[I. CALL TO ORDER] [00:00:04] GOOD AFTERNOON AND WELCOME TO THIS CALLED MEETING OF THE RICHARDSON ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES. I AM REGINA HARRIS, PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD. WE DO HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT AND THIS MEETING IS CALLED TO ORDER AT 4:30 P.M. [II. PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION] IT IS TIME FOR OUR PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION MS. RENTERÍA. DO WE HAVE ANY CARDS FOR PERSONS WISHING TO ADDRESS THE BOARD? THANK YOU, MS. HARRIS. AND YES, WE DO. OK. SPEAKERS. SPEAKERS MAY COMMENT ON AGENDA RELATED TOPICS OR NOT. AGENDA RELATED TOPICS AT REGULAR BUSINESS MEETINGS, AT WORK SESSIONS OR OTHER CALLED MEETINGS. PUBLIC COMMENTS IS LIMITED TO AGENDA RELATED ITEMS. SPEAKERS HAVE 3 MINUTES TO PRESENT COMMENTS UNLESS THE TIME OF ALL SPEAKERS HAS BEEN REDUCED DUE TO A LARGE NUMBER OF SPEAKERS OR OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES. WE HAVE A BRIEF VIDEO TO INTRODUCE THE PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION AND TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WISH TO ADDRESS THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES. IN ADDITION, A DIGITAL TIMER WILL PROJECT ON THE SCREEN AND WILL COUNT DOWN THE SPEAKERS FROM 3 MINUTES TO ZERO. SPEAKERS MAY REFER TO THE SCREEN FOR THE REMAINING TIME. A COPY OF THE BOARD'S PROCEDURES FOR ADDRESSING THE BOARD ALSO IS LOCATED ON THE TABLE IN THE YEAR. PLEASE JOIN ME IN WATCHING THE VIDEO. THE PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION PROVIDES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO CONVEY INFORMATION TO THE BOARD. SPEAKERS MAY COMMENT ON AGENDA RELATED TOPICS OR NON AGENDA RELATED TOPICS AT REGULAR BUSINESS MEETINGS, AT WORK SESSIONS OR OTHER CALLED MEETINGS. PUBLIC COMMENT IS LIMITED TO AGENDA RELATED ITEMS. A PERSON WHO WISHES TO ADDRESS THE BOARD MUST COMPLETE A PUBLIC COMMENT CARD BEFORE THE MEETING TO INDICATE HE OR SHE WISHES TO SPEAK. CARDS ARE LOCATED IN THE FOYER OF THE AUDITORIUM AND COMPLETED CARDS MUST BE PLACED IN THE DESIGNATED BOX NO LATER THAN 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE MEETING IS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN. SPEAKERS WHO WISH TO PROVIDE WRITTEN MATERIALS TO THE BOARD SHOULD ATTACH THEM TO THEIR PUBLIC COMMENT CARD. A STAFF MEMBER WILL PROVIDE THE DOCUMENTS TO THE BOARD. PLEASE DO NOT APPROACH THE HORSESHOE AREA DURING COMMENTS. THE BOARD WILL NOT ENGAGE IN DIALOG WITH THE SPEAKERS. THE BOARD CANNOT DELIBERATE OR MAKE A DECISION ON ANY SUBJECT THAT IS NOT ON THE AGENDA. A SPEAKER MAY COMPLETE ONE PUBLIC COMMENT CARD FOR EACH MEETING. EACH SPEAKER IS LIMITED TO A TOTAL OF 3 MINUTES, UNLESS THE TIME OF ALL SPEAKERS HAS BEEN REDUCED DUE TO A LARGE NUMBER OF SPEAKERS OR OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES. A SPEAKER MAY NOT TAKE THE TIME OF ANOTHER SPEAKER. SPEAKERS WHO SPEAK THROUGH A FOREIGN LANGUAGE OR SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER WILL RECEIVE ADDITIONAL TIME. THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD IS NOT THE APPROPRIATE TIME TO PRESENT FORMAL COMPLAINTS. THE BOARD WILL ONLY CONSIDER FORMAL COMPLAINTS THAT REMAIN UNRESOLVED AFTER THEY'VE BEEN ADDRESSED