All right, noting that a quorum is present, I hereby call this work-study meeting of the Board of Trustees of Katy Independent School District to order.
Katy ISD · Work Study Meeting
Katy ISD Work Study Meeting, April 13, 2026
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- 0:05 to 0:30 1. Call to Order
- 0:30 to 0:49 2. Closed Meeting
- 0:49 to 0:54 3. Reconvene from Closed Meeting
- 0:54 to 1:38 4. Pledges of Allegiance
- 1:38 to 10:44 5.1 Katy ISD High School Recognition - Paetow High School.
- 10:44 to 19:55 6. Public Comment
- 19:55 to 20:16 7. Closed Meeting
- 20:16 to 21:00 8. Reconvene from Closed Meeting
- 21:00 to 26:31 9.1 Discuss and consider Board Approval of the February 2026 Financial Reports.
- 26:31 to 31:57 9.2 Discuss and consider Board approval of the April 2026 budget amendments.
- 31:57 to 47:31 9.3 Discuss and consider Board approval of new instructional materials and the Certification of Provision of Instructional Materials for the 2026-2027 school year.
- 47:31 to 48:26 9.4 Discuss and consider Board approval for life safety systems upgrades at the Education Support Complex.
- 48:26 to 57:31 9.5 Discuss and consider Board approval of a contract for the infrastructure project at Lester Reinecker II East Transportation.
- 57:31 to 57:38 10. Consent Items
- 57:38 to 58:35 11. Information Items
- 58:35 to 58:48 12. Future Meetings
Full transcript
Automated transcript, not human verified. It is a way to find a passage, not a quotation.
1. Call to Order
Today is Monday, April 13, 2026, and the time is 4.01 p.m.
Dr. Gorgorski, will you verify that we are in compliance with the provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act with regard to the notice for this meeting?
Mr. President, I do confirm we're in compliance with the provisions of the Texas Open Meeting Act for our meeting tonight.
2. Closed Meeting
thank you and at this time the board will now convene in closed meeting as
authorized under section 551.001 of the Texas government code for the following
purposes Texas government code 551.074
3. Reconvene from Closed Meeting
the board will now reconvene an open meeting the time is 5 o 4 p.m.
4. Pledges of Allegiance
KDIC police officer Lister will lead us in pledges of allegiance.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
honor the texas flag i pledge allegiance to thee texas one state under god one indivisible
5.1 Katy ISD High School Recognition - Paetow High School.
thank you continuing our tradition of highlighting each of our 10 kdist high school campuses
tonight trustees are wearing the payto high school carolina blue and white to celebrate
their continued success trustee Rebecca Fox fulfills the important role of Katie
I see board liaison for Pato high school and I welcome miss Fox to share a few
words which we know will be far more than few she know I was gonna say that
it's okay it's my spiritual gift I also do repeat myself and interrupt a lot so
So, oh my goodness, I am so happy to see you all.
Before I start with all the accolades and awards and accomplishments that you all have done,
I want to thank you for being here in your pay-to-blue and we've all, you know, supporting.
And to tell you that my deep friendship with Patricia Pato had such an impact on me and my service.
And I hope I make her proud every day.
She was a teacher and she became, she worked with Melvin Nash at Hutzel.
Then she was the principal at Wolf Elementary.
Then she became the very first principal at Creech Elementary where I met her as her very first PTA president.
having just moved here from out of the country and I had never even been a
homeroom mom before so she taught me all about how to build community how to
include parents and grandparents and community members and business leaders
into our campus because she knew that when we heard the name Betty Sue Creech
We didn't know who she was and how will that translate?
And she said, before long, Creech will become known as a community, not as just a person.
And then she, you know, elevated with her wonderful skills and came here to the administration building and contributed in so many big ways.
She's one of, out of 10 high schools.
we only have three that have an individual with their name on the high school.
James E. Taylor, Oberdee Tompkins, and Patricia Pato.
Because she had such significance that her name, her reputation, and her impact
for boys and girls, teachers, parents, families, community,
community was so big that we knew that her name would live on and the legacy that she contributed
would become exactly who you are. And just the way she told me that Betty Sue Creech
as an honor was wonderful, that Creech would be a whole vibe, a whole community, a whole feeling.
and that's what Pato High School is. When you hear Pato High School in our
community across the state that's the feeling and it's because of what you all
do. What you, what your students, what your contributions are through academics and
all the other things and so we are thrilled that you are here and I'm going
to talk about your successes. Pato High School is proudly named after a longtime
educator Patricia Pato who dedicated three decades to serving KDISD. Since
opening its doors in 2017, the campus has grown into a vibrant community of about
3,000 students where a spirit of connection, collaboration, and excellence
is felt throughout. Pato has quickly become known not just for strong
academics but for the supportive environment it creates, one where
where students are encouraged to explore their passions and reach their full potential.
Pato students benefit from a wide range of academic opportunities, including advanced placement courses,
where many demonstrate college readiness by successfully passing those exams.
