001Hello, everyone. Thank you for being here this morning. I know we've been waiting for this meeting for a long time. To be here. I'm so glad that some of my parents from our classes are here this morning, and it's a really nice combination . Thank you for coming to support the school. It is an honor to have independent Matías Segura here and some of the teams that have been here. I would like to thank you because it is not an easy job. What's happening in the district hasn't been easy, but we've been giving it our all and we appreciate your presence here with us today. I would also like to acknowledge our staff; if you are a member of staff, please stand. A round of applause for them. These are some of the teachers; not
002all of them are here, but they have been with me for the last 4 years, so I thank them. So thank you. Hello, everyone. My name is Ali and I am the executive director of communications and I'm going to go through our agenda to see what you can do with our time together. Let's go over some meeting rules. Regarding the meeting and the people who are available here to answer questions. I'm going to give you a summary so that we're all on the same page about everything we're going through today for this school. We also mention that QR codes have been added for comments. On October 3rd we told him some of the common questions we get asked that we're going to start by answering them directly and then we're going to open it up
003to conversations with us. We only have microphones with cables. If you have a question, you have to come up here because we don't have cables. We can try to figure out what to do if they don't want to come up here, and we'll discuss the next steps. For our rules, we want to have a future together. We are here to assess the situation and to find solutions that can make our district stronger. This is the truth. This process means what it's about . We want to honor time. We want to allow about a minute per person to speak and our response to be as brief as possible, but we want to make sure we have time for everyone and their questions. We want to honor everyone, speak to each other respectfully and without interruptions, and
004have other conversations that honor the process of how we have processed it in this space together. You have already asked, and we are here to answer your questions. Now we're going to honor the attempt, and we're not going to agree with everything, but we're going to have it in a positive way, and our goals for our system and with our students. We want to hear your voice. If you've already spoken once, we're going to tell you that other people can speak too, and we want you to speak again. We want to have our solutions and by being here today we are transferring them. I know that conversations are difficult, but we want to have as much action and clarity as possible. Those are our rules for the meeting. And getting to the point, I want
005to answer some of the questions you sent us through the comments and cards. Again, we want to answer them for you, giving you the opportunity to ask all the questions that are there and also to have an understanding, the rationale behind each answer. We also want our leaders to provide intentional information and our plans. for our anticipation and with that I'm going to pass it on to our leader, Master Matías Seguro, the superintendent, so that they can talk a little more about our vision. Thank you Ali, thank you all for being here. I really appreciate that you're here, I really appreciate it . Before we begin, I want to apologize . I know it's a process with many changes and interruptions. I do n't want you to leave this meeting believing that we are not
006doing everything possible to fix the transition problems. I want to talk about where we are as a school district and what we are trying to accomplish. And the first thing I want to say is we as a school in Austin ISD have not been serving our students, the students who have the least service. The system that has passed 144 is designed to produce what we are receiving right now. So what we need to do, and what I feel strong about, is moving to a place where we have strong schools in the neighborhoods, all over Austin. Right now we have amazing multicultural, multilingual schools with communities that foster success. How does this happen? Everything happens because, as an organization, we have so many pressures pushing us and we have to make decisions at a time when
007our resources are so, so few. So we talked about making a plan and making a change. Again. We want to have these schools all over Austin, serving all students, but to do this we have to serve several things at the same time. The first is that we have to have the borders aligned here in Austin. That's the honest truth. You go to places in Austin, you can have a middle school and think about what's going on here and there. The communities that are together, the strength of programs, UL, all of that are much stronger. That also has to do with elementary and middle schools. We have three, four, five different high schools. Think about what that's like and think about where those are. They're not in the west, they're in the east of Austin. So,
008in order to help with that, we have to change all the borders and boundaries that have been in place for over 100 years. two our dual language program . They were, we have to give this service to emerging students, that's why they exist. Now, we as an organization believe that we create opportunities for all students, but in order to do that we have to make it sustainable. What does it mean? We need to have a balance of those who are bilingual and those who are not. And what has happened, and what you know, is that the demographics have changed and families can no longer live in Osten; they are moving to the outskirts. These programs are going to be sustainable and provide access to where the students are, right? This plan as the second element
009in our movement of our dual language and that program absolutely. Third, we have inefficiencies and things that are not aligned in our system, and our cost of education has increased and our enrollment has decreased. These federal things and those changes aren't really taking hold right now. We have 2,000 students this year from immigrant families who are not coming to the district and others who have left, and we are looking at where these students are, where they are located. That's our population. We need to know that there are many things that are not putting pressure on our system. Right now we are desperately trying to move forward, move ahead and maintain control. We need to become more efficient. You've already heard me talk about the reduction in registrations, the pressure from the federal side, how they're
010changing our funds and freezing them, and the reality is that right now we can't operate the way we are without being able to introduce financial things and those risks in the future. The financial aspect and our risk here is up there with the responsibility, special education and its risks. All these things have to be handled at the same time. Otherwise, we will lose eligibility, and the best way we can help our students is to do so. The other thing I want to tell you is that our transfer policies have been something that has undergone several decisions over many decades, but we have students right now who are leaving us from other parts of Austin and going to other schools. Why is this happening? Some say we don't have schools that get good ratings, but we
011have visibility and resources. The other element is that our transfer policy is giving and they are giving these, we have to be honest about that for this transfer. So as a school and district, while we're looking at one of the most restrictive things, which is accountability, don't lose sight of the fact that in this community we are 100% very good, more than a grade. I know I believe it and you believe it, but we have to operate in a state that uses an assessment that they have to take one day a year to determine if our schools are strong or not. All of this needs to be balanced to see this, to make difficult decisions, because if we don't, we have a real potential for the state to come in and intervene. And that's something
