001Mhm. >> Mhm. >> Okay, we still have the same mission and vision, right? When are we going to Okay. Good evening, everyone. In compliance with the open meeting act, Texas government code chapter 551, I call this meeting of the Manor ISD Independent School District order on April 20th at 5:00 p.m. Let the record show that a quorum is present. This meeting has been duly called and notices of this meeting have been posted in accordance with the Open Meetings Act. And now we're going to go to closed session. The board will now adjourn into executive session at 5:01 p.m. Pursuant to the following sections of the Texas Open Meetings Act, 551.071, 551.072, 551.074, 551.076, and 551.129. Thank you. >> Mhm. >> Good evening everyone. And um we have our team of eight here. We have our
002new trustee that is was appointed uh last a couple of weeks ago and sworn in last week. Ms. Lakeisha Small has now completing our team of eight. Welcome. So now we're going to go into Well, we'll reconvene in open session at April 20th at 6:00 p.m. Awesome. We're going to start with the Pledge of Allegiance. And um it is my pleasure to introduce an outstanding group of student leaders from the Manor FFA who will be leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance this evening. Man- Manor FFA is a student-led organization that focuses on leadership, personal growth, and career success through our agricultural education, giving students hands-on experience both in and outside the classroom. With a proud legacy of nearly 90 years as the oldest FFA chapter in Central Texas, these students continue to represent Manor
003ISD with excellence through com- competition, service, and leadership. Please join me in welcoming the Manor FFA officers, President Gamina Camila Alvarado, Vice President Karina Velasquez, and um Secretary Gisele Barron, Treasurer Ava Arco, Reporter Anna Thompson, Sentinel Ella Crawford, Student Advisor Victoria Mora, Chaplain Vaughn Thang, Parliamentarian Kailyn Alvarado, and Historian Harry Holly. I pledge allegiance 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. Honor the Texas flag. I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible. Thank you so much. Can we give them one more round OF APPLAUSE? WOO! ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE NOW INTO OUR vision and mission statements. I would uh entertain um a vol- a volunteer to read
004or recite the vision and mission. Madam President, I'll recite the vision. Thank you, Trustee >> Manor ISD is the best district in Texas, where we provide an equitable education for all scholars and graduate them ready to become leaders in our community, as evidence. Yes. Thank you, Trustee Lowry. Do I have Okay, I have Trustee Howard. Okay. Manor ISD mission. Collectively, as a community, Manor ISD provides equitable resources, a safe learning environment, and high-quality educational services for all scholars to successfully achieve and reach their full potential. Thank you so much, Trustee Howard. Will you all go to recognition, Maritza? April student recognition. So, team of eight, tonight's going to be a Manor High School highlight. So, you'll get to see in just a but before we get started, tonight's achievement aligns with district goal number three,
005which is by 2028, 90% of Manor ISD students will graduate prepared for college, career, trade, and or military services based upon their individual goals. Before I call out our students' names, as your names are called, if you could please walk up to the left, and you'll shake the hands of all of our trustees. And then once you're done, if you see Ms. Cynthia Kelly over there, if you just wait by her, and then once everyone's done shaking hands, well, he'll go ahead and get you in the middle for a group photo. And then after that, go outside for individual photos. So, let's get started. So, tonight we're proud to recognize an outstanding group of Manor High School students whose talent, dedication, and hard work have earned them top honors at the SkillsUSA state competition. These
006students delivered an exceptional performance, earning the highest possible rating in every event that they entered. Each competitor received a superior rating, the top the top distinction award, while competing against some of the best students from across the state of Texas. Students who earned the superior rating are in the fantasy competition, Javay Johnson, Emily Tellez, Alexa De La Cruz, Marie Miranda, Anna Willamstein, Stephanie Medina, and Michaela Soriano. In braiding and extensions, Keisha Clay. And in 3D acrylic nail art, Dora Linda Heredia and Crystal Ortiz. Their And their director is Yakita Murphy. Next to go from our awesome students to awesome staff. These staff members who are recognized today are nominated by their campus for doing amazing things each and every day for our students. So, before we get started, it's the same drill for our staff.
007As your name is called, please walk up to the left, shake the hands of our trustees, and just wait right over there until everyone's done, and then we'll grab your group photo. Our first campus is Blake Manor Elementary School, Mati Sol Diaz, fourth grade teacher, and Carla Rodriguez, pre-K 4 instructional aide. From Bluebonnet Trail Elementary School, Hazel Martinez, third grade third grade teacher, and Evangeline Benya, nurse. From the Child Development Center, Lorena Ventura, pre-K daycare associate. From Decker Elementary School, Marilena Santiago, third grade teacher, and Emily Benostel, third grade TA. From Lagos Elementary School, Sasha Devore, SLE teacher, and Amor Thorn, assistant principal. From Oak Meadows Elementary School, Sandra Bello, kindergarten bilingual teacher, and Rachel Petite, librarian. From Pioneer Crossing Elementary School, Breanna Waldel Waldel, fourth grade ELA teacher, and Edith Plancarte, registrar and attendance
008clerk. From Presidential Meadows, Irma Caldonia, third grade teacher, and Marlin Rivas, educational associate. From Shadow Glen Elementary School, Marco Skilth, fifth grade dual language teacher, and Fatima Arriaga, resource and inclusion teacher. From Manor Rise Academy, Kevin Ryan, band teacher, and Devora Crawford, special education assistant. From Decker Middle School, Diana Reyes, dyslexia teacher, and Sandra Garduno, custodian. From Manor Tech Middle School, Hannah Hamilton, band teacher, and Carlos Chester, educational assistant. From Manor Excel Academy, Jessica Galvan, attendance associate. From Manor High School, Melissa Adams, English teacher, and Christopher Fraser, police officer. And from Manor New Tech High School, Lekha Devasetty, 9th through 12th grade teacher, and Wanda Cruz, senior admin. I'm like, you do not need that. You're good. >> 31, 2, 3. Awesome. All right. So, we're going to move on to um public forum. Mr.
009Martinez, do we have a Someone's Okay. >> Michelle Ponish. Uh topic of discussion. Well, let me read the script first. Uh for each person present in the boardroom who wishes to address the board, we will have 3 minutes to speak you will have 3 minutes to speak. There are timers on each of the screens and one in front of you. I, the board secretary, will let you know when you have 1 minute remaining. Because of the topic postings requirements of the Open Meetings Act, all members are not permitted to answer any questions posed to the board by the speaker, and no actions can be taken on any issues presented during this time. Due to this being a regular board meeting, you will be allowed to speak on any topic, whether it is on the agenda
010or not, that is relevant to the district business or affairs. If you wish to to ask questions of the board, you may submit them in writing addressed to the superintendent's office, and the board may consider them at a subsequent meeting. If you are an employee of or an employee's representative, please be advised that the grievance policy deadlines are not waived. If you have documents to pass out to the board, please identify those documents and provide them to the board secretary. Finally, please be aware that the rules of decorum will be enforced during the public comment period, as noted in policy BED regulations. Each participant is legally responsible for the content and consequences of his or her statements. Ms. Ponish, uh and the topic of discussion is set up for success. Good evening, team of eight.
