Mt Vernon ISD Board Meeting 3/9/2026

001I call this meeting of the Mount Vernon Independent School District to order. Let the record show that a quorum of board members is present. That this meeting has been duly called and that the notice of this meeting has been posted in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code Chapter 551. Do I have a motion to certify the agenda? >> Motion made by Kathy, seconded by Donnie. All four. That is 70. Uh, Miss Kathy, do you mind leading us in a word of prayer? >> I do. >> Our dear heavenly father, we want to thank you for this beautiful day. And Lord, thank you for the privilege to serve the people in our community. Lord, we ask you to give us wisdom and empathy and to make the decisions that are in your

002will. Lord, I ask you to watch over each and every student, teacher that that are here at Mount Vernon. Lord, thank you for the for the greatest district we have. In your son's name, amen. >> Amen. >> We'll stand for our pledges. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Honor the flagg to the one state one and indivisible. And we will open tonight's meeting with a couple special recognitions. >> Yes, ma'am. First, we have the Mount Vernon designs class uh is going to present uh Mr. Chief Chief Leo with the Mount Vernon ISD police badge that they helped design. >> So, Leo, >> Miss Don, if y'all come up, talk about

003that just a minute. Kind of share what we've done. seniors. [laughter] >> So, I wanted to change our patch and bag and stuff that we have. And so, I was trying to pretty much figure out where to get design everything. So, Heather Moore told me about this gum splice. So, we went to them first to do our patch, come up with a patch design. But they did so well that we ended up picking three to do for different things. This one here is one that was made by Titus Gable. >> Um, and that is actually going to be eventually a turn into a challenge point that we can give out at classes and stuff like that to other police officers. And so he created that. This was and because it did a good job, we

004decided to change the badge. And this was the one that we picked. And this one was made by Smith. >> And this one was made by Coleman. >> Yeah. >> W. And so that one is going to be one that we use to put on both Heather Blake have requested caps and beanies to wear. So we're going to use that. to put on that. >> And then this was by Dawson and this is going to be our patch. It's going to be in our actual uniforms that we're wear. >> So >> very good. Your students do well. >> Thank you. They make t-shirts and right now they're making some like track pants, softball shirts, and just an athletic shirt. So they'll be getting all that. I put them in charge of the marketing everything. So

005they're doing that whole project. >> So do they sell them through anything or >> Well, just kind of word of mouth because we don't have cash. >> Gotcha. >> So order to to order it. I mean, is that the order of mouth where we all put something on our school? >> Send it out on email. >> Okay. >> And they'll be coming around. I let them do it how they want to. So >> Okay. >> Well, Tom, the board I would love to see that they would send it. our way. [laughter] >> They're seniors. >> And there's a track me. >> Miss Done. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss D. [clears throat] >> Thanks, Chief. >> Okay, next we'll do our staff recognition. We're going to start with our Mount Vernon Elementary staff member of

006the month. I could There it is. If I could have Miss Abigail Panetta come up. >> How are you? >> Good. I don't know if it says here for sure, but I'm going to say that I was just told that I could say this as well is that you're a gym. >> Thank you. G E M. Okay. All right. There we go. [laughter] >> Says, um, Miss [clears throat] Panetta is our Mount Vernon Elementary uh, school teacher spotlight for March. She joined her staff this year as a second grade teacher. She jumped right in and began making a difference from day one. Her classroom is in an inviting atmosphere. Students feel the love from Miss Petta while also being held to high expectations. She has implemented the new curriculum without a hitch. After a campus

007visit, representatives from region 8 noted that she could be used as a model for others to learn from. She is calm, steady, and just what our second graders need. No matter their needs, she sees students for their strengths and their possibilities. We are thankful for all that she contributes to Mount Vernon Elementary School each day. Students were happy to share some insight into what makes her so great. She is fun. We get to cash dojo points on Thursdays. >> She is kind and respectful. I love how she is joyful and playful. When something good happens to others, she says, "Good job." She gives us Skittles when we work hard. She lets us have extra recess when we earn it. She has taught us cursive, the muscular system, and the nervous system. And we learned about

008the Civil War. When [clears throat] we don't understand, she helps us to understand it. She taught us our manners. We couldn't agree more with our students. Miss Petta is a gift to Mount Vernon Elementary School. Abigail Panetta, elementary teacher of the month. Congratulations. [applause] a picture I think. Yes, we are. [cough] >> Very good. You want to say anything? >> Just feel very blessed to be here. >> We're glad that you tiger. >> Very good. Thank you. Congratulations. [applause] >> Next, we are going to do our middle school teacher of the month. Just trying to look this upside down here. And could I have Miss Robin Floyd come forward, please? All right. This says, "Miss Floyd has become a beacon of positivity and is always willing to support the Mount Vernon Middle School campus and

009it students as a whole. She is someone who steps up to help wherever she is needed. Whether that's collaborating with teachers to plan a meaningful lesson, stepping in to support co-workers, or mentoring students who could benefit from a steady, reliable voice. Her door is open not only to students but to teachers, counselors, and administrators who seek guidance or a fresh perspective. This open door approach builds trust across the campus, ensuring that when students encounter a problem, academic, social, or emotional, there is a trusted adult ready to listen and collaborate on a solution. Her commitment to service extends beyond the classroom. She helps organize programs and champion opportunities that connect students to the resources they need to thrive. Miss Floyd's contributions remind us that a school's strength lies not just in its curriculum or facilities, but

010in the everyday acts of care and competence from support from people who choose to invest in others. Her positivity lifts spirits. Her willingness to support every corner of the campus strengthens our community and her expertise provides a clear path for students to achieve success. Our middle school teacher of the month, Miss Robin Floyd. [applause] Congratulations. You want to say anything? >> It's been a privilege to be in the district, especially you as our boss. >> Well, thank you. Thank you. We're glad you're here. Thank you so much. Thank you for what you do. >> Next, we're going to recognize our high school teacher of the month, and that is Miss Andrea Reynolds. [snorts] All right. Says, "Miss Andrea Reynolds continues to be a vital and highly respected member of the Mount Vernon High School staff.

011Since joining Mount Vernon High School, she has consistently demonstrated an exceptional work ethic, investing significant time and energy into designing meaningful lessons and understanding the indiv individual needs of our students. Her algebra one classroom is a place where instruction is purposeful, expectations are clear, and students remain actively engaged from bell to bell. Miss Reynolds is deeply committed to student success. She pushes all learners to reach their full potential by providing support, challenge, and encouragement in equal measure. She uses data and observation to adjust her instruction, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to grow. Her students know she believes in them, and that belief translates into increased confidence and achievement. Beyond her impact in the classroom, Miss Reynolds is a dependable and highly professional colleague. She consistently meets deadlines, communicates effectively, and follows through on

012every responsibility. As a member of the math team, she collaborates willingly, shares resources, and contributes ideas that strengthen instruction across the department. For her outstanding instruction, unwavering commitment and far-reaching contributions to our school community, we are proud to recognize Andrew Reynolds as the Mount Vernon High School teacher of the month for March 2026. [applause] Congratulations. >> Very good. Any words? >> Um, I am to it [laughter] wasn't mentioned in there, but I am a lot of fun. >> I think it did. I forgot. I missed that. I skipped over that part. >> You skipped over that part. Not on purpose. >> No, I mean it's this is my fourth year here and every year it really does seem to get better and better and just the relationships I'm building with my colleagues and my bosses

013here on campus is growing and so I think that's making me stronger as a teacher as well. >> Excellent. We're glad you're here very much. Thank you. >> Congratulations. >> All right. Next, we will do our um let's see here. We will do our excuse me, our campus support member of the month. Miss Glover, I do not think is here tonight, but I will go ahead and read what it says about Miss Glover. Um she was not able to make it. Miss Glover is truly the heart of operations at Mount Vernon Middle School. She consistently manages challenges with professionalism employees, stays on top of attendance, and ensures our campus runs smoothly each day. She is always willing to step in and take charge when unexpected situations arise, providing steady guidance and support for staff, students,

014and families. In addition, she plays a key role in organizing and planning school events while also taking care of parents and students with car and compassion. Her dedication and reliability make her an invaluable asset to our campus, and we would truly be lost without her. So, our staff member of the month, Miss May, you love her, and we'll be sure that we get this to her. Okay. So, next we have um let's see our we have our cafeteria support of the month, Miss Linda Dinsmore, not available tonight. So, let me read what it says about her. Says she consistently goes above and beyond to create a welcoming, positive environment for our students each and every day. From greeting students with a warm smile to ensuring meals are served efficiently and safely, she plays an essential

