KIM GREAVES: GIVE ME TWO SECONDS.
[00:00:03]
GOOD AFTERNOON, AND WELCOME TO THE WEST LAKE TOWN COUNCIL[A.CALL REGULAR TOWN COUNCIL MEETING TO ORDER (4 P.M.) AND ANNOUNCE A QUORUM PRESENT ]
BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING FOR OCTOBER 20, 2026.WE DO HAVE TWO COUNCILMEN-- COUNCILMAN GAUTIER AND COUNCILMAN DUANE ARE OUT TODAY.
WE WILL START BY THE INVOCATION PROVIDED BY PASTOR MIKE BARNES.
MIKE BARNES: ALWAYS HONORING THIS.
FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
SO APPRECIATE YOU, ESPECIALLY WITH ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON, THE TUMULT OF ALL THE OPINIONS.
I PRAY FOR YOU GUYS, AND IT'S AN HONOR TO DO SO RIGHT NOW.
FATHER, IN THE NAME, ABOVE ALL NAMES, WE LIFT UP OUR SERVANT LEADERS HERE.
I ASK YOU, LORD, TO BE WITH THEM, BRING PEACE TO THEIR HOMES, BRING PEACE TO THIS CITY.
FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR BLESSING AND YOUR HAND UPON THEM.
AND WE ASK THIS IN CHRIST'S NAME.
AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND ALWAYS SUPPORTING US.
WE DON'T HAVE STUDENTS TODAY, SO WE'LL DO THE ADULT PLEDGES, WHICH IS NOT AS MUCH FUN.
ALL: I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
ALL: HONOR THE TEXAS FLAG; I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE TEXAS, ONE STATE UNDER GOD, ONE AND INDIVISIBLE.
WE'RE GOING TO START WITH DR. RICHIE, SOME RECOGNITION.
[C.1. Recognition of Westlake Academy's Administrative Support Staff]
KELLY RITCHIE: WE ARE SO GRATEFUL TONIGHT TO TAKE A MINUTE TO RECOGNIZE OUR ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT STAFF FROM WESTLAKE ACADEMY.THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO BE IN FRONT OF YOU TONIGHT ARE CENTRAL TO SO MANY OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO AS A SMALL SCHOOL.
ALL OF US WEAR A LOT OF DIFFERENT HATS.
AND WE ASKED THESE PEOPLE THAT WE HIRE INTO WHAT ARE TYPICALLY CALLED PARAPROFESSIONAL POSITIONS TO REALLY EXTEND THEIR SKILLS AND SERVICES BEYOND WHAT YOU WOULD NORMALLY SEE IN THESE ROLES.
WITHOUT THEM-- IF THEY WERE ALL GONE IN ONE DAY, IT WOULD NOT BE TOO DRAMATIC TO SAY THAT THE SCHOOL WOULD NOT FUNCTION.
SO DARCY MCFARLANE IS HERE TONIGHT.
SHE'S GOING TO TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT EACH OF THEM, AND WE JUST WANT TO SHOW OUR GRATITUDE TO ALL OF THEM FOR ALL THAT THEY OFFER TO OUR COMMUNITY.
DARCY MCFARLANE: JUST STAND RIGHT OVER HERE.
KIM GREAVES: HOW ARE Y'ALL? DARCY MCFARLANE: GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'M HERE TONIGHT TO INTRODUCE OUR ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT STAFF AND SHARE A LITTLE INSIGHT INTO THE VERY IMPORTANT SERVICES THAT THEY PROVIDE.
WE'RE EXTREMELY FORTUNATE TO HAVE SUCH AN EDUCATED, EXPERIENCED AND TALENTED TEAM SUPPORTING OUR SCHOOL.
OUR OFFICE STAFF ARE THE FIRST PEOPLE STUDENTS, STAFF, PARENTS, AND VISITORS SEE WHEN THEY COME INTO THE ACADEMY.
THEY HELP SHAPE HOW PEOPLE EXPERIENCE WESTLAKE ACADEMY FROM THE MOMENT THEY WALK THROUGH THE DOORS.
EACH MEMBER OF THIS TEAM WELCOMES OTHERS WITH PROFESSIONALISM, WARMTH, A GENUINE COMMITMENT TO HELPING OTHERS.
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, NO TWO DAYS IN A SCHOOL OFFICE ARE ALIKE, AND THESE LADIES HANDLE AN INCREDIBLE VARIETY OF SITUATIONS.
WHATEVER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, THEY APPROACHED THE CHALLENGE WITH A SMILE, CONFIDENCE, PATIENCE, AND A WELCOMING DEMEANOR.
TONIGHT, I HAVE THE PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE EACH OF THEM AND RECOGNIZE THIS AMAZING TEAM FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING WORK.
SO I'M GOING TO START WITH TAYLOR.
TAYLOR MILLEN IS OUR PYP FRONT OFFICE RECEPTIONIST.
TAYLOR JOINED US JUST THIS AUGUST, AND SHE HAS ALREADY EMBRACED AND CONTRIBUTED TO THE CULTURE OF WESTLAKE ACADEMY IN MEANINGFUL WAYS.
HER WARM AND WELCOMING DEMEANOR HELPS STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND VISITORS FEEL COMFORTABLE AND SUPPORTED FROM THE MOMENT THEY WALK THROUGH THE DOOR.
SHE BRINGS A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TO HER WORK AND A GENUINE ENTHUSIASM FOR HELPING OTHERS.
IN ADDITION TO HER BUSINESS EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS, TAYLOR BRINGS HER TRAINING AS A CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL TRAINER, WHICH SHE HAS ALREADY PUT THAT EXPERTISE TO WORK BY LAUNCHING MONTHLY FITNESS CHALLENGES FOR THE STAFF, ENCOURAGING ALL OF US TO TAKE A LITTLE BETTER CARE OF OURSELVES AND MAKE OUR BEING A PRIORITY.
WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE TAYLOR ON OUR TEAM AND APPRECIATE THE WARMTH, ENERGY AND INITIATIVE AND ENTHUSIASM SHE BRINGS TO WESTLAKE ACADEMY.
EVEN IN HER SHORT TIME HERE, SHE HAS MADE A WONDERFUL IMPRESSION ON OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY.
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NEXT, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE ERIN CARROLL.ERIN IS OUR SECONDARY ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT.
AARON ALSO JOINED OUR TEAM THIS YEAR, BRINGING VALUABLE EXPERIENCE FROM HER TIME AT KELLER ISD AND AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF ENERGY THAT HAS ALREADY MADE HER A WONDERFUL ADDITION TO THE TEAM.
A SECONDARY ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT, SHE SUPPORTS THE SECONDARY LEADERSHIP TEAM, ASSISTS STUDENTS, AND WORKS CLOSELY WITH PARENTS.
ERIN HAS ALSO TAKEN ON THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP OF STUDENT COUNCIL.
SHE COORDINATES PIZZA DAYS, SCHOOL DANCES, AND OTHER STUDENT-LED ACTIVITIES.
THESE RESPONSIBILITIES OFTEN EXTEND BEYOND THE SCHOOL DAY, WHERE SHE WORKS DIRECTLY WITH THE STUDENTS TO ENSURE THEIR EVENTS ARE SUCCESSFUL AND WELL-ORGANIZED.
WE APPRECIATE ERIN'S ENTHUSIASM, ENERGY, AND WILLINGNESS TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND TO SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS AND OUR SECONDARY STAFF.
NEXT, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE LIZ.
LIZ JOINED WESTLAKE ACADEMY DURING THE SECOND SEMESTER OF LAST YEAR AS THE ASSISTANT REGISTRAR.
WHEN WE STRUGGLED TO FILL A POSITION IN THE PIP FRONT OFFICE, SHE WILLINGLY SWITCHED GEARS TO HELP WHEREVER SHE WAS NEEDED.
IN DOING SO, WE DISCOVERED HER EXPERIENCE AND TALENT IN SCHOOL FINANCE, AND SHE QUICKLY TOOK ON MANAGING PURCHASING FOR THE ENTIRE SCHOOL.
AS WE FURTHER RECOGNIZED HER FINANCE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS, WE APPROACHED LIZ THIS SUMMER ABOUT STEPPING INTO THE NEW FINANCE SPECIALIST POSITION.
HER IMMEDIATE RESPONSE TO KELLY AND I WAS, I'LL DO WHATEVER IS BEST FOR THE SCHOOL.
THAT RESPONSE SPEAKS VOLUMES ABOUT LIZ'S TEAM-FIRST ATTITUDE AND DEDICATION TO WESTLAKE ACADEMY.
THIS YEAR, LIZ IS HELPING BUILD THIS NEW POSITION FROM THE GROUND UP, DEVELOPING PROCESSES, NAVIGATING NEW SYSTEMS AND STRENGTHENING OUR ACCOUNTING OPERATIONS.
SHE'S QUICKLY BECOME AN INVALUABLE MEMBER OF OUR TEAM, AND WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR HER FLEXIBILITY, INITIATIVE AND WILLINGNESS TO EMBRACE NEW CHALLENGES.
NEXT, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE MARIA FRANCO.
KIM GREAVES: I LOVE THE GOLF CLAPS, BY THE WAY.
[LAUGHTER] DARCY MCFALANE: MARIA FRANCO IS OUR ASSISTANT REGISTRAR.
MARIA JOINED WESTLAKE ACADEMY LAST YEAR AS THE ASSISTANT TO THE SECONDARY ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM.
IN THAT ROLE, SHE DEVELOPED NEW SYSTEMS TO TRACK STUDENT BEHAVIOR, CREDIT LOSS AND RECOVERY, AND SEAT MAKEUP TIME.
MARIA BRINGS A PARTICULAR TALENT, SKILL, AND KNOWLEDGE FOR DEVELOPING PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES, SOMETHING OUR DEPARTMENT HAS WANTED TO STRENGTHEN FOR MANY YEARS.
THIS YEAR, MARIA STEPPED INTO THE ROLE OF ASSISTANT REGISTRAR, WHERE SHE IS LEADING THE DAUNTING JOB OF TRANSITIONING ALL OF OUR HISTORICAL RECORDS FROM LASERFICHE TO OUR NEW STUDENT RECORDS SYSTEM, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF RECORDS.
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS HAVE BEEN INVALUABLE AS WE ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO ESTABLISH BEST PRACTICES FOR OUR LOTTERY, ENROLLMENT, STUDENT RECORDS, AND SCHEDULING PROCESSES.
IN ADDITION TO HER SPECIFIC JOB, SHE HAS ALSO BEEN CROSSTRAINED FOR EACH POSITION IN OUR DEPARTMENT SO SHE CAN COVER ANY JOB WHEN ANOTHER TEAM MEMBER IS OUT.
MARIA HAS TAKEN ON COMPLEX PROJECTS THAT WILL BENEFIT OUR DEPARTMENT AND SCHOOL FOR YEARS TO COME, AND WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR HER EXPERTISE, INITIATIVE AND DEDICATION.
NEXT, WE HAVE KATHY CARRABINE, WHO IS OUR ATTENDANCE CLERK.
WE WERE INCREDIBLY FORTUNATE TO FIND KATHY THREE YEARS AGO WHEN SHE LEFT CARROLL ISD AND JOINED US AT WESTLAKE ACADEMY.
SHE IS, WITHOUT DOUBT, THE BEST ATTENDANCE CLERK WE HAVE EVER HAD.
SHE BRINGS AN IMPRESSIVE DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY'S MANY ROLES AND REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO REPORTING STUDENT ATTENDANCE, WHICH, AS YOU KNOW, DRIVES FUNDING.
THROUGH HER ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND DEDICATION, KATHY HAS HELPED US RECOVER ATTENDANCE FUNDING THAT MAY HAVE BEEN OVERLOOKED IN PREVIOUS YEARS.
THIS HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO OUR SCHOOL.
AND SHE ACCOMPLISHES ALL OF THIS WHILE ALSO SUPPORTING THE SECONDARY FRONT OFFICE.
KATHY HAS BUILT STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND TEACHERS AS SHE WORKS DILIGENTLY TO COLLECT, VERIFY, AND MAINTAIN THE DOCUMENTATION NECESSARY TO ACCURATELY REPORT ATTENDANCE.
HER KNOWLEDGE, PERSISTENCE, AND COMMITMENT TO GETTING THINGS JUST RIGHT MAKE HER AN INVALUABLE MEMBER OF OUR TEAM.
AND FINALLY, WE HAVE JILL HOWARD, WHO IS OUR SECONDARY FRONT OFFICE CLERK AND SUBSTITUTE COORDINATOR.
JILL BRINGS A TRULY UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE TO OUR TEAM BECAUSE HER CONNECTION TO WESTLAKE ACADEMY SPANS ALL THE WAY BACK TO OUR INAUGURAL YEAR IN 2003, WHEN THE SCHOOL FIRST OPENED.
SHE IS THE MOTHER OF TWO FORMER WESTLAKE ACADEMY STUDENTS, AND DURING THEIR TIME THERE, SHE VOLUNTEERED IN OUR FRONT OFFICE AND WAS A SUBSTITUTE FOR SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE WE CONVINCED HER TO COME ABOARD FULL-TIME.
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SINCE THEN, JILL HAS SERVED WESTLAKE ACADEMY IN A REMARKABLE VARIETY OF ROLES.SHE HAS WORKED IN THE FRONT OFFICE, SERVED AS A REGISTRAR, TAUGHT MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE FOR MANY YEARS, AND SPENT SEVERAL YEARS AS A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER.
THIS YEAR, WE'RE THRILLED TO HAVE HER BACK IN THE SECONDARY FRONT OFFICE AND COORDINATING SUBSTITUTES FOR THE ENTIRE SCHOOL.
OUR TEACHERS AND STAFF ARE EXTREMELY FORTUNATE TO HAVE THE CONCIERGE-LEVEL SERVICE THAT JILL PROVIDES.
COORDINATING SUBSTITUTES REQUIRES FLEXIBILITY, CONSTANT COMMUNICATION, AND QUICK PROBLEM SOLVING.
IT MEANS MANAGING CALL-INS AT ALL HOURS OF THE DAY, NIGHT, AND WEEKENDS, NAVIGATING LAST-MINUTE CHANGES AND ARRANGING UNEXPECTED CLASSROOM COVERAGE, SOMETIMES WITH ONLY MOMENTS TO SPARE BEFORE THE SCHOOL DAY BEGINS.
JILL HANDLES THESE CHALLENGES WITH A CONFIDENT MANNER, EXCEPTIONAL KNOWLEDGE OF OUR SCHOOL, OUR PEOPLE, AND OUR SYSTEMS. HER EXPERIENCE AND COMMITMENT HELP KEEP OUR SCHOOL RUNNING SMOOTHLY EVEN WHEN THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS.
SO TO TAYLOR, ERIN, LIZ, MARIA, KATHY AND JILL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATION AND THE CARE YOU BRING TO OUR STUDENTS, FAMILIES, AND COLLEAGUES EVERY DAY.
THE WORK YOU DO BEHIND THE SCENES MAKE A TREMENDOUS DIFFERENCE IN THE DAILY LIFE OF WESTLAKE ACADEMY.
YOU SOLVE PROBLEMS, SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS, HELP OUR FAMILIES, AND KEEP OUR SCHOOL MOVING FORWARD.
WE'RE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE EACH OF YOU ON OUR TEAM, AND IT IS MY PLEASURE TO RECOGNIZE YOU AND YOUR AMAZING WORK THIS EVENING.
AND WE HAVE A LITTLE TOKEN WE WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU.
[APPLAUSE] KIM GREAVES: IF YOU WANT TO START YOUR MONDAY MORNING OFF WITH A KICK, GO TO THE PYP OFFICE AT 8 O'CLOCK.
THERE'S A LOT HAPPENING THERE.
[LAUGHS] THERE'S A LOT HAPPENING.
WE'RE NOW GOING TO GET INTO CITIZEN/PUBLIC COMMENTS.
[D.CITIZEN/PUBLIC COMMENTS ]
I THINK WE HAVE FIVE.WE WILL KEEP IT TO THREE MINUTES.
THE FIRST ONE IS MS. BECKY SUBLETTE.
PLEASE COME UP AND JUST STATE YOUR NAME AND YOUR ADDRESS, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
I LIVE AT 5970 STAGECOACH HILLS-- STAGECOACH CIRCLE, SORRY.
AND MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE BEEN HERE SINCE 2000.
SO I'M HERE TO THANK YOU, FIRST OF ALL, FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER OF THE WATER TOWER AT STAGECOACH HILLS PROPOSED.
AND THANK YOU FOR THE LAST COMMUNITY MEETING THAT YOU HELD.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO PUT INTO THE MEETING'S BUSINESS, OFFICIALLY AS A PUBLIC RECORD, THE PETITION THAT WAS EMAILED TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE MAYOR, AND WE HAVE COPIES OF SIGNATURES TO ALSO GIVE YOU AFTER I FINISH SPEAKING.
SO I'M GOING TO READ THE PETITION AS WRITTEN.
I WILL TRY TO SHORTEN IT BY LEAVING SOME OF IT OUT.
IT'S FROM THE RESIDENTS OF STAGECOACH HILLS AIR PARK.
SUBJECT IS CANCEL THE 1-MILLION-GALLON EST, ELEVATED STORAGE TANK, AT STAGECOACH LOCATION.
TO WESTLAKE TOWN COUNCIL AND TOWN ATTORNEY; RESIDENTS OF STAGECOACH RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT THE TOWN OF WESTLAKE CANCELS ANY ADDITIONAL ENGINEERING WORK ON THE 1-MILLION-GALLON EST, ELEVATED STORAGE TANK, A.K.A.
WATER TOWER, PLANNED ADJACENT TO STAGECOACH HILLS AIR PARK.
RESOLUTION NUMBER 2611 CONTRACT WITH TNP.
GROUNDS TO CANCEL THIS CONTRACT INCLUDE, NUMBER ONE, THE CONSTRUCTION OF A 130-PLUS-FOOT WATER TOWER STRUCTURE IS IN DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND WESTLAKE ORDINANCES.
SPECIFIC ORDINANCE VIOLATIONS INCLUDE ORDINANCE 313-01 AND ORDINANCE 438, WHICH STATE, IN PARAGRAPH 3.7, SCENIC VIEW PROTECTION, QUOTE, "NO STRUCTURE MAY EXTEND BEYOND THE ELEVATION OF 785 FEET MSL," END QUOTE.
SINCE THE LOWEST ELEVATION TO BUILD THE WATER TOWER ON THIS ACREAGE IS 730 FEET MSL, THE TALLEST STRUCTURE POSSIBLE WOULD HAVE A MAXIMUM HEIGHT OF 55 FEET.
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ORDINANCE 313-01 ALSO STATES IN PARAGRAPH 2.2, BUILDING HEIGHT, QUOTE, "THE MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT FOR ALL SITES HAVE A 0.25 TO 1 FLOOR AREA RATIO, SHALL BE TWO STORIES OR 35 FEET, WHICHEVER IS LESS," END QUOTE.THIS SITE DEFINED AS OFFICE CAMPUS AS THE 0.25 TO 1 FLOOR AREA RATIO.
NUMBER TWO, THERE IS NO ENGINEERING STUDY OR PLAN TO SUPPORT LOCATED A WATER TOWER NEXT TO STAGECOACH.
RECENT STUDIES AND PLANS DO NOT EVEN DEPICT STAGECOACH AS A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE.
A, THE TOWN CONTRACTED FREESE AND NICHOLS, FNI, TO PERFORM THE ENGINEERING ANALYSIS FOR THE UPDATED WATER MASTER PLAN SEPTEMBER 2024 THROUGH NOVEMBER 2025.
THIS REPORT PROVIDES EXTENSIVE ANALYSIS, INCLUDING BOTH CURRENT AND FUTURE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS, THROUGH A PROJECTED 2045 BUILD OUT.
THE FNI REPORT CONTRADICTS THE NEED AND LOCATION OF A 1-MILLION-GALLON WATER TOWER AT STAGECOACH, SPECIFICALLY STATING, ELEVATED STORE EVALUATION, REFERENCE PAGE 5-3, QUOTE, "THE PROJECTIONS SHOW THAT THE TOWN HAS ADEQUATE, ELEVATED STORAGE TO MEET THE REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS THROUGH THE 20-YEAR PERIOD.
HOWEVER, IT IS RECOMMENDED TO CONSTRUCT AN ADDITIONAL EST TO INCREASE SYSTEM RESILIENCY AND HELP SERVE PEAK HOUR DEMANDS.
FNI RECOMMENDS THE ADDITION OF A 0.5-MILLION-GALLON EST WITHIN THE 10-YEAR PERIOD.
I'D LIKE TO HAVE THE NEXT SPEAKER CONTINUE.
KIM GREAVES: THANK YOU, MA'AM.
ALICE BENSON: THANK YOU, MAYOR GREAVES AND THE COUNCIL FOR HAVING US-- KIM GREAVES: THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
ALICE BENSON: --AND SPEAK TODAY.
I'M GOING TO FINISH UP WHERE BECKY SUBLETTE LEFT OFF.
THE ELEVATED STORAGE, REFERENCE PAGE-- IS THAT IT? I'M SORRY.
ALICE BENSON: THE ELEVATED STORAGE ELEVATION, REFERENCE PAGE 5-3, THE PROJECTION SHOWS THAT THE TOWN HAS ADEQUATE ELEVATION STORAGE TO MEET THE REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS THROUGH THE 20-YEAR PERIOD.
HOWEVER, IT IS RECOMMENDED TO CONSTRUCT AN ADDITIONAL EST TO INCREASE SYSTEM RESILIENCY AND HELP SERVE PEAK HOUR DEMANDS.
FNI RECOMMENDS THE ADDITION OF A 0.5 MILLION ESTIMATED TOWER WITHIN A 10-YEAR PERIOD.
NOTE, THE FNI REPORT DEFINES OPTION 1 AND 2, AND NEITHER OPTION INCLUDES STAGECOACH HILLS AS A FEASIBLE LOCATION FOR CONSIDERATION.
THE 0.5 MILLION WATER TOWER OPTION AT 8 JT OETTINGER AND OTHER SITES DO NOT STATE A REQUIREMENT FOR A TOWER TO BE THE SAME ELEVATION AS THE CURRENT TOWER ON KNOX ROAD.
THE NEED FOR THE SECOND WATER TOWER IS NOT DEFINED AS URGENT AND ONLY RECOMMENDED FOR RESILIENCY GROWTH.
THE WEST LAKE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN, THE AUGUST 25 DOES NOT SHOW STAGECOACH AS A FEASIBLE OPTION TO LOCATE A WATER TOWER.
THERE IS NO SUPPORTING BUDGET ITEM DEFINED FOR WATER TOWER NEXT TO STAGECOACH.
A WATER TOWER NEXT TO STAGECOACH HILLS AIRPORT 4TX2 POSES A SAFETY HAZARD AND LIABILITY FOR BOTH THE AIRPORT AND THE TOWN.
THE TOWN WOULD EXPOSE ITSELF TO A LIABILITY WATER TOWER TO DEEM THE CAUSE OF A FUTURE AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT INCIDENT.
ACTION REQUESTS, WE RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THE TOWN COUNCIL TO ADD TO THE AGENDA FOR THE OCTOBER 26 TOWN COUNCIL MEETING TO IMMEDIATELY CANCEL THE CURRENT TNP CONTRACT FOR THE STAGECOACH HILLS LOCATION, OR APPLY THE ASSOCIATED WORK AND FUNDS TO MORE FEASIBLE SITE.
FAILING THAT, PRODUCE THE VALID ORDINANCE, WHICH ALLOWS A STRUCTURAL MAXIMUM HEIGHT GREATER THAN 785 MSL AT THIS LOCATION, PRODUCE A VALID ENGINEERING REPORT WHICH DEFINES AN URGENT AND IMMEDIATE REQUIREMENT TO BUILD AN ELEVATED 1-MILLION WATER TOWER ADJACENT TO STAGECOACH HILLS AIRPORT, PRODUCE AN ANALYSIS REPORT WHICH EXPRESSES STATES THAT THERE ARE NO SAFETY ISSUES FOR HAVING A STRUCTURE AT THIS CLOSE PROXIMITY TO AN ACTIVE RUNWAY.
KIM GREAVES: THANK YOU, MA'AM.
HOW ARE YOU? STEPHEN THORNTON: OH, JUST FINE, JUST FINE.
MR. MAYOR, TOWN COUNCIL, IT'S GOOD TO BE HERE, AND I APPRECIATE YOU SPENDING YOUR TIME WITH US TODAY.
I'VE GOT ONE OF THOSE NOT-IN-MY-BACKYARD CONVERSATIONS
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THAT I'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU.NOT SO MUCH FOR ME, PERSONALLY.
AND I'M NOT EVEN HERE TO SAY THAT PERHAPS IT'S IN THE WAY OF THE FLIGHT OF THE PLANES.
I THINK PERHAPS IT'S NOT, BUT I'M HAPPY TO BE CONTRADICTED BY A PILOT SINCE I DON'T HAVE A LICENSE.
I'M A BIG PICTURE PERSON, SO MY THINKING IS, THE OVERALL SCENIC EFFECT THAT IT WOULD HAVE-- THE LOCATION, I CAN'T THINK OF A WORSE PLACE TO HAVE A TOWER FOR THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF EYEBALLS THAT'S GOING TO BE LOOKING UP AT THAT HILLSIDE.
PEOPLE DRIVING ALONG 377 AND 170, THERE'S NO MISTAKE IN WHAT THIS EYESORE WILL IMPACT.
WE HAVE HAD A MASTER PLAN FOR, WHAT, 20 SOMETHING YEARS? WE'VE UPGRADED IT ANOTHER 10 YEARS LATER, AND WE'VE NEVER EVEN CONSIDERED HAVING A WATER TOWER OR ANY KIND OF OBSTRUCTION IN THAT SITE BECAUSE THERE ARE LANES THAT ARE MEANT TO BE LEFT ALONE, CLEAN, SIMPLE.
AND ANYTHING THAT IS UP THAT HIGH IN ALL OF ITS NAKED GLORY, THAT LOOKS-- I'VE EVEN SEEN THE DRAWINGS LOOK A LITTLE SUSPECT TO ME.
IT LOOKS SOMETHING LIKE A TUNA FISH CAN WITHOUT A LABEL SITTING ON TOP OF THE CORE OF A USED TOILET PAPER ROLL.
I MEAN, IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE SOMETHING WESTLAKE WOULD BE PROUD OF.
AND I WOULDN'T LIKE TO SEE THE CITIZENS ALL OVER THINK OF THAT AS OUR STATEMENT TO THE COMMUNITY, A LARGE COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO NOT CLUTTER UP THE LANDSCAPE, THE GENERAL LANDSCAPE.
FROM KANSAS DOWN TO WACO, WE HAVE WOODED HILLS THAT ARE BASICALLY CLEAN, PRISTINE.
THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S BROUGHT THESE PEOPLE, US, TO THE AREA.
AND I DON'T KNOW A MUNICIPALITY THAT WOULD PUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT FROM THE VERY TOP TO THE VERY BOTTOM, WHERE EVERYBODY CAN SEE IT, IN THE MOST OBVIOUS LOCATION FOR EVERYONE TO NOTICE.
AFTER TRYING TO SOMEWHAT SHAME US ABOUT THIS PROPOSAL, I'D LIKE TO PROPOSE MAYBE ANOTHER SITE.
IF WE DECIDE TO PUT A TOWER 250 FEET WEST OF THE EXISTING TOWER-- FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO ASK, WELL, WHY DID WE EVEN HAVE THAT TOWER TO BEGIN WITH? WHY DID WE BOTHER WORKING WITH KELLER TO COMBINE OUR NEEDS TO CREATE ONE TOWER? ANYBODY WANT TO TELL ME HERE WHAT THEY'RE THINKING-- WOMAN: SIR, I'M SORRY, YOUR TIME TO SPEAK IS UP.
CAN I HAVE ANOTHER FEW SECONDS, PLEASE? THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
LINDA BJORN: THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE TONIGHT.
I'M LINDA BJORN AND STAGECOACH HILLS AIR PARK RESIDENT AS WELL.
AND ON THE WATER TOWER, ON THE STAGECOACH WATER TOWER PROJECT, I'D LIKE TO ADDRESS SOME INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM THE FINAL WATER MASTER PLAN REPORT, WHICH WAS THE RESULT OF A 15-MONTH STUDY CONTRACTED WITH FREESE AND NICHOLS COMMENCING SEPTEMBER 2024 AND PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2025, 15 MONTHS TIME PERIOD.
THIS REPORT WAS OBTAINED FROM A FOIA REQUEST SUBMITTED, NOTABLY RECEIVED AFTER THE COMMUNITY MEETING WHICH THE TOWN HELD WITH OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
I WAS UNFORTUNATE THAT IT CAME AFTERWARD.
OTHERWISE, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO HAVE A MORE USEFUL DISCUSSION AT THE TIME CONCERNING THE DATA THAT WAS PRESENTED IN THIS HIGHLY REGARDED REPORT, I BELIEVE.