012I do n't want to happen, because if that happens, all our students, 70,000 or more, are going to be disrupted during their school day. for the people who live in this community and don't believe that. This is for real. This is happening in our district in North Texas. So I want you to know that we, I love this school district, I love our students, we are at a moment where we have to change. This change here with Den is one that is very difficult, which is a bigger plan, which I have already emphasized in several things, but this plan includes for Din that all students in DN are all in the dual language. One of the things we talk about when the movement is making sure that all students move together so that these families
013stay together and friends stay together. We also need our schools to have a healthier record to give our students the resources they need from campus to campus to be successful and successful overall, and many things we must do as a school district that we pay for that are not required by the state, we pay for librarians, for nurses. Those are things that we believe in . We have our own curriculum. We have, we can save 7 or 8 billion if we want to use the state curriculum, but I promise you that's not going to align with who we are. The plan includes the doen moving to Galindo because of the responsibilities and the change that exists. What that means is that we're going to look at the change plan and work on how we can
014change that system. I know he wants me back . No, it's fine. We can stay here. This, we have that the Dsen has three ways. Ua has to say that it's that I don't have . They did it that way, they wrote it themselves. It doesn't make sense, but that means we have three FS or 3DS or some combination of them, and I want to be very clear, this is not the fault of our students, it isn't . as a district. We have been through a period of interruptions, we are trying to stabilize a system, but for many years that has not been the case. So we're getting out of here. We have to change that responsibility and that command so that the director or the new leader of this campus and the campus and
015the leader of the same will have the plan of Docen to Galindo. We're going to have something very specific to hire them in the state of Texas. We need to see how many years of education that educator should have for the exam or that they are certified and they will be moving them to that plan. I also want to be very clear: when we can break free from those responsibilities, we will move to a place where our academic side and our results will be aligned with our values. If we don't break these chains, these interventions where the State requires us to act and become more rigid year after year. That's the honest truth. So, we're at a point right now where we're trying to do this together as a school district, and with that, I'm
016going to pass it on to the other one so they can answer a few questions. Yes, we can talk about that. I just want to comment here about these limits of paraon. Here you can see it on the left, as the superintendent was saying, we want to keep communities safe and maintain boundaries where our schools are and have seats available in those schools. It's something we can see here. Okay, I think we've gone off- topic, but if we can start, oh, with the comment cards. I see there are a lot of comments, so Ali and his team are going to be talking about this right now. The first question, which is mentioned in several comments, is whether you are considering moving the programs, as these are being built in a way that considers broadcasting Becker
017Adon's program. Actually, what we're really looking at, what we 've said previously, is where we are, where the students are, and how many schools we have around us. We have a lot of empty seats in those areas, so I want to talk a little more about what the superintendent was saying before about what we're trying to do with the dual language program, and I'm also going to ask Mrs. Carmen to talk a little bit about what this program is and why this program is moving forward. Thank you so much. Good morning. Thank you for being here this morning to talk about this question. particular. We've talked again about our bilingual program and what we've found when we've been looking at locations for this program, there is a 60% emerging bilingualism in this area. At Doson
018right now, DOSO has 26 or 27% of emerging bilingual students. So what we're looking for from a place, most of our students are looking for stability in this program, and that's something we're seeing in this situation. I have the impression that this question wasn't from the Dson community, but it was in the comments, so let's comment. I truly love how they treat my children and the good lessons they are receiving at Doson. It would be great if they closed Doson on us. What were our factors? Let me reiterate what we've been saying from the beginning. This is not easy. We are working together. If you're seeing this plan, it's not because the school isn't working, it's just old. Let's start there. We're looking at the alignments, but we have a purpose of where the students
019live, how many buildings we have, where they are located, and then we're looking at our boundaries. We're talking about that too. Superintendent Segura spoke about the patterns that are aligning, which is another way we are adding. There are many factors involved; it's not specifically about one person, it's that we are working together to create a larger system. We could align with what we're saying. The superintendent wants to say something. Yes, I think one thing we're seeing from schools is specific things. How many students currently live there, according to a demographic report, and how many will be there in the next 5 years? And one thing we know from these studies is that they change; currently we are between 20 and 25%. What this means is that each student in this area studied two, we will
020still have 25% we are using. We are saying that the cost per student goes up, as in a system like c we have an enrollment of about 180 children. We have a low student population, low student program prospects, low teacher expectations, and I know that having small schools has many benefits, but we can't operate with those numbers. When we say we need other schools, we need to seek assistance. We want to have a larger number of students, and this is a function of how things are changing. Our schools are moving along with what we 're saying that this led us to this plan of consideration is one that has to have a foundation of numbers that is helping, that is maintaining a better at least 25% which is a number we are looking for. Can
021you tell us something? Can you tell us something about what's going to happen with this building and how we're going to start the process? If we go ahead, there can be community participation to find out what's going to happen. Simone asks, first of all, we do not make any decisions based on the location or value of the property. This is based solely on strategy. As we move forward and improve, we are looking for a plan, something we have already paraphrased, to have a plan that is supporting the transition of each school. I don't want to have a building that is... that's not what we 're looking for, it's not what we're looking to recommend. technically what we're going to do when we do this. So it is approved. Under the board of directors, we will