The school has earned multiple distinctions from the TEA in areas like science achievement,
post-secondary readiness and has also received high praise from Niche earning
an A grade for its teachers diversity and student life beyond the classroom
Pato students continue to shine whether signing college athletic scholarships
earning academic all-state honors or gaining recognition and activities like
like swimming and dance, including prestigious Texas Dance Educators Association All-State
Honors.
PAYTO also places a strong emphasis on preparing students for life beyond high school through
career and technical programs.
Hands-on learning experiences, Involvement in Skills USA, which helps students grow into
confident, career-ready learners.
In just its fifth year, the school celebrated a milestone moment when its football team captured its first state title with an unforgettable overtime victory.
I have the gray hairs still from that day.
And this year, its first ever, first ever, right?
Tommy Toon's nomination.
And as a finalist.
That's coming up very soon.
Congratulations. I love your fine words. At its heart, Pato High School is united by a shared
commitment to bring out the very best in every student. As the campus looks ahead to celebrating
its 10th anniversary already, it's clear that its success is rooted in the dedication of the
educators and staff who inspire, support, and guide our youngsters every day. Thank you,
payto high school educators and support staff and community for making us so so
proud
thank you and if we could invite everyone representing payto high school
up to the front here to take a picture with the board
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you all.
Thank you all.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Is that a picture?
Yeah, we should have coordinated.
Thank you.
Do we have any scouts in the audience tonight?
All right, I don't see any.
6. Public Comment
So we'll move on.
at this time the board of trustees will give members of the public an opportunity to speak
in accordance with kdisd board policy be local as defined by board policy speakers who signed up by
2 p.m on monday april 13 2026 provided their first and last name mailing address and list the number
of specific agenda items you intend to address uh designate whether you reside in kdic if you have
children in kdisd will be allowed to address the board speakers that fail to sign up in advance
with the required information will not be called to speak.
At the outset of public comment,
speakers that properly signed up in advance
will be called forward individually
and allowed to address the board
on posted agenda topics only tonight.
Speakers who signed up to speak on posted agenda items
will be allowed three minutes to speak.
And if not, if a speaker has not finished speaking
at the end of three minutes, the audio will turn off.
If speakers wish to share written material with the board,
please provide 10 copies to the Secretary for Board Services
before the meeting begins.
for board members, superintendent, chief communications officer, and permanent record.
If a speaker has not attempted to solve a matter administratively through proper channels,
such as stated in board policy, the presiding officer's designee shall advise the speaker
to seek resolution through the appropriate policy.
And finally, pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.074 and 551.0821, the board
The board will not permit the presentation of personally identifiable information regarding a student and will not discuss the appointment, employment, reevaluation, or evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee to hear a complaint or charge against an officer or employee.
Should a speaker wish to address one of these issues, they must do so through the appropriate local grievance policies.
F&G local, DGBA local, CKE local, or GF local.
Our speakers will be called forward in the order they signed up to speak.
Tonight we have three speakers.
The first will be Tana Weiss, followed by David Green.
Good evening.
Good evening.
Dr. Grigorski, President Redmond and Board.
My name is Tana Weiss, and I was not planning on speaking tonight.
But then Ms. Cuzela posted all about Dr. G's contract and salary on Facebook, agenda item 2.1,
trying to dust up trouble, and I couldn't let it pass.
As I was writing this this morning, my husband commented that he could tell I must be speaking tonight by my angry typing.
Here we go.
Ms. Cuzela, it's been three years.
We are tired.
We are tired of the hours-long meetings.
We are tired of the snarky comments.
We are tired of the constant questions that try to insinuate that this district is not being responsible with its resources.
Resources that include Dr. Grigorski.
Resources that include hours of time that our employees spend working to make our underfunded schools successful.
You came on this board with one goal.
Undermine everything that KDISD is or has.
You have attacked our employees.
You've attacked our students. You've attacked our books. You've attacked our
parenting. You've attacked your fellow board members. You've attacked everything
that doesn't align with your narrow view of the world. I don't understand it.
Your children have benefited from an education in this district, unlike Ms.
Teamee and Ms. Calhoun, whose children do not and did not attend schools in KDISD.
Why do you want us to fail? How is this advantageous for your property taxes?
If the Quad had been successful in sacking Dr. Gorgorski, which was obvious from day one,
who in the world would have wanted to take up that sword after him?
I cannot emphasize enough how grateful I am that he has persevered over the last four years.
Y'all are unbelievable. Like so many things in the world these days,
there is no bottom 28 days folks we are almost there we can do it thanks for
sticking it out with us dr. G thank you thank you David green followed by Jesus
Nieto good evening good evening and I am not here to complain about anything I
I have some questions I'd like to ask in regards to the sidewalk project 9.5.
It's a high use corridor. It's serving around 5,000 students between the elementary, the middle,
and high school. I looked at the the cost. It looks like it's going to be about $400 per student,
give or take, and that sounds pretty reasonable based on the scope and the scale, and it sounds
like it's worth doing. It definitely sounds worth doing, and I'm going to actively urge you all to
to vote yes, especially since it's coming out of the bond money and not out of our budget.
With that said, I do have four questions.
The first question is how will traffic be managed during the construction?
Second is what specific safety improvements are being added for our students?
Are we coordinating the timing to avoid school year disruption?
