE CHANGE HERE IS TO CHANGE INTERNAL AUDIT TO ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE.
IT HAS BEEN ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE AND IN CONNECTION WITH THE GENERAL COUNSEL'S OFFICE IF NECESSARY.
AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THE CHANGE HERE.
AND THERE IS NO CHANGE TO THE EXISTENCE OF THE INTERNAL AUDIT FUNCTION IN ANY WAY, CORRECT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN? OTHER THAN THE REALIZATION THAT THESE INVESTIGATIONS ARE ACTUALLY BEING CONDUCTED BY ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE? RIGHT. THIS POLICY DOESN'T MAKE A CHANGE TO THE INTERNAL AUDIT, AND I DON'T THINK INTERNAL AUDIT IS TYPICALLY A FUNCTION THAT DOES INVESTIGATIONS.
THAT IS, THEY'RE USUALLY EITHER GIVEN TO ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE.
IF IT'S THIS SORT OF INVESTIGATION OR OUR HUMAN RESOURCES FOR EMPLOYEE RELATED INVESTIGATIONS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY, MOVING ON TO NUMBER 24.
THIS IS APPROVAL OF REVISIONS TO BOARD POLICY DC LOCAL EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES.
THE ONLY THING WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO IS ACCEPT A PAPER APPLICATION IF NECESSARY.
AND THAT'S THE ONLY THING THAT WE'RE ASKING.
I THINK THE PREFERENCE FOR VETERANS IS AN ADDITION, BUT IT'S JUST TO CLARIFY WHAT THAT PARAGRAPH IS ACTUALLY ABOUT, NOT TO CHANGE THE POLICY IN THAT WAY.
AND THEN THE OTHER PART ABOUT INFORMATION ON APPLICATION SHALL BE CONFIRMED.
OF COURSE THAT'S STILL GOING TO HAPPEN.
THAT IS A FUNCTION OF THE HR DEPARTMENT, BUT THE POLICY IS WHAT AND THE REGULATION IS THE HOW.
AND IF WE NEED TO PUT THAT IN A REGULATION, THAT'S ONE THING.
BUT THE POLICY DOESN'T REALLY NEED TO REFLECT THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONFIRM.
SO. THAT'S WHY THAT'S NOT THERE.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON DC LOCAL? I HAVE ONE QUESTION AND THIS IS MY HR HAT FROM EXPERIENCE.
INDEED. I THINK YOU MENTIONED EARLIER INDEED DIFFERENT WEBSITES.
SO IF WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL OF THESE OTHER SITES AND WAYS TO DO THAT, HOW ARE WE GATHERING THAT INFORMATION IF WE'RE NOT REQUIRE THEM TO ACTUALLY APPLY IN THE SYSTEM? SO THIS ONLY ALLOWS AN APPLICANT TO APPLY ON INDEED OR SOME OTHER PLATFORM IF THEY GET AN OFFER OR IF THEY'RE BEING CONSIDERED FOR AN OFFER AND THEY GET AN OFFER LETTER, IT SAYS, DEPENDENT UPON BACKGROUND CHECKS
[03:05:06]
AND FILLING OUT OTHER FORMS LIKE THE W-2.I MEAN, IT DOESN'T SAY EXACTLY LIKE THAT.
BUT SO THEY STILL HAVE TO FILL OUT ALL THE FORMS THAT HR HAS.
BUT THIS ALLOWS US TO NOT WAIT FOR THE APPLICANT TO JUST APPLY TO HISD'S WEBSITE, BECAUSE THIS GENERATION IS APPLYING MORE ON INDEED MONSTER ZIPRECRUITER THAN THEY DO ON WEBSITES.
AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION.
CONGRATULATIONS. YES, SIR. ANYTHING ELSE ON THIS POLICY? OKAY. MOVING TO NUMBER 27, WHICH IS APPROVAL OF PROPOSED REVISIONS TO BOARD POLICY DGB LOCAL EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES.
MS. WOODS OR SUPERINTENDENT MILES, CAN YOU GIVE US AN OVERVIEW OF THE MODIFICATIONS TO THIS PARTICULAR POLICY, PLEASE? YEAH. WHAT THIS DOES, THIS ALSO TIED THE DISTRICT'S HAND IN A COUPLE OF WAYS.
IN THE MACRO SENSE IT GAVE PREFERENCE TO 1 OR 2 GROUPS FOR INPUT AND REALLY WE SHOULD BE GETTING INPUT MORE BROADLY.
FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE A WE'LL HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE TEACHER EVALUATION SYSTEM HERE IN A MINUTE.
AND I WAS ABLE TO GET 16 TEACHERS TO GIVE INPUT ON IT.
WE WERE ABLE TO GET INPUT FROM THE SHARED DECISION MAKING TEAMS ALREADY.
THAT GROUP MET A COUPLE OF TIMES AND THEN SHARED.
AND, YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH JUST A COUPLE EMPLOYEE GROUPS TO GET INPUT.
THAT'S MUCH MORE FAIR AND MUCH MORE BROAD AND IT'S INPUT.
THE SAME THING WITH THE PRINCIPALS REQUIREMENT.
THE DIVISION SUPES GAVE ME SIX NAMES.
WE'RE GOING TO EXPAND THAT TO 24.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THE SUMMER WAS PRETTY BUSY.
THEY MET A COUPLE OF TIMES WITH ME.
AND AS A RESULT, WE HAVE A MUCH STREAMLINED PROCESS FOR PRINCIPALS REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION.
AND YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN OUT IN THE COMMUNITY GETTING INPUT THAT WAY.
SO THIS GENERALLY SAYS WE CAN GET INPUT FROM ANY SOURCE WE WANT, ANY GROUP.
WE WILL STILL HAVE PRINCIPAL GROUPS AND TEACHER GROUPS, BUT WE'RE NOT TIED TO HAVING TO GO TO A COUPLE EMPLOYEE GROUPS TO CHANGE ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT.
THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE AT ALL IN AN EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATION.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS PARTICULAR POLICY DGB LOCAL.
MR. RIVON. MY CONCERN HERE ISN'T HAVING TO GET APPROVAL FROM THEM.
I VIEW THE UNIONS MAYBE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, MAYBE SIMILARLY, BUT AS THEY REPRESENT THEIR GROUPS, SOMETIMES POLITICS GETS INTO THAT AND CAN MESS UP STUFF AND THAT CAN HAPPEN HERE AND THAT CAN HAPPEN ELSEWHERE, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT, YOU KNOW, FOR THIS POLICY SPECIFICALLY THAT WE SPEND SOME TIME ALSO UNDERSTANDING THE FEEDBACK NOT JUST YOURSELF BUT FOR US AND FOR ME, I'LL SAY UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACTS AND THE SECONDARY ORDER EFFECTS OF CHANGING THIS BECAUSE IT IS A PRETTY DRASTIC CHANGE IN THE WAY THAT WE WANT TO EXECUTE IT.
AND ADDITIONALLY, LIKE SOME OF THE THINGS WITH PAYMENTS THAT EMPLOYEES ALREADY HAVE SET UP THAT WILL BE IMPACTED TO UNION PAYMENTS AND THAT SORT OF THING, AND I MAY HAVE MISREAD THAT, BUT AGAIN, IT'S JUST A LOT OF CHANGE.
WE'RE NOT YEAH, WE WOULDN'T STOP THAT PROCESS.
WE'RE NOT STOPPING THE PROCESS FOR EMPLOYEES TO BE ABLE TO STILL BELONG TO UNION GROUPS.
SO THE PAY DEDUCTIONS AND THAT KIND OF STUFF, THIS POLICY DOES NOT IMPACT THAT.
OKAY. THIS IS ABOUT THE CONSULTATION MEETING THAT IS HELD.
AND IN THIS STAGE, THE WAY OUR REGULATION IS WRITTEN, THERE'S AN ELECTION AND ONLY ONE EMPLOYEE GROUP PER AREA IS ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN CONSULTATION.
GOT THAT? SO IT'S RESTRICTIVE.
YES. SO, YOU KNOW, ALL COMERS CAN'T COME IN, RIGHT? WHAT'S THAT? SO IT'S RESTRICTIVE.
[03:10:01]
WE'RE TRYING TO OPEN IT UP SO THAT.SO BUT MORE THAN OPENING IT UP, THAT'S THE MACRO VIEW.
YES. I'VE ALREADY GIVEN YOU SOME EXAMPLES.
I'VE COLLABORATED WITH THE TEACHERS UNION, OTHER GROUPS OF TEACHERS MY WHOLE CAREER.
AT THE SAME TIME, THIS POLICY IS WRITTEN TO WHERE IF I WANT TO DO ANYTHING MAJOR, YOU KNOW, AND WE HAD TO WAIVE IT IN ORDER TO DO JUST THE NES PROGRAMS, WE HAVE TO WAIT TO GET CONSULTATION WITH THESE GROUPS.
AND THAT IS NOT THE WAY A GOOD ORGANIZATION SHOULD RUN.
AND I UNDERSTAND CONSULTATION AND PERHAPS MY UNDERSTANDING OF IT IS DIFFERENT.
MY UNDERSTANDING WAS YOU NEEDED TO SHARE WITH THEM WHAT WAS GOING ON.
HOWEVER, AS I LOOK ON PAGE THREE, IF YOU SLIP BACK FROM THIS POLICY AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE, IT SAYS DUES DEDUCTIONS WOULD BE PAID BY THE DISTRICT, AND THEN IT STRIKES THAT OUT. AND I DON'T SEE IT BEING WRITTEN LATER.
SO I'M NOT DISAGREEING THAT WE WANT TO MAKE THINGS EFFICIENT.
SO THEY WERE I MEAN, WE WILL HAVE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIFFERENT GROUPS TO HAVE INPUT.
WHAT'S CHALLENGING IS STOPPING ACTION BY GETTING CONSULTATION.
IS THAT COVERED BY CFEA LEGAL? EXCUSE ME, CFEA LEGAL.
OKAY. SO THIS MAY BE DUPLICATIVE LANGUAGE THAT'S HERE.
IN OTHER WORDS, THE STRIKEOUT MAY NOT MATTER AT ALL BECAUSE IT'S COVERED IN A DIFFERENT POLICY.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE ONE WITH THE WELL, I JUST. I'M LOOKING AT THE DUES DEDUCTIONS, THE STRIKEOUT THAT MR. RIVON WAS REFERENCING.
SO I MEAN, I KEEP SAYING THAT CFEA LEGAL.
IN OTHER WORDS, DOES THAT EXIST OUTSIDE OF THIS POLICY SUCH THAT THAT IS NOT NOT NECESSARY HERE IN THIS PARTICULAR POLICY? THAT'S A MINOR, MINOR ISSUE.
