February School Board Meeting

001here. Okay. Good evening everybody. It is 7 o'clock and time  to call our meeting to order. This is the regular   meeting of the Midway Independent School Board  and we have a quorum. Everyone is here tonight.   On behalf of the board, I would like to extend a  warm welcome to those of you that are present and   to our viewers online. We appreciate the time  you have taken to join us and your interest in   Midway ISD. It means a lot to us. At this time,  please silence your cell phones if you have not   done so already. And I want to remind you that  the board's role is to set goals, listen to   reports of the superintendent and staff, approve  budgets, set tax rates, approve contracts, approve   personnel recommendations, and make policy for  the district. We are not

002here to make management   decisions. Management is the responsibility  of the superintendent and his staff.   Also, I've forgotten to say this at the last  couple meetings, but for those of y'all that   are attending for recognitions, after we're done  with all the recognitions, we will pause. And at   that time, we are fine if you decide you want  to go on and go home. We always love for you to   stay and listen to the rest of the meeting, but  you're welcome to leave then. And if you can just   wait till then, it's nice for everybody that's  being recognized to have everyone's attention   till we're done with that part of the meeting. We  start our meetings reading our mission statement   and having one of our board members uh read  it for us and just give us some thoughts on  

003the mission statement and how does how they're  thinking about it today and that is Rick tell us   tonight. Yes. So our mission at Midway at Midway  ISD we will maximize individual potential within   a learner centered and supportive environment to  prepare students to excel in a global society.   And so my thought on that, I'm like, hey,  how can uh we we do a good job in the in the   uh school ecosystem of measuring uh short-term  performance, but man, what if we think long term?   Are are we being successful? And um there's a uh  statistically about 80% of students that graduate   from high school will uh by their late 20s be  back somewhere close to their hometown. So,   as you can imagine, our area is populated with a  lot of Midway graduates. Probably if you stop and  

004think about it, uh your your doctor, probably your  lawyer, hopefully you don't need both of them. Um   I mean, a lot of the a lot of the great uh some  some of the best trades people I know uh in Waco   have come through come through Midway. Uh anyway,  on and on, engineers, whatever. Um so if you look   at the last 20 years of the GDP growth in Mlennon  County or since 20 since 2001 to now our GDP which   is basically our productivity has grown at almost  an average of 5% uh growth year-over-year which is   strong but if you look at the last four years  uh um it grew on average 10% each year. So,   four years back toback of almost 10% growth of  over 10% growth, which is crazy. Now, Midway can't   take credit for

005all that, but I think we should  take credit for some of it in really seeing the   success of the products of this school district  going out in society and succeeding. Um, I think   I think we're doing something right and anyway,  proud to be a part of this. Very well said. Thank   you, Rick. Yeah. Awesome. Next, we would like  for everyone to join us for a moment of silence. Thank you. Okay, first up we have February public  uh public or February recognition days. And Rick,   tell us I'm just confused. We're going to  do recognitions. And Rick, you're doing the   recognitions tonight. Yes. As soon as we get  done with the pledge. Yeah. Oh, I'm I missed   the pledge, everybody. I'm sorry. I told you I was  a little out of it. I knew something was off.

006I'm   sorry. Pledge of allegiance. We have all these  lovely kids from Woodway Elementary School and   their principal, Nicole Greger, here. So, please  come up to the microphone and I apologize. Got   ahead of myself. I just thought we were shaking up  things today and doing them in different orders.   No problem. Keep me on your toes. Right.  Good evening, President Vic MISD board of   trustees and Dr. Allen. I am excited tonight to  introduce you to these outstanding students from   Woodway Elementary. Aaron K could not be here  tonight, but we have Kinsley Glime. Come on up.   Ralph Parrot couldn't make it. We have Beckham  Sandival and Owen Sager. They were nominated for   our student of the year and earned a seat on our  Woodway student board. Awesome. Awesome students. They are premier leaders of our  campus and will

007be leading us in   the pledge of allegiance. If you'd please stand. I pledge algiance 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. Good  job. Thank you guys. Congratulations. Thank you kids. Okay, next we'll have recognitions  which Rick will lead this evening and assist with   that. And then we're but first we're going  to talk about recognitions days for February.   Days for February. So February 2nd is Military  Heroes Day. February 2 through 6 was National   School Counseling Week. Thank you to our school  counselors. February 16th was President's Day. Uh   we took that day off. Um and then February  19th is State of Texas Anniversary Day.   It is also career and technical education  month and we'll have a

008presentation on that   in just a few minutes. And y'all, February  is Black History Month and I feel like it'd   be remiss if I didn't mention the passing  of Jesse Jackson as part of acknowledging   the fact that it's Black History Month.  And so that's our February recognition   uh days this month. Miss Vic, thank  you very much. First up, we're going   to talk about our all state band members and  Daryl M. Hoffer is going to do that for us. Hey, thank you very much. It's my honor and  pleasure to announce our allstate band, choir,   and orchestra members for this year. We'll  start with our all-state band from TMEA,   Texas Music Educators Association. We're  proud to recognize the outstanding student   musician whose achievement represents  the highest level of excellence in Texas,   Emanuel Maxi. Would you  please stand up

009and join us? Emanuel is a senior at Midway High School  and was selected as the 2026 Allstate band   musician Piccolo in the Philarmonic  Orchestra. Awesome. Which is pretty   amazing. Um the other two instruments were  bass clarinet and contrabassoon if I'm not   correct. And Contrabassoon is the lowest of  the low voices, not the lowest instrument,   but the low voices. And piccolo is the highest.  So that's the polar opposite right there. The   band directors are Pam Hyatt, Sarah Moss, and  Kenny Moss. Can they come up for a picture, too? And we're very proud of Mr. Maxi  and all of the work that he's   done. And looking forward to a great  college career from you, aren't we? All State Choir. We have a number  of choir students this year. So,   when I call your name, you can come

010on  up and join us. Again, it's the highly   competitive audition process where about 1,800  students are chosen out of the entire state,   which is nearly 70,000 that start the  process. These students were selected as   the 2026 TMEA All State Choir members.  How about Millie Cherry? Come on up. She's second chair soprano, too, in the All  State Mixed Choir. Um, Jack Davis, come on up. Third chair bass in the All State  Tener Bass Choir. Caddyy Egleston. senior and first chair alto one in  the all-state mix choir and I'll talk   about mix choir in just a second. Bailey Fornwalt. Bailey is a sophomore fifth chair alto  in the allstate treble choir. Mark Hall. Mark's the senior first chair bass two in  the all-state mixed choir. Ashelind Strap fourth chair soprano one in the  all-state treble choir. Leangel

011Rodriguez fourth chair tener two in the all  state tenor bass choir. I watched   his rehearsal and he never saw me.  But that's okay. Elizabeth Trout. She's a junior fifth chair soprano 2 in the All  State Trouble Choir. And finally, Anthony Zavala, fourth chair bass in the All State Tener Bass  Choir. The ten tenor bass choir, treble choir, and   mix choir all presented separate concerts at TMEA.  The mixed choir got to perform for the general   session on Thursday morning. And as stage manager  for TMEA, I got to be right up front and listen to   an amazing orchestra with 250 plus voices, knowing  fully well that some of those voices were Midway   voices, and it just made my day. The directors for  our choir program are Caleb Overreet. Come on up. Kayla Torp and Drew Jackson. I

012know Drew's here. As many of you know, this is our young  fresh choir team and they have continued   to represent and make Midway proud. So,  one more round of applause for choir. Yeah. And now for orchestra. We celebrate another  remarkable student musician who also earned the   highest honors, but this one is for orchestra  with Glenn Eshman. Come on up. There we are. Glenn's a junior and was named in the All State  Symphony Orchestra, which is the top group,   as 16th chair violin. Was it violin one or two?  One. So, I almost bumped into you a couple of   times. I'm sorry. That group had the final  concert of the entire convention and it was just   an amazing experience and we're so proud that he  was able to This is your second third year. Third   year. So

013one more you'll be great to go, right?  So one more round of applause for Mr. Esherman and and the director of the orchestra  is Terrence Guerrero. Come on. Hey, Darl. Hang on a second. Darl, um, I  received an email today at 4:16 informing   me of your intent to retire, and it just seems to  me like it would be wrong for this to pass without   acknowledging your 25 years to the district and  um, the touch that you've had to our programs   and the contribution to our students and  staff. I just wanted to take a second to   say something before you step back over there.  Appreciate that. Quietly behind the background   like you normally are. Back behind the curtain.  Yeah. Great. Thank you very much. Thank you.   Thank you, Darl. Next up is  Region 12 Counselor

014of the Year,   and Kim Booth is going to do that for us.  Hello. Um, we are proud to recognize one   of our outstanding educators for excellence in  student support and advocacy, Lindsay Ostramm,   the school counselor at Chapel Park  Elementary. Come on up, Lindsay. Oh, no. No. Oh, no. No. She was named the 2026  Region 12 elementary counselor of the year by   Education Service Center 12. Region 12. She was  selected from 19 nominees across the region.   Miss Ostramm is recognized for her strong  advocacy for students and her commitment to   whole child support. She has served as a school  counselor for nine years, including seven years   in Midway ISD. And her impact is felt daily  by students, families, and staff. Thank you. Thank you. That's such a great honor. Next up  is education results partnership honor role  

015and Dr. Oajima is going to tell us about this  great honor role we're on. Thank you. Tonight,   we're proud to recognize an important  academic achievement for Midway. Midway   ISD has once again been named an honor role  district by the Education Results Partnership,   making this the second consecutive year our  district has earned this distinction. Only   84 districts across the state were  recognized this year. In addition,   um six Midway campuses were also named to  the 2025 Texas Honoral, doubling the number   of recognized campuses from last year. Those  campuses are Midway High School. Come on in. Huitt Elementary. Spring Valley Elementary. South Bossi Elementary, Park Hill Elementary, and Chapel Park Elementary. The educational results partnership honor role  is especially meaningful because it focuses not   only on student achievement but on student growth  over all student groups. It is

016also an important   program because it is one of the few that partners  business leaders with education leaders in order   to identify these top schools that prepare  students for success in college and in the   workforce. So congratulations and thank you again  for how you pour into our students, staff every   day and your commitment to excellence and your  commitment to our students. Congratulations. I think it's good to note here that it says, you  know, 80 full school district districts out of the   state and we have around 1,700 school districts  1,200 school districts. Sorry, I just let me go.   And that's about the top 7%. That's right. 7%.  So that's an amazing achievement and we've done   it now two years in a row and I just think it it  says great things about our staff and how hard

017our   students work as well. So kudos. That's fabulous.  Next up is public comment and tonight we have   someone speaking for public comment. I'd like to  call up to the microphone Kate Gomez and she would   like to speak about about um Spiegelville that is  on Oh no, we Well, we're okay. We were going to   wait if would you like to stay and hear the public  comments or would everybody I guess they'd like to   go. Kate, I'm sorry. Okay. Bless people. I was  going to have him leave afterwards. It's okay. We'll let them get out of the room. That public speaking anxiety  is just Yeah, I know. I'm like,   anybody else? Does anybody else  want to leave? She knows it. Okay. Okay. Everybody ready? Yes. So, Miss Gomez,  you probably know how it works, but you have

018three   minutes to speak, and I believe you want to speak  about Spigville. Yes, Mr. Wit's going to keep a   timer, and so he will let you know if you do  run over your three minutes. Okay, so thank   you. You're welcome. Uh, good evening. My name is  Kate Gomez. Um, this is my eighth year working at   Midway ISD. I've worked both at Woodway Elementary  and I currently serve as the MTSS facilitator at   Spiegelville Elementary. I also have five children  who have been part of Midway ISD. I want to thank   you first for your dedication um serving our  district. I know that the decisions before you   are complex and carry a significant impact for  families, staff, and students. I'd like to frame   my comments about the future of Speedleville  around who we say we are as a

