[CALL TO ORDER]
[00:00:03]
I WOULD LIKE EVERYONE TO PLEASE SILENCE YOUR CELL PHONES.A QUORUM OF THE BOARD IS PRESENT IN THE BOARD AUDITORIUM.
IF THERE ARE ANY ELECTED OFFICIALS IN THE AUDIENCE THIS EVENING, PLEASE STAND BE RECOGNIZED.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
OUR FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS TO HEAR FROM SPEAKERS TO AGENDA ITEMS.
[SPEAKERS TO AGENDA ITEMS]
WE ARE GLAD THAT 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 14 SPEAKERS REGISTERED THIS EVENING.
EACH SPEAKER WILL BE GIVEN TWO MINUTES TO ADDRESS THE BOARD PER BOARD POLICY.
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 WORK SESSION TOPIC: FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL.
MISS PEGGY CHRISMAN, PLEASE COME TO THE MICROPHONE.
I AM A PARENT OF A SECOND AND FOURTH GRADER AT MARK TWAIN ELEMENTARY.
I ALSO OBSERVED THAT CLASSROOMS CAN BE NOISY.
KIDS IN THEIR CLASSES ASKED TO CLOSE THE DOOR, BUT THEIR TEACHERS TOLD THEM SHE WAS NOT ALLOWED TO.
OUR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS HAVE GONE THROUGH SO MUCH IN THESE PAST FEW YEARS.
THEY'VE LEARNED THROUGH SCREENS.
THEY'VE LEARNED THROUGH MASKS.
LET US NOT ASK THEM TO LEARN OVER THE NOISE OF THE CLASSROOM ACROSS THE HALL.
I URGE YOU TO CHANGE THIS MANDATE.
PLEASE EMPOWER TEACHERS TO HELP THEIR STUDENTS FOCUS.
MS. WILLIAMS. GOOD EVENING. MICHELLE WILLIAMS, HOUSTON EDUCATION ASSOCIATION.
CONTRARY TO WHAT HAS BEEN SAID TO THE PRESS, TEACHERS ARE NOT AFRAID OF ACCOUNTABILITY.
HOWEVER, WE DO NOT WELCOME SABOTAGE, AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT'S BEEN TAKING PLACE HERE IN HISD.
YOU ALL ASK, WHAT ARE THINGS YOU'D LIKE STUDENTS TO KNOW OR TO BE ABLE TO DO? WE WANT THEM TO LEARN TO READ IN THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE, BECAUSE, [INAUDIBLE] SAYS, WHEN THEY ACQUIRE L1, THEY CAN ACQUIRE L2 FOR NON-EDUCATED AS LANGUAGE ONE AND LANGUAGE TWO IS REFERRED TO AS LANGUAGE ACQUISITION.
THAT'S WHAT RESEARCH SUPPORTS.
YOU ALSO ASK WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE HISD SHOULD AVOID OR STOP DOING BREAKING LAWS? NUMBER ONE, BREAKING SPECIAL SPECIAL EDUCATION LAWS.
NUMBER TWO, BREAKING LABOR LAWS.
THAT'S WHAT WE WANT YOU ALL TO STOP DOING.
WE WANT YOU ALL TO STOP PUTTING TEACHERS AND STUDENTS LIVES AT RISK.
WE WANT YOU ALL TO SUPPORT YOUR TEACHERS SO UNIONS DON'T HAVE TO SUPPORT THEM WITH YOUR CONTENT.
WE WANT CURRICULUM THAT DOESN'T HAVE MISTAKES WHERE TEACHERS ARE STAND UP COUNTLESS HOURS CORRECTING YOUR MISTAKES AND THROUGH NO FAULT OF THE CURRICULUM DEPARTMENT'S OWN BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE TIME, THEY'VE BEEN DIMINISHED.
SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE WANT.
THANK YOU, MA'AM. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS REGISTERED TO ADDRESS THE BOARD VIA ZOOM.
MS. SMITH, PLEASE ADMIT MELISSA YARBOROUGH.
[00:05:09]
MS. YARBOROUGH. YES, MA'AM.YOU MAY BEGIN. WE CAN'T HEAR YOU, MA'AM.
YOU'RE ON MUTE. MS. YARBOROUGH I DON'T KNOW IF SHE CAN HEAR ME.
CAN SHE SEE US? MA'AM, YOU'RE ON MUTE.
I THINK IT IS IT ON, BUT IT'S JUST REALLY LOW.
OH. SHOULD WE? OKAY. YOU WANT TO GO ON? OKAY. ALL RIGHT.
WE'LL COME BACK TO HER AND GIVE HER AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
I'M GOING TO RESTART SCORES IN MY DISTRICT, DISTRICT FOUR.
THESE ARE THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE NOT PART OF NES.
SHARON ELEMENTARY MATH, EIGHTH PERCENTILE READING, 22ND PERCENTILE, 69%.
BLACK. BASTIAN: MATH 15TH PERCENTILE.
CODWELL MATH EIGHTH PERCENTILE READING 22ND PERCENTILE.
BLACK FOSTER MATH 17 PERCENTILE READING 27TH PERCENTILE BLACK 90%.
KELSO MATH 30 PERCENTILE READING 19TH PERCENTILE 66% HISPANIC 33% BLACK.
MCGREGOR MATH 22ND PERCENTILE READING 37TH PERCENTILE.
MADING MATH 35TH PERCENTILE READING 33RD PERCENTILE 76% BLACK 25% HISPANIC.
READING 32ND PERCENTILE 49% BLACK 43% HISPANIC RED MATH 31 PERCENTILE READING 46TH PERCENTILE 61%.
OKAY, PEOPLE THAT WERE PICKED UP.
BLACKSHEAR MATH 27 PERCENTILE.
THE NEXT IS MR. YARBOROUGH. IS HER AUDIO WORKING NOW? YES, IT IS. THANK YOU SO MUCH, AND I'M SORRY.
NO, NO, NO WORRIES. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. I HAVE ASKED BOARD SERVICES TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A HANDOUT.
IT'S THE FOURTH GRADE ELA LESSON FROM LAST WEDNESDAY.
IT HAS SLIDES EXPLAINING RULES FOR PUNCTUATION AND DIALOG WITH A LESS THAN RIVETING TEXT EXAMPLE AND A DOLL THAT MY DAUGHTER BROUGHT HOME WITH ALL WRONG OR BLANK ANSWERS, AND MY DAUGHTER IS SOMEONE WHO READS ON GRADE LEVEL AND GOT MEETS ON HER VERY FIRST STAAR TEST LAST YEAR.
MS. FLOWERS AND ANY OTHER EDUCATOR ON HERE WITH A DEGREE CERTIFICATION AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE KNOWS THAT IF YOU DON'T ENGAGE KIDS WITH HIGH INTEREST LESSONS, THEN YOU'RE GOING TO BE FIGHTING FOR THEIR ATTENTION AND THE LEARNING WON'T STICK, AND ANYONE ON THE BOARD, BY THE WAY, WITHOUT A DEGREE CERTIFICATION AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE, PLEASE, PLEASE TALK TO THOSE WHO DO BEFORE MANDATING WHAT'S TAUGHT IN THE CLASSROOM.
HERE'S PART OF THE LESSON THAT MY DAUGHTER DID NOT LEARN IN CLASS LAST WEDNESDAY.
IT'S IN YOUR DOL PART OF THE PACKET.
DIALOG PUNCTUATION FIVE EASY RULES.
[00:10:03]
EXAMPLE IT IS SAID FATHER.THREE. THE PUNCTUATION THAT ENDS A LINE OF DIALOG IS WRITTEN INSIDE THE QUOTATION MARKS.
EXAMPLE JUST WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING? FATHER DEMANDED. FATHER DEMANDED.
JUST WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING? OR WHEN THE TAG FOLLOWS A DIALOG.
QUOTES THAT DO NOT END IN AN EXCLAMATION POINT OR QUESTION MARK, END IN A COMMA INSTEAD OF A PERIOD.
INCORRECT. IT IS PERIOD, SAID FATHER, AND IT GOES ON FROM THERE.
HIGH QUALITY SHOULD MEAN THAT IT'S ALSO HIGHLY ENGAGING.
THIS LESSON DID NOT ENGAGE MY DAUGHTER, BUT AT HOME MY LESSON DID AND SHE FINALLY UNDERSTOOD IT.
REMEMBER, PLEASE ENGAGEMENT IS NOT THE SAME AS COMPLIANCE.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
WILL MEGAN [INAUDIBLE] PLEASE APPROACH THE MICROPHONE.
GOOD EVENING. I'M AN HISD PARENT.
I'M A PRODUCT OF TEXAS EDUCATION PUBLIC SCHOOLS AS WELL.
I WENT TO SCHOOL IN FORT BEND ISD.
I'VE BEEN A PARENT OF KIDS AT HORN ELEMENTARY.
OUR KIDS, LIKE MANY OTHER SCHOOLS, AS YOU SAW IN THE RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY, ARE HIGH PERFORMING SCHOOLS.
THESE ARE THE WHAT HISD SHOULD BE SUPER PROUD OF.
WHAT I AM MOST CONCERNED ABOUT NOW IS THAT OUR TEACHERS HAVE NO AUTONOMY.
YOU SAID TIME AND TIME AGAIN THAT YOU WOULD NOT TAKE AWAY OUR TEACHERS AUTONOMY AND NON-NES SCHOOLS.
THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE FIRST WEEK OF EDUCATION.
WE HAVE PEOPLE POLICING IN THE HALLS.
WE HAVE PEOPLE TELLING OUR TEACHERS THAT CHILDREN SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO DRAW.
MY SECOND GRADER WAS TOLD THAT HE CANNOT COLOR IN CLASS ANYMORE TO ILLUSTRATE HIS POINTS.
SO WE WOULD LIKE TO NOT BE MICROMANAGED AND WE WOULD NOT LIKE A PUNITIVE SYSTEM FOR OUR EDUCATORS WHO ARE DOING THEIR VERY BEST AND ARE DOING AN EXEMPLARY JOB AT WHAT THEY'RE WHAT THEY'RE TRAINED AND EDUCATED TO DO.
DRILL AND KILL IS NOT GOING TO CREATE SUCCESS STORIES FROM HISD.
ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL, ESPECIALLY IN A DISTRICT THIS SIZE AND I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE THINK ABOUT GIVING NON-NES SCHOOLS BACK THEIR AUTONOMY TO EDUCATE CHILDREN AND TO ALLOW THESE TEACHERS TO DO WHAT THEY'RE SO PASSIONATE ABOUT, WHICH IS EDUCATING AND ENSURING THAT OUR CHILDREN ESTABLISH A LOVE OF LEARNING.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT FLIPPING THROUGH SLIDES, FOLKS.
