Sep 17, 2025 Called Board Meetings

[A. CALL TO ORDER]

[00:00:06]

GOOD EVENING. IT IS 5:32 P.M. AND THE MEETING OF THE ROUND ROCK INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES CALLED MEETING IS CALLED TO ORDER.

DID NOT GAVEL. THERE WE GO. LET'S GO AHEAD AND STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND THE PLEDGE TO THE TEXAS FLAG.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS.

ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

HONOR THE TEXAS FLAG. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THEE TEXAS.

ONE STATE UNDER GOD, ONE AND INDIVISIBLE. THANK YOU.

AND TONIGHT WE HAVE NO PUBLIC COMMENTS. AND SO WE ARE GOING TO HEAD RIGHT INTO ITEM D.1 AND JUST FOR THE RECORD,

[D. ACTION ITEMS]

PLACE 6 VACANCY OR MAY SCHEDULE ADDITIONAL INTERVIEWS.

PRESIDENT HARRISON, DOCTOR AZAIEZ AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA IS THE BOARD'S INTERVIEW OF CANDIDATES FOR THE PLACE 6 TRUSTEE VACANCY AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPOINT A REPLACEMENT FOR THE TRUSTEE.

SIX VACANCY. AT THE AUGUST 21ST, 2025 BOARD MEETING, TRUSTEE HARRISON ANNOUNCED HER RESIGNATION FOR PLACE 6 ON THE ROUND ROCK ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES. AT THAT SAME MEETING, THE BOARD ANNOUNCED THAT IT WOULD TAKE APPLICATIONS FOR THE BOARD'S APPOINTMENT TO THE ROUND ROCK ISD BOARD, AS PERMITTED BY THE TEXAS EDUCATION CODE, AND THAT IT WOULD INTERVIEW CANDIDATES FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE PLACE 6 VACANT POSITION ON AUGUST 17TH, 2025, WHICH IS WHERE WE ARE TODAY. THE DISTRICT OPENED THE APPLICATION PERIOD ON AUGUST 22ND AND THE PERIOD CLOSED ON SEPTEMBER 2ND.

THE COMPLETED APPLICATIONS WERE MADE AVAILABLE TO EACH TRUSTEE, AND EACH TRUSTEE INDEPENDENTLY SUBMITTED A NAME FOR INTERVIEWS.

THERE ARE 5 CANDIDATES TONIGHT FOR PLACE 6 THAT ARE SCHEDULED TO BE INTERVIEWED.

THE DISTRICT HAS PERFORMED BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR EACH OF THE CANDIDATES BEING INTERVIEWED.

THE PROCESS FOR THE INTERVIEWS WILL BE AS FOLLOWS.

THE INTERVIEWS WILL BE CONDUCTED IN THE OPEN PORTION OF THE MEETING.

ALL 7 BOARD MEMBERS EACH HAVE SUBMITTED AN INTERVIEW QUESTION.

ALL 5 CANDIDATES ARE GOING TO BE ASKED THE SAME QUESTION, WHICH WILL BE READ BY THE TRUSTEE WHO SUBMITTED THE QUESTION.

THE CANDIDATES WILL BE SEQUESTERED UNTIL IT'S TIME FOR THEIR INTERVIEW, SO THAT NO CANDIDATE HAS THE ADVANTAGE OF HEARING QUESTIONS PRIOR TO THEIR TURN.

THE CANDIDATE INTERVIEW ORDER WILL BE DETERMINED BY A RANDOM DRAWING.

WHILE THE INTERVIEWS ARE CONDUCTED, THE OTHER INTERVIEWEES WILL BE ASKED TO REMAIN IN THEIR DESIGNATED AREAS WITHOUT COMMUNICATION DEVICES.

AFTER EACH CANDIDATE HAS BEEN INTERVIEWED, THE BOARD WILL CONVENE TO CLOSE SESSION AS AUTHORIZED BY TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE 551.074 TO DELIBERATE THE APPOINTMENT OF A REPLACEMENT TRUSTEE. THE BOARD WILL THEN RETURN TO THE OPEN SESSION AND MAY VOTE ON A ON THE APPOINTMENT FOR PLACE 6.

ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? I DON'T SEE ANY HANDS.

I'M GOING TO ASSUME NO THANK YOU MICHELLE. YES.

WE DON'T HAVE ANY SET TIME LIMITS FOR EACH INTERVIEW.

THE BOARD MAY WANT TO DECIDE BEFORE WE START WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TIME LIMITS.

OKAY, I'M LOOKING AT ONE PARTICULAR COLLEAGUE [LAUGHTER].

I KNOW, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT I WOULD KNOW HOW MANY MINUTES TO GIVE THEM TO ANSWER ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS.

THAT SEEMS A LITTLE UNFAIR. OKAY. I THINK THE PRIOR, THE ONE THAT I LOOKED AT WHERE THERE WAS A VACANT POSITION LAST IT WAS 20 MINUTES PER INTERVIEW JUST FOR THE BOARD'S INFORMATION. THAT IS MY FAVORITE NUMBER, BUT I DON'T.

I MEAN, I GUESS TO OTHER PEOPLE FEEL LIKE WE NEED A TIME LIMIT.

I DON'T FEEL LIKE WE NEED A LIMIT, AS I PERSONALLY DON'T FEEL ANYBODY? NO. OKAY, OKAY, WELL THEN WE WILL MOVE FORWARD.

YOU CAN MAKE IT WHEN WE GO INTO CLOSED. YEAH, THAT'LL BE THAT'LL BE A GOOD IDEA [LAUGHTER].

MS. HILL, WOULD YOU PLEASE ESCORT THE CANDIDATES EXCEPT THE FIRST INTERVIEWEE OUT OF THE ROOM? YOU ALREADY DID THAT. OKAY, SO CANDIDATE ONE IS DOCTOR TIFFANIE STANG.

[00:05:09]

THANK YOU FOR APPLYING FOR THE PLACE 6 VACANCY ON THE ROUND ROCK ISD SCHOOL BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO THE BOARD AND INTRODUCE THE LEARNING COMMUNITY IN WHICH YOU LIVE IN.

AND THEN WE'LL GET STARTED WITH QUESTIONS. AND JUST A REMINDER THAT LIGHT ON YOUR MIC IS RED WHEN WE CAN HEAR YOU.

SO JUST LOOK FOR THAT RED LIGHT AND GO AHEAD.

HI, DOCTOR TIFFANY STANG LIKE MUSTANG. I AM A PART OF THE FOREST CREEK LEARNING COMMUNITY ON THAT PTA BOARD.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, DOCTOR STANG. OKAY EACH TRUSTEE SUBMITTED AN INTERVIEW QUESTION.

THE SAME QUESTIONS WILL BE ASKED TO ALL THE CANDIDATES IN THE SAME ORDER, AND THE SUBMITTING TRUSTEE WILL READ THEIR QUESTION.

SO TRUSTEE ZÁRATE, YOU'RE SO LUCKY. YOU GET TO GO FIRST ALL RIGHT. IT'S THE FIRST TIME WITH THE LAST NAME Z.

ALL RIGHT, DOCTOR STANG, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

WHAT ONE WORD DO YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT OUR DISTRICT? AND PLEASE TELL US WHY THAT WORD. THAT'S A FANTASTIC QUESTION.

I WOULD SAY BELONGING THROUGH MY WORK IN THE PTA.

IT SEEMS LIKE CREATING A SENSE OF BELONGING BETWEEN THE STUDENTS AND THE FACULTY AND STAFF AND EVEN BRINGING IN THE COMMUNITY IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

AND THAT'S WHAT I'VE ENJOYED MOST ABOUT SERVING ON THE PTA IS HELPING CREATE THAT SENSE OF BELONGING.

SO I THINK THAT'S A WORD THAT I WOULD SAY STRONGLY REPRESENTS OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, ABSOLUTELY. ALL RIGHT QUESTION TWO. MINE'S A LITTLE BIT LONGER.

AND SO IF YOU NEED ME TO REPEAT IT [LAUGHTER] I KNOW I DON'T HOPEFULLY IT'S NOT THAT LONG.

IN THE COMING YEAR, THE BOARD WILL BE WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY AND OUR LONE STAR GOVERNANCE COACH TO REDO OUR BOARD GOALS AND CONSTRAINTS FOR THE DISTRICT AND SUPERINTENDENT. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CURRENT GOALS? AND WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU WILL BRING TO THE UPCOMING PROCESS THAT NO ONE CURRENTLY ON THE BOARD WILL BRING WHEN SETTING THE NEW GOALS? POINT OF ORDER. I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT YOU. I DO RECALL COULD KIND OF READ ALONG WITH US THE LAST TIME WE DID THIS.

WOULD THAT BE POSSIBLE FOR THEM TO HAVE A PAPER COPY? IN CASE YOU'RE NOT AN AUDITORY LEARNER, SOMETIMES IT'S NICE TO HAVE A PAPER COPY IN FRONT OF YOU.

IF THE BOARD WOULD LIKE THAT, I HAVE ADDITIONAL COPIES THAT I CAN PUT DOWN THERE.

I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THAT THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU [LAUGHTER]. I'M NOT A GREAT AUDITORY LEARNER.

I LIKE TO SEE THINGS IN FRONT OF ME SO. MY ADHD APPRECIATES YOU [LAUGHTER].

OKAY, SO IT'S QUESTION TWO. IF YOU WANT TO JUST TAKE A SECOND TO.

OH, YEAH [LAUGHTER]. NO, NO, NO, I KNOW THAT'S FINE.

NO JUDGMENT [LAUGHTER].

SO IF I'M UNDERSTANDING ABOUT WHAT I THINK ABOUT THE CURRENT GOALS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EARLY NUMERACY, LITERACY, ALL OF THAT. I THINK THOSE ARE FANTASTIC GOALS AND COULD VERY WELL CONTINUE.

I DON'T SEE ANY REASON WHY THOSE WOULD NECESSARILY NEED TO CHANGE, UNLESS SOME THINGS COME UP THROUGH SOME OF THE DISTRICT'S PLANS, LIKE THE PLANS OF WORK THAT ALL THE SCHOOLS DO.

IF SOMETHING COMES UP FROM THAT THAT WE WOULD WANT TO WORK ON.

AS FAR AS HOW I CAN HELP WITH SETTING NEW GOALS.

STRATEGIC PLANNING IS SOMETHING THAT WE DO PROFESSIONALLY.

EVERY YEAR WE SET NEW STRATEGIC PLANS IN THE MIDDLE OF IT THIS WEEK, ACTUALLY AT OUR EXECUTIVE SUMMIT AND COMING TOGETHER AND COLLABORATING AND DISCUSSING CHALLENGES AND GOALS AND WHAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE IN A WAY THAT SPARKS COLLABORATION AND IDEATION IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN BEING THE HEAD OF LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT FOR THE CREDIT UNION, BRINGING THAT VOICE TO LIGHT AT THE EXECUTIVE TABLE, AND I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THAT AT THE SCHOOL BOARD LEVEL.

THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, IT'S MY TURN. MY QUESTION IS, PLEASE GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF A POLICY THAT OUR BOARD APPROVED IN THE PAST AND WHETHER OR NOT YOU AGREE WITH IT AND WHY.

THANK YOU.

[00:10:13]

SO I'M NOT SURE THAT I COULD EFFECTIVELY ANSWER THAT.

YOU CAN'T ASK FOLLOW UP OKAY. STRONGER DECISIONS COME WHEN A WIDE RANGE OF PERSPECTIVES ARE HONORED.

WHAT UNIQUE LIVED EXPERIENCE OR VIEWPOINT WOULD YOU BRING THAT ISN'T YET REPRESENTED ON THIS DAIS, AND HOW DO YOU SEE IT MAKING A DIFFERENCE? ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES ARE APPRECIATED, BUT NOT REQUIRED.

SO I DON'T KNOW THAT I COULD SAY WHETHER OR NOT ANY OF YOU HAVE THIS OR NOT, BECAUSE I DON'T PERSONALLY KNOW YOU.