AND SO PART OF AS A FOLLOW UP TO BOARD MEMBER ADAMS QUESTION ABOUT CONSULTATION AND I GET IT AGAIN, BEING EMPLOYED IN A LARGE ORGANIZATION THE SAME SIZE AS HISD THERE'S MECHANISMS IN WHICH EMPLOYEES CAN PARTICIPATE AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK.
I'LL SAY FROM EXPERIENCE, WE DON'T HAVE A POLICY IN OUR WORKPLACE THAT SAYS YOU MUST MEET WITH US BECAUSE IT'S THE EXPECTATION THAT THE LEADERS ARE DOING THIS ALREADY. SO I DON'T NECESSARILY I DON'T LIKE A POLICY THAT FORCES SOMEBODY TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH SOMEBODY WHEN IT SHOULD BE PART OF OUR NATURAL PROCESS, RIGHT OF AN ORGANIZATION. AND SO I THINK IF I'M UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY, BOARD MEMBER ADAM, IT'S AN IMPORTANT PIECE THAT WE WANT TO ENSURE AS A BOARD MEMBER THAT ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES ARE HEARD AND IN SOME FORM OR FASHION, HAVING JUST MEETINGS WITH THEM TO DISCUSS WHAT'S GOING ON.
AND SO I WOULD SAY THAT AS WE CONSIDER THIS POLICY THAT WE ALSO MAKE THAT IMPORTANT, THAT AT LEAST AN EXPECTATION FROM THIS BOARD MEMBER IS THAT WE'RE HAVING REGULAR MEETINGS WITH ALL OF OUR TEACHERS, ALL OF OUR STAFF, ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEE POPULATIONS, AND THEN WE'RE WELCOMING THEIR FEEDBACK AS WELL.
AND THAT'S WRITTEN IN THE BLUE EDITION.
YES. AND SO CFEA IS A RESTATEMENT OF THE LAW, WHICH REQUIRES THE DISTRICT TO ALLOW EMPLOYEES TO DEDUCT PAYMENTS FOR ORGANIZATIONS IF THEY SO CHOOSE.
SO IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S GOING AWAY.
GOT IT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMENTS ON THIS PARTICULAR POLICY? OKAY. LET'S MOVE ON TO DNA LOCAL, WHICH IS NUMBER 28.
YEAH, THIS WAS THIS POLICY WAS WAIVED UNTIL WE BROUGHT THE STRIKE THROUGH.
AND THIS IS SO THAT WE CAN IMPLEMENT A NEW TEACHER EVALUATION SYSTEM.
[03:15:07]
REPLACE THE MANUAL, THE TTESS MANUAL THAT'S BEEN THERE OR THE EVALUATION MANUAL THAT WAS THERE WITH THE NEW EVALUATION MANUAL.THAT'S BASICALLY THE MAIN DIFFERENCE.
ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON DNA LOCAL? NO. OKAY, LET'S MOVE ON TO DNB LOCAL PERFORMANCE.
OH, I'M SORRY. YEAH, NO, I'M SORRY.
YEP. DNB LOCAL IS NUMBER 29 PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL EVALUATION OF CAMPUS ADMINISTRATORS.
THIS IS THE SISTER POLICY TO THE DNA LOCAL.
IT'S FOR PRINCIPAL EVALUATION.
AND SO THAT'S THE MAIN STRIKETHROUGH IN THE ADDITION THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT AND HIS OR HER TEAM WILL ESTABLISH A PRINCIPAL EVALUATION SYSTEM AND USE THE EVALUATION MANUAL TO OUTLINE IT.
THERE ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD ON DNB LOCAL.
SO SOME CLARIFICATION ON WHAT WOULD THE EVALUATION BE.
DOES THIS POLICY APPLY TO ALL OF THEM? AND CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT? I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE GAP.
IT APPLIES TO PRINCIPALS AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS.
AND IN THE CASE OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING APPRAISALS, THIS ALSO APPLIES.
POLICY DEFINES COUNSELORS, NURSES, [INAUDIBLE] COORDINATORS, LIBRARIANS AND SO ON.
SO I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND THAT BETTER.
SO WE WILL HAVE A DIFFERENT EVALUATION SYSTEM FOR COUNSELORS AND NURSES AND THOSE WILL ALSO BE PUT FORWARD IN THE MANUAL.
SO. YES, IT'S ALL TOGETHER IN THE SAME MANUAL.
WE'VE JUST SEEN A LOT OF DATA.
IF THIS WAS SOMETHING WE HAD SEEN OR IF IT WAS COMING.
FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS POLICY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CAMPUS ADMINISTRATORS.
AND SO THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT WILL BE INCLUDED IN THIS POLICY.
SO ARE WE EXPECTING A CHANGE THEN TO THIS RED LINE? NO. SO JUST A CLARIFICATION.
SO. THE ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURE FOR YOU AND THE SUPERINTENDENT ROLE IN THIS PARTICULAR SPACE IS THAT YOU'LL HAVE THAT POLICY IN PLACE PRIOR TO THE START OF EVALUATION PERIOD.
YES. SO IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, WE'RE GOING TO BRING IT TO THE BOARD.
WE'RE I MEAN, WE'RE GOING TO BRING THE EVALUATION SYSTEM, WHICH WE ALSO HAVE TO BRING TO THE BOARD.
WE'RE GOING TO BRING THE PRINCIPAL ONE IN SEPTEMBER.
SO YOU'LL BRING PRINCIPAL IN SEPTEMBER AFTER THE START OF.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON DNB LOCAL BOARD? NO. OKAY. WE'LL MOVE ON TO DEC LOCAL COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS, LEAVES AND ABSENCES.
YES, THERE'S TWO CHANGES HERE THAT ARE OF NOTE.
THE FIRST ONE IS TO CHANGE THE AMOUNT OF ABSENCES FROM 7 TO 3 THAT AN EMPLOYEE CAN HAVE.
THAT REQUIRES THE MEDICAL CERTIFICATION.
AND THEN THE SECOND ONE IS TO CHANGE THE NUMBER OF LEAVE DAYS THAT AN EMPLOYEE CAN USE CONSECUTIVELY TO TWO FROM THREE.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THIS PARTICULAR POLICY DEC LOCAL.
SURE. BECAUSE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS A LOT.
SO THIS IS REALLY ABOUT THE DISCRETIONARY LEAVE THAT EMPLOYEES TAKE.
VERY GOOD. ANY QUESTIONS? COMMENTS. JUST TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND IT.
[03:20:05]
POTENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE OUT FOR A LITTLE WHILE.DO I UNDERSTAND THAT CORRECTLY? YES. SO IT DOESN'T CHANGE THE NUMBER OF DAYS.
BUT WHAT IT DOES DO IS EMPHASIZE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR US TO BE IN THE CLASSROOM.
THE NUMBER ONE VARIABLE FOR FOR KIDS IS THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION FROM AN EFFECTIVE TEACHER.
IF TEACHERS ARE NOT HERE, THEN THAT DIMINISHES WHAT WE'RE PROVIDING FOR KIDS.
I DON'T THINK IT'S UNREASONABLE.
WHY WAIT SEVEN DAYS? IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT YOU BE THERE FOR THE KIDS.
AND IF YOU'RE ILL, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE DOCUMENTATION AND THAT'LL BE THAT.
IT'S OBVIOUSLY NOT GOOD FOR STUDENTS.
YES, THERE ARE SOME SUBSTITUTES THAT ARE EFFECTIVE, BUT NOBODY CAN REPLACE AN EFFECTIVE TEACHER, NOT EVEN A TEACHER APPRENTICE. SO WE WANT THE TEACHER TO BE HERE.
IF YOU ASK THE PRINCIPALS, TEACHER ATTENDANCE HAS BEEN A PROBLEM.
AND SO WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS JUST MAKE SURE THAT THE TEACHERS ARE SHOWING UP FOR OUR KIDS.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS? QUESTIONS ON DEC LOCAL? YES, MR. RIVON.
JUST IN GENERAL, THIS ONE SEEMS TO BE SORT OF IN THE WEEDS FROM A POLICY STANDPOINT.
SO I DON'T KNOW. AS WE'RE WORKING ON THIS POLICY DIET, IF WE CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO SHIFT THIS TO REGULATION VERSUS POLICY AND KIND OF STICK TO THE HIGH LEVEL IN THE POLICY. I AGREE WITH THAT.
OKAY. MOVING ON TO NUMBER 31 BP LOCAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS.
SO THIS SHOULD BE THOUGHT OF AS A COMPANION TO THE DGB LOCAL THAT'S CHANGING THE POLICY REQUIRING THAT WE CONSULT WITH UNIONS IN A SPECIFIC MANNER.
SO IT'S JUST A DELETION THERE.
QUESTIONS. COMMENTS? NO. OKAY.
NUMBER 32, WHICH IS BQA, LOCAL PLANNING AND DECISION MAKING PROCESS, DISTRICT LEVEL.
AND THIS IS THE POLICY ON THE COMMITTEE.
THERE ARE SOME THE CHANGE IS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ONE IS TO CHANGE THE MEETINGS FROM 6 TO 3.
IT DOESN'T SAY THAT THERE CAN ONLY BE THREE, BUT AT LEAST THREE MEETINGS.
AND THEN IT ALSO CLARIFIES THAT THE BOARD MEMBERS ARE ALLOWED TO SELECT REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE ENTIRE DISTRICT. PREVIOUSLY WITH THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, IT WAS DESIGNATED IN NINE SEPARATE DISTRICTS, AND THAT DOESN'T REALLY APPLY ANYMORE.
SO IT'S JUST TO CLARIFY THAT YOU CAN PICK FROM DISTRICT WIDE.
ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON BQA LOCAL? I HAVE A QUESTION. YES, MA'AM.
SO I UNDERSTAND IT'S NOT APPLICABLE BECAUSE WE WERE APPOINTED AND WE ARE NOT TIED TO DISTRICTS.
BUT HOW DO WE ENSURE AND AGAIN, MAYBE YOU'RE GOING TO FIRE THIS RIGHT BACK AT US.
HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT WE HAVE GEOGRAPHIC REPRESENTATION OF OUR COMMUNITY IF THERE'S NOT SOME SPECIFICATION AROUND THAT? I DON'T. OKAY.
I DON'T THINK IT PRESCRIBES THAT YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT.
AND SO I THINK IN TERMS OF WHO YOU PICK AS BOARD MEMBERS, YOU HAVE THE THE ABILITY TO DO THAT.
AND SO THAT'S THE ONLY CLARIFICATION.
HERE YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO PICK ON GEOGRAPHIC.
