001The December 15th, 2025 regular meeting of the New Caney Independent School District Board of Trustees is hereby called to order. Let the minutes show that all board members are in attendance and that this meeting has been called in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code Chapter 551. All items that will be discussed publicly on this evening have been posted as required by state law. I would like to extend a warm welcome to everyone here tonight and we are pleased that you have taken the time this evening to join us. On behalf of the New Caney ISD Board of Trustees, we are pleased that you join us as we celebrate achievements, set goals, listen to reports, approve budgets, contracts, and personnel appointments, and make policy for the district. We are not here to
002make management decisions or to solve problems of the district or of individuals. Management is the sole responsibility of the superintendent. This is a meeting in the public. It's not a meeting of the public. As our guests, we welcome you to observe and to listen. Again, we are pleased that you have taken the time this evening to join us. We thank you for your interest in New Caney ISD. We now ask that you silence your cell phones at this time. Please rise for the invocation to be given by and remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance to the >> [clears throat] >> Dear Father, we come before you this evening to thank you for our school, the opportunity to serve our community, our students, and the trust of our community. We ask for your wisdom and
003guidance as we gather to make decisions that will impact the lives of future generations. Grant us clarity of mind, unity of purpose, and compassion to guide our deliberations. Help us to listen and to speak right. Speak with integrity and act with humility. May our choices reflect not only what's best for today, but also what will bring lasting benefit for tomorrow. We lift up our students, teachers, staff, and families as a community. Bless them with strength, encouragement, and success in all they do. Protect [clears throat] and guide our district as we work together to build a foundation of learning, character, and service. We thank you for the privilege of leadership and the trust placed in us. May everything we do here bring honor to you and blessings to those we serve. In Jesus' name we pray.
004Amen. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Honor the Texas flag. I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one indivisible. Have a seat. We're going to shuffle around our agenda tonight and we're going to jump right on down to item four, which is the student art awards, because we don't want to make the kids sit up here for all of the board items. Yes, ma'am. At this time, I'd like to ask Mr. Moran Uh we're going to jump ahead to you guys and so if you want to come and tell us about all these kids that have been out here performing tonight, I just want to thank
005all the schools that put time out of their schedule to come visit us this time of year and showcase our kids' talent. And so I just want to thank Mr. Moran and his folks for organizing that, all our teachers and staff for taking time out of their busy schedule during the holiday season. So, Mr. Moran, it is all yours, sir. Awesome. Thank you so much. Is it okay if I go ahead and mute everything? Yes, sir. Go on forward. Thank you, ma'am. Good evening, President Harold, members of the school board, and Mr. Calvert. It's my pleasure to introduce the winners of our annual NCISD Holiday Art Card Contest. Can I go ahead and have the winners come up and their teachers come up as well? If you would like the winners to come on up.
006>> [applause] [applause] >> So, just a little bit about the contest, uh we limited to 150 entries from the campuses. Every campus was able to do their own type of competition to get to this level. And then we did two rounds of voting. We picked six winners. We have two from the elementary division, two from the middle school division, and two from the high school division. And each of the winners got a certificate for their art and a $25 gift card and an ice cream voucher. So, congratulations to everybody. Okay, the first person we're going to talk to is Ariel. Where's Ariel? >> [applause] >> So, Miss San San Miguel shared with her shared with me some stuff about Ariel. Ariel's time at Kings Manor has been brief, but she has been wonderful addition to
007our campus. Her creativity showed through the moment as the moment she stepped in the art class. We are proud that her creativity and skill has been recognized and we look forward to seeing all the amazing things she will do in the future. Congratulations, ARIEL. >> [applause] >> DO WE HAVE ALYSSA? AND ALYSSA IS A SECOND GRADER at Sorters Mill Elementary with Miss Collingford. And Miss Collingford shared with me that Alyssa Garcia Otero is a second grader at Sorters Mill Elementary. She is always smiling, excited to come to art class, and always ready to learn something new. She even got her design on the district t-shirt. We are so proud of her. Congratulations, Alyssa. Keep up the great work. >> [applause] >> And then we have our middle school winners. And this is nice because this
008is Miss Scroggins from Pine Valley and both of the students are hers. So, she can speak for both of these guys. So, first we're going to start with Caylin. Awesome. So, Caylin is an eighth grader at Pine Valley. And Caylin is a 13-year-old Pine Valley Middle School artist. Art has been in her life for a long time. She has helped and and has helped her in many ways. She feels calm when making art and her skill has grown significantly as she has gotten older. Every day creating art is a new journey. Her brush strokes and pencil lines that were a small play small piece of the art, but had a big impact. Through sports, art has guided her through so much, like hard track practices, rough softball games, and when we lost a close sport.