015role in keeping our cafeteria running smoothly. All right. And also cafeteria support of the month, Miss Sandra Gurtis. [snorts] >> Curtis, how are you? >> Good. Says, Sandra Gertis plays a vital role in creating a positive and welcoming atmosphere in our cafeteria each day. She ensures that students receive meals that are served efficiently, safely, and with a friendly smile. So, one of our cap support of the month, Miss Sandra Gertis, [applause] >> you good? Want to say anything? >> I just enjoy being here. I come from Winsboro. My kids grew up there. My grand my grandkids [laughter] are are tigers. So, >> hey, as they say, you got to hear as quick as you could. >> That's right. [laughter] >> We're glad you're here. Okay, next I am going to ask Miss Carolyn Edwards to

016come forward. She is our maintenance employee of the month. and one of the finest women you will ever find. >> Amen. >> We love you. >> So, let me read what it says here about Miss Carolyn. It says that this month's board would like to make a moment to recognize Carolyn Edwards for her outstanding service and dedication as a maintenance employee. Carolyn plays a vital role in ensuring that our facilities, equipment, and systems operate safely and efficiently. Her work directly supports the daily function of her organization and helps provide a safe, comfortable, and well-maintained environment for student, staff, and districts. She is known for her strong work ethic, technical skill, and dependable approach to her responsibilities. Whether performing routine maintenance, addressing urgent repair needs, or assisting with larger projects, she consistently approaches her work with

017professionalism and attention to detail. Her problem solving abilities and willingness to go the extra mile make her a valuable member of the team. We also appreciate Carolyn's flexibility and responsiveness, her readiness to step in when issues arise, and her commitment to resolving concerns, probably help minimize disruptions, and ensure smooth operations across our facilities. Now, this sit on the paper, and here's what I'm going to say personally. Miss Carolyn is one of the people who I love dearly. Part of it is is because she lives out her faith every day. >> And she doesn't just do it by her words, but she lives out her faith in front of her students, by her actions as well. She loves them daily. It's not something she puts on, but it's who she is. And she truly blessed her

018future campus that she's there. And just want you to know you're appreciated and we are excited to give this to you this month. So, congratulations. >> You're welcome. [applause] Congratulations. I know you want to say something, right? >> Well, I'm a little [laughter] I'm awkward, but I'll just try that. everybody in this room as the board and as as George I went black for a minute when I'm nervous and Jason and thank y'all for all this stuff y'all do and I I love my job and I like the kids and everybody but uh there are people in this room that I've worked with uh and I the teachers that I was used to be the janitor for the elementary for the uh the middle school junior high and intermediate and there's teachers in this room

019y'all had I never forgot y'all and we had a lot of good a lot of fun when when I was up there and thank y'all for the year y'all some of y'all are retired y'all still have a special place in my heart >> and few principles and Mr. Watson and just I I I just >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> We're glad you're here. [applause] >> And we had two others that I don't think were able to make it tonight. One is our bus driver recognition, Mr. Nulan, of course, who's still on his route, [snorts] says uh Mr. plays a vital role in the daily operations of our organization. He is often one of the first and last individuals our students and families interact with each day and he consistently represents our district with

020professionalism, care and reliability. His [clears throat] commitment goes well beyond transporting pastors from one location to another. He helps create a safe, welcoming and dependable environment for everyone on his route. And our custodial recognition is Miss Rosa Robas [clears throat] is not here says she plays an essential role maintaining safe clean and welcoming facilities for our students, staff and visitors. Her work often takes place behind the scenes but impact felt every day. Rosa takes great pride in her responsibilities and consistently goes above and beyond expectations. Whether addressing routine cleaning needs, responding quickly to unexpected issues, or assisting staff and students, she approaches every task with professionalism and a positive attitude. Her willingness to help wherever needed reflects a deep commitment to the organization and to those she serves. We also appreciate Rose's dependability and flexibility.

021She is someone her colleagues can count on and her contributions help create a supportive and efficient work environment for everyone as well. So I think that's what we have. We'll get those. If I can get those who are honored tonight, if you'll step back up and let's get a one picture with everyone, please. standing by all the people that wore dresses represent the high school. >> I'm sorry. >> I'm behind Carolyn. She [laughter] >> Yes. Thank you all so much. [laughter] >> Thank you. >> All right, let's move into our information totals. or information items. >> Thank you. There we go. >> THANK YOU. I WAS LIKE, THAT DID NOT SOUND RIGHT. Enrollment totals. Our first information item. >> Okay. We are as of March 3rd, last Tuesday, we are at 1519. It's happens sometimes

022this time of the year. As you can see, we've we've dropped two per month uh from January from 1523 to 1519. Um but still staying pretty steady for the school year. Any questions on that? Our campus department updates. Anyone wanting to volunteer to go first? >> Well, we've got six new students the last couple of weeks. They're just rolling in. We're losing some, but we're getting a lot of new ones, too. So, um, we have just celebrated our hundth day of school last week. We had our heart hero celebration. I've told you last month about the American Heart Association. I don't know our exact totals yet, but I know we did a really good job. So, our um hero rally will be this week, if not for rain. If it's rain, we're going to reschedule

023where parents can come and watch. [clears throat] We had a Native American presentation come in to kick off our third grade reading unit. We had a very successful art show. If you weren't there, you missed an amazing time, but you can still come and look around at Miss Watson's um great artwork that she has. There were a lot of people there, fun stations. It's It's always good to see the parents sitting down doing artwork with their kids. So, it was a fun night. Our daddy daughter dance that I talked to you about last time, we ended up with about 200 people there. So, it was so fun. Just a sweet night. Mr. Clayton came [laughter] for >> So, it was a good night. Not It was one of those that very little effort and provided

024a big dividend. It was It was a It was a good night. It was a heartwarming. We um finished our Telos testing, got all that wrapped up. We've done some student awards, recognized a lot of kids, and we're fully finishing up this year. We're fully in this year, but we're also tiptoeing into next year and getting ready for prek and kindergarten roundup that's coming up in April. So, lots of good things coming up. It's busy down at the elementary school. So, always is. Y'all have any questions? >> Thank you. How is it March? >> I don't even know. >> Is now an appropriate time to talk to you about ding-dong ditch in my house? >> That's not your kids, was it? [laughter] >> We get a we we get a big kick out of it.

025And they've already told me to prepare for the spring break. They told me that today. >> Yes. So, anyways, it's fun. Oh, yes. I can't wait. Um, so I handed you guys the biggest thing that's kind of been going on on our campus is benchmark testing. We are finally I think we have like maybe one more eighth grade um eighth grader that's not done. But as far as that, we are highly impressed with our academics. It we're super excited. Um, and we've been spending um this week, we'll spend this week and a little bit of last week already um moving forward what we're going to do. We have our elective teachers that have just really they are excited about putting stuff in their lessons. They are teaching. I have coaches teaching science. I have coaches

026teaching social studies. It's really really been a good collaborative process at the middle school. So, we are super excited. [clears throat] There are we've got work to do. We >> Oh, yes. Yes. >> Yes. And I know one that we're really excited about and that's our social studies. That that is the hardest test you guys. It is they don't take it until 8th grade and it is the content that they are getting and then they're fixing to change it on us. So, it is by far we were really excited. Um, Mr. Morgan's been giving it all. They all have. I can't speak highly enough of of the staff and stuff and the kids. They're doing great. Um, I'm kind of with Miss George, our tail pass, tailp pass, whatever you want to call it. I'm

027finishing up this week on that. Um, and we've got a huge track meet going on right now. So, that's where I'm fixing to head because I've got some races I've got to go see that I've promised to watch. So, um, just a lot going on. Y'all know it's spring and sprung at the middle school. [laughter] Any Yeah. Any questions about this or anything in general? >> Perfect. Thank you. >> Go yell for me. >> I'll probably have to make you guys copies because we got so much going on at the high school and I didn't want to leave anybody out. So, I gave myself a page and a half outline because we've got kids going everywhere doing everything. So, TEP pass will be completed Wednesday for us. Um had a couple makeups today and then

