Good evening. This meeting is now convened. The time is 05:06PM. I would like to ask everyone to please silence all cell phones. A quorum of the board members is present in the board auditorium. I will preside over tonight's meeting and president Rick Campo's absence. If there are any public officials in the audience this evening, please stand and be recognized. Placido Gomez is here. Thank you. Our first order of business is to hear from speakers to agenda items. Public comment during school board meetings will only be available to those persons who have
signed up to speak prior to the meeting time per current protocol. Verbal and other disruptions by persons during the school board meetings are not acceptable as they inhibit the board's ability to conduct business and the public's ability to observe those processes. Persons who participate in such behavior will be given one warning, and if the behavior is repeated, they will be asked to leave the meeting. We have 25 registered speakers who will have up to two minutes each per board policy. We ask that you stay on topic and refrain from naming individuals, especially students as their identity is protected under law,
but you may name your own child. I ask that you please respect our procedures and the other speakers and end your comments promptly when your time has expired and the timer rings. Our public comment period will begin with group a and public officials. Elected trustee Placido Gomez, please, come to the microphone, sir. Thank you all. I wanna briefly respond to the state of the district address and specifically the part about AI in schools and make a movie reference. I imagine you remember the part in Interstellar where Matthew McConaughey's characters in the fifth
dimension looking back at his past self screaming, no. No. No. No. No. Well, that's how I feel when I look back at myself in 2013. First year teacher sitting in a presentation as some guy is telling me about integrating my students' smartphones into my lesson plans. Tech, they said, was gonna be all the rage. It's really important in the job market. So schools invested in one to one technology. Everybody gets a and everyone gets an iPad, a Chromebook, or or a MacBook even. And every education expert who looks back seriously will acknowledge that EdTech has, at a minimum, been a colossal waste of money,
at worst, harmful to students. College board even, shortened the reading passages in the SAT to accommodate for students' diminishing attention span, and they recently admitted to dumbing down AP scores. This is alarming, and it is true that today technology is used more in the workforce. I don't think anybody thinks that the problem with society today is not enough access to phones and technology. I don't know if there are any parents here who say, gee, I wish my kids spent more time on their phones. There are people here right now having a difficult time following what I'm saying because they're on their phones right now. There are people watching this video on Instagram reels who are mindlessly scrolling and,
you should stop immediately and, go outside until you get wait till you get to the end of the video. Give me a like and a follow. My point is when it comes to AI, I have no doubt that it's gonna be a big part of the workforce. It it already is. But before jumping head first into AI in classrooms, we ought to think back about lessons that we may have learned through EdTech's failure, including and especially studies that are showing that people who use ChatGPT more are becoming, worse and worse writers. Thank you so much. Thank you. We have elected trustee Maria Benzon on Zoom.
Miss Garza, please admit her. Hello? Trustee Benzon, please go ahead. Okay. Great. Thank you. Good afternoon. Doctor Maria Benzon, elected trustee in District 5. To every parent and teacher who believes in SB eighteen eighty two, that it is your ticket to freedom, I hear you. I understand you, and I honor your fight. You want freedom from a curriculum imposed without consent, freedom to raise creative thinkers, not robotic PowerPoint watchers and high stakes test preppers. That desire is real. That frustration is valid.
But 1882 is not your answer. It is his. Superintendent Miles could grant autonomy today without chartering, without someone else controlling budgets, curriculum, and policy, but he chooses not to. Here he focus here, his focus is not on student outcomes, but on charterization. SB eighteen eighty two was built for struggling schools. Miles is using it to placate families at high achieving ones. That is not innovation. That is the destruction of public education dressed up as reform. This vote will pass, and we know it.
