001Test. Good evening school board members, superintendent, district staff, and community members. The time is now 5:16 p.m. on March 24th, 2026, and I call this public hearing of the Edgewood Independent School District School Board to order. I'm very pleased that you took the time to join us this evening. This complies with the state government code 551 for open meetings act. Tonight's agenda has been appropriately posted. This is a meeting of a public entity, not a meeting of the public. As our guests, you are welcome to observe and listen. These proceedings are being 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 mandated that these proceedings
002are recorded accurately, I may have to ask for order periodically should I notice that disruptions are interfering with our recording capabilities. Once again, I extend it to each of you a sincere welcome from the entire Edgewood ISD School Board. Roll call. Ms. Martha Castillo. Here. Mr. Frank Espinosa. Present. Mr. Richard Santoyo. Here. Mr. Rudy Lopez will be joining us tonight. Mr. Michael Valdez. Present. Mr. Sergio Delgado. Here. Uh myself, Dr. James Hernandez, 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. Uh next is our communication from citizens. Uh Mr. Espinosa. Our next item on the agenda is communications from citizens. This
003is the 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 translator may receive up to 6 minutes to speak. Presiding officer of [clears throat] the meeting may modify or waive these time limits as appropriate. In accordance with Edgewood ISD board policy BD 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
004limited to, racial slurs, insulting, profane, threatening, derogatory, or slang which may contain violent or threatening gestures. Public comment is not intended for the speakers. They may not make allegations of employee or student misconduct, request for employee or student discipline, personal attacks on individuals, or disclose information about district employees or students. If an individual makes a complaint, excuse [clears throat] me, the presiding officer will interrupt you, ask you to stop, and direct you to seek resolution of your complaint through the district's appropriate formal grievance policy DGBA for employee complaints, FNG for student or parent complaints, 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
005escorted 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. 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 board room. If you have any handouts to distribute to the board members, please hand them to the board operations manager to my left. Thank you. Okay, thank you, sir. Uh so, I need to address two uh before we get going. Uh is Christopher
006Castro here? Okay. So, sir, I can't I can't have you speak because it's not attached to an agenda item. Uh legal, can you can you expand on that? Yes, Mr. President. So, board policy BED local states that um persons who wish to participate in public comment portion of the meeting shall sign up at the superintendent's office by 5:00 p.m. and shall indicate the topic on the agenda about which they wish to speak and other information as may be required. So, it's my understanding that this individual did not uh sign up for a topic that was on the agenda. Yes. And and I can't make an exception to that, right? Because it's a policy. >> there are no exceptions >> Okay. I just wanted to be clear with that. I I can't make an exception. Mr.
007President, I have a question. So, are you referring to the To Christopher Castro's It says the successful history of Mariachi Vikings at Brentwood program. The agenda item indicates Brentwood. We're also talking about Brentwood Middle School and partner for the operations of Brentwood Middle School and Tree Port community to related district-wide initiatives. So, I think the Brentwood Middle School would satisfy this agenda item. Yeah, um Thank you. Um The the topic on the agenda is about an 1882 agreement. It's not about Mariachi. An 1882 agreement with Brentwood Middle School, and that is a program currently at the school. So, I think we should allow someone to speak. This If it indicates Brentwood, Okay. So, sir, let me just ask you, if I allowed him to speak, is that breaking board policy? There is nothing in policy.
008I mean, that would be discretion. I mean, there there is no there is no There is no exceptions that are in your local Okay. Okay. Thank you. Um yeah, so I'm not going to break board board policy cuz it wasn't tied. I would like us to call Mr. Juan Cruz because I think he would have agreed like as long as someone says Brentwood and the agenda item is about the school, I think that would satisfy uh public comment to speak. The The specific agenda has to do with the operation of an 1882 agreement. It doesn't have to do with with Mariachi. That's a very specific topic. All right, so I'm going to move on. >> And other topics say closure of the school. It doesn't say we're closing the school. So, you're going to deny
009people to talk for writing closure of school. >> So, that's my next one. So, Ms. Ms. Sylvia Soto, are you here? Oh. Sylvia Soto? Okay. So, she's not here anyway, so All right, so let's move on. I wanted to get those out of the way. >> I would I would like for us as a board to vote on whether or not we should let the person speak cuz I think I think I don't know I would like to overrule Mr. I mean, my president's decision. So, I would like to overrule I make a motion to overrule the president's decision to not let the the sign up to the person to speak. So, I make that motion. I don't know I don't know if anyone would like to second that. She She did. She did. She
010attempted to call both people that signed up. So, People are working. So, I don't know why you can't just allow this. This isn't an item that you would typically vote on. Okay. All right, we're going to keep going. That's disappointing. I appreciate your comments. Uh we got to keep going. All right, uh Ms. Laquisha Howard. Um Ebony Coleman. Yes, come on up. Um from on speaking on proposed 1882 partnership with Third Future. Gosh, you'll have to forgive me. Can you guys hear me okay? Hello. My name is Ebony Coleman, but most of you know me better as Ms. I've had the immense pleasure of serving this community for the past 4 years at Brentwood Steam School of Innovation. I am a 6th grade art teacher, the 6th grade team lead, the head of the fine
011arts department at Brentwood. I sponsor two after school clubs, the Brentwood Student Council and Kindness Club. I participate in campus committees including the Behavioral Threat Assessment Team, the PBIS Team, the Attendance Committee, and SEPAC. I would like to thank the district and the school board for allowing me the opportunity to speak today. I would like to express gratitude to my principal, Ms. Claudia Sanchez, for giving me a chance as a first year teacher with little ex- Thank you for the faith that you placed in me every day, and I will continue to do my best to be worthy of that. It is for that reason I must voice my concerns about the proposed 1882 partnership with Third Future. My primary concern is the loss of electives such as Spanish, LOTC, and Mariachi. As well as
012the proposed loss of clubs such as robotics, student council, kindness club, cheer, dance, e-sports, vision coders, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Please note that I mentioned potential loss. No McCall from Third Future has stated last night to that there will be three electives, arts, band, and P.E. She also stated that there would be after school clubs dependent upon student interest and the available staff. It is with regret that I must inform you that some staff presently sponsoring those after school clubs are not going to reapply for their jobs with Third Future. Additionally, it is I am uncertain if the elective teachers with positions to apply for that were not specifically listed such as Mariachi, will even have a job to apply for with Third Future if they wanted to. Some of us have chosen
013to take the generous offer of the school district to move to other campuses so that we may remain at Edgewood I.S.D. I know of others who have already started to apply for jobs though outside of I can't help but wonder if my choice to leave might have been avoided. I feel that I would be doing a disservice to my team, students, and the community that I serve if I didn't ask this next question. Why was this proposal not brought before it the District Educational Improvement Council at the beginning of February when this It is my understanding that this proposal could have been reviewed by them. Had this occurred, this partnership would feel more like a merger, and less like Please hear me when I say that there are parts of this partnership that sound positive.
014However, I'm going to ask that you please do not take the things away from Brentwood that make us special, that give our students the opportunity to feel like they are successful. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Mr. President. Uh yes, sir. Uh I would like to ask Mr. Cruz if he can clarify himself about not letting the individual speak uh on this item. Okay. Uh are you aware Okay, go ahead, sir. As you know, and I think I've probably talked to this board in the past, um you can have uh public comment that basically is open on anything and everything, or you can have public comment that is on agenda items only in accordance with your board policy B E E local. What this board has done in you know, uh couple of years
015now, has taken uh public comment on agenda items only, all right? So, for that reason, if it's on the agenda, then the speaker can talk about it. If it's not on the agenda, which is you know, my understanding is the Mariachi program, um you know, speaker, then it cannot be discussed. Now, if they want to talk about you know, the operating agreement and Brentwood and so on and so forth, then that's it. But if they want to talk about specific program, the Mariachi program is not one of the items on the agenda. If it were, then the speaker could talk. But how would they know if it was on the agenda or not? We don't even have the draft posted of the actual contracts, so I don't know why we can't just let them speak.