028benchmarks, they're all done. Teachers are looking at their stuff evaluating, making flag schedule changes. We had a school day act fit in there. 67 students amongst TEL pass and benchmarks took uh took the school day ACT and then of course you know in April we'll do we'll do EOCC's for for real and see if all our hard work um see if our hard work pays off and then in the middle of that we're going to fit in TSI for those kids wanting to take college classes. So um any kid wanting to do dual credit classes I'll have to take the TSI and score in a certain range. So, we'll fit that in throughout the EOCC's. Um, so just a couple of things and I'm I'm not going to list these because we'd be here all

029day long, but um so uh some of our Taffy kids went over to a um to the Teach Tomorrow Summit in Dallas and they attended open and closing sessions. They had breakout sessions u from everything to creating engaging classrooms, college exhibits and um this is those students who think they want to go in the field of education to do what all of us do. Um some highlights of that and I'm not going to list names because I don't want to leave any individual students name out but we did have um uh one student that got the gold star in varsity in public speaking which is awesome because you know students don't like to speak in public. Um, we had one that get the Bronze Star and Junior varsity uh, ethical dilemma and then a Bronze

030Star, Junior Varsity and PreK children's literature. So, those are some highlights Miss Blue shared with us with our uh, Taffy Taffy students and um, you know, that was that was pretty good stuff. Um, we had 25 FFA kids go to St. Angelo and submit nine projects. Um, and I was told by Mr. Ring room that there are 875 projects at this competition. Okay. And our um lose my place here. All of our projects receive blue ribbons for high quality, which is awesome. Um we also had three teams that place. We had one that was a second place for a u for their um 10-ft bumper pull trailer, a third place for a hay spear, and um a third place for tractor um tractor haul hauling gooseseneck trailer. Um and you know, there was different students

031that worked on those. Like I said, I didn't think it was fair to mention some kids' names and others not. Um, our bass fishing team, I don't know if y'all know that is loosely affiliated with the school. They wear, you know, school colors. They go compete. They finished um fifth out of 28 teams at Bob Sandalin most recently. Um, UIL film team. They went to Austin and competed and they had one team earned a third place finish in documentary and a fifth place finish another team and that's a relatively new thing that we're doing. So, those students are having some good successes. Um, Wintergard finished first at Texas High this last weekend, second place at Mount Pleasant and third place in Wasam in previous competitions. So, they're I mean, they're going out there and representing

032well. Um, let's see. One act play competes tomorrow. They went practice today. See if they can uh um they started their bid to go back to state. Uh powerlifting. We had kids uh qualify for regionals and powerlifting. Two girls, three three boys this this year. don't have specifics on that about how they finished um yet. Um track is in full swing as you track folks know I think third meet this week haven't heard any results of those but it really doesn't count to the district meet as long as you're getting your times better every time and your throws better. Um winter guard 20 of our band students I'm just kind of spitballing here. 20 of our band students went over and represented MVHS in uh region solo and ensemble contest. Eight of the seven received

033superior um I'm sorry, of the eight events, seven received superior uh rating with one ensemble receiving an excellent and 12 of those students will travel to Austin and May to represent uh Mount Vernon at the state >> yes solo and ensemble contest. Um baseball's in full swing. They start district play tomorrow at Commerce. Softball's in full swing. They fell just a run short in extras. Um with Reigns here last Friday. I didn't think that game was ever going to end. Um and then they go on the road. Yeah, you you were there. It was a good game and they they overachieved a little bit because Reigns isn't bad. They're not bad at all. So, um some things in the college and career readiness we have going on. Um, last week, Miss Blue, and Miss Stevens

034took eight students um to Idabel, Oklahoma to the Southeastern Oklahoma University, uh, McCerten County, and they participated in a perspective teachers academy. Um, so they heard from a panel of administrators, teachers, current college students. One of our students won a $1,000 scholarship for um for Southeastern Oklahoma University in Durant or McCarten County. I don't know which one that that that applies to. Um they left with some good incentive. They were excited about the field of of of education. So it was a positive experience. Mr. Ringer and Miss Stevens also took about 12 students over to TSTC and Marshall last week and to learn more about courses they offer and what options they have. Um and they gained a lot of knowledge and were excited about lineman school um and just all kinds of other electrical

035type programs there. So, that's um that was good. Those kids come back fired up uh because I talked to a couple of them when they got back. Um March 25th, we're having our career expo again. I don't know if any of you have been there to that, but that's a pretty big deal. So far, there's 68 participants that are going to have booths uh from different businesses, colleges, um and it's anywhere from eighth graders. Let the eighth graders come over here and then um our high school kids do it. And uh this year our seniors are going to go through mock interviews in the different fields that they think they want to go into. Uh I don't know if some of them are really excited about the mock interviews because they didn't know until today,

036but uh it's it's good for them. And Miss Stevens wanted me to give a thanks to Alliance Bank for allowing us to use their chairs. So I felt it important. And Wednesday, NTCC medical lab technologies program is going to come talk to our health science classes about what that looks like and what that career path looks like. And if I left anybody or anything off, try not to take up too much time. The other ones went short. Um, but yeah, feel free to ask any questions and I can shoot copies of this if anybody wants to look at it. We have this time of year at the high school level, we got a lot of people going in a lot of directions. And I was just talking to Miss um Miss Reynolds and she goes,

037"Yeah, there's some of my algebra one students that I've got to get where they're at and they they're only going to be here one day because they're doing one act play. They're doing track. They're doing this. They're doing that." So, you know, she we were talking about one student. She said, "Yeah, I'm going to see him two times in three weeks because we got spring break and they got, you know, she's only going to see him one time this week. She saw him one time last week and then we're going to have spring break. So, and she's one that she's trying to get to the mark. >> But anyway, any any questions from anybody? Anything? >> Good stuff. All right. >> And then is Lou here? >> A construction update. Okay. >> Um Lou's not

038online, is he? >> Lou's not online. >> Okay. >> I'll give I'll give a I'll give a short I'll give a short update. Um, as as you know, they finished um the inside renovation of admin. We've moved in there. Uh, so all of admin is there. They're they've not we've not opened up the front yet. So, we still have to enter through basically the back door coming through the middle school uh to get into the administration office. [clears throat] Hope to have that open here within a few weeks. Uh, I know that uh SwepCO was here today, set the transformer in front of the cafeteria. So, I think as uh Dustin shared about a month ago, getting that permanent power, which is what they're shooting for over spring break, is a big thing uh for

039them to have to be able to move forward with a lot of what they're needing to do. Get [clears throat] units running so they can start finishing up some painting and some other things interior on the fine arts and the cafeteria. Uh still working through egg building as well. uh they're still on schedule to be able to turn those over to us uh hopefully by July 1st. Um and then as soon as they do that uh then they will um as soon as they schools out the next day they'll start u the renovation of the um current cafeteria and these offices and as they work to finish. So we won't be they won't be completely finished with the high school part even the entrance uh till Christmas uh around Christmas. So, high school students will

040still be entering like what we are currently right now uh through the rest of this calendar year. Uh they're still on go and still doing good. Um weather's been pretty decent for them. Um rain last week, a little bit of rain made them miss a concrete pour, but that's not putting them behind on anything else. So, they're making good progress. >> Any questions on that? >> It's all good within the budget. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. We have to tap into any contingency or >> Oh, yeah. There there's been there's been some contingency uh but not only interest what what's been done with y'all or what on approval um a little interest on um on a little bit of landscaping u but outside of that uh Craig shared with me last week we were talking about

041it interest itself has even exceeded the conservative projection that he gave uh currently by >> 400,000 >> 524,478 >> over his projection over projection over projection. So, so um at our construction meeting last week, um >> thank you for being conservative. Sorry. >> That's right. Uh construction meeting last week, uh there's still uh 432,000 of contingency money setting. Uh Lou feels real good about that. Matter of fact, he's now the he's getting ready to move toward the conversation of, you know, as a district, what would be our priority with that? would it be to address something else or is that something we'd want basically for Jackson to return back to us at the end of the project? So that that'll be an ongoing conversation in the next couple months. >> So the interest we've earned,

042we haven't earmarked that for any anything so far. >> Well, it's >> we've used it because we've had some change orders. Yes, we're like tennis courts and things like that that we've had to use and whatnot, but we've still got >> So, we we're starting those conversations and planning of what to what to do with that interest money. So, that we'll we'll bring that to y'all of of um of things to look at. You know, part of the conversation has been I know the board has talked about the bathrooms here at the high school. Um we've looked at a roof on top of the Kate building, some things like that. So, we'll we'll work and bring that to you as a board. Um, we'll have you a list of some things that we're working. >>

