001meeting 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 second. >> Motion made by Donnie, seconded by Linda. All four 70. Kyle, would you mind open us in a word of prayer? Uh Lord, we just thank you for today. Um we ask that you be with us tonight and just let us make good decisions for the district. Um Lord, I just ask that you watch over the kids and the students and be with them and be with the staff in Jesus name. Amen.
002>> Amen. >> Let's 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. >> The Texas flag to the Texas one state one and indivisible. >> I'm ask that you remain standing if you would. Tonight we have a treat. We have Miss Fitch and her high school coral ensemble who is going to sing our national anthem for us tonight. Oh, [singing] say can you see by the dawn early [singing and music] So proud [singing] we at the twilight last [singing] stripes and bright stars through the [singing] fight or the [singing] we were So [singing] the rock is the bombs bursting in gave proof through the night [singing] that our flag was
003still there. Oh, [singing] say does that star spangle better [singing] yet for the land of [singing] the free and the home of the >> [applause] >> Miss Stitch Miss if you would. Sorry if you take the opportunity to um to introduce your ensemble to us, please. >> Okay, this is a small representation of our choir has really grown this year. And there's one of our [laughter] stolen Come on over. Go on over. So, and and that just represents what a lot we have going on with all of our students. They are so busy and everything. The band just ran from the cheer room. Um Hley just ran in from off the soccer field doing soccer. So, there's all kinds of things. I apologize, but these kids are into it and they do such a great
004job. I'm so proud of them um for taking the time to do this. So this is Gregory Alexander, Grayson Hendris, Abby Harrison, I'm gonna go blank. I'm talking about Melody Anderson, Hensley Blle, and NA Stler. So thank you. >> Very good. [applause] >> So this is second year choir. We have this year we have about 23 um 23 25 okay students in our choir. Um but like I said they're all involved in different things. And to be honest singing the national anthem is one of the scariest songs ever ever. So a lot of them said I'm sorry. I really don't think I need to sing that. So we will be doing a concert this year for Christmas and doing some Christmas songs. Um, this group here is actually also going to be involved in a
005live nativity which is going on in Pittsburgh. Actually, we haven't learned the details out, but they will be part of a live nativity this Christmas time. So, >> very good. Thank you so much. Thank you all for being here. [applause] >> Yeah, if you would please. Yeah. Here she real quick. If she can future. >> Yeah. Go by the flag. That'll be great. >> Miss F. Yes. Please have your picture back. Yeah. Thank you guys. Thank you so much. stop somewhere else. >> That's right. >> Thank you, Mr. Thank you. >> Okay. This time we will do our staff recognitions and we will start with our elementary teacher of the month, Miss Kelsey Adams. You'll come forward, [applause] read what it says about Miss Adams. It says, "Kelsey Adam is Mount Burns Elementary Spotlight teacher
006of the month for November. Miss Adams is new to Mount Vernon Elementary, but certainly not new to the profession. When we interviewed her, it was an immediate yes, and we couldn't wait to check references and get the paperwork completed to make it official." When Miss George called one of her former supervisors for a reference check, he stated that Miss Adams is in the top three best teachers he had ever supervised and that she goes above and beyond in all that she does. You want to state that Miss Adams would be an incredible asset to our campus, and we do certainly agree. Miss Adams brings experience, calm, and steady to our kindergarten students. In her 12 weeks as a Tiger, Miss Adams has demonstrated unwavering commitment to her students, to her team, and to her parents,
007and to the teaching profession. Her classroom is a safe and welcoming learning environment where students take risk, think critically, and create. She is a UIL coach and can be seen supporting Tigers at all levels throughout the community. We are thankful for the contribution she has already made at Mount Vernon Elementary School and look forward to watching her continue to do great things in the coming years. We are incredibly blessed to have Miss Adams at Mount Vernon Elementary. November teacher of the month, Miss Kelsey Adams. [applause] >> Congratulations. A picture right here. >> Very good. Anything you want to say? >> Thank you. No, thank you. >> You're welcome. Thank you. All right. Next, we will do our middle school. If I can have Mr. Brad Morgan come forward, please. [applause] Says, "Mr. Morgan has worked
008diligently to ensure that each lesson is not just informative, but also engaging and designed to ignite a genuine interest in eighth grade history. Through his innovative teaching strategies and collaborative spirit, he has created opportunities for integration across disciplines, supporting students understanding of history in a comprehensive and enriching way. Mr. Morgan has taken it upon himself to revitalize how history is presented in the classroom. His methodology includes utilizing interactive projects and multimedia resources that bring historical events to life. Beyond just engaging lessons, Mr. Morgan has re recognized the power of collaboration in education. He has initiated several integration opportunities with fellow teachers that enhance students learning experiences. Mr. Morgan's dedication to creating engaging lessons and fostering collaborative learning environments has significantly enriched the educational experience for his students. His innovative approaches are not just about teaching
009history. They are about igniting a lifelong passion for learning. Eighth uh middle school teacher of the month, Mr. Brad Morgan. [applause] Congratulations. want to say anything? >> Oh yeah, sure. No. [laughter] >> Next we will have for the high school teacher of the month, Miss Carla Buck. [applause] Says, "Miss Buck has quickly become an invaluable member of the Mount Vernon High School team. Now in her second year at Mount Vernon High School, Miss Buck serves as our life skills teacher, working with self-contained high need students in grades 9 through 12. Her role is both demanding and deeply impactful. And she approaches it with exceptional dedication, compassion, and professionalism. Miss Buck works diligently to help her students develop academic, social, and functional skills that will serve them both in school and beyond graduation. Her classroom is
010a model of structure, patience, and care, an environment where every student is valued and supported. She collaborates closely with her instructional aids to ensure that each student receives individualized attention and that lessons are adapted to meet diverse needs. In addition to her classroom work, Miss Buck demonstrates strong leadership and teamwork skills. She communicates effectively with staff and administration, ensuring that her students needs are always met. Her dependability and calm, positive demeanor make her a trusted and respected colleague across the campus. Mount Vernon High School is fortunate to have Miss Buck's experience, dedication, and expertise in a critical area of our school. Her commitment to her students and her steady leadership within the life skills program make her an outstanding choice for this month's teacher of the month recognition. Miss Carla Buckup. [applause] Congratulations. >> Very
011good. Want to say anything? >> No. Thank you. >> Okay. [snorts] Next, we are going to recognize elementary's nominee for support staff of the month, Miss Sheila Kerion. [applause] Okay. Says, "Miss Kerion is Mount Vernon Elementary's nominee for support staff for the month. This is Sheila's third year as a pair professional on our campus. She is a true picture of dedicated and loyal employee. The last two years, she spent serving in our early childhood special education class, and this year, she has stepped into a new role as one-on-one for a school age student. She truly treats the student as her own child, anticipating his needs before he expresses it. She has worked to ensure his success in both academics and social environments. She has unending patience and never gets rattled. She is very loved and
012valued by our staff. We are thankful for Miss Ker. [applause] Congratulations. [clears throat] >> You want to say anything? Congratulations. [laughter] >> Next, we are going to honor Miss Sherry Taylor. And do we have Miss Maria Velasquez here as well? >> She is not. >> Okay. All right. Well, Miss um Sherry, if you will come forward. [applause] Sherry's our food service person of the month. says, "Uh, Miss Taylor has gone above and beyond making sure our meals are not only delicious, but also served with a big smile and great care. Whether it's helping students make the best choices or keeping everything running smoothly in the kitchen, she brings positivity, hard work, and dedication to our lunchroom every single day." Food service member of the month, Miss Sherry Taylor. [applause] You >> want to say anything?