016Also, the page was printed and given to us, so if the district felt like we shouldn't have let them speak, then why give us the sign-up sheet? The uh agenda was posted in compliance with the Open Meetings Act, right? Uh with three business days. Everything that the board is going to be discussing has posted particularly uh on the agenda, and it was. So, that's how people know what matters are going to be considered by the board by looking at the agenda right beforehand, and then coming here and signing up to speak on one of the enumerated agenda items. But it's just very disappointing y'all are wanting to be that specific about a program even though this program is at the school currently. I think that's very disappointing, and I don't know any other lawyers that
017would give us that type of advice. I don't even think there has to be lawyers to give us that advice because it indicates the school, and we're talking about the school. I mean, the speaker can talk, but it has to be on the agenda item. All we're saying Yeah, it has to be an agenda item. Okay, it is on our agenda. The school is the item. Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. All right. Ms. Melody Arredondo. Speak on item 3A. My name is Melody Arredondo, community leader, and I'm here today as a community member who cares deeply about transparency and meaningful public at engagement in Edgewood I.S.D. I want to speak about item 3A. At this time, there are no attachments or supporting materials available to public for review. Without access to these documents in
018advance, it becomes very difficult for families, staff, and community members to fully understand what is being proposed, prepare thoughtful questions, or participate in meaningful way during public comment as we just witnessed. Public hearings are meant to inform and include community, not leave us guessing. For comparison, neighbor neighboring districts like SAISD consistently make draft contracts or supporting documents available ahead of board meetings. But then again, they don't have Juan Cruz and Associates representing them, so they know better. This allows their community review to review information, ask informed questions, and engage in transparent process. That is the standard many of us hope to see here in Edgewood as well. So tonight, I respectfully ask for clarity. When will the materials for item 8C and the public hearing be publicly posted? Where can the community reliably access these
019documents? Board book, the district website, or another platform? Will draft contracts or supporting materials be shared prior to board action? And if so, what is the standard timeline for their release? And if materials are not finalized before a meeting, how does the district ensure that the public can still provide informed input before decisions are made? Transparency is not about compliance, it's about trust, and trust is built when community is given information and the time needed to engage in decisions that impact our students and schools. Right now, the absence of materials limits the opportunity. I urge the district to prioritize timely access to information so that families, stakeholders can fully participate in the process moving forward. I also want to speak candidly. This administration and the school board, with the exception of one board member, Michael
020Valdez, which is responsible for the continued failures of Brentwood Middle School. In reality, Dr. Hernandez should be held accountable for the position we are in today. Instead of extending his contract and increasing his pay year after year, this board should be focused on holding him accountable and his administration accountable for results. Our students, staff, and community members deserve better. We demand transparency, we demand accountability, and we demand leadership that puts students first. This gentleman was not allowed to speak because he did not put the correct information. And all he wanted to say and highlight was the Mariachi band of Brentwood, and their performances they had at the January 25th January 2025 meeting, an invitation to perform at the Region 20 Service Center in April 2025. The invitation to perform at the district convocation at the
021beginning of the year, Thank you. >> have y'all have the respect to let him speak today. >> up. Here is his speech, and I hope all of y'all read it. >> Thank you. All of y'all. All right. Uh let's speak stay on topic. On the agenda item. Hand it over there. Thank you. All right. Next. Miss uh Leticia Barbosa. Speaking on item 3A. Greetings school board members, Dr. Ed Gonzalez, and Edgewood community. My name is Leti Barbosa. I am a second grade teacher at Roosevelt Dual Language Academy, a TEA exemplary teacher, a national board certified candidate certification candidate, and the Edgewood Classroom Teachers Association president. I am here because transparency is the a bed the bedrock of trust, yet that foundation in this district is cracking. This week a critical town hall occurred with very
022little announcement on social media. No one was notified in the community as far as I know. Maybe Brentwood students and teachers and parents, but based on the number of people who showed up, it appears that it was not likely. I didn't even find the hidden Zoom link, and it was amazing that I actually did. We know from history, Sixth Grade Academy, Winston Intermediate, that decisions that were fast-tracked in this community without community input are destined for failure. We face a partner with Third Future, an organization with no cultural ties to the west side of San Antonio. And while we understand the pressure from TEA, our community, our students, our teachers are not a commodity to be acquired or landed like a real estate deal. Our concerns are specific and dire. In Wichita Falls ISD, 11
023out of 52 staff members were rehired under this model. How is the district going to ensure that our teachers remain in the district? Furthermore, TFS is currently under investigation for alleged misappropriation of public school funds. Deciphering Texas tax dollars to Colorado sound like a stable future for our children? More importantly, we must protect the souls of our schools. Replacing student-centered, trauma-informed care with a sterile environment where children must answer academic questions just to receive lunch is not innovation. It is in our electives that students find their voice, in band, in choir, and in Mariachi. Our students deserve to be nurtured, not chewed up and spit out for a non for a for-profit non-profit. Board members, I implore you. Keep your commitment to this community. Do not make these these decisions in the dark. Third Future
024does not have to be our future. Thank you. Thank you, ma'am. Uh I'm going to go around one more time. Is Miss Laquisha Howard here? Okay. All right. I'll move on. Those are all our public comments. Next, we moved on We're moving on to the presentation. Uh public hearing regarding proposed Senate Bill SB 1882 partnership agreement with Third Future Schools Texas to serve as a campus operating partner for Brentwood Middle School. Good evening. Board President Dr. James Ed Gonzalez, Superintendent Gonzalez, school board trustees, and members of the Edgewood ISD community, thank you for being here with us this evening. Tonight's public hearing is an opportunity for the district to share information, explain our recommendation, and to listen to feedback regarding the proposed to Senate Bill 1882 partnership for Brentwood STEAM School of Innovation. This hearing
025reflects um our commitment to community engagement and ensuring decisions are grounded in the best interest of students. This evening, we will outline the district's recommendation to pursue an 1882 partnership with Third Future Schools for the 26-27 school year. We'll explain why the district is considering this partnership and strategy. We'll talk about the steps that we've taken along the way leading up to this point, and we'll talk about the next steps um should the board approve this partnership um and the recommendation we've made. You will also get to hear directly from Third Future Schools as they present their proposal um for Brentwood STEAM and how it's designed to support student outcomes. The district's recommendation is based on a careful review of multiple data points over time, not one single measure or moment. The review included historical
026and current academic trends, attendance trends, concerns raised by families and staff regarding consistency and improving accountability. While there has been some effort and progress, the district has determined that additional support is needed to support and sustain improvement at Brentwood. Acting now does allow us to respond proactively and locally rather than waiting for actions that could be imposed on us from outside of the district. Under Texas Education Code 39A and corresponding Texas Administrative Code provisions, campuses with persistent low performance may face escalating state interventions. These interventions can be externally directed and may significantly reduce or remove local decision-making authority. Senate Bill 1365 clarified that the years designated as not rated do not reset the accountability timelines, which increases the urgencies for districts to act proactively. Senate Bill 1882, codified in TAC 11.174, provides districts with a
027pathway to lead improvement locally, including a two-year pause from certain state interventions while maintaining board oversight and community voice. This approach does allow us to act intentionally for students, staff, and families then rather than through compulsory state action. This slide um kind of highlights the high-leverage actions that the district took before, during, and after launching the call for quality schools. In January, we conducted a comprehensive review of student um performance data. We identified a strategy for improvement. We consulted with the Texas Education Agency on the next steps. In February, we began the formal board communication. Um we launched the call for quality schools. We mobilized review committees, capacity review committees. Um and then we made a recommendation um to consider Third Future Schools as a potential 1882 partner to our superintendent. In March, the district
028continued board updates and it and um initiated direct conversations with campus staff in the broader community. The timeline reflects a deliberate and structured process carried out within a compressed timeline, grounded in due diligence, collaboration, shared responsibility, and full compliance with legal requirements. Through the call for quality schools process, Third Future Schools demonstrated a proven track record of improving student outcomes. Their proposal learning model aligns with district goals and places a strong emphasis on comprehensive whole child supports, including personalized learning, extended learning time, and integrated services um for students such as special education, multilingual learners, dyslexia, gifted and talented programming. They also demonstrated a commitment to preserving school traditions, engaging families as partners, and investing resources directly into student programs and supports. These were very key considerations for the district. If approved by the board and
029the Texas Education Agency, Brentwood STEAM would remain a public Edgewood ISD school. The partnership would be time-limited and governed by a performance-based contract with clear accountability expectations. The campus would receive additional state funding, and the district would receive a pause from certain state interventions. Importantly, the Edgewood ISD Board of Trustees would retain oversight and authority throughout the partnership. The district deployed the following strategies to engage stakeholders. We began communication with the school board, consulted with campus staff, sent out formal communication, held two virtual community town hall meetings in collaboration with Third Future to share the why behind the decision, share the proposed school model, and provide an opportunity for community to ask questions and just share their thoughts. If the board approves the partnership, the district will work directly with staff in good standing to
030identify positions within Edgewood ISD. We will support clear and timely communication with staff and families. And we will collaborate closely with Third Future Schools on calendar alignment, on school operations, and we will remain actively engaged through continuous monitoring and support to ensure a strong opening and the ongoing success of Brentwood. I want to thank you again for your time, for your engagement, and your commitment to Brentwood STEAM School of Innovation. We value feedback, and we look forward to continuing this conversation. At this time, I would like to call up Mr. Zach Raddock, Superintendent of Third Future Schools, so he can talk and share more information about the school model. President Trustees, Superintendent, it's a pleasure to be here today. Thank you for the opportunity to share a little bit about Third Future Schools. I'll be
