[Call to Order]
          [00:00:04]
          GOOD EVENING. THIS MEETING IS NOW CONVENED AT 5:03 P.M. 
          I WOULD LIKE TO ASK EVERYONE TO PLEASE SILENCE ALL CELL PHONES. 
          A QUORUM OF BOARD MEMBERS IS PRESENT IN THE AUDITORIUM. BOARD VICE PRESIDENT ANGELA LEMOND FLOWERS WILL BE JOINING US LIVE VIA ZOOM. IF THERE ARE ANY PUBLIC OFFICIALS THAT ARE IN THE AUDIENCE, PLEASE STAND TO BE RECOGNIZED AND THEN WE HAVE STATE REPRESENTATIVE CHRISTINA MORALES, MARIA BENZON, PLÁCIDO GÓMEZ, MICHAEL MCDONOUGH, SAVANT MOORE, AND DANI HERNANDEZ. SO WELCOME. 
          ANYBODY ELSE? OKAY, WE'LL NOW BE JOINED BY A MEMBER OF THE JUNIOR RESERVE OFFICER TRAINING CORPS TO LEAD OUR PLEDGES. I WOULD LIKE TO ASK BOARD MEMBER JANETTE GARZA LINDNER TO INTRODUCE TONIGHT'S PLEDGE LEADER. THANK YOU SO MUCH, PRESIDENT CAMPO. CADET ALLISON DE LOS SANTOS IS A JUNIOR AT CHAVEZ HIGH SCHOOL AND IS CURRENTLY IN HER THIRD YEAR OF LEADERSHIP EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN THE ARMY JROTC PROGRAM. SHE SERVES AS THE EXECUTIVE OFFICER, AND HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDE CADET OF THE YEAR AND A LEADERSHIP AWARD. SHE HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF THE COLOR GUARD TEAM AT CHAVEZ AND HAS PERFORMED NUMEROUS HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE. 
          AFTER GRADUATION, SHE PLANS TO JOIN THE AIR FORCE. 
          THROUGH ARMY JROTC, SHE STRIVES TO DEVELOP LEADERSHIP, CHARACTER, CITIZENSHIP, AND A COMMITMENT TO SERVING THE SCHOOL AND OUR COMMUNITY. 
          CADET DE LOS SANTOS, PLEASE GO AHEAD. PLEASE REMAIN STANDING FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND THE PLEDGE TO THE TEXAS FLAG. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. HONOR THE TEXAS FLAG. 
          I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THEE, TEXAS, ONE STATE UNDER GOD, ONE AND INDIVISIBLE. THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, CADET DE LOS SANTOS. WE WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND A WARM WELCOME TO OUR NEW BOARD MEMBER JOINING THE BOARD FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS EVENING, KAREN DUFFY, WHO IS AN HISD PARENT. YES. KAREN IS AN HISD PARENT AND FORMER MEMBER OF THE DISTRICT ADVISORY COUNCIL, AN ACTIVE IN COMMUNITY, AN ACTIVE COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER. 
          SHE BEGAN HER CAREER AS A CLASSROOM TEACHER AND IS COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING OUR EFFORTS TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD, I JUST WANT TO WELCOME YOU AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. WE ALSO WANT TO THANK MS. DUFFY'S PREDECESSOR ON THE BOARD, DR. 
          MICHELLE CRUZ-ARNOLD. I'D LIKE TO ASK HER AND BOARD SECRETARY PAULA MENDOZA TO COME TO THE PODIUM SO THAT WE CAN WE MAY PRESENT DR. CRUZ-ARNOLD WITH A SMALL TOKEN OF OUR APPRECIATION OF THOSE, THROUGH HER DEDICATED SERVICES OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS, SHE HAS HELPED OUR DISTRICT MAKE THE TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGES NEEDED TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR OUR STUDENTS. 
          DR. CRUZ-ARNOLD, WE REALLY SINCERELY APPROVE OR REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU DID FOR US, AND I KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE INVOLVED. I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE CHAIRING THE HOUSTON, THE HISD FOUNDATION LUNCHEON, AND THAT'S A PLUG FOR EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM BECAUSE WE NEED TO RAISE A LOT OF MONEY FOR THE FOUNDATION. SO, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR CONTINUED EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS AT HISD. THANKS. 
          YOU HAVE THE FLOOR IF YOU WANT. 
          THERE YOU GO. THANK YOU. 
          STEPPING INTO THIS ROLE 3 YEARS AGO, MY GOAL WAS TO LEND MY TIME AND ENERGY TO SUPPORT OUR DISTRICT THROUGH A CRITICAL AND UNPRECEDENTED CHAPTER, AND I AM DEEPLY GRATEFUL FOR THE PRIVILEGE IT HAS BEEN TO SERVE STUDENTS AND FAMILIES OF HOUSTON. 
          TO MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS, INCLUDING PREVIOUS BOARD MEMBERS AUDREY MOMANAEE, CASSANDRA BANDY, ADAM RIVON, AND ROLANDO MARTINEZ. THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNWAVERING PARTNERSHIP 
          [00:05:01]
AND FRIENDSHIP. TO THE SUPERINTENDENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND YOUR DAILY COMMITMENT TO THE OPERATIONAL GROWTH OF OUR SCHOOLS AND THE CONTINUED SUCCESS OF OUR STUDENTS, INCLUDING MY OWN CHILD. 
          TO THE COMMUNITY, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE AS WE NAVIGATED UNCHARTED WATERS TOGETHER. 
          FOR YOUR FIERCE ADVOCACY FOR YOUR CHILDREN AND FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP. 
          ON A PERSONAL NOTE, THIS JOURNEY HAS BEEN PROFOUNDLY HUMBLING FOR ME. THIS EXPERIENCE HAS CHALLENGED ME, PUSHED ME, AND ULTIMATELY FACILITATED IMMENSE PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL GROWTH. BECAUSE WE NEVER SERVE IN ROLES LIKE THIS ALONE, I'D LIKE TO THANK MY FAMILY, MY SON AND MY HUSBAND AND MY DEAR FRIENDS FOR THEIR ENDLESS SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THESE LAST 3 YEARS. THEIR SUPPORT HAS BEEN MEANINGFUL AND SUSTAINING. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          DON'T BE A STRANGER. AND YOU CAN STAY FOR THE WHOLE MEETING IF YOU LIKE. IT MIGHT BE DIFFERENT FROM THERE. OKAY. I 
          [Recognitions]
WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A POINT OF PRIVILEGE TO MOVE OUR RECOGNITIONS TO THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING. MR. MILES, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. AND I'D LIKE TO CALL NAJAH CALLANDER UP. 
          GOOD EVENING. HI, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRINGING UP THE RECOGNITIONS A LITTLE EARLY. 
          WHEN YOU GUYS HEAR WHO WE'RE RECOGNIZING, YOU'LL UNDERSTAND WHY. MY NAME IS NAJAH CALLANDER AND I SERVE AS THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS HERE IN HISD. AND BEFORE WE GET STARTED WITH RECOGNITIONS, I DO WANT TO TAKE A PAUSE AND HONOR THE LIFE AND THE EXTRAORDINARY LEGACY OF PRINCIPAL JESSE WOODS JR., A DEDICATED EDUCATOR AND LEADER WHO GAVE 44 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE STUDENTS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES IN HISD. 
          PRINCIPAL WOODS BEGAN HIS CAREER IN 1977 SERVING AS A CLASSROOM TEACHER AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AND ULTIMATELY AS A PRINCIPAL. IN 2001, PRINCIPAL WOODS WAS NAMED, PRINCIPAL OF BURRUS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN HOUSTON'S HISTORIC INDEPENDENT HEIGHTS COMMUNITY WHERE HE SERVED FOR OVER 20 YEARS. ON BEHALF OF HISD, WE WANT TO EXTEND OUR HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES TO PRINCIPAL WOODS' FAMILY, FRIENDS, FORMER COLLEAGUES, STUDENTS, AND EVERYONE WHO WAS TOUCHED BY HIS LIFE AND HIS SERVICE. 
          THIS MONTH WE ARE RECOGNIZING THE HEROES OF THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, THE THOUSANDS OF HISD PROGRAM EMPLOYEES WHO WORK TIRELESSLY BEHIND THE SCENES TO ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES HAVE A STRONG START TO THE SCHOOL YEAR. WE HEAR A LOT ABOUT OUR TEACHERS, WE HEAR A LOT ABOUT OUR STUDENTS. TODAY WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT ALL THE PEOPLE WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES. THEY'RE PREPARING SAFE, CLEAN, AND WELCOMING CAMPUSES AND ENSURING OUR STUDENTS ARRIVE SAFELY FELT CARED FOR, AND WERE READY TO LEARN. THESE DEDICATED TEAMS DEMONSTRATED TREMENDOUS PROFESSIONALISM, COMMITMENT, AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL. THEIR WORK MADE THE FIRST DAY POSSIBLE AND SET THE TONE FOR A SUCCESSFUL YEAR ACROSS THE DISTRICT. SO, WE WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE TODAY OUR SCHOOL NURSES, WHO SUPPORT STUDENTS AND FAMILIES BY PROVIDING ESSENTIAL CARE THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL DAY. 
          EVEN BEFORE THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, OUR NURSES ARE ON SITE HELPING FAMILIES ENSURE STUDENTS HAD REQUIRED THAT VACCINATIONS, AND WE'RE READY FOR A HEALTHY START IN THE YEAR. OUR HISD FACILITIES MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS TEAM, WHICH INCLUDE OUR CUSTODIAL STAFF MEMBERS, THEIR TECHNICIANS, AND OTHER CRITICAL TEAMS, HAVE WORKED AROUND THE CLOCK TO PREPARE OUR SCHOOL BUILDINGS BACK TO WELCOME STUDENTS AND STAFF BACK. WE WOULD LIKE TO ESPECIALLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE MEMBERS OF FMO WHO HAVE MORE THAN 40 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE DISTRICT. MR. CARL DEASON HAS 49 YEARS IN THE DISTRICT. MINNIE WHITE HAS 47 YEARS. VICENTE OTENVERNOS, 46 YEARS. WILLIE MCDERMOTT, 42 YEARS. JOHN PERRY, 41 YEARS. AND MR. JOHN 
          [00:10:01]
PERKINS HAS 40 YEARS IN THE DISTRICT. WE'RE ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING OUR BUS DRIVERS. 
          THEY'RE OFTEN THE FIRST HISD EMPLOYEES ARE SEE EVERY MORNING. THEY GET OUR STUDENTS TO SCHOOL SAFELY AND HELP THEM START THEIR DAY ON THE RIGHT FOOT. WE'D LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT AND ACKNOWLEDGE SOME OF THE OUTSTANDING MEMBERS OF OUR TRANSPORTATION TEAM. 
          MISS DINA ORLEANA, A BUS DRIVER WHO IS WILLING TO ASSIST WHEREVER NEEDED, SUPPORTS THE ENTIRE TEAM WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND DEPENDABILITY THAT MAKES A MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE EVERY DAY. CARVETTE GANYAS, A COORDINATOR WHO LED BY EXAMPLE AND ENSURED HIS TEAM HAD THE NECESSARY SUPPORT TO SUCCEED. 
          AND WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE ALL OF OUR CROSSING GUARDS WHO ARE OUTSIDE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING HELPING STUDENTS AND FAMILIES SAFELY REACH OUR CAMPUSES. THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST, OUR NUTRITION SERVICES TEAM. OUR NUTRITION SERVICES TEAMS MAKE SURE STUDENTS HAVE THE MEALS AND NOURISHMENT THEY NEED TO FOCUS ON LEARNING. WE'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW MEMBERS OF THOSE OF THAT IMPORTANT TEAM. MISS ELVIRA AKUNA, A TEAM LEAD AT HARTMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL, WHO CREATED A FAMILY-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT ON CAMPUS, WHICH LED TO INCREASE IN HER MEAL PARTICIPATION. 
          MISS TAKIRA JENKINS, A TEAM LEAD AT POE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WHO SUCCESSFULLY TURNED THE CAMPUS CAFETERIA OPERATIONS AROUND WITH AN EMPHASIS ON FOOD SAFETY, PROPER TRAINING, AND DIRECT SUPPORT OF HER TEAM. AND THEN MISS ELIZABETH ROJAS, A TEAM LEAD AT OSBOURN ELEMENTARY, WHO STEPPED IN TO SUPPORT WESLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FOR SEVERAL MONTHS LAST YEAR. 
          SHE LED IN BOTH CAMPUS OPERATIONS AND CONSTANTLY DEMONSTRATED A STRONG WORK ETHIC. SO, WE ALSO HAVE A NUMBER OF OUR DISTINGUISHED NURSES HERE. I'M GOING TO ASK EVERYBODY WHO IS BEING HONORED THESE FOLKS WERE NOMINATED BY THEIR TEAMS AND BY THEIR LEADERSHIP, SO I'D LIKE TO ASK ALL OF THEM TO STAND SO THAT WE CAN APPRECIATE THEM. SO, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT OUR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL VIDEO. WE INVESTED IN OUR KIDS' CRITICAL THINKING, INFORMATION LITERACY, PROBLEM-SOLVING, DECISION-MAKING. THOSE ARE PART OF GETTING THEM READY FOR THE YEAR 2035. YES, I THINK I'M MORE EXCITED THAN THE PARENTS ABOUT THE KIDS BEING HERE TODAY. I'VE MISSED THEM ALL OVER THE SUMMER, AND JUST TO SEE HOW THEY'VE GROWN AND DEVELOPED JUST OVER THE SHORT SUMMER AND JUST HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO POUR INTO THEM AND ENSURE THEY GET THE BEST EDUCATION POSSIBLE. WHEN THEY SHOW THAT THEY ARE MAKING WAVES, THEY'RE TRULY SUCCESSFUL, THAT IS JUST WHAT GETS MY HEART PUMPING AND IT JUST DRIVES ME TO MAKE SURE THAT THE STUDENTS ARE DOING THEIR VERY, VERY BEST. 
          WE HAVE 181 STUDENT-TEACHER CONTACT DAYS. EVERY DAY MATTERS FOR US, SO WHEN I SEE TEACHERS TEACHING AND KIDS LEARNING ON THE FIRST DAY, THAT'S THE WAY IT SHOULD BE. 
          THAT'S WHAT I SAW TODAY. SO, YOUR CHILD WILL GET THE BEST INSTRUCTION POSSIBLE, AND THEY'RE GONNA GET THE, YOU KNOW, THE CAMARADERIE, THE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING, ALL AT THE SAME TIME. WE GOT THIS! HAPPY SCHOOL YEAR! OKAY, WE'LL 
          [Speakers to Agenda Items (Part 1 of 2)]
NOW HEAR FROM PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND SPEAKERS WHO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AS HISD STUDENTS OR PARENTS. PLEASE NOTE THAT SPANISH LIVE CAPTIONING 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, CURRENT PROTOCOL. VERBAL AND OTHER DISRUPTIVE DISRUPTIONS BY PERSONS DURING THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE AS THEY INHIBIT THE BOARD'S ABILITY TO CONDUCT BUSINESS AND THE PUBLIC'S ABILITY TO OBSERVE THOSE PROCESSES. 
          [00:15:01]
ANYONE WHO PARTICIPATES IN SUCH BEHAVIOR WILL BE GIVEN ONE WARNING, AND IF THE BEHAVIOR IS REPEATED, THEY'LL BE ASKED TO LEAVE THE MEETING. WE HAVE 62 REGISTERED SPEAKERS WHO WILL HAVE BE LIMITED TO 1 MINUTE EACH PER BOARD POLICY. 
          AS WE HAVE MORE THAN 30 PEOPLE SIGNED UP TO ADDRESS THE BOARD TONIGHT, WE ASK THAT YOU THAT YOU STAY ON TOPIC AND REFRAIN FROM NAMING INDIVIDUALS, ESPECIALLY STUDENTS, AS THEIR IDENTITY IS PROTECTED UNDER THE LAW. BUT YOU MAY NAME YOUR OWN CHILD. I ASK YOU I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE RESPECT OUR PROCEDURES AND THE OTHER SPEAKERS. AND END YOUR COMMENTS PROMPTLY WHEN TIME IS EXPIRED AND THE TIMER RINGS. PUBLIC COMMENT WILL BEGIN WITH PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND NHISD STUDENTS AND PARENTS. SO, WE'LL START WITH STATE REPRESENTATIVE CHRISTINA MORALES. WELCOME. 
          GOOD EVENING AND THANK YOU. I AM ELECTED STATE REPRESENTATIVE CHRISTINA MORALES, PROUDLY REPRESENTING HOUSE DISTRICT 145. MANY OF THE FAMILIES I SERVE ARE STARTING THIS SCHOOL YEAR AT A NEW SCHOOL BECAUSE THIS BOARD THAT WAS NOT ELECTED DECIDED TO CLOSE CAGE ELEMENTARY. AND NOW YOU'RE CONSIDERING SELLING THE PROPERTY WHERE GENERATIONS OF HOUSTONIANS, INCLUDING MY NIECES AND NEPHEWS, LEARN TO READ, WRITE, AND DO MATH. 
          THIS BOARD DOES NOT ANSWER TO US AT THE BALLOT BOX. WE DID NOT ELECT YOU AND HAVE NO MEANS TO HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN WE WILL LET YOU ROLL US OVER. THAT DOES NOT MEAN WE'RE GOING TO KEEP NOT GOING TO KEEP OUR EYES ON YOU AND RAISE OUR VOICES. 
          YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE WHAT WE HAVE TO SAY TODAY, BUT WE WILL BE HEARD. 
          TRANSPARENCY AND A PUBLIC ACCOUNTING OF WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH OUR INVESTMENTS. OUR TAX DOLLARS PAID FOR THESE PROPERTIES. BECAUSE MAKE NO MISTAKE, THAT SCHOOL IS AN INVESTMENT WE MADE IN OURSELVES AND IN OUR FUTURE. WE ARE VERY WELL AWARE THAT THIS IS A PROPERTY ON PRIME REAL ESTATE AND IS DESIRABLE FOR DEVELOPERS AND OTHER INDUSTRIES. WE'RE GOING TO FOLLOW THE MONEY AND SEE WHO BENEFITS FROM THIS SALE AND SEE WHO PROFITS OFF THE CLOSURE OF THIS SCHOOL BECAUSE WE'RE THE ONES PAYING THE PRICE. YOU HAVE DONE LITTLE TO BUILD TRUST WITH HOUSTONIANS, AND WE HAVE SERIOUS CONCERNS AND DOUBTS ABOUT THESE PROPOSED SALES. WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS THE INTENTION FOR SELLING CAGE ELEMENTARY? WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THIS PROPERTY AND ALL THE PROPERTIES? WHO BENEFITS FROM ITS SALE? AND IF IT IS SOLD, WHERE, WHERE WILL EVERY DOLLAR GROW? THIS PROPERTY CAN BE REPURPOSED IN MANY WAYS. I URGE THIS BOARD TO HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE PROPERTY IS LISTED OR DECLARED A SURPLUS, AND TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER WAYS TO KEEP IT PUBLIC AND SERVING THE COMMUNITY. IF YOU DECIDE TO SELL IT FOR TOP DOLLAR, CONSIDERING THE MARKET VALUE, NO SWEETHEART DEALS. I WANT THIS BOARD TO TELL US PLAINLY, WE SOLD THE BUILDING FOR THIS EXACT AMOUNT AND HERE'S WHERE WE'RE SPENDING EVERY DOLLAR OF THOSE PROCEEDS. WE DON'T WANT THE MONEY TO GO BACK INTO THE GENERAL FUND AND BECOME UNTRACEABLE. THE COMMUNITY DIDN'T DECIDE TO CLOSE THIS SCHOOL. REMEMBER THAT THE COMMUNITY DID NOT WANT THIS SCHOOL CLOSED. WE DIDN'T DECIDE FOR OUR ELECTED TRUSTEES TO BE DISPLACED. WE DIDN'T DECIDE FOR ANY OF THESE THINGS TO BE FORCED UPON US. YET WE ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE TO LIVE WITH THESE CONSEQUENCES. WE HAVE SUFFERED THE CONSEQUENCES BUT NEVER SEE THE RETURNS. 
          THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE, AND WE DEMAND BETTER FROM YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. 
          NEXT, WE'LL HEAR FROM ALLY SMITHER, WHO IS THE CHIEF OF STAFF OF STATE SENATOR MOLLY COOK. PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM. HELLO, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME TONIGHT. I'M HERE TO READ A LETTER FROM MY BOSS, STATE SENATOR MOLLY COOK. DEAR MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF MANAGERS, I WRITE TODAY WITH GRAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF HISD'S SPECIAL EDUCATION CAMPUS CONSOLIDATION, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE STUDENT SUCCESS PROGRAM. ON A DAY THAT IS USUALLY JOVIAL, CELEBRATORY AND EXCITING FOR FAMILIES, PARENTS OF STUDENTS WITH A DISABILITY WERE MET WITH CONFUSION AND DISORDER. 
          BUS ROUTES WERE ABRUPTLY CHANGED SUNDAY NIGHT, LEAVING MANY PARENTS WITHOUT A PLAN TO GET THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL. 
          SOME FAMILIES SHOWED UP TO THE CAMPUS OUTLINED IN THEIR IEP. SOME SHOWED UP TO THE CAMPUS THAT THEIR DISTRICT 
          [00:20:02]
SAID THEIR CHILDREN WAS MOVING TO VIA PHONE CALL OR LETTER. 
          AND SOME SHOWED UP TO AN ENTIRELY NEW CAMPUS SHARED BY THE DISTRICT WITH PARENTS IN THE MIDDLE OF JULY. THIS SORT OF DISORGANIZATION IS UNACCEPTABLE IN ANY DISTRICT IN THIS STATE. IT'S UNFORGIVABLE IN A DISTRICT UNDER AS MUCH SCRUTINY AND STATE INTERVENTION AS HISD. 
          MADE THE MISGUIDED DECISION TO CONSOLIDATE SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES LAST SPRING. THESE FAMILIES HAVE BEEN PUT THROUGH THE WRINGER BY A BOARD THAT FEELS NO OBLIGATION TO THE PEOPLE IT'S MEANT TO SERVE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN HERE. KIDS WHO NEED THE MOST SUPPORT AND INTERVENTION BY THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WHERE THEY ARE ENTITLED TO RECEIVE AN EDUCATION IN THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE MEANS. 
          KIDS WHO LONG BEFORE THIS STATE TAKEOVER, WERE INSUFFICIENTLY SERVED BY THE DISTRICT, LEADING TO SPECIAL EDUCATION MONITORS. 
          WHERE ARE THE SPECIAL EDUCATION MONITORS TODAY FOR THESE KIDS? HOW HAVE THE MONITORS JUST SAT BY AS THESE KIDS AND THEIR FAMILIES ARE HARMED BY HISD'S NEGLIGENCE IN IMPLEMENTING THIS PLAN? AND WHAT IS THIS BOARD PLANNING TO DO TO RIGHT THE SHIP? I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY YOU'VE DONE THIS TO BEGIN WITH, AND I CERTAINLY CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU'VE DONE IT THIS WAY. THIS BOARD, UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF MIKE MILES, FREQUENTLY SACRIFICES THE WELL-BEING OF OUR CHILDREN IN NEW AND INNOVATIVE WAYS. 
          TO DO THIS TO THIS PARTICULAR POPULATION, THOUGH, IS DOWNRIGHT SHAMEFUL. WHILE MIKE MILES CLAIMS THE DISTRICT HAS CALLED 1,600 PARENTS AND CONDUCTED 70 TO 80 MEETINGS IN JUST OVER A MONTH, TO COME INTO TEA COMPLIANCE, I REMAIN CONCERNED ABOUT THE THOROUGHNESS AND APPROPRIATENESS OF THESE MEETINGS. THESE FAMILIES DESERVE THOUGHTFUL CONSIDERATION AND COLLABORATION FROM THIS DISTRICT. I ASK THAT YOU PUT OUR MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN AND THE FAMILIES THAT PUT EVERYTHING ON THE LINE TO SUPPORT THEM FIRST AND DO AWAY WITH THIS UNPOPULAR AND UNNECESSARY CAMPUS CONSOLIDATION PLAN. 
          AT THE VERY LEAST, PAUSE IMPLEMENTATION FOR THE 2026-2027 SCHOOL YEAR TO GIVE OUR COMMUNITY AND YOUR ADMINISTRATION TIME TO ADJUST. SINCERELY, TEXAS STATE SENATOR MOLLY COOK. 
          THANK YOU. NEXT, WE'LL HEAR FROM HIC ELECTED TRUSTEES WHO ARE HERE. SO, MARIA BENZÓN, YOU MAY COME UP. WELCOME. HELLO, DR. MARIA BENZÓN, ELECTED SCHOOL TRUSTEE SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEE. TONIGHT, UNCERTIFIED MIKE MILES WILL CELEBRATE 3 YEARS OF TRANSFORMATION LIKE A HOUSTON MIRACLE, BUT GAINS BUILT ON RECLASSIFYING STUDENTS AND NARROWING COURSE ACCESS, AS THE TEXAS OBSERVER HAS DOCUMENTED, DON'T DOES NOT REFLECT REAL LEARNING. AND MILES MOVES STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES FROM THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS WITHOUT THE LEGALLY REQUIRED ARD MEETING AND DOCUMENTED IEP TO BETTER SERVE OUR STUDENTS. 
          THEN WHY ARE WE SPENDING $30 MILLION ON SPECIAL EDUCATION CONTRACTS? YOU'RE ABOUT TO SELL OUR SCHOOLS TOO. 
          PRE-TAKEOVER, MONEY FROM THESE SALES WOULD HAVE BEEN PAID FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS LIKE AC AND PLUMBING. NOW IT GOES TO THE GENERAL FUND, WHICH MILES CAN SPEND HOWEVER HE WANTS. THERE'S NO GUARANTEE IT WILL REACH OUR TEACHERS AND KIDS. AND WHILE MAJOR DISTRICTS MOVE CAREFULLY ON AI, MILES PUSHES FUTURE TO SCHOOLS, PUTTING THE CHILDREN'S PRIVACY, SAFETY, AND THEIR ABILITY TO READ, WRITE, AND THINK CRITICALLY AT RISK. 
          FIRE MIKE MILES. I'LL REPEAT THAT. FIRE MIKE MILES. RESTORE OUR ELECTED BOARD. 
          TO END THIS TAKEOVER, VOTE GINA HINOJOSA FOR GOVERNOR IN NOVEMBER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. 
          NEXT UP, MICHAEL MCDONOUGH. 
          GOOD EVENING. IT'S THE BEGINNING OF A NEW SCHOOL YEAR, A TIME TO REFLECT ON WHAT WE LEARNED LAST YEAR AND TO IDENTIFY WHAT WE NEED TO WATCH CLOSELY THIS YEAR. 
          WITH THE ACCOUNTABILITY RATINGS BEING RELEASED TOMORROW, THERE IS ONE DATA POINT, AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE ALL OF US TO UNDERSTAND AND FOLLOW CLOSELY. FOR 3 YEARS, THE NES MODEL HAS BEEN BUILT AROUND A SIMPLE PREMISE. EVERY DAY STUDENTS DEMONSTRATE THEIR LEARNING. 
          AFTER DIRECT INSTRUCTION, STUDENTS WHO DEMONSTRATE MASTERY MOVE TO THE TEAM CENTER, AND THOSE WHO DO NOT REMAIN IN THE CLASSROOM AND RECEIVE TARGETED INTERVENTION IN A SMALLER GROUP. EVERY DAY MASTERY MUST BE DEMONSTRATED. 
          SO, LET'S LOOK CLOSELY AT GRADE 3 STAAR RESULTS FOR NES SCHOOLS IN BOTH READING AND MATH. 
          THESE THIRD GRADERS HAVE NOW SPENT 3 YEARS IN THE NES MODEL, EVERY DAY SHOWING THEIR MASTERY, YET THEIR PERFORMANCE IS NOT YET AT THE STATE LEVEL, AND IN FACT IS NOT EVEN AT 50%. I'M STRUGGLING TO RECONCILE THOSE OUTCOMES WITH THE PROMISES OF THE MODEL. THERE ARE, I THINK, AT LEAST 2 CONCLUSIONS ONE COULD DRAW. THE FIRST IS THAT THE MODEL ITSELF. THE FIRST IS THAT THE MODEL ITSELF IS FLAWED AND IS NOT SUSTAINABLE AS A STRATEGY FOR WHOLE-SCALE REFORM. GIVEN THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PERSONAL INVESTMENT IN THE MODEL AND THE PROMISES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE AROUND IT, I SUSPECT THAT IS NOT THE INTERPRETATION WE WILL HEAR TONIGHT. THE SECOND 
          [00:25:02]
CONCLUSION IS ONE I SUSPECT WE MAY HEAR, THAT THE TEACHERS AND CAMPUS LEADERS SIMPLY NEED MORE TRAINING TO IMPLEMENT THE MODEL WITH GREATER FIDELITY, THAT THE PROBLEM IS IMPLEMENTATION, NOT THE STRATEGY ITSELF, AND THEREFORE THE SOLUTION IS TO RETRAIN EVERYONE WITHOUT DIFFERENTIATION. YET BASED ON MORE THAN 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATION, I HAVE AN ALTERNATE THEORY. 
          WHILE I AGREE THAT HIGH-QUALITY FIRST INSTRUCTION IS ESSENTIAL AND THAT IT SHOULD BE HAPPENING IN EVERY CLASSROOM, I HAVE ALSO LEARNED THAT A SYSTEM OR STRATEGY BY ITSELF WILL NEVER PRODUCE THE RESULTS WE WANT FOR STUDENTS. IF YOU REGULARLY VISIT CLASSROOMS IN NES SCHOOLS, YOU WILL FIND HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEACHERS WHO USE THE STRATEGIES. YOU WILL ALSO FIND INEFFECTIVE TEACHERS WHO USE THOSE SAME STRATEGIES. 
          IF YOU VISIT EARNED AUTONOMY CAMPUSES AROUND THE DISTRICT, YOU WILL FIND HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEACHERS WHO DO NOT USE THOSE STRATEGIES, AS WELL AS INEFFECTIVE TEACHERS WHO DO NOT USE THEM. THE VARIABLE IS THE TEACHER, NOT SIMPLY THE STRATEGY. THAT DISTINCTION MATTERS, BECAUSE IF WE CONTINUE TO FOCUS PRIMARILY ON THE STRATEGY WHILE TREATING TEACHERS AND CAMPUS LEADERS AS INTERCHANGEABLE, WE RISK OVERLOOKING THE PEOPLE WHO ULTIMATELY MAKE THE DIFFERENCE FOR STUDENTS. OUR CHILDREN DESERVE MORE THAN FIDELITY TO A MODEL. THEY DESERVE EXCELLENT TEACHERS WHO KNOW THEIR STUDENTS, UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY NEED, AND ARE EMPOWERED TO RESPOND ACCORDINGLY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT UP IS PLÁCIDO GÓMEZ. TRUSTEE GÓMEZ. 
          THANK YOU. WE HAVE AI TOOLS THAT ARE TEACHING SOME STUDENTS IN TWO OF OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. 
          THIS WAS ANNOUNCED 2 WEEKS AGO WITHOUT HAVING BEEN BROUGHT TO THE BOARD. THIS FOLLOWS MAJOR CHANGES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION WHICH MIGHT BE IN VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW. 
          SO, MY QUESTION IS, IS ANYBODY ON THE BOARD GOING TO CHALLENGE THE SUPERINTENDENT ON ANY OF THIS? I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO DISAGREE WITH SOMEBODY WHO SUPPORTED YOU. WE HAVE EXTREMES ON BOTH SIDES WHO APPARENTLY THINK THAT ANY POLICY DISAGREEMENTS, THE SAME THING AS PERSONAL BETRAYAL. SO, I KNOW THE EASIEST PATH FOR YOU TO TAKE IS TO DO WHAT YOU THINK TEA WANTS YOU TO DO WITHOUT CAUSING PROBLEMS, JUST LIKE THE EASIEST THING FOR ME TO DO AS A POLITICIAN WOULD BE TO JUST SAY WHATEVER'S POPULAR AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT. AS I HOPE YOU'VE NOTICED, I'VE CHOSEN A MORE CHALLENGING PATH WITH HONESTY AND WITH CANDOR, WHICH HAS LED TO MORE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS WITH MY SUPPORTERS. I CHALLENGE YOU TO DO LIKEWISE BECAUSE IT'S NOT AS FUN A PATH, BUT I PROMISE IT'S A LOT MORE FULFILLING, AND IT IS SO LIBERATING TO JUST BE ABLE TO SPEAK YOUR MIND. THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. UP NEXT, DANI HERNANDEZ. WELCOME. GOOD EVENING, MY NAME IS DANI HERNANDEZ AND I AM THE ELECTED TRUSTEE FOR DISTRICT 3. I WANT TO FIRST SAY HAPPY NEW SCHOOL YEAR TO ALL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS. I'M HERE TONIGHT TO ASK YOU TO RECONSIDER PLACING THE CLOSED CAMPUSES INTO A SURPLUS CATEGORY. THESE CAMPUSES WERE BUILT WITH PUBLIC DOLLARS TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITIES, AND ONCE THEY ARE SOLD OR PERMANENTLY CLASSIFIED AS SURPLUS, WE WILL NEVER GET THAT OPPORTUNITY BACK. OUR NEIGHBORHOODS CHANGE, ENROLLMENT CHANGES, FAMILIES MOVE IN AND OUT OF COMMUNITIES ALL THE TIME. 
