Elgin ISD School Board Meeting February 23, 2026

001It is 7:10 p.m. and we call this meeting of the Oakland Independent School District to order. I'd like to announce that there is a quorum of the board present that this meeting has been duly called and closed in the time time and manner required by law. This time the pledge of allegiance. >> Good evening. Uh I have present today Miss Michelle Martinez and some wonderful students from Elgen Elementary to lead us in our pledge. Good evening. Good evening, board president of Mitchell, Dr. Ritter, and members of the board. My name is Michelle Martinez, proud principal of Algen Elementary School. It is my pleasure to introduce to you three very uh outstanding students of our of our campus. Their names are Deacon Kunk, Isabella Sanchez, Quest Halupa, and they will lead us in the pledge this

002evening. Thank you. One of the individual and resurrection of God. Thank you. Uh the next item on the agenda is public comment. Before we begin, I'll remind the audience members of the board's procedures for handling public comment. The public comment portion of our meeting is available to the members of the public who wish to address an item of tonight's agenda. Anyone who wishes to speak during public comment must sign in prior to the start of the department and list the agenda item they want to discuss. Each public comment speaker will be allowed a maximum of three minutes to address the board. In the public testimony, speakers who require translator will receive up to 10 minutes to address the board. Public comment portion of the board of the meeting will allow all speakers who have signed

003up before the start of the meeting to address the board regarding an item tonight's agenda. Please keep your comments and criticism civil and courteous. Please avoid using profanity and refrain from making personal attacks on others during the opportunity to speak. Last, we ask that you not discuss students who are not your own child. If a speaker is seeking board resolution of a specific complaint, their concern should be addressed through the district's grievance process. District policy DGBA has been established for addressing employee complaints. Policy FNG is the avenue for filing parent complaints and policy GF addresses community complaints. Grievance forms grievance forms can be obtained at any campus administration office or in the central administration office. First speaker for this evening uh Alexandria West Good evening and thank you. This message has been provided to me

004by a collective of teachers that are afraid to speak here tonight. We want to share a concern that many staff members and families have expressed privately. Reports of ICE presence near one of our campuses, even if it occurred after school hours, has created fear and anxiety among many of our students and parents. This is not about politics. This is about the emotional safety and the well-being of the children that we serve. Many of the parents that have been here have felt scared and many of the families are unsure of what this means for them. When students feel unsafe, it affects their ability to learn and to feel secure at school. No matter what is happening outside of the school, we are here to make these kids feel safe. What that is our role as educators.

005Our classrooms must remain safe spaces where students feel protected, supported, and able to focus on learning. Right now, some of our students are carrying fear into this building. They need reassurance from the adults and the leaders that they trust. Many of us are wondering why this situation has not been addressed or acknowledged by our campus and district leadership. We were able to communicate quickly about other student related events. So the silence around this issue is being noticed and felt. Even a message focused on reassurance, clarification of school protocols, and support for our students would help reduce fear and rumors. How does the district plan to address this with staff, students, and families? What guidance can we share with our students who are expressing this fear? Will there be communication from our leadership or the school

006board to reassure our community? We care deeply about our students and we want to ensure that they feel safe coming to school. Clear communication from our leadership helps build this trust and it allows us to better support our families. We should also not fear going and talking to our administration about this. Again needs to do a better job at making sure that our teachers feel heard. the reach the E is not cutting it. And a lot of us just don't feel like we can tell the truth because we don't want to be reprimanded. >> Thank you. >> Next, Jules Santi. >> Thank you. I'm going to pull up my note maybe. Come on. There we go. Hi, my name is Jules Assada and I've lived in Elgen for about 13 years. I am a retired

007teacher of over 30 years mostly in St. Louis, Missouri, and then I retired from the BISD district um after 10 years serving as a special education teacher. Oddly enough, my comments are different but of a similar ilk from the previous speaker. At BISD, my work was primarily serving students who either had a disability and or behavioral challenges in self-management and handling classroom environments due to trauma. The current situation in our town and our state and our country brings an element of risk and a loss of sense of safety through having ICE in our streets, acting frequently and without recourse um upon the citizens of our of our country and certainly our town. Research and experience lets us know that trauma significantly impacts students ability to learn. The windows of the brain and the upper cognitive

008function moves first through the emotional part of the brain and that part shuts down when fear and trauma impact the ability to be open. I believe that our teachers and staff have the best intentions for our students and I know that they too are impacted by the trauma of this situation. Being under threat of losing someone you love. Being under threat of perhaps being detained illegally yourself because of the color of your skin, because of the accent that you have, because of where you shop. There's no way that this doesn't have an impact on not just students, but also on the adults that care for them and teach them and serve them in this district and beyond. I asked the school board to work with our superintendent and school counseling staff to find and utilize

009all available resources to support the mental health of our students and staff in this district. You know, we lost ground during COVID and we're still trying to make up for that. And that was its own trauma. And at this point we are in a similar situation. And so I ask again that this board support the superintendent counseling staff and all the staff of our district and help them through this process for their sake and also for our whole community because we are indeed one family. Thank you very much. here. Next, we ask to approve the minutes of the January 12th, 2026 board workshop and regular meeting. >> So, move. >> Motion by Mrs. Waltershine. >> Second by Mrs. Wilson. Any questions? All in favor of said motion respond by I. >> I. >> Any opposers?

010Motion passes. 7. Next item, recognitions. Mr. Robert. >> Good evening, President Mitchell, Dr. Ritter, members of the board. Uh we have a few res uh recommendations and talk today. Uh recognitions today. Uh we're going to begin with uh uh our athletic director, Coach Anderson. Good evening, President Mitchell, Superintendent Ritter, and our board. I am Jensen Anderson, athletic director at Elgen ISD, and it is my privilege to get to recognize Coach Hope Pollock this evening. Coach Pollock returned to Elgen ISD this year to take over as head coach for our volleyball program. Through countless hours over the summer and the fall, she motivated the girls in our volleyball program to grow through practices, team events, and community outreach. The resulting growth of our volleyball program was clear throughout the year and coach Pollock was named the

011district 235A volleyball coach of the year at the conclusion of the season. Following that achievement in January, Coach Pollock was also recognized as the Texas High School Coaches Association region 85A head volleyball coach of the year. We are proud of the growth that Coach Pollock has fostered in our volleyball program and look forward to seeing our girls continue to grow under her leadership. Thank you. All right, take two. See if I can speak now. Uh, I have the pleasure uh this evening of talking about uh Miss Marissa Marciel. Very interesting. Here she comes. Uh, Miss Marciel is a gifted and talented teacher at both Trinity Ranch and Elgen Elementary. And she was recently named a rising star award winner by HB. This is a very prestigious state level award that honors outstanding teachers in Texas

012with less than 10 uh years of experience. Also, those who have a passion and innovation uh that they bring to their classrooms. Miss Marciel and her students were surprised recently by HB Prize Patrol. You can see those pictures there. Um we're very excited that uh she's not only in the district but uh teaching uh our students and I think she represents a fine example of what we hope all of our our teachers to aspire to be. Let's mercile. We'll continue with our recognitions for uh tonight with the one team, one dream award. I'm Emily White. I'm the communications communicator here or communications coordinator here. Um as you know, our theme for 2526 um is we're all in this together. Each month we are honoring an EISD staff member or team or community member who goes

013above and beyond to embody this spirit. The one team one dream award celebrates those who work collaboratively to solve problems to care for or support others or th and those who hold who hold um high expectations for themselves and our students. Our first honore comes from um the high school and specifically our elegant FFA from Becky Moss and she says Christy Cooper has had two sons who have gone through our FFA program with the last one graduating last year in 2025. Yet she still continues to serve our FFA and 4 students. She's the treasurer for our county stock show where she is in charge of organizing fundraisers and helps out um by putting on and running the county stock show and youth fair. She has also served Elgen FFA as the booster club president who