AS A HIGH QUALITY ENGINEERING DOCUMENT, THIS WATER MASTER PLAN AND FINAL REPORT ADDRESSES THESE THREE AREAS TO MEET OUR GROWTH AND RESILIENCY WATER INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS THROUGH 2045, COST, SCHEDULE REQUIREMENTS, AND TECHNICAL SOLUTION OPTIONS.
LET'S START WITH THE REQUIREMENTS.
THE TOWN PUT FREESE AND NICHOLS ON CONTRACT TO DEVELOP THE WATER MASTER PLAN, A 15-MONTH PROJECT, WHICH DESCRIBED OUR CURRENT GROWTH AND RESILIENCY NEEDS.
THE FINAL REPORT DESCRIBED TWO OPTIONS.
BOTH OPTION 1 AND OPTION 2 IN THE WESTERN PRESSURE PLAIN DEFINED BUILDING A HALF-MILLION-GALLON ELEVATED
[00:25:01]
WATER TOWER ON JT OETTINGER NORTH OF THE SCHOOL.THIS HALF-MILLION-GALLON JT OETTINGER TOWER WAS ALSO INCORPORATED IN THE AUGUST 2025 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN, WHICH I SAW THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF WORK PUT INTO, AND ITS ASSOCIATED BUDGET.
HOWEVER, JUST WITHIN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, HOW DID SUCH A SIGNIFICANT REQUIREMENTS CHANGE SUDDENLY OCCUR? IN APRIL OF 2026, TNP SIGNED A CONTRACT TO PERFORM ENGINEERING WORK FOR A TOWER TWICE THE SIZE, 1 MILLION GALLON, ON A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LOCATION, WHICH WAS NOT SHOWN AS AN OPTION EITHER IN THE AUGUST 2025 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN OR THIS NOVEMBER 2025 FINAL REPORT.
THIS LOCATION WAS REVEALED TO THE PUBLIC FOR THE FIRST TIME ON MAY 19, 2026, WHICH ALSO HAPPENED TO BE THE FIRST COUNCIL MEETING AFTER THE ELECTION WHERE MAYOR GREAVES WAS ALSO REELECTED, AND IT WAS THE FIRST TIME ANY WESTLAKE RESIDENT IN STAGECOACH HILLS AIR PARK WAS MADE AWARE OF THESE PLANS.
THEN, TWO MONTHS LATER, THE TOWN MADE THE PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DATA CENTER SITE LESS THAN 900 FEET FROM WHERE THIS WATER TOWER IS PROPOSED.
THE WATER STUDY DOES NOT REVEAL ANY UPDATED REQUIREMENTS TO DOUBLE THE SIZE OF A SECOND WATER TOWER TO THE WESTERN PLAIN.
WAS IT A COINCIDENCE THAT THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DATA CENTER AND THE DOUBLING OF THE WATER TOWER SIZE AND LOCATION CHANGE OCCURRED AT THE SAME TIME PERIOD? SO THOSE ARE A FEW OF THE QUESTIONS WE HAVE.
NOW, A QUICK LOOK AT COST AND SCHEDULE.
SCHEDULE, WHY WAS THE TOWN IN SUCH A HURRY TO BUILD A SECOND WATER TOWER? I SEE I'M OUT OF TIME, BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT THERE IS NO URGENT NEED THAT WE CAN SEE IN ANY OF THE ENGINEERING REPORTS THAT WE HAVE HAD, UNLESS YOU'VE GOT SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WHICH HASN'T BEEN TRANSPARENT TO ANY OF US.
AND ALSO THE COST, THE CEO TO BACK THE UTILITY AND HIGHER TAX RATES? WELL, OUR TEAM ALREADY HAS CLOSE TO 60-- HAS 60 SIGNATURES FROM STAGECOACH.
AND I BELIEVE ONCE THE REST OF OUR WESTLAKE RESIDENTS START TO CONNECT THE DOTS THAT THEIR HIGHER TAXES AND WATER RATES ARE POTENTIALLY PAYING FOR THE DATA CENTER WATER-- WOMAN: MS. BJORN, I'M SORRY.
LINDA BJORN: --THEY MIGHT BE SO INCLINED TO SUPPORT HAVING THE FUTURE CEOS PASS TO SUPPORT IT.
LINDA BJORN: IT WON'T BE THE COUNCIL THAT'S GOING TO BE ABLE TO-- KIM GREAVES: THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
LINDA BJORN: --TO REPORT IT AND SLIDE IT BY THIS-- KIM GREAVES: OFFICER.
WE APPRECIATE Y'ALL BEING HERE.
JON SASSER, ITEMS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST.
[E. ITEMS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST ]
JON SASSER: THANK YOU.WE'VE GOT A BUSY SLATE HERE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AROUND THE TOWN AS WELL AS THE ACADEMY.
WE'LL START OFF WITH THIS SATURDAY WITH MONSTER MASH AT THE ACADEMY FIELDHOUSE, WHERE EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO ATTEND TO THAT.
WE'VE GOT THE TRUNK OR TREAT, BOUNCE HOUSES, PETTING ZOO, BALLOON ARTISTS, CRAFT STATION, HAUNTED HOUSE, FOOD, MUSIC, ALL KINDS OF GREAT STUFF.
TODAY IS ACTUALLY THE LAST DAY FOR THE PRESALE OF $25.
SO IF YOU'D LIKE TO GET IT, JUST WAIT TILL THIS MEETING IS OVER, AND THEN LOG IN AND GET YOUR TICKETS.
AFTER THAT, THE TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR FOR $30.
YOU CAN GET THOSE TICKETS NOW AT THE WHOC WEBSITE.
AGAIN, THAT'S GOING TO BE THIS SATURDAY FROM 5:00 TO 8:00.
EARLIER THAT MORNING ON THE ACADEMY CAMPUS AS WELL, WE'VE GOT THE HUGHES OF HOPE FUN RUN A ONE MILE RUN AT 9:00 AM-- BEGINNING AT 9:00 AM, ALL PROCEEDS SUPPORTING THE HUGHES HIGHER EDUCATION FUND.
THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY IS INVITED TO THAT AS WELL.
SO WE HOPE YOU GUYS SPEND THE DAY AT WESTLAKE ACADEMY ON SATURDAY.
ALSO, ELECTION DAY IS RAPIDLY APPROACHING.
RELATIVELY BIG ELECTION HERE FOR TEXAS.
EARLY VOTING BEGAN YESTERDAY AND RUNS THROUGH OCTOBER 30TH, WHICH IS A FRIDAY.
THE FIRE STATION HERE IN WESTLAKE IS, IN FACT, A POLLING PLACE AND IS OPEN RIGHT NOW FOR EARLY VOTING AS WELL AS ON ELECTION DAY.
YOU CAN GET THE HOURS OF WHEN YOU CAN GO VOTE AT THE FIRE STATION AND OTHER PLACES ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES, AS WELL AS OUR WEBSITE.
OUR NEXT PLANNING AND ZONING MEETING WAS TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER 3RD, BUT OF COURSE, THAT IS ELECTION DAY, SO WE'RE WORKING TO POTENTIALLY MOVE THAT TO NOVEMBER 10TH.
SO WE'LL LET EVERYBODY KNOW ABOUT THAT ONCE THAT'S IN STONE.
OUR NEXT TOWN COUNCIL MEETING IS GOING TO BE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH.
TOWN HALL AND THE MUNICIPAL COURT WILL BE CLOSED ON NOVEMBER 26TH TO OBSERVE THANKSGIVING.
AND IRONICALLY, THAT'S SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO NOTE FOR ALL WESTLAKE RESIDENTS, THANKSGIVING IS THE ONLY HOLIDAY WHERE TRASH IS IMPACTED IN 2026.
SERVICE THAT WEEK WILL BE PROVIDED ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH, AND IT WILL, IN FACT, BE A BULK PICKUP DAY.
[00:30:02]
A COUPLE ADDITIONAL NOTES HERE-- RIGHT.BEFORE THE MEETING, WE DROPPED A NEW BUDGET VIDEO FROM THE TOWN OF WESTLAKE.
GREAT JOB BY OUR COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST ALEXA FOR PUTTING THAT TOGETHER, ALONG WITH KC, OUR FINANCE DIRECTOR.
IT ALSO IS ACCOMPANIED WITH A DIGITAL BUDGET BOOK.
WE TALK ABOUT ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON FINANCIALLY, INCLUDING THE VERY, VERY LOW TAX RATE WITH WESTLAKE, ONE OF THE LOWEST, NOT ONLY IN NORTH TEXAS BUT ALL OF TEXAS AND THE AMOUNT IN THE GENERAL FUND AS WELL.
SO WE ARE IN A GREAT FINANCIAL SHAPE HERE WITH THE TOWN OF WESTLAKE WITH FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE DECISION MAKING.
SO CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU GUYS, AS WELL AS THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT FOR PUTTING THAT ALL TOGETHER.
AND THEN, FINALLY, WE WANT EVERYBODY TO SAVE THE DATE FOR DECEMBER 3RD, THAT'S A THURSDAY, FROM 6:00 TO 9:00.
THAT'S OUR ANNUAL TREE LIGHTING EVENT RIGHT OUTSIDE OF HERE.
IT LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE ALREADY STARTING TO DECORATE.
SO WE'RE ALREADY GETTING INTO THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT.
JON SASSER: IT'S GOING TO BE FROM 6:00 TO 9:00 ON DECEMBER 3RD.
AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST AND SO MUCH MORE, OF COURSE, PICTURES WITH SANTA.
WE'VE GOT A LIVE CHRISTMAS MONKEY, LIVE REINDEER.
WE'VE GOT A GREAT-- KIM GREAVES: CHRISTMAS MONKEY IS ALWAYS THERE.
JON SASSER: THE CHRISTMAS MONKEY IS A BIG HIT.
LIVE REINDEER, CARRIAGE RIDES.
WE'VE GOT MECHANICAL REINDEER RIDES, ALL KINDS OF FOOD SPONSORS, VENDORS.
IT'S GOING TO BE QUITE A SHOW, FACE PAINTING, BALLOON MAKING, COOKIE MAKING, ORNAMENT MAKING, I COULD GO ON AND ON AND ON.
I KNOW WE'RE ON A LIMITED TIME HERE, BUT IT IS GOING TO BE A FANTASTIC COMMUNITY EVENT WE HOPE ALL OF YOU GUYS CAN COME OUT AND SEE.
THOSE ARE YOUR ITEMS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST.
KIM GREAVES: JON, JUST REAL QUICK.
I WANT TO GIVE-- AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH, WE HAVE YMSL DO THE TOWN CLEANUP, AND ON THE 11TH, I THINK WE HAD 18 MOTHERS AND SONS COME OUT AND CLEAN UP.
I THINK THAT'S BEEN ONE OF OUR BIGGEST YET.
BUT GAIL KRIEGER IS HEADING THAT UP, OUR OWN GAIL KRIEGER FROM WESTLAKE.
THEY JUST DID A GREAT JOB AND SO APPRECIATIVE OF HELPING OUR TOWN, SO I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT.
KIM GREAVES: MS. SANDEN, I KNOW YOU CAME IN LATE.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK? HOW ARE YOU? SHARON SANDEN: I AM JUST FINE.
THANK YOU FOR-- I HAD TO GO PICK UP KIDS AND BRING THEM HOME.
I JUST WANT TO REPEAT THE ACTION REQUESTS THAT WE SENT TO YOU LAST WEEK BY EMAIL, AND THEN BROUGHT IT UP TO THE TOWN.
WE RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THE TOWN COUNCIL TO ADD TO THE AGENDA FOR THE 20TH OCTOBER MEETING, WHICH IS TODAY, WHICH DIDN'T HAPPEN, IMMEDIATELY CANCEL THE CURRENT TNC CONTRACT FOR THE STAGECOACH LOCATION OR APPLY FOR ASSOCIATED WORK WITH FUNDS FOR A MORE REASONABLE SITE.
FAILING THAT, PRODUCE A VALID ORDINANCE WHICH ALLOWS A STRUCTURAL MAXIMUM HEIGHT GREATER THAN 785 FEET AT THIS LOCATION, PRODUCE A VALID ENGINEERING REPORT WHICH DEFINES AN URGENT AND IMMEDIATE REQUIREMENT TO BUILD AN ELEVATED 1 MILLION WATER TOWER ADJACENT TO STAGECOACH HILLS AIR PARK, AND THREE, PRODUCE ANALYSIS REPORT, WHICH EXPRESSLY STATES THAT THERE ARE NO SAFETY ISSUES AND HAVING SUCH A STRUCTURE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THIS ACTIVE RUNWAY.
KIM GREAVES: THANK YOU, MA'AM.
WE'LL GO TO THE TOWN COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT AND UPDATES.
[F.1. Receive Development Update.]
RECEIVE DEVELOPMENT REPORT, JASON OLIVER.HOW ARE YOU? JASON OLIVER: GOOD.
SO I WANT TO GIVE A QUICK DEVELOPMENT UPDATE.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I'D LIKE TO GO FORWARD AND DO EVERY QUARTER SO THAT WE GET A LITTLE BIT BETTER MENTAL PICTURE ON WHAT'S CHANGING THIS YEAR.
IT'S MORE OF A SUMMARY OF THE 2026 FISCAL YEAR WITH JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WE CAN LOOK AHEAD TO.
SO IN 2026, WE HAD 313 NEW PERMITS ISSUED, TOTAL.
THAT'S 633,600 TOTAL SQUARE FEET AT $102.5 MILLION.
SO UNDER THIS IS EVERYTHING, FROM NEW ROOFS TO NEW BUILDINGS, TREES NEEDING TO BE REMOVED.
SO WE'LL BREAK IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT HERE.
25 OF THESE PERMITS WERE NEW SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES.
THAT'S ABOUT 208,000 SQUARE FEET TOTAL AT $62.5 MILLION OF TOTAL VALUATION JUST FOR THE GROUND-UP HOMES.
WE HAVE FIVE PERMITS ISSUED IN COMMERCIAL.
ONE EXAMPLE IS THE WESTLAKE ACADEMY.
[00:35:01]
WE HAVE DELOITTE, A COUPLE OF OTHERS THAT WE'LL LOOK AT HERE IN A MINUTE.SO THAT'S $47 MILLION TOTAL FOR THE FIVE COMMERCIAL.
A LITTLE BIT OF PROGRESS OVER THE LAST YEAR, THE HILTON GARDEN INN ON ARAGON, 79,000 SQUARE FEET, 128 KEYS.
SO I DON'T KNOW THEIR PARTICULAR SCHEDULE, BUT I'M THINKING THAT THEY COULD BE COMPLETELY WEATHERED IN IN 2027, HOPEFULLY.
NEXT TO THAT, I'VE DECIDED TO JUST SHOW THIS LOCATION, 68 ARAGON.
THERE ARE SOME DISCUSSIONS ABOUT AN OFFICE BUILDING GOING HERE.
I THOUGHT THIS WAS PARTICULARLY EXCITING JUST BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION.
IF YOU KNOW THAT STREET, IT JUST FEELS EMPTY RIGHT NOW.
SO THIS COULD BE A REALLY SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT, AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL KNOW SOMETHING IN A FEW MONTHS.
THE TOWNHOMES, UNLESS YOU WALK THROUGH THEM EVERY WEEK THE WAY WE DO, YOU MAY NOT REALIZE JUST HOW MUCH IS GOING ON.
I WANTED TO SHOW THESE TO YOU.
IT'S 18 CUSTOM DWELLINGS, SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL.
EACH ONE IS AT LEAST 01,890 SQUARE FEET.
AND IT'S PROBABLY PRETTY SMALL ON YOUR SCREEN THERE, BUT THESE THREE STREETS HERE, YOU CAN REALLY SEE WHERE THERE'S HOUSES THAT ARE ALREADY CLOSED IN.
THERE ARE HOUSES THAT HAVE SLABS, FRAMING.
WE HAVE SITES THAT ARE ALREADY BEING PREPARED.
REALLY, A LOT HAS HAPPENED IN THE LAST, I'D SAY, ONLY ABOUT 10 MONTHS.
SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF MOVEMENT.
AND WE EXPECT TO SEE MORE OF THAT.
AND I JUST WANTED TO SHOW A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES BECAUSE YOU JUST DON'T SEE THEM UNLESS YOU'RE DRIVING DOWN THESE ROADS.
THERE'S ACTUALLY-- IT'S CUT OFF IN THIS PHOTO, UNFORTUNATELY, BUT WE HAVE A SITE BEING PREPARED.
AND THEN WE HAVE THE CONSTRUCTION GOING UP.
AND ACTUALLY, DOWN TO THE LEFT, WE HAVE A HOUSE THAT'S FULLY DRIED IN, SO MOVING ALONG QUITE NICELY.
VENTANAS, 51 SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL, THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS NEARLY COMPLETE.
AND WE DO EXPECT TO SEE SOME VERTICAL CONSTRUCTION IN 2027.
NEXT TO THE VENTANAS, WE HAVE THE OCEAN PLAZA OFFICE BUILDING, WHICH SOMEBODY ELSE IS GOING TO SPEAK MORE ABOUT LATER.
BUT I REALLY WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU KNEW RIGHT WHERE THIS IS SITTING, 1550 SOLANA, THREE-STORY HIGH-END OFFICE BUILDING.
YOU MAY SEE THIS TWICE TONIGHT.
I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY HANDSOME-LOOKING BUILDING, I WANTED TO SHARE.
KIM GREAVES: THAT LOOKS GREAT.
SOLANA HILLS, 33 ACRES, 55 DWELLINGS.
WE HOPE TO SEE SOME MOVEMENT ON THIS IN 2027.
I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY DETAILS TONIGHT YET.
KIM GREAVES: NOTHING STARTED ON THAT, RIGHT? JASON OLIVER: NO, NOT RIGHT NOW.
SO VILLAGGIO, I WAS ACTUALLY JUST OUT THERE.
A LOT OF PROGRESS ON THE TWO HOMES.
SO THIS IS 17 DETACHED SINGLE-FAMILY DWELLINGS.
IF YOU KNOW THAT L-SHAPED STREET, EACH ONE OF THOSE LOTS IS AT LEAST AN ACRE.
THE CORNERS ARE QUITE A BIT BIGGER.
BUT THESE TWO HOMES ARE FULLY CLOSED IN AND THEY'RE DOING INTERIOR WORK, AND THEY'RE REALLY BEAUTIFUL.
SO DELOITTE HAS-- THEY HAVE PLANS IN FOR A TWO-LEVEL SOCIAL VENUE, FULL KITCHEN, BAR, ROOFTOP TERRACE.
YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN THIS RENDERING BEFORE.
AND AS WE KNOW, DELOITTE'S WORK IS GOING TO BE BEAUTIFUL.
IT'S GOING TO BE A GREAT PROJECT.
I DO NOT HAVE AN OPENING DATE RIGHT NOW, BUT WE DO HAVE SOME DRAWINGS WE'RE REVIEWING.
AND THEN THE FRONT 44, I THINK YOU'VE SEEN THIS IMAGE BEFORE.
I JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT WE ARE STILL TALKING ABOUT THIS.
WE'RE TRYING TO BRING A REALLY WORLD-CLASS FRONTAGE ROAD PIECE TO WESTLAKE.
ALONG THIS AREA, YOU GET A SENSE OF THE SCALE IN THIS IMAGE.
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT THIS IS DONE RIGHT.
ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR THOSE? KIM GREAVES: QUESTION, WHEN DO YOU THINK THEY'LL START PUTTING STONE ON THE HILTON GARDEN INN AND THE TOWNHOMES? JASON OLIVER: WELL, I DON'T KNOW.
THE HILTON GARDEN INN SLOWED DOWN A BIT, AND I DON'T HAVE A SCHEDULE.
BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, I MEAN, THEY'RE READY FOR IT.
KIM GREAVES: THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE THE COMPLEXION OF ENTRADA-- JASON OLIVER: OH, ABSOLUTELY.
JASON OLIVER: NO, I THINK ONCE THE HILTON HAS STONE UP THE SIDE, IT'S GOING TO PERCEIVE THAT DIFFERENTLY.
KIM GREAVES: I KNOW WE'RE IN DISCUSSION WITH MAYBE ANOTHER OFFICE BUILDING GOING IN, A DOCTOR'S OFFICE.
AND WE HAVE SOME-- JASON OLIVER: YES, MAYOR.
KIM GREAVES: --OTHER THINGS AT WORK TO FINALLY GET THIS THING GOING.
KIM GREAVES: QUESTIONS FROM THE COUNCIL? THANK YOU.
I THINK YOU'RE UP NEXT ON INFORMATION
[F.2. Informational update and progress report for the Westlake Academy Arts and Sciences Building Expansion Project]
ON THE WESTLAKE ACADEMY ARTS AND SCIENCE EXPANSION.JASON OLIVER: YES, AND I'M VERY PLEASED TO TELL YOU THAT THE CRANE WENT UP TODAY BECAUSE THIS WAS NOT GOING TO BE MY HAPPIEST PRESENTATION, I'M AFRAID.
THIS IMAGE WAS TAKEN JUST A FEW DAYS AGO, AND YOU CAN SEE THE BRIGHT WHITE SPOT IN THE MIDDLE IS ACTUALLY OUR SPOT.
AND I PROMISE YOU, WE'D HAVE VERTICAL WOOD UP.
AND I WAS REAL EXCITED ABOUT IT.
THEY RAN INTO A THREE-WEEK DELAY ON STEEL FOR THE WOOD.
NOW, FORTUNATELY, THEY BUILT IN ABOUT A THREE-AND-A-HALF-WEEK
[00:40:03]
WINDOW BECAUSE THEY KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO BE A PROBLEM.KIM GREAVES: THIS DISTRIBUTION ISSUES OR SUPPLY ISSUES? JASON OLIVER: AS A MATTER OF FACT, THERE WAS SOME KIND OF NATIONAL RECALL BEFORE US.
SO OUR STEEL WAS NOT AFFECTED, BUT IT WAS PUSHED BACK.
THE CRANE IS THERE TODAY, AND I'M ASSURED THAT IT'S GOING TO BE ALL UP IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS.
SO HOPEFULLY, WE'LL HAVE SOME OF THOSE PICTURES BY THE NEXT TIME WE'RE HERE.
THEY DID HAVE A CHANCE TO PREPARE ALL THE HEAVY TIMBER, SO FORTUNATELY, THE TIME WAS NOT COMPLETELY LOST.
RENOVATION OF THE LIBRARY IS UNDERWAY, FINALLY.
THERE'S A LOT OF HIDDEN STUFF IN THAT LITTLE BUILDING THAT NOBODY WAS EXPECTING.
SO I'LL HAVE SOME PHOTOS OF THAT NEXT TIME.
WE ARE STILL ON SCHEDULE, I'LL STRESS THAT.
FORTUNATELY, THAT WAS NOT TOO BIG OF A DEAL.
JASON OLIVER: THAT'S ALL THE WOOD.
THEY COVERED IT ALL, REALIZING THAT IT DIDN'T NEED TO BE SITTING OUT FOR WHATEVER AMOUNT OF TIME.
SO WORD ABOUT 32% COMPLETION THROUGH THE PROJECT.
THAT'S REALLY JUST BASED ON HOW WE'RE PAYING SEDALCO.
THOSE GO UP AND DOWN, BUT IT'S A PRETTY GOOD RULER.
WE STILL HAVE $160,000 IN CONSTRUCTION CONTINGENCY, WHICH IS STILL ABOUT RIGHT.
AT THIS STAGE, I WOULD PROBABLY EXPECT TO SPEND ANOTHER $50,000 TO $80,000 BEFORE THE JOB IS COMPLETELY DONE.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DETAIL SUMMARY, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
I MEAN, IT SHOULD BE ALL IN THERE.
LIKE I SAID, WE'RE STILL ON SCHEDULE.
I THINK THAT'S ABOUT IT FOR NOW AT THE ACADEMY.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: JUST A COMMENT, JASON.
I THINK THE WAY YOU'RE PRESENTING IT NOW MAKES IT VERY UNDERSTANDABLE.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: AS A COMPLIMENT.
AND THE CONTINGENCY, ESPECIALLY, BECAUSE I WAS VERY INTERESTED ABOUT WHAT IT'S BEING SPENT ON AND YOUR DOCUMENTATION [INAUDIBLE].
JASON OLIVER: WELL, I APPRECIATE THAT.
AND I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION.
I REALIZED THERE WAS A LINE MISSING THAT MADE SENSE TO ME AND WAS NOT MAKING SENSE TO EVERYBODY ELSE.
SO ANYTIME YOU SEE THOSE CONTINGENCY ITEMS, LET ME KNOW BECAUSE I TRY TO LEAVE THOSE NOTES IN THERE, AND SOME OF THEM ARE INTERESTING.
I'D SAY ABOUT 50% OF THEM ARE THINGS THAT DR. RITCHIE AND I HAVE LOOKED AT AND SAID, YES, THIS IS A BETTERMENT.
WE NEED TO DO THIS, WHETHER IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS LEFT OUT OR SOMETHING THAT CAME UP LATER, BUT-- KIM GREAVES: AND KELLY, I KNOW WE'RE A COUPLE MONTHS INTO SCHOOL DISRUPTION WITH THE CONSTRUCTION, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THINGS ARE GOING.
KELLY RITCHIE: IT'S BEEN VERY MINIMAL.
THE CRANE GOING UP TODAY IS CREATING A BLIND SPOT FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING AND GOING THROUGH THAT MAIN DRIVE, BUT WE'RE WORKING ON SOME CONTINGENCY PLANS BECAUSE OUR UNDERSTANDING IS IT'LL JUST BE A TWO-WEEK DISRUPTION.
FOR THE MOST PART, THERE'S BEEN NO DISRUPTION.
KIM GREAVES: I HAVEN'T HEARD A THING.
JASON OLIVER: ON THE CRANE, THEY PROVIDE US WITH DRAWINGS FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, A TRUCK HAS TO GET BY.
I MEAN, THERE'S STUFF THAT'S DOCUMENTED, BUT IT IS APPARENTLY A LOT BIGGER-LOOKING THAN AT LEAST I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE.
SO WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT IT'S SAFE OVER THERE, GUYS.
KIM GREAVES: ANY QUESTIONS? JASON OLIVER: ALL RIGHT.
KIM GREAVES: SO, NEXT, F3, RECEIVED TOWN
[F.3. Receive Town of Westlake Quarterly Financial Report. ]
OF WESTLAKE QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORT.CAYCE? CAYCE LAY LAMAS: GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE.
KIM GREAVES: HOW ARE YOU? CAYCE LAY LAMAS: ALL RIGHT.
SO TODAY, WE'RE JUST GOING TO GO OVER SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TOWN'S QUARTERLY REPORT FOR THE LAST QUARTER OF ITS FISCAL YEAR 26, WHICH JUST ENDED ON SEPTEMBER 30TH.
THE REPORT WAS INCLUDED IN THE AGENDA PACKET, AND WE PUBLISH THESE ON OUR WEBSITE UNDER THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT EVERY QUARTER.
AND SO, THINKING THROUGH THE HIGHLIGHTS, WE ADOPTED A FISCAL YEAR 26 BUDGET OF $35 MILLION IN REVENUES AND $31 MILLION IN EXPENDITURES, RESULTING IN A $4 MILLION CONTRIBUTION TO ALL FUNDS' FUND BALANCE.
ENDING REVENUES ARE PROJECTED AT 45 MILLION DUE TO SALES TAX, UTILITY FEE REVENUES, AND INTEREST EARNINGS COMING IN HIGHER THAN ORIGINALLY BUDGETED.
ENDING EXPENDITURES ARE PROJECTED AT $39 MILLION DUE TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STEP PLAN FOR FIRE, EMPLOYEE SEPARATIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, BUT THE BULK OF IT HAS TO DO WITH CAPITAL SPENDING, WHICH I'LL TOUCH ON A LITTLE BIT MORE.
AND THEN AS OF 9/30, THE YEAR-TO-DATE SPENDING IS CURRENTLY AT $41 MILLION IN ALL REVENUES AND $29 MILLION IN ALL EXPENDITURES.
I WANT TO STRESS THAT THESE AMOUNTS INCLUDED IN THE REPORT ARE NOT FINAL, AND I'LL TALK OVER SOME OF THOSE POST-YEAR-END ACTIVITIES THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY ENGAGED IN.
IF YOU ARE READING THE REPORT FOR THE FIRST TIME, THERE ARE THREE MAJOR PARTS OF IT.
THERE'S THE NARRATIVE SUMMARY, THE FUND CATEGORIES SUMMARIES, AND THEN THE INVESTMENT REPORT THAT'S REQUIRED BY THE PUBLIC FUNDS INVESTMENT ACT.
