[00:00:03]
WOULD YOU PLEASE TAKE YOUR SEATS? WE'RE GOING TO START OUR MEETING. GOOD EVENING.
THIS MEETING IS NOW CONVENED AT 5:02 P.M. ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2025.
THIS IS THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE SCHOOL BOARD.
I'D LIKE EVERYONE TO PLEASE SILENCE ALL CELL PHONES.
THE QUORUM OF THE BOARD IS PRESENT IN THE BOARD AUDITORIUM.
WE'RE JOINED BY A MEMBER OF THE JUNIOR RESERVE OFFICER TRAINING CORPS TO LEAD OUR PLEDGES TONIGHT.
I'M GETTING FEEDBACK? I WOULD LIKE BOARD MEMBER, MICHELLE CRUZ ARNOLD TO INTRODUCE TONIGHT'S PLEDGE HERE.
WHAT IS THAT WE'RE HEARING? SOMEBODY'S GOT THE PHONE ON?
>> THANK YOU, PRESIDENT CAMPO.
CADET JAYDEN FLORES IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE MADISON, NJ ROTC TEAM, SERVING AS THE MASTER CHIEF PETTY OFFICER FOR THE BATTALION.
SHE ALSO SERVES AS THE HONOR GUARD COMMANDER, AS WELL AS THE COLOR GUARD COMMANDER FOR THE MIXED COLOR GUARD.
AS A MEMBER OF THE UNARMED DRILL TEAM, SHE CONTRIBUTED TO THE TEAM'S SECOND PLACE FINISH AT A NAVY NATIONAL DRILL COMPETITION HELD AT TEXAS A&M THIS PAST JUNE.
SHE IS ALSO AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE ACADEMIC TEAM.
CADET FLORES HAS EARNED SEVERAL AWARDS AND HONORS, INCLUDING A DAUGHTERS OF FEIGN WORDS MEDAL, AND THE NJ ROTC EXEMPLARY CONDUCT RIBBON.
SHE PLANS TO ATTEND LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY WHERE SHE WILL STUDY TO BECOME A LAWYER, CADET FLORES.
>> WE RISE FOR A MOMENT OF SILENT MEDITATION.
PLEASE REMAIN STANDING FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND PLEDGE TO THE TEXAS FLAG.
>> THANK YOU CADET FLORES. APPRECIATE IT.
WE'LL NOW HEAR FROM PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND SPEAKERS WHO
[Speakers to Agenda Items & Hearing of the Community]
IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES AS HIT PARENTS AND STUDENTS.PLEASE NOTE THAT THAT SPANISH LIVE CAPTURING IS AVAILABLE FOR THOSE VIEWING THE MEETING VIA LIVESTREAM AND LIVE SPANISH INTERPRETATION IS AVAILABLE IN PERSON IN THE AUDITORIUM.
PUBLIC COMMENT DURING SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE TO THOSE PERSONS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK PRIOR TO THE MEETING TIME PER CURRENT PROTOCOL.
VERBAL AND DISRUPTIONS BY PERSONS DURING SCHOOL BOARD MEETING 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.
I WANT TO REMIND OUR SPEAKERS TONIGHT THAT THIS IS A PUBLIC FORUM.
SINCE WE HAVE 69 SPEAKERS HERE TONIGHT, EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE 1 MINUTE TO SPEAK.
THIS IS DESIGNED TO ALLOW SPEAKERS TO HAVE THEIR VOICES HEARD.
WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE TONIGHT AND DO LISTEN TO WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY.
STATE OPEN MEETINGS AND POSTING REQUIREMENTS LIMIT OUR ABILITY TO RESPOND DIRECTLY TO YOU AND ANSWER SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE.
WE RESPECT AND APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND COMMITMENT FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.
THIS KIND OF PUBLIC DEBATE IS WHAT MAKES OUR COUNTRY FREE AND GREAT.
WE CAN SHARE IDEAS, EVEN IF WE DISAGREE.
WE CAN DISAGREE WITHOUT BEING DISAGREEABLE.
TONIGHT'S MEETING IS BEING BROADCAST LIVE AND IS AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING LATER ON DEMAND ON HST NOW BY THE BROAD COMMUNITY, WHICH INCLUDES A LOT OF OUR STUDENTS.
WITH ALL OF THE LOUD AND PARTISAN POLITICAL AND SOCIAL DISCOURSE GOING AROUND US TODAY.
WE SHOULD TEACH OUR STUDENTS BY EXAMPLE THAT WE CAN BE CIVIL AND RESPECTFUL OF EACH OTHER TONIGHT.
WE WILL START WITH PUBLIC OFFICIALS, TRUSTEE MOORE.
I GUESS WE HAVE TRUSTEE GOMEZ. COME ON UP.
[00:05:07]
>> THANK YOU. I WANT TO START BY READING A QUOTE FROM DUNCAN KLUSSMANN FROM THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE ARTICLE.
"AS POLICYMAKERS FOCUS MUCH MORE ON STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENT AND THE STAR TEST, THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY WHAT PARENTS ALIGN TO OR WHAT THEY WANT THEIR CHILD'S EXPERIENCE TO BE." WHAT DO PARENTS WANT THEIR CHILDREN'S EXPERIENCE TO BE OR TO PUT IT IN LONE STAR GOVERNANCE LANGUAGE, WHAT ARE THE VISION AND VALUES OF THIS COMMUNITY? ABOUT A YEAR AGO, I WAS IMPRESSED WITH THE APPOINTED BOARDS SELF-AWARENESS WHEN THEY RATED THEMSELVES ONE OUT OF TEN IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
BUT I HAVE BEEN ASTONISHED AT THE LACK OF ACTION AND LACK OF FOLLOW-UP TO ADDRESS THAT.
A GOOD PLACE TO START WOULD BE TO ACTUALLY HAVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS OR WE CAN HAVE BACK AND FORTH DISCUSSION.
TO STOP CATEGORIZING PEOPLE AS NAYSAYERS VERSUS BELIEVERS AS PEOPLE WHO PUT ADULT INTERESTS FIRST VERSUS PEOPLE WHO HAVE STUDENTS INTERESTS FIRST AND AT A BARE MINIMUM, NOT LOOK AT EACH OTHER AS ENEMIES.
MR. PRESIDENT CAMPO, I APPRECIATE THE COMMENTS AT THE BEGINNING.
WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO DISAGREE WITHOUT BEING DISAGREEABLE.
I'LL ADD TO THAT. THE GOOD PLACE TO START IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO BE IN A FORM WHERE WE CAN HAVE BACK AND FORTH DISCUSSION AND THOSE PLACES ARE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS.
>> THANK YOU. DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER PUBLIC OFFICIALS AS MOORE IS NOT HERE, I GUESS.
NEXT, WE'LL HEAR FROM SPEAKERS WHO'VE IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES AS HST PARENTS OR STUDENTS.
WE'LL START WITH STUDENTS. MS. SMITH, WILL YOU BRING UP THE FIRST STUDENT?
>> WE HAVE STUDENTS, DAPHNE SIMPSON.
MY NAME IS DAPHNE SIMPSON, AND I'M A SIXTH GRADER AT LANIER MIDDLE SCHOOL.
I'M HERE TO DISCUSS ISSUES I HAVE SEEN AT SCHOOL, ESPECIALLY IN MY MATH CLASS.
IN OUR ASSIGNMENTS, ME AND A FEW OTHER STUDENTS HAVE SEEN ERRORS IN OUR CURRICULUM.
THIS MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR ME AND MY PEERS TO UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION AND MAKES US MORE LIKELY TO GET A LOWER GRADE.
AT MY SCHOOL, WE USE CANVAS, AND WHEN WE SUBMIT OUR MATH ASSIGNMENTS, WE ALWAYS GET AN UNFAIR SCORE.
CANVAS WILL INCORRECTLY GRADE OUR ASSIGNMENTS, LOWERING OUR GRADE ON POWER SCHOOL.
WE THEN HAVE TO GO TO OUR TEACHER AND REPORT THIS ISSUE, AND SHE HAS TO GO AND CHECK OUR RESPONSES WHEN CANVAS SHOULD HAVE DONE IT CORRECTLY IN THE FIRST PLACE.
THIS MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR US TO TRUST THAT WE RECEIVE THE GRADE WE DESERVED.
I ALSO WISH TO MENTION THAT LANIER IS AN A RATED VANGUARD CAMPUS, YET WE ARE STILL RECEIVING NES ERROR WRITTEN CURRICULUM.
MR. MILES AND THE HISD BOARD, I AM ASKING YOU TO PROVIDE OUR SCHOOLS AND ALL HIT SCHOOLS WITH PROVEN HIGH QUALITY CURRICULUMS, NOT HISD-AI GENERATED WORK. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
>> DOUGLAS HARLEY, AND ANY OTHER HIT STUDENTS?
NES MADE SCHOOL BORING BECAUSE WE DON'T GET A DRAW.
BECAUSE OUR TEACHER SAYS THAT WE CAN ONLY DRAW IF IT'S A MATH EQUATION.
KIDS NEED BRAIN BREAKS SO OUR BRAIN CAN THINK BETTER.
BUT THERE ARE NO BRAIN BREAKS IN NES.
NES MAKES IT HARD TO LEARN BECAUSE IT IS BORING.
I WISH I COULD GO BACK TO [INAUDIBLE], BUT I CAN'T BECAUSE IT IS NES.
LISTEN TO THE PARENTS AND STUDENTS.
I HATE NES, EVERYBODY HATES NES. THANK YOU.
>> GROUP A PARENTS 1-10, STARTING WITH MR. MCDONOUGH. THANK YOU. GO AHEAD.
[00:10:02]
>> GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS ROBBIE MCDONOUGH.
I BELIEVE ALL HISD STUDENTS DESERVE AN EDUCATION AS GREAT AS OUR CITY.
I UNDERSTAND THAT TEACHER SHORTAGES ARE A NATIONAL ISSUE, AND CERTIFICATION WAIVERS ARE SOMETIMES NECESSARY, BUT THEY CANNOT BECOME THE LONG TERM PLAN.
EACH WAIVER IS A SIGN OF A DEEPER PROBLEM.
HISD STRUGGLES TO RECRUIT AND MORE IMPORTANTLY RETAIN HIGH QUALITY EDUCATORS.
TURNOVER HERE FAR OUTPACES NEIGHBORING DISTRICTS, DISRUPTING LEARNING AND ERODING TRUST.
WHEN WE OVER USE WAIVERS, WE SEND THE MESSAGE THAT GOOD ENOUGH IS ACCEPTABLE FOR HOUSTON STUDENTS. IT ISN'T.
WE NEED A REAL PLAN TO RETAIN EXPERIENCED TEACHERS, SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL GROWTH, AND CREATE SCHOOLS WHERE STAFF WANT TO STAY.
I RESPECTFULLY ASK THE BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION TO PUBLISH ANNUAL WAIVER DATA BY ROLL AND BY YEAR, GOING BACK FIVE YEARS. LET'S TREAT.
>> THANK YOU. [APPLAUSE] MY NAME IS ABBY STARGEL, AND I'M HERE TONIGHT AS A DURHAM ELEMENTARY PARENT AND AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY.
DURING THE LAST HISD BOARD MEETING, DURHAM ELEMENTARY PARENTS MADE IT CLEAR.
WE'RE AGAINST THE WAY CHANGE IS BEING DONE AT DURHAM.
LAST MINUTE, DISRUPTIVE AND WITHOUT THE THOUGHTFUL PLANNING NEEDED TO ENSURE STUDENT SUCCESS.
AT THAT MEETING, WE SHARED EXAMPLES OF THE DISRUPTION.
CURRICULUM SHIFTS ANNOUNCED AT THE LAST MINUTE, TEACHERS REASSIGNED TO ENTIRELY NEW SUBJECTS AFTER MEET-THE-TEACHER, AND CLASSROOM LAYOUTS ALTERED AFTER THE VERY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.
UNFORTUNATELY, THESE WERE NOT ISOLATED INCIDENTS.
WHAT WE CONTINUE TO SEE IS A PATTERN, POORLY PLANNED DISRUPTION ROLLED OUT WITHOUT THE PROPER SUPPORT OR RESOURCES, AND EVERY TIME THIS HAPPENS, OUR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS SUFFER.
BUILD ON OUR FOUNDATION, DON'T DEMOLISH IT.
I'M HERE REPRESENTING DURHAM AS WELL. THE STORY CONTINUES.
ON AUGUST 27, SUPERINTENDENT MIKE MILES VISITED OUR CAMPUS.
HE CAME FOR JUST A BRIEF OBSERVATION, NO MORE THAN, I DON'T KNOW, AN HOUR.
BY THE END OF THAT DAY, THOUGH, HOWEVER, TWO OF OUR MOST BELOVED TEACHERS WERE REASSIGNED TO OTHER CAMPUSES FOR UNKNOWN REASONS.
THE NEXT MORNING, WHEN CHILDREN WALKED INTO THEIR CLASSROOMS, THEY WERE EXPECTING TO SEE THE TEACHERS THEY TRUSTED.
INSTEAD, THEY WALKED IN AND HAD SUBSTITUTES AND CHROMEBOOKS AWAITING THEM.
THESE TEACHERS THAT THEY LOVED AND TRUSTED AND HAD BUILT RELATIONSHIPS WITH WERE REMOVED.
PLEASE BUILD ON OUR FOUNDATION.
DON'T DEMOLISH IT. STORY TO BE CONTINUED.
I'M ALSO A DURHAM ELEMENTARY PARENT HERE TO CONTINUE THE STORY.
AFTER OUR PROVEN WELL-RESPECTED TEACHERS HAD BEEN REMOVED FOR TWO DAYS INSTEAD OF RECEIVING INSTRUCTION, OUR STUDENTS WERE WITH A SUBSTITUTE, AGAIN, ON CHROMEBOOKS, PLAYING GAMES WHEN HISD'S MESSAGE HAS BEEN THAT NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN BELL-TO-BELL INSTRUCTION, HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION.
THAT IS TRUE, MR. MILES. I SEE YOU SAYING IT'S NOT, BUT IT IS.
THIS IS ONE, AGAIN, A NUMBER OF CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED IN OUR CAMPUS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN FULLY PLANNED OUT.
LEADERSHIP IS SHOWING THEIR INEPTITUDE AND HOW THEY ARE IMPLEMENTING AND NOT COMMUNICATING THESE CHANGES WHEN A LITTLE BIT OF COMMUNICATION, A LITTLE BIT OF COLLABORATION WITH THE COMMUNITY COULD SAVE A LOT OF HEARTACHE HERE.
THIS ISN'T HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION IS DISRUPTION.
OUR CHILDREN ONLY GET ONE SHOT AT SECOND GRADE AT THIRD GRADE, AND THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE PAYING THE PRICE FOR THIS.
AGAIN, BUILD ON OUR FOUNDATION, DON'T DEMOLISH IT, TO BE CONTINUED.
>> MY NAME IS FATIMA GILBERT, AND I AM HERE AS A DURHAM PARENT, IN ACTIVE MEMBER OF COMMUNITY WITH OVER SEVEN YEARS AT DURHAM ELEMENTARY WITH THREE CHILDREN.
DURHAM FAMILIES WANT TO PARTNER WITH HISD, BUT PARTNERSHIP REQUIRES TRUST, PLANNING AND RESPECT FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS.
WITHOUT THAT, WE'RE NOT MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER.
WE'RE LEAVING OUR KIDS BEHIND.
THE DISRUPTIONS DIDN'T STOP WITH TEACHER REASSIGNMENTS.
LAST FRIDAY, DISRUPTION BEGAN MOVING DURHAM'S LIBRARY INTO A SMALLER SPACE FOR USE FOR STORAGE.
IRONICALLY, THAT'S WHERE THE ROOM IS USED FOR UNUSED EUREKA MATH CURRICULUM, PURCHASED, WASTED TAX DOLLARS, BUT NOW SITTING IDLE BECAUSE THE DISTRICT REQUIRES TEACHERS TO USE A DIFFERENT CURRICULUM.
[00:15:03]
OUR LIBRARY, OUR CORNER STORE, READING AND EXPLORATION IS NOW BEING DISMANTLED, AND THE TRUTH IS THAT THIS IS BECOMING A TEAM CENTERS.I WITNESSED FURNITURE BEING REMOVED FROM THE LIBRARY.
I WITNESSED THINGS BEING MOVED BECAUSE I LIVE ACROSS THE STREET.
WHEN THAT SCHOOL WAS A DERATED SCHOOL, I CHOSE TO.
>> MY NAME IS KYLE, AND I'M ALSO HERE REPRESENTING DURHAM ELEMENTARY.
THERE'S TWO EMPTY CLASSROOMS ON OUR CAMPUS, FULLY EQUIPPED WITH DESKS, AND THEY'RE SITTING THERE UNUSED.
IF THE DISTRICT REALLY NEEDED SPACE FOR A TEAM CENTER, THOSE CLASSROOMS COULD HAVE BEEN CONVERTED WITHOUT DISRUPTING ANY STUDENT LEARNING.
INSTEAD, THE DISTRICT CHOSE TO DISMANTLE THE LIBRARY.
ONE OF THE MOST VITAL SPACES ON CAMPUS, THE CHOICE MAKES NO SENSE.
ONCE AGAIN, IT'S CHANGED FOR CHAINS SAKE.
IT WASN'T FULLY PLANNED, AND WE'VE HAD CONSEQUENCES AS A RESULT.
WHY REDUCE A RESOURCE TO A STORAGE ROOM THAT DIRECTLY BENEFITS EVERY SINGLE CHILD EVERY DAY WHEN OTHER VIABLE OPTIONS EXIST? WHY DISRUPT A LIBRARY THAT SERVES AS THE HEART OF THE SCHOOL INSTEAD OF USING AVAILABLE CLASSROOMS THAT ARE ALREADY SITTING IN.
IT'S ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A CHANGE FOR CHANGE SAKE, THAT WAS POORLY CONCEIVED, POORLY EXECUTED, AND OUR KIDS ARE BEARING THE CONSEQUENCE OF THAT.
>> MY NAME IS LAUREN, AND I'M ALSO A DURHAM PARENT.
I ASK, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? INSTEAD OF A SPACE FOR BOOKS, INQUIRY, AND LITERACY, THE LIBRARY IS GOING TO BE MINIMIZED AT DURHAM.
STUDENTS WHO PASS THEIR DOLS WILL BE SENT MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY THERE.
HOW DOES SHRINKING A LIBRARY AT A SCHOOL THAT PRIDES ITSELF AS BEING AN IB CAMPUS WITH GLOBAL AWARENESS, LOVE OF READING? HOW DOES THAT ALIGN WITH HISDS STATED GOALS OF HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION? THIS ISN'T INNOVATION PERIOD.
THIS IS NARROWING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS.
IT'S STRIPPING AWAY OUR LITERACY RESOURCES, AND IT'S REPLACING THEM WITH WORKSHEETS.
IT'S DOUBLING DOWN ON DISRUPTION RATHER THAN INVESTING IN PROVEN STRATEGIES THAT GROW READERS, THAT GROW THINKERS, AND THAT DEVELOP GLOBAL PROBLEM SOLVERS.
PLEASE BUILD ON OUR FOUNDATION, DON'T DESTROY IT.
>> GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS NATALIE CARMICH I ALSO HAVE TWO CHILDREN IN HISD, ONE OF WHOM ATTENDS DURHAM ELEMENTARY RIGHT NOW.
AGAIN, WE DO NOT RESIST CHANGE.