011Have you ever felt like you were set up to fail before you even started a task? >> Sorry, Ms. Ponish, can I hold just a second? Can we please put the clock up? Sorry about that. I apologize. I can start now. Yeah, we'll restart it. Okay. Good evening, team of eight. Have you ever felt like you were set up to fail before you ever started a task? If so, you know how many of the teachers at Decker Middle School have felt this year. We are a school that's on an improvement plan with the state, and we are expected to raise our STAR scores to a level that will take us not just out of an F rating, but out of the D range as well. Let's look at some interesting information. One, our campus has
012been trying to make a larger growth in STAR scores than we had last year with only half the staff. We did have a 10% growth from the 24 to the 25 STAR results, but we needed an additional 12% to reach a C this year. Number two, the students coming to middle school are not successful on the STAR as evidenced by the fact that several elementary campuses are also on improvement plans at different levels, and our incoming sixth-grade class had 27% of the students not pass their reading STAR, and over 60% not pass their math. We have core class sizes in all grade levels of 35 plus, some even exceeding 40. Academic success is a very difficult task when class sizes are this large. We are having issues with uh maintaining student safety as again, we
013have half the staff we had last year and fighting and being out of location are consistent issues on the campus with our students. And we have a population that is transient, large number of students that come in and out and a large number of emerging bilingual students. Currently, we have over 100 newcomers on campus. The challenges I've presented are indicative of systemic issues that need to be addressed. They are leading to teacher burnout. Teachers have reached their breaking point. Even veteran teachers who have seen behavior cycle around during their careers. For the success to happen and be lasting, systemic changes need to be taken need to take place. It requires purpose-driven supports, not just programs. It requires finding the right people for the campus. Not everyone is meant for every campus. It requires ongoing active
014district involvement to create a system that can sustain itself long-term. Thank you for your attention this evening. Thank you. Um before we continue, um we didn't get to take a picture with the amazing FFA students. If we could take a picture with them, that would be great. Before they >> Can I look over here, please, on three? One, two, and three. Thank you. All right, we're going to move on to close session action items. And we're going to start with 8.1 consideration possible action to non-renew a term contract. Do I have a motion for 8.1? Madam President, I move to propose non-renewal of the employment contract of Amanda Glass and authorize the superintendent to give the employee notice of this action. I have a motion by Trustee Patterson. Do I have second? I have a
015second by Trustee Howard. There's no discussion. All those in favor? Okay, all those opposed? All those abstain? Passes 6-0-1. Okay, we're going to move on to 8.12. Uh Madam President, I move to terminate the employment contract of Stephanie Sundberg at the end of the contract term and find that this action is in the best interest of Manor ISD. I have a motion by Trustee Dr. Lowry. Do I have a second by Trustee Rodriguez Barnett. If there's no discussion, all those in favor? Motion, all those opposed? And abstain? Uh six four zero and one abstain. Thank you very much. We'll move on to um action item 8.13. Madam President, I move to propose non-renewal of the employment contract of Mamie Keith and authorize the superintendent to give the employee notice of this action. Okay, I have
016a motion by Trustee Patterson. Do I have a second? I'll second. Have a second by Dr. uh Trustee Dr. Lowry. There's no discussion. Uh all those in favor? Uh six in favor, all those opposed? Uh one opposed? I mean um zero zero opposed and all those abstained? Okay, one abstained. Six zero one. We'll move on to action item 8.14. Madam President. Yes. I move to terminate the employment contract of Nikita Butler at the end of the contract term and find that this action is in the best interest of Manor ISD. I have a motion by Trustee Rodriguez Barnett. Do I have a second? I have a second by Trustee Howard. If there's no discussion, all those in favor? Six in favor, all those opposed? All those abstained? One abstained abstained. Okay, we'll move on. Thank
017you so much, you guys. We'll move on to consent agenda items. Oh. I was already going to the next agenda action item. Okay, superintendent. So you still can get your special Manor ISD cards if you want to. And just giving you examples, I made sure that they didn't put my account number up there, so don't try to find it. Um but you can certainly get them at A+ Federal Credit Union. And I'm sure for board members you can get all three just like I did cuz I got friends, yes? At all three. Mhm. >> Um I already had the high school principals asking me about which one I'm using and I shall never tell. Um but just so you know, uh community, every time it gets used, um they donate money to the high school
018for which the card is associated and they put money in your account. And so we're really looking forward to this partnership. Uh they've done this partnership in other districts and it amounts to a significant amount of money over time. So, we really want to get people out there to get their card A+ Federal Credit Union. So. Awesome. So, is this going to be like the challenge coin Dr. Williams Hill and Chief Y'all know military puts that out? Well, well, you know what I was thinking actually, I'm actually thinking, you know, this year we're actually right after the athletic director, we got Manor High School playing Manor NewTech High School. And I think there's going to be like some specials if you can show that you have one of these cards at that game. So. So,
019now you you got your you got mark it on your calendar. You got time. You got till September to get it. So, uh trustees and community, our student safety update, uh we are um up another 10% on moving forward on the district vulnerability assessment the TEA um uh put to us. Uh the majority items are still just updated maps. I believe we have four maps left to do and we still have some numbering to do on the outside. And then we have some points of pride. There are lots of points of pride this time of year. Um and I was looking back last year, it's expanding. It's more and more every year. That's a good thing. Um and as I like to say online, we're fast. And so our Manor High School Track and Field,
020this is just the 6A Regional Qualifiers. As you can see, we've got a number of them. And at Naeyc New Tech High School, they also have a whole bunch people who qualified regionals. Um I fully expect with the times that they're getting that we will have some state qualifiers to present to you at a future board meeting as we recognize all our state qualifiers. And we also had our first regional qualifiers, at least since I've been here. Uh this mixed double team went to regionals. And I would like you all to know that at Pioneer Crossing, they also stuffed pie in my face. And I told them I will get them back on the time they cross the stage for graduation. I will remember they're seniors. And you have that picture? Um maybe. Cuz I
021know you there's a picture of you all with a lot of pie in you. Uh we also have some CCMR celebrations, um some celebrations related to career college and military readiness. And of course, as you know, that's one of our main goals. Um so, first of all, I would like to shout out and thanks to the PTA at Presidential Meadows Elementary School. They on their own decided to host a STEM Showcase, which is right up the alley of engineering and jobs. Um and our um you'll notice our FFA was there. You can see them in the bottom corner there. Um but this is it was a great opportunity not just for the students to explore STEM um different STEM fields, but also you'll notice in the background some of our May Manor High School High
022Steppers were there. A number of Manor High School clubs got to go down there and work with the kids and to entice them to being in the CT programs. And so, it was a really great event, and I appreciate uh them holt- hosting that. Samsung was also present there as well. We also want to celebrate uh for the second straight year, Manor High School's Robotics team has qualified for state. And so, they are moving on. So, good job for them. And was that the Oh, yes. that was a huge event. Yes. It was really, really fun, intense, competitive, and very exciting. And uh we we host this event. We plan to continue to host it every single year and just make it bigger and better. And I can confirm, I miss Dixon, I hope you're
023listening. I asked them and they couldn't find a rule against it. We can roll out the giant Mustang inflatable for the robotics team when they come out. They said it's not against the rules. So, next year is what I'm planning. Um so, anyways, just a a shout out to them. Unless they change the rule just to stop me, but it's we're the home crowd. We got to have some intimidation factor going on. Um but in all seriousness, if you have not seen what those kids do, both the New Tech team and the Manor High School team, they do some amazing work uh in creating that. I got a chance to escort Senator Eckhardt's uh staff around. Um they were just amazed at that and they were taking notes and films so that they can bring
