Sep 10, 2026 Regular Board Meeting

[Call to Order]

[00:00:03]

OKAY.

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 THE BOARD MEMBERS IS PRESENT IN THE BOARD AUDITORIUM. IF THERE'S ANY PUBLIC OFFICIALS IN THE AUDIENCE THIS EVENING, PLEASE STAND AND BE RECOGNIZED.

I THINK WE HAVE A FEW OF OUR ELECTED TRUSTEES. WE HAVE DR. MARIA BENZON.

WELCOME. PLACIDO GOMEZ, WHERE IS, MAYBE HE'S HERE. AND I BELIEVE MICHAEL MCDONOUGH AND SAVANT MOORE IS GOING TO BE HERE AS WELL. WE'LL NOW BE JOINED BY A MEMBER OF OUR JUNIOR RESERVE OFFICER TRAINING CORPS TO LEAD US IN OUR PLEDGES. I'D LIKE TO ASK BOARD VICE PRESIDENT ANGELA LEMOND FLOWERS TO INTRODUCE TONIGHT'S PLEDGE LEADER. THANK YOU, PRESIDENT CAMPO. CADET OLIVER HERNANDEZ SERVES AS ALPHA COMPANY FIRST SERGEANT, AND ARCHERY COMMANDER IN THE ARMA JROTC PROGRAM AT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL. HE HOLDS A 3.7 GRADE POINT AVERAGE. CADET HERNANDEZ ACTIVELY PARTICIPATES ON THE MARKSMANSHIP AND RAIDER TEAM, DEMONSTRATING LEADERSHIP, DISCIPLINE, TEAMWORK, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND A COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE. CADET HERNANDEZ LEADS BY EXAMPLE, SUPPORTS YOUNGER CADETS, AND CONSISTENTLY ACCEPTS OPPORTUNITIES TO GROW AS A LEADER.

AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, HE PLANS TO ENLIST IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AND CONTINUE SERVING HIS COUNTRY. CADET HERNANDEZ.

PLEASE.

REMAIN STANDING FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE AND 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.

NOW FOR THE TEXAS PLEDGE.

HONOR THE TEXAS FLAG. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE TEXAS, ONE STATE UNDER GOD, ONE INDIVISIBLE.

THANK YOU, CADET HERNANDEZ.

YOU'RE WELCOME. I WOULD LIKE

[Recognitions]

YES, THANK YOU. I'D LIKE TO CELEBRATE HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH. IT LASTS FROM SEPTEMBER 15TH THROUGH OCTOBER 15TH. WHEREAS HISPANIC ADMINISTRATORS, TEACHERS, AND STAFF ARE MAKING A LIFELONG DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OUR CHILDREN BY DEDICATING THEMSELVES TO PROVIDING TOP QUALITY EDUCATION ALL STUDENTS NEED TO SUCCESSFULLY PURSUE THEIR DREAMS. AND WHEREAS HISPANIC PARENTS, PTA, PTO MEMBERS, AND VOLUNTEERS BRING TO OUR SCHOOLS A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE, LEADERSHIP, AND SUPPORT THAT ENHANCE LEARNING AND IMPROVE STUDENT OUTCOMES.

AND WHEREAS HISPANIC STUDENTS ENRICH THE LIVES OF FELLOW STUDENTS AND THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY BY SHARING THEIR HERITAGE AND PROVIDING A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE THAT BROADENS THE EXPERIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING OF ALL. NOW, THEREFORE, WE, THE SCHOOL BOARD, AND THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS OF THE HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM SEPTEMBER 15TH AS THE DAY OF HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH. WE CELEBRATE THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 15TH TO OCTOBER 15TH, 2026 HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH IN HISD. AND WE ENCOURAGE ALL TO CELEBRATE THE RICH TRADITIONS OF THE HISPANIC CULTURE. IN WITNESS THEREOF, ON THIS 10TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER 26TH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, BOARD SECRETARY PAULA MENDOZA, FOR YOUR COMMENTS.

NOW WE'LL GO TO SUPERINTENDENT MILES. I BELIEVE YOU HAVE A RECOGNITION, SO YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YES, SIR. THANK YOU, PRESIDENT.

THANK YOU, PRESIDENT CAMPO.

GOOD EVENING. I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE OUR DEPUTY CHIEF OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, NADJA CALLENDER, TO THE PODIUM TO LEAD OUR RECOGNITIONS.

THERE SHE IS. RIGHT ON TIME.

GOOD EVENING. I'M NADJA CALLENDER. I PLAY IN THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS.

AND HAPPY HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH. I'D LIKE TO TAKE JUST A MOMENT AND ACKNOWLEDGE ALL OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS, CULTURE, CONTRIBUTIONS

[00:05:02]

THIS RECOGNITION CELEBRATES THE STRENGTH OF VISUAL ARTS EDUCATION ACROSS HISD AND THE COMMITMENT OF OUR TEACHERS AND LEADERS TO PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE, EXPLORE, AND DEVELOP THEIR TALENTS. SO I HAVE HERE THE NAMES OF ALL OF OUR DISTINGUISHED EDUCATORS AND I JUST WANT TO READ THEM OUT JUST BECAUSE WHAT THEY HAVE DONE AND THIS IS REALLY OUTSTANDING. SO IN DANCE, SONIA CORMAN, 2026.

NATIONAL OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP IN PK-12 AWARD, NATIONAL DANCE EDUCATION ORGANIZATION. I THINK THAT THESE FOLKS ARE HERE. OH GOOD, SHE'S STANDING. PHYSICAL EDUCATION, FELICIA CAESAR-WHITE.

2026, AMERICA'S HEALTHIEST SCHOOLS, BAYLOR-HILL. COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, BIOTECH ACADEMY AT RUSK.

HISD THEATER ARTS, ELIZABETH ANDREWS.

2026, COMMENDABLE DISTRICT OF DISTINCTION. I'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THAT ONE. AND THEN, HISD VISUAL ARTS, RIKKI PODLOR.

2026 DISTRICT OF DISTINCTION.

SO THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH. FOR ALL THAT YOU DO CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR OUTSTANDING FINE ARTS TEAM SO I, UH, WAS A LITTLE TARDY BECAUSE WE WERE CELEBRATING. UM, WE ARE CELEBRATING THE HUNDRED-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL, AND I THINK OH, THEY'RE COMING. WONDERFUL.

JOSE, I THINK THEY'RE STILL ALL DOWN THERE. OKAY. THIS EVENING, WE PROUDLY CELEBRATE AN EXTRAORDINARY MILESTONE: 100 HUNDRED YEARS OF NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL SERVING STUDENTS, FAMILIES, AND THE HOUSTON COMMUNITY. THE SCHOOL OPENED ITS DOORS IN 20 IN 1926 AS JEFFERSON DAVIS HIGH SCHOOL, WELCOMING AN INITIAL CLASS OF 510 STUDENTS. A CENTURY LATER, THE SCHOOL REMAINS AN IMPORTANT ANCHOR IN HOUSTON'S HISTORIC NORTHSIDE COMMUNITY. NORTHSIDE IS CELEBRATING NOT ONLY ITS HISTORIC MILESTONE, BUT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT GROWTH, MOVING FROM A B-RATED CAMPUS TO AN A-RATED CAMPUS THIS YEAR.

THE CAMPUS ALSO EARNED ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT RECOGNITION IN READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS AND MATH. SO JOINING US THIS EVENING IS SENIOR ALEXIS GONZALEZ, A MAGNET STUDENT IN THE CULINARY ARTS PROGRAM AT NORTHSIDE HIGH. SO I'M GOING TO ASK ALEXIS TO COME UP BECAUSE HE'S GOING TO GIVE US SOME REMARKS. WHILE HE COMES, I'LL TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HIM BECAUSE HE'S AMAZING.

ALEXIS SERVES AS THE SECRETARY OF THE ORCHESTRA, IS A WATER POLO AND WRESTLING ATHLETE, AND A HOUSTON CREDIT STUDENT. HE IS ALSO ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL AMBASSADORS PROGRAM. IN HIS ROLE, HE MENTORS FELLOW STUDENTS AND LEADERS AND HELPS THEM UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS TO REPRESENT THE NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL. ALEXIS ALSO SERVES AS THE MAYDAY KING, BRINGING BACK A CLASSIC TRADITION THAT DATES BACK TO THE 20S AND 30S AT NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL. HE CONNECTS THE SCHOOL'S HISTORY WITH TODAY'S STUDENTS, HELPING TO WRITE A NEW CHAPTER FOR THE NEXT CENTURY. SO LET'S WELCOME ALEXIS, WHO WILL BE BRINGING REMARKS.

HELLO. TESTING, TESTING.

OKAY. HELLO, BOARD MEMBERS. MY NAME IS ALEXIS GONZALEZ, PROUD TO BE A NORTH SIDE HIGH SCHOOL PANTHER, CLASS OF 2077 SENIOR. AS WE CELEBRATE 100 YEARS OF OUR PURPLE AND GRAY, THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS HAVE FOUND THEIR PLACE AND EMBEDDED THEMSELVES IN OUR HISTORY. AS A MAGNET TRANSFER, I SAW OPPORTUNITIES HERE. I TAPPED INTO THEM AND STARTED COOKING FOR CULINARY ARTS. NORTHSIDE GAVE ME SO MUCH MORE. I DISCIPLINED MY MINDSET IN ATHLETICS AND FINE ARTS. I CHALLENGED MYSELF THROUGH RIGOROUS AP AND DUAL CREDIT COURSES AND EXPANDED MY SKILLS BY TAKING ON VARIOUS LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES. THAT'S WHY NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL HOLDS A VERY SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART. THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS HAVE FLOWN BY, AND NOW I HAVE MY HEART SET ON STUDYING BUSINESS AND MUSIC EDUCATION IN COLLEGE. THANK YOU TO THE AMAZING SUPPORT SYSTEM AT NHS. I'M PROUD TO HELP WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER

[00:10:02]

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE TEACHERS, STAFF, AND ADMINISTRATORS WHO HAVE MADE NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL THE PLACE WHERE STUDENTS DISCOVERED THEIR POTENTIAL FOR THE PAST 100 YEARS AND FOR MANY YEARS TO COME. THANK YOU, AND HAPPY 100 YEARS TO NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL.

I'M THINKING A TV CAREER OR A MOVIE CAREER ISN'T HE GREAT THAT'S WHAT I'M THINKING ISN'T HE GREAT UM IF YOU THE THEY BROUGHT ALL KIND OF GREAT THINGS THEY'VE TURNED THE FAMILY CONNECTION CENTER UH INTO PURPLE AND GRAY UH JUST WANT TO THANK ALL THE ALUMNI FOR COMING THE PRINCIPAL UM IS NOT WAS NOT ABLE TO ATTEND UM CLAUDIA GARCIA GARZA BECAUSE SHE IS DOING OPEN HOUSE TONIGHT SO I REALLY WANT I WANT TO SAY A THANK YOU TO FRANCISCO GONZALEZ, WHO IS THE MAGNET COORDINATOR WHO MADE ALL THIS HAPPEN TODAY. THIS CONCLUDES THE RECOGNITION PART OF THE MEETING. THANK YOU.

THERE WE GO. OKAY. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE, I THINK, FOR GOING TO THE SPEAKERS? RIGHT? OKAY. GOOD. ALL RIGHT.

SO NOW WE'LL HEAR FROM PUBLIC

[Speakers to Agenda Items]

OUR PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD WILL BEGIN WITH PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND HISD STUDENTS AND PARENTS.

WE'LL HEAR FIRST FROM HISD'S ELECTED TRUSTEES.

AND WE'LL START WITH DR.

MARIA BENZON.

DR. MARIA BENZON, ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEES, GRIMES PARK HAS GONE BULLDOZED FOR A MILLION DOLLAR CTE CENTER WITHOUT HONEST WARNING TO THIS COMMUNITY. THREE YEARS AGO TAXPAYERS SPENT $1.3 MILLION RENOVATING THAT PARK, NOW YOU'VE TORN IT UP. THIS WAS A BAIT AND SWITCH. YOU TOLD US THE CTE BUILDING WOULD SIT ON GRIMES ELEMENTARY. YOU NEVER SAID YOU WOULD ALSO TEAR UP A NEWLY RENOVATED PARK TO BUILD IT. THE CITY CONTROLLER WASN'T TOLD.

RESIDENTS WEREN'T TOLD. YOU SHOULD HAVE TALKED TO SUNNY SIDE, YOU SHOULD HAVE TALKED TO THE COMMUNITY. YOU COULD HAVE DONE BETTER, BUILD SOME TRUST AND TRANSPARENCY BUT YOU DIDN'T. SO NOW LET'S LOOK AT ITEM 17 WHICH EXPANDS NAMING RIGHTS FOR FACILITIES.

ESSENTIALLY THE SUPERINTENDENT GETS TO HANDPICK PEOPLE WHO DECIDE WHO GETS THEIR NAME ON AND IN OUR SCHOOLS, NOT THE ALUMNI, STUDENTS OR PARENTS, NOT THE COMMUNITY. FYI, THIS DISTRICT HAS ALREADY SEEN INDICTMENTS, BOARD MEMBERS AND STAFF TAKING MONEY FOR FAVORS SO FORGIVE US FOR ASKING WHO IS PAYING AND FOR WHAT. PLEASE FIX OUR AC UNITS. ADDRESS SPED VIOLATIONS.

GROW OUR ENROLLMENT. TALK TO THE COMMUNITY. STOP TRADING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND OUR SCHOOLS FOR DONORS AND LEGACIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

I DON'T SEE BOARD MEMBER OR ELECTED TRUSTEE GOMEZ. SO TRUSTEE MICHAEL MCDONOUGH, YOU'RE UP NEXT. THANK YOU.

GOOD EVENING. AS A NEW PRINCIPAL IN THIS DISTRICT, I WAS BLESSED TO HAVE A NUMBER OF TERRIFIC MENTORS. ONE IN PARTICULAR USED TO EMPHASIZE THE BEST WAY TO MEASURE STUDENT LEARNING WAS TO FOCUS ON WHAT THEY DID IN FRONT OF YOU. I WOULD SUGGEST THE SUPERINTENDENT PROBABLY AGREES WITH THAT. I THINK IT'S THE PREMISE OF DOLS, TO MAKE THE LEARNING VISIBLE.

THAT WAY WE CAN SEE THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE, WHO'S DOING IT AND HOW THEY'RE DOING IT. I BELIEVE THE SAME STANDARD SHOULD APPLY TO THIS BOARD AS WELL. IF YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE STEWARDSHIP OF PUBLIC DOLLARS AND FOR THE OVERSIGHT OF THIS ADMINISTRATION, THEN YOUR WORK SHOULD BE VISIBLE TO THE PUBLIC AS WELL. ASKING THE TOUGH QUESTIONS, DEMAND HONEST ANSWERS AND REQUIRE CORRECT AND ACCURATE EXPLANATIONS IN FRONT OF US, IN THE PUBLIC. BUT I DON'T THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING LATELY.

IN JUST THE LAST FEW MONTHS, EAS CAMPUSES HAVE FACED A NEW AND CONVOLUTED FUNDING FORMULA, BUDGETARY FLOORS AND CEILINGS, AND NOW A RUMORED $200 PER STUDENT REDUCTION TO THEIR CAMPUS BUDGET, WHICH WOULD FURTHER DECIMATE CAMPUSES THAT ARE WITH FEWER RESOURCES. AND LET'S BE CLEAR ABOUT WHICH STUDENTS ARE GOING TO BE MOST IMPACTED. THE MAJORITY OF STUDENTS IN HISD, THE MAJORITY OF ECONOMICALLY

[00:15:01]

WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO CUT RESOURCES FROM THOSE SCHOOLS AND THEN ACT SURPRISED WHEN ENROLLMENT AND PERFORMANCE DROP. OUR DISTRICT HAS A HISTORY OF CRITICISM FOR PRIORITIZING ONE PART OF THE CITY OVER ANOTHER, FOR FOCUSING ON ONE PROGRAM TO THE DETRIMENT OF ANOTHER.

