001time is now 6:40. We will resume with our open meeting. Uh I do want to let the record reflect that uh Trustee Taylor Gwood did join us at about 5:45. Um we will go ahead and go forward with the public participation. Is there >> Okay, there is no public participation. We'll move forward to staff reports by Dr. Ptery. >> Thank you, President Johnson and board members. It has been a wonderful, wonderful summer that went by too quickly. First of all, uh we are this is the last week for our summer hours. We will return to normal working hours on Monday. Um and get ready for convocation on August the 4th. Things are going very very well. as you um we've had emergency uh preparedness today which was really good. Our staff we had two sessions.
002The first session was made up of nurses and a uh um athletes and not a uh coaches and it really went well. The second session was made up of our principles and assistant principles. They give a a lot of um views on how we keep our staff and students safe and especially emergencies, unexpected emergencies, which we really have to we know people um there are so many people that are getting sick, have heart attacks, and what do you do in the case of an emergency? So, we have to keep a breast of that and just try to help as much as we can. So, that went really really well. Uh we also are asking you we have several items on the agenda tonight for your approval. The first is the uh salary schedule which I'm
003sure people are interested in and we are we are excited about our salary schedule. We definitely want everyone to understand your we are asking that you approve the salary schedule for teachers which we would start our salary at 55,500 that's zero years experience and that's for teachers and that's coming from the state. The state has given our teachers um money it's given districts money to give our teachers raises. It started at the third year but we decided to move it up from our own coffers from the fir for the first and second year and that is a good thing. Uh we're asking 3% for all other staff members. So that was one thing. We're also asking for several policies to be um approved. The first policy is to opt out of private charter school students
004that are uh enrolled in private charter school coming to our school for extracurricular. Uh that is a policy that was passed in the 89th legislative legislative session, but we're asking to opt out of that in our district. also cell phone usage. House Bill 1481, the state which has turned it into a law that no usage of cellular phones uh watches or laptops or tablets should be in in the classrooms at all. And that's the entire day. The state has allowed us to ask for you to approve a policy of possession as well as usage. Possession means that a student would not be able to bring a cell phone uh a smartwatch or tablet to school. Along with the usage, we want to work with our parents. We understand that we have students that ride the
005bus, they drive cars, um, and we know that parents track their students after hours. We have athletes that we know that they need to understand where their kids are. So, we're going to work with our parents, but we're asking that our parents to work with us and to ensure that their students understand that phone usage is prohibited during the instructional day. And that means from the time they enter that facility to the time they go home. I think that's fair because we could have now we're going to do that for one year and we're going to see how it works out. Um, we're going to work with our parents. We will call them. We will remind them. We're going to remind our students it can be done. We want our students focusing on academics and
006not talking on the phone. So, that is where we're headed and I think that is a good um I guess compromise. So, I hopefully our parents will will agree to that and move forward. We are asking for the approval of reimbursement resolution for proposed issuance of district unlimited tax bonds. And what that is, we uh thank our community once again for passing the $300 million bond for a new middle school, a new stadium. We're excited about that. But one of the resolutions is that if we have expenses leading up to the selling of the bond that we would be able to get reimbursed from those bond funds and then the other is that we're selling bonds tonight. Uh if there are questions we have Mr. Greer here that can answer those questions as well. And
007we're asking to also um uh reinvest and get I think it's going to be um reimbursement. And the second one is just making sure that we uh do something else with our bonds. It's on the on the agenda as well. There are three things on there for let's see for the um for the bonds up down um yeah 13 we look at it authorization bonds reimbursement okay and that one is take action approach just like your is is refinancing refinancing bonds so we're hoping to get I think it's 10 million on refinancing and then we'll be able to pay down our bonds, our past bonds, which will help our taxpayers lower their taxes. So, those are some exciting things that are that's happening that we're asking you to help us with. Um, and so far
