001All right. Good morning everyone. [applause] I love all the things [applause] for showing up everyone. Thank you to our families, our staff, our neighbors, and a superintendent Sigura for being here today. Um, your presence speaks to the strength of this community and the care we share for our school and for our children's learning. As an authorized IB World School, we believe in inquiry, reflection, and principled action. We encourage our students to ask thoughtful questions, to consider multiple perspectives, and to stand up for what they believe is right, even when the conversations are complex. Today's meeting gives our community an opportunity to do the same, to listen, to engage, and to share our experiences as part of an open, honest. about the future of our school. Today we have 90 minutes set aside for this meeting.
002Um I will now turn it over to Ali Garci um to review the agenda and meeting arms. That has not happened. Good morning everyone. And before I get started, I just want to make a quick announcement about the availability of interpretation. Good morning, I am one of the Spanish interpreters. This meeting will be interpreted into Spanish. If anyone needs interpretation into Spanish, come with us. We're back there with my colleague Hector. We give them headphones to interpret the meeting in Spanish. Thank you so much. have anyone in person. We are just so everyone knows recording this in English and Spanish. So when we do get a Q&A we want to make sure everyone's speaking into the mic so that everything is captured. Um we can go to the next I have. Um so we are
003going to go over the meeting norms purpose. Um we go ahead and introduce who we have here um to answer questions that we might have. Um and then from there you know we kind of proposal. So we're going to talk about what the exchanges could be. So, we're going to put the questions from the comment cards that came out, we prepared them briefly, and we know that we're going to have a facilitator who will be going back and forth. So, questions, we will be very flexible in how we correct this. This is for our meeting rules. We are here to remind everyone. We want to acknowledge the challenges of our current situation and focus on the most equitable ideas and solutions we have heard about. So, we also want to honor time. So we hope
004that when we get to the questions and answers, we'll make an effort to ask your questions for about a minute each so we can have time for as many of you as possible. And then we'll listen to our answers. So we're going to try to honor the process, so you can be with the agenda and we want to honor the intention, so there may be some conflicts and we don't necessarily have to agree, but we're assuming that everyone here has the same reason: to have a strong school for all of our students. So we want to do one voice at a time. So, to make sure that anyone else who hasn't spoken has the opportunity to do so again in person, we want to be solution-oriented so that our members can understand, and we are
005here to continue with the transparency and conversations we have. We are here with all the passion that we are here with a state. Then, if we have enough time, we will answer the questions. Then we can give them follow-up questions if they feel their question wasn't fully answered. Very good. Perfect. So let's begin. What is being proposed? I did n't achieve the goal. We want to make sure we are answering all the questions. There will be a comment card, any other questions you may have, a shared understanding of what the proposed changes are and the reasons for them, and to evaluate any other ideas you want us to consider. So our goal is to keep everyone informed about a potential draft that will be put to a vote by the board. So, I'm going to
006give it to the superintendents and the reasons why he will give the why and the experience. Thanks Ali. Thanks to the Bikerwoods community for always showing up to what they do. That's exactly what we want on this day. We want to support the families who are advocating for and defending their schools. I want to tell you from my experience living here, growing up here, being part of these places where families don't show up and that's difficult. So, what it demonstrates is simply his love for education, his love for schools. And if you are here, I will be here, I will always be here to improve and continue working. I want to acknowledge that this is a very difficult point. I want to acknowledge the pain, the disruption this is causing in the lives of your
007families, the lives of your students. It is not lost in me. We all love our community, but a lot is happening in ours, and so I want you to know that it's difficult. So I simply invited all of you to come and have this conversation with me. So how did we get here? I think it's important to know how to have the conversation about it. I want you to know about all the things you're playing into what we're trying to do for the district. Since I arrived, one of the things we realized is that this organization, as it stands, is not providing what all the students need. There are over 70,000 students because of a series of decisions that were made previously, and that's not right when we think about where we want to go
008as an organization. So my goal right now is really how we can address the things that have led to inequities in our system, how we break practices that take students away from Austin and keep them with us. If we as a school district want to make sure that every student has the resources they need, and the truth is, the honest truth is, I don't have the ability to do it, I simply don't. So we have a depth of one inch and one mile. I'm not going to get into the story. You know what problems we have at the federal level, at the state level, the funding, the disruptions we've experienced in the last couple of years, and how to navigate them. So, our decisions are impacting lives. So, as we move forward we can talk
009about strong neighborhoods. So, BR and the schools. Bwols is a very strong neighborhood school, and when we talk about other schools, it's not about these students who are going to pass an exam, it's about students who are learning. Students who are comfortable in their own skin, who think that bilingualism is a superpower, students who will advocate and defend and if we do it our way we can protect as we do. So, at this moment, when we think we're getting to a point where we have better and stronger neighborhood schools, there are parts of Austin that simply don't have the resources because we as a district have failed to provide them for decades . So, this plan tries to address a lot of this one at a time, and that's mostly the process of the plan.
