001Good evening. It is 7 p.m. The board of trustees of Leaport Independent School District is now convened. I wish to extend a warm welcome to everyone present. Everyone, every student success is our number one priority. As the Leaport ISD board of trustees, we are here to set goals, adopt policy, approve budgets, contracts, personnel appointments, and communicate the district's vision and success to the community. It is not the role of the board to make day-to-day operational decisions. The management and day-to-day operations of the district are the responsibility of our superintendent. This is a public meeting of the board of trustees, not a meeting of the public. Schoolboard meetings are open to all who wish to attend and hear the matters discussed. Audience participation is limited to the patron presentation portion of the meeting. Board members may
002not respond to the public comment section. These proceedings may be recorded and I respectfully ask that you please refrain from taking talking, excuse me, while others are speaking. Thank you for taking time this evening to join us for your and for your interest in the Leaport Independent School District. At this time, will you please stand for the pledge of >> allegiance >> representing Leaport High School JOTC >> JOTC this evening, American Rifle Cadet, Private Key Bates, American Flag Cadet Command Sergeant, Major Danica Texas flag cadet captain Kaye Bailey Texas rifle cadet staff sergeant Kaye Fida join me in the US present colors to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all Pledge to the Texas flag.
003>> Honor the Texas flag. I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas. One state under God, one and indivisible. >> Please remain standing for the invitation led by Trustee Russell Shi. Please bow your heads. Heavenly Father, we come before you tonight with hearts full of gratitude for the many blessings you have given our schools, our students, staff, and community. Thank you for the privilege of gathering together in service to our district, united in the goal of helping every student reach their full potential. As we approach this Thanksgiving season, we pause to give you thanks for our families, friends, and the opportunities we enjoy each day. Help us to carry a spirit of gratitude, compassion, and service into this holiday season and beyond. Finally, we ask you for your wisdom and your guidance in tonight's meeting. May every
004discussion and decision reflect fairness, unity, and a sincere desire to serve our students as well. We ask this in all things your name. >> Again, thank you uh and a special thank you to our our cadets and support JROTC. You guys didn't know they were here way in advance of anybody here this evening. So, again, thank you guys for showing up and helping us again. Ready seat. Order. Present. Arms. Order. Arms. Center. Face. Mark time for March. Let's hit it. Again guys, we got here a little bit earlier than normal uh this evening and it was it was pretty cool to see the cadetses here. They they wanted it absolutely perfect. They they spent a lot of time honing their craft. So again, thank you to uh certainly the cadets and also to their leadership.
005We have a special guest. Adam, you want to >> Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Uh our first performance of this school year uh is being presented by Leo A Rudo Elementary Choir under the direction of Miss Mona Gibbs. Please enjoy. There you go. Hey, good afternoon. Good evening. Um these are some of our third graders that performed our Veterans Day program this morning. It's about a fifth, less than a fifth of our our third graders because, you know, parking is not the best at the school board, but don't tell anybody I said that. So, we got we brought a small portion of our kids. Uh, but they did great. We we honored about 35ish veterans this morning, and they did they were topnotch. Um, and Sophia right here, her dad is deployed currently, and so
006we are doing this in honor of her dad tonight, and wishing him well in the in the US Navy. Okay. So, thank you so much, All right, I'm going to turn on the music and then hurry to that chair right there. Okay. Heat up here. Heat. Heat up here. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. Heat up here. Yeah. Thank you'all so much. Thank you, boys and girls. Um, tell them happy Veterans Day. >> Happy. >> All right. And we're going out that way. So Oh. Oh, that's right. Forgot. Forgot. Forgot. It didn't happen. There's no picture. >> My spot. Good job. Thank you. >> Not enough barking for you. We didn't do it. How did they pick? >> Oops. Be kids sitting at home waiting their lunch. Ladies and gentlemen, sophomore Giana Palirez recently
007represented Leaport High School for her second time at the UIL State Cross Country Championships. Not only did she place higher than she did in her freshman year, she also improved her time, all against many competitors with far more experience. Giana's dedication and consistent training throughout the season clearly paid off, showcasing her growth as both an athlete and a leader on the team. And we look forward to the next two years. Congratulations. >> You're just awesome. Congratulations. Mama bear's got to get picked. Right. Oops. We now move to uh section five, public comments. The board will now hear those who wish to make comments and who have completed and returned to public comment participation and request. The section will be conducted in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act and board policy. Complaints and concerns for
008which other resolution channels are provided shall be directed through those channels. Mr. Vice President, do we have any uh comments this evening? >> No. Nobody would like to participate. >> With that being said, we'll move to item seven, public hearing for the district's financial integrity rating system of Texas first for the 20242 fiscal year. All right. Good evening, Board of Trustees and Dr. Jackson. This evening, we will hold the required public hearing for the financial integrity rating system of Texas, commonly known as schools first. The purpose of this hearing is to report on the district's financial accountability rating, which is designed to ensure the Texas public schools are managing their financial resources responsibly and effectively to provide the maximum benefit to students. For the 2024 fiscal year, Leaport ISD received a rating of superior achievement,
009the highest possible rating under the state's accountability system. This recognition reflects our district's uh commitment to strong financial management, transparency, and sound stewardship of taxpayer funds. So again, the primary goal of schools first is to achieve the quality performances in management. It was adopted during the 1999 legislative uh session and implemented in 2003 beginning in the 2001 2002 fiscal year. There were changes that were implemented in fiscal year 27 2007 and 2024. So the objectives of uh the schools first is to assess the quality of financial management for Texas public schools to fairly evaluate the quality of financial uh management decisions and to be able to compare ourselves to other districts and to openly report results to the general public on an annual basis. So our rating was a 98 out of 100. So we
010are 98% uh a a high A. We there are 21 indicators, 20 that are scored and one that is not currently scored. So to pass a district must receive a score of 70 or higher and answer yes to the first uh four indicators. So as you can see here, we've they've they've changed how they rate, but it uh it all equals out to a superior achievement for all 23 years. This is our statewide summary. It shows how we compare to other districts. Um so there were just over a thousand districts that uh that are required to to well every every district is required to do this but um so 862 are in the superior achievement with a a rating of an A u which represents 4.5 million of our students in Texas and that's where
011we fall. And now the hard part is we have to I have to read every single one of these indicators and uh let you know where we fall. So please bear with me. So was the complete annual financial report also known as the AFR and the data submitted to TEA within 30 days of the November 27th deadline? Yes, we've reported it on November 19th, 2024. Number two, was there an unmodified opinion of the AFR on the financial statements? Yes. uh we received an unqualified unmodified opinion uh which is the highest that you can get. Three, was the school district in compliance with the payment debt terms of all debt agreements uh at the fiscal year? Yes, we have never defaulted on any debt obligations. Number four, did the school district make timely payments to teachers
012retirement, TRS, uh Texas Workforce Commission, or the Internal Revenue Service or any other governmental agencies? Yes, we've always made our payments timely. uh was the total net position in the governmental activities column in the statement of net position uh net of accretion of interest for capital appreciation bonds net uh pension liability and other post-employment benefits greater than zero and yes our net position is greater than zero. So what that means that does it when it's a positive net position it demonstrates financial solveny. Was the average change in fund balance uh balances over the 3 years less than a 25% decrease or did the current year's fund balance exceed 75 days. Uh we passed both of those. So the average change was less than 3 years over the last 3 years less than 25% decrease and
