Aug 08, 2024 Board Meetings

[00:00:03]

GOOD AFTERNOON.

GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY.

OKAY. THANK YOU, EVERYBODY, FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT FOR A VERY IMPORTANT MEETING.

THE MEETING IS NOW CONVENED.

IT'S 5:06 P.M.

I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THAT EVERYONE, PLEASE SILENCE YOUR CELL PHONES.

A QUORUM OF THE BOARD MEMBERS IS PRESENT IN BOARD AUDITORIUM.

THEY ARE FROM MY RIGHT.

CASSANDRA AUZENNE BANDY, MICHELLE CRUZ ARNOLD, JEANETTE GARZA LINDNER, ANGELA LEMOND FLOWERS, MYSELF, AUDREY MOMANAEE, RIC CAMPO, ROLANDO MARTINEZ, PAULA MENDOZA.

AND AS I UNDERSTAND IT, MR. RIVON IS ON HIS WAY.

I BELIEVE THERE ARE SOME PUBLIC OFFICIALS HERE IN THE AUDIENCE THIS EVENING.

SO IF YOU ALL WILL PLEASE STAND AND BE RECOGNIZED, THAT'D BE GREAT.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE WITH US TONIGHT. WE'LL NOW HEAR FROM REGISTERED SPEAKERS TO AGENDA ITEMS IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY SIGNED IN THIS EVENING.

[SPEAKERS TO AGENDA ITEMS]

PUBLIC COMMENT DURING SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK PRIOR TO THE MEETING TIME FOR CURRENT PROTOCOL.

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.

PERSONS WHO PARTICIPATE IN SUCH BEHAVIOR WILL BE GIVEN ONE WARNING, AND IF THE BEHAVIOR IS REPEATED, THEY WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE THE MEETING.

TONIGHT WE HAVE 82 REGISTERED SPEAKERS WHO WILL BE LIMITED TO ONE MINUTE EACH PER BOARD POLICY, AS WE HAVE MORE THAN 30 PEOPLE SIGNED UP TO ADDRESS THE BOARD.

WE ASK THAT YOU PLEASE STAY ON TOPIC AND REFRAIN FROM NAMING INDIVIDUALS, ESPECIALLY STUDENTS, AS THEIR IDENTITY IS PROTECTED UNDER THE LAW.

BUT YOU MAY NAME YOUR OWN CHILD.

I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE RESPECT OUR PROCEDURES AND THE OTHER SPEAKERS AND END YOUR COMMENTS PROMPTLY.

WHEN YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED AND THE TIMER RINGS.

THIS EVENING WE'LL START WITH PUBLIC OFFICIALS.

I THINK OUR FIRST PUBLIC OFFICIAL THAT SIGNED UP TO SPEAK WAS STATE SENATOR MOLLY COOK.

I DON'T KNOW IF SHE HAS ARRIVED.

I DON'T SEE HER.

OKAY. NEXT, WE HAVE SEVERAL HISD BOARD OF EDUCATION TRUSTEES WHO ARE WITH US TONIGHT.

AND WE WILL BEGIN WITH I HAVE SUE DEIGAARD HERE, BUT I DON'T SEE HER.

SO LET'S START WITH TRUSTEE.

DANI HERNANDEZ IF YOU'RE READY.

HI, MY NAME IS DANI HERNANDEZ AND I AM THE ELECTED TRUSTEE FOR HISD, AND I'VE BEEN A STUDENT, TEACHER AND ADMINISTRATOR IN HISD.

I RAN FOR THIS OFFICE TO MAKE SURE THAT HISD WAS MORE EQUITABLE, EVEN AT THE MOST BASIC LEVEL OF CAMPUS INFRASTRUCTURE. AND I STAND BEFORE YOU WITH MY 13 MONTH OLD SON, WHO WILL BE ATTENDING HISD SCHOOLS IN THE FUTURE.

I HOPE THAT WHEN HE IS OLD ENOUGH TO GO AND ATTEND HISD SCHOOLS, I DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HIS SCHOOL HAVING A WORKING HVAC UNIT, HAVING MOLD AND THAT HIS CAMPUS IS HEALTHY FOR HIM AND SAFE FOR HIM.

ALL OF WHICH THIS BOND WOULD ENSURE FOR CAMPUSES AT HISD.

I'VE PERSONALLY BEEN A TEACHER AT A VERY OLD CAMPUS IN HISD, AND THOSE ARE NOT GOOD WORKING CONDITIONS.

PASSING A BOND IS THE ONLY WAY TO ENSURE THAT THIS IS TRUE, NOT ONLY FOR MY CHILD, BUT ALL CHILDREN IN HISD I RAN TO MAKE SURE THAT STUDENTS WERE MADE A PRIORITY.

I MAY NOT AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON WITH THE STATE TAKEOVER OR THIS ADMINISTRATION, BUT I KNOW THAT PUTTING STUDENTS FIRST IS A MUST FOR HISD AND FOR ALL STUDENTS. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, TRUSTEE HERNANDEZ.

OUR NEXT TRUSTEE THAT'S HERE WITH US THIS EVENING IS BRIDGET WADE.

IS IT ON? YEAH. GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY.

GOOD EVENING, SUPERINTENDENT MILES AND THE BOARD OF MANAGERS.

MY NAME IS BRIDGET WADE, AND I AM A FIRST TERM HISD TRUSTEE IN DISTRICT SEVEN.

I WOULD LIKE TO FIRST EXPRESS MY DELIGHT IN THE LATEST NEWS REGARDING THE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, AND WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FAMILIES, TEACHERS AND STAFF WHO HAVE HELPED MAKE OUR OUTSTANDING STUDENT SUCCESS POSSIBLE.

WITH THAT, I STAND BEFORE YOU IN FULL SUPPORT OF THE BOND PROPOSAL BEFORE YOU TONIGHT.

THIS BOND PACKAGE BRINGS IMPORTANT, LONG OVERDUE IMPROVEMENTS AND RESOURCES TO OUR STUDENTS, TEACHERS, NEIGHBORHOODS, COMMUNITIES, AND HOUSTON AT LARGE. I LOOK FORWARD TO CHECKING THE HISD BOX AS A YES ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT.

[00:05:01]

NEXT TRUSTEE WHO'S HERE WITH US THIS EVENING IS MYRNA GUIDRY.

GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE, AND I AM SO SORRY.

AND IT GRIEVES MY SPIRIT.

I'M GOING TO TURN THIS WAY BECAUSE THEY'VE ALREADY MADE UP THEIR MIND, RIGHT? IT GRIEVES MY SPIRIT TO BE THE FIRST TRUSTEE TO STAND UP HERE AND SUGGEST NO TO THIS BOND.

BUT I'M GOING TO TELL YOU, I HAVE REAL CONCERNS REGARDING THE BOND.

FIRST OF ALL, I DON'T TRUST THAT THE IDENTIFIED CAMPUSES WILL BE FULFILLED BECAUSE THERE ARE NO CHECKS AND BALANCES.

NOW, I KNOW THAT THEY HAVE THE BOARD HERE, BUT THEY HEAR FROM MR. MILES. THAT'S WHERE THEY GET THEIR INFORMATION FROM.

AND REMEMBER, REMEMBER, PLEASE DON'T FORGET THE FACT THAT THIS BOARD DID AWAY WITH THE FINANCIAL CHECKS AND BALANCES ON THE ADMINISTRATION. THERE IS NONE.

SO ANY INFORMATION YOU GET WILL COME FROM MR. MILES AND IT WILL BE PRESENTED TO YOU THE WAY HE WANTS IT PRESENTED TO YOU.

AND LASTLY, I HAVE A CONCERN ABOUT NO TAX.

LET'S BE REAL.

THERE WILL BE A TAX INCREASE.

HOW DO YOU GET $4 BILLION AND NOT INCREASE TAXES? SOMEBODY EXPLAIN THAT TO ME.

IT WILL BE A TAX INCREASE.

THEY'LL BE GONE. BUT THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION WILL HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF.

LOOK AT YOUR TAX RATE.

IT SAYS IF 4 OR 5 YEARS, IT'S GOING TO BE DOUBLE THAT BECAUSE OF THIS BOND.

IF IT'S GOING TO BE A BOND, WE THE PEOPLE, PROBABLY AN INCREASE IN TAXES WE PROBABLY WOULDN'T KEEP IN MIND BECAUSE IT'S FOR THE CHILDREN.

BUT TELL US THAT.

THANK YOU, MISS GUIDRY.

THEY TELL US THAT THERE WILL BE NO PASSENGERS.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER.

I SEE IS SUE DEIGAARD.

TRUSTEE DEIGAARD. SHE'S.

AS A TRUSTEE, I MADE A PROMISE TO PUT THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS FIRST AHEAD OF THE WANTS OF ADULTS.

THIS BOND IS NO DIFFERENT.

WE SHOULD HAVE PUT A BOND IN THE BALLOT SIX YEARS AGO.

WE DIDN'T AND CHILDREN HAVE SUFFERED BECAUSE OF OUR INACTION.

PLEASE PUT STUDENTS FIRST AND PUT THE BOND IN THE BALLOT AND ALLOW THE VOTERS TO DECIDE OVER THE NEXT 89 DAYS.

COMMIT TO BUILDING TRUST TO EARN THEIR VOTE.

I'M A VOTER AND AN ELECTED TRUSTEE, BUT THERE ARE SOME OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS I STILL HAVE.

HOW ARE YOU INTEGRATING INDICATORS OF STUDENT LEARNING NEEDS? HOW WILL THE INVESTMENTS YOU PROPOSE ALIGN TO ACADEMIC STRATEGY? HOW WILL YOU USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP UNIQUE NEW SCHOOL, INNOVATIVE SCHOOL MODELS LIKE THE DISTRICT DID WITH THE 2012 BOND? WILL YOU USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO REIMAGINE THE ROLE OF A SCHOOL BUILDING IN A COMMUNITY? BY COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS LIKE THE PUBLIC LIBRARY AND PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES? MOST IMPORTANTLY, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE TRANSPARENT AND INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT AND EVALUATION STRUCTURES WILL BE TO ENSURE THAT FUNDS ARE MANAGED CAREFULLY AND USED EFFICIENTLY, EFFICIENTLY AND ALSO EVERYTHING THAT DANI SAID EARLIER.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

OUR NEXT TRUSTEE IS SAVANT MOORE.

GOOD EVENING. I'M TIRED.

I JUST DROVE 24 HOURS FROM WASHINGTON, DC, BUT I HAD TO BE HERE.

MY SON STARTED AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY.

WHEN I LOOKED AT THE DATA, I SAW THAT ANY TIME THERE'S A BOND AND THERE'S CO-LOCATIONS, THE PEOPLE VOTE NO SAN DIEGO, SEATTLE, OAKLAND.

SO I'M ADVOCATING FOR DISTRICT TWO.

WHY DO WE ALWAYS HAVE TO TAKE THE BRUNT OF THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS DISTRICT? NORTHEAST. EAST END, THESE PREDOMINANTLY BLACK AND HISPANIC COMMUNITIES.

OUR SCHOOLS DON'T DESERVE TO BE CLOSED.

IF YOU CAN SEND 49 MILLION OF OUR TAXPAYING DOLLARS TO COLORADO, IF YOU CAN SPEND $8.8 MILLION ON ADVERTISEMENT, IF YOU CAN SPEND 253.3 MILLION ON INCREASING NES, THEN YOU CAN FIND THE MONEY TO KEEP OUR SCHOOLS OPEN.

SO I'M ASKING FOR SOMEONE TONIGHT TO HAVE THE COURAGE TO JUST AMEND IT, AMEND THE BOND WHERE THERE ARE NO CO-LOCATIONS BECAUSE I DROVE ALL OVER THIS CITY.

AND IT'S JUST FUNNY TO ME THAT ON THE SOUTH SIDE AND ON THE WEST SIDE, THERE'S NO SCHOOLS BEING CLOSED, BUT ON NORTHEAST SIDE, PREDOMINANTLY BLACK.

DISTRICT, PREDOMINANTLY HISPANIC DISTRICT.

THOSE ARE THE SCHOOLS THAT EVERYONE WANTS TO CLOSE.

WHY DID I SERVE MY COUNTRY? USE MY VA LOAN.

AND NOW MY SON CAN'T EVEN GET ON THE BUS BECAUSE IT'S THREE MILES TO GO TO CARNEGIE.

MY PROPERTY VALUE IS GOING TO GO DOWN BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO CLOSE MY NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS.

[00:10:02]

SO I ASK THAT YOU DO THE SAME.

AND THANK YOU FOR LAST THE LAST MONTH FOR GIVING ME A SAFE SPACE TO BE PASSIONATE AND ADVOCATE FOR MY COMMUNITY.

GOD BLESS EACH AND EVERYONE.

THANK YOU, MR. MOORE.

OUR NEXT TRUSTEE IS MR. GOMEZ. THANK YOU.

A FRIEND OF MINE TOLD ME THE OTHER DAY THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT HIS STUDENTS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, WHILE HELPING MIKE MILES AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE, AND I BELIEVE THAT THIS BOND IS A PERFECT WAY TO DO THAT.

THIS BOND IS ABOUT PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE THAT'S GOING TO GIVE STUDENTS A SAFE PLACE TO LEARN BY THE TIME THE PROJECTS ARE DONE.

DANNY'S CHILD WILL BE IN HISD AND MIKE MILES WILL NOT BE.

NO OFFENSE. THIS BOND IS ABOUT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CLEAN, LEAD FREE DRINKING WATER FOR STUDENTS.

WE'RE THINKING ABOUT AC AND SCHOOL SAFETY ENHANCEMENTS, INCLUDING SINGLE POINTS OF ENTRY.

AND TO GIVE THAT LAST POINT TO MORE CONTEXT, I WANT TO GIVE A SOLEMN REMINDER THAT WE LIVE IN A STATE THAT HAS INSANELY LAX GUN LAWS THAT MAKE ALL OF US UNSAFE.

I'VE HEARD SOME PEOPLE SAY, LET'S.

YEAH, THE BOND IS NECESSARY, BUT WE SHOULD DO IT AFTER THE TAKEOVER, AFTER MIKE MILES HAS GONE FOR REAL.

THE PROBLEM WITH THAT WAY OF THINKING IS WE THOUGHT THE SAME WAY AFTER HARVEY AND AFTER COVID, AND NOW WITH THE TAKEOVER, AND IN A FEW YEARS, PEOPLE WILL COME UP WITH MORE REASONS TO TELL STUDENTS NO.

THANK YOU. TRUSTEE GOMEZ.

I SEE MOLLY COOK HAS JOINED US.

YES, MA'AM. HI, SENATOR.

GOOD EVENING. BOARD. MY NAME IS MOLLY COOK AND I AM THE STATE SENATOR FOR DISTRICT 15.

AND I'M SPEAKING ON ITEM NUMBER ONE.

SO ACROSS THE DISTRICT, THE TRUST OF THIS UNELECTED BOARD IS VERY, VERY BROKEN.

AND I HEAR ABOUT IT FROM MY CONSTITUENTS ON A DAILY BASIS.

OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS ARE SUFFERING BECAUSE OF THE DECISIONS THAT YOU ALL HAVE MADE.

BELOVED PRINCIPALS HAVE BEEN LET GO.

SCHOOLS ARE CLOSING UNDER THE MISNOMER OF CONSOLIDATION, AND WE'RE CELEBRATED.

TEACHERS HAVE NOT BEEN FIRED.

THEY'RE FLEEING THE DISTRICT.

THEY'RE. CHRONICLE JUST REPORTED THAT OVER 4000 STAFF MEMBERS LEFT THE DISTRICT THIS JUNE.

THE RECORD NUMBER OF DEPARTURES IS MORE THAN TRIPLE THE AVERAGE OF THE PAST FIVE YEARS.

THERE'S A CRISIS OF TRUST IN THIS ADMINISTRATION FROM EVERY ANGLE.

YOU'RE ABOUT TO PUT A BOND ON THE BALLOT TO ASK HOUSTONIANS TO TRUST YOU WITH THEIR TAX DOLLARS WITHOUT TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY OR ELECTED REPRESENTATION IN RETURN.

THAT'S AN UNACCEPTABLE ASK UNTIL YOU HOLD UP YOUR END OF THIS PROPOSED BARGAIN.

NO TRUST, NO BOND.

SUPERINTENDENT MILES, MY STAFF HAS REACHED OUT, AND WE'RE COORDINATING WITH YOU AND OTHER BOARD MEMBERS.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING WITH YOU AND TRYING TO BUILD SOME TRUST.

BUT THERE'S A LOT OF CANDIDATES ON THE BALLOT THIS NOVEMBER.

YOU WANT US ON YOUR SIDE, AND IF WE'RE NOT, IT'S GOING TO BE HARD TO PASS IT.

THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU.

I HAVE ONE MORE ELECTED OFFICIAL.

I'M JUST MAKING SURE THAT SHE'S NOT HERE.

THIS IS JUDGE GENESIS DRAPER.

NO. OKAY.

ALL RIGHT. WE WILL NOW HEAR FROM SPEAKERS WHO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AS STUDENTS WHEN THEY CHECKED IN THIS EVENING.

OUR FIRST STUDENT SPEAKER IS ADIDAS BITTNER.

AND OUR SECOND STUDENT IS GOING TO BE LUCA CANDIDA.

YES, MA'AM. HI.

MY NAME IS ADIDAS BITTNER AND I'M A FIFTH GRADER AT A NON-NES SCHOOL.

SOME PEOPLE WANT TAXPAYERS TO APPROVE A $4.4 BILLION BOND THAT WILL CREATE, QUOTE, BETTER SCHOOLS AND SAFETY, WHILE SCHOOLS NEED MORE FUNDING. SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT TRUSTWORTHY.

SOME PEOPLE HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED FOR MOVING TEXAS MONEY TO COLORADO.

SOME PEOPLE HAVE SHELL CORPORATIONS THAT CAN BE USED TO HIDE THE MOVEMENT OF MONEY.

SOME PEOPLE MAY DO WHAT THIEVES DO.

THEY PRETEND TO DO THE RIGHT THING.

BUT BEHIND OUR BACKS AND BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, THEY ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF US AND TAKING MONEY FOR THEMSELVES.

SOME PEOPLE SHOULD STOP LYING AND MISLEADING THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE BUDGET AND STAAR RESULTS.

SO, MORE PEOPLE SHOULD VALUE KIDS, NOT AS TEST SCORES AND DOLLAR SIGNS.

MORE PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THAT.

THAT A CERTIFIED AND EXPERIENCED TEACHER WITH A PASSION FOR TEACHING KIDS IS BETTER THAN ANY SCRIPTED CURRICULUM, AND MORE PEOPLE SHOULD VOTE NO ON THE BOND.

NO TRUST, NO BOND.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT STUDENT SPEAKER IS LUCA CANDIDA.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION.

HE'S SPEAKING IN SPANISH.

OKAY. VERY GOOD.

YES, SWEETIE. GO AHEAD.

[00:15:03]

[SPANISH] MY NAME IS LUCA KUNDERA.

I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT WHEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING VALUABLE, YOU HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL WHO YOU TRUST IT WITH.

[SPANISH].

MR. MILES HAS SHOWN US THAT WE CANNOT TRUST HIM.

[SPANISH] . WHEN WE THINK ABOUT HEROES, WE THINK ABOUT PEOPLE WHO DO THE CORRECT THING, EVEN WHEN IT'S A DIFFICULT DECISION. HEROES ARE VERY BRAVE AND THEY MAKE DECISIONS THAT THEY HELP EVERYBODY, NOT ONLY TO A FEW PEOPLE.

[SPANISH]. AND WE TRUSTED YOU TO TAKE CARE OF ALL THE KIDS IN HOUSTON.

THAT'S WHY WE'RE NOT GOING TO VOTE NO TO THE BONUS.

NO TRUST, NO BOND.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT STUDENT SPEAKER IS SUHANI D'EWART, AND I BELIEVE SHE IS ON ZOOM.

TODAY I'M GOING TO TELL EVERYONE HOW TO SPELL MILES.

AS IN MIKE MILES.

M AS IN MAN WHO CAME FROM MILES AWAY UNELECTED, WHOSE PREDICTION RING TOLD HIM TO SEND MILLIONS OF TAX DOLLARS TO HIS CHARTER. AS IN INSTEAD OF JANITORS, WRAPAROUND SPECIALISTS, PREWRITING AND FROM LAST DAYS OF SCHOOL, WE SHOULD HAVE SPIN BIKES AND MAP TESTS. L AS IN LEADER WHO CAME WHO CARES MORE ABOUT MONEY THAN LIBRARIES, LITERACY AND OUR DISTRICT'S LIBERTY AND LIES ABOUT TEST SCORES. E AS AN ENEMY OF PUBLIC EDUCATION WHO EATS UP OUR TRUST.

AND SO WE SAY NO TRUST, NO BOND.

S AS IN SORRY, YOUR SUPERINTENDENT CARES MORE ABOUT SCHOOL'S TEST SCORES THAN THE STUDENTS TAKING THEM AND LISTENING TO OUR SPEECHES.

AND SINCE YOU AREN'T LISTENING, LET ME SAY NO TRUST, NO BOND, NO TRUST, NO BOND, NO TRUST, NO BOND, NO TRUST, NO BOND.

THANK YOU. I THINK THAT CONCLUDES OUR STUDENT SPEAKERS.

MISS SMITH, IS THAT RIGHT? OKAY. WE WILL NOW TURN OVER TO THE BOND CAC COMMITTEE, WHO? A NUMBER OF FOLKS ARE HERE WITH US THIS EVENING.

AND I BELIEVE THE COMMITTEE IS COMING UP AS A GROUP TO SPEAK.

IS THAT RIGHT? NO.

NO. ALL RIGHT.

OKAY. VERY GOOD.

THEN OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS OUR FIRST AGENDA.

SPEAKER IS BOB HARVEY.

I'M SORRY.

PRESIDENT MOMANAEE, THEY'RE REGISTERED SPEAKERS INDIVIDUALLY AS CAC COMMITTEE MEMBERS.

