* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Labor Committee on August 22, 2024.] [00:00:22] HOUSTON'S LABOR COMMITTEE. AS A REMINDER, IF YOU ARE ONLINE, PLEASE MUTE YOUR MICROPHONE OUT OF COURTESY DURING THE PRESENTATION. UH, THE MEETING IS CALLED TO ORDER AT WHAT TIME? 10:30 AM TODAY WE HAVE TWO PRESENTATIONS. WE HAVE A BACK TO SCHOOL PRESENTATION FROM OUR HOUSTON AREA TEACHERS UNION. WE'LL HEAR FROM, UH, THEM IN JUST A MOMENT. UH, THEN WE WILL HEAR FROM NEW ECONOMY FOR WORKING HOUSTON, WHICH WORKS CLOSELY WITH GULF COAST, A-F-L-C-I-O ON THEIR NATURAL DISASTER VOLUNTEER RECOVERY ASSISTANCE EFFORTS. FOLLOWING THE DERECHO AND HURRICANE BARREL, UH, IN CHAMBERS, WE ARE JOINED BY STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ'S, OFFICE. COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ'S, OFFICE MAYOR PRO TEM CASTEX TATUM'S, OFFICE COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO'S OFFICE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN'S OFFICE, AND COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER'S OFFICE. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE THAT I MISSED? NO, PECK IS JUST, OH, AND WE HAVE VICE MAYOR PRO TEM PECK HERE. WELCOME. WELCOME VICE MAYOR PRO TEM. UH, AS A REMINDER, UH, PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PRESENTATIONS THAT YOU WILL HEAR TODAY WILL BE UPLOADED TO THE COMMITTEE'S WEBSITE AS WELL FOR THE PUBLIC'S ACCESS. UH, WE WILL, IN TERMS OF ORDER OF HOW WE WILL PROCEED, WE WILL HAVE THE FIRST PRESENTATION. THEN WE WILL TAKE QUESTIONS, UH, FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF. UH, THEN AND REMINDER, IF ANY STAFF IS JOINING US ONLINE TO PLUG INTO THE CHAT TO LET US KNOW. UH, WE DO HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON'S OFFICE ONLINE CURRENTLY. THANK YOU FOR JOINING. UH, WE WILL WAIT TILL THE END OF THE SECOND PRESENTATION, AND THEN WE WILL TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, SO WE APPRECIATE ALL OF OUR PUBLIC SPEAKERS HERE TODAY. AND IF ANYBODY NEEDS TO LEAVE, UH, BEFORE THAT, LET US KNOW. AND WE MAY SWITCH THE ORDER UP IN TERMS OF WHEN WE DO PUBLIC COMMENT, BECAUSE WE WON'T MEET AGAIN BEFORE LABOR DAY. THIS IS THE LABOR COMMITTEE. SO I WANNA WISH EVERYBODY A SAFE AND HAPPY LABOR DAY. UH, AS A REMINDER TO RESIDENTS, PLEASE CHECK, UH, ESPECIALLY YOUR SOLID WASTE PICKUP SCHEDULE BECAUSE OF THE HOLIDAY. UM, EMPLOYEES DESERVE A DAY OFF, ESPECIALLY OVER LABOR DAY. UH, THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR IS UPON US. AND, UH, OUR OFFICE, AMONG MANY OTHER OFFICES AROUND COUNCIL, ARE RECEIVING A LOT OF EMAILS AND CALLS FROM CONCERNED RESIDENTS. OUR CHILDREN, OUR FAMILIES ARE ALL HOUSTON RESIDENTS. THE FAMILY OF LANDON PEYTON ARE HOUSTONIANS. AND TEACHERS WHO ARE SOME OF OUR CITY'S HEROES ARE ALSO HOUSTONIANS AND HOUSTON RESIDENTS. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT AS A LABOR COMMITTEE TO ALLOW THOSE THAT ARE NOT OFTEN AFFORDED AN OPPORTUNITY AND A VOICE AND A CHANCE TO SHARE THEIR PERSPECTIVES, THEIR INITIATIVES, AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR COUNCIL AND THE PUBLIC. WITH THAT, UH, I, AT THIS TIME WOULD WANT TO RECOGNIZE FOR OUR FIRST PRESENTATION, UH, THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES KARINA ORTIZ AND JESSE HEINER WITH HFT. IF Y'ALL WILL, PLEASE APPROACH THE PODIUM. OKAY. READY TO GET STARTED? GO RIGHT AHEAD WHEN YOU'RE READY. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US TODAY. MY NAME IS JESSE HEINER. I AM A DIGITAL ORGANIZER FOR, UM, THE HOUSTON FEDERATION OF TEACHERS. AND I'M GOING TO JUST DO A QUICK OVERVIEW OF HFT. WE ARE THE LARGEST UNION IN HISD. WE REPRESENT ALL NON-ADMINISTRATIVE, UM, PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES IN THE DISTRICT. AND WE ARE A, A LOCAL FOR THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS. THAT'S OUR NATIONAL ORGANIZATION. UM, AND, UH, OUR PRESIDENT IS JACKIE ANDERSON. SHE IS NOT ABLE TO BE WITH US BECAUSE SHE'S AT THE DNC TODAY. SO THE CHIEF OF STAFF, KARINA, UM, AND ORTIZ AND I WILL BE, UH, PRESENTING TODAY. NEXT SLIDE. CHANGE . OKAY. SO WE JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, WE HAVE LOST A LOT OF OUR LOCAL VOICE, UM, THROUGH THE PUBLIC OR THROUGH THE COMMITTEE MEETINGS, UM, IN [00:05:01] OUR BOARD, UH, OUR LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS. SO WE'RE JUST REALLY GRATEFUL TO BE HERE TODAY. UH, WE'RE GOING TO TALK A LOT ABOUT THE EX, THE EXPERIENCES THAT TEACHERS HAVE HAD, UM, BUT WE WANT TO REMIND YOU THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR FIRST PRIORITY IS THE STUDENTS. AND SO JUST TO KEEP IN MIND THAT TEACHING CONDITIONS THAT WE SHARE TODAY ARE THE STUDENT LEARNING CONDITIONS. UM, CHANGE. NEXT SLIDE. OKAY. THE CURRENT STATE OF HISD, THIS IS FROM A TEACHER'S PERSPECTIVE. I'M GONNA GO OVER JUST A GENERAL OVERVIEW. UM, AND THEN KARINA WILL GO OVER POLICY CHANGES AND EMPLOYEE RETENTION. NEXT SLIDE. UM, OKAY. A QUICK TAKEOVER BACKGROUND. THE TEA, THE TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY TOOK OVER HISD, JUNE 1ST OF LAST YEAR. AT THAT TIME, HISD WAS RATED A B DISTRICT BY THE STATE'S GRADING SYSTEM. UM, TEA COMMISSIONER MIKE MORATH, APPOINTED SUPERINTENDENT, MIKE MILES AND NINE BOARD OF MANAGERS. NEXT SLIDE. THAT'S WHEN WE LOST OUR LOCAL CONTROL. SO OUR ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS, THEY STILL HOLD POSITIONS, BUT THEY NO LONGER HAVE ANY AUTHORITY TO VOTE. ALL OF THAT HAS BEEN TAKEN AWAY. SO THE BOARD OF MANAGERS REALLY ONLY HAVE ACCOUNTABILITY TO ONE PERSON AND ONE PERSON ALONE. AND THAT'S COMMISSIONER MIKE MORATH. UM, SO THE COMMUNITY AND TEACHERS, AND NOT JUST TEACHERS, CUSTODIAL STAFF, UM, CAFETERIA WORKERS. THEY NO LONGER HAVE A VOICE. UH, NEXT SLIDE. SO WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT WHAT IS NES FOR JUST A MOMENT. UM, NES IS, UH, STANDS FOR NEW EDUCATION SYSTEM. IT'S DESCRIBED AS BY SUPERINTENDENT MILES AS A PROGRAM TO BRING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO UNDERPERFORMING CAMPUSES. BUT IN REALITY, WE ARE NOT SEEING THAT. UM, IT STARTED WITH 28 SCHOOLS, AND ON THE SLIDE IS A MAP OF THE FIRST 28 SCHOOLS. THEY'RE LARGELY IN THE NORTHEAST SIDE, UM, IN NES SCHOOLS. UH, LAST YEAR IN THE, IN THE SUMMER OF LAST YEAR, THEY ALSO EXPANDED THAT VERY QUICKLY TO 85 SCHOOLS. AND THAT WAS JUST SEVEN WEEKS BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED. SO IT WAS A COMPLETE OVERHAUL OF 85 SCHOOLS OVER THE COURSE OF SEVEN TO EIGHT WEEKS. UM, THERE IS NO PEER REVIEWED RESEARCH THAT NEW, THE NEW EDUCATION SYSTEM THAT MILES HAS IMPLEMENTED WORKS THAT IT'S IMPACT, OR THAT IT IMPROVES, UH, ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE. AND THERE IS, IT'S LARGELY, UM, AFFECTING THE HIGHEST STUDENT POPULATIONS OF ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS OF COLOR. NEXT SLIDE. SO, THE FIRST, UM, THING THAT HAPPENED WAS THE BOOKS AND LIBRARIES, UM, WERE REMOVED FROM NEW EDUCATION SCHOOLS. AND ON THE SLIDE, WE, YOU CAN SEE THE POVERTY OVERLAP. UM, THE RED DOTS ARE SCHOOLS THAT NO LONGER HAVE A FUNCTIONING LIBRARY SYSTEM. THE GREEN DOTS, UM, STILL DO, AND THE DARKER THE BLUE, THE, THE GREATER THE POVERTY. SO THAT OVERLAP SHOWS THAT THE HIGHEST POVERTY AREAS ARE THE ONES THAT LOST THE MOST OF THEIR LIBRARIES. NEXT SLIDE. UM, LIBRARIES HAVE NOW BEEN TURNED INTO TEAM CENTERS, WHICH IS WHERE STUDENTS ARE SENT IF THEY'RE HAVING DISCIPLINARY ISSUES IN NEW EDUCATION SYSTEM SCHOOLS. UM, AND, UH, ON THIS SLIDE, IT SHOWS A PICTURE OF WHAT STUDENTS, UH, WHAT LIBRARIES USED TO LOOK LIKE AND WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE NOW UNDER NES. UM, AND THE BIGGEST THING I WANT TO HARP ON IS THAT NO BOOKS ARE ALLOWED TO BE TAUGHT IN NES SCHOOLS. SO IT'S ALL WORKSHEETS AND PASSAGES ON PAPER. NEXT SLIDE. UM, THANK YOU, THANK YOU ALL FOR ALLOWING US TO, TO COME HERE AND, AND, AND PRESENT. UM, THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF BEING AN EDUCATOR IS EDUCATING. SO HOPEFULLY YOU CAN WALK AWAY WITH A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANTED TO ADD, COULD WE GO BACK TO THAT PREVIOUS SLIDE, PLEASE? THANK YOU. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT WE WANTED TO EMPHASIZE WITH THE BOOK AND BOOKS AND LIBRARIES IS THAT THERE WAS THOUSANDS OF BOOKS REMOVED FROM THESE LIBRARIES. UM, THOUSANDS OF BOOKS THAT WERE BOUGHT WITH TAXPAYER MONEY, UM, THAT WE DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY WENT. SOME OF THEM WERE THROWN AWAY. WE FOUND PEOPLE CALLING US, TELLING THAT, TELLING US THAT THEY WERE IN THE DUMPSTERS. UM, OTHERS, WE, THEY JUST DISAPPEARED FROM OVERNIGHT DAY TO NIGHT. SO, UM, JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT LITTLE CAVEAT ON THERE. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THANK YOU. ONE OF THE MAJOR, UH, AREAS THAT, THAT HFT HOUSTON FEDERATION OF TEACHERS WORKED ON FOR APPROXIMATELY THREE YEARS WAS BRINGING WRAPAROUND [00:10:01] SERVICES, FULL SERVICE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS TO HISD. UM, WE WERE THE ONLY ORGANIZATION WITHIN THE DISTRICT WORKING WITH THE DISTRICT THAT WERE, WAS ABLE TO CREATE A POLICY, AN ACTUAL POLICY, BASICALLY SAYING THAT WE NEEDED WRAPAROUND SERVICES AND THAT WRAPAROUND SERVICES AND SOCIO PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES WOULD BE PROVIDED FOR THE STUDENTS. AND IN ALL SCHOOLS, WE WANT IT ACROSS THE DISTRICT. WE STARTED OUT WITH, UM, 15 SCHOOLS AND, UM, BEFORE, UH, MR. MILES ARRIVED, WE HAD, UM, AND, AND THIS WAS, THIS WAS, UM, TWO YEARS PRIOR TO COVID HAPPENING. UM, WE HAD, UH, WRAPAROUND SERVICES, COMMUNITY SCHOOLS IN EVERY SCHOOL IN HISD. WHAT DID THEY DO? WRAPAROUND SERVICES PROVIDED STUDENTS WITH RESOURCES, UH, FAMILIES, UM, BASICALLY MAKING THE SCHOOL THE HUB OF THE COMMUNITY. AND, UM, WE, WE WENT FROM, UM, A WRAPAROUND SPECIALIST IN EVERY SCHOOL TO 40 SCHOOLS. ONCE THE NEW, UM, THE, THE TAKEOVER OCCURRED. AND SO WE LOST ALL OF THOSE WRAPAROUND PEOPLE, UH, JUST 40 STAYED. UM, THEY WENT INTO WHAT THEY CALLED SUNRISE CENTERS. THE DISTRICT CONVERTED, UH, THIS HELP THESE WRAPAROUND SERVICES, UM, TO 40 RE RELEGATED TO 40 SUNRISE, UH, OR 40 REPRESENTATIVES, UH, WRAPAROUND, UH, REPS. AND PUT, UM, BASICALLY PUT ALL THESE FOLKS IN SUNRISE CENTERS THAT ARE LOCATED ALL OVER THE COMMUNITY. IF YOU THUMB THROUGH YOUR HANDOUT IN THE BACK, WE INCLUDED A MAP. CAN YOU, UH, UH, CHANGE THE SLIDE, PLEASE? UH, IT'S AT THE BACK OF YOUR HANDOUT, AND IT BASICALLY SHOWS WHERE ALL THE SUNRISE CENTERS