019district.   Midway ISD's vision is innovation, commitment, and  excellence. Our mission states that we'll maximize   individual potential within a learner centered  and supportive environment to prepare students to   excel in a global society. Our core beliefs affirm  that every person has inherent worth and that   every person can learn and has unique academic and  social needs. These are powerful statements and   commitments. It is why families move here. It is  why teachers choose to work here. It's why many of   us are sitting in this room tonight. Elementary  students in particular are vulnerable learners.   They're building foundational skills in literacy,  numeracy, behavior, and social development that   shape their entire educational journey. These  early years require strong relationships,   close monitoring, and individualized support.  One potential scenario that's been shared with   our teachers at Spiegelville is the possibility  of moving from two

020teachers and uh two teachers   to one in certain grade levels. This could create  significantly larger size class sizes in those   grade levels. That reality makes it harder to  maintain the learner center environment that   Midway works to create. Our district goals call  us to meet the needs of a diverse population,   recruit and retain strong educators, and provide  a safe and supportive environment. Large class   sizes, particularly in kinder through second,  put a strain on each of those commitments and   on the teachers and campus leaders who work  to uphold them. The Texas law recognizes   this reality. Under the Texas Education Code,  kindergarten through fourth grade classes are   limited to 22 students per teacher, reflecting  the importance of small classes during those   foundational years. While districts may request  waivers, the existence of this law underscores   how critical manageable class

021sizes are for these  young learners. If Midway is truly a sought-after   district because of its excellence and supportive  community, then equity must guide this process.   No campus should carry a disproportionate  burden. No group of students should experience   overcrowding while others do not. I ask that  Midway's vision of innovation, commitment, and   excellence serve as the standard that guides this  decision, ensuring that innovation is meaningful,   commitment is visible, and excellence is  is experienced across all campuses by each   student regardless of their address. Let our  actions match our words, and let every child in   Midway receive the strong foundation they deserve.  Thank you for your time and for your leadership. Thank you, Miss Gomez. Next on the  agenda of the information items,   we have the month monthly financial report  and the list of library books for procurement.   Does

022anyone have any questions or want to  discuss any of the information items? Okay,   I see a no on that. So we'll go on to  presentation discussion items and the   first one up is discussion of the future  of Spieg of Elementary School. Dr. Allen, I'm going to present from here so I can see y'all.  It's a little bit of a lengthier presentation than   I normally do and so I want to make sure that I  don't have to turn my head left or right to see   anything that you might be trying to communicate  as we go. So yes, ma'am. Let me talk a little bit   about Spigville Elementary School this evening  and start off by trying to answer the question,   why are we talking about Spigot Elementary School  anyway? The building has been there since 1954.   And

023what has brought the topic of Spig Elementary  to this point? And what I would tell you is that   not unlike many schools in the state of Texas, we  have a deficit in funding. Um, this chart does a   good job of highlighting the Texas basic aotment  since 2006. And you can see about every four   years there's been a step up until we hit 2020 and  they flatlined funding. At the same time we were   experiencing significant inflationary pressures  in our country. In the last session they put 55   additional dollars on the basic aotment and I'll  talk more about that in just a few minutes. But   to put that in perspective, from 2020 to 2026,  we've seen a 219% increase in security services,   129% increase in fuel cost, 213% increase  in casual in property casualty insurance,   and we've

024been underfunded in special  education to over $10.5 million. And so,   while some of the funds that it may appear  as though we received money last session,   we actually did not. Um, nothing appreciable.  So, what about the 89th leg legislative session   in funding? The district received $4.28 million in  new revenue, and I put that in quotation marks for   a reason. $2.1 million of that was passed through.  It was straight teacher retention aotment money.   You will remember that teachers at certain levels  of experience got $5,000 and other teachers got   u 25,500. And that was differentiated  based on district size, I might add.   uh that did not uh cover all of our teachers and  it certainly did not cover all of our staff. And   so then we matched that 2.1 million in teacher  retention aotment with a $1.3

025million increase   in compensation for those excluded from the  TRA. This included our 0 to2year teachers,   nurses, counselors, librarians, and all of our  pair professionals and auxiliary employees.   We had to find $400,000 to deal with the  increase to TRS contributions created by the   salary increase that came along with the TRA. That  was uh an unfunded mandate. We are required to   pay certain contribution to TRS and so when they  the state artificially pushed up those salaries,   it pushed up those contributions without funding  to go with it. So when I tell you the $55 basic   aotment yielded us some money, understand it  was completely swallowed up by that alone.   We also lost $256,417 to the golden penny yield  that this district passed a vader two years ago   with the belief that the golden penny would  increase over time.

026They rewrote the laws on   the golden penny and we actually lost money  compared to what we would have received had   they not make that law rewrite. So, of the $428  million of new revenue, we actually had $223,583   for what I put in air quotes as discretionary  use. I mentioned before that was more than   swallowed up by inflationary pressures.  And so, we started this school year with   a $3.5 million budget deficit. We're currently  projected to be in a deficit of 2.8 million. We have received additional information. One  of the things that we've shared consistently   is that our plan has been to monitor data  including enrollment trends and finances   based on the 2025 comproller values released on  131 of 26. So very recently the district's hold   harmless amount for the decrease in the frozen  levy may lead

027to an increase in the district's   m revenue. This is a developing conversation  and we hope to have more clarity in March. Uh   what I can tell you is we have reason to  believe that we're going to get some more   money in the M budget but it is it is too early  to tell exactly what that amount might be. Um,   but that is an ongoing situation that we continue  to monitor. The state told us to expect new money   in special education funding during the session.  We have been told very recently by the state   that we should expect not receive any additional  special education funding in the second year of   the bienium. We do receive an additional thousand  for every evaluation that we do for students   uh who want to be tested for special education  services. We've

028seen a spike in that recently   due to the opening of the voucher portal. and we  are the the $1,000 contribution is already running   behind what it's costing us to provide those  assessments and so we're actually losing money on   that proposition as we speak. So I want to talk a  little bit about the Spiggleville facility itself   and some of the challenges associated there with  so um we have challenges with finances. That's not   new. That's been the case since I got here three  years ago. But there are some unique challenges   with the Spigenville school itself that really  started to become part of the discussion when   we went through the facilities study committee.  And so here are some of the topics I'm going to   begin to move through as I talk through several  of the next slides. So

029Spigerville opened in   1954. The raw cost to replace the building is  $19 million and it has more than $4 million   of need. Included in that is all the plumbing  and all the worrying and a number of the things   that are inside the walls that we would not  replace until they actually went end of life   or but still it is one of two that was rated poor  uh um condition on the rating and it has capacity   limitations because there's no water wastewater.  It is on an old school leechfield septic system   for example and so it is limited in terms of  what it can take on in terms of enrollment. It's not an area where we're currently  experiencing growth. There's projected   growth in that area, but we've not seen that start  to happen yet. And it is

030not practical to assist   the district with overflow students or transfers  because of its location. Enrollment trends. Um,   in 2020 there were 293 students in the building  and as of snapshot this year there were 221   students attending that school. Our projected  enrollment for next year is 218 kids or so. Um,   and so it continues to decline in enrollment.  Um, it may be worth noting that in 2020,   that's the year we added fifth  grade to our elementary campuses. operational efficiency uh cost us $9,220 to  educate a student at Spigville Elementary   compared to other schools. You can see the cost  up there. The next closest to it are Chapel Park   and Hwitt. Um and a large portion of that is  because of the number of staff that you have to   have to run a building and that cost

031spread over  the enrollment of the of the students. So every   time we lose a student out there, that operational  inefficiency that gap widens. There are some other   issues with just teaching. In fact, Miss Gomez  mentioned some of them earlier. Um, star scores   move more dramatically at Spigville because the  way one or two children can have an impact on the   way star ratings are accounted, especially  when you look at disagregated populations,   it can create significant skews. And uh one of the  concerns I have is that it affects the credibility   of a school which will have grades that'll kind  of move up and down more dramatically compared   to some of our other campuses because one two or  three kids can have a significant impact. It also   puts a significant kind of burden on the staff  because they

032know just one two or three kids can   have a disproportionate impact on the way the  percentages work. Right? Due to a small student   population we have uh one or two teachers per  grade level for self-contained classes. Grades   three through five have one teacher per subject.  It makes it difficult to have PLC planning   times. It requires district coaches and content  coordinators to do more collaboration. They're   not specifically assigned to that campus. When a  teacher is absent, especially for a significant   period of time, you lose a disproportionate  amount of expertise. And so, you have staff   doing quite a bit of planning in isolation. And  that's just not the case on many of our campuses   because they have staffs large enough to share  the burden of the thinking, if not the doing. Um, we have full-time employee out

033there, the  principal, the assistant principal, the counselor,   the librarian. Uh, equity was mentioned earlier.  I actually share that concern. We have full-time   principal at a campus with 221 students. I have  a full-time principal at a campus with over with   right in the neighborhood of 700. And so, we we  have to think about the resource allocation and   how that plays out across the district. As  we think about proportionality and equity,   resource limitations exist because campus budgets  are based on enrollment. Not all resources are   available every day because of scheduling services  in the belly of district to get out there. And   then we have certain student populations that are  smaller and have less opportunity to collaborate,   especially collaborate in groups that  are meaningful enough to create the   level of collaboration that we see on some  of our

034campuses that have more traditional   enrollment sizes. There's hidden cost associated  with special education services at Spigville. Um,   we contract with many of the folks who provide  some of these services and we contract them for   with them for time and mileage. Uh, because of the  remote location, it takes more time to get there   and more time to return back and so we're paying  for that additional time and that's time that's   being paid for that's not in front of a student.  That's just driving. Same thing with mileage. Um,   and then they end up having to share resources  against uh across different campuses because   Figville doesn't justify these things full-time  in and of themselves. And then recent changes   to dyslexia services and House Bill two mean  that we're going to need to use the existing   staff we have

035more efficiently. I mentioned  earlier that we continue to be underfunded in   special education. It's putting quite a bit of  pressure on that department. And so we plan to   centralize service and reduce specialist travel  by moving students who require multiple services   to other campuses. So, as we project forward  into next year, should Spigville stay open,   we're going to be pulling kids off that campus  and putting them in other locations so we can   make sure they get the services they need, which  will pull that enrollment down even further. Um,   the the way in which that would not happen  is if parents just refuse to receive special   education services. That brings on a challenge  of its own. So, the current enrollment is 221,   special education students is 46. Our  projected for 226, 227 would reduce the   total number

036of special education students  to 38. we'd be moving 14 of those off campus   and leaving 24 on campus. And that is to  deal with some of the funding pressures   we're feeling special education and our need to  centralize services um because of that issue. And then so let's talk about some potential  scenarios. If we were to close the school,   what would that look like? There are 218 students  um and based on these planning numbers and this   all says projected because these are planning  numbers. We'll know like what the real numbers are   as we move forward. They they kind of move every  day. But 108 of those students would move to South   Bossy Elementary and 110 would go to Woodway.  We have 35 staff out there. That is everybody   except for the kitchen staff. And seven would 

037go to South Bossi to support the students that   are going to that campus. Six would go to Woodway.  And then we have 22 other teach uh staff and other   uh teachers that would be redistributed into  open positions as they become available across   the district. That would save the district  1.277 about $1.3 million in personnel cost. Here's what transportation would look like  based on our scenarios. Um the students are   up there. I think I think what's most interesting  is to be aware that Spigville students currently   ride the bus for about 25 to 30 I'm sorry 20 to  35 minutes. Earliest route picks up about 6:30.   If we ended up doing this, our earliest routes  would pick up as early as six and some riders   would be on the bus a little over an hour.  I would