THROUGH PROPER ADMINISTRATIVE CHANNELS AND WHEN THEY HAVE BEEN PLACED ON THE AGENDA. THE BOARD SECRETARY WILL STATE THE SPEAKER'S NAME AND COMMENT TOPIC OR TOPICS AS IDENTIFIED ON THE PUBLIC COMMENT CARD. A SPEAKER SHOULD APPROACH THE PODIUM AT THE FRONT OF THE AUDITORIUM WHEN HIS OR HER NAME IS CALLED. EACH SPEAKER SHOULD CLEARLY STATE HIS OR HER NAME AND THE AUTHORIZED SCHOOL OR SCHOOLS THE SPEAKER'S CHILDREN ATTEND OR HAVE ATTENDED. BEFORE BEGINNING TO COMMENT, THE BOARD SECRETARY WILL KEEP THE TIME FOR EACH SPEAKER. A SPEAKER MUST PROMPTLY END HIS OR HER COMMENTS WHEN THE ALLOTTED TIME HAS ELAPSED. NOT YIELDING THE PODIUM AS WELL AS REMARKS OR OTHER CONDUCT THAT DISRUPT THE MEETING ARE CONSIDERED OUT OF ORDER AND WILL NOT BE ALLOWED. VISITORS AND STAFF MUST LISTEN QUIETLY DURING THE PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION. IT IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR STAFF OR MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE TO CLAP, CHEER, BOO, DISPLAY BANNERS OR OTHERWISE ENGAGE IN DISRUPTIVE CONDUCT. PERSONS WHO DISRUPT THE MEETING WILL BE CAUTIONED TO OBSERVE MEETING RULES. ANY PERSON WHO PERSISTS IN ENGAGING IN DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR MAY BE REMOVED FROM THE MEETING. A PERSON WHO CHOOSES TO SPEAK DURING THE PUBLIC COMMENTS SECTION IS CONSENTING TO THE ONLINE PUBLICATION OF HIS OR HER COMMENTS. A COPY OF THE PROCEDURES FOR PUBLIC COMMENT IS LOCATED ON THE INFORMATION TABLE AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE AUDITORIUM. SO ON BEHALF OF OUR BOARD, WE WELCOME ALL OF OUR VISITORS AS WELL AS OUR SPEAKERS THIS AFTERNOON. SPEAKERS, PLEASE APPROACH THE PODIUM AT THE FRONT OF THE AUDITORIUM WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME. OUR FIRST SPEAKER THIS AFTERNOON IS MR. RANDY BLANKENSHIP, WHO WILL BE SPEAKING ON OPEN MEETING AT. GOOD AFTERNOON. DIDN'T KNOW YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO BE HERE. YOU'RE NOT POSTED ON THE MEETING'S WEBSITE. THE AGENDA ITEM OPEN MEETINGS ACT. I'M GOING TO DISCUSS IT. [00:05:02] THE AGENDA SAYS THAT THIS MEETING IS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT. TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE 551. THIS MEETING IS NOT LISTED ON THE WEBSITE. UNDER MEETINGS, THERE ARE NO MEETINGS LISTED FOR JULY. YET YOU HELD SOME. YOU VIOLATE THE LAW. YOU DISRESPECT THE PARENTS AND THE COMMUNITY. YOU CONTINUE TO MAKE CLAIMS OF LISTENING TO THE PUBLIC. I ASK YOU WHEN. IF YOUR MEANING IS NOT POSTED, HOW DO YOU LISTEN? I'M GONNA GET. SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME IF YOU DON'T POST THE MEETING. HOW ARE YOU LISTENING TO THE PUBLIC IN WHAT IS ON THE AGENDA? AN OPEN MEETINGS ACT. I ONLY KNOW THIS BECAUSE I WENT TO THE ADDENDUM ITEM AND THAT'S WHERE I FOUND OUT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN HOLDING MEETINGS. THE PARENTS AND PUBLIC ASKED FOR TRANSPARENCY AND FULL DISCLOSURE. AND THIS IS WHAT WE GET. WHO ARE YOU AFRAID OF? WHO ARE YOU AFRAID OF AND WHY? WHY ARE YOU AFRAID OF US? YOU'RE NOT LISTENING TO US. IT JUST GOES IN ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER. IS THIS A SIGN OF YOU TAKING CONTROL OF THE MEETINGS? THIS IS SOMETHING I'VE ASKED BEFORE. WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR MEETINGS? TRANSPARENCY. IDENTIFY THE SUBJECTS, NOT A TITLE. IDENTIFY THE SUBJECTS. LET THE PUBLIC KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT. WHO ARE YOU AFRAID OF? WHO OUT HERE. ARE YOU AFRAID OF? REALLY? I GOT ANOTHER MINUTE YET. I'M GONNA ASK THAT QUESTION UNTIL IT BORES YOU. WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE MEETINGS? WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE CARE OF THE AGENDA ITEMS? WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE CARE OF POSTING THE MEETINGS? THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A POSTED MEETING. AND THIS IS WHAT WE GET. THIS IS WHAT THE PUBLIC GETS. THERE SHOULD BE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN HERE. BECAUSE WHY? BECAUSE THERE'S AN INTEREST IN THE AGENDA ITEM THAT SUPPOSED TO BE HELD AT AN OPEN MEETINGS ACT. REGARDLESS OF WHETHER WE HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT THE CHOICES. WE STILL HAVE A RIGHT TO LISTEN. DON'T YOU KNOW THAT? YOU SAY YOU'RE LISTENING TO US. WE'RE LISTENING TO YOU. THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE. WHO ARE YOU AFRAID OF? PLEASE TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR MEETINGS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MR. BLANKENSHIP. OUR NEXT SPEAKER THIS AFTERNOON IS MR. EWEN BLACKMAN, WHO WILL BE SPEAKING ON SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH. GOOD AFTERNOON. BOARD MEMBERS, ESTEEMED EMPLOYEES. MY STUDENTS WOULD GET A KICK OUT OF THIS BECAUSE MY TECHNOLOGY HAS FAILED ME. I'M OUT OF BATTERIES. MY KIDS WOULD BE LAUGHING RIGHT ABOUT NOW. SO EXCUSE ME. AS I TRY TO RECALL MY PREPARED REMARKS MORE FULLY, THE ESTEEMED REVEREND DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING SAID THE TRUE MEASURE OF A MAN AND IN OUR CASE PERSON, IS HOW THEY TREAT SOMEONE WHO CAN DO THEM ABSOLUTELY NO GOOD. THE MEASURE OF A MAN IS WHAT THEY DO WITH POWER. IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE TRUE MEASURE OF A MAN, WATCH HOW THEY TREAT THEIR INFERIORS, NOT THEIR EQUALS. AND AS YOU GUYS GO INTO DELIBERATE, I HAVE NO IDEA WHO THE OTHER CANDIDATES ARE FOR THIS POSITION THAT WILL LEAD OUR DISTRICT IN THE FUTURE AS AS WE'VE HAD TUMULTUOUS TIMES, SOME BAD DECISIONS UPON BAD DECISIONS THAT CAUSED A LOT OF TURMOIL, A LOT OF HURT, A LOT OF ANGST IN THE COMMUNITY AS WE GO THROUGH MORE THINGS COMING UP THAT WILL BE MORE TENUOUS TO TO GUIDE THROUGH. I THINK WE SHOULD LOOK TO WHAT SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL SAID WHEN HE SAID CRITICISM MAY NOT BE AGREEABLE, BUT IT'S NECESSARY. IT FULFILLS THE SAME FUNCTION AS PAIN IN THE HUMAN BODY. IT CALLS ATTENTION TO AN UNHEALTHY STATE OF THINGS. AND FOR ME, I THINK WHEN YOU WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A LEADER, SOMEBODY WHO CAN THREAD THAT NEEDLE, SOMEONE WHO CAN BE IN THE MIDDLE OF A DISTRICT AS PURPLE AS OURS, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF FOLKS ON THE LEFT AND SOME THE FAR LEFT. WE'VE GOT FOLKS ON THE RIGHT AND SOME OF THE FAR RIGHT. AND YOU HAVE FOLKS DOWN THE MIDDLE WHO ARE JUST TRYING TO DODGE THE ARROWS COMING FROM BOTH SIDES. I THINK YOU NEED TO FIND A LEADER WHO IS GOING TO WALK THAT VERY FINE LINE TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH BOTH SIDES OF OUR COMMUNITY AND NOT JUMP INTO