OH, THEY ARE I'M SORRY, MR. HARVEY. I GUESS THE CAC HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR ME, BUT OUR FIRST SPEAKER WHO'S ON THE CAC IS GARNET COLEMAN. AND I'LL CALL Y'ALL IN ORDER HERE.

GOOD EVENING. I'M GARNET COLEMAN.

I'M A 30 YEAR FORMER MEMBER OF THE TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

AND I WANT TO SAY THIS STRAIGHT OUT.

I VOTED AGAINST THE BILL THAT CREATED THE TAKEOVER.

THERE WEREN'T VERY MANY PEOPLE WHO DID.

I CAN TELL YOU WHO DID. ME AND ARMANDO WALLY.

BUT I CAN TELL YOU THIS MIKE MILES DIDN'T PUT THAT BILL ON THE FLOOR.

GOVERNOR ABBOTT DID.

AND IT WAS BROUGHT BY MCGRATH.

THAT'S PAST. HISTORY IS DONE.

IF SOMEBODY REALLY WANTS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.

TALKING HERE MAKES SENSE.

A GOOD MESSAGE, BUT GO UP TO THE LEGISLATURE IN JANUARY.

I'LL GET SOMEBODY TO FILE A BILL.

FILE A BILL TO UNDO WHAT WAS DONE.

IN THE MEANTIME, LET'S GET ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF FIXING OUR SCHOOLS, BECAUSE, QUITE FRANKLY, THE CHILDREN CAN'T WAIT.

AND THE TEACHERS AND STAFF CAN'T WAIT TO HAVE SAFE AND HEALTHY BUILDINGS, SAFE AND HEALTHY CLASSROOMS, SAFE AND HEALTHY

[00:20:05]

KEEPING ADVOCATES.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, MAKE SURE YOU DON'T THROW OUT THE BABY WITH THE BATHWATER WHEN IT COMES TO THE SAFETY AND HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN IN THE SCHOOLS HERE.

LIKE I SAID EARLIER, THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A BOND WITH THE SCHOOL.

THERE WERE PROBLEMS AND THAT COULDN'T BE DONE.

SO NOW IT CAN BE SO SEPARATE THE TWO ISSUES.

LET'S PASS THE BOND AND GO TO THE LEGISLATURE AND SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

THIS PROBLEM WAS CREATED IN SOME WAY.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, REPRESENTATIVE COLEMAN.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER FROM THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE IS BOB URY.

THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU AS A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

I APPRECIATE VERY MUCH THE ABILITY TO SERVE SOME OBSERVATIONS THAT CAME BEFORE I SAT ON THE BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE FOR THE 2012 BOND ELECTION. AND I THINK THERE ARE A FEW TAKEAWAYS FROM IT.

BUT I'LL TELL YOU, THE BIG ONE IS VERY MUCH HISD HAS TO CONTINUE TO INVEST CONSTANTLY IN ITS CAMPUSES.

YOU HAVE OVER 270 CAMPUSES.

YOU JUST CAN'T SHUT OFF THE MONEY TO IT.

YOU HAVE TO KEEP GOING IN ORDER TO MAKE IT WORK.

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THERE'S 14 YEARS BETWEEN 2012 AND NOW, WE SHOULD BE HAVING BOND REFERENDUMS, SOMETHING IN THE RANGE OF 4 TO 6 YEARS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

SO WE'RE WOEFULLY BEHIND WHEN IT COMES TO THAT AS WE GO FORWARD.

WE MUST PUT THIS VOTE BEFORE THIS ISSUE, BEFORE THE VOTERS SET THE ELECTION, AND LET'S GO.

I DO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE FOLKS IN THIS ROOM THAT THAT OPPOSE BRINGING.

ALL OF US TO UPGRADE OUR SCHOOLS.

AND WE MUST ACT NOW TO SET THE ELECTION.

LET'S GO FORWARD. THANK YOU.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER FROM THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE IS EILEEN HARRELL.

EILEEN HARRELL. THIS BOND IS A DESPERATELY NEEDED INVESTMENT IN OUR STUDENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY.

THIS BOND IS NOT ABOUT THE TEN PEOPLE IN FRONT OF US.

IT'S ABOUT OUR KIDS.

THE 2012 BOND WAS IMPLEMENTED BY FOUR DIFFERENT ADMINISTRATIONS.

THE MAJORITY OF PROJECTS IN THIS BOND WILL NOT BE SHOVEL READY BEFORE MR. MILES CONTRACT EXPIRES IN AUGUST OF 2026.

IF THIS BOND FAILS, HOWEVER, THERE IS NO MAGIC MONEY TO FIX OUR SYSTEM WIDE HVAC, WATER AND SECURITY ISSUES.

WE WILL BE CONDEMNING OUR KIDS AND OUR TEACHERS TO MOLDY AND ROASTING CLASSROOMS. IF THIS BOND FAILS, WE CANNOT PROPOSE ANY OF THE SAME PROJECTS UNTIL THE NOVEMBER 2026 BALLOT, BUT WILL LIKELY BE WELCOMING A NEW LEADERSHIP TEAM THEN, SO THE KIDS WILL HAVE TO WAIT AGAIN.

IF THIS BOND FAILS, IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY HARD TO ADVOCATE IN JANUARY AT THE STATE LEGISLATURE FOR MONEY FOR OUR SCHOOLS IF WE WON'T SUPPORT OUR OWN SCHOOL AT THE BALLOT BOX THIS NOVEMBER, I AM PROUDLY PRO STUDENT PRO BOND.

THANK YOU, MISS HARRELL.

OUR NEXT COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBER HERE TO SPEAK THIS EVENING IS MARCOS ROSALES.

SERVING ON THIS COMMITTEE.

I GOT TO WALK THE HALLWAYS WITH PRINCIPALS, WITH ADMINISTRATORS, WITH TEACHERS.

I SAW THE CONDITIONS THAT WE SEND OUR KIDS TO SCHOOL IN EVERY DAY.

IN SOME INSTANCES, I SMELLED THE CONDITIONS.

WE SEND OUR KIDS TO SCHOOL AND EVERY DAY, AND IT IS NOTHING SHORT OF TRAGIC.

Y'ALL DIDN'T CAUSE THAT.

BUT YOU CAN DO SOMETHING TO FIX IT.

SOMETHING DRAMATIC NEEDS TO HAPPEN AND IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN.

YESTERDAY IT NEEDED TO HAPPEN TEN YEARS AGO.

FIVE YEARS AGO.

BUT HERE WE ARE TODAY.

YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

THIS BOND NEEDS TO PASS.

THERE'S NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU.

IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SUPERINTENDENT MILES.

IT'S ABOUT OUR KIDS.

AND IF YOU PUT THE KIDS FIRST, THIS IS THE EASIEST DECISION YOU'LL EVER HAVE TO MAKE.

YOU'LL HAVE HARD DECISIONS.

YOU ALL HAVE HAD HARD DECISIONS.

BUT THIS ISN'T ONE OF THEM.

THANK YOU. OUR LAST MEMBER OF THE CAC THAT'S PRESENT HERE THIS EVENING TO SPEAK TO US IS JANICE THOMAS HOEGER JOYCE'S JOB.

LOW ATTENDANCE, DECLINING ENROLLMENT, SCHOOL PERFORMANCE CHALLENGES, AND AGING POPULATIONS IS THE DRIVER FOR THE NEED TO CO-LOCATE SCHOOLS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

[00:25:03]

HOWEVER, IT IS CLEAR THAT ADDRESSING THESE COMPLEX ISSUES CAN'T BE LEFT TO JUST ONE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION.

OVER 100,000 STUDENTS, 280 SCHOOLS.

I DON'T SEE THEM IN HERE.

THE DISTRICT MUST EXPAND ITS REACH AND ACTIVELY ENGAGE WITH DIVERSE VOICES WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY THOSE MOST AFFECTED BY THESE CHANGES.

THIS MEANS ADOPTING MORE INCLUSIVE STRATEGIES THAT BRING EVERYONE TO THE TABLE, ENSURING THAT OUR PERSPECTIVES ARE HEARD AND CONSIDERED.

THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT MANAGERS SHOULD TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO APPROVE THE BOND, AND LET THE VOTERS HAVE THE FINAL SAY ON WHETHER THESE CRUCIAL CHANGES SHOULD MOVE FORWARD.

THIS IS A PIVOTAL MOMENT FOR OUR COMMUNITY, AND IT'S VITAL THAT WE WORK TOGETHER TO SHAPE THE FUTURE FOR OUR CHILDREN.

CHILDREN FIRST. THANK YOU, MISS THOMAS, AND THE BOARD AND ME ALL EXPRESS OUR THANKS TO THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR ALL OF THE WORK THAT THAT YOU ALL HAVE DONE, BECAUSE IT'S BEEN TREMENDOUS AND EXTREMELY HELPFUL FOR US IN OUR IN OUR DELIBERATIONS.

WITH THAT, I THINK THAT CONCLUDES THE SPEAKERS FROM THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE AT THIS TIME, MR. HARVEY. HERE, OUR FIRST SPEAKER THIS EVENING.

WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON, SUPERINTENDENT MILES AND BOARD MEMBERS.

MY NAME IS BOB HARVEY.

I AM HERE TO EXPRESS MY STRONG SUPPORT FOR THE BOND MEASURES.

AS A BUSINESS LEADER AND THE FORMER PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP, I'M DEEPLY INVESTED IN THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY, WHICH BEGINS WITH OUR SCHOOLS. OUR KIDS AND THEIR TEACHERS DESERVE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS THAT ARE SAFE, HEALTHY, AND CONDUCIVE TO LEARNING.

IN ADDITION TO ADDRESSING THE POOR CONDITIONS THAT MANY OF OUR SCHOOLS I SUPPORT THE DISTRICT'S PLANNED INVESTMENT IN HIGH QUALITY CAREER CENTERS.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF REGIONAL CTE CENTERS WILL ENHANCE OPPORTUNITIES FOR DUAL CREDIT AND INDUSTRY BASED CERTIFICATIONS THAT ALIGN WITH HIGH DEMAND LIVING WAGE JOBS. THIS WILL NOT ONLY PREPARE STUDENTS TO THRIVE IN TOMORROW'S WORKFORCE, BUT ALSO BOLSTER OUR LOCAL ECONOMY.

SO LET'S INVEST IN OUR STUDENTS, SUPPORT CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION, AND BUILD A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND NOT LET ADULT POLITICS STAND IN THE WAY.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MICHELLE WILLIAMS. AND I SHOULD HAVE DONE THIS EARLIER.

BUT IF FOLKS WHO ARE SPEAKERS THREE THROUGH 13 OR SO WOULDN'T MIND COMING FORWARD, THAT'LL HELP US THIS EVENING.

YES, MA'AM. GOOD AFTERNOON, MICHELLE WILLIAMS, HOUSTON EDUCATION ASSOCIATION MARTIN LUTHER KING SAID DARKNESS CANNOT DRIVE OUT DARKNESS.

ONLY LIGHT CAN DO THAT.

UNDER THE APPOINTED SUPERINTENDENT'S LEADERSHIP, HISD NON-RENEWED 205 TEACHERS, OF WHICH 131 OF THOSE TEACHERS WERE AFRICAN AMERICAN.

IN 2023, AFRICAN AMERICAN TEACHERS REPRESENTED 35% OF THE TEACHER DEMOGRAPHIC, YET THEY REPRESENT 63% OF THE TEACHER TERMINATIONS.

TEACHERS IN HISD ARE BEYOND TIRED OF THE UNETHICAL CONDUCT OF THE CURRENT LEADERSHIP.

I HAVE FILED A FORMAL COMPLAINT ASKING TIA TO INVESTIGATE THE WEST DIVISION LEADERSHIP, YOUR COLLEAGUE ANGELA FLOWERS AND HISD'S PROCESS FOR NON RENEWING TEACHERS, BUT SPECIFICALLY AFRICAN AMERICAN TEACHERS.

I'M ASKING FIVE BOARD OF MANAGERS TO VOTE AGAINST THE NON RENEWALS BASED ON PERFORMANCE UNTIL HISD'S ART DEPARTMENT HAS A IMPLEMENTS A LEGAL, FAIR AND EQUITABLE PROCESS THAT IS BASED ON POLICY AND FACTS, NOT RETALIATION OR FALSE DOCUMENTATION.

THANK YOU MA'AM. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CARMEN NUNZIO.

MISS NUNZIO. GOOD AFTERNOON.

MY NAME IS CARMEN NUNZIO, AND I WOULD LIKE AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY THE SUPERINTENDENT FEELS THAT WE SHOULD CUT THE GRASS AT OUR SCHOOLS FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, THE DISTRICT HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT.

WHAT IS IT THAT YOU'RE DOING WITH OUR MONEY? THAT YOU DON'T HAVE MONEY TO KEEP OUR SCHOOLS UP? I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT.

AND I WOULD LOVE AN EXPLANATION.

MY SCHOOL STARTS MONDAY AND OUR YARDS LOOK HORRIBLE.

SCHOOL STARTS MONDAY AND SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS HAVE NOT HAD A PRINTABLE ASSIGNED.

I'M SUGGESTING THAT MAYBE WE COULD PITCH IN SOME MONEY AND BUY YOU A LAWNMOWER.

SO MAYBE YOU COULD GO HELP US CUT THE YARD.

AND I PRAY THAT GOD FORGIVES YOU FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO OUR KIDS, OUR COMMUNITY, OUR PRINCIPALS AND OUR TEACHERS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CATHERINE PEREZ.

[00:30:05]

I THINK ABOUT HOW MANY TEACHERS IN THAT GROUP WERE LIKE ME, WITH TEN OR MORE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, AND ESPECIALLY THE ONES WHO, LIKE ME, WERE WOVEN INTO THE FABRIC OF THEIR COMMUNITIES.

THIS IS A TREMENDOUS LOSS OF HUMAN CAPITAL AND A DRAIN OF TAX DOLLARS TO RECRUIT NEW PEOPLE AND PROCESS PAPERWORK.

WE ARE HARD WORKING, CREATIVE, TALENTED INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE HONED OUR TEACHING CRAFT FOR YEARS, AND IT FEELS LIKE WE WERE DISCARDED WITH THE TRASH.

SCHOOLS ARE THE FOUNDATION OF A COMMUNITY AND THEY HAVE ALL BEEN GUTTED.

MY HEART BREAKS FOR THE STUDENTS WHO WILL SHOW UP ON MONDAY TO A SEA OF STRANGERS AND REALIZE THAT THEIR FAVORITE TEACHERS ARE GONE.

TO ALL THE FORMER HISD TEACHERS, I WANT TO SAY TO YOU, YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN REPLACED, BUT YOU'RE NOT REPLACEABLE.

I DO NOT TRUST THAT THIS BOND MONEY WILL GO TOWARDS EARMARKS TO GO NO TRUST, NO THANK YOU.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JACKIE ANDERSON.

JACKIE ANDERSON. YES, MA'AM.

NO, MA'AM. JACKIE ANDERSON, PRESIDENT OF THE HOUSTON FEDERATION OF TEACHERS.

ONCE AGAIN, OUR STUDENTS, PARENTS AND STAFF HAVE BEEN FAILED BY HISD'S INABILITY TO PROVIDE AN ADEQUATE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT.

THE CURRENT CONDITIONS AT OUR SCHOOLS ARE UNACCEPTABLE.

OVERGROWN GRASS NONFUNCTIONING AC UNITS, MOLD AND NEGLECT HAVE CREATED A SITUATION THAT IS FAR FROM CONDUCIVE TO LEARNING.

THESE FAILURES ARE NOT JUST INCONVENIENCES, THEY ARE SYMPTOMS OF A DEEPER PROBLEM THAT HAS PERSISTED FAR TOO LONG.

IT HAS BEEN HARMFUL.

IT IS THE HARMFUL EFFECTS THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS INFLICTED UPON OUR COMMUNITY.

OUR STUDENTS DESERVE BETTER.

WE WILL STILL CONTINUE TO DEMAND CHANGES NEEDED TO ENSURE A SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT.

THE BOARD OF MANAGERS.

IS THIS THE LEGACY YOU CHOOSE TO BUILD AND LEAD IN HISTORY? WE CALL UPON OUR STATE LEGISLATORS AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES AND COMMIT TO LONG TERM IMPROVEMENTS.

THE FUTURE OF OUR CHILDREN DEPEND ON IT.

NO TRUST, NO BOND.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SAUL VALENTINE FROM THE CAC.

I THINK HE'S ARRIVED.

YES, SIR. OH, AND MR. RIVON HAS JOINED US.

HELLO? YES, SIR.

GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M HERE TO SHOW MY SUPPORT FOR THE BOND AND ENCOURAGE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE BOND REFERENDUM IN NOVEMBER, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE ON THE COMMITTEE AND PERSONALLY VISIT MULTIPLE SITES AND SEE FIRSTHAND THE CONDITIONS.

MY SON WENT THROUGH HISD, AND I THINK THAT THE FUTURE OF THIS CITY DESERVES A BETTER EDUCATION FOR OUR KIDS AND A SAFER EDUCATION FOR OUR KIDS.

IT HAS BEEN 12 YEARS SINCE WHAT HAPPENED.

IT'S NORMAL THAT IT HAPPENS EVERY FIVE YEARS.

IT IS TIME IT IS OVER, TOO.

IT IS NOT ABOUT THIS ADMINISTRATION, IT IS NOT ABOUT THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION.

IT IS NOT ABOUT THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION.

ITS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF OUR KIDS, ITS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF OUR KIDS AND ABSOLUTELY NO TAX INCREASE.

THERE IS A FORMULA BEHIND IT.

YOU CAN DEFINITELY GET EDUCATION ON THAT.

ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU SIR.

AND ANOTHER COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBER HAS ALSO JOINED US BY ZOOM.

SO WE'LL TURN OVER TO TRUSTEE, FORMER TRUSTEE JUDITH CRUZ, WHO WAS ONE OF THE CO-CHAIRS OF THE COMMITTEE.

YES, MA'AM.

BUENOS NOCHES.

THERE ARE A LOT OF ABOUT THIS BOND.

THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THEY'RE SO OVERDUE.

TRUSTEE. MR. CRUZ.

CAN YOU SPEAK UP OR CAN WE? LET'S ADJUST THE VOLUME BECAUSE I CAN'T HEAR WELL.

YES. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? CAN WE DO IT IN THE ROOM? CAN WE INCREASE THE VOLUME? OR JUST. CAN YOU? YEAH. GO AHEAD.

OKAY. BUENAS NOCHES.

THERE ARE A LOT OF OPINIONS ABOUT THIS BOND.

THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT WE ARE SO OVERDUE FOR THIS BOND.

OUR DEFERRED MAINTENANCE IS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN FAR EXCEEDS WHAT OUR GENERAL FUND CAN SUPPORT.

IF WE CONTINUE TO SPEND ON DEFERRED MAINTENANCE, WE HAVE LESS TO SPEND ON INSTRUCTION.

AND EACH YEAR THAT DEFERRED MAINTENANCE COST GROWS AND THE COST OF CONSTRUCTION GROWS EACH YEAR.

ALSO, DELAYING THIS BOND WILL HAVE NEGATIVE IMPACTS FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF, AND WILL COST THE TAXPAYERS SUBSTANTIALLY MORE IN THE LONG RUN.

I ASK THAT THE BOARD PUT STUDENTS FIRST TODAY, AND I ASK THAT VOTERS PUT STUDENTS FIRST IN NOVEMBER.

OUR STUDENTS HAVE WAITED LONG ENOUGH, AND EVEN IN THIS, THIS BOND PASSES WILL STILL HAVE TO WAIT DESPITE QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS.

[00:35:07]

PRO STUDENTS PRO BOND PARA LOS ESTUDIANTES Y EL BUENO.

GRACIAS. THANK YOU.

OUR NEXT REGISTERED SPEAKER IS CHRISTY BREWSTER.

I'M CHRISTY MICHELLE BREWSTER, YOUR CERTIFIED RETIRED SCHOOL NURSE OF 35 YEARS.

IN MY WILDEST NIGHTMARE, I NEVER DREAMED OUR BELOVED HISD WOULD BE IN THIS DISARRAY.

BUT Y'ALL MADE IT HAPPEN.

LARGE AMOUNT OF CERTIFIED QUALIFIED TEACHERS, LIBRARIANS AND PRINCIPALS PUSHED OUT.

OUR MONEY SITUATION IS LOOKING MIGHTY FUNNY.

TEST SCORES.

THE MATH IS NOT MY THING.

MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT.

WHERE IS IT? DO WE HAVE POS AT THE CAMPUSES? AND WHY ARE OUR SCHOOLS OUR CAMPUSES LOOKING LIKE PENDING FORECLOSURE, SECTION EIGHT PROPERTY.

BUT YOU MADE IT HAPPEN.

WE KNOW ABBOTT CREATED A NOOSE.

WE KNOW HE DELIVERED IT TO MORATH AND TIA TO BRING TO YOU.

AND YOU INSTRUCTED TO PUT AROUND THE NECK OF HISD.

BUT THAT'S OKAY, BECAUSE WE, THE PEOPLE, YOU HAVE SOLIDIFIED US ALL THE ZIP CODES.

AND WE'RE GOING TO TAP DANCE LINE, DANCE DOWN TO THE BALLOT BOX AND VOTE, YOU KNOW, TRUST NO VOTE.

THANK YOU, MA'AM. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JASMINE COLVIN.

MY NAME IS JASMINE COLVIN.

WITH GOOD REASON, HOUSTON.

HISD HASN'T PASSED A BOND SINCE 2012 AND ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS HAVEN'T RECEIVED FUNDING SINCE 2007.

THIS HAS LEFT A GENERATION OF STUDENTS WITHOUT ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE UPDATES.

THIS HIGHLIGHTS THE URGENT NEED FOR INVESTMENT TO ENSURE QUALITY EDUCATION.