          HISD IS GOING TO CHANGE, AND THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITIES IS GOING TO CHANGE. A BUILDING THAT MAY NOT BE NEEDED TODAY COULD BECOME ESSENTIAL TOMORROW. 
          BEFORE HISD GIVES UP ON THESE PROPERTIES, WE NEED A TRANSPARENT PROCESS THAT CONSIDERS THE LONG-TERM NEEDS OF STUDENTS, FAMILIES, AND NEIGHBORHOODS, NOT JUST THE IMMEDIATE FINANCIAL BENEFIT OF HISD. HISD CREATED A COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS WHAT SHOULD BE DONE WITH THESE PROPERTIES WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OR INVOLVEMENT OF THE PUBLIC. AS AN ELECTED TRUSTEE AND LEADER OF THE, OF HISD, WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN INVITED TO THIS, TO THESE MEETINGS, TO THESE CONVERSATIONS. WE ARE ELECTED BY THE COMMUNITY TO BE PART OF THESE CONVERSATIONS. WE SHOULD BE ASKING HOW THESE CAMPUSES CAN BE REPURPOSED. 
          CAN THEY SUPPORT EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION? CAN THEY SUPPORT COMMUNITY PROGRAMS OR SPECIAL EDUCATION? AND WHAT IS THE FUTURE GROWTH OF HISD? ONCE A PUBLIC PROPERTY IS IT IS ONCE A PUBLIC PROPERTY IS GONE, IT'S GONE FOREVER. DO NOT MAKE A PERMANENT DECISION BASED ON A TEMPORARY CIRCUMSTANCE. 
          PROTECT THESE CAMPUSES, MAKE KEEP THEM IN PUBLIC HANDS, AND GIVE OUR COMMUNITIES A VOICE TO WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM. WE ALSO KNOW THAT HISD VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW WITH THE CHANGES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION. THOSE CHANGES WERE NOT IN THE BEST INTEREST OF STUDENTS. AND WHAT I WANT FROM YOU, WHAT I HOPE TO SEE FROM YOU NOW, IS THAT UNLIKE PREVIOUS EVALUATIONS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT, THAT THESE VIOLATIONS OF FEDERAL LAW ARE SHOWN IN THE 
          [00:30:04]
SUPERINTENDENT'S NEXT EVALUATION. IT IS NOT OKAY TO HAVE A COMPLETELY POSITIVE REVIEW EVALUATION OF A SUPERINTENDENT WHO IS VIOLATING FEDERAL LAW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE ALSO HAVE A TRUSTEE JOINING US VIA ZOOM. MS. SMITH, PLEASE ADMIT FELICITY PEREYRA FOR ON ZOOM. OH, SHE'S NOT ON ZOOM. OKAY, WELL, I GUESS WE'RE NOT ON ZOOM THEN. 
          OKAY, NEXT WE'LL HEAR FROM SPEAKERS. TRUSTEE SAVANT MOORE. 
          I'M SORRY. I JUST SAW HIM WALK IN. SORRY ABOUT THAT. WE'LL PICK UP SAVANT MOORE NOW. THANK YOU. 
          GOOD EVENING. IT'S A NEW SCHOOL YEAR AND ONCE AGAIN WE'VE GONE VIRAL. SOMEONE CRIES. BUT WHAT I ENCOURAGE THAT YOUNG TEACHER TO DO IS WIPE THOSE TEARS AND DO THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING FOR YEARS. WHEN YOU SPEAK OF WHEATLEY, MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALSO TALK ABOUT IN MAY 2027, THAT THERE WILL BE STUDENTS THAT WILL GRADUATE WITH A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND AN ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE. BECAUSE I'M ON THE ACC ADVISORY BOARD AS WELL, I SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ABOUT 3 YEARS OF TRANSFORMATION, IMPACT, RESULTS, AND OPPORTUNITY. I'VE HAD TO SURVIVE MIKE MILES AS A TEACHER, AS A PARENT, AS A TRUSTEE, AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MY CHILDREN BEING IN HIGH SCHOOL, THEIR MIDDLE SCHOOL IS NOW CLOSED DURING HIS TRANSFORMATION. AND SO, WE CANNOT SAY THINGS BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE MOVING TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND ENROLLMENT WILL COME BACK WHEN GINA HINOJOSA WINS IN NOVEMBER. WHEN YOU SEE A TV, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A FAMILIAR FACE BECAUSE I'M GOING ALL ACROSS TEXAS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PERSON THAT HAS YOU HERE IS REMOVED FROM OFFICE. SO, IT'S NOT PERSONAL BECAUSE PUBLIC EDUCATION CANNOT BE FOR SALE. 
          IT HAS TOO IMPORTANT BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME OF US THAT WILL NEVER HAVE THE PRIVILEGES THAT YOU HAVE, BUT EDUCATION CAN BE A CATALYST OF CHANGE. BECAUSE SEE, I WAS A FOSTER KID, BUT I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL AT 16 YEARS OLD. I'M A HOWARD UNIVERSITY GRADUATE. I WAS AN ARMY RANGER THAT WAS ENLISTED INFANTRY, MULTIPLE DEPLOYMENTS. AND SO, I CHOOSE TO SERVE MY COUNTRY OVERSEAS, BUT NOW I GOT TO SERVE MY COUNTRY IN TEXAS BECAUSE THESE BABIES ARE DEPENDENT UPON US. SO PLEASE PUT ASIDE YOUR PERSONAL GAINS BECAUSE NOW THAT I'VE BEEN IN THE CLASSROOM, IT'S OFFENSIVE THAT YOU CAN MAKE SURE THEY SALARIES DECREASE BUT YOUR COLLEAGUES' SALARIES INCREASE IN A TIME WITH INFLATION AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS THAT EVEN US ARE STRUGGLING IN. SO, YOU SAY THAT YOU BELIEVE IN THE GOD THAT I BELIEVE IN. WELL, SHOW IT HERE. 
          DO THE WORK HERE. THEY WANT TO PUT THE COMMANDMENTS IN THE CLASSROOM, BUT THEY NOT FOLLOWING THE COMMANDMENTS. THAT'S BACKWARDS TO ME. AND SO, I ENCOURAGE YOU, BE WHO YOU ARE CALLED TO BE. 
          YOU ARE HOUSTONIANS. DO NOT LET SOMEONE THAT IS HERE TEMPORARILY MESS UP YOUR LEGACY. IT'S TOO IMPORTANT. 
          YOU'VE DONE TOO MUCH GOOD THINGS. AND SO LASTLY, I WILL BE ENCOURAGING HISD FOUNDATION. WE GOT TO DO THE WORK FOR LITERACY. 
          THEY SAY THAT THERE ARE GAPS, SO LET'S USE OUR PHILANTHROPIC ARM TO DO THE WORK AND LET'S LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE BEHIND US BECAUSE THEY WOULDN'T BE IN HERE IF IT WASN'T ABOUT THEIR CHILDREN. IT'S NOTHING PERSONAL FOR YOU, BUT IT'S ABOUT THESE BABIES. 
          GOD BLESS YOU, AND GOD BLESS HISD. THANK YOU. NEXT, WE'LL HEAR FROM SPEAKERS WHO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AS HISD STUDENTS OR PARENTS. SPEAKERS, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND TOPIC WHEN YOU STEP UP TO THE PODIUM. MS. SMITH, PLEASE CALL OUR FIRST SET OF SPEAKERS. I'D LIKE TO INVITE ALL HISD STUDENTS TO THE FRONT ROW WHO SIGNED UP TO SPEAK, SO PLEASE MOVE TO THE FRONT. WE'LL START WITH ADIDA SAGE BITTNER, FOLLOWED BY AYLA FLAUM AND ALL REMAINING STUDENTS. HI, MY NAME IS ADIDA SAGE BITTNER AND I'M A 7TH GRADER YWCPA. ITEM 21, PRINTING COSTS INCREASED TO $3.6 MILLION. MORE PACKETS? ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, I GOT A 20-PAGE PACKET AS HOMEWORK. DAY 1 SHOULD BE 
          [00:35:01]
MAKING US EXCITED TO LEARN, NOT DROWNING US IN HOMEWORK. 
          SO, FOR ITEM 13, THE NEW RETENTION POLICY FOR KINDER AND GRADE 2, HOW MUCH OF THAT $3.6 MILLION IS FOR STUDY GUIDES FOR A HIGH-STAKES TEST? TEST PREP WON'T TEACH KIDS TO LOVE LEARNING. HOLDING KIDS BACK CAN HURT LONG TERM AND INCREASE THE RISK OF DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL. HISTORICALLY, IT'S BLACK, HISPANIC, MULTILINGUAL, LOW-INCOME, AND DISABLED STUDENTS WHO GET HELD BACK THE MOST. 
          BEFORE YOU VOTE, TELL US WHAT'S THE EVIDENCE AND WHAT STOPS THIS FROM JUST BOOSTING RATINGS INSTEAD OF HELPING KIDS TO LEARN. HERE'S WHAT KIDS ACTUALLY WANT FROM SCHOOL. TEACHERS WHO CARE ABOUT US, ROOM TO MESS UP AND STILL BE OKAY, REAL LEARNING ON THINGS THAT MATTER, NOT JUST FOR GRADUATION BUT FOR LIFE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. 
          MY NAME IS AYLA FLAUM, AND I'M IN THE SECOND GRADE AT WALTON DUAL LANGUAGE ACADEMY. 
          MY SCHOOL IS ONE OF THE 33 SCHOOLS IN HISD THAT NO LONGER HAS FREE LUNCH FOR EVERYBODY. I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR EVERY KID TO BE ABLE TO HAVE HOT LUNCH AT SCHOOL. KIDS SHOULD NOT BE PUNISHED FOR THEIR PARENTS NOT FILLING OUT PAPERWORK. OUR SCHOOLS SHOULD IS GIVING FAMILIES 30 DAYS TO FILL OUT THE APPLICATION FOR FREE LUNCH. AFTER 30 DAYS, IF A STUDENT'S PARENTS DIDN'T FILL OUT FORMS AND THEY DON'T HAVE MONEY, THEY WILL BE GIVEN A COLD SOY BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICH, EVEN THOUGH THE HOT FOOD IS RIGHT THERE. THAT'S NOT FAIR FOR THE KIDS WHO CAN'T AFFORD LUNCH. DISTRICTS LIKE SPRING BRANCH AND PASADENA ISD ARE CONTINUING TO PROVIDE FREE LUNCH. OUR DISTRICT SHOULD DO THE SAME AND GIVE EVERY KID FREE LUNCH. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          GREAT JOB. ANNA GAYTAN FOLLOWED BY SARAH. HELLO, MY NAME IS SARAH AND I'M A STUDENT FROM DURHAM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. 
          FIRST, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY TO ALL OF YOU WHAT A BAD START OF THE YEAR. HISD HAS LOST A LOT OF TEACHERS AND STUDENTS. 
          WHERE WILL THE MONEY GO? WHO IS BEING HELD KINDLY, ARE Y'ALL STILL HAPPY, OR YOU WILL YOU KEEP MAKING MORE CHANGES? WE STILL DO NOT HAVE A LIBRARY, AND MORE OF MY FRIENDS ARE LEAVING THE DISTRICT. PLEASE BRING THE LIBRARY BACK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. IS ANNA HERE? ANNA GAYTAN, FOLLOWED BY ELIANA GOTTLIEB. HI, MY NAME IS ANNA, AND I AM A STUDENT AT DURHAM ELEMENTARY. I HOPE THAT ALL OF YOU HAD A GOOD SUMMER BECAUSE THE REST OF 40% OF TEACHERS NO LONGER AT HISD ARE WORKING SOMEWHERE ELSE OR STILL TRYING TO LOOK FOR A JOB OR ARE CHANGING THEIR CAREERS. 
          I AM DISAPPOINTED BUT STILL HAVE HOPE THAT THIS SCHOOL YEAR YOU, MIKE MILES, AND BOARD MEMBERS WILL DO WHAT IS RIGHT. 
          THIS YEAR, FOR SOME REASON, I WAS SEPARATED FROM MY OTHER FRIENDS AND PUT IN CLASSROOMS WITH MOSTLY MINORITIES. ALSO, WE STILL DO NOT HAVE A GT COORDINATOR, AND TO TOP IT OFF, MY SCHOOL NURSE IS NOT AVAILABLE EVERY DAY AND HAS TO BE SHARED WITH ANOTHER SCHOOL. DO NOT MENTION THAT MOST OF MY FRIENDS HAVE LEFT HISD AND YOU HAVE TAKEN TEACHERS' JOBS THROUGHOUT HISD. DURING SUMMER, I WAS EXPECTING THAT WITH THE MONEY YOU WOULD PROGRAMS FOR FREE. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE MONEY? WHY DON'T YOU INVEST IN US SINCE WE ARE THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY, OUR COUNTRY, AND THE WORLD? THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, 
          [00:40:10]
MY NAME IS ELIANA GOTTLIEB AND I'M A 10TH GRADER AT HPVA. 
          THIS YEAR I WILL TAKE ALGEBRA 2. I GOT HERE BECAUSE MY MIDDLE SCHOOL TRUSTED ME AND MANY OF MY FRIENDS TO ACCELERATE IN MATH AS SOON AS WE WERE READY, AND MY HIGH SCHOOL HAS CONTINUED THAT TRUST. NO ONE HAS EVER HELD US BACK. THAT'S NOT THE CASE FOR EVERY STUDENT IN THIS DISTRICT. SEVERAL NES MIDDLE SCHOOLS HAVE CUT 8TH GRADE ALGEBRA 1 ENROLLMENT BY MORE THAN HALF. ALSO, A RECENT TEXAS OBSERVER ARTICLE DISCUSSED HOW JUNIORS AT MANY NES SCHOOLS ARE BEING PULLED OUT OF ALGEBRA 2 AND PLACED INTO REMEDIAL COURSES. THIS ISN'T BECAUSE THEY NEED IT, BUT BECAUSE IT'S A LOOPHOLE THAT HELPS A SCHOOL'S RATING IMPROVE. EVEN THE TEA KNOWS THAT THE LOOPHOLE FAILS STUDENTS SO BADLY THAT THEY ARE PHASING IT OUT. THIS DISPARITY IS UNFAIR AND SHOULD NOT EXIST. 
          EVERY STUDENT DESERVES THE CHANCE TO BE CHALLENGED NOT HELD BACK TO ARTIFICIALLY INFLATE A RATING. I'M ASKING THIS BOARD TO GIVE EVERY STUDENT IN THIS DISTRICT THE CHANCE TO TAKE CHALLENGING COURSES, THE SAME CHANCE MY SCHOOLS GAVE ME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I'D LIKE TO INVITE ALL HISD PARENTS TO MOVE TO THE FRONT ROW. HISD PARENTS, PLEASE MOVE TO THE FRONT ROW, STARTING WITH JANE FRIO. 
          SPEAKER 1. I'M JANE FRIO. THIS IS MY DAUGHTER ELISE. LISA SHOCKLEY AND CATHERINE SEALS ARE THE TWO HISD SPECIAL EDUCATION CONSERVATORS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING THE PROGRESS AND THE CORRECTIVE ACTION THAT WAS LISTED IN THE MEMO TEA SENT ON JULY 7TH. THE CORRECTIVE ACTION THAT IS A RESULT OF THE CHAOTIC AND DISCRIMINATORY PLAN THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION PRESENTED TO THE BOARD IN MAY, AND IT'S CURRENTLY UNDER AN OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION. 
          LISA SHOCKLEY AND CATHERINE SEALS HAVE NOW FILED THE FIRST CORRECTIVE ACTION PROGRESS REPORT ON AUGUST 1ST. THE PUBLIC HAS NOT SEEN THIS REPORT, AND I AM ASSUMING THE SPECIAL ED CONSERVATORS ARE NOT HERE. THEY NEVER ARE. THEIR REPORTS ARE ONLY ACCESSED THROUGH PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST. PARENTS AND EDUCATORS HAVE UNITED AND ARE BRINGING TO LIGHT THE HARM YOU ARE CAUSING CHILDREN, JUST LIKE MY DAUGHTER ELISE, WHO ARE AND YOU'RE, BY FORCING THEM TO MOVE AWAY FROM THEIR COMMUNITIES AND FRIENDS. 
          LISA, KATHERINE, MIKE, AND THE APPOINTED BOARD, WE CAN NO LONGER TRY TO STOP THE PLAN, BUT WE CAN HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE TO WHAT OUR CHILDREN. THANK YOU. 
          SPEAKER 2. HI, MY NAME IS VANESSA. MY DAUGHTERS GO TO DURHAM ELEMENTARY. AT DURHAM, THE ENROLLMENT DATA IS WORSE. 
          FROM DATA THAT WE'VE BEEN TRACKING OURSELVES SINCE THE START OF 25-26 SCHOOL YEAR, DURHAM'S ENROLLMENT COULD DROP BY MORE THAN 25% FROM THE START OF 25 AND 26 TO THE START OF 2026 TO 2027. 
          WE KNOW THAT AT LEAST 80 LEFT OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST SCHOOL YEAR, AND DOZENS MORE CHOSE NOT TO RETURN THIS SCHOOL YEAR. 
          THAT'S HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF FEWER DOLLARS FOR A SCHOOL THAT ALREADY NEEDED GREATER RESOURCES. NOT FEWER. IT'S NOT LIKE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD HAS DECLINED DRASTICALLY IN POPULATION IN THE LAST YEAR. THERE ARE NOT TONS OF FOR SALE SIGNS LIKE EVERYWHERE ELSE. THEY KEEP BUILDING MORE TOWNHOMES. OUR NEIGHBORS ARE STILL OUR NEIGHBORS. THE SIGNS THAT WE DO SEE ARE YARD SIGNS FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS WHERE WE ONCE SAW SIGNS FOR PRIMARY DURHAM ELEMENTARY. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU. 
          MY NAME IS MIREILLE PATMAN, AND MY CHILD TEDDY IS A FRESHMAN AT HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL. WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AN EXCITING START TO HIGH SCHOOL HAS INSTEAD BECOME A BATTLE FOR HIS LEGALLY MANDATED SERVICES. 4 DAYS INTO SCHOOL, TEDDY'S SCHEDULE STILL DOES NOT MATCH HIS IEP. HE NEEDS A CLASSROOM, A TRAINED SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER, AND THE SUPPORTS REQUIRED FOR HIM TO ACCESS HIS EDUCATION. 
          BUT THOSE RESOURCES WERE REMOVED FROM CAMPUSES UNDER THE SPED SUCCESS PLAN. 
          TEDDY HAS ALREADY MISSED CRITICAL INSTRUCTION, ROUTINES, VISUAL SUPPORT, AND SPECIALIZED SERVICES THAT HELP HIM REGULATE, TRANSITION, AND PARTICIPATE IN CLASS. THIS IS NOT A MINOR SCHEDULING PROBLEM. HE IS BEING DENIED THE SERVICES IN HIS IEP. THE BOARD ALLOWED THIS RESTRUCTURING TO MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT ENSURING CAMPUSES HAD THE STAFF AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO IMPLEMENT IT. TEDDY IS PAYING THE PRICE. YOU CANNOT CALL THIS SUCCESS WHEN STUDENTS 
          [00:45:01]
WITH DISABILITIES ARE LEFT WITHOUT THEIR REQUIRED SERVICES. THIS DISTRICT IS OUT OF COMPLIANCE. THANK YOU. 
          HELLO, I JUST WANT TO REMIND YOU, BECAUSE MAYBE YOU'VE FORGOTTEN, THAT YOU WERE PUT HERE TEMPORARILY TO RAISE THE TEA RATING OF ONE SCHOOL. YOU ARE NOT ELECTED, BUT APPOINTED TEMPORARILY. AND YET YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO MAKE DRASTIC PERMANENT CHANGE TO NOT JUST CLOSE CAMPUSES, BUT TO ALSO SELL OFF OUR PUBLIC-OWNED PROPERTIES. IT'S NOT YOURS, IT'S THE PUBLIC'S. 
          AND HOW IS $25 MILLION FROM THOSE PROPERTY SALES GOING INTO THE GENERAL FUNDS FOR THE 26-27 SCHOOL YEAR? HOW DO YOU ALLOW MIKE MILES TO CONVINCE YOU THAT THE BUDGET IS BALANCED WHEN YOU HAVE TO SELL PROPERTY TO MAKE ENDS MEET? OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE THE HEART OF OUR COMMUNITIES. THAT THOSE 12 THAT YOU CLOSED AND THE MANY MORE THAT YOU'VE HINTED AT CLOSING IN PREVIOUS MEETINGS HAVE LEFT A COLD, EMPTY VACUUM WHERE THE HEART USED TO BE. 
          AND NOW YOU, A TEMPORARY BOARD THAT DOES NOT REPRESENT THE PUBLIC, PLAN ON. THANK YOU. 
          HELLO, MY NAME IS CHRISTINE HURLEY, AND I WILL BE SPEAKING ABOUT TRANSFORMATION BECAUSE THIS IS QUITE TRANSFORMATIVE. 
          WE USED TO ATTEND A BEAUTIFUL HIDDEN GEM OUT ON THE WEST SIDE. 
          AFTER IT BECAME NES, WE HAD TO LEAVE BECAUSE IT WAS HORRIBLE. 
          THAT SCHOOL, I WANT YOU TO KNOW, USED TO HAVE A WAITLIST, HISTORICALLY HAD A WAITLIST. 
          IN THE LAST 20 YEARS, THE ENROLLMENT DATA HAS NEVER BEEN UNDER 800. WE JUST GOT THE CURRENT NUMBERS, AND SINCE BECOMING NES, IT HAS SEEN AN ENROLLMENT DECLINE OF 27.5%, JUST FROM LAST YEAR, 19.8%. NOW, ALLEGEDLY, ALL OF YOU ARE GOOD AT WHAT YOU DO. SO, I HAVE TO ASK, IS ARE YOU MAKING THESE DECISIONS BECAUSE YOU'RE EVIL, LIKE OUT OF MALICE, OR BECAUSE YOU'RE ACTUALLY NOT GOOD AT WHAT YOU DO? MY DAUGHTER MADE THIS SIGN AND MY SON JUST MADE THIS ONE. YOU TOOK AWAY BOOKS, YOU TOOK AWAY TEACHERS, YOU TOOK AWAY SCHOOLS. TAKE AWAY THEM MORE. THANK YOU. 
          GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS LAURA HENRY, AND I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS DESERVES THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESERVE, STRENGTHEN, AND CELEBRATE THE HISTORY THAT MAKES THIS COMMUNITY SO SPECIAL. 
          INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS IS MORE THAN A NEIGHBORHOOD. IT REPRESENTS RESILIENCE, PRIDE, AND THE DETERMINATION OF PEOPLE WHO BUILT COMMUNITY THROUGH HARD WORK AND PERSEVERANCE. THAT HISTORY BELONGS TO ALL OF US IN HOUSTON, AND IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE IT'S NOT LOST. I'M ASKING FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN ALLOWING THE INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS COMMUNITY TO HAVE BURRUS AS A PLACE WHERE THEIR RESIDENTS CAN COME TOGETHER, CONNECT, AND CONTINUE TO BUILD A STRONGER FUTURE. 
          THIS IS NOT ABOUT A BUILDING OR A PIECE OF PROPERTY. IT'S ABOUT HAVING A SPACE THAT SERVES THE PEOPLE WHO LIVES THERE AND HONORS THE LEGACY OF THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE ALL OF US. WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO INVEST IN THEIR COMMUNITY, CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAMILIES AND YOUNG PEOPLE, AND PRESERVE A MEANINGFUL PART OF INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS. 
          LISTEN TO THE VOICES OF THE RESIDENTS WHO CALL THIS COMMUNITY HOME. GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE BURRUS A RESOURCE FOR INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS, A PLACE THAT REFLECTS HISTORY, SERVES OUR PRESENT, AND HELPS SHAPE OUR FUTURE. 
          THANK YOU. HI, NEELY STEWART, DURHAM PARENT. CONGRATULATIONS ON ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR IN THE WAY THAT YOU DEFINE SUCCESS. ACHIEVEMENT DATA WENT UP. YES, THAT'S CERTAINLY ONE OF THE MARKERS OF A SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL DISTRICT. THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY F SCHOOLS. YOU'RE RIGHT. AND STUDENTS SHOULD BE SHOWING INCREASED SUCCESS STATE MANDATE ON STATE-MANDATED ASSESSMENTS. 
          SO, ROLL OUT THE BANNERS, SPEND MORE TAX DOLLAR MONEY ON BILLBOARDS. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. BUT WHAT'S STRANGE IS YOU'RE ONLY LOOKING AT ONE SET OF NUMBERS. A TRULY SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL DISTRICT WOULD SEE RISING ACHIEVEMENT DATA AND BETTER ENROLLMENT NUMBERS, NOT TO MENTION THE TEACHER EXODUS. 
          AS THE CITY BECAME AS THE CITY BECOMES EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE SEEING IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS AND WHAT THE NEIGHBORS ARE SAYING ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE AS PARENTS AND STUDENTS IN THE MIKE MILES EXPERIENCE. SAY HER NAME, GINA HINOJOSA. NO MORE MONEY FOR YOUR LAWSUITS. THANK YOU. ANOTHER PARENT FROM 
          [00:50:03]
DURHAM. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT ALL MAJOR METROS IN TEXAS HAVE SEEN DECLINING ENROLLMENT SINCE 2016, SO TO SHOW SUCCESS, YOU'D ACTUALLY ONLY NEED TO SHOW DECLINE AT A SLOWER RATE THAN THE OTHER METROS, RIGHT? YOU COULD SAY, SURE, WE DECLINED, BUT DALLAS OR WORSE. 
          AUSTIN, SAN ANTONIO, THEY DECLINED WORSE THAN WE DID. 
          THEN YOU COULD ROLL OUT THE BANNERS, STAND ON AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER LIKE GEORGE W. BUSH AND DECLARE, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. 
          BUT ACCORDING TO THE TEXAS TRIBUNE, DALLAS'S ENROLLMENT HAS DECLINED 15.3% SINCE 2016. 
          HISD'S, 21.7%. LET THE NUMBERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. MAYBE ALL THOSE LOSSES COME FROM THE BAD OLD DAYS BEFORE THE CITY WAS A PART OF THE MIKE MILES EXPERIENCE. 
          BUT LET'S BE REAL, THIS DECREASE IS ONLY BECAUSE OF THE MIKE MILES EXPERIENCE, WHICH IS NOW INFESTING THE REST OF TEXAS IN THE WORST, MOST NEGATIVE WAY, AND Y'ALL ARE SITTING BY AND WATCHING. THANK YOU. SO LET'S DO WHAT YOU LOVE AND LOOK MORE CLOSELY AT THE DATA. 
          FOR ALL MAJOR METROS IN TEXAS, THE PANDEMIC YEARS WERE A MAJOR INFLECTION POINT. 
          FROM 2020 TO 2023, DALLAS'S ENROLLMENT DROPPED 8.25%, FORT WORTH 12.1%, AUSTIN 9.2%, SAN ANTONIO 6.6%, AND HOUSTON, 9.6%. WE WERE IN THE TOP HALF, BUT WE ARE IN LINE WITH WHAT HAPPENED TO EVERYONE ELSE. AS WE SETTLED BACK INTO THE NEW NORMAL, YOU EXPECTED FEWER LOSSES GOING FORWARD, AND FOR MOST MAJOR METROS, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. 
          FROM 2023 TO 2026, DALLAS ONLY DROPPED 4.9%. FORT WORTH ONLY 7.2%. AUSTIN, ONLY 5.8%, AND SAN ANTONIO, ONLY 6.2. 
          FOR ALL THOSE PLACES, THEIR RATE OF DECLINE SLOWED. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU. PROUD DURHAM PARENT. SO, WHAT ABOUT HISD? AGAIN, FOR A TRULY SUCCESSFUL DISTRICT, IF THE MIKE MILES EXPERIENCE WAS TRULY WORKING, WE'D EXPECT TO SEE TWO THINGS IN OUR ENROLLMENT DATA. WE WOULD SEE THE SAME THING THAT EVERYONE ELSE SAW, LESS DECLINE POST-PANDEMIC, BUT WE WOULD REALLY HOPE TO SEE A VASTLY SLOWER RATE OF DECLINE AS INCREASING NUMBER OF FAMILIES SOUGHT TO JOIN IN THE SUCCESS. FROM 2020 TO 2023, HISD SAW 9.6% DROP IN ENROLLMENT. FROM 2023 TO 2026, YOUR ILLUSTRIOUS TENURE, WE DROPPED 11.1%. THE RATE OF DECLINE INCREASED AS EVERY OTHER MAJOR METRO IN TEXAS LOST FEWER STUDENTS POST-PANDEMIC. 
          YOU LOST MORE. YOUR ENROLLMENT DATA IS 1.5X TO 2X WORSE THAN YOUR NEAR-DISTRICT PEERS, WITH 2023 AS AN INFLECTION. THE YEARS THE MIKE MILES EXPERIENCE BEGAN IS WHEN YOUR ENROLLMENT DATA BEGAN TO EMERGE DIVERGE FROM EVERY OTHER MAJOR METRO IN THE STATE. THANK YOU. 
          MAURICIO GAITÁN, I'M A PROUD DURHAM DAD. MAYBE THE CITY SHRANK IN THAT TIME. MAYBE YOU SAW A DROP IN ENROLLMENT DATA BECAUSE THERE WERE JUST A FEW HOUSTONIANS TO GO TO SCHOOL. 
          BUT IN 2025 CENSUS, THE CITY GREW BY 150,000 MORE PEOPLE COMPARED TO 2020, AND IT ESTIMATES THAT IN 2025 TO 2027 IS GOING TO GROW EVEN MORE. 
          FROM 2023 TO 2026, YOU DECLARED THAT 21,000 STUDENTS LEFT HISD ON YOUR OWN PUBLISHED DATA, AND THEN YOU PREDICTED THAT ON THIS YEAR WE'RE GOING TO LOSE 4 MORE THOUSAND STUDENTS. THAT'S GOING TO MAKE AROUND 25,000 STUDENTS GONE, GONE FROM THE CLASSROOMS, GONE FROM THE TEEN CENTERS, GONE FROM THE FUNDING. MANY OF THESE BOARD MANAGERS CAME FROM THE BUSINESS WORLD. IF YOU LOST 11.1% OF YOUR BUSINESS, OF YOUR CUSTOMERS, YOU WILL BE FIRED. THIS IS WHAT THE BOARD DESERVES, ALL OF THEM TO BE FIRED, AND LET US HANDLE THE SCHOOLS TO THE PARENTS. THANK YOU. 
          [00:55:01]
SANDRA BULGER, DURHAM PARENT. 
          WHY DID THEY GO? WE GOT AN INTERESTING WINDOW INTO THE HISD MAGNET PARENTS FORUM. A PARENT OF A STUDENT AT HARVARD ELEMENTARY HAD BEEN ACCEPTED TO DURHAM DUAL LANGUAGE PRE-K 4. THEY POSTED ON THE GROUP IF THEY SHOULD SWITCH. RESILIENT ALLIGATOR. 
          DO NOT SWITCH, NAME REDACTED. 
          THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE I KNOW WHO HAVE LEFT DURHAM THIS YEAR IS VERY HIGH. 
          FLOWER 204. DO NOT. WE MADE THE SWITCH THIS YEAR TO A DIFFERENT CAMPUS AND OUR KIDS SAID THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT WAS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT AND THEY LOVED IT. RESILIENT ALLIGATOR. MY CHILD ATTENDED PRE-K 4 AT DURHAM. I HAD A HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE WITH THE WAY HOUSTON ISD ADMINISTRATION HANDLES DURHAM. THEY DON'T ALLOW FOR PARENT INVOLVEMENT SUCH AS PARENT LUNCHES. VOLUNTEERING IN CLASSROOMS, LIBRARY, CAFETERIA, AND OTHER ON-SITE ACTIVITIES. 
          IF YOU WANT TO BE INVOLVED AS MUCH AS YOU CAN, STAY WITH HARVARD. THE COMMUNITY HAS VOTED WITH THEIR FEET. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. THANK YOU. I'M DIANA CANDIDA, READING A SPEECH BY A WHARTON TEACHER. THE WAY OUR ADMINISTRATION TREATS OUR STAFF IS NOT IN LINE WITH WHAT WE TEACH OUR STUDENTS. EVERY DAY WE TEACH OUR STUDENTS TO BE KIND AND RESPECTFUL TOWARD ONE ANOTHER, YET THE SAME STANDARD IS NOT BEING PRACTICED TOWARD OUR STAFF. 
          OUR ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN DISMISSIVE AND CONDESCENDING TOWARD TEACHERS, PUBLICLY CRITICIZED STAFF, AND CONSISTENTLY IGNORED THE CONCERNS WE BRING FORWARD. 
          RESPECT IS A FOUNDATION OF A HEALTHY SCHOOL CULTURE, AND ON OUR CAMPUS THAT FOUNDATION HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH A CULTURE OF FEAR. WHEN STAFF SPEAK UP, WE ARE DISMISSED, TREATED IN AN UNPROFESSIONAL MANNER, OR IGNORED ALTOGETHER. WE ASK OUR STUDENTS TO HOLD THEMSELVES TO A HIGH STANDARD OF KINDNESS AND RESPECT. THAT SAME EXPECTATION SHOULD APPLY TO THE ADULTS WHO LEAD OUR CAMPUS AND TO YOU. 
          PERSONALLY, I HAVE SEEN A DRAMATIC TURNOVER OF TEACHERS AND STUDENTS WHO'VE LOST MANY. 