I think we are because it looks like it's going to be done in July and August.
and what contingencies are built in to address any potential overruns and again
it looks like there's some contingencies but I would just love to hear some
additional clarity on that from the board just because I know we've touched
on that in the past you know so I just would love to hear those anyway that's
all I've got for y'all today thank you so much for everything y'all do thank
Thank you.
Jesus Nieto.
Good evening.
Had to turn my brightness up.
Good evening, everybody.
Good evening, trustees.
My name's Jesus Nieto.
I'm a candidate for the KDISD School Board Trustee Position
5.
And I'm here to speak on the superintendent evaluation
agenda item.
I want to begin by saying how unfortunate it is that the public was not given the opportunity to speak before
You went into closed session to discuss the evaluation of the superintendent
If we truly want transparency and an honest evaluation process then community dialogue must be part of the process
The people most impacted by decisions made in this district
Students families and employees deserve to have their voices heard before those conversations take place
I want to also say this, an evaluation should not just be a formality, it should be a tool for accountability, transparency, and real improvement.
If we are serious about moving this district forward, then the superintendent's evaluation must be grounded in the real issues impacting our schools every single day.
That starts with teacher compensation.
We cannot continue to talk about excellence while underpaying the very educators we rely on to deliver it.
If we want to retain high-quality teachers, reduce turnover, and improve student outcomes,
then competitive pay and strong benefits must be a central metric in evaluating leadership.
Second, this evaluation must address the ongoing concerns about retaliation allegations.
Employees should feel safe speaking up, whether it is about workplace conditions, student needs, or district policies.
A healthy district culture is one where transparency is encouraged, not punished.
The superintendent should be evaluated on their ability to foster trust, not fear.
Third, we have to center student success, not just in terms of test scores, but in real holistic outcomes.
Are students supported? Are classrooms adequately staffed? Are resources equitably distributed?
These are questions that matter to families and educators alike.
like. And finally, we must ask, are district employees truly being taken care of? That
includes teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, and support staff. These are the people who keep
our schools running. If they are overworked, underpaid, or unsupported, the entire system
suffers. And I also want to be clear, real change does not happen in this room alone. It happens
when the community decides to get involved. So to the families and students and teachers watching
from home I encourage you all to really think about coming out and voting in the
upcoming school board election you know trustees this evaluation is your
opportunity to set the tone for what leadership looks like in this district I
urge you to ensure that it reflects the priorities of the community not politics
not distractions not backroom deals but the real work that needs to be done
Thank you. Thank you
This concludes the open forum portion of our meeting and the
Yeah, the board will now convene in closed meeting is authorized under section five five one zero zero one of the Texas Government Code
7. Closed Meeting
for the following purposes Texas Government Code five five one zero seven one five five one zero seven six and
five five one dot one two nine
8. Reconvene from Closed Meeting
The board will now reconvene in open meeting.
Today is Monday, April 13, 2026, and the time is 5.58 p.m.
On behalf of my colleagues, I welcome everyone tonight to this evening's work study.
Each board member received the agenda and documentation for this meeting on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
the board will receive information and recommendations from staff
administration and the superintendent on these agenda items at tonight's meeting
board members will be able to ask questions receive answers and should be
prepared to take action the board is just reconvened from closed meeting in
accordance with chapter 551 of the Texas government code any actions arising from
discussions and a closed meeting must be taken in the open meeting there are no
actions to take from closed tonight we'll move into section 9 discussion
9.1 Discuss and consider Board Approval of the February 2026 Financial Reports.
items in our first item of discussion tonight will be item 9.1 discuss and
consider board approval of the February 2026 financial reports our presenter
will be Jamie Hines our assistant superintendent of finance good evening
president Redmond trustees and dr. Gorgor ski you have before you our financials
financial reports for the month of February, including our financial statements, our construction
report, and our tax report through the month of February, as well as our check register summary
and our donation report for the month of February. The end of February represents half of the fiscal
year, so as you review these reports, you would use 50% if you're especially looking at our
expenditures. I'm just going to move straight into our financial statements
and on that first page you can see that on our payroll costs, our
biggest expenditure, we are at 49% through six months so we are still
trending under that 50% and all of our other expenditures were well under that
50% mark. We do have a couple of our, on the second page, a couple of our functions that are
above that 50% mark, and that's our data processing services, which usually trends a little bit higher
because of the beginning of the year contracts for software. And then debt service, of course,
is at 78%, and that's because in February we pay our principal and interest on that particular
particular function. So all of the others are under that 50% and that's really where we focus.
I do want to bring to your attention that you have two financial statements for this month.
The first one that we published had a typo in it and that's in function 61 and that's for the
purchased and contracted services. On the far right column it has 100% and that actually should
it had been 53 percent that was something that was was typed in last month and the the formula
was not changed so that was on our our side and we've corrected that and that'll be corrected
moving forward other than that our tax report shows that collections are still a little low
over last year we have noticed that they do they they are trending after you know through february
a little higher, but we will keep an eye on that for the next couple of months. They're at about
95 and a half versus prior year was around 96 percent. So we'll keep an eye on that moving
forward, and if there isn't a change, then we'll have to look at where we're at there next year,
next month, pardon me. That's really all I've got. There aren't a lot of changes from last month to
this month. Unless you have any questions, I'd be glad to answer those. Thank you. Are there any
Any questions, board?