008things are going very very well. We're excited about the first school day, which is August the 13th. Uh, seemed like our coaches, our principles have been in school all summer. So, um, and we all obviously we've worked all summer as well. We have good people in place and we are ready to work. Uh, parents have been very supportive and we're looking forward to a wonderful school year, 2526 school year. Miss Lot, uh, this month's uh, this board meeting uh, media report covers the time frame from May 14th to July 24th. I was absent for the June board meeting. So, at the end of May, we had all of our graduation ceremonies from preK, kindergarten, fifth grade, eighth grade, um, high school, and we had CTE students along with Wilson students who graduated from Lamar State
009College. And then, of course, our Wilson and Memorial students graduated from um, high school at Fort Park. These are a few remaining May observations. uh after May 14th, uh three June observations, the 4th of July, and as Dr. Porter just stated, our convocation will be on Monday, August the 4th at 8:00 a.m. in our competition gym at the high school. Our Titans on Tour has taken a very good uptick this summer. We had several submissions from Tennessee, San Diego, Hawaii, Washington DC, Minneapolis, Missouri, and Kansas, just to name a few. And this is uh not including all of our auxiliaries who also traveled to their various camps this summer. In the top left corner, one of our Sam Houston Elementary teachers was uh featured in a school spotlight by the Ark of Southeast Texas to
010recognize her efforts in the classroom. So, she was nominated and there was a news report on that. In the top middle, our CTE campus has a fully functional cafe that the students planned, organized, and they actually fully operate the cafe every day. uh the culinary art students and the they prepare the food and they sell the food uh in a cashless uh process and they have a little seating area for those who want to sit and eat in the Titan cafe. Uh and they offer um meals, drinks and desserts and that is for CTE students and CTE staff. Um our some of our students received scholarships from the Puerto Arta Rotary Club. We had some more end of the year activities where we did start this year um through the Port Arthur Education Foundation and
011the Chamber of Commerce. Local businesses uh donated gifts to our top 10 students at Memorial in that top middle right photo and then the top 10 students at Wilson. Um the treat bags for this since this was our first time. There were some trinkets, but there were some gift cards that the kids really uh appreciated. And then moving forward, we hope to uh have more businesses participate so that the bags are fuller, but we plan to start a new tradition of rewarding our top since top 10 students at both campuses uh in May. In the bottom left corner, Miss Oliver's class at Alpha created a 3D city uh using geometry concepts. Uh in the bottom in the middle, we had some news coverage. uh the the channel uh 12 news wanted to know how do
012we address uh the summer slide when sometimes students have a learning loss. So um we had a story that covered how we were addressing those uh summer slide issues. The bottom right corner we have five seniors who earned full scholarships from Golden Pass LG to study process technology. And here are some more photos of end of year activities. Our life skills students attended their annual spring fling dance at Bumont. Um at the bottom left corner, Travis Elementary held a STEM day. In the middle at the bottom, Alpha students learned how to use a drone. The top middle Thomas Jefferson students uh attended a 3-day course on trafficking and exploitation, and you can see their graduation certificates, and that's a very relevant topic for our area. Um and then we had Wilson students who uh experienced
013a STEM field day by visiting Houston Christian University and also um the iFly uh facility where they got to experience like skydiving uh simulations. In the top left corner, Wheatley Elementary School along with the nation celebrated the 60th year of the Head Start program. So they um created this drone photo where the whole campus came out to create the number 60. At the top in the middle there was a I think it's called uh dinosaur George exhibit that had a lot of uh dinosaur fossils on display at Adams Elementary and the students you see them with their clipboards. It was a museum exhibit but they still tied it into a learning experience for the students. Uh we have more we have 12 new teachers this year who are going to receive teacher incentive aotment bonuses.