014tirelessly gave and supported the four ACT teachers and the 100 plus FFA members at Elgen High School. She always wants what's best for kids and to help our program thrive. Can't think of a better person to honor during uh National FFA Week. Congratulations to Christy Cooper. Okay, congratulations. Thank you. Our second honore is actually a group and they were nominated by Mary Grim who said, "Our literary first team has collaborated across the district this year to provide strong consistent support for one another and our students. They navigated several challenges including transitions between campuses, collaborating around testing at multiple locations while others int attended required training, adapted to adapting to a new instructional approach and more than doubling the number of students they serve. Throughout these challenges, the team has demonstrated exceptional flexibility, professionalism, and commitment,

015continuing to support one another across all elementary campuses. Due to this continued collaboration, so far we have graduated 59 students from the program this year. According to Mary, congratulations to Teresa Moes, Diana Vrial, Diana Hutron, Shirley Nes, Marissa Mendoza, Santa Cruz, Alexandra Oiero, and Laura Agid. Ready? Ready? One, two, three. Thank you. Congratulations. That concludes the recognitions. >> Thank you all for well to do their recognitions. Uh next item uh move to the superintendent report. All >> right. Thank you, Mr. Mitchell. >> First off, um just to highlight, I always like to highlight when we have our professional development days that we have built into our schedule and so appreciate the board support and having these days for our for our staff or our teachers to have time together to learn. Our PD day in

016February provided staff with meaningful opportunities to strengthen both their professional practice and their ability to support students holistically. Uh this day included mental health first aid training, equipping educators and staff with the tools they need to recognize early signs of mental health concerns, respond appropriately, and connect students with available supports. Teams also engaged in comprehensive data reviews to analyze student performance trends, monitor progress toward campus and district goals, and identify targeted instructional strategies. Overall, the PDA reflected the district's ongoing commitment to student well-being, data informed decision-making, and continuous professional growth. We have some very exciting news. I'm sure you have seen this announced. Um, our district is participating in the Texas teacher incentive allotment and we successfully earned this validation with 35 Elgen ISD teachers receiving prestigious TIA designations recognizing outstanding student performances and professional

017growth. This is a huge milestone for our district. We are so so very very proud. Of those designated, 14 earned master teacher status, placing them among the top 5% of educators statewide. Additionally, 13 teachers achieved exemplary status, the top 20%, and eight earned recognized status, top 33%. These designations are valid for five years. They are recorded on teacher certifications and result in a significant salary increase. Award amounts vary by designation level and campus socioeconomic factors. This validation represents a major milestone in Elgen ISD's efforts to recruit, recognize, and retain exceptional educators. The designations generate an estimated $230,437 in funding this year with an estimated $1.15 million over the next five years. While TEA requires that 90% of the funds be allocated to teacher compensation, Elgenist has committed 92% of those funds directly to those educators,

018strengthening our ability to attract and retain top talent. So, this is this is a huge um accomplishment for our district. We're very very proud. You'll be hearing more about this and we will make sure that we also recognize these teachers as well. >> So acknowledging that Elgenist is so proud to recognize Black History Month honoring the achievements, culture, and contributions of Black Americans through campus activities, instruction, and student learning experiences. campuses have planned various events and activities as well as they have these posted on their social media pages. So, please just pay attention to these and there are some if you have campus connections that you are more than welcome to attend. It is also National CTE month. These are our uh career technical educators. This month we're celebrating our faculty and staff who make

019career and technical education incredible in Elgen ISD. And I do have to say incredible. We have a very strong CTE program in our district. One that is um highly regarded across the state of Texas. CTE allows us to bring real world industry expertise into our classrooms and it connects students to industry professionals and work-based learning opportunities and aligns instruction to both workforce and academic standards. And I'm going to just announce a quick little note that I got from Principal Staples as well as our director Maggie Howard. Uh just really fresh off the press, guys. This is exciting. Our automotive tech program that we have in the district, Mr. Silk, I believe, instructor. Correct. Um this is our first time to have a state qualifier in this program. They were at competition this past weekend. So

020Sunday this happened and so we were all really excited to find this out yesterday. This is the first time in the entire um well first time that we've had a state qualifier and in the entire competition of district 10 with 30 students. She will be going to state recogni recognized uh for our district. Elizabeth Selenus is her name and she will be going to state representing Elgen ICD. It's a huge accomplishment. So we're really excited. Yeah. I have a a young lady uh representing our district and the rest of those are gentlemen who were in the program and they're so supportive. We're just really excited for her. We'll have her in a future meeting as well to recognize her. Um another big announcement here, we have our Purple Diamonds dance team and Wildcat and Wintergard.

021The Purple Diamonds dance team had an outstanding first competition of the season, bringing home impressive honors with platinum rating grand champion winner circle top three over the entire contest. But then again, we have today a notification that Purple Diamonds also won 2026 best of the best dance team at the American Dance Contest hosted at Cedar Park Cedar Creek High School this past weekend. And we found that out more great. Yeah, very excited. Um and then our winter guard or second place in a highly competitive scholastic a division at its last competition. These performances we always remember that no it is more than academics. Our kids are plugged in. They are involved and excited. It makes them want to come to school, be with their friends, be involved in programs that support them and it helps

022to help your kids all the way around. So we appreciate all of our staff who help support these and our families as well who also get them to all these practices and the competitions also. very excited for our kids. Our national signing day, we had two students um two student athletes committed to competing at the collegiate level. Bianca Golindo signed to play softball at Temple College and Tyson McFarland signed to play baseball at Texas&M Kingsville. We're proud of their hard work and excited to support them as they continue their athletic and academic journeys. Another little fun day. We had 100th day of school. I just can't resist these pictures. They're so much fun and they were all over social media, but it was our hundth day of school. um a 100 days of being smarter,

023they said, showcasing creativity through projects and theme at our elementary schools. And it was just it is so much fun. We just have a blast with that. So, thanks for sharing those pictures. Um our athletic fields, y'all, our spring athletic events are underway. I encourage you to take part. Look at our schedules. And our athletic fields and facilities are just amazing. These are our new facilities um and upgraded and our new tennis courts. We now can host tennis tournaments in Elgen ISD. We're so excited. We're so excited. It's been a long time. That's right, Mr. Mitchell. So, um these upgrades are part of the voter approved 2024 bond and reflect our community's continued investment in student opportunities. Beautiful picture, isn't it? And lastly, I wanted to draw the board's attention to you. All have this

024here with you. And this is called the Texas Promise. I've given you a copy of this. This is from the Texas Association of School Administrators. Um you may remember the visioning document that used to be the um kind of we call it the Declaration of Independence for Public Education in Texas. Uh we now have a new it's the vision for public education coming from that visioning document. And I was fortunate enough to be asked to be one of the there were 10 superintendents asked to be on the writing team for the Texas Promise along with a lot of other educators who also helped. So we're listed in this document, but this gives the history of the vision document um the context and I'm just going to read this part of it. Um public education is

025the cornerstone of our democracy and the key to a to a bright future in Texas. It is both a promise and a responsibility to nurture the potential of every child, to strengthen every community, and to ensure that our state thrives for generations to come. The Texas Promise, a vision for public education, affirms that schools are not merely institutions of learning, but the heart of civic life where knowledge, character, creativity, and belonging are cultivated. This vision is rooted in the conviction that all students, regardless of background or circumstance, deserve access to learning that is rigorous, meaningful, and transformative. It reflects the collective wisdom of educators, leaders, families, and communities across Texas who believe that public education must inspire learning and curiosity, equip students with essential skills, and prepare them to contribute boldly in a rapidly changing

026world. You will hear more about this as we go. We are using this as foundational work with all of our administrators, teachers, all of our folks in our school district. And so I've given you all a copy so that you can take it and just have some light reading on your own at home. I'll quiz you later. So anyway, um very excited. I'm very proud to be a part of this work and I know that we're already working with our school administrators on our campuses and in our district to move this work forward. So thank you very much. >> Thank you. Next item is the president's report. >> Oh, wait. >> Oh, I'm sorry. >> I'm sorry. >> So, our rising sixth grade night, February 24th, 6 to7. Uh, we have Jocker coming up also

027at the middle school on the 28th. Um, we're doing a lot, guys, across the district to really help our students have that experience as they're going from one level to the next. Some of these have already happened because we're really far ahead down the road working toward having this be a smooth transition for all of our kids as they go from elementary to intermediate, intermediate, middle, middle, and high school. So, thank you to our principal staff that work. Um, and then it won't uh as of today. So, we continuing to grow. Those smiling faces are coming in. Okay. Now, I'm >> all right. necessarily have anything. I forgot to ask there. Did any of you attend any of your committee assignments since the last board meeting that you were going on? >> Did you have