Mr. President?
Ms. Giselle?
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Hines.
It may not be your question per se.
It might be our chief operating officer.
But I noticed the bond savings on the 2023 bond went up a little bit, or a lot, actually, to $35 million.
So I was trying to figure out what changed.
I think I saw it.
It's that elementary number 49.
and that's come on line if you will on the statement here and that must be the
main change here with the more savings last because there were none last time
is there any can you speak to that or I'm sorry I didn't understand your
question there was no last month January there was no savings recorded for
for elementary number 49?
Yes, that's correct.
It was not on the statement last week.
And this one, there's 12 million savings already.
So I was curious if you could speak
to the main reason why.
That it was so low.
We're incurring a savings, which is great,
but what is it?
Why?
Do you have any context?
Lisa, you wanna take a stab at that?
I really, that building we've built a lot.
We do feel like we get pretty good pricing
on that elementary school.
There are times in the bond where we built in maybe a little more inflation than ended up coming out.
Lisa, you want to add to that?
Yeah, the building has been built a number of times.
Subcontractors know it.
The market is good right now, so there's not a lot of unknowns in that facility.
We just hit a right spot in the market.
Okay, so pricing went down.
It's a it's a better climate for costs right now. We had allocated initially correct, right?
And then we do get Katie ISD pricing as the saying goes we get we get some good numbers here in Katy
Okay, but the number of planned for the bond was much higher. Yes, correct
Good with inflation costs in general for the correct building. Okay
I just wanted to know if there was something major that happened or all right. Thank you. All right
any other questions board thank you well now move on to item 9.2 discuss and consider board
9.2 Discuss and consider Board approval of the April 2026 budget amendments.
approval of the April 2026 budget amendments our presenter will be miss Esperanza Rios our
our Director of Budget and Treasury.
Good evening, Board President Redmond,
Board of Trustees, and Dr. Krakorski.
Tonight for the General Fund,
we present a budget amendment in the amount of $22,174,
which is a direct offset of revenue to expenditures
expenditures related to the Regional Day School for the Deaf due to the updated PEIMS student
numbers and as reflected in the Summary of Finance.
We are also presenting a budget amendment increasing revenues in the amount of $9,857,380
due to the recertification of preliminary property values from the Texas Comptroller's
Office and the new TEA methodology for calculating the frozen levy hold harmless, as mentioned
by Mr. Chris Smith at the March Board meeting.
The remaining budget amendments are all direct functional offsets.
These functional offsets include staff development, insurance vehicle repairs, testing materials,
supplies, instructional materials, and SPDA software.
the approval of these amendments will result in an increase of nine million
eight hundred fifty seven thousand three hundred and eighty dollars to the
general operating fund balance any questions board mr. president I'm not on
the Finance Committee so I don't really get to drill down on this at any time so
nine million it's almost ten million actually that we're adding which is
Just fabulous.
Can I, in layman's terms, would you just say this is a property re-evaluation after the fact that's happened,
and now we have another $10 million?
Yes.
Yes.
Essentially, we make estimates in the summertime.
The comptroller gets the files from the county appraisal districts.
They put information together in the December-January time frame,
and then they release preliminary values in January.
or values in January.
Those values came in a little bit better.
Again, when in doubt, we're conservative.
That and TEA reworked how they're providing funding
for the hold harmless on the homestead exemption.
That you've mentioned.
That benefited us too.
It's those two things.
Like I mentioned last week,
those both should be reflective as a positive
in next year's budget amendment as well.
We budget those estimates based on ratios,
And so next year our ratios may be a little sharper
And then we'll know upfront that TAS new methodology and we're hoping that or we think that that will affect next year's revenue
Positively as well. Okay, and it's thank you. It's it's mostly the property
reevaluation if you will
the 10 million down I think
I think about
About six was, I remember not right, about six was the TEA's change.
The rest, the four was, or about almost four was the property value, if I'm remembering correctly.
Okay, okay.
Is that right, Mr. Hines?
Yes, from the Frozens, yeah, that's, yes.
Okay.
All right, thank you.
Mr. President.
Ms. Simi.
Okay, and then I have two questions.
Have they finished or finalized the adjustment for what they were doing for special ed
so that we would know what we were being compensated from the state for special education?
We have $4,130,000 in the budget.
It's in our budget for the evaluations that are done annually.
That was done last year off an estimate.
that we've done.
Next year, there's going to be more for special ed funding,
but that, to my knowledge, has not come out from the agency yet.
We were expecting that in April,
but I've not heard anything on where that status is.
It's not been released.
Okay.
But it's...
Seems like a long time.
Okay.
And then I have a question about Amendment 7.
Can you give me an idea of prepared media,
what that what that in what that entails there's moving a budget to cover
software due to instructional materials and technology shortage those are the
basic like instructional materials that we need for classrooms so software's we
do a lot of digital books and so this would be that to cover kind of those we
instead of actually getting physical textbooks we do a lot of digital
especially with the one-to-one so they can actually see those on their own so
So you code that as prepared media, the software.
