[8:54] >> Go ahead and call this
[8:56] meeting to order. If you would,
[8:57] please stand. For those
[8:58] of you that can,
[8:59] for the pledges of allegiance
[9:00] to the US and Texas flags.
[9:05] >> I pledge allegiance
[9:07] to the flag
[9:08] of the United States
[9:10] of America and to the republic
[9:12] for which it stands, one nation
[9:14] under God, indivisible,
[9:16] with liberty and justice for
[9:18] all.
[9:20] >> Honor the Texas flag. I
[9:22] pledge allegiance
[9:24] to thee, Texas, one state under
[9:26] God, one and indivisible.
[9:31] >> Thank you. Okay, we'll have
[9:34] public comments, and we will
[9:38] start with Richard Gonzalez.
[9:49] Good evening.
[9:50] >> Good afternoon, trustees.
[9:53] Thank you very much
[9:54] for this opportunity to speak
[9:56] to you. I am Richard Gonzalez.
[9:58] I'm a taxpayer resident
[9:59] of Tarrant county over 50
[10:01] years. I'm an author and a
[10:05] civically involved individual.
[10:08] I was invited to speak at the
[10:09] 15th annual Abrasando Alexito,
[10:12] which means embracing
[10:13] excellence event scheduled for
[10:16] October 11, 2024. I was told
[10:21] via email on September 27,
[10:26] 2024, that the event was
[10:28] canceled because the program
[10:31] violated SB 17. That's a Senate
[10:33] bill that deals with diversity,
[10:35] inclusion and equity.
[10:38] After inquiries with the
[10:39] chancellor and attorney Antonio
[10:41] Allen, I learned that TCC's
[10:43] interpretation of SB 17
[10:46] prohibits heritage events
[10:48] planned and organized by
[10:51] Tarrant county employees. If
[10:54] the heritage events were
[10:56] planned and organized by
[10:57] students, then SB 17 would not
[10:59] have applied and the events
[11:00] would have taken place. It's
[11:02] disappointing that the Tarrant
[11:04] county administration waited
[11:05] until people were invited, food
[11:07] was ordered, and promotions
[11:08] went out about the event, and
[11:10] then they canceled the event.
[11:12] The decision
[11:13] to cancel the event was made by
[11:14] Tarrant county administrators,
[11:16] unbeknownst
[11:18] to the chancellor, unbeknownst
[11:20] to the chair of this body. In
[11:21] my investigation, I know that
[11:23] Dallas College, University
[11:25] of Texas
[11:27] at Arlington, University of
[11:30] North Texas have had Hispanic
[11:31] heritage months celebrating
[11:33] events. I spoke last Friday
[11:36] to a group of teachers,
[11:38] in fact, at Dallas College
[11:39] Compel campus, and in that
[11:41] event, I had an opportunity
[11:43] to talk to Doctor Mercario
[11:45] Hernandez, who is a president
[11:47] of Mountain View College, and I
[11:48] said, how were you able to
[11:50] navigate SB 17? He said they
[11:52] worked at it because they
[11:54] thought it was important to
[11:56] continue celebrating heritage
[11:58] events and still not violate
[12:00] the letter of the law of SB 17.
[12:03] Here are my recommendations.
[12:06] Learn to navigate SB 17,
[12:08] successfully communicate
[12:10] with the community your methods
[12:11] of honoring heritages, and
[12:13] without violating SB 17, please
[12:15] be careful not to violate the
[12:17] First Amendment rights
[12:20] in your efforts
[12:22] to be so careful not to land
[12:23] on the landmine
[12:25] of SB 17. Partner
[12:27] with the community to ensure
[12:29] that all students are included
[12:31] and their heritages are
[12:33] celebrated. Please act quickly
[12:35] to resolve this issue. Our
[12:37] community is waiting to thank
[12:40] you.
[12:42] >> Thank you, Mister Gonzalez.
[12:45] Next up is Ginny Zhang.
[12:59] >> Good afternoon
[13:02] everyone. Not long
[13:04] ago, I spoke with our campus
[13:06] general counsel, Mister Antonio
[13:08] Allen. And Mister Allen, you
[13:10] kept telling me the decision is
[13:12] already made and there's
[13:13] nothing I can do about it. But
[13:15] you forgot one thing. Decisions
[13:16] are made
[13:17] by humans. That decision is
[13:19] about removing children's
[13:21] center on TCC campus. Attorneys
[13:25] are human, and humans overreact
[13:27] and make knee jerk decisions.
[13:29] And they can be very stubborn
[13:31] about admitting it. You
[13:34] mentioned that children's
[13:35] center cannot uphold TCC's
[13:37] standard of respect, care and
[13:38] professionalism. Well, does
[13:39] child care associate meet that
[13:41] standard? TCC signed
[13:42] partnership with them
[13:44] on two new campuses, but some
[13:45] of its centers have
[13:47] about ten violations. One of
[13:49] them even got shut down. All
[13:51] the while, children's center
[13:53] only had one incident with two
[13:55] violations. I made a handout
[13:56] about this for all the members
[13:58] of the board so that you can
[13:59] see it. If child associate meet
[14:01] the standard, why not
[14:02] children's center? You
[14:03] mentioned the liability to run
[14:04] a lab school, which is so
[14:05] special. Even if children's
[14:07] center is gone, you cannot run
[14:09] this place without cops. There
[14:10] are way more campus assault,
[14:11] bullying, murder, and rape
[14:14] where students actually get
[14:16] injured and even die, than a
[14:18] teacher abusing a kid at an on
[14:20] campus daycare, let alone there
[14:22] was no injury and my child had
[14:24] no recollection of it. By that
[14:25] logic, would it be better
[14:27] to shut down the entire campus
[14:29] so that it would definitely
[14:30] erase all the possibilities of
[14:32] violent crimes? That will land
[14:34] you in major lawsuits.
[14:36] After all, you're dealing
[14:38] with thousands of students that
[14:41] you cannot fully control. If
[14:43] removing risk is the goal, why
[14:44] stop at the children's center?
[14:47] You mentioned personnel issues.
[14:49] The truth is, if you really
[14:50] want to keep it open, you'll
[14:52] find a way. This center is the
[14:54] only nearby facility that
[14:56] trains top quality daycare
[14:57] teachers. The next one is an
[14:59] hour away. With shortage of
[15:02] skilled daycare staff, the
[15:04] center is vital
[15:06] for young people
[15:08] in Tarrant county to enter the
[15:09] profession. Closing it suddenly
[15:12] would create a void and a
[15:14] vicious cycle
[15:15] for the personnel issue
[15:17] with Chancellor Leblanc's habit
[15:18] of making big decisions without
[15:20] consulting the board. If she is
[15:21] so arrogant to push her own
[15:23] agenda while ignoring public
[15:26] sentiment, and so incompetent
[15:28] that she needs a lawyer
[15:29] to talk to her, to talk
[15:31] for her every time, why is she
[15:32] in this role? Leadership isn't
[15:35] about hiding behind a shield
[15:38] and steamrolling everyone. That
[15:40] is not leadership. That is
[15:42] dictatorship. If you really
[15:44] think that TCC children's
[15:47] center as a lab school is so
[15:50] special, then please, I ask
[15:54] you, please keep the lapse
[15:56] school open, or keep the
[15:58] irrational, incompetent
[16:00] chancellor out of this so that
[16:02] no future tragedy like this
[16:03] happens again. And I have the
[16:10] handout of childcare associates
[16:15] that there are violations
[16:17] in the past five years posted
[16:19] on the Texas Human Resources
[16:21] Texas Health Human Resource
[16:25] website with their past
[16:29] violations that are around ten
[16:32] counts. I have seven copies for
[16:34] board members. I did not know
[16:35] that chancellor will be here
[16:37] today or I would have send you
[16:40] one too.
[16:41] >> You can get those to Mister
[16:42] Gates.
[16:48] >> Thank you, Miss Senn. Next
[16:54] is Jennifer Yarber.
[17:03] >> Good evening, everyone. My
[17:06] name is Jennifer Yarber. I'm an
[17:08] educator in a local school
[17:10] district, a taxpayer in the
[17:11] TCCD north Richland Hills
[17:13] resident, and a mother of two
[17:15] children who attended Tarrant
[17:16] County Children's center from
[17:18] the time they were two years
[17:19] old until the time they were
[17:22] five. I was told earlier that I
[17:23] was lucky my kids got to
[17:24] finish, and I truly am. Tarrant
[17:26] County Children's center played
[17:28] an integral part in creating
[17:30] the confident, happy,
[17:31] intelligent children I have
[17:33] now, who are twelve and 14. By
[17:35] the way, while attending every
[17:37] day, my kids were excited
[17:38] to go to school. It was their
[17:40] second home. We never called it
[17:42] daycare because it just wasn't.
[17:44] It was their school. The
[17:47] friends they made while
[17:48] attending TCC are still their
[17:50] friends today because of the
[17:52] bonds nurtured there. And that
[17:54] doesn't just happen
[17:55] on its own. Goals
[17:57] of the center were clear
[17:58] to parents. Children learned
[18:00] about civility, kindness, and
[18:01] friendship. They ate lunch,
[18:03] family style, to learn manners.
[18:05] They were allowed
[18:07] to play and just be little kids
[18:08] without the pressure
[18:09] of academia being shoved
[18:11] at them in an inappropriate
[18:12] developmental age, as many
[18:14] larger daycares do. It's very
[18:16] commonplace these days.
[18:18] Teachers like Deborah Molina,
[18:20] Michelle Lee, Miss Sharon, and
[18:22] Yolanda Jones are forever
[18:24] etched on my kids hearts and
[18:26] mine. These teachers loved them
[18:28] like they were their own and
[18:30] taught the next generation
[18:31] of educators how to do the
[18:33] same. These women, who have
[18:35] dedicated their lives to early
[18:37] childhood and have worked
[18:38] for TCC for decades with, let's
[18:40] be honest, pay that doesn't
[18:42] match their intense effort and
[18:44] skill level, have forged
[18:47] everlasting friendships and
[18:49] parents and community members
[18:51] because of the level of trust
[18:52] they have earned. I'm deeply
[18:56] concerned with the recent
[18:57] events surrounding the center
[18:59] and the motives behind the
[19:00] closing that are all too clear
[19:02] for an outsider who does any
[19:04] research
[19:05] at all. Yes, some sort of
[19:07] incident occurred, which is a
[19:09] horrible thing. However, in any
[19:11] other situation, the person who
[19:13] created the infraction would be
[19:14] removed swiftly,
[19:16] but the center would remain
[19:18] open for every child
[19:19] to be removed from a familiar,
[19:21] loving environment so quickly
[19:23] for parents to be left
[19:24] in the lurch with no childcare
[19:26] is inexcusable. But there is
[19:28] more. These women were removed
[19:30] from their jobs for trying to
[19:32] protect children. The ones who
[19:34] have dedicated their lives to
[19:35] an organization that does not
[19:37] value them with no severance
[19:39] package is unconscionable. I
[19:42] would like
[19:43] to stand here and plead
[19:45] for you
[19:46] to keep the center open, but
[19:47] it's clear that you've decided
[19:49] to farm out our beloved TCC
[19:50] Children's center out
[19:52] to a large corporation
[19:53] to manage it for you. Instead
[19:55] of paying a highly qualified
[19:56] director what they deserve
[19:58] to be paid, instead of valuing
[19:59] these women and their level
[20:01] of care for the children in our
[20:03] community, you're flushing an
[20:05] amazing program down the
[20:07] toilet. I assume you think
[20:09] child care associates will come
[20:10] in and clean it all up, but the
[20:12] likelihood is they will be just
[20:14] another large daycare
[20:16] corporation that hires
[20:17] uneducated, underqualified
[20:19] daycare workers. This is not
[20:22] what our community wants.
[20:24] People don't put their children
[20:26] on a list as soon as they are
[20:28] born to go to a school at child
[20:30] care associates. I would love
[20:33] to see TCC rebuild this center
[20:35] and heal its broken heart.
[20:37] But the writing is on the wall.
[20:39] It truly feels that TCC was
[20:41] looking for an excuse to close
[20:43] so this corporation could come
[20:45] in and take over. So my plea
[20:47] after speaking before you is
[20:49] that you just do the right
[20:50] thing by the women who have
[20:52] done no wrong. Please show
[20:54] respect for them, that you
[20:55] value their many years
[20:57] of service in offering a
[20:58] dignified severance package.
[21:00] They deserve it
[21:01] for what they have done for my
[21:03] kids and so many others. Thank
[21:05] you.
[21:07] >> Thank you, Miss Jarvis.
[21:09] Jeanette Favela. Jeannette
[21:14] Ivela. I think that's her.
[21:32] >> Good
[21:34] evening. My name is Jeanette
[21:35] Favela. Some of you may
[21:37] recognize me. I was here
[21:38] earlier passing
[21:39] out flyers letting people know
[21:41] about the board of trustees
[21:43] meeting today, and we wanted to
[21:45] rally support as much as we
[21:46] could. Now what? I would like
[21:48] to come just peek, if I can say
[21:50] what other parents have said.
[21:51] >> Can you get just a little
[21:52] bit closer to the microphone?
[21:53] Thank you so much.
[21:55] >> Is that better?
[21:56] >> That's it. Thank you.
[21:57] >> So, my name is Jeanette
[21:59] Favela, and I am a former
[22:04] parent of students at the
[22:05] Tarrant County Children's
[22:07] center. Okay. Here's one right
[22:12] here. And I get really nervous.
[22:16] I'm sorry. The children's
[22:17] center closing is not something
[22:20] that we were expecting. We are
[22:22] also planning to take our soon
[22:24] to be two year old to the
[22:30] center. It goes deeper than
[22:32] just being a daycare. They are
[22:34] better little humans now.
[22:36] They've made me a better
[22:38] parent. It's not just I dropped
[22:41] them off. They took care of
[22:44] them. We came home. They taught
[22:46] us values. It's not something
[22:49] that we experienced in other
[22:51] child care centers. And I don't
[22:54] know if we will again, and
[22:56] hopefully we will. I have hope,
[22:58] because the ripple that they
[22:59] made with teaching other
[23:01] students there, that ripple
[23:03] keeps going. They planted a
[23:05] seed in my brain, in my kids
[23:06] hearts, and I'm confident that
[23:09] it's going to keep going. But
[23:11] in order for them to keep doing
[23:13] good work there, it has
[23:14] to stay open. They have to have
[23:16] the same values that they
[23:18] instilled into us. Needs
[23:20] to continue. So what I would
[23:23] like to say is, everything
[23:28] in life and in business is
[23:30] negotiable. If we could
[23:32] negotiate, if you could
[23:34] negotiate on our behalf
[23:35] from the community, hearing
[23:38] from us, how we can help keep
[23:40] this center open and have the
[23:42] same values that it instilled
[23:44] into us. I know my sister
[23:46] in law. She is a graduate from
[23:49] the TCC Child development
[23:50] studies, and she is now a
[23:51] program coordinator for one of
[23:53] the top pediatric hospitals
[23:54] here in the DFW area. She
[23:56] started her career
[23:58] at TCC, being involved
[24:01] in that same department at the
[24:02] lab school. She's the one that
[24:04] told me
[24:05] about this program. It was like
[24:07] the best hidden secret that we
[24:08] had in the community, and it
[24:10] still is, but we have to keep
[24:12] it open. Please help us. Please
[24:16] negotiate for us. Thank you.
[24:20] >> Thank you, miss Favela.
