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| Vol. 32 No. 5/December 2022 | ||||||||||||||
The Spring ISD Board of Trustees met at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 13, in person, and streamed via video conferencing, to address items on the agenda. President Justine Durant called the meeting to order. The Carl Wunsche Sr. High School Honor Guard led the presentation of colors, with Honor Guard Commander Xiomara Williams-Foster leading the pledges to the flags and carrying the U.S. Flag. Carrying the Texas Flag was Sgt. Aishiana Stewart. The left rifle guard was Cpl. Priscila Palma. The right rifle guard was Cadet Leyla Mendez. The Carl Wunsche Sr. High School Honor Guard is led by Instructors Waylon Randolph, Edward Price and Lykethia Collins. Re-elected trustees sworn in for new three-year terms during Dec. 6 work session
Spring ISD Board of Trustees members who ran unopposed in the November General Election were sworn in for their new three-year terms on Tuesday, Dec. 6, during the Board’s work session. Trustees Dr. Deborah Jensen (Position 1) and Kelly P. Hodges (Position 2) were each sworn in, along with President Justine Durant (Position 3). Trustees signed and were presented with a certificate of election, followed by a swearing-in ceremony conducted by Spring ISD Director of Board Services Jason Sheffer. Board members elect officers for 2023 during Dec. 6 work sessionFollowing the swearing-in ceremony, the Board nominated and elected officers for the upcoming year, including President, Vice President, Secretary and Assistant Secretary. The Board elected the following officers for 2023:
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RecognitionsSince January 1984, the Board has recognized students and staff for major accomplishments beyond the District with Points of Pride awards. ABCD awards are presented to individuals or groups that go Above and Beyond the Call of Duty. Spotlight – Board honors Westfield, Dekaney football teams for outstanding regular season and playoff performanceThe Board recognized coaching staff and players from the Westfield High School and Dekaney High School football teams for their performance in this year’s UIL post-season playoffs. “I’m here tonight to recognize two fantastic football teams that had great seasons this year,” said Director of Athletics Armando Jacinto before inviting the coaches and a select group of players from each team to come forward. The Westfield Mustangs Varsity Football Team finished the season 12-2 and were State Quarterfinalists and undefeated District Champs, earning a number of District 14-6A postseason accolades for players and coaching staff, including “Coach of the Year” honors for Head Coach Matt Meekins and “Coaching Staff of the Year” for the Westfield team’s leadership, which also includes Offensive Coordinator Stephen Hill and Defensive Coordinator Desmar Black. The Touchdown Club of Houston also nominated Meekins for its area-wide Coach of the Year award, to be announced later in December. 
Additional District 14-6A postseason accolades for Mustangs players included:
The Dekaney Wildcats Varsity Football Team finished their season 9-4 and were Regional Semifinalists, taking 2nd place in District, while also collecting postseason accolades as voted on by coaching staff from across District 14-6A. The Wildcats are led by Head Coach Anthony Williams, Offensive Coordinator Jermaine Mills, and Defensive Coordinator Rodney Cephus. 
Postseason District 14-6A accolades for Dekaney Wildcats players included:
Jacinto thanked trustees for their ongoing support of district athletics programs, and spoke briefly about how Planet Ford Stadium, opened in late 2019, had helped inspire team spirit in the Spring ISD community while also bringing out the best in student-athletes from all three of the district’s comprehensive high schools, which collectively have enjoyed a roughly 88% home game win rate since the new stadium opened. “It’s really something to be proud of,” Jacinto said. Trustees also added their praise, celebrating the teams’ winning records and the impressive number of players selected for Academic All-District and Academic All-State teams. Board President Justine Durant said it was exciting to see students excelling both on and off the field. “On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to say how very proud we are of you,” Durant told players and coaching staff, “and I’m excited – after watching you guys out on the field – to sit here and be so close so we can tell you personally that we’re proud of you!” Spotlight – Spotlight – 2022 Superintendent’s Holiday Card Contest Winners
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Superintendent's Report Superintendent Dr. Lupita Hinojosa began her remarks with a recap of the Spring ISD Education Foundation’s Grant Express event. That morning, she said, Education Foundation board members, Spring ISD trustees, and district administrators had boarded a school bus and visited several campuses to surprise teachers with the news that their grant proposals had been selected. “It was an amazing experience to be able to join the foundation and give out those grants,” Hinojosa said, “but most importantly, to know that the money that’s being collected – that many of you donate and contribute every year to the Education Foundation – goes right back to our teachers and, ultimately, to our students. So I want to salute our Spring ISD Education Foundation.” Hinojosa also mentioned the many end-of-semester events around the district in celebration of the holiday season. She offered a special shout-out to the Spring ISD Police Department, which hosted its third-annual Blue Santa on Dec. 12. During that event, a specially selected group of 30 Spring ISD