ONE, SAY, NAP. NEED ANOTHER PROGRAM. NEED ANOTHER PROGRAM. AND I THINK THAT FOR ME, I'VE HAD SIX MONTHS OF OF WORKING WITH OUR INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT, TABITHA BRANUM, AND I FOUND IT TO BE QUITE A REMARKABLE LEADER IN THAT [00:10:05] REGARD. PERSONALLY, I SPEAK ONLY FROM MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, AND AS YOU WELL KNOW, FOR MOST OF YOU, I'M NOT THE EASIEST GUY TO CONFRONT ON SEVERAL, SEVERAL THINGS. AND SO I THINK IF SOMEBODY CAN WALK THAT AND DEAL WITH SOMEBODY WITH WITH MY BACKGROUND AND OPINIONS AND HAVE A HAVE A AN ENGAGING DEBATE AND AN ENGAGING DISCUSSION ON THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION FOR OUR STUDENTS AND HOW WE CAN MAKE THEIR OUTCOMES BEST, HOW WE CAN PREPARE THEM FOR THE FUTURE. THEN THAT'S THE LEADER I'M WILLING TO STAND BEHIND. THAT'S SOMEBODY THAT I WOULD SPEAK OUT AND SAY, HEY, WHAT A GREAT JOB THEY'RE DOING. AND BY THE WAY, JUST TO BE CLEAR, WE DO NOT AGREE ON A LOT OF STUFF, BUT WE DO AGREE ON A LOT OF STUFF. THEN THAT'S HOW IT GOES IN LIFE. YOU AND I HAVE ALL HAD CONVERSATIONS AND WE FOUND THE SAME THINGS, BUT WITH WHAT I'VE SEEN HER DO OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS HAVE BEEN QUITE REMARKABLE IN DEALING WITH THE THE DIVERSITY OF OUR DISTRICT AND PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE AND ALL DIFFERENT OPINIONS AND ABLE TO BALANCE THOSE AND COME OUT WITH THE OUTCOMES WE CAN. AND I SPOKE ON THE SCHOOLS LAST TIME WE MET, AND I THINK THOSE SPEAK VOLUMES. SO THAT'S WHY MY VOTE IS THAT'S WHERE MY ENDORSEMENT WOULD BE IF ANYBODY IS ASKING. NOT THAT ANYBODY IS. BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH. HAVE A GOOD AFTERNOON AND GOOD LUCK. THANK YOU, MR. BLACKMAN MS. HARRIS. THAT CONCLUDES OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS FOR THIS AFTERNOON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. [III. ENTER CLOSED MEETING] RENTERÍA. THE BOARD WILL NOW CONVENE TO A CLOSED SESSION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT. TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTIONS 551.074 PERSONNEL DISCUSSION WITH SEARCH FIRM ON MATTERS RELATED TO SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH AND 551.071 CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY. IF THE BOARD CHOOSES TO TAKE ACTION TODAY, ANY BOARD ACTION WILL OCCUR AFTER THE CLOSED SESSION. THANK YOU, EVERYONE, FOR COMING. WELCOME TO THIS CALLED MEETING OF THE RICHARDSON ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES. THE BOARD IS RETURNING TO OPEN SESSION AT 5:51 P.M., HAVING TAKEN NO ACTION WHILE IN CLOSED SESSION. TO BEGIN, I HAVE ASKED OUR SEARCH FIRM TO GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH PROCESS. [IV.A. Consider and take possible action regarding Superintendent Search Applicants, to include naming Lone Finalist for the Superintendent Position.] MR. RAMIREZ, YOU MAY BEGIN YOUR PRESENTATION WHEN YOU ARE READY. ALL RIGHT, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS ADAN RAMIREZ. I'M ONE OF THE PARTNERS WITH O'HANLON, DAMARATH AND CASTILLO. AND WE'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH YOUR DISTRICT OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST 90 DAYS THAT WE'VE AS WE HAVE CONDUCTED THIS SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH FIRM, NOW THAT WE'VE GOTTEN TO THE CONCLUSION OF THE SEARCH AND THAT WE ARE AT THE POINT OF NAMING A FINALIST, WE WERE PROUD TO GIVE YOU A RECAP OF THE SEARCH, THE PROCESS, WHAT WE WENT THROUGH AND WHAT THE RESULTS OF THIS WAS. SO AT THE OUTSET, SOME OF OUR GOALS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT WHEN WE PRESENTED FOR YOU AS A FIRM WAS TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE A SEARCH THAT WAS FOCUSED ON THE COMMUNITY AND THAT WAS COMMUNITY CENTERED. THIS MEANT THAT, A THE PROCESS HAD TO INVOLVE AS MANY COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS AS POSSIBLE. WE ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE BUILT A SUPERINTENDENT PROFILE THAT WAS BASED ON THE STAKEHOLDER INPUT AND THE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED. ANOTHER GOAL WAS TO AGGRESSIVELY RECRUIT THE MOST TALENTED APPLICANTS AND AN OPEN AND TRANSPARENT PROCESS. WE ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE CONDUCTED AN EFFECTIVE RESEARCH. WE CONDUCTED EFFECTIVE RESEARCH ON THE CANDIDATES, VETTING THEM AND KNOWING EXACTLY WHO WAS BEFORE THE BOARD. AND LASTLY, WE WANTED TO ASSIST THE BOARD AND THE DISTRICT IN CONDUCTING A PROFESSIONAL, RIGOROUS INTERVIEW PROCESS TO ENSURE WE GOT TO KNOW THE CANDIDATES AS BEST AS POSSIBLE. PART OF OUR TIMELINE AND THE WAY OUR SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH OPENED UP WAS WITH OUR PHASE ONE, WHICH WAS OUR COMMUNITY INPUT AND DISCOVERY. THIS IS WHERE THE BOARD CONDUCTED EMPLOYEE SURVEYS, COMMUNITY SURVEYS. EIGHT TOWN HALLS. TEACHER FOCUS GROUP. PRINCIPAL FOCUS GROUP. ADMINISTRATOR FOCUS GROUP. STUDENT FOCUS GROUP. CORPORATE BREAKFAST. LEADER ROUNDTABLE AND FAITH BASED LEADER. ROUNDTABLE. THIS IS BY FAR ONE OF THE MOST EXHAUSTIVE AND MOST EXTENSIVE COMMUNITY INPUT PHASES WE'VE SEEN ANY DISTRICT DO THAT I'VE WORKED WITH, CERTAINLY WHERE WE MADE SURE WE TOOK THE ALL OF THE ABOVE APPROACH AND REACHING OUT TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE. IN MY EXPERIENCE, BOARDS HAVE CHOSEN A COUPLE OF THESE MENU'S OPTIONS. YOU ALL CHOSE ALL OF THEM. AND SO WITH THAT, WE DID LEAD TO A VERY ROBUST CANDIDATE PROFILE THAT REALLY GOT DIFFERENT CROSS-SECTIONS OF THE COMMUNITY INVOLVED. WE MOVED INTO OUR APPLICATION PERIOD FOLLOWING THE FIRST PHASE, AND THAT MEANT WE BEGAN RECRUITING APPLICANTS. WE DID CONDUCT A NATIONWIDE SEARCH, POSTING THIS ON NATIONWIDE JOB BOARDS. [00:15:04] WE ALSO MADE SURE WE RECRUITED AND WE WENT OUT AND LOOKED FOR INDIVIDUALS TO APPLY. AND THEN WE BEGAN OUR PHASE THREE, WHICH WAS WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING OVER THE PAST MONTH, WHICH HAS BEEN THE INTERVIEW SELECTION, REVIEW AND VETTING OF OUR CANDIDATES. SO WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF THIS? WELL, WE KNOW THAT ON OUR WEBSITE WE KEPT THE COMMUNITY ABREAST OF EVERYTHING THAT WAS HAPPENING AT THE TIME. WE HAVE THE WEBSITE. IT'S STILL LIVE. YOU CAN STILL SEE ALL THE DATA THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH AND WE'VE BEEN SEEING. SO THAT WAS VERY GOOD FOR US TO ALSO BE ABLE TO SHOW OUR TRANSPARENCY TO THE COMMUNITY. SO OUR TOWN HALLS, THE TOWN HALLS WERE FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. WE CONDUCTED EIGHT TOWN HALLS IN ALL FOUR LEARNING COMMUNITIES OF