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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2025. THIS MEETING OF THE CLEAN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES IS NOW CALLED TO ORDER. THE FOLLOWING TRUSTEES ARE PRESENT AND PARTICIPATING BRENDA ADAMS, SECRETARY OLIVER MINTZ, BOARD MEMBER TINA CAPUTO, BOARD MEMBER RODNEY GILCHRIST, BOARD MEMBER. AND ME, BRANT WILLIAMS, PRESIDENT AND PRESIDING OFFICER.
ABSENT AND NOT PARTICIPATING IN THIS MEETING IS BOARD VICE PRESIDENT SUSAN JONES AND TRUSTEE MARVIN RAINWATER. BUT HE IS IN ROUTE, BUT HE IS ABSENT AT THE MOMENT. FOR THE RECORD, A QUORUM HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED AS PRESENT. AS A REMINDER, ANYONE WISHING TO SPEAK AT PUBLIC FORUM MUST SUBMIT THEIR SIGN UP SHEET AT THIS TIME, A RECORDING OF THIS MEETING IS BEING MADE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC AT A LATER DATE. WE'RE ALSO STREAMING THIS MEETING ON OUR CABLE CHANNEL 17 AND ON THE DISTRICT'S WEB PAGE. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER ONE. PUBLIC FORUM. THE BOARD WILL NOW HEAR COMMENTS FROM THOSE WHO SIGNED UP TO SPEAK PER BOARD POLICY. EACH PUBLIC COMMENT IS LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES. I'LL ASK THE AUDIENCE TO PLEASE REFRAIN FROM ANY PUBLIC OUTBURSTS AND TO MAINTAIN DECORUM. PARENTS, EMPLOYEES AND CITIZENS ARE ENCOURAGED TO UTILIZE THE DISTRICT'S GRIEVANCE PROCESS TO THE FULLEST EXTENT POSSIBLE. RELATED POLICIES ARE AVAILABLE ON THE DISTRICT'S WEBSITE OR UPON REQUEST. FOR THE RECORD, WE ASK THAT ALL PUBLIC FORUM PARTICIPANTS BEGIN BY STATING THEIR NAME AND THE CITY IN WHICH THEY RESIDE. ONCE COMPLETE, YOUR THREE MINUTES WILL BEGIN. I WANT TO CONFIRM THAT WE HAVE NO ONE SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC FORUM. SO WE'RE
[2. Discuss Potential Candidates for the Position of Superintendent of Schools and Status of Search]
CLOSING PUBLIC FORUM AND WE'RE MOVING TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO. INFORMATION ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION. DISCUSS POTENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR THE POSITION OF SUPERINTENDENT, POSITION OF SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, AND THE STATUS OF THE SEARCH. WELCOME OUR CONSULTANTS, THOMPSON AND HORTON, AND I WILL TURN IT OVER TO MR. THOMPSON AND MR. MOSES. WELCOME. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT WILLIAMS. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. IT'S VERY GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.WE HAVE. HAD A WONDERFUL DAY IN YOUR DISTRICT TODAY. AND AND WE WANTED TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE REPORT ON THAT THIS EVENING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. FIRST OF ALL, FOR THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ALL OF YOU NOMINATED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FOCUS GROUPS TODAY. WE HAD EXCELLENT PARTICIPATION. I THINK WE HAD OVER 90% OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE ACTUALLY WERE PRESENT AND PARTICIPATED, HAD EXCELLENT CONVERSATIONS IN ALL OF THE DIFFERENT SESSIONS.
MIKE AND I HAVE BEEN HERE SINCE BEFORE 8 A.M. THIS MORNING AND IT HAS BEEN SOLID MEETINGS.
WE'VE MET WITH A NUMBER OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS, MET WITH YOUR SENIOR STAFF, OBVIOUSLY HAD A LOT OF CAMPUS STAFF AND OTHERS INVOLVED IN THE FOCUS GROUPS. WE MET WITH THE MEDIA THAT COVERS THE DISTRICT ON A REGULAR BASIS, SO IT'S BEEN A FULL AND BUSY DAY. AND BY THE WAY, IF YOU'VE HEARD ANY COMMENTS BACK FROM ANY OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE FOCUS GROUPS, WE HOPE THEY APPRECIATED THE EXPERIENCE AND AND THAT THEY FOUND IT USEFUL.
MIKE AND I TOOK VERY DETAILED NOTES. I THINK I'VE GOT 18 PAGES. WE TRY TO CAPTURE BETWEEN THE TWO OF US EVERY COMMENT THAT WAS MADE AS ACCURATELY AS POSSIBLE. WE WILL HAVE THAT INFORMATION TYPED UP, ORGANIZED, PUT IN A GOOD FORM. WE'LL IDENTIFY THEMES FOR YOU THAT KIND OF NATURALLY EMERGED OR THREADS OVER THE COURSE OF THE DAY, BUT WE WANTED TO GIVE IT TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY THIS EVENING JUST TO HEAR IN A PUBLIC SETTING TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE FLAVOR OF WHAT WE HEARD OVER THE COURSE OF THE DAY. AND SOME OF THE SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT WE HEARD IN ALL OF THE SESSIONS AS WE AS WE WENT THROUGH THE DAY. AND MIKE, BEFORE WE START ON THAT, DO YOU WANT TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE STAFF SUPPORT WE GOT FOR THE DAY ON THE RECORD? YEAH. THANK YOU DAVID, GOOD EVENING. IT'S GOOD TO SEE EVERYONE AGAIN.
