Alright. Good afternoon, everyone. We'll call this, special meeting of the Carroll ISD board of trustees to order on 05/05/2025 at 5PM. Our first agenda item is executive session. Therefore, we will adjourn two executive session in accordance with Texas government code five five one dot zero seven one, five five one dot zero seven two, five five one dot zero seven four, five five one dot zero seven six, and 551-0821 at 5PM. And we promise we will be here promptly right at six to start the public
portion of the meeting. Alright. Good evening, everybody. We will call this meeting back to order at 6PM. Our first agenda item is the opening prayer, pledges of allegiance. In a moment of silence, will you all please rise? Dear Lord, we come before you today with grateful hearts, seeking your guidance and wisdom in our discussions and decisions. Bless this meeting and grant us clarity and compassion as we work for the good of our students, staff, and community. Help us to listen with open minds, speak with kindness, and act with integrity, always striving to serve with your grace. Lord,
we are thankful that the threat at Old Union Elementary School last Friday ended safely for all. We give thanks for your protection over students, teachers, staff, and first responders. In moments of fear and uncertainty, you are present, guiding and shielding our community. Lord, we ask for continued protection over all of our campuses. In Jesus Christ's name that we pray. Amen. Will you please join me in the pledge? Now for a moment of silence. Seated. All right, next agenda item is item number four, National Water Safety Month, International Water Safety Day. Ms. Sarami has elected to move her presentation to our next board meeting on fivenineteen.
So we'll go straight into item five, which is recognitions. Our first recognition, 5.1, is our CISD valedictorian and salutatorian. And, mister Nickel, are you here to present? President Bryan, Doctor. Glenn, and, members of the Board of Trustees, it is my privilege this evening to introduce the Carroll Senior High School Class of 2025 salutatorian and valedatorian. Mister Wilson elected not to attend this evening and has asked that I assist in recognizing these two outstanding students from a graduating class of seven twenty six. So if our students, if you would, go ahead and come up here and join me, and I'll recognize you guys individually.
Our class of 2025 salutatorian is mister Leonardo Zhou. Leo earned a GPA of one zero six point eight nine one. He'll be attending the University of Texas at Austin where he plans to study computer science. Mr. Leo Zhao. Congratulations. In our class of 2025 valedictorian, miss Keita Guncher. Keita achieved a, GPA of 106.98. She'll be attending Texas A and M University to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. Keita Guncher. Alright. Our next, recognition,
item 5.2 is our incredible barbecue team. Mister Goodman, are you presenting? Okay. Thank you, mister Smith. Oh, thank you. Alright. Trustees, president Bryan, doctor Glenn, thank you very much for having us back again to celebrate what just happened. I do wanna say, on April 26, a hundred and nine of the best teams in Texas descended on Granite Shoals, Texas, just west of Marble Falls in Central Texas, always where the state championship is. And we had a really good day. We've got, of course, our other teams represented really well. We had, until we meet again, a few of them are in the audience.
We got they got twenty second overall in the state. We got Marcus Owen back there. We got Katie Christiansen Sregula back there. She got nineteenth overall in chicken. Hope I don't miss people, but we do have also for the Overtime Barbecue, Miss Kylie. Kristen Strigel came out to support. So they represented very well. We also had the Red Dragons and the Blue Dragons finished twenty second and twenty fourth overall respectively. So that's a really good showing for all of us. But in the end, it was OG Barbecue, That's the other guys. OG Barbecue that landed three of their categories in top 10 in the state.
Members of OG are Preston Inouye, our brisket king over there. Preston, I believe we are. We've got Cruz Paredes. Cruz is our bean person. Our first call of the evening, which there was a caveat to the whole thing, was unbelievable. That was a first place overall in Texas in dessert, and that was made with her first place trophy in dessert by miss Darian Kawhi. Then here came eighth place overall in chicken by Mr. Ryan Vu. Rounding out a wonderful sixth place overall in ribs by Kaden Roberson.
As all this is happening, our minds are blowing. I have to say up here with me, this is Todd Young. He help he's does music on drag Dragon Stadium for me. We've been together doing PA work there for a while. Also helps me do this team because I can't do this by myself anymore. So he helps me. Thank you to Todd Young. Thank you. So I'm just honored. I'm so proud of them. I can't I wish I put into words what this day is like. You see some pictures of them right after they got their calls. What they go through on this day is a hard, hot, long day up at 03:30. We had to get up at 03:30 that day and go until we'd get home
till midnight that night. And they put everything they have into this. If I could describe to you the passion that they do this with, that they cook with, every detail, they've got tweezers, they've got brushes, they've got everything making this stuff the best they can do. And it is so, humbling to watch them do that. And but then to see them get rewarded like this is phenomenal. And to bring home a reserve grand champion title, which is a state title in Texas for their barbecue, that's that's just unbelievable in our fourth year. So we're we're real happy about that. I wanna say, again, I'd just like to do my thank yous. Thank you to to everybody here,
the board, doctor Glenn. My wife does all the administrative with the barbecue team. I couldn't do this without her doing that. Our coaches, I got Todd Young. I got, chef Nick Leonardi also helps us out. We had to figure out a way how to run four teams during this all day because as you can imagine, this this little bit little bit cat herdy going on. But all we really do is try to focus on making sure everybody's on task. That's really our only job when we get to the state level like that. But I wanna say thank you to that. Thank you to these kids, and, we're just real proud of you. And congratulations on,
this, state title. I do have to say that I'm glad that miss Darien was here tonight. Our first place I I keep calling her just a dessert assassin. She is just this is her third first place this year in dessert at all the regionals. They've got their regional trophies. They've got everything the ribbons, their first places. Well, she is going to go home tonight and prepare as a couple of us are gonna go to Fox four news studio in the morning for her to demonstrate her award winning cheesecake. So I'm very proud of her and the whole team and so look for that on
Fox four news. I guess hopefully I'll know when it comes out and I can publish that. Hey. Can we give it up for their leader, Ken Goodman? Next up on the agenda is board recognition for our Carroll Leadership Academy for supporting success. Mr. Nicholl, I know we have a couple of members here tonight. Yes, sir. President Bryan, Doctor. Glenn, and members of the Board of Trustees, the Carroll Leadership Academy for Supporting Student, Supporting Success, also known as CLASS, was created to give Carroll ISD residents a behind the scenes look at our district. Established in 02/2008, the vision of CLASS is to build the most highly informed school community in Texas.
This year's CLASS cohorts included 33 engaged community members who dedicated their time to learning more about our district. Throughout the year, they explored various departments within the Administration Building, They shadowed campus principles, toured our STEM center, took a deep dive into fine arts and CTE programs. They also met with a board panel, gained insight on the Lone Star Cup, and visited, some newly renovated athletic facilities. It's been a pleasure to have this group participate, and we're proud to recognize their commitment and enthusiasm this evening. While some members were unable to join us tonight,
we'd like to invite those who are in attendance to please come forward and be recognized. So class members, if you would go ahead and come forward, and we will, recognize you and take a picture with you. Yes. All right. Our next agenda item is item number six, public comments, but we're going to move item number eight, the President's Report up. And I plan to yield my time to, doctor Glenn to provide an update, and then I'll have a short statement to read after him, then we'll jump right into the public comments. Doctor Glenn? Thank you, mister president. Let me begin by thanking, everyone for turning out tonight, especially the students.
Appreciate your involvement and advocacy. It does mean a lot to our trustees and our staff to see you here, also to our parents. Thank you very much for being here. It's absolutely appreciated. So I will, I'll begin with a few comments on issues that I I know are important to our community and try to address some of the topics that that I know you have tonight. First, as many of you know, there was a threat at Old Union Elementary School on Friday that led to the evacuation of the campus. All students and staff are safe, and the district would like to express its deepest appreciation to mayor Sean McCaskill, police chief Casey,
and all of the outstanding first responders from the city of Southlake. We are fortunate to have such dedicated professionals serving our community. I would also like to commend John Fike, Reagan O'Quinn, and the staff at Old Union for handling the evacuation exceptionally well. They managed a complex situation with care and professionalism to ensure the safety of our students. We will use this as a learning opportunity and debrief soon with the police department, campus leadership, and administrative team to identify ways we can continue to improve our emergency response plan.
Secondly, to the reason I see a lot of you here tonight, both mister Wilson and miss Benhoft remain principals of Carroll High and Carroll Senior High, and both have contracts in effect through the end of next school year and will remain in their current position in the district. Procedurally, the District will consider at the renewal of their contracts along with those of other staff at a future meeting. Finally, graduation. It is scheduled for May 23, and we are excited that the student ceremony this year will be more student led.