[03:25:05]
AND THE SUPERINTENDENT WILL ALSO TRY TO DO THE SAME WITH REGARD TO HIS OR HER PICK ON THE DAC TO MAKE SURE IT'S GEOGRAPHICALLY MORE REPRESENTED.SO I'LL SAY AS A PREVIOUS MEMBER OF THE DAC, IT'S IMPORTANT.
I'M GLAD WE'RE KEEPING THE DAC THAT'S IMPORTANT.
AND TO YOUR POINT, BOARD MEMBER CASSANDRA, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE GEOGRAPHIC REPRESENTATION.
SO I ENCOURAGE BOARD MEMBERS TO CONSIDER THAT.
AND I SEE A NOTE THAT I THINK IT'S GOING AWAY FROM THE DISTRICT OFFICE ADVISORY OR THAT OFFICE.
I'M ASSUMING THAT OFFICE IS NONEXISTENT NOW OR IS IT STILL AROUND? THAT THERE'S BEEN SOME CONFUSION ABOUT THAT.
I WAS TOLD THAT IT RARELY, IF EVER, MET.
AND IT'S FOR OFFICE STAFF MORE THAN ANYTHING.
YEAH, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE MY COMMENTARY AS WELL.
SO I WOULD SAY IT COULD DEFINITELY BE BETTER.
THERE WERE MEETINGS THAT THEY WERE CANCELED, BUT THERE WAS ALSO IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT ALTHOUGH IT'S CALLED ADVISORY, AT LEAST DURING MY TENURE THERE, IT WASN'T NECESSARILY ADVISORY, BUT IT WAS GOOD FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO BE AWARE.
IT KIND OF ALSO KIND OF LIES WITH THE CONSULTATION POLICY IN THE SENSE THAT IT'S AN IMPORTANT ASPECT IN THE SENSE THAT IT GIVES PEOPLE ANOTHER VENUE OR AVENUE TO PROVIDE SOME FEEDBACK.
AND SO I'M GLAD WE'RE KEEPING IT.
AND I'M GLAD, MISS NATASHA, THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT IT'S AT LEAST THREE.
IT DOESN'T OBLIGATE TO JUST MINIMUM OF THREE, BUT AT LEAST THREE.
I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT AS WELL.
YEAH. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON BKA LEGAL? LOCAL.
BKA LOCAL? NO. OKAY. WE'RE MOVING ON TO NUMBER 33 CBJ LOCAL.
THIS IS A POLICY ON THE MAGNET PROGRAM AND THE CHANGE IS ON PAGE THREE OF FOUR.
IT ALLOWS THE SUPERINTENDENT TO MODIFY A MAGNET PROGRAM.
THIS IS WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT WHEN THE BOARD WAIVED THIS POLICY A MONTH AGO.
AND THERE'S WE SAY WE BRING THE ADDITIONS OR STRIKETHROUGH AND THIS IS IT.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE ADMINISTRATION IS DOING THIS FOR PURPOSES OF THE SCHOOLS.
IS THERE A REASON WHY THAT ISN'T CLARIFIED IN THIS PARTICULAR POLICY? AND OR LIMITED.
I'M NOT SURE IT'LL MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE.
I THINK. YOU KNOW, FLEXIBILITY IS ALWAYS THE ORDER OF THE DAY FOR ME.
BUT, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT'S ONE MORE CONSTRAINT THAT MAY NOT BE NECESSARY.
AND IN THE CASES WHERE IN MOST CASES, WE'LL BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE EITHER THROUGH THE DYAD OR ELECTIVES, THESE MAGNET PROGRAMS, MAGNET SCHOOLS, BUT MAGNET PROGRAMS, THAT HASN'T CHANGED.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THIS PARTICULAR LOCAL? YEAH, I HAVE A FEW COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS.
SO I ECHO THE SENTIMENTS THAT THIS INSERT IS VAGUE.
AND IF IT'S FOR SCHOOLS THAT ARE UNDERPERFORMING.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO SAY THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED A LOT OF FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY.
UM, THE MAGNET PARENTS AND MAGNET MOMS OF HISD WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE VAGUENESS.
AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, IT'S NOT REALLY CLEAR TO ME WHAT THIS.
HOW THIS POLICY JUST GIVES MORE FLEXIBILITY BECAUSE THERE ARE.
[03:30:06]
I WOULD CALL A MODIFICATION A MAINTENANCE.I'M NOT SURE IF THAT IS EXACTLY THAT, BUT.
I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE COMMUNITY SHOULD STILL BE INVOLVED IN ANY MODIFICATION.
SO HOW DOES THIS REALLY OFFER THE FLEXIBILITY? I GUESS SO.
IT DOES. IT STILL ALLOWS THE COMMUNITY TO BE INVOLVED IN OPENING OR CLOSING A PROGRAM, BUT IT ALSO AT THE SAME TIME ALLOWS THE SUPERINTENDENT TO MODIFY. AND WE HAVE OTHER POLICIES THAT, YOU KNOW, GRANT SOME PRIVILEGE.
AND THEN, FOR EXAMPLE, THE SUPERINTENDENT CAN OVERRIDE THE CONSULTATION WHEN IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE DISTRICT WOULD BE THE SAME THING HERE.
THE SUPERINTENDENT WILL BE ABLE TO MODIFY IF IT'S IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE SCHOOL OR THE DISTRICT, AND WE'RE ONLY TALKING ABOUT ANY AND ALIGN SCHOOLS AGAIN, IF THAT NEEDS TO BE IN THERE.
BUT IF IT MAKES SENSE TO DO THAT, WE CAN.
BUT IT DOESN'T IT'S STILL ALLOWS FOR CONSULTATION WITH THE COMMUNITY.
YEAH, I WOULD ASK THAT WE PUT SOME PARAMETERS AROUND WHAT THE MODIFICATION MEANS.
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE WAIVE THIS POLICY, THERE WAS A VERY STRONG NARRATIVE AROUND IT'S ONLY ABOUT THE NSA AND NSA SCHOOL'S EXTREMELY STRONG NARRATIVE, SO THAT A LOT OF OTHER SCHOOLS COULD FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE WITH THAT.
BUT NOW IT'S NOT AS IMPORTANT TO INCLUDE IN HERE IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON THIS PARTICULAR POLICY? YES, I AGREE. MS. MENDOZA OKAY. YEAH.
BUT DOES THIS HAVE TO BE THE WAY TO CLEAR THAT PATH FOR YOU? YEAH. MEANING OUTLINE NES AND NES A.
AND IF THERE'S ANOTHER THING WE NEED TO DO, WE CAN WAIVE IT AND CHANGE IT.
YEAH, I WOULD EVEN SAY I'M NOT SURE IF THE TERM NES AND NES A IS EVEN EXPLICIT ENOUGH.
IF IT'S AN UNDERPERFORMING SCHOOL, WELL THEN, I MEAN, BECAUSE THAT'S KIND OF A BRAND THAT MAY NOT LIVE IN PERPETUITY, RIGHT? SO. RIGHT. EXCEPT THAT NOT ALL NES AND NES A SCHOOLS ARE UNDERPERFORMING BECAUSE THEY'RE PART OF THE FEEDER PATTERN.
WHAT KIND OF WHAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH TODAY.
IF THERE ARE ANY NES AND NES A AND REMEMBER, THE NES A SCHOOLS VOLUNTEERED TO DO THIS EVEN THOUGH THEY KNEW ALL THE THINGS THAT WERE GOING TO HAPPEN, 57 SCHOOLS.
SO THEY KNOW THAT WE CAN ACCOMMODATE MOST OF THEIR PROGRAMS. AND THAT'S THE INTENT.
IT SOUNDS LIKE WE CAN GET SOME KIND OF MODIFICATION THAT'S GOING TO BE WORKABLE.
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF WRITING IT DOWN.
THAT'S RIGHT. OKAY. LET'S MOVE ON THEN, IF WE CAN, UNLESS SOMEBODY ELSE HAS SOMETHING ELSE ON THIS.
OKAY. I THINK WE'RE ON NUMBER 34 LOCAL PERSONNEL POSITIONS.
BUT WE MAY HAVE OTHERS FOR PRINCIPALS SUCH AS THE ABILITY TO DELIVER OR TO COACH ON THE JOB, THAT WOULD BE ONE OF THE QUALIFICATIONS THAT COME TO MIND OR THE ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND SPECIAL EDUCATION, CERTIFICATION OR REQUIREMENTS.
THAT WOULD BE ANOTHER ONE THAT WE COULD DO.
SO IT GIVES THE SUPERINTENDENT THE ABILITY TO WAIVE OR ADD SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS.
ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON.
I JUST WANT TO ASK A QUESTION ABOUT THIS.
SO ANY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS? INCLUDES THE MINIMAL CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENT.
HIRING UNCERTIFIED PRINCIPALS.
AND NO, WE WOULDN'T HAVE UNCERTIFIED PRINCIPALS.
OKAY. WE WILL NOT HAVE UN CERTIFIED PRINCIPAL.
[03:35:02]
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS POLICY? LOCAL. YEAH, I'M GOOD.THIS IS ANOTHER STRANGE POLICY TO ME THAT WE HAVE A POLICY THAT DESCRIBES A POSITION DESCRIPTION.
AND SO THE OTHER THING TOO, IS I WOULD SAY THAT I DON'T NECESSARILY LIKE THE WORD WAVE.
AND AGAIN, THAT'S JUST ME FROM AN HR PERSPECTIVE WE USUALLY USE IN LIEU OF.
AND SO WE MAY WANT TO CONSIDER SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BUT AND AGAIN, THAT'S JUST MY H.R.
SO THAT'S WHY IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE A POLICY.
BUT I'LL SAY FROM EXPERIENCE, POSITION DESCRIPTIONS IS NOT THE NORM IN ORGANIZATIONS IN A POLICY.
AND I THINK IT ALSO IS IMPORTANT THAT WE MOVE SLOWLY IN REGARDS TO THESE SORTS OF CHANGES.
AND IF WE'RE GOING TO MAKE GLOBAL CHANGES, I AGREE WAIVER.
I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THE LANGUAGE OF WAIVER JUST BECAUSE IT'S A BROAD SWATH.
AND WHILE WE EXPECT THAT OUR SUPERINTENDENT IS GOING TO PERFORM ACCORDING TO THE MANDATES THAT WE SET OUT, IT LEAVES SOME VAGARY FOR THE FUTURE.
I WOULD HAVE TO SAY, YOU KNOW, THIS IS ANOTHER AREA WHERE CONSTRAINTS ARE PROBABLY NOT NECESSARY.
IT IS THE SUPERINTENDENTS JOB AND THE DIVISION'S JOB TO HIRE GOOD PRINCIPALS.
IT'S OUR JOB TO KNOW WHAT GOOD INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE IS AND WHAT WE NEED FROM PRINCIPALS, AND WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DEFINE THAT THE WAY WE WANT WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF THE LAW. AND SO I DON'T THINK BOARDS SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN THIS.
