001Good evening school board members, superintendent, district staff, and community members. The time is now 6:02 p.m. on May 19th, 2026, and I call this regular board meeting of the Edgewood Independent School District School Board to order. I'm very pleased that you took the time to join us this evening. In compliance with state government code 551 for open meetings act, tonight's agenda has been appropriately posted. This is a meeting in a public entity, not a meeting of the public. As our guest, you are welcome to observe and listen. These proceedings are video and audio recorded and will become part of Edgewood ISD's permanent record. To ensure the recording accurately reflects these proceedings, please silence your mobile devices and refrain from talking while others are speaking. Since it is legally mandated that these proceedings are recorded accurately,
002I may have to ask for order periodically should I notice that disruptions are interfering with our recording capabilities. Once again, I extend to each of you a sincere welcome from the entire Edgewood ISD school board. Call to order and roll call. Ms. Martha Costilla Here. Mr. Frank Espinosa Present. Mr. Richard Santoyo Mr. Rudy Lopez Present. Mr. Michael Valdez Present. Mr. Sergio Delgado won't be joining us tonight. I, Dr. James Hernandez, myself, is present. Let the record show that the quorum of the Edgewood Independent School District school board is present. That this meeting has been duly called and that notice of this meeting has been posted in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act. Next is our pledge of allegiance to the US and Texas flags. Will everyone please join us for the pledges? And tonight
003we have Cadet Private First Class Gabriel Laredo, rifle guard. Cadet Captain Fabiola Silva for the US flag. Cadet Private Chloe Hernandez, Texas flag. And Cadet Captain Alice Trevino, rifle guard. >> And now a moment of silence. Thank you. You may be seated. Thank you all. All right. Our next agenda item is the Edgewood ISD From Goals to Greatness Recognitions presented by Dr. Kimberly Matkins, Assistant Superintendent of School Leadership. Good evening, Board President Dr. James Hernandez, Trustees, Superintendent Dr. Hernandez, Edgewood staff, and members of our community. It's a privilege to join you this evening as we celebrate the outstanding work taking place across Edgewood ISD. During tonight's From Goals to Greatness recognitions, we'll highlight the individual and collective efforts of our students, staff, and community partners. Each aligned with our district strategic plan goals and the
004categories and competencies within our leadership definition framework. Together, these um recognitions reflect what makes Edgewood proud. Strong leadership, collaboration, and shared commitment to ensuring that people matter, growth matter, and goals matter. To guide this work, we've developed the Edgewood ISD leadership definition framework. A reflection of our shared commitment to our core values of professionalism, accountability, and communication. This framework is built around three pillars: people matter, growth matters, and goals matter. Together, they define how we lead, collaborate, and hold ourselves and one another accountable in the pursuit of excellence for every student. We begin this evening's recognition with the leader of the pack. These exceptional members of Edgewood ISD truly live out their core values of professionalism, accountability, and communication. Each of these honorees reflects the categories and competencies outlined in our leadership definition framework and
005shows us what leadership looks like in an action. Our first honoree, Ms. Erica Bedingfield, a special education teacher at Gardendale Early Learning Program. She is a true advocate for her for who that for who grows. She understands exactly why they need to grow. She always looks for new ways to support student learning, whether that's through individualized opportunities or collaborating with teachers. She is one of Edgewood ISD's teacher incentive allotment teachers. Congratulations, Ms. Bedingfield. Our second honoree is Isaac Kionis, an eighth grader at Brentwood Steam. As a leader on his campus, he exemplifies how people matter. As student council officer, he understands that being a good leader means listening to others, collaborating with people of all ages, and being respectful. His nomination came to us because of his ability to balance leadership roles and turn them
006into action. Our third honoree is Persa Cardenas, an ELA teacher at Memorial High School. She was nominated for her professionalism and for putting growth matters into action. Even while teaching her own classes and other responsibilities, she takes time to help new teachers learn the process that will make them more successful in the classroom, as well. Her commitment to student success shows how she supports students while encouraging them to set and reach goals for themselves. Before we invite our honorees to join us up front, let's take a moment to hear directly from them and learn more about why they so beautifully represent what it means to be leader of the pack. >> Should Should we come back to it? No, we're just being patient. Trying to be. Okay, we'll come back to it, but let's go
007ahead and recognize our Leader of the Pack nominees. If you all could come forward so we can recognize you. You all will give them a hand. >> [applause] >> I'm proud to present Curtis Barnes, Esa Tilonis, and Erica Bedingfield, our May Leaders of the Pack, and we'll make sure to show the video here as soon as we get it going. And if we could go ahead and go back to the presentation, the PowerPoint. Next, we're proud to recognize the EISD 2025-2026 Teacher Incentive Allotment recipients. Here you see that we have 70 teachers who are either new honorees or elevated honorees. First, we'd like to recognize teachers who earned the recognized distinction. These teachers represent early learning, elementary and secondary excellence, and student growth that puts them in the top of the top 33% of teachers
008in the state. Let's give our recognized teachers a big hand. Now, I'd like to recognize teachers who earned an exemplary designation. These prestigious distinctions are awarded to public school educators who perform in the top 20% of teachers in the state. Congratulations to you all. These are our exemplary teachers. Let's give them a hand. >> [applause] >> Wonderful group of people here. Last but not least, I'd like to recognize our 2025-2026 master teachers. This is the most prestigious tier of TIA rankings. Master teachers rank in the top 5% of teachers in the state. Let's give all of them a big hit round of applause. Here we have a picture of our designated teachers. And then, um within the TIA honorees, I want to recognize 12 teachers that for three consecutive years have demonstrated extraordinary growth for
009their students. That means every year from 2023, 2024, and 2025, we have teachers that have made the designation for 3 years in a row, and we've only been doing it for 3 years. So, let's give them a hand. Thank you. Let's Keep going. Okay. Oh, there's one more thing here. Uh TEA designations also come with incentive funding, which ranges from an annual payout of $3,000 to as much as $32,000, depending on um certain criteria for each campus. Are we shaking our hands? It it would be a lot. It would be a lot. Okay. Yeah, we'll wait. Okay, which way would you like for them to Okay, they want to Okay, then come on up. Okay, please. Let's do it. They've been working hard. Careful. Watch your step. >> As we move through this transition, we're
010going to go ahead and show our leader of the pack video. Are we ready? All right, we did it. How's everybody? Good job. Good job. Good job, teachers. >> [music] >> I've always said, uh especially to a lot of like adults and educators, just uh really listen to your students. Um listen to the voices and the campaigns that they have, especially to teachers and the people they're closest with. So, I really think it's just listening to your students. >> [music] [music] >> My name is Isaac Morales. I am currently attending Brentwood School of Innovation as an eighth [music] grader and I have been in Edgewood for a total of nine years. My name is Tirza Cardenas and I've been an English teacher at Memorial High School for six years. I'm Erica Bedingfield. I'm in the
011special education department at Gardendale and this is my sixth [music] year with the school district. When I was going to school to become a teacher, I thought it was really interesting that all of the books and all of the information we had was coming from Texas. I think they started a lot of educational practices [music] here and so when I had the opportunity to move to Texas with some family and friends, I thought what what better place to go right out of college than the place where all the information I'm getting comes from. >> [music] >> When we got here, we did the interview process with Edgewood >> [music] >> and they said they really they want to try new things. They want to go in new directions um and see what works with the
012students and I was ready for a new opportunity and to try something new. I didn't like how much [music] I felt like we were always sitting. I wanted to do the hands-on learning and Edgewood's given me that opportunity with early [music] childhood schools. I loved reading books. I love literature and [snorts] I always really had great [music] English teachers too growing up. So I wanted to you know help others in the same way that my teachers helped me. That's something that people don't [music] always enjoy and I just wanted to make it fun for students and help them find their voice in writing and help them maybe fall in love with reading. I love helping the school. I need >> [music] >> I love like to volunteer my time into doing different things and so
013I just I like leading people. I like doing [music] all these different extracurriculars and everything that keeps me going is because I just have like a community [music] of people that are always supporting me and helping me through everything that I do. It's a really honorable achievement. I never really noticed that other people [music] notice me. Everything I do is kind of just from like what I >> [music] >> what want to do. I mean, I love helping people. I love do working on all these different things. And so, I never really noticed that other people notice me. And it's just honestly I'm just honored to have this opportunity. [music] So, it's a really big deal. I when I saw the email, I was very surprised and got immediately nervous because that's a big deal.