students were each given a chance to purchase $200 worth of items at Academy Sports + Outdoors. “We’re very proud of this project,” Hinojosa said, thanking Spring ISD Police Chief Ken Culbreath as well as the local businesses and other sponsors whose contributions – totaling more than $7,500 this year – made the event possible. She also mentioned the police department’s Dream Makers initiative – a districtwide student leadership and mentoring program – adding that it was another great example of the department’s year-round contributions to the community and the quality of students’ lives. Hinojosa continued with a reminder about the district’s Calendar Option Survey, which invites staff, students and parents to make their voice heard as the district considers options for the 2023-24 instructional calendar. “Everyone should have received the link for them to be able to vote to select one calendar option for next year,” Hinojosa said. She thanked members of the district’s Advisory Committee on Education (ACE), which developed the calendar options using input and feedback from teachers, parents, students, and community members. Survey results will be presented to the Board, which will ultimately select the calendar for next year. Hinojosa also reminded parents and students about Spring ISD’s school choice applications, which must be completed by Friday, Jan. 6 for the upcoming 2023-24 school year. The district’s schools and programs of choice that require an application include Carl Wunsche Sr. High School; Spring Early College Academy; Dekaney High School’s Pathways in Technology Early College High (P-TECH) program; Roberson Middle School; Spring Leadership Academy; The School for International Studies at Bammel; Springwoods Village Middle School (for non-zoned students); and Spring ISD’s new Momentum High School. Information about each program, along with the online application, can be found on the Spring ISD School Choice webpage. Hinojosa concluded her remarks at the meeting by wishing happy holidays – in both English and Spanish – to students, staff, and families. “I’m just very grateful; I want to say thank you to our Spring ISD community for their continued support as we go into this Winter Break,” Hinojosa said. “I hope to see everyone well-rested for a new year, ready to begin 2023.” |
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Trustees RemarksAt each regular board meeting, during Opening Remarks, each board member is given the opportunity to share information with those present.
Assistant Secretary Rhonda Newhouse began the remarks by also mentioning her participation in the day’s Grant Express with the Spring ISD Education Foundation. “The students were excited, the teachers were excited, and it was just a fun, thrilling day to travel with the Foundation to give out money to our teachers for our students,” Newhouse said. “The money comes from [donations from] the teachers and district employees. So we thank our employees for supporting the Foundation every year.” Dr. Deborah Jensen then added her own remarks concerning the Grant Express, particularly on the students at Wunsche High School who received $1,000 towards their beeswax crayon business called The HIVE. “They were concerned about the ecological and health impact of crayons that are made out of paraffin, that it's not good for kids,” Dr. Jensen said. “We're just thrilled to see this inventive team put this together. So, my hats off to Wunsche High School, encouraging that kind of creativity and inventiveness in your students.” Vice President Winford Adams Jr. mentioned his involvement with the Bond Steering Committee, which helped to steer the budget and projects for the Spring ISD Bond initiative that was approved by voters in November. He mentioned that the committee will continue to meet periodically, and the district will hold events periodically as well, to keep the community informed on the bond’s progress. “I want to thank the Superintendent for taking the initiative to bring us together and to keep the public informed about what's happening with the bond,” Adams said. President Justine Durant followed that up with her own remarks concerning the ongoing project of keeping stakeholders informed on bond progress. “We want to continue the engagement with the community and the transparency with the community,” Durant said. “It's 850 million dollars. It’s a lot of money, and we want to make sure every step along the way we're transparent, and that you all know how we're spending your taxpayer dollars.” |
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UpdatesBoard Governance Committee provides updateTrustee Dr. Deborah Jensen began the update by thanking the committee for meeting on an off-schedule day, since both the November and December meetings fell on holidays. She then handed the rest of the update over to Trustee Natasha McDaniel. Trustee Natasha McDaniel discussed the ongoing project of aligning the Spring ISD advocacy priorities with those of the Texas Association of School Boards’ priorities that were released earlier this year. The first step of this process will entail identifying departments that will be able to lead these grassroots efforts within the district, as well as identifying a contact person in those departments. She also mentioned doing similar efforts with local organizations that can partner with Spring ISD. McDaniel then went on to mention the first ever Federal and State Level Advocacy Institute that will be offered by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) in February, as well as working with the Texas School Alliance on partnering with similar districts on advocacy work and Raise Your Hand Texas, an organization that advocates for public education in Texas. “We also talked about