AND THIS IS SPECIFICALLY OUR JOB.
AND IF I CAN, I THINK THAT'S OUR LAST POLICY THAT'S ON THE AGENDA.
AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE ADMINISTRATION IS TO ANSWER, I THINK, A POINT THAT YOU MADE EARLIER ON, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE POLICIES AND MAYBE SOME OTHER POLICIES ALSO RIC MADE THE COMMENT ABOUT THE NUMBER OF POLICIES THAT WE HAVE, WHICH IS A LOT THE ADMINISTRATION, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, IS LOOKING AT THE POLICIES TO MAKE A DETERMINATIONS ABOUT WHETHER AND TO WHAT EXTENT WE NEED TO MODIFY POLICIES KIND OF ON A LARGER SCALE.
AND SO I EXPECT THAT WORK IS ONGOING.
IS THAT A FAIR STATEMENT? CORRECT. YES. OKAY.
IS THAT ANOTHER FAIR STATEMENT? THAT'S FAIR.
OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THE POLICIES? JUST COMMENT ON THE LAST ONE AND TOTALLY AGREE THAT THIS IS MORE ADMINISTRATIVE AND HR RELATED FOR HIRING PRACTICES UNDER YOU, MR. SUPERINTENDENT, AND YOUR STAFF TOTALLY AGREE WITH THAT.
I THINK WE JUST AND IT IS KIND OF DIFFERENT TO HAVE ONE THAT'S A JOB DESCRIPTION IN FRONT OF US.
WE'VE GONE THROUGH THE POLICY UPDATES, WE'VE GOT BUDGET UPDATES.
SO AND I ASK THE BOARD, DO WE WANT TO TAKE A BREAK BEFORE THE BUDGET UPDATE OR DO YOU WANT TO DO THAT? THEN TAKE A BREAK OR DO WE WANT TO JUST BLAST THROUGH THIS? I'M COMFORTABLE ANYWAY.
POWER THROUGH. MADAM PRESIDENT.
ONE MORE THING BEFORE WE GO TO BUDGET.
BUT IN THE WAY THAT WE'VE DONE BOTH LOCAL, WE'RE ASKING TO WAIVE THE LOCAL THE SECOND READING AND THEN WE'RE ASKING TO WAIVE IT ON EACH OF THE VARIOUS POLICIES.
SO THAT REQUIRES TWO VOTES, NOT ONE VOTE, RIGHT? SO WE HAVE TO ELIMINATE THE WE HAVE TO WAIVE THE POLICY AND THEN VOTE WHETHER OR NOT WE WANT TO APPROVE THE ACTUAL POLICY.
[03:40:05]
AND I'M TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT CREATING A BURDEN BY DOING IT THAT WAY, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.NO, WE RAN THE MOTION SO THAT YOU WAIVE THE POLICY AND APPROVE IN THE SAME MOTION.
SO WE WON'T NEED TO TAKE TWO VOTES.
THE HARD STUFF. YOU HAVE A LOT.
OH, GOD. I'M GOING TO STAND UP.
ONE. WE'RE JUST GOING TO GO QUICKLY THROUGH.
YEAH. JUST PUT IT ON DUPLICATE.
OH, SHOULD WE? DO WE NEED THOSE? WE ANNOUNCE.
THERE APPEAR. OH, YOU HAVEN'T.
YOU SHOULD HAVE THEM. DO YOU HAVE IT? NO, I THINK THEY'RE UP HERE.
YEAH. MADAM PRESIDENT, BOARD MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TO YOU THE FINANCIAL UPDATE.
AND LET'S GIVE SO LET'S GIVE THESE LADIES JUST A MINUTE.
PROVIDED YOU A BIG PAPER WITH BIG NUMBERS ON IT.
THAT'S A DOUBLE ENTENDRE THERE.
OKAY. WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS FIRST START WITH THE FISCAL YEAR END 23.
SO THIS IS LOOKING AT THE REVENUE FOR WHERE IT SAYS FINAL BUDGET, 2023.
[03:45:06]
THIS FIRST BLUE LINE IS THE REVENUE LINE.AND WE COME DOWN ON THE FAR LEFT, YOU WILL SEE THE FUNCTION CODES, WHICH BY LAW YOU YOU PASS BUDGETS AND BUDGET AMENDMENTS AND WE WILL BRING THE BUDGET AMENDMENT TO YOU AT THE NEXT BOARD MEETING FOR YOU TO ADOPT AT THIS NEXT BLUE LINE.
IF YOU TAKE THE REVENUE LINE AND YOU SUBTRACT OUT THE EXPENDITURE LINE, YOU GET WHAT WE CALL THE BOTTOM LINE, WHICH IS WHAT RIGHT HERE IT SAYS NET CHANGE.
BUT IN REALITY, THIS NEXT COLUMN, COLUMN D, IF YOU LOOK AT THE REVENUE MINUS THE EXPENDITURES, IS THAT THE BOTTOM LINE TURNED OUT THAT AN $18 MILLION PLUS, MEANING THAT THE REVENUE OVER THE EXPENDITURES WAS $18 MILLION AND THAT INCREASED THE FUND BALANCE DOWN HERE AT THIS LINE.
THE LAST LINE, WHICH IS $1.145 BILLION.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT WE MADE UP.
NOW, LET ME TELL YOU, THIS PROJECTED ACTUALS IS ONLY A PROJECTION.
AND THAT WILL THAT NUMBER WILL CHANGE.
THIS LINE HERE THAT WE CALL THE VARIANCE IS JUST AN ACCOUNTANTS WAY TO SAY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FINAL BUDGET AND THE PROJECTED ACTUALS. AND THIS LAST COLUMN HERE FOR 23, WHICH WE ARE CALLING THE POA COMMITMENTS A CARRYOVER FROM FISCAL YEAR 23 IS $115 MILLION, WHICH IS GOING TO BE INCLUDED IN THE 24 AMENDMENT THAT WE'RE GOING TO BRING TO YOU.
AND WITH THAT IS WITH THE NEW TEAM COMING IN, THERE ARE A LOT OF ITEMS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GO OUT WITH PURCHASE ORDERS WHICH WE MUST FOLLOW THE LAW AND DO PURCHASE ORDERS.
WE DIDN'T RECEIVE THOSE, SO WE CARRY THAT OVER INTO THE NEXT BUDGET YEAR.
SO IF YOU NOW GO TO THIS WHERE IT SAYS ADOPTED BUDGET 2020 FOUR INCHES JUNE, THIS WAS THE BUDGET THAT YOU ALL ADOPTED, WHICH WAS 2.194 BILLION.
AND ON THE EXPENDITURE SIDE IT WAS 2.377 BILLION.
AND AGAIN, THE BOTTOM LINE WAS PREDICTING RIGHT NOW $168 MILLION LOSS, WHICH WOULD EAT INTO THE FUND BALANCE, WHICH IS THAT LAST LINE WHICH WOULD LEAVE THE FUND BALANCE AT ABOUT $1 BILLION IN THE BUDGET AMENDMENT, WHICH WE'RE STILL WORKING.
AND WHAT IS HAPPENED NOW, THE NEW TEAM HAS COME IN.
ALSO, LET'S LOOK AT THE REVENUE.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE THE ASSESSED VALUE HAS COME IN, WHICH IS $247 MILLION ACROSS THE WHOLE DISTRICT.
THAT NUMBER WILL CHANGE BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT WILL PROTEST THEIR ASSESSED VALUES.
ALSO, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IS THAT THE STATE IS GOING TO GO INTO A NEW SESSION THAT THE GOVERNOR HAS CALLED THE DEAL JUST WITH THE FINANCES OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
WE KNOW THAT THE LEGISLATURE HAS ALREADY ADOPTED A $6 BILLION THAT IS SITTING THERE.
IF THE GOVERNOR AND THE LEGISLATURE CAN COME INTO SOME KIND OF AGREEMENT, THAT WILL PASS IN SOME WAY BACK TO THE DISTRICT. SO THIS NUMBER, THIS REVENUE LINE WILL CHANGE AND PROBABLY SOMETIME IN SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER.
WE ALREADY KNOW THAT WHAT HAS PASSED IS THERE IS THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION HAS GONE FROM 40, $40,000
[03:50:01]
TO $100,000, AND THAT WILL BE A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ON THE BALLOT IN NOVEMBER.WE EXPECT IT TO BE ADOPTED BECAUSE PEOPLE LIKE TO SAVE MONEY.
AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS, WE WILL GET LESS MONEY ON THE REVENUE SIDE.
BUT WE ALSO KNOW BECAUSE THE ASSESSED VALUE AND THE CHANGES, THE TAX RATE AND I WILL BRING TO YOU IN SEPTEMBER THE TAX RATE THAT YOU ALL WILL HAVE TO ADOPT FOR FOR THIS DISTRICT.
SO THIS HERE IS THE BUDGET AMENDMENT THAT WE WILL BRING TO YOU.
THE NUMBERS WILL CHANGE A LITTLE BIT WHEN WE BRING IT TO YOU IN A WEEK.
THESE ARE THE EXPENDITURES THAT HAVE BEEN ADDED THAT WE THINK IN TERMS OF WHAT NEEDS TO BE IMPLEMENTED TO BRING ABOUT AN EFFECTIVE PROGRAM AT HOUSTON.
SO YOU CAN SEE FROM AN ACCOUNTANT'S POINT OF VIEW WHEN IT'S IN BRACKETS, IT'S UNFAVORABLE VARIANCE, MEANING THAT WE ON THE EXPENDITURE SIDE, WE'RE ADDING MONEY IN THESE AREAS.
SO THE TOTAL IS INCREASED TO 2.4 POINT 67 BILLION DOLLARS, THE EXPENDITURE LINE AND THE DEFICIT.
THE BOTTOM LINE HERE IN LITTLE GREEN IS $248 MILLION DOLLARS.
AND THE DIFFERENCE HERE ON THE VERY LAST LINE ON THE FAR RIGHT, THAT $90 MILLION IS WHAT WE'VE INCREASED THAT ORIGINAL BUDGET THAT WE BROUGHT IN JUNE TO WE'RE GOING TO BRING IN THE AMENDMENT AND IT WILL BE SOMEWHERE AROUND THERE.
WE DON'T KNOW THE EXACT NUMBER THAT WILL LEAVE US AT THE LAST LINE OF THIS PAPER FUND BALANCE OF JUST UNDER $900 MILLION DOLLARS.
QUESTIONS? IT LOOKS LIKE TWO QUESTIONS.
YES. OKAY. NEXT QUESTION IS IT LOOKS LIKE THE MAJORITY OF THE INCREASE IN.