BUT AS A CERTIFIED SERVANT LEADER, I FEEL THAT LISTENING FIRST AND ENGAGING FOLKS IN THE CONVERSATION AND BEING COLLABORATIVE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

AS FAR AS MY PERSONAL LIVED EXPERIENCE, I WOULD SAY HAVING A PHD IN EDUCATION WITH A FOCUS IN ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND ADULT EDUCATION GIVES ME A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION, BEING A STRONG LEADER FOR THE COMMUNITY AND BRINGING EVERYONE TOGETHER SO THAT EVERYONE FEELS INVOLVED AND HEARD IN A PART OF THE PROCESS. THANK YOU.

GOOD EVENING, DOCTOR STANG. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND TO BE THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES OF A TRUSTEE AND THE BALANCE OF GOVERNANCE VERSUS MANAGEMENT OF THE DISTRICT? IT'S A GREAT QUESTION, AND ONE I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I FULLY UNDERSTOOD BEFORE I THREW MY HAT IN THE RING FOR THIS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY.

AND WHAT I TAKE AWAY FROM THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BOARD IS HELPING DEFINE THE WHAT AND THE WHY OF THE DISTRICT'S APPROACH.

AND IT'S THE WONDERFUL DOCTOR A OR THE SUPERINTENDENT WHO EXECUTES THE HOW AND MAKES SURE THAT IT IS EXECUTED TO FULFILL THE VISION OF THE BOARD AND THE DISTRICT.

THANK YOU. YOU CAN TELL WE'RE GOING RIGHT DOWN THE ROW [LAUGHTER].

IT SAYS TRUSTEE FELLER, BUT I GO BY TRUSTEE LANDRUM NOW.

I'VE BEEN MARRIED FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS, SO CHANGED MY NAME.

THE ROUND ROCK ISD SCHOOL BOARD WORKS UNDER A LONE STAR GOVERNANCE MODEL TO HELP THE BOARD REMAIN FOCUSED ON STUDENT OUTCOMES.

HOW CAN A SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEE KNOW IF ITS GOALS ARE BEING ACCOMPLISHED AND ITS POLICIES ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED? AND IF APPOINTED TO THE PLACE 6 TRUSTEE, WHAT STEPS WILL YOU TAKE TO ENSURE STUDENT OUTCOMES REMAIN YOUR PRIMARY FOCUS? SO I THINK THIS IS ACTUALLY A REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION, BECAUSE I THINK IT GOES BEYOND TEST SCORES AND IT'S BEING A PART OF THE LEARNING COMMUNITY AND UNDERSTANDING THE SCHOOLS THAT YOU SERVE.

AND THAT'S EVEN JUST MEETING WITH THE PRINCIPALS AND TALKING TO THEM.

AND HOW ARE THEY DOING ON THE SENSE OF BELONGING AND ON JUST ANY OF THE OTHER GOALS THAT THE DISTRICT MIGHT HAVE.

IT'S HAVING THE CONVERSATION AND LISTENING AND SEEING.

ARE WE MOVING THAT BENCHMARK? SO IT'S MORE THAN JUST LOOKING AT NUMBERS, BUT HAVING THAT CONVERSATION AND ENSURING WE'RE LISTENING SO WE KNOW IF WE NEED TO DO MORE WORK. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

HI. AS TRUSTEES, WE CARE DEEPLY ABOUT IMPROVING EDUCATION, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO WORK WITHIN A LIMITED ROLE.

CAN YOU SHARE A TIME WHERE YOU WERE PASSIONATE ABOUT MAKING CHANGE BUT HAD TO ADJUST BECAUSE BEYOND YOUR SCOPE OR YOU REALIZED THAT YOUR FIRST IDEA WASN'T THE BEST WAY FORWARD? WHAT DID YOU TAKE AWAY FROM THAT EXPERIENCE? THIS IS A REALLY FUN QUESTION BECAUSE BEING OVER LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT FOR AN ORGANIZATION, IMPROVING THE LEARNING IS ALWAYS THE GOAL. AND I'M VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT PEOPLE IMPROVING THEMSELVES AND BEING THE BEST THAT THEY CAN BE.

WHETHER THAT'S AN EXECUTIVE, A MANAGER, A TEAM MEMBER, OR A STUDENT, TEACHER OR STAFF, WHAT HAVE YOU.

ENSURING THAT THEY HAVE WHAT THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL IS REALLY IMPORTANT, AND I CAN GET VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT.

CHARISMATIC HAS BEEN A WAY TO DESCRIBE IT WHEN I GET ON A TANGENT WITH SOMETHING I'M VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT. BUT I DO ALSO HAVE TO BE MINDFUL AND RESPECTFUL OF THE IDEAS AND LIMITS

[00:15:03]

IT'S ALWAYS EVOLVING. IS THERE A BETTER WAY? IS THERE A NEW WAY? IS THERE A MORE CREATIVE WAY? AND THAT GOES, GOSH, FOR ALMOST ANY ASPECT OF MOVING FORWARD.

BUT SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO STEP BACK AND LET OTHERS TAKE THE LEAD.

BUT YOU CAN PLANT THE SEED AND SEE WHAT GROWS.

THANK YOU, DOCTOR STANG. IS THERE ANYTHING ADDITIONAL THAT YOU WOULD LIKE THE BOARD TO KNOW BEFORE WE CLOSE? THIS IS JUST A REALLY EXCITING OPPORTUNITY, AND I'VE BEEN IN ROUND ROCK FOUR YEARS.

MY CHILDREN ENTERED THE SCHOOL DISTRICT A YEAR AFTER WE MOVED UP HERE, SO THEY'VE GOT PLENTY OF TENURE LEFT WITH ROUND ROCK ISD.

SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME TO SEE THE SUCCESS OF OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT.

I THINK PUBLIC EDUCATION IS THE FUTURE. I'M A PRODUCT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION AND BEING A PART OF THAT AND ENSURING ALL STUDENTS HAVE EQUAL ACCESS TO SUCCESS AND THE RESOURCES IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME.

SO HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF MOVING THAT FORWARD WOULD BE AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY.

THANK YOU SO MUCH AND THAT CONCLUDES THE INTERVIEW.

MS. HILL, I WANT TO GIVE A MOMENT. COLLEAGUES, YOU NEED A MOMENT FOR YOUR NOTES OR WILL YOU JUST NOD WHEN YOU'RE READY TO GO? I SEE SOME PEOPLE STILL WRITING, SO I WANT TO GIVE A MOMENT.

THANK YOU. COLLEAGUES, ARE YOU READY? OKAY DON'T BE AFRAID TO SAY IF YOU NEED ANOTHER MOMENT, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE WE ARE READY. SO, MS. HILL, WOULD YOU PLEASE ESCORT THE CANDIDATE? THE NEXT CANDIDATE. CANDIDATE NUMBER TWO, VERONICA FABIAN.

ALRIGHTY CANDIDATE NUMBER TWO IS VERONICA FABIAN.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I SAY YOUR NAME INCORRECTLY.

THANK YOU FOR APPLYING FOR THE PLACE 6 VACANCY ON THE ROUND ROCK ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES, I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO THE BOARD AND INTRODUCE THE LEARNING

[00:20:10]

IT'S A LITTLE TRICKY. SO JUST A REMINDER, WHEN THE RED LIGHT IS ON, THAT'S WHEN WE CAN HEAR YOU, OKAY? SO GO AHEAD AND CLICK THE BUTTON. YES PERFECT.

ALL RIGHT I DON'T WANT TO TAKE UP TOO MUCH TIME.

SO WHEN YOU SAY INTRODUCE YOURSELF, I WOULD LOVE TO TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY BACKGROUND.

IS THAT OKAY? OR IS IT JUST MY NAME AND WHERE? ABSOLUTELY PLEASE. ALL RIGHT AWESOME. SO I'M VERONICA.

WELL, FIRST, ACTUALLY, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR EVEN CONSIDERING ME FOR THIS POSITION.

I UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH IMPACT AND RESPONSIBILITY THE BOARD HAS FOR THIS ENTIRE COMMUNITY.

AND SO I'M JUST GRATEFUL FOR BEING HERE AND TO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO CONTRIBUTE.

SO I AM IN THE CEDAR RIDGE, THE PETER, MY SON, WHEN HE GOES INTO HIGH SCHOOL, HE'LL BE IN CEDAR RIDGE.

BUT I'M A PRODUCT OF ROUND ROCK ISD FROM HOPEWELL MIDDLE SCHOOL OR ACTUALLY FROM ROUND ROCK NO.

ROBERTSON ELEMENTARY TO HOPEWELL MIDDLE SCHOOL AND THEN TO STONY POINT.

AND I ACTUALLY MET MY NOW HUSBAND AT STONY POINT, WALKING FROM THE MAIN CAMPUS TO THE OR FROM THE NINTH-GRADE CENTER TO THE MAIN CAMPUS WHEN IT USED TO BE A NINTH-GRADE CENTER. SO I KNOW THE IMPACT THAT A DISTRICT CAN MAKE IN YOUR LIFE.

THE HAPPINESS, THE SUCCESS THAT IT CAN BRING.

AND NOW I HAVE TWO KIDS, AND MY OLDEST, HE IS ATTENDING BOYD ELEMENTARY.

HE JUST ENTERED PRE-K FOUR, AND HE'S IN THEIR DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAM.

SO I'M JUST SUPER EXCITED. AND SO I SEE THIS POSITION OR I SEE THE DISTRICT IN TWO DIFFERENT LENSES AS BEING SOMEONE WHO WAS IMPACTED BY IT, AND NOW SOMEONE WHO IS ENTRUSTING, ENTRUSTING THE DISTRICT WITH MY CHILD'S EDUCATION AND FUTURE.

PROFESSIONALLY, I WORK WITH DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE HELPING TO DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT COLLEGE AND CAREER PROGRAMS SPECIFICALLY FOR LOW INCOME BLACK AND BROWN STUDENTS AND IN RURAL COMMUNITIES.

SO AND MY PROFESSIONAL JOB. I AM AN ADVOCATE FOR MARGINALIZED STUDENTS.

AND I THINK THAT PASSION COMES FROM AND THAT THAT MOTIVATION AND DRIVE IN MY PROFESSIONAL CAREER COMES FROM MY BACKGROUND AND MY MY PERSONAL STORY OF NAVIGATING SCHOOL BEING A AND THE CHALLENGES THAT IT CAME WITH BEING A LOW INCOME STUDENT.

AND SO THAT DEFINITELY DRIVES MY LIKE INTENTION OF, OF BEING AN ADVOCATE FOR EDUCATION EQUITY. I ALSO, I GUESS I UNDERSTAND THE OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THOSE ARE IN FRONT OF YOU. I AM THE FIRST PERSON TO GRADUATE COLLEGE IN MY ENTIRE FAMILY.

I'M ONE OUT OF SIX. I HAVE FIVE SIBLINGS, AND I'M THE ONLY PERSON WITH A COLLEGE DEGREE, AND I OFTEN THINK ABOUT LIKE WHY THAT IS. AND IS IT JUST LIKE LUCK OR LIKE, WHAT WAS IT? AND I THINK WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO IS ACCESS. I HAD TEACHERS, I HAD COUNSELORS THAT PUSHED ME AND SUPPORTED ME. AND I HOPE I'M NOT RAMBLING TOO [LAUGHTER] MUCH, BUT I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND SOMEONE'S JUST, LIKE, BACKGROUND AND STORY, AND I HAD A COUNSELOR PUSHED ME INTO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS AND TO SCHOLARSHIPS AND COLLEGE ACCESS PROGRAMS THAT EVENTUALLY IS ACTUALLY WHAT LED ME INTO APPLYING FOR SCHOOL BEING ABLE TO GUIDE ME THROUGH COLLEGE AND CAREER YOU KNOW, FAFSA, ESSAYS, APPLICATIONS, ALL THOSE THINGS THAT MY PARENTS COULDN'T GUIDE ME THROUGH BECAUSE THEY, THEY DIDN'T KNOW. AND SO I KNOW THE POWER OF ACCESS AND SUPPORTS AND RESOURCES AND MENTORS.