Yes.
Is that right?
Okay.
Do we know what grade level or is this across the board?
It's across the board.
There's a bunch of different softwares that we need to get,
different licenses from elementary to junior high and high school.
Okay.
So all across the board.
Got it.
Okay.
Thank you.
Any other questions, board?
Thank you.
Thank you.
9.3 Discuss and consider Board approval of new instructional materials and the Certification of Provision of Instructional Materials for the 2026-2027 school year.
We'll now move on to Item 9.3,
Discuss and Consider Board Approval of New Instructional Materials
and the Certification of Provision of Instructional Materials
for the 2026-2027 School Year.
Our presenter will be Ms. Nakia Coy,
our Executive Director of Federal Programs and External Funding.
Good evening, President Redman, members of the board, and Dr. Gagorski.
Today I am presenting the Instructional Materials Selection
and Budget Update from the Division of Teaching and Learning.
These recommendations reflect a comprehensive process that included teachers, district leaders,
and community input, all focused on selecting the highest quality materials for our students.
The district will be using two main funding sources for the purchase of these instructional
materials.
The first is the IMTA, which gives us flexibility to purchase materials, technology, and software.
The second is the SBOE-approved instructional materials entitlement, which provides additional
additional funding for materials approved through the State Board of Education review process.
And later in the presentation I'll explain how our proposed instructional materials will impact
each of these budgets. So from November through February, we formed representative committees
made up of teacher leaders from every campus, district curriculum experts, program specialists,
and parent representatives to ensure both instructional expertise and community perspective
perspective were included. From January through March, materials were made available for broader
public review, and we invited additional parents and community members to provide feedback
through multiple channels, including online reviews and in-person opportunities. This
approach ensured both deep instructional expertise and meaningful stakeholder voice were included
throughout the process. And now I'm bringing forward these final recommendations for your
consideration for k-12 math we're recommending a cohesive set of resources designed to ensure
consistency and alignment across grade levels these materials were selected because they provide
a clear and logical progression of learning offer strong support for teachers with ready to use
lessons and embedded professional development and include built-in supports to ensure students can
access the content these materials are well organized easy for teachers to use and design
designed so all students can be successful.
Also important to note that multiple state approved vendors were reviewed and the recommendation
reflects the option that best align to our instructional priorities and receive the strongest
overall feedback.
For new courses, materials were based, were selected based on course specific needs and
alignment to industry standards and advanced coursework expectations.
Teachers with direct experience in these content areas were involved in the review process,
ensuring that selections were both rigorous and relevant.
The proposed expenditures reflect both new instructional materials
and ongoing subscription costs.
So from the IMTA funds, those total expenditures are about $4.4 million
with a remaining balance of about $182,000.
And for the SBOE-approved materials, expenditures total about $11.8 million
with an anticipated balance of $6.2 million
and after we receive our additional entitlement in September.
And as a reminder, districts are required to annually certify
that all students have access to instructional materials
that fully cover the Texas essential knowledge and skills,
and this process not only ensures compliance,
but also reinforces our commitment to providing consistent,
high-quality instruction across all campuses.
In closing, this recommendation reflects a thoughtful and inclusive process.
We engaged teacher leaders from across the district, invited parent and community feedback,
and used a consistent evaluation process aligned to state standards and research-based practices.
These selected materials provide a clear and coherent learning progression, support teachers
with high quality, ready-to-use resources, and ensure that all learners can be successful.
So I respectfully submit these recommendations for board approval and are happy to answer
any questions.
CHAIRMAN BRYANT L. Thank you, Ms. Goye.
Board, do we have any questions?
Questions?
Mr. President?
Ms. Gazelle?
I do like to ask questions.
Sure.
I apologize.
I'm in a role of oversight, so it's important to ask questions.
Gotcha.
Thank you, Ms. McCoy.
The AP Physics C, is that the new course that a lot of our students and parents came one time to talk about and request?
Yes, ma'am.
It's exciting.
So is that the first, is it next year the first time it'll be offered?
Am I correct on that?
Okay.
That's wonderful.
Because I ran into a parent that was excited to hear about somehow they knew so that's great to see publicized
Yeah, that's good that our communication got out there, right?
They know so they knew I thought wow
Very exciting. They're very excited about that
And then the I remember asking this the last time so I apologize the savings
The six million savings that you would have after the SBO e approved instructional material expenditures
expenditures, how is that treated?
Like, what happens to that money?
Like, if it's savings and leftover funds?
All of that rolls.
You just roll it from year to year?
Like, do we?
So, for the IMTA funds, we have funding every two years.
So, I think we have another year to wait for additional funding from there.
But the SBOE money is every year.
So, we will have an additional allotment.
Actually, I think next.
Yeah.
Yeah, we have an additional allotment in September.
And that's a new funding source that you're probably not used to receiving all the time.
Year two, okay?
Yeah.
Yeah, not new, new, but.
Yeah.
So I'm just curious, do you have a way of spending that well?
Do we have a plan for that?