ARE. NONE OF THEM ARE LOCATED IN THE SCHOOLS ANYMORE. THOSE SERVICES ARE OUT NOW. UH, WE HAD SCHOOLS THAT BROUGHT IN PSYCHOLOGISTS, UH, SOCIAL WORKERS THAT HANDED OUT FOOD TO STUDENTS IN NEED THAT ACTUALLY WOULD DO THE LAUNDRY FOR THE FAMILIES. UM, THESE WERE SERVICES THAT WERE ALL VOLUNTARY THAT, THAT THESE WRAPAROUND SPECIALISTS BROUGHT INTO THE SCHOOLS TO ASSIST WITH THE LEARNING, BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW THAT WHEN THOSE KIDS STEP THROUGH THROUGH THE DOOR AS TEACHERS, THEY BRING WHATEVER THEY HAVE AT HOME WITH THEM. AND SOMETIMES IT'S NOT ALL GOOD. SO THAT WAS THE POINT OF HAVING THESE WRAPAROUND SERVICES AND CONVERTING THE SCHOOLS INTO COMMUNITY SCHOOLS SO FAMILIES COULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THOSE SERVICES BROUGHT TO THEM AND NOT HAVE TO GO OUT. THE OTHER, UM, CHANGE THAT OCCURRED WITH THE, UH, NES SYSTEM WAS LONGER WORKING HOURS FOR TEACHERS. THEY HAVE EXTENDED THE, THE WORKDAY ONE HOUR, UM, AN ADDITIONAL 75 MINUTE BEFORE AND AFTERSCHOOL DUTY IS REQUIRED. UM, AND, AND KEEP IN MIND THAT WHEN THEY DID THIS, HISD WAS THE ONLY DISTRICT IN THE STATE OF TEXAS THAT HAD A BASIC PRESCRIBED WORKDAY. IT WAS IN OUR POLICY. IT WAS BASICALLY ADHERED TO. THE TEACHERS HAD A SEVEN HOUR, 45 MINUTE WORKDAY. THEY COULD COME IN EARLIER, THEY COULD STAY LATER, THEY COULD HAVE THEIR OWN MEETINGS WHENEVER THEY WANTED TO, BUT THAT WAS THE PRESCRIBED TIME THAT THEY WERE ALLOCATED AND REQUIRED TO BE IN THE TEACHING POSITION. UM, NOW THEY'RE HAVING TO DO, UH, A WEEKLY 75 MINUTE DEMO DAY, BASICALLY, WHERE TEACHERS HAVE TO PRESENT LESSONS. UM, AND THIS IS DONE AFTER SCHOOL. SO YOU CAN JUST IMAGINE FOLKS THAT, THAT HAVE CARETAKER ISSUES, CHILDCARE THAT HAVE EXTRA JOBS THAT THEY HAVE TO GO TO. THIS BASICALLY EXTENDS THEIR DAY. AND THAT THERE HAS TO BE A, A, A, UH, PROBLEM THERE FOR THESE FOLKS. UM, THERE'S ALSO BEEN A CHANGE IN THE ABSENCE, UH, AND ATTENDANCE POLICY. IT WENT FROM SEVEN DAYS HAVING TO BASICALLY BRING A DOCTOR'S NOTE AND EXCUSE TO THREE DAYS. NOW, UPON THAT SEVENTH DAY IN, IN THE, IN THE PREVIOUS POLICIES, THEY HAD SEVEN DAYS TO BE CONCURRENTLY ABSENT BEFORE THEY BROUGHT A DOCTOR STATEMENT. NOW IT'S BEEN REDUCED TO THREE DAYS. AND WHILE IN PRIVATE INDUSTRY, I'M SURE THAT'S SEVEN DAYS, LIKE, WOW, THAT'S REALLY LIKE EXTENDED, UM, IN THE TEACHING PROFESSION. TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THAT EVERY YEAR THAT YOU START OFF IS [00:15:01] BASICALLY HAVING TO GET ACCLIMATED AGAIN. UM, COVID, WE TOOK A HUGE HIT. AND NOW EVERY YEAR THAT WE BEGIN, I MEAN, AS A TEACHER, I TAUGHT FOR 10 YEARS AS A TEACHER. EVERY YEAR YOU HAVE TO GET ACCLIMATED TO THE KIDS COMING IN. YOU HAVE FLU, YOU HAVE ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF VIRUSES COMING IN. SO THIS SEVEN DAYS IS BASICALLY SOMETHING THAT IF THE TEACHER HAS A SERIOUS ISSUE MEDICALLY, THEN THEY WERE GIVEN THE SEVEN DAYS TO STAY OUT BEFORE THERE WAS ANY KIND OF, OF, UH, ACTION THAT THE DISTRICT WOULD TAKE. UM, SO WE DID, DID WE CHANGE? SHE WENT TO THE NEXT ONE. OH, OKAY. THE, UM, THE TEACHER EVALUATION ALSO CHANGED. THE EVALUATION SYSTEM BASICALLY WAS A, A STATE, UM, EVALUATION, UM, THAT WAS PRESCRIBED THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF TEXAS. UM, AND SO WHEN THE NEW SYSTEM, THE NES SYSTEM ARRIVED, IT'S A HYBRIDIZATION NOW. UM, THEY, THEY DEEM IT T TES SYSTEM, WHICH IS USED BY THE STATE OF TEXAS, BUT THEY HYBRIDIZED EVERYTHING WITHIN THAT SYSTEM. UM, IT'S NOT EVIDENCE-BASED. UM, AND THAT PROMPTED US TO FILE A LAWSUIT AND BASICALLY CHANGE THE SYSTEM THAT, UH, THE NES UH, FOLKS WANTED TO, TO BRING IN. UM, BASICALLY, UM, THEY CALL IT, LIKE I SAID, UH, T-TEST, BUT IT'S NOT, UM, THE, THE, UH, THE NEW FOLKS IN HISD, WHEN THE LAWSUIT OCCURRED, THEY DECIDED TO CHANGE IT AND HYBRIDIZE IT. SO IT WOULD FALL UNDER THE T-TEST, BUT IT'S REALLY NOT. SO, UM, THAT'S ANOTHER CHANGE. UM, CHANGE PLEASE. THE CURRICULUM THAT THEY HAVE NOW IN THOSE CLASSROOMS, THINK BACK WHEN YOU GUYS WENT TO SCHOOL, ALL OF YOU HERE, YOU HAD A TEACHER THAT WOULD DO LESSON PLANS, WOULD BRING IN ALL KINDS OF RESOURCES FROM THE OUTSIDE, AND THAT WAS THE ENRICHMENT THAT WE RECEIVED AS STUDENTS. THAT'S WHERE WE, WE LEARNED, THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE WE BEGAN TO SEE DIFFERENT OUTSIDE, SORRY, DIFFERENT OUTSIDE RESOURCES BEING BROUGHT IN. THIS IS A VERY SCRIPTED CURRICULUM. IT'S TIMED. A TEACHER HAS TO READ A SCRIPT, AND SHE HAS TO FINISH THAT SCRIPT ON TIME. THERE'S A TIME LIMIT FOR ANSWERING QUE NOT, WELL, NOT ANSWERING, BUT ASKING QUESTIONS, GOING AROUND THE ROOM, ASKING QUESTIONS. BUT THAT'S ALSO VERY SCRIPTED. SO THEY, THEY, THEY ALSO IMPLEMENTED A DEMONSTRATION OF LEARNING A DOL AT THE END OF EVERY LESSON. SO THAT TEACHER HAS TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IS ON THE SAME SCRIPT. EVERYONE IS LEARNING THE SAME THING AT THE SAME TIME. WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE KIDS THAT DON'T LEARN THE SAME, THAT LEARN DIFFERENTLY? BECAUSE WE'RE ALL DIFFERENT LEARNERS. ESTHETIC, I SAY VISUAL, EVERYTHING. SO THAT IS NOT PUT INTO THE SYSTEM. THE CHILDREN ARE UNDER PRESSURE. EVERYTHING IS IS GO, GO, GO, GO, GO. AND IF YOU DON'T ANSWER IT CORRECTLY, THEN THERE IS AN EDICT THAT'S BEEN PUT OUT THERE BY THE DISTRICT SAYING YOU DON'T CALL ON GOOD READ ON, ON CHILDREN THAT DON'T READ WELL, YOU CALL ONLY ON THOSE THAT READ. WELL, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO KEEP IT GOING. WE HAVE TO KEEP IT GOING. SO YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT THAT DOES TO A CHILD'S SELF-ESTEEM. AND WE'VE HEARD THAT REPEATEDLY TIME AND TIME AGAIN IN BOARD MEETINGS, PARENTS CRYING, SAYING THAT THEIR CHILDREN SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN, THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL. THEY FEEL DIFFERENT. THEY FEEL THAT THEY'RE NOT WORTHY OF BEING THERE. WHY DOES MY TEACHER LIKE ME? THIS IS WHAT WE HEAR ON A CONSTANT BASIS AT EVERY BOARD MEETING. THIS IS WHAT WE HEAR. SO THIS IS, THIS ALL COMES INTO PLAY, WEBCAMS IN EVERY CLASSROOM, BIG BROTHERS WATCHING YOU. IT'S NOT THE OLD DAYS WHEN THE TEACHER HAD THE LIBERTY TO HAVE FREEDOM TO TEACH, TO DO WHAT HE OR SHE WENT TO SCHOOL TO DO WHAT THEY LOVE DOING, THAT THOSE DAYS ARE GONE. WE DON'T HAVE THAT ANYMORE. EVERYTHING YOU'RE BEING WATCHED, YOU'RE BEING TIMED. AND THERE'S ALSO, OF COURSE, RAMIFICATIONS FOR THAT CHANGE. PLEASE. SO, ONE QUESTION. ARE YOU SAYING THE WEBCAMS ARE NOT FOR STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND ACTIVITIES? THAT'S THE SCHOOL DISTRICT MONITOR. SO, BUT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S MONITORING THE CLASSROOMS THROUGH THE WEBCAMS? YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. YES. CHANGE PLEASE. THANK YOU. THE OTHER CHANGE THAT HAS HIT VERY STRONGLY WITH THE STUDENT POPULATION IS A CHANGE IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF A SCHOOL. A SCHOOL IS NO [00:20:01] LONGER PRINT RICH. AND, AND, AND AS AN EDUCATOR, THE ONE THING YOU WANNA DO IS GIVE KIDS INSPIRATION. YOU WANT THEM TO COME IN INSPIRED TO LEARN. THAT ISN'T HAPPENING. THEY WALK IN SILENCE, STRAIGHT LINES. THEY CARRY ORANGE CONES TO THE BATHROOM IF THEY HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM, BECAUSE THE, THE REASONING THERE IS, IF YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT CONE, YOU'RE GOING TO HURRY UP, GO TO THE RESTROOM, AND COME BACK OUT. AND, AND THAT'S IN THEIR MINDS. I GUESS THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT, THAT THEY FELT WAS GOING TO BE A, A PLUS, A POSITIVE, BECAUSE THAT WOULD GET THEM BACK TO CLASS IN A HURRY. BUT WHAT IT'S MANAGED TO DO IS BASICALLY, AGAIN, ALIENATE THESE CHILDREN. BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GIVE AN ORANGE CONE TO A CHILD AND THEY'RE ALREADY EMBARRASSED TO WANT TO GO TO THE RESTROOM? AND SO WE'VE SEEN A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN MEDICAL ISSUES WITH KIDS UTIS, INFECTIONS OF ALL KINDS. AND SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S EVEN MORE DRAMATIC FOR THE KIDS, BECAUSE AT SOME POINT, YOU KNOW, EVEN THE, THE LITTLE ONES, ESPECIALLY, THEY'RE GONNA SOIL THEMSELVES. AND THAT'S GONNA BE A TOTAL DIFFERENT KIND OF EMBARRASSMENT FOR THEM. THE WORKING CONDITIONS FOR THE TEACHERS HAVE BEEN UNBEARABLE. THE STRESS, THE MEDICAL ISSUES THAT WE'RE SEEING ARISE IS OFF THE CHARTS. WE'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE. UM, AS I SAID, IT'S A SCRIPTED CURRICULUM. THE NON-NEGOTIABLES, UM, BASICALLY THEY, THEY HAVE TO GO AND DO AN MRS STRATEGIES. THEY CALL IT MULTIPLE RESPONSE STRATEGIES, WHERE EVERYTHING IN THE CLASSROOM IS GO, GO, GO, ASK QUESTIONS, ASK QUESTIONS, GO, GO, GO, GO, GO. THE THING ABOUT IT IS THAT THE TEACHERS ARE GETTING MARKED DOWN ON THEIR EVALUATIONS. BECAUSE IF THEY WANNA BE FAIR, AND, AND FAIR IS A, YOU KNOW, IT'S A STRANGE TERM, WE'RE GONNA USE EQUITABLE. IF YOU WANNA BE EQUITABLE IN THAT CLASSROOM, AND YOU WANT TO TAKE TURNS, AND YOU WANT EVERYBODY TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A VOICE, THAT'S NOT ALLOWED. AGAIN, ONLY THE GOOD READERS, ONLY THE CHILDREN THAT ARE ACTUALLY CAPTURING THE INFORMATION. THOSE ARE THE ONES YOU CALL ON. IT'S NOT GONNA BE EVERYBODY ACROSS THE ROOM. JUST THOSE, IT'S, I'M SORRY. THE, THE SPOT OBSERVATIONS IS THE OTHER POINT, UH, THAT, THAT I HAD TO MAKE ON THIS. UM, THE PRINCIPLES ARE REQUIRED TO, BASICALLY, AN ADMINISTRATOR REQUIRED TO DO A MINIMUM OF FIVE SPOT OBSERVATIONS IN ONE DAY. THAT MEANS THAT YOU HAVE FIVE DIFFERENT PEOPLE GOING IN AND OUTTA THOSE CLASSROOMS ALL DAY. NOW REMEMBER, BACK TO YOUR OWN EDUCATION. HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU HAVE PEOPLE COMING INTO YOUR CLASSROOM AND INTERRUPTING YOUR CLASS, STOPPING THE TEACHER ASKING THIS? AND, AND WHEN YOU HAVE, ESPECIALLY WITH, WITH THE LITTLE ONES, WHEN YOU HAVE STRANGE PEOPLE COMING IN AND THEY DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE, KIDS CLAM UP. THEY DON'T WANNA, THEY DON'T WANNA SAY ANYTHING. THEY, THEY JUST WANNA BE STILL AND WATCH AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING'S OKAY. SO WHEN THESE FOLKS COME IN, THEY ARE DOING IN THE MOMENT COACHING, WHICH IS WHAT THEY CALL IT. BUT IN ESSENCE, IF A TEACHER IS NOT FOLLOWING THAT SCRIPT THAT'S PRESCRIBED BY THE DISTRICT, WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING IS THAT IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT LESSON, SHE STOPPED, OR HE STOPPED. AND THEY'RE EITHER