014Um and then we have I think it was two teachers who have increased their amount of their bonus through the TIA. Uh in the middle on the left we have a Wilson Early College student who's also in the um marching heat band who attended Boy State and that's a first in a long time for our district for to have a student that represented PISD at Boy State. Um the principal at Alpha kind of got in on the eighth grade prom festivities uh with the fellas took a picture uh showing the money and at the bottom Lamar University has uh started a new program called early bird admission to and it's aimed at attracting high school juniors to the campus. They offered 75 of our juniors uh scholarships totaling over $2.2 $2 million and also um
015early college admission. In the top left corner, this is a list of all of the CTE students who participated in the um Lamar Port Arthur graduation ceremony in May with the certifications that they earned. Uh it's a level one certificate. at the top in the middle in the blue. These are our teachers who participated in the workforce solutions annual teacher externship program. Then we had two of our UIL choir students who um received the honor of outstanding performer which is um I believe Kayn Gardner received it last year and so we have two students who also received it this year. And for the first time um in that I know of the Titan Salon at the CTE campus was actually open throughout the month of June for summer hours all day Monday through Thursday. We
016have our uh validictorian and saludiatoran and then nine of our district's graduates earned scholarships in the amount of $10,000 each from the Port Arthur Industrial Group. We had a total of more than 110 students from the CTE campus that earned their certifications this year. Um, of course, this is not all 110 photos, but you get a gist of the total for each program category. And then Bectal, I have that Bectal hired 15 of our students, but in the leadership conference yesterday, Dr. Martin Davis said it was actually 18 students that um were hired by Bectal um for their welding and milright program. Last year they hired six of our students and our six students did so well that this year they hired 18. >> Yes. >> Um the class of 2025 earned over $12 million
017in scholarships. Um our flames drill team held different mini camps throughout the summer and several of them were with some of our elementary uh do um dance groups. So here's a photo of them with Portacres. I know they did Sam Houston and I'm pretty sure there were some more elementary campuses. So that's that um vertical alignment when you start training the elementary kids on what to look forward to and how to prepare to be a flame once they get to the high school level. Uh the top picture is our seniors at their senior sunrise in August and then the bottom picture is our seniors at their senior sunset in May. We had at least three if not four of our rising junior students um attend what is called the nightingale experience at Lamar University in
018June. And it gave students who aspire to be nurses the opportunity to spend one day at the Dishman School of Nursing on Lamar's campus participating in nursing simulations at the school of nursing. They stayed the night in the dorm with a roommate to give them more of a college experience. And then the following day they spent the first half of the day um at St. Elizabeth Hospital also engaging in real life nur nursing situations and um I know that the students were able to see and feel a real life placenta because someone had given birth that morning. Um they were kind of looking for a little more action in the emergency room and I was trying to explain to them that it's good that it was no action in the emergency room. These are some
019of our summer athletics. Um, everybody was working out this summer. The volleyball team, the girls basketball, boys basketball, football, um, the top the dancer that says Lamar University dance team recruit. This young lady graduated. She was a member of the Flames. She was also on the powerlifting team and a cheerleader. And she is, uh, going to be on the Lamar University dance team. Miss Jayla Clay. Um, our amazing alumni, Elandon Roberts, who plays in the NFL, had his annual free football camp for the kids in our community and it was very successful and we posted a video that was produced by LD Ray that covered that camp. Um, we also had a very successful um, Lady Titans basketball camp with our new head basketball coach. Our choir students did very well at UIL. We have
020one middle school student um that plays softball and she was invited to participate in a national selection event and I believe it's going to be held in December. But I asked her, her dad submitted that picture and I said be sure to let us know um how she does in that December game and send us photos so we can post that as well. Sam Houston now has a flag core for some of his students. So that's who circled in the yellow circle. To my knowledge, that's the first elementary campus to have a flag core. So they are really uh engaged over on that campus. And the bottom right corner, uh our band students did very well at the Texas State solo and ensemble contest and celebrated after the competition. We posted our varsity football and
021our um Lady Titans volleyball schedules. Um, we also had band camp this summer and we invited the middle schools. Our softball team even had workouts this summer. And even our little Titans, as you can see, were participating in community track meets, the the Little Titans track club. And then our Tiny Titan from Wheatley, whose dad is the baseball coach, is already on the um baseball team under the um indoor practice facility. The band and the Flames attended their annual uh camp at Southern University. And in the bottom left corner, uh Janaria uh Lewis received one of the top honors for a drill team. our volleyball teams was able to send 20 students to 20 volleyball players to a volleyball skills camp at LSU and it was totally funded by their fundraising efforts. So the students
022did not have to pay for anything except for lunch and dinner for the days that they were away at the camp. And the camp was Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So, the participation fee, the hotel rooms, and the transportation was covered by fundraising efforts. And they were able to take four kids um from middle school. I I'm I'm thinking that the two at the top right is middle school, but I'm not really sure. It could be fifth grade going to sixth grade, but the the two in the middle with the purple shirts are definitely middle school. at the bottom. We have had students that signed uh letters of commitment this summer to baseball players and um this has not happened in quite some time where we had baseball players to sign letters of commitment. So we
023have one headed to H and one headed to Houston Tillison and then we have four football players that are going to graduate this year in 2026. the baseball players of 2025, the football players of 2026 who've made their college commitments known. These are some of our uh community engagement activities. Our um cheerleader squad is fundraising to purchase two new mascot uniforms and the Flames are uh also fundraising right now. I think that due to our uh social media campaign, we uh helped uh advertise the prostate screening enough to where 300 men were uh checked. More community um engagement. We have announced to the community in the bottom right about the new cell phone policy. So, we started early on July the 3 and we have continued to remind them. So come August 12th, that's it.