Our administration, including mister Wilson, have been discussing the ceremony since the fall. In fact, both mister Wilson and I were at the stadium today along with other district staff making preparations for the event. The plan is and always has been that both mister Wilson and miss Benhoff will be on stage shaking hands, congratulating students as they receive their diplomas. Mister Wilson will have the microphone last to speak to students and dismiss the class of twenty twenty five. In addition,
I know that he is looking into making videos and has some other things planned that we've been working with the city on. And, we hope that some of the differences will make the event more enjoyable and family friendly for our students and our community. Mister President. Thank you, doctor Glenn. Personnel matters are always serious. We understand the emotions involved. Please know that both the board and the district treat any personnel matter with utmost care. We strive to make decisions based on facts and guided by what is best for
our students and staff. At the same time, we are bound legally and ethically not to discuss or disclose specific personnel issues. That's not a lack of transparency, it's a matter of respecting the rights of privacy and privacy of individuals involved as required by law. We hear you. We are empathetic to the concerns we've seen and heard across the community over the last seventy two plus hours. We are not disconnected. We have responded to every email and returned every phone call to answer your questions to the best of our ability. In fact,
every member of this board is a parent of a current or former Carroll ISD student. We live here, we are invested here, and we care deeply about the success and well-being of this district just like you. We remain accountable to the community that elected us, and we will continue to uphold the principles you asked us to bring to this board, thoughtful governance, fact based decision making, listening to our community, and a clear focus on what's best for all Carroll ISD students. Thank you. Alright. Let's get to,
you guys ready? Public comments? We've got, let's see. We've got 54 speakers, signed up tonight, so we will give each speaker two minutes. Please be reminded today's meeting of the board is a special meeting, and, therefore, all speakers are required to limit your comments to those that are germane to agenda items only. However, for tonight only, we will make an exception and allow comments regarding Mr. Wilson, Ms. Benhoff, Mr. Markley, Mr. Burchfield and or Mr. Murphy. I would like to remind everyone to reference the Board meeting protocols,
in particular Bullets two and four, which state applause, heckling, booing, and verbal disturbances of any kind will not be allowed, and members of the public will not be allowed to approach or go behind the board dais at any time unless invited to do so by a board trustee or the superintendent. We're gonna allow applause tonight. I don't think we can keep that away from you guys. So, if you want to applause after each speaker, please feel free to do so, but please please be respectful for the next speaker that comes up to the podium. Further, in compliance with board policy,
if an individual or individuals disrupt the meeting by failing to comply with the board protocols, a verbal warning will be given by me. If it happens again, I will ask you to leave the room. Also, as a reminder, verbal attacks of a personal nature against trustees, CISD staff, students, or other citizens will not be allowed or tolerated. Lastly, let it be known Texas government code 551.042 prevents trustees from responding to a public comment inquiry of a subject matter not on the agenda unless a statement of specific factual information is given in response to the
inquiry or resuscitation or a recess how do you how do you get it? Recitation, recitation, there you go, of existing policy as given in response to the inquiry. Okay. Ms. Shelton, we're ready for our first speaker. Thank you. And speakers tonight, please state your name and whether or not you live within Carolingstad boundaries when you come to the podium. I will announce your names in groups of three, first, second and third as I announce them. The first speaker is Chris Underwood. Hello. My name is Chris Underwood and I do live here in Southlake. I'm here with deep concern and sincere disappointment regarding the district's decision not to renew
the contracts of four dedicated leaders, Coaches Markley and Birchfield and Principals Ben Hoffman Wilson. This is more than personnel changes. This is a signal to our students, our staff and our community and we have to ask ourselves what message are we sending. Over the last four years Coaches Markley and Birchfield saw improvement year after year. But But more importantly, they built a culture of accountability, teamwork and heart. Their motto five for one meant every player played for each other and toward a common goal. My son Lucas who played under both coaches, my son Lucas played under both coaches. At the end of season banquet, he said coach Burtsfield believed in him so much when he was emotional and uncertain
when he was younger. And about coach Markley, Lucas said it was one of his best seasons of his life. In fact, coach Markley inspired him so much that he wants to become a coach himself. That's the kind of impact we should be preserving, not discarding. If this decision was influenced by complaints about intensity on the sidelines, I urge you to consider the context. With smaller teams, tighter benches, and closer fans, they coach under a spotlight. Their every word, emotion and move is on full display. But that passion wasn't ego, it was investment. They poured everything into their players. This pattern of loss isn't limited to athletics. Kristina Behnhof has served in nearly every capacity over thirteen years.
She was the jack of all trades. She stepped in wherever CISD needed strong leadership. And Ryan Wilson with twenty three years of service, he's loved by teachers, students, and parents. Mister Wilson once said that handing a senior their diploma was the ultimate rush because he knew he had played a part in their journey. That's someone who leads with heart. These four individuals are pillars in our district. They showed up, they gave their best, and they made an impact. In Carroll ISD, we say we inspire excellence. From where many of us stand, it feels like we're not inspiring excellence. We're discarding it. If this decision is final, I just want you in the district to know that these four leaders made a
lasting and positive impact on the students and staff they serve. They may have not pleased everyone, but they led with heart. They showed up when it mattered, and they never stopped trying. Let's not forget what we stand for. The next three speakers are Dan Dickinson, Angela Schilsky, and Ray Simodny. Hi. My name is Dan Dickinson, and I'm a ten year resident of Southlake. My daughter graduated from Southlake, and mister, Wilson did hand her his hand her his, her diploma. My son is a junior. He's currently in band and in choir, and I'm a proud parent and volunteer of both programs.
I'm a little worried, and I'm just expressing my worry to this board and also to this administration of what we've seen recently on the quick decisions of removing possibly removing in the future term, teachers, principals, staff that have a legacy with this, district. They know the traditions, and I would be remiss to say that those traditions, like the previous person, mister Wilson has shown up to every single, choir event. He's sung with the choir. He showed up to the band. They've held props for us.
Him and miss Benhoff has held props for us. In windy conditions, they've gone above and beyond. We would be, a district that's worse off without them in it. Our family loves Southlake even before we moved here. We were searching in Texas from a play we just moved cross country. We're looking for a place in Texas that we can actually relocate. Southlake became that place only because of the traditions, the excellence, and the district of innovation quality that you guys bring, the arts, the extracurricular activities and stuff, especially with rockets.
My daughter actually now she's an engineer. She's looking at, graduating, hopefully, with aerospace engineering, mechatronics, they call it. And so this spurred that. They had a rocket program at Carroll. It's no longer anymore. So she got it right at the right time. Couple seconds left. Please be transparent in your decision. Mister Wilson, you know, love Thank you. Good evening. My name is Angela Schulzke. I am a Westlake resident, but my home is owned into Carroll ISD. We choose to send our kids to Southlake Schools. I have three children, a college freshman, a Southlake senior,
and a sixth grader at Durham. There are many concerning rumors circulating, including the superintendent and school board forcing out the high school principals and limiting student speakers at graduation. I want to ask the board and superintendent why you changed the rules. And this year, the class president and student council president are no longer allowed to give speeches at graduation. This has always been the case in years past, and it changed this year. Why? To me, this is censorship at its finest. I have a twenty twenty four and twenty five daughters. My older two children came through the Carroll Medical Academy.
I am a physician and an MD radiologist. I have loved volunteering and being a mentor to many of those CMA students. Many of those high school students and lots of parents have reached out to me in the past few days devastated by these rumors that the board and superintendent are forcing out our beloved principal and minimizing his involvement in graduation. They're also devastated by the cuts to the fine arts programs like choir and firing of their beloved basketball and swim coaches. The senior high school principal has played a very integral role in the education and
development of my daughters. To know him is to love him. He's a role model with over two decades of experience and service to Carroll ISD. Having just had a daughter graduate in '24, I was impressed with the rapport that he had with the students. He knows all of their names, connects with them, and makes them feel like they belong. This year, mister Wilson and the senior class council planned and executed the first ever senior talent show, with over 25 seniors performed to a packed auditorium. Mister Wilson brought down the house with his rendition of sitting on the dock of the bay. I leave you with this audio as from that evening as a testament of this
beloved principal. Good evening. My name is Ray Simadani. I am a I am a resident of, of Southlake. Servant leadership, man of unwavering integrity, visionary, compassionate, decisive, inspiring, Those are just a few of the words that come to mind when I'm asked to describe Ryan Wilson. My family has been blessed with having known the Wilson family for over two decades, and I've had the privilege of having three kids go through the leadership his leadership at Dawson Middle School and Carroll Senior High School. No other man no other man would I entrust more than Ryan Wilson to guide
my kids through school as they grew up into young adults. A great high school principal is the cornerstone of a thriving school community like Southlake. They set the tone for academic excellence, discipline and student well-being. Under Ryan's leadership, I see teachers being supported. I see students feel that they are seen, and I see parents having built huge trust in the school and in the Southlake community. Ryan is not just an administrator. He inspires growth, he fosters inclusion, and he drives results. When my wife, Beth, told me the school board was considering removal of Ryan Wilson,
I literally thought it was a joke. We should be doing everything possible to keep people like Ryan here in Southlake. What you're doing truly would be a colossal mistake in my mind. Do not think that parents parents of Southlake Students, Teachers, Students are not watching closely what you are doing. Removing a great principal, man like Ryan Wilson, risk destabilizing the very dragon culture that allows students and teacher teachers to be so successful. When you have a leader who listens, who leads with integrity,
and delivers results, you fight to keep them here. Do whatever it takes. The next three speakers are Trevor Bowen, Caroline Smith, and Dana Smith. Hello there. My name is Trevor Bowen. I don't live in Southlake. I'm a teacher. I'm a freshman at Carroll High School. I played on the freshman basketball team. I'm here to speak about how the coaches of this program helped me grow and develop my game and grow as a person. Coach Burchfield constantly strived to help me improve as a player. When I didn't try my hardest or give all my effort, he was there to let me know if I want success,
I have to work for it. Even when I was out sick for a week, he checked up on me worried about my health. He is not only a coach, but a mentor. Coach Markley is an amazing leader. The five for one culture he is building teaches us how to stick together when things get hard. Without him, I'm worried for the future of our program. He was coach of the year, plus we won our first playoff game in over twenty years, and we were ecstatic for our future. Please reconsider their contracts. Thank you for consideration. Please know that these coaches aren't just people and coaches. They're family to us. Thank you. Hi.
My name is Caroline Smith, and I have lived in Southlake my whole life. I am a junior involved in student council and a member of the varsity girls soccer team, as many as and many other groups on campus. Each morning, as I drive into school, mister Wilson greets me with a smile on his face as he directs traffic into the senior high parking lot. Directing traffic is a thankless job, and he probably has many more important things to do, but he does it with grace and humility, rain or shine, and that's how he takes on every role as principal at our school. He has always been supportive and kind to each and every student and faculty member
he encounters. He makes the senior high the exemplary campus that it is. During my freshman year, one of my best friends suffered a traumatic event in their personal life that greatly impacted them as well as our friend group. After finding out what happened, missus Benhoff took the time to meet with us and genuinely listened to what we were going through. To this day, three years later, she continues to seek us out and check on us, not because this is her job, but because she actually cares about the well-being of each and every one of the CISD students she comes into contact with. My high school experience would not be the same without mister Wilson and missus Benhoff.
They're the foundation that allow our high school campuses to thrive. Without them, many students and teachers will suffer. Thank you. Proud mom moment. Sorry. Just give me a second. My name is Dana Smith. I live in Southlake. My kids have been raised here. I'm a proud mom of two CISD kindergads and a rising senior. Here are just a few of the things CISD families and teachers have said about mister Wilson in the last few days. He is CISD. He's an amazing human and leader. He's a servant leader. Absolutely the very best. The most approachable person on the planet.
That's coming from a kid. Puts all students first. No Southlake Carroll without this without mister Wilson. He's the kind of educator we should name a building after. Best principals that teachers have ever worked for. The list goes on and on. Hundreds of current teachers, parents, students, and alumni families. When I read all of this, I think he is the epitome of this district, and our motto is expect excellence and protect the tradition. This is why we all moved here for educators like this like mister Wilson. These are the kind of things you would say about somebody where there would be no question to re up their contract come spring.