014So, I feel very honored by it. I feel a little bit of imposter syndrome because even though I I mean, I've been teaching 6 years, but [music] there's of course teachers I've been teaching much longer and I know I still have a long way to grow as a teacher and improve. It just it's a big honor and it makes me [music] feel proud to continue in my parents' footsteps as well as as a teacher. >> [music] >> Being selected as leader of the pack is such an honor because I've looked up to people that have been selected as leader of the pack in the past. It's it's really a moment to reflect that I've been able to come to that position [music] in the district also. Knowing that there are people that [music] you know
015are think taking into consideration the history of our community and where we want to see ourselves going, I'm [music] just happy to be part of that. I choose Edgewood because of their tight-knit community, the academic opportunities [music] and extracurriculars they offer to their students. I'm currently enrolled in engineering, Spanish, and algebra. And just to have those offered [music] to me as an eighth grader, I just really I just love that we get those [music] opportunities because not all students are able to get those opportunities. And uh that's why I choose Edgewood. I get all these opportunities [music] to grow and I have this community that I know I can rely on. I choose Edgewood because of the people in this community. They really have shown me so much. They've helped [music] me set goals for
016myself. I've learned so much from them and I really just appreciate the opportunity to hopefully help their students and children learn a little bit while I get so much [music] from them. Yes, it is a smaller district in San Antonio, but the people around here are amazing. I continue to get pictures and information from kids that are in fourth and fifth grade. The community that they have is so strong. That's >> [music] >> that's my favorite part and it's hard to find in big cities. I choose Edgewood because Edgewood [music] is full of hope for our teachers and for students and just everyone that is a part of Edgewood. Um I [music] think that it's such a welcoming environment and our district really prioritizes people over numbers. And that's something that that's something difficult to
017find out there in the real world [music] where everything's about numbers and sometimes people get pushed to the sidelines. I feel like our district really prioritizes taking care of people. [music] Let's give them a hand. Dr. Macias. All right, Dr. Macias, let me let me make one comment. Also want to highlight E E Say cuz what you've been with us how many years? >> Nine, I'd say. Nine. And and his mom is also one of our teachers and folks at Las Palmas Leadership School for Girls. So, I want to thank mom also for entrusting us with her child. Uh because a lot of our staff have their children in our school. So, thank you to mom, too. With Thrive partnership with UTSA, EISD is building dedicated leaders whose passion, guidance, and commitment play a vital
018role in supporting and inspiring the next generation of educators. Please join me in welcoming welcoming Dr. Clay and Ms. Montagna to the podium as they introduce each of their EISD mentors. Good evening. Today, we proudly recognize our UTSA EISD Thrive mentor teachers for their exceptional commitment, passion, and dedication to teaching and learning. Each of you plays a critical role in shaping the success of our early career teachers. Offering guidance, encouragement, and wisdom that cannot be measured. Your willingness to invest your time, share your expertise, and support others strengthens not only individual classrooms, but our entire uh district and our entire community. Because of you, new teachers feel supported, confident, and inspired to grow. Thank you for the difference you make every single day. We're deeply grateful for your leadership and the lasting impact you have
019on on the schools and the And just to give you some context, uh this is our first year we had a pilot with UTSA and UT Austin. We were specially selected. Uh Edgewood was selected by UTSA to pilot this program based on the work that we had done in the past with them and building relationships with our residency program. So, this is a a step forward and these uh teachers have done an amazing job and such a wonderful impact on their mentees. Um and we're going to share that information at a later time with you all, but we had three pilot schools and they were from Benavides. So, can I have the teachers from Benavides step forward, please? That's Ms. uh Alcala, Ms. Porter, Ms. Hedley, Miss Leonard. And one of our other teachers is
020not here today. We had our next campus at LBJ. So, we had five of them, two who were not able to make it with us today, but we have Miss Rodriguez, Mr. Campbell, Miss Poncho. Step forward. Um and Miss Zamora, Miss Rodriguez, Mr. Campbell, Miss Valdez, and Miss Martinez. And lastly, from Loma Park, we had Miss Albarete, Miss Ramon, Miss Ramos, Miss Hirsch, and Miss That's it. The four of them were all there all day today. Um we do have some special certificates for them, but they also earned continuing professional education credits through Thrive. They would be certified mentors, and our goal is to with the prep allotment to continue this program with them. Their impact, their feedback was very important on how they they've learned and they've grown as seasoned teachers, and they want
021to continue this journey with their mentees next year. So, we're excited to continue this again next year. So, thank you all for your time. They would come in on Saturdays, have quarterly meetings with us, utilize the tools we gave them and taught them through this program, and it's made a huge difference. So, again, thank you all very much for your time and effort, and aplausos. One more time, round of applause. >> Graduation is almost here and tonight we'd like to introduce the six students who are at the top of their classes. From Kennedy High School we have Valedictorian Diami Rodriguez and Salutatorian Santiago Pineda. From Memorial High School we have Valedictorian Sarah Salazar and Salutatorian Liam Cole. And from the Fine Arts Academy we have Valedictorian Esteban Granados and Salutatorian Vincent Benavidez. These students will
022also be recipients of the Dr. Ricardo Hernandez Complete the Dream Scholarship, a scholarship funded by the superintendent. Congratulations to our class of 2026 Valedictorians and Salutatorians. Okay. We like to remind the EISD family that our graduation ceremonies are next week. Learn for Life students will graduate on Wednesday. Our Kennedy High School graduates will graduate on next Friday and Memorial High School, excuse me, Memorial High School and Fine Arts graduation is on Monday, June 1st. You can find more information on eisd.net. Let's give them another hand. This year our JFK school sent two students to Business Professionals of America to the national competition. Storm Lopez and Acacia Trevino traveled to Nashville, Tennessee with BPA sponsors Eric Martinez and Anita Castillo. We are proud to share that Acacia placed 29th in the nation in her competition and
023Storm placed 35th in hers. Let's give them a big hand. Thank you for representing EISD at the national level. Now our CTE spotlight. Each month we highlight the wide range of career and technical education opportunities available to students across the EISD. This evening we are sharing a 60-second video to showcase all of our CTE programs. Here is tonight's CTE spotlight. >> [music] [music] >> Thank you so much PR team for that. A culmination of all of the hard work our students are participating in in our CTE programs. If you're interested in learning more about the CTE programs, go to eisd.net or reach out to our CTE director, Mr. Javier Gurrero. We're also sharing this video on our social media platform, so if you follow eisd, please like and share. The Rockets baseball team continues to
024write their own story. For the third consecutive year, the team made the state playoffs. Here to represent the team this evening are Felix Maldonado, Jeffrey Trevino, Jonathan Olivares, Macario Olivares, and John Olivares, along with head coach Albert Olivares, Christopher Zapata, and Corey Brooks. We would like to mention that coach Olivares has been chosen as a coach for the upcoming San Antonio area All-Star baseball game. Congratulations, gentlemen, on a great season. Go Rockets! >> Keep up the good work, gentlemen. We appreciate you. Thank you for your hard work. We'd like to recognize Louise Davila, who has recently been named the new athletic coordinator and head football coach at Memorial High School. Coach Davila is no stranger to Memorial, coaching football and powerlifting. We're excited to see our student athletes grow under his guidance. Congratulations, coach. People