024That's all. Our back to school funfest will be this Saturday from 11 to 2 at the high school. We had one teacher, Augusta Dixon, who has been at Booker T. Washington right now. She's been in the district teaching for 40 years and she was recognized by the Texas um legislature and so her name was called on the floor. So, we posted the video which is in the middle and we also posted the actual um resolution and her picture. And this is our media summary. Several accomplishments by our alumni. One of our alumni and former uh Portresistant principal was sworn in as our new port commissioner, Mr. Fred Owens. Um Dwayne Jones is now the new president and CEO of the Port Arthur Teachers Federal Credit Union. Um Darius Charlotte who you will see a lot
025around the school district uh is an alumni who was uh shown uh recognition on the police social media. And then um Aisha Mason who is a memorial graduate and her dad is a AP at Alpha. She's been named the new principal at an elementary school where she lives. Um Eric Narcissis is um his position at his job. And then one of our volleyball students who graduated in 2024 was recognized for academic and volleyball honors at her college. And lastly, unfortunately, we have lost several members of our uh PISD family, um Ernestine Alexander, James Clayton, Lawrence Elmore, Senior, I cannot make out the name of the young lady with the red sweater. um Royene Fontino, Frank Neil, and Annie Leate Daniels. And that concludes my report. >> Thank you, Mrs. Lot. Also, board members, I would
026like to once again introduce you to two of our newest uh team members who have started and started off strong and running running the race. First being Miss Kayla Jacobs. Mrs. Kayla Jake, Miss Kayla Jacobs is the assistant superintendent for operations. Um, she's over maintenance, custodial, uh, receiving child nutrition, technology, bond, and she's asking for more. So, but she is doing a wonderful job. Um, and she is our product so from Port Robin. So, Miss Jacobs would like to say hello to our to the board and the community. >> Hello board. It's good to see you all and hello community. I'm very happy to be here. Um, alum alumnus of the Port ISD. Um, just excited to to hit the ground running as Dr. Pory said. >> Thank you. >> And I'm telling you, she
027has ran several laps. >> Next, we have Dr. Charisma Papon. Dr. Papian comes to us with a wide range of of just experience. She's personable. She's all over the place. She's going to be uh working with our principles, assistant principles, and more. So, she is a a welcome addition. Dr. Paped, [Applause] received a very warm welcome. I'm very excited. So, I'm looking to just do what I can liv of our students that much better and so whatever I can do I'm here to serve and I love my team already so it's great thank you all >> thank you that concludes our staff reports madam president I just wanted to formally welcome you all um to the ISD and also thank um Miss Lot as well I call that section the good news section that section
028section of the board meeting always brings um really just a warm um light to meeting but also to everything that we're doing in in the ISD especially in our city as you know we we are constantly evolving and showing great things. I wanted to take this moment um to really just appreciate and thank Dr. Portery um for Kim said I was going to do that. Great minds think alike this I I wanted to publicly because I don't think we as a board let alone as a community get a opportunity to really understand the work that is going on here. Um and as a a member of the Gen Z community, a member that cannot live without his cell phone. Uh putting myself in this in the shoes of of of the students that are currently
029in school, how much of a challenge it's going to be. I want to thank you for proposing um a policy that does not of course hinder our partnership with the community but but fits in line with where we want to go academically and also as it relates to what we have to do per the state. I want to emphasize that this isn't a PISD policy. This is a state policy and hopefully this will really ignite our community to come back to being unity in community being able to understand that we have to make decisions based upon what we're given. And if we want to see those changes, the person to talk to is going is going to Austin >> talking about the things that impact our our ISD and our students because Port Arthur ISD