          WARDEN IS A MICROCOSM OF HISD UNDER THIS TAKEOVER, DISMISSING THE CONCERNS OF TEACHERS, PARENTS, AND STUDENTS IS DISRESPECTFUL AND HARMFUL. DO BETTER, BE BETTER. FIRE. THANK YOU. 
          ARE THERE ANY OTHER HISD PARENTS PRESENT? NEXT, WE'LL MOVE ON TO ZOOM. ANITA WADHWA. SHOULD APPLY TO THE ADULTS WHO LEAD OUR CAMPUS. 
          MISS WADWAL, YOU CAN BEGIN WHEN YOU'RE READY. HAVE YOU STARTED THE TIME? NO, PLEASE GO AHEAD. 
          LAST WEEK I RAN INTO A SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER WHO WAS VISIBLY UPSET. A STUDENT SHE HAD WORKED WITH VERY LOVINGLY FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS WAS SUDDENLY REASSIGNED TO ANOTHER CAMPUS. 
          HIS FAMILY ONLY SPEAKS SPANISH, AND THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND THAT THEY WERE NO LONGER ALLOWED TO SEND THEIR CHILD TO THE SCHOOL THEY TRUSTED. 
          THEY RECEIVED CALLS OVER THE SUMMER BUT DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON AND THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A REGULAR SCHOOL YEAR. THEY SHOWED UP TO ORIENTATION TO SAY HELLO TO THEIR FAVORITE TEACHER ONLY TO LEARN THAT THEIR CHILDREN NOW HAVE TO ATTEND TWO DIFFERENT SCHOOLS. THIS IS NOT A SMALL INCONVENIENCE. IT'S A TRANSPORTATION NIGHTMARE WITH REAL-TIME CONSEQUENCES FOR WORKING PARENTS TRYING TO MAKE ENDS MEET. TWO DROP-OFFS, TWO PICKUPS, TWO SETS OF RULES, AND THIS IS CREATED NOT BY NECESSITY BUT BY YOUR DECISIONS. AND THE STORY IS NOT ISOLATED. YOUR OWN BOARD PACKETS SHOW MISSED SPED EVALUATION TIMELINES, IMPROPER PLACEMENTS, UNFILLED STAFFING POSITIONS, AND CAMPUS REASSIGNMENTS MADE WITHOUT FAMILY CONSULTATION. 
          YOU'RE SHUFFLING CHILDREN, TEACHERS, AND ADMINISTRATORS AROUND LIKE PIECES ON A CHESSBOARD. THERE'S A REASON. THANK YOU, YOUR TIME IS UP. THE ORGANIZERS AND PERPETUATORS OF SEGREGATION ARE AS MUCH THE ENEMY OF AMERICA AS ANY FOREIGN INVADER. 
          SEGREGATIONIST MIKE MILES IS THE PRIMARY. 
          MS. HALVORSEN, YOU MAY BEGIN. 
          MR. MILES, THIS WEEK YOU CALLED THE SPED SUCCESS PROGRAM A HUGE SUCCESS. ONCE AGAIN, YOU SEEM STUCK ON THE NUMBERS, BUT WHETHER IT'S 3,000, 05,000, OR ONE CHILD, IDEA PROTECTS EACH STUDENT AS AN INDIVIDUAL. THE REASSIGNMENT OF ONE STUDENT WITHOUT FIRST LOOKING AT THAT ONE STUDENT'S INDIVIDUAL NEEDS IS A VIOLATION OF THEIR FEDERAL AND STATE RIGHTS. 
          FOR EACH CHILD, CHANGES TO IEPS MUST BE DECIDED BY ARD COMMITTEE, INCLUDING THE PARENT, CONSISTENT WITH LRE, AS CLOSE TO HOME AS POSSIBLE, WITH CONSIDERATION OF ALL HARMFUL EFFECTS OF ANY CHANGE. YOU CANNOT CHOOSE THE CAMPUS FIRST AND 
          [01:00:01]
AMEND THE IEP SECOND. YOUR PROGRAM WAS IMPLEMENTED WITHOUT INDIVIDUALIZATION. 
          FURTHERMORE, WHEN IT COMES TO HIGH EXPECTATIONS, I GUESS I NEED TO REMIND YOU THAT STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES ARE GEN ED STUDENTS FIRST. HIGH EXPECTATIONS WERE NOT TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT FOR THESE STUDENTS. YOU REASSIGNED THEM WITHOUT CONSIDERING THEIR RIGHTS TO BE EDUCATED IN THEIR LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT APPROPRIATE BASED ON THEIR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. 
          IN A DISTRICT BUILT ON SCHOOL CHOICE, WHERE IS THEIRS? THANK YOU. 
          THIS CONCLUDES OUR SPEAKERS FOR GROUP A. THIS CONCLUDES OUR SPEAKERS FOR THE FIRST GROUP. 
          LET'S MOVE ON TO THE AGENDA. 
          SO, NOW I'D LIKE TO INVITE BOARD MEMBERS TO SHARE, REPORTS AND COMMENTS. ANY REPORTS OR COMMENTS? OKAY, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO THAT. 
          AND YOU'RE REGISTERED? OKAY, GO AHEAD. IN FACT, SORRY ABOUT THAT. DO YOU PROVIDE YOUR NAME, PLEASE? COULD YOU PROVIDE YOUR NAME? GOOD EVENING. SORRY ABOUT THAT. IN REGARDS TO AN ARTICLE THAT I BROUGHT COPIES OF FROM THE TEXAS MONTHLY, WHEN A CHILD MY NAME IS BECKY SMITH. I'M A PARENT IN HISD. 
          THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. 
          WHEN A CHILD IS NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE BIOLOGY IN 9TH GRADE, THEIR CHANCE TO TAKE ANY AP SCIENCE COURSE IS ELIMINATED. 
          THEY HAVE TO TAKE BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, AND PHYSICS BEFORE THEY CAN TAKE AP ANYTHING, SO THEY WOULD HAVE TO TAKE 2 SCIENCE CLASSES AT A TIME TO BE ABLE TO TAKE AN AP CLASS. THEY'RE DEPRIVED OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO EARN COLLEGE CREDIT AND SAVE TUITION MONEY. AND I'M OUT OF BREATH BECAUSE I'VE WRITTEN IN HERE, SORRY. IF THAT CHILD IS PLACED IN PHYSICS INSTEAD OF BIOLOGY, THEY WILL LIKELY FAIL UNLESS THEY WERE ABLE TO TAKE ALGEBRA IN 8TH GRADE BECAUSE PHYSICS REQUIRES ALGEBRA. SADLY, WE KNOW THAT ALGEBRA HAS NOT BEEN AN OPTION FOR NES 8TH GRADERS FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS. THE STUDENT WILL STRUGGLE IN A CLASS THEY LEGITIMATELY SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO TAKE. IT WILL PROBABLY HURT THEIR GPA, BUT AT LEAST BIOLOGY STAAR SCORES WILL LOOK GOOD. PLEASE DO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY'S GOT THE ARTICLE. 
          THANK YOU. WE HAVE ANOTHER PARENT THAT HAS ARRIVED. OKAY. 
          HELLO ALL, I THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO VOICE MY CONCERNS. MY NAME IS ALINA BADAM AND THIS IS MY DAUGHTER PHOENIX. SHE IS A 5TH GRADER IN HER SECOND YEAR AT THE NATION'S ONLY PUBLIC ARABIC IMMERSION PROGRAM HERE IN OUR CITY. IT WAS NOTHING SHORT OF A MIRACLE TO GET OFF WORK EARLY TODAY AND ATTEND THIS MEETING, BUT IT HAS BEEN EVEN MORE OF A MIRACLE TO GET MORE OF A CHALLENGE TO GET OFF WORK 2.5 HOURS EARLY EVERY DAY THIS WEEK, DRIVE ACROSS TOWN, AND PICK MY DAUGHTER UP FROM SCHOOL AT 3 PM. IF YOU'RE WONDERING HOW I ENDED UP IN THIS PREDICAMENT THAT SIMULTANEOUSLY THREATENS MY CHILD'S DAILY ATTENDANCE AND MY EMPLOYMENT, ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN. HISD TRANSPORTATION AND ROUTING ADOPTED A HUB MODEL IN OUR AREA THIS YEAR. THIS MEANS THAT RATHER THAN BEING DROPPED OFF ON THE STREET THAT WE LIVE, MY DAUGHTER'S DESIGNATED DROP-OFF LOCATION IS NOW 3 MILES AWAY FROM OUR HOME AND ACROSS HIGHWAY 59 IN THE MIDDLE OF MY WORKDAY. I'M A SINGLE WORKING MOTHER. I'VE BEEN HIRED TO WORK 8 TO 5 EVERY DAY, AND THIS HAS BEEN A COMPLETE DETRIMENT TO OUR USE OF THE RESOURCE. I'M HERE TODAY ON BEHALF OF HUNDREDS OF FAMILIES, STUDENTS, AND TEACHERS. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER PARENTS? OKAY, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT DOING THE NEXT GROUP RIGHT NOW. WE'RE WE, WE ONLY DO STUDENTS AND PARENTS, AND THEN WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT GROUP AFTER THIS. 
          WE'RE NOT DOING THE NEXT GROUP YET. THE NEXT GROUP WILL COME IN AFTER, AFTER THE REPORTS HERE. SO, WE'LL CALL YOU UP AND, AND LET 
          [Board Member Reports and Comments]
YOU KNOW WHEN THAT HAPPENS. 
          SO, WE'RE NOW GOING TO A BOARD MEMBER REPORT AND COMMENTS. MR. GOOSSEN, I THINK YOU HAVE YOU'RE UP FIRST. YES, THANK YOU. I, WITH MY WIFE, ATTENDED THE BACK-TO-SCHOOL RESOURCE FAIR AT DEL MAR A FEW WEEKS AGO ON SATURDAY AND GOT THERE ABOUT 9 O'CLOCK. THE PLACE WAS A MADHOUSE. AND I WAS REALLY PLEASED. I THINK THERE WERE PROBABLY 1,200 OR 1,400 FAMILIES OVER THE COURSE OF 3 HOURS THAT WERE SERVED WITH FREE SCHOOL SUPPLIES AND OTHER THINGS, BUT ALSO MY WIFE WAS PARTICULARLY INTRIGUED. THERE WAS A TABLE FOR GRANDPARENTS TO GIVE ADVICE AND COUNSEL TO GRANDPARENTS WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY SHOULD BE DEALING WITH THEIR GRANDCHILDREN WHO ARE AT HISD. THERE WERE PEOPLE THAT WERE PROVIDING HEALTH ADVICE, FOR EXAMPLE. THERE WAS THE INSURANCE COMPANY WAS 
          [01:05:01]
THERE. UNITEDHEALTHCARE WAS THERE AND THEY HAD A WHOLE TEAM THERE GIVING PEOPLE ADVICE ON HEALTHCARE AND INSURANCE SUPPORT THAT WHAT THEY COULD PROVIDE PEOPLE. AND I TALKED TO THE FELLOW WHO MANAGES THAT PROGRAM ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND HE SAID THE HISD FAIR THAT HE ATTENDED HERE WAS ONE OF THE BEST HE'D ATTENDED THROUGH THE YEAR. SO THAT WAS REALLY AN UPLIFTING EXPERIENCE FOR US. AND I ALSO, WITH CATHY, ATTENDED THE CONVOCATION, WHICH OTHERS I KNOW DID AS WELL, AND IT WAS AN ABSOLUTELY EXTRAORDINARY DAY. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE 2,000, 2,500 TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS IN THE ROOM. DOING A PLAY AND KIND OF GIVING A GOOD SENSE OF WHAT GOES ON IN TEACHERS' LIVES. AND THEN SECONDLY, SUPERINTENDENT MILES GIVING A, I THINK, EXTREMELY INSPIRING CONVERSATION ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE AS WELL AS WHAT HE EXPECTS FOR THE COMING YEARS AT HISD. SO, THERE WAS TWO REALLY OUTSTANDING EXPERIENCES THAT BOTH MY WIFE AND I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENJOY. I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO ATTEND A LOT OF THE BIG PUBLIC EVENTS, BUT WE'VE HAD SOME RATHER PRIVATE ONES IN THAT MY SON STARTED KINDERGARTEN THIS WEEK. AND SO, I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO DROP HIM OFF EVERY DAY THIS WEEK. AND THE CARE FROM THE STAFF AND THE TEACHERS AT HIS SCHOOL HAS JUST BEEN OUTSTANDING. IT IS PALPABLE. 
          EACH DAY I ASK HIM, YOU KNOW, HOW HAS YOUR DAY BEEN? AND ENTHUSIASTICALLY GOES, GREAT. 
          AND I MADE THE MISTAKE OF SAYING ONE TIME, I SAID, I'M GLAD YOU HAD A GOOD DAY. 
          AND HE GOES, NO, DAD, IT WAS A GREAT DAY. AND SO, WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING AT A SCHOOL WITH A LOT OF THE GREAT WORKERS THAT WE CELEBRATED AND RECOGNIZED HERE EARLIER THIS EVENING. I JUST I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THE CROSSING GUARDS THAT ARE OUT IN OUR SCHOOLS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. DEPENDING ON WHICH WAY I GO TO WORK EVERY DAY, THERE'S MULTIPLE SCHOOLS, AND THE CROSSING GUARDS ARE VERY PATIENT. THEY'RE WATCHING OUR CHILDREN. I KNOW IT'S A BIG IT'S A BIG TASK, ESPECIALLY BEING A NEW SCHOOL YEAR, BUT I JUST WANTED TO GIVE THEM A SHOUT OUT AND THANK THEM FOR KEEPING OUR KIDS SAFE. 
          ANYBODY DOWN HERE? THIS IS YOUR PLATFORM. I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS, TO PRESIDENT CAMPO, TO SUPERINTENDENT MILES FOR A VERY WARM WELCOME TO DR. CRUZ-ARNOLD. FOR HER KINDNESS AND HER REASSURANCE. 
          AND TO THE WONDERFUL ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM AND THAT I'VE GOTTEN TO MEET AND WORK WITH OVER THIS PAST MONTH. 
          SO, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND I'M REALLY EXCITED FOR THE WORK AHEAD. GREAT. 
          THANKS. ANYBODY ELSE? OKAY. 
          [Reports from the Superintendent]
AWESOME. ALL RIGHT. SO, THANK YOU. SO, WE WILL NOW I HAVE REPORTS FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT. MR. MILES, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. I'M GOING TO BE RIGHT BACK. ALL RIGHTY, BOARD PRESIDENT, WE'LL COME BACK IN A MINUTE. 
          GOOD MORNING, BOARD MEMBERS. 
          JUST WANTED TO TALK ABOUT A COUPLE THINGS. FIRST, WHAT WE DID TO PREPARE FOR THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, WHICH WAS A REALLY GOOD DAY FOR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF KIDS, OR AT LEAST 150,000 KIDS. THAT ENROLLMENT WILL GROW. SO, ON THE WHAT WE DID THIS SUMMER, A LOT OF PEOPLE WORK REALLY HARD. 
          TO GET PREPARED. AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S STUFF THAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T SEE. AND I KNOW NOT EVEN THE BOARD MEMBERS SEE ALL THE THINGS THAT GO ON. 
          FIRST, WE HAD A REALLY GOOD SUMMER SCHOOL. WE HAD 25 DAYS WITH ABOUT 14,000 STUDENTS ATTEND SUMMER SCHOOL, AND IT WAS A REALLY EFFECTIVE THAT WE DID AT BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, OR BEGINNING OF THE SUMMER, END OF SUMMER ASSESSMENT, AND THE STUDENTS GREW IN THE READING. WE HAD NEUHAUS HELPING WITH SOME OF OUR MOST STRUGGLING READERS, AND SO A GOOD EXPERIENCE THERE THIS SUMMER. AND THEN WE SPENT, OF COURSE, A LOT OF TIME HIRING TEACHERS, AND WE ONLY HAD 5 VACANCIES OUT OF 9,600 POSITIONS, ONLY 5 VACANCIES AT THE START OF SCHOOL YEAR. THAT'S A TESTAMENT TO THE PRINCIPALS AND THE HR CREW DOING A LOT OF JOB 
          [01:10:01]
FAIRS SO THAT WHEN KIDS COME TO SCHOOL ON THAT FIRST DAY, THEY ALL HAD A TEACHER READY FOR THEM. WE ACTUALLY HAD SOME PEOPLE STANDING IN THE WINGS REPLACING THE FOR THOSE 5 VACANCIES. SO, EVERY KID GOT GOOD INSTRUCTION ON THE VERY FIRST DAY. THERE WERE NO SPED VACANCIES WHEN WE STARTED THE SCHOOL YEAR. AND SO, ALL THE SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS HAD A TEACHER QUALIFIED TO DO, TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES, BUT ALSO TO PROVIDE GOOD INSTRUCTION BECAUSE THE PRINCIPALS HAD DONE SOME GREAT TRAINING. AND I DON'T THINK ANY OTHER DISTRICT DOES WHAT WE DO, WHICH IS WE HAVE INSTRUCTION ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. 
          THAT DOESN'T MEAN THERE ISN'T TIME TO GET TO KNOW THE CHILDREN, TO TALK ABOUT THEIR SUMMER OR GET TO KNOW THEM. IT ALSO MEANS WE CAN DO BOTH. JUST LIKE A COACH ON A SPORTS TEAM, IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO WIND SPRINTS ON THE FIRST DAY, YOU DON'T JOG THE WIND SPRINTS. 
          YOU RUN THEM, YOU SPRINT THE SPRINTS WHILE YOU'RE STILL GETTING TO KNOW THE PLAYERS. 
          SAME THING HAPPENS, AND THAT'S A HARD THING TO DO BECAUSE YOU HAVE 9,600 TEACHERS SOME OF WHOM ARE NOT USED TO HOW WE DO IT HERE AND HAD TO BE TRAINED OVER THE SUMMER. 
          BUT WHEN I WALKED AROUND THE SCHOOLS AND ALL OF THE, THE SENIOR LEADERS WALKED AROUND SCHOOLS, LOOKED AT INSTRUCTION, INSTRUCTION WAS HAPPENING IN EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL. THAT'S A HARD THING TO DO. A HUGE TESTAMENT TO OUR PRINCIPALS AND THE CHIEF OF SCHOOLS AND, AND HER TEAM. 
          AND THEN I DO WANT TO MENTION SPECIAL EDUCATION BECAUSE THAT WAS A HUGE TASK. WE WENT OVER AND ABOVE, WHAT IS LEGALLY REQUIRED. AND SO, THERE ARE 22,000 STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN THIS DISTRICT. 22,000. 
          05,000 OF THOSE STUDENTS ARE IN WHAT WE CALL SELF-CONTAINED CLASSROOM SETTINGS. SO, THEY HAVE IEPS IN A FAIRLY RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT, AND THE IEPS WERE NOT CHANGED. 
          OF THE 5,000 STUDENTS WHO ARE IN SELF-CONTAINED CLASSROOMS, 03,000 OF THEM WERE MOVED. NOT THE 5,000 THAT YOU READ, YOU KNOW, CONSTANTLY OUT THERE, JUST LIKE OTHER MISINFORMATION TONIGHT. IT'S 3,000 STUDENTS THAT HAD TO BE MOVED, AND HALF OF THOSE STUDENTS WERE MOVED IN A LOCATION FROM EITHER TO THE SCHOOL THAT THEY WERE ZONED TO, OR FROM ONE SCHOOL TO ANOTHER SCHOOL THAT ARE THAT IS CLOSER. AND SO THOSE STUDENTS WERE OKAY. AND SO, WE HAD 01,600, WHICH IS A LARGE NUMBER OF KIDS STILL OUT OF THE 22,000 THAT WERE MOVED AND HAD THEIR LOCATION CHANGED, NOT THEIR IEP. AND HENCE THESE EXPERTS WHO ARE NOT LEGAL EXPERTS WERE THOUGHT THAT LOCATION AND PLACEMENT WERE ONE AND THE SAME. PLACEMENT IS NOT THE SAME AS LOCATION. 
          PLACEMENT IS WHERE YOU WORK WITH THE PARENT ON THE IEP TO SAY, MY CHILD GETS AN AUTISM CLASS, MY CHILD GETS A BEHAVIOR CLASS. 
          THAT IS CALLED A PLACEMENT. 
          THAT'S A LEGAL DEFINITION IN, IN THE IDEA. PLACEMENT, NOT THE SAME AS LOCATION, EVEN THOUGH THE TWO WORDS ARE SYNONYMOUS. 
          AND THAT'S WHERE A LOT OF THE CONFUSION COMES IN BECAUSE YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT TALKING ABOUT SPECIAL EDUCATION. AND SO, WE CHANGED THEIR LOCATION, AND AS A RESULT OF WORKING CLOSELY WITH TEA AND THE CONSERVATORS, THEY WANTED TO GO OVER AND ABOVE THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS AND TO ASK THE PARENTS ABOUT THE LOCATION, OR AT LEAST CONSIDER THAT THROUGH A PHONE CALL OR THROUGH AN ARD. SO, ANY PARENT WHO WANTED A NEW ARD IS AN EVALUATION WHO WANTED A NEW ARD, BECAUSE NONE OF THE IEPS WERE CHANGED, NONE OF THE PLACEMENTS WERE CHANGED, ANYBODY WHO WANTED AN IEP, A NEW ONE, COULD REQUEST IT. 
          WE HAD ABOUT 80 ARDS PRIOR TO THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. ALL THE OTHER SO ABOUT 1,500 PARENTS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO REACH THROUGH PHONE CALLS OR PERSONAL VISITS, BECAUSE SOME OF THEM WE COULDN'T GET THROUGH TO ALL OF THEM, SO WE HAD TO KNOCK ON DOORS, AGREED THAT THEIR LOCATION, NOT THE PLACEMENT, THEIR LOCATION WAS FINE, AND THEY SIGNED AN AMENDMENT TO THEIR IEP, WHICH IS NOT LEGALLY REQUIRED, BUT WE DID IT ANYWAY. SO, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE PARENTS WERE OKAY WITH THEIR LOCATION AND THEIR IEP. 
          AND IT AND JUST LIKE EVERY YEAR, WE DO WE WILL DO IEPS AS PEOPLE COME IN. WE WILL DO AN IEP 
          [01:15:01]
DURING THE YEAR. SO, ALL OF THAT, AND THAT'S WHY THAT'S A SUCCESS. WE ONLY HAD 10 FAMILIES THAT EITHER HADN'T RECEIVED AN ARD YET, THEY WERE NOT MOVED AS A RESULT, OR REFUSED. THERE WAS A HANDFUL WHO REFUSED TO HAVE A NEW ARD, AND THOSE STUDENTS HAVE NOT SHOWN UP TO SCHOOL YET. SO, TO ME, WHEN YOU HAVE 22,000 KIDS, 05,000 IN SELF-CONTAINED, 3,000 THAT WERE MOVED, 1,600 THAT WERE MOVED IN TO WHERE WE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE A CALL OR AMENDMENT, THAT IS A LOT OF WORK FROM PEOPLE WHO WORK HOURS AND HOURS TO GO OVER AND ABOVE TO MAKE SURE THOSE STUDENTS WERE WELL SERVED. AND IT'S A SUCCESS, YES, BECAUSE ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, ALL BUT, YOU KNOW, A DOZEN OR SO WERE IN THE RIGHT LOCATION THAT WE HAD ASSIGNED, AND THEY WERE BEING SERVED BOTH THEIR IEPS AND INSTRUCTION. I WILL FIND THE PICTURE OF THE CLASSROOMS WHERE KIDS WHO NORMALLY DID NOT HAVE THEIR EXPECTATIONS RAISED INSTRUCTIONALLY WERE ALL DOING WHITEBOARDS, AND THEY WERE HAPPY TO BE PARTICIPATING IN HIGHER INSTRUCTION. AND THE WHOLE POINT OF THE EXERCISE IS THAT WE HAD 65% OF OUR FAMILIES OF OUR STUDENTS, 65% OF THE CLASSROOMS WITH SELF-CONTAINED STUDENTS HAD 03, 4, OR 5 GRADE LEVELS IN THEM. WE TOOK NOTES ON THE CALLS WE MADE, AND PEOPLE WERE HAPPY THAT MY KINDERGARTNER THIS IS A REAL EXAMPLE MY KINDERGARTNER IS NO LONGER GOING TO BE WITH THE 5TH GRADER. AND THEY WERE HAPPY ABOUT THAT. 
          BUT MANY OF THEM WERE EVEN HAPPIER BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT WHEN YOU WHEN I SAID IT AT CONVOCATION, MARTY, YOU WERE THERE THAT THE SPECIAL ED TEACHERS WOULD ONLY HAVE 95% OF THE CLASSROOMS NOW WOULD ONLY HAVE 1 OR 2 GRADE LEVELS. 
          THERE WAS APPLAUSE FROM THE SPED TEACHERS AND, AND OTHER TEACHERS WHO KNOW HOW THIS WORKS. AND SO, TEACHERS HAVE AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK WHEN YOU ARE WHEN YOU HAVE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES THAT ARE SELF-CONTAINED STUDENTS AND YOU HAVE 3, 4, OR 5 GRADE LEVELS. 
          THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BE A GREAT INSTRUCTOR TO ALL THOSE KIDS. SO YES, THIS WAS A HUGE CHANGE, AND YES, PEOPLE ARE WERE RIGHT TO BE CONCERNED. I'D BE CONCERNED IF THERE'S A NEW SCHOOL. 
          IN THE END OF THE DAY, WE CAN'T NOT WE CANNOT SERVE WELL A CHILD IN 215 CENTERS, WHICH IS WHAT IT WAS, 250, 220, AND THAT'S WHY YOU HAD SO MANY GRADE LEVELS. SO, WE CONSOLIDATED MORE. I THINK WE HAVE 150-SOME NOW, AND THAT'S, THE CENTERS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, WHICH BY THE WAY IS NOT DIFFERENT THAN MOST LARGE DISTRICTS. THEY ALL HAVE CENTERS, AND UNFORTUNATELY THIS DISTRICT OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS DID NOT DO IT STRATEGICALLY TO SUPPORT INSTRUCTION. THEY DID IT TO MEET COMPLIANCE ISSUES, AND THAT'S WHY YOU HAD THE BAD SITUATION YOU HAVE. BUT WE HAVE NOW CHANGED THAT SYSTEM. GOING FORWARD, IT'LL BE FINE. JUST LIKE RIGHT NOW, TODAY, MOST OF THE PARENTS OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THE PARENTS ARE, ARE FINE WITH IT. THE KIDS, AND ALL OF THE KIDS, ARE GETTING THE SERVICES THAT THEY NEED AND BETTER INSTRUCTION. 
          SO YES, A LOT OF WORK OVER THE SUMMER, AND THAT'S HOW WE STARTED THE SCHOOL YEAR, WALKING IN THE CLASSROOM. IT'S MANY OF THE TEACHERS, SO PROUD OF THEM, EVEN NEW TEACHERS DELIVERING INSTRUCTION BECAUSE THIS IS SERIOUS BUSINESS. 
          BEFORE I GO INTO THE 3-YEAR REPORT, LET ME JUST SAY ONE THING BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA AND THINGS THAT, THAT HAPPENED IN THE LAST WEEK. YEAH, THIS IS SERIOUS, AND IF WE DON'T DO OUR JOB WELL, IF WE DON'T WORK WITH SOME URGENCY, WE WILL HAVE 11TH AND 12TH GRADERS WHO CAN'T READ. THAT'S NOT NEW INFORMATION. THAT'S WHY WE WORK WITH URGENCY. THAT'S WHY WE HAVE RAISED EXPECTATIONS. 
          THAT'S WHY THE SCORES ARE WHAT THEY ARE, BECAUSE THE KIDS CAN READ BETTER, DO MATH BETTER THAN EVER BEFORE. THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO. WE'VE ALWAYS HAD THIS. 
          4 YEARS AGO, IT WAS WORSE. 
          THERE WERE MORE 11TH GRADERS AND 12TH GRADERS WHO COULD NOT READ AT GRADE LEVEL. AND DO MATH AT GRADE LEVEL. SO, IT'S SERIOUS BUSINESS. IT REQUIRES URGENCY. IT REQUIRES BOLD TRANSFORMATION. AND SO LET ME TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'VE DONE AND THE RESULTS WE'VE HAD IN 3 YEARS. THAT'S WHAT IT TOOK, AND THAT WAS PART OF THE CONVOCATION MESSAGE WHAT IT REALLY TAKES. IT'S HARD, HARD WORK. AND SO, THANK YOU, STAFF, 
          [01:20:02]
FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DID OVER SUMMER. IT WAS REALLY GRUELING, I KNOW. 
          BUT WE STARTED THE SCHOOL YEAR OFF WELL, AND NOW THE 3-YEAR REPORT IS EVEN MORE TESTAMENT TO YOUR LEADERSHIP, THE WORK OF OUR TEACHERS, THE WORK OF OUR PRINCIPALS, BUT MOSTLY THE HARD WORK OF OUR STUDENTS WHO ROSE TO THE LEVEL OF EXPECTATIONS. 
          3 YEARS 4 YEARS AGO, OR 3 YEARS AGO RATHER, THIS IS, THIS IS A FACT, WE TRAILED THE STATE ON EVERY SINGLE STAAR EXAM. 0 OUT OF 20 MET OR EXCEEDED THE STATE'S RESULTS. 120 D&F CAMPUSES, ACTUALLY 121, BUT WE REMOVED ONE OF THE SCHOOLS IN THE LAST 3 YEARS, SO IT'S NOW 120. MORE THAN 580 TEACHER VACANCIES IN THE '22-'23 SCHOOL YEAR. 
          580. TALK ABOUT NOT BEING PREPARED FOR THE START OF SCHOOL. MANY OF THOSE, 50 OR 60 OF THEM, WERE SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS. SO, STARTING THE SCHOOL YEAR OFF LIKE THAT, THAT'S NOT A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS. WE, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAD 0, THEN 28, THEN 2 LAST YEAR, AND NOW FOR THE 4TH YEAR WE HAVE 5. WE HAD HUGE MONEY PROBLEMS $1.2 BILLION OF ESSER WASTED, $650 MILLION OF THAT IN RECURRENT EXPENSES. THERE WAS AN URGENT NEED TO IMPROVE STUDENT OUTCOMES. 
          NOT JUST GROWTH BUT PROFICIENCY, AS HAS BEEN POINTED OUT IN SOCIAL MEDIA. THERE WAS A HUGE NEED. 
          BUT EVEN WORSE THAN THAT, THERE WAS A HUGE MINORITY ACHIEVEMENT GAP. AND AS YOU KNOW, WE STARTED THE INTERVENTION WITH A VISION, AND THERE'S ONLY TWO THINGS ON THAT VISION. ONE IS TO SIGNIFICANTLY NARROW ACHIEVEMENT GAPS, AND I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT EVERY YEAR FOR FOUR YEARS, AND TO PREPARE KIDS FOR THE YEAR 2030. WORLD AND WORKPLACE, WHICH I'VE ALSO BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR 3 YEARS. NO SURPRISES THERE, BUT WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE, THE HUGE MINORITY ACHIEVEMENT GAP HERE IN A MINUTE. JUST A QUICK SNAPSHOT. 93 A AND B RATED SCHOOLS IN 2023, 205 TODAY. 
          205 MORE THAN DOUBLED A AND B SCHOOLS. THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT NES, WHICH STARTS IN 3RD GRADE. NOT JUST ABOUT NES, IT'S ABOUT ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS. 120 D&F CAMPUSES NOW DOWN TO 13. I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT. THAT'S A HUGE SUCCESS FOR OUR KIDS. AGAIN, YES, WE STILL HAVE FAILING SCHOOLS. YES, WE STILL HAVE KIDS WHO ARE BELOW PROFICIENCY. YES, WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO, BUT THIS IS CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION AND FEWER KIDS ARE BELOW GRADE LEVEL AS A RESULT. 
          $15,000 INCREASE IN AVERAGE TEACHER SALARY. I DON'T GET IT AT ALL WHY SOMEBODY WOULD THINK WE'RE DECREASING SALARIES. 
          THAT'S CRAZY. WE HAVE THE HIGHEST AVERAGE SALARIES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS TODAY, THE HIGHEST, AND THAT'S A FACT. AND WE, WE'LL GIVE YOU MORE INFORMATION HERE IN A MINUTE. IT'S BEEN AN ACADEMIC TURNAROUND THE LIKES OF WHICH TEXAS HAS NEVER SEEN AND ONE OF THE BEST IN THE NATION. THIS IS READING. 
          I WON'T GO THROUGH IT, CLOSELY BECAUSE YOU HAVE IT IN YOUR REPORT, BUT LOOK AT THAT, DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORES. 
          YEAH, I MEAN, WE, WE PUT A LOT OF EMPHASIS IN NES 3RD THROUGH 8TH GRADE, BUT ALSO OUR OTHER SCHOOLS, OTHERWISE WE WOULDN'T GET THIS KIND OF GAINS. NES, IF WE WERE TO BREAK THIS DOWN, NES AND TO NON-NES, YES, THE GAINS AT NES WOULD BE GREATER. MATH ALSO. THE LONGER YOU'RE IN THE SYSTEM, THE BETTER IT IS. LOOK AT MIDDLE SCHOOL, DOUBLE-DIGIT GAINS IN MATH. 