AND SO THAT'S WHAT DRIVES ME. AND WHAT DRIVES ME TO THIS ROLE, BECAUSE I DO ALSO BELIEVE THAT BOARDS, SCHOOL BOARDS CAN HAVE A HUGE IMPACT IN THE COMMUNITY AND IN STUDENT SUCCESS.

AND I HOPE TO BE AN ADVOCATE FOR THE STUDENTS, THE STUDENT THAT I ONCE WAS AND FOR STUDENTS ALL OVER THE DISTRICT TO HAVE ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES AND NOT DEPEND ON YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE.

SO AGAIN, I'M SORRY IF THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT LONG, BUT I FEEL LIKE, AGAIN, IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE FULL BACKGROUND AND WHAT DRIVES

[00:25:03]

YES. SO [LAUGHTER] THANK YOU SO MUCH. EACH TRUSTEE SUBMITTED AN INTERVIEW QUESTION, AND THE SAME QUESTIONS WILL BE ASKED TO ALL CANDIDATES IN THE SAME ORDER.

AND THE SUBMITTING TRUSTEE WILL READ THEIR QUESTION SO TRUSTEE ZÁRATE PLEASE READ YOUR QUESTION.

WHAT ONE WORD DO YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT OUR DISTRICT? AND PLEASE TELL US WHY THAT WORD. I THINK OF I THINK OF EXCELLENCE, I THINK, AND REALLY WITHOUT LIKE DIVING INTO DATA OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, IT'S JUST THE PERCEPTION THAT ROUND ROCK ISD HAS.

MY PARENTS MOVED HERE WHEN I WAS IN THIRD GRADE FOR THE BETTER SCHOOL DISTRICTS, AND SO THAT'S WHY I'M A PRODUCT OF ROUND ROCK ISD.

I'M IN THE ROUND ROCK OR LEADERSHIP ROUND ROCK PROGRAM AND HEARING EVERYBODY'S STORIES.

EVERYBODY WAS SAYING HOW THEY CHOSE THE DISTRICT BEFORE THEY CHOSE THEIR OWN HOUSE.

AND SO I THINK THAT SAYS SOMETHING THAT SAYS THAT THIS DISTRICT HAS A REPUTATION OF EXCELLENCE.

AND SO I THINK THAT'S THE THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MIND.

AND I THINK THAT'S THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MIND FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE IS WITHIN THE DISTRICT AND BEYOND WHEN THINKING ABOUT ROUND ROCK.

ALL RIGHT IF YOU WANT TO READ ALONG WITH ME, BECAUSE MINE'S A LITTLE BIT LONGER THAN HIS.

IN THE COMING YEAR, THE BOARD WILL BE WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY AND OUR LONE STAR GOVERNANCE COACH TO REDO OUR BOARD GOALS AND CONSTRAINTS FOR THE DISTRICT AND SUPERINTENDENT. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CURRENT GOALS? AND WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU WILL BRING TO THE UPCOMING PROCESS THAT NO ONE CURRENTLY ON THE BOARD WILL BRING WHEN SETTING THE NEW GOALS? YEAH. I HAVE TO DIG A LITTLE BIT DEEPER INTO THE GOALS.

I THINK THAT THE GOALS I'VE SEEN WERE ONES THAT WERE SET FOR 2024.

IS THAT POTENTIALLY IS THAT WHAT IT. OKAY YOU GUYS DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER.

BUT SO I'VE SEEN SOME GOALS THAT WERE IN MATH AND READING AND SEEING THE PROGRESS MADE ON THE DIFFERENT CHARTS TO, TO THAT. AND I'M POTENTIALLY THINKING IF THOSE ARE THE GOALS THAT Y'ALL ARE REFERENCING BUT HOPEFULLY WHAT I COULD BRING, REGARDLESS OF OF WHAT THE GOALS CURRENTLY ARE.

BUT TO THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THE NEW GOALS IS, AGAIN, JUST THE PERSPECTIVE THAT I HAVE AS A FORMER STUDENT, AS A NEW PARENT THAT HAS THEIR CHILD IN JUST ENTERING INTO THE DISTRICT.

I THINK I ALSO WORKING WITH DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE, I HAVE ALSO SOME JUST PERSPECTIVE OF, OF AND LEARNINGS FROM ACROSS THE STATE. AND SO I'M HOPING TO BRING THAT AND I AND I COULD BE WRONG, BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT MS. HARRISON WAS THE ONLY ROUND ROCK ISD GRADUATE.

AND SO I FEEL LIKE THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE MISSING IS SOMEONE WHO'S GONE THROUGH, AGAIN, MATRICULATED FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL, AND IS NOW BACK IN THE COMMUNITY AND WITH AGAIN, DEEP ROOTS IN THE COMMUNITY AND JUST PERSPECTIVE.

AND, AND I THINK ADVOCATING. WHICH I BELIEVE THAT YOU ALL DO, BUT ADVOCATING WITH MY SPECIFIC LENS.

SO PLEASE GIVE ME PLEASE GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF A POLICY THAT OUR BOARD APPROVED IN THE PAST AND WHETHER OR NOT YOU AGREE WITH IT AND WHY. THANK YOU. I HAVE BEEN TO A HANDFUL OF BOARD MEETINGS, AND ACTUALLY ONE OF THE [LAUGHTER] THE. I THINK WHEN I STARTED COMING, WHEN I CAME BACK INTO THE DISTRICT, WHEN MY, MY OLDEST WAS OLD ENOUGH FOR ME TO BRING HIM THE FEW MEETING, THE COUPLE MEETINGS THAT I STARTED WITH WERE TALKING ABOUT THE BOOK BANS, AND THOSE MEETINGS WERE DEFINITELY I WOULDN'T SAY CONTENTIOUS FROM A BOARD STANDPOINT, BUT LIKE HAVING PEOPLE COME UP AND READ, THAT WAS DEFINITELY I THINK, PROVOKING, LIKE TO PROVOKE CONTROVERSY AND UNCOMFORTABILITY AND ALL OF THAT.

AND WHILE I DON'T KNOW THE SPECIFIC POLICIES THAT HAVE COME, I COME FROM THAT.

I DO KNOW THE POLICIES AT THE, THE STATE LEVEL THAT ARE NOW ENFORCED.

AND I WOULD HOPE OR I BELIEVE THAT THE BOARD IS HOPING TO BALANCE WHAT IS REQUIRED BY LAW, PARENTAL CHOICE, BUT WITH WITHOUT WITHHOLDING INFORMATION FROM THE REST OF THE, THE STUDENTS AND BEING ABLE TO OFFER A VARIETY AND DIVERSITY OF BOOKS AND LITERATURE FOR ALL STUDENTS.

[00:30:11]

AND I THINK THAT IS A PART OF THE COMMITMENT OF BEING ON THE BOARD IS MAYBE YOU DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING, BUT THAT YOU TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DIVE DEEPER AND LEARN ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE COMMUNITY, TALKING TO PARENTS, TALKING TO STUDENTS TO MAKE THE MOST IMPACTFUL DECISION ON THESE POLICIES.

THANK YOU. STRONGER DECISIONS COME WHEN A WIDE RANGE OF PERSPECTIVES ARE HONORED.

WHAT UNIQUE LIVED EXPERIENCE OR VIEWPOINT WOULD YOU BRING THAT ISN'T YET REPRESENTED ON THIS DAIS? AND HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF MAKING A DIFFERENCE? ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES ARE APPRECIATED, BUT NOT REQUIRED.

YEAH. I FEEL LIKE I, I MENTIONED THIS, YOU KNOW, A HANDFUL OF TIMES ALREADY, BUT BEING A HAVING MY BACKGROUND BE A STUDENT THAT'S GRADUATED AND GONE THROUGH THE ROUND ROCK ISD BEING A NEW PARENT WORKING WITH DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE AND ALSO MY EDUCATION, MY EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND BEING A SOCIAL JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS, I FEEL LIKE I HAVE A PERSPECTIVE. I HAVE A KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS THAT I CAN BRING TO THE BOARD.

I ALSO BELIEVE THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO CENTER STUDENT VOICE CENTER TEACHER VOICE, PARENT VOICE IN THE DECISIONS THAT AFFECT THEM. AND SO I BELIEVE I WOULD BE AN ADVOCATE FOR TRYING TO INCLUDE THOSE IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE WHEN MAKING DECISIONS BECAUSE INCLUDING THE THOSE THAT ARE CLOSEST TO WHAT IS GOING ON AND CLOSEST TO IT IS THOSE THAT ARE BEING AFFECTED. SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE CONVERSATION.

AND SO HOPEFULLY THROUGH MY BACKGROUND, MY EXPERTISE, MY CAREER EXPERIENCE, I CAN BRING ALL OF THAT VIEWPOINT AND PERSPECTIVE, BUT ALSO BEING AN ADVOCATE FOR CENTERING STUDENT VOICE, CENTERING TEACHER VOICE, CENTERING, AGAIN, THOSE THAT ARE IMPACTED THE MOST.

AND I SEE IT MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN AT IN THE WAY THAT HOPEFULLY CREATING DIALOG AND PROVOKING CONVERSATION THAT AND ASKING THE TOUGH QUESTIONS, ASKING THE HARD QUESTIONS IN THE VIEWPOINT OF SOMEBODY WHO HAS BEEN IN THE SYSTEM HERE, SOMEONE WHO HAS A CHILD THAT'S IN THE SYSTEM AS A NEW PARENT THAT'S JUST STARTING THE SYSTEM ASKING THOSE QUESTIONS AND HOPEFULLY, HOPEFULLY PROVOKING THOUGHTFUL CONVERSATION THROUGH THROUGH THAT.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND TO BE THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES OF A TRUSTEE AND THE BALANCE OF GOVERNANCE VERSUS MANAGEMENT OF THE DISTRICT? YEAH. SO I THINK THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY IS TO SET POLICIES AND ENSURE THAT THEY ARE EQUITABLE FOR ALL THAT ARE AFFECTED BY IT. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT THE MAIN RESPONSIBILITY, AS WELL AS TO HOLD THE SUPERINTENDENT ACCOUNTABLE AND SETTING GOALS FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE DISTRICT.

AND SO I THINK MANAGEMENT COMES FROM OPERATIONS.

IT COMES FROM ON THE GROUND SUPPORT. AND I DON'T THINK THAT THAT IS A RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BOARD.

AND KEEPING THOSE SEPARATE, I THINK IS IMPORTANT.

AND YEAH, UNDERSTANDING THAT IT IS GOVERNANCE, POLICY, ACCOUNTABILITY THAT ARE THE MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES.

THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT MY TURN. THE ROUND ROCK ISD SCHOOL BOARD WORKS UNDER A LONE STAR GOVERNANCE MODEL TO HELP THE BOARD REMAIN FOCUSED ON STUDENT OUTCOMES. HOW CAN A SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEE KNOW IF ITS GOALS ARE BEING ACCOMPLISHED AND ITS POLICIES ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED, AND IF APPOINTED TO THE POSITION OF PLACE 6 TRUSTEE, WHAT STEPS WILL YOU TAKE TO ENSURE STUDENT OUTCOMES REMAIN YOUR PRIMARY FOCUS? YEAH IT'S INTERESTING. I ACTUALLY IN MY LINE OF IN THE ORGANIZATION I WORK FOR, WE HAVE SOME INDIVIDUALS THAT ACTUALLY CONDUCT THE LONE STAR GOVERNANCE FOR BOARDS. I MYSELF HAVE NOT [LAUGHTER] AND SO I CAN ADMIT THAT THIS IS ONE PART THAT I AM NOT TOO FAMILIAR WITH,

[00:35:01]

BUT I DO THINK THAT USING DATA TO EVALUATE GOALS IS IMPORTANT AND TO UNDERSTAND STUDENT IMPACT.

