001order the regular meeting of the board of trustees of the Venus Independent School District on May 18th, 2026 at 6:00 pm. We do have a quorum. If everyone would please stand for the for the invocation and pledge. Great. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. We'd like to welcome everybody for being here tonight. And we will go to item number four, recognitions. me. >> All right. Good evening everybody. Um, I want to take a moment to uh thank these young men for being here today. Um, we have majority of our seniors that showed up and you know, I just want to say a quick word about these guys. Um, for the
002last four years, I was lucky enough to coach these young men and I'm really excited for what they did for our program and looking forward to the bright futures that they have ahead of them. So, with that being said, I'll go ahead and start with our um baseball recognition stuff. We have uh second team all district, we have Jaden McGee. First team all district, third base, Joseph Madano. Second team all district shortstop, Kaden Lucas. Honorable mention in academic all district, Coloten Dy. Honorable mention all district, Jacob Swendell. Here he is. First team all district third base, Joseph Madrono. Honorable mention Jared Varela. Academic all district Alan Compost. Academic all uh all district Dorothy and academic all district Joseph Hackler and honorable mention in academic all district Justin Goss. Why are you on your tippy? >>
003Get down, Jacob. Jacob beat up. Oh, sorry. >> I got to speak into this. came for you. >> Um, I'm going to recognize our two uh 2026 uh Venus varsity softball team. First, I want to come out and mention that even though this was kind of uncharted territory for us, it was our first time to miss the playoffs. Uh it definitely we definitely got better every single day and our records broken and all district nominations and awards actually showed this year. Start off with uh Liliana Alvareo was academic all district. Uh Bailey Schroeder was uh academic all district and uh uh district 124A honorable mention. And I want to thank the board for uh that one right there because of uh I believe it's Senate Bill 401. She was allowed to come and play for
004us this year. She is actually a homeschool student and closest to Venus. So thank you board. It helped a lot. Clarissa Buckloo, academic all district and honorable mention all district. >> Thank you. >> Samantha How, academic all district and honorable mention all district. Ella Humphus, academic all district and second team all district. Delila Martinez, academic all district and second team all district. And Delila broke the record for uh season assists this year with 25. Mattie Ward, academic all district, first team all district, and she broke the uh record for uh hits by hit by pitches in a season and tied the record for her career hit by pitches. Anelise Mario is not here, but she was academic district and district 124A freshman of the year. and the district 124A pitcher of the year and academic
005golf district Devin Summers. Devin also broke the record for hits in a season, slugging percentage, batting average in a season, and fielding percentage. I don't I don't want to keep and oh and on base percentage um I don't want to keep everyone too long but I really uh we always give awards for their academics and for their performance on the field but one thing that goes unnoticed is the kids who kind of come in show up and always put forth their uh best effort even if this isn't their number one sport. We had plenty of those this year but one that stuck out the most was a kid who showed up. She's a star track and cross country athlete. She showed up every single time for practice after uh track practice and did the extra
006running, did all the extra work, worked on her own, and was the neverending cheerleader in our dugout and constantly. I have not named this yet. I'm so sorry, Jada, but I've got a little present for you. Thank you for being our spirit and uh backbone of our team and support of our team. Kirby I'm thinking of a That's for her. >> It's for you to take home. >> We don't have a name for it yet, but we'll think >> rowdy dog. >> Yeah, you and me. I told you Our high school chapter of Taffy is beyond proud to celebrate our first national qualifiers for the Educators Rising National Conference and competition. These students have worked tirelessly over the past few years to earn this recognition. Their dedication, leadership, and perseverance have helped make this a
007milestone moment for our chapter. And next month, they can show what they can do in Portland, Oregon. All right. First, we have Brian Castillo for Taffy Children's Literature, K3 Spanish. Vienna Fernandez for Taffy Educators Rising Moment Spanish and Children's Literature K3 Spanish. >> Jocelyn Pena for Taffy Project Visualized Service. Yanet Kintana for Taffy Project Visualized Service. and Caitlyn Wise for Taffy Project visualized service. Uh good evening everybody. Uh I am a superintendent. I serve as a superintendent Howard Gatewood here at Venus ISD. Uh my first year as a superintendent. And the next set of awards are for our district employees of the year. And this was a real tough one because everybody everybody knows the glue that holds everything together is the staff and we have so many awesome staff members whether it's teachers, pair
008of professionals, uh whether you're working in maintenance, whether you're working in the cafeteria, it is really hard to choose who's going to represent the district of the year. Tonight, I'm going to go ahead and uh just name uh all four of them. I'm going to talk briefly about them. First up, we have the certificate of rec recognition. Uh the certificate present to Melinda Steel. Come on up, >> Melinda. Melinda is recognized as the elementary district teacher of the year. She will go on to represent us at region 11 this year. Can >> All right. Thank you. Awesome job. Now, this next individual, he's uh what I can say about him, he is uh super passionate. He'll do anything for the kids, even take a pie in the face to see them be successful. This is
009the to recognize Benjamin Vulmer. He's been recognized as the district secondary teacher of the year. coming up. Come here. And we had to pull a Jedi mind trick to get Mr. Fulmer here because he's such a humble uh man. Uh we had to tell him uh one of the administrators are being recognized tonight. So we had to pull a trick on him to get him here. Uh the next person I'm going to talk a little bit about uh she's one serves our instructional coach second year here and uh what can I say about her? She goes above and beyond to ensure the students are getting what they need whether that's if she needs to step in for a teacher and teacher class uh she needs to whether she needs to uh talk about lesson internalization
010uh looking at data she'll go the extra mile. So next up is Casey Becker. She is our district support staff member of the year. Thank you. >> No, these two are firm. Uh the last individual, uh what can I say about the last individual? Uh she joined our family here at Venus ISD and she hit the ground running. Uh if you ever had the opportunity to interact with her, she is such a professional about her job, the way she goes about her business. Uh, I'd like to recognize Marcia Fo as a district auxiliary staff member of the year. We'll go to item six, administration of statement of officer, oath of office and issuance of certificates of election. or promise any public office or employment >> or employment for the giving for the giving or withholding
011>> or vote at the election at >> the election at which I was selected or as a reward to secure my appointment >> or as a reward to secure my witness for confirmation >> or confirmation >> whichever the case may be. >> So help me God. >> We have page two now. Oh, we still got page two. >> Page two. Tasha Gore >> I >> do solemnly swear >> that I will faithfully execute >> the duties of the office >> of Independent School District >> school board trustee >> of the state of And I will to the best of my ability preserve. >> And I will the best of my ability to preserve >> protect >> and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States and laws and laws of the United States and