But Houston will remember. We will keep showing up. We will continue to vote. That is not weakness. That is power. Thank you. Thank you. Next, we will hear from speakers who identified themselves as HISD students or parents. Speakers, please state your name and topic when you step to the microphone. Miss Garza, please call our speakers. Can our student speaker, Mihir, please come to the podium, and you may begin. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Mihir Subramanya. I'm a freshman at Energy Institute High School. I'm the second student in my family to attend energy. And I'm here today because I've seen firsthand how impactful our unique school's learning model
is and why it's important to protect it through the 1882 partnership. I chose energy because of the creative approach to teaching project based learning and engineering focus. Following in my brother's footsteps showed me that this school doesn't just teach content. It teaches students how to think, collaborate, and lead, all of which I've grown so much at during my time here. Through participating in FRC Robotics, I've learned how to work with the community, work with one another, learn from each other, think creatively, and problem solve. I've experienced the engineering design process in real ways, which has showed me that learning is not about getting it right the first time,
but about working as a community, working as a team to constantly improve. Energy gives students access to real world learning, engineering experiences, and support of teachers. Approving the eighteen eighty two partnership helps ensure that future students have the same opportunities I've had. Thank you all for supporting energy and believing in what students can achieve. Thank you. Thank you. This concludes our in person student speakers. We're going to let trustee Ben Zong back into the meeting to see if her daughter is available to speak. Trustee Ben Zong? Oh, Adina Sage, please begin. Hello.
My name is Adina Sage Bittner. Hello. My name is Adina Sage Bittner, and I'm a student at Young Women's College Preparatory Academy. I don't understand everything about SB eighteen eighty two. I'm a student what? But I understand unfair. Young Women's Preparatory Network has been my school's partner for years. That partnership works. We don't need SB eighteen eighty two to keep it. Other schools don't need SB eighteen eighty two either. Here's what nobody is saying out loud. SB eighteen eighty two friends are treated as vendors. Once they receive public dollars, they decide how to spend them.
No obligation to students. No accountability. Mister Miles says SB eighteen eighty two means freedom from his AI curriculum from constant testing, but he could give schools that freedom right now. He chooses not to. And while select schools get special deals, schools in underserved black and brown neighborhoods get closed. We deserve truth over tricks, equity over deals, accountability over thank you. Thank you. Do we have more students or parents on Zoom, miss Garza? No, ma'am. That concludes our group a speakers. Thank you. We have an update from the administration on our Texas partnerships,
which are agenda items one through five on our consent agenda. Superintendent Miles, you have the floor. Thank you, Madam Vice President. Good evening. I'd now like to turn over to Deputy Superintendent Kristen Holt to share information about our pre K eighteen eighty two partnership. Good evening. Thank you so much. We have talked a little bit about the 1882 pre k partnership in a previous meeting. So we will go over information quickly, but did wanna just quickly give an update on the status of the contract. So just a quick reminder, the goal of the pre k eighteen eighty two partnership is to build high quality
opportunities for three and four year olds across Houston. And part of how the eighteen eighty two partnership helps us do that is through increased funding, for our partner organizations and stronger connections with community partners who are serving these students outside of HISD schools. The way the partnership works is HISD would partner with, an organization that we would call a hub, and that organization would partner with early childhood centers outside of HISD's, schools. So schools that are not HISD schools, but early childhood centers. And through that, we would serve the students in those schools.
HISD as a district can partner with multiple hubs, which means these partnerships can extend, into many different early childhood centers across the city. This is particularly important in the zones where HISD's schools are at capacity and can't add pre k, and so we can support students who are, in other centers around those areas. When we think about the funding and support for this, the way that the partnerships works is there's funding the regular funding per student allotment for a pre k student plus additional funding for special needs plus eighteen eighty two
additional funds. 95% of those funds would go to the hub who would then support bespoke, because those are the actual places where the teachers are, where the students are. They're running pre k day to day. So they would receive the majority of the funds. We would maintain a small administration fee to support, the the partnership. From a timeline perspective, we began, connecting with community and pre k leaders, last July. In October, October 17, we opened a call to all partners who are interested in applying to become, a pre k eighteen eighty two partner. A month later, applications were due.