010So, I'm just going to do a couple of things because I want you to know where we're coming from with this plan. First and foremost, we really want to consider reaching a place where we are aligned on the plans of continuity. So, if you go to your hat for Anderson or Henry's for Aenh. So, what we want is a duct pattern where the programs align. That doesn't happen everywhere in Austin. We have middle schools that go to four or five high schools, and we think about the disruption that this causes in the community. This is one of the things we thought about in the plan. The second thing we wanted to address is the reality that our transfer policies, the way they have been constructed and continue to be offered, has been a conduit for
011movement within our organization that simply isn't fulfilling our values, and we are challenging some of the things that have to do with how we handle internal operations as well as policy . So, we're looking at how we're providing it, and the third thing we're trying to address is the cost of operating a large system. We have 116 schools at the moment and we have a little over 70,000 students. In 1996 we had 73,000 students and 96 schools. So, as the school grew, we grew in parts of Austin, south of us, southeast and in other parts and other areas with transportation, cost problems that for families, families have left and I'm going to tell you because then every day they are taking away our students, so our position in public education remains, it has mostly remained
012stable. There are other school districts that are trying to negotiate, but we have been able to maintain our position. Birth rates and housing have put a lot of pressure on us, and we simply have fewer students. So, we try to address that with school boundary changes and consolidations, having a smaller number of facilities to operate with the same budget, and we're going to use that for compensation and resources. The other thing we plan to do is align Austin programs, we're talking wall-to-wall, dual language. We support whether we want to go to dual language or take ourselves out of dual language. So the programs are intended for emerging bilinguals, and that's the focus, and we saw it for that year after year. So, to provide access we have to make these programs work and finally, we
013have to be on the lookout, to be attentive to the transformation plans and the changes that have taken place . In 2022 we had three schools from B that went to F the following year. So, the same teachers on the 22nd. So, from B to F in one year. So, if we think about where we are as an organization, we have to address that. We need to be good at responding to that, because if we don't get somewhere, we'll simply have no control over our budget. So we see our sister district is going through this now and we're going to talk about Bikerws and how we got to this specific school. This school is in this specific situation and the plan is a draft plan. This conversation is very useful, I promise I want to
014share that and I'm going to give it to you. So you gave us this space, so thank you for your time. Then I hope I can talk to you. [applause] Then thank you for the intention. Yes, always thank you. This is a great turnout. This shows what a passionate and strong community we have. Then tears come to my eyes and everyone outside is singing and so on. Before we get to the questions with Matías, we simply need to have a collective voice in the community. So we also want to have a voice from the local businesses that will have an impact. So Lency Hana has done a great job with our local businesses and she's going to say a few words. [applause] Good morning. Thank you, thank you for being here, Matías. It's a little
015difficult for me to say Matías, but I'm going to do it. So, thank you all for being here. I'm here with my Bwoods hat. I've used many. I was, I have been B Woods' father for 12 years. Next year will be the 13th year for our last panther, she is in fourth grade. So today we're taking different parts of this issue, and one of the things I thought would be very important, dear, is how deeply rooted this school is in the neighborhood and so is it within this community. So, I am also a small business owner, I live in Bikerwoods and my office is in Restel and I still have a little girl who lived in Bikerwoods. So, my idea is that we really need to be represented, and it would significantly change and impact
016not only this small corner of Austin, but far beyond if the school were to cease to exist. I couldn't even begin to imagine how I could do that. So, these businesses have a small group of advisors who are right here in front. Each one has individual offices, a Wolsfargo dermatology office, I haven't spoken to them yet, but I will. This is a list of companies that are part of the school owned by Kvilin and the owner who came as a student as a child. We always have a story that almost made me cry, and I said, "No, I need to hear more stories because I've heard them all. It's hard to believe how connected this Austin school is. So, I'm so glad to see you all as partners and supporters. This list keeps growing every