012of this state and of this state. >> So help me God. Good. We'll go to item number seven, board reorganization and election of new board officers. We will now begin the reorganization of the board, starting with nominations for the office of board president. At this time, I will open the floor for nominations for board president. Are there any any nominations for board president? I nominate. >> Okay. Do we have any other are there any other nominations for the office of board president? >> I second. >> No. No. But okay. Um, do I have a motion to elect Tasha Gore as president? >> I'll make a motion to elect Tasha. >> President. >> Motion by Amber. Do we have a second? >> Second. >> A second by Kirby. All in favor? Motion carries. There's six. At
013this time, I will open the floor for nominations for board vice president. Are there any nominations for board vice president? >> I nominate Amber Craftton for vice president. >> Okay, we have Amber Craftton. Are there any other nominations for the office of board vice president? No. Hearing nothing further. No. Okay. Do I have a motion to elect Amber Craftton as vice president? >> I'll make that motion. >> Have a motion by Kirby. Do we have a second? >> Second by Amber. All in favor? Motion carries. At this time, I will open the floor for nominations for board secretary. Are there any nominations for board secretary? >> Have a nomination for Kirby. Do we have any other nominations for board secretary? No others. Do I have a motion to elect Kirby Sansom as secretary? Have a
014motion by Amber. Do we have a second? >> Second by Joe. All in favor? Motion carries. We'll go to item number eight, presentation of campus reports. Good evening everyone. It's hard to believe that we are already at the end of the school year. It has been a busy and exciting few weeks for us at Venus Primary. Last week, our first grade students celebrated with class ceremonies throughout the week and we wrapped up this week. We wrapped up the week with our first ever careers on wheels event. It was a wonderful experience for our students and a great success for our campus. We are incred incredibly thankful for our many parents and community volunteers who participated, including representatives from the Johnson County Prairie Lands Conservation District, the Irving PD Crime Scene Investigations, Spectrum, a mobile dog
015groomer, and Hallebertton. Chief Wood, Venus PD, and Venus Fire Department also joined us to showcase their vehicles and share information about their careers. Academically, we are proud of the great growth our students have showed throughout the year in both math and reading on their in-class assessments. Our teachers and staff have worked incredibly hard to support student learning. And even as the school year comes to a close, they are already planning and preparing for the for a strong start for the next school year. This week we are celebrating our kindergarten graduates and preparing to w preparing to welcome our bilingual ESL students for summer school next week. We are proud of all of our students and grateful for the continued support from our families and community. And finally, we have enrolled 41 but today made 42
016prek students and 12 new kindergarten students for the 2627 school year. Thank you. Hello everyone. We are nearing the end and we're very excited. We finished our star test and I would like to report that on our campus the day of the star test. It was a very serious day and I think the students really took it to heart and did their best. we had lots of of lots of students showing lots of work. So that that felt really good. Um when we did our end of the year testing, the results that I've gotten back from the end of the year testing have really been encouraging. So I'm hoping that transfers over to our STAR data. Uh we're still working hard though. We're still working every every day. We're getting down to the fun part.
017We just had our field day couple last week and had a lot of fun with that. We celebrated our attendance. I think I told you last time we had a putt putt party planned from uh Miss Marsha that you just saw, Officer Foy. She provided for us and our April attendance was 90 96%. Where is she? Did I beat you? >> Did I beat you? >> I try. We try to beat the middle school, but anyway, fifth grade won our putt putts and it was really exciting for them to get to do that. Um, a few other highlights that we have. Uh, this week we are doing awards, but some of the other things our our kids have went on field trips. Fourth grade did something different and brought brought the field trip to them.
018So the teacher creature came in and our conservation one of our teachers husband is has the conservation truck and he brought it in and second grade took out to the Fort Worth science museum. So we've been having a lot of fun and along with our lot of work we're getting ready for next year. I'm nearly all hired up. Every time I think I'm there, somebody gets promoted to another job and then I have to start over again. But we're getting very close. I'm very excited about the new hires. I have never in the time that I have been at the elementary every year we have started our bilingual program lacking a teacher if not more than one in our bilingual spots. This year I have a bilingual teacher in every single spot and they are
019teachers with lots of experience and bring lots of good data with them from their past experiences. So that's very exciting and I'm looking forward to getting to take care of our bilingual kiddos and not have any bumps like they've been through the last couple of years. So that's what's going on at the elementary. We are nearing the end and we are on the countdown. Teachers, staff, students, all of us. So, it's it's been a long year, but I think we're going to make it to the end. I'll start off with the bad news. I am also 96%. So, you still didn't beat me. >> So close. >> I couldn't remember. I had to look. So, um, lot of things going on at the middle school. End of the year is is lots of things. We
020had end of the year awards, um, for three days. We've had a band concert that some of y'all were at. I I appreciate that. Um, a choir concert. And then, um, we we also have Taffy kids that that are going to Portland. Um, as well as TSA, they're going to Washington DC. Um, we did have a big celebration that last week. We had uh Mr. Joel Coleman from TASSP came down and presented the banner for the middle schools to watch. Um, and so we're excited about that. Choir competed at um don't remember the name of the competition, but they they competed and uh got all superior ratings. Oh, epic at the epic choir event. Uh, couple other things just people wise, Mr. Hyde last week was elected as a board member for the Texas Association
021of Secondary School Principles. And Miss Nickel was asked to serve as the TASSP regional assistant coordinator for region 11. And so some big honors for those guys. So that's that's it at the middle school. But you still didn't beat me. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Um, I like Miss Carol can't believe um the year's almost over, but in a way I can because it's been one event after the other. Uh to start off with on our academic performance on that top one uh towards the end of the year here we had a 3% increase of students who failed one or more classes. And then for the attendance we were not close to 96. We're at 94 I'm trying 9414. And uh our enrollment it hovers between 665 and 667. So we're maintaining there on the
022discipline and safety report. Uh the only thing really is significant there is our vaping. We had uh five incidents uh during that time. You know that either one or the other nicotine or THC. So that went up a little during that time period as well. Uh we uh had our of the month people. We had Jim Bob who is really more of a father or grandfather figure um to our students and then staff member we had Misty Johnson and our student of the month was Sydney Vite. For uh the time period our welding event we had our Venus weld off and this event grows I think more and more every year. We have more partners come out as well and uh we had 31 welders uh come back from competing at the uh at the