RICHARDSON ISD. THIS INCLUDED FOUR ENGLISH TOWN HALL MEETINGS, TWO SPANISH LANGUAGE TOWN HALL MEETINGS, ONE ARABIC LANGUAGE TOWN HALL MEETING, ONE VIETNAMESE TOWN HALL MEETING. IN TOTAL, MORE THAN 250 PEOPLE JOINED THROUGHOUT THE EIGHT TOWN HALLS. I DO THINK THAT'S A LITTLE CONSERVATIVE ON THERE I THINK IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN CLOSER TO 300, BUT WE DID HAVE CERTAINLY OVER 250 INDIVIDUALS WHO DID JOIN US. SOME JOINED US AT MULTIPLE TOWN HALLS FOR MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES. VERY ENCOURAGING TO SEE THAT OUR EMPLOYEE SURVEY, WE HAD OUR EMPLOYEE SURVEY IN TWO LANGUAGES. IT YIELDED 1402 RESPONSES. 64% OF THOSE WERE OUR EDUCATORS, 13% WAS OUR CLERICAL STAFF, 6% AUXILIARY. THE OTHER 17% IS DIVIDED WITHIN PRINCIPALS, DEPARTMENT HEAD NURSES AND CAMPUS ADMINISTRATORS. OUR COMMUNITY SURVEY WAS ISSUED IN SIX DIFFERENT LANGUAGES THAT YIELDED 2691 RESPONSES. 76% OF THOSE RESPONSES WERE OUR PARENTS OR GUARDIANS CURRENT ONES. 7% WERE FORMER PARENTS OR GUARDIANS. 6% OF THOSE WERE STUDENTS. THE OTHER 11% WAS DIVIDED AMONG GRANDPARENTS, FORMER STUDENTS OR COMMUNITY MEMBERS. OUR FOCUS GROUPS, WE CONDUCTED FOCUS GROUPS INSIDE THE DISTRICT, AND THAT FOCUSED ON STUDENTS, TEACHERS, PRINCIPALS AND CENTRAL OFFICE ADMINISTRATORS. IN TOTAL, MORE THAN 100 PARTICIPANTS JOINED US IN THESE FOCUS GROUPS. AS WE LEARNED THEIR INPUT DURING THIS PROCESS, WE ALSO CONDUCTED ROUNDTABLES OUTSIDE THE DISTRICT. THIS WAS FOR OUR COMMUNITY BUSINESS LEADERS THAT INCLUDED LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS, LOCAL CEOS OF LOCAL BUSINESSES, AND THAT ALSO INCLUDED OUR FAITH BASED LEADERS WHO RICHARDSON ISD HAS HAD A PREVIOUS WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH. IN TOTAL MORE THAN 50 PARTICIPANTS JOINED US FOR THESE TWO BREAKFAST ROUND TABLES THAT WE HAD, THIS YIELDED A ROBUST SUPERINTENDENT PROFILE, AND THE COMMUNITY SAID THEY WANTED A LEADER WHO COULD RELATE TO OUR ISD. THEY WANTED A LEADER WHO IS WAS WELL ROUNDED WITH EXPERIENCES, WAS FAMILIAR WITH TEXAS, HAS STRONG ACADEMIC CONVICTION, WILL CREATE WORLD CLASS STUDENTS, RECOGNIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF WELL-BEING, BUILDS COMMUNITY CONSENSUS, IS FOCUSED, HAS CLIMBED THE RANKS THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREER, IS COLLABORATIVE AND TRANSFORMATIVE, ACCESSIBLE, INVOLVED, BUT ESPECIALLY ONE WHO WILL BUILD ON THE CURRENT SUCCESS INSTEAD OF WIPING THE SLATE CLEAN. OUR RECRUITMENT EFFORTS INVOLVED US DOING DIRECT OUTREACH TO POTENTIAL CANDIDATES. POSTING ON OUR RISD WEBSITE, POSTING ON SEARCH FIRM WEBSITE. TEXASISD.COM IS THE TEXAS LARGEST JOB POSTING SITES FOR SUPERINTENDENTS. WE WORKED WITH VARIOUS PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS AT BOTH THE STATE LEVEL AND THE NATIONAL LEVEL. THIS WAS THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, THE TEXAS ALLIANCE OF BLACK SCHOOL EDUCATORS, THE ALLIANCE OF BLACK SCHOOL EDUCATORS AND THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF LATINO ADMINISTRATORS AND SUPERINTENDENTS, AS WELL AS THEIR NATIONAL CHAPTER. WE ALSO CONDUCTED NEWSPAPER ARTICLE THAT WAS PRINTED ON THE DALLAS MORNING TIMES AND ALSO ON ANOTHER PUBLICATION, AND WE ALSO SENT A PRESS RELEASE OUT TO THE DFW MEDIA MARKET. IN TOTAL, THE OUTREACH OF A