WE DO RESIST DISMANTLING OF PROGRAMS THAT WORK.
WE RESIST A CHANGE TO MOVING A LIBRARY AND NOT HAVING ONE.
THE MOST INTERESTING PART ABOUT ALL THIS CHANGE IS THAT IF YOU ONLY LOOK AT DURHAM'S OVERALL ACCOUNTABILITY RATING, YES, RC.
BUT THAT SINGLE LETTER DOES NOT TELL THE REAL STORY WHAT'S HAPPENING ON OUR CAMPUS.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT STAR PERFORMANCE DOMAIN ONE, WHAT TEA CALLS STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, THE VERY MEASURE HIT USES TO JUSTIFY SO MANY OF THESE REFORMS. DURHAM ACTUALLY OUTPERFORMED NES ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
LAST YEAR, DURHAM STUDENTS SCORED ON AVERAGE EIGHT POINTS HIGHER ON STAR THAN A SCHOOLS, THAT HAVE BEEN IN THE SYSTEM FOR TWO FULL YEARS.
I ASK FOR YOU TO HONESTLY THINK ABOUT THE DECISIONS THAT ARE BEING MADE THAT ARE IMPACTING MY CHILD, THESE CHILDREN ON DAY TO DAY BASIS.
BUILD ON OUR FOUNDATION, DON'T DEMOLISH IT.
>> HI. I'M NELLY STEWART, AND I HAVE A FIRST GRADE DALMATIAN.
WHY ARE WE BEING FORCED TO CONFORM TO A SYSTEM THAT HAS CONSISTENTLY PRODUCED LOWER TEST SCORES THAN DURHAM'S EXISTING APPROACH? THIS ISN'T ABOUT THE PAST.
THIS IS ABOUT RECOGNIZING WHAT WORKS AND BUILDING ON THAT.
DURHAM IS OUTPERFORMING NES SCHOOLS IN THE VERY METRIC THAT HISD SAYS THAT IT CARES SO MUCH ABOUT.
FAMILIES ARE NOW ASKING IF DURHAM STUDENTS ARE ALREADY SHOWING STRONGER STAR RESULTS, WHY DISRUPT TEACHERS, WHY DISMANTLE PROGRAMS, AND STRIP AWAY THE STABILITY THAT THEY HAVE IN ORDER TO ADOPT THIS WHOLE NEW SYSTEM.
IT HAS YET, BY THE WAY, TO BE PROVEN TO DELIVER BETTER OUTCOMES.
BUILD ON OUR FOUNDATION, DO NOT DEMOLISH IT. TO BE CONTINUED.
>> MY NAME IS MICHELLE WITKOWSKI, AND I HAVE THREE CHILDREN AT DURHAM ELEMENTARY.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT RESISTING CHANGE.
[00:20:01]
DURHAM FAMILIES HAS SHOWN AGAIN AND AGAIN THAT WE EMBRACE INNOVATION, DUAL LANGUAGE EXPANSION, THE INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM.WE WANT PROGRESS, BUT PROGRESS MUST BE MEASURED BY OUTCOMES AND THE OUTCOME SHOW THAT DURHAM IS ALREADY PRODUCING STRONGER RESULTS THAN THE NES SYSTEM.
HERE IS WHAT WE FEAR BY FORCING DURHAM INTO A RIGID MODEL THAT HAS NOT PROVEN ITSELF, HISD RISKS LOWERING PERFORMANCE, NOT RAISING IT.
STUDENTS WHO ARE ON TRACK TO EXCEED EXPECTATIONS COULD FALL BEHIND.
TEACHERS WHO ARE BUILDING MOMENTUM COULD LOSE THE VERY CONDITIONS THAT ALLOWED THEM TO THRIVE, AND PARENTS WHO HAVE TRUSTED THE DISTRICT'S PROMISES WILL LOSE FAITH IN A SYSTEM THAT ASKS US TO ACCEPT WORSE RESULTS IN THE NAME OF REFORM.
I'M HERE TONIGHT AS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY.
WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE WORK TO DO, AND WE'RE COMMITTED TO DOING IT.
BUT REFORM SHOULD BE BUILT ON STRENGTHS AND NOT THERE TO ERASE THEM.
DURHAM'S CURRENT APPROACH IS WORKING BETTER THAN THE NES MODEL.
AGAIN, WE ASK, DISRUPT WHAT'S WORKING TO CONFORM TO A SYSTEM THAT'S PRODUCING LOWER SCORES.
WHY GAMBLE WITH OUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION ON A MODEL THAT HAS NOT BEEN PROVEN TO SUCCEED? DURHAM FAMILIES WANT CHANGE TO RAISE THE BAR, NOT ONE THAT LOWERS IT.
WE SUPPORT CHANGE, NOT CHAOS FOR OUR KIDS.
OUR KIDS DESERVE SO MUCH BETTER.
BUILDING OUR FOUNDATION, DON'T DEMOLISH IT.
>> CASE MONDAY. FOLLOWED BY JOSE PANUDA AND JILL TUCKER.
>> I'M A DURHAM DAD. CONGRATULATIONS, MR. MILES. THESE NUMBERS ARE UNBELIEVABLE.
NOBODY THOUGHT YOU COULD DO IT, ESPECIALLY IN THIS SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.
DALLAS ISD, A DISTRICT WITH NEARLY IDENTICAL SOCIOECONOMIC AND SPECIAL NEEDS MAKEUP, ACTING IN THE SAME EDUCATIONAL ECOSYSTEM AS HISD, WAS VIRTUALLY FLAT THIS YEAR.
IT'S PRETTY CLEAR THAT THIS JUMP IS A RESULT OF THE NES PROGRAM.
IN FIVE YEARS PRIOR TO THE TAKEOVER, WE WERE ONLY AT 2%, BUT SINCE THEN, OUR ENROLLMENT IS DECLINING BY 4% EVERY YEAR.
YOU ARE MAKING GREG ABBOTT AND THE CRONIES PROFITEERING ON THE SCHOOL VOUCHER SCAM VERY HAPPY.
FEEDING A HEALTHY NUMBER OF KIDS TO CHARTER NETWORKS LIKE YOUR SISTERS.
THIS MASSIVE DISPLACEMENT OF KIDS OUT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS ISN'T A SIDE EFFECT.
IT IS THE PLAN, AND YOU ARE ALL COMPLICIT.
MR. MILES, THESE NUMBERS ARE UNBELIEVABLE.
>> MY NAME IS JOSE. I AM A DAD AT DURHAM.
MANY CHANGES HAPPENED IN THE SCHOOLS FIRST WEEKS WITH LITTLE TO KNOW INFORMATION BEING PROVIDED TO PARENTS.
IT IS DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN CONFIDENCE IN THIS BOARD WHEN THE STATE OF TEXAS DECIDED IT WAS APPROPRIATE TO REMOVE OUR VOTE ENTIRELY, WHICH I BELIEVE TO BE WHOLLY UNDEMOCRATIC.
IF YOU ON THE BOARD BELIEVE IN DEMOCRACY, I AM ASKING YOU TO INCREASE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, TO INCREASE THE USE OF PUBLIC REFERENDUMS, AND TO INCLUDE PARENTS IN DECISION MAKING BEFORE THOSE DECISIONS ARE MADE.
THE PARENTS AT DURHAM ARE AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ENTHUSIASTICALLY INVOLVED.
HELP US BUILD ON THAT FOUNDATION.
>> MY NAME IS JILL TUCKER, AND I'M BOTH A DURHAM PARENT AND A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR.
FOR 20 YEARS, I HAVE WORKED WITH CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, AND I KNOW ONE THING CLEARLY.
CHILDREN THRIVE WITH STABILITY, CONSISTENCY, AND SAFETY.
WHAT WE'RE SEEING AT DURHAM IS THE OPPOSITE.
LAST MINUTE REASSIGNMENTS, DISMANTLING OF OUR LIBRARY, A CONSTANT DISRUPTION.
THEY'RE NOT JUST INCONVENIENT, THEY'RE EMOTIONALLY DISRATLING FOR OUR KIDS AND US.
WHEN CHILDREN FEEL UNSAFE, WHEN CHILDREN FEEL ANXIOUS, THEIR LIMBIC SYSTEMS ARE IN OVERDRIVE.
THE PART OF THEIR BRAIN THAT ALLOWS FOR LEARNING IS NOT FULLY ACCESSIBLE.
NO AMOUNT OF WORKSHEETS CAN FIX THAT.
IN FACT, OUR STUDENTS ARE OUTPERFORMING NES SCHOOLS ON STAR RESULTS.
WHAT'S FAILING IS THE APPROACH BEING FORCED ON US.
[00:25:01]
CHANGE SHOULD BUILD ON STRENGTHS, NOT ERASE THEM.OUR CHILDREN GET ONE SHOT AT THESE YEARS.
PLEASE STOP DISMANTLING WHAT WE KNOW [INAUDIBLE]. BUILD ON OUR FOUNDATION.
>> I'M HERE TONIGHT TO TALK ABOUT A TROUBLING RUMOR I HEARD.
THE RUMOR IS THAT ALL END OF YOUR FIELD TRIPS HAVE BEEN CANCELED.
I DON'T GET IT AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE ON TUESDAY.
YOU SAID YOU WANT STUDENTS TO RAISE TEST SCORES AND CANVAS RATINGS, AND THEN STUDENTS DO ALL THAT HARD WORK AND GET NO REWARD.
THIS IS STRAIGHT UP DEMORALIZING.
YOU CAN'T ASK FOR MORE WHILE OFFERING LESS AND EXPECT STUDENTS TO GENUINELY CARE OR TRY.
THESE END OF YEAR TRIPS AREN'T JUST FUN OUTINGS, THEY ARE MOTIVATORS TO GIVE STUDENTS SOMETHING TO WORK THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR.
THEY PROVIDE A WELL DESERVED CELEBRATION FOR GETTING THROUGH TESTING SEASON.
I HEARD IN YOUR PRESS CONFERENCE THAT BUSINESSES ARE GOING TO ADOPT SCHOOLS AND THROW PARTIES.
THAT'S NOT THE SAME AS A FIELD TRIP AND IN SCHOOL PARTY SPONSORED BY HEB IS NOT AS FUN AS A FIELD TRIP TO THE ZOO OR AN ARCADE OR AN AMUSEMENT PARK, STUDENTS ARE MAKING YOUR NUMBERS GO UP.
LET THEM BE KIDS AND CELEBRATE THEIR SUCCESS.
A LOT OF US THINK YOU'RE TRYING TO SUCK THE JOY OUT OF SCHOOL.
>> WE HAVE TWO HIT PARENT SPEAKERS ON ZOOM.
>> MY NAME IS AUDREY NATH, AND I'M THE PARENT OF TWO CHILDREN IN HISD SCHOOLS.
WHERE I LIVE IN DISTRICT 7, ONLY NINE OF THE 16 SCHOOLS HAVE STAFFED LIBRARIES.
IN HISD AS A WHOLE, 175 CAMPUSES HAVE NO LIBRARY SERVICES.
THAT'S TWO THIRDS OF ALL SCHOOLS.
THIS IS AN ALARMING CHANGE THAT HAS OCCURRED SINCE THE TAKEOVER.
PREVIOUSLY IN 2022, 90% OF HISD SCHOOLS HAD A CAMPUS LIBRARY WITH LIBRARY STAFF.
WHAT'S EVEN MORE CONCERNING IS THE DISPARITIES OF IT ALL, THE MAJORITY OF SCHOOLS WITHOUT LIBRARIES ARE IN HIGH POVERTY AREAS.
I AM ALSO A PEDIATRIC NEUROLOGIST, AND I KNOW THE DATA SHOWING THAT STUDENTS ACHIEVE MORE AND ARE MORE SUCCESSFUL IN COLLEGE WHEN THEY HAVE ACCESS TO FULL STAFFED AND FUNDED SCHOOL LIBRARIES.
LET'S IMPROVE LITERACY, NOT PUNISH OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE BATTLING POVERTY. THANK YOU.
>> JESSICA VASAN, YOU MAY BEGIN.
>> HELLO. THIS IS JESSICA VASAN.
I'M NOT HEARING YOU IN THE BOARD ROOM. CAN YOU HEAR ME?
>> YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. PLEASE GO AHEAD.
>> THANK YOU. HI. I'M JESSICA VASAN, THE PARENT OF THREE HIC STUDENTS, INCLUDING TWO AT LAHAR HIGH SCHOOL.
I'M ALSO THE HIC LIAISON FOR THE LAMAR PTO.
SO FAR THE SCHOOL YEAR TWO OTHER LAMAR STUDENTS HAVE BEEN HIT BY CARS NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF WESTHEIMER ROAD AND EAST SIDE STREET COMING OR GOING FROM SCHOOL.
AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT, MAYOR WITMIER ORDERED THE CITY TO INSTALL A PEDESTRIAN LIGHT SYSTEM THAT HALF A MILLION DOLLARS AND COULD TAKE UP TO A YEAR TO INSTALL, AND THERE MAY BE MORE AFFORDABLE SOLUTIONS.
IN ADDITION TO THE IMMEDIATE SUPPORT OF THE CITY AND HPD TO ENSURE DRIVERS ARE FOLLOWING TRAFFIC LAWS,
[00:30:03]
OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS DISTRICT SUPPORT.OFFICER SCHEDULES AT 8:15-4:15 WHEN THE SCHOOL DAY IS 8:30-4:00.
IT'S JUST NOT ENOUGH AND ANYTHING OUT OF THAT TIME FRAME, IS OVERTIME FOR THE OFFICERS.
THE CAMPUS BUDGET HAS TO SUSTAIN THAT, WHICH IS DIFFICULT AS BUDGETS HAVE GOTTEN TIGHTER AT THE CAMPUS LEVEL.
MY UNDERSTANDING AT HFC PROVIDES CROSSING GUARDS FOR ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, BUT NOT FOR HIGH SCHOOLS.
HOW MANY MORE STUDENTS NEED TO BE STRUCK BY CARS BEFORE WE PRIORITIZE STUDENT SAFETY? WE NEED THE STAFF SUPPORT. THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU. WE HAVE TWO STUDENTS WHO HAVE JOINED US. LUCA CANDIDA.
>> NOW FOR ENGLISH. HELLO, MY NAME IS LUKA CANDIDA, AND I AM 8 YEARS OLD.
THIS YEAR, I DIDN'T DO THE EXAM MAP, AND I WILL NOT DO THE START TEST.
WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME PREPARING OURSELVES FOR THE TEST, AND WE COULD BE LEARNING NEW THINGS.
BESIDES, IT IS NOT FAIR TO USE THE RESULTS IN ORDER TO JUDGE OUR TEACHERS.
SOME OF THE TEACHERS WORK AT SCHOOLS WITH LIBRARIES, WITH BOOKS, AND MANY OTHER THINGS, BUT SOME OF THEM DO NOT HAVE THE SAME THING.
HOW CAN THEY COMPARE THAT? THE TEACHERS DO THE BEST THING WITH WHAT THEY GET.
I WANT FOR US NOT TO WASTE SO MUCH TIME WITH TESTS SO THAT WE CAN LEARN MORE, AND I WANT FOR THE TEACHERS TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT SO THAT ALL OF THEM CAN STAY.
>> WE HAVE STUDENTS WHO'VE JOINED US.
EMILY JANAS, FOLLOWED BY AUBREY BARN.
ANY OTHER STUDENTS? MIKE GAGABE. GO AHEAD.
>> I'M READY. I HAVE SURGERY COMING UP SOON, AND INSTEAD OF SUPPORTING ME, MY SCHOOL TOLD ME THEY WOULDN'T ACCOMMODATE MY RECOVERY.
THAT MEANT I HAD TO SWITCH TO ONLINE SCHOOL.
IT'S FRUSTRATING BECAUSE I DIDN'T CHOOSE THE SURGERY.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT I HAVE TO DO.
NOW I'M MISSING OUT ON BEING WITH MY TEACHERS AND MY CLASSMATES, NOT BECAUSE I DON'T CARE, BUT BECAUSE MY SCHOOL WOULDN'T MEET ME HALFWAY.
SCHOOLS SHOULD STAND BY THEIR STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY IN HARD TIMES.
NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THEIR HEALTH AND THEIR EDUCATION. THAT'S IT.
>> TRUSTEE MORRIS JOINED US, AND THEN WE HAVE A STUDENT ON ZOOM, MR. PRESIDENT.
SHOULD WE HEAR FROM TRUSTEE MORE? TRUSTEE SAVANT MORE'S HERE?
[00:35:02]
>> WE HEAR FROM HIM BEFORE WE GO TO ZOOM.
>> GOOD EVENING. BEFORE I CAME HERE, I STOPPED.
WHY IS HE HAVE WORK AFTER SCHOOL.
REST IN PEACE TO GRETA, WHEN WE NEVER FORGET THOSE THAT WE LOST IN THE HILL COUNTRY.
REST IN PEACE, ALL MY FRIENDS THAT GAVE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE BECAUSE WE JOINED THE MILITARY AFTER 9/11.
THERE WILL BE A HOUSTON CHALLENGE.
I ASK YOU TO ADOPT THE SCHOOL, BUT NOT ONLY ADOPT THE SCHOOL, BUT TO VOLUNTEER IN THAT SCHOOL BECAUSE OUR CHILDREN DON'T NEED PRESENTS, THEY NEED PRESENCE.
I ASK THAT YOU PROVIDE PRE-K FOR FREE FOR EVERY EMPLOYEE THAT WORKS HERE.
THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT WORK IN THIS DISTRICT, AND THEY CAN'T BRING THEIR KIDS TO THE SCHOOL FOR FREE.
WHEN I WIN DISTRICT 142 IS A NEXT STAY GRIP, I'M GOING TO BE PUSHING FOR THE STATE TO PUSH FOR READING INTERVENTION AND MATH INTERVENTION.
THIS FRIDAY, MY SON, NINTH GRADE WILL START EVERY CHILD IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO THAT AT THAT LEVEL.
THIS PODIUM IS A VERY SACRED PLACE.
THIS YOUNG LADY HAD THE COURAGE TO COME UP HERE.
LAST MONTH, A MOTHER WITH AUTISTIC CHILD HAD THE COURAGE TO COME UP HERE.
A FATHER THAT TOOK OFF WORK, HAD THE COURAGE TO COME UP HERE.
THE FOLLOWING WEEK, WE SOLVE THEIR PROBLEM.
I KNOW THAT WE NEED A BOMB, SO NEXT YEAR, THEIR FATHER WILL BE A BOMB ON THE BALLOT.
BUT IN ORDER FOR THAT BOMB TO PASS IS WHEN SOMEONE COMES UP TO THIS SACRED PODIUM, THAT YOU LISTEN AND THAT YOU ACT UPON IT.
LET'S BE BETTER. LET'S DO BETTER.
GOD BLESS YOU. GOD BLESS [INAUDIBLE]
>> TWO STUDENTS HAVE JOINED US; EMILY JANAS AND AUBREY BARN.
PLEASE COME TO THE FRONT ROW. DO YOU EACH WANT TO SPEAK INDIVIDUALLY FOR ONE MINUTE, EACH? GO AHEAD.
I ATTEND NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL AND NWEA SCHOOL.
I CAN SAY AS A JUNIOR, NWEA'S CURRICULUM IS NOT MEANT NOR CREATED FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS.
MY TEACHERS AND MY CLASSMATES ALIKE ARE LEARNING AND/OR TEACHING AS WELL AS THEY COULD.