We evaluated those applications in December and January, and then we've been working in close collaboration with Collaborative for Children to finalize a contract this past two months, February and March. And overall Collaborative for Children, a couple reasons we believe they will be a good partner. Their primary goal is to improve kindergarten readiness with their partners that are out in the field. They focus, deeply on high quality instruction and want to make sure every student has a strong pre k learning experience. And they have multiple spokes already in existence,
17 partners already in existence, that they already work with that we'll be able to immediately support at the start of this partnership. And that's it. Thank you, Deputy Superintendent Hull, Superintendent Miles. Are there any questions or comments from my colleagues? Thank you. Thank you. We will now hear from our remaining registered speakers in group b, first in person and then on Zoom. We have seats in the front row reserved for the next group of speakers, so please occupy those seats if you are up next. Please come to the microphone in your numbered order beginning with number seven and state
your name and topic, please. Can we have speakers seven through 17 move to the front row, please? We will begin with speaker number seven Jennifer. Thank you. Good to go. Good evening. My name is Jennifer Caprell. I serve on the board of the Friends of Houston Academy for International Studies, and I'm here tonight with a clear message. HEIST deserves to be an 1882 partner. I as a board member, I bring over a decade of experience in education and nonprofit nonprofit leadership, thirteen years here within HISD as a teacher and administrator. I'm a Fulbright Hayes scholar, and I have a master of education from the University of Saint Thomas.
All this background has taught me to recognize when a model has a punch potential to be transformative, and I believe this is one. This partnership will amplify what makes HEIS exceptional. It's language immersion global studies and early college pathways. These aren't extras. They're the foundation for preparing students to lead in an interconnected world. This partnership allows these to become even more core to the operations of the school. As both an educator and an HISD parent, I believe this model offers something bigger, a new path for the district to expand flexibility and innovation in ways that honor each campus' unique mission.
FICE is ready for this as Houston students are. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, number eight. Good evening. My name is Stacy Anderson, and I'm a current parent of a junior at HSPBA. And I'm here tonight to ask you to approve the contract with HSPBA friends under the Texas Partnership 1882 framework. I wanna start by saying that I have had two opportunities at community meetings held by HSPBA and HSPBA friends in order to ask questions, express concerns, and learn more about the process.
These were well attended meetings with very robust discussion, and people got to voice concerns and ask their questions. I I've got to hear from students and teachers who expressed their wholehearted support of this move. Now I believe that it's possible to hold space for the concerns that people have regarding this process and acknowledge that we need to proceed carefully. I get it and thoughtfully, but at the same time, I'm also here to express my complete confidence in doctor Rivas and HSPB a friends
that they're capable of steering this ship with students and community interests with that being the forefront. I also want to conclude with just an appeal to our board and to Mr. Miles to please continue to support and protect the fine arts across our district as you are here with HSBBA. Thank you. Hello. My name is Jillian Hinchaw, and I'm an engineering teacher who's been with Energy Institute for nearly a decade. I was one of the original teachers who opened our doors in 2013 in old elementary school beginning a new adventure. Since its start,
energy was born to be different. Here, I've been a start tested biology teacher, an AP teacher, a magnet coordinator, and community liaison. I've seen how we've grown over the years, primarily through project based learning and strong community support. As a teacher, I have autonomy and work with our students on unique projects, unique problems, network with the community about meaningful experiences, and I also create custom lessons every single year. Energy has been shaped by your students, and as a former recruiter, I know that students come to us because we are different, an alternative experience from the high school that most of us experienced.