STUDIES SHOW A STRONG LINK BETWEEN SCHOOL BUILDING CONDITIONS AND STUDENT OUTCOMES, WITH POOR FACILITIES LEADING TO LOWER ATTENDANCE, HIGHER ABSENTEEISM AND DECREASED ACHIEVEMENT.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE EXTREME TEMPERATURES FROM FAULTY HVAC SYSTEMS FURTHER DISRUPT LEARNING AND HARM STUDENT WELL-BEING.

THE PROPOSED BOND ALSO SHOWS THE DISTRICT'S COMMITMENT TO EXPANDING PRE-K ACCESS, ENSURING MORE CHILDREN BENEFIT FROM QUALITY.

EARLY EDUCATION.

RESEARCH SHOWS THAT EARLY LEARNING IS VITAL FOR DEVELOPMENT AND FUTURE ACADEMIC SUCCESS, SETTING A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR STUDENTS.

PLEASE VOTE IN FAVOR OF PLACING THIS BOND ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT TO ADDRESS THE PRESSING NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.

CANNOT WAIT. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ALISON CHAPIN.

GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS ALISON CHAPIN.

I'M A FORMER HISD TEACHER, AND I'M HERE TO ASK YOU TO VOTE NO.

AS FAR AS PUTTING THE BOND ON THE BALLOT.

I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT SWAG.

REMEMBER, THERE'S SO MUCH MONEY BEING SPENT ON SWAG IN THIS DISTRICT, THAT DISTRICT THAT SCHOOLS ARE BEING TOLD YOU CAN SPEND $30 PER TEACHER PER YEAR ON FOOD, SWAG, WHATEVER YOU NEED.

BUT I'M LOOKING AT YOUR CUPS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU AND THERE'S PLENTY OF MONEY FOR THAT.

THERE WAS PLENTY OF MONEY FOR MATCHING T SHIRTS AT THE CONVOCATION, NOT TO MENTION THE WHOLE PRODUCTION IN WHICH TWO OF HIS SONS WERE PAID MONEY OR NO TWO SONGS WERE DONE BY HIS SON, SO I'M SURE THERE'S CASH GOING THAT WAY.

I WANT TO KNOW WHY OUR SCHOOLS LOOK SO HORRIBLE, WHY THERE ARE NOT MAINTENANCE PEOPLE OUT THERE CLEANING UP.

IT'S BEEN A MONTH SINCE BOROUGH.

A MONTH AND A HALF SINCE THE DEPRESSION.

ALSO, I WANT TO KNOW WHY THE CO-LOCATIONS STILL APPEAR ON THIS BUDGET.

WHY ARE YOU SUPPOSEDLY GOING TO CO-LOCATE SCHOOLS AND YET YOU'RE STILL SPENDING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON SECURITY UPGRADES. THANK YOU.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JESSE BROWN.

HELLO, BOARD MEMBERS AND SUPERINTENDENT MILES AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

MY NAME IS JESSE BROWN, THE PROUD PRINCIPAL OF BLACKSHEAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WHERE THE PRIDE OF THIRD WARD BEGAN SINCE 1916.

OUR SCHOOL WAS NAMED AFTER EDWARD L BLACKSHEAR, A SON OF ENSLAVED PARENTS FROM MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA, WHO BECAME THE FIRST PRINCIPAL OF EMANCIPATION PARK SCHOOL BEFORE BECOMING A PRINCIPAL OF PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY.

IF THE BOND PASSES, BLACKSHEAR ELEMENTARY SHOULD BE ONE OF THE PRIORITY SCHOOLS TO BE REBUILT DUE TO ITS AGE AND CONDITION.

THE BUILDING IS AN OPEN CAMPUS DESIGN WHERE EACH ROOM DOOR FACES THE ELEMENTS RATHER THAN THE HALLWAY.

[00:40:03]

THERE IS A CONSTANT NEED TO FIX OUR ROOF AND AWNINGS BECAUSE WHEN IT RAINS, ALL THE WALKWAYS GET FLOODED, OR THERE'S POOR DRAINAGE AND UNEVEN WALKWAYS AND EVERYTHING THERE GETS WET. OUR HVAC SYSTEM IS ALSO IN NEED OF CONSTANT REPAIR, AND PARTS ARE HARD TO FIND DUE TO ITS AGE.

BLACKSHEAR ELEMENTARY HAS A LONG AND PROUD HISTORY, AND OUR STUDENTS DESERVE A HIGH QUALITY BUILDING SO OUR TEACHERS CAN DELIVER HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION WHICH RECEIVE THE EDUCATION THEY DESERVE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

THANK YOU.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LISA ROBINSON.

MISS ROBINSON. I'M LISA SANTOS ROBINSON, RETIRED MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH AND READING TEACHER AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MEDIA SPECIALIST.

PLEASE VOTE NO ON THIS BOND PROPOSAL.

I CANNOT SUPPORT A BOND WHEN THE SUPERINTENDENT WOULD BUILD AND RENOVATE SCHOOLS THAT ELIMINATE A DEDICATED LIBRARY SPACE.

I CANNOT SUPPORT A BOND WHEN THE SUPERINTENDENT HAS REMOVED ACCESS TO OVER $9 MILLION WORTH OF FEDERALLY FUNDED LIBRARY BOOKS AND MORE THAN 700,000 IN MAKERSPACE MATERIALS FROM STUDENTS.

I CANNOT SUPPORT A BOND WHEN THE SUPERINTENDENT STAFF HAVE THROWN AWAY CLASSROOM LIBRARIES BECAUSE THEY DON'T FIT THE NES MODEL, YOU'LL BE HEARING A PRESENTATION SHORTLY CONCERNING TRANSFORMATION.

TRANSFORMATION DOESN'T COME FROM STUDENTS COMPLETING WORKSHEETS AND WATCHING SLIDE DECKS.

THIS SCHOOL BOND WOULD BAKE INTO SCHOOL BUILDINGS, A PERMANENT OBSTACLE TO PROVIDING LITERACY AND LIBRARY SERVICES TO OUR STUDENTS, WHICH IS WHAT WE KNOW LEADS TO TRUE TRANSFORMATION.

NO TRUST.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER THANK YOU IS DIANA CANDIDA.

THERE'S TWO REASONS.

WHAT'S YOUR LAST? I MEAN, WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER? YOU'RE RIGHT. GO AHEAD.

OKAY. MY NAME IS LISA WEISS.

I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF ESTHER URIBE, A FORMER HISD LIBRARIAN.

AND SHE WAS A FINALIST FOR THE HISD LIBRARIAN OF THE YEAR.

SO HER FORMER LIBRARY POSITION NO LONGER EXISTS.

SO SHE HAS CHANGED DISTRICTS.

THIS IS A HUGE LOSS FOR HISD.

SO IN ESTHER URIBE'S WORDS, I'M DEEPLY SADDENED BY THE CLOSURE OF THE EMERSON LIBRARY.

ALTHOUGH I'M NO LONGER THEIR LIBRARIAN, I WILL KEEP ADVOCATING FOR MY FORMER STUDENTS AND ALL HISD STUDENTS TO HAVE ACCESS TO LIBRARY SERVICES.

I SPENT EIGHT YEARS BUILDING THE LIBRARY PROGRAM AT EMERSON AND CULTIVATING A LOVE OF READING WITH MY STUDENTS.

THEY WILL BE DEVASTATED WHEN THEY LEARN THAT NOT ONLY THEIR LIBRARIAN IS GONE, BUT THEIR LIBRARY IS CLOSED.

THEY WILL BE DEVASTATED WHEN THEY LEARN THAT THE NEARLY $64,000 OF BOOKS THAT WERE PURCHASED WITH ESSER FUNDS, THE LIBRARY, STEAM CART, AND THE 3D PRINTER ARE NO LONGER ACCESSIBLE.

WHAT A WASTE. THIS IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF HOW MIKE MILES SQUANDERS DISTRICT RESOURCES TO THE DETRIMENT OF CHILDREN HE CAN'T BE TRUSTED WITH.

THANK YOU. OKAY.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DIANA CANDIDA.

AND THEN IF SPEAKERS 13 THROUGH 23 OR SO WOULDN'T MIND COMING FORWARD, THAT'D BE A GREAT HELP.

THANK YOU. YES, MA'AM.

HELLO. MY NAME IS DIANA CANDIDA.

HERE TO ASK THAT YOU VOTE NO ON PUTTING THE BOND ON THE BALLOT.

MR. MILES HAS SQUANDERED HIS RESOURCES BY CLOSING LIBRARIES.

HE'S MISSPENT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON THINGS SUCH AS LAST YEAR'S CONVOCATION AND SPIN BIKES THAT ARE NOT BEING USED.

SUNRISE CENTERS ARE NOT MORE EFFICIENT OR CHEAPER THAN WRAPAROUND SERVICES, BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WHO MOST NEED THE SERVICES CANNOT EASILY ACCESS THEM.

THE TOXIC WORK ENVIRONMENT CREATED MEANS THAT HISD HAS LOST ALMOST 4600 TEACHERS SINCE THE TAKEOVER.

NOT ONLY IS REPLACING TEACHERS DISRUPTIVE FOR STUDENTS EDUCATION, BUT TYPICALLY COSTS AROUND $20,000 PER TEACHER, AND THE DEPARTURE OF EXPERIENCED TEACHERS IS LOWERING THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION.

HERE IN HOUSTON, MR. MILES DOESN'T LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY CONCERNS AND CANNOT BE TRUSTED WITH OUR RESOURCES, OUR MONEY, OR OUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE.

BOARD OF MANAGERS.

MR. MILES IS ANY SYSTEM IS NOT THE SUCCESS HE CLAIMS IT TO BE.

AND THOUGH OUR SCHOOLS NEED INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS, GIVING MR. MILES MONEY IS IRRESPONSIBLE.

VOTE NO ON PUTTING THE BOND ON.

NO BOND, AND I PROMISE.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS HEATHER GOLDEN.

GOOD EVENING. I'M HEATHER GOLDEN, AND I OPPOSE THE APPROVAL OF THE PROPOSED HISD BONDS.

MR. MILES REFUSES TO LISTEN TO FEEDBACK OR ADJUST HIS PLANS BASED ON CONCERNS HE HEARS FROM ANYONE, INCLUDING THE BOARD OF MANAGERS THE BOND COMMITTEE BROUGHT FORTH SUGGESTIONS BASED ON HOURS OF PUBLIC TESTIMONY AND RESEARCH.

NONE OF THOSE SUGGESTIONS WERE INCORPORATED INTO THE PROPOSAL YOU'RE SEEING TODAY.

[00:45:03]

MILES HAS A HISTORY OF IMPULSIVE DECISION MAKING.

HE TOLD DAC IN DECEMBER THAT HISD COULD ONLY AFFORD AN ADDITIONAL 40 NES SCHOOLS FOR THIS UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR, AND HE ADDED 45.

HE MOVED IOI TESTING DATES AT THE LAST MINUTE AND ABRUPTLY ENDED THE DECADES OLD PRACTICE OF HALF DAYS DURING FINALS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, HE CHANGED LEAD AT LEAST NINE TIMES AND CALLED BELOVED PRINCIPALS IN TO ASK FOR THEIR RESIGNATIONS BEFORE STAR TESTING RESULTS WERE AVAILABLE.

MILES HAS SHOWN AN INABILITY TO CREATE A THOROUGH PLAN AND FOLLOW UP WITH FIDELITY.

HE IS OVERSPENDING ON NES.

HE IS ALLERGIC TO FEEDBACK AND COMMUNITY CONCERNS.

WE CANNOT GIVE HIM MORE MONEY TO SQUANDER.

LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY.

SAY NO TO DRUGS.

NO, HON.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DON MCKEOWN.

I'M. NO.

COME ON. WE'LL SWITCH THE ORDER A LITTLE.

GO AHEAD. OKAY.

MY NAME IS DON MCKEOWN.

I'M HERE TO SPEAK AGAINST THE PLAN TO CO-LOCATE FORT HOUSTON ELEMENTARY TO THE SO-CALLED HOLLAND CAMPUS IN THE PLEASANTVILLE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR THE FORT HOUSTON COMMUNITY. THIS MEANS THE CLOSURE OF THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL.

HIDING A SCHOOL CLOSURE IN A BOND VOTE IS DECEPTIVE, CRUEL, AND DIVISIVE.

THE MOST OBVIOUS PROBLEM WITH THIS PLAN IS THAT THERE IS NO SAFE PEDESTRIAN ROUTE FOR CHILDREN FROM PORT HOUSTON TO THE NEW CAMPUS IN A DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOOD.

LESS OBVIOUS IS THE HARM TO THE PORT HOUSTON NEIGHBORHOOD, WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN UNDERSERVED FOR DECADES.

FORT HOUSTON ELEMENTARY IS THE ONLY FUNCTIONING GOVERNMENT INSTITUTION LOCATED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

THE SCHOOL IS THE HEART OF THE COMMUNITY.

YOUR PROFILES ON THE HISD WEBSITE PROCLAIM A FOCUS ON ENSURING THOSE MOST AT RISK RECEIVE THE SUPPORT THEY NEED.

PLEASE DO JUST THAT AND REMOVE THE CLOSURE OR PORT HOUSTON ELEMENTARY FROM THE BOND PLAN.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS TRISTA BISHOP WATT.

GOOD EVENING. I'M TRISTA BISHOP WATT WITH HOUSTONIANS FOR GREAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

HISD HAS FACED MANY CHALLENGES OVER THE LAST DECADE, BUT NONE MORE PRESSING NOW THAN CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE, WHICH PLACES STUDENTS AND TEACHERS AT RISK EVERY DAY.

I'VE ATTENDED EVERY HISD BOARD MEETING SINCE 2018.

I'VE WATCHED PAST BOARDS AND ADMINISTRATIONS CONSIDER PURSUING A BOND, ONLY TO ULTIMATELY FIND REASONS TO DELAY.

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE HURDLES, BUT WE MUST REMAIN FOCUSED ON WHAT'S BEST FOR KIDS.

AT A BARE MINIMUM, EVERY CHILD DESERVES TO LEARN IN A SAFE AND HEALTHY SCHOOL.

THE DISTRICT HAS NOT MEANINGFULLY INVESTED IN ITS FACILITIES IN OVER A DECADE.

THIS IS EVIDENT WITH THE DILAPIDATED CONDITIONS, INEFFECTIVE HVAC SYSTEMS, AND UNSAFE LEVELS OF LEAD IN SCHOOLS.

HISD'S AGING FACILITIES HAVE REACHED A CRITICAL POINT AND WE CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO WAIT.

OUR KIDS CANNOT WAIT.

WE APPRECIATE THE WORK, THE ADMINISTRATION AND COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE HAS PUT FORTH A BOND PROPOSAL WITHOUT A TAX RATE INCREASE, AND STRONGLY URGE THE BOARD TO ALLOW VOTERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO INVEST IN OUR CHILDREN.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DR.

RUTH HOFFMAN LOCK.

THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS PRESIDED OVER A RECORD 42.7 PERCENT TEACHER TURNOVER, BUDGET DEFICITS IN THE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS SPENT ON UNNECESSARY AND UNNEEDED EQUIPMENT, MULTIPLE INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS OF UNETHICAL AND ILLEGAL BUSINESS PRACTICES, REWARDING EMPLOYEES WHO BERATE TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS WITH SALARIES OVER $200,000.

A PATTERN OF CONSISTENT MISREPRESENTATION OF RESEARCH PRESENTED AS JUSTIFICATION FOR DRASTIC AND HARMFUL CHANGES TO INSTRUCTION, AND MANIPULATING TEST SCORES BY LIMITING STUDENT ENROLLMENT IN COURSES THAT WOULD ADVANCE THEIR COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS.

NO RATIONAL PERSON WOULD LOOK AT THIS RECORD AND CONCLUDE THAT THE ADMINISTRATION CAN BE TRUSTED WITH $4.4 BILLION, NO MATTER WHAT, LONE STAR GOVERNANCE SAID.

THERE IS NO WAY TO CLAIM PLAUSIBLE DENIABILITY AT THIS POINT.

ENABLING THIS ADMINISTRATION CONSTITUTES WILLFUL NEGLIGENCE, WHICH MEANS YOU ARE EACH PERSONALLY LIABLE FOR NOT STOPPING THE HARM THAT IS BEING DONE PERSONALLY LIABLE.

I HOPE YOU WILL NOT SUBMIT YOURSELF TO THAT LIABILITY BY VOTING TO APPROVE THIS.

THANK YOU.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS COREY FLORES.

I'M SORRY. MY NAME IS COREY FLORES.

IT IS UNCONSCIONABLE THAT WE ARE CONTEMPLATING A $4.4 BILLION BOND IN HIS HANDS, AND IT'S INSULTING FOR YOU ALL TO SUGGEST THAT A VOTE FOR

[00:50:05]

YOU ARE SO DEEPLY OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE FACTS ON THE GROUND.

IN HISD BOARD OF MANAGERS YOU HAVE ENDORSED, AND WE HAVE GOTTEN SO USED TO HIS DYSTOPIAN NIGHTMARE WE FORGOT HOW CRAZY IT ACTUALLY IS. HE HAS YOU SAYING WITH A STRAIGHT FACE THAT LIBRARIES AND SCHOOLS ARE NOT IMPORTANT.

ALL OF YOU DENY THE UNDENIABLE SUCCESS OF WRAPAROUND SERVICES INSIDE OF SCHOOLS.

YOU STAND BY AND YOU ALLOW HIS POLICIES TO FLAGRANTLY AND ILLEGALLY IGNORE SPECIAL ED REQUIREMENTS.

IT IS ABSURD.

MY HEART IS BROKEN THAT YOU WON'T STAND UP AGAINST IT.

AND FOR OUR KIDS, IF YOU ARE WAITING FOR THE SAVIOR TO PULL A RABBIT OUT OF HIS HAT, SHOW YOU REAL EVIDENCE THAT EVERYTHING YOU'VE LEARNED ABOUT EDUCATION IS WRONG.

STOP. YOU KNOW IT'S NOT FUNNY.

HE HAS NO CLUE WHAT OUR CHILDREN NEED.

AND HE DOESN'T CARE.

HE DOESN'T EVEN CARE WHAT YOU THINK.

HE HAS SHOWN THAT TO US, TO YOU, IN FRONT OF US.

WE HAVE SEEN IT. WE CRINGE.

HE ACTS LIKE YOU CAN'T EVEN QUESTION HIM.

THANK YOU, MA'AM, TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR YOU TO DO THE RIGHT THING.

PLEASE DO IT TONIGHT.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JESSICA DUGGAN.

YES, MA'AM. MY NAME IS JESSIE DUGGAN, AND I HAVE TWO TWIN FOUR YEAR OLDS, AND ONE OF THEM HAS AUTISM.

AND THEY'LL BE IN HISD NEXT YEAR.

SO LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT.

GREG ABBOTT FIGURED HE'D BRING HIS DATE.

MISS PROJECT 2025 EARLY TO THE PARTY.

WHY WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE ELECTION TO DESTROY PUBLIC EDUCATION WHEN HE CAN DO THAT IN HOUSTON RIGHT NOW? SO HE STAGED A HOSTILE TAKEOVER OF THE LARGEST PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT AND SENT IN THIS HATCHET MAN AND HIS TEAM OF RUBBER STAMPS TO WRECK THE PLACE.

LIBRARIES ARE GONE.

NO MORE BOOKS, NO MORE DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS.

A THIRD, A THIRD OF TEACHERS ARE GONE.

HALF OF PRINCIPALS ARE GONE.

THEY ARE EXPERIMENTING ON OUR KIDS USING UNTESTED CURRICULUM.

THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN CAUGHT FUNNELING MILLIONS OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS OUT OF OUR STATE, AND NOW THEY WANT MORE MONEY.

I'M SORRY, BUT I'M NOT BUYING WHAT ANY OF YOU ARE SELLING.

NO TRUST, NO BOND.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SARAH SAM.

HI. MY NAME IS SARAH SAM, AND I'M A REGISTERED VOTER AND COMMUNITY MEMBER SPEAKING AGAINST THE BOND.

I HAVE A BACKGROUND IN HIGHER EDUCATION, AND AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER IN DISTRICT SEVEN, I HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN THE FUTURE OF OUR SCHOOLS.

I LEARNED ABOUT THE TIA AND HISD TAKEOVER JUST DAYS AFTER MOVING MY FAMILY TO HOUSTON.

SINCE THEN, I'VE TALKED TO FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS ABOUT THE STATE OF THE DISTRICT AND WATCHED AS THIS BOARD OF MANAGERS STRIPS AWAY STUDENT SERVICES.

I'VE WATCHED TEACHERS CHOOSE BETWEEN SIGNING UNFAIR JOB CONTRACTS AND SUPPORTING THEIR STUDENTS.

ENROLLMENT IS DOWN, TEACHERS DOWN, LIBRARIES CLOSED DOWN, CUSTODIAN BENEFITS ARE DOWN.

WRAPAROUND SERVICES ARE DOWN.

EVERYTHING IS DOWN BUT THE DEFICIT.

WE AS TAXPAYERS SHOULD NOT BE REQUIRED TO FUEL THIS MONEY LAUNDERING OPERATION WITH THE LARGEST BOND IN HISD HISTORY.

NO TRUST, NO BOND.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS BROOKE LONGORIA.

YES, MA'AM. GOOD AFTERNOON.

I AM BROOKE LONGORIA, ONE OF HISD'S MOST VALUABLE RESOURCES IS ITS TEACHER.

HISD PUBLIC RECORDS SHOW THAT APPROXIMATELY 4700 TEACHERS HAVE LEFT HISD.

I WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS SUPERINTENDENT MILES STATEMENTS IN RECENT HOUSTON CHRONICLE ARTICLES AND THE CITY CAST.

HOUSTON PODCAST FROM THIS WEEK.

SUPERINTENDENT MILES, YOU SAY THAT YOU WERE DISCOURAGED WHEN STAFF SEPARATION NUMBERS ARE EXAGGERATED.

THESE NUMBERS ARE FROM HISD.

IF THEY ARE INCORRECT, I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE CORRECT THE RECORD.

SUPERINTENDENT MILES ALSO STATES THAT 1400 TEACHERS WERE LET GO BECAUSE OF PERFORMANCE ISSUES.