013>> I love my job. >> Well, very good. Thank you so much. We appreciate you. >> And Miss Barrett is still Miss Larissa is still on the bus. I do believe Miss Lissa Barrett is our bus driver of the month. Bobby says she has demonstrated exceptional dedication, professionalism, and care in her role as a school bus driver. Every day [clears throat] she ensures that students are transported to and from school safely, greeting each one with kindness and respect. Known for her reliability, positive attitude, and genuine concern for student well-being, Lissa exemplifies the values of our district and the important role transportation staff play in supporting student success. We extend our sincere appreciation to Lissa for her outstanding service to the district, our students, and our community. And we will be sure to give Miss Barrett
014her plaque. So, Lissa Barrett, [applause] Mr. Pablo is not here. See, Mr. Pablo anywhere. Mr. Pablo Castillo is our um maintenance person from of the month says he is a essential member of our maintenance department known for his skill, reliability, and strong work ethic. Whether it's completing repairs, responding promptly to maintenance requests, or ensuring that our facilities remain safe and functional for students and staff. Pablo approaches every task with professionalism and dedication. He consistently goes above and beyond to support our schools, often finding creative and efficient solutions to keep our buildings and grounds in excellent condition. His positive attitude and teamwork set a strong example for others across the district. We extend our sincere appreciation to Pablo for his outstanding service, commitment, and pride in his work. So, Mr. Pablo Castillo is our employee of
015the month in maintenance [applause] everybody. Okay. And now, Mr. James Harris, if he'll come forward, please. [applause] James is our custodial staff member of the month. Says James consistently demonstrates pride and excellence in maintaining a clean and safe and welcoming environment for our students, staff, and visitors. He approaches every task with professionalism, attention to detail, and a positive attitude that uplifts those around him. Beyond his daily responsibility, James is [clears throat] always willing to go the extra mile. Whether it's assisting with special event, supporting colleagues, or responding quickly to unexpected needs, he exemplifies the dedication and teamwork that keep our schools running smoothly. We sincerely thank James for his outstanding service and commitment to our district's mission. November employee of the month for custodial support, Mr. James Harris. [applause] James, congratulations. >> Very good. If
016I could have those come back up, please. We'll get a one big group picture with everybody with the board. >> Come across here. [laughter] >> We're gonna try not to kill that line. We'll >> scoot this back just a [laughter] little bit. Come on in. You know, I have a hard time. >> Very good. >> Congratulations everyone. Thank you all. Thank you very much. >> [clears throat] >> All right, that's all for our recognition. We'll move on to our information items. We'll start with our enrollment totals. >> Come back to that. So enrollment totals as of November the 3 was a total of 1513. Uh down a little bit from uh October and uh still down from last year. So 1513 total. We'll give an update in regard to last Friday was also um or
017two Fridays ago, sorry. October 31st was a snapshot day for UIL and for high school we were to uh turn in numbers for 9 through 12. we turned in 450 and um so we will know in February when realignment comes out what that does for us. So >> and then our campus department updates we did the big turkey last week. We're turkey bowling tonight if you want to come on over. got some cookies and hot chocolate. Um for as far as our campus improvement plan, not a whole lot changed. We just made some tweaks um from last year. As [snorts] far as um our biggies [clears throat] are our family engagement, we want to continue to provide provide opportunities for our families to be involved and feel like that they're a part of their child's
018education. That's very important having that effective communication with their parents. And then the big one, of course, is our student achievement. Um we want to be back to our A rating. We could have had that A rating for a few weeks before the next year's came out. And so we want to improve back from or get back to an 80 from our current B rating. We want to look at our star scores. We want to instead of just looking at the approaches, we want to look at the needs. We want to have a 68% for third and fourth grade reading and 70% for um third and fourth grade math. And then we really focusing on that K2, the early interventions that our kids are reading where they need to be reading. We're doing all that
019through our new curriculum and really hoping that and you know with not just a hope but we're the fidelity the implementation with fidelity and really working with our teachers to ensure that kids are getting what they need. So those are our big areas. As far as our demographics we're still pretty much the same as we were last year. We're 23% special education. That's 143 students. 19% emergent bilingual. 50% at 56% at risk which is 342 of our students. 32% of our students are receiving [clears throat] intervention and we're down a little bit in our eco disc. We're 56% which is 344 students. >> What was that last 56%? >> We're rocking along down there. We're going to treat our stu our teachers to a sit down meal next Thursday for Thanksgiving and trying to take
020care of them, too. >> Do you have any questions? >> All right. >> Thank you. Thank you, Miss George. Appreciate you. [snorts] >> I feel like I've got like a whole book here, >> so I'll shorten it. >> Okay, so kind of the same situation. Um, we're just walking along. Thanksgiving breaks coming up. We're going to feed our staff as well next week. Um, same thing with our totals. Our our attendance is increasing just a little bit from last year. It's is looking good. It's about the same at 96%. Um, this is struggle for me, but I'm going to say it anyways. We earned a B rating. We won an A obviously, but I'm telling you, I want to read this to y'all just so y'all can get kind of the gist behind it. So,
021our overall scale score was an 88. Um, we were not identified as a comprehensive support and improvement campus, which is a good thing. Um, or targeted support and improvement and additional targeted support. We did get distinction designations for um academic achievement in reading and language arts, academic achievement in mathematics, top 25% in comparative academic growth, post-secondary readiness, and 25% in comparative closing the gaps, which is awesome. Um in addition to the B rating and overall scale score of 88, we also received a B in students achievement um with an 84, a B in school progress with a 84 and an A in closing the gaps with a 91. So we are we are over the moon with those scores. Um majority of our scores increased. We only had a few that decreased. Just to highlight,
022we had student student our student performance indicator indicators for all fifth grade reading and language arts and all seventh grade math increased. So those were that's a big thing. And this is the big plug. Campus scores were higher than state average on 11 out of 12 of our tests. >> So that is impressive for sure. Um our goal in the past years have been reading and math, reading and math. Reading and math [clears throat] and um the lowest have been science and social studies. So our goal this year is to make sure that we are integrating a lot of that into our electives and our math and reading classes. Um like Mr. Morgan, he's our eighth grade. He defeated is what he felt and he has taken a personal quest to make those scores um
023a huge improvement. He is working with our elective teachers to make sure that we are integrating that stuff in all of their classrooms. Um it's really neat to see them planning and and doing things together to to take um American Revolution lesson and putting it in a um business financial class. It's really cool to see them the kids doing that kind of stuff. Um so our goal this year is not a reading and math focus only. It is um by June of 2026 for those not reached we want to improve 10% of Mount Vernon Middle School students taking the star in all tests and all subjects. So, um, we've also integrated our science and social studies focus with our five and eight, fifth grade and eighth grade students in our RTI classes. We are blessed
024to have Miss Barnes who has taught science as one of our RTI teachers. So, she is choosing a day and they are going over it in there with her fifth and eighth graders. And then Miss McClan is also doing the social studies with eighth graders. So, we are definitely doing that, making sure that that's kind of our focus this year. Um, on kind of the flip side with our staff, everything, we send a survey out every six weeks. Everything looks great as far as what they're saying, their responses. Um, parents and students will receive the survey at the end of each semester on things that we need to improve on or things that we're doing good. Um, discipline processes tend to be handled more timely manner and we've been we've been seeing less major disciplinary
025problems with our additional admin. So, we are very thankful and grateful for that. Um our staff they do not have our teachers do not have any assigned um oh gosh I just went blankies >> duties they don't have any duties before after school so they can focus on time to spend with kids doing tutorials and stuff like that. Our parents have stepped in [clears throat] and just please let us do it and they have taken the ball and done great on that. So um yes they are excited. That is one of the biggest things and that's kind of where we're going with that. Um, everything else kind of seems to be anything else. >> All right. How's everyone tonight? All right. [clears throat] So, I will kind of break mine up into two things here.
