Mar 21, 2024 Town Council

[00:00:09]

TODAY'S TOWN COUNCIL.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES AGENDA FOR TOWN OF WESTLAKE THURSDAY, MARCH 21ST, 2024.

START TIMES 4 P.M..

IT'S A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING.

WE'RE GOING TO START OFF IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.

BUT BEFORE WE GET TO IT, WE START OFF WITH THE CITIZEN PARENT COMMENTS.

[D. CITIZEN/PARENT COMMENTS]

MARCUS? NO. OH, SORRY.

MARCUS NOVACEK, 1409 POST OAK, IN WESTLAKE.

I JUST WANTED TO SPEAK REAL BRIEFLY REGARDING THE HEAD OF THE SCHOOL SEARCH.

I WAS PART OF THE COMMITTEE.

AND I WILL SAY THAT I THINK OVERALL, WE WE GOT TO THE RIGHT ANSWER.

I REALLY FEEL THAT WAY.

HAVING SAID THAT, I THINK THE PROCESS WAS GOOD, BUT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY.

SPECIFICALLY, I THINK THE TWO THINGS THAT COME TO MIND NOT TO TAKE AWAY SOME OF JIM'S THINGS BECAUSE I THINK HE WAS GOING TO TALK ABOUT THIS AS WELL.

BUT I THINK THAT THE THE REPRESENTATION ON THE COMMITTEE WAS NOT ALWAYS THE BEST.

IT COULD HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BIT MORE DIVERSE.

I THINK PARENTS COULD HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BIT MORE HEAVILY WEIGHTED.

I THINK THE OTHER CONSTITUENTS ON THE COUNCIL SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE COUNCIL.

I DON'T HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH THAT.

BUT JUST THE WEIGHTING PERHAPS I DIDN'T THINK WAS THE MOST APPROPRIATE.

AND SO THAT'S ALL I'LL SAY ON THAT.

NOW, HAVING SAID THAT, I THINK THE OUTCOME I'M ACTUALLY REALLY HAPPY WITH, I THINK WE HAVE TWO.

TWO GOOD CANDIDATES.

ONE, THAT IN MY MIND, IS CLEARLY BETTER THAN THE OTHER.

JUST FROM EVERYTHING I WITNESSED BOTH IN THE INTERVIEWS AS WELL AS THEN THE DINNER AND HEARING THE FOLLOW UP CONVERSATIONS, TALKING TO OTHERS.

I WOULD ADVOCATE FOR DR.

KELLY. I FORGOT HER LAST NAME ALREADY.

BUT I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT IN MY MIND, I THOUGHT SHE WAS CLEARLY BETTER THAN THE OTHER.

I THINK AT THIS STAGE, WE NEED A LEADER WHO HAS A HIGH EQ AS WELL AS A HIGH IQ.

I THINK SHE EVERYTHING SHE TALKED ABOUT WAS.

HERE, LET ME GIVE YOU A LITTLE ANECDOTE OF ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY ENJOYED WAS SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT.

YES, RULES ARE RULES.

AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT DISCIPLINE SPECIFICALLY.

YOU KNOW, THINGS ABOUT BULLYING AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

AND SHE ONE OF HER POINTS WAS THAT, LOOK, RULES ARE RULES AND WE NEED TO ENFORCE THEM, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO KNOW THE FAMILIES, AND WE HAVE TO KNOW THE KIDS, AND WE HAVE TO KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, LITTLE JOHNNY'S PARENTS ARE GETTING DIVORCED RIGHT NOW, SO THAT MAY INFLUENCE WHAT'S GOING ON.

WE HAVE TO KNOW, OH, THIS INDIVIDUAL MAY HAVE A A SPECIAL NEEDS PROFILE.

THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON.

WE MAY KNOW, OH, THIS CHILD HASN'T HAD BREAKFAST FOR THE LAST THREE DAYS, YOU KNOW.