017day. It's something we literally started two weeks ago, and our resources are so small. So, now that Halloween is coming up, we're going to make costumes and so on. So, businesses are here with us, and we're partnered with them. And we're also parents, alumni, all within this small space. [applause] I want to remind you that my name is Melissa Brown, I'm a parent here, and I associate my identity with this school. I'm happy to be moderating this meeting. The next person is also a parent; he has two children here at Breakerwoods School. We also have another person advocating for the school. He recently participated in another meeting. We're here to represent the community, and we want to ask questions from the community. From the parents here in the community. Um, we have several questions, quite
018a few questions, and we would like to receive answers to those questions. We appreciate the superintendent's comments . Yes, we realize that we are in the district, and we are in a very difficult situation right now. We support the plans you have expressed, but regarding closing the school, we do n't clearly understand why this school, which has performed quite well, is on this list to close. Yes, it is a stable school in the community. The families who live here in that community, who come to that school, there is stability here. But given all the positive aspects of the school, why is BR on this list to close? Well, superintendent, there is no doubt that Breakerw, that school, is a high- performing school. If we were to take that strategy of not affecting, not making any
019changes that would affect these high- performing schools, then we would only be affecting or making changes in the schools that have failed, right? That have received The D and F from the state TA evaluation, the process we've developed, right? Analyzing the data. The analysis shows there are 20,000, as they say, chairs or seats in the school. And no, no, no, no, it's not as simple as making that decision to distribute the seats. Well, we have established requirements that the state is asking us to fulfill. We say in this part of the city, taking into account the geographic area, right? We already heard about the number of businesses here in the community; we're not very far from the university, which is a very important one here collectively, among all the schools. Okay. How many families live
020within this area? We've seen students who, with permission, with exceptions that are made, come to the schools here, not living within the boundaries of this school. We've seen quite a few changes, a decrease. There were more students before who came from other schools, other communities to this school here. Now, the number of students registered in the schools here in this community, In this area, we went down and looked at the larger area. We did the analysis, right? Regarding the school buildings, not counting those portable buildings. And the analysis shows that we have more than 3,000 square feet in some cases here in Austin. The issue of the renovations they're doing is slow because of the permits required by the city. And there are a large number of students who are transferred to other schools, to
021the portable buildings that you've already seen in several schools. It's always been something temporary, and there have been many moves from school to school. Well, take into account the years, the ages of the buildings themselves, the number of spaces, the capacity, the capacity in each of those schools. It's not that we've identified some schools; it's a long and complicated process because the situation, the circumstances, are complicated. For example, the wide schools, Zavala, Ortega, Goveli, there are plenty of seats, I mean, the capacity of those... decisions have sometimes been made for historical reasons. What we're at now is... It's a matter of function. We have many schools where there's only 70% capacity to spare . No, thank you very much, I appreciate it. After consulting with the community here, we've come up with six specific questions,
022and we're going to ask them . First, okay. Your comments about the capacity, the number of students here. We 've consulted with the community, the families, taking into account the new residential construction. Okay. These changes in the population of this area, according to the construction plans. Considering this, we see challenges in the other schools. Here, the normal capacity is 425 students. Considering the population expected when one of the schools closes, like Bruce, for example, there will be a need for a school for these families and students. We're looking at, we're also projecting for the future. There's a development department, and that department is dedicated to analyzing precisely those aspects of the communities that you mentioned, which sometimes, in the way these decisions are made, or what's considered, seems not to be taken into account, right?