031brief so we can make sure we have plenty of time for questions. So, a quick overview of this presentation. I'll talk a little bit about our background and history, as well as our school model, track record of success, and then specifically to this partnership with Edgewood ISD. And then finish up with some specifics on the school and the campuses. We currently operate 12 campuses across three states. 6 1882 partnerships in Texas. But we also had an additional four. Um so, we've operated 10 1882 partnerships since 2020. And you'll see our current 12 campuses represented on this slide. We currently educate about 6,300 students in these 12. This slide represents and encapsulates pretty much almost everything Third Future. So, the box on the left is our seven key actions. So, our network is driven by a
032very clearly defined action plan with indicators of success and specific metrics around them. And then you'll see at the top we have our vision and mission, as well as our six core beliefs on the bottom right here. We train on this. Professional development is centered around this. Uh our core values on the bottom right, those are our guiding lights in how we dictate our behavior on a daily basis to make sure that we're doing right by students, families, and community. Our main goals, and they have been since 2017, are your two bottom circles. Closing the achievement gap in your 2035 plan. We know there is an achievement gap between white students and students of color in this country. Third Future Third Future's mission is to close that achievement gap in reading, writing, and math. And
033we work relentlessly 184 school days to do that through an instructional model I'll talk about in a bit. Second key and driving factor is year 2035 competency. Those are changing, but some staples have been problem solving, critical thinking, and informational literacy. Those are skills and characteristics that students must learn as they matriculate from kindergarten through 12th grade. And then when they graduate, whether they go to career, military, or college, those are skills that they need to have. And we believe those are hard skills to For many years our profession has told teachers kids need to think critically. But we also have all these However, all this stuff. So, in 2020 we created the art of thinking curriculum, which I'll and I'll talk about. That specifically teaches these year 2035 competencies, and all students in grades
034three through eight receive that curriculum. We've been doing that since 2019. This graphic shows our our current 1882 partnerships, and this is specifically related to accountability rankings in the state of Texas. So, you can see at Sam Houston we've gone from an F to a C since 2020, or F to an A since 2020. Um then we go down to Mendez, which is in Austin. We'll be transitioning that school back to Austin June 30th. They started number 19 out of 19 middle schools. The last ranking was an 89. They were the highest rated middle school in AISD. We missed it by one. Um we've done Staff has done a tremendous job there. We'll be successfully transitioning that back to AISD the end of this year. Next up we have Lamar. Lamar we opened in 2023
035partnering with Midland, our second campus there. We got them from an F to a B. They did slide back to a C. I have no reservation we'll get them back to a B. Midland re-districted that year, and we had a big influx of third graders coming in. And obviously when we had 75 new third graders, you cannot show that growth factor this And Parnell and Jasper. Um like we opened that up in 2024, and they were an F, and we got them to a B in one year. So, our our goal, my goal, our is F to C year one, then to a B year two. At least keep it a B if not an A year Those are our targets, and that's captured on that slide that had our key actions. This data shows
036a little bit about our NWEA MAP Growth assessment. So, we administer this in August, December, and May of each year. These are last year's end of year results. So, on the bottom right hand corner you'll see the network. So, as a network we grew 1.56, so 1.6 years of growth in one year's time. Now, most schools and campuses across the country expect one year of growth in one year's time. But to close that achievement gap, we have to accelerate the learning. Our target, to be transparent, is 1.7. We We did not hit it last year. We're 1.6 So, we we have got to do better. And I'm happy to say that this data that shows you our current MOY, the middle of the year. So, from August to December, and our network average is 1.1.
037So, in 4 and 1/2 months our students grew 1.1 years based on the NWEA MAP assessment. The campuses you see in the orange bar, those are our four new campuses. So, this is their first year of operation. Manor Middle School did 1.9. Yeah, Hershey Middle School which stopped falls 1.4. And Linwood and Bridge are two new Louisiana that we tracked. So, this year we are tracking to hit our metric of 1.7. I don't think this will double and it'll be 2.2. What our data historical data shows us is it's it's harder to get and replicate first year or first semester over second semester simply because of you have a lot of holidays and state testing, which takes away from direct instruction. I think we'll settle on my target to beat our 1.7 at 1.8. Next
038up I just want to talk a little bit about culture and staff survey. So, we administer staff survey in December and May of every year. And we partner with Attuned Education. It's a nationwide um survey company that specifically works with districts across the state or across the nation. And of the six domains that we that that survey assesses, a national survey, um you see the six there. And our overall positivity rate was an 82%. So, 82 of our teachers agree or strongly agree positive responses to the 56 survey questions that they Um our metric on our key on our action plan is a goal of 80. So, we did exceed that by 20. Uh we had a teacher response rate or staff response rate of 84%. You see the domains broken down here. So, this
039is what we're assessing on how our staff How are we doing in these critical areas? The basic needs, belonging, and so forth. Uh you can see belonging was at 74%. So, we we've got some work to do there. Um but very good on individual purpose, very good on leadership advocacy, quality of instruction. This visual TFS are the yellow dots, each of those domains I just The blue dots are every other district that takes the survey. So, in all of these assessed areas, TFS was in the top three across the So, we do take culture very seriously. Well, we do, and I believe we have a proven instructional model. The instructional model doesn't mean anything without a strong culture. Whether we have the entire staff dedicated to students that we believe every student can reach their
040We have high levels of accountability. Quality instruction makes the most difference in student outcomes. We are committed to reducing the inherent inequities in public education. Those are our core beliefs. If we don't believe in them, we can't [clears throat] act on them, manifest it through our behaviors. So, I was very pleased with these results that we saw in December, and we'll administer this again Some of the core tenets of our school model is grade level instruction. Many students in in our country, unfortunately, haven't received grade level instruction. So, if this is grade level, it's usually a little bit below because most of the kids fall kind of in this area. It's very hard to to differentiate and do all that for classroom teachers or if they have, you know, 30 35 students, 32 students in
041their class. Our first 45 minutes of all core content is grade level instruction. So, teaching at sixth grade math level with scaffolds and supports built in to that first 45. Then we administer at what we call a demonstration of learning, DOL. It's just five questions. For example, if the TEK or the objective of the day is we will determine author's purpose in a text. It will be a sixth grade text. Now, maybe 250 words. Four questions centered around author's purpose. Evaluating that. And then probably a short constructive response, two to three sentences, where we put the writing. We will assess that right then and there and then go into immediate differentiation, which is our LSA model. Students that are proficient in advance will go to a team center where they receive support from a learning
042coach with a more rigorous assignment so they receive enrichment in advance. Students that are not proficient get an additional 45 with the classroom teacher in a smaller group, smaller setting with targeted scaffolded instruction around that. So, if we're looking at author's purpose, do they Is it really that they don't understand if it's persuade, inform, or entertain? Or is comprehension holding them back from the text of being able to decipher what persuade, inform. So, that is our instructional model and how we do that. We provide a high level of instructional scaffolds for all students, Bible for special education emergent bilinguals. We believe that is just good best practice. We train on that. We train for performance and then we coach them how to be effective and they they deliver that instruction. In a highly engaged learning
043environment, we have what we call our multiple response strategies to elicit to elicit student engagement in a variety of six different ways that we'll train teachers on how to as well as provide on the spot instructional coaching. Just as the the coach on the football field or the coach on the court, we're not going Let's say we're at football. At the At the end of the football practice, a coach is not going to pull his offensive line together and say, "Hey guys, tomorrow when we run this play, we block this way." They're going to coach right there on the spot. They're going to observe, process, and give feedback. Do that. We believe that's the way it should be in teaching. Now, we're not going to blow whistles fast. It could be as simple as the
044teacher asks the the students to a turn and talk. I may come up and say, "What are you going to follow this up with?" If they say, "I'm I'm going to make it into what we call a quick response card." That's fine. Awesome. That's exactly what we're doing. If they look at me and they say, "I don't know." I'll say, "All right." Take 90 seconds and let them write. And then have two kids read it. That's how we So, it's not We're not disrupting the classroom, but we do believe that it it's more effective. It's real time and it can change the instructional behavior behavior at a more rapid rate. What makes us unique? We have a very diverse student body, very diverse student staff. We operate in three different cities in three different states
045and multiple cities. Our goal is to serve at-risk under-privileged students and close the achievement gap. Proven instructional model based on some of the data sets that I've shown you, as well as consistent execution across the network. If you were to go into our first established, the Academy of Advanced Learning in Aurora, Colorado, you would see the same instruction and strategy would at Fair Park, Shreveport, Louisiana. You'll see the same technology. See the same desk. Same materials. Same curriculum. I'm sorry, different curriculum, same work. Curriculum is different by state. You will see the same instructional strategy. That is That's how we train for consistency. Make sure we have fidelity to the instructional model. Additional factors of the feedback that I've talked about. Leadership development. We have five and a half days of leadership training prior to
046school starting, August August 4th here. We have five and a half days of just principals, APs, teacher leaders. We bring them all into a central site that's hosting summer school, our quarter five program, and we we train them pretty It's a pretty intense five and a half days to make sure everybody's calibrated, understands our culture, understands our instructional model. We also provide 19 days of professional development. We have nine days of professional development prior to the first day of school and additional days throughout the year with the one every month with the exception of December because of Christmas break and March because of spring break. So, 19 days of professional development. We also have a rapid deployment of resources. If a school needs something, they need to be instructionally better, then we do that. Our
047Our goal is student outcomes and student success. So, we're we're we're going to put those resources, deploy them quickly, so that students are not waiting for support, teachers are not waiting for help. We have 184 school days to make a difference. Really less than that if you look at the statistics. We have to make every day Now, we have special education, emergent bilingual, and 504 students. They have provided supports. We provide all the accommodations through 504, as well as center-based classrooms, as well as resource inclusion, and emergent bilingual supports as well. Curriculum. We'll go briefly on this. We have state-specific curriculum that aligns to the standards, whether that's the Colorado academic standards, the TEACs, or the Louisiana standards. They're broken down by month. So, every count we have a pacing guide broken down by month.