          AND THEN ALSO EOC, ALGEBRA 1 GOING FROM 34% TO 58%. JUST INCREDIBLE GROWTH IN OUR HIGH SCHOOLS. AND JUST TO SHOW YOU, HOW MISINFORMED INFORMATION GETS JUST THROWN OUT THERE LIKE IT'S REAL DATA. YOU MAY RECALL IF YOU WERE HERE THAT WE WERE CRITICIZED FOR KEEPING KIDS FROM ALGEBRA 01, WHICH WAS NEVER TRUE, AND NOW IT'S ALMOST DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF KIDS TAKING ALGEBRA 1 IN 8TH GRADE. NOT ONLY THAT, WE HAVE THE ACCELERATED PROGRAM WHERE OUR 7TH GRADERS ARE BEING PUSHED INTO 8TH GRADE MATH SO THAT THEY WILL BE IN A BETTER POSITION TO TAKE ALGEBRA 1. YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THIS NUMBER GROW. OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE EVERY KID, IF POSSIBLE, TAKE ALGEBRA 1 IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. NOW THERE WILL BE SOME 7TH GRADERS WHO WON'T BE ABLE TO DO THAT, AND SO THEY'LL TAKE 8TH GRADE MATH IN 8TH GRADE, BUT ALL 7TH GRADERS WILL TAKE 8TH GRADE MATH THIS YEAR. THE 8TH GRADE MATH ASSESSMENT. SO, WE'RE ACCELERATING, 7TH GRADE MATH. 
          [01:25:01]
SO THAT IS A FACT. SO, ALL THIS, YOU KNOW, POOR INTENT, I JUST, JUST SHOULDN'T LISTEN TO. 
          STUDENTS ARE LEARNING MORE SCIENCE. SCIENCE HAS INCREASED DOUBLE DIGITS IN BOTH 5TH GRADE AND 8TH GRADE. AND SPECIAL EDUCATION HAS ALSO INCREASED. 
          SO, IF YOU LOOK AT THIS GRAPH, YOU SEE THAT IN 2023, OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS WERE BEHIND THE SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS IN THE STATE IN, 4TH THROUGH 8TH GRADE MATH. NOW IT'S JUST A REVERSE. WE'RE AHEAD. OUR STUDENTS ARE AHEAD. 
          SAME THING IN READING, 2 POINTS BEHIND, NOW 4 POINTS AHEAD. 
          HAVING SAID THAT, WE WE'RE NOT SATISFIED WITH THE LOW PROFICIENCY RATE. 
          YES, WE'RE ABOVE THE STATE. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S GOOD. THAT'S CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION. 
          BUT WE PLAN TO RAISE OUR EXPECTATIONS FOR OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITY, NOT BEYOND WHAT THEY'RE CAPABLE OF. 
          BUT THE LAST THING WE WANT TO DO IS LOWER THE EXPECTATIONS AND SAY THEY CANNOT DO IT, TO SAY THEY CAN'T. 
          IN THIS COUNTRY, WE HAVE DONE THAT FOR BLACK AND BROWN KIDS FOR DECADES. THEY CAN'T, WE'RE GOING TO LOWER THE EXPECTATIONS. WE DON'T EXPECT THEM TO MEET HIGHER THE AVERAGE, AND WE LOWERED EXPECTATIONS. HISD'S CHANGED THAT SIGNIFICANTLY. 
          WE'RE THE MODEL IN THE STATE, YES, AND OTHER PEOPLE ARE FOLLOWING EXAMPLE BECAUSE WE HAVE RAISED EXPECTATIONS AND THE KIDS ARE MEETING IT. WE'RE GOING TO DO THE SAME THING FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. AGAIN, NOT BEYOND WHAT THEY CAN DO, BUT DON'T SAY, WE'RE GONNA START HERE. HOW ABOUT WE CHALLENGE THEM A LITTLE BIT MORE, AND YOU'RE GONNA SEE THEY'RE GONNA RISE TO THE EXPECTATIONS TOO. 3 YEARS AGO, WE DID NOT HAVE ONE EXAM THAT MET OR EXCEEDED THE STATE AVERAGE. NOT ONE OUT OF THE 20. AND WE DID A GOOD JOB THE FIRST YEAR, BUT WE WERE SO FAR BEHIND, WE STILL DIDN'T HAVE AN EXAM OVER THE STATE AVERAGE. 
          BUT LAST YEAR AND THEN THE YEAR BEFORE THAT, WE HAD GREAT GROWTH, AND NOW WE HAVE 13 EXAMS OUT OF THE 20 THAT ARE AT OR ABOVE THE STATE AVERAGE. SO, THE FIRST TIME IN TEXAS HISTORY WE HAVE A LARGE URBAN DISTRICT PULLING UP THE STATE AVERAGE RATHER THAN PULLING IT DOWN. 
          YOU'RE GONNA GET A REPORT FROM NWEA RESEARCHER RIGHT AFTER MINE, OR YES, RIGHT AFTER MINE. AND SO, THEY WILL GIVE YOU A LOT MORE INFORMATION. BUT IT'S NOT JUST THE STAAR EXAM. IT IS THE NWEA MAP ASSESSMENT. 
          IN A FEW MONTHS, WE'LL GET THE NAEP. AND ALL THE DATA SUGGESTS THAT OUR KIDS CAN READ BETTER AND DO MATH BETTER. 
          LOOK AT THIS THIS ONE, I'LL LET THE RESEARCHERS TELL YOU THE OTHER NWEA DATA, BUT ON THIS ONE, THE 6TH GRADE STUDENT THAT TOOK THE END-OF-YEAR EXAM IN NWEA IN 2024, SO THE FIRST YEAR OF THE INTERVENTION, WAS JUST ABOVE THE, THE NATIONAL URBAN SCHOOL AVERAGE. NOW THEY PROBABLY STARTED BELOW, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE DATA BECAUSE WE DIDN'T TAKE MORE THAN THIS YEAR'S EXAM. IN THE END OF THE YEAR, THIS 4 MONTHS AGO, OUR KIDS ARE WAY THAT SAME 6TH GRADER IS NOW AN 8TH GRADER AND THEY'RE WAY ABOVE THE NATION'S URBAN SCHOOLS. THAT'S MATH. 
          THIS IS READING. SO, THE NATION'S URBAN SCHOOLS ROSE A LITTLE BIT. THAT'S GOOD, BUT OUR KIDS DID EVEN MORE. SO UNDOUBTEDLY THE GROWTH IS THERE, IT'S REAL, AND IT JUST MEANS KIDS CAN READ BETTER THAN EVER AND DO MATH BETTER THAN EVER. AGAIN, DOESN'T MEAN WE DON'T HAVE WORK TO DO. THIS IS THE NWEA CURVE. THAT MEANS YOU HAVE 12, 13 MILLION KIDS TAKE THIS EXAM. THE MIDDLE KID IS AT THE 50TH PERCENTILE. AND LOOK AT THE GROWTH THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE HAD OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS COMPARED TO ALL THE OTHER KIDS IN THE NATION, AT LEAST A SAMPLE SIZE OF 13 MILLION. AND YOU CAN SEE OUR BLACK STUDENTS FOR THE FIRST TIME NOW ARE ABOVE THE MEDIAN FOR THE NATION. OUR HISPANIC STUDENTS HAVE RISEN WELL, AND ALL OF OUR STUDENTS ALTOGETHER IS A 12-POINT INCREASE IN 3 YEARS. TOTALLY UNHEARD OF. EVEN OUR WHITE POPULATION AND ASIAN POPULATION OF STUDENTS HAVE, HAVE GROWN COMPARED TO THE NATION'S KIDS. AND THAT'S THESE DATA ARE NWEA DATA, BY THE WAY, JUST AS THE STAAR DATA IS, THE TEA'S DATA. TEA 
          [01:30:04]
ACCOUNTABILITY, OKAY, I HAD SOME OTHER SLIDES IN HERE, BUT LET'S JUST GO WITH THIS. SO, IF YOU LOOK AT OUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS, THERE ARE 80 OF THEM, AND YOU CAN SEE THE BLUE IS WHERE WE ARE NOW TODAY. SO, THESE SCHOOLS, WE HAVE ZERO FS, ZERO DS, AND FOUR CS. 31 BS AND 49 AS. I MEAN, IT'S JUST BEEN A HUGE INCREASE OVER THE LAST ACTUALLY, THERE'S 84 SCHOOLS. IT'S JUST BEEN A HUGE INCREASE OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS. AND ANOTHER THING TO NOTE IS THAT YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE WERE 21 FS AND 19 DS, BUT THE VARIABILITY OF OUTCOME WAS HUGE. AND NOW IT'S ALL SHIFTED TO THE RIGHT. IF YOU LOOK AT OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, A SIMILAR SHIFT TO THE RIGHT. 
          HUGE IMPROVEMENT IN OUR A AND B SCHOOLS. WE NOW HAVE 125, A AND B SCHOOLS WHEN WE USED TO HAVE ONLY 62, SO MORE THAN DOUBLE THAT. WE USED TO HAVE 80 D AND F CAMPUSES. 
          WE HAVE 13. SO YES, WE, WE'VE GOT WORK TO DO, AND THERE'S A LITTLE VARIABILITY OF OUTCOME, BUT I FEEL CONFIDENT THAT, WE'LL WE WON'T HAVE ANY DNFS AT THE END OF THIS YEAR, AND WE, WE HAVE A SHOT AT GETTING DOWN TO ZERO CS, BUT IT'LL BE HARD. IT'S NOT GONNA BE HARD FOR SECONDARY BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE WE ARE, BUT THE GOAL OF HAVING A AND B SCHOOLS ONLY, THAT'S A MOONSHOT GOAL. WE HAVE A CHANCE STILL AT IT. THIS IS ALL EVERYTHING COMBINED. SO AGAIN, IF YOU SEE 55 F SCHOOLS THERE WAS 56, AND I TOLD YOU THE ONE SCHOOL THAT GOT CLOSED OR REMOVED EARLIER, I THINK 2 YEARS AGO IS NOW DOWN TO 4. 65 D SCHOOLS, NOW DOWN TO 9. YOU CAN SEE THE CS AND BS WENT FROM 57 TO 113 AND AS 36 TO 92, ALMOST 3 TIMES AS MUCH. SO HUGE IMPROVEMENT AGAIN FOR THE 3RD YEAR IN A ROW. I SAID AFTER THE 1ST YEAR, 1 YEAR DOES NOT A TREND MAKE. WE WANTED TO CELEBRATE ANYWAY. WE CELEBRATED, BUT WE HAD TO GET RIGHT BACK TO WORK BECAUSE THAT'S NOT A TREND. 
          LAST YEAR, AFTER 2 YEARS, I SAID, WELL, WE HAD THE BEGINNINGS OF A TREND, SO WE SHOULD CELEBRATE AND SEE WHAT'S WORKING WELL SO WE CAN CONTINUE THAT. NOW, 3 YEARS IN A ROW, THE STUDENTS HAVE DONE WELL, THE TEACHERS HAVE DONE WELL, AND THE SCHOOLS HAVE DONE WELL. 
          SO NOW IT'S A BONA FIDE TREND, AND, YOU KNOW, NOT A FLUKE. 
          THE SYSTEM IS WORKING. THE NES SYSTEM IS WORKING, BUT THE INSTRUCTIONAL COHERENCE ACROSS THE SYSTEM IS WORKING REALLY WELL. LET ME GO OVER SOME OTHER DATA. YOU'VE SEEN THIS SLIDE BEFORE. I JUST, I JUST LIKE IT BECAUSE IT SHOWS YOU CAN NO LONGER TELL WHERE ARE POOR AREAS IN HOUSTON THAT ARE CHALLENGED BY POVERTY. 
          GEOGRAPHY DOES NOT MEAN DESTINY ANYMORE IN HISD. OH, AND I DIDN'T MENTION THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP IN THIS DISTRICT, AND WE NEED TO DO IT EVERY YEAR BECAUSE ALL DOES MEAN ALL. AND 85% OF OUR STUDENTS ARE BLACK OR HISPANIC. 85%. SO, ACHIEVEMENT GAP IS AN IMPORTANT VARIABLE OR METRIC, AND IT'S PART OF THE VISION STATEMENT ANYWAY. 
          AND I'VE MENTIONED IT EVERY YEAR BECAUSE I GET A LITTLE NOT ANNOYED IS TOO LIGHT A WORD, ANGRY IS TOO HARSH A WORD, BUT SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN BECAUSE FRUSTRATED, BECAUSE THAT'S TOO HUGE A GAP. 
          THAT'S THE STORY OF AMERICA THE LAST TWO DECADES, AND IT'S WRONG TO HAVE A 40% OR ALMOST A 40% GAP IN MATH FOR OUR AFRICAN AMERICAN AND WHITE STUDENTS, BETWEEN OUR AFRICAN AMERICAN AND WHITE. 
          WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT THAT IS THE QUESTION I ASKED 3 YEARS AGO, AND NOW WE'VE CLOSED THE GAP OR NARROWED THE GAP TO JUST 22 POINTS. YES, THAT'S NOT ENOUGH, BUT THAT'S 16-POINT NARROWING IN 3 YEARS. GIVE IT A COUPLE MORE YEARS, WE'LL BE EVEN CLOSER. AND THEN LOOK AT OUR HISPANIC STUDENTS, 
          [01:35:01]
30% GAP. THAT'S ALSO NOT A GOOD THING. AND NOW IT'S ONLY 15%. 
          THAT'S STILL TOO BIG, BUT LET'S MAKE SURE WE LOOK AT THAT EVERY YEAR. THE BOARD SHOULD CHALLENGE ME, NEXT YEAR TO BRING ANOTHER CHART UP ON THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP, JUST LIKE YOU DID THE YEAR BEFORE, EVERY YEAR, TO SEE IF IT'S CLOSING. SO, WE'RE DOING RIGHT BY KIDS. 
          IT'S NOT EASY, AND IT'S NOT GOING TO BE EASY. THERE'S STILL GOING TO BE VARIABILITY. WE HAVE GREAT SCHOOLS, AND IN SOME OF THOSE GREAT SCHOOLS, WE HAVE A LARGE ACHIEVEMENT GAP. AND SO, IT CAN'T REALLY BE GREAT IF YOU HAVE A LARGE ACHIEVEMENT GAP. SAME WITH THE DISTRICT. 
          WE HAVE A LOT OF A AND B SCHOOLS, BUT AS LONG AS WE HAVE D, F, AND C SCHOOLS, WE'VE GOT A LOT MORE WORK TO DO. WE, WE CAN CELEBRATE, AND THEN WE GOT TO GET RIGHT BACK TO WORK AND KEEP THAT SENSE OF URGENCY, BECAUSE ALL MEANS ALL, AND WE STILL HAVE KIDS. 
          I'M HAPPY ABOUT THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP GROWING, BUT LOOK AT HOW MANY KIDS WHO ARE STILL NOT WHERE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE, YOU KNOW. SO, THIS IS THE GAP. 
          THIS SO THIS IS NOT A PROFICIENCY LEVEL, BUT IT'S JUST, IT FOCUSES ON GAP. BUT IT'S NOT ENOUGH. 
          IT'S NOT ENOUGH. ALL RIGHT, OTHER IMPACTS. PRE-AP CLASS, THAT'S A THAT'S A WHAT DO WE CALL IT A LEADING INDICATOR OF KIDS WHO ARE GOING TO TAKE APS. LOOK AT THE AP EXAMS. WE, WE HAVE WAY MORE KIDS TAKING AP EXAMS EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE FEWER KIDS, SO THE PERCENTAGE IS EVEN LARGER. AND THEN THE EXAMS WHERE WE'RE SCORING 3+, LOOK FROM $11,600 TO $17,900 IN 3 YEARS. YEAH, $506 MILLION OF SCHOLARSHIP AND FINANCIAL AID. 
          THAT'S A HUGE INCREASE. I REALLY LIKE THE ASSOCIATE'S DEGREES EARNED 543 LAST YEAR COMPARED TO 354 IN '24. SO HUGE INCREASE. THIS IS INDUSTRY-BASED CERTIFICATIONS. LOVE THIS STATISTIC ALSO. THIS GIVES OUR STUDENTS MORE OPPORTUNITY. 
          SO, IT'S NOT JUST BEEN ABOUT STAAR SCORES OR EOCS. 
          WE'VE BEEN DOING AP STUFF, WE'VE BEEN DOING INDUSTRY-BASED CERTIFICATIONS, ALL OF THESE THINGS TO GET OUR KIDS INTO COLLEGE OR A JOB THAT'S HIGH WAGE, HIGH DEMAND, HIGH SKILL. LET'S TALK ABOUT RETURN TO TEACH. WE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THIS. 
          BY THE WAY, WE HAVE 9 CLOSE TO 9,600 TEACHERS. IF YOU JUST TALK RETURNING TEACHERS FROM LAST YEAR, TEACHERS RETURNING, 83% OF THE TEACHERS WHO WERE HERE IN MAY ARE BACK HERE TODAY, AND 87% OF THE TEACHERS WHO WERE HERE IN MAY ARE IN THE DISTRICT. 
          SOME GOT PROMOTED, SOME WORKING IN CENTRAL OFFICE. 87%, 87% ARE BACK HERE IN THE DISTRICT. SO, YOU COMBINE THAT AND WE'LL GET YOU DATA SINCE WE JUST PUT OUT THE PAY FOR PERFORMANCE. 
          WE'LL SHOW YOU, I ALREADY KNOW WHAT THE DATA IS GOING TO SAY. THE STUDENT, THE TEACHERS WITH THE HIGHEST PROFICIENCY LEVELS AND THE HIGHEST PAY WE RETAIN THOSE IN THE 90S, BUT ALL TEACHERS ALTOGETHER, 87%, 83% IF YOU JUST MEAN TEACHER TO TEACHER. SO, YOU COMBINE THAT WITH THE LOW VACANCY RATE, TEACHERS ARE COMING HERE. NOW, NOT ONLY ARE TEACHERS COMING, WHAT THEY HAVE SINCE THE BEGINNING, THEY FLOCK INTO THE DISTRICT, BUT NOW WE HAVE THE TEACHERS STAYING. SO MORE AND MORE EFFECTIVE TEACHERS ARE STAYING, AND MORE AND MORE TEACHERS WANT TO BE IN THIS DISTRICT. 
          BY THE WAY, WE TURNED DOWN THOUSANDS. PEOPLE CAN'T BELIEVE IT. I UNDERSTAND THAT WE TURNED DOWN THOUSANDS OF TEACHERS AT EVERY JOB FAIR BECAUSE WE CAN BE MORE SELECTIVE NOW. AND, AND EVEN THEN, WE WERE ABLE TO HIRE MORE CERTIFIED TEACHERS AS WELL. 
          ALL RIGHT, 90 THAT'S, FROM THE NES CAMPUSES, 92%. I ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THE VACANCIES. I MEAN, THAT'S JUST A CRAZY STATISTIC. 
          BY THE WAY, ANY OTHER DISTRICT WOULD BE ENVIOUS OF THIS, EXCEPT FOR MAYBE FORT WORTH THAT TOOK A PAGE OUT OF OUR BOOK. THEY ALSO HAVE LOW VACANCY AT THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. WE PUT MORE MONEY INTO INSTRUCTION. THAT'S A, THAT'S A POINT OF PRIDE. IT MAY NOT BE FOR SOME PEOPLE, BUT THAT'S WHERE THE DOLLARS SHOULD GO THE CLASSROOM, THE SCHOOL, NOT CENTRAL OFFICE. BUS 
          [01:40:05]
ARRIVALS HAS, HAS GONE UP. 
          THAT'S WE'RE NOT SATISFIED WITH THAT. OUR GOAL THIS YEAR IS 95 AT A MINIMUM. WEAPON DETECTION SYSTEMS AND THE REDUCTION IN EMERGENCY CONTRACTS I KNOW MANY OF YOU UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT A DATA POINT THIS IS, BUT WHAT THAT IS, IS IN THE MORNING AT OR 5, WHEN A CHILLER GOES OUT OR WHEN SOME PROBLEM HAPPENS, INSTEAD OF PICKING UP THE PHONE AND CALLING A VENDOR, WE DID IT OURSELVES. AND AS A RESULT, BY THE WAY, WE'VE NOT HAD ONE SCHOOL HAD TO CLOSE THIS WEEK BECAUSE OF WEATHER OR PROBLEMS LIKE THAT. YOU KNOW, AND IT'S ALWAYS A CHALLENGE WHEN THE WEATHER'S HOT. FAMILY ENGAGEMENT SURVEY, WE'LL DO ANOTHER ONE IN JUST A FEW MONTHS, BUT AGAIN, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, 100 AT LAST YEAR WE HAD 168, 167,000 STUDENTS, ALMOST AS MANY FAMILIES, AND OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THEM ARE SATISFIED WITH THE DIRECTION OF THEIR SCHOOL. THE DIRECTION OF THE DISTRICT. AND YOU SEE ALL THE OTHER DATA THERE. 
          YOU'VE HAD THE SURVEY PASSED OUT TO YOU, SO YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. 
          BUT I THINK THAT'S A POINT OF PRIDE TOO. I THINK HISD NOW HAS 95,000 SUBSCRIBERS. OUR PARENT SQUARE IS WORKING WELL. 
          AND THEN WE, WE HAVE A WEB PAGE GETTING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF VIEWS. THAT HAS HELPED. AND IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN ON HISD NOW LATELY, YOU SHOULD GO BECAUSE IT'S WHERE YOU CAN GET THE INFORMATION. THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING COMING UP. WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, SEVERAL PRIORITIES. 
          FUTURE TWO SCHOOLS, 1882 PARTNERSHIPS, THE KINDER BRIDGE ACCELERATED MATH I ALREADY TALKED ABOUT, AND OUR VIRTUAL SCHOOL. ALL OF THAT IS THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING, THINGS WE STILL HAVE TO COMPLETE SO A LOT MORE WORK TO DO. EXCITED ABOUT ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT WE HAVE GOING. WHO HAS THE FIRST QUESTION? ARE THERE MEMBERS' QUESTIONS? A LOT OF DATA, A LOT OF INFORMATION. SO, I CAN GO FIRST. GREAT INFORMATION, BY THE WAY. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. FIRST, IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU. WE'VE BEEN OFF FOR A COUPLE MONTHS, SO IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK. I WANT TO SAY I APPRECIATE YOUR PASSION AROUND CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP. THE FACT THAT IT HAS PERSISTED AND ALMOST BECOME AN ACCEPTED PART OF THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT OUR SOCIETY IS WRONG. 
          AND THESE RESULTS SHOW THAT IT IS IN FACT WRONG. RIGHT? IT REJECTS THE IDEA THAT RACE DETERMINES ABILITIES. RIGHT? THAT'S WHAT THOSE ACHIEVEMENT GAP CLOSURES DEMONSTRATE. AND IT'S A VERY POWERFUL, VERY POWERFUL CONCEPT TO SAY RACE DOES NOT DETERMINE ABILITY. OKAY? WHAT DID SO THEREFORE, WHAT DOES DETERMINE ABILITY? AND I THINK THIS IS ALL OF THE WORK THAT SO MANY WONDERFUL ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS AND FAMILIES AND STUDENTS ACROSS THE DISTRICT ARE PROVING. 
          STRONG INSTRUCTION, HIGH EXPECTATIONS, ACCESS TO RIGOROUS MATERIAL THAT'S WHAT TRANSLATES TO ABILITY, NOT RACE. AND SO, I APPRECIATE, AS SOMEONE WHO IS IN ONE OF THOSE RACES THAT SIT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE, THE STAT, RIGHT, I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMITMENT BECAUSE IT IS A, IT IS A MISLEADING AND INCORRECT STAT. AND THE MORE WE INFUSE OUR SYSTEM WITH THOSE OTHER 3 THINGS THAT ACTUALLY DETERMINE ABILITY, I THINK THE BETTER OUR SOCIETY WILL BE. SO, THANK YOU. 
          ANYBODY ELSE? YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE YOU HAVE THE CHANCE THAT PEOPLE WOULD SAY, WELL, WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL OF GOING FROM 93 A AND B SCHOOLS TO 205. OKAY, IT'S NOT SUCH A BIG DEAL. THAT'S WHATEVER THAT IS, 113 SCHOOLS GOING FROM A AND B. WHEN YOU BREAK THAT DOWN, AND I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT NUMBER, I'D LOVE TO HAVE THE EXACT NUMBER, THAT'S PROBABLY 100,000 STUDENTS ACROSS THIS DISTRICT THAT ARE GOING TO A AND B SCHOOLS THAT 3 YEARS AGO WERE IN A C, D, OR F SCHOOL. AND THE RESULT OF THAT IS, IS THOSE KIDS ARE NOW BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE. THE TEACHERS ARE BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE. MORE IMPORTANTLY, THEY ARE PROVIDING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE FUTURE OF THEIR LIVES. AND SO, I JUST, I JUST THINK WE NEED TO, YOU KNOW, THE SCHOOL NUMBERS ARE TELLING, AND OF COURSE EVERY SCHOOL OF DIFFERENT SIZES AND ALL THAT. 
          MAYBE YOU KNOW THE NUMBER, 
          [01:45:02]
BUT IT'S GOT TO BE MORE THAN 100,000 KIDS, NEW KIDS, KIDS GOING TO A AND B SCHOOLS THAT WEREN'T GOING TO A AND B SCHOOLS 3 YEARS AGO. 
          IS THAT TRUE? YEAH, IT'S A LITTLE OVER 100,000 THAT ARE KIDS GOING INTO A AND B SCHOOLS. YES. 
          SO, IT'S ONLY ABOUT 80,000, 70,000, I THINK, GOING TO A AND B SCHOOLS THAT WEREN'T GOING TO AND SO THE REVERSE OF THAT, 121 TO 13 D AND F SCHOOLS, MEANS THERE'S 100,000 KIDS, LESS KIDS GOING TO A FAILING SCHOOL. THAT'S RIGHT. AND SO, WHEATLEY IS A SCHOOL THAT WE ALL KNOW, PUT US IN THIS SITUATION, NOW RATED A AS OF 2026. OTHER SCHOOLS ARE RATED A IN THAT NETWORK AS WELL. I'M SURE THAT WE'LL PINPOINT IN OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT GOING FROM 121 TO 13, THINK OF THE NUMBER OF SCHOOLS THAT ARE NOT DOOMED TO GOING TO SCHOOL ON MONDAY IN AN F-RATED SCHOOL. 56 F-RATED SCHOOLS. AND I DON'T KNOW WHY ANYBODY WOULD BE PROUD OF THAT SUCCESS, THAT, THAT, THAT RECORD YEARS AGO, BUT I WOULD BE VERY PROUD OF TODAY THAT THERE ARE ONLY 14, 13 OF THOSE SCHOOLS TODAY. AND WHILE IT'S HARD, AND THOSE 4 FS THAT WEREN'T THERE LAST YEAR ARE KIND OF AN IDIOSYNCRASY OF THE WAY THE SCHOOL STATE DOES THE SCHOOL RATINGS, AND WE'RE GOING TO FIGHT AGAINST HAVING ANY OF THOSE, AND WE'VE MADE THAT PROMISE THROUGH THE HOUSTON PROMISE. 
          BUT I THINK THIS IS THE OPPOSITE OF SAYING THERE'S 100,000 THERE ARE 100,000 LESS KIDS GOING TO D AND F-RATED SCHOOLS. YOU KNOW, BOARD MEMBER GOOSSEN, THANKS FOR POINTING THAT OUT BECAUSE I USUALLY SAY IT BUT I DIDN'T SAY IT TODAY. 
          YES, THERE'S A LOT OF NUMBERS UP THERE AND THE NUMBERS ARE GOOD, BUT IT PALES IN COMPARISON TO WHAT YOU JUST SAID, AND THAT IS THERE ARE KIDS BEHIND ALL THOSE NUMBERS. REAL KIDS WITH REAL AMBITION WHO WANT TO BE ABLE TO READ AT GRADE LEVEL, WHO ARE SEEKING OPPORTUNITY IN A WORLD THAT SEEMS TO BE HARDER AND HARDER TO GET A HIGH-WAGE, HIGH-DEMAND, HIGH-SKILLED JOB, YOU KNOW, AND THE OBSTACLES WE PUT IN FRONT OF KIDS AND SOCIAL MEDIA THAT'S BEARING DOWN ON THEM, MISINFORMATION THAT'S BEARING DOWN ON THEM. ECONOMIC CONDITIONS THAT'S BEARING DOWN ON THEM, SOMETIMES PUBLIC POLICY THAT'S BEARING DOWN ON THEM, ALL KINDS OF THINGS. 
          AND YET THE KIDS ARE THRIVING, THEY'RE IMPROVING, AND THE DATA SHOW THAT. AND I'LL SAY AGAIN, AND I KNOW MAYBE MY STAFF OR THE BOARD DOESN'T WANT ME TO SAY THIS, BUT WE NEED TO CELEBRATE KIDS WHO DO WELL. WE NEED TO CELEBRATE THE CLOSING OF THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP OR THE NARROWING OF THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP. BECAUSE IF WE DON'T, IF WE JUST POINT OUT THE NEGATIVE STUFF AND WE FOCUS ON THAT, LIKE SOCIAL MEDIA DOES, IF WE JUST DO THAT, THEN THE COMMUNITY GETS A WRONG IMPRESSION OF WHAT BLACK AND BROWN KIDS CAN DO. THEY GET THE WRONG IMPRESSION. WHEN THEY DON'T SAY THESE KIDS CAN MEET HIGH EXPECTATIONS. IF THEY JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, AND THEY IGNORE IT, THEY DON'T CELEBRATE IT. 
          SO, I'M HOPING ESPECIALLY PUBLIC OFFICIALS CELEBRATE WHEN BLACK AND BROWN KIDS, ALL KIDS, BUT ESPECIALLY BLACK AND BROWN KIDS NARROW THE GAP. I WAS DO WELL ON THE ASSESSMENTS. 
          SUPERINTENDENT, I WAS LUCKY TO GO TO THE YATES HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT YATES' RATING WAS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YATES RACE, BUT WHAT I SAW WAS A LARGELY BLACK COMMUNITY CELEBRATING LIKE I'D NEVER SEEN. AND THEY'VE BEEN 3 YEARS UNDER THIS ADMINISTRATION. 
          EVERY ONE OF THOSE KIDS, I FELT THAT THEY FELT THAT THEY HAD A BETTER OPPORTUNITY NOW THAN THEY MIGHT HAVE HAD HAD THEY GRADUATED 3 YEARS EARLIER. 
          YEAH, I'M GOING TO WHEATLEY TOMORROW. THEY'RE GOING TO BE CELEBRATING THEIR A RATING. 
          AND THEY WILL KNOW, AND THEIR PARENTS WILL KNOW, AND THEIR COMMUNITY WILL KNOW THAT THINGS HAVE BEEN BETTER FOR THEM. AND YES, IT'S RIGOROUS, BUT THEY ARE BETTER OFF FOR THAT. AND SO THAT IS THE TRANSFORMATION THAT WE'VE DONE IN JUST 3 YEARS. THAT IS THE IMPACT, AND THAT IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR KIDS. AND A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF WORK TO GO. YES, SIR. 
          NO ONE, BY THE WAY, NO ONE PUT UP MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. I HAVE SAID OVER AND OVER AGAIN, WE'RE GOING TO CELEBRATE. AND THEN THESE FOLKS KNOW WE CELEBRATED FOR LIKE AN HOUR AND THEN WE GOT BACK TO WORK BECAUSE THERE WAS SO MUCH TO DO BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. IT WAS HISTORY. I LOOKED AT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS ACHIEVEMENT GAP, IT'S JUST AWESOME BRIDGING THAT GAP. 
          BUT YOUR GAP IS MEASURING 
          [01:50:01]
TO WHERE 53% OF THE HIGHER ACHIEVING KIDS ARE MEETING EXPECTATION. WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER 47% OF THEM? NO QUESTION. I MEAN, THAT'S CRAZY, RIGHT? YES, SIR. THESE NUMBERS ARE ALL THE NUMBERS ARE BAD NUMBERS. NOW, THE GOOD NUMBERS ARE TRAJECTORY UP AND HIGH TO THE RIGHT, WHICH IS GOOD, MEANING THAT WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS, BUT IT IS JUST FRIGHTENING TO ME TO THINK THAT ONLY 53% OF WHITE KIDS ARE READING AT GRADE LEVEL OR DOING MATH AT GRADE LEVEL TOO, RIGHT? BECAUSE THAT MEANS 47% ARE NOT. 
          THAT'S RIGHT. AND OUR EOCS ARE STRONGER THAN THAT. AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE NWEA, WE'RE AT THE 63RD PERCENTILE NATIONALLY. 
          BY THE WAY, YOUR POINT'S STILL WELL TAKEN BECAUSE 63% NATIONALLY OUR NATION HAS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF PRETTY OFTEN TOO. YEAH, KIND OF DIPPED, AND THAT CURVE HAS, HAS NOT MOVED TO THE RIGHT, THAT BELL CURVE. SO, BUT STILL MAKING GOOD GAINS. 