009When she grows up, she wants to go into the school for therapy and hopes to be an art therapist. She loves helping people talk through issues and and and their own problems and helping people is something that makes her feel proud to see their growth and to see someone get better. She hopes to be able to keep doing art throughout her life and hopefully get to share her art as well. THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> [applause] >> NEXT, WE HAVE LAYLA. LAYLA IS A SEVENTH grader at Pine Valley. She's 13-years-old student. She loves drawing, playing violin, volleyball, and sleeping. Who doesn't? Layla is a follower of Christ and doesn't forget it. When she grows up, she is considering being an author or maybe an animator. She likes basically everything about art class. She loves the
010music her teacher puts on and she really loves the vibe. The room is also very pretty. >> [applause] >> And then we have our two high school winners. This is Brayden Dobson. And Brayden's teacher is Miss Archambault, who can't be here tonight, but Miss Archambault is telling us about him. Thank you, Miss Archambault. Brayden is in drawing two with Miss Archambault at New Caney High School and maintains a high A average in all of his classes. Brayden has always enjoyed drawing and is on the school's cross country and track teams. Something interesting, he is a triplet and the oldest by 15 seconds. CONGRATULATIONS, BRAYDEN. >> [applause] >> AND OUR LAST WINNER IS HAYLEN. Haylen is a ninth grader at Porter, enrolled in art one. Haylen is not only a talented artist, but a dedicated student
011with a strong work work ethic, always on task, looking for ways to improve her artistic technique. This is not her first rodeo. Haylen won the NCISD Holiday competition last year when she was in eighth grade. In seventh grade, she won a platinum status medal at the Visual Arts Scholastic event. There are more accomplishments we can mention, but it's safe to say we expect great things from Haylen in the years to come. Congratulations, HAYLEN. >> [applause] [applause] >> OKAY, MOVING AHEAD, THANK YOU SO MUCH. TONIGHT I have the pleasure of introducing and talking about a lot of our fine arts staff members. And this is just an informative session. This This presentation could have gone for a long time. I tried to make it very brief, just just to give you some information about what we
012are and what we do here in our district. So, our team in New Caney ISD is made up of 110 staff members in the fine arts department. That includes Chris Rose, our amazing secretary, and myself. We have 108 instructional staff members. So, we we go across several divisions. We can I kind of break up with seven divisions. Elementary art, music, secondary visual arts, band and drill team, theater arts, orchestra, band and color guard, and choir. And we have a lot of our teachers here tonight. I'd love for them to stand up and be recognized. If you're an NCISD fine arts teacher, would you please stand up? >> [applause] [applause] >> These guys really do make my job really easy. So, it's pretty amazing. So, what's really What's really unique is we're trying to provide a
013lot of opportunities for leadership and growth in our district. And we have our district facilitators. Each of these people are given leadership opportunities to ensure events run smoothly. That being said, we're a team in New Caney ISD without all our departments working together, the achievements we have in fine arts would not occur. This goes all the way from transportation to maintenance to the construction department. I I I just can call these people I know like grandpas over here doing all the stuff that they do in their department. With helping with get all of our stuff from media. Joanna Sims, if you don't know Joanna in transportation, you need to meet her. Called her at 6:55 Saturday morning about a bus that we needed, and she answered and we got the bus taken care of for
014the group that we needed. And then just And then, you know, even for Mr. Plunkett, Mr. Farmer who help all of our kids here with athletics. And so, it really is a team effort in our district. That's pretty amazing to see. Now, I could inundate you with a lot of facts about fine arts, and I'm not going to. There are some on the board right now. And I think it's safe to say that fine arts is a really big driving force of what our kids are coming to school to do. It's proven to help with academics. It's proven to help with social um with uh everything you can imagine. So, I'm just going to talk about that a little bit. Um Research is consistent showing the benefits that fine arts provides to students' academic success
015and well-being. I 100% believe that our district believes this and why as a school or as a district you support us so much. Thank you for all what you do for us. So, just to talk about the divisions a little bit within fine arts. We have our elementary and this is kind of an amazing number. We have 24 elementary art and music teachers that teach 9,225 students cuz they teach them all. And so, every school has one elementary art and one elementary music and they see all the kids. Now, it doesn't mean they see them every day, but they see every one of those kids. And so, it's pretty amazing what they can do. Uh they have countless programs and performances. They do with rodeo art. This is where the students really love um they
016develop their love of fine arts and establish the drive and passion to continue. And you have not experienced life until you step into an elementary art and music classroom. It's a lot of fun. Recommend if you haven't done that you try to go do that. And then that takes us to our secondary visual arts. And we have a lot to to be celebratory of. This you can see some of our work up in the front right here. And we'll we'll talk about that a little bit. Um and I I wrote on here this could be a presentation by itself. We have so many wonderful things going on in our art rooms. We're lucky to have our amazing support. Just to point out a few students that we've had in the past. Uh this is Hannah
017right here. And I I I want you to read this number here cuz it says Hannah um has graduated, but her her auction piece or piece was auctioned last year for $75,000. And I would think I looked at that and I said, "Is that a typo?" No, it's not a typo. $75,000. So, that's pretty amazing. So, we're very proud of her. This is Stephanie. Stephanie's piece was selected by uh Congressman Dan Crenshaw to be uh the congressional winner. And it's now in Washington, D.C. In fact, in the picture there you can see Stephanie in the Cannon Tunnel, which connects to the offices to the U.S. Capitol. And it gets to hang in the Capitol uh in that hall for a year. So, Stephanie got to go this summer with this region and got to be