SO IF WE DO THE MATH, THAT LEAVES APPROXIMATELY 3300 TEACHERS AND LET'S SAY 300 RETIRED FOR NORMAL REASONS, THEN THAT'S 3000 VOLUNTARY SEPARATIONS THAT ARE UNADDRESSED.

IT IS AN UNPRECEDENTED THIS IS AN UNPRECEDENTED NUMBER THAT WORRIES EVERY PARENT.

I KNOW YOU SAID THIS.

THIS IS A RETENTION THAT IS NOT A TEACHER RETENTION MATTER.

IT'S A RECRUITMENT MATTER.

BOARD OF MANAGERS.

THERE'S NO TALENT POOL.

THEY'RE NOT EXPERIENCED TEACHERS WAITING IN LINE TO REPLACE WHAT WE'VE LOST WITH THESE RESOURCES MISUSED.

WE DO NOT TRUST YOU WITH THE RESOURCES FOR A BOND.

NO TRUST, NO BOND. THANK YOU.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SARAH RIVLIN.

[00:55:03]

I HAD HEARD THAT MILES WAS INTENTIONALLY PLANNING TO MAKE TEACHERS LIVES EVEN WORSE THIS YEAR.

AND HE HAS. HE'S COMPLETELY ABOVE THE LAW, AND HE'S ALREADY USING THAT IMMUNITY TO OPENLY VIOLATE EVERY SINGLE TEACHER'S CONTRACT BY SETTING WORKING HOURS ABOVE THE LEGAL LIMIT.

HE HAS ALSO BRAZENLY MOCKED THE COMMUNITY'S CONCERNS ABOUT HIS ALARMING SPENDING HABITS BY PUTTING ON A SEQUEL TO HIS INFAMOUS MUSICAL.

IT WAS SUPPOSEDLY FUNDED BY DONATIONS, BUT WHO ON EARTH WOULD DONATE MONEY TO PUT ON AN INSULTING MUSICAL, RATHER THAN TO CAUSES THAT WOULD ACTUALLY HELP OUR KIDS LIKE, SAY, CUTTING THE GRASS.

THIS YEAR'S MUSICAL POKED FUN AT THE ABJECT TERROR THAT CHILDREN THAT TEACHERS FEEL WHEN MILES ARRIVES AT THEIR CAMPUS, REFERRING TO THE CODED PHRASE THE EAGLE HAS LANDED, MR. MILES, I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT I'VE NEVER REFERRED TO YOU AS AN EAGLE.

THE FLESH EATING BACTERIA HAS LANDED IS MORE FITTING.

NO TRUST, NO BOND.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JESSICA CAMPOS.

AND IT'S COLD IN HERE.

[SPANISH].

OKAY, LET ME GET A TRANSLATOR.

NECESITO. I WILL ALWAYS TRANSLATE MYSELF.

THANK YOU. WILL YOU PLEASE GIVE ME MY TIME? THANK YOU. YES, MA'AM.

YOU'RE GOING TO TRANSLATE VERBATIM? YES. OKAY.

GO AHEAD. NO.

[SPANISH].

THIS LAST MONTH WAS VERY DIFFICULT FOR A LOT OF FAMILIES IN HOUSTON.

[SPANISH]. MANY OF THE FAMILIES ARE SAYING THAT THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY UNIFORMS FOR THEIR STUDENTS.

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE AWARE, BUT A LOT OF IMMIGRANTS, WHEN THEY COME TO THIS COUNTRY, THEY LIVE IN FEAR.

AND THEY'RE ALSO TOLD WHEN THEY'RE TRYING TO GET THEIR PAPERS, THEY'RE TOLD THAT THEY CANNOT ASK FOR HELP.

SO A LOT OF THE TIME THEY DON'T ASK FOR HELP.

[SPANISH].

SO THIS IS WHY IT WAS SO IMPORTANT TO HAVE A WRAPAROUND SPECIALIST IN OUR SCHOOLS, BECAUSE THE WRAPAROUND SPECIALIST WOULD SEE IN REAL TIME THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS AND STUDENTS ASK FOR THINGS, EVEN IF THEIR PARENTS ARE TOO SCARED TO ASK FOR THINGS, STUDENTS WILL ASK FOR THEM. [SPANISH] . WE NEED OUR WRAPAROUND SPECIALISTS INSIDE OF OUR SCHOOLS.

YOUR SUNSET, YOUR SUN RISE CENTERS.

THEY'RE TOO FAR AWAY FOR OUR, YOU KNOW FOR OUR FAMILIES THAT DON'T HAVE VEHICLES.

I BE I'M BEING ONE OF THOSE YOU KNOW, FOR A WHILE WE DIDN'T HAVE A VEHICLE.

AND, YOU KNOW, HAVING TO DRIVE TO A SUNRISE CENTER WITH, YOU KNOW, A BUNCH OF BAGS OF CLOTHES AND SHOES AND STUFF THAT WE REALLY NEED.

YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF WAY OUT THERE.

LIKE, YOU CAN'T ASK THAT FROM THE PEOPLE, AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO COME TO YOUR SUNRISE CENTERS TO ASK YOU FOR HELP, [SPANISH] . SO WRAPAROUND SPECIALISTS BRING BACK OUR WRAPAROUND SPECIALISTS BECAUSE WE NEED THEM IN OUR SCHOOLS.

NO TRUST, NO BOND.

THANK YOU. NO, I KNOW THAT.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ELLEN WALKER. WALTER.

EXCUSE ME. YES, MA'AM.

WHEN STAAR RESULTS CAME OUT, IT WAS REPORTED THAT ALL GRADES THREE THROUGH EIGHT READING SCORES ARE NOW ABOVE PRE-COVID NUMBERS.

I LOOKED THAT UP IN THIRD GRADE.

WE PASSED 2019 READING PERCENTAGE FOR APPROACHES OR ABOVE BY 1%.

HOWEVER, THAT'S ONLY TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ENGLISH AS A FIRST LANGUAGE.

CHILDREN SPANISH SPEAKERS MET APPROACHES BY 68% IN 2019 AND 2024.

THEY ONLY MET IT BY 48%.

ONCE AGAIN PROVING THAT MILES AND HIS CURRICULUM IS ONLY FOR CHILDREN, OR IS NOT FOR THE CHILDREN WHO TRULY NEED HELP IN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT.

IF MILES WILL ONLY REPORT THE NUMBERS THAT MAKE HIM LOOK GOOD, HOW CAN WE TRUST HIM WITH ANYTHING HE IS DOING IN THE COMMUNITY? HE HAS GIVEN US NO BILINGUAL SUPPORT, NO LIBRARIES, NO DISABILITY SUPPORT.

SO WE HAVE NO TRUST, NO BOND.

THANK YOU.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CAMILLE BREAUX.

[01:00:04]

THANK YOU. YES, MA'AM.

HELLO, MY NAME IS CAMILLE BREAUX.

THE FACT THAT SCHOOL CLOSURES COULD BE ON THE BALLOT IN THREE MONTHS, AND THERE HAVE BEEN ZERO MEETINGS IN THESE COMMUNITIES, IS ABSURD, AND IT'S UNETHICAL.

MOST OF THE SCHOOLS FACING CLOSURE HAVE A STUDENT POVERTY RATE ABOVE 95%.

YOU'RE TAKING SCHOOLS THAT HISD HAS FAILED AND YOU'RE GOING TO CLOSE THEM, MAKE THOSE KIDS BUST OUT AND LET THEM SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES.

THESE SCHOOLS DESPERATELY NEED A BOND, BUT LEADERSHIP HAS PROVEN THAT THEY'RE WASTEFUL AND THEY REFUSE TO LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY.

YOU HAD ALL SUMMER AND SO DID YOU TO LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY, BUT YOU STAYED HOME JUST LIKE HISD LEADERSHIP.

AFTER BERYL, I DIDN'T SEE ANYONE CLEANING UP EXCEPT HOUSTON COMES TOGETHER.

PEOPLE WALK DOWN THE STREET WITH CHAINSAWS.

IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD IN 20 MINUTES TO TAKE A TREE DOWN.

AND IT IS DISGUSTING WHAT I'VE SEEN ON THESE CAMPUSES BECAUSE I'VE DRIVEN ALL OVER TOWN.

YOUNG PEOPLE ARE ENERGIZED JUST NOW, LEARNING FROM US WHAT BONDS ARE.

SO I DON'T THINK YOUR BOND IS GOING TO SLIDE THROUGH.

NO TRUST, NO BOND.

THANK YOU. BY THE WAY, I JUST GOT BACK FROM MEET THE TEACHER AT CROCKETT.

NO, AC. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS A FIRST.

HIS FIRST? MY NAME IS ANN FIRS.

YES. OUR KIDS URGENTLY NEED UPGRADED SCHOOLS.

YOU ASK US TO TRUST YOU TO SPEND BILLIONS OF OUR DOLLARS WISELY, BUT YOU HAVE NOT EARNED THAT TRUST IN YOUR HANDLING OF LIBRARIES ALONE.

THE WASTE HAS BEEN SHOCKING.

YOUR CLOSING OF NOW 159 LIBRARIES HAS SQUANDERED $9.7 MILLION IN TAXPAYER ESSER FUNDS FOR MATERIALS AND FURNISHINGS. THE CLOSED LIBRARIES CONTAIN MORE THAN 2 MILLION BOOKS, MANY NEWLY PURCHASED.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT INVESTMENT? ANOTHER EXAMPLE AFTER COVID, LIBRARY SERVICES GAVE EACH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL A $7,000 MAKERSPACE WITH ROBOTICS, CODING EQUIPMENT AND A 3D PRINTER. THEY TRAIN LIBRARY STAFF TO USE THE MATERIALS AND HELPED MAINTAIN THE EQUIPMENT.

YOU ELIMINATED LIBRARY SERVICES.

YOU CLOSED 103 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LIBRARIES.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE $720,000 WORTH OF MAKERSPACES? AGAIN, THIS IS ONLY ONE OF MANY ISSUES THAT LEAD US TO CONCLUDE, SADLY, THAT WE CANNOT TRUST THIS BOARD WITH SUCH A VITAL PROJECT.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DENISE WILBURN.

YES, MA'AM.

WELL, I HAVE NOT HEARD ANY SPEAKER SINCE LATE LAST FALL COME UP TO THIS PODIUM AND SAY THAT OUR SCHOOLS ARE NOT IN DESPERATE NEED OF IMPROVEMENTS.

WE HAVE MONTH AFTER MONTH AFTER MONTH, AND NOW EVEN MORE IMPROVEMENTS ARE NEEDED.

MY GOODNESS.

MOWING LAWNS.

WELL. AND NOW SUDDENLY, SUDDENLY, PEOPLE START SHOWING UP FOR THE FIRST TIME, BOLDLY APPROPRIATING.

WE NEED TO DO WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR STUDENTS.

WHAT HAVE WE BEEN DOING FOR MONTHS? MONTHS. THE SAME PEOPLE.

THE SAME STATEMENT FOR OUR KIDS.

AND NOW YOU'RE ASKING FOR MORE OF OUR TAX PAYER MONEY TO WASTE BY AN APPOINTED BOARD THAT HAS NO ACCOUNTABILITY PROCESS BUILT IN.

NO TRUST, NO BOND.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JESSICA CARTWRIGHT.

JESSICA CARTWRIGHT, HISD PARENT.

WE DON'T BELIEVE WORDS THAT DON'T MATCH ACTIONS.

YOU TOLD US THAT NES SCHOOLS WOULD BE OPEN LATER TO HELP WORKING PARENTS, BUT THEN GOT RID OF OUR AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS THAT STAYED OPEN TILL SIX.

I DON'T KNOW MANY WORKING PARENTS THAT CAN BE AT THE SCHOOL AT 5 P.M.

THIS IS NOT AN IMPROVEMENT.

YOU TOLD US YOU WOULDN'T FIRE PRINCIPALS, BUT THEN YOU DID.

YOU TELL US YOU HAVE TO BE OUR BAD UNCLE AND REIN IN SPENDING, YET SQUANDER HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON YOUR CONDESCENDING MUSICAL.

TWICE HISD VOLUNTEERS UNDERGO TRAINING THAT STATES WE BELIEVE OUR CLASSROOMS SHOULD BE SAFE, VIBRANT, JOYFUL SPACES.

BUT YOU HAVE STRIPPED OUR SCHOOLS OF JOY AND NO ONE FEELS SAFE.

YOU. YOU STATE THAT WE BELIEVE THE DISTRICT MUST MEET THE NEEDS OF THE WHOLE CHILD, PROVIDING WRAPAROUND SERVICES AND SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORTS, BUT YOU HAVE GUTTED

[01:05:05]

BUT OUR MOST EXPERIENCED AND TALENTED TEACHERS ARE FLEEING YOU.

HAVE YOU EVEN TAKEN THIS TRAINING? WE DON'T TRUST YOU AND THIS BOND WILL NOT PASS.

WE WILL MAKE SURE OF THAT.

NO TRUST. NO BOND.

SEE YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS VICTORIA OROZCO MARTINEZ.

YES, MA'AM. GOOD EVENING.

STEAM BOARD MEMBERS, SUPERINTENDENT MILES AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

MY NAME IS VICTORIA OROZCO MARTINEZ.

I'M THE PRINCIPAL OF DE ZAVALA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, LOCATED IN THE HEART OF MAGNOLIA NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE SOUTHEAST END OF HOUSTON.

DE ZAVALA ELEMENTARY IS NOT JUST A SCHOOL, IT'S A HISTORICAL LANDMARK BUILT IN 1920.

IT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST SCHOOLS THAT PROVIDED BILINGUAL EDUCATION TO OUR COMMUNITY FOR OVER A CENTURY.

IT STOOD AS A BEACON OF LEARNING AND COMMUNITY SPIRIT.

THE WALLS OF OUR BUILDING HAVE WITNESSED GENERATIONS OF STUDENTS EMBARKING ON THEIR EDUCATIONAL JOURNEYS, FORMING LIFELONG FRIENDSHIPS AND SHAPING THEIR FUTURE.

OUR SCHOOL IS A TESTAMENT TO THE ENDURING VALUE OF EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY.

HOWEVER, TIME HAS TAKEN A TOLL ON OUR HISTORICAL BUILDING.

THE NEED FOR MAINTENANCE AND PLUMBING REPAIRS HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY URGENT.

THE APPROVAL OF THE BOND IS A CRITICAL STEP IN ADDRESSING THIS PRESSING NEEDS.

BY SUPPORTING THIS MEASURE, YOU'RE NOT JUST INVESTING IN BRICKS AND MORTAR.

YOU'RE INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF OUR CHILDREN AND THE WELL-BEING OF OUR COMMUNITY.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION.

TOGETHER, WE CAN PRESERVE THE LEGACY OF THIS ELEMENTARY AND ENSURE IT REMAINS A CORNERSTONE OF OUR COMMUNITY FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

ONE COMMUNITY, ONE MISCHIEF.

STUDENT EXCELLENCE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

PRINCIPAL. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS BRIDGET MURRAY.

GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS BRIDGET MURRAY.

I'M PRESIDENT OF THE PLEASANTVILLE AREA SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL.

I WANT TO THANK THE ADVOCACY AND REPRESENTATION OF MR. SAVANT MOORE AND SENATOR MOLLY COOK.

THEY BOTH ADDRESSED ISSUES THAT I'M HEARING IN MY COMMUNITY.

THE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY FEEDS FEAR IN THE COMMUNITY.

CO-LOCATION OF SEVERAL SCHOOLS IN OUR EAST SIDE AREA PLEASANTVILLE ELEMENTARY, HOLLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL, PORT HOUSTON ELEMENTARY, AND FIR HIGH SCHOOL ARE ON THE LIST.

WHAT WILL BE THE OVERALL IMPACT TO STUDENTS? WHAT ABOUT THE OVERALL IMPACT TO THE COMMUNITY? VOTERS FEAR THIS APPROACH IS HIDING A PLAN FOR SCHOOL CLOSURES.

FOR TRUST, WE NEED ANSWERS AND YOU MUST EDUCATE VOTERS IF YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING TO GET THIS.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARIA BENSON.

HI. MY NAME IS MARIA BENSON, AND I'M A FORMER HISD TEACHER SPEAKING ON ITEM TWO.

HIGH STAKES TESTING IS OFTEN PRAISED AS A MEASURE OF EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS, BUT THE REALITY IS MORE COMPLEX IN HISD.

RECENT STAR RESULTS SUPPOSEDLY SHOW SIGNIFICANT GAINS IN MANY AREAS, WITH SOME STUDENTS HAVING ABOVE AVERAGE GROWTH.

HOWEVER, THE DATA ALSO REVEALS INCONSISTENCIES SUCH AS THE DECLINE IN THE NUMBER OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TAKING END OF COURSE EXAMS, PARTICULARLY AT OVERHAULED NES CAMPUSES.

IS IT BECAUSE NINTH GRADERS WERE FORCED TO TAKE IPC A NON-TESTED SUBJECT INSTEAD OF BIOLOGY, WHICH HAS A STAAR TEST? THAT'S PRETTY CLEVER.

MR. MILES, YOU'RE GAMING THE SYSTEM AND AS THE SAYING GOES, DON'T BLAME THE PLAYER.

BLAME THE GAME, RIGHT? WELL, HISD IS REPORTED, GAINS MAY LOOK PROMISING.

WE MUST RECOGNIZE THAT MANIPULATING OR SELECTIVELY PRESENTING DATA CAN UNDERMINE THE GENUINE LEARNING AND PROGRESS OF STUDENTS.

AT THE END OF THE DAY, EDUCATION IS MORE THAN JUST A TEST SCORE.

PARENTS OPT YOUR CHILD OUT, STAAR IN MATH TESTING AND VOTE NO ON THE BOND.

NO TRUST, NO BOND.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SARAH TYRRELL.

YES, MA'AM. YOU CAN IMPROVE THIS BOND ISSUE BY ADDING CONDITIONS TO THE YES VOTE.

WE KNOW THAT YOU ALL WILL CAST TONIGHT.

I HAVE SUGGESTIONS FOR FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY.

REQUIRE ALL VENDORS TO AGREE THEIR CONTRACTS WILL BE PUBLICLY RELEASED.

REDACTING TRULY SENSITIVE INFORMATION IS OKAY, BUT NOT THE WHOLE CONTRACT.

HIDING BEHIND CONFIDENTIALITY.

MAKE SURE THE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE IS NOT A RUBBER STAMP LIKE THE DAC.

[01:10:01]

MILES APPOINTED HIS LONG TIME COLLEAGUE AS BOTH CFO AND CEO.

THAT IS A YELLOW BRICK HIGHWAY TO FRAUD AND YOU GUYS KNOW IT.

FIX THAT.

PROVIDE A DASHBOARD FOR EXPENDITURES WITH DRILL DOWN DETAILS BY SCHOOL AND PROJECT UPDATED AT LEAST BIWEEKLY.

YOU ASK GREAT QUESTIONS ABOUT CTE CENTERS, YET MILES WILL NOT CHANGE THIS PLAN.

YOUR PRIORITY IS TO SERVE US AND NOT MILES.

SO PLEASE PUT AT LEAST GUARDRAILS AROUND THIS BOONDOGGLE.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SANTIAGO OROZCO.

HELLO? YES, SIR.

MY NAME IS SANTIAGO OROZCO.

THIS IS ACTUALLY MY FIRST TIME SPEAKING HERE.

AND I WANT TO THANK THE SUPERINTENDENT FOR TEACHING ME WHERE THIS BUILDING IS.

BECAUSE NOW THAT I REALIZE WHERE IT IS AND HOW CLOSE IT IS TO ME, I DEFINITELY WANT TO COME HERE AND TALK MORE.

I AM THE PROUD PRODUCT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

I MOVED AROUND A LOT GROWING UP, BUT I MUST SAY THAT THE TEACHERS THAT I HAD GROWING UP WERE THE ONES THAT HELPED ME GET TO WHERE I AM TODAY, AND I PUT MY TRUST IN THE TEACHERS I PUT MY TRUST IN MY COMMUNITY.

I PUT MY TRUST IN THE STAFF AT THE SCHOOLS WHO ARE TELLING US THAT WE CANNOT TRUST THE LEADERSHIP OF OUR DISTRICT RIGHT NOW.

WE CANNOT TRUST THE LEADERSHIP OF THIS DISTRICT TO ALLOCATE OUR MONEY, OUR RESOURCES, TO CONTINUE MAKING DECISIONS FOR OUR STUDENTS AND OUR FUTURE.

AND I ALSO WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE STUDENTS THAT WE ALL CARE ABOUT.

THEY'RE HERE IN HOUSTON, THEY'RE NOT IN COLORADO.

SO I WANT TO REMIND YOU ALL THAT SO THAT YOU ALL KNOW THAT THE MONEY HAS TO STAY HERE IN HOUSTON, HAS TO STAY IN TEXAS.

SO NO TRUST, NO THANK YOU.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS RUTH KRAVITZ.

YES, MA'AM. GOOD EVENING.

OUR KIDS CAN'T WAIT FOR THE ADULTS IN CHARGE TO GIVE THEM BACK THEIR LIBRARIES.

PROTECT MUSIC AND THE ARTS AND ALLOW BOOKS TO BE READ IN CLASS.

IT'S NOT GOOD FOR KIDS WHEN THERE'S SO MUCH TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL TURNOVER THAT A RECRUITER EMAILED A 78 YEAR OLD RETIRED PRINCIPAL ASKING HER TO APPLY TO BE AN HISD PRINCIPAL JUST DAYS BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS TODAY.

ENDLESS STAFF TURNOVER HAS A PRICE 20,000 PER TEACHER, 75,000 PER PRINCIPAL REPLACEMENT, TOTALING OVER 100 MILLION WASTED THIS YEAR ALONE.

AND THERE ARE MANY CUTS.

I'LL TALK ABOUT ONE. REDUCING COLLEGE ADVISORS FROM 96 TO 36.

I REMEMBER A STUDENT I TAUGHT HIS DAD WAS IN JAIL.