SO RELYING AND FOCUSING ON THE STUDENT DATA DISAGGREGATING BY INCOME, RACE, ETHNICITY AND MAKING SURE THAT THERE ARE NO GAPS THERE, I THINK IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT.

AND I THINK THAT CENTERING STUDENT OUTCOMES AGAIN IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THAT'S THE ROLE OF THE THE BOARD IS TO ENSURE THAT STUDENTS ARE SUCCESSFUL AND HOLDING THE SUPERINTENDENT ACCOUNTABLE FOR AND THE DISTRICT ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE GOALS THAT ARE SET.

AND SO ASKING THE TOUGH QUESTIONS CENTERING ON STUDENT OUTCOMES.

AND I THINK THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE SOME LIKE, YOU KNOW, DISCUSSION AND CELEBRATIONS AND REALLY BRINGING MORE LIKE VISIBILITY INTO THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE, THE TEACHER EXPERIENCE.

AND I THINK ALL OF THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT. BUT CENTERING ON STUDENT OUTCOMES I THINK IS HOW YOU REMAINED FOCUSED IN THIS POSITION IS JUST CONTINUING TO HAVE THAT THAT CENTERING.

I WAS LOOKING FOR THE GO AHEAD. I'M SORRY [LAUGHTER]. AS TRUSTEES, WE CARE DEEPLY ABOUT IMPROVING EDUCATION, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO WORK WITHIN A LIMITED ROLE.

CAN YOU SHARE A TIME WHERE YOU WERE PASSIONATE ABOUT MAKING CHANGE, BUT HAD TO ADJUST BECAUSE IT WAS BEYOND YOUR SCOPE, OR YOU REALIZED THAT YOUR FIRST IDEA WASN'T THE BEST WAY FORWARD? WHAT DID YOU TAKE AWAY FROM THAT EXPERIENCE? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

SO IN THE ROLE THAT I'M CURRENTLY IN, LIKE I MENTIONED, WE WORK WITH DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE TO SET UP PATHWAY PROGRAMS, AND THESE ARE COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN MULTIPLE DISTRICTS IN RURAL AREAS WHERE THEY WORK TOGETHER TO SHARE RESOURCES TO CREATE THESE COLLEGE AND CAREER PATHWAYS.

THEY'RE CALLED R-PEP IT ACTUALLY JUST PASSED IN THE THIS PAST LEGISLATURE.

SO TYPICALLY WE'RE TO PROVIDERS AND TYPICALLY WE ENCOURAGE DISTRICTS TO OFFER THESE PATHWAYS, THESE PROGRAMS, THESE COLLEGE AND CAREER PROGRAMS THAT THEY SET UP IN PERSON.

AND WE KNOW THAT IN PERSON IS GOING TO HAVE THE HIGHEST IMPACT ON STUDENTS.

THEY'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO HAVE HANDS ON EXPERIENCE.

AND IT LIMITS INEQUITIES FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE AT THE HOME CAMPUS DOING THINGS IN PERSON TO THE OTHER DISTRICTS WHO ARE DOING THINGS VIRTUALLY.

IT LIMITS THAT BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL DOING IT IN PERSON.

SO OUR MY RECOMMENDATION FOR THE DIRECTOR WHO WAS COLLABORATING, WHO WAS DEVELOPING ALL OF THIS, WHO WAS LEADING ALL OF THIS, WAS TO HOST IN-PERSON CLASSES FOR THEIR FOR THEIR INAUGURAL YEAR.

AND THERE WAS PUSHBACK. AND I THINK THAT WHAT I HAD TO STEP BACK AND UNDERSTAND IS THAT THEIR PERSPECTIVE BEING ON THE GROUND, BEING THERE IS, IS NOT ONLY VALUABLE, BUT IT'S LIKE THAT IS THE PERSPECTIVE.

WHILE STUDENTS CAN HAVE A I GUESS IT'LL HAVE MORE OF AN IMPACT ON STUDENTS TO BE IN PERSON.

THERE WERE LOGISTICAL ISSUES. THESE ARE RURAL COMMUNITIES.

HOW ARE THEY TRANSPORTING STUDENTS? HOW ARE THEY FINDING A BUS DRIVER? HOW ARE THEY ABLE TO FUND THE BUS DRIVER? LOGISTICALLY, HOW DO THEY MAKE THIS WORK WHEN THEY'RE TRANSPORTING STUDENTS? AND THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT WE TYPICALLY DEAL WITH.

BUT THIS WAS A SMALLER DISTRICT THAN WE'VE WORKED WITH IN THE PAST.

AND SO THIS RECOMMENDATION OF LIKE, NO, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO HAVE THIS IN PERSON BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO HAVE THE BEST THE MOST IMPACT ON STUDENTS TAKING A STEP BACK AND REFLECTING AND LISTENING TO THE PEOPLE ON THE GROUND AND THE DIRECTOR AND THOSE IN THE COMMUNITY IS ACTUALLY WE ACTUALLY REALIZED LIKE, NO, LIKE THEY KNOW THEIR COMMUNITY BETTER.

YES. THERE IS NO FUNDS FOR THIS. THERE IS NO FUNDS FOR THAT.

LIKE TAKING ONE ADDITIONAL YEAR TO BE ABLE TO PLAN OUT IS ACTUALLY MORE HELPFUL THAN JUST GOING IN AND COMMITTING TO IT IN PERSON.

AND SO THERE WAS AGAIN, INITIALLY LIKE A BACK AND FORTH AND NOT NECESSARILY A DISAGREEMENT, BUT JUST LIKE A DIFFERENCE IN VIEWPOINTS AND HAVING TO UNDERSTAND AGAIN, LIKE REFLECTING.

[00:40:06]

AND, AND LISTENING TO THOSE THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS AND VALUING THOSE ABOVE YOUR OWN.

AND SO I THINK THAT'S WHAT I LEARNED OR I HAD TO RECENTER MYSELF IN BECAUSE I DO TRY TO, TO WORK IN THAT WAY.

BUT RECENTERING AND LIKE, YES, THIS WILL HAVE LESS OF AN IMPACT INITIALLY, BUT GIVEN THE EXTRA TIME CAN HAVE MORE IMPACT IN THE LONG RUN. SO YEAH, THAT WAS JUST AN INSTANCE WHERE THAT HAPPENED.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. MS. FABIAN, IS THERE ANYTHING ADDITIONAL THAT YOU WOULD LIKE THE BOARD TO KNOW BEFORE WE CLOSE? YES. SO I WOULD JUST SHARE JUST A HOPEFULLY JUST A QUICK STORY AGAIN ABOUT MYSELF AND WHY I AM SO PASSIONATE ABOUT EDUCATION EQUITY. I HAVE GROWN UP IN THE COMMUNITY, AND MY CHILDREN GO AND ARE GOING TO GO TO SCHOOL IN THE COMMUNITY. BUT I MY BACKGROUND, I DID HAVE TO NAVIGATE A LOT OF CHALLENGES GROWING UP LOW INCOME.

WE AGAIN, OUT OF FIVE SIBLINGS OR OUT OF SIX SIBLINGS, I'M THE ONLY ONE TO GRADUATE COLLEGE.

AND SO THIS IS DEEPLY IMPORTANT TO ME. THE WORK OF EDUCATION EQUITY, THE WORK OF STUDENT SUCCESS.

AND I VALUE AND I RESPECT AND I RECOGNIZE THE IMPACT AND THE IMPORTANCE THAT THE BOARD CAN HAVE IN THE FUTURES OF CHILDREN. THIS POSITION, WHILE I FEEL LIKE IT DID COME UP QUICKLY.

THIS ROLE HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOMETHING THAT I HAVE SEEN MYSELF IN.

TO BE AN ADVOCATE FOR THE STUDENT THAT I ONCE WAS.

AND TO BE A VOICE FOR MARGINALIZED STUDENTS AND FAMILIES.

I'VE WORKED IN VARIOUS FIELDS OF EDUCATION, FROM BEING THIS TA PROVIDER AND WORKING IN RURAL DISTRICTS AND COLLEGE AND CAREER TO BEING AN AFTER SCHOOL DIRECTOR. WORKING AT A LOW INCOME CHARTER SCHOOL AND SEEING THE SYSTEM FAIL THOSE STUDENTS THROUGH CORRUPTION AND OTHER THINGS. THIS WAS A CHARTER SCHOOL.

AND SO AGAIN, I AM DEEPLY PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS WORK, AND I'M COMMITTED TO LEARNING AND DIVING DEEPER INTO WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A COMMUNITY MEMBER IN ROUND ROCK, WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A PARENT IN ROUND ROCK ISD, AND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A BOARD MEMBER. AND AGAIN, JUST RESPECT AND I RESPECT AND UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT THAT YOU ALL MAKE AND I APPRECIATE THAT. SO I ALSO WANT TO SAY THANK YOU. THANK YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH THAT WILL CONCLUDE THE INTERVIEW.

THANK YOU OH, SORRY. THAT'S ALL RIGHT [LAUGHTER]. OKAY.

YOU'RE WELCOME TO SIT IN HERE OR YOU CAN GO BACK.

BOARD MEMBERS, LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU WANT ME TO GET TO THE NEXT CANDIDATE MS. HILL.

[00:45:05]

WELCOME, MR. CUERO [LAUGHTER].

WHEN IT'S RED, THEY CAN HEAR YOU. OKAY THANK YOU FOR APPLYING FOR THE PLACE 6 VACANCY ON THE ROUND ROCK ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO THE BOARD AND THEN INTRODUCE THE LEARNING COMMUNITY IN WHICH YOU LIVE IN.

AND THEN WE'LL GET STARTED WITH QUESTIONS. AND I KNOW YOU JUST HEARD THIS, BUT I'M GOING TO REMIND YOU ONE MORE TIME, BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT'S TRICKY WHEN THE LIGHT ON YOUR MIC IS RED, WE CAN HEAR YOU AND GO AHEAD.

BEFORE I GET STARTED, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU, TIFFANIE, FOR THE TIME THAT YOU'VE GIVEN TO THE DISTRICT.

YOUR LEADERSHIP AND ADVOCACY WOULD BE A LASTING IMPRESSION ON THE DISTRICT, SO.

THANK YOU. MY NAME IS FABIAN CUERO. I AM AN IMMIGRANT FROM COLOMBIA.

I HAVE THREE KIDS, TWO OF WHICH GRADUATED FROM STONY POINT HIGH SCHOOL.

I AM THE SON OF TWO PARENTS WHO DID NOT ADVANCE TO THIRD GRADE.

BUT THEY HAVE THE VISION TO RAISE THREE KIDS A COMPUTER SCIENTIST NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND ALSO AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEER.

SO THEY SAW THAT WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO BETTER OURSELVES.

SO THEY ALLOWED US TO MIGRATE HERE. I'VE BEEN IN ROUND ROCK SINCE 2000.

IN THE DISTRICT SINCE ABOUT 2005. STARTED VOLUNTEERING WITH THE WATCH DOGS.

THEN I MOVED OVER TO THE STAAR'S MENTORING PROGRAM IN 2016.

I WAS I COMPLETED THE LEADERSHIP CLASS FOR ROUND ROCK ISD 2017.

I PARTICIPATED IN THE CBC FOR THE 2017 BOND. 2018 I WAS CHOSEN AS THE CHAIR FOR THE GROWTH SUBCOMMITTEE FOR THE 2018 BOND, AND THEN 2024 LAST YEAR I WAS CO-CHAIR FOR THE CBC LAST YEAR. I AM EMPLOYED AT DELL TECHNOLOGIES, WHERE I'VE BEEN FOR THE LAST 25 YEARS.

FOCUSING ON BI STRATEGIES AND BRINGING IN NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO ALIGN WITH OUR BUSINESS OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY. THANK YOU.

SO EACH TRUSTEE SUBMITTED AN INTERVIEW QUESTION, AND THE SAME QUESTIONS WILL BE ASKED TO ALL THE CANDIDATES IN THE SAME ORDER.