PACKETS DONE BY THE DISTRICT AND SLIDES ARE FILLED TO THE BRIM WITH WRONG ANSWERS OR QUESTIONS.
THE NEW TEACHERS STRUGGLE TO UNDERSTAND OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM BECAUSE THE REST OF THE VETERAN TEACHERS ARE SO OVER WORKED, THEY DON'T HAVE TIME TO HELP.
OUR RAMS AND DUAL CREDIT TEACHERS ARE FIGHTING FOR LAPTOPS FOR THE STUDENTS IN MY SCHOOL BECAUSE OUR DISTRICT DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THAT STUDENTS IN ON RAMS AND DUAL CREDIT CLASSES HAVE ALL THEIR WORK AND READING ONLINE.
THE CURRICULUM IS JUST NOT DESIGNED FOR ANY SCHOOL. THANK YOU.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS AUBREY BARN.
I AM A STUDENT AT NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL.
IT'S MY STRONGEST SUBJECT, AND I REALLY DON'T COME FROM A WEALTHY BACKGROUND.
MY FOCUS HAS ALWAYS BEEN FOR COLLEGE IS MY ACADEMICS.
I CONSTANTLY STRIVE TO PUSH MYSELF ACADEMICALLY, BUT WITHIN THE LAST TWO WEEKS, I WAS PERSONALLY AFFECTED BY YOUR RULES.
AS A JUNIOR, I TOOK THE MATH TSI AND SCORED PROFICIENT IN ALL TOPICS, BUT ALGEBRAIC REASONING.
BECAUSE OF THAT, YOU AS A DISTRICT FORCED ME INTO A TSI CLASS AND REMOVED ME FROM ALGEBRA TWO CLASS, KEEPING ME FROM THIS CLASS IS KEEPING ME FROM BEING ABLE TO CHALLENGE MYSELF AS MUCH AS I KNOW I'M ABLE TO.
I'M POSITIVE I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE BEING AFFECTED BY THIS ISSUE, BUT I WILL BE THE ONE TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST IT. THANK YOU [APPLAUSE]
>> WE HAVE AN HISD STUDENT AND PARENT ON ZOOM, ADIDA SAGE BITTNER, FOLLOWED BY MARIA BENZON.
ADIDA SAGE BITTNER, FOLLOWED BY MARIA BENZON, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
MARIA BENZON? WE'LL HAVE TO COME BACK TO HER.
[00:40:08]
THAT'S THE LAST HISD STUDENT AND PARENT FOR GROUP A.THAT CONCLUDES OUR HEARING OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND HISD PARENTS AND STUDENTS.
BEFORE I MOVE INTO THE MEETING OF BUSINESS,
[BOARD MEMBER REPORTS AND COMMENTS]
I'D LIKE TO INVITE BOARD MEMBERS FOR REPORTS BETWEEN THE LAST BOARD MEETING OR ANY COMMENTS THEY'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US TONIGHT.>> I DON'T REMEMBER, I GUESS PROBABLY TWO SUNDAYS AGO, I HAD THE CHANCE TO GO TO THE HOUSTON MARIACHI FESTIVAL, AND THERE WERE SOME OUTSTANDING STUDENTS, PERFORMANCES FROM SAN HOUSTON HIGH SCHOOL.
THEN ONE YOUNG MAN IN PARTICULAR, MR. LONGORIA, WHO, I THINK, WAS PERHAPS THE BEST VOCALIST OF THE WHOLE PERFORMANCE OF ALL THE DIFFERENT GROUPS THAT PERFORMED.
IT WAS REALLY COOL. THEY WERE PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS, AND THEY WERE OUTSTANDING.
>> THANK YOU. JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I WAS VERY PLEASED WITH WHAT WE SAW THE FIRST AND SECOND WEEKS OF SCHOOL.
IT WAS NICE TO GO INTO THE SCHOOLS, TO SEE THE STUDENTS READY TO LEARNING AT 8:30 OR 9:00 IN THE MORNING, AND VERY APPRECIATIVE OF ALL THE PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS THAT WERE READY TO GO.
IT WAS VERY ENJOYABLE TO SEE THE KIDS.
THEY WERE SMILING AND THEY WERE READY TO LEARN. THANK YOU.
>> TO ECHO ON MRS MENDOZA'S COMMENTS.
I WANT TO THANK THE SUPERINTENDENT FOR INVITING US TO ATTEND SCHOOL VISITS.
IT'S BEEN VERY ENLIGHTENING TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOMS. I WILL SPEAK FOR MYSELF.
IT HELPS ME IN MY WORK HERE. THANK YOU FOR THAT.
I WON'T NAME ALL THE SCHOOLS THAT I HAVE VISITED, BUT I WAS ABLE TO GO TO LAMAR HIGH SCHOOL AS PART OF MY VISIT SINCE THE LAST MEETING AS MY FIRST HIGH SCHOOL VISIT OF THIS YEAR.
TERRIFIC OPPORTUNITY TO SEE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS SINCE I DON'T HAVE ONE OF THOSE AT HOME.
I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE COMMUNITY FOR MENTIONING WHAT SCHOOLS THAT YOU GO TO, IT HELPS PUT CAMPUSES ON MY LIST.
THE LAST BOARD MEETING, A PARENT MENTIONED NAVARRO MIDDLE SCHOOL, IT'S NOW ON MY LIST.
I WILL BE VISITING THAT AT THE END OF THIS MONTH, AS WELL AS LANIER, ANOTHER PARENT MENTIONED AN ISSUE AT THAT CAMPUS. I WILL BE VISITING THAT.
FOR PARENTS WHO WONDER IF WE HEAR YOU AND THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN AND THINGS THAT YOU WANT US TO SEE, KNOW THAT WE ARE TAKING NOTES, AND WE'LL FOLLOW UP ON THOSE THINGS.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY, SUPERINTENDENT. IT MEANS A LOT.
>> GREAT. WE WILL NOW HAVE RECOGNITIONS AND SUPERINTENDENT REPORTS.
[Recognitions ]
SUPERINTENDENT MILES, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.>> YES, SIR. FIRST, TO THANK THE BOARD MEMBERS FOR VISITING THE SCHOOLS.
AT THIS POINT, I'VE BEEN IN 27 SCHOOLS.
I HAVE SEEN HUNDREDS OF KIDS, DOZENS AND DOZENS OF TEACHERS AND SEVERAL PRINCIPALS, WHICH WE'RE GOING TO GET TO IN JUST A MOMENT.
BUT IT DOES REALLY HELP TO KEEP PERSPECTIVE, AND SO REALLY APPRECIATE BOARD MEMBERS.
THIS IS MY FOURTH TIME AS EITHER SUPERINTENDENT OR CEO AND WORKED WITH LOTS OF BOARDS.
THIS BOARD OF ALL THE BOARDS VISIT SCHOOLS MORE THAN ANY OTHER BOARD I'VE SEEN.
I THINK THAT REALLY HELPS WITH THE JOB. THANK YOU.
YES, PRINCIPALS HAVE A REALLY TOUGH JOB.
I OFTEN SAY IT'S THE TOUGHEST JOB, BUT PROBABLY THE MOST REWARDING ALSO BECAUSE THERE'S NOBODY TO TURN TO.
YOU'RE IT, AND YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS OR FAILS TO HAPPEN IN A SCHOOL.
TONIGHT, WE HAVE NOMINATIONS FOR PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR, AND CHIEF OF SCHOOLS, SANDI MASSEY, WHO'S THE ONLY OTHER PERSON'S BEEN IN MORE SCHOOLS THAN ME, THIS YEAR, WILL DO THE NOMINATIONS.
>> THEY DID NOT KNOW WHY THEY'RE HERE.
THERE ARE 12 PRINCIPALS, THREE REPRESENTING EACH OF THE FOUR DIVISIONS, BUT THEY NOW KNOW [LAUGHTER] THEY ARE THE [APPLAUSE]
[00:45:06]
I DO HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF HAVING THE BEST JOB, AND THAT'S JUST BEING AT SCHOOLS SO MANY TIMES A WEEK AND SEEING THE GREAT THINGS THAT PRINCIPALS ARE DOING AND TEACHERS ARE DOING IN THE CLASSROOMS. THESE ARE THE 12 PRINCIPALS THAT ARE THE DIVISION PRINCIPALS OF THE YEAR AND ARE FINALIST FOR THE DISTRICT, PRINCIPLES OF THE YEAR.WE'RE GOING TO JUST LIST THEM OUT, AND I'M GOING TO LET YOU KNOW THE CRITERIA THAT WENT INTO THIS DECISION.
I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT YOU KNOW THIS IS NOT A POPULARITY CONTEST.
WE USE DATA, RICH ENVIRONMENTS TO SUPPORT OUR DECISIONS, AND SO THIS IS HOW IT GOES.
MUST BE A RETURNING PRINCIPLE IN THE SAME SCHOOL.
HAVE AN A OR B RATED SCHOOL BY STATE ACCOUNTABILITY.
SCHOOLS THAT WERE ALREADY IN A HAD TO AT LEAST GROW ONE POINT.
SCHOOLS OUTSIDE OF AN A HAD TO GROW AT LEAST FIVE POINTS, AND THEN THE DIVISION CHIEFS HAD A LIST OF ALL THOSE PRINCIPALS, AND THEY MADE THE FINAL DECISION FROM THAT LIST BASED ON LEADERSHIP, CULTURE, AND PROFESSIONALISM.
THAT'S WHY YOU'RE SITTING HERE TODAY [APPLAUSE] WE'RE GOING TO START WITH THE NORTH, AND THIS IS THE ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR.
THE NORTH DIVISION CHIEF WILL COME UP, EVERY ONE GETS WHAT WE CALL A MAGAZINE COVER, JUST SOMETHING THEY CAN PUT INSIDE OF THEIR OFFICE JUST TO HIGHLIGHT ALL THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS.
OUR FIRST PERSON IS BATHSHEBA NASH.
>> PRINCIPAL ILIANA PEREZ [APPLAUSE] SHE FOR THE MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR THE NORTH, AND FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE NORTH IS MARIE ADAMS, NORTH FOREST.
FOR SOUTH, WE HAVE ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL ALEXIS MC MILLER.
AND NEXT IS SHANKA SMITH MIDDLE SCHOOL, THOMAS MIDDLE SCHOOL.
AND FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL, RUTH PENA FROM MILBY HIGH SCHOOL.
F ELEMENTARY, WE HAVE CHRISTOPHER WAG AT PILGRIM ACADEMY.
FOR OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL IS WEST BRIER CRYSTAL BLANCHARD.
AND FOR OUR HIGH SCHOOL, WESTBURY HIGH SCHOOL, YONA BRUCE.
ROUNDING OUT THE GROUP WITH CENTRAL O FIRST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, TREA EPPS.
WE HAVE ALEJANDRO LOPEZ FROM NAVARRO MIDDLE SCHOOL.
FINALLY, WRAPPING UP THE LAST HIGH SCHOOL, WENDY HAMPTON FROM HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL.
THANK YOU AGAIN, PRINCIPALS, AND CONGRATULATIONS.
>> CAN I GET A MIC OUT HERE? YOU'RE GOING TO WATCH THIS TESTING.
[REPORTS FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT]
LAST BOARD MEETING, I SORT OF TEASE THE BOARD ABOUT OUR NEXT BIG GOAL.AND THEN ON TUESDAY AT THE GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP, AND THEN AT A PRESS CONFERENCE, I ANNOUNCED THE HOUSTON PROMISE.
I JUST WANT TO FORM TALK ABOUT THE HOUSTON PROMISE QUICKLY AND THEN WE'LL MOVE ON.
[00:50:08]
I ALWAYS HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE CHALLENGE BECAUSE THEN IT PUTS OUR CHALLENGE IN PERSPECTIVE AND OUR GOAL IN PERSPECTIVE.I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE CHALLENGE AND THEN THE BELIEF AND THEN A QUICK NOTE ON THE PROMISE.
THIS IS A MAP OF THE SCHOOLS IN HOUSTON IN 2023, THEY'RE A THROUGH F ACCOUNTABILITY RATINGS, WHICH COME FROM TEA.
THE THING IS, THERE WERE 121 RED AND PINK CIRCLES IN 2023.
BUT THE THING, JUST LIKE IN EVERY URBAN DISTRICT, YOU WOULDN'T NEED THE MAP IN THE CIRCLES OR THE CIRCLES, THE DIFFERENT COLORS, THE ACTUAL ONES, YOU COULD PLACE THEM YOURSELF BECAUSE ZIP CODE USUALLY DICTATES DESTINY.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU GO TO NORTH FORCE, EVEN WITHOUT THESE DOTS, YOU WOULD PUT RED AND PINK DOTS THERE IN THE PAST.
BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE SCHOOLS CHALLENGED BY POVERTY OR LANGUAGE BARRIERS EXIST.
ALSO IN EVERY SINGLE OTHER CIRCLE THAT YOU SEE UP THERE, EVERY ZIP CODE.
EXCEPT, OF COURSE, IN THE ONE PART OF TOWN THAT WE KNOW IS HIGHER SOCCONOMIC AND THERE ARE NO CIRCLES THERE.
THIS WAS LAST YEAR OR TWO YEARS AGO, I MEAN, AND THIS IS HOUSTON TODAY.
I GOT TO HAVE ONE PERSON SAY, AMEN [APPLAUSE] JUST WHAT TO SAY THAT THIS IS INCREDIBLE.
THIS DATA COMES FROM TEA, OF COURSE.
WHAT THIS SHOWS IS THAT WE HAVE BROKEN THE MYTH THAT POOR KIDS CAN'T LEARN AND MEET HIGH EXPECTATIONS.
WE'VE BROKEN THE MYTH THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU COME FROM POVERTY OR LANGUAGE BARRIERS THAT WE CAN'T RAISE EXPECTATIONS ON THEM.
WE RAISED EXPECTATIONS UP HERE.
SOME PEOPLE SAID IT'S TOO RIGOROUS.
WE GOT TO MEET KIDS WHERE THEY ARE. WE DIDN'T.
WE SAID, HERE'S THE BAR, AND THE KIDS ROSE TO THE LEVEL OF EXPECTATION, AND BY THE WAY, SO DID THE TEACHERS.
THERE'S NO AREA OF TOWN WHERE THERE'S NOT AN ARB SCHOOL.
74% OF OUR KIDS ARE NOW ATTENDING A GREEN OR LIGHT GREEN DOTTED SCHOOL, AN A OR B RATED SCHOOL.
ZIP CODE IS NO LONGER DESTINY.
A LOT OF IT HAS TO DO WITH YOU GUYS HERE, THE PRINCIPALS, BUT A LOT OF IT HAS TO DO WITH TEACHERS, AND OF COURSE, THE KIDS WHO ACTUALLY EARN THEIR RIGHT TO SAY, I ATTEND IN A OR B SCHOOL.
BEHIND THE SCHOOL RATINGS, OF COURSE, ARE THOUSANDS MORE KIDS.
IN THE END OF THE DAY, I COULD SHOW YOU ALL KINDS OF GRAPHS AND NUMBERS. I DIDN'T SHOW YOU ANY NUMBERS.
I JUST SHOWED YOU PICTURES BECAUSE IN THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S NOT SO MUCH ABOUT THE NUMBERS, IT'S ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY WE'RE CREATING FOR KIDS.
THE OPPORTUNITY WE'RE CREATING FOR KIDS.
THE FACT IS TENS OF THOUSANDS MORE KIDS TODAY CAN READ AT GRADE LEVEL.
IT'S NOT JUST GROWTH, IT'S ACHIEVEMENT.
THEY CAN READ AT GRADE LEVEL, TENS OF THOUSANDS MORE THAN TWO YEARS AGO.
TENS OF THOUSANDS MORE CAN DO MATH AT GRADE LEVEL THAN TWO YEARS AGO.
THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN HIC, AND WE DID IT IN TWO YEARS.
THAT'S HISTORIC. THIS IS THE NUMBERS, IF YOU WANT, I'LL JUST RACE THROUGH THEM.
YOU'VE SEEN THEM BEFORE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, AND JUST TO PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE, LARGE URBAN DISTRICT, MOVING TWO POINTS IN ONE YEAR.
THAT'S INCREDIBLE, AND WE DID IN TWO YEARS, THE NUMBERS YOU SEE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE.
THAT'S READING, AND THIS IS MATH.
INCREDIBLE GROWTH IN OUR ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS.
THIS ONE SHOWS THAT WE WERE BEHIND THE STATE AVERAGE.
THAT'S A TRUE STORY TWO YEARS AGO.
THIS HAPPENS TO BE HIGH SCHOOL.
YOU CAN SEE NOW WE'RE ABOVE THE STATE AVERAGE INTO ONE POINT AWAY, AND JUST A COUPLE OF POINTS AWAY, AND THE OTHERS, WE ARE CATCHING ON THE STATE AND BEATING THE STATE IN SEVERAL EXAMS. MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, BECAUSE THIS IS RARELY REPORTED BY ANYBODY.
IN FACT, I DON'T THINK IT'S EVER BEEN REPORTED BY THE MEDIA, EVEN THOUGH WE MENTIONED IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
[00:55:02]
IN THE VISION STATEMENT, THERE ARE TWO BIG THINGS.ONE IS NARROWING SIGNIFICANTLY THE ACHIEVEMENT GAPS.
YOU WANT A GREAT SCHOOL SYSTEM, THEN YOU HAVE TO NARROW ACHIEVEMENT GAPS.
IF ALL MEANS ALL, THEN YOU HAVE TO NARROW THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP, AND I SAID TWO YEARS AGO, THE WAY TO CLOSE THE GAP IS NOT BY LOWERING OUR HIGH-PERFORMING KIDS.
IT'S PUSHING THEM A LITTLE HIGHER AND THEN RAISING THE FLOOR EVEN MORE AND FASTER.
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING IN HISD.
TAKE A LOOK AT READING, FOR EXAMPLE.
OUR WHITE STUDENTS IN TWO YEARS HAVE GAINED 7.4 PERCENTAGE POINT.
I OWED YOU TWO POINTS IN A YEAR IS GREAT.
HOWEVER, OUR BLACK AND HISPANIC KIDS HAS CLOSED THE GAP EVEN MORE.
YES, WE PUSH THE HIGH PERFORMING KIDS EVEN HIGHER AND RAISE THE FLOOR INCREDIBLY.
THEN I READ SOMEWHERE WHERE OUR EMERGENT BILINGUALS ARE LOWER THAN THE BLACK AND HISPANIC.
14.2 POINTS, GUYS, 14.2 PERCENTAGE POINTS.
THAT'S INCREDIBLE [APPLAUSE] 14.2 PERCENTAGE POINTS.
IN MATH, IT'S NOT AS GOOD AS READING, BUT STILL REALLY THE WAY YOU CLOSE THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP, THAT'S JUST GOING TO CONTINUE.
THAT'S WHY THERE'S SO MANY A AND B SCHOOLS, 93-197, THESE RESULTS, WHICH COME FROM TEA ARE UNDENIABLY GOOD.
THERE'S NO OTHER WAY TO CUT IT.
THESE STUDENTS ARE DOING GREAT.
THE TEACHERS ARE DOING GREAT, AND THE PRINCIPALS ARE DOING GREAT ALSO.
WITH ALL OF THAT, WE CAN SAY AS A FACT, NOT ONE STUDENT IN HISD IN THE HISTORY SINCE THE ACCOUNTABILITY RATINGS CAME IN.
NOW IS NO CHILD WALKED INTO AN F RATED SCHOOL.
THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED [APPLAUSE] THE OTHER END OF THE SCALE, 93 A&B SCHOOLS TO 197, 70,000 MORE KIDS WALKED INTO AN A&B RATED SCHOOL THIS YEAR IN HISD.
WE ARE THE ENVY OF EVERY LARGE URBAN DISTRICT IN THE COUNTRY.
WE ARE THE ENVY OF EVERY DISTRICT IN THE COUNTRY.
THANK YOU VERY. OUR STUDENTS HAVE MADE HISTORY ALREADY.
TEACHERS HAVE MADE HISTORY ALREADY.
I'VE BEEN THE FIRST TO SAY, WE'VE GOT A LONG WAY TO GO.
I'VE SAID THAT FOR TWO YEARS, AND I MEAN THAT.
UNTIL EVERY SINGLE KID IS IN A HIGH PERFORMING SCHOOL, WE SHOULD NOT REST, AND UNTIL EVERY SCHOOL HAS A SMALL ACHIEVEMENT GAP, MUCH NARROWER ACHIEVEMENT GAP OR NO GAP AT ALL.
YES, IT'S TIME FOR CELEBRATION FOR SURE AND THEN TOMORROW, WE'RE GOING TO GET RIGHT BACK TO WORK.
WE CELEBRATED YOU TONIGHT [APPLAUSE] WE CELEBRATED TONIGHT.
WE HAVE BEEN CELEBRATING OUR KIDS, AND THEN WE GOT RIGHT BACK TO WORK.
THIS IS THE PROMISE RIGHT HERE.
BY AUGUST 2027, ALL SCHOOLS AND HISD WILL BE AN A OR B RATED SCHOOL.
WHAT ABOUT THAT, GUYS? NO OTHER LARGE DISTRICT COULD EVEN THINK OF HAVING A GOAL LIKE THIS.
BUT THE REAL KEY IS NOT JUST THE WORK, BUT IT'S THE BELIEF THAT IT CAN BE DONE.
YOU GOT A SURVEY TODAY FROM THAT WE DID FOR THE TEACHERS A QUICK ONE.
YOU NOTE, I HOPE IF YOU READ IT, WE ASKED THIS QUESTION, CAN WE DO THIS? SUPER MAJORITY OF OUR TEACHERS BELIEVE OR STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THIS CAN BE DONE.
TWO YEARS AGO, I'M NOT SURE MANY PEOPLE WOULD HAVE SAID THIS GOAL CAN BE DONE.
THIS WOULD BE A FOOL'S ERRAND OR A FALSE PROMISE.
NOW, IT STARTS WITH THE BELIEF THAT IT CAN BE DONE AND WE'LL GET IT DONE.
LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS BELIEVE, AND YOU'LL SEE HUNDREDS OF KIDS, DOZENS OF TEACHERS BELIEVING IN HISD. THANK YOU.
[01:00:04]
>> EVERY STUDENT DESERVES A SCHOOL WHERE THEY CAN THRIVE.
>> WE'RE GOING TO SHOW THEM THAT THE POSSIBLE IS ACTUALLY POSSIBLE.
>> OH, MY STARTS, I WANT TO MASTER AGAIN LIKE I DID LAST YEAR, AND WE BEAT THE STATE.
>> HAVE HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION IN EVERY CLASSROOM AND EVERY DAY IN EVERY SCHOOL.
>> ZIP CODE DOES NOT DICTATE DESTINY.
WE'RE ON THE WAY, AND A LOT OF PROGRESS HAVE BEEN MADE IN ALL PARTS OF THE DISTRICT, AND I THINK IT CAN HAPPEN.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE INSTRUCTION, IT'S GOING TO TAKE GOOD COACHING.
>> FROM GOING TO D TO B, IT'S BEEN A REALLY BIG LEAP.
I FEEL LIKE THE SCHOOL HAS CHANGED A LOT OF THAT TIME FROM THAT, AND I FEEL LIKE OVER TIME, WE REALLY STRIVE TO GO BETTER AND BETTER. I THINK THIS YEAR WE WILL MAKE IT.
>> WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO ENSURE THAT ALL OF OUR KIDS ARE ON GRADE LEVEL.
THEY'RE READING ON GRADE LEVEL.
THEIR MATH IS ON GRADE LEVEL, SO THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.
>> THE TEACHERS HAVE I FEEL LIKE GOTTEN BETTER AND THE SCHOOL SPIRIT I FEEL HAS JUST IMPROVED OVERALL BECAUSE OF THE SUCCESS THEY'RE SEEING FROM THE COURSE.
>> I'VE SEEN THEM GROW IN THEIR CONFIDENCE AND THEIR ABILITY.
I HAVE ABOUT A LITTLE OVER 100 KIDS GOING TO HCC EVERY SINGLE DAY WHERE THEY'RE TAKING COLLEGE CLASSES.
THEY ARE SO PROUD OF THEMSELVES.
WHEN THEY CAME IN YESTERDAY AFTERNOON, A GIRL SAID, I SAID, WHAT'S THAT ATTITUDE? SHE SAYS, I'M A COLLEGE STUDENT, LIKE THAT AND SWINGS HE HAIR.
I SAID, OH, CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING A COLLEGE STUDENT.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY'VE NEVER HAD BEFORE.
>> I FEEL LIKE IT'S MAINLY THE WORK OF THE COUNSELORS AND THE PRINCIPAL.
THEY ALL CONTRIBUTE TO ONE CAUSE, AND IT REALLY HAS HELPED US A LOT.
I FEEL LIKE AS TIME PROGRESSES, WE WILL DEFINITELY IMPROVE.
>> YOU LOCK THE HALLS, YOU SEE THEIR FACES, YOU SEE THEIR ENTHUSIASM.
THEY LOVE SCHOOL. THERE IS NOT.
WE DON'T HAVE CHILDREN THAT ARE SAYING THEY DON'T WANT TO COME TO SCHOOL.
THEY ABSOLUTELY LOVE SEEING THEIR TEACHERS, BEING WITH THEIR FRIENDS, LEARNING, GROWING.
>> THIS SCHOOL IS LIKE HOME AWAY FROM HOME. IT REALLY IS.
I FEEL LIKE WE'RE RECEIVING PRIVATE SCHOOL EDUCATION IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL SETTING, WHICH IS A PHENOMENAL.
>> I DROVE ALL THE WAY FROM WEST AMAR'S COMING GOING TO [INAUDIBLE] SCHOOL.
AND COMING HERE TODAY. I AM HAPPY.
I AM EXCITED BECAUSE AT THIS, WE HAVE THE SCHOOL BAG, WE HAVE ALL THE BOOKS, THE PEN AND EVERYTHING.
>> PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT WE'RE GETTING IS DEFINITELY THE REASON WHY WE'RE SEEING LESS DNF SCHOOLS.
I TRULY BELIEVE THAT WITHIN THE UPCOMING FUTURE THAT HISD WILL ONLY HAVE A&B CAMPUSES.
>> WHAT GIVES ME ENCOURAGEMENT IS THE FACES OF THE KIDS, THE PARENTS.
AT MY SCHOOL, WE HAVE OVER 46 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.
KIDS LITERALLY COMING FROM AROUND THE WORLD AND SEEING THEIR STARTING POINT TO THEIR ENDING POINT IS NOTHING BUT AMAZING.
>> I'M ALL IN ON THE HOUSTON PROMISE.
>> I BELIEVE IN THE HOUSTON PROMISES.
>> I AM ALL IN ON THE HOUSTON PROMISE.
>> I BELIEVE IN THE HOUSTON PROMISE.
>> WE WENT FELL A D SCHOOL TO B. WE BEAT THE STATE.
>> BOARD MEMBERS, WHEN YOU GO AND WHEN I GO AND WE GO TO THE SCHOOLS ON A REGULAR BASIS WE SEE THIS STUFF DAILY, THEN YOU BELIEVE THAT THIS TRANSFORMATION IS WORKING, IT'S BECAUSE OF THE PRINCIPALS THE TEACHERS, THE KIDS HAVE RISEN TO THE LEVEL OF EXPECTATION.
WHEN YOU GO TO ENOUGH SCHOOLS, THEN YOU WILL ALSO FEEL THAT AND BELIEVE IT IN YOUR HEART.
>> THANKS. MEMBERS, ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
>> AWESOME. GREAT. LET'S MOVE ON THEN TO THE BOARD MONITORING UPDATE.
[DISCUSSION AND REPORT ITEMS]
>> THANK YOU. WE'RE GOING TO DO THE MONITORING DATE GOAL 3 PROGRESS MEASURE 3.4, 3.5, AND GOAL PROGRESS MEASURE 4.1, 4.2, AND 4.3.
>> GOOD EVENING BOARD. TODAY, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT GOAL PROGRESS MEASURE UPDATES, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE FOCUSED ON GOAL 3 AND GOAL 4.
GOAL 3 IS OUR COLLEGE CAREER AND MILITARY READINESS GOAL.
THIS GOAL REALLY FOCUSES ON PREPARING STUDENTS WHEN THEY LEAVE US AFTER THEY GRADUATE.
GOAL 3 IS FOCUSED ON THE PERCENT OF STUDENTS GRADUATING TSI READY WITH AN INDUSTRY BASED CERTIFICATION OR AN IBC.
THE STUDENTS WITH BOTH OF THOSE WILL INCREASE FROM 11% IN 21/22 TO 26% IN 26/27.
THIS PARTICULAR MEETING TODAY ON SEPTEMBER IS ACTUALLY FOR LAST YEAR'S OVERVIEW.
WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT END OF YEAR DATA FOR LAST YEAR AT THIS BOARD MEETING.
[01:05:05]
WE'LL START TO TRANSITION TO THIS COMING YEARS DATA NEXT BOARD MEETING.THIS IS THE RESULT FOR LAST YEAR, AND WE EXCEEDED OUR GOAL.
THE TARGET WAS 15, AND WE SIGNIFICANTLY EXCEEDED THAT AT 26.
WE DID MEET GOAL THREE OVERALL.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE DID TOWARDS THE END OF LAST YEAR IS WE STARTED TO THINK FOR A GOAL FOCUSED ON COLLEGE CAREER AND MILITARY READINESS.
ONE THING THAT WE NEEDED TO PAY ATTENTION TO IN PROGRESS MONITORING WAS HOW STUDENTS WERE DOING LEADING UP TO HIGH SCHOOL.
WE ADDED GOAL PROGRESS MEASURES 3.4 AND 3.5, FOCUSED ON HOW STUDENTS WERE DOING IN 4TH THROUGH 8TH GRADE READING AND MATH.
WE WANT TO REPORT OUT ON THAT AS WELL FOR END OF YEAR RESULTS, 3.4 IS THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS IN GRADES 4 THROUGH 8 WHO ARE PROJECTED TO MEET GRADE LEVEL ON NWEA MAP AND READING.
HERE AGAIN, AT THE END OF YEAR, OUR GOAL WAS 53, AND WE EXCEEDED THAT GOAL AT 56 FOR OUR READING RESULTS ON NWEA MAP.
WE BROKE THIS DOWN BY STUDENT GROUP, WE SAW AGAIN, GREAT RESULTS.
EVERY SINGLE STUDENT GROUP INCREASED FROM END OF YEAR LAST YEAR TWO YEARS AGO TO END OF YEAR LAST YEAR IN NWEA MAP.
THEN WE ALSO BROKE IT DOWN BY NES AND PUA.
FOR BOTH DIFFERENT SCHOOL TYPES, WE SAW INCREASES IN PROJECTED PROFICIENCY IN FOURTH TO EIGHTH GRADE FOR READING IN MAP.
GENERALLY, WE MET THIS GOAL ACROSS THE OVERALL GOAL PROGRESS MEASURE AND THEN SAW GROWTH IN ALL STUDENT GROUPS AND THE TWO DIFFERENT SCHOOL TYPES.
I'M GOING TO PAUSE HERE BEFORE WE MOVE TO 3.5 TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY CLARIFYING QUESTIONS.
>> MEMBERS, ANY QUESTIONS? GO AHEAD.
>> THANK YOU, CHIEF. I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT GOAL 3.
>> YES. THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS GRADUATING TSI READY.
DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THE HUGE SUCCESS 2015-2026 TO THE STREAMLINING OF THE IBCS? I RECALL BEFORE THERE WERE MANY PATHWAYS TO IBCS AND STUDENTS WEREN'T ABLE TO MEET ALL OF THE REQUIREMENTS.
DO YOU ATTRIBUTE SOME OF THE SUCCESS TO THE STREAMLINING ACROSS THE DISTRICT?
>> COUPLE OF THINGS ABOUT THIS GOAL.
ONE, IT IS A LAGGING INDICATOR.
THE END OF YEAR RESULTS THAT WE WILL SHOW WILL ACTUALLY BE REFLECTIVE OF A YEAR AGO.
THE WAY THAT THE DATA IS RUN, IT'S A LAGGING INDICATOR.
TO SEE THE TRUE IMPACT OF STREAMLINING, IT'LL TAKE A COUPLE YEARS BECAUSE STUDENTS PROGRESS THROUGH THE PROGRAMS OF STUDY OVER A THREE OR FOUR YEAR TIME PERIOD.
HOWEVER, I DO THINK WITH A STRONG FOCUS ON MAKING SURE THAT THE STUDENTS THAT WE DID HAVE WERE COMPLETING THEIR INDUSTRY BASED CERTIFICATIONS WHEN IT WAS APPLICABLE AND MAKING SURE THAT WE PROVIDED THOSE STUDENTS THAT OPPORTUNITY, THAT ALSO HELPED CONTRIBUTE TO THAT GOING FORWARD.
I THINK WE'LL SEE EVEN GREATER EFFECTS OVER TIME OF THE FOCUS ON STREAMLINING OUR PROGRAMS OF STUDY, OUR INDUSTRY BASED CERTIFICATIONS, AND ACTUALLY REALLY FOCUSING ON THE PROGRAMS OF STUDY THAT LEAD TO HIGH WAGE HIGH DEMAND JOBS.
>> KRISTEN, CAN YOU GO TO THE SUBGROUP SLIDE? I JUST WANT THE BOARD TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS REALLY HARD TO DO, I'M NOT TRYING TO SANDBAG, BUT GOING FORWARD, WE MAY NEVER SEE THIS SORT OF RESULTS AGAIN.
THIS IS INCREDIBLE FOR EVERY SINGLE SUBGROUP TO BE ABOVE WHERE THEY WERE BEFORE.
I JUST NEED THE BOARD TO UNDERSTAND PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT THESE SCORES, IF WE'D GONE BACK TWO YEARS IF THEY WERE DOING NWEA.
IT WOULD BE UP AND DOWN AND SEVERAL MAYBE UP AND MANY WOULD BE DOWN.
I JUST WANT YOU TO APPRECIATE HOW DIFFICULT THIS REALLY IS TO DO.
>> FOR CHALLENGE HOVERS, WE'RE USED TO IT, SO YOU BETTER KEEP IT GOING [LAUGHTER]
>> I KNOW. THAT'S WHY I'M AFRAID AT BEST.
>> BEAT OUR OWN SCORES. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I'LL MOVE TO 3.5.
SO 3.5 GPM IS THE SAME METRIC, PROJECTED MEETS IN NWEA, BUT IT'S FOCUSED ON MATH.
WE ALSO SAW HERE THAT OUR GOAL WAS 43 AND WE EXCEEDED IT AT 49%.
WE MET THIS GOAL PROGRESS MEASURE AS WELL.
SIMILAR STORY HERE, WE BROKE DOWN THE RESULTS BY STUDENT GROUP AND SAW GROWTH ACROSS ALL OF THE STUDENT GROUPS FROM TWO YEARS AGO, TO END OF YEAR LAST YEAR, THEN SIMILARLY FOR BOTH NES AND PUA.
BOTH OF THOSE DIFFERENT SCHOOL TYPES SAW GROWTH IN MATH.
AGAIN, IT'S REALLY ONE OF THE REASONS WE ADDED THIS,
[01:10:03]
IS THAT CRITICAL LEEWAY OF HELPING ENSURE KIDS ARE MEETING GRADE LEVEL IN THESE AREAS SO THAT BY THE TIME THEY GET TO A HIGH SCHOOL AND HAVE TO TAKE OUR TSI ASSESSMENTS, SAT, ACT, THAT THEY CAN MEET THAT THRESHOLD BECAUSE THEY HAVE THAT FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE IN THE EARLIER GRADES TO BE SUCCESSFUL.IT'S A REALLY GREAT LEADING INDICATOR THAT HOPEFULLY CONTINUES THE TRAJECTORY OF TSI SUCCESS.
OVERALL, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY COMMUNICATED ARE A NUMBER OF STRATEGIES REALLY FOCUSED ON HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION AND STRONG GRADE LEVEL MATERIALS.
WE'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT BEFORE ABOUT OUR ACCELERATED MATH SUPPORTS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AS WELL AS OUR DUAL LANGUAGE SUPPORTS IN ELEMENTARY.
ALL OF THOSE STRATEGIES WE CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON WE'RE CONTINUING TO STAY THE COURSE WITH KEEPING THOSE FRONT AND CENTER.
THIS YEAR, WE ARE ALSO CONTINUING TO ENHANCE A LOT OF OUR SUPPORTS AROUND PLANNING, THEN WE ALWAYS CONTINUOUSLY UPDATE CURRICULUM TO IMPROVE QUALITY AND TO SUPPORT STRONGER INSTRUCTION IN THE CLASSROOMS, WE'LL STAY FOCUSED ON THOSE IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES GOING FORWARD.
ANY QUESTIONS ON GOAL 3? WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO STACY TO TALK ABOUT GOAL 4.
>> THANK YOU, KRISTEN. GOOD EVENING.
ON NON DISABLED PEERS, WE SAW GREAT GROWTH WITH OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AS WELL.
IN GOAL 4 THAT MEASURES THAT ACADEMIC GROWTH IN EITHER READING OR MATH IN GRADES FOURTH THROUGH RATE, AGAIN, WE EXCEEDED OUR GOAL FOR THIS YEAR.
BREAKING UP INTO THOSE SUBGROUPS, SPECIFICALLY IN THOSE AREAS, WE SAW GROWTH IN ALL STUDENT GROUPS, EXCEPT FOR THE ASIAN STUDENTS.
THIS IS A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF STUDENTS, BUT AS WE DOVE INTO THE DATA TO SEE EXACTLY WHERE WE LOOKED AT, WHERE THOSE STUDENTS WERE ENROLLED, WHICH CAMPUSES, THEN HOW CAN WE SUPPORT THOSE STUDENTS SPECIFICALLY, I BELIEVE IT'S 28 STUDENTS THAT MAKE UP THAT GROUP THAT DID NOT MEET THE STANDARD.
REALLY LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN SUPPORT THAT STUDENT GROUP.
WE SPLIT UP THE SAME INFORMATION BY NES AND PUA, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT AT BOTH TYPES OF CAMPUSES, WE SAW GROWTH IN OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.
THE GROWTH MEASURES THAT REALLY TELL US IF WE'RE GOING TO MEET THAT ANNUAL GOAL IS OUR NWEA MAP SCORES.
WE HAVE THESE BROKEN DOWN BY FIRST YOU'RE GOING TO LOOK AT READING MET EXPECTED GROWTH, JUST WANT TO SPEND A LITTLE BIT OF TIME THERE ON AGAIN, THIS IS SHOWING THAT OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES MET GROWTH.
THEY DID BETTER THAN WHAT THEY DID BEFORE.
WE WERE ABLE TO EXCEED THAT TARGET AND THE SAME THING WITH OUR STUDENT GROUPS.