018uh there for the unveiling of it, which is pretty amazing. So, congratulations to her. And this is Peyton and you can see Peyton's artwork in live and person right up here on the front table. And um >> [clears throat] >> uh you know, she got a gold seal at the state vase competition. 32,000 students enter this competition and roughly 0.5% are recognized with a gold seal. So, we just got that back and that's pretty amazing. It's right there. So, congratulations to her. And then this is our uh our teachers and our visual arts teachers at our recent convention in Austin, where we were awarded for the fourth consecutive year our district distinction award, which is a pretty big deal. So, let's give it up for OUR ART TEACHERS. >> [applause] [applause] >> LET ME TELL
019YOU NOW THAT OUR TEAMS LIKE TO HAVE FUN AT THEIR CONVENTION. It's a lot of fun to go to. They make a lot of stuff and they get to do a lot of neat stuff. So, that's really nice. So, next takes us to our dance and our drill team. We have 12 teachers that serve over 1,275 students. And it's pretty amazing what they can do. This picture right here that you see was right before the parade. They did that all on their own. They're such They're such a team oriented. They got out here together and you know, getting a lot of people who are in competing together can be difficult, but they they take care of that really well. It's pretty amazing what they can do. And then for the first time ever we sent
020our uh students to the TDEA drill team assessment. It's a it's a pilot that UIL is doing to establish whether they're going to have UIL take over and and do something that's competitive for them. So, we're doing the pilot program. We did it this year and all of our students earned excellent superior at that competition. So, congratulations to them. It's pretty amazing what they can do. And uh I didn't get this in my slideshow because we just found this out today. But we have a a bluebonnet and I don't know if she's here tonight. I know she Okay. She was here, but she had to go and that's okay. And her name is Sydney James. And we just found out today that she's a finalist for a TDEA scholarship. And this is the first student
021ever from our district to get this. And we'll find out exactly what she gets in January. She has to go through I think an interview round and then we'll find out how much money she got. So, let's just I know she's not here, but let's give SYDNEY A ROUND >> [applause] >> AND THAT TAKES US TO OUR THEATER ARTS. UM WE HAVE A LOT TO celebrate last year. Uh we have 11 secondary teachers that serve over 1,400 students. Um last year New Caney High School for the first time in a long time advanced to the area round of one-act plays. Pretty amazing to see. And then Porter advanced past the area to the region level of one-act play, which I think they've done for the past few years. And uh the neat The neat thing
022is I know we were talking to uh some some people earlier about shows. All of our schools do at least two shows a year. Some do more. So, if you're ever looking for something to do, odds are there's going to be a theater show somewhere between seven schools. And we just had a uh our Texas Thespian event and we had 13 New Caney ISD students qualify for the national festival, WHICH IS EXCITING. >> [applause] >> AND CURRENTLY WE'RE WE'RE PREPARING FOR ONE-ACT WE'RE GETTING ready for one-act play, but the really neat thing at the high schools are the musicals. And I want to make sure I get to share this. This is uh if you look on the this slide you can see uh some of the shows that we did. Kingdom Star Catchers at
023New Caney High School and Wildwood is Seussical. And then you can see here uh Miss Bennet's Christmas at Porter, West Fork and Friends and Sirens at Porter. So, that was really neat to see. And then you can see here this is a really uh unique opportunity. For the past couple of years we've had uh Porter High School's been doing a musical, but West Fork being new hadn't done one yet. And New Caney hadn't done one in a while. So, uh this year all three high schools are doing a musical. And they're all three on a different weekend in January. So, you'll have an opportunity to go consecutive weeks to go see one of the musicals. And for anybody in the community that wants to buy tickets, uh the tickets are $10 each, but if you
024use that if you buy one ticket, the next two tickets are $5. So, you can go to all three shows for $20, which is a really unique opportunity. And the money just goes right back to the program. So, very excited about Into the Woods at West Fork and Chicago at Porter and You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown at New Caney. So, excited for that coming up. And then we have our orchestra program. We have seven secondary arts uh orchestra teachers that serve over 100 700 students. And just to kind of share a little information about this, I have a lot of statistics up here about how many people who make region region orchestra and how many students advance and things like that. I want you to know what's what's really awesome about New Caney ISD
025is uh I did a study of the 30 districts around us in Houston. And 15 of those districts do not have orchestra. So, it's really neat to see that we are, you know, doing things that are finding the meeting the needs of our students and we're providing opportunities for them. So, that's that's a great op- that's a great thing for us. And then that takes us to our band and color guard. And you can see on here featured on here is the Keefer Crossing Wind Ensemble, who um I'm going to read this correctly. They have been nationally recognized for three consecutive years by the Mark of Excellence. This year the Keefer Middle the Keefer Crossing Wind Ensemble was selected as a commended winner. And that uh goes for Miss Miss Monica Hester, who's the director,
026and Mr. Isaac Martinez, who's the assistant director. So, let's give Keefer Crossing Wind ENSEMBLE A ROUND >> [applause] >> THERE'S A LOT TO BE PROUD OF ON HERE, ALL THE THE DATA. Um I can I can say selfishly, having been at West Fork last year, Westmore was able to get their first All-State band member. You know, it took us 3 years to get it, we got it, and so we're excited about that. Hopefully, we're going to move forward with that and get some more next year. And then, you can see here, this is this is a big thing of what happened. We just finished this. This is the New Caney High School marching band who went to the area competition at 6A area competition and did amazing job with their show. And you'll see here,
027this is Westmore marching band, the same thing, but they were in the 5A division who advanced to uh area and did an amazing job. And then, here's Porter High School who not only advanced to area, but also also made to area finals, and they took sixth to state, and Porter came out eighth. So, they missed it just by two spots. And so, we're really hoping next year, and I know we're all talking about all these people in 5A and everything, and it's going to be pretty neat to see, but uh we're excited about what comes in the future with our marching bands. And this is a a really cool story. I hope everyone got a chance to see this. This is Jaden Foster, and he's uh the New Caney High School drum major. You can