048Teachers just have to stay within a two-week window. They don't have to stay on like March 24th, you teach this. Two-week window. We've color-coded them based on frequency and intensity on each state assessment, so that it's a guaranteed and viable curriculum that students will be taught the priority standards they need to know prior to the STAAR test. Quality of instruction is the number one factor. Research has shown that the number two leadership and number three is the curriculum you deploy in the classroom. So, we provide a high level of instructional leadership. Our staffing model is designed to support and deliver that. We have not had substitutes since 2020. We hire teacher apprentices, one for every 150 students. If a teacher is out because of um sick children, we don't have a stranger, a substitute come
049in. We have teacher apprentice or learning coach who knows the model, has been trained on the model, but most importantly, they have a relationship with the student. The students know that at all, so that that is an effective day. So, again, I always want to go back to effectiveness. Needs to be effective days. And we provide a high level of principal oversight and and coaching. Principals are coached daily. When I am in campuses, I I'm walking with at least at least 90 minutes with every single principal and assistant principal looking at the quality of instruction. What are we focusing in on this as a campus? What are we focusing in as a grade level? What are we focusing on this teacher? What are the two instructional practices that we can get better at to drive
050results? We have 184 student teacher contact days. We go a little bit longer than most traditional districts. We believe it takes those extra days to make a difference, but we closely align our calendar to the district. So, we would have obviously Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break, and then our PD days we match up with your PD days as closely as we can because if we have a family that has a student third grade and one in sixth grade, and the third grader doesn't have school, the sixth grader is probably not going. And that we understand that hurts us with ADA. So, we try to match that up. We have many, many different calendars at their schools because we have many different partners. So, we try to match up. And I mentioned the nine professional I'll talk
051briefly about our year 2035 competencies. We summarize this with the DIET concept, but it it's not just about knowledge, it's also about perspective and experience. That's where problem solving, critical thinking, informational literacy come in. So, yes, the TEACs provide the knowledge, but you also have to have the perspective that we get from our art of thinking class, and then the experience through our student travel. So, we provide that for our eighth graders. We have taken trips to Costa Rica, Japan, Quebec, Munich. This year we are slated for Iceland, Reykjavik. I will be transparent with the board and superintendent that we're monitoring things very closely in the Middle East to make sure it's safe for our kids to go, and we're working with three different security companies to make that decision probably by But we have
052been doing this since 2021. We believe that the student travel provides the experience as part of the year 2035 competencies. Travel, going to a different culture, provides a different perspective, a different experience that students take and use that for future growth. And then I talked about our art of thinking class in grades three through eight with problem solving, critical thinking. Athletics. This seems to be a very common mis- You know, it's not a true perception of their future. We have athletics in all of our middle schools. If we have students that enough that want to play football, we play football, basketball. And at KIPP College Prep in Odessa, we had four football teams, two seventh, two eighth. We had four basketball teams. We had 1,500 students. Right now, Manor Middle, we're participating in the the
053Manor middle school athletically. At Mendez, we're participating in the Austin middle school athletic league. At Witchita Falls, we're participating in the Witchita Falls middle school athletic league. We have athletics. What we don't do is have athletic period where we mix 7th and 8th graders like for athletic period. So, the reason being is that all the 6th graders will go to electives at the same time, 7th the same, 8th. So, that my core content teachers can have common time. Cuz if all my 6th graders are elective, my 6th grade teachers have common planning to look at academically so we can focus in on the reading, writing, math. So, if we have athletics, it takes place after. Like most schools do. So, they have athletics. Some do before school. Maybe it's gym time. If some of the
054basketball teams, some coaches may elect to go early in the morning rather than later. But, that's a that's a school site campus level decision. Um, but all of our middle schools complete and we would partner with the district in whatever league we're currently participating in. That's what we would That's what we would host games, have ticket counters, sessions, gatekeepers, all of that good stuff. I I coached for 10 years high school football, high school soccer. So, I know the value of athletics. I believe that it's it's not just athletic performance. What what I think carries over more is the character, discipline, and work ethic. Those characteristics students get by participating in athletics, their clubs, and their Site specific campus. Mascot stays the same, colors stay the same, the name stays the same. That that culture,
055that tradition, all stays the same. The dress code stays the same. I only ask that no rip. We don't have uniforms. Some schools if we partner and they had uniforms, we keep them. Um, if it's just a dress code, we keep the dress code. So, we're not coming in and changing any of that. We're partnering with the district. The the biggest is thing the difference is just the instructional model, the length of the school year, and and how we educate kids at our school. And we are not a charter. We are not approved to run charter schools in Edgewood. We're not. This all of our partnerships are 1882 partnership. Partner with the district, collaborate with the district, report back to the district pleasure of the board as frequency they want. Um, but really we're working
056hand-in-hand to help improve outcomes for kids. Questions? I have I have some questions, but first I'd like to ask uh Ms. Salinas cuz these uh pertain to the the district's portion. Um, my my first question is cuz I know we do have our own DAEP campus. So, what what partnerships like that be with the the proposed 1882 school look like? >> Yes, sir. Uh we will work with Third Future to ensure that the Edgewood students, cuz they are Edgewood students, would attend our DAEP program. And then like uh how would hearings work? Cuz I know we have our own district hearing officer for DEP, but like would that be different for this specific school? They would go through our hearing officer, and correct me if I'm wrong, sir. Um, since they'll be coming to our
057DAEP facility. And then um I guess my other question uh if you can just like um let us know like how would transportation look like? Would be Edgewood buses, stuff like that, nutrition, and all that. Yes, sir. Uh we would continue to um support the campus with nutritional services, custodial staff, um all of the operations, building maintenance, and transportation will stay the same. And then another question I have is um how would communication work uh look like with the 1882 and with our district in terms of communication? I mean like would they be operating their own website? Will we host their website? Uh how will weather days look like if we don't have school and they do, stuff like that? Uh that's going to take a lot of constant communication. Typically, when we launch partnerships,
058we have weekly, biweekly meetings um to ensure that everyone knows everyone in the district. We would be coordinating what that looks like. Um, they would maintain their own website much like Learn for Life where they have their website, they update it, but it links to ours, and their marketing team talks to our marketing team and webmaster to ensure that there's tight alignment um for families. And that would be the same for any and all communication that goes out to community. We would um collaborate on what that communication looks like and sounds like so that we can all be on the same page. And then um for for the district's portion, I know that we did talk about the community town hall meetings, and I know one was yesterday. Um, but when was the first one?
059And I thought the first one was an in-person, but it was Zoom. Yes, sir. The first two meetings were virtual meetings. We did have one on Thursday, March 19th. Um, I opened up the meeting and then turned it over um to Third Future. So, this was a collaborative effort to ensure that we had representation um for Edgewood families. Okay. Pause pause real quick. We're going to come back to you um because other board members have questions, but we will come back to you. Uh Mr. Dedegawa, go ahead. Yes, sir. I just had a quick question. How can you explain how the hiring process or the choosing process of the teachers are done? Um, just with some of the teachers that are here to see how it it was actually done in uh yeah. Yes, sir.
060Thank you. Um, so if we're given the opportunity to partnership, um we would have additional town halls tomorrow night staff. Um, then we would conduct days of office hours two representatives team. We would be at the school and I brought down 200 flyers today and threw them out. And calendar, bell schedule. It's a it's a time that's more relaxed where people can ask more personal ask personal questions. Um, you know, whatever pertains to them personally questions. So, two days of office hours there, we'll do that. Then we open up a Google survey that I would send to the superintendent, his designee. We would release that to staff for 72 hours. Say they just put in their name, their email address, I am not interested in applying or I And then we let that run for
06172 hours. I would download that on Sunday, send it again to the superintendent, his designee so you would see exactly who does not apply, who wants to. Those that do apply, we would we come in next week and we would have a four-day window where we would do a 10-minute observation. So, there's no the days, they don't know the time. And then we come in in 10 minutes and I'm looking for three things. Classroom management, presence, content. They do well there, second round interviews. My target would be to give you by April 10th final list of of hires who we've offered jobs to, who has accepted. Only then would we start interviewing external. Only then. The rest of it Thank you. Okay. Mr. President, Yeah, I also want to add just for for you board
062members. Um, you made it very clear to us in the past when we've had other things like the right-sizing of the district years before that keeping the staff in mind is important to you. That will also be the what we will follow for this process as well. Anyone who does not chooses not to or is not selected for Third Future, uh we as the district have made a commitment to for all employees that are in good standing, we will relocate them to other schools in the school district. And much like we did in the past, uh principals opened up the school at designated days and hours so that a teacher could visit, see the school, talk to the principal. We did the same thing for uh some parents who asked for it both in English
063and Spanish. We transported them over. So, we did a lot of details in terms of what you've asked us to do, board, and we intend to do the same thing uh should you deem to accept this recommendation. Okay. Let me go around real quick. Uh Mr. Santoyo, any questions? Mr. Espinosa? Just one question. This potential partnership will allow other other students from other from outside Edgewood to also enroll? Yes, Edgewood ISD does engage engage in choice options. So, students do have the choice and families to determine which school model and which school they want to attend. Thank you. Mr. Castillo, you have a question? What happens if we don't go into this partnership? If we don't go into this partnership with [clears throat] Brentwood STEAM School of Innovation, then we're at risk um for state
064intervention. State intervention? Yes, ma'am. State intervention. Um, that means that we have persistent um academic underperformance at the campus. Um, and based on middle of the year data and other factors, um we believe that the campus um is not projected to be a C, which would be the only um letter grade that would break the accountability pause. Um, with Senate Bill 1365 and the not rated years going back into play, it really puts um Brentwood um in a very difficult position. And so, state state takeover could look like the state coming in um issuing other sanctions. They already have a targeted improvement plan. Um, it could be assigning a campus team member to the school to oversee the school. It could lead to school closure or board um takeover. Okay. Thank you. Yes, ma'am. Okay.