AND SO IF YOU'RE PULLING OPEN THE NARRATIVE SUMMARY, WHAT YOU'LL NOTICE IS THAT WE INCLUDE HIGHLIGHTS FOR THREE MAJOR FUNDS, THE GENERAL FUND, THE UTILITY
[00:45:01]
FUND AND OUR CAPITAL FUNDS IN AGGREGATE.SO JUST TO GIVE EVERYBODY AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THEY CAN EXPECT TO READ IN OUR REPORT, THE GENERAL FUND HAD AN ADOPTED BUDGET THAT INTENDED TO CONTRIBUTE ALMOST $2 MILLION TO FUND BALANCE, BUT WE'RE PROJECTING A CONTRIBUTION OF CLOSER TO $6 MILLION.
AND THAT REALLY HAS TO DO TO SALES TAX COMING IN AND THOSE INTEREST EARNINGS.
THAT IMPACTS OUR GENERAL FUND.
IT IS OUR LARGEST FUND, AND THEREFORE HAS THE LARGEST CASH BALANCE.
FOR OUR UTILITY FUND, THE ADOPTED BUDGET INCLUDED ABOUT $600,000 TO BE CONTRIBUTED.
BUT DUE TO A PARTICULARLY HOT AND DRY SUMMER, AS YOU, NO DOUBT, ALL EXPERIENCED, WE HAD MUCH HIGHER THAN EXPECTED WATER REVENUES COMING IN.
THE UTILITY FUND WILL ALSO INCLUDE APPROPRIATIONS AS PART OF THE FINAL BUDGET AMENDMENT FOR THOSE BOND-FUNDED PUMP STATION IMPROVEMENTS THAT COUNCIL HAS APPROVED CONTRACTS FOR THROUGHOUT FISCAL YEAR 26.
BY THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, WE ARE EXPECTING A CONTRIBUTION OF JUST OVER $3 MILLION TO THE UTILITY FUND.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: CAYCE, GO BACK TO THAT.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: IS THAT THE REASON THAT THERE'S SUCH A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ACTUAL CAYCE LAY LAMAS: YES.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: --ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTION? SO IT'S AN ACCRUAL THAT HAS TO BE MADE? CAYCE LAY LAMAS: I WILL GET THERE.
THERE'S SEVERAL FACTORS THAT ARE GOING TO BE INFLUENCING THAT.
FOR CAPITAL FUNDS, THE WAY THAT WE BUDGET OUR CAPITAL FUNDS IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN OUR OPERATING FUNDS.
CAPITAL PROJECTS TEND TO GO MULTI-YEAR, AND SO WE BUDGET ON A LIFE-TO-DATE BASIS AND NOT AN ANNUAL APPROPRIATIONS BASIS.
A GOOD EXAMPLE IS THE ARTS AND SCIENCES EXPANSION, WHICH WILL COVER MULTIPLE FISCAL YEARS.
WHAT WE LOOK AT HERE, REALLY, ISN'T SO MUCH THE ANNUAL BUDGETED AMOUNT, BUT THE USE OF ANY AVAILABLE FUNDS.
IN PARTICULAR, THESE FUNDS WILL ALSO REPRESENT A USE OF FUND BALANCE BY THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 26, WHICH REFLECTS THE USE OF BOND PROCEEDS THAT WE RECEIVED IN FISCAL YEAR 25 FOR THOSE APPROVED PROJECTS.
AND THEN THE LAST SECTION OF THE QUARTERLY REPORT IS ALWAYS OUR INVESTMENT REPORT.
AS I MENTIONED, THIS IS REQUIRED TO BE PRESENTED AS PART OF THE PUBLIC FUNDS INVESTMENT ACT, SO THAT IS A TEXAS STATE LAW.
AND WHAT IT SHOWS IS JUST OUR GENERAL PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES ON A QUARTERLY BASIS FOR THE PAST 12 MONTHS.
AND BETWEEN NOW AND WHENEVER WE PRESENT OUR FINAL AUDITED NUMBERS, AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE SEVERAL ACTIVITIES THAT WILL BE INFLUENCING PARTICULARLY THOSE ACTUAL NUMBERS PRESENTED IN THE QUARTERLY REPORT.
FOR INSTANCE, WE ARE STILL RECEIVING INVOICES THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF OCTOBER FOR GOODS AND SERVICES RECEIVED ON OR BEFORE 9/30 THAT NEED TO BE PAID OUT OF FISCAL YEAR 26 FUNDS.
ONCE THOSE ARE COMPLETED, THEN WE'LL BE ABLE TO PERFORM OUR YEAR-END INTERFUND TRANSFERS.
WE'LL THEN COMPLETE A FINAL DETAILED REVIEW OF ALL OF OUR ACCOUNTS, LOOKING FOR ANY KIND OF RECLASSIFICATIONS OR CORRECTIONS THAT MIGHT NEED TO HAPPEN.
THOSE WILL BE FACTORED INTO A FINAL BUDGET AMENDMENT THAT WILL BE PRESENTED TO COUNCIL IN DECEMBER.
AND BETWEEN NOW AND FEBRUARY, WE'LL ALSO BE WORKING CLOSELY WITH OUR AUDITORS ON ANY TYPE OF ADJUSTING ENTRIES TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR FINANCIAL RECORDS MOVE FROM A CASH BASIS, AS YOU'RE USED TO WITH A BUDGET, TO AN ACCRUAL BASIS, WHICH IS WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
AND THEN THE AUDITED COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR COUNCIL IN THE MONTH OF MARCH.
ANY QUESTIONS? KIM GREAVES: QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL? MICHAEL YACKIRA: I WILL HAVE A QUESTION.
CAYCE LAY LAMAS: I LOVE A QUESTION.
KIM GREAVES: I'LL BE DISAPPOINTED.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: CAPITAL FUNDS, IS IT INTERFUND TRANSFERS THAT CAUSE THAT TO BECOME LOWER, LOWER THAN YEAR-TO-DATE ACTUAL CAPITAL FUND CAYCE LAY LAMAS: SO, FOR THE REVENUES OR THE EXPENDITURES? MICHAEL YACKIRA: BOTH.
BUT I'M LOOKING AT THE REVENUES.
YEAR-TO-DATE, ACTUAL, $2 MILLION.
CAYCE LAY LAMAS: THAT HAS TO DO WITH RECLASSIFICATIONS THAT ARE GOING TO BE NECESSARY ON THE REVENUES FOR-- BOTH: INTERFUND TRANSFERS-- CAYCE LAY LAMAS: THERE ARE SOME, YES.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: AND THE SAME IS TRUE WITH THE EXPENDITURES? CAYCE LAY LAMAS: THE EXPENDITURES IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
THE PROJECTIONS ARE MUCH, MUCH HIGHER BECAUSE THOSE ARE BASED ON THE APPROVED CONTRACTS THAT WERE PRESENTED TO COUNCIL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: THAT WOULD BE ACCRUED.
KIM GREAVES: ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU.
CAYCE LAY LAMAS: THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL, FOR THE JOB YOU'VE DONE CONSENT AGENDA, IS THERE ANYONE NEEDS
[00:50:01]
TO TALK ABOUT ANYTHING ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA? TAMMY REEVES: SO MOVED.KIM GREAVES: CAN I GET A SECOND? ALL IN FAVOR? COUNCIL MEMBERS: AYE.
KIM GREAVES: ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.
HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING TO DISCUSS, CONSIDER AND ACT REGARDING ORDINANCE 1057 APPROVING TEXT AMENDMENTS TO SECTION 3 OF THE DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS FOR PD, PLANNED DEVELOPMENT, DISTRICT 1-1 ENTITLED "ACCESSORY USES PERMITTED" TO ESTABLISH JEWELRY AND WATCH DESIGN AND REPAIR SERVICES AS PERMITTED ACCESSORY USE AND TO PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTARY REGULATIONS FOR SUCH USE.
COLE, HOW ARE YOU? COLE DAVENPORT: GOOD.
SO THIS ITEM IS TO HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING, DISCUSS, CONSIDER AND ACT ON TEXT AMENDMENTS TO PD 1-1 IN THE ACCESSORY USES PERMITTED AREA TO ESTABLISH A JEWELRY AND WATCH DESIGN AND REPAIR SERVICES AS A PERMITTED ACCESSORY USE AND PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL REGULATIONS.
THE PURPOSE OF PD 1-1 IS TO PROVIDE A FRAMEWORK THAT SUPPORTS HIGH-QUALITY COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE SALON AREA, WHILE ESTABLISHING DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS THAT ALIGN WITH WESTLAKE'S LONG-TERM VISION.
HERE'S A LOCATOR MAP OF THE PD 1-1 AREA.
YOU'LL SEE IT INCLUDES TOWN HALL, LIFETIME, MARRIOTT, RESTAURANTS AND OFFICES, MOSTLY.
SOME CONSIDERATIONS, THESE DRAFT AMENDMENTS ALLOW JEWELRY AND WATCH REPAIRS AND ACCESSORY USE PERMIT THE USE-ONLY TO THE NORTH OF SOLANA BOULEVARD, LIMIT THE FLOOR AREA TO 30% OF BOTH A SINGULAR BUILDING AS WELL AS A TENANT SPACE, AND IT PROHIBITS THE USE FROM BEING VISIBLE WITHIN 30 FEET OF A PUBLIC SPACE.
THIS IS THE AREA TO THE NORTH OF SOLANA BOULEVARD, WHERE THE USE WILL BE PERMITTED AS AN ACCESSORY USE, AND IT'S MOSTLY OFFICE USAGE WITHIN THIS AREA.
SO IN SUMMARY, THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE TOWN'S VISION FOR DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE AREA AND ESTABLISH STANDARDS INTENDED TO ENSURE THAT THE USE REMAINS ACCESSORY IN NATURE AND IS COMPATIBLE WITH EXISTING AS WELL AS FUTURE DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS IN THE SOLANA AREA.
THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION MET ON OCTOBER 6 AND RECOMMENDED APPROVAL OF THE PROPOSED TEXT AMENDMENTS WITH THE CONDITION THAT THE PROPERTY OWNER, THE APPLICANT, PROVIDES A STAFF WITH A SURVEY OR A LEGAL DESCRIPTION THAT ACCURATELY DEPICT THE TOTAL ACREAGE OF PD 1-1 AND THAT A TOWN STAFF SHALL BE ALLOWED TO ADMINISTRATIVELY AMEND THIS ORDINANCE AND ESSENTIALLY JUST ADD THE LEGAL DESCRIPTION OR THE SURVEY.
AND THE DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT RECOMMENDS THE SAME AS WELL.
ACTIONS AND OPTIONS, SO YOU CAN MOTION TO APPROVE, MOTION TO APPROVE WITH CONDITIONS, MOTION TO DENY OR MOTION TO TABLE.
I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, AND THE APPLICANT'S HERE AS WELL.
KIM GREAVES: ANY QUESTIONS FOR COLE? MICHAEL YACKIRA: ONE QUESTION.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: AM I CORRECT IN READING THAT THESE ARE NOT TO BE STANDALONE BUSINESSES BUT PART OF, LET'S SAY, A JEWELRY STORE WOULD HAVE A JEWELRY REPAIR PORTION, OR CAN THEY BE STANDALONE BUSINESSES? COLE DAVENPORT: NO, THERE WON'T BE STANDALONE.
SO IT'S LIMITED TO 30% OF THE TENANT SPACE.
SO 30% COULD BE USED FOR THIS USE, AND JUST, SAY, THE REST OF THE 70% IS FOR OFFICE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
KIM GREAVES: THIS IS KIND OF A ONE-TIME DEAL.
QUESTIONS? I'D LIKE TO OPEN UP A PUBLIC HEARING TO ASK, DOES ANYBODY WISH TO SPEAK REGARDING THIS ITEM? I'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ORDINANCE 1027 AS PRESENTED? KEVIN SMITH: SO MOVED.
KIM GREAVES: DO I GET A SECOND? TAMMY REEVES: SECOND.
KIM GREAVES: ALL IN FAVOR? COUNCIL MEMBERS: AYE.
KIM GREAVES: ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.
REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS, ITEM 1, DISCUSS, CONSIDER AND ACT REGARDING RESOLUTION 26-30 TO APPROVE A CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT FOR CARLYLE COURT STREET REPLACEMENT, AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR CONCRETE SIDEWALK/TRAIL REPAIR IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $282,488.41.
KYLE, YOU ALREADY GOT THAT DOWN THERE? KYLE FLANAGAN: YEAH.
KYLE-- KYLE FLANAGAN: GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, COUNCIL, HOW ARE Y'ALL? THE ITEM BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING IS FOR THE TOWN OF WESTLAKE TO PROCURE CONCRETE REPLACEMENT SERVICES WITH APEX CONSTRUCTION FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT AT CARLYLE COURT.
ALONG WITH THAT, ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR CONCRETE SIDEWALK/TRAIL AND INTERSECTION REPAIRS IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $282,488.41.
WHERE'S MINE? WHERE'S MY-- OH, IT'S NOT IN? CARLYLE COURT IS A TOWN-OWNED PUBLIC STREET PER RESOLUTION 1520 AND IS IN NEED OF REPLACEMENT IN THE AREA SHOWN, WHICH YOU CAN'T SEE.
KIM GREAVES: I VISITED-- KYLE FLANAGAN: I HOPE Y'ALL CAN SEE IT.
KIM GREAVES: JUST FOR THE COUNCIL, I VISITED WITH SOME RESIDENTS OVER THERE SEVERAL MONTHS AGO.
IN A NORMAL WORLD, WE WOULD'VE HAD SOME GUARANTEE ON THIS BY THE COMPANY THAT PUT IT IN, BUT IT'S PRETTY SEVERE.
[00:55:02]
KYLE FLANAGAN: SO TYPICALLY, WHEN THERE'S PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS, THERE'S A TWO-YEAR MAINTENANCE BOND.OBVIOUSLY, THIS CRACKING THAT OCCURRED, IT'S EXACTLY ON 18-INCH CENTERS, AND THE REBAR IS ACTUALLY COMING UP THROUGH THE CONCRETE ALL THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE SECTION OF THE STREET.
KIM GREAVES: DO WE KNOW WHO DID IT, THOUGH? DO WE KNOW WHO ACTUALLY DID THE CONSTRUCTION? KYLE FLANAGAN: I DON'T KNOW WHO DID THE CONSTRUCTION.
ADAMS WAS THE ENGINEER OF RECORD ON IT.
AND I DO NOT KNOW IF IT WAS TOWN STAFF OR CONTRACTED INSPECTION SERVICE.
TYPICALLY, WHEN YOU POUR CONCRETE, YOU HAVE TESTING LAB AND YOU DO BRAKE CYLINDERS.
I KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING BACK WITH WILL BE 4,500 PSI.
AND WE'LL HAVE A LABORATORY AND WE'LL INSPECT IT.
AND THAT WILL COVER OUR BASIS MOVING FORWARD.
SO BY PARTNERING WITH OTHER MUNICIPALITIES AND UTILIZING THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS, IT PROVIDES US BUYING POWER.
WESTLAKE WILL BE USING AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF SOUTHLAKE, WHO WENT OUT TO BID FOR THESE CONCRETE REPAIR SERVICES AND REPLACEMENT SERVICES.
SOUTHLAKE COMPETITIVELY BID, AND THE CONTRACT WAS AWARDED TO APEX CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION.
THE BASE BID FOR CARLYLE COURT WAS $211,353.10.
WE'RE ALSO ASKING FOR A 10% CONTINGENCY OF $21,000, ROUGHLY, IN CASE THERE'S ANY UNFORESEENS.
THAT MONEY WILL COME OUT OF THE CIP FUNDING.
WE'RE ALSO ASKING FOR ADDITIONAL $50,000 FOR OUT OF OUR OPERATIONAL ACCOUNTS TO TAKE CARE OF ANY SIDEWALKS AND TRAILS OR INTERSECTION REPAIRS THAT ARE NEEDED THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE YEAR.
I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
TAMMY REEVES: SO KYLE, WILL THIS REQUIRE YOU GUYS TO RIP UP THE WHOLE STREET, OR IS THIS GOING TO BE REPAIRED ONLY? KYLE FLANAGAN: SO IT'LL BE NOT DONE ALL AT ONCE.
WE'RE GOING TO GO ABOUT IT METHODICALLY.
BY THE WAY, WE'RE PLANNING ON WAITING TILL AFTER THE HOLIDAY SEASON TO START THIS.
I'D HATE TO-- BECAUSE IT IS GOING TO TAKE ABOUT A MONTH ONCE WE START, WEATHER PERMITTING.
BUT IT WILL GO-- WE'LL TEAR UP ONE SIDE OF THE STREET AND REPLACE THAT SIDE AND THEN LET IT CURE BEFORE WE MOVE OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE.
KIM GREAVES: ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE RESOLUTION 26-30 AS PRESENTED? CAN I GET A SECOND? TAMMY REEVES: SECOND.
KIM GREAVES: ALL IN FAVOR? COUNCIL MEMBERS: AYE.
KIM GREAVES: ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.
PLEASE LET THE NEIGHBORHOOD KNOW.
THEY'LL BE THRILLED BECAUSE I KNOW THEY'VE BEEN MESSING WITH IT FOR A WHILE.
KIM GREAVES: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: THANKS, KYLE.
TO DISCUSS, CONSIDER AND ACT REGARDING RESOLUTION 26-33
[I.2. Discuss, consider and act regarding Resolution 26-33 to approve a Development Agreement between the Town of Westlake, Texas and Ocean Equities, LTD, for the infrastructure and other related improvements for an office development to be designed and built on an approximately 1.33-acre tract of land that is located at 1550 Solana Boulevard. ]
TO APPROVE A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TOWN OF WESTLAKE, TEXAS, AND OCEAN EQUITIES, LTD, LIMITED FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND OTHER RELATED IMPROVEMENTS FOR AN OFFICE DEVELOPMENT TO BE DESIGNED AND BUILT ON APPROXIMATELY 1.33-ACRE TRACT OF LAND THAT IS LOCATED AT 1550 SOLANA BOULEVARD.SO THIS ITEM IS TO DISCUSS, CONSIDER AND ACT REGARDING RESOLUTION 26-33 TO APPROVE A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TOWN AND OCEAN EQUITIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN OFFICE BUILDING.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT IS TO ESTABLISH THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PROPERTY OWNER TO INSTALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WILL BE SERVICING THE OFFICE BUILDING, ESTABLISH THE EXTERIOR FINISH MATERIALS, AS WELL AS OTHER PRIVATE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WILL ENHANCE AND ELEVATE THE VISUAL QUALITY AS WELL AS THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE DEVELOPMENT.
SOME CONSIDERATIONS, THIS PROPERTY WAS ZONED TC TOWN CENTER FORM-BASED DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT, TOWN CENTER CORE, ON AUGUST 18, 2026.
AND AS PART OF THE TOWN CENTER FORM-BASED DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT, A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT IS REQUIRED TO BE APPROVED BY TOWN COUNCIL.
HERE'S AN AERIAL SHOWING WHERE THE PROPERTY IS LOCATED.
IT'S AT THE CORNER OF SOLANA AND CAMPUS CIRCLE.
SOME CONSIDERATIONS, ALL THE FENCING WITHIN THIS DEVELOPMENT IS GOING TO BE MASKED BY EVERGREEN HEDGING THAT IS EITHER EQUAL TO OR GREATER TO THE HEIGHT OF THE FENCING ALONG ALL PROPERTY LINES.
ADDITIONALLY, THE EXTERIOR FINISH MATERIALS ARE TO BE STONE, STUCCO, AND ARCHITECTURAL METAL, AND THE METAL CANNOT EXCEED 10% OF ANY BUILDING WALL, AREA, OR FACADE.
HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF THE RENDERING THAT'S PROPOSED, AND THE COLORS THAT ARE GOING TO BE SELECTED AS WELL WILL MATCH THIS RENDERING.
IT'S PRETTY SIMILAR TO VENTANAS AS WELL AS THE KNOLLS.
ADDITIONALLY, THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE IMPROVEMENTS SHALL BE CONSTRUCTED AND COMPLETED WITHIN TWO YEARS OF RECEIVING A NOTICE TO PROCEED.
AND THE FILING OF A PLAT SHALL SERVE AS THE TOWN'S FORMAL ACCEPTANCE AND APPROVAL OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS DEVELOPMENT.
[01:00:02]
IN SUMMARY, THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT ALLOWS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROPERTY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SURROUNDING AREA.AND THE EXTERIOR FINISH MATERIALS THAT HAVE BEEN SELECTED ARE CONSISTENT WITH THOSE FOUND IN THE KNOLLS AND VENTANAS.
AND THE DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT RECOMMENDS APPROVAL AS PRESENTED.
ACTIONS AND OPTIONS ARE YOU CAN MOTION TO APPROVE, MOTION TO APPROVE WITH CONDITIONS, MOTION TO DENY, OR MOTION TO TABLE.
I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, AND THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM'S HERE AS WELL.
KIM GREAVES: ANY QUESTIONS? I KNOW THERE ARE SOME.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: THESE ARE MORE FOR ALEX.
WELL, YOU CAN ANSWER THIS QUESTION.
WE'RE NOT ENTERING INTO THIS AGREEMENT WITH THE DEVELOPER.
WE'RE ENTERING INTO IT WITH THE OWNER.
COLE DAVENPORT: YES, THAT'S CORRECT.
SO IN THIS CASE, THE PROPERTY OWNER IS NOT THE DEVELOPER.
ULTIMATELY, THE DEVELOPER IS GOING TO ESSENTIALLY BE WORKING FOR THE PROPERTY OWNER TO COMPLETE THESE IMPROVEMENTS.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: WITH THE OFFICE.
SO THAT GETS TO THE BASIS OF MY QUESTIONS, AND IT STARTS ON PAGE 03, WHERE IN BOLD PRINT, IT SAYS THAT THE DEVELOPER-- WAIT A SECOND.
PARTIES ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THE DEVELOPER IS NOT PARTY TO THE AGREEMENT.
THE DEVELOPER IS NOT PARTY TO THIS AGREEMENT.
THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS IN BOLD PRINT.
THE FOLLOWING PAGE, IT TALKS ABOUT THE THINGS THAT ARE THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE OWNER AND THE DEVELOPER.
SO HOW DO WE OBLIGATE-- HOW DOES THE OWNER OBLIGATE AND WARRANT TO US IF THE DEVELOPER DOESN'T PERFORM ACCORDING TO THIS AGREEMENT? I SEE NOTHING IN HERE THAT GIVES REPRESENTATION WARRANTY OR ANY FORM OF COMFORT.
IF THE DEVELOPER DOESN'T PERFORM, THAT WE CAN DO ANYTHING BUT GO AGAINST THE PROPERTY OWNER.
THE PROPERTY OWNER MIGHT-- THAT MIGHT BE HIS ONLY ASSET.
I DON'T KNOW HOW HE'S GOING TO HOLD THIS.
HE MIGHT HOLD IT FOR A SPECIAL PURPOSE.
ENTITY, I I'M CONFUSED BY THE WORDING OF THIS.
ALEX CROWLEY: [INAUDIBLE] DIRECT ON WHOSE OBLIGATIONS OR WHO'S UNDER THE AGREEMENT, SOMETHING THAT THE COUNCIL HAS [INAUDIBLE] A LITTLE BIT IN FRONT HERE.
IF IT IS SOMETHING THAT THE COUNCIL HAS CONCERNS, WE'RE HAPPY TO GO BACK TO IT AND-- SORRY.
KIM GREAVES: YOU BROKE IT, ALEX.
ALEX CROWLEY: THAT ONE IS THE TIP OF-- IT'S FALLEN OFF.
I THINK THAT'S WHY IT WAS CUTTING IN AND OUT.
GO BACK TO IT, REVIEW IT, AND SEE IF WE CAN'T NEGOTIATE WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR TO COVER YOUR CONCERNS.
KIM GREAVES: BUT WOULDN'T THE OWNER HAVE A SEPARATE CONTRACT WITH THE DEVELOPER TO GET THOSE NEEDS MET? MICHAEL YACKIRA: POSSIBLY, BUT WE'RE NOT.
WE'RE NOT PARTY TO THAT AGREEMENT.
I MEAN, THERE'S REALLY TWO THINGS.
ONE IS, I THINK THAT THE WORD DEVELOPER SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM ARTICLE III BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY CAN HAVE OBLIGATIONS IN A CONTRACT THAT THEY'RE NOT AND SECONDLY, THERE SHOULD BE SOME WARRANTY OR SOMETHING THAT PROVIDES US COMFORT.
IF DEVELOPER DOESN'T PERFOR, THAT IT'S THE-- WELL, KIM GREAVES: OWNER.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: YEAH, I MEAN, WE HAVE TO HAVE OWNER TO HAVE TEETH IN THIS.
AND THE ONLY THING WE'RE GIVING, WE'RE GIVING WARRANTIES ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE NOT RELATED TO THE CONTRACT.
JASON ALEXANDER: HONORABLE MAYOR, TOWN COUNCIL, IF IT SO PLEASES THIS BODY, COULD WE MAKE THOSE TWO ADJUSTMENTS TO THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT AT YOUR DIRECTION THAT PROVIDES THAT CLARIFYING LANGUAGE? KIM GREAVES: SURE.
I THINK IT'S A TERRIFIC PROJECT FOR US.
I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: IT'S DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE'VE DONE BEFORE.
KIM GREAVES: IT ALMOST SOUNDS LIKE IT'S SOMETHING WE PULLED BEFORE BECAUSE NORMALLY, WE HAVE THE DEVELOPER PART OF OUR AGREEMENT.
BUT SINCE HE'S NOT, THAT'S WHY I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE PROTECTED.
JASON ALEXANDER: SO WE CAN MAKE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS WITH THE ATTORNEY THAT'S REPRESENTING THE PROPERTY OWNER-- PARDON ME, AS WELL AS THE DEVELOPER THAT CLARIFIES ALL OF THAT AND ENSURES THAT THERE'S TEETH IN THE AGREEMENT AND MAKES THAT REVISION TO ARTICLE III.
KIM GREAVES: INTO THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT? JASON ALEXANDER: YES, SIR.
COLE DAVENPORT: AND SPEAKING WITH THE APPLICANT AS WELL AS THE DEVELOPER, THE DEVELOPER IS HAPPY TO SIGN THIS AGREEMENT AS WELL, SO IT SHOULDN'T BE AN ISSUE.
YOU GUYS WILL FIGURE OUT WHICH WAY IT GOES TO SATISFY THE QUESTIONS.
AND IF TOWN COUNCIL WILL DIRECT THE TOWN MANAGER OR HIS DESIGNEE TO DO THAT, WE CAN TAKE CARE OF THAT ADMINISTRATIVELY.
KIM GREAVES: SO I NEED TO GET A MOTION APPROVED ON THE CONDITIONS OF DEVELOPER AND/OR OWNER INCLUDED
[01:05:02]
OR EXCLUDED.JASON ALEXANDER: AND DIRECT TO THE TOWN MANAGER OR DESIGNEE TO ADDRESS SAID.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: I LIKE WHAT COLE SAID.
COLE SAID IF THE DEVELOPER CAN BE A PARTY TO THIS, IT SOLVES THE PROBLEM.
KIM GREAVES: I'M NOT SURE HOW TO FORM THAT MOTION.
JASON ALEXANDER: WELL, IF WE COULD DO IT THIS WAY, MAYOR, TOWN COUNCIL, THAT THE DEVELOPER BE A PARTY TO THIS AGREEMENT, AND THEN THAT WOULD SATISFY, I THINK, THE CONCERNS ABOUT THE WARRANTIES.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: IT WOULD AS LONG AS ALEX CAN FIX THE LANGUAGE THAT INCLUDES THE DEVELOPER IN THE REPS AND WARRANTIES.
KIM GREAVES: SO I WANT TO GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE DEVELOPER AS PART OF THIS AGREEMENT, AS WELL AS THE TOWN MANAGER, TO BE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE THIS FOR RESOLUTION 26-33.
KIM GREAVES: CAN I GET A MOTION? CLEAR AS MUD.
CAN I GET A SECOND? TAMMY REEVES: SECOND.
KIM GREAVES: ALL IN FAVOR? COUNCIL MEMBERS: AYE.
KIM GREAVES: ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.
JASON ALEXANDER: THANK YOU, MAYOR.
KIM GREAVES: I KNOW WHAT HE MEANS.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: I JUST WANTED TO SHOW YOU THAT IF TJ ISN'T HERE, I CAN STILL-- KIM GREAVES: THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT.
AND ACTUALLY, JACE AND I TALKED ABOUT THAT EARLIER, SO I KNEW WHAT WAS GOING TO COME UP.
BUT THAT'S A GREAT DISCUSSION.
WE HAVE A-- I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF.
WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
KELLY, WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE IN THERE MORE THAN 20 MINUTES.
SO WE WILL GET IN AND OUT OF THERE.
SO THE TIME IS NOW 5:06-- KELLY RITCHIE: ON THE RECORD.
I WAS ABOUT TO SAY-- KIM GREAVES: IT'S ON RECORD.
YOU STILL OWE ME MONEY OVER OTHER THINGS.