024it back to this legislature to show what our kids are doing. And of course, um uh we just recently sent a video to all our politicians and state politicians. So, if they couldn't make it, they could actually watch the video of the robotics teams competing as well. Um pretty amazing stuff that they're doing. And I think we have one other one here. Just want to shout out to both the high schools. Uh we do have 84 ACC graduates coming up, which will be a new record for us. Woo! >> So. And and I want to add this. Real quick, my daughter will be one of the 84. And another thing that I want to add is that I take, or we all take, immense pride in making sure we say that we are the highest
025district producing high schoolers with associate's degrees prior to getting their high school diploma, and they know they know when we're there when we go, oh there that's Manor, oh that's Manor, again Manor. So, thank you team, thank you everyone. You make us look good, you make us proud, and um I I'm just grateful for that. And I just want to point out not to be outdone, Mr. Garcia is saying he is going to pass the 90% mark for CCMR for the class of 2026. Mhm. Uh that's unverified at this point. Uh Well Well, I I don't mean it that way. I mean you You actually have to get them across the finish line first. Um but if all those students uh finish and and do what they're projected to do, then he will be the
026first high school to cross that 90% mark. And just if they could do it, anyone can do it. So, um shout out to all of Manor High School staff um and the work that they're doing over there. Yeah. And just a real quick strategic uh planning update, we're um all the teams have been working. Uh we have uh what, five teams that are working together uh in between now and when we actually present to you the plan. They are working on different aspects, uh everything from the finance to the facilities to the instruction to the curriculum, uh communications, and I'm leaving one off, safety and security and culture. So, they are all working um independent um to create a product in early May, which they will present back to uh myself and then also to
027the full strategic planning committee, uh the persons that you had uh originally appointed. And once that that work is all done, then I will be able to provide you a draft plan for your review um in May to vote on in June. So, you'll get it probably before the May regular board meeting, but you're going to vote on it in June. So, that way if there's any changes we want to do, uh we can do that, and we could We can have a workshop June 1st if we want to discuss it more. Uh but a new mission and vision is coming. I was going to say Yes, I I know everyone's is eager for that. Officially, it needs to get voted on. If somebody wants to put it on the May agenda, we can go
028early. All right. Either way, we're already going to lead the way, so you know, I'm putting that plug in there. And if um anybody would like that, you know, we need a first and second, and then we'll we'll get that done. Uh then we're on to information items, Madam President. Okay. We'll move on to 10, information item. 10.1 TA intruder detection audit correction actions for findings for Oak Meadows Elementary. Good after Good evening, team of eight and Dr. Money. Um just to give you a brief discussion on this. Uh first and foremost, I want to make sure that we all understand the district as well as our our public, our community, they totally understand that this finding was not a finding of a security breach of any sort. It The school was actually well solidified,
029security-wise. So, basically, the breach was the not a breach, but the issue was merely a clerical error. It was just clerical. So, um the Texas Education Code 37.1083 requires the district to check doors at least once a week, but we exceed that. Uh TA is alre- also acknowledge the fact that we exceed what we are supposed to be doing as as it relates to checking doors. So, at the end of the day, when we put this finding in a nutshell, it was just simply a clerical issue that was not uploaded into the Sentinel, or they did not have access to the documents at the time that they arrived to conduct the audit. That's simple. Okay. So, to be clear, y'all are doing a fantastic job. We just want to make sure that we've got all
030of our paperwork in line with that. Correct. Okay. Correct. So, with that said, what are the corrective actions that have been taken since then? The corrective actions that have been taken since then is merely instead of once a week we were up uploading the documentation into Sentinel, we do it twice a week now because the timing we we In this particular instance, we had 17 weeks of documentation that was there, but this particular day we needed six more we had six more checks that were conducted that just weren't uploaded. So, it we're we're totally in compliance with the law. Right. >> It was basically a policy thing with TEA. It had nothing to do with the law. Right. And I do appreciate how you all are keeping the school safe and keeping that at the
031forefront. But this is a finding, right? And so, it is just an opportunity to fine-tune the processes that are already defined. Definitely. Definitely. Okay. Dr. Stoney, will you cuz I know when we connected cuz I'm also on the safety and security um team, so I've heard this a couple of times, but I think the way that you say it like it's a perfect storm. Like, can you tie that up? The way that you say it is and not anything about you, but just so that the community right that assurance again something's happened and I think the perfect storm the way that you've described that to the committee and the other stakeholders that are on the safety and security team, I think that that might um provide a little bit more transparency, too. Uh so, my
032my summary of it is all the doors were closed, all the doors were locked, the TEA person did not was not able to enter the school. He went through the front door or she went through the front door. Uh the issue was that the principal wasn't there that morning, the assistant principal was there. The rule itself says that when the uh auditor arrived, they should be able to access the door checks. The door checks were all done, but the door checks were not physically sitting there in the office with the assistant principal. And so, in the time we were trying to get that, the auditor failed us. Um because they were not there when the auditor arrived. Uh we we felt that that was pretty you know. But, um we we asked TEA, they said
033we did everything right, but that was the rule and that we didn't quite make it. And so, they said that this is what we have to do is come before the board and let you know. I will say that I'm satisfied with the correction that they've done. We will have physical copies. Um there are physical copies. There are copies copies everywhere to have access so that multiple people can grab them if needed if this ever gets happens and the principal's not on campus and the assistant principal needs a few minutes doesn't need a few minutes anymore. We know where they are. And the redundancy, I think that was the other thing from the safety and security meeting is that I mean because that's additional law enforcement, right? So, we've got our partners in the community
034that are part of that and they looked at the report that you and your team um provided and they they were comfortable with that, too, as far as the redundancy and making sure that we've done everything. So. Yeah. We're doing our best. Thank you. You're doing an amazing job keeping our scholars and teachers and staff safe. Thank you. Okay, we'll move on to 10.2. Student transport transportation safety compliance and anticipated expenditure for seatbelt retrofitting and fleet replacement, Mr. Mendez. Good evening, team mate. Dr. Serna. Um I'd like to start off um by saying if I could I just say I know a lot of you um you know our our hearts and prayers go out to Miss uh Fernanda. She had a uh death in the family. And so she actually tried to come here
035tonight. I'm glad you sent her home cuz I told her I don't know why she's here. Um so I know some of you were expecting to get her a chance to see, but she she she doesn't need to. So Joe's going to he's he's pinch hitting. So he found out this morning. So let's give him a hard time. Yeah. Now look, now he's going to get nervous. I'm just kidding. She has some questions to me. Yeah. So uh back at 89th legislative uh session, Senate Bill 546 passed. And one of the things or or actually came to light is that uh we are switching over from or it's being being mandated that we go to three-point seatbelts. Right now we have lap lap belts right now through our our buses. And I shouldn't say all
036of our buses have them, but most of our buses have them right now. And I'll go through the numbers here in a minute. But um what what Senate Bill 546 is saying by September 1st of 2029, all of our buses have to have those seatbelts. And so I'm here to talk to you a little bit about what we found out through that process. >> was this a funded mandate or unfunded mandate? >> an unfunded mandate. >> Another. This one the public. Yes, that's right. Yes, sir. Um and and so uh they are asking the board actually to uh or we need to bring our findings what we did our investigation on our side and collect the data and then present it to the board and then the board would then take action of whatever our