038point out Woodway route one and two,   an hour and 3 minutes and an hour and seven  minutes is what our projection is. Um I've been   working on those a little. I have I've asked  uh Ken Wolf, our director of transportation,   to work on that a little bit and look at what  would happen if we had like dedicated routes   to try and pull that time down a little bit.  And so we continue to try and pull those times   down. But right now, this is the scenario that  we think we'd want the board to be fully aware   of as they contemplate what's next. Current  attendance zones, the orange is Spigville,   the kind of purple pink color is South Bossi, and  the green is Woodway. And then on the right hand   side of that slide, that's kind of

039a blow up  of the Spigville attendance zone. If we were   to look at closing the campus, this is what  those new attendance zones would look like.   They are split the way are split to accommodate  the appropriate number of students in each of   the two elementary schools that we have space  available in that are close by. And also kind   of look at the Spigville Road and Highway  6 corridors as the major transportation. um major roads to those areas. So what would that look like moving forward?  We're projecting Spiga South Bosski to have   an enrollment of 484 next year. They have  a capacity of 600. If Spigo were to close,   South Bosski's projected enrollment would be  592. Woodway has a projected enrollment of 494,   capacity of 640. And this  would put them up around 604. projected cost

040savings. We actually think  we would add $90,000 in cost because of   uh additional fuel, two additional routes and  drivers to go with that plus maintenance. And   so if you take our staff savings at 1.3  rounding up 1.3 million 58,000 in building   utility savings uh and then you consider what  you would lose in transportation cost. We   projected being able to save somewhere between  1.2 and $1.3 million if we close the building. Other considerations, there are significant  infrastructure projects up and down Spigville   Road and along the twin bridges. I think that's  important for the board to be thinking about.   We've tried to ask questions and get specific  answers. It is difficult to get super specific   answers when projects have not been awarded yet.  And so this is the best we've been able to get.   So the Spigville

041road bridge improvements uh we  expect fall winter of 26. I do expect there to   be a heavy traffic impact. They do they tell us  that there shouldn't be road closures. If they   are they would be minimal. It'd be more about  rem moving down to one lane instead of two.   and doing uh some of the I don't know the exact  technical term but like where you have cars stop   you let some pass through and then you let them  go that kind of deal and then some other just   rerouting where they go down to one lane they're  also doing twin bridges improvements right now if   you've been up there lately you've seen all  that work they expect all the traffic to be   moved to the northbound bridge with one lane in  each direction summer of 26 27

042that traffic will   move to the new southbound bridge two lanes in  each direction and then 28 the project complete   with everything moving forward and done. And then  they're currently working on the Spigville lift   station. If you tried to drive a river valley  or spigil lately and you've been coming from   84 to do so, you know that we're currently  in a reroute that has started now with some   work being done around a retention pond and some  pipes. And there's about a year for completion to   get that done. And then once they get past that,  they expect limited traffic impact if any once   they get some of that work in that area done.  They still need to do some work actually at the   intersection of Oak. Right now they're kind of  between Kings Row and Oak and

043so we expect some   more work in that area. But those are the the most  significant infrastructure projects. There's a lot   going on out there. They're going to be actually  doing some easement work right in front of River   Valley Middle here in the next several months. But  these are the things that we think are likely to   have the biggest impact on traffic, which we're  going to have to manage for high school and   middle school students no matter what. So we're  formulating a game plan on this no matter what   happens next. But um I think we'd be wrong if we  didn't make that part of the the thinking process. And then we have worked hard to try and do  some things for Spigville Elementary School   over time. So in 2020 and 2021 school year  when that building

044had 290 students in it,   they added a full-time behavior coach. You know,  not on the slide, but I think worth noting is that   the building had a complete interior redo in 2011  after a fire. And we actually started, it's funny,   I was talking to some folks about to today  going back in history. We actually started the   onetoone initiative in this district at Spigville  Elementary School. When we talk about innovation,   support, and trying to take a little campus and  kind of make it the crown jewel of the district,   we actually tried to do that in 2010. I was here  for that. I left and then Becky hopped in and took   over. But, you know, we did that work. Uh, and  then, like I said, we added a full-time behavior   coach in 2020, 2021. And then since

045February 1 of  2023, why that date? That was my first day here.   So, the rest is I was here for when the building  had 260ish or so students, we added a full-time   assistant principal. We added a full-time  CA campus safety and security specialist. We   made the music art and art teacher and librarian  full-time. This allowed all specialist teachers   except the PE teacher to support intervention. Uh  we renovated the playground at the same time we   did the renovations for our other elementary  campuses out of unexpended bond funds from   the last bomb program. And these reports have  these supports have remained in place even as   the enrollment has dropped down to 218 students.  And so there's been a lot to try and make sure   that these students are left are not left behind.  I wasn't sure whether

046to call this slide supports   or who to blame. I'm to blame to some degree for  this disproportionate cost, the $9,000 per student   because we've we've done everything we think we  can to try and provide the campus what it needs   um to be an attractive campus. Um the  challenge is we continue to lose enrollment. Um this isn't particularly comforting, but I do  think it's worth uh context. We are not the only   ones in the state struggling with this. Um, this  is just a snippet of headlines that anyone can   go online and find where schools all across  the state of Texas are closing. Um, in fact,   the very top Texas school districts across the  state move to close campuses because of budget   deficits and declining enrollment. Um, we're in  that same bucket. Our enrollment has actually   gone

047down since I've been here for various  and sunundry reasons. Uh, at the same time,   we're facing significant budget challenges. Um  there is not a place a central hub where they   where anyone counts all of the school closures  but I went online and I just did a quick count   and in the last year and a half I can tell you  that a low ball estimates more than 75 campuses   across the state of Texas and um I think people  would be surprised to know some of them like you   might expect larger districts like uh Austin and  Dallas and Fort Worth you might be surprised to   hear that Leander McKenna are closing campuses in  closed an elementary school of all places. ENS is   this if one of the wealthiest school districts in  the state of Texas. They had

048to close a campus and   so it's affecting a number of different campuses  all over the state um districts all over the state   as they try and consider how to address some  of the challenges. I get an email every day   that kind of gives me statewide headlines.  And y'all it's it's a different district,   a different number of campuses almost daily that  are confronting these challenges. So I've shared   with you a bunch of data. I want to talk for  just a minute about what the data can't capture. You know, when you're talking about closing a  school campus, especially one that's been in   place since 1954, there are a lot of numbers that  are important. And a school administration and a   school board has a responsibility to all students.  And what I've been talking to you to this

049point   is the 218 students at Spigville. We have over  8,600 other students who could benefit from that   $1.2 million. So no matter what decisions made,  they're going to be students who are affected. But we don't ask teachers to think about the  work that they do in the same way that other   industries do. We don't ask them to simply show  up and do a job and go home. We ask them to care   very deeply for the kids they serve. And we ask  them to connect to their communities. They have   goals in their campus improvement plans that hold  them accountable for the way in which they build   relationships with the communities and with the  kids. We don't ask teachers to come to work and   work in isolation. We ask them to invest deeply  in one another. Um

050certainly professionally in   terms of getting the work done, but the best  mental support for a teacher when he or she's   having a rough day is another teacher. They build  tight-knit teams and over time some of them take   on aspects of family and data can't capture that.  There's not a number I can give to you that would   describe that. There is an absolute nuts andbolts  hard number set of facts that we have to think   about. But I but I think it would be disrespectful  to the people who do the hard work we ask them to   do every day to not acknowledge the fact that  this is a human endeavor. And we have to make   tough decisions like every school district has  to make tough decisions. But I think it's worth   taking a moment of pause to

051just reflect on what  it means to have a a building that's been in place   since 1954 and how that creates a sense of place  for students and for families and for teachers.   I was thinking about this today. I didn't write  anything down, but just off the top of my head,   n like 1954, this building was around when we  fought Vietnam and when we fought Korea and   when we fought the Cold War, um the Berlin  Wall went up and came down during the time   that this building has been sitting there.  1954 is the same year that the Supreme Court   hurt Brown versus Board of Education. Um, this  building was around when um, Wilt scored 100,   when Mike scored 63, and when Kobe scored 81.  It was around when RFK and MLK were shot. It   was around

052when we put a man on the moon. It  was here during 9/11 attacks in New York. This   building has been around for almost every major  marker, whether it be athletics or pop culture   or significant horse historical events. For most  people alive today, my dad, who's 76 years old,   was born in 1948. And so for most of us, if we  think back over the biggest markers in our life,   this building has stood in testament to that.  I don't say that because I think it should be   a reason not to do what needs to be done for the  schools and for Midway. Innovation means change,   but I do think it it is a way of just stopping  to take pause for a moment and recognize that   um there there are no easy decisions when you're  trying to

053think about what's best for kids and for   a community. And that it's worth just a little bit  of of pause to recognize the heart that's involved   in this kind of work. that is very difficult to  capture with data and throw on a slide in front of   some decision makers who uh need to try and figure  out what's best for today and moving forward. So   with that, I'd entertain any questions you have.  So what's your recommendation? Yeah, here's   here's here's what I would recommend. I don't  think that it is fair to look at doing anything   with Spigville Elementary that we don't recognize  should be part of the same decision-making metrics   for any other campus we have over the next several  years. I think that there's very little reason to   believe that that building and that location

054on  that piece of property with this infrastructure is   part of the future of um Midway ISTD. I think we  should close the campus. But I think in doing so,   we should know that that means that if we have  to redraw attendance zones for other elementary   schools in the coming years to move more kids to  Huitt or more kids to um Spring Valley or more   kids to Castleman that we should think about  that with the same level of dogged efficiency.   I think it means that if we have to consider  other programs that we have in the district,   programs that are meaningful and important,  when it comes time to face those decisions,   we should face them with the same amount of dogged  focus on doing what's right for kids, all kids,   while understanding that we have to

055be thoughtful  about efficiency. I I don't see a solution to the   problem. I don't see us getting more funding from  the state. I don't see that this is going to be   an issue that solves itself anytime soon. I do  believe we will have another campus in Spigville   one day. I don't know exactly when that's going to  be. Mr. Tullis, you mentioned earlier that we've   seen significant a meaningful growth the last  four years in Mlennon County. And yet all these   projected houses or housing developments have not  produced a house that has caused our enrollment   to increase. We we are in a place where we're  dealing with something we've not had to deal with   here before. We've always been the fast growing  district. We're now contracting. And so if we're   going to build when we're growing, then

056we have  to deal with contraction when we're not. And so   my recommendation would be um reluctantly that  we close it, but that we know that by doing so,   we we have to be thoughtful about what this means  for every other thing we do in the district from   this point moving forward. I I know this isn't  a question. you won't have an answer to this,   but I mean, have you considered u some of  those students may choose not to stick with   our district, may take other alternatives that  are now available to them. Um, so it's not even   guaranteed that all those students would end up.  Yes. Staying with us. Yeah, we've calculated that   into the potential scenarios. Yeah. Mhm. That's at  the same time I would point out too that if if we   don't close it,

057a lot of those students might  also take advantage of those opportunities to   go somewhere else as well. Sure. That's Yeah.  What um am I correct, Miss board president,   that we are noticed for action on this today? Is  that correct? Yes, that is correct. This is just   for discussion, for information for the public.  We want to put the effort so we can discuss this   together as a group in an open meeting because as  time has gone on and we've gone back and forth on   this and then the enrollment started going down.  So we put did not put in the budget to build a   new elementary school because the student numbers  aren't there. Right. So and then our budgets just   keep being slashed and everything's happening. It  just seemed to bring this more to the focus that  

058it felt like it was time that we needed to really  seriously talk about Speedball. We've talked about   it before, but all of us just wanted to keep  it going, right? We just weren't ready. Um,   and I'm not saying we're all ready. I don't know,  but we need to talk about it because of the future   and because of these kids and because of the  uncertainty these families feel because of the   up and downs we've had the last couple years.  And I feel that and I know how hard that is.   You want a decision whether it's what you want or  you don't want. You want to know what what's your   future. And so I think it's important to discuss  it and I think it's I hate the thought of closing   a school but everything you know runs

059its course  at some point and um you know we we closed the old   high school and built a new one. So these things  happen but I think it's important to discuss it   and if at the end of this conversation discussion  we can um have a called meeting to to do a vote   on it or we could wait to the next board meeting  to vote on it. But tonight is discussion and so I   think we really need to be honest with ourselves  and each other and and ask him more questions and   and talk about it so we can get a feel for what  the board would like to do. Well, that's why I   asked just to make sure everybody you're new that  there's not a the way our agendas work and the   Texas open meeting laws

060work. We can't take action  if we don't have it on our agenda to potentially   take action. And and I do think that I think  that all of the teachers, all of the students,   all the families that live there, the thing they  deserve more than anything else is clarity on   this really soon. And so I think hopefully we can  have the conversation here and ask the questions   and make a decision. I would favor before our next  March meeting, but because I know that every every   day that we move that decision up makes it easier  on the staff, makes it easier on the families,   makes it on everyone to know what's coming. The  board can always direct administration to schedule   a special called meeting. Sure. Absolutely. Uh  within the laws around timelines and all that.   Thank you.