TIME IS NOW 5:06 PM, AND PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS
[P.EXECUTIVE SESSION]
OF CHAPTER 551 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, THE TOWN COUNCIL BOARD OF TRUSTEES WILL NOW ADJOURN TO EXECUTIVE SESSION-- Y'ALL CAN GET STARTED, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AUTHORITY CONTAINED IN P1, SECTION 551.071, CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY TO RECEIVE LEGAL ADVICE REGARDING PENDING OR CONTEMPLATED LITIGATION, UPDATE REGARDING THE DATA CENTER LAWSUIT; P2, SECTION 551-1074 (A) (1), DELIBERATION REGARDING PERSONNEL MATTERS TO DELIBERATE THE APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT, EVALUATION, REASSIGNMENT DUTIES OF PUBLIC OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE, TOWN MANAGER'S ANNUAL EVALUATION; AND P3, SECTION 551.071, CONSULTATION WITH LEGAL ADVICE FOR WESTLAKE ACADEMY ATTORNEY REGARDING WESTLAKE ACADEMY AFFILIATE GROUP, WESTLAKE ACADEMY ATHLETIC CLUB.I NOW RECONVENE REGULAR SESSION.
WE'RE GOING TO GO INTO WESTLAKE ACADEMY.
[J.CALL REGULAR WESTLAKE ACADEMY BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING TO ORDER (5 P.M. OR LATER) AND ANNOUNCE A QUORUM PRESENT]
ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC/PARENT COMMENTS? THERE ARE NOT.AGENDA ITEM L1, RECEIVE THE 2026-2027 BLACKSMITH ANNUAL FUND
[L.1. Receive the 2026-2027 Blacksmith Annual Fund Report. ]
REPORT.NO, ATLAS IS-- ATLAS JOINS US FOR THE DAY.
SO YOU GUYS HAVE MOSTLY BEEN UPDATED THROUGH EMAIL AND INSTAGRAM AND SOCIAL MEDIA AND ALL OF OUR RESULTS DURING GIVING DAY.
THESE ARE THE ACTUAL GIVING DAY TOTALS AND WHERE WE'RE AT.
WE HAD THE HIGHEST PARTICIPATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS, FAMILIES.
OUR STAFF WAS AT 80% PARTICIPATION, WHICH IS NEVER-- HASN'T HAPPENED THAT WE ARE AWARE OF, WHICH WE'RE VERY, VERY PROUD OF.
AND A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT, REALLY, THE WHOLE TEAM AND ADDITION TO KELLY AND BETH RAYMOND REALLY DID A TON TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS A SUCCESS.
A COUPLE OF THE STEPS THAT WE TOOK, JUST TO KEEP YOU UPDATED, MADE SOME UPDATES TO SOME OF THE CARPOOL MATERIAL THAT WAS BEING PUT OUT AND REALLY CHANGED THE MESSAGE OF WE JUST WANT YOU TO BE BOUGHT IN TO WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE AT WESTLAKE ACADEMY.
IF YOU CAN GIVE $1, IF YOU CAN GIVE $5, IF YOU CAN GIVE HOWEVER, $10,000, IT DOESN'T MATTER.
WE JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE A PART OF OUR TEAM, A PART OF OUR FAMILY.
AND SO THAT WAS THE-- IT WASN'T JUST WE WANT THE GAP, IT WAS WE WANT YOU TO BE A PART.
WE WANT YOU TO BE A PARTNER WITH US.
FOCUS ON PARTICIPATION, WE REALLY ELEVATED OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE.
YOU SAW A LOT OF THESE BEAUTIFUL FACES ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA JUST TO REALLY ENGAGE AND TELL OUR STORY AND HOPEFULLY HEAR SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU LOVE ABOUT WESTLAKE ACADEMY, WHICH PEOPLE REALLY GRAVITATED TOWARDS.
WE GOT A LOT OF REALLY POSITIVE FEEDBACK, ESPECIALLY HEARING FROM THESE GUYS.
WE GAVE EVERYONE-- KELLY, A COUPLE DAYS BEFORE THE DAY WAS LIKE, WE NEED TO GIVE EVERYONE A STICKER TO GO HOME.
ALL 920 OF OUR STUDENTS LEFT CAMPUS WITH A STICKER THAT DAY AND A QR CODE.
AND WE ALSO DID A LIVE TRACKER.
SO WE MADE SURE THAT EVERYONE WAS ABLE TO SEE EXACTLY WHERE WE WERE, OUR PARTICIPATION NUMBERS.
[01:10:03]
WE HAD A POPCORN PARTY AND EXTRA PLAYTIME FOR THE GRADE WINNERS, BOTH IN AMOUNT OF MONEY, BUT ALSO THE PARTICIPATING AMOUNTS, WE NEED TO GET THAT ON THE BOOKS.BUT THAT WAS A REALLY FUN WAY TO HOPEFULLY DRIVE PARTICIPATION.
AND AGAIN, WHETHER IT WAS A DOLLAR OR A MILLION, IT DIDN'T MATTER.
YOU WERE PARTICIPATING IN PAYING A PART.
AND THEN ALL OF US GOT IN A ROOM AND STARTED TO MAKE PHONE CALLS THE DAY OF.
AND SO WE WERE REALLY-- IT WAS A HUGE TEAM EFFORT.
WE HAD A BIG ADMINISTRATION PHONE TREE JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN GET OUR PARTICIPATION UP AS BEST AS WE COULD.
AND WE'RE REALLY PROUD AND REALLY GRATEFUL FOR OUR FAMILIES THAT HAVE BOUGHT INTO THE VISION, YOU GUYS WHO SUPPORT US EVERY DAY, AND THEN OUR STAFF, WHO ALSO HAVE BOUGHT INTO WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE AT WESTLAKE ACADEMY.
SO WE ARE ABOUT $50,000 SHORT.
WE DO HAVE A PLAN TO CLOSE THAT GAP AND FIGURE OUT WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE FOR THE $1.5 MILLION.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT IT'S ONLY OCTOBER, AND SO WE ARE STILL HAVING DONATIONS COMING IN.
71% OF FAMILIES PARTICIPATED ALREADY, WHICH SURPASSES ALL OF ANY GIVING THAT HAPPENED ALL YEAR LAST YEAR.
SO WE ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
40% OF FAMILIES UPGRADED THEIR GIFT AND GAVE FOR THE FIRST TIME, SO NOT JUST NEW FAMILIES, BUT PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER GIVEN BEFORE, WHICH WAS REALLY COOL.
WE HAVE PLANNED TO FINISH THE LAST 3% AND VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
SO ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE RACE TO THE FINISH? KIM GREAVES: I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF OUR PARTNERS IN TOWN, GOING OUT TO THEM.
THEN BUT YOU HAVE SOME SALARY SAVES IN THERE.
IT'S NOT REFLECTED IN THAT NUMBER.
SO YOU REALLY FROM JUST A FUNGIBLE AMOUNT OF DOLLARS, YOU HAVE MORE THAN THE MICHELLE BRIGGS: YES, IF WE NEEDED TODAY TO SAY THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE ABLE TO FILL THE GAP, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO WITH THE WAY THAT THOSE SALARIES CAME ABOUT.
AND I DO WANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT EVERYONE IN HERE, WE HAD ABOUT 10, 12 DAYS TO PULL THAT OFF, SO THAT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS.
WELL, WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR A FULL YEAR HEAD START? MICHELLE BRIGGS: EXACTLY.
GIVE US A COUPLE OF MONTHS HEAD START, WE'LL BE GOOD TO GO.
KIM GREAVES: LOOK, I'M KIDDING, THOUGH.
I COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD OF WHAT Y'ALL DID.
YOU DID GET IT WITH A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.
IT'S THE BEST CAMPAIGN I'VE SEEN.
I KNOW YOU HAD KATE ANDRUSKO IN CHINA ON A SCHOOL TRIP THAT DID A VIDEO, AND IT WAS JUST FABULOUS.
MICHELLE BRIGGS: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: DON'T STOP AT 1.5.
MICHELLE BRIGGS: THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING.
LIKE WE SAID, WE HAVE SOME GOOD PLANS TO GET SOME COMMUNITY PARTNERS, MAYBE HAVE A TRACKER FOR BUSINESSES IN TOWN FOR PARTICIPATION, SAY, NOW IT'S YOUR TURN.
AND SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT AND WE'LL GET ROLLING ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA THERE, SO.
KIM GREAVES: PRESENTATIONS WITH DISCUSSIONS, AGENDA ITEM M1, RECEIVE PRESENTATION AND HOLD DISCUSSION REGARDING THE WESTLAKE ACADEMY PERFORMANCE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS ASSESSMENT OF ACADEMIC READINESS, THE STAAE-- KELLY RITCHIE: I'M SO SORRY, KIM.
CAN WE SKIP TO M3 FIRST? KIM GREAVES: TO M3? YES.
KELLY RITCHIE: YES, BECAUSE WE HAVE OUR GUEST ON THE ZOOM.
KIM GREAVES: M3, RECEIVE PRESENTATION AND HOLD DISCUSSION REGARDING THE BOARD FINANCIAL REPORT.
KELLY RITCHIE: SO SORRY ABOUT THAT.
KELLY RITCHIE: I WANTED TO TELL YOU FIRST.
SO WE HAVE OUR FIRST FINANCIAL REPORT PROVIDED BY CHARTER IMPACT TONIGHT, AND ANNABEL ESPARZA, WHO IS OUR ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE, IS ON WITH US.
AND SHE'S GOING TO WALK YOU THROUGH THAT REPORT AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE.
KELLY RITCHIE: ANNABEL, CAN YOU HEAR US? ANNABEL ESPARZA: YES, I CAN.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? WOMAN: PERFECT.
ANNABEL ESPARZA: ARE YOU ABLE TO HEAR ME, KELLY? KELLY RITCHIE: YES, I CAN HEAR YOU.
KELLY RITCHIE: WHENEVER YOU'RE READY.
ANABEL ESPARZA: WELL, GOOD EVENING, CHAIR, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'M ANNABEL ESPARZA, AND I'M THE DIRECTOR OF CLIENT FINANCE FOR CHARTER IMPACT SUPPORTING WESTLAKE ACADEMY.
SO TONIGHT, I'M HAPPY TO PRESENT THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE PERIOD ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2026.
AND SO WE ARE THREE MONTHS INTO THE FISCAL YEAR, WHICH REPRESENTS 25% OF THE YEAR COMPLETE.
AND SO I'LL GO OVER SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE REPORT.
THE TOTAL ASSETS WERE $3.83 MILLION.
AND THE FUND BALANCE IS $3.28 MILLION.
YEAR-TO-DATE, WE HAVE RECEIVED $2.65 MILLION IN REVENUE, WHICH IS 21% OF THE BUDGET.
AND WE HAVE SPENT $3.02 MILLION, WHICH IS 25% OF THE BUDGET.
SO RIGHT NOW, THE YEAR-TO-DATE NET CHANGE IS A NEGATIVE
[01:15:02]
$369,000.AND WE DO HAVE 68 DAYS OF CASH ON HAND, WHICH IS ABOVE THE 60-DAY TARGET.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: COULD YOU JUST GO BACK? I'M SORRY.
COULD YOU GO BACK TO THAT SLIDE? HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH $369,000 NEGATIVE? ARE THERE TWO NUMBERS ON THIS PAGE THAT EQUAL $369,000 NEGATIVE? ANNABEL ESPARZA: YES.
SO IF YOU TAKE THE REVENUE AND THE EXPENDITURES-- MICHAEL YACKIRA: OH, EXPENDITURES.
ANNABEL ESPARZA: SO NEXT SLIDE.
SO WHAT DO THE NUMBERS SAY? FIRST, THIS IS WHERE WE STAND.
FUND BALANCE STARTED AT $3.65 MILLION IN THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, AND WE'RE NOW AT $3.28 MILLION.
THAT DECLINE REFLECTS TIMING OF REVENUE RECEIPT.
SO WE'RE STILL PROJECTING A SURPLUS AT THE END OF THE YEAR OF $404,000.
OUR REVENUES, THE STATE FUNDING IS THE LARGEST SOURCE, AND WE ARE ON PACE.
WE HAVE RECEIVED 25% OF REVENUE IN THE STATE PORTION.
FOR FEDERAL REVENUE, WE HAVE RECEIVED 0%, AND LOCAL REVENUE IS AT 12%.
AND SO THESE TWO REVENUE SOURCES ARE WHERE THE GAP IS.
BUT ON THE FEDERAL REVENUE SIDE, FEDERAL REVENUE IS REIMBURSED AS YOU ARE SPENDING FROM THE STATE.
AND SO WE DO ANTICIPATE DRAWING DOWN SOME FUNDS.
AND THIS WILL BE REPORTED BY THE NOVEMBER REPORTING PERIOD.
AND WE ARE ALSO ANTICIPATING AN INCREASE OF LOCAL FUNDS AS WE RECEIVE THE TOWN ANNUAL PAYMENT TRANSFER AND ALSO THE MONEY FROM THE FUNDRAISING EFFORTS.
AND SO WE EXPECT ALL OF THIS FUNDING BY THE END OF THIS QUARTER, BY THE DECEMBER QUARTER.
ON SPENDING, WE ARE AT 25% OF THE BUDGET, WHICH IS RIGHT ON PACE, OVERALL.
WE DO HAVE SOME LINE ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN OVERSPENT, BUT THIS JUST REFLECTS AN ANNUAL PAYMENT.
SO THESE ARE SOME ANNUAL PAYMENTS THAT ARE MADE UPFRONT AND NOT REALLY OVERSPENDING.
AND FINALLY, ON THE CASH, THE GENERAL FUND CASH ACTUALLY ROSE DURING THE QUARTER FROM $2.1 MILLION TO $2.16 MILLION, WHICH IS ABOUT 60 DAYS OF OPERATING SPENDING.
THE NEXT SLIDE COMPARES THE BALANCE SHEET FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR TO THE CURRENT MONTH.
ON THE TOTAL ASSETS, THE ASSETS FELL BY $363,000 TO $3.83 MILLION.
PREPAID ITEMS DROPPED $260,000.
THESE WERE COSTS THAT WERE PAID IN ADVANCE THAT HAVE NOW BEEN EXPENSED, SO THEY HAVE FALLEN OFF OF THE BALANCE SHEET.
AND ALSO, THE DUE FROM OTHER GOVERNMENTS DROPPED $252,000.
SO THESE WERE FUNDS THAT WERE COLLECTED FROM THE STATE AND WERE BOOKED AS A RECEIVABLE, AND THEY HAVE NOW BEEN MOVED OFF THE BALANCE SHEET TO ACTUAL REVENUE REALIZED.
THE CASH IN BANK HAS INCREASED BY $145,000.
ON THE LIABILITY SIDE, IT'S REALLY REMAINED UNCHANGED.
IT'S JUST INCREASED BY $6,000, SO NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED ON THE LIABILITY.
SO THE NEXT SLIDE BREAKS DOWN OUR BALANCE SHEET BY FUND.
IF YOU CAN SEE, THE GENERAL FUND HOLDS THE BULK OF OUR POSITION WITH A FUND BALANCE OF $3.2 MILLION FROM THE OVERALL FUND BALANCE OF $3.28 MILLION.
ON THE NEXT SLIDE, WE LOOK AT THE BUDGET VERSUS ACTUAL OF ALL FUNDS.
SO THIS IS A DIFFERENT VIEW OF ALL THE REVENUE BY SOURCE.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT ON THE STATE SIDE, WE'RE AT 25% OF THE REVENUE RECEIVED.
AND ON THE FEDERAL AND LOCAL, YOU CAN SEE THE 0.4% AND THE 11%.
BUT OVERALL, WE'RE AT 21.2% OF THE REVENUE RECEIVED.
ON THE EXPENDITURES, I LIKE TO LOOK AT IT IN THIS BREAKDOWN BY OBJECTS THEORY.
SO YOU CAN REALLY SEE HOW THE FUNDS ARE BEING SPENT.
AND SO IT BREAKS IT DOWN BY PAYROLL COSTS, PROFESSIONAL COSTS, SUPPLIES, OTHER OPERATING AND DEBT SERVICE.
AND SO PAYROLL AND PROFESSIONAL CONTRACTED SERVICE ARE BELOW THE SPENDING PACE.
SUPPLIES IS A LITTLE BIT HIGH, BUT THIS IS AS EXPECTED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
[01:20:01]
YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE OF YOUR EXPENSES AS THE SCHOOL YEAR IS STARTING.AND THEN OTHER OPERATING AND DEBT SERVICE, THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER, BUT THIS IS DUE TO ANNUAL PAYMENTS THAT WERE PAID UPFRONT FOR THE WHOLE ENTIRE YEAR.
THE NEXT SLIDE IS OUR SPENDING PACE AND WATCH LIST.
SO IN SEPTEMBER, WE DID SPEND A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN THE 8.3% PACE THAT WE WANT TO BE SPENDING PER MONTH.
SO ON AVERAGE, WE'RE RIGHT ON TRACK AT 25% OF SPENDING FOR THE YEAR.
AND THE NEXT FEW ITEMS ARE ON OUR WATCH LIST OF ITEMS THAT ARE OVERSPENT.
BUT REALLY, THESE ARE TIMING FOR PAYMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE UPFRONT FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR.
THE ONE THAT WE ARE WATCHING AND WE ANTICIPATE BRINGING A BUDGET AMENDMENT NEXT MONTH TO THE BOARD IS THE TECHNOLOGY.
WHEN WE DO THAT, IT'S JUST GOING TO BE TAKING FROM ONE CATEGORY TO ANOTHER.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE CHANGING THE NET EFFECT OF THE BUDGET.
BUT THIS TECHNOLOGY BUDGET DOES NEED AN INCREASE.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: QUICK QUESTION ON THAT LAST NUMBER.
THE TEACHER RETIREMENT IS ONLY PAID ONCE A YEAR? ANNABEL ESPARZA: NO.
SO THE TEACHER RETIREMENT, THIS IS A MONTHLY ENTRY THAT WE DO MAKE.
SO REALLY, THIS DOESN'T AFFECT YOUR BUDGET WHATSOEVER.
IT'S REALLY AN ACCOUNTING ENTRY THAT THE STATE REQUIRES US TO MAKE.
BUT THE REVENUE EQUALS EXPENSES AND DOESN'T REALLY AFFECT THE BUDGET.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: SO THE FACT THAT IT'S 44% OF THE BUDGET DOESN'T MATTER? ANNABEL ESPARZA: YES.
WELL, WE DO NEED TO MONITOR THIS.
THIS ONE ALSO MAY REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT IN THE FUTURE.
BUT AGAIN, IT WOULD JUST OFFSET REVENUE.
IT DOESN'T REALLY CHANGE THE NET EFFECT OF THE TOTAL BUDGET.
ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ON THIS SLIDE? KIM GREAVES: NOPE.
ANNABEL ESPARZA: SO WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WHICH IS OUR CHARTER FIRST CURRENT MONITOR.
SO THESE ARE ITEMS THAT WE'RE MONITORING FOR CHARTER FIRST.
SO YOU DID HAVE A SCORE OF 98 OUT OF 100 FOR THE 25-26 RATING YEAR, WHICH CONGRATULATIONS.
THESE ARE ITEMS THAT ARE ON OUR WATCH LIST THAT WE'RE MONITORING, THE DATES OF CASH-ON-HAND OF 68 DAYS.
YOU WANT TO HAVE IT OVER 60 DAYS, SO WE'RE DOING OK THERE.
ON THE REVENUE, DOES THAT EXCEED EXPENDITURES? SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE DO NEED TO MONITOR.
WE DO ANTICIPATE THAT THIS MONITOR WILL CHANGE TO A POSITIVE ONCE THE ADDITIONAL REVENUE IS RECEIVED ON THE LOCAL REVENUE SIDE.
AND THEN ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE COST RATIO, THIS IS ANOTHER MONITOR.
THIS IS WHERE WESTLAKE LOST TWO POINTS IN THE 25-26 RATING YEAR.
IT WAS IN THIS CURRENT RATIO, SO ONLY 8 POINTS WERE RECEIVED OUT OF THE 10.
SO THIS IS ALSO A MONITOR THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR AND MAKE SURE THAT ADMINISTRATIVE COST RATIO REMAINS LOW.
KIM GREAVES: ARE WE THINKING ABOUT THIS, ARE WE OK WITH THE 98-- KELLY RITCHIE: I THINK THIS WAS AN EXCELLENT SCORE.
KIM GREAVES: OH, NO, I-- ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY.
BUT I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, WHEN THEY LOOK AT THIS ADMINISTRATIVE COST RATIOS, HOW DO Y'ALL THINK ABOUT IT? KELLY RITCHIE: OH, NO, WE WATCH THESE CLOSELY.
WE WERE ON A CALL-- MICHELLE AND I WERE WITH ANNABEL EARLIER TODAY TALKING DIRECTLY ABOUT THAT BECAUSE-- KIM GREAVES: YEAH, THERE'S A HANDFUL OF SCHOOLS THAT GOT THIS COURSE.
WHEN DOES THE 26-27-- WHEN DOES THAT COME OUT? ANNABEL ESPARZA: IT'S ALWAYS A YEAR BEHIND, AND SO-- KELLY RITCHIE: WE JUST RECEIVED THE FINAL.
KIM GREAVES: THIS IS THE LATEST ONE WE RECEIVED? KELLY RITCHIE: YES.
SO EVERY YEAR, IT RELEASES AROUND THIS TIME.
BUT IT'S ALWAYS WHEN YOU'RE BEHIND.
SO 26-27, THE 25-26 YEAR IS RATED.
KIM GREAVES: WE'VE HAD WONDERFUL KELLY RITCHIE: --TEA, BUT THE CHARTER FIRST IS WHAT WE FAILED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO.
SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE-- IT'S GREAT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THESE MONITOR-- I MEAN THAT WE'RE ABLE TO SEE AN ITEMIZED MONITOR MONTHLY IS FANTASTIC.
AND TO CREDIT MARLENE, I MEAN, THIS I THINK WAS ON HER RADAR LAST YEAR.
SO I THINK THERE WAS A LOT OF WORK TO ENSURE THAT IT WAS CORRECT.
[01:25:02]
KIM GREAVES: PERFECT.MICHAEL YACKIRA: YOU MIGHT HAVE SAID THIS, BUT I APOLOGIZE IF YOU DID.
WHAT IS THE RATIO THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR TO BE BELOW AT OR BELOW FOR ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS? ANNABEL ESPARZA: IT REALLY JUST VARIES.
SEVERAL CALCULATIONS ARE DONE BEHIND THE SCENES ON IT TAKES ENROLLMENT PLUS ALL YOUR OTHER EXPENSES AND ALL YOUR OTHER FUNCTIONS.
BUT I CAN BRING THAT CALCULATION FOR NEXT TIME AND JUST GIVE YOU AN ESTIMATE OF HOW MANY POINTS YOU'RE EARNING BASED ON THAT.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: I MEAN, MY ONLY CURIOSITY IS, WE SAY WE'RE OVER, BUT THERE'S NO WAY TO KNOW HOW MUCH OVER WE ARE OF THE RATIO.
ARE WE 3 POINTS OVER, OR ARE WE 5 POINTS OVER? KIM GREAVES: NO, WE'RE JUST TWO POINTS OFF.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: IT'S ONLY 10%? KELLY RITCHIE: SO REMEMBER, THE TWO POINTS LOST LAST YEAR WERE A RESULT OF LAST YEAR'S RATIO.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT.
I'M TALKING ABOUT ITEM NUMBER 14.
KELLY RITCHIE: I THINK IT'S 10 POINTS, NOT 10%.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PERCENTAGE IS.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: THAT'S WHY IT'S PERCENT.
THAT'S WHY I'M LOOKING-- KELLY RITCHIE: AT THIS, YEAH, BUT SHE SAID WE LOST TWO POINTS FROM THAT.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PERCENT.
SHE'S SAYING THAT THERE IS A PERCENT CALCULATION.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: THE RATIO, YEAH.
KIM GREAVES: WE'RE REALLY NOT THINKING [INAUDIBLE].
KELLY RITCHIE: SO BECAUSE OUR OVERALL BUDGET NUMBERS ARE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT THAN THEY WERE LAST YEAR, THE RATIO MAY OR MAY NOT LOOK EXACTLY THE SAME, SO IT'S-- ANNABEL ESPARZA: RIGHT.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE IN LINE WITH-- KELLY RITCHIE: THAT'S OUR GOAL, YES.
KIM GREAVES: FABULOUS RESULT. THANK YOU.
SO THE NEXT SLIDE IS JUST LOOKING AT OUR FIVE LARGEST BILLS FOR THE MONTH.
THE THREE LARGEST BILLS WERE ALL RELATED TO PAYROLL, SO IT'S THE TRS REPORTING AND ALSO THE HEALTH INSURANCE PAYMENTS.
AND SO THAT ACCOUNTED FOR THE BULK OF THE THREE OF THE LARGEST PAYMENTS FOR THE MONTH.
AND THEN WE DID HAVE THE CAMP EAGLE EXPENSE, BUT THAT WAS OFFSET.
AND THEN WE DID HAVE THE PYE-BARKER FIRE AND SAFETY.
SO THESE WERE THE LARGEST FIVE BILLS FOR THE MONTH.
ANY QUESTIONS THERE? KIM GREAVES: GREAT DETAIL.
ANNABEL ESPARZA: AND SO THE LAST SLIDE IS JUST FOR BOARD ATTENTION.
THESE ARE ITEMS THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR, THE SPENDING, MAKING SURE THAT IT STAYS ON PACE, THAT WE'RE NOT OVERSPENDING.
WE'RE STAYING AT ABOUT 8.3% OF THE BUDGET SPENT PER MONTH, THAT WE GET THOSE FEDERAL DRAWS DONE.
AND WELL, FIRST, WE NEED TO SPEND THEM.
BUT ONCE WE DO THAT, WE'RE WORKING ON MOVING SOME PAYROLL OVER TO FEDERAL FUNDS.
AND ONCE THAT IS DONE, THEN I CAN COMPLETE THOSE DRAWS AND GET THOSE FEDERAL REVENUES IN.
AND THEN THE LOCAL REVENUE, WE CAN GET THAT INCREASED, MAYBE WITH-- I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE SCHEDULE IS FOR THE TOWN TO DO THE TRANSFER, BUT THAT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL TO GET THAT REVENUE UP.
SO THESE ARE JUST THREE ITEMS THAT WE CONTINUE TO MONITOR AND BRING TO THE BOARD'S ATTENTION.
TAMMY REEVES: I HAVE A QUESTION.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SPENDING PACE AND HOW YOU'RE TRYING TO KEEP IT TO THE 8.3%.
IF WE HAVE A LARGE EXPENSE OR REPAIR THAT NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED AT THE SCHOOL, ARE WE DELAYING THOSE BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO GO OVER THAT PERCENTAGE, OR ARE WE FINE TO DO IT AND THEN JUST CATCH UP THE NEXT MONTH, OR HOW DO THOSE THINGS WORK WHEN WE HAVE A LARGE EXPENSE? ANNABEL ESPARZA: RIGHT.
NOW, THE LARGEST EXPENSES ARE ANTICIPATED, AND THAT'S GOING TO-- THAT ONE MONTH, IT'LL BE HIGHER, BUT THEN IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT YOU MONITOR.
YOU JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE NOT OVERSPENDING OVERALL.
YOU GO AHEAD AND TAKE CARE OF THE PAYMENT AND JUST MONITOR.
KIM GREAVES: I DO LIKE THIS REPORTING.
DO WE NEED TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THIS, OR IS THIS A PRESENTATION? KELLY RITCHIE: THIS IS JUST INFORMATION.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: KELLY, YOU REMEMBER WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT-- I CAN'T REMEMBER WHETHER IT'S CHART IMPACT OR TECHNOLOGY LABS, THAT THEY TOLD US THAT WE WERE MISSING SOME FEDERAL GRANT FOR INTERNET OR SOMETHING.
HAVE WE APPLIED FOR THAT? HAVE WE GOTTEN IT? KELLY RITCHIE: WE ARE CURRENTLY USING IT.
WE DID ALL THOSE APPLICATIONS BACK IN THE SPRING.
AT&T WAS ON CAMPUS IN JULY SETTING UP OUR NEW SERVICE, AND SO WE'RE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT NOW.
IT'S CALLED E-RATE, AND IT'S BASED ON THE PERCENTAGE OF ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS, WHICH MEANS OUR PERCENTAGE THAT WE GET IS LOWER THAN SOME SCHOOLS, BUT IT IS STILL SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH.
I THINK WE'RE GETTING 40% OF WHAT WE COULD GET IF WE
[01:30:03]
COULD BE FULLY FUNDED BY THAT.BUT IT'S A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY.
AND SO WE'RE ABLE TO OFFSET SOME OTHER-- IN ADDITION TO THE INTERNET, WE'RE ABLE TO OFFSET SOME OF THE HARDWARE AND SERVICES THAT WE'RE RECEIVING THROUGH TECHNOLOGY.
KELLY RITCHIE: SO VERY, VERY HAPPY WITH WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
KELLY RITCHIE: ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR ANNABEL? KIM GREAVES: ANNABEL, THANK YOU.
ANNABEL ESPARZA: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
KIM GREAVES: WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO NEXT? KELLY RITCHIE: SORRY.