065Uh let me ask a few questions. So, my understanding is um three It's been three F's for Brentwood. But, right? Okay. Uh What what What have we done to to alleviate that? Just I mean, not just very simple. Don't don't overcomplicate. Just very simple. What have What are the things that we've been doing to to change that as Edgewood? Not not outside people as as Edgewood employees. Um we changed the school model. We redesigned the campus um to be a STEAM school of innovation. Um we've deployed um strategic resources, um our own team going in, coaching. We've partnered with other organizations um like Big Rocks and things to provide additional coaching and support. Um we've also shifted um and improved curriculum materials and those types of things. Um the Bre- Brentwood STEAM community, much like
066much of our other communities, um has just faced a lot of complex challenges, so a majority of which are beyond our control. >> And that goes into my next question. What what What is What is the problem, you know? But, I know education we don't like to say problem, but what what Why haven't we gotten better? What are those conflicts? I think there are several uh mitigating factors. There isn't just one problem that you could say, "Ah, it was because of this." Life happens in several different ways to all of our communities. We even experience that on a daily basis, so some of it is teacher turnover, attendance, attrition, new state standards, um new uh teaching, new models, new curriculum. There are a whole bunch of factors that lead to why we're in the position
067that we're in. Um what is most important is what action we choose to take moving from here. I don't want to sit here and pass blame on any one teacher or leader. It's just so many different factors, and I know, you know, as an educator yourself, sir, I know you can relate to to what's happening in the educational landscape and and how um we are subject to whatever happens um at the state level and whatever those legislative actions are that are coming down on the campus. >> Okay. I do have more questions, but I want to go around again. Mr. Santoyo, you have a question? Yeah, not necessarily a question, but just the a comment alluding to what Mr. Garcia uh pointed out. Um we've been we've known that the state takes over uh districts
068because of dysfunctional boards. That's That's a common thing, okay? But, now they're looking at these poorly rated schools, not just the school district, but but a particular school in the school district. And Fort Worth has gotten has gotten their uh their name in the paper for that, so Go ahead, Mr. Aldaz. Um I said my my second The question I was going to ask was um for that last town hall link, um I believe there was like one link shared on the campus website, but one link shared by the district, and for me one of the links didn't work. I don't know if that's what other people uh had issues with, but that was a certain problem for me. Yes, sir. I do uh publicly apologize for any confusion. Um there was an issue with
069one of the links, and we ended up getting a new link, and for some reason it didn't save to one of our web pages. We do apologize. As soon as it was brought to my attention, we quickly went into action and fixed that at about 5:01 before the town hall meeting. And then another thing that I brought up in the past at the past board meetings is like we're still like, you know, when we look at our calendar on the district website, we're still seeing things from the the beginning of March. Um so, we have to scroll down for the current day, but I think that should really be changed cuz why do we get to see stuff in the past? Um cuz that's not relevant anymore. Just more struggles for for us um to
070be looking at. Thank you for that recommendation, sir. Um I have asked a lot more questions, but if you wanted to ask one before I do. Cuz I I do have This is the most questions I've ever had in a meeting because because I am a cuz I'm in the middle of a lot of this as far as being a, you know, you know, an educational expert, some would call um Thank you, ma'am. Um So, what information has the the community received regarding this? And I'm more specifically the Brentwood community, the the families that, you know, their their um their kids attend Brentwood. What What information have they received up to today and when? Yes, um thank you. We did send out um a flyer. We sent out text messages, emails um to parents and
071students. Um I believe What What information though? Oh, we uh shared information about the potential partnership with Third Future Schools. Um and what We also shared information about what what that was going to look like, why we were um engaging in this conversation as well. Okay. You want to add to it, sir? Go ahead. I'd also like to share with the board because you've actually been involved in not just Brentwood. So, this is not a disconnected conversation that I want to make sure I point out a couple things. One of the pictures that that we used in the presentation was actual pictures from our luncheon meetings and our breakfast meetings with parents. This is not a new conversation to this community with regards to school accountability. We have now had over 35 meetings since the
072beginning of this school year in the mornings as parents arrive, during lunch with students, and with parents who we invite to these meetings. At this particular meeting last time, both Ms. Garcia and Mr. Delgado presented alongside myself and Mr. Chavez with regards to Lone Star governance data uh as well as the accountability score for the school. So, this has not been an isolated conversation in terms of not informing the community where their school grade start is standing. These conversations started as early as September. I see one of our kids sitting here shaking his head because he was in that meeting. And so, I share that with you because these conversations, although they may seem uh a bit a bit abrupt, they're not abrupt in the sense that we're not shying away from accepting accountability. I
073am not shying away from accepting accountability as the superintendent because to stand in front of a parent and say, "We are an F, and here is why we have an F." And I get questions from parents, "What can we do?" And it's a very simple ask of mine. I just need you to have the kids in school. We have policy that says that students must be in their seats 90% of the time. We're talking about a particular campus. We are not at that number on a daily basis. And so, the again, this is not a disconnected conversation and it has had It has happened at every level in the district, including our head starts, also. That's been the plan. I will continue to do that. Uh we just finished with John F. Kennedy this week,
074actually. Yesterday, if I recall correctly, next week will be at Moore. And so, again, we want to be transparent in a way that is bits and pieces at a time. Why? Because the state accountability system is difficult to understand. And so, I share that just as what else have we shared with the community? Those would also be also items for Okay. Thank you, sir. Um I'm going to do a few more, and then I'll go back to you, Mr. Aldaz. Um So, going to funding, so what what funding are we going to receive uh with this partnership? So, the uh school will receive all state state and federal programs, and because it's an 1882 um partnership, they will also be eligible to receive the 1882 partnership benefits, which is additional revenue for students in attendance.
075Um Sir, Mr. Delgado. We need to talk to the families about what that means. We need to be specific because we use these big words, and sometimes it just goes like this, but let's say for each child that comes to school, we get $60, right? But, with this partnership, how much are we going to get? Can we get it as a district? No. It only comes through the partnership. Because the the state will only release it through the partnership. It's not that we don't want when you do certain things or keep keep them out of Yeah, actually, no, these These are state mandates. That they're coming to us, and this is just the beginning because you know that a lot of education system has been pulled out. Ma'am, you keep laughing, but that's the truth.
076And you never listen. You say a lot of things. You're angry, but you never listen to us. So, one of the things that I want to say is that, please, be more specific. What is the amount we get now? What is the amount that's going to come for each student with the partnership? What are the changes that are coming? Let's not be afraid to say it, ma'am. Okay. Uh Mr. Delgado, you have a question? Then I'll go to you. Yes, sir. I just had a quick question. How do y'all handle uh disciplinary issues? Like if there was fighting in the schools, or uh is there a step like, "Hey, 1 2 3, third step, you're kicked out." Or um something like that? Yeah Yes, sir. We We have a a progressive discipline policy. So, really,
077there's only three rules. Students don't disrupt the learning environment, they're not disrespectful to staff, and zero bullying. Um if a teacher says a student needs to be removed from class for disrupting the learning environment or disrespect, then they that the rest of that class they will go to the team center and we have every kid will have one-to-one as well have a device. They will get on Google Meet, will participate instruction virtual virtual. So, they're not missing out. They don't get to escape. At the end of that class, they'll go to their next will attend their faculty will go to their next. Um as far as if expulsion goes, um we've only expelled for those cases where the law says So, we kids are going to make mistakes. In middle school, students are are going
078to make mistakes. We're not running a military academy. Um we run a very tight ship, we're very clear in our expectations. We'll make sure we do this over the next community town halls throughout the spring. Um but our our employees, they love kids and they understand that kids will make mistakes. We we have a positive behavior support system called Habits of Success. Um I doubled the budget for that for all first-year schools because day one, August 4th, we need to start rewarding kids for positive behavior. Most students only get consequences for negative behavior. You know, we we have We all have a positive behavior support We though work usually for 10 or 20 days to get it on our paycheck. Students don't have that patience. Some students need to be rewarded hourly. They need to
079see that. And so, we build that in and I doubled the budget so that we can provide those rewards to students much faster to build a culture. Thank you, sir. And kind of leading on to that, um I don't know who it pertains to, but as far as mental health and counselors and stuff like that, that's still provided Is it provided through y'all or through the district? >> Yes, we provide We We provide counseling. We'd like to go through the district purchase that back. We'll have counselors, yes. Um social workers as IEP providers and all of that. Okay. And And I'll add to that conversation that that partnership also does not preclude the other services that we provide in the district. We have other We work with communities in schools, we work with Meadows Foundation.