THIS IS ESTABLISHING A LOVE OF LEARNING.
THESE ARE YOUR FUTURE DOCTORS, LAWYERS, PEOPLE SITTING ON THIS BOARD.
THEY NEED TO LOVE LEARNING AND THAT'S HOW THEY'RE GOING TO GET THROUGH OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
THAT'S ALSO HOW THEY'RE GOING TO GET THROUGH HIGHER EDUCATION, AND THEY'LL BE HERE IN 30 YEARS AND LOOK BACK AND SAY, I WAS A PRODUCT OF HISD BECAUSE I ESTABLISHED A LOVE OF LEARNING AT A YOUNG AGE.
PLEASE COME AND WATCH HOW WE ARE IN OUR CLASSROOMS. THANK YOU, MA'AM. THE NEXT ITEM HELD FOR REGISTERED SPEAKERS IS WORK SESSION TOPIC DISTRICT COMPENSATION MANUAL.
WILL J. ALLISON CHAPIN PLEASE APPROACH THE MICROPHONE.
THIS SPEAKER IS ALSO REGISTERED TO ADDRESS MULTIPLE OTHER TOPICS.
I'M HERE TODAY. FIRST OF ALL, I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT DOI.
ABSOLUTELY THE COMMUNITY HAS ALREADY SPOKEN, NOT IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF HOUSTON ISD.
SPEAKING AS A TEACHER, I CAN GUARANTEE YOU SPEAKING TO OTHER TEACHERS WHO ARE UNDER DOI DISTRICTS, LIFE IS NOT PRETTY FOR THEM.
ANYWAY, GET RID OF DOI PLEASE DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.
I LIVED THROUGH T-TESS FOR TWO YEARS.
THIS IS AN AMENDED VERSION THAT DOES NOTHING.
IF YOU WANT TO DEMORALIZE TEACHERS AND STUDENTS EVEN MORE THAN YOU ALREADY HAVE AS A BOARD.
JUST WHEN I THINK IT CAN'T GET WORSE, I'M PROVEN WRONG.
[00:15:02]
THE NEXT ITEM HELD FOR REGISTERED SPEAKERS IS WORK SESSION TOPIC EXCEPTION TO HOUSE BILL THREE.WILL AISHA ARCHER PLEASE APPROACH THE MICROPHONE? GOOD EVENING.
I AM THE PARENT OF TWO HISD STUDENTS AND I AM HERE TODAY TO ASK YOU TO MODIFY THE LANGUAGE AND THE EXCEPTION TO HOUSE BILL THREE RESOLUTION SO THAT IT PROHIBITS THE USE OF THE GUARDIAN AND MARTIAL PROGRAMS IN HISD.
THE CURRENT LANGUAGE IN THE RESOLUTION ASKS THE BOARD OF MANAGERS TO DELEGATE AUTHORITY TO THE SUPERINTENDENT TO DEVELOP AN ALTERNATIVE STANDARD FOR COMPLIANCE WITH HB THREE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEXAS EDUCATION CODE.
ARMED EDUCATORS ARE NEVER ACCEPTABLE REPLACEMENTS FOR TRAINED LAW ENFORCEMENT.
EVEN SOME OF THE MOST HIGHLY TRAINED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN THE COUNTRY SEE THEIR ABILITY TO SHOOT ACCURATELY DECREASE SIGNIFICANTLY WHEN ENGAGED IN GUN FIGHTS. TO EXPECT AN EDUCATOR TO MAKE SPLIT SECOND LIFE OR DEATH DECISIONS TO TRY TO TAKE DOWN AN ACTIVE SHOOTER IS UNREALISTIC.
I HAVE ALSO SENT YOU AN EMAIL LISTING THE MEDIA REPORTED INCIDENTS OF GUNS MISHANDLED IN TEXAS SCHOOLS BY EMPLOYEES AUTHORIZED TO CARRY ON CAMPUS IN THE 22 TO 23 SCHOOL YEAR.
MOST OF THESE INCIDENTS INVOLVE A MARSHAL OR A GUARDIAN.
I APPRECIATE THAT THE BOARD OF MANAGERS IS TRYING TO FOCUS MORE OF ITS TIME ON IMPROVING STUDENT OUTCOMES BY DELEGATING MORE RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE SUPERINTENDENT, BUT I AM CONCERNED THAT THE CURRENT LANGUAGE IN THE RESOLUTION DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY GUARDRAILS THAT WOULD GUARANTEE THAT HISD WILL NOT ARM TEACHERS, STAFF AND ADMINISTRATION.
WHILE BOTH SUPERINTENDENT MILES AND CHIEF GARNER HAVE INDICATED IN THE PRESS AND AT PUBLIC MEETINGS THAT THEY WOULD INVEST IN THE HISD POLICE TO MEET THE HB THREE REQUIREMENTS, THE SUPERINTENDENT HAS ADMITTED THAT THIS WILL BE DIFFICULT TO DO FROM DAY ONE BECAUSE OF FINANCIAL AND LABOR CONSTRAINTS.
AS A RESULT, I URGE THE BOARD TO CODIFY THE PROHIBITION OF THE USE OF THE GUARDIAN AND MARSHAL IN THE BOARD'S RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE SUPERINTENDENT TO DEVELOP THE ALTERNATIVE STANDARD.
THE NEXT ITEM HELD FOR REGISTERED SPEAKERS IS ITEM ONE.
WE WILL BEGIN WITH SPEAKERS WHO ARE SIGNED UP TO ADDRESS THE BOARD IN PERSON.
WILL ANNE EAGLETON PLEASE APPROACH THE MICROPHONE? THIS SPEAKER WILL BE FOLLOWED BY SARAH TERRELL.
HELLO, I'M UPSET THAT YOU PUT THIS AS A BUSINESS ITEM ON THIS AGENDA BECAUSE YOU CLEARLY WANT TO MOVE ON IT TONIGHT. THE BEST PRACTICES AS OUTLINED BY TASB IS BEFORE YOU START THIS, YOU HAVE SOME FORM OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SO PEOPLE KNOW WHAT A DISTRICT OF INNOVATION IS, THAT THEY UNDERSTAND YOU'RE NOT INNOVATING.
YOU'RE ACTUALLY JUST GETTING OUT OF FOLLOWING THE TEXAS EDUCATION CODE.
GIVEN THIS REQUIRES TRUST, I WOULD HAVE TO TRUST YOU AS A BOARD OF MANAGERS.
I'D HAVE TO TRUST OUR SUPERINTENDENT.
ALL I HAVE SEEN ARE ALL THE CHECKS AND BALANCES DISAPPEAR FROM THIS DISTRICT.
THE LAST ONE THAT I THOUGHT MAYBE COULD STAND WOULD BE THAT WE WOULD HAVE A CHIEF AUDITOR THAT REPORTED TO THE BOARD, BUT THAT IS NOW GONE. SOMEONE WHO REPORTS TO MIKE MILES WILL BE IN CHARGE OF OVERSEEING OUR INTERNAL AUDIT FUNCTION.
THAT SHOULD FRIGHTEN EVERY TAXPAYER IN HOUSTON THAT IS NOT APPROPRIATE, AND GIVEN THE TRACK RECORD OF THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN THIS DISTRICT, IT REALLY DOESN'T SIT WELL WITH ME, AND NOW YOU WANT ME TO SAY YAY TO A DISTRICT OF INNOVATION.
JUST REIN IT IN, BUILD SOME TRUST WITH US SO THAT WE KNOW WHAT YOUR REAL INTENTION IS, BECAUSE I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT ANYBODY'S INTENTION IS, BUT IT SMELLS LIKE WE ARE GOING TO BE MISSING A LOT OF MONEY BY THE END OF THIS LITTLE EXPERIMENT.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SARAH TERRELL.
[00:20:01]
ONCE YOU'RE IN DOI, AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT YOU CAN ASK FOR DOI BASED ON WANTING THE EXPANDED CALENDAR, BUT ONCE YOU HAVE IT, YOU CAN GET ANY AND ALL OF THE OTHER 67 THINGS WAIVED, INCLUDING LIMITATIONS ON CLASS SIZES, LIMITATIONS ON TEACHER TO STUDENT RATIOS, LIMITATIONS ON NOTIFYING PARENTS WHEN THOSE BOUNDARIES HAVE BEEN BUSTED, A LOT OF THINGS.NOW, THE HISTORY OF MIKE MILES HAS BEEN SO OBVIOUSLY FROM THE MOMENT HE ARRIVED AND TOLD YOU THAT YOU NEEDED TO WAIVE THE CERTIFICATION FOR HIMSELF, HAS BEEN TO ASK YOU TO WAIVE OVERSIGHT CONTROLS AND ACCOUNTABILITY CONTROLS FOR HIM.
SO HE'S HAD TO WAIVE NUMEROUS AND CHANGE NUMEROUS HR POLICIES THAT DEAL WITH OUR TEACHERS AND OUR STAFF THAT ARE SO IMPORTANT AND ARE IN SUCH HIGH DEMAND FOR OTHER DISTRICTS.
HE'S WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE DECREASED OVERSIGHT OVER VENDOR APPOINTMENTS, YOU KNOW, COMING BEFORE THE BOARD AND EVEN BEING NOTED IN PUBLIC DOCUMENTS THAT ARE EASILY OBTAINED BY THE PUBLIC.
SO MORE AND MORE, I'M SEEING THAT FOR MIKE MILES, OVERSIGHT RULES ARE NOT FOR HIM.
SO WE'VE GOT OUR CHILDREN AND OUR SCHOOLS BEING REQUIRED TO BE ACCOUNTABLE EVERY FOUR MINUTES FOR WHETHER THEY'RE PAYING ATTENTION OR NOT, AND OUR TEACHERS ARE BEING SUBJECTED TO A SURVEILLANCE STATE THAT IS JUST ALMOST UNREAL.
BETWEEN THE 24 HOUR VIDEO CAMERA SURVEILLANCE AND THE CONSTANT POPPING IN OF THE AGENTS FROM HR I MEAN FROM FROM ADMIN CHECKING, CHECKING, CHECKING THE OVERSIGHT IS INSANE, BUT IT'S ALWAYS NOT FOR MIKE.
IT'S FOR EVERYONE ELSE, AND I HOPE YOU SEE THAT MACRO TREND, DOI IS A BIG PART OF THAT TREND.
THANK YOU, MA'AM. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS RUTH KRAVITZ, WHO IS ALSO REGISTERED FOR ITEM NUMBER TWO.
