Key Agenda Items

Board Of Education Meeting Agenda

August 12, 2021

*More details on each item and additional areas of concern during the COVID-19 pandemic can be found below the list.

(A.2) Acceptance of Board Monitoring Update: Presentation of Goal 1 and 4 Progress Measure 1, 2, 3
(A.3) Approval of a Resolution Regarding Mandatory Wearing of Masks at District Facilities and on District Buses
(B.2) Resolution Ordering November 2, 2021, General Election For Houston Independent School District Single-Member Districts I, V, VI, VII, And IX.
(I.1) Vendor Awards for Purchases over $100,000
(I.2) Donations for Districtwide and School-Specific Programs
(I.3) Grant Funds in Support of District-wide and School-Specific Programs
(I.4) Approval of the August Budget Amendment.
(I.7) Approval of 2021–2022, 2022–2023, and 2023–2024 budgets for CRRSA ESSER II and ARP ACT ESSER III grant funds.
(I.9) Approval of Resolution of the Board of Education of the Houston Independent School District Authorizing the Superintendent of Schools to Negotiate and Execute COVID-19 Related Contracts Valued at or Above $100,000.00.
(K.1) Approval of the proposed revisions to Board Policy AE(LOCAL), Educational Philosophy, regarding constraints—Second Reading.

Impact (I), Leadership (L), Equity (E), Stewardship (S), Collaboration (C)

A.2 Acceptance of Board Monitoring Update: Presentation of Goal 1 and 4 Progress Measure 1, 2, 3 (I)

The Board must approve the monitoring update for Goals 1 and 4 Progress Measures 1, 2, and 3.

Goal 1 states: The percentage of grade 3 students performing at or above grade level in reading as measured by the Meets Grade Level Standard on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) will increase 8 percentage points from 42 percent in spring 2019 to 50 percent in spring 2024.

Goal 4 states: The percentage of students receiving special education services reading at or above grade level as measured by the Meets Grade Level Standard on the STAAR 3–8 Reading and STAAR EOC English I and II assessments will increase 8 percentage points from 21% in spring 2019 to 29% in spring 2024.

Core Value Evaluation: Impact

The Board has set a self-constraint to spend at least 50% of its time monitoring student outcomes (as recommended by Lone Star Governance) by the second quarter of 2022. The monthly Board Monitoring Update is the Board’s almost exclusive opportunity to discuss student outcome goals, which means this item should increasingly take up more of Board meetings. In June, the Board only spent 14% of their time discussing student outcomes. The Board must work toward this commitment to better serve our students.

A.3 Approval of a Resolution Regarding Mandatory Wearing of Masks at District Facilities and on District Buses (L, I)

The Board will consider a mandate requiring students, staff, and visitors to wear masks while inside HISD facilities and buses until COVID-19 transmission rates are down.

Core Value Evaluation: Leadership and Impact

With thousands of new COVID-19 cases every day, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo raised the Threat Level for the area to Level 1, the most severe level. State orders do not allow school districts to implement mask mandates. Considering the severity of the risk in the Houston area and the fact that young students cannot be vaccinated, the Board should move forward with implementing a mask mandate despite State prohibitions. The safety of students and staff must be our highest priority.

B.2 Resolution Ordering November 2, 2021, General Election For Houston Independent School District Single-Member Districts I, V, VI, VII, And IX. (L)

The Board must approve the resolution for the upcoming elections in Districts I, V, VI, VII, and IX for the uniform election date on November 2, 2021. Visit our website to learn more about the HISD school board elections and how to find your trustee district.

I.1 Vendor Awards for Purchases over $100,000 (S, L)

The Board needs to approve vendor awards greater than $100,000 and ratify vendor awards under $100,000.