          WE'RE GOING TO CELEBRATE THE HECK OUT OF IT. WE'RE GOING TO CONGRATULATE THE KIDS. I WAS AT JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. THE KIDS WERE JUST SCREAMING AND SO HAPPY ABOUT AND THIS WAS ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, SO NOT EVERYBODY WAS SAD, BUT THEY WERE ALL YELLING AND SCREAMING. THEY WERE HAPPY ABOUT SCHOOL STARTING AND ABOUT THEIR SUCCESS FROM LAST YEAR BECAUSE THEIR TEACHERS HAD TOLD THEM WHAT THEY'D DONE ON THE STAAR SCORES. ANYWAY, THERE'S A THERE IS A LOT OF PRIDE. WE NEED TO CELEBRATE THAT. WE NEED TO HOLD ON TO THAT. BUT OUR TEAM KNOWS WHAT YOU JUST SAID, SIR. OUR TEAM KNOWS, AND THE PRINCIPALS KNOW, WE ARE GETTING RIGHT BACK TO WORK. GREAT, GREAT JOB. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? I'M GOING TO TAKE A MOMENT OF PRIVILEGE AND I MISSED I MISSED. THERE YOU GO. OH, YOU MISSED. OK, GREAT. WELL, I'M GOING TO LET YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT. IN THE SPIRIT OF CELEBRATING GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS, WHAT I MISSED EARLIER WAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONGRATULATE ALL OF THE SUMMER GRADUATES THAT WE CELEBRATED JUST A WEEK AGO. I WAS PRIVILEGED TO ATTEND THE SUMMER GRADUATION. AND WHY THAT'S EXTRA SPECIAL IS BECAUSE EACH ONE OF THOSE STUDENTS DIDN'T GRADUATE IN THE NORMAL CADENCE BECAUSE OF SOME WHATEVER CHALLENGE THAT KEPT THEM FROM GRADUATING WITH THEIR CLASS. 
          BUT THEY PERSISTED. THEY PURSUED THAT GOAL. AND THE ENERGY THAT YOU FEEL AT A SUMMER GRADUATION JUST EXCEEDS EVERY OTHER GRADUATION THAT I'VE ATTENDED. SO, I JUST WANTED TO EXTEND JUST WONDERFUL, HEARTFELT CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERY SINGLE STUDENT WHO WORKED HARD, EVERY SINGLE FAMILY BEHIND THEM AND SUPPORTED THEM, AND EVERYONE WHO SHOWED UP FROM THE ADMINISTRATION, THEIR TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS WHO WERE THERE TO CELEBRATE THEM AND CHEER THEM ALONG THE WAY. SO, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. LET'S GO TO OUR NEXT SUBJECT. ALL RIGHT, SIR. I'LL TAKE MY SEAT AND I'LL INTRODUCE. ALL RIGHT, MR. PRESIDENT, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, I'M PLEASED TO WELCOME DR. EMILY MORTON, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH CONSULTING AT NWEA. DR. MORTON LEADS RESEARCH AND CONSULTING PARTNERSHIPS THAT HELP SCHOOL SYSTEMS USE ASSESSMENT DATA AND EVIDENCE TO INFORM EDUCATIONAL DECISIONS. HER RESEARCH EXAMINES NATIONAL TRENDS IN K-12 STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND HOW EDUCATION POLICIES AND PROGRAMS AFFECT STUDENT OUTCOMES. SHE HOLDS A PHD IN EDUCATION AND A MASTER'S OF PUBLIC POLICY FROM STANFORD UNIVERSITY. TODAY, DR. MORTON WILL SHARE WHAT NWEA DATA TELLS US ABOUT HIC'S ACADEMIC GROWTH AND HOW OUR PERFORMANCE COMPARES NATIONALLY. DR. MORTON, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. 
          FOR THAT KIND INTRODUCTION. I'M EMILY MORTON, AND I'M, AS HE SAID, THE DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH CONSULTING AT NWEA. I HAVE THE REAL PRIVILEGE OF JOINING YOU ALL TONIGHT TO UPDATE YOU SINCE YOU SAW SOME OF THESE RESULTS IN THE WINTER, AS YOU MAY REMEMBER. WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT WHAT NWEA SHOWS FOR HISD IN TERMS OF ACHIEVEMENT AND GROWTH PATTERNS OVER THE PAST 3 YEARS. IT WOULD ALWAYS BE A PRIVILEGE TO BE HERE, BUT IT'S PARTICULARLY A PRIVILEGE TO BE HERE BECAUSE I HAVE A LOT OF POSITIVE RESULTS 
          [01:55:02]
TO SHARE. I WANT TO EMPHASIZE FROM THE BEGINNING BEFORE I JUMP IN THAT WE DO A LOT ON OUR END TO PRESSURE TEST THESE RESULTS AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY HOLD UP. THIS IS AN INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS AND WE DO IT ON OUR SIDE WITH OUR DATA, AND WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO DEBUNK THEM SO FAR. JUST LIKE THE WINTER PRESENTATION, THE ASK OF US HERE WAS TWOFOLD. SO, WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT RESULTS, A HIGH-LEVEL OVERVIEW OF JUST HISD DATA TRENDS FOR THE LAST 2 TO 3 WELL, 3 YEARS IN THIS CASE. AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO ALSO COMPARE HOUSTON TO OTHER LARGE URBAN DISTRICTS NATIONALLY. 
          TO DO THIS, WE'RE GOING TO EXAMINE THE HIC DATA FROM FALL 2023 OH, SORRY, I'M NOT MOVING FALL 2023 TO SPRING 2026. AND WE'RE GOING TO COMPARE YOU ALL TO A COMPARISON GROUP THAT WE CREATED SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS PURPOSE OF LARGE URBAN DISTRICTS THAT INCLUDE 1,700 SCHOOLS ACROSS 22 LARGE URBAN DISTRICTS THAT ALSO TEST WITH NWEA MAP GROWTH. I'M GOING TO NOTE THAT ALL THE SCIENCE COMPARISONS WE HAVE JUST HAPPENED TO HAVE MORE SCHOOLS, THAT TEST IN SCIENCE IN TEXAS, SO THE COMPARISON GROUP FOR SCIENCE IS A BIT DIFFERENT AND IS MORE SO CONCENTRATED IN TEXAS. EVERYTHING I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU TONIGHT IS GOING TO BE BASED ON TWO TYPES OF METRICS. SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE CLEAR ON THOSE TWO TYPES OF METRICS BEFORE I CONTINUE. THE FIRST METRIC IS UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF ACHIEVEMENT, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE THINKING ABOUT MEDIAN ACHIEVEMENT PERCENTILES. WE'LL LOOK AT THESE FOR HOUSTON AS WELL AS THE COMPARISON GROUP. WE'LL LOOK OVER THE COURSE OF THE THREE YEARS BY GRADE AND SUBJECT, AND AGAIN DO THE COMPARISONS TO THE, THE URBAN COMPARISON GROUP. 
          OKAY, SO WHAT IS AN ACHIEVEMENT PERCENTILE? ACHIEVEMENT PERCENTILES COMMUNICATE, STUDENTS' RELATIVE STANDING COMPARED TO THEIR PEERS IN THE SAME GRADE, TESTED IN THE SAME SUBJECT, WITH THE SAME AMOUNT OF INSTRUCTION. THIS LAST PART IS SOMETHING THAT'S SOMEWHAT UNIQUE TO NWEA. WE ONLY COMPARE STUDENTS' TEST SCORES TO STUDENTS WHO TESTED AT THE SAME TIME DURING THEIR SCHOOL YEAR. SO, IN THIS CASE, WE MIGHT INTERPRET THIS A STUDENT WHO SCORES AT THE 58TH PERCENTILE HAD A TEST SCORE, OR WHAT WE CALL RIT SCORES AT NWEA, AT HIGH THAT WAS HIGHER THAN 58% OF STUDENTS WHO TESTED IN THE SAME GRADE, SAME SUBJECT, AND SAME TIME OF YEAR. FOR THIS REPORT, WE DID AN EXTRA STEP TO JUST VALIDATE THOSE DAYS OF INSTRUCTION THAT STUDENTS WERE EXPOSED TO BEFORE TESTING IN HISD AND THE COMPARISON SCHOOLS TO MAKE EXTRA SURE THAT WE'RE ACCURATELY CAPTURING DIFFERENCES IN SCHOOL TESTING CALENDARS ACROSS THESE DISTRICTS. WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS TODAY ON THE MEDIAN ACHIEVEMENT PERCENTILES AS OUR MEASURE, BUT I WANT TO FLAG THAT IN OUR FIGURES YOU'LL ALSO BE ABLE TO SEE AVERAGE RIT SCORES. WE GRAPH THEM TOGETHER BECAUSE THEY SUMMARIZE THE DATA IN SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT WAYS. 
          THE AVERAGE SCORE, AS YOU ALL KNOW WELL, IS THE SUM OF THE SCORES OF STUDENTS ADDED TOGETHER DIVIDED BY THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS. 
          SIMPLE AVERAGE. THIS IS ONE MEASURE OF WHAT'S TYPICAL FOR STUDENTS, BUT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE MIDDLE OF A GROUP. IT CAN BE DRAGGED SLIGHTLY UP OR SLIGHTLY DOWN IF SCORES AREN'T EQUALLY SPREAD OUT AROUND THE MIDDLE OF A GROUP. THE MEDIAN PERCENTILE SHOWS WHERE THE STUDENT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GROUP FALLS AND DOESN'T GET DRAGGED UP OR DOWN IN THE SAME WAY. SO JUST TO MAKE THIS REALLY CONCRETE, IN AN EXAMPLE HERE, LET'S SAY 7 STUDENTS HAVE AN AVERAGE RIT SCORE OF 197, WHICH CORRESPONDS TO THE 50TH PERCENTILE NATIONALLY. THE MIDDLE STUDENT IN THIS GROUP, THOUGH, SCORED A 198, WHICH IS THE 53RD PERCENTILE NATIONALLY. SO HERE WE'RE LOOKING AT THE SAME GROUP OF STUDENTS, BUT THESE TWO MEASURES ARE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT BECAUSE THE AVERAGE IS AFFECTED BY EVERY SCORE IN THIS GROUP AND THE MEDIAN REFLECTS JUST THE MIDDLE STUDENT. I'M CALLING THIS OUT SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE IN THE RESULTS THAT I'M GOING TO SHOW TODAY, GROUPS WITH SIMILAR AVERAGE RIT SCORES CAN HAVE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT MEDIAN PERCENTILES. THIS CAN LOOK A LITTLE CONFUSING ON THE CHARTS, BUT THE FACT THAT WE'LL SEE THESE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THESE TWO MEASURES, THEY'RE VERY SMALL, AND IT'S IMPORTANT FOR REASSURING US THAT OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE GROUPS THAT THE TRENDS AREN'T BIASED BY THE FACT THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT JUST AVERAGE RIT SCORES OR JUST MEDIAN PERCENTILES. SO REALLY THE STORY IS THAT WE'RE GETTING A SIMILAR STORY FROM BOTH MEASURES, AS YOU'LL SEE. THE SECOND METRIC I'M GOING TO USE IS YEARS OF TYPICAL STUDENT GROWTH, OR YEARS OF TYPICAL 
          [02:00:02]
GROWTH FOR SHORT. AGAIN, WE'RE GOING TO COMPARE STUDENTS, TO THE URBAN DISTRICT COMPARISON GROUP AND LOOK AT FALL TO SPRING GROWTH RELATIVE TO ATYPICAL GROWTH BY BOTH GRADE AND SUBJECT. WE DEFINE A YEAR OF GROWTH AS AVERAGE GROWTH FOR THE AVERAGE STUDENT. THAT IS 50TH PERCENTILE GROWTH FOR A STUDENT WHO STARTED THE YEAR AT THE 50TH PERCENTILE. 
          STUDENTS CAN START THE YEAR, OF COURSE, HIGH OR LOW, AND THEN CAN ALSO GROW AT ABOVE OR BELOW TYPICAL RATES. 
          BUT IN OUR YEARS OF GROWTH METRIC, WE'RE COMPARING THE GROWTH OF HISD STUDENTS TO GROWTH THAT'S 50TH PERCENTILE FOR A STUDENT WHO STARTS THE YEAR IN THE MIDDLE AT THE 50TH PERCENTILE. SO TYPICAL YEAR OF GROWTH. 
          IN THE EXAMPLE HERE, TYPICAL GROWTH FOR A STUDENT WHO STARTS AT THE 50TH PERCENTILE IN 4TH GRADE READING IS 6 POINTS, THE PINK DOTS. SO, FOR A STUDENT WHO GREW 9 POINTS, WE'D CALL THAT 1.5 YEARS OF TYPICAL GROWTH. NOTE THIS DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THE STUDENT LEARNED 1.5 YEARS OF CONTENT, JUST THAT THEY GREW 50% MORE THAN TYPICAL FOR AN AVERAGE STUDENT IN THEIR GRADE AND SUBJECT. 
          IT'S JUST A BIT OF NUANCE THERE. 
          BEFORE I SHOW YOU THE YEARS OF GROWTH RESULTS, I DO WANT TO PROVIDE ONE WORD OF CAUTION. SO, IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, STUDENTS DON'T GROW A LOT IN READING OR SCIENCE ON OUR TESTS. THE AVERAGE 8TH GRADER GROWS JUST 2 OR 3 POINTS FROM FALL TO SPRING, IN READING AND IN SCIENCE. SO AS A RESULT OF THIS, EVEN SMALL DIFFERENCES IN GROWTH, OR RIT GAINS FROM FALL TO SPRING, CAN RESULT IN LARGE DIFFERENCES IN YEARS OF GROWTH. THAT DENOMINATOR IS PRETTY SMALL. SO, THE STANDARD ERROR ON A TYPICAL MAP GROWTH TEST IS ABOUT 3 POINTS. IN THIS CASE, THAT DIFFERENCE, GROWING AN EXTRA 3 POINTS, WOULD SHOW UP AS AN EXTRA YEAR OF GROWTH IN THESE OLDER GRADES. IT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S INCORRECT AS A METRIC. IT JUST MEANS IT'S GOING TO BE VERY SENSITIVE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND CAN MAKE RESULTS LOOK A BIT MORE DRAMATIC. WE WILL CALL THAT OUT WHERE THAT HAPPENS IN THIS CASE. IN MATH, TYPICAL GAINS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL ARE AT LEAST 7 POINTS, SO WE DON'T HAVE THIS SAME SORT OF CAUTION IN THE MATH RESULTS. THE YEARS OF GROWTH METRIC IS ACTUALLY WHERE I WANT TO START, AND THEN I'M GOING TO SWITCH TO THE MULTI-YEAR GROWTH OR COHORT RESULTS, THE TRENDS. SO JUST TO RESTATE, THE YEAR OF GROWTH METRIC HERE PRESENTS THE GROWTH OF THE AVERAGE HOUSTON STUDENT COMPARED TO THE TYPICAL GROWTH FOR THE TYPICAL STUDENT IN OUR NATIONAL NWEA NORMS. SO, IF THE MIDDLE STUDENT GREW 9 POINTS IN HOUSTON BUT A TYPICAL STUDENT GROWS NATIONALLY GROWS 6, THAT WOULD BE 1.5 YEARS OF TYPICAL STUDENT GROWTH IN HOUSTON. AND JUST TO ORIENT YOU TO THESE FIGURES BEFORE I SHOW YOU THE ACTUAL RESULTS, GOING FROM THE TOP OF THE SCREEN TO THE BOTTOM, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE RESULTS FOR EACH SCHOOL YEAR. SO, 23-24, 24-25, 25-26, AND THEN GOING FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, YOU HAVE GRADES 3 TO 8. I HAVE DATA ON GRADES 3 THROUGH 8 FOR READING BECAUSE HOUSTON DOES NOT TEST GRADES K-2 IN READING IN NWEA, AND WE HAVE GRADES K-8 FOR MATH AND GRADES 2-8 FOR SCIENCE, 2 THROUGH 8. 
          BUT WE'RE GOING TO START HERE WITH READING. LET'S ZOOM IN FIRST ON THESE 3RD GRADERS FROM THIS PAST YEAR. A YEAR OF TYPICAL STUDENT GROWTH FOR 3RD GRADE STUDENTS IS 9 POINTS IN READING FROM FALL TO SPRING. THE AVERAGE FOR HOUSTON IN THIS CASE WAS JUST UNDER 14 POINTS. SO THAT'S WHERE WE GET THESE 1.55 YEARS OF TYPICAL STUDENT GROWTH IN HOUSTON. IN THIS CASE, THE URBAN COMPARISON SCHOOLS ARE ALSO GROWING MORE THAN TYPICAL, 1.19, BUT NOT AS MUCH AS HOUSTON IS. HERE WE SEE THE WHOLE PICTURE WITH THE 23-24 ON THE TOP, FOLLOWED BY EACH YEAR FOLLOWING TOWARD THE BOTTOM. WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS THAT ACROSS THE BOARD, THE AVERAGE HOUSTON STUDENT IS MAKING MORE THAN ONE YEAR OF GROWTH. THEIR NUMBERS ARE ABOVE 1, AND IN MOST CASES THE URBAN COMPARISON GROUP IS MAKING MORE THAN ONE YEAR OF GROWTH TOO. BUT IN EACH CASE, HOUSTON'S NUMBERS ARE HIGHER THAN THE URBAN COMPARISON GROUP. I ALSO WANT TO CALL OUT ABOUT THESE FIGURES THAT YOU CAN FOLLOW STUDENTS IN THE DIAGONALS. SO HERE WE CAN IN THIS, WHAT I'VE CIRCLED, WE CAN FOLLOW GROUP STUDENTS THAT MOVE FROM 6TH GRADE TO 7TH GRADE TO 8TH GRADE EACH YEAR. AND WHAT WE SEE IS THAT ABOVE AVERAGE GROWTH, SO AGAIN, OVER 1 EACH YEAR, IS GOING TO MOVE THE MEDIAN KID UP AND UP AND UP THE ACHIEVEMENT DISTRIBUTION EACH YEAR. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE IN OUR LATER FIGURES. BUT BEFORE WE GET THERE, I DO WANT TO TALK 
          [02:05:01]
ABOUT THESE 8TH GRADERS. AS I CAUTIONED BEFORE, A TYPICAL YEAR OF GROWTH FOR 8TH GRADERS IN READING IS SMALL. IT'S JUST 2 POINTS. HIC 8TH GRADERS GREW ABOUT 7 POINTS THIS PAST YEAR. 
          SO THAT'S WHERE WE GET THIS NUMBER OF 3.56 YEARS OF TYPICAL GROWTH. IT IS TECHNICALLY 3 TIMES TYPICAL GROWTH, BUT THE AVERAGE DIFFERENCE IN RIT GAINS IN THIS CASE IS JUST 5 POINTS. 
          IT'S NOT AS DRAMATIC AS PERHAPS THAT SUGGESTS. SO, IT'S JUST A CAUTION. IT'S NOT WRONG. IT'S JUST A CAUTION IN INTERPRETING THESE YEARS OF GROWTH METRICS. THEY'RE VERY SENSITIVE TO WHAT TYPICAL GROWTH IS IN A GRADE, AND OLDER STUDENTS JUST DON'T TEND TO GROW VERY MUCH IN READING OR SCIENCE. HERE WE PRESENT THE SAME THING, BUT FOR MATH. AND HERE WE ALSO, YOU NOTICE, WE'LL HAVE SCORES FOR K-2 ON THE LEFT. THE TAKEAWAY HERE IS THE SAME, RIGHT? HOUSTON STUDENTS ARE CONSISTENTLY OUTGROWING BOTH THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR TYPICAL GROWTH AND THEIR URBAN PEERS. THE ONLY PLACE WHERE THIS IS A LITTLE BIT LESS TRUE IS THE EARLY GRADES WHERE HOUSTON IS SHOWING ABOUT THE SAME AS THE URBAN DISTRICT AVERAGE. AND THAT'S TRUE ACROSS ALL 3 YEARS, BUT IT'S ALSO STILL ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. 
          IT'S STILL ABOVE 1 IN EACH YEAR. AND FINALLY, WE HAVE THE SAME THING FOR SCIENCE. AGAIN, THE NWEA SCIENCE TEST IS SHOWING THE SAME RESULTS, RIGHT? SO, THE SAME AS WE SAW IN MATH AND READING, HOUSTON STUDENTS ARE OUTGROWING THEIR NATIONAL AVERAGE AND OUTGROWING THEIR PEERS IN THE URBAN DISTRICTS, AND EVERYBODY'S GROWING ABOVE 1. YOU ALSO SEE THE SAME SLIGHTLY MORE DRAMATIC DIFFERENCES IN THE OLDER GRADES BECAUSE TYPICAL GROWTH IN SCIENCE IS SMALL. OKAY, NOW WE'RE GOING TO SWITCH TO THE OTHER RESULTS. SO, WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THE 3-YEAR COHORTS COMPARING HIST STUDENTS TO THE AVERAGE OF ALL OTHER URBAN DISTRICTS AGAIN. 
          FOR THE SAKE OF TIME AND BECAUSE I HAVE A SOFT SPOT FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL, WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS FIRST ON THE RESULTS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL IN EACH SUBJECT. THE RESULTS ARE A BIT STRONGER IN MIDDLE SCHOOL THAN IN THE YOUNGER GRADES, BUT THEY'RE ALL GOING TO FOLLOW THIS PATTERN. SO, WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS ON MIDDLE SCHOOL TODAY, BUT THE RESULT THOSE FIGURES FOR EACH OF THE OTHER GRADES AND SUBJECTS ARE IN THE MATERIALS IF YOU WANT TO SEE ANY OF THE OTHER ONES. 
          BUT BEFORE I SHOW YOU THE ACTUAL RESULTS, WE'RE GOING TO WALK THROUGH WHAT THESE FIGURES ARE GOING TO LOOK LIKE AND HOW TO INTERPRET THEM. ALL OF THESE LINE GRAPHS ARE GOING TO LOOK SIMILAR. THEY'RE GOING TO PLOT AVERAGE RIT SCORES OVER TIME FROM FALL OF 2023 TO SPRING OF 2026. WHAT'S GOING TO DIFFER ARE THE, THE GRADES AND SUBJECTS THAT I PRESENT IN EACH GRAPH. AND SO FIRST, WHAT WE SEE HERE WILL SHOW THE RESULTS FOR THE URBAN COMPARISON GROUP SAMPLE, AND THEN WE'LL ALSO SHOW ALONGSIDE THEM, WE'LL SEE THE HISD RESULTS.THIS IS GOING TO ALLOW YOU TO SEE WHERE HISD STUDENTS STARTED BACK IN FALL OF 2023 ON THE FAR LEFT SIDE COMPARED TO OUR NATIONAL NORMS AND COMPARED TO OUR SAMPLE OF OTHER URBAN DISTRICTS. IN CASES WHERE THE LINES DIVERGE AND YOU'RE SEEING THAT THE HOUSTON LINE IS STEEPER THAN THE URBAN LINE, THAT'S A CASE OF HISD STUDENTS OUTGROWING THEIR URBAN PEERS. NOT TO GIVE AWAY THE FULL STORY, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE GOING TO SEE A LOT. AND FOR EACH TERM, AT EACH POINT, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THE MEDIAN ACHIEVEMENT PERCENTILE FOR EACH GROUP IN THE NUMBER RIGHT ABOVE THE DATA POINT. 
          IN THIS EXAMPLE, HISD'S MIDDLE STUDENT IS OUTPERFORMING 49% OF THEIR PEERS NATIONALLY, WHILE THE COMPARISON GROUP STUDENT IS OUTPERFORMING 45% OF THEIR PEERS NATIONALLY. 
          SO, IN THIS CASE, HISD AND URBAN SCHOOLS ARE BOTH DOING SLIGHTLY WORSE THAN THEIR NATIONAL PEERS, BUT HISD IS DOING BETTER THAN THE COMPARISON GROUP. ONE LAST THING BEFORE I SHOW YOU THE RESULTS. 
          SO, REMEMBER FROM BEFORE THAT MEDIAN PERCENTILES AND AVERAGE RIT SCORES ARE TWO DIFFERENT WAYS OF SUMMARIZING ACHIEVEMENT. 
          THAT MEANS THAT TWO GROUPS CAN HAVE THE SAME MEDIAN PERCENTILE LIKE THIS. THEY'RE BOTH 44, BUT SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT AVERAGE RIT SCORES LIKE YOU'RE SEEING HERE. 
          THEY'RE NOT OVERLAPPING. 
          THAT'S NOT A CONTRADICTION. IT JUST MEANS THAT THE SCORES ARE SPREAD OUT AROUND THE MIDDLE DIFFERENT SOMEWHAT DIFFERENTLY IN EACH GROUP, WHICH COULD HAPPEN IF ONE GROUP HAS MORE STUDENTS AT THE HIGH OR LOW END, FOR INSTANCE. I WANT TO FLAG THIS BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO SHOW UP A COUPLE TIMES IN THE RESULTS TODAY, BUT IN EACH CASE, THE DIFFERENCES ARE SMALL BETWEEN THE ACTUAL RIT SCORES AND BETWEEN THE PERCENTILES. 
          AND THEY DON'T CHANGE THE CONCLUSION THAT THE TWO GROUPS ARE PERFORMING VERY SIMILARLY IN THAT TERM IF THEY HAVE THE SAME PERCENTILE OR THE SAME RIT SCORE. OKAY, SO HERE ARE THE 
          [02:10:03]
REAL RESULTS. LET'S START WITH MATH. WE HAVE A 3-YEAR COMPARISON HERE OF HISD STUDENTS TO OTHER URBAN DISTRICTS IN MATH FROM GRADE 6 STARTING IN THE FALL OF 2023 TO GRADE 8 IN THE SPRING OF 2026, LAST YEAR. AS WE DISCUSSED, THE Y-AXIS HERE UP AND DOWN IS SHOWING AVERAGE RIT SCORES FOR THE GROUP. AND THE NUMBERS THAT YOU SEE ON THE CHART ARE THE MEDIAN PERCENTILE, ACHIEVEMENT PERCENTILE FOR THE GROUP. AND RIGHT AWAY, WE'RE GOING TO SEE WHAT WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT. SO, IN THE FALL OF 2023, HISD 6TH GRADERS HAVE AN AVERAGE RIT SCORE OF 208.5 COMPARED TO 208.6 FOR 6TH GRADERS IN THE COMPARISON SCHOOLS. 
          THOSE AVERAGES ARE NEARLY IDENTICAL. THE MEDIAN ACHIEVEMENT PERCENTILES AREN'T IDENTICAL, BUT THEY'RE VERY SIMILAR, JUST 2 POINTS DIFFERENT. THE TAKEAWAY HERE, AGAIN, MORE BROADLY, IS THAT HISD AND OTHER URBAN DISTRICTS NATIONALLY STARTED IN VERY SIMILAR PLACES FOR THEIR 6TH GRADE MATH ACHIEVEMENT IN THE FALL OF 2023. BY SPRING OF 2024, HISD 6TH GRADERS START TO PULL AWAY. THE MEDIAN FOR URBAN SCHOOLS IS FALLS SLIGHTLY TO THE 45TH PERCENTILE, BUT THE MEDIAN FOR HISD GROWS TO THE 49TH PERCENTILE. AND REMEMBER, THAT'S AFTER HAVING STARTED IN ABOUT THE SAME PLACE. SO HISD INCREASES BY 1, WHEREAS THE URBAN SCHOOLS DECREASE BY 1. 
          THIS STEEPER GROWTH FOR HISD CONTINUES THE FOLLOWING YEAR OVER THE COURSE OF 7TH REMEMBER THAT LINE IS MUCH STEEPER FOR HISD THAN FOR THE U.S. 
          URBAN SCHOOLS. THE URBAN MEDIAN GOES FROM 45 TO 45, SHOWING THEY GREW AT ROUGHLY TYPICAL RATES THAT YEAR. THAT'S NOT A BAD THING, BUT HISD GROWS EVEN MORE THAN TYPICAL, CLIMBING FROM THE 50TH PERCENTILE TO THE 54TH PERCENTILE. AND AGAIN, EVEN MORE DRAMATICALLY, THIS PAST YEAR HISD OUTGREW ITS URBAN PEERS SO MUCH SO THAT BY THE END OF 8TH GRADE THE MEDIAN HISD STUDENT WAS AT THE 61ST PERCENTILE NATIONALLY COMPARED TO THE 38TH PERCENTILE IN OTHER URBAN DISTRICTS. THIS MEANS THE MIDDLE HISD 8TH GRADE STUDENT SCORED BETTER THAN 61% OF ALL 8TH GRADERS IN MATH IN OUR NWEA 2025 NORMS SAMPLE, NATIONAL SAMPLE. CAN I ASK YOU A QUICK QUESTION RIGHT HERE? I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THIS IS ALL HISD STUDENTS IS THE POPULATION YOU'RE LOOKING AT HERE? CORRECT. OKAY. ALL STUDENTS WHO TEST WITH MAP GROWTH. YES. HERE NOW WE SHIFT TO READING, WHERE YOU'LL NOTICE GROWTH IN GENERAL ON OUR TEST IS FLATTER. ALL OF THE LINES ARE FLATTER. 
          IN READING, STUDENTS IN HISD WERE AGAIN LARGELY IN THE SAME PLACE AS STUDENTS IN THE URBAN SAMPLE IN FALL OF 2023. THE URBAN SCHOOL AVERAGE RIT SCORE IS 26.3, AND THE HISD RIT SCORE IS JUST ONE POINT LOWER AT 25.3, BUT THE MEDIAN PERCENTILE FOR BOTH IS 50. VERY SIMILAR. 
          READING ALSO HIGHLIGHTS THE STEEPER GROWTH THAT HISD MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS SHOW OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS COMPARED TO THEIR URBAN PEERS. JUMPING ALL THE WAY TO THE END HERE, ONCE AGAIN, BY THE TIME THESE STUDENTS GET TO 8TH GRADE, THEY'VE PULLED AWAY FROM THEIR PEERS IN URBAN DISTRICTS. YOU SEE A STEEPER LINE FOR HISD EACH YEAR. THE AVERAGE 8TH GRADER AT THE END OF 2026, OUTSCORED 65% OF HIS OR HER PEERS NATIONALLY, WHILE THE AVERAGE STUDENT IN THE URBAN SAMPLE OUTSCORES JUST 54% OF HIS OR HER PEERS NATIONALLY. THIS IS REALLY GOOD NEWS FOR BOTH URBAN SCHOOLS AND HISD ONCE AGAIN, BUT HISD IS OUTPERFORMING THEIR URBAN COMPARISON. SO, CAN I JUST ALSO CLARIFY, THESE ARE THE SAME KIDS WHO START IN 6TH GRADE, THEY'RE BEING TESTED IN 6TH GRADE, THEY'RE THE SAME KIDS WHO ARE IN 8TH GRADE, RIGHT? THIS IS NOT A DIFFERENT GROUP OF KIDS. THESE ARE THE KIDS THAT GO FROM STARTING IN 6TH GRADE 3 YEARS AGO, THEN THEY THIS IS THEIR GRADES IN 7TH GRADE. SO, THEY'RE ACTUALLY THOSE KIDS THE TYPICAL KID IS GOING ALONG THIS LINE AND HE'S LEARNING ACCORDING TO THIS, HE'S LEARNED MORE THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE SAME KID. 
          YES, THEY ARE GROWING. YOU DO THIS KID BY KID, I MEAN. YES, WE AGGREGATE ACROSS THE KIDS. BUT YOU HAVE EVERY KID'S SCORE AND YOU FOLLOW EVERY KID'S SCORE YEAR BY YEAR BY YEAR. THAT'S RIGHT. JUST TO BE CLEAR. SO, THIS IS NOT AN ABSTRACT THING. 
          THIS IS A TRUE LEARNING EXPERIENCE OF HISD, SAME KIDS STARTING IN 6TH GRADE 2 YEARS AGO, OR NOW IN 8TH GRADE, ENDED, ENDED 8TH GRADE AT THE END OF LAST SPRING. 
          THAT'S RIGHT. OKAY. OKAY, AND THIS IS MY LAST SLIDE. 
          FINALLY, WE SEE THE SAME THING IN SCIENCE. SO HISD STUDENTS 
          [02:15:03]
ARE BEATING THEIR URBAN PEERS EVERY SINGLE YEAR. THE AVERAGE HISD 8TH GRADER OUTSCORES AT THE END OF SPRING LAST YEAR, OUTSCORES 74% OF HIS OR HER PEERS NATIONALLY, WHILE THE AVERAGE STUDENT IN THE URBAN SAMPLE OUTSCORES 54% OF HIS OR HER PEERS NATIONALLY. 
          ONCE AGAIN, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THIS LINE IS STEEPER EVERY SINGLE YEAR FOR HISD THAN IT IS FOR THE URBAN SCHOOL COMPARISON GROUP. 
          THAT WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION, AND PRESENTED IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, BUT I DO HAVE THE REST OF THIS, THE CHARTS IN THE SLIDE MATERIALS, AND I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. CAN YOU JUST REMIND US, HOW DO YOU DEFINE WHO ARE THE PEERS? YOU SAID YOU'VE USED THE WORD PEER A COUPLE TIMES. WHO ARE THE PEERS? I DIDN'T PUT THE NUMBERS RIGHT HERE, BUT IT IS THERE ARE 22 LARGE URBAN DISTRICTS, INCLUDING 01,700 SCHOOLS. THE AVERAGE SCHOOL ENROLLMENT IN THIS GROUP IS 550 STUDENTS. 
          THEY'RE 75% ON AVERAGE, 75% LOW INCOME, 20% WHITE, 25% BLACK, 5% ASIAN, AND 45% LATINO OR HISPANIC. OKAY, SO THAT IS THE POOL THAT WE'RE DRAWING THESE COMPARISONS TO. 