AND THE SUBMITTING TRUSTEE WILL READ THEIR QUESTIONS.

SO TRUSTEE ZÁRATE, PLEASE READ YOUR QUESTION.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT APPRECIATE IT.

WHAT ONE WORD DO YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU THINK OF OUR DISTRICT? PLEASE TELL US WHY THAT WORD. THE WORD THAT I THINK IS PROGRESSIVE ALONG WITH INNOVATIVE.

I THINK THE FACT THAT THE DISTRICT WANTS TO BECOME A DESTINATION DISTRICT HAS ALLOWED US TO ALLOW YOU GUYS WITH THE WITH THE HELP OF YOU GUYS TO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LOOK AT WAYS IN WHICH, YOU KNOW, WE COULD GROW THE DISTRICT CATER TO EACH STUDENT IN THE DISTRICT WORK TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT THAT TEACHERS HAVE THE PROPER FUNDING. YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT OTHER DISTRICTS, YOU KNOW, DON'T HAVE YOU. YOU GUYS HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB AT TRYING TO GET THAT MAKE ROUND ROCK ISD A DESTINATION DISTRICT.

SO I THINK YOU KNOW, INNOVATIVE AND PROGRESSIVE IS THE WORD.

ALL RIGHT MINE'S A LITTLE BIT LONGER. IN THE COMING YEAR, THE BOARD WILL BE WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY AND OUR LONE STAR GOVERNANCE COACH TO REDO OUR BOARD GOALS AND CONSTRAINTS FOR THE DISTRICT AND SUPERINTENDENT, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CURRENT GOALS?

[00:50:05]

AND I THINK NEXT YEAR WILL BE THE LAST YEAR OF THAT.

SO THOSE OUTCOMES ARE REALLY TELLING. AND, YOU KNOW, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, IT WOULD BE SOMETHING WHERE I COULD UTILIZE THE THE EXPERIENCE THAT I'VE HAD IN VOLUNTEERING WITH THE DISTRICT, YOU KNOW, RUNNING THROUGH WITH THE, THE CBC AND SO FORTH, BUT ALSO IN MY PERSONAL CAPACITY WITH WORK.

RIGHT? SO I'M ABLE TO WORK WITH DIFFERENT TEAMS COME TOGETHER TO ANALYZE THE DATA, USE DATA AS THE BASIS FOR THE GOALS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE, USE THAT DATA AND TRANSFORM IT IN A WAY THAT IT WILL BE POSITIVE FOR WHATEVER OUTCOMES WE, WE DECIDE AS A, AS A BODY.

RIGHT? AND THEN CONTINUE TO ANALYZE THAT DATA SO THAT WE CAN HAVE, YOU KNOW, RESULTS THAT ARE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE IMPROVING YOU KNOW, TEST SCORES, WE'RE IMPROVING STUDENT OUTCOMES.

SO WHEN THAT TIME COMES, I'M GOING TO UTILIZE MY EXPERTISE IN BI INTELLIGENCE.

LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, THAT INFORMATION AND PUTTING THAT DATA INTO ACTION.

ALL RIGHT THANK YOU. MY QUESTION IS, PLEASE GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF A POLICY THAT OUR BOARD APPROVED IN THE PAST AND WHETHER OR NOT YOU AGREE WITH IT AND WHY, THANK YOU.

ONE OF THE POLICIES THAT THAT I REMEMBER SORRY ONE SECOND SORRY, I'M GOING BLANK HERE. BUT, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO.

I JUST WANT I THINK THE HAVING THE ABILITY TO WORK WITH TEA AND TEST SCORES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. YEAH, THAT'S THAT'S IT.

STRONGER DECISIONS COME WHEN A WIDE RANGE OF PERSPECTIVES ARE HONORED.

WHAT UNIQUE LIVED EXPERIENCE OR VIEWPOINT WOULD YOU BRING THAT ISN'T YET REPRESENTED ON THIS DAIS, AND HOW DO YOU SEE IT MAKING A DIFFERENCE? ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES ARE APPRECIATED, BUT NOT REQUIRED.

YEAH SO BEING FROM COLOMBIA, I HAVE A PERSPECTIVE OR BEING FROM COLOMBIA GROWING UP IN MIAMI, I HAVE THE PERSPECTIVE THAT SOME OF THE STUDENTS DON'T HAVE THE SAME QUALITY OF EDUCATION.

I GREW UP GETTING SECOND AND THIRD HAND BOOKS.

RIGHT? AND I MADE IT A POINT THAT WHEN, IF I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET IN A POSITION OF LEADERSHIP, THAT I WOULD MAKE SURE THAT ALL STUDENTS ARE REPRESENTED NO MATTER WHAT.

RIGHT? SO I WANT TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH NOT ONLY THE DAIS, BUT ALSO THE ADMINISTRATORS TO FIND WAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT EACH STUDENTS, WHETHER THEY'RE EB OR THEY'RE LOW INCOME OR HIGH PERFORMING STUDENTS. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE STUDENTS HAVE THOSE, YOU KNOW, GREAT REPRESENTATION THROUGHOUT. THAT THEY HAVE THE SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED AND THAT THAT WITH ALL OF THAT WE COULD MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE THEY'RE REACHING THEIR FULL POTENTIAL WITH THE DISTRICT.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE

[00:55:08]

DOCTOR, SO THE DAIS IS THE GOVERNANCE, RIGHT? WE LOOK AT RULES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE AND THE THE MANAGEMENT IS WHAT DOCTOR AZAIEZ AND HIS TEAM DOES. RIGHT? SO THEY ARE THE ONES THAT GO OUT INTO THE DIFFERENT FACILITIES, DIFFERENT CAMPUSES AND, AND HAVE THOSE THOSE GOVERNANCE, THOSE RULES SET FORTH WITH THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT. SO THAT'S THE SEPARATION WHERE EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE TRUSTEES THAT CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH, BUT THEY CAN'T DICTATE WHAT EACH CAMPUS DOES.

THAT'S UP TO THEM, TO DOCTOR AZAIEZ AND HIS TEAM.

THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT. THE ROUND ROCK ISD SCHOOL BOARD WORKS UNDER A LONE STAR GOVERNANCE MODEL TO HELP THE BOARD REMAIN FOCUSED ON STUDENT OUTCOMES.

HOW CAN A SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEE KNOW IF ITS GOALS ARE BEING ACCOMPLISHED AND ITS POLICIES ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED, AND IF APPOINTED TO THE POSITION OF PLACE 6 TRUSTEE, WHAT STEPS WILL YOU TAKE TO ENSURE STUDENT OUTCOMES REMAIN YOUR PRIMARY FOCUS? SURE THANK YOU. SO. LIKE I MENTIONED BEFORE. SO I'M A DATA GUY, RIGHT? SO YOU KNOW, THE NUMBERS DON'T LIE. IT'S THE SAME.

AND, YOU KNOW? FOR ME, JUST TAKING A LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WHAT? THE NUMBERS ARE WHERE WE'RE AT. YOU KNOW, WITHIN WHATEVER MEASURE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO TACKLE.

AND THEN WE START AT A BASELINE. USE THAT BASELINE TO MEASURE OURSELVES AGAINST.

AND THEN AS TIME GOES ON, PERIODICALLY CHECK WHERE WE ARE AT SOME CHECKPOINTS.

WHEN, IF, IF ANYTHING FALLS OUT OF OUR RANGE, OUT OF OUR PURVIEW, THEN WE NEED TO COME BACK AND INTERVENE AND HAVE A RE TALK AND REFOCUS ON WHAT WHAT WE NEED TO DO, BUT USE THAT DATA, THAT INFORMATION TO TO MAKE CHANGES TO ADDRESS ANY NEEDS AND SO FORTH. AND, YOU KNOW, WITH THE EXPERIENCE THAT I HAVE IN, IN TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE AND NOW STARTING AI. YOU KNOW, I WANT TO BRING THAT MENTALITY TO TO THE DISTRICT WHERE EVERYTHING THAT WE DO DOESN'T HAVE TO BE, YOU KNOW, THE WAY IT USED TO BE.

[LAUGHTER] WE COULD BE INNOVATIVE AND WE COULD USE THE LATEST AND GREATEST PLATFORMS TO MAKE CHANGES TO TO INCREASE STUDENT OUTCOMES AND REACH OUR GOALS.

AS TRUSTEES, WE CARE DEEPLY ABOUT IMPROVING EDUCATION, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO WORK WITHIN A LIMITED ROLE.

CAN YOU SHARE A TIME WHERE YOU WERE PASSIONATE ABOUT MAKING CHANGE, BUT HAD TO ADJUST BECAUSE IT WAS BEYOND YOUR SCOPE, OR YOU REALIZED THAT YOUR FIRST IDEA WASN'T THE BEST WAY FORWARD? WHAT DID YOU TAKE AWAY FROM THAT EXPERIENCE? I'M GOING TO USE THE 2024 BOND.

INITIALLY WHEN WE WHEN WE STARTED TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE BUDGET, THE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY [LAUGHTER] THAT WE WANTED TO MOVE FORWARD, I MADE A SUGGESTION ABOUT. LET'S START.

LET'S START WITH, WITH A SET NUMBER SO THAT, YOU KNOW WE COULD MAKE DECISIONS TO WHETHER, YOU KNOW, INCREASE OR DECREASE THAT AMOUNT.

WELL I WAS QUICKLY VOTED NOT TO DO THAT [LAUGHTER].

[01:00:07]

SO I LEARNED A GOOD LESSON THAT WE LIVE IN A DEMOCRACY.

AND THOSE FOLKS THAT WANTED TO GO A DIFFERENT ROUTE OR, YOU KNOW, WERE RIGHT AND I WAS WRONG.

BUT IT WAS A GOOD LEARNING LESSON FOR ME.

MR. CUERO THANK YOU. IS THERE ANYTHING ADDITIONAL THAT YOU WOULD LIKE THE BOARD TO KNOW BEFORE WE CLOSE? YEAH SO I KNOW THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE A LOT OF CANDIDATES HERE THAT THAT ARE REALLY SOLID. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT COULD SEPARATE ME FROM, FROM THEM IS I GREW UP IN A HOME WHERE, YOU KNOW, MY PARENTS WORKED DAY AND NIGHT REALLY, REALLY HARD WORKERS.

AND THAT THAT HARD WORK SPILLED OVER TO ME AND MY SIBLINGS.

AND SO WHEN, WHEN GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO AHEAD AND WORK ONE ON ONE AGAINST ANOTHER CANDIDATE, THAT NO ONE'S GOING TO OUTWORK ME BECAUSE I KNOW ME [LAUGHTER].

BUT I APPRECIATE THE TIME THAT YOU GUYS HAVE TAKEN OUT TO ALLOW ME TO SPEAK TONIGHT.

I LOOK FORWARD TO, YOU KNOW? BEING PART OF A GREAT TEAM AND HOPEFULLY MAKE THE ROUND ROCK ISD THE DESTINATION DISTRICT THAT WE ALL WANT IT TO BE SO THANK YOU.

THANK YOU SO MUCH THIS CONCLUDES YOUR INTERVIEW.

OKAY. MS. HILL, I BELIEVE IT'S. IS IT SYBIL NEXT? OKAY THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT.

[01:05:02]

WE NEED THE BUTTON FOR ACCESSIBILITY AND FOR THE CAMERAS.

SO CANDIDATE NUMBER FOUR IS SYBIL SIMMONS JOHNSON.

WELCOME, MS. JOHNSON, AND THANK YOU FOR APPLYING FOR THE PLACE 6 VACANCY ON THE ROUND ROCK ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO THE BOARD AND THEN ALSO INTRODUCE THE LEARNING COMMUNITY IN WHICH YOU LIVE.

AND THEN WE'LL GET STARTED WITH QUESTIONS. JUST A REMINDER BECAUSE IT IS TRICKY WHEN THE LIGHT IS RED WE CAN HEAR YOU.