025matter is one of the key pillars of EISD, and that applies to people in our community. We want to give a special thank you to our family and community engagement team, students and volunteers who pitched in during a recent food distribution with the San Antonio Food Bank. Volunteers handed out food and bottled water to a parking lot full of families from our community. Student and community engagement is a priority um as our ISD moves forward, and communication technology plays a key role in making that possible. At this time, I'd like to invite our chief of technology, Mr. Todd Greathouse to the podium to share more about his program. Thank you, Dr. Maddox. Good evening, uh President Hernandez, trustees, and Dr. Hernandez, and everyone that's here enjoying uh enjoying this Uh forgive my voice, it's a
026little on the scratchy side. Uh I don't know what's going on, something in the air. My goal tonight uh is to give you a sort of a clear vision or a clear understanding of how the technology department actually functions. Often we're in the background, often we make things go, and sometimes we give you a live demonstration like we did tonight when the video wouldn't play. Uh and two of the greatest technology people we have jumped in and saved the day, so let's give them a hand. Everything I'll talk about today ties directly to student learning, operational continuity, or regulatory and financial ability. Do I have the the clicker? Here we go. So, uh technology falls under These are some folks Not everybody, but this is These are some folks My my my crew is very
027camera shy. As soon as the camera comes out, we actually had a picture day not long ago, and as soon as I came with the picture, I could find nobody in the building. Three people. And so, a ton of you go out there and see there's like three people. All the people. Uh so, anyway, I scrappled all these together that I could find uh in the technology department, but they find they fall into these five categories. Our staff My staff does. And my approach has always been to allow staff to utilize their skill set to their fullest potential. Um and with that, staff may find themselves crossing these lines depending on what their talents are. Uh that said, it's always nice to work with uh people that can work together and to be nice to
028each other most of the time, and I can honestly say that over 10 years building teams in technology, this has been if not the best team that I've ever worked with. Their commitment to success and zeal for successful outcomes, as you saw tonight. They don't give up until they get it right. I didn't mean for that to rhyme. I might be able to go, but I'll be out of time. So, um This is There's a lot on this particular slide right now. And I want to talk just a little bit about each one of these items. This is kind of the anchor slide that that really discusses who we are. It's the foundation for everything else I'll say. So, every success, challenge, and risk I mention is somewhere inside these responsibility areas. First, instructional systems.
029This is what enables classrooms to function digitally, including curriculum platforms, testing systems, and digital access. This This is the nuts and bolts. Everything that we do in technology fits under the instructional systems. It is the goal and it's our focus of making everything work uh successfully for teachers and students. Secondly, infrastructure and network. Um the Wi-Fi, internet access, and reliability, those are so important. We don't have anything that works in this district that's not running some way. And so, when that when that fails, we have to react. The idea is that we build a network that doesn't fail. At least at least failure is something that's that's mitigated very quickly. But, there's more infrastructure than just that. We've got fire panels, we've got intercoms, we've got cameras. All of these things also are part of
030what technology In fact, there's a joke that says if it's got a wire attached to it, technology manages it. Um and there's a lot of wires in the district. So, part of this is also falls under cybersecurity and data privacy. Cybersecurity is not just a buzzword. We actually deal with it every day. Every every day. And it is a it is a major effort for us to continue to configure systems and keep systems in place that um keep us safe from the threat actors that want to get into our system. Devices and life cycle. This is all this is everything from again I'll go back to fire panels, cameras, scanners, copiers, phone books, all the devices need to be serviced, maintained and supported and refreshed at times. Um enterprise systems we play a part in
031all of the enterprise systems front line, staff training, how we manage all the devices more than 10,000 devices in the district. All of that gets managed as part of an enterprise system. And then compliance and regulatory support. There's been so much that has come down here recently from the state with regards to new AI regulations, new cyber security regulations, and then keeping up with the regulations and compliance that we've always had in the other any other areas. So I want to call out data services. I think they've had probably the most growth um this year due to the state's sort of reinventing the TSDS program. And that has caused a lot of change in that where you may have data analysts who were on campus who also met with parents, who were in the front
032office, managing some of the front office duties. The data that we enter must be entered directly the first Used to, before last year, we could make corrections on the on the back side before everything was finalized. State's funding us based on where we're sitting in the end. There's no there's no fixing it so much at the end. They do still have some but it's a it's a hard deadline for getting data correct. In a nutshell it's changing the way that position the way we have to look at that position. Having that data entered the first time is critical. All right. Some accomplishments here. On the network I'll tell you we had some network issues that did come up this last year. Um during the first round of testing we had some network uh incidents that
033occurred during the test. This affects testing. And so uh I can safely say that during the spring we didn't have any network during the testing. Uh we've had some in the last couple of days but not during testing. The only incidents that we had was one at Gus where we we it wasn't an incident with network, it was an incident with Chromebooks and their ability to actually connect to the the right test. Yeah, I don't know if you heard about that. JFK also has a small problem with the need of a new fiber. So still some things going on. We meet every week to talk about cyber posture to find out what we need to do in order to keep to keep us safe. And then we talk about staffing and who's going to be
034doing what over the next several days. Let me move this along here. This is a priority matrix. What you'll see here on the left side is how we're approaching this is this connects every all the work that we've done and that I've shown you today uh connects it to our priority areas. So on the left side you'll see a financial stewardship statement and with the funding sources that we have available to us uh yearly services we save about 900k, special projects are about 1.7 million that we save and over total district savings is about 2.6 million dollars in discounts for various grants. Uh dental services. Yeah, the E-rate program is a big one. You passed a uh to have the network refresh back in March, I believe. Uh that's going to utilize $0.5 million of
035E-rate to accomplish that. We're very excited to get that taken care of. The green, the yellow, and the red. This represents uh what's working, what's uh maybe in question that we need to address, and what we really need to take a look at. This drives our priorities, how we tier these out. Systems in the green are ones that we have working for us all the time, and we all have to do is maintain them. The ones in yellow are the ones that we uh that we know we've got to think in the future about to determine what kind of funding is needed to get these items uh shored up. And the ones in red are the ones that really uh keep us uh grounded every week in discussion. That's data governance. What are we going