          THE IDEA IS THAT THIS I MEAN, LIKE THE BROADER PEER SET, THE NATIONAL. OH, THE NATIONAL, SORRY. WHO ELSE IS IN THIS BELL CURVE? SO NWEA, OUR GOVERNING TESTS ABOUT A THIRD OF STUDENTS NATIONALLY. SO IT'S A VERY NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, OKAY, IF YOU'RE 51ST PERCENTILE, THAT'S 51ST PERCENTILE COMPARED TO YOUR NATIONAL PEERS. THOSE TEST SCORES ARE FROM THE '22-'23 AND '23-'24 SCHOOL YEARS RIGHT NOW. AND THAT'S FOR ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF SCHOOLS, CHARTER SCHOOLS, PRIVATE SCHOOLS. IT'S NATIONALLY REPRESENTED. YEP. 
          OKAY, SO WHEN YOU SAY 74%, THAT LAST SLIDE, IT SAYS 74%. 
          OF THE PEER GROUP, YOU'RE DRAWING THAT FROM THE BROADER PEER GROUP, WHICH INCLUDES ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SCHOOLS AND. ABSOLUTELY. 
          OKAY, SO IT INCLUDES EVEN SPECIALTY SCHOOLS AND SMALL THAT IS, WE'RE BEATING IN THAT THE 74% INCLUDES STUDENTS FROM THOSE SCHOOLS IN THAT PERCENTILE SPREAD. 
          YES, THE MAJORITY OF OUR SCHOOLS ARE U.S. PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND SO YOU'RE LARGELY REPRESENTING U.S. PUBLIC SCHOOLS, OF COURSE, THAT INCLUDES CHARTER SCHOOLS. 
          YES. OKAY, THANKS. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE QUESTIONS DOWN HERE? OVER HERE. GO AHEAD, MARCOS. 
          YEAH, I'M AND THANK YOU. 
          WONDERFUL PRESENTATION, WONDERFUL DATA. 
          BUT THE QUESTION, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S FOR YOU, SUPERINTENDENT. I GUESS I'M TRYING TO RECONCILE HERE WHAT I'M SEEING IN THIS PRESENTATION, THAT OUR AVERAGE 8TH GRADER IS ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, AT THE 60TH PERCENTILE, 65TH PERCENTILE, YOU KNOW, 74TH PERCENTILE NATIONALLY, WHICH IS PRETTY GOOD, WITH THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, EVEN OUR HIGHER PERFORMING GROUPS ARE AT 53% MEETING OR EXCEEDING GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS. AND SO IS THIS JUST OR IS IT BASICALLY THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS GOING TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET? IS THAT I'LL TAKE A LAYMAN'S YEAH, YEAH, I'LL TAKE A LAYMAN'S APPROACH, BUT THEN WE HAVE THE EXPERT HERE WHO CAN TELL US THE REAL ANSWER. BUT YES, I THINK WE'VE SEEN OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS SINCE COVID, AND WHEN NWEA RECALIBRATED, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU CALL IT TECHNICALLY RENORMED, WE DID SEE A WEAKENING OF PROFICIENCY AMONG THE NATION'S STUDENTS. 
          AND SO YES, WHILE WE'RE STRENGTHENING OUR PROFICIENCY AND THE NATION IS WEAKENING, THAT, THAT PUTS US IN A BETTER POSITION. 
          BUT THE REASON FOR THIS PRESENTATION, OR ONE WE WANTED, IS THAT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT STAAR. WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO COMPETE NATIONALLY, NOT JUST IN TEXAS. AND SO, WE WANTED TO SHOW THAT OUR KIDS ARE GROWING. I MEAN, WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO. I KEEP SAYING THAT. BUT AT LEAST WE'RE ABLE TO COMPETE EVEN NATIONALLY. 
          WE'RE GROWING, GAINING ON THEM. YEAH, I THINK THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. OUR NATIONAL NORMS SHOW THAT OUR UPDATE IN 2025 COMPARED TO OUR NORMS FROM PRIOR, PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC SHOW THAT ACHIEVEMENT HAS FALLEN IN EVERY SUBJECT NATIONALLY. 
          AND SO, IT IS OFTEN THE CASE THAT EVEN WITH A 61ST PERCENTILE STUDENT, THEY ARE NOT MEETING THEY ARE THE 61ST PERCENTILE IN THE NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION. 
          THEY OUTPERFORM 61% OF KIDS. 
          THAT ARE IN THEIR SAME GRADE AND SUBJECT, BUT THEY ARE NOT 
          [02:20:01]
MEETING PROFICIENCY STANDARDS. 
          ALL RIGHT, WELL THEN, I THINK IT IS IMPERATIVE, AGAIN, LOOK AT THIS AND SAY, ALL RIGHT, THIS IS GOOD, WE'RE MAKING GAINS. IT'S REALLY GOOD. NATIONAL AVERAGES ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE IF THIS IS WHAT NATIONAL AVERAGES ARE. AND THIS IS JUST ANOTHER DATA POINT TO SAY OUR KIDS ARE MAKING IMPROVEMENTS. YEAH. AND THEY ARE GROWING IN THEIR PROGRESS, WHETHER YOU MEASURE IT BY THE STAAR, EOC, NWEA, AND YOU'LL SEE ON THE NAEP. 
          STILL, AND THIS HAS BEEN A THEME SINCE CONVOCATION, OR EVEN DURING CONVOCATION, WE GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO STILL. SO WE'RE GOING TO CELEBRATE THE NWEA, AND THEN WE'RE ALL GOING TO GET RIGHT BACK TO WORK. 
          THANK YOU. TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION BETTER AS WELL, BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS PART OF THE CONFUSION. THIS DATA IS CHALLENGING TO UNDERSTAND, RIGHT? AND I THINK THAT THESE QUESTIONS HELP HOPEFULLY ALL OF US UNDERSTAND THIS BETTER. 
          THE FOCUS ON GROWTH, RIGHT? SO THAT THIS IS GROWTH THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. AND AS WE SEE THE RESULTS, EVEN AS A PARENT SEEING THOSE RESULTS FROM THE MIDDLE, OR I'M SORRY, BEGINNING AND MIDDLE AND END OF YEAR, RIGHT? WE'RE SEEING THAT GROWTH. WE CELEBRATE THAT GROWTH, AND THOSE GROWTH METRICS HELP OUR SCHOOL LEADERS FIGURE OUT HOW TO SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS, RIGHT? AND SO THAT IS VERY SPECIFIC TO EACH STUDENT, AND WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE NUMBERS ACROSS, YOU KNOW, ACROSS THE WHOLE GROUP. 
          SO, SO I THINK MAYBE IT'S THAT GROWTH VERSUS ACTUAL ACHIEVEMENT RESULTS, WHERE I THINK, IT CAN START TO GET A LITTLE CONFUSING. 
          SO, THANK YOU FOR HELPING TO CONTINUE TO EXPLAIN THAT. 
          YEAH, AND IF I CAN ADD REAL QUICKLY, I'M GLAD YOU POINTED OUT NWEA FOR US IS A PROGRESS MONITORING METRIC. THE STAAR IS A SUMMATIVE END OF YEAR. 
          THERE'S NOT MUCH YOU CAN DO WITH IT. I MEAN, THERE'S SOME, BUT IT'S BETTER WHEN YOU HAVE A PROGRESS MONITORING METRIC LIKE THE NWEA THAT WILL SHOW YOU SHOW A PRINCIPAL OR TEACHER WHERE SOME OF THE COURSE ADJUSTMENTS CAN COME. THE OTHER THING, JANETTE, YOU ASKED LAST BOARD MEETING, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, ABOUT AT WHAT POINT DOES THAT GROWTH NEED TO TURN INTO ACTUAL PROFICIENCY. WE GET A LITTLE CLOSER TODAY BY GETTING TO THE 61ST PERCENTILE OR SO. 
          BUT THE DOMAIN 1 IS WHERE THE ANSWER IS. AND SO, WE'RE CLOSE. WE GOT TO BE NOW IN DOMAIN 1. WE JUST GOT TO KEEP PUSHING THAT. I HAVE A QUESTION. THIS IS A BROAD QUESTION. LAST TIME, ONE OF YOUR COLLEAGUES WAS HERE AND STARTED OUT THE SAME DISCUSSION. 
          LIKE, WE SAW THIS DATA. IT WAS REALLY, REALLY GOOD. AND THERE'S THIS BIG GAP WHERE HISD IS GROWING. BETTER THAN THE, YOU KNOW, SUBSTANTIALLY MORE THAN THE NATION ON AVERAGE. 
          AND WHAT HE SAID WAS, AND YOU SAID A SIMILAR THING, WE LOOKED AT THIS DATA INSIDE OUT. WE TRIED TO FIND OUT WHERE THE HOLES WERE. WE TRIED TO FIND OUT WHETHER IT WAS CORRECT OR NOT. AND YOU MADE THE STATEMENT, AND I'M GOING TO PARAPHRASE, YOU PRESSURE TESTED IT, YOU VALIDATED THE DATA, AND YOU COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING. 
          AND YOUR LAST WORDS WERE, SO FAR. SO, THAT ELICITED A CHUCKLING FROM THE CROWD, OF COURSE. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE QUESTION IS THIS. DO YOU SO THIS IS DATA THAT YOU GO THROUGH. IT IS INDEPENDENTLY PRODUCED. THE TESTS ARE SENT TO YOU. YOU HAVE TOTAL CONTROL OF THE DATA. AND SO HOW WOULD SOMEBODY, LIKE, COOK THE BOOKS IN YOUR SYSTEM? HEY, I APPRECIATE I REALLY APPRECIATE I APPRECIATE THE SKEPTICISM. 
          UNFORTUNATELY, IN THIS WORLD TODAY, MY DATA IS DIFFERENT THAN YOUR DATA, AND THEREFORE YOU'RE FAKE NEWS AND I'M RIGHT AND YOU'RE WRONG, RIGHT? THAT'S UNFORTUNATELY WHAT OUR WORLD IS TODAY. SO, TELL ME, DEFEND YOUR DATA A LITTLE BIT MORE DIRECTLY AND DON'T END WITH SO FAR. 
          ABSOLUTELY. I'M A RESEARCHER, SO THAT'S WHY THE SO FAR COMES UP, BUT I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION. ONE OF THE THINGS, THERE'S MANY THINGS WE CHECK, BUT SO SOME OF THE THINGS WE CHECK ARE THE, THOSE INSTRUCTIONAL WEEKS. AND SO, IF YOU TEST AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR AND AT THE END OF THE YEAR, YOU HAVE A LOT MORE TIME TO LEARN AND SHOW PROGRESS THAN IF YOU TEST IN THE END OF THE FALL TERM AND AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SPRING TERM. SO, WE DO A LOT OF EXTRA VALIDATION TO MAKE SURE WE'RE DOING APPLES-TO-APPLES COMPARISONS IN TERMS OF TEST TIMING AND OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN. THE OTHER THING WE CHECK ARE SHIFTING SAMPLES. IS YOUR SAMPLE CHANGING A LOT? ARE THE KIDS CHANGING A LOT? IS THERE SOMETHING DIFFERENT ABOUT HOW MANY KIDS WHAT PERCENTAGE OF KIDS YOU'RE TESTING? COULD IT BE POSSIBLE THAT YOU'RE JUST TESTING THE HIGH PERFORMERS, THE KIDS WHO ARE GROWING A LOT? AND WE DON'T SEE CHANGES IN THE PERCENTAGE OF KIDS THAT ARE TESTING IN 
          [02:25:02]
HOUSTON OVER TIME. WE DO OTHER TECHNICAL CHECKS THAT ARE PART OF THE PSYCHOMETRICS TEAM THAT ARE MAKING SURE ITEMS ARE VALIDATED, THAT THESE TESTS ARE RELIABLE OVER TIME. WE'RE GIVING SIMILAR WE, I MEAN, I CAN GO ON ABOUT THIS FOREVER. WE INTRODUCE NEW ITEMS THAT GET PILOTED THAT ARE NOT EVERY TIME WE INTRODUCE A NEW ITEM TO A TEST, IT GETS SCALED WITHOUT BEING PART OF THE STUDENT'S SCORE. SO THAT TEST ITEM IS SORT OF, FOR US, WE'RE LEARNING HOW WELL DOES THIS ITEM PERFORM. AND IF IT DOESN'T PERFORM RELIABLY ACROSS STUDENTS, IT GETS THROWN OUT OR REVISED UNTIL IT DOES. SO, THE MAP SCORES, I THINK, ARE REALLY PREDICTIVE. ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE CAN PROVIDE SOME SORT OF VALIDITY IS THEY'RE REALLY PREDICTIVE OF STATE TEST SCORES ACROSS DIFFERENT STATES, AND THEY'RE VERY PREDICTIVE OF NAEP, WHICH MILES HAS REFERRED TO A FEW TIMES, THE NAEP, WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST RIGOROUS AND RELIABLE ASSESSMENTS. WE WERE ONE OF THE FIRST TO BE ABLE TO SHOW OR ESTIMATE THE EFFECT OF COVID USING OUR INTERIM ASSESSMENTS. IT IS STILL AN INTERIM ASSESSMENT. IT IS NOT A STANDARDS-BASED SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT LIKE STAAR, BUT IT IS VERY HIGHLY PREDICTIVE OF STUDENTS' PERFORMANCE ON THOSE ASSESSMENTS. SO, YOU BELIEVE THAT THIS THE DATA YOU PRESENTED TODAY IS HISD INSTRUCTIVE DATA, THAT THINGS THAT ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED IN OUR PROGRAMS ARE ACTUALLY IMPROVING STUDENT RESULTS RELATIVE TO OTHER URBAN SCHOOLS? YES. I CANNOT PINPOINT ANY ONE FACTOR BASED ON THE DATA, BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT THESE DATA SUGGEST HOUSTON IS OUTPERFORMING OTHER SCHOOLS. WE'VE RUN THIS ANALYSIS FOR A FEW OTHER DISTRICTS AND WE DON'T SEE THE SAME THING. THANK YOU. I THINK OUR NEXT ITEM THANK YOU SO MUCH. NEXT IS, I BELIEVE IT'S A GOAL PROGRESS. 
          YES, THIS FACILITY USAGE. GO AHEAD. THAT'S IT. AM I WHERE I WAS? SOMEBODY'S GOING TO PRESENT THIS. I'M GOING TO, I'M GOING TO, INTRODUCE, NEXT WE'LL TURN TO AN UPDATE ON THE WORK OF OUR FACILITIES USAGE COMMITTEE. THIS WORK IS FOCUSED ON ENSURING WE MAKE THOUGHTFUL STRATEGIC DECISIONS ABOUT HOW WE USE OUR FACILITIES TO BEST SERVE STUDENTS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE DISTRICT. AND TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE COMMITTEE'S WORK AND NEXT STEPS WE HAVE CHIEF OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS, KARI FEINBERG. I TURN IT OVER TO YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. AS SUPERINTENDENT MILES SAID, I'M HERE TONIGHT TO GIVE YOU ALL AN UPDATE ON THE FACILITIES USAGE COMMITTEE. I'M GOING TO START WITH JUST A LITTLE BIT OF BRIEF CONTEXT SETTING FOR YOU. WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE CAMPUS LEGACY WORK THAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST FEW MONTHS, AND THEN I'LL ALSO TALK ABOUT OUR FACILITIES USAGE COMMITTEE WORK THAT YOU WILL HEAR MORE OF FROM ME TONIGHT AND THEN ALSO IN CLOSED SESSION. AND THEN I'LL CLOSE BY TALKING ABOUT NEXT STEPS. SO AS A REMINDER, YOU ALL APPROVED THE CLOSURE OF 12 FACILITIES AT THE END OF THE '25-'26 SCHOOL YEAR. 
          AND SHORTLY AFTER THIS DECISION WAS MADE, WE BEGAN WORK WITH BOTH OUR CAMPUS LEGACY COMMITTEES AND THE FACILITIES USAGE COMMITTEE. SO, I'M GOING TO SPEAK FIRST ABOUT OUR CAMPUS LEGACY COMMITTEES. SO, THE PURPOSE OF OUR CAMPUS LEGACY COMMITTEES IS TO PROVIDE AFFECTED SCHOOL COMMUNITIES MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES TO HONOR THEIR CAMPUS HISTORY, TO SHARE MEMORIES, AND TO HELP SHAPE HOW THEIR SCHOOL'S LEGACY IS PRESERVED. SO, EACH SCHOOL HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO THROUGH DIFFERENT STEPS OF THIS PROCESS. WE STARTED WITH INFORMATION SHARING AND PHONE BANKING. FROM THERE, WE GAVE EACH CAMPUS'S COMMUNITY AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME TOGETHER AND TO PROVIDE INPUT AROUND HOW THEY WOULD LIKE TO CELEBRATE THEIR LEGACY AND SOME THINGS THAT THEY BELIEVE WOULD BE MEANINGFUL UP FOR US TO CARRY FORWARD, FROM THEIR SCHOOL. WE THEN WERE ABLE TO HOLD LEGACY EVENTS AT 10 OF OUR CLOSING SCHOOLS, WITH A FOCUS ON HISTORICAL PRESERVATION AND ARCHIVING, WITH SOME PARTNERS THAT I'LL TALK ABOUT IN JUST A MINUTE. 
          AND THEN WE SHIFTED OUR FOCUS TO WELCOMING FAMILIES AND STUDENTS TO THEIR NEW CAMPUS. 
          SO, DURING THIS WORK, WE HAD OVER 180 LEGACY COMMITTEE MEMBERS ACROSS OUR 12 CAMPUSES. 
          WE HELD 10 LEGACY EVENTS AT 10 DIFFERENT CAMPUSES. WE HAD OVER 2,000 PEOPLE ATTEND EVENTS AT THOSE 10 DIFFERENT CAMPUSES. 
          ALL STUDENTS RECEIVED A MEMORY BOOK THAT COMMEMORATED THEIR TIME AT CAMPUS EVENTS. 
          FAMILIES, ALUMNI, AND STAFF WERE ABLE TO SHARE THEIR STORIES AS A PART OF THE CAMPUS LEGACY WORK. 
          THESE ARE SOME PICTURES FROM OUR INFO SESSIONS AND OUR INPUT GATHERING AT DIFFERENT CAMPUSES. 
          [02:30:04]
HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF THE MEMORY BOOKS THAT STUDENTS RECEIVED. 
          AND THEN HERE ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE OF THE SLIDE HERE, YOU'LL SEE A PICTURE FROM THE CAGE ELEMENTARY LEGACY EVENT. 
          THOSE LEGACY EVENTS WERE COMMUNITY-DESIGNED EVENTS THAT BROUGHT TOGETHER FAMILIES, STAFF, ALUMNI, AND NEIGHBORHOOD STAKEHOLDERS TO CELEBRATE EACH CAMPUS'S CONTRIBUTIONS IN HISTORY. IN THE MIDDLE YOU'LL SEE SOME EXAMPLES OF SOME ARTIFACTS. 
          HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA DOCUMENTED EVENTS AND COMMUNITY STORIES ON FILM, AND ORAL HISTORIES AND TESTIMONIES WERE COLLECTED. 
          CAMPUSES WERE ALSO PROVIDED GUIDANCE FOR IDENTIFYING AND DONATING HISTORICAL ITEMS TO EXPAND THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY'S HISD ARCHIVAL COLLECTION. AND THEN EACH CAMPUS WILL RECEIVE EACH RECEIVING CAMPUS WILL RECEIVE A PLAQUE HONORING THE CLOSING CAMPUS THAT THEY WILL HANG IN THE NEW FACILITY. SO, I'M GOING TO PIVOT HERE AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR HISD FACILITIES USAGE COMMITTEE. WE DO HAVE SOME MEMBERS OF THE FACILITIES USAGE COMMITTEE HERE WITH US TONIGHT. I WANT TO WELCOME THEM AND THANK THEM FOR THEIR, THEIR WORK. AND SO, WHILE ALL OF THIS WORK OF CELEBRATING AND PRESERVING CAMPUS LEGACIES WAS GOING ON, WE ALSO BEGAN THE WORK OF GATHERING INPUT AND THINKING STRATEGICALLY ABOUT THE CLOSING SCHOOL FACILITIES AND PROPERTIES. OUR MAIN VEHICLE FOR DOING THAT WORK WAS THE HISD FACILITIES USAGE COMMITTEE. SO, THE COMMITTEE WAS MADE UP OF BOTH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS WHO HAVE STRONG TIES TO COMMUNITIES SERVED BY HISD. OUR INTERNAL REPS INCLUDE LEADER INCLUDED LEADERS FROM THE FACILITIES TEAM, FINANCE TEAM, REAL ESTATE, ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS, AND CHIEF OF STAFF TEAMS. WE ALSO BROUGHT TOGETHER A LOT OF EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS TO JOIN IN THE COMMITTEE FROM CITY OF HOUSTON GOVERNMENT, NONPROFITS, PHILANTHROPY, AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR. SO, THE COMMITTEE CAME TOGETHER AND OUR PURPOSE WAS TO DO WORK BETWEEN APRIL AND JULY OF THIS YEAR TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE SUPERINTENDENT AND ULTIMATELY TO YOU ALL AS THE SCHOOL BOARD REGARDING THE SURPLUS AND/OR REPURPOSING OF CLOSING CAMPUSES AND A SMALL NUMBER OF VACANT FACILITIES THAT THE, THAT THE DISTRICT HAS. SO HERE'S A TIMELINE OF OUR WORK. WE HELD OUR FIRST LARGER GROUP COMMUNITY MEETING IN APRIL OF 2026. THE LARGER GROUP CAME TOGETHER 4 TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF 4 MONTHS. 
          OUR INTERNAL GROUP OF HISD LEADERSHIP MET PRETTY MUCH ON A WEEKLY BASIS, SOMETIMES MORE. AND IN BETWEEN EACH ONE OF OUR LARGER COMMITTEE MEETINGS, WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH SUPERINTENDENT MILES TO UPDATE HIM ON THE COMMITTEE'S WORK, TO GATHER INPUT AND FEEDBACK FROM HIM, AND TO BRING IT BACK TO THE LARGER COMMITTEE. SO LATER THIS EVENING IN CLOSED SESSION, YOU'LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR THE SURPLUS RECOMMENDATION FROM THE COMMITTEE. AND YOU WILL SORRY, YOU'LL ALSO HEAR OUR REUSE PROPOSAL. WE DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN CLOSED SESSION IN THE MEETING. DON'T TELL THEM WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN CLOSED SESSION. OKAY. IF YOU CHOOSE TO APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATION, OUR WORK IS NOT DONE. WE INTEND TO CONTINUE TO EXPLORE WAYS IN WHICH THE FUTURE OF THE SURPLUS PROPERTIES CAN BE IN ALIGNMENT WITH COMMUNITY DESIRES. SO, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE YOU WITH THAT OVERVIEW. I'M GLAD TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE. HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE ON THE, THE BIGGER COMMITTEE LOOKING AT THE SURPLUS PROPERTIES? WE HAD APPROXIMATELY 20 COMMITTEE MEMBERS. OKAY, AND THE DIVIDE, INTERNAL HISD VERSUS OUTSIDE? 7 TO 8 INTERNAL MEMBERS AND THE REST WERE EXTERNAL MEMBERS. 
          OKAY. ALL RIGHT. GO AHEAD. I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU, AND PLEASE THANK THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS FOR ME. 
          I KNOW IT WAS A LOT OF WORK OVER THE SUMMER, A LOT OF GOOD DISCUSSIONS. THANK YOU AND NAJAH FOR THE RESPECT YOU PAID TO THE CLOSING SCHOOLS AND BRINGING THOSE FAMILIES TOGETHER. THAT 
          [02:35:01]
PICTURE, FOR EXAMPLE, IS REFLECTIVE OF THE OTHER ONES. AND, YEAH, SO THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DID, AND PLEASE THANK THE TEAM. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME, AND I WILL. 
          THANK YOU. YEAH, I WANT TO ECHO THAT, BUT I ALSO WANT TO ASK A QUICK QUESTION TOO. 
          SO, SO, DESIGNATING THE, THE PROPERTIES AS SURPLUS DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE SPECIFICALLY SOLD TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER AT THIS POINT, CORRECT? IT MEANS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP AND THEN FIGURE OUT WHAT MAYBE A COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT COULD HAPPEN. 
          MAYBE IT COULD BE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, MAYBE IT COULD BE A COMMUNITY CENTER, OR, OR ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT USES, CORRECT? THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. SO, THIS IS, THIS IS THE FIRST STEP IN A LONGER PROCESS. DECLARING THE PROPERTY AS SURPLUS SIMPLY MEANS THAT WE AT HISD DO NOT HAVE A CONTINUED EDUCATIONAL NEED FOR THE FACILITY OR FOR THE PROPERTY. AND FROM THAT POINT FORWARD, THERE'S A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS THAT WE COULD GO, INCLUDING THE DIRECTIONS THAT YOU NAMED, INCLUDING A LONG-TERM LEASE WITH A COMMUNITY PARTNER OR REPURPOSING THE BUILDING WITH A PARTNER FOR THE COMMUNITY. GOT IT, OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY, GREAT, THANK YOU. YOU'RE 
          [DISCUSSION AND REPORT ITEMS (Part 1 of 2)]
WELCOME. NEXT, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A DISCUSSION OF THE REPORT ITEM 1, WHICH IS ACCEPTANCE OF THE BOARD MONITORING UPDATE PRESENTATION OF GOALS 1 AND 2 IN PROGRESS MEASURES 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, AND 2.3. 
          MR. PRESIDENT, CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER ALYSSA ROCHA AND ALLISON LEVESQUE, DIRECTOR OF ACADEMIC STRATEGIES AND ANALYTICS, WILL PRESENT GOALS 1 AND 2. NO PROBLEM. 
          GOOD EVENING, SUPERINTENDENT MILES, PRESIDENT CAMPO, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. 
          I AM HERE TONIGHT TO PRESENT OUR PROGRESS MONITORING REPORT OVER GOALS 1 AND 2 THIS EVENING. WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN WITH GOAL 1, AND WE WILL BE COVERING THE OVERALL GOAL AND ALL 3 PROGRESS MEASURES THIS EVENING. SO, THE OVERALL GOAL 1 IS, LOOKING AT STAAR EXAM RESULTS FOR OUR 3RD GRADE STUDENTS AND THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS THAT ARE AT MEETS OR ABOVE. AND HERE YOU CAN SEE THAT OUR 3RD GRADE STUDENTS DID MEET THE TARGET OF 49%, WHICH ALSO REPRESENTS A 5-PERCENTAGE POINT INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR. 
          ADDITIONALLY, WE WANTED TO JUST PROVIDE SOME DATA HERE ABOUT HOW 3RD GRADE STUDENTS ARE DOING COMPARED TO THEIR PEERS ACROSS THE STATE. AND HERE WE ARE ABLE TO SEE THAT 3RD GRADERS IN HISD HAVE GROWN A TOTAL OF 8 PERCENTAGE POINTS OVER THE LAST 4 YEARS, WHEREAS PEERS ACROSS THE STATE HAVE ESSENTIALLY REMAINED FLAT. 
          THIS DATA HERE PROVIDES A DISAGGREGATION, OF 3RD GRADE RESULTS BY STUDENT GROUP. AND OUR RACE ETHNICITY GROUPS THAT REPRESENT 97% OF OUR 3RD GRADERS DID IMPROVE PERFORMANCE ON THE READING STAR EXAM OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS. 
          LASTLY, IF WE LOOK AT NES AND EAS PERFORMANCE, HERE WE CAN SEE A FAIRLY COMPARABLE AMOUNT OF GROWTH OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS. AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO REVIEW THE GOAL PROGRESS MEASURES FOR GOAL 1. 
          AND BEFORE I DIVE IN, I WANTED TO JUST REMIND THE BOARD THAT IN NOVEMBER WE DID APPROVE A 1-YEAR CHANGE TO THE PROGRESS MEASURES RELATED TO NWEA MAP, IN ORDER TO GIVE TIME TO ACCOMMODATE THE CHANGES THAT NWEA HAD WITH THEIR NORMING AND THEIR TEST ALGORITHM. AND SO, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT YOU WOULD BE SEEING END-OF-YEAR DATA THIS YEAR COMPARED TO END-OF-YEAR DATA LAST YEAR, BECAUSE THESE ARE NEW PROGRESS 
          [02:40:02]
MEASURES THAT WE ADOPTED THIS YEAR. SO, IN GOAL 1.1, THIS DEPICTS OUR 3RD GRADE STUDENTS. 
          WHO ARE MEETING THEIR GROWTH TARGETS. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS AT OUR MIDDLE OF YEAR PRESENTATION, BUT AGAIN, THE NATIONAL NORM FOR THE AMOUNT OF GROWTH THAT WE EXPECT STUDENTS TO MAKE IS RIGHT AT 50%. OUR TARGET IS SET AT 55%, AND HERE YOU CAN SEE THAT AT THE END OF THE YEAR, OUR 3RD GRADERS, 59% OF OUR 3RD GRADERS WERE MEETING THEIR EXPECTED GROWTH TARGETS, WHICH IS WELL ABOVE THE NATIONAL NORM. WE WANTED TO DIVE IN A LITTLE DEEPER AND LOOK AT HOW STUDENTS WERE GROWING WHEN WE ATTACHED IT TO THEIR ACHIEVEMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. AND SO, THIS, GRAPH HERE REALLY HELPED US TO SEE THAT OUR HIGHER PERFORMING OR HIGHER ACHIEVING STUDENTS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR MAINTAINED HIGHER GROWTH RATES ACROSS THE YEAR, AND IT REALLY LED US TO PRIORITIZE DEVELOPING STRATEGIES TO REALLY WORK WITH OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE LOWER ACHIEVING AND THEN COMING INTO 3RD GRADE. SO CHIEF ROCHA WILL TALK A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THOSE STRATEGIES, BUT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU KNEW THAT WE WERE REALLY LOOKING AT HOW BOTH ACHIEVEMENT AND GROWTH CONNECT HERE. MR. PRESIDENT, IF I MAY. THESE ARE BASED ON NEW NORMS FROM NWA, AND SO WE'VE GOT A LOT OF ANALYSIS STILL TO DO, AND WE WILL, TO SHOW YOU WHETHER THESE NORMS SHOULD STAY. REMEMBER, THEY WERE TEMPORARY, AND WE'LL BRING BACK A RECOMMENDATION AFTER WE'VE HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT ALL THE DATA BECAUSE IT IS A ONE-YEAR CHANGE BECAUSE OF A KIND OF A NEW BASELINE FROM NWEA. WHEN WE LOOK AT MET EXPECTED GROWTH BY SCHOOL TYPE, WE SEE THAT BOTH SCHOOL TYPES-MAINTAINED RATES OF EXPECTED GROWTH ABOVE THE NATIONAL NORM, WHICH IS GOAL PROGRESS MEASURE 1.2. I SHOULD HAVE MADE THAT CLEAR. SO, OUR, OUR GOAL PROGRESS MEASURE 1.2 IS TIED SPECIFICALLY TO OUR NES STUDENTS. HOWEVER, YOU CAN ALSO SEE OUR RESULTS HERE FOR EAS STUDENTS. AND THEN LASTLY, GOAL PROGRESS MEASURE 1.3 IS LOOKING AT OUR 2ND GRADE STUDENTS WHO ARE MEETING EXPECTED GROWTH. AND HERE WE SEE THAT 2ND GRADE STUDENTS, DID NOT QUITE MEET THE TARGET, BUT THEY ARE JUST SHY OF THAT NATIONAL NORM. SO, THEY ARE DOING QUITE WELL. WE HAVE MORE, MORE WORK TO DO. AND WE ALSO DID THE SAME DEEP DIVE HERE FOR OUR 2ND GRADE STUDENTS, WHERE WE SAW A SIMILAR TREND THAT STUDENTS WHO WERE HIGH ACHIEVING COMING INTO 2ND GRADE MAINTAINED HIGHER RATES OF GROWTH. AND SO, THIS JUST STRENGTHENED OUR COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING FOUNDATIONAL LITERACY. AS ADDITIONAL DATA FOR YOU. WE ALSO HAVE THE SECOND-GRADE DATA BROKEN OUT BY NES AND EAS FOR YOU TO REVIEW. AND LASTLY, WE WANTED TO BRING A DIFFERENT DATA SOURCE TO REALLY DIVE IN KNOWING THAT WE DID NOT MEET THE TARGET FOR GOAL PROGRESS MEASURE 1.3. 
          WE REALLY WANTED TO SHOW YOU OTHER WAYS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT HOW OUR SECOND-GRADE STUDENTS ARE DOING IN READING. SO, WE ARE BRINGING TO THE BOARD SOME ADDITIONAL READING DATA TIED TO THE DIBELS READING ASSESSMENT. 
          AND HERE, THIS OUTLINES THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE DIBELS ASSESSMENT AND THE MAP GROWTH ASSESSMENT. 
          BUT REALLY AND TRULY, THE DIBELS ASSESSMENT IS MEASURING PROGRESS TOWARDS LEARNING TO READ THE FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS REQUIRED FOR READING, WHEREAS THE MAP ASSESSMENT IS REALLY MEASURING THE PROGRESS ON HOW STUDENTS ARE READING TO LEARN, MEANING THEY ARE UNDERSTANDING WHAT THEY ARE READING. SO, WE WANTED TO GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW, HOW STUDENTS ARE DOING ON THIS ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT, KNOWING THAT IT IS MEASURING THOSE FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS. SO HERE, IF WE LOOK JUST AT SECOND GRADE STUDENT PERFORMANCE ON THAT DIBELS ASSESSMENT, WE SEE THAT BOTH AT MOI AND EOI, WE HAVE ALMOST TWO-THIRDS OF SECOND GRADE STUDENTS DEMONSTRATING AVERAGE GROWTH OR HIGHER ON THIS ASSESSMENT. 