PLEASE GO AHEAD. I WAS LISTENING TO PEOPLE NOT IN THIS ROOM SPEAK AND I THOUGHT, I KNOW THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE ON THIS PLANET WHO DON'T CARE ABOUT KIDS WHO HAVE CRAZY RACIST AND CLASSIST SENSIBILITIES AND I KNOW THAT YOU DO NOT, BUT WHAT THEY'RE DOING THAT I WOULD ASSUME MOST PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM DISAGREE WITH IS WHAT YOU'RE DOING WITH A SMILE ON YOUR FACE, AND I'M HOPING THAT AS YOU COME TO KNOW THE STUDENTS IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, YOU ON THE APPOINTED BOARD OF MANAGERS CAN CHANGE.
UNDER DOI MIKE MILES WOULD HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO CHANGE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR STUDENT PERFORMANCE, SUCH AS THE AUTHORITY TO RAISE CLASS SIZE LIMITS OR REMOVE THEM ENTIRELY, THE ELIMINATION OF EMPLOYEE CONTRACTS AND EVEN THE REMOVAL OF CAMPUS VISITORS BECAUSE OF WHAT'S HAPPENED THIS SUMMER.
I WONDER IF AS A RESULT OF THIS HE WOULD REMOVE HISD'S VOLUNTEER PROGRAM OR EVEN BAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PARENTS FROM COMING INSIDE? BECAUSE WHAT'S HAPPENING IN SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS IS UNCONSCIONABLE.
IF YOU WERE AN ELECTED BOARD ACCOUNTABLE AND RESPONSIVE TO PARENTS AND VOTERS LIKE US.
I MEAN, EXEMPTION PLAN MIGHT MEET CERTAIN NEEDS AND I WOULD SUPPORT IT LIKE STARTING THE SCHOOL YEAR EARLIER IN AUGUST, BUT WE DON'T HAVE AN ELECTED AND ACCOUNTABLE TAKEOVER BOARD. MILES HAS ALREADY REMOVED SAFEGUARDS TARGETING UNDER-RESOURCED NEIGHBORHOODS, THE MOST AS YOU KNOW, HE'S FIRED LIBRARIANS AND TURNED LIBRARIES INTO ZOOM DISCIPLINE CENTERS AND HIRED TEACHERS WITH NO EXPERIENCE, NO CERTIFICATIONS OR TRAINING.
ONE OF THEM WAS HER SON'S TEACHER.
THE PARENT HAS NO RECOURSE AND THE TEACHERS ARE WORKING IN FEAR THAT THEY WILL BE NEXT YEAR.
THE BOARD OF MANAGERS AND I EXPECT YOU TO DO BETTER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MA'AM.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS KARINA QUEZADA, FOLLOWED BY--MS. QUEZADA, FOLLOWED BY JANE [INAUDIBLE].
PLEASE RESPECT THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE AND DO NOT INITIATE THE DISTRICT OF INNOVATION PROCESS.
[00:25:05]
AS RECENTLY AS 2022, THE HISD COMMUNITY SPOKE AND REJECTED DOI.EXEMPTING ONESELF OUT OF STATE LAW SHOULD AND DOES HAVE CHECKS AND BALANCES.
MILES IS ATTEMPTING TO CIRCUMVENT AN ADDED MECHANISM THAT IS ENSHRINED IN STATE STATUTE THAT ALLOWS FOR THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THE DISTRICT ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO HAVE A SAY AND VOTE BEFORE AGREEING TO EXEMPT OURSELVES OUT OF THE BASIC PROTECTIONS AND RIGHTS PROVIDED TO US IN TEXAS STATE LAW.
PRIOR TO THE TAKEOVER, UP TO 18 DAC MEMBERS WOULD BE APPOINTED BY OUR ELECTED BOARD.
TRUSTEES ELECTED BY THEIR CONSTITUENTS WHO BELIEVED IN THEIR VISION.
THIS IS YET ANOTHER ASSAULT ON OUR RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY.
THESE ARE THREE PAGES LISTING ALL OF THE DIFFERENT LAWS A DISTRICT COULD EXEMPT ITSELF FROM EXEMPTING FROM HAVING CERTIFIED TEACHERS CLASS SIZES, NOTIFYING PARENTS THEIR CHILD DOESN'T HAVE A CERTIFIED TEACHER OR THE CLASS SIZE IS HUGE.
HAVING AN SDMC TEACHER PLANNING PERIOD, DUTY FREE LUNCHES AND THE LIST GOES ON.
WITH ONLY A BOARD VOTE, IT NO LONGER WILL GO BACK TO THE DAC FOR A VOTE.
THE CALENDAR AND DOI ARE A TROJAN HORSE TO STRIP PARENTS, STUDENTS AND TEACHERS OF BASIC RIGHTS.
IF YOU TRULY WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DOI, I AM HAPPY TO TALK TO ANYONE.
AT THE VERY LEAST, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH.
PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THE WORD OF A CON MAN WITH A FAILING TRACK RECORD.
IN 2018, WE REFUSED TO CHARTER TEN SCHOOLS IN 2019 TO TRIES TO TAKE US OVER 2020.
WE VOTED NO ON DOI AND HERE YOU ARE.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU, JANE [INAUDIBLE].
AS THE DISTRICT CONSIDERS PURSUING A DISTRICT OF INNOVATION STATUS, I WANT TO REMIND THE APPOINTED BOARD THAT BEFORE YOU ALLOW THE SUPERINTENDENT TO HAVE MORE, QUOTE, LOCAL FLEXIBILITY THAT'S COMING FROM YOUR RESOLUTION THAT A DOI ALLOWS THAT YOU ASK YOURSELF IF THIS DISTRICT HAS EARNED A QUOTE, ACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE STATUS TO EVEN PURSUE DOI.
I'LL SAY THE SAME THING TO YOU THAT I SAID TO THE ELECTED BOARD LAST TIME.
THIS CAME UP UNTIL YOU HAVE PROVEN THAT YOU CAN ENSURE THIS DISTRICT IS MEETING THE FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, YOU SHOULD NOT PURSUE A DOI AND CHANGE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE TEXAS EDUCATION CODE.
THIS DISTRICT DOES NOT DESERVE FLEXIBILITY.
BASIC COMPLIANCE IS STILL LACKING.
HERE ARE THE ISSUES STILL FACING PARENTS LIKE ME.
THERE'S BEEN NO COMMITMENT FROM THE SPECIAL EDUCATION TEAM ABOUT WHEN THESE SERVICES WILL RESUME.
NUMBER TWO, CHILDREN IN NES CAMPUSES ARE BEING EXPOSED TO DISTRICT MANDATED CURRICULUM LESSON PACING AND SEGREGATED DISCIPLINARY PRACTICES THAT MAY BE IN DIRECT VIOLATION OF THEIR RIGHTS.
THIS IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO HURT ALL STUDENTS.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS REGISTERED TO ADDRESS THE BOARD VIA ZOOM.
MS. SMITH, PLEASE MARIA BENSON.
[INAUDIBLE] CAN YOU HEAR ME? LET ME TURN MY.
CAN YOU STOP TALKING? WE CAN HEAR YOU. PLEASE, GOD.
HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
MY NAME IS MARIA BENSON AND I'M A TEACHER AT SUGAR GROVE ACADEMY.
I URGE YOU TO VOTE NO ON BOARD.
[00:30:02]
ITEM NUMBER ONE DISTRICT OF INNOVATION.THE ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS HAVE WORKED HARD TO MEET MR. MILES'S EXPECTATION OF HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION.
HE AND HIS TEAM VISITED SGA AND SAID, OVERALL, WE WERE GOOD.
FIRST, OUR MERCHANT BILINGUAL STUDENTS NEED SUPPORT.
IN THE SUMMER MR. MILES SAID THAT EBS WILL GET SCIENCE OF READING WITH DECODING AND COMPREHENSION.
HOWEVER, ESSER SEEMS TO BE ANOTHER CLASS WITH SUMMARIZING AND PARAPHRASING.
THIS DOESN'T HELP THE KIDS WHO CANNOT READ ENGLISH.
OUR LEARNERS DESERVE HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION.
SECOND, TEACHERS SHOULD INTERNALIZE THE LESSON.
WELL, HOW? WHEN THERE ARE ERRORS IN THE MATH CURRICULUM AND UPDATES ARE NOT TIMELY OR COMMUNICATED CLEARLY IN OTHER CLASSES, UNIT ASSESSMENTS ARE MISSING.
HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO PLAN WITH THE END IN MIND? OUR LEARNERS DESERVE HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION.
THIRD, THE STUDENTS NEED MORE EXPERIENCE WITH TECHNOLOGY.
THE STAAR IS ONLINE, THE FUTURE IS AI.
YET WE MUST DO OUR EOL ON PAPER.
OUR LEARNERS DESERVE HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION.
FOURTH, CURRICULUM SHOULD BE RIGOROUS.
IS THE ART OF THINKING CURRICULUM RIGOROUS WHEN GRADES THREE AND FOUR ARE THE SAME, GRADES FIVE AND SIX ARE THE SAME, GRADE SEVEN AND EIGHT ARE THE SAME AND GRADES NINE AND TEN ARE THE SAME.
OUR LEARNERS DESERVE HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION.
WE AT SUGAR GROVE ARE DOING THE BEST WE CAN.
MR. MILES, WE NEED YOU TO DO BETTER.
WILL JACKIE ANDERSON PLEASE APPROACH THE MICROPHONE? GOOD EVENING. I'LL BE VERY BRIEF TONIGHT.
THANK YOU FOR AGREEING TO THE STATE DEVELOPED EVALUATION SYSTEM.
THE IMPLICATION THAT TEACHERS DO NOT WANT TO BE EVALUATED IS FAR FROM TRUE.
TEACHERS HAVE NEVER COMPLAINED ABOUT BEING EVALUATED.
THEY ONLY ASK TO BE EVALUATED FROM AN ASSESSMENT THAT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED IN A FAIR IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW AND IN CONSULTATION WITH SDMCS AND TEACHERS.
THAT CONCLUDES OUR HEARING OF REGISTERED SPEAKERS FOR THIS MEETING.
THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE SPEAKERS.
SUPERINTENDENT MILES NOW HAS INFORMATION TO SHARE WITH THE BOARD.
[PRESENTATION OF WORK SESSION TOPICS]
MR. MILES, WHENEVER YOU'RE READY, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.I DON'T SEE YOU, SIR, IN THE GRAY JACKET.
CAN YOU PLEASE STOP YELLING OUT? SIR, THIS IS YOUR FIRST WARNING.
PLEASE STOP INTERRUPTING THE MEETING, MR. MILES. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
I'M SO HAPPY THAT I THINK 6 OR 7 OF YOU WENT ON TOURS OF THE FIRST WEEK.