061And we've also or I've also mentioned  that if we do decide to close Spiegelville,   I think it's important to do it with enough time  that we can honor and celebrate Spiegelville   before the if we were to do it now before the  end of the year before that happens. We need   enough time to put together those opportunities  for everybody to come together and celebrate and   remember the school that was there. And so that  might be another reason to be more timely if we   wanted to have another meeting. But tonight is  just discussion. I mean we need to kind of know   how everybody is feeling on this issue to move  forward. My question about you talked about and   changes. Are we are we comfortable with the idea  that this change is absorbed fully by Woodway and   South

062Bossi and there's not any other redrawings  or things to balance. Are we are we comfortable   those two campuses can handle based on our  current projections? We are actually more   than comfortable. I know the numbers are under,  but I also know that when you get to that 95%,   it starts to feel full. So, we have space to  absorb those students. Each of those buildings   have had more students in that in them in the past  and we're able to operate at high levels and get   good student learning outcomes from young people.  And so, yes, sir, to answer your question briefly,   if we were to start to go back into a growth  curve, then we'd have to come back and look at   that. But that is not the case and and hasn't  been for some time. The issue

063that concerns me   is the long bus ride for the students. So, I'm  I'm glad y'all are trying to look into it and   see if we can come up with another alternative  since it's going to cost us more money to do this   with transportation. It it would, in my opinion,  might be okay to spend a little bit more to try   to do it a little better for those little kids  so they're not on on the bus as long as an hour   if it's possible. We're working on that possible.  um and looking at some scenarios to to your point,   the amount of money we're saving, we're willing  to spend quite a bit more. The fact of the matter   is it is a long run out to some of the places we  have students and we're trying to

064get it under   an hour to get it appreciably under an hour is  probably not realistic. No. And some of the kids   and some the older kids are used to doing that  to go to the middle school or the high school,   but um so it's it's hard on the student used to  it. Yes. Mhm. Um, but does anybody else have any   thoughts, questions, some general? One of the  hardest things I've I've learned in this seat,   but it's incredibly been helpful, is the more  complex a matter, the more critical it is that   we hear about it from multiple points of view. And  and one thing that I I think has become clear over   the last six or seven months is that this is a  community that has felt unheard. Um I will admit   there were some things

065I had not heard. There  were some things that I did not know. And one   of the most helpful things that's come out of the  last several months is having an opportunity to   listen to some stories to hear what this means to  hear what the experience on that campus has been   like. We've done that in public meetings. We've  done that through emails. We've received a done   one-on-one conversation. Um, you've given us lots  of information to digest. Would it be possible to   let Mandy Bronstead come and give some thoughts  about what this has been like for her and hear   from that point of view? Are we allowed to do  that? Um, you are um asking a member of staff to   come speak to you, which you're certainly allowed  to do. But we would if well we would

066need to do   that at a special I mean she's not here special  called meeting or she's not here. She is here.   She's I don't have my glasses on. I don't know  if she wants to be called up to the front at the   moment. I want to put Mandy on the spot but I want  to give her the opportunity she would like to say. It's up I mean you've been invited. Good evening, board. I'm going  to try not to get emotional. I um I was thinking if I were up here, what would I  say? And listening to everything. And I don't   think there's one person in our building um or  a parent that has seen the numbers that doesn't   understand the numbers and the facts of what Dr.  Allen so eloquently explained. Um I understand the  

067decision that's being put before you and that  it's a hard decision and why we are having to   make that decision. Um, in that same aspect, I  this is my seventh year there and I love that   campus and I love those kids and um families  and staff and so even though I understand it   all that that doesn't change the feelings that  we all have and I know you understand that. Um,   my biggest thing is really honestly, and please  don't throw anything at me at work tomorrow,   is not what decision you make. It's not um  whether you decide to close Spiegelville or   not because again, we all understand the numbers  and the position that you've been put in. Um, the   biggest thing on my heart is that the decision is  made sooner rather than later. I have

068watched the   morale and feelings of staff go up and down all  year long and there's not anything anybody could   have done that about that. Um, I tried my best  and I can't. I mean, there there's just not. Um,   I understand that, but it's been hard to watch um  for families that know. It's been hard to watch.   Um, and to not really be able to do anything to  help them. And I think that the longer that this   lingers on um just that just continues. Um, and  I would not want to be sitting in your shoes in   your seat. I I am very thankful for all the  thoughtfulness that you have put into this   decision and the conversations that you've had.  Um I so appreciate that and again I'm thankful   that it's not my decision. Um and

069I don't know  what the rules are about calling a special called   board meeting or anything like that. Um but I do  think that it has been an emotionally an emotional   year. Um and we are nearing the time in education  where people even though Midway has said like you   we're going to need teachers, we will find jobs  for you. Um this is the time of year when staff   are start to get scared about that because right  now there is still unknown. Even if people say   um there there is a position for you don't know  where you don't know what it's going to be. Um if   you are a staff member that has kids at the campus  you don't know if you're going to end up at one   campus and now your kids are going to end

070up at  another one. There's just all kinds of things that   are going through their minds. Um I have shared  this with them. I my children are grown. I don't   have to worry about those things. Um but I ask you  to just be mindful of that. All of the uncertainty   that families and um staff are experiencing. I I  guess a blessing of younger students is they don't   really understand or know. And so um whereas if we  were talking about a middle school or high school,   they might understand a little bit more know  more. Um so I can't say that I've seen that   in the kiddos. Um but but definitely in the  staff and in some families and so that would   be my ask of you tonight. Um, it's really  not whether we're opened or closed. Um,  

071while I work at Spiegelville, I definitely want  the best for every student in the district. Um,   I used to work at the middle school and I loved  my time there and I love those kids and staff   and I don't think you could find any Midway staff  member that wouldn't want the best for every kid   and family and staff member in the district.  Um so thank you for asking and for listening. So one of the things I like about the plan is  that we will have some staff going to Woodway   and some staff going to uh South Bossi. So a  lot of the kids will have someone they should   probably have someone they're familiar with at  one of those schools. So it won't just be all   teachers perhaps. they don't recognize, you know  what I'm saying?

072Depends on their age. But I I   think that's a positive. Um, do you feel pretty  confident though that 35 teachers and staff and   even the even the cafeteria, say the food service  staff that we will be able to find the place for   them if they want to stay in Midway? So, what I  would tell you is the answer to that is yes. Even   if we have to run heavy for a year, I view this as  a potential two-year phase in if if required. Um,   we have turned over about 120 to 150  staff every year since I've been here.   if we turned over half of that, we'd be able  to accommodate all the changes we're trying   to make in the district. Um, but as even when  I was talking about the middle school changes,   I said,

073"Y'all, if we have to phase this in  over two years to accomplish the full savings,   if that's the cost of of treating  people well, that's what we'll do." Yeah, I think that's important for sure is making  sure like they've said the staff is taken care of.   just to that point. We have frozen I'm sorry. Uh  we've frozen all hiring in the district. No one's   allowed to fill a position until we make sure that  all of the folks who are looking for positions   internally are cared for. Um and we're actually  delaying our contract recommendations from March   to April this year to give us more time to do all  of that. So every teacher in the district wants   this resolved is what you're saying. Well, that's  true. Um what I would say is this. We're talking   about

074Spigville, but everyone has a piece of  this. We are 11 campuses, but we are one district. Well, I hate that we've been put in this  spot. Um, and I hope people understand   the spot that Texas public education is  being put in. I mean, we just saw that. Um,   and I hope they remember that when they go to the  ballot box. Um, cuz these are kids. This is the   future of this state and we're not taking care  of them. Early voting for the primary started   today. Thursday and the primaries are where  elections are won and lost in the state of Texas. I brings up a good point and that I'd like to  underscore because I' been hearing it and and   Mandy, you said it very well. um your community,  this community is in a state of

075uncertainty and   and the degree to which that has been agonizing.  Um I I feel it and and I'm I'm sorry. Um this may   be common across the state. It's never happened in  the history of Midway. We we've closed a campus to   build a new one, but we have never had to shut  down a school. And so I'm sorry if it feels like   it's been drugged out on on our end. I we wanted  to be thoughtful and deliberate and have as much   information as we possibly could while also being  reluctant to do something that we don't want to   do. So I'm I'm sorry for the helplessness and  uncertainty you've may have felt because there's   a decision that's up in the air that you're not  in charge of. That said, circling back to what   Dr. Allen and

076Mr. Barry said, the agency that we  all have is to go to the ballot box and let our   state leaders know what we want for the future of  public education. It's never been more critical.   The numbers we're looking at now are not going  to get better until we tell our leaders that we   deserve more. So, if that helps the people in  this community feel more empowered, I I hope   that's something that you will leave and think  on. There is actually something you can do to   take ownership of what's going on in our district.  Thank you. And not to belver the point that Pam   and Jordan just made, but what I'll say to Miss  Gomez, Miss Bronstad, speaking for me personally,   I was hopeful um probably naive, but I was hopeful  that the legislature would give

077us the resources   we needed to keep Spiegelville open. That was my  hope. That was my wish. Um and so I think that   plays into what Pam said that I think that's what  dragged this on as long as it has. I really really   wanted to keep Spiegelville open. And not saying  that a decision's been made, don't want to speak   like it has been, but that that has always been  my desire was to keep Spiegelville open, but you   know, based on the the numbers that Dr. Dr. Helen  shared and just kind of the circumstances in the   state of public education in the state and the  fact that uh our legislators think that private   school kids are worth $10,000 and public school  kids are worth $6,000 and change. It's just making   it really tough and I hate that.