028see him on the left uh conducting in his football uniform. There he is on the right. Okay, KAGS, you did an article. I actually did a uh a news presentation on him, and you can go to KAGS. You can just type in Jaden Foster on there, and you'll find the story. I didn't want to play it for you tonight, but I definitely want to encourage you to do that. And what it really shows is the best in New Caney ISD. It shows what we can do when we work together. Um basically, to sum up the story, Jaden was thinking about having to drop out of something. He talked to his football coach about dropping football. Football coach said, "There's no need to do that. We can make this work." And the band director made it
029work. And then, she took The great story of what a kid can do and if we if we allow them to do what they need to do. So, please check that out if you haven't checked that out already. Okay. And then, this takes us to our choir. And you can see, we have 12 secondary choir teachers who serve over 1,500 students. Um I can give you the big highlight of this one is we had six All-State choir members last year, which I believe might be a record in this category. So, I feel like that's that's got to be a record because that's that's a lot. So, uh big shout out to them. And then, uh without further ado, I want to invite the Westmore guys to come up Don't Don't come up here. I'm going
030to talk about you just for a second. And this is the final portion of my talk, so thank you for bearing with me on this. But, um what an honor this is for these guys. They're going to be going to San Antonio in February to perform at the TMEA music convention. And they just so you know, um they will be called a TMEA invited honor choir, which means they had to submit a tape, and they had to do all of this extra work, and they had to submit recordings from previous years, and they were selected as one of the very few groups of performing ensembles to be featured at TMEA, which is pretty much the biggest deal you can do in in the state of Texas. And not only did they get picked for TMEA,
031they also got the prime time spot on Friday night. So, if you're not doing anything Friday, February 13th at 7:30 p.m. Stars at Night Ballroom, will be the And it's a free concert if you want to go. So, we're just very excited about that. And without further ado, I'll introduce Ms. Kara Cavazos, who's the director. >> [applause] >> And they're going to perform piece for us. And And before she does that, I want you to look at this picture while they're singing, and this is exactly what uh when Ms. Honey opened Westmore, when she hired all of us to join the team, it was very much like, "We have kids. We don't We have 350-something kids. Everybody [clears throat] We need to have a football team. We need to have a band. We need to
032have a volleyball team. We need to have everything." And this picture pretty much sums it up because Ms. Cavazos has done an amazing job of that. And you can see all those kids, those are just things that they do outside of art. So, it's pretty amazing to see. So, without further ado, here's the Westmore High School Chamber Choir. >> [applause] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing and music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing and music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [applause] >> THANK YOU, NEW CANEY ISD AND SCHOOL BOARD. I just want to thank everybody from the bottom of my heart. Um I I put this in my program for the bio, but this whole state of Texas, you know, I
033was a first-year teacher coming into New Caney ISD 14 years ago, and uh they took a chance on me, and I was the sole director at Porter High School, and um and then, I I don't know. Y'all have just been the most supportive group that any beginning teacher could have ever had, and I've made this my home. I grew up just down the road, and I've just always loved it here, and now I'm teaching these amazing students, and I've taught amazing students here. Um and I'm I'm just looking at you guys, Mr. Sharp, Mr. Mixon. I mean, y'all have had kids in the fine arts programs, too, and it's just I can't believe we're here, but I but I can because of the support that y'all have given us and the students of New Caney
034ISD and the teachers. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart and all the fine arts teachers' hearts. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. >> [clears throat and applause] [applause] >> CAN I JUST SAY, MY KIDS ARE PRODUCTS of the educational of that of the fine arts program here at NCISD. And I am so proud of you guys. All three of my kids went through the programs. They participated in most of the programs, and all three are pursuing professionally what they learned from this program. I am so proud of what we do here at NCISD. Thank you. REALLY. >> [applause] >> ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MS. CAVAZOS AND KIDS OF WESTMORE. That's truly an honor, and I know you are going to represent us well. So, thank you for for coming tonight and and
035sharing your talent with us. Um I want to continue with our our superintendent's report and recognize a couple of our elementary schools that are here. So, uh that's a tough act to follow, but I know these two can do it. So, I would like to recognize Ms. uh Anderson from Vince Branch Elementary. Come on down. >> [applause] >> I'd like to introduce Mrs. Kelly Connor, please. Good evening members of the board and Mr. Connor. Thank you for having us this evening. It's truly an honor and a pleasure to be here and to celebrate some of the incredible staff members who make our campus so special. Thank you for taking time to celebrate with us tonight. It means more than you know. First, I'd like to recognize Mrs. Margarita Fernandez. She has been a shining light
036in the New Caney ISD Child Nutrition Department for 7 years. She shows up every day with a servant's heart, a strong work ethic, and a smile that makes everyone feel welcome. She willingly steps in wherever she's needed and always goes above and beyond. Our students have a deep love for her and her co-workers and co-workers rely on her. Mrs. Fernandez is the kind of person who makes our school better just by being here. We're so thankful. >> [applause] >> Okay. Next, we have Mrs. Alfina Rubio Lugo. She is one of our most dedicated and trusted custodians. She begins each day with a smile and brings pride, focus, and an incredible ethic to work ethic to everything she does. Because of Mrs. Rubio, our campus is always welcoming, safe, and spotless. We are especially blessed to