WE ALSO BROUGHT A NUMBER OF PEOPLE FROM THE MEDIA AND OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE WALKED THROUGH THE SCHOOLS WITH ME, AND SO AT THIS POINT, I THINK I'VE BEEN IN NINE SCHOOLS.
LAST WEEK, I THINK SIX AND THEN A COUPLE THIS WEEK.
I'VE BEEN IN SEVEN OF THESE STARTS.
START OF SCHOOLS, WITH A SIMILAR SYSTEM TO NES, AND THIS WAS A PRETTY GOOD START CONSIDERING ALSO THAT WE HAD 85 SCHOOLS DOING IT INSTEAD OF A HANDFUL, AND THE THING THAT I'VE NOTICED MOST IS THAT THE KIDS ADAPTED WELL.
THE KIDS, IT WAS LIKE THEY HADN'T LEFT SCHOOL.
THEY WERE WALKING LEVEL ZERO SINGLE FILE.
[00:35:08]
MIDDLE SCHOOLS, AND SO FOR TWO WEEKS, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S ALWAYS A HONEYMOON, BUT STILL THAT'S PRETTY GOOD FOR ALL THE KIDS THAT WE SAW.TEACHERS WERE USING THE MODEL.
THEY HAD THEIR CLASSROOMS SET UP.
THEY HAD THEIR LESSON OBJECTIVES, THEIR DOLS, AND WE STARTED INSTRUCTION ON DAY ONE, AND , YOU KNOW, IT TURNS OUT IF YOU TALK TO A LOT OF THE KIDS LIKE I DID AND SOME OF YOU DID, THEY THEY THOUGHT IT WAS OKAY.
SOME OF THEM WERE LIKE, WOW, WE HAD INSTRUCTION ON THE VERY FIRST DAY, BUT IN ANY CASE, IT WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE NEED TO BE CHALLENGED. IT'D BE DIFFERENT FROM LAST YEAR.
THE TEACHERS REALLY GOT INTO IT.
YES, THERE'S SOME CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT, AS YOU SAW, BUT A NEED FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT, BUT THE TEACHERS WERE ENGAGING KIDS FROM DAY ONE. THEY WERE TEACHING.
THEY WERE UP, THEY WERE DOING THEIR JOB, AND SO I THOUGHT IT WAS A REALLY GOOD START.
YES, WE WERE IN CLASSROOMS A LOT.
PRINCIPALS, THAT'S THEIR NEW FOCUS.
WE HAD DIVISION LEADERS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS IN THE SCHOOLS CONSTANTLY, AND THEY WERE LOOKING AT INSTRUCTION, AND THEY WERE COACHING AND GIVING FEEDBACK LIKE THEY WILL DO EVERY SINGLE DAY THIS YEAR, AND NONE OF THAT FEEDBACK COUNTS FOR AN EVALUATION RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THAT'S THOSE ON THE JOB COACHING SESSIONS ARE NOT EVALUATIVE, BUT THEY ARE FEEDBACK.
IT'S FEEDBACK FOR OUR TEACHERS AND THAT'S HOW WE IMPROVE.
IT'S LIKE A COACH ON A FOOTBALL FIELD.
IT'S NOT GOING TO BE ONCE EVERY THREE WEEKS, IT'S GOING TO BE DAILY COACHING, AND FROM WHAT I COULD SEE, THE TEACHERS RESPONDED WELL TO IT, AND , YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PARENTS WERE RESPONDING TO IT.
LAST NIGHT I WAS AT THE WITH BOARD MEMBER PAULA MENDOZA WITH THE LATINOS FOR EDUCATION, AND SEVERAL PARENTS IN THAT GROUP SAID THEY ARE SO THANKFUL FOR THE CHANGES, AND YOU KNOW, WHEN I GO ABOUT TOWN, IT'S THE SAME THING.
SO MOVING FORWARD, THAT'S I THINK WE'RE OFF TO A REALLY GOOD START AND WE'RE JUST GOING TO KEEP GOING STRONG, AND IN THE END OF THE DAY, THE KIDS, THE KIDS WILL HAVE EVEN MORE FUN AS TIME GOES ON.
SECOND ON THE LIST IS DATED PRESENTATION.
SO I'M GOING TO START WITH SOME STAAR DATA.
I'M GOING TO BE FAST BOARD MEMBERS.
UNLESS YOU WANT ME TO STOP ON ANY ONE SLIDE.
YOU'VE RECEIVED THE STAAR DATA.
THIS IS THE STAAR DATA THAT CAME OUT A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO.
WE STILL DON'T HAVE THE OVERALL ACCOUNTABILITY METRIC AND THAT WILL COME OUT AT THE END OF THIS MONTH, BUT YOU CAN TELL A LOT FROM THE STAAR DATA, AND SO LET ME JUST SHOW YOU REAL QUICK ON SLIDES, AND AS I GO THROUGH THE SLIDES, I'D LIKE YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE 2019 DATA, WHICH IS PRIOR TO COVID AND THEN THE 2023 DATA JUST BY WAY OF COMPARISON.
SO I'LL RACE THROUGH THESE SLIDES AND THEN MAKE SOME GENERAL COMMENTS.
THE BLUE BAR ON THE LEFT IS THE STATE AVERAGE.
THE GOLD BAR IS OUR THIRD GRADE READING.
THIS THIRD GRADE MATH, AGAIN, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE COMPARISON, FOURTH GRADE READING, FOURTH GRADE MATH.
CAN WE ASK THIS GENTLEMAN TO STOP, PLEASE? SIR, IN THE GRAY JACKET.
[00:40:03]
I'M ASKING YOU TO PLEASE STOP DISRUPTING THE MEETING.IF I HAVE TO ASK YOU AGAIN, I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO LEAVE.
ENGLISH TO, AND THEN YOU U.S HISTORY.
OVERALL. OUT OF THE 21 EXAMS, WE DECREASED IN 13 OF THEM.
IMPROVED SLIGHTLY IN SEVEN OF THEM, AND WAS EVEN ON ONE SINCE 2019 AND THE OVERALL DECREASE IS 89 POINTS, 89 PERCENTAGE POINTS LOSS SINCE 2019.
SO THE MESSAGE IS WE HAVEN'T GONE BACK UP TO MEET OUR 2019 SCORES.
THAT'S TRUE, BUT THIS SLIDE HERE SHOWS YOU THAT BECAUSE OF THAT CHANGE IN METHODOLOGY, THE STATE WENT DOWN OVERALL IN READING TWO POINTS. WE WENT DOWN SEVEN POINTS.
THE STATE IMPROVED SEVEN POINTS AND WE DECREASED TWO POINTS OVERALL IN MATH.
SO. THE LAST COUPLE OF SLIDES I'LL SHOW YOU ON THE ACHIEVEMENT IS THIS ONE IS THE 2023 DISTRICT WIDE READING OVERALL READING FOR THE DISTRICT.
WE WERE AT 43 OVERALL 43 MEETS AND EXCEEDS.
THIS IS ON 2023, THE ONE THAT JUST CAME OUT, THE DATA THAT JUST CAME OUT.
I'VE BEEN SAYING WITH OTHER DATA AS WELL THAT THERE'S THREE THINGS THE DATA SHOW.
NUMBER ONE, LOW PROFICIENCY, AND ACROSS THE NATION THIS IS THE CASE, TOO.
LOW PROFICIENCY AND INABILITY TO CHANGE THAT PROFICIENCY.
WE'RE STILL THE SAME AS WE WERE 20 YEARS AGO, AND THEN NUMBER THREE, THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP, WHICH HAS BEEN THIS HIGH IN THE NATION FOR 20 SOME YEARS.
THOSE THREE THINGS HAVE BEEN TRUE.
ARE TRUE TODAY IN HISD AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE TRUE IF WE DO NOTHING DIFFERENT.
THIS IS THE LAST GENERATION OF STUDENTS IN SCHOOL BEFORE THE SCHOOLS GAP IS LOCKED IN.
WHAT WE'RE DOING IS ALREADY SHOWING THAT IT HAS PROMISED THAT KIDS WILL BE FOCUSED, WHICH THEY ARE IN THE TEAM CENTERS, BY THE WAY, AND THE BOARD MEMBERS WHO'VE BEEN ON THE TOUR TO SEE THE INCREDIBLE FOCUS OF OUR KIDS AND THE FACT THAT THEY'RE ENJOYING GOING TO THE TEAM CENTERS.
THAT'S HAPPENING, AND IT'S NOT JUST ONE SCHOOL, NOT AN ANECDOTE SO FAR, NOT JUST THE SCHOOLS I'VE SEEN, GIVEN ALL THE E XECUTIVE DIRECTORS AND PEOPLE IN CENTRAL OFFICE WHO'VE BEEN TO THE SCHOOLS, THEY'RE SAYING THE SAME THINGS THAT THIS SHOWS REAL PROMISE AND THE DISCIPLINE ESPECIALLY THERE'S LOTS OF ANECDOTES ABOUT HOW WELL THE KIDS ARE BEHAVING AND STUDENTS ARE REPORTING, WOW, THIS IS THIS IS A LOT MORE QUIETER.
THIS IS A LOT MORE DISCIPLINED, AND THEY'RE SAYING THAT'S OKAY.
ALREADY THE PRESSURE FROM THE SUMMER THE IS NOT AS HIGH THE TEMPERATURE I MEAN THE TEMPERATURE HAS GONE NOT THE ACTUAL TEMPERATURE, BUT THE TEMPERATURE OF THE PEOPLE'S CONCERNS HAVE GONE DOWN BECAUSE ONCE THE SCHOOL STARTED AND I PREDICTED THIS, I TOLD YOU ONCE WE GOT INTO SCHOOL, THEY WOULD ACTUALLY
[00:45:03]
SEE WHAT A TEAM CENTER LOOKS LIKE.THEY'LL ACTUALLY SEE WHAT THE INSTRUCTION IS LIKE AND THEY'LL BE THEY'LL BE FINE WITH IT.
NEXT ON THE--MR. MILES, I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY, IT MIGHT BE MORE EFFICIENT RATHER THAN WAITING FOR QUESTIONS TILL THE END TO PAUSE HERE AND SEE IF ANYBODY HAS QUESTIONS ABOUT EITHER THE STAAR TEST DATA OR THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL.
ANY QUESTIONS? ANYBODY? SUPERINTENDENT MILES, IF YOU COULD SPEAK TO IN LIGHT OF THE DATA THAT YOU GOT ON THE STAAR TEST, ONE, IS THIS WHAT'S EXPECTED AND NOW MOVING FORWARD WITH YOUR PLAN, HOW DOES HOW DOES THIS INFORM YOUR PLAN OR WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? SO WE SEE IT. WE SEE THE INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT GAP, WHICH IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE.
