[00:00:02]
GOOD EVENING. IT IS 6 P.M.. LET US COME TO ORDER FOR THE CALLED MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
[1. Call to Order]
LET THE RECORD SHOW THAT ALL TRUSTEES ARE PRESENT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF CRAIG TIPPING.[3. Closed Session]
WE WILL NOW ADJOURN TO CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551.074 PERSONNEL TO DELIBERATE REGARDING THE APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT EVALUATION, REASSIGNMENT DUTIES, DISCIPLINE OR DISMISSAL OF A PUBLIC OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE, OR TO HEAR A COMPLAINT OR CHARGE AGAINST AN OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE, INCLUDING THE SUPERINTENDENT'S EVALUATION AND CONTRACT.551.071 CONSULTATION WITH THE BOARD'S ATTORNEY AND 551.072 REAL PROPERTY AND 551.076 TO CONDUCT DELIBERATIONS REGARDING SECURITY DEVICES OR SECURITY AUDITS.
WE WILL NOW RECESS INTO CLOSED SESSION AT 6:00 PM.
ALL RIGHT. WE WILL NOW RECONVENE FROM CLOSED SESSION AT 8:58 P.M..
[4. Reconvene]
PLEASE RISE FOR THE PRAYER LED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER DR.BENITA REED AND THE PLEDGES LED BY MICHELLE NEWSOM.
[6. Public Comments]
RIGHT AND THAT'S GOING TO MOVE US TO ITEM SIX. PUBLIC COMMENTS. THE CORRECT PROCEDURE FOR ADDRESSING THE BOARD DURING PUBLIC COMMENTS IS AS FOLLOWS. EACH SPEAKER SHOULD ADDRESS THE BOARD FROM THE PODIUM MICROPHONE AND STATE HIS OR HER NAME BEFORE SPEAKING.ALL SPEAKERS WILL BE LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES TO MAKE COMMENTS REGARDING ITEMS ON THE AGENDA, UNLESS MODIFIED BY THE BOARD PRESIDENT BASED ON BOARD POLICY BED LOCAL.
COPIES OF PRESENTATION SHOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE TO ALL TRUSTEES AND THE SUPERINTENDENT.
WE DO HAVE ONE PUBLIC COMMENT AND THAT IS EBONY TURNER.
GOOD EVENING, DR. CANTU AND BOARD MEMBERS. MY NAME IS EBONY TURNER AND I AM AN MISD PARENT.
I AM WRITING TO INQUIRE ABOUT THIS CONTRACT REVIEW OF OUR SUPERINTENDENT.
MY FIRST QUESTION IS WHY NOW? MY SECOND QUESTION IS WHY YOU? WE HAVE A NEW BOARD WHO WILL BE INSTALLED NEXT WEEK, YOU CANVASSED THE VOTES ALREADY. AND SPEAKING OF THAT, WHY ARE WE WAITING SO LONG TO SWEAR IN THE NEW, NEWLY OVERWHELMINGLY ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS? AREN'T YOU VIOLATING SECTION 11.061 OF THE TEXAS ELECTION CODE, WHICH STATES AT THE FIRST MEETING, AFTER EACH ELECTION AND QUALIFICATION OF TRUSTEES, THE MEMBERS SHALL ORGANIZE BY SELECTING ONE A PRESIDENT WHO MUST BE A MEMBER OF THE BOARD, TWO A SECRETARY WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE A MEMBER OF THE BOARD, AND THREE OTHER OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES THE BOARD CONSIDERS NECESSARY.
SO I DON'T SEE HOW THIS MEETING WAS LEGALLY CALLED, BECAUSE THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN SWORN IN AND NEW OFFICERS ELECTED AT THE FIRST MEETING HELD LAST WEEK. OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE SWORN IN THEIR NEW BOARD MEMBERS.
WHY HAVEN'T WE? SO I THINK Y'ALL NEED TO TABLE THIS DISCUSSION, VOTE OR WHATEVER UNTIL YOU FOLLOW THE LAW AND GET THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS SWORN IN AND NEW OFFICERS ELECTED. I'M GOING TO SKIP THE REST OF WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY BECAUSE IT PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE TOO NICE.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MRS. TURNER. ALL RIGHT.
