Key Agenda Items

Board Of Education Meeting Agenda

January 16, 2020

*More details on each item can be found below the list.

(A.2) Update On The Report From The Legislative Budget Board
(B.1) Board’s Quarterly Self-Evaluations, Staff Use Tracker, Time Use Tracker, and Quarterly Progress Tracker
(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 Districtwide and School-Specific Programs

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

A.2 Update On the Report From the Legislative Budget Board (S)

The administration will provide an update on the process they are using for implementing recommendations made by the performance audit from the Legislative Budget Board and the progress the district has made. The Legislative Budget Board Management and Performance Review was received by the Houston Independent School District (HISD) on November 8, 2019. The final report includes 94 recommendations.

B.1 Board’s Quarterly Self-Evaluations, Staff Use Tracker, Time Use Tracker, and Quarterly Progress Tracker (L)

The Board must approve the quarterly self-evaluations, Board Staff Use Tracker, Board Time Use Tracker, and Quarterly Progress Tracker. This agenda item is for the twelfth quarter (October – December 2019).

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: Athlos Products and Services, LLC; Attainment Company, Inc.; Beal Counseling Associates; Center for Leadership in School Reform dba Schlechty Center; Engage! Learning, Inc. dba engage2learn; Epic Collaborative Advisors, LLC; friEd Technology LLC; German Consulting and Resources, LLC; Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation dba Hazelden Publishing; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company; Imagination Station Inc. dba Istation; Lexia Learning Systems LLC; Muses3, LLC dba Education Muses, LLC; Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship; New Spectrum Educational Consultants; Project Lead The Way, Inc.; Pure Edge, Inc.; QuaverMusic.com, LLC; Rethink Autism, Inc.; Saddleback Educational, Inc.; SDE, Inc., dba Stenhouse Publishers and Staff Development for Educators; Social Studies School Service; Teachstone Training, LLC; TNTP, Inc.; Top 20 Training, LLC; Valley Speech Language and Learning Center, Inc.; ACT, Inc.; Athlos Products and Services, LLC; BraveUp Consulting, LLC; C.C. IMEX dba Embi Tec; Carolina Biological Supply Company; Cengage Learning, Inc.; Children’s Plus, Inc.; Creative Learning Systems; Delaney Educational Enterprises, Inc.; Digital World Construction, LLC dba Statecraft Simulations; Educational Innovations, Inc.; Express Readers, Inc. dba Express Readers; Great Minds dba Great Minds, LLC.; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company dba HMH School Publishers; Holt McDougal; Intervention Solutions (ISG); Math Solutions; ICLE; Imagination Station, Inc. dba Istation; Imagine Learning, Inc.; Jarrett Publishing Company; Keystone Books and Media, Inc.; Lexia Learning Systems, LLC; Mackin Book Company dba Mackin Education Resources; Macmillan Holdings, LLC dba Bedford, Freeman & Worth High School Publishing Group, LLC; Maneuvering the Middle, LLC; MANGO Math Group, LLC; Muses3, LLC dba Education Muses, LLC; National Science Teachers Association; New Spectrum Educational Consultants; Newsela; Open Up Resources; Pacific Learning; QuaverMusic.com, LLC; Rachael D. Guzman dba DO Communications dba Go Strategic Management Services; Rainbow Book Company; Rethink Autism, Inc.; Richard M. Brennan dba The Histrionics Company dba Histrionix Learning Company; RobotLAB, Inc.; Rosemary Martin dba Supporting Science, Inc.; SAM Labs, Inc.; SDE, Inc. dba Stenhouse Publishers and dba Staff Development for Educators; Snappet, Inc.; The Chancellor Masters and Scholars of the University of Oxford dba Oxford University Press; Valley