[24:26] Okay. Juan M. Acosta. Mister
[24:34] Acosta.
[24:49] >> Hello, guys. So, again,
[24:51] we're at other departments. We
[24:54] really value so much what TCC
[24:57] gave us before, we didn't have,
[25:01] like, a big idea
[25:04] of what, like, taking care of
[25:06] kids are like. They need so
[25:08] much from us. As a parenthood,
[25:10] we do what we can, but really,
[25:12] the values that they gain and
[25:15] experience from the teachers,
[25:16] the professors, TCC, we came
[25:20] less than a month ago to
[25:22] celebrate 50 years. So that's
[25:26] more than 1015 generations that
[25:28] have been going through three
[25:29] cc. And as my wife said,
[25:31] they're being very successful.
[25:32] So it's really making a
[25:34] difference. And we really hope
[25:36] that there is a way to keep it
[25:37] open because it's something
[25:43] that the whole community needs.
[25:44] That's pretty much. Thank you.
[25:49] >> Thank you. Sawat cherry.
[26:03] >> Good evening. I wrote what I
[26:06] wanted to say so I don't veer
[26:08] off how I was a part of the
[26:11] children's center. I was
[26:13] fortunate enough to work at
[26:16] Northeast Campus business
[26:18] services and heard another
[26:19] grandparent that worked on the
[26:21] same campus. What a great
[26:24] program the children's center
[26:26] has. There is a waiting list,
[26:29] so you should sign up and you
[26:31] know, it's really great. I told
[26:33] my daughter about the
[26:35] children's center, that she
[26:37] should sign up. She did. We
[26:39] waited in anticipation, but
[26:42] Covid happened and we missed a
[26:44] full year.
[26:46] Before my granddaughter started
[26:48] at TCC, my granddaughter had
[26:50] to start at a daycare and
[26:52] missed it starting at the
[26:54] Children's center Honeybees
[26:56] class a year after attending
[26:59] the children's center rising
[27:01] star class, we realized how
[27:03] much of a difference and great
[27:05] the center is or was for the
[27:08] children. My granddaughter had
[27:11] tremendous growth through
[27:14] stepping Stone's class and was
[27:16] prepared for her entrance
[27:17] to kindergarten. She's now
[27:19] going into second grade. The
[27:21] staff and the teachers at the
[27:24] children's center maintain a
[27:26] safe, nurturing, healthy child
[27:28] development care, including
[27:30] early detection development,
[27:33] identifying and addressing any
[27:35] behavior habits that may need
[27:38] extra attention. Last academic
[27:42] year, I had one
[27:44] in honeybees and one
[27:46] in rising star class. Busy time
[27:49] for me, the nana,
[27:51] but I enjoyed every moment
[27:53] of it. My work schedule and
[27:55] time off was always wrapped
[27:57] around my grandkids. For two
[28:01] and a half years, I brought my
[28:04] grandkids
[28:05] with me every working day. Up
[28:08] until last week, I thought I
[28:11] would stay within Northeast
[28:14] campus however long it takes
[28:16] for my grandkids to attend the
[28:18] children's center. Not all
[28:20] grandparents get
[28:22] to do what I was able
[28:26] to do, and I drive 20 miles
[28:28] out of my way so that I could
[28:31] give that to them. No one is
[28:35] perfect, not teachers, not
[28:37] staff, not parents, not even
[28:40] the children.
[28:41] But we all strive to encourage,
[28:43] assist, address and resolve
[28:46] issues that arise. I'm saddened
[28:50] that I cannot be a part
[28:52] of that program
[28:54] since it was shut down
[28:56] abruptly. I enjoyed being part
[28:59] of the children's center family
[29:01] and don't quite understand how
[29:03] something so great running for
[29:05] 50 years be quickly treated as
[29:07] if it didn't matter. So we shut
[29:09] it down
[29:10] without any considerations. To
[29:13] the people that TCC worked hard
[29:17] to maintain a unity for all and
[29:20] its community. I know it is
[29:23] out of TCC's control and it
[29:26] can't be undone. But please
[29:29] reconsider actions TCC has
[29:31] taken
[29:33] for the staff and the teachers
[29:34] of the children's center,
[29:36] because getting rid
[29:38] of all that existed of the
[29:39] children's center is not what
[29:42] our motto states. We belong
[29:44] here. Thank you.
[29:47] >> Thank you, Miss Cherry.
[29:49] Daniel J. Bennett.
[30:09] >> Good evening.
[30:11] Daniel Bennett, white
[30:12] settlement. I wanted to speak
[30:15] to six x the concurrence last
[30:21] week, Antonio Allen was up here
[30:22] speaking to a question from
[30:24] Miss Wood. And he responded
[30:27] that it was a tie vote. And as
[30:31] he was responding to Miss Wood,
[30:32] he paused and motioned when he
[30:35] said this, a board member
[30:37] requested and he pointed right
[30:39] to the chair and he went back
[30:41] to speaking. The interim chair,
[30:44] I believe, was pointing to the
[30:47] interim chair. And then it was
[30:52] very telling because this item
[30:55] has been put on this agenda by,
[30:57] I think, a singular board
[30:59] member. But more importantly,
[31:02] the chair last week said this,
[31:06] quote, I think that that was
[31:08] the item
[31:10] behind having concurrence
[31:12] of another board member was
[31:15] to protect Jess from spending
[31:17] too much time, excuse me,
[31:18] on something the majority
[31:19] of the board was not interested
[31:21] in pursuing and would take a
[31:23] lot of staff time. Well, how
[31:24] would that individual board
[31:26] member know that the majority
[31:29] of the board members didn't
[31:31] want that item? You have
[31:33] to think about that because,
[31:36] you know, we do have walking
[31:38] quorum rules in Texas. And if
[31:40] this wasn't discussed
[31:43] in public, it was discussed
[31:45] behind the door. Or the
[31:46] protocol, maybe, is that the
[31:48] board president calls each
[31:50] member to sample. I don't know
[31:52] what the protocol is because
[31:54] it's not in TASB, but there
[31:55] should be a protocol. Nowhere
[31:57] near agenda does it say that
[31:59] you have future agenda items.
[32:00] So it wasn't done there. I
[32:02] don't know if. Miss Ila, you
[32:05] reached out to each individual
[32:07] board member. Was the open
[32:09] meetings act violated through a
[32:12] walking corner when that
[32:14] happened? I don't know. Was the
[32:15] board business being conducted
[32:17] out of the purview of the
[32:19] public? I mean, how's the
[32:21] majority come up knowing we
[32:23] don't want a certain item
[32:24] without at least four of you
[32:25] deciding that that's a vote? I
[32:29] think we need to look into
[32:31] that. I think the public would
[32:33] like to know why that verbiage
[32:35] was passed back and forth
[32:36] between Antonio, Miss Wood, and
[32:39] last week's chair. Now I want
[32:41] to turn to IA. I don't believe
[32:45] you should approve that
[32:47] contract. I'm going to tell you
[32:49] why. Because we have Joe Biden,
[32:50] who was stopped running for
[32:52] president when he plagiarized.
[32:53] We now have the Harvard
[32:55] president who actually
[33:00] plagiarized Miss Carol Swain,
[33:02] one of my favorite authors. She
[33:04] authored the adversity of
[33:06] diversity. Great writer. So
[33:08] great that the Harvard
[33:11] professor, Miss Gay,
[33:12] plagiarized her and did not
[33:15] give her credit. Gloria Gaye
[33:17] got no credit to Miss Wayne. So
[33:18] here we have our vice president
[33:21] now being accused
[33:23] of the very thing back in 2009.
[33:27] So if we do this IA thing, it's
[33:28] going
[33:30] to take away the opportunity
[33:31] of our children to become vice
[33:32] president or potentially
[33:34] president. So I think we should
[33:36] cancel that contract and not do
[33:38] it because you see the success
[33:39] you can have if you act
[33:42] in certain manners. And with
[33:45] the last few seconds I have, I
[33:47] want to talk about the tips.
[33:49] In 22, I asked
[33:51] for an accounting
[33:53] of three tips that expired to
[33:55] see if they met their goals. It
[33:57] was never mentioned again. Now
[33:58] we're fixing to add 20 years to
[34:01] two different tips. We already
[34:03] added nine years to tip number
[34:05] nine. This corporate welfare
[34:07] has to end. Thank you.
[34:08] >> Thank you. Mister Bennett.
[34:10] Miss Samantha Goldblatt.
[34:23] >> Hi, good evening. My name is
[34:25] Samantha Goldblatt. I'm a TCC
[34:27] graduate. I graduated, let's
[34:29] see, last spring, and I still
[34:31] work here right now. I work
[34:33] within the learning commons. I
[34:35] didn't really know a whole lot
[34:37] about the issue
[34:38] with the children's center
[34:39] before today. I was influenced
[34:42] by the group of parents that I
[34:44] saw earlier. And I think that
[34:46] although I don't know too much
[34:47] about what's going on exactly,
[34:49] I do see a really consistent
[34:51] problem with communication. I
[34:53] don't think that perhaps the
[34:55] notification of the closing was
[34:58] timely, and I don't think it
[35:00] was fair to parents. I see it
[35:02] very consistently in other
[35:04] factors, too. And I think that,
[35:06] like with our strategic plan
[35:08] that's going on currently, I
[35:10] don't think that closing the
[35:11] children's center is in line
[35:13] with that. I know that we want
[35:14] to serve our community. I know
[35:16] that I work very hard to serve
[35:18] my community. I know that I see
[35:20] students constantly. I used to
[35:21] be an SI leader that supported
[35:22] spanish courses, and I was very
[35:23] in line
[35:24] with my community and trying
[35:26] to connect students
[35:27] to that. And within my spanish
[35:29] classes, too, as a graduate of
[35:30] TCC, I saw as a student, my
[35:33] professors really strive
[35:34] to connect ourselves or
[35:35] to connect their students
[35:36] to the community,
[35:38] to the resources outside
[35:39] of TCC itself. I've been
[35:46] on conference trips, I've been
[35:47] to like, events
[35:48] in the community
[35:50] to serve hispanic speaking
[35:51] parts of Tarrant county. And I
[35:52] think that the work that the
[35:53] children's center seems
[35:55] to be doing that seems
[35:57] to be supported by all the
[35:58] other parents that have come
[36:00] today. I think that closing the
[36:02] center would go
[36:03] against our support of the
[36:05] community. And although it
[36:08] seems the decision has been
[36:11] made, I do think that there
[36:12] probably are things that could
[36:15] be improved upon. The
[36:17] propositions that have been
[36:18] made by other members of the
[36:20] community might be helpful, but
[36:22] I think that there is a way
[36:24] that we can make this right.
[36:25] Thank you.
[36:26] >> Thank you, Miss Goblet.
[36:28] Jason Zinke.
[36:40] >> Good evening, ladies and
[36:42] gentlemen. My name is Jason
[36:43] Juke and I am the father
[36:44] of the child who is involved in
[36:46] the October 4 incident. I'm
[36:48] here to shed light
[36:49] on some hypocrisy
[36:51] before you and beg for your
[36:52] help. I've been getting very
[36:54] mixed messages from TCC
[36:55] on just what kind of care it
[36:57] values. Our children's center
[36:59] is exemplary, and our 50th
[37:01] anniversary celebration gala
[37:02] just, what, three weeks back.
[37:04] As proof of that, the HHS
[37:05] website shows that in the last
[37:06] five years, only two
[37:07] deficiencies have been found
[37:08] there
[37:09] in a single report. This stands
[37:11] in stark contrast to childcare
[37:13] associates, whose head start
[37:14] and childcare studios schools
[37:16] have two, seven, even ten or
[37:18] more deficiencies in a single
[37:20] school. One was even closed by
[37:21] licensing. You'll recognize the
[37:23] name, as was mentioned earlier,
[37:25] as the much hyped partner TCC
[37:27] is using to launch its new
[37:31] childcare centers next year on
[37:33] the south and northwest
[37:35] campuses. The record is
[37:37] atrocious in comparison to our
[37:39] own children's center. Yet now,
[37:41] one incident with one teacher
[37:42] who was already removed is
[37:43] seemingly the reason Chancellor
[37:45] Elva Leblanc has decided to
[37:47] close this amazing school
[37:48] lightly in favor
[37:49] of our new strategic partner
[37:50] with a prolific deficiency
[37:51] record. As this situation with
[37:53] the children's center unfolded,
[37:54] we tried to talk to the
[37:55] chancellor. We were refused.
[37:56] Instead, we got a call back
[37:58] from general counsel. There's
[37:59] at least one other family this
[38:01] has happened to. What kind of
[38:03] coward will ignore a
[38:05] constituency and immediately
[38:07] call for a lawyer? That's a
[38:08] clear acknowledgement of
[38:09] wrongdoing, and I hope you're
[38:11] ashamed to be affiliated
[38:12] with someone like this, as I
[38:14] am. TCC is better than that,
[38:16] and was better than that. Our
[38:18] community coming together
[38:19] in front of you here now
[38:21] to support our children's
[38:22] center of proof of how good it
[38:24] has become and how good it can
[38:26] still be. We spent the last two
[38:27] days standing on TCC campuses,
[38:29] spreading awareness and talking
[38:30] with as many students, staff,
[38:32] and faculty as we could. It was
[38:33] extremely concerning
[38:34] to hear several people speak
[38:36] to the chancellor's reputation
[38:38] for hasty knee jerk reactions
[38:39] and a tendency to make
[38:41] important decisions alone
[38:42] without consulting the board,
[38:43] community, or other leaders.
[38:45] Yes, this came from her own
[38:47] staff and faculty. The
[38:48] figurehead
[38:49] of TCC was already distrusted
[38:50] by at least some
[38:52] of her own employees due
[38:54] to her own actions prior to
[38:55] this incident. You should also
[38:57] know it appears that general
[38:58] counsel has been making
[39:00] material misrepresentations
[39:01] regarding both the
[39:02] circumstances of the situation
[39:04] and the investigation process.
[39:06] Per DFPS investigator Cody
[39:07] Minor, we've been speaking
[39:08] with a number
[39:09] of community leaders, and
[39:11] among them, the office of
[39:12] Senator Tan Parker has been
[39:13] looking into this and general
[39:14] counsel assured him that the
[39:16] incident was egregious. Using
[39:17] that word repeatedly, he said
[39:19] the same thing
[39:20] to us. I'm going to give you
[39:22] all the actual incident report.
[39:24] Sorry for the mic from, as well
[39:28] as my notes and corrections
[39:30] from reviewing the videos with
[39:32] TCC. Detective Clark, I wish I
[39:35] could play the videos for you
[39:37] right now as well. This is my
[39:38] son, and I can tell you right
[39:40] now that to call it egregious
[39:42] is a serious exaggeration. I
[39:46] also want to remind you that
[39:47] there is not now, and never has
[39:49] been active, pending, or even
[39:50] contemplated litigation
[39:52] relating to that incident that
[39:53] was communicated explicitly
[39:55] to TCC on October 7. And the
[39:58] TCC police also said they found
[40:00] nothing of concern they would
[40:02] act on. That is something that
[40:06] was published on October 9 in
[40:08] the media. General counsel has
[40:11] also stressed the gravity of
[40:12] the police and state
[40:13] involvement
[40:14] in the investigation.
[40:15] But that is basic due diligence
[40:16] for any report which we self
[40:18] reported in good faith. Save
[40:21] our school. Remove the ones who
[40:24] will act as they see fit,
[40:26] without regard for the truth.