043Okay. >> Y >> and then, uh, we have our special education presentation. >> You go watch. [laughter] Um, so I'm Stacy Peterson, the director of special services, and I'm here to report on our special ed population. Um, last summer during the legislative session, um, Texas Code 29.012 was added, saying that at least once each year, the board shall include during a public meeting a discussion of the performance of students receiving special education services. So, we're going to highlight our special education students. I know you've got your information um in front of you. So, um we look at RDA. It's the results of driven accountability framework and it determines the annual performance for districts regarding special education and other areas. Um it measures performance on specific indicator indicators to state mandated interventions and monitor compliance with

044federal requirements. So looking at our data for the past three years in um we met the determination level of two which means that we need assistance. And so those areas were um the fifth grade and eighth grade our science assessments. it was our high school um biology EOCC and English one and English two EOCC scores. So in 2023 we needed to work on that those areas and so the middle school and high school have implemented some things and y'all can see in 2024 and 25 we met the requirements and so we want to continue um going on in that that manner. looking at our student demographics. When I pulled the population, um, we had three less students because it was 1516 instead of 1519. So, I did that about a month ago. Of our students,

045255 are um in special education. Of that population, 139 meet the disability criteria for a specific learning disability. And underneath that is dyslexia. And right now we have 53 um students that are receiving direct services in dyslexia at our elementary and our middle school campuses. We also have 75 students that meet the criteria for speech impairment and 35 of our students meet the criteria for autism. Those are our main disability categories that we serve. So looking at our um enrollment, you can see in 200 [clears throat] 20 32 24 school year we had 243 students. We had a jump the next year. Does anybody want to take a guess as to what that was? That's when our dyslexia kids came on board because in 2023 the law changed that dyslexia is considered a specific learning

046disability and so those children during those school years came up and so we had a pretty big jump in um in our numbers there. Um so our staff has worked hard to to maintain that and then you can see in 20 um 25 26 we've kind of steady. We have um this year our we've had our highest number of dismissal rates. And so this year already we've dismissed fiveu students from the middle school and we've dismissed 14 students from the high school. And so we're really excited about that because that is our goal is to give these students the specially designed instruction that they need kind of fill those gaps, those areas um of what is required and then when they're, you know, compared to their peers doing what they're supposed to do. So we

047um we're really happy with that dismissal rate. Um our program overview, so about 9% of our students receive speech therapy. That's the only service they get in special education. about 21 of percent of our students are in the mainstream. So that means they're in the general education setting and we have an inclusion a special ed teacher or a pair professional that comes in and offers that specially designed instruction and tailored supports to help them be successful but we want them in the general education setting as much as possible. We do have 56% are in our resource room. So that's where these students are pulled out of the gened setting into a small group to work on areas where they have deficits. So that is our greatest population is is pulling those students into groups two

048or three, you know, up to five. We try to tailor our groups where they're not too big so we can meet each individual need. And then about 11% of our students are in our self-contained classrooms. These students have the most significant disabilities and they require intense, highly structured and individualized support for most or all of the school day. These classrooms support students with severe intellectual disabilities, autism, emotional disturbances, or complex medical conditions. They focus on functional academics, life skills, and behavior management. in those classes. We have a phenomenal special education staff here at Mount Vernon. And of that, we have 18 teachers, 25 pair of professionals that support them. We have seven related service providers. So that's like our speech therapist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, and then we have our evaluation staff, our diagnostician, our

049school psychologist that come and help support these students in what their needs are. We wanted to look at the academic achievement and we're going to look first at grades three through eight and and all of this information it's all together but what this graph shows is the passing rate percentage specifically for special education students in grades three through eight. So looking at the math um for 2023 you can see that of our special education population about 50% of them passed. Okay. And so um in science and social studies just kind of like Miss Bates you know had talked about social studies is a very hard and it's very hard for our special education students. They're only tested on it in the eighth grade. And um [clears throat] along with science there, we have in the

050junior high, we have a high group of special ed students and a lower ratio of special education teachers. So, we don't we don't have as much support as that area. So, it was in the middle school campus improvement plan, you know, to provide targeted professional development to meet the needs of our special education population. And so, you know, we're working on that. we're aware of that and want to grow in that area. In our high school, um same thing, we're looking at our special education population. You can see in 2023, um why, you know, we didn't quite hit that mark, but with the interventions and the strategies that were added in 2024, there was really a jump in our algebra, our biology, um there was just a little dip in our history, and then our

051English is just gradually increasing. So the strategies that we put in place are being effective and we look forward to more and more growth in that area. Um every six years the special education department has a cyclical review. We completed that last year in the year 2425. Um we were commended in several areas like all of our processes, procedures, our our meetings that we have everything in place. Um we were commended on that. Um the reviewer also commended us on relationships with the students and families. She said, "I can see through your documentation, your paperwork, you know these children. You know their families, you know what's going on in their lives and where their needs are." We were commended on our evaluations and on our dyslexia procedures that we have put in place. We did

052have one area of corrective action plan and that was in our IEP development. So individual education plan looking specifically at our PLS and goals. Pls are your present levels of performance and functional academics and our goals. Um we needed to work on that as a district. Um there's specific criteria that you have in in that. And so we have really use the training this year to get our staff where they need to be. Um, I was not happy about having this one area of a corrective action plan until I met with another district that had 17 areas that they were had deficits in. So, I'm like, "Okay, one's okay. We can do one." Um, but it it has been a process, but it's been good for our team because we've done trainings through region 8.

053We've done trainings here on the campus. I've done cyclical reviews um specifics and goals with teachers and gone and met one-on-one and we sat down and and so we really have you know in increased our um proficiency in that. So I'm I'm very happy with that even though the process of going through it is not fun but we did it. Um highlights um I feel like um we have some of the best staff. They're dedicated. They're caring. They have high expectations for our students. Just because our students have a disability doesn't mean that there are not strengths. There are not things that they could do. And our staff across the board have high expectations for our kids. And so, I know that really pushes them. For the majority, we have hardworking students. Now, we do

054have a few knuckleheads, and that's just life. Well, you got to deal with them. But, but for the most part, our kids really work hard. They want to come in. They want to to learn and and to grow. And so I'm I'm thankful for that. And then we also have our supportive families, communities, and and our school board. You know, we really have a good group that rallies around and even out in the community at different activities or events. You can see them rallying around some of our students that have those special needs that may need just a little extra support or encouragement and our community is there doing that. And so, so I appreciate that. Um, that is all that I have. Do y'all have any questions or concerns for me? >> Thank you

055so much. >> Now we are our 2425 annual report. Mr. Wat, >> I just want to commend Stacy too and just reinforce that she's doing a wonderful job. that department was was uh six years mine and and grew close to the processes and people there and I don't think it couldn't be in any better hands than with Stacy and they've done a good job and it was perfect timing. I sat there for waited for six years for that cyclical review to happen and just at the right time Stacy took over. [laughter] Um, so, um, I want to use the term real quick, but I'm going to pop this up there, um, and share it on the screen for with you. Um, rest assured it's 152 pages, but we're not going to read 152 pages. um

056that what this is is when the when the taper report comes out uh at the at at the beginning of the new year then in the springtime we're required to present to the board um an overview of what's in the taper which means we're not going to go through through it in great detail but but starting at the top let me just let me just kind of give you the highlights of it. This is going to this this report you can see where if you want to at any point in time you can access these this on our web page. This report we're looking at now and the actual individual campus reports there's a link there and then we're going to have hard copies in the campus office as well. So these first few pages

057are are how do you access that? Um the the cover page, and this is actually the cover page from the report, uh overviews our district accountability status. And a lot of this information we already covered in great detail when we talked about as far as academic performance. We've covered that piece a few board meetings ago, went through that in detail, but our district overall accountability score was a B. Our our distinctions earned for the district were post secondary readiness. And then our, as Stacy just touched on, our special education determination status under RDA is that we meet the requirements. Um, now the next part of this is just I'm not going to go through it, but this is an overview of everything that is that is included in the taper report. So if there's if

058there's any kind of data points you want to know about the district from academic [clears throat] performance to personnel to demographics to teacher makeup to teacher experience to class sizes all of that is in the tape report. I mean it is your go-to for what does our district look like? Uh so u if there's anything I don't touch on in the highlights here then then it is it can be found in the in the report itself as well. So that that is the few pages of what is your what is your um table of contents more or less. Okay. Some charts that I pulled just as to review the academic performance that's included which is a major portion of the taper. As we go through here, if you'll just look the state is in dark.