Vendors: Amati Violin Shop, Inc.; Arts Connect Houston, Inc.; Asia Society Texas Center; Ceramic Store of Houston, LLC; Collabra, LLC dba Collabra Music; Community Artists’ Collective, Inc.; Frame Dance Productions; Golden Source, LLC dba OAEC Chinese Centre for the Performing Arts Houston; Houston Boychoir, Inc.; Institute of Contemporary Dance, LLC; Little Learners, LLC dba Young Rembrandts SW Houston; McGraw-Hill Education, Inc. dba McGraw Hill, LLC; Michael Zuraw dba APERIO, Inc.; Open Dance Project, Inc.; Society for the Performing Arts; Workshop Houston; Nalco Company, LLC DBA Nalco Water; Seaco Technologies, Inc.; Follett School Solutions, Inc.; IB Source, Inc.; Axon Enterprises; Digital Ally; Mark43; Motorola Solutions; Alliant Insurance Services, Inc; AmeriGas Propane, L.P. dba AmeriGas; Solution Tree, Inc.; All in Learning, Inc.; Aspire HR, Inc.; BHRS Group LLC dba Avalon; Nestle Waters North America Inc. dba ReadyRefresh by Nestle a division of Nestle Waters North America; The Master’s Distribution Systems; PV Rentals, LLC; Evolve Holdings, Inc; Trio Education, LLC; Communities in Schools of Houston, Inc.; Darr Equipment, LP dba Darr Equipment; N J Malin & Associates LLC; Metis Associates, Inc; Best Letterpress; Clampitt Paper Co. of Houston, LLC; Mark Andy, Inc. dba Mark Andy Print Products; Tech Mahindra Limited; Absolute Color Ltd.; Academy Advertising Specialties and Awards; All Print and Office Supply dba All Printing; Amazing Awards, Inc.; Buffalo Specialties, Inc.; STS Brand, LLC dba STS Brand; Tarheel Promotions, Inc. dba Insight Branding; The Urban Circle, LLC; T-Shirts Etcetera; Bailey Bark Materials, Inc.; Nasco Education, LLC; Realityworks, Inc. ;W-W Manufacturing Co., Inc. dba W-W Livestock Systems, W-W Paul Scales; Alpha Testing, Inc.; AUTOARCH Architects, LLC; Concept Engineers, Inc.; IDG Architects, Inc.; KCI Technologies, Inc; Matrix Structural Engineers; PBK Architects, Inc.; Pfluger Associates, Inc. dba Pfluger Professional Service Industries, Inc.; Raba Kistner, Inc.; Rice & Gardner Consultants, Inc.; Terracon Consultants, Inc.; VCS Architects, LLC; Distribution International Southwest, Inc. dba Distribution International; Microsoft Corporation; Illuminate Education, Inc; PS Lightwave, Inc. dba Pure Speed Lightwave; Century Rheem Ruud Holdings, LLC dba Century Air Conditioning Supply, LLC; Thomas Bus Gulf Coast GP, Inc. dba Thomas Bus Gulf Coast / Thomas Bus Texas; Zaner-Bloser, Inc.; Athena Energy Services Holdings, LLC DBA Symmetry Energy Solutions, LLC;

I.2 Donations for Districtwide and School-Specific Programs (S, L)

All donations greater than $5,000 must be approved by the HISD Board of Education.

Donors: Barcelona Sporting Goods; Carl and Cory Crawford; Christian Community Service Center; Fielders Choice, Inc.; Dilly Leather Jackets; Germ Blast; Harvard ES Parent Teacher Association (PTA); HISD Foundation; Huerta Bus Service; Lamar Alumni Association; Local Sports Network, LLC; Mark Twain Parent Teacher Organization (PTO); National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW); PBK, Inc.; Triple J’s Smokehouse; Young Women’s Preparatory Network; Kinder Foundation via the HISD Foundation; Reliant, an NRG Company; Dr. Gleem Car Wash; Big Rivers Waterpark; Raising Cane’s; Whataburger; Sinclair PTO; Assistance League® of Houston; Burns BBQ; Oak Forest Elementary PTA; alliantgroup via The HISD Foundation.

I.3 Grant Funds in Support of Districtwide and School-Specific Programs (S, L)

All grant funds greater than $5,000 must be approved by the HISD Board of Education.