SCOLDED, REPRIMANDED, OR THEIR TEACHING IS TAKEN OVER BY WHOEVER'S IN THE CLASSROOM. SO IMAGINE NOT ONLY WHAT THAT DOES TO THE CHILDREN, BUT ALSO WHAT THAT DOES TO THE TEACHER. NONE OF YOU WOULD APPRECIATE SOMEBODY COMING INTO YOUR OFFICE AT YOUR DESK AREA AND START SCREAMING AT YOU ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING WRONG. THAT THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE AS HUMAN BEINGS ARE GOING TO TAKE TO, IN A POSITIVE MANNER. SO NEXT, VERY ADVERSE PERSONNEL ACTIONS LAST YEAR. AND, AND JUST A, A, A COMPARATIVE TOOL. UM, BEFORE THIS NEW SYSTEM WAS IMPLEMENTED, AND THE NEW AND THE TAKEOVER HAPPENED, ON THE AVERAGE, WE WOULD HAVE ABOUT 20, 25 GRIEVANCES A YEAR WITH THIS NEW SYSTEM. LAST YEAR, WE SAW OVER 150. IT WAS CLOSER TO 160 GRIEVANCES THAT WERE FILED BY OUR MEMBERS. WHY? BECAUSE THEY WERE BEING PENALIZED FOR THIS NEW SYSTEM THAT WASN'T BEING IMPLEMENTED. THEY SAID THE STRATEGIES WEREN'T BEING MET. YOU CAN'T DIM YOUR LIGHTS. THE LIGHTS HAVE TO STAY ON ALL THE TIME. THE DOORS HAVE TO STAY OPEN. BATHROOM USAGE LIMITED. WE HAD A TEACHER THAT WAS TERMINATED BECAUSE AFTER TAKING THE STAR TEST ALL DAY, HE WANTED [00:25:01] TO PLAY CHESS WITH HIS KIDS. THEY TERMINATED HIM, UM, HAVING A, A, A CELL PHONE OUT FOR A STUDENT, THE TEACHER'S PENALIZED BECAUSE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO TAKE CARE OF THAT. THAT CHILD IS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE A PHONE OUT. THERE'S A, A DIGITAL TIMER ON ANY KIND OF POWERPOINT. AND THIS IS WHAT THE KIDS HAVE TO KEEP LOOKING AT, AND THE TEACHER HAS TO KEEP LOOKING AT, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO GET THROUGH THAT, THAT, THAT SCRIPTED CURRICULUM. SO IT'S A VERY PRESSURE PACKED, VERY PRESSURE PACKED ENVIRONMENT. NEXT, I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH ALL OF THESE. YOU CAN READ 'EM. UM, BUT THE RETALIATION THAT'S BEING EXPERIENCED THAT WE HAVE HAD TERMINATIONS OCCUR, OUR ARE BASED ON WHAT IS WRITTEN HERE. UM, TEACHERS GO INTO THE BOARD AND SPEAKING IN FRONT OF THE BOARD. UM, THEY ARE AUTOMATICALLY TARGETED. THE CHEST INCIDENT WITH THE TEACHER. UM, THE MRS, UH, NOT FOLLOWING MRS STRATEGIES. UM, THIS WAS ONE WHERE THE TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY, WHEN WE WENT TO THE FINAL HEARING, THEY TURNED IT OVER AND THEY ACTUALLY DID PUT THE TEACHER BACK. THANK GOODNESS. UM, EVEN THE PRINCIPALS, THE PRINCIPALS ARE BEING TARGETED TOO. BECAUSE IF THEY DON'T WANNA BUY INTO THE SYSTEM, AND LET ME, LET ME TAKE THE TIME TO SAY THIS. AS A, AS EDUCATORS, WHEN WE TAKE THAT OATH AND WE GET OUR CERTIFICATE, WE ARE BOUND BY A CODE OF ETHICS. ONE OF THOSE ETHICS IS VERY CLEAR, AND IT'S THE OVERALL ARCHING GOAL THAT YOU ARE NOT TO HURT ANY CHILD, WHETHER IT'S PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL. SO IMAGINE THE CONFLICT THAT A TEACHER HAS GOING INTO A CLASSROOM WHEN THEY'RE BEING TOLD, YOU HAVE TO DO THIS. IF YOU DON'T DO THIS, YOU'RE GONNA BE FIRED. BUT IN YOUR HEART, AS A TEACHER, AS A TEACHER, AND I'M TELLING YOU HERE, I COULD NEVER DO IT BECAUSE IT'S A MORAL ISSUE. I KNOW I'M HURTING MY CHILDREN. THEY KNOW THEY'RE HURTING THE CHILDREN. ARE YOU GONNA DO THAT OR NOT? WHO AMONGST YOU COULD SAY, YEAH, I'M GONNA DO IT. I, I CAN HURT. I CAN HURT A KID, MAN, I'M, I CAN GET, I GOT A JOB. NOBODY'S GONNA DO IT. SO, OKAY, NEXT. THANK YOU. CONSULTATION WAS A VERY INTEGRAL PART OF WHAT WE DID, WHO WE ARE AND WHY WE USE IT. CONSULTATION WAS USED FOR THE BETTER PART OF 20 YEARS BY HFT TO DEAL WITH THE DISTRICT. WE HAD A SET MEETING EVERY MONTH WITH THE DISTRICT TO ADDRESS CONCERNS, ADDRESS ISSUES, WHAT HAPPENED DURING THIS TIME. WE WERE ABLE TO ELIMINATE A LOT OF PROBLEMS THAT WOULD ESCALATE AND GO ON TO OTHER THINGS. THAT'S WHAT WE, THAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF IT. AND THAT WAS TAKEN AWAY IMMEDIATELY WHEN THE TAKEOVER OCCURRED, WE LOST ALL RIGHTS. TEACHERS HAVE NO RIGHTS, BASICALLY, OTHER THAN WHAT'S AFFORDED TO THEM UNDER STATE LAW. AND THIS WAS A DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED BOARD OR, OR OR CONSULTATION PROCESS THAT TOOK PLACE THAT ELECTED US AS THE REPRESENTATIVE AGENT OF THE TEACHERS. WE HAVE OVER 6,000 MEMBERS RIGHT NOW. NEXT STAFF REDUCTIONS, ALL STAFF IN THE FIRST 28 SCHOOLS, THEY WERE FIRED. AND WHEN THE NES PROGRAM CAME UP, THEY HAD TO REAPPLY FOR THOSE JOBS. EVEN THOSE TEACHERS, EVEN THOSE SCHOOLS THAT WERE A-RATED. UM, WE HAVE A SCHOOL IN THE EAST END, ELLIOT ELEMENTARY, THAT WAS A BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL FOR YEARS, YEARS. ALL OF THOSE TEACHERS WERE TOLD THEY HAD TO REAPPLY FOR THEIR JOBS. THEY HAD ALREADY PROVEN THEMSELVES, BUT THEY HAD TO REAPPLY. UM, UM, SP UH, SPECIAL ED CONTRACTOR POSITIONS, DIAGNOSTICIANS, UM, THESE FOLKS, THEY WERE ALL ELIMINATED. UM, THE CONTRACT POSITION, THE DIAGNOSTICIANS ARE WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD. AUTISM DEPARTMENT ALSO DISMANTLED CUSTODIAL STAFF. AND I WANNA TAKE THIS TIME RIGHT NOW TO MENTION THE INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED LAST WEEK WITH OUR YOUNG STUDENT THAT PASSED AWAY. THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED. HISD HAS ALWAYS HAD THEIR INTERNAL MAINTENANCE. FMO DEPARTMENTS, THEY ARE IN CHARGE OF THOSE BUILDINGS. THEY ARE IN CHARGE OF THE GROUNDS. I WAS SPEAKING WITH A FRIEND OF MINE, UH, WHO'S A VERY WELL RENOWNED LAWYER IN, IN HOUSTON. SHE JUST ENROLLED HER CHILD, UM, IN PRE-K AT RIVER OAKS THIS YEAR. AND I TALKED TO HER THE OTHER NIGHT, AND I JUST TO SEE HOW THE BABY WAS DOING. AND SHE SAID, YOU KNOW, AND, AND [00:30:01] THEIR FAMILY HAS A LONG HISTORY HERE IN HOUSTON. HER GRANDMOTHER, ONE OF THE SCHOOLS IN HI IS NAMED AFTER HER GRANDMOTHER. SHE SAID, I'M, I'M THINKING ABOUT TAKING HOUSTON OUTTA THE SCHOOL BECAUSE I THINK I WANT TO GO TO PRIVATE SCHOOL. UH, HE COMES HOME CRYING BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF KIDS IN THE CLASSROOM. THEY TERMINATED THREE TEACHERS AT RIVER OAKS. PRE-K TEACHERS, YOU DON'T EVER TOUCH PRE-K. YOU'RE GONNA HAVE MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF, OF PRE-K KIDS IN YOUR CLASSES ALL THE TIME. SO THIS IS, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING. IT'S, IT'S STRETCHING OUT BEYOND TEACHERS. IT'S GOING INTO COMMUNITIES NOW WHERE FOLKS ARE SAYING, WE'RE GONNA MAKE AN EXODUS AND WE'RE GONNA GO. SO WHAT HAPPENED AT MARSHALL LAST WEEK SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED BECAUSE OF THE MAINTENANCE ISSUES. THEY GOT RID OF THE MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENTS AND GROUNDSKEEPERS, ALL OF THOSE FOLKS. THE TURNOVER, IT'S RIGHT HERE. UM, 5,000 OUT OF 11,000, UH, HAVE LEFT THE DISTRICT TEACHERS. AND, AND THAT'S STAFF ALSO. NOT JUST TEACHERS. THAT'S, THAT'S, UH, PARA PARAS AND, AND, AND WHAT HAVE YOU. THE 10,000 TOTAL HISD EMPLOYEES HAVE LEFT THE DISTRICT. 154 PRINCIPAL CHANGES ACROSS 141 OF THE 2 74 CAMPUSES. THAT'S A LOT OF FOLKS. THAT'S A LOT OF TURNOVER. THAT'S COMPLETE INSTABILITY. NEXT CERTIFICATION. THAT'S ANOTHER ISSUE THAT WE'RE CONTENDING WITH RIGHT NOW. UM, HIS D'S, HIRING UN CERTIFIED PEOPLE. AND THIS GRAPH IS, IS VERY, VERY TELLING. UH, IT'S ALMOST SCARY BECAUSE FROM 2019 TO 2023, YOU CAN SEE IN THE GRAPH THAT'S IN, IN YOUR, IN YOUR, UM, PACKET THERE, THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS WAS HIRED IN 2000, TWENTY ONE, TWENTY TWO, A HUNDRED SEVEN TEACHERS UNCERTIFIED, OR 107, UM, EMPLOYEES UNCERTIFIED LAST YEAR, 1093 WERE UNCERTIFIED. SO BASICALLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING HERE IS THAT YOU HAVE ALMOST HALF OF YOUR TEACHING WORKFORCE THAT'S NEVER BEEN A TEACHER. THEY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT TEACHING. AND, AND THAT'S GONNA BE A PROBLEM. UM, THE, I GUESS THEY FIGURE WITH THE SCRIPTED CURRICULUM, THAT SHOULDN'T BE A PROBLEM. BUT IT IS. THIS, THIS GRAPH IS, SPEAKS VOLUMES ABOUT WHY WE ARE WHERE WE ARE NEXT. JUMP IN, JUMP IN. OH, JUST, SORRY. WE'LL TRY AND WE'LL TRY AND WRAP. SO THE, THE REAL RAMIFICATIONS ARE RIGHT HERE. AND, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT AN EXPLANATION OF THAT OR NOT, BUT, UH, FOR THE CERTIFICATION, BUT, UH, IT'S UP TO YOU. YEAH. YOU'RE, NO, YOU'RE, WELL, I THINK WE'RE ALMOST TO THE END. SO IF YOU WANNA EXPLAIN THE RAMIFICATION. OKAY. JUST 'CAUSE SOME PEOPLE MAY NOT BE AS CLEAR ABOUT WHAT CERTIFICATION IS SURE. AND WHAT THAT MEANS MOVING FORWARD. ONE OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS THAT'S OCCURRING WITH NON-CERTIFIED PEOPLE IS YOU HAVE TEACHERS THAT ARE IN THE CLASSROOM, UNCERTIFIED. WHAT IS THIS GONNA, WHAT IS THIS GONNA CAUSE? ESPECIALLY IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS, HIGH SCHOOLS, IF A TEACHER ISN'T CERTIFIED AND AND A STUDENT SITTING IN, IN HER OR HIS CLASS, THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO GET CREDIT FOR THAT BECAUSE IT'S AN UNCERTIFIED PERSON. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT GRADUATION RATES, HOW IS THAT GOING TO IMPACT GRADUATION RATES? BUT UNLESS THERE'S A VIOLATION OF LAW, WHICH PROBABLY HAPPEN, UH, SPECIAL EDUCATION ALSO VER VERY TELLING. NO, I JUST HAD ONE QUESTION, SUE. WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS TEACHERS MUST BE CERTIFIED IN OR BY LAW IN ORDER TO INPUT GRADES. YES, MA'AM. IF SO, WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU HAVE AN UNCERTIFIED TEACHER? THEY DON'T GET CREDIT. YOU SHOULDN'T BE GRADUATING. AND LIKE I SAID, UNLESS THERE'S A VIOLATION OF LAW AND SOMEBODY'S PUTTING IN MICKEY GRADES, THEN THAT SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING. OKAY. SO THAT WOULD AFFECT THE GRADUATION RATE. UH, SPECIAL EDUCATION. IF, IF THE TEACHER ISN'T CERTIFIED, UM, THAT, THAT ALSO IS GOING TO IMPACT THE SERVICES THAT THAT CHILD IS, IS RECEIVING. AS OF RIGHT NOW, THERE IS A QUESTION OF HOW MANY CHILDREN HAVE NOT BEEN SERVICED UNDER THE SPECIAL ED UMBRELLA. UM, THIS COMES BACK TO, UM, KIDS BEING IN REGULAR CLASSES AND NOT HAVING THEIR SPECIAL SERVICES MET. WHETHER IT'S SPEECH, WHETHER IT'S ONE-ON-ONE WORK, WHATEVER. AND, SORRY, ONE FOLLOW UP QUESTION. 