Speech Language and Learning Center; WRS Group, Ltd. dba Health Edco, Childbirth Graphics, Health Impressions; ASDN Houston, LLC, dba Crowne Plaza River Oaks; Czech Cultural Community Center dba Czech Center Museum Houston; Houston First Corporation dba Hilton Americas Houston; Lilly Grove Missionary Baptist Church; Norris Training Systems, Inc., dba Norris Conference Centers, Red Oak Ballroom & Catering by Norris; Pepi Corporation dba Alonti Catering; SMG dba NRG Park; Southern Sound System, Inc., dba Southern Sound & Lighting; The Kingdom Builders’ Center of Houston; Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.; Caldwell Automotive Partners, LLC DBA Jon Hildebrand’s Caldwell Country; Chevrolet and Rockdale Country Ford; Chastang Enterprises, Inc.; Silsbee Ford Inc.; Southwest International Trucks, Inc.; Tommie Vaughn; Canon Solutions America, Inc.; SHI Government Solutions, Inc.; MCA Communications, Inc.; H & E Equipment Services; Waukesha-Pearce Industries, LLC; Alert Services, Inc.; Bound Tree Medical LLC; Donnelly, LTD Dba C & S Safety Supply; Galls Parent Holdings, LLC Dba Galls LLC; GT Distributors, Inc; Henry Schein, Inc.; Laerdal Medical Corporation; Performance Health Supply, Inc. Dba Medco Supply, Masune & Surgical Supply Services; Jane Gonzalez Dba Medwheels Inc.; North American Rescue Holdings LLC Dba North American Rescue LLC; Pocket Nurse Enterprises, Inc. Dba Pocket Nurse; School Health Corporation; School Nurse Supply, Inc.; Sterlington Medical Mdd Marketing Inc. Dba Sterlington Medical; William V. MacGill & Co. Dba MacGill & CO.; HopSkipDrive, Inc.; W.W. Norton & Company; Accelerate Learning, Inc.; Achieve3000, Inc.; Act, Inc.; American Reading Company; Apex Learning, Inc.; Attainment Company Inc.; Benchmark Education Company, LLC; Bulb, Inc.; Carnegie Learning, Inc.; Connection Education, LLC; Curriculum Associates, LLC; Dos Terra Limited Liability Company dba Sibme; DreamBox Learning, Inc.; Edgenuity, Inc.; Edmentum, Inc.; Educational IDEAS, Inc. dba Ballard & Tighe, Publishers; Educational Software Solutions of Texas dba Texas Educational Solutions; EduProject ELL, LLC; Ellevation, LLC; Enome, Inc. (Goalbook); ExploreLearning, LLC; Follett School Solutions, Inc.; Footsteps2Brilliance, Inc.; Glynlyon, Inc. dba Odysseyware; Greenwood Publishing dba Heinemann; Haights Cross Communications, Inc. dba Triumph Learning, LLC; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company; Imagination Station, Inc. dba Istation; Imagine Learning, Inc.; Innovations for Learning, Inc.; Intervene; IXL Learning, Inc.; Learning A-Z, LLC; Lexia Learning Systems LLC XL Learning, Inc.; Library Video Company dba Safari Montage; McGraw-Hill School Education, LLC; Measurement Incorporated; Mesa Digital, LLC; Mind Research Institute; Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA); Pascal Learning dba Ready Rosie; PassAssured, LLC; Pearson Education, Inc.; Perfection Learning Co.; Rally! Education; Renaissance Learning, Inc.; Sumdog, Inc.; Summit K12 Holdings, Inc.; Teacher Created Materials, Inc.; The DBQ Company dba The DBQ Project; ThinkMap, Inc.; Turnitin; VitalSource Technologies, LLC dba VS Technologies LLC; zSpace, Inc.; American Mechanical Services of Houston, LLC; Daikin Applied Americas, Inc. dba Daikin Applied; Card Integrators Corporation dba CI Solutions.

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: ConocoPhillips; National League of Cities; Oran Roberts ES PTO; Rock Paper Scissors LLC dba After 3; Weatherford International.

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: Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation; City of Houston – Mayor’s After-School Achievement Program (ASAP); Connect Community; Rack Room Shoes; University of North Texas; University of Houston Downtown; Verizon.

