1. Swearing in of New Trustees

• District 1: LaTisha Anderson
• District 4: Trustee Kristin Ashy
• At-Large: Runoff Election

2. Public Comment

• 20 slots were filled, remaining slots filled by waitlist
• Speakers voiced support for renaming Fulmore after Sarah Lively
• Teachers spoke in opposition to increasing class sizes and reducing planning time

3. Consent Agenda & Considerations

• Consent Agenda items 11.1 to 14.3 passed unanimously 7-0-0
  • Board voted to approve the 2018 Tax Levy of $1,448,894,898.39
• Consent Agenda items 15.1 to 15.3 passed 7-0-1; Trustee Elenz abstained
  • Various interlocal contracts between AISD and UT
• Item 10.1 Adoption of Instructional Materials Adoption Committee; Board voted to move item to next meeting to give administration time to increase number of Certified Academic Language Therapists (CALTs) on the committee 7-1-0; Trustee Mathias opposed. He was adamant that this would slow down the process of delivering new materials.

4. Superintendent’s Report

• School Name Changes
  • Board voted to rename Allan campus after Anita Ferrales Coy 6-1-1; Trustee Teich opposed and Trustee Ashy abstained
  • Read about Allan Renaming Committee’s process and recommendation here
  • Trustees chose not to make motions for renaming other schools so there were no other votes.
• Budget Priorities
  • If the status quo of declining enrollment and increasing recapture continues, reserves will be exhausted in the next few years. CFO, Nicole Conley Johnson Anticipates a $60 million budget shortfall next year.
  • AISD’s Budget Priorities are that Every Child Will:
    • Thrive in exemplary schools
    • Read on level by 3^rd grade
    • Excel with exceptional teachers
  • Budget Stabilization Task Force to deliver their recommendations on Dec. 14
  • Austin ISD faces unpopular options to fix budget: closing schools and redrawing boundaries

1.      Public Comment:

• Speakers identified a lack of cultural proficiency professional development opportunities & suggested that the district’s Race & Equity Office expand from one person
• AISD offers free breakfast and lunch to all children and teens ages 18 and younger

2.      Public Hearing: Health Services RFP

• 6 people signed up to speak, main concern was having an RN present on every campus

3.      Public Hearing: FY2018-19 Recommended Budget and Tax Rate

• 2 people signed up to speak

4.      Consent Agenda & Considerations:

• Consent Agenda (11.2-11.5, 12.2-13.5, & 14.1-16.4) passed unanimously 7-0
  • 2018-19 Student Code of Conduct
  • Amendment to Freedom from Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation, Student Rights and Responsibilities, and Student Discipline to include Immigration Status
• Items pulled from the dais for a separate vote
  • Agreement with Mainspring, an existing charter partner, to create an in-district charter Pre-K for three and four-year olds; approved 5-3, Trustee Gordon, Elenz, and Teich opposed. Main concern was the worry of letting unvetted charters gain too much ground
  • District to adopt aspirational HUB goals; approved 7-1, Trustee Cowan opposed saying budget pressures are too serious to meet these goals. Trustee Wagner voted in favor and said that we need to preserve the things that directly impact outcomes for our communities. Trustee Gordon agreed.
• Items for a separate vote
  • Contract for Student Health Services RFP; approved 6-0-1, Trustee Rodriguez abstained and Trustee Gordon was off the dais
    • AISD board approves $7.1 million contract with Seton for school nurses
    • Austin ISD adopts plan that leaves some schools without nurses
  • MOU with OnRamps program at UT; Approved 6-0-2, Trustee Gordon and Elenz abstained because of their affiliation with UT

5.      Superintendent’s Report:

• Delivered an End of School Year Report, videos of accomplishments of graduating seniors
• Adoption of the FY19 Recommended Budget; approved 7-1-0, Trustee Gordon abstained
  • Austin trustees approve $1.4B budget, with 1.5-percent teacher raises
  • Missing From Austin ISD’s Budget? More Than Half The Money Raised From Property Taxes

1.      Public Comment:

• All 30 slots were filled
  • Many spoke in support of Special Education and Special Education teachers
  • Speakers voiced concern about “drill and kill” style teaching, deficit thinking, and Kendall Pace’s comments.

2.      Consent Agenda & Considerations:

• Consent Agenda passed unanimously 8-0
  • Employee Compensation Plan will provide a 1.5% base salary increase to all employees. The final budget will be adopted after a public hearing in June.
  • Appointment of Chief Officer of School Leadership
• Items pulled from the dais for a separate vote
  • Interlocal Agreement between UT and AISD for district’s 2017-2022 Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Grant passed 6-0-2. Trustee Gordon and Trustee Elenz abstain because of their affiliation with UT.

3.      Superintendent’s Report:

• Recommended Budget Presentation FY2019
• Community Impact Newspaper Summary

4.      Board Officers:

• President, Geronimo Rodriguez
• Vice President, Yasmin Wagner
• Secretary, Julie Cowan

1.      Public Comment

• All 30 slots filled
  • Many spoke in support of the Chinese Language Program at Kealing MS
    • Education Austin organized teachers and staff to speak on what respect means to them
    • Themes ranged from a livable wage, culturally responsive practices, and valuing teacher input

2.      Consent Agenda & Considerations:

• Consent Agenda passed unanimously
  • Austin ISD board approves T-STEM Coalition to help save Mendez Middle
  • Austin ISD approves new district police chief Ashley Gonzalez
• Items pulled from the dais for a separate vote
  • Agreement with the City of Austin to install parking meters on Stephen F. Austin Blvd. In front of Austin High School passed 8-0, Yasmin Wagner was absent
  • Memorandum of Understanding with UT OnRamps program, allowing AISD high school students to earn college credits, passed 6-0-2. Trustee Elenz and Trustee Gordon abstain due to their affiliation with UT.

3.      Superintendent’s Report:

• Preliminary Budget
• Enormous pressure on budget from recapture. 33% of the district’s total budget is sent back to the state.
• Administration is currently negotiating a raise for teachers and staff with Education Austin. The result may alter budget projections.

1.      Public Comment

• All 30 slots filled
  • Many speakers concerned with potential school closings at Norman ES and Mendez MS

2.      Consent Agenda & Considerations:

• Consent Agenda passed unanimously
• Consent Items pulled for a separate vote (architectural and engineering contracts), passed 7-0-1, Trustee Mathias abstained
• Items pulled from the dais for a separate vote
  • Norman & Sims Modernization
    • Approved 7-1-1, Trustee Gordon abstained and Trustee Teich opposed
    • AISD board tonight chooses Norman for $25M facelift
    • As Austin ISD Moves Forward With A Renovation Of Norman, Sims’ Future Is Unclear
  • Contract for Desktop and Laptop Computers
    • Approved 8-0-1, Trustee Cowan abstained
    • Trustee Anderson raised concern that this contract limited teachers’ technology choices
  • Appointment of Operations Officer for AISD
    • Approved 8-0-1, Trustee Gordon abstained
    • Rationale shared with board member regarding appointment -This is a new position the district has created to take some pressure off of Nicole Conley as her work with the Public School Finance Commission continues. This person is uniquely qualified to assist with workload associated with bond projects due to their strong finance and construction background. An entire department was streamlined in order to justify spending on such a position.
    • Newly hired Austin ISD executive to oversee his current employer

Austin Independent School District School Board. https://www.austinisd.org/board