WE SAW THAT OUR ASIAN STUDENTS BREAKING DOWN THAT ASIAN STUDENT GROUP TO FOCUS SPECIFICALLY AT THOSE CAMPUSES SO THAT WE CAN GET THEM THE SUPPORTS THEY NEED.
THE SAME THING ACROSS NES AND PUA, WE SAW GROWTH IN ENGLISH GROWTH FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN BOTH TYPES OF CAMPUSES.
>> YES, MA'AM. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT DIGGING INTO THE DATA TO IDENTIFY WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THOSE COUPLE OF RED NUMBERS THERE.
IS THIS AN ISSUE THAT IS LOCALIZED TO CAMPUS, TWO CAMPUSES, THREE CAMPUSES OR IS IT WE'RE TALKING A SMALL NUMBER.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SIX PEOPLE, OF DIFFERENT.
IS IT A LOCALIZED ISSUE OR IS IT ALL OVER THE DISTRICT AND REALLY JUST AROUND?
>> I BELIEVE IT'S AROUND NINE CAMPUSES THAT THAT NUMBER IS SPREAD ACROSS.
WE'RE LOOKING AT SPECIFICALLY AT THOSE NINE CAMPUSES.
REALLY ALSO LOOKING, IT'S A SMALL NUMBER OF STUDENTS.
IT GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THAT STUDENT'S IEP TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING THEM THE NECESSARY THE GOALS THAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR THEM TO MEET THIS STANDARD.
>> ANY OTHER? MOVING ON TO GOAL PROGRESS MEASURE 4.2, WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT GROWTH FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION MAP SCORES, WE SEE THAT AGAIN, WE EXCEEDED OUR TARGET IN THIS AREA.
BREAKING UP AGAIN THOSE SUBGROUPS.
[01:15:02]
WE SAW THIS ASIAN GROUP THAT WE'RE GOING BACK TO THE SAME GROUP OF STUDENTS, AND THEN WE DID SEE OUR SCORES GO DOWN IN STUDENTS WHO HAD TWO RACES IN THE AREA OF MAP.ACROSS NES AND PUA CAMPUSES, WE SAW CONSISTENT GROWTH ON THE TYPES OF CAMPUSES.
ANY QUESTIONS ON 4.2? I'M GOING TO MOVE INTO 4.3, I JUST ALWAYS LIKE TO STAMP THAT THIS IS WHERE OUR STUDENTS WITH IEPS ARE, WE'RE EXPECTING THEM TO MEET THE STANDARD.
MEET THE STANDARD AS OUR NON DISABLED PEERS THAT THEY WOULD BE EXPECTED TO MEET STANDARD ON THE STAR EXAM.
YOU'LL SEE THAT THE NUMBER IS LOWER, NOT BECAUSE WE'RE LOWERING THE BAR, BUT BECAUSE AGAIN, STUDENTS RECEIVE SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES TO HELP THEM TO MEET THAT STATE STANDARD.
YOU'LL SEE IN THE LAST SLIDES, WE SAW A LOT OF GROWTH, AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO, AND WE DO WANT TO SEE OUR KIDS WITH DISABILITIES MEET THE STANDARD TOO AND WE CONTINUE TO PUSH FOR THAT.
YOU WILL SEE THAT THIS NUMBER IS LOWER COMPARED TO THE GROWTH NUMBER.
33% OF OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES WERE PROJECTED TO MEET OR EXCEED THAT GRADE LEVEL IN READING OR MATH.
THEN WE BROKE DOWN BY THOSE STUDENT GROUPS AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE HAVE SOME WORK TO DO DEFINITELY TO CLOSE THAT ACHIEVEMENT GAP AND LOOKING AT HOW CAN WE PROVIDE THE SUPPORTS THAT OUR STUDENTS NEED TO MEET THOSE GRADE LEVEL STANDARDS.
YOU'LL SEE ACROSS NES AND PUA, WE CONTINUE TO SEE GROWTH IN THIS AREA ON THE TYPES OF CAMPUSES.
AS FAR AS OUR STRATEGY, LAST YEAR, AND WE CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THE SAME THINGS THAT WE DID LAST YEAR WITH A HIGH LOOKING AT SPECIALLY DESIGNED INSTRUCTION, I STATED EARLIER, DIGGING INTO OUR STUDENTS IEPS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES THEY NEED TO MEET THEIR INDIVIDUALIZED GOALS.
WE'RE CONTINUING TO DO THAT WORK, CONTINUING TO MONITOR THOSE MAP SCORES AND HOW OUR STUDENTS ARE PERFORMING ON THEIR IEP GOALS.
WE LOOK AT HOW ARE THEY PROGRESSING AT EVERY GRADE PERIOD WHEN STUDENTS RECEIVE REPORT CARDS.
WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT DATA ON IEP GOALS, HOW MANY OF OUR STUDENTS WERE PROGRESSING ON THEIR IEP GOALS.
THE OTHER THING THAT WE'RE DOING THIS YEAR ALONG WITH CHIEF HULL IS REALLY LOOKING AT OUR SPOT OBSERVATION AND HOW WE'RE SUPPORTING OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS IN THAT HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION.
PROVIDING THEM THAT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT THEY NEED IN ORDER TO PROVIDE OUR STUDENTS THAT HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION.
WE'RE TRAINING OUR PRINCIPALS MONTHLY WITH THE CHIEF OF SCHOOL'S OFFICE TO HELP REALLY MOVE THE NEEDLE WITH OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.
>> YES. HOW MANY CAMPUSES? DOES EVERY CAMPUS HAVE A SPECIAL EDUCATION COHORT, OR IS IT A SELECTED GROUP OF CAMPUSES ACROSS ACROSS THE DISTRICT?
>> WE HAVE OVER 20,000 STUDENTS HAVE IEPS ACROSS THE DISTRICT.
OF COURSE, THAT CONTINUUM OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES CAN BE ANY ONE WITH MAYBE A LEARNING DISABILITY VERSUS ALL THE WAY DOWN TO A STUDENT THAT MAY HAVE AN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY AND NEED MORE SUPPORT.
ALL OUR CAMPUSES HAVE STUDENTS THAT HAVE IEPS.
>> THANK YOU. IN PRINCIPLE, EVERY PRINCIPAL AT EVERY CAMPUS IS PART OF THIS PROJECT TO CONTINUE TO HELP THESE CHILDREN GROW IN THEIR OWN WAY?
>> YES, SIR. IF I CAN ADD, WE ALSO MADE IT PART OF THE PRINCIPAL'S EVALUATION JUST FOR THAT VERY REASON.
THE OTHER THING THOUGH, JUST THAT YOU MAY ALSO BE THINKING ABOUT LIFE SKILLS STUDENTS.
IEPS ARE SOME FOR GENERAL INCLUSION IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION, AND THEN SOME THAT ARE PULL OUT.
NOT EVERY SCHOOL HAS A LIFE SCHOOLS PULL OUT ONLY CLASS.
>> THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR ASKING THAT, MARTY.
[01:20:03]
BECAUSE I WAS WONDERING A SIMILAR THING, WHICH IS THE IDEA THAT GOING BACK TO OUR EARLIER CELEBRATION, MANY OF THESE KIDS ARE IN AMB RATED SCHOOLS.TO HELP MAKE SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN WHEN WE SEE THE ACHIEVEMENT OR THE GROWTH IN THIS CASE, WE SEE THEM IN AMB RATED SCHOOLS.
THERE'S A CLEARER QUESTION I WANT TO ASK THERE, BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHEN WE'RE SEEING STUDENTS. CAN YOU HELP ME WITH THAT?
>> GO AHEAD AND I'LL ANSWER IT.
<< WHEN WE SAY HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION FOR ALL, OUR TEACHERS ARE EMBRACING THAT ALL, AND THAT INCLUDES OUR STUDENTS WITH IEPS WHO ARE IN THEIR CLASSES DAILY.
MOST OF OUR STUDENTS ARE SERVED IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM WITH SUPPORT.
MOST OF OUR POPULATION, AND THEN WE DO HAVE SOME MORE RESTRICTIVE SETTINGS LIKE OUR LIFE SILLS CLASSES AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT HAVE THAT PROBABLY ARE TAKING AN ALTERNATE EXAM.
THEY MAY NOT BE INCLUDED IN THESE EXACT NUMBERS IF THEY'RE ON THE ALTERNATE CURRICULUM.
BOTH TRUSTEE LINDA AND MARTY GOOSEN ARE ASKING A VERY NUANCED QUESTION.
THE ANSWER IS THAT IN OUR PROFESSION, SPECIAL ED STUDENTS OFTEN DO NOT GET THE RIGOROUS INSTRUCTION.
THAT'S BEEN A CHALLENGE FOR SCHOOL ALMOST EVERYWHERE IN AMERICA.
THE FOCUS ON INSTRUCTION HAS BEEN UNIQUE IN THAT, AND IT INCLUDES ALL KIDS.
THOSE SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS WHO ARE INCLUDED IN THE GENERAL AD CLASSROOM GET GRADE LEVEL INSTRUCTION WITH SCAFFOLDS, AND YOU DON'T SEE THAT EVERYWHERE.
IT'S AN IMPORTANT QUESTION TO ASK.
WE STILL HAVE OTHER WAYS TO GO, BUT EVEN TODAY, EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON, WE HAD A MEETING WITH OUR CONSERVATOR, AND WITH BOTH STACEY AND CARY, AND WE TALKED A LONG TIME ABOUT RAISING THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION, AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
>> THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION.
AGAIN, IT HELPS ME REMEMBER THAT, EACH OF OUR PRINCIPALS IS DEALING WITH A HIGHLY COMPLEX SET OF STUDENTS.
THAT BAR IS RAISED HIGH AND WE'RE MEASURING THAT WITH THE PRINCIPAL EVALUATION SYSTEM, AND SO IT'S GREAT TO KNOW THAT THAT'S A PIECE OF THAT EVALUATION, HOW OUR SPECIAL ED KIDS ARE DOING.
BUT THANKS FOR EXPLAINING THAT BECAUSE I THINK WE DON'T TALK ENOUGH ABOUT OUR SPECIAL ED STUDENTS. THANK YOU.
>> HEARING THAT YOU UNDERSTAND, WE HAVE THE TWO GROUPS THAT ARE IN THE RED THERE, AND THAT YOU'RE FOCUSING ON THOSE GROUPS OR SUBGROUPS, WHAT'S A TIME FRAME THE NEXT TIME YOU COME BACK TO US? AT THAT POINT, WILL WE SEE POSSIBLY SOME IMPROVEMENT OR DOES IT TAKE EVEN LONGER TO SEE IMPROVEMENT?
>> IT'S REALLY A CASE BY CASE BASIS WITH THIS LEVEL OF THE STUDENT SUPPORT AND THE SUPPORT THEY NEEDED.
BUT DEFINITELY, JUST LIKE AN IEP GOAL, WHEN WE GO TO AN IEP MEETING, WE LOOK AT HOW STUDENTS ARE PERFORMING RIGHT NOW.
THAT WE'RE GOING TO HELP THOSE CAMPUSES TO DIG INTO THIS MAP DATA AND SAY, OKAY, WHERE ARE THE GAPS? THEN HOW CAN WE CREATE A GOAL PROGRESS MEASURES LIKE WE'RE DOING HERE SO THAT AT THE END OF THE YEAR, THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO MAKE THAT ACHIEVEMENT OR EVEN MASTER THEIR IEP GOAL.
HOPEFULLY, AT THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR, WE WANT TO SEE SOME GROWTH AND DEFINITELY MEASURING LOOKING AT THOSE SPECIFIC GROUPS OF STUDENTS, LIKE I SAID, WHEN WE LOOK AT PROGRESS REPORTS, HOW ARE THEY DOING? ARE THEY REGRESSING? ARE THEY PROGRESSING ON THE CURRICULUM? WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THOSE STUDENTS IN THAT AREA AND HELP THOSE CAMPUSES TO MONITOR THAT.
>> THANK YOU. VERY HELPFUL. GREAT WORK.
I LOVE YOUR WORD SCAFFOLDING, BECAUSE I THINK THAT ACTUALLY PROBABLY APPLIES TO MANY MORE STUDENTS THAN JUST THE SPECIAL POPULATION.
BUT IT'S SO NUANCED TO WHAT YOU'RE DESCRIBING BECAUSE IF WE WANT TO SAY THAT EDUCATIONAL SCAFFOLDING IS ESSENTIALLY APPLICABLE TO ALL OUR STUDENTS.
IF AN IEP, WHICH CAN BE AS SIMPLE AS,
[01:25:03]
TAKE A BREAK EVERY 30 MINUTES, SOMETHING LIKE THAT? HOW DO WE IN A NUANCED WAY, THINK ABOUT THE DEMANDS OF OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION POPULATION WHILE ALSO ADDRESSING THIS FUNDAMENTAL PART OF EDUCATING ANYONE, WHICH IS SCAFFOLDING, RELATIVE FOR A GENERAL CURRICULUM.>> THAT IS A REALLY GOOD QUESTION. HERE'S THE ANSWER.
MOST OF THE SCHOOLS AND MOST OF THE CLASSROOMS IN THE NATION, WHEN THEY HAVE STRUGGLING POPULATIONS, WHETHER IT BE SPECIAL NEEDS OR OTHER KIDS WHO ARE NOT SPECIAL NEEDS, BUT STRUGGLE A GRADE BEHIND OR TWO GRADES BEHIND.
ALMOST ALWAYS, WHAT YOU SEE IS A DUMPING DOWN OF THE CURRICULUM OR NOT TEACHING AT GRADE LEVEL.
YOU PULL OUT SCAFFOLDING AND IT'S THE RIGHT ONE BECAUSE THE ONLY WAY TO TEACH KIDS GRADE LEVEL INSTRUCTION WHEN THEY ARE ONE OR TWO YEARS BEHIND ARE TWO THINGS.
ONE IS SCAFFOLDING, REALLY GOOD SCAFFOLDING, AND THE OTHER IS DIFFERENTIATION OF THE INSTRUCTION, AND THAT'S IT.
SOME PEOPLE OBVIOUSLY DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT THAT'S WHAT WE DO IN SPADES, AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE GETTING THE SCORES WE GET.
>> ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? GREAT. THANK YOU.
>> WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON THEN TO CONSTRAINTS.
SUPERINTENDENT? YOU GOT THE FLOOR AGAIN.
I THINK WE HAVE TWO CONSTRAINTS.
THESE ARE CONSTRAINTS ON PROGRESS MEASURE 2.
SOMEONE DOING CONSTRAINTS FOR YOU?
>> [LAUGHTER] CONSTRAINT NUMBER TWO IS NO NEGATIVE IMPACT ON IPS.
HOW ARE WE MEASURING THAT? WHEN WE CAME IN, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE SAW AND REALLY SAW AN ISSUE WITH IS THAT OUR STUDENTS WEREN'T BEING EVALUATED IN A TIMELY MANNER.
WHY IS THAT SO IMPORTANT? BECAUSE LIKE YOU SAID, IF A STUDENT IS STRUGGLING, THEY'RE NOT IN SPECIAL EDUCATION WHERE THEY'RE NOT GETTING THOSE SUPPORTS, AND EITHER TEACHERS AND/OR FAMILIES ARE REQUESTING THAT THAT STUDENT TO BE EVALUATED SO THAT THEY CAN GET THE SUPPORTS THEY NEED TO ADDRESS THAT SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY.
WHEN WE CAME IN, WE SAW THAT THAT WASN'T HAPPENING.
WE DIDN'T HAVE SYSTEMS ACROSS THE DISTRICT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS WERE GETTING EVALUATED TO MEET THE TIMELINESS OF THE LAW.
OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, WE HAVE SEEN GREAT GROWTH IN THERE.
RIGHT NOW OUT OF THE 3,392 INITIAL RD MEETINGS, WE MISSED ONE REQUIRED TIMELINE ACROSS THE DISTRICT, AND WE'RE ACTUALLY SENT THAT ONE IN TO TEA FOR CLARIFICATION, SO WE'RE IN THE PROCESS, THAT CLARIFICATION WINDOW, I THINK, JUST OPEN, SO WE'LL BE SENDING THAT IN.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR CLARIFICATION? TEA WILL LOOK AT THAT ONE STUDENT AND DETERMINE IF THE EVIDENCE THAT WE SUBMIT MEETS THE CRITERIA THAT WE COULD POSSIBLY BE 100%.
WE'LL HEAR FROM THAT I'M SURE IN THE NEXT MONTH, AND WE ARE HOPING THAT WE'RE GOING TO MAKE THAT 100%.
BECAUSE THE STAFF HAS REALLY WORKED REALLY HARD TO GET THE SYSTEM IN PLACE.
THE OTHER THING THAT WE DO IS WE CONDUCT A FOLDER REVIEW ACROSS ALL CAMPUSES IN HISD.
WE STARTED THIS TO TRY TO GET A BASELINE ON REALLY, HOW ARE WE DOING WHEN IT CAME TO IEP COMPLIANCE? WHY IS THAT SO IMPORTANT THAT WE'RE COMPLIANT IN WRITING IPS? BECAUSE WHATEVER IS IN THAT PLAN IS ACTUALLY GOING TO HELP THAT STUDENT MEET THAT GROWTH EXPECTATION THAT WE JUST SAW IN THE SLIDES ABOVE.
BECAUSE IF THEY HAVE A WELL WRITTEN PLAN AND THEY'RE GETTING THE ACCOMMODATIONS AND THE SUPPORTS OUTLINED IN THE PLAN, THEN THEY'RE GOING TO ACHIEVE.
WE LOOKED AT OVER ALMOST 3,000 IPS LAST SCHOOL YEAR, AND WHAT WE DO WITH THAT INFORMATION IS, WE COME BACK, WE LOOK AT HOW EACH CAMPUS DID.
[01:30:02]
EVERY CAMPUS GETS WHAT WE CALL THEIR FILE REVIEW SUMMARY TO SEE EXACTLY WHERE THEIR GAPS WERE.THEN WE HAVE SPECIAL EDUCATION UNIT TEAMS THAT SUPPORT IN EACH DIVISION.
THEY WORK WITH THE CAMPUSES ELBOW TO ELBOW TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND, WHERE DID THEY MEET THE MARK SO THAT THEY HAVE A BETTER SCORE NEXT FILE REVIEW.
OUR PRINCIPALS, THERE'S STILL AREAS OF GROWTH IN THAT.
HOWEVER, WE HAVE SEEN GREAT GROWTH IN THIS PROCESS BECAUSE PRINCIPALS WERE NEVER GETTING FEEDBACK ON HOW THEY WERE DOING.
IT'S GOOD FOR US TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THEM AND SAY, HEY, YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB IN THESE AREAS, HOWEVER, HERE, YOU MAY HAVE A GAP, AND THEN WE PROVIDE THAT TARGETED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
IF WE SEE THAT IT'S SOMETHING SYSTEMIC ACROSS THE DISTRICT, THEN WE PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE WHOLE DISTRICT ALONG WITH THAT TARGETED SUPPORT TO THE CAMPUSES.
WE'LL CONTINUE THAT FOR THIS YEAR.
WE ARE NOW GOING TO HEAR FROM OUR REMAINING REGISTERED SPEAKERS.
WE'LL BEGIN WITH THE IN-PERSON PERSON SPEAKERS FOLLOWED BY THE ZOOM SPEAKER.
MS. SMITH, WILL YOU SET UP THE QUEUE, PLEASE?