JUST YEAH, I'D UNDERSCORE WHAT WE WERE SAYING RIGHT BEFORE THE MEETING STARTED THAT APPRECIATE DIANA VERY MUCH. DIANA WAS VERY MUCH SHE DID A GREAT JOB, MUCH ASSISTANCE TODAY AND THAT SHE HELPED MAKE THE DAY GO WELL AND HAD SOME EXTRA MEETINGS, A FEW EXTRA MEETINGS SCHEDULED FOR US TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO SOME PEOPLE THAT THAT I THINK WE'VE BENEFITED FROM, BUT APPRECIATE HER VERY MUCH. AND SHE ALSO WAS NICE ENOUGH TO GET US A BARBECUE SANDWICH FOR LUNCH TOO, SO THAT, THAT, THAT KIND OF I'D SAY WE HAD 55 PEOPLE TODAY, 17 IN THE FIRST GROUP, 19 IN THE NEXT GROUP, 19 IN THE NEXT GROUP. AND THOSE THOSE ARE GOOD SIZED GROUPS. BUT EVERYBODY GOT TO TALK AND EVERYBODY GOT TO TALK AT LEAST FOUR TIMES. AND SOMEBODY SOME PEOPLE GOT TO TALK MORE THAN THAT. BUT WE HAD A WE HAD A SERIES OF QUESTIONS WE ASKED AND WE WENT AROUND AND
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AFTER EVERYBODY INTRODUCED, WE HAD INTRODUCTIONS AND WE INTRODUCED OURSELVES. EVERYBODY IDENTIFIED THEIR NAME AND AND HOW THEY AFFILIATED THE DISTRICT. AND THEN IT WAS WE ASKED QUESTIONS AND WE LET THEM ALL. AND A COUPLE OF PEOPLE, WE HAD TO SAY THANK YOU. WE NEED TO KEEP MOVING, KEEP IT MOVING. BUT BUT EVERYBODY GOT WE WANTED EVERYBODY TO GET A CHANCE TO COMMENT ON EACH OF THE AREAS. WE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT. AND I THINK DAVID WILL MENTION THIS, YOU KNOW, TOMORROW THOSE SAME QUESTIONS PROMPTS GO LIVE TOMORROW ON YOUR WEBSITE. STAY UP FOR ABOUT A WEEK SO PEOPLE THAT WEREN'T ABLE TO COME OR, YOU KNOW, WE WE COULDN'T GET WE DAVID EXPLAINED THAT WE CAN'T MEET WITH 200,000 PEOPLE, BUT WE WE MET WITH A PRETTY GOOD GROUP TODAY. PEOPLE THAT YOU NOMINATED AND THE THAT THE QUESTIONS WILL BE UP FOR PEOPLE WHO WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT. AND THEN YOU'LL GET TO SEE THAT INFORMATION AS WELL AND GLEAN FROM THAT WHAT YOU MAY 1ST OTHER WORD AND AGAIN JUST SAY THE GROUPS YOU YOU APPOINTED WERE VERY GOOD. AND AGAIN, MR. PRESIDENT, YOU AND DIANE AND WHOEVER WORKED ON IT BROKE THOSE UP NICELY. AND WE APPRECIATE THAT. WE HAD TEACHERS AND WE HAD PRINCIPALS AND WE HAD TAXPAYERS, AND WE HAD ELECTED OFFICIALS AND WE HAD STUDENTS AND WE HAD IT WAS A NICE CROSS-SECTION OF PEOPLE IN EVERY SESSION. AND THE NICE THING ABOUT IT IS WE TOLD YOU THE RICHNESS OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS COMES FROM NOT ONLY THEM TALKING, BUT THEM LISTENING AND HEARING WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT HOW THEY VIEW THE DISTRICT, HOW THEY VIEW THE STRENGTHS AND OUR CHALLENGES. SO STUDENTS, AS USUAL, WERE WERE STARS.EVERYBODY WAS LIKES TO LISTEN, TO HEAR WHAT THE STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY. AND WE HAD SOME, SOME VERY GOOD STUDENTS THAT YOU HAD NOMINATED. SO ALL IN ALL, AS DAVID SAID, IT'S A REALLY GOOD I THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD DAY. AND AGAIN, I THINK WE HOPE THEY GOT SOME SOME THOUGHTS BY OUR QUESTIONS, BUT HOPE THEY GOT SOME, SOME THINGS FROM EACH OTHER AS WELL, FROM WHAT THEY HEARD. SO DAVID, YOU WANT TO YOU WANT TO START RUNNING. SURE. WE'LL GIVE YOU A LITTLE FLAVOR.
AND THAT'S ALL WE INTEND TO DO THIS EVENING, IS JUST GIVE YOU A LITTLE FLAVOR OF WHAT WE HEARD DURING THE COURSE OF THE DAY IN OPEN SESSION. AND PRESIDENT WILLIAMS IN OPEN SESSION. WE'RE WE'RE HERE. WE CAN TELL YOU ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE SEARCH. WE'RE STILL IN THE ACTIVE RECRUITMENT PHASE. THE DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS IS STILL OPEN. MIKE AND I ARE STILL TALKING REGULARLY TO INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE EITHER APPLYING OR CONSIDERING APPLYING FOR THE POSITION. AND SO THAT THAT PART OF YOUR SEARCH IS STILL ACTIVELY UNDERWAY. AND AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE PARTICULAR INDIVIDUALS OF MORE APPROPRIATELY IN CLOSED SESSION HERE IN A FEW MOMENTS. BUT TO START OFF, TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE FLAVOR OF WHAT WE DID DURING THE DAY WITH EACH OF THE FOCUS GROUPS, AGAIN, IT WAS SORT OF A GUIDED CONVERSATION. THINK OF IT THAT WAY. AND THE FIRST QUESTION WE ALWAYS ASK EVERY GROUP IS, WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF THE DISTRICT AND THE COMMUNITY THAT YOU'RE PROUD OF, THAT YOU WOULD WANT ANY PERSON WHO IS CONSIDERING APPLYING FOR THIS JOB TO KNOW, WHAT'S OUR ELEVATOR SPEECH? YOU OUGHT TO CONSIDER THE KILLEEN ISD SUPERINTENDENCY BECAUSE BLANK AND WE GIVE PEOPLE AN OPPORTUNITY. WE ALWAYS FIND THAT STARTING WITH OUR STRENGTHS AND OUR POSITIVES IS A IS A GOOD WAY TO KIND OF FRAME THINGS, SO TO SPEAK. AND AND WE HAD VERY GOOD AND, AND A LOT OF, A LOT OF THE SAME THEMES RECURRED OVER AND OVER DURING THE COURSE OF THE DAY. AND I'LL JUST MENTION A FEW. AND MIKE, YOU WANT TO YOU MAY WANT TO ADD SOME THE RELATIONSHIP WITH, WITH FORT HOOD, WITH THE MILITARY BASE WAS FLAGGED IN EVERY GROUP AS A STRONG POSITIVE. THAT'S OBVIOUSLY A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP HERE IN KILLEEN ISD THAT IS NOT PRESENT IN MOST DISTRICTS. THERE WAS A VERY STRONG AND BROAD RECOGNITION IN A AN APPRECIATION FOR THAT UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP THAT EVERY GROUP NOTED. THE DIVERSITY OF THE DISTRICT WAS NOTED IN EVERY GROUP AS A STRENGTH OF THE DISTRICT, THAT YOU HAVE INDIVIDUALS WHO COME HERE FROM NOT ONLY ALL OVER TEXAS, BUT ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND AND EVEN FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. I THINK ONE OF THE GROUPS NOTED THAT THERE ARE OVER 80 LANGUAGES THAT ARE SPOKEN IN KILLEEN ISD, AND DIVERSITY WAS MENTIONED AS A STRENGTH. THE COMMITMENTS AND CONNECTIONS BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS IN THE