023I mean, it's like there's no sense of compassion for the community, but no, that's not the case. Okay. For example, sometimes in the analysis of the residences, we consider whether they are private houses, apartments, and if so, studios, and how many bedrooms each apartment has. These suggestions are always very good, and we could re-analyze that same data. Well, we've spoken with the people behind the development here where the residences are being built. Oh, and the super important question is whether he himself has consulted with those people who are creating the residences. No, no, no, I personally haven't. We also have to take into account the existing rules; there are established laws regarding the necessary permits for these constructions, and time limits. We're talking about 5 years, 10 years into the future. I want to add
024here, and I'm sure there will be more, perhaps contradictory, comments. We have specialists in this population data, and we consider what is known, what can be investigated. We ca n't consider something that isn't He proposed that it's not in any plan. We're also including incidents, and every couple of years we're re-evaluating school boundaries. We don't want to repeat what's been done in the past: decisions that last for many years without considering the changes that occur from year to year. And when there's credible information, of course we're going to consider it and include it in our plans. We have a lot of faith in the necessary schools. These specialists have told us that we also have to take into account the number of babies being born in different areas. Last night at the meeting, the suggestions
025were made that there are always projections. You mentioned that decisions have been made regarding schools based on historical reasons, and for example, in areas near clinics and hospitals, that's also taken into account. We had a meeting in the spring. We met with those responsible for residential and commercial construction. We have—can we confirm that we did consult with quite a few stakeholders in that area? No, I don't have the names on hand. From the people we consulted, we're going to summarize the data now, or perhaps question the data we have, the lack of data perhaps, or perhaps the authority of that data. If we also take into account that these are high- performing schools, we're also going to consider what's lacking, right? Not all schools. It's better to understand, or it makes more sense to understand,
026the capacity of the buildings. This school, this school here, PRW, which has more than 400 students, 425 as we've said, the current use should look different. Well, I'll start. It's tied to the comment about laptops. So, Berwen Hills has had, they've put in some portable classrooms and they've grown to be part of the school. So, there are many schools that are counted as permanent parts of the school for several years. So, if there were a significant increase in capacity, then we couldn't take that into account. So, the decision was made not to try to include more laptops. So, in schools, there are many schools that are relatively empty, and there are others that need laptops, but they are very expensive. So, One of the reasons, I think we could talk about the operational capacity we
027have to use laptops, is not so much about data integrity. So, we're talking about data integrity. One of the things we discussed is that we identified what was required for [something]. In past years, it could be seen as assigned, so it was specifically to take a classroom. So, the reality is that there are certain [something] that are taken, although in our educational system they have to be incorporated. So, the spaces are identified as a classroom, assigning a certain number of students per classroom, and the number of resources needed is determined. The student-to-teacher ratio in these classrooms is also taken into account; it's 10 to 1. So that reduces it from being 20 to 1. We had to make sure that the students with the service need enough space. I want you to focus on the
028things. Programs where we don't have classrooms. And put them in the position of how they put us with the rubric. I want to remind everyone what the rubric is and what it isn't. The rubric is data from our We have permanent buildings, and we use them with bicycles in every school, and every school uses its space completely. Some say, "We can't fit that many students in the school." And other schools say, " We can fit many more students because we have space based on programs," but for us, with this effort, we had to see how the programs change. If the space changes, then we have to have a standard baseline. So, for every school, we have a plan. We have what we can put in, about 600 square feet. It could be a classroom. If
029there are some that have extra space, then if they had extra space in their building, if it had been a laptop, we would have taken it away. So, yes, it would change their grade slightly on their rubric if they didn't have it. So, the reason we do this is because we are trying to make more spaces. The reason we include space that you don't have is because we want to have it. So we have a baseline. What is it that we want all the elementary schools to have? So, a certain number of those in Puerto Rico, a certain number of special education spaces that we count on the board because if we don't have them... It wouldn't be possible to pay for them. There are certain areas that won't need laptops because of accessible restrooms
