[00:00:01] MS. BRANUM: CONE OF SILENCE. [I. CALL TO ORDER] THANK YOU. BEFORE WE TRANSITION VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN, INTO OUR RECOGNITIONS, I DO WANT TO JUST TAKE A MOMENT OF PRIVILEGE. TONIGHT IS-- OR THIS MONTH IS PRINCIPAL APPRECIATION MONTH. I THINK WE HAVE A FEW PRINCIPALS IN THE ROOM AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS. WILL YOU PLEASE STAND? AND I WISH THEY WERE ALL HERE TONIGHT. [APPLAUSE] I'M SO APPRECIATIVE OF THEIR LEADERSHIP, WHAT THEY DO EVERY SINGLE DAY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR OUR STUDENTS. AND SO AGAIN, JUST ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS, PRINCIPALS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. THANK YOU FOR THAT LITTLE MOMENT OF APPRECIATION. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: YEAH, NO I AGREE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR DOING THAT. OK COLLEAGUES, IT IS NOW TIME FOR OUR RECOGNITIONS, DR. HELLER? MS. BRANUM: YES, THANK YOU. AND AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US TONIGHT. AS THE BOARD IS COMING FORWARD, WE ARE GOING TO GIVE SUPERINTENDENT BRANUM A PASS. SHE'S BEEN FIGHTING OFF A LITTLE BIT OF A COLD AND A STUFFY NOSE TODAY. SO SHE IS GOING TO CELEBRATE AND RECOGNIZE OUR RECOGNITIONS THIS EVENING FROM THE HORSESHOE. BUT AS THE BOARD IS COMING FORWARD, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR JOINING US THIS EVENING. THE RICHARDSON ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES UNDERSTANDS THE IMPORTANCE OF RECOGNIZING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF STUDENTS, STAFF, SCHOOLS, AND DEPARTMENTS. OUR TRUSTEES ALSO RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, AND INDIVIDUALS MAKE TO THE DISTRICT. AT EACH REGULAR MONTHLY BOARD MEETING, WE TAKE TIME TO CELEBRATE THESE ACHIEVEMENTS. WE ASK THAT ALL GUESTS AND VISITORS HELP CELEBRATE THESE RECOGNITIONS BY STAYING TO ENJOY THE ENTIRE RECOGNITION PROCESS. THIS ALLOWS EVERYONE TO SHOW THEIR APPRECIATION FOR EACH RECIPIENT. THERE WILL BE A SHORT BREAK AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE RECOGNITIONS PORTION OF THE AGENDA. ANY GUESTS WISHING TO LEAVE THE AUDITORIUM CAN DO SO AT THAT TIME. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO GIVE SOME ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTION TO THOSE THAT WE ARE RECOGNIZING THIS EVENING. AFTER EACH RECOGNITION GROUP OR TEAM, WE WILL BE TAKING A GROUP PICTURE WITH THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES. SO ONCE YOU GO THROUGH THE-- ONCE YOU GO THROUGH THE RECEIVING LINE, WE WILL ASK YOU TO COME BACK AND WE WILL GET YOU ORGANIZED FOR A PICTURE THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE AND THROUGH OUR DISTRICT CHANNELS TOMORROW. AND NOW THIS EVENING WE HAVE A VERY, VERY SPECIAL PARTNER RECOGNITION. I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE UP SOME AWESOME FAITH BASED PARTNERS FROM LAKEPOINTE CHURCH. WE HAVE TYLER CORDON AND ANTOINE HERRON. IF THEY COULD PLEASE COME FORWARD AS WELL AS OUR PRINCIPALS. MR. CHO FROM RHS. WE HAVE MR. VEGA, FROM RICHARDSON WEST, MS. MOTTRAM, FROM WESTWOOD, AND DOCTOR RUIZ, ACTING PRINCIPAL AT RISD ACADEMY. IF YOU COULD PLEASE COME FORWARD. WE'RE THRILLED TO RECOGNIZE. YES. [APPLAUSE] THIS IS A REALLY SPECIAL ONE, AND WE ARE JUST INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL. I WANT TO EXPRESS OUR GRATITUDE TO LAKEPOINTE CHURCH FOR THEIR INCREDIBLE GENEROSITY AND COMMITMENT TO OUR STUDENTS AND SCHOOLS. LAKEPOINTE CHURCH HAS RECENTLY DONATED $10,000, $2,500 EACH, TO SUPPORT FOUR OF OUR CAMPUSES. AND AS I MENTIONED, THOSE INCLUDE RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL, RICHARDSON WEST JUNIOR HIGH, WESTWOOD, AND RISD ACADEMY. PARTNERSHIPS LIKE THIS SHOWCASE THE HEART OF OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORT THIS CONTRIBUTION DIRECTLY IMPACTS OUR CLASSROOMS AND PROGRAMS, PROVIDING VITAL RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT SUPPORT STUDENT SUCCESS ACROSS ALL GRADE LEVELS. AND SO, YES, WITH US THIS EVENING, WE HAVE AS OUR SPECIAL GUEST, BOTH TYLER AND ANTOINE FROM LAKEPOINTE, AND OUR CAMPUS PRINCIPALS THAT ARE GOING TO BE THE BENEFACTORS OF OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF WHO ARE GETTING THIS GENEROUS, GENEROUS DONATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO LAKEPOINTE. [APPLAUSE] AND AS WE ARE GETTING THEM ORGANIZED FOR THEIR PICTURE, OUR NEXT RECOGNITION IS GOING TO BE FOR CAMPUSES. AND WE ARE GOING TO RECOGNIZE MST AND RICHARDSON WEST. SO IF YOU ARE HERE FOR PART OF THAT MAGNET RECOGNITION, YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND COME FORWARD AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO LAKEPOINTE. [APPLAUSE] AND NOW WE HAVE A COUPLE DIFFERENT CAMPUS RECOGNITIONS THIS EVENING. THE FIRST ONE IS FOR TWO OF OUR MAGNET SCHOOLS, BOTH RICHARDSON [00:05:04] WEST JUNIOR HIGH ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY MAGNET, AS WELL AS THE MATH, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ALSO KNOWN AS MST, MAGNET. WE ARE PROUD TO CELEBRATE BOTH OF THESE CAMPUSES, AS THEY HAVE BEEN NAMED CERTIFIED NATIONAL MAGNET SCHOOLS BY THE MAGNET SCHOOLS OF AMERICA. A NATIONAL RECOGNITION THAT HONORS EXEMPLARY MAGNET AND THEME BASED SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. MST AND RICHARDSON WEST JUNIOR HIGHS ARE THE FIRST MAGNET SCHOOLS IN RISD TO BE CERTIFIED AND JOIN THE RANKS OF ONLY 40 SCHOOLS CERTIFIED NATIONWIDE THIS YEAR. YEAH, LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR THEM. [APPLAUSE] I AM GOING TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROCESS AND THE AWARD. THE CERTIFICATION IS AWARDED TO SCHOOLS THAT HAVE ESTABLISHED STRONG STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE THROUGH DEFINED EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICES, REFLECTION, AND STRATEGIC ACTION THAT PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY, INNOVATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCES THAT SUPPORT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE THROUGH SCHOOL CHOICE. THE MSA CERTIFICATION PROCESS INVOLVES A RIGOROUS EVALUATION BASED ON FIVE MAIN PILLARS THAT DEFINE HIGH QUALITY MAGNET PROGRAMS, AND RICHARDSON WEST JUNIOR HIGH NOT ONLY MET THE STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE, BUT EXCEEDED THE CRITERIA AND WILL SERVE AS LEARNING MODELS FOR MAGNETS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO REPLICATE AS A CERTIFIED DEMONSTRATION SCHOOL. SO LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR RICHARDSON WEST. [APPLAUSE] BOTH CAMPUSES HAVE DEMONSTRATED CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO EXCEPTIONAL STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND UNIQUE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES. AND I BELIEVE I UNDERSTAND MST WILL BE SUBMITTING FOR DEMONSTRATION SCHOOL STATUS AGAIN OR WILL BE SUBMITTING THEIR APPLICATION? OK, WE'RE GOING TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO DO THAT BECAUSE AS I UNDERSTAND, WE COULD BE ONE OF THE FIRST DISTRICTS IN THE COUNTRY THAT HAS AN ELEMENTARY, JUNIOR HIGH, AND HIGH SCHOOL THAT HAVE DEMONSTRATION SCHOOLS ACROSS ALL GRADE LEVELS. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR STUDENT STAFF AND SCHOOL COMMUNITIES ON THIS TREMENDOUS HONOR. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE STAFF FROM BOTH CAMPUSES. SO COME ON DOWN. LET'S CELEBRATE YOU. CONGRATULATIONS. YAY! GO WEST. WEST IS BEST. ALL RIGHT. AND WE'RE GOING TO GET THEM ORGANIZED FOR THEIR PICTURE. AND I WAS CORRECTED. MST IS GOING TO RESUBMIT FOR THEIR AVID DEMONSTRATION SCHOOL STATUS. SO THAT WILL BE THE FIRST FOR OUR DISTRICT. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO CELEBRATING THAT SOON. AND WE'RE GOING TO GET THEM ORGANIZED. AWESOME, CONGRATULATIONS. AND I'M GOING TO ASK THE STAFF FROM MST, DR. BULLOCK AND HER TEAM, IF THEY COULD PLEASE COME BACK OVER BECAUSE WE HAVE ANOTHER SPECIAL CAMPUS RECOGNITION FOR MST THIS EVENING. YES. IT'S NOT AVID YET, BUT WE ARE GOING TO CELEBRATE AND ANNOUNCE TO OUR COMMUNITY THAT THE MATH, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY MAGNET, MST, HAS ONCE AGAIN BEEN RECOGNIZED AS AN APPLE DISTINGUISHED SCHOOL FOR THE 2026-2029 YEARS FOR USING APPLE TECHNOLOGY IN INNOVATIVE WAYS TO INSPIRE, IMAGINE, AND IMPACT TEACHING AND LEARNING THROUGH ITS STEM INTEGRATION AND PURPOSEFUL TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCES. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME MST HAS EARNED THIS DESIGNATION, PREVIOUSLY FROM 2022 TO 2025. APPLE DISTINGUISHED SCHOOLS ARE CENTERS OF INNOVATION, LEADERSHIP, AND EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE. THEY USE APPLE TECHNOLOGY TO INSPIRE CREATIVITY, COLLABORATION, CRITICAL THINKING AND LEARNING, TEACHING IN THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT AND HAVE DOCUMENTED RESULTS OF ACADEMIC ACCOMPLISHMENT. AND I KNOW THAT HOLDS TRUE FOR MST. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE STUDENTS AND STAFF. COME ON DOWN. WE'RE GOING TO GET ANOTHER RECOGNITION. [APPLAUSE] THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS. AND AS WE ARE ORGANIZING THEM FOR A PICTURE, WE WOULD LOVE OUR STUDENTS BEING RECOGNIZED FOR NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS. IF YOU CAN, PLEASE COME FORWARD. [APPLAUSE] ALL RIGHT. [00:10:01] AND NOW ON TO OUR STUDENT RECOGNITIONS. AND THIS IS A REALLY SPECIAL ONE. WE RECENTLY WERE NOTIFIED THAT WE HAVE SIX RISD SENIORS THAT HAVE BEEN NAMED NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS FOR THE CLASS OF 2026. ALL RIGHT. [APPLAUSE] THESE RISD STUDENTS ARE AMONG 16,000 NATIONAL SEMIFINALISTS REPRESENTING FEWER THAN 1% FEWER THAN 1% OF ALL SENIORS ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHO ARE COMPETING FOR OVER 7,100 NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS WORTH NEARLY $28 MILLION THAT WILL BE AWARDED IN THE SPRING. THAT'S INCREDIBLE. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ENTERING THE PROGRAM BY TAKING THE PSAT NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP QUALIFYING TEST THAT SERVES AS AN INITIAL SCREEN OF ABOUT 1.5 MILLION ENTRANTS EACH YEAR. THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE SCORE ON THE PSAT IS A 228. AND IN TEXAS, A STUDENT MUST HAVE A MINIMUM SCORE OF 220 TO REACH THE LEVEL OF NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS. WHAT AN WHAT AN INCREDIBLE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT. PLEASE JOIN US AND ME IN CELEBRATING THESE RISD NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS FROM THE CLASS OF 2027. COME ON DOWN. WE HAVE NAOMI DRAZEN FROM PIERCE HIGH SCHOOL. AND WE HAVE TYLER STEED FROM RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL AND HILL LYLES ALSO FROM RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL. CONGRATULATIONS. AND WE KNOW OUR OTHER THREE STUDENTS HAD CONFLICTS THIS EVENING, BUT WE WILL BE SURE-- I KNOW THEY'VE BEEN CELEBRATED BACK ON THEIR CAMPUSES. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2027. [APPLAUSE] YES, CONGRATULATIONS. WE HAVE ANOTHER VERY SPECIAL STUDENT RECOGNITION THIS EVENING. THIS-- COME ON DOWN, BROOKLYN. YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN HER ON THE NEWS RECENTLY BECAUSE THEY DID A FEATURE STORY ON BROOKLYN STEELE. SHE ATTENDS LAKE HIGHLANDS HIGH SCHOOL. SHE'S A SENIOR, AND SHE IS HEADED TO THE WORLD STAGE LITERALLY. BROOKLYN HAS BEEN SELECTED TO REPRESENT TEAM USA AS A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL BATON TWIRLING ASSOCIATION WORLD TEAM. AFTER 16 YEARS OF COMPETITIVE BATON TWIRLING, BROOKLYN WILL TAKE HER TALENT TO THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE IN MARCH AT THE WORLD FEDERATION OF NATIONAL BATON TWIRLING ASSOCIATIONS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN ITALY. HOW FUN IS THAT? GOOD LUCK TO BROOKLYN. [APPLAUSE] YES, CONGRATULATIONS, BROOKLYN. AND BEST OF LUCK, AS SHE REPRESENTS NOT ONLY LAKE HIGHLANDS HIGH SCHOOL, RICHARDSON ISD, AND THE USA IN MARCH IN ITALY. HOW AWESOME IS THAT? [APPLAUSE] CONGRATULATIONS. [APPLAUSE] AND WE HAVE ONE FINAL STUDENT RECOGNITION FOR THIS EVENING. IF YOU ARE BEING RECOGNIZED-- STUDENTS OR ARTISTS, IF YOU CAN PLEASE COME FORWARD IF YOU ARE BEING RECOGNIZED FOR YOUR ARTWORK THAT WAS RECENTLY ON DISPLAY. AND TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS, WE HAD FOUR RICHARDSON ISD STUDENT ARTISTS THAT WERE SELECTED FOR THE 2026 TXEDCON TASA TASB STUDENT ART EXHIBITION. THIS EXHIBITION SHOWCASES PRE-K THROUGH 12TH GRADE STUDENT WORKS OF ART FROM ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS. THAT'S OVER 1,000 DISTRICTS. AND WE HAVE FOUR STUDENTS RIGHT HERE IN RISD THAT WERE SELECTED TO REPRESENT OUR DISTRICT, ALONG WITH AN ART ADVOCACY BOOTH WHERE CONFERENCE ATTENDEES CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY VISUAL ARTS PROGRAMS AT THE LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND STATE LEVELS. WE ARE SO PROUD OF OUR LOCAL ARTISTS HERE. SO AT THIS TIME, WE'RE GOING TO INTRODUCE YOU. WE HAVE-- IS IT DIA? DIA SATAR FROM BERKNER HIGH SCHOOL. [APPLAUSE] AND WE HAVE SADIE ALLEN FROM MOSS HAVEN. [APPLAUSE] AND LESLIE SANCHEZ FROM RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL. [APPLAUSE] AND YOU CAN SEE ON THE SLIDE THEIR ARTWORK THAT WAS SHARED AT THE RECENT STATE CONFERENCE. SO CONGRATULATIONS STUDENTS. AND WE'RE GOING TO GRAB THAT PHOTO. ALL RIGHT, CONGRATULATIONS. [APPLAUSE] AND WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL PARENTS AND FAMILY AND STAFF HERE SUPPORTING THESE STUDENTS IN THESE GROUPS [00:15:03] FOR OUR RECOGNITIONS. CAN WE JUST TAKE A MOMENT? CAN YOU PLEASE STAND SO WE CAN RECOGNIZE YOU AND THANK YOU FOR-- AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. [APPLAUSE] AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR RECOGNITIONS PORTION FOR THIS EVENING. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: AWESOME. [II.A. Public Hearing Comment Section: Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) Rating for RISD] MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC NOW HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON FIRST RATING REPORT. MS. PACHECO, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING OR FOR THE FIRST RATING REPORT? MS. PACHECO: YOU, MS. MCGOWAN. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD, I WELCOME OUR VISITORS. DURING TODAY'S HEARING, SPEAKERS MAY COMMENT ON PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS ONLY. AS A REMINDER, SPEAKERS ARE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW THE PUBLIC COMMENTS PROTOCOL AS NOTED ON THE RISD WEBSITE. SPEAKERS PLEASE APPROACH THE PODIUM AT THE FRONT OF THE AUDITORIUM WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME. EWAN BLACKMAN. MR. BLACKMAN: GOOD EVENING, SUPERINTENDENT BRANUM, ACTING PRESIDENT, MCGOWAN, SCHOOL BOARD, ESTEEMED EMPLOYEES. RISD HAS DONE A GREAT JOB IN FINANCES OF CROSSING THE T'S, DOTTING THE I'S FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS. THAT IS A TESTAMENT TO OUR FORMER CFO, DAVID PATE, WHO DID A GREAT JOB. I KNOW WE'RE ABOUT TO BRING ON BOARD TUCKER DURHAM ALSO. I HEAR GREAT THINGS ABOUT HIM FROM A NUMBER OF PEOPLE, NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH WAS MY BROTHER-IN-LAW, WHO'S ON THE BOARD DOWN IN ALPINE WHERE HE COMES FROM. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH HIM AND FINDING WAYS TO MAKE THOSE CUTS, THOSE SAVINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION. I'LL SPEAK A LITTLE LATER ON IN REGARDS TO WHAT WE CAN DO TO ADVOCATE FOR BETTER BUDGETS. SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE RISD TEAM FOR THE WORK THEY DO, THE FINANCE TEAM, ON GETTING THOSE BUDGETS, GETTING THOSE NUMBERS DONE. I'VE NEVER ASKED FOR ANYTHING FROM THEM THAT IT HASN'T BEEN DELIVERED. I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANY DELAYS FROM THEM. THEY DO A FANTASTIC JOB AND FOR THAT I JUST WANTED TO RISE AND SAY THANK YOU. MS. PACHECO: MRS. MCGOWAN, THAT-- WE DON'T HAVE ANY MORE SPEAKERS. THANK YOU. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: THANK YOU, MS. PACHECO. WE WILL NOW CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING [II.B. Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) Rating for RISD Presentation] PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 39 OF THE TEXAS EDUCATION CODE AND SECTION 109.1001 OF THE TEXAS ADMINISTRATIVE CODE CONCERNING THE FINANCIAL INTEGRITY RATING SYSTEM OF TEXAS FIRST RATING REPORT. [00:20:01] MS. BRANUM: THANK YOU, VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN. AS YOU KNOW, BOARD, THIS IS AN ANNUAL PRESENTATION THAT WE MAKE TO THE BOARD EVERY YEAR. THIS IS A OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR TEAM TO PROVIDE TRANSPARENT INFORMATION TO THE BOARD AND TO OUR COMMUNITY RELATED TO OUR DISTRICT'S FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY. AGAIN, THIS IS REALLY AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO HAVE AN EXTERNAL AUDITOR COME IN AND REVIEW ALL OF OUR FINANCIALS AND REPORT BACK TO THE COMMUNITY HOW WE ARE DOING IN TERMS OF OUR FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP. IT IS A CRITICAL AMOUNT OF WORK TO PREPARE FOR THIS REPORT TONIGHT, AND I WANT TO JUST CONGRATULATE AND APPRECIATE OUR FINANCIAL SERVICES TEAM, AND ESPECIALLY IN THE LAST FOUR TO SIX WEEKS, AS THEY'VE BEEN DOING THIS WITHOUT MR. PATE, AS HE RETIRED. THEY'VE HAD TO DO HIS JOB PLUS MORE. AND THEY'VE JUST DONE AN OUTSTANDING JOB. AND SO I HAVE ASKED MRS. DAVENPORT TONIGHT TO PREPARE TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION. SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU. MRS. DAVENPORT: THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND, MS. BRANUM. AS WE JUST HEARD, THE STATE LAW DOES REQUIRE THE DISTRICT TO CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE SCHOOL FIRST RATING AS ASSIGNED BY TEA. FIRST IS THE FINANCIAL INTEGRITY RATING SYSTEM OF TEXAS. THE NOTICE FOR THIS PUBLIC HEARING WAS PUBLISHED IN THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28. THE DATA PRESENTED TONIGHT IS BASED ON A 2025 FISCAL YEAR. THE RATING SYSTEM HAS CHANGED THROUGH THE YEARS AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO. THE ATTEMPT TO MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT AND MORE STRINGENT FOR DISTRICTS TO GET AN A RATING. THE PURPOSE IS OF FIRST, THOUGH, IS TO GIVE US THAT NUMERICAL GRADE ON OUR FINANCIAL HEALTH OF THE DISTRICT. THIS IS OUR RATING SCALE THAT IS IN FRONT OF YOU. YOU WILL SEE THAT-- YOU WILL EVENTUALLY SEE THERE ARE 21 INDICATORS, BUT THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF INDICATORS. THERE ARE CRITICAL INDICATORS, CEILING INDICATORS, AND RATINGS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH POINTS. A DISTRICT MUST EARN 90 POINTS AT LEAST TO EARN AN A RATING. THE FIRST FOUR QUESTIONS WE WILL GO THROUGH ARE CRITICAL INDICATORS. EACH OF THOSE WILL HAVE A YES OR NO ANSWER. AND ANY DISTRICT THAT PUTS A NO FOR ANY OF THOSE ANSWERS WILL AUTOMATICALLY FAIL SCHOOL FIRST. INDICATORS 4, 5, 6, 16, 17, 20, AND 21 ARE CALLED CEILING INDICATORS. AND IF ONE OF THOSE ARE NOT PASSED, IT