028>> you have anything you want to share in that regards to get you on the spot? >> I mean, it was great. Dr. Hickman did a great job um taking a somewhat complicated concept and putting into a way that we can easily digest it. And I think I mean just great stuff that's happening there. I'm I'm privileged to be a part of. >> I had I had an Elgen Education Foundation meeting. The only big thing is uh we are planning a crawfish boil in April. Uh it'll be down at the park and uh communitywise fundraiser, but also trying to get a lot of the schools and uh different groups and organizations to pitch. All right. All right. Thank you. Thank you all for that report. Next item is the consent agenda. We have a lot

029of things on the consent agenda and I'll just remind everyone that you ever have any questions concerning anything on this agenda you're always welcome to reach out to Dr. R questions of course has come up at the last minute just a reminder for all of us. Uh so tonight's con consent agenda consists of number one approved budget amendment a transfer of funds from security to co-curricular extric guidance approve tax report refunds and adjustments for January 2026 approve financial statement and budget amendment list for January 26 approve investment report for January 2026 approve 2026 27 budget calendar approve purchases is greater than $50,000. A the CTE/ press box furniture purchase. Uh and CSP competiti organized the playground renovations. Uh C double classroom portables with restrooms for Harvest Ridge Elementary. Uh item approve purchase of recommended library

030materials. Accept donation of books from friends of Elden Public Library. Approve bilingual summer school hours. Approve local improvement plans for Elvin Middle School and Harvest Ridge Elementary. Uh approve staffing recommendations. Approve administrative contracts and resolution declaring real property as surplus and approve proposed sale of real property. Uh that's our consent agenda. Are there any questions about any of those items? Motion to pull G6A, G6B, G6 C, and G12 for individual consideration. >> What sort of fans? Can you repeat that for me? >> 6 A, 6B, and 6 C. >> 6 A, 6 B, and 6 E. >> CH and 12 and 12. Yes. >> Make a motion to pull uh items. >> Okay. No make >> he's ask I'm asking for a vote individually on them have individual consideration >> not to pull them completely.

031>> Okay. So you want to put each item? >> Yeah we can do the consent but I mean >> I only have a motion. I don't have a second >> right. Oh second. Sorry. >> So there's a motion by second by Mrs. Reese to pull item G, 6 A, 6 B, 6 C, and item 12 for consideration. So for further discussion, sorry. So now there's a motion then we'll have to vote to have those items pulled for further discussion. Are they in question? So all in favor of him uh those motions to pull those items for further consideration respond by I >> I was by him. >> Okay. Thank you Mr. S. All right. Raise your hand please. Those who were in favor of that. Okay. Those against Okay. So motion is denied 43. Did

032I read that right? >> Yes. So any other questions about the so that's so that means those items will remain in the consent agenda. So now we're asking to approve the consent agenda as it is printed. I do also have a motion for u item I two to be pulled for discussion. >> Okay, we haven't made it to that item yet. Let's finish there. The consent agenda that's part of action items where you look, right? >> Correct. >> Yes, but it should still be part of the consent agenda. It is not. >> Okay. So is there a motion to approve the consent agenda experience? >> I salute. >> Motion by Mr. Moss. >> Second by Mrs. Waltersh. >> Any questions? All in favor said agenda, please raise your hand. >> Discussion. >> Sir. >> Yes.

033>> Just got a motion, a second. >> I'm sorry. Discuss those on items. All right. >> Um, how many bids were there on the uh furniture for the press? >> Mr. Lamb. Uh good evening uh Mr. President, board of trustees, Dr. Ritter. Um in relation to the CT pressbox furniture, uh pricing was solicited from a co-op from a tips um purchasing co-op. So this furniture um met all of the procurement guidelines from Texas government code 2254. So in this p uh particular purchase um we just solicited from one particular furniture vendor uh that we had experience with but it did meet all the procurement guidelines uh related to that uh particular code that I mentioned. >> Are there any other um qualified vendors to uh choose from or get a quote from that excessively high

034on items >> qualified? Yes. I mean certainly on on other co-ops there are other vendors um buy or tips. Uh we've uh we've had a lot of success with this particular vendor over the recent uh bond packages. Um we've had three or four vendors across the 2024 bond. This particular vendor came in less expensive in most cases and gave us a much better service than what we experienced with two or three other vendors that we worked with across the 2021 bond. Um, between those uh those criteria and of course their uh co-op affiliation, uh we've gone back to them for subsequent purchases in a couple of occasions. >> Can you speak um to the playground renovations a little as far as I mean? >> Sure. >> $1.8 million. >> Yeah. Um the playground renovations covered

035um all of our existing elementary campuses uh BTW, Igniting, and Elgen Elementary. Um all of those existing campuses were slated for playground replacements as part of the 2021 bond. Um that was part of our priority maintenance projects. Uh they just along with a handful of other small projects got pushed to the end to make sure we still had funds uh to be allocated for that. Um so this project um include full replacement of the playground and the playscapes at those um those three facilities. All of those playscapes were 20 plus years old. Um the the earliest one we could find was a 2003 playscape from Booker T. Washington. Um so each of those playscapes in in total will be replaced with new fall surfacing. Um it'll be equitable with Harvest Ridge Elementary and Trinity Ranch

036Elementary. Um in addition to that, there are a couple of canopies that have rips in them that will be replaced. Um, in addition to that, we will um install a uh playground canopy at Harvest Ridge Elementary um that didn't get installed during construction for a number of reasons. Um but that will be um added onto this project as well. Um but those all will be uh done should should we reach approval here. Uh that will be done this summer. Um it is uh certainly a budget uh concern. Uh but right now we're right about uh 10% over the estimated budget, but we're also uh three or four years out from the original time of uh when we estimated this. So we're we're comfortable with that and we do have funds to cover that. I'm not

037sure you're the one to ask on this, but in regards to uh the portables at Harvest Ridge, I know there's a lot of dynamics in play, but would we is it feasible use the empty wing at El Elementary, especially if we're talking about combining campuses on other things and not knowing well seeing a slowdown with our demographer as far as the number of rooftops that are going in can we hold off on the board is basically what I'm asking. Yeah, I think and and Dr. Ritter may want to chime in and my opinion for for a couple of reasons. I guess I would I would advocate not to do that. We we do have some upcoming construction scheduled um for Elen Elementary that we're uh planning to start this summer, but that we're planning to

038flex that that empty space at Elgen Elementary um to make it last throughout the school year. If you all remember the the air conditioning woes that we had at the campus last year, we're planning to start that uh this summer and potentially as early as this spring break, but utilize the empty space in that campus and shift contractors and the students around so that we can continue to keep that project moving and fully um complete the transition to new air conditioning equipment throughout that campus. But I think possibly more importantly, it it could potentially impact zoning if we move students from from one area of town over to a new elementary. Um that that may be the bigger issue. >> Can I go back to the press box furniture? Yes, ma'am. >> Just a second.