[40:28] These are our children, our
[40:30] future, and your future.
[40:33] Without them, TCC would have
[40:35] and deserve no future. Save
[40:37] them to save us all. Thank you.
[40:41] >> Thank you. Okay. Mister
[40:50] Gates. Is that it? Okay. Thank
[40:53] you. All right, we are going
[40:54] to move to item eight b, the
[40:58] chancellor's report, and then
[40:59] we will move into the rest of
[41:01] the agenda.
[41:04] >> Thank you. Trustee Ayala. I
[41:07] want to start by stating that
[41:11] the nursing program recently
[41:15] received notice that they
[41:18] earned reaffirmation of our
[41:20] accreditation certification
[41:23] from the accreditation
[41:25] Commission for Education in
[41:27] nursing. This solidifies our
[41:30] position as a leader
[41:31] in nursing education for the
[41:34] next decade, ensuring that our
[41:36] graduates are well prepared
[41:38] to meet the challenges of the
[41:40] healthcare field.
[41:42] Congratulations go to Doctor
[41:44] Mararos. The faculty and staff
[41:46] in nursing who work
[41:48] to earn accreditation also want
[41:51] to point
[41:52] out that the US Department of
[41:54] Education has recognized the
[41:57] collegiate school Grapevine,
[41:59] Colleyville, that's on the
[42:01] northeast campus as a national
[42:04] blue ribbon school. So,
[42:06] congratulations. Go doctor. To
[42:09] the northeast campus. Doctor
[42:11] Clayton will be representing
[42:13] the college when the award is
[42:15] presented on October 29. So
[42:19] congratulations, Jan. I also
[42:22] want to state that our
[42:24] strategic focus is
[42:26] for the college to prepare the
[42:28] future workforce and serve as a
[42:30] key player
[42:33] in the economic development
[42:35] of the county. This aligns with
[42:38] our mission, vision and
[42:41] strategic plan, trailblazing
[42:44] together 2030 to boldly lead
[42:47] the college as we bring greater
[42:49] focus and direction to the
[42:54] internal and external college
[42:57] community. We need
[43:00] to support people to adapt
[43:02] to change. We all agree that
[43:05] for Tarrant County College to
[43:07] remain relevant, we must be
[43:11] able
[43:12] to pivot quickly and adjust to
[43:13] external demands. Change
[43:19] management includes policy
[43:21] review and updates. You will be
[43:23] reviewing policy later in the
[43:25] meeting today. Structures which
[43:29] set boundaries and expectations
[43:32] to support adapting
[43:34] to the change brought
[43:36] by policy and communication
[43:38] at all levels of the internal
[43:41] and external communities, and I
[43:44] will share a few examples. My
[43:47] first example is the faculty
[43:50] contracts. The faculty
[43:53] contracts were changed
[43:55] in order
[43:57] to set clear expectations as
[43:59] to the work that faculty need
[44:02] to get done, the number of days
[44:04] they would work, and faculty
[44:07] contract fairness
[44:10] across the college. Along with
[44:14] the contracts, faculty received
[44:17] board policies that impact
[44:18] them. The new contract
[44:21] structure aligns with our board
[44:23] policies, ensuring we are
[44:25] consistent in our approach to
[44:27] faculty employment terms and
[44:30] conditions. We understood
[44:32] faculty would have questions,
[44:36] which is why we dedicated a
[44:38] great deal of effort in
[44:41] preparing communication
[44:44] customized by specific impact
[44:46] of the change on the modality
[44:48] or the program. We also took
[44:50] the time to meet
[44:51] with faculty members. For
[44:54] example, campus leadership
[44:57] invited faculty
[44:59] to multiple information
[45:01] meetings with both group and
[45:04] individual meetings. These were
[45:06] over and beyond the written
[45:08] communication and the
[45:12] opportunities given
[45:14] by human resources to ask
[45:17] questions. Another example is
[45:18] Senate Bill 17. The general
[45:20] counsel's office continues
[45:28] to play a critical role in
[45:31] guiding, monitoring, and
[45:34] enforcing Senate Bill 17
[45:35] statute. I am personally
[45:37] meeting with external partners
[45:38] who are also impacted by Senate
[45:39] Bill 17. These meetings and
[45:41] other connections are
[45:42] especially critical as we all
[45:46] continue to gain more clarity
[45:48] on how to fully implement
[45:50] Senate Bill 17. At the same
[45:52] time we are updating
[45:56] parameters, we are reviewing
[45:58] purchasing contracts, updating
[46:01] scholarship, administration,
[46:03] providing training sessions,
[46:05] overseeing events, and
[46:07] addressing complaints related
[46:09] to Senate Bill 17. These
[46:12] comprehensive efforts ensure
[46:15] that the statute's requirements
[46:18] are fully integrated and upheld
[46:20] within the operations of
[46:23] Tarrant County College. And
[46:25] finally, I want to end
[46:27] with a conversation
[46:30] about the children's center on
[46:32] Northeast campus. The Tarrant
[46:35] County College Children's
[46:37] Center Laboratory School is a
[46:40] teaching, learning, and
[46:43] training site for future early
[46:47] childhood professionals
[46:51] enrolled in TCC's child
[46:54] development program. To be
[46:55] clear, TCC created and
[46:57] developed the children's center
[47:00] specifically to educate and
[47:02] train early childhood
[47:05] professionals. The center was
[47:08] not designed to be, nor has it
[47:11] been, operating as a typical
[47:14] childcare center. TCC demands
[47:19] that all
[47:21] of our operations align
[47:24] with the standards of respect,
[47:27] care, and professionalism. The
[47:30] information brought
[47:33] to our attention on October 4
[47:35] identified that some children
[47:38] center operations do not align
[47:41] with these standards. We were
[47:44] deeply concerned and addressed
[47:47] it by closing the center on
[47:50] October 11. We have apologized
[47:54] multiple times, communicated
[47:57] with parents in person,
[48:01] by telephone, and in writing
[48:04] multiple times. Yes, the center
[48:08] is closed. We intend
[48:14] to re envision our approach to
[48:16] early education, evaluate the
[48:19] purpose of a laboratory school
[48:21] and restructure our
[48:24] preparations for early
[48:26] childhood professionals. To
[48:28] meet the job demand, we are
[48:30] creating an advisory group who
[48:33] will help inform our efforts.
[48:36] Our community partners have
[48:38] already reached out to us
[48:41] in support of finding
[48:44] solutions. I appreciate that
[48:47] the board cares deeply about
[48:49] these issues. As thought
[48:52] partners, we will find
[48:55] solutions that will allow us to
[48:57] reach our vision, which is, and
[49:01] I quote, Tarrant County College
[49:03] aspires to be the leader for
[49:07] academic excellence, student
[49:10] success, and economic impact.
[49:14] We all care deeply
[49:17] about the community, about our
[49:23] students, and all that's
[49:26] involved. We go. We always take
[49:30] extra steps to ensure that
[49:33] everyone feels welcomed and
[49:36] that everyone is safe and
[49:39] secure. So thank you.
[49:44] >> Thank you, Doctor Leblanc.
[49:46] Okay, we will move on to item
[49:48] four, which is the board
[49:50] business. Items and
[49:52] announcements
[49:54] for a, B, and C are the
[49:55] approval of September 19
[49:57] special meeting minutes,
[49:59] approval of September 19 work
[50:01] session minutes, and approval
[50:03] of September 26, monthly board
[50:05] meeting minutes. Does anyone
[50:07] have any questions? Otherwise,
[50:08] we'll entertain a motion.
[50:12] >> I move approval.
[50:14] >> Okay, mister Barr.2nd
[50:16] by Miss Deakyne. All in favor,
[50:21] say aye? Any opposed? Okay,
[50:22] that motion carries. We will
[50:24] move on to item 4d. Any trustee
[50:25] activities? We will start out
[50:28] with Miss Wood to talk about
[50:34] community health Fair, please.
[50:35] And the campus police annual
[50:37] picnic.
[50:39] >> Good evening, everyone. So
[50:44] the picture you see
[50:47] on the board right now was at
[50:50] Northeast campus two weeks ago.
[50:51] I was there
[50:52] for another reason,
[50:53] but I noticed there were a lot
[50:54] of cars in the parking lot, and
[50:56] I saw Doctor Ford walking
[50:57] across, so I grabbed her and
[50:59] asked her what was going on,
[51:01] and she informed me that there
[51:02] was a health fair by the
[51:04] Hispanic Wellness coalition
[51:06] at the college. And so we
[51:09] walked through the health fair
[51:12] together, and we came to the
[51:14] respiratory care program that
[51:16] we have here at TCC. And that
[51:18] is theresa Griego, instructor
[51:20] of the respiratory therapist
[51:23] respiratory therapy here at
[51:26] this campus. And if you notice
[51:28] there, there is a pink lung and
[51:30] a black lung. And I asked her,
[51:33] first of all, if they were
[51:35] real, and she said, yes, they
[51:37] were. And then they proceeded
[51:39] to show me how they worked, and
[51:40] they pumped them up
[51:42] like they would if they were in
[51:43] a body. And the black is the
[51:45] smoker's lung, and the pink is
[51:47] a healthy lung. And I'm telling
[51:50] you that visual will always
[51:51] stay in my mind. And yes. And
[51:55] so I asked her a little bit
[51:57] about the program because I'm
[52:00] very interested in respiratory
[52:04] therapy. And she told me it was
[52:07] a 20 month program to graduate.
[52:08] Right now they have 28 students
[52:10] that will graduate in May,
[52:12] but they have room
[52:13] for 30. And the pay coming out
[52:15] of this program starts at
[52:16] $70,000, which I thought was
[52:18] amazing. And it was just a
[52:21] really interesting opportunity.
[52:24] And I am just so excited. I got
[52:26] to meet some students and
[52:28] instructors and I just felt
[52:30] like it was a great health fair
[52:32] altogether. A big thank you
[52:34] to Doctor Ford for walking me
[52:36] around. And then the next event
[52:39] was the annual police picnic.
[52:42] And you can see I'm with
[52:43] Officer Benson and Officer
[52:46] Dubose. We were outside. I
[52:49] didn't get very many pictures.
[52:51] I don't know if I got any
[52:54] pictures outside. But I wanted
[52:57] to say thank you
[52:58] to Officer Holland for cooking
[52:59] the amazing food. And that is
[53:01] Officer Fernandez and his sweet
[53:02] family. And the food was
[53:04] amazing. If you ever have a
[53:06] chance to go, the food is
[53:08] amazing, the people are great.
[53:10] And it was a really fun time.
[53:11] So thank you.
[53:14] >> Thank you for attending
[53:16] that. I know it was sorry that
[53:17] I wasn't able to make it, but I
[53:19] know the board was glad that
[53:20] you were able to attend that
[53:22] day. Mister Kyne, I think you
[53:24] have something to. You've been
[53:25] busy too.
[53:28] >> Well, I think we've all been
[53:29] busy. First, I'd like
[53:31] to speak a little bit about
[53:33] attending the October 3
[53:36] Arlington ISD board of trustees
[53:39] meeting. I was there because
[53:42] the Arlington ISD Education
[53:46] foundation was recognized with
[53:48] the district's community
[53:50] Partner award of appreciation.
[53:52] And while I was there, I think
[53:53] there's another picture I was
[53:59] able to learn more about. No,
[54:01] not that picture. Keep going.
[54:03] That is not it. Anyway, there
[54:05] you go. I was on hand
[54:08] to learn more
[54:10] about the AISD student
[54:11] of the month, Liliana Boland
[54:13] from Arlington College and
[54:15] Career High School. And what is
[54:17] so impressive
[54:18] about this young woman
[54:20] above and beyond a really
[54:22] impressive list? Was that
[54:24] on that list of her many
[54:26] accomplishments was that she
[54:27] earned her associate degree
[54:29] from Tarrant County College
[54:31] before she even started her
[54:32] senior year. She is currently a
[54:38] senior and now she is taking
[54:40] dual credit courses. And she
[54:43] was just the living embodiment
[54:47] of how TCC and our ISD
[54:50] partnerships are truly
[54:52] transforming students lives.
[54:55] She is a beacon
[54:57] of what is really great about
[54:59] our public school students. And
[55:01] it really just emphasizes all
[55:03] of the opportunities that are
[55:04] being created through dual
[55:06] credit. So she's a walking
[55:08] billboard. I think I will
[55:10] employ her in all
[55:11] of my good news stories about
[55:14] TCC. See if she will let me. So
[55:16] that was a great event. Then on
[55:18] October 8, and I don't think
[55:21] there's a picture
[55:23] of this, I was also able
[55:24] to participate in the AISD
[55:26] stakeholder meeting where
[55:28] community members and elected
[55:29] officials collaborated
[55:31] on enhancing student outcomes
[55:32] in our schools again, which is
[55:34] to highlight that there are
[55:37] great partnerships
[55:38] across our district between TCC
[55:39] and the ISDs that are really
[55:41] leveraging change and outcomes,
[55:45] not just for students, but for
[55:46] their families, and really
[55:48] involved in work that's
[55:50] transforming families for an
[55:51] entire lifetime. The other
[55:54] thing I wanted to report on, I
[55:56] don't have a picture
[55:59] on this one, but just today I
[56:01] attended the Community College
[56:03] association of Texas Trustees
[56:06] board meeting where the key
[56:08] topics of our conversation
[56:09] included shared policy
[56:11] priorities for the upcoming
[56:14] legislative session. We also
[56:15] reviewed the focus forward
[56:17] strategic plan update, which
[56:21] outlines goals for the
[56:23] organization's future growth
[56:26] and impact. And additionally,
[56:28] we had an
[56:30] in depth conversation
[56:32] about roles and
[56:37] responsibilities of the CAHPS
[56:38] board members. Really
[56:39] with a focus
[56:41] on making sure that under the
[56:42] new organization, that we are
[56:43] doing our due diligence in
[56:45] making sure that the new
[56:46] geographic region structure is
[56:47] used
[56:48] to engage community colleges
[56:49] across those districts. So look
[56:51] for a summary of those
[56:52] priorities and strategic plan
[56:54] forthcoming
[56:55] in a communication shared by
[56:57] the CaP board soon. Thank you.
[57:00] >> And thank you for
[57:01] representing Interrack County
[57:02] College
[57:04] in this particular region on
[57:06] the CCATT board. So, thank you.
[57:07] Mister Barr.
[57:09] >> Yes, I had the privilege
[57:11] earlier this week of attending
[57:13] a panel discussion put on by
[57:15] the Metro report, which is a
[57:16] part
[57:18] of the business press here
[57:19] in Fort Worth. And the focus
[57:22] of that panel was on the state
[57:23] of higher education. And some
[57:26] of our partner organizations
[57:29] were there, including
[57:31] representatives from Texas
[57:32] Wesleyan University, Tarleton
[57:34] State University, the
[57:36] University of Texas at
[57:37] Arlington, and the Fort Worth
[57:39] Metropolitan Black Chamber of
[57:42] Commerce. And doctor Elva
[57:44] Leblanc was there. It was
[57:47] interesting discussion. It was
[57:49] really focused
[57:51] on the pipeline. It's
[57:53] about getting students
[57:55] through TCC and getting them
[57:57] through the colleges and the
[57:59] other partner organizations,
[58:00] the other colleges. What came
[58:03] out to me very strong was the
[58:06] collaboration that goes on
[58:08] between TCC and UTA, Tarleton,
[58:11] Texas Wesleyan, and the
[58:14] pathways to help students stay
[58:17] focused and get
[58:19] through TCC and easily move
[58:21] into being involved in these
[58:23] other institutions. I sort of
[58:25] think Doctor Leblanc's
[58:29] presentation there was very
[58:30] good. It came across pretty
[58:33] clearly that TCC is a
[58:35] foundation
[58:37] for so many students that go
[58:39] on to the other colleges and
[58:40] universities, and they really
[58:42] like to get our students. It's
[58:44] pretty clear. Thank you.