SO WE HAVE TO KNOW THE FAMILIES AND WE HAVE TO KNOW THE KIDS AS WELL AS PART OF KNOWING THE RULES AND POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.

AND I THINK IT JUST BRINGS A SPECIAL EMPATHY TO REALLY SAY THAT I THINK THE LAST TWO THAT WE'VE HAD HAVEN'T ALWAYS HAD THAT THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT REMOVED, DIDN'T ALWAYS REALLY GET TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, WESTLAKE.

WESTLAKE IS A UNIQUE ANIMAL THAT YOU REALLY NEED A HEAD OF SCHOOL THAT REALLY GETS DOWN IN THE DIRT WITH THE KIDS, WITH WITH THE PARENTS, WITH THE TEACHERS, AND IS NOT JUST A BUREAUCRAT SITTING IN AN OFFICE WRITING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.

YES, THOSE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT, AND I DON'T MEAN TO MINIMIZE THOSE, BUT AT THIS STAGE IN PARTICULAR, I THINK WE REALLY NEED SOMEBODY WHO IS BOOTS ON THE GROUND AND IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S THE LEADERSHIP BY WALKING AROUND, HAVING THEIR FACE SEEN, BEING IN THE CLASSROOM, MEETING WITH PARENTS, HAVING COFFEES, GETTING TO KNOW THE FAMILIES BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER EXAMPLE SHE TALKED ABOUT WAS SHE'S LIKE, LOOK, WHEN I TALK ABOUT FUNDRAISING, SHE'S LIKE, LOOK, NOW I KNOW THAT THERE ARE THREE PEOPLE ON THIS COMMITTEE THAT HAVE HAD KIDS BULLIED AT THE SCHOOL.

SHE'S LIKE, GUESS WHO I'M COMING TO WHEN IT COMES TIME TO RAISE MONEY FOR THAT AND TO WRITE A PROGRAM, THINGS LIKE THAT.

AND I THINK THAT REALLY JUST SPEAKS VOLUMES TO HOW SHE REALLY VALUES RELATIONSHIPS AS WELL AS POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.

AND SHE'S GOT A GREAT TRACK RECORD.

RIGHT? THE, THE, THE BEST PREDICTOR OF FUTURE RETURNS IS PAST PERFORMANCE.

RIGHT? NOT PERFECT OBVIOUSLY.

BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT SHE'S DONE SO FAR SHE, SHE'S BUILT SHE BUILT THAT SCHOOL FROM SCRATCH.

RIGHT. GRANTED, SHE WASN'T THE HEAD OF THE OVERALL SCHOOL, JUST THE IB PROGRAM, BUT SHE BUILT THAT FROM THE GROUND UP.

AND A LARGE PART OF THAT IS JUST SELLING IT AND MARKETING IT AND GETTING COMMUNITY BUY IN, WHICH IS ANOTHER THING THAT WE REALLY NEED, GIVEN HOW MUCH WESTLAKE RESIDENTS ARE NO LONGER ATTENDING AS MUCH AS THEY USED TO.

SO I JUST KIND OF WANTED TO ADD THAT AND I WOULD REALLY JUST ADVOCATE FOR HER, AND I THINK SHE WOULD BE THE GREAT FIT, THE BEST FIT FOR THE COMMUNITY OF ALL THE CANDIDATES THAT WE SAID. SO THAT'S ALL THANKS.

THANKS, MARCUS. THANK YOU JIM.

[00:05:02]

I WOULD JUST SAY TO ALL OF YOU.

THIS IS ONE IN A ROW WHERE I'M ACTUALLY VERY HAPPY.

A LOT OF YOU KNOW ME WE'RE, I'M FRIENDS WITH MOST OF YOU GUYS, AND I ALWAYS HAVE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT SOMETHING, BUT I'M EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH THIS PROCESS.