037next steps are and I'll guide I'll I'll talk to that here in a minute. Um so one of the things is that um come back here to uh to the we currently have 53 buses out of 87 buses that we have that have that are in compliance. We have three-point seatbelts on them. The other 34 buses do not. They have just the lap belts on on most of them. Now, I put some here and the reason why we have probably one or two buses here that we don't they're not in our cycle to use, but those do not have seat belts at all. But I didn't want to say that all 34 buses did not have or had lap belts. So, with that said, it runs about $33,500 to retrofit a bus. And so, if
038I'm just going to do the math real quick, but if I'm going to bring that up to about 35,000. So, we're looking at about $1.1 million to retrofit those 34 buses. So, Yes, sir. Can you say it again, how much? >> you're saying it it's going to cost $35,000 to put three-point seat belts on a bus. >> buses, yes, sir. For a total of For a per bus, for a total of about 1.1 a little bit over $1.1 million to do that. Okay. Um with that said, we have looked at manufacturers. We have looked at either outsourcing that cuz we can't do it ourselves. They have to be certified by somebody special that comes in and even if when they're going to come in and do it, they have to do it in phases. That
039means that they can only do six or seven buses every three to six months. So, do the math, it's going to take years even to do that. With that said, we we were also looking at maybe even trying to bring it into our next bond cycle. What that is we have identified anywhere from 16 to 18 buses that do need the to be cycled out. So, that that comes back to a couple of million dollars that we would need. If we were to do this and just buy the buses that we needed, we're looking at about $5.1 million to even to even buy the buses. And so, I am here to report to you that So, a bus a bus costs what? About $150,000. If we're going to go electric, if we're thinking about in
040the future, it's $250,000. But, right now, just the regular buses are conventional or about $150,000 a bus. Uh we are looking at we we've looked at current local budgets. I've talked to Mr. Santiago, our CFO. We've looked at state funding. We've looked at our opportunities for state monies. We looked at even bond monies are interested in seeking fund. Uh and there is no money or they have all been tied up by initiatives that we already have throughout the district. So, I'm here to report to you that we have looked for money. There's no money where to be found and we There's a mandate out there Senate Bill 546 that we need $1.1 million to retrofit our buses or I need $5.1 million to go buy 16 buses. So, just just so you know that the
041the law actually requires us to do this presentation tonight. So, this is part of the the required section of the board meeting. Uh we don't have the vote here tonight. You're also required to vote on this and the vote is basically saying either yes, spend the money or we know we don't have the money yet. And I'll I'll have to phrase that that better the legal language. But, they are requiring you to vote. That was my question. I was like the law says present. We don't have to act on it. Not tonight, but you you do have to act on it by May 29th. We have to vote on We have to vote to determine whether we're going to do either of those two questions. >> You Well, you have to vote to either spend
042the money to fix it and become into compliance or not. Or not. >> Okay. There is an exception on the 546 bill that states that districts that do not have or cannot afford the money that there is a waiver for that. But, that that would kick in back into September 1st of 2020. And I'll I'll I'll tell you now that my just so you know and especially if you talk to to see what's going around the state, um most most school boards are are voting not to do this. And there's there's a number of reasons, besides the fact that all of us are suffering, we don't have enough money to begin with um to find suddenly this much money. Um the other part about it is a a lot of talk is that the state
043is going to come back in the legislature and create a grant to help pay for some of this. And so this didn't happen to us, but this happened to other districts in the past with some of the safety grants. They went ahead and spent the money and then when TEA released the money, they couldn't refund themselves. It was basically we're told it's too bad, you already spent it. You you already did your thing. So there's a lot of us are thinking it's probably better and I'm going to recommend at the next board meeting that we do not move forward with this. Um as Mr. Mendez says, our buses all, the ones we're using, have seat belts in them. It's just not the upgraded version that the new law says we have to have. And that's
044going to take time. And it preferably it'll take a bond since we do really need to replace some of the buses anyways. And I know you don't want me to spend $35,000 on a bus that's 20 years old. It's better just to go ahead and buy a new bus with the belt already in them. Thank you for the clarification. I'm happy to know that we do have seat belts on the buses. And that's all I had. Any further comments, questions? Well, we need to let let the public know we we are concerned about the kids' safety. Mhm. And the fact of the matter is the buses that don't um hit this compliance level, do have seat belts on them. They're lap seat belts, uh which is what they've been having up to this point. And
045this is also another example of why it's so important uh for our public to come out and support our schools and our bonds cuz we just do not have the money for this. Mhm. Thank you very much. Um we're going to move on to 10.3 CCMR Goal Progress Measure Measure 3 Board Monitoring Report. Good evening, Board of Trustees, team of eight, and Dr. Samani, Superintendent. The presentation will be the CCMR Goal Progress Measure 3 Board Monitoring Report. The last update that you all received was in November 2025, and during that presentation, you were able to receive updates on the cohort of class of 2026 in the fall semester, and also some previous data for cohort 24 and 25. Before we transition into those specific updates, I do want to highlight to make sure that we
046are all abreast and aware of the three different areas we are targeting for CCMR, which relates to college, so that focuses on the academic areas of TSI, dual credit, on-ramps, advanced placement, associate's degrees, and advanced diplomas for our special education. Our career focus is focused on the IBCs, level one and two certifications, and then also with military enlistment. So, those are the three areas we're targeting when we're focusing on CCMR. So, the information you see here relates to class of 2024, and I'll review class of 2024 and 2025 just to give you um the historical data as far as where we were with those previous cohorts. And so, if you look at class of 2024, we had 733 graduates, and our CCMR percentage was 62%. And looking at class of 2025, we had 791 graduates
047with 71%. I do want to notate that this data is unofficial due to the lagging accountability time with CCMR, which typically takes uh place a year after the cohort graduates. Because I'm looking at this associate degree and this is 64. Earlier today we're saying target for 84. And so with the Those are numbers, not percentages. What? That's the total number of associate degrees. Uh this is this is class of 2025. This is a year ago. Yeah. So yeah, so just pulling in the two uh previous annual years for our class of 2024 and class of 2025, we're going to shift over to where we are now with class of 2026. So the data you see presented here focuses on two different numbers. The numbers that are in black reflect the updates you all received in
048the November 2025 presentation CCMR update. The numbers you see in green are is data captured from April the 8th of 2026. So you're able to see the data as it related from fall and see the comparisons made to the progress made throughout the year for this spring. I also want to highlight the fact that we are using the data, live data, to progress monitor, into plan, into intervene as it relates to class of 2026. So even looking at the April 8th, 2026 numbers, those numbers have increased in the limited two weeks that we've experienced. I also want to highlight the fact the bulk of these areas consisting of the college areas and then also career, those courses are ending in May. In addition to that, we have our IBCs and certifications that take place in
049April and May also. So, although we're reporting data for April to 8th, we are expecting a drastic increase once those courses close out and once those certifications are taken. Any questions at this time? We don't have any questions. No. Or comments. Um, this is great to see that the district is improving year over year with the goals of meeting our the percentage. Um, however, is this is a collective data. Is there data by each of the campuses or students that we see are making the most progress? Or opportunities where we need to increase the readiness. Great question. So, to give a little historical context to the fall semester in itself with spring, we have an intentional approach with each of the campuses which consists of vertical collaboration with the campus leadership teams, also with the