Every year, we've had a variety of different groups and conferences that come to our school from across the nation and often stop by on my classroom on their tours. It makes me happy, but also a little bit bewildered that there are so many educators who are surprised during the tours of what our students are capable of doing. With guidance, resources, and community support, we've proven that any student can go beyond the limits others have previously set for them. I'm fully supportive of our campus seeking the 1882 partnership, and I sincerely hope that the voting members tonight see and also treasure how unique
our programs are. Moving forward with this partnership allows us to preserve the thriving energy model that we have and that students, families, and teachers expect. Thank you. Thank you. Speaker 10, miss Hoffmanlach. Hi. Doctor Ruth Hoffmanlach. I have two sons who one went to h, PDA and one went to energy. And I'm a school psychologist, so I kinda have a lot of interest in curriculum. And both of those schools have this amazing structure way before this takeover. Right? That PVA, one of the things I used to say because I'm really into behavior stuff,
is you never saw a fight at PVA. And you know why? Because they did art half the day. None of the other kids in the district have that experience. Right? But they got to do their thing that made them happy and experience, and then it all connected to learning. And it was amazing. Right? And, likewise, at Energy, everything is project based learning, which is, in fact, the most heavily research supported approach to learning for anybody and especially for high risk kids, because it's hands on and it meets all the ways that our brain likes to have input and it teaches social skills.
Kids have to learn how to interact. Unfortunately, after the takeover, that all was threatened because mister Miles thought that having everything be done in four minute increments and making everyone stop on a timer and take quizzes and read scripted lessons and not letting all of these amazing teachers do what they want, what they've been doing, and having amazing success that he knew better than them. And so all of these amazing teachers at these programs had to start jumping through ridiculous hoops that they never had to jump through before, and they had to have people who do not know anything about education,
who do not even know what, what the what the, the structure thing and now I'm I'm having a word loss thing. But, anyway, they don't know what the terms on the spot form even mean. Like, they don't even know if they're seeing it or not. Those people are coming and judging whether these teachers are doing a good job. If you look at the the number of teachers who left each of these schools since the takeover, it's shocking. Also, the average years of experience of teachers has gone down since the takeover. And if you had left them alone, they wouldn't have to be here. And now they're begging you to let them do what they always
Thank you. Mary Pena. I'm a current parent at HSPVA. I too have been able to go to several community meetings to have my questions answered about SB eighteen eighty two, and I'm in support of it. Please be also. Thank you. Thank you. Hello. I'm Aileen Coggin. I'm the executive director of HSPBA friends. I've been in this position for fourteen years, and it's really my privilege to work with doctor Rivas every day and the faculty every day. So I just wanted to give you kind of a picture of how HSPBA Friends works right now because it is a unique setup, and,
it'd be great if more schools had setups like this, I think. So, I do have this is my full time job. I have three staff members who work with me full time. We have an office that's across the street from the school, and we're able to walk back and forth, to visit with the teachers every day and to just listen to their needs. And I have a board who's paying very close attention. They pay close attention to their metrics. They pay close attention to what the teachers are accomplishing in the art areas based on international trends, national trends. We really look at what colleges want to recruit and try to aim for that,
you know, make sure our teachers have access to those colleges and visit some things so they know what we're building toward. HSPBA Friends, I think, is sometimes seen as just a fundraising organization, but we are also a procurement organization. We are an employer. We file a 150 to 90 nines every year for contract teachers and other professionals who come in to help deliver the art area curriculum. So that's everything from a contract piano tuner because we have dozens and dozens of pianos that need constant maintenance when they're played constantly all day long by different kids,
all the way to people who come in to do guest direction of a show. So maybe they're here on campus for just six weeks or a teacher who perhaps teaches ceramics, and they teach Tuesdays at 10AM. And so we already have these structures in place, and I appreciate the opportunity to be able to set a pay scale for those teachers that reflects their unique job descriptions and their unique job titles. This is very exciting. Thank you, mister Miles. Thank you to the board. Thank you to your administration who's worked so hard to put it together. We're really, enthusiastic, and I appreciate your vote for yes. Thank you.
