001Right. [music] Good evening board members, Dr. Cruz, district staff, members of the community. The time is 5:00. This is the 18th day of February, 2026, and I call this public hearing of the United Independent School District Board of Trustees to order. Uh, present with me is Gilbert Aguilar. I am Javier Montayor. A quorum is not present, but let the record show that this public hearing has been duly called and that notice of this public hearing has been posted in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act. Agenda item number two, we're going to open the public hearing. Uh this is a public hearing on the Texas Education Code 39.306 306 and 39 and 39.362 presentation of United ISD's annual report including the Texas academic performance report and the PE IMS financial standard report describing the district's
002educational and and district sorry the district's educational and financial performance. The time is 5:01. Let the let the record show that this public hearing is now open. >> Good. Good afternoon, members of the board, Dr. Cruz, and members of the audience. For the record, my name is Cla Gonzalez. I am the CTE director and the DEIC chairperson for the two 2025 2026 academic school year. It is 501 and we're going to go ahead and begin our DEIC meeting. We do have one item on the agenda. We do have Miss Christina Kasanova, executive director for instructional accountability, with our P public hearing, Texas Education Code 39.306 and 39.362 presentation of United ISD's annual report describing the district's educational and financial performance. >> Um, before we begin, can we have control room can you fix the spotlighting
003on the podium? Seems to be a shadow. >> Oh, yeah. >> The spotlight. Oh, a spotlight on me. >> Yeah, [laughter] that's >> a little off. >> That's funny. Can I be >> Maybe if you Yeah, >> that's all right. I can move the podium. >> Yeah, if I move this way, I think we'll be fine. Good evening, uh, Mr. Monttoayor, Mr. Aguilard, Dr. Cruz, Mr. Garcia, and members of the audience. For the record, my name is Christina Caveo, executive director for instructional accountability. Today I'm here to um to present to you our district annual report. We do have it here on a QR code if anyone would like to download. It is on our website and each campus's website. There are eight sections to this annual report and I'm going to review them with
004you. The Tapar report is in two different formats. It's an online version called a dynamic and a PDF version. I'm proud to announce that for 2025, UISD was rated an A. We did receive the distinction of post-secary readiness, getting our students ready post high school. And we did receive a meets requirement for special education status. Yay. [applause] >> [applause] >> for the 2425 school year. Here is a breakdown of our demographics. Um we did have a total of 40,000 a little over 40,000 students last year. Our Hispanic economically disadvantaged English learners and at risk um United ISD is um either higher or right where the state is. So in spite of our demographics, we continue to do extremely well. Here is our star performance. All grades and subjects um approaches meets and masters. United ISD
005continues to outscore the state and the region. Here we decided to break it down by subject, reading, math and science at approaches meets and masters. United ISD outscored the state and the region in all performance levels. In social studies, we did um outscore the state and the region at approaches and meets. We fell short two percentage points, but our CNI department um our social studies uh co coordinators working diligently with teachers to improve our scope and sequence so that we can get our masters up to and um exceed the state in all student assessments in star telpas every uh state assessment we have 100% participation and 0% % not tested. So we do a really good job in makeup testing attendance and dropout rates. You see three green check marks here. I do want to
006um you know throw a shout out to Telma Martinez and her department where um okay uh our attendance rate and annual dropout rate we are um higher than the state in attendance at a 93.9. Our dropout rate this is where you want to see it lower than the state in the region. And in our uh dropout rate for students in grades 9 through 12, we are significantly significantly lower than the state and the region. Our graduation rates, we do extremely well. We do offer 40 credit opportunities for our students. We are at a 96.5 higher than the state in the region. and our F foundational high school program, our DLA graduates, again, we are significantly higher than the state and the region at a 94% for the class of 2024. Our postsecary indicators, our goal
007is at an 88%. Um, we highly um were higher than 88% at a 95.4 4 and it breaks it down by college ready TSI AP and dual course credits. Again, we are an accelerated block district offering 40 credit opportunities. So, this is an opportunity that our parents take advantage of um earning uh college credit in high school. These are the number of graduates um enrolled in a in a higher uh Texas institution either a two-year or fouryear. We are at a 62.6% higher than the state in the region. And I do want you to note that this does not include students that attend colleges out of state. This is clearly just instate two or four-year universities here. Um it are are retention rates by grade level. I do want you to note um and highlight