080We're going to align with our partner in the sense of doing what's best for our kids, which is what this conversation is about. And so, I want to make sure I added that to the public. Mr. Adkisson, go ahead. Um uh going back to the counseling topic, um cuz you did mention social worker, but will we have a social worker all day on the campus because I know in our district we don't have one-to-one social workers at each campus. We would have social workers as required for students on IEP. Uh what what does that really mean, Ms. Salinas? Um it's not a full-time position. It would be dependent upon the IEP, so if a student IEP determines that they need 2 hours of counseling per week, then they would ensure that that student receive 2
081hours of counseling or social worker support per week. Thank you. And my question is from Ms. Salinas, uh cuz we did hear about questions about the DEIC, why this didn't go to the DEIC committee. So, I would have wanted to know why this didn't go uh they we didn't let them know about this. Yes, sir. Um because this is a 1882 contract, that is something that is for board approval, it is not required to go through DEIC. We do value DEIC input on many things throughout the district and we want to encourage participation with DEIC, but this was not an item that would be taken to DEIC. And then my my other question is uh if we can talk about what our whole partnership we had in the past with Friends of P-TECH and uh
082this is going to be another partnership uh but like a different model. Yes, sir. Thank you. The partnership of Friends of P-TECH, um which was terminated at the end of last year, that was a very different type of partnership in terms of the model capacity and services. This is a specific and strategic partnership with uh what we call a proof of concept. This is an 1882 partner uh who has a proven model of success, um who has a program model that can be replicated and scalable across states. And then my other question that I've I've been asking is um what is the current enrollment and capacity at this Brentwood Middle School and of uh Gus Garcia? I have that. Give me just a quick minute cuz I didn't memorize all the numbers. Um Gus Garcia
083has a capacity um right now, they're about 90% capacity. So, they have maybe 24 seats. I'm still looking for my notes. Um and at Brentwood STEAM School, um has about 124. Um they're about 80% capacity. And then we also have Las Palmas um for girls as well. Oh, here it is, sir. Uh Las Palmas is at 56%. They have 249 available seats. Gus Garcia is at 90 with 74 available seats, and Brentwood is at 74% with 190. So, thank you. And then my follow-up question to enrollment is what would it look like if, let's say, uh or how easy or would it be typical if someone wanted to move from Brentwood to Gus or Gus to Brentwood or to Las Palmas? No, um our our choice um is coming out soon and we make that
084a very easy process. We don't have any wait list right now, so we welcome all families to explore options. Mr. Adkisson, go ahead. Just a quick question, I don't know if you have this information. Um do you notice more enrollment after merging with a certain districts? Do you see a higher increase in students wanting to come to their future or do you see more just a standstill or less enrollment? It depends on the geographic locations. So, I've seen both. I've seen all three, really. We've seen static, um I've seen a drop. Some of it is due to rezoning with the districts. The one thing to understand, we always follow the registration policy of the district. So, if you rezone, we rezone. Um if you close a school, then we absorb, we do that. So, the
085registration There is no Your registration is your registration, we always follow that. Now, what I'm what I'm prepared to do um here for for for you guys and in San Antonio ISD as well is I'm because we're new to San Antonio. Um I I don't have I don't have like boots on the ground here now. Um what I am going to do is hire a full-time person, start them April 15th all the way through August 15th, get a person that does nothing full-time, 40 hours a week, $2,000 for 5 months to do nothing but partner with community groups, civic groups, community outreach, keep families engaged. What I don't want is for families to not know. We're going to have multiple town halls and everything, but that's not enough. I know that's not going to be
086enough. And so, I want a dedicated person here doing that specifically for you guys. So that we keep families engaged because if I don't keep them engaged, they'll make stuff up. And it's usually not the right stuff. And so, I don't want that to happen. Um and so, I I have meeting meetings all next week to get this right off the ground. If Thank you, sir. All right, sir. Um I have a few more. Uh so, this was brought up uh the sports and extracurriculars. So, um what what would happen to the the CTE program? What happened to our extracurricular um the activities, clubs, things like that? You had mentioned it wouldn't um a lot of them wouldn't happen during the day. It would have to be either before school or after school. Can you
087elaborate on that, please? Yes, sir. So, all all students will get 60 minutes of electives a day. So, they're going to get 60 minutes of electives a day cuz electives is how we provide period for teachers. Say 60 or >> 60. 60. >> Okay. Yes, so 60 minutes of electives is yet. So, teachers receive a 60-minute planning period and a 30-minute duty-free lunch, so they have that. Um all of our So, if any after like sports, if we were going to do marching band, that's going to be after. Cheer is going to be after school. Um if if we had We We would have I I don't know what the electives will be, but that'll be left up to the principal. And then how many depends on the number of kids for each grade level
088cuz I need to make sure I have I'm not going to put 50 kids in an art class, that's good. Um so, we would have the appropriate number of electives to make sure all the kids are in. And and principal decides that. Now, if we were going to do like um advanced band where we wanted to mix sixth, seventh, and eighth grade, that would be after hours. That would be after. Or a choir or something like that. Thank you, sir. Uh I'm going to this might be for both of y'all. Um and I'm not asking these questions again like you mentioned like to to pass blame, I just I just need to know if if we're going to go into this. Um So, what's is the issue and and just be honest, is the issue
089that we don't have the expertise in Edgewood to to turn the school around, make it a C or B? Like is that is that the issue? Like what Help me out, please. >> limiting factor right now is time. Cuz what I will say is we have been at the Brentwood STEAM School of Innovation Academy on a really frequent basis and we have teachers teaching. We have good things happening and progress is being made, but we are bound by time and the five consecutive uh years of unacceptable performance, and we don't want to put the district at risk. Okay. Um So again, this is for for both of you all, whoever wants to answer or both. So what are the downsides to this partnership for Edgewood? Um change is always difficult. Um we started off, you
090know, uh on the downside of this when we waited for middle of the year improvement results to happen. We waited deliberately until the very last minute to see if we were going to be able to get Brentwood out of C, right, to get them to a C. Um when we realized that wasn't the case, we had to mobilize and move into action very quickly, which, you know, created a very condensed time frame. Our community has felt the impact of that. Our community, you know, everything happens based on what's in the best interest of the people being most impacted. So when you have a staff and a principal and assistant principals who, you know, aren't aware that these things are happening, we've got to communicate with them first. We've got to communicate with our board first
091and we're looking at a timeline that included spring break. And so that was that was a challenge. So change will be a challenge. It will be a challenge for teachers that are having to think about where they're going to end up next, right? What campus they'll end up next. It's going to be a challenge for community members who have enrolled in Brentwood STEAM or parents and may no longer be able to offer that computer science courses because again, those things that we did by design were also the things that created other factors, right? That limited our ability to provide, you know, a a strong focus on nothing but core academics, reading, writing, speaking, you know, mathematics, all of those things, science that that um Mr. Kradick had spoke about in terms of what he's not
092willing to sacrifice to ensure students are successful. So it has been a game and a race against the clock every day. When we have kids that are, you know, absent from campus and they miss two or three days and the teacher is there, they miss three lessons. So if you think about that, how do you make that up for a kid that's already significantly behind um in terms of of reading or support. And so there are going to be changes. And so I think that the biggest thing I would say to you that right now, the biggest drawback is the change that that's going to be coming. But we do believe that this partnership is aligned to our goals and ensuring that we close the achievement gap in offering staff um compensation um a different
093strategic model. We've seen these schools before in action in in years uh past back in 2022 uh in 20 or 2022 and then 2023. And so we um have seen um what can happen as a result of this model. Our hope would be that we would learn and we would scale. But at this point in time, we don't have the curriculum they have. We don't have the expertise and the bandwidth that that they have um to run this particular model. Thank you. Is it Mr. Kradick? Is that your name? Just call me Zach. Zach, okay. Um So so what what what's the downside to partnering with with you? You'll get some calls at the beginning of the year from from parents and maybe students. Teachers. Um we will enforce code is usually the biggest. They
094enforce the dress code. If we're going to have a dress code, we're going to enforce it. Um or why have a dress code? Um that's usually number one. Um students will probably not probably, they will be reading, writing, doing more math than they probably have before. Um from bell to bell, from 8 to 4, we maximize every minute. You know, it's 4 to 7 minutes of a warm-up then the direct instruction, DOL, and the differentiation. Um we're very streamlined in firing in the reading comprehension and the math literacy and numeracy skills. The students are or they're going to be working hard. They'll be working really hard. Um and then teachers, um staff that, you know, I I tell every teacher that I hire and all the principals that there are harder jobs than education. There