Good evening. My name is Angie Eason, and I serve on the HSPBA friends board. I'm also the proud parent of an HSPBA alum, my son, Grant Eason, class of 2022. Because of the rigorous training, academic excellence, and dedicated educators at HSPVA, my son Grant was one of nine students accepted into the twenty twenty six drama division at The Juilliard School. This life changing outcome is not unique. It reflects what happens when a highly specialized school is empowered to operate with the
flexibility and with vision. As a communications leader with more than twenty five years of experience in complex, highly regulated environments, I firmly believe that we have the expertise, the knowledge, and the skills, and oversight needed to help HSPBA gain greater autonomy and protect its mission, strengthen its accountability, and allow it to continue producing exceptional outcomes for Houston's creative students. I respectfully urge you to vote in favor of SB eighteen eighty two and invest
in what we know works. Thank you so much. Thank you. Speaker 14. Hi. In all my fifteen years of coming to these meetings, I've never had two minutes. This is exciting. Hello. My name is Naomi Dwayne Madrid. I know some of you guys. I'm a former HSPVA parent and a current Energy Institute High School parent. I'm here today to urge the board of managers to vote yes on agenda items one and agenda item four, approving contracts with HSPVA friends and friends of Energy Institute High School under the Texas Partnership 1882 framework.
These partnerships provide something our schools desperately need, autonomy. I only wish more HSD schools had this opportunity because right now, this is one of the only pathways for schools to preserve what makes them successful. My oldest child benefited from the unique educational experience at HSPVA. He would have dropped out if he hadn't been at that school. And my daughter is now thriving emotionally, grade wise, at Energy Institute. To protect and sustain these programs, we must support partnerships with friends,
organizations that can help our schools grow, innovate, and continue serving students at a high level. Please vote yes to protect and sustain these schools for current and future students. Thank you. Speaker number 15. Hello. My name is Laurie Lampropoulos, and I am the founding principal at Energy Institute High School. I'm here tonight to speak in strong support of energy moving forward with an 1882 partnership. Eighteen eighty two partnerships were created to support innovative programs.
And if you have ever stepped foot on our campus, you know that innovation is the soul of energy. You see it in our public exhibitions where students defend their learning to professionals. You see it in our engineering design team solving real world problems. You see it in our championship robotics teams competing at the highest levels. These experiences are not add ons. They are at the core of who we are, and they require stable, sustainable funding to maintain quality and access for all students. While some may view 1882 as a new path for HISD,
energy has approached the district, met for many, many years asking for this opportunity, and we are very excited for this next step. From the beginning, our campus was designed to operate differently because innovation requires flexibility, intentional design, and sustained support. An 1882 partnership allows energy to protect what works, plan responsibly for the future, and continue delivering an exceptional innovative education for Houston students. Thank you, mister Miles, and thank you board of managers for considering this request.
Thank you. Good evening. My name is doctor Priscilla Rivas, principal of Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Kinder HSPVA was founded in 1971 as an innovative campus within Houston ISD. For its time, it was a true pioneer, a bold reimagining of what public school could be when arts excellence and academic rigor were intentionally intertwined. Now, more than five decades later, we find ourselves at another important crossroads. SB 18 to eighty two represents a new frontier for us with untapped possibilities for
innovation in how we strengthen our arts and academic programming, but also how we operate. The added autonomy will help us make thoughtful, student centered decisions that strengthen our robust pre conservatory pre conservatory arts model, support high academic expectations, years, they have helped sustain the excellence of our campus by supporting master classes with professional artists, expanding student performance opportunities, and enhancing programs in ways that traditional funding alone cannot.
Together with the experience of our school leadership and the skill and commitment of the HSPVA friends board, we are fully prepared to lead this work successfully in a close partnership with our community. We remain deeply committed to recruiting and serving talented HISD students with demonstrated potential in the arts. The strength of kinder HSPVA lies in its diversity, and that diversity is essential to who we are. With this autonomy, we will continue protecting the equity and diversity that define us, maintaining our status as a tuition free public institution and continuing to open door.