EXPENDITURE. BUDGETED AMOUNT IS RELATED TO INSTRUCTION? YES. CAN YOU GIVE A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ON THAT? WELL, A LOT OF IT IS THE THE NEW PACKAGES FOR CURRICULUM AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CURRICULUM.
AND ALSO A LOT OF IT IS IN THE SALARY STRUCTURE FOR THE NES SCHOOLS AND THE NSA ALIGNED SCHOOLS.
IS IT ADDITIONAL DOLLARS RELATED TO NES ALIGN THAT MAYBE WE DIDN'T ANTICIPATE BEFORE FOR INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS? WELL, BOTH. SO NES A STIPENDS.
OKAY. WE ADDED 57 SCHOOLS THAT WE HADN'T ORIGINALLY WHEN WE BROUGHT THIS TO YOU.
SO THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT.
AND THEN THE CURRICULUM MATERIALS, WHICH WAS AGAIN, ONLY FOR 28 SCHOOLS PLUS SOME OTHERS.
THIS IS FOR NOT JUST SOME OTHERS.
SO THAT'S WHERE MOST OF THE COST IS.
CAN I ASK, ARE YOU DONE? NO, NO, NO. OKAY, SO THE ORIGINAL ADOPTED BUDGET DID NOT HAVE THE $116 MILLION DOLLARS OF PURCHASE ORDERS FROM THE PRIOR YEAR.
RIGHT. AND YOU'RE PUTTING THOSE AND YOU'RE ADDING THOSE.
EXACTLY RIGHT. SO YOUR THE INCREASE IS ACTUALLY IS ACTUALLY LESS THAN THE 90 MILLION THAT YOU'RE SHOWING IN NEGATIVE VARIANCE BECAUSE YOU HAVE 116 MILLION THAT FLOWED OVER FROM THE PRIOR YEAR.
BUT A LOT OF THOSE A LOT OF THOSE OTHER ITEMS THAT WERE FLOWING OVER THOUGH, WERE FOR PURCHASE ORDERS THAT WE PUT IN, IN JUNE WHEN WE GOT HERE AND WE SAID, LOOK, WE NEED TO PUT THESE IN SO WE GET THIS STUFF IN TIME IN ORDER FOR SCHOOL TO START, WHICH, YOU KNOW, IT STARTS IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS.
AND THEY WERE INCLUDED IN YOUR ORIGINAL BUDGET, THOUGH? NO, THEY WERE NOT.
THEY WERE NOT. THIS SORT OF THE WAY I LOOK AT IT IS IF THE PREVIOUS BUDGET WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE $164 MILLION DOLLAR DEFICIT, CORRECT? YES. OKAY. AND YOU'RE BASICALLY MOVING THAT DEFICIT OF $116 MILLION BACK OVER INTO THE NEW BUDGET.
YES. OKAY. SO ANOTHER QUESTION THEN, OF OBVIOUSLY, YOU DON'T HAVE DEFICITS.
YOU CAN'T LIVE ON DEFICITS FOREVER, AS WE KNOW.
RIGHT. THE ONE OF THE QUESTIONS IS WHAT IS THE STATUTORY FUND BALANCE THAT WE HAVE TO REQUIRE THAT WE ARE REQUIRED? IT'S 10% OF THE ASSESSED VALUE.
SO THAT WOULD BE $24 BILLION DOLLARS.
[03:55:02]
SO 10% OF 24 BILLION OR 240 MILLION? NO, NO, IT'S OUR ASSESSED VALUE IS 240 IS 247 BILLION.BILLION. AND SO WE 10% IS WHAT WE.
SO HOW MUCH ROOM DO WE HAVE IN THE 198 MILLION OR IN THE 900 MILLION? IT'S THE QUESTION, HOW MUCH ROOM DO YOU HAVE IN THE ENDING FUND BALANCE AND THE MINIMUM THAT WE HAVE TO KEEP BY STATE LAW? WELL, THERE'S NO LAW TO IT.
I THOUGHT THERE WAS A TEA REQUIREMENT.
NO THERE'S A TEA CALL IT SUGGESTION AND JFOA SUGGESTION THAT FOR RATING PURPOSES YOU SHOULD HAVE THREE MONTHS WORTH OF OF EXPENDITURES.
SO. SO THERE'S NO STATUTORY ISSUE IN THAT 500 MILLION? IT'S NOT STATUTORY, BUT IT'S IN WHAT'S CALLED THE FASRG, WHICH IS THE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING RESOURCE BOOK. CAN YOU GIVE THEM AN IDEA HOW MUCH IS THAT? IT WOULD BE LET'S SEE, THREE MONTHS WOULD BE CLOSE TO 500 MILLION.
BUT THEN ALSO WE HAVE A TRIPLE A BOND RATING THAT WE ALSO WANT TO PROTECT.
SO WE HAVE TO HAVE MORE THAN 500 MILLION.
I THINK THAT AMOUNT IS 600 MILLION.
SO YOU DON'T HAVE MUCH ROOM. YOU DON'T HAVE MUCH ROOM.
YEAH, WE HAVE ABOUT $200 MILLION DOLLARS OR $300 MILLION DOLLARS.
SO ANOTHER QUESTION THAT THE BOARD DIDN'T ASK, BUT I'LL JUST SAY IS WHAT IS THE LONG TERM VIABILITY OF A PROGRAM WHERE WE'RE LOSING AFTER THE OTHER MONEY'S ABOUT $90 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR.
AND THE ANSWER IS WE'VE GOT TO CONTINUE TO CUT DOWN ON CENTRAL OFFICE.
YOU'LL RECALL THAT WE DID SOME OF THAT THIS YEAR.
AND THEN THIS CONTRACT OF SERVICES, I SAID WE WERE GOING TO BRING OTHERS.
WE ONLY DID 25 MILLION CUT ON CONTRACTED SERVICES OUT OF $250 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR.
SO WE'RE GOING TO CUT DOWN ON CONTRACTED SERVICES.
AND THOSE TWO NUMBERS ALONE WITH THE RECURRING CENTRAL OFFICE CUTS THIS YEAR SHOULD BE FINE.
THE OTHER THING IS, AND I'VE SAID THIS OUT PUBLICLY, THE STIPENDS WON'T LAST FOREVER BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO GO TO PAY FOR PERFORMANCE SYSTEM SO THAT THE STIPEND OF $10,000 THAT THE NES A SCHOOLS AND THE NES SCHOOLS WILL WE'LL CALCULATE HOW LONG WE CAN KEEP THAT GOING.
WE CAN GO AT LEAST ANOTHER YEAR, BUT THEY WON'T STAY THERE FOREVER.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE BUDGET? MR. RIVON. THANK YOU.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THE FUTURE IS KIND OF HOW WE CONTINUALLY TRACK TOWARDS, YOU KNOW, THE FACT THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE IN A DEFICIT IN THE FUTURE AND WHAT OUR PLANS ARE AND HOW WE CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ON TRACK FOR THAT.
BECAUSE RIGHT NOW I'M SEEING WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
YOU KNOW, WE ARE DEVELOPING CONTROL REPORTS THAT ACTUALLY ARE NEW TO THE DISTRICT DOING THAT ON THE GRANT SIDE. AND WE'RE ALSO DOING IT FOR THE GENERAL FUND.
THIS IS THE GENERAL FUND AND WE WILL HAVE A VARIANCE REPORT ON A MONTHLY BASIS.
AND ANYTHING AND WE PROJECT WITH THAT BOTTOM LINE WILL BE AT THE END OF THE YEAR AND WHAT YOU WILL SEE WHEN IN THE FUTURE, WHEN I BRING A BUDGET AMENDMENT, YOU WILL SEE WHAT OUR PROJECTION FOR THE END OF THE YEAR IS AND WE WILL TRACK THAT.
AND ON TOP OF THAT, TO SUPPORT WHAT TRUSTEE RIVON IS SAYING IS SOMETIME IN NOVEMBER, WE CAN PROBABLY DO WHAT YOU WANT US TO DO, NOT WAIT FOR JUST THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, WHICH IS HOW ARE WE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS OVER OVER TIME? IF THE BUDGET'S DECREASING HERE, HOW DO WE GET IT BACK UP TO 900? HOW DO WE STAY AT 900 MILLION OR 800 MILLION SO THAT WE KEEP OUR TRIPLE A BOND RATING? AND I WOULD ASK FOR YOUR PATIENCE JUST UNTIL THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION IS OVER, BECAUSE THAT'S GOING TO HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE BUDGET.
AND SO WE'LL HAVE A BETTER IDEA THERE WHEN THIS SPECIAL SESSION IS DONE.
OKAY. AND THEN ALSO SO THERE WAS REFERENCE TO THE HOMESTEAD ACT AND THINGS CHANGING IN THAT REGARD.
[04:00:01]
SINCE WE'RE A ROBIN HOOD DISTRICT, IT DOESN'T REALLY HAVE AN IMPACT ON OUR BUDGET, RIGHT? I MEAN IT'S GOING TO BALANCE? NO, IT DOES.IT DOES IT DOES HAVE AN IMPACT.
OKAY. HELP ME UNDERSTAND THAT IMPACT BECAUSE MY UNDERSTANDING IS IT'S GOING TO BALANCE OUT BECAUSE WE'RE GIVING AWAY THE MONEY NOW IN THE FUTURE, IF WE HAVE LESS OVERALL REVENUE, WE WOULD JUST GIVE AWAY LESS.
YOU'RE RIGHT IN A CERTAIN SENSE, IS THAT WE HAVE IF YOU LOOK AT THE LINE, IT SAYS FUNCTION CODE 91, THAT 200, 300, $25, 26 MILLION DOLLARS.
THAT'S THE MONEY WE GIVE BACK TO THE STATE.
RIGHT? AND SO WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS THAT WE WILL BECAUSE THE MONEY FOR THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION GOES UP TO $100,000 FROM 400 TO $600,000.
IT MEANS THAT WE WILL GET LESS MONEY, LOCAL MONEY.
IF YOU GO BACK UP TO THE TOP, YOU CAN SEE THAT LOCALLY RIGHT NOW WE'RE PREDICTING 1.99 BILLION.
BUT IF IT WAS JUST THE BASED ON THE ASSESSED VALUE WITHOUT ANY ANYTHING COMING FROM THE STATE, THAT NUMBER WOULD GO DOWN. NOW WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT THAT REVENUE LINE GOES DOWN AND THAT THE EXPENDITURE LINE RIGHT NOW WOULDN'T CHANGE.
OKAY. SO WE WOULD INCREASE THE DEFICIT JUST BASED ON THAT.
BUT ONE THING THAT WILL HAPPEN IS THAT BY BRINGING DOWN OUR ASSESSED VALUE, OKAY, WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT OUR WHAT'S CALLED WEALTH PER AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE GOES DOWN AND THEN THAT MEANS THAT OUR RECAPTURE WOULD GO DOWN.