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COMMUNITY, NOT ONLY ON THE CAMPUSES BUT IN THE COMMUNITY, WAS MENTIONED OVER AND OVER.SEVERAL PEOPLE NOTED THAT PEOPLE GROW UP IN KILLEEN. THEY MAY GO ELSEWHERE FOR AN EDUCATION. THEY RETURN TO KILLEEN TO LIVE AND WORK. AND THAT WAS THAT WAS MENTIONED VERY POSITIVELY. THE COMMUNITY IS A RESILIENT COMMUNITY. WE HEARD THAT WORD RESILIENCE MULTIPLE TIMES DURING THE COURSE OF THE DAY. AND AND THAT WAS NOTED AS A STRENGTH, A CULTURE OF EXCELLENCE, A HIGH EXPECTATIONS, INCLUSIVITY, PREPARATION OF STUDENTS FOR LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL WERE ALL MENTIONED AS STRONG POSITIVES. AND BY THE WAY, YOUR YOUR TEACHERS AND THE STAFF YOU'VE HAD HERE, THERE WAS ALSO A RECOGNITION AND AN APPRECIATION FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS. MIKE, DO YOU WANT TO ADD ANYTHING? I THINK, DAVID, I THINK YOU PROBABLY YOU GOT THE INCLUSIVENESS AND THE CONSISTENCY. GOT ALL YOU KNOW, WE HAD SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT THEY THOUGHT KILLEEN OFFERED A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING. SEVERAL PEOPLE SAID RETAIL, BUT THE COMMUNITY SUPPORT, AS DAVID SAID, THE COMMITMENT AND THE CONNECTIONS. WE HAD A I WAS TRYING TO SAY ONE SOME PEOPLE THAT MAYBE TOOK IT IN A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT DIRECTION. I'M LIKE, DAVID, I HAVE ABOUT 17 OR 18 PAGES OF NOTES. SO. BUT. I THINK YOU HIT THE HIGH POINTS THERE THAT I WOULD, I THINK, I DON'T THINK MINE PROBABLY VARY A WHOLE LOT FROM YOURS, BUT THEY MULTICULTURAL DIVERSE COMMUNITY. THEY'RE PROUD, PROUD OF MANY OF THE PROGRAMS. KEEP KISD HAS HEART, PERSON SAID AND ELABORATED ON THAT. AND WE WE SHOW UP, THEY SAID. WE OUR COMMUNITY SHOWS UP TO SUPPORT THE KIDS IN ALL THEIR ACTIVITIES, THAT THERE IS A LOT OF PRIDE IN KIDS REPRESENTING THE COMMUNITY IN THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT. I THINK THAT THE ONES YOU'VE MENTIONED, I THINK THAT'S MINE, WOULD BE REPETITIVE. OKAY, THE NEXT QUESTION AND YOU CAN PROBABLY SEE WHERE THIS IS GOING AFTER AFTER TALKING ABOUT OUR STRENGTHS. SO WE SAID, ALL RIGHT, NOW WE'RE GOING TO TURN IT AROUND. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES. AND WE'RE VERY CAPABLE TO CAREFUL TO SAY DOCTOR MOSES. AND I NEVER SAY THAT DISTRICTS HAVE PROBLEMS, BUT WE ALL HAVE CHALLENGES. WE HAVE CHALLENGES IN OUR OWN BUSINESSES, IN OUR OWN LIVES.
WE ALL HAVE THINGS WE CAN WORK ON AND GET BETTER. AND SO WE SAID, LET'S THINK ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS THAT ARE RIGHT AHEAD OF KILLEEN ISD. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT A NEW SUPERINTENDENT NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT? WHAT ARE WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT HE OR SHE NEEDS TO COME PREPARED TO HELP DEAL WITH? AND WE KIND OF WE ALWAYS USE THE ANALOGY. IT'S SORT OF LIKE MARRYING INTO A FAMILY. THERE'S AN ONGOING STORY THAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW UNTIL YOU BECOME PART OF THE FAMILY, AND THEN YOU GO, OH, OKAY. AND THAT'S SORT OF WHAT MOVING INTO A NEW COMMUNITY AND INTO A NEW LEADERSHIP ROLE SOMETIMES FEELS LIKE. SO WE WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THESE CHALLENGES. I'LL MENTION A COUPLE OR A FEW, THEIR SOCIO ECONOMIC CHALLENGES. YOU HAVE REAL DIVERSITY IN YOUR SOCIOECONOMICS. YOU'RE YOU'RE TRYING TO EDUCATE KIDS ACROSS A WIDE SPECTRUM WHERE YOU HAVE A LOT OF VARIANCE IN NEEDS OF FAMILIES AND KIDS, AND SO TRYING TO SCALE PROGRAMS APPROPRIATELY TO FIT ALL KIDS AND ALL FAMILIES ACROSS THOSE THAT SPECTRUM IS IS A CHALLENGE. BUDGET AND FINANCE WAS MENTIONED MULTIPLE TIMES. THERE IS A RECOGNITION THAT STATE FUNDING AND AND THAT'S LARGELY TIED TO OUR ATTENDANCE, BY THE WAY, AND FEDERAL FUNDING IN PARTICULARLY CHANGES AT THE IMPACT DATE, THE HEAVY IMPACT AID THAT IS THAT HAS BEEN FAIRLY UNIQUE TO KILLEEN ISD FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, OBVIOUSLY HAS HAS CHANGED A LITTLE BIT. PEOPLE RECOGNIZE THAT THOSE ARE CREATING A CHALLENGE AND ARE AND ARE GOING TO MAKE FOR SOME HARD DECISIONS.
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AND SO THAT WAS A RECOGNIZED AS A CHALLENGE. DIVERSITY. AND THIS THIS KIND OF GOES BACK TO THE OLD GREEK IDEA THAT THE VERY THING THAT IS YOUR STRENGTH CAN ALSO BE A CHALLENGE. AT THE SAME TIME, DIVERSITY IS A STRENGTH, BUT IT'S ALSO A CHALLENGE BECAUSE WITH DIVERSITY COME DIFFERENT NEEDS. AND AND SO AGAIN, TRYING TO DESIGN PROGRAMS THAT MEET A WIDE RANGE OF DIFFERENT NEEDS WAS RECOGNIZED. AS A SOMETHING THAT A NEW SUPERINTENDENT IS GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH MEDIA PERCEPTIONS IN THE FORMAL TRADITIONAL MEDIA, AS WELL AS MORE EMERGING, MORE AND MORE IN SOCIAL MEDIA, JUST KIND OF A NEGATIVE IMPRESSION OF THE DISTRICT THAT MANY PEOPLE THOUGHT WAS WAS FREQUENTLY UNFAIR, WAS NOTED AS A CHALLENGE. AND AND GETTING THE POSITIVE NEWS OUT ABOUT THE GOOD THINGS GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT WAS RECOGNIZED AS AS SOMETHING THAT NEEDED TO BE CONSTANTLY ADDRESSED. EVERY GROUP TALKED ABOUT CHALLENGES WITH TEACHER RECRUITMENT AND RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION, AND THAT IS NOT A KILLEEN ISD UNIQUE ISSUE. DOCTOR MOSES CAN GIVE THE BOARD A LITTLE BACKGROUND DATA ON JUST HOW THAT ISSUE IS DEVELOPED, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, BUT RECRUITING AND RETAINING GREAT TEACHERS, EVERY GROUP RECOGNIZED THAT THAT WAS A CHALLENGE, AND THERE WAS QUITE A BIT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT THE STRESSES ON TEACHERS THESE DAYS, THAT THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT IS A HARDER ENVIRONMENT THAN IT WAS A DECADE OR TWO DECADES AGO.TEACHERS FEEL UNDER STRESS, AND THEY NEED SUPPORTS TO IMPLEMENT AND EFFECTIVELY DEAL WITH ALL OF THE PROGRAMS. AND THEY'RE EXPECTED TO TO DEAL WITH STUDENT DISCIPLINE IN A POST-COVID WORLD. FRANKLY, STUDENT DISCIPLINE. WE HEAR THIS IN EVERY DISTRICT ACROSS THE STATE. CONDUCT ISSUES HAVE BECOME SOMETHING THAT EVERY COMMUNITY IS DEALING WITH, AND THAT TIES INTO THAT ISSUE OF TEACHER STRESS AND AND TEACHER MORALE COMMUNICATION. THERE WAS A RECOGNITION THAT YOU ARE A LARGE DISTRICT, AND EVERY GROUP TALKED ABOUT AS DISTRICTS GET LARGER, COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY NOT ONLY OUTSIDE THE DISTRICT, BUT COMMUNICATING INTERNALLY AND MAKING SURE THAT A CONSISTENT MESSAGE GETS TO ALL CAMPUSES, ALL INDIVIDUALS IN THE DISTRICT THAT GETS MORE COMPLICATED AS YOUR AS YOUR SIZE AND NUMBER OF CAMPUSES INCREASES. SO THAT WAS RECOGNIZED AS A CHALLENGE. AND MY I'LL STOP AND SEE IF YOU WANT TO ADD A COUPLE. I THINK YOU HIT MOST OF THEM THE THE THE THE CONCERN ABOUT THE MEDIA AND UNFAIR MEDIA WAS MULTIPLE TIMES MENTIONED. SOCIAL MEDIA WAS MENTIONED FOR MISINFORMATION AND AND SOMETIMES PRESSURE. YOU HAD A COUPLE OF ELECTED OFFICIALS THERE AND THEY TALKED ABOUT THE PRESSURE OF SOCIAL MEDIA CREATES FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS ON OCCASION. THE LOSS OF IMPACT DAY, THE THE TEACHER RETENTION ISSUE. JUST, YOU KNOW, SO YOU AND WE TRY WE LET EVERYBODY KNOW. WE TRY TO LET PEOPLE TALK. BUT THERE ARE MOMENTS IN THE CONVERSATION WHERE WE TRY TO MAYBE HELP INFORM JUST A LITTLE BIT. SO MAYBE THERE'S AN UNDERSTANDING OF ISSUES THE BOARD FACES AND THAT THE AND THAT THE MANAGEMENT FACES. BUT WE RUN A WE'VE GOT ABOUT 370,000 TEACHERS IN TEXAS SOMEWHERE IN THAT VICINITY. FOR MANY YEARS. WE WERE TURNING OVER ABOUT 40,000 TEACHERS A YEAR. I WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE TEXAS TEACHING COMMISSION IN 2000, 15 TO TO ABOUT 2018. WHEN WE FIRST 2015, WE STARTED WE CERTIFIED MORE PEOPLE THROUGH ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION THAN WE DID THROUGH TRADITIONAL TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS. BUT WE WOULD LOSE 40,000 TEACHERS, USUALLY TO RETIREMENT. SOME MIGHT GO DO SOMETHING ELSE. THAT NUMBER NOW HOVERS CLOSER TO 60, MAYBE EVEN 65,000 TEACHERS THAT WE'RE LOSING. THEN DAVID AND I LOOK AT THE NUMBERS OF TEACHERS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF TEACHERS, COLLEGES OF EDUCATION. IT'S LESS THAN 20,000. AND I WAS ASKING YOUR HR OFFICER TODAY, AND I THINK OVER 50% OF YOUR TEACHERS ARE CERTIFIED THROUGH ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION, WHICH IS NOT FAIRLY TYPICAL, VERY TYPICAL AND IN TODAY'S WORLD, BUT THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS WE ARE LOSING AND THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS WHO ARE
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ENTERING IS SO DISPROPORTIONATE NOW, ESPECIALLY IN SPECIAL EDUCATION, BILINGUAL EDUCATION, AND MATH AND SCIENCE. MATH AND SCIENCE WAS REALLY A PROBLEM FOR MANY YEARS. AND THAT'S WHY A LOT OF THE TECHNOLOGY PEOPLE LIKE TEXAS INSTRUMENTS AND, AND SAMSUNG AND OTHERS WERE INTERESTED IN THE SCIENCE AND MATH COURSES AND TEACHERS, THOSE OF THOSE AREAS HAVE ALMOST BEEN REPLACED BY SPECIAL EDUCATION AND BILINGUAL EDUCATION. IT'S NOT A GROW YOUR OWN PROGRAM. IT'S NOW GROW YOUR OWN PROGRAM, BUT IT'S ALSO TRAIN YOUR OWN PROGRAM. ONCE YOU GET PEOPLE, IT'S GROW YOUR OWN AND TRAIN YOUR OWN YOUR STAFF. WE MET WITH YOUR SENIOR STAFF TODAY FOR QUITE A WHILE. AND THEY'RE THEY'RE GRAPPLING WITH THAT. BUT THERE'S NOT IT'S JUST NOT CLEAN. BUT BUT THEY ARE IT IS IT IS A TEXAS PROBLEM. AND SINCE COVID WE'VE LOST A LOT OF TEACHERS AND THEY'RE NOT COMING BACK. WE LOST A LOT OF NURSES AND PEOPLE IN HEALTH CARE AND THEY'RE NOT COMING BACK. WE LOST A LOT OF FIRST RESPONDERS, POLICE OFFICERS, AND THEY HAVEN'T COME BACK. PEOPLE IN HELPING PROFESSIONS AND I CALL HELPING PROFESSIONS, TEACHING NURSING AND PEOPLE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT. OUR SOCIETY WAS PRETTY, PRETTY TOUGH ON SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE. AND THEY HAVE LEFT. AND NOW THE BATTLE IS FOR TALENT. AND YOU ARE. AND ALONG WITH A LOT OF OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN TEXAS, BUT YOU'RE, AS I CALLED YOU ONCE BEFORE, A CONSEQUENTIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT, YOU'RE BATTLING FOR THAT. BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT YOU'RE WHAT WAS INTERESTING TO ME IS THE LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING. AND THESE WEREN'T JUST TEACHERS SAYING THIS. THESE WERE PARENTS AND THESE WERE COMMUNITY PEOPLE THAT WERE SAYING THAT TEACHER RETENTION SCARES ME. TEACHER RETENTION, TEACHER. AND, YOU KNOW, COMPENSATION IS ALWAYS, ALWAYS GOING TO MATTER. IT MATTERS TO YOU. YOU WANT TO DO ALL YOU CAN FOR YOUR TEACHERS, BUT WORKING CONDITIONS. AND THEN WE GOT INTO THE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT STUDENT DISCIPLINE AND SAFETY AND PARENT ENGAGEMENT. AND ALL OF THAT BECAME AND THEN I NEED TO TELL YOU THIS SO WE DON'T HOLD ANYTHING BACK. THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE THAT SAID THE DISTRICT'S LOST OUR TRUST, AND WE'VE GOT TO TRUST PROBLEM. AND WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AND WHY AND WHAT WHAT WAS THE CAUSE OF THAT. AND, AND SOME PEOPLE ATTRIBUTE IT TO THE FACT THAT THEY THINK THAT, THAT YOU'RE UNFAIRLY COVERED. SOME PEOPLE THINK, YOU KNOW, COMMUNICATIONS, MORE