039Does that come out of the 24 bond? >> Uh yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. We have with all of our projects that involve new square footage like that. There's a what we call FFN furniture fixtures and equipment budget that includes um a budget for furniture um you know just furniture like we like we have in this room but also uh technology equipment and certainly in that space uh we have uh a budget for specialty furniture lighting and u all of the things that we'll have in that CTE space and the amount you see here is is less than what we had budgeted so there's uh funds in that project to cover this. >> So originally this um the press box was supposed to also um serve as CTE class room area a space correct. >> Yes

040ma'am. >> So what I did see in the um I didn't see any desk or well yeah I didn't really see any desk. So, uh, is it not going to be, um, part classroom? >> They're they're a little bit more flexible space as as what you as opposed to what you might see in a typical, excuse me, classroom where it's just a a regular student desk and and push-up chair. These are a little bit more like a training table like like you all are using here tonight. >> Okay. >> Um, so we'll have students and they'll they'll be able to roll out of the way um for for say a Friday night football game so that space can be utilized in other ways. >> Okay. And then those um I don't know uh MA single

041lounge midback armchairs. Um there are 10 of them that we're looking at and they're like $1,500 a piece. So I'm just kind of trying to figure those in. Those are um the ones that do what? >> I I' I'd have to look at I'm not sure exactly which one you're you're pointing out. I know there are some specialty um seating areas in there for the CTE and sound studio spaces. Um there is a small area um for uh podcasting um for press rooms. Uh they they kind of serve double duty uh podcasting for students during the day. In the evening, we'll have our our coaches and and recruiters and press in those spaces. Um, so I'm not sure exactly which uh chairs those are, but uh many of these will will serve double duty um

042in the in the evenings as well. >> Okay. Just trying to stay and be sure that we are fiscally being responsible for >> Yes, ma'am. >> the bond money that we're spending. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Mr. Bark, you have other questions? >> No, I'm good. You good? >> Anyone else? Okay. So, right. So, we've had a motion by Mr. Mars and second by Mrs. Waltershank to con to approve the consent agendas. Questions? Right. So, all in favor of approving that consent agenda, please raise your right hand. Any opposes? Motion passes. 61. Thank you. Next have some information item uh district scoreboard update priority one student success Dr. Hickman. >> Good evening President Mitchell and Dr. Ritter and members of the board. I am here today to give you a presentation on priority one as part

043of our regular cadence of priority presentations that we give you. Uh priority one as you know is about uh student success. Uh, and so what I'm going to talk to you about tonight is just our midyear assessment data. This is an opportunity to share that with you. You'll remember that priority 1.1 is about academic achievement at all levels. Uh, academic achievement and growth at all levels. And so, uh, it's broken out there in the various um, ways that we're looking at priority one. I'm going to go ahead because what we're going to talk about today is enhancing and ensuring datadriven instruction and progress monitoring. So, we're going to show you the data. Uh so as you know we have a combination of assessments that we use to gather information about how our students are progressing.

044That includes NWA MAP, the STAR test, comprehensive unit assessments, common formative assessments and of course we never want to discount just teacher expertise being in the classroom knowing their students. Well, we uh are going to look tonight at growth that has been shown on our NWA MAP assessments. And just as a reminder, we uh give the math assessment in grades one and two for reading and math. Grades three through seven in reading, math, and science, grade eight in reading science and algebra 1 and English one through four by reading and high school math by subject. So algebra, geography, geometry, that sort of thing, not geography. Okay. So a little bit about NWA math. This is probably an assessment that you've heard of, but it is sometimes a little bit difficult to define. So I wanted

045to start us with just information about what this assessment is. It measures core subjects. It measures both achievement like how well a student is doing. Think about it like a traditional grade and also growth. So it shows how much of students have grown since the last time they took the assessment. It also gives us what it's a fun education term. It's fun to say zone of proximal development which tells us where the student is and what they're able to learn next. So like what their next step for learning would be. The test is computer adaptive. So the questions get harder or easier based on student answers. It starts with a question that is where they think the student is and then if they miss it, it gets a little easier and if they get it

046right, it gets a little harder and it goes through this pattern until uh the exam feels like it has a clear assessment of where the student's achievement is at this time. The test is untimed. It usually takes about an hour per subject and a math reports achievement using something called a RIT scale RIT score and it is just a unique scale that they made up to u measure the nationally launched data. This is a formative assessment. So this helps us inform our teaching. It is not something we take a grade on. Who uses the test? Our teachers use it to adjust lessons and meet individual needs. Our parents use it to understand their child's progress and focus areas. In fact, we send home parent reports after each MAP assessment. And schools and districts use it

047to monitor overall academic progress and report growth. So, I can make a report like this to you tonight. So, this is what Miss Wilson was referring to. I actually did this presentation for DAC as practice. So, um, for years I have really tried to to help people understand the way that map growth projections work. And I've recently come across this analogy that I think explains it pretty well. So, if you'll indulge me just a minute, we're going to talk about plants. So, imagine schools all across the country are growing the same type of plant. Researchers study all of the plants nationwide and learn that on average this plant grows 10 inches in a year. So then 10 in is the expected growth. We expect that you should grow your plant 10 in because that's the

048average across the country. This is not an aspirational number. It's not the perfect number. It is based on what typically happens nationally. The 10 in is what we're expecting. So now each school grows its own set of plants under these same expectations. At the end of the year we ask ourselves what percentage of our plants grew at least 10 in. So think about that for a second. How many of our plants grew what was expected or more? And that's how we interpret our results. If about 50% of the plants nationwide reach or exceeded 10 inches, then that's the national average. So MAP is a nationally normed assessment. So this is how we're going to look at our our growth projection. If fewer than 50% meet the national average, growth is happening. Kids are still plants

049are still growing, but they're below the n national average rate of growth. So our picture we have here, you can see we've got one, two, three, four of our six that are below the national average. So there's growth, but it's not the growth that would be the same as the national average. If 50% of your plants meet or exceed the national average, your results match the national norm. You're right on target with the amount of growth that plants are seeing all across the country. And if more than 50% of your PL plants meet or exceed 10 in, then your school is helping plants grow better than average. If more than half of them have grown. So this is how we're going to frame our map growth conversation. We're going to look at what is the

050national average and where do we fall in how we're growing students. So take your mind from plants and now think about students. Um I've got a marker there at 50% that black line that you see across. So math creates a growth projection for every student based on where they are and that essentially they say where the 10 inches is. And so whenever we look at our math growth projections, we look to see which of how many of our students or what percentage of our students met their growth projection. So if we look across here, this is our math data from first through fourth grade. And you can see uh we have last year in blue and we have this year in yellow. And I'm super excited to say that in all of these grade levels,

051our students met their growth percentage at higher than the average rate from across the country. Right. Woohoo. That's good. Uh, so this is the the upper grades in math as well. You can see we do have a bit of a a smaller growth there at fifth and sixth grade. Um, and then across the board we see pretty good growth there with our other math. I um we've had some conversation about why we see the dip at fifth and sixth grade. Um, I know that there's some there are some transitional years there for students as they move into different grade levels at different campuses. Uh but additionally those are students who were in kindergarten and first grade during COVID. And so I think we just still like you it's very clear where that group of students

052falls here. This is the same information but for reading. So this is our met growth projection in reading. Again, second grade was at 49%, but all the rest of our early elementary grade levels are exceeding the national average in their amount of growth. Uh, from fall of this year to midyear of this year, this is the reading data for the older grades, fifth through 10th grade. You can see uh again that fifth, sixth, seventh grade, we're seeing a little bit of a dip, but otherwise we are um exceeding the growth projection in reading. This is our science data. Remember, we take that third through 8th grade. Um, again, this is an interesting one. We u this is the only slide that has it a little bit lower than last year in multiple areas. Um, we

053implemented new science curriculum last year and so I believe that last year we saw exceptional growth in science because we made a big shift in the way that we were were teaching science. this in year two, we didn't see quite as much growth. It doesn't concern me because they already were growing to a high level last year. So, we might expect to see that slow down a little bit. I will say, however, it is higher uh than the 50%. So, that is continues to be encouraging. Okay, that's MAP. So, that's one assessment that we give midair. Now, we're going to talk about comprehensive unit assessments. That is the other ex uh it's an exam actually. It's the other assessment that we do beginning of year, middle of year, end of year. So, I'm gonna talk

054to you today about the middle of year results for our CUAS. Before I do that, well, I'm going to go through my bullets. I got ahead of myself. Um, we give it uh twice per year. We give it in the fall and again in the spring and then they take STAR, which kind of serves as that third one. Uh, there are really specific question types on the STAR test and we give the students those question types on our CUA. That's how we know if they're going to be prepared whenever that test comes around. So, we do uh give use release star questions and our students take it online because they have to take STAR online and we know that that in and of itself is something that students should practice. What I what I got

055excited about is I want you to look at the math problem on the screen. This is a sample question from the third grade math star last year. So, a number is shown. 858,386. compare the value of eight in each place value. Now remember students are taking this on the computer and then they have to choose from the drop down the place value for the eight in each of those places. These children are eight and nine years old. So I just think it bears mentioning um that what we're preparing our students for is challenging and we're up for that challenge but we need to understand that this is challenging work whenever you're nine years old. Have to get that little plug in there. Okay. So, uh, this is our, uh, comprehensive unit assessment for reading, and