WILL SET A MAXIMUM BAR FOR WHAT THE DISTRICT CAN EARN FOR OUR OVERALL FIRST RATING. THE REMAINING QUESTIONS WILL HAVE POINTS ASSOCIATED TO THEM. SOME ARE FIVE POINTS, SOME ARE 10, SOME ARE ALL OR NOTHING, AND SOME ARE ON A SLIDING SCALE. SO WE DO HAVE TO SHARE WITH YOU EACH QUESTION SO WE WILL TRY TO DO THAT QUICKLY. QUESTION ONE WAS THE COMPLETE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT SUBMITTED TO TRA ON OR BEFORE THE FEBRUARY 27 DEADLINE. AND IT WAS SUBMITTED TO TEA ON FEBRUARY 5. WAS THERE AN UNMODIFIED OPINION ISSUED IN THAT ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT? AND YES, IT WAS. WAS THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE PAYMENT TERMS ON ALL OF OUR DEBT AGREEMENTS AT FISCAL YEAR END? AND AGAIN, WE WERE. A QUESTION FOR DID THE SCHOOL DISTRICT MAKE TIMELY PAYMENTS TO TRS, TWC, IRS, AND ALL OF OUR OTHER GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES? AND WE DID. WAS THE DISTRICT'S NET POSITION IN OUR GOVERNMENTAL ACTIVITIES COLUMN OF THE STATEMENT OF NET POSITIONS GREATER THAN 0? WHEN YOU NET IN THE ITEMS LISTED, WE WERE AT 294 MILLION. SO YES, ABOVE 0. WAS THE AVERAGE CHANGE IN ASSIGNED AND UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS LESS THAN A 25% DECREASE? AND THAT IS CORRECT. WE DID PASS THAT RATING. WAS THE NUMBER OF DAYS OF CASH ON HAND AND OUR CURRENT INVESTMENTS IN THE GENERAL FUND SUFFICIENT TO COVER OUR OPERATING EXPENDITURES? WE DID. WE HAD 145 DAYS OF CASH ON HAND. AND SO WE DID EARN ALL 10 POINTS. WAS THE MEASURE OF OUR CURRENT ASSETS TO CURRENT LIABILITIES SUFFICIENT TO COVER OUR SHORT TERM DEBT? TEA CONSIDERS A RATIO OF THREE OR GREATER SUFFICIENT. WE WERE AT 3.1 AND DID EARN ALL 10 POINTS. DID THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S GENERAL FUND REVENUE EQUAL OR EXCEED EXPENDITURES? AND IF NOT, WAS THE NUMBER OF DAYS OF CASH ON HAND GREATER THAN 60? FOR THIS QUESTION, WE DID NOT HAVE REVENUE GREATER THAN EXPENDITURES, BUT OUR CASH ON HAND WAS GREATER THAN 60. AND SO WE DID EARN ALL 10 POINTS. WAS THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S AVERAGE, LESS THAN A 10% VARIANCE WHEN COMPARING OUR BUDGETED REVENUES TO OUR ACTUAL REVENUES FOR THE LAST THREE FISCAL YEARS? AND IT WAS WITH A 6.3% VARIANCE. SO WE EARNED ALL 10 POINTS. QUESTION 11 WAS THE RATIO OF OUR LONG TERM LIABILITIES TO TOTAL ASSETS SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT OUR LONG TERM SOLVENCY. TEA FOR THIS QUESTION HAS DETERMINED THAT A RATIO OF LESS THAN 60 WILL EARN ALL 10 POINTS. BETWEEN 60% AND 70% WILL EARN EIGHT POINTS. AND THAT IS WHERE WE LANDED AT 67.28. AND WE EARNED ALL-- WE EARNED EIGHT POINTS, EXCUSE ME. QUESTION 12 WAS THE CORRELATION BETWEEN FUTURE DEBT REQUIREMENTS AND THE DISTRICT'S ASSESSED PROPERTY VALUES. [00:25:03] WHAT WAS THE CORRELATION? AND IF YOU LOOK AT THAT, WE WERE AT 2.6 AND YOU HAD TO BE AT LESS THAN 3 TO EARN ALL 10 POINTS. QUESTION 13 IS OUR INDICATOR THAT YOU'VE HEARD IN THE PAST FOR ADMINISTRATIVE COST RATIO. TEA DID DETERMINE NOT TO SCORE THIS RATIO THIS YEAR. THEY WERE IN THE PROCESS OF UPDATING THE CALCULATION AND IN DOING SO DECIDED NOT TO SCORE FOR THIS YEAR ALONE. WE DID, HOWEVER, CALCULATE IT THOUGH. AND FOR A DISTRICT OF OUR SIZE, WHICH IS A LARGE DISTRICT, YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE 4.5% OR LESS TO EARN ALL 10 POINTS. AND WE WOULD HAVE EARNED ALL 10 POINTS AT ONLY 4.2%. QUESTION 14, DID THE SCHOOL DISTRICT NOT HAVE A 15% DECLINE IN THE STUDENT TO STAFF RATIO OVER THREE YEARS? AND WE DID NOT, EARNING ALL 10 POINTS. WAS THE DISTRICT'S ADA WITHIN THE ALLOTTED RANGE OF THE DISTRICTS-- OF OUR PROJECTIONS SUBMITTED TO TEA. AND WE WERE AND SO WE EARNED ALL 10 POINTS. QUESTION 16 DID A COMPARISON OF OUR TEAM'S DATA TO THE SAME INFORMATION IN OUR AFR RESULT IN A VARIANCE OF LESS THAN 3%. IT DID. AND SO AGAIN, WE PASSED THAT RATING. QUESTION 17, DID THE EXTERNAL AUDIT REPORT THAT OUR DISTRICT WAS FREE OF ANY MATERIAL WEAKNESS IN INTERNAL CONTROLS OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING. AND THEY DID. AND SO, YES, WE PASSED THAT RATING. QUESTION 18, DID THAT SAME EXTERNAL AUDITOR REPORT THAT THE AFR WAS FREE OF NONCOMPLIANCE FOR OUR GRANTS AND CONTRACTS? WE CAN EARN 10 POINTS FOR THAT RATING. AND OUR LAST THREE. DID WE POST THE REQUIRED FINANCIAL INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE? WE DID EARNING FIVE POINTS. DID OUR ADMINISTRATION AND SCHOOL BOARD-- SCHOOL BOARDS, EXCUSE ME, DISCUSS ANY CHANGES TO OUR BUDGET WITHIN 120 DAYS OF ADOPTING OUR BUDGET? WE DID THAT MANY TIMES IN THE SPRING PASSING THAT RATING. AND DID WE NOT RECEIVE AN ADJUSTED REPAYMENT SCHEDULE FOR OUR FOUNDATION PROGRAM? WE DID NOT. SO WE DIDN'T PASS THAT RATING. SO AGAIN, WE ARE 98 POINTS, WHICH IS AN A RATING, WHICH WE'RE EXCITED TO REPORT. BUT WE STILL HAVE FIVE MORE REQUIREMENTS TO REPORT TO YOU. AND THOSE FIVE WOULD BE OUR SUPERINTENDENT'S EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT, WHICH IS LOCATED ON THE DISTRICT WEBSITE. ANY OUTSIDE COMPENSATION RECEIVED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT. THERE IS NONE TO REPORT. ANY GIFTS RECEIVED BY OUR BOARD MEMBERS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS. NONE TO REPORT. BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN THE DISTRICT AND BOARD MEMBERS. AND AGAIN, NONE TO REPORT. AND LASTLY, THESE ARE OUR REIMBURSEMENTS RECEIVED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT AND EACH BOARD MEMBER. AND THOSE ARE IN FRONT OF YOU. WE END, AGAIN, WITH OUR A RATING, WHICH WE'RE EXCITED TO REPORT. THANK YOU. MS. BRANUM: THANK YOU SO MUCH, MS. DAVENPORT. YOU-- AGAIN, YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE TEAM HAVE DONE A TREMENDOUS JOB. AND WITH THAT, WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: DO ANY BOARD MEMBERS HERE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENT? MR. EAGER. MR. EAGER: HEY, ALL. THE ONLY THING I WAS GOING TO SAY, HEY, CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN. BECAUSE I MEAN, SOME OF THOSE THINGS, IF YOU LOOK AT THOSE-- I MEAN, STAYING WITHIN A VARIANCE-- AND THESE VARIANCES WERE SO TIGHT. AND WITH SO MANY, I THINK PLANNING A MISSION TO MARS IS PROBABLY LESS COMPLICATED THAN TRYING TO PROJECT SCHOOL FINANCE THESE DAYS. SO TO DO ALL THAT AND A 98 RATING IS JUST EXCEPTIONAL. MRS. DAVENPORT: SO THANK YOU. AND IT TRULY IS A RESULT OF THE ENTIRE DISTRICT AND STARTING WITH THE BOARD APPROVING THE BUDGET. SO THANK YOU. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: ANYONE ELSE? THANK YOU, MS. DAVENPORT. NO ACTION IS REQUIRED FOR THE FIRST RATING REPORT. THIS PUBLIC HEARING IS NOW CONCLUDED. THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS THE REGULAR PUBLIC COMMENT [III. PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION] SECTION. TRUSTEE PACHECO WILL BE HELPING US WITH PUBLIC SPEAKERS PORTION OF OUR AGENDA. MS. PACHECO, DO WE HAVE ANY PERSONS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP TO ADDRESS THE BOARD? MS. PACHECO: YES WE DO. THANK YOU, MS. MCGOWAN. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD, I WELCOME THE VISITORS THE SECOND TIME. DURING TODAY'S MEETING. SPEAKERS MAY COMMENT ON BOTH AGENDA AND ON AGENDA ITEMS. AS A REMINDER, SPEAKERS ARE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW THE PUBLIC COMMENT PROTOCOL AS NOTED ON THE RISD WEBSITE. SPEAKERS, PLEASE APPROACH THE PODIUM AT THE FRONT OF THE AUDITORIUM WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME. SUSAN HERZFELD. MRS. HERZFELD: GOOD EVENING, BOARD PRESIDENT, TRUSTEES, AND SUPERINTENDENT. MY NAME IS SUSAN HERZFELD. I'M HERE TONIGHT TO ADDRESS THE FIFTH AMENDED CONTRACT TO THE SUPERINTENDENT'S AUGUST 9, 2022 CONTRACT. BEFORE ADDRESSING THE TEXT, LET THE RECORD REFLECT [00:30:01] THAT DUE TO ACTIVE GRIEVANCES AND SENSITIVE DISCLOSURES, I AM FORMALLY INVOKING WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS AGAINST SENSITIVE RETALIATION-- WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS AGAINST RETALIATION. I'M PLACING THIS DISTRICT ON NOTICE THAT THIS TESTIMONY REGARDS THE REPORTING OF OFFICIAL NONCOMPLIANCE, STRUCTURAL ERRORS, AND FISCAL MISMANAGEMENT AND IS PROTECTED UNDER THE LAW. I ATTEMPTED TO ADDRESS THESE SEVERE ERRORS COLLABORATIVELY THROUGH ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER GERRY GUTIERREZ, BUT WAS INFORMED NO PROCESS EXISTS FOR STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT DURING WORKING BOARD MEMBERS IS DEEPLY CONCERNING THAT A PUBLIC BOARD HAS NO FORMAL MECHANISM TO RECEIVE CRITICAL CONTRACTUAL CORRECTIONS OUTSIDE OF A THREE MINUTE PUBLIC COMMENT WINDOW. THE FIFTH AMENDMENT WAS DRAFTED BY GENERAL COUNSEL, SIGNED BY LEADERSHIP, AND UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED. YET THE OPERATIONAL TEXT EXPLICITLY STATES PREVIOUS TERMS REMAIN IN EFFECT UNLESS SPECIFICALLY CHANGED BY THE FOURTH AMENDMENT. THIS IS PATENT AMBIGUITY. IT MAKES THE CONTRACT LEGALLY FLAWED AND STRUCTURALLY VULNERABLE. I TRIED RAISING THESE CONCERNS MONTHS AGO, HOPING THE BOARD WOULD TAKE INITIATIVE TO CORRECT ITS OWN WORK. YOUR SILENCE HAS FORCED MY HAND. THIS ERA RAISES PROFOUND QUESTIONS REGARDING THE BASIC STANDARD OF CARE IN OUR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION. IF THE ADMINISTRATION AND ITS LEGAL TEAM CANNOT FLAWLESSLY EXECUTE A SIMPLE TWO BULLETED TERM CONTRACT THAT DIRECTLY BENEFITS THE SUPERINTENDENT, HOW CAN TAXPAYERS TRUST THE COMPETENCY OF EVERYONE INVOLVED TO MANAGE, AUDIT, AND ENFORCE THE COMPLEX AGREEMENTS OF OUR $1.4 BILLION BOND PROGRAM WITHOUT EXPOSING PUBLIC FUNDS TO MASSIVE LIABILITY AND LITIGATION? FURTHERMORE, LOOKING AT THE TIMING OF THIS EXECUTIVE RAISE, THE DISTRICT IS CURRENTLY FACING A $20 MILLION BUDGET SHORTFALL. APPROVING A SALARY INCREASE FOR THE HIGHEST PAID INDIVIDUAL IN THE DISTRICT, WHILE FACING A DEFICIT OF THIS MAGNITUDE, IS A DIRECT FAILURE OF YOUR FIDUCIARY DUTY TO THE PUBLIC. I REQUEST THE BOARD TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION ACCOUNTABILITY TONIGHT ON THESE THREE TERMS. ITEMS, RESCIND THE FLAWED FIFTH AMENDMENT CONTRACT IMMEDIATELY DUE TO ITS STRUCTURAL AND LEGAL DEFECTS. FREEZE ALL EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION UNTIL THE $27 MILLION DEFICIT IS RESOLVED, THE INCREASES. AND TAKE ANY FUTURE CONTRACT EXTENSIONS FOR A DEDICATED TABLE-- EXCUSE ME, TABLE. ANY FUTURE CONTRACT EXTENSIONS FOR A DEDICATED, TRANSPARENT PUBLIC HEARING WHERE TAXPAYERS CAN VOICE THEIR INPUT. THANK YOU. MS. PACHECO: THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS EWAN BLACKMAN. MR. BLACKMAN: GOOD EVENING AGAIN. GOOD EVENING AGAIN. IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU, BY THE WAY. THESE YOUNG MEN COME FORWARD EARLIER WITH THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. I ENJOY SEEING GENTLEMEN TODAY WHO ARE SMART, RESPECTFUL, AND WELL PUT TOGETHER. A SHOUT OUT TO THE PRINCIPALS, OF COURSE, FOR THEIR PRINCIPALS APPRECIATION MONTH. I SPOKE EARLIER THE PRINCIPAL MEETING WITH REGARDS TO A COUPLE OF GREAT PRINCIPALS I'VE HAD OVER MY LIFE AS A TEACHER. AND IT IS MAKING A HUGE DIFFERENCE WITH PRINCIPAL DOWN TO THE TEACHERS AS MUCH AS THE TEACHERS DOWN TO THE STUDENTS. AND IT'S GREAT TO SEE THAT THEY GET THAT RECOGNITION. I'D BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T START WITH A GOOD DAD JOKE, BECAUSE I LIKE THOSE THINGS. AND BEING A PHYSICS TEACHER, AND THEY HAD THAT ECLIPSE A LITTLE WHILE AGO IN ICELAND. I HAD A FRIEND UP THERE WATCHING IT. AND MY SON CAME TO ME. HE'S LIKE, HEY, DAD, CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW THAT ALL WORKS WITH THE PLANETS, THE STUFF, AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM? AND I SAID, NO, SON. SO THIS IS MY FIRST TIME TO SPEAK IN MY ROLE AS CHAIR OF THE COUNCIL PTAS IN ADVOCACY. AND THAT'S COMING UP. SO I WANT TO PUT A PLUG OUT THERE TO ALL OF YOU AND ENCOURAGE ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS, SUPERINTENDENT BRANUM I KNOW WILL BE DOWN THERE TO TALK TO OUR LEGISLATORS. THAT'S ON FEBRUARY 22. IN CASE YOU DIDN'T HEAR EARLIER, WITH OUR DEFICIT THAT WE HAVE WITH TRYING TO MAKE THE BUDGET WORK WITH THE STATE, ENACTING GREAT TAX EXEMPTIONS ON HOUSEHOLDS. WE LOVE THAT AS TAXPAYERS. BUT THE FLIP SIDE IS THAT THEY NEED TO CLOSE THAT GAP. AND THAT'S ONE OF THE PRIORITIES WE'RE TAKING DOWN TO AUSTIN. SO FOR THOSE WHO MAY BE LISTENING TO THIS, FOR THOSE UP HERE ON THE DAIS IS IF WE CAN JOIN IN WITH THAT, FEBRUARY 22. 2-22 27. I TRY TO GET QUAD TWO SEVEN, BUT NO ONE DOES MATH ANYMORE, SO FAIR ENOUGH. BUT IF YOU CAN COME DOWN AND JOIN US ON THAT. WE'RE GOING TO GET TWO BUSES. NOT THOSE YELLOW SCHOOL BUSES. SO WE'LL GET PROPER BUSES WITH COMFORT. WE'LL DO A LUNCH DOWN THERE. AND THEN COME BACK AND TALK TO OUR LEGISLATORS. I'M REALLY LINING THOSE UP. WE WILL GET TO SPEAK TO THEM AND EXPRESS SOME OF OUR CONCERNS. [00:35:03] AS A DAD, IT BREAKS MY HEART TO SEE WHAT SOME OF THESE STUDENTS HAVE TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH IN THE CLASSROOM. AND THAT'S NOT TO SAY WE'RE NOT WITHOUT PLACES WE CAN CUT OUR BUDGETS AND DO BETTER. I JUST POST AN ARTICLE TODAY WITH PLANO ISD AND SOME CRAZY MONIES FOR ICE HOCKEY TEAMS TO PLAY IN PLANO. AND WE NEED TO LOOK AT THOSE AS WELL. BUT IF WE'RE GOING TO ADVOCATE, WE'VE GOT TO GO DOWN AND ADVOCATE TO OUR STATE. OUR STATE NEEDS TO FUND EDUCATION BETTER. THEY NEED TO CLOSE THE GAP. WHEN THEY GIVE A TAX BREAK TO THE LOCAL LEVEL, THEN THEY NEED TO SUPPLEMENT THAT ON THE STATE LEVEL. AND THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO BE ADVOCATING FOR. I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT THAT. I'M FIRED UP ABOUT THAT. AND I HOPE YOU'LL JOIN ME FEBRUARY 22 AS WE GO DOWN. AND I'LL BE CONTACTING YOU GUYS LATER TO GET THOSE COMMITMENTS. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. AND GOOD NIGHT. MS. PACHECO: OK THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS BRAD MCCUTCHEON. MR. MCCUTCHEON: GOOD EVENING, TRUSTEES. SUPERINTENDENT BRANUM, YOU SOUND ABSOLUTELY AWFUL. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND POWERING THROUGH. MY NAME IS BRAD MCCUTCHEON. I'M AN RISD PARENT. WE HAVE KIDS AT NORTHLAKE ELEMENTARY AND LAKE HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL. I'M HERE TO TALK TONIGHT ABOUT ITEM P ON THE CONSENT AGENDA, WHICH IS CONSIDERATION OF ADOPTION OF LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FOR 2027. SPECIFICALLY, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE LEGISLATIVE ROUNDTABLE, AND I WOULD SAY THAT THE PRIORITIES AS DRAFTED REPRESENT IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT, IN MY OPINION, THE LEGISLATURE ABSOLUTELY MUST TAKE UP IN THE NEXT SESSION. THE REASON I'M HERE TONIGHT IS TO URGE YOU TO TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT INCLUDING INCREASES TO AND CHANGES TO THE BASIC ALLOTMENT AS A PRIORITY FOR RISD FOR THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION. I KNOW I DON'T HAVE TO REMIND EVERYBODY UP HERE THAT THE BASIC ALLOTMENT WAS STAGNANT FROM 2019 UNTIL THIS YEAR, WHEN IT WAS INCREASED BY APPROXIMATELY $50 PER STUDENT. ALSO, AS A REMINDER TO BRING THAT AMOUNT IN LINE WITH INFLATION SINCE 2019 THAT ADJUSTMENT WOULD HAVE NEEDED TO BE ABOUT $1,300 PER STUDENT. AND SO WE REALLY CAN'T TAKE A LOOK AT THE BIG DECISIONS THAT YOU ALL HAVE TO MAKE EVERY YEAR BUDGETARILY WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT CHANGES TO THE BASIC ALLOTMENT ON THE STATE SIDE. TEACHER PAY, CLASS SIZES, ADJUSTMENTS FOR INFLATION, CAMPUS CLOSURES. AND I RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS AN OPINION THAT WE NEED TO LEAVE THIS OFF THE PRIORITY LIST BECAUSE THE LEGISLATURE DOESN'T CURRENTLY HAVE AN APPETITE TO TALK ABOUT CHANGES TO THE BASIC ALLOTMENT. I RECOGNIZE THAT OPINION AND I DISAGREE WITH IT. I FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT WE ARE AT A CROSSROADS, AT A PIVOTAL POINT IN THE HISTORY OF PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. I HAVE SEEN WITH MY OWN EYES IN AUSTIN THAT RICHARDSON ISD IS A LEADER AMONG SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND SO MY HOPE IS THAT OUR ISD WILL BE OUT FRONT ON THIS ISSUE. BECAUSE WITHOUT CHANGES TO THE BASIC ALLOTMENT, WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SEE THE FUNDING GAPS INCREASE. WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO HAVE TO DO THINGS LIKE ADOPT DEFICIT BUDGETS. AND THE PEOPLE WHO WILL REALLY SHOULDER THAT BURDEN ARE OUR CLASSROOM TEACHERS, OUR STUDENTS, AND OUR FAMILIES. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SUPERINTENDENT BRANUM SAYS TO GROUPS ACROSS THE DISTRICT IS THAT LEGISLATORS DON'T WANT TO HEAR HER GO ASK FOR MORE MONEY. THEY WANT TO HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY. AND SO REALLY, WHAT I'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU TONIGHT IS THAT WHEN I'M IN THE COMMUNITY, WHEN I'M AT PTA MEETINGS, WHEN I'M AT COUNCIL OF PTAS, WHEN I'M AT DAD'S CLUB MEETINGS, THERE IS BROAD SUPPORT IN THE COMMUNITY TO GO AFTER CHANGES TO THE BASIC ALLOTMENT. AND SO IF WE WERE TO PUT THAT AT THE TOP OF THE PRIORITY LIST, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT YOU HAVE THE SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNITY. EWAN JUST TALKED ABOUT TAKING THE COMMUNITY TO AUSTIN TO ADVOCATE. AND MY FEAR IS THAT IF WE DON'T PUT IT ON THE PRIORITY LIST, SEVERAL SESSIONS FROM NOW, OUR LAWMAKERS WILL SHOW OUR PRIORITIES BACK TO US AND SAY YOU NEVER ASKED FOR THIS. THIS WAS NEVER A PRIORITY. AND SO SOMEBODY'S GOT TO START THAT CONVERSATION FOR RICHARDSON ISD AND DISTRICTS LIKE OURS ACROSS THE STATE. SO REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU DECIDE TO DO, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM. WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT $100-200 MILLION ON THE REVENUE SIDE, IT'S NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT. THANK YOU. MS. PACHECO: THANK YOU. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN, THIS CONCLUDES OUR SPEAKER LIST. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: THANK YOU, MS. PACHECO. THANK YOU, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, FOR COMING OUT TONIGHT AND SPEAKING. WE INVITE YOU ALL TO COME BACK ANYTIME. THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING TONIGHT. OUR NEXT ITEM IS AN ACTION ITEM TO VOTE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. [IV. CONSENT / CONFIRMATION AGENDA ITEMS] DOES ANYONE WISH TO PULL ANY CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION? DR. HELLER: YES, CAN WE PULL IT UP AND LOOK AT OUR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES. I WOULD LOOK A LITTLE DISCUSSION ON THAT SEPARATELY. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA? MS. PACHECO: SO MOVED. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: MINUS THE CHANGE? MS. PACHECO: SO MOVED. [00:40:01] VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: IS THERE A SECOND? MS. HARRIS: SECOND VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: WE HAVE A MOTION BY MS. PACHECO AND A SECOND BY MS. HARRIS. ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? NO, ALL RIGHT. HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THE MOTION-- THE MOTION PASSES 6-0 BECAUSE CHRIS IS NOT HERE. SO SORRY. MS. BRANUM: NOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT ITEM P. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT ITEM P. MS. BRANUM: THANK YOU FOR YOUR REQUEST TO PULL ITEM P AGAIN. LOVE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION AROUND FUNDING. AND WE DID PRIMARILY IDENTIFY AREAS AROUND THE BASIC COST ALLOTMENTS, SPECIAL EDUCATION, TRANSPORTATION BASED UPON FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE HEARD AND IN ALIGNMENT WITH SURROUNDING DISTRICTS. HOWEVER, I DO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS SOME POWER IN BEING ABLE TO SAY, YES, WE BELIEVE IN THESE PRIORITIES, BUT THERE IS ALSO A RESPONSIBILITY BY OUR LEGISLATORS TO ADEQUATELY FUND PUBLIC ED PERIOD. AND SO WE'RE OPEN FOR FEEDBACK FROM THE BOARD. AS YOU'VE PROCESSED IN THE LAST MONTH SINCE WE PRESENTED THE DRAFT, AS WE'VE HEARD AND TAKEN FEEDBACK FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND OUR PUBLIC COMMENT TONIGHT, IF THERE'S AN APPETITE FROM THE BOARD TO MAKE ANY ADDITIONS OR AMENDMENTS TO OUR CURRENT DRAFTED PRIORITIES. BOARD DO WE HAVE ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? MS. TIMME: YEAH. I WOULD JUST SAY, I AGREE THAT I DO THINK THAT WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO PUSH FOR HOW WE ADDRESS BASIC ALLOTMENT, WHETHER IT'S THROUGH ATTENDANCE VERSUS ENROLLMENT, WHETHER IT'S FOR INCREASE IN OTHER WAYS. RIGHT NOW THERE'S SO MUCH FUNDING THAT'S CONTINGENT UPON ENROLLING IN PROGRAMS THAT THE STATE WANTS. AND THAT'S BEEN OUR ONLY MECHANISM TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING. AND SO IT ALMOST FEELS LIKE IT'S GOING A LITTLE BIT IN THE OPPOSITE WAY. I CERTAINLY JUST AS ONE WOULD ABSOLUTELY BE INTERESTED IN AT LEAST SOME CONSIDERATION AND DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT YOU GUYS MIGHT WANT TO BRING FORWARD AS A LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY. I DO THINK IT IS A RESPONSIBLE OPTION. MS. BRANUM: MR. EAGER? MR. EAGER: YEAH I THINK EVERYBODY ON THIS BOARD IN THE COMMUNITY KNOWS MY FEELINGS ABOUT OUR LACK OF FUNDING IN PUBLIC EDUCATION. I THINK AS WE WERE EVALUATING, WE WERE TAKING INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY. AND I THINK WHOLEHEARTEDLY THERE IS A DIRE NEED IN THE BASIC ALLOTMENT. BUT WE ALSO LOOKED AT THINGS THAT-- IT WOULD JUST YOUR MOUTH DROP ON THINGS THAT ARE MANDATORY BUT NOT FUNDED. WE'VE GOT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN SHORTFALL FROM MANDATES FROM TRANSPORTATION. AND WE JUST GO DOWN THE LIST. SO I THINK RIGHT NOW, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS AT LEAST PLUG THE GAP TO GIVE US A FIGHTING CHANCE OF AT LEAST GETTING US TO A BUDGET. THAT'S AT LEAST WHERE WE'RE NOT IN DEFICIT SPENDING BECAUSE-- AND I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AND I APPRECIATE THE ADVOCACY FROM OUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE IF THEY DON'T HEAR IT AND WORRY ABOUT IT DOWN IN AUSTIN-- BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT WORRIED. THEY'RE JUST-- I MEAN, LET'S JUST CALL IT WHAT IS IS. I WILL GET REELECTED EITHER WAY. AND I THINK THE PROBLEM IS THAT UNTIL THEY FEAR NOT GETTING REELECTED, THEY'RE JUST GOING TO CONTINUE ON THIS PATH OF NOT FUNDING EDUCATION. AND AS YOU SEE AND AGAIN, HOWEVER YOU PUT IT, PUBLIC EDUCATION IS SO CRITICAL TO OUR ENTIRE STATE. AND WE SHOULD HAVE THE BEST PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE ENTIRE STATE. AND WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN WITH EVERY DOLLAR. SO IN THESE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES, IT'S-- MY EXPERIENCE OF GOING DOWN THERE FOR THE LAST SIX YEARS IS THAT I'VE HAD MORE LEGISLATORS-- AND I THINK MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES WILL SAY GO DOWN THERE AND THEY WILL TELL YOU, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, I AM PRO PUBLIC EDUCATION. BUT WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THE VOTE? IT DOESN'T HAPPEN. AND SO I THINK THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY. WHATEVER RIGHT NOW THAT WE CAN AT LEAST GET THEIR ATTENTION IN THE MEETING AND MANDATORY. [00:45:04] IT IS A CONSTITUTIONAL MANDATE YOU FUND PUBLIC EDUCATION. SO GETTING BACK TO THE MAIN POINT, I'LL GET OFF MY SOAPBOX. GIVE ME A CHANCE TO TALK ABOUT THIS, AND I'LL JUST KEEP TALKING. HERE'S THE THING. I THINK THAT IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE STUDENT ALLOTMENT IS-- I MEAN, IT'S ALMOST SHAMEFUL THAT THEY HAVEN'T MOVED IT IN SIX YEARS. AND $50 WAS-- WELL, I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO HOW I FEEL ABOUT THAT. BUT I THINK RIGHT NOW WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO GET A CONSISTENT VOICE WITH SURROUNDING DISTRICTS TO JUST GO, LISTEN, WE NEED TO GET THESE UNFUNDED MANDATES. BECAUSE IF WE WANT TO PLUG ANYTHING, THE BIGGEST GAPS RIGHT NOW THAT WE'VE GOT IN OUR BUDGET ARE THESE UNFUNDED MANDATES. MS. BRANUM: WOULD THERE BE APPETITE FROM THE BOARD-- OR I'M SORRY. WOULD THERE BE APPETITE FROM THE BOARD BASED UPON SOME FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE RECEIVED TO GIVE OUR ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM A LITTLE BIT OF TIME? I HAVE AN IDEA OF HOW WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO CRAFT A STATEMENT ON OUR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES THAT ADDRESSES THE BASIC ALLOTMENT. BUT STILL KEEP THE FOCUS ON WHAT OUR CURRENT LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES ARE. BUT MAKE SURE THAT IS A PART OF OUR MESSAGE IF NOTHING ELSE SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE A LEGISLATOR SAY, WELL, LOOK, DISTRICTS DIDN'T EVEN-- X DISTRICT DIDN'T EVEN ASK FOR-- YOUR LOCAL DISTRICT DIDN'T EVEN ASK FOR AN INCREASE IN THE BASIC ALLOTMENT. SO THERE MAY BE A WAY TO CRAFT A STATEMENT THAT KIND OF ACCOMPLISHES BOTH. IS THERE APPETITE TO GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF TIME? MS. TIMME: YES, I WOULD SAY YES. I ALSO WOULD SAY, TOO, I THINK PART OF THAT STATEMENT-- AND I APOLOGIZE BECAUSE I SHOULD HAVE SAID THIS EARLIER WITH THE PROPOSED PROPERTY TAX AND HOW THAT CURRENTLY FUNDS EDUCATION. AND THE CURRENT PIECE ON GOING DOWN TO 0 PROPERTY TAX MAY CHANGE THE WAY-- I MEAN, WHO KNOWS COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING. SO I THINK THERE HAS TO BE SOME FLEXIBILITY IN HOW WE ASK FOR THAT IN A WAY THAT ALLOWS US TO MOVE IN A WAY THAT GOES WITH IF THERE'S ANY CHANGING TO THE FORMULA BASED ON ANY OF THAT. OR THE FUNDS UNDER WHICH THEY'RE PULLING THAT FROM, SHOULD THERE BE SOME CONSTRAINTS ON THAT. I CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE AN APPETITE FOR THAT. MS. BRANUM: MS. HARRIS? MS. HARRIS: SO I DITTO TO WHAT MY COLLEAGUES ARE SAYING, BUT I ALSO WANT TO STATE THAT, YES, I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THIS SHOULD ALLOW US AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE SOME ROBUST DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS ADD TO THE PRIORITIES. I THINK IT ALSO GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO COMMUNICATE TO OUR COMMUNITIES WHAT WE'VE BEEN PREACHING ABOUT THE BASIC ALLOTMENT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS AT THIS TIME. AND WHAT I DON'T WANT TO HAPPEN IS THAT IT GETS PUSHED IN THE BACK. AND SO MAKING OUR COMMUNITIES FEEL LIKE IT'S NOT IMPORTANT. AND IT IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. AND I THINK THAT NOW IS A TIME FOR US TO SPEAK UP, EDUCATE OUR COMMUNITIES, HELP THEM UNDERSTAND, DEFINITELY IN REGARDS TO THE TAX SITUATION, WHAT WE'RE UP AGAINST HERE IN PUBLIC EDUCATION. AND JUST HOW THAT BASIC ALLOTMENT IS SO IMPORTANT TO US AND WHAT IT TRULY, TRULY MEANS. YES, I THINK THIS IS A SITUATION WHERE WE NEED TO HAVE SOME DISCUSSION MS. BRANUM: MS. PACHECO? MS. PACHECO: SO I WOULD DEFINITELY WANT TO SEE SOMETHING THAT SPEAKS TO THE BASIC ALLOTMENT AND HOW WE ARE FUNDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS. IT'S NOT THAT I DISAGREE WITH ANY OF THESE PRIORITIES OR THE WAY THEY'RE LISTED. BUT WHEN WE LOOK AT REDUCING THE FUNDING GAPS. WE'RE FOCUSING ON THAT. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE FUNDING GAPS WHEN LEGISLATORS DON'T LOOK AND COMPLETELY FUND THE MANDATES THAT THEY PUT. THESE ARE GAPS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE FROM THE PAST. BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE GAPS ARE GOING TO LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE. SO IN ORDER FOR US TO BE FULLY FUNDED, WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE BASIC ALLOTMENT. AND WE NEED TO BE THAT SQUEAKY WHEEL AND CONTINUOUSLY ASK FOR PROPERLY FUNDING OUR SCHOOLS. SO I DEFINITELY WOULD NOT WANT TO REMOVE THAT. AND I SAY THIS BECAUSE I BELIEVE AS A BOARD, WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR BUDGET, WE'RE FUNDING THINGS THAT MATTER IN OUR DISTRICT. AND SO LEGISLATORS NEED TO FUND WHAT MATTERS TO US. AND IT'S PROPERLY EDUCATING OUR STUDENTS WITH THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF MONEY. MS. BRANUM: THE GOOD NEWS IS WE HAVE TIME. WE WERE VERY PROACTIVE IN WORKING IN DRAFTING OUR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES. SO, DR. HELLER, IF WE CAN SPEND A LITTLE BIT OF TIME AND WE COULD BRING OUR NEXT DRAFT, OUR NEXT REVISION, TO OUR WORKSHOP. WHICH IS JUST, I BELIEVE, JUST A WEEK AWAY. AND THEN THIS WOULD STILL GIVE YOU TIME TO APPROVE IT IN THE FIRST NOVEMBER MEETING, WHICH STILL GIVES US AMPLE TIME LEADING INTO THE NEXT SESSION. DOES THAT TIMELINE FEEL OK TO THE BOARD? OK. [00:50:02] VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: ANY OTHER COMMENTS? I WILL ADD THAT I AGREE WITH YOU ALL AS WELL. I AM INTERESTED IN WHAT OUR NEIGHBORING DISTRICTS ARE DOING, BECAUSE I KNOW WE KIND OF LIKE TO ALL RALLY TOGETHER CLOSER TO TIME. SO DO WE KNOW WHAT THEY'RE SETTING UP. MS. BRANUM: YES, I WILL SAY THAT THE MAJORITY OF OUR DISTRICTS-- OUR NEIGHBORING AND OUR BENCHMARK DISTRICTS ARE REALLY FOCUSING ON WHERE WE THINK THE LEVERS HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF BEING MOVED, WHICH ARE ON THE SPECIAL ALLOTMENTS. HOWEVER, I ALSO THINK THAT THERE IS A WAY THAT WE CAN STILL BE UNIFORM IN AMPLIFYING THAT REQUEST BUT ALSO STILL MAKING SURE THAT WE MESSAGE AND WE VALUE. IN THE END, THE FOUNDATION OF OUR FUNDING SYSTEM IS BASED ON THE BASIC ALLOTMENT AND THAT CAN'T GET IGNORED. AND SO I THINK THERE MAY BE A WAY FOR US TO ACCOMPLISH THAT WITH STILL KEEPING A UNIFORM AND A UNIFIED VOICE WITH OUR PEER DISTRICTS WHEN WE GO DOWN TO AUSTIN. SO IF YOU'LL JUST GIVE US A LITTLE TIME TO DRAFT THAT. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: OK, THANK YOU FOR THAT. YEAH, I AGREE. SO LET'S MOVE ON TO THE NEXT THING. OUR NEXT ACTION ITEM IS TO CONSIDER GIFTS, MS. BRANUM? [V.A. Consider Gifts] MS. BRANUM: YES, THANK YOU. AS ALWAYS, WE SO APPRECIATE OUR PTAS AND OUR OTHER PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS FOR ALL THE WORK THAT THEY DO TO SUPPORT OUR KIDS, OUR CAMPUSES, AND OUR TEACHERS. AND THIS MONTH WE HAVE FIVE GIFTS, OVER $5,000, THAT WE ARE SUBMITTING FOR THE BOARD'S APPROVAL. AND THAT IS FROM ARAPAHO CLASSICAL MAGNET PTA. $15,000 THAT WAS DONATED TO ACM. NORTHLAKE ELEMENTARY PTA DONATED $12,000 TO THEIR CAMPUS. PRAIRIE CREEK ELEMENTARY DONATED $77,400.42 CENTS TO PRAIRIE CREEK. SPRING CREEK ELEMENTARY DONATED $9,856.34 TO THEIR CAMPUS, AND STULTS ROAD ELEMENTARY PTA DONATED $7,420 TO STULTS ROAD ELEMENTARY. THAT WAS FOR A TOTAL OF $121,676.76. WE ALSO HAVE EIGHT GIFTS THAT ARE LESS THAN $5,000 FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES TO CAMPUSES ACROSS THE DISTRICT. AND THAT TOTALED $838,800.39, WHICH ARE SUBMITTED FOR THE BOARD'S INFORMATION. AND THE TOTAL GIFTS THIS MONTH IS $130,477.15. AND WITH THAT, I DO REQUEST THAT THE BOARD APPROVE THE GIFTS AS PRESENTED. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE GIFTS? MS. TIMME: SO MOVED. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: IS THERE A SECOND? MS. BURNEY: I SECOND. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: WE HAVE A MOTION BY MS. TIMME AND A SECOND BY MS. BURNEY. I'M SO SORRY. ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? MS. TIMME? MS. TIMME: YEAH, I DO WANT TO SAY JUST ON THE HEELS, ESPECIALLY TALKING ABOUT BUDGETS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, FUNDING FROM THE STATE AND THE FACT THAT WE DO HAVE A DEFICIT BUDGET AND THAT WE'RE CONTINUALLY MAKING CUTS TO TRY TO MAXIMIZE OUR BUDGET. IT DOES FORCE US INTO SOME CORNERS WHERE THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT WE CAN'T IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND OUR PARENTS, OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, OUR PARTNERS IN BUSINESS STAND IN THE GAP FOR US IN DOING THAT. AND SO I'M JUST SO APPRECIATIVE OF THEIR GENEROSITY, WHETHER IT'S MONETARILY BUT ALSO EVEN WITHIN THE TIME THAT THEY GIVE. THEY SPEND HOURS IN OUR BUILDING. WHICH MAY NOT HAVE A MONETARY VALUE THAT HAS TO BE APPROVED BY THE BOARD BUT SHOULD NEVER BE OVERLOOKED OR UNDERAPPRECIATED. SO I JUST WANT TO GIVE A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY WHO STANDS IN THAT GAP AND HELPS US DO THE THINGS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO DO, EVEN WHEN WE CAN'T DO IT OURSELVES ALL THE TIME. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? WELL, I HAVE A COMMENT. I'M JUST GOING TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO STULTS ROAD ELEMENTARY BECAUSE OUR PRINCIPAL IS HERE. HER FIRST YEAR AT STULTS. AND I WANT TO SAY SHE'S DOING AN AMAZING JOB, CONGRATULATIONS. AND THE PTA IS ROCKING OUT. I'M SUPER EXCITED. SO CONGRATULATIONS STULTS. AND IT'S THEIR FIRST TIME ON OUR LIST SO CONGRATS. ALL RIGHT. HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. PERFECT. THE MOTION PASSES 6 MINUS 0. THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS A PRESENTATION OF THE STATE OF RISD COUNCIL OF TAS. HOWEVER, MS. GARDNER IS NOT ABLE TO BE WITH US TONIGHT. THEREFORE, WE WILL BE MOVING THIS PRESENTATION TO THE NEXT REGULAR BOARD MEETING. WE LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING HER SHARE ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT THE PTA IS DOING DISTRICT-WIDE. [00:55:01] OUR NEXT ITEM IS AN INFORMATION ITEM [V.C. Magnet Enrollment Update] TO RECEIVE A MAGNET ENROLLMENT UPDATE. MS. BRANUM? MS. BRANUM: THANK YOU TRUSTEE MCGOWAN. ONE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAD AS WE CONTINUOUSLY LISTEN TO OUR PARENTS AS WE REVIEW OUR PARENTS ENGAGEMENT SURVEYS, WAS QUESTIONS RELATED TO OUR MAGNET ENROLLMENT TIMELINES. AND THE COMPETITION THAT WE FACE WITH OUTSIDE EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS. AND WHEN THEY DO THEIR ACCEPTANCES. AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN, WE HEARD FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO SAID, HAD I KNOWN THAT I WOULD HAVE GOTTEN THAT MAGNET SEAT PLACEMENT, I WOULD NOT HAVE POTENTIALLY MADE A DECISION TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. AND SO WE RECOGNIZE THAT THERE WAS A GAP IN-- OR A POTENTIAL MISS THAT WE HAD IN THE TIMELINE THAT WE PREVIOUSLY DID WITH MAGNET ENROLLMENT. AND THANKS TO OUR INCREDIBLE WORK OF OUR ACCESS AND ENROLLMENT TEAM AND STRATEGY AND ENGAGEMENT TONIGHT, THEY'RE BRINGING FORWARD SOME ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE THINK WILL BETTER ALIGN SO THAT OUR PARENTS WILL CONTINUOUSLY CHOOSE RISD TO BE THE ONE FOR EDUCATING THEIR STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. SO I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO DR. GIBBINS. DR. GIBBINS: THANK YOU, MS. BRANUM GOOD EVENING. BOARD. AS MS. BRANUM SAID, WE'RE JUST GOING TO SHARE SOME QUICK UPDATES FOR YOU. EXCUSE ME. QUICK UPDATES FOR YOU AROUND WHY WE'VE DONE THIS ADJUSTMENT. AND THEN WHAT REMEDIES AND WHAT I THINK POSITIVE OUTCOMES ARE GOING TO COME OF THAT. SO AS YOU CAN SEE, WE ALWAYS LOOK AT OUR NORTH STAR GOAL IN EVERY PRESENTATION. AND REALLY IN EVERY KIND OF ACTIVITY OR PROGRAM THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT CHANGING OR ADJUSTING THE SYSTEM, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR NORTH STAR GOAL IS REVIEWED AND ASSESSED IN A WAY THAT MAKES SENSE FOR WHAT WE'RE DOING. AND WE FEEL LIKE THESE ADJUSTMENTS ARE REALLY GOING TO ADHERE TO THAT. JUST PUSH US-- GO BACK IN TIME A LITTLE BIT TO OUR COMMUNITY BUDGET STEERING COMMITTEE. AND REMEMBERING THAT NUMBER SEVEN OF OURS WAS REALLY AROUND WHAT WE CALLED AT THE TIME CHOICE AND SPECIALIZED PROGRAMMING. DR. LIEBER AND MYSELF HELPED FACILITATE THAT GROUP. AND WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT-- AS YOU'LL SEE THE CONSIDERATIONS HERE IN THAT TOP BULLET IS IMPROVEMENT IN CURRENT MAGNET PROGRAMMING AND SYSTEMS. AND SO FROM THAT, WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS WORK TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE SYSTEM WHEN IT COMES TO OVERALL ENROLLMENT AND EASE OF ENROLLMENT AS WELL FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR PARENTS. RISD IS THE ONE. WHEN WE LOOK AT THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNERS THAT'S TAILORED TO EVERY SINGLE STYLE-- OR EVERY STYLE AND ABILITY, THAT'S WHERE OUR MAGNET PROGRAMMING DOES COME IN. YOU HEARD EVEN FROM OUR RECOGNITIONS EARLIER TODAY AROUND SOME OF THE PROGRESS THAT WE'RE MAKING FROM AN ACCREDITATION STANDPOINT. AND SO REALLY PROUD OF THAT WORK THAT'S BEING DONE. AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AND THOSE EXPERIENCES CONTINUE TO GROW FOR OUR MAGNETS. SO I'M GOING TO PASS IT ON OVER TO MS. GALVAN. SHE'S BEEN CRITICAL IN THIS WORK THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS TO HELP US STREAMLINE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE FOR A STUDENT THAT'S NOT ONLY THAT'S NEW TO THE DISTRICT OR WHO IS INVOLVED IN MAGNET PROGRAMMING AND WANTS TO STAY INVOLVED. SO I'LL PASS IT OVER TO YOU, MS. GALVAN. MS. GALVAN: THANK YOU, DR. GIBBINS. IT'S JUST EXTRA IMPORTANT, LIKE MS. BRANUM SAID THAT WE LISTEN TO OUR STAKEHOLDERS. AND WE HEARD OVER AND OVER AGAIN, LIKE SHE SAID, HAD WE KNOWN SOONER, WE MIGHT HAVE STAYED. AND SO THAT'S WHY IT'S JUST CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE MOVE UP OUR TIMELINE TO MAKE FASTER DECISIONS AND TO PROTECT OUR DISTRICT'S ENROLLMENT AND RETAIN OUR FAMILIES. SO THIS NEXT SLIDE WILL ILLUSTRATE FOR YOU WHAT OUR TIMELINE WAS LAST YEAR AND IN PREVIOUS YEARS. AND WHAT WE ARE MOVING TO FOR THIS CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR AS WE PREPARE FOR '27-28. SO YOU'LL SEE, DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR OF '25-26, THINGS WERE SPREAD OUT ALL THE WAY FROM NOVEMBER TO, REALLY, ABOUT JULY. AND AGAIN, WE JUST WEREN'T MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS AND MAKING SURE THAT INFORMATION WAS GIVEN TO THEM SOONER. SO YOU WILL SEE OVER-- UNDER '26-27 AS WE PREPARE FOR '27-28 THAT EVERYTHING IS GOING TO REALLY OPEN NOVEMBER 1. SO THAT'S JUST IN A FEW WEEKS. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ENROLLMENT OPENS FOR NEW STUDENTS TO RISD. THAT WILL INCLUDE EVEN PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHO HAVE NOT BEEN A PART. WE ARE ENCOURAGING THEM TO START THAT ENROLLMENT NOVEMBER 1. AS WELL AS NOVEMBER 1. THAT WILL BE ALL MAGNET AND DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAM APPLICATIONS AS WELL. WE WILL ALSO, IN THAT TIMELINE, START LOOKING AT OPEN ENROLLMENT TRANSFER REQUEST. AND THEN FEBRUARY 23, THAT IS WHEN OUR CURRENT STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE THEIR SNAP CODES TO COMPLETE ENROLLMENT FOR NEXT YEAR. [01:00:01] SO THEY ALREADY HAVE A SEAT. SO WE DID NOT FEEL IT WAS VITAL FOR THEM TO START THE PROCESS IN NOVEMBER BECAUSE WE JUST ROLLED THOSE STUDENTS FORWARD NATURALLY. AND SO, AGAIN, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO CAPTURE ALL OF OUR SPECIALIZED PROGRAMMING MUCH SOONER. GET DECISIONS TO FAMILIES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WE HAVE FOUND IN LOOKING AT OUR CHARTER SCHOOLS, PRIVATE SCHOOLS THAT THEY MAKE A LOT OF THEIR ANNOUNCEMENTS IN MARCH. SO WE'RE HOPING TO HAVE ALL OF OUR ANNOUNCEMENTS MADE THE END OF FEBRUARY SO THAT WE ARE GETTING IT OUT BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE. AND THEN THOSE DECISIONS-- THE FAMILIES HAVE THOSE AND THEN CAN MAKE A BETTER EDUCATED DECISION TO STAY WITH US OR TO COME TO US FOR THE FIRST TIME. DR. GIBBINS: THANK YOU, MS. GALVAN. I WANT TO MAKE A SPECIAL NOTE HERE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ENROLLMENT FOR '27-28 IN NOVEMBER. SO IT HAS BEEN A SHIFT A LITTLE BIT. IN TALKING WITH MS. GALVAN, SHE OPERATES IN TWO DIFFERENT ACADEMIC YEARS ON A DAILY BASIS. WHAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW IN OUR SCHOOLS. HOW ARE WE MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE ENROLLMENT AND OUR ATTENDANCE IS GOING WELL. AND THEN HOW ARE WE PLANNING FOR NEXT YEAR, EVEN IN NOVEMBER, ON NOVEMBER 1, FOR ENROLLMENT. SO I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE. KIND OF BALANCING BOTH OF THOSE SCHOOL YEARS AT THE SAME TIME. SO THANK YOU. DR. HELLER: SO TO SUPPORT THIS SHIFT AND THESE NEW TIMELINES, WE HAVE DEVELOPED AND UPDATED OUR MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION PLAN TO SUPPORT THESE NEW DATES. AND SO ON THIS SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE OUR GOALS, OUR AUDIENCE, AND OUR METHODS. I REALLY JUST WANT TO FOCUS IN ON THOSE THREE WORDS UNDER THE GOALS WE WANT TO AMPLIFY, SHOWCASE, AND DRIVE. SO WE REALLY WANT TO AMPLIFY, SHED A LIGHT, ON THESE NEW TIMELINE WINDOWS, THE CAMPUS TOURS AND APPLICATION DEADLINES. AND I DO WANT TO RECOGNIZE SANDRA VERDUSCO, OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING. SHE'S BEEN OUR LEAD WORKING WITH CECILIA AND HER TEAM TO DEVELOP A NEW CAMPAIGN THAT REALLY SHOWCASES. AND ALSO WORKING WITH OUR MAGNET SCHOOL PRINCIPALS AND OUR CHOICE PROGRAM PRINCIPALS TO SUPPORT ENSURING THAT WE'RE AMPLIFYING THE OPPORTUNITIES. AND ALSO BRANDING AROUND WHY WE ARE THE ONE FOR OUR FAMILIES AROUND THOSE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS AND STUDENT EXPERIENCES. AND THEN YOU CAN SEE OUR AUDIENCE WILL INCLUDE THOSE EXISTING ISD FEEDER PATTERN FAMILIES. FAMILIES MAY BE FORMALLY ENROLLED IN RISD THAT WE WANT TO BRING BACK. FAMILIES THAT ARE RESIDING IN RISD BUT MAYBE MAKING A DIFFERENT CHOICE FOR EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, WE WANT TO SHOW THEM WHY RISD CAN BE THE ONE FOR THEIR FAMILY. AND THEN ALSO CONTINUING OUR EFFORTS AROUND OUT-OF-DISTRICT FAMILIES THROUGH OPEN ENROLLMENT. AND THEN YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE METHODS THAT WE ARE USING. WE ARE LEANING IN WITH DOING SOME ADDITIONAL PAID, TARGETED MARKETING THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH SOME EXTERNAL SUPPORT WITH AZURE MEDIA. WE ALSO HAVE OUR PRINCIPAL TOOLKITS, OUR PARENTSQUARE MESSAGES, OUR WEBSITE, AND ALL OF OUR TRADITIONAL CHANNELS AS WELL. AND THEN AGAIN, ALIGNING THIS NEW MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS PLAN WITH THESE NEW DATES. AND YOU CAN SEE HERE ON THE LEFT SIDE THE EMPHASIS ON OUR MAGNET DUAL LANGUAGE AND NEW TO OUR ISD, THAT'S REALLY GOING TO KICK OFF TOMORROW WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO START SEEING THINGS IN THE RICHARDSON ISD COMMUNITY NEWS. YOU'RE GOING TO START SEEING THINGS SEATED ON SOCIAL, AND YOU CAN SEE THOSE DATES. AND THEN WHEN OUR CURRENT FAMILIES WILL RE ENROLL EARLY IN THE SPRING SEMESTER STARTING IN EARLY FEBRUARY, WE WILL START THAT OUTREACH TO OUR EXISTING FAMILIES WHO ALREADY HAVE SEATS AND WHO ARE ALREADY CURRENTLY ENROLLED. I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO KNOW THAT YOU WILL SEE THIS CAMPAIGN-- ALTHOUGH KICKING OFF TOMORROW THROUGH SOME OF OUR LOCAL CHANNELS AND LATER THIS FALL THROUGH OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS, YOU WILL SEE THIS CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE SPRING, ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH AUGUST, AS WE ARE LOOKING TO FILL SEATS THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE HERE IN RISD. MS. BRANUM: THANK YOU TEAM. ONE-- I WOULD LOVE MAYBE-- I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S YOU MS. GALVAN OR DR. GIBBINS. COULD YOU SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW WE'VE COLLABORATED WITH OUR MAGNET PRINCIPALS. BECAUSE THIS ALSO MAY BE AN ADJUSTMENT FOR THEM IN THEIR PROCESSES. SO HOW HAVE WE COLLABORATED WITH THEM? HOW ARE THEY ADJUSTING? DO THEY FEEL SUPPORTED IN THE NEW TIMELINES AND READY TO IMPLEMENT AS WELL? MS. GALVAN: YES, MA'AM. SO WE STARTED THIS CONVERSATION EARLY LAST SPRING IN PREPARING EVERYONE FOR THE CHANGE. IT STARTED REALLY WITH DR. MARTIN OVER COUNSELING AND MYSELF, JUST LOOKING AT WHAT WOULD HAVE TO CHANGE WITH COURSE SELECTION HIGH SCHOOL DOWN. AFTER WE DID THAT, WE MADE THIS PROPOSAL TO OUR HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPALS, JUNIOR HIGH PRINCIPALS, [01:05:02] ELEMENTARY PRINCIPALS. AND WHEN WE DID THAT, THERE IS REALLY NOT A BIG SHIFT FROM SIXTH GRADE GOING TO JUNIOR HIGH. THAT TIMELINE IS STILL REALLY THE SAME. THE SHIFT CAME WITH ELEMENTARY. AND IT'S JUST MOVED UP A LITTLE BIT. WE DID NOT FEEL BECAUSE THERE'S NOT ANY INTERVIEW PROCESS THERE-- IT IS HANDLED MOSTLY AT THE CENTRAL LEVEL OTHER THAN COMMUNICATION OR TOURS. SO THE ELEMENTARY TEAM DID NOT FEEL THAT THIS WAS GOING TO IMPACT US IN A NEGATIVE MANNER. HIGH SCHOOL, ON THE OTHER HAND, WE WERE HAVING TO MOVE UP COURSE REQUEST IN DOING THAT. DR. MARTIN HAD ALREADY PLANNED ON DOING THAT AS WELL SO THAT MASTER SCHEDULES COULD BE COMPLETED EARLIER. SO IN ORDER FOR HER TO REACH HER GOAL, WE ALSO HAD TO CHANGE OURS. BUT THIS CONVERSATION, LIKE I SAID, HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE EARLY SPRING OF LAST YEAR AND HAS CONTINUED. MORGAN CAVE, WHO IS NOW WORKING WITH THE PROGRAMMING PIECE FOR MAGNET, SHE HAS MET INDIVIDUALLY WITH ALL THE CAMPUSES. AND WE HAVE ASSURED THE PRINCIPALS THAT WHATEVER SUPPORT WE NEED TO DO, EITHER FROM HER OFFICE OR MY OFFICE, WE'RE HERE TO SERVE. MS. BRANUM: AND AGAIN, JUST TO REITERATE A LOT OF THOSE TRADITIONAL METHODS THAT WE KNOW HAVE WORKED IN MAGNET SHOWCASES, WHETHER IT'S OUR MAGNET NIGHTS, PARENT INFORMATION RELATED TO MAGNETS, STUDENT RECRUITMENT, ALL OF THOSE SAME BEST PRACTICES THAT WE'VE ALWAYS DONE, WE'RE STILL DOING THOSE. IT'S JUST IN A DIFFERENT TIMELINE? MS. GALVAN: YES, MA'AM. IT'S JUST EVERYTHING IS REALLY MOVED UP TO THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER. AGAIN, THAT DID NOT AFFECT WEST AND WESTWOOD. THOSE TIMELINES WERE EXACTLY THE SAME. BUT THE TOURS FOR THE ELEMENTARY EAGLE ROUNDUP THAT THEY HAVE-- EAGLE NIGHT. I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY WHAT IT'S CALLED. BUT THAT ALSO HAS BEEN MOVED UP. BUT ALL OF THOSE SAME THINGS WILL BE HAPPENING. MS. BRANUM: AWESOME THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH. AND WITH THAT, WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: FIRST TIME. A LITTLE GRACE. MS. BRANUM: WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU, DR. GIBBINS. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: WHAT A GREAT NIGHT. MS. TIMME. MS. TIMME: TO THE SURPRISE OF NOBODY. JUST A LITTLE POINT OF CLARIFICATION ON A COUPLE OF THINGS. SO WE WENT TO MOVING OUR DATES BECAUSE PRIVATE SCHOOLS EITHER REQUEST RE ENROLLMENT WITH DOWN PAYMENTS FOR THEIR COMMITMENT-- MS. BRANUM: CORRECT. MS. TIMME: --EARLIER. AND SO WE ARE ALIGNING A LITTLE BIT WITH THAT. OR CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE ASKING FOR ENROLLMENT EARLIER, SO OURS ARE GOING TO THAT SO THAT WE ARE ON THE SAME TIMELINE? MS. BRANUM: CORRECT. YES, MA'AM. AND ULTIMATELY, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS WE'RE ACTUALLY TRYING TO BEAT JUST A LITTLE BIT-- MS. TIMME: AHEAD MS. BRANUM: --BY 7-10 DAYS OF WHEN THE MAJORITY OF OUR COMPETITORS RELEASE THEIR ADMISSIONS YES OR NOS SO THAT OUR FAMILIES KNOW, YES, I DO HAVE THIS SPOT SO THAT THEY'RE NOT EVEN TEMPTED TO MAKE THAT DEPOSIT ON THAT SEAT IN THAT PRIVATE SCHOOL OR MAKE THAT COMMITMENT TO THAT CHARTER SCHOOL. MS. TIMME: SO THEN THEY WOULD THEN BE NOTIFIED OF THEIR SPOT, SAY, NOVEMBER. BUT THEY WOULD STILL THEN JUST BE ENROLLING IN FEBRUARY OR WHATEVER THE NEW TIMELINE IS WHEN THE ACTUAL ENROLLMENT WOULD HAPPEN. BUT THEY WOULD JUST BE NOTIFIED THEIR SPOT WOULD BE SAVED AND HELD. AND THEN THEY WOULD ENROLL AT THE SAME TIME EVERYBODY ELSE WOULD? MS. BRANUM: YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. IF THEY'RE AN EXISTING RISD FAMILY. MS. TIMME: OK. AND IF THEY'RE NOT AND THEY'RE COMING IN, THEN THOSE DATES WOULD BE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT. SO TO GET TO MY BIG POINT WAS WE'RE STILL PRIORITIZING THOSE STUDENTS WHO LIVE WITHIN RISD WHO ARE HERE, AS FAR AS NOT FLOODING OUR MAGNETS WITH THOSE WHO ARE OUTSIDE THE DISTRICT BEFORE OUR FAMILIES WHO ARE HERE OR LIVE IN OUR AREA MAY BE COMING BACK, RIGHT? MS. BRANUM: YES, MA'AM. MS. TIMME: BECAUSE THEY'RE WITHIN OUR THEY'RE WITHIN OUR ENROLLMENT AREA. MS. BRANUM: I THINK THAT'S A GREAT CLARIFICATION. CAN YOU SPECIFICALLY SPEAK TO HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE PRIORITIZE CURRENT RISD FAMILIES BEFORE WE EVER CONSIDER AN EXTERNAL NEW? MS. TIMME: I WOULD JUST ADD TO THAT, THOUGH. WHEN I'M TALKING ABOUT-- I MEAN, I THINK ANYBODY WHO LIVES WITHIN OUR ATTENDANCE. THEY;RE COMING BACK AND THEIR CURRENT FAMILIES. AND I'M TALKING ABOUT PRIORITIZING THOSE OVER THOSE WHO ARE OUTSIDE OUR TYPICAL ATTENDANCE BOUNDARIES. MS. GALVAN: SO WE HAVE IT ALREADY ESTABLISHED IN OUR MAGNET GUIDELINES THAT IT IS FOR THOSE FAMILIES WHO RESIDE WITHIN RISD. SO THEY WOULD NOT BE CHOSEN AND THAT WOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE. THIS PROCESS WILL BE A TWO STEP PROCESS. NEW STUDENTS WILL ENROLL THEN THEY'LL GET THE APPLICATION. WHEREAS CURRENT STUDENTS WILL DO JUST THE OPPOSITE. THEY'LL GET THE APPLICATION, THEN THEY'LL ENROLL BECAUSE THEY ALREADY HAVE A SEAT. AND SO THEY'RE BASICALLY THEN JUST SAYING, YES, I AM FOR SURE COMING BACK. BUT LIKE I SAID, WITHIN OUR MAGNET GUIDELINES, [01:10:02] IT ALREADY CLEARLY OUTLINES THAT THE PRIORITY. AND REALLY, WE HAVE NEVER HAD ENOUGH SEATS TO FILL ALL REQUESTS FOR MAGNET SCHOOLS THAT WE'VE EVEN CONSIDERED THOSE OUTSIDE OF THE DISTRICT. MS. BRANUM: TRACY TIMME, WHEN WE BROUGHT FORWARD THE OPEN ENROLLMENT GUIDELINES, THAT WAS ONE OF THE REQUESTS FROM THE BOARD WAS THAT WE MADE SURE THAT IT WAS EXPLICIT THAT IF YOU'RE AN OPEN ENROLLMENT FAMILY, AGAIN, IF WE HAVE A SEAT AND WE'RE GOING TO WORK HARD TO TRY TO HAVE YOU JOIN OUR FAMILY. BUT MAGNET ENROLLMENT, YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR MAGNET ENROLLMENT IF YOU'RE OPEN ENROLLMENT. GREAT, THANK YOU. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: ANY OTHER TRUSTEES? COMMENTS? OK, WELL, I HAVE A COMMENT. AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA. I LOVE IT MOST FOR OUR FAMILIES BECAUSE THEY GET TO MAKE THE CHOICE AHEAD OF TIME AND CHOOSE US BEFORE THEY DO PRIVATE. SO THAT MAKES ME REALLY HAPPY. THE OTHER PIECE TO IT IS THE MARKETING PART THAT YOU MENTIONED. AND I WOULD LOVE TO ADVOCATE FOR A REALLY STRONG PUSH IN THE MARKETING PIECE FOR THIS. AND I HOPE MY OTHER TRUSTEES WOULD SUPPORT THAT. MR. EAGER? MR. EAGER: AND DOES GIVE ME A CHANCE TO-- SO AS WE BEGIN TO MAKE THE COMMUNITY AWARE OF SOME OF THE GREAT PROGRAMS, I KNOW THAT SOME OF THE PROGRAMS WE ARE LOOKING AT REFRESH, SOME UPDATES. AND REALLY CAN WE-- I'M JUST TRYING TO GET AN IDEA OF ALSO WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO START TALKING-- I KNOW THERE'S SOME REFRESH THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. MS. BRANUM: ACTUALLY WE ARE ACTUALLY WE ARE GOING TO BE BRINGING FORWARD SOME IDEAS THAT WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE BOARD FEEDBACK AS WE CONSIDER EXPANSION OF PROGRAMMING, LIKE THE TWO WAY DUAL LANGUAGE, WHICH WE CONSIDER TO BE A MICRO-SCHOOL. SO WE WILL BE BRINGING FORWARD AND BE SHARING SOME OF THAT WORK WITH THE BOARD IN OUR NOVEMBER MEETING. MR. EAGER: GREAT, GREAT. OK. I'LL BE VERY EXCITED TO HEAR ABOUT THOSE NEW AND EXCITING THINGS WE'RE WORKING ON. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: ANYONE ELSE? NO? ALL RIGHT. OUR NEXT ITEM IS AN INFORMATION ITEM [V.D. Review Campus Improvement Plans, Targeted Improvement & Turnaround Plan Information for the 2026-2027 School Year] TO REVIEW CAMPUS IMPROVEMENT PLANS, TARGETED IMPROVEMENT, AND TURNAROUND PLANS MS. BRANUM. MS. BRANUM: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND THIS IS KIND OF GOING TO BE A JOINT EFFORT, I BELIEVE, BY MANY OF OUR EXPERTS ACROSS OUR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TEAM, AS WELL AS OUR ACCOUNTABILITY AND SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TEAM. AND JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT OUR CAMPUS PRINCIPALS, THEIR CAMPUS INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP TEAMS, AND OUR CENTRAL TEAM HAS POURED IN TO MAKING SURE THAT OUR CAMPUS IMPROVEMENT DOCUMENTS ARE MEANINGFUL PLANS THAT ARE NOT JUST A PLAN THAT IS PUT ON THE SHELF, BUT ACTUALLY REFLECTS THE WORK THAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR CAMPUSES EVERY SINGLE DAY. AND SO I'M JUST INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL TO EVERYONE. AND AT THIS TIME, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO MS. BATES, WHO I THINK IS GOING TO KICK OFF TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION. MS. BATES: YES, THANK YOU BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT BRANUM. SO TONIGHT WE HOPE THIS PRESENTATION WILL REVEAL SOME SIMILARITIES IN OUR DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT PLAN PRESENTATION, BECAUSE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THIS IS MEANT TO DO. OUR NORTH STAR GOAL THIS IS-- DR. GIBBINS FRAMED HIS CONVERSATION WITH THIS SLIDE. AND WE WANT TO AS WELL. BECAUSE OUR CAMPUS IMPROVEMENT PLANS, ALONGSIDE OUR DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT PLANS ARE TO BRING THE WORDS ON THIS PAGE ALIVE. AND SO THAT HAS BEEN OUR GOAL AS WE DEVELOP THIS YEAR. AND THEN WE ALSO WANTED TO BRING FORWARD THIS GRAPHIC BECAUSE AGAIN, THIS IS REALLY WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. THIS DESCRIBES CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN HOW IT ALL FITS TOGETHER. BECAUSE LIKE SUPERINTENDENT BRANUM SAID, WE DON'T WANT THESE TO JUST BE A COMPLIANCE PIECE AND IMPROVEMENT PLANS THAT SIT ON THE SHELF. WE ACTUALLY ARE LOOKING AT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO AND ACCOMPLISH AND TAKING THE GRADUATE PROFILE, OUR STRATEGIC PLAN. AND THEN OUR DISTRICT AND CAMPUS IMPROVEMENT PLANS SHOULD BE VERY ALIGNED. WHAT WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO DO IS REDUCE THAT VARIATION THAT COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN FROM TIME TO TIME, THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALSO MOVING IN THE SAME DIRECTION. AND THEN THE LAST PART OF THIS GRAPHIC IS ULTIMATELY FOR STUDENT OUTCOMES, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE ALL WORKING TOGETHER TO DO. AND THEN THE OUTSIDE OF THIS GRAPHIC IS REALLY THE DATA PART. AND YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR A LOT TONIGHT ABOUT DATA AND WHAT WE'RE DOING TO RESPOND TO THAT DATA. BECAUSE SUPERINTENDENT BRANUM ALSO TALKS ABOUT OUR STUDENTS ARE NOT WIDGETS. SO WE HAVE TO TAKE THE DATA THAT WE GET IN REAL TIME AND THEN MAKE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS. AND THEN WE NEED TO SEE WHAT'S WORKING WELL, DIG INTO THAT A LITTLE BIT DEEPER. [01:15:01] AND THEN IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT'S NOT WORKING WELL, MAKE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS. SO THEN AT THE END, THE STUDENTS ARE MEETING THEIR GOAL. AND THEN THE LAST BULLET ON THIS SLIDE IS WHAT-- THIS WORK IS OUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY. WE HAVE BEEN CHARGED THAT IT'S NOT JUST THE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP'S RESPONSIBILITY. IT'S NOT JUST TEACHING AND LEARNING RESPONSIBILITY. IT'S EVERYBODY'S COLLECTIVE PRIORITY TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE GROWING EVERY DAY. SO NOW I WILL TURN IT OVER TO THE AREA SUPERINTENDENTS WHO WILL WALK YOU THROUGH HOW OUR CAMPUS IMPROVEMENT PLANS WERE DEVELOPED. SO DR. BURT? DR. BURT: GOOD EVENING. I'M JUST GOING TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A LITTLE CONTEXT AS WE MOVE INTO THESE PRESENTATIONS. WE DO HAVE OUR TEXAS EDUCATION CODE REQUIREMENTS. AND PRINCIPALS WORK WITH THEIR SYBASE DECISION MAKING COMMITTEE TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR CAMPUS LEVEL PLANNING IS AROUND STUDENT IMPROVING STUDENT PERFORMANCE. AS PART OF THE SYBASE DECISION MAKING COMMITTEE, PRINCIPALS REALLY LOOK AT CAMPUS DATA, AS BATES SAID. AND THEY REVIEW THOSE DECISIONS. AND AS YOU RECALL, A SYBASE COMMITTEE CONSISTS OF PARENTS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AS WELL AS STAFF. AND THIS COMMITTEE IS TO ESTABLISH THOSE PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES. AND THEY'RE TAILORED TO THE SPECIFIC CAMPUS NEEDS. AND THEN FINALLY THAT MOVES US TO YOU, WHERE YOU ARE HERE TO APPROVE THOSE PERFORMANCE LEVEL OBJECTIVES. WHICH YOU WILL DO IN NOVEMBER. SO WE ARE HERE JUST TO GIVE YOU THOSE TO REVIEW. SPEAKER 1: GREETINGS, EVERYONE. SO WE TALK ABOUT OUR CIP LOCAL REQUIREMENTS. FIRST OF ALL, WE KNOW THAT OUR CIPS ARE PART OF OUR DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT PLAN. AND SO THEY OBVIOUSLY HAVE TO BE APPROVED BY THE BOARD EVERY YEAR. THE CIPS INCLUDE THE SAME INFORMATION AS OUR DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT PLAN AS FAR AS ALIGNMENT. AND THE ALIGNMENT IS COMPOSED OF THE GOALS AS WELL AS THE PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES. AND SO THIS PROCESS IS VERY REFLECTIVE AND IT'S REFLECTIVE SPECIFICALLY WITH OUR END OF YEAR DATA SUCH AS STAR, TOPAZ, ELC AND CLIMATE SURVEYS WHICH GO INTO PLANNING FOR THE CIPS. AND SO WE KNOW THIS IS A STRATEGIC PLAN. AND WHAT IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN THE DIP IN THE FACT THAT IT'S TAILORED TO MEET THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF THE CAMPUS BASED OFF THE AFOREMENTIONED DATA. THE STRATEGIC PLANS ALSO INCLUDE INFORMATION FROM THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT PERFORMANCE GOALS. BUT THIS ALSO