008our grade nine at a 2.4 uh retention rate versus the state at 7.3 significantly lower. And our special education rate is is at a 3.8 and 9th grade and the state is at an 11. I do attribute this to our ninth grade campuses that they are all by themselves. we are able just to target them. They're not at the main campus. We um can offer them a lot of services just them by themselves. So this is a very good percent. Here are class size averages compared to the state. We are comparable in many cases. Uh last year we were lower than the state. Here we have our staff information, our teachers, our professional staff, our campus administration, central admin again comparable to the state. Here um we have our years of experience by teachers and
009I do want to highlight our teachers that have 11 or more years. United ISD our average of teachers 11 or more years is at a 64% versus the state at a 44%. What does this mean? Our teachers are staying with UISD they are you know and that is the goal recruit retain and reward teachers which brings me to another slide with TIA. Here I did want to highlight the average years of experience of our campus leaders. And if you notice United ISD versus the state again also our campus administrators, we have more years of experience and working here with our students, central admin staff. Here are the salaries. I do want you to note we are significantly lower than the state average. We're at 99,500 and the state average is 118,000. Our turnover rate is
0108.5 versus the state at an 18.8. Again, I want to note that our um central admin, we stay within UISD. UISD is a family and that's why our turnover rate is so low. brings me to our teacher incentive aotment. Um, notice right now these numbers do reflect only south feeders. I do want to let you all know that on February, early February, United ISD got the word that we had been um, we passed data validation. So we have 181 uh new or higher designations which brings us to a total of over 300 of our teachers that are designated um with in TIA our highly effective teachers working with our students. So um we those teachers are going to generate a little over $5 million which really will be paid out back to them. Now I'm
011going to talk about our uh section two financial report. The financial report is there if um anyone would like to get a copy. Remember that this is lagging data for the 2324 school year. So here our total operating revenue per student. United ISD is at 12,646 and the state is a little over 13,000. Here are expenditures. If you look at, you know, all our funds, the 521 million, uh, we spend 12,679 per student. The state is spending 12,950. We're a little bit lower. Even though we are spending less, we are doing less. Uh, we are doing more with less. Our scores are are proof. Here our tax rate for United ISD we are significantly lower than the state at 7 point uh 79 and the state at N7 significantly lower. Our unassigned fund balance remember
012this is for the year 2324. It shows that we were at 78 million in our fund balance. Um, showing that we have $1,92 in savings for our students versus the state at 3,481. I do want you to note that Miss Lid Benavides and Mr. Flores are working diligently with our campus departments to um increase our fund balance. our accredititation statuses. We for the first rating we received superior achievement. We were an A for the 2023 school year and uh for the 2324 we are credited our campus improvement plans. Each campus works on their plan. they know what their goals are, making sure they are constantly tweaking, looking at data at our benchmarks and tweaking their um campus improvement plans. Now, we are on section five, report on violent and criminal incidents. Last year, we did
013report one for a pe code of authority aggravated assault on someone other than a district employee. We did have one incident. Continuing with the report on violent or criminal incidents, I do want to highlight highlight our you first program, which is our alternative education program. So during the 2425 school year, we had 255 students that qualified for you first. 212 did participate, 70 completed all of their days. 107 for this school year were in progress, carrying over from last year and unfortunately 35 you first opportunists were revoked. Our federal programs um they support our students, our staff, our communities. They want to make sure that they meet the goal number two safe and nourishing nourishing nourishing environment. Um that it is clear that we want a drug-free school. >> So our federal programs um some
014of the components for our CN uh curriculum and instruction are um mental health awareness, social emotional learning, uh education prevention intervention curriculum. That's their curriculum they use. They provide continuous staff development on the student code of conduct on bullying, mental health, suicide prevention. And again, we cannot do this alone. We need the parents involved. Um the parent learning summit at the UK meetings, the these messages are constantly being told to parents. Continuing with federal programs, we had over 2,000 middle school and high school students participate in a survey. We do have random drug testing for students in grades 7 through 12 who participate in extracurricular activities and we do have ondemand drug testing kits for parents. Last year 99 kids were were requested. Here we have um the GPA for those students that go into
015a higher two or fouryear public uh Texas public university and proud to say that approximately 78% of the students earned a GPA of a two which is a C at a two or fouryear public university. Section seven is talking about our HB3 goals where by the year 2030 at least 60% of Texans ages 25 uh to 34 will have a certificate or a degree. So we are trying to meet this goal by making sure that 60% of students will perform at the meets on third grade reading and 60% of all high school seniors will graduate without the need for remediation either a certificate an industrybased certificate enroll in post-secary ed or enroll in the military. I do want to let you know that the board needs to adopt these goals and I know that um