RIGHT? BUT I DON'T THINK THAT THE RECAPTURE WILL GO DOWN TO THE SAME LEVEL THAT THE REVENUE.
SO IT'S NOT A ONE FOR ONE REDUCTION.
THERE'S BEEN TALK THAT THE LEGISLATURE WILL TRY TO HOLD US HARMLESS.
AND ALSO THERE'S ALSO BEEN TALK AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS DEAD, BUT THERE WAS A TIME WHERE THE STATE WAS GOING TO GIVE SIGNIFICANT REVENUE TO THE DISTRICT TO GIVE TEACHERS A HIGHER SALARY.
THAT'S RIGHT. SO SO I'M AN OPTIMIST.
SO I'M HOPING THAT ONE, THEY HOLD US HARMLESS ON THE TAXES.
AND THEN NUMBER TWO, THAT THEY GIVE US MONEY FOR TEACHERS.
AND THERE WAS ALSO A BILL THAT ALSO GOT STOPPED BECAUSE OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE FIGHT GOING UP IN AUSTIN, WHICH ESSENTIALLY IF YOU PAY YOUR RECAPTURE IN FEBRUARY, THEY GIVE YOU A 14% DISCOUNT AND THAT WOULD BE TOTAL MONEY TO US.
AND WE HOPE THAT THAT'S GOING TO BE RESURRECTED, BECAUSE WHAT PEOPLE DO NOW IS IT'S LIKE YOU PROBABLY DO YOU PAY THE BILL AT THE VERY LAST MINUTE AND YOU LIKE KEEP THE MONEY EARNING.
RIC DOESN'T. [LAUGHTER] ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE BUDGET? I MAY BE INCORRECT, BUT WASN'T THERE A BILL THAT PASSED THAT GAVE MONEY TO DISTRICTS FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY? YES. AS WELL.
BUT THAT'S NOT IN THE GENERAL FUND.
WHAT THAT IS, THAT IS A SEPARATE BILL.
WE RIGHT NOW HAVE A GRANT FOR $7.9 MILLION DOLLARS, AND WE'RE USING THAT TO BUILD FENCES.
AND [INAUDIBLE] IS WORKING WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY AND WITH HER PEOPLE TO HARDEN OUR FACILITIES. BUT THIS GRANT THAT WAS OUT IS GOING TO BE OUT THERE.
WE HAVE TO GET A PLAN AND WE HAVE TO GO AFTER THAT MONEY.
WE HAVE GRANT WRITERS ON STAFF.
THEY EARN THEIR KEEP AND THEY WILL GO AFTER THAT MONEY AND BRING THAT MONEY TO US FOR THE PLAN THAT WE WILL DEVELOP. HOW MUCH IT IS, WE DON'T KNOW.
THE OTHER THING IS IT'S A LIMITED AMOUNT.
SO IT'S NOT IT DEPENDS ON THE COMPETITION, WHO ELSE GOES FOR IT.
SO WE HOPE TO BE OUT THE GATE PRETTY QUICK.
[04:05:03]
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE BUDGET? OKAY. OUR NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS IS TO CONSIDER THE ITEMS TO BE PRESENTED AT THE REGULAR BOARD MEETING THAT WE HAVEN'T ALREADY DISCUSSED.I AM GOING TO TURN TO PAGE TWO OF SEVEN OF OUR BOARD AGENDA AND START DOWN THE LINE.
SEE HOW EFFICIENTLY WE CAN GET THROUGH THIS.
SO LET ME ASK THE BOARD DISCUSSION AND REPORT ITEMS, NUMBER ONE AND TWO.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS THAT THEY'D LIKE TO RAISE AT THIS TIME? LET ME GET THERE FIRST. DISCUSSION AND REPORT ITEMS OR ITEMS ONE AND TWO.
IT'S THE 2023-24 COMPENSATION MANUAL OR THE DEBT MANAGEMENT ACTIVITY REPORT.
ACTUALLY, I DIDN'T FIND THE COMPENSATION MANUAL ONLINE, SO MAYBE IT'S A MATTER OF.
YOU WANT TO TAG THAT FOR LATER? YEAH. ANY. YEAH.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, CONCERNS THEY'D LIKE TO RAISE AT THIS POINT ON THE COMPENSATION MANUAL OR THE DEBT MANAGEMENT ACTIVITY REPORT, WHICH I ASSUME IS GOING TO BE PRESENTED AT THE MEETING? YES, I DO HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT COMPENSATION MANUAL.
DID I MISUNDERSTAND THAT? IS THAT GOING TO BE THE SAME? I THINK IT'S JUST THE SCHOOL YEAR, BUT.
CAN WE EXPECT THAT TO BE AVAILABLE WITHIN TWO WEEKS AFTER BUDGET APPROVAL OR WHAT IS THAT TIMEFRAME? YES, YOU CAN.
OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY. LOOKING AT THE CONSENT AGENDA, THE ITEMS THAT ARE CURRENTLY ON CONSENT NUMBER THREE THROUGH SIX, LET'S DO THOSE AS A GROUP.
IF THERE'S ANYTHING THERE THAT ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO RAISE OR QUESTION, I'VE PUT IN A QUESTION JUST SO THE BOARD IS AWARE ON NUMBER FIVE RELATIVE TO JUST SOME LANGUAGE, BUT NO OTHER ISSUES THERE.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS 3 THROUGH 6? MISS BANDY, I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT OPTIONAL FLEXIBLE SCHOOL DAY PROGRAM.
THAT'S NUMBER SIX. YES, GO AHEAD, PLEASE.
YES. CAN WE EXPLAIN THAT? WHAT IS AN OPTIONAL SCHOOL DAY PROGRAM? NATASHA. DO YOU KNOW WHO? NO, I THINK WE CAN GET THE INFORMATION.
IT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN ALLISON OR ONE OF THE OTHER FOLKS.
WE'LL GET INFORMATION FOR YOU ON THIS ONE, MA'AM.
OKAY. THAT'S ONE OF THE QUESTIONS, MISS BANDY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ONE THROUGH SIX ITEMS. ONE THROUGH SIX. MISS LINDNER, DID YOU SAY YOU HAD A.
SO ON NUMBER FIVE, IT'S JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, IT'S EXTREMELY MINOR.
I'M ASKING THAT THE LANGUAGE BE THE STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT IS ADOPTED BY THE DISTRICT'S BOARD OR SCHOOL BOARD.
THAT MAKES SENSE. THEN THE ONE I HAD WAS AROUND THE WORDING OF RESTORATIVE PRACTICES MAY VERSUS SHALL SEEMED SIGNIFICANT THERE AND SORT OF JUMPING OFF OF WHAT YOU SAID EARLIER AROUND THE IN-SCHOOL SUSPENSION.
AND IT SEEMS THAT I JUST WONDER WHAT'S THE PATH FORWARD ON IMPROVING? RESTORATIVE PRACTICES? YEAH. YEAH. USING THOSE IN THE DISTRICT AND CODE OF CONDUCT WISE, THAT WORDING IS MAY RIGHT NOW AND SO I'D LOVE TO SEE SHALL.
WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO GET THERE? SO WE HAVE AUTONOMOUS SCHOOLS RIGHT NOW AND THEY HAVE THEIR OWN DISCIPLINE PRACTICES.
AND SO WE WOULD HAVE TO TAKE THAT AUTONOMY AWAY.
RESTORATIVE PRACTICES IS A GOOD PRACTICE, BUT THERE'S OTHERS THAT SCHOOLS HAVE USED IN THE PAST.
I WOULD PROBABLY LIKE TO KEEP THAT FLEXIBILITY FOR THEM.
[04:10:02]
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR, INCENTIVES, SUPPORTS.FOR EXAMPLE, PBIS IS ANOTHER ONE.
THERE'S THE ONE THAT NES SCHOOLS ARE USING.
SO I THINK SOME THAT'S WHY A MAY PROBABLY IS MORE IN ORDER THAN A SHALL.
IT LISTS OTHERS, BUT IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY SAY THAT YOU MUST USE ANY OF THEM, THAT YOU CAN JUST USE, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER THE SCHOOL DECIDES BASED ON HOW IT'S WRITTEN RIGHT NOW. SO WE DON'T NEED TO DISCUSS THAT.
I THINK IT'S JUST AN IMPORTANT POINT.
I THINK A LOT OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE INTERESTED IN MOVING AWAY FROM, I THINK, WHAT ARE CONSIDERED SORT OF OUT-OF-DATE PRACTICES INTO BETTER ONES FOR CONDUCT. OKAY.
THANK YOU. ANY OTHER COMMENTS THROUGH NUMBER SIX? YES, SIR. SO I'D LIKE TO JUST MAKE A COMMENT ON TWO AND THEN ALSO THREE AND FIRST FOR THE CFO.
BASED ON THE SUMMARY OF THE DEBT MANAGEMENT POLICY, IT LOOKS LIKE ROUGHLY $38 MILLION IN SAVINGS FOR THE ACTIVITIES, THE FINANCING ACTIVITIES.
AND I WAS INTERESTED IN WHAT THE EXPECTATION AND USES OF THOSE FUNDS WERE GOING TO BE GOING FORWARD.
WELL, IT'S NOT ACTUALLY FUNDS IN OUR POCKETS.
SO WHAT HAPPENS IS WE ORIGINALLY WILL SELL BONDS AFTER THE VOTER APPROVAL AND THEN WE HAVE A DEBT STRUCTURE, KIND OF LIKE A MORTGAGE, RIGHT? WELL, WHEN THE INTEREST RATES ARE FAVORABLE TO US, WE DO WHAT IS CALLED REFUNDING OF THOSE BONDS.
AND INSTEAD OF THAT, THAT ORIGINAL MORTGAGE PAYMENTS, THEY CHANGE TO WHERE IT'S LESS IN TERMS OF TOTAL DOLLARS. SO WE DON'T SEE ANY DOLLARS.
BUT WHAT IT IS, IT'S A SAVINGS TO US.
AND ON OUR DEBT SERVICE SIDE, WHEN I BRING YOU TAXES NEXT MONTH, I MEAN, YEAH NEXT MONTH, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE AN M&O SIDE AND AN I&S AND THE I&S PAYS THAT DEBT SERVICE.
AND SO IF IT'S NOT SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH THAT WE WILL BE DROPPING OUR TAX RATE ON AN I&S.
BUT THOSE THAT DEBT SERVICE GOES OVER 30 YEARS AND SO THAT TOTAL PAYMENTS THAT ARE BEING, YOU KNOW, $2.3 BILLION DOLLARS, IT DROPS DOWN TO 2.1 BILLION AND OUR MONTHLY ACTUALLY, YOU PAY BONDS TWICE A YEAR IN FEBRUARY, AND AUGUST.