That's where we've covered the expenses for all of those new materials.
So that SBOE list, that money is specifically for those materials.
materials and that's the only place that they went when they were reviewing materials so we wanted to
make sure that um that one they were the high quality materials approved by the state and then
also that allowed us to use that new pot of money okay I'm just thinking the savings like um it's a
great problem to have so you have leftover money sitting there and you're going to get more next
next year yes so so it kind of accumulates so right now like so just K-12 social uh K-12
math was about 11 million dollars and that's I think three years of those funds and so we need
it to accumulate because the next time that we get new materials for social studies it's probably
going to take another 11 million and right now they we get about three and a half million a year
Okay.
Okay.
So we have to kind of let it pile up.
Okay.
So that we can buy eight years and yeah.
You have a plan for it.
Okay.
And that makes sense.
Okay.
Thank you.
Mr. President.
Ms. Fox.
Ms. Coy, could you tell me what were some of the feedback on why they chose Envision
instead of Amplify?
I'm hearing a lot of people like Amplify.
Well, I can give you one little snippet and I don't know that it was in relation
to amplify so maybe I would call some friends to help me but one thing that
they spoke highly about for the envision product was the professional development
it's on time lesson specific where there's a little teacher video on how to
teach that lesson you know helping it was just kind of like on demand and very
specific there were videos specifically for parents on specific lessons I don't
know if do we i'm going to ask karen to karen muller is our director of elementary curriculum
sorry karen to put you on the spot how are you hi this is mother how are you lots of things
resonate those two were actually um two at the very top that were really liked by uh the different
stakeholder groups but we really um in the end savas came up as the one that was on top the
alignment to the teak and the arby's through all the studying that the groups did before they
looked at each of the vendors that they got a lot of information so that their
evaluation was judged on a criteria that the state is identified and then they
used a Likert scale to figure out which one of the ones that they were
preferenced so those two did really rise to the top and had so many strong and
usable pieces to it that the teachers think will really help them help their
students it'd be great for them there there was real a lot of clarity in the
instruction they felt it was highly usable there was support for diverse
diverse learners, a coherent progression throughout as they matriculate through the different
grade levels.
They have robust professional learning and family engagement pieces and just on and on.
So we have lots of stakeholder feedback that represents the things that they really liked
about that one.
Really interesting.
I can't remember the last time I've ever seen an adoption that was like a K-12 across the
board.
Stood out like that from a single vendor.
Really unusual.
May I continue?
Mrs. Muller, is it also dual language?
Yes.
it's in spanish as well for elementary okay thank you mr president champagne i know this sounds like
such a uh uneducated question but my children have been out of school for a while do any of this
these costs reflect any physical books we will have a representative sample of books available
available on campus for any parent or student who would like to check one out.
We no longer buy full class sets for every teacher or one to one books.
We have some hard copies available for anyone who needs one, but as a rule, we're not buying
a lot of hard copy books.
So you say there's only one book?
No, there's like, I want to say maybe 10 per campus, but in secondary, oh, but elementary,
I'm sorry, yes.
In elementary, we do have student workbooks, and so that does include one-to-one for all
students in elementary.
One additional factor that I just thought of that, you know, we use MAP, and one of
the really good things is the Savas product does work with MAP, and the Amplify product
did not.
That was another thing that made that really attractive.
So we're going to have these data sources that are going to be triangulated for us and
really give the teachers a lot of opportunity to have great usable data to work with their
students with.
It's a great advantage for that product.
I'm sorry.
Mr. President, may I continue with?
So I'm sorry.
In elementary, they're going to have, they each have a workbook.
Yes.
Okay.
And then when they get into junior high, they're doing everything on their Chromebook or?
The book will be online.
The book will, and it's on their Chromebook?
Yes.
Okay.
Okay.
And then...
So, they'll have access to it, and if they need a print copy, they will...
We can get them one.
But it work...
You're saying it work, but there's only 10, only 10 kids can have that, right?
So...
We will make sure that any parent that needs a hard copy book will have one.
Okay.
Thank you.
A textbook for...
At secondary, yes.
But generally, sometimes we have kiddos that even when a parent wants them, the kid won't
take them home.
So I think it's very much a preference by the secondary students to have them accessible through their Chromebooks.
Sorry, Mr. President.
So we don't purchase a lot of textbooks because that comes out of the IMTA.
And so if we're not spending the money there, we can use that money to buy other things that we need supporting things.
And it just stretches our dollar full.
further. Is that why we don't buy textbooks for everyone? Well, right now that 11.8 million was
not buying textbooks for everyone. So there isn't, there is not an endless supply of funds. And right
now our IMTA funds are paying to continue our K-12 social studies. That, so even though it's not on
the list we have online subscriptions that need to to continue right so like spanish one is a huge
course it's very expensive every year so that's kind of what we're continuing to pay for the
materials that have not been reviewed by this the state board yet and as this changed from
textbook adoption and paying for textbooks from the state and it changed to the imta
that was the intent is for districts to have some autonomy in how to spend the
money and how to do what's best depending on the size of the district
and how their children use the funds and so this is really much better for us to
be able to use it where where our needs are it's been a few years though number
of years that we've been having IMTA so that works well thank you which of these
materials are will be new so we're they are they new versions or like are we
currently using envision like K through 8 right now if I we were it's new for 6
through 12 so it'll all be consistent now but it's a version that will be
purchasing is brand new so it's not any it's not the old materials that you
would see today there'll be something brand new for next year how different is
it for teachers are they having to learn and like do an entire new lift to like
like learn an entire new way that it needs to be taught in philosophy,
or is it continuing on with just new problems and approaches?