Thank you. Can we have all remaining registered speakers to the front row, please? We'll begin with number 17. This is Josh Posda. I'm an alumnus of HSPVA and a member of the HSPVA Friends board of directors. I'm here to ask the board to vote to approve the SB eighteen eighty two partnership between HSPVA Friends and Kinder HSPVA. In my professional capacity as the owner of a contemporary art gallery, I endeavor to help the wider community connect with artists, including many HSPVA alumni. As you may know, arts education at PVA is highly specific.
In addition to having unique curriculum requirements, it requires specific vendors and a large roster of adjunct faculty and guest artists. This partnership will give HSPVA the autonomy and flexibility to ensure that all of its specific needs are met while enabling greater collaboration with professional arts organizations in Houston, including the amazing organizations in the Theater District just seven blocks from our campus. As I mentioned, I'm an alumnus of the school. I've also been a member of the consultant faculty. I've been a guest artist.
My mother taught at the school for twenty two years and was chair of the English department, And all of those experiences have allowed me to know the school intimately and understand it from a variety of perspectives. And, so needless to say, this school has shaped me entirely, and I'm excited at this opportunity to help shape the future of the school. Thank you for HISD's support of HSPVA. We look forward to continuing our great work together. Thank you. Good evening. I'm a proud HISD parent, community member, and the founding principal of the Houston Academy for International Studies. As a former Teach for America teacher,
Peace Corps volunteer, I have dedicated my life to one belief, that every child deserves access to a high quality education and high quality experiences. That belief is what built Hice. In 2006, we opened our doors with a bold vision to prepare HISD students for college and global citizenship. We began as an in district charter in partnership with Houston Community College, the Asia Society's International Studies Network, and Houston a plus challenge. I often say that in 2006, I birthed both a school and a child, and my belief from that first day was that we were building a school not
only that I, but every Houstonian residents would be proud to have their child attend. Despite our limited facilities and resources, first in a temporary building on a parking lot and now in a nineteen sixty elementary school, we have excelled. Today, all of our students take college courses, eighty five percent earn an associate's degree, one hundred percent complete a CTE senior internship, We have international exchanges, and we are a nationally recognized blue ribbon school. Last week in this boardroom, I heard the word elite being used to describe our school, and I wanna be clear.
Highs has not been given elite resources, but we have created elite outcomes for HISD students, the majority of whom are economically disadvantaged and almost half of whom are at risk. This partnership is not about changing who we are or who we serve. It's about expanding what we have already proven works. It allows us to increase opportunities and ensure HISD students have access to the global futures they deserve. Our students will remain HISD students. We will continue to serve the students who choose HEIS. For nearly twenty years,
we have done more with less. This partnership, we can do even more for our HISD students. Thank you. Thank you so much. Good evening. My name is Heather Peterson, and I'm the current president of Energy Institute High School PTO. I'm also the proud parent of two juniors at Energy who've been attending HISD schools since kindergarten. I've been involved in each of their schools heavily. I also, in addition to that, practice law in Houston for almost twenty eight years. I'm here tonight to voice my strong support for Energy's 1882 partnership for the continued
role of Friends of Energy as our trusted partner in our work. As a parent, I've seen firsthand the impact that Energy's innovative model has had on our students, not just academically, but how they grow as collaborators, problem solvers, and confident young adults. Through our project based model, I've seen my own students who are quite introverted, unlike their mom, develop into confident public speakers and skillfully answer questions in a dissertation defense type format, at our exhibitions. It's very impressive. As PTO president, I can assure you that our energies eighteen eighty two process has been transparent,
inclusive, and community driven. Parents, teachers, and staff have participated in SDMC conversations, multiple q and a sessions, and ongoing dialogue in collaboration with the PTO. Both the PTO and the school also send frequent written communications updating our community on our progress with the h and a two pro process. Questions have been welcomed, feedback has been shared, voices heard. This has truly been a partnership with our tight knit community. Friends of Energy have also shown a deep commitment to supporting energy's mission. Their partnership provides a sustainable path forward for the unique programs our energy community depends
on. I hope to share good news about tonight's vote at our PTO sponsored information session, which I've already scheduled for Tuesday. On behalf of the Energy families, I respectfully urge you to approve Energy's HNAG partnership. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Jennifer Lankau Chase, and I teach US history and serve as the chair of humanities at Kinder HSPVA. I have also taught at Cashmere and Milby High School in Houston ISD. I'm also the proud mother of two HSPVA graduates. HSPVA isn't a typical high school. We don't have cheerleaders nor a homecoming dance or even a marching band.