YET, I FEEL LIKE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THIS BOARD IS CONDONING RIGHT NOW. NES CAMPUSES ARE UNTOUCHED DURING THIS BUDGET DILEMMA, WHILE EAS CAMPUSES ARE BEING ASKED TO ABSORB PARALYZING CUTS TO THEIR BUDGETS. THIS IS A CHOICE. THE SILENCE OF THIS BOARD IS A CHOICE. THE CONTINUED DISMISSAL TOWARD ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PUBLIC IS A CHOICE.

I'M ASKING YOU TONIGHT TO STEP UP. TO ASK THIS ADMINISTRATION HOW THEY GOT THE BUDGET. HOW THEY GOT THE BUDGET SO WRONG, SO QUICKLY, THAT A MONTH INTO THE SCHOOL YEAR, WE'RE FACING NEARLY $20 MILLION BUDGET SHORTFALL. YOU NEED TO DEMAND THE DATA, DEMAND THE RATIONALE, AND DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY, BECAUSE WHEN TIMES GET TOUGH, WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO GO AND ASK FOR MORE FROM THOSE STUDENTS IN SCHOOLS THAT HAVE LESS. YOU HAVE THE AUTHORITY AND THE FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY TO CHANGE THIS. THE ONLY QUESTION IS WHETHER OR NOT YOU'LL USE IT. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

TRUSTEE PERERA IS ON ZOOM.

OKAY, GREAT. PLEASE GO AHEAD, TRUSTEE.

THANK YOU AND GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS, I'M THE ELECTED TRUSTEE FOR DISTRICT ONE. I REPRESENT THE NORTH SIDE WHERE I LIVE, GARDEN OAKS, OAK FOREST, AND THE HEIGHTS AREAS. I AM SORRY I CAN'T BE THERE IN PERSON TONIGHT. I'M ON DAY CARE PICKUP DUTY.

THE AGENDA INCLUDES ITEM 17 STASHED IN THE CONSENT AGENDA, WHICH IS ABOUT CHANGING THE DISTRICT'S POLICY IN HOW IT GOES ABOUT NAMING SCHOOLS AND HOW IT WILL ACCEPT MONEY FOR NAMING SCHOOLS. IT'S ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. I HAVEN'T HEARD DISCUSSION YET. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE ARE PLANS FOR PULLING IT, BUT UNLESS A MANAGER MOVES TO PULL IT FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA, IT WILL JUST BE VOTED ON IN BULK. ITEM 17 PROPOSES A NUMBER OF THINGS. ONE, THAT WE DO AWAY WITH THE POLICY THAT SCHOOLS BE NAMED AFTER THE DECEASED, WHICH I THINK IS A PRETTY GOOD POLICY.

TWO, THAT WE DELETE THE RULES THAT GOVERN HOW DONATED FUNDS ARE USED FOR THE NAMING OF SCHOOLS. AND THREE, THAT A COMMITTEE CONSISTING OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS, LIKE PRINCIPALS, TEACHERS, PARENTS, AND ALUMNI BE FORMED TO REVIEW THE NAMING OF THE SCHOOL. SO MY QUESTION FOR THE BOARD TONIGHT IS, WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE? WHO'S ASKING FOR THIS? ARE THERE NOT MORE PRESSING ISSUES FACING IN THIS MOMENT? BROKEN AC UNITS AND 100 DEGREE WEATHER. THE QUESTIONABLE TACTICS THAT AFFECT TEST SCORES. THE DISTRESSED PARENTS OF SPECIAL ED STUDENTS. WHY TEACHERS AND PARENTS ARE FLEEING THE DISTRICT AT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT RATES RELATIVE TO OTHER LIKE DISTRICTS. SCHOOLS HAVE NAMES THAT CONTINUE TO HOLD MEANING THROUGHOUT A CHILD'S LIFE. I KNOW I TALK ABOUT SHADOWBRIAR. AND I TALK ABOUT WESTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL. I'M ALMOST 40 YEARS OLD AND I'M PROBABLY STILL GOING TO CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT MY SCHOOLS. MY POINT IS THAT HOW A SCHOOL GETS ITS NAME SHOULD BE REFLECTIVE OF THE COMMUNITY THAT THE SCHOOL SERVES AND WHOSE CHILDREN IT WILL MOLD. IT SHOULDN'T BE SOLD OFF TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER. I HOPE THAT THE MANAGERS, ONE OF THE MANAGERS WILL DO THE RIGHT THING. POLL ITEM 17 AND JUST LET THE COMMUNITY HEAR THE RATIONALE BEHIND THIS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

NEXT WE'LL HEAR FROM SPEAKERS WHO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AS HISD STUDENTS OR PARENTS. SPEAKERS PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND TOPIC AND WE STEP TO THE PODIUM. AND THEN MS. SMITH YOU CAN CALL OUR OTHER SPEAKERS. GO AHEAD. I'D LIKE TO CALL ALL STUDENTS WHO'VE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK TO COME TO THE FRONT ROW. WE'LL START WITH DITA SAGE-BITTNER.

HI, MY NAME IS DITA SAGE-BITTNER, A SEVENTH GRADER AT YWCPA. ON PAGES 21 TO 38 OF THE AGENDA PACKET, ONLY PAGE 26 SHOWS PERCENTAGES NEXT TO THE TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS. WHY NOT THE OTHER PAGES? HERE'S THE PROBLEM. 26% OF 14 STUDENTS AND 28% OF 13 STUDENTS BOTH EQUAL EXACTLY 3.64 STUDENTS. DIFFERENT PERCENTAGES, SAME NUMBER.

THAT'S CONFUSING FOR THE PUBLIC. PLEASE SHOW US THE TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN EVERY GRAPH, NOT JUST PERCENTAGES, SO WE ACTUALLY KNOW HOW MANY KIDS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. NOW, ITEM 16 TAKES AWAY RECOGNITION PINS FOR TEACHERS' YEARS OF SERVICE. MILES HAS SAID THAT MANY TEACHERS WILL NEED TO LEAVE BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T

[00:20:01]

PLEASE PULL ITEM 16 FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA AND VOTE NO ON IT. SHOW THE PUBLIC THAT YOU STILL HONOR THE EXPERIENCED AND CAREER TEACHERS WHO'VE DEDICATED THEIR LIVES TO EDUCATING STUDENTS. STOP HIDING NUMBERS. STOP ERASING TEACHERS. START VALU THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

MICAH GABAY, FOLLOWED BY ILEANA GOTTLIEB.

HI, I'M MICAH. I DON'T GO TO ANY HIGH SCHOOL RIGHT NOW.

THROUGHOUT MY YEARS IN SCHOOL, HISD CONSTANTLY SAYS THAT IT PREPARES STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE AND CAREERS.

BUT AS A RECENT GRADUATE, I HAVE TO QUESTION THAT. WHEN I GRADUATED, I HAD NO CLUE WHAT I WANTED TO DO WITH MY LIFE, LET ALONE HOW TO PREPARE FOR COLLEGE. WE SPENT YEARS BEING PREPARED FOR TESTS, FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS AND EARNING CREDITS, BUT NOT ENOUGH TIME LEARNING HOW TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT OUR FUTURE. COLLEGE READINESS SHOULD BE MORE THAN KNOWING HOW TO PASS A TEST.

STUDENTS SHOULD LEAVE HIGH SCHOOL KNOWING THEIR OPTIONS, UNDERSTANDING HOW TO PLAN FOR THEIR FUTURE, AND CONFIDENT ABOUT THE NEXT STEPS. IF HISD TRULY WANTS TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE AND CAREERS, THEN IT NEEDS TO PREPARE US FOR MORE THAN GRADUATION. A DIPLOMA SHOULD NOT BE THE END OF OUR PREPARATION. IT SHOULD BE THE BEGINNING. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS ILEANA GOTTLIEB, AND I'M A 10TH GRADER AT HSPVA. THIS YEAR, I HELPED START A GENDER AND SEXUALITY ALLIANCE AT MY SCHOOL. IT WASN'T COMPLICATED. I ASKED A TEACHER I TRUSTED TO SPONSOR IT. MY CAMPUS APPROVED IT. AND THIS YEAR, IT'S A FULLY CHARTERED CLUB.

TODAY WAS OUR CLUB FAIR, AND 50 STUDENTS SIGNED UP ON DAY ONE. I WANT OTHER HISD STUDENTS TO KNOW THIS IS POSSIBLE FOR YOU, TOO. LAST YEAR, TEXAS PASSED SENATE BILL 12, WHAT MANY OF US CALL THE DON'T SAY GAY LAW. AMONG OTHER THINGS, IT BANS STUDENTS' CLUBS BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR GENDER IDENTITY, AND LIMITS HOW TEACHERS CAN SUPPORT LGBTQ PLUS STUDENTS. BUT A FEDERAL COURT FOUND THAT THIS LIKELY VIOLATES STUDENTS' CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, AND ISSUED AN INJUNCTION BLOCKING HISD FROM ENFORCING THOSE PROVISIONS.

THAT MEANS RIGHT NOW, IN THIS DISTRICT, STUDENTS CAN START OR RESTART A GSA AT THEIR OWN SCHOOL. IF YOU'RE A STUDENT LISTENING TONIGHT, FIND A TEACHER YOU TRUST. ASK IF THEY'LL SPONSOR YOU, AND ASK YOUR CAMPUS WHAT THE PROCESS LOOKS LIKE. ON THE LINE. 50 OF US JUST DID AN HSPVA IN ONE AFTERNOON. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

I'D LIKE TO INVITE HISD PARENTS WHO SIGNED UP TO SPEAK TO COME TO THE FRONT ROW.

WE'LL START WITH THOMAS COMSTOCK.

TREY COMSTOCK, PROUD DURHAM PARENT. IN MY LATE TEENS, I WAS IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP AND EXPERIENCED THE GASLIGHTING, OFTEN AT THE CORE OF ABUSE. THE HARM DOLED OUT BY YOUR ABUSER IS PRESENTED AS YOUR FAULT. YOU MADE ME DO IT. WE HOUSTONIANS ARE IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU, THE BOARD OF RUBBER STAMP AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AND YOU, MR. MILES, OUR HEAD OF COUNTERINSURGENCY. CASE IN POINT, THESE CLASSROOMS WOULDN'T BE SO HOT IF YOU'D ONLY VOTED FOR THAT BOND.

NEVER MIND THAT MORE THAN 40 PEOPLE IN THIS BUILDING MAKE $200,000 OR MORE PER YEAR, IN A CITY WITH A MEDIAN INCOME OF $65,000. NEVER MIND THAT MILES' BASE PAY ALONE IS SEVEN TIMES THE MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME. NOT TO MENTION THE UNDISCLOSED ADDITIONAL, PRESUMABLY SIX-FIGURE BONUS, DESPITE ENROLLMENT DROPPING BY 11%. BUT NO, WE CAN'T FIX ALL THE AIR CONDITIONERS.

DURHAM DEVELOPED A MAJOR AC ISSUE IN THE WEEKS LEADING UP TO SCHOOL. FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL WASN'T FIXED.

CURRENTLY, STILL ISN'T FIXED.

MANY CLASSROOMS ARE WITHOUT CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONERS. .

THANK YOU.

THE CLASSROOMS AREN'T SCORCHING HOT BECAUSE THE COMMUNITY STEPPED UP. THE PTA ACQUIRED 10 UNITS AT THE COST OF $5,000, AND A GROUP OF DADS INSTALLED THEM FOR FREE. IT SURE LOOKS LIKE ABUSE WHEN WE GET ALL THESE MONEY FOR THESE PEOPLE AND THESE BONUSES AND THESE MEDIAS AND THESE BILLBOARDS, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO AIR CONDITIONING, YOU JUST DON'T HAVE THE FUNDS.

BUT GUESS WHAT? WE CALLED IT LAST YEAR. 2027? FLOYD'S OUT.

HE'S BACK TO COLORADO WITH HIS BONUSES AND OUTSIDE CONTRACTS.

THIS BOARD OF RUBBER STAMPS AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST WILL HAVE TO CLEAN UP HIS MESS AND DEAL WITH US. IF THE RATS ARE FLEEING THE SHIP, YOU KNOW IT'S SINKING. WHAT, WITH ALL THESE HIGH-LEVEL STAFF DEPARTURES? FLOYD TRIED TO FIGHT HIS WAY OUT? THIS REVOLVING DOOR OF BOARDS OF PUPPETS? NOT TO MENTION THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE ARTICLES. OH, AND WHY WOULD YOU MESS WITH GEN X AND MILLENNIAL MOMS ANYWAY? WE'RE PISSED, WE'RE TIRED,

[00:25:01]

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

BRIANNA MOHAN, HISD PARENT.

REGARDING THE CLOSING OF GRIMES PARK, THE CLOSING AND DEMOLITION OF GRIMES PARK BY HISD IS A SLAP IN THE FACE TO THE CHILDREN AND RESIDENTS OF SUNNYSIDE, AS WELL AS THE TAXPAYERS AND THE COMMUNITY.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN A DECADE THAT A PARK HAS BEEN RENOVATED BY ITS OWN PRIVATE DONORS, WHO FUNDED THE PARK'S RENOVATION LESS THAN THREE YEARS AGO.

THIS LAND HAD BEEN LEASED TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON BY HISD FOR USE AS A PARK SINCE THE 1970S. FOLLOWING A REVIEW OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS, GRIMES PARK WAS SELECTED FOR INCLUSION IN THE ACCLAIMED 50-50 PARK PARTNERS INITIATIVE. 1.3 MILLION TAXPAYER DOLLARS WERE SPENT ON RENOVATING GRIMES, AND IT'S A SIMILAR AMOUNT THAT WAS DONATED BY PRIVATE CORPORATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS. PARKS ARE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO OUR COMMUNITIES, AND THIS NEIGHBORHOOD SPENT DECADES ADVOCATING FOR A RENOVATION OF THEIR PARK. BOARD OF MANAGERS, YOU THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEGATIVE IMPACT ON IEPS I URGE YOU TO ASK FOR THE SAME RAW DATA ASK WHERE THE REVIEWED IEP IS COMPLIANT WITH THE DELIVERY OF SERVICES OR ASK THE TWO SPECIAL EDUCATION CONSERVATORS WHO THE INDEPENDENT REVIEWER IS OR ASK TWO DIFFERENT LENSES AND WHAT THAT ACTUALLY MEANS FAMILIES DESERVE TRANSPARENCY NOT INTERPRETATION BE DILIGENT TO BE CHAMPIONS FOR OUR STUDENTS USE YOUR AUTHORITY TO PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF 20,000 STUDENTS WHO RELY ON FEDERALLY MANDATED IEP SERVICES AND IF THE DISTRICT CANNOT PROVIDE RAW DATA REQUEST A SPECIAL EDUCATION AUDIT IF ONE CHILD'S IEP IS NOT COMPLIANT THEN THE DISTRICT IS NOT COMPLIANT THANK YOU THIS SUMMER, AFTER DOZENS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENTS FILED COMPLAINTS TO THE TEA, THE TEA REQUIRED DISTRICT-WIDE CORRECTIVE ACTION.

BUT THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR DOCUMENTING HISD'S PROGRESS AND REPORTING IT TO THE TEA ARE TEA-APPOINTED CONSERVATORS LISA SHOCKLEY AND CATHERINE SEALS, WHO ARE PAID HOURLY TO CONSULT WITH THE DISTRICT BY THE TEA. THE CORRECTIVE ACTION INCLUDED INFORMING PARENTS OF THEIR RIGHTS AND DISCUSSING THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF RELOCATING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES TO OTHER CAMPUSES. HOW DO WE KNOW THAT OCCURRED? TEA OVERSEES HISD. TEA-APPOINTED CONSERVATORS MONITOR THE CORRECTIVE ACTION. THOSE SAME CONSERVATORS REPORT BACK TO TEA. THAT'S A CLOSED LOOP.

THE CORRECTIVE ACTION HAS NOT BEEN MADE PUBLIC.

WITHOUT INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT, HISD AND TEA LEAVE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AT RISK EVERY DAY. CORRECTIVE ACTION WITHOUT PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY IS NOT ENOUGH.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES DESERVE BETTER THAN THAT.

THANK YOU.