IT'S JUST WE SAVE MONEY OVER THE TERMS OF THE BONDS.
GOT IT. SO JUST TO CLARIFY, WE'RE NOT PAYING THE SAME AMOUNT IN DEBT SERVICE OR BOND PAYMENTS.
WE'RE PAYING A SMALLER AMOUNT GOING FORWARD.
SO WE'LL SEE THE SAVINGS OVER THE COURSE OF TIME.
WAS THERE AN INVESTIGATION AND WHAT WAS THE SUMMARY? WAS THERE SOMETHING FOUND AT FAULT OR I WAS A LITTLE CONFUSED AS TO WHAT THE INTENT OF THAT AGENDA ITEM WAS.
IT WAS TALKING ABOUT SELF RECOVERY, BUT I WASN'T QUITE CLEAR.
I THINK THE INTENT IS CAN WE ACCEPT THE MONEY FROM THE INSURANCE COMPANY? IS THAT THE INTENT? YES.
OKAY. GOT IT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THOSE? OKAY. LET'S MOVE TO THE WE TALKED ABOUT NUMBER SEVEN, WHICH WAS BDD LOCAL.
ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS RELATIVE TO NUMBER 8 THROUGH 14 WHICH ARE THE ITEMS LISTED ON PAGE THREE OF THE AGENDA PACKET? WOULD IT BE HELPFUL FOR ME TO READ THOSE OR.
OKAY, GOOD. I PREFER NOT TO, BUT WANT TO MAKE SURE.
YOU'RE GOOD. [LAUGHTER] NO, I THINK IT'S GOOD.
OKAY. JUST AN ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE.
I COULDN'T PULL UP NUMBER EIGHT.
IT DOESN'T PULL INTO LEGISTAR.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF OTHERS HAD THE SAME ISSUE, BUT I COULDN'T PULL IT IN.
OKAY. THAT IS THE ELECTION RESOLUTION.
OKAY. ANY OTHER CONCERNS? OKAY, LET'S MOVE ON TO 15 THROUGH 18, WHICH ARE ON PAGE FOUR.
ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION ABOUT THE DEBT MANAGEMENT POLICY AND SO ON THROUGH 18.
[04:15:03]
COMMENT ON 18.YEAH. AROUND THE PLAN TO INCREASE PRE-K.
I MEAN, PRE-K IS SUPER IMPORTANT.
SO WHAT'S THE PLAN TO INCREASE IT OVERALL? AND THEN FROM THE DATA PRESENTED FOR THIS ITEM, I CAN'T TELL WHAT THE CHANGE WAS FROM ACTUAL TO PROJECTED ENROLLMENT FROM 23 TO 24.
MY REACTION TO THIS WAS I'D WANT TO BE AGGRESSIVE IN INCREASING PRE K, AND I CAN'T TELL FROM THIS DATA HOW THIS IS YOU KNOW, DOING THAT.
SO. A LOT PROBABLY TO COVER THERE.
I HAVE ONE COMMENT ON THAT ALSO.
YEAH. SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT WAS PROVIDED.
SO WE'LL DO IT A SEPARATE REPORT OR WE'LL UPGRADE IT SO THAT IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE CLEAR ABOUT WHO'S GETTING PRE-K AND WHO'S NOT OR HOW WE'RE EXPANDING IT. BUT I DO WANT TO MAKE A POINT THAT THIS IS FOR US TO CONTINUE IN THE YOU'RE GIVING US AUTHORITY TO CONTINUE IN THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT ARE ALREADY EXISTING.
SO THIS IS A REQUEST FOR THAT.
AND THEN THERE MAY BE ADDITIONAL REQUESTS IN THE FUTURE.
BUT THIS IS FOR US TO CONTINUE WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING.
SO MINE WAS KIND OF IN THAT REGARD.
IN GOING FORWARD, I WAS TRYING TO SEE IF WE COULD PULL IN.
LIKE BEGINNING OF YEAR DATA ON A ROLLING BASIS TO SEE HOW THE STUDENTS WHO ARE IN THE PROGRAM ARE ACTUALLY PREPARED OR NOT AND HOW THEY COMPARE TO OTHER STUDENTS, IF YOU WILL.
AND SO WHAT ESSENTIALLY WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF THE PROGRAM? YEAH, THE THEME OF OF HOW DO WE GOVERN THIS, RIGHT.
IF WE'RE GOING TO APPROVE IT, THAT'S GREAT.
BUT THERE'S SOME INFORMATION, I THINK, LACKING HERE TO SAY, LIKE, HOW DID THEY DO LAST YEAR OR WHAT ARE SOME PRESSURES TO SAY HOW WE MAKE SURE THAT THIS CONTINUES TO BE EFFECTIVE? RIGHT. YEAH.
SO WE CAN INCLUDE THAT IN ONE OF THE FUTURE BOARD WORKSHOPS OR BOARD MEETINGS.
OKAY. OKAY. I HAVE A QUESTION AS WELL.
SO IF MY NUMBERS ARE CORRECT WITH HEAD START, I THINK IN 2022, 23, WE HAD 2,539 PARTICIPANTS, 23-24 WERE PROJECTING 2,056. SO IT'S A DROP OF ABOUT 500.
AND SO I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A REASON AS FAR AS CONTRACTUAL REASON WHY WE CAN'T INCREASE IT TO THAT SAME AMOUNT THAT WE HAD LAST YEAR OR IF THAT'S JUST WHERE WE'RE AT TODAY. YEAH.
SO WE'LL INCLUDE THAT IN A FUTURE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THROUGH 18? NO.
I HAVE JUST A GENERAL QUESTION ON 19.
IF SUPERINTENDENT OR MR. TERRY OR I'M NOT SURE WHO WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATION CAN JUST TALK THROUGH THE MODIFICATIONS TO THE CASH MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT POLICY, NOT DEEP DIVE, AT LEAST FOR ME, BUT JUST HIGH LEVEL.
WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE? THE TWO MAIN CHANGES.
ONE IS THAT IF YOU READ THAT POLICY, IT'S VERY REDUNDANT OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
THE SECOND IS THAT WE'RE FOLLOWING THE PUBLIC FUNDS INVESTMENT ACT, WHICH IS THE LAW WHICH GOVERNS ALL INVESTMENTS. AND SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE CHANGING IT SO IT MODIFIES THAT IT TRACKS THE PUBLIC FUNDS INVESTMENT ACT AND EVERYTHING ELSE WE GOT RID OF.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON 19 AND 20? OKAY, MOVING ON.
WE TALKED ABOUT 21 THROUGH 23 ALREADY.
24 AND 25 DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, CONCERNS THEY WANT TO RAISE AT THIS TIME? I HAVE A QUESTION. MISS BANDY.
WHAT TYPE OF TRENDS OR INDICATIONS DO WE SEE NOW THAT WARRANT A SUSPENSION OF REQUIREMENTS FOR YEARS TO COME? YOU KNOW 24 THROUGH 25 AND 25 TO 26, I GUESS I CAN UNDERSTAND THIS YEAR.
WE KNOW WHAT'S WE HAVE A POTENTIAL NUMBER OF VACANCIES OR APPLICATIONS THAT WE NEED TO GO THROUGH.
BUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN YEARS OUT.
YOU'RE SPEAKING ABOUT NUMBER 24.
NO NO. NUMBER 24. I DIDN'T CLARIFY.
THANK YOU. SO RIGHT NOW AND IN THE PAST YEAR, THE DISTRICT HAS HAD A HARD TIME GETTING ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS THAT HAVE CERTIFICATIONS AND THAT CAN DO APPRAISALS.
SO THERE'S ALREADY BEEN SOME DIFFICULTY.
[04:20:08]
THIS JUST GIVES US SOME FLEXIBILITY.AGAIN, SINCE WE'RE GOING TO AN EVALUATION SYSTEM, THE CERTIFICATION WON'T MEAN QUITE AS MUCH, BUT AGAIN, WE ARE ENCOURAGING EVERYBODY, PRINCIPAL TEACHER LEARNING COACH, THAT IF THEY WANT TO STAY IN THE PROFESSION, THEY SHOULD GET CERTIFICATION AND WE'LL BE PUSHING THAT IN THAT DIRECTION. SO JUST ANOTHER ADMINISTRATIVE.
SO IN THE WRITE UP, IT SAYS THERE WAS GOING TO BE A LIST, BUT I DIDN'T.
IT'S NOT ACTUALLY ATTACHED, SO MAYBE SOMEBODY ELSE HAS IT.
I DON'T THINK WE HAVE A LIST OF THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS.
I THINK WE GOT SOME GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE TEACHERS.
RIGHT. RIGHT. I THINK IF WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE THE LIST OF THOSE NAMES, YOU WILL PROBABLY GET THOSE IN YOUR BOARD SHAREPOINT. WE CAN PROVIDE THE GENERAL LIST THAT WE HAVE HERE, WHICH IS FOR THE TEACHERS, WHICH IS JUST LOCATION AND SCHOOL.
BUT WE DON'T WANT TO PROVIDE THE IDENTITY OF INDIVIDUALS BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD.
AND THAT'S FINE. I WAS JUST I GOT THIS, BUT WE CAN GET YOU THAT INFORMATION AND YOU'LL HAVE IT.
YEAH, WE CAN HAVE THAT INFORMATION BEFORE THE VOTE.
ANY OTHER. YEAH, I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
AND AGAIN, YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE THE NUMBER TODAY.
HOW MANY APS THAT WE'RE SEEKING WAIVERS FOR WERE HISD EMPLOYEES LAST YEAR AND A TEACHER SPECIALIST ROLE THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. AND THEN DO WE HAVE ANY PLANS AS A DISTRICT TO HELP THEM GET THEIR CERTIFICATION? I KNOW WE'RE ENCOURAGING THEM.
BUT ARE WE INCENTIVIZING THEM? ARE WE PAYING FOR PART OF THEIR CERTIFICATION? BECAUSE FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, IT'S EXPENSIVE.
IT'S EXPENSIVE. SO ARE WE HELPING THEM FINANCIALLY TO GET THESE CERTIFICATIONS? IS THERE A PROGRAM IN PLACE FOR THAT? WE'RE NOT HELPING THEM FINANCIALLY.
SO BY THE END OF THE YEAR WE WILL HAVE HELPED THEM GET THEIR CERTIFICATION AND THAT SHOULD HELP.
THAT'S THE BEGINNING OF A PIPELINE.
SO I KNOW IT'S NOT A LOT, BUT IT IS A START OF ONE.
SO THE PROGRAM INCLUDES CERTIFICATION? IT DOESN'T REQUIRE CERTIFICATION, BUT WE'RE GOING TO HELP THEM MOVE TOWARDS A CERTIFICATION.