We do have a band. HSPVA has had to chart its own path from the beginning in 1971 when we created a school in the summer out of a former synagogue building. The faculty at HSPVA is equally committed to making the most of this 1882 opportunity to continue to innovate and educate and to show the country what the city of Houston and Houston ISD can do. Please vote to allow us to go even further, to show more people what can happen when the public supports a high quality arts education, which we know helps nurture and build the critical thinking that enables our academics at
HSPVA to also be exemplary. Your support of an SB eighteen eighty two charter will allow us to be an even brighter gem in the city of Houston, and I urge you to vote yes. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Janice Jarrows, board chair of HSPVA Friends. First, thank you, mister Miles, to you, to the HISD team that you have, and to all of you here on the board. We really appreciate your support. Last week, I shared that our 13 member board is ready to assume governance and academic accountability
for Kinder HSPVA. Tonight, I want to demonstrate that we are also uniquely capable. Our board is comprised of seasoned professionals, including lawyers, CPAs, business owners and executives, architects, social workers, artists, and educators. 10 of us hold advanced degrees, and 11 have extensive nonprofit board experience. As chair, I will lean into my thirty years of experience it's actually thirty plus in HR, marketing and communications, contract negotiations, and leadership to support Executive Director, Aileen Coggin,
Principal Doctor. Rivas and our dedicated and talented admin teams and faculty. While our professional backgrounds are diverse, we are singular we are united by a singular unwavering mission: to ensure Kinder HSPVA's continued excellence and to preserve its status as an HISD public school serving a diverse student population. We have the expertise, the experience and the passion. We are ready. Please vote yes. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Christina Esquivel,
and I'm here to ask the board of managers to vote to approve moving forward with an agreement with HSPVA Friends to operate Kinder HSPVA. I am a member of the HSPVA Friends board of directors. Professionally, I am the director of asset management for Griffin Partners, a commercial real estate company headquartered here in Houston, which manages a cumulative asset value of 2,600,000,000.0. I have served as treasurer of the France board and currently serve on the finance committee. I'm also a product of HISD. Although not an HSPVA alum,
I attended the high school for law enforcement and criminal justice, Raul Isagire Charter Middle School, and Franklin Franklin Elementary. I continued my education at the University of Texas followed by my master's at the University of Houston. H HSPBA friends is fully audited by a premier firm used by other I ISDs, schools, and public entities. The finance committee has already spoken to our accounting and audit team, so they are well aware of this potential next step and ready to advise us accordingly. As a first generation American who grew up in the East End Of Houston,
I benefited from a customized HISD medic program myself, and it's a privilege to help future students do the same. Thank you for your trust and partnership. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Brock Lewis. I'm a graduate of Energy Institute High School and a Howard University alum. I'm currently a chemical a chemical a chemical engineering professional and a member of Energy Institute of Friends on Board. I'm here because Energy's model didn't just prepare me for college. It paved the way for my career. Energy's coursework and project based learning and and their alignment with the industry taught me
to think like an engineer long before I earned my degree. I learned the power, basically through their project teams, and I learned the power of collaboration. And the best solutions come from learning, from iterating, and from, learning, together with others. The Friends of Board I mean, the Friends of Energy Board brings their expertise in governance, accountability, and long term stewardship. I bring the alumni perspective, someone who has experienced the model, lives the model, and now works in the field. As an unprofessional, I offer insight into the skills graduates need on day one, and that in in corpuses of adaptability,
teamwork, clear communication, and confidence. We are prepared to serve as responsible partners, ensuring strong oversight and continued access, to high quality project based learning and education. And thank you all. Thank you, sir. This concludes our in person group b speakers. Excuse me. I didn't hear that, miss Garza. This concludes our in person group b speakers. We have one speaker on Zoom. Miss Garza, please admit Lucy Christian Bell. Lucy Christian Bell currently is not on Zoom, but we do have two registered parent speakers. We will begin with Claude Bittner. Claude Bittner, you may begin. Thank you.