[7. Action on Items Discussed in Closed Session]
THAT MOVES US TO ITEM SEVEN, THE CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF THE SUPERINTENDENT'S EVALUATION.MAY I PLEASE RECEIVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THESE RECOMMENDATIONS? SO MOVED. SECOND. OKAY. I HAVE A MOTION BY COURTNEY WILSON A SECOND BY MICHELLE NEWSOM.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? YES, DR.
[00:05:03]
CRUTCHFIELD. SURE. SO CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT WHAT THE TIMELINE USUALLY IS FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT'S EVALUATION AND CONTRACT? SURE. SO THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, IT'S BEEN IN JUNE.BACK IN 2022, I BELIEVE IT WAS WE DID DO AN EVALUATION AND CONTRACT RENEWAL BEFORE TWO INCOMING BOARD MEMBERS WERE SWORN IN. ACTUALLY, THREE INCOMING BOARD MEMBERS WERE SWORN IN AT THAT TIME, 2021.
SO WHILE THIS DOESN'T ALWAYS TAKE PLACE IN MAY, IT'S NOT UNUSUAL FOR IT TO HAPPEN AND IF THERE'S ANY OTHER MORE SEASONED BOARD MEMBERS THAT HAVE ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR IF THIS HAS HAPPENED AGAIN, THAT IS THAT'S BEEN MY THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD.
ALSO, WE'RE LOOKING AT A SITUATION WHERE WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT EVALUATIONS AND SUCH ARE COMPLETED BY THE FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT AT THIS TIME. SO TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S FAIR, I CAN IMAGINE THAT ANY OF US WOULD WANT SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR FOR OURSELVES, THAT WE'RE BEING EVALUATED BY SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN WORKING WITH US FOR A YEAR OR MORE IF THEY'RE EVALUATING OUR LAST YEAR'S WORK.
SO THIS IS NORMAL FOR US. WHEN DR. CANTU STARTED, SHE STARTED IN JANUARY.
AND SO THERE ACTUALLY WAS A TIME PERIOD WHERE WE HAD TO START DOING EVALUATIONS IN THAT JANUARY, FEBRUARY, AND THEN EACH MONTH FOR THE YEAR FOLLOWING, WE HAD TO MOVE IT UP ONE MONTH.
THERE'S ALSO A REQUIREMENT AND DON'T GET ME QUOTING WRONG REG NUMBERS AND STUFF, BUT WE HAVE TO ITS BOARD POLICY FOR US TO DO IT EVERY 15 MONTHS. AM I PULLING MY CORRECT? AND SO TRYING TO FOLLOW ALL THOSE RULES AT THAT TIME AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE KEEPING UP WITH ALL OF THOSE THINGS. BUT THIS IS A NORMAL TIMELINE FOR US.
ALL RIGHT. ANYTHING ELSE? SURE. SO OBVIOUSLY, BEING THE NEWBIE ON THE BOARD, THE TIMELINE MAKES SENSE IN TERMS OF THE MAY /JUNE TIMELINE. AND SO I WONDER MORE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT STAFF HAVE HAD TO BE ABLE TO GATHER DATA AND FOR US TO BE ABLE TO THOROUGHLY LOOK AT THAT DATA? I THINK FOR ME, IT'S BEEN A WEEK. I'M NOT SURE IF OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD MORE TIME.
AND SO I'M ASKING IF THAT'S TYPICAL. I CAN SPEAK TO THAT.
THERE, OBVIOUSLY COURTNEY AND I CAN PROBABLY SAY WE'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD FOR FOR A LONG TIME.
WE HAVE HAD TIMES WHERE WE'VE ONLY HAD ABOUT TWO WEEKS OR SO TO EVALUATE IT.
AND THEN WE'VE HAD SOME TIMES WHERE WE'VE TAKEN AND DONE THE EVALUATION OVER THE COURSE OF TWO WEEKS, AND THEN WE'VE TAKEN THE THE CONTRACT AND TAKEN TO TWO WEEKS OR MORE OR MEETINGS, I WOULD SAY WHAT MIGHT BE A RIGHT WAY.
SO I CAN'T SAY THAT THAT HAS BEEN ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
IT'S KIND OF BEEN A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH. SOME OF IT HAS TO DO WITH WHEN STARR DATA WAS AVAILABLE TO US OR SCORECARD DATA, OR IF WE WERE TRANSITIONING TO WHAT WE WERE TRACKING.