036to do to make sure that data is accurate? It's centered. And then we've got some aging infrastructure. And then cybersecurity. Well, we've got cybersecurity in the green and the red. We've done a lot a lot of work to to uh configure our systems and to ensure that we are safe. But threat landscape is changing every day. Some of the new things that are coming out are truly scary where AI is actually creating some of the threats uh that that have gotten through these areas. So, uh with that looking ahead. I think that it it's important that if we're going to create a legacy in technology, that we create sustainability. Not just network sustainability across all systems. To ensure that it's it's funded appropriately, to make sure that everything's uh budget stable. We don't have surprises.
037That's an important part of the legacy that we want to support. And then to make sure that the the board understands what support looks like, what awareness looks like. Make sure that we're aligned with policy. And in conclusion here, clear oversight and trusted outcome is what we what I know I've grown to expect from this board. So, thank you very much. That was a very brief look at technology. If you have any questions, I'll take them. If not, Thank you, sir. Dr. Mack. Do you have a question? You want to do it right now since you're up? Do you have any questions? Go ahead. Uh thank you for the the presentation. My first question is you did mention AI and like what kind of AI policies or initiatives like does the state put on like
038school districts or what type of like AI oversight does the board have or for for the school district? So, I'd actually started this year working to put together a committee with the board um for an AI discussion. But then the legislature legislation has actually come out with AI regulations. I thought the work we would do might be usurped or directed more by what the state's going to do. So, we're going to wait out what the state's going to do. Currently, there'll be AI awareness. We'll have to give a report of all of the softwares that we have that use AI. That we'll have to report that. That's in the the legal parameter. But then also, we have uh myself, I have to be AI trained. At some point, every teacher's going to go through AI
039training, but through a house bill uh I forgot the number. Uh only I have to be trained uh, in cybersecurity and AI. And I have completed that training and it's uploaded So, that's really where we're at right now, but it's a it's really a hot topic because it is it is uh, evolving. And I suspect we're going to see more regulation around it. And another question, you did say um, like something about I think it was Gus Garcia, but JFK, but what was the the the technology issue that that said JFK? At JFK, there's a In their 200 wing, they're having some in and out instability with their network because there's a uh, piece of fiber cable that uh, is broken. And so, we actually have it ordered. Once we get it in, we're going
040to install it and that'll fix everything. And then just to close out um, uh, when I whenever I do uh, the superintendent does invite the board to like the some of the student lunchings and um, some of the things that I've heard from students uh, which which I don't know if we can like work on, but um, one thing is like they said whenever they log into College Board, like they have to get a text from their phone. So, it's like uh, how would that work especially like if the students can't have cell phones in the classroom? And the students also mentioned like uh, for the Wi-Fi, it does load, it takes a while, sometimes there's there's websites that are blocked. And uh, I believe they use a software called AP AP Classroom and they
041said that that rarely works. So, AP Classroom, we have a number of and thank you for the question. Uh, and we have a number of uh, vendors that we use that are outside the district. AP uh, AP Classroom is one of those assessments that that that comes from the College Board. And the College Board does its technology the way it does. I I will say this, uh, anytime there's a problem with the computer and it can't do what it needs do online, the very first thing that says is a network problem. Rarely is it a network problem. Usually it is it is a different issue. And I can tell you while the students were doing their AP uh we were also testing star other testing. That was working. And in the same building. So I
042I think that I did take that feedback back to my network team and we talked about it very next Monday we go out and have an action review And we do have a plan to go out there. The real trouble we have sometimes is teachers need to let us know in the moment when they're experiencing. We've got tons of dashboards and digital things that say everything's okay. But if they're experiencing something different in one of the classrooms and we've done this with a number of assessments that got integrated as well. Teacher will say this isn't working this way or that. One of the initial problems with the AP exam and not to just labor this because I can literally talk forever about it. Um is that uh you have to go through it in a
043very specific way through class link. And some of the students were actually going to it in a different But we're actually maybe thinking about taking it out of class and we're really trying to figure out that one. But it's specific to that assessment. That vendor. Thank you. And I just wanted to close off the like cuz like you did say like there's a way for teachers to report like if something's going on, but maybe if like there's a way for students to directly report, I think that would be nice. They can they can as well. That was actually started during COVID and that system is still out there and working. All right, sir. Thank you. Um any Can you close this out? Yes. >> Okay. All right, go ahead. Um and just one or two
044slides left, sir. Um Los Amigos Leadership School for Girls held their annual um Parade of nations. Students of all grades learned about nations and cultures and proudly presented what they learned at their annual community event there on campus. Ors Nettles Leadership School celebrated moms with a mom's day brunch with breakfast tacos. We have Loma Park here that held a rise and shine pancake breakfast for fifth grade students that had a chance to play games, eat pancakes, and take pictures with their families as their time in elementary school winds down. Then you have the bicycle riders put their skills on the line during a bike rodeo at Perales. Riders of all ages tested their abilities with the help of student athletes from Kennedy High School. Edgewood Fine Arts Department held its annual student art show at
045the Edgewood Theatre and then the showcase featured all kinds of art created by Edgewood ISD students. PBIIS teams shared their creative ways to encourage students during the PBIIS showcase. This is an opportunity for our teachers and our teams on our campuses to collaborate with one another, create milestones, and reflect on the positive improvements helping our students succeed. It was a sweet show at the Stafford Visual and Performing Arts when fifth grade students performed Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Students learned dances, stage blocking, created their costumes, and created set pieces. We know we'll soon see these young performers on the bigger stage here in EISD. Finally, students at Roseville Dual Language Academy are taking big steps toward being healthy. Students, teachers, and parents participated in the first walk, bike, and roll to school at RDLA. We had
046a great turnout and we're thankful for the city of San Antonio for helping with the event. Here's my contact information and EISD socials. Please give us a follow. Thank you, Dr. Hernandez, trustees, Superintendent Hernandez. That concludes the Goals to Greatness presentation. All right, thank you very much. All right, Mr. Joey, can you go ahead and put up the slide we discussed and then I'll turn it over to our board president. Yeah, so before we move on to our next agenda item, I just want to do a shout-out to our trustee, Mr. Valdez, who graduated from UTSA this week, right? Saturday? Okay, this weekend. This past weekend. Yes, congratulations. I know a few of us Many of us were actually on the board when he was in high school. I was on the board at the