023state level and that was exciting. Out of the 31 I think we had one made it in the top 10 that he got to compete and that's uh Jose Gamro and he um he's really enjoyed it. He's also visited with the other welders about what it takes to get there. in our next highlight. Uh you met Coach Kadel and um the baseball boys. Um you know, baseball w with that group. I think with the new coach, it's a change of culture. It's a change of enjoying the game is is what I mean to say. those kids uh had a good time playing when they were on the field and they were really like uh family off the field because when you get those those boys together, it's a it's an experience. So, and then we
024had prom at the landmark and uh you can see there they enjoyed themselves. They danced uh snack and took many many pictures. Everyone behaved. So, uh, I think this is the first year since I've been there that they really dressed up. They were all very, uh, well, uh, dressed and went all out. It was a, it was a great night. On fine arts, out of all the fine arts pictures, I decided to pick this one. Uh, the littles have a special place in my heart for different reasons. Uh, grandkids and having been over at the at the primary before. But I picked this one because the teacher told them, "I want you to think outside the box and I want you to draw something." So I looked at that one and I said, "I don't
025get it." The response is the cat is outside of the box. So that I'm taking that's a cat owner because he understands the inside and the outside of the box. And by the way, it was a good drawing because I think that was um kinder drawing. So I was I was impressed with his skills. We had our fourth annual College, Career, Military Expo, 45 vendors. We had military branches, colleges, construction companies, hospital, cosmetology, trade school, and real estate uh people come out. So, they were exposed to a lot of different pathways and um I think a lot of our kids are really looking into the the real estate. So, that's a whole different conversation that we've we've had them. And then we've had the athletic banquet. Uh another um great group of kids there, but
026it was a entire season dedication to the achievements that they've made over the years. We had Single Deo, always a favorite. And then uh we had a young man, Julio Guerrero, go to the Johnson County talent show and he won. If you've ever heard him play, of course he won. So my comment to him before he went and visited with him uh asked him which instrument are you going to play because he plays three and he seesawed back and forth and of course he went back to his favorite the berry sachs and he uh he he did us proud. Upcoming events that's not the 23rd anymore for graduation that's Thursday. We have summer school starting and then we'll have EOCC retesting and of course uh the middle school and the high school will have kids
027at Taffy. We go from there. So, we're getting there quickly. Thank you. >> I have a quick question. Are all students graduating? >> Are all of our students graduating? >> That is a good question and Mr. Gaywood and I had a conversation about that last week and this week. Uh we had actually there's like 13 that were in question. Uh it was because six of them uh could not pass. So we put them with a uh IGC and it happens to be all English. So what I do at that point is I'm English certified and EB or ESL and bilingual. So those kids come to me and I do a teacher piece with them because the bilingualism helps out there. uh today. As a matter of fact, all of them are now finished with their
028projects. I forgot what it was like to teach EB kids an essay, but it Yeah, I got there. The other kids in question are is it six? I think there's six of them. And it's because they either came to us and they have not taken a star test or they're first- time star takers. So, we have to wait for those scores to come back on Friday before we find out if they're completely. Another thing is some of our students come to us and they have a lot more credits than they're supposed to, but they aren't able to take that, you know, that senior uh class test. So, we're waiting on star scores. Now, in the event that one of them do not pass, I will do IGC with them during summer school and then we'll
029do the IGC part during the summer school and get them graduated. >> Okay. Welcome. >> Yes. Yes. We've we've already had that talk with them. We told them they're going to walk and then uh we the counselors and I sat and we visited with mom so they all understand. So they'll get their cover but they won't get the diploma until Friday once the scores come back and then they'll come back to the school and then they'll and if not I'll be there for the IGC and then we'll complete them. Okay. Thank you. >> We'll go to item number nine presentation of mentors care program. Mrs. Baker. Oh, there we go. Um, I'm Michelle Bagot. I am one of the area managers of Mentors Care and um, this is my 10th year to be with the
030program and I still love it just as much as I did 10 years ago. I'm just honored and blessed to continue to do this work and um just thank you for allowing us to be here tonight. Um we have gathered a few stats that are preliminary. We will submit all of the finalized stats this summer when all of the grades are inputed, but we wanted to share kind of a snapshot of how the year went and um just share with you some of the successes that um we've had on campus. Is the arrow working? Do I have to hit something? Okay. So, here at Venus, um, these are stats that we gathered from the fall semester until the end of January. And so, we had 14 total seniors, 60 total students that have served on
031campus. So, we definitely had a full case load with those 63 volunteer mentors step foot on campus every week. Um, and I know there are a few of the board members that serve as well. And so, we just thank you so much. These are amazing community leaders, um, church leaders, businesses that are coming on campuses every week seeing not only u what teachers are doing and what staff is doing. Um it kind of bridges the gap of understanding all of the stresses that are put on in the school uh because they see it while they're here every week. With that, 1100 hours were spent mentoring this um fall. And we have one of the stats that we grab are the firstgen graduation. So this is father, mother um of the student who hasn't graduated. So
032six of our current students are going to be firstg graduates. Some of the indicators that we track are the state the mentors care changeable inner uh in indicators and the aces. So, our goal is we when we bring students into the program, we're trying to catch um different things that are going on in their life and um reasons why they might be projected to not graduate. And our goal is that as they participate in the program, we can start taking some of those boxes off. We can show by our stats that mentoring works. So, these are some of the state indicators. As you can see, I'm not going to go through all of them, but 11 of the students have been in DAP um last year, this year. Um 10 have grades that are below
03370s. Um six were expelled. Um and then four have been in a facility placement this current year. Some of our mentors care indicators. So, you know, there are a lot of outside factors with our students why the behavior in classes as it is or their grades are not passing. And so, as you can see, out of the 60 students that participated, 27 of them lacked extracurricular participation. And that's one of the things we really push because we want them motivated to come to school. We want them to be excited about something. And so we are our goal is in the next year or two that that number becomes less and less. Um 26 battle anxiety, 34 have behavioral um poor self-esteem is pretty high. 36 of our students lack the support of family at home.