059It's on the left. The region is in the middle and the district is on the right hand side. And for all of these categories, save for one, you're going to see where we were at or above uh the levels of both the state and the region. Uh this first category is approaches grade level or above for all grade levels for all subjects. It's the every test we took in the district. And you see right there where that we're over 80% and we outpace the state and the region. Again, something to be proud of. And then you look at the next one, it's the meats, all grades, all subjects. Again, outpacing the state and the region. And then we look at all grades for ELA, ELA and reading for approaches above the state and region. Next

060section is meets grade level or above for all grades, ELA and reading. Again, it's a reoccurring theme that we're proud of. Then we go to math. All grades at the approaches level. Big gap there. Math all grades level meets. Well, look at the region right there. Our math teachers are doing a wonderful job and and students um science and this is approaches all grades. meets all grades. And then social studies, we're just a hair under the state, but then above the region for all grades and that's for approaches. And then for meats, we fell below the states at about 50 and we're sitting there at about 42. And again, this is this is something we knew. This was something been addressed by the middle school. They address it in their campus improvement plan. And we

061have strategies in place and goals to to help to mitigate that. Academic growth for reading across all grades sitting there tied with the state at 67% above the region. We like to see that. it. But as always, we know that growth is an area where we could we can grow in the area of growth and that's been targeted uh as well on the campuses. For math specifically, all grades, our growth is outstanding. Um then we get into our attendance. Some of the the >> Yeah. 94.7% compared to the state in the region. [clears throat] Our dropout rate and this is the one where you want to be the lowest tower and we're at 02. So we're in good shape there. Class of 2024 college ready graduates. And again, what's our goal here? To get these

062kids prepared for college andor the workforce. And we're looking at that number 89% compared to 70 and 72 to the state and region. And that data is from 2324. Just as a note on the bottom, that lags a year behind. Then your career or military ready graduates, we're looking at 97 compared to 86 and 81. I mean, if I just stopped right there, there's a lot to be proud of for for the work that's been done by our students and staff uh in the district. Uh the next is is our ethnic distribution and and breakdown. That's that's stayed pretty steady um through the years. Your demographics. On the next page, um we're just under the state on the economically disadvantaged at 57%. Our EL students or EB students are about 10% lower than the state

063average at 14%. Um students with dis disciplinary placements is just about 0.5% higher than the state average. And then our atrisisk students are are slightly behind the state. >> And then you look at your enrollments by program. again bilingual we just talked about on the pri on the prior page and this CTE and I think that helps translate into those numbers we saw for the college for the career readiness 43% as a that that top CT number 43% that is across the districtwide and then the second one the CT 9 through 12 that's just our numbers at the high school uh 89% because we do have some in middle school. So that that's why that 43% it's compared across the the district numbers. That's looks a little smaller, but in our high school 89% of

064our kids are in that GT 6.8 a little bit little bit below the state average. And then right there within the range of the state special education and I know that Stacy could confirm this too. There are especially in our region some some districts with significantly higher numbers than that in our region. Class size averages um you know in a small school like us where our grade levels will change. You know we got some grades right now with 140 kids in them. We got some with with barely over 100. So these numbers are going to jump around a little bit from one grade to the next and from year to year. But they sit there if you sit and look at them compared to the state. And this is this is how it's published. They

065don't give you region numbers in the taper. Um, we're we're similar, a little bit below, right at or or just a hair above the state across the board in what our class size averages look like. The next one gives you our breakdown of teachers by years of experience. Um, I know these color codes are kind of hard to read, but um, beginning at 6 point Excuse me. 5.2. I can't always see this. >> It's kind of hard to read the >> beginning. >> Yeah. 5.2 is beginning. Yeah. And then 1.5 years were 21% 6 to 10 14.6 11 to 20 30.1 over 20 22.5 and then over 30 at 6.1. Um, so we we've got a good dispersement of of but we're able to keep some of those experienced teachers. Obviously, if you look at

066the at the numbers of over 20 and over 30 where those represent um, you know, 28 and a half% of our staff really experienced teachers. Uh, violent and criminal incidents, we have to report these, which also includes any kind of fights that we have on campus. Uh those numbers were there were 10 con 10 reported incidents for the district last year. That's what that great column on the right for fighting was. And then we had one controlled substance. U the rest of those don't show up on the chart because there were none of the others. Then we look at our GPA for first year in public ed or higher. And you can see those numbers for students and this is where it's reported. Uh those graduates that are in four-year public university, we had 21.

067Um and then you see their GP a breakdown. So So when we can get the data, we're tracking how those kids are doing postsecary in college. And you see the numbers for two years. We had 50 uh 50 graduates that went to a two-year. And in their first year, you can see their GP GPA breakdowns as well. But then you can see also that there's some students that were not trackable in that report as well. The next one, uh, excuse me, didn't mean to do that. Is the I'm just going to tell you if you want to go read that PA's financial standard report, then click that link and go check it out. If you have any questions, call Craig. I think he's he's he's talked about that. Now, the starting from that point forward

068is the actual taper report. It's and so we're not going to go through that, but you can scroll down through there. You can see all the breakdowns for all grade level, subjects, whatnot. [clears throat] But that's that's where that data came from. And then the last thing that if you would like to review, you know, we came to you with campus improvement plans in the fall and part of this annual report is to report the progress [clears throat] on the goals and objectives in the campus plans by campus. So what I have attached here is by each campus the progress that they've made through February on their goals and strategies and their campus plans. Okay, we're going to go through that. We're not going to go through all those individually. Any questions? >> That's really

069good stuff. I got to say and we've known that and but principles as always, please relay like y'all just do a phenomenal job and that's >> just really good. You love seeing those graphs. That's great. Thank you. >> Like them when they like them when they work in it work for us. So >> that's good. That's great. All right. Information item F, uh, public notice moving next month, next month's board meeting will actually be on Thursday instead of Monday. Correct. Thursday, April 9th. >> Yes, ma'am. [snorts] >> Is there any questions on that? Is that good on everyone's calendar? [clears throat] >> Okay. All right. And do we have anyone for open forum? >> No, ma'am. >> All right. We are going to move to our uh first discussion item. Well, only our discussion item

070tonight. Uh before we do though, I am going to take a minute and I'm going to um I'll speak to the camera because this is for anyone who wants to be caught up on the conversation and just give some clarity on how we arrived here. Just in uh conversations with the community, I felt like a little clarif clarification was needed. Uh first this discussion item was brought to the board by no push of administration. Uh community members sought out board members uh that saw this implemented in surrounding districts and were wondering if this was something that Mount Vernon would be interested in looking at. We talked about it in the fall at a board meeting. It was publicly posted and listed and from that we had enough interest that we wanted to take it to

071the safety and security meeting. We had a follow-up board meeting where we discussed it there and got their feedback. While there were some opposing it, the vast majority of the committee wanted to know specifically what it would look like for Mount Vernon. We also had someone come in from region 8 and give a general overview of the guardian program and allowed the board to ask opportunities. [clears throat] This has all been fully transparent to the public and we're having a follow-up um today discussion on the plan that it could look like for Mount Vernon. This is not a reactionary discussion. Um I have heard that MVISD is failing in its TEA safety compliance and I want to say that is not true. We are uh we do have a TEA uh safety audit and while

072they do come in and make recommendations, they do not even give out a passing or a failing grade. They were actually very complimentary to our campuses and what we have going on and we did take those suggestions they made and we have implemented them. I do think there are a few that we still are work working in progress but the vast majority of those have already uh been implemented. We also understand and know as a board that the conversation of safety that in this discussion it's not an exclusive topic. And what I mean by that is that we understand that there are other elements to safety and we are not dismissing those. That's part of the great thing about having these conversations is that we've gotten a lot of great feedback. uh something for example

073something as simple as um having more active shooter training is something the district is implementing and looking at from these conversations. So we appreciate that fe feedback but we're not dismissing any of those when uh we are discussing the guardian program. We understand that safety is a very broad holistic topic that we all care about and are looking at but this discussion is just one small piece of that. So, I'm gonna hand it off to Dr. McCulla. I think he'll share the community survey results and then we'll jump into the plan. >> So, as a part of this conversation, what we have um what we looked at was we sent out a survey uh to our staff and to parents as well. Survey [clears throat] was sent out uh two weeks ago. The results of