047Fine Arts Academy and we really tried to push a lot of things that would, you know, get our students this far. So, um you know, congratulations. You know, I'm really proud that you've gone this far. From my understanding, you're you're thinking about graduate school. So, so good luck with that as well. Yeah, thank you. That's what we want. This is what we want for, you know, for all of our students to go. We've done a lot of support, a lot of work with the Alamo Colleges, with Alamo Promise, UTSA Promise, things like that. So, we really want these these opportunities for our students. And and with that, I just want to open up the the floor if any other my board members want to want to say a word. Actually, I also want to mention
048Mr. Delgado arrived at 6:35 for the record. Go ahead. If anyone wants to mention any comments. All right, Mr. Valdez, if you want to mention anything. I just wanted to say it is it is an honor to graduate with a bachelor's degree. But, I also would like to like thank my family, thank my Edgewood community, thank all my teachers, the principals, everyone that made an impact in my life. Um I also wanted to you know really thank the community. And it was really it was really amazing participating in the commitment ceremony because in this picture I did take a picture with some of our student teachers at Los Banos and Loma Park. So it's nice to see them. And it's I also saw a lot of like few of my friends that I did graduate
049from the Fine Arts Academy graduate with like bachelor's in architecture. So it was really nice to see that and nice to see like a lot of students continuing higher education. Thank you. Anyone else? Mr. President. Yes, sir. After that my congratulations um to you and your family for uh this um and to reiterate that that's why all of us including you and uh Dr. Nunez uh sit on this board to have this kind of success story. Um so again congratulations to your family. Okay. Anyone else? Good. Just real quickly I'd I'd like to congratulate my colleague Mr. Valdez as well. Um and I would say that um bachelor's degree a bachelor's degree is incredible. So congratulations for that. But also remember that never stop learning. Never stop learning. Every day experiences in life are learning
050experiences. So we need to keep on taking that in and making something of that. So thank you so much for doing that. My congratulations. I would like to say that 4 years ago or how many 3 years ago they joined the board come on. 3 years ago they joined the board we were very excited cuz one of our students was going to come in and join us and so I want to say congratulations and good luck with your career. I'll echo the general. It's it's always a a good feeling to see students move on in life especially when you move on to undergraduate and then finish. That's great for all of us for the community in general. To the young men and women that are leaving we got to see six tonight and a few
051others that are pretty going to leave us in a few years. So it's always good to see folks come back and I I would say the same thing as I tell the students you guys have heard me at the luncheons. Don't forget to look back and and pull someone up. This is a great honor it puts the district in a good place but more important more importantly it changes the trajectory of your personal family and I think that's extremely important. And so again congratulations and God bless. Okay and with that so we're going to take a short like a 2-minute pause before we move on to our next agenda item. So we'll be right back in about 2 minutes. Thank you. >> Mhm. >> [laughter] >> Yeah, this is the only technology I need right
052now. No, okay, you're right. And we're back. So, um Next is our communication from citizens. And we're going to have miss We have three today. We have Mr. Espinosa read our uh read our thing. Good. Our next item on the agenda is communications from citizens. This is a time for community, staff, and students to provide their comments to the school board. To have your comments heard tonight, your name and specific agenda item must have been submitted in person or signed up online with the board operations manager. Each speaker will have 3 minutes or less, depending on the number of people who have signed up to speak. Non-English speakers who require a translator may receive up to 6 minutes to speak. Presiding officer of the meeting may modify or waive these time limits as appropriate. In
053accordance with the Edgewood ISD Board Policy BED Local, the board shall not tolerate disruption of the meeting by members of the audience. Speakers or others who engage in disruptive behavior may be ruled out of order by the presiding officer. Disruptive behavior and action include, but not limited to, racial slurs, insulting, profane, threatening, derogatory, or abusive language, making violent or threatening gestures. Public comment is not intended for the speakers to make allegations of employee or student misconduct, requests for employee or student discipline, personal attacks on individuals, or disclosing information about district employees or students. If an individual makes a complaint, presiding officer will interrupt you, ask you to stop, and direct you to seek resolution resolution of your complaint through the district's appropriate formal grievance policy, BEGBB A for employee complaints, FNG for student or parent
054complaints, and GF for public complaints. If, after at least one warning from the presiding officer, any person continues to disrupt the meeting by their words or actions, the presiding officer may request assistance from law enforcement officials to have the person escorted from the meeting. By law, the Edgewood Independent School District Board of Trustees cannot lawfully discuss, deliberate, make comments, or make a decision on any matter raised in the public comment period that is not included on the agenda posted with notice of the meeting. Specific factual information or recitation of existing policy may be furnished in response to inquiries, but the board shall not deliberate or make decisions regarding any subject that is not included on the agenda posted with notice of the meeting. Signs, placards, or banners shall not be allowed in the boardroom. If
055you have any handouts to distribute to the board members, please hand them to the board operations manager to my left. All right, thank you, sir. Uh first uh first speaker, so we're going to have Yeah, 3 minutes. Uh, first speaker is Ms. Dora Maldonado speaking on item agenda item four, uh, EISD trustees board of eight training, which is usually team of eight, right? Team of eight training, but board of eight training and mental health awareness safety. Good evening, board members and committee. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak tonight. I want to begin by saying this speech is not coming from a place of disrespect. It is coming from genuine concerns and beliefs that our students, staff, and teachers deserve better communication, accountability, transparency, and safety on our campus. What is happening in
056our schools is bigger than a one incident or one complaint. There is a growing concern among students, teachers, staff, and parents that important issues are not being properly addressed. When concerns continue to be ignored, people begin to distrust in the system that is supposed to protect and support them. Teachers are trying to manage classrooms, report concerns, and support students while feeling like their voices are all being overlooked, yet targeted after reporting incidents and concerns. Staff members are trying to maintain safe environment while feeling unsupported. Students are speaking up about issues involving accommodations not being followed, bullying, vaping, smoking on campus, feeling uncomfortable in classrooms, and ongoing safety concerns. There has also been a situation involving unknown males being on campus where students and staff teachers did not know who they were, where they came from,
057or why they were there. Many people feel situation was never properly reported to AISD PD or communicated to parents on what occurred that day. It happened. Concerns with students incidents involving a teacher and students that gave statements of being uncomfortable, felt hidden instead of properly addressed. An email that was sent out >> me pause you real quick, Ms. Um, which item is this? Is it It's mental >> board of eight or mental health awareness? It's uh, mental health and safety. That's the deal. Okay, I'm just having a hard time understanding the connection with the mental health part. It's all the belief that the concerns are not being heard. Okay. Okay, I just want to clarify. Okay. tied in. Okay, keep going. There has also been situations where we read that This is a serious issue
