[00:00:04] GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO THE APRIL 24TH BOARD WORKSHOP MEETING OF THE HAYS CISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES HERE IN THE MERIDETH KELLER BOARDROOM. [A. CALL TO ORDER] WE APPRECIATE EVERYBODY HERE IN PERSON. AND THOSE OF YOU LISTENING ONLINE, HOPE YOU WELCOME THE EXTRA SPRINKLES WE GOT TODAY. THE TIME IS 5:30 P.M. THIS MEETING IS OFFICIALLY CALLED TO ORDER. ALL BOARD MEMBERS ARE PRESENT. AT THIS TIME, THE BOARD WILL ADJOURN TO CLOSED SESSION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT. [B. CLOSED SESSION] TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, SECTION 551, SUBCHAPTERS D AND E, OR TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 418.183F. THE TIME IS STILL 5:30 P.M. ALL RIGHT, EVERYBODY, WELCOME BACK. [C. RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION] WE ARE BACK IN OPEN SESSION. GOOD EVENING TO EVERYBODY HERE IN ATTENDANCE. AND THOSE OF YOU WATCHING ONLINE, THE TIME IS 6:21 P.M. A QUORUM HAS ALREADY BEEN ESTABLISHED, WITH ALL BOARD MEMBERS BEING PRESENT. AT THIS TIME, WE WILL DO OUR PLEDGES, WHICH IS GOING TO BE LED BY BOARD SECRETARY VANESSA PETREA. [D. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO UNITED STATES AND TEXAS FLAGS] ALL RIGHT. YES. GREAT JOB, MISS PETRI. ALWAYS RECRUITING THE STUDENTS. IT'S ALWAYS GREAT TO HAVE YOU ALL IN HERE. SO, ALL RIGHT, OUR MISSION STATEMENT IS GOING TO BE READ BY OUR BOARD VICE PRESIDENT BYRON [E. MISSION STATEMENT] SEVERANCE HAYS CISD MAKES IT 100% POSSIBLE. WOO! THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S RIGHT. AND OUR SOCIAL CONTRACT TONIGHT IS GOING TO BE READ BY TRUSTEE COURTNEY RUNKLE. [F. SOCIAL CONTRACT] THE BOARD WILL SERVE AS DISTRICT AMBASSADORS, ASSUME POSITIVE AND NOBLE INTENTIONS, COLLABORATE AS A TEAM AND RESPECT THE BODY CORPORATE, PROMOTE DISCUSSION AND VALUE EACH OTHER'S PERSPECTIVES AND BE PROFESSIONAL. THANK YOU, MISS RUNKLE. ALL RIGHT TEAM, THAT TAKES US TO LETTER G ON OUR AGENDA. [G. SUPERINTENDENT REPORT] SUPERINTENDENT REPORT. DR. WRIGHT. THANK YOU, PRESIDENT VELA. AND GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. SO NICE TO SEE ALL OF YOU HERE. THOSE OF YOU ONLINE, I HOPE, HOPE YOU'RE HAVING A WONDERFUL DAY. AND WITH THAT BEING SAID, BARBARA WILL TEE UP THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT. I HAVE A FEW SLIDES I'D LIKE TO SHARE. SO FIRST OF ALL, DO YOU HAVE THEM? YES. PERFECT. ALL RIGHT. SO HOT OFF THE PRESS. AFTER A RECENT LAWSUIT, TEA FINALLY RELEASED ALL OF THE RATINGS. WE REALLY HAVEN'T HAD A RATING RELEASE SINCE THE PANDEMIC. AND SO, THE COMMISSIONER, RIGHT AFTER THE PANDEMIC, DECIDED THAT HE WAS GOING TO CHANGE THE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM. AND SO, THIS IS A NEW ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM. IT'S MUCH MORE STRINGENT. SO, THE FIRST YEAR OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM TYPICALLY DOESN'T GIVE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED KIDS AND A WAY TO SHOW GROWTH. AND SO, LOOKING AT THE SURROUNDING SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE AREA YOU CAN SEE FROM, FROM ASCENDING ORDER THE SCHOOLS THAT DIDN'T PERFORM WELL TYPICALLY HAVE THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED KIDS. HAYS CISD, WE RETAINED OUR SCORE OF B, THE LAST RATING WE HAD WAS IN 2019, AND WE ACTUALLY SCORED AN 87. BUT ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS, THERE WAS A 233% DECREASE ON SCORES BECAUSE THE BAR WAS RAISED VERY, VERY HIGH BY THE COMMISSIONER. AND THE REASON THAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS DECIDED TO SUE THE STATE WAS BECAUSE WE DIDN'T GET WHAT THE NEW PLATFORM WAS OR THE ACCOUNTABILITY BOOKLET, UNTIL WELL AFTER THE SCHOOL YEAR HAD ALREADY BEGUN. AND SO, WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WE WERE WE WERE TRYING TO PREPARE FOR. SO, I'M VERY PROUD OF OUR STUDENTS AND OUR TEACHERS FOR RETAINING THAT B LEVEL. BUT I ALSO WANTED TO SHOW YOU SOME OF THE VERY AFFLUENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE AREA ALSO SOME THAT ARE ACTUALLY THEY HAVE A LOWER ECO DISC NUMBER THAN US HAD A C, PFLUGERVILLE AND HUTTO. BUT THEN I DON'T THINK I CAN RECALL A TIME WHEN ROUND ROCK, LEANDER, LAKE, TRAVIS, AND DRIPPING SPRINGS EVER SCORED A B, AND I KNOW ALAMO HEIGHTS IN THE SAN ANTONIO AREA HAS NEVER SCORED ANYTHING LESS THAN AN A, THEY SCORED A B. AND SO THE RATINGS ARE VERY, VERY INTERESTING THIS TIME. AND THE ONLY, THE ONLY COMPARABLE SCHOOL AROUND THAT SCORED AN A WAS EANES ISD. [00:05:04] AND THEY ONLY HAVE 4.3% ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I LIKE TO REMIND PEOPLE IS THAT THE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM STARTED OFF WITH VERY GOOD INTENTIONS. WE AS ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS, WE ALWAYS WANT TO KNOW WHERE OUR KIDS ARE BECAUSE WE WANT TO KNOW IF THEY'RE AHEAD, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE ENRICHMENT. IF THEY'RE BEHIND, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE INTERVENTION OR ACCELERATION. AND THAT'S WHAT IT WAS INTENDED TO DO, SO THAT BY THE TIME KIDS GRADUATED, THEY WOULD HAVE ALL THE BASIC SKILLS THEY NEEDED IN ORDER TO GO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE WORLD. WHAT IT'S TURNED OUT TO BE IS A HIGHLY INTENSIVE TEST WHERE WHATEVER KIDS SCORE THEIR CAMPUS AND IN THEIR DISTRICT IS RATED ACCORDINGLY. AND SO JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT WE. WHAT OUR DEMOGRAPHICS ARE HERE, WE HAVE 20% OF OUR KIDS ARE SPECIAL NEEDS. WE HAVE PROBABLY 18% OR EMERGENT BILINGUAL. WE HAVE 38 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES SPOKEN WITHIN. HAYS CISD. SO WE HAVE SOME KIDS THAT AREN'T REAL FLUENT IN THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE, AND THEY'RE TRYING TO LEARN ENGLISH. AND THEY'RE BEING TESTED FOR THE FIRST TIME. AND WE WANT TO KNOW WHERE THEY'RE AT SIMPLY SO THAT WE CAN HELP THEM, BUT WE DON'T WANT THEM TO FEEL LIKE IF THEY DON'T DO VERY, VERY WELL ON THE TEST, THAT THEY'RE A FAILURE. AND OFTENTIMES THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS. THEY ARE THEN FORCED TO GO INTO A REMEDIATION OR TUTORING OR INTO TWO TIERED INTERVENTIONS. AND THEN THAT CAUSES THAT KID TO HAVE TEST ANXIETY FOR THE REST OF THEIR CAREER. AND EVERY KID IS CAPABLE, BUT THEY DON'T ALL START IN THE SAME PLACE. AND SO, I'M MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE MARATHON THAN THE SPRINT. I KNOW AT THE END OF THE LINE, WHEN THEY ALL GRADUATE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THEM WHERE THEY NEED TO BE BECAUSE OF OUR GRADUATION RATE. AND TO ME, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF THEY'RE TWO GRADE LEVELS BEHIND BECAUSE I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO CATCH THEM UP. AND SO THE REASON THAT HAYS CISD ENTERED THE LAWSUIT IN THE FIRST PLACE WAS IN RESPONSE TO THE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED KIDDOS. AND BECAUSE IT'S DEFINITELY AN UNFAIR SYSTEM. AND I WANTED YOU TO SEE IN DESCENDING ORDER WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, BECAUSE I THINK THE PROOF'S IN THE PUDDING FROM THIS. AND IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT ANY OF THESE SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE BAD. IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEIR STUDENTS AREN'T CAPABLE. IT JUST MEANS THAT WHERE SOME KIDS ARE STARTING TEN YARDS IN FRONT OF THE STARTING LINE, SOME OF THEIR KIDS MAY BE STARTING 20 YARDS BEHIND. BUT GUESS WHAT? WHEN THEY FINISH BY THE TIME THEY'RE SENIORS THEY'RE GOING TO BE WHERE THEY NEED TO BE. SO I WANTED TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU. THE 24 RATINGS WILL PROBABLY BE OUT SOON. THEY ARE ALSO BEING HELD UP BY THE LAWSUIT, AND IT'S BECAUSE THEY INTRODUCED A SCORING, AND WE FOUND THAT ONE IN EVERY THREE TESTS THAT WERE SCORED BY AI WERE FLAWED. AND ONCE WE HAD THEM RECALIBRATED KIDS WERE PASSING. SO, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT ONE IS GOING TO BE RELEASED OR NOT. THAT WILL BE DETERMINED. BUT THE PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE ON THAT SHOWS THAT WE WILL ALSO BE AGAIN FOR THE 24 YEAR. AND THEN RIGHT NOW WE'RE TAKING STAR FOR THE 25 YEAR. AND I THINK WE'LL SHOW TONS OF PROGRESS THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE'LL ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE GROWTH. SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT WITH THE PUBLIC, HOT OFF THE PRESS. YOU CAN GO TO THE WEBSITE AND YOU CAN DRILL DOWN AS FAR AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO DRILL DOWN. AND SO JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU. ALL RIGHT. NEXT SLIDE, BARBARA. OKAY. THAT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION. LIKE I SAID, WE WE WERE AT AN 87. WE WOULD HAVE WITH THE NEW, NEW CHANGE HAVE BEEN AROUND IN 83. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY WE SCORED IN 80 THIS YEAR. NEXT YEAR, I THINK THAT'LL GO UP. AND THEN HOPEFULLY BY THE END OF THIS YEAR THAT WILL INCREASE AGAIN. ALL RIGHT. NEXT SLIDE. OKAY. I'M REALLY EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE OUR UIL ACADEMIC INDIVIDUAL REGIONAL QUALIFIERS. THIS IS THE FAVORITE PART OF MY SUPERINTENDENT REPORT. I GET TO BRAG ON OUR KIDS. AND IF I BUTCHER A NAME, SOMEBODY TELL ME AFTERWARDS AND I WILL APOLOGIZE TO THEM WHEN I SEE THEM. BUT FOR HAYS HIGH SCHOOL. WILHELMINA DEHART. PERSUASIVE. EXTEMPORANEOUS. EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING. MIGUEL GONZALEZ. PERSUASIVE. EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING. JACKSON JEWELL. SAME THING. JUDAH PADILLA. INFORMATIVE. EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING AND RACHEL WOOD LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATE. THEY ALL QUALIFIED FOR REGIONALS. AND THEN AT JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL WE HAD HOLDEN CASTILLO, FIRST IN ACCOUNTING AND FIRST IN SOCIAL STUDIES. NICO MERANTE, FIRST IN CURRENT ISSUES AND EVENTS AND FIRST IN PERSUASIVE SPEAKING. [00:10:01] AVA WALDMAN, FIRST IN READY WRITING. PAUL VOLLICK, FIRST IN INFORMATIVE SPEAKING. ATHENA METZGER. FIRST IN NEWS WRITING. SECOND IN COPY EDITING. THIRD IN HEADLINE WRITING, FIFTH IN FEATURE WRITING, AND SIXTH IN EDITORIAL. TIM SAVOY. YOU NEED TO HIRE THIS GIRL. BEN LAVIE SECOND IN ACCOUNTING. STARLETT ROBINSON, THIRD IN ACCOUNTING. EMMA WAGNER, THIRD IN PROSE. DYLAN HARVEY, THIRD IN INFORMATIVE SPEAKING. AND KARA MORRIS, THIRD IN PERSUASIVE SPEAKING. AND THEN CONTINUING. ANDY PETREA, FOURTH IN PROSE. JAMIE ESTRADA, FOURTH IN HEADLINE WRITING. OH, YEAH. I GUESS YOU'RE KIND OF PROUD OF THAT ONE, AREN'T YOU, VANESSA? THAT'S RIGHT. IS THIS HOVI OR JOVI PERSKIN? OKAY. FIFTH IN LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATE MADISON BROUN. FIFTH IN COPY EDITING FAITH VAN VLIET. FIFTH IN NUMBER SENSE. MADISON BROUN. FIFTH IN EDITORIAL ISAAC LARSEN. SEVENTH IN CURRENT EVENTS AND ISSUES AND EVENTS. AND FATIMA LAREDO, SIXTH IN POETRY INTERPRETATION. SO THEN, TEAM WISE, JOHNSON HAD QUALIFIERS. FIRST PLACE IN A IN A COUNTING HOLDEN CASTILLO, BEN LOBBY, STARLET ROBINSON FIRST IN SOCIAL STUDIES. HOLDEN CASTILLO, BELLA JAMES, FATIN LAREDO, AND KARA MORRIS. AND SO, SO PROUD OF ALL OF OUR KIDS FOR UIL ACADEMIC TEAM REGIONAL QUALIFIERS. WE ALWAYS WAIT TILL THE END OF THE YEAR BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN THEY HOLD THE COMPETITION. BUT WE'VE GOT SOME KIDS THAT ARE ROCK STARS IN THIS. SO VERY PROUD OF THEM. YEP. ALL RIGHT. NEXT UP WE HAVE NATIONAL QUALIFIERS. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A GREAT TRADITION AT HAYS HIGH SCHOOL IN SPEECH AND DEBATE. AND SO ALL OF THE STUDENTS RIGHT HERE HAVE QUALIFIED FOR NATIONALS. MASON DAKAR, JACKSON JEWELL, JUDAH PADILLA, ABRAHAM GARZA, JACKSON JEWELL IN EXTEMPORANEOUS AS WELL AS IN CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE. AND HE'S ONE OF OUR SUPERINTENDENT AND BOARD ADVISORY PANEL KIDS. WE LOVE HIM. RACHEL WOOD, WORLD SCHOOLS' DEBATE. MATTHEW SANCHEZ WORLD SCHOOLS' DEBATE. LEIF LANCASTER WORLD SCHOOLS, JACKSON JEWELL WORLD SCHOOLS AND WILHELMINA DEHART WORLD SCHOOLS. SO, WE WISH THEM THE BEST AT NATIONALS IN JUNE. ALL RIGHT. OH, YEAH. AND ABRAHAM GARZA IS ALSO ON OUR BOARD AND STUDENT ADVISORY PANEL AS WELL. CAN'T MISS THAT. AND HE'S ALSO IN ONE ACT PLAY. ALL RIGHT. NEXT. ALL RIGHT. WE FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE'VE HAD STATE GOLFERS FROM IN A LONG TIME. FOR HAYS HIGH SCHOOL, WE HAD DELANEY MCGURRAN, WHO WAS FIRST PLACE, AND THEN WE HAD ISAAC WHEELER, WHO WAS THIRD PLACE, AND THEY WILL BE COMPETING IN THE STATE GOLF TOURNAMENT. SO BEST OF LUCK TO EACH OF THESE STUDENT ATHLETES. AND NEXT TWO OF OUR HIGH SCHOOL'S SOFTBALL TEAMS ARE ENTERING INTO THE BI-DISTRICT PLAYOFFS. WE HAVE HAYS HIGH SCHOOL THAT WILL BE COMPETING AGAINST SMITHSON VALLEY. YOU CAN SEE THE GAME TIMES WE PLAY AT HOME AND THEN AWAY THE BEST OF THREE SERIES. AND THEN THE NEXT IS JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL. THEY PLAY LAREDO, LBJ, AND THEY'RE PLAYING AT SINTON HIGH SCHOOL IN THE BI-DISTRICT PLAYOFFS. SO, LET'S WISH THEM WELL AS THEY MOVE FORWARD IN THE PLAYOFFS. ALL RIGHT. THEN WE MOVE ON TO TRACK. AND WE HAVE STATE QUALIFIERS IN TRACK. INDIA STEGALL, LONG JUMP AND TRIPLE JUMP, AND SHE'S ALSO A HECK OF A BASKETBALL PLAYER. AND SO, CONGRATULATIONS INDIA. AND THEN ANOTHER ONE OF OUR STUDENT ADVISORY PANEL REPRESENTATIVES, ANAYA HOSKINS, QUALIFY FOR THE STATE MEET IN HIGH JUMP. AND SHE ALSO HAS SIGNED TO PLAY VOLLEYBALL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS. SO EXCITED FOR HER. AND THEN TANNER MAJOR IN THE SHOT PUT I KNOW HE WILL REPRESENT US WELL, SO WISH THEM ALL A LOT OF LOT OF LUCK. ALL RIGHT THEN. LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I JUST WANT TO REMIND EVERYBODY THAT THE REGISTRATION PROCESS FOR THIS UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR IS ON THE NEW WEBSITE, MR. SAVOY UNVEILED IT ON WEDNESDAY, AND THERE'S AN ACTUAL BUTTON ON THERE NOW WHERE YOU CAN REGISTER. AND SO, BY REGISTERING PARENTS, YOU HELP US PROJECT, WHAT THE ENROLLMENT IS GOING TO BE. AND WE COUPLE THAT ALONG WITH OUR DEMOGRAPHER'S REPORT SO THAT WE CAN ADEQUATELY STAFF AT EACH CAMPUS ACROSS THE DISTRICT. AND THEN THE NEXT THING I WANTED TO BRING UP, WE HAVE KIND OF A FUNDING UPDATE. THE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL TWO IS IN COMMITTEE. AND NEXT IT GOES TO THE SENATE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE FOR K-12 EDUCATION. [00:15:06] AND SO HOPEFULLY THEY WILL CONCUR WITH THE HOUSE IF WE ARE ABLE IF IT PASSES AND IT GETS SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR, THEY WILL BE PUTTING MONEY INTO THE BASIC ALLOTMENT, WHICH WOULD BE THE FIRST TIME THAT WE'VE SEEN AN INCREASE SINCE 2019. IT'S ABOUT $395 PER KID. WE WERE HOPING FOR A THOUSAND BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WOULD GET US BACK TO THE LEVEL OF INFLATION AND THE POWER OF A DOLLAR. BUT WE'LL TAKE WHAT WE CAN GET AT THIS POINT. AND SO, IF WE WERE TO RECEIVE THAT, WE WOULD RECEIVE 13.8 MILLION IN FISCAL YEAR, 26. IN FISCAL YEAR 27, WE WOULD RECEIVE 16.1 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL DOLLARS. AND THAT WILL DEFINITELY HELP US WITH OUR OUR DEFICIT. AND SO BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T HAD AN INCREASE IN THE DOLLAR DOESN'T GO AS FAR AS IT USED TO, WE'VE HAD TO DIP INTO OUR FUND BALANCE FOR SEVERAL YEARS. AND AND WE'RE AT THE POINT NOW WHERE OUR DEFICIT IS AROUND $13 MILLION. SO IF WE'RE ABLE TO GET THIS, THEN WE WOULD BASICALLY BE LOOKING AT A $3 MILLION DEFICIT. AND WE HAVE A PROACTIVE PLAN TO TO SOLVE THAT MOVING FORWARD. AND ONCE WE GET TO THE BUDGET WORKSHOPS AND WE CAN TALK TO THE ENTIRE BOARD, WE'LL WE'LL START WORKING THROUGH THAT PROCESS. AND SO THE GREAT NEWS IS, IS WE AREN'T ANTICIPATING ANY, ANY LAYOFFS OF ANY STAFF MEMBERS. WE WOULD JUST BE WORKING THROUGH ATTRITION AND SO ON TO HOPEFULLY ALLEVIATE ANXIETY. FOR OUR EMPLOYEES BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THEY ARE THE ONES THAT MAKE THE MAGIC HAPPEN. ALL ACROSS THE DISTRICT, WE HAVE AN ARMY OF ABOUT 3500 EMPLOYEES, AND EACH ONE IS SPECIAL IN THEIR OWN RIGHT. AND THEY ARE WHAT MAKE MAKE THIS DISTRICT WORK. SO THAT'S KIND OF THE UPDATE THAT I HAVE FOR THE LEGISLATURE. THE VOUCHER BILL DID PASS TODAY THROUGH THE SENATE. THEY ADOPTED THE HOUSE'S VERSION. SO, I'M SURE BY THE TIME WE GET OUT OF THIS MEETING OR EARLY IN THE MORNING, THE GOVERNOR WILL SIGN IT. AND SO WE'LL BE CONTINUING WITH THE VOUCHER BILL MOVING FORWARD. BUT THAT WAS WHAT THE BARRIER WAS FOR US GETTING NEW MONEY IN PUBLIC ED, WAS THAT THE GOVERNOR WAS HOLDING UP PUBLIC ED MONEY UNTIL VOUCHERS WERE PASSED. AND SO NO LONGER NEED FOR A DEBATE ON WHETHER VOUCHERS ARE GOOD, BAD OR INDIFFERENT. THEY ARE. THEY'VE ALREADY PASSED; THEY'LL GET SIGNED. AND NOW WE MOVE ON, AND WE DO THE BEST WE CAN WITH WHAT WE HAVE. AND AS WE ALWAYS DO, WE COME UP WITH THE BEST SOLUTIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR KIDS ARE TAKEN CARE OF IN THE MOST APPROPRIATE MANNER. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND ATTENTION, AND I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU, RO. DR. WRIGHT. THANK YOU. FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THOSE STUDENTS. AND BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO THE REST OF OUR BOARD. THANK YOU FOR ADDRESSING THE OTHER ISSUES AS WELL ON FUNDING. AND THE REMINDER OF JUST, YOU KNOW, HOW THE ACHIEVEMENT THAT WE'VE SEEN AS A DISTRICT. IT IS AMAZING TO SEE THAT WE HAVE MAINTAINED THAT B RATING. I KNOW WE WANT MORE. OF COURSE, THAT IS ALWAYS THE GOAL. BUT KUDOS TO JUST EVERYBODY, ALL THE HARD WORK THAT EVERYBODY HAS BEEN DOING. FUNDING. I KNOW YOU MENTIONED, OF COURSE, BUDGET MEETING. AND SO, TIM, I KNOW WE MAY HAVE SOME QUESTIONS. WITH DR. WRIGHT HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW, BUT I KNOW THAT WE WILL BE I NEED TO GET AN EMAIL OUT THROUGH MISS GLORIA TO GET A MEETING SCHEDULED FOR OUR BUDGET MEETING. BUDGET MEETING IN MAY. AND SO, MAYBE SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS MAY BE BETTER SUITED FOR THAT MEETING. SO, BUT AGAIN, GREAT JOB AND CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THOSE ACHIEVEMENTS. I'M LOOKING TO MY LEFT. ANY QUESTIONS. BYRON SEVERANCE. WELL JUST SINCE YOU MENTIONED IT, I'D JUST LIKE TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO MR. SAVOY FOR ALL THE WORK HE DID GETTING THIS WEBSITE SWITCHED OVER. I KNOW IT WAS A LOT OF WORK MONTHS AND MONTHS AND MONTHS AND MONTHS, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU TRIED IT YET, BUT I GOT TO DO MY FIRST SEARCH AND EVERYTHING WORKED GREAT. SO, I WANTED TO JUST DO A SHOUT OUT TO TIM. GREAT JOB ON THAT PROJECT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANYBODY ELSE OVER HERE ON MY LEFT? ALL RIGHT. LOOKING TO MY RIGHT, MISS PETREA. HEY, BACK TO ACADEMIC UIL. NOT ONLY BECAUSE MY DAUGHTER WAS LISTED BUT ALSO WANTED TO TELL YOU ALL. COACH AMY ARMADA IS THE COACH FOR THE JOHNSON TEAM. THIS IS HER FIRST YEAR COACHING UIL ACADEMICS. AND I DON'T THINK SHE EVEN STARTED UNTIL LIKE, NOVEMBER. SO, THIS WAS IT'S A PRETTY DIFFICULT GROUPING LIKE YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE 6A GROUPING. SO, THERE'S, YOU KNOW, JUST A LOT OF TEACHERS WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THESE