050principals leading the charge to ensure that we are intentional about every student. So, although we have a district goal to target 80% for class of 2026, the overall mission is all students. And so, each of those campuses have an internal tracking system to where you have each student that they're tracking throughout the entire school year and are able to intervene and pivot to ensure that students are successful with obtaining CCMR credit. Okay. So, uh, the next time uh, we receive this information will be in June or August. In June. In June. And we do the summative reports for all our GPMs in June. And so so your 84 associate's degrees will show up there. Okay. I know I was like it's still zero, but yeah. So next I'm going to break down >> Just real
051quick. And especially as a I don't think I mentioned this to our new trustee. So one of the rules that we have is that we own on that report we only report data that we actually have. So for I always use the description if if the education agency pulled our data right now, what score would we get? And of course, like I said, an associate's degree they they haven't graduated right yet as Ms. Howard knows, not yet. But once they graduate and TEA will be able to see it, that's when we start reflecting it in the data. And that way you have a real baseline as to what is This isn't projection, this isn't maybe, these are things we know that we have. Here. And these are good questions cuz they add uh good minutes
052to our governance. Next I will transition to breaking down goal number three for CCMR. And so our overall goal is that the percentage of graduates that meet the criteria for CCMR will increase from 48% to 90% by the class of 2028. And so currently if you look at the data we have presented here, you'll be able to see some of the fluctuation that has taken place between cohort 24 and cohort 25 when we're looking at the April data, which is reflected in your green color, and then the anticipated data reflected in blue. And so I wanted to make sure to highlight that as we proceed through um goal progress monitoring with the next upcoming slides. And so in just looking at this overall data, we're able to look at the direct correlation with increasing enrollment
053in specific courses and also increasing testing opportunities, which is what we're targeting here with um our efforts in 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3. So, I'll go ahead and transition into those. And so, in looking at the 3.1 goal progress monitoring, that is focusing on PSI compliance. And so, that our students PSI compliance and demonstrating proficiency in English and math and able to proceed with post-secondary pursuits. And so, here you're able to see that in 2024, our goal was 40% and we had 43% uh CCMR. For cohort 25, the goal was 45% and we exceeded that at 59%. For the class of 2026, our goal is 50%. And so, we're able to see that from those trends, the things that worked to increase that number, we were able to embed in efforts to increase enrollment in our
054college prep English and math courses and also extend opportunities for students to take higher education tests as it relates to SAT, ACT. This was the first year for Manor ISD to and include um offering ACT school-based testing. And so, I did want you all to know we reviewed the data and saw that that would be a good opportunity for students to demonstrate CCMR having that additional testing opportunity. I have a question. >> Yes. And I think we talked about it in the last several of their board monitoring around the CCMR data. Um are we when or have we started in the middle school with you know, starting to help them test with TSI, SAT, you know, all that. I know we were starting to we already had started conversations and I think if I'm not
055mistaken, it was going to start this school year, but I'm not sure. So, I don't know. So, the the historical context with TSI testing for the eighth graders, last year was the first year to where we did provide TSI testing across all the middle schools. And so, students participated in that testing in May. Um and the data shows that um the data shows that some students had not yet received the content that's directly aligned to TSI, which would specifically be related to English too. So, students have an English one and two, those are standards that are covered in TSI. And then also with mathematics, algebra two has a direct correlation with being successful on TSI. So, last year was the opportunity that all students took the eighth grade test. This year, the transition is students
056have the opportunity to test, but it is not required because of those reasons listed. However, we do provide full support and we provide the funding for any student in Manor ISD to TSI test. Can um can you I'm just curious to see since we just started last year with eighth graders. Um does what the data shows, how many are taking it, what the results are? Just basic data. And so, we can I can get you that specific information about the results from the May 2025 TSI testing with all of our eighth graders. So, we do have that data. I'll be able to pull it and provide it to you also you are able to see that. Thank you. Mhm. So, our district um we have some very challenging goals, but it looks like that we
057are able to exceed this goal from year over year. Is there any opportunity that we're going to change the current target for 2028? I I believe it's a moving target always. So, we have our district goal of 80%, but we're striving for all students. And so, we don't stop at 80% and say, "Good job." We're still striving for all students. And so, as we transition into the new strategic plan, that will include embedding in some updated goals to make sure we're targeting all students. And uh to on that one, can you go back one slide? Uh one thing that we probably will end up doing soon is because of the use of college prep, the the um percentage is probably going to go up dramatically. And we're really going to need to start refining more
058um college prep in in my view is I'd rather them be able to pass the actual standardized test than to get this through college prep. So, we're going to have to get more granular in how kids are getting their CCMR. Um but first, I want to get to the goal. Once we get there, I think you're absolutely right. I think there's an opportunity um as we move forward to refine this goal. Maybe we change it to TSI focused as opposed to um uh TSIA focused as opposed to TSI. I'm trying to use the right nomenclature, but now, I think there is some opportunities as we move forward. This one in particular. The goal again is is that's the minimum. Obviously, we want 100%. Correct. >> Yeah, we want 100% CCMR. And then, you know, that's
059the next really we're already talking about the next level cuz once you get 100% CCMR, how do they get CCMR? Cuz we we can also begin to start talking about the various ways. Um I know Stephanie's shaking her head cuz cuz she knows also a lot of students with with disabilities, you can get an indicator just through an ARD meeting. Um that's kind of a look pretty low standard where you could be working to get those students having an industry-based certification. So, the first step is get the CCMR goal. And then the second step is how did we get those and how our kids are getting that? And by the way, um preview, those of you know that um the education agency is changing the accountability rules. And in 2 years, all this is going
060to change because they are going to start weighting different CCMR measures differently. And we got a little bit of a preview, but we don't really know exactly how that's going to look. So, eventually, I don't even know what our goals are going to look like because some measures are going to be worth more points than other measures. And so, we're going to have to kind of figure that one out. So, that's to come 2 years from now. Yeah, and I'll throw this in. It may catch you off guard cuz we haven't had our one-to-one just yet this week um coming off of the conference, but I did just recently learn that um ASVAB, which is a free test to take, districts can take it um juniors and seniors, but um in speaking with their team,
061I learned that if we have our students take it, um they can use it for military up to 2 years after they've taken it. So, if we have, you know, juniors or seniors that are taking it, we're reporting a year behind if they decide, you know, "Hey, I'm going this way." when they cross the stage, but then a year later, they decide to enlist in the military, that number still counts for us. So, there's some really good opportunities that I have been able to bring back and will be sharing with Dr. Serwani, but that was huge. Like, my eyes were lit up. Like, "Wait, what? I can increase that enlistment number?" because of course, being a military wife and mom, like, we got kiddos that um it's really a big opportunity to serve um in
062that capacity. I had a quick question regarding you mentioned that TSI is being funded by the district for students to be able to take for free. What does accessibility look like regarding the SAT and ACT? And so for the class of 2026, which looks different for the class of 2027, the sequence that we had for testing consisted of during the students junior year spring semester, they took the SAT and then they had an additional opportunity the fall semester of their senior year to take the SAT. This year we transitioned to offering the juniors the ACT in the spring and then following that by offering the SAT in the fall. So that away cohorts have the opportunity to test in on both tests to see if one year yields better results than the other. And so