013we also exceeded the 75 days needed. Number seven, was the total number of days of cash on hand and current investments in the general fund for the school district sufficient to cover operating expenditures? We received the highest score of a 10 on that one. Yes, we have we we had 194 days of cash on hand, which is greater than the 90 days. Uh, indicator 8, was the measure of current assets to current liabilities ratio to the school district sufficient to cover short-term debt? we received the highest score of a 10, which uh because our ratio was a 3.7, which is greater than a three. Um and so what this means is we had enough cash on hand to pay for our short-term uh debt. Number nine, did the school district uh did the school district's
014general fund revenues equal or exceed expenditures? And if not, was the school district's number of days of cash on hand greater than that or equal to 60 days? We received the highest score of 10 on there. We had cash on hand of 194 days, which is greater than equal to 60. Number 10, we didn't have they they gave us a free one. They threw us a bone on that one. Number 11 was the ratio of long-term liabilities to total assets sufficient to support long-term solveny. We restored a score of eight for that one. Uh the district's ratio is 6909, which falls uh which is greater than 6 but less than or equal to 7. Um, and pretty much what that one means is uh the long-term uh assets are worth more than the debt that
015we have. So what the the district owns is is worth more than what um we owe. Number 12, uh what is the correlation between future debt payments, debt requirements, and the district's assessed property value? We scored the highest goal of a 10. Um the calculator ratio was 2 2.5868 which is less than or equal to four. So that means that we had enough revenue to make our future debt payments. Indicator 13 was the school district's administrative cost ratio equal to or less than the threshold ratio. Our score was the highest of a 10. Um our district's ratio is 08954 which is less than or equal to 0.1. Did number 14. to the school district not have a 15% decline in the students to staff ratio over 3 years the total enrollment to total staff if
016the student enrollment did not decrease the school district will automatically pass um we scored a 10 which is the highest so our 23 24 enrollment was 7115 and our 2122 enrollment was 6938 so we increased by 177 kids during that so we automatically passed that ratio or that indicator number 15. This was a new one for this year. Uh was the school district's ADA within the allotted range of the district's bianual pupil projections submitted to TEA? We scored a five out of five. Um our actual ADA was 6485 and the projected ADA was 6323 which is a difference of 161 um 2.5% difference. So it's much lower than the 10%. So what that means is that our projections of what our um ADA were going to be is is well within the the threshold of
01710%. Number 16. Did the comparison of PE's data to like information in the district's AFR or annual financial report result in a variance of less than 3% of all expenditures by function? At we passed we had a 0% variance. So what we what that means is when we in our winner submission when we give them our actual data our actual numbers we matched perfectly with what our audit is. Um number 17. Did the independent auditor report that the AFR was free of any instances of material weakness in internal controls over financial reporting and compliance for local, state, or federal funds and free from substantial doubt about the school district's ability to continue as a go as a going concern. So, we passed that. Our auditors uh reported report indicated no instance of material weaknesses in
018our internal controls. We're almost there. Number 18. Did the independent auditor indicate that the AFR was free of any instances of material non-compliance for grants, contracts, and laws related to local, state, or federal grants? And the score was uh 10 out of 10. The auditors reported uh no instances of material weakness relating to material non-compliance for any of our grants. Number 19. Did the school district post the required financial information on its websites in accordance with the applicable statutes? Score of five out of five. Leaport ISTD has posted all of our required financial information on its website. Number 20. Did the school board members discuss the district's property values at a board meeting within 120 days before uh I'm sorry, I just see that typo there. Apologize for that. Um between before the district's adopted
019district adopted its budget. Yes, we had conversations um April, March, April, May, June. We discussed it >> every every time we could. We discussed it. Um and number 21, did the district receive an adjusted repayment schedule for more than one fiscal year for oallocation of uh foundation school program funds due to financial hardship? We passed that. We've never received an adjusted um payment schedule due to a financial hardship. though. The great news is that we scored a 98 out of 100 and achieved 23 years of school first uh rating superior achievement. >> Yay. Any questions that I can answer for you? >> I'll just say this on behalf of the whole board. Thank you. I know that's got to take an exceptional amount of work on behalf of you and your team. So again, we
020we I know we give you flags sometimes. I want to spend all the money all the time. I know that. But we do sincerely appreciate uh that you guys have uh the financial interest, the best financial interest on behalf of our district. And so thank you guys for all the hard work that goes into this. >> Thank you >> for many years in a row. >> Thank you. We'll head now to >> open a public. >> We need to open it up. But but she you presented it, but that's you know that was your presentation. Is that the opening of the pres of the public hearing? >> Yes. >> Do we need to do anything else? You just need to close it now. >> Call for public comment. Members of the public, >> call for
021public comment. Uh if any members of the public have comment relating to the district's financial integrity rating system of Texas for the 202425 fiscal year, you may now speak at the podium. Hearing none, we are now we now close our public hearing for the district's financial integrity rating system and we'll move to section 8 administrative report. Start with a superintendent report. >> Mr. President, you have a copy. The board has a copy of my uh board report this week. I shall not read it publicly tonight. You have a copy. It's pretty exhaustive with all the wonderful things that our students and staff are doing in the district. Uh I'll yield the floor to uh you, Mr. President, to move forward with the agenda. >> Thank you, Dr. Jackson. Uh turn to item B, fiscal year
0222025 audit presentation. >> Nobody ever says anything in these public hearings. Happy to be back. >> So, good evening again, board of trustees and Dr. Jackson. It's my pleasure to introduce our auditor, Patrick Simmons, our who is an audit partner with Whitley Whitley Penn. Patrick has been with Willie Penn since 2013 and specializes in governmental auditing. He and his team based in Houston work extensively with school districts and m municipalities across the region. Whitley Penn currently audits more than 50 school districts statewide representing approximately 25% of the Texas students population. The firm has proudly served as Leaportist auditor for the past four years. And before I turn it over to Patrick, I I would like to take a moment to publicly recognize George Crannle, our director of finance. He's all what? um for his outstanding
023dedication, analytical expertise, and hard work. They contributed greatly to the success of this year's audit and every everyday's audit, every everything. So, just want to say thank you, George. And here you go. A copy of your the audit is uh it's a draft and it's available for you. >> Thank you. Thank you, Stacy. And I agree. Shout out to George. And I think he deserves a round of applause for how easy he makes our jobs. So, we really do appreciate it. Um, so, uh, I'm Patrick Simmons. I'm the audit partner on your engagement and I have been here the last few years, so you probably familiar, but, uh, a couple new faces. So, Laura Lynch was the senior manager on the engagement this year. So, we had just a rotation there, but she has been
024with the firm for many years, so she's very familiar with school district audits. Um Sean Barry, the senior associate, Lupe Garcia, the quality control reviewer. And um the the audit process starts in the summer. We come out, we test controls, meet with all your different departments, get an understanding of how things should work and um if they're set up correctly and uh whether or not we need to provide any comments for recommend recommendations. We also do a lot of compliance testing on the single audit, federal single audit at that point. Then we come back after you close the year and we substantiate your balances and provide an opinion on the financial statement. So there's a few different types of opinions we can provide and um I'll just jump forward to the results. So happy to
025provide uh present an unmodified opinion on the financial statements and then also there's a second report that goes along with this. it's uh the internal controls over um comp compliance and on on financial reporting and so there's no findings to report there uh overall the clean audit from that side and then um things did change a little bit this year we do have a curveball thrown our way so the report in front of you is is not presented for your approval just yet um but it is in final draft format so we don't expect it to change at all um maybe some formatting or some minor things as we finalize it later, but we're not able to finalize the federal single audit report until the OM issues the compliance supplement. And so this is a