>> YES. I'D LIKE TO CALL B-GROUP SPEAKERS ONE THROUGH TEN TO THE BEGINNING, TO THE FRONT ROW.
SPEAKER NUMBER 1, [INAUDIBLE], PLEASE GO AHEAD [APPLAUSE].
IS [INAUDIBLE] PRESENT? START WITH NUMBER 1, SPEAKER NUMBER TWO.
KATHY BEASLEY. SPEAKER NUMBER 3, SEBASTIAN GOMEZ.
>> HELLO. GOOD EVENING, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
THANK YOU. MY NAME IS SEBASTIAN GOMEZ, CO FOUNDER OF GRID LLC, AND HIZ ELEMENT.
DODSON ELEMENTARY IN EAST DOWNTOWN HAS SAT IDLE FOR SEVEN YEARS, COSTLY TO MAINTAIN, DILAPIDATED, AND A MISSED OPPORTUNITY.
WITH HISD EXPECTED TO CLOSE DOZENS OF SCHOOLS IN 2026, WE ASK, MUST EVERY CAMPUS SIT IDLE AND DECAY.
OUR PROPOSAL KEEPS HISD OWNERSHIP, REQUIRES NO TAXPAYER CAPITAL AND DELIVERS ABOUT $400,000 A YEAR IN RENT PER SIMILAR REFURBISHED BUILDINGS, DEDICATED TO HISD PROGRAMS, FUNDING TEACHERS, AFTER SCHOOL STEM, COLLEGE AID, SAFETY UPGRADES, AND PUTTING COMPUTERS DIRECTLY INTO THE HANDS OF UNDERPRIVILEGED STUDENTS.
GRID, THE GOMEZ REALTY INVESTMENT DIVISION IS A FAMILY OWNED COMPANY SERVING THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON COMMUNITY SINCE 2022.
>> HI. DORCAS HAND, RETIRED SCHOOL LIBRARIAN.
WITH ALL THE OTHER DUMPSTER FIRES ACROSS THE DISTRICT, I WANTED TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT LIBRARY SITUATION IS DISMAL.
DISTRICT 4, ELECTION DISTRICT 4 HAS ONE SCHOOL LIBRARY ACROSS 28 CAMPUSES.
DISTRICT 2 HAS ONLY TWO SCHOOL LIBRARIES FOR 42 CAMPUSES.
HOW CAN ANYONE THINK STUDENTS WILL LEARN TO READ WITH BROAD COMPREHENSION WITHOUT ANY ACCESS TO FULL BOOKS AND CHOICES IN WHAT THEY READ? YOU SHOW LIBRARIES IN YOUR CUTE LITTLE VIDEO EARLIER LIKE THEY'RE IN EVERY SCHOOL.
THE KIDS MAY BE LEARNING HOW TO PASS THE STAR, BUT THEY ARE NOT LEARNING THE SKILLS THAT WILL LET THEM SUCCEED IN COLLEGE OR LIFE.
YOU ON THE BOARD OF MANAGERS SIT UP HIGH BUT HAVE MINIMAL CONNECTION TO THE ACTUAL RESIDENTS OF THESE ECONOMICALLY CHALLENGED AREAS OF TOWN.
AN ELECTED BOARD MUST LISTEN TO THEIR CONSTITUENTS.
[01:35:06]
>> THANK YOU. IT REMINDS YOU HAVE A MINUTE TO SPEAK AND THEN YOU'RE DONE, OKAY? [APPLAUSE].
I'M GOING TO REMIND THE REST OF THE SPEAKERS YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE TO SPEAK, AND AFTER THAT, THE MITE GOES OFF AND WE'LL GIVE YOU ONE WARNING.
IF I GIVE YOU TWO WARNINGS, YOU'LL BE REMOVED FROM THE MEETING, OKAY? WE'RE GOING TO RESPECT THE TIME, AND WE'LL RESPECT WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU.
>> SPEAKER NUMBER 4, LISA ROBINSON, FOLLOWED BY NUMBER 6, CHARLES COLLINS.
>> LISA ROBINSON, RETIRED MEDIA SPECIALIST.
TWO THIRDS OF OUR SCHOOLS HAVE LOST THEIR LIBRARIES, INCLUDING MOST OF THE SCHOOLS OF THOSE PRINCIPALS OF THE YEAR WE JUST HEARD ABOUT.
HERE IS A PARTIAL LIST, 124 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS INCLUDING ALCOTT, ALMEDA, ASHFORD, ASKEW, ATHERTON, BARRICK, BASTIAN, BELL, BENAVIDEZ, BENBROOK, BERRY, BLACKSHEAR, BONHAM, BONNER, BRAEBURN, BRISCOE, BROOKLINE, BROWNING, BRUCE, BURRIS, CAGE, CARRILLO, CODWELL.
MORE. THIRTY-FIVE MIDDLE SCHOOLS, INCLUDING ATTUCKS, BAYLOR, BURBANK, CLIFTON, COLIN, DEADY, EDISON, FLEMING, FONDREN, FONVILLE, FOREST BROOK, GREGORY LINCOLN, HARTMAN, HENRY, HOLLAND, KEY, LAS AMERICAS, LAWSON, LONG, MANDARIN, MARSHALL, MCREYNOLDS AND MORE.
TWENTY-EIGHT HIGH SCHOOLS, INCLUDING AUSTIN, EASTWOOD.
>> GOOD EVENING. BOARD, CHARLES COLLINS, FORMER TEACHER AT [INAUDIBLE] COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL.
I WANT TO BEGIN BY THANKING THE BOARD FOR VOTING TO OVERTURN MY NON-RENEWAL BACK IN DECEMBER OF 2024.
HOWEVER, I WAS NEVER OFFERED A CONTRACT, AND MY EMPLOYMENT WAS NEVER REINSTATED.
I WAS INSTEAD HARASSED, INTIMIDATED, AND MET WITH THREATS OF TERMINATION FROM HISD CENTRAL DIVISION LEADERSHIP.
RECENTLY, I FILED A COMPLAINT IN FEDERAL COURT IN PART BECAUSE THREE SEPARATE UNPAID LEAVE REQUESTS WERE FALSELY APPROVED IN MY NAME WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE OR CONSENT.
THERE IS OVER $9,000 IN PERSONAL LEAVE, DEDUCTIONS, AND OVER 22,000 IN FALSE OVERPAYMENTS FOR PAYROLL TRANSACTIONS.
I HAD ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO. [INAUDIBLE]
>> ME AGAIN. I DON'T LIVE IN THIS DISTRICT, BUT I DID HAVE TO VOTE FOR THE BONDS.
THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK.
I WASN'T SURE WHERE SENATE BILL 12 WOULD LAND TONIGHT IF YOU WERE ACTUALLY GOING TO MAKE IT TO THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
ONE MINUTE IS NOT LONG ENOUGH FOR US TO SPEAK ON ANYTHING, LET ALONE THE AGENDA ITEMS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO SPEAK ON.
I WANT TO CLARIFY THE A THROUGH F ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEMS FOR THESE PARENTS.
2022, THE RAW SCORES OF THE STAR TEST RESULTS REEVES.
2023, THE PERCENT IMPROVEMENT OF THE STAR TEST SCORES REEVES.
THAT IS A VERY DIFFERENT WAY TO CALCULATE A THROUGH F. WHICH MEANS PARENTS, THE TE TAKEOVER DID NOT IMPROVE THE DISTRICT IN TWO YEARS.
THE WORK OF OUR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS DID.
GOALS DON'T MATTER IF OUR STUDENTS AREN'T TAKEN CARE OF.
I'M WEARING THE SHIRT FOR A REASON.
YESTERDAY WAS NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY.
IF OUR KIDS ARE BULLIED, IF OUR KIDS ARE [INAUDIBLE].
>> THESE ARE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR THE BOARD OF MANAGERS.
THOU SHALT NOT ASK WHY SCHOOLS WITH LIBRARIES CONTINUE TO EXCEL.
THOU SHALT NOT ASK WHY TRANSPORTATION CONTINUES TO BE MISMANAGED.
THOU SHALT NOT ASK WHY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN ARE SAFELY TRANSPORTED.
THOU SHALT NOT ASK HOW SURROUNDING SCHOOL DISTRICT IMPROVE WITH LIBRARIES AND FIELD TRIPS.
THOU SHALT NOT ASK THE NUMBER OF UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS VERSUS THE CERTIFIED TEACHERS.
[01:40:05]
THOU SHALT NOT ASK HOW MUCH HISD SPENDS ON PR INSTEAD OF ACTUAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.THOU SHALT NOT ASK WHY TEACHERS, EVERYONE ON CAMPUS, ARE NOT TREATED WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT.
BECAUSE IF YOU DO ASK ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS TO THE BOARD OF MANAGERS, YOU'LL BE GONE.
I WEAR A WRINKLE SHIRT BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT HISD STANDS FOR.
>> WE HAVE SPEAKERS 10 THROUGH 20, PLEASE MOVE TO THE FRONT ROW.
THANK YOU. SPEAKERS 10 THROUGH 20, PLEASE MOVE TO THE FRONT ROW.
>> MILES CAN'T TOLERATE ANY INDEPENDENCE OF SCHOOLS, SO HIS NEW BUDGET POLICY ELIMINATES ALL DECENTRALIZATION AND AVENUES FOR COMMUNITY INPUT.
YOU ARE AGAIN ASKED TO GIVE AWAY YOUR POWER THROUGH POLICY THAT GIVES MILES ABSOLUTE DISCRETION.
CHANGES TO THE BUDGET POLICY ELIMINATE ALMOST FOUR PAGES OF PROCESS DESCRIPTION, AND WHAT REMAINS IS A BLACK BOX WITH NO DEFINED INPUTS AND ONLY ONE OUTPUT THAT THE BUDGET SUPPORT THE SUPERINTENDENT'S KEY ACTION PLAN.
THE BUDGET WILL APPEAR BEFORE YOU EACH JUNE MEETING, AND YOU'LL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO APPROVE IT BECAUSE STATE LAW REQUIRES BUDGET ADOPTION BY JUNE 30.
MILES ELIMINATES QUARTERLY BUDGET TO ACTUAL REPORTS.
HE ELIMINATES THE GOAL OF THREE MONTHS' OPERATING EXPENSES MAINTAINED AS A CASH RESERVE.
HE CHANGES BUDGET AMENDMENTS FROM MONTHLY TO AS NEEDED.
MILES' BUDGET MESSAGE TO YOU IS [INAUDIBLE].
>> GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS ANGELA KELLY, AND I TAUGHT AT DURHAM ELEMENTARY FOR OVER 10 YEARS BEFORE THE DISTRICT DECIDED TO REMOVE ME BASED ON TO PROTECT THE CULTURE.
IN THE VIDEO THAT YOU SHARED EARLIER, WE SAW SMILING KIDS AND PERFECTLY CONTENT TEACHERS.
ONE PERSON EVEN COMPARED THE EXPERIENCE TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL EDUCATION.
YOU PAINTED THE PICTURE OF JOY.
THE REALITY IS THAT TEACHERS ARE BEING PUSHED OUT IN THE DROVES, AND PARENTS ARE FLOODING THIS VERY BOARDROOM AND CHILDREN BECAUSE THEY ARE OUTRAGED.
THE TRUTH IS CHAOTIC AND PAINFUL, AND NO STAGED HIGHLIGHT REEL CAN ERASE THAT.
EVERY LAST MINUTE, POORLY COMMUNICATED CHANGE, EVERY PARENT FORCED TO BEG FOR STABILITY.
EVERY TEACHER STRIPPED FROM THEIR CLASSROOM EXPOSES THE LIE BEHIND THE DISTRICT'S SHINY PR.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THAT VIDEO AND WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THIS ROOM AND EVERY BOARD MEETING IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FICTION AND TRUTH.
THE TRUTH IS, WE ARE FED UP, WE ARE UNITED, AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE SILENCED.
I AM HERE TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF DURHAM ELEMENTARY.
THE DURHAM FAMILIES ARE NOT OPPOSED TO CHANGE.
WHAT WE'RE OPPOSED TO IS THE LAST-MINUTE DISRUPTIVE CHANGE THAT'S PUT STABILITY AND OUR CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH AT RISK.
JUST THE FIRST WEEKS OF SCHOOL, WE'VE SEEN TRUSTS TEACHERS REASSIGNED OVERNIGHT, JUST LIKE MY DAUGHTER'S TEACHER, MS. KELLY, WHO SPOKE.
STUDENTS LEFT WITH SUBSTITUTES INSTEAD OF INSTRUCTION, AND EVEN OUR LIBRARY DISMANTLE TO MAKE WAY FOR A TEAM CENTER THAT COULD HAVE BEEN PLACED IN ALREADY EMPTY CLASSROOMS. THESE ARE NOT SIGNS OF INNOVATION.
THESE ARE SIGNS OF DISRUPTION.
THE CHILDREN WHO ONLY GET ONE CHANCE AT THIS GRADE AND THIS YEAR ARE THE ONES WHO ARE PAYING THE PRICE.
DURHAM'S NOT FAILING. IN FACT, OUR STUDENTS ARE ALREADY OUTPERFORMING NES SCHOOLS, LIKE YOU HEARD EARLIER ON THE STAR EXAMS. BUILD ON THE FOUNDATION, DO NOT DEMOLISH IT. THANK YOU.
>> GOOD EVENING, TRUSTEES AND SUPERINTENDENT.
I'M THE PRESIDENT OF THE MADISON HIGH SCHOOL FFA ALUMNI CHAPTER.
FOR THOSE WHO MAY BE UNAWARE OF WHAT FFA STANDS FOR, IT'S FUTURE FARMERS OF AMERICA.
IT'S THE INTEGRAL COMPONENT OF HIGH SCHOOL QUALITY EDUCATION, AGRICULTURE EDUCATION PROGRAMS, AND THE LARGEST CTSO IN TEXAS.
I'M HERE TO EXPRESS MY DEEP CONCERN ABOUT THE LACK OF SUPPORT AND RESOURCES, NOT ONLY FROM MADISON HIGH SCHOOL'S AGRICULTURE PROGRAM, BUT MANY OF OUR PROGRAMS DISTRICT-WIDE.
I'M JOINED BY TWO OF THE AMAZING YOUNG LEADERS AND OFFICERS OF THE MADISON HIGH SCHOOL FFA, PRESIDENT CINDY HERNANDEZ AND MR. CHRISTIAN RIVERA, OUR TREASURER.
[APPLAUSE] THEY MISSED THEIR FALL MEETING TO BE HERE THIS EVENING.
[01:45:02]
IN ADDITION TO OUR STUDENTS, OUR TEACHERS ARE EXTRAORDINARY, SACRIFICING THEIR TIME, HEALTH, AND PERSONAL FINANCES TO GIVE STUDENTS OPPORTUNITIES THIS DISTRICT SHOULD BE PROVIDING.I'VE PERSONALLY SEEN THEM AT THE BARN BEFORE SCHOOL, AFTER SCHOOL, AND EVERY WEEKEND.
THIS SUMMER ON UNPAID TIME, MADISON SENT THE LARGEST GROUP OF INTERCITY STUDENTS TO THE STATE FFA CONVENTION IN FORT WORTH, TEXAS ENTERED A NATIONAL CHAPTER GOLD RATING AND AWARD LESS THAN 1% OF TEXAS PROGRAMS ACHIEVE.
THIS WAS BECAUSE OF THE TEACHERS' SACRIFICES, NOT HISD [INAUDIBLE] OUR STUDENTS DESERVE BETTER [INAUDIBLE] THE PICTURES THAT YOU SEE, THEY'RE IN TREMBLES [INAUDIBLE] THANK YOU.
I LIVE ON THE NORTH SIDE, AND MY KID IS A FUTURE STUDENT AT JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY, WHICH IS CURRENTLY AN NES SCHOOL.
I'M A DATA SCIENTIST. I'VE SPENT NEARLY 20 YEARS STUDYING THE SCIENCE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES.
I GOT INTO THIS WORK BECAUSE I WAS RAISED BY A SINGLE MOM WHO LITERALLY STRUGGLED TO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON.
AS A DATA SCIENTIST, I ALSO KNOW HOW TO SPOT DATA MANIPULATION.
RECENTLY, THIS BOARD ELIMINATED ON-CAMPUS WRAP-AROUND SPECIALISTS, A PROGRAM THAT RESEARCH SHOWS IMPROVES EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES.
ACCESS TO RESOURCES INSIDE OF SCHOOLS IS WHAT CREATES THOSE POSITIVE OUTCOMES, EVEN TEST SCORES.
ELIMINATING THIS PROGRAM IN A DISTRICT WHERE 80% OF STUDENTS ARE CONSIDERED ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED, AND FORCING FAMILIES TO TRAVEL, IS EXACTLY WHAT THE ORIGINAL RESEARCH WARNED AGAINST.
NOW, HISD IS INVITING BUSINESS LEADERS TO COME AND ADOPT SCHOOLS IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, BUT TO FUND PEP RALLIES AND BEAUTIFICATION, WHAT OUR KIDS NEED [INAUDIBLE].
>> HI, I'M CHRISTI MICHELLE BREWSTER, YOUR RETIRED SCHOOL NURSE CERTIFIED EMERITUS.
FLOYD. IS THIS WHAT WE'RE GOING NOW TO, HOUSTON HISD? FORCING TEACHERS TO NOT FOLLOW THE TEXAS EDUCATION CODE, BUT FOLLOW YOUR NON-EDUCATING STUDENT CURRICULUM? IF THEY SPEAK UP FOR GOD FORBID, DO A GRIEVANCE, THEN YOU'RE ASSIGNED TO HOME DUTY.
YOU REMEMBER DURHAM? YOU REMEMBER BENBROOK? FLOYD. WHAT'S WITH THIS QUACKING AND PACKING OF CLASS? IS PUTTING CERTAIN KIDS IN CERTAIN CLASSES? ARE YOU AVOIDING GETTING THEM READY FOR THE TEST? ARE YOU TRYING TO GET SOME EXTRA POINTS FOR THE CCMR? FLOYD. WHY DO YOU NOT HAVE JOY IN YOUR LITTLE LIFE THAT YOU WOULD TAKE AWAY JOY AT THE CAMPUSES? WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE FIELD TRIP SITUATION? NOW, YOU HAD A HATED CHILDHOOD.
YOU SHOULD HAVE VISITED THE THERAPIST.
IF THIS IS YOUR GAME PLAN, GAME ON.
>> HELLO. PLEASE STOP REFERRING TO STUDENTS IN HISD AS OUR KIDS.
YOU DENY MY CHILDREN'S LIVED EXPERIENCES.
THEY WILL NEVER BE YOUR CHILDREN BECAUSE WE DID NOT ELECT YOU.
YOU COULD HAVE APPROACHED THIS TAKEOVER WITH HUMILITY AND GRACE, ASKING THE COMMUNITY WHAT IT NEEDS.
INSTEAD, YOU JUST WHINE ABOUT HOW WE NEED TO BE PATIENT.
EXCEPT YOU TAKE NO GUIDANCE FROM THE COMMUNITY, YOU JUST LOWER THE BAR, SAYING, BUT THE ADMINISTRATION BEFORE US WAS BAD.
WHAT'S YOUR POINT? IS THAT AN EXCUSE FOR WHY YOU ALL ARE SO LESS BAD? YOU COULD HAVE DONE THE MATURE, SMART THING AND TRIED TO LEARN FROM PAST DISTRICT MISSTEPS.
BUT NO, YOU WANTED TO BE PIONEERS AND MAKE ALL BRAND NEW MISTAKES.