063that is our pathway moving forward to where juniors are able to take the PSAT fall semester of their junior year, ACT spring semester of their junior year, SAT fall semester of their senior year. And is all of that funding covered by the district? >> Yes. So that's school day testing and students do not have to pay for those tests. I will say and uh correct me if I'm wrong Mr. Santiago, I do believe that there's um um funding if they pass the test, right? Yeah, there there's a reimbursement that for every student that passes. I think um I remember correctly during late May early June where we put on bulletin boards I think we put top 10% of students or graduates or something like that. I think Um at least for me, I I would
064like for us to also advertise things like having the highest number of kids get the the uh ACC credit uh on bulletin boards. I I would like to see state qualifiers. I would like to see the excellence that superintendent talks about every month. We need to be putting that out to community because that's one of the issues that that bond didn't pass. The community does not have confidence in the district, and we need to be letting the community know that there are pockets of excellence right now that we're trying to scale. Um but every opportunity we get, and that CCMR, that's a big one cuz you you've come a long way in a few years. Um so something like that is a total district uh celebration, and I think we should use more of these
065bulletin boards along 290 to really tell our story about our kids. So that people don't rely on rumors and and distraught former employees and such. Thank you. And so our great questions, great dialogue because it lends itself to what I'm covering next. And so just to recap, we were looking at 3.1 as it takes the focus on TSI. On this next slide, you're able to see that we were able to identify students being successful on TSI as a challenge. And so in collaboration with interdepartmental interdepartmental connections and collaborations and meetings, we were able to identify the challenge and respond with interventions and efforts to increase students' skill sets in reading and math so that they're successful on the TSI. And so with 3.1 goal progress monitoring focused on TSI in addition to 3.2 that has
066a focus on dual credit, they're interconnected. And so if I am successful on the TSI exam, then I then have access to dual credit so that I can receive credits to satisfy CCMR. And so between and like Dr. Samanie mentioned in looking at weighted CCMR, the top tier is TSI. Top tier. TSI A to be specific. So the examination. College prep English and college prep math are more of so looked at at a lower tier. And so it is very important as we are strategically planning for the future years that we focus our efforts on increasing student success on TSI A. And so you're able to see here for 3.2 where we landed for class of 2025 and class of 2024, what we realized is we were targeting the same type of student. And what
067that means was we were targeting the students or we were accommodating the students that were in early college pathways or that was in advanced academics, but that somehow limited students access to dual credit in in general. So this year for the upcoming cohorts, we shifted to where students have access to programs versus an early college high school if that kind of makes sense. So we're increasing access and also targeting um focusing on eligibility. So if a student is eligible by passing TSI, then they have access for dual credit in which we're able to target 3.1 TSI and 3.2 dual credit and increase those numbers for each of our students. As we transition to 3.3 that focuses on industry-based certificates. And so, as you can see there for the class of 2026, we are have a
068district goal of 20%. And so, we are strategically hyper-focused on this data, in which we identified a decrease between 24 and 25. And so, some internal efforts that have been put in place has been ensuring that students are scheduled properly in order to become completers. Students have the opportunity to test to receive IBCs and level one and level two certificates. And then, also that students are able to have teachers and campus leaderships be involved in this process. So, there is an internal tracker on each of the campuses that are tracking the students' progress in each of these um industry-based certificate opportunities and also in their level one level two certification options within our CTE courses. And so, again, the data show there is a dire need to respond. And so, the internal tracking in place
069has really produced an opportunity for students to receive access to these um certifications and level one and level two certificate. And a point to highlight is that we will have over 240 students testing in order to accomplish this for class of 2026. I have a question. The internal tracker internally for the schools to view. Is there something for families and parents to view to track their students' progress Great question. And so, we'll go more into that um in the upcoming slides, but I do want to highlight that our SchoolLinks secondary platform does that. And so, students parents have access to log in and to see where our are as it relates to completing pathways with CTE and what they are eligible for as far as certifications and level one and two certificates. I really look
070forward to the seeing more involvement in the industry based certification. Especially because um I was in a I don't even know it was a conference recently or one of my cohorts that I had leadership cohorts, but they were talking about how and this is just recent data. It's not certified yet or anything, but just projections and forecasting how uh due to AI everything programming everything now the need for more HVAC. That's going to be the way to go. That's what they're talking about for future because you're still going to need you might have a lot of robots or a lot of AI stuff happening everything, but the need now in the workforce they were talking about was plumbing, HVACs, all these certifications like that data centers will be using because they're you know, so they
071were forecasting all these um industry certifications for workforce in the future where it's going to be where the money's going to be at. Mhm. That was that was interesting. This is something new that came out, but that's just what I've learned and if we could just capitalize highlight take advantage of that and position our students to take part of that that would they're we'll set them up for success and our well being as well. Absolutely. Are there any questions about the data shared thus far? Okay. Here are specific CCMR goals alignment updates. And so, with CCMR is a district-wide responsibility, and with a cross collaboration and vertical collaboration, collectively, we have been able to identify areas to increase CCMR for all in three specific areas. So, that's looking at technical programming and instructional. And so,
072in targeting the programming, we're able to identify the pathways and opportunities, provide exposure to those and access to students so we can increase their opportunities to participate in those programs and also complete it. On the technical side, we are able to triangulate data, and that is using internal trackers on the campuses that the campus leadership team has to track every single student and to be able to progress monitor their progress throughout the year to ensure they receive CCMR credit. We also have our Skyward system that feeds into School Links, which we're able to not only pull actual data, we're able to pull projections and use those throughout the year to make sure that we are aligned with what students are able to accomplish and receive at the end of the year. We also use our
073own data suite, which is extracting information from Skyward so that we can make sure that our coding and our tracking is aligned between those three measures. And so, that's the technical side, and then lastly, we have the instructional side. Students being able to have the skill sets to be successful with applying reading comprehension and skill sets on TSI and mathematics is key. And so, we've been strategic with collaborating with curriculum instruction to ensure that academics are also participants in ensuring that we're able to provide tier one instruction and interventions for student success. So, we have the CCMR resources listed there, professional development, and then keeping parents and students connected remains a focus of ours, and that is a target for us to continue to increase and improve. One great thing that we did this year
074amongst many was being strategic about providing school of choice information to families so that they are aware of their options and the programming options, which are significant in students selecting their pathways. Any questions on these CCMR alignment updates? No, we're good. Thank you so much. I have two more slides if that's okay. No, next I know, but Oh, okay. I said no more questions, but I like no. Okay, so that Go on. Thank you so much. that we wanted to be strategic about providing this information, and so the CCMR performance trajectory for class of 2026, our current goal for the district is 80%, but we own the fact that we are responsible for all. And so, our current trend is 72% and we're able to identify the 8% difference with the 80% goal, but also