030for people with disabilities. So, we need to have a baseline, comparing block to block for the building. So, what we did after the rubric was to consider the reality of the situation, how the spaces are actually being used . We don't want to use laptops long-term yet, but we look at the programs, we see what the reality is, and this comes into play especially in schools that are going to receive students. There are going to be limits, adjustments to limits for schools, because the programs that are being offered and that we want to continue doing, and we can't fit in the same number of students, and we knew that from the beginning, so the rubric had to be a standard way of doing things. I know it's a lot of detail. I think the important
031point is that our community chose not to include laptops in its evaluation as a community school. That was a choice you made, and my school is going to have a laptop classroom and loves it. I want [applause] I want to see the costs, and the financial aspects are important. of this process. I know that with all of this comes a financial cost, especially maintaining the appropriate buildings, the lower enrollment compared to other schools. A team of data scientists in this community saw that closing the Bwols school would cost $0,000 the first year, and we saw that with two experienced school finance experts, as CFOS and consultants. God's expert is here. We know that efficiencies are needed for the district, but our community is having a difficult time closing a school. What effort is there to
032contribute when it's not clear that it will save the district money? So we want to see your cost-benefit analysis. [applause] So, one of the things we're doing— and this is where it gets difficult because we're looking at the entire district—that's the truth. It's a $1 billion budget . So, we want to see where all the positions across the school are going. We want a reduction in total costs when one school is merged into another school. So we're going to have a reduction in the salaries of principals and staff because those are additional costs. So it's The first thing is the staff and their budget. When you have the cost and combine it with the student costs, then the efficiency of moving them to a school— even though it's not happening in other schools—is a critical
033need to have a full-time teacher, a physical education teacher, a fine arts teacher. So, we don't exactly have that. Many times the communities supplement it, the PTA will step in, provide the resources, and that helps, it helps tremendously. So, going back to the budget analysis, I recognize that there will potentially be a loss with the disruption to this campus. That 's the truth. But as far as campus-by-campus, we estimate the total cost to get into the [unclear - possibly "the one"], we're going to look at the details campus by campus. We're conservatively estimating it will be over $24 million . You're going to be spending $800,000 on the transformation plan. So we're not including that. So we have to break [unclear - possibly " we're going to have control of our school district"]. The board
034has done it, our finance director is also working on it, and we're going to show that campus by campus campus, but again, we have to look at the whole system, right? We're not going to look at one school individually. Yes, the 20% is the assumption. So, yes, the loss here is possible, and we'd be happy to follow up on it directly and see how we can work out the details. Okay, we'll talk about that later. Okay, let's talk about the land we 're on. I mentioned earlier, we have a lot of land here. We have a lot of room to expand. So, we're looking at it with Austinesdi's vision . So, an opportunity to build here. So, the question is, what would the plan be for the land, and also the fact that it's in
035a flood zone? We also have concerns about the plan. So, like Brush, who's going to be moving into the luxury department, then it's the land use in the event that it closes. So, this is something I hear a lot. So, why don't you sell it and help the budget? Because it doesn't work that way. Because you're making a distraction from this property. So, once all the titles are in, capitalize on it, especially with the students, then it doesn't really look like such a big deal. Big. So, when we go into a process, we never have the land value or anything like that. So, what we talk about is what the approach is if we see that property, then we try to build based on the community. So, in 2019, when the board in their last
036vote they identified different elements to support, they focused on community benefits, community spaces, open spaces, and things like that. So, the board was generally guiding the direction, but we, with the district, have to work with the community, what works in this community, and I'll be very honest. And some people just want to leave it as a park because we want to monetize it if possible, and it's not a feasible transaction. Those are the things I'm going to tell you. Another school that had been there, we kept them active with kids, and we saw it time and time again. So we talked to Congressman Dog's office, he provided funding, and now it's an early childhood center . So, we converted the other property for this. So, we have a process with the Breakerwoods community. Our directors...