INCLUDES PIECES OF THE STUDENT'S NORTH STAR GOALS AS WELL. AND THEN FINALLY, WE TALK ABOUT THE HUMAN AND FISCAL RESOURCES. AND THIS IS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROCESS BECAUSE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR MOST PRECIOUS VALUES AS FAR AS OUR STAFF MEMBERS TIME. AS WELL AS FINANCIAL RESOURCES THAT ARE DESIGNATED TO HELP THE CAMPUSES MEET THEIR CAMPUS NEEDS. MS. BRANUM: IF YOU COULD GO BACK ONE SLIDE, I JUST REALLY WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT LAST BULLET. BECAUSE I THINK IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WHILE THERE IS STRONG ALIGNMENT BETWEEN EVERY ONE OF OUR 49 CAMPUS IMPROVEMENT PLANS TO THE DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT PLAN, YOU ALSO WILL SEE STRATEGIES THAT ARE INDIVIDUALLY UNIQUE TO THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS THAT CAMPUS SERVES. IT MAY BE THAT A CAMPUS IS STRUGGLING WITH TEACHER RETENTION. AND SO YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A SPECIFIC EMPHASIS ON TEACHER RETENTION. YOU MIGHT SEE THAT AT A CAMPUS, THEY ARE REALLY FOCUSING ON EARLY LITERACY BECAUSE THEY RECOGNIZE THAT IS A ROOT CAUSE OF WHAT MIGHT BE HAPPENING IN THE UPPER GRADES WITH LITERACY. YOU MIGHT SEE A FOCUS ON MATH FLUENCY IN A DIFFERENT CAMPUS BECAUSE THEY RECOGNIZE THAT MIGHT BE AN ISSUE THAT IS CAUSING THEM-- FROM A BARRIER IN THEM ACHIEVING THE DATA THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO ACHIEVE. SO AGAIN, THERE'S STRONG ALIGNMENT. BUT YOU ARE STILL GOING TO SEE THAT IDENTITY, THAT UNIQUENESS OF EACH CAMPUS. AND HOW WE ADDRESS THOSE THINGS, AGAIN, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE ALIGNMENT. BUT IT IS INDIVIDUALIZED SO THAT THE CAMPUS FEELS LIKE THEY'RE NOT JUST IMPLEMENTING WHAT THE DISTRICT IS TELLING THEM TO IMPLEMENT. THEY'RE IMPLEMENTING WHAT THEY KNOW BASED UPON WHAT THEIR TEACHERS AND THEIR STUDENTS NEED. SPEAKER 2: ALL RIGHT. COMING BACK TO THE SYBASE COMMITTEE. IN KEEPING WITH THE THEME OF ALIGNMENT, EVERY ONE OF OUR CAMPUSES IN THE SUMMER ARE GIVEN THE EXACT SAME GUIDELINES FOR HOW THEY SELECT MEMBERS OF THEIR SYBASE COMMITTEE AND THE BYLAWS WHICH THEY WILL FOLLOW DURING THE YEAR. AND THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF THIS IS PARTNERSHIP. AND YOU SEE PARTNERSHIP THROUGHOUT SBM AND HOW THEY PARTNER WITH THE SCHOOL. AND SPECIFICALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE CIP, THEY ARE PARTNERS THREE TIMES DURING THE YEAR AS WE LOOK AT THE CIP, MAKE ADJUSTMENTS, AND DECIDE WHETHER IT IS ACHIEVING ITS GOAL AND WHETHER WE ARE DOING THINGS THAT WE SAID WE WERE GOING TO DO TO BE RESPONSIBLE TO THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. SPEAKER 3: OUR CAMPUS IMPROVEMENT PLANS ARE ALIGNED WITH THE FIRE DISTRICT PRIORITIES, [01:20:03] ALL SUPPORTING OUR NORTH STAR GOAL. SO WE'LL START WITH PRIORITY ONE, WHICH IS GROWTH, ENSURING 100% OF OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF MEET THE NORTH STAR GOAL EXPECTATIONS. TWO, TALENT. YOU JUST HEARD SUPERINTENDENT BRANUM TALK ABOUT TEACHER RETENTION. ENSURING THAT WE'RE RECRUITING AND RETAINING HIGH QUALITY AND DIVERSE STAFF. INSTRUCTION. HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION IN ALL OF OUR CLASSES. ENGAGEMENT IS STRENGTHENING OUR COMMUNICATION AND CONNECTION WITH OUR COMMUNITY. AND PRIORITY NUMBER FIVE IS STEWARDSHIP, ENSURING TRANSPARENT STEWARDSHIP OF DISTRICT RESOURCES. HOW DO WE MEASURE THE CIP? EACH CAMPUS USES STUDENT PERFORMANCE DATA TO ESTABLISH MEASURABLE LEARNING TARGETS ALIGNED WITH OUR BOARD GOALS, INCLUDING. HOUSE BILL THREE GOALS. HOUSE BILL THREE GOALS. TALKS ABOUT EARLY LITERACY, WHICH SUPERINTENDENT BRANUM JUST MENTIONED, EARLY LITERACY, MATH, CMR. AND SO THOSE ARE HOUSE BILL THREE GOALS. SECOND, WE'LL MOVE TO STUDENT PERFORMANCE. EACH QUARTER WE'RE LOOKING BOTH AT QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DATA. THAT DATA IS STUDENT PERFORMANCE, CLIMATE SURVEYS, FOCUS GROUPS, AND FEEDBACK FROM OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM TO DETERMINE IF WE'RE ON TRACK WITH WHAT WE SET OUT FOR OUR GOALS TO BE. WHEN THE DATA TELLS US ADJUSTMENTS IS NEEDED, WE MAKE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS. ULTIMATELY THE PROGRESS MADE AT EACH CAMPUS CONTRIBUTES TO US ACHIEVING OUR DISTRICT WIDE GOALS. THANK YOU. MS. BRANUM: THANK YOU. AND AGAIN OUR QUARTERLY PERFORMANCE OF OUR CIP, THOSE ARE UPDATED QUARTERLY. AND WE DO POST THOSE FOR THE COMMUNITY SO THAT THE COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS THAT SYBASE DECISION MAKING TEAM CAN RECEIVE THAT UPDATE. IF YOU DON'T MIND, VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN, I WOULD LIKE TO STOP AT THIS TIME. AND IF THERE ARE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE CIP, ADDRESS CIP QUESTIONS FIRST. AND THEN WE CAN GO INTO OUR DEEPER SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANS. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: YES, MA'AM, MS. BRANUM. BOARD, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? OK, THANK YOU. MS. BRANUM: WE'RE GOING TO SHIFT INTO NOW-- WHAT YOU JUST HEARD WAS THE PROCESS THAT ALL 49 CAMPUSES, WHAT WE GO THROUGH. AND IT REALLY BEGINS REALLY EVEN BEFORE SCHOOL IS OUT. AS WE START LOOKING AT DATA AND END OF THE YEAR DATA, WE ALREADY BEGIN TO IDENTIFY WHAT ARE THOSE UPGRADES. WHAT ARE THOSE ACTION STEPS. WHAT ARE THOSE LEVERS WE NEED TO PULL TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE BOTH QUALITATIVE CLIMATE SURVEY DATA AS WELL AS QUANTITATIVE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT DATA. HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MOVING IN THAT? BUT THEN WE ALSO RECOGNIZE FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, WE HAVE CAMPUSES WHO HAVE ADDITIONAL PLANS, DEEPER PLANS, THAT NEED TO ADDRESS IDENTIFIED GAPS, WHETHER IT'S AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL OR AT THE STATE LEVEL. AND WE'RE ALSO BRINGING FORWARD THE DRAFTS OF THOSE PLANS FOR YOUR REVIEW BEFORE WE ASK YOU TO APPROVE THOSE. AND SO WE'VE ASKED OUR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT TEAM TO PROVIDE SOME INFORMATION FOR THE BOARD AROUND, A, WHY ARE CAMPUSES IDENTIFIED. AND THEN, B, WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS YOU'RE GOING TO SEE IN THESE SPECIALIZED TARGETED PLANS. DR. ORTIZ: THANK YOU SO MUCH. GOOD EVENING. SO AS WE LOOK AT OUR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PROCESS, IT KIND OF RELIES ON THAT STATE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM. AND WE WENT OVER THE MAIN COMPONENTS BACK IN AUGUST. WE TALKED ABOUT HOW THAT ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM LOOKS AT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, SCHOOL PROGRESS, AND CLOSING THE GAPS. AND FROM THAT DATA THAT COMES IN, WE DESIGNATE A LETTER OF PERFORMANCE FOR EACH OF OUR CAMPUSES AND FOR OUR DISTRICT. AND FROM THIS SYSTEM, 70% OF THE SCORE COMES FROM EITHER STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT OR SCHOOL PROGRESS. AND THEN THE OTHER 30% COMES FROM CLOSING THE GAPS. CLOSING THE GAPS IS THE PART OF OUR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM THAT KIND OF GUIDES THE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PROCESS AND IDENTIFIES OUR CAMPUSES FOR DIFFERENT LEVELS OF INTERVENTION AND SUPPORT. WITH OUR FEDERAL ACCOUNTABILITY COMPONENTS, WE'RE GOING TO HEAR SOME ADDITIONAL TERMINOLOGY. TEA DOES UTILIZE THAT CLOSING THE GAP DOMAIN. THIS IS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. THEY'VE SET DIFFERENT TARGETS AND DIFFERENT WAYS OF IDENTIFYING LEVELS OF SUPPORT. AND SO THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF SUPPORT FOR FEDERAL ACCOUNTABILITY IS OUR COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT AND IMPROVEMENT, REFERRED TO AS CSI. SO YOU'LL SEE THAT CSI TERM MOVING FORWARD. TARGETED SUPPORT AND IMPROVEMENT IS ACTUALLY THE LOWEST TIER OF THAT FEDERAL SUPPORT. AND THEN IN THE MIDDLE IS OUR ADDITIONAL TARGETED SUPPORT FOR SCHOOLS. ALL OF THESE ALIGN WITH OUR EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT OR ESSA. CLOSING THE GAPS RATING IS RELYING ON THOSE FOUR SUPER GROUPS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT BACK IN AUGUST. WHICH IS GOING TO BE OUR ALL STUDENTS. IT'S GOING TO BE THE TWO LOWEST PERFORMING ETHNIC GROUPS FOR EACH CAMPUS. AND THEN WE ALSO LOOK AT A HIGH FOCUS GROUP, WHICH IS GOING TO INCLUDE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED, EMERGENT BILINGUAL STUDENTS, HOMELESS STUDENTS, MIGRANT STUDENTS, HIGHLY [01:25:01] MOBILE STUDENTS, AND ALSO OUR STUDENTS THAT ARE SERVED BY SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES. IN THE MIDDLE, YOU'LL SEE FOR OUR COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT IMPROVEMENT. THIS IS DETERMINED ALSO BASED ON THOSE FOUR SUPERGROUPS. SO IT ALIGNS TO THAT CLOSING THE GAP RATING THAT WE SEE. THE ONE THAT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT IS GOING TO BE THE TARGETED SUPPORT AND THE ADDITIONAL TARGETED SUPPORT. THOSE DETERMINATIONS ARE ACTUALLY BASED ON ANY OF THE 12 DISAGGREGATED GROUPS THAT THE FEDS HAVE IDENTIFIED. SO THAT INCLUDES EVERY ETHNIC GROUP. IT'S GOING TO INCLUDE OUR EMERGENT BILINGUAL GROUP, OUR ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED GROUP, SPECIAL EDUCATION, BOTH CURRENT AND FORMER. AND IT ALSO LOOKS AT STUDENTS THAT ARE CONTINUOUSLY ENROLLED. AND SO IF A CAMPUS MISSES THE TARGET FOR A PARTICULAR GROUP, THEY MAY BE IDENTIFIED FOR ONE OF THOSE LEVELS OF INTERVENTION. EACH GROUP HAS DIFFERENT TARGETS. IT'S A VERY COMPLEX SYSTEM. IT'S NOT THE SAME FOR EVERY SINGLE GROUP. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOME CAMPUSES THAT MIGHT HAVE A B RATING, AND IN SOME CASES OTHER DISTRICTS HAVE A RATED SCHOOLS THAT MIGHT BE IDENTIFIED FOR A PARTICULAR SUBGROUP. THERE NEEDS TO BE AT LEAST 10 STUDENTS IN THE SUBGROUP. SO IT MAY BE A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE CAMPUS THAT MAY PUT THEM INTO THIS IDENTIFICATION PROCESS. FROM THOSE DESIGNATIONS, IT COULD THEN RESULT IN A REQUIRED PLAN. IT COULD BE A TARGETED IMPROVEMENT PLAN, WHICH WE REFER TO AS TIP. OR IT COULD BE A TURNAROUND PLAN, WHICH WE REFER TO AS TAP. TAP IS UNDER THAT STATE ACCOUNTABILITY UMBRELLA. IF A CAMPUS HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS UNACCEPTABLE FOR TWO CONSECUTIVE YEARS, THEN THOSE PLANS ARE APPROVED FOR THE TWO YEARS. AND ACTUALLY, IT COULD EVEN BE A SKIPPED YEAR. ONCE WE TRIGGER THAT TWO YEAR UNACCEPTABLE COUNT, THEN THEY ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE THE TAP. FOR THE TARGETED IMPROVEMENT PLAN, THIS COULD BE EITHER THROUGH THE STATE ACCOUNTABILITY IDENTIFICATION OR ALSO THROUGH THE FEDERAL ACCOUNTABILITY. FOR STATE ACCOUNTABILITY, IT COULD BE JUST THE FIRST YEAR THAT THEY'RE UNACCEPTABLE OR ALSO CERTAIN FEDERAL GRANTS-- STATE GRANTS. SOME OF THE STATE GRANTS DO REQUIRE FOR CAMPUSES TO COMPLETE THAT TARGETED IMPROVEMENT PLAN. AND SO WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF CAMPUSES THAT WERE IDENTIFIED UNDER THOSE REQUIREMENTS. AND THEN CAMPUSES THAT ARE COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT AND INTERVENTION WOULD ALSO BE REQUIRED TO HAVE A TARGETED IMPROVEMENT PLAN. AND SO WE DO HAVE TWO TYPES OF PLANS. AND DR. REESE IS GOING TO SHARE ABOUT THAT. DR. REESE: FOR THE TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF PLANS. WE HAVE WHAT GINA, DR. ORTIZ, ALREADY MENTIONED. THE TURNAROUND PLAN, WHICH IS A TWO YEAR PLAN. IT DOES REQUIRE A STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, WHICH THOSE CAMPUSES HAVE ALREADY DONE THAT WORK AND ENGAGED THE COMMUNITY IN SOME OF THE MILESTONES THAT THEY'VE CREATED. IT DETAILS OUTLINED SUPPORTS. AND IT DOES REQUIRE BOARD APPROVAL BY NOVEMBER 19, WHICH WILL GO UP FOR APPROVAL ON THE NEXT BOARD MEETING. FOR TARGETED IMPROVEMENT PLANS, THEY HAVE VERY SIMILAR COMPONENTS, BUT IT IS A ONE YEAR PLAN. IT DOES REQUIRE CAMPUSES TO NOTIFY STAKEHOLDERS AND OUTLINE SUPPORTS. AND IT REQUIRES THE SAME BOARD APPROVAL. BOTH OF THE PLANS HAVE THE SAME COMPONENTS ESSENTIALLY. STRATEGIES, CURRICULUM, AND INSTRUCTION MILESTONES, PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT, AND RESOURCES. ONE THING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER THIS IS NOT SOMETHING EXTRA THAT THEY'RE DOING. IT IS JUST ALIGNED TO THEIR CIP AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OR THE TRIGGERS THAT TRIGGERED THE TURNAROUND PLAN OR THE TARGETED IMPROVEMENT PLAN. MS. BRANUM: DR. REESE COULD YOU MAYBE JUST FOR THE COMMUNITY WHO MAY NOT UNDERSTAND, WHEN WE SPEAK OF MILESTONES, WHAT DOES A MILESTONE LOOK LIKE IN A TURNAROUND OR A TARGETED IMPROVEMENT PLAN? DR. REESE: SO A MILESTONE IS AN ACTION STEP THAT THEY'RE TAKING. VERY DETAILED IN THE PROCESS OF ATTAINING A GOAL. SO THESE ARE THE DIFFERENT PLAN TYPES. WE DO HAVE ALSO TO ADD TO THE MIX OF THE TIPS, TAPS, WE ALSO HAVE LIPS, LOCAL IMPROVEMENT PLANS. THESE PLANS DO NOT REQUIRE ADDITIONAL BOARD APPROVAL. THEY'RE JUST EMBEDDED INTO THE CIP. THE TARGETED IMPROVEMENT PLAN CAMPUSES, WE HAVE FIVE CAMPUSES. FOR TURNAROUND PLANS, WE HAVE FIVE CAMPUSES THAT HAVE TURNAROUND PLANS. HOWEVER, TWO OF THOSE CAMPUSES HAVE ALREADY BOARD APPROVED TAPS. SO THEY DON'T REQUIRE ANY ADDITIONAL APPROVAL. WE'RE JUST CONTINUING THOSE PLANS. AND THEN WE HAVE TWO CAMPUSES. THAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THEY ARE BEING REQUIRED TO SUBMIT A TIP BECAUSE OF GRANT FUNDING PARTICIPATION. [01:30:02] SO ALTHOUGH WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO CELEBRATE SOME OF THE GROWTH THAT CAMPUSES WHO WERE IDENTIFIED LAST YEAR AS SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT HAVE MADE. EVERY ONE OF THESE CAMPUSES CONTRIBUTED TO THE DISTRICT MOVING FROM A C RATING OF A 79 TO A B RATING OF AN 83. SO WE DO WANT TO CELEBRATE AND ACKNOWLEDGE, FOR EXAMPLE, FOREST RIDGE, WHO MOVED FROM AN F RATING TO A C RATING, GROWING 25 OVERALL POINTS. AND THEN FOREST LANE, WHO MOVED FROM A D TO A B WITH AN OVERALL GROWTH OF 17 POINTS. AND OF COURSE, OTHER CAMPUSES THAT HAD DOUBLE DIGIT GAINS AND HAVE GREAT CELEBRATIONS. SO ALSO ON THAT CELEBRATION, ONE THING THAT DR. ORTIZ MENTIONED WAS EVEN A SUBGROUP CAN TRIGGER A SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT-- BEING PART OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. TWO PERFECT EXAMPLES ARE JESS HARBIN AND LAKE HIGHLANDS. THEY HAVE COMPLETELY EXITED OUT OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. CAMPUSES WHO HAVE MOVED TO A LOWER LEVEL OF SUPPORT, AIKEN AND WALLACE. AND THEN ALSO WE WANT TO CELEBRATE SOME LEADERS. JENNY SMITH, AT NORTHWOOD HILLS, AND DEMARCUS GOREE WHO HAVE MADE IT INTO A WORLD RENOWNED PROGRAM, LEVERAGED LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE, WHICH RECOGNIZES LEADERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD WHO HAVE THE BIGGEST GAINS IN THEIR STATES. SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE DO HAVE SOME AREAS TO FOCUS AND AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY. SO OUR CONTINUED HIGH FOCUS CAMPUSES ARE RISD ACADEMY. AND AS YOU ALL KNOW, I'M COMPLETELY INVESTED IN MAKING SURE THAT WE MAKE THOSE THINGS HAPPEN. SKYVIEW IS ANOTHER CAMPUS THAT IS A HIGH FOCUS CAMPUS. AND NORTHRIDGE AND STULTS ARE CAMPUSES WHO HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS. AND THEN SOME CAMPUSES WHO HAVE IMPROVED BUT ARE STILL PART OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT, AUDELIA CREEK, DOVER AND LIBERTY. AND THEN NORTHWOOD HILLS AND FOREST RIDGE. ONE THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT CSI DESIGNATION STAYS WITH YOU FOR TWO YEARS. SO EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE SHOWN SIGNIFICANT GROWTH, THEY ARE STILL PART OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT BECAUSE OF THAT LABEL. SO SOME OF THE SUPPORTS THAT WE HAVE FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT CAMPUSES, WE KNOW THAT WHAT WORKS WORKS. AND WE STAY TRUE TO OUR INSTRUCTIONAL PRIORITIES. DATA DRIVEN INSTRUCTION, OBSERVATION FEEDBACK, AND LESSON INTERNALIZATION IN MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE IMPROVING OUR TIER ONE INSTRUCTION. SO THESE ARE-- EVERYTHING THAT YOU SEE, THE MILESTONES, ARE ALL GO BACK TO THIS. IMPROVING OUR TIER ONE INSTRUCTION AND IMPROVING OUR TIER THREE SUPPORTS. SO EVERY WORK THAT YOU SEE WILL COME BACK TO THIS. ONE THING THAT A SUPERINTENDENT BRANUM ALWAYS MENTIONS IS UNCONTROLLED VARIATION IS THE ENEMY OF EXCELLENCE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO DO IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE GAINS LIKE THE ONES WE SAW AT FOREST RIDGE JUST BY CHANCE. THAT WE'RE BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF THE LEADERS, SO THAT THIS IS SUSTAINED WORK THAT CONTINUES TO HAPPEN YEAR AFTER YEAR, REGARDLESS OF WHO IS LEADING THOSE CAMPUSES. WE WANT TO SUPPORT THE LEADERS AND THE PRACTICES THAT WE KNOW WORK SO THAT THE CONTINUOUS WORK-- THE CONTINUOUS GROWTH CONTINUES. SOME OF THE PLAN COMPONENTS FOR THE TIPS AND THE TABS ARE-- WELL, ALL THE COMPONENTS ARE THE SAME. YOU SELECT A STRATEGY, THEN CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION IS A PIECE OF IT. HOW DO YOU BUILD CAPACITY, PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND MILESTONES, AND THEN THE STUDENT OUTCOMES AND GOALS. FOR THE STRATEGIES, THESE ARE SOME OF THE STRATEGIES THAT OUR CAMPUSES AND SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT ARE ENGAGING IN ONE OF THE BIGGEST ONES TO NOTE, AND THE BIGGEST ONE THAT I THINK WILL MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE, IS THE LEADERSHIP AND INSTRUCTIONAL FOUNDATIONS OF TEXAS. THIS WORK PROVIDES EVERY CAMPUS PRINCIPAL WITH A COACH WHO HAS 18 CHECKPOINTS. SO ALL OF OUR ELEMENTARY PRINCIPALS ARE ENGAGING IN THIS WORK. AND SO OUR AREA SUPERINTENDENTS, HOW DO WE GET BETTER AT COACHING TEACHERS. HOW DO WE GET BETTER AT MAKING SURE THAT TIER ONE INSTRUCTION IS WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE. SO THIS IS BY FAR I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST INVESTMENTS OF TIME. AND WE THINK THAT WE'RE DOING GREAT WORK IN THAT AREA. OK, SUPPORTS AND CAPACITY BUILDING. MS. BRANUM: I'M SORRY. CAN YOU GO BACK? ALSO CAN YOU SPEAK JUST A MOMENT TO THE POWER OF WHAT WE'VE DONE WITH OUR ACCOUNTABILITY DATA LEADERSHIP AND HOW WE'VE EVEN GROWN WHO THAT AUDIENCE IS OVER TIME. AND HOW IS THAT IMPACTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR CIP PLAN, THEIR TURNAROUND, AND THEIR TARGETED IMPROVEMENT PLANS. [01:35:01] DR. REESE: SO WE HAVE DONE A LOT OF WORK WITH MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING OUR PRINCIPALS, UNDERSTANDING HOW DATA WORKS, AND UNDERSTANDING THE NUMBERS. NOT ONLY FROM THE REGION 10 DATA SERIES BUT ALSO MEETING ONE ON ONE SO THAT WE KNOW STUDENT BY STUDENT, NAME BY NAME, HOW MANY STUDENTS DID NOT MEET THEIR GROWTH GOALS AND WHAT ARE WE DOING TO SUPPORT THAT SPECIFIC STUDENT. SO I FEEL LIKE IF WE WERE TO ASK PRINCIPALS LAST YEAR HOW GREAT THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF DATA WAS AND HOW IT PLAYED A ROLE, THE ANSWER WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH DIFFERENT THAN IT IS TODAY. I THINK RIGHT NOW THEY'RE REALLY INVESTED IN NOT JUST KNOWING THE NUMBERS BUT KNOWING THE NAMES BEHIND THE NUMBERS. SUPPORT AND CAPACITY BUILDING. ONE OF THE BIGGEST ONES IS CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION. SO WE HAVE ADOPTED HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR ALL OF OUR READING ACROSS THE BOARD IN ELEMENTARIES HMH WITH THE PLAN TO CONTINUE THAT WORK AND CONTINUE ENSURING THAT STUDENTS HAVE HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS IN MATH THE FOLLOWING YEAR. AND JUST CONTINUING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT WORK. WE KNOW THAT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF THE PRINCIPALS AND THE TEACHERS, BUT IT'S ALSO ABOUT PUTTING HIGH QUALITY MATERIALS IN FRONT OF STUDENTS. SO A HUGE-- THAT HAS BEEN A HUGE LIFT. AND TEACHERS ARE IN THE WORK, PRINCIPALS ARE IN THE WORK COACHING THEM. BUT THESE ARE SOME OF THE CAPACITY BUILDINGS AND SUPPORTS THAT WE HAVE FOR THEM. SO MONITORING THE MILESTONES FOR TIPS AND TABS, WE DO MONITORING AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, MIDDLE OF THE YEAR, AND END OF THE YEAR. AGAIN AS A REMINDER, WE WILL HAVE MILESTONES UP TO 2028 TO MONITOR BECAUSE THOSE TAPS GO FOR TWO YEARS. THEY'RE REVIEWED MONTHLY BY DISTRICT ADMINISTRATORS AND REPORTED QUARTERLY TO THE SUPERINTENDENT. THE PURPOSE OF IT IS TO ESTABLISH, MONITOR, AND ADJUST WHAT IS WORKING, WHAT'S NOT WORKING. WHERE DO WE NEED TO MAKE CHANGES SO THAT WE CAN SUSTAIN THE GROWTH THAT IS HAPPENING AT THOSE CAMPUSES. NEXT STEPS. WE WILL PUBLISH THIS ON OUR WEBSITE AND WE WILL HAVE A HEARING. WE ARE REQUIRED TO PUBLISH IT ON THE WEBSITE DISTRICT WEBSITE FOR 30 DAYS BEFORE WE HAVE PUBLIC HEARING. AND AT THAT TIME ON THE NOVEMBER 19 BOARD MEETING, WE WILL ASK FOR APPROVAL OF THESE PLANS. MS. BRANUM: I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE HAVE PARTNERS. TEA IS INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR PLANS AS WELL. AND WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY A WEEK FROM-- A WEEK AGO MONDAY TO PRESENT SPECIFICALLY SOME OF OUR TURNAROUND PLANS FOR SKYVIEW, FOR RISD ACADEMY, AND PROVIDING GETTING THAT JUST IN TIME FEEDBACK FROM TO TEA. THEY WILL ALSO BE ON OUR CAMPUSES, EVALUATING OUR MILESTONES AND GIVING US FEEDBACK AS WE GO. AND WE'RE-- TEA HAS BEEN VERY POSITIVE AROUND THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING. AND I ALSO WANT TO APPRECIATE THE PARTNERSHIP OF REGION 10 AND HOW THEY ARE STANDING ALONGSIDE US AS WE ARE WORKING TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE STRONG OUTCOMES FOR ALL STUDENTS. AND THEY HAVE SPECIFIC EXPERTISE IN AREAS THAT REALLY ARE HELPING US ACCELERATE THE UNDERSTANDING OF OUR STAFF IN THESE KEY AREAS AS WELL. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE TO APPRECIATE OUR PARTNERS. BOARD, WE KNOW THAT THIS IS INCREDIBLY COMPLEX. YOU JUST HEARD A WHOLE LOT OF ACRONYMS. AND WE WORKED REALLY HARD TO TRY TO REMOVE THEM AND TO TRY TO PUT THE FULL NAMES. BUT IN THE END, THIS IS THE COMPLEXITY OF THE WORK. THIS IS THE EXPECTATION OF THE WORK TO ENSURE STRONG OUTCOMES FOR ALL. THAT IS WHY WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BOARD HAD A FULL MONTH TO REVIEW PLANS, TO BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU ENOUGH TIME TO ASK QUESTIONS. AND ALLOW US TO PROVIDE YOU ANY OTHER ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED BEFORE WE ASK YOU TO APPROVE THESE. SO AT THIS TIME, AGAIN, THIS IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK. IF YOU THINK ABOUT EVERY AREA SUPERINTENDENT IS EVALUATING AND GIVING FEEDBACK TO PRINCIPALS ON 13 TO 15 CAMPUS IMPROVEMENT PLANS. AND THEN ON TOP OF IT, WE'RE LOOKING AT THEIR TIP AND TAP PLANS. AND ANNABELLE, GINA, KRISTEN, AND JENNY, EVERY SINGLE LINE THEY ARE LOOKING AT TO MAKE SURE IS THIS THE RIGHT LEVER THAT WE NEED TO PULL TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ACCELERATING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. SO JUST A HUGE AMOUNT OF WORK. AND KUDOS TO OUR PRINCIPALS AND TO OUR CENTRAL LEADERSHIP TEAM. AND AT THIS TIME WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: THANK YOU, MS. BRANUM. THANK YOU, TEAM, FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE PUTTING IN AND THE DEDICATED HEARTS TO THIS SERVICE. BOARD, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? MS. PACHECO? MS. PACHECO: OK WELL GREAT PRESENTATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING IT. I DO LOVE THAT YOU ALL SPELLED OUT SOME OF THESE ACRONYMS AT THE BEGINNING, SO I APPRECIATE IT. [01:40:02] I DON'T HAVE TO REMEMBER, EACH TIME NOW. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. ONE THING THAT I DO APPRECIATE AND SAW THAT I'M NOT SURE IF IT'S DIFFERENT, BUT I THINK IT'S HELPING, AND YOU HIGHLIGHTED ON THAT, WAS THE LEADERSHIP AND THE GROWTH FOR OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS. AND ALSO JUST, IN GENERAL, CREATING A SUSTAINABLE FORMAT OR PROCESS SO THAT WE CAN KEEP GROWING AND TEACHING OUR STUDENTS AND IMPROVING THOSE OUTCOMES. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HIGHLIGHTING THAT. AND THAT'S ALL I WANT TO SAY. THANK YOU. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: MS. BURNEY? MS. BURNEY: I ACTUALLY HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF WALKING RISD ACADEMY NOT TOO LONG AGO. AND I CLEARLY SAW THE DIFFERENCE. I MEAN IT WAS-- LIKE YOU MENTIONED, STRATEGIES ARE ALIGNED TO INDIVIDUAL CAMPUSES WITH THOSE NEEDS. AND I ACTUALLY DID GET TO WITNESS SOME THINGS THAT I HAVE NOT SEEN IN ANY OF THE OTHER ELEMENTARY CAMPUSES. INCLUDING I'VE BEEN AN EDUCATOR MYSELF, MOSTLY IN THE ELEMENTARY, AND I'VE NEVER SEEN WHAT'S HAPPENING AT RISD ACADEMY. SO KUDOS. AND I HOPE THAT THE STRATEGIES THAT YOU ARE IMPLEMENTING, THEY TAKE US ALL THE WAY AND HELP THOSE KIDDOS AS MUCH AS THEY CAN. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: THANK YOU. MS. TIMME? MS. TIMME: YES. REALLY HONESTLY TO SAY THAT THERE'S A LOT THAT GOES INTO IT AND THAT THEY ARE A COMPLEX SYSTEM IS THE BIGGEST UNDERSTATEMENT I'VE HEARD IN A LONG TIME BECAUSE IT IS SO COMPLICATED AND SO COMPLEX, AND FOR YOU GUYS TO BE ABLE TO BOIL IT DOWN IN A WAY THAT'S EVEN REMOTELY UNDERSTANDABLE IS REALLY GREAT. JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS. FIRST, REALLY GREAT PRESENTATION AND HOW YOU'RE REALLY WORKING WITH THOSE SCHOOLS THAT ARE HIGH PRIORITY. I KNOW EVERYBODY DOES A CIP AND EVERYBODY HAS GREAT STRATEGIES. BUT HOW YOU'RE PRIORITIZING THAT. BUT THE ONE THING THAT I DO SEE IS REGARDLESS IF THEY'RE HIGH PRIORITY AND NEED EXTRA ASSISTANCE OR NOT, IS THAT IT'S ALL ROOTED IN SUPPORT, DEVELOPMENT, AND COACHING. AND WHILE THAT TAKES A LOT OF HOURS, I KNOW, AND A LOT OF COMMITMENT, A LOT OF PRE-PLANNING TO MAKE THOSE CONFERENCES EFFECTIVE, I KNOW THAT'S ALSO LARGELY THE BEST WAY TO GET RESULTS IN REAL TIME VERSUS WAITING TILL THE END OF THE YEAR. AND SAYING, GOSH, I REALLY WISH YOU'D DONE THESE THINGS. WHY DIDN'T YOU FOCUS ON THAT NEXT YEAR? THAT REAL TIME FEEDBACK. I MEAN, I WAS RAISED BY A FOOTBALL COACH. THAT'S ALL YOU DO. YOU DON'T SIT THERE AND LET SOMEBODY NOT TACKLE WELL ALL YEAR LONG. THEY'RE GIVING YOU THE BEST THEY HAVE. SO IF THEY'RE NOT GIVING YOU THE RIGHT FORM, IF YOU CAN HELP THEM, THEY WILL. AND I BELIEVE THAT OUR SCHOOLS WANT TO DO THAT TOO. SO THE FACT THAT IT'S ROOTED IN THAT LEVEL OF SUPPORT, WITH THAT LEVEL OF EFFORT THAT HAS TO GO IN, I THINK IS REALLY FANTASTIC. IT'S NOT ROOTED IN A WAY OF WEAPONIZING IT AGAINST SOMEBODY WHEN IT'S NOT HAPPENING. IT'S SUPPORTING THEM TO GET THOSE OUTCOMES THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. AND I THINK THAT SHOULD TO BE COMMENDED. MS. BRANUM: IF I CAN JUST ADD REAL QUICK, TRUSTEE TIMME, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S SUPER IMPORTANT. I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LOVE IS THAT WE'RE EVEN MODELING THAT AT THE CENTRAL LEVEL. SO FOR EXAMPLE, I HAVE A COACH. OUR ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT FOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP, SHE HAS A COACH. OUR AREA SUPERINTENDENTS HAVE IT. OUR PRINCIPALS HAVE A COACH. OUR PRINCIPALS ARE COACHING OUR TEACHERS. SO I THINK WE ARE MODELING THAT VULNERABILITY OF LIKE WE ALL HAVE WORK TO DO. WE ALL ARE RECEIVING THAT JUST IN TIME FEEDBACK SO THAT WE CAN ADJUST AND MAKE THE MOVES THAT WE NEED SO THAT WE CAN BEST SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS. IT'S NOT-- THIS ISN'T JUST ABOUT WHAT TEACHER MOVES NEED TO BE MADE. THIS IS AS A WHOLE SYSTEM. WHAT MOVES ARE WE MAKING. MS. TIMME: I CAN'T SAY HOW FANTASTIC I THINK THAT IS JUST IN GENERAL. I WILL ALSO SAY TO THE LEADERS THAT I FOUND MOST EFFECTIVE, IN ANY OF THE JOBS I'VE EVER HAD, ARE THE ONES WHO GAVE ME MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK. NOT THE ONES WHO JUST SAID, OH, GOOD JOB OR WHATEVER. LIKE IF THEY WERE GIVING ME MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK BECAUSE THEY TOOK THE TIME TO CARE WHAT I WAS DOING AND TELLING ME HOW TO GET BETTER, THOSE WERE THE ONES THAT I FOUND TO BE MOST VALUABLE. SO HAVING THOSE COACHING MOVES, I THINK, ONLY MAKES EVERYBODY MORE EFFECTIVE IN. AND HELPS, I THINK-- I DON'T KNOW VERY MANY EDUCATORS WHO DON'T WANT TO IMPROVE AND GET BETTER. THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT TO DO. SO I THINK THAT'S GREAT. CAN YOU TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW-- IF EVERYBODY'S HAVING COACHES AND DOING THOSE THINGS BUT SPECIFICALLY THINKING OF SCHOOLS-- AND YOU HAVE SOME REALLY HIGH PERFORMING SCHOOLS. AND THEN WE HAVE SOME THAT HAVE ME. CAN YOU JUST TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THAT SUPPORT HAPPENS SO THAT SURE, NOBODY'S LEFT BEHIND? HOW DOES THAT WORK? MS. BRANUM: I LOVE THAT, SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE DO TIER OUR CAMPUSES. SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU'RE A HIGH PERFORMING CAMPUSES, WE BELIEVE EVERYONE NEEDS GROWTH. OUR NORTH STAR GOAL IS FOR ALL. SO HOW ARE WE MAKING SURE WE'RE GETTING THAT YEARS WORTH OF GROWTH AT EVERY SINGLE CAMPUS. SO THEY MAY HAVE LESS TOUCH POINTS THAN A CAMPUS THAT WE RECOGNIZE IS IN THAT U2, U3. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE TOUCH POINTS. [01:45:01] YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE ON THE CAMPUS ON GROUNDS LOOKING IN EVERY SINGLE CLASSROOM FOR THAT IMPROVEMENT. SO EVERY ONE OF OUR ELEMENTARY CAMPUSES ARE TIERED. AND THAT MATCHES THE SUPPORT THAT THEY RECEIVE NOT ONLY FROM REGION 10 BUT ALSO FROM THE DISTRICT. AND I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL WANT TO ADD ANYTHING ELSE TO THAT TEARING PROCESS. DR. REESE: NO. YOU SAID IT. I MEAN, YES, WE TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE HIGH PERFORMING, THEY DON'T STAY THERE. WE RECOGNIZE THAT EVERY CAMPUS NEEDS TO GET BETTER AT SOME THINGS. SO I FEEL LIKE WITH THIS PRACTICE, WE'RE LOOKING SPECIFICALLY AT THE PRIORITIES. AND I FEEL LIKE WE'VE STANDARDIZED THOSE, BUT HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO OPTIMIZE THEM FOR THE DEMOGRAPHICS THAT THEY SERVE. MS. TIMME: GREAT AND THEN ALSO TOO, KNOW IT SAYS ON THERE THAT YOU GUYS GIVE US QUARTERLY UPDATES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT HOW DO YOU TRUST BUT VERIFY THE PROCESS THAT YOU GUYS ARE USING IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE? AND HOW ARE Y'ALL VERIFYING IT WITHIN THE SYSTEM THAT YOU HAVE? MS. BRANUM: ABSOLUTELY WELL, YOU'RE ABOUT TO GET ONE, ONE DATA SET. AND OUR MAP DATA THAT HELPS US IDENTIFY WHERE EACH OF OUR CAMPUSES, DOWN TO GRADE LEVEL, DOWN TO INDIVIDUAL CLASSROOM, DOWN TO STUDENT DEMOGRAPHIC, WHERE ARE WE SEEING THE GROWTH. WHERE ARE WE NOT. WE ALSO HAVE OUR CURRICULUM INTERIM ASSESSMENTS THAT ALLOWS US TO, AGAIN, HAVE THAT ANOTHER DIPSTICK DATA SET TO LET US KNOW WHERE STUDENTS MASTERING JUST IN TIME THE TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS THAT THEY NEED THAT WE KNOW THEY ARE GOING TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR ON STAAR. BUT THEN EVEN DOWN TO A MORE GRANULAR LEVEL, WHEN TEACHERS ARE IN THEIR WEEKLY MEETINGS, THEY ARE LOOKING AT SPECIFIC EXIT TICKETS THAT ARE DESIGNED EVERY DAY, ESPECIALLY AS A RESULT OF OUR HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS. SO THEY'RE EVALUATING THAT DAILY DATA TO MAKE SURE, HEY, DID OUR STUDENTS DEVELOP A MISCONCEPTION. HOW DO WE PROACTIVELY ADDRESS THAT MISCONCEPTION. HOW DO WE NEED TO MAYBE CIRCLE BACK TOMORROW. WHETHER IT'S IN A SMALL GROUP OR MAYBE IT'S WITH A WHOLE CLASS BECAUSE, MAYBE THE WHOLE CLASS MET IT. SO THERE'S MULTI TIERS OF HOW WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT DATA TO VERIFY THAT THEY'RE MEETING THE MILESTONES AS THEY'VE IDENTIFIED. AND AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE FROM SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. DR. REESE: EVERYTHING THAT YOU SAID. AND ALSO IF A PRINCIPAL IS PROVIDING COACHING AND FEEDBACK TO A TEACHER, BUT WE DON'T SEE THE RESULTS IN THE NUMBERS, THEN MAYBE THERE'S A GAP IDENTIFIED THERE. WHICH IS WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO ALSO NOT ONLY LOOK AT WHAT YOU'RE OBSERVING, BUT ALSO THE QUANTITATIVE DATA THAT WE HAVE. MS. TIMME: ABSOLUTELY. THAT QUALITATIVE ENSURING THAT THEY'RE DOING IT EFFECTIVELY AND THE QUANTITATIVE WITH IT MATCHING THE STUDENT OUTCOMES THAT YOU'RE WANTING, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT WAY TO LOOK AT IT. AND IT SOUNDS LIKE IF I HEARD YOU CORRECTLY, THERE'S THIS DAILY-- OR THERE'S THIS KIND OF DAILY PIECE OF LIKE WHOEVER THEY'RE ABLE TO TOUCH IN THAT DAY. BUT THEN ALSO TO THIS WEEKLY THROUGH THEIR PLC. DR. REESE: YES MA'AM. MS. TIMME: AND THEN WITH-- AND THEN-- DR. REESE: YOU HAVE A UNIT ASSESSMENT. MS. TIMME: WHICH I'M ASSUMING IS ESSENTIALLY KIND OF MONTHLY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. AND THEN YOU HAVE THEN YOU HAVE THIS QUARTERLY PIECE WHERE YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE DIFFERENT-- DR. REESE: THAT'S RIGHT. MS. TIMME: --SCORES ON THAT OK, THAT'S GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I JUST WANT TO-- IT'S A LOT OF GREAT WORK. IT'S A LOT OF HARD WORK. BUT IT'S A LOT OF REALLY GOOD TIME AND INVESTMENT ON THINGS WHERE-- THIS IS MY FAVORITE PHRASE, TRUST BUT VERIFY. YOU'RE TRUSTING THAT THE SYSTEM IS GOING TO WORK, BUT YOU'RE VERIFYING IT THROUGH THE OUTCOMES AND THE SYSTEMS THAT YOU HAVE SET UP. I DO HAVE TO SAY, IN HEARING IT IN YEARS PAST AND IN HEARING WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW, IT'S DECIDEDLY DIFFERENT IN THE SENSE OF IT SOUNDS SO CONSISTENT, SO DISTRICT WIDE. IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S VERY FOCUSED. AND IT SEEMS LIKE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE EVERYTHING ALIGNED SO THAT THOSE VERY THINGS CAN HAPPEN. AND I THINK THAT'S NOT A SMALL JOB. AND YOU GUYS HAVE DONE A GREAT ONE WITH IT. THANK YOU. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: MS. HARRIS? MS. HARRIS: SO I LOVE ALL THE ACRONYMS, BUT I JUST HAD TO SAY I THINK THAT THE TAP IS GOING TO SIP THE TIP. I'M JUST SAYING. SO THERE WAS ONE PIECE ON ONE OF THE SLIDES THAT I JUST WANT TO BRING FORTH, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT. IT WAS A LITTLE PIECE OF NUGGET THAT YOU HAD AT THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER WHICH SAYS CONSISTENCY TRUMPS PERFECTION. AND SO, OF COURSE, I THINK WE'VE ALL HEARD THIS IN SOME SENTIMENT AT SOME TIME OF OUR LIFE. SO I HAD TO PULL IT UP. SO IT SAYS SHOWING UP REGULARLY WITH SMALL, IMPERFECT ACTIONS YIELDS FAR BETTER LONG TERM RESULTS THAN WAITING FOR THE RIGHT MOMENT OR A FLAWLESS PLAN. I THINK THAT PART IS SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT TELLS ALL OF US TO BE CONSISTENT AND STICK WITH THE PLAN. KEEP MOVING FORWARD AND YOU WILL SEE PROGRESS. AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE DOING. I KNOW THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE TELLING ALL OF US THAT YOU'RE DOING. I THINK YOU'RE DOING AN AMAZING JOB. I TOO, LIKE TRUSTEE BURNEY, HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME OVER TO RISD ACADEMY. WE SAW SOME FABULOUS THINGS. WAY OVER MY HEAD, MOST OF THEM, BECAUSE I'M NOT AN EDUCATOR. [01:50:03] BUT I KNOW WALKING DOWN THOSE HALLS, I HAD TO SAY TO MYSELF SEVERAL TIMES, WOW, WERE THESE THINGS HAPPENING WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL? AND I WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO SAY NO, THEY WERE NOT THIS COMPLEX. THEY WERE NOT THIS INTENTIONAL TO HELP THESE STUDENTS GET TO WHERE THEY NEED TO BE. AND I MEAN, I THINK WE JUST SAW SOME AMAZING THINGS AND I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. AND I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD REALLY QUICKLY. SO AGAIN, I LOVE CONSISTENCY TRUMPS PERFECTION BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT. SO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK. MS. BRANUM: AND TRUSTEE HARRIS I THINK IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT AS WELL. AND IT GOES BACK TO EARLIER WHEN I MENTIONED THAT VULNERABILITY. BEING ASKED TO BE COACHED AND RECEIVING COACHING-- AND ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU MIGHT BE A VETERAN PRINCIPAL. AND YOU MIGHT BE A VETERAN PRINCIPAL, IN WHICH YOU HAVE HAD STRONG ACADEMIC OUTCOMES FOR A LONG TIME. BEING VULNERABLE ENOUGH TO RECEIVE THAT COACHING, TO TAKE THAT AT BAT-- TO KNOW, HEY, I'M GOING TO PROVIDE THIS JUST IN TIME FEEDBACK FROM THAT TEACHER. AND IT MAY NOT BE EXACTLY THE RIGHT THING, AND IT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN PERFECT IN THE MODEL, IN THE SCRIPT THAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE USING. BUT I'M GETTING OUT THERE AND I'M TAKING THAT RISK AND I'M TRYING. AND I'M WORKING TO GET BETTER EVERY SINGLE DAY. I JUST THINK IT SPEAKS VOLUMES TO THE SYSTEM THAT WE'RE CREATING WHERE WE DON'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT YET. WE JUST HAVE TO BE WILLING TO BE BETTER TODAY. AND AGAIN, YOU ALL HAVE ESTABLISHED THAT CULTURE WITH OUR NORTH STAR GOAL. AND SO I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING THAT FORWARD. MS. HARRIS: AND HONESTLY, YOU ALL ARE RECEIVING COACHING. YOU SAID THAT IT STARTS AT THE TOP. YOU GUYS RECEIVE-- IT'S KIND OF WHAT WE'RE ASKING OUR STUDENTS TO DO EACH AND EVERY DAY WHEN WE ARE TEACHING THEM, WE ARE COACHING THEM. AND THEY ARE BEING RESISTANT IN SOME SITUATIONS. BUT IF YOU CONTINUE TO BE CONSISTENT, PROVIDE THAT COACHING TO OUR STUDENTS, THEY GET IT. SAME THING FOR US AS ADULTS. WE'RE JUST BIG KIDS. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: WELL, ON THAT NOTE, BIG KIDS ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS? MR. EAGER? MR. EAGER: WHEN DO YOU AND THE AREA SUPERINTENDENTS SLEEP? BECAUSE I'M CONVINCED THAT MS. BRANUM NEVER SLEEPS. BUT THE AMOUNT OF IMPROVEMENT WORK AND INDIVIDUAL COACHING, THAT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT I CAN JUST ASSIGN TO A PIECE OF CODE AND TECHNOLOGY. THAT IS PERSONAL. THAT IS TIME. AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK BEYOND THE SURFACE OF THIS, PERSONALIZED COACHING TAKES AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF TIME. SO I JUST WANT TO KUDOS TO EVERYBODY ON HERE. AND YOU CAN GET ALL THE ACRONYMS IN CIP, TIP, TAP. I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I KNOW THAT BEYOND THIS, THE PAPERWORK WE'RE SEEING TAKES AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF TIME AND PERSONAL CARE AND PERSONAL COACHING. AND IS BEING REFLECTED IN THE OUTCOMES FOR OUR KIDS. SO HOPEFULLY FOR MYSELF AND THE REST OF THE BOARD, WE WANT TO THANK YOU BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT IT IS NOT AN 8:00 TO 5:00 ASSIGNMENT. SO THANK YOU FOR THE EXTRA EFFORTS. WE KNOW IT'S HIDDEN IN THERE, BUT WE KNOW IT'S HAPPENING. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: ALL RIGHT. ANYONE ELSE? OK, WELL, I JUST HAVE ONE QUICK THING TO SAY. OUR FAMILIES TRUST US. THEY TRUST THIS DISTRICT. WHEN WE COME BACK, WE BRING OUR KIDS HERE TO BE EDUCATED, BECAUSE WE TRUST THE WORK THAT THIS DISTRICT DOES. AND I LOVE THAT YOU SAID THE NAMES BEHIND THE NUMBERS. THAT IS SUCH A CRITICAL PIECE TO KNOW WHO WE'RE EDUCATING EVERY SINGLE DAY. AND MS. BRANUM, YOU SAID WE ARE MOVING SYSTEMS, WHICH IS HUGE. BECAUSE WE KNOW SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO CHANGE-- OVERHAUL SYSTEMS AND MAKE CHANGES FOR PRESENT DAY THINGS. ONE QUESTION I HAVE IS THE MONITORING PIECE. AND YOU SAID THAT WE'RE DOING A QUARTERLY UPDATE ON THIS. WHO MONITORS-- AND I KNOW YOU'VE PROBABLY ALREADY ANSWERED THIS. BUT WHO MONITORS THE WEEKLY AND MONTHLY-- HOW ARE THOSE CONVERSATIONS HAPPENING? MS. BRANUM: SURE SO EVERY WEEK OUR CAMPUSES ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE DATA MEETING IN WHICH THEY ARE LOOKING AT-- THEY MIGHT BE LOOKING AT THE DAILY EXIT TICKETS. THEY MIGHT BE LOOKING AT THOSE UNIT ASSESSMENT DATA. THEY MIGHT BE LOOKING AT THEIR MAP DATA TO DETERMINE WHAT MOVES NEED TO BE MAKE. ARE THERE A REGROUPING OF STUDENTS? IS THERE ADDITIONAL INTERVENTION? AGAIN, IS THEIR SMALL GROUP BECAUSE MAYBE WE ONLY HAVE A FEW STUDENTS WHO ARE NEEDING THAT RETEACH RIGHT IN THE MOMENT? OR IS IT A WHOLE CLASS OPPORTUNITY? AND SO OUR PRINCIPALS ARE ASKED TO SPECIFICALLY LEAD BASED UPON OUR HOUSE BILL THREE GOALS THIRD GRADE, SEVENTH GRADE, AND NINTH GRADE. AND THEN OF COURSE, OUR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS, OUR ACADEMIC SUCCESS LEADS ALSO WILL BE THAT LEAD FACILITATOR. AND OUR PLCS THAT ARE HELPING FACILITATE THOSE DATA MEETINGS [01:55:04] AND THE OTHER PRIORITY GRADE LEVELS. AGAIN, ANYTHING ELSE THAT Y'ALL WOULD WANT TO ADD TO ALL THAT? DR. REESE: AND THEN REGION 10 IS ALSO HELPING US DOCUMENT THE PROGRESS THAT WE'RE MAKING IN THE PLC. SO IT'S NOT ENOUGH WITH JUST HAVING A PLC. THEY'RE COMING AND CHECKING IN AND GIVING US FEEDBACK. SO FROM ONE MONTH TO THE NEXT, DID THE ACTION STEP GET IMPLEMENTED? DID THE PLC YIELD BETTER RESULTS? VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: THANK YOU FOR THAT. ANY OTHERS? BOARD, DOES. ANYONE NEED A BREAK? DO WE NEED TO TAKE A BREAK? IF NOT-- YOU NEED TO TAKE A BREAK? OK, WE'LL TAKE A 10 MINUTE BREAK. SEE YOU SOON. WE'LL BE BACK AT 8:09. OUR NEXT ITEM IS AN INFORMATION ITEM [V.E. Beginning of the Year MAP Update] TO RECEIVE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR MAP UPDATE, MS. BRANUM. MS. BRANUM: THANK YOU. AT THIS TIME, I'M GOING TO INVITE DR. ORTIZ TO COME FORWARD AND PROVIDE OUR BEGINNING OF THE YEAR MAP DATA. AS YOU KNOW, THIS DATA IS ESSENTIAL FOR US TO UNDERSTAND WHERE OUR STUDENTS ARE, ESPECIALLY AFTER HAVING OUR SUMMER BREAK AND STUDENTS HAVE NOW EXPERIENCED ROUGHLY ABOUT SIX WEEKS OF INSTRUCTION WHEN WE TOOK OUR BEGINNING OF THE YEAR MAP DATA. AND THIS IS REALLY OUR BIG FIRST DIP STICK IN UNDERSTANDING WHERE OUR STUDENTS ARE AND HOW DO WE ADJUST. THIS INFORMATION IS FOUNDATIONAL TO OUR NORTH STAR GOAL. EVERY ONE OF OUR STUDENTS, BASED UPON THEIR MAP SCORES, WILL BE SETTING THEIR NORTH STAR GOAL. THOSE GOALS WILL BE SHARED WITH PARENTS. ARTIFACTS WILL BE GATHERED AND ACTION STEPS AROUND HOW WE'RE GOING TO ADDRESS THOSE NORTH STAR GOALS WILL BE SHARED. OUR PARENT CONFERENCES ON EITHER NOVEMBER 2 OR NOVEMBER 3 ARE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR PARENTS TO CONNECT WITH OUR TEACHERS AND TO UNDERSTAND WHAT DID THAT BEGINNING OF THE YEAR MAP DATA TELL THAT PARENT. AND THEN PARENT, HERE'S ALSO HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT THAT GROWTH ON AS MEASURED BY MAP AT HOME AS WELL. SO AT THIS TIME, DR. ORTIZ, I'LL WILL TURN IT OVER TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM TO SHARE HOW ARE WE DOING AT THIS POINT IN THE '26-27 SCHOOL YEAR. DR. ORTIZ: ALL RIGHT, WELL THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING AGAIN. SO OF COURSE AT THE CENTER OF THE WORK, IT'S ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE TAKING CARE OF EVERY CHILD EVERY DAY. WITH THAT, KEEPING OUR EYES ON OUR NORTH STAR GOAL AND MAKING SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE MEETING OR EXCEEDING THOSE ACADEMIC GROWTH GOALS THAT WE SET FOR THEM. AND LIKE SUPERINTENDENT BRANUM MENTIONED, THIS IS OUR FIRST STEP. THIS IS WHAT ESTABLISHES THAT BEGINNING OF YEAR METRIC FOR THEIR NORTH STAR GOAL. AND THEN OF COURSE, FOR OUR STUDENTS THAT HAVE STAAR AS WELL, THEY MIGHT HAVE MORE THAN ONE, SO THEY HAVE THEIR GROWTH GOAL FOR STAAR BUT THEY ALSO HAVE THEIR GROWTH GOAL FOR MAP. AT RISD, WE ARE ABOUT REFLECTING ON OUR DATA AND MAKING THOSE ADJUSTMENTS AS NEEDED IN TIME. THIS PIECE OF INFORMATION FOR MAP IS ONE OF THE CIRCLES THAT WE HAVE INSIDE THIS GRAPHIC. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US. IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO KNOW WHERE OUR STUDENTS ARE AND TO ALSO IDENTIFY SOME AREAS THAT NEED SUPPORT, BOTH FOR THE CAMPUS TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS. BUT ALSO FOR US TO IDENTIFY CAMPUSES THAT NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT AS WELL. OUR PROGRESS MONITORING FOR THE YEAR BEGINS WITH THIS. THIS ASSESSMENT WAS GIVEN IN SEPTEMBER. WE ARE NOW AT THE POINT WHERE WE ARE SHARING THE RESULTS. CAMPUSES ARE ALREADY RESPONDING TO THE RESULTS THAT THEY GOT FROM THE ASSESSMENT. AND WE WILL HAVE OUR NEXT CHECKPOINT FOR MAP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR, WHICH WILL BE IN JANUARY. AND WE'LL BE PRESENTING THAT TO YOU ALL AT SOME POINT, HOPEFULLY IN MARCH. AND THEN OUR END OF THE YEAR ASSESSMENT WILL TAKE PLACE IN MAY. THAT LEADS US INTO OUR ACCOUNTABILITY REPORTING THAT TAKES PLACE IN AUGUST. FOR OUR MAP ASSESSMENT. THE VERY UNIQUE THING ABOUT A MAP ASSESSMENT IS IT'S A NORM REFERENCED TEST THAT USES A RIT SCALE. AND THIS SCALE IS VERY STABLE. I'VE USED THIS EXAMPLE IN PREVIOUS PRESENTATIONS WHERE IT'S KIND OF LIKE THAT MEASURING STICK. STUDENTS ARE GOING TO BE AT DIFFERENT HEIGHTS. BUT THEN WE'RE LOOKING TO SEE ARE THEY GROWING ON THAT CHART. THEY'RE ALL GOING AT A DIFFERENT PACE. PARENTS ARE ABLE TO SEE THAT PROGRESS THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. SO THEY'RE ABLE TO SEE, OK, MY CHILD STARTED AT RISD IN KINDER. AND THEY CAN SEE THAT PROGRESSION. AND IT IS A CONTINUOUS SCALE THAT CAN BE COMPARED YEAR TO YEAR. WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR MAP READING RESULTS FOR OUR ENGLISH READING ASSESSMENT, WE'RE COMPARING NOW THE 2025 TO 2026 FALL ASSESSMENT. SO BOY FROM LAST YEAR TO BOY FROM THIS YEAR. THIS IS THE SAME GROUP OF STUDENTS. SO STUDENTS THAT WE HAD AT THE BEGINNING OF LAST YEAR. AND NOW THEY'VE COME BACK AND WE'RE SEEING HOW MUCH DID THEY GROW IN ONE YEAR. ARE WE SEEING THAT GROWTH ACROSS THE GRADE LEVELS. [02:00:03] AND WE WERE REALLY HAPPY TO SEE THAT WE ARE SEEING THAT GROWTH ACROSS THE GRADE LEVELS FOR READING. AND EXCEEDING THOSE NORMS THAT WE HAVE FROM THE NATIONAL NORMS. NOT JUST IN THE STATE, BUT ALSO STUDENTS IN OTHER STATES. AND SO WE CAN SEE THAT PROGRESSION ACROSS THE GRADE LEVELS. IN SOME AREAS, WE ARE GOING TO SEE SMALLER GAINS. YOU SEE A LITTLE BIT LARGER IN THE YOUNGER GRADES. THAT IS BY JUST A RESULT OF THE AMOUNT OF GROWTH THAT HAPPENS IN THOSE LOWER GRADES. AND YOU CAN SEE IT IN THE NORMS AS WELL. IT'S GOING TO BE A LARGER SPREAD THAT FROM KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE IN COMPARISON TO EIGHTH GRADE, WHERE IT'S ONLY FOUR POINTS DIFFERENCE FROM WHEN THEY TOOK THIS IN SEVENTH GRADE. WE ALSO EVALUATED BY OUR STUDENT GROUPS. WE DON'T HAVE NORMS BY STUDENT GROUPS, BUT WE CAN SEE THAT-- WE'RE SEEING THAT GROWTH FOR ALL STUDENTS. BUT WE'RE ALSO SEEING GROWTH IN OUR SUBGROUPS. AND IN SOME CASES, IT IS EVEN A LARGER GAIN THAN WHAT WE SEE FOR ALL STUDENTS. AND SO WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE THAT GAIN. FOR OUR ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS, WE'RE SEEING A 10 POINT GAIN. WHEREAS FOR ALL STUDENTS WE'RE SEEING A NINE POINT GAIN. SO AGAIN, STARTING TO SLOWLY REDUCE THAT GAP THAT WE HAVE. WE ALSO HAVE MAP READING IN SPANISH. AND SO FOR OUR STUDENTS THAT TAKE THAT ASSESSMENT IN SPANISH, IT WILL ONLY BE FROM KINDERGARTEN TO FIFTH GRADE. WE'RE SEEING ALSO THE GROWTH FROM ONE YEAR TO THE NEXT AND SURPASSING THOSE NORMS THAT ARE COMPARED TO THE NATION. AND THEN WE MOVE INTO OUR MATH. MATH DOES HAVE SOME UNIQUE NUANCE THAT I WANT TO MENTION. OUR EIGHTH GRADE ASSESSMENT WILL ONLY HAVE 138 STUDENTS. BECAUSE WE HAVE ALGEBRA FOR ALL IN OUR DISTRICT, THE MAJORITY OF OUR EIGHTH GRADERS ARE IN THE ALGEBRA I COLUMN BECAUSE THAT IS THE ASSESSMENT THAT THEY TAKE. WE DO HAVE THE 138 THAT ARE ON GRADE LEVEL. THAT IS SOME STUDENTS THAT ARE JUST NOT READY TO TAKE THAT ALGEBRA ASSESSMENT. AND SO THEY'LL BE IN THAT EIGHTH GRADE COLUMN. BUT IT IS A VERY MINOR NUMBER. AGAIN, WE'RE SEEING THAT GROWTH FROM YEAR TO YEAR. AND SEEING THAT WE'RE ABOVE THE NORMS IN ALMOST ALL OF THE GRADE LEVELS. WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR STUDENT GROUPS, AGAIN, WE'RE SEEING THAT INCREASE ON EACH OF THE DIFFERENT SUBGROUPS THAT WE HAVE LISTED. AND SEEING DOUBLE DIGIT GAINS IN MOST OF THESE. SO AGAIN, REALLY GLAD TO CONTINUE TO SEE THAT TREND. AND THEN THIS IS ONE THAT WE WERE NOT ABLE TO SHOW YOU ALL LAST YEAR AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT DIDN'T HEAR THE PRESENTATIONS LAST YEAR, THERE WERE SOME CHANGES TO THE MAP ASSESSMENT THAT DID NOT ALLOW US TO HAVE A COMPARISON FROM THE 2024 FALL TO THE 2025 FALL. BUT NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT THE SAME FORMAT OF THE ASSESSMENT. AND WE'RE ABLE TO DO THIS AGAIN. AND WE WERE REALLY HAPPY TO SEE WHEN WE RAN ALL OF OUR DATA THAT OVER 53-- ABOUT 53% OF OUR STUDENTS WERE MEETING THEIR READING GROWTH GOAL WHEN WE COMPARE TO BEGINNING OF THE YEAR IN 2025 TO THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR IN 2026. AND IN MATHEMATICS, ONE PERCENTAGE HIGHER THAN THAT, SO 54%. THE EXPECTATION FOR THIS NORM REFERENCED ASSESSMENT IS THAT 50% OR MORE OF STUDENTS SHOULD BE MEETING THEIR GROWTH. SO WE ARE ABOVE THAT EXPECTATION THAT IS SET FOR THE EXAM. AND AGAIN, THESE ARE STUDENTS THAT ARE RETURNING TO RICHARDSON ISD. MS. BRANUM: AND SO WHY DON'T WE GO AHEAD AND STOP HERE FOR JUST A SECOND. AND IF THERE ARE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS RELATED TO OUR MAP DATA IN OUR BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. AND AGAIN, THIS IS OUR FIRST SNAPSHOT OF WHERE OUR STUDENTS ARE AND MAKING SURE THAT NOW THE ACTION STEPS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR CIP IS CONTINUING TO MOVE OUR STUDENTS CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THOSE IDENTIFIED GROWTH GOALS. AND I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO HIT THIS A LITTLE BIT LATER IN THE SUMMARY OF ALL OF THIS. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE EXCITED THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO BRING TO YOU IN OUR MIDDLE OF THE YEAR MAP DATA IS WE'VE DONE SOME WORK WITH CORRELATING BETWEEN MAP AND STAAR. SO COULD YOU JUST DO A ROUGH-- AND I KNOW YOU'LL HIT IT AGAIN. BUT I THINK NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO TALK ABOUT. SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN TERMS OF ANY KIND OF STAAR CORRELATION. DR. ORTIZ: PERFECT. SO I'M GOING TO GET A LITTLE NERDY BECAUSE I LOVE DATA AND I LOVE STATISTICS. AND SO WHEN WE GOT OUR STAAR RESULTS WE WERE LIKE OK LET'S LOOK TO SEE WHAT IS THE CORRELATION BETWEEN OUR MAP ASSESSMENT AND STAAR NOW THAT WE HAVE THIS NEW ASSESSMENT FROM BOTH THE STAAR AND FROM MAP. AND SO WE RAN THE CORRELATIONS. AND WE FOUND THAT FOR EVERY SINGLE GRADE LEVEL [02:05:04] WE WERE SEEING FROM A 0.7 TO ABOVE A 0.8 STATISTICAL CORRELATION. WHICH IS THAT SWEET SPOT THAT WE WANT TO BE IN. WHAT THAT MEANS IN REGULAR LANGUAGE IS THAT ABOUT 70% TO 80% OF OUR STUDENTS WERE PROPERLY PROJECTED TO BE AT THEIR STAAR PERFORMANCE LEVEL. SO THIS MEANS THAT WHEN WE GET THOSE PROJECTIONS, CAMPUSES CAN SAY, OK, THIS IS VERY LIKELY TO BE THEIR PERFORMANCE IF WE STAY ON TRACK. IF WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THEM AT THIS LEVEL, THIS IS WHAT THEY CAN BE. WE SAW A LOT OF STUDENTS THAT MOVED UP TO A HIGHER LEVEL THAN WHAT MAP PROJECTED. THAT SPEAKS TO THE WORK THAT THE CAMPUS IS DOING TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THEM SO THAT THEY CAN BE AT A HIGHER PERFORMANCE LEVEL. SO IF MAP WAS PROJECTING THAT THEY WERE AT APPROACHES, SOME OF THEM WERE EVEN AT MEETS OR MASTERS. SO THAT MEANS THAT THEY TOOK THAT MAPPED DATA AND HOPEFULLY MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO ENSURE THAT THE STUDENT COULD MEET THEIR HIGHEST POTENTIAL. SO THAT JUST GIVES US AN ADDITIONAL METRIC, ALONG WITH THE DAILY CHECKS AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT THE CAMPUSES ARE DOING, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK AND THAT WE KNOW WHAT STUDENTS WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PROVIDE SOME ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR. SO WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE THAT CORRELATION AND SEE THAT ALIGNMENT. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: SO BOARD, ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS RELATED TO OUR BEGINNING OF THE YEAR MAP? MS. PACHECO? MS. PACHECO: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU'VE EXPLAINED SO FAR. I'M EXCITED TO SEE THE GROWTH AND THE CHANGE IN THE CORRELATION THAT YOU JUST EXPLAINED. WHAT I REMEMBER IN THE PAST, MAP PRODUCES SOME SORT OF INFORMATION THAT THE TEACHER CAN PROVIDE THE PARENTS FOR SUPPORT TO THEIR STUDENT. WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE NOW WITH THE UPDATED VERSION OF THIS? DR. ORTIZ: SO WE HAVE INDIVIDUAL STUDENT REPORTS THAT WE SHARE THROUGH FOCUS NOW. WE'VE WORKED WITH OUR SIS TEAM, OUR STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS TEAM TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COULD INCORPORATE THEM INTO FOCUS SO THAT INSTEAD OF GETTING A PAPER THAT MIGHT GET LOST AS IT GETS SENT HOME, WE LOAD ALL OF THE DATA IN THERE SO THAT THEY CAN SEE THE HISTORICAL INFORMATION FOR THEIR CHILD AND WHAT LEVEL THEY'RE AT. AND SHOWING THEM DID THEY MEET THEIR GOAL? WHAT IS THEIR NEXT GOAL FOR THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR? WHERE DO WE EXPECT YOUR CHILD TO BE FOR THAT MIDDLE OF THE YEAR ASSESSMENT? SO THE PARENT ALSO HAS SOME INFORMATION. AND WHEN THEY GO TO THE WONDERFUL MEETINGS ON CAMPUS, THEY ALREADY HAVE A STARTING POINT TO HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THEIR INDIVIDUAL CHILD. MS. BRANUM: AND JUST AS A REMINDER, ESPECIALLY AT ALL OF OUR TITLE I CAMPUSES, THEY ARE ASKED AND REQUIRED TO HAVE PARENT CAMPS RELATED TO GROWTH GOALS. SO ACTUALLY WE BRING OUR PARENTS INTO THE BUILDING. SHOW THEM THEIR INDIVIDUAL STUDENT REPORTS. AND THEN GIVE SPECIFIC STRATEGIES TO PARENTS TO SAY, HERE ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO AT HOME TO HELP YOUR STUDENTS REALIZE THEIR GROWTH GOAL AS WELL. WE HAVE CAMPUSES WHERE THEY CONTINUE TO ELEVATE THE NORTH STAR GOAL WORK. I CAN JUST TELL YOU OUR SIXTH GRADE TEACHERS AT SPRING CREEK ELEMENTARY, CAYSON BROUGHT HOME A ENTIRE FOLDER THAT HAS HIS GROWTH GOALS. HE'S IDENTIFIED WHAT ARE THE STEPS THAT HE NEEDS TO TAKE. AND HERE'S HOW HE'S GOING TO TRY TO REACH THAT GOAL. THEN HE'S TOLD ME AS A MOM, WHAT HE NEEDS FOR ME TO HELP HIM. AND I HAD TO SIGN OFF ON MY COMMITMENT THAT I WAS GOING TO HELP HIM DO THOSE ACTION STEPS TO ACHIEVE THAT GROWTH GOAL. AND SO THIS IS, AGAIN, ONE OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES. AND TRUSTEE TIMME ALWAYS TALKS ABOUT IT WHERE THIS IS OUR EXPECTATION. BUT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AND HOW YOU SUPPORT THAT AT HOME? WE'RE GIVING THAT FLEXIBILITY TO THE CAMPUSES TO HAVE IT MEET BOTH THEIR TEACHERS OR STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS NEEDS. BUT IT'S A NON-NEGOTIABLE THAT EVERY PARENT IS INFORMED OF WHERE THEIR STUDENT IS AND HOW CAN THEY SUPPORT THAT AT HOME. DR. ORTIZ: I ALSO WANT TO ADD ANOTHER THING IS THAT SOME OF THE CAMPUSES HAVE REACHED OUT AND THEY FIND REALLY CREATIVE WAYS OF COMMUNICATING WITH PARENTS. SO THEY COME UP WITH OTHER WAYS OF SENDING SOME LITTLE TIDBITS HOME. AND SO WE'VE BEEN FORTUNATE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM AND HELP THEM BE THOUGHT PARTNERS ON WAYS THAT THEY CAN HELP THEIR PARENTS UNDERSTAND AND HELP SUPPORT AT HOME. MS. PACHECO: THAT'S GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EXPLAINING THAT AND SHARING THIS WITH OUR COMMUNITY. IT'S IMPORTANT. AND I NOTICED BASED ON WHAT YOU JUST SAID, THE 70% TO 80% AND HOW IT KIND OF COULD MEASURE WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO TEST AT THE END OF THE YEAR WITH STAAR-- I THINK IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR FAMILIES TO UNDERSTAND THAT IF THEY CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THEIR STUDENT AND DO THE STEPS THAT ARE BEING GIVEN TO THEM, THEIR STUDENTS ARE GOING TO EXCEL AND NOT JUST STAY AT THAT LEVEL. SO MOST LIKELY IMPROVE ON THAT AS WELL. SO THANK YOU. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: I WANT TO DITTO WHAT MS. BRANUM SAID AS WELL. I HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING WITH MY CHILD'S TEACHERS. [02:10:01] SHE'S IN A TITLE I SCHOOL, BUT WE HAD A CONFERENCE, PARENT CONFERENCE, TO MEET WITH HER TEACHERS TO GO OVER THE MAP SCORES AND HER GOAL AS WELL. SO I THINK IT'S GREAT TO BE IN THE SYSTEM, PART OF THE SYSTEM, TO SEE THAT THE SYSTEM IS DOING WHAT YOU'RE TELLING US IT'S DOING. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. ANYBODY ELSE? MS. BURNEY? MS. BURNEY: YES. IF YOU CAN GO BACK TO THAT PROGRESS MONITORING TIMELINE. JUST SOMETHING I NOTICED. AND MAYBE YOU CAN JUST GIVE ME SOME CLARITY ON IT. SO THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, THE MONITOR ASSESS-- THE RESULTS MONITORING ASSESSMENT. SO WE GET THAT MID-OCTOBER NOW, RIGHT? SO THAT'S ONLY A MONTH AND A HALF FROM THE TIME WE DO THE BOY. DR. ORTIZ: YES. MS. BURNEY: BUT THEN HOW COME FOR THE MOI AND THE EOI IT'S COMING 2.5 MONTHS LATER? DR. ORTIZ: BECAUSE REALLY, MY LINE IS A LITTLE BIT OFF. IT'S CLOSER TO THE END OF JANUARY, BEGINNING OF FEBRUARY. AND THEN WE'VE GOT SPRING BREAK. SO USUALLY I THINK-- IF I REMEMBER, IT'S LIKE RIGHT AFTER SPRING BREAK THAT WE PRESENT THE DATA. MS. BURNEY: OK. DR. ORTIZ: YES. MS. BURNEY: SO IT'S ABOUT THE SAME TIME? DR. ORTIZ: IT'S ABOUT THE SAME TIME. IT'S JUST THAT WHEN WE CLOSE OUR WINDOW IS RIGHT AROUND WHEN WE HAVE THAT BOARD MEETING. AND WE HAVE TO WAIT TILL THE NEXT ONE. MS. BURNEY: OH, OK. MS. BRANUM: WE ALSO WERE-- YEAH, SO THERE'S TWO THINGS THAT COME TOGETHER ON THIS. ONE IS THERE ARE OTHER ASSESSMENTS, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE TELPAS THAT COMES IN. AND SO WE WANT TO ALWAYS BE VERY THOUGHTFUL TO NOT OVER TEST KIDS. AND SO WE WANT TO PACE THE ASSESSMENTS. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE TO LIVE WITHIN THE STRUCTURE OF WHEN THE BOARD CALLS THEIR MEETINGS. AND SO SOMETIMES IT MIGHT BE THAT WE HAVE DATA-- WE'VE ACTUALLY HAD THIS DATA FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR FOR TWO WEEKS. BUT WE HAD TO WAIT FOR THIS MEETING IN ORDER TO BRING IT FORWARD TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO THE BOARD. SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A TIMING. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: MS. TIMME? MS. TIMME: I TOTALLY SHOULD KNOW THIS QUESTION. I'M GOING TO ASK BUT LET ME START. I KNOW I SHOULD KNOW THIS. BUT WHEN YOU WERE LOOKING AT-- ON ONE OF THE SLIDES THAT SHOWS THE FALL '25 THEN THE FALL '26 THAT WERE SLIDE EIGHT IS WHAT I'M LOOKING AT. IS THAT THE KIDS WHO WERE IN, SAY, FIRST GRADE LAST YEAR, THEIR SCORE. AND THEN THE RED IS THE FIRST GRADE THIS YEAR SCORE? OR IS THAT-- I CANNOT REMEMBER HOW THAT GOES. DR. ORTIZ: SO THIS ONE IS COHORT. SO THAT'S WHY FOR KINDER WE ONLY SEE ONE BAR BECAUSE IT'S THE SAME STUDENTS. MS. TIMME: IT'S THE SAME STUDENTS? DR. ORTIZ: IT'S THE SAME STUDENTS. SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE BARS FOR FIRST GRADE, THE BLUE BAR IS THEIR KINDERGARTEN SCORE WITH THE NORM THAT THEY HAD AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR AS KINDERGARTNERS. AND THEN THE SECOND ONE IS THE 155. THAT'S AS FIRST GRADERS. SO YOU'LL SEE THAT IT REPEATS. SO THE SECOND NUMBER AT THE BOTTOM IS 155 FOR FIRST GRADE. BUT THE FIRST NUMBER FOR SECOND GRADE IS 155. MS. TIMME: I GOT YOU. OK GREAT BECAUSE THAT'S THEIR END THAT'S WHERE-- THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR FROM THERE BEFORE. SO JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY ARE WE-- AND YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION TODAY. SO IF WE NEED TO LOOK AT ANOTHER TIME, I'M TOTALLY GOOD WITH THAT BECAUSE I DIDN'T REQUEST OR ASK FOR THAT. BUT ARE WE SEEING ANY KIND OF AN UPTICK IN HOW OUR KIDS ARE DOING AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR OVER YEARS? ESPECIALLY IN OUR YOUNGER GRADES. MS. PACHECO: THAT WAS THE FIRST QUESTION I ASKED. MS. TIMME: BECAUSE REALLY WHAT I'M GETTING AT IS ARE WE SEEING SOME BENEFITS OF THE EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM AND HAVING SUCH A STRONG PIECE OF THAT, ADDING MORE STUDENTS TO THAT, TRANSLATE INTO SOME OF OUR DATA? DR. ORTIZ: AND THE ANSWER IS YES. WE ARE SEEING-- WHEN WE COMPARE LAST YEAR'S FIRST GRADERS TO THIS YEAR'S FIRST GRADERS, WERE SEEING IMPROVEMENTS IN THE AVERAGE RATE FOR OUR STUDENTS. AND WE'RE ALSO THAT SLIDE THAT SHOWED THE PIE CHART THAT'S SHOWING THEIR GROWTH. THAT IS TELLING US THAT THEY'RE GROWING FROM YEAR TO YEAR, JUST IN MEETING THEIR TARGETS. BUT YES, YEAR TO YEAR DIFFERENT STUDENTS, WE'RE ALSO SEEING THOSE GAINS. THERE'S A COUPLE OF GRADE LEVELS WHERE WE'VE GOT A LITTLE LIKE JUST MAYBE A ONE POINT DIFFERENCE. BUT THOSE ARE THINGS THAT THE CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION TEAM IS LOOKING AT JUST TO SEE HOW CAN WE STRENGTHEN THAT. BUT ALSO KNOWING THAT IT MIGHT BE COMPLETELY NEW STUDENTS TO US IN THAT GRADE LEVEL. SO WE JUST DIG A LITTLE DEEPER TO FIGURE OUT. MS. BRANUM: AND TRUSTEE TIMME, I HAVE ASKED THE TEAM TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY BRING THAT REPORT FORWARD SO THAT THE BOARD CAN SEE THAT FROM FIRST GRADE THIS YEAR, FIRST GRADE LAST YEAR, HOW ARE WE PERFORMING ON MAP. SO WE WILL BE BRINGING THAT FORWARD FOR YOU. MS. TIMME: THAT'S GREAT. BUT WE ARE SEEING-- WE ARE SEEING THAT INCREASE OVER TIME? SO THEY'RE COMING IN HIGHER THAN THEY HAVE PREVIOUSLY? GREAT. MS. BRANUM: OUR SECOND GRADERS RIGHT NOW ARE PERFORMING AT A HIGHER LEVEL THAN LAST YEAR'S YEAR SECOND GRADERS. MS. TIMME: PERFECT. THANK YOU. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: ANYONE ELSE? OK, THANK YOU. DR-- OH, GOD. THANK YOU SO MUCH, DR. ORTIZ. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS OR ARE WE DONE WITH THAT? MS. BRANUM: NO, WE'RE STILL GOOD. NOW WE'RE GOING TO BOARD GOALS. SO WE ARE REQUIRED AND WE ALWAYS WANT TO BRING FORWARD THE PROGRESS THAT WE'RE MAKING ON OUR BOARD GOALS. I WANT TO SHARE TWO THINGS THAT WE CANNOT FORGET AND LOSE SIGHT OF WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE BOARD GOALS. [02:15:01] REMEMBER THE BOARD SET THESE GOALS PRIOR TO THE COMPLETE REDESIGN OF STAAR AND THE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM. AND THEN I WANT TO REMIND THE BOARD THAT THE ENTIRE ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM IS GOING TO CHANGE BEGINNING IN '27-28. SO WE HAVE-- WHEN WE SET THESE GOALS, THIS WAS RIGHT ON-- WE ACTUALLY SET THEM PRIOR TO AND THEN COVID. AND THEN WE DECIDED AS A BOARD, AND IF YOU ALL REMEMBER, WE HAD LONG CONVERSATIONS, THAT EVEN THOUGH WE KNEW THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE A SIGNIFICANT ASK TO MOVE THAT LEVEL OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT GROWTH KNOWING WHAT THE IMPACT OF COVID WAS ON OUR STUDENTS, ON TEACHERS, TEACHER RETENTION, WE DID NOT WANT TO ADJUST THAT BECAUSE WE WANTED TO KEEP THE BAR SUPER HIGH FOR THE SYSTEM. AND TRY TO RESOURCE, DO ALL THE THINGS WE NEEDED TO ACHIEVE OUR HOUSE BILL THREE GOALS. SO I JUST WANT TO LEVEL SET THESE TARGETS BY THE STATE HAVE MOVED EVERY SINGLE YEAR. NOW AGAIN, NO EXCUSES. WE KNOW WE'RE NOT WHERE WE HOPE TO BE WHEN WE SET THESE HOUSE BILL THREE GOALS. BUT THERE HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF CHANGE THAT HAS HAPPENED YEAR OVER YEAR. AND WE HAVE STAYED CONSISTENT. WE HAVE NOT MODIFIED-- AND THERE ARE SOME SYSTEMS THAT ANNUALLY MODIFY THESE GOALS BASED UPON WHAT HAPPENS THE YEAR BEFORE. AND WE HAVE NOT, BECAUSE WE WANT TO SHOW OUR COMMITMENT TO ACHIEVING WHAT WE BELIEVE WE KNOW OUR KIDS AND OUR TEACHERS ARE CAPABLE OF. SO DR. ORTIZ, IF YOU'LL JUST WALK US THROUGH WHERE WE ARE AND WHAT WORK WE STILL HAVE AHEAD OF US. DR. ORTIZ: YES. SO FOR OUR BOARD GOALS, AGAIN, AS SUPERINTENDENT BRANUM MENTIONED, THESE WERE SET FOR FIVE YEARS. AND SO WE CAN SEE THE PROGRESSION FOR READING. WE STARTED AT 51% AS THE TARGET FOR 2023. MOVING INTO OUR FINAL TARGET FOR 2027 IS TO BE AT 60% OF OUR STUDENTS AT MEETS GRADE LEVEL OR ABOVE. AGAIN, AS A REMINDER FOR OUR STAAR ASSESSMENT, STUDENTS CAN EITHER GET THE APPROACHES LEVEL. THAT'S STILL CONSIDERED PASSING IN THE STATE'S EYES. THEN WE'VE GOT MEETS GRADE LEVEL, AND THEN THE HIGHER LEVEL WOULD BE AT MASTER'S GRADE LEVEL. AND SO WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR ACTUAL PERFORMANCE IN 2026, WE WERE AT 53% OF OUR STUDENTS AT MEETS GRADE LEVEL FOR READING. INITIALLY WHEN WE GOT OUR DATA IN, WE KIND OF WAITED FOR THE STATE TO SHARE SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. AGAIN, NOT TO MAKE EXCUSES, BUT JUST IN FULL TRANSPARENCY, THERE WAS SOME CHALLENGES WITH THIRD GRADE ACROSS THE STATE. WE ARE STILL-- I THINK IN READING, WE ARE RIGHT WHERE THE STATE WAS. BUT WE'RE ALREADY ADJUSTING AND MAKING SOME CHANGES TO TRY AND MAKE SURE THAT FOR 2027, WE CAN GET TO THAT 60%. WE DO SEE THAT IN SOME OF THE SUBGROUPS. WE DID SURPASS THE TARGET THAT WAS SET. SO FOR OUR STUDENTS IN OUR WHITE SUBGROUP OR TWO OR MORE ETHNIC RACES, WE CAN SEE THAT WE ARE ABOVE THAT TARGET. FOR MATH, WE ALSO SAW A BIT OF A DIP FOR MATHEMATICS IN 2026. THE TARGET STARTED AT A 45% IN 2023. AND IT GOES TO A 2027 GETTING A 55% AGAIN WE'VE SEEN SOME CHANGES IN THE ASSESSMENT FROM THE DATA THAT WAS USED TO SET THESE TARGETS. WE HAD THE REVISED STAAR ASSESSMENT. THERE WAS ALSO A REVAMP OF OUR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM. SO WE WERE USING DIFFERENT DATA SETS TO SET THESE. BUT AGAIN, WE'VE LOOKED AT ALL OF OUR INFORMATION AND OUR DATA AND MAKING SURE THAT OUR CAMPUSES HAVE WHAT THEY NEED SO THAT THE DISTRICT CAN MEET THE TARGET. AND THAT CAMPUSES CAN CONTINUE TO SEE THAT IMPROVEMENT. AND AGAIN FOR THIS TEST, WE SAW THAT FOR TWO OR MORE RACES, WE ALSO SAW A 10 POINTS ABOVE THE GOAL THAT WAS SET BACK IN 2022. MS. BRANUM: AND JUST A REMINDER TO OUR COMMUNITY THAT THESE WHEN WE'RE TALKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THESE TARGET, THIS IS AT THE MEETS LEVEL AND NOT THE APPROACHES LEVEL. DR. ORTIZ: SO JUST AT THE MIDDLE. MS. BRANUM: SO EVEN AS A DISTRICT, WE SAW A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN OUR OVERALL PERFORMANCE. AND THAT-- FROM THAT C TO THAT B AND THAT FOUR POINT JUMP. BUT THIS IS AT THAT NEXT HIGHER LEVEL OF EXPECTATION OF STUDENT MASTERY AT THE MEETS LEVEL, YES. DR. ORTIZ: WITH THAT, WE'RE GOING TO GO INTO OUR THIRD GOAL, WHICH IS OUR COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS. WE STARTED AT 55% IN 2022. SO 2023, OUR FIRST GOAL WAS TO BE AT 58% YOU CAN SEE BY THE HISTORY, WE WERE ALMOST THERE IN 2023. BUT WE WERE SHY JUST A LITTLE BIT. AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THE PROGRESSION OF THE PERCENTAGE FOR OUR CCMR STUDENTS. WE CAN SEE THAT WE ARE SURPASSING THE CURRENT TARGET. BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME CHANGES THAT WE'RE LIVING THROUGH RIGHT NOW. WE'RE STAYING THE COURSE TRYING TO MAKE SURE [02:20:01] THAT WE PUT THINGS IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE NEW OPPORTUNITIES. BUT WE'RE ALSO GOING TO HAVE A NEW ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM IN 2028 WHICH IS CHANGING SIGNIFICANTLY HOW WE WILL CALCULATE CCMR. AND SO FOR THIS ONE, WE CAN SEE THAT WE SURPASS THE TARGETS FOR EVERY SINGLE SUBGROUP AND OVER 30% ABOVE FOR ALL STUDENTS. AND SO AS WE LOOK AT OUR BEGINNING OF THE YEAR INFORMATION, WE HAVE SUPPORTS THAT THE CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT IS PUTTING IN PLACE. A LOT OF IT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER WHEN WE DID OUR CIP AND TIP AND TAP CONVERSATION. INCLUDING THE LEARNING WALKS AND WORKING HAND IN HAND WITH REGION 10 AND OUR LIFT GRANT COACHES. MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THAT SUPPORT IN OUR PLCS AS WELL. WE HAD OUR ACCOUNTABILITY LEADERSHIP DATA SERIES THAT STARTED IN THE FALL, AND WE'LL CONTINUE INTO THE SPRING SEMESTER. AND GETTING OUR STUDENTS, OUR TEACHERS, AND OUR PRINCIPALS TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM AND UNDERSTAND THEIR DATA SO THAT THEY CAN SET TARGETS AND ENSURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO SEE THAT IMPROVEMENT. ALONG WITH THAT, AT ONE OF THE MEETINGS, WE PROVIDED OUR PRINCIPALS WITH THEIR THIRD GRADE MATH AND READING CONTRIBUTION TO THE BOARD GOAL. AND SO THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THEIR TARGET NEEDS TO BE, SHOWING THAT IMPROVEMENT FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR FOR THAT GRADE LEVEL. IN OUR ELEMENTARY CAMPUSES, WE ALSO HAVE THE HMH HIGH QUALITY IMPLEMENTATION. AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING THE SUPPORTS TO OUR CAMPUSES AND TEACHERS THAT FEEL COMFORTABLE USING THE NEW MATERIALS. AND THEN, JUST TO PIGGYBACK ON ALL OF THAT WORK, CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OUR CAMPUSES THROUGH MTSS PROCESS. MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT MULTI-TIERED STUDENT SUPPORT SO THAT WE KNOW IN THE MOMENT WHAT DO OUR STUDENTS NEED TO REACH THEIR POTENTIAL, WHETHER THEY'RE A STUDENT THAT IS STRUGGLING OR A STUDENT WHO'S ALREADY ON GRADE LEVEL. BECAUSE WE WANT EVERY SINGLE STUDENT TO CONTINUE TO GROW. AND SO IF WE HAD TO TALK ABOUT SOME KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE DATA THAT WE'VE GONE OVER TODAY IS THAT STUDENTS ARE DEFINITELY GROWING IN RICHARDSON ISD. WE SEE THAT PERFORMANCE BEING ABOVE THE NORM IN ALMOST EVERY SINGLE GRADE LEVEL. AND THAT WE SEE THAT WE'RE ALSO CONTINUING OUR FOCUS ON GROWTH FOR ALL STUDENTS. AND NOT JUST FOR OUR STUDENTS, BUT ALSO FOR OUR TEACHERS. AND WITH THE WORK THAT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER FOR OUR LEADERS AS WELL. MS. BRANUM: AND YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING A TIMELINE FOR WHEN WE MIGHT WANT TO LOOK AT OUR HOUSE BILL THREE GOALS AGAIN. AND OUR SUGGESTION IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO WANT TO GET THROUGH '27. IT WILL BE THE LAST ASSESSMENT ON THIS STAAR. ONE OF THE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES, FOR EXAMPLE, IS THAT ENGLISH II IS NO LONGER GOING TO BE REQUIRED EOC. I COULD JUST-- WE HAVE BEGINNING, MIDDLE, AND END OF THE YEAR. I MEAN, IT'S A COMPLETELY NEW SYSTEM. AND SO WE'RE GOING TO WANT TO GET-- AND THEY'RE RELEASING INFORMATION TO DISTRICTS IN SMALL CHUNKS AT A TIME. I WOULD SAY WE PROBABLY KNOW REALLY ABOUT 20% OF WHAT IT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO LOOK LIKE. AND SO WE WOULD WANT TO WAIT UNTIL POTENTIALLY SUMMER OR EARLY FALL OF '27 BEFORE WE WOULD WANT TO BRING FORWARD POTENTIAL NEW HOUSE BILL THREE GOALS. WE ALSO DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION. BUT WHAT THOSE GOALS WOULD LOOK LIKE IN LIGHT OF THIS NEW ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM. SO AGAIN, I APPRECIATE THE TEAM AND YOUR WORK. AND IF THERE ARE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE SECOND HALF OF THE PRESENTATION, WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE THOSE. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: AWESOME, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. BOARD, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? MS. TIMME? MS. TIMME: YEAH I DID MORE REITERATE WHAT YOU SAID WITH THAT TEST BEING BRAND NEW NEXT YEAR. AND WITH SOME OF IT BEING ADAPTIVE AND SOME OF IT BEING STATIC. IT WOULD BE VERY-- IT WOULD DEFINITELY BE APPLES TO ORANGES. BUT ALSO TOO, I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW WE WOULD BEGIN TO ADDRESS WHEN WE DON'T HAVE THE ENTIRE SYSTEM AND WHAT THAT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE. BUT I THINK THAT WILL GIVE US-- SINCE IT SEEMS TO BE MORE STRUCTURED AROUND GROWTH AND POTENTIALLY THERE COULD BE SOME CHANGES AROUND THAT I THINK I WOULD SUPPORT LOOKING AT THOSE IN '27. I ALSO WANT TO ADD-- I MEAN, THERE'S OBVIOUSLY SOME GREAT PROGRESS IN HERE. AND THAT SHOULD BE CELEBRATED. AND I KNOW THAT ALL OF THE THINGS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE TALKED ABOUT IN OUR PREVIOUS PRESENTATIONS ARE FEEDING INTO YOU'VE LOOKED AT THESE GOALS, YOU'VE DIGESTED THESE, AND YOU'VE ALREADY MADE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS ON THOSE PIECES. WHICH FEEDS INTO THAT WE THINK WE'LL SEE BETTER OUTCOMES FOR THAT GOING FORWARD. I DO JUST AS I-- MS. ORTIZ, YOU SAID IN SOME OF THOSE THAT WE WERE RIGHT WITH THE STATE OR WHATEVER. I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY THAT I KNOW THAT'S NOT WHERE WE WANT TO BE WITH THE STATE. WE'RE RIGHT WITH THE STATE. [02:25:01] THAT MEANS WE'RE 50% OR ABOVE AND BELOW. AND THAT'S NOT WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO BE IN THE RANK OF ALL THE DISTRICTS IN THE STATE. WHILE IT'S A GOOD REFERENCE POINT, I THINK IT ALSO SHOWS WHEN WE ARE PACING WITH THE STATE I DO THINK THAT DOES SHOW US THAT WE STILL HAVE SOME CONTINUED GROWTH TO DO. BECAUSE WE CERTAINLY WANT TO BE IN THAT CLOSER TO THAT TOP ECHELON VERSUS PACING JUST WITH THE STATE. MS. BRANUM: ABSOLUTELY AND I'LL JUST CLARIFY, TOO, I THINK THAT WITH THAT THIRD GRADE-- I THINK WHERE WE HAVE QUESTION MARKS OR WHERE WE'RE DOING A LOT OF REFLECTION IS THAT BASED ON THE THIRD GRADE STAAR ASSESSMENT AS THEY DESIGNED IT LAST YEAR, STATEWIDE THERE WAS REGRESSION OR THERE WAS STATIC IN THE GROWTH. SO IF-- MS. TIMME: AGREED. MS. BRANUM: THERE WERE VERY FEW SYSTEMS THAT SAW ANY GROWTH IN THIRD GRADE READING AND MATH ACROSS THE BOARD. MS. TIMME: ABSOLUTELY. MS. BRANUM: WHICH CAUSES US TO HAVE QUESTIONS AROUND IS THAT A-- THERE'S ONE THING WHEN AS A DISTRICT, YOU'RE SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW WHERE EVERYONE ELSE WAS. EVERYONE ELSE HAD A DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH AND YOU ONLY HAD 2% GROWTH. WELL, THEN YOU KNOW, OK, THAT'S A US SYSTEM ISSUE-- MS. TIMME: ABSOLUTELY. MS. BRANUM: --AND WE HAVE TO ADJUST VERSUS, HOLY COW, THE ENTIRE STATE WAS SITTING AND EITHER REGRESSED OR HAD LITTLE GROWTH. AND WE WERE RIGHT THERE. SO IS IT A-- YES, IT'S ALWAYS A LOCAL ISSUE BECAUSE WE WANT TO BE WELL ABOVE THAT. BUT IS THERE ALSO MAYBE SOMETHING ELSE THERE THAT MIGHT BE HAPPENING WITH THAT SPECIFIC TEST, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. MS. TIMME: OH, IT TOTALLY DOES. AND I 100% AGREE. MS. BRANUM: NOT MAKING EXCUSES. MS. TIMME: NO NO, I 100% AGREE WITH THAT. BECAUSE YOU'RE RIGHT. EVEN AS A TEACHER, IF WE WOULD GET A SCORE THAT I WOULDN'T BE SUPER HAPPY, WE WOULD WAIT AND SEE WHERE EVERYBODY ELSE'S IS BECAUSE IT CAN-- THAT REFERENCE IS IMPORTANT. THAT CONTEXT IS IMPORTANT. I JUST WOULD HATE FOR THE COMMUNITY TO THINK THAT OUR GOAL IS TO PACE WITH THE STATE. THAT'S NOT OUR GOAL. I DON'T THINK WE WANT TO BE IN THAT 50%. WE ARE DEFINITELY LOOKING TO GET HIGHER. AND I DON'T EVER WANT THEM TO THINK THAT-- I KNOW THAT'S NOT Y'ALL'S GOAL. AND I DON'T EVER WANT IT TO COME ACROSS THAT WAY. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: ANYONE ELSE? NO? OK. THANK YOU, DR. ORTIZ, FOR THAT. [V.F. Intruder Detection Audit Update] OUR NEXT ITEM IS AN INFORMATION ITEM TO RECEIVE AN INTRUDER DETECTION AUDIT UPDATE. MS. BRANUM? MS. BRANUM: I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MR. JASSO. MR. JASSO: YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU, MRS. BRANUM. BOARD, GOOD EVENING. WE ALL KNOW THAT SAFETY REMAINS OUR TOP PRIORITY IN RICHARDSON ISD, AND SO WE STRIVE TO REMAIN IN COMPLIANCE WITH ALL SAFETY AND SECURITY INITIATIVES FROM THE TEXAS SCHOOL SAFETY CENTER. THAT INCLUDES PARTICIPATION IN UNANNOUNCED INTRUDER AUDITS, BETTER KNOWN AS DOOR AUDITS. WE ARE HERE BEFORE YOU TONIGHT TO INFORM YOU THAT THERE WAS A FINDING. JESS HARMON HAD A FINDING DURING THEIR SEPTEMBER AUDIT. AND SO AS WAS REQUIRED BY TEA, WE'RE MAKING YOU AWARE. AND THEN DURING CLOSED SESSION, I'LL BRING YOU MORE DETAILS RELATED TO THAT SPECIFIC FINDING. VICE PRESIDENT MCGOWAN: THANK YOU, MR. JASSO. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. [VI. CLOSED MEETING] I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE PUBLIC, COLLEAGUES, AND STAFF FOR JOINING US TONIGHT. IT IS NOW 8:42 PM. AND THE BOARD WILL NOW CONVENE TO A CLOSED SESSION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT. TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, SECTION 551.071, CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY IN SECTION 551.07, PERSONNEL MATTERS AND DUTIES OF PUBLIC OFFICER AND 551.076, SECURITY DEVICES. SPEAKER 4: THE BOARD IS RETURNING TO OPEN SESSION [VII. RECONVENE] AT 11:26 PM HAVING TAKEN NO ACTION WHILE IN CLOSED SESSION. THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 11:26 PM ON THE 15TH OF OCTOBER, 2026. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.