          SO, WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS ON THOSE FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS AMONG OUR SECOND GRADERS. AND THEN HERE IS THE SAME DIBELS ASSESSMENT DATA JUST BROKEN OUT BY SCHOOL TYPE. SO, WE KNOW STRENGTHENING THESE FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS IS GOING TO TRANSLATE INTO STRONGER READERS AS THEY MOVE INTO SECOND AND THIRD GRADE. 
          BUT WE WANTED YOU TO HAVE THIS ADDITIONAL DATA POINT HERE. 
          [02:45:05]
THANK YOU, ALLISON. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE WANT TO DO TO ADDRESS THE DATA THAT YOU JUST SAW. THE DATA THAT YOU JUST SAW, WE BELIEVE, ALIGNS VERY WELL WITH THE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES WE'VE ALREADY SET FORTH FOR THIS SCHOOL YEAR, AND THAT WE'VE TALKED TO YOU ABOUT PREVIOUSLY. SO, OUR FIRST NEXT STEP, BASED ON THIS DATA IS REALLY AROUND OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. WE KNOW THAT BASED ON THE DATA YOU'VE SEEN AND PRIOR DATA, OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES ARE GROWING, BUT THEY ARE GROWING AT LOWER RATES THAN THEIR NON-DISABLED PEERS. AND THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE TO US, WHICH IS WHY WE'VE PUT SO MUCH WORK INTO THE SUCCESS PROGRAM TO MAKE SURE WE'RE RAISING THE BAR AND IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION FOR THOSE STUDENTS. SO, THIS IS OUR MAIN PRIORITY TO ADDRESS THAT POINT. 
          SECONDLY, YOU SAW THAT, IN OUR LOWER GRADES, THERE IS A BIG NEED TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE BUILDING THE FOUNDATIONAL LITERACY SKILLS. 
          IT'S OUR GOAL THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE LEAVING US IN SECOND GRADE BEING ABLE TO READ ON GRADE LEVEL. SO, WE'VE REALLY AMPED UP OUR SUPPORT FOR EARLY LITERACY STARTING THIS SCHOOL YEAR. WE ARE INTRODUCING A NEW COURSE CALLED THE SUPER SCIENCE OF READING. SO WE HAVE A SCIENCE OF READING COURSE IN OUR MASTER SCHEDULE. THIS COURSE GIVES OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE CURRENTLY STARTING THE YEAR BELOW GRADE LEVEL AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET ACCELERATED INSTRUCTION. 
          WE PILOTED THIS LAST YEAR AND SAW REALLY PHENOMENAL RESULTS AND ARE EXCITED TO EXPAND IT FOR THIS COMING YEAR. WE ALSO WILL BE INTRODUCING A PROMOTION STANDARD FOR 2ND GRADE, AS YOU ALL HAVE, HAVE HEARD ABOUT, AND WE ARE LAUNCHING OUR KINDER BRIDGE PROGRAM THIS YEAR AT A SMALL SUBSET OF CAMPUSES TO REALLY ENSURE THAT WE'RE GIVING THAT EXTRA YEAR OF INSTRUCTION TO STUDENTS WHO NEED IT THE MOST. ALSO, WE DO KNOW THAT OUR 3RD GRADERS AND OUR 2ND GRADERS MOVE ON TO LATER GRADES AND STILL MAY HAVE GAPS IN FOUNDATIONAL LITERACY. SO, WE'RE WORKING FOR OUR 3RD GRADERS AND UP TO ADDRESS FOUNDATIONAL LITERACY GAPS THAT MAY STILL EXIST IN UPPER ELEMENTARY OR IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. SO, WE'VE ADDED 2 NEW COURSES TO THE NES MASTER SCHEDULE, A PRE-TEACH COURSE THAT WILL FOCUS ON GIVING STUDENTS ACCESS TO VOCABULARY THAT THEY WILL NEED FOR THE NEXT DAY'S READING INSTRUCTION, SO THAT THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE ABLE TO ENGAGE DEEPLY IN THE TEXT WHEN IT COMES TO CLASS. AND WE ALSO HAVE A STRUCTURED LINGUISTIC PHONICS COURSE FOR THE STUDENTS WHO ARE PERFORMING IN THE BOTTOM 10% NATIONALLY TO ENSURE THAT EVEN IF WE HAVE A STUDENT IN 3RD GRADE, 4TH GRADE, 5TH GRADE, 6TH GRADE, 7TH GRADE, 8TH GRADE WHO IS NOT ABLE TO READ AT THE LITERATE LEVEL THAT WE EXPECT, THAT THEY ARE GETTING THAT FOUNDATIONAL LITERACY INTERVENTION EVEN PAST THAT 2ND GRADE LEVEL. LASTLY, WE KNOW THAT TEACHING STUDENTS HOW TO READ IS A SCIENCE. WE HAVE EVIDENCE-BASED STRATEGIES THAT WE KNOW WORK TO TEACH STUDENTS HOW TO READ, AND SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE OUR TEACHERS AND CAMPUS LEADERS ARE EQUIPPED WITH THOSE STRATEGIES SO THAT WHEN THEY ARE DELIVERING THEIR SCIENCE OF READING INSTRUCTION, IT IS ALIGNED WITH THOSE BEST PRACTICES. 
          SO, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE ARE LAUNCHING CONTENT, CONTENT-INTENSIVE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING. TEACHERS WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME TOGETHER ONCE PER MONTH WITH EXPERT TEACHERS IN THEIR NETWORK, TRAINED BY OUR CURRICULUM WRITERS AND OUR INSTRUCTIONAL TEAM, TO ENSURE THAT TEACHERS HAVE THE SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED TO EXECUTE THE LESSONS WITH FIDELITY. WITH THAT, I'LL PASS IT BACK TO ALLISON. 
          DID WE WANT TO DO QUESTIONS OVER READING BEFORE I GO TO MATH? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS? I THINK WE'RE GOOD. 
          THANK YOU. GO AHEAD. OKAY, GREAT. MOVING ON TO GOAL 2. 
          AGAIN, WE WILL COVER THE TOP LINE GOAL 2 DATA AS WELL AS THE PROGRESS, ALL 3 PROGRESS MEASURES HERE FOR GOAL 2. AND THESE GOALS MIRROR THE DATA WE JUST SAW, EXCEPT THESE WILL BE RELATED TO MATH. SO HERE WE SEE 3RD GRADE STUDENT PERFORMANCE AT MEETS OR ABOVE ON THE STAAR MATH ASSESSMENT. 
          AND HERE WE DID SEE A SLIGHT DIP YEAR OVER YEAR, BUT WE ARE STILL SEEING AN OVERALL GROWTH OF 6 POINTS ACROSS THE LAST 4 YEARS. AGAIN, WHEN WE LOOK AT DATA OF HISD COMPARED TO THE STATE, WE ARE SEEING MUCH MORE GROWTH ACROSS THE LAST 4 YEARS WHERE THE STATE HAS REALLY STAYED THE SAME. AND WE ARE NOW MATCHING THE PERFORMANCE OF THE STATE. 
          THIRD GRADE STUDENTS AT MEETS OR ABOVE, HERE WE SEE THEM BROKEN OUT 
          [02:50:02]
BY PROGRAM AND RACE ETHNICITY. 
          AND HERE I REALLY WANTED TO CALL OUT THAT OUR EMERGENT BILINGUAL STUDENTS DID GAIN GAINED 4 PERCENTAGE POINTS IN THEIR MEETS OR ABOVE ACROSS THE LAST 2 YEARS. 
          LASTLY, LOOKING AT OUR 3RD GRADE STAAR MATH STAAR RESULTS BY NES AND EAS, WE SEE GAINS ACROSS BOTH SCHOOL TYPES. AND AGAIN, WHEN WE LOOK AT THESE GOAL PROGRESS MEASURES, WHICH ARE TIED TO NWEA MAP, THEY DO REFLECT THE ONE-YEAR NEW PROGRESS MEASURES THAT ARE TIED TO MET EXPECTED GROWTH. 
          AND THESE BARS ARE SHADED SLIGHTLY DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE WE, WE WERE INFORMED AND WE DISCUSSED WITH ALL OF YOU ABOUT HOW THE MATH ASSESSMENT WAS PARTICULARLY IMPACTED BY THIS NEW TESTING ALGORITHM. 
          SO, WE ARE JUST NOTING THAT THIS DIRECT COMPARISON FROM YEAR OVER YEAR IS STILL SLIGHTLY FLAWED, BUT WE, WE WANTED YOU TO HAVE SOME SORT OF A COMPARISON POINT TO SEE HOW WE'RE DOING THIS YEAR WHEN COMPARED TO LAST YEAR. SO, OUR 3RD GRADE STUDENTS HERE, IN THE MATH NWEA MAP, WE DID NOT MEET THE TARGET OF 55%. HOWEVER, WANTED TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR GROWTH IS 50%. SO, OUR 3RD GRADERS AT 53 IS STILL OUTPERFORMING THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR MET EXPECTED GROWTH. 
          YEAH, JUST AS A REMINDER, THIS, THIS GOAL OF REACHING 55%, THAT WAS AN AGGRESSIVE GOAL THAT WAS THAT YOU WERE AIMING TO ACHIEVE. YES, I MEAN, AND REMEMBER, IT'S BASELINE BECAUSE WE DIDN'T WE IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A STAB IN THE DARK. WE, WE KNEW THAT BECAUSE THE, THE NORMS AND THE METHODOLOGY CHANGED, AND SO IT WASN'T WHAT WE WOULD GET. SO, WE BUT WE HAD TO PUT SOMETHING DOWN. SO, 55 MADE SENSE TO US SINCE THE MEDIAN FOR MET EXPECTED GROWTH IS 50. 
          GPM 2.2 LOOKS AT 3RD GRADE MATH GROWTH ON THE NWEA ASSESSMENT. AND HERE WE HAVE IT BROKEN OUT BY NES AND EAS. AND AGAIN, YEAR OVER YEAR, WE ARE SEEING WE ARE DEFINITELY SEEING GAINS ACROSS BOTH TYPES OF SCHOOLS. 
          AND LASTLY, GPM 2.3 IS LOOKING AT OUR 2ND GRADE STUDENTS WHO ARE MEETING OR EXCEEDING THEIR GROWTH TARGETS. AGAIN, WE ARE WE ARE NOT HITTING THAT 55%, SO WE KNOW THAT THERE IS STILL WORK TO DO. HOWEVER, THERE IS THERE IS AN INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF GROWTH THAT OUR SECOND GRADERS ARE MAKING, OR THE AMOUNT OF OUR STUDENTS THAT ARE MEETING THEIR SECOND-GRADE GROWTH GOALS. AND THEN AS ADDITIONAL DATA POINTS, WE'VE PROVIDED NES AND EAS FOR OUR SECOND-GRADE STUDENTS. I THOUGHT I GUESS THERE WERE ONLY 2. AND KEEP IN MIND, WE, WE BREAK THEM OUT IN SECOND GRADE NES AND EAS, BUT THE THERE'S NO NES INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY IN THE SECOND GRADE. SO, OUR NEXT STEP'S LOOKING AT THIS MATH DATA. AGAIN, VERY SIMILAR TO READING, WE KNOW THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE AN INCREASED FOCUS FOR OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND WE ARE ADDRESSING THAT THIS YEAR. 
          SECOND, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR INTERVENTIONS FOR STUDENTS WHO NEED MORE SUPPORT IN MATH ARE HIGH QUALITY. WE ARE INTRODUCING A PRE-TEACH PORTION OF, THE COURSE IN OUR NES SCHOOLS SO THAT STUDENTS WHO NEED TO ACCESS THE PREREQUISITE SKILLS TO BE SUCCESSFUL ON THE GRADE-LEVEL LEARNING HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY ON A WEEKLY BASIS. THIRD, AGAIN, WE ARE STRENGTHENING THE CONTENT KNOWLEDGE OF OUR TEACHERS AND OUR LEADERS THROUGH OUR CONTENT INTENSIVES. 
          JUST LIKE READING, THERE, THERE IS A WAY TO TEACH MATH THAT IS RESEARCH-BASED, AND WE DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE RECEIVING INSTRUCTION FROM TEACHERS WHO HAVE HAD THAT TRAINING. AND THEN LASTLY, YOU GUYS, YOU KNOW, HAVE SEEN SOME OF A LOT OF OUR DATA TONIGHT. WHEN WE LOOK ACROSS ALL OF OUR STAAR EXAMS, 3RD GRADE MATH IS THE ONLY MATH STAAR EXAM WHERE WE DID ACTUALLY DROP FROM THE PRIOR YEAR. SO THAT LED US TO THINK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS STUDENT GROUP. AND THESE ARE STUDENTS WHO WERE JUST ENTERING SCHOOL DURING COVID ALLOWS US JUST TO THINK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WATCHING THAT STUDENT GROUP AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY 
          [02:55:01]
HAVE ACCESS TO PROFICIENT TEACHERS. SO, WE'RE WORKING WITH THE SCHOOLS TEAM AND EXPLORING IDEAS AROUND STRATEGIC STAFFING TO FOR THOSE STUDENTS TO INCREASE ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY INSTRUCTION. 
          ANY QUESTIONS, MR. PRESIDENT? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? GO AHEAD. 
          YES, PLEASE. SO, CAN YOU SAY A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE PRE-TEACH COURSE? IS THAT JUST GOING BACK A YEAR GROUP AND DOING SCAFFOLDING IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR AND TRY CAN YOU SAY A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT THAT CONSISTS OF? SURE. SO, A LOT OF AROUND THE COUNTRY, A LOT OF FOLKS HAVE INTERVENTION CLASSES, RIGHT? AND WHAT WE'VE FOUND FOR MATH IN THE RESEARCH IS THAT THIS IDEA OF JUST-IN-TIME INTERVENTION HAS PROVEN TO BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO ADDRESS GAPS IN MATH. SO, IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE ADDING FRACTIONS WITH UNLIKE DENOMINATORS ON TUESDAY, AND YOU ARE A STUDENT WHO HAS STRUGGLED IN MATH PREVIOUSLY, HAVING A REMINDER OF THE SKILLS FROM THE PRIOR GRADE LEVEL THAT YOU ACCESS RIGHT BEFORE YOU DO THAT MORE INTENSIVE 5TH GRADE WORK IS, IS GOING TO HELP. SO, YOU MIGHT SPEND SOME TIME REVIEWING ADDING FRACTIONS WITH SIMILAR DENOMINATORS. YOU MIGHT SPEND SOME TIME THINKING ABOUT LOOKING AT FRACTIONS WITH DIFFERENT SIZES AND WHAT THAT MEANS. SO THAT'S WHAT THE PRE-TEACH WILL ADDRESS. AND CAN I ADD, THE REASON FOR PRE-TEACH, WE'RE NOT GOING TO LOWER THE GRADE-LEVEL STANDARD. ABSOLUTELY. 
          ON THE DAY THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO THE GRADE-LEVEL STANDARD. 
          SO, IN ORDER TO HELP, THIS IS, AS YOU MENTIONED, A PART OF THE SCAFFOLDING IS THE PRE-TEACH. 
          SO, WHEN THAT CHILD GETS TO THE REGULAR CLASS, WE DON'T LOWER THE EXPECTATIONS BECAUSE ANOTHER PRINCIPLE OF RESEARCH IS TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU CAN ACCELERATE, YOU ACCELERATE VERSUS REMEDIATE. 
          EXACTLY. THAT'S GREAT, THANK YOU. SO, AN EXTENSION OF THAT, WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE PARENT IN KIND OF THE HOURS OUTSIDE OF THE BRICK-AND-MORTAR SCHOOL? AND I'M THINKING OF THE RIDE IN THE SCHOOL ON THE BUS OR THE CAR, THE 30 MINUTES THERE, THE 30 MINUTES ON THE RIDE HOME, RIGHT? YOU THINK ABOUT THE AVAILABLE FREE TIME AND SOMETHING LIKE SCAFFOLDING, PARTICULARLY IN PRE-TEACH. IS THERE SOME WISDOM OF HOW PARENTS CAN BEST UTILIZE THAT TIME FOR KIDS WHO MAY BE STRUGGLING A LITTLE BIT AND THEY ALREADY NOTICE SOME LOSS, LEARNING LOSS FROM THE SUMMER? LIKE, IS THAT PART OF THE METHODOLOGY? IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. WE KNOW THAT PARENTS ARE OUR CHILDREN'S FIRST TEACHERS AND CONTINUE TO BE A HUGE INFLUENCE ON THEIR EDUCATION THROUGHOUT THEIR WHOLE LIVES. THE EASIEST AND QUICKEST THING I WOULD ALWAYS SAY TO PARENTS IS CONTINUE TO READ WITH YOUR STUDENTS. 
          IT'S GOING TO HELP THEM ACROSS EVERY SINGLE SUBJECT. 
          BUT ONE THING THAT WE ARE WORKING ON THIS YEAR IS BETTER RESOURCES FOR PARENTS THAT ARE ALIGNED TO THE CURRICULUM SO THAT WE CAN GIVE PARENTS A, YOU KNOW, A NOTIFICATION OF, HEY, HERE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS COMING UP FOR YOUR STUDENT IN THEIR MATH LESSONS THIS WEEK OR THIS UNIT, AND HERE ARE SOME ACTIVITIES YOU MIGHT EXPLORE AT HOME, OR EVEN SOME QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT ASK YOUR STUDENT ABOUT WHAT THEY LEARNED THAT DAY. ALL RIGHT, NO OTHER QUESTIONS. 
          OKAY, SO, THANK YOU. GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. OKAY, SO THOSE ARE OUR UPDATES. SO, AT THIS POINT, WE WILL NOW HEAR FROM OUR REMAINING REGISTERED SPEAKERS IN GROUP B, FIRST IN PERSON AND THEN ON ZOOM. WE HAVE SEATS IN THE FRONT ROW RESERVED FOR THE NEXT GROUP OF SPEAKERS, SO PLEASE OCCUPY THOSE SEATS. 
          IF YOU'RE UP NEXT, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM BEGINNING WITH I THINK WE'RE STARTING WITH NUMBER 38. WHOEVER 38 IS ARE WE STARTING WITH 38? YES, I'D LIKE TO INVITE THE HISD PARENTS TO MOVE SORRY, MY HISD PARENTS GROUP B TO MOVE TO THE FRONT, BUT WE'RE GOING TO START WITH TRUSTEE FELICITY PEREYRA ON ZOOM. HI, FELICITY PEREYRA, TRUSTEE FOR DISTRICT 1. I AM OUT OF TOWN ON BUSINESS, SO I APOLOGIZE FOR MY TARDINESS. I WOULD ADD THAT SCHEDULING THESE MEETINGS AT 5 PM ON A THURSDAY IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR WORKING MOTHERS LIKE MYSELF, AND I'D WAGER IT'S PROBABLY DIFFICULT FOR THOUSANDS OF OTHER PARENTS TOO. I HAD OTHER REMARKS PLANNED, BUT SUPERINTENDENT MILES MENTIONED THE WINTER SURVEY EARLIER TONIGHT, SO I'M GOING TO PIVOT A BIT. 
          FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, I'M A DATA SCIENTIST. I ACTUALLY 
          [03:00:01]
SPECIALIZE IN FIELDING SURVEYS TO HARD-TO-REACH POPULATIONS, POPULATIONS EXACTLY LIKE THE HISD PARENT POPULATION, A DISTRICT WHERE NEARLY 80% OF STUDENTS ARE CONSIDERED TO BE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED, I WENT BACK AND LOOKED AT THE CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. GO AHEAD, PLEASE. OKAY. GIVE ME ONE SECOND. MY COMPUTER JUST FROZE. 
          I HAD OTHER SORRY, I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON. IS IT POSSIBLE TO MOVE TO THE NEXT PERSON SO I CAN GET MY REMARKS BACK UP? OH, THERE THEY GO. 
          SORRY. LET ME ONE SECOND. 
          FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, I'M A DATA SCIENTIST. ALL RIGHT, SO I WENT BACK AND LOOKED AT THE PRESS RELEASE THAT THE DISTRICT PUT OUT, IN JANUARY COVERING THE DECEMBER SURVEY. 
          SO, THERE WAS INTERESTING BITS IN THERE. THE DISTRICT USED THE RIGHT VOCABULARY WITH STRATIFIED RANDOM SAMPLING, WHICH IS REAL, BUT RANDOMIZED SELECTION EQUALIZES THE PROBABILITY OF BEING INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN A SURVEY, BUT IT DOESN'T DO ANYTHING TO EQUALIZE THE PROBABILITY OF RESPONDING. AND THAT'S A REALLY BIG PROBLEM. YOUR OWN DEPUTY CHIEF OF DATA IDENTIFIED THIS HIMSELF, ACTUALLY, IN, IN THAT RELEASE. HE SAID THAT THE DISTRICT DOESN'T SURVEY EVERYONE BECAUSE RESPONSE RATES ARE DIFFERENT AMONG DIFFERENT GROUPS OF PEOPLE, WHICH IS, WHICH IS RIGHT. THAT'S WHAT WE WOULD REFER TO AS NON-RESPONSE BIAS. 
          BUT RANDOMIZING THE INVITATION OF WHO GETS TO BE A PART OF THE SURVEY DOESN'T ACTUALLY SOLVE THAT PROBLEM. AND YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE THIS IN THE PRESS RELEASE. ROBERTS ELEMENTARY, OAK FOREST ELEMENTARY, DURHAM ELEMENTARY ALL HAD RESPONSE RATES OF AROUND 53%, LIKE THE HIGHEST AMONG ALL THE SCHOOLS. WE SHOULD ALSO TAKE NOTE THAT THOSE DISTRICTS ARE IN SOME OF THE RICHEST ZIP CODES IN HOUSTON, THE DISTRICT-WIDE RATE WAS 26%. THAT RIGHT THERE IS A TESTAMENT TO NON-RESPONSE BIAS. IT'S NOT SAMPLING BIAS, IT'S NON-RESPONSE BIAS, AND NOTHING IN THE DESIGN OF THAT SURVEY ACTUALLY ADDRESSES THAT PROBLEM. ADDITIONALLY, THERE'S INVOCATION OF THE NATIONAL CENTER OF EDUCATION STATISTICS TO ESTABLISH THE, THE CREDIBILITY OF, OF THE SURVEY. NCES ACTUALLY HAS A STANDARD THAT ANY SURVEY WITH A RESPONSE RATE BELOW 85% REQUIRES A FORMAL NON-RESPONSE BIAS ANALYSIS, WHICH WAS NOT DONE ACCORDING TO PUBLIC RECORDS. AGAIN, THE DISTRICT CAME IN AT A 26% RESPONSE RATE, PUBLISHED NO SUCH ANALYSIS. 
          THERE'S ALSO CITATION OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR PUBLIC OPINION RESEARCH, ALSO KNOWN AS APOR. APOR DOESN'T ACTUALLY CONDUCT SURVEYS, BUT THEY, THEY WRITE THE DISCLOSURE STANDARDS. AGAIN, WHAT THE SURVEY IN DECEMBER DID NOT ACTUALLY ADHERE TO. THERE WAS NO DISPOSITION TABLE. 
          THERE WAS NO DISCLOSURE AROUND HOW RESPONSES WERE WEIGHTED, NO SUBGROUP SAMPLE SIZES, NOTHING. THE WAY THAT YOU DEAL WITH NON-RESPONSE BIAS IS YOU DO MULTIPLE MODES. AND SO, FROM WHAT I CAN TELL FROM READING THE PRESS RELEASE, THAT SURVEY WAS ONLY CONDUCTED BY SENDING INVITATIONS THROUGH PARENT SQUARE, AND IT IS STANDARD AND TYPICAL TO DO MULTIMODAL RECRUITMENT LIVE PHONE CALLS IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH, TEXT MESSAGES. A LOT OF TIMES WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH POPULATIONS LIKE HISDS, YOU ACTUALLY DO SNAIL MAIL. 
          YOU SEND PAPER INSTRUMENTS HOME, WITH CHILDREN. YOU HAVE TO EMPLOY MULTIPLE MODES TO ENSURE THAT YOU ARE REACHING THE ENTIRE POPULATION AND THAT YOU ARE NOT JUST INCLUDING AND WEIGHTING THOSE WHO ARE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND. YOU HAVE TO GET THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND, AND TO DO THAT, YOU HAVE TO FAN OUT AND EMPLOY MULTIPLE MODES. 
          REPEATED CONTACT ATTEMPTS, OVERSAMPLING, THESE ARE ALL WAYS IN WHICH WE, WE DEAL WITH NON-RESPONSE BIAS. ONE OTHER THING I WANT TO POINT OUT TOO, IN GOING BACK AND LOOKING AT THE PRESS RELEASE FROM THE WINTER RESULTS, AT THE VERY BOTTOM, THE VERY LAST PARAGRAPH, IT WAS NOTED THAT THERE WAS GOING TO BE ANOTHER SURVEY AT THE END OF THE SPRING SEMESTER OF 2026. I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT. I DON'T I CAN'T FIND IT. I'VE BEEN GOOGLING. THE TITLE I SURVEY WAS DONE. THE, THE FOLLOW-UP TO THE SENTIMENT SURVEY FROM WINTER 2025 FOR THE SPRING SEMESTER WAS EITHER NOT CONDUCTED AT ALL OR IT WAS CONDUCTED AND THE RESULTS WERE NOT GOOD, CONSIDERING THAT THAT SAME SEMESTER WAS WHEN YOU CLOSED ALL THOSE SCHOOLS AND YOU DISRUPTED THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS. 
          SO, I HAVE A QUESTION AS TO WHERE, WHERE THAT SURVEY IS. WAS IT FIELDED? WAS IT NOT FIELDED? THE LAST THING I'LL SAY IS THAT IN THE FUTURE, WHEN THESE SURVEYS ARE, ARE DONE, TYPICALLY WHAT'S DONE IS 
          [03:05:01]
YOU HIRE AND RETAIN A NEUTRAL THIRD PARTY. 
          TO CONDUCT THESE SURVEYS, BECAUSE WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND HAVING THE DISTRICT RUN ITS OWN SURVEY, WEIGHT THE RESPONSES, IS YOU, YOU ARE GRADING YOUR OWN HOMEWORK, AND THAT IS A BIG NO-NO. I'LL STOP THERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY, WE WILL GO. WE'LL I'M GOING TO REMIND OUR SPEAKERS THAT, THAT WE DO GIVE, GIVE DEFERENCE TO OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND THEY DON'T HAVE THE MINUTE, EVEN THOUGH I WILL SAY THAT 
          [Speakers to Agenda Items (Part 2 of 2)]
OVER TIME, IF IT BECOMES A FILIBUSTER, WE WILL SLOW PEOPLE DOWN. SO, WITH THAT SAID, BECAUSE EVERYBODY ELSE IS WAITING, SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND START PUBLIC COMMENT. GO AHEAD. 
          MS. NUNZIO, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM. SPEAKERS 39 THROUGH 49, PLEASE SIT IN THE FRONT ROW. MS. NUNZIO, YOU'RE NEXT. YEAH, GO AHEAD, YOU'RE READY. GOOD EVENING, MY NAME IS CARMEN NUNZIO. MIKE MILES, WHY ARE YOU SELLING OUR SCHOOL PROPERTIES? WAS THIS THE BIG PLAN? WAS THIS THE BIG PLAN ALL ALONG? DESTROY PUBLIC EDUCATION, SELL VALUABLE SCHOOL LAND? IS THAT WHY YOU HIRED A REAL ESTATE TYCOON AS THE PRESIDENT OF YOUR BOARD OF MANAGERS? WE KNOW THIS WAS A PART OF THE PLAN ALL ALONG, BUT IT IS SAD THAT MONEY IS WHAT DIRECTS YOU, YOUR ACTIONS FOR THE DISTRICT. IT SHOULD BE THE GOOD OF OUR CHILDREN THAT DIRECTS YOUR ACTIONS. YOU TALK A GOOD GAME AND YOU SOUND REAL GOOD TRYING TO SELL FAKE NUMBERS OF SUCCESS, BUT THE TRUTH CAN NEVER HIDE ITSELF. I SAY THIS KNOWING YOU WILL NOT CHANGE. I PRAY FOR OUR KIDS AND I PRAY FOR YOU. REMEMBER EVERYONE, GINA HINOJOSA, BABY. THANK YOU. 
          SPEAKER 39. GOOD EVENING, BOARD OF MANAGERS. I AM TANYA WELLS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE INDEPENDENT HEIGHTS REDEVELOPMENT COUNCIL. 
          INDEPENDENT HEIGHTS IS NOT SIMPLY A NEIGHBORHOOD IN HOUSTON. IT WAS TEXAS'S FIRST INCORPORATED BLACK CITY. IN 1915, BLACK RESIDENTS PURCHASED LAND, BUILT HOMES AND BUSINESSES, ESTABLISHED CHURCHES AND INSTITUTIONS, AND CREATED THEIR OWN GOVERNMENT. THEY ELECTED THEIR OWN MAYOR AND EXERCISE SOMETHING POWERFUL SELF-DETERMINATION. THIS HISTORY MEANS SOMETHING WHEN WE TALK ABOUT BURRUS ELEMENTARY. ALLOW THE INDEPENDENT HEIGHTS COMMUNITY TO MAKE BURRUS THEIRS. GIVE THE COMMUNITY THE ABILITY TO DETERMINE WHAT BURRUS CAN BECOME AND HONOR INDEPENDENT HEIGHTS HISTORY. WE DO NOT WANT OUTSIDE DEVELOPMENT THAT TAKES AWAY FROM THE COMMUNITY. YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEAVE THIS COMMUNITY WITH MORE THAN A CLOSED SCHOOL. 
          YOU GIVE IT A PLACE TO PRESERVE ITS HISTORY, SERVE ITS RESIDENTS, AND BUILD ITS FUTURE. LET BURRUS STAY WITH THE COMMUNITY THAT HOLDS ITS LEGACY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HELLO, MY NAME IS SISTER MAMA SONYA. AT AN AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM, A YOUNG THIRD GRADER ASKED ME, WHAT'S A LIBRARY? AS WE WENT INTO A ROOM FILLED WITH BOOKS, I GESTURED AROUND AND SAID, "HERE, TAKE A LOOK." YOU CHECK OUT THESE BOOKS, TAKE THEM HOME. HE SAID, UH-UH, SISTER MAMA, IF WE EVEN TOUCH THESE BOOKS, WE GET IN TROUBLE. MY EYES WATERED AT HIS WORDS, AND FOR A BRIEF MOMENT, I TRAVELED BACK IN TIME TO THE PERIOD OF ENSLAVEMENT WHEN MY ANCESTORS AND ANCESTORS FACED SEVERE PENALTIES FOR JUST WANTING TO LEARN HOW TO READ. THEY WERE PENALIZED, CHASTISED, TRAUMATIZED, AGONIZED FOR THEIR QUEST FOR LITERACY. AND NOW THEY WERE EVEN BEATEN, LASHES, MUTILATION, SOLD FROM THEIR FAMILIES, EVEN DEATH FOR JUST LEARNING TO READ. PROJECT 2025 TALKS OF ELIMINATING LIBRARIES, TALKS ABOUT GOING BACK TO THOSE TROUBLING TIMES. 
          LANGUAGE] MIKE MILES AND THE BOARD OF MANAGERS FOR INVOKING THE SPIRIT OF JIM CROW, KU KLUX KLAN, JOHN BIRCH SOCIETY, AND EVANGELICAL RACISTS. YOU SEE, I AM WEARING REGAL CLOTHES. I WILL WEAR. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HI EVERYBODY, MY NAME IS LINDSAY WILLIAMS. I'M PRESIDENT OF SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 64 AND 88, WHICH IS GREATER EASTWOOD, LAWNDALE, AND WAYSIDE, AND A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE EASTSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD COALITION REPRESENTING MORE THAN 65,000 RESIDENTS IN THE EAST END. SCHOOLS SUCH AS BRISCOE, FRANKLIN, CAGE, AND PORT HOUSTON SIT AT THE HEART OF THE EAST END. THESE ARE WHERE OUR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS WENT TO SCHOOL, WHERE THEY CHANGED HANDS. THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD FEELS IT. 
          [03:10:01]
SO, BEFORE THE SALES PROCEDURE MOVES, PLEASE CONSIDER BRINGING ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS PORT HOUSTON AND THE HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT 2 TO THE TABLE FOR THE COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIP. 
          BOTH CAN HELP KEEP THESE SITES IN PUBLIC HANDS IN THE FORM OF COMMUNITY CENTERS, WORKFORCE TRAINING, EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AND IS SERVING THE SAME FAMILIES THAT YOU SERVE. IT'S NOT A DETOUR FROM HISD'S MISSION, IT'S ONLY AN EXTENSION OF IT. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HI, MY NAME IS INOCENCIA MORENO, AND I GREW UP IN HOUSTON, AND TODAY YOU HAVE PROVEN HOW DISCONNECTED YOU ARE WITH THE COMMUNITY. I HAD A WHOLE SPEECH PLANNED, BUT I SAW TODAY THAT THERE'S NO CONNECTION. AND FOR YOU TO SAY THAT THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THESE ARE PARENTS, TEACHERS, EDUCATORS, STUDENTS THAT ARE IN OUR SCHOOLS EVERY DAY. I WORK WITH KIDS IN FOSTER CARE. 
          I KNOW THE TRAUMA IT IS TO MOVE FROM SCHOOL TO SCHOOL. THEY ARE NOT GETTING THE SPECIAL EDUCATION THAT THEY DESERVE. THEY HAVE BEEN THE BUS TRANSPORTATION WAS NOT RIGHT. 