026nationwide issue. Um, but like I said, we've done the testing with the draft supplement that's out there. And so assuming that nothing really I don't expect anything will change with the grants that we issu audited. um we'll just be able to issue that final report um when the time comes. Um and so uh you do have the the final draft of both in one packet. Um if we do get into a pickle where you need the audited financial statements for any um any reason continuing disclosure type stuff, we can split out the financial package from the single audit and then just keep the single audit on hold until later. Um but we'll cross that bridge when we get there if we need to. You believe we'll have that before the end of the year, but
027before the end of >> I sure hope so. I sure hope so. There's no indication whether or not with the shutdown and everything definitely didn't make it any better. It was already running late before that. So, um I think it'll be done by the end of the year, but that's just my gut. >> Wishful thinking wishful thinking of course. Um but we do have the the uh results of that also here. The federal single audit. So the child nutrition cluster was the major program this year and um unmodified opinion over that program and no internal control findings to report. The statement of net position is uh acrruel basis accounting. So it includes uh your capital assets debt and everything of that nature. And so I just highlight the the bottom portion of this your net
028position. And so your net investment in capital assets basically your capital assets net of the related debt that increased by about 10 10 a.5 million uh due to your your bond projects and investing in in new uh buildings and stadium and everything of that nature. And then your restricted net position that's mostly your debt restricted for debt service with that decrease with paying down that debt this year. And then what's left over is your unrestricted net position. So this isn't a factor um that I would um compare to anything related to budgeting or um fund balance. Uh but it is the net investment in capital assets. I do like to point out that's good to see that on the rise as far as fund balance goes. So each of the major funds are presented here.
029So general fund, debt service, capital projects, and then everything else is in your non- major fund which is going to be mostly all your grant funds. And so your general fund uh had expenditures exceed revenues by 4.6 million. So you had a decrease in fund balance to uh 56.7 million at the end of the year. Debt service fund like we saw earlier decreased by about 3.5 million. And then capital projects definitely some major bond fund spending going there. But everything is to be expected here. Um, non- major governmental funds do fluctuate a little bit because the child nutrition fund is in there as well. A snapshot of the general fund revenues here side by side. So, 2025 on the left and 24 on the right. So, uh, 86% funded by property taxes this year or
030101.8 million compared to 89.7 million 84% last year. Um, and then you can see that although you got more property taxes this year, this slideshow I presented in a different way, but I think it's it's uh helpful to see what portion is made up of your recapture. So 28% of your total expenditures in the general fund. So 2025 is that top graph there. >> 23% >> and so it went up from 23% to 28%. So it makes up a much larger piece this year. uh 2023 was very large. Um but you're right at 40% is instruction. Um and so that's your largest category like we would expect to see. And then fund balance as a percentage of expenditures in the general fund. Um, so I do apologize. I I realize I didn't update that comment
031in the very bottom there on the 2024 year, but your uh 2025 year is at 40% of expenditures in fund balance. And that's about 140 days or so in fund balance, which is above the optimal level set by TEA of 90 days, 90 to 120 days. And then required communication. So, um, we issue a letter that goes through this in detail, so I won't go too far into these, but, um, nothing alarming. We did not we did not identify any material misstatements that required corrections. So, that's definitely, uh, that doesn't happen at every audit. Definitely not. Um, so that's great work by your team to make that happen. There's a new standard that was implemented this year, Gatsby 101, for compensated absences. So, in the past, you would only book a liability for what employees
032were were going to get paid if they left the district, but now you have to assess what's the likelihood they're going to take their leave before they leave the district. Um, and so an additional liability came on the governmentwide financial statements um and and your finance department, business office, uh came up with the calculation and uh we reviewed it and it was reasonable. And so it is a fairly uh complex calculation to to do this first year. And um so kudos to your team for handling it from start to finish. Um with that said, I don't uh uh I don't have anything else, but I'd be happy to take any questions. >> Thank you. >> Welcome. Any questions? M Thank you for the uh again this is uh I'll admit it. These numbers are way
033above my head and I'm glad that we have much smarter people than myself, Mason, uh that are in charge of this. So again, we thank you guys. I know you guys been a partner for a long time. So, uh the board has no other questions. We again say thank you. We'll move on to the the next item. >> Thanks. >> All right. Thank you'all. >> Thank you, sir. >> All right. Move to item C, the CTE showcase. Good evening, President Martin, board of trustees, Superintendent Jackson. I am delighted to provide you with some great news tonight. I do not know how to do this. Oh my gosh. Help me. >> Oh, Brad. >> Oh, cuz I don't know what to do. You do it. Anyway, I would like to um introduce my um CTE coordinator,
034Dr. Michelle Baker, and she is here to share with you some great things happening in our CTE programming. So, I'll let her take it away. >> All right. Good evening, President Martin, Board of Trustees, and Superintendent Jackson. Thank you for allowing us to share some exciting career and technical education celebrations with you this evening. Because of your support, our CTE programs continue to grow in excellence and opportunity for students across Leaport ISD. We're proud to announce that Leaport ISD has been named a CTE, District of Distinction, by the Career and Technical Association of Texas. This recognition is awarded to districts that demonstrate innovation, strong alignment to workforce needs, and measurable student success. It's a reflection of our teachers dedication, our students hard work, and the district's commitment to preparing students who are career and college
035ready. And although I could talk to you about our amazing CT CTE programs for the rest of the evening, I feel it better that you hear from some of our outstanding students about the impact our CTE programs and participation in our career and technical student organizations have had on their lives and future opportunities. I would first like to introduce senior Mr. Matthew Gillard. Come on, Matthew. Matthew is in our welding program and he is also a member of our inaugural Texas High School Welding Series competition team. >> Good evening. My name is Matthew Dillard and I'm a senior in my fourth year of welding of the welding program. Over the past four years, welding has become more than just a class to me. It's become my passion and my future. I've had the opportunity to
036learn a wide range of welding skills and techniques and I've earned my structural steel industry based certification from the American Welding Society. Earning that certification was a big milestone for me because it meant it represents the hard work, time, and dedication I've put into this program. I'm also proud to be a part of the inaugural welding competition team. So far this year, I've competed twice, and each competition has pushed me to grow, not just as a welder, but also as a teammate and a problem solver. Representing our school and program in these competitions has been an amazing experience. After graduation, I plan to pursue it pursue a career in in the welding. This program has shown me that I can turn something I truly enjoy into a long lifelong career. I'm very grateful to my
037welding teachers for their guidance and encouragement. They've not only taught me technical skills, but also how to take pride in my work and always aim for excellence. Thank you for supporting programs like ours that give students real world skills and open doors to the future careers. I'm proud to be a part of the program that's helped shape who I am today. >> That's awesome. And now I'd like to introduce Miss Victoria Trevinho who is a senior in our teaching and training program and a member of TAPY, the Texas Association of Future Educators. Uh good evening. My name is Victoria Shvinho. I've been in Taffy for two years and this year is my fourth year in the teaching and training program. Um the classes that fall under that um program are principles of education, child development,