WE CAN DO THAT BACK UP INTO I THINK-- KIM GREAVES: DO YOU WANT M1 OR M2? KELLY RITCHIE: M1, SORRY.
KIM GREAVES: M1, RECEIVE PRESENTATION
[M.1. Receive presentation and hold discussion regarding the Westlake Academy performance for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Advanced Placement (AP) Data. ]
TO HOLD DISCUSSION REGARDING WESTLAKE ACADEMY PERFORMANCE FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS ASSESSMENT OF ACADEMIC READINESS, THE STAAR, INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE, IB, AND ADVANCED PLACEMENT.KELLY RITCHIE: SO I'M GOING TO HAVE OUR ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM COME UP.
AND BEFORE THEY DO, I JUST WANT TO RECOGNIZE THEM.
MICHELLE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW EVERYBODY JUMPED INTO GEAR WHEN WE NEEDED TO FOR OUR FUNDRAISING EFFORTS.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND US DID ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING THAT WAS ASKED OF THEM IN ADDITION TO THEIR REGULAR JOBS.
AND THIS IS PRINCIPAL RECOGNITION MONTH, AND I JUST-- SOMETIMES WE FORGET WHEN WE WORK IN A SMALL SCHOOL LIKE THIS, YOU DON'T HAVE JUST A PRINCIPAL ROLE.
YOU DO ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT ARE NOT NECESSARILY DONE AT MOST SCHOOLS.
A LOT OF SCHOOLS HAVE CENTRAL OFFICES.
THEY HAVE EXPERTS IN EVERY SINGLE LITTLE TINY THING THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN A SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AND HERE EVERYBODY JUST DOES EVERYTHING.
AND THEY HAVE TO BECOME EXPERTS IN SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS.
SO WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE TONIGHT IS JUST A SMALL SAMPLE OF THEIR WORK.
BUT I'M EXCITED FOR YOU TO GET TO HEAR FROM THEM ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THEIR SECTIONS LAST YEAR.
MAXWELL ITUAH: HI, GOOD EVENING.
SO I'LL JUST GET YOU ALL STARTED WITH THE PERFORMANCE LEVEL CATEGORIES, JUST GIVING YOU AN OVERVIEW OF THE FOUR RESPECTIVE RATINGS.
SO DID NOT MEET, AND FOR THAT, A STUDENT DID NOT SHOW THAT THEY MET GRADE LEVEL STANDARDS.
AND IN 2023, TEA PASSED HOUSE BILL 1416.
SO ESSENTIALLY, WHAT WE DO IS PROVIDE ACCELERATED INSTRUCTION FOR THOSE STUDENTS IN ORDER TO TRY TO GET CAUGHT UP TO GRADE LEVEL STANDARDS.
FOR APPROACHES, THOSE STUDENTS STILL DID NOT MEET GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATIONS, THOUGH THEY'RE APPROACHING, AND THEY'RE LIKELY TO SUCCEED IN THE NEXT GRADE LEVEL WITH SOME INTERVENTIONS THROUGHOUT THE ACADEMIC YEAR.
SO GENERALLY, IN THE SECONDARY, WE DO TRY TO PROVIDE THAT THROUGH ADVISORY.
AND GOING IN TO MEET THOSE STUDENTS ALSO ARE LIKELY TO SUCCEED IN THE NEXT GRADE LEVEL.
THEY DO NEED SOME TARGETED INTERVENTION AND SUPPORT, BECAUSE NOT AS MUCH AS THOSE STUDENTS WHO ARE JUST APPROACHING GRADE LEVEL, AND THOSE STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO APPLY THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THEY'VE LEARNED, AS WELL AS CRITICALLY THINK IN FAMILIAR SITUATIONS FROM THE CONTENT THAT'S PRESENTED.
FOR THOSE STUDENTS THAT ACHIEVE MASTERS, WHICH WE DO STRIVE TO ACHIEVE, THEY'RE MORE THAN LIKELY TO SUCCEED IN THE NEXT GRADE LEVEL WITH LITTLE TO NO ACADEMIC INTERVENTIONS.
AND THEN THOSE STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO BOTH CRITICALLY THINK AND APPLY THE SKILLS LEARNED IN BOTH FAMILIAR AND UNFAMILIAR SITUATIONS.
SO THOSE ARE JUST THE FOUR DIFFERENT RATING SCALES THAT TEA PROVIDES FOR OUR STUDENTS.
AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MRS. REHMAN FOR PYP.
KIM GREAVES: HOW ARE YOU? FARAH REHMAN: GOOD.
ANOTHER THING WE DID WANT TO MENTION IS THAT WHEN WE ARE PRESENTING OUR SCORES, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT STUDENTS WHO PASSED AND THEN STUDENTS WHO WERE AT THE MASTERS OR HIGHER PERCENTAGE BECAUSE ULTIMATELY, THAT'S OUR GOAL, ESPECIALLY AT WESTLAKE ACADEMY.
THIS IS ALSO GOING TO BE THE LAST YEAR THAT THIS STAAR TEST IS BEING GIVEN.
IT IS A ONE DROP IN SPRING TEST THAT IS GIVEN TO ALL STUDENTS.
AND WHAT THE STATE IS GOING TO DO NEXT YEAR IS MAKE IT A GROWTH MODEL TO WHERE THEY TAKE IT AT BEGINNING, MIDDLE, END OF YEAR.
AND THEN WE CAN REALLY TALK THROUGH THAT GROWTH.
AND THE STATE GETS TO SEE THAT AS WELL INSTEAD OF A ONE SHOT.
KIM GREAVES: DO WE LIKE THAT BETTER, THE EDUCATORS? FARAH REHMAN: FROM WHAT WE'RE SEEING WE ARE HOPING WE WILL.
FARAH REHMAN: SO WE WILL START, OF COURSE, WITH PYP.
WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THIRD, FOURTH, AND FIFTH GRADE.
AND AS YOU KNOW, THIRD GRADERS ARE EIGHT AND NINE-YEAR-OLDS.
SO WHEN YOU SEE THOSE SCORES THERE'S ALWAYS A LITTLE DIFFERENTIAL THERE BECAUSE IT'S THEIR FIRST TIME TAKING THOSE HIGH-STAKES TESTS.
ALSO, KNOWING THAT WE ARE AN IB SCHOOL, WE WORK SO HOLISTICALLY.
[01:35:03]
WE'RE NOT LIKE A SCHOOL DISTRICT, WHICH I HAVE COME FROM, WHERE YOU REALLY JUST ARE LIKE, WE'RE NOT THERE, LET'S DRILL AND KILL UNTIL WE GET THERE.SO YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THE DIVIDENDS OF THAT AS WE GO THROUGH THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, WITH HOW OUR KIDS TAKE ALL OF THOSE SKILLS THAT WE BUILD IN HOLISTICALLY, AND THEN HOW WE EVENTUALLY ARE OUTPERFORMING OUR COMPETITORS.
SO WE ARE IN THIRD GRADE-- I'M GOING TO STICK TO MY NOTES, OR I'LL RAMBLE, WHICH I'VE ALREADY STARTED.
TAMMY REEVES: CAN I ASK YOU ONE QUESTION? FARAH REHMAN: FOR PASSING, AS YOU CAN SEE-- YES.
TAMMY REEVES: I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU ONE QUICK QUESTION BEFORE WE GET STARTED.
SO WHEN YOU SAY PASSING, DOES THAT INCLUDE APPROACHES OR DOES THAT ONLY-- FARAH REHMAN: YES, THE STATE CONSIDERS APPROACHES PASSING.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PASSING RATES HERE, FIVE OUT OF SEVEN, HAD 90% OF OUR STUDENTS ARE ABOVE PASSING, TWO OUT OF SEVEN WERE ABOVE 82%.
AND SO WE WILL TALK THROUGH A LITTLE BIT OF THAT, OUR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND OUR NEXT STEPS ON THAT.
WHEN IT COMES TO THE STATE, WE PUT IT IN A COLUMN, BUT WE ARE MORE THAN EXCEEDING THE STATE PASSING RATE.
OUR NEXT SLIDE TALKS ABOUT OUR MASTERS AND HIGHER.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, FOUR OUT OF OUR SEVEN WERE ABOVE 50% MASTERY, ONE AT 46%, AND TWO WERE COMPETITIVE WITH OUR NEIGHBORS.
BUT OF COURSE, WE'RE ALWAYS TRYING TO GET THEM HIGHER.
SO OUR GOAL IS, OF COURSE, TO RAISE THOSE BY 5% IN EACH CATEGORY.
AND SO WE'LL TALK THROUGH OUR STEPS THERE.
THIS LAST YEAR, SOME ACKNOWLEDGMENTS THAT WE WANTED TO SPEAK TO ARE THAT WE DID IMPLEMENT A PHONICS CURRICULUM CALLED READING HORIZONS.
THE STATE DID-- TASK SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO MAKE SURE THEY USE A PHONICS PROGRAM THAT IS ANCHORED IN THE SCIENCE OF TEACHING AND READING, BASED ON OUR DYSLEXIA NUMBERS IN THE STATE, AND HOW MANY STUDENTS WERE QUALIFYING.
SO HOLISTICALLY, WE HAVE SEEN A DECREASE IN THAT THIS PROGRAM.
IT TOOK A WHILE TO LEARN THERE WERE UPS AND DOWNS AS ANY NEW PROGRAM HAS SHOWN, BUT OUR TEACHERS ARE REALLY DOING A GREAT JOB WITH THIS AND WE ARE SEEING THE RESULT OF THAT, EVEN WITH OUR REFERRALS FOR DYSLEXIA.
IN FEBRUARY THROUGH APRIL, WE HOSTED STAAR TUTORIALS, AND STUDENTS ATTENDED THOSE AFTER SCHOOL FOUR DAYS A WEEK.
AND THEN WE DID TEACHER-LED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, THINKING ABOUT WHAT OUR STUDENTS NEED, HOW WE COULD LEARN WITH AND THROUGH OTHERS.
SO OUR TEACHERS ACTUALLY WERE THE ONES WHO LED SOME PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTS ON HIGHLIGHTS AND THINGS THAT THEY ARE REALLY GREAT AT AND SHARED OUT WITH THEIR PEERS.
SO THAT WAS REALLY AMAZING TO SEE THERE.
FOR OUR PYP STAAR OPPORTUNITIES IN ACTION, IN K THROUGH 5, WE'RE REALLY GOING TO WORK ON THE PERSONAL STUDENT GROWTH OUTCOMES THROUGH DATA DISCUSSIONS.
THAT MEETS TO MASTERS IS THE TRICKIEST BUBBLE BECAUSE WHEN WE HAVE KIDS WHO ARE ALREADY SO HIGH PERFORMING, GETTING THAT EXTRA 1% OR 2% IS REALLY TRICKY.
AND SO HOW ARE WE GOING TO HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS WITH OUR TEACHERS AFTER WE GIVE STAAR INTERIMS, OR WE HAVE WORKED ON SPECIFIC UNITS AND THEN REALLY USE THAT INFORMATION TO SPIRAL IN.
WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH OUR UNIT PLANNERS IS GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT WE, AS THE ADMINISTRATION TEAM AND THEN ALONG WITH OUR IB COORDINATOR, TOUCH ON.
WE ALSO STARTED IN AUGUST VERTICAL PLANNING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WHERE WE THIRD, FOURTH, AND FIFTH, SURE, THEY GIVE THE STAAR TEST, BUT WE KNOW THAT COMES FROM KINDER UP.
SO WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR WITH EACH OTHER, KINDER THROUGH FIFTH? WE HAD THOSE DISCUSSIONS VERTICALLY, AND THEN THE TEACHERS GAVE US SOME FEEDBACK ON WHAT REALLY BUBBLED TO THE SURFACE SO THAT WHEN WE ARE DOING WALKTHROUGHS, WE CAN GIVE THEM FEEDBACK ON THOSE PARTICULAR THINGS.
AND THEN BASED ON OUR FEEDBACK, WHAT ELSE DO WE HAVE TO PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR.
AND THEN WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE OUR ALIGNMENT OF OUR IB UNITS WITH INTENTIONAL PLANNING DAYS.
OUR IB COORDINATOR, ALLISON SCHNEIDER, IS A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE.
SHE HAD BEEN MEETING WITH TEACHERS WEEKLY.
BUT WE HAVE FOUND THAT A NEW MODEL MIGHT BE MORE HELPFUL TO THEM.
SO SHE'S DOING ONE ON ONE COACHING WITH TEACHERS, AND THEN ONCE IN NINE WEEKS, WE ARE BLOCKING A HALF DAY WHERE THEY CAN REALLY GET DETAILED INTO THOSE UNIT PLANNERS WITH HER AND TALK THROUGH WHAT'S UPCOMING.
SO WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE THE WORK ON THAT.
ANY QUESTIONS? I'M GOING TO PASS IT ON TO MS. MCMILLON.
SERENA MCMILLON: THANK YOU, MS. REHMAN.
I'M MS. MCMILLON, THE PROUD MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL.
AND IF YOU CAN, PLEASE EXCUSE ME.
I'VE BEEN ILL, SO I'M STILL RECOVERING.
I'LL DO MY BEST TO SPEAK CLEARLY.
SO MIDDLE SCHOOL, SO WE'RE STARTING WITH OUR PASSING DATA.
[01:40:02]
AND THIS SLIDE, BASICALLY, AS MS. REHMAN'S DOES, COMPARES OUR PASSING RATES WITH THOSE OF THE STATE AND NEIGHBORING PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND COMPARABLE CHARTER SCHOOLS, AS WE DO EVERY YEAR.AND I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT ACROSS EVERY TESTED SUBJECT, OUR STUDENTS OUTPERFORMED THE STATE AVERAGE AND MOST COMPARISON SCHOOLS.
FOR EXAMPLE, WITH LANGUAGE ARTS, WE WERE AT 96%, 97% ACROSS GRADES 6 TO 8, COMPARED WITH A STATE STANDARD OF 73% TO 83%.
MATH, OUR GRADE 6 PASSING RATE WAS 96% VERSUS 73% STATEWIDE.
EIGHTH GRADE MATH COLUMN IS NOTEWORTHY.
IT REFLECTS NOT OUR EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS, BUT OUR SEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS WHO ARE NOW EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS.
SO STUDENTS GO FROM TAKING THAT GRADE 6 STAAR TO TAKING GRADE 8 STAAR, WHICH IS A JUMP OF TWO GRADE LEVELS.
SERENA MCMILLON: THAT'S NOTABLE.
AND THEY PASSED AT A RATE OF 94%.
ALGEBRA 1 EOC, THOSE ARE OUR GRADE 8 STUDENTS, WHICH ACROSS THE STATE AND NEIGHBORING DISTRICTS TRADITIONALLY MIGHT BE GRADE 9 STUDENTS.
THAT'S A HIGH SCHOOL END-OF-COURSE EXAM THAT'S TAKEN IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
SO OUR STUDENTS PASSED AT A RATE OF 97%.
SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES, SCIENCE PASSING RATE, 99%.
THIS IS A 24-POINT LEAD OVER THE STATE.
SOCIAL STUDIES PASSING RATE, 91%, A 34-POINT LEAD OVER THE STATE.
SO ALL OF THIS TO SAY THAT IT SHOWS STRONG INSTRUCTION, CONSISTENT ACADEMIC CULTURE ACROSS OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL.
KIM GREAVES: WHO'S MERIDIAN? I KNOW MOST OF THESE OTHER SCHOOLS.
KELLY RITCHIE: THEY'RE IN THE AUSTIN AREA.
I THINK ROUND ROCK, SPECIFICALLY.
SERENA MCMILLON: SO NEXT, WE WILL LOOK AT OUR RATE OF MASTERY.
SO THIS SHOWS STUDENTS, AS DR. ITUAH EXPLAINED, PERFORMING AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF MASTERY.
AND ACROSS EVERY SUBJECT, OUR MASTERY RATES ARE WELL ABOVE THE STATE.
GRADE 8 LANGUAGE ARTS IS OF SPECIAL NOTE WITH A 78% RATE OF MASTERY.
THAT IS THE HIGHEST NUMBER ON THIS SLIDE IN THIS SUBJECT.
WE ARE ROUGHLY DOUBLE THE STATE RATE AT EVERY GRADE LEVEL FOR LANGUAGE ARTS.
AND FOR MATH, GRADE 6 MASTERY IS AT 42%, WHICH IS NEARLY THREE TIMES THE STATE RATE.
ALGEBRA 1 EOC IS AT 48% COMPARED WITH 30% STATEWIDE.
SCIENCE, AGAIN, OF SPECIAL NOTE, 74%, WHICH IS MORE THAN TWO AND A HALF TIMES THE STATE RATE OF 29% AND OUTPERFORMS ALL OTHER SCHOOLS SHOWN, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.
SO TAKEN TOGETHER, THESE RESULTS SHOW THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE NOT ONLY MEETING STANDARDS, BUT EXCELLING FAR BEYOND THEM.
KIM GREAVES: THAT IS OUTSTANDING.
AND A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR TEACHERS AND TO OUR FAMILIES WHO SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN ATTENDING TUTORIALS AND REALLY BEING PRESENT AND ENGAGED IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. SO I'VE GONE ON AND ON ABOUT SCIENCE, BUT I DID WANT TO COMPARE IT TO YEARS PRIOR WHERE THE RATE WAS 51%.
SO THIS IS A JUMP EVEN FOR US.
THAT'S QUITE-- KIM GREAVES: IS THAT YEAR OVER YEAR, OR-- SERENA MCMILLON: FROM LAST YEAR.
SERENA MCMILLON: AND OUR READING ACHIEVEMENT CONTINUES TO GROW AS WELL.
AND WE STARTED THIS LAST YEAR.
WE'VE CONTINUED IT THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
DURING ADVISORY TIME, WE HAVE INTERVENTIONS.
AND WE DO NOT JUST HAVE INTERVENTIONS FOR READING AND FOR MATH, BUT WE ALSO HAVE THEM FOR SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES, WHICH IS NOT ALWAYS THAT COMMON.
AND SO OUR PASSING RATES IN TOTAL ARE ALWAYS IN THAT 91 PERCENTILE AND ABOVE RANGE.
TAMMY REEVES: CAN I ASK YOU ABOUT THE INTERVENTION? SO OBVIOUSLY, THE STAAR IS ONLY TAKEN ONCE A YEAR.
SO YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO COMPARE ON.
HOW ARE YOU EVALUATING THE STUDENTS THAT NEED THE INTERVENTION? IS THAT JUST BASED ON THEIR COURSEWORK UP TO THAT POINT? SERENA MCMILLON: WE ALSO HAVE MAP DATA.
AND EVERY YEAR, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, THEY TAKE A MAP ASSESSMENT, AND THAT HELPS US ASSESS THE STUDENTS THAT ARE NEW TO US.
ALSO, LIKE THE RISING G5 STUDENTS WHO ARE NOW G6, WE'RE LOOKING AT THEIR I-READY DATA FROM THE YEAR PRIOR, THEIR STAAR DATA FROM THE YEAR PRIOR.
[01:45:01]
SERENA MCMILLON: WE DO HAVE OPPORTUNITIES AND ACTIONS THAT WE NEED TO TAKE.WE ARE VERY PLEASED WITH OUR GROWTH IN MEETS, AND WE KNOW THAT WE CAN DO SOME MORE WORK GETTING THAT MEETS TO MASTERS, IN PARTICULAR, WITH GRADE 6 MATH TO GRADE 8 ALGEBRA 1 AND GRADE 8 US HISTORY.
SO WE WILL FOCUS ON SOME ADDED EXTENSION AND ENRICHMENT IN THOSE CLASSES.
OUR MASTER SCHEDULE NOW INCLUDES PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES, WHICH IS NEW FOR US.
OUR TEACHERS HAVE COMMON PLANNING TIME WHERE THEY CAN PLAN AS A VERTICAL TEAM, WHICH IS REALLY SPECIAL FOR A SCHOOL LIKE OURS.
AND IN THAT TIME, THE MATH DEPARTMENT, ALL DEPARTMENTS, REALLY, CAN USE THEIR LONGITUDINAL DATA TO FOCUS ON IDENTIFYING KEY AREAS FOR STUDENT GROWTH.
AND PART OF WHAT YOU SAW WITH OUR LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE DATA, OUR SCIENCE DATA BEING SO STRONG, WE ARE NOW AIMING TO REPLICATE IN US HISTORY BY HAVING THAT TEACHER ALSO LOOP WITH THE STUDENTS FROM GRADE 7 TO GRADE 8.
SO THAT STRONG DATA YOU SEE, THAT'S THE STUDENTS HAVING THE SAME TEACHER FOR TWO YEARS.
THE STUDENTS WILL NOW HAVE THAT FOR GRADE 7 AND GRADE 8 US HISTORY.
SO WE EXPECT TO SEE BIG GROWTH THERE.
TAMMY REEVES: CAN I ASK YOU ONE QUESTION ABOUT THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES? OBVIOUSLY, SPANISH IS NOT SOMETHING THAT'S TESTED ON STAAR.
DO YOU GUYS ALSO IMPLEMENT THAT FOR THE SPANISH? SERENA MCMILLON: YES, WE DO.
THAT'S OUR LANGUAGE B DEPARTMENT.
AND SO OUR SPANISH AND FRENCH TEACHERS DO MEET REGULARLY AS A LANGUAGE B TEAM.
THEY HAVE A LANGUAGE B CHAIR, WHO LEADS THEM, AND AN ADMINISTRATOR WHO SUPERVISES.
AND THEY ARE MEETING REGULARLY.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF CLEAR EVIDENCE THAT THEY'RE VERY ALIGNED IN THEIR TEACHING AS WE SEE-- TAMMY REEVES: I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING THAT HISTORICALLY WE'VE STRUGGLED WITH AS STUDENTS PROGRESS THROUGH THE SYSTEM, SO I'M HAPPY TO HEAR THAT.
SERENA MCMILLON: THEY'RE HAPPY TO HAVE IT.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE? KIM GREAVES: GREAT JOB.
KELLY RITCHIE: I'M SURE DR. OWEN WILL SPEAK MORE ABOUT THE PLCS, BUT I DO WANT TO GIVE HIM CREDIT.
WE KNEW AS AN ADMIN TEAM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEEDED FOR OUR TEACHERS TO HELP THEM ALIGN THEIR PLANNING.
AND DR. OWEN SPENT A LOT OF TIME WITH THE MASTER SCHEDULE, ENSURING THAT WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
SO THERE WERE A LOT OF EFFORTS AROUND THAT TO PROTECT THAT TIME FOR THEM.
SO IT'S POISED TO BE A GAME CHANGER IN THE KINDS OF CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO HAVE AND THE WAY WE'RE ABLE TO TRACK DATA AND THE WAY WE'RE ABLE TO SPEAK AS GROUPS OF SPECIALISTS AROUND THOSE SUBJECTS.
HOW ARE YOU, SIR? JAMES OWEN: I'M DOING VERY WELL, INDEED.
SO I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE HIGH SCHOOL DATA FOR OUR END-OF-COURSE EXAMINATIONS THAT WE DO.
IN HIGH SCHOOL, THERE'S FOUR EOCS, ENGLISH 1, ENGLISH 2, BIOLOGY AND US HISTORY.
SO AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THE STRENGTH OF A HIGH SCHOOL, THE STRENGTH OF THE TEACHING, THE STRENGTH OF THE STUDENTS.
WHEN IT COMES TO PASSING, WE ARE SIGNIFICANTLY ABOVE STATE LEVELS.
WE OUTPERFORM OUR NEIGHBORING ISDS, AND WE OUTPERFORM OUR COMPARABLE TO THE THREE IB SCHOOLS TO WHOM WE COMPARE OUR DATA.
OUR AIM IN HIGH SCHOOL IS TO BE 100% PASSING OR GET AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO THAT.
WE ALSO LOOK VERY CAREFULLY AT MASTERY, AS WELL AS OUR STUDENTS COME INTO THE HIGH SCHOOL, TAKE THAT END-OF-COURSE EXAMS AND THEN PROGRESS TO BE TAKING THE DIPLOMA PROGRAM EXAMS AND THE AP EXAMS, WHICH I'LL TALK ABOUT SHORTLY, WE WANT TO SEE HIGH MASTERY LEVELS AS WELL.
THAT SORT OF INDICATES STUDENT GROWTH AND STUDENT SUCCESS.
SO IN TERMS OF JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS, I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT, FIRSTLY, IN TERMS OF OUR SUCCESS WITH BIOLOGY IN MASTERY LEVELS.
SO LAST YEAR, IT WAS 41% MASTERY.
THIS YEAR, IT WAS 90%, WHICH IS 120% INCREASE.
SO I WANT TO GIVE CREDIT TO OUR NEW BIOLOGY TEACHER.
JAMES OWEN: AND REALLY, WHAT THIS FIGURE SHOWS IS SOMETHING WHICH I PASSIONATELY BELIEVE IN, WHICH IS THE TEACHER IS THE BIGGEST DETERMINANT OF STUDENT SUCCESS.
KIM GREAVES: YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT YEARS AGO.
[01:50:02]
JAMES OWEN: AND SO I REALLY WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT.I THINK THAT'S A FANTASTIC ACHIEVEMENT.
ALSO, EVEN THOUGH ENGLISH WROTE 98% AND 99%, WHAT I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT IS THE INTERVENTIONIST WORK THAT OUR ENGLISH DEPARTMENT DOES BASED ON THE INTERIM DATA ANALYSIS, SO THE BEGINNING-OF-YEAR ASSESSMENTS, THE MAP DATA THAT MS. MCMILLON REFERRED TO, THEY USE THAT TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS WHO ARE AT RISK OF NOT PASSING AT ALL.
AND SO THE DATA SHOWS THAT WE ARE ABLE TO MOVE THE NEEDLE WITH THOSE STUDENTS.
STILL, THERE'S ALWAYS OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE SUCCESS.
SO ONE THING THAT I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT IS OUR ENGLISH MASTERY FOR ENGLISH 1 AND 2.
THIS WAS A LITTLE BIT LOWER THAN 2025.
THAT, ACTUALLY, WAS REFLECTED ACROSS THE STATE AS WELL.
BUT GIVEN THE HIGH STANDARDS TO WHICH WE HOLD OURSELVES AND WORKING CLOSELY WITH OUR ENGLISH DEPARTMENT ON GETTING MASTERY LEVEL UP AGAIN, SO I THOUGHT AS AN EXAMPLE, I WOULD SHOW THE BOARD WHAT DO WE MEAN WHEN WE TALK ABOUT DATA ANALYSIS AND A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY.
AND WHAT WE CAN DO AS INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS AS WELL.
SO THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT HAVE THEIR OWN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY.
THEY DID A DEEP DIVE INTO THE DATA FROM THE STAAR ASSESSMENTS.
AND WHAT IT SHOWED IS WASN'T PARTICULARLY ONE COMPONENT WHERE THE STUDENTS WERE STRUGGLING.
IT WAS ACTUALLY THE QUESTION IS WHERE THEY SCORED LOWER WERE THE NEW STYLE QUESTIONS.
SO THAT TELLS THE TEACHERS THAT THEIR FOCUS NEEDS TO BE ON ASSESSMENT-CAPABLE LEARNING.
SO THAT IS ONE WAY THAT DATA CAN LEAD TO GROWTH.
ANOTHER THING IS, YOU'LL SEE T-TESS APPEAR, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE WITH IB AND AP.
THIS IS THE TEXAS TEACHER EVALUATION AND SUPPORT SYSTEM.
THESE ARE THE RUBRICS THAT WE USE TO NOT ONLY EVALUATE OUR TEACHERS, BUT SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS.
AND THE RUBRICS HAVE DESCRIPTORS, WHICH WILL HELP TEACHERS UNDERSTAND WHAT EXCELLENT TEACHERS LOOK LIKE.
SO THE ENGLISH FACULTY DECIDED THAT THEIR T-TESS FOCUS, THEY WANTED TO BE 1.4, WHICH IS ACTIVITIES.
AND BECAUSE MASTER'S LEVEL HAD DROPPED A BIT, THEY WANTED TO CREATE NEW ACTIVITIES THAT FOCUSED ON HIGHER ORDER THINKING TO PUSH THE STUDENTS EVEN MORE.
SO THAT'S WHAT THE TEACHERS CAN DO.
AND THEN WHAT WE CAN DO AS INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS, WHEN WE DO OUR WALKTHROUGHS AND WE GIVE FEEDBACK, AGAIN, WE DO IT WITH REFERENCE TO THE T-TESS RUBRIC, WHERE I'LL BE LOOKING AT IS 2.4, WHICH IS DIFFERENTIATION.
THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT SKILL FOR TEACHERS BECAUSE WHAT WE WANT TO DO, STUDENTS WHO MIGHT TRADITIONALLY STRUGGLE, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE NOT BEING LEFT BEHIND.
AND WE CAN BRING THEM INTO APPROACHES AND MEETS, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO LOSE PUSHING THE OTHER STUDENTS INTO MASTERY AS WELL.
SO DIFFERENTIATION BECOMES AN IMPORTANT SKILL.