037have both Mrs. Rubio and her daughter serving our campus. Her daughter shares the same heart of service as one of our special education para-professionals. Mrs. Rubio is truly irreplaceable and we cannot imagine our school without her. Thank you, Mrs. Rubio, FOR ALL YOU DO. >> [applause] [applause] >> NEXT, I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE MRS. Jakia Pineda. She joined BBE this year as our MTSS para-professional and what a difference she has made. Her dedication, focus, and proactive approach set her apart. She's always two steps ahead. And both our our staff and students adore her. With a Marine background, her heart is all about service and our students feel it every day from pre-kindergarten. Beyond her work, Mrs. Pineda brings creativity and joy to our campus. Our hallways look magical this December thanks to her decorating skills. We
038are so grateful she chose BBE. >> [applause] >> Next, we'd like to recognize Mrs. Kiley Wynn. She is one of our fifth grade teacher at BLA at the fifth grade BLA our teacher at BBE. Her dedication to her students, their growth, and her craft is unmatched. She embraces every challenge with a smile even when she is pushed outside of her comfort zone and consistently rises to the occasion. Mrs. Wynn is an incredible team member, a trusted educator, and the kind of teacher every parent wants their child to have and I know this personally >> [laughter] >> as she taught my son. He still remains one of the strengths. Mrs. Wynn has a skill set, heart, and leadership qualities to make her mark. She will always have a place wherever I am. We are incredibly fortunate
039to have her at BBE. >> [applause] >> And last but not least, we'd like to recognize Miss Eva Sotelo. She's our fifth grade dual language student and a true star at BBE. In math and science, she's curious, engaged, and asks thoughtful questions. She's always eager to learn. Eva approaches every task with determination, giving her absolute best. And her hard work and spirit inspires those around her. Beyond academics, she is friendly, caring, and gets along beautifully with her classmates, showing respect and kindness in all she does. Eva sets a wonderful example in the classroom and shines bright every single day. We are proud of you, Eva. Keep reaching for THE STARS. >> [applause] >> I WANT TO SINCERELY THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME this evening and your continued support of our campus. I'm grateful for
040the opportunity to share and celebrate with these amazing people who serve our students every day. Thank you for allowing us to recognize them. >> [applause] >> All right. While they're getting their pictures done, I'd like to recognize Miss Leal from Seguin Elementary. >> [applause] >> FOR HAVING US TONIGHT. IT'S SUCH AN HONOR HOW was my Spanish? Good? Thank you. Have a seat. My favorite part of my job is being able to work with my staff. Thank you for having us tonight. So, I'll start off with my student, um an amazing fifth grader, Delilah Catching. Delilah Catching is an outstanding leader both in and out of the classroom. She consistently sets positive examples for her peers by following the campus expectations and encouraging others to do the same. Her kindness and inclusiveness help create a welcoming
041environment where everyone feels safe. A dedicated and hard-working student, Delilah continually challenges herself to achieve her best. In addition to her classroom leader, she classroom leader, she also contributes to our school community through her involvement in the new the news crew, UIL, and student council. We are so proud of her positivity, attitude, determination, and difference she makes every single day. GOOD JOB. >> [applause] [cheering] >> JUST PRACTICING ENGLISH. OKAY. THE NEXT PERSON I want to honor is Miss Butler. I have the honor to recognize someone whose leadership, dedication, and service have truly made a difference on our campus. Miss Butler from our nutrition department, this year when our cafeteria manager faced medical challenges I had and had to be out, Miss Butler immediately stepped up. Without missing a beat, she took a the responsibility of
042ensuring that our cafeteria continued to run smoothly. Thanks to her steady leadership, our students and staff have continued to receive their meals each day with care. She has shown us what truly dedication looks like. But what truly sets Miss Butler apart is her heart. She supports our staff not only during school day, but also during events, even when it's not part of her job duties. Whether it's helping us set up or set up or simply pitching in behind the scenes, she's always shown us for our campus. We have been incredibly We have been incredibly impressed by her leadership and by the way she has carried our cafeteria. Miss Butler, your your willingness to step up and work your work ethic and compassion for our students and staff do not go unnoticed. Thank you for all
043that you do for our school district. >> [applause] >> THE NEXT PERSON IS MISS ELINA GONZALES. It is my privilege to recognize an incredible member of our staff elementary at our staff elementary, Miss Gonzales, our lead custodian. This year when we learned we were losing our lead custodian, Miss Gonzales stepped up without hesitation. She embraced this leadership role with strength, humility, and a deep sense of responsibility for our campus. Every single day she goes above and beyond to ensure our school is clean, safe, and a welcoming environment for our staff and students. Her work is often behind the scenes, yet her impact is seen, felt, and appreciated by every person who walks through our doors. Ms. Gonzalez not only maintains our campus with excellence, but truly stands out about Ms. Gonzalez is her leadership of
044her team. She supports them with grace, compassion, and understanding. She models exactly what it means to lead by example. Ms. Gonzalez, thank you for your dedication and your hard work. Thank you for stepping in into the role when we needed it you the most. We are so blessed to have you at our school. >> [applause] >> It is my joy and privilege to recognize one of our truly outstanding peer professionals, Ms. Camarillo. Um she is someone whose presence brings light, positively informs and every one she interacts with at our school level. Ms. Camarillo has one of the most beautiful attitudes you have ever encountered. No matter what task, no matter what challenge, she steps into it with a smile and willingness to support wherever she is needed. Whether it's assisting in the classroom, helping transitioning,
045covering duties, or providing one-on-one support, she does it with grace, humanity, and unwavering commitment. Her energy is contagious. Her love for her children is unmistakable, and the relationship she builds with students is truly remarkable. She has a gift for making students feel safe, understood, and valued. What makes Ms. Camarillo so special is that she brings joy to every space she enters. She uplifts staff, supports teachers, and creates a positive environment simply by being who she is. Our campus is brighter because of her. We are incredibly blessed to have her on our team. Her dedication, compassion, and enjoyable spirit enjoyable spirit. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me to recognize Ms. Camarillo for her extraordinary service and her beautiful heart and the joy she brings to OUR SCHOOL. >> [applause] >> LASTLY, I WANT TO HONOR MS.