022identify what the benefits are for the community. Our board said that if we go to the property, we're going to make sure it benefits the community, and what is that benefit? Let's say, is it affordable housing for teachers, housing, accessibility for the community, or a space that is... we're looking at three different things, different properties that are going through the transition. What we're doing is looking at the whole process. Where are we going to start having activity? What will it look like ? Perhaps this will be a process that will lead to a final recommendation. Everything will depend on the community, on what the community wants, whether they want to increase the time or decrease the time. Many times the community says, "We love the school, but if we rush the transition, it's going to
023be felt somehow, so we're going to take it slow." So it depends a lot on the community; we're not going to do anything without their input in the process. I expect it. Our board expects it. Our policies are included in that. You'll see an update on our process, on what we're doing, on when we're going to finalize this process. We're going to go as fast as the community wants. Yes, I will say this: we're not going to do it completely if we're here. This is something we want to do; it's something vibrant; it's something from our community. We want to start the process; we're going to start it with you. But I want to be honest with you about what's happened before. One of the schools where the process has been... In 2019, there was
024a neighborhood organization that still had children there. They couldn't operate anymore, but what we did was work with the office to get resources to make improvements with United Way, and we used it as a... Center. We had an agreement that they were operating with children within our district, but it's not a building that has to be operating under the school district. Another Aniracui is another property that was closed. It's been closed for many years, but what we've had is a resource fund. It's been closed for many years. Um, what we've done is we've had a project for affordable housing for teachers at different levels. It's a 600- unit project. We have to recognize that this city is pushing families out if we don't have access to affordable housing. It's something we're considering. That project has
025already been... they've already done it, they're already working with our board and our district. Another thing I'm saying, there are other schools that I can tell you about right now. Another example that are moving very quickly in the community, there have been times when they've thought that they didn't want to think with the plan. So once our program was over, we didn't want to involve the people from our central office anymore. We wanted it to be a program focused on our community. We wanted to rent the space with our community. There are many ways we can do that. We always take the lead from the community, building on what has already happened in the process. Those are a good example. There are many projects happening in any way, whether it's using the space to modernize
026some projects. Last year at Killin Mircool, in some places we can move the whole school, and in others we can't, but if we have the school, we can maintain it and use it as a space. Right now, we have entire schools that are in portable classrooms that are being used in other places for other projects. This can be an example of that as well. Okay, this is the last question we have. Dum's dual language program is wonderful; it's a wonderful resource for our community. We don't want to lose it. It could be for the growth and development of our children. It could be paused, risking the loss of alternatives to protect stability. Thank you so much for that question. That's lovely. If you have A dual language program, they have approximately 59 children, 59% of
027whom are enrolled there. 49% of the children are going to move. So they already have a stable dual language program that they can accommodate the DOS students in. Okay, now we have the schedule to be here until 9:30, about an hour. Any questions you have are welcome. If you want to come to the microphone and ask a question, we 're recording it so people can take it in if they're not going to be able to hear it on the recording. It's a question. I 'm not saying something you already know, but it's an opportunity to say that everyone here is saying, we know you've done a great job with the grades, and we know it's something we can't control. But on the parents' side, you 've done an excellent job serving our students since first
028grade. I have my son here. Thank you. Thank you. That's it. Thank you. One of the things I want the community to know is that we're desperately trying to have a stable place and something you can have confidence in. And when we moved From the pandemic, a succession of leaders— that has a very big impact, a correlation between superintendents, principals, the director of principals, and teachers, and that's a very big thing. My first year, I think I had 27 principals. How can we have visibility and how are these openings working? You're right. We've been able to have very good leaders, and we're seeing that this system is responding, and I know they have three ways. The progression is very, very significant to see this. When we see that, the state doesn't see it at all,
029much less the ratings. There's a very important point I want to reinforce: our principals, our staff, our teachers, everyone is who they are. I've been very clear that it's not how we want to reach and protect our teachers, principals, even the people who work in the kitchen, the teachers, everyone, the people who clean— everything has a process that allows our educators to find a home. It's my intention to find a home for our students, to imagine what it will look like if we're going to bring the schools together and find a home for everyone who wants to stay in the district. There are comments when you say Hey Matias, are you looking at contracts or this? This has never even crossed my mind. I love our teachers. My mom taught for 40 years. I'm part
030of the district. My kids come here. This isn't something I'm going to do. So I appreciate you sharing this. We have to go through this together and have support during this transition. That's the honest truth. Hi, thanks for coming in today. I'm Christian Brown. I have two kids here in Den. I've lived here for 11 years and I've seen the school go through many transitions. I'm going to be a little more direct about our community where we don't have the red lines they put up here. We want more time. The school is here. It's here. And without those resources, the school has moved a lot and you're going to see it in the grades this year, but we know where we stand. And this is what's happening. You just mentioned that I'd like to reiterate
031how you're going to protect our administration and teachers. Everyone has job guarantees, all those who are in the certification process. And then I have another question about the location. Thank you for putting it here. In the certification process. Yes. One of the things we have to be responsible about in the state of Texas is that the laws have changed. I don't know how many families know this, but moving forward, we're not going to be able to serve only 12% of students, and they're moving toward certification. We're using some of this as an innovation to give a little bit of flexibility. What this means is that next year and the year after that, I'm going to be required by law to make moves in the district so that every student has a certified bilingual educator making
032progress toward this. I want to make that distinction because we don't have educators who are in, doing a good job, and making that progression. But we're moving forward when this is more... when we have our wall-to-wall plan, because our policy has changed in our elementary schools, and we have those numbers. We have to make sure we have a certified bilingual educator, but the reality is, if we don't have the numbers when we talk about having this full dual language program plan, fewer educators are going to be needed, and we're going to have a larger number of students... Dual language. All of our students, all of our districts are competing to certify to have educators who are bilingual and certified bilingual. And this includes our promise in our plan, how we're going to support educators. You