026My regular campus update and then our campus improvement plan piece since we kind of roll them together there. Um, as as far as just a general update, I thought today I would ask our um our student organization sponsors to kind of give me an update on what they've been up to. So, I'm going to read some of that to you what they respond today. Student council, this is Miss Hunt, the sponsor of this. She said they've spent the last few weeks working together, organizing, planning homecoming, blackout pep rally, senior pep rallies. Um, they do the friendship baskets at the football games, um, decorate for school spirit stuff. Basically, all things school spirit. Um, in the theater world, we got two students this year, Deborah Mossius and Bailey Win, who are working on designs to be
027the first students to ever compete in UL academic theatrical design contest. So, that's interesting and something new for us. Um, UIL film team has just finished filming um their this last year was the first year we did this. We went all the way to state. Um, but anyways, they just finished their film this year that's going to be [clears throat] submitted. It was uh directed by Zinc and Marco and uh written by Jose Kelvia and Hunter Bowers this year. So they're going to submit that at the end of the month and we'll see how we do this year. There's also I actually did three films. Two of them are documentaries and one is a narrative. So that's pretty cool. Um National Honor Society has been working on community service stuff. There are some of them
028helping out at the Turkey Bowl night. Um we have a actually I don't know how many of you know this but we have some of our senior boys that started at Turning Point USA chapter here at the school. Um and so they've been active the last few weeks. Last week they had a um little get together where they had a guest speaker in. It was the regional representative for that organization. So she came in and they talked about first amendment rights and those sorts of things. And the next week they're doing a Veterans Day um I don't know what you call it. Veterans Day get together um event during probably either a lunch or place I'm not sure. So they those guys have been doing a lot of things and uh they're been growing quite
029a bit recently. Interact club, Miss Stevens is a sponsor of that. She said they have 78 members. Um they participated in country fest pancake breakfast. Dad's not did a can food drive trunk or treat and they're also participating tonight at the elementary and we'll be doing Christmas caroling at the nursing home in December. Um, Deca Deca is going strong. Mr. Gardner, God bless him, has stepped in this year and he's tried to take the reigns on that. He's doing a really good job and getting really involved. They had 19 kids attended boot camp last week for competitions. Um, that competition begins December the 8th. They [clears throat] have scheduled a community service activity. They're going to be work doing volunteer work at a nursing home in Mel Pleasant with Atlanta ISD's DECA program. kind of
030a a work together type situation there. Um they're working to make dog toys for a local toy shelter and they have some community service fundraising events coming up here at the school also in December. So I say all that to just say we have a lot of students and a lot of organizations doing a lot of really cool things that not everybody always knows about. And there there are more there there's other groups I didn't even get on the page. Um couple of things couple of other things that was mentioned to me. Um, we have the next big, this is from the the uh grant committee that Miss Stevens talked about last time. Next week we have a parent education night out in the auditorium. We have a program um coming on campus to talk
031to students about uh vaping, drugs, alcohol, and making good choices. It's called Steer Straight. There's a parent program on Wednesday night, I believe, and then the school program is on Thursday, I do believe. So again, doing things to uh to engage our community, engage families, and then also talk to kids about making the right choices. See, uh this is a good one. So our kids took the PSAT National Merit Scholarship Test a few weeks ago. We got the results back from them and the average score from those 37 kids was a 9 was was a 1020. The national average is a 920. So, we exceeded the national average about 100 points and um I do know I don't have the individuals yet, but I do know we had a couple that really really scored high
032on it and have a chance for some pretty good recognition from them. >> So, see how it goes. [clears throat] Now, I want to turn to the campus improvement plan part of it. I'm just going to talk to you about really quickly what our academic goals pretty much are for this year because most of the other things within that plan that you've probably already seen have remained the same. Um, yes, we were in a campus. [snorts] Not [laughter] trying to plug anything. I know I know what's going on and the difference between what they're dealing with and difference what we're dealing with. Uh, so I recognize that things could change very very quickly. Uh, but we also know even though we are in a campus, there is a lot of areas that we absolutely need
033to continue to work on, continue to fix, continue to get better better at. And as always, It always starts with that star test. People get tired of talking about it, but that's always an area of focus and we can and it continues to be. So, looking to get those kids to the meat's grade level and the master's grade level, especially in ELA. So, one of the goals in there is just improving the meat's grade level with at least 3% in ELA 1 and two. That continues to be an area of focus. Uh, one of the things I wanted to bring up was a kind of a change in how we're doing our biology students this year. Um, if you don't know, in the past, our freshman students all take three EOCC tests. Algebra 1, biology,
034and English one. This year, what we're doing is we're only having our honors biology students take take biology. All the other kids will not take it till their sophomore year. Doing that for a few different reasons. Number one, it eliminates those freshmen having to come in as freshmen and have to worry about three different tests. That's that's a big thing. um gives them time to kind of mature a little bit, you know, just take because, you know, unfortunately a lot of times the focus is on math and English that freshman year, math and English, math and English, math and English. And a lot of times the uh the science would kind of get pushed the pushed the side a little bit. So thinking if we wait till the second year, now they only [clears throat]
035now they only have two tests to deal with English to science. We also have instituted a new class with our freshmen which is environmental systems which is kind of like a precursor to biology. So for the kids that are not ready to jump right into it, they have a whole year of learning those things. That's kind of a precursor and then that second year hopefully we'll see some significant growth in biology. So saying all that, our goal this year is with [clears throat] our biology kids is just our honors kids. So our goal is to have 80% of them at the master grade level. And that's what Miss Fish who was in here earlier is working on this year. And we actually talked about it just today and she thinks that it's an attainable goal
036and it's something she's she's really working towards and in talking to the kids about daily. All right. [clears throat] Another thing that we're that we continue to focus on and this is what I was talking about just a minute ago when I was referencing A and B. Um the reason the main reason we're sitting at an A is because our CCMR stuff and the way we we've been able to achieve right there and um but as as I probably said to you before they keep changing the rules to the game. So we have to continue to ad adapt each and every school year. So that's why this is part of the campus improvement plan trying to get as many of our graduating seniors that IC as possible. Well, our goal is to have 70% of
037our seniors to graduate with an IVC in an aligned pathway being a completer and earning the CCM CCMR point via the IBC. We came really close last year with 68% uh to meeting that goal. Uh but again, now that they changed some of the requirements to actually get that credited, we're having to work even harder to do so. But that's Miss Wilkins, our assistant principal, our CC our CTE director. she's very on top of that and she's working closely with the CTU teachers to uh try to make sure we get reach that goal because that's a big part of us maintaining our standing as an A campus. Um the last thing I'll mention is one of the things that we're really trying to target this year academically is our EB divergent bilingual population. If you
038were to go in and look at our campus data, you would see that's an area that we've struggled the last few years. And uh and so we're trying to be really intentional this year about what we're doing to support them and help them score higher on the tail pass test which they have to take each year. And I don't want to get all in the weeds on tailpass because if you know anything about it, you know there's a lot of weeds there. And um but I will say that Miss Stacy Peterson has been working with Rebecca Russell has been working with me and we've been we've kind of hatched this plan to uh to to help those kids prepare for that tail pass test and that's through an incentive laden program tutorials during flex time.