OKAY SO MY NAME IS SYBIL SIMMONS JOHNSON AND MY KIDS ARE CURRENTLY I HAVE TWO KIDS AT BERKMAN ELEMENTARY, AND I HAVE THREE KIDS AT STONY POINT HIGH SCHOOL.

THANK YOU. EACH TRUSTEE SUBMITTED AN INTERVIEW QUESTION.

THE SAME QUESTIONS WILL BE ASKED TO ALL THE CANDIDATES IN THE SAME ORDER, AND THE SUBMITTING TRUSTEE WILL READ THEIR QUESTIONS.

SO TRUSTEE ZÁRATE, PLEASE START WITH YOUR QUESTION.

WELCOME THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. WHAT WORD DO YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU THINK OF OUR DISTRICT? AND WHY DO YOU THINK OF THAT WORD? SO BEING A PERSON OF MANY WORDS, THAT'S DIFFICULT.

BUT MY ONE WORD WOULD BE HOPE. AND I THINK I WOULD SAY HOPE, BECAUSE I THINK THAT HOPE IS ONE THING THAT WE ALL NEED.

IT'S ONE THING THAT WAKES YOU UP IN THE MORNING.

IT'S SOMETHING THAT WILL KEEP YOU GOING. JUST IF YOU HAVE HOPE, YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO STRIVE FOR.

ALL RIGHT MY QUESTION IS A LITTLE BIT LONGER, WHICH IS ACTUALLY WHY YOU HAVE IT THERE SO YOU CAN FOLLOW ALONG. IN THE COMING YEAR, THE BOARD WILL BE WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY AND OUR LONE STAR GOVERNANCE COACH TO REDO OUR BOARD GOALS AND CONSTRAINTS FOR THE DISTRICT AND SUPERINTENDENT.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CURRENT GOALS? AND WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU WILL BRING TO THE UPCOMING PROCESS THAT NO ONE CURRENTLY ON THE BOARD WILL BRING WHEN SETTING THE NEW GOALS? SO I WAS I WAS INVOLVED WITH THE FIVE YEAR PLAN FOR THE DISTRICT, AND THAT HELPS ME KIND OF THINK OF IT A LITTLE BIT.

BUT I THINK ONE THING THAT I CAN BRING TO THIS BOARD IS A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.

I FEEL LIKE WE ALL HAVE DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE AND DIFFERENT THINGS THAT LED US TO THIS ONE SPOT, AND I THINK THAT BEING ABLE TO HAVE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE COMING FROM A MOM OF FIVE AND DIFFERENT AGE RANGES COMING FROM LOUISIANA, COMING FROM JUST SO MANY DIFFERENT CHALLENGES AND BACKGROUNDS THAT I WILL BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE IN A DIFFERENT OUTLOOK ON WHAT'S GOING ON.

THANK YOU. PLEASE GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF A POLICY THAT OUR BOARD APPROVED IN THE PAST, AND WHETHER OR NOT YOU AGREE WITH IT AND WHY, THANK YOU.

IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, ONE POLICY THAT WAS APPROVED IN THE PAST YEAR WAS GEARED TOWARDS HATE SPEECH, AND I THINK I AGREED WITH IT, BUT I FELT LIKE WE COULD CHANGE IT A LITTLE BIT ONLY BECAUSE IT.

I FELT LIKE IT KIND OF OUSTED SOME KIDS. IT MADE IT SEEM, DEPENDING ON HOW THE WORD IS SAID OR WHO IS COMING FROM.

IT TOOK AWAY INTENTIONS, AND I THINK THAT INTENTIONS NEED TO COME INTO PLAY BECAUSE WE HAVE WE CAN POSSIBLY BE OVER CRIMINALIZING SOME OF OUR KIDS ARE NOT TREATING THEM AS WE SHOULD BECAUSE OF THE LANGUAGE.

THANK YOU. STRONGER DECISIONS COME WHEN A WIDE RANGE OF PERSPECTIVES ARE HONORED.

WHAT UNIQUE LIVED EXPERIENCE OR VIEWPOINT WOULD YOU BRING THAT ISN'T YET REPRESENTED ON THIS DAIS, AND HOW DO YOU SEE IT MAKING A DIFFERENCE? ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES ARE APPRECIATED, BUT NOT REQUIRED.

[01:10:12]

WE DIDN'T KNOW WHERE WE WOULD END UP. WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TOMORROW LOOKED LIKE.

BUT THAT LIVED EXPERIENCE WAS DIFFERENT. I DON'T KNOW IF ANY ONE OF YOU ALL ARE FROM NEW ORLEANS, BUT BEING FROM NEW ORLEANS, WE WERE ABLE TO SEE WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE TO ADVOCATE, AND I WAS ABLE TO HEAR PARENTS SAY, YOU KNOW, IF I GET MY CHILD SIGNED UP FOR SCHOOL, AT LEAST I CAN DEAL WITH THE HEARTACHE OF WHAT'S GOING ON WHILE THEY'RE AWAY.

AND IT GAVE US A A THOUGHT PROCESS THAT ALLOWED US TO COPE WHILE THE KIDS WERE AWAY.

AND THE KIDS WERE ABLE TO SAY, YOU KNOW, THIS IS MY I HAVE FRIENDS HERE.

I MAY NOT HAVE MY HOUSE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HOME LOOKS LIKE RIGHT NOW, BUT THIS IS MY SAFE PLACE.

AND SO I THINK A BIG PART OF ME SEES SCHOOLS AS SAFE PLACES SOMETIMES.

WHEN YOU HAVE ISSUES GOING ON AT HOME, YOU CAN COME TO SCHOOL AND, YOU KNOW, YOU WILL STILL HAVE A HOT MEAL.

YOU WILL HAVE FRIENDS, YOU HAVE COMMUNITY, YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO, WHICH GOES BACK TO THAT WHOLE SITUATION.

YOU YOU HAVE A LOT TO LOOK FORWARD TO. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND TO BE THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES OF A TRUSTEE AND THE BALANCE OF GOVERNANCE VERSUS MANAGEMENT OF THE DISTRICT.

I FEEL LIKE THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES OF A TRUSTEE IS TO BE JUST THAT, TO HAVE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, TO BE ABLE TO GO TO THE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS AND HAVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEOPLE THAT YOU AFFECT, THAT YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH SOME OF THE STUDENTS AND SOME OF THE TEACHERS, SOME OF THE ADMINISTRATORS, BECAUSE EVERYBODY IS GOING TO HAVE A DIFFERENT OUTLOOK ON WHAT'S GOING ON.

EVERYBODY. NOBODY IS GOING TO ALWAYS AGREE WITH YOU, BUT I THINK IT BALANCES BECAUSE YOU ALSO ARE MAKING DECISIONS JUST OUT OF A REALLY GOOD PLACE. YOU WANT TO YOU WANT THE BEST.

AND I FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER. I FEEL LIKE WE ARE.

WE WOULD BE IN UNISON. AND EVEN THOUGH MY PERSPECTIVE MAY BE DIFFERENT OR LIVED, EXPERIENCE MAY BE DIFFERENT.

WE CAN COME TOGETHER AND FIND OUT WHAT'S BEST FOR THE PEOPLE WE ARE AFFECTING.

THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THE ROUND ROCK ISD SCHOOL BOARD WORKS UNDER A LONE STAR GOVERNANCE MODEL TO HELP THE BOARD REMAIN FOCUSED ON STUDENT OUTCOMES. HOW CAN A SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEE KNOW IF ITS GOALS ARE BEING ACCOMPLISHED AND ITS POLICIES ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED? AND IF APPOINTED TO THE POSITION OF PLACE 6 TRUSTEE, WHAT STEPS WILL YOU TAKE TO ENSURE STUDENT OUTCOMES REMAIN YOUR PRIMARY FOCUS? MY FIRST REACTION IS TO LOOK AT THE DATA. WE HAVE A LOT OF TOOLS.

WE HAVE A LOT OF SYSTEMS. YOU WANT TO LOOK AND USE THAT AND REALLY TAKE IT INTO ACCOUNT.

BUT MY HONESTLY, I'M A BOOTS ON THE GROUND TYPE PERSON.

LIKE I WANT TO KNOW. I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU.

I WANT TO KNOW IF I'M SAYING IF WE'RE SAYING THAT THIS SHOULD BE A RULE, HOW IS IT AFFECTING YOU? IS IT SOMETHING YOU CAN IMPLEMENT? AND HAVE WE GIVEN YOU EVERYTHING TO IMPLEMENT IT? LIKE, I FEEL LIKE IT HAS TO BE A COHESIVE RELATIONSHIP.

IT SHOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, WE CAN CONVEY TO THE SCHOOLS AND SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN BE ABLE TO CONVEY BACK AND SAY, HEY, THIS IS OR ISN'T WORKING.

AS TRUSTEES, WE CARE DEEPLY ABOUT IMPROVING EDUCATION, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO WORK WITHIN A LIMITED ROLE.

CAN YOU SHARE A TIME WHERE YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT MAKING CHANGE, BUT HAD TO ADJUST BECAUSE IT WAS BEYOND YOUR SCOPE, OR YOU REALIZED THAT YOUR FIRST IDEA WASN'T THE BEST WAY FORWARD.

WHAT DID YOU TAKE AWAY FROM THAT EXPERIENCE? YES, ACTUALLY.

[01:15:02]

BECAUSE WE HAD TO GET IT TO FIT THE DISTRICT.

WE HAD TO FIND SOMETHING TO SAY THAT WE ALL COULD BE IN AGREEMENT ON, AND SOMETHING THAT WE ALL COULD, WE FELT LIKE REPRESENTED US AND REPRESENTED THE DISTRICT AS A WHOLE.

IT COULDN'T BE GEARED TOWARDS ONE PERSON OR ONE GROUP OF PEOPLE.

AND I FELT LIKE WE SHIFTED AND WE CHANGED IT, AND THEN WE CHANGED IT AGAIN AND WE CHANGED IT A FEW MORE TIMES.

BUT AT THE END, IT BECAME SOMETHING THAT WE ALL COULD SAY, I COULD I COULD HOLD THIS UP LIKE, I CAN REPRESENT THIS AND THIS REPRESENTS ME. AND I DON'T THINK ANYBODY HAD TO FEEL LEFT OUT BY THAT.

I'M SORRY I DIDN'T ANSWER THAT SECOND PART. WHAT DID I TAKE AWAY FROM THAT EXPERIENCE? THAT WE COULD WORK TOGETHER. THAT WE CAN DISAGREE AND STILL COME TO A MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING THAT IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, ONE VERSUS THE OTHER. WE WERE TOGETHER.

THANK YOU, MS. JOHNSON, IS THERE ANYTHING ADDITIONAL THAT YOU WOULD LIKE THE BOARD TO KNOW BEFORE WE CLOSE? I JUST APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY AND I APPRECIATE YOU ALL BEING HERE.

I'VE BEEN. WELL, WE'VE BEEN A ROUND ROCK FOR SIX YEARS NOW, AND IT'S BEEN AN INTERESTING PIVOT [LAUGHTER].

I MUST SAY, BUT IT'S BEEN WORTH IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THAT WILL CONCLUDE YOUR INTERVIEW.

COLLEAGUES, ARE YOU READY? WE JUST NEED ONE SECOND, AMY DON'T GIVE US THE EVIL EYE DOWN HERE.

OKAY, MS. HILL, WE'RE READY.

THEY CAN HEAR YOUR VOICE WHEN IT'S RED.

[01:20:08]

WELCOME, MS. WALKLEY. I HOPE I SAID IT RIGHT.

YES, YOU DID, WALKLEY. PERFECT. THANK YOU FOR APPLYING FOR THE PLACE 6 VACANCY ON THE ROUND ROCK ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO THE BOARD AND INTRODUCE THE LEARNING COMMUNITY IN WHICH YOU LIVE. AND THEN WE'LL GET STARTED WITH THE QUESTIONS.