074that we had from the parent results uh we had 271 responses. Uh the prompt for the survey read, "Texas law allows school districts to implement a school guardian program. The program permits designated employees who complete extensive training to carry a firearm on campus. The goal is to enhance school safety. Participation is voluntary and the identities of designated guardians are not publicly disclosed. The school guardian program and eligible participants must be approved by the local school board." So that was the prompt and the question was should Mount Vernon consider implementing a school guardian program? Out of 271 parental responses, it was 70.5% in favor of implementing a school guardian program from parents with 29.5% uh said no. Uh out of staff results, same prompt with the same question. We had 89 responses from the staff and

075we had 83.1% of staff who responded yes and 16.9% who responded no. [snorts] So with that, following uh the request [clears throat] of the board, um I and when Leo came on board, ask him to uh reach out and begin to look at uh plans that other districts had put together and uh to see if we could come up with something to present to the safety committee as well as to you as a board of what this uh guardian program could look like for Mount Vernon ISD. So, I'm ask Leo if he will if he'll come take over the presentation at this time. Yes. All right. Uh, so I'll just start with the first thing. I mean, I have the believe they were sent to y'all as well. Um the 10step program um the 10step

076framework on which is just just a outline of what it look like. Then I'll go over the complete overview which talks about [clears throat] the framework and kind of in more in depth. Um so the first step would be determining the number of guardians needed and again all these are just recommendations that I've come up with um talking to people and everything and everything I've come up with on it. So um recommendation for in general is just base determination on district size and layout which recommended one guardian per every 100 student um guardian to student ratio. Um another good factor big factor is factor in mobility response time and overlap in coverage of the district which um recommended that it be more the staff that could be easily mobile if something was to happen uh

077any active threat or anything like that other than a teacher who would be in a classroom. So it's recommended to have somebody a coach admin somebody that can move quickly to to the threat if if needed. Um and then selecting the right type of staff be capable of immediate response with minimal close contact with students require knowledge of all campuses not just their assigned site and pre-screening should include background checks psych eval carry and a non-disclosure agreement so that kind of goes back to the u mobility of somebody that can be quickly response be able to respond um training requirements would be a DPS school safety certification or locally developed program um include firearm live firearm drills, written testing and force on force simulation. Uh determine ongoing training frequency and requirement of attendance. Uh the

078qualification and evaluation standards would be marksmanship or schools qualification. It could be either annually by annually or quarterly. Uh ensure tactical decision-making, mental awareness and emergency response protocol proficiency are represented when guardians are evaluated. Ensure the pass rate reflects the seriousness of the job. only top performer should be activated. So we have I have here a 90 to for them to score at the 90th percentile or higher is what's recommended. Uh the fine equipment requirements concealed firearms and magazines um trauma kit or first aid kit identifying or marking items uh either reflective hats, sashes, vests, uh armbands or anything like that. communications uh gear which could be either radios or phone apps and then body armor and holsters and that would be what it has here just based on the role. Um then on the

079develop documentation and liability protections maintain records qualifications, training logs, non-disclosure agreements, policy acknowledgements, align doc align documentation with TICO or other known background standards and outline procedures for removal retraining and incident reporting. Assign a qualified program director, preferably with law enforcement, military and administrative experience. must have access to district leadership and control of training records, budget and performance oversight in alignment [clears throat] with board expectations. And the preserve program I can't say that word so >> limit identity disclosure or essential personnel use confidentiality protocols, non-disclosure agreements and secure recordeping. Avoid visible guardian markings or identifiers unless responding to active attack. Maintain community transparency. Educate stakeholders on what the program is and is not. Publicize training, rigor, and oversight without exposing operational details. And of course, uh coordinate with law enforcement. Establish joint training with law

080enforcement and first responders. Practice coordinated response communications and medical roles during drills. Um, so when we get to the overview, um, the beginning of it is the pre-screening. All MBISD guardian cadence must provide a written application will have to conduct or be part of a verbal interview with program director, a personal history statement, subject to drug screening, illegal substance uh free, two forms of current personal identification, a psychological evaluation, have a current license to carry or enrolled in a license to carry course, sign a non-disclosure agreement, and then sign acknowledgement of policies and procedures. The initial training selection would be NVISD uh PD guardian course would be the Texas uh DPS school safety certification. Uh they would have to 90% proficiency mark marksmanship which would be a pre-EST 90% written exam pretest eight classroom hours

081to include written firearms pre-qual prequalification day one eight hours of live firearms training on the range day two. And then this one is a day three which is an option um which would give them a little bit more uh training during the actual course would be eight hours of simulation training with the live ro roll role players and force on four scenarios which on that third day if we decide to do that would be they would go through nothing but scenarios all day for eight hours different types all day um in different situations. Um and then when they actually at the end of the course they will have to [clears throat] complete 90% marksmanship qualification and then 90% on the final examination and then uh the school board unanimous vote approval. The general duty requirements

082quarterly qualification at 90%. A 50 round handgun qualification course is conducted each quarter of the year and all program members are required to maintain a 90% or higher proficiency rate on the qualification course of fire uh by annual skill evaluation uh training. Each program director is require each program member is required to attend a full day of skills evaluation training which within each half of the year winter and summer to remain on active status. These trainings include the development of skills such as but not limited to tactical trauma medicine, CPR certification, radio communications with first responders, advanced marksmanship skills training, uh protective handgun tactics, p personal protection with handgun, and require scenario-based force on force training with liveaction role players and simunitions. Monthly inspections, program members are subject to monthly blind inspections. During the inspection,

083each program member is required to display all required identification and badges, high visibility marking equipment, proper duty ammunition, proper method of carry, uh firearm cleanliness, firearm function, any first aid, medical equipment, communications equipment for readiness and functionality, and these inspections are performed without notice. Uh the monthly training uh program members are required to spend will be required to spend four hours on the range with their firearms instructor firing no less than 250 live rounds under supervised and documented training. These training days are scheduled to allow for a small group of guardians and are designed to develop markmanship skills and abilities at a specific and targeted pace with the goal of increasing their proficiency each month. In alternating months with range training, program members spend four hours minimum in a simulated real world environment develop developing

084skills within the tactical response realm and working on increasing proficiency with their role responding to an active killer event. Program members will train a minimum of four hours with a qualified instructor lead every month of the year calendar not school to ensure proficiency levels are continuously increasing and all program members are required to remain in good standing with the MVISD PD as well as the school district administration. Uh the recommended equipment is a subcompact 9mmter handgun. Uh Guardians be required to carry one of the three approved weapon systems purchased by the Guardian at this time. The recommended ones are the Glock model 43 and 43X along with the Shadow System CR920. Um what we have here are the three approved duty firearms. Currently, uh, most guardians carry at least one spare magazine on their person

085for their weapon system. The duty ammunition guardians are issued one box of 124 grain elite performance 9mm duty ammunition, which is cycled and replaced as needed by the MBISD PD. The communications equipment guardians are issued a Motorola XPR 3500 e-radio and battery charger with at least one Impress smart battery each. Guardians have the option of being issued an earpiece and or microphone attachment for the radio system. All guardians have received in-depth radio communications training and are to properly perform radio communications during stress induced force on force training to meet the proficiency standards established uh high visibility medical and armor equipment. Guardians are each issued and required to keep easily accessible a high visibility uh color I don't know how to say that word color safety ball cap that has the emblem emboldened word guardian on

086the front and back. Guardians upon completion of the TAC med course and as funding allows are issued personal individual first aid kits and equipped with additional tourniquets and medical supplies to have the ability to aid first responders in combat casualty care in the case of a traumatic incident on campus. Guardians are each issued a set of rifle rated personal body armor plates and plate carrier which include reflective marking patches with emboldened letters that read guardian on the front and back. Guardians are not required to keep the armor carriers within easy access unless their day-to-day duties allow this to be done confidentially and discreetly and they choose to do so. On the ongoing assessment, guardians are all subject to ongoing observation and assessment from the program supervisors, director, school board, and district administrators. If a guardian

087is found to be in violation of any of the program associated requirements or falls out of good standing with the Mount Vernon ISD police department or the school district, the guardian is taken offline until their case is revised and they they are either placed back on active status, issued remedial orders or removed from the program. Guardians are all subject to removal from the program at any time by the appointed program director or school board. And then on the last page is the recommendations that were discussed and given at the uh safety meeting um last Thursday. And so the first one is require annual by annual or more than one psych evaluation uh for the guardians. Do more often than just the first time when they get appointed. Uh report any type of medications uh especially