034Um and some of them just struggle socially. They need a friend. They they don't really have anybody at school. And so sometimes their mentor just steps in and socializes with them. Some of the aces that um our students face, 43%, and this is pretty high across the board. Every campus come from a broken or blended family. And 25, which is pretty high, have um faced some kind of traumatic event in their life. They they're struggling um with anxiety on that. um 24% poverty, some abuse. And so some of the things that our mentors work on every week, we're printing the grades, but that's not always the problem. You know, we are setting the goals. We have Mr. Gatewood. He's a mentor and I know we're setting brag board, you know, little goals for our students
035to it could be um guiding them how to advocate for themselves with their student with their teachers appropriately, not getting angry. Um going to bed earlier, um just encouraging them, supporting them, but we are printing those grades every week trying to figure out where the struggle lies, how can we help them in every way possible. So Nicole Weldon is our coordinator. She's done such an amazing job these last two years. She um she has just made sure that every student has what they need to be successful. So she's making sure mentoring is happening with the mentors. But not only that, her office is open in the event the student just needs they have a crisis. And so 47 students um have came into her office outside of mentoring time because they needed they needed to
036talk to her. And she, you know, relieves the stress of the counseling department. And if the need arises and we need to bring them in, she's going to walk them to the counseling department and we're going to work with them. But there are times that a student has an outburst, anxiety attack, and we just are helping them cope and getting them back to class. And so, not only that, but students hear about mentors care and they come by her office because they know it's a safe place. So, 47 times as well, kids not in the program have came by and needed to talk to Miss Welden. Um, I love that we have community resources. Um you can see that we have referred students um to therapy, food pantries, clothing, housing, shelter, um law enforcement, um
037just a whole 83 times we were able to refer students to a resource because Nicole found that there was a need. Some of our um recent graduates are going to two-year colleges. Three are are at a four-year college. Two went into the workforce. And then one of the students last year was a first generation high school graduate as well. 56% of our students say they did not have a safe person to talk to before mentors care. um they are really shocked when they find out that mentors just volunteer their time that they are here because they just care about them that they want to support them. They don't expect anything they are just a friend and I think that means so much to a student when they know that they can be themselves and that
038the mentor is there just for them because a lot of them don't have one person. Teachers have so much on their plate. they just are working and they don't have time for a lot of um they have a lot of high high needs the students do and so it's amazing that that one hour a week can meet the need of that student um and then it just progresses until they graduate and then a 100% of the students reported that um mentors care was a safe place for them. Mr. Gatewood was he's just an amazing mentor. And Carl Smith was a huge advocate for mentors care, just well-loved. And so we started a an award a couple years back and he's just been such an advocate for us that he was nominated for the award this
039year. So we couldn't do it without him. We're grateful to be here. We um hope to continue this relationship for many years to come. Do you have any questions for me? >> Well, thank you. Thank you for seeing the need and saying yes. >> Well, we actually I almost forgot the main reason Lilith is here. She is one of our students and she would love to share something personal about how mentors care has affected her. Okay. My name is Lilith Tet. I am a sophomore. This is my second year in mentors care. Before joining mentors care, my life was sad and enjoy unenjoyable. I struggled with grades, depression, and self harm. During this time, I was angry, stressed, sad, and unmotivated, and I felt alone. This is when I realized I needed support. When I
040joined the program, it helped me because it was a happy and inviting environment. My mentor taught me that I am capable of anything if I just try. I have grown so much this year. I am more confident, more motivated, and I have a more positive attitude. My relationships are stronger. I am a better communicator and my coping skills have improved. My grades were never good, but once my mentor challenged me to improve them and showed she cared and would be asking weekly about them, they began to get better to the point of passing. One memory that I I will always remember is the last mentoring session. My mentor was so happy and proud of all I have I had accomplished. I feel happier and altogether better and learned that happiness is a choice. In the
041future, I will be able to set and achieve goals because of being in mentors care. I also learned that I have power over my thoughts which helps me cope better. I would tell a student who's on the fence about joining to do it because it is a safe space rather than somewhere where you will be judged. Before mentors care, I felt alone and now I feel supported. I am proud of my achievements this year and learned I am who I am and that is enough. I hope to always remember how far I've come. In one of my meetings, I came up with this quote. Things things may be imperfect, but beauty can always shine through. I hope this program never goes away so that other students can help get help and support too. I have
042a quote that was recommended. I've learned that people will forget what you said. People were will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Maya and Angel. Thank you. We'll go to item 10, presentation of GT program. Dr. Morgan. >> Hello everyone. Um, if it's all right, I'd like to introduce Pam Jarrett who serves as our elementary GT teacher and also as a district coordinator. And so she has prepared the presentation and would like to deliver it to you all. I'm not quite sure how to uh follow up mentors care because that was pretty made me a little weepy. And um when the seniors were standing up here, I realized I was many of their fifth grade teacher and I didn't realize how I had gotten here gotten old
043so quickly. Um I have been asked to just do a real quick summary of our gifted and talented program here in the Venus district. uh what we do and a few of the uh activities that we've done. So, if I know how to use this. Okay. Is that Oh, perfect. Okay. So, the introductions of the staff members that are over the uh GT program. I'm sure you recognize all the names on the right hand side. And then on the campuses, we've got Mr. Kamacho, Mr. Christensen at the middle school and myself at the elementary school and Mrs. Gibbons at the primary school. Um, so what is a GT student? Well, they have actually done scans of the brain and they have found that students that have been identified as GT actually have a higher amount
044of gray matter in their brain. And what the gray matter does is it helps with computing things, with understanding things, and it really helps with memorizing. It's a really big deal with the memorizing of the information, which makes it super easy or much more easy for these students to memorize things in the lower grades. And so they they kind of rely on their memory rather than learning some of the executive skills that they need to have later on in their middle school and high school careers. And so that's something that we focus on in primary and at the elementary school, trying to help them really practice their executive skills of taking notes and then referring to those notes when they need to. But um I'd like to contend that uh it does not help them
045focus as much as I would love them to and sometimes their decisions aren't quite as fast. But the reason for that is because a GT student, you give them one topic and they take anything that they think might connect to that topic and they bring that net as far out. Oh, sorry. I almost ate your mic. Um, bring it as far out as they can and then they bring it all in and they have to go through everything before they make their decisions. So, they're not always faster at the decisions, but they have taken a lot of information and put it through their brain. Um, all right. I already addressed that a bit. So what gifted and talented is in Texas is basically if a student is showing a high performance capability in um creative
046ways or artistic ways if they are able to be a really good leader or if they excel in a specific academic field they could be GT. So the state goal is they would like GT students to become independent learners, be self-directed in their learning, their thinking, their research, and their ability to pass on that information through presentations is really what it comes down to. To create products, uh, essays, posters, digital presentations, things that will pass on that information to others. um showing their individuality, their creativity, and to make sure that those are professional quality. So to sum it up, to quote Miss Frizle, they need to learn how to make mistakes and get messy and then be able to make a professionalgrade presentation so the rest of us can join in with that information. Um
047the legalities that we have to live by are the teachers that instruct GT students have to have training and then each year they need to do an update to that training. Now there is no specific um time frame that we have to pull them out like they have to be pulled two hours a week or that such of um specification. They leave it up to the districts. So, but what the state has told us is we must provide an array of learning opportunities for our GT students. So, um our stats, we're pretty close to the national average for our GT students in the district. National average is at 7%. We're at about 6 and a half. And of those six and a half, 11% of those students are our second language learners. So, that's a
048breakdown of the percentages at each campus. Uh, primary schools are probably a little bit lower just because they're so young and they hate the test. And, um, our testing or our identification process is three-fold, sometimes four-fold depending on the year, but we use parent surveys, teacher surveys, and recommendations. We also take recommendations from parents and then we use the Kogat testing for uh quantifiable data. All right. The way that we run the GT program here in Venus is the primary school pulls out once a week and elementary pulls out once a week for a full day and then middle school has a dedicated class and high school does servicing through them being enrolled in advanced courses. It's super important to understand the GT program is not added work. We are not stressing these kids out.