WHERE DID CALLING IS HAPPENING BEFORE OF THE EVENING BEFORE YOU START MY TIME I WOULD LIKE YOU TO VIEW THIS PICTURE AND I WOULD LIKE THE AUDIENCE TO SEE IT AS WELL BEFORE YOU CALL SPECIAL EDUCATION IT SUCCESS TELL ME DOES THIS LOOK LIKE SUCCESS TO YOU MY SON IS 11 YEARS OLD AND AUTISTIC AND HE WAS ARRESTED THAT ONCE NOT TWICE NOT THREE TIMES BUT FIVE TIMES THIS YEAR IN THE SPECIAL EDUCATION DISCUSS PROGRAM. HE HAS BEEN REFERRED TO THE DA THREE TIMES FOR A FELONY ASSAULT CHARGE WHILE HE FOUGHT FOR YEARS FOR PROPER PLACEMENT THAT IS SUPPORTED BY HIS IEP. HISD USED TO HAVE A PROGRAM FOR THIS AND IT WAS CALLED SOAR. THIS PROGRAM WOULD HELP SO MANY DISABLED STUDENTS AND IT WOULD ALSO HELP YOU KEEP CHILDREN OUT OF DAEP AND KEEP CHILDREN IN SCHOOL. EXPULSIONS ARE NOT THE ANSWER. TEXAS'S LITERACY HAS DROPPED TO NUMBER 49 IN THE NATION. ARE YOU PROUD OF THAT NUMBER? BEFORE BEFORE EXPULSION IS USED, THE

[00:30:01]

THEY CAN'T POSSIBLY ALL BE BAD APPLES. IF YOU TOLD THE TRUTH AT THE SYMPOSIUM TODAY, NONE OF THOSE LEADERS WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPRESSED. THANK YOU.

YOU HI I'M ...

A PARENT TO 4TH-GRADER I CAN 11 ASK YOU TO EXCUSE MILES FAILURES BY CHANGING GPMS IF EXCUSE IS THAT THE NWA MAP LINKING STUDY HAS REVISED PROJECTIONS BETWEEN MAT GROSS DATA AND STAAR PREDICTIONS BUT THAT CHANGE DOES NOT SIXTEEN IN THE JUSTEI REMEMBER WE HAD SET THE BAR TO ZERO AT 70 NOT IMPACT THE GOALS HE HAD IN PLACE. THOSE GOALS WERE ABOUT SIMPLE GROWTH, THAT ALL STUDENTS WOULD GROW.

NOT ALL STUDENTS' MAP SCORES WOULD BE LINKED TO PASSING STAAR SCORES. HE FAILED. HE MISSED THE SECOND GRADE READING GROWTH GOAL.

SCORES ACTUALLY DECLINED.

THIRD GRADE READING DID WORSE, TOO, AND STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES DECLINED BY SEVEN PERCENTAGE POINTS.

NOW HE WANTS TWO MORE YEARS TO MEET LAST YEAR'S SECOND GRADE GOALS, AND HE WANTS TO CHANGE THE OTHER GRADES' GOALS FROM ALL KIDS WILL GROW TO ENOUGH KIDS WILL HAVE MAP SCORES THAT LINK TO PASSING STAAR SCORES. DON'T LET HIM OFF THE HOOK.

THANK YOU.

MS. CANDIDA, IS LUCA SPEAKING TONIGHT? MS. CANDIDA, IS LUCA SPEAKING TONIGHT? PLEASE GO AHEAD.

AND THE TEACHER DOESN'T HAVE TIME TO TEACH US. THERE'S ALSO A CLOCK THAT MAKES US NERVOUS AND STRESSES US OUT.

WHEN THE STATE TOOK CONTROL OF MY SCHOOL, IT HAD, BEFORE THE STATE TOOK CONTROL OF MY SCHOOL, IT HAD AN A RATING. NOW IT HAS A B. YOU'RE NOT HELPING KIDS.

YOU'RE MAKING THINGS WORSE.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

BOARD PRESIDENT, WE HAVE PARENTS ON ZOOM. OKAY, GO AHEAD. APRIL FISHER, PLEASE TURN YOUR CAMERA ON AND UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU MAY BEGIN.

HI, GOOD EVENING. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. LOOKS LIKE IT. LOOKS

[00:35:02]

ON AUGUST 28TH, I MADE TWO WRITTEN REQUESTS TO THE DISTRICT. ONE WAS FOR A FULL INDIVIDUAL AND INITIAL VALUATION. AND THE OTHER WAS FOR A FORMAL REPORT THAT SHE HAS BEEN BULLIED. SHE'S BEEN BULLIED. AND ON AUGUST 31ST, I HAND-DELIVERED THAT PACKET TO THE CAMPUS. THIS AFTERNOON, 13 DAYS LATER, THE PRINCIPAL OFFERED A MEETING AND TOLD ME THE PRELIMINARY RESULT FROM THAT INVESTIGATION.

OKAY. SO, THIS AFTERNOON, I RESPONDED WITHIN THE HOUR AND SAID YES, WITH, IF THE DISTRICT WILL SEND ME AN AGENDA. AND WHO WILL BE THERE AND THE WRITTEN RESPONSES I'VE BEEN ASKING FOR SINCE THE 28TH. BECAUSE IN 13 DAYS, I HAVE NOT RECEIVED PRIOR WRITTEN NOTICE ON THE EVALUATION, NO CONSENT FORM, NO NOTICE OF PROCEDURAL SAFEGUARD, NO INTERIM MEASURES, NO WRITTEN RESPONSE TO BE MADE. MY FIVE ITEMS I ASKED FOR BY SEPTEMBER 4TH THANK YOU YOUR TIME UM THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU CHRISTINE HURLEY PLEASE GO AHEAD HI, YES. MY NAME IS CHRISTINE HURLEY. UM, I JUST WANTED EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT ON DAY ONE, GINA WILL FIRE MIKE MARATH AND END ALL OF THE STATE TAKEOVERS SO WE CAN ESCAPE THIS HELLSCAPE THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY IN. ALSO, THANK YOU, TRACY, FOR PUTTING TOGETHER ALL OF THESE WONDERFUL GRAPHICS AND POINTING OUT THAT OUR DEFICIT ISN'T JUST WHAT IS IT IT, THE GENERAL FUND BALANCE DIDN'T FALL JUST 34, BUT BECAUSE OF YOUR MONEY SCHEMING, IT'S ACTUALLY A 46 PERCENT REDUCTION IN THE GENERAL FUND BALANCE.

FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD AT MONEY, YOU'RE JUST REALLY GOOD AT SHUFFLING MONEY AND MAKING FAKE NEWS. SO I LOVE THAT YOU LOVE TO SAY THAT THE CHRONICLE'S FAKE AND EVERYTHING THAT'S NOT SUPPORTING YOU IS FAKE, AND WE'RE LIKE THE TYRANNICAL FIVE PERCENT. BUT REALLY, HOW ARE Y'ALL SO BAD AT THIS, AND YOU'RE NOT EVEN GETTING THE RESULTS THAT WE'RE BLEEDING MONEY FOR? SO GOOD JOB.

WONDERFUL LEGACY. THANK YOU.

BE PROUD OF YOURSELF.

MUHAMMAD HUSSEIN PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF AHEAD HI GOOD EVENING SO MY NAME IS DR MUHAMMAD HUSSEIN A PROFESSOR OF THERMOLOGY AND PEDIATRICS AT BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE MY FAMILY RECENTLY WENT THROUGH A SCHOOL CHOICE GRIEVANCE PROCESS AFTER EXPERIENCING SIGNIFICANT FAMILY HARDSHIP THROUGH THIS PROCESS WE IDENTIFIED A BROADER POLICY GAP THAT COULD AFFECT MANY HISD FAMILIES CURRENTLY THERE IS NO GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE PATHWAY FOR EXCEPTIONAL MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION OR SIBLING RELATED HARDSHIPS WE UNDERSTAND THAT SUCH POLICIES EXISTED MAYBE TWO YEARS AGO BUT FOR WHATEVER REASON THEY ARE NOT THERE NOW AS PART OF OUR GRIEVANCE RESPONSE, WE WERE INFORMED THAT OUR RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD BE FORWARDED INTERNALLY FOR CONSIDERATION. WE ACTUALLY WOULD KINDLY ASK THAT HOUSTON ISD MEANINGFULLY CONSIDER RESTORING A HARDSHIP REVIEW PATHWAY AND ALSO A REASONABLE SIBLING CONSIDERATION FOR AVAILABLE SEATS AND NON-ENTRY GRADES AND A UNIVERSAL THING FOR ALL THE CAMPUSES, INCLUDING THE UNIQUE AND SEPARATE ONES BEFORE THE NEXT AND HOPEFULLY BEFORE THE NEXT SCHOOL CHOICE CYCLE. THIS IS NOT ABOUT BYPASSING LOTTERY. IT'S ABOUT GIVING. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME IS UP. APPRECIATE THAT.

THANKS.

BRIANNA VANBOSSUM, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOU MAY BEGIN.

THANK YOU. ACCORDING TO LONE STAR GOVERNANCE, THE FIFTH PILLAR OF THE TEXAS FRAMEWORK FOR SCHOOL BOARD DEVELOPMENT IS ADVOCACY AND ENGAGEMENT. FOUR OUT OF SEVEN SECTIONS OF YOUR SELF-EVALUATION INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING UNDER MASTER'S FOCUS. ALL BOARD MEMBERS AND THE SUPERINTENDENT AGREES. THERE IS BROAD COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP OF SPECIAL EDUCATION THROUGH INVOLVEMENT AND COMMUNICATION WITH STUDENTS, STAFF, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. YOU HAVE NEVER CHECKED THAT BOX, YET THERE IS NO MENTION OF ANY INTENTION TO IMPROVE IN THAT AREA. NOTHING IN THE NEXT LEVEL GROWTH LIST INCLUDES ANYTHING ABOUT COMMUNICATION WITH THE COMMUNITY. NOTHING IN THE CLOSING REFLECTION INDICATES ANY CONCERN AT ALL.

YOU'RE HEARING FROM PARENTS ABOUT THE CHAOS AND REAL HARM CAUSED BY FAILING TO COMMUNICATE ABOUT EVERYTHING FROM CAMPUS ASSIGNMENTS TO BUS ROUTES, BUT YOU CLEARLY

[00:40:01]

THANK YOU.

EDNA GARCIA, PLEASE TURN YOUR CAMERA ON AND YOU MAY BEGIN.

I WROTE DOWN MY SPEECH SOME MORE.

OKAY. CONTINUING THE THEME OF THINGS THAT WE APPARENTLY DON'T HAVE MONEY FOR, DURHAM HAS NOT BEEN ALLOTTED A FULL-TIME NURSE. LAST YEAR, WE HAD A HALF-TIME NURSE. THIS YEAR, WE ONLY GET A HALF-TIME NURSE FOR A SCHOOL OF 430 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLERS WHO CAN'T RELIABLY TAKE THEIR OWN MEDICATION, EVEN IF THAT MEDICATION IS LIFE-SAVING. HOWEVER, WE DON'T EVEN HAVE THAT. THE POSITION HAS SAT OPEN SINCE BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED. WE HAD A MEDICAL EMERGENCY RECENTLY WHERE THE PARENT HAD TO COME TO THE SCHOOL AND RESPOND BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE OUR ALLOTTED HALF-TIME NURSE. THANKFULLY, IT TURNED OUT OKAY. THANK YOU.

AND THAT IS ACTUALLY THANKS TO PARENT DEDICATION, NOT TO HISD. YOU TALK ABOUT LEADING US TO A PLACE WHERE WE HAVE NO MORE FAILING SCHOOLS YET HISD HAS FAILED DURHAM AND ALL THE OTHER SCHOOLS THAT DON'T HAVE EVEN A PART-TIME NURSE. IT FAILED TO PROVIDE AIR CONDITIONING FOR DURHAM AND IT FAILED TO ENSURE THAT DURHAM HAS A NURSE. DO BETTER.

THIS CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR OFFICIALS, PARENTS AND STUDENTS.

[Board Member Reports and Comments]

AND, YOU KNOW, NORTH SIDE HAS JUST MADE TREMENDOUS PROGRESS.

AND IT WAS ACTUALLY A RECENT ARTICLE FROM ESSENCE THAT HIGHLIGHTED TWO OTHER AMAZING SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT THAT I WANTED TO JUST SHINE A LITTLE LIGHT ON AND, YOU KNOW, RECOMMEND THAT YOU READ THAT ESSENCE ARTICLE IF YOU HAVEN'T. THESE ARE FIFTH WARD'S PHILIS WHEATLEY HIGH SCHOOL AND THIRD WARD'S JACK GATES HIGH SCHOOL, BOTH OF THESE FOR, YOU KNOW, A CENTURY HAVE EDUCATED AND PRODUCED SOME OF THE MOST NOTABLE HOUSTONIANS THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR CITY HAS EVER, YOU KNOW, INTERACTED WITH FROM BARBARA JORDAN AND MICKEY LELAND AND DEBBIE ALLEN AND OBVIOUSLY THE WONDERFUL DR.

RUTH SIMMONS, JUST TO NAME A FEW. SO IF YOU MISSED IT, RIGHT, BOTH OF THESE HIGH SCHOOLS, THESE TREMENDOUS ANCHOR INSTITUTIONS FOR OUR CITY HAVE EARNED AN A RATING THIS YEAR. RIGHT. THAT IS INCREDIBLE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE POPULATION, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE HISTORY, IT IS JUST REMARKABLE. THAT BOTH SCHOOLS HAVE EARNED AN A.

AND I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S BECAUSE, AS WE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE, IT'S BECAUSE OF THE HARD WORK OF FOLKS KIND OF IN THOSE HALLS, MOST NOTABLY PRINCIPALS CRYSTAL BLANCHARD AND STEPHANIE SQUARE. AND SO I WANT TO, FROM THE ARTICLE, READ A COUPLE OF QUOTES, IF YOU, MR. PRESIDENT, IF I CAN.

BECAUSE I THINK THEY'RE JUST AWESOME QUOTES. SO WHEATLEY'S PRINCIPAL BLANCHARD IN THE ARTICLE, SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE PRINCIPAL, SHE WAS JUST RESPONDING TO THE MILESTONE OF THE SCHOOL EARNING AN A.

AND SHE SAID IN THE ARTICLE, SHE SAID, RACE, ZIP CODE, OR SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS SHOULD NEVER DETERMINE THE EXPECTATIONS WE HAVE FOR CHILDREN. THE CONVERSATION SHOULD NEVER BEGIN WITH WHETHER BLACK STUDENTS OR STUDENTS FROM ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES ARE CAPABLE. THEY ARE. PERIOD. FULL STOP.

BUT THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS A THING WONDERFUL.

BUT YATES PRINCIPAL SQUARE ALSO SAID SOMETHING REALLY AMAZING.

SHE SAID, OUR TEACHERS SET THE BAR HIGH FOR STUDENTS. OUR STUDENTS ARE LOCKED IN, AS OUR TEACHERS SAY. THEY WANT TO MAKE US AND THEIR COMMUNITY PROUD. SO, LOOK, AN A RATING, YOU KNOW, IT IS A SYMBOL, RIGHT? BUT I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT SYMBOL BECAUSE IT REPRESENTS ALL THE HEART WORK OF THE TEACHERS AND THE PARENTS AND THE ADMINISTRATORS AND THE STUDENTS OF THOSE TWO SCHOOLS. SO I JUST WANT TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THOSE STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED IN THOSE TWO SCHOOLS' RECOGNITION. I DON'T HAVE POM POMS LIKE NORTH SIDE, BUT I WANT TO DO MY VERY BEST. AND THIS IS THAT BECAUSE THEY ARE ALSO WRITING THE NEXT CHAPTER OF THAT SCHOOL'S HISTORY.

THAT'S GREAT. AWESOME. THANK YOU. AND I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT, IF ANYBODY IS INTERESTED IN READING THAT ARTICLE, IT WAS IN THE SEPTEMBER 8TH MAGAZINE, ESSENCE MAGAZINE, WHICH IS, WE MADE IT. WE KNOW

[00:45:02]

AND IT WAS A VERY INTERESTING EVENING. AND THERE WERE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE THERE CELEBRATING THE SUCCESS AND THE STUDENTS THAT ARE IN OUR FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT.