046Kristen Wilson. It is my honor to recognize one of our outstanding first grade teachers, Ms. Wilson. I've had the privilege of working closely with her this year, and I can say that she represents the very best of what I hope for every educator to be: commitment, positivity, and dedicated to her students' success. This year has brought a lot of change, right, Camilla? Increase of fidelity walks, observations, deeper data talks, expectations, and new leadership. While these shifts can be overwhelming, Ms. Wilson has embraced every single one of them with the best attitude. She has approached each challenge with grace, professionalism, and true growth mindset. >> [cough] >> One [clears throat] of the qualities that stands out most is the way she continually encourages her team. She shares her knowledge openly, supports her colleagues, and brings people
047together through her calm leadership and collaborative spirit. In her classroom, Ms. Wilson has impressed us all with the level of instruction she delivers. Her lessons are thoughtful, intentional, and grounded in best practices. She models strong exactly what strong tier one instruction should look like. And most importantly, she ensures that every child in her classroom feels seen, supported, and equal. Ms. Wilson, thank you for showing us what excellence means. >> [applause] [applause] [snorts] [clears throat] >> All right. Well, they're getting their picture made. Wanted to do just some recognition for our staff members here tonight. So, when I call your name, just pop up and wave. That's all we need to do. We don't need everybody to walk down here. We just want to recognize your presence here with us tonight. So, from Bitz Branch, we've
048got Ms. Anderson, Ms. Sutter, Ms. Townsley, and Ms. Oldham. Um Brookwood, we've got Ms. Davis, their principal. Crippen Elementary, Ms. Barrientos, their principal. Daugherty, Ms. Cail. Holland, Ms. Carlisle. Uh Kings Manor, Ms. Larkin. Oak Ridge, Ms. Nollenberg. Porter Elementary, we've got Erica Digiorgio, one of our dual dual language team leads. Um Ms. Tomhay from Short Mill. And Ms. Leal. And last but certainly not least, Ms. Babchick from TCLC. Um few of our support people that are here tonight. Um we've got from our PR department, we've got Dr. Power, our executive director. Um Mr. Batchelder, you'll be hearing from in a minute, director of bus safety. And then Mr. Pappas over there on the camera, he is our director of marketing and multimedia. Uh from our finance department, Ms. Gillette, our executive director. Um Mary Beth
049Hunt, director of budget. Manuel Garcia, director of accounting. Ms. Shropshire, director of purchasing. And Ann Castillo, director of information management. Um administrative services, Ms. Gates is their executive director. Um Ms. Pierson is their director of food and nutrition. Christy Kelly, their director of HR. Uh from our operations department, Mr. Carroll is our executive director. Uh Mr. Carr is our director of support services. Ms. Decker is our director of child nutrition. And Mr. Brown-Martinez is director of technology. From our instruction department, we've got our executive director of elementary, Ms. Land. Uh director of elementary instruction, Ms. Lowe. Uh executive director of secondary, Dr. Dargo. Uh y'all got to hear a lot of great things from Mr. Moran tonight, he is our director of fine arts. Uh Dr. Besner is our director of secondary instruction. Uh Ms.
050Monroe is our executive director of special programs. Um Ms. Good is here, she is our director of assessment and accountability. Ms. Grayson, director of counseling. Uh director of MTSS implementation, Jennifer Angelic. Uh special programs directors are Ms. Sifford and digital learning is Ms. Nodin-Cobbs. Uh and then we also have joining us our director of athletics, and Coach Blount, and director of facility planning is uh Mr. Richard Resser. And last but not least, a member of our new KISD police force, Sergeant Jason Potter, he's back there. So, if I missed you, I apologize, but if I did miss you, just give us a quick wave of your hands when you get the chance. Appreciate you guys being here tonight. All right, Paul. Uh it is your turn to come on down. Like I said, Paul Batchelder
051is our director of emergency management, and so he has a report to share with us involving a uh intruder audit that was conducted in the district. So, without further ado, Mr. Batchelder, it is all yours, sir. Thank you very much. Good evening, everyone. Top priority of the KISD and the state of Texas is keeping students and staff safe every day. Texas School Safety Center recently conducted an intruder detection audit at one or more of our campuses, and corrective actions have taken place. The audit tests whether the campus is accessible to an unauthorized individual. This audit, conducted as a part of Governor Abbott's school safety directive for all school systems following the tragedy in Uvalde, seeks to help districts identify how campuses can improve safety for students, such as ensuring exterior doors are to be locked.
052The audit provides us with an opportunity to create a safer learning environment for our students and staff. We are working closely with our schools, safety and security committee, to ensure that we are training all our staff in securing our doors with the protection of everyone in our campuses. The support from the state in conducting the intruder detection audits is just one of the many actions we are taking to ensure our schools are safe. We know that this work does not end, and we appreciate the board's support. We acknowledge that parents and community members are likely very interested in the details of the audit results. However, it is in the best interest of the students that we do not share this information to the broader public, as it could lead to compromising important campus security information.