HIS BROTHERS WERE DEALERS, THE COLLEGE ADVISOR, AND I SPENT YEARS, THREE YEARS BUILDING HIS CONFIDENCE, TEACHING HIM AND HELPING WITH APPLICATIONS.

THIS SUPPORT PAID OFF.

HE WENT TO CORNELL, SERVED IN IRAQ, EARNED A MASTER'S DEGREE, TAUGHT AT WEST POINT.

AND HE NOW GIVES BACK TO KIDS JUST LIKE HIM WHO WILL HELP YOUNG MEN LIKE HIM.

NOW. TOO MANY MISSTEPS.

PLEASE VOTE NO ON THE BOND.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CHERYL HENSLEY.

YES, MA'AM. GOOD EVENING.

CHERYL HENSLEY, LIBRARIAN.

THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.

WELL, THE DATA IS IN.

LAST MONTH, OR WHEN I SPOKE WITH THE BOARD MEETING, I SHOWED THERE WAS MORE LESS THAN 40 LIBRARIANS LEFT IN THE DISTRICT.

WELL, I WAS WRONG. IT'S LESS THAN 30.

THERE ARE 16 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LIBRARIANS, FOUR MIDDLE SCHOOL LIBRARIANS, AND FOUR HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARIANS.

THIS AFFECTS MOST OF THE BROWN AND BLACK SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.

I'M SURE MOST OF YOUR KIDS DON'T ATTEND SOME OF THOSE SCHOOLS.

TWO MONTHS LATER, THERE'S TWO MONTHS EARLIER.

THE JOBS FOR POSTINGS FOR THE LIBRARY MANAGEMENT ARE STILL THERE.

NOBODY'S BEEN APPOINTED FOR THOSE POSITIONS.

SO, THERE'S A REASON WHY THAT THESE POSITIONS ARE NOT BEING FILLED.

HB HOUSE BILL 900 REQUIRES A TRAINED PROFESSIONAL THAT OVERSEES THE COLLECTION AT EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL AND YOUR DISTRICT.

YOU'RE OUT OF COMPLIANCE.

DATA SHOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LIBRARY FOR ALL STUDENTS.

ALL STUDENTS DESERVE THE RIGHT TO READ STUDENTS FIRST.

CHECK YOUR LIBRARIES OUT.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

OUR NEXT. OUR NEXT SPEAKER.

IS SEAN LEADER.

ALL RIGHT. UNTIL HOUSTONIANS REGAIN CONTROL OF OUR SCHOOLS AND HOW OUR TAX DOLLARS ARE SPENT.

THIS BOND SHOULD BE REJECTED.

AND IF MIKE MILES CANNOT POCKET AT LEAST 100 MILLION OF THIS BOND, HIS MENTORS WILL BE DISAPPOINTED.

THANKS TO MIKE, WE HAVE THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS EARNING SIX FIGURE SALARIES IN HISD HISTORY.

GETTY IS LAID OFF ALL CUSTODIANS AND MAINTENANCE STAFF, AND IS ASKING TEACHERS AND OTHER FACULTY TO VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME TO CLEAN UP THE SCHOOLS.

HE HAS THE HIGHEST UNCHECKED PURCHASING POWER IN THE COUNTRY AS A SUPERINTENDENT IN THE COUNTRY, ABLE TO BURN A MILLION OF OUR DOLLARS WITHOUT OVERSIGHT OR APPROVAL.

[01:15:09]

HE LAID OFF WRAPAROUND SPECIALISTS ON CAMPUS THERE TO HELP CHILDREN IN NEED OF NECESSITIES OR HEALTH CARE.

HE'S INSTEAD OPENED A FEW SUNRISE CENTERS, LOCATED WHERE MOST FAMILIES CANNOT REACH BECAUSE OF THE DISTANCE OR LACK OF TRANSPORTATION.

MIKE MILES REFUSES TO LISTEN TO ANYTHING UNLESS IT ENRICHES HIMSELF.

NO TRUST, NO THANK YOU.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LAURA HENRY.

HI. I'M A TEACHER WHO LEFT VOLUNTARILY BECAUSE, AS YOU'VE HEARD MILES SAY, IF YOU'RE IN IT FOR THE KIDS BUT YOU'RE NOT TOTALLY WITH THE SYSTEM, IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO GO.

AND I'M NOT WITH THIS SYSTEM.

I DO WANT TO TALK ABOUT TEACHER RETENTION.

IN A RECENT INTERVIEW, HE SAID, I'D LIKE TO SORRY.

MILES SAID THAT INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON TEACHER LOSS, HE WANTS TO FOCUS ON THE FACT THAT WE'RE DRAWING A WHOLE BUNCH OF TEACHERS TO HISD.

THOSE PEOPLE THAT HAVEN'T TAUGHT YET ARE NOT YET TEACHERS.

SO, MILES SHOULD HAVE SAID, WE'RE DRAWING A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE TO HISD.

IF THE SUPERINTENDENT BELIEVES THAT A PERSON WHO HAS NEVER TAUGHT BEFORE CAN HELP STUDENTS SUCCEED IN AN ADVANCED CLASS, HE'S MISTAKEN.

EXPERIENCED AP TEACHERS UNDERSTAND THEIR CONTENT.

THEY KNOW THEIR STUDENTS AND THEY KNOW THEIR TEST.

THEY SCORE. THEY SCORE THE TEST.

THEY CAN'T BE REPLACED BY SOMEBODY THAT'S NOT TAUGHT BEFORE.

NO MATTER WHERE OUR KIDS GO TO SCHOOL, WHETHER IT'S AT 39% AT CHAVEZ, THE 44% AT MILBY, OR THE 99% OF CARNEGIE THAT HAVE ALREADY PASSED THE STAR, THEY DESERVE MORE THAN STAR WORKSHEETS.

THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE GETTING.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LAQUITA BARNES.

HELLO. I'M A PARENT, FORMER HISD EDUCATOR, AND A BUSINESS OWNER.

THIS IS MY FIRST TIME SPEAKING, BUT IT WON'T BE MY LAST.

I HAVE BEEN ADVOCATING FOR YOUR REMOVAL EVER SINCE YOU'VE BEEN HERE, AND YOUR ADMINISTRATION AND EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE HAS MADE IT SO MUCH EASIER.

SO THAT IS THE REASON WHY I VOTE NO FOR THIS BOND.

AND I ASK THAT YOU CONSIDER AS WELL.

TODAY WE ARE VOTING ON A BOND, ONE THAT WILL CLOSE SCHOOLS IN THE DISGUISE OF THE WORD CO-LOCATION.

THINK ABOUT THE AREAS THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO THAT IN.

ANOTHER ONE IS FLEXIBLE LEARNING SPACES AND INVEST IN TECHNOLOGY.

YET OUR KIDS IN NES, THEY SIT AND GET INFORMATION AND THEY DO WORKSHEETS.

I NEVER DID THAT WHEN I WAS AN EDUCATOR.

ALSO, THESE THREE CTE CENTERS, DOESN'T THAT REMIND YOU OF THE SUNRISE CENTERS? SOUNDS FANCY AND PRICEY, BUT THEN YOU GET RID OF WRAP AROUND SPECIALISTS.

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO DO THAT? SO I KNOW IT'S GOING TO PASS TODAY, BUT I WANT TO ASK MY HOUSTONIANS, ESPECIALLY THOSE 7000 THAT YOU TERMINATED OR THEY CHOSE TO LEAVE, THAT YOU WILL HAVE YOUR VOICES HEARD IN NOVEMBER.

SO VOTE NO FOR THE PASS.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LIZ SILVA.

HELLO, MY NAME IS LIZ SILVA.

HISD'S RECENT SPENDING PRACTICES HAVE RAISED SERIOUS ETHICAL CONCERNS.

NOTABLY, FUNDS INTENDED FOR EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS HAVE BEEN MISALLOCATED, WITH A SIGNIFICANT PORTION DIVERTED TO ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS, QUESTIONABLE CONTRACTS AND NEARLY $1 MILLION WORTH OF ADULT SIZED SPIN BIKES THAT AREN'T BEING USED.

THAT'S FACT CHECKED, AND IT'S ON THE SCOREBOARD.

THE MISUSE OF FUNDS UNDERMINES THE DISTRICT'S COMMITMENT TO ENHANCING STUDENT LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND EFFECTIVELY MANAGING TAXPAYER MONEY.

THE CURRENT BOND PROPOSAL FAILS TO ADDRESS THESE CRITICAL ISSUES.

CLOSING A CAMPUS AND CALLING IT CO-LOCATING IS JUST ONE PART OF THE PROPOSAL THAT NEEDS TO BE REVOKED UNTIL HISD DEMONSTRATES A GENUINE COMMITMENT TO ETHICAL SPENDING, RESPONSIBLE MANAGEMENT AND BUILDING COMMUNITY TRUST.

APPROVING THIS BOND PROPOSAL WOULD ONLY AMPLIFY EXISTING PROBLEMS, RATHER THAN FOSTERING REAL IMPROVEMENTS IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.

NO TRUST, NO BOND.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS BECKY SEABROOK.

THE SEABROOK. YES, MA'AM. HI.

GOOD EVENING, BECKY SEABROOK, HISD PARENT AND SENIOR FELLOW OF THE AMERICAN LEADERSHIP FORUM.

EARLIER THIS YEAR, YOU VOTED TO APPROVE THE MAJOR NES EXPANSION THAT TANKED THE BUDGET USING THE LEGALLY CONTESTED TEA SCHOOL RATINGS.

NOW YOU'RE USING THE SAME SCHOOL RATINGS TO PRETEND THERE'S BEEN A MIRACULOUS, UNPRECEDENTED TURNAROUND.

UNLESS THIS NARRATIVE IS A WAY TO SAVE FACE AND GET THE DISTRICT OUT OF THIS NIGHTMARE OF A TAKEOVER EARLY, IT'S TIME TO STOP THE SPIN, AND IT'S TIME TO LOOK AT THE REAL COSTS AND BENEFITS OF THIS TAKEOVER.

SPEAKING OF WHAT'S HAPPENED WITH THE BUDGET, I MEAN, YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE CAMPUSES.

[01:20:04]

AND I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT THE NEAR NORTH SIDE COMMUNITY RESPONSE TEAM.

THEY DID AN AMAZING JOB CLEANING UP MARSHALL MIDDLE SCHOOL.

BUT I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO DO YOUR PART AND SEE IF YOU CAN PICK UP THE STUDENTS HAVE A SAFE CAMPUS THEY CAN BE PROUD OF WHEN THEY RETURN.

THANK YOU.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CARLY PADGETT.

MISS PADGETT. I THINK SHE SIGNED IN.

MAYBE SHE'S LEFT.

OKAY. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ANNA MCLIN.

IS SHE HERE? HELLO. MY NAME IS ANNA MCLIN.

THEY WOULDN'T LET ME IN. EVEN THOUGH I HAD SIGNED UP.

I HAD NOTHING PREPARED, SO I WASN'T PLANNING ON SPEAKING.

SO WHOEVER'S PLAN THAT WAS, THAT WAS.

THERE'S PLENTY OF OPEN SEATS.

I WAS VERY CONFUSED.

SO I'LL JUST KEEP DOING THE SIGNING UP BUT NOT NEEDING TO CREATE A SPEECH.

BUT IN ORDER TO GET IN TO WATCH THE THINGS I HAVE TO SIGN.

NO SENSE. NONSENSICAL.

THANK YOU. OKAY.

THANK YOU, MA'AM.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS RAQUEL DOW.

MISS DOW. OKAY.

AND I THINK I SAW.

YES. ARE YOU MISS DOW? WHAT'S YOUR LAST NAME? PADGETT. OH, YES, MA'AM.

MISS CARLY PADGETT.

YES, MA'AM. I'M SO SORRY.

NO WORRIES.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? MY NAME IS CARLY PAGET.

I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF TONYA SAMPSON, WHO COULD NOT BE HERE TODAY.

HERE WE ARE ONE YEAR LATER, AND MR. MILES HAS ACHIEVED MUCH OF HIS DESTRUCTION 2035 AGENDA, LARGELY DUE TO HIS ACCOMPLICES SITTING HERE IN FRONT OF US TODAY.

THE BOARD OF MANAGERS HAVE OTHER HAVE EITHER DELIBERATELY ALLOWED MILES TO INFLICT HARM ON HOUSTON'S CHILDREN, OR MEMBERS SIMPLY HAVE A RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR THEIR DUTY.

I'M NOT SURE THAT'S A PERSONAL THING TO REFLECT ON.

A YEAR AGO, YOU MAY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CLAIM INNOCENCE THROUGH IGNORANCE.

YOU HAVE NO EXCUSES NOW.

I DOUBT ANY OF YOU WOULD TRUST THIS MAN WITH YOUR OWN MONEY.

RIC WOULD YOU AFFORD YOUR ASSETS TO MR. MILES $4.4 BILLION? YOU HAVE A FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT THESE TAX DOLLARS AND VOTE.

A VOTE TO TRUST MR. MILES WITH.

WILL MAKE YOU FULLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HARM DONE.

SIT WITH THAT. IT WILL BE YOUR LEGACY.

THANK YOU. MA'AM. YOU HAVE THINGS TO LOSE.

THANKS. I SAW THAT JUDGE DRAPER HAS JOINED US, SO I WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE HER.

IF YOU'D LIKE TO COME UP, MA'AM.

MY NAME IS GENESIS DRAPER.

I AM AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, BUT I AM HERE IN MY CAPACITY AS A MOTHER OF TWO CHILDREN IN HISD.

I HAVE A CHILD AT LANIER MIDDLE SCHOOL AND WHARTON.

DUAL LANGUAGE. SO ONE CHILD'S CAMPUS WHO STANDS TO BENEFIT FROM THE BOND, AND ONE CHILD'S CAMPUS WHO BENEFITED FROM THE LAST BOND.

BUT I WILL NOT BE SUPPORTING THIS BOND, AND I WILL ENCOURAGE MY FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS AND FAMILY TO DO THE SAME.

NO, TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION IS A LONG STANDING PRINCIPLE OF OUR DEMOCRACY.

AND WHILE THE STATE OF TEXAS SEEMS TO HAVE CANCELED DEMOCRACY, I HAVE NOT.

NO TRUST, NO BOND.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER AND I CALLED HER EARLIER, RAQUEL DOW.

OKAY. MISS BRANDI DAOUDA IS OUR NEXT SPEAKER.

GOOD EVENING. I'M HERE TO SPEAK ON THE AGENDA AS A CONCERNED CITIZEN.

MR. MILES, I'D WARNED YOU IN MAY THAT WE DON'T WANT YOU HERE, AND WE WILL FIGHT YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

NO TRUST, NO BOND.

YOU WANT A $4.4 BILLION BOND WHILE FOUR MORE ADULTS SPIN BIKES FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

YOU SAY THE SCHOOLS NEED REPAIRS.

I DON'T DISAGREE, BUT CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY OUR SCHOOLS LOOK LIKE THEY'VE BEEN OVERTAKEN BY A JUNGLE WHEN STUDENTS ARE STARTING ON MONDAY? NO TRUST, NO BOND.

THE DISTRICT HAS A DEFICIT OF ROUGHLY HALF $1 BILLION.

YET YESTERDAY, YOU PREMIERED A SEQUEL TO YOUR 400,000 MUSICAL, $400,000 MUSICAL FLOP FROM LAST YEAR.

ABOUT YOURSELF? THAT'S WEIRD. WHO DOES THAT? BOARD OF MANAGERS.

DID YOU JUST FALL OUT OF A COCONUT TREE? READ THE ROOM.

YOUR BOND PROPOSAL WILL BE DOA.

[01:25:02]

THE ONLY WAY WE HAVE LEFT.

VOTING AGAINST THE BOND.

NO TRUST, NO FALL.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARIA CASTRO CALZADA.

GOOD EVENING.

MY NAME IS MARIA CALZADA, A PARENT, PTO BOARD MEMBER, CHRONIC RECURRENT VOLUNTEER, MANY ORGANIZATIONS, AND A PARENT OF TWO HISD STUDENTS. I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO PREPARE ANYTHING, SO I WAS FURIOUSLY WRITING BECAUSE I HAVE A JOB.

I WORK A LOT, AND I AM EXHAUSTED THINKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT I'M GOING TO HAVE TO DO THIS AGAIN THIS YEAR.

I'M GOING TO HAVE TO BE VIGILANT WATCHING FOR WHAT WEIRD STUFF IS GOING TO HAPPEN.

I APPRECIATE THE BOARD MEMBERS HERE FOR VOLUNTEERING.

A LOT OF PEOPLE ON OUR BOARD TRIED TO BE WHERE YOU ARE NOW.

GOD, I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO TRY TO MAKE SOME CHANGES.

THOSE OF YOU THAT HAD A SPINE LAST YEAR.

PLEASE FIRM UP.

I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW.

JUST MOVE ON.

NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

MISS SMITH, I THINK THAT CONCLUDES OUR IN-PERSON SPEAKERS.

IS THAT RIGHT? OKAY. DO WE HAVE ANY ZOOM SPEAKERS? OKAY. IF YOU'LL ADMIT THOSE FOLKS, PLEASE.

THANK YOU. CLAUDE BITTNER, PLEASE TURN YOUR CAMERA ON SO YOU CAN BE SEEN.

AND YOU MAY BEGIN.

HI, I'M CLAUDE BITTNER.

I'M SPEAKING ON ITEM ONE AND ALSO SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF A NON-NES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER WHO IS STILL AFRAID OF RETALIATION.

AND A QUOTE, AS A PARENT, EMPLOYEE AND ALUMNUS OF HISD, I'M SADDENED TO SEE STUDENT CREATIVITY LIMITED VIA TIME SLIDES AND THEY'RE NOT BEING ALLOWED TO USE CRAYONS AND SCISSORS FOR ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS.

SLIDES AND DOLLS DO NOT CULTIVATE CREATIVITY.

DEVELOP MOTOR SKILLS, FOSTER COLLABORATION WITH OTHER CLASSMATES, PROMOTE SHARING IDEAS FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES, OR TEACH RESEARCH AND PRESENTATION SKILLS.

THESE ARE THE VERY SKILLS THAT COMPANIES WILL DEMAND FROM WELL-ROUNDED STUDENTS WHO CAN COMMUNICATE, ADAPT, WORK IN TEAMS, LEAD WITHOUT HOSTILITY, AND INSPIRE CREATIVITY IN OTHERS. THESE ARE OUR FUTURE EMPLOYERS, ENTREPRENEURS AND CREATIVES ALL LOST TO THE NON-RESEARCH BASED SO-CALLED NES MODEL THAT PLACES THEIR FUTURES IN JEOPARDY. NO TRUST, NO BOND.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR.

CARLY COHEN, PLEASE TURN YOUR CAMERA ON.

AND YOU MAY BEGIN.

MELISSA YARBROUGH. PLEASE TURN YOUR CAMERA ON AND YOU MAY BEGIN.

HI. THANK YOU.

MILES DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO MANAGE EDUCATION OR A BUDGET APPROPRIATELY.

ON THE EDUCATION SIDE.

THE ONLY SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT THAT HISD SHOWED IS, BY MILES'S OWN STANDARDS, TO DETERMINED MORE FAILING SCHOOLS THIS YEAR THAN THIS PAST YEAR THAN BEFORE MILES ARRIVED. HE ALSO RAN OFF 43% OF HISD TEACHERS IN ONE YEAR.

ON THE BUDGET SIDE, MILES MISMANAGED A BOND FOR HIS CHARTER SCHOOL CHAIN.

IT WAS MILLIONS DOWN THE DRAIN.

AND YOU THINK WE'LL TRUST HIM WITH BILLIONS? THAT'S WHY THE DISTRICT WILL NOT GET A BOND AS LONG AS MILES IS SUPERINTENDENT.

HE IS UNACCOUNTABLE, UNSKILLED AS A SUPERINTENDENT AND AS AN EDUCATOR, UNCOOPERATIVE AND UNTRUSTWORTHY.

SINCE I AM PRO STUDENT, I SAY NO TRUST, NO BOND, NO TRUST, NO BOND, NO TRUST, NO BOND.

CAROL ANN, PLEASE TURN YOUR CAMERA ON.

YOU MAY BEGIN. MY NAME IS CAROL ANN SHIPP.

I'M A RETIRED HISD TEACHER OF 38 YEARS, WITH THREE GRANDCHILDREN IN THE DISTRICT HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE PROPOSED BOND ISSUE THIS SUMMER, MANY

[01:30:06]

HIRING AND PERSONNEL.

PARENT VOLUNTEERS HAD TO STEP UP TO MAKE CAMPUSES SAFE FOR STUDENTS NEXT WEEK.

TEACHERS HAD TO CLEAN THEIR OWN CLASSROOM BEFORE THEY COULD SET UP AFTER BARREL.

THERE WERE NO WRAPAROUND SPECIALISTS TO HELP STUDENTS AND FAMILIES GET READY FOR THE START OF SCHOOL.

THE BOARD NEEDS TO ASK HARD QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ADMINISTRATION'S USE OF EXISTING FUNDS TO MANAGE DAILY TASKS, ESPECIALLY THOSE RELATED TO HEALTH, SAFETY AND LEARNING.

IF HISD CANNOT ACCOMPLISH THESE TASKS, WHY WOULD WE EVEN CONSIDER VOTING FOR MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN BONDS? THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

MONICA OROZCO, PLEASE TURN YOUR CAMERA ON.

YOU MAY BEGIN.

MISS OROZCO, YOU'RE MUTED.

WHEN WILL IT START? WHEN YOU'RE READY. SO SORRY.

GOOD AFTERNOON, I'M MONICA OROZCO.

I'M A SUMMER INTERN WITH ENVIRONMENT TEXAS WHICH IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY GROUP.

IN THIS CASE SPECIFICALLY WORKING TOWARDS CLEAN WATER.