Grantors: Asia Society Confucius Classrooms Network; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Edunomics Lab and the Massive Data Institute at Georgetown University; The Center for Afterschool, Summer, and Enrichment for Kids (CASE for Kids), a division of Harris County Department of Education (HCDE); Houston Endowment, Inc.; Project Lead the Way (PLTW) in Partnership with Chevron Houston; PLTW in Partnership with Verizon Innovative Learning; Texas Education Agency (TEA); The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSCH); Verizon Innovative Learning in Partnership with Digital Promise; Qatar Foundation International (QFI).

I.4 Approval of the August Budget Amendment. (S, L)

The Board will consider the August budget amendment, which includes $2,500 raises for employees on the teacher salary schedule as approved at the June 2021 meeting. Other changes include carryover obligations already accounted for and budget-neutral transfers between different financial functions.

I.7 Approval of 2021–2022, 2022–2023, and 2023–2024 budgets for CRRSA ESSER II and ARP ACT ESSER III grant funds (S, L)

The federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) grants school districts funding to address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. HISD is entitled to over $1,000,000 in ESSER funds to be utilized over the next three school years. After community surveys and approval from the Texas Education Agency, the Board will now consider the proposed budgets for these funds. The focus of over 80% of spending will be addressing learning loss from the pandemic, including support and tutoring for core subjects, retention bonuses and recruitment funding for teachers and other employees, and expansion of mental health and wraparound services. For a full overview of the proposed budget, the district has provided a recording of their ESSER town hall.

I.9 Approval of Resolution Authorizing the Superintendent of Schools to Negotiate and Execute COVID-19 Related Contracts Valued at or Above $100,000.00. (S, L)

The Board will consider a resolution to grant the Superintendent the authority to enter into contracts over $100,000 for COVID-related expenses without going through the normal procedure of receiving prior approval from the Board. This is the same authority that was granted last year, which has been extended by the board several times.

K.1 Approval of the proposed revisions to Board Policy AE(LOCAL), Educational Philosophy, regarding constraints—Second Reading. (I, E)

The Board will consider revisions to their Board constraints for the Superintendent. Changes include adding progress measures to evaluate the increase in high-quality pre-k and kindergarten seats, adding baseline and target metrics for each constraint progress measure, and changing a target student population from bilingual to ESL.

Other agenda items to be voted on during the meeting:

(A.1) Approval of personal services performed by the Superintendent.
(B.1) Reappointment of the HISD representative to the board of directors to tax increment reinvestment zone 12 with the City of Houston.
(D.1) Approval to renew partnerships with Avance-Houston, Inc.: Gulf Coast Community Services Association; Harris County Department Of Education; and Baker Ripley, for Head Start Prekindergarten Collaborative programs.
(E.1) Approval of recommendations from the Naming Committee for the naming or renaming of areas Or Portions Of Northside High School -.
(F.1) Approval for an Interlocal Agreement with the City of Houston to provide mental health services in HISD through the Be Well, Be Connected program.
(F.2) Approval for the Superintendent to appoint alternate approvers for processing Texas Education Agency login requests as required by state regulations.
(F.3) Approval of the application to participate in the Optional Flexible School Day program for state funding for the 2021–2022 school year, which offers flexibility for students unable to attend school on a traditional schedule.
(F.4) Approval to adopt Texas Education Agency Innovative Courses for use in Career and Technical Education programs.
(F.5) Approval to renew an agreement with the Harris County Juvenile Board to offer the JJAEP for students who are expelled.
(F.6) Approval for an Interlocal Agreement with Austin Community College for Dual Credit course offerings for Texas Connections Academy students.
(F.7) Approval for an Interlocal Agreement with Collin College for Dual Credit course offerings for Texas Connections Academy students.
(F.8) Approval for an Interlocal Agreement with Lamar Institute of Technology for Dual Credit course offerings.
(F.9) Approval for an Interlocal Agreement with Lone Star College for Dual Credit course offerings.
(F.10) Approval for an Interlocal Agreement with South Texas College for Dual Credit course offerings for Texas Connections Academy students.
(F.11) Approval for an Interlocal Agreement with the University of Texas at San Antonio for Dual Credit course offerings for Texas Connections Academy students.
(F.12) Approval for an Interlocal Agreement with the University of Texas at Austin for Dual Credit course offerings.
(I.5) Approval of authority for the Superintendent to obligate the district for Excess Revenue contracts and agreements.
(I.6) Approval of the resolution designating officers and administrators authorized to act on behalf of HISD for depository contracts and banking and investment matters.
(I.8) Approval of the Report for Disaster Assistance – Reduction in Recapture Payments, which requests that HISD’s recapture payment be reduced due to disaster-related spending for district facility replacement.
(J.1) Approval of annual maintenance expenditures for the SAP Finance, Human Resources, and Business Operations systems.
(K.2) Approval of the proposed revisions to Board Policy BE(LOCAL), Board Meetings—Second Reading.
(K.3) Approval of the proposed revisions to Board Policy CDC(LOCAL), Other Revenues: Grants From Private Sources—Second Reading.
(K.4) Approval of the proposed revisions to Board Policy CJ(LOCAL), Contracted Services— Second Reading.
(K.5) Approval of the proposed revisions to Board Policy CJA(LOCAL), Contracted Services: Criminal History—Second Reading.
(K.6) Approval of the proposed revisions to Board Policy CNA(LOCAL), Transportation Management: Student Transportation—Second Reading.
(K.7) Approval of the proposed revisions to Board Policy DGBA(LOCAL) PersonnelManagement Relations: Employee Complaints/Grievances—Second Reading.
(K.8) Approval of the proposed revisions to Board Policy FFBA(LOCAL), Crisis Intervention: Trauma-Informed Care—Second Reading.
(K.9) Approval of the proposed revisions to Board Policy FFG(LOCAL), Student Welfare: Child Abuse And Neglect—Second Reading.
(K.10) Approval of the proposed revisions to Board Policy FL(LOCAL), Student Records— Second Reading.
(K.11) Approval of the proposed revisions to Board Policy GBAA(LOCAL), Information Access: Requests For Information—Second Reading.
(L.1) Debt Management Activity Report.

Areas of Concern:

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a challenge for the district in terms of student safety and learning. The Board must continue to address the effects of the pandemic, while still continuing regular district operations. Houston GPS would like to highlight the following areas of concern:

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent interruptions to HISD’s normal learning schedule exacerbated inequities amongst students. Many students struggled with remote learning, with 51% of students failing at least one class in the fall 2020 semester. Data quality concerns persisted during the 2020-2021 school year, making it difficult for the district to accurately monitor student outcomes. With the new school year approaching and ESSER funding expanding the possibilities for addressing learning loss and inequity, the Board and the district must continue to monitor and focus on student outcomes and innovative ways to support students.

In June 2020, the Board made a commitment to examine the role of police in the district to confront systemic racism and police violence against people of color. Considering the disproportionate discipline and forced interaction with police that students of color, especially black boys, face in public education, this is a pressing equity concern. In December 2020, Board members expressed interest in having a second workshop on the topic and planned to organize the workshop for January or February. The Board’s committee has been disbanded and some trustees have indicated that changes were made to police procedure. The police policy manual is not available online for the public to review and several trustees still have questions about the changes that were made. The Board should revisit this commitment publicly.

In the past, the Board has faced last-minute changes to the district budget and budget approval votes that cut close to the deadline for the district. Over the last two years, the Board was able to pass a budget without delaying until the end of June, but the district has passed a deficit budget in at least the last five years, often subject to delays. To ensure the budget is passed within a reasonable timeframe, not subject to late amendments, and fiscally sound, the Board must start early with establishing priorities. Considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the influx of ESSER funding, the Board and administration must now also be thinking about how to maintain the new programs and funding for student support when resources are no longer available. To see our budget recommendations, visit our blog.