039We've identified uh certain kids based on their scores la the last couple years and we have some target goals that we're working on there. So, I'm just saying that we're being real intentional this year about supporting that population as opposed to not that we've overlooked them in the past, but as it continues to grow in numbers and it continues to grow in importance from an accountability standpoint, we just got to pay even more attention to it. So, those are our big academic goals for this year. >> Questions? >> Doing great. Thank you. >> Just a real quick plug. So, we're also having a Veterans Day program tomorrow put on our NJHS and our student council auditorium. >> Uh gymnasium. >> Gymnasium. 2 o'clock. >> Which gym? >> The middle school. >> Yeah. So, if you
040come, you'll need to come in through the Yeah. Just check in through the middle school office and you'll be able to get a badge to go in. >> All right. And uh now for our construction update. >> Lou with Jackson was not able to be with us. He did send me an update. Uh for those of you who were able to be here Friday, you got to kind of have our first opportunity to really walk through uh to be able to see kind of what we're where they are in the process. Uh unit C, which is re redoing the admin. Um they're now putting some bricking on the front. They've they're working on sheetrock throughout um getting AC put back on the top. Uh they've got the roof on both side offices that will enclose
041uh the walkway. And so they'll start putting those walls up and bricking that soon as well. Um they have already drilled the peers for the front canopy that will go in front of the middle school. Um [snorts] with what happens when they drill peers, we found water again. So um so our um sixth grade hallway was uh restroom was without water for a couple days. Uh they were very good about working through that. Um so we got they got that fixed. Uh and water's back on. Um unit D, which is the cafeteria kitchen. uh the be completed with the roof on the kitchen part by the end of the week. Uh they're bricking that north wall. Um getting that taken care of. They've ran they've poured the slab now on the rest of the cafeteria
042and working through that. Uh the fine arts building, if you got to go through that, you saw how large that building is and how impressive it is. Um once that gets done, that's going to be the interesting part of interest. is going to be, I think, neat to see when we do our first uh basically severe weather drill and we try to bring basically,00 students and staff into that building and where we put them as the safety shelter. Uh but with that um they're continuing to finish out the top. Um duck work being done. Um they're working on the ramps and the stairs that are through there as well as um uh getting the roof finished on the corridor on the walkway uh with the ramping stairs there as well. um as soon as they
043finish that and feel like uh it's safe to do so uh they will give that back to us to where students and staff will be able to walk through um the that walkway instead of walking around as we do now. Um a building as you see they're still working they've got all the exterior walls finished working on interior walls uh with the blocks and are moving along nicely with that. I still anticipate that's going to be roughly spring break type timeline that we're going to be able to get into there for the egg building would [snorts] be my guess. It's kind of what it's looking like. >> Yeah. >> That's pretty optimistic. I'll take it. >> There we go. >> I like it. All right. >> Okay. >> All right. And uh we have three
044people signed up for open forum tonight. I'm going to read our um open forum policy and then I'll call individuals up um in turn. Um we will begin the open forum of this meeting with a few remarks to clarify what is appropriate and not appropriate for public comments. Mount Vernon ISD board policies are the law of the school district and the board of trustees will follow the law. Policy beed local governs the public comment portion of this meeting. Audience particip participation is limited to the public comments portion of the meeting. At all other times, the audience shall not attempt to enter discussion, debate, or ask questions on matters being considered by the board. At regular meeting, the board permits public comments relating to district regardless of whether the topic is an agenda item. At special
045meetings, the board limits public comment to agenda items only. Individuals who want to participate in public comments must sign up and indicate their topic of choice before the meeting begins. If you have not signed up already, then you will not be permitted to speak at tonight's meeting. Each speaker is limited to five minutes. If you require the assistance of a translator to the English language, then you will receive twice the amount of time if you're speaking on an agenda topic. Board policy allows me to adjust the amount of time for public comments when necessary for effective management or to accommodate large numbers of individ individuals wishing to address the board. On agenda topics, each person is allowed to speak individually. Do not expect to debate with the board or individual trustees. Public comments cannot be
046used to discuss a specific complaint or grievance. For example, if a parent has a specific complaint regarding his student, a decision relating to his student or against specific school personnel, then the complaint must go through the policy in board policy FNG local. Employee complaints regarding their own work or other employees must go through the process in board policy DGBA local. These topics cannot be discussed in the public comment form of the board meeting. Anyone who violates this policy will be given one warning. If the speaker violates this policy a second time, then the speaker's time will be immediately end. Refusal to abide by this policy may result in the speaker's removal from the board meeting. Thank you in advance for following the policy at Mount Vernon ISB. All right. Uh, Miss Bailey, have you signed
047up first? >> It is a mouthful. Whenever you're ready. >> I'm I'm ready when you're ready. >> I want to begin by referring to our October 1st safety and security meeting because it revealed a major concern, a lack of genuine conversation about the Guardian program. Every committee member had questions yet not a single one was answered. Every response was simply that depends on how the board writes policy. The committee was not even provided a district vulnerability report in advance. Though it's required by law, I had to request it three separate times before finally receiving it. If safety is truly our district's priority, this shouldn't be so difficult to have an advance and be able to get adequate answers to concerns. And while the committee wasn't given suitable information, just days later, a guest speaker, Lee
048Gil, was brought to speak directly to the board. He claimed no shooter has ever breached a locked classroom door, yet our own vulnerability report says what. He also said, "Buardian is the lowest tier of safety. Are we really saying that our students deserve bare minimum?" As both a parent and an educator, I cannot understand why this district would settle for the bare minimum. I've even read the Facebook comments from parents who say they want the guardian program here. What a wild and uneducated thing to say. I also want to note that during that safety and security meeting, several comments were made about the guardian program that came across as self-serving rather than student focused. When administrators spoke about wanting to arm themselves because work was the only place where they could not protect themselves, it
049shifted the conversation away from protecting students and teachers to protecting themselves. That's not leadership. That's self-interest. School safety should never be about personal comfort. It should be about the children and staff who rely on us to act responsibly. Even Gil acknowledged that teachers are not ideal guardians. That we should have coaches, custodians, or administrators. But we've all seen administrators who I'm sorry, but we've all seen administrators who can barely manage a scooter down the hallway. Do we really want to give them the opportunity to hold firearms? Let's be clear, guardian training will never reach the level of law enforcement training. You can't make someone a police officer through a free a few drills or virtual reality sessions. Real safety comes from real officers, from hiring and retaining trained professionals. That's where our focus should be.