053Specific details of the intruder detection audit will be discussed in the executive session with the safety and security session, and with the safety and security committee. KISD is committed to providing a safe and secure learning environment for all students and staff. Thank you. I'm going to go back to item number two on the agenda, which is consideration of the 2024-2025 annual financial report presented by Greg Peterson. Well, thank you. Uh yes, my name is Greg Peterson, uh audit partner with Weaver and Tidwell. We conducted the audit of the 2025 financial statements for the district. Uh it is my pleasure to come and present results of that audit tonight. Um so far, the theme of this meeting has been a lot of positivity. Um what an outstanding choir work that was. That was fantastic. I didn't
054hear a lot of these performing tonight. That was phenomenal. Um so we'll we'll start with the summary of the audit results on page 100 if you have the report in front of you. So we are issuing a lot of audit opinions on the financial statements. So that is the highest level of assurance you can receive. That's also known as a clean audit. As part of our audit process, we do evaluate the district's internal controls. >> [clears throat] >> The district's internal controls are basically the foundation for which these financial statements are built upon. So we do identify and test internal controls so that we can rely on the information that we see in the reports as far as the balance sheets are concerned. Throughout our testing, we did not identify any material weaknesses or significant
055deficiencies in internal control processes. We also test for compliance with certain laws and regulations to make sure the district is in compliance but did not find any non-compliance over those items tested which include PFIA and the procurement act. We also perform a federal single audit. So since the district expends over $750,000 in federal awards, they're required to have a single audit conducted. We tested the special education cluster and the title one programs. Those two programs accounted for 33% of the total federal expenditures. So those two programs are 7 million of the 21 total 21 million total federal expenditures. As part of that, we test compliance with federal requirements and we also test internal controls over those compliance requirements. We will be rendering an unmodified opinion so clean opinions on the on the single audit side.
056We also did not identify any control deficiencies when testing those federal programs. The district continues to be a low-risk auditee for federal programs. So the way you achieve that that recognition is you don't have internal control deficiencies, you don't have material weaknesses. So the continued clean opinions of the district allow for it to be considered a low-risk auditee. I will conclude my presentation. We'll turn to page 58 and we will look at the general fund budget and actual results. Management brings to the board the budget for the general fund which is the primary fund operating fund of the district. The board adopts that budget and then management has to operate the district within those confines. When we look at the expenditure section of the budget actual result, there were no negative variances which means there
057were no over spending in by the functional levels for which the budget was approved. The district did add to general fund fund balance $6.7 million. We look at fund balance. We'd like to run certain ratios. One of the ratios we looked at is how much how many days of operations do you have in your assigned fund balance. TEA has set the goal at 90 days to try to have 90 days of operating expenditures in your fund balance. The district currently has 107 days. So you exceed that that TEA minimum requirement which is good. Again, it's just an indication of fiscal responsibility and and following the guidance of what's adopted by by the board. Again, as a board, I think the key takeaways would be the unmodified opinions, not having control deficiencies both on the financial
058statement side and the federal single audit side. So definitely an A+ audit. I do want to thank Brady, Amanda, and the whole finance department. We asked for a lot of information. They they provided it to us very timely. You know, as an audit partner, it's great to be able to walk into Brady's office and we can have very detailed discussion about the school's finances and you know, if I have questions, she has answers. So that was really great to know that she's very on top of what's going on with their department. I'm happy to answer any questions you all have. Thank you. Thank you. Are there any questions or further discussion? Is there a motion to approve the 2024-2025 annual financial audit? Motion has been moved and seconded. There being no further discussion, a vote
059will now be taken. All those in favor, say I. I. Those opposed, say no. The motion is approved. Item three on the agenda tonight is open forum. The board will now hear comments from those persons who signed up to speak. Do we have sign-ups? So if Mr. Pullman Austin Pullman Okay, well, I'm going to guess that you checked the restrooms to make sure he's not here. Okay. So I guess maybe for comments. We'll move on to item number five on the agenda which is reports and proposals of board members. Do you have any proposals to make here? Okay, we'll move on. We're going to go to item six on the agenda which is consideration for an out-of-state trip for Porter High School cheer presented by Mark Miller. I just thought you were going to do
060a cheer first. I'm Mr. Everett and I'm here with the Caney Independent School District School Board. My name is Dr. Mark Miller, principal of Porter High School. We competed at the Universal Cheer Association Southwest competition in San Antonio on November 23rd in the small varsity non-tumbling D1 game day. We received first place and a bid to the National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, Florida. We would like permission to travel out of state to attend the the NCA SCC. This is for We will travel on the 5th of February from IAH and to Orlando and then we'll come home on the 9th of February. Attending will be 14 cheerleaders, two coaches, Coach Barbara and Coach Bull from Pine Valley Middle School, and Miss Carolann Murray, aka the float queen, will be our administrator. Um, does
061anybody have any questions or further discussion? How's it paid for? Does the district pay or do the students pay? You pay for meals at $8.50. What do you mean $8.50? $30 $8.50 a meal for our each person. And then the cost to pay actual $10 per Anything else? And we will entertain a motion to approve the out-of-state trip for Porter High School cheer. Second. It has been moved and seconded. There being no further discussion, a vote will be taken. All those in favor, say I. Those opposed, say no. So the motion is approved. Item number seven on the agenda is consideration [clears throat] of the 2026-2027 academic calendar presented by Dr. Caesar and Dr. Good evening. So the the academic calendar for the 26-27 school year has been presented to you. We we followed for
062the most part what we did this past school year. We have also tried to align some of our one-week vacations to districts around us to help support our staff members that have staff in other districts. So we've done that and then also just with the amount of days that we have to play with this next year. I don't know if you can see there that there's a there's an extra few days for the Christmas break which I know was been enjoyed if it's approved. So but but other than that, for the most part, it is the same as this past year. Thank you. >> [snorts] >> Are there any questions or further discussion? Is there a motion to approve the 2026-2027 academic calendar? Second. Motion has been moved and seconded. There being no further discussion,
063a vote will be taken. All those in favor, say I. I. Those opposed, please say no. The motion is approved. So item number eight on the agenda is consideration of the 2026-2027 academic calendar for Infinity Early College High School also presented by So thank you again. As well as the KISD academic calendar, Infinity also has followed the same calendar as this past school year. The only big change on their calendar is that we moved all of their professional development days that they had at the end of the school year up to the beginning so their students aren't sitting in the cafeteria waiting for lunch to start. So that way, once the professional development days are over, lunch will start and they'll be starting their days of their classes and so So that was the big
064major change for Infinity. Other than that, it's the same. Thank you. Are there any questions or further discussion? Is there a motion to approve the 2026-2027 academic calendar for Infinity Early College High School. The motion has been moved and seconded. There being no further discussion, a vote will be taken. All those in favor, say I. I. Those opposed, say no. The motion is approved. Thank you. Item number nine on the agenda is the consent calendar consisting of consideration of minutes, financial reports, purchasing reports, instruction reports, and public relation items. Are there any questions from y'all or further discussion? Is there a motion to approve the items on the consent calendar? Second. The motion has been moved and seconded. There being no further discussion, a vote will be taken. All those in favor, please say I.