058because safety should never be treated lightly, communication should never be optional, and transparency never be dependent on who is involved. Many students, staff, and teachers also feel that when they speak up, they are targeted instead of supported. Instead, retaliation, intimidation, or being singled out simply for raising valid concerns. No student, teacher, staff member should ever feel free to use their voice. We constantly hear the phrase "If you see something, say something." But what happens after people say something? That is what matters. Students report concerns and feel dismissed. Teachers report concerns and feel unsupported. Staff members raise issues and feel ignored. Parents ask questions and feel hurt. Eventually, people stop speaking up because they believe nothing will change, and this is not the kind of environment our students should represent. This is not about attacking administration
059or blaming one individual. It's about accountability across the board. Everyone should be held to the same standard no matter their position, title, or personal connection. Because safety should never be dependent on favoritism. Concerns should never be brushed aside because they are uncomfortable. And leadership should never avoid difficult conversations. Our students deserve to feel safe. Our students Our teachers deserve to feel supported. Our staff deserves to feel respected. And our parents deserve honest communication. We're asking for transparency. We're asking for consistency. We're asking for accountability. And most importantly, we're asking for action. The students are tired. Teachers are tired. The staff is tired. The community is paying attention. They are not asking for protection. They are asking to be heard. They are asking for honesty, and they are asking for a school environment where safety and
060accountability comes first. Real leadership is not about protecting appearances. It's about protecting people. Thank you. All right, thank you very much. Um Next is Brooke Warning. You here, Brooke? Okay. Um speaking on uh agenda item four, Board of eight and mental health awareness. I'm sorry. Can Can we Can you Can we ask you to start over? We can cuz we couldn't hear the first part. Can we restart the Yes, restart the clock. That way the camera and everything can get you, okay? Go ahead. >> [clears throat] >> Tonight, I stand before this board not just as a student, but as someone who is exhausted from watching serious issues continue to be ignored at our school. It's not about attention. This is not about creating problems. It's about students who have tried over and over to
061speak up, only to be dismissed, silenced, and made to feel like our voices do not matter. My name is Brooke Warning, and I want this board to understand what students at Kennedy High School are experiencing. There was a situation involving a teacher and an employee at the school who made inappropriate comments about me to my mother. As an adult and as an employee, those comments should have never been made. I expected professionalism. I expected accountability. Instead, nothing happened. I went to the principal hoping the situation would finally be addressed appropriately. I explained what happened and how uncomfortable and upset I felt. His response to me was that we were both women and needed to figure it out ourselves. That was devastating to hear because I was not asking for drama. I was asking for help
062from administration. Statements were written and given to the VP. He said he did not want to overstep anyone, so the matter was handed over to the vice principal. Again, nothing was resolved. Instead of addressing the actual issue, I was told I needed to calm down because I sounded angry before meeting could happen. But I ask you this, how is the student supposed to stay calm when they feel completely unheard? How are students supposed to trust administration when they when every attempt to speak up gets pushed aside? What hurts even more is watching certain employees openly behave in ways they should not while students are constantly corrected, watched, disciplined. Students need this board to understand something very important tonight. I am not the only student going through this. There are freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors who
063feel ignored every single day. Students are afraid to speak up because they already know nothing will happen. Students who feel like administration only listens when it benefits them. Administration have favorites. And when students or even staff members try to speak the truth, they are pushed aside because no acknowledging the truth would force accountability. We are tired of being silenced. We are tired of feeling invisible. We are tired of being expected to stay quiet while adults responsible for leading our school continue failing the students who they were meant to protect. Tonight, I'm speaking not only for myself, but for every student and staff member that has ever felt unheard at Duncanville High School. Thank you very much. Okay, our final speaker is uh Felix Maldonado. Speaking on agenda item four, uh EISD Trustees Board of eight
064and facilities. Uh hang on. Is facilities on the agenda? Okay, so if you please keep your item to the EISD Trustees Board of eight because facilities is not on the agenda. Go ahead, sir. Good evening, board members and community. I stand before all eight of you of you today to ask for something simple, for your support and investment in Kenny baseball. You watch upgrades happen across our district. The track, the sports room I mean that renovated it looks amazing. Memorial baseball saw my Kenny. They all have equality facilities, but Kenny baseball continues to be overlooked. Our field deserves attention too. For years coach Olivares has done everything possible with what we have. He teaches us, motivates us, and pushes us to work hard no matter the condition, but hard work can only go so far
065when the facilities facilities themselves are falling apart. Our tarps are torn which leaves us practicing in mud after rain and extreme heat when there's no protection. Our batting cages are damaged and outdated. The field structures are worn down and neglected. These are not just cosmetic issues. These are conditions conditions that directly affect our ability to train and prove and safely represent our school. The question is why are Kenny baseball players expected to settle for less than other students athletes in the district? We are students who we represent our school. We work hard, too. If any of you took the time to truly walk through our field, not just drive by it, but really look at it, you would immediately see that upgrades are needed. You You would see athletes during their best which is leaves
066that no longer matches the the district claims to uphold. We're not asking for special treatment. We are asking for equal treatment. Every student athlete deserves facilities that show they that show they matter. Every team deserves the opportunity to practice in safe, functional, and updated and every board member here has the responsibility to ensure equity fairly across all programs. Please take the time to observe viewers, see where we practice, see what we work through every single day, then ask yourselves if it's truly the standard you want Kennedy baseball students to continue accepting. It's been years since time for Kennedy to receive the same investment, respect, and upgrades as the other programs in this district. Thank you. Thank you very much. Okay, those are all of our speakers. Next move to our consent agenda. I wanted to
067ask Oh, I'm sorry, sir. Uh, did you have a comment before we move on? Uh, yes. I want to ask, cuz I I I want to ask our attorney, cuz I heard in like other districts sometimes after public comment make reports, like sometimes the board asks like if the superintendent can give the board members a report later, like based off of the concerns. Is Is that allowed? Yes, under but you have to stay within the parameters of 551.042 of the government code. And that provision basically says when a public speaker comes up to the podium, be no discussion by the board or an administrator. The only response has to be based either short factual response or policy response. But to the extent that you would like to say Superintendent, can you really look into that?