050expanding our district police force, building partnerships with our local law enforcement, contracting [snorts] out school resource officers, officer presence, being visible, walking hallways, building trust with students. That's the real deterrence to violence. You can't deter a mentally unstable person with a policy or a handgun in a classroom classroom cabinet. I've seen guardian programs in neighboring districts. I've seen teachers safes sitting in plain sights, students leaning against them, and classrooms disrupted for extra trainings. It wasn't safety, it was confusion disguised as preparedness. I'm not against protecting our children. I'm for doing it right. We have an opportunity to set the standard and not lower it. We have to invest in what works. Professional law enforcement, [clears throat] strong campus security, accountability, and genuine transparency with our community. I want to believe in this district again to
051know that when I send my children to school, they're safe, supported, and protected by a system that values preparation over politics. I finished early, didn't I? >> I want to come to you as a parent and as an educator, okay? I want to level with y'all. Sending my kids to school every day, sending one to school when the other one is sick, that goes through my head. What if at the end of the day, I'm left with one kid? I take school ser school safety completely seriously. You can ask Miss George whenever I was showing up and sending emails and asking questions before this guardian even came up. I want to be involved and I'm as involved as I can be. This is not going to be the answer. You have to layer the security.
052You have to add additional personnel. I can't I can't stress that anymore. I'll be back next month and the month after that until you guys decide to table this. These are my kids. These are 1500 kids. Okay. I need you all to realize that. >> Thank you, Miss Mr. Gamblin. My name is Greg Amlin. I'm speaking tonight on the Guardian program as well as a former teacher, a parent, a grandfather, as my grandson calls me, pops. I'm also the husband of a teacher with more than 30 years in the classroom. And between us, we spent our lives teaching, mentoring, and protecting children, both our own and the many students that we've been blessed to call our own. We stood in front of a classroom. When you stood in front of the classroom, you know the
053weight of the responsibility. You know what it feels like to look at those young faces and realize in a moment of crisis that they would look to you for safety. That sense of protection never leaves a teacher's heart. Today's teachers face that reality more than ever. Every year, they take part in active shooter drills, practicing how to barricade doors, silence frightened children, and if it came to it, shield those students with their own bodies. Those drills make one thing painfully clear. Teachers are already prepared to put themselves between the danger and their students. They do instinctively out of love and duty. Here in Mount Vernon across Franklin County, our schools face unique unique safety challenges. Many campuses sit close to the interstate and at the intersection of major thorough affairs. That means we are more
054exposed. Whether it's someone fleeing law enforcement or a mentally disturbed person seeking attention, in just moments, danger could find its way through our school doors. Granted, measures have been taken to protect some campuses, and I truly appreciate those efforts, but but our elementary campus remains particularly vulnerable. These educators are strong and capable, but they deserve meaningful protection and not just hope that a tragedy never comes here. Allowing select, highly trained, and willing teachers to be armed is not about turning educators into law enforcement. It's about giving responsible, vetted, and prepared individuals the ability to [clears throat] defend innocent lives until help arrives. The extensive training and preparation required for this program would significantly reduce the chance of a weapon ever getting into the wrong hands or an accidental discharge. This would be a carefully controlled
055safety focused process rooted in accountability, certification, and readiness. There are no verified reports of a school shooting ever occurring at a campus where trained teachers are armed. That fact alone should make you stop and think. Districts across Texas and other states had quietly carried out these programs for more than a decade, often with signs posted right at the entrance making it clear that staff are armed. And there's never been a recorded shooting at one of those schools. There may not yet be a nationwide study that separates armed teachers from armed guards because statistically those schools simply haven't experienced attacks. That absence of data isn't a gap. It's a sign of deterrence working. And we'll likely never know how many potential shootings have been prevented or deterred because a wouldbe attacker realized they might face an
056armed trained adult instead of a defenseless victim. There are no headlines for the tragedies that are avoided. No graphs for the lives quietly saved when someone chose not to attack a well-prepared school. Most shooters are cowards. They look for soft targets, places where no one can resist them. If even one person with bad intentions sees that Franklin County schools are protected, prepared, and not gun-free zones, that awareness alone might be enough to make them turn around. I understand this topic is emotional and deeply personal. Not everyone will agree. But as sim someone who has spent years in the classroom and as someone who loves teachers and students both personally and professionally, I believe the conversation is necessary. We lock our homes at night not because we expect trouble but because we believe in being prepared.
057Our [clears throat] children deserve that same level of preparation, that same protection, that same peace of mind. As a former teacher, the husband of a lifelong educator, a parent, and a proud pops, I'm asking that we take this step not out of fear, but out of love and responsibility. Let's be proactive, not reactive. Let's give our schools the training, trust, and tools to protect the innocent when every second counts. >> Thank you, Mr. G. All right, next up we have Miss Aan. [clears throat] >> Good evening. My name is Alison Aan and I'm here to speak about the incident [clears throat] that involved my sixth grader on the middle school campus. An incident that exposed a dangerous gap in communication and policy. a gap that put my child's health and safety at risk and stripped
058me as his parent of my right to make timely medical decisions. On Tuesday, October 21st, my son sustained a head injury during the school day. This was not a simple bump on the head, as it was later repeatedly described by administration during a meeting, minimizing the seriousness of this event, when in fact the impact was so severe that his vision went black. He was seen by the middle school nurse who's an LBN who stated that she evaluated him for a concussion. However, her assessment did not include checking his pupilary response, his balance, or his coordination, only three simple verbal questions. [clears throat] She then discussed with my child, an 11-year-old, possible concussion symptoms and told him to watch for these things [clears throat] and let mom know if you feel worse. I was never contacted.