Right.
So the approaches to teaching students is pretty much the same information that they've had,
but you're going to have more resources and more complete and thorough
so that they have all of the pieces they need instead of trying to create many things.
Through an HQIM, these are all packaged together, so that's the exciting thing about HQIMs.
it's got all the pieces it's not just problems for kids it's the whole package so this should
provide less having to go make my own tool it's provided we have what we need i should need to
go hunt things down and dream up how they're doing things that will have it all together
if i if i could okay so the high quality instructional materials you may recall when
we went to the k-5 literacy adoption two years ago we uh this board adopted the h um a high quality
instructional material which comes with the teachers with tons of materials lessons prepared
and it's supposed to take a lot of that heavy lifting off now it does take an implementation
year right for the teachers to learn that this adoption k-12 math all of these resources are
also high quality instructional materials we can only use the state board of education funds
on high quality instructional materials and so we have to kind of wait for the state board to
approve those materials once they get put on the list then we could kind of tap into that
pot of money if you will we still have to use the imta to manage the entire instructional materials
budget if that makes sense so to answer your question yeah it's going to be a little different
for teachers hopefully in a good way but there's always that implementation here so it is something
new but kind of like what we were doing before but hopefully more support coming from that exactly
primary instructional material thank you board any other questions
thank you very much we'll now move on to item 9.4 discuss and consider board approval for
9.4 Discuss and consider Board approval for life safety systems upgrades at the Education Support Complex.
life safety systems upgrades at the educational support complex mr nathan fuchs our senior
executive director of operations will be our presenter welcome thank you
Good evening, President Redmond, board members, and Dr. Gorgorski.
Tonight I have one item for your consideration.
As part of the 2023 Bond for Safety and Security Improvements,
we are recommending life safety system upgrades here at the ESC.
These upgrades include the fire alarm system and intercom system.
The existing life safety system at this facility have reached the end of their life expectancy
and require placement.
Work is scheduled to be completed by January 31, 2027.
I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.
Questions for the board?
No questions.
Thank you.
9.5 Discuss and consider Board approval of a contract for the infrastructure project at Lester Reinecker II East Transportation.
Thank you.
We'll move on to Item 9.5, discuss and consider board approval of a contract for the infrastructure project at Lester-Reinecker 2 East Transportation.
Our presenter will be Ms. Lisa Kastman, our Executive Director of Facilities Planning and Construction.
Good evening.
Good evening. Good evening, President Redmond, Trustees, and Dr. Gagorski.
I also just have one item this evening for your consideration,
and it's toward the paving project at the East Transportation site to Stewart Builders.
We received six proposals, and Stewart Builders ranked first overall.
We're going to take care of that road on the north side between Greenhouse,
going over transportation, so make it safe for our buses and for students
and everyone traveling down that road.
Mr. President.
Ms. Champagne.
Okay. I'm looking at Mr. Beardling because I say this every year. So you're over there by May Creek, right? It's by May Creek, this area, this road?
Yes.
What about Greshke Road? The one that's off Psalms?
psalms so we yes we meet with we we actually meet with the precinct for engineers what is it
quarterly quarterly and every single time we meet with them we say hey where are we at on groshki
we're ever gonna so that that's a massive massive project that the county is going to have to do
someday but it all involves drainage and it's millions and millions and millions of dollars
You're kidding.
They would have to dedicate over there.
It's not a very long road, really.
No, it's not.
But it's all those ditches right now.
There's no underground drain, nothing.
It's just a gigantic project for the county.
But they are very aware.
So I just want to tell you, you know, Precinct 4 has been doing a lot of the sidewalk stuff.
Yes, ma'am.
And so I've been emailing them, too, because they said,
Do you have any suggestions for sidewalks?
And I email them, but.
Well, they are very, they have been very receptive.
I'll give an example.
So just recently we talked to them about a crosswalk at McDonald Junior High across Lakes of Bridgewater.
And it wasn't, what, a day, two days?
And they were already on it and we're going to do it and hopefully have it done this summer.
So they've been very responsive on some of the projects and with respect to all the sidewalks.
That project though that you're talking about with the with the ditches right
now and all that it's a hugely expensive project. It is important and I think it's
on their radar I think it's just one of those that missioner has a kind of a
priority list and they're working through that and then kind of see how it
goes. Mr. President, may I just ask a clarifying question here because Mr.
Veerling brought it up. You add a crossing guard. How hard is that to do?