068You can say that. Okay, thank you. So, um by mistake, we're not going to do consent agenda agenda item. We're going to do Superintendent's report. Go ahead, sir. All right, guys. So, if we can bring up the Superintendent's report, I do have some information I want to share, which will shed light in generally on what's going on in the district, and of course as always, we'll follow up on any items that that we need to. So, again, thank you for everybody that came in tonight for all the different presentations this evening. I want to start out tonight by thanking our trustees in general, but also highlighting some of the work that our trustees have done over the last uh over the last year obviously, but specifically last week during our National Police Week. Uh I
069want to thank three of our trustees five of our trustees who participated in National Police Week. Um specifically Mr. Espinosa, Mr. Santoyo, Mr. Delgado, Mr. Lopez, as well as former trustee Mr. Gomez who you see on there. Uh I do want to thank you guys for coming out and not just purchasing the food for that day's event, but also uh for actually cooking and serving. So, I do want to thank you guys for doing that. I know our police department is very thankful for all of what you guys did generally, uh but again, thank you. I want our community to know that. Uh I also want to give a huge shout-out uh to our not just our police department, but our officer school leadership, that's Dr. Mankins, Mr. McAlvain, uh Dr. Butler, as well as
070all of our campus principals. We have now completed um all of our intruder alert visits that we are required to have by the state. The last two are why you see the two decals there. We are 100% complete and we are 100% passed in the audit. Uh that is not an audit that's conducted by EISD, that's conducted by the state of Texas, TEA. And so, I want to thank all the people that I mentioned because it is not easy to get 100% completion and I I do want to acknowledge that. Uh as mentioned earlier, I also want to thank our different operation departments, as well as Joey the whole San Angelo Torres, different people, Mr. Garaninka, marketing, just for the walk to school day that we have. This is our second campus that is now
071engaged in these. Loma Park was our first, now Roosevelt is our second, and we hope to continue these throughout the year. Uh but again, I want to thank the board tonight for all of the work that you've done. As you know, that link there will connect you to all the questions that have been previously asked. Uh all the preparation that you've done this month, board, with regards to board updates, uh actually visiting uh we were at John F. Kennedy ironically that that was brought up. Both the board was at John F. Kennedy on the 14th conducting their walk-throughs of the building. That is something that the board has done and I want to thank all seven trustees for coming to these throughout the school year and spending some of your time walking the schools with
072us and looking to see how we can support that work. So I do want to thank you for that. That is part of the vision of the district making sure all students graduate on time. I also want to thank the board for participating in our fifth team of eight. Most people don't realize the state of Texas only requires us to have one team of eight. We have had five. That is part of the learning that the board has done throughout the year. So I want to thank you board for continuing to dedicate your personal time to the work that the district does again and then also I want to thank the board for also keeping your obligation to the community with regards to our recent engagement with Third Future Schools. I want to thank our
073board for actually going with us up to Manor ISD and visiting that particular school talking to both administrators, obviously that CEO of Third Future Schools, but also the students which I think is really important for what's happening in the school versus what's being said. This is actual information from the children, first-hand knowledge and thank you board for making that trip up with us and visiting that school as well as I know we had parents that were also offered an opportunity and we had a few that went up to Manor and visited the school as well. So again, thank you for that dedicated time. Again board, thank you for keeping to our priorities in the district. The rest of my presentation is really just thanking the board for all the time that they're keeping and dedicating
074to the district whether they're bettering themselves as a governing body through the leadership TASB group. I know our board president is a member this year. Last year was Mr. Valdes. This year is Dr. Hernandez. I want to thank you for going out to Texarkana ISD as part of your your yearly trips out there with this particular group and learning how to govern better alongside those of us in the school district. And then also for participating in the Fiesta Finale finale. Oh god, that came out the wrong way. The Learn for Life Day here recently and you see other board members there. So it's Dr. James, Mr. Rodolfo, Mr. Lopez, different members of the group that are participating on a Sunday and dedicated time to seeing what's going on in our schools. To Ms. Castilla for
075the time spending time at the recent Senators breakfast. Both you and Mr. Lopez and attending that event and becoming better informed on what's happening not just in Edgewood, but also in the greater community. I want to also thank Ms. Castilla for a lot of the data that she shares with us through her work with the community and how that's led to the book study that we've had this year. The Mr. Rodolfo and his team is doing. So thank you, Ms. Castilla. To Mr. Espinosa, as I mentioned earlier, um part of that cooking that they did last week also included our welding CTE class. And so I want to thank both he and Mr. Gomez for actually going out and feeding our group of young men. I don't see any young ladies, so I'm going to
076say young men. In that CTE class as well as the teacher. Again, this is something that is they've donated both time, money, and the driving and everything else. I want to thank you for that work. But then also for the board performance planning meetings that we had at at Kennedy. As you can see in these pictures, you're going to see different people. Your attendance at the EASD needles event. I know that evening you were there. Mr. Valdez was there as well. I'm getting to that picture. But also to Mr. Santoyo, again for participating with the National Police Week and helping cook and everything for for our different for our officers that day. Thank you, sir. To Mr. Lopez for the work that also again attending that Fiesta Finale event, but also for the work through
077the Thompson Neighborhood Association. The neighborhood association actually gave out three scholarships in the names of prior members of the group who's our students. And so I want to thank and acknowledge of work that Mr. Lopez has done as part of the neighborhood association, but just in general the work that's done. I know our trustees went to this event after we had a workshop. So, that's a very long day. So, I want to thank you guys for all the dedication you've given to Mr. Valdez. Also, for attending our EIAS Unidos event. That's you in the back there at the fine arts and looking at all the different art exhibits. So, again board members, I thank you because this is time you dedicate to our school district. Also, for coming over to board performance planning and actually
078walking JFK. Um that is part of the focus of the board is walking the district and taking into where areas that we can support. But, I do want to be very clear especially on the dawn of um presenting a budget for the board next month that the board is now we've been educating and working with the board for months now. We have a budget. We have lots of needs across the district. We have addressed needs as they come up from students whether they're from the student luncheons or the morning parent meetings. Those things have been addressed and we will continue to do those. But, we also have major projects that we were responsible for and that we have to continue to do. So, I thank everyone who brings their feedback because we do listen and