THERE WAS A WHOLE LARGE ROOM WITH VISUAL ARTS UP ON THE WALL, PAINTINGS AND PICTURES AND SCULPTURES AND THINGS. AND THEN THERE WERE A VARIETY OF PERFORMING ARTS GOING ON BY SAM HOUSTON HIGH SCHOOL MARIACHI BAND. AND BY THE WAY, THEY PLAYED IN, WHAT WAS IT CALLED? THE CONTINENTAL CLUB. I'M SURE IT'S THE FIRST MARIACHI BAND OF TEENAGERS EVER TO PLAY IN THE CONTINENTAL CLUB, WHICH I UNDERSTAND IS A VERY FAMOUS PLACE IN TOWN. THEY WERE FANTASTIC. THEN WE HAD THE MARSHALL ELEMENTARY DANCE PROGRAM. THEN WE HAD THE ROBERTS ELEMENTARY DANCE PROGRAM. MEIERLAND PERFORMING AND VISUAL ARTS PROGRAM. AND BELAIR'S HIGH SCHOOL E-MOTION DANCE COMPANY, WHICH WERE EXTRAORDINARY, RIGHT? AND SO THIS WAS AN EFFORT PUT ON BY, AS I SAID, HISD FOUNDATION AS A FUNDRAISER. AND THEY RAISED A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY THAT WILL THEN TURN AROUND AND COME BACK AND FUND MANY OF THE ARTS PROGRAMS IN HISD. SO I THINK IT WAS A SPECIAL NIGHT. MANY OF THE PEOPLE THAT WERE HERE EARLIER WERE THERE. SONIA WAS THERE AND OTHERS FROM THE FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT WERE THERE. AND IT WAS JUST A REAL CELEBRATION OF THE SUCCESS OF THE FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT. I THINK THEY NEED MORE AND MORE SUPPORT. SO NEXT TIME WE DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT, I THINK MORE PEOPLE SHOULD SHOW UP. BUT IT WAS JUST A SPECIAL EVENING.

THANK YOU.

WE'LL GO THIS WAY. ANYBODY ELSE ON THIS SIDE? JANETTE, NO? OKAY, GREAT. OKAY, GOOD. WE'LL THEN MOVE ON TO DISCUSSION OF REPORT ITEM ONE, ACCEPTANCE OF THE REPORT FROM THE BOARD AUDIT COMMITTEE CHAIR. SO MS. GARZA LINDNER IS CHAIR OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

HELLO, COLLEAGUES. WE RECENTLY HAD OUR LATEST AUDIT COMMITTEE MEETING ABOUT A WEEK AGO, TWO WEEKS AGO NOW. AND SO WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE EACH RECEIVED WERE THE RECENT REPORTS THAT WERE REVIEWED BY THE AUDIT COMMITTEE AND THE MEETING NOTES FROM THAT SESSION. SO I'LL WELCOME ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME. BUT IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE YOU NEED TO COVER, EVERYTHING ELSE HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO YOU AHEAD OF THE MEETING.

OKAY, GREAT. NO QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. WE'LL NOW HAVE REPORTS FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT. MR. MILES, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR AGAIN. THANK YOU, PRESIDENT CAMPO. TODAY OUR DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT, KRISTEN HOHL, WILL SHARE AN UPDATE ON OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION SUCCESS PROGRAM. YES, WE HAVE 20,500 STUDENTS WITH IEPS. AND SO THE WORK IS FOCUSED ON ENSURING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, RECEIVE THE HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION, TARGETED SUPPORT, AND CONSISTENT SERVICES THAT THEY NEED TO SUCCEED.

DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT HOHL.

I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON THE SPECIAL EDUCATION SUCCESS PROGRAM. CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME? NO, YOUR MIC'S NOT ON.

[Reports from the Superintendent]

WE WILL GO TO THE SELECTION QUESTION. AND THEN I'LL GIVE YOU AN UPDATE AS WELL. SURE.

ALL RIGHT. OKAY. I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE AN UPDATE ON THE SPECIAL EDUCATION SUCCESS PROGRAM SINCE SCHOOL HAS STARTED AND WE'RE ABOUT FIVE WEEKS IN. WHENEVER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SPED SUCCESS WE ALWAYS START WITH OUR VISION STATEMENT BECAUSE IT IS TRULY WHAT DRIVES OUR DECISION MAKING AND SO OUR GOAL HAS BEEN THAT STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES WILL HAVE ACCESS TO GRADE LEVEL LEARNING THROUGH HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION AND COHERENTLY DESIGNED SUPPORTS THAT PROMOTE GRADE LEVEL

[00:50:02]

BECAUSE AGAIN WHEN WE LOOKED AT THIS THIS WAS REALLY ABOUT IMPROVING STUDENT OUTCOMES.

AND WHENEVER WE'RE LOOKING AT IMPROVING STUDENT OUTCOMES THE THING THAT WE FOCUS ON IS UP MOST IMPORTANT EVERY DAY WHEN WE'RE DOING THIS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE THEIR HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION WHEN WE'RE IN SCHOOLS IS DOES EVERY TEACHER PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION TO STUDENTS. AND WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE GENERAL ED CLASSROOMS WE CONSTANTLY REFLECT ON WHETHER A TEACHER CAN BE SUCCESSFUL. WE LIMIT THE NUMBER OF PREPARATIONS THAT THEY HAVE.

WE ENSURE THEY HAVE APPROPRIATE PLANNING TIME AND WE STAY ULTRA FOCUSED ON THAT. SO IT'S JUST AS CRITICAL FOR US TO APPLY THAT SAME LEVEL OF THINKING TO OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS. THEY MUST HAVE THE CONDITIONS TO BE SUCCESSFUL SO THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION TO STUDENTS. AND THAT WAS THE GOAL OF SOME OF THE SPED SUCCESS REDESIGN.

SO IN DOING THE SPED SUCCESS REDESIGN AND LOOKING AT WHAT TEACHERS NEEDED TO BE SUCCESSFUL WE FOCUSED ON THESE FOUR CHANGES TO THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT.

FIRST WE FOCUSED ON LIMITING THE NUMBER OF GRADE LEVELS PER CLASS SO THAT YOU DON'T HAVE KINDERGARTENERS AND FIFTH GRADERS IN THE SAME CLASS WITH THE SAME STUDENT. THEN WE FOCUSED ON ENSURING EVERY CLASS IS A SMALL CLASS SIZE THAT'S MANAGEABLE FOR THAT TEACHER SUPPORTING THOSE PROGRAMS. WE ALSO WANTED TO ENSURE THAT TEACHERS COULD PROVIDE SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION SO THAT THEY COULD BE REALLY SPECIALIZED AND INDIVIDUALIZED FOR STUDENTS AND THEIR IEP'S.

AND THEN WE ALSO WANTED TO ENSURE THEY HAD THE MATERIALS AND RESOURCES TO ALLOW STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS THAT GRADE LEVEL INSTRUCTION. SO THESE ARE THE FOUR PRIORITIES THAT WERE THE FOCUS OF SPED SUCCESS REDESIGN AND I JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU A QUICK UPDATE ON EACH ONE OF THESE.

SO THE FIRST ONE IS ABOUT LIMITING THE NUMBER OF GRADE LEVELS WITHIN EACH CLASS. AND WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS LAST YEAR, ACROSS THE DISTRICT, WE HAD FIFTY SIX PERCENT OF OUR CLASSROOMS THAT HAD MORE THAN TWO GRADE LEVELS IN A CLASS.

WITH THE SPED SUCCESS UPDATE, THAT HAS DROPPED TO TWENTY TWO PERCENT. SO THAT'S A THIRTY FOUR PERCENT REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF CLASSROOMS THAT HAD MORE THAN THREE GRADE LEVELS THREE GRADE LEVELS OR MORE. WHEN WE LOOK AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, BECAUSE ELEMENTARY HAD TYPICALLY HAD SIX GRADE BANDS IN A SCHOOL, KINDERGARTEN THROUGH FIFTH, THAT NUMBER STARTED EVEN HIGHER. IT STARTED AT SIXTY FIVE PERCENT, AND THAT HAS NOW DROPPED TO TWENTY PERCENT, AT A FORTY FIVE PERCENT PERCENT REDUCTION.

AND SO ONE OF THE REASONS, AGAIN, THAT THIS IS SO IMPORTANT IS BECAUSE OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES DESERVE TO BE WITH THEIR AGE-APPROPRIATE PEERS, AND THAT WAS A BIG SHIFT THAT WAS ABLE TO HAPPEN WITH SPED SUCCESS REDESIGN. AT ELEMENTARY IN PARTICULAR, THERE'S ONE OTHER THING I JUST WANTED TO CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO, IS WE HAVE MULTIPLE PROGRAMS IN SPED SUCCESS, AND WE HAVE SOME PROGRAMS WHERE STUDENTS ARE ON AN ALTERNATIVE CURRICULUM.

THEY TAKE OUR STAAR ALT TEST, AND THEY USE AN ALTERNATIVE CURRICULUM IN THEIR LEARNING.

AND THEN WE HAVE OTHER PROGRAMS WHERE STUDENTS MAY BE RECEIVING BEHAVIOR SUPPORTS, BUT THEY STILL ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO RECEIVE AND ACCESS GRADE-LEVEL CURRICULUM.

WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR STUDENTS ON ALT CURRICULUM, THESE STUDENTS ARE TYPICALLY SERVED IN A SELF-CONTAINED SETTING THE MAJORITY OF THE DAY, WHERE THAT TEACHER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR READING, MATH, SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES, SOCIAL SKILLS THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE DAY. SO FOR THOSE TEACHERS IN PARTICULAR, WE REALLY WANTED TO ENSURE THAT THE NUMBER OF GRADE LEVELS IN A CLASSROOM WERE LIMITED.

AND SO FOR THESE PROGRAMS, 97 PERCENT OF OUR CLASSROOMS HAVE TWO GRADE LEVELS OR LESS. SO WE HAVE OUR KINDER AND FIRST GRADE STUDENTS TOGETHER, OUR FIRST AND SECOND GRADE STUDENTS TOGETHER, AND OUR THIRD AND FOURTH GRADE STUDENTS TOGETHER.

IN OUR PROGRAMS WHERE OUR STUDENTS ARE ACCESSING GRADE-LEVEL CURRICULUM, THE ACTUAL GOAL HERE IS THAT WHENEVER POSSIBLE STUDENTS PUSH IN TO OUR GENERAL ED CLASSROOMS. AND SO WHEN THEY'RE IN THE SELF-CONTAINED SETTING, THEY MAY BE RECEIVING BEHAVIOR SUPPORTS, THEY MAY STILL BE RECEIVING SOME MATH AND READING SUPPORTS, BUT WHEN THEY ARE READY AND IF THEY ARE READY, THEY PUSH IN WITH THEIR GENERAL ED TEARS, AND YOU SEE A LOT OF THAT HAPPENING IN OUR SPED SUCCESS PROGRAM. WE ALSO, AGAIN, LOOKED AT MAKING SURE CLASS SIZES DID NOT EXCEED THE TARGET SIZE. SO OUR TARGET SIZE FOR MOST OF OUR PROGRAMS IS 15 STUDENTS IN THE CLASS, AND THEN FOR SOME OF OUR PROGRAMS WHERE WE'RE PROVIDING MORE BEHAVIOR SUPPORTS, THAT DROPS TO 12, AND THEN IN OUR BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PROGRAM, THAT DROPS TO 9. SO 97 PERCENT OF OUR CLASSROOMS HAVE MET THAT CAP THRESHOLD ON A CLASSROOM TO ENSURE OUR CLASS SIZES STAY SMALL. SIMILARLY, 95 PERCENT OF OUR CLASSROOMS HAVE ONE SPECIAL EDUCATION STAFF MEMBER FOR EVERY FIVE STUDENTS OR LESS.

SOMETIMES IT'S FIVE, SOMETIMES IT'S FOUR, SOMETIMES IT'S THREE, DEPENDING ON THE PROGRAM. AND WE'VE REALLY MADE SURE THAT THIS WAS TRUE. WE ACTUALLY EXPECT THIS NUMBER TO GO UP NOW THAT WE HAVE A AS ENROLLMENT STARTS TO STABILIZE. SO WE'RE

[00:55:01]

BUT CURRENTLY, IN CURRENT STATE, 95 PERCENT OF OUR CLASSROOMS HAVE THAT ONE-TO-FIVE ADULT-TO-STUDENT RATIO IN THE CLASSROOMS. ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE WRITTEN 37 ADDITIONAL COURSES SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SUCCESS PROGRAMS. AND SO WHAT THIS MEANS IS A TEACHER WHO NOW HAS KINDERGARTEN THROUGH FIRST STUDENTS ONLY HAS CURRICULUM SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO HELP THOSE STUDENTS ACCESS GRADE-LEVEL CONTENT, AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE PULLING FROM RESOURCES THAT SHOW ALL THE WAY FROM K TO FIVE, PULLING FROM DIFFERENT THINGS. SO THEY HAVE MUCH MORE SUPPORT READY FOR THEM THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO DESIGN AND BUILD THEIRSELVES. SO WE WROTE 36 ADDITIONAL COURSES TO SUPPORT THESE TEACHERS FOR THIS YEAR. IN THE PROCESS OF THE SPED SUCCESS REDESIGN, WE DID NOT CHANGE ANY STUDENTS' PLACEMENT. IF A STUDENT WAS, FOR EXAMPLE, IN OUR SLL PROGRAM, THEY STAYED IN OUR SLL PROGRAM. HOWEVER, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE FAMILIES COULD SHARE CONCERNS. SO ANY FAMILY THAT REQUESTED TO HAVE AN ARD BEFORE THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, WE PROVIDED THEM WITH THAT ARD OPPORTUNITY THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. AND IN THAT ARD, YOU HAVE STUDENTS FROM THE FORMER CAMPUS AND THE NEW CAMPUS THEY WERE GOING TO PARTICIPATING, SO THAT WE COULD ENSURE IT WAS REPRESENTATIVE OF WHAT WAS BEST FOR THE STUDENTS. AND WE REALLY FOCUSED A LOT ON THIS WORK OVER THE SUMMER. SO WE EITHER REACHED OR CALLED AT LEAST THREE TIMES 3106 FAMILIES. WE SUPPORTED FAMILIES WITH AN AMENDMENT, 1183 FAMILIES, TO RECEIVE AN AMENDMENT, PARTICULARLY IF THEY WERE MOVING AWAY FROM THEIR ZONED CAMPUS. AND THEN AGAIN, WE OFFERED ANY FAMILIES WHO WANTED AN ARD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THEIR FAMILIES BEFORE THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL TO HAVE AN ARD, AND WE COMPLETED 62 ARDS OVER THE COURSE OF THE SUMMER TO SUPPORT THOSE FAMILY REQUESTS. AND THEN CURRENTLY WE HAVE NINE COMPLAINTS RECEIVED TO TEA BY THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL THAT WE'RE VERY ACTIVELY MONITORING AND DOING AND WORKING TO SUPPORT. ONE OF THE THINGS WE REALLY ALSO PRIORITIZED IN THE SPED SUCCESS REDESIGN IS ENSURING ALL STUDENTS THAT WERE ELIGIBLE FOR TRANSPORTATION AS A RELATED SERVICE HAD ACCESS TO THAT SUPPORT. AND SO IN THE REDESIGN, 96% OF STUDENTS THAT WERE ELIGIBLE FOR TRANSPORTATION AS A RELATED SERVICE HAD ACCESS TO THAT SUPPORT. AND SO IN THAT PROCESS, WE COMPLETED 310 ARREST MENTS TO AD TRACY TRS AS A RELATED SERVICES TO A STUDENT'S IEP. THAT LED TO US ADDING 42 ADDITIONAL BUS ROUTES TO ENSURE THE STUDENTS WHO NEEDED TRANSPORTATION AS A RELATED SERVICE COULD ACCESS IT FOR THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.

AND THAT ALSO LED US TO HIRE 84 ADDITIONAL BUS DRIVERS IN ATTENDANCE TO SUPPORT THIS SHIFT. SO ONE REALLY, REALLY CRITICAL THING TO ENSURING CAMPUSES AND FAMILIES AND STUDENTS COULD ACCESS THEIR PROGRAM WAS MAKING SURE TRANSPORTATION WAS AVAILABLE TO THEM. AND THAT WAS A PRIORITY OVER THE SUMMER TO MAKE SURE WE COULD SUPPORT STUDENTS IN ACCESSING THEIR CAMPUS.