033have, right? Each plan is going to be a little different because Galindo is going to have a Dawsen tab and it's going to look a little different. You can go to the board to see each of the teachers here in DOSENTEN, those who are also in the certification process, have a job here in the district, and if they choose to stay, and the accelerated support they have in that process, what services and support they're receiving. That's going to be a little... Brandy has the strategies that can give you the more specific details. I can't tell you specifically what support we give them. I know the plans in the general part as a district, what we're trying. I can't say specifically what resources we have here, but we can give you information about our team here
034that provides support, but I can't say specifically what we're doing. to support the teachers here. It's very important for our community and other schools. We're not... well, we want to have our... this is very important for our community, that the administrators and teachers are supported and our staff feel safe and secure, and when the school is going to close, we're where we are in Austin. It's extremely important that this school is safe and that there's more police presence, which is also very important. I live right across the street from where the kids play, the park. We need to know exactly what the plan is for how the school is going to be kept safe, if there's a transition. I know it's $70 million. If they haven't considered it, it's kind of crazy, because it's a
035nice place, there's a development, or multiple different plans. I appreciate the feeling that we're going to be involved. It's very important that we have factors. And I'd like to know what the security plans will be and how you've seen it on other campuses. Yes, of course. We 've seen it on other campuses, in other schools, and so you're not going to see it occupied as a school. It's going to be It's going to be a school. It's going to be a place that we're going to operate and maintain, so we'll continue with the electrical work and mowing the lawn. We're going to leave a place, a vacant school, for ourselves. I think you've seen this in a couple of years when this has happened. Typically, what happens is that the school itself reports to talent
036and strategy, to our directors. So, TLL will then be in charge of the campus at the point where it transitions to a non- educational location. Then it will move to Christine Newer, the head of operations. We have a director there where we have a portfolio of all the other properties, the truck terminals, and everything. And there's also a schedule, and there will be other evaluations throughout the year. We'll also have staff there. But we have hybrid locations; we don't want to rent places, I do n't want to have to do that. So there's a way we can move people from here to another campus in a short amount of time. This position that we've also seen before, we're moving staff here, you're going to do a Or something else, but what will it look like?
037But speaking of the presence of our police officers, they will have a dedicated SRO already assigned to this campus. Someone will be in the area as well, who will be coming periodically throughout the day, walking, accessing the building, and going through the hallways, and they will be on the lookout. That doesn't stop there. Speaking of procedures in our community , we have schools right now that keep their security systems very open, opening them in the evenings or after school closes, but we have other schools. So, again, what we ensure is that we always have everything closed, we have a lot of flexibility in how we can do that. We've done it before, we can do the protocols around it. We can go back to precisely how it will look, but we also have to finalize
038how it will look on campus, but it's also different when the building is occupied or not. Now, the comment about the millions of dollars, why don't we consider it? Because many times it depends, right?, on what we can do publicly. The community's intention is that we don't want to set a number that we can't reach, and I'm always looking at the long term with these transactions. I want to make sure, as the manager of these resources, as a school district, that we don't sell our properties. But if we can find a partner that we can repurpose, and if we can keep it in our portfolio for 50 years and then build a campus again, if we lose it, we lose it forever. So that's why it's never something we start with. We're always looking at
039everything in the portfolio, but it's not like , "Oh, why don't you sell Austin High?" I always hear that all the time, but it doesn't work that way. But what we can do is, over time, specifically have a meeting about what it's going to look like. That would help. Yes. I want to go back to the first question. Okay, we were able to ask the first question. I think we're having connection problems. We want to talk specifically about what resources are coming to these schools. We have a slide, it's one that has two boards that look like a... Circles. Approximately, the savings with this plan are like 25.6 million, which is the efficiency we're going to save with this. You're also going to see another slide, it's going to be this one. So, at 26.6
040million, but if we can go to, we're also planning to invest in the students. Every school that has a change plan, we're helping with staffing, and this could be like the campus, it could be what they need most, what they cover things with our assistant principal, counselors, instructors, those who help with content, content intervention, who also go through that and possibly also going down. You have a question. This is going to be Den. It's going to be combined with any school next year that has this plan. What happens with two this year because of the grades? We're here right now. What's going to happen? To be clear, we have changes. How do we support our schools? No, I know it's not as clear as an injection, but I want to be very honest, two and
041a half years ago we did n't have coaches, we had in some schools aid and some dollars put in for Excuse me , we had what are called instructional coaches . A lot of the things that happened, we said, and our board of directors, if you have a location, you're going to get to a point where half the AP and we're sharing the PE teacher. So we created a minimum, like a floor, where we made sure we had support from a minimum of two teachers per grade level, and we could quickly get to where you have only one teacher per grade level, and that's not where we want to be. We don't have the collaboration; we want the teachers to work together as a team, and a minimum, and that only applies to some schools
042that have a fairly small student population. So, on the 23rd and 24th, we implemented instructional coaches, and then we started at our grade level, and the educators work so hard so that everyone gets to the same place, the content, and the intervention, and that was in 2024. So, that was that as well. And then we created supports based on the change plan for the 23rd, 24th, and 25th. So, we've had resources previously. I want to be very Very clear, right? We know, we're informed, but what will Docen receive this year so that the students are successful right now? That's going to be a specific conversation. I don't want to speak out of turn, but we follow our leadership, our directors, our executive directors. We create a work plan, and this is what each school will