SO AGAIN, THAT'S HOW WE CAN USE WALKTHROUGHS AND DATA TO SUPPORT TEACHERS IN IMPROVING MASTERY FOR OUR ENGLISH.
I'M JUST GOING TO FINISH WITH A HOLISTIC SLIDE, BUT WAS THERE ANY PARTICULAR QUESTIONS ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL? KIM GREAVES: I REMEMBER A CONVERSATION WE PROBABLY HAD FOUR OR FIVE YEARS AGO.
I CAN REMEMBER THIS LIKE YESTERDAY.
WE HAD A DIP IN THE IB DIPLOMA RATE.
AND EVERYBODY WAS FREAKING OUT.
AND MY QUESTION TO YOU, DO YOU SEE THE MIDDLE SCHOOL DATA AS IT IS? YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING AND FEEL GOOD THAT THEY'RE READY TO IB PROGRAM I MEAN, DO YOU LOOK AT THAT AHEAD OF TIME? HOW DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT? JAMES OWEN: THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
SO WHEN WE USE DATA TO SUPPORT TEACHERS, THERE'S DATA WHICH IS MORE TEACHER-CENTRIC, WHICH IS LIKE HISTORICAL DATA, HOW DID THIS TEACHER-STUDENTS DO LAST YEAR? WHAT CAN THE TEACHER LEARN FROM THAT TO IMPROVE THEIR PRACTICE? AND THERE'S MORE STUDENT-CENTERED DATA, WHICH IS THE LONGITUDINAL DATA.
WHAT CAN WE SEE ABOUT THESE SPECIFIC STUDENTS, NOT THE TEACHER, AND WHAT CAN THAT TELL US HOW TO ADAPT? THE LONGITUDINAL DATA IS ABSOLUTELY SOMETHING THAT WE LOOK AT.
AGAIN, THIS IS WHY THESE NEW PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES ARE SO VALUABLE, BECAUSE YOU CAN IDENTIFY SPECIFIC CONCEPTS THAT STUDENTS MIGHT BE UNDERPERFORMING AT A SPECIFIC CONTENT, SPECIFIC SKILLS.
AND THAT CAN BECOME THE TARGET.
SO THE LANGUAGE, BE THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE, THAT WOULD BE A VERY GOOD EXAMPLE WHERE YOU CAN USE LONGITUDINAL DATA.
IF STUDENTS SEEM TO BE, PERHAPS, UNDERPERFORMING WHEN IT COMES TO WRITING AND GRAMMAR, THAT CAN BE SOMETHING THAT CAN BE TARGETED AT MIDDLE SCHOOL.
SO THEN, WE'RE GOING TO SEE THE KNOCK-ON EFFECT AS WE MOVE UP THE GRADES.
SO, YES, WE CONTINUE TO USE LONGITUDINAL DATA TO HELP US UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN BETTER SUPPORT STUDENTS AS THEY
[01:55:01]
APPROACH THE DIPLOMA PROGRAM.KIM GREAVES: ASK YOUR QUESTION, DR. RON.
DR. RON: IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL.
WE HAD SINGLE CLASSROOMS. A LOT OF THE INPUT TO GRADE WAS HOMEWORK.
ASSUMING THAT'S STILL THE CASE, WITH THE ADVENT OF AI, THE PROLIFERATION OF AI, HOW DO YOU OR DO YOU TEST FOR KIDS WHO ARE USING AI TO PRODUCE ESSAYS OR GET THEIR HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS DONE? JAMES OWEN: THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
IN TERMS OF-- WELL, FIRSTLY, WE LOOK AT WHAT THE IB SAYS ABOUT THIS, AND THEY ARE QUITE CLEAR THAT AI NEEDS TO BE A TOOL THAT IS EMBRACED WHERE APPROPRIATE.
WE CAN'T PRETEND IT DOESN'T EXIST.
AND SO WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT NEW LEARNING EXPERIENCES WE CAN HAVE THE STUDENTS WHEN AI IS USED APPROPRIATELY.
AND SO TEACHERS DO WORK ON THAT.
SO TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, WITH MY STUDENTS, SENIORS, IF THEY'RE DOING A HISTORY-- A RESEARCH PROJECT, WE CAN TALK ABOUT WHERE CAN WE USE AI RESPONSIBLY, WHERE CAN WE NOT USE IT.
YOU CAN ASK AI WHERE THERE MIGHT BE DISAGREEMENTS BETWEEN HISTORIANS.
SO WE'RE USING THAT TOOL TO HELP YOU IDENTIFY HISTORIANS WHO DISAGREE WITH EACH OTHER, AND THAT IS THE BEST WAY TO START YOUR RESEARCH PAPER SO YOU CAN EVALUATE THOSE COMPETING INTERPRETATIONS.
WHAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO IS WE'RE GOING TO GIVE IT A PROMPT AND THEN WHATEVER IT CHURNS OUT, THAT'S WHAT WE ARE GOING TO SUBMIT.
SO THE WAY WE ALWAYS START IS HOW CAN WE RESPONSIBLY TEACH USE OF AI.
BUT I THINK WE ARE SEEING A LITTLE BIT OF A SHIFT IN TERMS OF THE NATURE OF THE ASSIGNMENTS.
THERE WILL BE PERHAPS-- AGAIN, A LANGUAGE ACQUISITION WOULD BE A GOOD EXAMPLE.
THERE'S GOING TO BE A FOCUS ON DOING MORE IN THE CLASSROOM.
THAT'S GOING TO BE THE MOST RELIABLE DATA.
BUT WE HAVE TO DO THAT ANYWAY BECAUSE MOVING TOWARDS THE DIPLOMA PROGRAM EXAMS, STUDENTS HAVE TO BE ASSESSMENT-CAPABLE LEARNERS.
AND SO THE BEST DATA THAT WE HAVE IS THE DATA THAT HAS BEEN PRODUCED IN THE CLASSROOM.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: COMPLETELY OFF SUBJECT, THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR WITHOUT CELL PHONES.
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE THAT YOU GUYS NOTICE KIDS AND STUDENTS' LEARNING AND ANYTHING YOU CAN-- JAMES OWEN: I MEAN, THE IMPACT THAT WE SAW LAST YEAR WAS PRETTY IMMEDIATE IN TERMS OF FOCUS AND LESS DISTRACTION.
I THINK THAT HAS BEEN CERTAINLY SUSTAINED.
AND THEN I THINK IT'S SLOWLY BECOMING THE NORM.
I REMEMBER WHEN WE-- MICHAEL YACKIRA: EVERYBODY SURVIVED.
JAMES OWEN: NO ONE GOT HURT, SO THAT'S GOOD.
I THINK, LAST YEAR, WHEN WE SPOKE ABOUT THIS, IT MAY HAVE BEEN TJ WHO MADE THE POINT THAT PERHAPS IN A FEW YEARS TIME, WE'LL THINK ABOUT CELL PHONES IN CLASSROOMS, LIKE SMOKING IN RESTAURANTS.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: I ACTUALLY READ THAT ARTICLE.
JAMES OWEN: AND I THINK THAT WAS A VERY OF OPPOSITE POINT.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING.
THE NORM IS THAT THEY'RE JUST IN THE BAGS, JUST NOT-- MICHAEL YACKIRA: GOOD DECISION.
SO THE LAST SLIDE IS REALLY A HOLISTIC ONE TO EXPLAIN.
SO WHAT YOU'VE HEARD FROM THE THREE PRINCIPALS IS WHAT WE ARE DOING BASED ON THE DATA TO ADDRESS THE SPECIFIC NEEDS WITHIN OUR PROGRAMS. THIS IS REALLY JUST TO LAY OUT THAT WE CAN APPROACH THESE THINGS K THROUGH 12 AS WELL.
SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IN YEARS PAST IS WE'VE HAD A CAMPUS-WIDE T-TESS GOAL.
WE ACTUALLY PAUSED THAT THIS YEAR, AND WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE ALMOST DECENTRALIZED THAT.
WE'VE ALLOWED DEPARTMENT GRADE LEVELS TO COME UP WITH THEIR OWN T-TESS GOAL BASED ON THEIR OWN SPECIFIC NEEDS.
SO THAT'S ONE SHIFT WE'VE DONE TO EMPOWER TEACHERS.
THE SECOND THING WE DO IS AS INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS, THE PRINCIPALS, WE HAVE WALKTHROUGHS.
SO WHAT WE ARE DOING MORE NOW IS WE ARE COLLABORATING ON WHAT OUR LOOK-FORS ARE.
AND WE CALIBRATE THE KIND OF FEEDBACK THAT WE GIVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP IS MORE CONSISTENT ACROSS THE SCHOOL.
AND THE FINAL THING WE DO HOLISTICALLY, LAST SCHOOL YEAR, WE STARTED A PEER OBSERVATION SCHEME WHERE TEACHERS COULD IDENTIFY T-TESS DESCRIPTORS WHERE THEY FELT REALLY STRONG AND TEACHERS WOULD ALSO IDENTIFY TEACHERS' DESCRIPTORS WHERE THEY WANTED TO GROW, AND WE WOULD PAIR THEM TOGETHER ACROSS THE CAMPUS.
[02:00:01]
SO EVEN AT AN 11TH GRADE TEACHER WHO WANTED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT COULD GO AND WATCH AN EXPERT IN CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT IN THE THIRD GRADE, AND THEN THEY WOULD THEN PARTNER TOGETHER TO GIVE EACH OTHER FEEDBACK.AND SO WE WANT TO KEEP THAT GOING.
AGAIN, WE'RE EMBRACING THAT BECAUSE TEACHER EFFICACY IS THE BIGGEST DETERMINANT OF SUCCESS.
SO THIS IS A WAY OF OUR TALENT LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER.
JAMES OWEN: SO THAT CONCLUDES THIS PORTION.
WERE THERE ANY MORE QUESTIONS? KIM GREAVES: QUESTIONS? WELL DONE.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: I'M SORRY, DR. OWEN, MAY I ASK ONE QUESTION? KELLY RITCHIE: ABSOLUTELY.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: I APOLOGIZE IF THIS HAS BEEN OUT IN A COMMUNIQUÉ SOMEWHERE, BUT DO WE LET OUR PARENTS KNOW [INAUDIBLE].
I MEAN, I THINK IT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW HOW MUCH BETTER OUR STUDENTS ARE PERFORMING RELATIVE TO OPTIONS THAT THEY HAVE? KELLY RITCHIE: THAT'S A GREAT POINT.
THAT'S NOT BEEN OUR NATURE THUS FAR.
BUT WE CERTAINLY CAN DRIVE THAT MESSAGE HOME BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY, MAYBE CAN'T IMAGINE, BUT THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT GOES INTO THIS IS VERY REAL.
AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF, SO.
KIM GREAVES: THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING.
BUT I THINK THAT IS A GOOD POINT.
I MEAN, I KNOW WHEN I GET SOME OF THIS ON MY MONTHLY STROLL ARTICLE, I ALWAYS TRY TO BE THE CHEERLEADER FOR THE SCHOOL, BUT WE DO NEED TO THINK ABOUT A PR CAMPAIGN.
ALL THE STUFF THAT IS HAPPENING, FALLING INTO PLACE AND THE RESULTS, IT'S JUST FABULOUS.
YOU LOOK AT OUR STATE AVERAGES, GOD HELP US.
AND WHO KNOWS WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TEA HERE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.
BUT IT'S JUST I HOPE YOU GUYS ARE ALL AS PROUD AS WE ARE OF YOU GUYS, WHAT YOU DO FOR OUR CHILDREN AND OUR COMMUNITY.
KELLY RITCHIE: WE DON'T TAKE ANY OF THIS FOR GRANTED, AND I THINK THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE ALL PAUSE AND REMEMBER THAT WE ARE SITTING IN A VERY PRIVILEGED PLACE.
AND SO I HOPE THAT IT IS THE ADAGE OF WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY, REMEMBERING TO ADVOCATE FOR THOSE OTHER SCHOOLS WHERE STUDENTS ARE NOT IN THIS POSITION AND DON'T HAVE THE QUALITY OF TEACHERS AND STAFF THAT WE HAVE, THE IMPACTS OF THAT ARE LIFELONG.
SO WE COULDN'T BE MORE APPRECIATIVE OF ALL OF THE SUPPORT THAT WE RECEIVE BECAUSE IT CAN'T HAPPEN WITHOUT THAT.
KIM GREAVES: WELL, I THINK THAT THE OTHER TEST, TOO, IS I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH SOME OF OUR GRADUATES, INCLUDING MY SON, THAT STARTED SECOND YEAR.
THEY ARE SAILING THROUGH COLLEGE.
I MEAN, THEY ARE JUST DOING SO WELL.
I DON'T KNOW HOW HE'S DOING IT, BUT HE IS.
BUT THE OTHER KIDS I KEEP IN TOUCH WITH FROM TIME TO TIME, AND I HEAR A BUNCH OF THE KIDS WENT TO TEXAS A&M OR UNIVERSITY OF-- I MEAN, THEY'RE JUST KILLING IT.
KELLY RITCHIE: THERE'S MORE GOOD NEWS, AND WE'LL LET DR. OWEN LEAD WITH THAT.
WELL, IT'S MY PLEASURE TO PRESENT THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE DIPLOMA PROGRAM SCHOOLS FROM 2026 AND ALSO THE COLLEGE BOARD ADVANCED PLACEMENT AS WELL.
SO WE'LL START WITH THE IB, AND WE REALLY HAD A GREAT YEAR THAT THERE'S LOTS THAT WE CAN BE VERY PROUD OF WITH HOW THE CLASS OF 2026 PERFORMED ON THEIR IB EXAMS. JUST FOR A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT, ALL OF OUR STUDENTS ARE FULL DIPLOMA PROGRAM CANDIDATES, SOMETHING OF WHICH WE ARE VERY PROUD AND WE FULLY EMBRACE.
OTHER SCHOOLS MAY HAVE SOME SELECTION PROCESS FOR WHO CAN BE A DP CANDIDATE.
SOME SCHOOLS MAY HAVE CANDIDATES ON A DP TRACK, SOME ON AN AP TRACK, BUT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS ARE FULL DIPLOMA PROGRAM CANDIDATES.
SO WE ALSO SEE THE RESULTS IN THAT CONTEXT.
SO 60 OUT OF OUR 70 CANDIDATES GAINED THE DIPLOMA JUST BELOW 86%, WHICH WAS ABOVE THE GLOBAL AVERAGE.
THAT'S ALWAYS OUR AIM TO BE ABOVE THE GLOBAL AVERAGE, WHICH WAS 82.6% AND FOR WIDER CONTEXT, THE US DIPLOMA PASS RATE IS 66%.
SO THIS WAS A FANTASTIC PERFORMANCE-- KIM GREAVES: WAIT A MINUTE.
JAMES OWEN: --BY OUR STUDENTS.
KIM GREAVES: OUR STATE, 52% DIPLOMA RATE? JAMES OWEN: MM-HMM.
KIM GREAVES: NO, NO-- KELLY RITCHIE: IB DIPLOMA.
KIM GREAVES: I WAS GETTING READY TO CALL TO TEA.
KELLY RITCHIE: SPECIFIC TO IB DIPLOMA, BUT EVEN HAVING SAID THAT, THESE ARE PHENOMENAL RESULTS THAT YOU
[02:05:05]
DO NOT SEE IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL WHERE EVERYBODY IS A DIPLOMA CANDIDATE.KIM GREAVES: SO THESE ARE IB RATES, RIGHT? JAMES OWEN: YES.
JAMES OWEN: I'M HAPPY TO CLARIFY-- KIM GREAVES: CLEAR.
WE HAVE 100% ACTUAL DIPLOMA HIGH SCHOOL.
I JUST DIDN'T KNOW THE COMPARISON AND I-- THANK GOODNESS.
JAMES OWEN: AND THE BOARD HAS AN APPENDICES, WHICH HAS A FULL BREAKDOWN OF THE EXAM SUBJECT BY SUBJECT WITH HISTORIC DATA AS WELL.
I'M JUST REALLY GOING TO HIGHLIGHT ON SOME OF THESE SUCCESSES AND THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH.
BUT JUST SO SOME OF MY POINTS MAKE SENSE, THE IB EXAMS ARE GRADED ON A 1 TO 7 SCALE.
EACH SUBJECT, 7 IS THE HIGHEST, 24 POINTS NEEDED FOR THE DIPLOMA.
SO SOME PARTICULAR AREAS OF SUCCESS THAT I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT, SO IN ADDITION TO BEING COMFORTABLY ABOVE THE GLOBAL AVERAGE, WE ALSO SAW A SIGNIFICANT RISE IN THE HIGH ACHIEVEMENT OF OUR STUDENTS.
THE REASON WHY THAT'S IMPORTANT IS IT'S OUR SCHOOL VISION OF STUDENTS REACHING THEIR HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL POTENTIAL.
SO THAT'S WHY WE LOOK AT 6'S AND 7'S.
AND THE PERCENTAGE OF EXAMS, OUR RECEIVING 6 OR 7 ROSE FROM 16% LAST YEAR TO 24% THIS YEAR.
WE ALSO CONTINUE TO BE VERY STRONG IN TWO PARTICULAR SUBJECT AREAS, WHICH ARE ASSESSED AT THE HIGHER LEVEL.
SO ENGLISH LITERATURE TAKEN BY ALL OUR STUDENTS, 97% PASS RATE, AND THE GLOBAL AVERAGE, 4.97 COMPARED TO 4.67.
THEN HISTORY HL, A SUBJECT DEAR TO MY HEART, AGAIN, WE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY ABOVE THE GLOBAL AVERAGE, 5.07 TO 4.35.
AND ACTUALLY, REFLECTING THAT SUCCESS THIS YEAR WITH THE CLASS OF 2027, ALL OF OUR CANDIDATES WILL BE HISTORY HL STUDENTS.
WE BELIEVE IN NOT ONLY THE BENEFITS OF HISTORY, BUT THE BENEFITS OF BEING A GREAT WRITER, INSTEAD, OF HISTORY, ALONG WITH ENGLISH HL REALLY SUPPORT THAT.
WE HAVE STRENGTH ACROSS ALL OF OUR COMPONENTS OF STEM AS WELL, MATH, AA AND AI SL WERE COMFORTABLY ABOVE CERTAIN-- MARKEDLY ABOVE THE CORRESPONDING GLOBAL AVERAGES, AND ALL SCIENCE STANDARD LEVELS WERE ABOVE THE GLOBAL AVERAGE AS WELL.
I ALSO JUST WANT TO REFER BACK TO OUR CONVERSATION LAST YEAR WHEN I PRESENTED THE RESULTS IN 2025.
I HAD IDENTIFIED SOME AREAS FOR GROWTH, SO I WANT TO GO BACK TO THAT.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT WAS WE FELT THAT OUR STUDENTS WERE UNDERACHIEVING WHEN IT CAME TO STUDENT RESEARCH, THE EXTENDED ESSAY.
AND SO WE'D ACTUALLY CHANGED OUR SCHEDULE, SO OUR DP STUDENTS WERE STAYING AT SCHOOL LONGER AND THEY HAD A NEW ADVISORY TIME-- KIM GREAVES: CAN I ASK YOU ABOUT THAT? JAMES OWEN: AND THIS ADVISORY TIME WAS DEDICATED TOWARDS LEARNING MORE OF THE EXTENDED ESSAY SKILLS, THE RESEARCH AND THE WRITING.
AND SO IN 2025, THE PERCENTAGE OF EXTENDED ESSAYS THAT WERE A'S OR B'S WAS 17%.
KIM GREAVES: CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, THAT TIME FRAME, WE HAD SEVEN KIDS MISS THEIR IB DIPLOMA BY A POINT OR TWO OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? JAMES OWEN: YES, THAT'S CORRECT.
KIM GREAVES: AND I KNOW THAT CAUSED A LITTLE COMMOTION EXTENDING THE TIME.
BUT IT OBVIOUSLY, YOU GUYS LOOKED AT THE DATA, YOU DID THE RIGHT THING AND YOU GOT THE RESULTS.
JAMES OWEN: YES, AND ANOTHER WAY THAT WE KNOW IT PAID OFF IS WHEN STUDENTS MISS THEIR DIPLOMA BY JUST ONE OR TWO POINTS, THERE ARE UP TO THREE CORE POINTS AVAILABLE, WHICH IS BASED ON YOUR SCORE FOR EXTENDED ESSAY AND THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE.
AND SO I LOOKED AGAIN AT OUR CORE POINTS AND THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS GETTING EITHER THREE OR TWO CORE POINTS ROSE FROM 30% TO 48% AS WELL.
SO I THINK THE EXTRA ADVISORY TIME AND THE TARGETED TEACHING OF RESEARCH SKILLS, I THINK, PAID DIVIDENDS.
KIM GREAVES: EVERYBODY SURVIVED.
ANOTHER AREA THAT I TALKED TO THE BOARD ABOUT LAST YEAR WAS WHILST OUR HL SUBJECTS WERE EXTREMELY STRONG IN ENGLISH AND HISTORY, BIOLOGY, AND ECONOMICS WERE BELOW THE GLOBAL AVERAGE.
SO WE TARGETED MORE GROWTH THERE.
THEY'RE STILL A LITTLE BIT BELOW THE GLOBAL AVERAGE, BUT BOTH BIOLOGY AND ECONOMICS HAD THEIR BEST YEARS FOR OVER FIVE YEARS.
AND AGAIN, JUST IT'S MORE SUPPORT, MORE COLLABORATION FOR BIOLOGY AND ECONOMICS DID SEE GROWTH THERE.
AND AGAIN, WE CONTINUE OUT AT-RISK INTERVENTION.
THIS IS USING DATA FROM SEMESTER EXAMS, FROM MOCK EXAMS TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS WHO, IF THEY WERE TO TAKE THE EXAM RIGHT NOW, MIGHT BE GETTING 19, 20 POINTS.
SO WE COLLABORATE WITH TEACHERS AND WE COME UP WITH INDIVIDUALIZED SUCCESS PLANS, AND WE WORK WITH STUDENTS THROUGHOUT THAT FINAL SEMESTER.
[02:10:01]
SO OF THE 20 AT-RISK STUDENTS WE IDENTIFIED IN JANUARY AND MARCH, WE BELIEVE WOULDN'T HAVE GOT THE DIPLOMA HAD THEY BEEN TAKING IT, THEN, 10 OF THEM GAINED THE DIPLOMA.AT THIS FELT OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH, I THINK WE OBVIOUSLY SAW THAT, A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE WITH PERFORMANCE ON THE EXTENDED ESSAY.
IT'S JUST ONE YEAR, THOUGH, SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS MAINTAINED.
SO WE ARE KEEPING THAT ADVISORY TIME.
AND ALSO, WE THINK VERY CAREFULLY ABOUT WHICH DP TEACHER WE PUT IN THE ADVISORIES.
AND WE SELECT STUDENTS BASED ON CERTAIN STRANDS, SO BASED ON CERTAIN AREAS WHERE THEY NEED MORE SUPPORT WITH THEIR RESEARCH.
SO WE'RE BEING INTENTIONAL WITH WHO THEIR ADVISORY TEACHER IS.
AND WE WANT TO SEE JUST THAT LITTLE BIT MORE GROWTH IN BIOLOGY AND ECONOMICS, AS WELL, SO WE CAN BE ABOVE THE GLOBAL AVERAGE.
WELL, ALSO GOING TO HAVE A LOOK AT IN MORE DETAIL THIS YEAR IS, AGAIN, IF WE LOOK AT THOSE STUDENTS, THE 10% WHO DON'T GET THE DIPLOMA, HISTORICALLY, THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO TAKE SPANISH AB INITIO, ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS AND SOCIETIES, AND MATH APPLICATIONS AND INTERPRETATION.
SO WHEN WE WORK WITH THESE AT-RISK STUDENTS AND WE WORK ON THEIR SUCCESS PLAN, WE'RE GOING TO PAY SPECIAL CLOSE ATTENTION IF THEY ARE TAKING THOSE THREE SUBJECTS TO HAVE MORE TARGETED SUPPORT.
AND SO IN TERMS OF WHAT THIS IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE, IN TERMS OF OUR ACTION PLANS, AGAIN, WE'RE GOING TO USE OUR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY TIME.
AND TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, [INAUDIBLE] ABOUT LOOKING AT THE OTHER DATA FURTHER DOWN THE SCHOOL, LONGITUDINAL DATA IS GOING TO BE PLAYING A KEY ROLE IN PLC TIME.
TEACHERS ALSO, DP TEACHERS ALSO COME UP WITH INDIVIDUAL DATABASE GOALS.
AND THEY MEET WITH ME IN THE FALL SEMESTER TO HAVE A LOOK AT LAST YEAR'S DATA, AND AGAIN, FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE, WHICH AREAS OF THEIR COURSE DO THEY WANT TO TARGET.
BUT ALSO, BECAUSE AT-RISK INTERVENTION SEEMS TO BE WORKING, WE'RE GOING TO BRING IT UP EARLIER AS WELL.
WE FEEL CONFIDENT THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH DATA BY QUARTER 2, WHERE WE CAN ACTUALLY HAVE SUCCESS PLANS NOW RATHER THAN JUST DOING IT IN THE SECOND SEMESTER.
SO WE'LL START THAT THIS QUARTER.
AND ALSO, WE WANT TO EXPAND THE INFORMATION THAT 10TH GRADERS HAVE ABOUT THE DIPLOMA PROGRAM.
THERE ARE CERTAIN COURSES THAT THEY HAVE TO TAKE, BUT THEY STILL HAVE A PRETTY WIDE RANGE OF CHOICE.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE THEY'RE MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE.
DIPLOMA PROGRAM COURSES ARE TWO YEARS LONG.
AND REALLY, ONCE YOU'RE IN QUARTER 2 OF JUNIOR YEAR, THERE'S NO CHANGING COURSES.
AND SO WE WANT TO HOLD AN AFTER-SCHOOL EVENT, WHICH WE USED TO DO IN THE PAST.
WE'RE GOING TO BRING A VARIANT OF THAT BACK, SO TEACHERS AND FAMILIES CAN HAVE FACE TO FACE TIME WITH DP TEACHERS BEFORE THEY MAKE THEIR CHOICES.
AND AGAIN, I DO WANT TO SAY HOW PROUD I AM OF THE CLASS OF 2026.
THEY DID A FANTASTIC JOB AND HOW PROUD I AM OF THE DP TEACHERS AS WELL.
DP TEACHERS COME IN AT THE WEEKENDS IN APRIL TO DO REVIEWS.
THEY STAY BEHIND LATE AT SCHOOL IN APRIL TO DO REVIEWS AS WELL.
THEY SPEND THEIR SPRING BREAK MARKING MOCK EXAMS. WITH MOCK EXAMS, IT'S ALWAYS A TRADE OFF BETWEEN STUDENT AND TEACHER FATIGUE, BUT GETTING THAT DATA AND INDIVIDUALIZED FEEDBACK AND THEY REALLY DO GO THE EXTRA MILE.
AND THE GREAT THING IS, WHEN OUR STUDENTS COME BACK FOR THEIR DIPLOMA PROGRAM CEREMONY, THEY SEE IT AS WELL, SEEING THOSE CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN THE GRADUATES AND THE TEACHERS.
AND SO TO CLOSE, I ALSO JUST WANT TO TALK ABOUT OUR AP EXAMS AS WELL.
SO AGAIN, JUST TO EXPLAIN WHY WE DO AP EXAMS IN ADDITION TO THE DIPLOMA PROGRAM, THIS IS ABOUT OUR SCHOOL'S VISION, WHICH IS STUDENTS ACHIEVING THEIR HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL POTENTIAL.
TAKING AP COLLEGE BOARD EXAMS ALLOWS THEM TO DO THAT, AND IT SUPPORTS OUR SCHOOL'S SUCCESS BOTH AT THE STUDENT LEVEL AND AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL AS WELL, SO OUR STUDENTS CAN HIGHLIGHT THEIR ACHIEVEMENT BY BECOMING AP SCHOLARS.
THEY GET COLLEGE BOARD NATIONAL RECOGNITION.
MAKES OUR STUDENTS MORE COMPETITIVE IN THEIR COLLEGE APPLICATIONS, WHERE THEY HAVE THEIR NARRATIVE OF NOT ONLY ARE THEY FULL DIPLOMA CANDIDATES, THEY CHALLENGE THEMSELVES WITH AP EXAMS. AND IT HELPS THE SCHOOL AS WELL.
IT HIGHLIGHTS OUR ACHIEVEMENT.
FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS, WE'VE ACHIEVED THE COLLEGE BOARD PLATINUM STATUS, WHICH RECOGNIZES ACHIEVEMENT BOTH IN TERMS OF ACCESS TO AP EXAMS BUT SCORES ON AP EXAMS. ONLY 8% OF ELIGIBLE SCHOOLS RECEIVE PLATINUM STATUS, AND-- KIM GREAVES: WE'VE DONE THAT HOW MANY YEARS IN A ROW? JAMES OWEN: THREE YEARS IN A ROW SINCE IT WAS INTRODUCED.