I THINK IT WAS HANDLED VERY WELL, I THINK A SECOND, MARCUS'S COMMENTS, BUT I'LL SAY I THINK IT WAS VERY PROFESSIONAL.

JUST AS A CITIZEN THAT HAS AN 11 YEAR OLD AT THE SCHOOL, I FEEL VERY, VERY GOOD WITH OUR CHOICES.

BUT I THINK AS SOMEONE THAT ALWAYS FINDS SOMETHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT, I HAVE NOTHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT BECAUSE I THINK OUR LEADERSHIP HAS DONE JUST AN OUTSTANDING JOB.

SO I THANK OUR ENTIRE COUNCIL FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO GET US TO THIS, THIS POSITION.

AND I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU.

I THINK IT'S BEEN A VERY GOOD PROCESS.

I'M HAPPY. AND WHICH MOST OF MOST OF YOU WHO KNOW ME KNOW THAT'S RARE, BUT I'M EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH OUR OUR PUBLIC SERVICE FROM FROM ALL OF YOU.

SO THANK YOU. THANKS, JIM.

THANKS. OKAY, NO MORE COMMENTS.

NOW WE'LL GO TO CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION ALPHA 124-065.

[A. CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION (4:00 P.M.)]

SECTION 551.074 ALPHA ONE DELIBERATION REGARDING PERSONNEL MATTERS TO DELIBERATE REGARDING WESTLAKE ACADEMY HEAD OF SCHOOL CANDIDATES.

AND NOW, AT 4:06, WE'RE GOING TO EXECUTIVE SESSION.

THANKS.

[B. REGULAR MEETING - CALL TO ORDER]

IT'S 4:33.

WE JUST FINISHED UP EXECUTIVE SESSION.

WE HAVE TO GO DO THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE NOW OR DO WE JUST MAKE OUR DECISION HERE? RIGHT. SO LET'S LET'S DO THE PLEDGE REAL QUICK BECAUSE IT'S ON THE AGENDA.

ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A MOTION FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION, DAVID.

[F. TAKE ANY ACTION, IF NEEDED, FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEMS]

SO I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT THE COUNCIL SELECT MISS KELLY RICHIE AS THE LONE FINALIST FOR THE POSITION OF HEAD OF SCHOOL FOR WESTLAKE ACADEMY AND AUTHORIZE THE MAYOR TO NEGOTIATE THE TERMS OF AN EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT WITH MISS RICHIE, SUBJECT TO FINAL APPROVAL BY THE COUNCIL. CAN I GET A FIRST? OKAY, SECOND.

I'LL SECOND. YOU, I FIRST.

SORRY. YEAH, ONE OF Y'ALL WANT TO SECOND.

I'LL SECOND.

AND A SECOND.

ALL IN FAVOR? AYE, AYE. ALL OPPOSED? NO OPPOSED. THE MOTION'S UNANIMOUS MOTION CARRIES.

ALL RIGHT. AND THAT IS THE LAST ITEM OF OUR AGENDA.

WE CAN CLOSE OUT AT 4:35.

BUT. OH, SORRY. WE CLOSE OUT THIS JOKE IS IS IT CALENDAR ON HERE IN THE BACK? IT IS I'VE GOT E1 WESTLAKE ACADEMY RESOLUTION 24-11 CONSIDERING APPROVING WESTLAKE RESOLUTION 24-11 ADOPTING THE WESTLAKE ACADEMY

[E.1. WA RES 24-11 Consider approving WA Resolution 24-11 adopting the Westlake Academy 2024-2025 Academic Calendar; and take appropriate action (Carolyn Anderson, Interim Head of School)]

CAN I GET A FIRST? I'LL FIRST. AND A SECOND, I WILL SECOND.

ALL IN FAVOR? AYE, AYE.

ALL OPPOSED? NO OPPOSED.

MOTION CARRIES. MOTION UNANIMOUS.

NOW WE'RE CLOSED OUT.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.