COMMUNICATIONS WOULD BE HELPFUL, BUT YOU KNOW, THIS, THAT THAT DISCUSSION KIND OF WE CIRCLED THE WAGONS. BUT IT WAS A GOOD DISCUSSION. NOBODY WAS YELLING. NOBODY WAS SCREAMING. NOBODY WAS. THEY WERE JUST SAYING, HERE'S, HERE'S HERE'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING, HERE'S WHAT WE'RE THINKING. AND AND DAVID AND I AGAIN TRY TO WE TRY TO EDUCATE A LITTLE BIT WHILE WE'RE ASKING QUESTIONS LIKE ON THIS TEACHER RETENTION ISSUE AND THIS SPECIAL EDUCATION ISSUE, I WOULD WANT THEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH. IN THE PROFESSION, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THIS IS GOING TO GET EASIER FOR THIS DISTRICT OR OTHER DISTRICTS ANYTIME SOON. I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A A GROW YOUR OWN BUSINESS AND TO A CERTAIN EXTENT TRAIN YOUR OWN, BECAUSE WE TALKED TO YOUR PEOPLE TODAY AND WE TALKED TO OTHER PEOPLE AND THEY SAY, WELL, WE GET PEOPLE, BUT THEY'RE NOT ALWAYS THE PEOPLE THAT ARE THE STRONG. WE GET WHO WE CAN GET, AND THEN WE HOPE WE CAN TRAIN THEM TO DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO WITH THE KIDS. AND THEN WE FIGHT FOR TIME. AND WE GOT TO TALKING ABOUT THE CALENDAR AND THE NUMBER OF DAYS OF INSTRUCTION AND FIGHTING FOR TIME TO BE ABLE TO TRAIN PEOPLE TO DO THE THINGS THAT, THAT THEY NEED TO DO. SO YOU GET THE IDEA THAT THAT THE THE DISCUSSIONS WERE GOOD, THEY WERE CANDID. AND BUT THOSE THOSE WERE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES. AND AGAIN, WE TOLD THEM A LOT OF THIS IS NOT IS NOT UNIQUE TO TO KILLEEN I-S-D.THEY ALSO WERE AWARE OF. OPTIMIZATION CHALLENGES. THEY WERE ALSO AWARE OF SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION CHALLENGES. AND THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE LIKE, LIKE DAVID AND I THAT SAW YOUR MEETING AND SAW SAW SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT YOU WERE GRAPPLING WITH GOING TO GET TO GRAPPLE WITH LAST EVENING TOO. SO. IT I THINK GOOD NEWS IS, IN YOUR COMMUNITY, AT LEAST THE PEOPLE THAT WE TALKED TO TODAY, THOSE 60 PEOPLE OR SO SEEM TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, AND SO
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AND THOSE ARE PEOPLE PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, YOU APPOINTED THEM AND YOU PROBABLY KNOW THEM. BUT WE ALSO SAID, HERE'S A CHANCE FOR YOU TO BE AN OPINION LEADER AND HELP EXPLAIN SOME OF THIS SO THERE'S A BETTER UNDERSTANDING. ANYWAY, THOSE ARE THOSE ARE SOME OF THE DISCUSSIONS AS IT PERTAINED TO THE CHALLENGES THAT THAT THEY SEE FOR YOUR DISTRICT. SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE ALWAYS START WITH THE INVENTORY. WHAT ARE OUR STRENGTHS, WHAT ARE OUR CHALLENGES. AND THEN WE REMIND EVERY GROUP IT'S EASY TO IT'S EASY TO FIXATE ON OUR CHALLENGES. YOU KNOW, WE'VE ALL HEARD THE PHRASE OVER THE YEARS THAT IT TAKES FIVE POSITIVES FOR EVERY ONE NEGATIVE THAT WE HEAR, IT'S EASY TO IT'S EASY TO GET CAUGHT UP IN THE CHALLENGES.BUT WE WE CLOSE EVERY PART OF THIS DISCUSSION BY SAYING WE STARTED WITH OUR STRENGTHS FOR A REASON. REMEMBER, THAT IS OUR STRENGTHS THAT WE'RE GOING TO RELY ON TO FACE OUR CHALLENGES.
THOSE TWO GO HAND IN HAND. SO THAT'S WHERE WE TRY TO WRAP THAT UP. THE NEXT SET OF QUESTIONS REALLY FOCUS ON ON WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT THAT YOU REALLY WANT TO PUT IN FRONT OF THE BOARD, SO THAT THE BOARD WILL HAVE THESE IN MIND AS AS YOU REVIEW APPLICANTS, AS YOU PREPARE FOR INTERVIEWS AND AS YOU GO THROUGH INTERVIEWS, WE DIVIDE THIS INTO BASICALLY TWO QUESTIONS. THE FIRST QUESTION IS FOCUSED ON WHAT WE CALL RESUME CHARACTERISTICS. IT'S THE KIND OF THINGS YOU WOULD SEE IN WRITING, ON AN APPLICATION OR ON A RESUME. WHAT ARE YOUR EXPERIENCES? WHAT ARE YOUR CREDENTIALS? WHAT ARE WHAT ARE THOSE VERY TRADITIONAL BASES TOUCHED? THINK OF THAT THAT WAY. THE SECOND QUESTION IS REALLY WHAT ARE THE NON RESUME PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES THAT ARE REALLY IMPORTANT TO YOU THAT TEND TO COME OUT WHEN YOU INTERVIEW CANDIDATES AND AS YOU GET TO WORK AND KNOW PEOPLE. SO WE START BY FOCUSING ON BECAUSE THE BOARD'S GOING TO START BY LOOKING AT WRITTEN MATERIALS THAT APPLICATIONS AND RESUMES. AND SO TO GIVE A LITTLE FLAVOR OF SOME OF THIS, ONE QUESTION WAS, DO YOU THINK THE NEXT SUPERINTENDENT HAS TO BE SOMEBODY WHO HAS ALREADY BEEN A SUPERINTENDENT, OR ARE YOU OPEN TO SOMEBODY FOR WHOM THIS WOULD BE THEIR FIRST SUPERINTENDENCY? THAT'S PRETTY THAT'S PRETTY KEY QUESTION THAT THE BOARD WILL WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH. I WOULD SAY A MAJORITY OF THE RESPONSES WERE WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOMEBODY, GIVEN OUR SIZE IN TEXAS, OVER 43,000. WE'D LIKE TO SEE SOMEBODY WHO HAS SERVED AS A SUPERINTENDENT. IN FACT, SEVERAL PEOPLE SAID, I'D LIKE TO SEE AT LEAST FIVE YEARS OF SUCCESSFUL SUPERINTENDENCY EXPERIENCE. IT WAS NOT UNANIMOUS. WE DID SEE IT WAS PRETTY. YEAH, I WOULD SAY THAT WAS THE MAJORITY. BUT WE DID HAVE SOME PEOPLE SAY I WOULD BE OPEN TO A DEPUTY IF IT WAS ABSOLUTELY THE RIGHT PERSON IN A PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCE. BUT I WOULD SAY ON THAT POINT, THAT WAS PROBABLY WHERE THE MAJORITY THOUGHT ABOUT IT AND TALKED ABOUT. THEY SAID, WELL, THIS MAY NOT BE A JOB FOR A STARTER FOR A BEGINNER JOB. SO THAT WAS KIND OF NUMBER ONE. NUMBER TWO, OVERWHELMINGLY PEOPLE SAID, WE WANT SOMEBODY WHO HAS SERVED AS A TEACHER. YOU KNOW, IT'S HARD IT'S HARD TO LEAD WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PEOPLE IN THE CLASSROOM AND ON THE CAMPUSES ARE DOING. THERE WAS SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT.