059His dad was never contacted. No emergency contact was ever contacted. Not a call, not an email, no notification of any kind. Yet, I have been called for stomach aches, scraped knees, band-aids, but not for a head injury. This inconsistency is deeply concerning and shows a serious lapse in judgment and communication priorities. My son was sent back to class to self-monitor. Teachers were never informed to watch for any potential symptoms. That means that for almost three hours, for the remainder of a school day, not one single adult at that school, not a teacher, a staff member, or even the nurse was monitoring my child following a head injury. Expecting a child to recognize and report their own concussion symptoms is both unreasonable and negligent. That evening, he unbeknownst to me that this had occurred, he began
060experiencing severe headache, blurred vision, and light sensitivity. his dad and I immediately sought medical care and a CT scan was ordered. He does have a concussion. When I finally reached the school nurse after multiple call attempts, she told me that she had quote made a mental note to call me and simply forgot, adding that she probably would have remembered later when she got home and called me the next day. She followed up this justification for lack of parent contact being due to having multiple kids in the nurse's office. I did in fact record this phone conversation and her words clearly reflect the casual attitude taken towards this situation. The nurse's office is a mere few feet from not one but two receptionists. A call to me or his dad could have easily been delegated. When
061I verbalized my concerns and frustrations to administration, I was asked quote when did he start feeling bad? I saw him towards the end of the day and he appeared fine. that reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of concussions as symptoms often appear hours later which is exactly why parents should be contacted immediately. I requested a meeting with the principal district RN and superintendent. Despite my request in writing, Mr. Dr. McCulla did not attend. Um I was specifically requested his attendance as I wanted clarity on district policies, but I was advised that at this stage he did not need to be involved. During that meeting, I asked to review the district's policy on parent notification and student injury response. None could be provided. I also asked to review the district's concussion response policy under section 38.173 of the
062Texas Education Code. The only policy provided to me pertains to only athletes. Head injuries can happen anywhere, classrooms, hallways, bathrooms, not just on the athletic field. By failing to notify me, the school denied me the ability to seek a timely medical evaluation for my child. I'm only grateful that the outcome was a concussion and not something more severe. This was not simple oversight. It's a breakdown of communication, judgment, and accountability. Tonight, I'm asking the board to take immediate and decisive action to ensure that this never happens again by implementing a clear written policy requiring parent notification anytime a student is evaluated for a head injury without exception. and adopt a district-wide concussion policy for all students, not just athletes or UIL participants to ensure st and to ensure staff are adequately trained on concussion protocols.
063This is not about placing blame. This is about protecting students and upholding parents rights to be informed and involved when their child is hurt. Lack of parent contact in this situation never never should have happened. So, I'm asking you as leaders, educators, community members, and parents to ensure that no other family experiences this same negligence. Thank you for listening and for considering how to make communication and student safety a true priority in our district. >> Thank you. >> That concludes our open forum. We'll move on to our consent agenda. Do I have a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented? >> Motion. Motion made by Linda, seconded by Donnie. All four. [snorts] That's 70. [snorts] >> Thank you all for coming. >> Thank you. >> All right. And moving on to our action items.
064>> Action items. They're moving fast. Approval of >> the frame there. uh consider to approval a vendor to install new fencing around bus barn. >> In your board book, we have um we were went for three quotes. One gave us a no quote. We have two bids. One from Anderson Fence, [clears throat] one from Joe Pridemore Fence. Recommendation is going to be for Anderson Fence for 64,180. what what we need the fencing for is to um once again secure our bus transportation yard u through construction those that fence had to come down. Uh so this would redo that. It would as well uh extend the fence down um on the east side of the seventh and eighth grade playground that is currently unfenced because that was the baseball fence outfield fence that secured that. Uh,
065it would also include some art panel to put up behind um behind the gym back there to where they store some um trash and things that until they can have it hauled off. Um the other Joe Pridemore fence did not include the art panel. So the recommendation would be for Anderson fence and custom welding. Uh and we have experience with them. They did the fencing on the exterior of the uh at of of the football field as well as some for elementary after a couple years. Any questions on the new fencing? >> All right. Sorry, I'm having trouble with the book right here. Uh, do I have a motion to approve um the vendor for the new fence around the bus barn? >> Motion made by Kyle, second by Linda. All four that 6. Let
066the record show Kathy stepped out [clears throat] for just a minute. Um, action B. consider and approve a resolution for the rifle resistant body armor grant program. >> This is one of two of the safety uh grants that we've gotten. Um Heather Moore, elementary officer did all this with JP supervising and everything. Um took quite a while to get all these done, like six, seven months. We finally got it. The first one that we are doing is for the uh rifle resistant body armor grant. Um this is not a a matching grant or anything like that. It is for $5,700 and it is ours. We just have to do a resolution to say that we accept it and [clears throat] that's what we're using the money to purchase. >> Okay. Any questions on that? All
067right. Do I have a motion to approve the resolution for the rifle resent resistant body armor grant program? Motion made by Kathy, seconded by Linda. All four 70. All right. And then the next one is the resolution for the bullet resistance shield grant program. >> The bullet resistance shield grant programs. The same this same security grants. Um Heather did all of the paperwork and everything with JP supervising on that. I believe these are a requirement by law to have and we were we were blessed enough to get a grant for $3,599.98. I don't know why they could give us two more pennies. [laughter] Anyway, that money we have to do a resolution on that one to to say that we are going to spend that money on those shields. >> Uh do I have a
068motion to approve the resolution for the bullet resistant shield grant program? Motion made by Kathy, seconded by Donnie. All four 70. All right. And the next is the procurement of middle school and [clears throat] high school library materials. >> This similar to what we did in uh last month, except this is for middle school and high school. Uh both lists were posted for the required 30 days. Um administrators off both campuses have have looked over the lists that are now presented to you. Um, and so that would be the recommendation that those lists that are now included in your board book would be approved. >> Any questions on those? >> So, where did these where did the list originally come from? >> They compiled >> they are compiled I want to be honest with you.