Having the high having miss Benhoff and mister Wilson in our schools is the best for our most precious assets, our children. They inspire teachers. They lead and support them. They run interference between the teachers and you. These principles are reach all of our students and accept them for who they are. High school is hard, but it's a little easier for our kids with these two principals walking our hallways. You all were elected to the board, but you are not elected to run some of our most treasured administrators out of town. The way the principals have been treated this year is embarrassing, horrifying, and appalling. It goes against the face of everything this district represents.
So despite the way the senior high principal was treated this year, he did not he did his job like he has in the past with the biggest smile on his face. He's the type of administrator who will work with you and collaborate with you to make things better. As a side note, do not censor our children. Senior graduates who have leadership roles deserve the right to speak and speak live in their own words. That is what the student body deserves and wants to hear. And if you listen to our students, you're gonna learn things like you said. The next three speakers are Eric Hughes, Adam Busick and Bill Friend. Good evening. My name is Eric Hughes. I live in the South Lake Community. My family and I moved here in the summer of twenty twenty three from Philadelphia.
We're huge basketball fans. For the last thirty eight years, I've made my living as a basketball coach, one as a high school coach, a junior college coach, division one assistant. And for the last eighteen years, I've been an assistant coach in the NBA. Just finished my second year with the Dallas Mavericks. That by no means makes me an expert on basketball, but I think it gives me the qualifications to tell you what a good basketball coach is. My son AJ and I, my oldest who's in the fifth grade, my youngest son Ryan, we entrenched ourselves in this program because of these two gentlemen,
Mr. Markley and Mr. Burchfield. We went to practices, we went to games, we went and shot whenever we could because we feel like this is a community that loves basketball, is learning to love basketball, and needs to get better at it. And these two gentlemen put their heart and soul into everything that had to do with basketball for the kids that are here, for the parents are here. Like I said, my sons are in the fifth and second grade. But those those guys did such a good job, and the way they were ushered out and not renewed that they were told on
Thursday afternoon that they had by Friday to turn in their resignation is just not right. And we're we're really losing out on these two guys being able to coach our kids. And my son, whose whose dream one time was to play in the a NBA, his next dream was I wanna start as a freshman at Southlake High School. When I was a kid and my dad would yell at me, he would say all kinds of different things. But the one thing he would say that always get to me, he'd say, Eric, I'm really disappointed in you. Well, whoever made this decision about these basketball coaches,
you should be really disappointed in yourself. Adam. Good evening, board. My name is Adam Bucek. I am a Southlake resident since, for over twenty years now, and I've had the pleasure of having three lifelong dragons from pre k through, twelfth grade. I've got my last who's a rising junior shortly. I've had the privilege of watching them, thrive through Carroll ISD and play sports and multiple sports all through my kids. I will tell you by far, without even close discussion, the best the best experience of my three children has been my son the last two years with coach, Markley in in Birchfield.
And I'm looking at making the decision for the coach, and I'm not telling you how to do your job. I don't know how to do your job, but I will say this. I would be saying, are you representing the school honorably with integrity? Are you are you helping these young boys, you know, prepare for the real world when they get out of high school? And know, are you representing the school and putting a decent product on the court with the with the resources and the talents that you have? The answer to all three we know unequivocally is yes. They check every box. So this makes no sense. It smells. And when something smells, I think the community knows what's going on here in this situation. And if there's a conflict of interest that's driving this,
it needs to be investigated. We get a text on Thursday evening that they're gone without any forewarning or discussion, and you're talking about representing the constituents. Well, we are the constituents. Our children, our sons, our boys, and these families are the constituents. Not one opportunity to interview all of the parents. I assure you if you go get a take a firsthand witness of what the what our boys would tell you about their experience on these coaches, it would be a % you never I mean, obviously, there's some disgruntled. There's always gonna be some disgruntled, but it will be a vast super majority, let's put it that way, of favorable outcome with with your opinion and feedback feedback with these coaches.
We're putting a huge kick me sign on our back if we take if we show these guys the door and don't let them come back. And as for mister Wilson, it doesn't get any better than that. I cannot say any better than the people who have come here before me. He is a top notch person, and I'm I'm ashamed and embarrassed for Carol to let these people go. Thank you. Bill Friend is the next speaker. Is he here? The next three speakers are James Tucker, Jack Bergner and Django Hollingsworth. Alright. Good evening. My name is James Tucker. Moved here four years ago. I've got four, little dragons. I'm here to show my support for coach David Markley,
somebody that I've had the pleasure of knowing for almost twenty years now. I've coached his kids in Dragon Youth Sports, and they attend the same school as some of my kids. Coach Markley is a great husband. He's a father, he's a son, and he's a brother. I believe the results on the court speak for themselves, but here's a few facts about his time at Southlake. The team had their first playoff appearance in a decade. They had back to back twenty one seasons, had 20 all district academic kids, seven all state academic, and he was named coach of the year. I'm sure you guys already know some of that. From my view,
in the limited time that I've been here, what makes Southlake special are the values, the education, and the life lessons this school district provides our children. These are underpinned by principles of excellence and integrity, both of which coach Markley exemplifies. What about his performance warranted his departure? The way coach Markley has been treated is not fair, and it is not right. Coach Markley is a good coach, but he is a better person. Thank you. My name is Jack Bergner. I've lived in Southlake my entire life. I was on both the freshman basketball and baseball teams this year.
I'm here to support the freshman and varsity basketball coaches. Being on the basketball team this year was great. Even though I didn't get as much playing time as I had hoped, I made the most of my time on the court, and I learned valuable lessons about overcoming adversity, the value of teamwork, and what it means to be a good teammate. Daily practice with JV and varsity players and exposure to all program coaches was also great for my development. And I had a great or lots of meaningful conversations throughout the year. As cool as it is to be a two cut sport athlete, it has its challenges.
The varsity coach consistently supported and encouraged my playing both sports, while continuing to guide my basketball skills development. His advice and support have been huge for me. Like many of my teammates, I was surprised by the board's decision not to renew the coach's contracts. Both coaches have had successful careers and pos positively influenced many athletes, including myself. This decision does not make sense and is a shame. Thank you for your time and consideration. Is mister Hollingsworth here? Hello? My name is Eric. I'm currently a junior at,
Carroll Senior High School. And in the short time I've known mister Wilson and missus Benhoff, I've come to know and love them very well. Every morning, when students drive into school, mister Wilson is there to greet them in direct traffic. This morning, it was pouring rain, and he was still out there in a trench coat doing hard work. If you get rid of coaches Markley, coach Murphy, if you get rid of mister, mister Wilson and missus Benhoff, what kind of message do you send to the faculty and the future people you'd like to, hire to replace them? Who would wanna come to a district that disrespects its finest employees and faculty? People that are well versed in.
I cannot imagine anybody else better than mister Wilson to fill the shoes at Carroll Senior High School. I would strongly advise y'all bring him back. The next three speakers are Jared Bates, Vicki Denkelley, and Ashton Tate. Good evening. Thank you guys for, letting us talk. I do not live here. I came here in 2010. I taught at Dawson Carroll Middle School and Carroll High School from 2010 to 2021. In 2010, I walked into Dawson Middle School, didn't know anything about education. I thought I did, got interviewed by mister Wilson. I went home that day and told my wife that I just landed my dream
job, and I was right. I loved every day here. He's the best of the best. And if you ask me, I believe he is literally a a Mount Rushmore of of Carroll type person. I went on to work with, Christina, at at CMS, and and she's the best of the best. She'll tell you what she thinks, whether you wanna hear it or not, and that's why she's the best. But I wanna use most of my time to talk about coach Markley. I was on the basketball staff before, when he came in. He allowed me to stay that spring and coach, when he could've just said, hey. No. Thanks. You know, you're out the door. Over the next four years, we became close friends.
I was kind of a consultant from a distance. You know, he he picked my brain. I got to watch. I didn't know who all the kids were, but, you know, kinda gave my input. And the first time I went to a game, I realized, man, this guy is intense. He is loud. And if the reason he's gonna be, let go, is because of his sideline behavior, the question I would ask myself is would I want my six and eight year old kids to be coached by him? And and the answer is absolutely yes. Would I enjoy him raising his voice and yelling at my kids? The answer is no. I would not. I wouldn't like it at all.
But what I would hate a lot worse, is a coach who doesn't hold my kids accountable, who doesn't expect the most of them. The band won a playoff game for the first time in twenty years. I know especially because I couldn't get it done with with the staffs we were here, with. And, you know, you talked about dealing in facts. I would just love to know the facts involved for letting that man go. He's a good man. He described this as his dream job, and he deserved to be treated better. Is Vicki Dangkelly here? Vicki Dangkelly? Good evening, members of the board, Doctor. Glenn. My name is Vicki Kelly, and I'm a Southlake resident since 2012 and a proud mother of three dragons,
one of which is a senior graduating three weeks. I'm here today after receiving an email by the administration purporting to address the misinformation circulating about the firing of the senior high's principal and high school's principal. At first, I was relieved to hear you read that the rumors were not true, but I realized the letter failed to say whether the principals will not fire or dismissed, will continue their principal duties and contracts renewed. The letter did not come from the principals themselves who would have been more appropriate to make such an announcement to correct any misinformation. It left out salient information about whether the principals will give out diplomas on May
23. My family has known the senior high school principal since my daughter was seventh grade in Dawson in 02/2019. He is loved and admired by his students, staff members, and regarded as a value member in our community. He represents the integrity and commitment to excellence. They are the cornerstones of our Dragon tradition. I say all these truths about our principle with the intent and purpose to say, if ever there is a time to do the right thing, to do your job, the time is now. There's never a decision made that cannot be changed. There's always an opportunity to do right and to do better.
If these principals can no longer serve their principal duties and have their contracts renewed, they have effectively been fired and dismissed. This is a bad decision. Please do not decimate our district of good leaders and educators. This district cannot afford this loss. To be sure, these principles cannot be replaced. They are the tradition and I and other members of the district want to protect. I hope one of you at least that are sitting up there share my good opinion and will have the courage to raise the red flag. I pray that others on the board will follow and stand with you.