088any type of prescribed narcotics to supervisor. Uh list all prescribed medications, especially psych psychiatric meds, on application. Have a CCQ, which is a mental background check along with a criminal history background [clears throat] check. Conduct random drug tests for guardians accepted. Required to inform guardian director and superintendent of any arrest or contact with any law enforcement agencies. assign a non-disclosure agreement, medical disclosure agreement, and require each guardian to attend any level of alert training hosted uh by the local sheriff's office, Mount Vernon PD, or Mount Vernon ISDPD. >> So, as Leo said, those those that last page was recommendations made by the uh at our safety meeting [laughter] um last week. Um again, I thought the thought the conversation was good. Um, as as as was stated, Lyn stated, there were, you know, there are

089some of the committee that that aren't in favor. They've spoken before at at the board meetings as well. Um, and they shared that again. Um, what questions would you have in regard to to this as also what Leo has uh provided for you, I know that this was brought up as well in regard to a to a cost analysis. um you know he put that in there as a part of what you have if you look at it. [clears throat] A startup initial startup cost um you know is going to average in the neighborhood of what it shows um a little over $2,000 uh per guardian. Uh but that does include a stop uh that has not been approved by this board. Uh so that would uh if a if or when a stop was

090approved uh would be somewhere in that uh first year department incurred expense in regard to training qualifications uh range membership. Um I don't know I the closing range I know we have of a a range that you get membership I guess is that going to be in Mount Pleasant? >> I believe so. Yes sir. >> At Clazer Clays and Moore I think that's what that's called. I think >> I think so. Um so we have range membership training equipment um and ammunition average cost year one again that's um approximately 16,000 you see as if we had 15 guardians it would [clears throat] be in the neighborhood of 21,000 annual cost again the annual cost includes stipens as again I said has not been approved by the board yet so if there weren't stipens uh you

091could take that cost out still have annual certifications range memberships training um training ammunitions, substitutes for the training days if they're done during a school day. Uh I think that we would try to do those more on Fridays instead of needing more substitutes during school like as the high school and the campus talked about today. Um insurance, it says insurance. I actually had Mr. Craraver, contact our property casualty insurance carrier. And because we already carry insurance for our uh police department, uh the guardian program would be uh under that umbrella. I think it he said it would be a million dollar occurrence uh and a $2 million um >> aggregate. Thank you. >> Is that what we current like it >> that's current what we have that would not be any additional cost? >> Okay.

092Correct. Just wanted to clarify. there's no additional would be no additional cost for the guardian program under our insurance. So again that's so you have estimated cost there also talked today about comparison to that to a new officer. Uh of course that would be according to the experience of the new officer and where they came in on the pay scale. Um conservative uh I think would be in the neighborhood of about 50 to 55,000 for salary. uh for another vehicle, which how Mr. Craver has our police fleet set up right now is on that three-year lease. Uh so you would be looking in the neighborhood um give or take, but around $75,000 a year, $75 to $80,000 a year uh for a new officer. Um, so >> welcome. >> Any questions that that we might

093can that Leo and I might could could answer here. >> I want to add some information. No one has a question. I did take time and Leo step in if I [clears throat] miss correct. I did take time to talk uh with Sheriff Jones just to ask him how he felt about the training and you know he felt very good about what was being presented. Um and Leo you took these correct me if I'm wrong from uh other schools that have already implemented the program kind of the two best and >> yes >> combine them together. So these training [clears throat] requirements they are pretty extensive. >> Yes. >> But those schools are able to implement them. >> Yes. So, they've done that successfully. >> Yes. >> Um, and then he also made, which I

094thought was interesting, what is currently being proposed is more than what Texas requires um the minimum for their law enforcement. That's correct. Is that correct? So, it's even more stringent than that. >> Yes. >> Wow. Um, I asked him another question because I know this is coming up a lot because it is Mount Vernon and while we hope to not promote who guardians are, um, I kind of asked, you know, the thought behind that and if that's a known, is that a risk to our student safety or is that a risk to the guardian? And why why that is uh presented that way, if that makes sense, is because it is a risk to the guardian. It's not if it becomes known, it's not a safety issue for our students. It's more a risk because

095that makes them more of a target. So, it wouldn't necessarily disqualify them from being able to help if they, you know, if word got out and they were still comfortable because this all is, I want to make very clear, voluntary. If someone wants to fulfill this role, we won't be trying to, from my understanding, badger anyone into doing it. that this is, you know, there so that if that would be kind of their assumed risk. Um, >> correct. >> Am I correct in stating that? Okay. So, that was kind of part of our conversation um that I thought was just helpful um and kind of understanding this better, understanding the requirements um to what else is out there. So, thank you for taking the time to [snorts] um I know you had a lot of

096conversations and really spent a lot of time digging into what was out there. So, I do appreciate that. Yes, ma'am. >> Let me make one more comment about the guardian program itself. Just just remember that the guardian program is definitely one of those things if the board were approved that we would hope that would never even have to come into play. That the guardian the guardian itself is not they are not security. They're not um they won't be used at football games, baseball games, the track meet if we have an officer off campus. They are the only time a guardian ever truly is a guardian and goes into action is if there's an active shooter uh incident taking place. Outside of that, they are not they're not doing anything else. I mean, they're not going

097that guardian is not going to be called to come to the office because we've got an angry parent and they need to calm the angry parent down. Now, if the guardian happen to be a principal, then yes, they might be doing that, but they're not going they're not going as a guardian. They're going as a principal. And so again, the only time a guardian would ever be uh active in their guardian role would be uh in an active shooter uh incident to where they're going to try to u stop the incident if they were to be the first responder before um police at all came >> or when police came. >> This is a dumb question. Okay. So like if we do implement it, would there be a sign at the elementary, the middle school,

098the high school, the gyms? Absolutely. >> That that we are a caring campus. >> There are other campuses who have the garden program that who who have those. Yes. >> Okay. >> Yes. So that would be if that would be part of the plan that we want to put in then yes we would as well. >> Sorry I answered that. Absolutely. [laughter] >> Thanks. >> I'm saying yes. >> I'm just talking. >> No. If if it were that was something but obviously the board could decide that. Um and also again just to reiterate this is only one piece of a much bigger picture. We will always look at ways to provide um as much safety um as we can. So this [clears throat] doesn't dismiss any other >> implementations or things we might see. This

099is just one conversation um to be having. >> All right. >> Any other questions? >> Questions. All right. So, we will move on. Let me find my agenda. I believe we're moving on to action [clears throat] items. Yes. And um well, first, uh do I have a motion to approve the consent agenda? >> Motion moved by Josh, seconded by Kyle. All four. That's 7 L. And then um our first action item is to consider and approve the recommended updates by policy EIC and EIA to reflect the change from 6 week to 9E grading periods. [clears throat] [laughter] >> Is this just a formality? Wait, stop. >> No, it's [laughter] it's strictly amending because we went back to the uh district committee in the fall to discuss nineweek grading period. They were overwhelmingly in favor of

100decided to develop calendars based off that that y'all approved last meeting. So we have to align our policy with that to reflect that we're going to go to a nineweek grading period and then we'll still have progress reports in progress reports at the third and sixth week period within that nine week. So every 3 weeks parents are still going to get an update on grades >> and how many grades will be it was probably in there but like we have a minimum a number of grades in a six weeks. What will it change? the grading guidelines. Uh I don't remember the number right off hand, but we basically we we talked about this before that comes in in a separate document, but whatever we've gotten out by six weeks, that would probably go another half.

101So it's a it's a same number of grades over the same time span. >> So if it's 10 and two, it would be whatever 15 >> or 15. >> Yeah, 15 to four, whatever. >> Um the the only other The the second part of that policy is when um is when grades are calculated for um [clears throat] in EIC. Um page three of EIC is for purposes of determining class rank and honors. Uh we had to reword that. So it's at the third week of the fourth nine weeks. It's still the same time of year where the August always been six weeks left in their senior year. That's when we stop and calculate for graduation honors. The [snorts] biggest thing about this is for most teachers, somebody makes no hill beans, it takes a huge

102load off of our teachers that some of our special ed students and the paperwork that's associated with that their frequency. >> So, it's really if you ask why, that's my why is to try to take some of that load off the hill. >> And this was already approved in our calendar that we just >> approved the calendar, but we didn't >> we have to do the policy that, >> right? I'm just I'm just Yeah. >> Yes. >> Okay. So, any other questions on that? [clears throat] Do I have a motion to uh approve the recommended updates to policy EIC and EIA to reflect the change from the six week to 9 week grading period? Motion made by Kathy. Do I have a second? >> Seconded by Kyle. All four. 7. All right. Action item B.