075the 28% difference with all students. And so, in looking at those two metrics, working collaboratively with the campuses, each student, not just 80% of class of 2026, but each student has been identified as in being able or projected to receive CCMR credit. If they are at risk, there are intentional strategic measures in place to close out the school year to ensure that those students have every opportunity and receive interventions available and accessible so they too can satisfy CCMR credit. Any questions on that? And lastly, um also wanted to show here we categorize the ways to increase CCMR and have narrowed down each one to target student success. And so this is district level's percentage and data. Each campus has this for their respective cohort and so they're able to target and identify students that are
076pursuing CCMR in college prep English, college prep math, CTE students that need to test utilizing that internal tracker. And then we're also able to monitor students' possibility of being successful in college prep English or math and if not able to embed in additional options so that those students can be successful if it's not aligned with their original pathway to CCMR success. >> Could you talk a little bit about how that is rolled out at a campus? Yes, for sure. And so I'll use Manor High School as an example. So Manor High School on their internal tracker and within progress monitoring has every single senior. And so that internal tracker utilized in fall had projections of if this student is in college prep English and math then they satisfy CCMR. Through progress monitoring and looking at
077grades and academic progress in those courses, the campus has identified students that are sitting in those courses that may not satisfy CCMR in the course itself. And so they've developed an alternate plan for those students to satisfy CCMR. And so an example for that specifically, those students will be participating in TSI boot camps where they receive intense instructional support with TSI and then they'll test to in effort to show and demonstrate that they can satisfy CCMR credit. And it's it's per student, so it's not a global approach or a campus approach to that. They are really tracking day-by-day, week-by-week. That's how Mr. Garcia has his numbers. And um Ms. Smith as well. They're They're able to track and see where students are, intervene as needed. And one thing I do want to highlight about the
078principals, it's not a one-stop shop or one-approach-fits-all. They're truly breaking down the needs, assessing where students can be successful, and then applying those interventions as needed. And so that's for seniors. Is is there another layer to that for juniors so that we don't have Correct. Yes, so there there is So we have our four cohorts cohort 26 we're closing out, but we have the same approach with the current eighth graders that will rise. And so there are different plans for each cohort to ensure that they are targeting all students receiving CCMR credit. Yes, sir. Are there any questions? So start in eighth grade. Every cohort from eighth grade. Mhm. Yes, sir. All right. Thank you so much. That's the last slide. Yeah. Thank you. All right, thank you. And we'll move on to 10.4 future
079bond considerations. I don't think Do Do we have anything additional? I mean Oh, yeah. We do. Okay. Uh there's no uh presentation. Um uh we are here just to let you know what we're doing. We are on to the next bond cycle, which is um we are looking like we may be recommending an August I'm sorry, a November 2026 bond election. Uh we are beginning to work with various persons to look at that including our facilities committee and to review um those possibilities. And so we put this item on here and we'll continue to have this item on here to update board members and answer questions as we engage in that process. Mhm. We finally had just four four uh focus areas and we'll bring this to you month to month and just let you
080know where we're at at at the different times with our next bond cycle. Just kind of package that all together. Wonderful. Uh Mr. Uh Kristy Patterson? Has there been any analysis as to um what happened past bond terms of participation rates and why people voted the way they did? >> Yes, sir. I'll defer that one to Dr. Sermani. Yeah, we we've engaged in a in a number with a number of companies to do that. Um you know, your bottom line um we've also had a focus groups. Um I we can actually give you a report on all the different things we did. Um I think with the more comprehensive analysis is going to come with a new company that we just contracted with. They'll dive into it a little bit more deeper and comprehensively. Uh
081the short of it is that done I think I've reported on this in the past is that uh the last election was an off election. Uh you had much lower participation rates. Uh those that seemed to participate in that election tended to be uh more not uh supportive of public education. Um that was the analysis of several groups. Um there was um also in the conversations with the focus groups, a lot of concern about um increasing property taxes, um economic conditions. Uh as you know, that was the first election where we had to put on on the ballot that it was going to be a tax increase whether it was or not. And so there was definitely a lot of um confusion there. And so some of the takeaways are making sure that we communicate
082even more about um the education, and really target groups that are not connected with the school system. And so that's going to be the big challenge. Uh if you think about it, we have 30 uh was it 38,000 voters, I think? 40,000 voters? Um the majority of our voters are connected to the district. Um and in fact, a lot of the demographics are showing that a the plurality of people within Manor ISD now are 30 to 40 and don't have children in the school district yet. They're they're under the age of four. And so that's a huge group that we need to be able to reach out and get information to in the upcoming election. So that that's just kind of a off-the-cuff uh analysis. I can always recap it at the next board meeting,
083if you like. And we're back to our normal normal voting location. So there was just a lot. It was a kind of yeah, it was a lot. >> Yes, we I moved the location back. Um that was I'm going to own that one. I was working with Travis County to find an empty building for them to use it, but that did confuse voters to where to vote. And so this election cycle, it is back here at central office. Thank you. Uh we're going to move on to 10.5, monthly financial report. And uh Mr. Zantow, you can back me up if I I get off a little bit, but um I think there's only a couple of things we want to point out. I was getting some questions from trustees, and so I added a few
084slides for the community and and for yourself. Um the one thing that we want to mention in this one is that the revenues we're showing now do include the one-time funding now. And so we're going to go ahead and start reporting that. So if anyone looks closely, they're going to suddenly see revenue shot up. That's not money we're earning. That's um a large part of, you recall, uh Mr. Santiago initiated appeal of our payments from 2022. And TEA has approved that, and that payment has gone through. And so, that's amounts to why the revenue suddenly jumped up your um since last time we reported. So, I don't want people to get excited. That is not the same amount of revenues we're going to have next year. So, that was one time. And so, we uh
085created a few slides. Uh some of these you've seen before, trustees. These are going back to um when we uh March 2nd, I believe, or March 3rd, we had a workshop. Uh these numbers uh these particular numbers haven't changed. Um but this just basically shows you where we're at. We have our estimated revenues, our budget expenditures. Uh the main point here is while there's a difference between our estimated revenues for next year and our budgeted expenditures, um the approximate amount of money we're actually running the district on is not far off from our estimated revenues. Now, there is some money we're going to have to cut. We're going to have to find efficiencies to get there. But it's not a huge number compared to what we've experienced in the past. Now, it's always a big
086number. I shouldn't say it that way. Um but once you've tackled $24 million, you're tackling a couple million dollars, I think it's something that's within our ability to do so. I just had something. So. So, um we're not only saying that, but you can also confirm it right here with your financial statement. If you look at uh your monthly expenditures, spend about 8.5 million. We still have three more months to go. So, we multiply that times three, uh that's about an additional 25 million on top of what your year-to-date is. So, you add that up, comes up to nearly 100 100 million. Well, we have revenues of about 105, which basically tells us it will be able to put back into fund balance about 3, 4 million back. So, we're operating with a with a
087surplus, okay? And that's the reason why we kept emphasizing that even though we have a 105 million budget, we're expected to expand about 100, 101 million. Now, I do want to say that, you know, there is some things that we need to do. Um want to show you this data. This is actually a looking at our peer districts and percentages. You'll see um three particular ones we put out there at the administrator, and this is 25, 26. The administration is spending less on average on administration right now, and that number will will try to continue to decrease it. Uh the one thing I want to point out that we struggle with is we need to spend more on instruction. I absolutely believe that, and what I mean by that is proportion of instruction. And we