069I think there so we contract with um uh with Miss Craraver through region 8. She's considered our district librarian. So she works along with our pair professionals who are librarians on on campus to put those lists together and so that's where those lists come from >> and it has been updated. >> Correct. Friday. Correct. >> Correct. >> So I assume all the books are >> correct. There'll be any controversy on >> again each campus administrators looked at it and we'll do that. Yes sir. >> Any other questions? >> All right. Uh, do I have a motion to approve the procurement of middle school and high school library materials um as presented? >> Motion made by Linda, seconded by Kyle. All four. 7. Action item E. Consider approve the purchase of a GMC 3500 truck and
070a Trevor lay traverse. >> All right. This is a This is for a 20 2025 GNC one ton newly crew cab two wheel drive not fully loaded. Um and you can see the price on that is 5,8583. Um the option that we are looking to do is the three-year option 24,510 every three years. um that start date um the first payment is not actually in this budget. It's next budget, [clears throat] but we have to approve it now to get those in. These vehicles are available and ready to to ship on that one. Um we had a truck the engine completely went out and way more engine 2010 so it's already 2010. I think it was a 25 2005 sorry 20 years old >> with a new engine in it. You still have a 20-y
071old suspension and everything else. >> And we are in need of some other white vehicles, white fleet vehicles on that. >> Um we have a lot several of them that are well over 200,000 miles and it's just we need something different, more reliable. We're looking at a 2026 Traverse. Um, compared that to the Tahoe, they are very similar in size. This one is a little bit smaller, but not a lot smaller when it does have third row seating in case we would need that. And it's also $20,000 less than the Tahoe at $42,82.20. And again, we are we're saying we wanted to go with the three-year payment of 15,72266. And again, this is not this budget year. This is next budget year. >> Is the truck diesel? >> Yes, the truck is diesel. Absolutely. >>
072Can I ask? >> Sure. Absolutely. >> Truck will be used by the band and by agg, right? Would it be? >> No, this one will be a district vehicle that can be used by anybody. Yes. It's not tied to CTE or correct or anything like that. >> So to answer your question, yes, a can use it if they need two trucks to pull. Van will use it when they need it. Yes, ma'am. >> Okay. Now, the traverse. >> Why do we need a car? Well, we've got >> we've got we've got a couple of suburbans that I believe are well over 200,000 >> well over 200,000 miles. >> 200,000 miles on them. >> Yeah. So, so at different times when we have either anytime staff goes anywhere or even with um small groups such as
073if Miss Fitch was taking her group somewhere be something like that which we have the vans uh all of our white vehicles. There are times that all the white vehicles are out at different times with whether it be sponsors or staff or whatever in different places. So that's what the traverse would be used for. >> So it will haul enough kids that you >> Well, it's going it's going to haul at the most. It's going to haul a sponsor and >> six five kids, five six kids has third row seating. More times not it's going to be used more for I would say for staff would be teachers going to region 8 conference things like that. Right there >> would be what [snorts] normally what those are used for. And it is the same company
074that we currently have our police vehicles to through. So they've been great to work with. [snorts] >> Any further questions on those? >> I just question. >> That's not a question. That's a good question. >> That's a good question. >> My brain's crazy. >> We'll [clears throat] keep all the old cars too. >> As of right now, still. Yes. As of right now. Again, the probably the we have a Suburban that is well over 250,000 miles and the Ford Taurus from a car I think is 220 plus. Does that sound right, Craig? I know it's got over 200,000 miles. >> Um, and I don't know the year models on either one of them. I know one of the Suburbans is very old. >> Will we sell them? I mean, >> well, could could like we've
075not got there yet in regard to those. >> Okay. As long as they're right. >> Yeah. Well, it's kind [clears throat] of kind of those things as well. some of those. Again, I don't know when the last time that we took the Ford Taurus out for sure. Suburbans, um, the one with the most miles might be used um on Friday nights to help pull one of the equipment trailers or something, but that's about the extent of where we what we use that is as well. >> Awesome. >> All right. Do I have a motion to approve the purchase of the GMC uh truck and Chevrolet [snorts] Traverse? >> Motion made by Kyle. Is there a second? >> Seconded by Josh. All four 70. Action item F. Consider approve extracurricular status request resolution for the 4
076organization in Lamar County. >> As you know, we've already approved one of these or you have already approved one of these for Titus in Franklin County. they have a student who resides in Lamar County who is so they're seeking that same extracurricular status. So I'd make that recommendation to approve Lamar County uh 4 extracurricular status. Any questions on that? Okay. Uh do I have a motion to approve the extracurricular status for the 4 organization for Lamar County? Motion made by Kathy, seconded by Kyle. All four. >> Thank you. And then we have our approval for the 2025 2026 campus district campus and district improvement plans. >> So the campuses went through their their part of their campus improvement plans. If you have further questions on that, those plans are included in your board book as
077well. Craig will share district improvement plan with you. For [snorts] the record, I had my sweater on first. [laughter] >> We need to get a picture, guys. >> Bo with a black t-shirt on underneath and black shoes. >> They just didn't send me the memo. I mean, I live in same neighborhood. Didn't you let me know? So, [clears throat] so the the district improvement plan is is broader in nature uh because of the statutory requirements. There are 20 items that we have to address and have in the plan every year. And so you'll if you if you're you study it every year like I know y'all do, you'll see that a lot of the these these 20 items remain each year as a goal because we have to address them even though we do uh
078complete [clears throat] them as a goal. They have to remain uh in the plan because you have to address it annually statutory. I won't go through all that with you, but the the way [clears throat] lays out as you can see is is we have goals. Under that you have performance objectives and then under the performance objectives you have multiple strategies. Oddly enough, I read for the first time today as going through the policy. What we're asking you as a board is you statute says you need to approve the performance objectives, not the goals, not the strategies. I don't know why. I just noticed that today, but I'm just going to I'm going to keep it at a broad level. Um goal number one is Mount Vernon will create an in innovative system of learning
079with collaboration from staff, parents and community that allow each and every student to realize his or her own unique abilities. So the first performance objective to help us meet that goal [clears throat] is that Mount Vernon will ensure quality preK through 12th grade, [clears throat] excuse me, ensure quality pre preK through 12th grade guaranteed in Bible curriculum and instruction that is aligned to the depths and specificity of the tech TICS. And as you know in the springtime we had to do the TICS verification where we present here everything we're doing. That's part of that process. We have multiple strategies there that are all listed and tied back to that performance objective to help us align our curriculum. That's quality. Any questions in regards to that? Okay. Performance objective two uh deals with our growth on
080STAR. Mount Vernon will will increase student growth performance by 3% on applicable STAR assessments among subopuls of students. um super proud of of the way our campuses perform, but if there's an area where we can improve that will help us overall, it will be in the area of growth. So these strategies are targeted toward that and specific subopuls and all the different uh groups that we that do show up in our accountability ratings. And then we do service every day from special ed to dyslexia to 504 uh to our students receiving intervention. All of those are addressed in the specific uh strategies for performance two. [clears throat] Performance objective three will actively recruit and retain highly effective teachers. Again, that ties back to that goal of providing up to number one. Uh those strategies Thankful.
081Thank thanks to you guys. You have helped develop a highly u I would say competitive pay scale uh you know and and done a good job of trying to stay in in line and if not above what other school districts are doing to try to recruit and maintain teachers here. Also some of the other strategies deal with the stipens to our high needs areas such as bilingual or language and then including the use of our district of innovation plan flexibility which will some point in time between now and next year we'll be re we'll be modifying our district of innovation because we we'll no longer be able to keep [cough and clears throat] it teachers because of legislative changes under DOI but we'll we'll still be able to maintain that DOI piece for our CTE
082teachers okay So [snorts] bill number two, Mount Vern will actively involve parents as partners in the education of our students through planning, information sharing, and program designing to provide a safe [clears throat] and productive learning environment. The first performance objective to help us meet that goal is make will provide multiple opportunities to for parents to engage with campuses to promote a positive school home experience for all students. I believe that that our campuses do do a wonderful job of engaging parents, providing opportunities for them to be involved. As you know, we're here in November. We're already going to have our second uh community event to help educate and involve parents on on and students. Uh in regards to that, we've already had our title one uh meeting. We had how [clears throat] many participants? Sure.