[58:46] >> Thank you. Thank you, mister
[58:47] Barr. And thank you
[58:49] for dressing and talking about
[58:51] the college. Wonderful. Miss.
[58:54] Doctor Morrison?No, Miss
[58:56] Hornsby? Okay, Miss Pritchett?
[58:57] Okay. All right, we'll go ahead
[58:59] and move on to the rest
[59:02] of the agenda. And for those
[59:03] of you that are new to our
[59:05] meetings or you're live
[59:06] streaming, we may go through
[59:08] these a little bit more quickly
[59:09] because we had a work session
[59:10] previously, and we were able
[59:11] to ask questions at that work
[59:12] session. So we'll start out
[59:13] with item five, which is
[59:15] consideration and approval of
[59:16] the consent agenda. There are
[59:20] no questions. We'll entertain a
[59:21] motion, and I apologize.
[59:25] >> Yes. Believe it or not, that
[59:27] this is day three, and this is
[59:29] the best it's been. Two days
[59:31] ago, I had zero voice. Some
[59:32] people were happy about that,
[59:33] that I couldn't speak
[59:35] to them, including my daughter.
[59:36] But apart
[59:38] from that, if I would like
[59:41] to move five a out
[59:43] of consent, please.
[59:44] >> For discussion. Five a
[59:46] to be moved out.
[59:50] Okay. Which is
[59:51] consideration, approved of the
[59:52] annual membership dues. Okay.
[59:54] We need a motion for that.
[59:55] Antonio, can we go ahead and
[59:58] move that? Okay. All right.
[1:00:03] >> I don't believe that moving
[1:00:04] something out of consent
[1:00:06] requires a vote. A motion and a
[1:00:08] vote. It's a request.
[1:00:12] >> I think
[1:00:13] Miss Pritchett is right. You
[1:00:15] don't need a. Yeah, she's
[1:00:16] right. You just need to. She's
[1:00:17] made the request for it
[1:00:18] to be removed out
[1:00:19] of the consent agenda.
[1:00:22] >> Just want to make sure. Okay,
[1:00:23] thank you very much. So item
[1:00:24] five a will be moved out of the
[1:00:25] agenda. So we will have
[1:00:26] consideration, approval
[1:00:28] of the consent agendas five b
[1:00:31] through five l, Yes?
[1:00:36] >> I'd also like
[1:00:37] to move five b out
[1:00:39] of consent, please.
[1:00:40] >> Five b as in boy?
[1:00:41] >> Yes, please.
[1:00:48] >> Okay, so we are asking
[1:00:49] for the consideration, approval
[1:00:51] of the consent agenda
[1:00:52] from five c to five l.
[1:00:56] >> I move Approval.
[1:00:58] >> Move Approval
[1:00:59] by Mister Barr, second
[1:01:01] by Mister Hornsby. All in favor
[1:01:02] say aye? Any opposed? Okay,
[1:01:05] that motion carries. So we'll
[1:01:09] look at five a, which is
[1:01:10] consideration and approval
[1:01:12] of the annual membership dues
[1:01:13] for the Texas association
[1:01:15] of Community Colleges of
[1:01:17] $103,100. Doctor Elva Leblanc.
[1:01:20] >> Yes. Thank you. So, Texas
[1:01:23] association of Community
[1:01:25] Colleges is a non governmental
[1:01:27] organization that serves the
[1:01:30] public community college
[1:01:32] districts
[1:01:34] in Texas. Their primary focus
[1:01:35] is to be advocates for the
[1:01:37] community colleges, and an
[1:01:40] example of how they function is
[1:01:46] the passing
[1:01:47] of House bill eight. All of the
[1:01:49] colleges supported House bill
[1:01:51] eight because TACC and the
[1:01:55] leadership they provided
[1:01:56] ensured that we were well
[1:01:59] educated. On House bill. I said
[1:02:03] five. House bill eight and all
[1:02:08] the changes that were made to
[1:02:11] our funding. This is the first
[1:02:13] time that all
[1:02:14] of the legislators,
[1:02:16] with the exception
[1:02:18] of maybe one, voted in favor of
[1:02:20] House bill eight. We attribute
[1:02:25] TACC to making that a success.
[1:02:28] They also have the Texas
[1:02:32] Success center, which. This is
[1:02:34] a group that raise quite a bit
[1:02:39] of money. So the fees that they
[1:02:41] charge the colleges are a
[1:02:44] fraction of what they need
[1:02:47] to operate. They bring
[1:02:50] in quite a few grants through
[1:02:53] Bill Melinda Gates and other
[1:02:55] foundations that support the
[1:02:59] Texas success center. All the
[1:03:01] colleges benefit from it. We
[1:03:03] have programs such as pathways,
[1:03:06] that all
[1:03:07] of the colleges have been able
[1:03:09] to participate in
[1:03:12] at almost no cost because
[1:03:15] of their entrepreneurial
[1:03:17] efforts in bringing in outside
[1:03:20] dollars. So it has served
[1:03:24] Tarrant County College well. It
[1:03:26] serves all the other colleges
[1:03:29] in Texas well, and it helps us
[1:03:31] speak with one voice. It also
[1:03:36] supports the ccatt. So it's big
[1:03:38] picture being able
[1:03:43] to have a voice in Austin all
[1:03:44] of the time. Thank you.
[1:03:47] >> Okay, so that's item five a.
[1:03:51] Do you have a. Sorry. Oh, did
[1:03:54] you have a question? Okay. Miss
[1:03:56] Pritchett, do you have a
[1:03:57] question?
[1:03:59] >> If the chancellor is
[1:04:01] finished? Yes. Thank you. The
[1:04:03] reason why I wanted
[1:04:04] to take this out
[1:04:05] of consent and
[1:04:07] to have some discussion
[1:04:08] about it is there are two
[1:04:09] things about this that concern
[1:04:11] me. One is, although they may
[1:04:13] be doing some excellent work,
[1:04:15] what I have objection to is
[1:04:17] that it is using public money
[1:04:20] for lobbying. In other words,
[1:04:23] that the public is now paying
[1:04:25] for lobbyists to go in front
[1:04:27] of legislators to speak on the
[1:04:29] behalf, whether it is something
[1:04:32] that is beneficial for the
[1:04:35] community. Community or not. I
[1:04:38] don't have any concern about
[1:04:40] lobbyists when it is. When
[1:04:42] they're paid for by private
[1:04:44] funds. I do have some concerns
[1:04:46] when it is paid for with public
[1:04:47] funds.
[1:04:49] >> So can I speak to that,
[1:04:51] please? There is an arm of TACC
[1:04:57] that supports the lobbying
[1:05:01] effort that is paid for
[1:05:03] by individuals, like
[1:05:05] by private dollars. All of the
[1:05:08] CEO's and anyone that wants
[1:05:11] to contribute contributes to
[1:05:13] that endeavor, so that no state
[1:05:17] dollars go to that. What
[1:05:20] they're doing is educating us,
[1:05:24] helping us stay connected to
[1:05:28] the Texas Higher Education
[1:05:31] Coordinating Board and other
[1:05:34] entities that support our
[1:05:37] community colleges. More
[1:05:39] importantly, when you look
[1:05:41] at the work of the Texas
[1:05:43] Success center, that was work
[1:05:46] that's been invaluable
[1:05:48] to our students in pathways and
[1:05:52] other information that helps
[1:05:58] the faculty, the instructional
[1:06:02] leaders, the counselors,
[1:06:05] etcetera, to better support our
[1:06:09] students. So I'm glad you
[1:06:11] brought up the lobbying part.
[1:06:14] The actual lobbying is paid
[1:06:18] for with private dollars and
[1:06:20] not state dollars.
[1:06:22] >> Okay. Thank you very much
[1:06:23] for clarifying that. The other
[1:06:24] item that I wanted to mention
[1:06:26] that is also very concerning is
[1:06:27] that when taking a look
[1:06:30] at the website for TACC and the
[1:06:31] various partners that the
[1:06:36] organization works with, that
[1:06:39] many of those organizations
[1:06:41] have practices and philosophies
[1:06:44] that are counter to SB 17. And
[1:06:47] my concern is that we're
[1:06:50] putting the chancellor in a
[1:06:52] position, she's our employee
[1:06:54] and we're putting her
[1:06:55] in a position where she's
[1:06:57] forced to receive training
[1:07:01] based on, again, items that are
[1:07:03] counter to SP 17, which is
[1:07:05] diversity, equity and
[1:07:06] inclusion. And just a few items
[1:07:08] that I pulled and this is just
[1:07:10] a very, very small sampling.
[1:07:12] One of the partners is called
[1:07:14] World Education that states
[1:07:16] equity and inclusion drive our
[1:07:18] work. Annie E. Casey foundation
[1:07:21] states Equity and Inclusion
[1:07:23] Action Guide embracing equity
[1:07:25] seven steps to advance and
[1:07:27] embed equity and inclusion
[1:07:28] within your organization. The
[1:07:30] Trellis foundation has their
[1:07:32] equity statement along
[1:07:34] with the vice president of
[1:07:35] diversity, equity and student
[1:07:38] success and the Texas Success
[1:07:39] center partners with an
[1:07:41] organization called Achieving
[1:07:43] the Dream. And it states from
[1:07:45] their website, our expert
[1:07:47] coaches partner with community
[1:07:48] colleges throughout the country
[1:07:50] to prioritize student success
[1:07:51] by centering equity on their
[1:07:53] campuses and also advancing
[1:07:55] equity in pursuit of better
[1:07:56] student outcomes. And my
[1:07:58] concern, chancellor, with this
[1:08:01] is again, the environment and
[1:08:03] putting you in a situation
[1:08:05] where the training and the
[1:08:07] camaraderie that you would
[1:08:09] receive really puts you
[1:08:10] in a position that's counter
[1:08:12] and at odds with state law.
[1:08:13] Senate Bill 17 those are my
[1:08:15] concerns.
[1:08:24] >> Any other questions? Do you
[1:08:28] have a question as well? Okay.
[1:08:30] All right. Is there anything
[1:08:35] that, do you have to go to
[1:08:37] those trainings or are those
[1:08:39] just ones that you select to go
[1:08:40] to? I'm just curious.
[1:08:42] >> That's a great question.
[1:08:44] First of all, those are all the
[1:08:49] entities that were mentioned
[1:08:52] earlier are funding but don't
[1:08:55] direct what the training should
[1:08:58] be. They simply provide the
[1:09:04] funding and TACC is happy
[1:09:06] to help them out
[1:09:08] with that. All of the training
[1:09:11] is voluntary. I don't have
[1:09:13] to go
[1:09:15] to the meetings. You don't have
[1:09:16] to go to ccatt meetings.
[1:09:20] But it is important for us
[1:09:22] to stay informed. The
[1:09:25] complexity of Senate Bill 17,
[1:09:29] whether you are in agreement
[1:09:32] with it or not, is that
[1:09:35] everyone is still trying
[1:09:37] to figure
[1:09:39] out what it means and how
[1:09:41] to apply it. And in any law or
[1:09:45] anything you look at, you're
[1:09:48] going to have different
[1:09:51] interpretations. A good example
[1:09:53] is the us constitution where
[1:09:55] you have different
[1:09:57] interpretations
[1:09:59] of what that means and how to
[1:10:02] apply it. So again, TACC is
[1:10:07] very aware
[1:10:10] of Senate Bill 17 and is going
[1:10:14] through the same process that
[1:10:16] we are in trying to figure out
[1:10:18] what does it mean and how does
[1:10:20] it apply and is it in
[1:10:23] violation. And they are taking
[1:10:27] a very conservative stance on
[1:10:30] applying Senate Bill 17.
[1:10:34] They're not
[1:10:36] out there taking risks to see
[1:10:39] if they get caught or anything
[1:10:41] of that nature. So it's
[1:10:44] unfortunate because we've not
[1:10:47] been able to get. None
[1:10:48] of us has been able
[1:10:51] to get clarity from the
[1:10:53] legislators. We've not been
[1:10:55] able to get clarity from the
[1:10:57] Texas higher Education
[1:10:59] coordinating board. And the
[1:11:01] only clarity we've received is
[1:11:03] from TASB. And it's their
[1:11:05] interpretation. Without TASB,
[1:11:09] doesn't actually stay
[1:11:11] in Austin talking to
[1:11:13] legislators. They just review
[1:11:15] the law based on what they
[1:11:18] think it says. So that's kind
[1:11:21] of where we are. But I assure
[1:11:24] you that the main focus
[1:11:27] of TACC is to bring the
[1:11:30] community colleges together
[1:11:33] for us to speak with one voice,
[1:11:35] which is very difficult because
[1:11:38] Texas is huge, and we have. The
[1:11:42] majority of the community
[1:11:44] colleges are tiny. They could
[1:11:47] never afford
[1:11:50] to stay informed or any
[1:11:52] of that. And
[1:11:55] through TACC, they're able
[1:11:57] to do that.
[1:11:59] >> Thank you for some
[1:12:00] of that clarification
[1:12:02] in your role as a board member
[1:12:04] at TACC. What does that entail?
[1:12:07] And as it relates to some
[1:12:08] of the policies at TACC?
[1:12:11] >> So I currently am not. I'm
[1:12:15] on a committee. I'm
[1:12:17] on a subcategory role.
[1:12:21] But yes, our primary focus is
[1:12:25] to select the CEO and to review
[1:12:30] policy as it addresses the
[1:12:33] organization.
[1:12:36] >> Okay, just a point
[1:12:38] of clarification. On their
[1:12:41] website, it states that you are
[1:12:42] on the board
[1:12:43] of directors as a member
[1:12:44] at large.
[1:12:46] >> Member at large. And I'm
[1:12:47] also on the committee
[1:12:53] for the fee structure.
[1:12:57] But most of what we talk about,
[1:12:59] really and truly, is how are we
[1:13:02] going to implement House bill
[1:13:05] eight? How are we going to
[1:13:08] ensure student success and meet
[1:13:11] the metrics that are now
[1:13:13] expected of us from the state?
[1:13:17] >> Okay, just one other point
[1:13:18] for clarification. So this rose
[1:13:20] to our level because it now
[1:13:22] exceeds the $100,000?
[1:13:24] >> That's correct.
[1:13:25] >> Do you know when years
[1:13:27] passed, what the fees were, the
[1:13:28] annual fees?
[1:13:30] >> The fees were well
[1:13:32] below 100,000. Some
[1:13:38] of the fee increases are due
[1:13:40] to some
[1:13:43] of the colleges stepping down
[1:13:45] and not supporting. And so that
[1:13:47] means that others have to step
[1:13:49] up and support the
[1:13:51] organization.
[1:13:53] >> Thank you very much. Thank
[1:13:54] you. Okay, we've had
[1:13:56] discussion. I'm ready
[1:13:58] to entertain a motion on five.
[1:13:59] A consideration. Approval
[1:14:01] of the annual membership dues
[1:14:02] for the Texas association
[1:14:03] of Community Colleges
[1:14:05] of $103,100.
[1:14:07] >> Move to approve.
[1:14:08] >> Okay, that's Mister Hornsby.