088have to do that while still decreasing the budget. And so, that's the trick that we're we're working on. And I want to point out the one thing two things about that operations number. That uh there's two two unique things for Manor ISD. One of them is that we have more buildings on average than other people. That's more lawns to mow. That's more facilities that we have to maintain. That is just a fact of what uh of our district right now. The other thing is, and this is a good thing, is the police department is also included in that operations. Um we're one of the few police departments, thank you, Chief, that are almost fully staffed now. Um and so, that's a good expense. Yeah. And so, um all that adds up to a greater proportion
089of the operations. So, one of the challenges for us is how to keep moving that money over while still maintaining uh the facilities we have, which a bond will do a lot to help us with. And then finally, um or these two slides, this is just an updated um I'm Last time I saw you, we had some expenditures, but one thing has changed a great deal. The healthcare costs are continuing to skyrocket. We were estimating about 700,000 in new cost. It is now up to somewhere between 1.2 and 1.9 million. So that's going to be um something that we're going to continue to work for. We're still committed and believe we can make it so that the individual health player there will be an individual healthcare plan that our employees can have um free not
090free, but at no cost to them. And so we're still going to work towards that, but I wanted just to alert you it's going to cost more than we thought it did was going to. And then finally just uh some updates on some of the savings um in areas of savings we're looking at. Um that first one is a is a real celebration you know through the diligence of the trustees um and making sure that we're putting money back in fund balance, we have less money that we have to spend on interest on on loans. And so that's savings that go straight back into the classrooms. Uh you also receive the transportation savings when we talked about moving to a hub model. Um you also see we are looking to do some savings at our
091property and liability and are changing our terms. We have not negotiated those terms yet, so I don't have an estimate for you there. Um and we have we have less students. Um so we have eliminated uh some of those positions because when you have less students you need less positions. Um those are vacant positions. Uh so you can see that's almost a million dollars in savings there. I don't have the exact costs or exact savings probably till next week at the earliest. And then of course we're going to have to continue to find savings as we go along. Um but we'll keep working on it and keep updating you as we go. Um I think the the big thing I wanted to say cuz I keep getting this question is there is not going to
092be any big news announcement of major cuts at Manor ISD. We've done that. We've already done the hard work and you know the staff should be proud of that. Um we are now getting an opportunity to attract talent from other districts cuz we are the financially stable district in the area. So, um we should all be proud of that and so should the community. Yeah, also uh I think it's important uh just to mention recent news and and things from our neighboring districts uh that they are in positions where we started to act uh couple of years ago. They're barely starting that process. But because of your diligence and your hard work and your foresight to to make those decisions that we're able to be where we are now, where we're stable and building up
093versus many of our neighbors are just at the point where they're trying to figure out what they're going to what they're trying to do. And this is where I pride myself in the board, the strong board that we were mind focused and solid that we needed to balance the budget. And that's a direction that and that was a tough decision, tough thing that you had to do to and admin and staff and I cannot reiterate again how proud and happy and comfortable and I don't know that that you and how good you made us look as well, so. And um thank you for doing all that hard work and it was painful, too, and but we are now in a better position like Mr. um Martinez said where others districts are probably just starting and
094this is a good place to be, so thank you. Team, everybody. >> We're in a great position in a bad situation. >> In a bad situation. >> Because as we heard earlier, we have needs that we just don't have the money for public and um we as a board we're going to be responsible with your money. Uh we need folks to uh uh talk to the legislatures about uh appropriately respectfully funding public education. We're going to do right by your money. But the reality is 86% of every budget is people. We're balanced now. Our neighboring districts have to cut millions of dollars. But again, foresight of our leadership, we're at a stable situation, but we're you know, it's wavy out there. We're on the boat, but it's wavy. So, we're going to continue to be
095diligent with your with your funds. We're going to be doing the best we can for your children make them safe and secure and then teach them and have them ready to be leaders in our community like our mission says. Thank you. All right. So, then we'll go to 10.6, quarterly investment report. I think we don't Do we have any questions on that? All right. So, consent agenda items 11.1 through 11.12. Do I have a motion? You couldn't hear me. Madam President, I move that the board approve consent agenda items 11.1 through 11.12 as presented. I have a motion by Trustee Howard. Do I have a second? I'll second. I have a second by Trustee Dr. Lowry. If there's no discussion, all those in favor? Motion passes 7-0. Action items 12.1, consideration approval of K-5 K
096through 5 reading language arts and Spanish language arts curriculum adoption. Dr. Ben. Yes, ma'am. Good evening, team of eight. Good evening. So, I'm going to speak to you tonight about our curriculum for our elementary schools with language arts. And the purpose is to make a recommendation that is best suited to ensuring that all of our kids um improve their reading ability. We have been talking about that all year, and we continue to work on it. So, we've had a committee, a research and design committee, basically, um working on this and information related to this all year long. Um 35 members uh from across the district, different roles. Uh first thing they did is do a 2-day training on the Texas Education Agency research-based instructional strategies, which are like the second slide on this presentation. And
097then they've been going to work, crafting, getting feedback, getting revisions on a a literacy and biliteracy framework, a philosophical framework, and um an operational framework, so that we have a good uh vision and mission um relative to what we believe about reading instruction. Sorry, I'm randomly clicking while I'm doing my hand motions. Um to to to make decisions about what we need to do to um ensure we have the instructional materials uh so that our students' reading proficiency continues to improve. The other thing they did was start exploring what other options are out there um in terms of State Board of Education um approved uh full subject materials, which there's only three. Other thing we did was have a curriculum showcase and invite all of the teachers from across the district and other staff members,
098um assistant principals, principals, instructional coaches, um to meet with publishers and sample and with a full kind of sampling of the materials so that they could take a look at those three options and give us feedback utilizing a rubric based on the research-based instructional strategies. So, based on gathering that information and I shared with you some of the rubric evaluation results, well, the rubric evaluation results um not to be anti-climactic, but I'm making a recommendation um that there to take no action uh this evening. Our recommendation is um to continue to implement using the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt um second edition updated curriculum that is State Board of Education approved um for the 2026-2027 school year. Thank you, Dr. Benz. Do we have any discussion or any questions additional questions from our trustees? If we don't,
099then um you know, I propose that we follow the recommendation of our administration to take no action. Do I have any opposition? All right. Thank you very much, Dr. Benz. >> Thank Uh what's 12.2? Yes. 12.2 action item 12.2 consideration approval of provision of curricular curriculum material certification. I move that the board approve the provision curriculum material certification for the 2020-2026-2027 school I have a motion by uh Trustee Patterson. Do I have a second? I I have >> Miss Howard raised her hand. I was pointing out that the Howard raised her hand a second. >> I have a second. Trusty Howard. If there's no discussion, all those in favor? Uh passes 7-0. Now, the confirmation of the next regular board meeting is scheduled for May 18th, 2026. And do I have a motion to adjourn?
100I move to adjourn the meeting. Woo! I have a motion by Trusty Small to adjourn at 7:31 p.m. Do I have a second? I have a second by Trusty Rodriguez-Barnett. All those in favor? 7-0. Thank you very much. It's like a do do do do do.