078And you know,  we're we're we are put in a tough spot and I don't   like it, but you know, we've got to do what's best  for 8,800 kids. And it just it sucks that there's   going to be 218 that are going to be impacted more  than the other 8,600. Um if it was to close, but   um I would also say my preference um like Mr.  Wit said that we have a special call meeting   to to get to get a decision on the books sooner  than later. There's no sense in dragging this out   out of respect for everybody at Spville, kids and  staff, families, everybody. So, I agree as well.   You know, I'll say this, too. I mean, I I don't  I don't disagree with what you the three of you   have just said about the

079problems at the state  level and funding and everything else. I mean,   that's that is clearly the elephant in the room  here. Um, but I mean I even look at, you know,   if if we had another two or three or $400 in  the basic aotment that we don't have now, we   would still be facing a building that needs $4.3  million of updates that will never have the kind   of water and sewer support that we need to really  grow that campus to make to make that a place. I I   I think it's still a huge lift to make that campus  the kind of campus that we want to say this is a   Midway campus and that those kids are I mean I've  I've visited most of our campuses, been there,   you know, met read, you know, been

080in classes to  read. I roller skated at Spiegelville a few years   ago. It was a lot of fun. I didn't fall down um  that anybody knows. But I I just think I I I think   it's a huge a huge driver for this is the funding  problem. But I think there are there are issues   that this board probably should have looked at and  addressed years back. I appreciate that what we've   done, the work we've done and that that Jordan's  group did as well with uh the facilities. I think   we're going to make big progress in the district.  I think it was a huge lift to do that in the way   that respects the the staff and the students  are there and says, you know, we value you as   much as everyone else, you know, in the

081district.  So I think I I think even from that perspective,   if we had the funding to to keep kicking the  can down the road, I still don't think that we   are close enough to where that needs to be. Does  that make sense? The the challenge is a building   that's designed for two Well, the building can  hold up to about 275 almost 300 and in the world   of this funding, it's not tenable, right? And and  we couldn't add on to it is my point. We couldn't   upgrade it. So, so it's not a it's not a facility  that's amendable to growth like that. It it we we   we need a different solution. When I was here the  first time, we built Calman Creek. That was a 600   student building. We're uh Park Hill was built  at 750.

082Mhm. This this is this is the impact   of reduced funding on the state. We're seeing  building buildings everywhere, bigger buildings   everywhere because they tend to be more efficient.  Yeah, that's fair. Well, I just think that the I   guess what I'm trying to say is the worst thing  that we could do is nothing and try to continue on   as is. That we we either need a large commitment,  a large lift to to bring that campus where it   needs to be or we need we need to understand the  best thing for those students and that and the   staff is to be in an environment where they can  succeed like everyone else in the district can.   Well, that first they've done remarkably well  possible. Yeah. I mean, they remarkably well,   right? It's an area campus this last year, 

083right? No, sir. But they went from an 80 to   an 88. Right. They moved out of that. Yes, sir.  Dramatic. Which is considerable. Yes, sir. So,   I like everybody's comments. I think they're very  helpful and forthright. The only other thought   I have is alluding to what he said. You know, I  think someday there'll be a new elementary school   out on that part of town. Um, and rightfully  so. We've held this off for many years because   of enrollment growing. We kept thinking it would  get big enough we would build a new school and   then boom, enrollment is going down. So, I still  think that's in the future. But my other positive   of the fact that enrollment is down and I don't  think it's going to be up anytime soon for us to   build a new school

084out there is that the children  that are moved to a new school will finish out   their elementary careers at that school. Because  several years ago, we were afraid with the way   the growth was going if we did close Spiegelville,  the students might be at Woodway for two years and   then the new school would be built and they'd be  moved again. And that's even harder. And so that   was one of the reasons we kept putting it off. I  I feel more at peace now knowing that the students   will 99% sure they will stay at the campus they  are sent to till they finish elementary school and   before we have the the bond passed and the money  and everything in place and the the high enough   students to fill a new elementary school. Um so  still doesn't

085make it easy by any means but I'm   definitely more at peace um with the decision  myself. So only person we haven't heard from   is Brad. If you have anything you'd like I was  gonna ask Chris about the timeline if enrollment   changed how long that would be but you you've  answered that. So Okay. Okay. I agree. In your   in your attendance zone shifts you showed up there  earlier. Was there any other changes to current   attendance zones? No sir. Just the division of  Speakville. Okay. But on that thought, if if the   district does start growing in other parts of  the of the district somehow that well anyway,   not other parts, but if some neighborhoods  start to grow, say in South Bossi, and the   numbers start to get big, we might have to shift  some of the other

086parts of the district zoning   to move kids so that the speakable kids are still  at the schools they're in and some other students   might have to be moved. But that is of course down  the line. We don't know if or when that would even   Right now we're contracting. Yeah. So, something I  would want to consider going forward and we we've   spent a lot of time over the last six months even  talking about uh I want to use you choose my words   carefully but but but some of the things that  makes it hard for Spiegelville to be Spiegelville.   Um it's geographically remote from the rest of the  district. It's small because we can't make it any   bigger because the infrastructure is limited.  We It's disproportionately expensive to run.   It's certainly uh received a disproportionate  amount of

087care on the facility I think relative   to the other campuses and we spent a lot of  time focusing on that and those are important   things but whatever we do going forward I want to  make sure we are very purposeful about honoring   and celebrating the good things that make it  so special. Oh yeah. and to hold on to that   and remember all the good things that come out of  that campus and and this community. Like I said,   the things we've piloted out there because we  could start small. But I I I can't tell your story   for you, but but I'm determined to honor that part  of the Spiegel story going forward and celebrate   what makes it special. I hope that makes sense.  Yeah, and we will do that definitely. Anybody else   have any comments or thoughts?

088So, are we are we  recommending to get this on an agenda as soon as   we can? Yes. If everybody I just want to make sure  everybody was through speaking. Okay. I would like   to ask the superintendent to please call a special  call board meeting before spring break. We So,   you'll hear from our office and we'll start  working with you to schedule something as   fast as the laws allow. Correct. The earliest  The earliest we'd be able to meet is middle   of the week next week. Okay. Because of posting  rules and where we are on timeline this week. So,   we'll get it on there as quickly as we can at the  end after tonight. And your and your schedule's   allowed. Those are the two things we got to line  up. I will be here next week. And

089it has to be   a night meeting. Does that Did you say that? Yes,  ma'am. There's recent change in legislation for me   outside of work hours. Okay. And I and I wanted  to make sure that we we do that. I think it's   important we do it that we do it in here that  it's online for people to watch if people are   not able to come and speak. I mean, I don't Yeah.  Well, it has to be at an open meeting, which Yeah.   All right. I want to thank Dr. Allan for this  uh very good presentation, for your thoughts,   for your compassion, your care for Spiegel, how  how hard you've worked with us to give us all the   information, all the data, all the facts, but then  and you work with the staff and the students out  

090there and you care and our whole staff cares and  thank you for doing such a good job with this hard   problem decision issue. Thank you, sir. We love  it's not a problem that was wrong, but thank you. Okay. All right. After that, we have middle of  the year progress monitoring data. Dr. Odima,   y'all, my allergies are messing with my brain. All right. Well, good evening again. We have  middle of the year progress data to share with   you. Um, tonight there are two assessments  primarily, actually three that we'll share   with you. We have not finished our benchmark  assessments which we shared this time last year.   We were a little bit further down the line um with  those because we did this presentation in March.   Um and then our unit test is not something that we  routinely

091do but we have um beginning, middle and   end of year assessments that we do. MAP is what  we use for um reading language arts. Tango Lion is   what we use for math assessment. And then we use  for both reading and math in our middle grades and   then um in high school grades as well for reading  and math. The benchmark assessments we'll talk   about at the end there. And then unit tests are  those ongoing assessments at the end of each unit   that we use to measure progress along the way. So  um tonight starting with our reading assessments,   we've got several years of using maps. So we have  some great data here. So the bar on the far right   um the dark navy bar is where we are today. So  middle of the year is the winter

092section in the   middle. You'll notice um we're trending up in  nearly every area um in every grade level. So   this is kindergarten. One of the um neat things  here I think is that in kindergarten in our middle   of the year numbers that 151.7 we are nearly  at the national norm for the end of year. So   that light blue bar on the far spring side that  is the national norm for kindergarteners. So our   kindergarters in the middle of the year are nearly  at the national norm end of year for everybody   else. So I think that's outstanding and you'll see  that trend follow. Again this is first grade on   their MAP test. we're making significant um gains.  So, we we're outpacing ourself from previous years   and we're at where uh the national norm ends up  by end

093of year. So, that looks great. Um again,   same kind of thing for second grade. Third grade  um still pacing well above national norm end of   year doing great there. Um so, you see this trend  follow. So, we've been using MAP for some time and   we've seen um growth. We had a rocky start, but  it looks great um from this point forward. So,   we're excited about the gains that we've seen in  MAP scores. Our TIA has reflected that as well   because this is how teachers have designated for  teacher incentive aotment in those um early grades   K through yeah K through um fifth grade. This is  and we just began using this as a um beginning,   middle, end of year screener in sixth through 8th  grade for reading language arts this year. So the   only data that

094we have right now to compare  to is our our own beginning to middle of year   um results. So you'll see that the students that  are far below are about maintaining where they   were. We've had a little bit of movement in and  out. It doesn't look incredible when you look at   it here, but what I think is important to look  at nationally normed wise, 60% of our kids are   performing above the national norm. So 50% line  is where the country is performing and 60% of   our kids are above that line. So even though it  doesn't look fantastic here really we're doing   pretty well um and we're going to keep working  through that. Again this is our first time to use   this screener. So our teachers and our students  getting accustomed to this measurement is also   something

095that we're working through. Um so that's  um I excel for reading seventh grade little bit   better response. Um the far below thing we need  to take this a little more seriously. So we're   working on that too. Um but um again nationally  normed more than 50% of our kids are above the   national norm. Um so we feel like we're heading  in the right direction with this. Um we just need   to make some adjustments as to how we we use this  assessment in middle of year and then in 8th grade   um we need some adjustments on how we um use  this. This is actually feeding into practice um   information that they use this program so that it  it feeds activities into a student's independent   work on this platform. So if they don't do well  on these assessments,

096it's going to feed them more   remedial type practice. So they need to do well  on these assessments in order for it to actually   feed them the information that they need. So,  it'll ask them to practice grade level skills   and then also give them um um reading prompts  that would help them like fill in gaps. So,   it's important that they do perform at the level  they actually can. So, we're working on that to   um work through some of these kinks. Um still  we're 50% of our students are performing above   the grade level norm. Ninth grade um same kind  of thing here. We're going to continue to work   this to use this as a great measure. I don't  think we're taking it as seriously as we could.   Um but still 59% so we're significantly better  than we

097were in eighth grade. So you can see   um we've got um good performance numbers  there. You'll see that 10th grade has dropped,   but part of that is because if you look  at the gray bar on the far right side,   those are our students that are in AP seminar.  So, we scraped off the top um performers in the   class that are taking an AP class as sophomores.  They didn't take this assessment because they   were doing an AP assessment in place of it.  So, or they were prepping for an AP exam. So,   um still with our top third of our students  pulled out, still 42% of the rest of the   class is performing above the national norm.  Moving on to math, we're using Tango Lion um   in in this math placement. So you'll see that our  kindergarten

098students always perform really well.   So if you look at the two um far left columns,  you have on track and off track as those two   um sets of columns. The the pink is the current  year. So we're doing well there. Um still doing   well in first grade. We're outperforming where we  were last year. In second grade, we're making some   strides. It's about where it was last year. We're  outperforming the previous year's uh mark by about   3%. So that's great. um Tango Lion is measuring  more than the skills that they've been taught,   but it's sort of um in stride with the curriculum.  Um you'll see that third grade goes down,   but what I'll tell you is that they're making  gains because if I go backwards in second grade,   this group was also behind. So they were

099behind  their previous cohort. They were at 31%. Well, now   they've grown to 39% at this point in the year.  So they are making strides. Even though they're a   little bit behind um their previous class cohort,  they're still making gains. So we're we're on the   right trajectory. Um fourth grade looks great  as far as middle of the year data is concerned   um where they need to be at this point in time.  Fifth grade was a surprise. Um this is not what   our unit tests have shown us. So I don't know if  we stumped them a little bit with this test or   not, but we have a benchmark coming up on the 4th  I believe um of March. And so we'll have more data   to back this up and see where we are. But this  was a

100little bit off um from the other tests that   we've been collecting along the way. So we move  into middle grades, we move to that component in   math. Um what you can see here is that um with the  national norm in this case, they're performing 67%   above the national norm at that 50 um percentile  mark and higher. And then the two percentiles next   to that are 11% of our population. So we're we're  doing well. Um in seventh grade, we have um a   large amount of students that look like they're  far below. There's still 63% of our kids that   are performing above the national norm. So we'll  continue to work with those students and make sure   we're taking this assessment as seriously as we  need to. So it's feeding us the right information   when we do the

101practice work and the progress  monitoring and platform. But overall performing um   probably where we need to on that national normed  um piece as that's measured. This is 8th grade.   Um it looks like half of the class um is not  performing where they should be in 8th grade. This   is also um one of those places where we've got 56%  of the class that's performing above the national   norm above the 50th percentile. But it is also  a test that is not given to algebra 1 students.   So you've also taken off the top probably half  of the eighth grade students that are sitting   in algebra 1. It's probably more than half of the  students. And then the remaining students that are   in grade on grade level math are still performing  well um on the eighth grade math assessment.  