[1:14:10] >> 2nd.
[1:14:11] >> 2nd by Mister Barr. All in
[1:14:12] favor say aye. Any opposed?
[1:14:14] Okay.
[1:14:16] >> President Ayala, for the
[1:14:18] record, I'd like
[1:14:19] to recuse myself
[1:14:20] from the vote. I am not a
[1:14:21] member
[1:14:23] of the Texas association of
[1:14:24] Community Colleges Board. I am
[1:14:26] a member of the board of the
[1:14:28] Community College association
[1:14:30] of Texas Trustees, which is not
[1:14:33] the same organization,
[1:14:34] but it was mentioned in the
[1:14:36] discussion as being supported.
[1:14:39] So I will recuse myself.
[1:14:41] >> You recuse
[1:14:42] yourself. And then we
[1:14:43] had a no vote as well.
[1:14:46] Thank you. From Miss
[1:14:48] Pritchett. Okay, motion
[1:14:52] carries. Thank you very much
[1:14:55] for the discussion. Let's move
[1:14:56] on to item five B, which is
[1:14:58] consideration and approval of
[1:14:59] professional consulting
[1:15:01] services from Barry Dunn,
[1:15:02] McNeil, and Parker, LLC. Barry
[1:15:04] Dunn in the amount of $202,500.
[1:15:08] Mister Krueger.
[1:15:21] >> Good evening. I
[1:15:22] am Todd Kruger, Chief
[1:15:23] Information officer. It is
[1:15:28] recommended that the board
[1:15:29] authorize the chancellor or the
[1:15:30] chancellor's designee
[1:15:31] to approve the engagement of
[1:15:33] Barry Dunn, McNeil, and Parker,
[1:15:34] LLC
[1:15:35] to provide professional
[1:15:36] services to establish a data
[1:15:37] governance program
[1:15:39] in the amount of $202,500.
[1:15:43] Texas State Bill 475 requires
[1:15:46] the college to designate a data
[1:15:47] management officer and to
[1:15:49] establish a data governance
[1:15:50] program to identify the
[1:15:52] college's data assets, exercise
[1:15:53] authority and management over
[1:15:55] the college's data assets, and
[1:15:57] establish related processes and
[1:15:58] procedures to oversee the
[1:16:00] college's data assets.
[1:16:01] Institutions of higher
[1:16:03] education must conduct data
[1:16:04] assessments and submit their
[1:16:05] findings
[1:16:06] to the Texas Department of
[1:16:07] Information resources every two
[1:16:10] years. Data governance is the
[1:16:11] management of data
[1:16:12] through policies and standards
[1:16:13] to ensure the quality,
[1:16:15] integrity, security, and
[1:16:16] usability of the institution's
[1:16:17] data. Data governance leads to
[1:16:19] improved data quality, better
[1:16:20] data analytics and decision
[1:16:22] making, and increased access
[1:16:24] to and use of the institution's
[1:16:25] data. Barry Dunn will provide
[1:16:27] subject matter expertise to
[1:16:29] help establish a robust data
[1:16:30] governance program.
[1:16:34] Deliverables include developing
[1:16:36] a comprehensive data governance
[1:16:37] master plan with long term and
[1:16:40] short term roadmaps, conducting
[1:16:41] a current state analysis of
[1:16:43] data governance and data
[1:16:45] management, defining roles,
[1:16:47] responsibilities, and
[1:16:48] accountability structures
[1:16:49] establishing data quality
[1:16:50] standards and metrics ensuring
[1:16:51] compliance with state Bill 475,
[1:16:53] including completing the
[1:16:54] college's first aid assessment
[1:16:55] for DIR and delivering a
[1:16:57] training package and developing
[1:16:59] a communication plan. And Barry
[1:17:01] Dunn was the lowest bidder and
[1:17:02] the highest ranked bidder.
[1:17:05] >> Okay, thank you very much,
[1:17:06] Mister Krueger. Any questions
[1:17:07] on that?
[1:17:08] >> I do have a couple of
[1:17:10] questions. Thank you. So this
[1:17:12] bill was initially passed in
[1:17:13] 2021, correct?
[1:17:16] >> I believe that's correct.
[1:17:19] >> So what I'm wondering
[1:17:20] about is why this is coming
[1:17:22] to us now. Has this been done
[1:17:24] in the past, or is this our
[1:17:26] first time that we've engaged
[1:17:27] in this?
[1:17:28] >> This is for the first time,
[1:17:29] correct.
[1:17:31] >> Okay. If it passed in June
[1:17:32] of 2021, why is it coming to us
[1:17:34] now?
[1:17:36] >> That is a great question. I
[1:17:38] do not have the answer to that.
[1:17:41] I was not here then, so I
[1:17:45] really cannot answer that
[1:17:46] question.
[1:17:47] >> Okay, fair enough. All
[1:17:52] right. Now, I read through the
[1:17:56] bill, and if you'll correct me
[1:17:58] on this, what I read is that
[1:18:00] the bill provides a framework
[1:18:02] for multiple entities to
[1:18:04] participate. I did not see
[1:18:07] anything in the bill that said
[1:18:09] that it requires TCC
[1:18:10] to be a part of the framework.
[1:18:14] >> So my understanding is that
[1:18:15] we need to develop a data
[1:18:16] governance structure, and we
[1:18:19] felt that it best
[1:18:21] to get a consultant
[1:18:22] to help us do that
[1:18:23] in the most effective way.
[1:18:24] With us embarking on the ERP
[1:18:26] initiative, data governance is
[1:18:27] a critical component of that.
[1:18:29] As you know, data definitions,
[1:18:31] access to data is critical. So
[1:18:33] getting expertise to ensure we
[1:18:35] do that whole process
[1:18:36] correctly, we felt was very,
[1:18:39] very important.
[1:18:42] >> This is a
[1:18:43] decision that's being made not
[1:18:44] as a requirement of the bill.
[1:18:46] Correct?
[1:18:47] >> My understanding is,
[1:18:49] based on how I've read it, that
[1:18:51] it's a requirement that we do
[1:18:53] a. That we do these things. Is
[1:18:54] it requirement that we have a
[1:18:56] consultant help us? That's not
[1:18:57] a requirement, but it's a
[1:18:58] requirement that we establish
[1:19:00] these things and we want to
[1:19:01] make sure we do them the best
[1:19:02] we can, which is why we're
[1:19:03] coming to you with this
[1:19:04] recommendation.
[1:19:05] >> Sure. And I can
[1:19:06] understand the validity
[1:19:07] of having a consultant as a
[1:19:10] part of this. So request is for
[1:19:12] 202,000 and the $202,500.
[1:19:17] Correct. What is the expected
[1:19:23] cost if after the $200 to $500,
[1:19:26] what is the expected cost
[1:19:28] to the taxpayer were this
[1:19:33] to be implemented based
[1:19:34] on those findings
[1:19:35] from the consultant?
[1:19:40] >> At present, I'm not aware
[1:19:41] of any additional costs beyond
[1:19:43] our current operating costs
[1:19:44] that we have. So there will be
[1:19:46] no additional, to my knowledge,
[1:19:47] consulting costs or other
[1:19:48] costs. We do have to implement
[1:19:50] the tools, et cetera. So there
[1:19:51] may be things we have
[1:19:53] to implement, but we need to
[1:19:54] implement data governance.
[1:19:55] There are some best practices
[1:19:57] with an ERP and every other
[1:19:58] piece of data that we do which
[1:20:01] are just associated with that.
[1:20:02] So as far as extra expenses
[1:20:04] with this, I don't know that I
[1:20:06] could equate any two,
[1:20:08] but will there be expenses to
[1:20:09] make sure we handle data
[1:20:11] properly? Possibly, as we go
[1:20:12] through this,
[1:20:13] but handling data is, in my
[1:20:14] opinion, a critical component
[1:20:16] of campus operations, and
[1:20:17] making sure we get that right
[1:20:19] is often overlooked. And so I'm
[1:20:21] very pleased to bring this to
[1:20:23] the board because I do believe
[1:20:25] that the ERP alone, without
[1:20:27] handling data. Right. We're
[1:20:29] really missing an opportunity.
[1:20:34] >>Was this budgeted for in this
[1:20:35] year's budget?
[1:20:36] >> We are covering
[1:20:37] it with this year's budget,
[1:20:38] correct.
[1:20:39] >> Okay. So it was a line item
[1:20:40] in the budget.
[1:20:43] >> We had funding for it.
[1:20:45] Correct. We had funding for
[1:20:47] it. We had to reallocate a
[1:20:48] little bit of funding, but it's
[1:20:50] been covered with that funding.
[1:20:51] >> Okay. I think that it
[1:20:53] would be important for us
[1:20:54] to know the reallocation of
[1:20:55] funds if this wasn't
[1:20:58] specifically budgeted.
[1:20:59] >> So we did have funding for
[1:21:00] this, but I think, if I recall
[1:21:02] correctly, that we did have
[1:21:03] to relocate a little bit
[1:21:05] of funds from something else.
[1:21:06] But again, my understanding.
[1:21:10] And again, I'm trying
[1:21:12] to recall, but I do believe we
[1:21:13] did have this budgeted for, but
[1:21:15] I think it cost a little bit
[1:21:16] more than we had planned.
[1:21:18] >> Is this part of the overall
[1:21:19] five year strategic it plan?
[1:21:22] >> Yeah, this is part of the
[1:21:23] technology plan. It's not
[1:21:25] technically a five year
[1:21:26] technology plan, it's a two
[1:21:27] year technology plan.
[1:21:28] But it is part of the
[1:21:29] technology plan. Correct.
[1:21:36] >>Is this time sensitive?
[1:21:37] >> It's time sensitive in that,
[1:21:39] we have an ERP initiative
[1:21:41] which we all understand is
[1:21:43] critical. And using data is
[1:21:45] critical. And complying
[1:21:46] with these requirements through
[1:21:47] these assessments every two
[1:21:48] years is critical. So from that
[1:21:49] standpoint, I would say it is
[1:21:51] time sensitive. Thank you.
[1:21:53] >> Thank you for your questions.
[1:21:55] Any other questions? If not,
[1:21:57] we'll entertain a motion for
[1:21:59] five b. Consideration. Approval
[1:22:00] of professional consulting
[1:22:01] services from Barry Dunn
[1:22:03] in the amount of $202,500.
[1:22:08] Okay, Doctor Morrison. 2nd
[1:22:10] for Mister Hornsby. All in
[1:22:11] favor, say aye? Any opposed?
[1:22:13] >> I opposed simply
[1:22:16] because I don't feel
[1:22:17] like we have enough information
[1:22:18] to make the accurate decision.
[1:22:21] >>Thank you. No vote from Miss
[1:22:24] Pritchett. Did you get that,
[1:22:25] Mister Gates? Okay, thank you.
[1:22:28] All right, we'll move on to six
[1:22:31] a, which is consideration and
[1:22:32] approval of individual action
[1:22:34] items. Consideration. Approval
[1:22:35] of the purchase
[1:22:37] of Cisco desk phones
[1:22:38] from General Data Tech LP
[1:22:39] in the amount of $698,280.
[1:22:43] Mister Krueger.
[1:22:45] >> It is
[1:22:46] recommended that the board
[1:22:47] authorize the chancellor or the
[1:22:48] chancellor's designee
[1:22:49] to approve the purchase
[1:22:50] of Cisco desk phones
[1:22:51] from General Data Tech LPDD
[1:22:52] in the amount
[1:22:54] of $698,280. It plans
[1:22:58] to replace 4000 phones
[1:23:00] across the district by December
[1:23:01] 2026, which is contingent on
[1:23:03] hardware availability. The
[1:23:05] total requested cost includes
[1:23:07] 10% contingency funding
[1:23:08] to cover any increases in
[1:23:10] hardware costs. General data,
[1:23:12] take LP was the lowest bidder.
[1:23:16] >>Okay, thank you for that. Any
[1:23:18] questions? Otherwise, we'll
[1:23:19] entertain a motion.
[1:23:24] >> I move approval.
[1:23:26] >>Doctor Morrison moved approval
[1:23:28] and Miss Wood second. All in
[1:23:29] favor, say aye. Aye. Any
[1:23:31] opposed? Okay, that motion
[1:23:32] carries.
[1:23:34] >> President Ayala?
[1:23:35] I'm abstaining because I have a
[1:23:37] professional relationship with
[1:23:38] this organization.
[1:23:41] >> We have one
[1:23:42] abstention, Mister Gates. Did
[1:23:43] you get that? Okay. Thank you,
[1:23:46] Miss Pritchett. Okay. All
[1:23:49] right. Item six b is
[1:23:50] consideration and approval.
[1:23:51] Sorry. Consideration and
[1:23:52] approval of master agreement
[1:23:53] with facility programming and
[1:23:54] consulting for space
[1:23:55] utilization consulting services
[1:23:57] through August 31, 2026. And
[1:23:58] that's Doctor Pamela Anglin.
[1:24:05] >> Thank you. President Ayala,
[1:24:06] Pam Anglin, chief financial
[1:24:08] officer. President Ayala,
[1:24:10] Chancellor LeBlanc and board
[1:24:12] members. We're asking
[1:24:14] for your approval tonight
[1:24:17] on a master agreement with
[1:24:18] facility programming and
[1:24:20] consulting. And this is for
[1:24:22] space utilization services.
[1:24:25] We're asking that they be put
[1:24:27] in our IDIQ pool for us
[1:24:30] to be able to call when we need
[1:24:33] space utilization services. As
[1:24:35] we look at renovation of space
[1:24:38] at relocating programs, this
[1:24:40] firm would help us in making
[1:24:43] sure we have adequate space to
[1:24:45] meet the equipment needs and
[1:24:46] the personnel needs in an area.
[1:24:52] The IDIQ master agreement for
[1:24:54] on call services provides us
[1:24:56] the best value
[1:24:58] for the district by pre
[1:25:00] qualifying a single firm where
[1:25:02] project assignments are
[1:25:04] assigned based on a need and
[1:25:07] schedule basis. So they have
[1:25:09] provided us hourly rates that
[1:25:11] they would charge us when we
[1:25:13] call them and need their
[1:25:14] services. We're asking
[1:25:17] for a maximum spend authority
[1:25:20] of $300,000. That's in
[1:25:22] aggregate. And any one service
[1:25:26] would that exceeded $100,000
[1:25:29] would come back to the board
[1:25:32] for approval.
[1:25:35] >> Thank you, Doctor
[1:25:36] Anglin, any questions on that?
[1:25:38] We will entertain a motion.
[1:25:40] Doctor Morrison, is that Mister
[1:25:43] Hornsby? Okay. Second
[1:25:46] by Mister Hornsby. All in favor
[1:25:48] say aye. Any opposed? Okay.
[1:25:50] That motion carries item six c,
[1:25:53] which is consideration and
[1:25:55] approval of a ratification of a
[1:25:56] contract. Amendment number
[1:25:57] three
[1:25:58] with Weaver and Tidwell Lop to
[1:26:00] provide construction auditing
[1:26:01] services
[1:26:02] for the 2019 bond program
[1:26:04] for the FY 24 2nd renewal
[1:26:07] option in the amount
[1:26:09] of $50,031.