016our two executive directors, Miss Sida Gonzalez, elementary exec and Dr. Anelica Sanchez, CCMR executive director, presented these goals to you back in September. Section 8 is the glossery. Um the Spanish version of the glossery will be available late this winter. Um it provides definitions, methodologies, it lists sources. It is just there for if someone picks up our tap bar, they can interpret and understand what is being reported. And again, the vision at United, we empower students to become responsible global leaders. And as you can see here, we're holding up that A. We are striving this year in 2026 going for our seventh A. So, in conclusion, United ISD delivers great teaching with a strong curriculum. We partner with families and the community to create a positive learning space for all students. Our staff shows that
017UISD genuinely cares for every student. And before I I finish, I do want to recognize the ones that are at the front lines. Um, our campus principles, our campus administrators. If you are here, please stand and be recognized. [applause] I I also want to recognize um campus uh CNI staff, district staff. I know you're here in the room. Please stand and be recognized. [applause] >> [applause] >> As you can see, you know, we are doing extremely well here at United ISD, but we not one department does it alone. It is it takes a village and us being united um we're going to continue to be successful. And when and I'm sorry, the most important people that we really do need to recognize are hardworking teachers who work with our students day in and day out
018with our scope and sequence, you know, um teaching the students to get ready for STAR for TEPAS that we are testing right now, getting ready for the next grade level. So, if we have any teachers, please stand and be recognized. [applause] They are the real heroes here at United ISD. So, thank you teachers for everything that you do for the students and the staff here at United. >> Absolutely. >> Thank you. >> All right. Thank you for the presentation. Agenda item number three. Any public comments, Mr. Before we proceed, um I just want to go ahead and close up uh Mr. Monttoayor, if I may, the the DEIC meeting. So, uh thank you, Miss Cavo, for the your presentation. Um it is 5:19 and we are ready to adjourn our DEIC. Thank you. >> Okay.
019So I guess we are uh closing the the uh >> presentation and again I'll ask for any public comments in favor any public comments against on behalf of the board I certainly want to thank everyone every single one of you teachers district staff uh administrators at your campuses thank you for everything that you've done it certainly is outstanding achievement not only to get an A but to keep the A and keep it for for so long. I've said it before, United's always been one of those districts that the other other districts turn to and wonder like, "How are you doing this? What are you doing to to get this done?" And and when you look at the numbers, uh our graduation rates, the special education numbers, our achievements that we that that you posted there,
020it it certainly is quite an accomplishment. Uh teachers doing an outstanding job and and uh you know, it's impressive. I'm really impressed with with every single person's work. So, thank you. Thank you again. U anything else. >> I just want to say echo what you said. I know our graduation rates, I wrote them down 96 almost 97%. On CTE as well, over 95%. You know, this this could not be done if you know, we work as a team. Uh from CNI to our teachers to our principles, they work day in day out. So, um, we're going to continue doing this and this board, you know, is very proud and and and we're going to continue supporting our our staff and teachers. Thank you. >> If I may, >> yes, you know, big shout out to
021every single uh employee here at United ISD, uh, from our cafeteria workers to our custodians, to our power professionals, to our teachers and our administrators for the outstanding work. As you can see from this data, United ISD uh, continues to be a leader in the region and in the state. Yes, it is true. Uh, Mr. President, Mr. Motoay. Uh several school districts across the state have visited United and want to become us and want to be like us. Uh we always share our many of our resources and we're happy to do that, but certainly don't want to share the great employees that we have. Appreciate the grind that you do day in and day out and certainly the commitment that you have is second to none. So we truly appreciate all the work that you're
022doing and that you continue to do. I know it's very challenging times. But I do want to say, you know, we are committed to ensure uh we maintain the great instructional programs and also maintain the great employees that we have here at United ISD. Uh so continue the great work and this is bragging rights for United ISD. So thank you very much. [applause] All right. [applause] Always something positive. [laughter] >> All right. You listen the last two three weeks. Finally, finally something good. Yes, sir. >> All right. So, uh at this time I will close the uh public comments, close a public hearing. Um the time is 5:22 and we are adjourned on the public hearing uh regarding the Texas academic performance report. So, thank you. >> Thank you. [music] [music]