Other agenda items to be voted on during the meeting:

(A.1) Approval of personal services performed by the Superintendent.
(D.1) The Board must authorize the superintendent to approve the renewal application for the continued use of GT Interdisciplinary Studies / Mentor Seminars 1-4 for school years 2020 – 2021 through 2024 – 2025.
(F.1) The Board must authorize the superintendent to negotiate and execute an interlocal partnership agreement with the University of Houston – Downtown Nursing Program, so students have the opportunity to observe professionals in a healthcare setting.
(F.2) The Board must authorize the superintendent to negotiate and execute an interlocal agreement with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to allow students in the health science career and technology education (CTE) pathway to observe healthcare professionals and expose them to the basic skills needed for certain healthcare occupations.
(F.3) The Board must authorize the superintendent to negotiate and execute an interlocal agreement with Houston Community College to partner with Marek Brother Systems, Inc. to offer a dual-credit construction technology program at Austin and Milby HS.
(F.4) The Board must authorize the superintendent to appoint an alternate approver for processing Texas Education Agency Login (TEAL) requests.
(G.1) The Board must authorize the superintendent to negotiate and execute an interlocal agreement with Texas Tech University (TTU) to expand the district’s efforts to build district-based teacher education programs with the purpose of mentoring TTU students who are preparing to be teachers.
(H.1) The Board must approve a budget amount of $5M for facilities assessment and capital planning services and authorize the superintendent to negotiate, execute, and amend a contract with Rice & Gardner Consultants, Inc. to do these services.
(I.4) The Board must approve the resolution declaring intention to reimburse November 2020 bond election expenditures. This resolution does not require the district to make any expenditure, but is being submitted to comply with federal tax regulations.
(K.1) Revisions to Board Policy on Education Philosophy – First Reading. The Board must approve the revised Education Philosophy. The revisions remove duplicate language in Goal 4 and change Constraint Progress Measure 3.3 data measures from teacher certifications to teacher vacancies. The Progress Measure 3.3 change is due to reporting requirements being discontinued at the state level because the data collection was too burdensome for districts.

What should the Board be doing in January?

1. Last June, the HISD Board had to convene for a last-minute special meeting to pass a budget for the 2019 – 2020 school year. In order to prevent another last-minute budget vote next summer, the HISD Board needs to collaboratively and collectively set its budget priorities so the administration can create a budget proposal based on those priorities. The HSID school board needs to map out their priorities and the process for creating the budget based on the LBB analysis of the various programs that were implemented last year. January is an ideal time to set these priorities so that administration can begin budget presentations in the spring.

2. The Houston ISD Board of Education should be editing the language and changes of their in-district charter agreements. If the policies are set at the beginning of the year, the Board should be able to accept charter agreements by the end of the calendar year and approve them in January, avoiding the potential of closing a school in April or May.

3. The HISD Board should use the recommendations from the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) report to guide their budget priorities and governance for the upcoming school year. The Board plans to discuss the performance audit at the January meeting and receive an update from administration about the status of implementations. This update is an opportunity for the Board to to collaboratively evaluate changes that need to be made at the board level.

4. The HISD Board President should assign school board members to committees in January. Generally, this is not done publicly, but should be done at the start of each new year so that committees can continue their work without delay. Each committee would ideally be made up of at least one returning committee member for consistency and at least one newly elected trustee to get new voices involved. The Board President should consider trustee preferences and individual skill sets when making committee assignments.

5. At the beginning of each year, the HISD Board elects new officers for the year in January.

CORE VALUE EVALUATION: COLLABORATION AND LEADERSHIP

The Board must demonstrate Collaboration and Leadership when picking the new president, who must work with all members of the board and the superintendent, authentically engage with HISD community members with transparency, and be willing to make tough decisions if it is best for children.

Outstanding Issues:

6. The HISD Board should terminate their legal actions against the TEA. The Board is using taxpayers’ dollars from unassigned funds, running HISD into a deeper deficit, to pay for their lawyers. So far, the Board has accrued a $187,340.65 bill for their lawyers, which ONLY covers April 2019 through October 2019.

7. The HISD Board should look into partnerships for HISD schools that may be Improvement Required (IR) in the following year. According to the TEA, this process should have started in November.