[1:26:11] >> Thank you. In 2021,
[1:26:13] the board authorized an annual
[1:26:15] contract
[1:26:17] for the construction auditing
[1:26:20] by Weaver Tidwell and the
[1:26:22] agreement that you approved of
[1:26:25] for fiscal year 2024 totaled
[1:26:28] $129,525. And that was for 785
[1:26:39] hours as Weaver Tidwell got
[1:26:42] into the audit. For last year,
[1:26:45] we had so many projects going
[1:26:47] on simultaneously that there
[1:26:49] were more payment applications
[1:26:51] coming in than had been planned
[1:26:52] on. And so they had
[1:26:54] to exceed that 785 hours
[1:26:57] in order to be able
[1:26:58] to audit all of the payment
[1:27:00] applications. And they look at
[1:27:02] every payment application that
[1:27:03] comes in and they tie back,
[1:27:06] ever charge in that to the
[1:27:08] actual invoice. So it is
[1:27:10] something that is labor
[1:27:12] intensive. And so tonight we're
[1:27:16] asking for your approval
[1:27:18] of those additional hours of
[1:27:20] work that total $50,031. And
[1:27:25] you're being asked to ratify
[1:27:27] the contract amendment number
[1:27:29] three with Weaver and Tidwell
[1:27:31] to provide construction
[1:27:32] auditing services
[1:27:34] for the 2019 bond program for
[1:27:36] the fiscal year 24 2nd renewal
[1:27:40] option in the amount of $50,031.
[1:27:46] >> Thank you, Doctor
[1:27:48] Anglin. There are no questions.
[1:27:49] We'll entertain a motion, Miss
[1:27:52] Pritchett. Second
[1:27:55] by Mister Hornsby. All in favor
[1:27:57] say aye. Aye. Any opposed?
[1:27:59] Okay. That motion carries. 6d
[1:28:03] is consideration. Approval
[1:28:04] of the purchase agreements
[1:28:06] for furniture and installation
[1:28:07] for Northwest Campus buildings
[1:28:08] Northwest Zero two and
[1:28:10] Northwest Zero three
[1:28:12] in support of the Northwest
[1:28:13] Campus redevelopment project
[1:28:15] with Blue Box 46,480 913 GL
[1:28:20] Semen and Company, $655,587.12.
[1:28:23] Intelligent Interiors, Inc.
[1:28:27] $875,183.49 WRG Texas,
[1:28:32] $1,080,336.81 and Wilson Bajas
[1:28:37] for $693,600.75. And we have
[1:28:44] some details here that you
[1:28:47] provided to us to give us 6d
[1:28:50] through c.
[1:28:52] >> Yes, 6d through six.
[1:28:54] Eight h is the material in your
[1:28:57] board packet there. As you will
[1:28:59] recall, during the work
[1:29:02] session, we had broken these
[1:29:03] out into five individual
[1:29:06] approval recommendations, and
[1:29:08] we've consolidated them
[1:29:10] into one
[1:29:12] for the Northwest campus and
[1:29:13] one
[1:29:15] for the southeast campus. And
[1:29:17] to just go back a little bit,
[1:29:20] these are projects that you
[1:29:22] approved the budgets on right
[1:29:25] after the initiation of the
[1:29:27] bond project, Northwest
[1:29:30] Construction. And tonight we're
[1:29:33] talking about buildings
[1:29:34] northwest zero two and
[1:29:36] northwest zero three. And you
[1:29:38] also approved
[1:29:40] at that same time a budget for
[1:29:42] the construction and renovation
[1:29:44] at the southeast campus. So
[1:29:47] these two next items were
[1:29:50] included in those budget. And
[1:29:54] tonight we're bringing back the
[1:29:56] recommendations
[1:29:57] for the furnishings for all of
[1:29:59] these construction projects. So
[1:30:02] first, on Northwest campus,
[1:30:04] we're talking about phase two,
[1:30:07] which is nwo two and nwo three.
[1:30:08] And we're looking
[1:30:11] at the furnishings for both
[1:30:13] of those buildings. And
[1:30:14] included
[1:30:18] in the bid package that we put
[1:30:20] out included 72 workstations,
[1:30:21] 26 classroom furnishings, art
[1:30:27] and music studios, furnishing
[1:30:29] those, which were five of those
[1:30:32] two different learning commons
[1:30:33] areas. And the total cost that
[1:30:36] came in, and this is the low
[1:30:38] bidders in each case, is
[1:30:40] 3,351,197 30. That's total bid
[1:30:45] items of 145
[1:30:48] in individual quantity items of
[1:30:51] 3360 items. We had seven
[1:30:59] bidders that came in
[1:31:01] for eleven in eleven different
[1:31:03] categories. And we are asking
[1:31:05] your approval to award bids to
[1:31:08] five different vendors tonight.
[1:31:11] This is a copy of the
[1:31:13] spreadsheet that shows you the
[1:31:15] magnitude
[1:31:16] of the bids that came in. And
[1:31:18] in each case, we've highlighted
[1:31:20] the low bidder for that type of
[1:31:24] furniture. And that comes back
[1:31:27] to the recommendation that
[1:31:29] we're making tonight that we
[1:31:31] award to blue box bids for
[1:31:33] tables and lounge chairs. And
[1:31:35] that totals $46,489.13
[1:31:40] to Gl semen company for marker
[1:31:43] boards and classroom chairs.
[1:31:45] 655,580 712 two intelligent
[1:31:50] interiors for sofas, poofs and
[1:31:53] miscellaneous tables and
[1:31:55] chairs, 875,183 49. And does
[1:32:00] anyone need to know what a poof
[1:32:05] is? It's a little ottoman. It's
[1:32:08] an ottoman type. And they're
[1:32:11] small and round. And here's a
[1:32:12] picture of some. And you can
[1:32:14] prop your feet on them. But
[1:32:16] what we see most, and there's
[1:32:18] some
[1:32:19] in our suite area, people sit
[1:32:21] on them. They make nice little
[1:32:24] seats, but that's the poofs.
[1:32:32] And then WRG Texas for
[1:32:34] workstations, classroom tables
[1:32:36] and storage items, 1,080,336
[1:32:39] 81. And
[1:32:42] to Wilson Bauhaus interiors for
[1:32:46] task chairs, library shelves
[1:32:48] and tables and miscellaneous
[1:32:51] tables, $693,600.75.
[1:32:58] >> Thank you
[1:33:00] for that, doctor Anglin. There
[1:33:01] are no further questions. We'll
[1:33:03] entertain a motion for item 6d.
[1:33:06] Doctor Morrison, do you
[1:33:09] want a second? Okay. Second
[1:33:10] by Miss Deakyne. All in favor
[1:33:12] say aye. Any opposed? Okay.
[1:33:15] That motion carries. Well, item
[1:33:18] six e, which is consideration,
[1:33:19] approval
[1:33:20] of purchase agreements
[1:33:22] for furniture and installation
[1:33:23] of Southeast campus buildings.
[1:33:25] Se zero three, se zero four and
[1:33:26] se zero five in support of the
[1:33:28] Southeast Campus redevelopment
[1:33:30] project with blue box of
[1:33:31] $615,681.12 Intelligent
[1:33:35] Interiors, Inc. For
[1:33:37] $1,091,885.22 Metroplex
[1:33:42] facility Services Loc
[1:33:47] for $29,779.88 and Wilson
[1:33:49] Baja's
[1:33:50] for $2,274,849.26 and WRG Texas
[1:33:55] for $2,508,497.29. And you have
[1:34:00] additional item there in front
[1:34:03] of you? Additional detail
[1:34:04] from six I to six m.
[1:34:09] >> Yes. Okay. On the
[1:34:10] southeast campus, we have the
[1:34:12] renovation of three buildings.
[1:34:13] And so these will be the new
[1:34:15] furnishings for all of these
[1:34:17] three buildings. Workstations.
[1:34:19] There were 257
[1:34:21] in the bid, covering
[1:34:24] furnishings for 55 classrooms
[1:34:26] and two different learning
[1:34:28] commons. The total cost
[1:34:30] of the low bidders that came in
[1:34:32] is 6,520,692. 77. That's 293
[1:34:38] bid items and total quantity
[1:34:41] of items of 5171 individual
[1:34:46] items. And I didn't mention
[1:34:48] earlier,
[1:34:49] but the funds are available
[1:34:51] in fund 90 for the furnishings.
[1:34:57] And then we had ten bidders in
[1:35:00] twelve different categories.
[1:35:02] And we did select five vendors
[1:35:04] again for this one. And you'll
[1:35:07] see the bidders and the
[1:35:09] different categories there, a
[1:35:12] copy of the spreadsheet that
[1:35:14] tallies all of the bids
[1:35:16] from all of the different
[1:35:19] vendors. And you'll see again
[1:35:21] the highlighted vendors or the
[1:35:23] low vendors in the categories
[1:35:26] there. And then
[1:35:29] in summary, five vendors
[1:35:30] to blue box for computer
[1:35:32] classroom tables and
[1:35:33] miscellaneous tables. 615,680.
[1:35:38] 112 intelligent interiors
[1:35:41] sofas, poofs and miscellaneous
[1:35:44] tables and chairs, 1,091,885.
[1:35:48] To metroplex facility services
[1:35:52] for collaborative tables,
[1:35:55] 29,779 88. To Wilson Bauhaus
[1:35:58] Interiors task chairs, marker
[1:36:01] boards, exterior furniture and
[1:36:04] miscellaneous tables and
[1:36:06] chairs, 2,000,274 849 26. And
[1:36:12] to WRG Texas for workstations,
[1:36:15] classroom tables and library
[1:36:17] furniture, 2,508,497 29.
[1:36:25] >> Thank you. Any questions on
[1:36:27] that?
[1:36:30] >> Yes, I do have a comment.
[1:36:31] Thank you for this
[1:36:33] presentation. This is now the
[1:36:35] third time that I have seen it,
[1:36:37] and I am very impressed
[1:36:40] with the attention to detail
[1:36:43] and the line item descriptions
[1:36:44] on every piece of furniture. I
[1:36:47] will also comment that back in
[1:36:49] July or August, I had a chance
[1:36:50] to walk
[1:36:52] through SEO one and seven down
[1:36:54] at the southeast campus with
[1:36:56] Doctor Bowen, and I think you
[1:36:59] had been
[1:37:00] on the ground just a couple
[1:37:03] of weeks. So I spoke a lot with
[1:37:04] the faculty and staff who were
[1:37:06] occupying the space, and there
[1:37:08] wasn't a single member of the
[1:37:10] staff or faculty who, when I
[1:37:12] asked questions
[1:37:15] about how are you going to use
[1:37:17] that? Or why is that there? Or
[1:37:19] how would you use this in this
[1:37:20] circumstance where they didn't
[1:37:22] have an answer? It was all very
[1:37:25] tightly connected
[1:37:27] between purpose and piece
[1:37:28] of furniture. To include the
[1:37:31] poofs. We saw the poofs
[1:37:33] in the. All of the student
[1:37:35] collaboration spaces. And so.
[1:37:37] So having had the opportunity
[1:37:39] to walk through the space and
[1:37:40] see how it has been executed
[1:37:42] in some of our earlier projects
[1:37:44] and then being able to see it
[1:37:46] in this amount of detail
[1:37:48] for the next phase of the
[1:37:50] projects, I had a much greater
[1:37:52] appreciation for the alignment
[1:37:55] between purpose and how this
[1:37:58] money is being spent. I would
[1:37:59] love for somebody to inventory
[1:38:01] my house this way and explain.
[1:38:03] No, you need a, B and c because
[1:38:05] they are directly aligned
[1:38:07] to x, Y and z. So thank you
[1:38:09] for all of that. Thank you.
[1:38:11] >> Thank you for mentioning
[1:38:13] that, trustee Deakyne. It's a
[1:38:15] lot of effort that went
[1:38:16] into that, so thank you
[1:38:17] for that as well. To that
[1:38:19] planning. Okay, six e. Do I
[1:38:21] have a motion or questions?
[1:38:26] So moved Miss Deakyne.
[1:38:29] Second by Miss Wood. All in
[1:38:30] favor, say aye. Any opposed?
[1:38:34] Okay, that motion carries.
[1:38:36] We'll move on to item six f,
[1:38:38] which is consideration,
[1:38:39] approval of ad local and ad
[1:38:41] exhibit. Educational role,
[1:38:43] mission, purpose and
[1:38:45] responsibility, student success
[1:38:46] policy. Doctor Pearson?
[1:38:47] >>Good evening. Shelley Pearson,
[1:38:49] Vice Chancellor and provost,
[1:38:52] President Ayala, Chancellor
[1:38:53] Leblanca and trustees. We are
[1:38:55] recommending adoption of policy
[1:38:57] Ad local, which is educational
[1:38:59] role, purpose and
[1:39:00] responsibility, and our student
[1:39:02] success policy. Following in
[1:39:06] the initial reviews, the
[1:39:07] revisions that we've included
[1:39:09] address the request
[1:39:11] for clarity on measurable
[1:39:12] outcomes. Also, it addresses
[1:39:16] the sections. We've adjusted
[1:39:19] the sections to be more
[1:39:21] specific. Connect the
[1:39:22] definition of student success
[1:39:24] to college goals, mission value
[1:39:26] and metrics. The first
[1:39:28] sections, under student
[1:39:30] success, we are outlining the
[1:39:32] general commitment along
[1:39:33] with a definition
[1:39:35] of achievement and expectation
[1:39:36] of evidence based decision
[1:39:37] making and strategic resource
[1:39:39] decisions. You can see that
[1:39:41] with completion of degrees,
[1:39:44] certificates and other
[1:39:45] credentials of values. The
[1:39:48] principals and measures section
[1:39:49] provides the framework,
[1:39:51] including the use of policies
[1:39:53] and procedures, strategic
[1:39:55] planning, organizational
[1:39:57] structure and assessment
[1:39:58] of targets and metrics. In the
[1:40:01] last paragraph, we established
[1:40:03] that we will measure student
[1:40:05] success using specific key
[1:40:07] performance indicators found in
[1:40:08] our new strategic plan. And
[1:40:10] finally, the policy sets
[1:40:11] expectations
[1:40:12] of regular reporting
[1:40:13] to the board of trustees. So
[1:40:15] with that, I'll entertain any
[1:40:16] questions.
[1:40:18] >> Questions?
[1:40:20] >>Not pertaining to that. I
[1:40:22] find the section. Oh, because
[1:40:24] there's. There has been some
[1:40:26] shuffling. Six f. Is it in the
[1:40:29] original?
[1:40:32] >> Okay, give me just a second.
[1:40:33] second. Six half. Yes. It's
[1:40:36] [CROSSTALK]
[1:43:05] >> Any questions or
[1:43:07] clarifications
[1:43:09] for Doctor Pearson? Are we
[1:43:12] ready to make a motion?
[1:43:18] Okay, that's from
[1:43:19] Mister Hornsby. We have a
[1:43:25] second from Doctor
[1:43:28] Morrison. All in?
[1:43:34] >> Yes, we just need
[1:43:35] to clarify that we're voting
[1:43:36] on approval of the ad. Local
[1:43:38] educational role, mission.
[1:43:43] >> Right and responsibility.
[1:43:44] Student success policy. Yes.
[1:43:45] Okay, so we have a motion
[1:43:47] for Mister Hornsby and a second
[1:43:49] from Doctor Morrison. All in
[1:43:53] favor say aye. Aye. Any
[1:43:55] opposed? Okay, that motion
[1:43:58] carries. Thank you for that.
[1:44:00] Item six g, which is
[1:44:01] consideration and approval of
[1:44:03] the BAA local board, legal
[1:44:05] status, power, duties and
[1:44:07] responsibilities. Give us a
[1:44:10] second here. I think it's 60
[1:44:12] in your. In your updates. Six o
[1:44:18] is in Oscar. Give us a second.