037So we have to move forward to create something without your input. I get this question very often. Anyway, would we activate the site? We would still secure it, make sure it was accessible to the community, and ensure that we operate and maintain it. So, how do we operate it at the school? Okay. One thing I want to add, we would really like you to take into account the analysis we've done. I do n't think you've received the analysis you're referring to. Yes, yes, we'll share it with you. I'd like to move on to another very important issue, and we'd like to hear your perspective. We've heard from several representatives that there has to be a vote on this plan because of pressure from TEA, the state agency. There's now this issue of closing campuses. Why
038this issue of consolidating or combining campuses? Why can't the need to close schools be separated from the issue of combining campuses? Consider them as two separate things? Both things are difficult. If we go back decade after decade, then I don't want to be the superintendent who postpones... Those decisions that need to be made, need to be made now. Okay. The decisions we're making are being made to protect the district as a whole. And that date of November 29th is the deadline we have to present our proposals, the decisions we've made, the plans we've presented or shared with you regarding the changes. If, for example, a school we're closing has the possibility of making changes within the plan, and another school or campus doesn't, then it could be considered separately, right? What we have is that
039date of the 29th. Looking back at the past of this district, I have reviewed the last 40 years, that's four decades. The issue of portable buildings— so much money was spent on that— and then there was the issue of staffing. It needs to be recruited and have the necessary staff. Many of the programs the district has committed to have required such a significant investment of time and resources. Unfortunately, I cannot give a direct and simple answer at this time. Nor do I want to avoid, no, I don't want to have to postpone, I don't want to postpone. Look, I spoke with the agency. I spoke with the staff of the state agency. What I was told are three things, three things in particular are the legal issues that exist between the State Agency and the
040Austin school district . [applause] issue of [applause] of special education and that they are being given the appropriate and required instruction. The point is that, according to what I was told by the agency, financial issues have nothing to do with those decisions about whether the state agency will take over the schools. I understand, I understand why that agency told him that. I understand, I understand that perspective from the agency, but I don't want anyone to leave this meeting without realizing the seriousness of the financial issues, how those changes affect the district's finances . discussion about the possibility that this Breakers Breakerwoods school would not close, but would receive students from other schools [applause] that would close here. We would welcome those students with open arms, and I would like to hear their perspective on that
041possibility. Look, there are many, many things that we are dealing with right now. We take those ideas that come from the community very seriously. It is possible that the comment you just made will change the draft plan we are presenting to you now. Yes, I heard from the school representatives. It would take some work, but we did have another one last night before coming here. I want to make the decisions. The decisions we make must take into account the entire community. That is our purpose. Yes, yes, if you have any ideas, we'll definitely take them into account. Yes, we will do the work required to see if it is possible to do it that way. But the effort, the effort is, as I say, total for the entire district, and we are pleased, we are
042pleased to hear that you would accept that as an option. We were very, we are very excited that you are open to that possibility. We are talking here in particular about this Breaker Wilson school and with that we want to open the session to questions from the audience [applause] and here we have Narly, who is the mother of some that I think everyone here in the room is tired of listening to me. I am already one of those families. I am one of those families whose children have transferred from another area, from another school, from another school that we would otherwise be assigned to . I want to thank Superintendent Matías very much [applause] for approving this opportunity for us, but I do remember his comment last night. He spoke of the uncertainty that exists
043regarding the number of students who would be transferred to this school. But I would like to offer some comments about why our family chose this one. We chose that school, and many, many others choose that school because of its location. There will be students who transfer, who are transferred from other schools, but here from the district's point of view, I present the idea that this school is preferable as a school where more students from other areas of the district would come. But all that data they presented, which increased, I propose that the preference would be for that school to continue existing right here. No, we don't believe it. I believe, I don't believe, and you who don't believe [applause] don't believe either in those facts. Okay. Look, I'm not sure if an answer is required.
044Those comments are valuable. Yes, yes. That's a really, really good point he makes. Well, I have to admit that the practice of transferring students, allowing them to attend another school where they are not assigned due to school boundaries, has not been handled very well in the history of this district. We have to admit it. That's my job, right? My responsibility is to ensure greater equality in how decisions are made to transfer students. It takes some time and I greatly appreciate your feedback. I've realized that point and I really appreciate your comments today. Now, we are going to [applause] hear a question from one of the star teachers here at the school. Hello. Well, I'm Ms. Fairweather. Something we have in common, you and I, is that I do too. How are you? I am a