SOME PEOPLE SAID, WELL, IF I WAS A TEACHER 20 YEARS AGO, I MIGHT NOT HAVE THAT GOOD A GRASP TODAY OF WHAT THE AND THOSE ARE FAIR OBSERVATIONS. BUT BUT OVERWHELMINGLY THE COMMENT WAS, WE WANT SOMEBODY WHO HAS COME UP THROUGH THE RANKS, HAS SERVED AS A TEACHER AND SERVED, YOU KNOW, AND SERVED AT LEAST FIVE YEARS OR MORE IN THE CLASSROOM AS THAT SUCCESSFUL GROUNDING AND EXPERIENCE IN THE CLASSROOM WAS WAS VIEWED AS VERY IMPORTANT.
SOME SERVICE WITH DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. THAT WAS A THEME THAT WE HEARD OVER AND OVER.
KILLEEN IS A VERY DIVERSE COMMUNITY. WE WANT SOMEBODY WHOSE OWN BACKGROUND HAS HAS GIVEN THEM SOME EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH DIVERSE DISTRICTS AND DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. WE HAD A GOOD CONVERSATION AROUND IS A DOCTORATE REQUIRED? AND NORMALLY DOCTOR MOSES AND I, WE ENCOURAGE BOARDS DON'T TO SAY IT'S REQUIRED, BUT YOU MAY SAY IT'S PREFERRED. AND WE HAD A NUMBER OF PEOPLE SAY, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO SEE SOMEBODY WITH A DOCTORATE. WE HAD PROBABLY MIKE, I'M GOING TO SAY MAYBE A MAJORITY SAY I'M MORE INTERESTED IN THE PERSON THAN I AM THE DEGREE. AND, YOU KNOW, JUST FOR FOR A LITTLE FLAVOR OF THAT. PRINCIPAL EXPERIENCE, WE
[00:30:10]
HEARD OVER AND OVER AND OVER, WE WANT TO SEE SOMEBODY WHO HAS BEEN A CAMPUS LEADER, A PRINCIPAL EXPERIENCE. AND AND I WOULD MAKE AN OBSERVATION TO YOU IN OUR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM, THINK ABOUT OUR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM. WE DON'T START BY RATING OR RANKING DISTRICTS. WE RATE CAMPUSES, DISTRICT RATINGS ARE AN AMALGAMATION OF CAMPUS RATINGS, LEADING CAMPUSES SUCCESSFULLY IS WHAT IS WHAT COUNTS AND TRANSLATES INTO GOOD DISTRICT RATINGS. AND YOU ALL HAVE HAD A GOOD CONVERSATION LAST NIGHT ABOUT SOME OF YOUR YOUR CAMPUSES THAT ARE THAT ARE GOING TO NEED SOME ATTENTION AND SOME WORK SO THAT THAT DISTRICT, I MEAN, THAT TEACHER EXPERIENCE, THAT CAMPUS LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE. WE HEARD OVER AND OVER AND OVER EXPERIENCE WITH DIVERSE POPULATIONS IN SIMILAR DISTRICTS WITH SIMILAR DEMOGRAPHICS TO KILLEEN ISD. WE DIDN'T HEAR ANY COMMENTS ABOUT, I WANT A TEXAN OR I WANT SOMEBODY FROM OUT OF STATE. WE DID SAY IT'S THE JOB IS POSTED, IS OPEN. ANY PERSON WHO WHO WANTS TO EXPRESS AN INTEREST IN IT IS WELCOME TO DO SO. AND AND THAT DID NOT SEEM TO BE AN ISSUE THAT CAME UP IN OUR GROUPS. MIKE, ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ADD? I THINK PROVEN TRACK RECORD WAS ALWAYS MENTIONED AS WHOEVER WE'RE TALKING TO, AND WE POINTED OUT TO THE GROUPS WHAT WE POINTED OUT TO YOU IN OUR LAST, OUR FIRST MEETING WITH YOU, THAT WE DIDN'T THINK YOU WERE LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY WHO WAS LOOKING TO GET AWAY FROM A JOB, THE IDEA WOULD BE FIND SOMEBODY WHO'S DOING A GREAT JOB WHERE THEY ARE, AND WHOSE COMMUNITY WOULD PROBABLY CRY WHEN THEY LEFT. IF THAT'S IF THAT'S THE CASE. YOU WON'T BE SURPRISED BECAUSE OF YOUR THE CULTURE OF YOUR COMMUNITY. BUT I THINK ALMOST WE HEARD IT OVER AND OVER OVER THAT SOMEONE WHO'S COME UP THROUGH THE RANKS MEANING TEACHER, PRINCIPAL, CENTRAL OFFICE, SUPERINTENDENT, THEY ARE DAVID IN SOME FORM OR FASHION. THAT WAS ALMOST ALWAYS THE THING, YOU KNOW, THAT. AND A COUPLE PEOPLE WERE OUTSPOKEN AND SAID, DON'T GET, DON'T GO, DON'T GO FOR A NON EDUCATOR. RESPECT OUR TEACHERS, RESPECT THE PROFESSION AND GET GET SOMEONE THAT HAS, AS THEY WOULD SAY, COME UP THROUGH THE RANKS. AND THAT THAT WAS I HEARD THAT SEVERAL TIMES. AND I THINK THAT YOU'VE, YOU'VE, YOU'VE PROBABLY HIT THE OTHERS. THE THAT PROVEN TRACK RECORD WAS THEY SAID, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST LEADERSHIP BUT SUCCESSFUL LEADERSHIP. AND WE HAD SOME HAD A LITTLE DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT TOO. SO ANYWAY, I THINK, I THINK WE COVERED THAT ONE. AND THEN AND THEN THE LAST QUESTION IS THOSE PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES KIND OF THE NON RESUME THINGS THAT THAT WE WANTED TO GET A FLAVOR FOR AND AND KIND OF BRING TO THE BOARD'S ATTENTION AS YOU, AS YOU EVENTUALLY GET TO THE POINT OF CONSIDERING CAMPUSES. AND I'LL MENTION I MEANT CANDIDATES AND I'LL MENTION A FEW INTEGRITY. TRANSPARENCY.APPROACHABILITY. VISIBLE AND ACTIVE ON CAMPUSES AND IN THE COMMUNITY. CAMPUSES ARE FEELING KIND OF BEAT DOWN. WE HEARD THAT A LITTLE BIT. SOMEBODY WHO IS OUT ON CAMPUSES AND ACTIVE AND VISIBLE IN THE COMMUNITY, SOMEONE WHOSE LEADERSHIP STYLE IS TO EMPOWER OTHERS. BUILDS THE TEAM, EMPOWERS OTHERS, AND THEN SUPPORTS SUPPORTS THOSE OTHERS. SOMEONE WHO LIVES IN THE COMMUNITY AND IS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY. WE HEARD THAT. HERE'S ONE WE WANT TO BRING UP BECAUSE IT FITS SOME OF THE CONVERSATION YOU ALL HAD LAST NIGHT. SOMEBODY WHO IS WILLING TO MAKE AND LIVE WITH HARD DECISIONS. A RISK TAKER, SOMEONE WHO IS WILLING TO DO THE THINGS THAT HAVE TO BE DONE TO BRING UP LOW PERFORMING CAMPUSES. BE WHO YOU SAY YOU ARE. DO WHAT YOU SAY. YOU WILL DO THAT. THAT WAS ONE PERSON'S COMMENT ON HOW THEY