[1:44:30] Go ahead. I'm
[1:44:35] sorry, Antonio. President
[1:44:37] Aiella. Chancellor Leblanc.
[1:44:41] Board of trustees. As you know,
[1:44:42] we are subscribers
[1:44:43] of the Texas association of
[1:44:44] School Boards policy manual
[1:44:46] service. TASB provides model
[1:44:49] local policies, which this
[1:44:51] board adopts to a certain
[1:44:53] extent. The board has the
[1:44:54] ability to customize, make
[1:44:56] additions, and in some cases,
[1:44:58] craft whole new policy
[1:44:59] to reflect the needs of our
[1:45:01] institutions, so long as the
[1:45:03] modifications or additions are
[1:45:05] consistent
[1:45:07] with laws and TASB guidance.
[1:45:09] In September, we engaged TASB
[1:45:11] to perform a review of all
[1:45:13] of our policies in order to
[1:45:15] determine what policies, if
[1:45:17] any, deviate from the TASB
[1:45:20] model. The TASB model policies,
[1:45:23] and determine whether any
[1:45:25] of those policies need to be
[1:45:27] revised, modified, or
[1:45:33] eliminated.
[1:46:09] All right, perfect.
[1:46:11] Thank you. So, prior to the on
[1:46:14] site policy review, our TASB
[1:46:16] consultant performed a
[1:46:18] comprehensive review of each
[1:46:20] of our local policies with the
[1:46:22] TASB model policies and
[1:46:24] provided us with comments and
[1:46:26] historical modification and
[1:46:29] update information to help
[1:46:32] guide the review. The policy
[1:46:34] review session occurred on
[1:46:35] September 5 and 6th, and
[1:46:36] involved members of the policy
[1:46:39] review committee and the TASB
[1:46:41] policy consultant reviewing and
[1:46:43] discussing each policy. Doctor
[1:46:46] Morrison took the time
[1:46:47] to participate in a portion
[1:46:49] of the policy review session in
[1:46:51] which we discussed the BeE
[1:46:53] policies, which cover local
[1:46:55] governance, and we appreciate
[1:46:57] her input. As a result of the
[1:46:59] policy review session, we are
[1:47:01] here today, or this evening
[1:47:03] to provide recommendations for
[1:47:05] b, policy modifications or
[1:47:09] removal. Now, you received an
[1:47:12] informational memo
[1:47:14] from me which is listed
[1:47:16] on the agenda under the
[1:47:18] chancellor's report. Eight a
[1:47:21] informational memo policy
[1:47:23] review. I provided you the memo
[1:47:25] to hopefully make your review
[1:47:27] of the policies that we're not
[1:47:29] asking you to act upon tonight
[1:47:31] easier. However, the memo also
[1:47:33] includes a summary of the
[1:47:36] policies that you're being
[1:47:38] asked to modify or remove
[1:47:40] tonight. And it may be easier
[1:47:42] to follow along using the
[1:47:44] informational memo packet
[1:47:46] because it includes the redline
[1:47:49] version of the policies you
[1:47:51] will be considering tonight.
[1:47:56] >> Mister Allen, where is that?
[1:47:59] You said it's eight a.
[1:48:02] >> Eight a And that's
[1:48:03] in the informational memo
[1:48:05] in here? Yes, I think it's
[1:48:07] in that. In the packet of
[1:48:09] information. Yeah, it's got the
[1:48:11] blue. Yeah, I'm sorry, I
[1:48:13] should. Showing you. Yes. So
[1:48:15] you should have a packet, and
[1:48:17] it should have a blue page
[1:48:20] on the front. And it starts
[1:48:23] with six g. Six
[1:48:25] through m. Six g through M.
[1:48:28] >> Madam President?
[1:48:32] Yes. Without knowing the.
[1:48:34] What's the detriment if we
[1:48:37] defer this to a future time for
[1:48:40] more complete consideration and
[1:48:42] understanding?
[1:48:47] >> Okay. Is that Doctor
[1:48:49] Morrison was asking if we could
[1:48:52] have a little bit more time. Is
[1:48:53] there something that's urgent
[1:48:55] related to this, that we need
[1:48:56] to get this particular item
[1:48:58] approved tonight?
[1:49:03] >> So they're all individual
[1:49:04] action items. So six g through
[1:49:07] six m. So you're being asked
[1:49:10] to look at each individual item
[1:49:12] and determine whether or not
[1:49:14] you want to approve. So
[1:49:16] obviously, if you want
[1:49:17] to defer any particular item on
[1:49:19] the list, you certainly have
[1:49:21] that option.
[1:49:22] >> So my request or
[1:49:24] my motion is that we defer
[1:49:27] consideration of this to a
[1:49:30] future time that the board has
[1:49:32] a proper forum for reviewing
[1:49:35] and discussing them, not
[1:49:39] answering all these questions
[1:49:41] that are proposed about them,
[1:49:44] their relevancy, etcetera.
[1:49:47] >> So, if I can, Doctor
[1:49:49] Morrison, so the packet that
[1:49:51] you received includes, there
[1:49:54] are only seven policies that
[1:49:56] you're being asked to consider
[1:49:58] tonight, and they are specific
[1:50:01] policies with regard to
[1:50:03] policies that are either we're
[1:50:06] asking you
[1:50:08] to remove a policy or
[1:50:10] to adopt revisions
[1:50:12] to policies, but there are only
[1:50:14] seven. What you're referring
[1:50:16] to in that packet that I
[1:50:18] provided you, I provided you
[1:50:19] with a summary of all of the
[1:50:22] other policies that we're not
[1:50:25] making any recommendations that
[1:50:28] you. That you vote on those
[1:50:33] policies. We're only asking you
[1:50:36] to review those policies. And
[1:50:37] so what that packet includes is
[1:50:40] a copy of each one of those
[1:50:42] policies. And they're broken
[1:50:44] down into two groups
[1:50:45] of policies. One group of
[1:50:48] policies are policies that were
[1:50:50] adopted by the board that are
[1:50:52] not TASB policies, but they are
[1:50:54] policies that were adopted by
[1:50:56] this board. And we're just
[1:50:59] asking you to review those
[1:51:00] policies. And some of those
[1:51:02] policies are policies that were
[1:51:04] adopted years ago. There are
[1:51:06] some, like might be 1998 right
[1:51:07] there, some of those kind
[1:51:09] of policies, but that doesn't
[1:51:11] necessarily mean that those
[1:51:13] policies are outdated. Just as
[1:51:15] part of our process, we want
[1:51:18] the board to review those
[1:51:20] policies. And then there's a
[1:51:22] second group of policies that
[1:51:24] are actual TASB model policies
[1:51:26] that this board has adopted.
[1:51:28] And again, we're simply asking
[1:51:30] the board to review those
[1:51:32] policies, and that's why it's
[1:51:34] in the informational memo. But
[1:51:36] there are seven policies that
[1:51:38] we're going to ask you
[1:51:41] to consider tonight.
[1:51:46] >> To Doctor
[1:51:48] Morrison's point, there is not
[1:51:50] any sort
[1:51:51] of a time sensitive requirement
[1:51:53] around doing this tonight. Is
[1:51:55] that correct?
[1:51:58] >> There's nothing
[1:51:59] time sensitive, only to the
[1:52:00] extent that we have some
[1:52:02] policies that are outdated.
[1:52:05] There are some processes that
[1:52:07] our policies don't align with,
[1:52:08] and those are the types of
[1:52:10] policies that we're asking you
[1:52:12] to consider tonight.
[1:52:14] >> This memo
[1:52:15] was provided to us tonight
[1:52:16] where we have not had a chance
[1:52:18] to thoroughly.
[1:52:19] >> At the work
[1:52:21] session, we actually reviewed
[1:52:22] each of the policies that we
[1:52:23] are going to ask you to
[1:52:25] consider. So I understand those
[1:52:28] were considered, those were
[1:52:30] discussed at the work session.
[1:52:32] >> So we're being asked
[1:52:33] to just review right now
[1:52:35] to provide feedback
[1:52:37] on items six g through six m. I
[1:52:39] believe there is a motion, I'm
[1:52:41] just trying to get clear. Is
[1:52:43] that what we're trying to do.
[1:52:46] >> So, okay, if you look at
[1:52:50] this informational memo, what
[1:52:52] you have is first it goes
[1:52:54] through and it summarizes seven
[1:52:56] policies. Those seven policies
[1:52:58] are listed
[1:52:59] on your agenda as six g through
[1:53:02] six m. Then it also lists some
[1:53:06] additional policies which are
[1:53:08] not on the agenda on the under
[1:53:10] action items. Those are simply
[1:53:13] policies that we discussed
[1:53:14] last, during last week's
[1:53:16] meeting that we talked about
[1:53:18] the board reviewing. And so
[1:53:20] what I provided
[1:53:22] to you were copies of all
[1:53:24] of those policies for you
[1:53:26] to be able to review and then
[1:53:28] some questions for you
[1:53:30] to consider as you look
[1:53:32] at those policies. So in terms
[1:53:34] of the relevancy of the
[1:53:36] policies, those policies, are
[1:53:38] they still relevant, given that
[1:53:40] some
[1:53:42] of those policies have been
[1:53:44] around for some time and have
[1:53:45] not been changed
[1:53:46] for some time?
[1:53:47] But we're not asking you to
[1:53:49] consider those policies
[1:53:51] tonight. Only six, six g
[1:53:53] through six m.So seven policies.
[1:53:57] >> Okay. So to further
[1:53:59] clarify, and those are good
[1:54:01] questions that you provided the
[1:54:03] key questions for us
[1:54:04] to consider, and that was
[1:54:07] handed to us tonight. So we've
[1:54:08] not been able to review this in
[1:54:10] a timely fashion, these
[1:54:14] questions. That's what I'm
[1:54:15] trying to clarify.
[1:54:17] >> So the question
[1:54:21] during the work session. Yes.
[1:54:23] Okay. And the questions are
[1:54:24] about the policies that we're
[1:54:26] asking you to review,
[1:54:27] not the policies for tonight.
[1:54:31] >> Correct. I understand
[1:54:32] that. I just was trying to
[1:54:33] clarify, and even though I
[1:54:34] wasn't here last week, I did
[1:54:35] review the meeting, and I'm
[1:54:37] still a little bit uncertain
[1:54:38] with being handed this and the
[1:54:41] shuffling of the papers. And so
[1:54:42] I don't, I think the question
[1:54:44] was asked and answered about
[1:54:47] the time sensitivity, and it
[1:54:48] doesn't sound like there is
[1:54:50] time sensitivity. It's board
[1:54:52] policies that we are reviewing,
[1:54:55] but there is no particular need
[1:54:58] that it has to be done tonight.
[1:55:01] >>That is correct. And let me
[1:55:08] a year ago, the board agreed
[1:55:11] to create a cadence for review
[1:55:16] of policy to get it up to date,
[1:55:19] and we've been working
[1:55:23] diligently to support that
[1:55:25] effort. Is it urgent? No. All
[1:55:33] right. So, yes, somebody else
[1:55:36] had. Did you have a question?
[1:55:39] No. Okay. You have a question.
[1:55:40] >> I think we ought
[1:55:43] to put this discussion. We
[1:55:45] ought to discuss this further
[1:55:49] and not act on this tonight. I
[1:55:52] think we have. I have a four
[1:55:54] inch thick notebook and a
[1:55:56] memorandum. I received an email
[1:55:57] this afternoon, plus another
[1:55:59] packet of stuff. It's very
[1:56:01] confusing and I think we need
[1:56:03] to delay this to probably
[1:56:05] to our workshop and discuss it
[1:56:06] in a workshop environment. And
[1:56:08] if it's appropriate, I'd like
[1:56:10] to make a motion to do that.
[1:56:12] >> Did you make the motion? Dr.
[1:56:14] Morrison made the motion. Would
[1:56:16] you be so generous as to say
[1:56:21] yes?
[1:56:26] Okay, so
[1:56:28] we have a motion and we have a
[1:56:30] second. And do you have a
[1:56:31] question as well?
[1:56:33] >> I have a point of
[1:56:34] clarification.
[1:56:35] The information
[1:56:38] that we've received here
[1:56:41] tonight is in this format
[1:56:43] at our request at last week's
[1:56:46] work session. So that's
[1:56:50] to add additional context to
[1:56:52] the additional information
[1:56:53] outside of the motions that
[1:56:55] were being requested this
[1:56:57] evening. We wanted a fuller
[1:56:59] context of what we were voting
[1:57:01] on, what we were reviewing, and
[1:57:03] what we were considering acting
[1:57:06] on removing, versus just the
[1:57:09] ones that we were being asked
[1:57:13] to vote
[1:57:14] on this evening. So thank you
[1:57:16] for that information. That
[1:57:20] added greater information, a
[1:57:22] larger context. But it was at
[1:57:24] the board's request.
[1:57:27] >> It was certainly intended
[1:57:28] to make it easier for the
[1:57:29] review. So I apologize if it
[1:57:30] made it more confusingapologize.
[1:57:32] >> No, that's fine. So
[1:57:34] Doctor Morrison, your motion is
[1:57:36] to remove which item
[1:57:37] specifically so that I can. All
[1:57:38] of them. Six f
[1:57:39] through six m or six g
[1:57:41] through six g through six m. Is
[1:57:44] that correct? Doctor Morrison?
[1:57:46] >> Where there's an opportunity
[1:57:47] for the board
[1:57:49] to discuss and get clarity on
[1:57:51] what's being considered. We
[1:57:53] have no other forum where we
[1:57:58] can share our concerns or
[1:58:01] discuss, and I feel that's
[1:58:06] needed. I think it's
[1:58:08] to the benefit of the future of
[1:58:10] the board.
[1:58:13] >> Okay, so we have a
[1:58:14] motion and we have a second
[1:58:17] and. Oh, you have a comment?
[1:58:19] >> I would just say I want
[1:58:21] to emphasize your memorandum is
[1:58:23] what we asked for. But
[1:58:27] in trying to deal
[1:58:29] with it, I think we're trying
[1:58:31] to address two separate sets of
[1:58:33] information. So it might be
[1:58:35] helpful to redo this
[1:58:38] in the process related
[1:58:41] to what's included in six g
[1:58:43] through. You did what we asked
[1:58:44] you to. I want the record
[1:58:46] to show that. But I agree with
[1:58:47] Doctor Morrison's motion.
[1:58:49] >> Okay, so we have a motion
[1:58:51] in a second. So all in favor
[1:58:54] of moving six g through six m
[1:58:56] to another meeting, all in
[1:58:59] favor say aye. Any opposed?
[1:59:01] Okay, that motion carries.
[1:59:04] Thank you for the information.
[1:59:08] So we will
[1:59:09] move on to item seven, which is
[1:59:11] the monthly financial report.
[1:59:12] Unless. Does anybody need a
[1:59:24] break? Okay. Okay, go ahead.