095are harder professions. But there is no harder job in education than turning around schools. I'm going to ask them to work harder perhaps ever before before because this is what our students deserve and need. And hard work is part of the process. Thank you, sir. I'm going to pause. Mr. Valdez, go ahead. Um my question is to Ms. Salinas um cuz we we I know we did talk about um that right now the only limiting factor is time, but um let's say time was not a limiting factor to get out of this rating um the F or D rating. Uh what year in like two, three, four years would we have seen on our own the typically get out of this rating? Um at at this point in time um because, you know, the the
096years have have already uh passed in terms of consecutive years of unacceptable performance, it it is time. The only thing that would have um helped us would have been if the campus was was projected as of today to be a C. Um and so that's what I meant by that. I hope I answered your question, Mr. Valdez. A little bit, but another thing I I'm thinking of is just like our Lone Star goal goals. Um like for some of the subjects that we have like math, reading, like did did that also play into a factor? Like were we're setting our goals right now because if we wanted to increase those goals, wouldn't we have increased it more on our own? Um the Lone Star I want to kind of separate a couple of things. Um
097one, what we're talking about right now with regard to um historical um underperformance, we're really looking at accountability. So that is the state assessment, right? Whether you get an A, B, C, D, or F rating. Um our Lone Star govern our governance goals are um based on different metrics, right? While they provide strong correlations for predictions for STAR, those are established um by the the school board and they are done in collaboration with LSG coaches around what um is reasonable when you think about where you set goals and targets. And I don't know if anybody else wants to add. I would just add some of those items are and board, you present some of these at the schools you've been at. In terms of our high schools, think about industry certifications. Thinks about Think about
098CCMR, college career military readiness. We monitor those things to include the students that are taking AP classes, early college high school, the students that are actually enrolled not just enrolled in it um CT courses, but also those that complete their actual certifications. So Lone Star governance, think of it as more the roundabout looking at other factors that sometimes the state accountability measure doesn't look at, but we look at them because we know they're important. For example, TSI grade, that's the college interest exam and how kids are doing. Although we still have work to do there, again, transparency to me is also looking at the items that maybe people don't look at because the state says we don't look at that. We need to look at that. And in fact, I showed up yesterday, Mr. Lopez,
099our other trustee was not here, uh was at Kennedy yesterday and that came up in the conversation from the kids' mouths how they needed continued assistance with their early college high school, continued assistance with industry certifications, and things of that nature. So that's where I see the correlation and what's important that we also elevate in these conversations about accountability. Thank you. Mr. Del Rio, go ahead. Just quick question. Um are the teachers still able to get their TIA certifications? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So we always do TIA with district have that we partner. Okay, I'm going to go again. Few more. So thank you uh for talking about the teachers. So I want to transition to to the teachers now. Um So we mentioned extended learning time, right? Um and teachers work all the time
100anyway. Um And so how are we going to take care of their wellness? How are we going to make sure that they're going to be working long hours and how are we going to guarantee that they're not going to burn out because the reason I'm saying is because it I mean yes, we can maybe do it for a year, maybe two years, but eventually people, you know, people have to take care of themselves. You know, and so how how do y'all guarantee that that's built in uh to the to the model? Well, I I mean I I I can't guarantee non-burnout because everybody's different and everyone has a different threshold. Um but I shared with you some of the culture surveys, so some of that data. Um what we have been doing since 2022 is
101we have been trying to create a better work-life balance. So one of the ways that that we have done that is because of our staffing model, um sometimes um in in traditional schools when a teacher calls out sick or doesn't show up, they pick it up. And then teachers have to give up their go cover that. That's a stressor, that's a what? And number two then is if we value instruction, but they have to give their plan up then we send them in. So our staffing model allows for teacher apprentices and learning coaches, so teachers don't have to give up that isn't The other two things that we do is um that all all of the lesson plans are created for the teacher. So the objective, the demonstration of learning, the PowerPoint, and all the
102differentiated materials, that's all created for them through an online platform called Notion. It's from kindergarten to grade 8 by every content and each day. So 184 days of lessons is in an online repository. All they have to do is type in the date, all the lessons will pop up that's associated with that day. So we have Colorado, we have Texas, and Louisiana. So that right there is the last thing I wanted is for teachers to have to go home and spend 2 hours creating lessons. So we've taken that off. Second is um you know, we every all of our schools at Third Future schools have a copy center. So we have a full-time copy clerk with three, four machines because I hated it when I was a teacher and I spent 30 minutes waiting in
103line on my plan for the copier. And then you know, I'd wait in line and then I'd finally get it and then I'd have 15 minutes left of planning. So we have a full-time copy clerk with a full-time copy center. So I I my goal we're not there yet, but we've been trying to work is that we treat teachers like we treat surgeons. So the surgeon they walk in, scrubbed ready to go, the major minor medical kids are all the rooms scrubbed, the patient's there, they perform surgery, and then they leave. We're not there yet. They'll have they have four duties a month because it's just a don't have the money to pay but we are trying to get better at creating a better work-life balance so they can come in, teach effectively every day,
104and then leave. The work hours are 7:45 to 4:15 when they don't have they don't have duty. If they walk in at 7:44, I don't be ready at 7:45. You leave at 4:16, I don't care. Be ready at 7:45 the next Thank you, sir. And just real quick tied to that, um this might be for both of you. If a teacher has an issue, how are they going to go about that? Are are they going to follow the same um policies that we have or do you have separate or It'll be our grievance policy, sir. So it'll be linked on the webpage. I get all those personally, myself and my comms director, um but they would follow the TFS grievance policy. And then that would go through through our board. Okay, thank you. Go ahead,
105Mr. Rogers. Um my my question is to Ms. Salinas, uh do they have a we have a dress code at Brentwood right now? Our our students do wear shirts to designate grade grade levels, um but we do work with all of our families on the dress code. And I believe I got that right. Where's Travis? Yeah, they're guidelines. So we'll see like the no ripped jeans and for the Third Futures. Um whatever the guidelines are, I I that's fine with me as long as there's no ripped jeans. There's no ripped jeans, I would that. And then my other question, I guess for the Third Futures that y'all would have y'all's own like student code of conduct and stuff like that or We have a a student parent handbook. Yes, yes, sir, we do. But it
106it aligns with all laws and regulations in Texas. And we would have that posted on the website, and copies available. And then my next question is to Ms. Salinas, um talking with the potential partner, what what look like data to the board? How often? What are we What are we thinking? >> Yeah, we would maintain the same expectations that we currently have when we do the LSG quarterly reports. We are looking at enhancing presentations, just like we did at HBG and at Stafford where you're actually on site. And so we'll continue to evolve that, but the presentations and data as Mr. Kradick shared earlier would be whenever you all wanted to see the data. And board, I'll add Mr. Wallace, just a reminder to the board. This is part of when you guys walk the
107buildings with us. I think that's what you're alluding to. So we've now done that three times as a group. That will continue. This would be one of the campuses you'd be visiting. So not just the presentations at the workshop which you've seen numerous principles come through. In fact, some of our principles are here because they've done that before. But you're walking in real time. Not just to check on the outcomes, academic outcomes, but board, you also approve other purchases from the district. K12 Summit, Amira Learning, those different items that many of you pointed out when we're walking classrooms. Hey, I saw the student using that program we approved. Hey, I saw the student doing this and that. They're using the consumables we approved. That is taking you in real time to watch what's happening in
108the classroom, and it's not us doing the talking. You were there when you the campus principal sets up the morning, they walk you to classrooms, they show you what's going on. And so that's part of the ongoing oversight that you should have as a board member when you're coming to our schools. Do you have any more questions? Yes, I So going back to the UIL activities, maybe it's for the partner or Ms. Salinas, um but like what would coaching look like? Cuz I know in some of our campuses, some coaches teach, let's say at the high school, and go to the middle school after school. What would look like at the middle school and like We've done it both ways, sir. So we we have done it both ways. Yeah, we've done it both ways.