'CAUSE, BUT IF I'M A PARENT IN SCHOOL, THOUGH, MY KID IS STILL GETTING GRADES. SO ARE THERE'S TEACH UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS STILL GIVING GRADES? WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THEY SHOULDN'T BE. IS THAT CORRECT? BUT THEY ARE GIVING OUT GRADES THAT IS, THAT IS AGAINST THE LAW. AND THAT IS YES. THAT'S, THAT IS WHAT, WHAT'S HAPPENING. YEAH. MM-HMM . UM, OKAY. [00:35:01] UH, NEXT, LET, LET ME ADD A CAVEAT TO, TO THE CERTIFICATION WITH THE SPECIAL ED TEACHERS. THE, THE STATE OF TEXAS AND SCHOOLS RECEIVE FUNDING, FEDERAL FUNDING FOR BILINGUAL EDUCATION AND FOR SPECIAL ED EDUCATION. THIS MONEY IS STILL COMING INTO HISD, BUT THE CHILDREN ARE NOT RECEIVING THE SERVICES. WHERE'S THAT MONEY GOING? AND, AND HOW ARE WE ACCOUNTING FOR THAT? BECAUSE IN THE END, IN THE SPECIAL ED UMBRELLA, IF CHILDREN ARE NOT RECEIVING THOSE SERVICES, THEY HAVE TO BE AWARDED COMP, UH, COMPENSATORY TIME FOR THOSE SERVICES TO BE GIVEN TO THEM, EITHER DURING THE SUMMER, AFTER SCHOOL, WHENEVER. BUT THAT HAS TO HAPPEN BECAUSE IT'S NOT A VIOLATION OF STATE OF, OF FEDERAL LAW. SO, UM, I, I GUESS THAT THIS, THIS SLIDE IS PRETTY SELF-EXPLANATORY. WE WE'RE ASKING THAT WHATEVER CAN BE DONE BY THE, THE CITY, BY THE COUNCIL, WHATEVER. UH, LET'S, LET'S PUT IT OUT THERE. LET, LET'S ALL SHARE THE EXPERIENCE. UM, WE, WE HAVE SEVERAL, UH, STATE REPRESENTATIVES. WE HAVE, UH, SOME CONGRESS FOLKS THAT ARE INVOLVED WITH THIS RIGHT NOW THAT, THAT ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE STATE, BECAUSE EVENTUALLY THIS IS GONNA AFFECT WHAT HAPPENS FURTHER DOWN THE LINE IN THE FUTURE. AND THIS IS GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT, THAT IS NOT GOING TO EITHER HELP OUR CITY AND IS GOING TO BE DEFINITELY A DEFICIT FOR OUR CHILDREN IF WE CREATE ANOTHER, UH, ANOTHER GENERATION OF, OF KIDS THAT WE LOSE. THANK YOU. AND I SEE YOU'VE POSTED, UM, JUST WHERE TO FIND MORE INFORMATION, HOW TO GET INVOLVED, UM, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE A TEACHER OR THE FAMILY. MANY OF US HAVE TEACHERS IN OUR FAMILIES. UH, SO THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT INFORMATION. UH, I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER AND COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER STAFF, UM, ARE BOTH IN ATTENDANCE AS WELL. UH, AND COUNCIL MEMBER OR STAFF AND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS. NOW. IT WOULD BE THE TIME, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS TO GET IN QUEUE. WE DO HAVE ONE QUESTION THAT CAME IN FROM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, EXCUSE ME. MAYOR PRO TEM CASTEX TATUM'S OFFICE. GOING BACK TO THE CERTIFICATION. UM, THE QUESTION IS, DO YOU KNOW IF THE INPUT OF GRADES IS GETTING REASSIGNED TO A CERTIFIED TEACHER, OR IF THERE'S UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS, OR THE ONES INPUTTING THE GRADES? WHAT WE HAVE HAD HAPPEN IS THAT WE HAVE TEACHERS THAT ARE BEING BULLIED INTO PUTTING THOSE GRADES FOR THE NON-CERTIFIED TEACHERS. AND OF COURSE, IT'S, IT'S ALWAYS UNDER THE FEAR OF YOU'RE GONNA LOSE YOUR JOB. UM, YOU, YOU NEED TO DO IT, BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T, THEN THEN IT WILL, THERE WILL BE RAMIFICATIONS. SO IT, THANK YOU. THAT'S HAPPENING A LOT. YES, MA'AM. I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER, UM, STAFF MEMBERS IN QUEUE. I HAVE A FEW FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS. UM, WITH THE NES MAPS THAT YOU SHOWED, UH, GOING BACK TO THE FIRST FEW SLIDES, UM, HOW WERE THOSE SCHOOLS SELECTED? SO, I KNOW THAT THERE ARE DATA POINTS THAT, UM, SUPERINTENDENT MILES HAS, HAS USED. CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT AT ALL? THE, THE BASIC, UM, SELECTION WAS DONE ACCORDING TO, UM, FEEDER PATTERNS BECAUSE WHEATLEY HIGH SCHOOL HAD BEEN UNDER PERFORMING FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS. THE, THE MAIN FEEDER, UH, LAST YEAR WAS THE WHEATLEY FEEDER PATTERN. AND ALL THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE SURROUNDING WHEATLEY, THAT FEED INTO WHEATLEY. SO ANY SCHOOL THAT WAS IN THAT AREA WAS AUTOMATICALLY DEEMED AN NES SCHOOL. OKAY. UH, YOU SAID SOMETHING AND IT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION, BUT IF YOU COULD PLEASE CONFIRM FOR ME, BASED ON WHAT YOUR UNDERSTANDING IS, THERE IS AT THESE SCHOOLS, NO READING OF FULL BOOKS. SO WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL, WE'D GET ASSIGNED TO READ SOME OF THE GREATEST LITERATURE PIECES FROM AROUND THE WORLD. THOSE CHIL OUR CHILDREN ARE NOW NOT READING ANY FULL BOOKS. IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID? CORRECT. CORRECT. IN NES SCHOOLS, THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED. AND THE, AND THAT GOES ON THE TEACHING SIDE, TOO. THE TEACHERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TEACH A BOOK, LIKE AS PART OF THEIR CURRICULUM. IT'S ONLY WORKSHEETS. AND THEY READ A PASSAGE AND THEN ANSWER QUESTIONS. NO, OUTSIDE RESOURCES ARE ALLOWED. AND GOING BACK, YOU SHOWED A PICTURE OF SOME VERY ORANGE CONES, UM, UHHUH. IT'S LITERALLY THAT CHILDREN ARE HAVING TO PHYSICALLY CARRY A CONE YES. TO THE BATHROOM. YES. AND THEY'RE ALSO, SOME SCHOOLS, I DON'T, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY EVERY NEA SCHOOL, BUT A LOT OF THE, UM, SOME OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS ESPECIALLY, ARE HAVING LIKE THE PARTITIONS IN THE MIDDLE, UM, WHERE THE KIDS HAVE TO LITERALLY WALK ALONG THE WALL. SO THEY'LL GET IN THE HABIT OF JUST LIKE [00:40:01] DRAGGING THEIR HAND ALONG THE WALL AS THEY WALK. 'CAUSE THEY HAVE TO WALK IN SILENCE AND SINGLE FILE, AND THE TEACHERS ARE STANDING IN FRONT OF THEIR DOORS AS THEY'RE IN THE HALLWAY AND TELLING THEM, SINGLE FILE, SINGLE FILE, SHH, YOU KNOW, JUST CON CONSIST CONSTANTLY. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 13 YEAR OLDS THAT ARE LEARNING HOW TO TALK TO EACH OTHER AND BEING AWKWARD AND , UM, ARGUING EVEN SOMETIMES, BUT, BUT THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO EVEN TALK TO EACH OTHER. UM, YOU ALSO SAID, SPEAKING OF TEACHERS AND DOORS, THAT DOORS ARE REQUIRED TO REMAIN OPEN. MY CONCERN THAT AUTOMATICALLY POPS UP IS THAT THAT'S A SAFETY, SAFETY RISK, UM, FOR A, A HOST OF REASONS. UH, IS THAT, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT? ARE THERE SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS MADE? HOW ARE THEY INCORPORATING AGAIN, ACTIVE DRILLS? YES, MA'AM. WE, WE ACTUALLY FILED A GRIEVANCE THAT WAS OUR VERY FIRST GRIEVANCE LAST YEAR BECAUSE WE HAD SO MANY, UH, UVALDE JUST HAPPENED. I MEAN, IT'S STILL FRESH, UM, SANTA FE, YOU KNOW, AND, AND SO WE HAD TEACHERS BASICALLY, UH, CALLING DAY IN, DAY OUT ABOUT THE SAFETY. AND SO THAT WAS THE FIRST GRIEVANCE THAT WE FILED. UM, WHAT THEY TURNED AROUND AND DID WAS BASICALLY THEY CHANGED THE VERBIAGE IN THE POLICY, AND THEY CREATED THE POLICY FOR IT, THAT BECAUSE OF SAFETY REASONS, UM, THAT THEY WANTED TO HAVE THE DOORS OPEN. SO WHOEVER NEEDED TO GO IN, IN CASE THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY, THEN THEY WOULD HAVE THAT PRIVILEGE TO GO IN. AND SO THEIR POLICY WAS, AND, AND THIS WAS BASICALLY, UM, THE, THE OUTCOME. EVERY TIME THAT WE FILED GRIEVANCE, THEY TURNED AROUND AND CHANGED POLICY. SO THE, BUT THE POLICY REMAINS THAT DOORS HAVE TO REMAIN OPEN? YES, MA'AM. I THINK THERE'S ONE EXCEPTION THAT IF THERE'S NOT FIRE, IT'S A FIRE CODE, IT'S, IT'S A FIRE CODE. IF, IF THEY, IF IT'S NOT UP TO CODE, THEN THEY CAN, CAN'T HAVE THEM CLOSED FOR FIRE SAFETY. BUT, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THEY HAVE TO BE OPEN. AND ORIGINALLY, UH, SUPERINTENDENT MILES SAID THAT THE REASON THAT THE DOORS WERE TO BE OPEN WAS BECAUSE THE TEACHERS SHOULDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO HIDE. THAT WAS HIS, THOSE WERE HIS EXACT WORDS. UM, SO IT WASN'T, ORIGINALLY, IT DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH SAFETY IN TERMS OF ENTERING THE CLASSROOM. IT HAD MUCH MORE TO DO WITH MONITORING WHAT WAS HAPPENING INSIDE AND WHAT THE TEACHERS WERE TEACHING AND RELATED TO THE FACILITIES BE. ACTUALLY, I'M GONNA HOLD MY QUESTIONS. I SEE, UH, VICE MAYOR PRO TEM PECK IS IN Q. PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK YOU CHAIR, AND THANK YOU BOTH FOR THE PRESENTATION. YES. UM, AS I'M SURE YOU BOTH KNOW, THE CITY OF HOUSTON DOESN'T REALLY OVERSEE THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, AND IT'S STILL HELPFUL TO HEAR ALL THIS INFORMATION. AND I KNOW YOU HAD THE SLIDE ABOUT HOW WE CAN ALL WORK TOGETHER, BUT DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING SPECIFIC THAT MAYBE THE CITY OF HOUSTON DOES OVERSEE THAT WE CAN ASSIST WITH? OR LIKE A SPECIFIC ASK THAT WE CAN HELP WITH? SO ONE OF, UH, WELL, NO, GO AHEAD. GO AHEAD. ONE OF THE THINGS MORE RECENTLY WAS THAT WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT GROUNDS KEEPING, GROUNDS MAINTENANCE, PEOPLE, UM, BEING FIRED, UM, WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR GRASS, SOME OF THE SCHOOLS GRASP, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU SAW OR LIVED BY ANY OF THE SCHOOLS, BUT IT WAS, SOME OF THE SCHOOLS HAD THREE FEET TALL GRASS. UM, I KNOW THAT I THINK THE CON THE CITY WAS CONTACTED ON BEHALF OF SOME OF THE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS, AND THEY SAID THEY DON'T REALLY GET INTO THAT TYPE OF STUFF. BUT, AND I KNOW THAT IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, TALL GRASS IS MAYBE NOT THE MOST SERIOUS OF THINGS, BUT IT, IT'S INDICATIVE OF THE LACK IN OPERATIONS, THE LACK IN PLANNING, LACK IN STAFFING, AND JUST COMPETENCE IN THE DISTRICT. THANK YOU. UM, BUT SORRY. YOU CAN ANSWER. I, I, I THINK ALSO THERE, THERE'S A QUESTION OF, UM, THEY WANT TO, TO BASICALLY CLOSE DOWN THESE SCHOOLS. SO IN A LOT OF SCHOOLS, WHAT WE'RE FINDING IS THAT THE PARKING LOTS ARE, ARE, ARE LOCKED. THE, THE FRONT DOORS ARE LOCKED. UM, AND THAT EVEN LIKE THE FIRE DOORS, THEY KEEP 'EM LOCKED. AND, AND, UH, SO, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS CITY CODE GOES THERE, THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING THERE WITH, WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. UH, THE OTHER THING IS, IS ALSO, UM, I KNOW AT ONE TIME THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAD A, A UNIT THAT WOULD GO INTO THE SCHOOLS AND CHECK TO SEE ABOUT, UH, FIRE SAFETY AND CODE WHEN IT CAME TO THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN A CLASSROOM. AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE COULD, WE COULD DELVE INTO IS THE PROXIMITY AND THE SIZE OF, OF THOSE CLASSROOMS. BECAUSE SOMETIMES TEACHERS, ESPECIALLY NOW WITH, WITH A SHORTAGE, THEY'RE SEEING ANYWHERE IN, IN THOSE SECONDARIES FROM, FROM 30 TO TO 40 TO 50 KIDS. SO THE, THE FIRE, UH, THE PROPENSITY FOR A FIRE CODE VIOLATION THERE IS, IS VERY GREAT. AND GREAT QUESTION. VICE