ON DAY ONE OF SCHOOL, WE HAD A COMMAND CENTER SET UP.

WE RECEIVED 220 CALLS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO ADDRESS RIGHT THERE ON THE SPOT ON DAY ONE FOR FAMILIES AND FOR CAMPUSES THAT HAD QUESTIONS.

AND THEN WE ALSO ENSURED THAT EVERY TEACHER, ALL OF OUR SPED SUCCESS TEACHERS THAT WERE TEACHING LITERACY WERE TRAINED BY NYE HOUSE TO SUPPORT A SPECIAL EDUCATION SCIENCE OF READING PROGRAM. SO WE TRAINED 856 TEACHERS AND TEACHING ASSISTANTS, PARAPROFESSIONALS TO ENSURE WE COULD TEACH A STRONG LITERACY PROGRAM FOR OUR STUDENTS. AND THOSE STAFF MEMBERS RECEIVED 40 HOURS OF TRAINING ON THESE PROGRAMS AHEAD OF STARTING SCHOOL.

AND SO NEXT STEPS AS WE CONTINUE TO STEP BACK, WHAT WE ARE DOING NOW IS WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE PROGRAMS, ENSURING THAT WHEN YOU WALK INTO A CAMPUS, I'M SORRY, WHEN YOU WALK INTO A CAMPUS, AND INTO THE SPED SUCCESS CLASSROOMS, TEACHERS ARE PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION TO KIDS. THEY ARE FOLLOWING SCHEDULES THAT ENSURE ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY LEARNING AND HIGH QUALITY CURRICULUM.

WE ARE ALSO STAYING FOCUSED ON ENSURING WE'RE IMPROVING OUR IEPS AND MAKING REALLY CLEAR GOALS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR THE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS OF THE STUDENT, AND THEN MAKING SURE THAT THOSE IEPS ARE IMPLEMENTED IN THE CLASSROOMS WHERE WE'RE PROVIDING STUDENT SUPPORT.

MR. PRESIDENT, IF I MAY ADD SOME COMMENTARY.

YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS IN OUR PROFESSION THAT MOST EDUCATORS KNOW, ESPECIALLY SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS KNOW, IS AS A PROFESSION, WE HAVE LOWERED EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. AND ONE

[01:00:02]

PRIOR TO SPED SUCCESS, AND IN MANY, MANY PLACES, THE THE NUMBER OF KIDS AT DIFFERENT GRADE LEVELS AND THE NUMBER OF ACCOMMODATIONS COMBINED WITH DIFFERENT GRADE LEVELS IS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE FOR A SPECIAL ED TEACHER, A WELL-MEANING, WELL-TRAINED SPECIAL ED TEACHER, TO DELIVER. AND SO THIS IS THIS IS A HUGE STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. WE'RE NOT DONE. WE WE KNOW THERE'S GOT TO BE MORE TRAINING.

THERE'S SOME OF THE BUGS TO WORK WITH, BUT WE KNOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WORK OUT. BUT IN THE END OF THE DAY, ALREADY WE SEE OUR SPED STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES GETTING BETTER INSTRUCTION, ENGAGED MORE. I MEAN, YOU SHOULD GO SEE SOME OF THE SPED SUCCESS CLASSROOMS, AND YOU'RE GOING TO SEE, WHEN YOU WHEN YOU DO VISIT, MORE ENGAGED STUDENTS, BETTER DELIVERED INSTRUCTION.

AND I PREDICT THAT OVER OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS, WHEN WE LOOK BACK PEOPLE ARE GOING TO ASK YOU KNOW WHY ARE OUR STUDENTS ACHIEVING SO MUCH I BY THE WAY THEY'RE ALREADY SPED STUDENTS ARE ACHIEVING HIGHER THAN THE THE STATE SPED STUDENTS AVERAGES WHEREAS AT THREE YEARS AGO THEY WERE BELOW THE STATE SPED STUDENTS SCORES BUT IT'S GOING TO BE EVEN MUCH HIGHER AS A RESULT OF THE SPED SUCCESS PROGRAM SO WE'RE HAPPY ABOUT WHAT WE'VE WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR AND LOOK FORWARD TO EVEN GREATER SUCCESS ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU FOR SUMMARIZING ALL THE HARD WORK THE TEAM HAS DONE. I KNOW THAT, ESPECIALLY OVER THE SUMMER, IT WAS IT WAS A BIG LIFT TO PREPARE OUR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS FOR FOR THE SCHOOL YEARS. THANK YOU. THE THING I'M WONDERING ABOUT IS, COULD YOU REMIND COULD YOU REMIND ME, THE BOARD, THAT WHAT ARE THEY WHAT ARE THE INDICATORS THAT WE'LL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE SUPPLEMENTATION IS WORKING AS WE GO FORWARD, GROW INTO THE SCHOOL YEAR? THANK YOU FOR ASKING THAT.

THERE'S A COUPLE INDICATORS IN YOUR BOARD GOALS WHERE THIS WILL ACTUALLY SHOW UP. SO FOR YOUR BOARD GOAL FOUR, WE'LL LOOK AT OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS WHO ARE IMPROVING. AND THAT WILL INCLUDE STUDENTS WHO ARE TAKING THE STAR-ALT ASSESSMENT. AND THE STUDENTS TAKING OUR STAR-ALT ASSESSMENT ARE STUDENTS THAT SIT IN OUR SLL AND OUR SLC-ALT PROGRAMS. AND SO WE STILL WANT TO SEE THEM GROW ON STAR AT THE END OF THE YEAR. THE OTHER THING YOU'LL SEE IS YOUR GOAL PROGRESS MEASURES ALSO LOOK AT MAP FOR OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS. AND SO WE'LL HAVE SOME STUDENTS WHO ARE SITTING IN OUR SPED SUCCESS PROGRAMS WHO, AGAIN, STILL ACTUALLY ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS GRADE-LEVEL CURRICULUM AND DO GRADE-LEVEL LEARNING. SO THOSE STUDENTS WILL SHOW UP ON MAP AS WELL. AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THEIR GROWTH AT MIDDLE OF THE YEAR AND END OF THE YEAR WITH ACCESS TO THAT GRADE-LEVEL LEARNING FOR THEM.

COULD I ALSO ASK, MAYBE, WHAT ARE SOME INDICATORS THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT AS A TEAM TO UNDERSTAND HOW WELL YOUR TEACHERS ARE DOING AND HOW THAT'S UPTAKING? YES, GREAT.

AND THAT IS CORE TO HOW WE DESIGN OUR PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS. WE ARE DOING A COUPLE THINGS. ONE, WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE OUR CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS THAT WE'RE REALLY LOOKING TO SEE ARE TEACHERS PROFICIENT? ARE THEY TEACHING AT A PROFICIENT LEVEL TO OUR STUDENTS? BUT EVEN MORE THAN THAT, WE ARE CONSTANTLY, TEACHERS SHOULD BE RECEIVING ON-THE-JOB COACHING EVERY DAY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO DO THE THINGS THAT STUDENTS NEED TO LEARN AND GROW. AND WHEN I WALK CLASSROOMS RIGHT NOW, AND YOU'LL WALK IN TO A SUCCESS CLASSROOM, YOU'LL STILL SEE STUDENTS DOING WRITING, DOING THE THINKING, DOING THE SPEAKING, ENGAGING WITH EACH OTHER, AND THAT'S THE LEVEL OF EXPECTATIONS WE WANT TO ENSURE IS HAPPENING IN THOSE CLASSROOMS. AND EVEN THROUGH ON-THE-JOB COACHING DAILY, THAT'S THE EXPECTATION FOR PRINCIPALS, FOR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS, AND TO ENSURE THEY'RE SUPPORTING THEIR TEACHERS.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY. MR. CAMPBELL, JUST ONE QUICK QUESTION. CAN YOU CLARIFY IF THERE WAS A MENTION OF BUGS IN THE SYSTEM, OR YOU SAID SOMETHING LIKE THAT? I JUST WANT TO, IF, MAYBE YOU COULD JUST DESCRIBE THE PROCESS OF PARENTS ARE SEEING THE BUGS OR WHATEVER, LIKE, FROM THAT SIDE. HOW DO THEY ENGAGE WITH THE DISTRICT TO ALERT YOU THAT THERE ARE BUGS FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE? AND I CAN, LET ME CLARIFY, TOO. BECAUSE BUG SEEMS

[01:05:01]

WITH REGARD TO DATA, SPED DATA. AND SO WE NEED TO IMPROVE OUR ABILITY TO MAKE SURE FRONTLINE TALKS TO PIEMES AND ALL OF THOSE ARE INTEGRATED WELL.

SO THOSE ARE MORE THAN BUGS.

THOSE ARE CONCERNS THAT WE NEED TO FIX. YEAH, AND I THINK IT'S OBVIOUSLY A LITTLE BIT COLLOQUIAL. LIKE, WHENEVER YOU DO SYSTEMATIC CHANGE, THERE ARE THINGS THAT SORT OF PLAY THAT. I GUESS MAYBE MY QUESTION IS A LITTLE MORE NARROW. WE ARE OBVIOUSLY DOING A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT ON OUR SIDE TO WORK THROUGH THE VARIOUS ISSUES THAT PRESENT THEMSELVES. IF A PARENT IS NOTICING ISSUES, IT SOUNDS LIKE WE HAD A TASK FORCE. WE WERE DOING AMAZING THINGS TO TAKE IN FEEDBACK FROM FAMILIES. IF FAMILIES STILL HAVE FEEDBACK, HOW DO THEY GET THAT TO US? AND THE FAMILY HOTLINE IS STILL UP. SO WE STAFFED AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL TO MAKE SURE WE COULD ACCOMMODATE THE INCREASED VOLUMES THAT WE WERE EXPECTING IN CASE FOLKS HAD QUESTIONS.

BUT THAT HOTLINE IS STILL OPEN, ANY FAMILY CAN CALL AND TALK TO ONE OF OUR PARENT LIAISONS THAT WE STAFF AT CENTRAL OFFICE TO MAKE SURE WE CAN HELP ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS. ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL STILL TELL A PARENT IF THEY WANT TO REQUEST AN ART, THEY CAN DO THAT, AND WE WILL SUPPORT THEM IN THAT, AND THEY CAN GO TO THEIR CAMPUS AND TALK TO THEIR CAMPUS FOR THAT TOO.

GREAT, THANK YOU.

IT LOOKS LIKE WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM, WHICH IS THE... THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, YES, THANK YOU.

WE'LL NOW HEAR, WE'LL MOVE TO THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE BOARD MONITORING UPDATE ON GOALS THREE AND FOUR, PROGRESS MEASURES 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 4.1, AND 4.2, FOLLOWED BY AN UPDATE ON CONSTRAINTS ONE AND CONSTRAINT PROGRESS MEASURES 2.1 AND 2.2.

MR. MILES, PLEASE PROCEED.

YEAH, WE HAVE A PRETTY LONG PROGRESS MEASURE MONITORING REPORT TODAY, BUT I'D LIKE TO CALL UP CHIEF OF ACADEMICS ELISA ROCHA AND DIRECTOR OF ACADEMICS STRATEGY AND ANALYTICS ALLISON LEVECKI, AND THEY WILL LEAD THIS PRESENTATION.

GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT CAMPO, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, AND SUPERINTENDENT MILES. I'M HERE THIS EVENING TO PRESENT OUR END OF YEAR GOAL PROGRESS MONITORING REPORT FOR BOTH GOALS THREE AND GOAL FOUR AND ALL OF THE ASSOCIATED PROGRESS MEASURES.

GOAL THREE FOCUSES ON COLLEGE, CAREER, AND MILITARY READINESS, AND OUR GOAL HERE IS WRITTEN AROUND STUDENTS WHO ARE GRADUATING BOTH TSI READY AND WITH AN INDUSTRY-BASED CERTIFICATION BASED ON GRADUATES. SO THE OVERALL GOAL THREE IS A LAGGING INDICATOR, AND SO TONIGHT WE HAVE DATA FOR YOU ON THE CLASS OF 2025.

AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THE ASSOCIATED PROGRESS MEASURES THERE THAT ARE ALL RELATED AND SERVE AS OPERATIONAL OR LEADING INDICATORS FOR STUDENTS SITTING IN OUR BUILDINGS RIGHT NOW AS WE ATTEMPT TO MONITOR OUR PROGRESS TOWARDS THAT GOAL.

SO WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR DATA FOR GOAL THREE, AGAIN, THIS IS BASED ON THE GRADUATING CLASS OF 2025. WE SEE THAT 28% OF STUDENTS IN THAT CLASS WERE BOTH TSI READY AND EARNING AN INDUSTRY-BASED CERTIFICATION OR AN IBC. AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TSI READINESS, BUT AS A REMINDER, THIS IS MEETING CRITERIA ON ANY OF THE COLLEGE READINESS ASSESSMENTS LIKE SAT AND ACT, AND EARNING AN INDUSTRY-BASED CERTIFICATION WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD PREPARE A STUDENT FOR THE WORKFORCE WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN ACCREDITED

[01:10:01]

SO HERE'S HOW THIS DATA LOOKS.

OH, I GUESS I SHOULD MENTION 28%, WHICH MEANS WE HAVE EXCEEDED THE ANNUAL TARGET AND WE HAVE ALSO EXCEEDED THE FIVE-YEAR TARGET OF 26% OF GRADUATES. HERE WE CAN SEE THE DATA BROKEN OUT BY STUDENT GROUP AND PROGRAM.

AND THIS IS WHAT THE DATA LOOKS LIKE WHEN WE BREAK IT OUT BY SCHOOL TYPE, NES AND EAS.

AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO MOVE INTO THE PROGRESS MEASURES. SO LOOKING AT GOAL PROGRESS MEASURE 3.1, THIS IS LOOKING AT STUDENTS WHO JUST COMPLETED THEIR 11TH GRADE YEAR, SO THEY ARE NOW 12TH GRADERS, AND SPECIFICALLY ZEROING IN ON HOW MANY OF THOSE 11TH GRADERS HAVE MET CRITERIA ON THOSE COLLEGE READINESS ASSESSMENTS. AND SO THIS JUST HELPS SORT OF DEFINE SOME OF THOSE KEY TERMS. TSI STANDS FOR THE TEXAS SUCCESS INITIATIVE, AND IT DOES REQUIRE STUDENTS TO MEET CRITERIA IN BOTH THE READING AND THE MATH ASSESSMENT. HOWEVER, STUDENTS CAN MIX AND MATCH, ACROSS DIFFERENT ASSESSMENT TYPES. SO A STUDENT COULD MEET READING ON SAT, AND MEET MATH ON TSIA. AND THEN THE THREE ASSESSMENTS THAT ARE INCLUDED ARE LISTED THERE, THE SAT, ACT, AND THE TSIA, WHICH IS DEVELOPED BY COLLEGE BOARDS SPECIFICALLY ALIGNED TO TEXAS STANDARDS. AND A NOTE HERE IS THAT IN THIS PROGRESS MEASURE, IT DOES EXCLUDE ANY RESULTS FROM COLLEGE PREP COURSES, SUCH AS TEXAS COLLEGE BRIDGE, AS THOSE ARE NOT ASSESSMENTS.

AND IT ALSO EXCLUDES ANY RESULTS THAT STUDENTS MAY HAVE EARNED PRIOR TO 9TH GRADE.

SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THE RESULTS OF THESE STUDENTS WHO JUST COMPLETED THEIR 11TH GRADE YEAR, 22% OF THEM DID MEET TSIA CRITERIA, AGAIN, IN BOTH READING AND MATH. AND YOU MAY RECALL WE PRESENTED THIS DATA TO THE BOARD IN JUNE AS MOI. AND WE MENTIONED TO YOU THAT THERE WOULD BE A FEW ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO CONTINUE WORKING ON MEETING CRITERIA FOR TSIA.

AND YOU CAN SEE THAT WE DID SEE A LITTLE BIT OF A GAIN FROM THOSE SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES.

THIS LOOKS AT THE DATA BASED ON HOW STUDENTS ARE PERFORMING IN EACH OF THE SUBJECTS.