SOMETIMES IT WAS THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WE'RE MAKING DECISIONS ON.
AND SOMETIMES WE'RE MAKING DECISIONS BECAUSE WE HAD 2 OR 3 BOARD MEMBERS ROLLING OFF, AND WE WERE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE GETTING STUFF DONE, YOU KNOW, EXPEDITIOUSLY. BUT I WOULD SAY IT'S PROBABLY 50/50.
I CAN TELL YOU WHAT WE WHAT WE LIKE, BUT IT'S BEEN ABOUT 50/50.
OKAY. SO SO WHAT DO WE LIKE? DO YOU MIND? I THINK MOST OF US WOULD WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH TIME AND FOR THE STAFF TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN PULL ALL THE DATA.
BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT, AT LEAST FOR ME PERSONALLY RIGHT NOW FOR THIS CONTRACT, I DO FEEL LIKE THAT I HAD ENOUGH DATA TO MAKE SURE THAT I GAVE A GREAT EVALUATION. I FELT LIKE WE WERE ABLE TO COME TOGETHER, HAVE GOOD DISCUSSION.
WE HAD GOOD DATA TO MAKE A GOOD, SOLID DECISION.
I DON'T THINK THAT ANY OF US IN THAT ROOM WOULD HAVE KIND OF GIVEN AN OKAY OR GIVEN, OKAY, WE'LL GIVE AN OKAY IF WE DIDN'T THINK THAT WE HAD ENOUGH DATA TO MAKE THAT TO MAKE THOSE KIND OF DECISIONS.
RIGHT. AT THIS TIME, SINCE I KNOW THAT THAT IS A CONCERN THAT YOU AND YOU MENTIONED IT, THAT WORRIED ABOUT THE STAFF HAVING SOME TIME, I WILL SAY WHAT I RECALL IS THAT WE ALSO ASKED IF THEY COULD, IF THEY FELT COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO GET IT TO US, YOU KNOW, IN A CERTAIN TIME, YOU KNOW? SO YEAH, JUST TO PIGGYBACK OFF THIS, THIS WASN'T JUST SOMETHING THAT I'M LIKE,
[00:10:03]
THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING. THIS WAS A CONVERSATION THAT I DID HAVE WITH STAFF TO MAKE SURE THAT IF WE WERE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH APPROVING A CONTRACT IN MAY, THAT THAT WAS SUFFICIENT TIME TO GET DATA TO US.SO I DON'T WANT YOU TO THINK THAT THIS WAS JUST A DECISION MADE BY ME PERSONALLY.
I SPOKE WITH SEVERAL STAFF MEMBERS AHEAD OF MAKING THAT DECISION TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WOULD HAVE THE INFORMATION PROVIDED, BECAUSE IF I, IF I DIDN'T THINK WE WERE GOING TO HAVE THE INFORMATION TO EVEN EVALUATE, THERE WOULD BE NO POINT IN EVALUATING. BUT THEY WERE CONFIDENT THAT WE COULD GET THE INFORMATION THAT WE NEEDED TO MAKE A SOLID EVALUATION.
OKAY. THANKS. SO I JUST I WHAT I WOULD SAY IS FOR US, YOU KNOW, FINDING OUT THAT WE'RE DOING THE EVAL AND THE CONTRACT WITH THE WEEK'S TIME, THAT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ENOUGH TIME FOR ME. AND I THINK OUR STAFF DO SO MUCH.
AND SO I THINK IT WOULD REPRESENT THEIR WORK BETTER IF WE HAD MORE TIME THAN THAT.
AND I THINK FOR DR. CANTU AS WELL, BEING ABLE TO ANSWER SOME OF THE QUESTIONS WE HAVE ABOUT ANY TYPE OF DATA OR OUTCOMES, HER ALSO HAVING THAT ADDITIONAL TIME COULD BE MORE HELPFUL.
SO THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING THAT. ALL RIGHT, I APPRECIATE IT.
IS THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS, DR.
AND AS A TEACHER AND EDUCATOR, YOU DO FEEL THIS ANGST WHEN YOU ARE BEING EVALUATED.
SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS I DID APOLOGIZE TO DR.
SO I THINK THE COMMUNITY AND WE TALKED ABOUT THIS, I THINK THE COMMUNITY WANTS TO KNOW THAT WE'RE BEING TRANSPARENT AND WE'RE GOING TO DO A THOROUGH JOB AND THAT WE'RE GOING TO WE ARE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH TRANSPARENCY AND CONTINUITY.