109I don't have a real specific answer cuz I don't know how many athletics and I we do follow the guidelines of the district as far like a football head coach and offensive coordinator defense, how many position I I don't know those specifics. And then we we match up we always at least meet the athletic stipends of the district. I try to do 7% more, but I at least But like y'all might have your own employees that may want to teach the athletics after school, but will there also be like if districts from the high school want to go and teach at or Yeah, I mean I I would prefer our teachers or our employees were coaches just cuz they know the kids, but we have done it where we may have a high school social
110studies teacher that you know, wants to coach football at the middle school. And and we have done that. Um there was something else with the coaching that was We we've done it both ways, sir. And then another thing that I was looking and I was talking to other like school districts that have Third Future partners. And more going back to the alignment, cuz let's say we do have like band students 6, 7, 8, and then they go to 9th grade, they already learned a lot of the fundamentals. What would like alignment be cuz I really wouldn't want to see like some someone going into 9th grade starting to learn like how to play an instrument when they could have learned it in the earlier years. Correct. So they would need to take band in middle
111school. And so as I mentioned previously, because we don't mix the grade levels for elective, that's how we do our after school advanced or intermediate band, that would need to happen after. If those got that double dose if the band director or band wanted that. The same as choir or maybe the same as theaters. And then I guess my next question is to Ms. Salinas, like now we did talk about like what programs are staying and going, but what can we share that can we share that right now? Yes, sir. What I what I will state is those decisions are are not final. We are currently evaluating our programs. We know that right now based on the student enrollment at Brentwood, and some of the the model right the financial model that that's being run
112that we would be analyzing our CTE programs to see where we could leverage them across the district, other schools, our high schools, and we're currently evaluating mariachi as well. Okay, hang on. Mr. Legalo, go ahead. Just a quick question on the the five extra days that you said that is throughout the school year added to the school year. Is that in between the school year or towards the end of the school year? What have y'all determined? And also have y'all noticed if it's towards the end, a lot of absences due to the fact that it doesn't align with like let's say another parent has another kid in another school. Is that really Do you have the numbers for that as well? Um yeah, that is that is an issue. So beginning of the year and
113end of the year. So we we will start school August 4th. So August 4th is your first day. And then we finish the Friday after Memorial Day. So we have the four days there. Now the the last four days are what we call like non-instructional. We do some different things. Ice cream and big celebration. Um we we do know usually our target ADA is 92%. Um we usually historically where districts start later than us, it runs 82 or about 10% lower. Now, we pay the price financially for ADA. You know, no good deed goes unpunished, but I'd rather pay rather get hurt 10% in ADA but be there for 82%. The other thing is it does allow our teachers to get extra reps, to get comfortable in the model. And so that's a trade-off there
114as well. So with you saying about the 82%, does that How do y'all accommodate for like the kids that are already showing up and then the kids that are showing up late as far as teaching the curriculum properly? Yeah, no, we we don't usually we don't go that far into the curriculum. So we have the pacing maps there. What we usually do, my my guidance to the principals is that we look at the ADA on a daily rate. So, we we look at every day. So, for the first 30 days of school, we actually look at how many rear ends are in seats at every campus pre-grade. So, what I would have them do is I would Let's just say it's 7:00. I I would have them spiral in the May 6th grade for the
115first couple days till the district's back in, then we're moving. That's how we would do that. Okay, sir. Thank you, sir. So, the community also want to add some input that I think we shared as we were having these discussions. Now, the comment I'm about to make is based on specifically with Brent with some of the comments I've heard over the years, but I know in this particular model, Zach, you guys have staff there as early as 6:30 in the morning, I believe. Oh, yes, sir. I'm sorry, I forgot to mention that. Yes, yes, sir. So, we we open So, two parts on that. We have 184 school days, but we're open at 6:30 every day. So, 6:30 a.m. till 5:00. So, the school day is 8:00 to 4:00, so the instructional day, but we're
116open from 6:30 to 5:00 with breakfast, obviously, when when they serve that. But, if if kids want to come early or mom and dad have to get to work and drop them off and they don't want to stay home, we're open. They can come to the team center, they can do IXL, they can do a variety of online computer programs, they can read a book. I try I try I don't encourage homework, personally. I don't encourage that, so I don't want them to do that. If they want to socialize quietly, they can go to the cafeteria. And then we're open till 5:00 as well. So, after school, obviously, athletics and activities, but if a student just wants to hang out until mom or dad somebody can come pick them up, then we have clubs they
117can stand or they just want to chill out in the team center and read a book, they can do that as well. We also if the district has to close for inclement weather, we would be open. Our doors would stay open for parents that need a warm, safe place with food to send them. So, that's a promise we've made to all of our community. They're excused absences. If they deem it's unsafe to come in, you know, we know buses won't run or anything like that. What we will be open. So, 2 weeks ago in Shreveport, 80% of the city lost power. We I'm sorry, lost water. We opened up every single day. Every single day. I just went and ran it. We just ran it for a bodies and we did it. But, we had
118about 300 kids that they needed a place to go. Thank you. It's cuz I do we do have a 6:00 meeting which we're past, but a few more questions. >> done. Okay, perfect. Yeah. So, talking about like attendance, you did say like there'll be excused absences, but like from a district level, like cuz I know sometimes we send attendance waivers to the state, but y'all will be doing that on your own? No, we have to by law do that through the district. So, if if the district does close and we open up, we would still have a rider on that waiver that it will be. Okay. Another quick question is for Ms. Salinas. For our operating partner, do they receive like monthly payments or do they receive the payments all up front? How does that
119work? We are looking at monthly distribution of payments. And then do we also like do the payments based off like the campuses average daily attendance or how does that work? I I don't remember the specifics on that, but we will be going over the contract. And my other question is I know you did talk about like a trip, but what do you do for like students that whatsoever reason, we know that there are students that really can't get a passport or travel outside of the country. What incentives do you have for our students like that? Seventh graders go to Washington, D.C. So, if the eighth graders can't get a passport, they will go with the seventh. And then we also do regular field trips, usually the third and fourth week of May. But, like you're
120offering this big field trip, but we know like for some reasons outside of people some people can't travel outside of the country or or and stuff like that or even travel within the country. So, what incentives are you offering for students in in that position? We have regular field trips that we'll do at the end of May of locally. Okay. A variety of different options for students. Plus, I don't have a fancy name, but we call non-instructional days. So, we do celebrations. And our habits of success, that happens every day. Habits of success is every day we're generating growth work. And then I know at the SAISD meeting you spoke about some of the things that people brought up like mismatched funds and then the answering lunch questions, but I was wondering if you can
121Can you say that again, please? Like mismatching funds in other states and like answering lunch questions, so I was wondering if you can just talk about when people talk about stuff like that. >> Yeah, sure. So, in 2000 and I think it was May of 2024, I cannot remember the publication, they made an allegation that TFS was sending Texas money to Colorado and we have the report is public, it's been published. DEA did a federal investigation and we were exonerated of all allegations. And I guess my my last Well, I have two >> Can I can I address that question again, sir? So, just cuz I want to make sure that the board understands. Um It makes no sense for Third Future to have $200,000 in a fund balance for a grant. Don't get you
122out of It's like having $100,000 in your savings account in Jerusalem. I'm going to house live it. We're going to spend every penny to get you out of F status in year one. So, a healthy fund balance I don't want that that does not accomplish the mission that that we've we've set on. Our goal is to get a C in year one. To get that, we have to deploy resources. Resources cost money. So, if I have $15,000, I'm okay with it. I'm okay with that. That means students are reading, writing, and doing math. That's what it is. So, our margins in Texas are super lean because that's in Texas at the partnership. Our our our our goal, our promise is to improve outcomes. We got to spend almost every single penny. And then my next
123question, I guess it's for our superintendent cuz you did mention about good standing, the employees with good standing, so if we can elaborate on that a little bit for good standing to be in positions in in our district. Sure, and we will have this discussion with you as also in executive session. Good standing is any employee that does not have meet certification requirements and is not already being recommended for another that is not being recommended for a contract at this time. That's what good That's what defines good standing. And then cuz I have two more questions, but my next question is for the the operating partner. How would our families like be engaged differently? Like will they be required to to do stuff like come to parent nights cuz I know like a lot of
124that we have is optional. So, like will our parents have to be required to do do anything that they haven't done before? No, not required. I mean, obviously, we we encourage parent participation and we'll definitely do that, but but we we can't require any anybody. We would want them to, we're going to encourage them, we're going to motivate and inspire them, but no, we're not holding any And then my my next question, it's kind of like a reflection to the district cuz I know we're doing this one specific program at um at Brentwood Middle School, but we also know that we have other challenges with other schools still trying to get out of the unacceptable academic rating. But, I just want to cuz we're not physically going to be in Brentwood, so I was like
125if we do have [clears throat] other resources, I really like to see them like especially at Gus Garcia on our own just so so we can also probably see like A, B, or C rated campuses uh pretty pretty soon for that campus as well. I really want to make sure like we're looking at our entire district even with this partner that we're focusing on on other schools. I'll I'll answer you. Thank you. First of all, I can completely receive that recommendation and in fact, I want to thank all seven of you even though Mr. Lopez isn't here. Very similar conversations from all seven trustees with regards to our other campuses and the work that's happening. I see a lot of our campus administrators here that are showing growth on their campuses and they come because
126of their commitment to the schools that they lead. And so, we can definitely receive that and continue to grow our schools much in the way that we've been doing so up until now. So, thank you all to all seven of you. Mr. Zach, are you staying for our next meeting? Just because I have a few more questions, but we have people here waiting for here too whenever we're done. And we're never leaving. No. Okay. Yeah, we do have more questions, but we'll save it for the next meeting. The time is now 7:02 p.m. Do I have a motion to adjourn this public hearing of the Edgewood Independent School District? Sure. Close this hearing session. The public hearing? Okay. Public hearing. >> Mr. Delgado motions, is there a second? I just wanted to say did we
127actually motion to open up the public hearing at the beginning? Cuz I don't remember that. I called I called it to order. Yeah, we don't we don't have to motion open, right? Yeah, I called it to order. Okay. Yeah. Which Okay. I second. Second. Ms. Castilleja seconds. All those in favor, raise your hand and say aye. Aye. Aye. All those opposed, raise your hand and say nay. Okay, this this meeting is adjourned. We'll see