IN ORDER TO BE COUNTED FOR THIS PROGRESS MEASURE, THEY HAVE TO HAVE MET IN BOTH SUBJECTS. HOWEVER, WE THOUGHT IT WAS USEFUL TO SEE THAT WE DID HAVE A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO MET CRITERIA JUST ON MATH, WHICH IS WHAT LED TO OUR OVERALL INCREASE THIS YEAR.

THIS HELPS TO SEE WHICH TESTS STUDENTS ARE MEETING CRITERIA ON. SO, HERE WE CAN SEE IN MATH, WHICH IS THE BOX ON MY LEFT, FOR THIS CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR, THE MAJORITY OF STUDENTS, 15% OF THESE 11TH GRADERS, MET ON ONLY THE SAT. THEY MET THE CRITERIA IN MATH ON SAT. 10% OF STUDENTS MET CRITERIA IN MATH ON TSIA, WHICH IS THE YELLOW BAR. AND THEN THE BLUE BAR IS 5% OF STUDENTS WHO ACTUALLY MET ON MULTIPLE TESTS. SO, MAYBE THEY MET CRITERIA IN BOTH SAT AND TSIA.

THIS SHOWS THE DATA BY STUDENT GROUP AND PROGRAM.

AND THIS SHOWS THE DATA BY SCHOOL TYPE.

MOVING ON TO GPM 3.2, THIS IS A CALCULATION OF STUDENTS WHO JUST COMPLETED 10TH, 11TH, OR 12TH GRADE. EXCUSE ME. GO AHEAD. IF SOMEBODY HAS A QUESTION ON THE SLIDE, JUST LET'S GO AHEAD AND DO IT SO WE DON'T GET BEHIND THEM. BACK ONE, TWO, ONE MORE. AND ONE MORE, ALL RIGHT. YES.

CAN YOU GIVE ME A SENSE OF WHAT SCORE ON THE SAT EQUATES TO TSI READY? OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, WE WOULD HAVE TO GET THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU. IT IS DIFFERENT FOR EVERY ASSESSMENT, SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT TRICKY TO HAVE IN MIND, BUT WE CAN SEND THAT OVER TO YOU. OKAY, THANK YOU. BUT IT'S LIKELY A STANDARD THE STATE PUTS IN, I WOULD THINK.

OH, YES, BECAUSE THIS SAYS MEETING TSI CRITERIA. IT'S A STATE CRITERIA, AND YOU HAVE TO MEET A CERTAIN LEVEL. THEY JUST DON'T HAVE THE DATA. NO,

[01:15:01]

THANK YOU. A QUICK SEARCH SAYS THAT IT'S 480 FOR READING, AND 520,530 FOR MATH.

THANKS TO MY ASSISTANT, CHIEF ROCHE. ALL RIGHT, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON 3.1? I AM LOOKING AT FIGURE SEVEN A LITTLE LONGER THAN I EXPECTED TO UNDERSTAND. WHEN THEY MEET BOTH SUBJECTS VERSUS MATH OR READING, I THINK I'M HAVING A LITTLE TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING, LIKE, MAYBE WHY THAT CHANGE DOESN'T SEEM SO DRAMATIC YEAR OVER YEAR FOR BOTH SUBJECTS, BUT FOR MATH, WE HAVE A NICE JUMP THERE.

COULD YOU TALK ME THROUGH THIS SLIDE A LITTLE MORE, PLEASE? YES. SO THE STUDENTS THAT ARE IN THE BLUE BAR FOR MEET, FOR MATH AT THE 30 ARE NOT, NOT ALWAYS OVERLAPPING WITH THE STUDENTS WHO MEET READING ON THE 34, RIGHT? SO HISTORICALLY, WE'VE HAD HIGHER RATES OF MET READING, AND THEN THE MET MATH PRETTY MUCH AUTOMATICALLY OVERLAPS WITH THAT MET READING, RIGHT? IF THEY MEET, IF THEY'VE ALREADY MET READING AND THEY ALSO MEET MATH, NOW THEY'RE IN BOTH, BUT IT SEEMS THAT THERE'S LESS OF A DIRECT MATCH WHERE WE HAVE STUDENTS WHO ARE MEETING ONLY IN MATH BUT NOT IN READING, OR WE HAVE STUDENTS WHO ARE MEETING ONLY IN READING AND NOT IN MATH.

HOW DOES THAT ALIGN THEN TO, AGAIN, THE SUPPORTS AND EFFORT WE'RE PUTTING INTO HELPING OUR STUDENTS ATTAIN, YOU KNOW, OR ACHIEVE HIGHER SCORES IN GENERAL? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

I'M JILL, I'M THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF CCMR. TO ANSWER THAT, LAST YEAR, WE FOCUSED A LOT ON SUPPORTING STUDENTS WITH MATH ACHIEVEMENT BASED ON WHAT ALLISON JUST DESCRIBED, WHICH WAS THE FACT THAT HISTORICALLY, OUR MATH CSI ACHIEVEMENT HAD NOT BEEN AS HIGH AS READING. SO THE POSITIVE IS THAT WE SAW A BIG INCREASE IN OUR STUDENTS' MATH PROFICIENCY ON TSI. AND SO HEADING INTO THIS YEAR, WE'RE TAKING THAT AND CONTINUING TO FOCUS ON MATH, WHILE ALSO ADDING AN INCREASED FOCUS ON READING PROFICIENCY FOR SENIORS.

OKAY, CONTINUING ON, GPM 3.2 IS LOOKING AT STUDENTS WHO JUST COMPLETED THEIR 10TH, 11TH, OR 12TH GRADE YEAR. AND WE ARE KEEPING TRACK OF HOW THEY ARE DOING TOWARDS EARNING WHAT THE STATE QUALIFIES AS EITHER A CONCENTRATOR OR A COMPLETER STATUS. SO THERE'S ACTUALLY TWO THINGS THAT WE WANT TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO ON THIS SLIDE. FIRST OF ALL, THE COLUMNS HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THAT DEFINITION LOOKS DIFFERENT DEPENDING ON WHAT GRADE LEVEL YOU'RE IN.

SO IF YOU ARE IN 10TH OR 11TH GRADE, YOU ARE CONSIDERED, WE ARE TRACKING TO SEE IF YOU ARE AT LEAST A CONCENTRATOR, WHICH IS TWO CREDITS IN AN ALIGNED PROGRAM OF STUDY. BECAUSE IN 10TH OR 11TH GRADE, YOU WOULD STILL HAVE AN ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY IN 12TH GRADE TO TAKE WHAT YOU NEED TO FINISH AND BECOME A COMPLETER.

IN THE 12TH GRADE COLUMN, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE AT LEAST FOUR CREDITS IN THAT ALIGNED POS, WHICH MEANS PROGRAM OF STUDY.

THE OTHER THING WE WANTED TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO ON THIS SLIDE IS THE ROWS. SO YOU CAN SEE DEPENDING ON THE GRADUATING CLASS, THE STATE HAS PHASED IN ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THAT 12TH GRADE BOX. SO TO BE A COMPLETER AS A 12TH GRADER WHEN YOU FINISH YOUR TIME IN SCHOOL, YOU HAVE TO NOT ONLY HAVE HAD FOUR CREDITS IN AN ALIGNED PROGRAM OF STUDY, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO HAVE COMPLETED AN ALIGNED CERTIFICATION FOR STUDENTS THAT ARE IN THE CLASS OF 26 THROUGH 29.

SO THAT IS A SHIFT IN THE RIGOR OF THE DEFINITION OF A COMPLETER. SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DREW YOUR ATTENTION TO BOTH OF THOSE THINGS IN ORDER TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE ROWS.

AND WE HAVE DONE THAT IN THIS DATA, WHICH SHOWS US THAT AS A GROUP, 10TH, 11TH, AND 12TH GRADERS, WE HAVE 49% OF THEM THAT ARE ON TRACK TO BECOME THOSE CTE COMPLETERS, WHICH DOES EXCEED THE ANNUAL TARGET.

WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS DATA BY GRADE LEVEL, HERE YOU CAN SEE THAT OUR 10TH AND 11TH GRADERS, THE ONES THAT ONLY NEED TWO CREDITS IN AN ALIGNED PROGRAM OF STUDY, ARE DOING WELL AND ARE SEEING SLIGHT INCREASES.

OUR 12TH GRADE GROUP SAW A DECREASE, LIKELY DUE TO THE INCREASED RIGOR OF THAT DEFINITION, BECAUSE NOW THEY NOT ONLY NEEDED THOSE FOUR CREDITS, BUT THEY ALSO NEEDED THAT ALIGNED INDUSTRY-BASED CERTIFICATION.

THAT WAS A NEW REQUIREMENT FOR THE STUDENTS IN THE 25-26

[01:20:02]

IT'S JUST DIFFERENT DEPENDING ON THE GRADUATING YEAR.

LOOKING AT THIS DATA BY STUDENT GROUP AND PROGRAM.

OOP.

OKAY. QUESTIONS ON 3.2.

I THINK IT'S HARD TO GET A LOT OF QUESTIONS OUT ON GOAL PROGRESS MEASURES WHEN YOU MET EVERY ITEM ON THE GOALS AND THE GOAL WAS MET SUBSTANTIALLY AND YOU'RE INCREASED, YOU'RE ALREADY BEATING WHAT THE FIVE-YEAR GOAL WAS. SO ALL THIS DATA AND DETAILS REALLY, REALLY GOOD AND GREAT, AND WE'VE ALL READ IT AND UNDERSTAND IT, SO IF YOU WANT TO BLAST THROUGH IT, YOU CAN.

OKAY. I KNOW WE HAVE A LONG ONE TONIGHT, SO I... YEAH, I THINK THERE'S SOME OTHER MORE INTERESTING QUESTIONS COMING ON 4. GREAT. SO GPM 3.3 LOOKS AT STUDENTS WHO JUST COMPLETED THEIR 11TH GRADE YEAR AND HOW MANY OF THEM HAVE QUALIFIED FOR COLLEGE CREDIT, AND THERE ARE FOUR DIFFERENT WAYS THAT STUDENTS CAN QUALIFY FOR CREDIT. AND IN THIS CALCULATION, WE INCLUDE ANY CREDIT THAT HAS BEEN EARNED IN THEIR 9TH, 10TH, OR 11TH GRADE YEAR, SO SOME TOTAL FOR THE STUDENTS' TIME IN SCHOOL, AND THE FOUR DIFFERENT WAYS ARE EITHER THROUGH AN EXAM, WHICH IS THE AP EXAM, OR THE IB EXAM, OR THEY COULD DO IT THROUGH COURSEWORK, WHICH WOULD BE A PASSING COURSE GRADE THROUGH HOUSTON CITY COLLEGE, WHICH WE REFER TO AS DUAL CREDIT, OR THROUGH UT ON-RAMPS, WHICH WE REFER TO AS DUAL ENROLLMENT. SO ANY OF THOSE FOUR WAYS IS CONSIDERED A COLLEGE CREDIT IN THIS CALCULATION. AND SO HERE, CLARIFY SOMETHING HERE, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT QUALIFYING FOR COLLEGE CREDIT, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE STUDENT CHOOSES TO DO AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, THIS TRANSLATES INTO, LIKE, CASH MONEY THAT THEY DON'T NEED TO SPEND IN COLLEGE, RIGHT? YES, EACH UNIVERSITY GETS TO SORT OF INTERPRET DIFFERENT RULES.

SOME UNIVERSITIES REQUIRE HIGHER THAN A FOUR, I MEAN, HIGHER THAN A THREE ON AN AP EXAM SOMETIMES, DEPENDING ON IF THE COURSE IS IN YOUR MAJOR, THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT YES, EACH OF THESE WOULD BE A WAY THAT A STUDENT COULD BEGIN COLLEGE WITH SOMETHING ALREADY COMPLETED, A LEG UP TOWARDS THEIR DEGREE.

SO HERE WE SEE THAT AT THE END OF THIS YEAR, CURRENT 11TH GRADERS, WE HAVE 43% OF STUDENTS WHO JUST FINISHED 11TH GRADE WITH SOME TYPE OF COLLEGE CREDIT, WHICH DOES EXCEED THE ANNUAL TARGET.

LOOKING AT THIS DATA BY TYPE OF COLLEGE CREDIT, SO YOU CAN SEE HOW STUDENTS ARE EARNING THEIR CREDIT. AGAIN, STUDENTS MAY BE IN MULTIPLE BARS ACROSS HERE. A STUDENT MAY HAVE BOTH A DUAL CREDIT AND AN ADVANCED PLACEMENT, FOR INSTANCE.

BUT HERE YOU CAN SEE THAT MANY OF OUR STUDENTS ARE CHOOSING TO EARN THEIR CREDIT THROUGH ADVANCED PLACEMENT. BUT THE PLACE THAT WE'VE REALLY SEEN THE MOST INCREASE YEAR OVER YEAR IS IN THE EXPANSION OF OUR DUAL ENROLLMENT, OUR ON-RAMPS PROGRAMMING.

AND HERE'S THE DATA BY STUDENT GROUP AND PROGRAM.

AND THE DATA BY NES AND EAS.

AND THE DATA BY NES AND EAS. I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO DEPUTY CHIEF JILL QUINN, SO SHE CAN TALK THROUGH SOME OF THE STRATEGIES RELATED TO THESE PROGRESS MEASURES.

SO WE HAVE THREE BIG BUCKETS OF STRATEGIES. WITH TSI, WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON IMPROVING BOTH MATH AND READING CURRICULUM BEGINNING IN TENTH GRADE, TO BETTER ALLYZE OUR AND PREPARE STUDENTS FOR TSIA. WE'RE ADDING MORE DIGITAL RESOURCES SO STUDENTS CAN PREPARE FOR TESTS, ESPECIALLY THE SAT. AND THEN WE'RE ALSO PROVIDING BOOTCAMPS TO SCHOOLS SO THEY CAN HELP STUDENTS PREPARE. FOR CTE, OUR FOCUS IS ON CREDENTIALS KIDS CAN TAKE INTO THE WORKFORCE. SO REALLY HELPING OUR KIDS RETEST AND HOPEFULLY LEAVE WITH CREDENTIALS THAT HELP THEM TO EARN MORE MONEY IN THEIR FUTURES. AND THEN FOR COLLEGE CREDIT, THIS YEAR IS OUR FIRST FALL OF ASSOCIATES FOR ALL. SO ALL OF OUR STUDENTS FOR THE FIRST TIME CAN EARN A FREE ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE, WHICH WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT AND OUR STUDENTS ARE DOING REALLY WELL IN. AND SO WE'RE WORKING TO SUPPORT THEM AND THEIR TEACHERS WITH STRONGER PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND CURRICULUM TO HELP THEM SO THAT THEY CAN SUCCEED AND EARN THOSE DEGREES BEFORE THEY GRADUATE.

WE KNOW THAT COLLEGE READINESS IS NOT JUST DETERMINED BY WHAT

[01:25:01]

KEEPING IN MIND HERE THAT THE MEDIAN AMOUNT OF GROWTH THAT WE WOULD EXPECT STUDENTS TO EARN WOULD BE 50%. SO WE ARE WELL ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR THE AMOUNT OF STUDENTS THAT ARE MEETING THOSE TARGETS.

AND HERE'S WHAT THAT DATA LOOKS LIKE BROKEN OUT BY GRADE LEVEL. WE CAN SEE CONSISTENTLY ACROSS ALL GRADES THAT STUDENTS, MORE THAN 60% OF STUDENTS ARE MEETING THEIR EXPECTED GROWTH.

AND BY NES AND EAS.

AND GPM 3.5 LOOKS AT THE SAME PROGRESS MEASURE BUT FOR MATH. SO HERE WE SEE 4TH THROUGH 8TH GRADE STUDENTS MEETING OR EXCEEDING THEIR GROWTH TARGETS IN MATH. AND WE ARE RIGHT AT THE TARGET OF 55% OF OUR STUDENTS DOING THAT IN THIS SCHOOL YEAR.

AGAIN, LOOKING AT THE DATA BY GRADE LEVEL.

AND LASTLY BY NES AND EAS.

CHIEF ROCHA? OUR STRATEGY WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT 4TH THROUGH 8TH GRADE READING AND MATH IS REALLY VERY SIMILAR TO THE CONVERSATION WE HAD LAST MONTH ABOUT THE EARLIER GRADES.