STUDENTS. SO, I WANTED TO GIVE HER A SHOUT OUT. AND ALSO, SINCE WE'RE IN THE MERIDETH KELLER BOARDROOM THE FIRST PLACE SOCIAL STUDIES TEAM WAS COACHED BY ADDIE KELLER, WHO IS MEREDITH'S DAUGHTER, AND THIS IS HER FIRST YEAR TEACHING IN HAYS CISD. SO, SHE'S ALREADY, YOU KNOW, DOING ALL THE EXTRA THINGS THAT ADDIE KELLER IS KNOWN TO DO. SHE'S NOT A NEW TEACHER, BUT SHE'S NEW TO US. AND SO, WE'RE LUCKY TO HAVE HER. AND SO I WANTED TO BRAG ON HER FOR THAT SINCE WE'RE IN THE MERIDETH KELLER BOARDROOM. [00:20:05] SO, ALL OF THESE FOLKS I KNOW, HAYS DID A GREAT JOB, TOO. GOOD TO SEE FAMILIAR NAMES ON THAT LIST. AGAIN, WITH THE STUDENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE. BUT JOHNSON HAD A SPECIAL STORY BECAUSE MISS TREADWAY, YOU KNOW. WELL RETIRED. AND SO AMY ROMANO TOOK OVER THIS YEAR TEACHING AND COACHING THE UIL. I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT UP THE, YOU KNOW, THE BUDGET DEFICIT AND THE DIFFICULT CHOICES THAT WE'RE HAVING TO MAKE AS A BOARD. I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING MORE ROBUST CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR FULL BOARD ON OUR BUDGET. SPECIAL MEETING IN MAY. MY MAY IS FILLING UP FAST WITH ALL MY SENIOR AWARDS AND BANQUETS AND THINGS, SO LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING THAT DATE ON THE CALENDAR. AND SO I APPRECIATE LISTENING TO OUR PUBLIC. THE EMAIL THAT YOU SENT OUT DOCTOR WRIGHT THIS WEEK, I THINK IT WAS HELPFUL FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE FACING. SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANYBODY ELSE? OKAY. GREAT UPDATE AGAIN, DR. WRIGHT. THANK YOU FOR THAT. TEAM, AS PRESIDENT, I'M GOING TO SHUFFLE SOME THINGS AROUND. WE DO HAVE TWO SPEAKERS TONIGHT. AND I'M GOING TO ASK FOR YOUR FORGIVENESS IN ADVANCE BECAUSE WE ENJOY DOING OUR CAMPUS RECOGNITION. IT IS A SCHOOL NIGHT. SO, I DO WANT TO GET THESE STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO SHOWCASE FOR US AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF. AND ANYTIME THAT STUDENTS SHOW UP, IT'S A GREAT EVENT. AND OF COURSE, WHEN YOU HAVE MR. CULLEN IN THE AUDIENCE AS WELL. RIGHT. EVERYBODY SHOWS UP. SO. SO MISS NOBLE IS GOING TO COME UP AND SHE'S GOING TO INTRODUCE PRINCIPAL LADA AND THE REST OF OUR CULLEN CUBS. GOOD AFTERNOON OR GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT VELA DR. WRIGHT, BOARD OF TRUSTEES. I WILL SAY THAT I TRIED TO GET MR. CULLEN TO DO THE ANNOUNCING FOR ME TONIGHT. HE'S LIKE, I DON'T LIKE PUBLIC SPEAKING. I SAID, WELL, I DON'T EITHER. SO, WE ARM WRESTLED, I LOST, AND HERE I AM. BUT I AM THRILLED TONIGHT TO HAVE OUR CULLEN CUBS IN THE HOUSE. AND I AM ESPECIALLY THRILLED TO PRESENT TO YOU OUR AMAZING PRINCIPAL, MISS ELIZABETH LADA, TO SHARE ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS HAPPENING AT CULLEN. GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT VELA DR. WRIGHT, BOARD OF TRUSTEES, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHOWCASE EVERYTHING THAT CULLEN ELEMENTARY HAS DONE. IT HAS BEEN A WHIRLWIND AND I WAS SPEAKING WITH OUR ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AND SHE SAID, OH MY GOSH, I CAN'T BELIEVE ALL OF THIS HAS HAPPENED IN THIS ONE YEAR. SO SIT BACK AND ENJOY THIS WITH US. I STAND IN FRONT OF YOU AS A VERY PROUD PRINCIPAL OF CULLEN ELEMENTARY. WE ARE A CAMPUS OF 418 KIDDOS. AND I'M VERY PROUD TO SAY THAT OUR ATTENDANCE RATE LAST I CHECKED WAS AT 95.46%, WHICH IS A GREAT TESTAMENT OF THE AMAZING THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING BECAUSE OUR STUDENTS WANT TO BE AT SCHOOL. ANOTHER THING THAT I'M VERY PROUD OF IS THAT WHEN WE FIRST STARTED CULLEN, WE ONLY HAD 30 STUDENTS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED AS GT STUDENTS THROUGH PARENT NOMINATIONS AND TEACHER NOMINATIONS. WE HAVE DOUBLED THAT TO 60 STUDENTS, SO I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT IT WILL BE IN THE YEARS COMING. WE ARE AN INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE SCHOOL IN CANDIDACY, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY, WHAT? WHAT'S IB? AND SO, OUR IB COORDINATOR AND I, WE CAME UP WITH LIKE OUR ELEVATOR PITCH OF WHAT IB IS SO THAT IT IS IN A SIMPLE AND UNDERSTANDABLE WAY. WHAT INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE IS IT'S A GLOBALLY RENOWNED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM. THROUGH ITS FRAMEWORK, WE TEACH OUR STUDENTS TO THINK, THINK CRITICALLY, ASK QUESTIONS, AND APPLY THEIR LEARNING ACROSS CONTENT AREAS. BY COMBINING OUR STATE CURRICULUM WITH THE TRANSDISCIPLINARY THEMES AND THEIR LEARNER PROFILE ATTRIBUTES, WE TEACH OUR STUDENTS TO BE KNOWLEDGEABLE AND CARING INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE PREPARED TO MAKE AN IMPACT IN THE WORLD. SOME OF THESE PICTURES ARE EXAMPLES OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE DONE TO MOVE FORWARD IN OUR IB CANDIDACY AND AUTHORIZATION PROCESS. I'M VERY PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE ARE AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. TO BE AUTHORIZED AS AN IB CAMPUS. THANKS TO THE WORK OF OUR IB COORDINATOR, MISS VICTORIA ZIMMERMAN. AND THANKS TO THE WORK OF OUR STAFF AND OUR STUDENTS BECAUSE THEY ARE ENJOYING THIS JOURNEY. IN THE MIDDLE, YOU SEE THE LEARNER PROFILE ATTRIBUTES? THIS IS WHAT WE STRIVE FOR OUR STUDENTS TO DO, TO LEARN, TO THINK. THE IB IS ALSO FOCUSED ON TRANSDISCIPLINARY THEMES WHERE THEY'RE CROSS-CURRICULAR THEMES. SO WHEN YOU WALK INTO OUR CLASSROOMS, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A LOT OF INQUIRY. YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A LOT OF STUDENT LEADERSHIP. AND YOU ARE JUST GOING TO SEE CONNECTIONS ACROSS CONTENT. SO HERE ARE IB LEARNER PROFILE ATTRIBUTES. THESE COMPRISE OR THE LEARNER PROFILE IS COMPRISED OF THESE AS IB LEARNERS WE STRIVE TO BE INQUIRERS, KNOWLEDGEABLE THINKERS, COMMUNICATORS, PRINCIPLED, OPEN MINDED, CARING, RISK TAKERS, BALANCED AND REFLECTIVE. [00:25:02] AND I THINK THAT OUR STUDENTS DO A GREAT JOB OF DOING THIS. AND OUR STAFF DOES TOO, BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT OUR STUDENTS, IT'S ALSO ABOUT OUR STAFF AND OUR COMMUNITY. WE ARE INQUIRERS. SO, THE PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAM IS AN INQUIRY BASED PROGRAM. AND IF YOU LOOK ON THE BOTTOM SIDE THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER, ALL OF THE POST-ITS REPRESENT EITHER SOMETHING THAT OUR STUDENTS FEEL THAT THEY LEARNED THROUGH A UNIT, OR QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT THEY WANT TO LEARN MORE. IN EVERY CLASSROOM, YOU WILL WALK IN AND YOU WILL SEE OUR UNIT OF INQUIRY POSTER. THIS IS THE THEME THAT OUR THAT GRADE LEVEL IS FOCUSING IN ON THE TIME. AT THAT TIME AND ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU ARE GOING TO SEE OUR STUDENTS DOING HANDS ON ACTIVITIES AND BEING INQUIRERS. WE ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE. SO IB IS NOT ABOUT DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT. IT'S NOT ABOUT TAKING AWAY THE CURRICULUM. IT'S ABOUT ENHANCING OUR HAYS CURRICULUM AND OUR CONTENT. OUR STUDENTS HAVE DEMONSTRATED AND HAVE SHINED VERY BRIGHTLY IN DIFFERENT AREAS. WE STARTED WITH THE HAYS HISTORY DAYS. WE HAD TWO STUDENTS ADVANCE TO REGIONAL HISTORY DAY AND THEN PROCEED TO STATE THAT IS A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT, AND WE WERE SO PROUD OF OUR FOURTH GRADERS FOR THOSE TWO GENTLEMEN AT THE VERY TOP. WE HAD SO MANY KIDS COMPETE IN THE SPELLING BEE. WE HAVE STUDENTS THAT HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR NATIONAL MATH AS NATIONAL MATH STARS. WE HAVE KIDDOS THAT HAVE GONE ON TO BATTLE OF THE BOOKS, REGIONAL SCIENCE FAIR, AND SO MUCH MORE. SO IB IS NOT ABOUT ONE SPECIFIC AREA, IT'S ABOUT MANY. WE ARE COMMUNICATORS. THAT IS ONE THING THAT WE DEFINITELY ARE AT CULLEN. WE HAVE OUR IB NEWSLETTER THAT GOES OUT TO OUR PARENTS AND FAMILIES SO THAT THEY KNOW WHERE WE ARE IN THE IB PROCESS AS WELL, AS IT HAS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR OUR PARENTS TO KNOW AND LEARN MORE ABOUT IB. OUR STUDENT COUNCIL CREATED OUR VERY OWN NEWSPAPER AND THAT'S WHAT YOU SEE. THAT'S THE NEWS. OUR STUDENTS, WE HAVE LEARNED TO COMMUNICATE NOT ONLY WITHIN THE CLASSROOM, BUT ALSO, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE A STUDENT THAT PRESENTED AT THE EDDIE DURHAM JAZZ FESTIVAL. SO, THEY HAVE LEARNED TO COMMUNICATE IN PUBLIC. WE COMMUNICATE VIA NEWSLETTERS. WE COMMUNICATE WITH PEERS. WE ARE ALSO LEARNING HOW TO COMMUNICATE IN SPANISH THROUGH THE IB PROGRAM. A COMPONENT OF IT IS LEARNING AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE. AND THAT'S WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE DOING. SO, EVERY MORNING YOU HEAR OUR CRY THAT SAYS VAMOS OSITOS. AND ON A PERSONAL NOTE THE ADMIN TEAM CREATED OUR FIRST SESSION OR OUR FIRST EPISODE OF A PODCAST THAT FOCUSED ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND AI AND INFORMING OUR PARENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT TO BE LOOKING OUT FOR. WE ARE OPEN MINDED, SO BEING OPEN MINDED IS ABOUT ACCEPTING AND CELEBRATING SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES. NOT ONLY DO WE CELEBRATE OUR OWN CULTURE, SUCH AS GO TEXAN DAY, WHICH WE HAD SO MUCH FUN WITH, BUT ALSO THROUGH ITEMS LIKE HOLY UNITY DAY, DIWALI, DIA DE LOS MUERTOS AND SO MUCH MORE. WE APPRECIATE DIVERSITY AND WE CELEBRATE IT. AND MAY 9TH WE ARE GOING TO HAVE OUR CES INTERNATIONAL FAIR. OUR PARENTS ARE GOING TO BE COMING OUT, AND THEY ARE GOING TO BE PUTTING ON EXHIBITIONS OF DIFFERENT TYPES FOR OUR STUDENTS TO LEARN ABOUT THE DIFFERENT CULTURES VIA GAMES VIA CLOTHING, VIA ANYTHING THAT THEY FEEL IS IMPORTANT TO THEIR CULTURE. SO, WE ARE VERY