SO I BELIEVE WHAT DR. CRUTCHFIELD IS SAYING IS THAT WE WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT THE THINGS THAT WERE STATED OR EXPRESSED, WHERE WE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AS TRANSPARENT, THAT WE ARE GOING TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT IS A COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO OURSELVES.
AS AN EDUCATOR WHEN I'M GETTING EVALUATED, EVEN THOUGH I'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR A LONG TIME, I STILL FEEL A LITTLE NERVOUS. SO I DIDN'T WANT I WAS CONCERNED THAT YOU WOULD FEEL A LITTLE NERVOUS THAT WE WERE JUST GOING TO RUSH THROUGH IT.
I DO BELIEVE YOUR STAFF DID A GREAT JOB OF GETTING THAT INFORMATION TO US, AND I APPRECIATE THAT.
SO I WANT I WOULD PERSONALLY WANT THE COMMUNITY TO KNOW THAT ANYTIME WE DO SOMETHING, ANYTIME I DO SOMETHING, LET ME SPEAK FOR MYSELF. I'M GOING TO MAKE CERTAIN I'LL DO A THOROUGH JOB. IF I CAN'T DO A THOROUGH JOB, I WILL MAKE THAT STATEMENT AND ENSURE THAT YOU KNOW THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE STANDING WITH YOU AND FOR YOU ARE GOING TO ENSURE THAT WHETHER IT'S QUESTIONS OR DATA WE NEED TO GET, WE'RE GOING TO ASK THOSE QUESTIONS AND GET THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING IN A RUSHED MANNER.
SO I HOPE THE COMMUNITY KNOWS THAT WE'RE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH CONTINUITY, WITH TRANSPARENCY, AND WE'RE GOING TO WORK TOGETHER. THAT IS MY HOPE.
THANK YOU, DR. REED, ANYONE ELSE? NO. OKAY, I HAVE ONE I HAVE ONE MORE THING.
SO I THINK MR. MADISON, IF YOU JUST MAKE SURE THAT I'M, I'M FOLLOWING CORRECTLY SINCE THESE ITEMS ARE TOGETHER, I THINK HERE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE EVALUATION.
BUT REGARDING THE CONTRACTS, I KNOW THAT EVERYBODY'S BEEN WATCHING WHAT'S HAPPENING IN AUSTIN AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE CAUTIOUS ABOUT WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO FOR TEACHERS AND IN THAT REGARD, FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT.
AND SO I THINK THAT THOSE CONCERNS ARE REFLECTED IN THE CONTRACT.
AND I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY ABOUT ALL I CAN SAY.
RIGHT. YEAH. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. ANYTHING ELSE? NO.
OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. ALL THOSE OPPOSED.
MOTION PASSES 6 TO 0. AND BEFORE WE CLOSE TONIGHT, I DO WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND HONOR THE UNWAVERING LEADERSHIP OF DR. KIMBERLY CANTU. OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, DR.
THROUGH THROUGH IT ALL, YOU HAVE REMAINED STEADY AND COMPASSIONATE.
YOU HAVE ALWAYS PUT STUDENTS FIRST AND NEVER WAVERED IN YOUR COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE.
[00:15:03]
UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP MANSFIELD ISD HAS RECEIVED INCREDIBLE RECOGNITIONS.THESE HONORS ARE A REFLECTION NOT ONLY OF OUR DISTRICT ACHIEVEMENTS, BUT OF THE CULTURE OF EXCELLENCE THAT YOU, DR. CANTU, HAVE CULTIVATED AT EVERY LEVEL. YOUR WORK IS OFTEN BEHIND THE SCENES LATE AT NIGHT, HARD DECISIONS AND CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH ALL STAKEHOLDERS.
AS WE MOVE FORWARD I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT UNDER DR.
DR. CANTU, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIRELESS SERVICE, YOUR INTEGRITY, YOUR VISION TO MANSFIELD ISD, WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND WE'RE PROUD TO CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD UNDER YOUR GUIDANCE. I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND THANK YOU, EVERYONE.
APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. AND WITH THAT,
WE WILL ADJOURN THIS MEETING AT 9:14 P.M..
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.