Your action marks the change that this district needs to write its course and protect the tradition for all our students. Okay? Ashton Tate. Hi. My name is Ashton Tate. My family has lived in Southlake for a very long time, so protect the tradition, the phrase, means a lot to me. My grandpa was the second graduating class of Carroll, so, truly, this community means a lot to me. I'm a senior this year. Throughout my four years of high school, I was in marching band, a football trainer, and a girls' basketball manager. Throughout all of these things, mister Wilson has shown up time and time again, in state,
out of state, day and night, always with a smile on his face. I have never once in all four years heard any bad comment about him. All I've heard is that he's amazing, kind, joyful, and encouraging. He truly cares about his students. He's helped me with so much that truly has changed the outcome of my high school experience. Are many rumors that none of us truly know the details about, but what I do know is this, that the senior class loves mister Wilson. And if he isn't able to hand us our diplomas and take pictures at graduation, it would be an absolute disappointing to so many of us. I look forward to the moment of walking across the stage and hearing class dismissed
for so long, and we all want mister Wilson to be a part of this substantial moment that we have worked so hard for. Thank you. The next three speakers are Madeleine Riel, Heather Taber and Catherine Scruggs. Hi. My name is Maddie Reel, and I'm a senior at Carroll Senior High School. I'm the historian for the choir department and the vice president of the theater department. I am here to express my discontent with the direction the district is going and my support for the fine arts programs in this district. As a senior, I have a responsibility to advocate for the future education of my peers and fellow choir classmates,
and I fear that is at risk. Today, sitting in chorale alongside my community and closest friends, I received the news that our assistant director to our choir department is being forced into resignation. Our teacher has single handedly upheld the middle school choir department, the middle school show choir pop group GSM, and helped manage the high school choir at the same time. Without her leadership, there would be no program to feed into the high school choir. This would effectively end carol choir and the fine arts representation at our district.
The middle school choir is essential to the maintaining the department at the high school. It is unheard of that a six a district has only one high school director and no middle school programs. Four years four years ago, Carroll boasted four choir directors and a robust choral department. Next year, the possibility of choir even existing waivers, as we only have one director. As the student body, we do not stand for this. Maintaining middle school choirs with one teacher, working both Carroll and Dawson, is wholly necessary to maintaining the high school department and the excellence of this district.
Hi. My name is Heather Taber. I am a sophomore at Carroll, and I am proud to say I'm a part of the Carroll choir department and the Carroll theater department. I've been involved in the arts my whole life, and my mom is currently the official costume designer for both choir and theater. These fine arts programs are well familiar with being told they are underfunded because they simply don't bring in bring in as much money as other programs do. It simply is not true to say that choir does not support itself or gain attention from the community. This year, Carroll Choirs hosted the Southlake Showdown, which was a show choir competition in which schools from multiple states competed.
The com the competition drew 3,000 people to perform and watch shows and about $30,000 in rev in revenue. The Excuse That Choir does not get the same attention from our administrati Administrative system as some of our sports grip sports programs, because it is not a profitable group, is no longer a believable justification. As we watch our directors get pushed to reassign pushed to resign and important programs in our middle schools get starved of essential personnel and resources, we ask that the school board reevaluate what choir means to the community and the
benefits the community reaps from continuing the program. Keep middle school choir alive. I'd like to explain the difference between provisional and term contracts for for our teachers in faculty and why it matters. Provisional contracts are given to newer teachers, those who have been with the district for fewer than three years. These contracts can be terminated at any time without a specific reason, offer often under the justification that employment simply wasn't working out. Currently, many of our teachers on provisional contracts have not had their contracts renewed. Term contracts, on the other hand, are for teachers who have been with the district for a long period.
These contracts can only be canceled under specific conditions such as misconduct. But that leads to a serious question. How can a district remove a teacher on a term contract without officially firing them? This is where reassignment comes into play. Reassignment is when a teacher is moved to a different position, often one that is significantly less desirable. In some cases, their responsibilities may be also restricted to the point that they feel forced to resolve. Hi. My name is Katie Scruggs. I'm a senior in the school district and a current member of Carroll Choirs. I have been in choir since fourth grade starting with the Carroll Elementary School Choir,
the Intermediate School Choir, and the Carroll Middle School Choir. The recent news of the Carroll Middle School Choir being eliminated deeply upset me. Without Middle School Choir, I would have never found my way into the high school choir community, and I wouldn't have this amazing group of people by my side. The majority of my friends have come to this choir from the middle school department, and the forced resignation of our current middle school and high school assistant teacher would destroy the youth choir program in this district. I urge you to reverse this decision. It is impossible to have one director running six separate choirs on three different campuses, and I think this is a reasonable task is absurd.
Our wonderful assistant director was already struggling to do the job of two people by running both the middle school choirs in addition to helping with the freshman choir. This decision means the end of the middle school department ultimately creating a domino effect and ending the high school Carroll Choirs department. Almost every other activity in this district, which includes volleyball, basketball, football, track, you name it, has a middle school feeder group that trains the future freshmen of their respective departments. The discrepancy between this district's regard for its athletic programs and its fine art programs is disheartening and disappointing. Choir has contributed to the tradition of excellence at Carroll,
and without a middle school choir department, this tradition would cease to exist. I wanna point out that even though the department was not officially cut by forcing the only middle school teacher in a resignation, the department is cut without ever having to actually say the word. I beg you to reconsider your actions and uphold the integrity of the middle school choir department. Thank you. The next three speakers are Maisha Jaswal, Porvi Allah, and Alec Knight. Hi. I'm Maisha Jaswal, and I'm the future president of the Carroll Choirs department next year as well as historian of the theater student board. I was a Dawson Middle School choir kid and an old Union Elementary choir member.
Listening about the Forest Rex resignation of my assistant choir director or middle school director is extremely troubling, and I hope to change your minds about the possible elimination of the middle school choir department. As a lifelong Carroll Choir student, I can vouch for the positive impact that choir has had on me and how the destruction of the middle school department is unjustified. Many other programs have similar student enrollment numbers and are allowed to have two coaches or teachers without interference from this board or administration. Similarly, money was spent on refurbishing lockers for other sports this year,
but money spent on choir is curtailed and closely watched. The district needs to make sure that its singers and artists feel valued. Carol culture is made up of all students. This include choir kids and artists. If the middle school choir department disappears, so do we, and so does the core of carol culture. Protect the tradition by protecting middle school choir department. Thank you for taking the time to hear us today. Tradition is not just athletics. It is also our singers and our actors. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Purvi Allah, and I am a current sophomore at Carroll ISD. I serve as the Carroll Choir's a sophomore representative this year.
I'm also a dedicated member of Carroll Medical Academy's program. Thank you for this opportunity to speak to you on behalf of myself and as Carroll Choir students, at Carroll ISD. We have a phenomenal program, and we truly appreciate all of the work that our current staff has put into it. I have been a part of Carroll ISD's fine arts department since fourth grade, from band to visual arts and choir, and I've learned so much from all of them. From showing up for us at rehearsals, show choir competitions, and UIL performances, at home in Texas, as well as on the road in Iowa and all the way to Florida, our directors have really shown up for us and truly deserve to be appreciated.
This program is important for us as a community and is severely understaffed. Our departments are struggling. We request you to recognize and understand and reconsider the reduction and reassignment of staff members, especially after knowing the value of our arts departments. As students of Carroll ISD, we stand in support of our teachers and principals. We truly appreciate them and are disheartened to see the termination of our beloved teachers and administrators contracts, as well as our middle school choir department. Thank you again for giving this opportunity. Hi, I'm Alec Knight, and I'm a father, a former Dragon Dad. My kids started in kindergarten,
and I've got two freshmen, one at Alabama and one at A and M. I want to congratulate the Dragon barbecue team. Ken Goodman and his team deserve tonight's recognition. I find it ironic that c CISD offered zero financial support other than vehicle transportation for this team. No social the district did not offer any social media posts, about them winning their reserve grand championship or the reserve championship over two weeks ago. And, Darien is a star, and she won a state championship. It's and there was over a 47 teams in the barbecue league,
and they many teams received some funding for their teams as they value CTE. I don't feel like CSID is as committed to CTE as other districts. It's time to hire a full time CTE coordinator and have that individual go out and get grants to build the program even stronger. It'd be amazing to offer CNA classes for all, any of the students that wanna pursue medical school or be a PA, PT or nursing school. Now I'd like to address graduation. I'm disturbed to learn that the board president will be handing out diplomas.
We are addressing the we are a district that values the protection of the tradition. And however, I think I think Ryan Wilson should be handing out the diplomas because he knows those principles by name. It's a this is not a photo op for future political gain. I or I pray it's not a political photo op. Give the principal up front of don't put the principals in the corner offering high fives. Finally, as you see, turnout for tonight has been tremendous in support of the principals. Do not become the next Mav GM, Nico Harrison, and learn from and learn from learn from the Leuco trade.
You don't want to hear similar fire, Nico so and so chance echo through Dragon Stadium at graduation or at the football games, do the right thing and renew their contracts. Do you remember when doctor experienced teachers to sell the big bucks and hire inexperienced teachers. He filled principal jobs with yes men like The next three speakers are Megha Kadiala, Amy Gessner, and Sean Unger. Good evening, superintendent and the board. Today, I will be speaking on behalf of my daughter, Megha Kadiala, who unfortunately could not be here due to the Broadway Dallas music theater competition.
Hi. My name is Megha Kadiala, and I'm a senior at Carroll ISD. I'm the current president of Carroll Choirs as well as one of the district's treble choir all staters. I can attest to the impact that choir has had on me and the sense of community this place has provided me for the last four years. Carroll Choirs has been my long time home, whether I was running acapella rehearsals or attending show choir dance sectionals. I have always felt included in the space and welcomed. Sitting in class today and hearing that my assistant director is being forced to resign from this district was shocking and disappointing.
Our assistant director juggles three different jobs at once and manages the middle school choir program, which feeds directly into the high school choir. Without our middle school assistant direct director, there would be no high school choir program. So many singers would never find their people and never stumble into the high school classroom that opened up a world of possibilities for me. The elimination of the assistant director position is e equivalent to the collapse of the high school choir department and the end of choir at Carroll ISD. If this is a district that truly supports excellence,
then they will support the fine arts, and they will support the middle school choir. If this is a district that protects tradition, they will protect the legacy of choral music and maintain a director position for Carroll Middle School and Dawson Dawson Middle School choirs. There must be at least one director to run the two middle school choir programs. The artists at Carroll deserve the full support of the school board and this district. Students deserve a department to call students deserve a department to call home, regardless of their grade level or numbers to justify it.