030is not like Bulmont ISD. It's not like like Netherland ISD and it's really show not like HISD. We have our own unique challenges and I wanted to say say publicly before we even vote, thank you for even bringing something that will of course hopefully um extend that partnership to our parents and hopefully our parents can understand that this isn't anything that we can change but we're doing the best for our district, for our students, for our particular demographic. So parents, I'm encouraging you all to please work with our ISD on this. As Dr. Porter said, we're trying this out for a year. That year is going to be contingent upon our partnerships. Make sure your child is prepared to come to school and not use that cell phone until 3:05 4:15. Have that convers conversation,
031not just on Facebook, but have it before you get out the car with them before they leave out that house because this is an opportunity that is not given at many ISDs. We see other ISDs have chosen to use p pockets and pouches and make sure that their children don't have it at all. We're doing something different. So, please support us on this. we need to bring back the unity to community and I just I could not just let that pass by without acknowledging um that that simple proposal which shows a lot about your your commitment to wanting to extend that partnership to the community. It's two-way street. We have to work together. So, I just wanted to say thank you as a member of Gen Z for making that cuz >> when I don't
032have this cell phone on me, I feel like I'm losing my mind. So, the fact that I can have it with me but not use it, that makes me sleep a little bit better. All right. So, thank you. Okay, great. >> Okay, before we move on to minutes, I was um going to utter some of the same things, so I won't go over the the unity with the cell phone policy or anything. Uh Trusty Gilwood has already went over that. However, I would like to say a big thank you to our superintendent as well as Dr. Owens and um can't really remember exactly the remainder of the names, but the people who have been a part of our interviewing processes for all of these uh positions that we've had, I think that you guys have
033done a amazing job of of um selecting very very uh knowledgeable and worthy people of the positions for our district. Um, I have not had any complaints with who you guys have picked and it just amazes me that we're able to find that amount of talent and have these people a part of Port ISD actually even coming over from other ISDs and bringing that. So, I know it's not an easy job. You guys have a lot to look at when you're doing these applicants. you have a lot of applicants and interviews and I do think that y'all are doing a very good job in the betterment of our district with the selections you've had along with the principles um getting the amount I know Dr. doesn't say it a lot, but we should pat ourselves
034on the back because the last couple of meetings we've had, the teachers that we've been bringing on from these principles have been certified teachers. We're not talking about um you know um subs or anything, but our principles are really getting out there like they're promoting. I see them on their personal pages, on their school pages, at different locations. They are doing what they can to get us very qualified and certified teachers. And you know, sometimes they go above and beyond what their salary would even pay them for because they want to see their schools be better. So, not only with the uh superintendent and all our administration making great decisions, but I urge our principles to continue the momentum and get the certified teachers in here so that we can offer our children a port
035the best we can. So, definitely kudos to them across the board on that. >> Have a comment, Dr. Brown. >> Go ahead, Dr. Brown. >> Thank you, Madam President. And I want to associate myself with the two board members who've already spoken, Mr. Gedwood and certainly also President Johnson. Um I also want to uh applaud um the superintendent and staff for for the great work that's going on. That report that Miss Lot just gave, you know, I want to I want to I want to scream like in the old days, but I won't do it right now. But I mean that that was that was outstanding. Uh, and I know you rushed through it because there's so much more that you probably could have could have shared. So, I just want to acknowledge that. But
036I also want to also applaud Superintendent for the staff that we've been hiring, including the two new executive members. But but even beyond, as President Johnson just said, the teachers and others that we've been hiring, people don't people don't leave a place they think is a good place to work to another place unless they think that things are going to be better. So the idea that we're considered as as a better place to work and be part of that's that's that's quite a compliment of which I'm just so very proud and thankful. So I just want to acknowledge that pressure. I don't know what generation I'm in anymore. Uh trustee get what I don't know if they had generations. I'm not going to say when I was don't don't help me. No, but but but