SO CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THE PLAN IS MOVING FORWARD? YEAH, THANKS FOR ASKING.
THE SCHOOLS HAVE HAD WHAT'S KNOWN AS WHAT IF DATA.
SO THAT'S IF WE TOOK THE METHODOLOGY AND APPLIED IT TO 2022 SCORES, WHERE WOULD YOUR SCHOOL BE? AND SO THAT DATA HAS BEEN OUT THERE SINCE THE SINCE JUNE OR END OF JUNE, AND S IT'S NOT TOTALLY PREDICTIVE, BUT IT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT THE SCORES WILL BE.
SO WE KNEW WE WOULD HAVE SOME CHALLENGES, JUST LIKE.
IT LOOKS LIKE I'VE TOLD YOU BEFORE, WHEN THE ACCOUNTABILITY RATINGS COME OUT, WE WILL HAVE OVER 50 SCHOOLS, PROBABLY WITH A D OR F. THAT'S BASED ON WHAT IF DATA.
THAT'S WHAT THEY CALL IT. WHAT IF, BY THE WAY, IT'S NOT A WORD I CHOSE.
SO THIS NOTION OF THE OF THIS TREND OF LOW PROFICIENCY.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE DATA CLOSELY AND I HAVE DESTINATION 2035 WAS BASED ON THOSE SORTS OF DATA.
SO WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DO IS THE QUESTION AND THE ANSWER IS IN DESTINATION 2035, MEANING THIS.
WE HAVE TO DO WHOLESCALE SYSTEMIC REFORM.
WE CANNOT DO PIECEMEAL ONE THING AT A TIME.
WE WANTED TO WE STARTED WITH 28 WHOLESCALE REFORM, LOTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS HAPPENING AT ONE TIME, HOW WE STAFFED THE BUILDING, WHICH BY THE WAY, IS A BIG HIT WITH THE TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS OF THE NES AND NES/A SCHOOLS, HOW WE STAFFED THE BUILDINGS, HOW WE COMPENSATE PEOPLE, HOW THE INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL WORKS, HOW IT DIFFERENTIATES, WHAT SORT OF PERSPECTIVES AND EXPERIENCES WILL WE PROVIDE KIDS LIKE THROUGH THE DYAD OR THROUGH TRAVEL, NOT JUST EVALUATION, BUT ALSO COMPENSATION, ALL THESE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING AT ONE TIME, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, UNNERVING FOR SOME PEOPLE IS THE ANSWER.
THERE IS NO OTHER ANSWER OUT THERE.
IT'S BEEN COMPLICATED A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE WE AGREED TO ADD 57 SCHOOLS WHO VOLUNTEERED.
SO THAT GENERALLY IS THE IS THE ANSWER TO HOW WE CLOSE THE GAP AND GET US READY FOR THE YEAR 2035.
THANK YOU. ANY OTHER MR. RIVON. I'LL MAKE A COMMENT AND THEN ALSO A QUESTION.
SO THE COMMENT I WOULD LIKE TO.
HOW ABOUT NOW? BETTER? BETTER.
SO THE COMMENT I'D LIKE TO MAKE IS.
YOU KNOW, REALLY TO UTILIZE THE TIME TO JUST HIGHLIGHT THE SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM.
I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO WALK THROUGH MULTIPLE SCHOOLS WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT AND I FOUND THAT THE PROGRAM WAS WAS ENGAGING. MY SON GOES TO LANIER, WHICH ISN'T AN NES SCHOOL WHICH ISN'T IN AN NES/A SCHOOL, BUT SOME OF THOSE PROGRAMMATIC MEASURES ALSO FLOWED INTO HIS SCHOOL.
THUS FAR, WE'VE STARTED THE SCHOOL YEAR AND WHAT I WOULD CALL A STELLAR POSITION.
FIRST, WE BEGAN WITH NO TEACHER VACANCIES, AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE WE HAVE TO ALSO CONSIDER HOW WE WERE ALSO FULLY STAFFED ON THE BUS ROUTES, AND THIS IS A MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT THAT I DON'T HAVE ANY RECORD SHOWING THAT WE'VE EVER DONE THAT IN HISD AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO COMMEND THE STAFF, ESPECIALLY THESE THAT ARE SITTING HERE, AS YOU ALL ARE, THE LEADERSHIP GROUP THAT
[00:50:10]
HELPED US ACHIEVE THAT, AND SO FOR THE HARD WORK, THE FOCUS AND THE DEDICATION THAT YOU'VE SHOWN IN RELATION TO GETTING US STARTED IN THE RIGHT, ON THE RIGHT FOOT, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT WORK, AND I DO WANT TO JUST HIGHLIGHT THAT 2035 IS A ROBUST PLAN AND IT'S ALSO VERY DIFFICULT TO CONSUME FOR THE AVERAGE PERSON, AND SO AS WE ARE WORKING TOWARD CLOSING THAT GAP, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO ASK IS HOW HOW IN LIGHT OF THESE GAPS, HOW ESSENTIALLY AND WHAT PARTS OF THE 2035 PLAN DO YOU SEE MAKING THE GREATEST IMPACT ON, YOU KNOW, SPECIFICALLY THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP? YEAH. THANKS FOR ASKING. LOOK, ONE OF THE THINGS I NEED TO ALWAYS FOOTNOTE IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GOING TO TURN AROUND THE DISTRICT IN A YEAR.YOU WILL SEE OBVIOUS GAINS, BUT YOU WILL NOT TURN THE DISTRICT AROUND IN A YEAR.
YOU KNOW, I'VE SAID BEFORE, MY GOAL AND HOPEFULLY THE BOARD'S GOAL IS TO RETURN THE DISTRICT BACK TO ITS ELECTED BOARD AS SOON AS WE CAN, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE'RE NOT WAITING, EVEN THOUGH, YOU KNOW, WE KNEW IT WOULD BE TOUGH THIS SUMMER, ESPECIALLY ON THE CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF.
SO THAT'S ONE THING TO ALWAYS FOOTNOTE THAT THERE'S NO MAGIC BULLET.
THERE'S NO, YOU KNOW, THING WE CAN DO THAT'S JUST GOING TO TURN AROUND.
THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION IS IT HAS TO BE WHOLE SCALE.
I CAN SAY THAT IT'S A READING CURRICULUM, BUT IT'S NOT JUST THAT I CAN SAY IT'S MORE INSTRUCTIONAL FEEDBACK, BUT IT'S NOT JUST THAT I CAN SAY IT'S, YOU KNOW, REALLY WORKING ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND HAVING EFFECTIVE TEACHERS, BUT IT'S NOT JUST THAT.
IT'S NOT JUST HAVING ZERO VACANCIES.
IT'S NOT JUST IMPROVING OUR SYSTEMS, WHICH IS ALSO IMPORTANT.
IT'S NOT JUST HAVING PRINCIPALS REALLY KNOW HOW TO RAISE THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION.
IT'S NOT JUST THAT WE CAN DO ATTENDANCE, RAISE STAFF ATTENDANCE.
IT'S ALL THESE THINGS TOGETHER.
THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE, AND THAT'S AND YOU CORRECTLY POINTED OUT, THIS IS WHY IT'S SO HARD TO EXPLAIN, BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN HANDLE MOST MOST NON EDUCATORS CAN HANDLE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE DOING THIS ONE THING, WE'RE DOING THIS PROGRAMMATIC THING, AND IT'S MUCH HARDER TO FOR NON EDUCATORS TO SAY OR TO THINK ABOUT, OKAY, HOW DOES THE WHOLE SYSTEM MOVE TO EDUCATE KIDS? AND THAT'S BEEN A CHALLENGE.
IT'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE A CHALLENGE.
YOU KNOW, I STARTED ON EVEN WEEK ONE TO TRY TO TALK ABOUT THAT.
SO THAT'S THE BEST ANSWER I CAN GIVE YOU.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I'VE GOT ONE QUESTION, MR. MILES. WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE DATA RELATED TO MATH PROFICIENCY AND GAPS, IT LOOKS WORSE MAYBE THAN THE READING. DO YOU THINK THAT THE PLAN THAT'S CURRENTLY SET OUT IS INTENDED TO ENHANCE THE MATH PROFICIENCY KIND OF IN A WAY THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE MORE RESULTS FROM THAT, I GUESS, AS A PERCENTAGE IMPROVEMENT OVER TIME JUST BECAUSE THE NUMBERS ARE SO LOW. YES, WE'RE GOING TO SEE BETTER MATH SCORES OVER TIME.
AGAIN, IT'S NOT NOBODY WILL SNAP THEIR FINGERS AND SAY THIS IS GOING TO BE AN IMPROVEMENT, BUT WE DO HAVE A STRONGER CURRICULUM CALLED EUREKA, AND THE LESSONS ARE TIED TO THAT, AND THERE'S WAY MORE FOCUS ON STORY PROBLEMS AND CRITICAL THINKING VERSUS JUST WHAT WE CALL COMPUTATION, SO FORTH AND SO ON.
SO THE ANSWER IS YES, WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO SEE THAT.
YOU'RE ALSO RIGHT, AND THIS IS NOT AN HISD PHENOMENON, READING DID NOT GO DOWN AS MUCH AS MATH ACROSS THE NATION DURING COVID; MATH WENT DOWN MORE, AND THERE'S VARIOUS THEORIES.
I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY HAS THE ANSWERS TO WHY.
ONE THING THAT SOME PEOPLE SAID IS THAT READING WAS EASIER FOR PARENTS AND OTHER GROUPS TO HELP KIDS WITH AT HOME, AND MATH WAS MUCH HARDER FOR PARENTS TO HELP THEIR KIDS WITH.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S TRUE OR NOT.
[00:55:07]
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? ON THESE TWO TOPICS. OKAY, SIR, PLEASE GO AHEAD.I'VE SAID SEVERAL TIMES THAT THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION IS THE KEY.
IT'S THE LEADING VARIABLE FOR THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.
THAT IS WHY WE PLACE SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON IT.
SO. ONE OF THE THINGS WE DID THIS LAST WEEK AND THIS WEEK AND WE'LL WE'LL PARE IT BACK NEXT WEEK, BUT WE WANTED TO FOCUS ON EVERY TEACHER AND EVERY CLASSROOM.
SO IF I'M A TEACHER, FOURTH GRADE MATH, I ACTUALLY HAVE FOUR CLASSES OF MATH, RIGHT? SO EVERY EVERY ONE OF MY CLASSES, SOMEONE SHOULD BE COMING IN AND JUST FOCUSING ON THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION.