038instructional practice practices and practical education. And so last year in instructional practices um I was at Leaport Elementary with Miss Olphant in her fifth grade science classroom. And then this year um our program was able to expand to Bay Shore as well as Leaport. And so, uh, this year I'm at Brace Elementary in, um, PE with Miss Crawford with kindergarten and first grade. Um, I love this program because it gives us, um, hands-on experience with having kids in a classroom, building those relationships, and it really helps us with like knowing this is what I want to do in the future, being able to be in that classroom, um, before actually getting the job. And so, uh, this this Saturday I turn 18. And so at the end of the year, I will uh be able
039to get my educational aid one certification and where I hope to work in Leaport as part of the grow your own teacher program and um until I can obtain my teaching degree where I hope to come back and work for the poor district at either junior high or high school as hopefully a science teacher. Finally, um I would like to introduce Miss Everly King, who is a junior in our animal science program and a dedicated FFA member and officer. Good evening. I am Everly King, a junior at the Leaport High School and the current Leaport FFA chapter president. I am enrolled within the agriculture science program in the veterinary science pathway. As an incoming freshman, I knew I wanted to be a part of the FFA, which is a studentled organization in the agriculture science
040program. When I first joined FFA, I had no idea how much it would shape who I am today. What started as a way to get involved in agriculture quickly became one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a veterinarian, and I'm so lucky to be provided with classes and educators to help me further explore and grow into that career. Through my CTE agriculture experiences so far, I've been able to build a strong foundation in the world of animal science. In principles of agriculture and natural resources, which I took freshman year, I learned the importance of agriculture in our everyday lives and how it connects to the environment around us. Sophomore year, I took a small small animal management and equin science, which
041taught me how to properly care for and handle animals and gave me a deeper understanding of horse anatomy, behavior, and care. In VetMed, which I'm taking this year, I've developed hands-on skills like identifying diseases, learning animal health procedures, and understanding what it takes to work in the animal health field. I'm also very blessed to be given the opportunity to earn my first certification within the animal science field, the Alanco veterinary medical application certification, which will help me learn the valuable skills in real world veterinary practices, give me a deeper understanding of animal health and safety, and show me what it truly takes to work in the veterinary field. Next year, I hope to take the practicum for vet science so that I have an opportunity to apply everything I've learned in a real world setting
042through an internship in a veterinary clinic. I will be able to gain hands-on experience to work with animals, learn how to perform basic clinical tasks, and observe professionals in their field. The Vetmed practicum course will allow me to build the skills and confidence I need to pursue my future career in veterinary medicine. Thank you all for your continuous support in CTE. Your commitment to providing opportunities allows students like myself to explore, grow, and prepare for successful futures. Thank you all. Uh these students have demonstrated exceptional skill, leadership, and commitment in their programs and are great examples of how hands-on learning and real world experiences can shape confident, capable young professionals. Of course, none of this would be possible without our amazing teachers. So, we'd like to recognize Miss Kenda Atkins. She's our education teacher and
043Taffy adviser, Mr. Brian Perkins, welding instructor, and our Texas High School welding series coach, and Miss Erica Espia, agriculture teacher and FFA advisor. Their leadership, creativity, and mentorship are the foundation of our students success. Um, finally, we are excited to welcome some industry partners to our campus later this week for a tour of our CTE facilities on Thursday, November 13th at 9:30. Partners will receive a program brochure like the one that you have in front of you. Um, and this event is going to give local businesses and industry representatives the chance to see our programs in action, meet our students, and explore future partnerships. Strengthening these community connections is key to keeping our programs aligned with real world needs and opportunities. So, thank you again for your continued support of career and technical education in
044Leaport ISD. We are proud to represent our district as a CTE district of distinction and even prouder of the teachers, students, and partners who make it possible. Together, we're preparing Bulldogs for success in the classroom, in the workplace, and in life. Thank you. >> Do you have any questions? Dr. I just have a statement. Um with our winner students um last year they did create for education foundation was such an amazing success for us. Um we were really reaching out to to them for that again this year. And um I just am super excited to see in the brochure here the roses that I bought auction >> um the talent that these students have and that they're learning these programs for like welding um is is phenomenal. But again those life skills um and our
045future teachers being able to do these things um and and get firsthand experience in the classrooms that's that's just one step further into knowing what you want to do. And then of course I love my FFA students. Um knowing knowing something that you're passionate about and want to turn it into a career. That's what this is all about and giving them the chance to experience that. So thank you. I love seeing the breakdown of it. It really does help >> um us share that with the community and with people who are looking to find something that their kids can do with their life. Um and and all of you some of it is but there are wonderful jobs out there certification for right here. So thank you. >> Thank you. >> And I would like
046the the students that all stood up and gave speeches. I know it's nerve-wracking but you did a great job all three of you. And uh second point and this is the important one is when work is something that you truly love you'll never work a day of your life. That is true. Um, so you find your passion at a young age is you're light years ahead uh to most people. So kudos to you and good luck to your your adventures. >> Outstanding. Good job today. >> I get in trouble cuz you know when we share secrets, but uh we were just talking that we we believe that this is probably 10 or maybe 100 times better than uh not that it was bad before, but this is so much above and beyond what we've been
047accustomed to in the past. So we're excited, Dr. Ber, for the direction you guys are going across all the different um different programs you guys have. We're looking forward to joining you. uh Thursday on the 13th see it. >> And I do have one quick question. Do you go down to the junior highs or do the junior high kids have an opportunity to come up and see the CTE programs? I know that at the junior high level, they have to pick their, you know, their path and so many of them are picking blindly because they really don't know all of that. This is wonderful. This this is hugely helpful, but wouldn't it be a great idea for those kiddos that are interested to be able to see what we have? So, we are actually bringing
048all the eighth graders here. Um, November 19th is Lommax Junior High and November 20th is Lefort Junior High. You want to come tag along? It'll start about 9. That's something that we've been missing because I would sit in AR meetings with kiddos and you know CTE teachers are in there and first of all they did not even begin to have anything this nice to reference. >> Well, thank you to Mr. Doer >> when parents have questions. Mr. that's that's a big thing that I think it'll be hugely helpful if the junior high students have an opportunity to kind of see what's available to help them make up their mind. I remember that being a heart, you know, before we went to junior high, you had each organization came, the band came, the orchestra, and you
049got to see what the electives were. And I think that's really, really important cuz we're we're just we we like to see things. I think the kids I think would be a good draw. So, I'm glad we're >> Yeah, I think that's wonderful. Thank you. >> And happy early 18th birthday. >> Yeah. >> Anything else, Ford? >> All right. Thank you, Dr. Baker. >> Thank you. We'll move to uh item D, teacher incentive aotment, TIA update. >> Good evening again. I am delighted to be able to talk a little bit tonight about our teacher incentive aotment work. Going to try to figure out how to operate this. There we go. Um I I we've been um you've been hearing a lot of conversation about the TIA or the teacher incentive aotment. Um and we have
050been working on this work for our teachers for the last three years. And so I want to provide you with a quick update as to where we are. Um but first I want to introduce our leadership team. This this project has been um a ginormous undertaking for our district over the last three years. And so helping to lead this initiative is Paula Jackson, executive director of human resources, um Renee Meyer, director of human resources, Dr. Amanda Smith, director of research accountability and federal programs, and Justin Bedford, coordinator of data analytics. And I would be remiss if I did not also mention that um the initial group of leadership that started this back in um was also a great part of that. So I don't know if anybody in the audience was part of that work.