056you can see from third grade up through English 2. Um, this chart functions a little differently than the MAP one. So, allow me to work work you through it. Um, the blue shows the number of students who reach the approaches level and the yellow is the number of students who reached the meets level and the gray is the students who reached the master's level. So across the board and English 2 is a bit of an outlier, but we've got from 57 to 66% of our students who um reached that approaches level on this essentially sort of practice star. Um keep in mind also it's mid year. We haven't finished teaching all of the things yet. This is the same information for math. Um you'll see these are these scores are a bit lower than um

057the reading scores. It is important to note that that math eighth grade we have a lot of seventh graders taking eighth grade math. It's essentially our seventh grade advanced math. So that number skews a bit because that is essentially our advanced students in seventh grade who were taking that exam. Uh but uh we can see here similar trend. Uh we do see you know seventh grade is impacted by the eighth grade the eighth grade test. I don't think I explained that. Well, I'm gonna start again. In seventh grade, you can take on level math or advanced math. If you take advanced math, you're essentially taking eighth grade math and the eighth grade test. So, all of our advanced seventh graders are on the eighth grade column and all of our notadvanced seventh graders are on

058the seventh grade column. So, that's why we see the disparity there. And this is our science data uh for fifth, 8th, and biology. Um again, you may remember at convocation, we recognized our biology team at the high school for their um extraordinary outcomes. And you can see here that is continuing as well. That's a great celebration. And then here we have social studies for eighth grade and US history. So what does this mean to us? Um, I attempted to uh put this information together for you so we kind of would have an idea about how it would impact our accountability. We have a partnership with Daniel Brown with KT Accountability who's a math genius and he takes all of our assessment numbers and he says, "If this was the star test, where would your accountability

059fall?" And he gives that to us midyear so we can monitor and adjust. And he'll give that to us again. I think it's the Monday after spring break when we'll look at that again uh with some additional data. So I'll just in the overall column walk you from the top to the bottom. Um our 232 24 accountability rating was 61. 2425 was 66. So we saw that increase last year which you guys know about. Um the comprehensive unit assessment projection has us right now at a 65 which it's mid year. We still have some teaching to do. The math assessment projection has us at a 70. So um remember math is measuring growth whereas our CUAS are measuring uh like curriculars curricular content. So they measure a some different things but this is the progress

060that we see as of midyear. This is my Olympic reference for bumary. We are in the race. Okay we are in the race. uh we our campuses and principles and teachers could not be working harder to obviously help students but also see what else they can do. I feel like we are constantly you could go on any campus in this district and know that they are looking at data and they are looking at how it informs their work and I can say that with total confidence and that's going to make the difference for us. And so um I've said this to you before we're not where we want to be yet but we're making progress. We're getting there and we're skiing really fast. So with that, I will answer any questions that you have. >>

061Thank you, Dr. >> Thank you. >> delayed certification plan. >> Good evening, President Mitchell, Dr. Ritter, members of the board. I'm here to talk to you about the delayed certification plan for our teachers. Where's the slides? Are the slides in here? Sorry, I never Well, I have slides. All right. So, I did share this document with everybody. So, you should have access to this. Uh, and as you may know, we are a district of innovation. And, uh, under that district of innovation, the rules say we can hire uncertified teachers into our foundational courses. And, uh, last summer, HB2 passed after session. and HB2 now places limitations on school districts ability to hire uncertified teachers in foundational courses. So TEA has provided us with a an out for that. Um they require that you apply for

062an extension and in order to extend those requirements for the foundational teachers um you can't see with my glasses on. uh you must submit this application to TEA by March 2nd. Uh this exemption will allow us to fully implement the support plan that we already have in place for teachers pursuing their certifications. Um again, this must be submitted board approved by March 2nd and we'll receive notification of whether or not we've been accepted by March 31st. Uh this really impacts the district. Uh we have 79 teachers currently that this will affect. 42 are in K through five reading and math and 37 are in reading, English, math, science, and social studies at the secondary level. Without this program, without this plan in place, uh we will not be able to put them in the classrooms

063over the next two years. Uh one of the things that we have in place for this plan is to review certification requirements and the timeline with the teachers. We're already doing this. We're monitoring teacher certification status quarterly during our one-to-one meetings. The uh human resources coordinator Jackie Ruiz and I meet with uh uncertified teachers during our quarterly meetings. Uh principles are invited to these meetings and principles are aware of which teachers on their campuses are uncertified. We've also uh submitted an application for grow your own aotment through lasso 4 grant and that grant was accepted which will provide us with financial support to keep this program going and help get our teachers certified. Uh one of the requirements of this program are that we partner with at least one educational preparation program and we are

064currently uh partnered with five Texas State, Stephen F. Austin and Indiana Wesleyan Universities uh also I teach and teachworthy alternative certification programs and we are seeking partnerships with two additional alternative certification programs at this time. >> Do you have any questions for me? >> What happens if the plan isn't exact? If plan is not accepted, we will have 79 additional vacancies in our foundational courses, which again are reading, math, English, social studies, and science K through 12 on top of regular attrition. I'd like to add just so and along those same lines, I was reading an article this weekend in the Dallas Morning News that across the state of Texas, there are more than 42,000 uncertified teachers in teaching positions in the whole state. Um it's a statewide problem. That doesn't make it better for

065us. But there is a a bit of misery loves company I suppose there. Um the state has put this um has dictated everyone will be certified in elementary by next year but then they realized like that's not really possible and that's why they've allowed us this opportunity to apply for the waiver. Uh we do have programs in place to ensure that anybody who is not yet certified is on the track to do that and and we continually brainstorm how we can get better at that. Um but this is um we're grateful that the state gave us this opportunity to apply for the waiver because it was quite concerning whenever they um put out the the statement that everyone had to be certified by next year. Um something that I just want to say regarding all

066of this as well is um you know this has been an issue we know this been hearing about this especially since COVID time coming back and we lost so many teachers out of the classroom and we're coming back it's coming back we were just I presented at midwinter because our district is one of the districts that has a very very successful program for supporting alternatively certified teachers. We depend on alternative certified teachers now in the state of Texas and it's important for us to have these strong programs in place which we do to make sure that they're getting everything they need. And even some of our TIA teachers we've just celebrated are alternatively certified teachers who are part of this group. So we want to be able to continue to support them through the programs

067that we have and what we're building and the support of the department as long as the as well as the principles, mentor teachers, the whole system throughout the district of moving this forward. Um, and everyone's goal is that become certified. That's our goal. That's what we want. And we're seeing that happen. They're making progress and and we're happy with the progress we're making in this area. It's just it's an issue across the state, but we've been very proactive with it. And moving forward, we'll be able to meet the needs of these these folks through this program. So, um, it's something that has to be done. The state requires us to do this waiver so that we continue serving can continue having them in those alternative certification programs that we support. Have we already submitted the

068waiver? >> No, you have to vote on it. >> You vote on it tonight in an action item so that then we move forward and and um send it to TEA. Districts are either doing it in January or February, getting it passed by their board and then submitting to to TEA. And I think those are moving pretty quickly once they get the Yes. So, just a note, it has to be submitted by March the 2nd. So, if that's where you have it on your agenda as an action item this evening, um, and they've said that it could take three to four weeks to hear back, but um, Sarah has majority of the districts that I'm hearing from are are getting it back immediately within a couple of days. So, this seems as if um, TA

069if we submit the waiver, then we feel pretty confident that we'll be okay. >> I have another question. You said there's 79 teachers. Are do we have any idea like how many are almost done and possibly will be? Yes, I think I believe we have five that are in the enrolled in an ACP part. All of the others are in ACPs and are just completing their coursework or their final testing. You have to do a certain you have to take some tests and then you have to do some course work and then you can take you'll be approved to take more tests. So, it's it's a process for each one and it just depends on which program they're going through. >> I just didn't know if we knew that there was 10 of that should

070be finished in May that be certified or five. >> Not offhand. We do collect that data. They they um that human resources department and the principal meet with every uncertified teacher twice a year. Yeah. Well, quarterly. >> Quarterly um to be able to like where are you, what have you done, what's coming that that sort of information. So, they have it an individualized just spreadsheet with all that information. >> Can we actually vote on this? Because it's an information, not an action. It's >> it's further down. >> It is further down. Yes, sir. >> Okay. Any more questions? >> Thank you. >> Update on construction projects 2021 and 2024. >> Uh good evening, President Mitchell, board of trustees. Dr. Ritter, Randy Lan, executive director of capital projects. Uh good evening once again. I'm excited to

071bring you an update on our construction projects. Many of you have been out to see a ball game um already this spring. So excited to um finally have some fields that our teams could uh can play on. So you'll see a little bit more about that. But uh we we did end up with some really nice drone shots from our from our contractor varying this project. So um if nothing else, it's just a nice view of the fields and and the surrounding area. Um still with the 21 bond, we do have a couple of uh projects still remaining. um transportation project that's been lingering on for a while. We're um seeing the fuel tanks being installed now. Um know that'll be incre um instrumental with our transportation folks and making sure things get fueled up.