          PARENTS WERE NOT INFORMED OF WHAT SCHOOLS THEY WERE GOING TO GO TO, AND THEY WERE CHANGED IMMEDIATELY. ALSO, DO NOT CLOSE THESE SCHOOLS. YOU NEED TO TALK AND WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY AND LISTEN TO THEM ALL. THERE'S SO MUCH GOING ON. AGAIN, IT'S TRAUMATIC AND IT'S UNNECESSARY, AND YOU SHOULD WORK AND LISTEN AND HAVE MORE EMPATHY FOR WHAT THESE PEOPLE ARE FEELING. I WAS HERE AT THE LAST ONE. THANK YOU. 
          GOOD EVENING, YOUNG FOLKS. I'M CHRISTA MICHELLE BREWSTER, YOUR RETIRED CERTIFIED AMERICAN SCHOOL NURSE. MIKE FLOYD, MIKE, RECENTLY YOU SAID THAT YOU HAD A SPEECH IMPEDIMENT AND TEACHERS HELPED YOU. WHY AREN'T YOU SHOWING CARE, CONCERN, AND COMPASSION FOR OUR STUDENTS AND SCHOOL PERSONNEL? WELL, I HATE TO TELL YOU, YOU STILL GOT A SPEECH IMPEDIMENT. IT'S CALLED LYING. IF YOU'RE LYING THAT IT'S OKAY TO SEGREGATE AND ISOLATE OUR SPECIAL ED STUDENTS AND NOT FOLLOW THE IEPS, YOU'RE LYING WHEN YOU SAY YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SELL OUR BELOVED MILEOLOGY CLOSED SCHOOLS FOR YOUR PERSONAL GAIN. AIN'T THAT RIGHT, REAL ESTATE RICK? YOU'RE LYING, BUSING OUR CHILDREN ACROSS TOWN TO KINGDOM COME FOR CTE CLASSES, AND YOU CALL THAT IMPROVEMENT. 
          YOU'RE LYING AS YOU CONTINUE TO SAY HISD IS IMPROVING BECAUSE YOU HIDING THE CHILDREN AND TELL THEM WHEN THEY CAN HAVE THE TEST. 
          BUT WE GONNA FIX THIS COME NOVEMBER. WE THE PEOPLE. THANK YOU. DR. HOFFMAN-LAC FOLLOWED BY MINH DON TRAN. WHAT NUMBER? I'M SORRY, WHAT NUMBER? I'M SORRY, I DON'T KNOW, I CAN'T HEAR. DR. RUTH HOFFMAN-LAC. SO, IN 2016 AND AGAIN IN 2025, HISD OFFICIALS WERE FOUND LIABLE IN FEDERAL COURT FOR PAY-TO-PLAY SCHEMES. JIM TERRY AND CARRIE HOLT WERE BOTH FIRED FROM DISD DALLAS IN 2017 AFTER AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION REVEALED THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN FRAUD. IN AUGUST OF 2023, WHEN THE COMMUNITY OBJECTED TO MILES' REQUEST TO RAISE HIS SPENDING LIMIT TO $2 MILLION, RICK CAMPO DISMISSED CONCERNS AS SILLY AND SAID, WE SHOULD HAVE THE BEST INTERNAL CONTROLS OR MORE, AND WE SHOULD HAVE THE BEST INTERNAL AUDIT. BUT AT THE SAME MEETING, WHEN YOU INCREASED THE SPENDING LIMIT, YOU ALSO APPROVED HIS REQUEST TO REMOVE THE INTERNAL AUDIT OFFICE AND THE CHIEF AUDIT EXECUTIVE. IF YOU APPROVE THEM, IF YOU APPROVE ITEM 22, NOBODY EXCEPT MILES OR TERRY HAS TO APPROVE ANY GIFTS OTHER THAN THE REAL ESTATE OR NAMING RIGHTS. SO I WOULD SAY, HOW IS THAT NOT A NEON SIGN THAT SAYS HISD'S PAY-TO-PLAY PROGRAM IS OPEN? COME ON DOWN! THANK YOU. 
          HISD CERTIFIED TEACHER HERE. 
          YOU CUT AP CALC AND AP STATS AT THE POOR SCHOOLS. LET'S JUST CALL THEM WHAT THEY ARE. 
          WEALTHIER SCHOOLS LIKE BEL AIR ONLY OFFER AP PHYSICS, NOT LEVEL PHYSICS. THAT'S NOT APPROPRIATE FOR ALL STUDENTS. 
          YOUR ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL MODEL CONTINUES TO TO HARM STUDENTS EVERY DAY. I BET YOU COULDN'T SURVIVE AN AP PHYSICS CLASS. 
          MAYBE THAT'S WHY THE MATH AIN'T MATHING. MY AP STUDENTS SCORED HIGHER ON AVERAGE THAN BOTH THE TEXAS AND THE GLOBAL AVERAGE, BUT SOMEHOW I'M BELOW AVERAGE IN THE DISTRICT. HMM. AND NOW THIS AFFECTS MY SALARY DUE TO YOUR PAY FOR PERFORMANCE SCHEME. 
          TEACHERS CAME BACK TO SCHOOL ON JULY 30TH NOT KNOWING WHAT OUR SALARIES WOULD BE. NOW IT'S TOO LATE TO TRANSFER TO A NEW DISTRICT WITHOUT OUR LICENSES BEING SANCTIONED BECAUSE WE ACTUALLY DO HAVE LICENSES. GO FAST AND BREAK 
          [03:15:01]
THINGS MIGHT WORK FOR TRILLIONAIRES LIKE ELON MUSK, BUT YOU'RE PLAYING WITH TAXPAYER DOLLARS. YOU'RE PLAYING WITH TEACHERS' SALARIES AND PEOPLE'S LIVELIHOODS. 
          YOU'RE PLAYING WITH THE EDUCATION OF OUR CHILDREN. WE ARE NOT YOUR EXPERIMENT. THANK YOU. 
          SPEAKER 46. IS THE MIC ON? THANK YOU. DR. DENISE LIVINGS WILBORN, I AM READING A STATEMENT OF AN HISD PARENT REGARDING THEIR 4-YEAR-OLD CHILD AND AN ERROR IN THE CHILD'S SPECIAL EDUCATION PLACEMENT NOT LOCATION, PLACEMENT. THE CHILD'S ORIGINAL ARD PAPERWORK PLACED THE CHILD IN AN ECSE SETTING EVEN THOUGH THE CHILD'S NEEDS AND THE DISCUSSIONS INDICATED A GENERAL EDUCATION PRE-K CLASSROOM WAS APPROPRIATE WITH SPEECH AND SPECIAL ED SUPPORT AS THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT. 
          LISTEN TO THESE WORDS. THESE ARE LEGAL WORDS. HISD CORRECTED THE PLACEMENT ON THE ARD PAPERWORK, BUT THE DAMAGE WAS DONE. I WAS NOT ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SCHOOL CHOICE PROCESS FOR THE APPROPRIATE PLACEMENT FOR MY CHILD. I REACHED OUT DIRECTLY TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL CHOICE FOR ASSISTANCE AND DESPITE FOLLOW-UP DID NOT RECEIVE A RESPONSE. THANK YOU. 
          I ASK HISD, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. THANK YOU. 
          YOUR TIME IS UP. THANK YOU. 
          YOUR TIME IS UP. IT'S UP NOW. 
          STEP BACK. SPEAKER 47. COULD WE HAVE SPEAKERS 48 THROUGH REMAINING TO THE FRONT ROW, PLEASE? SCORES ARE OH, NWEA SCORES ARE ACTUALLY QUITE EASY TO MANIPULATE, UNLIKE SAT SCORES, WHICH HAVE GONE DOWN SINCE THE TAKEOVER. TESTING SECURITY FOR NWEA IS VERY LOOSE BECAUSE IT ISN'T MEANT TO BE USED AS A HIGH-STAKES TEST, BUT IN HISD, EDUCATORS' EVALUATIONS ARE TIED TO NWEA GROWTH. EVERY ADULT IN THE BUILDING IS HEAVILY INCENTIVIZED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE MIDDLE OF YEAR AND END OF YEAR TESTS ARE BETTER THAN THE BEGINNING OF YEAR TEST. WHEN I WAS IN HISD, OUR BEGINNING OF YEAR TEST WAS UTTER CHAOS. 
          THE TEST WAS SCHEDULED LAST MINUTE AND ADULTS RUSHED KIDS TO FINISH. BUT SUDDENLY, FOR THE MIDDLE OF YEAR TEST, SCHOOLS ARE ALL BUSY TEACHERS ARE REQUIRED TO GIVE EVERY CHILD A POST-IT NOTE ON THEIR DESK WITH THEIR BEGINNING OF YEAR SCORES AND STRICT INSTRUCTIONS THAT THEY ARE TO BEAT IT. NWEA SCORES IN HISD REFLECT DIFFERENCES IN TESTING ENVIRONMENT. THANK YOU. OH, I'M BACK, AND I'M STILL YOU'RE STILL HERE. YOU ALL, BLESS YOUR HEARTS, YOU ALL ARE LISTENING TO THE NWEA LADY WHO'S PAID. 
          SHE'S A VENDOR. SHE'S GOING TO SAY WHATEVER SHE NEEDS TO SAY. YOU ALL DON'T UNDERSTAND MATH. I SAW IT, GLAZED OVER EYES. THEY'RE NOT EVEN TELLING YOU WHERE THE KIDS ARE STARTING AT. THAT'S A GIVEAWAY. THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. NWEA CAN BE MANIPULATED. YOU KNOW HOW DO I KNOW? BECAUSE I TAUGHT IT. 
          ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TEACH THE KIDS A LITTLE EXTRA. IT WILL, IT'S SENSITIVE. IT WILL CHANGE THE SCORE. YOU ALL DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT. THAT'S WHY THEY'RE MANIPULATING YOU, JUST LIKE THAT TEST CAN BE MANIPULATED. AND GOOD TRY WITH INTERVENTION. YOU'RE NOT INTERVENTION. PRE-TEACHING IS CHEATING. YOU'RE PRE-TEACHING, YOU'RE NOT TEACHING. NO. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. BRANDY DOUDA, FORMER ELEMENTARY FORMER BURRUS ELEMENTARY CERTIFIED LIBRARIAN. I STEPPED INTO A DECADE-LONG VACANCY. MY STUDENTS HAD NEW BOOKS AND NEW LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES. THEN MILES CAME AND SHUT IT DOWN. 
          [03:20:01]
TODAY I ASKED MY CURRENT STUDENTS WHY THEY ENJOY COMING TO THE SCHOOL LIBRARY. THE RESPONSES WERE THINGS LIKE, IT'S CALM, YOU READ US FUN STORIES, AND WE GET TO CHOOSE WHAT WE READ. I'M AT A TITLE I SCHOOL THAT IS ALMOST ENTIRELY POC, BUT THEY HAVE A LIBRARY AND A LIBRARIAN. 
          DURING THIS DISCUSSION, IT HIT ME THIS WAS THE VERY FIRST THING MILES STOLE FROM INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS. THEN IN FEBRUARY, YOU STOLE THEIR COMMUNITY SCHOOL. IF YOU GO THROUGH WITH THIS VOTE TO MOVE BURRUS TO SURPLUS, THE PEOPLE OF THIS CITY WILL NEVER FORGET YOUR COWARDICE AND CORRUPTION. YOU WILL NEVER HOLD OFFICE IN HOUSTON. YOUR LEGACY WILL BE THAT OF SPINELESS ROBBER BARONS PROFITING. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO BE PERIPATETIC TODAY. I HAVE NOTES, I'VE LEFT MY THING, BUT I'VE GOT TO BE PERIPATETIC BECAUSE I CAN'T BELIEVE SOMEPLACE OVER HERE IN THIS AREA YOU'RE PICKING ON WHEATLEY AGAIN. THOSE OF YOU THAT DO NOT BELONG ON THE BOARD, YOU NEED TO GET OFF OF IT. IF YOU DON'T KNOW THAT, IF YOU'RE A CHILD PASSES THE ADVANCED PLACEMENT TEST AND YOU HAPPEN TO BE BLACK, DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU DIDN'T PASS HIGH ENOUGH AND YOU STILL GOTTA TAKE THE COLLEGE CREDIT COURSE? BUT PREJUDICE IS GOING AWAY. Y'ALL KNEW THAT, DIDN'T YOU? HUH? DID YOU KNOW THAT MY OWN SON WHO PASSED ALL PARTS OF THE TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION ASSESSMENT TEST AND PASSED MATH, WENT TO LAMAR, AND THEY TOLD HIM THAT HE DIDN'T PASS HIGH ENOUGH AND IT WASN'T GOING ANYWHERE? DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN'T IF YOU THAT IF YOU GAIN 200 POINTS ON SCHOLASTIC BOTH OF THOSE HIGH SCHOOLS. 
          THANKYOU. THANK YOU. 
          NEXT SPEAKER, GO AHEAD. 
          MARY KAY HOFFMAN, 22 YEARS, IN HISD. YOU LOOK AT STAAR SCORES AS A MEASURE OF SUCCESS. NOT BEING NATIONALLY NORMED, THOSE SCORES CAN AND HAVE BEEN MANIPULATED BY THE DISTRICT, WHICH HAS MOVED STUDENTS OUT OF CLASSES THAT ARE MORE ADVANCED INTO ONES THAT ARE BELOW THEIR LEVEL, OR BY THE STATE, WHICH DOESN'T EVEN DECIDE PASSING OR APPROACHING SCORES UNTIL AFTER TESTS HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED. AS TO THE NWEA SCORES, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO DR. 
          MORTON, 28,000 OR 15% OF STUDENTS HAVE LEFT THE DISTRICT. SO, THE COHORT FROM THE '23-'24 YEAR IS NOT THE SAME AS THE COHORT FROM THE '25-'26 YEAR. 
          ACTUALLY, MOST OF THOSE WHO ARE LEFT ARE THE ONES THAT NEEDED TO SHOW THE MOST GROWTH. AS TO THE SPED STUDENTS IN SELF-CONTAINED CLASSROOMS, A QUICK REVIEW SHOWS THAT BEFORE RESTRUCTURING, APPROXIMATELY 96% OF NES SCHOOLS COMPARED 96% OF NES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. 
          YOUR TIME IS UP. THANK YOU. 
          52, DR. COLIN BOSSEN. I'M THE REVEREND DR. COLIN BOSSEN, SENIOR MINISTER OF THE FIRST UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF HOUSTON. 
          FOR THE PAST YEAR, I HAVE SERVED AS CO-CHAIR OF THE COMMISSION ON THE STATE TAKEOVER OF HISD. I'VE HEARD TESTIMONY FROM DOZENS OF STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND TEACHERS ABOUT HOW THEY HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY THE TAKEOVER. MY TRADITION TEACHES THAT EVERY PERSON HAS INHERENT WORTH AND DIGNITY. 
          LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITY, I HAVE LEARNED THAT SUPERINTENDENT MILES AND THE BOARD DOES NOT HOLD THIS SAME VALUE. INSTEAD OF LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITY, YOU HAVE IGNORED THEM. THE WAY THAT YOU HAVE TREATED PARENTS, TEACHERS, STUDENTS IN THE SPECIAL EDUCATION RESTRUCTURING IS BUT THE MOST RECENT EVIDENCE OF THIS. I'M HERE TO REMIND THE PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND STUDENTS OF HISD THAT EVEN IF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT MILES DOES NOT VALUE THEIR INHERENT WORTH AND DIGNITY, MY CONGREGATION AND MANY IN THE COMMUNITY STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH THEM. THANK 
          [03:25:10]
YOU. MATTHEW MARTINEZ, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST AND CAMPAIGN MANAGER. PARENTS, STUDENTS, AND KANGAROO COURT, WHAT IS GOING ON IN HISD? WHAT WE ARE SEEING IS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLOSURES, BUS ROUTE FAILINGS, AND DOZENS OF SCHOOLS BEING RAPED OF FREE LUNCH PROGRAMS. THIS ADMINISTRATION ACTS WITH IMPUNITY, IGNORING THE VOICES OF PARENTS, SIDELINING DEDICATED EDUCATORS AS MS. MICHELLE WILLIAMS, AND BRUSHING OFF STATE AND FEDERAL SCRUTINY AS NOTHING BUT MERE DISTRACTIONS. HOUSTON ISD IS NO LONGER BEING RUN AS A PUBLIC TRUST. IT IS BEING RUN AS A CORPORATE EXPERIMENT. AND CHILDREN ARE PAYING THE PRICE. 
          TWO MESSAGES TO MIKE MILES AND THIS BOARD. HOW DARE YOU THREATEN TO SILENCE AN ELECTED BOARD MEMBER? YOUR ERA OF UNCHECKED POWER IS COMING TO AN END. YOU ARE NOT SHIELDED FROM THE LAW AND ARE NOT IMMUNE FROM ACCOUNTABILITY. WE ARE ORGANIZING. THERE IS A REASON YOUR REPUBLICAN-LED TEA VINDICATED MS. WILLIAMS. BUT WORRY NOT, WE ARE BRINGING THESE FAILURES TO THE BALLOT BOX. AND TO THE DEMOCRATIC INCUMBENTS, YOU BET. THANK YOU. MISS KRAVITZ, YOU'RE NEXT. MISS KRAVITZ, YOU'RE NEXT. GOOD EVENING. IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU. 
          A LONGTIME FRIEND SAID, IF YOU DO SOMETHING THAT HELPS KIDS AND HELPS THE RATING, DO THAT THING. BUT IF HELP IF IT HELPS THE RATING AND HARMS THE KIDS, DON'T DO THAT THING. YOU SYSTEMATICALLY HELD BACK STUDENTS FROM CERTAIN COURSES TO INFLATE THE RATINGS. DON'T DO THAT THING. YOU CLOSED SUCCESSFUL AP PROGRAMS AT NES HIGH SCHOOLS ALL OVER HOUSTON. NOW SOME HAVE A RATINGS, BUT AT THE EXPENSE OF STUDENT ACCESS. AND I'M HAPPY TO TALK TO ANYONE ABOUT IT IN GREAT DETAIL IF YOU ARE INTERESTED. DO NOT DO THAT THING, CLOSING PROGRAMS THAT ARE SUCCESSFUL FOR THE RATINGS. YOU SHUFFLED 05,000 FRAGILE SPECIAL ED STUDENTS ACROSS HISD NOT TO HELP THEM, BUT TO INFLATE RATINGS AT LOWER-RATED SCHOOLS SINCE THESE STUDENTS CONSISTENTLY PASSED THEIR VERSION OF STAAR. DO NOT DO THAT THING. 
          PARENTS WANT YOU TO HELP THEIR CHILDREN LEARN, HELP THEIR CHILDREN. THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO ZOOM SPEAKERS. WE HAVE JESSICA CATRETT. YES, JESSICA CATRETT. SORRY, JESSICA, ONE SECOND, ONE SECOND. I'M GOOD TO GO. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, JESSE MORENO, PARENT. AS OF 20 MINUTES AGO, LITERALLY I WAS IN PAJAMAS PUTTING MY CHILDREN TO SLEEP, BUT THEN CHECKING FOR CHILDREN, I HEARD ABOUT THE CIRCLE JERK THAT WAS HAPPENING UP HERE. AND TO BE HONEST, I LOVE THE WAY THAT Y'ALL DON'T LET FACTS CONSTRAIN YOUR NARRATIVE. DO YOU KNOW HOW INSPIRED A MOM HAS TO BE TO WORK ALL DAY, PUT HER KIDS TO BED, AND THEN COME HERE TO LOOK AT Y'ALL? SO ANYWAYS, I DECIDED TO CHANGE MY APPROACH TONIGHT AS OPPOSED TO PREVIOUS YEARS. I'M COMING HERE TONIGHT WITH POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT. 
          INSTEAD OF COMING UP HERE AND TELLING YOU HOW MUCH I CANNOT STAND THE HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE THINGS THAT YOU'RE DOING, I'M COMING UP HERE TO LET YOU KNOW THAT EVERY TIME YOU DISRESPECT THESE COMMUNITY MEMBERS BY LOOKING AWAY, BY NOT SHOWING UP, BY GETTING ON YOUR PHONE AND I'M GOING TO COUNT ON MY TEACHERS TO HELP IDENTIFY WHEN THEY'RE ON THEIR PHONES I'M GOING TO MAKE DONATIONS IN YOUR HONOR TO CANDIDATES THAT OPPOSE YOU AND YOUR PARTY. 
          SO, THANK YOU. I ENCOURAGE ANYONE ELSE WHO'S WILLING AND ABLE TO DO THE SAME TO PLEASE DO SO. SO, ON BEHALF OF THOSE CANDIDATES, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND IN YOUR OWN WORDS, YOUR. THANK YOU. OKAY, I THINK NOW WE'RE READY TO MOVE TO ZOOM. JESSICA CATRETT, PLEASE GO AHEAD. JESSICA CATRETT, HISD PARENT. THE IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY FOR ALL OF MILES' FAILED PROGRESS MEASURES INCLUDES IMPROVED QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS. 
          MR. MILES HAS BEEN TELLING YOU THAT HE IS PROVIDING HIGH-QUALITY INSTRUCTION IN SPECIAL EDUCATION FROM THE MINUTE HE GOT HERE. 
          HE CLEARLY DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS, AND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO COME TO TERMS WITH THAT AT SOME POINT. WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN GOAL 1 SLIDE 
          [03:30:02]
ON PAGE 13 IS THAT THE PASSING RATE FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES ON 3RD GRADE STAAR WAS 19% IN '22-'23. 2022 TO '23, UP FROM, UP FROM 17% THE YEAR BEFORE. SO, IN 3 YEARS, WE ARE STILL NOT WHERE WE WERE BEFORE HE GOT HERE. IF YOU REALLY WANT TO SEE STUDENTS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION DO WELL, THE IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY SHOULD BE LET CERTIFIED SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS TEACH, WRITE, AND IMPLEMENT THE CURRICULUM. 
          THANK YOU. DR. PAMELA BOVELAND, IF YOU'LL TURN YOUR CAMERA ON. OKAY. OKAY. DR. 
          BOVELAND? YES. WE CAN SEE YOU. 
          PLEASE GO AHEAD. OKAY. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY IT. IT'S LIKE WE'RE SAYING THE SAME THINGS OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. 
          WE KEEP SAYING THE SAME THINGS OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND PEOPLE DISREGARD THE PARENTS AND THE STUDENTS THAT COME UP AND, AND, AND VOICE THEIR CONCERNS AS NOT BEING FILLED WITH MISINFORMATION. THIS IS WHAT PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING. 
          THIS IS WHAT THE BOARD OF MANAGERS SHOULD TRY TO REMEMBER. BECAUSE IF YOU SELL OFF ALL OF THE ASSETS OF HISD, WE WILL REMEMBER THAT. AND WHILE YOU KEEP SAYING YOU'RE THROUGH CUTTING, CLOSING SCHOOLS, THEN YOU'RE GONNA THEN YOU CLOSE SOME MORE SCHOOLS. 
          YOU'RE GONNA RENAME IT. YOU'RE NOT GONNA CALL IT CLOSING, YOU'RE GONNA CALL IT SURPLUS BECAUSE THESE ARE UNNECESSARY SCHOOLS. THANK YOU. SO, I BELIEVE THAT THERE WILL BE A DAY WHEN MILES'S PANTS WILL NOT BE ON FIRE. THANK YOU. THIS CONCLUDES OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS. 
          THAT CONCLUDES OUR PUBLIC 
          [DISCUSSION AND REPORT ITEMS (Part 2 of 2)]
COMMENTS. THAT'S THE END. THAT CONCLUDES OUR PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          WE WILL NOW TAKE A VOTE ON AND DISCUSSION OF REPORT ITEM 1, WHICH IS THE BOARD MONITORING UPDATE. AND YOU MIGHT HAVE TO GET YOUR COMPUTERS GOING AGAIN. OKAY, SO WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. 
          ANY DISCUSSION? OKAY, LET'S GO AHEAD AND VOTE. MOTION PASSES. 
          [ITEMS PULLED FROM CONSENT AGENDA (Part 1 of 2)]
DO WE HAVE ANGIE ONLINE? OKAY, GOT IT. OKAY. ALSO, WITHOUT OBJECTION FROM MY COLLEAGUES, WE'RE GOING TO PULL 2 ADDITIONAL ITEMS FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA. ITEM 15, AUTHORITY TO RENEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH ADVANTAGE HOUSTON INC. GULF COAST SERVICES ASSOCIATION, HARRIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, AND BAKER RIPLEY FOR HEAD START PRE-KINDERGARTEN COLLABORATIVE PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS ITEM 16, WHICH IS AUTHORITY TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE AND AMEND INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS WITH TEXAS PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION TO OFFER FIELD INSTRUCTION TO THEIR, TO THEIR STUDENTS. 
          SO, LET'S SEE HERE. ACTUALLY, I KNOW I GOT THIS SCREWED UP HERE. ALL RIGHT. SO, DO I HAVE A MOTION ON TO APPROVE ITEM 15? OKAY, I WANT A MOTION AND A SECOND. LET'S GO AHEAD AND VOTE. OKAY, THE MOTION PASSES WITH ONE ABSTENTION. LET'S SEE, 
          [03:35:02]
WHERE AM I? WHAT YOU GOING TO HAVE TO DO? THIS IS FOR 16 AS WELL. OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO DO ITEM 16 AS WELL. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM 16? WAIT A MINUTE HERE. GIVE ME A SECOND. 
          YEAH, TAKE YOUR TIME. NUMBER 16 IS THE, THE ONE YOU'RE ABSTAINING ON, I THINK. OKAY, SO WE HAVE, 
          [CONSENT AGENDA]
THE MOTION PASSES WITH 2 ABSTENTIONS. ALL RIGHT, NOW WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK TO THE WE ARE GOING TO GO BACK TO CONSIDERATION OF THE OVERALL AGENDA. BOARD ALREADY WENT THROUGH THE IDEA THAT BOARD POLICY REQUIRES MEMBERS TO ABSTAIN FROM DISCUSSION AND VOTES PERTAINING TO CONTRACTS THAT MIGHT INVOLVE CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. BOARD POLICY BBFA LOCAL DEFINES A CONFLICT OF INTEREST AS ANY CIRCUMSTANCE THAT COULD CAST DOUBT ON A BOARD MEMBER'S ABILITY TO ACT WITH TOTAL OBJECTIVITY IN THE DISTRICT'S ITEMS. SO, WITH THAT SAID, WE'VE PULLED THE ITEM WE PULLED SEVERAL ITEMS FROM THE AGENDA AND WE'RE GOING TO PULL ANOTHER ONE, WHICH IS MAY HAVE AN APPROVAL OF ITEM 04, THE ADOPTION RESOLUTION OF APPROVAL FOR THE REVISED LIST OF APPROVED BROKER-DEALERS. IS THERE A MOTION FOR ITEM NUMBER 4? OKAY, THERE'S A MOTION AND SECOND. 
          ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, DISCUSSION? IF NOT, PLEASE VOTE. YOU'RE PERFECT. 
          OKAY, GREAT. ALL RIGHT, SO WE'VE TALKED ABOUT 15 AND 16, AND NOW WE ARE BACK TO, TO THE CONSENT AGENDA. DO I HAVE A MOTION, TO APPROVE THE REMAINDER OF TONIGHT'S AGENDA BY CONSENSUS? IT'S BEEN A MOTION AND A SECOND. PLEASE VOTE. OKAY, THE MOTION PASSES. 
          [Recess to Closed Session under Sections 551.004 through 551.089 of the Texas  Government Code for the Purposes Listed in this Notice]
DASHA, ARE WE GOOD NOW ON ALL THE ITEMS? OKAY, GOOD. 
          OKAY, GREAT. AT THIS TIME, THE BOARD WILL RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION UNDER CHAPTER 551 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, OPEN MEETINGS ACT, SUBSECTION 551.004 THROUGH 551.089. SHOULD BOARD FINAL ACTION, VOTE, OR DECISION ON ANY MATTER CONSIDERED IN THE CLOSED SESSION BE REQUIRED SUCH FINAL ACTION, VOTE, OR DECISION SHALL BE TAKEN AT THE OPEN MEETING CONVENED BY THIS MEETING OR BY THIS NOTICE UPON THE RECONVENING OF THE PUBLIC MEETING, OR AT A SUBSEQUENT PUBLIC MEETING OF THE BOARD UPON NOTICE THEREOF. BOARD HAS RECESSED INTO CLOSED SESSION AT 8:41 P.M., AUGUST 13TH, 
          [Reconvene in Open Session]
2026. LET'S SEE. GOOD EVENING. 
          [ITEMS PULLED FROM CONSENT AGENDA (Part 2 of 2)]
THIS MEETING IS RECONVENED AT 10:21 P.M. ON AUGUST 13TH, 2026. 
          IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT A BOARD MEMBER WOULD LIKE TO ABSTAIN FROM A VOTE WE TOOK THIS EVENING, SO WE WILL FOLLOW ROBERT'S RULE OF ORDER TO ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO RECONSIDER THE VOTE ON ITEM NUMBER 4. MR. PRESIDENT, I MOVE TO RECONSIDER CONSIDER THE VOTE ON ITEM 4, THE MOTION TO ADOPT A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE REVISED LIST OF APPROVED BROKERS-DEALERS. 
          AHA, THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE THAT. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? WE DO. GREAT. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, DISCUSSION? IF NOT, PLEASE VOTE. ANGIE, YEP, SHE'S GOT A THUMBS UP, SO SHE IS VOTING. PERFECT, THANK YOU. OKAY, MOTION MARTY, YOU DIDN'T HAVE 
          [03:40:01]
TO DO THAT ONE, YOU DO THE NEXT ONE. OKAY, BUT THE QUESTION IS NOW BACK BEFORE 4, THE BOARD, AND THE ORIGINAL MOTION, WHICH IS ADOPTION OF THE RESOLUTION APPROVING THE REVISED LIST OF APPROVED BROKER-DEALERS. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM 04, ADOPTION OF THE RESOLUTION APPROVING THE REVISED LIST OF BROKER-DEALERS? OKAY, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. 
          PLEASE VOTE. THIS IS WHERE YOU VOTE. YEAH. OKAY. I DID IT IN THE WRONG PLACE. YEAH. 
          [Consideration and Possible Action on Matters Discussed in Closed Session]
ANGIE, YOU GOOD? THERE WE GO. 
          THANK YOU, ANGIE. OKAY, WE HAVE A MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. 
          OKAY, WE'RE NOW READY TO CONSIDER ITEMS AND THAT WERE DISCUSSED IN THE CLOSED SESSION. ARE THERE ANY MOTIONS? THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE PERSONNEL AGENDA. 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 AUTHORIZES THE SUPERINTENDENT OR DESIGNEE TO PROVIDE NOTICE OF THE SAME. THAT THE BOARD APPROVES SUSPENSIONS WITHOUT PAY FOR CONTINUING TERM AND PROBATIONARY CONTRACTS AND AUTHORIZES THE SUPERINTENDENT OR DESIGNEE TO PROVIDE NOTICE OF THE SAME. THAT THE BOARD VOIDS CONTINUING TERM PROBATIONARY AND PERFORMANCE CONTRACTS AND AUTHORIZES THE SUPERINTENDENT OR DESIGNEE TO PROVIDE NOTICE OF THE 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 SESSIONS EFFECTIVE AUGUST 14TH, 2026. OKAY, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. 
          PLEASE VOTE. OKAY, THE MOTION PASSES. ARE THERE ANY OTHER MOTIONS? MOTION TO DECLARE SURPLUS PROPERTY, THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION DECLARE THE ALCOTT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, BRISCOE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, BURRUS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, CAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, DODSON FACILITY, FLEMING MIDDLE SCHOOL, FRANKLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, HENDERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, PORT HOUSTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, ROSS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WEST AREA OFFICE, TELEDYNE, VELASCO WAREHOUSE AS SURPLUS, AND AUTHORIZE THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS OR DESIGNEE TO INITIATE SALES PROCEDURES FOR THE SITES DISCUSSED IN CLOSED SESSION EFFECTIVE AUGUST 14TH, 2026. WE HAVE A MOTION AND SECOND. PLEASE VOTE. MOTION PASSES. ANY OTHER MOTIONS? MOTION TO APPROVE SETTLEMENT OF LOPEZ V. HISD. I MOVE THAT WE GRANT THE SUPERINTENDENT AUTHORITY TO SETTLE THE MATTER OF VALERIE LOPEZ V. HOUSTON ISD ET AL., C.A. NO. 4:24-CV-2252, IN THE U.S. DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS, HOUSTON DIVISION, AS DISCUSSED IN CLOSED SESSION. 
          A MOTION, A SECOND, PLEASE VOTE. 
          OKAY, MOTION PASSES. NEXT MOTION. MOTION TO APPROVE SUPERINTENDENT'S EVALUATION AND AWARD INCENTIVE PAY. I MOVE THAT THE BOARD APPROVE THE SUPERINTENDENT'S 2025-26 EVALUATION AS DISCUSSED IN CLOSED SESSION, AND AUTHORIZE THE PAYMENT OF INCENTIVE COMPENSATION TO THE SUPERINTENDENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT'S EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT EFFECTIVE AUGUST 14TH, 2026. OKAY, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. PLEASE VOTE. 
          MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. I THINK THAT'S THE END OF OUR MOTIONS, CORRECT? OKAY, GOOD. THE BOARD'S NEXT, REGULAR MEETING WILL BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2026. THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS, THIS MEETING IS OFFICIALLY ADJOURNED AT 10:26 PM. THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.