079we do take it, which is why we ask the board to participate in our schools. So, Mr. Delgado as well for participating in our performance planning meetings. You saw him in previous pictures as well with that evening event. But, again board members for all of what you're doing and all of what you're going to dedicate cuz we've got four graduations that are coming. And then of course as I close out, I also want to acknowledge that we continue to have students who have already received their associate degrees from our two high schools uh through Palo Alto or I don't know, not Palo Alto. Yes, through Palo Alto and then I believe some through San Antonio College, I believe. Um but, nonetheless our students are achieving uh their associate degrees. A board last week when we
080took you to JFK, we intentionally walked you into CTE classes because that is part of meeting the CCMR requirement. So, you got to visit three classrooms that day um in the CTE wing at JFK. It's important that see it firsthand and see what the students are learning and also understand the endorsements and the certifications that they're getting. That's really important. And so I close that out and I'll close out by saying next month these are our meetings with the board workshop and the regular board meeting. That is a on a Monday. We do want to stay there for the community so we know that on a Monday and we'll that closes me out. There are some items at the very end that you can look through for summer programming. That's there for our parents. We've
081been showing it all over the place. We have an Escada program that we're offering to our sophomores rising sophomores and juniors. And then these are other events that were have been open to our parents and then rest of it is pretty redundant. But that brings my report to an end. Dr. Nunez and I'll turn it back over to you. All right, thank you, sir. A lot of good stuff going on. All right, and with that we move to our next agenda item which is consents. As per board policy BE local, unless a board member makes a motion to withdraw an item for individual consideration and such motion receives a second and is passed by the majority of those present, all consent agenda items shall be acted upon by one vote without separate discussion. At this
082time we move to our consent agenda. Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda items A through R? Mr. President. Yes, sir. I motion to approve our consent agenda items 5A through R. Okay, thank you, sir. Mr. Valdez motions. Is there a second? Second. Mr. Delgado seconds. Is there any discussion? If we have no discussion, all those in favor raise your hand and say I. I. I. All those opposed raise your hand and say nay. All those abstaining raise your hand and say abstain. Okay, motion carries. Second. Okay, the next item is closed session. Board members, there are no items that require the board to adjourn into closed session this evening. Um Dr. Hernandez, did you want to mention a few things? Yes, I do. Um to the board and to the community, the
083items that we listed this evening with regards to uh legal counsel with regards to contract amendment, we do not have any items that need to be presented to the board tonight. That is item 6A. Item 6C, discussion regarding um the Edgewood ISD compensation plan, that is we do not have an item to bring to you tonight. I know we've been having different uh conversations about it throughout the uh the the not semester, the spring the spring time the last couple months, but we don't have any formal action. We'll bring some next month at the regular meeting. Um so items 6A and 6C uh have no discussions tonight. Okay, thank you, sir. Uh regarding agenda item seven, the only pending item is 7B, uh which I would request a motion to defer this item indefinitely. Uh
084is there a motion to defer this item indefinitely? Mr. President. Yes, sir. I motion to defer agenda item 7B discussion and possible action regarding the selection nomination for position of the TASB Board of Directors indefinitely. Thank you, sir. Okay, Mr. Valdez motions. Is there a second? Second. And Mr. Espinoza seconds. Is there any discussion? If we have no discussion, all those in favor raise your hand and say I. I. I. All those opposed raise your hand and say nay. All those abstaining raise your hand and say abstain. The motion carries. And with that, we move to adjournment. The time is now Mr. Mr. President. Oh, yes, sir. Go ahead. Just want to thank um superintendent for bringing up the Thompson Neighborhood Association. Uh on behalf of the Thompson Neighborhood Association And on behalf of our
085president, Joyce Segura, and thank you for bringing it up. Um Thompson works hard and we have worked hard really for the past few years. We've raised over 10 to 12,000 dollars in scholarship money to give to our kids. I can say that our membership, even though they might not have kids in the schools, think it is so important to support our kids and support the school district. And so it's it's it's a it's work of love when we are raising money for the for our students and for scholars. And we will continue to do so. So thank you so much. One other thing that I want to say tonight, I know we've recognized so many teachers tonight, the instructors, and and for the great work that they do, but I'd also like to recognize their
086first teacher. And that's the parents that are bringing up our kids and sending and trusting us with their kids. And they are the first teachers. So thank you to all the parents out there that entrust us with their kids. Thank you, sir. Do you agree with me? Well, in closing, um I I would be remiss if I didn't bring this up cuz I was going to bring it up earlier during my time. I also wanted to thank Mr. Delgado because on top of um all the time that he dedicates to the school district, Mr. Delgado is also going to college. Um and he just completed his first semester. So I do think one of the one of the things this this board has talked about repeatedly is the value of learning. Um I mean this
087is a learning institution. We just celebrated teachers, children, for what they're learning, whether it's in the classroom or on the athletic field, or performances. Those things matter. We acknowledge our board member who has achieved a major milestone in his life, getting a bachelor's degree. Everything has a beginning once, and I think it's important to acknowledge that our board members, beyond just the dedicated time that they're doing, they also have families. They also have loved ones. They have people that they are responsible for, and in light of that, um they have kept the work about the work, uh dedicated to making sure our children get the best experience possible. So, whether it's the Thompson neighborhood, also other groups like our Compadres group who who raises lots of scholarship money, our Lions Clubs who a lot of
088these groups are now being led by former trustees who are no longer on this board, but still continue to dedicate themselves. It is important that we continue to spend our time elevating people because that is the nature of this work. So, to my colleague, both my colleagues that are in in the formal way of learning, congratulations again, Mr. Morales. Congratulations to Mr. De La Torre for what you're doing. I look forward to your graduations that are coming. And to each trustee because you're out presenting, whether you're out across the country, Ms. Castillo does that a lot, or you're out in different places just dedicating your time. You just heard one of our leader of the pack, Ms. Bedingfield, talk about why she was attracted to Educate and why Texas in general. There is a DNA
089here that's about social justice. We do much better when we spend more time working together on things and seeing through things and just dedicating them to our kids. So, I thank you. Continue to be honored to sit here on this board with you. And Mr. De La Torre, congratulations on your first semester of college, and we will keep rooting for you, sir. Yeah, I want to mirror that as well. Congratulations, your first semester. Let's see. You passed. Did you get Dean's List? You got all A's? I'm just kidding. >> [laughter] >> No, really congratulations. Um that's the easiest semester right here, the first. So, it's going to get harder. But it's okay. We'll We'll be here. We'll be here for you. All right. So, anyway, congratulations. Yes, and we look forward to your graduation in
090in a couple years. All right. Maybe less. Okay. All right. With that, the time is now 7:30 p.m. Do we have a motion to adjourn? Mr. President, I motion to adjourn. Okay. Mr. Espinoza motions to adjourn. Is there a second? I second that. Mr. Lopez seconds. Is there any discussion? If you have no discussion, all those in favor, your hand and say aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. All those opposed raise your hand and say nay. Okay, motion carries. Meeting is adjourned.