EVEN THE LAST PERIOD OF THE DAY, AND SO WE'VE ASKED OUR ADMINISTRATORS TO TRY TO DO THAT WITH EVERY SINGLE CLASS AND NOT JUST PRINCIPALS, BUT ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS OR EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS, SOMEBODY, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY YOU SAW A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE IN THE SCHOOLS, BUT APS AND PRINCIPALS MOSTLY WENT TO CLASSROOMS. AS A RESULT UP UNTIL TODAY.
SO AS OF YESTERDAY AND FROM THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, WE HAD 68,000.
INFORMAL, WHAT WE CALL PULSE CHECKS.
NOT A TEN MINUTE SPOT OBSERVATION.
WAS IT LOW QUALITY? WAS IT MEDIUM AND HIGH? NOTHING FANCY, NOT EVALUATIVE.
THAT'S WHAT WE CALL IT, AND IT TURNS OUT THAT, YOU KNOW, AS JUST AS A GENERAL MEASURE, 81% OF THE CLASSROOMS OUT OF THE 68,000 INFORMAL PULSE CHECKS SHOWED HIGH OR MEDIUM QUALITY INSTRUCTION, WHICH FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL AND THE FIRST COUPLE OF DAYS AFTER THAT IS INCREDIBLE.
IT IS A TRIBUTE TO HOW HARD THE TEACHERS ARE WORKING ALREADY.
SO WE'LL BE WE'LL BE DOING MORE AND GIVING MORE FEEDBACK DOWN THE ROAD.
SORRY TO INTERRUPT, BUT CAN EVERYBODY WHO HAS CELL PHONES ON PLEASE TURN THOSE OFF OR SILENCE THEM? THANK YOU. ONE MINUTE TIMER.
ONE MINUTE TIMER. THAT'S COMPLETELY INAPPROPRIATE.
I'VE ASKED THAT ALL CELL PHONES BE TURNED OFF.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONES.
PLEASE TURN OFF THE CELL PHONES.
THANK YOU. SO THE HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION FROM DAY ONE.
SO IN THE SCHOOLS, AGAIN, PRETTY GOOD QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION.
THE BLUE IS HIGH, THE YELLOW IS MEDIUM AND THE PINK THE RED IS LOW.
SO REALLY, YOU KNOW, WELL OVER 83%, MEDIUM OR HIGH IN THE NES/A, A LITTLE BIT LOWER THAN THAT ABOUT 75, 76% WERE MEDIUM OR HIGH, AND IN THE NON-NES WE HAD AGAIN, REALLY GOOD QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION.
AGAIN, THIS IS JUST A PULSE CHECK.
IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT STATISTICALLY RELEVANT.
THE POINT WAS NOT SO MUCH TO GET A SCORE.
YOU'LL HAVE PEOPLE IN YOUR CLASSROOMS. ALL YEAR LONG LOOKING AT INSTRUCTION, GIVING FEEDBACK.
MOST TEACHERS WHO AND THE FEEDBACK WILL BE GIVING WILL BE HELPFUL, AND THE PRINCIPALS HAVE BEEN TRAINED, WILL CONTINUE TO BE TRAINED ON HOW TO GIVE GOOD FEEDBACK. MY EXPERIENCE IS THAT TEACHERS DON'T MIND FEEDBACK AS LONG AS IT'S HELPFUL FEEDBACK AND NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, PEJORATIVE, DISMISSIVE FEEDBACK.
ALL RIGHT. THAT'S THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION.
STUDENT ENROLLMENT I DON'T HAVE A SLIDE FOR THAT, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT AS OF YESTERDAY, THERE WAS 179,400 STUDENTS ENROLLED. THAT NUMBER FLUCTUATES AND WILL CONTINUE TO FLUCTUATE A LITTLE BIT, BUT WE THINK WE'LL WIND UP AROUND A LITTLE OVER 180.
SO WE'LL BE DOWN FROM LAST YEAR, WHICH I THINK WAS 184,000 AT THE AT THE NEXT AT THE BOARD MEETING.
[01:00:01]
WE'LL BRING ANOTHER NUMBER TO YOU, A MORE FIRM NUMBER, AND WE'LL SHOW YOU THE TREND.OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THE BOARD WILL REMEMBER THAT PRIOR TO THIS YEAR, THE DISTRICT HAD BEEN DECLINING ENROLLMENT, 27,000 STUDENTS IN SIX YEARS, AND IT LOOKS LIKE THAT TREND IS GOING TO CONTINUE, AT LEAST FOR THIS YEAR.
SO LET'S, YOU KNOW, BE CAREFUL WITH IT, BUT NEXT WEEK WE SHOULD HAVE A MORE FIRM NUMBER THAT MIGHT STILL FLUCTUATE A LITTLE BIT DURING THE YEAR, AND THEN FINALLY, WELL, TWO OTHER THINGS.
I HAD A GREAT CONVERSATION WITH THE FIRE CHIEF AND HIS TEAM, AND WE AGREED THAT PER FIRE CODE, WE HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF BUILDINGS THAT ARE NOT SPRINKLED FOR THE FIRE MARSHAL.
IT'S MOSTLY ABOUT WHETHER THE BUILDING IS SPRINKLED OR NOT.
IN OTHER WORDS, A SPRINKLER SYSTEM IN THE CEILINGS, AND BECAUSE OF THE AGE OF SOME OF OUR BUILDINGS AND THEY ARE FIRE ALARMED, OF COURSE, BUT IF YOU DON'T HAVE A SPRINKLER SYSTEM, THE ACTUAL WALLS AND DOORS ACT AS A WAY TO KEEP THE FIRE FROM SPREADING QUICKLY.
NOW, SOME OF THOSE SCHOOLS THAT DON'T HAVE SPRINKLERS HAVE MAGNETIZED DOORS, AND SO EVEN IF IT'S NOT SPRINKLED, YOU CAN STILL KEEP THE DOORS OPEN BECAUSE YOU HAVE THESE BIG HALLWAY DOORS THAT CLOSE WITH A MAGNET, AND SO EVERY SCHOOL IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, BUT MOST OF OUR SCHOOLS AND I JUST GOT THE LIST TODAY, SO WE'LL BE ANALYZING IT AND GOING TO THE PRINCIPALS AND TELLING THEM WHAT THEY CAN OR CAN'T DO WITH REGARD TO THE DOORS.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE A SPRINKLED BUILDING, YOU HAVE TO.
YEAH. ALL RIGHT. ARE THESE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE TELLING ME THAT THEY'VE HAD THEIR CELL PHONES ON INTENTIONALLY TO INTERRUPT? IS THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING? OKAY, MA'AM, THE GLASSES.
PLEASE DO NOT INTERRUPT MR. MILES. THANK YOU.
TO BE CLEAR, THE INTERRUPTION IS, AFTER I'VE ASKED MULTIPLE TIMES THAT CELL PHONES BE TURNED OFF SO THAT THE BOARD CAN DO THE WORK THAT THE BOARD NEEDS TO DO TO HEAR MR. MILES TONIGHT, WE'RE BEING INTERRUPTED BY CELL PHONES.
THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT SO MA'AM. IN THE RED SHIRT, PLEASE.
I'M ASKING YOU TO PLEASE STOP INTERRUPTING.
SO ON STUDENT SAFETY THE FIRE.
YEAH. WELL, GO AHEAD, MR. MILES. SO THE FIRE MARSHAL.
IF IT SPRINKLED AND MOST OF OUR BUILDINGS ARE, I THINK 75 TO 80% ARE, WE'LL KEEP THE DOORS OPEN.
IF THEY ARE NOT SPRINKLED, THEN WE WILL CLOSE THEM AND WE WILL FIGURE OUT OVER TIME HOW TO HOW TO MAGNETIZE OR USE MAGNET STRIPS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BUT RIGHT NOW, WE'RE GOING TO COMPLY, OF COURSE, WITH THE SAFETY ISSUES THAT THE FIRE MARSHAL HAS, AND SO HE'S HE'S NOT WRITTEN ONE CITATION AND FEELS LIKE WE'RE WE HAVE IT UNDER CONTROL.
NEXT IS JUST A WORD ABOUT THE T-TESS EVALUATION.
THE BOARD KNOWS THAT WE WERE ENJOINED.
SO WE WENT TO THE STATE APPROVED EVALUATION SYSTEM.
THAT WAS THE ONE WE HAVE TO GO TO.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE AN EVALUATION SYSTEM.
IN THE MEANTIME, WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.
SO WE'RE GOING TO USE THIS, THE T-TESS THAT THE STATE CREATED.
SO WE DESIGNED THE T-TESS EVALUATION.
WE SENT IT TO TEA FOR FEEDBACK.
WE'VE ALREADY CORRECTED THE FEEDBACK, AND TODAY WE GOT AN EMAIL SAYING THAT THEY'VE REVIEWED AND THE MINOR FEEDBACK WAS ALL THE OBJECTIONS THEY HAD.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE SLIDE, JUST TO I KNOW THE BOARD MAY NOT NEED ALL THE DETAILS OF IT, BUT LET ME JUST GIVE YOU THE BROAD OVERVIEW OF WHAT A T-TESS EVALUATION IMPLIES.
WE LOOKED AT AND THE BOARD CAN GO TO CHAPTER 19 OF THE TEXAS ADMINISTRATIVE CODE, CHAPTER 150, WHICH COVERS THE TEST EVALUATION PROCESS THAT THE STATE OF TEXAS HAS IMPOSED FOR DISTRICTS UNLESS THE DISTRICT
[01:05:09]
HAS THEIR OWN THAT'S APPROVED BY THE BOARD.REALLY IT BREAKS DOWN INTO TWO BIG PIECES.
THEY HAVE A T-TESS RUBRIC AND THEY THEY TALK ABOUT FOUR DOMAINS.
THE FOUR DOMAINS IN THE RUBRIC ARE PREPARATION FOR INSTRUCTION.
INSTRUCTION. CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT, AND THEN THE FOURTH DOMAIN IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
SO NOT A REQUIREMENT TO BE 20, BUT AT LEAST 20% HAS TO BE ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE.
THAT'S IT. THOSE ARE THE TWO BIG AREAS YOU CAN HAVE.
THERE'S 30 PAGES BUT OF THE FOUR DOMAINS, THERE'S THE T-TESS RUBRIC.
THE LAW SAYS AT LEAST 45 MINUTES.
WE'RE DOING A 60 MINUTE FORMAL OBSERVATION.
PLEASE SILENCE YOUR CELL PHONES.
THANK YOU, AND THEN THE T-TESS, ACTUALLY.
THANK YOU. I SEE YOU'RE LEAVING.
WALKTHROUGHS ARE ALSO PART OF THE EVALUATION.
SO IT ACTUALLY ENCOURAGES YOU TO DO OBSERVATIONS OTHER THAN THE ONE FORMAL OBSERVATION.