065I. Any opposed, say no. The motion is approved. Item number 10 on the agenda is closed meeting. The board will now adjourn to closed session under the Texas Open Meetings Act sections 551.071, 551.072, 551.074, and 551.076 to deliberate the duties, evaluations, responsibilities, employment, and dismissal of personnel and officers, including the board and superintendent as it pertains to any item listed on this notice or agenda. You will consult with the district's attorneys on subjects or matters that are listed in the notice or agenda, pending or contemplated litigation, and proposed settlement agreements. We can deliberate regarding security devices or discuss security audits, and deliberate regarding the purchase, exchange, lease, or value of real property. Should final action, vote, or decision on any matter considered in closed session be required, such final action, vote, or decision will be
066taken once the open meeting and covered by this notice has been convened at or at a subsequent meeting of the board. The board has adjourned to closed session, and the time is 7:07 p.m. The board ended its closed session at 8:34 p.m. Uh item 11 on the agenda is consideration of personnel report presented by Kristy Gates. So, this is our monthly recommendation and addendum for some positions that you all got to visit with our new recommended candidates during the executive session on and just our our hiring, our resignations, and our substitute hiring as well. Are there any questions or further discussion? Is there a motion to approve the personnel report? The motion has been moved and seconded. There being no further discussion, a vote will be taken. All those in favor, say I. I. Any
067opposed, say no. The motion is approved. Yes, ma'am. At this time, I'd like to have Ms. Maze introduce her new assistant principal. My pleasure to introduce Mr. Matthew McDougal. He is coming from West Fork High School. And at Porter High School, he's served in our district for over 10 years and as a BSS and in athletics and special education. So, we're very honored to have him join the White Warrior team and for the impact that he's going to make on the students and staff there. So, congratulations. His wife, Shay, has also made it through this entire board meeting. She's a teacher principal. Thank you very much, Shay. Congratulations. All right, Dr. Miller, you're doing good. Board, this is Ms. Candace Tracy. She is uh her 18th year in education. Uh she taught in special education.
068This is her fifth year as an assistant principal, first year at Porter High School. She has served as maybe at Atascocita High School and Lake Travis High School. Welcome. And Ms. Knight, your new assistant principal, All right, and it is my honor to introduce to you guys tonight Amber Smith, who's also been uh of course a just a proud part of New Caney ISD for her career through Kings Manor, Woodridge, and now West Fork High School, uh transitioning from a counselor role where she's been a lead counselor, I think, for 7 years through Woodridge and West Fork now, into an assistant principal role. So, and congratulations. Item number 12 on the agenda is consideration termination of a of contract with Gamma Construction Company for the new operations building project for convenience, and also, excuse me,
069authorize the superintendent and board has designate to notify Gamma Construction Company of the same and take necessary related actions. Presented by Mr. Yes, ma'am. This is the topic that we discussed in closed session, just asking for y'alls approval so we can start that process. Are there any questions or further discussion? Is there a motion to terminate the contract with Gamma Construction Company for the new operations building project for convenience, and authorize the superintendent and his designate to notify Gamma Construction Company of the same and take necessary related actions? >> Second. The motion has been moved and seconded. There being no further discussion, a vote will be taken. All those in favor, please say I. I. Those opposed, say no. The motion is carried. Item 13 on the agenda is to consider rescinding award for new
070operations building approved by the board at the October 20th, 2025 meeting and authorize the superintendent and his designate to issue a new request for competitive sealed proposals solicitation for the new operations building project. Presented by Mr. Cowper. Yes, ma'am. Again, as discussed in closed session, uh asking >> [clears throat] >> uh for y'all's approval of the recommendation so we can issue a new request for competitive sealed proposals. Are there any questions or further discussion? Is there a motion to rescind award for new operations building approved by the board at the October 20th, 2025 meeting and authorize the superintendent and his designate to issue a new request for competitive sealed proposals for the new operations building project. The motion has been moved and seconded. There being no further discussion, a vote will now be taken. All
071those in favor, say I. I. Those opposed, say no. The motion is approved. Item 14 on the agenda would be future discussion topics. Um I really enjoyed the fine arts presentation. I think everybody did. So, I don't really have any for future topics. Not right now. Okay. Anybody? There being no further business, then What? There being no further business, the motion of the meeting is adjourned. The time is 8:40.