Choir deserves a place at Carroll. Maintain assistant director choir position and reinstate the middle school choirs since Out of the class of 2025, parent choirs. Good evening. My name is Amy Gessner, and I'm a resident of Southlake. I'm here to express my strong support for the contract renewal of mister Wilson and missus Minhauf. I'm a proud parent of two Carol Dragons, a 2021 graduate and a current junior at Carol Senior High School. I wanna begin by thanking doctor Glenn for providing clarification that both mister Wilson and missus Benhauser's contracts are currently active through the twenty twenty five,
twenty six school year, and they will remain in their current roles at their schools as their school principals throughout this time. However, given the concerns circulating in our community over the past few days about the status of these contracts, I felt it necessary to speak this evening. As an active parent of over seventeen years in the district, I've had many opportunities to witness Carroll ISD staff and, in particular, mister Wilson in action at football games, competitions, school performances, and as a chaperone on multi day trips.
What stands out about mister Wilson is his genuine connection to the students, not just with those who are highly visible or involved, but with every student. He sees them. I've watched him walk through the halls and approach students who were sitting alone to check on them to make sure they were okay. I've also seen him take the time to sit with different groups of students during field trips to get to know them personally, to show them that they are valued. This kind of compassion and engagement fosters the culture of excellence and support that we strive to uphold at CISD.
I would like to share a few specific examples that stand out. At the twenty twenty three UIL competition, I watched Mr. Wilson personally high five over two fifty Carol Band students to congratulate them on their performance, and with energy and excitement until the very last child passed through. And at this year's performance, where there were winds of over 50 miles per hour, he was the first to run down from the stands to help hold props and protect students, and our performance to spirit escape. As a hiring manager, I know it's rare to find leaders with a combination of excellent intelligence,
emotional awareness, and passion for their work. I'd like to request that this, that this that this that this organization will reconsider to contact Good evening. My name is Shawn Unger. I currently do not live in Southlake, but I do attend Carroll Senior High School. I am a junior part of Carroll Choirs. And as a student who has been singing and in the choir department since elementary school even before I moved to Texas, I feel that the choir has given me a home and a place to be myself. And being a part of such a community, I feel like I have a good perspective on some of the current issues. Today, I will be speaking about a matter that you might have not heard much about.
This year, Carroll Choirs had three students achieve spots in the Texas All State Choir. This was a historic number for our school that we would this is a historic number for our school that we have not obtained in a decade. None of you would know that, however, because that failed to be recognized by our school board or our district. For those of you who do not know, 70,000 singers start the audition process, which spans from September to January each year. There are four auditions with brutal cuts each round, and only a 800 singers end up earning a final spot in Texas All State
Choir. That is only a 2% success rate, and for our choir to have three members representing Carroll ISD this year at TMEA was quite literally amazing. It was utterly discouraging to watch the district turn a blind eye to this achievement and stand by watching other students and groups being recognized for their accomplishments. Success in the Allstate process would be impossible without the skills that are implemented in the middle school choir. Training starts at a young age, so please take your time to reconsider the importance of Carroll Choir's program, not just at the high school,
but especially at the middle school. Thank you for your time. The next three speakers are Emily Lund, Ava Gilbert, and Jeff Ho. My name is Emily Lund, and I am a Southlake resident, and I have five dragons. I am also currently the, business president for the Carroll Choirs. I ditto many of the comments regarding Wilson and Benhoff. As a choir mom and bell mom, I have seen that they are champions of the fine arts. The choir director's position, as you've been hearing, has been reduced to just one. One person to run six choirs on three campuses,
plus rehearsed and after school show choirs. Some peep some parents in the middle school received an email from doctor Glenn saying ensuring that the middle school choir program would still be there. How logistically could that possibly happen? I I don't know how anyone could be all those places at one time. Let's be honest. Expecting one person to carry the load of three campuses and six grade levels is not sustainable. We cannot attract or retain quality educators under those conditions. There's no other six a district with one director for grades seven through 12,
not to mention that grades five and six choir was already cut two years ago. Our choir boosters and our broader choir family have invested time, resources, and energy to build momentum and build this choir. The middle school program has started to grow, and we had our Southlake showdown with over 3,000 people, as other students referred to, as a massive, success that put our district on the map for show choirs. Without a second director, these extra programs, show choir, special events, they just disappear. And then what happens to the middle school choir itself?
You can't have a program without a teacher that can be on a campus to connect with kids. And if we lose our middle school pipeline, how can we expect our high school choir to grow? Please value. We've already lost miss Heizer. Please val My name is Ava Gilbert. I have been involved in Southlake Carol Choirs for the past seven years. I'm a frequent worship leader at White's Chapel in Southlake, and next year, I will be attending Texas Christian University to major in music education with a choral emphasis. That being said, choir has played a crucial role in the person who I am today and the
career that I have decided to pursue. When I heard that the choir program was being cut in half at Southlake, I was devastated. How could the school that I had thought supported me from kindergarten all the way to a month before graduating high school show so little care to the thing I love most? Choir is so important to our school. Students need to find somewhere where they can use their voice, have a sense of belonging, and purpose. Choir provides just that. I know to you all, programs like choir must just be numbers and dollar signs, but you cannot put a price on the joy filled kids of the middle school
show choir this year. They were so full of passion, talent, and excitement, and I was sitting there thinking through the whole set how amazing it will be when they feed into our high school group. Music educators like our middle school choir director are a blessing to our school. She has worked so hard to bring the middle school choirs to the next level, and watching the love and care that she has towards her job has kept me inspired and excited to hopefully educate the next generations of musicians myself. Watching her force recognition put into perspective that that could be me four years from
now in my own town at the school I grew up in, getting my position as a choir director completely eliminated just because the priorities are so far from the arts. We need support. We need attention because it is not fair for you all to decide that a program like a middle school choir is unnecessary and unneeded. Thank you for your time. Jeff Ho is the next speaker. Is he here? Is Nancy Dimaco here? I saw her before, but I don't see her now. There she is. She's coming. Hi. My name is Nancy D'Amico. I am a resident of Southlake,
and I have two Carol Dragons. And I'm speaking because, two of my kids have missus Wilson, which is mister Wilson's wife for math, and she's phenomenal. She teaches geometry and algebra at CMS. Our teachers and coaches and campus administrators are the backbones of our educational system and their dedication to our students. And the relationships and community they build on campus among students and teachers is what makes Dragon culture what it is.
At a time when our district is struggling to navigate declining enrollment, lack of state funding, the knowledge, experience, and leadership of decades devoted by our high school administrators are essential. In the face of these challenges, it will be the dedication of servant leaders like mister Wilson, who are beloved by all, that can best guide us and continue to support all students and our schools. Not only will this departure of amazing campus leadership deeply impact our ability to navigate
a tough road ahead, the biggest harm is the damage that'll be done to current and fewer future students and staff. Our teachers and students are now questioning how can such loved coaches, choir teachers, band directors, principals, who have gone above and beyond for so many, be forced out by this board and superintendent. Our teachers are watching, and you are telling them loud and clear, we do not value excellence. If CISD is not safe for amazing leaders like Ryan Wilson, it's not safe for them either.
Is Marcus Winn here? Elizabeth Janning? Good evening, everybody. My name is Elizabeth Janning. I am a resident here in Southlake. I have one Dragon graduate, and I have two Dragons currently. And before I speak, I just wanna make it clear that I am speaking on my personal behalf. I am not representing any organization I am currently or ever been affiliated with, and I think that's an important thing to know right now. I, I wanna tell you a story. That's the real reason I'm here is to tell you a story. And on my way in, I actually saw many other current and former PTO presidents. And I had the privilege of serving as PTO president at Dawson Middle School a
few years ago under the leadership of Ryan Wilson. And while I was there, there are so many things that I could tell you that as a PTO president that you see that other people don't have the privilege to see. And there's one story that really stands out to me. And that story was mister Wilson, noticed and recognized as a leader that there was a student who was unable to make their basic needs happen. And what mister Wilson did was he worked every single avenue he could to make sure this student's basic needs were met so that he could come to school,
or she, I don't even know, and learn. And one of the avenues he worked was he came to PTO and asked us how could we support. So we hooked him up with a family that was willing and able to give that kid support, and it wasn't one time. This kid was supported through two years at Dawson Middle School, and mister Wilson made sure that every month that that delivery happened and that that kid came to school ready to learn. That is one example of the many. I appreciate you listening to me. That is the kind of leader that I want my students and all of these students to see.
The next three speakers are Preston Hall, Jennifer Hall and Jamie Handy. Alright. Hi. My name is Preston Hall. I'm a sophomore at Carroll High School. I have been in this district since preschool in 02/2011 and Carroll Elementary and and have been to six and I have been to six campuses. I'm in a I meant I am a part of special programs in Cary ISD. I am very sad to hear news that miss Benhoff and mister Wilson may not be returning. Missus Benhoff has helped me the past two years when when even when things were
hard for me. One day, she sat on the floor of my classroom with me for over twenty minutes when I nearly passed out at school. She sat with me and helped me feel calm. She always said hi to me and cared about me. I see mister Wilson sometimes when I go to the senior high. Last week, he told me that he was excited for me to be at his school next year. They both care about me, my teachers, and my teachers are important in for me and how the school year goes. Without great leaders like miss Benhoff and mister Wilson,
we could lose our great teachers. Please listen to all of us who want them to stay, and who knows how great they are. Thank you for listening. Hi. My name is Jennifer Hall, and I'm Preston's mom. And I'm, also the mom to his twin brother Luke and his little sister Avery. I'm also one of the directors to Protect Texas Fragile Kids, a grassroots nonprofit, who advocates at the state level for our medically fragile and disabled population like Preston. I've learned along the seventeen year journey of having a medically fragile and disabled child the importance of speaking up when wrongs are occurring,
and that's why we're here, even when you're tired and even when it's not convenient. Like Preston said, we have been in the district since 02/2011. We specifically moved here for PPCD at Carroll Elementary. I'm a Grapevine High School graduate, and we chose here. I'm here in hopes of convincing missus Benhopp and mister Wilson to stay after this fiasco dies down and our district comes to its senses and y'all offer them a contract again. Having strong and beloved leadership is how we retain and hire amazing teachers. That seems to be a very difficult task in the current climate we're in.