072Uh landscape installation is is wrapping up um getting everything installed over the past couple of weeks. You can see there on the right all of the uh concrete uh driveway and parking is installed. We have uh relocated what was on the left was the temporary access driveway for construction. That's now been relocated to the right. If you drive out there, we're down to one driveway. So, that's that's good news. But, um overall, we're completing some interior uh mechanical and electrical connections inside the building. Um as I mentioned, the landscaping is wrapping up. Uh they'll be uh spraying hydro mulch to get the grass growing um in the coming days. Um, we did get some good news late this afternoon that uh, Encore um, has been working with Texot to get a rideway permit. We we

073actually I spoke with Dr. Ver about this today. We expected that to be weeks from now. I just got late news this afternoon that that uh, was approved. So, we're we're back on track with with Encore to get permanent power um, in in weeks, not a couple of months. So, that's good. Uh we're still working with um the FM1100 expansion and all of our neighboring uh partners, Triata and Brierwood and those folks. Um we have learned that uh that will no longer uh delay the project. Um we will be allowed to use the facility even before that expansion has has been finalized. Uh so that's good news. Um and we continue to work with Triata for a wastewater connection. So we're in constant communication with them. Um but based on where we're at now, most

074of the interior work um has been completed, everything that we can do without permanent power. So, uh we're right on track there. Uh we really at this point would anticipate potentially a summer transition to this facility if we can get uh power and wastewater. That's the two hold outs. Excuse me. Um still on the 21 bond. We talked about this a little bit earlier. This is an overall site plan for Harvest Ridge Elementary. Um, if you can believe it, we opened this campus less than two years ago. Um, and and today we're sitting at uh 754 students. So, uh, capacity for this building is is 800 students. Um, generally the the rule is um at 90% capacity. That that's when you start looking at portables. Um, 100% capacity is is not doesn't leave you any

075flex space. Uh, to say that building is at 800 students, that's at every room full capacity. that doesn't account for some of those rooms are sped or GT or intervention or they're used for ARS. Um so to say that's 800. Well, I mean in reality there's there's not 800 kids in those rooms. So um you you generally account for effective capacity at 90%. Well, we're there. We're actually past that. So when we look at the demographic projection that we saw last month u by our PE snapshot of uh this coming fall uh will be well over 800. So, um the two portables there will will account for that. Um our goal will be to get those set um this summer or early next fall uh to give uh to give the campus administration some room

076to grow and and give those kiddos a few extra classrooms. Um overall, we'll work with the portable manufacturer to get the buildings here to get those set. We've already been speaking with permitting authorities on what that will take. Um and then we'll have a a small uh competitive seal proposal package that will be issued in the near future for utility infrastructure. Uh the good thing about this is we did uh during construction for the actual building of Harvest Ridge Elementary, we did extend utility infrastructure such as uh water lines and sewer lines and those types of things. We anticipated this need and we extended all those lines out there. So uh it shouldn't be a huge lift to get these connected. Uh I'm staying with 21 bond our priority maintenance projects. We know we've got

077the uh administration building HVAC upgrades. That's this building here. We're working with our contractor to get those scheduled and make that u uh project as as minimally impactful um as we can. We know folks in this building are generally here all summer. So we'll uh we'll try to make that go as smoothly as we can. Um Elgen Elementary HVAC and electrical upgrades. That'll be a nice addition. A lot of the times at that campus, if if something is is plugged in, we trip breakers. Um so that campus has had some electrical woes for years. So um the electrical upgrades will be a nice addition to that campus. We'll do that the same time this summer. Um ideally we'll get this contractor in early. Um as you can see in that little shot there at the

078bottom, that uh front wing there that's all in gray. It's it's empty right now of students. There's some uh equipment and things being stored in those empty classrooms, but we'll try to get that contractor working as early as spring break and continue that effort. They can be up in the ceilings running duck work and those types of things while students um are still in school uh this spring semester. There's a a set of doors that'll close off and sequester them into that work area. And then come summer, they'll transition into uh the classroom space and the library and just continue working. But we're excited about being able to provide additional AC um and heat as we get into next uh next year. Uh playground replacements, that's just an example of what we might see at

079BTW night and Elgen Elementary. Um a lot of the playground structures at these uh facilities have reached the point where parts are obsolete. So, we've got uh with our maintenance crew, they've had to put up some plywood pieces and and just kind of abandon, if you will, some of the pieces of the playcapes out there just because the parts are no longer available. So, we're excited to see replacements coming this summer. Um on the right side, you see bleachers and ADA repairs for the old middle school stadium. This is a project that's currently still in design, uh but we do anticipate starting this a little bit closer to summer. And then, uh technology building roof replacement. Uh that is also a project is currently a design um and scheduled for summer 2024 bond. Um I

080I don't have pictures of uh of our Olympic speed, but uh this is a project that is moving very quickly. Uh if you drive by there, it looks different daily. So this is a project we're excited about. Um the CMU walls, they're topped out now for the gyms uh the gyms locker room space. uh the the fine arts wing in the bottom left. I just I looked at some pictures today that contractors had sent us over the weekend and they've got metal decking out um over area A, what is the front part. So, this this project is moving very quickly. Um it's exciting to see the the project going that uh the that smoothly. We've had great weather um so uh a lot of coordination there, but overall we do have one um area there

081you can see in green in that right picture. That's one wing of uh classroom space. Uh that'll be poured this week. That'll be the final uh classroom wing to be poured. Um we do have some final waterproofing in the elevator pits. Uh we haven't seen a lot of water on that site, so that's good. As we moved over to that side of the district, we got to do a little bit more sandy soil, so that's that's worked out to our advantage as opposed to this clay soil on this side of town. Um and then we're also coordinating off-site fiber from Trinity Ranch. You all may remember the the big fiber project that we recently did. We planned for this project and we uh pulled extra fiber to Trinity Ranch and that'll be our hub for

082that side of the district. So, um from Trinity Ranch, we'll we'll run fiber. Um overall, it's about seven miles worth of fiber to Trinity Ranch. So, uh that'll be a project that we're working on now and we'll release that project soon. >> What's the population for? Uh this will be built out for 1,200 initially uh with a core for 15. We've allocated space on the site to add uh what you see there in green. That's a classroom addition. That's a two-story classroom addition. So we've left enough space to add another one of those which should ultimately serve roughly 300 students. So we'll build it for 1,200 with enough room on the end to add another 300 in the future if need be to make it uh 1500. uh next summer, so June 2027. >> Yes,

083ma'am. >> Uh yes, ma'am. It it'll be on here. >> Uh athletic improvements around the baseball uh stadium. We've got new tennis courts as mentioned earlier. We're excited about those. One set is of course a brand new set with new tennis courts and lights nets. And then the uh the existing set was refinished. Um all new surfacing and new nets. So we've got two sets that look identical. Really nice uh surfacing there uh for our students now to host a meet. Um and softball and baseball fields of course are are finished now and in use. We do still work with the contractor on some punch list work. So, um, while we recognize that, uh, this schedule fell a little bit behind, um, we feel that this project was really worth the wait for these fields,