043receive. Then there's some autonomy regarding what that specific campus needs, what has to be done here or supported, or what resources they should have between now and the end of the year. This is a conversation your director can have with you; you can talk more about it. I don't want to say, "It's this and this," because it might be something different. I don't know if you want to talk about that. Hello everyone, I'm the executive director who supports Docen. At the beginning of the year, we had a conversation with Dr. Godíes about some of the positions here. So there were one or two positions that remained, and I know we've had to remove teachers. We've also provided support through professional development, through Learning Apps. I've come twice because... I come twice a week to see
044what their needs are and what resources DOM here needs. I've stayed with different people, including Susan, to have teacher observation and development sessions so we can practice and make sure they have the resources they need this year. These are just the beginnings. Now we're in the process of gathering some data to see if we can get extra resources so students can retain and break the cycle. Do you know what Lighthouse is? Have you heard that term before? Yes, our Lighthouse schools are a support line that we started last year with schools that were essentially tied to a new learning plan. We're receiving funding from OCD. What we 're doing is supporting educators who are receiving the curriculum and giving them the skills so they can grow, and we're making sure our principals have the necessary
045resources. We need leaders, destructive leaders, so they can help academically and help the teachers. But what we really needed to happen is for our principals to have educational leaders, so they could see it in real time. So we have House Schools, we have Observation Schools, they're all together. Our principals are working together with them, and they take notes and bring it back to their own schools, and that gives them support. We've seen a very big improvement. It's something that is... It's not giving much, but we're seeing that it can bring many, many improvements to the whole school. This year the expansion department is starting to work with this plan which is to reach them in a very different way. It's a situation where perhaps it's very small to do in terms of what we were
046saying, but I do want to mention that we have our numbers. We have one school that's one point away from becoming a D, and we have seven that are one point away from becoming a D. These are schools that are in the 40s, in 59, they're right there. It's not where we want to be, but we are seeing that the trajectory is going where we want it to go. Hello, my daughter. He comes to Dom. He came to Thossom a few years ago. I am involved with the Neighborhood Association and we are definitely going to be affected. We have a genuine interest in the school and I am very concerned about what will happen to the green space here with the community. One of the things we're very excited about is hearing about the security
047they're going to have, which seems like something that might interest them. I would like to ask about how the condition of this school is going to have an impact. Have you heard this? That was one of the questions about the condition of the school; it is one of the processes. Many of us who are looking at the school, I think many of the people have never voted for another school. We've only recently been hearing that their money might go elsewhere, so some things from time to time I support the TP election process. It is something that is profound in every sense. The first thing I'm going to say is that it's from the Bond plan of 2016-17 and also the 2020 in the 2022 in the plan that I was assisting you with. But what
048I'm telling people is that if you can't make decisions about what you don't know, you can't make them. At that time we believed that 88 of the constituents were going to make these decisions. That was something very big, very big that we could share the understanding of the schools. It was something we might think that all the vouchers that were going to compete against school funds didn't know. Another thing I'm going to say is that we wouldn't want to be here if people, if things had been different. We're not going to invest money where our children are. I want to make sure that the students have air conditioning that's working, water that's working. I want to listen, I don't want to hear the other position. As? I don't want to hear them tell me where
049they are, why are you leaving our students without air conditioning? We want to use our money in a very smart way. We do n't want to delay anything in general. What we are ensuring is that they are safe, comfortable, and have an environment, a suitable environment for learning. We've had this conversation because when we asked voters this, you can't imagine the way it has escalated, the way I have done it, from where we are now. At this time, these projects are still going to continue. That's 4.5 million dollars. Most of what we are trying to build is that we are finding to be very efficient and of high quality. Very well, I will be very kind. Thanks, Chris, for talking. One of our concerns was that our very talented teachers, of which there are many,
050have been instrumental in and have done wonderful things for our children. We are reiterating that our concern is to recover the resources of our administration and the teachers so that they are family-friendly, unfortunately due to the situation. I want to talk a little bit about the elephant in the room. No, don't say that our voices, our comments are kind in this, because we don't care, we haven't spoken with the questions, we aren't asking the questions, but we care a lot about what is happening. Yes, money is money. I want you to answer, I want you to think about all these things from a financial perspective from now on. I believe, I have been, I have been in the district, I have been a teacher's assistant, I cannot speak to the quality of your plan, but
051you have the confidence here a little bit that is hanging by a thread. We don't have to ensure that the plan being made will serve the teachers, rather than the students, because financially we cannot distract our corporate staff, we cannot move our students for affordable housing. What is your plan to educate our students and prepare them for college? I need everyone to remain singularly focused on that. I need you not to get distracted by all this that's happening, this noise that's going on. They need to control all of that. Falling, choose equity and choose what please inclines towards what is real. We are and we will trust and we will go to a new space, but after that they are going to lose a lot of people. So I don't know exactly what my question
052is. What I'm saying is that we're going to go down this path with you. It feels very different in 1918, when I was working in the east. I understand how fairness is in what we 're doing here, but let's stay focused. They are children, they are quality teachers, leaders, the community, no, I'm not saying that these schools don't have that. These people are real. We've turned this around . We were with the administrators, with the directors. We did n't go to a private school before , to a chat room, we're here. So please take this seriously, don't get distracted in this last hour. They made the plan, they took it , so stick to the plan. Please continue on your way and please do not ask for more money, no more money. Take the budget
053you have, just like we have our budget at home, take it and work with it. Thank you. You do n't have to answer. We have some people here. I want the community to know that it is a very multi-level, multi- layered plan. We have to work and I am very committed to having a plan from now on. There is a lot of pressure, there are many things being heard in the community. I am committed to listening to all of you. I'm telling everyone to listen to me. We have to make a decision and continue for as long as we expect. Let's continue. As we begin the year 26-27, we will have an advantage in registrations. We cannot take away something that our families have. So I'm very committed. Yes, there is a lot of pressure.