I was on campus the day Preston nearly fainted in class. That class he was in, he had not had a teacher for multiple weeks and was pretty upset, and that played into this issue. I walked in to find miss Benhoff sitting on the ground next to Preston comforting him. She sat with him for over twenty minutes until I was able to get him home, and I have watched her as a front office volunteer, care for the well-being of many students, and she knows them by name. We were super excited for mister Wilson to be his transition, and transitions are hard when you're in special education. It's extremely hard.
And he's ready, and he knows Preston, and he's ready for him. And as you know, it's been difficult to fill these positions, but special ed is the most difficult place. And we need leaders who know our kids to speak up and find teachers that are appropriate for them, and we're already struggling. And we've had massive turnover in special ed. And we're asking you to listen to us, and mister Wilson and miss Benhoff, please consider staying. We need you. Dear board, my name is Jamie Handy. My husband, Trent, and I are Southlake and CISD residents and parents to five dragons, class of 2018, '20 '20, '20 '20 '2,
this year, 2025, and 2029. Additionally, I'm a licensed Texas secondary science teacher who works as a substitute at all of the campuses in our district, especially the high school and senior high where my kids are. The tradition of excellence here at CISD is magical, but it is not just something in the water. The magic is our administrators, teachers, and coaches who work tirelessly, as we have all heard, on our students' behalf. And the result is that the schools are the core of our community and the backbone of our property values. The contract nonrenewals are a trade down, pure and simple, excellence to mediocrity, magical to mundane.
There is not enough time to tell you about the amazing differences these individuals have made in the lives of my children, and not enough has been given to coach Murphy. And I'd like to specifically call him out for helping with all of my children. This cutesy legalese and lack of transparency with no communicated plan of action forces us to ask, what is motivating this? Who is at the helm? And who is driving the school bus? And where are you going? I'm here to remind you that we, the taxpayers, are to whom you answer. Disguising of free speech at our students who have earned the right to speak to their peers removes the magic of graduation.
The shared anecdotes, memories, and wisdom for these students should be spoken freely. And I will conclude with Shel Silverstein's poem, Smart. My dad gave me $1 bill because I'm his smartest son, and I swapped it for two shiny quarters because two is more than one. And then I took the quarters and traded them to Lou for 3 dimes. I guess he don't know that three is more than two. Just then along came old blind baits, and just because he can't see, he gave me 4 nickels for my 3 dimes, and four is more than three. And I took the nickels to Hiram Coombs down at the seed seed store, and the fool gave me 5 pennies for them, and five is more than four.
We deserve wisdom, not smarts. Don't trade away our magical $1 bill. School district and staff are 5 shiny pennies, or we will vote you out. Thank you. The next three speakers are Barbara Johnson, Carolyn Conley, and Michelle Moore. My name is Barbara Johnson. I'm the mother of two dragons and the grandmother of three dragons. My family and I have lived in Southlake for almost forty one years. Last week, we learned that our beloved high school swim coach, coach Murphy of twenty years, was reassigned. When I read this weekend's email that told Southlake not to believe the rumors,
that we should trust the administration to provide open, honest communication. I thought, okay. We are going to receive some open, honest communication, and I am still waiting. Coach Hall of Honor recipient Murphy has built a swim dive powerhouse in Southlake, including 15 state championships. There are so many swim swim trophies in such a tiny trophy case that the trophies are piled in like books on a bookshelf, some lying on top of each other. When our oldest grandchild was five years old, he began swimming with coach of endless numbers of all Americans,
Murphy, on the summer swim team, Tiger Sharks. When he was seven years old, he asked Coach Murphy, fourteen time Texas swim coach of the year, when I'm in high school, will you be my swim coach? And Coach responded, yes, I will. Next month, our grandson will start his tenth summer with coach's instruction. And in August, he will start his freshman year of swimming. Last week, on the way home from a baseball practice, my husband told our grandson that the swim coach would not be his high school swim coach. And he asked why, grandpa, I would have answered because some individuals think they are more important than the team.
And of course, money talks. We applaud Coach Murphy's ability to communicate with young athletes, his dedication, humility, and patience. We need to know what happens behind closed doors. We need open, honest communication. We need transparency. Is Carolyn Connolly here? Hi, guys. My name is Carolyn Conley. I'm a Hispanic conservative single mother and proud Dragon parent. Let me try to say this without getting emotional. I've been a Dragon parent for the past five years. I'd like to address personnel.
I moved here from California seeking a better educational environment for my son, which I found myself drawn by Carroll ISD's top rated reputation. I think a lot of us have. While adjusting to a new community wasn't easy, I believe that the quality education was worth the leap. I was aware of the past concerns, like those raised in the South Lake podcast and received much reproof from family members. But I trusted that decision anyways. What makes a school exceptional is not rankings. It's the people. It's the teachers. It's the staff.
Our teachers, staff, and administrators are the heart of Carroll ISD. But the current the current climate, particularly the administration's treatment of its educators and support staff, is deeply concerning. Staff morale is declining. I know this for a fact. In an effort to be close to my child, I took a job in a CISD department after my student was diagnosed with a serious life threatening condition. Our coworkers and our teachers have been gracious and supportive during this challenging and difficult time for me and my children.
And I would like to protect that tradition. That's the tradition that needs to be protected. Me and my kids have been through hell. Talented teachers, colleagues, and leaders who have been instrumental in my kids' development and health during this time at CISD are leading the district by choice. Pay for support roles remains below that of neighboring districts like GCISD, Keller despite Southlake's wealth and record of pay schedule listed on the district website. Many join CISD for its prestige and promise, often at a pay cut. Good evening, doctor Glenn and members of the school board.
My name is Michelle Moore. I've called Southlake home for over nineteen years, and I'm a proud mom of two Dragon graduates. I served on the Carol ISD Board of Trustees from 2015 to 2023. During that time, I came to understand the weight of decisions we make, decisions that shape our students, staff, and the future of this district. I never imagined I'd be back in this boardroom, much less on this this side of the microphone, but I'm here tonight because I care too much to stay silent. I believe accountability and transparency are the foundations of good governance,
and I'm deeply concerned about the non renewal of contracts for some of our most beloved and dedicated educators. These aren't just names on a list. These are people who've poured their hearts into our schools, build lasting relationships, and inspired our students. I've seen their commitment firsthand, mentoring, encouraging, and showing up day after day for our kids. So I have to ask, is this board asking the hard questions? Are you ensuring that personnel decisions are based on facts and substance, not driven by retaliation against those who spoken up or made difficult choices? When reprimands or disciplinary action occur,
are you as a board being given the full story, The evidence, the rationale, are you making sure these actions align with district policy, due process, and the ethical standards we owe to every employee? And beyond that, are you considering whether political differences, real or perceived, are unfairly influencing decisions about who stays and who goes? Oh, gosh. I'm running out. We won't always agree politically, but that should not be the lens we use to judge the value and contributions of those who dedicate their lives to our children. And at the end of the day, we should all want the same best for our children.
I'm just asking that I just look closely to ask a tough question. The trust of this community, the reputation of this district, the retention of our teachers and staff, and the well-being of our students depend on it. Thank you. The next three speakers are Nikki Stovall, Janna Thompson and Sarah Beagle. Hi. I'm Nikki Stovall, Southlake resident for fifteen years, mother of three dragons. I'll get through it. One kindergarten and two currently at Carroll High School. Most importantly, I'm a proud wife of a teacher at Carroll High School who works directly for
Christina Benhoff and regularly interacts with Ryan Wilson when others are not around. There are many things that make Southlake a very special place, and I genuinely believe that the glue that is holding it together right now are the tireless staff in this district that often can't or won't speak out, but have shown up today regardless of personal risk because of the impact of these individuals, and that says more than I can ever say to you here today. Everyone talks about protecting the tradition. These two are the tradition. We must fiercely protect critical staff that are not only working their hearts out and delivering exceptional impact and outside results that are keeping and attracting talent to this district.
These are not positions on a spreadsheet. These particular individuals are irreplaceable. As you have heard, these are people that have built a culture of integrity, compassion, respect, and action. Let's talk about actions because words don't really matter. My college freshmen said yesterday, Benhoff and Wilson both do an incredible job of being present for their students. There wasn't a single day I was on campus where I didn't see them. My dad being able to hand me my diploma is a special moment that I will never forget. Ryan Wilson spent significant time trying to find every single Carroll ISD staff senior parent last year right up to the day of graduation to ensure that all that wanted
that opportunity had it, and the reactions and celebrations on stage left many of us in tears. He didn't have to do it, and it may seem small, but to those involved, the impact was enormous and lifelong memories were made. These little things build a culture, and that culture is not quantifiable. Christina Benhoff runs the cash register during lunches. She helps run pickup lines. My daughter's an Emerald Belle. Benhoff has been at every tryout, every major performance, and has chaperoned this bedazzled team near and far multiple times this year, including a cruise and competition in San Marcos that I didn't even attend, where Ryan Wilson also showed up to cheer them on.
I've jokingly asked my husband if Ben Hop and Wilson are triplets. They are Waldo. They are everywhere. Critical staff and servant leaders of their heart and soul to this district and are beloved by teachers, staff, students, and parents are not replaceable. I know there's a lot of things we struggle to agree on the last five years, but I hope we can all agree on this, and that the actions following today reflect it. Hi. My name is Jana Thompson, and my husband, Jeff, and I moved here almost twenty years ago from Dallas because of the schools. We wanted to raise our kids in the Emerald City. Sadly, with with how some of our most beloved administrators are being treated,
we now find ourselves saying it's the schools and the toxic politics that might move us out of Southlake. Yesterday, our pastor, John McKellar, gave a message at senior Sunday at Whitechapel. It was keep the main thing the main thing. For us, the main thing isn't legal language or being technically correct through creative semantics. It's our kids and how we treat our teachers and our administrators. We supported and voted for many of you, but you are veering off course. Here are our asks. Keep Christina Benhoff in place and extend her contract through 2027.
Being a teenage girl in high school is hard. It's important. We have smart, strong women in leadership, and she is amazing. Keep Ryan Wilson in place and extend his contract through 2027 or beyond if you're smart. Let mister Wilson at graduation have his speech as he has in this past. He should shake hands he should shake hands with our seniors and be in all their photos, not the school board president. Anything else feels out of step and, frankly, self serving. Mister Wilson mister Wilson should lead the graduation agenda and let students write their own speeches.