NO. WONDER WHY HOUSTON SAID NO TO THE BOND.
HOW IN THE WORLD COULD WE POSSIBLY TRUST PEOPLE TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WHEN WE ALL HAD TO SIT HERE AND WASTE OUR TIME BECAUSE RECAPTURE HAD TO BE EXPLAINED TO THE BOARD OVER AND OVER AGAIN?
>> HI. TOM HURLEY, FORMER ASKIE PARENT.
I WANT TO TALK TONIGHT ABOUT THE SUPER PRETENDANT.
BECAUSE LET'S BE HONEST, THIS IS A FARCE.
WE DON'T HAVE A SUPERINTENDENT.
WE DON'T HAVE A BOARD OF MANAGERS.
YOU RUBBER-STAMP WHATEVER HE PUTS IN FRONT OF YOU, AND IF YOU DISSENT, YOU'RE REPLACED.
LET'S NOT PRETEND, JUST ADMIT THIS IS A ONE-MAN SHOW.
ENROLLMENT IN HISD IS COLLAPSING.
THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES ARE LEAVING SINCE THE TAKEOVER STARTED.
WHILE SURROUNDING DISTRICTS IN THE STATE GROW.
[01:50:03]
INSTEAD OF LEARNING HOW TO LEAD, THE SUPER PRETENDANT HAD HIS CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENT WAIVED, AT THE SAME TIME, FIRING 400 TEACHERS FOR NOT BEING CERTIFIED.THEY TRIED TO MEET THE STANDARD.
HE JUST PRETENDS. WHY WOULD ANYONE ELSE WANT THEIR NAME ATTACHED TO THIS DISASTER? LET HIM GO IT ALONE.
THE FAMILIES ARE LEAVING, THE TEACHERS ARE LEAVING, AND THE TRUST IS LEAVING.
THE ONLY THING GROWING IN HISD IS [INAUDIBLE].
COULD SPEAKERS 20 THROUGH 25 MOVE TO THE FRONT ROW, PLEASE?
>> GOOD EVENING, I'M DIANA CANDIDA.
NEVER MAKE A DECISION THAT HELPS THE ACCOUNTABILITY RATING BUT HARMS THE KIDS.
MIKE MILES SHOULD TAKE THIS TO HEART.
STUDENTS ACROSS THE DISTRICT ARE BEING FORCED INTO THE WRONG CLASS BECAUSE OF DEEPLY FLAWED LISTS FROM THE DISTRICT.
LISTS BASED SOLELY ON STAR AND MAP SCORES.
AT ONE NES MIDDLE SCHOOL, 12 STUDENTS, WHOSE IEPS REQUIRE SPECIAL ED SUPPORT, WERE FORCED INTO HONORS ALGEBRA.
WHEN STAFF RAISED CONCERNS, THE TEACHERS WERE ALL REASSIGNED.
AT OTHER SCHOOLS, SPECIAL EDUCATION NINTH GRADERS WHO FAILED STAR AND SCORED AT THE VERY BOTTOM ON MAP WE PLACED IN PRE-AP CLASSES IN CLEAR VIOLATION OF THEIR IEPS.
MEANWHILE, STRONG STUDENTS ARE BEING SHUT OUT OF RIGOROUS COURSES.
FOR SOME STUDENTS VIEWED AS UNLIKELY TO GET A CCMR POINT, OTHERWISE, ALGEBRA TWO WAS REPLACED WITH ALGEBRAIC REASONING, A REMEDIAL TSI PREP CLASS USED TO BOOST CCMR SCORES, AND THE SCHOOL'S RATINGS.
>> I'LL CONTINUE. THE STUDENT WHO SPOKE EARLIER LOVES MATH, IS GOOD AT IT, AND DREAMS OF A STEM CAREER.
THE DISTRICT FORCED HER SCHOOL TO DEMOTE HER DOWN FROM ALGEBRA 2 TO REMEDIAL TSI PREP.
THAT IS LOWERING EXPECTATIONS OF HIGH-PERFORMING KIDS, EXACTLY OPPOSITE OF WHAT YOU PONTIFICATED ABOUT.
TEACHERS HAVE BEEN REASSIGNED TO TEACH AP WITHOUT TRAINING, AND SOME SCHOOLS TURNED EVERY SINGLE CORE CLASS INTO HONORS TO ACCOMMODATE SPECIAL ED STUDENTS WITH SINGLE-DIGIT MAP SCORES.
THIS IS NOT EXPANDING ACCESS, IT'S SETTING STUDENTS AND TEACHERS UP TO FAIL.
IT'S PLACING PROPAGANDA BEFORE ALL ELSE.
IF YOU PUT STUDENT NEEDS, STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, IN ADVANCED COURSES TO CLAIM INCREASED ENROLLMENT, THEN FIRE TEACHERS WHEN OUTCOMES PREDICTABLY FALL SHORT, THEN YOU DENY MOTIVATED STUDENTS THE RIGOROUS CLASSES THEY WANT TO ARTIFICIALLY INFLICT. THIS IS NOT [INAUDIBLE]
>> THANK YOU. YOUR TIME IS UP.
>> HOW COME YOU ARE SHOCKED THAT THERE ARE BOARD MEMBERS WHO DID NOT KNOW THAT THERE IS A SPECIAL ED ON EVERY CAMPUS.
>> YOU CAN COME TO THE PODIUM AND HAVE YOUR MINUTE.
>> YEAH, FOR THREE YEARS, AND YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT YET. BLESS YOUR HEART.
LAST NIGHT, THE COMMISSION ON THE STATE TAKEOVER OF HISD, WHICH IS CO-CHAIRED BY STATE SENATOR MULLY COOK AND STATE REPRESENTATIVE LAUREN SIMMONS, HELD THE FIRST LISTENING SESSION TO HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE REAL IMPACT OF THE TAKEOVER.
COMMISSION MEMBERS INCLUDE LOCAL AND NATIONAL, WHO STUDY TAKEOVERS, WHO HAVE SEEN DAMAGE TAKEOVERS DO, AND EVEN THEY WERE SHOCKED BY WHAT THEY HEARD.
THE COMMISSION WILL BE PRODUCING SEVERAL REPORTS TO ELIMINATE THE TRUTH ABOUT THE TAKEOVER, RAISE NATIONAL AWARENESS OF THE HARMON IS DOING AND INFORM FUTURE LEGISLATION.
I AM HERE TO SPEAK TO THE TEACHERS, STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ARE TIRED OF SPEAKING TO THIS BOARD THAT DOESN'T LISTEN TO YOU AND ACCUSES YOU OF PLAYING POLITICS WHEN YOU BRING THEM YOUR CONCERNS.
THE COMMISSION'S NEXT LISTENING SESSION WILL BE OCTOBER 8TH AT SIX O'CLOCK AT FIRST UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH.
YOU CAN SPEAK PUBLICLY OR YOU CAN SUBMIT YOUR TESTIMONY ANONYMOUSLY ONLINE AT HISDTAKEOVER.COM.
COME BE HEARD FOR A CHANGE. [APPLAUSE]
>> HELLO. MY NAME IS MICHELLE WILLIAMS. I'M A TEACHER.
I'M THE UNION PRESIDENT, AND I AM RUNNING FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE IN HOUSE DISTRICT 127.
[01:55:05]
I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS FOR YOU-ALL.WHY ARE HISD TEACHERS BEING USED TO SELL NES AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP OF TEXAS? THAT'S A CHARTER DISTRICT.
THE CHARTER DISTRICT BOUGHT COPYRIGHTED STRATEGIES.
I KNOW BECAUSE I FILED A CLAIM WITH THE US COPYRIGHT OFFICE ABOUT THEM, AND I WANT TO KNOW WHO RECEIVED THE MONEY, AND WHERE'S THAT MONEY GOING FROM THE STRATEGIES? BECAUSE ONE OF THEIR EMPLOYEES TOLD ME THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION USE THE HISD TEACHERS TO GO SELL IT OVER THERE.
I WANT TO KNOW WHERE THAT MONEY IS.
ALSO, HISD WILL BE ON THE BALLOT.
>> GOOD EVENING. I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF PATRICE, A PARENT WHO COULD NOT BE HERE.
FOR THREE WEEKS, PARTS OF THE RHISE SCHOOL HAD NO AIR CONDITIONING.
OUR CHILDREN HAVE BEEN SITTING IN SWELTERING CLASSROOMS, TRYING TO LEARN WHILE DRENCHED IN SWEAT, AND OUR TEACHERS HAVE BEEN FORCED TO PUSH THROUGH UNSAFE AND UNFAIR CONDITIONS.
THIS IS NOT JUST UNCOMFORTABLE, IT IS UNACCEPTABLE.
ON TOP OF THAT, INADEQUATE LIGHTING IN CLASSROOMS MAKES IT HARD FOR OUR CHILDREN TO READ, TO FOCUS, AND TO FEEL MOTIVATED.
IMAGINE TRYING TO LEARN MULTIPLICATION OR WRITE AN ESSAY WHEN YOU CAN BARELY SEE YOUR OWN WORK.
OUR CHILDREN DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS.
EVERY DAY WE ASK OUR STUDENTS TO SHOW UP, TO WORK HARD, AND TO SUCCEED, BUT RIGHT NOW, THE ENVIRONMENT WE'RE GIVING THEM IS SETTING THEM UP FOR STRUGGLE.
IF WE TRULY BELIEVE THAT EDUCATION IS THE FOUNDATION OF OUR FUTURE, THEN WE MUST SHOW IT BY PROVIDING SAFE, COOL, AND WELL LIT CLASSROOMS.
>> ON JULY 1ST, HISD BEGAN USING SELF-HELP SERVICES AND AI SOLUTIONS TO REPLACE THE ABILITY OF STAFF TO USE IT SERVICE DESK SUPPORT.
STUDENTS ARE BEING FORCED TO USE TABLETS AND COMPUTERS FOR DOLS MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY.
THE SCHOOL ELECTRONICS ARE GETTING HEAVILY USED AND ALREADY HAVING TROUBLE KEEPING UP WITH DEMAND.
IT'S PROVING A PATTERN WHERE YOU FIRE A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHILE WATCHING THE AREA THEY WORKED IN BREAK APART.
ACS HAVEN'T BEEN WORKING SINCE LAST YEAR LIKE BETTY ROSS'S CAFETERIA OR RHISE'S CLASSROOMS THAT HAVE GONE WITHOUT FOR THE LAST THREE WEEKS.
YOU CAN'T EXPECT THE BEST FROM TEACHERS IF YOU DON'T PROVIDE THEM WITH ANY SUPPORT. THANK YOU.
>> ALSO, COULD WE GET THE TIMER TO ACTUALLY SAY THE TIME BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE REALLY GREAT.
YOU WANT ME TO WATCH THAT CLOCK WHILE I'M READING?
>> WE'LL WORK ON THAT. THANK YOU.
>> GOOD EVENING. I'M A NATIVE HOUSTONIAN.
I HAVE DEEP TIES TO THE CITY AND HISD.
I AM A HISD ALUM, THE DAUGHTER OF A RETIRED HISD TEACHER AND THE PARENT OF AN HISD STUDENT.
I HAVE A MASTER'S AND EDUCATIONAL DEGREE IN EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PROVIDES PSYCHO-SOCIAL SUPPORT TO CHILDREN IN HOSPITALS.
I SAY WITH DEEP CONVICTION THAT THE CURRICULUM AND METHODOLOGY UTILIZED BY THE DISTRICT IS NOT DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE.
CHILDREN ARE DOING ENDLESS WORKSHEETS WITHOUT APPROPRIATE BREAKS.
THEY RACE AGAINST TIMERS AND TEACHERS CAN'T CIRCLE BACK WITH EXPLANATION OR PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS.
THERE IS NO TIME FOR EXPLORATION, HANDS ON ACTIVITIES, GROUP WORK OR PACING.
MATERIALS ARE BORING, LACK CONTEXT, AND ARE RIDDLED WITH ERRORS.
HIGHLY EXPERIENCED AND QUALIFIED TEACHERS ARE LEAVING IN DROVES AND FAMILIES ARE FOLLOWING THEM.
OUR CHILDREN ARE BEING TALKED AT RATHER THAN ENCOURAGED TO USE THEIR CURIOSITY AND TALENTS.
WE CAN DO SO MUCH BETTER FOR OUR CHILDREN.
I JUST HAVE NO WORDS FOR WHAT YOU'VE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN TO OUR DISTRICT.
>> GOOD EVENING, STEPHANIE MYERS, COMMUNITY MEMBER AND HISD ALUM.
I WANT A DISTRICT WHERE STUDENTS CAN FEEL SAFE.
INSTEAD, HISD ADDED HAZARDOUS BUS STOPS, INCLUDING ONE, IN THE MIDDLE OF BELWAY 8.
I WANT A DISTRICT WHERE STUDENTS CAN FEEL ASSURED
[02:00:04]
THAT TEACHERS ARE HIGHLY QUALIFIED AND CERTIFIED.INSTEAD, HISD IS WAVING CERTIFICATION. WE KNOW WHY.
IN FAVOR OF ANY WARM BODY OFF THE STREETS, I WANT A DISTRICT WHERE STUDENTS CAN BE ASSURED EVERYONE HAS ITS BEST INTERESTS AT HEART.
INSTEAD, HISD WANTS TO REMOVE ANNUAL BACKGROUND.
IN SHORT, I WANT FOR STUDENTS WHAT I RECEIVED AS AN HISD STUDENT.
MAYBE YOU DON'T THINK THEY DESERVE IT BECAUSE THEY LIVE IN THE WRONG ZIP CODE, OR THEY HAVE A LAST NAME YOU CAN'T BOTHER TO LEARN HOW TO PRONOUNCE.
I SAY YOU'RE WRONG. ALL KIDS, ALL KIDS DESERVE THE BEST WE HAVE TO OFFER.
>> WELL, I WANT TO TELL YOU SOMETHING.
I'M SO GLAD FOR YOU, SUPERINTENDENT MIKE MILES, YOU'VE MADE ME THE MOST POPULAR PERSON ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE.
GRANDPARENTS DO NOT LIKE TO JUST THROW MONEY AT PEOPLE, BUT BECAUSE ON HISTORY, ONCE AGAIN, HAS THE SAME TWO BLACK EYES, IT HAS FOR EVERY YEAR, UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP, YOU'RE DOING THE SAME MISTAKES.
WHERE'S YOUR CREW, BABY? COME ON NOW.
YOU DON'T LEAVE DEAF AND BLIND CHILDREN AT THE DARK PARKING LOT.
YOU GET A BUS SCHEDULE IN, AND YOU LAY IT IN IN THE SUMMERTIME.
YOU MAKE SURE THAT EVERY SPECIAL ED CHILD IS BEING SERVICED.
YOU MAKE SURE THAT SCHOOLS ARE STARTING AT TIME AND THAT YOU ARE BRINGING IN AND YOU'RE EXTENDING THE TIME FOR YOU TO BRING IN MORE STUDENTS.
I DON'T KNOW WHY. THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS FLUNKING BECAUSE THEY OBVIOUSLY GOT A HOLD TO YOUR NES THING [INAUDIBLE].
>> NOW WE'RE MOVING TO ZOOM SPEAKERS.
>> DR. MARIA BENZON, YOU MAY BEGIN?
>>THANK YOU. MR. MILES, THE DATA YOU PROVIDED THE BOARD OF MANAGERS IS A SIMPLISTIC VERSION OF A VERY COMPLEX UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WORKS IN SCHOOLS.
IF I WERE SITTING ON THE DESK, I WOULD BE CONCERNED THAT YOU HAVE NOT PROVIDED MORE THOROUGH DATA THAT WOULD ALLOW TRUSTEES TO MAKE THE BEST AND MOST INFORMED DECISIONS FOR OUR STUDENTS.
REFERRING TO SLIDE 6, 7, AND 8, I WOULD URGE THE BOARD TO ASK, WHY ARE RESULTS FRAMED ONLY AS TARGET MET WITHOUT SHOWING HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE STILL FAR BELOW GRADE LEVEL? HOW ARE HIGH PERFORMING SUBGROUPS MASKING UNDER PERFORMANCE FOR OTHERS? WHY EMPHASIZE PERCENTAGES INSTEAD OF RAW NUMBER OF CHILDREN WHO ACTUALLY IMPROVED? MR. MILES, THESE ARE NOT MINOR DETAILS.
THEY ARE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER THE DATA PRESENTED REFLECT TRUE STUDENT LEARNING AND READINESS OR WHETHER THEY ARE SIMPLY MEETING THE OPTICS OF PROGRESS.
IF WE WANT OUR STUDENTS TO THRIVE AS INNOVATIVE AND PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS, THEN WE NEED TO MOVE BEYOND SIMPLISTIC MEASURES AND DEMAND DATA THAT REFLECTS THE FULL REALITY OF THEIR EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE.
>> I'M SORRY. YOU'RE ECHOING VERY BADLY.
>> THANK YOU. I AM THE PARENT OF TWO HISD STUDENTS, AND I COME TO YOU TODAY, DISCUSS THE STATE OF THE DISTRICT UNDER MIKE MILES, THE SUPPOSED LEADERSHIP.
LEARNING TO READ WITH CONFIDENCE, FLUENCY, AND ANALYSIS IS A CORE PROMISE OF PUBLIC SCHOOLING.
WHAT HAS MILES DONE TO SUPPORT THAT PROMISE? HE'S CLOSED THE LIBRARIES, HE'S FIRED LIBRARIANS.
HE'S THROWN OUT TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN RESOURCES, AND FOR WHAT? TO TURN OUR LIBRARIES, THE PLACES WHERE CHILDREN GO TO HOPE AND TO DREAM, TO BE FASCINATED, TO EXPLORE THEIR CURIOSITY INTO PACKET FACTORIES AND DETENTION CENTERS FOR DISRUPTIVE STUDENTS.
THIS YEAR, 186 SCHOOLS DO NOT HAVE FUNCTIONING LIBRARIES.
[02:05:03]
THOSE STUDENTS ARE BEING ROBBED OF THEIR FUTURE OF THE PROMISE OF LITERACY, ROBBED OF THE FREEDOM TO PURSUE THEIR OWN INTERESTS, AND ROBBED OF THE RESOURCES WHICH THEIR PEERS CAN ACCESS AND WHICH TAXPAYERS PAID FOR.WHAT OF THE DEMOGRAPHICS? AT THE SCHOOLS, WHOSE LIBRARY HAVE BEEN CONFISCATED BY THIS CHARLATAN? WHO IS HE HURTING? PRIMARILY LOW INCOME STUDENTS WHO GENERALLY HAVE THE LEAST ACCESS LOOKS OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM.
IT'S DISGUSTING, AND MIKE MILES DOES NOT CARE ABOUT POOR CHILDREN [OVERLAPPING].
>> VICTORIA HOMAN BRIAN, PLEASE BEGIN.
>> I HAD WRITTEN A SPEECH, BUT I'M SO ANGRY BY WHAT WAS SAID BY THE MEMBERS OF THE DISTRICT, SORRY, THAT'S MY DAUGHTER, THAT I HAVE TO CHANGE IT.
FUNDAMENTALLY, THE DISTRICT LIED THROUGH THEIR TEETH.
I AM TELLING THAT TO YOU, BOARD OF MANAGERS, BECAUSE APPARENTLY, YOU DON'T KNOW THAT THE NES CURRICULUM CANNOT SUPPORT STUDENTS WITH IEPS AND 504S.
THE NES CURRICULUM, BY THE WAY, IS ALL DISTRICT CURRICULUM.