054Thanks for sharing that. It's difficult, but I love this community and we have to do something. We have to do something. I definitely believe this plan moves us forward, takes us in the direction where we need to invest much more time and we will have the opportunity to improve. If we don't focus on the plan, we're going to waste time and energy, and we'll be back here in a few years. We have to do it, and do it well, and keep going. So I appreciate that comment. I can tell you that I want to ask if the school district has one. I want to talk about how my daughter is in this school and we have been in other schools. Moreover, it's more than anything like we're being rushed in a time where we feel
055rushed to have to make a transition; it's more than a solution. It's something we're talking about, a lot of feelings. We're talking about where we allocate funds. I would ask, I would ask if I have had some specific schools of the reason why I am mentioning this is because for south Austin, specifically at the recovery center, specifically Galindo, John, Don, I wanted to see if if they are improving, if they are improving, if the income is improving like 20,000 per year. And what we're saying is not necessarily attendance, but enrollments, but this is in our schools and I was also asking you about funding, specifically for students, obviously for the bilingual campus community, many funds that are available for our GT students. Also, if there are funds for these schools, that's something you are doing.
056Yes, thanks. That's a great question. I don't want to, I don't want to stop you. One of the things, the first thing I would say is that daily attendance is how we generate income, some of the number of people. As a student from PR, we only get about half because we're only covering funds for half the day. Attendance is multiplied by 7 or 6. I will tell you that in the last year we have made an increase in attendance as the school district. We have created trillions of dollars. We've focused a lot on that. We've done that. When it comes to the codes, one of our initiatives, I do n't know if you know, but what it does is help students properly so that we can get a refund directly from the State in a
057concrete way. For many years I wasn't where I was supposed to be. We're leaving millions and millions of dollars on the table. We've had the transition, many, many training sessions with the teachers. The code has improved and we've received more money from that. We have received funding from emerging bilingual students. A percentage of that has to be invested in those new students and in that community. And we have been investing more. We are where we are because we want to be; we are focusing on educating them in a certain way. We are going even beyond what the state requires. The last thing you mentioned is that one of the things we 've been talking about with the board is where we have those students, let's say, for example, African Americans. How many talented and gifted
058individuals do we have? half of them. We're trying to get those numbers up. We're doing things. I'm promising you that we're using every cushion we can so we can all move together. You said that we are moving at an accelerated pace . No, I wouldn't say accelerated, but it does feel urgent, that's why it feels that way. The plan and the work we are doing to get to this point takes time, mostly since the last year, and also creates other other efforts to reach that plan, such as the accessibility plan, the Bond. There are other programs for being, so to speak, we are missing these windows of opportunity, and this is basically my position on what we are saying. Another thing I wanted to ask is that Dallas ISD in the area is being recaptured
059by the state for a Medicare program and we are not taking advantage of these funds. We're talking about Sharks. Shark. Yes, we are the student reiterating. I can tell you that by lowering our pressures in 2025, many millions of dollars in reinvestment by the federal government that passes through the state in 2425, that is, a year ago. One of the things that happened was that the state started an argument about what they could be, we have to adjust our budget to 4 million, we lost 12 million dollars in a year, how the federal government and the state can invest. That's a fund. All the principals, all the teachers, all the staff, one of the largest districts that we had that, that we have done historically, but I can tell you that I don't know as
060easy as it used to be . This doesn't happen. I want to assure everyone, shars, it's when we have educators who provide services to students with disabilities, historically they have given us a reinvestment and the types of services that qualify for have gone down a lot to that plan. We wanted to make sure everyone could follow up on that Shar conversation. I know Den will move Galindo. Obviously my daughter has been here for 5 years every year, but they are a hub for students, and this campus provides resources for open spaces and transportation. You 're also talking about Galindo coming to transport the money or transfer to a specific place. So, I would say something very clear. The state of Texas will never let this happen because Galindo does not bear the same weight of
061responsibility. So, moving students to places that don't have the three UAs. The state, the TEA, is not going to approve that plan. That's going to be seen as taking a school and moving it completely to a school that isn't there; that's their vision, not our vision. That's why this wouldn't be possible. I just want to be honest with you, and that's why I can't propose something that won't be accepted. I don't know if that helps, but there are criteria that you know what those criteria are more often. If you can edit and adjust that, we can justify that proposal for transfers, things that have changed, that will help in terms of maintaining the school and the community and trust. Give it a few more months to give it time. Yes. So, the months are difficult.