AND I KNOW YOU JUST HEARD THIS, BUT JUST A REMINDER BECAUSE IT GETS TRICKY, THE LIGHT ON YOUR MIC MUST BE RED FOR US TO HEAR YOU.

HOPEFULLY I CAN HANDLE THAT. BUT LIKE I WAS SAYING EARLIER, I OFTEN LIKE TO MUTE IT BEFORE I START TALKING.

YOU CAN ASK ANYBODY WHO'S EVER BEEN IN ANY OF MY ZOOM CALLS.

MY NAME IS MELISSA WALKLEY. I AM FROM THE MCNEIL LEARNING COMMUNITY, AND I HAVE TWO CHILDREN IN THE DISTRICT.

WAS THAT IT? OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. EACH TRUSTEE SUBMITTED AN INTERVIEW QUESTION.

THE SAME QUESTIONS WILL BE ASKED TO ALL THE CANDIDATES IN THE SAME ORDER, AND THE SUBMITTING TRUSTEE WILL READ THEIR QUESTION.

AND SO TRUSTEE ZÁRATE, YOU'RE UP. THANKS FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.

WHAT ONE WORD. WHAT ONE WORD DO YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU THINK OF OUR DISTRICT? PLEASE TELL US WHY THAT WORD. ONE WORD, MAN THAT'S HARD! BUT I THINK THE ONE WORD THAT FIRST POPPED INTO MY HEAD WHEN I SAW THIS QUESTION WAS HONESTLY INCREDIBLE.

AND WHY THAT WORD? BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE FROM THE SEAT OF A PARENT AND FROM THE SEAT OF A VOLUNTEER.

HOW INCREDIBLE OUR TEACHERS WORK, OUR STUDENTS WORK, OUR ADMINISTRATION WORK, AND EVEN WHEN IT'S INCREDIBLE AND MAYBE NOT THE BEST WAY IT'S STILL PRETTY AMAZING TO SEE HOW PROBLEMS GET SOLVED AND CONFLICTS CAN GET CAN BE RESOLVED.

AND THAT'S WHY I REALLY DO THINK ROUND ROCK ISD IS AN INCREDIBLE SCHOOL DISTRICT.

OKAY, MINE'S A LITTLE LONGER IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW ALONG.

IN THE COMING YEAR, THE BOARD WILL BE WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY AND OUR LONE STAR GOVERNANCE COACH TO REDO OUR BOARD GOALS AND CONSTRAINTS FOR THE DISTRICT AND SUPERINTENDENT, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CURRENT GOALS? AND WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU WILL BRING TO THE UPCOMING PROCESS THAT NO ONE CURRENTLY ON THE BOARD WILL BRING WHEN SETTING THE NEW GOALS? OH MAN, THAT'S A TOUGH ONE. BUT I LOVE THIS QUESTION.

WHAT DO I THINK OF YOUR CURRENT GOALS AND. WHAT DO I THINK OF YOUR CURRENT GOALS? I THINK IT'S REALLY HARD TO SET GOALS FOR A LARGE ORGANIZATION.

I THINK YOU GUYS HAVE DONE A PRETTY INCREDIBLE JOB OF DOING WHAT YOU DO, AND SETTING THE BAR TO A POINT WHERE OUR STUDENTS AND OUR TEACHERS CAN ACHIEVE THAT. I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCOURSE ABOUT MAYBE RAISING THE BAR OR MAKING THE GOALS A LITTLE HIGHER, ESPECIALLY IN SOME AREAS LIKE READING AND MATH.

BUT I SEE THAT WHEN YOU SET A GOAL TOO HIGH, YOU RISK NEVER BEING ABLE TO MEET IT.

AND IF YOU SET A GOAL THAT IS ATTAINABLE AND YOU GET TO MEET IT, YOU GET TO FEEL THAT SUCCESS.

AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, NOT JUST FOR OUR STUDENTS TO FEEL SUCCESSFUL, BUT FOR OUR TEACHERS AND OUR ADMINISTRATORS TO FEEL SUCCESSFUL AS WELL.

THAT'S ONE OF THE WAYS YOU CAN CONTINUE DOING THE WORK.

WHAT DO I FEEL I WOULD BRING TO THE UPCOMING PROCESS THAT NO ONE ON THE BOARD WILL BRING WHEN SETTING THE NEW GOALS? BOY THAT'S TOUGH. I THINK I BRING A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE TO THE DISTRICT.

ALSO I HAVE A STUDENT WHO RECEIVES SPECIAL ED SERVICES.

SHE IS A GRADUATE, TECHNICALLY, AND ENROLLED IN OUR 18 PLUS PROGRAM.

AND I'M NOT SURE ANYBODY ON THE BOARD MAYBE HAS HAD A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WITH WHAT WE DO WITH OUR SPECIAL ED STUDENTS WHEN THEY HIT THAT 18 PLUS AND WHAT WHAT MEASURES WE COULD DO TO HELP THEM SEE A LITTLE MORE SUCCESS.

I ALSO HAVE THE PERSPECTIVE OF HAVING A STUDENT IN OUR TALENTED AND GIFTED PROGRAM.

MY CHILDREN DIDN'T EVER MEET IN THE MIDDLE. I'VE GOT ONE ON ONE END AND ONE ON THE OTHER.

AND SO IT'S BEEN A REALLY INTERESTING EXPERIENCE NAVIGATING EDUCATION WITH THEM.

AND THEY'RE VERY DIFFERENT BUT SIMILAR NEEDS.

AND I THINK ALSO I WOULD BRING A SENSE OF COLLABORATION WITH SETTING THE GOALS.

I'VE WORKED A LOT WITH THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS IN THE DISTRICT.

[01:25:06]

AND I THINK A LOT OF THE CONVERSATIONS I'VE HAD WITH THOSE PEOPLE IN THOSE DEPARTMENT COULD HELP US IN SETTING OUR, OUR GOALS AND CONSTRAINTS. ALL RIGHT THANK YOU.

PLEASE GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF A POLICY THAT OUR BOARD APPROVED IN THE PAST, AND WHETHER OR NOT YOU AGREE WITH IT AND WHY.

THANK YOU. I, I'M NOT SURE IF THIS COUNTS AS A POLICY. I THINK IT DOES COUNT AS A POLICY.

IT'S IN YOUR LOCAL AND ALL YOUR BOARD GUIDING DOCUMENTS.

BUT I REALLY, AS A PERSON WHO ATTENDED, ATTENDS MANY SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS AND THEN WATCH AS MANY SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS, I DO APPRECIATE THE TIME CAPS THAT WERE PUT ON THE MEETINGS AND ALLOWING FOLKS TO SPEAK FOR A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME.

I THINK BEING MINDFUL ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND REALLY FOCUSING ON THE WORDS THAT YOU WANT TO SAY FROM THE DAIS IS IMPORTANT.

AND I THINK HAVING THOSE TIME CONSTRAINTS IN PLACE REALLY HELPS PEOPLE BE THOUGHTFUL IN WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO SAY RATHER THAN JUST.

SOMETIMES AND I FEEL LIKE MAYBE I'M DOING IT NOW.

THERE'S A TENDENCY TO GO [LAUGHTER] ON AND ON ABOUT STUFF, BE REPETITIVE WHEN YOU'VE ALREADY MADE YOUR POINT.

AND I THINK ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO GOVERNANCE, IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE CONCISE AND CLEAR.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING ONE OF THE POLICIES THAT Y'ALL HAVE PASSED THAT I DO REALLY APPRECIATE, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE TIME ENCLOSED.

AND I'M SURE YOU ALL APPRECIATE THAT TOO. IT'S BEEN NICE TO GET OUT OF THE BUILDING BEFORE 10:00 SOME NIGHTS AND NOT HAVE TO SPEND SO MUCH ENERGY JUST IN PERSON AND HAVING DISCUSSIONS. I THINK IT'S BETTER FOR EVERYBODY, ESPECIALLY Y'ALL FOLKS MAKING THE DECISIONS TO BE ABLE TO DO SO.

WHEN YOU'RE NOT SO TIRED AND STRUNG OUT. THANK YOU.

STRONGER DECISIONS COME WHEN A WIDE RANGE OF PERSPECTIVES ARE HONORED.

WHAT UNIQUE LIVED EXPERIENCE OR VIEWPOINT WOULD YOU BRING THAT ISN'T YET REPRESENTED ON THIS DAIS, AND HOW DO YOU SEE IT MAKING A DIFFERENCE? ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES ARE APPRECIATED, BUT NOT REQUIRED.

MY UNIQUE LIVED EXPERIENCE IS THAT I AM NOT FROM TEXAS.

I KNOW THERE'S A COUPLE OF YOU ON THE DAIS THAT ISN'T, BUT I GOT MY EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK, AND MY PARENTS CHOSE TO SEND ME TO PRIVATE SCHOOL AS OPPOSED TO PUBLIC SCHOOL.

I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF YOU WENT TO PRIVATE SCHOOL.

BUT IT'S NOT ALL IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE. I DIDN'T HAVE THE BEST EXPERIENCE IN PRIVATE SCHOOL, AND SO I MADE A VERY CONSCIOUS DECISION TO SEND MY CHILDREN TO PUBLIC SCHOOL BECAUSE I WANTED BETTER FOR THEM THAN WHAT I HAD.

I SEE THE STRENGTH OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I SEE THE STRENGTH OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY THAT THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE TO GO TO GO THROUGH.

HAVING GONE THROUGH PRIVATE SCHOOL MYSELF AND NOT GETTING THE HELP I ALWAYS NEEDED.

I AND MY FAMILY, MY BROTHER IN PARTICULAR, MAYBE SUFFERED A LITTLE BIT FROM THE LACK OF INTERVENTION THAT WE RECEIVED IN OUR PRIVATE SCHOOL.

AND I KNOW I'VE BENEFITED GREATLY FROM THE INTERVENTION.

MY CHILDREN HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET THROUGH THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN ROUND ROCK ISD.

ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES. I THINK ANOTHER UNIQUE EXPERIENCE I BRING IS THAT I AGAIN I KNOW WE ALREADY HAVE TRUSTEES ON THE DAIS WITH CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS.

I'M SURE WE HAVE TRUSTEES ON THE DAIS WITH CHILDREN IN THE TALENTED AND GIFTED DEPARTMENT TOO.

BUT MY SPECIAL NEEDS KIDDO IS NOT ONE OF THE KIDDOS WHO IS GOING TO LIVE INDEPENDENTLY, EVER, PROBABLY. AND WE KNOW THAT NOW. AND THAT HAS BEEN A CHALLENGING HILL TO CLIMB AND REALIZATION TO MAKE AS WE HAVE GROWN WITH HER THROUGH HER YEARS.

AND THAT IS MAYBE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE THAT I COULD BRING TO THE BOARD OF NAVIGATING THE TRANSITION

[01:30:04]

THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND TO BE THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES OF A TRUSTEE AND THE BALANCE OF GOVERNANCE VERSUS MANAGEMENT OF THE DISTRICT? I KNOW THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TRUSTEE ARE TO SET THE TAX RATE, APPROVE THE BUDGET AND SET POLICIES AND HIRE AND FIRE.

HIGHER AND NOT SUPERVISE. I CAN'T THINK OF THE RIGHT WORD.

EVALUATE THE SUPERINTENDENT [LAUGHTER]. IT'S BEEN A LONG DAY.

I KNOW THAT THE TRUSTEES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SETTING THE POLICY, AND I KNOW THE SUPERINTENDENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DECIDING HOW THAT POLICY GETS ENACTED IN THE IN THE DISTRICT. THE TRUSTEES ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DAY TO DAY RUNNING OF THE DISTRICT.

THAT IS, THE SUPERINTENDENT AND HIS ADMINISTRATION'S JOB.

THE TRUSTEES ARE REALLY JUST. NOT JUST ARE THERE TO OVERSEE [LAUGHTER] THE GOINGS ON OF THE DISTRICT AND MAKE SURE AS A, I DON'T KNOW, LIKE, KIND OF AS A FAIL SAFE A LITTLE BIT.