ACROSS BOTH CONTENTS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY ALWAYS IS TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION. AND WE'RE REALLY TAKING A LOOK THIS YEAR SPECIFICALLY AROUND OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SUBPOPULATION ANALYSIS WE DO SEE THAT THAT'S A POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH AND WHAT A LOT OF OUR STRATEGY THIS YEAR HAS BEEN AROUND AS YOU'VE HEARD TODAY.

ADDITIONALLY WE LAUNCHED THIS YEAR OUR CONTENT INTENSIVE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR TEACHERS AND CAMPUS LEADERS.

SO WE'RE ABLE TO PULL TEACHERS ONCE PER MONTH TO GIVE THEM EXTRA SUPPORT IN LEARNING THEIR CONTENT SO THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO DELIVER THAT HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION.

FOR READING WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT HOW DO WE SUPPORT OUR MOST STRUGGLING READERS AND ALSO HOW DO WE SUPPORT EARLY ENOUGH SO THAT WE BUILD STRONG READERS BY THE TIME THEY ENTER THIRD GRADE. SO WE'RE WORKING AS WE DESCRIBED LAST MONTH REALLY FOCUSING ON PRE-K 2 TO BUILD ON GRADE LEVEL READERS BY THIRD GRADE. AND FOR OUR TEACHERS OUR STUDENTS WHO HAVE ARE PAST THIRD GRADE WHO ARE STILL PERFORMING SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW GRADE LEVEL WE'VE ADDED THE STRUCTURED LINGUISTIC PHONICS COURSE AND THE PRE-TEACH COURSE TO PROVIDE THEM WITH EXTRA LITERACY SUPPORT DURING THE DAY SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT THEY GET WHAT THEY NEED. FOR MATH ONE OF OUR BIG INITIATIVES THIS YEAR IS ACCELERATED MATH DISTRICT WIDE.

SO WE ARE REALLY MAKING SURE THAT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY IN EIGHTH GRADE TO TAKE ALGEBRA ONE. AND WE EXPECT THAT TO REALLY IMPACT OUR STUDENTS IN SIXTH, SEVENTH, AND EIGHTH GRADE AS ALL STUDENTS ARE GOING TO BE RECEIVING ACCESS TO MORE ACCELERATED CONTENT.

WE ALSO HAVE PLANS TO INTERVENE WITH STUDENTS WHO NEED MORE SUPPORT IN MATH VIA THE PRE-TEACH COURSE WE DISCUSSED LAST MONTH. AND ADDITIONALLY WE ARE CONTINUING TO LOOK AT STRATEGIC STAFFING TO MAKE SURE THERE'S A PROFICIENT TEACHER IN EVERY CLASSROOM.

QUESTIONS? OKAY. THANK YOU.

MOVING RIGHT ALONG TO GOAL FOUR WHICH LOOKS AT FOURTH THROUGH EIGHTH GRADE SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS.

AND THIS TOP LINE GOAL FOUR REALLY DIGS IN ON STAAR GROWTH AS DEFINED BY DOMAIN 2A WHICH CAPTURES STUDENTS WHO ARE MOVING UP A PERFORMANCE BAND YEAR OVER YEAR. SO A STUDENT WHO WAS AT APPROACHES LAST YEAR AND MOVES TO MEETS THIS YEAR WOULD BE CONSIDERED MEETING GROWTH ACCORDING TO DOMAIN 2A.

AND WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR STUDENTS IN GRADES FOUR THROUGH EIGHT RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES, WE SEE THAT 69% OF OUR STUDENTS DID MEET GROWTH AS MEASURED BY DOMAIN 2A IN EITHER READING OR MATH LAST YEAR. AND I DID WANT TO CLARIFY FOR THE BOARD THAT THIS DOES INCLUDE DATA FROM BOTH OUR STAAR TESTERS AND OUR STAAR ALT 2 TESTERS.

WHEN WHEN WE SEE THIS DATA

[01:30:04]

SO ALL OF OUR STRATEGIC AREAS OF SUPPORT THIS YEAR ARE CENTERED AROUND MAKING SURE THAT EVERY STUDENT, EVERY DAY, IN ALL OF OUR CLASSROOMS, IS RECEIVING THE BEST QUALITY INSTRUCTION POSSIBLE. SO WE ARE REALLY WORKING THIS YEAR ON TARGETING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, AND WE'RE WORKING ON ADDING TARGETED TRAINING AND COACHING ON INSTRUCTIONAL BEST PRACTICES FOR OUR TEACHERS WHO TEACH STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.

THIS IS BOTH IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION OR MAINSTREAM ENVIRONMENT CONTEXT, AS WELL AS IN OUR SUCCESS PROGRAMS, AS YOU HEARD FROM DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT.

ADDITIONALLY, WHEN WE WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE THE FIRST GOAL, ALLISON DID MENTION THAT THIS INCLUDES STUDENTS ON STAAR WHO TAKE BOTH THE STAAR REGULAR TEST AND THE THE STAAR ALTERNATE TEST. AND OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE IN OUR SUCCESS PROGRAMS OVERWHELMINGLY TAKE THE STAAR ALTERNATE TEST.

AND SO, BY DEVELOPING A HIGH-QUALITY ALTERNATE CURRICULUM FOR STUDENTS IN THOSE PROGRAMS, WE REALLY DO EXPECT TO SEE BIG GAINS AND BIG GROWTH THERE.

AND THEN, JUST AS WE ALWAYS DO, WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT THE SPOT DATA, THE IRT DATA, FOR OUR TEACHERS WHO TEACH STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, AND MAKING SURE WE'RE PROGRESS MONITORING THOSE TRENDS, PROVIDING THE ON-THE-JOB COACHING AND SUPPORT AND THE TRAINING SO THAT THOSE TEACHERS ARE CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING THEIR INSTRUCTIONAL DELIVERY.

THANK YOU ALL RIGHT ONE MORE ITEM FOR YOU TONIGHT RELATED TO YOU RELATED TO CONSTRAINT AND CONSTRAINT 1 IS MONITORING THAT WE DO NOT ALLOW GROWTH IN THE NUMBER OF MULTI-YEAR DRF CAMPUSES.

AND SO I WANTED TO PRESENT THIS TO YOU TONIGHT BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE SOME DATA TO CELEBRATE, BUT ALSO I WANTED TO CLARIFY THE MEANING OF MULTI-YEAR DRF. AND SO THE STATE CALCULATES AN UNACCEPTABLE CHAIN WHERE THEY

[01:35:01]

OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME THIS EVENING.

GREAT. SO NEXT WE'LL HEAR FROM OUR REMAINING SPEAKERS IN GROUP B, FIRST IN PERSON AND THEN IN ZOOM. WE HAVE SEATS IN THE FRONT ROW RESERVED FOR THE NEXT GROUP OF SPEAKERS, SO PLEASE OCCUPY THESE SEATS.

IF YOU'RE UP, IF YOU'RE, IF YOU OR YOU'RE UP NEXT, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM IN YOUR NUMBERED ORDER, BEGINNING WITH NUMBER, ARE WE AT NUMBER 39? IS THAT RIGHT? OKAY, GREAT. AND STATE YOUR NAME AND TOPIC. THANK YOU.

WE'LL GO AHEAD AND. I'D LIKE TO INVITE ALL REMAINING SPEAKERS TO SPEAK. I'D LIKE TO INVITE ALL REMAINING SPEAKERS TO SPEAK. AND TO COME TO THE FRONT ROW PLEASE. WE'LL START WITH NUMBER 39.

MISNUNZIO? YOU'RE NEXT.

IS MISS NUNZIO HERE? MELINDA BARRERA? MOVING ON TO 40.

I'M GOING TO SPEED READ HERE.

I'M MELINDA BARRERA. I'M MELINDA BARRERA, AN HISD ALUM, SORRY, NORTHSIDE, ACTUALLY, A FORMER HISD PARENT, AND I DEDICATED 11 YEARS OF MY CAREER TO THIS DISTRICT.

FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS, I SERVED AS A CTM FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION DATA. I'M SPEAKING BECAUSE MY EXPERIENCE RAISES CONCERN ABOUT HOW HISD RESPONDS WHEN EMPLOYEES IDENTIFY POTENTIAL FAILURES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES.

BEFORE MY TERMINATION, I RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT STUDENTS WHO APPEARED NOT TO HAVE RECEIVED REQUIRED SERVICES, ATTRIBUTED TO THE BUGS THAT Y'ALL WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT, AND ISSUE ATTRIBUTION, YEAH. SO, AFTER A DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN TWO DIRECTORS OVER WHO WOULD PROVIDE COMPENSATORY SERVICES, I WAS PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE THE SAME WEEK AND TERMINATED THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY. THE ONLY STATED REASON WAS AN ALLEGED INVOLVEMENT IN A TEAM'S GROUP CALLED SUPER REALLY LOUD PEOPLE THAT ALLEGEDLY LEAKED THIS BAD SUCCESS PROGRAM TO THE MEDIA IN LATE APRIL. TWO COLLEAGUES WERE ALSO TERMINATED, NONE OF US WERE MEMBERS, AND HAVE DOCUMENTATION CONTRADICTING THAT ALLEGATION. I'M KINDLY REQUESTING THE BOARD TO CONDUCT A SYSTEMS CHECK WITH ABUSE BY...

THANK YOU.

TANYA WELLS, NUMBER 41.

GOOD EVENING. I AM TANYA WELLS. I AM TANYA WELLS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE INDEPENDENT HEIGHTS DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, AND I'M HERE AGAIN TONIGHT ON BEHALF OF THE INDEPENDENT HEIGHTS COMMUNITY TO REQUEST THAT HISD ALLOW IHRC THE OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE THE BURRIS BUILDING AND KEEP IT FOR INDEPENDENT HEIGHTS. THE COMMUNITY HAS SPOKEN CLEARLY ABOUT WHAT IT WANTS. THEY WANT BURRIS TO REMAIN IN ITS POSSESSION TO CONTINUE SERVING THE COMMUNITY FOR WHICH IT WAS BUILT. BURRIS IS NOT SIMPLY REAL ESTATE. IT REPRESENTS BLACK EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT, COMMUNITY SELF-DETERMINATION, AND GENERATIONAL LEGACY, ALLOWING OUTSIDE INTERESTS TO TAKE THE BURRIS BUILDING, A RACIST, A PART OF THE HISTORY, OWNERSHIP, AND LEGACY OF INDEPENDENT HEIGHTS, THE FIRST INCORPORATED AFRICAN AMERICAN MUNICIPALITY IN TEXAS. THIS BUILDING IS A PART OF OUR STORY, AND IT BELONGS IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE ASK THIS BOARD TO LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY, HONOR ITS HISTORY, AND GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO KEEP THE BURRIS LEGACY ALIVE. WE ASK THIS BOARD TO LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY, HONOR ITS HISTORY, AND GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO KEEP THE BURRIS LEGACY ALIVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

WE HAVE A STUDENT WHO'S JUST JOINED US, LEON.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO AHEAD? MS. NUNCIO, WE'RE GOING TO LET OUR STUDENT GO NEXT.

WE'RE GOING TO LET OUR STUDENT GO NEXT. SO COME ON UP. IT'S OKAY. COME UP.

WE'RE GOING TO LET OUR STUDENT GO NEXT, OKAY? AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO LET THE STUDENT GO NEXT, THEN YOU CAN GO, OKAY? GREAT.

THANK YOU.

[01:41:19]

SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE SCHOOL IS MORE ABOUT FINISHING, COMPLETING SOMETHING THAN TO LEARN. I'M TIRED OF JUST LOOKING AT THE CLOCK GO BY AND WONDERING HOW MUCH TIME DO I HAVE LEFT. I WANT TO HAVE FUN. I WANT TO ENJOY LEARNING. I WANT TO BE CURIOUS. I NEED TIME TO THINK. I'M ONLY NINE YEARS OLD, AND I HAVE LOTS OF QUESTIONS.

PLEASE, ALLOW US TO LEARN AND NOT JUST FINISH SOME TASKS.

THANK YOU. GRACIAS.

GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS CARMEN NUNEZ. MIKE MOUNCE, WHY ARE YOU TRUSTING AI WITH OUR STUDENTS' EDUCATION? BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO USE YOUR AI SLIDES, BUT YOU DON'T CHECK THEM.

THAT'S WRONG. WHY DO THE TEACHERS HAVE TO FIX YOUR SLIDES? OH, MAYBE BECAUSE YOU GUTTED MANY JOBS IN THIS VERY BUILDING. YOU CUT JOBS, AND YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN AIR CONDITIONING FOR OUR KIDS.

ONCE AGAIN, THE AIR CONDITION AT NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL IS BROKEN. IF YOU DON'T FIX IT, YOU'RE GOING TO WISH YOU HAD.

MILES. YOU HAVE TO SPEND SOME MONEY ON SLIDES AND ON AIR CONDITION FOR YOUR STUDENTS. YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT OUR KIDS. YOU SAID YOU ARE GOING TO EXIT THIS YEAR, BUT CORRECTION, WE ARE EXITING YOU. THREE WORDS TO REMEMBER. GINA HINOJOSA, BABY. THANK YOU.

AS WITH THE CONFISCATION OF THE SUNNYSIDE PARK FOR HIS CTE CENTER, MILES VIEWS THE NAMING RIGHTS TO OUR SCHOOLS AS HIS OWN PROPERTY.

NOW MILES WILL RENAME SCHOOLS BY APPOINTING MEMBERS TO A FAKE COMMITTEE, AND IF HE LIKES THE NAME THEY SUGGEST, READ THE NAME HE SUGGESTS, HE WILL GET YOUR CONSENT AGENDA SIGN-OFF.

FOR FACILITIES, HE DOESN'T EVEN NEED THE COMMITTEE. VIA JUDICIOUS SUBSTITUTION, OR THE WORD MAY FOR SHALL IN THIS RED LINE. YOU ELIMINATED ALL THE MONETARY GUIDELINES FROM THIS POLICY LAST YEAR.

NAKEDLY VENAL AS THEY WERE, THEY AT LEAST PROTECTED OUR INTERESTS WITH A FLOOR PRICE.

THEY RECOGNIZED THE MONETARY VALUE OF PUBLICLY OWNED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. NOW ALL THESE ASSETS ARE MILES TO DEPLOY. WHAT'S THE NAME OF THAT NEW CTE CENTER? PERHAPS IT'S THE MILES CENTER? HOW ABOUT A THIRD FUTURE STADIUM AND A RICK CAMPO ACADEMY? ANYONE FOR A CHANCE? OR A BALLROOM? OR MAYBE A TRIUMPHAL ART? THANK YOU.

SPEAKER 43.

HI, MY NAME IS MINDAN TRAN. I'M ENTERING MY 17TH YEAR. AS A CERTIFIED TEACHER, THIS IS MY 8TH YEAR

[01:45:01]

YOU ARE VOTING TO REMOVE THE TEACHER RECOGNITION PINS FOR 5-YEAR, 10-YEAR, ETC.

TEACHERS. WE'RE UNDERAPPRECIATED ENOUGH AS IT IS. FIRST, Y'ALL BEGAN BY FIRING US DURING TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK. 10,000 TEACHERS LEFT THE FIRST YEAR OF THE TAKEOVER. AND THEN WE'VE HEARD THE NUMBERS THAT 25,000 OR SO EMPLOYEES HAVE LEFT THE DISTRICT SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. THAT'S A LOT OF WORK FOR US TO TAKE OVER.

YOU KNOW, THOSE OF US WHO ARE STAYING, WE'RE STAYING BECAUSE WE LOVE THE PROFESSION AND WE LOVE OUR KIDS. IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE JUST A LITTLE BIT OF RECOGNITION. YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ONLY GOING TO HAVE MAYBE 10 TEACHERS WHO ARE HERE FOR 5 YEARS OR MORE IN A COUPLE YEARS ANYWAY. SO SAVE MONEY ON YOUR RAISES AND YOUR BONUSES AND THE $200,000 CLUB OVER THERE. SPEND JUST A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY ON THE PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT OUR KIDS.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

GOOD EVENING. THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM AN ANONYMOUS TEACHER IN HISD. AT THE LAST MEETING, YOU STATED THAT ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, STUDENTS IN THE NEW SPED CLASSROOMS WERE ALL WORKING HAPPILY ON THEIR WHITEBOARDS.