I'M HERE TO EXPRESS SUPPORT OF THE PROPOSED BOND THAT WILL HELP IMPROVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE HISD SCHOOLS, SPECIFICALLY BY INSTALLING WATER FILTERS TO REDUCE THE LEAD CONTAMINATION. AS YOU MIGHT KNOW, TESTS OVER THE YEARS HAVE SHOWN THAT 84% OF SCHOOLS HAVE TESTED POSITIVE FOR LEAD IN AT LEAST ONE TAP, AND OVER ONE THIRD OF THE SCHOOLS HAD HIGH LEAD LEVELS ABOVE THE EPA'S SAFETY THRESHOLD OF 15 PARTS PER BILLION.

HOWEVER, THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON CHILDHOOD LEAD POISONING PREVENTION OF THE CDC STATES THAT THERE IS NO MINIMUM SAFE LEVEL OF LEAD IN WATER FOR CONSUMPTION, SO THE LEVEL SHOULD BE ZERO. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR CHILDREN, THOSE WHO ARE IN OUR SCHOOLS WHO ARE EXTREMELY VULNERABLE TO LEAD CONTAMINATION.

A DOSE OF LEAD THAT WOULD HAVE A LITTLE EFFECT ON AN ADULT CAN HAVE A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON A CHILD AND CHILDREN.

LOW LEVELS OF EXPOSURE HAVE BEEN LINKED TO DAMAGE TO THE PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, SLOWED GROWTH, LOWER IQ AND HYPERACTIVITY, IMPAIRED HEARING, IMPAIRED FORMATION AND FUNCTION OF BLOOD CELLS, AND BEHAVIORAL AND LEARNING PROBLEMS. THANK YOU, MA'AM.

CARLY COHEN, PLEASE BEGIN.

HI, MY NAME IS CARLY COHEN, AND I'M ALSO AN ASSOCIATE WITH ENVIRONMENT TEXAS.

WE ADVOCATE FOR A HEALTHIER STATE, ENSURING SAFE DRINKING WATER FOR OUR KIDS.

AS MONICA SAID, ENVIRONMENT TEXAS STRONGLY SUPPORTS THE BOND FUNDING FOR INSTALLING WATER STATIONS WITH LEAD REMOVING FILTERS IN THE HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT.

LEAD IS HIGHLY TOXIC, AS SHE SAID, ESPECIALLY FOR CHILDREN, AND EVEN SMALL AMOUNTS CAN HARM THEIR LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT.

HOUSTON SCHOOLS HAVE A WIDESPREAD LEAD CONTAMINATION PROBLEM.

84% OF SCHOOLS HAD LEAD IN THEM IN 2022.

SO THE $150 MILLION ALLOCATED FOR THE LEAD ABATEMENT IN THE BOND WILL REPLACE LEAD BEARING PLUMBING AND INSTALL WATER BOTTLE WATER BOTTLE FILLING STATIONS WITH FILTERS CERTIFIED TO REMOVE LEAD.

BY INSTALLING ONE OF THESE STATIONS FOR EVERY 100 STUDENTS AND STAFF, THE DISTRICT WILL ENSURE SAFER WATER FOR STUDENTS.

OUR CHILDREN DESERVE DRINKING WATER AT SCHOOL.

WITH JUST A SMALL PORTION OF THE PROPOSED BOND, HOUSTON SCHOOLS CAN FINALLY STEP FORWARD AND GET THE LEAD OUT.

SO THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

DOCTOR ANITA WADHWA, PLEASE TURN YOUR CAMERA ON.

YOU MAY BEGIN. GOOD EVENING.

I WAS NOT SURPRISED, BUT ALSO SHOCKED AT THE SAME TIME WHEN I READ THE HEADLINE FROM THE CHRONICLE THIS WEEK THAT HISD LOST MORE TEACHERS LAST MONTH THAN IT TYPICALLY DOES IN AN ENTIRE YEAR.

I'M CONFUSED AS TO HOW WE HAVE PEOPLE ON A COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE WHO ALL SEEM TO BE IN AGREEMENT AND IN SUPPORT OF THE BOND. WHEN I THINK OF THE PHRASE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE PEOPLE REPRESENT THE COMMUNITY IN A DIVERSITY OF OPINIONS, A DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT.

HOW COULD I, IN GOOD CONSCIENCE, EVER COSIGN A BOND FOR YOU TO BE STEWARDS OF $4.4 BILLION WHEN YOU ARE IMPLICITLY IN EVERYTHING YOU DO, CONSISTENTLY VOTING YES ON EVERYTHING HE DOES.

MIKE MILES AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU STAND OR WHAT YOUR PHILOSOPHY IS, BUT THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN IS IF YOU VOTE NO, THEY WILL FIRE YOU. PAMELA VOLIN, PLEASE TURN YOUR CAMERA ON.

[01:35:01]

HELLO. PAM BOEGLIN HERE.

AND I WANT TO THANK THE BOARD OF MANAGERS AND THE SUPERINTENDENT FOR MAKING SUCH A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT THAT YOU HAVE ENERGIZED THE COMMUNITY. YOU WILL NOT GET THIS BOND.

YOU CAN HOPE TO GET THIS BOND, BUT I GUARANTEE YOU WILL NOT GET THIS BOND.

THERE IS NO TRUST.

THERE IS NO BOND.

YOU CANNOT GO AROUND AND GET RID OF EVERYBODY AND NOW PEOPLE.

HELLO. THANK YOU, MA'AM, FOR MAKING SUCH A HAPPY STORY.

THAT CONCLUDES OUR ZOOM SPEAKERS.

OKAY, THAT CONCLUDES OUR ZOOM SPEAKERS.

I UNDERSTAND ALICIA LEWIS, THE PRINCIPAL IS HERE.

OKAY. GOOD.

YES, MA'AM. GOOD EVENING TO SUPERINTENDENT MILES AND THE BOARD AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

I AM THE VERY PROUD PRINCIPAL OF FOREST BROOK MIDDLE SCHOOL.

WE ARE DOING GREAT THINGS WITH OUR SCHOLARS, OUR STAFF, OUR PARENTS, AND OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

HOWEVER, WE HAVE CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE EVERY DAY WITH OUR BUILDING.

EVERY TIME IT RAINS, IT COMES IN THROUGH THE CEILING, THE DOORS, THE WINDOWS.

MANY OF OUR ROOMS FLOOD TO THE POINT THAT WE HAVE TO RELOCATE SCHOLARS INTO DIFFERENT LEARNING SPACES UNTIL THE WATER IS REMOVED.

OUR HVAC SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.

OUR BUILDING IS EITHER FREEZING OR HOT.

IT IS DIFFICULT TO FIND A COMFORTABLE, COMFORTABLE TEMPERATURE WITH AN ANTIQUATED SYSTEM WE CURRENTLY HAVE IN PLACE.

AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALIST AND A CAMPUS LEADER, I HAVE BEEN TO CAMPUSES IN THE NORTH, THE SOUTH, THE EAST, AND THE WEST, AND WE DO HAVE SOME CAMPUSES THAT ARE BEAUTIFUL AND READY FOR SCHOLARS TO LEARN.

BUT THE BOND WOULD ALLOW US TO HAVE THAT FOR ALL OF OUR SCHOLARS, ALL OF OUR SCHOLARS LEARNING.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

PRINCIPAL. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JOHN ALLMAN.

OR ALLMAN? JOHN ALLMAN PROUD PRINCIPAL OF PETERSON ELEMENTARY.

THE LOSS OF A CHILD'S FAITH AND HOPE CAUSES THE LOSS OF INFINITE POSSIBILITIES.

PETERSON HAS MADE GREAT STRIDES ACADEMICALLY IN THE MOST POSITIVE DIRECTION YET, BEING AN OUTDOOR CAMPUS AND FACILITY WHICH WARRANTS SO MUCH REPAIR.

OUR CHILDREN ARE CONSTANTLY FACING THE ELEMENTS SUCH AS THE SWELTERING HEAT, THE FRIGID COLD AND THE RISING WATER FROM THE RAINS AS THEY WALK FROM ONE CLASS TO THE NEXT, ALL WHICH NEGATIVELY IMPACTS OUR ATTENDANCE.

WE STAND IN CONSTANT COMPETITION WITH NEIGHBORING CHARTER SCHOOLS BASED ON THEIR FACILITIES REGARDING ENROLLMENT, AND NOT ON THEIR ABILITY TO DELIVER THE HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION WHICH MY STAFF WORKED SO TIRELESSLY TO IMPLEMENT.

I ASK THAT WE VOTE YES FOR THIS BOND, AND WE PROVIDE OUR CHILDREN WITH THE FAITH AND HOPE AND YOU THE VOTERS, AND GIVE THEM THE FACILITIES THAT THEY SO MUCH NEED.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, PRINCIPAL.

I THINK MISS, ARE YOU MISSED OUT? YES. OKAY. YES, MA'AM.

NO PROBLEM.

HI. I'M DOUBLE MULTITASKING BECAUSE I WENT TO OPEN HOUSE TODAY.

ALL RIGHT. SO I AM SPEAKING HERE ON BEHALF.

I WAS A FORMER TEACHER.

NOW I'M ADVOCATING FOR MY SON BECAUSE HE'S JUST STARTED AT HISD AT READ ELEMENTARY.

BUT I AM SPEAKING MORE ON MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.

I DON'T KNOW HOW THE OTHER SCHOOLS ARE.

I JUST KNOW FROM MY CAMPUS AND IT WAS LAS AMERICAS, JANE LONG AND THE HIGH SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL WITH THE PERSON IN CHARGE.

THEY WERE RETALIATING.

THEY HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE A MAJORITY OF THEM ARE UNCERTIFIED, AND THEY WERE GIVEN FAKE TITLES EVEN LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BUDGETS, BUT IF YOU ARE TRYING TO HELP THESE STUDENTS AND I GET IT, YOU'RE YOU HAVE THIS AGENDA OR WHATEVER THAT YOU'RE SETTING WITH YOUR, YOUR NES PROGRAM.

BUT IF WE'RE WASTING MONEY ON PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT CERTIFIED, WHO HAVE NO EXPERIENCE, WHO ACTUALLY, LIKE, DID UNETHICAL AND PROBABLY FEDERALLY ILLEGAL THINGS.

GROOMING A CHILD AND YOU STILL HAVE THEM THERE.

I'VE SPOKEN ABOUT THIS SEVERAL TIMES WITH OUR SOUTHWEST DIVISION SUPERINTENDENT KNOWS ABOUT THIS.

YOU'RE WASTING A LOT OF MONEY ON LAWSUITS.

YOU HAVE TO DO BETTER.

THANK YOU, MA'AM.

THANK YOU.

I BELIEVE THAT CONCLUDES OUR SPEAKERS, INCLUDING THE ZOOM SPEAKERS.

OR DO WE HAVE ANY MORE FOLKS?

[01:40:04]

VERY GOOD. WE APPRECIATE ALL THE SPEAKERS THIS EVENING.

THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING WITH US.

WE REALLY DO APPRECIATE YOU BEING WITH US TO SHARE YOUR, YOUR VIEWS ON WHAT WE HAVE TO CONTEMPLATE THIS EVENING.

THE BOARD IS A BODY THAT COMES TOGETHER TO DO THE BUSINESS OF THE DISTRICT, AND NO ONE BOARD MEMBER HAS ANY AUTHORITY TO ACT ALONE.

WE HAVE TO WORK IN AN OPEN MEETING WHERE THE PUBLIC CAN SEE WHAT WE'RE DOING AND HEAR WHAT WE'RE SAYING, AND WE ONLY HAVE OUR MEETING TIMES TO CONDUCT OURSELVES AS A BODY FOR DECISION MAKING AND FOR INFORMING OURSELVES SO THAT WE CAN MAKE DECISIONS IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF OUR CHILDREN.

AGAIN, WE HAVE APPRECIATED THE PUBLIC'S COMMENTS TONIGHT, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE DISCUSSION THIS EVENING ON A VERY IMPORTANT MATTER, WHICH IS THE PROPOSAL ON THE BOND.

SO MOVING TO THAT, WE ARE GOING TO ADDRESS THE ITEM ON OUR BUSINESS AGENDA, ITEM NUMBER ONE APPROVAL TO CALL A SCHOOLHOUSE BOND, ELECTION APPROVAL OF ELECTION ORDER AND

[BUSINESS AGENDA]

MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THIS ITEM? I HAVE A MOTION BY MR. RIVON AND A SECOND BY MISS BANDY.

IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS MATTER? ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BY ANY OF THE BOARD MEMBERS? YES. YES, SIR.

MR. MARTINEZ. UNFORTUNATELY, I WASN'T ABLE TO ATTEND THE LAST WORKSHOP, SO THANK YOU TO THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

I KNOW IT'S A LOT OF WORK.

THANK YOU FOR. I THINK ONE OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS SAID YOU HAVE TO WORK FOR US.

RIGHT? AND SO YOU GAVE US ALL THE INFORMATION THAT WAS NEEDED.

I WANT TO DEFINITELY APPRECIATE REPRESENTATIVE COLEMAN.

I'LL BE QUITE HONEST WITH YOU.

I HAD SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CO-LOCATIONS, BUT HE SAID SOMETHING VERY SPECIFIC IN ONE OF THE WORKSHOPS, AND HE SAID, WE APPRECIATE THE DECISION TO CO-LOCATE AND NOT CLOSE OUR SCHOOLS. I APPRECIATED THAT.

WHEN WE LOOK AT THE CO-LOCATIONS, THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE AROUND 0.3 MILES, WHICH IS FOR SOME FAMILIES FOR ACTUALLY STILL A LOT OF FAMILIES WALKING DISTANCE.

I'VE MET WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

I WAS RECENTLY AT TWO SUNRISE CENTERS DISTRIBUTING SCHOOL SUPPLIES.

I ASKED THE QUESTION; WOULD YOU SUPPORT A BOND TO IMPROVE YOUR BUILDINGS? AND THE ANSWER WAS YES.

IT WAS DEFINITELY YES ACROSS ALL EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.

WE HAVE TWO OF THE CO-LOCATIONS.

TWO OF THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE PROPOSED ARE ALREADY CO-LOCATED.

THERE IS A NEED FOR NEW BUILDINGS IN OUR SCHOOLS.

MORE THAN 12 YEARS SINCE OUR LAST BOND OF 2007 FOR OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

WE NEED THIS BOND.

TWO THINGS THAT I, THAT I THINK ARE IMPORTANT FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO KNOW.

NOTE IS THAT WE HAVE A CCMR COMMITTEE THAT'S GOING TO MEET AND WORK WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT IN THE ADMINISTRATION TO DEVELOP OUR PLAN TO FIGURE OUT THE BEST USE OF CTE CENTERS. BUT I APPRECIATED THE ADMINISTRATION IN THIS ASPECT.

I KNOW THERE WAS A LOT OF QUESTIONS FROM THE CAC ABOUT CTE CENTERS.

AGAIN, I WASN'T HERE THE LAST WORKSHOP, BUT IT FEELS LIKE TO ME LIKE THE ADMINISTRATION WENT BACK AND REACHED OUT TO OUR PARTNERS OR POTENTIAL PARTNERS IN HCC, SANJAK LONESTAR TO DETERMINE WHAT WAS THE BEST DECISION MOVING FORWARD.

SO I APPRECIATE YOU, SUPERINTENDENT, FOR DOING THAT.

AND WHEN WE THINK ABOUT OVERSIGHT, JUST LIKE THERE WAS IN THE LAST BOND, WE WILL HAVE AN OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.

THERE'S BEEN A COMMITMENT TO HAVE A DASHBOARD AS WELL FOR OUR PUBLIC TO BE ABLE TO TRACK THAT.

AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE HAVE OUR BOARD AUDIT COMMITTEE, WHICH WILL OVERSEE THAT ASPECT AS WELL.

SO I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT.

AND YOU KNOW, THE INTERESTING THING IS WE HAVE A LOT OF KIDS TODAY WHOSE PARENTS WENT TO SCHOOL IN THE SAME BUILDINGS.

AND FOR MANY OF THEM, IT'S THEIR SAME GRANDPARENTS WHO WENT TO THEIR SCHOOL IN TEMPORARY BUILDINGS THAT HAVE NOW BEEN THERE FOR 40 YEARS.

AND OUR BUILDINGS NEED WE OUR SCHOOLS NEED NEW BUILDINGS AS WELL.

WE JUST NEED THEM ACROSS THE DISTRICT.

AND I'LL MAKE ONE STATEMENT, IF I CAN, IN SPANISH.

IT'S A SUMMARY OF WHAT I JUST SAID.

[SPANISH] .

[01:45:01]

MR. CAMPO? NO.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS BY MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS? ALL RIGHT. THE QUESTION THAT WE HAVE PRESENTED TO US IS WHETHER TO PUT ON THE BALLOT FOR THE VOTERS TO DECIDE THE BOND.

IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED.

SO WITH NO FURTHER DISCUSSION BY THE BOARD, LET'S VOTE.

MOTION PASSES.

NINE IN FAVOR, ZERO ABSENT, ZERO ABSTENTIONS.

WE WILL NOW CONSIDER OUR DISCUSSION AND REPORT ITEMS BEGINNING WITH ACCOUNTABILITY DATA PRESENTATION.

[DISCUSSION AND REPORT ITEMS]

YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.

OF COURSE. I.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE GETTING OLD WHEN YOU HAVE TO STAND UP.

I HAVE TO STAND UP. I HAVE TO STAND UP AND THEN, LIKE, STRETCH MY BODY OUT.

TESTING.

THANK YOU. SO, I TOOK THIS FOR YOU AND JEANETTE.

SO YOU CAN SEE IT ONLY GETS WORSE THAT FROM MY CAR TO THEM.

LOOK AT THAT.

GOT A SHOWER, GOT READY.

AND THEN I'M LIKE, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE ARE, BUT NOT REALLY.

ARE YOU READY? YEAH.

OKAY. I THINK WE'RE READY TO MOVE ON.

MR. MILES HAS HIS PRESENTATION READY.

BOARD MEMBERS AND FOLKS HERE.

ALL RIGHT. YES, SIR. PLEASE GO AHEAD.

YES, MA'AM. TONIGHT I'M HAPPY TO SPEND A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL.

GIVE A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ABOUT OUR ACCOUNTABILITY RATINGS.

SOME OF THIS HAS BEEN SHARED YESTERDAY AT THE CONVOCATION AND ALSO WITH THE MEDIA.

AND SO SOME OF IT WILL BE NEWS THAT YOU ALREADY KNOW.

BUT I JUST WANT YOU TO SEE THAT OVERALL ON STATE ACCOUNTABILITY.

OUR STUDENTS, OUR TEACHERS WENT FROM 121 D AND F CAMPUSES LAST YEAR TO 41 THIS YEAR, A DROP OF 80 SCHOOLS.

THIS IS THIS IS PRELIMINARY DATA AND THE STATE WILL PRODUCE FINAL DATA ON AUGUST 15TH.

SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO SHOW INDIVIDUAL CAMPUSES.

BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT THAT'S A HUGE SUCCESS FOR OUR KIDS AND FOR OUR TEACHERS AND OUR SCHOOLS.

IT'S PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE EXIT CRITERIA IS THAT WE CAN'T HAVE ANY SCHOOLS WITH DNF STATUS FOR MORE THAN A YEAR OR FOR MULTIPLE YEARS.

BREAKING IT DOWN.

THE YELLOW BARS SHOW YOU WHERE THE DISTRICT WAS A YEAR AGO.

THE NUMBER OF A CAMPUSES, B CAMPUSES, ETC.

AND THE BLUE BARS SHOW WHAT THEY ARE TODAY.

[01:50:02]

THE YELLOW BARS THERE.

AND THEN NOW IT'S 41 AND THIS IS THE ENTIRE DISTRICT.

THIS IS NOT BROKEN DOWN BY ANY ESSER OR OTHERWISE.

WHEN WE DO BREAK IT DOWN BY NES, THOUGH, THESE WERE THE NES SCHOOLS LAST YEAR.

AND THEN NOW YOU CAN SEE THAT AMONG THE 85 SCHOOLS, 63 OF THEM WERE D OR F AND NOW OF THAT GROUP THERE'S ONLY TWO F CAMPUSES, SO THAT IS A HUGE DROP.

WE'LL SEE WHAT THE REST OF THE STATE DOES OVER THE NEXT WHEN THE TEA PRODUCES THOSE RESULTS.

BUT I WOULD SUSPECT WE'RE GOING TO BLOW EVERYBODY OUT OF THE WATER AGAIN, JUST LIKE WE DID ON STAR.

NOBODY WILL HAVE HAD A DECREASE IN D AND F CAMPUSES LIKE THIS, AND NOBODY WILL HAVE HAD AN INCREASE IN ACCOUNTABILITY SCORES LIKE WE HAVE.

THIS IS NES, AND YOU CAN SEE HOW MANY LAST YEAR OUT OF THE 85.

THERE'S 11 CAMPUSES THAT WERE A AND B A YEAR AGO.

NOW AMONG THOSE 85 THERE ARE 53 A AND B CAMPUSES, WHICH IS A HUGE INCREASE.

SO OUR CAMPUSES DID WELL.

ONE OTHER THING TO SHOW YOU.

GOING BACK TO ALL, THERE ARE 20 OF OUR CAMPUSES THAT WERE F RATED.

THEY ARE NOW B RATED, WHICH IS A HUGE INCREASE.

I MEAN, WE I MEAN, THE GOAL IS TO GET THEM OUT OF DNF STATUS, BUT 20 OF THEM WENT FAR BEYOND THAT, WENT TO B, AND WE HAVE SEVERAL CAMPUSES THAT WENT FROM F TO A, SO WE CAN BE PROUD OF OUR KIDS AND PROUD OF OUR TEACHERS FOR HAVING DONE THAT.

IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE 45 THAT WE SAY WE'RE GOING TO ADD, THE 45, WE CALL THEM FUTURE NES, BUT NOW THEY'RE NEW NES BECAUSE THE FUTURE IS HERE.

THOSE 45 SCHOOLS ARE D AND F CAMPUSES.

AND THEY DID WELL TO THAT.

NOT AS WELL AS THE NES CAMPUSES.