THEY TRY TO SEPARATE IT AND SEGREGATE IT AND SAY THAT IT'S DIFFERENT.
IT IS NOT. IT IS THE SAME THING.
I'M GOING TO READ TO YOU SOME OF THE THINGS THAT MY CHILD EXPERIENCES AND NEEDS IN HIS IEP AND HOW THE NES CURRICULUM DOES NOT, IN FACT, MEET HIS NEEDS AT ALL.
FIRST OFF, HE NEEDS MOVEMENT BREAKS BECAUSE HE HAS ADHD AND DEVELOPMENTAL COORDINATION DISORDER.
IN THE NES CURRICULUM, HE COULD NOT GET THAT.
WHEN THE DISTRICT CURRICULUM IS BEING FULLY USED, HE CANNOT GET THAT, BECAUSE THERE IS NO TIME TO SLOW DOWN AND ALLOW [OVERLAPPING].
>> THANK YOU. YOUR TIME IS UP.
>> THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION IS HIGH.
IT IS BECAUSE IT FUNDAMENTALLY MUST MEET THE TIMER BECAUSE THE TIMER IS ABOVE ALL.
>> HE'S PUSHED RESTROOM ACCESS AT ALL TIME. HE DOES NOT.
>> MINH-DAN TRAN, YOU MAY BEGIN.
>> HI. MY NAME IS MINH-DAN TRAN.
YOUR PLAN TO DEVALUE TEACHER AND ADMIN CERTIFICATIONS MIRRORS HOW LITTLE YOU VALUE A SUPERINTENDENT'S LACK OF CERTIFICATIONS.
YOU'VE CHASED AWAY OVER 8,000 HIGHLY QUALIFIED CERTIFIED TEACHERS FROM THE DISTRICT SINCE THE TAKEOVER BEGAN.
YOU'VE REASSIGNED HIGH SCORING TEACHERS WHO DON'T FALL IN STEP WITH YOUR ONE SIZE FITS ALL CURRICULUM.
FOR OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS, I'M GOING TO READ A SPEECH FROM ONE OF THESE HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS WHO WAS REASSIGNED.
TWO YEARS AGO AT THE BOARD MEETING IN SEPTEMBER OF 2023, THAT TEACHER SAID, "LOW ENROLLMENT AND LACK OF FUNDING, SEND THOSE TEACHERS TO THE EXCESS POOL.
GET RID OF DUAL LANGUAGE AND MAGNET PROGRAMS, SEND THOSE TEACHERS TO THE EXCESS POOL.
CLOSE OR TO CONSOLIDATE SCHOOLS, SEND THOSE TEACHERS TO THE EXCESS POOL.
THEN IN THE EXCESS POOL, TERMINATE THE TEACHERS." YOU'VE PROVEN THAT YOU DON'T VALUE TEACHERS AND YOU SUPPORT THE DESTRUCTION OF PUBLIC EDUCATION.
END THIS TAKEOVER YESTERDAY. THANK YOU.
>> BRIANA VAN BORSON, YOU MAY BEGIN.
BRIANA VAN BORSSUM, PLEASE TURN YOUR CAMERA ON. YOU MAY BEGIN.
>> GOOD EVENING. SUPERINTENDENT MILES IS RECENTLY QUOTED AS SAYING FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, GEOGRAPHY DOES NOT DICTATE DESTINY.
THE DATA TELLS A VERY DIFFERENT STORY.
UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP, TEACHER TURNOVER HAS SKYROCKETED TO 32% AND HIT NEARLY DOUBLE THE STATE AVERAGE.
AT ASKEW ELEMENTARY, 72% OF TEACHERS HAVE LEFT SINCE 2022.
IN JUNE ALONE, OVER 2,300 TEACHERS RESIGNED OR WERE FORCED OUT.
THIS CHAOS HITS HARDEST IN THE UNDER RESOURCED NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE STABILITY MATTERS MOST.
FAMILIES ARE VOTING WITH THEIR FEET.
AT NES SCHOOLS, ENROLLMENT HAS PLUMMETED, 2000 STUDENTS LEFT IN THE VERY FIRST WEEK, AND OVERALL, NES CAMPUSES SAW A 12% ENROLLMENT DECLINE NEARLY DOUBLE THE RATE OF NON NES SCHOOLS.
SINCE THE STATE TAKEOVER, 09,000 STUDENTS HAVE LEFT HIC ALTOGETHER.
[02:10:03]
SUPERINTENDENT MILES, THOSE NUMBERS PROVE THAT GEOGRAPHY STILL DICTATES OPPORTUNITY.THE STUDENTS WHO CAN LEAVE NES ARE LEAVING, AND THOSE WHO REMAIN ARE LEFT WITH INSTABILITY AND DISRUPTION.
REAL EQUITY REQUIRES [NOISE] RETAINING TEACHERS TRUST AND ENSURING FAMILIES WANT TO STAY IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS.
>> TAMMY MERMELSTEIN, YOU MAY BEGIN.
>> MY KIDS WERE PRIVILEGED TO ATTEND GREAT HISD SCHOOLS AND LEARN FROM AMAZING TEACHERS.
THEY ARE NO LONGER HISD STUDENTS.
EVEN GREAT SCHOOLS CAN'T PROTECT THEM FROM HARMFUL STATE AND DISTRICT POLICIES.
THEY ARE NOW IN A PLACE WHERE THEY ARE ENCOURAGED TO THINK INSTEAD OF DOING ENDLESS MINDLESS PACKETS, WHERE TEACHERS CAN TAILOR LESSONS TO MEET STUDENT NEEDS, WHERE LIBRARIES AND READING ARE CHERISHED WHERE THEIR SCHOOL ENCOURAGED AND CELEBRATE WHERE LEADERS RECOGNIZE THAT LEARNING CAN HAPPEN OUTSIDE SCHOOL WALLS, WHERE A PRINCIPAL ACTUALLY SAID THAT WHILE ACADEMICS ARE IMPORTANT, SO TOO IS A HAPPY, WELL ROUNDED CHILD.
IT TOOK ME LEAVING TO FULLY UNDERSTAND JUST HOW UNHEALTHY OUR DISTRICT HAS BECOME, AND THAT EDUCATION DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY.
MY KIDS ARE MY TOP PRIORITY, AND WE HAD TO MAKE THE BEST DECISION FOR THEM.
IT'S COME WITH CONSIDERABLE SACRIFICES.
IT'S MY JOB AS THEIR PARENT TO BE THEIR ADVOCATE, ELECTED OR NOT.
IT IS YOUR JOB TO ADVOCATE FOR ALL HISD CHILDREN.
THEY DESERVE A HEALTHY EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT, NOT WHAT THEY'RE GETTING.
>> SARAH RIVLIN. YOU MAY BEGIN?
>> YES, I'M ON. I JUST WANTED TO SPEAK ABOUT TEACHER RETALIATION, MILES RETALIATING DIRECTLY AGAINST TEACHERS.
IN THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE, ONE OF THE TEACHERS WHO WAS RETALIATED AGAINST FROM DURHAM ELEMENTARY, WROTE ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE, AND IT HAPPENED TO TWO PEOPLE.
BUT I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME EVERY DAY TEACHERS WHO SPEAK OUT ARE RETALIATED AGAINST.
ONE OF THE MOST EGREGIOUS EXAMPLES HAPPENED TO MY FRIEND, MARIA BENZON, WHO LITERALLY, SHE WAS AN NES TEACHER THE FIRST THREE WEEKS OF MILES' TAKEOVER, AND SHE SPOKE ABOUT HOW NES WAS INEFFECTIVE.
THEN SHE SPOKE ABOUT THE EXCESS POOL.
THEN LITERALLY THE FOLLOWING DAY AFTER HER SPEECH, MILES' CRONIES CAME IN AND PUT HER IN THE EXCESS POOL BECAUSE THEY HAD NO REAL REASON TO FIRE HER BECAUSE SHE HADN'T IS [NOISE] DOING A GREAT JOB, SO THEY PUT HER IN THE.
>> THANK YOU. YOUR TIME IS UP.
>> THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME IN HISD. THAT'S IT.
PLEASE TURN YOUR CAMERA ON AND YOU MAY BEGIN.
MELISSA YARBOROUGH, PLEASE TURN YOUR CAMERA ON.
>> HELLO. I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND. [OVERLAPPING]
>> PLEASE GO AHEAD. HERE YOU GO. THANK YOU.
>> BUT ON AUGUST 15, I SENT MISS FLOWERS AND COPY OF THE REST OF THE BOARD MANAGERS TO FOLLOW UP ON A QUESTION THAT SHE ASKED AT LAST MONTH'S BOARD MEETING.
AS I'VE YET, I HAVEN'T RECEIVED A RESPONSE FROM ANYONE.
I'M FOLLOWING UP ON IT NOW AND HOP TO GET A RESPONSE SOON.
MISS FLOWERS ASKED THE QUESTION AT LAST MONTH MEETING REFERRING TO SCHOOLS THAT ARE NOT USING THE DISTRICT MAY CURRICULUM AND ASK WHAT CURRICULUM THEY ARE USING.
I'M SEEKING CLARIFICATION ON WHICH CAMPUSES FALL INTO THAT CATEGORY OF SCHOOLS THAT ARE NOT USING THE DISTRICT MAY CURRICULUM.
CAN YOU PLEASE PROVIDE A LIST OF THOSE SCHOOLS? I THINK THAT BOTH THE BOARD MANAGERS AND THE PUBLIC SHOULD KNOW WHICH SCHOOLS THAT QUESTION AND ANSWER REFERRED TO.
I THINK MANY PARENTS AND TEACHERS WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THIS INFORMATION.
SINCE THE DISTRICT STANDS BY ITS CURRICULUM, I DIDN'T SEE ANY REASON WHY IT WOULD LIKE TO OBSCURE THIS INFORMATION BEHIND ANY DAY BOARD QUESTION REFERRING TO AN UNKNOWN SET OF CAMPUSES.
[02:15:02]
I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR RESPONSE. THANK YOU.>> THAT CONCLUDES OUR ZOOM SPEAKERS.
>> THAT CONCLUDES THE HEARING OF OUR SPEAKERS.
NOW, WE'LL TAKE VOTES ON OUR DISCUSSION ON THE REPORT ITEMS. BOARD MEMBERS, YOU CAN GET YOUR COMPUTERS ROLLING AGAIN BY ANY OF MY COMPUTER.
LET'S MAKE SURE WE GET THAT BEFORE WE VOTE.
HIT MY COMPUTER, WHICH I AM? I DON'T KNOW WHAT I GOT HERE. HERE WE GO.
EVERYBODY GOT THEIR COMPUTERS GOING? ARE WE GOOD? DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT BOARD MONITORING UPDATE AND GOAL 3 PROGRESS MEASURES 3.43, 3.5 AND GOAL PROGRESS MEASURES 4.14, 4.2 AND 4.3? WE HAVE A MOTION IN A SECOND.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS THAT ANY BOARD MEMBERS WANT TO MAKE? OKAY. IF THERE'S NONE, THEN LET'S GO AHEAD AND VOTE.
VOTING IS CLOSED, AND THE MOTION PASSES.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE BOARD MONITORING UPDATE AND CONSTRAINT PROGRESS MEASURES 2.1 AND 2.2? WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
ANY QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? NO. THANK YOU.
THEN. LET'S GO AHEAD AND VOTE.
[CONSENT AGENDA (Part 1 of 2)]
NEXT WE'LL CONSIDER ACTION ITEMS ON THE AGENDA.BOARD POLICY REQUIRES BOARD MEMBERS TO ABSTAIN FROM ALL DISCUSSIONS AND VOTES PERTAINING TO CONTRACTS THAT MAY INVOLVE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
BOARD POLICY, BBFA LOCAL DEFINES A CONFLICT OF INTEREST IS ANY CIRCUMSTANCE IT COULD CAST DOUBT ON A BOARD MEMBER'S ABILITY TO ACT WITH TOTAL OBJECTIVITY WITH REGARD TO THE DISTRICT'S INTEREST.
WITHOUT OBJECTING FROM MY COLLEAGUES, I WOULD LIKE TO PULL ITEM 9 FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION.
DO I HAVE A MOTION REGARDING ITEM 9 FOR APPROVAL AND THE APPROVAL OF
[9. Approval Of Resolution Adopting Tax Rate And Levying Ad Valorem Taxes For Tax Year 2025]
RESOLUTION ADOPTING TAX RATE AND LEVY AD VALOREM TAXES FOR TAX YEAR 2025?>> I MOVE THAT THE PROPERTY TAX RATE BE INCREASED BY THE ADOPTION OF A TAX RATE OF 84 AND EIGHTY NINE CENTS PER EACH $100, WHICH TRANSLATES TO 0.8489, WHICH IS EFFECTIVELY A 44.7% INCREASE IN THE TAX RATE.
I FURTHER MOVE THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES A RESOLUTION AND ORDINANCE ADOPTING THE TAX RATE AND LEVY AD VALOREM TAXES FOR THE YEAR 2025 AS REFLECTED IN THE RESOLUTION.
>> DO I HAVE A SECOND. WE HAVE A SECOND.
MOTION IS MADE, ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION? THIS WAS IN THE CONSENT AGENDA, AND QUESTIONS WERE ASKED, SO.
WE HAVE NONE, SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND VOTE.
VOTING IS CLOSED, THE MOTION PASSES 9: 0.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE REMAINDER OF TONIGHT'S AGENDA ITEMS BY CONSENSUS?
[CONSENT AGENDA (Part 2 of 2)]
I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? HEARING NONE, LET'S GO AHEAD AND VOTE.
NEXT WE ARE GETTING READY TO THEN TO DO A 20 MINUTE RECESS.
[Recess to Closed Session under Sections 551.004 through 551.089 of the Texas Government Code for the Purposes Listed in this Notice]
THEN WE WILL RECONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION UNDER CHAPTER 551 OF TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE OPEN MEANINGS ACT SUBSECTION 551.004, 3551.089.BOARD FINAL ACTION VOTE OR DECISION ON ANY MATTER CONSIDERED IN THE CLOSED SESSION BE REQUIRED?
[02:20:03]
SUCH FINAL ACTION, VOTE OR DECISION SHALL BE TAKEN AT THE OPEN MEETING.BY THIS NOTICE UPON RECONVENING THE PUBLIC MEETING OR AT A SUBSEQUENT PUBLIC MEETING OF THE BOARD UPON NOTICE THEREOF.
THE BOARD HAS RECESSED AT 7:23 P.M, SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2025. GOOD EVENING.
THIS MEETING IS RECONVENED IN OPEN SESSION AT 8:42 P.M. ON SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2025.
[Reconvene in Open Session]
WE'RE NOW READY TO CONSIDER ITEMS DISCUSSED IN CLOSED SESSIONS.[Consideration and Possible Action on Matters Discussed in Closed Session]
ARE THERE ANY MOTIONS?>> YES. IF I MAY, FIRST, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD APPROVES THE CLOSED SESSION PERSONNEL AGENDA, INCLUDING SPECIFICALLY THAT THE BOARD APPROVES PROPOSED TERMINATIONS, NON RENEWALS OF CONTINUING TERM PERFORMANCE AND PROBATIONARY CONTRACTS, AND AUTHORIZE THE SUPERINTENDENT OR DESIGNEE TO PROVIDE NOTICE OF SAME.
THAT THE BOARD APPROVES SUSPENSIONS WITHOUT PAY FOR CONTINUING TERM AND PROBATIONARY CONTRACTS AND AUTHORIZE THE SUPERINTENDENT OR DESIGNEE TO PROVIDE NOTICE OF SAME.
THAT THE BOARD VOIDS CONTINUING TERM PROBATIONARY AND PERFORMANCE CONTRACTS AND AUTHORIZE THE SUPERINTENDENT OR DESIGNEE TO PROVIDE NOTICE OF SAME.
THAT THE BOARD APPROVES WITHDRAWALS OF CONTRACT RECOMMENDATIONS AND THAT THE BOARD APPROVES ISSUANCE OF FINAL ORDERS ON CONTRACT TERMINATIONS AND NON RENEWALS AS DISCUSSED IN CLOSED SESSION, EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2025.
>> WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. PLEASE VOTE.
MOTION PASSES 9: 0. IS THERE ANOTHER MOTION?
>> YES, PLEASE. I MOVE THAT THE BOARD APPROVE THE SUPERINTENDENT'S EVALUATION AND PERFORMANCE PLAN RECOMMENDATION AS DISCUSSED IN CLOSED SESSION EFFECT OF SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2025.
>> WE HAVE A SECOND. PLEASE VOTE.
THE MOTION PASSES 9: 0. ONE LAST MOTION?
>> YES, PLEASE. I MOVE THAT THE BOARD REAFFIRM THE SEPTEMBER 2023 RESOLUTION CLAIMING A GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION TO THE SPECIFIED REQUIREMENT OF HB3.
NOW, HB121 DUE TO LACK OF PERSONNEL QUALIFIED TO SERVE AS SECURITY OFFICERS AND LACK OF FUNDS, AND THAT THE BOARD DELEGATES AUTHORITY TO THE SUPERINTENDENT TO DEVELOP, AMEND, AND IMPLEMENT AN ALTERNATIVE STANDARD FOR COMPLIANCE, EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2025.
>> I NEED A SECOND. THANK YOU.
WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND, PLEASE VOTE.
ACTUALLY. LAUREN MADE A MOTION. THAT'S OKAY.
>> PLEASE VOTE. ALREADY, THEY FIXED IT.
THE NEXT REGULAR BOARD MEETING WILL BE HELD ON OCTOBER 9TH, 2025.
I KNOW WE HAVE A COUPLE OF LAST MINUTE COMMENTS THAT WANT TO BE MADE. GO AHEAD. [NOISE]
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK AND COMMEND MY COLLEAGUES FOR ASKING QUESTIONS THIS EVENING.
I KNOW THAT YOU DON'T NEED TO HEAR IT, BUT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS A PLACE OF INQUIRY AND INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY.
AND I THINK THE BOARD SHOULD BE AS WELL.
WE ARE ALL BETTER ADVOCATES WHEN WE ARE MORE INFORMED.
I WOULD RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE HAVE GRACE, PATIENCE AND RESPECT WHEN WE ASK QUESTIONS IN AN EFFORT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TOPICS AT HAND BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS.
I KNOW THAT NONE OF US ARE DISCOURAGED TO ASK QUESTIONS, BUT I SIMPLY [NOISE] WANTED TO GO ON THE RECORD AS SAYING THAT BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH ASKING QUESTIONS.
I WORK WITH POLICYMAKERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND YOU HAVE TO SOMETIMES HAVE A LOT OF COURAGE TO RAISE YOUR HAND AND SAY, I DON'T UNDERSTAND SCHOOL FINANCE IN THE SAME WAY TO SAY, I DON'T UNDERSTAND SPECIAL EDUCATION, AND I WILL BE THE FIRST ONE TO SAY THAT I AM NOT AN EXPERT ON SPECIAL EDUCATION.
FOR MY PERSPECTIVE, I WILL ONLY LEARN MORE WHEN I ASK QUESTIONS.
I COMMEND ALL OF YOU FOR BEING BRAVE ENOUGH TO ASK QUESTIONS IN PUBLIC FOR THINGS THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW.
AGAIN, I ASK THE PUBLIC TO RESPECT THAT. THANK YOU.
>> ANY OTHER BOARD MEMBERS HAVE COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? GREAT. WELL, WE STAND ADJOURNED THEN. THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.