102We do have upcoming benchmarks which will give  us a good indication of um where we are um in   our preparation for our state assessments. So you  see here every content area, every grade level   has got some kind of benchmark coming up. So in  addition to these middle-ofear test, we also have   benchmarks. There's quite a bit of assessing that  happens um at this stage in the game. So we can   bring more data when those things um have passed.  um we'll be doing lots of um disagregation with   that data and making some individualized  plans when that happens. We actually just   had a day-to-day a district-wide data day on  February 13th when we had the day off. We had a   professional learning day and our um teachers took  the data that we have um to date um and

103looked at   it kid by kid to figure out what we need to do  next um for individual students. We'll continue   to disagregate that data as we get it um and work  with ongoing plans for individual needs and group   needs. Um and then we'll make sure we're getting  them the resources and things that they need. So,   do you have questions about anything we're looking  at right now? Does anyone have any questions?   I'm noticing in in some of our areas um especially  on eth 9th 10th grade uh reading language arts and   third let's see third grade math sixth grade math  that that that bump up in the testing far below   numbers is that was that a surprise clearly you  you see it you know it got a plan going forward   it just caught my attention I didn't

104know if  there was anything else you wanted to say about   it yeah so this is the first time that we've used  for this screener And um we don't believe that   we've taken it as seriously as we probably needed  to. What does that mean? That means the students   did not take as long on the assessment as they  needed to and they flew through the questions.   Okay. So So we don't believe we've got the most  accurate data that we have. We believe they're   performing much higher than what these tests  indicate. So this is not the only measure we're   using to figure out exactly where they are um in  their their readiness and in their progress right   now. Um but it is something that we are having  discussions um with teachers during PLC time about   that because this

105platform is actually really  helpful because it builds individualized lessons   for students. So when students log in dependent  on how they've performed on this assessment,   they have individualized lessons built for them.  So, if they'll do well on the assessment and it's   a true indication of where they are academically,  they'll have catered individualized lessons. Well,   if they don't do well, it's going to give them  stuff that they don't need that they're they're   past. So, we've got to fix that. But this is our  inaugural year of EXL for our middle grades. Um,   so we'll continue to work through those bumps. But  good catch on that because this is not acceptable   data. Oh, we we need measurements and we need  data. We need to track student performance. But   what what I'm hearing you say is that this is a 

106snapshot of student performance and it does not   by any means tell the whole story. That's right.  So maybe it's time to mention this is also time   to have the conversation with our candidates  running for office that we need to measure   more than test scores because there's going to  be a lot of talk going forward about what STAR   looks like and what that means for student school  accountability ratings. So that's right. We're   thinking about testing. That's a conversation  we need to keep happening having having with the   people. Absolutely. We make laws about testing.  Mhm. So, I'm going to get that plug in there if   I can. I love it. And to that end, I mean, are we  You talk about benchmarks, EXL, MEA, MAP, Tangle,   Lion. I know there's STAR. I know there's other  things. That's

107right. I mean, do we feel like   these kids are kind of getting test overload? I  mean is this uh I guess one of the questions is   are we do each of these different measures help us  in a way that reinforces others or gives us a new   look that it's that it's important we have three  or four different ways to slice this or should we   maybe is it easier to focus this down on just one  set of benchmarks of what what what will make the   most sense for the teachers and also the students  to get their attention. Yeah. So they they measure   different things. I mean, the unit assessment only  measures what you've taught in that specific time,   which is not what STAR does. It looks at the  entire scope of the year. The benchmarks are  

108very much like STAR. They look at the entire  scope of the year to see if you're ready for   that STAR test. When they the rules roll out  for the new STAR test, they're going to outlaw   benchmark tests. So, those are no longer going to  be allowed. However, um you can still assess based   on the curriculum that you've taught at that time.  So, there probably be some way that those still   happen. The screeners actually um are supposed  to assess your content knowledge at the time,   not necessarily based on the curriculum. So,  you're looking for growth. So, growth over time,   not necessarily what you've been taught in the  content, but are you growing cognitively over   time. So, they do test different things. So, you  know, it it matters what you're looking to measure   and they do measure

109different things. So, for  us, looking for cognitive growth, the MAP test   will tell you that. Um, will tell you that to a  certain extent. Tango Lion measures more of your   um content um knowledge. The benchmark is a  pre-star. So, it gives us a good read on whether   or not you're going to master um the TEICSS and  whether or not you're ready for that assessment   so that we know how better to prepare you before  we get there. So, that's why we do that at this   stage because we've taught the majority of the  curriculum um at this stage in the year. So,   um we know that we can intervene in a way that  a kid's still going to be successful when we   get there. So, I think they all serve different  purposes. It is a lot of

110assessment. Yeah. But if   it's valid, I mean, that's good. I understand the  difference between the content and the cognitive,   so that makes sense. Okay. Yeah. Um, Becky, how  long do some of these tests take that they just   did? I mean, is it really overwhelming to  the kids? Is it like a I know you say you   think they went through it too fast, but is it  supposed to be an hour test, a all day test? The   benchmarks that we've done, the benchmarks take a  bit longer. Okay. They're um I don't um what, Kim,   like 90 minutes or so benchmark. the benchmarks.  We run those in RLA and math just like a start   of simulation. So the p the canvas group practice  you can practice administr and social studies we   do through the classrooms because they're much 

111shorter than um your universal screeners. Um   it depends on a student's proficiency how  long it takes and the more proficient you   are the longer it takes. So it's a little bit  different for every student. Um, but it yeah,   now it takes a long time. They're adaptive,  so you get a different number of questions   based on what you're getting right and what you're  getting wrong. Well, I had some concerns as well,   but I was glad you were able to explain them. I  know it's the first time to the test. Maybe people   should take it as seriously should. Also, the fact  you could tell us, you could tell a difference in   the second grade, how they performed in the third  grade because you look back to second grade. Um,   and then also the gray area. So, I'm

112glad you can  interpret the test better than I can, the results   better than I can, and that you of course I know  you have means in place to help those kids improve   and and learn learn more, but um you did enlighten  and your explanations were very helpful. So,   thank you for that. Excellent. Anybody else? Okay,  we we're still waiting our stump Becky question.   Not tonight. You're doing great. Not tonight.  Thank you. Can I ask one more question about it,   too? Are there are there other assessments that  instead I mean is does the tea have stuff that   aligns with STAR is that important? Is it  like do you feel like these are the right   assessments for us to give? I I'm not advocating  for more don't get me wrong you talked about how   when when the

113new star stuff so when the SST  the new star comes out it won't just be the   one test. They'll write their own BOI and MOI.  So there'll be two other tests. They also are   supposed to name some vendors that they would  allow you to replace. And we suspect that one   of our vendors might be one that's adopted. Okay.  But on the table, as I understand it, as of now,   our accountability ratings are still going to be  based on the one test at the end of the year. So,   we are looking at having students take more tests  but still have only one count. Yeah. Yes. I think   it's misleading to parents. If though they use  the one of the ones that we're currently using   as our screener, if we're able to swap that out  for the

114STAR beginning and middle of year, then   our kids would actually be doing the exact same  thing that they do right now. Only hopefully the   STAR test at the end of the year would be shorter.  But my point being, we're the plan to collect more   data but not have it influence the outcome as  far as district accountability ratings. So,   we're still being measured by one single snapshot  on one day. And not taking test stress off of   the students. Correct. No, it didn't really help  any testing. Yeah. Not at all. Yeah. More tests,   no impact. Yeah. Sorry. Sorry for the extra  question. You open a can of worms. Thank you,   Dr. Oja Jima. All right. CTE and CCMR annual  report. Jess Wheeler. Thank you. Good evening.   Being that we're in the middle of livestock  show season, I'm

115going to talk a little bit   like a auctioneer if I talk too quickly. Uh  don't hesitate to stop me. Uh this presentation   will have a little bit different flavor than it  typically has. Usually I focus exclusively on CTE,   provide a little bit of the CCMR uh components. Uh  we have uh historically been very very successful   with CCMR. I don't envision that being um uh  different moving forward. uh but TEA has is in   the process of significantly changing the game  uh and have kind of uh uh hampered our ability   to to do what we do. And so I want to make sure  that we cover those and assess the plan that we   have moving forward. And so as I said, there are  major changes. It will affect the class of 2027.   So our current junior class,

116uh which will be  accountability 2028. So I I mean we're talking   about years in advance, but we've got a plan  now for those students to be be be accountable   for it. Um so there are those three metrics.  You have college readiness, career readiness,   and military readiness. Obviously, if you go  to the military, you enlist, you fill out a   DD4. Um the United States government provides  that back to TEA and it checks that box. From a   college readiness perspective, all of our students  take the TSI, uh that Texas Success Initiative,   um in both math and English. Um, if they pass  both of those, they are then CCMR. If they make a   uh take an AP course, three or better, they pass  that, they're CCMR. If they take 9 hours of dual   credit or they pass 3

117hours of math or 3 hours  of English, they're also uh CCMR. If they pass an   on-ramps course, they're CCMR. And then for those  students that have not been successful on one of   those, we have for the for those seniors where  they take college prep English, college prep math,   we pair that with Texas College Bridge, which  prevents a student from having to take remedial   courses for 100 plus different universities and  colleges in the state of Texas. Um, from a career   readiness perspective, as long as a student has  been in uh, three or more courses within a program   of study and then a TEI TEA aligned and approved  industrybased certification, they are deemed   career ready. And then if a student is covered  under special education, if their IEP committee   determines them to be student workforce ready,  they

118too are CCMR. That is our current practice   uh and how we have achieved 94 95 96s for for for  as many years as we have. TEA has uh in the past   year they required all postsecary institutions  to submit their curriculum to TEA to evaluate   in pairing with college prep courses. Now colleges  don't typically supply their curriculum to tea but   what they have done is they if if if a institution  of higher learning provided their curriculum to   tea tea then said school districts can utilize  said school said curriculum uh with college   prep courses and they would then meet their CCMR  components. The real issue came when they only   uh approved five uh institutions of higher  learning for English and zero for mathematics. Um   and so we do not have a pairing for college prep.  Uh in

119addition to that they did not honor Texas   College bridge which 100 univers 100 100 colleges  currently have. Uh and so it is not an option for   either one of those two. And so it's kind of  left us uh empty-handed with that perspective.   Additionally, uh TEA has been playing with um the  industrybased certifications um where they have   created three buckets of certifications. A tier  one is a federally uh recognized uh certification,   a tier 2 is a state recognized and a tier three is  all the others. uh t tier one accounts for about   10% of the 280 certifications. Uh tier 2 is about  another 15% and tier 3 is that that remaining 75%.   The caveat to all of that is our tier 3 IBC's uh  only 5% of the graduating class can count towards   CCMR moving forward.