SO WE ALSO HAVE FORMAL WALKTHROUGHS WHERE FEEDBACK IS GATHERED AND ALSO GIVEN IN WRITTEN FORM.
THAT'S IT. THAT'S THE MAJOR PIECES.
IF YOU GO THROUGH THE DOCUMENT, YOU'LL SEE THAT WE EVEN CITE THE SECTIONS OF THE T-TESS EVALUATION THAT WE'RE FOLLOWING SO THAT WE'VE DOTTED OUR I'S AND CROSS THE T'S, AND TEA HAS NO OBJECTIONS TO WHAT WE'RE DOING.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE BRINGING TO THE BOARD, AND I THINK THAT IS THE END OF MY PRESENTATION, MA'AM.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? BEFORE WE MOVE TO PREVIEW THE SEPTEMBER 14TH AGENDA PACKET? ANY QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THOSE ITEMS? WE CAN SPEAK TO THE TWO ITEMS THAT ARE SET FOR VOTE TONIGHT WHEN WE GET TO THEM IF WE HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS.
YES, MR. MARTINEZ, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
THANK YOU. SO I THINK YOU WENT WITH SUPERINTENDENT MILES DURING ONE OF THE SITE VISITS, AS YOU STATED, SUPERINTENDENT MILES, THE STUDENTS SEEM TO PICK IT UP RATHER QUICKLY.
I'VE ACTUALLY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO SOME OF THE PARENTS.
NOW, THERE ARE SOME OTHER CONCERNS, BUT NOT NECESSARILY WITH REGARD TO THE FORMAT OF THE TEACHING.
SO WITH THE NUMBER OF OBSERVATIONS, THAT'S OBVIOUSLY GREAT, RIGHT? WE'RE OBSERVING TEACHING.
HOW ARE WE ACTUALLY TRACKING THAT? IS IT PAPER KIND OF HOW ARE WE TRACKING THOSE OBSERVATIONS? YEAH. SO REMEMBER THE PULSE CHECK? PULSE CHECK WAS WAS TRACKED ON ON THEIR COMPUTER, ON THEIR IPAD.
SO THEY JUST GO IN AND MARK WHETHER IT'S LOW, MEDIUM OR HIGH AND IT'S NOT BEING TRACKED IN THAT AFTER THIS WEEK, NONE OF THOSE NUMBERS MATTER.
AGAIN, IT WASN'T ABOUT THE NUMBER.
IT WAS ABOUT THE PHILOSOPHY OF GETTING INTO EVERY CLASSROOM TO LOOK AT THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION AND SO THAT THE WHOLE SYSTEM GETS USED TO THE FEEDBACK OF SOME SORT.
IN THE FUTURE FOR T-TESS, THERE'S INFORMAL OBSERVATIONS HAPPENING ALL THE TIME.
THERE'S NO REQUIREMENT TO PUT A MARK OR ANYTHING.
THE REAL TRACKING, I DON'T REALLY LIKE THAT WORD, BUT RECORD OF THEIR OBSERVATIONS THAT WILL HAPPEN. THERE'LL BE SIX WALKTHROUGHS AND THEN ONE FORMAL AND THOSE SIX WALKTHROUGHS WILL BE ON A
[01:10:05]
FORM, A WRITTEN SUMMARY.THAT'S WHAT'S REQUIRED BY T-TESS A WRITTEN SUMMARY.
THE OTHER FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE GOTTEN WITH REGARD TO PARENTS, I'M SORRY.
CAN WE PLEASE SILENCE THE CELL PHONES? THANK YOU.
YEAH WITH REGARD TO OTHER FEEDBACK, MOSTLY POSITIVE, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME CONCERNS WITH REGARD TO THE NUMBER OF PERHAPS INTERRUPTIONS SPECIFICALLY FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS AND HOW THE NUMBER OF OBSERVATIONS CAN INTERRUPT THEM.
SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT FROM A PARENT'S PERSPECTIVE, WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FOR THOSE POPULATIONS AND THEIR STUDENTS? YEAH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S BEEN A PROBLEM IN OUR PROFESSION IS THAT THE SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS HAVE BEEN NOT IGNORED, BUT PRINCIPALS OFTEN JUST WALK BY.
THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION OF OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS IN THE COUNTRY.
HOLD ON. MISS [INAUDIBLE], PLEASE DO NOT INTERRUPT THE MEETING.
THANK YOU. SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS CAN RISE TO THE LEVEL OF EXPECTATIONS, TOO.
YES, WE WILL FOLLOW THEIR IEPS, THEIR 504 SECONDS, AND WE WILL GIVE THE STUDENTS WHAT THEY NEED, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THEY NEED, HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION.
IN FACT, PARENTS WILL TELL ME THAT.
I'VE BEEN IN LOTS AND LOTS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSROOMS. WE SHOULD NOT TREAT THEM LIKE THEY'RE THEY'RE BROKEN.
WE SHOULD HANDLE THEIR DISABILITY.
THE STRONG, SPECIAL EDUCATION.
OBVIOUSLY, THERE ARE SOME OTHER LIFE SKILLS CLASSES OR CLASSROOMS WHERE THEIR IEPS MAY BE, WHERE THEY HAVE OVER SENSORY PERCEPTION, AND YOU HAVE TO LIMIT THAT.
SO WE'LL DO WHAT MAKES SENSE FOR THEIR IEPS, BUT IN GENERAL, MOST OF OUR TEACHERS ARE PUSH IN OR RESOURCE THEY WILL GET OBSERVED, AND THEN THE LAST QUESTION WITH REGARD TO T-TESS, THERE'S A REFERENCE THAT REFERS TO CERTIFIED APPRAISALS.
WHAT DOES THAT PROCESS LOOK LIKE NOW THAT WE'RE USING T-TESS? YES. SO, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT T-TESS REQUIRES IS TWO THINGS.
ONE IS A T-TESS CERTIFIED APPRAISER.
SO EVERY APPRAISER HAS TO BE T-TESS CERTIFIED, AND THE OTHER THING IT REQUIRES IS AN AEL, WHICH IS AN ADMINISTRATIVE CERTIFICATION WITH REGARD TO T-TESS.
SO THOSE TWO THINGS HAVE TO HAPPEN.
THEY HAVE TO DO A REFRESHER THAT TAKES ABOUT 90 MINUTES AND THEY HAVE TO DO IT BY THE END OF THE MONTH, AND THEN WE HAVE SET UP TRAINING DATES FOR TEACHERS, NOT TEACHERS, BUT APPRAISERS, ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS AND PRINCIPALS TO DO THE TRAINING FOR T-TESS CERTIFICATION AND ALSO AEL . ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM MY BOARD COLLEAGUES? ON THE MATTERS THAT WE'VE GONE OVER.
[PREVIEW SEPTEMBER 14 AGENDA PACKET]
ALL HAD AN OPPORTUNITY PREVIOUSLY TO ASK QUESTIONS OF THE ADMINISTRATION AND HAVE RECEIVED WRITTEN RESPONSES, BUT I WANT TO GIVE THE BOARD MEMBERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS THAT ARE OUTSTANDING WITH REGARD TO THOSE MATTERS THAT WILL BE TAKEN UP NEXT WEEK.I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH EVERYBODY JUST RECEIVED THE LIST OF AGENDA ITEMS FOR SEPTEMBER 14TH.
SO I AM GOING TO OFFER THE OPPORTUNITY FOR FOLKS IF WE'LL GO THROUGH IT.
[01:15:01]
MANUAL.THAT'S A REPORT ITEM FOR NEXT WEEK.
MY SUSPICION IS THERE'S NO QUESTIONS UNTIL WE HAVE THAT DISCUSSION.
ITEM NUMBER TWO, THREE AND FOUR.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR WANT TO MAKE A COMMENT WITH REGARD TO ITEMS TWO, THREE OR FOUR? NO. ONE. OKAY.
ITEMS FIVE AND SIX, AND SEVEN.
ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS WITH REGARD TO ITEMS FIVE, SIX, OR SEVEN.
I HAVE A COMMENT. I'M SORRY, MR. RIVON, DO YOU HAVE? OKAY. YES, SIR. PLEASE GO AHEAD.
WE'RE CURRENTLY FILLING THE ROLES OF ELECTED OFFICIALS.
SO THIS IS REGARDING THE ELECTION DOCUMENTATION THAT'S BEING SUBMITTED, APPROVAL FOR RESOLUTION ON NOVEMBER 7TH, GENERAL ELECTION.
WE'RE CURRENTLY FILLING THE ROLES OF ELECTED OFFICIALS.
THE THERE ARE FOUR THAT ARE UP FOR ELECTION FOR POSITIONS THAT ARE UP FOR ELECTION.
JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT TWO OF THOSE WERE ALREADY FILLED BECAUSE THEY ONLY HAD ONE PERSON RUNNING FOR THAT POSITION, CORRECT? I BELIEVE THAT TO BE CORRECT.
THERE'S TWO UNCONTESTED RACES, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, HENCE THE NEED, I THINK, FOR THIS RESOLUTION.
I JUST WANTED SOME CLARITY ON THAT BECAUSE I NOTICED THAT TWO WERE CITED AND NOT FOUR.
CATOSHA, CAN YOU CONFIRM? OKAY. CAN YOU HEAR ME? I DON'T THINK YOUR MIC'S ON.
IT'S ON. OH, IS IT? OKAY, SORRY.
SO WE WILL HOLD THE ELECTIONS FOR THE CONTESTED RACES ONLY, AND SO THIS RESOLUTION.
YOU WILL CANCEL THE ELECTIONS FOR THOSE UNCONTESTED RACES.
GOT IT, AND ANYTHING ELSE WITH REGARD TO 5, 6 OR 7? NOPE. THAT WAS IT. OKAY.
NUMBER 8 OR 9, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A COMMENT ON NUMBER EIGHT.
YES, MA'AM. PLEASE GO AHEAD, MS. MENDOZA. YEAH. JUST WANT TO SAY I APPRECIATE THE AMOUNT OF MWBE PARTICIPATION ON THESE CONTRACTS COMING FORWARD.
THERE'S QUITE A BIT, AND I'M APPRECIATIVE OF THAT.
BIG SUPPORTER OF SMALL BUSINESSES.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON 8 OR 9? NO. OKAY.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS RELATIVE TO TEN, 11 OR 12? NUMBER TEN. MR. RIVON, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
WOULD THAT BE THIS GO AROUND OR WOULD IT BE FOR NEXT WEEK? YES, SIR.
IT'LL BE AT THE BOARD MEETING, AND PART OF THE PLAN WILL BE DONE IN CLOSED SESSION.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS? QUESTIONS? MR. MARTINEZ, DO YOU HAVE AN ADDITIONAL COMMENT OR QUESTION? SO. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. I'LL JUST KEEP IT ON NEXT TIME.