Anything less is censorship. Lastly, we need to keep our assistant high school choir position and work to build the choir and theater programs, not destroy them. Doctor Glenn, you haven't been in your position in your role for a full year yet. Please understand, position is one thing, but being a Dragon and understanding and earning our trust is another. Thank you. Sarah Beagle is not present. So the next three speakers are Carrie Skirmont, Jay Chang, and Chad Bedwell. Hello, y'all. My name is Carrie Skiermont. I am a Southlake resident, a parent to a Dragon graduate 2024 and two current Dragons.
Tonight, Ryan Wilson has been described as a servant leader, but I know that many of you on the board also think of yourselves as servant leaders, and we thank you for that. One facet of servant leadership is the integrity to admit when you've made a mistake, And we are all here letting this I'm sorry. We're all here because we are afraid that a mistake is going to be made about our principals, Ryan Wilson and Christina Benhoff. We're afraid that they might leave us because of a mistake that the board and the superintendent are gonna make. The good news about being a servant leader is that as a servant leader,
you're in a position to fix your mistakes. You're in a position to seek forgiveness for mistakes, and I think that if you do that, this community will forgive you. So fix it. Life is hard. It's it's hard for y'all. It's hard for parents. It's hard for students. It's hard for teachers. We definitely know that. What we all crave is stability. Wilson and Benhoff provide that stability in our district. What the board and the superintendent are doing is destabilizing. To steal a phrase that I saw, in this discussion in the discourse about this mess, we are going to go from a destination district to a desperation district.
Everyone is here because they care so much about Carroll ISD. That's why y'all are here. That's why I'm here. That's why all these people are here. One person who cares more about Carroll ISD probably than all of us is not here, and that's Ryan Wilson. You should sign into a lifetime contract if you can. Wilson and Benhoff will land on their feet. They're gifted administrators. Our district will not land on its feet with their departures. We do not wanna wake up in August with someone from Granbury as our new principal. I'm joking. I mean So I think you have to adore mister Wilson and have I have a personal reason to adorn mister Good evening. My name is Jay Chang, and I've been attending CIISD schools for ten years.
I'm a junior at Carroll Senior High School, and I'm I'm heavily involved in Carroll Dragon Band leadership as well as National Art Honor Society. I've had mister Wilson since my time at Dawson, so I know the kind of leader he is. One of my main concerns about the possible removal of mister Wilson is the continued well-being of certain student groups on campus. Our superintendent has advocated for banning LGBTQ books at Granbury and Waxahachie ISD, and he said in an interview with the Dallas Observer, quote, I don't have any issues with what people want to believe, but there's no place for it in our libraries. Well,
whether you like it or not, whether you want to acknowledge it or not, and whether you agree with it or not, many of my peers identify as LGBTQ and deserve to be respected as dragons, but above all, as humans. Mister Wilson mister Wilson has always set aside what he may personally believe, which he has never shared with any student to support all students in his care. He greets everyone with a smile no matter who they are or where they come from because to him, what's most important is the happiness of his students. I'm concerned that with the history of this board, you will choose someone to replace him who will shut down programs such as the
GSA, which is one of the only student organizations which provides resources for LGBTQ youth who, according to the National Institute of Health, have a twenty percent suicide rate, nearly twice as high as that of an average teen. At the end of the day, your actions affect real kids. We are not abstract concepts or statistics, but people who will remember who made our school experience worthwhile and who cast us out based on characteristics we cannot change. Thank you. Thank you, board. My name is Chad Bedwell. Been a Southlake Westlake resident since 02/2007.
Father, parent of two dragons, one, class 22. The second, looking forward to walking the stage in a few weeks. One of the things that she is looking forward to is is having that individual greeting from mister Wilson. We were both both kids went through Dawson and principal Wilson, so I think everybody has done an exceptional job of of communicating that. One of the things I just wanted to I thought was very timely, this is the first time I've done any of this in seventeen years, so that means it's substantial. I think it's very fitting just looking at the strategic plan goals and action items,
right? Goal number one, curriculum, student skills. The GPA of our valedictorian and salutatorian, unbelievable. Check. Student opportunities, we understand these times call for challenges with school funding. I think proper education and and letting everybody know what you're up against is extremely important. Right? Student wellness, critical. That's great. Those are your top goals. What makes this district the tradition that everybody has has moved here for, knows globally? It's the people.
It's the human capital. Right? So that's our staff. That's our administration. And somebody said earlier, principal Wilson is the epitome of being a dragon. I agree with that. So just just a few of the cup couple other things just for everybody else. Technology, obviously important. Finance and operations. You're extremely illuminated right now with our school the way that schools are funded. Right? Educating, getting that out there would be important. And then most importantly, this turnout is due to poor communication. Let's not let that happen again. And I hope that we go I'm just like, what are we doing here?
Let's go. The next three speakers are Peyton Niccol, Jonathan Doddridge and Marissa Gottlieb. Hello. My name is Peyton Nickel. I've been a Southlake resident my whole life. I recently graduated from Carroll Senior High School last year, and now I'm a freshman at Oklahoma City University. I got home from college yesterday, and I came home to what I can describe as a nightmare. Regarding the two administrators that you are essentially forcing out of the district, I cannot begin to express how deeply disappointed I am. Your job as a school board and district as and district administrators is to serve and protect the students,
to cultivate a safe and healthy learning environment, not to push an agenda. High school is a vulnerable time. Even the simple task of navigating adolescence is daunting. So how can you claim to care about our community if you only care to push your beliefs? By removing beloved pillars of our community, you're sending the message that you do not care for the well-being of your students. I've been at Carroll my whole life. Some of my most positive memories in in high school involve the continued support of mister Wilson and missus Benhoff. As a student who works primarily in the fine arts, it is very easy to feel discouraged from the lack of support from the district. By removing strong ad strong advocates for the fine arts and staff members such as
Rachel Heizer, you are further discouraging the cultivation of young artists. Southlake is not just about sports, and you need to realize that. Year after year, the school board has neglected to acknowledge talented individuals, and now you're trying to erase them. Since my time at Carroll, I've seen, I've seen six choir directors dwindle into one. If you're not placing value in the staff and administrators who truly support and love your children, then where do your priorities lie? What's next? Is it to ban books, to dismiss queer identities, to ban critical race theory, to customize curriculum to accommodate your shallow minded beliefs?
If this is if this is your idea of production, I suggest you take a long hard look in the mirror. I am disgusted at how you have managed to turn children's lives and education into a political spectacle. I may not be directly affected by your actions, but there are 700 students alone in your graduating class who are. Thank you. Hey, all. My name is Jonathan Doddridge. I've lived here for almost twenty two years. We have, three kids that went through school, k through 12. My wife also is a nurse, and she, substitutes, as nurse sometimes for the school. She, in fact, was at Old Union,
last week during the bomb threat. When she got home, she said, did you see all this stuff about the bomb threat? I said, what are you talking about? She said, bomb threat. And I said, I didn't get the the call. She said, we're not in the district anymore's list. And that was unusual for because for twenty years, we got all of the the ping messages. I say that all not to talk about me, but to say we care about Southlake. I I do agree with almost everything that's been said so far today. You guys have a chance to do the right thing. You have some wonderful leaders that are are just crown jewels of school districts that,
you know, I challenge you to to really look at your decisions that you're about to make, that you're in process of making, get a chance to to do Better when I hire somebody with with work. I ask them, what is your job? And in your job, you have a chance to do the right thing. You you are all in such important roles, and I challenge you to do what's right for our community. And I I know you're here because you care, and that's that's important. And so thank you for for your service, and I I ask you, you know, do the right thing. When you have a coach from the Dallas Mavericks talking about a coach like that.
You know, I think I know a little bit about the process about hiring and firing, you know, coaches. I think the athletic director would nominate or recommend, and you guys make decisions. I don't think that happened with some of the coaching decisions y'all have made. And I challenge you. Don't push an agenda. Do the right thing. It's important to our community. It's important to our our students. It's important to our property values. Carroll School District is crown jewel of this area. Let's keep it that way. Good evening. My name is Marie Gottlieb, and I'm, I have three young dragons.
And I'm also got to be part of the class program this year. That program was amazing. Everyone should participate in it. It gave really good insight into how the district runs, but it also made clear to me that the transparency and the trust with the community are not where they need to be. As part of the class program, I got to shadow principal Benhoff for the day, and I got to watch how all of the students would high five her in the hallways. She knew each and every one of them by their name,
and she brought so much energy. And you could just see that she built so many strong, positive relationships with them. It was so inspiring as a parent to see the type of, like, heart that she put into her job, and it was the type of leadership that everyone, every parent hopes that their child will get to experience. And so this is why the decision to not renew her contract and that of principal Wilson and other beloved coaches and an assistant choir director has shaken the community. It's why everyone's here tonight. So my children are young still.
They haven't attended these schools, the high schools. But you've heard from everyone about the way that these leaders have inspired growth and excellence. And it just seems that when these educators are removed without transparency, it sends a message to us that politics and not the well-being of our students are what's driving the decisions. We say we want what's best for our students, but we can't claim that while also sidelining the very people who are creating this safe, supportive environment for our children to achieve excellence.
We can't be a destination district if our strong leaders and our top teachers don't feel valued. There's been a lot of trust has already been lost, and my hope is that we want to rebuild start up with the policy and accountability to encourage Good evening. My name is, Jeff Thompson, a Southlake resident for twenty years. Boy, you guys have stirred the beehive or let's call it the dragon hive tonight. I am volunteering my two minutes to, to give and speak and speak on behalf of some teachers who have prepared some comments that didn't, feel comfortable to be here tonight.
They're not comfortable to be here tonight in fear of of, retaliation. And, so I'm gonna use my my time to speak for them. I think that, Ryan Wilson's not the problem here. That that's a culture that's not very, conducive to what we stand for. So the first teacher who writes, when Christina moved here, I had the pleasure of teaching math and coaching with her. It was incredibly helpful to have someone with experience in both while I tried to navigate teaching and coaching. We've gone through all of the big life things, weddings, children, new jobs. And she came to the rescue on Friday when old Union and myself needed her.