120Um and so uh the good news  for that is I was at a conference last week. Um   there's a rumor out there that says that they may  push this back to 2030 cuz obviously all of that   is causing districts lots and lots and lots of  heartburn. So just uh its impact to Midway ISD.   Roughly 25% of Midway ISD students take college  prep, English, andor math in their senior year to   become CCMR. And so if you take that off of the  9596, remembering that from a CCMR perspective,   40% of the student achievement uh uh score that  we receive from accountability uh comes from   CCMR. 40 being STAR, 40 being CCMR, and 20 being  graduation rate. And so it's important to know   that if we take 25 off of that, our score would  dramatically uh diminish. Uh

121obviously our current   uh college prep math structure is not going to  serve and we're going to have to re-evaluate.   And then 90% of the the IBC's that we currently  offer are in tier 3. Back to that, but only 3%   of those students are actually utilizing that to  earn CCMR. So, so we have uh uh Allison Smith,   her associate principal, the head counselor at  Midway High School, myself and the coordinator for   college readiness met uh back in December where  we have we assess the 330 juniors uh next year   that had not uh yet um met CCMR uh and created  individualized plans. They they are currently   going through and wrapping up those junior  advisement plans right now. We developed a newou.   These are the options that that we have that we've  newly created that are available to

122students for   this coming year. Students, we we created anou  with McMurray uh university whereby a student   can take the dual credit math or English course.  It is the remedial course that you would take   in college if you if you had not passed the TSI.  They can take the remedial course here for a much   uh lower cost. um and and because it is a math  and or English course, it automatically makes that   student CCMR. And so that's a a very viable option  from that perspective. Hill College right up the   road in Hillsboro was actually one of the five  institutions selected to be uh for college prep.   We've already established anou with them and and  for next year a student in college prep English   uh will be CCMR for the English. We still don't  have the math.

123uh region 12 and many around the   state don't believe they will approve one for this  year and so we will go into next year without one   there and so uh working with teaching the the  teaching and learning department as well as   uh with Midway High School uh to to revamp that  course uh to be able to bolster students skills um   and and do a lot of the the remediation techniques  you would see in in other areas to make sure that   those kids have the best chance to pass that.  We're also revisiting all of our IBC offerings to   improve some of those tier one too. It's good if  they go back to 2030 because we can kind of turn   that faucet on uh with some of that and hopefully  go with it. We've obviously added already

124one new   on-ramps course in Chem 2, but there's there's  also two other courses that we're exploring as   well that may be uh in the CTE world on ramps.  uh but if they were to complete those courses   um and then additionally if a student is meets  uh receiving a 4,000 or more on their English 2   EOC they are actually eligible for 9 hours of  dual credit and so counselors uh many of the   students that that don't traditionally think about  utilizing dual credit options counselors have have   uh really had conversations with those students so  so that potentially those students are available   and when you think about our English two star test  that's ranged somewhere between 72 and 78% over   the last 3 four years. And so that's a significant  number of students that have access uh to

125to dual   credit which have not traditionally been there  in the past. Just so you see what our CCMR scores   have been here in the past. I'm not going to go  through those pieces, but that top number there,   that 96.7 uh% is there. Um, next year will be  a bit of a a challenge to to reach that 96.7 uh   with some of those metrics falling off. I my hope  is that we are able to keep that above a 90. I   think we can. Um, and I think we have a good plan  moving forward. Uh, but there's just some of those   students that rely heavily on that college prep  course and it not having its its weight in that   uh could could add some complexities to that.  With that, I'm going to stop and give you an  

126opportunity to ask any questions. I just covered  that really quickly. But the most important thing   is I want you to know that changes are coming and  that there is a plan moving forward and that they   are working with individual students uh to to  be able to maximize that piece. Questions? Did   the state ask private state and private colleges  to give their curriculums to them or just state?   So what what college prep when it college prep  English and math when they first came about what   they asked institutions of higher learning to do  is to get with uh to to draftus and then uh to   offer remediation courses etc uh for that and and  so our our institutions here they they provided   some here's what we think you should do this type  of thing um and and

127what they found is is that   uh there were institutions across the date  um that basically didn't do anything. And so   uh schools were were offering college prep English  and college prep math and there wasn't any of the   higher ed higher institution institutional higher  learning components associated and so it became a   checkbox for everybody and so they're they're  coming back to to create a more secure okay   concept from that. Was there any rationale  behind the change in the certific industry   based certifications that you were told? Not that  I'm aware of. So, is it fair to say a takeaway   from this is that we've got a state agency  making it harder for us to serve our students?   So to to to go back and and and try to answer  the question relative to the certifications,   the commissioner

128went around um over the over the  past 18 months and he was providing assessments   relative to uh the magnitude at which um  students were receiving certifications.   Um there is a a dramatic disconnect uh within  Mlennon County, within region 12, within our   labor market, but also statewide uh about um what  is needed from a certification perspective. All   certifications are not created equally. Uh some of  the certifications require three and 400 hours of   unpaid voluntary service. Uh, some certifications  cost $1,500 to take. Some certifications, I mean,   some of these certifications are not attain  most of the tier ones are not attainable by   a 4-year high school student. Um, but what  they found is is that there were a number of   certifications that were be utilizing again as a  checkbox um and not necessarily as as intended.   Uh

129the problem is is that they haven't gone back  and fixed the curricular and teacher issues in the   associated areas. Uh manufacturing is the number  one uh growth needed area in our area as well as   a lot of areas statewide and there's still no  teacher prep programs in manufacturing. There's   no curricular components associated with that and  manufacturing. It it's it's a bigger piece than   just a certification. And so they're trying  to manage this with a certification to force   folks into a box. Okay. So great question.  Do these changes put more emphasis on TSI or   less emphasis? So the the the interesting aspect  their current structure they're actually reducing   the career component and placing more emphasis in  the college component which is counter to to the   the governor's wishes. Um so yes it it from our  perspective

130it will place more emphasis in TSI   dual credit and AP. Okay. And and looking at the  numbers on the slide before this that we we have   traditionally had very high numbers achieve CCMR  through those top three anyway. Right. Correct.   So the the overall impact on our ability to  get to the end of the 90s is probably not   as great. In other words, if you look at the the  districtwide we'll probably still be okay. Well,   really what's happening though is there's some  individual areas and some individual students that   are now not really being served as well as they  could be because the state's changing all these   rules. The better way to say it. Yes. The the the  25% of students they will pass a math andor right   and may need to take a college prep if

131they need a  college prep math. We don't have a metric outside   of them just passing the TSI. And so our emphasis  is going to be to get them to push to that. and   we we may lose some from that. And and the reality  is um the kids are going to be fine with what they   do. It doesn't hurt them to get that remediation  so that they go off to college and need it.   They're just going to be as successful. And I  would say it's it's always been a trend that when   the state tells us to focus on college readiness  for so many years and they change it and say,   "Well, now you need to focus on career readiness."  So, we've been doing that, right? Because that was   the last mandate. and now they're they're changing 

132it back to focus more on college readiness. The   interesting component right now is the two folks  college and career are actually two different   entities within TEA and they are almost counter  to one another it's a it's a it's 100% the truth   so with CTE I'm not going to cover near as much  as I usually do. I just want you to be aware I   show you this slide every year. I'm not going to  cover that. Um, none of that's changed from our   perspective. Um, I do want you to be aware that  that research is obviously showcasing the students   that progress further and deeper inside of CTE uh  are more successful um in the outcomes um after   after high school, but also with their GPA with  grad rates, uh star test, EOCC's, um ACT, SAT,   all the

133different components with it. That's a  reason that it's a focus for for us. uh the growth   that you see there from 13.7 to 24 1.5. I would  uh my my personal goal by 20 by 2030 is that we're   above 50% from that perspective. That's where I  hope to be with that. There's obviously funding   components that are associated that that's not why  you do that. You do that because it's better for   kids to be able to engage from that perspective.  I just want to provide a a general component   that's associated with our current projects. Um,  thank you guys for those of you that came out to   the wedding where we had a nice collaboration uh  that that that went through. Each and every one of   the things that you see up here though provide  relevance to

134CTE and that's why students back   to that slide. That's why students stay in. We  don't make kids stay in pathways. It's on CTE   teachers to be engageable. It's on CTE teachers  to be relevant and it's on CTE teachers to remain   connected to the industries uh that we have here  in the Waco area. Those are the reasons that kids   stay and it's these that you see up here uh that  are fantastic. It seems like yesterday that Dr.   Allen stood uh I think he sat right over there and  shared about Tango Flight and I'm in conversations   with Mr. Wolf over here about how we're going to  get an airplane out of Midway High School. And   so and I want to see that. I want to be there. is  a um it's been a whirlwind of crazy fun

135and fast.   Um the best part of this is the teachers, the  mentors, um all of the donors that been have been   such a a a big piece of it. These kids are getting  a life lesson like none other. Uh they've changed   some of the the blueprints. Uh they've now been  uh put on back order. Uh they've got a deadline to   meet. Everybody's getting to But that's real life  and that's what it is and that's how it goes. And   so it's been fantastic. They're on track. Uh our  print shop is doing fantastic. The startup Waco   venture that we had last year has been just as  fruitful. Our clinicals remain extremely strong.   I would imagine this next year we're going to have  over 100 students and doctor's offices andarmacies   around. We're up to 78 this year. Our

136vet program  continues to pump kids in and out of vet clinics.   Our teacher prep program is on the rise. And  then there's three projects that I have up there.   Uh the first one is a a very unique one. I'm  working uh directly with the Waco chamber   with TSTC and the work site uh whereby uh with  manufacturing and robotics where we're looking to   establish a a a process whereby kids come out of  their sophomore year and begin a set of coursework   that's going to be tied with TSTC uh as a junior.  Then their senior year, uh, this would be a group   of students. Their senior year, they would  actually spend half their day at the work site,   um, getting certified. It may be for dual credit,  it may not be for dual credit. Uh, and then

137when   they walk outside of Midway High School upon  graduation that they will walk directly in the   doors of employment. Um, and so we're working, uh,  we're piloting, uh, a piece with the Waco Chamber   and TSTC. Uh and so I hope to have that up and  running um at least from the early parts for this   next school year and then we can see the fruits  of that again here in two years. We're doing a   similar concept with some some of our construction  science. Uh our a science program doesn't quite   align as as uh as well and so we're having to  tweak some things but I hope to have something   um this time when we sit down next year with a  construction science kind of collaboration going   along with it. We got a phenomenal construction  projects that

138they could intern on. Yes. Well,   they're they're knocking on the door quite quite  regularly. Yep. And then we got a we've got a   catering operation uh that we're hoping to kick  off as well. The great thing about all of these   uh with with uh the print shop uh with our vet uh  with our floral and many of these others and the   catering is another uh those become uh financially  um um self- serving uh those they become they run   a business model uh I do not provide uh vet nor  do I provide floral uh with monies they generate   their own through their own business models uh  and if we can do that throughout these variations   and fluctuations ations and funding just alleviate  some of those costs while putting kids in business   models. So, it's some cool

139concepts to go with it.  Yes, ma'am. And I didn't know this till, you know,   when we have our month uh superintendent month  of super my brain schoolboard member month. I've   been to the high school several times, but last  time I had the high school, I went into the a   department and I went to the vet the vet class and  they groom and bathe dogs and they do that for a   fee and anyone not anywhere but you can do that.  You can schedule to have your dog taken up there   and they'll groom it, bathe it, and then you pick  it up and you get paid. I thought that was pretty   cool. I didn't know that. So, any other questions?  Learning. Oh, are you going to go to the future?   That one. Yeah. The big thing is