051if you could just kind of raise your hand and thank you for your early leadership with that. Um this has been um a collective effort for sure to get us to this place. So what is TIA? TIA is by definition a Texas initiative to reward highly effective teachers with significant financial incentives providing a pathway to a six figure salary. You've heard a lot about that, I'm sure. Um the purpose of TIA um from the state of Texas is to reward, retain, and recruit top teaching talent especially in rural and high need schools. The teacher designations that come from TIA are three. Um a recognized teacher, exemplary teacher, and master teacher. You'll notice that the top 33% of our teaching, you know, cadre are to be recognized, 20% exemplary, and the top 5% should earn a
052master's designation according to TEA. Um, these designations can be earned by eligible teachers on eligible campuses. Teachers who are nationally board certified can also earn a recognized designation through TIA. So, there are two paths according to TEA. There are two paths that teachers can um choose to be on the TIA designation. One, as I've just mentioned, is national board certification, which is a national program. So, if a teacher search searches out that certification and receives it, they would earn a res a recognized designation or the local designation system that is determined by our district. And so, that is what we're going to talk most about today is our local designation system. Currently, there are 597 school systems within the state of Texas that have active TIA systems. Um, and over a billion dollars in funding
053has been funneled to teachers through this work. What I also can tell you is that there are over 800 that are in progress like we are. So, that brings the total to a great number of of districts that will start beginning to serve teachers and provide these aotments. So, we talked briefly about path number one, national board certification. This is open to any teacher anywhere. Um this is directed by the nation and the national board certification um system. Um teachers, it's a very rigorous program for teachers to to pursue the certification. Um and once you have it, you know, it's nationally recognized versus a state certification. Um and then teachers who earn this national certification can earn a recognized designation through TIA just by having that certification. Local designation systems are created locally and they
054are required to have at least two components to their makeup. One is the test evaluation teachers um and the other is a student growth measure. So a way that we look at student assessment data and determine whether students have grown through the year within that teacher's um under that teacher's um supervision. So when we talk about component number one with t test evaluation the final scores for designation are based on the summitive evaluation of teachers which is made up of at least one 45minute observation and at least four walkthroughs here in Leaport. um the the summation then of those scores are only calculated for domains two and three as part of that test calculation. TEA requires that scores in domains two and three be at a minimum of proficient for all of those domains um
055in order to be eligible for a designation. That's not a Leaport decision. That is a TEA decision. Component number two of our designation system is the student growth measure. um looking at how students are achieving in the classroom. TE tea requires that our system create a model that is based on a pre and a post test and that there is an ability to calculate student growth in a measurable way. In Leaport ISD for our first group of teachers, we have done this using STAR which is a very easy way to do it. STAR assessments are already pre and post. We look at this the prior year for some of these subjects and then the current year and then star will automatically create that transition table and provide us growth measure. So that is the group
056that we are working with this first cohort. This is just an example of what that transition table looks like. So you can see that if a student on the left was at low approaches on the prior year star, they would need to perform at high approaches on the next year star in order to earn that single point for for that to be considered a growth. When you take the data from tests and student growth measures, you'll see that this designation chart indicates what that could determine or what that could translate to for designation levels. So you'll see that recognized is about the top 33% of teachers in the state of Texas. Um that means that teacher observation must be at 3.7 or 74% of all possible points and student growth must be at a minimum
057of 55% to meet or exceed. For exemplary that needs to be at a 78% for test and a 60% for student growth. And for a mastery level teacher that needs to be 90% of test possible points in domains two and three and 70% of students meeting growth um for that pre-post test observation. State of Texas says that that should only be the top 5% of teachers in the state of Texas. So it's a very stringent um rigorous system that the state of Texas asks us to develop for our teachers in our local designation system. It was important to our early committee to talk about attendance and teacher attendance as part of our requirements for our teacher designations. We recognize that teacher attendance affects student outcomes. And so we the early committee determined that our teachers
058not miss more than 15 contract days during the year to be recommended for a designation. Certain types of absences are held harmless. things like military leave, FMLA, jury duty bereavement, and workman's comp um can be excluded from that requirement. When you think about the annual funding that is tied to TIA, this is all determined by the state of Texas. This is not anything that Leaport ISD um calculates with Stacy. It's based solely on the designations that are provided at each campus. It's based on individual campus's state of ruralness. So for us that doesn't count. And then this the campus's socioeconomic level. So a combination of it's a very it's a formula a combination of the number of children at that campus who are at risk um and the number of children that are considered um
059of low socioeconomic status. So for Leaport ISD the potential campus aotments look like this. on average um $4,000 for a recognized designation, $8,000 for an exemplary rec design designation, and $15,000 for master um designation on average. That's potential because nothing's final yet. Okay? And that's all calculated by the state of Texas. And what we also know is that each year as our demographic data for each campus is reported to the state, these calculations can adjust. They can fluctuate slightly depending on your campus makeup but it is based on the campus um that you are serving and how that aotment will be calculated for you. One of the things that we are required to do as part of this work is determine which teachers are going to be included in as we build our systems. Um
060so we are asked to consider teacher categories. A category of teacher is based on all those teachers having the same observation rubric. And so for us, all of our teachers are using the test rubric. Um it also means that the teachers will be um their students will be calculating growth in the same way. So that's basically using the same pre and post test assessments andor growth measures. So for our first group of teachers, everyone is using the star transition table. That is the same u methodology. And so all of those teachers no matter the subject because the methodology of the student growth calculation is the same they are all in the same category in that same in that first group. Okay. So the eligible teaching assignments for our first cohort and I want I want
061to remind you that we started this process in 2023. So it's been a minute. Um but the initial group of eligible teachers falls into category A and as I mentioned they are all based on STAR assessments. We felt like that was the most reliable bit of data in terms of calculating student growth as we learned um how to develop these systems. So for us, our first cohort of teachers fall are teaching assignments in 4 through8 rla, 4 through8 math, English 1, English 2, and algebra 1. All of those subjects have the pre-post test methodology as I mentioned with star growth already being calculated. So where are we in this whole process? If you take a look at this continuum, you'll see that in April of 2024, we spent all of 23 planning and developing with
062our a um with our partnership with region 18 and our technical service assistance from them um to to articulate our application and develop our system. We submitted our application of April um and received notification that our application was approved. Um then 2024 2025 became our data capture year for this first group of teachers. So all of last year we were collecting that data for those teachers. We submitted data for this group of teachers in October of 2025. And so this is where we are right now waiting for our final system approval. I want to make sure that we understand that before our district is certified, if you will, to distribute any funding through TIA, we must first prove that the system that we have developed is a valid system and meeting with the state's criteria