[00:35:05]
VIEWED EVERYBODY. AGREED. YEAH, THERE WAS A LOT OF HEAD NODDING, A PASSION NOT ONLY FOR THE ACADEMIC SIDE OF EDUCATION, BUT FOR THE CO-CURRICULARS AND EXTRACURRICULARS. YOU KNOW, PROBABLY ALL OF US IN OUR OWN SCHOOL EXPERIENCES MAY REMEMBER AND REFLECT. THERE WERE PROBABLY DAYS THAT WHAT GOT US TO SCHOOL THAT DAY WASN'T NECESSARILY AN EXCITEMENT ABOUT AN ACADEMIC COURSE, BUT IT WAS THE BAND PROGRAM, OR THE ART PROGRAM OR THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN. AND, AND SOMEONE WHO RECOGNIZES THE VALUE OF ALL OF THOSE WAS IDENTIFIED. I'LL STOP THERE. I MEAN, WE YOU WILL SEE ALL OF THESE, BUT THAT GIVES YOU A FLAVOR OF THE KIND OF PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES THAT PEOPLE SAID WERE VERY IMPORTANT TO THEM. THE ONLY THING I WOULD SAY, AND YOU WON'T THIS THIS WILL NOT SURPRISE ANY OF YOU. IT WAS ABOUT STABILITY. STABILITY, STABILITY. ANYTIME YOU'VE HAD A TURNOVER AND WITH SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN IN THE DISTRICT A COUPLE OF YEARS AND LEFT, IT'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE THERE. THEY'RE REALLY INTERESTED IN, YOU KNOW, JUST SOME WE NEED SOME STABILITY AND INVEST IN THE INVESTED HERE, LIVE HERE, BE PART OF US. AND THOSE WERE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD TELL PEOPLE WANTED TO WANTED TO TALK ABOUT. SO BUT THAT AGAIN, I WOULD EMPHASIZE EVERYBODY THAT WAS SPEAKING WAS COMING AT IT FROM A CONSTRUCTIVE WAY. THERE WASN'T WASN'T ANYBODY. THEY WEREN'T THROWING ANY BOMBS. IT WAS JUST BEING BEING THOUGHTFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE. SO PRESIDENT WILLIAMS, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THAT GIVES YOU A FLAVOR OF WHAT WE HEARD OVER THE COURSE OF THE DAY. OH, YEAH. YEAH, WE HAVE ONE OTHER. ALL RIGHT, MIKE, WHY DON'T YOU TOUCH ON THE LAST. YEAH. WE WE WE THREW A COUPLE OTHER QUESTIONS OUT THERE BECAUSE WE WANTED TO. AND WE OWE THIS TO YOU TO BE FRANK WITH YOU AND AND YOUR COMMUNITY. WE SAID, HOW DO YOU THINK THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE THIS PARTICULAR LEADERSHIP POSITION IS VIEWED IN THE MARKETPLACE AND THE EDUCATIONAL MARKETPLACE RIGHT NOW? AND AND THEY THEY HAD CONCERNS. ALMOST EVERYONE SAID, WE, YOU KNOW, WE LOVE THE LEGACY. WE LOVE THE LEGACY THE DISTRICT HAS AND THE PARTNERSHIPS WE HAVE. BUT WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT. AND PART OF IT, YOU COULD PROBABLY SAY, IS HAS TO DO WITH SCHOOL PERFORMANCE. SOME OF IT MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH SUPERINTENDENT TURNOVER. I'M NOT. BUT THERE WAS A CONCERN. I ALSO ASKED THE QUESTION. DAVID AND I POSED THIS QUESTION HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY NOT TO EMBARRASS HIM, BUT HOW MANY OF YOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET DOCTOR DAVIS? AND THERE WERE A NUMBER OF HANDS THAT WENT UP WITH SOME NICE SMILES AND NODS. SO YOU GET A SHOUT OUT THERE, DOCTOR DAVIS, THAT THERE WAS A THERE WAS SOME APPRECIATION FOR YOUR WORK AND SO FORTH, BUT THOSE WERE WE JUST WERE TESTED. WE WERE JUST CHECKING SOME THOUGHTS AND REACTIONS THERE TO GET AN IDEA OF, YOU KNOW, WHERE WHERE PEOPLE WERE THOSE WHERE THE START OF THE YEAR. SO, SO I THINK THAT, DAVID, I THINK THAT DOES KIND OF CONCLUDE THE QUESTIONS WE POSED. AND AS DAVID SAID, WE'LL GIVE YOU, YOU'RE GOING TO GET YOU DON'T WANT TO TRY TO READ WHAT, WHAT. BUT WE'LL GET IT TYPED UP REAL NICE. YOU CAN'T READ IT AND YOU'LL GET A WRITTEN REPORT FROM US PROBABLY LATE NEXT WEEK.SO AT THIS POINT WE'D STOP, SEE IF Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, IF THERE'S ANYTHING WE SAID THAT TRIGGERED A THOUGHT OR ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ASK ABOUT, IF THERE ARE OTHER ISSUES THAT YOU HEARD ABOUT, OR IF YOU HEARD ANY COMMENTS FROM ANY OF THE PARTICIPANTS THAT YOU WANT TO PASS ON TO US, WE'RE ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, TALKING. MIKE AND I TRULY ENJOY SPENDING DAYS TALKING TO COMMUNITIES ABOUT HOW THEY VALUE THEIR SCHOOLS. IT IS INVIGORATING. IT'S ALWAYS A LONG DAY AND A LONG PROCESS, BUT IT IS ALWAYS ENCOURAGING TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO JUST HEAR FROM SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE HOW VALUABLE AND HOW IMPORTANT SCHOOLS ARE TO COMMUNITIES. SO THERE'S ANYTHING I WANT TO SHARE WITH US. WE'D LOVE TO HEAR IT AT THIS TIME. SO, MR. PRESIDENT, MR. WARNER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK. I YOU GUYS HAVE SUCH AN EXTENSIVE BACKGROUND IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION IN THE STATE. SO I VALUE WHAT YOU SAY, BUT I'M WONDERING ABOUT DID YOU SENSE FROM THE FOCUS GROUPS? PEOPLE ARE SATISFIED WITH THE DISTRICT AND WANT TO ENGAGE AND MOVE FORWARD, OR PEOPLE ARE GOING TO WITHDRAW