special education groups and specifically thinking about how vouchers impact students in the special education program,” McDaniel said. “Some of those organizations include Disability Rights Texas, Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education, and the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities.” Lastly, she mentioned that every Spring ISD board member is also a member of the Texas Caucus of Black School Board Members, and that the executive board round table is this weekend. Community Engagement Committee provides updateBoard Secretary Kelly P. Hodges provided a quick update by thanking Tranita Carroll, Executive Director of Family Engagement, for her department’s work on the Winter Wonderland event that took place in early December. Vice President Winford Adams Jr. attended the event with his two children. “The event continues to grow better and better attended,” Adams said. “I met a young father that was there with his two little boys. He was really excited to have the opportunity to attend, and thanked the school district for putting on this event for the community.” Equity Committee provides updateTrustee McDaniel began the update by discussing the Results Driven Accountability Report, and how the committee specifically discussed the report in regards to the students who are experiencing homelessness, are in foster care, or have military parents and those groups’ access to athletics and arts programming. Spring ISD offers transportation for students experiencing homelessness to and from athletics events and practices, however they are still underrepresented in athletics. The committee is going to continue to look into ways to expand access and participation. Next, McDaniel touched on each of those groups’ literacy rates, and setting up a pattern of literacy in early education. Black students were on par with average rates of literacy, however bilingual students in Spring ISD saw a decrease in literacy rates. She also mentioned that mid-year data will be coming soon, and that will inform next steps for this type of work within the district. McDaniel also pointed out that while the majority of Spring ISD students are reading below grade level, but with new instructional materials in place that we are looking to see some gains at mid-year and end-of-year testing throughout the district. *The Audit Committee did not have updates at the time of the meeting. | ||||||||||||||
Action Items and PresentationsBoard approves Schematic Design and Education Specification documents for Spring Leadership Academy and Momentum High SchoolFollowing a presentation from Chief Operations Officer Mark Miranda during the Dec. 6 board work session, the Board approved schematic design documents for renovations related to the upcoming planned moves of Spring Leadership Academy and Momentum High School to their respective new homes within the district. Trustees also approved the Education Specification documents related to the planning and oversight of both projects. Specifically, Spring Leadership Academy – currently housed at 14450 T C Jester Blvd. – is slated to expand into its new home at the previous location of Clark Primary School, at 12625 River Laurel Dr., while Spring ISD’s new Momentum High School will move from its current Southridge campus location – consisting of a series of portable buildings behind Bammel Middle School and Westfield High School – into the facility currently in use by Spring Leadership Academy. The renovations and campus relocations of Spring Leadership Academy and Momentum High School – supported by federal ESSER funds – will allow both of these specialty programs to expand and serve greater numbers of students in upcoming years, while also providing students and faculty with facilities better suited to their schools’ needs, all while utilizing existing buildings already owned by the district. In discussion with the Board prior to the vote, Miranda confirmed that the schematics up for approval represent finalized design for both campus renovation projects, and additional changes to the design are not anticipated following approval. The TEA rules for education facilities now require that the school board approve the Educational Specification for all new and renovated educational facilities. The new rules were adopted in October of 2021. Board approves issuance of Spring ISD school building bondsFollowing a brief discussion with Chief Financial Officer Ann Westbrooks, the Board approved an order authorizing the issuance of Spring Independent School District Unlimited Tax School Building Bonds (Series 2023). The bonds may be issued in one or more series, and will be used to begin funding projects in Spring ISD’s 2022 Bond Measure, which was approved by area voters in the Nov. 8 election. “The first tranche is for $300 million,” Westbrooks explained in her remarks prior to the vote, “and that would carry us through the first 12 to 18 months of projects related to the 2022 Bond.” The Board’s vote followed previous discussion and a presentation during the Dec. 6 work session from Westbrooks, together with the district’s financial advisors – from Post Oak Municipal Advisors – and Barron F. Wallace, the district’s bond counsel and a partner at Bracewell LLP. The $850 million bond measure approved by voters in November encompasses three propositions covering a range of projects, including the rebuilding of Spring High School, construction of a districtwide education and performance facility, renovations for several campuses, updates to technology, and safety and security features for all campuses. More information on all the bond projects can be found on the district’s bond webpage. In other action, the Board approved:
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