062Let me be clear, registration is important. We don't have until May and June to make the decision, to change our internal systems so that when our families choose where they want to register. We also need to hire staff. This involves identifying the principals of all schools by December so that they can hire their staff for January, February, and March. They will first hire their own staff, and we won't be successful if we wait for them for so long. The other thing is that we can't make a big change in the spring. If we do something at that point, we're going to have to push it because we've seen changes happen in the spring transition. One of us took the sixth grain from Martin and Mendez in April 2022 for the year 2324. We were unable
063to recover from that. The confusion we created in our community by having our staff, the resources are different, everyone is different, this happened and a lot of money and it didn't work. So again, I need to have time for our families to plan, for us to plan to welcome family, and we don't want to put ourselves in a position where we're only successful next year. So a wait is a year and not a few months. Sometimes it's important to be clear about how this works. So we have about 10 minutes and two people waiting. That was my last question. Yes, but we're here to answer any other questions you may have . My name is Shirle Robayo and I have a quick question. So, part of the process and changes they've tried and these changes
064we 've made, but my daughter comes here. My question is, why? Because? What was their criterion? Why not take the students to our schools where they can already receive everything they need and a good quality education? Ultimately, we're going through this process and it has to be worked on. Right now Galindo is a school of "I love the students here". I want the best for my own daughter, but then I wonder why they put her in a quality school and also keep the community together. That's my question. Yes, we always think of a couple of things that are geographically close together. We don't want to make decisions where we move schools; we have to move them across the city. When we think of schools that have similar demographics, Galindo and Dawson are quite similar. So,
065when we think, when we bring communities together, it seems that with planning we can have an easier transition and process. the academic part. We move enough students from Travis Heights who are on the east side; they can't receive Den completely. How can we move forward as a community together? I had to find a solution where Dosen could stay together and bring the responsibility and that chain and cost inequity of transporting students. And that's why this is the solution we came up with and the recommendation. There are others who can help Josely because of Ben White, but Ben White is a very big barrier in our community. We want to use that as different borders and edges. It wasn't just one thing, it was several things, but those are some of the criteria. You're right, we
066all grab them the same way. Some schools, some consolations look different. Our schools are already here, and this is a change. Our operations for this area have about 3000 seats, we have 16 students and as they said, we want to try to keep the schools together for Galindo so Dosen can come. So, we don't have different studies, Travis has for everything, so they are puzzle pieces that we try to put together to make this decision. Do you have a question? Yes, I have two children here in the district. My question is about quality, what are we doing for policy transfer, specifically to reduce the number of students leaving the district? Now we're going to look at the clear changes to our policies in our next article. or policies and that they will be changing. The
067first would be the majority or minority of the transport trying to get that out. I think we should have taken it out 2 years ago and the diversity part, diversity is a policy that we've had for like two or three decades and so if after civil rights then lower METs elementary it doesn't matter lower Austin High School it doesn't matter there are many of these connections that are random that no longer exist like that. Things have changed. It has been partly about transfer and a policy used long ago to bring students from other parts of the city to other parts of the city, but the other part we see in terms of equity is that they have access to schools that have higher ratings. So, I'm giving access to students who don't have access to
068me, to us. We need to see, I have to provide the resources to give more strength to preschools that are giving good grades and values so that they don't feel like they have to do it themselves. So it's a balance of transfer and they have to go suddenly, they go to a charter school or another, but I think it has the best education for our students here in Austin, without a doubt, but it has to be something simultaneous. But we are trying to work on those transfers and we are also adding details around the transfer that has to do with this work. They are transferring something similar. If we consolidate this school, we want to make it very clear. We're seeing a lot of changes in our community, so it's those kinds of things. We
069have the time. If we want to do these three quickly, you have time for a few minutes to stay. Yes, I am particularly concerned about the Melbrook community and I know that Zelker is going to have a community that is very different from what they are used to. I want to know how they are going to support that transition, those families who are coming to a place where they don't have support, and what they are going to do to support them. Yes. So we look at this population and the number of students and the plans they may have with Galindo, and we also create some anomalies and differences. So, there are many parts of the city where that's not the case. What we need to do is ensure that our people who are in Zilker
070Personal have professional development and that our resources can do it. I can say that at this time we have a transition plan, it has sections where you can focus on these changes. We haven't built that because we don't have a vote, because that has to do with our main things, with our directors. So, I can tell you that we are thinking about it, we have different work plans, but I ca n't specifically say what we are going to do. I hope that will happen when the leaders of Zilker and the leaders of Zilc and Galindo are alone in one place, we are going to tell them what we want to do. What do they need, and how can we respond with best practices? But you will see when you vote on November 20th that we
071will work hard to ensure that we can then incorporate those new plans into our plan for the 2026-2027 semester. That's how we're going to do it. Hello, I want to tell you that this is the first school we've had that has asked how we're going to take care of our children while we transition students, because this speaks to the word, uh, what it has to do with students. First, I want to extend that gratitude. We want to see the person who asked the question. We have, I'll start. I am from Chapasco and I am the director of strategic planning and effectiveness. What we have is a team of bridges that includes myself as an executive, directors of retroactive home service, and our advisors and our GPS members. The work we are doing right now with
072everything that is happening is thinking about how we can have this together, this community, creating something new. We know, we know the demographics and the impact of bringing these different communities together and how we can help them with professional learning, and we also know how we can go and connect with our neighborhoods so they understand the new resources that are available and those that are not available. Our EPS are creating a resource page that we're going to use here, but now we're going to be here. So, these are things that are happening and nobody has asked about them. So thank you very much for asking. That's a process we're also going through. Hi, I'm Alexandra, I'm a first grade teacher, Duolingo speaking, and we liked that in this small school we have a campus that