Like if a community member were to call me and ask me about a crossing guard,
how hard is it to add an additional crossing guard? There are lots of rules
involved in that, right? I wouldn't say a lot. It needs to be in a school zone.
that's the first thing that a lot of times we get crossing guard requests and if it's not in
a school zone we can't put a crossing guard out there so that's really kind of the crux of it
you know are there is there sidewalks going to either side that sort of thing when it really
comes down to actually putting the person there or getting the position that's not as hard and
we work the police department and all that on that situation so if they want to reach out to us and
and we can take a look at the spot.
I've seen the counties extend the school zones.
They did it at Beckendorf.
Fort Bend County did for that little crosswalk
that's just a little further west on Fry Road.
And then we've seen other times they say,
no, we can't extend the school zone.
Kind of like over at Pattison.
They wouldn't do that for us.
So who should I refer to?
Ms. Kastman is fine, or me, or whoever.
Ms. Casillo.
Ms. Casillo.
Thank you.
Mr. President, thank you.
Trustee Champaign's question, I want to tag onto that, make sure I understand.
That Groschke Road, I think it was, am I mistaken, wasn't it paved, newly paved?
Yes, ma'am.
And Precinct 4 did do that.
Well, that's huge.
It was huge, absolutely.
Because it's been a long time.
All credit to the associate principal at May Creek High School.
He made the right call and they came out and did it and I we didn't even know that we've been talking about it for
years and the previous Commissioner
Commissioner Ramsey, is that right? No
No, no, no, it wasn't radic. It wasn't before. Oh, okay. Go. Yes. Oh Commissioner Cagle. He his team
paved it up to where the the
parking lot ends but then the rest down towards psalms road wasn't done so that was precinct four
right when they just did that they finished the whole way through so that's huge that's great i
will say this and i didn't say it before is we actually we have actually added bus routes south
of psalms um because of stuff because of that right yeah over it's it's probably been four
four years now, three or four years. So it's, I worked over there. I know exactly what you're
talking about. Right. That's, that's wonderful. But in this project though, I'm trying to place
it in my brain. Is this the pavement that, you know, connects the whole, all those three schools?
It's kind of, it's not. So if you're going down, if you're going north on greenhouse road,
okay. And you pass the junior high. Immediate right. That immediate right. In there. It's that
That long road.
So the main use of it is for our buses coming out of East Transportation.
But the other part of that is there are hundreds and thousands of parents that use it every day that pick up from the junior high and the elementary.
And it's all kind of interwoven there together.
Football games and football games right in there.
We're also adding, I think, a security camera or something on the corner there so our OEM group can get a better view of things.
So we're doing a few other little things along that road as well that that should help. That's great
Right, and and I'm sure to our speaker. He did ask a question
Which I know you guys are on top of that coordinating because that would be a nightmare
If it was under construction during school year, yeah, that's that's a non-negotiable
in fact
I'm so being over transportation and also our construction group
That was the first thing I said we cannot not have this road open it has to open
and so we've coordinated all that this summer with transportation and summer school and they'll use
the other gate on um ashley groschke whatever it is over there groschke and groschke um and uh it'll
be ready to go by the time school starts so we should be good great mr president champagne so
i hate to keep talking about that groschke thing but i just want to say that i've been over there
though when school will let out and kids are still you know riding their bikes and walking over there
and it's there's no sidewalk and all that but but on so I I'll let that die
for now but I'm gonna get back to the that street I just want to make a
comment if you if you don't know your way around over there oh my gosh if you
end up on that street and you're trying to get to May Creek High School and
you're looking around and somehow you're in some kind of bus area and there's a
a bunch of chain-link fences is there I mean I can't get out sometimes like
where am I and three days later I'll show up at home and go I've been stuck
on the road but no behind May Creek is there is there maybe put some signs over
there to help people or is it gonna be more clear this time like I don't know
why that road is so confusing am I the only one I don't know I had trouble
finding a soccer game back a few years ago yeah if you're not if you're not
back there all the time it can be kind of confusing everyone at the bus barn is
very friendly they might try to get you to drive a bus so I'd have to climb the
fence we talked about signage specifically but that's not a huge ad
for a project like that I'm sure we can I just think for people maybe like me
who don't live over there and want to go visit and maybe you see something at the
high it would help for some directionals yeah there's a lot of if you accidentally
get on that that road of no return it's very complicated anyway we're glad you
made it back and now when you go over there you have to dodge fewer potholes
Any other questions, Board?
Thank you very much, Ms. Kassman.
10. Consent Items
All right, next we have our consent items.
Would anybody like to pull that off to discuss?
11. Information Items
All right, we'll move on to Information Items 11, our quarterly investment report.
The Board has received the quarterly investment report.
The donated items list has been received.
Madam Secretary, do we have any requests for information tonight?
No.
Do we have anything?
Yes, I would like to know about the other two books
or the other books brought under question last month.
I still don't have a conclusion about those.
Well, I think the last time you asked me was about a week ago, maybe two weeks,
and I said it would take probably about 30 days for that review,
and it hasn't been concluded yet 30 days would be did you say April 30th I don't
think I said an exact date I just said basically when a book is being reviewed
it takes about 30 days all right then we will have our regular board meeting on
12. Future Meetings
Monday April 20th 2026 there being no further business before the board this
This meeting is adjourned.
The time is 6.36 p.m.
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