Not only do her kids go there, but my daughter does too. And she stepped up and took care of things when she was called in a split second. During those times and even during the reunification process, she was worried about her coworkers and our families. I will forever be grateful for her quickly helping me get my daughter. Another teacher writes, I just want to make sure we are clear. Mister Wilson and missus Bayhoff did not receive a contract renewal like the other principals did this April. All principals are on a two year contract. And while it is true, they have last year's contract through the end of next year,
they are not promised contracts after that. Since there were fewer positions available for principals, they have to start looking now or or be left in a position where they may not have the support to support their families. These two individuals are servant leaders. They are constantly putting their needs of students, staff, and parents over their own needs. They work endless hours and many times take care of things that no one else may notice. I have seen mister Wilson trimming trees, painting doors, cleaning sidewalks, and miss Benhoff steps in anytime there is a need. Losing them would be a great loss to this district.
Please reconsider. My name is Ben Mahon. I am a third grader at Rock and Ball Elementary and live in a district. As an an elementary school student, I want to tell you how important my campus leadership is. My principal is someone I can go to if I need her. She listens to me when I want to talk to her, supports me, and cares. She makes all students feel comfortable, safe, and welcome. Not everyone is going to be perfect. Of course, teachers and students make mistakes because we are all humans. Clearly,
there are many students that appreciate their principals and principals, coaches, and teachers like I do. I hope we continue to keep the good people we have in the district, support them, and give them compassion as they do for us as kids. Thank you very much. Good evening. My name is Marissa Mahon, mom of two dragons, proud resident of the district for thirty three years and a Carroll grad. People who haven't been here since COVID may not understand what we have navigated as a community in the district. We operated by legacy knowledge kept in people's heads, not on paper.
We had teachers and principals that have been here for twenty years, but it's not the case right now. We've made much progress through developing policy procedures, and yet there's always room for improvement. Campus leaders have had to implement all of these changes through a challenging environment created by abysmal budget shortfalls from the state. As parents, we've been asked to give grace as we navigated turnover of endless executive directors, coordinators, administrators, superintendents. And I can only imagine how hard that has been to work in a district where the expectations are high and things are constantly evolving. It is important to give our educators grace in a time like this. They're constantly aiming for moving targets,
but never forget the priority is the kids. There are literally teachers who are struggling, but refuse to leave their kids. Teachers who are afraid to be here, but they love our kids. If we suddenly change our approach to educators with a heavy fist, they will take it as a sign from gotta go elsewhere if they are experiencing challenges due to an evolving system. I ask, what training have we given along with coaching and fidelity checks to ensure the policies and procedures are best practice and effective? If personnel actions took place by the superintendent as a board as a board deeply reviewed the policy or procedures violated thoroughly.
I am to encourage the district to communicate honestly with details because the emails that we got at 8AM on Sunday, it it just was not clear and concise as we have really tried to enforce here. Regardless, I hope educators will stick with us to have comfort that God has given them knowledge, the courage, the heart to do what is right at all costs. Plenty of districts need educators, but it is our most valued educators like mister Wilson and missus Benhoff are given the gifts to build relationships. The relationships are what matter most in our district
and the kids. Mister Wilson and miss Benhoff are legacy teachers that we think of and Thank And last but not least, the final speaker for the evening is Macy Whitson. Good evening, school board members, teachers, families, and fellow students. My name is Macy Whitson, and I'm a student in this district and a member of the varsity emerald bells. I have lived in Southlake my whole life. Miss Benhoff has been on every bells trip, always showing up to support us. She connects with each student, and her warm smile in the hallway truly brightens my day. Mister Wilson brings unmatched energy to pep rallies and is out every morning in the
parking lot helping direct traffic with a smile. But lately, people like them, people who make our schools feel like home, are being let go without reason or explanation. As students, we notice it's confusing, frustrating, and honestly, it's scary. We're taught about fairness and respect in class, but those values have to be shown in action too. I'm not here to disrespect anyone. I'm here because I care deeply about our school community, and I believe the people who support us deserve to be treated with honesty and dignity. So I ask you, please be more open, more fair,
and more transparent. Let's show our students what doing the right thing really looks like. I'm asking you to do the right thing for students like me as well as our community by keeping these head leaders. If you can't fully disclose all of the information you need to hear to us and do the right thing by keeping awesome, compassionate, loving, student focused leaders and their roles. Thank you. Alright. Thank you all. Thank you all for being here. That concludes our public, comments portion of the agenda. Have a great evening. Thank you for your participation and we'll take a quick recess and we'll come back
to continue our agenda. So thank you. Have a safe evening. Thank you. Alright. We'll call this meeting back to order at 08:19PM. We're on item number seven, consideration and possible action on any matters addressed in executive session. 7.1, consider and take possible action on personnel report. Yes, President Bryan, I move that the Board approve the personnel report as presented in executive session. Second. We have a motion and second. All in favor? Motion carries six to zero. Thank you, trustee Yeager. Okay. Miss Dodge, you're up. Item number nine.
Hello. Good evening. Thank you for having me. The first thing I wanna do is acknowledge my awesome team, the Child Nutrition Heroes. We had our celebration this past Friday, May 2, and we went around and acknowledged all of them and gave them a really awesome Carol Child Nutrition T shirt and rose and gave them so I just wanted to tell my team that I think you're amazing, and we can't do it without everybody every day grinding hard. So my team is made up of a secretary and menu support individual,
11 managers, 30 five food service workers, and I have about three vacant FTs, but they're being filled as we speak. Some of the new menu items we tested this year was cheese tortellini, which was a hit, chicken mozzarella meatballs with homemade cheesy noodles at grades k through eight, sweet and sour chicken, fresh muffins at all grades. We have paninis now at grades seven through 12, acai bowls, which are a hit. And, at the high school, we did a new special with Yairo with fresh tzatziki sauce and fries.
And then at the senior high, a Philly cheesesteak. So those are pretty awesome menu items, and I'm very proud of my managers. Also, at the, excuse me, at the coffee bar, we've now we we tried a holiday pumpkin spice frappuccinos as along with green tea chia or chia frappuccino, hot frozen chocolate, pink dragon lemonade. And those are awesome sellers. So those are some awesome pictures of the wonderful quality that we serve every day.
Some top favorite plate lunch items that we do. Number one rings in with spaghetti day. Then a second would be meatballs with penne, our breakfast for lunch, chicken nugget day, of course, cheeseburgers, orange chicken, and pizza. So those are our top favorites, and we have, incredible participation at our plate lunch. Is the orange chicken still the favorite? It is a top. All of these are neck and neck. You know, they're all Tom's favorite. Not soggy waffles. Not soggy waffles. Right. The yeah. We do French toast sticks along with the turkey sausage. The kids it's a huge seller. It's amazing.
They love it. So our average plate lunch participation is around 2,200 meals per day. Right now, it's about 343,000 plate lunches served so far. And surprisingly, we have so many extra entrees that we serve. So when the kids come through the lunch line, they ask for extras while they're there. So, really, they're getting their plate lunch plus an extra entree. And our a la carte, of course, we do a lot of that and the over a million, items served so far. That's crazy. The next slide is regarding equipment repairs.
Because we have older equipment, our average equipment age is about 18 years old. We have a 70 work orders this year. And so far, at this snapshot, it was a hundred and fifty two serving days. So that just shows that we're, you know, we struggle each day with sometimes things breaking down. So we have some excellent vendors that come in and take care of us, but it is one of the things we struggle with. This year, we've had to replace three equipments. One would be the combi oven. We're gonna replace our Rock n' Baugh,
a double warmer at Rock n' Baugh, and then a warmer at the high school. So those are the three we're working on right now. So then we'll be good to go for next school year. Thank you, miss Dodge. Thank you. Just wanna nod it, but I do wanna brag on miss Dodge. First of all, a couple of things. When, Carroll Elementary School went down, their gas went down earlier this year, she was quick to to make sure that our kids I think you brought in Chick fil A one day and maybe pizza another day to make sure they continue to have hot lunch even though we didn't have gas in the kitchen, which was awesome. And then on Friday, when we had three,
four hundred kids from Old Union in the gymnasium here, during reunification, probably about two hours in, kids were getting a little antsy. And, and she showed up with a box of snacks and food, to give the kids and, that calmed things down until we could get them all home. So she's a rock star. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Yep. Got a question? Yeah. Just go ahead one, Tom. I know we had some of that extra bond money. Did we get everything addressed? Or We did, with the combi oven, and we're working on quotes still for the other two pieces of equipment, and we will be exploring that.
Yes. And you also got some sort of, like, register or something? Oh, that's right. Yes. Because of the software with the Windows 11, we had we were forced to, you know, get the new point of sales, and those are getting ready to be implemented right when school is ending. So we have those. Yes. Good. Alright. Thank you. Thanks for sticking around. Thank you. Thank you. Alright. Next item is 9.2. Consider Education Service Center eleven contract. Mr. Park? President Bryant, trustees, doctor Glenn, good evening. Good evening. I'll bring a informational report to you,
for the renewal of our regional eleven, education services cooperative services contract for 2526. But the regional, region ten education service center, provides, you know, various administrative and instructional, support for our district including teams, various technology, and, things like on data suite and some some tech support and things like that. So the contract for next year, it will be, predominantly the same as this year. There is a $3,000 increase from from this year's price of, $97,000, but we are adding one additional thing.
They have a school safety and security, thing that includes the required, three year, annual, safety and security audit. And so that that in itself would be much over the the price of this included, in in this year's contract. So, the total price this year will be $100,882 if you have any questions. All right. Questions for Mr. Park? All right. Thank you. Next item, discussion action 10.1, consider for approval of real estate contract with Roxanne Taylor Engel Volkers for the former
Carroll Intermediate School property. Mister Glenn doctor Glenn? Yeah. Thank you, mister President. Trustees, as you know, we declared the, old CIS property as surplus. At our last meeting, you approved four brokers to be official vendors for the district. At this time, you have before you a, an action item to consider approval for a real estate contract, a real estate contract with Roxanne Taylor with Engelvolgors as the, broker for the Carroll Intermediate School property. This decision is, at the pleasure of the Board, so there is no administrative recommendation. President O'Brien,
I'm going to recuse myself from any deliberation or vote on this. My house is currently for sale with Engel and Volker, though I will still be living in the district. So no room or start on that. So noted. Thank you, Trustee Bottom. Alright. Can I get a motion? I move that the board approve the real estate contract with Roxanne Taylor, Engel, and Volkers for the Carroll inter for the former Carroll Intermediate School property. Second. Motion and second. Any further discussion? Alright. All in favor? Motion carries five to zero. Alright. If no objection, we'll adjourn this meeting at 08:28PM.
Thank you, board.