EXCITED FOR THAT. WE ARE CARRYING PART OF IB IS NOT JUST CARRYING ABOUT YOURSELF OR YOUR HOME OR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. IT'S ALSO CARING ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY AND THE WORLD AROUND YOU. SO WE HAVE DONE THINGS FROM WRITING STUDENT, HOME, STUDENT MADE HOLIDAY CARDS FOR OUR LOCAL NURSING HOME, TO ENGAGING WITH THE SCHOOL WIDE HEB RECYCLING BAG PROJECT FOR EARTH DAY. WE HAVE ORGANIZED A BLANKET DONATION DRIVES FOR THE HOMELESS, AND WE HAVE EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT OUR FURRY FRIENDS THROUGH THE SCHOOL WIDE PAWS ANIMAL SHELTER DRIVE THAT WAS ORGANIZED BY STUDENT COUNCIL. WE ARE RISK TAKERS. OUR STUDENTS DAILY TAKE RISKS. HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES. WE HAVE. YOU KNOW, OUR STUDENTS GOING INTO FIFTH GRADE DAY CAMP. WE HAVE OUR TEACHER GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND AND SAYING, I AM GOING TO PUT IT OUT THERE, I'M GOING TO WRITE A GRANT. AND, YOU KNOW, SHE RECEIVED IT. NOT ONLY THIS ONE, BUT SHE'S ALSO RECEIVED OTHER GRANTS THAT HAVE ALSO ALLOWED US THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE OUR VERY OWN PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB IN HONOR OF MR. JIM CULLEN. WE HAVE OUR STUDENTS WRITING AND TAKING RISKS AT THE TOP. YOU SEE A LITTLE ONE FROM KINDER SAYING, IF I WERE PRESIDENT, I WOULD BE A RISK TAKER. WE HAD OUR STUDENT COUNCIL CANDIDATES GOING ON. BUT MOST IMPORTANT YOU KNOW, OUR STAFF, EVERY SINGLE PERSON THAT YOU SEE IN THAT PICTURE IN THE MIDDLE TOOK A RISK TO OPEN THE SCHOOL, NOT KNOWING WHAT IB WAS GOING TO BE LIKE. AND AS I WAS INTERVIEWING PEOPLE, I SAID, IT'S GOING TO BE HARD AND IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT. [00:30:05] AND THEY ALL SAID, WE ARE WANTING TO DO THIS. SO TOGETHER WE ARE ON THIS JOURNEY. WE ARE BALANCED. SO NOT ONLY DO WE TAKE CARE OF ACADEMICS, AND WE WORRY ABOUT ACADEMICS, BUT WE WORRY ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY. WE WORRY ABOUT THE MIND AND BODY. THE MUSIC. ARTS. LEARNING ABOUT NATURE. LEARNING ABOUT NUTRITION. THEN WE ARE CALLING ELEMENTARY. AND IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT STAFF AND STUDENTS AS LOVELY AS THEY ARE, BUT IT'S ALSO ABOUT THE COMMUNITY THAT SURROUNDS US. IT'S ABOUT THE SUPPORT THAT WE RECEIVE FROM OUR DISTRICT, FROM OUR PTA, FROM OUR PARENTS, AND WE ARE SO GRATEFUL AND SO PROUD TO BE CUBS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALL RIGHT. ARE WE GOING TO DO A PERFORMANCE NOW? OKAY. SO WE'RE GOING TO GET UP AND WE'RE GOING TO GO OUT THERE IN THE STANDING ROOM ONLY AREA. RIGHT HERE. RIGHT HERE. HI, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NAME IS MADDIE BAKER. IT IS MY PRIVILEGE TO INTRODUCE TO YOU THE CULLEN CHOIR. WE ARE MADE UP OF FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADERS. WE'VE BEEN WORKING REAL HARD ALL YEAR. ONE OF THE SONGS WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON IS BANANA, WHICH OTHERWISE KNOWN AS SOLDIER SONG. IT COMES FROM THE CONGO REGION AS A CONGOLESE FOLK SONG. SO I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS IS BANANA BY THE FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADERS OF OUR CULLEN CHOIR. [SINGING]. [00:38:15] ALL RIGHT. YES. SO FIRST OF ALL, GREAT JOB. GREAT JOB TO THE STUDENTS. GREAT JOB ON YOUR STAFF. I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO OUR BOARD FOR ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS I'LL START OFF HERE ON MY RIGHT, MR. FLORES. FIRST OFF, THANK YOU. PRINCIPAL LADA. PARENTS, GUARDIANS, FAMILIES, KIDS ESPECIALLY FOR THAT WONDERFUL PERFORMANCE. THIS IS ALWAYS THE BEST PART OF OUR BOARD MEETINGS. AND JUST TO EMPHASIZE, THIS IS THE VERY FIRST YEAR. I MEAN, YOU ALL ARE THE INAUGURAL YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE INAUGURAL YEAR, THE INAUGURAL YOU KNOW, YEAR. AND YOU'RE SETTING PRECEDENTS GOING FORWARD, RIGHT? FOR THOSE THAT COME AFTER AMAZING PRECEDENTS AND FOSTERING CRITICAL THINKERS, RIGHT? PRINCIPLE, OPEN MINDED INDIVIDUALS, AND YOU'RE DOING SUCH A GREAT JOB ON YOUR FIRST YEAR. I'VE GOT TO VISIT THE CAMPUS. IT'S BEAUTIFUL, AND YOU'RE JUST GOING TO KEEP GETTING BETTER EVERY SINGLE YEAR. AND BEING AN IB CAMPUS, YOU'RE SETTING THE TONE NOT ONLY FOR CULLEN, BUT FOR RAMAGE, WHICH IS COMING SOON. RIGHT? SO, WE HOPE TO TAKE WHAT YOU ALL HAVE LEARNED AND, YOU KNOW, MOVING FORWARD. AND AGAIN, I'M GOING TO KEEP IT SHORT. BUT YOU ALL ARE AMAZING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING. THANK YOU, MISS RUNKLE. YES. WAY TO GO, CUBS. THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. YOU ALL HAVE AMAZING VOICES, AND WE LOVE WHEN YOU BRING YOUR KIDS TO US, BECAUSE THAT'S THE BEST PART OF OUR NIGHT. I REMEMBER THE RIBBON CUTTING, AND THAT WAS SUCH AN INCREDIBLE SPECIAL MOMENT. I REMEMBER LOOKING AROUND AND LOOKING AT FORMER STAFF, FORMER STUDENTS OF MR. CULLEN, AND JUST THE NETWORK AND THE COMMUNITY THAT HAD ALREADY BEEN ESTABLISHED AT THAT CAMPUS, AT THAT RIBBON CUTTING. AND TO SEE THE AMAZING THINGS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE THIS YEAR IS JUST WONDERFUL. AND PRINCIPAL LATTA, I GOT TO KNOW YOU AT PFLUGER. AND SO, KNOWING THAT YOU HAD IB EXPERIENCE, I JUST PERSONALLY KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO SET AND TAKE OFF. [00:40:02] AND YOU'VE DONE THAT AND SO HAS YOUR TEAM. SO, IT'S BEEN ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL TO WATCH. GREAT JOB ON ATTENDANCE CUBS. THAT'S PRETTY AWESOME. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK. WE'RE ALMOST TO THE END OF THE YEAR SO FINISH STRONG. I THE GT STUDENTS, WAY TO GO. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT IT IS NEXT YEAR. YOU GUYS ARE IDENTIFYING STUDENTS, AND THAT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. SO, FOR YOUR TEAM THAT'S DOING THAT, THAT'S AMAZING. WHAT ELSE? I HAD A COUPLE OF OTHER THINGS COMMUNICATORS RISK TAKERS. I GOT TO TELL YOU, THOSE ARE PROBABLY TWO WORDS THAT I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MYSELF. COMMUNICATION IS SO INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. SO THE FACT THAT WE'RE STARTING THAT AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE, AND WE ARE MAKING SURE THAT THEY KNOW HOW TO COMMUNICATE AND THEY ARE COMMUNICATING AND USING THEIR VOICE IS SO INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. I LOVE THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING THAT. AND RISK TAKERS. YEAH. WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE WE'RE CONSTANTLY HAVING TO TAKE RISKS, SO I LOVE THAT IT'S STARTING AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK, CUBS. TO ALL OF OUR TEACHERS AND OUR STAFF. WE ARE ALMOST THERE. THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK. AND IB IS NOT EASY. AND AS MR. FLORES SAID, YOU GUYS HAVE SET THE TONE FOR RAMAGE, SO KEEP IT UP. THANKS. THANK YOU, MISS PETREA. THANK YOU CUBS, THIS IS SUCH A GREAT TURNOUT. I YES, WE DO LOVE HAVING OUR STUDENTS HERE. THANK YOU FOR DOING THE PLEDGE WITH ME I APPRECIATE IT. SO, Y'ALL, THIS IS OUR FIRST IB SCHOOL. THIS IS KIND OF A NEW, NEW THING FOR HAYS CISD. I KNOW ESPERANZA WILL TAKE THE CREDIT CARD FOR BRINGING IB TO OUR DISTRICT, AND THAT'S FINE. AND Y'ALL ARE KNOCKING IT OUT OF THE PARK. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING SUCH A STRONG LEADER OF IB. I THINK YOU HAVING EXPERIENCE WITH IB BEFORE TAKING ON THIS ROLE HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE ASSET TO OUR DISTRICT TO KIND OF LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE FOR FOR HAYS CISD. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. YOU HAVE THE VERY BEST NAMESAKE ON THE PLANET. I'M JUST GOING TO SAY IT. JIM CULLEN, YOU ARE A GEM IN THIS COMMUNITY, AND WE'RE SO LUCKY TO HAVE YOU. AND HE'LL HE'LL HE IS THE BEST AT DEFLECTING AND DEFERRING AND AND GIVING YOU ALL THE WORDS OF AFFIRMATION THAT YOU WANT TO HEAR, BECAUSE HE'S AN AMAZING HUMAN BEING. BUT THIS IS ABOUT YOU. AND I'M SO HAPPY AND GRATEFUL THAT YOU GET TO BE PART OF THIS COMMUNITY AND SEE ALL THE AMAZING THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING AT THE SCHOOL. SO YES. AND IF YOU HAVEN'T MET JIM CULLEN, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE TAKE TIME TO MEET JIM CULLEN. HE'S AN INCREDIBLE. I WANT TO SAY JUST THANK YOU TO THE STUDENTS THAT WERE HERE TONIGHT. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE STAFF THAT ARE THAT ARE HERE. AND YES, WE HEARD AT THE RIBBON CUTTING THAT SOME OF JIM CULLEN'S FORMER STUDENTS ARE TEACHERS AT CULLEN. I WAS LIKE, STOP. THAT CAN'T EVEN BE REAL. I MEAN, LIKE, TIM SAVOY COULDN'T HAVE WRITTEN A BETTER RIBBON CUTTING, YOU KNOW, STORY OF ABOUT HIM. AND JIM USED TO WORK WITH WITH WITH TIM SAVOY AND THE PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP, SO IT'S JUST PERFECT. THANK YOU EVERYBODY. THIS IS A, YOU KNOW, ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS ARE SPECIAL, ESPECIALLY THE NEW ONES THAT COME ONLINE. BUT YOU ALREADY HAVE JUST DEVELOPED THIS INCREDIBLE COMMUNITY AND AND IB IS OH, THERE'S TIM SAVOY. I WAS LIKE, LOOKING OVER THERE FOR YOU. SORRY. YOU'RE HANGING OUT WITH YOUR BUDDY JIM. SO THANKS FOR FOR MAKING IB LOOK EASY AND THANK YOU AND CONTINUE TO DO WHAT YOU'RE DOING. OH, I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THE PAWS STUFF. I AM A BIG ANIMAL. I HAVE FOUR ANIMALS PEOPLE KNOW. MAYBE FIVE WITH THE MOUSE. DOES THAT COUNT? AND AND YOU KNOW, PAUL SAYS REALLY GREAT WORK IN OUR COMMUNITY AND THE NURSING HOME OUTREACH, ALL OF THE COMMUNITY SERVICE THINGS THAT YOU'RE DOING, I THINK IS PART OF THE IB. I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT. THANK YOU, MR. SEIBEL, PRINCIPAL, JUST THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU ARE DOING IN THE SCHOOL. I WON'T REPEAT EVERYTHING THAT'S ALREADY BEEN SAID. YOU KNOW, LAST WEEK WE GOT TO HEAR ABOUT OUR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND JUST SOME TREMENDOUS SCORES ACROSS THE BOARD. I JUST, I MEAN, SCIENCE 94, 96, 96 AND YOUR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT SCORES, YOUR GROWTH ACROSS THE BOARD, YOU KNOW, SO THOSE ARE ALL GREAT, YOU KNOW, STATISTICAL POINTS FOR US TO LOOK AT. AND I LOVED, YOU KNOW, TYING THAT ALL TOGETHER WITH HOW YOU'RE PRESENTING THAT YOU, WE ARE NOT JUST TEACHING, YOU KNOW, THE SUBJECTS WE ARE TEACHING THE WHOLE STUDENT. AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU PRESENTED HERE TONIGHT JUST REFLECTS EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE DOING FOR OUR STUDENTS AND THE COMMUNITY. PARENTS, I THANK YOU GUYS FOR FOR SUPPORTING THAT INQUIRY BASED CURIOSITY APPROACH. I KNOW YOU GUYS MIGHT BE EXHAUSTED, BUT WHY? BUT WHY? BUT WHY? BUT WHY? SO, I APPLAUD YOU GUYS FOR HANGING IN THERE AND DEALING WITH THAT, TOO. AND SO JUST OVERALL JUST TREMENDOUS JOB AND JUST VERY THANKFUL FOR ALL YOU'RE DOING. THANK YOU, MRS. OROSCO. WE LOVE OUR CUBS! I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR OUR PTA. OUR PTA IS AMAZING. I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF ATTENDING ALL THE PTA MEETINGS OVER THERE, AND IT'S ALWAYS SUCH GREAT SUPPORT FROM THE PTA AND THE COMMUNITY THAT REALLY [00:45:02] SUPPORTS OUR CULLEN CUBS. IT'S GREAT, AND I JUST LOVE THE TRIBUTE TO JIM WITH THE PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB. THAT IS PRETTY AMAZING. I LOVE THAT THAT YOU ALL DID THAT. GRANT IN JUST ANOTHER LITTLE WINK TO JIM. AND I'VE KNOWN JIM SINCE I STARTED TEACHING IN HAYS CISD, WE MET WAY BACK IN THE DAY, 2003. MY GOD, IT'S BEEN A MINUTE. SO, SUCH A WONDERFUL PLACE TO BE. AND I LOVE GOING AND SEEING JIM THERE ALL THE TIME THAT I'M THERE AT CULLEN. SO GREAT JOB. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. SEVERANCE. YEAH, I MIGHT REPEAT SOME THINGS, SO THAT'S OKAY. BUT I WILL SAY, MISS LAURA, YOU KNOW, OPENING A NEW SCHOOL ISN'T EASY. I MEAN, NOT ONLY IS IT NOT EASY, IT'S, YOU'RE OPENING AN IB SCHOOL AS WELL. SO JUST WANT TO HATS OFF TO YOU AND YOUR STAFF BECAUSE THAT'S NOT EASY. THEY, THEY WENT THERE KNOWING THAT THEY WERE SIGNING UP FOR SOMETHING THAT WE HAVEN'T DONE ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE DISTRICT. SO HATS OFF TO THE STAFF. THAT SHOWS A LOT TO YOUR LEADERSHIP AS LAURA. THAT'S A BIG DEAL. SO GREAT JOB. BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE IT'S GOING TO IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME I MEAN CONGRATS ON ITS APPARENTLY, YOU'RE AHEAD OF THE SCHEDULE ON THAT. SO THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR. I LOVE THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE INTEGRATING IT WITH OUR CURRENT CURRICULUM. I CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR MORE ABOUT IT DOWN THE ROAD AND WHAT THOSE LESSONS PLANS LOOK LIKE AND HOW THAT'S INTEGRATED. SO JUST GREAT JOB THERE. A COUPLE THINGS I WANT TO POINT OUT, LIKE MR. CULLEN YOU KNOW, I GUESS WE'RE ON THE SAME CALENDAR SCHEDULE BECAUSE I FELT LIKE I WAS ON THAT CAMPUS QUITE A BIT THIS YEAR, AND YOU WERE PRETTY MUCH THERE EVERY TIME I WAS THERE. SO, I LOVE THAT YOU'RE THAT THE CAMPUS INVOLVES YOU IN WHAT THEY'RE DOING, AND THEY WANT YOU TO BE THERE, AND WE WANT YOU TO BE THERE. AND SO, I THINK IT'S JUST GREAT. SO MAYBE NEXT YEAR WE'LL BE ON THE SAME CALENDAR SCHEDULE. WE CAN JUST RIDE TOGETHER AND DO ALL THE THINGS TOGETHER. SO, I ALSO LIKE THE, THE BATTLE OF THE BOOKS. TRUSTEE AND I GOT TO GO TO THE BATTLE OF THE BOOKS OVER AT HAYS HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS, AND THAT WAS A LOT OF FUN TO WATCH HOW THEY HOW THEY INTEGRATE. I'M NOT SURE IF IT'S THE SAME THING THAT THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS ARE DOING, BUT THE FACT THAT THAT YOU INTEGRATING THAT INTO WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE DOING AT THE, AT THE NEXT LEVEL IS KIND OF KIND OF EXCITING. AND, YOU KNOW, MY KIDS, I LOVE THEM AND THEIR ROOMS ARE MESSY. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? THEY'RE GOOD HUMANS. SO WHEN THEY GET TO THE WORLD, THEY'RE GOING TO BE GOOD HUMANS. AND I LOVE THE FACT THAT THE COMMUNITY SIDE OF WHAT YOU'RE HELPING YOUR THESE, THESE STUDENTS, THESE CUBS, SO TO SPEAK, YOU KNOW, GET INVOLVED IN TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO TO WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE. SO THANK YOU FOR RAISING SOME GOOD HUMANS TOO. SO APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE. THANK YOU. ONE OF THE BAD THINGS ABOUT HAVING TO GO LAST IS EVERYBODY ALREADY TOOK ALL MY POINTS. BUT TRUE STORY. THE OTHER DAY I PUT ON MY CULLEN T SHIRT. AND I PUT ON A CHICAGO CUBS. YOU KNOW, BASEBALL. THAT'S NOT THE ONLY TEAM I'LL MENTION TONIGHT. THE TEAM UP IN DALLAS IS ON THE CLOCK, AND THIS IS OUR YEAR. ANYWAYS I DIGRESS, BUT IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, NO. CULLEN ELEMENTARY, THIS HAS BEEN YOUR YEAR. THIS HAS BEEN A GREAT YEAR. I'M EXCITED FOR WHAT WE SAW TONIGHT. I'M EXCITED FOR WHAT WE'VE SEEN AND WHAT WE HAVE AHEAD OF US. SO GREAT JOB, GREAT LEGACY. YOU KNOW, IN OUR NAMESAKE, GREAT, GREAT LEADERSHIP STUDENTS, GREAT JOB. AND WHILE THEY WERE SITTING HERE, AS DR. WRIGHT WAS GIVING HIS SUPERINTENDENT REPORT, THEIR EYES WERE UP ON THE SCREEN BECAUSE THEY WERE SEEING ALL THESE ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR UIL, FOR FINE ARTS, FOR ATHLETICS. AND SO, STUDENTS, IF YOU'RE LISTENING, THAT'S GOING TO BE YOU IN A FEW YEARS IN ANY ONE OF THOSE AREAS WILL CONTINUE TO WORK HARD, CONTINUE TO BELIEVE IN THOSE PRINCIPALS, THAT YOUR STAFF, THAT YOUR TEACHERS AND YOUR PRINCIPALS ARE GIVING YOU. AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO CELEBRATING YOU NOT ONLY TONIGHT. YOU DID A GREAT JOB, BUT, YOU KNOW, JUST CONTINUE TO DREAM AND LOOK FORWARD TO GREAT BIG GOALS AHEAD. SO GREAT JOB TO EVERYBODY. GO CUBS. YES. ALL RIGHT TEAM WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD. I KNOW SOME OF OUR KIDS ARE GOING TO SHUFFLE OUT. SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A FIVE MINUTE RECESS. AND TO GIVE EVERYBODY A CHANCE TO GET SITUATED. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, TEAM, IF WE CAN START MAKING OUR WAY BACK TO THE DAIS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THAT IS BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK FROM OUR STUDENTS. SO. YEAH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YEAH. AWESOME. YEAH. AS CULLEN ELEMENTARY IS STILL MAKING THEIR WAY OUT, WE DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THE GIFTS, BUT WE GOT SOME ARTWORK THAT WAS GIVEN TO US. SO THAT'S. AND THEY ALSO GAVE ME A BOX OF BUNTINIS THAT I'M SUPPOSED TO SHARE WITH THE REST OF THE BOARD, I DON'T KNOW. SO ANYWAYS, THEY'VE ALREADY TAKEN THEM. OKAY. BUT YES, THANK YOU TO CULLEN ELEMENTARY. SO. ALL RIGHT. TEAM, WE DO WANT TO BACK UP TO OUR PUBLIC FORUM PORTION. [H. PUBLIC FORUM ] [00:50:05] FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO SIGNED UP TONIGHT, WE DO HAVE TWO SPEAKERS. LET ME JUST LET ME APOLOGIZE. AND AGAIN, WE WANTED TO GET OUR STUDENTS AND HOPEFULLY YOU GOT A CHANCE TO SEE MORE ABOUT ONE OF OUR CAMPUSES AND JUST THE GREAT THINGS THAT THAT ARE BEING ACCOMPLISHED IN OUR CAMPUSES AND IN OUR DISTRICT. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE WITH US TONIGHT, WITH ME FOR MAKING THIS DECISION TO MOVE SOME THINGS AROUND. SO, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO OUR PUBLIC FORUM. WE DO HAVE TWO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WISH TO ADDRESS THE BOARD. AND SO, ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC WHO WISHES TO ADDRESS THE BOARD IN PUBLIC FORUMS HAVE COMPLETED THE GREEN SHEET LOCATED AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE MEETING ROOM, PRIOR TO THE BOARD RECONVENING IN OPEN SESSION. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN BOARD MEETINGS IS LIMITED TO THE PUBLIC FORUM PORTION OF THE MEETING AS PROVIDED IN BOARD, LOCAL AND BOARD POLICY BED LOCAL. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE AUDIO AND VIDEO OF PUBLIC FORUM IS RECORDED AS PART OF THE RECORDING OF THE ENTIRE MEETING AND IS PUBLISHED ON THE DISTRICT'S WEBSITE WITHOUT ALTERATION. A PERSON WHO CHOOSES TO SPEAK IN PUBLIC FORUM IS CONSENTING TO THE ONLINE PUBLICATION OF THEIR COMMENTS. SO AGAIN, WE DO HAVE TWO SPEAKERS TONIGHT. WE WILL GIVE EACH OF THEM FIVE MINUTES. AND OUR FIRST PERSON THAT SIGNED UP IS AND I'M GOING TO PROBABLY MISPRONOUNCE THE NAME HERE, BUT IT'S MICHELLE. FARVER. MISS FARVER WELCOME. AND WHEN YOU COME UP HERE, YOU'LL ACTUALLY PRESS THE BUTTON WITH THE LITTLE MAN ICON TO TURN THAT MICROPHONE ON. ALL RIGHT, MISS GLORIA, ARE WE READY WITH THE TIMER AS WELL? ALL RIGHT, MISS FARBER. I'M A TEACHER, SO I HAD TO BRING MY BAG OF TRICKS HERE, SO. SO GOOD EVENING, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. MY NAME IS MICHELLE FARBER, AND I AM HONORED TO SPEAK WITH YOU TONIGHT AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION VISION SERVICES TEAM. OUR TEAM CURRENTLY INCLUDES TWO BRAILLISTS, TWO TEACHERS OF STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS, KNOWN AS TSVIS, AND TWO ORIENTATION MOBILITY SPECIALISTS, OR OMS. WE COME TO YOU WITH A SHARED AND GROWING CONCERN FOR THE QUALITY AND CONSISTENCY OF SERVICES BEING PROVIDED TO OUR STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS. THIS SCHOOL YEAR, OUR ALREADY LIMITED TEAM HAS BEEN STRETCHED FAR BEYOND CAPACITY DUE TO A SURGE IN NEW STUDENT REFERRALS