[00:40:05]
AND KIND OF REALIZE, GOSH, THAT'S A BIG MESS, AND I DON'T THINK WE CAN MAKE IT AND MAKE THIS WORK. THAT KIND OF QUESTION. YEAH, I, I THINK THAT'S A VERY THOUGHTFUL WAY TO PHRASE IT. AND I WOULD SAY WE ABSOLUTELY DID NOT HEAR PEOPLE SAY THEY WERE SATISFIED. BUT I THINK WE OVERWHELMINGLY HEARD PEOPLE EXPRESS A DESIRE FOR LEADERSHIP TO MOVE FORWARD. AND WE DIDN'T HEAR A SINGLE PERSON SAYING, I'M DONE WITH KILLEEN ISD AND I'M GETTING OUT OF HERE AND I'M NOT INTERESTED ANYMORE. I THINK, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, GIVE UP. BUT NOW THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE WHO HAD TAKEN THEIR THEIR, THEIR KIDS OUT, MOVED THEM OUT AND HOMESCHOOLING THEM AND MOVED THEM INTO NEIGHBORING DISTRICTS AND THAT BUT WE ASKED Y'ALL TO TO APPOINT PEOPLE WHO MIGHT NOT BE HAPPY. AND YOU DID YOU KNOW THAT WE NEEDED TO HEAR? YEAH. AND EVERYBODY NEEDED TO HEAR EACH OTHER TALK AND AND BUT BUT BUT THERE WERE PEOPLE THAT WERE QUICK TO SAY THIS CAN GET WE CAN GET THIS RIGHT. YEAH. AND I THINK GET THIS RIGHT. I THINK THE OVERALL TONE WAS WE'RE NOT WHERE WE NEED TO BE RIGHT NOW. THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A SENSE OF WE'VE LOST OUR FASTBALL, BUT WE CAN GET IT BACK IF I'D PHRASE IT THAT WAY. AND, AND, YOU KNOW, BUT BUT WE NEED LEADERSHIP. YOU KNOW, WE NEED WE NEED A RESET. WE NEED SOME STRONG LEADERSHIP TO TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT WE THINK WE CAN DO AND NEED TO DO. THAT'S THE WAY I HOPE THAT'S RESPONSIVE TO THE TO YOUR QUESTION. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER TRUSTEES WITH ANY FEEDBACK? MR. GILKERSON, I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AS WELL FOR WHAT YOU DID TODAY. I TALKED TO AT LEAST THREE PEOPLE THAT WERE IN DIFFERENT FOCUS GROUPS, AND THEY THEY SAID IT WAS AN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO JUST BE A PART OF THAT. THEY WERE JUST SO IMPRESSED BY THE CONVERSATIONS.AND THE ONE GENTLEMAN LITERALLY SAID THAT WAS WORTH MY TIME. SO I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU, I HOPE SO. WELL, THAT'S A GREAT COMMENT FROM THAT KIND OF ACTIVITY THAT SOMEBODY SAYS THAT WAS ACTUALLY WORTH MY TIME. GOOD. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MADAM CAPITO. I'LL JUST ECHO THAT I DID GET SOME COMMENTS BACK FROM PEOPLE THAT WERE THERE, SOME THAT I APPOINTED AND SOME FROM OTHERS. AND THE ALL OF THE RESPONSES WERE THAT IT WAS GOOD, HONEST CONVERSATIONS AND SOMETIMES NOT GREAT COMMENTS, BUT IT STILL WAS VERY HONEST CONVERSATIONS AND THEY FELT LIKE WE WERE AT LEAST GIVING THEM A VOICE. AND SO I APPRECIATE THAT BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT OUR COMMUNITY, WE'RE A CLOSE, SMALL, BUT VERY LARGE DISTRICT. AND SO THAT IS A UNIQUE ASPECT OF US. SO THANK YOU. WE POINTED OUT TO THE THAT YOU THEY WERE THEY WERE SELECTED BY YOU. SO THEY SHOULD THAT YOU WERE VALUING THEIR INPUT. AND THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT THEY AND I DO THINK THEY APPRECIATED THAT. THEY TOLD US, YOU KNOW, THANKS FOR DOING THIS.
WE GLAD THE BOARD'S DOING IT. GLAD Y'ALL ARE DOING IT. SO ANY OTHER FEEDBACK FROM TRUSTEES? COMMENTS? I ALSO DID HEAR FROM ABOUT THREE PEOPLE TODAY, AND THEY KIND OF SHARED THE SAME COMMENTS THAT MADAM CAPITO AND MR. GILCHRIST SAID ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THEY REALLY THOUGHT IT WAS A VERY, VERY PRODUCTIVE MEETING AND EVERYONE WAS ENGAGED. SO THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT, THAT I BELIEVE THAT CONCLUDES UNLESS YOU HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS, JUST KIND OF GENERALLY ABOUT STATUS, I THINK WE'RE STILL ON TRACK ON THE TIMELINE THAT IS ON THE WEBSITE.
AGAIN, WE'RE IN THE ACTIVE RECRUITMENT AND APPLICATION PHASE OF THE SEARCH AT THIS POINT IN TIME, AT THE BOARD'S PLEASURE, I THINK THERE'S SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO DISCUSS IN CLOSED SESSION. AND AND WE'D LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING WITH YOU IN CLOSED SESSION. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS BEFORE I CALL THE CLOSED SESSION? OKAY. WE'LL
[3. Closed Session]
NOW GO TO AGENDA ITEM THREE CLOSED SESSION. THE BOARD WILL NOW CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION FOR THE FOLLOWING. DISCUSS POTENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR THE POSITION OF SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS AND RECEIVE LEGAL ADVICE REGARDING THE SEARCH AS ALLOWED BY TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE 551.071 AND 551.074. NO VOTING WILL TAKE PLACE IN CLOSED SESSION. ANY ACTION THE BOARD WISHES TO TAKE AS A RESULT OF DISCUSSIONS IN CLOSED SESSION WILL TAKE PLACE AFTER THE BOARD RECONVENES IN THE OPEN MEETING. THE TIME IS* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.