SO THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A BIG CONCERN FOR OUR COMMUNITY, THIS PARTICULAR ONE, RIGHT? HOUSE BILL THREE, I KNOW WE'VE GOTTEN SEVERAL EMAILS ABOUT THIS ONE.
WE'VE HAD EMPLOYEE--NOT EMPLOYEES, BUT THE COMMUNITY COME BY AND TALK TO US ABOUT THIS.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO JUST LISTEN TO OUR COMMUNITY WITH REGARD TO THIS.
I KNOW WE'RE ATTRACTING OR AT LEAST TRYING TO HIRE ADDITIONAL POLICE OFFICERS.
THAT'S THE ONLY COMMENT I HAVE.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS RELATED TO TEN, 11 OR 12? OH, YES, 12. SORRY.
YES, MR. MARTINEZ, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
SO I SUBMITTED A QUESTION AND IT WASN'T VERY CLEAR WHERE FOR 12 I THINK THE CHANGE TO THE POLICY REFERS TO THE PLACEMENT OF INDIVIDUALS ON THE EXCESS POOL.
I THINK WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS A LITTLE BIT MORE DEFINED.
DEPENDING ON THE TIMING OF WHEN PROGRAMS END, WHETHER THAT'S BECAUSE WE'RE UNDER-ENROLLED AT A PARTICULAR SCHOOL AND WHEN THE DECISION IS MADE OR WHEN A PROGRAM FOR CONTRACT EMPLOYEES DISSOLVED THAT THEY MAY NOT HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET REHIRED IN THE DISTRICT SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THE TIMING.
[01:20:10]
OR THE OTHER ASPECT MAY BE WHERE WE HAVE FIVE GRADE TEACHERS AT A SCHOOL AND THEY MAY PERHAPS BE BETTER PERFORMING TEACHERS THAN OTHER SCHOOLS WHERE ENROLLMENT IS MET, AND SO HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT WE'RE GIVING EVERYBODY THE OPPORTUNITY, THE MOST QUALITY, THOSE THAT ARE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE GIVING THE OPPORTUNITY JUST SIMPLY BY THE FACT OF TRYING TO FIND ANOTHER POSITION, BUT THE WAY THAT THE POLICY DESCRIBES IT IS SIMPLY PLACEMENT ON THE ACCESS POOL, AND SO I FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO DEFINE THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE, WHETHER THAT'S PLACEMENT ON THE ACCESS POOL AND NOT MEETING CERTAIN PERFORMANCE CRITERIA THAT MAY BE BETTER SUITED, BECAUSE JUST BY SIMPLY READING THE POLICY, IT SEEMS LIKE ANYBODY EVER PLACED ON THE AT LEAST FOR THAT YEAR, CAN BE NON-RENEWED.SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME MORE DEFINITION ON THAT FRONT.
THIS LIST IS A REASONS FOR NON-RENEWAL AT THE END OF A CONTRACT YEAR.
SO THIS IS NOT A SITUATION, THE BOARD POLICY THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT DFBB LOCAL IS ONLY FOR WHEN YOU'RE TERMINATING A TERM CONTRACT AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT YEAR.
SO IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS MID-YEAR.
RIGHT, RIGHT, AND THE TEACHER DOESN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING.
YEAH, I THINK, AGAIN, I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT IT'S GOING TO BE IN THE REGULATION.
I THINK THAT'S MY CONCERN IS JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE DEFINING IT A LITTLE BIT MORE.
RIGHT, AND YOUR POINT IS WELL TAKEN.
SO THAT'S WHY THE REGULATION WILL HAVE ALL THAT SPECIFICITY.
OKAY. THANK YOU, AND WE CAN PROVIDE THAT TO YOU.
THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS BY THE BOARD? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NOW WE HAVE TWO ITEMS ON OUR BUSINESS AGENDA.
[BUSINESS AGENDA]
THIS EVENING, WE'LL BEGIN WITH ITEM ONE.MAY I HAVE A MOTION? OH, MR. CAMPO.
THANK YOU. DO I HAVE A SECOND? A SECOND. MS. GARZA LINDER. THANK YOU.
I HAVE A MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER CAMPO AND A SECOND BY BOARD MEMBER GARZA LINDER.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS MATTER? YES, MADAM PRESIDENT.
I'D LIKE TO DISCUSS THE DISTRICT OF RENOVATION.
THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO CALL TO MIND THE BOARD MEMBERS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE 1019 ISDS ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS, AND 89% OF THEM HAVE APPLIED AND BEEN ACCEPTED TO THE DOI.
SO THEY'RE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS FLEXIBILITY IN ORDER TO CREATE STRATEGY FOR ACHIEVEMENT FOR STUDENTS, AND I VERY STRONGLY BELIEVE WE NEED TO TAKE EVERYTHING IN OUR TOOL KIT POSSIBLE BECAUSE WE HAVE BIG GAINS THAT WE NEED TO ACHIEVE AND SPECIFICALLY AROUND THE SCHOOL DAYS, WE NEED TO HAVE KIDS IN THE BUILDING LEARNING, AND SO OUR HANDS ARE BOUND RIGHT NOW TODAY'S AND SO THIS OPENS UP THAT FLEXIBILITY FOR SCHOOL DAYS.
SO I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT WE ARE NOW THE OUTLIER IN NOT BEING INNOVATIVE, AND SO JUST WANT TO BRING UP THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE AFFORDED TO US IN THE DOI.
THANK YOU. MR. MILES, I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION.
MR. MILES, YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT DAYS OF INSTRUCTION AND HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS.
CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT IN TERMS OF WHAT DOI WOULD ALLOW FOR WITH REGARD TO DAYS FOR INSTRUCTION? YES. I THINK AT THE LAST MEETING I TALKED ABOUT INSTRUCTION AND THE FIRST WHEN YOU WHEN YOU BUILD A CALENDAR, THE FIRST THING TO LOOK AT IS HOW MANY STUDENT TEACHER CONTACT DAYS DO YOU NEED? THAT'S THE FIRST QUESTION THAT SHOULD BE ANSWERED BEFORE WE DO ANYTHING ELSE WITH THE CALENDAR, BECAUSE THAT MAKES IT FOCUSED ON KIDS, AND IT'S PRETTY CLEAR ACROSS THE COUNTRY WITH EDUCATORS WHO REALLY TRY TO RAISE THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION AND ACHIEVEMENT THAT KIDS NEED MORE DAYS OF INSTRUCTION, ESPECIALLY STRUGGLING CAMPUSES, AND WHAT THEN THE NEXT QUESTION IS HOW MANY DAYS IS THAT? AND THAT VARIES DEPENDING ON THE AREA, DEPENDING ON THEIR ACHIEVEMENT TO DATE AND THINGS LIKE THAT BUT I WOULD PUT IT ANYWHERE FROM 180 TO 185 STUDENT TEACHER CONTACT DAYS.
THE CURRENT CALENDAR HAS 172, AND THAT IS NOT A GOOD THING FOR KIDS, AND SO WE
[01:25:07]
NEED TO RAISE THAT, AND THERE'S NOT TOO MANY WAYS TO RAISE IT BECAUSE THERE'S A LAW THAT WE CAN'T START BEFORE THE FOURTH MONDAY IN AUGUST, AND SO DISTRICT OF INNOVATION WOULD BE ONE OF THE WAYS TO DO THAT.I'M SORRY. IN THE GRAY JACKET, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO ASK YOU TO LEAVE.
I'VE GIVEN YOU A WARNING AND I APPRECIATE IT.
PLEASE. THANK YOU FOR LEAVING.
THANK YOU. OFFICERS, CAN SOMEBODY HELP THIS GENTLEMAN OUT OF THE OFFICE? THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR.
JUST ONE ADDITIONAL COMMENT TO HIGHLIGHT THE STATUS OF THE VOTE.
HOLD ON, MR. RIVON. I DON'T THINK ANYBODY CAN HEAR YOU.
PLEASE GO AHEAD. JUST ONE MORE COMMENT TO HIGHLIGHT.
THE STATUS OF THE VOTE IS TO INITIATE THE PROCESS, WHICH THEN WILL GO THROUGH THE EVALUATION AND DETERMINE WHETHER IT'S SUITABLE AND HOW IT ALL FITS IN IN THE PLANS AND ALL OF THAT GOOD STUFF.
SO THIS IF YOU DO VOTE TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION, THE NEXT THING THAT WILL HAPPEN IS THAT WE WILL HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING ON WHETHER OR NOT THE DISTRICT SHOULD MOVE FORWARD WITH THE INNOVATION PLAN.
I CAN GO THROUGH THE ENTIRE PROCESS IF YOU WANT, BUT JUST TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, THIS IS JUST THE INITIATION AND THE PUBLIC WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO BE HEARD ON WHETHER OR NOT THE DISTRICT SHOULD EVEN START THE PROCESS AT A PUBLIC HEARING.
IT'S NOT NES/NES/A OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
IT'S DISTRICT OF INNOVATION IS THE WHOLE DISTRICT.
OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS RELATIVE TO THE RESOLUTION? WE'LL NOW VOTE ON THE MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM ONE CONSIDER AND TAKE POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION TO INITIATE THE PROCESS OF DESIGNATION AS A DISTRICT OF INNOVATION.
ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
I BELIEVE THAT WAS EVERYONE, BUT ALL OPPOSED.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVED. MISS MENDOZA.
THANK YOU. IS THERE A SECOND? A SECOND. MISS CRUZ ARNOLD.
THANK YOU. I HAVE A MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER MENDOZA AND A SECOND BY BOARD MEMBER CRUZ ARNOLD.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? WE HEARD EARLIER FROM MR. MILES ABOUT THE PLAN.
IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT, AND YOU'VE GOTTEN FURTHER CONFIRMATION RELATIVE TO THE PARTICULARS OF THE PLAN THAT YOU PLAN TO ROLL OUT, IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S RIGHT. THANK YOU.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD RELATIVE TO THE T-TESS MATTER? THAT'S UP FOR VOTE.
ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
ALL OPPOSED. PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
THE BOARD WILL NOW RECESS TO CLOSE SESSION UNDER CHAPTER 551 OF 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 HAS RECESSED TO CLOSE SESSION AT 6:35 P.M.
GOOD EVENING THIS MEETING IS RECONVENED AT 7:21 P.M.
THE NEXT REGULAR BOARD MEETING WILL BE HELD ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14TH AT 5 P.M.
WITH NO FURTHER BUSINESS TO DISCUSS, THIS MEETING OF THE BOARD IS ADJOURNED AT 7:21 P.M..
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.