[02:15:01]
AND ALSO, THIS HELPS OUR SCHOOL PROFILE AS WELL.IT HELPS WITH OUR HIGH SCHOOL RANKINGS WHEN STUDENTS ARE TAKING BOTH IB AND AP EXAMS. SO THERE'S BENEFITS TO THE STUDENTS, THERE'S BENEFITS TO THE SCHOOL, AND IT'S NATIONAL RECOGNITION.
AND WE HAD A RECORD-BREAKING YEAR THIS YEAR.
SO WE HAD 117 AP SCHOLARS, SO THIS IS RECOGNIZED FOR ACHIEVEMENT ON THREE OR MORE EXAMS. WE HAD 44 WITH DISTINCTION.
THAT'S RECOGNIZING ACHIEVEMENT ON FIVE OR MORE AP EXAMS. BOTH OF THOSE ARE RECORDS.
AND SO BECAUSE WE'VE SORT OF INVESTED IN THE AP EXAMS OVER RECENT YEARS, NOW 76% OF OUR DP STUDENTS ARE ALSO EXISTING AP SCHOLARS, WHICH SHOWS YOU THE LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT THEY'VE ALREADY REACHED.
84% OF THE 500 AP EXAMS WERE TAKEN, SQUARE ROOT OF 3 OR ABOVE, AND THAT'S A WESTLAKE ACADEMY RECORD AS WELL.
AND WE SAW THIS ACHIEVEMENT CONSISTENTLY ACROSS A RANGE OF SUBJECTS.
THE HUMANITIES ARE ESPECIALLY STRONG.
SO THAT'S NOT JUST HISTORY BUT ECONOMICS, WORLD HISTORY, HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, GOVERNMENT.
ACHIEVEMENT IN PHYSICS AND PRE-CALCULUS WAS ESPECIALLY IMPRESSIVE AS WELL.
AND AGAIN, THE BOARD HAS A FULL BREAKDOWN OF THE RESULTS IN THE APPENDICES.
SO IT'S REALLY HOW DO WE KEEP ON GOING.
SO AGAIN, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY TIME CAN BE USED FOR LONGITUDINAL DATA.
THE COLLEGE BOARD GIVES TEACHERS A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF DATA EACH YEAR BASED ON THEIR PERFORMANCE.
SO AGAIN, TO GIVE A MORE SPECIFIC EXAMPLE, IN THE HUMANITIES PLC TIME, THE 10TH GRADE WORLD HISTORY TEACHER CAN LOOK AT THE DATA FROM LAST YEAR FOR HOW STUDENTS PERFORMED ON AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY.
HE HAS DATA ON WHETHER THEY PERFORM BETTER ON FREE RESPONSE, ON MULTIPLE CHOICE.
HE CAN USE THAT DATA TO HELP SUPPORT HIS STUDENTS AND ADJUST INSTRUCTION WHEN RELEVANT.
AND AGAIN, WE'RE NEVER, EVER GOING TO FORGET THAT THE IB IS OUR NORTH STAR.
WE'RE AN IB SCHOOL AND WE FULLY EMBRACE THAT.
AND SO AGAIN, WHEN THE PRINCIPALS ARE DOING INSTRUCTIONAL WALKTHROUGH, IS GIVING FEEDBACK, WE CAN STILL GIVE THE FEEDBACK USING THE LANGUAGE OF THE IB.
THE LANGUAGE OF THE IB RECOGNIZES EXCELLENT TEACHING.
WE CAN STILL DO THAT EVEN IN AN AP CLASS, AND THAT'S IMPORTANT TO US.
SO FINALLY, JUST WITH THIS OVERALL SUMMARY, THE FIRST TWO, I THINK, ARE ABOUT THE STUDENTS.
THEY DID SUPERBLY WITH THE IB AND AP EXAMS, CONSISTENTLY OUTPERFORMING GLOBAL AND NATIONAL AVERAGES AS WELL.
AND THEN, SPECIFICALLY, WITH THE CLASS OF 2026, WE HAD THIS MARKED IMPROVEMENT IN ACHIEVEMENT ON THE RESEARCH ELEMENTS OF THE IB, REFLECTING THE CHANGE IN SCHEDULE THAT WE DID.
AND THEN I THINK IN TERMS OF CELEBRATING WHAT IT MEANS TO US FOR A SCHOOL, THE COLLEGE BOARD RECOGNITION, THE PLATINUM STATUS FOR THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR, WHEN ONLY 8% OF ELIGIBLE SCHOOLS RECEIVED THIS, I THINK THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES ABOUT THE LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT FROM BOTH THE STUDENTS AND THE TEACHERS.
AND I WILL SAY THIS EVERY YEAR, TEACHER EFFICACY IS THE BIGGEST DETERMINANT OF SUCCESS.
AND SO WE'RE PLEASED THAT THIS YEAR WITH THESE NEW PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES WE BUILT INTO THE MASTER SCHEDULE, THIS FULLY EMBRACES THE IMPACT TEACHERS CAN HAVE BECAUSE THEY CAN COLLABORATE MORE.
AND WE WILL KEEP ON DOING OUR PEER OBSERVATION SCHEME, SO THE TALENT THAT WE HAVE ACROSS THE CONTINUUM K THROUGH 12 CAN CONTINUE TO LEARN FROM EACH OTHER.
KIM GREAVES: I'M GOING TO ASK THE BOARD, YOU WERE THERE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO.
TODD WAS THERE LAST YEAR BECAUSE HIS DAUGHTER GRADUATED.
YOU GUYS TRY TO MAKE A SENIOR BANQUET AWARD CEREMONY BECAUSE I HATE TO SAY IT, I DIDN'T REALLY PAY ATTENTION TO THAT.
GRADUATED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO.
REALLY PAID ATTENTION TO THE LEVEL OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF OUR KIDS DURING THAT AWARD CEREMONY.
IT BRINGS ALL THIS STUFF TO LIFE, BUT THEY DO A WONDERFUL JOB.
BUT IT IS I CAN'T THANK YOU ALL ENOUGH.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: MAY I MAKE AN OBSERVATION? ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S WONDERFUL ABOUT THIS IS THAT PERFORMANCE RATINGS ARE GREAT, BUT YOU'RE NOT SITTING ON YOUR LAURELS.
YOU'RE ALWAYS LOOKING TO IMPROVE.
ANY GOOD BUSINESS LOOKS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.
IT'S GREAT TO SEE THAT TRANSLATES INTO SCHOOLS, AS WELL, ESPECIALLY OUR SCHOOLS.
KELLY RITCHIE: YES, WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THEM.
IT'S ONE OF THE LEARNER PROFILE TRAITS BEING REFLECTIVE.
AND SO IT IS-- THESE PEOPLE WILL TELL YOU I'M NOT EASY ON RESULTS.
WE'RE OUR OWN WORST CRITICS, FOR SURE.
[02:20:02]
SO IT'S A JOY EVERY DAY TO GET TO WORK WITH PEOPLE WHO ALSO ARE RECOGNIZING WHERE THOSE GAPS ARE AND LOOKING TO SOLVE THEM.KIM GREAVES: WELL, AS I TELL OUR GRADUATES EVERY YEAR, STEP BACK.
LOOK WHAT YOU ALL HAVE ACCOMPLISHED.
REALLY, TO BE VERY HAPPY, THIS IS LIKE THE BEST BOARD MEETING EVER.
NEXT, M2, WE'RE GOING TO SEE PRESENTATION WHOLE DISCUSSION
[M.2. Receive presentation and hold discussion regarding the Finance and Technology transitions. ]
REGARDING FINANCE AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSITIONS.WE ARE GOING TO TALK TO YOU GUYS ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY UPDATE AND THE FINANCE UPDATE.
I KNOW THAT YOU GUYS APPROVED SUCH A BIG INVESTMENT IN OUR SCHOOL.
AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE ABREAST OF ALL OF THE WINS AND THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE.
SO WE'RE GOING TO START WITH TECHNOLOGY.
JUST AGAIN, WANT TO GO OVER THE BIG-- WE WERE ABLE TO SAVE $200-- IT REALLY IS ABOUT $250,000.
IN THE TRANSITION, WE'RE FINDING MORE WAYS TO SAVE EVERY DAY.
WE'RE ON A NEW INTERNET WHERE WE'RE SAVING MONEY.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT-- WHETHER IT'S LOOKING AT STUDENT DEVICES AND ALL OF THESE THINGS, WE'RE ABLE TO REALLY HAVE A TRANSPARENCY.
LIKE YOU SAW IN THE FINANCE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO REALLY SEE WHERE OUR TECHNOLOGY STANDS AND WHAT THE MOVES WE'RE ABLE TO MAKE.
WE ARE IN A TRANSITION WHERE WE'VE INHERITED LEASES, WE'VE INHERITED EQUIPMENT.
AND SO WE'RE FIGURING OUT NOW THAT WE HAVE INSIGHT INTO EVERYTHING, HOW DO WE USE THAT TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY.
WE ARE HAVING CONTINUED NETWORK ISSUES.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT OUR INTERNET IS THERE, BUT THE EQUIPMENT THAT WE HAVE, WE'RE FINDING THEIR ISSUES.
SOME OF IT IS OUR FAULT-- OR IS NOT OUR FAULT. SOME OF IT IS THE EQUIPMENT.
WE'LL TALK ABOUT SOME OF OUR CHALLENGES.
BUT BEFORE WE GET THERE, ANOTHER UPGRADE THAT WE HAD WAS A GOGUARDIAN.
AND WERE ABLE TO HAVE A REALLY DEEP INSIGHT INTO WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE DOING IN THE CLASSROOM AND HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP WHAT THESE GREAT PEOPLE ARE DOING BEHIND US, AND ALSO, HOW WE CAN HELP OUR STUDENTS STAY ON TRACK.
WE'RE ABLE TO SEE THOSE AI CONVERSATIONS, WHAT THEY'RE DOING, HOW TO ENSURE THAT THEY'RE USING IT CORRECTLY.
KIM GREAVES: MICHELLE, JUST LET ME-- I KNOW THERE WAS SOME PARENT OUTREACH ABOUT DOING AWAY WITH SOME TECHNOLOGY.
YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING AT THAT? YOU'RE GOING TO DO THE ANALYSIS THE RIGHT WAY? MICHELLE BRIGGS: OH, YEAH.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE A WHOLE STAFF MEETING IN THE MORNING FOR LATE START WEDNESDAY.
SO IF ANYBODY'S INTERESTED, YOU CAN COME HERE.
ALL OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE-- KIM GREAVES: BUT ARE SEEING AT OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND OTHER COUNTRIES THAT ARE-- PERSONALLY, I THINK THEY'RE MAKING KNEE JERK REACTIONS WITHOUT ANALYSIS.
MICHELLE BRIGGS: I MEAN, YOU SEE IT-- WE SEE THAT, WE WENT-- EVERYONE WENT ALL IN TO 101, AND NOW EVERYONE'S LIKE, WHOA, HOW DO WE MAKE IT STOP? AND OUR KIDS ARE GETTING SMARTER.
THEY'RE GETTING-- I MEAN, THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT TO GET AROUND ARE-- IT'S LIKE, TELL ME HOW TO CHANGE THE IP ADDRESS.
HOW DO YOU DO THIS? IF I DO THIS, CAN I DO THIS ? AND IT'S LIKE, DUDE, I CAN SEE EVERYTHING YOU'RE TYPING.
WE EQUATED IT IN A MEETING OR JUST LIKE CHEATING.
LIKE, YOU'RE ATTEMPTING TO CHEAT.
EVEN THOUGH IT'S A QUESTION ON A DEVICE OF HOW TO GET AROUND STUFF, LIKE, YOU ARE MAKING A DECISION TO DO THAT.
SO NOW WE ARE REALLY PAIRED WITH AN AMAZING TRANSPARENCY THAT WE'RE ABLE TO MAKE SOME GOOD DECISIONS.
MICHELLE BRIGGS: I KNOW YOU GUYS WERE UPDATED.
WE DID HAVE A TECHNOLOGY CLOSET OR NETWORK CLOSET THAT FLOODED.
OUR CUSTODIAL CREW, LEFT ON SOME WATER, AND THE-- KELLY RITCHIE: OUR CONTRACTED SERVICES.
MICHELLE BRIGGS: CONTRACTED SERVICES.
SORRY, YES, NOT OUR-- THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION.
BUT THE GENIUSES THAT BUILT THE SECONDARY BUILDING BUILT THE CUSTODIAL CLOSET RIGHT ABOVE THE IT CLOSET.
AND SO THERE WAS A-- KIM GREAVES: WHAT COULD GO WRONG THERE? MICHELLE BRIGGS: --FLOOD ON THE SECOND FLOOR THAT CAME TO THE FIRST FLOOR.
AND WE ARE STILL TRYING TO GET THAT REPAIRED.
TECHNOLOGY LAB, WHAT, THEY SENT US A SWITCH THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SWAP OUT, THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED YESTERDAY.
AND SO WE'RE BACK ONLINE, BUT WE HAD TO TAKE, AT FIRST, THAT FIRST WEEK OR SO, WE WERE REALLY BANDING SOMETHING THAT WAS A TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS REPAIR.
AND SO THE CUSTODIAL CONTRACTED COMPANY AGREED TO PAY, BUT THERE WAS A KIND OF A NEGOTIATION WE HAD TO GO AROUND THAT TO-- KIM GREAVES: ARE WE ABLE TO RELOCATE ONE OF THOSE CLOSETS GOING FORWARD? MICHELLE BRIGGS: NO, ROSIE AND HER TEAM, IT'S A GREAT PICTURE.
YOU CAN SEE THIS TENT THAT WAS BUILT TO FUNNEL.
[02:25:02]
KIM GREAVES: A FUNNEL.IT'S AN UMBRELLA, ESSENTIALLY.
AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE JOSE'S GOING TO PUT AN ACTUAL ROOF ON THE SHELF TO PROTECT OUR EQUIPMENT.
SO A SUPER UNFORTUNATE THING DURING A TRANSITION THAT WAS ALREADY JUST HARD AND HAD A LOT OF IMPACTS, AND THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS COMPLETELY NOT ANYONE'S FAULT, EXCEPT FOR THE GUY WHO LEFT ON THE SINK.
OUR FULL NETWORK ACCESS HAS ALLOWED US VISIBILITY INTO THE AGE OF SOME OF OUR NETWORK EQUIPMENT, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO BETTER.
YOU ALL REMEMBER WE DID A TECH AUDIT WITH TECHNOLOGY LAB BEFORE THEY CAME ON.
WE WEREN'T ABLE TO GET INTO THE TOWN'S FIREWALL, OBVIOUSLY, FOR PRIVACY REASONS.
BUT SINCE THEN, WE'RE ABLE TO WE'VE PARTITIONED OFF OUR FIREWALL.
AND SO TECHNOLOGY LAB HAS REALLY HAD FULL VISIBILITY ONLY FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS NOW AND ARE MAKING A FULL ASSESSMENT.
I WOULD SAY, ONE OF THE BIGGEST PAIN POINTS FOR OUR TEACHERS IS PRINTING.
I DID NOT REALIZE UNTIL THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS HOW MUCH A PRINTER IS IMPORTANT.
AND BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN-- I THINK THAT HAS BEEN ONE OF THE HARDEST PARTS OF THE TRANSITION IN ALL TRANSPARENCY.
WELL, THE FIRST THING WAS THE TONER.
THERE WAS A TECHNICIAN ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO THAT GOT LET GO FROM THE TOWN, AND THE TONER INSTRUCTIONS WERE BEING SENT TO HIS EMAIL.
AND SO WE WERE NOT GETTING THE UPDATES THAT THE TONER WAS-- THE PROCESS OF REFILLING THE TONER WAS GOING TO CHANGE.
AND SO, AT SOME POINT AT THE END OF THE SUMMER, WE STOPPED GETTING TONER, AND NO ONE KNEW WHY UNTIL DANIEL WAS ABLE TO GET IN AND FIGURE OUT, OH, IT WAS IN NICK'S EMAIL.
NICK HASN'T WORKED HERE IN A FEW YEARS, SO.
WE WERE ABLE TO DO SOME KIND OF PATCH WORK UNTIL, BUT I THINK THAT WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST STRESSORS, AS WELL AS OUR PRINT SERVER IS ON-SITE AND IT IS BEHIND FIND A DRY WALL IN THE CONSTRUCTION AREA.
SO WE WERE HAVING A LOT OF PRINT SERVER ISSUES.
THIS WEEK, WE'RE GETTING ON TO THE PRINT CLOUD OF-- AND SO WE HAVE BEEN ASSURED, I SAT IN A MEETING ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON, TO SET UP FOR THAT, AND WE HAD ABOUT 10 TECHNICIANS ON TO ENSURE THAT THAT GOES SMOOTHLY.
BUT WHEN INSTEAD OF IT BEING ON AN ACTUAL COMPUTER IN A CLOSET, IT IS GOING TO BE IN THE CLOUD.
AND SO THE PRINT JOBS ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO-- WE'RE GOING TO ALLEVIATE A LOT OF STRESS.
THAT IS WHAT WE ARE WORKING WITH.
THE BIGGEST THING, BEING THE NETWORK AND JUST IT BEING SLOW.
AND WE REALLY ARE WORKING INTO DIGGING INTO THOSE.
THE LEASES, HOW CAN WE GET OUT, AND WE'RE HOPING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH A RIP AND REPLACE AT THANKSGIVING.
SO WE'VE TOLD TECHNOLOGY LAB-- WE'RE NEGOTIATING WITH THEM HOW WE CAN'T AFFORD THAT.
BUT WE ARE HOPING TO COMPLETELY, WE NEED TO.
IT'S BECOMING SOMETHING-- THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT SCHOOLS, AND TYPICALLY, THERE IS ONE AP FOR EVERY CLASSROOM, A ONE-TO-ONE AP, ACCESS POINT, BEING WHERE YOU GET YOUR WI-FI.
AND WE ARE ABOUT A 1 TO 3 RIGHT NOW.
AND SO WE REALLY NEED TO BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE DEMANDS OF OUR STUDENTS, WITH THE IPADS AND ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT.
WE REALLY NEED TO BE THAT 1 TO 1.
AND WE'RE TRYING TO PATCHWORK WHAT WE'RE DOING.
AND IT'S JUST BECOMING MORE FRUSTRATING.
AND IT'S THAT THE HARD PART OF THE TRANSITION IS DEALING WITH HOW TO MAKE THOSE THINGS WORK.
SO WE'RE REALLY HOPEFUL THAT THANKSGIVING, WE'RE ABLE TO DO THAT.
THE TECHNOLOGY TICKET, YEAR-TO-DATE, THOSE ARE THE CLOSED TICKETS AND I DIDN'T GET THE FULL INFORMATION.
IT WAS JUST THE REPORT I WAS ABLE TO RUN, BUT I WAS ABLE TO FINALLY GET THE FINAL REPORT.
WE ARE AT 624 TICKETS TO DATE, NOT OPEN AND CLOSE, BUT WE ARE 30 OPEN TICKETS AS OF NOON TODAY, WHICH IS INCREDIBLE.
AS FAR AS FOR OUR NEW, THREE WERE ACTIVELY BEING WORKED ON.
17 MEANS THAT TECH LAB IS WAITING FOR OUR STAFF TO RESPOND, SO THERE'S NOT ANYTHING TO DO UNTIL THEY GET THAT INFORMATION.
AND SIX ARE WESTLAKE ACADEMY STAFF WAITING FOR A RESPONSE.
KIM GREAVES: WE'VE HAD NONE OF THIS REPORTING BEFORE, CORRECT? MICHELLE BRIGGS: WE HAVE.
WE ACTUALLY JUST GOT-- THE ONLY THING WE DID HAVE WAS A SPAN IN '25 TO '26, FROM AUGUST 1 TO SEPTEMBER 08, LAST YEAR, AND IT WAS 386.
AND OUR SAME SPAN, AUGUST 1 TO SEPTEMBER 8, AGAIN, THAT WAS THE ONLY DATE I PULLED BECAUSE I WANTED TO ENSURE THAT I COULD SPEAK TO THAT, WE HAD 317.
SO EVEN THOUGH IT'S BEEN A TRANSITION, THE DATA IS THERE TO SHOW THAT WE ARE MOVING FORWARD.
[02:30:03]
WE HAD, I THINK, THEY SAID LIKE 200-- IT WAS LIKE 300 IN AUGUST.SEPTEMBER WAS ABOUT 230 AND OCTOBER, WERE AT ABOUT 100.
SO WE CAN SEE THE DATA GOING DOWN.
MICHELLE BRIGGS: NEXT STEPS, WE'RE INVESTIGATING RIP AND REPLACE.
WE'VE HAD TECHNICIANS OUT ON CAMPUS GOING THROUGH EVERY HALLWAY, EVERY CLOSET, EVERY AP, MAPPING OUT WHERE THEY WANT TO PUT THOSE APS.
THE PRINTER SERVERS BEING MOVED TO THE CLOUD.
AND TL HAS LOANED US THE SWITCH TO MAKE UP FOR THE DAMAGED SWITCH IN THE FLOOD SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE GOT EVERYTHING UP BEFORE, BECAUSE WE STILL HADN'T GOTTEN PAID BACK FROM THE CUSTODIAL COMPANY.
THEY HAVE AGREED TO PAY FOR IT.
WE JUST HAVEN'T ACTUALLY RECEIVED THOSE FUNDS.
SO THAT IS THEY WERE NICE ENOUGH TO DO THAT, WHICH WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR.
ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY? KIM GREAVES: WELL, IT WAS THEIR FAULT.
MICHELLE BRIGGS: IT WAS THEIR FAULT, YES, BUT YOU KNOW HOW IT IS.
NO ONE WAS THERE, AND THE WATER KILLED THE CAMERAS.
SO YOU COULDN'T WATCH ANYTHING.
TAMMY REEVES: SO CLEARLY, IT'S BEEN A DIFFICULT TRANSITION.
AND MY QUESTION IS, HOW IS THIS IMPACTING THE USERS? HOW IS IT IMPACTING THE STUDENTS, THE TEACHERS? ARE WE SEEING-- I MEAN, CLEARLY, THERE'S ISSUES, BUT HOW DO WE QUANTIFY THAT IN TERMS OF-- MICHELLE BRIGGS: LIKE I SAID, I THINK WE KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE A TRANSITION.
I THINK WE COULDN'T HAVE ANTICIPATED SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE FOUND AND/OR HAVE DEALT WITH.
THERE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ANY WAY TO KNOW THAT TONER WASN'T BEING DELIVERED BECAUSE WE WEREN'T LIKE, NO ONE WAS GETTING THE EMAILS.
SO LIKE, AGAIN, THAT IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE.
AND WE KNOW THOSE HAVE BEEN HUGE PAIN POINTS TO THE TEACHERS THAT ARE GETTING IN THE CLASS AND READY TO LEARN.
AND WE HAVE WORKED THROUGH THIS.
AND I SEE A LIGHT AT THE TUNNEL OF KNOWING THAT WE'RE GOING TO GET THE CONNECTIVITY, WE'RE GOING TO GET THE DEVICES THAT OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF NEED.
AGAIN, IT HAS BEEN A PAIN POINT, FOR SURE, BUT EVERYONE HAS-- AS WE LOOK BACK AND WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT THE TICKETS TODAY, I WAS LIKE, OK, WE ARE MOVING FORWARD.
IT IS DIFFERENT THAN HAVING SOMEONE, MULTIPLE PEOPLE IN THE BUILDING AT ALL TIMES JUST TO PLUG IN YOUR COMPUTER TO MAKE YOUR SPEAKER WORK, AND WE'RE ALL RUNNING AROUND A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN WE WERE.
AND OUR TEACHERS ARE PROFESSIONALS.
OUR TEACHERS ARE EXPERTS AT WHAT THEY DO.
AND THEY'VE BEEN SUPER RESILIENT.
AS I'M SEEING THOSE TICKET NUMBERS DECLINE, THAT'S WHERE I'M ABLE TO SEE-- THAT'S WHERE I'M ABLE TO SEE-- KIM GREAVES: GET BETTER.
MICHELLE BRIGGS: SEE GROWTH AND SEE IMPROVEMENT.
TAMMY REEVES: SO I GUESS, MY CONCERN IS HOW THIS IS IMPACTING FUNCTION.
SO IT WOULD BE NICE TO SEE FEEDBACK FROM THE TEACHERS AND STUDENTS AND HAVE SOMETHING TANGIBLE TO SEE HOW IT'S IMPACTING THEM-- MICHELLE BRIGGS: ABSOLUTELY.
TAMMY REEVES: --BECAUSE CLEARLY [INAUDIBLE].
MICHELLE BRIGGS: DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT THAT? KELLY RITCHIE: YEAH, A COUPLE OF THINGS.
I DID A SURVEY A FEW WEEKS AGO SAID, LET ME KNOW WHERE YOUR PAIN POINTS STILL ARE AT FIVE RESPONSES FROM THE ENTIRE CAMPUS.
SO THE FACT THAT THERE WERE NOT MORE THAN FIVE RESPONSES GIVES US A LITTLE BIT OF DATA TO WORK FROM, THAT FRUSTRATION IN THE MOMENT DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN LINGERING FRUSTRATION.
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF-- LIKE MICHELLE SAID, THERE'S A COUPLE OF ONGOING PAIN POINTS WITH SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST TRUST.
AND WE'RE WORKING TO ENSURE THEM THAT WE'RE TAKING THIS VERY SERIOUSLY.
TECHNOLOGY LAB IS TAKING IT VERY SERIOUSLY.
AND SOME OF THE THINGS, LIKE THE FLOODING OF THE CLOSET, IS EXACERBATED AND-- MICHELLE BRIGGS: WE LOST TRUST THERE.
KELLY RITCHIE: SO THERE'S THAT.
THERE WERE SOME SETTINGS ON THE PRINTERS THAT WERE BEING MANIPULATED.
WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT, WHICH WAS, AGAIN EXACERBATING, AN ALREADY ONGOING ISSUE.
AND THEN THERE'S-- MICHELLE AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS TODAY.
SOMETIMES WHAT WE PERCEIVE AS A TECHNOLOGY FRUSTRATION IS RELATED TO TECHNOLOGY, BUT IT'S NOT A TECHNOLOGY ISSUE.
SO IF A STUDENT FORGETS THEIR IPAD, THAT'S NOT A TECHNOLOGY ISSUE.
THAT'S A RESPONSIBILITY ISSUE.
IF YOU PUT IN A TICKET BECAUSE YOUR MONITOR'S UNPLUGGED, THAT'S JUST LOOKING AROUND AND GOING, HEY, IS THERE A REASON MY COMPUTER IS NOT WORKING, MAYBE I'LL PLUG IT IN.
AND THAT'S NOT TO DISPARAGE ANYONE.
WE HAVE THIS EXPECTATION OF CONCIERGE SERVICE AT ALL SINGLE TIMES, AND THAT'S JUST NOT REALITY FOR MOST SCHOOLS.
IT'S BEEN VERY NICE THAT PEOPLE HAVE NOT HAD TO TROUBLESHOOT, BUT LEARNING TO TROUBLESHOOT IN THE MOMENT AND REALLY SEPARATE WHAT IS A TECHNOLOGY ISSUE VERSUS WHAT IS JUST LIFE, WHAT'S
[02:35:01]
A LIFE ISSUE, THERE ARE SOME DISTINCTIONS TO BE MADE THERE.BUT OBVIOUSLY, WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE AN IMPROVEMENT, NOT A-- ABSOLUTELY GOING FORWARD, NOT BACKWARD.
TAMMY REEVES: I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE BEING ADDRESSED QUICKLY.
MICHELLE BRIGGS: AS I SAID, THE VISIBILITY, THE TRANSPARENCY HAS BEEN EXCELLENT.
BUT WITH VISIBILITY AND TRANSPARENCY, YOU SEE IN SOME CLOSETS AND YOU SEE THINGS THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW BEFORE.
AND WHERE OUR APS WERE PLACED-- TAMMY REEVES: SO WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR EXPEDITING THESE REPAIRS SO THAT THINGS ARE WORKING? MICHELLE BRIGGS: SO THE PRINTERS ARE-- KNOCK ON ALL THE WOOD.
BESIDES THE PAPER JAM HERE AND THERE, WE'RE GOOD THERE.
AND AGAIN, THAT WAS, I WOULD SAY, ONE OF THE MAJOR PAIN POINTS.
THE NETWORK, LIKE I SAID, WE GOT THE SWITCH BACK ON IN THE SECONDARY, WHICH SHOULD HELP.
AND AS FAR AS WE'VE HAD PEOPLE ON CAMPUS ALMOST, I MEAN, EVERY OTHER DAY LOOKING AT WHERE OUR NETWORKS ARE.
THEY'RE IN AND OUT OF CLASSROOMS. WE'RE TELLING OUR TEACHERS, THEY'RE COMING AGAIN TO LOOK AT THE PLACE.
AND SO THEY ARE LOOKING AT OUR BUILDING BECAUSE THEY WANT TO DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.