MAYOR PRO TEM, AND I, AGAIN, I KNOW A LOT OF OUR OFFICES HAVE BEEN GETTING A LOT OF EMAILS AND CALLS, UM, SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THE SCHOOLS IN EACH OF OUR DISTRICTS. UH, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES YOU MENTIONED, HIGH GRASS. ONE OF THE ISSUES I KNOW WE'VE EXPERIENCED, AND AGAIN, DISTRICT A BEING ONE [00:45:01] OF THE HARDEST HIT AS WELL DURING THE DERECHO, THE DAMAGE TO SCHOOLS, THE HVAC FAILURES, UH, WE'RE STILL SEEING HVAC FAILURES GOING BACK ALL THE WAY TO THE WINTER STORM WHEN THE HEAT WASN'T WORKING. UH, SO WE'RE CONTINUING, ESPECIALLY WITH DEBRIS PICKUP AND DAMAGE TO SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS, GETTING A LOT OF THOSE QUESTIONS, BECAUSE HISD ISN'T, UH, MOVING QUICKLY ON THAT, UH, I ALSO KNOW THAT AT LEAST IN DISTRICT C, UH, WE'VE WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH WRAPAROUND COUNSELORS, UH, PROVIDING THEM WITH, FOR EXAMPLE, FREE GUN LOCKS AND GUN SAFES BECAUSE THEY ARE WORKING WITH THE MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS WITHIN HISD. UH, WITHOUT THOSE WRAPAROUND COUNSELORS, WE'RE HAVING A LOT MORE OF A CHALLENGE REACHING THOSE FAMILIES. UH, THERE'S A LIST OF THINGS, EVEN THE LUNCH AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMMING. SO WE'VE BEEN, UH, CONTACTED BECAUSE SOME SCHOOLS HAVE LOST THEIR AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMMING. UM, APPLICATIONS WEREN'T SUBMITTED TO GET THAT FUNDING, WHAT HAVE YOU. AND THEN THE CITY IS NOW HAVING TO LOOK AT, WELL, WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP? BECAUSE IF THOSE CHILDREN FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS, THEN THAT DOES BECOME THE CITY'S PROBLEM. SO I, I THINK IT'S A GREAT QUESTION, AND I THINK WE'RE ALL ASKING HOW CAN WE HELP? AND THE FIRST STEP, I THINK, IS BEING EDUCATED, UH, SO THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON. I'M VERY CONCERNED THAT, UH, TEACHERS ARE NOT COMFORTABLE OR BEING PROVIDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AT BOARD MEETINGS. SO I THINK THAT'S ANOTHER REASON WHY IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE MADE AWARE OF THIS. 'CAUSE THAT INFORMATION MAY NOT BE, UH, GETTING OUT. SO WITH THAT, UH, DID YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? CAN I ADD ONE FOLLOW UP ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION? YEAH, PLEASE. UM, IN TERMS OF JUST, UM, IF YOU ARE GETTING A LOT OF EMAILS AS WELL FROM CONSTITUENTS THAT ARE ASKING HOW THEY CAN HELP, OR, AND I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT GONNA WALK THEM THROUGH HOW TO SPEAK AT A BOARD MEETING OR THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT THERE ARE ORGANIZATIONS, UM, THAT DO THAT. SO IF THERE ARE TEACHERS THAT ARE GIVING YOU, LIKE, TELLING YOU SPECIFIC THINGS, WHAT WOULD BE IN A GRIEVANCE OR THAT KIND OF THING, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REFER THEM TO THE UNION IF YOU, IF WE CAN HELP ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS LIKE THAT. AND THEN IF THERE ARE COMMUNITY MEMBERS OR PARENTS, UM, THERE'S A, AN ORGANIZATION CALLED HOUSTON, CVPE, UM, IT'S COMMUNITY VOICES FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION THAT REALLY, UH, TRIES TO EMPOWER, THEY HELP PARENTS. WE, I GUESS WE HELP PARENTS, UM, SIGN UP TO SPEAK AT BOARD MEETINGS, UH, ALL SORTS OF THINGS. HOW TO WE EVEN HELP THEM NAVIGATE JUST HOW TO TALK TO THEIR PRINCIPALS AND THAT KIND OF THING. SO, SO WE CAN USE Y'ALL TO REFER RESIDENTS TO, AGAIN, EVEN IF WE, IT'S WITHOUT OF OUR JURISDICTION SPECIFICALLY, WE CAN USE YEAH. JUST SO WE HAVE A RESOURCE, A RESOURCE THEM ABSOLUTELY. LIKE, SO YOU'RE NOT JUST TELLING THEM WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING. MM-HMM . PERFECT. YEAH. WE APPRECIATE THAT. AND LASTLY, UH, I THINK YOU SAID IT, BUT HOW MANY TEACHERS DO YOU CURRENTLY REPRESENT? 6,000. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. SEEING NO OTHER QUESTIONS. UH, WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YOU ALL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALL RIGHT. AT THIS TIME, UH, THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES, UH, AMY, ZACK MEYER, OPERATIONS DIRECTOR OF NEW ECONOMY FOR WORKING PEOPLE. UH, AND I BELIEVE JORGE, I CAN'T READ THE HANDWRITING HERE. I'M SO SORRY. REON, DID I GET THAT RIGHT? OKAY. UH, FROM WHO WILL BE SPEAKING ON, UH, THE YEOMAN'S WORK THAT THEY ARE DOING CURRENTLY IN THE COMMUNITY TO ASSIST THOSE IN NEED, AND I, I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE I SEE JAY, UH, WITH A-F-L-C-I-O HERE. THANK YOU FOR BEING PRESENT. WE'RE GONNA LIFT UP THE AUDIO. OKAY. OKAY. THANKS SO MUCH. UM, SO, UH, LIKE I SAID, OR LIKE YOU SAID, MY NAME IS AMY ZACK MEYER. UM, I WORK FOR NEW ECONOMY FOR WORKING HOUSTON, UM, AND I'M THE CAMPAIGNS AND OPERATIONS DIRECTOR, UM, AND NEW ECONOMY FOR WORKING HOUSTON HAS PARTNERED WITH THE TEXAS GULF COAST AREA LABOR FEDERATION TO PROVIDE DISASTER CLEANUP SERVICES TO HOUSTONIANS IN THE WAKE OF THE DERECHO AND HURRICANE BARREL. GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY. MY NAME'S JORGE CASTON. I USED PRONOUNCE IT RIGHT. I'M FROM A HOUSTON. UM, I WORK WITH THE INSULATORS LOCAL 22. UM, SO THE TEXAS GULF COAST, UH, TEXAS GULF COAST AREA LABOR, LABOR FEDERATION, ALSO KNOWN AS A-F-L-C-I-O, UNITES THE POWER, UNITES THE POWER OF 95 UNIONS AND 60,000 UNION MEMBERS TO ADVOCATE FOR WORKING FAMILIES IN 13 HOUSTON AREA COUNTIES. UM, THE UNION THAT COM, THAT COMPOSED OUR LABOR COUNCIL REPRESENT [00:50:01] WORKERS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR, MANUFACTURING, THE BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION TRADES, THE TRANSPORTATION OF THE PEOPLE AND GOODS, AND THE HOSPITALITY AND OTHER SERVICE INDUSTRIES. WE MOBILIZE OUR MEMBERS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO DEMAND A FAIR SHOT AT BETTER LIVES FOR ALL WORKING PEOPLE, REGARDLESS OF THE SKIN COLOR, THE CON, THE COUNTRY WE COME FROM, OUR FAITH TRADITION OR WHOM WE LOVE NEW ECONOMY FOR WORKING HOUSTON, OR NEW HOUSTON, WHICH I'LL PROBABLY CALL IT FROM HERE ON OUT, IS A RELATIVELY NEW 5 0 1 C3 THAT BRINGS TOGETHER THE POWER OF GRASSROOTS ORGANIZING AND PUBLIC POLICY INNOVATION TO WIN A JUST ECONOMY FOR GULF COAST WORKING FAMILIES, WE SEEK TO BUILD COALITIONS OF COMMUNITY AND LABOR GROUPS AND OFFER RESEARCH AND COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF POLICY THAT IMPROVES THE LIVES OF GULF COAST RESIDENTS. OKAY, SO WHY STORM RELIEF? WE LIVE AND WORK HERE. YOU KNOW, WE CARE ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY, OUR NEIGHBORS, AND WANT TO BUILD A STRONG, RESILIENT HOUSTON AS AN ORGANIZATION THAT SEEKS TO BRING TOGETHER LABOR AND COMMUNITY. NEW HOUSTON IS PROUD TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RAISE FUNDS TO HIRE UNION WORKERS. UNION WORKERS HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF SERVING THE COMMUNITY IN WHICH THEY WORK HERE LOCALLY, UNION MEMBERS HAVE SPRUNG INTO ACTION IN RESPONSE TO HURRICANE HARVEY AND THE TEXAS GULF COAST LABOR FEDERATION WORK TO ENSURE PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO STAY HOUSED AS PART OF THEIR COVID-19 RESPONSE UNION MEMBERSHIP IS MADE UP OF WORKING HOUSTONIANS, AND WE ARE PROUD TO WORK TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY WHERE WE LIVE AND WORK. WE DON'T WANT TO SEE OUR NEIGHBORS LIVING WITH FALLING TREES, DEBRIS, FIELD YARDS, AND LEAKING ROOFS JUST BECAUSE THEY CAN'T AFFORD THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN WORK AFTER A STORM. WE ALSO DON'T WANT TO SEE NEIGHBORS HOMES DAMAGED BY UNSAFE UNSKILLED WORK BEING COMPLETED AT THEIR HOMES. THAT IS WHY WE PUT TOGETHER A PROGRAM TO RESPOND TO STORMS DAMAGE FOLLOWING THE DERECHO AND HURRICANE BARREL. THIS IS A NEW PROJECT AND WE'VE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL. WE'VE LEARNED A LOT AS WE ARE DOING THIS AND HOPE TO BE ABLE TO APPLY WHAT WE'VE LEARNED. AS WE KNOW MORE STORMS WILL BE COMING. BUILDING ON WORK THAT WE DID IN THE WAKE OF THE DERECHO AFTER BARREL, WE WORKED WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND COUNTY STAFF TO IDENTIFY RESIDENTS NEEDING SERVICE TO THEIR HOMES. WE'VE BEEN PROVIDED WITH FUNDING FROM PRECINCT TOGETHER, PRECINCT FOR FORWARD, AND TEXAS, A-F-L-C-I-O, UNION PACIFIC, THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS AND, UH, ORGANIZING RESILIENCE. AND WE'VE ALSO RECEIVED A LOT OF IN KIND SUPPORT FROM THE TEXAS GULF COAST, A-F-L-C-I-O THROUGH OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE GULF COAST AF. UM, WE WORKED CLOSELY WITH UNIONS, UM, AND THE AF STAFF, INCLUDING JAY MALONE, WHO'S HERE TO RECRUIT UNEMPLOYED AND UNDEREMPLOYED UNION WORKERS. WE ASSIGNED CREWS OF WORKERS TO THE HOMES THAT WE ARE ABLE TO SAFELY SERVICE NEW ECONOMY FOR WORKING HOUSTON VALUES WORKPLACE STANDARDS, AND BELIEVES THAT A KEY PART OF OUR SUCCESS WITH THIS PROJECT LIES IN DOING THINGS THE RIGHT WAY. UH, THE UNION WORKERS ON OUR CREWS ARE ALL OSHA 10 CERTIFIED, MEANING THAT THEY HAVE 10 HOURS OF SAFETY TRAINING. UM, AND EACH SHIFT IS LED BY AN EXPERIENCED JOURNEY WORKER THAT IS AT LEAST OSHA 30 TRAINED APPRENTICES ARE PAID $25 AN HOUR, AND JOURNEY WORKERS ARE PAID 40 AN HOUR. AS A PART OF OUR WORK WITH HURRICANE BARREL, WE HAVE HIRED AROUND 35 WORKERS, AND WE HIRED EVEN MORE THAN THAT FOR THE, UH, DIRETO. OKAY, SO WHAT CAN WE DO? REMOVE FALLING TREES AND BRANCHES THAT DO NOT POSE RISK OF CAUSING FURTHER DAMAGE. ROOF TARPING, SOME ELECTRICAL REPAIRS. INSURANCE INSURANCE DOES NOT COVER THE COST OF TREE MO TREE REMOVAL, AND MANY RESIDENTS CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE TREES REMOVED. NEW HOUSTON REMOVES THE TREES AND LARGE BRANCHES THAT HAVE ALREADY FALLEN, AND THE REMOVAL OF THE DEBRIS DOES NOT POSE A SIGNIFICANT RISK OF COSTING FURTHER DAMAGE. WE ALSO TAR ROOFS TO PREVENT WATER DAMAGE. WE MOVE ALL DEBRIS TO THE RIGHT OF WAY FOR PICKUP BY THE CITY OR OR COUNTY. WE CAN PROVIDE LIMITED ELECTRICAL REPAIRS IN RARE CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE COST TO COMPETE THESE JOBS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER DUE TO MATERIALS AND PERMITTING COSTS. NEW HOUSTON DOES NOT CURRENTLY OFFER REBUILDING OR INTERIOR REPAIRS. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT WE DO HEAR FROM THOSE NEEDING INTERIOR REPAIRS THAT CANNOT AFFORD IT, AND ALSO GET REQUESTS FROM RENTERS WHO HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO GET REPAIRS COMPLETED BY THEIR LANDLORDS. STUMPS ARE REMOVED AT THE JOBS WHERE WE COMPLETE, UNLESS THEY ARE FULLY FREE FROM THE GROUND DUE TO RISK OF UNDERGROUND GAS OR WATERLINE DAMAGE. SO ON THIS SLIDE RIGHT HERE, WE HAVE A PICTURE OF A TREE THAT'S FALLEN. UM, THAT'S ONE OF THE PICTURES THAT WE REALLY DON'T, CAN'T DO MUCH ON THAT. UM, BECAUSE OF THE STRUCTURE THAT HAS ALREADY CAUSED TO THE GROUND AND TO THE SOME OF THE HOUSE. [00:55:01] UM, WE CANNOT SERVE HOMES WHERE, WHERE THE TREES HAS CAUSED SIGNIFICANTLY STRUCTURAL DAMAGE AS WE REMOVE OFF THE, AS THE REMOVAL OF THE TREE FROM THE HOME COULD CAUSE FURTHER DAMAGE. THESE JOBS REQUIRE TRAINING AND EQUIPMENT LIKE CRANES TO ENSURE SAFE REMOVAL OF THE TREES. WHEN WE FIND THAT WE ARE UNABLE TO SAVE, TO SERVE A HOME, IF WE KNOW OF ANOTHER RESOURCE, WE DO MAKE REFERRALS TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO HELP ENSURE THEY GET HELP THAT THEY, THAT IS AVAILABLE AND THAT THEY MIGHT NEED IT. FOLLOWING THE DERECHO, WE SENT CREWS OUT TO NEIGHBORHOODS IN FOUR HOUR SHIFTS. UM, CREWS WERE ABLE TO COMPLETE AROUND TWO TO FOUR ADDRESSES PER SHIFT, AND MANY JOBS DID NOT REQUIRE THE USE OF A CHAINSAW, UM, AF AFTER THAT TIME IN A COUP IN, UH, DOING WORKING EVERY DAY FOR TWO WEEKS, WE SERVED OVER 75 HOMES AND MORE THAN 250 RESIDENTS. UM, AND BARRELS DAMAGE HAS JUST REALLY INCLUDED MUCH LARGER TREES. UH, AS A RESULT, WE'VE PURCHASED LARGER CHAINSAWS AND EACH CREW DOES AROUND ONE ADDRESS PER FOUR HOUR SHIFT, AND MOST HOMES REQUIRE AT LEAST TWO FULL SHIFTS TO COMPLETE SO FAR SINCE THE HURRICANE, UM, WE HAVE COMPLETED AROUND 24 HOMES IN SEVEN WEEKS WITH SOME INTERRUPTIONS DUE TO WEATHER, AND WE'VE LIMITED SHIFTS TO THREE PER WEEK TO ALLOW FOR BETTER HOME VETTING AND MECHANICAL REPAIR OF THE CHAINSAWS. INITIAL HOMES WERE COMPLETED WITH, UH, THE INITIAL HOMES THAT WE COMPLETED FOLLOWING THE STORM WERE IN NEED OF RAPID RESPONSE. IT WAS PEOPLE WHO THEY COULDN'T GET IN AND OUT OF THEIR FRONT DOOR. UM, THEIR DRIVEWAYS WERE BLOCKED, UM, AND THEY NEEDED QUICK SERVICE. THE HOMES THAT WE'RE SERVING NOW ARE REALLY JUST VERY, VERY LARGE TREES THAT, THAT CAN'T JUST BE REMOVED BY VOLUNTEER LABOR AND REQUIRE, UM, LARGE CHAINSAWS IN SKILLED LABOR. THE COST OF REMOVING TREES OF THIS SIZE WOULD LIKELY BE IN THE THOUSANDS IF THE HOMEOWNER WERE PAYING A TREE SERVICE TO REMOVE THE TREES. AND WE DO THIS WORK AT NO COST TO THE HOMEOWNER. EACH ADDRESS IS BETWEEN ONE TO $2,000 FOR US. AND, UH, WITH SOME REQUIRING MORE THAN THAT, OF COURSE, DUE TO THE SIZE OF THE JOB, WE'VE SEEN INCREASED INSTANCES OF HOMEOWNERS BEING SCAMMED OR EXPERIENCING HIGH PRESSURE TACTICS FROM INDIVIDUALS OFFERING TO REMOVE TREES FOLLOWING HURRICANE BARREL. UH, WE SAW ONE FAMILY, UM, WHERE BOTH, UH, MEMBERS OF THE COUPLE WERE OLDER AND DISABLED THAT WERE CHARGED $800 TO SIMPLY CUT PART OF THE TREE THAT WAS IN THE STREET THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN DONE FOR FREE BY THE CITY OR COUNTY, LEAVING THEIR HOME, YOU KNOW, THEIR YARD AND THEIR PROPERTY COVERED WITH TREES EVERYWHERE AND NOT OFFERING THEM ANY SERVICE THAT ACTUALLY ADDRESSED THE THINGS THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES. UM, AND THEN WE'VE ALSO HEARD MULTIPLE STORIES OF PEOPLE PAYING WORKERS FOR TREE REMOVAL. THEY COME, THEY DO PART OF THE JOB, THEY TAKE THEIR MONEY, AND THEN THEY NEVER COME BACK. UM, AND THEN THE HOMEOWNERS NOW PAID FOR TREE REMOVAL AND, UM, ISN'T ABLE TO PAY AGAIN. AND IT WAS A REAL STRETCH FOR THEM TO PAY THE FIRST TIME. UM, AND THEN SOME OF THEM ARE JUST REALLY DEALING WITH PEOPLE THAT ARE USING VERY HIGH PRESSURE TACTICS. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF ELDERLY HOMEOWNERS TELL US THAT PEOPLE SHOW UP AT THEIR HOMES DEMANDING THAT THEY GIVE THEM THE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THEIR INSURANCE, OR THAT THEY KNOW THAT THEY'RE GONNA GET FEMA FUNDS SO THEY CAN AFFORD TO PAY THEM. UM, AND, UM, JUST REALLY, YOU KNOW, MAKING PEOPLE FEEL REALLY PRESSURED, UM, AND SOMETIMES UNSAFE. UM, SO WE ARE REALLY GLAD TO BE ABLE TO OFFER SERVICE THAT DOESN'T COST THE HOMEOWNERS ANYTHING AND ASSURE THEM THAT THEY WON'T, UM, BE SCAMMED BY US. OKAY, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. ALL. THANK YOU. SO SOME OF THE IN, UH, ONE OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WE WENT OUT THERE TO HELP OUT WAS, UH, PONCHO CLAUSE. PROBABLY SOME OF Y'ALL KNOW HIM, HEARD OF HIM ON THE NEWS. UM, HIS NAME'S RICHARD REYES. UPON HEARING A NEWS REPORT THAT RICHARD REYES, ALSO KNOWN AS PONCHO CLAUSE, WAS STRUGGLING TO AFFORD TO CLEAN UP FOLLOWING THE HURRICANE, WE REACHED OUT TO HIM TO OFFER HELP. OUR CREW SPENT TWO DAY, TWO SHIFTS REMOVING DEBRIS AND CLEANING UP HIS PROPERTY IN ORDER TO HELP HIM MOVE FORWARD WITH HIS RECOVERY EFFORTS. THE NEXT ONE, UM, ELECTRICAL REPAIRS. A RETIRED HOMEOWNER ON A FIXED INCOME WAS STILL WITHOUT POWER. A MONTH FOLLOWING THE STORM. NOW I'VE, I HAD IT ABOUT THREE DAYS WITHOUT POWER. THAT WAS TOUGH. NOW IMAGINE A WHOLE MONTH WITHOUT POWER. THAT'S, THAT'S, CAN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. UM, THE STORM CAUSED THE DAMAGE TO HIS HOME. THAT WAS NOT A PART OF CENTER POINT'S INFRASTRUCTURE. AND WITHOUT MONEY FOR REPAIRS, THE HOMEOWNER'S POWER COULD NOT BE RESTORED. WE WORKED WITH THE UNION CONTRACTOR TO PROVIDE PERMITTED ELECTRICAL SERVICE WORK. NEW HOUSTON PAID THE COST OF MATERIALS, LABOR AND PERMITTING FOR THE HOME, AND PROVIDED LABOR FOR DEBRIS REMOVAL AS WELL. THE COST TO NEW HOUSTON WAS AROUND $2,700 BECAUSE THE CONTRACTOR WORKED WITH US TO DO IT AT THAT COST. SO HE EVEN GAVE US A DISCOUNT FOR, SO HE WOULD'VE BEEN A LOT MORE JUST TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. WHEN HOMEOWNERS CANNOT AFFORD TO HIRE LICENSE CONTRACTORS, THEY ARE AT RISK OF FINES DUE TO UN PERMITTED WORK AND UNSAFE [01:00:01] ELECTRICAL FIXES. WE ARE VERY PROUD TO HELP ENSURE THIS HOMEOWNER CAN LIVE SAFELY IN HIS HOME. SO WE'VE INCLUDED HERE A LIST OF SERVICES THAT WE OFFER, BUT I WILL FLAG THAT WE ARE GETTING TO TOWARD THE END OF OUR FUNDING. UM, AND SO, UH, IF YOU WOULD, IF YOU STILL HAVE A LARGE TREE OR, UM, YOU NEED YOUR ROOF TARPS, YOU CAN CONTACT YOUR COUNTY COMMISSIONER OR CITY COUNCIL OFFICE. LIKE I SAID, WE CAN TAKE REFERRALS STILL, BUT OUR FUNDING IS LIMITED AND WE DO HAVE A LIST ALREADY THAT WE ARE WORKING THROUGH, SO WE CAN'T G GUARANTEE THAT WE'LL GET TO EVERY HOME WE ARE REFERRED TO. UM, IF YOU ARE IN A SITUATION WHERE, UH, THE DEBRIS IS JUST ON, UM, THE RIGHT OF WAY, UM, SOMETHING I KNOW BECAUSE I'VE SEEN IT HAPPENING, IS THAT CITY AND COUNTY WORKERS ARE OUT THERE PICKING UP STUFF EVERY DAY. UM, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE OFTEN GET CALLS ABOUT. PEOPLE THINK THAT THAT'S A SERVICE WE PROVIDE, WE GET IT TO THE RIGHT OF WAY. AND IF IT'S IN THE RIGHT OF WAY AND IT'S STILL, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, YOUR HEAVY TRASH DAY IS PASSED UP, YOU SHOULD CALL 3 1 1. IF IT'S SOMETHING IN THE RIGHT OF WAY THAT, UM, ISN'T ON YOUR PROPERTY BUT IS AFFECTING YOUR PROPERTY, YOU CAN ALSO CALL 3 1 1. AND IF THERE ARE ANY KIND OF OTHER COMMUNITY SERVICES THAT HOMEOWNERS NEED, BE IT FOOD, FINANCIAL, UM, MEDICATION, UM, OR JUST LITERALLY ANY KIND OF SERVICE 2 1 1 IS A GREAT RESOURCE THAT PEOPLE OFTEN DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT I'M REALLY PROUD THAT WE HAVE HERE IN HOUSTON. UM, AND THEN ALSO I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE ANYONE AFFECTED BY THE STORM TO GO TO CONNECTIVE TX.ORG AND FILL OUT THE CONNECTIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT. UM, THEY DO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO MANY NONPROFITS, UM, TO HELP CONNECT THEM WITH SERVICES, BUT ALSO ARE KEEPING TRACK OF THE WAYS THAT HOUSTONIANS WERE AFFECTED SO THAT WE CAN HELP BE BETTER PREPARED IN THE FUTURE. UH, BECAUSE WE'RE A RESILIENT CITY AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE READY FOR THE NEXT STORM. AND IF YOU, IF YOU ARE IN A SPOT WHERE YOU CAN HIRE LABOR, WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND , UM, THAT YOU HIRE SKILLED LABOR. AND THE GULF COAST AREA LABOR FEDERATION DOES HAVE A LISTING ON THEIR WEBSITE. I PUT THE LINK HERE. UM, BUT THEY CAN GIVE YOU MORE INFORMATION ABOUT, UH, CONTRACTORS THAT YOU CAN UTILIZE THAT ARE SKILLED AND ARE, UH, TRAINED. OKAY, LAST SLIDE. OKAY. UM, ON THIS ONE, WELL BECOME AN APPRENTICE. IF ANYBODY'S INTERESTED IN BECOMING AN APPRENTICE, THEY CAN, UH, SIGN UP. UM, UNION APPRENTICESHIPS ARE A PROVEN PATH TO PROSPERITY. YOU'LL EARN WHILE YOU LEARN EARNING WAGES ABOVE INDUSTRY AVERAGE WHILE DEV, DEVELOPING ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, BOTH IN THE CLASSROOM AND ON THE JOB SITES WITHOUT HAVING TO PAY A DIME, UNLIKE COLLEGE, WHILE PREPARING THE HIGHLY SKILLED, HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE WORKFORCE ON WHICH OUR SHARED PROSPERITY DEPENDS. ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN JOINING ONE OF OUR PROGRAMS SHOULD START BY VISITING GCA AFL CIO.ORG APPRENTICESHIPS, AND FILLING OUT OUR INTEREST FORM. AND IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO DONATE, UM, TO OUR EFFORTS, UH, IN DISASTER RELIEF, YOU CAN DO SO BY GOING TO NEW HOUSTON.ORG AND CLICK ON OUR LINK THERE TO DONATE. UM, AND THEN I'LL SAY THAT ONE THING I DO SEE AS A POTENTIAL SOLUTION, WE KNOW THIS ISN'T THE LAST STORM, AND WE KNOW THAT THERE'S ACTUALLY, IT'S BEEN REALLY DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE, UM, TO BE ABLE TO GET, UH, TREES REMOVED. WE'VE HEARD, UM, FROM A LOT OF OUR UNION, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, BROTHERS AND SISTERS OUT THERE, THAT A LOT OF THE TREES THAT DID FALL WEREN'T IN THE CENTER POINT RIGHT OF WAY. AND WE'VE HEARD FROM A LOT OF OUR HOMEOWNERS THAT THE TREES THAT, UM, THEY KNEW THAT THE TREE WAS A RISK. THEY HAD BEEN WORRYING ABOUT THE TREE. THEY WERE VERY CONCERNED WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, ESPECIALLY FOLLOWING THE DIRETO, SEEING SO MANY TREES FELL. THEY WANTED TO GET THEM DOWN, BUT THEY DID NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO DO SO. SO SOMETHING THAT WE DO RECOMMEND, WE KNOW THAT TREE FELL IS VERY DANGEROUS. IT'S WHY WE DON'T DO IT. UM, BUT WE CANNOT, SO WE CAN'T CURRENTLY REMOVE TREES BECAUSE THEY'RE VERY UNPREDICTABLE. THEY'RE VERY HEAVY. THEY CAN CAUSE INJURY AND MORE PROPERTY DAMAGE. UM, BUT WE, WE DO RECOMMEND THE CONSIDERATION FOR CREATING APPRENTICESHIPS AND TREE FELLING AND FUNDING TO OFFER TREE