073they made, that joined with others, and the culture was something of you and them and that dynamic. So this will help by taking steps to ensure that does n't happen. So the communities that the district should do checks because I saw it in one and that wasn't received positively, and the programming of two campuses and then some students that Galindo had dual programs. These students who are in the dual program are not emerging bilinguals as they are , fortunately in our policy they cannot participate in the schools that want to participate in the Galindo school and they can do so, but doing the numbers and communication with the principal in Galindo, but there are seats, we are welcome to the students, but the model looks the same. The biggest change we see is in the
074living room. We can adapt to this. There are 49 students who are going to move, which has to do with the emerging bilinguals and the non-emerging bilinguals. A comment on the part about when the schools are going to unite . I imagine we're talking about one of those schools. That was M. Sánchez. Brooky and peace. And that was another thing, but we created a plan, but I want to be clear that we were working on the plans and then came the spring break and COVID and the pandemic. Then this changed a lot; we went back to doing the work. So, at this time what we needed to transition had to enter the vortex that was the pandemic, I heard it many times and I was in the classrooms when this was happening and what didn't
075happen was the intentional part of the transition, that's a lesson we learned, but that's what created that problem in the system that we learned from that, which is something that helps us a lot to think about it. Yes, absolutely I'm going to follow up on this process, but that's something I want to be aware of. I know it was a little while ago, but I am keeping an eye on it . It wasn't just one student, it was also the teachers. My name is Rachel Smith and I'm the assistant here. I know we've talked about teachers and other staff and transitions, I think specifically for special needs and principals that there aren't that many positions available. I know I'm a little scared about having a future in the district; it's something I want, but what
076are they doing to help fill those positions and facilitate the transition? Because we're talking about the teachers, and they should be, but also the special education teachers, and how are we going to get that support too? So yes, it is something that is a very big focus for us, for me too. I've heard it before, Matías, numbers don't work and they're not true if you're not thinking about the people who are retiring and all the elements we have in our district, different students and promoting us to other positions. So all around we're seeing one approach of mine, which is defining where we're going to have. You know what you know right now, I can't tell you, but I have an understanding of which directors are going to retire. Who have said, "Matías, you know what?
077I'm going to consider something different. Others who are going to move to, like a director here who has done something fantastic. That's my job. My job is to see all these changes so that I can create opportunities for the people who are transitioning. I don't want you to leave this meeting thinking that we aren't thinking about you. Don't think that there won't be a space for you in the event that there is n't a similar position that you like or want. I'm also going to say that I'm freezing all positions so that you'll have a place, a home for prostitutes, and for the existing people already in the district. And that's it, but what I can tell you is that there are some opportunities and open positions. The survey that our staff will receive is
078going to be absolutely important. Please share with us what you want. Oh, teacher, I'm from South Austin, but I live in Flugerville. Can you help me find something a little closer to North Austin that's hiring staff? We hire 700 people a year, It's not just the existing teachers, it 's everyone. Please share with us. I want you to stay with the district, and we have this in progress in more detail, but we're thinking about all the staff, not just the teachers, everyone. So I want you to know how we're doing this. One more question. I know we're talking about the transition and how it's going to be very difficult, but the experience I had with one of the children in the Tab program— I had a student we're closing, right?—and he asked me if it's
079because they're stupid. That's something that pains me greatly as an educator, and I do my best for the system, which is n't your fault. And so we want to ask, and hope, that you're going to do something to support our students in some way, to help them during this time. Very good question. I ca n't express enough gratitude for this. Um, what we're trying to say is, we're doing the social-emotional part, how are we ensuring that there isn't an addition to what was being done... Circumstances? We started with a staffing process, and this will continue to happen. We're also looking at what makes the most sense for each community. It's about us helping a teacher who already has a relationship with the students and supporting that process and creating that space for the students, or
080doing that for them, and for addressing the crying... we were also looking at some... we have circles in the mornings, and in this process, all these things will be available to use throughout this school year, not waiting until... well, we're waiting to see where we need to provide this level of support after the transition. Okay, thank you all so much. I just want to add a comment, as Matías said, you know, that comment for us is that you're acknowledging the position we're in and that we're taking this step with you, and we really want you to know that we appreciate it very much. We know we have many challenges, so know that you're there and can see that we're working hard so that you don't feel like you're in this position again. So, I want
081to go over the last part of consolidation. We are, as we said before, we have a workshop this Wednesday where we want to... We want people to come to this meeting so we can discuss what we heard in the comments, what the board members heard, and what we 've seen. We'll anticipate the changes that are going to happen because we're going to have a review of this on Friday, and we'll see what we're going to discuss next Thursday at a meeting, as we talked about. That vote will be on November 20th. We're going to continue working on it, and we're going to send it out by text and on social media. We're going to make sure you see the plan. If you have any questions about it and need clarification, we'll let you know. The
082changes will be highlighted in different colors in the text. We're going to emphasize that. Lastly, you have these on your desks. Please have the QR code. This closes tomorrow. If you have n't given your feedback yet, please do so for this meeting. We're reviewing each of the comments, and on Friday we're going to share what we heard and see how the changes and plans are reflected in these comments. So, I don't know if you'd like to say anything to close the meeting. I just want to say I really appreciate everyone coming this morning. This is a difficult situation, and I want you to know that we, as a school, see ourselves as part of this, as a community together. We have staff in our schools, so thank you for coming. We are doing everything we
083can to make this transition as smooth as possible. We want to support you, your families, and the community. I know it's difficult, but we never want to be here again. We are trying our best . Thank you for your time this morning. Thank you for coming and for your support. I know we've been in this together for a long time this year. Thank you for your support over the past four years, and we're going to keep going this year. We've accomplished quite a lot; we've done a lot. We have an inside joke about our grades. When we do this, we each have a 59 internally. We're at 58 now, so that's a big shout-out to you all. Thank you.