[1:59:26] >> Thank you. Pam Anglin,
[1:59:29] chief financial officer,
[1:59:31] president, Ayala Chancellor
[1:59:32] LeBlanc, board
[1:59:34] of trustees. We're going
[1:59:37] to look
[1:59:38] at the financial statement
[1:59:39] for the end of September
[1:59:43] of 2024. You'll notice on this
[1:59:44] first slide that our revenues
[1:59:46] for the month of September were
[1:59:48] 27,000,266, 374. And our
[1:59:53] expenses for the month of
[1:59:55] September were 60,000,897. So
[2:00:01] we'll go a little bit deeper
[2:00:03] and look at our revenues. I'll
[2:00:05] remind you that state
[2:00:07] appropriations payments. 50%
[2:00:09] in October, 25%
[2:00:12] in February, 25%
[2:00:15] in June. So nothing in
[2:00:17] September. And also just
[2:00:21] February, we will get any
[2:00:24] settle up because they provide
[2:00:26] this year's appropriations
[2:00:28] based on some estimates for the
[2:00:30] spring term and summer. So
[2:00:32] there will be a settle up,
[2:00:35] either up or down in February,
[2:00:36] but no state appropriations
[2:00:37] for the month.
[2:00:39] But you'll see there tax
[2:00:40] revenue, the tuition, the non
[2:00:44] credit funded tuition,
[2:00:46] community service tuition,
[2:00:48] every one of those. We were
[2:00:49] above where we were last year.
[2:00:52] We don't show any interest
[2:00:54] income booked in the month of
[2:00:56] September. Our interest income
[2:00:59] comes in at the end
[2:01:01] of the month and we book it
[2:01:03] at the first of the next month,
[2:01:05] same way last year. So the
[2:01:07] comparison
[2:01:09] of income this September to
[2:01:11] last September is the same
[2:01:13] items. And our revenue
[2:01:18] at the end of this September
[2:01:20] was 27.2 million. And that's
[2:01:23] compared to 25.9 million one
[2:01:26] year ago. So our revenue was up
[2:01:30] $1.3 million. But a good start
[2:01:36] to the. To the year. And then
[2:01:41] on our expenses, you'll notice
[2:01:43] there that total
[2:01:45] of 60,896,567. And I will point
[2:01:48] out that last line there for
[2:01:51] total other operational and
[2:01:54] capital. That includes the
[2:01:56] transfers that we make each
[2:01:58] year to our pay as you go
[2:02:01] capital improvement plan budget
[2:02:03] fund 40, and
[2:02:06] to our technology budget
[2:02:09] for refreshes of our
[2:02:11] technology. So that complete
[2:02:13] transfer was made
[2:02:14] in September.
[2:02:16] But our expenses last year at
[2:02:18] this time, our expenses were
[2:02:20] 62.6 million and expenses are
[2:02:22] 60.9 million this September. So
[2:02:28] we're 1.7 million less in
[2:02:32] expenses. So a really good
[2:02:34] start to the year. Up
[2:02:35] in revenues, down a slight bit
[2:02:38] in expenses. And I'll be glad
[2:02:42] to answer any questions you
[2:02:44] have in your board packets. The
[2:02:47] detail on all of our expense
[2:02:50] categories throughout the
[2:02:52] entire.
[2:02:55] >> Thank you, Doctor Anglin.
[2:02:56] Any questions, clarifications?
[2:02:58] Okay, we'll continue on. Thank
[2:03:00] you very much.
[2:03:01] >> And we have our quarterly
[2:03:06] investment report tonight in
[2:03:08] your package. You have our
[2:03:09] monthly report, and you also
[2:03:12] have the quarterly report. And
[2:03:14] we have Mallory Sampson
[2:03:17] from PFM Asset Management here
[2:03:19] to provide you the quarterly
[2:03:22] investment report.
[2:03:26] >> Thank you, doctor England.
[2:03:28] Good evening. President Ayala,
[2:03:30] Chancellor Leblanc, board
[2:03:32] of trustees. Mallory Sampson
[2:03:33] with PFM. Thanks for having me
[2:03:35] today.
[2:03:36] >> Good evening.
[2:03:38] >> Mallory Sampson?
[2:03:40] >> Thank you for joining us.
[2:03:41] >> Yeah, thank you for having
[2:03:42] us.
[2:03:44] >> Thank you. Could you raise
[2:03:45] the mic a little bit, please?
[2:03:46] >> Very tall. Let's see. How's
[2:03:49] that for everybody?
[2:03:50] That's much better.
[2:03:52] Okay,
[2:03:54] so I'm going to go over a brief
[2:03:55] market update, and then we'll
[2:03:57] touch
[2:03:58] on overall performance. Happy
[2:03:59] to address any questions that
[2:04:01] the group may have. So we've
[2:04:02] entered
[2:04:04] into a soft landing, largely in
[2:04:07] the us economy. If you take a
[2:04:08] look in the top right hand
[2:04:10] corner, you'll see that
[2:04:12] inflation is looking more
[2:04:13] positive. It is moderating. Our
[2:04:14] labor market is also softening,
[2:04:15] which is what the Federal
[2:04:16] Reserve is looking for
[2:04:18] to trigger their cut of 50
[2:04:19] basis points that they began
[2:04:22] last month. You'll see consumer
[2:04:23] spending is coming
[2:04:25] down slightly. We're seeing
[2:04:27] that
[2:04:29] in the lower income cohort. But
[2:04:31] overall, slightly positive
[2:04:33] economic growth in the US. In
[2:04:35] the US and globally, political
[2:04:38] risks continue to stay
[2:04:40] negative. The overall economic
[2:04:42] figures which are coming in are
[2:04:44] largely positive. However, with
[2:04:47] geopolitical events that could
[2:04:49] cause a shock to the system
[2:04:51] with potential volatility. If
[2:04:53] we dig a little bit deeper,
[2:04:55] we'll take a look
[2:04:57] at inflation. On the left hand
[2:04:59] side, you'll see that steep
[2:05:01] curve that we've come down.
[2:05:03] August CPI was two and a half.
[2:05:05] The September number was 2.4.
[2:05:07] So we're continuing
[2:05:08] to get closer
[2:05:09] to that 2% target of the Fed.
[2:05:11] On the right, you'll see where
[2:05:12] that inflation is coming from.
[2:05:14] Shelter is still pushing up
[2:05:16] inflation. It's a lagging
[2:05:18] indicator. The energy has been
[2:05:19] pushing down overall inflation.
[2:05:21] If we talk a little bit
[2:05:23] about the labor market, on the
[2:05:26] left, you'll see the
[2:05:28] unemployment rate. It's
[2:05:29] actually ticked up
[2:05:31] above 4%. 1st time in a couple
[2:05:33] years. The September number is
[2:05:35] 4.1. The August number was 4.3.
[2:05:38] The Federal Reserve is looking
[2:05:40] for 4.4 for next year. At the
[2:05:44] same time that unemployment is
[2:05:46] ticking up, you'll see the
[2:05:48] labor force participation rate
[2:05:51] is also back to pre pandemic
[2:05:53] levels. Normally that's
[2:05:55] about 63%. So we are in a pre
[2:05:58] Covid environment specifically
[2:06:00] for the participation rate. On
[2:06:02] the left hand side, you'll see
[2:06:04] the difference between job
[2:06:06] openings and unemployed
[2:06:08] workers. During the pandemic,
[2:06:10] I'm sure you read about how
[2:06:11] there were two unemployed,
[2:06:13] there were two job openings.
[2:06:15] For every one person looking,
[2:06:17] you can see that gap there
[2:06:18] on the left. That gap has come
[2:06:20] down to about a one to one
[2:06:21] ratio. That's what we want
[2:06:23] to see on the right hand side,
[2:06:25] it's very busy. But what
[2:06:28] they're telling you is the
[2:06:30] monthly change in payroll. So
[2:06:31] the jobs created each month,
[2:06:33] this time last year, those
[2:06:37] numbers were in the mid
[2:06:39] to high 200,000. And in the
[2:06:42] last several months, those
[2:06:44] numbers have come down
[2:06:45] slightly. That's a great way to
[2:06:47] see how that labor market is
[2:06:49] starting to soften. And really,
[2:06:50] that's what the Federal Reserve
[2:06:53] has been looking for. This next
[2:06:56] page is, again, also a little
[2:06:58] busy. But what they're telling
[2:07:00] us here is each member of the
[2:07:02] Fed is predicting their future
[2:07:04] cuts. So while this is a point
[2:07:06] in time and this will change,
[2:07:08] it's showing you that long term
[2:07:10] trend of reducing
[2:07:11] Interest rates moving forward.
[2:07:13] Like I said, we saw a 50 basis
[2:07:15] point cut in September. Right
[2:07:17] now, the market's pricing
[2:07:19] in a 90% chance
[2:07:21] of a 25 basis point cut in
[2:07:23] November, and then a 75% chance
[2:07:25] of another 25 basis point
[2:07:27] in December. And we'll talk
[2:07:29] about how that pertains to your
[2:07:31] overall portfolios. Last page
[2:07:34] before we talk about
[2:07:35] performance. This is the yield
[2:07:37] curve. You guys have seen this
[2:07:39] before. The big takeaway here
[2:07:41] is if you take a look at those,
[2:07:42] that light blue range, you can
[2:07:44] see how volatile the fixed
[2:07:46] income market has been
[2:07:48] over the last year with the
[2:07:50] Federal Reserve increasing
[2:07:52] interest rates and now starting
[2:07:55] to bring them down. The
[2:07:56] takeaway here for you is on the
[2:07:58] far left. Those short term
[2:08:00] fixed income securities are
[2:08:02] still paying a very high
[2:08:03] interest rate despite that 50
[2:08:05] basis point cut. And then you
[2:08:06] can see the longer term
[2:08:08] securities are pricing
[2:08:10] in that future state of
[2:08:12] interest rates coming in. Just
[2:08:14] as a reminder, your portfolio's
[2:08:16] a large part is on the very,
[2:08:18] very short end, and then the
[2:08:20] remaining is within that one to
[2:08:22] five year range. And so we'll
[2:08:25] see this translated in some
[2:08:27] of the yields coming up on the
[2:08:29] next page. So, just as a
[2:08:31] reminder, all
[2:08:33] of your portfolios are managed
[2:08:35] in compliance with the Public
[2:08:36] Funds Investment act and your
[2:08:38] investment policy statement.
[2:08:40] In general, when you're looking
[2:08:42] at your assets, you can break
[2:08:44] them into three buckets. That
[2:08:46] top bucket are pools
[2:08:48] for immediate need. So think
[2:08:50] of them like a money market.
[2:08:51] They're local government
[2:08:53] investment pools. They're very
[2:08:54] short term securities.
[2:08:56] Overnight, you have access to
[2:08:57] them immediately. And because
[2:09:00] they're such short term
[2:09:01] securities, they're paying a
[2:09:03] very high yield. If you take a
[2:09:04] look at the top, it's 5.38,
[2:09:06] very high. For those short term
[2:09:08] securities, the next third of
[2:09:10] your portfolio is your core
[2:09:13] portfolio. And every year we
[2:09:14] run
[2:09:15] through a cash flow analysis
[2:09:17] with your team. And those are
[2:09:18] assets that you don't need
[2:09:20] today, but they're still liquid
[2:09:22] because you don't need them
[2:09:24] today. They're invested
[2:09:25] slightly out
[2:09:26] in longer term securities
[2:09:28] within that one
[2:09:29] to five year range. If you look
[2:09:31] at the yield, you'll see that
[2:09:32] yield is slightly lower than
[2:09:34] the pools for cash. And if you
[2:09:36] remember, we saw that yield
[2:09:37] curve, those super short term
[2:09:39] securities were paying the
[2:09:41] most. So that's kind
[2:09:42] of that 2nd third of your
[2:09:43] portfolio, and then the last
[2:09:45] third is your 2022 bond
[2:09:47] proceeds. And those are
[2:09:49] invested based off of your
[2:09:50] construction spend timeline. So
[2:09:54] as interest rates start to come
[2:09:56] down, what does that mean for
[2:09:57] your portfolios? How do we
[2:09:58] think these numbers are going
[2:10:00] to change let's focus
[2:10:01] on the pools for cash and then
[2:10:02] your core portfolios. So, as a
[2:10:05] reminder, those pools for cash,
[2:10:08] as interest rates start to come
[2:10:09] down, because they're such
[2:10:11] short term products, that yield
[2:10:14] is going
[2:10:15] to come down. So we'll start
[2:10:16] to see that 5.38 number come
[2:10:18] down and your core portfolio,
[2:10:21] the core portfolio liquidity
[2:10:22] buffer, and that core
[2:10:24] portfolio, because they're
[2:10:26] slightly longer term
[2:10:28] securities, we've locked
[2:10:29] in rates for slightly longer
[2:10:31] than overnight. Right? One
[2:10:33] year, two years, maybe five
[2:10:34] years. And so they'll hold on
[2:10:36] to those fixed income products
[2:10:38] a little bit longer, and that
[2:10:39] higher coupon payment will
[2:10:41] benefit. Now, as interest rates
[2:10:44] come down, your yield on your
[2:10:45] pools will come down. The new
[2:10:48] bonds will be issued, which
[2:10:50] will be paying lower coupon
[2:10:52] payments. So the older bonds
[2:10:54] that you guys have in your core
[2:10:55] portfolio, they will be worth
[2:10:57] more because they're paying
[2:10:59] that old higher rate. The
[2:11:01] impact and what you will see is
[2:11:03] that your market value, the
[2:11:05] value of those longer term
[2:11:07] securities is going
[2:11:09] to go up because they're going
[2:11:11] to be worth more. So to kind of
[2:11:13] wrap it up, if I have hopefully
[2:11:14] not confused you all and put
[2:11:16] you all to sleep, as those
[2:11:17] interest rates continue
[2:11:19] to come down, the yield
[2:11:21] on the short term is going
[2:11:22] to come down a little bit. That
[2:11:23] longer term is going
[2:11:25] to stay elevated, but will
[2:11:27] gradually come down, and then
[2:11:29] the overall value of those
[2:11:31] underlying securities will go
[2:11:34] up. Let me pause, and I'm happy
[2:11:35] to take any questions that the
[2:11:36] group has.
[2:11:38] >> Any questions?
[2:11:42] >> That's the completion of
[2:11:45] our prepared remarks. Thank you
[2:11:46] very much.
[2:11:47] >> Thank you so much.
[2:11:49] Appreciate it.
[2:11:50] >> Mallory, I'm going
[2:11:52] to drop this down for the next.
[2:11:54] Okay. Thank you.
[2:11:55] >> Okay. Thank you. Okay, we
[2:11:57] have the chancellor's report,
[2:11:59] information memo, policy
[2:12:01] review, which we've already
[2:12:03] discussed, eight b, which is
[2:12:04] the campus accolades, and then
[2:12:06] chancellor's activities. Yeah,
[2:12:11] we already discussed that
[2:12:12] earlier. Okay. Closed session.
[2:12:13] Okay. So the board will conduct
[2:12:14] a closed meeting in order
[2:12:16] to discuss matters permitted
[2:12:17] by the following sections
[2:12:18] of chapter 551 of the Texas
[2:12:20] Government Code, consultation
[2:12:21] with attorney, deliberations
[2:12:24] regarding real property,
[2:12:25] deliberations on personnel
[2:12:26] matters, deliberations on
[2:12:27] security devices or security
[2:12:29] audits, and the board may
[2:12:30] reconvene
[2:12:31] in an open session and act
[2:12:33] on any of the items listed in
[2:12:35] the executive agenda. Executive
[2:12:36] session agenda in accordance
[2:12:38] with chapter 551 of the Texas
[2:12:39] government Code. Thank you.
[2:12:44] [CLOSED SESSION]
[3:31:14] >> The board will now reconvene
[3:31:17] in open session. And the board
[3:31:18] is taking no action as a result
[3:31:20] of the closed session. We are
[3:31:23] now adjourned. Thank you