AND A RISE IN INITIAL EVALUATIONS FOR THE 2425 SCHOOL YEAR. WE SHOULD HAVE HAD THREE FULL TIME TSVIS. HOWEVER, ONE OF THOSE POSITIONS WAS NOT POSTED UNTIL JANUARY 2025, EVEN THOUGH IT HAD BEEN VACANT SINCE JULY OF 2024. OF THE TWO TSVIS WE DID HAVE, ONE WAS ON FMLA LEAVE, LEAVING US WITH ONLY ONE ACTIVE TSVI COMPARED TO FOUR FULL TIME TSVIS IN PRIOR YEARS. TO GIVE YOU CONTEXT, THE LESS TIME WE HAD JUST TWO TSVIS WAS IN 2012 WHEN WE SERVED 13 STUDENTS. TODAY WE SERVE 71 STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS. DESPITE THESE CHALLENGES, WE HAVE DONE EVERYTHING WE CAN TO SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS. BUT THE TRUTH IS, IT HASN'T BEEN ENOUGH TO FILL THE GAPS. WE HAD TO GET CREATIVE. A FOUNDATIONAL LEARNING TEACHER WHO IS CERTIFIED IN VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS AND DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING, TOOK ON ADDITIONAL DUTIES TO SUPPORT HER OWN CLASSROOM STUDENTS. I PERSONALLY STEPPED INTO BOTH THE TSVI AND O&M ROLE, WHILE EARNING SIGNIFICANTLY LESS AS AN O&M THAN AS IF I WAS A TSVI ON PAYROLL OR AN FL CLASSROOM TEACHER. I DID IT BECAUSE I COULD NOT ALLOW MY STUDENTS WITH DEAF BLINDNESS TO GO WITHOUT ANY OF THE VI AND O&M ESSENTIAL SERVICES THEY NEED TO SUCCEED. OUR WORK IS NOT JUST A JOB, IT'S A CALLING THAT REQUIRES DEEP COMMITMENT AND SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE. TZVI IS AN O&M SPECIALIST, MUST COMPLETE AT LEAST 27 HOURS OF GRADUATE LEVEL COURSEWORK, OFTEN COMPLETING INTERNSHIPS AWAY FROM THEIR FAMILIES. WE ARE REQUIRED TO PASS RIGOROUS EXAMS, INCLUDING FOR THE TZVI, THE TEXAS BRAILLE CERTIFICATION, AND ALSO A SECOND TEST, THE TEXAS VISUAL IMPAIRMENT CERTIFICATION, OR O&M. WE PASSED THE NATIONAL ORIENTATION AND MOBILITY CERTIFICATION EXAM. WE ARE A NICHE PROFESSION AND PUBLIC EDUCATION WITH HIGHLY SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE. AND SADLY, MANY OF US ARE NOW SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING RETURNING TO THE CLASSROOM, TO CLASSROOM SPREAD ROLES OR SEEKING OTHER EMPLOYMENT. YOU MAY BE ASKING, HOW DO WE FIX THIS? LET ME SHARE TWO KEY AREAS THAT WOULD MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE. [00:55:01] FIRST, WE ASKED THE DISTRICT TO PRIORITIZE STAFFING AND INCREASE THE NUMBER OF FULL TIME TSVI AND O&M POSITIONS FOR THE 2526 SCHOOL YEAR. WITHOUT ADEQUATE STAFFING, OUR STUDENTS CANNOT RECEIVE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO THEIR EDUCATION. AND SECONDLY, WE RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THE CREATION OF A BILINGUAL BRAILLE STIPEND IN HAYS CISD. DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING PROFESSIONALS USING AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE AND ALSO THE REGIONAL DAY SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF. USING SIGNED EXACT ENGLISH, RECEIVE A BILINGUAL STIPEND. OUR WORK AS TSVIS IS ALSO LANGUAGE BASED, TEACHING BRAILLE, TACTILE LITERACY, ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY SPECIFIC TO THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED, AND ALTERNATE LEARNING MEDIA. WE WRITE FUNCTIONAL VISION EVALUATIONS, LEARNING MEDIA ASSESSMENTS, AND EXPANDED CORE CURRICULUM RECOMMENDATIONS THAT TOUCH EVERY AREA OF A STUDENT'S ACADEMIC AND DAILY LIFE. O&MS PROVIDE CRITICAL INSTRUCTION FOR INDEPENDENT NAVIGATION ACROSS SCHOOL CAMPUSES, NEIGHBORHOODS, AND PUBLIC SPACES. OFTEN TEACHING SKILLS AS VITAL AS CROSSING A BUSY STREET WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO SEE OR HEAR THE TRAFFIC SIGNALS. WE ARE PROUD OF THE IMPACT WE'VE MADE HERE IN HAYS. OUR DISTRICT HAS BEEN HOME TO SOME OF THE BEST TSVIS O&MS AND DEAF BLIND SPECIALISTS IN THE STATE. BUT WE ARE LOSING THAT TALENT BECAUSE WITHOUT PROPER SUPPORT AND INCENTIVES, WE CANNOT SUSTAIN THEM. WE LOVE OUR STUDENTS AND WE LOVE WHAT WE DO, BUT THE CURRENT STRAIN IS AFFECTING OUR HEALTH, OUR FAMILIES AND OUR ABILITY TO CONTINUE. TONIGHT, WE ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT BY INCREASING STAFFING AND BY RECOGNIZING THE VALUE OF OUR PROFESSION THROUGH A BILINGUAL STIPEND. WITH YOUR LEADERSHIP, WE CAN CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE LIFE CHANGING SERVICES OUR STUDENTS NEED AND DESERVE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. AND I WANT TO. OH. AM I OUT OF TIME? YEAH. MISS BARBARA, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I KNOW WE'VE BEEN CAPTURING NOTES BUT THANK YOU FOR, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. OKAY. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CHRIS CAGLE. WRIGHT GOT A THUMBS UP. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, JUST LIKE THE QUESTION. SO, ARE YOU HIM? NO, I TELL PEOPLE HE MAKES MORE MONEY THAN ME, ALL RIGHT, BUT I'M BETTER LOOKING THAN HIM. GOOD. DEAL BETTER THAN HIM. MR. CAGLE, YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES, SIR. THANK YOU. I CAME TONIGHT WITH ONE AGENDA, BUT IT'S CHANGED AS I'VE SAT HERE TONIGHT. IT WAS A JOY TO SEE THESE KIDS SING. AND I'M VERY PROUD OF THIS BOARD. AND I'M PROUD OF THIS COMMUNITY, MY FAMILY. WE MOVED HERE IN 2008 BECAUSE WE HAD A SON WITH CHARGE SYNDROME WHO WAS DEAF, AND I MOVED HERE BECAUSE I WENT INTO THE SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE OVER THERE AND I SAID, HEY, WILL Y'ALL BUS MY SON TO TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF IF WE LIVE HERE? AND THEY SAID, YEAH, I THINK SO. GO OVER TO THE BUS BARN AND ASK THEM. AND I DID, AND THEY SAID, YEAH, WE CAN DO THAT. SO, WE MOVED HERE ABOUT FOUR MONTHS AFTER THAT HAPPENED AFTER MY WIFE HAD HER TUBES TIED AND CAUTERIZED TWICE, WE HAD ANOTHER SPECIAL NEEDS SON WITH CHARGE SYNDROME, AND WE FELT LIKE WE WERE IN THE RIGHT PLACE. THE DISTRICT WAS GOING AND BLOWING. THEY FOCUSED ON MY KID'S NEEDS AND OTHER KID'S NEEDS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. THEN IN 2015, AFTER MY WIFE HAD HER TUBES TIED AND CAUTERIZE AGAIN, WE HAD OUR FIFTH SON AND HE WASN'T DEAFBLIND, BUT HE WAS BORN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS HE'S INVISIBLY DISABLED AND OUR OTHER TWO ARE VISIBLY DISABLED. ALL THAT TO SAY, THIS COMMUNITY AND THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR THE MOST PART HAS SERVED MY SONS WELL. BUT SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE THAT SERVICE HAS FAILED. AND I'M HERE TONIGHT TO IMPLORE TO YOU AS A BOARD AND AS OTHER EDUCATORS AND STAFF, THAT AS YOU LOOK AT THE $342,304,917 PROPOSED BUDGET THAT YOU DON'T LET SPECIAL EDUCATION SLIDE ANYMORE. THERE HAVE BEEN PROBLEMS IN LEADERSHIP, AND THERE'S PROBLEMS PROBABLY HIGHER ABOVE THOSE DIRECTORS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION. BUT IN SHORT, MY 17 YEAR OLD SON, MY SECOND SON FOR THE 24-25 SCHOOL YEAR, HAS GONE TO SCHOOL AND NOT HAD A DAILY PERSON THAT CAN BE WITH HIM AND HELP HIM IN A VISUAL CAPACITY. THERE'S ALSO NOT BEEN A DEAF SUPPORT SPECIALIST JOB POSTED TO FEEL THE [01:00:10] NEED FOR MY SON AND ANOTHER BOY IN HIS CLASS. WHEN THEY WERE WHEN HE WAS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. EIGHTH GRADE WAS COMING TO AN END. WE HAD AN ARD MEETING. THERE WAS NO PLAN FOR THE NEXT YEAR. YOU KNOW WHAT THE PLAN ENDED UP BEING? HIM SAYING IT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND GETTING THE SAME THING HE GOT. HE GOT GOOD THINGS, BUT HE WAS ROBBED. THE RIGHT TO GO TO HIGH SCHOOL. HE MAY BE DEAF. HE MAY BE BLIND. BUT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS DESERVE THE BEST. AND ACCORDING TO LAW, MY SON DESERVES [INAUDIBLE], AND HE HASN'T GOTTEN THAT. AND IT'S NOT ACCEPTABLE. I'M NOT HEARING ANGER. I'M HERE TO SUPPORT YOU. I'M HERE TO HELP YOU. AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW I THINK WE CAN BE BETTER THAN WE HAVE BEEN. AND I THINK WE CAN BE THE BEST. WE'RE NOT EANES. WE'RE HAYS. AND WE NEED TO RISE ABOVE THAT. LOOK AT THIS. MY SON. HIS STRESS LEVEL IS THAT OF. IF YOU AND I WERE TRYING TO GET OUT OF A BURNING BUILDING. HE GOES TO SCHOOL, HE'S DEAF. HE'S BLIND. HE'S NOT GETTING SERVED. WE HAVE TO LOOK AT IT THIS WAY. MOST STUDENTS, WHEN THEY LEAVE HIGH SCHOOL, THEY HAVE CHOICES. THEY CAN GET A BLUE COLLAR JOB. THEY CAN TRAVEL. THEY CAN GO TO COLLEGE. THEY CANNOT GO TO COLLEGE. BUT THERE'S THINGS THEY CAN DO. MY SON AND OTHER SPECIAL ED KIDS, YOU KNOW WHAT? THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE SERVED RIGHT UP UNTIL THE YEAR OF THEIR 22ND BIRTHDAY. AND AFTER THAT, THERE'S NOTHING. ONLY WHAT WE AS PARENTS CAN FIND. IF WE CAN FIND A DAY JOB, IF WE CAN FIND A GROUP HOME. BUT WHAT THEY GET IS WHAT YOU GIVE THEM. AND THEY DESERVE WHAT THEIR OPPORTUNITY SHOULD BE. SO, LET'S MAKE IT THE BEST. NOT JUST FOR MY SON, BUT FOR THE KIDS THAT ARE COMING UP BEHIND THEM AND THE KIDS THAT ARE BESIDE THEM. I BELIEVE IN YOU, AND I IMPLORE TO YOU DO WHAT'S AWESOME SO WE CAN RISE AND BE THE BEST. NOT IN JUST TEXAS, BUT ANYWHERE. MR. CAGLE, THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO BOTH OF OUR SPEAKERS TONIGHT. WHILE WE DON'T HAVE AN AGENDA ITEM THAT ADDRESSES THESE CONCERNS, JUST AS A STATEMENT OF FACT, I KNOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT STAFFING WHEN IT COMES TO BUDGETS. BUT ALSO, AT THE END OF OUR MEETINGS, I KNOW WE TURN IT OVER TO ANY REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION FROM OUR BOARD, AND I DID SEE SOME COPIOUS NOTES BEING TAKEN. SO, THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. ALL RIGHT, TEAM. WE ARE NOW GOING TO GO TO. LETTER I OUR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT REPORT. I KNOW LAST WEEK YOU ALL HAD A CHANCE TO GO OVER THIS. I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR INFORMATION THAT MAY HAVE COME UP FROM THAT ITEM. LOOKING TO MY LEFT. LOOKING RIGHT. OKAY. TEAM, WE ARE NOW MOVING ON TO OUR CONSENT AGENDA. [K. CONSENT AGENDA ] I KNOW YOU ALL HAD A CHANCE TO DISCUSS THIS AGAIN AT LAST WEEK'S MEETING. THE SUGGESTED MOTION IS THAT THE HAYS CISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS PRESENTED. MOVED BY MR. FLORES, SECOND BY MISS PETREA. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES 7-0. TEAM, THAT TAKES US TO OUR ACTION ITEMS FOR [L.1. Consideration and possible approval of the purchase of Emergency Management Software for Critical Incident Notification] TONIGHT. ALL RIGHT. AGAIN, I KNOW YOU ALL HAD A CHANCE TO TALK ABOUT THIS LAST WEEK AND EVERYBODY HAS SUBMITTED QUESTIONS. OUR FIRST ITEM, L.1 CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE APPROVAL OF THE PURCHASE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE FOR CRITICAL INCIDENT NOTIFICATION. THE SUGGESTED MOTION IS THAT THE HAYS CISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVED THE PURCHASE OF RECOMMENDED EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE FOR AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $95,368, AS DISCUSSED AND PRESENTED. MOVED BY MISS PETREA, SECOND BY MR. [01:05:04] SEVERANCE. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES 7-0. TEAM, WE ARE ON PAGE 53. [L.2. Consideration and possible approval of the purchase of Instructional Materials and Start-up Expenses for the Fall 2025 opening of Ramage Elementary School] ITEM L.2. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE APPROVAL OF THE PURCHASE OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS AND STARTUP EXPENSES FOR THE FALL 2025 OPENING OF RAMAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. THE SUGGESTED MOTION IS THAT THE HAYS CISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVE THE 2023 BOND PURCHASE OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS AND STARTUP EXPENSES FOR FALL 2025 OPENING OF RAMAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FOR AN ESTIMATED AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $831,664.21 AS PRESENTED. MOVED BY MISS PETREA, SECOND BY MR. SEVERANCE. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES SEVEN ZERO. ITEM L.3, CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE APPROVAL OF THE PURCHASE OF SECURITY FENCING AND ASSOCIATED INSTALLATION SERVICES. [L.3. Consideration and possible approval of the purchase of Security Fencing and Associated Installation Services (Phase 3) - Encore Fence] PHASE THREE WITH ENCORE FENCE. THE SUGGESTED MOTION IS THAT THE HAYS CISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVED THE PURCHASE OF SECURITY FENCING AND ASSOCIATED INSTALLATION SERVICES FROM ENCORE FENCE FOR AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $230,152 AS PRESENTED. MOVED BY MISS PETREA. SECOND BY MR. FLORES. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES 7-0. [L.4. Consideration and possible approval of the Design Document Package and Cost Estimate for 2025 Bond Comprehensive High School #4] ITEM L.4 ON PAGE 65. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE APPROVAL OF THE DESIGN DOCUMENT PACKAGE AND COST ESTIMATE FOR 2025. BOND. COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL. NUMBER FOUR. THEY SUGGESTED MOTION IS THAT THE HAYS CISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVED THE DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT PACKAGE AND COST ESTIMATE FOR 2025. BOND PROPOSITION B COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL FOR BASE BID $396,000,265. AND EXCUSE ME, 200 $396,265,698. PROPOSITION C STADIUM EXPANSION $6,848,154. AND PROPOSITION D MULTI-PURPOSE IMPACT CENTER $9,223,985. FOR COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL FOR A TOTAL ESTIMATED COST OF $412,338,108. FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION AS PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED. MOVED BY MR. SEVERANCE, SECOND BY MR. PETREA. MISS PETREA. EXCUSE ME, MR. SEVERANCE. MOVED BY MR. SEVERANCE. SECONDED. SECONDED BY MISS PETREA. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? MISS PETRIE? OKAY. I HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MY ANSWERS. DO I HAVE MY RENDERING OF A CLASSROOM WITH 35 DESKS IN IT YET? MR. ANDREWS? OKAY. OKAY, WE STILL HAVE TIME. WE'RE GOING TO, WE GOT TO PASS THEM ON FIRST. BUT I STILL HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE WE CAN FIT ALL OF THAT FURNITURE IN THOSE CLASSROOMS IF WE'RE GOING TO MOVE UP THOSE RATIOS. AND I STILL HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT HOW THIS PRESS BOX IS GOING TO WORK WITH TEACHERS AND, AND WHAT TEACHERS ARE GOING TO BE EXPECTED TO DO TO PUT UP WITH OUR FAMILIES. AND WHAT NONSENSE HAPPENS IN PRESS BOXES WITH COACHES AND SCOUTS AND ALL OF THAT. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE REALLY THINK THROUGH WHAT WE'RE ASKING TEACHERS TO DO TO FLIP THOSE AND HOW OFTEN THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. BUT I TRUST THAT THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE CONTINUING TO BE ONGOING. THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME KNOW ABOUT THE OUTLETS. I APPRECIATE THAT. I DO THINK AT SOME POINT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BASICALLY HAVE EVERY CLASSROOM HAVE A CHROME CHARGING CART AS PART OF THE FFA. SO THAT MAY BE SOMETHING WE CONSIDER BECAUSE BY SEVENTH PERIOD, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH PLUGS IN THE WORLD TO HELP ALL THESE STUDENTS CHARGE ALL THEIR DEVICES. WHEN YOU HAVE 35 KIDS IN A HIGH SCHOOL ROOM. SO THAT MIGHT JUST BE SOMETHING WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT AS WELL. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO VOTING ON THIS AND HOPE EVERYBODY'S GOING OUT TO VOTE SOME AFFORDABLE. THANK YOU, MISS PETREA. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? [01:10:01] MR. SEVERANCE, AND THEN JUST TO REMIND US ALL LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE VOTING ON THIS AS JUST THE DD RIGHT NOW, BUT WE'RE STILL GOING TO HAVE WHEN THE BOND STARTS TO PASS. YOU KNOW, THERE STILL MIGHT BE SOME MINOR CHANGES WITH LAYOUTS AND LIGHT SWITCHES AND PLUGS. YES, SIR. AND THEN ALSO WE SENT YOU ALL A RENDERING OF THE CANOPY. YOU HAD A REQUEST ABOUT THE CANOPY. SO WE ALSO SENT SOME CHANGES TO THE FRONT CANOPY. I JUST WANT TO JUST SAY THIS IS THE LAST MOMENT. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE SOME COMMENTS AND CHANGES. SO THAT'S ALL I WANTED TO SAY. Y'ALL WILL STILL HAVE SOME TIME. YEAH. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, MISS RUNKLE. SORRY, I WAS NOT HERE LAST WEEK. I DID CATCH UP ON ALL THE QUESTIONS AND ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WAS ASKED, AND I ALSO HAD SOME CONCERNS, WERE THE SECURITY PIECE OF THE STADIUM AND ENSURING THAT WHEN WE HAVE VISITORS AND TRACK MEETS OR EVENTS HAPPENING AT THAT SCHOOL WHERE WE HAVE PARENTS FROM ALL OVER MAKING SURE THAT THE DOORS AND THE AREAS ARE SECURE. AND I NOTICED THAT ONE OF THE RESPONSES WAS KIND OF MOVING SOME DOORS AROUND OR A ROOM AROUND. SO, I JUST WANTED TO BE SURE THAT I SHARED THAT I STILL HAD SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE SECURITY AND ENSURING THAT OUTSIDERS ARE DEFINITELY STAYING OUTSIDE WHILE WE HAVE CLASSROOMS AND THINGS GOING ON DURING THE DAY. YES, MA'AM. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO KIND OF SCRUB THAT WITH ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT. AND THEY AND ONE OF THE CONVERSATIONS WITH LANCE, HE WAS TALKING ABOUT WHEN WE HAVE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS CURRENTLY DURING THE SCHOOL DAY. SO WE HAVE SOME PROVISIONS AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT. OKAY. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. ANYBODY ELSE? ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A MOTION. WE HAVE A SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES 7-0. ON PAGE 69, ITEM L.5 CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE APPROVAL OF THE SELECTION OF DESIGN, PROFESSIONAL AND METHOD OF PROCUREMENT FOR [L.5. Consideration and possible approval of the selection of Design Professional and Method of Procurement for 2025 Bond Artificial Turf and Track Installations at Middle Schools] 2025 BOND ARTIFICIAL TURF AND TRACK INSTALLATION AT MIDDLE SCHOOLS. THE SUGGESTED MOTION IS THAT THE HAYS CISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVE A CONSTRUCTION, ENGINEERING AND INSPECTION SERVICES FIRM RELATED TO THE 2025 BOND INSTALLATION OF ARTIFICIAL TURF AND RUNNING TRACK CYCLE REPLACEMENTS AT ALL HAYS CISD MIDDLE SCHOOLS. APPROVED COMPETITIVE SEALED PROPOSAL AS THE METHOD OF PROCUREMENT AND AUTHORIZE THE SUPERINTENDENT TO EXECUTE A SATISFACTORY DESIGN CONTRACT AS PRESENTED BY MISS PETREA, SECONDED BY MISS RUNKLE. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES 7-0. WE'RE ON ITEM L.6, PAGE 71. [L.6. Consideration and possible approval of the Design Professional and Method of Procurement for 2025 Bond Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Life Safety, and Roof Repair Cycle Replacements at Negley Elementary, Pfluger Elementary, Science Hall Elementary, and Chapa Middle School] CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE APPROVAL OF THE DESIGN, PROFESSIONAL AND METHOD OF PROCUREMENT FOR 2025 BOND, MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, LIFE SAFETY AND ROOF REPAIR CYCLE REPLACEMENTS AT NEGLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, PFLUGER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SCIENCE HALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND CHAPA MIDDLE SCHOOL. THE SUGGESTED MOTION IS THAT THE HAYS CISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVE HENDRICKS ENGINEERING FOR ENGINEERING SERVICES RELATED TO THE POTENTIAL 2025 BOND INSTALLATION OF MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, ROOFING, AND LIFE SAFETY ITEMS AT SELECT AT SELECTED FACILITIES. APPROVED COMPETITIVE SEALED PROPOSAL AS THE METHOD OF PROCUREMENT AND AUTHORIZE THE SUPERINTENDENT TO EXECUTE A SATISFACTORY DESIGN CONTRACT AS PRESENTED. MOVED BY MISS RUNKLE. SECOND BY MR. SEVERANCE. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES SEVEN ZERO. ALL RIGHT. WE'RE ON PAGE 73. ITEM L.7. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE APPROVAL OF A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT AND SITE DONATION AT THE [L.7. Consideration and possible approval of a Development Agreement and Site Donation at the Kolodzey Tract from GRBK Edgewood LLC for Elementary School #18] TRACT FROM EDGEWOOD LLC FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NUMBER 18. THE SUGGESTED MOTION IS THAT THE HAYS CISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES ACCEPT THE DONATION OF THE SCHOOL SITE IN THE TRACT FROM GRCC, EDGEWOOD, LLC, AND AUTHORIZE THE COST SHARING OF UTILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,427,096 AND AUTHORIZE THE BOARD, PRESIDENT, AND OR SUPERINTENDENT TO EXECUTE DOCUMENTS NECESSARY OR CONVENIENT TO COMPLETE THE TRANSACTION AS PRESENTED. [01:15:02] BY MR. SEVERANCE. SECOND BY MR. FLORES. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? MR. FLORES? YEAH. MAC. SO, TAKING A DRIVE OUT TO SATELLITE ROAD YESTERDAY. I'M JUST CURIOUS IF THERE'S ANY IF THERE'S BEEN ANY DISCUSSIONS IN REGARD TO ROAD IMPROVEMENTS WITH THIS. IS TRAVIS COUNTY, CORRECT? YEAH. YES. NO, THAT'S A THAT IS HAYS COUNTY. HAYS COUNTY. ANY DISCUSSIONS WITH THE COUNTY ABOUT ROAD IMPROVEMENTS? BECAUSE AS I'M DRIVING DOWN THERE, IT'S VERY NARROW WITH NO LINES. I JUST WONDER IF THERE'S BEEN ANY DISCUSSIONS. I KNOW THAT THE ROAD BOND IS PROBABLY NOT DUE TO COME UP FOR ANOTHER FOUR YEARS. SO, WE HAVE NOT HAD ANY SPECIFIC ANY KIND OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THAT, BUT THAT WILL ABSOLUTELY COME UP IN THE PERMITTING. YES, SIR. AND REMIND ME ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 18 IS HOPEFULLY ONLINE BY IS IT 29? RIGHT NOW, IT WOULD BE 2027. OKAY. YES, SIR. AND JUST IF YOU COULD PLEASE UPDATE ON THAT. NOT RIGHT NOW, OBVIOUSLY, BUT WHENEVER THAT NEWS COMES ON THE ROAD. YES, SIR. YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? SEEING? NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES SEVEN ZERO. ALL RIGHT. TEAM. GREAT JOB WITH ALL OF OUR ACTION ITEMS. [M.1. Report of Continuing Education Requirements for Board Members as required by Senate Bill 1566 Board Matter] THAT TAKES US INTO ALL OF OUR INFORMATION ITEMS. LET ME GET THERE IN MY SCRIPT. EXCUSE ME. ALL RIGHT. ITEM M ONE. THAT'S ALL RIGHT. MISS GLORIA IS GETTING THIS BACK UP THERE. REPORT OF CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS FOR BOARD MEMBERS AS REQUIRED BY SENATE BILL 1566. THIS IS SCHEDULED FOR TONIGHT. AND, TEAM, I AM PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT ALL OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS HAVE MET AND EXCEEDED THE REQUIRED TRAINING EDUCATION. SO GREAT JOB. ANY QUESTIONS? COMMENTS. GOOD. GREAT JOB. WAY TO KEEP UP WITH THAT TEAM. ALL RIGHT. ITEM M-2 UPDATE ON DISTRICT SAFETY AND SECURITY INITIATIVES. [M.2. Update on District Safety & Security Initiatives] I KNOW WE HAD OUR BRIEFING IN CLOSED SESSION. CHIEF SKROCKI IS SAYING SHE HAS NOTHING ON HER END. DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR CHIEF SKROCKI? ALL RIGHT. SHORT AND SWEET. THANK YOU. UPDATE ON DISTRICT BOND CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATION PROJECTS. [M.3. Update on District Bond, Construction, and Renovation Projects] DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS TONIGHT FOR MR. CLEAVER OR MR. CLEAVER? DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING NEW FOR US? NO, SIR. OKAY. THERE WE GO. SEEING NONE. HERE WE GO. [M.4. Presentation of information regarding upcoming Defeasance of Outstanding Bonds] ITEM M.4 PRESENTATION OF INFORMATION REGARDING THE UPCOMING DEFEASANCE OF OUTSTANDING BONDS. OKAY MR. RAU, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT HAS CHANGED OR ANYTHING THAT YOU NEED TO UPDATE US ON TONIGHT? NO, IT HASN'T. NO CHANGES. OKAY. GREAT JOB THEN. THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS? MISS OROSCO HAS A QUESTION FOR MR. RAU. MR. RAU, CAN YOU TELL US AGAIN THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS, PLEASE? YES, MA'AM. THE. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT DEFEATING IN MAY IS ROUGHLY $25.8 MILLION OF OUTSTANDING DEBT, WHICH SHOULD SAVE THE DISTRICT AROUND 4.9 MILLION OVER THE OVER THE TIME OF THAT DEBT. AND TO DATE THE DEFICIENCIES THAT WE'VE DONE SINCE 2019 HAS SAVED THE DISTRICT $60 MILLION. DID YOU SAY 16 166060? YES, MA'AM. $60 MILLION. IT HAS SAVED THE DISTRICT. YES. OKAY. THAT IS HUGE. AND WE NEED TO REALLY SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS, RIGHT? SO THAT SINCE 2019. YES. WOW. THAT IS REALLY AMAZING. THANK YOU, DR. WRIGHT AND TEAM FOR MAKING SURE THAT HAPPENS. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? MR. RAU SAID HE'S SAVING US OVER $50 MILLION PLUS SHIPPING AND HANDLING. THAT'S WHAT HE SAID. ALL RIGHT LET'S SEE HERE. [M.5. Review and discussion of the 2025-2026 Budget Calendar] TEAM, THIS IS ITEM INFORMATION ITEM M.5 REVIEW AND DISCUSSION OF THE 2025 2026 BUDGET CALENDAR. I KNOW WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT HAVING OUR SPECIAL MEETING FOR MAY. SO TRUSTEES, MAKE SURE AND CHECK YOUR EMAIL. I'M SURE MISS GLORIA WILL BE GETTING US WRANGLED UP FOR THAT DATE. ANY QUESTIONS ON THE BUDGET CALENDAR? ALL RIGHT, MOVING ON. AND ONE QUESTION, MISS OROSCO. YES. I JUST WANTED TO ASK. OR YOU CAN JUST LET US KNOW. DOCTOR WRIGHT. I KNOW TEACHERS HAVE BEEN ASKING WHEN THEIR CONTRACT WILL BE OUT. WHEN? WHAT IS THAT DATE? JUST FOR THE RECORD. IT SHOULD BE THE END OF APRIL IS THE TARGET DATE THAT WE'RE SHOOTING FOR. AND THEN ALL THE ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTS WILL BE IN JUNE. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY. [M.6. Financial Statements] ANY QUESTIONS ON M.6 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. LOOKING RIGHT. [01:20:06] LOOKING LEFT. OKAY. AND THEN M.7 OUR QUARTERLY INVESTMENT REPORT. [M.7. Quarterly Investment Report] I'M LOOKING LEFT. ANY QUESTIONS? LOOKING RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. TEAM THAT TAKES US THROUGH ALL OF OUR INFORMATION ITEMS. NEXT ARE THE REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION FROM OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES. [N. REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES] MISS PETREA? YES. I'D LIKE TO KNOW IF WE LEVERAGE CONTRACTED SERVICES TO SUPPORT STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS. WHAT OPENINGS WE CURRENTLY HAVE IMPACTING STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS. I'D ALSO LIKE TO KNOW IF THE SPED STAFF COHORT OF EDUCATORS SIMILAR TO THE TLC, HAS STARTED MEETING TO ADDRESS CHALLENGES SIMILAR TO THE ONES WE HEARD FROM OUR PUBLIC SPEAKERS TONIGHT. AND I'LL MAKE SURE TO WRITE THOSE DOWN. THANK YOU, MISS PETRI. I KNOW YOU'LL JOT THOSE DOWN. OKAY. MR. FLORES SIMILAR QUESTION EARLIER FROM EARLIER. MAX, HAVE THERE BEEN ANY DISCUSSIONS WITH TRAVIS OR HAYS COUNTY IN REGARD TO IMPROVEMENTS TO SOUTH TURNERSVILLE ROAD? MISS RUNKLE? YES. IF WE CAN GET AN UPDATE ON THE STAFFING NEEDS OF ALL SPECIAL EDUCATION, WHAT POSTINGS THERE ARE AND HOW LONG THEY'VE BEEN UNFILLED, AND IF WE CAN ALSO GET AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY THAT POSITION WASN'T POSTED IN JANUARY. MISS PETREA A MOMENT HERE TO CAPTURE. SHE'S TYPING DILIGENTLY. LOTS OF QUESTIONS. ALL RIGHT, TEAM, I'M LOOKING TO MY LEFT, MR. SEIBEL. YEAH, I'M JUST CURIOUS, BECAUSE I KNOW WITH SOME OF THE LEGISLATIVE CHANGES, THERE'S BEEN SOME DIRECTIVE THING. SO, ARE ANY OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROPOSED OR WHAT'S PASSED, ANYTHING SPECIFICALLY EARMARKED FOR THE SPED FORMULA CHANGES TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE CONCERNS BROUGHT FORTH TONIGHT? YES, THERE IS NEW SPECIAL ED EDUCATION WAITS FOR FUNDING, AND WE CAN GET THAT FOR YOU IN DETAIL. IT OUT, MISS OROSCO. YES. CAN YOU PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON VACANCIES THAT WE HAVE PER DEPARTMENT? THANK YOU. MR. SEVERANCE I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF WE COULD GET A LIST OF FOR OUR DEAF AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED STUDENTS. LIKE WHAT CAMPUSES THEY'RE ON. CAN WE GET A LIST OF HOW MANY STUDENTS AND WHAT CAMPUSES THEY'RE ON. AND THEN I'D BE CURIOUS IF THERE'S ANYTHING WITHIN OUR SPED STUDY THAT TALKS ABOUT RATIOS WITHIN THE DEAF AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED STUDENT COHORT. ALL RIGHT, TEAM, I KNOW THAT MISS PETREA IS AGAIN, SHE'S CAPTURING HIS QUESTIONS. I HEAR HER TYPING STILL HERE NEXT TO ME. SO, WE'LL MAKE SURE AND CAPTURE ALL OF THOSE AND SUBMIT THOSE. OUR NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING IS MONDAY, MAY THE 12TH, 2025, RIGHT HERE AT THE HAYS CISD MERIDETH KELLER BOARDROOM AT 5:30 P.M. I DIDN'T ANNOUNCE THIS EARLIER, AND I APOLOGIZE, BUT WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE EARLY VOTING GOING ON. THAT'S WHY WE'VE LOST A QUARTER OF OUR BOARDROOM. BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S FOR A GOOD REASON. SO, GET OUT THERE AND VOTE. AND UNLESS THERE IS DISSENT, WE ARE ADJOURNED AT 7:48 P.M. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.