WE STILL HAVE 18 D AND F CAMPUSES THAT WE HAVE TO MOVE, AND WE HAVE TO ENSURE THAT THE C CAMPUSES DON'T GO DOWN.

AND THEN THIS SLIDE IS A NON-NES.

I THINK WE HAVE 137 NON-NES SCHOOLS IN THIS GROUP.

AND YOU CAN SEE LAST YEAR AMONG THIS GROUP THERE WERE 82 A AND B SCHOOLS.

NOW THERE ARE 107.

SO THE REFORMS THAT WE DID IN INSTRUCTION, NOT JUST NES, REALLY HELPED THE DISTRICT AS A WHOLE DID NOT HURT OUR A AND B CAMPUSES AS A WHOLE. AND THEN I HAD THE FOUR SLIDES BY DIVISION.

THIS IS REALLY TELLS A GOOD STORY.

EVERY DIVISION DID.

WELL. THIS IS THE NORTH DIVISION.

THE NORTH DIVISION HAD 20 F SCHOOLS WHEN IT STARTED LAST YEAR.

NOW IT HAS ONE.

THIS IS CENTRAL DIVISION.

YOU CAN SEE THE BLUE IN THE A AND B AREA IS MUCH HIGHER NOW AND ONLY TEN DNF CAMPUSES.

THE SOUTH DIVISION HAD A LOT OF NES SCHOOLS, TOO, AND THEY WENT FROM 38 DNF CAMPUSES TO 11.

THE WEST DIVISION, I THINK, ONLY HAD ONE NES OR ONE NES ALIGNED SCHOOL.

SO THEY DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF NES.

THEY HAD MOST OF OUR A AND B OR MANY OF OUR A AND B CAMPUSES, AND EVEN THEY MOVE THE NEEDLE AND NOW HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE A, B, AND C CAMPUSES THAN THEY DID BEFORE.

SO WE WILL GIVE YOU WE WILL PRESENT BY SCHOOL DATA TO THE BOARD.

YOU'LL GET THAT ELECTRONICALLY.

BUT ON AUGUST 15TH, THERE'S A LOT TO CELEBRATE.

I DON'T WANT TO GIVE ANY INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL DATA RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE IT COULD CHANGE BETWEEN NOW AND IN THE 15TH, BUT THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT TO CELEBRATE.

THE SCHOOLS WILL CELEBRATE BOTH THE STAR DATA AND THE ACCOUNTABILITY DATA THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL BECAUSE WHEN WE GOT THE STAAR DATA, THE SCHOOL WAS ALREADY OVER.

AND WHEN WE GOT THE ACCOUNTABILITY DATA, OF COURSE, WE JUST GOT IT.

THE SCHOOLS, THE KIDS AND TEACHERS DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW THEY DID.

SO THEY'LL GET ALL THAT INFORMATION THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL.

THEY'LL CELEBRATE ON FRIDAY THE 16TH.

THERE'LL BE ICE CREAM, SOCIAL POPSICLES AND COOKIES AND EVERY SCHOOL, I MEAN, MOST SCHOOLS WENT UP, SO THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE A, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE A GOOD TIME CELEBRATING.

BUT EVERY SCHOOL HAS SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE.

[01:55:02]

THERE ARE TEACHERS WHO DID WELL.

SO THEY WILL BE CELEBRATING.

AND ONE OTHER THING I WANT TO SAY ABOUT THIS IS, WELL, TWO THINGS.

ONE, BEHIND ALL THESE NUMBERS.

AND I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE WHEN THE STAR CAME OUT, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THESE SCORES, RIGHT, AND YOU LOOK AT WHAT IS BEHIND THIS.

IT'S KIDS AND TEACHERS.

I MEAN, YES, YOU KNOW, IT'S IMPORTANT TO GET OUT OF INTERVENTION STATUS.

AND SO THE NUMBERS YOU KNOW, THESE LETTER GRADES MATTER IN THAT SENSE.

BUT THE LETTER GRADES MATTER MORE TO ME AND TO THE STAFF AND TO THE TEACHERS, BECAUSE IT MEANS MORE KIDS CAN READ THAN THEY DID BEFORE. LITERACY IS HAS IMPROVED.

OUR KIDS ARE READING BETTER.

YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THE VIDEO AT CONVOCATION OR WE.

I THINK WE SENT THOSE OUT EARLIER IN THE SUMMER.

THE CHILD THAT WAS SO HAPPY ABOUT HIS READING SCORES.

I BET YOU THAT KID LOVES READING MORE NOW THAN HE DID A YEAR AGO, BECAUSE HE WENT FROM APPROACHES AND HE HE'S BRAGGING.

NOW I'M IN MASTERS.

THAT'S WHAT THAT NUMBER MEANS.

THAT'S WHAT THE LETTER GRADES MEAN.

AND LET'S KEEP THAT IN MIND SO THAT WE CAN CELEBRATE OUR KIDS, REGARDLESS OF ANY OTHER SENSE THAT YOU HAVE OF WHAT WE'RE DOING.

OUR KIDS DESERVE THAT.

THEY DESERVE THE CELEBRATION, AND OUR TEACHERS DESERVE THAT AS WELL.

THE OTHER THING I WOULD SAY IS THIS WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO.

WHENEVER YOU HAVE D AND F CAMPUSES OR C CAMPUSES, THAT'S YOU KNOW, THAT MEANS THERE'S WORK TO BE DONE.

LET'S CELEBRATE THE GOOD NEWS.

YES. AT A DISTRICT LEVEL, WE KNOW THAT IT'S JUST ONE YEAR.

WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE ARE KIDS THAT DID NOT GET WHAT THEY NEED.

YOU KNOW, THEY DID NOT GET THE BEST EDUCATION POSSIBLE.

SO WE'VE GOT WORK TO DO.

AND YOU'RE GOING TO SEE US JUST AS FOCUSED, JUST AS INTENSE AROUND HELPING ALL KIDS BECAUSE ALL MEANS ALL IN THIS DISTRICT.

SO MADE A BIG CHUNK OUT OF THE D AND F CAMPUSES.

STILL GOT WORK TO DO.

ALL RIGHT. MA'AM.

MADAM PRESIDENT, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

THAT CONCLUDES MY ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT.

ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS OVER HERE? I WILL SAY BEFORE WE START QUESTIONS, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION THIS EVENING AND REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE STAFF AND THE TEACHERS AND THE STUDENTS OF HISD WHO HAVE MADE THESE SCORES POSSIBLE.

IT TOOK A LOT OF WORK FOR OUR TEACHERS, I KNOW AND OUR FOR OUR STUDENTS AND, AND TRULY THE STUDENTS SHOULD BE APPLAUDED FOR, FOR THE GAINS THAT WE'VE HAD AND, AND ALL OF THE STAFF. SO THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY.

OKAY. WITH THAT, MISS BANDY, I WAS GOING TO SAY SOMETHING ALONG THOSE SAME LINES.

THIS IS INCREDIBLE.

THIS IS REALLY, REALLY REMARKABLE STUFF THAT THE DISTRICT IS DOING.

AND THIS PROVES THAT OUR KIDS CAN LEARN NO MATTER THE ZIP CODE, NO MATTER WHAT'S GOING ON.

OUR KIDS ARE WAY MORE RESILIENT THAN WE ARE AS ADULTS.

AND I'M TALKING TO FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY PARENTS, STAFF, TEACHERS, EVERYONE IS OVER THE MOON EXCITED THAT ALL THEIR HARD WORK PAID OFF.

SO I JUST WANT TO COMMEND EVERYONE OUT THERE.

THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS COMMENTS ON THIS END OF THE DAIS? OKAY. OVER HERE.

MISS MENDOZA LOOKS READY TO GO.

MISS MENDOZA, I'LL MAKE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS.

I, TOO, WANTED TO SAY FOR THE AREA SUPERINTENDENTS, THE FOUR OF THEM WHO ARE HERE AND THERE, I GET TO KNOW AND SEE AT SOME OF THE GRADUATIONS.

IT'S REALLY FOR ME, EXCITING TO SEE HOW MUCH YOU SUPPORT YOUR STUDENTS AND YOUR TEACHERS AND HOW THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE YOUR FAMILY.

AND THAT WAS EVIDENT YESTERDAY AT THE CONVOCATION.

WHEN YOU ARE CELEBRATING, YOU KNOW, THE GROUPS THAT YOU WORK WITH IN THE SCHOOLS THAT YOU WORK WITH AND THAT JUST TELLS ME THAT YOU CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

AND I KNOW HOW HARD YOU WORK.

SO I WANT TO THANK YOU.

AND OF COURSE, THE ENTIRE ADMINISTRATION.

BUT I'VE JUST GOTTEN TO MEET THEM A LITTLE BIT MORE DURING SOME OPPORTUNITIES.

I ALSO WANT TO SAY THAT WE HAVE I HAVE VISITED SOME OF THE SUNRISE CENTERS, AND THE TEACHERS AND THE PARENTS THAT I'M SEEING AT THE SUNRISE CENTERS ARE APPRECIATING THEM. STILL HAVE A LOT TO DO, I THINK WITH THE WRAPAROUND SERVICES, I KNOW THAT, BUT I DO WANT TO SAY THAT WE HAVE AND I THINK [INAUDIBLE] TOGETHER, AND WE HEARD SOME GREAT COMMENTS ABOUT HOW THE PARENTS ARE OUT THERE AT THE SUNRISE CENTERS AND APPRECIATING THE HELP.

SO, I WANTED TO ALSO SAY THAT AND THEN ALSO THIS IS AMAZING AND IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO CONTINUE TO GO OUT TO THE SCHOOLS AND SEE THE PRINCIPALS AND SEE IT AT WORK WHICH IS IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF US TO BE ABLE TO DO.

SO. THANK YOU TO THE ADMINISTRATION.

I'M SO PROUD OF THE STUDENTS THAT HAVE ACHIEVED THIS.

[02:00:02]

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

MR. RIVON. DID YOU HAVE A COMMENT, SIR? I CAN'T SAY THAT I'M SURPRISED AFTER SEEING THE CGI INFORMATION TWO MONTHS AGO I KNEW THAT THIS WAS LIKELY TO OCCUR.

BUT I CONTINUE TO, TO SUPPORT THE ADMINISTRATION IN THIS EFFORT.

AND I'M EXCITED TO SEE KIND OF WHAT IS NEXT.

WE DO HAVE A LOT MORE TO CONTINUE.

WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF WAYS TO CLOSE GAPS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

BUT TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO CELEBRATE.

AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE 15TH.

WHEN THE DATA IS FINALIZED AND THE STATE IS ABLE TO SAY, THIS IS THIS IS THE NUMBER THAT WE ARE WORKING FROM AND OUR NEW BASELINE IS BEING ESTABLISHED. AND SO KUDOS TO THE ADMINISTRATION, TO THE TEACHERS, TO THE STUDENTS.

MY OWN SON IS ONE OF THOSE STUDENTS.

AND EVEN HE WAS THROUGH THE MOON.

HE HAD SLIPPED A LITTLE BIT WHERE HE WAS MASTERS IN SEVERAL CATEGORIES.

AND ONE HE WAS JUST RIGHT AT MEETS.

AND HE SAID, DAD, WHAT HAPPENS IF, YOU KNOW, MY CGI SCORE MOVES TO X, Y, AND Z? AND I WAS LIKE, OKAY, WELL, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT, YOU KNOW? AND HE DID IT. SO HE ENDED UP WITH ALL MASTERS BY THE END OF THE BY THE END OF THE YEAR.

AND SO JUST CONTINUED SUCCESS.

IN MULTIPLE AREAS.

AND SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT.

GOOD. ANYBODY ELSE? MR. CAMPO I TOO WANT TO JUST CONGRATULATE THE TEAM.

I MEAN AWESOME RESULTS.

WE HAVE YOUR BACK. WE APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DO EVERY SINGLE DAY.

WE KNOW IT'S HARD AND WE HAVE ONE MORE STUDENT THAT I WANT YOU TO TAKE CARE OF, WHICH IS MY GRANDSON, WHO STARTS FIRST GRADE ON MONDAY.

SO THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ACCOUNTABILITY? ALL RIGHT, THEN, I THINK, MR. MILES, YOU'VE GOT A PRESENTATION FOR US ON WHY TRANSFORMATION WORKS.

YES, MA'AM. YES, SIR.

WHEN YOU'RE READY. SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE MEAN BY HARD WORK, WHAT WE MEAN BY THE EFFORT THAT GOES INTO THIS.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHY THIS IS NOT MAGIC.

THIS IS NOT BY CHANCE.

IT'S NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, IF WE WE HIRE GOOD, YOU KNOW, STRONG, EFFECTIVE PEOPLE.

YOU KNOW, IT'S ALL GOING TO HAPPEN.

THERE'S A THERE'S A METHOD HERE THAT'S RESEARCH BASED, AND THAT IS REALLY KEY.

THE ONLY PART IS NOT RESEARCH BASED.

I'LL TELL YOU ABOUT WHICH IS WHOLE SCALE SYSTEMIC REFORM.

SO I WANT TO SPEND JUST A LITTLE BIT OF TIME I KNOW THIS.

WE DON'T WANT TO GO TOO LONG.

BUT AGAIN, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE ARE MOVING THIS DISTRICT FORWARD.

AND THAT GIVES YOU A HINT AT WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE CONTINUING TO DOUBLE DOWN ON FOR THIS COMING YEAR.

SO THE EDUCATORS AMONG US, AND I'M LOOKING AT BOARD MEMBER FLOWERS AND THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN AROUND EDUCATION A WHILE KNOW THAT THERE ARE AT LEAST THREE MAIN DRIVERS FOR TRANSFORMATION.

NOT JUST STATUS QUO, BUT TRANSFORMATION, OPERATIONAL COMPONENTS, DESIGN PRINCIPLES, AND A FUTURE FOCUS.

I'M GOING TO SPEND MOST OF THE TIME ON OPERATIONAL COMPONENTS AND NOT GET TOO MUCH INTO THE OTHER TWO.

THERE ARE SIX.

THESE ARE THE SIX THAT WE FOCUSED ON AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON BECAUSE THESE MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.

THE DIFFERENCE WITH HISD'S TRANSFORMATION IS THAT WE DID ALL SIX AND SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN ALL SIX ALL AT ONE TIME.

THAT'S CALLED WHOLESCALE SYSTEMIC REFORM, COMPREHENSIVE, FAR REACHING REFORM DONE OVER A PART OF A DISTRICT ALL AT ONE TIME.

THAT'S WHAT WHOLESALE SYSTEMIC REFORM IS.

SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL, INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL IS IMPORTANT FOR EVERY SCHOOL.

AND IN THE NES HAS ONE INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL BECAUSE THERE'S DIFFERENT INSTRUCTIONAL MODELS FOR DIFFERENT LEVELS OF KIDS.

SO THE NES MODEL PROBABLY WON'T WORK AS WELL.

IN REALLY HIGH PERFORMING CAMPUSES.

THERE ARE OTHER MODELS THAT WORK AS WELL, TOO.

I MEAN, THAT WORK FINE.

MONTESSORI IF IF IMPLEMENTED WELL, WORKS WELL.

IB PROGRAM IF IMPLEMENTED WELL, WORKS WELL.

MANY OF OUR MAGNET SCHOOLS THAT ARE GIFTED AND TALENTED, THEY THEY WORK WELL.

[02:05:04]

BUT CHALLENGES KIDS WHO ALREADY GET IT.

AND THAT'S WHY THE COMBINATION OF DIRECT INSTRUCTION AND DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION, WHERE KIDS THEN IF THEY GET IT, THEY MOVE AND BE CHALLENGED IN THE TEAM CENTER OR GET MORE HELP GUIDED WITH THE EXPERT TEACHER.

THAT'S KEY.

THAT'S THE MAIN INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL.

AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THAT INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL FOR STRUGGLING CAMPUSES WORKS FAIRLY WELL.

THAT'S ONE PIECE OF IT.

THE OTHER IS HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS.

AND WE PUT A LOT OF TIME, EFFORT AND ENERGY INTO ENSURING THAT ALL THE CAMPUSES HAVE HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS.

FOR EXAMPLE, WE OFFERED AND PAID FOR AMPLIFIED EUREKA CARNEGIE IN MANY CAMPUSES THAT THAT WANTED TO USE THAT.

NOW THE A AND B SCHOOLS HAVE THEIR OWN AUTONOMY OVER THEIR CURRICULUM SO THEY CAN CHOOSE WHATEVER.

BUT MANY OF THEM CHOSE TO AMPLIFY CARNEGIE AND EUREKA FOR THE NES MODELS.

IT WASN'T A CHOICE. IT WAS A CURRICULUM DESIGN TO SUPPORT THE TEACHERS.

AND SO YOU HAD DIFFERENTIATED ASSIGNMENTS.

YOU HAD THE DEMONSTRATION OF LEARNING.

YOU HAD THE LESSON PLAN, THE POWERPOINT, EVERYTHING PROVIDED FOR THE TEACHER.

AND THE GOAL WAS FOR THEM TO INTERNALIZE THAT PRIOR TO TEACHING.

BUT THEY WOULDN'T SPEND TIME LOOKING FOR RESOURCES.

THEY COULD MODIFY THE LESSONS EXCEPT THE DOLL AND THE LESSON OBJECTIVE, WHICH WERE TIED METICULOUSLY TO THE TASKS.

AND SO THIS WAS IMPORTANT.

IT'S EVEN BETTER THIS YEAR.

THE CURRICULUM DEPARTMENT SPENT THE SUMMER PUTTING SCAFFOLDS ON THE ON THE SLIDES, BEING MORE INTENTIONAL ABOUT EMERGENT BILINGUAL LANGUAGE ON THE SLIDE WORD BANKS, ON THE SLIDE DEFINITION ON THE SLIDE, THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO WE ENHANCE THE CURRICULUM, BY THE WAY, BY THE END OF THE YEAR LAST YEAR, 40 OR 50 CAMPUSES THAT WERE NOT NES WERE USING THE NES CURRICULUM VOLUNTARILY.

I SUSPECT THIS YEAR NOT ONLY THE 130 SCHOOLS WILL USE IT, BUT 40 OR 50 MORE SCHOOLS WILL USE IT BECAUSE IT IS A GOOD CURRICULUM AND IT SAVES THE TEACHERS TIME.

THAT WAS THE SECOND THING.

WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THAT OVER TIME.

THE THIRD.

I THINK EVERYBODY IN THE DISTRICT WHO'S A TEACHER OR PRINCIPAL KNOWS THAT THE FOCUS IS ON THE HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION.

THAT'S WHAT TEACHERS NEED.

THAT'S WHAT PARENTS WANT, AND THAT'S WHAT KIDS NEED HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION.

AND THERE WAS A FOCUS ON THAT ACROSS THE DISTRICT.

ONE OF THE REASONS WHY YOU SAW A AND B CAMPUSES IMPROVE IS BECAUSE OF THE FOCUS ON INSTRUCTION.

EVEN THERE.

YES. WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT DEFINED AUTONOMY, I THINK AT THE NEXT BOARD MEETING.

PRESENTATION ON DEFINED AUTONOMY.

WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT IT WITH OUR PRINCIPALS AND SENIOR STAFF.

SO THAT'S GOING TO MOVE FORWARD.

WE ALSO HAD COMMUNITY MEETINGS AROUND IT.

AND IN EVERY CASE WE TALKED ABOUT, HEY, INSTRUCTION NEEDS TO IMPROVE EVERYWHERE.

IT'S A CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT MODEL.

WE HAVE 6 OR 8 SCHOOLS THAT PROBABLY CAN'T IMPROVE THAT MUCH.

AND ACADEMICALLY THEY MAY BE ABLE TO IMPROVE A LITTLE BIT.

INSTRUCTIONALLY. ANYWAY, HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION IS SOMETHING WE DO ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE.

YOU SEE THIS SPOT OBSERVATION FORM, BUT REALLY IT COMES DOWN TO ALIGNED CURRICULUM CLEAR EXPECTATIONS ON THE JOB COACHING, STRONG INSTRUCTIONAL FEEDBACK, WHICH MEANS THAT WE HAD TO TRAIN OUR PRINCIPALS TO BE INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS, WHICH THEY HAD NOT DONE PRIOR TO THIS YEAR. AND SO WE HAD TO REALLY DO A LOT OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COACHING OF PRINCIPALS, AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT.

SO ONE OF THE THINGS YOU'LL SEE GOING FORWARD AND YOU ASK, WHAT ARE WE DOING NEXT? WELL, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON INSTRUCTION.

THERE'S A SCIENCE TO TEACHING AND INSTRUCTION.

AND THEN THERE'S THE ART OF TEACHING.

AND THEY'RE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE.

AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE BOTH.

THIS YEAR WE DID A LOT OF TIME AND ENERGY ON SCIENCE OF OF TEACHING WITH A LITTLE BIT OF ART THIS THIS YEAR WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE THE SCIENCE, BUT WE'RE ALSO GOING TO SPEND A LOT MORE TIME ON THE ART AND THAT WE STARTED IT THIS SUMMER.

THERE'S A LOT MORE TRAINING AROUND RIGOR, PACING, SCAFFOLDING, SUPPORTS FOR TEACHERS, ETC.

THIS SUMMER.

STAFF CAPACITY IS ANOTHER AREA, AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT THAT MEANS ON THE LEFT TO BE FAIR, THERE WASN'T A FOCUS ON

[02:10:08]

AND SO WE FOCUSED QUITE A BIT ON GROWING OUR STAFF'S CAPACITY, BOTH THE TEACHING STAFF, THE PRINCIPAL STAFF AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR STAFF AND THE WHOLE DISTRICT AT YOU KNOW, IN BROAD STROKES NEEDED THAT SORT OF IMPROVEMENT AND THAT SORT OF FOCUS ON INSTRUCTION.

WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT AND CONTINUE TO RAISE EXPECTATIONS AND HOLD OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE.

NOW, ACCOUNTABILITY WITHOUT SUPPORT.

I'VE SAID THIS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

I KEEP SAYING IT.

ACCOUNTABILITY WITHOUT SUPPORT DOES BREED FEAR.