063for TIA. So, right now, we have submitted our data, we have provided our application, and we are waiting for TEA to say that we are we are approved and ready to start um providing aotments for our teachers. We have worked very closely um with our technical service providers to analyze our data to evaluate our data in every kind of way you can. Um and we feel very confident that our data is very strong and that we anticipate an approval of our system in February. So right now that means that in our first group of teachers um we have submitted data for 86 eligible teachers this last year. Um we in 2025 of October, we submitted that data. As I just mentioned, October 31st, we provided all 86 of these teachers with a teacher scorecard. Um
064through our human resources department and our talent ed records. Um so the teachers all received information on what their formal test data was and what their student growth data was. Um so that they could know what was submitted on their behalf to TEA. And as I mentioned, we anticipate our designation system will be approved in February of 26 2026. Uh and then we will move forward from there in terms of our next steps in terms of how we would pay out the allocations um that TEA provides. Now we are in also now cohort 2. So we have finished the initial process for our first cohort and this year we are looking to provide for a different group of teachers. Um we submitted an application last April, April of 2025 and we are including four more
065categories of teachers. If you remember a category of teacher is under the same evaluation instrument. So all of them are under test but then also calculating growth measure in the same way. So as you can imagine as we move through different grade levels and subjects different growth measure calculations based on different assessments come into play. So it gets increasingly more complex um the more categories of teachers that we provide. And it's important to note that each category of teacher represents a system. So it's important to note that in the 202526 school year or cohort 2, we are asking TEA to bless four systems for us. Whereas last year or this current system, we're asking for one validation. Does that make sense everybody? So for cohort 2, we have teacher category B where we're looking at
066preK, kinder, and grades 1 through three RLA teachers. Um we are also category C grades 1 through three math teachers. Um category D grades fifth through eight science grade 8 social studies US history and biology 1. Those are all the remaining START tested subjects. And category E which will be all of our special education inclusion teachers that fall into any of the other eligibility areas. So where are we with cohort 2? Cohort 2 teacher categories B through E. We have submitted our application in April of 2025 and we are currently in data capture. So we are hoping that that data submission will happen well it will happen in October of 2026 and then we will be waiting for approval of those four systems um for February of 2027. So that means and we anticipate that
067there are going to be close over 200 teachers eligible in this second cohort of our TIA system which is pretty exciting. Um we have completed all of our BOI or beginning of the year preassessments as part of that data collection. Remember that the system is based on pre and post test and measuring growth between the two. So we have collected um all of that assessment data and now we are waiting to verify student rosters and teacher assignments and that's all part of the PE's fall submission process. So once we verify the teachers who are eligible we will verify their student rosters. Um and then we will do that again in February. So part of the designation system means that students must be on your roster both in the in the fall and in the winter
068to count for your student growth calculation. So, if a child is on your roster in the fall but not on your roster in the winter, they would not count for your student growth and vice versa. >> So, how is that going to be impacted by schedule changes at the high school level? That's one. >> Yep, it can. And so, we're trying to be very cautious about schedule changes when we are looking at teachers who are eligible for um TIA and making sure that we try as hard as we can to allow students to to remain consistent with their schedules as all possible. >> Yes. Y, >> right? >> Okay. >> Yeah, trying very hard. Um, in May of 2026, we will complete those post tests for this cohort 2. August of 2026, next fall, we
069will submit scorecards for all of these teachers and let them know what their test data and their student growth calculations are. And then we will await that initial data submission in the fall. So, what does that look like for us in terms of recursive cycles? You'll see in 24-25 cohort one was all initial designation work. So teacher category A we had the initial system application initial data collection and initial system approval which is what we're waiting on right now. In the 2526 school year we move into cohort 2. We are going to continue that initial work for categories B through E teachers. So those additional four systems. But then what we also will do is anybody that is in the category A teacher who was not included last year. So maybe they are new to
070that subject, maybe they're new to our district, they will be in data capture. We will collect their information and we'll resubmit them in the in the spring as well. And anybody who was in the assignment and stays in the assignment, it will always be a re-evaluation of your data. Meaning, if you were not designated, you have the opportunity next year to designate again. Um, if you designated but you did not have a high designation, you have the opportunity to increase your designation. What you can't ever do within 5 years is lose your designation. Okay? So it's always going to be recursive. We'll all be once we start a data capture and once we start a category of teacher, we'll continue with that category of teacher in perpetuity as long as the TI system exists. Um
071for the 26 27 school year, we are going to we are going to start planning now for cohort 3 and what will that look like? Um we as a committee are are going to start thinking about what that's going to look like. We've got feedback we've got from our teachers and so forth to figure out what that is. Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that every teacher in Leaport ISD is part of the TIA system. But the most important thing for us right now is to ensure that our system validates so that we are authorized then to be able to provide payouts to our teachers through that system. So, it's a it's a step process to do that. Along the way this year, we've worked really hard to provide a lot of supports for our
072teachers and our principles as part of this designation work. Um, we've spent a lot of time with test calibration efforts with our principles and our campus leaders. Um, to ensure that, you know, we stay true to the evaluation rubric and that we are looking at classrooms in the same way across the district. Um, that is an ongoing effort. Um we know from our friends who have gone before us with this work that test calibration is the most challenging part of this whole system. Um it's the subjective part. It's human error involved and it's subjectivity in some cases. And so really ensuring that we're spending a lot of time working with evaluators to really calibrate is crucial to this work. We have to see a positive correlation between a test score and student growth in order
073for our system to validate. when you start seeing data that comes out where you have a lot of high t test scores and a lot of student growth that is low that is a that is not the correlation that we need or want and that will look like our data is not captured correctly or we're not validating our system more work that we've done um we've provided data trackers and growth calculators Justin Bedford our data analytics coordinator has done a great job of providing these tools to our teachers and to our principles to help them monitor students and their academic performance and their growth so they can be aware as well as our principles as they are watching and observing classrooms and having conversations along with test ensuring that they're aware of where students are
074achieving in their classrooms. Um we've provided a lot of information on our TIA web page. Um throughout this first cohort we've lot of had a lot offormational sessions and FAQs just really trying to help answer those questions and and help to really communicate that some stuff we just don't know. And as we work to validate our systems, some things that we um said earlier or indicated earlier u are subject to change because of of just the nature of this system validation. So some key milestones that we're looking forward to in February of 2026. We are anticipating that our first cohort system will be approved um from the state of Texas. And so those 86 teachers that are involved in that cohort, their data can be reviewed and we can consider them for designations. But first