084um, our our teams are excited about this. We've actually been able to host again on on our fields that, um, a neighboring district was was not able to host because they had natural grass fields and and it was a a rain day. So, um, we've actually been able to to use these just for the intended purpose in in wet weather. So, uh, it's worked out well for us and and, uh, our teams are really excited. Um, one thing that's not on site yet is the press boxes. Um, the subcontractor, um, that we work with on that has has struggled with their delivery timeline for the baseball and softball press boxes. So, right now, they're telling us will be early March. And, uh, we continue, uh, to work with our general contractor. They're they're physically driving

085up to their, uh, production site in North Texas to put their eyes on those. But, uh, we're looking for those in in early March. Um, and then the shade coverings. It's kind of hard to see, but between the tennis courts there, there's some, uh, small bleachers and and shade canopies. Those those came in the wrong color, but those will be arriving this week, and those will go up just within a day. And then, uh, during spring break, we'll have a little bit of, uh, remediation for some concrete uh, that had some cracking. So, they'll be back during spring break to do some some additional work. But overall, we're really excited about this project. It's It's worked out really nicely. >> If the press boxes arrive in early March, do they say how long they'll take

086to actually get them up? >> Ju just a few days. They're they're modular. They all go in one piece. Um so they'll just have a two or three day install and then they'll go ahead and they'll do the electrical on those and then we've got a little bit of work to do on our end um to get uh connectivity network and those types of things in those. >> Yes, sir. Did you have a chance to observe the rain? >> Yeah. So, so far uh we haven't seen I mean it we haven't really had a uh a huge downpour, but we haven't had um issues with drainage in this area yet. And though we didn't uh for for good reason. We didn't take pictures of the drainage. It's just not uh uh quite as nice to

087look at as this. But there were significant drainage improvements as part of this project. We recognize that, you know, around this stadium for those of us that have uh been around these ball fields that was a large challenge with these ball fields. They just didn't drain very well. So, there is significant amount of uh drainage work done on the outside of these fields that run to that large detention pond over by that uh by that portable by the Phoenix portable. Uh there's piping that runs all the way over there. So, uh, there's a significant amount, um, of that installed and there's still a little bit of, uh, work left to do on that and so far it seems to be working out well. >> Great. >> Thank you. >> Ma'am, >> is that a real

088picture or is that just a >> It is. That's That's a real picture. Uh, we've got um the the contractor that we work with as well as our program management team, they fly uh their drones pretty often. Um, and these are a couple of drone shots u from that. >> Yeah. So, this these are real photos. Yes, ma'am. >> Um, adjacent to that, different contractor, different project, but uh we're we're still on the ground right now. They anticipate getting steel this week and working overhead, but uh before we can get that done, we've got to make sure we've got a great foundation in place on the on the left side there. They're getting all the storm drain um taken care of again to make sure we've got drainage issues resolved before we get everything covered

089up. Um fire riser on the bottom left as we start the new press box with the CTE classroom and all the additional space. We will have fire suppression in that building. That's one of the things while we do have a fire alarm or did in our current in our former press box, we didn't have fire suppression. So we will in this new one. Um but you can see there in that larger photo all the peers are in place and again we expect structural steel to arrive this week. Um and and we'll start going vertical virtually immediately. So that's exciting when we start seeing steel going up things move very quickly. Um but in the meantime they've had a lot of underground work to do. They unfortunately working around stadiums and I think in their experience

090and my experience you you find almost every line you've ever buried out there. So every time they dig a hole, you you hit a line, you find another line and you have to reroute it. That's just part of it. Um so we've done a lot of that rerouted electrical lines, water lines. Um but ultimately they they've got the things installed that we need. The the domestic water line, the storms drains are installed, our fire line is installed. Um we're installing scaffolding uh to get the elevator installed. Uh but again, steel erection is is the next thing on the list. U we do appreciate the approval for FFN. Uh for the furniture, we do have some more discussions ongoing with uh with our CTE department for some of the specialty items um the lighting and the

091uh all of the different aspects to their uh portions of the work that we'll begin discussing with them to make sure everything gets here um on time. Uh we had some questions last month related to schedule. So, this project will be completed in the fall, but I'll let uh Jen Anderson speak briefly to the schedule and how this will relate to our overall impact on our football games. >> Jen Xanderson, athletic director. Uh Randy asked me to talk about football because I know just with baseball and softball, there's lots of questions about what do we do with games. So, just so you guys know, with our football schedule, realignment was done by UIL in February. So, February the 2nd, they released our new districts. We're in a six team district, which means we have five

092district games. So, we knew going into that that we were going to plan to have all of our non-dist um to to make sure we give enough time for this project so that we're not trying to figure out solutions when we're supposed to be playing a home game, but we're not actually playing a home game. Um so, we created our schedule with that in mind. Um it actually helped a little bit being the size of schedule that we have. Um so, we have all of those non-district games will be on the road and we're going to be road warriors this year. Um, so once we get into districts, it there's a grid that UIL gives you that kind of lays out for you, um, who's going to be home and away because a lot of

093teams we play also share stadiums and those kind of things. So, our non-district schedule will be on the road. We'll have a couple of district games that will be at home there late in the year. Um, we knew that this project was going to be, you know, a long project and so we we're making all kinds of plans for all the different kinds of things that could happen. One thing about football that makes it unique as opposed to our other sports is the games that you play this year away you'll get to play at home the next year. So in 2026 fall 26 we're going to be road warriors and in fall of 27 get ready because every week's going to be a home game. So um so those games kind of come back around

094in terms of football. In other sports you play both home and away against most teams. So it's not as easy to regulate. So um I just want to make you guys aware of that. Um we will be playing JV games at home. the the you know there's reasons that we can host those games that are that are easier than with the whole home side of the stadium and the press box that make it really really hard for part of game. I don't know if there's any questions or if Randy has other comments to that, but all right. Uh I'm standing with 24 bond uh the uh homestead uh CTE culinary project. This is a small project, but it's uh it's really going uh going well. This is a project fortunately. It's, you know, right there

095at our building. We get to see this and and hear it um a lot. But it's great. The these guys are are moving along well. Um I got to see a sneak peek of a of a video that was taken today and it's it's really neat. The excitement around this project is is is really excite really neat. Um I think the uniqueness of this will will be uh something that we'll remember for a long time. But overall, you can see the transition. That top left photo there, if you remember walking in that building, that was one of the walk-in um freezer coolers. Uh we've got some underground utilities going in there. Um at the bottom left there, you can see some excavation that'll ultimately be for a grease trap uh that'll be installed outside the

096building. Uh but that plumbing rough in you see there um that looks a little bit different now. They've filled in most of those um most of those trenches, had their inspections, filled in most of the trenches, and we'll have a uh concrete pourback later this week. So uh things are moving really smoothly there. There's still uh some demo going on um in some other areas for concrete um and then plumbing roughing continues in other areas. Electrical uh folks are on site as well. Um just as in um other projects, we are working with stakeholders with Maggie Howard and her team for FF discussions. We do have of course furniture for the classroom that'll be required, but she'll also have kitchen um equipment that we'll need to purchase small kitchen equipment that's not included in the

097project. Um, and then we're still getting uh submittals turned in from the contractor that we'll review in the meantime. But, um, overall the, uh, August date will be here soon. So, we're excited to see how this project progresses over the next six months. Um, elementary 6, Miss Ree. Um, here's here's the, uh, the new project on the list. Uh we've talked about this for a little while, but uh a couple of months ago we did close on this property and Larm um through a transaction uh with Larm developers and our connections with the city of Elgen. But uh this is a 12acre site very similar to uh the Trinity Ranch and Harvest Ridge Elementary site. Uh we do anticipate though it's not designed we do anticipate an 800 student uh capacity elementary. uh WRA has

098been selected for this architectural uh design through our uh through our previous RFQ pool. They were one of the architects in the pool uh from 2024. Uh we anticipate having a design kickoff within the next 30 days or so. Um timeline similar to what you all heard from Blake earlier tonight, construction timeline will be contingent upon bond sales. Uh we need uh just based on our demographic study, we would need this school open by 2028 by you know August of 2028 to avoid um overcrowding in other areas. But that all depends on when we're able to build it uh if we've got the funds or not. Right now we've got the funds to move forward with design um and then hopefully later this year we're able to sell and bond to fund the construction. Is