SO CURRENTLY THERE IS A PROCESS THAT ALLOWS SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO SUBMIT A REQUEST FOR WAIVERS.
SO WHY ISN'T THAT CURRENT PROCESS SUFFICIENT FOR WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE? THIS IS A REQUIREMENT FOR THAT PROCESS.
SO WE HAVE TO GET THE BOARD APPROVAL IN ORDER TO SUBMIT THE APPLICATION TO TEA.
THE BOARD HAS TO APPROVE THE WAIVER REQUEST ESSENTIALLY.
SO HELP ME UNDERSTAND HOW IT WAS DONE PREVIOUSLY THEN.
SO FOR LAST SCHOOL YEAR, IF THERE WAS AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL THAT WE NEEDED TO HIRE THAT DIDN'T HAVE A CERTIFICATE, THE BOARD HAD TO APPROVE IT? WE DIDN'T DO IT LAST YEAR.
WHAT THEY DID WAS WE USE TEACHER SPECIALISTS, WHICH IS THE ISSUE HE WAS SAYING.
IT'S BETTER FOR KIDS, BETTER FOR TEACHERS.
IF YOU HAVE AN AP WHO'S GETTING TRAINED AS AN AP, WHO'S ATTENDING THE INSTRUCTION AS AN AP, WHO'S GETTING PAID LIKE AN AP, WHO'S DOING THE SPOT OBSERVATIONS LIKE AN AP INSTEAD OF A TEACHER SPECIALIST.
THEY'LL BE EVALUATED RIGOROUSLY.
IF THEY'RE NOT UP TO PAR, THEN THEY WON'T BE HIRED BACK AS AN AP.
IF THEY ARE WE'LL CONTINUE TO MOVE THEM FORWARD.
OKAY. IT'S LATE. MAYBE IT'S ME.
I'M JUST NOT CLEAR ON IF THERE'S A PROCESS THAT EXISTS TODAY TO WAIVE AN AP CERTIFICATION WHY ISN'T THAT PROCESS SUFFICIENT? YEAH, I THINK IT IS SUFFICIENT.
YEAH. AND THIS HAS NOT BEEN DONE IN PREVIOUS YEARS.
THIS IS WHAT YOU SAID, CORRECT? YEAH. OKAY. SO I'M SORRY.
[04:25:06]
I CAN'T SPEAK A LOT TO WHAT WAS DONE BEFORE.I JUST KNOW THAT THAT'S A PROCESS.
YOU KNOW, AND SO AND THEY DON'T THEY'RE NOT CERTIFIED.
I THINK THIS WAY IS MUCH BETTER, MORE TRANSPARENT.
WHAT? REMIND ME, WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME AN AP? YEAH. SO IN ORDER TO BE CERTIFIED, YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH.
I CAN'T REMEMBER ALL THE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE DONE.
BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE SO MANY YEARS OF TEACHING.
YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE CERTIFICATION PROCESS IN THE STATE.
THERE'S AN ACTUAL COURSES THAT YOU HAVE TO TAKE AND PASS.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE A MASTER'S DEGREE.
ANYTHING ELSE? 24 HOURS, OF COURSE WORK.
BUT HERE IN HISD SPECIFICALLY NON CERTIFIED, WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME AN AP? BE HIRED BY A PRINCIPAL TO BE AN AP.
BUT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT LIKE YEARS? LIKE TEN YEARS OF EXPERIENCE? FIVE YEARS OF WHAT? I WANT TO AGAIN, MAYBE I.
MAYBE THE JOB DESCRIPTION, I THINK SAYS THREE YEARS OF INSTRUCTION.
DO YOU HAVE THE JOB DESCRIPTION? WE CAN GET YOU THE JOB DESCRIPTION.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON 24 AND 25? MS. LINDNER. CAN YOU CLARIFY THAT THE IMPACT TO KIDS IF WE DON'T DO THIS WAIVER RIGHT? I JUST WANT TO KIND OF GET CLEAR ON WHAT'S THE IMPACT.
THE IMPACT IS THAT WE WOULD HAVE, TEACHERS, SPECIALISTS OR WE'D HAVE GAPS OR VACANCIES.
COULD YOU JUST REPEAT THAT, PLEASE, SO WE CAN ALL BE CLEAR ON THE IMPACT TO OUR STUDENTS? YEAH. SO IF WE DON'T HAVE THE WAIVER, WE'D HAVE TO DO WHAT THE DISTRICT HAS DONE, WHICH IS HAVE TEACHER SPECIALISTS.
THEY'RE NOT REALLY ADMINISTRATORS, ALTHOUGH THEY'RE DOING APPRAISALS.
I'D RATHER DO THE LEGALLY ALLOWABLE THING, WHICH IS TO WAIVE AND MANY, IF NOT MANY, MOST IF NOT MOST, MANY DISTRICTS DO WAIVERS FOR APS, ESPECIALLY LARGE ONES.
AND SO THIS PERSON THAT WE WOULD WAIVE, THERE'S 72 OF THEM.
FIRST OF ALL, THEY HAD TO GET HIRED.
WE WOULD TRAIN THEM, WE WOULD EVALUATE THEM, AND THEY'LL BE INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS.
AND IF THEY DON'T MAKE IT, THEN THEY WILL BE REMOVED.
THAT DOESN'T YOU KNOW, THIS WAY SEEMS MUCH MORE, MUCH BETTER FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS.
AND JUST TO BE CLEAR, SO THIS GROUP OF 72, AS YOU CITED, ARE DIFFERENT THAN THE PRINCIPALS ACADEMY.
THAT'S RIGHT. THERE'S ANOTHER GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO 75 PEOPLE WILL JOIN THE PRINCIPALS ACADEMY.
WE HAVE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT NUMBER 26 THROUGH NUMBER 34, WHICH LEAVES US WITH 35 THROUGH 37.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT THIS EVENING ON 3537? I THINK WE MISSED 25, BUT I'LL JUST GO BACK.
I HAD CALLED 24 AND 25 TOGETHER, I THINK.
BUT PLEASE, IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT 25, PLEASE, JUST WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE SCHEDULE CHANGE AND ARE THERE MATERIAL DEPARTURES FROM THE PRIOR YEAR? THIS IS THE LOCAL CALENDAR.
THE LOCAL CALENDAR. THE SCHOOL CALENDAR.
NO, THIS IS THE ONE FOR THE APPRAISAL SYSTEM.
SO I IMAGINE IT'S ALL DIFFERENT.
YES, FOR THE APPRAISAL SYSTEM.
THEY'LL START ON AUGUST 28TH, BUT THEY'LL BE TRAINING.
SO THERE'S DIFFERENT TRAINING DATES.
SO THIS ONE AT LAST THIS ONE IS CENTRAL AND CAMPUS BASED NON TEACHERS.
HUH? SO THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS THAT I THAT I ENTERTAINED REGARDING 11 MONTH VERSUS 12 MONTH EMPLOYEES VERSUS TEN MONTH EMPLOYEES. OH I SEE.
YEAH. NATASHA, DO YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON THAT? I NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION BETTER.
OKAY. THERE IS NO ATTACHMENT, NO INFORMATION ON THIS ONE ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN.
OH, NO. THERE IS. WELL, YEAH, YEAH, THE SCHEDULE IS HERE.
[04:30:04]
YEAH, IT'S PART OF THE AGENDA ITEM THOUGH.SO IS IT MORE INFORMATION THAT WE NEED TO PROVIDE? YES, MAYBE PERHAPS I'M CONFUSED AND IT IS LATE, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT YOU'RE ASKING US TO APPROVE THE PROPOSED CALENDAR.
THERE IS NO CALENDAR ATTACHED.
THERE'S ONLY A STAFF REPORT, AND THEN IT CITES THOSE EMPLOYEES BASED ON THEIR MONTHS CONTRACT, BUT IT DOESN'T GIVE ANY ADDITIONAL DETAIL.
OKAY. ADAM, ARE YOU LOOKING AT THIS? IS THAT WHAT YOU SEE? MAYBE IT'S A DIFFERENT DOCUMENT.
SO LET'S WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT.
THAT LET'S THE BOARD WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THAT CALENDAR.
SO FOR 12 MONTH EMPLOYEES, FOR INSTANCE, THE GOAL SETTING CONFERENCE, WHICH IS THE CONFERENCE FOR WHEN AN EMPLOYEE MEETS WITH THEIR SUPERVISOR TO DECIDE WHAT IS THE GOAL GOING FORWARD.
THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN BY OCTOBER 27TH.
AND SO IT LOOKS LIKE REGARDLESS OF YOUR DUTY SCHEDULE, IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN ON OCTOBER 27TH.
SO THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE IN THE CADENCE.
RIGHT? AND SO MY ORIGINAL QUESTION WAS, WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS AND ARE THERE MATERIAL DEPARTURES FROM THE PRIOR YEAR? SO IS THIS THE SAME SCHEDULE WE USED LAST YEAR? AND IF IT IS, WHY ARE WE APPROVING IT? AND BUT OBVIOUSLY IT'S DIFFERENT.
SO WHAT'S THE CHANGE? SO YOU'RE REQUIRED TO APPROVE IT EACH YEAR.
I HAVEN'T COMPARED IT TO THE OTHER YEAR.
IT LOOKS PRETTY SIMILAR IN TERMS OF WHEN WE DO THINGS WITH THE CADENCE IS FOR APPRAISALS BECAUSE YOU GO THROUGH THE WHOLE SCHOOL YEAR AND SO, YOU KNOW, JANUARY OR SO, YOU'RE GOING TO DO A PROGRESS CONFERENCE AND THAT KIND OF THING.
BUT IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE PREVIOUS CALENDAR, WE CAN DO THAT.
CAN WE JUST DO A ONE PAGER AND GIVE IT TO THE BOARD ON WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS? THAT'D BE GREAT. SURE.
OKAY. THANK YOU. LET'S MOVE ON TO NUMBER 35 THROUGH 37.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT ON 35 THROUGH 37? AND JUST TO CONFIRM, 37 CERTIFICATION WAIVER, THAT'S THE 84 INDIVIDUALS WE WERE REFERRING TO EARLIER.
OKAY. CORRECT. AND THAT NUMBER MAY CHANGE A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE WE'RE NOT DONE.
OKAY. NO. YEP. ANYTHING ELSE? NO. OKAY.
THE BOARD WILL NOW ADJOURN TO CLOSED SESSION UNDER CHAPTER 551 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE.
[CLOSED SESSION]
OPEN MEETINGS ACT SUBSECTIONS 551.004 THROUGH 551.089.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 PUBLIC MEETING OF THE BOARD UPON NOTICE THEREOF.
THE BOARD IS ADJOURNING TO CLOSED SESSION AT 10:17 P.M.
ON AUGUST 3RD, 2023.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.