075we have to be approved by the state of Texas to do that. Um in April of 2026 um we should then receive the allocations and designation confirmations from TEA. Um they will have taken a look at those 86 um teachers and all of their data and will confirm to us what their designations um might be. Um, and then we should be able to provide our first initial annual payment distribution in September of 2026. It's a lot of work. It's a lot ahead, but we're excited about what we're offering. Um, and um, we're very we're very hopeful that that these this system will validate and continue to validate so that we can provide this opportunity for our teachers. Any questions on what we're doing? 21 just in for the future what um student growth measurement will
076you use for the non-star testing. >> So it depends on the content it depends on the student. So for example we we mentioned um I'm just going to go back to the slide to just kind of illustrate what I'm talking about. When you look at these categories of teachers here, you'll see that our prek, kinder, and grades 1 through three EL students or RLA students, we're using a mirror data for those children because that's what we use for literacy tracking for those early grades. But the math students, if you are a self-contained math science teacher in third grade, we would be using MAP data. Just depends on what we feel is the best assessment. What about like at the high school level where you've got people teaching like physics and chemistry and I mean I
077know in AP classes you might give you something like that but how do you >> Yep. >> Cuz that's that's most of your high school I mean when you look at the number of teachers that are qualified for TESS it's a minority of the high school teachers. >> Yes. And those are really great campuses which will have a majority of the teachers >> be able to um >> and I think I think your question is a great question and it's really part of the careful consideration that we take as we think about what is the next category of groups of teachers that we are onboarding. Um we have to be very thoughtful about the assessments that are available to us number one or you know widely used number two to ensure that whatever growth calculation
078comes from those assessments is going to meet standards so that they can validate. Um so we we are trying really hard to be very thoughtful about how we onboard. Like I said we're we're only onboarding at this point about 280 teachers and we've got you know 800 more to go. >> It's a long way to go. >> And there are other districts out there that went before us and we're trying to kind of learn from them. Absolutely. >> We we were smart. Dr. Jackson was very smart in asking us to >> kick this can down the road as far as we could. Now, we have a lot of folks before us that were able to to ask those very questions and and get their guidance and and learn from their mistakes. Don't do this. Okay.
079So, that's been great. That's been great. >> Hopefully, we have a whole abundance of teachers who did this. Um they get the one, two, or three paid out as a bonus or it goes as part of their salary. How's that five years? Did I hear that right? >> So, it is a five-year designation. Um, the payout and the spending uh the payout plan is is a little still unclear once we have our final designation from the state in February from April. We'll be able to have more information then about how the spending and how the allocations will be will be paid out. >> Had a question on if it's somebody reached out to me and asked affect their like your three highest tiers, right? This this bonus if it doesn't like I don't know. >>
080This is TRS eligible. >> I would imagine if tea is involved in it. It should be okay. >> I do know that it is TRS eligible money. Yes. >> Okay. So that's a big deal. >> Yes, it's a big deal. >> It's a big deal. It's a big deal. And I and I want to also say that you know the state of Texas has indicated that this this should only apply to the top 33% of teachers. This is by design. TEA is saying that this is an incentive that this is a reward for excellent teaching that this is not a it's not for everyone necessarily. So it is it is something that um that well we just need to be thoughtful about how that looks. >> All right. Thanks everyone. >> Thank you so much.
081Let me let me just publicly uh commend Julie and her entire academics team. Uh Mr. President, board uh they've taken on what I would consider yog uh in this um in very very large districts. There's a whole office that probably is working on these things whereas uh they're still leading the district in ways that they do and taking on uh TIA. And so I commend them work that they've done. Uh it's a blessing for our teachers and something that's awesome for our teachers and and for teachers that are coming to us that we can hire because we're now participating. Kudos to you on that. And I also want to say the same to Dr. Baker, your support and your leadership with department and the high school the high school program and all of the folks
082that it takes to make that happen. So we commend these folks that are doing a phenomenal job that y'all get a chance to hear about and hear from tonight. So, thank you for that. >> Absolutely. Um, we will now head to uh section nine, our consent agenda. Go through the list. A, determine to approve any consent agenda items. B, approve board meeting minutes. One, regular board meeting minutes October 14th, 2025. C, receive principal reports. One, early childhood center. Two, Bashore Elementary. Three, College Park Elementary. Four, Heritage Elementary. Five, Jenny Reed Elementary. Six, Leaport Elementary. Seven, Leo A. Rudo Elementary. Eight, Lommax Elementary. Nine, James A. Baker. James H. Baker, uh, sixth grade campus. 10, Leaport Junior High. 11, Lommax Junior High. 12, Leort High School. And 13, Academy of all DeWalt High School. D, receive
083financial reports for September 2025. E, receive human resource report. F, receive quarterly investment report. G, approve budget amendment. H, approve employment of professional staff. I approve resale of tax foreclosure property described as lots 18 and 19 block 88 bayfront edition and addition in Harris County, Texas according to the plat there thereof recorded in volume 1 page 27 map records of Paris County, Texas account number 006-178--88-000018 and J adopt a resolution number two 025-13 for committed fund balance. Uh, pull J. >> Pull J. Mr. Vice President, will you re please read back the consent items as read? >> Yep. Uh, A B C D E F G H I >> board. I seek a motion for approval. Second. >> Motion by Trustee uh Shopppee and second by Trusty Hanks. Please vote. is unanimous. Again, uh Trusty
084Thompson is not with us this evening. Um we will now move to actually item J adopt a resolution number 2025-13 for committed fund balance. Mr. Vice President, you have a question. >> Stacy, can you just kind of high level go over I'm I should have asked about this before. Sorry. about pull it up. Hang on. Like I said, other special revenue 4.5 million committed to student achievement and safety. Can you kind of give some examples of what student achievement and safety is? >> So So in your in your board book, um in your audit, I'm just going to So what this is is it's all the when Patrick was up here talking, it was all the the total non-governmental funds. So all of our grants, all of our uh student activity funds and and th
085those type of funds. So their fund balances altogether is about $4.5 million. Well, we it can only be spent on that. So that's why it's we committed to it. So when it says student achievement and safety, it's it's all of the grants, all of the activity funds. Um that >> does that. >> Yeah. >> Cover that. Okay. >> Sorry. questions? If not, I seek a motion. We have a motion by Trustee Paris and a second by Trustee Shopppee. All those in favor, please vote this approval. Thank you. Moving now to uh item 10. Action and discussion on items. A adopt a resolution number 2025-14. cast votes for candidates to be appointed to serve on the Harris Central Appraisal District Board of Directors. >> I uh I would like to make a motion that we use
086all of Leaport's votes to Martino Lemon Dixon. That would require a We have a motion to second. Do we have any discussion here? No discussion, guys. We have a uh call for a vote to approve our our ballots for Martina Leone Dixon for the Harris County or the Harris Central Appraisal District Board of Directors. All those in favor? All right. Carries. Thank you. Moving now to item 11, action on close session items of which we have none. Item 12, closing comments of the board of trustees and superintendent. Um, again, just a reminder, uh, you can discuss attendance of recent district and community events, announcement of a come upcoming district and community events, or outstanding performance by district staff and students. We will start with Mrs. Hall. Russell got on me uh that I go with