083One, [snorts] >> three. Oh, excuse me. >> Three. >> Four staff. So, three. [laughter] Now, >> as y'all know, many of you are educators, we we do put out invites. We do put out notices for that. We try to get involved. >> sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. Um, so all the strategies there are centered around u engaging parents For performance objective two, Mount Vernon will promote the importance of student attendance and maintain attendance rate of 95% or above for all attendance for all students and student groups. And then those are the strategies that will that we have to do to try to ensure we're meeting that attendance mark there. Uh performance objective three, Mount Vernon's ISTD will maintain an overall dropout rate of less than one and a half percent. And there are several
084strategies there from credit recovery monitoring at risk students uh maintaining our partnership with Mount Vernon Cares that all go toward that keeping our students in school. of performance objective four mist will reduce reduce the number of discipline incidents by 3% as measured by ps um and there those are our strategies in regards to discipline any questions goal three mist will actively involve members of of our community as partners to ensure the physical emotional social and cultural well-being of every student that first performance objective mist will implement student programs and resources to provide students with skills to assist their social, physical, and emotional health. Uh we do have a comprehensive counseling program in place. Our staff are trained in multiple areas each year, including uh as of we'll be two years ahead of the 100%. >>
085[clears throat and cough] >> Two legislative sessions ago, they said all staff from student st student facing staff had to be trained in what's called youth mental health training. We did some of our staff last year. We were only required to have 25% at the [clears throat] end of this school year, 25% of our staff trained, 50% next year, 75 and 100 phased in. But we will have at the end of this school year 100% of our currently hired staff trained in that. So, we'll be two years ahead of the game on that. >> Um, now, as new people move in, if they haven't been trained in the prior district, we have to keep up with that. Um, so there's the multiple ways that we're looking at assisting our students with their social, emotional, and
086physical health. For performance objective two, we'll ensure that all students are equipped with skills necessary for success beyond high school. This includes all the strategy strategies that we do to prepare our students for the workforce. Um either whether it be in our CTE programs or whether it's partnering partnering with outside community agencies to prepare those students and you see there's a long list of strategies there that we have a lot of opportunities for our students um in that area. Goal four, the final goal of Mount Martin will be provi will provide planning for effective and efficient facilities that are conducive to a safe and secure learning environment that is related to each student's learning abilities and guarantees the resources necessary to fulfill this mission. U our performance objective there is that we'll enhance technology supports
087including infrastructure devices and training to support learning among students and staff. and and this is where all of our tech operating systems come into [clears throat] place. Um the second performance objective is we'll maximize available federal, state, and local funds to ensure facilities are equipped to provide the highest safety for students and staff. [clears throat] You've already been involved in some of that tonight, but this this is based on the use of our Raptor system, our maintaining door lock systems, camera systems, strategic solid clinic alerts badges. Um and then the the routine meeting of our safety and security team. And then strategy four, this this was an addition in regards to u last year we added this in >> DVA. Thank you. That acronym was leaving me. uh [clears throat] it it it lives there
088in strategy 4, but also uh in your attachments, you have all of those policies that you see following following the plan, which are we're required to address in policy as well. So, we have our entire policy in regards to our police department roles included in our plan in response to the DVA. >> Any questions? Okay. [clears throat] >> So, the recommendation would be to to approve both campus and district improvement plans >> as presented. >> Did anyone have any uh campus questions that they went over earlier? >> Do I have a motion to approve the uh 2025 2026 campus and district improvement plans as presented? >> Motion made by Donnie. Do I have a second? >> Second. Second by Linda. All four. 7. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Do I have to read all? [clears
089throat] >> No, [laughter] you don't. >> Come on, my water. Just just consider protecting local policy update 126 legal and the uh following local policies. Those policies instead of going one through each one, uh those have been presented to you and provided for you in your um in your board book. Uh you do see uh the local policies that are listed uh board meetings um in B and be local contracted services contracted services all the way down uh through those. Again I said since you'd have you see those if you have a specific question as you look through on one of those we'll be glad to try to address that tonight and um answer that question for you if you have one. >> Do you have a highlight of um any major changes to these
090policies? >> No. Anything that's in there that has been major uh we've dealt with already in regard to whether it being with uh student cell phones u things like that right there. >> Does anyone have any questions today? >> I will say what y'all have already been doing. So I will say I know at times in our board meetings I think on the be local one it talks about um during a vote you know at times we'll might just instead of raising our hand we'll say yes or a or I or whatever. It does say that [clears throat] as you've been doing tonight it is has to be by roll call or by raising of hands which you're ahead of the curve. So you're already doing but that was just that's one of the ones
091that kind of stood out to me in regard to to board meetings in regard to what we're doing but they're doing that already tonight. Okay. [applause] All right. Do I have a motion to approve the uh TASM local policy updates 126 legal policies affecting all the ones listed? >> Motion motion made by Donnie, seconded by Kyle. All four Okay. Action item I, [clears throat] nominate candidates to serve as board of directors for the Franklin County Appraisal District. >> So, as you see, you have the ballot there. The nominees are Roger Shakir, Austin Purer, Mike Ramblin, Brad Sears, and Chad Wooten. As a district, we we have 3,168 total votes. I think in the past what we have done is we have divided those equally and if we were to do so that would be 634
092for three of them and 633 for two more. So that would be my recommendation to you as a board to to do our votes that way as we've done in the past. >> And y'all see the names listed in our board book here. >> So if we were to do it that way we just write them in order. Roger Jakir, Austin Prair, Mike Ramald will get 634 votes. Brad Sears and Chad Wen would get 633 a piece. [snorts] >> Any questions? I have [clears throat] a motion to um approve the uh candidates to serve on the board of directors for the Franklin County Appraisal District. >> motion made by Kyle. Do second. Seconded by Donnie. All four. >> 70. >> Thank you. All right, our last action item. >> Consider possible action regarding the purchase
093of real property and to delegate authority to the superintendent to negotiate and execute the contract for the purchase of said real property not to ex not to exceed $45,000 plus any closing fees. Okay. So, this is for the for the almost two and a half acres that is north of the district. Uh that's currently uh owned by Miss Roslin Bell. Uh we've discussed this uh in executive session as we can per law. Um we've I've worked with Jim Solomon to put a contract together. Um we do not have a closing date set pending this um pending this meeting tonight and your vote uh to do so. But so what you would be approving is for us to spend as we know um the agreed upon purchase price was uh 4,000 plus closing cost appraisal fee
094and survey. Um again I don't have the I don't know what the closing cost is uh but that's why we we built it or that we did the agenda item for 45 up to 45 plus any closing fees. So >> all right. Do I have a motion to approve um the uh sorry the purchase of the real property and to delegate authority to the superintendent to negotiate and execute the contract for the purchase of said real property not to exceed $45,000 plus closing fees. >> motion made by Kyle. Do I have a second? Seconded by Donnie. All four 70. >> Thank you. >> All right. It is 6:38 p.m. We will now convene into close session for personnel matters pursuant to Texas Government Code section 551.074 and to address legal concerns, implications, and questions regarding
095the posted agenda items pursuant to Texas Government Code section 551.071.20m [snorts] we are opening back up into open session. Is there any uh recommendations of contracts? No contracts. Madame President, do have a couple resignations to acknowledge. Um, Aubrey Harris, elementary sped aid. Uh, Jack Abbott, high school sped aid. And Anastasia Casildo, cafeteria worker. >> All right, it is 8:20 p.m. This meeting is adjourned.