049What we're doing is we're taking them out of a classroom when they're learning material they have already mastered and letting them use that in hopefully real world situation type projects or um project based learning. So what that might look like over at the primary school this year, they used the curriculum out of the cycles manuals and so they were able to dive a little deeper into different cycles and have discussions a little bit more in depth than they might have otherwise had at the elementary school. I love the GT kids and the projects we do. So the road trip is one of my most favorite. This is where they learn internet safety, internet research skills. They learn how to present. We do a digital uh presentation on Google Slides. So, they're learning the programs that
050they might use in upper grades and they're using their math and learning mapping because they have to do a road trip somewhere from Venus to anywhere that a car can take them. So, I've had some go down as far as South Mexico and some up to Alaska and a few over to Nova Scotia. So, um those are some pretty good projects. I love those. And we usually watch those at the end of the year and have some fun with that one. Um, really get into history. And if you notice at the end of all of them, there's always a presentation of some sort. Sometimes it's just to me, sometimes it's to their group, sometimes it's to the class, and um, sometimes it's digital, sometimes it's hard copy. Um, adopting a pet. I know the parents
051always love that one. Okay. Um, solar ovens are a favorite because I get to eat s'mores. Catapults are always a favorite. And we love guest speakers. We have guest speakers in the room as often as we possibly can. So, if you look over here to the right, that's Mr. Davis. He's our forensic scientist and he has taught the kids how to take fingerprints and how to test substances. And he even set up a crime scene that they all had to figure out and write up a report on who they thought the culprit was who stole I think Mrs. Jarrett's soda I think is what it was. And then they had designed parachutes in that one over there at the far right. That was one of our field trips down to Austin. Um the state congress
052was in session so we were able to watch things go on. It was really a really great field trip. And our most recent visitors are the adaptive athletes and they are a group that are starting to tour and bring attention to injured people. They have all been in accidents to where they've lost a limb or the use again um lost the use of their limbs and they were able to share with the students that they are still achieving the goals that they had. They're just doing it differently and that's okay. They are amazing speakers. All right, on to middle school. Uh, Mr. Christensen shared this and I I love what he said. Creativity, critical thinking, and the real world problem solving. So, these are a few things that they've been able to work on. I
053really loved the travel poster and around the world in six stops. So, there's a lot of research going into that one. The 3D design. Um, and then what he says at the bottom here, the goal is to create a dynamic and varied learning environment that encourages both independence and curiosity. It's even a better goal than the states. I love it. Okay. Um, and here's a picture of their experiences while they were doing some of their projects. And that's a real quick sum up of our gifted and talented program in our district. Anybody have any questions for me? So, I'll come up with an answer. >> Thank you. I was thorough, guys. We'll go to item number 11, review of insurance options for next fiscal year. Mr. Thompson. Uh, President Gore, members of the board, good
054evening. Um, this is our district options for insurance this upcoming fiscal year 2627. Uh, just a quick uh overview of what it does cover. It's going to be our real estate, property, our buildings, uh, auto, general liability, workers comp, cyber protection, and equipment. Um, the three potential vendors are going to be TPS, PCAT, and TASBY, who is our current insurance provider. Um, just a quick summary of background on PCAT. If we sign up for them, there's a three-year commitment. Uh if we go with them and their rate is 10% more, we can opt out of that particular quote or that particular year. Um I did reach out to Midlotheian, Duncanville, and Crumb. They do service them and they had positive experiences. Uh TPS, uh it's handled through an interlocal cooperative just like PCAP. And I
055did reach out to Clever ISD director of operations, Mr. Shockler. He said they had a very positive experience. I reached out to Ryan from Wakatchi ISD, CFO. uh he mentioned that they did have a good positive experience. They were very responsive. And uh Miss Phillips, the purchasing director for Red Oak, uh same thing, a positive experience with them as an insurance provider. Um this is what we're looking at as far as the quotes go. Um as far as your general liability, schoolboard liability, they're going to be in the same category. So if something is missing on one of these, it's just how they particularly label it on the quote. It's typically the same style coverage. Um, as far as the total amounts, we're looking at 486 for TPS, uh, 493 for PECAP, and 494 for
056TASBY. Um, between the three-year, I'm looking at TPS and TASBY right now. Um, the three-year commitment with PCAT and then their deductible and, uh, percentage um, leaning into TPS or TASBY. Between TPS and TASBY, we're looking at about an $8,000 difference. And so, >> oh >> yeah, I have a question. So, general liability, does TASBY not have general liability? >> It's rolled, they just label it schoolboard liability, which is their it cover, it covers the district. >> Okay. >> So, they do have general liability, but it's just rolled in somewhere else. >> The line item says schoolboard, but it encompasses the entire school district. >> Okay. And what is uh garage keepers? >> Um that is um I can grab the quote. garage keepers is I think it's the automotive side like in the bay
057like >> Okay. So where does that fall on the PCAT and the TASBY? Does that fall somewhere else? So it covers the equipment that's in that building. >> Yes, it I I can confirm that but um I don't remember that particular line item but I can look that up and confirm it for you. It would be some related to the actual garage side, but that something like that not being on PCAT or TASBY, it would fall under equipment or general liability. Okay. >> With other ones. >> Okay. Thank you. >> I have a question. Why why is there such a difference in the workers comp? We we're not losing anybody. We're not gaining anybody. So, why is there such a big difference between each one of them where TASBY has the 96,000, you know, PCAT
058has 83 and then 75. Why is there such a big difference for workers comp? >> So, the different like with TPS, um, we're still getting the quote through them, but they may have a different company that offers the workers comp. So, it's typically going to just be like a give or take depending on, you know, they may have more in the property side and less on the workers comp or we've got less on property and more in workers comp. So, it's when they bundle it, it's just kind of how which one, you know, certain category may be up, certain category may be down. um it's still going to be the same style coverage and so it it's not less coverage if we're going with a less company >> and we've been with TASBY correct? >>
059Yes. >> Okay. For quite some time. >> Quite some time. >> Are they do they look at like our our experience with them and then that's how they're quoting us? >> So when I got these we have what's called our loss runs and that's where we send them this has transpired since we've had them and so everyone had Yes. equal opportunity with those lost runs. >> Can you go back one slide to All right, go forward. So, uh, but it doesn't matter how good it is if they don't if they go make a rule against us. We've been fighting one of these companies for >> months and months and months over. So, I just keep in mind that those totals are great as long as they honor the totals and and agree that it's we're
060valued at a certain amount and agree to cover things. So, Uh, I just want people to remember that is >> any other questions on this particular one? Okay. >> They can't. >> So, Scenario one and just like Mr. Russell said. Um so let's say this is the middle school and this includes the various athletic buildings we've got got right here. So the total value would be 30.7 uh million. And so with PCAT 2% they have 2% of the values of the buildings that were affected or 500,000 minimum. So, with PECAT, you take the 2% value of 30 million and you we would have a ded uh we would have to pay 615,000 if there was a wind or hail event in this particular area. With TPS and the 1% with 250,000 minimum, we would pay
061307,000 for this particular area. And then with TASVY, the 2% 50,000 minimum, we're looking at the 2% would kick in. So, we would pay 615,000 for a wind or hail event that occurred in this particular area. >> The 2% 1% and then the minimum events uh for wind and hail are going to be right here. Uh AOP is all other perils. So that would be lightning, something catching on fire, something not wind and hail. Uh, scenario two, this is going to be the admin in primary. So we're looking at 17 million. 2% at 500,000 would be 500,000 minimum to make a claim. Uh, TPS 250,000 minimum. And then with TASBY, it would be 2% of the value. Uh, 50K minimum. So we'd be looking at about 355,000. Uh scenario three, this is going to be