WE ARE FIGURING OUT THEY'RE WORKING WITH US TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THE CORRECT FUNDING.
TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE DO THAT, ONE OF THAT IS WE GOT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE LEASE IS, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY INVESTIGATING AND FIGURING OUT WHAT DO WE OWE, HOW DO WE GET OUT OF IT, AND ALSO, HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT OUR STAFF HAS THE BEST NETWORK EQUIPMENT.
AND WE HAVE OUR TECHNICIANS SAYING, I WILL DONATE MONEY BECAUSE WE NEED YOU GUYS TO GET OUT OF THIS.
AND SO-- THEY'RE JOKING, BUT WE ARE GETTING IT IN BY THANKSGIVING AND HAVING A FULL RIP AND REPLACE.
WE TALKED ABOUT DOING DIFFERENT BUILDINGS PHASING IN APPROACH.
THEY'RE WORKING ON GETTING US A ZERO INTEREST RATE TO BE ABLE TO FINANCE THE WHOLE RIP AND REPLACE, BECAUSE WE DON'T OBVIOUSLY JUST HAVE THE MONEY ON HAND.
AND SO THEY'RE SEEING WHAT THEY CAN DO TO SEE IF WE CAN GET A 0 INTEREST FINANCE.
AND I MEAN, TO GET ALL OF THAT READY FOR THANKSGIVING IS GOING TO BE-- IT'S GOING TO BE A TASK.
BUT THEY ARE-- LIKE I SAID, THEY'RE IN OUR BUILDINGS.
THEY'RE IN ALL OF OUR CLOSETS DOING-- I MEAN, LOOKING AT WIRE BY WIRE.
KELLY RITCHIE: I WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE, TOO, WHEN WE WERE GOING THROUGH THE AUDIT FOR THIS TRANSITION, WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO SEE THINGS THAT WE NEEDED TO SEE.
AND WE KEPT COMING BACK AND ASKING FOR ACCESS AND ASKING FOR ACCESS, AND WE JUST WERE NOT GIVEN THAT ACCESS.
SO IT WAS NOT UNTIL THAT JULY 1ST DEADLINE WHEN, REALLY, WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PREPARING FOR SCHOOL TO START, THAT WAS THE FIRST CHANCE THAT TECHNOLOGY LAB WAS GETTING TO DO THE FULL AUDIT THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE FROM MARCH TO JUNE.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEEDED AND WANTED.
THERE'S NO BLAME ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.
I GET THAT EVERYBODY WANTED TO PROTECT THEIR THINGS, BUT THE PROTECTION OF THAT SERVER AND THOSE SERVERS REALLY, REALLY DELAYED US IN BEING ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE FULL EXTENT OF THE PROBLEMS. KIM GREAVES: DO WE HAVE DOLLAR AMOUNT HOW MUCH WE MIGHT NEED? KELLY RITCHIE: WE DO.
WE HAVE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS.
FULL RIP AND REPLACE IS GOING TO BE ABOUT $300,000.
IF WE GO BUILDING BY BUILDING, THE FIRST BUILDING WE WOULD DO WOULD BE THE SECONDARY BUILDING.
AND THAT'S ABOUT $75,000 TO DO THAT FIRST BUILDING.
WHAT THAT DOES IS THEN AND PROLONGS THE ISSUES IN THE OTHER BUILDINGS, BUT BY FAR, THE SECONDARY BUILDING IS THE ONE THAT NEEDS THE MOST ATTENTION RIGHT NOW.
MICHELLE BRIGGS: AND WE ARE WORKING WITH MANY DIFFERENT QUOTES AND OPTIONS AND PLAN A, PLAN B, PLAN C. I THINK WE'RE ON PROBABLY A MEETING A DAY ABOUT THIS.
AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE KIND OF LIKE, WE'RE SPEAKING ABOUT SOME OF WHAT WE HAVE IN THE BUDGET AND WHAT WE CAN DO.
AND WE'RE TALKING WITH CI TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN MAKE IT WORK.
AND IT IS, FOR SURE, GOING TO BE A PRIORITY.
TAMMY REEVES: WELL, AND CONTINUE TO KEEP US LOOPED IN BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY, WE ARE VERY MUCH ON THE PERIPHERY, AND WE DON'T KNOW ALL THESE DETAILS.
AND AS WE'RE WORKING THROUGH IT, WE WILL, FOR SURE.
AND I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE ACTUAL QUOTES.
THEY'RE TALKING TO ALL OF THEIR LENDERS RIGHT NOW TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY CAN DO FOR US TO MAKE IT-- AND THEY'RE WORKING ON-- I MEAN, THEY'RE WORKING ON THEIR CONTRACT, TOO, TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS THERE FIGURING IT OUT.
AND SO WHEN WE HAVE THOSE QUOTES, WE WILL MAKE SURE YOU GUYS KNOW.
KIM GREAVES: WELL, WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO BE BETTER OFF FOR IT.
KIM GREAVES: WE NEED TO HELP YOU FIND THE MONEY TO GET THIS THING KELLY RITCHIE: I THINK WE'RE CLOSE.
WE'VE DONE THE MATH A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS.
AND I THINK THAT WE'RE PRETTY CLOSE.
MICHELLE BRIGGS: AND WE'VE GOT TO THE POINT WHERE IT'S BECOMING TO DO IT BY PHASE.
IT'S BECOMING MORE EXPENSIVE OR TO TRY AND JUST KEEP FIXING THE EQUIPMENT WE HAVE.
[02:40:01]
WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE-- KIM GREAVES: MY ADVICE, TELL ME HOW MUCH IT IS.MICHELLE BRIGGS: AND I MEAN, GETTING IT DONE BY THANKSGIVING WOULD BE MASSIVE.
BUT I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE'VE TOLD THEM WE WANT.
AND THAT'S WHERE THEY'RE GOING RIGHT NOW.
KIM GREAVES: KEEP US INFORMED.
WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY OPENED A NEW BANK ACCOUNT.
WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO BE WITH B1BANK.
STEVE AND HIS TEAM HAS HELPED US TREMENDOUSLY WITH THAT.
WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO BE PARTNERS WITH THEM.
WE ARE NAVIGATING PAYROLL ISSUES, DESPITE NOT HAVING OUR OWN EI IN.
WE HAVE SOME ALSO THOUGHTS THERE AND GROUND GAME GOING THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT IS SMOOTHER AND BETTER.
WE HAVE A TON OF ELEVATED TRANSPARENCY, AS YOU GUYS SAW IN THAT REPORT-- I MEAN, HOW AMAZING TO BE ABLE TO SEE ALL OF OUR BOOKS ARE BEING CLOSED OUT IN THE MONTH.
IT INCLUDES ALL OF THE OUTSTANDING THINGS WE'RE SEEING, WHAT OUR BIGGEST BILLS AND WHAT CAN WE DO WITH THAT, AND WHAT ARE THINGS TO BE AWARE OF.
AND WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THAT.
WE'VE DISCOVERED AND CORRECTED MULTIPLE TRS ERRORS THAT HAVE BEEN JUST KIND OF BAND-AIDED THROUGH, INITIALS AND NAME, SPELLINGS AND ADDRESSES AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
AND SO WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE ATTENTION TO DETAIL THAT THEY ARE TAKING, THAT WE'RE ABLE TO-- KIM GREAVES: IS THAT MONEY WE WERE SPENDING WE SHOULDN'T BE? IS THAT SAVINGS? MICHELLE BRIGGS: NO, JUST ERRORS THAT WOULD AFFECT SOMEONE'S TRS BENEFITS LATER.
SO IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT THEY WERE GETTING FIXED.
AND WE'VE ALSO, WE FOUND SOME UNAUTHORIZED TRANSACTIONS IN EXCESS OF ABOUT $50,000.
WE'VE IDENTIFIED WHAT THOSE ARE.
THAT'S SOMETHING WE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE OR KNOW.
OUR ACCOUNTS ARE RECONCILED MONTHLY, AND THAT INCLUDES OUR CREDIT CARD TRANSACTIONS-- MICHAEL YACKIRA: YOU CAN'T JUST JUMP OVER THAT ONE.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN UNAUTHORIZED TRANSACTIONS? MICHELLE BRIGGS: IT WAS ACCIDENTALLY CREATED A TEMPLATE AND PULLED THEIR PAYROLL FROM OUR ACCOUNT.
AND THERE WAS THREE DIFFERENT TRANSACTIONS.
AND WE'RE HOPING TO GET PAID BACK SOON.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: I THINK I REMEMBER THIS STORY NOW.
MICHELLE BRIGGS: BUT AGAIN, THE TRANSPARENCY, THE VISIBILITY, THE VERY QUICK RECONCILING OF THOSE THINGS HELP US TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE THINGS DON'T HAPPEN ANYMORE.
SO WE ARE STILL NEXT STEPS, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR THE CAMPUS ACTIVITY FUNDS AND THE STUDENT ACTIVITY FUNDS BALANCES FROM THE TOWN FOR FISCAL YEAR 26.
WE HAVE STUDENTS AND PARENTS AND TEACHERS THAT ARE REALLY WANTING THOSE BALANCES.
AND SO THAT'S BEEN A BIT OF A PAIN POINT.
BUT WE'RE WORKING WITH-- KIM GREAVES: TIME OUT.
WHAT'S THE TIMING ON THAT-- ON GETTING THE BALANCES? WHO GIVES THOSE TO YOU? MICHELLE BRIGGS: THAT WOULD BE CASEY AND MARLENE.
KIM GREAVES: DO WE HAVE A TIME FRAME ON THAT, CASEY? PLEASE DO.
MICHELLE BRIGGS: SO WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF OPENING NEW [INAUDIBLE].
WE'RE LOOKING TO WORK WITH [INAUDIBLE] WHICH IS WHAT OUR AP SYSTEM IS GOING THROUGH.
WE'RE STREAMLINING OUR BUDGET CODES FOR SMOOTHER PROCESSING AND FEWER POTENTIAL CODING ERRORS.
WE HAD A LOT OF JUST INDIVIDUAL, THIS BUDGET CODE HAD $50, THIS BUDGET LINE HAD $100.
AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE STREAMLINED, AND SO THAT THERE IS LESS, AGAIN, POSSIBILITY FOR ERROR.
CHARTER IMPACT HAS AGREED TO REFUND A PORTION OF OUR CONTRACTED AMOUNT DUE TO NOT BEING ABLE TO OFFER THOSE CLEANER PAYROLL SERVICES.
THEY'RE REALLY COMMITTED TO BEING A GOOD PARTNER AND MAKING SURE THAT THIS WORKS.
BOTH OF THESE THINGS ARE TRANSITIONS, AND WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THEIR PARTNERSHIP.
WE'VE SEEN THE BENEFITS ALREADY FROM BOTH, AND SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
KIM GREAVES: I GUESS LOOKING BACK, MICHAEL, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU THINK THIS, I WENT THROUGH, I DON'T KNOW, HUNDREDS OF TECHNOLOGY, FROM THE BIGGEST TO SMALLEST, THEY NEVER WENT WELL.
SO WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU GET THE RESOURCES YOU NEED TO GET THIS THING STABILIZED.
I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO BE BETTER IN THE END, FINANCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ALL THAT.
BUT THANKS FOR HANGING THROUGH IT.
AND EVERYBODY, WE WILL GET IT FIGURED OUT.
BUT YOU GUYS GOT TO LET US KNOW.
YOU NEED TO UTILIZE THE BOARD.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: LET ME JUST ASK A QUESTION, AND I TALKED TO YOU ABOUT THIS BRIEFLY, BUT IS YOUR PLAN TO BRING US FINANCIAL INFORMATION EVERY MONTH? MICHELLE BRIGGS: YES, THAT IS THE PLAN.
UNLESS YOU WOULD PREFER TO ONLY HAVE A RECORDER.
[02:45:01]
MICHAEL YACKIRA: I MEAN, I'M NOT-- I'M TALKING AS ONE MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL, BUT IT SEEMED TO ME THAT IF THERE IS AN ISSUE THAT CAME UP IN AN INTERVENING MONTH, BRING IT TO OUR ATTENTION.OTHERWISE, I THINK QUARTERLY INFORMATION.
MICHELLE BRIGGS: QUARTERLY? THAT'S PERFECT.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: AND ALL THE DATA THAT YOU SEND US, YOU DON'T NEED TO DO THAT BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO REVIEW EVERY MONTH LINE BY LINE-- MICHELLE BRIGGS: WOULD YOU LIKE THE MONTHLY-- WOULD YOU LIKE THE MONTHLY PICTURE IN THE PACKET AND NOT HAVE A PRESENTATION? WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT EVERY MONTH? MICHAEL YACKIRA: THAT MIGHT BE FINE FOR THE FIRST YEAR, BUT THERE'S NO REASON TO GO INTO AN EXCRUCIATING AMOUNT OF DETAIL, UNLESS THERE'S SOME PROBLEM.
KELLY RITCHIE: WE CAN DO IT HOWEVER YOU WANT.
NEXT MONTH, WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE THE BUDGET AMENDMENT THAT SHE REFERENCED, BUT IF YOU WOULD RATHER JUST A QUARTERLY REPORT, WE CAN DEFINITELY DO A RECORDER.
KIM GREAVES: I'VE GOT SOME IDEAS ON HOW TO PRESENT THAT JUST OF THE KNOWLEDGE.
KELLY RITCHIE: WE'RE OPEN TO WHATEVER-- MICHELLE BRIGGS: WHATEVER YOU GUYS WANT AND FIND HELPFUL-- KIM GREAVES: WE CAN GET THE INFORMATION ON THE DATA WE NEED.
BUT WE DON'T WANT IT TO BE-- MICHELLE BRIGGS: WE APPRECIATE THE TRANSPARENCY THAT WE HAVE AND-- KIM GREAVES: WE DON'T WANT TO BE A SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT EVERY MONTH.
KELLY RITCHIE: WE CAN DEFINITELY DO QUARTERLY.
AND IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, YOU CAN LET US KNOW IN THE INTERIM.
MICHELLE BRIGGS: ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TRANSITION? THANK YOU.
I KNOW WE'VE BEEN HERE FOR THREE HOURS AND 11 MINUTES.
DOES ANYBODY NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE CONSENT AGENDA?
[N.CONSENT AGENDA ]
CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA? MICHAEL YACKIRA: SO MOVED.KIM GREAVES: CAN I GET A SECOND? ALL IN FAVOR? COUNCIL MEMBERS: AYE.
KIM GREAVES: ANY OPPOSED? CONSENT AGENDA PASSES.
LAST AGENDA ITEM, O.1, WHOLE DISCUSSION REGARDING
[O.1. Hold discussion regarding and consider approval of the Westlake Academy Student Health Advisory Council.]
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF WESTLAKE ACADEMY STUDENT HEALTH ADVISORY COUNCIL.LADIES, THANKS FOR HANGING WITH US.
LISA PHILLIPS: NO, THIS HAS BEEN FASCINATING.
IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE WORKING FOR WESTLAKE AND GETTING TO PRESENT TO YOU ALL ABOUT SOMETHING THAT I THINK IS ALSO AN EXCITING GROWTH.
COMING TO WESTLAKE ACADEMY AND REQUIRED BY THE STATE OF TEXAS IS A STUDENT HEALTH ADVISORY COUNCIL, KNOWN AS A SHAC.
WE'LL DISCUSS THE PURPOSE AND THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.
REALLY, WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR IS THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, COUNCIL MEMBERS, FOR YOUR APPROVAL, REQUESTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SHAC FOR WESTLAKE ACADEMY.
AND THIS IS PER TEXAS EDUCATION CODE 28.004.
KIM GREAVES: WHEN WAS THAT PASSED? LISA PHILLIPS: SO IT WAS PASSED IN SEPTEMBER OF 2005.
AND THEY GAVE US A-- AND IT'S BEEN SOMETHING THAT AT OTHER SCHOOLS IT'S BEEN IN PLACE FOR YEARS.
SO A LOT OF THE SURROUNDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE HAD THIS FOR 20 PLUS YEARS.
IT WAS NEVER A REQUIREMENT FOR AN OPEN CHARTER SCHOOL UNTIL THIS LAST YEAR.
AND WE'VE BEEN GRANTED TILL OCTOBER 2026 TO HAVE ONE IN PLACE.
SO WE ARE RIGHT HERE AT THE LINE TO BRING THIS IN AND-- KIM GREAVES: I AM NOT A SMART MAN BUT WE GOT ABOUT 11 DAYS.
LISA PHILLIPS: WE SLID RIGHT IN HERE NOW, AND WE WERE ON THE AGENDA FOR OTHER-- THINGS HAVE BEEN GOING ON.
A LOT HAS BEEN HAPPENING HERE.
KIM GREAVES: SO BEFORE YOU GET INTO IT, DO WE THINK THIS IS A GOOD THING? LISA PHILLIPS: I HAVE HAD A LOT OF THESE SLIDES PREPARED FOR YEARS.
I THINK IT IS A BEAUTIFUL THING TO HAVE BECAUSE I THINK HAVING A ADVISORY COMMITTEE, THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY WHAT-- THE SHAC DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE THE FINAL DECISION.
THE SCHOOL EDUCATORS WOULD STILL MAKE THAT DECISION.
WHAT THIS ALLOWS, THOUGH, IS FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, FOR PARENTS, TO BE INVOLVED IN THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS DECISIONS FOR WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE FOR THE CURRICULUM, FOR NUTRITION, MENTAL HEALTH, PE, HEALTH CURRICULUM THAT GO OUT TO THE STUDENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT WHAT IS BEING TAUGHT IN THE SCHOOL'S A REFLECTION OF WHAT THE COMMUNITY.
LISA PHILLIPS: AND WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU ALL THAT'S REQUIRED IN THE STATE OF TEXAS IN THE EDUCATION CODE IS THAT YOU GUYS APPROVE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF IT AND THAT WE CAN APPROVE THE VOTING MEMBERS, WHICH WOULD BE-- I'LL SHOW YOU IN A SECOND.
KIM GREAVES: AND KELLY, THIS IS JUST GOING TO BE LIKE ANOTHER AFFILIATE-TYPE THING? KELLY RITCHIE: NOT REALLY AN AFFILIATE.
NO, THIS IS MORE WHAT-- I WOULD EQUATE IT TO A STEERING COMMITTEE.
IS THAT A GOOD-- LISA PHILLIPS: IT'S A STEERING COMMITTEE.
A STEERING COMMITTEE THAT GETS INPUT AND IS ABLE TO GIVE THAT.
SO IT IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, SCHOOL AND HEALTH PROGRAMS REFLECT THE LOCAL COMMUNITY VALUES.
[02:50:01]
HEALTH EDUCATION, IT'S A LOT OF WHAT I'VE SAID, RELATED TO THE POLICIES AND PRACTICES THAT WE HAVE ON THE CAMPUS AND MAKING THAT CONNECTION BETWEEN STUDENTS' HEALTH, WELL-BEING, LEARNING, ATTENDANCE, ACADEMIC SUCCESS WHILE SUPPORTING OUR MISSION MS. LEGGETT.CHRISTIN LEGGETT: THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.
FOR THOSE OF YOU I HAVEN'T MET, MY NAME IS CHRISTIN LEGGETT.
I'M OUR PYP SCHOOL COUNSELOR, AND THIS IS MY SECOND YEAR AT WESTLAKE ACADEMY.
SO OUR VISION AND MISSION FOR THE SHAC REALLY IS A REPLICA OF WHAT OUR STUDENTS RECITE EVERY MORNING, HELPING THEM FOCUS IN ON BEING BALANCED, WHICH IS ONE OF OUR LEARNER PROFILE ATTRIBUTES.
WE REALLY TRY TO TEACH THEM THAT WE WANT THEM TO LIVE THE IB.
SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE LEARNING, IT'S HOW THIS IS GOING TO IMPACT THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.
AGAIN, OUR VISION, LIKE MS. PHILLIPS SAYS, IS TO REALLY PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WHOLE CHILD.
SO WE'RE NOT JUST FOCUSING ON ACADEMICS.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE HELPING THEM TO GROW EMOTIONALLY, PHYSICALLY, AND IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT.
SO THE DUTIES OF THE SHAC, THERE ARE ESSENTIALLY 10 OVERARCHING PILLARS OF THE SHAC COMMITTEE OR OUR SCHOOL HEALTH ADVISORY COUNCIL.
I'M NOT GOING TO READ EACH ONE OF THOSE TO YOU.
WE ARE GOING TO BREAK UP OUR COUNCIL INTO THREE SUBCOMMITTEES, AND THOSE WILL BE FOR THE PHYSICAL HEALTH OF OUR STUDENTS, THE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL BEING, AND THEN THE SAFETY.
LIKE LISA SAID, IT'S NOT OUR COUNCIL REALLY GOVERNING WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE LEARNING.
THAT IS REALLY DICTATED BY OUR STATE STANDARDS.
ALSO, WE, AS THE COUNSELING DEPARTMENT, HAVE STATE MANDATES TO TEACH TOPICS LIKE PUBERTY AND SEX EDUCATION AND CHILD ABUSE.
OCTOBER IS BULLYING PREVENTION MONTH, SO THOSE TOPICS AREN'T GOING TO CHANGE.
THIS COUNCIL WILL JUST HELP US TO INFORM HOW WE'RE TEACHING IT.
LIKE MR. DUANE SAID, WE FEEL COMFORTABLE AND HAPPY WITH OUR BODY OF WORK, BUT WE KNOW IT CAN ALWAYS BE BETTER.
WE HAVE A FABULOUS COMMUNITY HERE IN WESTLAKE THAT WE WANT TO TAP INTO THEIR RESOURCES.
THOSE WHO ARE EXPERTS IN THIS FIELD ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THE DATABASES THAT WE HAVE THAT ARE TEA-APPROVED VENDORS OF HOW ARE WE ACTUALLY TEACHING THOSE STATE STANDARDS AND BRINGING THOSE MANDATES TO LIFE IN A WAY THAT'S RELEVANT AND ENGAGING, AND THAT'S REALLY GOING TO ENRICH OUR STUDENTS' LEARNING ACROSS THE CONTINUUM.
OH, THIS SLIDE IS NOT LOOKING VERY LOVELY, BUT YOU ALL HAVE THAT IN FRONT OF YOU.
SO THOSE OF US THAT ARE HERE TODAY, OUR COUNSELING DEPARTMENT, AS WELL AS OUR ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, SARAH JONES, AND THEN OUR CAMPUS NURSE-- THE STUDENTS CALL HER NURSE B, WE ARE ALL REALLY JUST THE FACILITATORS OF THIS COUNCIL.
WE WILL NOT BE VOTING MEMBERS, BUT WE WILL ORGANIZE THOSE AGENDAS.
WE WILL MAINTAIN COMMUNICATION WITH THE COUNCIL AND AGAIN, BE THOSE EXPERTS IN OUR OWN FIELDS OF WHAT THOSE STATE STANDARDS ARE AND WHAT THOSE MANDATES ARE THAT WE NEED TO LOOK INTO FURTHER.
AND JUST SO YOU'RE AWARE OF HOW WE PUT THIS OUT TO THE COMMUNITY, WE SHARED IT IN OUR WEEKLY COMMUNIQUE.
THAT WENT OUT TO ALL OF OUR FAMILIES THROUGH OUR K THROUGH 12 CONTINUUM.
THEY WERE ABLE TO RESPOND VIA A GOOGLE FORM AND INDICATE WHICH SECTION THEY HAD CHILDREN IN.
WE WANT TO HAVE A VERY BALANCED REPRESENTATION.
AND WE HAVE, AGAIN, SO MANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT ARE EXPERTS IN EACH OF THESE FIELDS THAT WE CAN REALLY UTILIZE THEIR EXPERTISE.
AND JUST LIKE WE TEACH OUR STUDENTS, TO HAVE AGENCY, WE WANT TO TURN THAT OVER TO THIS COUNCIL AS WELL, TO, AGAIN, JUST REALLY UPLIFT AND ENHANCE THESE PROGRAMS. CHRISTINA JONES: HI, I'M CHRISTINA JONES, I'M THE NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL COUNSELOR, SO I AM COMING TO WESTLAKE-- FIRST YEAR HERE.
I'M COMING FROM KELLER WHERE I HAD A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WITH SHAC COMMITTEE.
SO LIKE MS LEGGETT SAID, WE PUT AN INTEREST SURVEY OUT AND THE COMMUNIQUE.
AND BASICALLY, IF YOU WANTED TO VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME, YOU'RE WELCOME.
SO HERE IS OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
WE HAD ABOUT 19 PARTICIPANTS AND OUR GOAL WAS TO GET A PRETTY ROBUST SELECTION BETWEEN LEVELS.
WE WANTED MEMBERS OF OUR STAFF TO REPRESENT US.
AND THEN WE HAD A LOT OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS, WHICH IS A REALLY POSITIVE THING.
KIM GREAVES: THAT'S A GOOD GROUP OF-- CHRISTINA JONES: A GREAT GROUP, YEAH.
WE WERE REALLY EXCITED BY THE PARTICIPATION.
SO ALL OF OUR SHAC MEETINGS WILL BE HELD AT THE WESTLAKE FIREHOUSE FROM 8:00 TO 9:00 ON DATES THAT WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU IN JUST A SECOND, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF OUR NEXT, HOPEFULLY, SHAC MEETING, WHICH IS NEXT WEEK, WILL BE HELD AT OUR SCHOOL BECAUSE OF THE FIREHOUSE IS DOING VOTING, WHICH I WAS THERE JUST A LITTLE BIT AGO.
AND IT WAS SUPER EFFICIENT, THOUGH.
SO OUR MEETING DATES ARE GOING TO BE OCTOBER 28, JANUARY 7,
[02:55:02]
AND MARCH 31.AND THEN WE'VE JUST OUTLINED SOME POTENTIAL TOPICS, AND THOSE MIGHT CHANGE A LITTLE BIT AS OUR COMMITTEES GET DEVELOPED AND WE GET THEIR INPUT.
SO TONIGHT, WE ARE ASKING FOR YOUR APPROVAL FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF OUR SHAC, AND THEN WE'RE ALSO REQUESTING APPROVAL FOR OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US? TAMMY REEVES: SO YOU SAY UP TO 30 VOTING MEMBERS, BUT HOW MANY ARE YOU PROPOSING TODAY? CHRISTINA JONES: THERE ARE 19.
SO OUR QUORUM WOULD BE ABOUT 10.
THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD MICHAEL YACKIRA: I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA.
ANY QUESTIONS? SO I NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE SHAC, THE CREATION OF THE SHAC, THE STUDENT HEALTH ADVISORY COUNCIL.
KIM GREAVES: I GET A SECOND? ALL IN FAVOR? COUNCIL MEMBERS: AYE.
KIM GREAVES: ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.
SECOND ONE, I NEED TO GET APPROVAL OF ALL THE SHAC MEMBERS.
KIM GREAVES: THEY'LL YELL AT ME IF I GOT THIS WRONG.
KELLY RITCHIE: IT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS LISA BROUGHT TO ME WHEN I MET HER TWO YEARS AGO.
KELLY RITCHIE: YOU JUST GOT TO GET IN FRONT OF US.
KIM GREAVES: CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MEMBERS OF THE SHAC? CAN I GET A SECOND? MICHAEL YACKIRA: SECOND.
KIM GREAVES: ALL IN FAVOR? COUNCIL MEMBERS: AYE KIM GREAVES: OPPOSED? IT IS ALL APPROVED.
KIM GREAVES: WE WANT TO DROP IN FOR A MEETING, CAN WE? LADIES: ABSOLUTELY.
WE HAVE ONE FOLLOW-UP ACTION FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: I MOVED TO APPROVE A 3.28 INCREASE TO THE TOWN MANAGER'S ANNUAL SALARY, EFFECTIVE JUNE 1, 2027.
KIM GREAVES: CAN I GET A SECOND? TAMMY REEVES: SECOND.
KIM GREAVES: ALL IN FAVOR? COUNCIL MEMBERS: AYE.
KIM GREAVES: ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.
[S.STAFF RECAP OF TOWN COUNCIL/BOARD DIRECTIONS RECEIVED ]
JASON ALEXANDER: YES, SIR.THERE ARE TWO ITEMS. IF I CAN BACK UP, JUST THAT LAST ITEM, I THINK IT WAS EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1ST OF 2026.
MICHAEL YACKIRA: I KNOW, BUT WE-- JASON ALEXANDER: I'M SORRY.
KIM GREAVES: IT'S NOT [INAUDIBLE].
THANK YOU FOR MR. [INAUDIBLE].
AND THEN ON THE TWO ITEMS, IT WAS TO MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT TO THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT AS DIRECTED FOR ITEM I2.
JASON ALEXANDER: AND THEN THE SECOND WAS TO PROVIDE A TIMELINE FOR THE CAF AND THE SAF BALANCES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026 FOR THE ACADEMY.
ANYTHING ELSE? FOR ALL, Y'ALL, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO AND FOR HANGING.
YOU PROBABLY JUST GO STRAIGHT FROM SCHOOL FROM HERE, I ASSUME.
THIS IS A FABULOUS SCHOOL BOARD MEETING, I APPRECIATE IT.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.