087him every time. So, >> that's why you were giving me that look. It's your turn. Yeah. >> Well, of course, I want to congratulate our band for um an outstanding performance at the state competition. Well, I didn't get to go. We we were able to see it on video and it was phenomenal. I can't imagine what the other bands must have looked like that ours didn't get to advance any further because I really thought we were superior. But um also um congratulations to the football team for making it to the next round into the playoffs and volleyball cross country. We we're doing really well. Um and I really want to say how excited I am to see our um CTE um program become a little more sexy as we call it that that kids like
088it's really like exciting. It's something that kids want to do. I think it's something that we've needed in Leaport for a long time. So, um, I'm super excited to see that we've actually really are moving in that direction and it's a it's a great trajectory and I want to thank all of the veterans for your service. Uh, I'm still laughing at sexy CTE, but uh the that's what you just said we face. I was like that's a really sexy idea. >> Sorry. Right. >> Anyways, um I was >> what people want to do. >> I was honored to uh go watch the band in San Antonio. They did a great job and the other bands before them that I watched uh did a great job as well. But of course, I think Leaport uh stood
089out a little bit uh in that. And so they did a great job. 35 years, first time going to state. Pretty impressive. Um very proud of our football team. And I and I really want to thank all the staff members who work on those Friday night games and all the other games, volleyball games, whether it's maintenance staff or uh working in it, video production, custodians, ticket takers. Um we appreciate it. You know, it really can't go on without all those people that that work those overtime hours. Appreciate that. That's all I got. >> Mrs. got to attend the employee health and safety walk this I say health and safety but walk this weekend and um my thighs are still killing me from the circuit training like my kids were like mom I could I could
090not go up the stairs but um I do I want to um give a shout out to the the students who um ran those stations um because I loved that the way that they were trying to encourage the adults to do things. I don't know how many of you did it. And they said, um, you don't have to try do it all the way, but I encourage you to try. I encourage I kept hearing, I encourage you to try. And I was just like, I love that. I'm going to I'm going to use that. So, I learned something from a student um on something I'd like to do. Um, and then just I also want to give a shout out to all the students who have been volunteering um whether it be an athlete uh
091athletes who have gone and helped at breakfasts um for for some of the campuses elementary level or other volunteer opportunities that they've had. Um I've I've seen a lot of um a lot of students doing some volunteer opportunities and I just think that's great. it's really essential to um to our community and um I think learning at a young age to do that is very important. So I give kudos to those students who are out there volunteering on uh for different events and things and um for the the high school uh for allowing them to to participate in some of those things and also our junior high level as well. So thank you all for that. >> Thanks. the uh today I did go to the veterans uh program at the high school and I
092have to say that you know the the culture that you starting to see the kids were very very respectful well-mannered um and attentive um that's not really the trend these days in society but you're really seeing a a cultural shift at all of our campuses where there there's kids are a lot more intentional in their behavior and they're more present u you're seeing a lot more fellowship ship, you're seeing those intangible qualities that really are going to make our country a better place. Um, and we're we're seeing it in the school district as well. So, um, the culture drivers, it starts at the top with all the leaders. So, kudos to all of you and and your your hands in that. Um, also to all the the programs, tremendous success again. Um, I I note
093that the football team has 21-1 in regular season for the last three years. That's pretty remarkable. That's probably one of the better things in the entire state of Texas. Three consecutive district championships. So, seeing their praises, they've got a big game here Friday night. Hopefully, we can fill it up and create a home field advantage. I also want to uh say congratulations to Miss Deian Thompson who's probably welcoming a grandbaby right now at this point. But, uh good luck there. No, wait. We can't say anything more than what they've already said, but you know, uh, really congratulations to Gian. Um, making a state meet is really, really, really hard and making it as a freshman and a sophomore. It just builds your it builds your confidence and, uh, the older you get, the more you
094know that course. Uh, there's going to be bigger things for her next year and the year after. I know that firsthand. Uh, so really congratulations on that. Congratulations on the football team, the band. Um, and you know, we're you're going to blink and we're almost halfway there. We Thanksgiving's coming around and I'd like to wish everyone a safe, restful, enjoy the Thanksgiving holidays and, uh, hopefully a few football games, uh, work during that time. So, um, other than that, getting there. >> All right, I'll echo this. So again, I it's this I I I feel horrible because this is the first time in 10 years that I haven't made uh one of our veteran ceremonies. And so I just want to say thank you certainly to all the veterans um that came out and in
095this make this country so great. But also to to all the uh the principles and and the music teachers, all the people, the staff that that kind of put in a lot of energy and effort to make those ceremonies, not just the high school, but across the district so special. Uh it really is an amazing day. So we thank you guys for the continued hard work to make that happen. um an executive session tonight, Dr. Jackson uh told the comm told us the uh it's like we made the 2025 uh list of best school districts as reported by the Houston Chronicle and he's like have you guys seen it and we're like the Chronicle? Who reads the Chronicle? They kind of jumped on us. Uh and so then he sent us a link and it's
096like you have to pay for this to read it. So uh we have not read it yet but we are very excited. take my word. >> I know screenshot, >> but on all all jokes aside, uh very importantly, we uh we were notified that in certain categories, our metrics, we exceeded our our neighbors uh down the street. And so, again, that's that's always a great day to be a bulldog when you're beating your neighbor. Uh but again, it just kind of uh shows again all the commitment, hard work you guys are pouring back into this district to make those kind of things happen. And again, I don't want him to hit me and and I shouldn't say this maybe because that didn't happen, but I I you know, as a dad, uh, first and foremost,
097I tell tell you guys I'm a dad. And so, I've I've been going to a lot of junior high football games. And I, you know, I used to play junior high football in this district. I never really noticed at the time, but it got brought to light at one of our our games here recently that uh, one of the the students got hurt and kind of brought to light, you know, we didn't have uh, train. It wasn't it wasn't a Leort campus, but there was not a trainer on staff. And so, I brought that uh to Dr. that concern to Dr. Jackson uh and he says that we are going to work to make sure that our we have trainers at our junior high events going forward. And so that is a very very big
098deal. Uh first and foremost as a parent to know that our kids are going to be cared for. I know that in high school you go to a high school game we have exceptional care uh waiting if something heaven forbid happens to one of our student athletes. Um and we're hoping to have that same level of care or close to it uh for our junior high students. And so again uh and again that's apparently not the norm is what I've learned the last couple weeks. And so hopefully we can be that beacon on a hill uh and let people know that we care about all of our athletes and hopefully some of these other districts around us will will take notice and do the same. So I appreciate you Dr. Jackson for again we hit
099him up guys with a lot of crazy things and so this was another one but again this is a uh I think something that will help help families have peace of mind and help these kids going forward in the future. So I appreciate that sincerely. Uh with that uh we are adjourned at 8:20.