THIS IS WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING. SCHOOLS ARE HANDLING STUDENTS WHO HAVE SEVERE BEHAVIOR NEEDS TO THE POINT OF PROHIBITING THE LEARNING OF OTHERS IN THE PROGRAM. NO ONE THOROUGHLY REVIEWED THE IEPS OR OBSERVED STUDENTS BEFORE THEY WERE PLACED TOGETHER. AND SOME OF THE PLACEMENTS ARE WRONG AND CANNOT GO TO ARD FACULTY. THE REASON FOR THIS IS THAT THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT THERE ARE ANY STUDENTS WHO ARE BEING ASKED ENOUGH TO GET STUDENTS TO THE PROGRAMS WITH THE SUPPORT THEY NEED BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH DATA YET TO DO SO. THERE'S A HUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A KID WHO NEEDS EXTRA PROMPTING, VISUAL AID, AND CALMING STRATEGIES COMPARED TO A STUDENT WHO IS NONVERBAL, NOT TOILETING THEMSELVES, AND CANNOT ACCESS CURRICULUM EVEN WITH SUPPORT. TEACHERS ARE FACED WITH AGGRESSIVE, DANGEROUS BEHAVIORS WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY TRYING TO TEACH STUDENTS WHO ARE READY AND INTERESTED IN LEARNING. THEY CAN'T GET STAFF SUPPORT. THIS REALLY BEGS THE QUESTION. ARE YOU REALLY TRYING TO DO WHAT'S BEST FOR OUR MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN? ARE YOU JUST TRYING TO GET THEM OUT OF NES SCHOOLS? THANK YOU.

WELL, THIS HAS BEEN ONE GREAT DAY OF LABOR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I STARTED OFF LABOR DAY FINDING OUT THAT AT THE BEGINNING OF SCHOOL YEAR, A 29-YEAR VETERAN PRINCIPAL WAS REMOVED FROM KASHMERE. OF COURSE, WHY DID YOU DO THAT? IT'S THE SAME WAY YOU RAISE READING SCORES. CLOSE THE LIBRARIES AND THEN HAVE SOMEONE GET UP WITH A BORING CHART FOR $200,000 AND TELL US ABOUT HOW YOU RAISED SCORES AND WHAT YOU FLAGELATED TEACHERS TO DO.

KASHMIR, NORTHEAST, AND THEY ARE UP IN ARMS. I TOLD THEM I WOULD BRING IT TO THE BOARD. WE WANT TO KNOW WHY. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? ANYBODY THAT KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT RUNNING SCHOOLS KNOWS THAT YOU DO NOT REMOVE PERSONNEL, ESPECIALLY PERSONNEL YOU DON'T HAVE. YOU TOLD US ABOUT HOW YOU WERE GOING TO HAVE THE WHOLE PLACE STAFFED.

WELL, BARBARA JORDAN, WHICH ANGELS YOUR CAIT PROGRAM, ISN'T. THE KIDS WANT TO... YOU TALKED ABOUT HOW YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE KIDS STAFFED. YOU DIDN'T...

THANK YOU.

SPEAKER 46.

GOOD EVENING. IN 1989, I BOUGHT MY FIRST CAR IN FEBRUARY, AND I THOUGHT I SAID, WAS THE AIR CONDITIONING GOOD? AND HE SAID THE AIR CONDITIONING IS GREAT. AND I DROVE HOME, AND I SHOWED THE CAR TO PROBABLY MY DAD, AND HE SAID, THERE'S NO AIR CONDITIONING IN THIS CAR. AND HE TAUGHT ME THE LATIN PHRASE CAVEAT EMPTOR, LET THE BUYER BEWARE. AND I THINK OF THAT WHEN YOU ARE SPEAKING, MIKE MILES. I WISH WHAT YOU WERE SAYING WAS TRUE, BUT I KNOW WHEN YOU SAY THAT SPECIAL ED STUDENTS ARE RECEIVING THE BEST POSSIBLE EDUCATION RIGHT NOW WITH EXTRAORDINARY SKILLS, WHAT YOU MEAN IS FOR COGNITIVELY DISABLED STUDENTS THIS YEAR, WITH YOUR NEW CURRICULUM, KIDS WHO ARE LEARNING ABOUT THE NUMBER FIVE, THE CARDINAL NUMBER FIVE, ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS THAT THEY ARE BEING INSTRUCTED IN HOW TO DO SQUARE ROOTS. THAT'S WRONG, AND IT'S WRONG TO SAY THAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT BY OUR KIDS WHEN WE'RE DOING WRONG BY OUR KIDS. AND IT'S WRONG TO PAVE OVER A PARK.

THANK YOU I'M READING THIS ON BEHALF OF A CURRENT HIC

[01:50:01]

PREVIOUSLY, THE DISTRICT USED THE UNIQUE LEARNING SYSTEM CURRICULUM, WHICH PROVIDES DIFFERENTIATED MATERIALS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO SUPPORT STUDENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT LEARNING NEEDS.

HOWEVER, THIS YEAR THE DISTRICT IS USING INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS THAT CLOSELY MIRROR THE MISTAKE-RIDDEN NES GENERAL EDUCATION SLIDE DECKS, WHICH INCLUDES PACING EXPECTATIONS.

THE PACING EXPECTATIONS ALONE TELLS ME YOU HAVEN'T SPENT MUCH TIME IN AN SLL OR AN SLC CLASSROOM.

MY CONCERN IS NOT WITH HAVING HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. OUR STUDENTS DESERVE MEANINGFUL, RIGOROUS INSTRUCTION AND EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO GROW. BUT RIGOR MUST ALSO BE ACCESSIBLE, INDIVIDUALIZED, AND APPROPRIATE. THIS CURRICULUM DOES NOT APPROPRIATELY ADDRESS INDIVIDUAL LEARNING NEEDS, ABILITIES, OR ALLOW FLEXIBILITY FOR IEP GOALS. ARE WE MEASURING MEANINGFUL STUDENT LEARNING AND PROGRESS, OR ARE WE MEASURING HOW CLOSELY A SELF-CONSUMED SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM CAN LOOK AND OPERATE LIKE A GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM? GOOD EVENING I'M HERE BECAUSE PARENTS OF TRADITIONAL STUDENTS SHOULD FEEL WE CAN SPEAK AND NOT BE WATCHED LIKE AN IDIOT FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF ONLINE EDUCATION EVERY TIME WE SPEAK UP. I'M COMING FROM WHARTON-DWELL LANGUAGE ACADEMY AND I HAVE ALWAYS COME HERE TO SPEAK AGAINST DR.

SULLIVAN, THE WAY SHE TREATS TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATION, AND NOW WE HAVE, I JUST CAME FROM AN OPEN HOUSE, WHICH WE WERE NOT ABLE TO TALK TO TEACHERS BECAUSE SHE WAS THERE. PARENTS WANTED TO ASK QUESTIONS AND THEY WERE JUST LIKE, ADMINISTRATION WAS ANSWERING THOSE QUESTIONS INSTEAD OF ALLOWING THE TEACHERS TO SPEAK UP. MY KINDERGARTEN IS GETTING GREATER, 75, UNSOCIAL, A KINDERGARTEN. MY SON, WHO'S IN FOURTH GRADE, IS GETTING PACKAGES OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND HE SAYS HE DOESN'T HAVE TIME. HE CAN'T FINISH THOSE PACKAGES AND I HAVE A 10-GRADER THAT SHE JUST TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE A POLICE WITH A BIG DOG ON HER CLASS.

SO WHAT'S GOING ON? THE ADMINISTRATION, DR. SULLIVAN DOESN'T EVEN LET PARENTS KNOW THAT TEACHERS HAVE...

THANK YOU.

HOW Y'ALL DOING TODAY? MY NAME IS ISAIAH THOMAS. I'M THE FOUNDER FOR WIPO YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. I'M THE YOUTH AND COMMUNITY LEADER FOR AGUS HOME AND I ALSO HAVE PARTNERED WITH AND WORKED AND STAND WITH THE INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS REDEVELOPMENT COUNCIL AND THE STUDIWOOD COMMUNITY GROUP. WIPO ORGANIZATION IS DEDICATING THE POWER, EMPOWERING AT RISK YOUTH AROUND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES IN HOUSTON. OUR MISSION IS TO EQUIP YOUNG PEOPLE WITH THE SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND GUIDANCE AND RESOURCES THEY NEED TO THRIVE ACADEMICALLY, SOCIALLY, AND ECONOMICALLY WHILE DEVELOPING STRONG VALUES AND HEALTHY LIVES. WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF YOU, DR. SULLIVAN.

LIFESTYLES. OUR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRAM WORK INCLUDES MENTORSHIP, PROGRAMMING, ACADEMIC SUPPORT, RECREATION, FINANCIAL LITERACY, CAREER PREPARATION, MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS, AND POSITIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

TODAY, HOWEVER, OUR CONCERN GOES BEYOND ANY SINGLE ORGANIZATION.

THIS IS ABOUT OUR CHILDREN, OUR PARENTS, AND THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITIES. THE CLOSING OF SCHOOLS, OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, CREATES SERIOUS CHALLENGES FOR FAMILIES WHO DO NOT HAVE ADEQUATE TRANSPORTATION OR THE RESOURCES NECESSARY TO SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO SCHOOLS THAT ARE LOCATED FURTHER FROM HOME. A PUBLIC EDUCATION SHOULD BE... THANK YOU, YOUR TIME IS UP. ...AND FAMILIES SHOULD NOT BE PLACED AT DISADVANTAGES BECAUSE OF...

THANK YOU. ...WE REALLY NEED Y'ALL TO TAKE A DEEP LOOK INTO THAT BECAUSE OUR FAMILIES ARE REALLY AFFECTED BY... THANK YOU.

SPEAKER 50.

HI, DR. RUTH HOFFMAN-LACK.

NORMALLY I TALK ABOUT STUFF, BUT TODAY I NEED TO APOLOGIZE TO YOU, MR. MILES, BECAUSE I DID NOT REALIZE THIS MORNING I WAS JUST WEARING THIS AND I SAT QUIETLY AT A TABLE IN THE BACK AT THE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE, AND I SCARED YOU SO MUCH. YOU WERE AFRAID THAT I... WHEN I LEFT, I HAD TO HAVE AN ARMED SECURITY GUARD WALK ME TO MY CAR AND MAKE SURE I HAD LEFT THE BUILDING BECAUSE YOU WERE SO AFRAID, AND I AM SO SORRY. I WOULD NOT HURT A HARM. I WOULD NOT HARM A HAIR ON YOUR HEAD.

ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE WITNESSES.

[01:55:02]

DO WE HAVE ANY REMAINING SPEAKERS IN THE ROOM BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO ZOOM? LET'S MOVE TO ZOOM.

FRANKLIN TAMBURELLA, IF YOU'LL TURN YOUR CAMERA ON AND YOU MAY BEGIN.

GOOD EVENING.

LET'S SEE, NOTES. NOT RIGHT NOW, PLEASE, HENRY. OKAY.

GO AHEAD.

YES, I SEE THAT HISD'S GENERAL FUND BALANCE HAS FALLEN FROM $1.127 BILLION.

FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023 TO $748 MILLION IN FISCAL YEAR 2025, A 34% DECLINE. BUT THAT $748 MILLION INCLUDES APPROXIMATELY $143 MILLION MOVED OR BUDGETED INTO THE GENERAL FUND FROM OTHER FUNDING SOURCES, WHICH MISREPRESENTS THE FUND BALANCE. WITHOUT THOSE IDENTIFIED TRANSFERS, THE BALANCE WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY $605 MILLION. A 46% DECLINE FROM FISCAL YEAR 23. A DISTINCTION MATTERS WHEN THE GENERAL FUND BALANCE IS PRESENTED. TO THE BOARD THE PUBLIC AND BOND RATING AGENCIES AS EVIDENCE OF HIS DS FISCAL HEALTH HIC BOARD POLICY STATES THE DISTRICT SHALL MAINTAIN A HIGH LEVEL OF FINANCIAL STABILITY AND SHALL NOT COMPROMISE THE LONG-TERM FINANCIAL INTEGRITY TO ACHIEVE SHORT-TERM BENEFITS YOUR TIME IS UP THIS WAS THANK YOU THANK YOU VERY MUCH PAMELA BOVLIN PLEASE GO AHEAD GOOD EVENING MY NAME IS PAMELA BOVLIN AND I'M A COMMUNITY MEMBER AND I WANT TO THANK THE BOARD MEMBER WHO MENTIONED THE ARTICLE IN ESSENCE AND TALKED ABOUT THE EXCELLENCE OF A CENTURY OF LEARNING AT JACK YATES HIGH SCHOOL I APPRECIATE THAT BUT I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE BOARD MEMBERS FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND THEIR SUPPORT AND THEIR CONCERN AND I WOULD LIKE YOU TO CONSIDER THE DEMOLITION OF A PARK IN OUR COMMUNITY AS WELL AS THE CLOSING OF A SCHOOL THAT'S ONLY THAT THAT COULD REACH THAT SINCE CENTENNIAL MARK OH OKAY THANK YOU WE APPRECIATE THAT GO AHEAD NEXT I DON'T KNOW IF I STOP SARAH RIVLIN, PLEASE TURN YOUR CAMERA ON. YOU MAY BEGIN.

OH, I'LL BE SORRY. HI, SORRY.

SO THE WORD IS OUT THAT MILES HAS BEEN PROPPING UP OUR GENERAL FUND BALANCE BY MOVING 143 MILLION FROM DESIGNATED FUNDING SOURCES INTO THE GENERAL FUND.

WITHOUT THOSE TRANSFERS, OUR FUND BALANCE IS DOWN 46 PERCENT. MILES IS ALREADY PLANNING HIS ESCAPE AND HAS ALREADY SECURED HIS GOLDEN PARACHUTE. BOARD OF MANAGERS, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO GET AWAY SO EASILY. WHEN OUR CREDIT RATING IS DOWNGRADED, YOU WILL BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. I WOULD RESIGN NOW BECAUSE THE ONES WHO KEEP STANDING BY HIM AND STAYING NOTHING SAYING NOTHING WILL TAKE MOST OF THE BLAME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

[DISCUSSION AND REPORT ITEMS]

[02:00:05]

WE HAVE A WHAT'S THAT THAT RIGHT WHY IS IT WHY ARE THE SCREENS UP BECAUSE WE DID VOTE

[CONSENT AGENDA]

I THINK OUR SYSTEM IS DOING SOMETHING.

EVERYBODY TRYING TO VOTE? I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, THE SYSTEM DOESN'T LOOK LIKE VOTE. LET'S DO A HAND

[Recess to Closed Session under Sections 551.004 through 551.089 of the Texas Government Code for the Purposes Listed in this Notice]

OH, THERE WE GO. GOOD. THE MOTION PASSES. GREAT. AT THIS TIME, THE BOARD WILL RECESS TO CLOSE. THE 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 COVERED BY THIS NOTICE UPON THE RECONVENING OF THIS PUBLIC MEETING OR A SUBSEQUENT PUBLIC MEETING OF THE BOARD. THE BOARD IS RECESSED TO CLOSED SESSION AT 7.07. I THINK THAT'S. YES. OKAY. 7:07 P.M. SEPTEMBER 10TH, 26.

[Reconvene in Open Session]

[Consideration and Possible Action on Matters Discussed in Closed Session]

LET'S SEE. WE'RE NOW READY TO CONSIDER ITEMS DISCLOSED IN THE CLOSED SESSION. ARE THERE ANY MOTIONS? YES, PLEASE.

I MOVE THAT THE BOARD APPROVES THE CLOSED SESSION PERSONNEL AGENDA.

[02:05:16]

OKAY, WE HAVE A MOTION, WE HAVE A SECOND. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? IF NOT, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION PASSES.

THANK YOU. WE ARE GOING TO ADJOURN THE MEETING, BEING NO OTHER BUSINESS. THIS MEETING IS OFFICIALLY ADJOURNED AT 7:33 P.M., AND REMEMBER, OUR NEXT BOARD MEETING IS OCTOBER 8, 2026. THANK YOU.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.