AND IT HELPS TO HAVE A BOARD OF MORE THAN JUST ONE PERSON TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS AND TO HEAR THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON. SO, YEAH, SETTING THE POLICY AND THE SUPERINTENDENT IS THE ONE WHO MAKES SURE THAT THOSE POLICIES GET DONE.

THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THE ROUND ROCK ISD SCHOOL BOARD WORKS UNDER A LONE STAR GOVERNANCE MODEL TO HELP THE BOARD REMAIN FOCUSED ON STUDENT OUTCOMES.

HOW CAN A SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEE KNOW IF ITS GOALS ARE BEING ACCOMPLISHED AND ITS POLICIES BEING IMPLEMENTED? AND IF APPOINTED TO THE POSITION OF PLACE 6 TRUSTEE, WHAT STEPS WILL YOU TAKE TO ENSURE STUDENT OUTCOMES REMAIN YOUR PRIMARY FOCUS? SO HOW CAN A SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEE KNOW IF ITS GOALS ARE BEING ACCOMPLISHED AND ITS POLICIES ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED.

I KNOW THE DISTRICT COMES TO MANY SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS WITH REPORTS ABOUT DIFFERENT ALL OF YOUR DIFFERENT GOALS.

AND YOU OH, GOSH, I'VE SAT IN MANY MEETINGS [LAUGHTER] WHERE MANY A DEPARTMENT OR DEPARTMENT LEADER HAS COME TO DISCUSS THE DIFFERENT READING AND LANGUAGE GOALS, THE MATH GOALS, THE ACADEMICS THE SENSE OF BELONGING.

I'VE BEEN TO MEETINGS WHERE THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN HERE TO TALK ABOUT HOW STUDENTS ARE DOING, HOW THEY'RE FEELING IN THE DISTRICT. I THINK MEETING WITH THOSE PEOPLE AND HAVING THOSE REPORTS AT THESE MEETINGS IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

AND I THINK THAT IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE PRIMARY WAYS THAT YOU GUYS CAN TELL IF THE THINGS THAT YOU ARE ASKING FOR OR BEING DONE.

IF I'M APPOINTED TO THE POSITION OF PLACE 6 TRUSTEE, WHAT STEPS WILL I TAKE TO ENSURE STUDENT OUTCOMES REMAIN MY PRIMARY FOCUS? I HAVE NEVER REALLY STRAYED FAR FROM STUDENT OUTCOMES, BEING MY PRIMARY FOCUS IN ALL OF MY WORK AS A VOLUNTEER AND AS A TEACHER IN THE CLASSROOM. MANY YEARS AGO, [LAUGHTER] I WAS AN INFANT AND TODDLER TEACHER ALL THE WAY THROUGH 3 TO 4 YEAR OLDS.

AND STUDENT THEIR OUTCOMES WAS MY NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.

ALWAYS. AND YOU GET A LOT OF HEAT FROM PARENTS WHEN THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE THEIR CHILD IS DOING THE THINGS THEY FEEL LIKE THEY SHOULD BE DOING.

BUT WHEN YOU KNOW THAT THAT IS WHAT THAT CHILD SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO, AND BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THAT WITH THE PARENTS, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I'M REALLY PROUD OF BEING ABLE TO DO IS HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH FOLKS WHEN MAYBE THEY'RE NOT SEEING WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE. SO, YEAH, I MEAN, THE SUCCESS OF OUR STUDENTS AND AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS ALWAYS AT THE TOP OF MY MIND.

EVEN WITH MY WORK AT THE PTA, I KNOW IT'S A PARENT AND A TEACHER ASSOCIATION, BUT WE'RE ALL THERE TO HELP OUR STUDENTS SUCCEED.

AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, HOW WILL I KEEP THAT MY PRIMARY FOCUS? JUST CONSTANTLY COMING BACK TO THAT, YOU'RE ALWAYS COMING BACK TO HOME BASE AND HONESTLY SEEING OUR STUDENTS SUCCEED AND HAVING THE FOCUS BE ON WHAT WE CAN DO TO HAVE THEM BE SUCCESSFUL WITH WHAT THEY HAVE IS MY NUMBER ONE PRIORITY AND HAS BEEN FOR MANY YEARS.

[01:35:01]

CAN YOU SHARE A TIME WHEN YOU WERE PASSIONATE ABOUT MAKING CHANGE, BUT HAD TO ADJUST BECAUSE IT WAS BEYOND YOUR SCOPE, OR YOU REALIZED THAT YOUR FIRST IDEA WASN'T YOUR BEST WAY FORWARD? WHAT DID YOU TAKE AWAY FROM THAT EXPERIENCE? OH, BOY.

I'VE HAD MANY LOFTY GOALS WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC EDUCATION.

I WAS REALLY INSPIRED WITH BY MY WORK IN THE EARLY CHILDHOOD CLASSROOM.

I WAS VERY LUCKY TO GET TO WORK IN A REGGIO EMILIA CLASSROOM, WHICH IS VERY STUDENT CENTERED AND CHILD FOCUSED.

AND IT WAS MY GOAL BACK IN 2019 TO GET MORE INVOLVED WITH PUBLIC EDUCATION, TO BRING SOME OF THAT PHILOSOPHY INTO THE PUBLIC EDUCATION CLASSROOM.

AS YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THINGS HAVE CHANGED IN THE REALM OF PUBLIC EDUCATION SINCE 2019, 2020.

AND I HAVE HAD TO PIVOT THAT GOAL QUITE A BIT.

AND INSTEAD OF HAVING MY LOFTY IDEAS OF BRINGING A STUDENT FOCUSED CHILD CENTERED WAY OF LEARNING AND BRINGING EARLY CHILDHOOD MORE TO THE PUBLIC SECTOR, I'VE HAD TO PIVOT INTO FIGURING OUT HOW WE GET KIDS FOOD TO EAT.

AND TO FILL THEIR BELLIES SO THAT THEY CAN ACTUALLY LEARN IN A CLASSROOM.

I'VE HAD TO FIGURE OUT THE BEST WAY TO DO FUNDRAISING, TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR TEACHERS AND OUR ADMINISTRATORS HAVE EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO MAKE THEIR STUDENTS SUCCESSFUL. I'VE HAD TO FOCUS ON BECOMING AN ADVOCATE AT THE STATE LEVEL, AND TALKING TO LEGISLATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES ABOUT WHAT I THINK, OR WHAT MANY EXPERTS IN THE FIELD THINK WOULD BE THE BEST WAY TO HELP SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS AND OUR SCHOOLS.

I'VE REALLY HAD TO LEARN WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO NOT BE LISTENED TO AND WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO NOT FEEL LIKE YOU'RE HAVING YOUR WORDS HEARD.

BUT TO KEEP GOING AND TO NOT LOSE HOPE AND TO HOPE THAT ONE DAY YOUR SEEDS FALL ON FERTILE GROUND AND GROW INTO SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN HARVEST EVENTUALLY. THAT DOESN'T ALWAYS HAPPEN.

AND WHAT DO I TAKE AWAY FROM THAT EXPERIENCE? AGAIN, RIGHT? YOU JUST HAVE TO KEEP GOING. YOU HAVE TO KEEP HOPE ALIVE.

THAT'S PART OF THE REASON WHY I'M HERE TONIGHT IS BECAUSE I HAVE ABSOLUTE HOPE AND LOVE FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION, EVEN IN TEXAS. AND EVEN AT THIS TIME I REALLY BELIEVE THAT PUBLIC EDUCATION.

OH, OH ONE MOMENT. I REALLY BELIEVE THAT PUBLIC EDUCATION IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS WE CAN OFFER CHILDREN IN OUR COUNTRY, AND I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT CONTINUE AND BE FULLY FUNDED, APPROPRIATELY FUNDED.

SO THAT MORE STUDENTS CAN EXPERIENCE SUCCESS.

I DON'T WANT TO LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE PEOPLE ARE UNEDUCATED.

I KNOW THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR EVERYBODY IF EVERYBODY HAD A GOOD EDUCATION.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, MS. WALKLEY. IS THERE ANYTHING ADDITIONAL THAT YOU WOULD LIKE THE BOARD TO KNOW BEFORE WE CLOSE? I'M JUST REALLY PLEASED TO SEE THE POOL OF CANDIDATES TONIGHT, AND TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE IN OUR DISTRICT WHO ARE WILLING TO STEP IN AND HELP THE BOARD ACHIEVE ITS GOALS AND CONTINUE TO MAKE CONTINUE MAKING SURE THAT OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT SEES THE SUCCESS IT'S BEEN ABLE TO SEE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND THIS CONCLUDES YOUR INTERVIEW.

THANK YOU INTO CLOSED SESSION UNLESS I HAVE A MOTION TO LIMIT CLOSED SESSION TIME? OH YES WE DO. OKAY. MADAM PRESIDENT AND WE CAN COME BACK AND ASK FOR MORE TIME IF WE NEED. BUT MY MOTION IS 30 MINUTES.

SECOND ANY COMMENTS? QUESTIONS? CLARIFICATIONS? I HAVE ONE.

I'M ONLY VOTING NO BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE HOW LONG THIS DISCUSSION TAKES, AND I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO NEGLECT AND COME BACK OUT ANY DISCUSSION.

I'M NOT OPPOSED TO IT, BUT I JUST DON'T WANT TO LIMIT WHAT I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE GETTING INTO. ANY OTHER COMMENTS?

[01:40:03]

I AM A TEACHER [LAUGHTER] 5-1-1. THANKS FOR THE GRACE.

DURING THE MEETING, THE BOARD MAY RECESS INTO CLOSED SESSION AS AUTHORIZED BY THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE,

[E. CLOSED SESSION]

[F. CALL BACK TO ORDER AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON D1]

DO I HAVE ANY MOTIONS COMING OUT OF CLOSED SESSION? MADAM PRESIDENT, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD APPOINT FABIAN CUERO TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

PLACE 6 TRUSTEE VACANCY AND SERVE UNTIL THE NOVEMBER 2026 ELECTIONS.

SECONDED. I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR NOMINATION NUMBER ONE.

ANY OTHER MOTIONS? OKAY SEEING NONE, DO I JUST CALL FOR THE? YEAH.

OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR? ALL IN FLAVOR, ALL IN FLAVOR [LAUGHTER].

CAN WE MAKE A COMMENT? SURE. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT CAME OUT AND INTERVIEWED.

IT WAS A VERY DIFFICULT DECISION. AND WE HAD AN INCREDIBLE CANDIDATE POOL OF, YOU KNOW, 12 PEOPLE.

SO SEVEN PEOPLE THAT DIDN'T EVEN GET AN INTERVIEW. SO I JUST REALLY APPRECIATE WHEN PEOPLE PUT THEMSELVES OUT THERE LIKE THAT.

AND I ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO IT MORE OFTEN. IT WAS GREAT SEEING SOME NEW FACES, AND I HOPE TO SEE YOU AROUND AT OTHER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE DISTRICT.

SO THANK YOU FOR PUTTING YOURSELF OUT THERE AND DOING BE ADVOCATING FOR ROUND ROCK ISD AND PUBLIC EDUCATION.

THANK YOU I SECOND THAT SO ELOQUENTLY STATED.

ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? OKAY SEEING NONE, THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR MOVES THAT THE BOARD APPOINT FABIAN CUERO TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, PLACE 6 TRUSTEE VACANCY, WHERE HE WILL SERVE UNTIL THE NOVEMBER 2026 ELECTIONS.

ALL IN FAVOR? ALL OPPOSED? ABSTAINING? MOTION CARRIES 6-1.

6-0-1 I'M JUST REALLY MESSING UP. GOOD THING I ONLY HAVE ONE MORE DAY.

IT IS 7:54 P.M. AND OUR BUSINESS IS DONE AND THIS MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED.

CONGRATULATIONS.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.