140I this this this  is kind of my mantra and what I want to that I   always try to accomplish that we always make sure  that kids have access to be in college and career.   um ultimately to continue to provide teachers  with depth and connection to industry that that   validates what they do. But that's the best PD  that there is out there. Uh the Waco Chamber   and and a lot of businesses have started to offer  teacher externships which are infinitely valuable   uh because it provides relevancy to them to bring  back. Uh we're going to continue to line and look   at our labor market data. Um we need to stop  changing classes and certifications and all   the things that go with it cuz that makes that a  challenge. Um, but we want to continue and what I  

141talk to all teachers about is is being relevant,  being connected, uh, and and providing valuable   pieces. Uh, Dr. Allen and I talked just recently  about, uh, sometimes these courses, uh, TEA looks   at them as a as specified course. Um, but it's  not it's the things that they learn in that course   that are totally applicable outside of the context  of that course because you're problem solving,   because you're doing, because you're thinking  um in a in a much more functional capacity. And   so those are the lessons that are valuable that  far exceed something like a floral design. Uh,   and so but we we want to remain responsive. Uh me  this is my own personal where I remain engaged in   the legislative political and all local efforts.  I'm highly involved with our with the chambers and   the different

142aspects so that I continue to remain  relevant for teachers and students and Midway ISD   as we move forward. Thank you Pam for making it  go back. Well I had a question. Yes ma'am. Not   to sound like a broken record but looking at  number five. How do we expect the legislative   political landscape might impact our CTE programs  going forward given the cycle that we're in? What   questions might we need be needing to ask our  legislators throughout the current election   election cycle? Because as we've seen, things can  change pretty quickly in Austin. A single decision   can really transform what we need to be doing. So,  as a community that's highly involved in CTE, what   kinds of conversations do we need to be having  with the state decision makers? Some of you have   to answer. I mean, if

143you can answer tonight, but  we can we we need to be tapped into Rick's brain.   Uh because the data that he starts with today is  is all over the state of Texas. it it it's here   where we can go um uh to many stretches of the  state of Texas and find data that represents just   as he said. Um and if if we continue to tinker  and do the things that we do, we're detracting   from those success stories because you can never  get it right if we continue to change what we do.   Now change is okay if it's ne necessary and  needed but but as we talk to legislators we   need to provide levels of consistency we need to  provide levels of of of um financial support and   other aspects that make them doable and functional 

144and viable and that CTE is a component to that   but that's the same across all all sectors. So  maybe going forward that's information we can   keep pushing out to the community so that  we can keep this discussion going forward. Thank you Jess. You bet. Thank  you'all. Good job. Thank you. Okay. Dr. Allen is going to talk to us about  our CM presentation. I'm going to talk about   process. We actually have an action item later  in the agenda and I'm actually going to do this   one from here because it's pretty short number  of slides. I know you've been to this before.   Most of you have been, but just as a quick  reminder if you're Yeah. So, here are the dates   um that are worth knowing. In December, you  approved CMR's delivery method. RFP went out   on

145the 12th of January. Deadline of proposals was  February 2nd. We received five submissions and   there's an initial ranking done. We interviewed  folks on February 5th and on February 17th,   we're bringing your recommendation. Our  committee was Scott Bland, a community   member and local home builder, Wesley Brooks,  Ken Wolf, Bride Shelton, and myself. I don't   know. Miss W's ready. I don't know that we've  had a non school employee serve on one of these   committees before. That was kind of important  to me that we make sure that we have people who   don't work for us providing a level of oversight,  transparency in the process. Miss Win. And so,   we looked at several things here. You can see  them bulleted. I'm not going to read them word   for word. This is very typical for the kinds of  things that

146you look at when you are um evaluating   potential um construction managers at risk. And  so later in the agenda, what you will see is a   recommendation from the administration to name  Masonic Construction to serve as a CM for Midway   High School addition and renovation project. I  wanted to go through the process kind of quickly   so you'd see the steps that we went through and  the people who were involved in it along the way.   I also want to thank and recognize Ed Mazanic  and Aaron Miner for being here tonight. Your   presence is meaningful to us and we think shows  the kind of commitment that we're looking for   to make sure that we bring in a high quality  product that is uh early and under budget. No pressure. No pressure. Yeah. I just wanted  to give a

147quick shout out to Scott Bland,   the the community member. He's also a longtime  Midway parrot. And then when we did our facility   study committee back before this last one,  he was the chair of that committee. So very   knowledgeable about all things that it takes  to build new stuff in the district and the kids   that it serves. So Andy remodeled my house.  Andy served on this latest facility. Oh,   that's right. Yes. I'm sorry I forgot  about that, but very knowledgeable. Okay. Thank you, Dr. Allen. The next agenda item  is uh discussion of real property. We are going   to move that to the end of the meeting so we can  go into close session. Next we have consideration   items and the consent agenda which is minutes of  the January 2020 206 regularly scheduled board   meeting minutes of

148the February 5th 2026 special  called board meeting. Early graduation request,   amendments to district of innovation plan, FDA  local admissions, interd district transfers,   approve the procurement delivery method, and  authorize the superintendent negotiate contract   install LED lights. Does anyone wish to remove any  items from the consent agenda before we vote on   it? I don't see anyone that wants to do that.  So, um, do I have a motion that we accept the   consent agenda as a as presented? So, moved. Thank  you. Do I have a second? Second. Sorry. Motion by   Mr. Barry, second by Mr. Telus. All those in favor  say I. I. All those opposed, same sign. The motion   passes. Thank you. Okay. Consider it consider  discuss and take appropriate action related to   Senate Bill 11 designated prayer and religious  reading resolution. This has come to us

149from the   state. We had it on the agenda last month as a  discussion item, information item. And I just   want to remind the board that our students are  already able to do any type of Bible or religious   study they would like to do before school or after  school. Uh they can even do it at lunch if they   want to if they have free time. So they already  have the personal right to do whatever they would   like to do. Administration recommends the board  move to maintain our current practice by declining   the option to establish a time of religious  reading text and prayer at each school campus.   Do I have a motion to accept administration's  recommendation? So moved. U motion made by Mr.   Green. Do I have a second? Second. A second  was made by Mr. Wit.

150Any discussion? All   those in favor say I. I. I. All those  opposed? Same sign. The motion passes. Consider, discuss, and take appropriate action  approving a ranking of proposals in connection   with RFP number 26-001 for construction  manager at risk services for the high   school athletics addition and renovation. This  is what Dr. Allen was referring to earlier.   Administration recommends the board approve  construction in connection with RFP 26-001 for   construction manager risk services at Midway High  School athletic edition and renovation project.   Do I have a motion to accept the administration's  recommendation? So move uh motion by Mr. Alfred.   Do I have a second? Second. A second by  Miss Watts. Any discussion? Hey, I have   a question. Yes. Just because I figured I should  ask it. Uh these were very close on the scoring,   but we're actually going with

151the second one.  What's the rationale? Best value in terms   of long-term relationship with the district  that demonstrates time and again bringing the   district in on time and under budget significantly  under budget over time is the probably one of the   biggest drivers. And the second piece of that was  the a number of things that Masonic is able to do   without subbing. and that keeps some of that more  local and allows us to have faster response times   when we do have challenges and difficulties. It's  largely to do with the history of their excellence   with the district over time. Thank you. I didn't  ask the question because I was questioning it that   much. Just wanting to get that on the record. Any  other questions? All right. All those in favor say   I. I. Any opposed? Motion passes. Thank

152you too  for waiting that long. Yes. Thank you for being   here tonight. appreciate all the work you do. We  appreciate your time. Okay. Number 9 D. Consider,   discuss, and take appropriate action regarding  between Midway ISD and the city of Waco regarding   Chapel Park and delegate authority to the  superintendent to execute theou on behalf of   the board of trustees. Does everybody remember  what this? Okay, everybody remember? So, Dr.   Administration recommends that the board take  action to approve the MAU as presented. Do I   have a motion to approve the administration's  recommendation? So moved. A motion made by Mr.   Barry. Do you have a second? Second. Second made  by Mr. Green. Any discussion? All those just to   clarify, I've done reading through it. The city is  responsible for the water and electrical for all   of this. We're not

153paying for that on an ongoing  basis. Correct. Okay. And the maintenance all all   the all of it. Okay. All those in favor say I. I.  I. Any opposed? That motion passes. We are on a   roll. 9E. Consider discuss and take appropriate  action regarding real property as discussed in   executive session. Well, we will do that after  we um have our close session. So we don't have   any consideration per personnel open meeting, do  we? No, ma'am. Okay, very good. Would you like to   do your superintendent communications before we go  into close session? I will do two things briefly.   First of all, at the DIS, the board has a copy of  draft goals that have been revised and adjusted   um as directed by the board um as part of the  goals discussion. And so those are draft for  

154now. they'd be brought back to the board for final  approval probably in March. If you have comments,   thoughts, input, the fifth goal is the  one you're probably going to be the most   interested in. That's the one around marketing  that's new. Please feel free to share that   with me at any time and we will uh make those  edits and adjustments and bring them back to   the board for further consideration. But just  want to make sure you took a look at those.   Um, I think the final thing I might say on this is  how thankful I am to being in a place where we're   able to have hard decisions in extraordinarily  civil and reasonably minded ways. Not everyone's   able to have the kind of discussions that  we have and everybody can port themselves   in the way that

155they do and it's one of the many,  many blessings that we have in getting to serve.   I'm exceptionally proud of our staff. Well said.  Okay. Thank you, Dr. Allen. Yes, Miss Wolf. Well,   I wonder if it might be worth noting that we  have no uh uh in our incumbents are going to run   unchallenged. And I just wanted to test we will be  canceling the call for election in March because   uh there were no filings as well as no write-ins.  And so congratulations to Miss Vic and to Mr.   Barry for um defending your seats so more or  less by reputation or otherwise. Yeah. And saving   the district some money. That's right. It's all  about It's all about the money. All in light of   the candidates that came forward to interview for  the open board seat. The

156fact that no one stepped   forward to run against Mr. Barry, I think is a  credit to his qualifications and the job he's   doing. And the right shake. Yes. And the right  member for the job. I agree. I don't know if I go   that far, but well, okay. Any any other comments?  Okay. So, I will now announce that we'll go into   close session session pursuant to Texas government  co. Y'all, I'm having a bad night. Pursuant to   Texas government code section 551.072 regarding  real estate and 551.074 regarding personnel.   You know, when he was having to do that  job, he read those things off the list   about for 20 years. I'm going to put  the gabble on you, Gork, it 909. Yeah. read me back on to go to the bathroom. So, it's  going to be one one

157second before she gets back. Make a motion. Oh lord. Sometimes you need a moment. Okay, we're meeting the open meeting at 10 10:12  10 to 11. Um, no action was taken in the closed   session. Do we have a want to bring up again  a nine consider discuss and take appropriate   action regarding real properties discussed in  executive session? Do I have a motion? Yes,   you it have a motion. Okay, Mr. I move that the  board of trustees approve the purchase of 40   acres of land as described in the executive  session and authorize the superintendent,   Mr. Chris, Dr. Chris Allen, to negotiate uh and  execute a purchase sale agreement on behalf of   the board of trustees. Well done. Okay, I have  a second by Mr. Whit. Any discussion? All right,   all those in favor say I. I.

158All  those opposed, same sign. All right,   that motion passes. Excellent. All right, we  are now out of agenda items and the meeting   is closed. Ajourned. All right, didn't even  get the right words at the end. Oh my gosh.