My name is Claude Bittner. I'm the parent of an HISD student. I'm also a graduate of h am I muted? No, sir. We can't hear you. Can you restart for me? Sorry. Can you can can you restart my time? Yes. You may begin. Thank you. My name is Claude Bittner. I'm the parent of an HISD student, and I graduated from HSPVA PVA as well as two of my, sisters. I was born in a moment of purpose, to integrate communities through the arts. That legacy is real. But HSPVA is now one of the most selective schools in this district. Students from outside the district get in.
Meanwhile, kids inside Houston wait and wonder. What happens when enrollment opens to everyone? What creative bending rule will protect its selectivity then? The board asks questions. They perform concern. But they always vote for Miles. The same Miles who built a curriculum or a prediction ring. The same Miles who cites the Navarre Point, an official district document, a concept he invented, not research, but fiction. This is who's reshaping Houston's schools. Vote no on SB eighteen eighty two for partnership with franchisee. Thank you. Melissa Yarbrough. Please turn your camera and move your microphone and you may begin.
Hi. Melissa Yarbrough, HIV parent and former teacher. What, all of the parents who are speaking in favor of the eighteen eighty two partnerships tonight, all I hear them asking you for is autonomy, and the ability to continue doing what they already do with their high school public high schools have done long before miles ever stepped foot in Houston. They're not asking for changes. So why are you the board of managers forcing them into major changes to the
way their schools are run, just to keep them operating as they already were. What is going on here and why is the board failing to explain why they need an 1882 partnership, just to have autonomy. So all they're trying to do, they know mike miles system is bad and they don't want it for their kids and they're just asking to keep his bad policies away from their children. So why can't they just do that? Why can't they run their schools the way they already were?
And why are you forcing them into these partnerships? I would like to hear the board explain this. Thank you. We have no additional speakers. That concludes our public comment. At this time, the board will recess to closed session under chapter five five one of Texas government code open meetings act subsections five fifty one point zero zero four through five fifty one point zero eight nine. Should board final action vote or decision on any matter considered in the closed session be required, such final action vote or decision shall be taken at the open meeting covered by this notice upon the reconvening of this public meeting or at a subsequent public meeting
on the of the board upon notice thereof. The board has researched recessed to closed session at 05:51PM on 03/26/2026. Good evening. This meeting is reconvened at 06:54PM. Board president Rick Campo, secretary Paula Mendoza, and board member Lauren Gore are joining us via Zoom. Do I have a motion to approve tonight's agenda items by consensus? I have a motion by board member Jeanette Gardzalidner. And do I have a second? I have a second from board member Marcos Rosales.
I have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? Board members in the auditorium, please vote. We'll now take votes from our board members on Zoom. President Rick Campo. Yes. Thank you. Board member, Paula Mendoza. Yes. Board member, Lauren Gore? Yes. Thank you. The motion to approve tonight's agenda by consensus passes. We had well, I didn't count. One, two, three. Nine, two, three. Nine, two, three. We had nine in favor. All in favor. Thank you. The next board regular board meeting will be held on 04/09/2026. With no further business to discuss,
this meeting of the board is adjourned at 06:56PM. Thank you. Thank you.