037actually but no, I actually know the answer. But but but I I applaud you what you said cuz you know the you know I got two cell phones on me all the time, one for work, one for home, but uh you know I'd be lost too if I didn't have my phone available. But I think superintendent and staff have come with a good compromise position to take and I I hope that the parents and students will cooperate. If they don't, we'll make an adjustment. But I applaud the superintendent on that that path that we're taking as well. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank Oh, and I'm sorry. Look, I hate to hold y'all, but I also want to just really really quick commend our board as well. Um, here lately, uh, you know, there's no secret
038that, you know, we may disagree on things, but here lately, we've had a a much better camaraderie. we've really been bouncing ideas off of each other and really supporting each other as a board and I I definitely want to make sure I address that that we need to keep that momentum going across the board as well, continue to, you know, extend our education so that we can be better as a board. So, in addition to all of that, I also want to give ourselves a pat on the back as in supporting and doing, you know, what we can for you guys. And I and if I may add, this is one of the first times in a long time that I was able to meet with all board members and sit down and have wonderful
039conversations with each one. So I definitely appreciate that because it helps us out if something that I need to change or look into before. So it has been a wonderful, wonderful beginning. Thank you for that. >> That was a perfect opportunity to play the theme song. We're moving on up. >> We are doing that. >> Okay. All right, now to minutes. I'm sorry, you guys. Um, minutes. Consider and if appropriate, approved minutes of the June 26 25 regular board meeting. Can I hear a motion to approve those minutes? >> Motion. >> Second. >> Okay, it's been moved by uh Trustee uh Diane Brown and second by Trustee Gwood. All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? >> Okay, that motion carries for the minutes. Uh consent agenda. The following items which are of routine and
040or recurring nature have been uh designated consent agenda items by the board president per be local. All of the items in the consent agenda will be acted upon by one vote without being discussed separately unless requested by a trustee in which event the item or items will be withdrawn immediately for individual consideration in its normal sequence after the items not requiring separate discussion have been acted upon. I will give you all a quick minute since we have already discussed this to look at our consent agenda items number one through >> 24 and then I will ask for a um motion to approve those consent agenda items. >> Madam President, I move to uh approve consent agenda items 1 through 24. >> Second. >> Okay. It has been moved by Trustee Norse, Vice President Norcs, and
041second by Trustee Gatwood to approve those consent agenda items. All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? >> Okay, those consent agenda items do pass. We will move forward to personnel. I'll turn it back over to Dr. Porter. >> President Johnson, board members, I have given you the list of certified teachers for your approval. >> Second. >> Okay. has been moved by trustee uh Johnny Brown and second by trustee Diane Brown to approve those employment of teachers. All in favor? >> I. Any opposed? >> Continue. >> Next. President Johnson, board members, I'm asking for the employment of principal for elementary Dr. Shelanda Rand Randall Fer. Can >> I get a motion? >> So move for approval. >> Second. has been moved by the vice president Norse and second by trustee Gwood. All in favor? I.
042>> Any opposed? And last. >> Thank you. At this time, Dr. Filer will become the principal of um Adams Elementary and Mr. Alfredo Jimenez will transfer to Terrell Elementary. Next, I'm asking for your approval of employment of coordinator for assessment and instructional support, Dr. Maya Turner. >> So, move for approval. >> Second. >> It's been moved by Trustee Gwood and second by Vice President Norcies. All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? All right, that concludes our first meal. >> Um, can I have a motion for adjournment at 7:17? >> I move that we adjourn. >> I second. of motion by trustee Diane Brown is second by Mr. Gwood. You have a great evening. >> Happy birthday,