062the uh welding bay uh daycare and then this is the IT building. And so you're looking at 5.6 million 2% you would end up with 500,000 minimum to replace these. Uh TPS would be 250,000 and then TASBY with the $50,000 deductible. Um the 2% of that value would be looking at 112. So, between TPS and TASBY, the smaller value buildings, the $50,000 deductible makes a difference. Um, if we're talking about major events that affect a lot of building values, then TPS is going to be better on that. Um, all of the perils, u lightning strikes, the admin building, catches on fire, PCAT would be 25,000, uh, TPS would be 100,000, and TASBY would be 50,000. Um the way I've structured this because we have executive um agenda item number 19 is join the TPS interlocal
063agreement and then the approval insurance purchase. Um if we decide to roll to to choose TPS, we would need to join their interlocal before we go with them. And so if we don't join them and we'd like to go with TASBY, then we can skip that agenda item and then go with TASBY in 20. But I've structured it to where it can go. There is history that has happened prior to me being here and I understand certain board members may feel certain way about rejoining TASBY, but you have two equal options between uh TPS and TASBY. >> So to Mr. Bucks point um as far as as long as if it's covered. So whenever you called to get references on TPS and to talk to other districts, did they have any big events where they
064had a big claim that they could tell you about? >> There wasn't any big I asked how their overall experience was with them and um there wasn't nobody referenced big claims being made with them. Um, a lot of them talked about the day-to-day activ, not day-to-day, but anytime they had a claim or needed information. Um, there was no mention of big events that they'd gone through with TPS. >> I'm going to be recommending TASBY. We do have We have history with them and we've established service, but also it is hard because I do know that there was a roofing incident that didn't sit well with a lot of people. So, I do wanted to I've left it open to where if that's I wasn't here for that. I I I left it open to where
065if it ends up going with TPS, we can join them and then go with them. I I have confidence in either one, but if if I have to give a recommendation, I would say TASBY. >> The issue wasn't how what the deductible was. The issue was them not paying at all. That's the issue that we're dealing with here. And I think everybody's beating around the bush on it, but they're kind of asking it directly. Have you checked to make sure that these companies have paid big claims before? Because when we ran into that, we didn't get paid or didn't they didn't want to pay. We'll put it that way. >> I don't have that. I can find that information out, but I don't have it right now. When when do we have to renew our
066policy or >> so we can let as we know that we can reserve our rights within 30 days of July 1st. So we can reserve our rights to not renew but then also hold our rights to renew with them. And so, um, essentially the end of June, >> the end of June, we we have to make a decision the end of June on >> tonight. But if if there's not a decision tonight, then I can I forget the exact document, but we reserve our rights to non-renew, but also reserve our right reserve our rights to renew in June. So, it would be something that we send them and say, "We're not renewing you, but we also reserve our rights to renew with you in June." >> We have two meetings in June. >> We do.
067We have a meeting June 5th, 5th, 4th, 4th >> at the budget hearing. >> Yeah. Budget meeting. So, >> I said I'd be interested like Mr. Hoffman, I'd be interested in hearing that because it's I mean, I may just be typical insurance. You give them a lot of money. They they don't want to give you anything back. So, uh you know, if that's the case with TPS and if that's the same story going around I know walk you had the the big tornado going through that turned over their big band that big rig and that had to be but I don't know how what they would consider a big claim so as as compared to you know a bunch of our air conditioning units in a roof that may have been so I I'd be
068interested to know that same information if if it's just typical insurance runaround and nobody nobody everybody has the same problem with it then you know they kind of got you over barrel but it's a I'd be interested that same information and putting it off to that for our budget hearing. >> If I remember correctly, it was the hail event uh that's in discussion uh where there was damage on the air conditioners and the roof. They paid the air conditioners without any problem. It was a question of the uh age of the roof and if the hail was the sole damage to the roof or did the age of the roof contribute to it. So there's a matter of opinion and the school had their experts come in, the insurance company had their experts. So it
069was just a clash. They paid the air conditioners without any question. So >> for the roof we had to get the public adjuster. >> Yeah. Okay. >> And and you know well said too. So you know again as a board we we see parts of it. Y'all work with it every day. So y'all know the y'all know the full story and y'all know everything. Like somebody alluded to. I think Joe was, you know, it's you work with them every day. You know exactly what's feasible and what's not feasible. I mean, maybe not you because you weren't here, but you know, if you're comfortable and you you think that's just part of doing business, then absolutely. I'll go with your recommendation. >> Any other questions? Okay. Thank you. >> We'll go to item number 12, executive
070session at 7:16 p.m. for Oh, I gota flip the page for 551.071 551.072 551.074 551.076 551.082 and 551.0821 0821. We're going to reconvene from executive session at 8:53 p.m. We'll go to item number 14, consent agenda. Did anybody have anything they wanted to ask questions on? Um, I do have a question. Um, I'd like to pull B. Item B, approve statemandated three-year safety audit. >> That's what we just went over. >> Okay. So, we'll approve the statemandated three-year audit from the >> from the consent agenda. Yes. >> Um I think a later date. Um does anybody else have anything on the consent agenda that they want to pull or any questions? Would that be tableabling it, Joe? To pull something from the consent. >> After you pass to the consent agenda, you take it out,
071you pass the consent agenda, and then you discuss the item you took out. And we discussed it before we even voted. >> Before we even voted. >> So, can we still pull it out? >> So, technically, you got it pulled out right now. >> Yes. And if I make a motion to pass the consent agenda as presented minus that item, that motion stands right now. >> Okay. >> And which I just did. >> Okay. So, we have a motion from Greg to approve the consent agenda with pulling out >> the item B. Do we have a second? >> I'll second. >> Okay. So, a motion by Greg, second by Amber. All in favor? Motion carries. Now you bring up B. >> That's the way it said when we started the consent of the present. That's
072what we were told the way we do it. >> Okay. Perfect. So now since it's pulled um I would can I say what I want to do now? >> Yes. Okay. Now it's on the floor now. >> Okay. So for item B, approved statemandated three-year safety audit. I would like to pull this and put it on next month's um >> Yeah, I would like to table it and move it or just table it >> is what I would have >> next month. >> No, let's just do the regular one >> which I for what's that date? >> June 18th. >> June 15. Chief, >> he shouldn't be, but I want to make sure. >> No, that's a very good question. >> Sometimes things come to us with a deadline. on the um safety audit. Is
073there a time that we have to have that approved by? >> No, we just have to have it presented and approved before the DART tool comes out I think in August. >> Okay. Okay. Perfect. Yeah. >> Okay. Thank you. Okay. So, now we need to vote to table it until June 15th. Do we have a motion to do that? >> I'll make that motion to table um item B on the consent agenda until next month, June 15. 15th. >> Okay. Do we have a second? >> I'll second. >> Second by Kirby. All in favor? Okay, we'll go to item number 15. Consider approval of donation of band trailer from the Venus band boosters. Rosie, >> turn on your mic. >> School board. Good evening. Um, I am here on behalf of the Venus Band Booster
074Club and we are proud to present um this 28 foot trailer to the Venus High School band program. Um, actually to the Venus band program. Um, over the the years we've noticed the district regularly needed to rent trucks to transport instruments and equipment to to the competitions and events. and the band booster board worked extremely hard through fun fundraising efforts and planning to make this purchase possible for our students. Click um it is our hope that this trailer will provide long-term support for the band program while also helping reduce the ongoing cost of the rental for the district. Um most importantly, we hope it serves the students of Venus ISTD well for many years to come as they continue pres representing our community with pride. Uh thank you for your time. Are y'all gonna put
075are you going to put anything Venus on there or just leave it blue? >> So, this would be we are donating the trailer as is. >> Uh and the school would have >> the school would Yes. Okay. >> And so, as a booster, if we if they do approve it at one of our next meetings, um it is something that we are looking into, but as of right now, we don't we've extended all of our funds to purchase, >> which I think the blue is great. I think you also run into issues where um you know if you put a lot of stuff on there sometimes people know what's in there then they want to steal it. So I don't know what the best thing is but it's very pretty. The blue is really nice.