103consider and approve the proposed amendment to the current district of innovation plan. >> I just [clears throat] so the this is really again a formality to get in line with the legislative [snorts] requirements that happened this summer. We had listed in our um DOI the ability to um uh to exempt our core content teachers from certification requirements because we're trying to find them. But so that language was removed in the proposed section and now kind of outlines the plan for the for the weaning out of that uh according to the state law that passed this summer. So we exempt Mount Vernon from all certification requirements of 21.03 allowable by TEA and SBEC. Currently certif excuse me currently teachers of record for PK sped and bilingual may not be exempted under DOI. So that's a thing

104we already know but we had language in there said we could use core content teachers [snorts] and we took it out to match what's the next part. Beginning in 2627, districts may no longer use DOI for K through five reading and math. In 2728, we're prohibited for using DOI to any uncertified [clears throat] teachers across grade levels in all foundational core subjects. That's your reading, math, science, and social studies. So, our CTE teachers and everybody else are still allowable. And that's that's the language there. It's just whatever TA is going to allow us to do. we don't have to keep coming back and adopting this >> and changes >> again. Like we talked about last time until you you know we'll have another legislative session right before a lot of this hits and there might

105be enough noise and feedback that it could totally change between now and then. So we really don't know >> the finish line some more. >> Yeah. >> All right. Are there any other questions? >> All right. Is there a motion to approve the proposed amendment to the current district of innovation plan? Motion made by Josh, seconded by Donnie. All four. All right, that's 70. All right. Consider and approve amended blue bonnet transition plan. >> Okay, this one is is really straightforward as well. So last year was the first year of EMRA and um [cough] that's your that was our that's our new adoption process um for adopting uh state materials that are approved and and found to be 100% in alignment with TES and along with a lot of other criteria. Um, before accessing that

106$20 bucket of money for an OEER product, last year was the first year of it. We had to have an instructional materials transition plan in place. We did this last year. We implemented robotic K through5 reading. Last year, the plan was developed based around that. Y'all approved it. They recommend that you come back to the board with any changes to that plan. The backstory is our teachers last year didn't in math wanted to go a different direction other than blue bonnet and halfway through this year were not expressed that they weren't happy with what they had chosen and it was actually two different vendors for two different grade level for different grade levels and wanted to know if they could look at making a change. I said sure. to tell them when the when the

107uh the the date was for the um workshop, not the workshop, but the vendor showcase at region 8. Um we elementary started expressing a lot of interest because they were seeing the results in the c in the breeding in the blue bonnet piece. Um so I had region 8 come back over and do a blue bonnet presentation. Met with each campus, met with the middle school, met with high school. I did met with their campus principles, their teachers, had these discussions and K through algebra 1 is decided to go blue bonnet math this next school year. Um the the algebra 2 and geometry product wasn't developed enough for them to to decide to want to go that route. So saying all that to tell you that in this plan, all we did was add the

108fact that next year we're going to be implementing K through ninth grade or algebra one blue math to the to the plan. >> K through five, correct? >> Yes. >> All there is right now. >> Okay. >> It's not developed for above that yet. >> Yes. So it's just [clears throat] to approve the amendment to the transition plan is is the request and that is to include that we're going to add K through five K through9 math. >> Got any further questions? All right. Do I have a motion to approve the amended blue bonnet transition plan? Motion made by Kyle. Do you have a second? Seconded by Donnie. All four. >> All right. That's 7 L. >> Okay. >> All right. The next one. >> Are you the next one? Oh, yes. Shine and ratify

109the certification of the provision of instructional materials. Mr. W. >> Yes. So, this is your this is our annual attestation that will need signatures from the two of you to tea that these are the materials that we're using to provide 100 100% TICS coverage for our subject areas and they're all listed. And I will tell you so to save you the time, there's been no change in this document other than the replacement of the math from last year. Same. >> So the 20 pages, I don't have to >> Yeah. This this reflects the same information I just gave you is the change in the math. >> Any questions? All right. Do I have a motion to to sign and ratify the certification of the provision of instructional materials? >> Motion made by Donnie. Is there

110a second? Seconded by Kathy. All four. 7. All right. >> Thank you. >> Uh action item E is to cancel the May 2nd, 2026 general school trustee election. Um the first is to certify unimposed candidate certify unopposed candidates for the May 2nd 2026 general election and the second is to adopt order of cancellation declaring unopposed candidates Josh Jordan, Linda Baird and Kyle Clayton elected. >> Okay. So if you will go to the first one, if you will go to the certification of unopposed candidates for other political subdivisions on your if you go to your book. >> Sorry, I was looking on this. >> He's okay. >> Okay. >> All right. I'm I'm gonna read it for you if that's okay. Are you okay with that? because I don't have >> says to the presiding officer

111of governing body as the authority responsible for having the official ballot prepared I hereby certify that the following candidates are unopposed for election to office for the election scheduled to be held for the election scheduled to be held May 2nd 2026 the offices and names of candidates school board trustee Josh Jordan school board trustee Linda Baird school board trustee Kyle Clayton >> that is certification >> the Spanish >> I will you wanna or you want to do them both. No, I'm reading the Spanish. Sorry. Do you want to um act on both of them at one time? >> Yes, please. >> Okay. All right. So, the second one is the um certification of unopposed candidates says presiding officer governing body as the authority responsible. Am I reading the same one again? Make sure I went

112the same one, didn't I? Sorry. Go to the next one. Presiding officer governing body as the authority responsible for having the official ballot prepared hereby certify that the following candidates are unopposed for election to office for election schedules the election scheduled to be held on May 2nd 2026 in accordance with section 2.053A of the Texas election code. The following candidate candidates have been certified as unopposed and are hereby elected as follows. Josh Jordan, school board trustee place five. Linda Barrett, school board trustee place six. Kyle Clayton, school board school board trustee place seven. A copy of this order will be posted on election day election day at each polling place that would have been used in the election. >> Thank you. >> All right. >> Yeah, that was one. >> Gotcha. You got me covered.

113I got you covered. All right. So, do I have a motion um [clears throat] to uh to do to do both of those that were just read? >> Motion made by Donnie, second by Cath Kathy. All four. >> All right, that is 70. >> Congratulations, guys. And it is 6:44 No, 6:54 p.m. We will now convene to close section for personnel matters pursuant to Texas Government Code section 551.074 074 and to address legal concerns, implications, and questions regarding the posted agenda items pursuant to Texas Government Code section 551.071. All right. 28 p.m. and we are reconvening into open session. Uh Dr. McCulla, do you have a personel report for us? >> I do. We have a single recommendation first for a new hire. Excuse me. That would be Ryan Zeller uh for the EL high

114one of the EL high school teacher uh positions as well as he would um be the um high school cheer coach to go along with that. >> Okay. Uh do I have a motion to approve Ryan Zeller? >> Motion made by Donnie. Do I have a second? >> Seconded by Josh. All four. >> Is that 70? >> Donnie and Josh. Yeah. >> Okay. Next is uh going to be [clears throat] in your in your board book was added later today. I apologize for the late edition, but it is um the teacher contracts. This is March. We do teacher contracts. [clears throat] These have been um recommended and signed off by campus principles as well as Craig and myself. Those are listed in your uh now in your board book. Um there are 24 pages worth.

115I will take the time and read through them if you'd like for me to or I will just pres I will make the recommendation to present to you as in your board book. >> Okay. Uh is there a motion to approve the recommended contracts as presented? >> Motion made by Linda, seconded by Donnie. All four. That is 7A. >> Thank you. And we do have u a few resignations to acknowledge tonight. [clears throat and cough] They are um Terry Fitch, Brent Gardner, Hunter Grimes, Jaylen Henson, Carla Hines, Kayla Kelso, Christian Lad, and Marshia Robines. >> It is 8:30 p.m. This meeting is adjourned. >> Mr. Terry Fitch. >> Mr. Can't feature.