099that design going to be the same as like Harvest Ridge and T Trinity Ranch? >> I I would not anticipate. It's not a prototype. I'll say that. There may be some similarities, but we're working with a different architect. Um, we'll have, of course, other, you know, district folks and community involved. So, there may be some similarities, but it will not be a prototype from Trinity Ranch and Harvest Ridge. >> Is there any concern for um us out growing it as fast as we have Harvest Ridge, though? I mean, if we're staying within the 800, I mean, it's only been two years for Harvest Ridge. And so, is there a concern that we might need to bump up the amount of kids who are going to be there? So, construction size or whatnot? >> We will

100be um we also try to keep elementaryaries at a certain size because as principles can say, it becomes an issue with the number of students that you do have. that when we open this school, we will be reszoning across the district to address the zoning issues because we have overcrowding and at night and we have by that time we ready at city ranch. We will just have a lot of issues that every demographic report we get between now and the time that we open this will give us more information about what we need. But if you increase it to more, it also costs more. So this is about the capacity that we've been keeping our elementary schools or and then with capacity to put uh portables on those sites as well as needed. So >>

101but the portables also increase population at the school as is where >> yes we plan on that as part of the design so that we can plan on that if needed but it's not but it's not built into the school itself. >> Yeah. on these if and if we do a similar design to Harvest Ridge and and Trinity Ranch, we four portables gets us two uh it gets us another 100 seats. Uh so we build these for a core of 900 and we start out with 800. So your core spaces, your library, your restrooms, um those your cafeteria, those main spaces are designed for for 900 in this particular discussion. And um adding those portables would take us to 900 if we added all of them. Um but yeah, to Dr.'s point, if if to

102do bricks and mortar at at 900 or a thousand, it would would change the budget. It would impact it significantly. >> Okay, that's that's the next question I was going to ask. Would it change the budget? >> Yes, ma'am. Right. >> Right. Thank you. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Uh, final questions. >> That looks good. I know Coach Raw will be glad to see those tennis clubs before he retires. Tell we don't we're going to do it. So, that'll be exciting to be able to watch them at home, right? Yes, sir. Excited. Thank you. All right. Next, we have a couple of uh action items. Uh the first one, consideration of an action to select firm to provide bond planning services. Mr. R. >> Uh good evening once again. Um as we've heard here tonight, um

103growth has been discussed a lot. I mean, that's that's really um what this agenda item relates to is is the continued growth of the district. um as we've uh look forward um as we talked about our construction plan, we want to be proactive with that. We don't want to wait for um our bond funds to be exhausted before we start um engaging and entertaining um the idea of another bond. So um in that um in that vein, uh we've explored the idea of um hiring Puckabe and Associates to be uh come on board and partner with us for a potential spring 2027 bond. Um as part of that u consideration um just keep in mind this was a not a competitive um service as they are a professional service um architects bond uh bond planners

104uh so this is procured under same government code we discussed earlier 2254 u did our last bond and did a great job we saw some of the highest approval numbers that we've seen on on any of our bonds ever um so for that reason um that's that's the reason we're making this recommendation um as a professional service. It it gives us that um option to uh select someone based on those qualifications and that experience and that's what Huckabe brings to the table for us. Um so um at this time we want to make that recommendation to uh to partner with Huckabe. Um now keep in mind this this isn't uh calling a bond. Um should we go through that process over the next year that uh that board um consideration would come back uh in

105February. So virtually a year from now. That's not something we make tonight. So it's a long process. We'll go through uh facility condition assessment. We look continue to look at our demographics. Uh we go through uh long range facility planning. All those types of things are wrapped up in bond planning. So uh it's a big effort. It's a heavy lift. But uh partnering with somebody like Hawk will will check all those boxes and and get us to where we need to be and then we'll come back in uh next February and make a recommendation. Um but at this time that would be administration's recommendation to uh partner with Huckabe for uh bond planning for spring 2027. >> Was any consideration given to PBK? >> Um yeah, I mean I I think sure I think there

106are several um firms um in this area that are certainly qualified. We've worked with PBK uh of course they did our 2021 bond. Um there are a number of firms that have responded to RFQS in the past um that are that are qualified. Um it's just in our experience with u in this last bond. Uh they did a good job for us. They've got experience in the district and and again we saw really good um participation from the community and we saw our voting uh percentages uh for the two props um at at really high marks. So um that's one of the things that uh that brought us back to them. Um, so again, it's that's not to say that other folks BBK or or flu or any of the other folks are not qualified.

107I mean, they are there there's folks a lot of a lot of folks in the district or in the in the central Texas area that that can do this work. Um, we're we're fortunate to be in a in a uh in an area that's got a lot of good firms, but um Hakabe right now is is who we feel is is the most qualified brings the best value to us for this uh particular service. Right. Any other question is ask for consideration. Is there a motion in that regard? >> I so moved. >> Motion by Mr. Moss. >> Second by Mrs. Walter Shai. Other questions? All in favor of the being selected by the district, respond by raising your right hand. Any opposers? Right hand. Motion passes. 52. >> Thank you. >> Next item, discussion

108and consideration of SB11 resolution regarding daily school prayer and religious text reading in public schools. >> Good evening again. Um following the 89th legislative session, boards must take action regarding Senate Bill 11. If the school board decides to adopt the state's proposed resolution, a period of prayer and religious reading must be established on each school day and follow all the provisions set out in statute. Across the state of Texas, staff and students already have existing religious freedoms in place which are protected by state and federal law as well as by board policies. The First Amendment protects private religious expression. Texas Education Code 25.901 specifies that a public school student has an absolute right to individually, voluntarily, and silently pray or meditate in school in a manner that does not disrupt the instructional activities, instructional or

109other activities of the school. So, uh for these reasons, administration recommends that the board of trustees decline to adopt the Senate Bill 11 resolution to establish daily prayer and time and reading of religious texts. Are there any question? If not, okay, I move that we decline to adopt the SB11 resolution to establish daily prayer time and the reading of religious text. >> Second by Mrs. Ree. Question. All in favor, raise your right hand. Closers. Motion passes seven. >> Thank you. Next item, consideration of action to approve Elganize the delayed certification plan. >> Good evening. I'm asking for you to consider the delayed certification plan as presented earlier this evening. Uh again, this will help for to keep our our district in much better place with our our 75 79 teachers who are currently uncertified and

110uh to ensure that we are able to continue the implementation of our support plan that we have in place uh and delay the requirements set forth by HP2. Refer the recommendation question. I so move >> motion uh motion by Mr. Vega, second by Mr. Moss. >> Yes. >> Any questions? All in favor said motion raise your right hand. The closers motion passes 70. Thank you. It is 8:48 p.m. and the board will recess into close session and reconvene as allowed under section 551.071 071 through 551.084 of the Texas Government Code uh to discuss purchase exchange lease or value of real property. Texas Government Code 551.072 1072 discuss personnel matter government code consultation with legal counsel regarding immigration enforcement and related legal issues pursuant to Texas governor code 55171 and 551.129 a discussion regarding superintendent compensation

111in terms of contract consultation with district legal council regarding the same Texas government code 551.074 74 5571 and yeah consideration of possible match approved. No, that's me. Sorry. All right. Should in the final action final decision to vote be required in the opinion of the school board with regard to any matters considered in such closed session or second meeting. Then the final action final decision of vote shall be either in open meetings covered by the notice upon reconvening of the public meeting or at a subsequent public meeting of the school board upon notice thereof as the school board shall return. >> Thank you. >> It is 10:10 p.m. The board will reconvene into open meeting at this time. During the closed meeting, only the items that appeared on the agenda were discussed. No final action,

112no final decision or vote was taken during the closed meeting. I make a motion that we approve the longevity as presented in close session, specifically 4% longevity payment effective 71 2026 for a superintendent. >> Second motion by Mrs. Reese, second by Mr. Moss. Are there any questions? All in favor of said motion, raise your right hand. Any opposers? Motion passes. 7. Thank you. It is 10:11 p.m. Is there a motion to adjourn? >> Absolute. >> Motion by Mr. Moss. I'll second it. All in favor respond by I. I. It is 10:11 p.m. This meeting is adjourned.