076So >> So not to be a little bit of a negative Nancy but at 28 feet is that does that require any further CD any uh licensing to pull a 28 foot long trailer? >> It's a two axle. >> Okay. >> So it does it does not that was one of our one of our things. So it could be pic it could be pulled with any um with a pick pickup truck. >> Yes. >> No, that was something that we looked at into and I had talked to um Miss Tubs about and Mr. Gatewood about um whether we were going to have what would be the best way for us to be able to transport that if we were always going to have somebody. >> And do we do we have does a district have
077a vehicle? I guess I'm you're here on behalf of the booster club. Does a district does a district have a vehicle that can safely pull a if it's fully loaded that GVWR would be No, super awesome things, but it's that when you start getting that big, it starts creating some other problems with weight and stuff like that. Fully loaded and so no, thank y'all. >> And will this be housed here at the bus barn? >> Yes, we are. So, it this is it it will be we're transferring title, everything to the district. So, it will be it will not belong to the boosters any longer. >> Yes. >> I'll make that motion to approve the donation of the band trailer from the Venus Booster Club. >> A motion by Amber. Do we have a second?
078>> Second by Joe. All in favor? >> Motion carries. >> I know. I love that. Um, item 16, consider approval of bus auction. Muffs. >> Good evening. All right. Now, to make room for that pretty blue trailer. Okay. So, I've got a few. A couple years ago, uh, Mr. Buck discussed we are collecting buses. I've got three that are dust collectors. Um, every time they go out, they're costing us more to fix. Um, I do have one that is currently on a route, but right now when we use it, the there's mechanical issues with it, and so it's costing about anywhere from $800 to $1,000 to fix when that mechanical issue happens. So, I would like to auction off four of the buses. These are also for buses that are requiring the seat belts that
079we will not have to keep in our lineup. Um, and then I've worked with Lanny. We've got kind of a five-year plan going where at the end of that fiveyear, I've got in theory seven buses that will need to be retrofitted. I've also spoken with um about getting just the back. So, that's a thing now, but I've got to get a quote on that to see what that's for. But for right now, it's to make room for that pretty new trailer. Not in >> not until we get your approval to auction them. >> Absolutely. Yes. They have to be stripped and they have to have our names taken off of them before they go. >> And when is the auction? >> As soon as I give her the Okay. She's already got pictures and she's
080got all the information. >> Is it a Is it a site like the Uba board? I know we not buying it, but is there We have Is there a regulations we have to have? I know we auctioned last year, didn't we? Or two years ago. >> Two years ago. Same process. It's Renee Bates. >> Any other questions? >> Yeah, I am kind of curious and then I know I'll find out the answer, but if we've auctioned before, what do we usually get for a estimated price on a used bus like these? >> For the six bestes we auctioned off last time, we only got 7,500 or 7,700. Not very much. Um I don't anticipate us getting probably about the same, maybe a little bit less, but we are at the point where if they don't
081have seat belts, someone's going to have to retrofit them. Either that or they're going out of the country. >> I can understand. >> So, first of all, so good good auction them off. But if what are the are any of the four like super operational to where What if we stripped them out and used them as an equipment bus or something like that? We don't need it. We have a 28 foot trailer now. But >> I No, we can't send them on long distances. They've been on that stop and go with the diesel engine. They're just >> Nope. >> As far as >> usable. >> Yeah, we're we're gonna Yeah, there's there's some things we're going to replace on them before we send them out. Any other questions? Do we have a motion? I'll make
082a motion to approve the bus auction. >> Motion by Amber. Do we have a second? Second by Greg. All in favor. Motion carries. Thank you. >> Thank you. Go to item number 17. Consider approval of 2627 mentors care contract. >> Uh yes, ma'am. As you seen earlier, the mentors care uh presentation. It's a it's a great uh service that we provide our high school students. Uh I've been a part of that program I think five years uh going on now. Just the impact that it has on the campus culture is tremendous. Not just helping the students, just the campus culture uh all the way around. I wish we had a program that was similar that we could bring to the middle school, but it's only unique to the high school. And the contract, they did
083lower the price for us by I believe it's $49,999. Uh again, this is a contract again that we standardly uh excuse with our mentor's care. >> Any questions? And there's no u there's no nothing with the contract like Mr. Governor has reviewed the contract or is it the same as last year that he's already approved just the lower amount? >> Yes, ma'am. It's a safe standard contract that we get all the time uh from him. Nothing that's changed in it. >> Okay. >> It's your recommendation that we continue with them? Ah yes sir. Tremendous program like again uh that is a game changer on the campus. You're talking about when you're in a campus you have your it's catered for your 60th toughest kids that are on campus. When you can meet those 60th toughest
084kids needs that changes the whole culture of that campus because um I'm a part of that program and I just know the kids that are needs are being met by that program and being serviced by that program. So it is my recommendation that we continue on with this here program. >> Madam President, I'll make a motion we approve the 2627 contract for mentors carry. >> Motion by Randall, second by Amber. All in favor? Motion carries. Go to item 18. Consider approval of janitorial services for the 2627 school year. Uh, President Gore, members of the board, good evening. Um, this our janitorial contract is up for uh, next year 2627. And just to hit a refresher on the road map for procurement, um, Faulk, the RFP that we did with Faulk ended in 2526, or this
085is the last year that we can utilize that contract. Uh we're utilizing TIPS cooperative contracts for this upcoming fiscal year 2627 and then going into 2728 we're going to go RFP. That way we can have a more of a long-term contract with one of these organizations. Um just a quick summary of what janitorial services do do. They do cleaning, they provide consumables, and they provide staffing to do the cleaning and replacing of the consumables. Um and then also day and night cleaning. Um there's three potential uh jani janitorial providers. There's McLemore, Faulk, and Marcus. Uh we're currently under contract with Faulk and um they're all done through the TIPS cooperative contract. Um based off last time, I did reach out to people who interacted on a daily basis. Uh I reached out to all the