045product of the Austin school district . My mom, my mom, she also attended schools here in the Austin school district and I have two brothers too. I want to say that the opportunities this school presents to its students, what this school does, and I have already been a teacher in other schools, but here in this school, what we do here, we teach students how to think. We instill in them the need to think globally, that is, beyond the immediate, to analyze information and synthesize it. If we could continue doing what we do here at school with more students, it would be a huge thing for the district and for the population in general. He was introduced to her. I ask you, I ask you to please consider that what we do here is something of
046value and could be shared with the rest of the district and as I say, more globally, and a wonderful opportunity would be. But the program, what is done, is also something more personal. [applause] She's my third director. She alone resurrected this campus. Bringing this program here will revitalize a place where people want to go, work, and be. [applause] So I implore that the important thing about the IB program and what it can do, can simply be amplified and create wonderful citizens. So we prepare the children not only for the next grade, but for our lives. That's what we do. [applause] We have shared ideas since the beginning of the year and the first things we shared was an idea that we worked on with L and Alicia to really consciously look for an IB program
047here at this school and the data and information that one has there in terms of how it is going to be approved and whether it helps. Sorry. Firstly, yes, I only spent a few minutes. I was impressed to be in his class. Thank you for being with us as an Austin alumnus. So what I'm going to say about the IB is, we understand the value of an IB. I believe that one of the challenges has been how to ensure alignment with our systems so that students have a similar experience. That resolves the alignment problem and the pattern we're trying to solve, because years ago we looked at how to try to launch the IB in Cosk, but there wasn't a school here where CR could go and ensure the continuity of the program. Then there
048were many other reasons and later, after years, Bikerwoods has now been able to launch it successfully and it really takes a partnership. The staff also need to be involved in it. This is possible, but it requires very little help. So, of course, I'm going to support these kinds of programs and make them bigger, and I want to make sure, and we want to make sure, that students don't get stuck in a vertical team. We've had direct conversations with the Henrys, our directors are talking and so they're having a vertical path for the Henrys and we're also trying to help any title one school to be able to start a program like that to be able to provide that training limit. [applause] So, what you have done and are doing, and what other schools are doing,
049is different. That's what we want to make happen at CMAS. I do n't necessarily agree with that, but the challenge we've been dealing with is disruption, disruption, disruption for the past few years. So, I want to get to a place where we are growing and stable. We've had three superintendents in two and a half years. That is catastrophic in many ways. So I want you to know I'm desperately trying to get to this point with that group and build those systems. So right now the risk I 'm navigating is a state to protect, so the risk I'm facing is consuming every moment of every day. So I want to talk to you about this. It hasn't been asked of me, but no, I don't want it. We don't need a continuum in IB. We don't
050need a continuous feed for eBay. Prepare our students, no matter where they are. Then he read the letter I sent him about a month ago. So, do you want to ask your question first? First of all, thank you so much for being here. So, one of the strengths of this school is that our children arrive better and better adjusted, you know? It's one of the things I miss about Austin in this process, and speaking of children, every education expert, every single education expert can tell you that a school closure is so disruptive and has so many effects. So I appreciate that we are trying to maintain a stable organization, but I want to know what conversations you have had and will have with the children and their parents, and how you hope to help those
051children mitigate the harm that closing three schools will cause . We have an amazing advisor here, and that was just an announcement. So, I have two children, we're all doing this here for our children . You have your children. So, I want to know what his psychology is going to be like, how he's going to protect himself, how he's going to do it. [applause] I'm going to start and pass it on to Station. It's been there in our work. Students need to be focused on everything we do. Now, from what we're talking about, it might seem like they're not the center. And I want to acknowledge that we're having a conversation that touches on all of that, but when we think about how damaging this system can be and which communities are impacted, we have
052to think about what families need, what they really need so that they can minimize that damage as much as possible. One thing we know is that well-thought-out plans that include community support, resources, resources that our parents talk to their students about, all of those things are important and have to be done in a very, very short window of time. So, one reason why whatever we do, whether it's a time adjustment or both, we're not going to be able to take anything before the spring semester. So, the reason is that what we're going to do is community voices, voices of the directors. One of the most frustrating things is that we're still not doing it. instances where we are already as if we had spoken. So, I'm trying to continue to have involvement from and I'm
053going to have him speak specifically in his area. I want you to know that we are thinking very carefully. So I just want to tell you why we're doing this. My name is [Name]. I am the Director of Strategic Planning for Organizational Effectiveness, and some of you may want to know what Greece is doing. What we are doing is addressing the work and focusing on how we put systems in place to ensure that they are helping the people who are in the system. So, my role is to be with Dr. Luis in what is called the bridge team. If you give me some space, I'd like to see how you're supporting adults, students, and the system with the bridge team. We're addressing the impact that's happening, the impact that will happen in the future, and