AND SO ACCOUNTABILITY NEEDS TO COME WITH SUPPORT.

AND THAT HAPPENS, AS YOU MAY HAVE SEEN, SOME OF THE VIDEOS OF TEACHERS TALKING ABOUT HOW WHEN THE FIRST PART OF THE YEAR THEY WERE NERVOUS, THEY FELT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN DO THIS.

THERE WERE TEARS. I MEAN, WE EVEN CAPTURED THAT ON, YOU KNOW, TEACHER VIDEOS SAYING THAT THEY WERE CRYING.

BUT BY THE BY SOMETIME AROUND NOVEMBER PEOPLE WERE GETTING INTO THEIR STRIDE AND THEY BECAME MUCH STRONGER AND EFFECTIVE TEACHERS BY THE END OF THE YEAR.

THE TEACHERS WHO WERE PROFICIENT WERE SOLIDLY EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTORS.

WITHOUT LEADERSHIP, THE VILLAGE DIES.

WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO GROW OUR PRINCIPALS AND EDS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS.

YOU MAY NOT KNOW.

LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR WE TRAINED, INCLUDING ME TRAINED PRINCIPLES EVERY MONTH, MOSTLY ON INSTRUCTION, FACE TO FACE.

I TRAINED EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS AND SO DID CHIEF MASSEY, THE CHIEF OF LEADERSHIP AND STRATEGIC INITIATIVES.

WE TRAINED EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS EVERY WEEK, THE FIRST SEMESTER AND EVERY OTHER WEEK THE SECOND SEMESTER.

I STARTED THAT PRACTICE AGAIN THIS MONDAY.

SO EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS GET 45 MINUTES FROM ME AND THEN AN HOUR FROM CHIEF MASSEY.

ON WEDNESDAYS EVERY WEEK FOR THE NEXT FOUR WEEKS, MAYBE FIVE.

AND THEN WE'LL GO TO EVERY OTHER WEEK.

BUT THE TRAINING IS ON INSTRUCTION, BOTH THE ART AND SCIENCE.

HOW TO SUPPORT.

HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE.

HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE.

SUPPORT FOR PRINCIPLES AND HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE.

SUPPORTS FOR TEACHERS.

SO LEADERSHIP IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

WE WERE PRETTY RIGOROUS ON OUR EVALUATION OF PRINCIPALS.

I DIDN'T PUT UP I CAN'T IF YOU WANT A SCATTER PLOT OF THE EVALUATION OF PRINCIPALS SCORES AND THEIR TEA SCORE.

ACCOUNTABILITY SCORE AND THE CORRELATION.

IT IS 0.68, WHICH IS HUGE.

A GOOD CORRELATION IS 0.30.4.

SOMEWHERE IN THERE.

THIS IS REALLY STRONG.

MEANING THIS. WE EVALUATED THEM RIGOROUSLY, BUT WE EVALUATED THEM RIGHT.

AND SO THAT CORRELATION WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO CONTINUE TO KEEP THAT STRONGER CORRELATION BETWEEN HOW THEY'RE EVALUATED AND HOW THE SCHOOLS DO OVERALL.

AND THEN FINALLY ON THE ON THE SIX COMPONENTS THERE'S THE HIGH PERFORMANCE CULTURE.

THIS TAKES TIME, BUT I'M SURE ALMOST EVERYBODY ON THIS BOARD OR THE BOARD OF MANAGERS KNOWS, AND MOST PEOPLE KNOW WHO RUN ORGANIZATIONS OR HAVE BEEN IN ORGANIZATIONS KNOW THAT CULTURE EATS STRATEGY FOR BREAKFAST.

THAT'S NOT MY PHRASE.

THAT'S A PHRASE OUT THERE.

I DON'T KNOW, RICK, IF YOU COINED IT OR NOT, BUT SOMEBODY IN THE BUSINESS SUMMITS IN THE BUSINESS WORLD COINED IT.

WHAT'S THAT? PETER DRUCKER OH, YEAH.

PETER DRUCKER. AND SO THAT GOES FOR EDUCATION, TOO.

AND WE CAN'T HAVE ALL OF THESE OTHER THINGS IMPLEMENTED WELL WITHOUT A STRONG CULTURE.

BUT WHAT IS CULTURE? WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE AND HOW DOES IT MANIFEST ITSELF? AND WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME THIS YEAR.

YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THOSE THINGS HERE ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE.

GOT TO HAVE A CULTURE WHERE PEOPLE SAY WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE.

WE NEVER REST ON OUR LAURELS.

WE NEVER SAY WE'RE ALL THAT.

AND YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE ANY ROOM TO GROW.

WELL, YOU HAVE ROOM TO GROW BECAUSE YOU STILL, YOU KNOW, NEED THAT BAG OF CHIPS.

SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THAT MENTALITY WHERE THERE'S A CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT, HIGH EXPECTATIONS AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

[02:15:01]

I LIKE WHAT BOARD MEMBER BANDY SAID ABOUT THE STUDENTS RISE TO THE LEVEL OF EXPECTATION.

THEY THEY SHOWED THAT.

SO YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WE DON'T LOWER EXPECTATIONS.

WE RAISE THEM WHEN IT COMES TO KIDS AND TEACHERS WORKING WITH THE SENSE OF URGENCY USING DATA.

YOU KNOW, ONE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAUSED SOME ANGST FOR TEACHERS, PRINCIPALS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS IS THAT WE STARTED TO USE DATA TO EVALUATE PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS. AND BY THE WAY, WE ALSO USE THAT TO EVALUATE CABINET MEMBERS.

AND YOU'RE GOING TO USE DATA TO EVALUATE ME.

SO WE STARTED TO USE DATA THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM.

AND THAT HAS CAUSED ANGST BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE DATA IS THE DATA NOT SOLELY RIGHT.

WE HAD ACHIEVEMENT DATA.

YES, WE HAVE INSTRUCTIONAL FEEDBACK DATA.

YES, WE HAVE DOMAIN FOR PROFESSIONAL DATA.

YES. AND OTHER ANECDOTAL OR PINPOINT DATA THAT WE CAN USE TO EVALUATE.

AND SO THAT HAS CAUSED ANGST.

BUT WE'RE GOING TO CREATE THAT CULTURE WHERE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT DATA IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF ANY EVALUATION.

STAFF ATTENDANCE OVER 1000 STAFF MEMBERS A YEAR AGO, CHRONICALLY ABSENT BEFORE THIS LAST YEAR.

OVER A THOUSAND CHRONICALLY ABSENT.

THIS YEAR, WE CUT IT DOWN BY ABOUT 50%.

THAT'S NOT ENOUGH.

WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SAY WE HAVE TO ATTEND SCHOOL.

SO THAT'S THOSE ARE THE SIX COMPONENTS.

LET ME BE QUICK ON THE LAST TWO.

ONE HAS TO DO WITH DESIGN PRINCIPLES.

I'LL JUST GIVE YOU ONE EXAMPLE OF THAT.

AND THAT'S STAFFING MODEL.

WE HAVE TO AS A AS A DISTRICT, AS AN ORGANIZATION THAT'S PART OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM, AS AN ORGANIZATION THAT'S IN THE BROADER HOUSTON COMMUNITY, WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT A DIFFERENT WAY.

IT CAN'T BE THE SAME THING WE'VE ALWAYS DONE.

SO ONE OF THE DIFFERENT WAYS, AND I'LL JUST GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF STAFFING.

AND A TWO YEARS AGO, THE SCHOOL YEAR STARTED OFF WITH 644 TEACHER VACANCIES.

AND THERE WAS THE MENTALITY THAT, WELL, WE CAN'T HIRE UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS.

SO THEY STARTED OFF WITH 644 VACANCIES, NO, NO UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS OR VERY FEW.

AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THE ACHIEVEMENT WENT DOWN.

THE DISTRICT DID NOT FARE WELL, ESPECIALLY THE KIDS IN OUR UNDERSERVED AREAS.

CAN YOU IMAGINE GOING TO THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL AND HAVING THAT MANY VACANCIES? HOW MANY KIDS ARE IMPACTED BY THAT? AND THEN THE NOTION THAT, WELL, YOU HAVE TO BE A CERTIFIED TEACHER TO BE EFFECTIVE? YES. MORE LIKELY THAN NOT, YOU'LL BE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN A TEACHER WITHOUT A CERTIFICATION.

YES, THAT'S TRUE, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN IN EFFECT OR NON-CERTIFIED TEACHERS WILL BE INEFFECTIVE.

WE CAME IN, WE CHANGED THAT CONCEPT.

WE SAID THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS, CAN A TEACHER, CAN A STUDENT HAVE AN EFFECTIVE TEACHER EVERY DAY? THAT'S THE THAT'S THE METRIC.

CAN'T A STUDENT HAVE AN EFFECTIVE TEACHER EVERY DAY? SO IN THE NES ORBIT, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU HAVE TEACHER APPRENTICES, YOU DON'T HAVE SUBSTITUTES, YOU HAVE LEARNING COACHES.

AND SO EVERY DAY AND BECAUSE WE PROVIDE THE CURRICULUM, THAT TEACHER APPRENTICE IS READY TO GO.

AND SOMETIMES EVEN THE LEARNING COACH.

SO WE NOT ONLY HIRED TEACHER APPRENTICES AND LEARNING COACHES, WE AND YES, WE HAD ZERO VACANCIES, BUT IT WASN'T SO MUCH ABOUT THAT.

IT WAS ABOUT THE TYPE OF STAFF THAT WE HIRED.

AND BECAUSE WE DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE 644 VACANCIES AND WE HIRED UNCERTIFIED BUT EFFECTIVE TEACHERS, LOOK WHAT THOSE UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS WITH THE CERTIFIED DID THIS YEAR.

WHICH METHODOLOGY IS BETTER? 644 WITH NO CERTIFIED TEACHER, UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS OR TRAIN UP HIRE.

WELL, EVEN IF THEY DON'T HAVE CERTIFICATION, WHICH METHOD IS BETTER? WHICH METHOD IS BETTER ABOUT HAVING TEACHER APPRENTICES SO THAT A KID DOESN'T HAVE A SUBSTITUTE? OR DO YOU WANT TO KEEP HAVING SUBSTITUTES? THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE.

THAT'S A DESIGN DIFFERENCE.

AND THAT THAT'S HARD FOR PEOPLE TO GET USED TO.

BUT THE IN THE END OF THE END OF THE DAY, THE QUESTION IS WHAT IS THE OUTCOME YOU'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE OVERALL.

AND THE OUTCOME WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE IS THAT OUR STUDENTS READ BETTER, DO MATH BETTER, AND ARE MORE PREPARED FOR THE YEAR 2035.

[02:20:06]

WE CAN TALK ABOUT ALL THESE METRICS OVER HERE.

IN THE END OF THE DAY, IF WE GET THIS, THEN YOU KNOW WHAT? THAT'S WHAT WE WANT.

IT'S ABOUT KIDS.

THIS IS A KIDS FIRST MODEL.

IT'S NOT ABOUT THE ADULTS. IT'S ABOUT THE KIDS FIRST.

AND WE GOT TO CHANGE OUR PARADIGM.

ONE OTHER DESIGN PRINCIPLE THAT, THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, AND THAT IS THINKING ABOUT TEACHING KIDS HOW TO THINK RATHER THAN JUST WHAT TO THINK.

PLEASE DON'T HEAR THAT.

WE DON'T WANT READING, WRITING, MATH, SCIENCE WE DO.

THAT IS THE FOCUS, ESPECIALLY OF THE STAR EXAM.

BUT ON TOP OF THAT, WE HAVE TO HAVE PROGRAMS OF STUDY THAT HELP KIDS WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

WE HAVE TO HAVE PROGRAMS OF STUDY THAT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HIGH SKILLED JOBS.

WE HAVE TO HAVE CRITICAL THINKING, TAUGHT INFORMATION LITERACY TAUGHT, PROBLEM SOLVING TAUGHT.

AND SO THAT'S ANOTHER DESIGN PRINCIPLE THAT WE'RE USING HERE.

AND LAST IS FUTURE FOCUS.

IF YOU DON'T TIE YOUR ACTIONS TO A LIKELY FUTURE THEN ANY PATH FORWARD WILL DO.

EFFECTIVE DISTRICTS.

EFFECTIVE SUPERINTENDENTS.

EFFECTIVE BOARDS. THINK ABOUT WHAT'S COMING DOWN THE PIKE, NOT JUST WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST.

AND WHAT'S COMING DOWN THE PIKE IS A CHANGING WORLD AND WORKPLACE.

SO YES, THE SYSTEM WE PUT IN PLACE HAS TO DO READING, WRITING, MATH, SCIENCE, YES.

BUT IT ALSO HAS TO PREPARE KIDS FOR A DIFFERENT WORLD AND WORKPLACE.

THAT'S WHY YOU SEE US HAVING AN EYE ELECTIVE IN EVERY HIGH SCHOOL.

WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT.

BUT THE FUTURE REQUIRES US TO AN ELECTIVE FOR ALL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.

THAT'S WHY WE'RE HAVING WORKSHOPS FOR TEACHERS ON HOW TO USE AI IN THE WORKPLACE, THEIR OWN WORKPLACE, IN TEACHING.

THAT'S WHY WE HAVE NEW PROGRAMS OF STUDY.

FOUR OF THEM AND NOT AT EVERY SCHOOL.

IT'S AT SMALLER SCHOOLS ONLY HAVE A COUPLE.

BUT THEY'RE NEW PROGRAMS OF STUDY THAT WE PAID FOR AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL.

NOT AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL, THAT ARE MORE TIED TO YEAR 2035, WORLD AND WORKPLACE.

THAT'S WHY WE'RE BRINGING AI POLICY TO THE BOARD AT SOME POINT THIS YEAR, SO THAT WE GET AHEAD OF THE CURVE.

THAT'S WHY WE HAVE ART OF THINKING.

WE ARE FUTURE FOCUSED HERE AS WELL.

SO THESE ARE THE REASONS WHY THIS IS WHY TRANSFORMATION WORKS.

THIS IS WHY IT'S NOT A SURPRISE THAT WE HAD GAINED.

NOW EVEN I'M SURPRISED THAT THE THAT THE LEVEL OF GAIN THAT WE GOT.

BUT IT'S NOT A SURPRISE THAT WE GOT GAINS.

AND IT WON'T BE A SURPRISE AT THE END OF THIS SECOND YEAR WHEN WE'RE DOWN TO SINGLE DIGITS, A D AND F, THAT'S THE THAT'S THE GOAL.

SO THAT WE CAN AT SOME POINT TURN THE, THE DISTRICT OVER TO AN ELECTED BOARD, WHICH IS OUR CHARGE.

BUT ALSO, WHILE WE'RE DOING THAT, WE SET THE SYSTEM THAT IS NECESSARY FOR A CONTINUED PROGRESS.

WE DESIGN A CULTURE THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND IS A CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT MODEL, AND WE BUILD AN INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL AND ADVOCATES FOR THAT INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL THAT WILL BE HARD TO TURN BACK.

WHO HAS THE FIRST QUESTION? ANYBODY ON MY LEFT? ANYBODY KNOW THE SIDE? ANYBODY? ANY QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? OH, MISS LINDNER.

THANK YOU. GREAT PRESENTATION.

I THINK THAT OUR COMMUNITY CAN'T HEAR IT ENOUGH BECAUSE I THINK THAT THERE ARE ELEMENTS TO THIS THAT YOU TOUCHED ON AS YOU PRESENTED AROUND HOW IT'S REALLY HARD TO GET YOUR HEAD AROUND THIS. SO I APPRECIATE HEARING THIS BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, I TAKE BACK TO PEOPLE THAT I TALK TO AND HAVE QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS ABOUT THESE CHANGES.

AND ONE THING I DIDN'T HEAR THAT I ADD WHEN I TALK TO FOLKS IS THAT I EXPECT THE PROFESSIONALS THAT ARE TEACHING OUR CHILDREN, MY CHILDREN, TO EXHIBIT THE SAME TYPES OF BEHAVIORS THAT WE EXPECT OUT OF OUR ADULTS IN THE WORKPLACE.

SO NOT ONLY, YOU KNOW THE SKILLS, RIGHT, BUT THESE SOFTER SKILLS OF HOW WE BEHAVE AND WORK TOGETHER TO ME, ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO EXHIBIT TO WITH EACH OTHER.

AND TO REITERATE AND TO YOU KNOW, TO SHOW OUR CHILDREN, YOU KNOW, HOW THEY NEED TO LEARN SOFTER SKILLS AS WELL.

[02:25:07]

SO I'LL REITERATE THAT I THINK THAT EVEN FOR ME, YOU KNOW, HEARING THIS A FEW TIMES, IT STILL TAKES SOME TIME TO UNDERSTAND.

BUT I DEFINITELY APPRECIATE HOW YOU SHOW THAT NOT ONE OF THESE THINGS CAN WORK ON ITS OWN.

AND I THINK THAT WE'VE HAD A HISTORY ACROSS THE US OF SEEING SCHOOL DISTRICTS TRY TO FIX ONE THING.

AND SO ALL OF THIS LEADS TO THINGS LIKE THE INCREASING TEACHER PAY THAT WE WANT TO SEE.

THESE OTHER, YOU KNOW, VERY SPECIFIC OUTCOMES, BUT THOSE ARE NOT SUSTAINABLE IF WE DON'T HAVE THESE ELEMENTS IN PLACE.

SO THANK YOU FOR REMINDING US AND TYING IT TO THE GREAT OUTCOMES THAT WE'VE SEEN.

AND I, YOU KNOW, APPRECIATE AND SEE THE PROFESSIONALISM IN YOUR ADMINISTRATION AND IN THE TEAMS AND TEACHERS THAT WE ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT'S POSSIBLE. AND SO I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING MORE OF THAT.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

I JUST THANK YOU, MA'AM.

THANKS FOR REINFORCING THAT THAT YOU HAVE IT EXACTLY RIGHT.

AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, WE HAVE 23 CHIEFS AND DEPUTY CHIEFS, AND ALL 23 ARE COMING BACK NEXT YEAR.

VERY GOOD. MR. CAMPO, I THINK HAD A JUST A QUICK OBSERVATION.

SO I GENERALLY JUST BECAUSE OF MY BACKGROUND, I APPROACH THINGS FROM A BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE.

AND IF THIS WAS NOT AN EDUCATIONAL MODEL, THIS WOULD BE A PERFECT MODEL FOR ANY BUSINESS.

VERY SIMPLE.

IT'S ALL ABOUT QUALITY.

IT'S ALL ABOUT TRAINING.

IT'S ALL ABOUT CAPACITY.

IT'S ALL ABOUT CULTURE. IT'S ALL ABOUT LEADERSHIP AND STUFF LIKE THAT.

RIGHT? AND TO ME, THE MOST AMAZING PART IS THE RESULTS THAT WE'RE GETTING TODAY.

VERY PRELIMINARY. OBVIOUSLY, WE'VE GOT ANOTHER YEAR.

WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF WOOD TO CHOP, BUT THE CHALLENGE THAT THAT URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS, INCLUDING OURS HAVE IS THAT IT'S REALLY HARD TO PUT THIS IN PLACE BECAUSE OF THE ADULT POLITICS, PERIOD.

END OF STORY.

IN A BUSINESS, YOU CAN SAY, I'M GOING TO DO THIS, AND IF YOU'RE NOT ON BOARD, YOU DON'T NEED TO BE ON BOARD, RIGHT? IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE PART OF OUR EQUATION, THAT'S FINE.

HERE WE HAVE ALL THE OTHER NOISE THAT CREATES THE CHALLENGE OF IMPLEMENTING WHOLESALE SYSTEMIC CHANGE OR REFORM BECAUSE OF THE ADULT POLITICS.

AND THAT'S SAD, UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE WE'RE NEVER GOING TO GET AWAY FROM THAT.

AND WE JUST HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO HOW TO PROVE TO EVERYONE.

AND THIS IS A COMMUNITY ISSUE BROADLY, THAT THIS MODEL ACTUALLY DOES WORK AND IT DOESN'T DISENFRANCHISE PEOPLE.

AS A MATTER OF FACT, I THINK THAT YOU MENTIONED TO ME THE OTHER DAY THAT 5500 OF OUR, OF OUR TEACHERS ARE MAKING $84,000 ON AVERAGE.

CORRECT. THAT'S IT'S A ABOUT 5150 TEACHERS ARE MAKING 84,000 ON AVERAGE.

THE OTHER 5500 ARE MAKING 70,600 ON AVERAGE WHICH IS HIGHER THAN ANYWHERE COMBINED TOTAL WEIGHTED AVERAGE IS 77,400, I BELIEVE.

AND WHAT WAS IT BEFORE 68,300 OR SO? IT'S A $9,000 INCREASE.

I CHALLENGE THE MEDIA YESTERDAY AGAIN.

NOBODY WANTS TO REPORT THAT OR THEY NOT THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO.

THEY HAVEN'T REPORTED THAT SORT OF INCREASE IN ONE YEAR.

TALK ABOUT RESPECT FOR TEACHERS.

WE NEED A, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY ELSE TALKS ABOUT RAISING TEACHER SALARIES.

AND BECAUSE WE NEED TO DO THAT IN THE COUNTRY, WE SHOULD.

BUT VERY FEW HAVE REALLY DONE THAT.

AND 84 IS NOT ENOUGH.

BUT WE'RE STARTING TO GET TO BE A LIVING WAGE.

77 IS NOT ENOUGH, BUT IT'S STARTING TO BE A LIVING WAGE AND A PROFESSIONAL WAGE.

WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THAT.

BUT AT LEAST IN ONE YEAR, TALK ABOUT TRYING TO SUPPORT TEACHERS.

THE AVERAGE SALARY IS $9,000 MORE THAN A YEAR AGO.

BRAVO. YEP.

ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU, MR. SUPERINTENDENT. ANYTHING ELSE FOR YOU? NO, MA'AM. OKAY.

WITH NO FURTHER BUSINESS THIS EVENING, THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 7:35 P.M.

THANK YOU.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.