086campus principles and um Ronnie and uh they all had positive reviews with our current provider. Um they did say if there's an issue, it's brought up and it's fixed. So they're happy with the service. Um, here's the staffing breakdown. Here's McLemore, uh, Marcus, and Faulk. Um, it's going to be split across a project manager. It's going to be the core person that manages the daily contract. We have people during the day, an evening supervisor, and night cleaners, uh, that take care of the campuses and locations at night. Um, as far as the cost breakdown, Marcus is coming in at 702,000. Uh, McLemore is coming in at 717,000 and Faulk is at 740,000. uh Marcus and just a reminder on Marcus, we would be their flagship uh Texas janitorial school. And so just to keep that
087in mind, uh McLemore is also comparable. They do service Hill College, uh Leo, and Palestine. Uh those are kind of close to where we're at as far as geographically, but Marcus would be we would be the flagship Texas um school for them. Um, we're currently with Faulk and so what I would say going into next year is I'm going to be recommending FALK. That way there's no disruption of service. Um, then we have RFP and then that way we can have um people bid and go for go for that RFP for the multi-year contract and especially building the RFP with the new high school in mind because that'll be more square footage. >> What do we currently pay Faulk? >> Uh 7 it is uh 723. We accept the motions. >> Does anybody have any
088questions? >> Sorry. Yes. Do we have a motion, Randall? >> I'll make a motion. We approve FAK, the Faulk contract for is it one more year or >> one more year and then we'll go RFP going to >> 26 27 school year. >> Okay. Motion by Randall, second by Amber. All in favor? Motion carries. Thank you. >> Can I just go ahead and make the motion? >> Right. So we'll go to item number 19. Consider approval of joining TPS interlocal agreement. >> I want to make a motion to table. >> Okay. Make a motion. We have a motion to table. >> Can we when we can we motion to table both of them at the same time? >> No. >> Or no? No. But until when? >> June 4th. >> Yeah. June 15th. No. The
089I think we could do it at the budget. Oh, June 4th. Okay. June 4th. Okay. So, we have a motion to table until June 4th by Amber. Do we have a second? >> Second by Randall. All in favor? Motion carries. We'll go to item number 20. Consider approval of insurance purchase for the 2627 school year. Okay. We have a motion by Greg to table until June the 4th. We have a second by Randall. All in favor. Okay. Item number 21, consider approvals of matters related to personnel employment and termination. No, we don't need to do anything because you have hiring authority now. Good. Item 22. Uh reports. Mr. Gatewood. >> Uh yes, ma'am. Uh the year is coming to a close. I'm getting excited about the STAR and the ELC results getting ready to come
090out because our campus principles and our uh teachers and our staff has worked very hard. Uh they've uh embraced the PLC uh structure changes and uh just looking excited like I'll give you example here. I know Miss Bucks she called me today. She was super excited. Uh she had something she the kids took a map predictor how they would score. Last year they scored on that test 27%. This year they scored 67%. So I'm hoping that translates into our scores. There's a 40% jump. So I'm excited. Uh no matter how it goes, I know the staff uh and the principles have worked very hard. Uh Terracon will be out there drilling at the site tomorrow again getting us going here. We're on the right path with our geotechnical uh survey for our new high school.
091So that is going on tomorrow. And Mr. Russell has drove by and you've seen their big rig already parked out over there and we're ready to rock and roll. Uh again, graduation will be Thursday at 7 PM at the Civic Center. It's going to be an awesome time. Uh looking forward to that event. And the end of the year celebration will be on at Friday at 8:00 a.m. uh at the Venus Middle School AGM. Again, uh just celebrating the staff at the end of the year. I'm going to promise I promised the principles I will keep it uh an hour max. So I don't have a PowerPoint presentation. Uh so on Friday, sir. Yes, sir. Uh so please come on out. Uh we're going to recognize our retirees, our uh district uh staff of the
092year, our uh service pins, uh service awards, and it's it's going to be just a great time. Just want to thank the staff and get them on their way because uh one of the beauties of uh just sitting there those principal seats just two years ago. I know what's going through staff mind. They didn't come to see the superintendent give a presentation. Uh they're thinking, "Hey, I got to go ahead and check on out of here and get going." So, it's going to be short and sweet and to the point, but we will uh thank them for all they've done this year and recognize the people we need to recognize. Okay, that's all I have now. >> Dr. Baker, >> hello board. Yeah, you're going to make a lot of people happy, Mr. Gatewood. Get
093in there and get it done. Uh kind of like Mr. Gatewood mentioned, star results will be coming out Friday. Um will be um spring EOCC. So, that will be EOCC and then the next Friday will be 3rd through 8th. Um, and so we're excited to see um the results, but also it'll kind of fuel our work for next year. So, I'm excited about that to see where we stand and so we can do use that going into next year. Following that, we'll do our school improvement submission to TEA, kind of the um next step in our school improvement work. So, we won't do that until we get the results back and then we'll basically have to do some reflection. Did what we do did what we did work or not? And then what we would
094do moving forward and then uh the PD calendar has been released to the staff and so we have PD going on all summer um for um as many grade levels and subjects as we could get offered um and so we're excited about that. The CNI department's been working on it and then we're planning our admin retreat to work on building the capacity of our administrators and so that'll be in July and so I'm really excited to get to do some PD with our administrators before the school year starts and kind of start out uh strong. >> So how does the PD work with our new um teachers coming in? So, we have a new teacher academy or a new teacher um session and so those dates are set. So, we communicate those to them. Um
095that'll be kind of a mix of uh different topics that they'll get kind of the logistics of being a Venus IST employee but then also some like curriculum things. Um the two days that's a Wednesday Thursday. Yes, Dr. Morgan's been working on this too. Wednesday, Thursday. So, Monday Tuesday we're also inviting them to kind of a more intense curriculum specifically Blue Bonnet but also Amplify. so that when they start, we're really trying to encourage everyone to come to those days so that when they start, everyone feels really prepared for the school year. >> Okay, good. Thank you. >> And Lanny, did you have anything? >> Um, just gearing up for the budget workshop, working on stipens, working with Yeah, I we're we're having fun. So, >> I truly I am I I do enjoy it.
096We're making a lot of progress. I I do enjoy it. >> Item 23, board request for additional items. Anybody have any additional items? No. Okay. So, we've got >> 6 PM. Yeah. June 4th, uh, 6 PM and the 15th is 6 p.m. also. >> Yes. A calendar invite. Yep. >> Okay. Okay. And we will go to item number 24 to adjourn at 9:16 M