054that's seen in how to provide a toolkit for campus leaders to use. professional learning that is happening with the advisors and also professional learning with the directors monthly. So, we are also doing things for students and parent-led conversations with name tags or flyers that go to schools. In other words , we don't want students to identify their identity through this process. We as adults have taken a long way to deal with this process. So, our goal is how to ensure that our students are kept separate from all of this. And another thing we're doing is separating students by having health professionals as part of this process, as well as counselors. So, there is work being done and as Matías said, there are different ways it will look and it really depends on the level of
055involvement of the campus administration and it will be appropriate for your campus. Thank you. We're going to have two more questions, and we're going to respect that. So, let's see what Matías wants to be. Thank you for coming. I'm concerned about the drop in confidence in the leadership. I know you have limited resources, limited resources, and all these things with the updates to the rubric, updates to the draft that came out. I believe there is a very real risk, not only for the students on this campus, but for students throughout the district who are going to leave. So, it sounds like you're open to at least looking a little bit further to get everything right. So, you can talk more about it and really commit to it and make it happen , and not just
056close the three schools [applause] for no reason . Okay. That all three, as they were talking about before, many of these are part of the transfer plans. So, on November 21st we'll be there all day. So, let's go through with this plan. So, when we have everyone, we're not necessarily going to support all of that. It's when he has the confidence to listen. I am someone who is desperately trying to build trust. So, I've been here previously for 7 and a half years. I do n't want our system to suddenly feel like we're not doing what we should be doing to support them, and being present and transparent is a natural part of our plan and our actions. Many people have n't really seen all of this, and that's part of the challenge. We've been
057working very, very hard, but ultimately what happens is that there are 116 schools. So the thing is n't mine, but let me say as to committing to looking at the timelines of the board, yes, I'll look at that. I'm going to commit right now to what I'm going to do or what I'm not going to do, but yes, that's what I want because someone said it's very important. You've been doing this job for two and a half years and we don't really know about it. So, we really need to believe in what you 're doing because ultimately we want to believe in you and trust you, and I feel like you 're acting with good intentions, but doing this correctly is what we're trying to do. Okay, I hope that's the last question ever. Good
058morning, Matias. Good morning to all visitors, everyone is welcome here at Breaker and I was very active in our parent and teacher association and what I want to say is that what always impressed me during the 8 years I was here was very actively participating in the association. What always impressed me was the participation of the community, the parents, everyone. They never lacked anything. I want to propose to you that we, the community, are the ones who are going to support you. Not us. The state agency, not together, together so much is possible. But what I'm seeing, what I see is what I see, you do a lot of work [applause] and you, who are doing a job, ask us to do it, you ask us to do what we 're seeing, you do work
059and then you ask us to support you in a certain way and we vote for the bonds. We voted here, yes, we voted, but it hasn't involved us. We do this for free. We're here, look, we're here because we love [applause] the district very much , we love what public education is , that's why we're here. [applause] Okay. There always has to be the loud voice, but it does represent us. It's a demonstration of the [applause] level of emotion here representing the community. It's my turn to say something. No, no, you're not saying anything wrong, nothing incorrect. We've had incredible participation in other schools, other schools that don't have the same past, the same history as that school. I, for example, wouldn't go, I wouldn't refuse to do something. We cannot continue operating as we
060have for the last 50 years. With that, the state agency is indeed an authority and has power, but it has not always been the same. There have been many changes with that agency and I've had to adapt to these changes and I'm working hard. Often the work that was carried out was focused on particular cases, but not on the general, the total. Here's the challenge, the challenge is to have 70,000 students in the district. And what I will never allow, what I will never permit, is for any other entity outside of this community to take power, authority over that district. That's my challenge. And please excuse me, but a comment made in the way you did provoked me, and I have the personality to react. What you will see in the draft are changes that
061we have decided to make regarding the transfer policy. For example, any student who enters a school automatically has the privilege of continuing on to the next school after the one they are assigned to. Often there are policies that the community is unaware of . We have made some changes and received over 7000 comments after the draft we presented on October 3rd. Thank you very much. Now, to conclude my comment, I want to assure you that here you have a mine, a gold mine. This community is very valuable to you and to the district [applause] and we are prepared to help and I feel that I have been able to get to know you a little better and [applause] I thank you very much and I feel that I can have confidence in you. Thank you
062very much. [applause]