REMOVAL TO HOMEOWNERS THAT CANNOT AFFORD IT. UM, IT COULD HELP HOUSTON PRE, PRE PREVENT FURTHER DAMAGE BY MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO REMOVE THOSE TREES, POSING A RISK, PREVENT ONGOING ISSUES WITH PROPERTY DAMAGE AND POWER OUTAGES. AND THAT IS OUR PRESENTATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. THANK, THANK YOU BOTH VERY MUCH. UM, DO I DON'T SEE ANYONE IN QUEUE. NOW WOULD BE THE TIME. UH, VERY QUICKLY REGARDING THE FUNDING. THIS IS ALL DONORS. UH, SO I PUBLICLY WANNA THANK ANYBODY THAT HAS GIVEN. I DO WANNA GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE. I BELIEVE PREVIOUSLY YOU HAD TOLD ME THAT SOME OF OUR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN THE, UH, MAJOR FUNDING TO GET THIS PROGRAM OFF THE GROUND. UH, DO YOU WANT TO RECOGNIZE THEM AT THIS TIME? I WANNA MAKE SURE THEY GET THE CREDIT. SURE. YES, I DID MENTION IT IN MY PRESENTATION. GREAT. BUT, UH, PRECINCT TOGETHER IS A NONPROFIT THAT PRECINCT TWO, UM, HAS, AND [01:05:01] PRECINCT FOUR FORWARD, UM, IS PRECINCT, UH, FOURS SIMILAR NONPROFIT. UM, SO THOSE ARE COMMISSIONERS, GARCIA AND BRIANIS. AND, UM, THEY PROVIDED, UM, FUNDING FOR US TO BE ABLE TO GO AND THEN ALSO HELPED CONNECT US DIRECTLY WITH HOMEOWNERS IN THEIR AREA. UM, BECAUSE THE COUNTY CAN'T, UH, ADDRESS THINGS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. UM, BUT WHEN THEY GET HOMEOWNERS WITH SITUATIONS THAT NEED HELP, THEY'VE BEEN CALLING US AND CONNECTING THEM. GREAT. WELL, WE REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, THEIR ENGAGEMENT, THEIR INVOLVEMENT, AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THIS EFFORT. UH, YOU MENTIONED TREES. I DO WANNA PUT OUT THERE, THIS WAS A DISTRICT C BASED EVENT, BUT IT'S OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. WE HAD, UH, TWO TOWN HALLS WITH TREES FOR HOUSTON ON BEST PRACTICES. SO IF YOU'VE LOST TREES, WHAT TREES TO PLANT, UH, IF YOU'RE TRYING TO MAINTAIN YOUR TREES, WAY MORE COST EFFECTIVE TO DO IT UP FRONT THAN HAVING TO DO TREE FELLING LATER, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. SO THOSE, UH, THAT INFORMATION IS PUBLICLY AVAILABLE AS WELL FOR THE PUBLIC. AND YOU CAN GO ONLINE, UH, TO OUR WEBSITE AT DISTRICT C, UH, FOR THOSE SLIDES. AND OF COURSE, THERESE FOR HOUSTON IS A GREAT RESOURCE. AND AGAIN, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU BOTH, UM, AS WELL AS ALL OF OUR UNION PARTNERS. I REMEMBER GOING BACK TO THE WINTER STORM. UH, IT WAS OUR PLUMBERS THAT REALLY STEPPED UP TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE WHEN SO MANY RESIDENTS HAD DAMAGE, UH, FROM THOSE BUSTED PIPES. SO IN THE SPIRIT OF ALL THAT, UH, ALL OF OUR LABOR ORGANIZATIONS DO, I THINK THIS IS A FANTASTIC MODEL. UH, I ALSO HEAR YOU WHEN YOU SAY WE NEED MORE, THERE'S STILL SOME AREAS WHERE, UH, IT'S VERY TRICKY TO ASSIST AND THERE'S LEGAL IMPLICATIONS. INSURANCE COMPANIES CAN THEN GO AND SAY, OH, NO, NO, NO, YOU TOUCHED THIS, SO THEN RESIDENTS AREN'T GETTING REIMBURSED. SO THERE'S SOME THINGS TO WORK OUT, BUT I THINK THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT STEP FORWARD AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. AT THIS TIME, UH, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO THE, UH, LAST PORTION OF OUR COMMITTEE, WHICH IS PUBLIC SPEAKERS. UH, WE HAVE SEVERAL, UH, SPEAKERS SIGNED UP. EACH, UH, SPEAKER WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES. UH, FIRST WE HAVE RUTH KRAVITZ TO BE FOLLOWED BY MR. C***E, RUTH KRAVITZ. I'M A RETIRED TEACHER, FOUND CO-FOUNDER OF COMMUNITY VOICES FOR PUBLIC ED. AND MY KIDS WENT TO HISD SCHOOLS. AND I'M GONNA TAKE THIS THREE MINUTE SET OF COMMENTS AND TRY TO SQUEEZE IT INTO TWO. IT DOESN'T TAKE A ROCKET SCIENTIST TO KNOW THAT IF YOU WANT CHILDREN TO READ BY THIRD GRADE, YOU MAKE SURE THEY HAVE LIBRARIES AND THEY'RE ALLOWED TO READ BOOKS IN SCHOOLS. MILES HASN'T DONE THAT. IT DOESN'T TAKE A ROCKET SCIENTIST TO KNOW THAT IF YOU WANT CHILDREN TO BE SAFE IN SCHOOLS, YOU MAKE SURE THAT THE A ED WORKS AND YOU CLEAN UP BARRELED DEBRIS FROM PLAYGROUNDS BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS. MILES DOES NOT GET THAT. AND THIS IS WHERE THE CITY GETS INVOLVED. MILES DID NOT EVEN KNOW THAT FEMA WOULD REIMBURSE MOST OF THE COSTS UNTIL A COUPLE DAYS BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED, AND AT THE LAST MINUTE ASKED THE CITY FOR HELP. I'M HERE TODAY, UM, TO TELL YOU THAT HD'S BAD POLICIES ARE GONNA HARM OUR CITY. ITS ABILITY TO ISSUE BONDS AND ATTRACT PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES TO OUR CITIES. SO WE NEED TO KNOW AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING. THERE IS NO INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE IN HISD BECAUSE OF COURSE HE'S GOTTEN RID OF 10,000 PEOPLE. SO I'M GONNA SHARE SOME THINGS BECAUSE HE'S GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT HOW HE'S IMPROVED OUR SCHOOLS AND HE HAS NOT. DID YOU KNOW THAT THE STATE HAS NOT ISSUED A THROUGH F RATINGS FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS? HISD IS THE ONLY SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE ENTIRE STATE TO RELEASE A THROUGH F RATINGS. THEY'RE BASED ON AN ALGORITHM. MILES HAS REFUSED TO DISCLOSE EVEN IF THOSE RATINGS WERE ACCURATE. THE NUMBER OF DNF RATED SCHOOLS REMAINS ROUGHLY THE SAME NOW AS IN 2019. SO ALL THIS CHAOS IS FOR NOTHING. LET'S PRETEND THE RATINGS ARE ACCURATE. UM, YOU WOULD EXPECT THE PRINCIPALS AT SCHOOLS WITH RATINGS THAT WENT UP TO STILL BE IN THE SCHOOLS, BUT HE'S FIRED ALMOST ALL OF THEM MILES CLAIMS HISTORIC GROWTH. BUT THE REALITY IS HE HAS DELIBERATELY EXCLUDED STUDENTS FROM TAKING THE START TO ARTIFICIALLY RAISE SCORES, MAKING IT A CITY PROBLEM, BECAUSE THESE ARE THE CHILDREN WHO WILL BECOME THE LEADERS LATER. SO I'M GONNA GIVE YOU TWO QUICK EXAMPLES. THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ON NES CAMPUSES TAKING BIO DROPPED 70% IN 2024. THE ONLY STUDENTS WHO TOOK THE BIO EXAM AND THE BIO CLASS ARE, WERE PRE-AP STUDENTS. EVERYONE WAS PUT IN A ME IN A REMEDIAL CLASS AND WON'T EVER GET A CHANCE TO TAKE AP SCIENCE COURSES BEFORE THEY GRADUATE, EXCEPT THE PRE-AP [01:10:01] STUDENTS. THAT MEANS 30 STUDENTS AT WHEATLEY TOOK BIO AND THEY'LL NEVER GET TO TAKE AP CLASSES. AND THIS HAPPENED TO ALMOST EVERY SINGLE STUDENT AT WORTHING WHEATLEY, FIR KM STERLING, SAM HOUSTON, YATES, NORTH FOREST WISDOM, MADISON, SCARBOROUGH, AND WASHINGTON. THAT'S A LOT OF SCHOOLS IN HOUSTON. THAT'S A LOT OF CHILDREN. AND THAT'S AN IMPACT TO OUR CITY. HOW IS THIS HELPING OUR CHILDREN TO BE READY TO BE IN THE 21ST CENTURY WORKFORCE? AND ALSO IT INCLUDES, UH, THERE'S SOME VIOLATIONS OF LAWS. HE ALSO RIGGED EIGHTH GRADE SCORES BY DEMOTING HIGHER ACHIEVING STUDENTS WHO WOULD NORMALLY TAKE ALGEBRA IN EIGHTH GRADE AND MAKING THEM TAKE BASIC GRADE EIGHT MATH. THAT MEANS THAT ALGEBRA, THAT MEANS AT COLON AND FRID ZERO STUDENTS WERE ALLOWED TO TAKE ALGEBRA AND THEY WERE FORCED TO TAKE GRADE EIGHT MATH, AND THAT ARTIFICIALLY RAISED SCORES. SO WHEN MILES SAYS THE BIGGEST GAINS WERE IN BIO GRADE EIGHT, MATH AND GRADE SIX READING, YOU NOW KNOW WHY THESE HISTORIC GAINS ARE MEANINGLESS. HE KEPT STUDENTS FROM STUDENTS IN BLACK AND BROWN NEIGHBORHOODS, PRIMARILY IN POOR COMMUNITIES, FROM TAKING THE COURSES THAT THEY WERE ACADEMICALLY ABLE TO TAKE. THIS IS A BETRAYAL OF TRUST. AND THIS, WE DON'T HAVE AN ELECTED BOARD TO HOLD ACCOUNTABLE. HE SQUANDERED TAXPAYER DOLLARS LIKE A DRUNKEN SAILOR. SO I ASK US TO SPEAK ABOUT THE BOND, TO OPPOSE THE BOND BECAUSE WE'LL BE SADDLED WITH THE LARGEST SCHOOL BOND DEBT IN TEXAS HISTORY AND NO VOTER. IT'LL UNDERMINE TRUST AND NO VOTER WILL APPROVE A CITY, COUNTY, OR HISD BOND IN THE FUTURE. AND THAT'S WHY I'M HERE TODAY. THANK YOU, RUTH. THANK YOU. UM, REALLY QUICKLY, YOU, YOU HAD SAID EARLIER THAT YOU REPRESENTED, I THINK, COMMUNITY VOICES FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION. UH, I BELIEVE THAT EARLIER IN THE PRESENTATION, THAT WAS AN ORGANIZATION THAT WAS REFERENCED. CAN YOU JUST VERY QUICKLY, 'CAUSE WE HAVE A LIST OF SPEAKERS EX SHARE WHAT TYPE OF SERVICES OR RESOURCES THAT THEY PROVIDE? UH, IN A, IN A WONDERFUL DEMOCRACY, PEOPLE GATHER TOGETHER AT A VERY LOCAL LEVEL TO WORK WITH THEIR GOVERNMENTS AND WORK WITH THEIR COMMUNITIES TO IMPROVE THINGS. SO COMMUNITY VOICES FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION CAME INTO BEING A LITTLE OVER 10 YEARS AGO WHEN, UM, THERE WAS ANOTHER TURNAROUND MODEL THAT NEGATIVELY IMPACTED NEIGHBORHOODS, COMMUNITIES, AND SCHOOLS IN HOUSTON UNDER APOLLO THAT EVENTUALLY THAT HAD EXACTLY THE SAME SORT OF STORYLINE. EVERYTHING IS GREAT, WE'RE IMPROVING EVERYTHING. I BELIEVE THE HOUSTON ENDOWMENT EVENTUALLY SAID ALL THE MONEY THAT WE GAVE TO THIS PROGRAM IS FOR NAUGHT. THEY EMPHASIZED HOW MUCH THEY WERE HELPING SCHOOLS, BUT IN REALITY, WHAT THEY DID IS THEY KICKED OUT SPECIAL ED, LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS. AND THAT MEANT THAT DROPOUT RATES INCREASED. SO WHAT WE DID IS PARENTS, STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND COMMUNITY GOT TOGETHER AND, UH, HAVE GOTTEN INVOLVED IN, UH, EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ABOUT PUBLIC EDUCATION, GIVING PEOPLE OPPORTUNITIES TO COMMUNICATE ACROSS COMMUNITIES SO PEOPLE IN MIDDLE CLASS AND AFFLUENT COMMUNITIES CAN COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE IN OTHER COMMUNITIES SO THAT PEOPLE CAN BUILD ON EACH OTHER'S POWER TO CHANGE THINGS. AND WHAT, WHAT'S THE WEBSITE OR WHERE WOULD THEY GO? THE WEBSITE IS HOUSTON CV PE.ORG. IT'S A, A STRANGE ACRONYM, HOUSTON CPE.ORG. IT GIVES PEOPLE A CHANCE WHO FEEL ALONE EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS, WHETHER IT'S DURING THE TAKEOVER OR BEFORE, TO KNOW THAT THEY'RE PART OF A COMMUNITY, AND THAT TOGETHER WE CAN TALK TO OUR ELECTEDS AND CHANGE THINGS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OKAY. THANKS. UH, NEXT, MR. CHO TO BE FOLLOWED BY MS. RILEY. I'M HAPPY TO LET MS. RILEY GO BEFORE ME. OKAY. THE MISSION OF THIS COMMITTEE IS CITY UNION ACTIVITY AND CONTRACTS AND PREVAILING WAGE ISSUES. I FAILED TO SEE WHAT THE TWO PRESENTATIONS THAT WE SAT HERE FOR NEARLY AN HOUR HAD TO DO WITH ANY OF THAT. PERHAPS THE FULL CITY COUNCIL, THE QUALITY OF LIFE COMMITTEE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ROPED IN THE CITY BUDGET FOR LABOR IS $2.5 BILLION. THAT'S WHAT THIS COMMITTEE SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON IN MY HUMBLE OPINION. BUT I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT, UH, APPROXIMATELY TWO YEARS AGO, A PAID PARENTAL LEAVE PROGRAM WAS IMPLEMENTED IN THIS CITY. I'M HERE TO SUGGEST, OR FRANKLY ASK THIS COMMITTEE OR REFER IT TO THE APPROPRIATE CITY DEPARTMENT TO CONDUCT A SURVEY OF FOUR CONSTITUENCIES. FIRST OFF, THE PEOPLE HAVE HIRED SINCE THE PROGRAM INCEPTION, WAS THIS PROGRAM A FACTOR IN THEIR DECISION? AND HOW, HOW, UH, HEAVY OF A FACTOR NUMBER TWO, THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE PROGRAM, WHAT WAS THE VALUE? WAS THERE ENOUGH OR NOT ENOUGH TIME? AND WHAT ISSUES DID THEY COME UP WITH? MAYBE THERE WAS SOME ISSUES OF DEALING WITH THE CITY BUREAUCRACY OR ANYTHING ELSE [01:15:01] THAT NEEDS TO BE SOLVED IF THIS PROGRAM IS TO CONTINUE. NUMBER THREE, THE COLLEAGUES WHO HAD TO PICK UP THE SLACK, HOW DID THEY FEEL ABOUT WORKING, DOING MORE WORK FOR 13 WEEKS FOR A MISSING TEAM MEMBER? AND FOURTH, THE DEPARTMENT HEADS, WHAT CHALLENGES DO THEY FACE? AND WHAT EFFECTS DID THIS HAVE ON CUSTOMER SERVICE? THIS PROGRAM WAS SOLD TO THE CITY AS HAVING NO IMPACT ON THE FINANCIAL STANDING OF THE CITY YET IN 20 23, 3 DEPARTMENTS ALONE, POLICE, FIRE, AND PUBLIC WORKS, IT COSTS $14.415 MILLION. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PROGRAM TO TAKE A HARD LOOK AT TO SEE IF IT SHOULD BE CONTINUED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. C***E. UM, AS IT RELATES TO PAID PARENTAL LEAVE, WHICH I AM ON THE RECORD AS SAYING, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORT AND EVERY PARENT DESERVES, UH, TIME OFF TO RECOVER AND TAKE CARE OF A NEWBORN, UH, AS WELL AS WHEN THEY ARE PREGNANT, TO HAVE ADDITIONAL TIME, UH, TO TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES AND THEIR HEALTH, UH, SO THAT THEY ARE NOT AT RISK IN THE STATE THAT HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST MATERNAL MORTALITY RATES IN THE COUNTRY. THAT BEING SAID, THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE COMMITTEE HEARINGS, UH, INCLUDING PRESENTATIONS FROM HUMAN RESOURCES IN YEARS PAST WITH THOSE ASSESSMENTS AND AS IT RELATES TO PUBLIC SAFETY. THERE WERE SOME CHALLENGES AT THE BEGINNING, UH, I BELIEVE WITH POLICE AND FIRE THAT WERE WORKED OUT AND HAVE CONFIRMED THAT THERE, THAT IS NO LONGER A CHALLENGE. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. NEXT WE HAVE MS. RILEY. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF. UM, I PREPARED A SPEECH, BUT I'M NOT GONNA STICK TO IT. UM, AND THANK YOU BOB, FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO CUT IN LINE. I CAME HERE TODAY AS A PARENT. YOU HAVE SEEN ME HERE BEFORE. IF YOU'RE A COUNCIL MEMBER, IF YOU'RE A STAFFER WHO PAYS ATTENTION, I'M NOT EASY TO MISS. I THINK HOW YOU CAN HELP COUNCIL MEMBER PECK COUNCIL MEMBER CAME INTO THE STAFF IS YOUR VOICE, YOUR STAFF'S VOICE. IT'S OUR CONSTITUENT VOICES ARE SILENCED. AND SO WHEN YOU RECEIVE THOSE EMAILS AND YOU RESPOND TO THEM, COUNCIL MEMBER MARCUS CASTILLO'S TEAM, YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA IS AMAZING. TIFFANY THOMAS'S TEAM WHO'S NOT HERE, THEY'RE GETTING OUT AND THEY'RE BEING PRESENT IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. WE ARE HOPELESS, YOU GUYS. I LOVE THAT PAID LEAVE. I LOVE AS A PRESIDENT OF A CIVIC CLUB THAT WE HAVE A-F-L-C-I-O VOLUNTEERING THEIR TIME. MY KIDS GO TO SCHOOL IN HOUSTON. MY KIDS GO TO SCHOOL IN SPRING BRANCH. WHY DO WE HAVE A TALE OF TWO SCHOOLS IN ONE CITY? AND LABOR IS A BIG PART OF THAT. WE WANNA PUT OUT STUDENTS THAT GO INTO OUR COMMUNITIES THAT ARE CIVIC MINDED, THAT ARE TRUSTWORTHY, THAT WE ALL ARE SETTING A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR IT. AND RIGHT NOW, WE DON'T HAVE THAT CONSISTENCY COMING OUT OF HISD. WE HAVE TREATED OUR, MY KIDS GO TO LOVE ELEMENTARY AT 13TH AND SHEED. AND IF YOU HAVEN'T DRIVEN BY, IT'S AN OLD HOT MESS. IT'S ON THE BONDS AND I DO NOT SUPPORT THE BOND. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I DO HAVE? UNPAID LABOR IS A MOTHER WHO IS NOT CONSISTENTLY WORKING AND THEY CAN GET OVER THERE AND CUT LIMBS AND CUT GRASS AND IT SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DO IT. AND THAT'S WHERE YOU GUYS COME IN. YOUR TRUSTED ELECTED OFFICIALS, YOUR TEAMS THAT ARE TRUSTED, YOUR VOICES MATTER. PLEASE USE THEM TO SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY. THERE IS ROOM FOR EVERYONE. BUT RIGHT NOW, YOUR CONSTITUENTS ARE BEING TOLD THAT WE'RE, WE'RE, I THINK WE'RE CALLED PAID. WHAT DO WE CALL PA? YEAH, PAID TROUBLEMAKERS THAT I AM NOT. I'M A COLLEGIATELY EDUCATED TRANSPLANT FROM SOUTH LOUISIANA. I LIKE TO HAVE A GOOD TIME AND I CARE ABOUT PEOPLE AND I CARE ABOUT MY COMMUNITY. I'M NOT A PAID TROUBLEMAKER. THANK YOU FOR PAYING ATTENTION. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE. I HOPE THAT OUR LABOR FORCE CAN BE IMPROVED WHENEVER WE IMPROVE OUR HISD. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANKS. UH, NEXT, AND I BELIEVE THAT'S THE FINAL SPEAKER. UH, MS. MAYS. HELLO, MY NAME IS TISHA MAYS. I'M A MOTHER OF AN 8-YEAR-OLD OLIVIA, WHO WAS A THIRD GRADER AT CROCKETT ELEMENTARY AND HISD LAST YEAR WHEN WE WERE INFORMED THAT OUR SCHOOL WOULD BECOME PART OF THE NEW EDUCATION SYSTEM, I WAS CONCERNED BUT WILLING TO GIVE IT A CHANCE. I ATTENDED AN INFORMATIONAL MEETING AND TOURED AN NES CAMPUS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT MAY LAY AHEAD. HOWEVER, WHEN OUR BELOVED PRINCIPAL WAS REMOVED, MY HOPE BEGAN TO WANE THE CLOSE-KNIT COMMUNITY. WE HAD BUILT A COMMUNITY OF STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND EDUCATORS WHO SHARE A PASSION FOR THE FINE ARTS WAS BEING DISMANTLED. IT IS EVEN MORE INFURIATING TO NOW LEARN THAT OUR CURRENT SCHOOL'S RATING IS IN FACT STILL A B, NOT A D. AND OUR PRINCIPAL IS RIPPED FROM FROM US BASED ON SOME UNOFFICIAL AND UNJUST RATING. OLIVIA, A PASSIONATE DANCER SINCE SHE [01:20:01] COULD WALK, FOUND A HOME AT CROCKETT. THE THOUGHT OF HER COMFORT ZONE BEING UN UPENDED BY UNEXPLAINED CHANGES FILLED ME WITH DREAD. DESPITE THIS, I TRIED TO STAY OPTIMISTIC, BUT AS THIS YEAR UNFOLDS, THAT HOPE HAS TURNED INTO FRUSTRATION AND ANGER. THE BOARD IS SITTING IDLY BY. AS THESE CHANGES WREAK HAVOC ON OUR SCHOOLS, ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONCERNS IS THE INHUMANE CONDITIONS IN OUR CLASSROOMS. THE TEMPERATURES REGULARLY EXCEED 80 DEGREES. AND WHILE STUDENTS MAY NOT INJURE THESE CONDITIONS ALL DAY, THE TEACHERS DO. THIS WEEK ALONE, OLIVIA SUFFERED FROM SEVERE MIGRAINES DUE TO DEHYDRATION. AND I HAD TO TAKE HER TO THE DOCTOR. SHE WAS IN TEARS BY DAY THREE OF THE MIGRAINES. THESE EXTREME HEAT CONDITIONS COUPLED WITH UNREASONABLE BATHROOM RULES, LIKE CARRYING CONES TO THE RESTROOM, ARE TAKING A TOLL ON OUR KIDS. OLIVIA HAS TOLD ME SHE NO LONGER WANTS TO ATTEND SCHOOL AT CROCKETT BECAUSE THE TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS ARE REALLY MEAN. THIS YEAR, IT BREAKS MY HEART TO SEE HER JOY FOR SCHOOL DIMINISH. ANOTHER MAJOR ISSUE IS THE LACK OF COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS. DESPITE MY EFFORTS TO UNDERSTAND THIS NEW NES MODEL AND HOW MY DAUGHTER'S DAY FLOWS, I'VE RECEIVED RECEIVED LITTLE TO NO CLARITY. WHEN I EMAILED HER TEACHERS ABOUT THE PACKETS OF WORK SHE BROUGHT HOME, I RECEIVED VAGUE RESPONSES. I REQUESTED A PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE TO CLARIFY THESE MATTERS. BUT I HAVE YET TO HEAR BACK. THESE TEACHERS ARE BEING TOLD NOT TO SPEAK TO US, AND THAT IS NOT RIGHT. PARENTS ARE CRYING OUT FOR HELP. WE ARE AGAINST THIS TAKEOVER INITIATED BY GO GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT AND THE APPOINTMENT OF MIKE MILES. THIS DISRUPTION TO OUR COMMUNITY AND THE INHUMANE CONDITIONS, THE LACK OF KEY COMMUNICATION, THE FEAR THAT IS GRIPPED OUR SCHOOLS ARE UNACCEPTABLE. WE NEED YOUR HELP TO STOP THIS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND I APOLOGIZE I MISSED ONE SPEAKER. UH, MS. LONGORIA. UH, HI. THANK YOU FOR ACCOMMODATING ME. I'M BROOKE LONGORIA. UH, I LIVE IN LINDE PARK AND THIS IS MY FIRST TIME SPEAKING TO Y'ALL. AND IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE. UH, I'M A DOER. I WAS PRESIDENT OF MY SCHOOL'S PTA LAST YEAR. I'M A CO-FOUNDER OF FREE PLAY HOUSTON AND AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF CVPE. UM, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS ARE PART OF THE FABRIC OF OUR CITY. AND, UH, WHEN WE SAY THAT THE, THE TALL GRASS IS A SMALL ISSUE, IT'S NOT WHEN THE GRASS IS TALL, THERE ARE ANTS IN BERMAN AND OUR CHILDREN CANNOT PLAY. PLAY IS BIOLOGICAL PLAY IS WHEN THEY ARE SYNTHESIZING ALL THAT KNOWLEDGE THAT THEY'VE RECEIVED IN CLASS. AND WHEN THEY CAN'T DO THAT, THEY CAN'T LEARN. SO IF YOU WERE TO ENFORCE THAT ORDINANCE, YOUR SUPPORT OF CHILDREN WOULD BE HUGE. AND IF YOU ASK EVERY CHILD WHAT THEY LOVE MOST ABOUT SCHOOL, LINE UP 20, IT'S GONNA BE RECESS. UM, ADDITIONALLY, UM, UNDER SUPER INTENDED MILES TENURE TRUST HAS BEEN ERODED GREATLY. UM, THE AMOUNT OF LABOR THAT PARENTS HAVE HAD TO DO AT SCHOOLS OVER THESE PAST FEW MONTHS IS UNPRECEDENTED. WE'VE BEEN AT OUR SCHOOL FOR A LONG TIME. I'M A MOTHER OF THREE. NEVER HAS MY HUSBAND BEEN UP THERE SO MUCH WITH HIS CHAINSAW. NEVER HAS HE BEEN ASKED SO MANY TIMES TO COME AND MOW THE GRASS. UM, IT'S, IT'S NOT RIGHT. UM, ADDITIONALLY, WE QUESTION WITH THIS BOND ON THE BALLOT. WHY ARE THERE MORE HVACS FAILING THAN EVER BEFORE? IT FEELS ODD AND THE TIMING IS STRANGE. UM, WE WONDER IF HVAC MAINTENANCE IS BEING UNDERMINED PURPOSEFULLY. UM, ADDITIONALLY, WE, UH, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF Y'ALL WOULD, UH, TAKE A PUBLIC STANCE AGAINST MIKE MILES AGAINST THE BOND AND USE YOUR VOICE FOR GOOD AND FOR THE CHILDREN AND TO STAND UP FOR US. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND WELCOME TO CITY HALL. THANKS. HAVING NO OTHER SPEAKERS, I WANNA THANK ALL OF OUR PRESENTERS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, STAFF, EVERYONE WHO JOINED US, AS WELL AS OUR PUBLIC SPEAKERS. UH, ALSO A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO IT AND HTV, THEY'RE ALWAYS HERE TO SUPPORT US. AND A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE DISTRICT C STAFF, UH, FOR EVERYTHING THEY DO. OUR NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING IS ON SEPTEMBER 12TH. UH, THE AGENDA AND PRESENTATIONS CAN BE FOUND ONLINE ON THE COMMITTEE'S WEBPAGE. THE RECORDINGS OF THIS MEETING WILL BE POSTED ON HTVS WEBSITE. THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 11:54 PM THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.