RECRUITMENT EFFORTS WERE NATIONWIDE, AND WE DID OUR BEST TO RECRUIT THE MOST TALENTED. ONE OF THE THINGS I DO WANT TO POINT OUT TO THE BOARD WAS THAT OUR SEARCH WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT AND THAT WE WEREN'T TRYING TO CAST THE BIGGEST NET FOR ALL THE FISHES. WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE CAUGHT YOU ALL THE BEST FISHES. AND SO IT WAS A VERY DELIBERATE SEARCH. IT WAS VERY FOCUSED ON GETTING YOU QUALITY APPLICANTS. AND WE MADE SURE THAT QUALITY WAS ABOVE QUANTITY DURING THIS PROCESS. THIS YIELDED 20 APPLICANTS, 60% MET YOUR PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS, 90% MET YOUR MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS. 90% OF YOUR APPLICANTS WERE WOMEN, HISPANIC OR AFRICAN-AMERICAN. 55% OF YOUR APPLICANTS WERE CURRENT SITTING SUPERINTENDENTS. WHAT WE DID AS PART OF THE PROCESS AND INCLUDING THE BOARD AND THE BOARD ASSISTED WITH THIS, WAS REVIEWING EACH OF THE APPLICANTS LETTER OF INTEREST, REVIEWING THEIR STATEMENT [00:20:06] OF PHILOSOPHY AND EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION, THEIR RESUMES AND CVS TRANSCRIPTS, PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT HISTORY, REFERENCE LETTERS, LEGAL QUESTIONNAIRE. AND WE CONDUCTED EXTENSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE PRESENCE TO MAKE SURE THERE WAS NO SURPRISES WHEN YOU REACHED A CANDIDATE. FOLLOWING THAT, THE BOARD CONDUCTED THE INTERVIEWS. WE DID TWO ROUNDS OF INTERVIEWS. THE FIRST ROUND INVOLVED SCRIPTED QUESTIONS THAT THE BOARD DEVELOPED WITH THE SEARCH FIRM. THESE QUESTIONS WERE BASED ON WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT THEM DURING THEIR RESUMES, DURING THEIR CURRICULUM, CVS, OR THEIR STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHIES. IT WAS COVERED DIFFERENT BROAD TOPICS OF SCHOOL OPERATIONS, INCLUDING ACADEMICS, OPERATIONS, TRANSPORTATION, MAINTENANCE, BUT ALSO THE FOCUS ON TRANSFORMING AND STUDENT OUTCOMES AND STUDENT RESULTS. FOLLOWING THAT, WE ASKED ALL THE APPLICANTS TO SUBMIT TO THE BOARD FOR REVIEW A 30 AND 90 DAY PLAN TO SEE HOW THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE FOR THE BOARD SHOULD THEY BE HIRED AS RISD SUPERINTENDENT. FROM THERE, THE BOARD NARROWED DOWN THE POOL OF CANDIDATES AND THE BOARD WENT INTO A SECOND ROUND THAT WAS CONDUCTED TODAY. THESE WERE LONGER INTERVIEWS AND IT REQUIRED, THEY ADD, A COMPONENT OF 365 DAY PLAN TO THEIR ALREADY 30 AND 90 DAY PLAN, AND THE APPLICANTS WERE REQUIRED TO PRESENT THEIR VISION FOR THIS FULL YEAR AS SUPERINTENDENT. IN ADDITION, THE QUEST THE BOARD DEVELOPED THE QUESTIONS THROUGHOUT THE PRESENTATION AND AS FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS TO THE FIRST ROUND OF INTERVIEWS. WE ALSO INCLUDED NOT LISTED ON HERE AN INFORMAL 30 MINUTE REVIEW WITH THEM JUST TO SIT DOWN, HAVE COFFEE, HAVE TEA, TO GET TO KNOW THEM AT A MORE PERSONAL LEVEL AND SEE HOW THEY FIT WITH THE BOARD IN ALL. ALL OF THIS PROCESS LED TO WHAT WE'RE AT TODAY, WHICH IS TO GIVE THE BOARD THE OPPORTUNITY TO NAME A LONE FINALIST IN CONSIDERATION OF THE ENTIRE PROCESS THAT WE CONDUCTED DURING THIS SEARCH. DO I HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD THAT I CAN ANSWER FOR YOU? I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS IN REFERENCE TO YOUR PRESENTATION. GREAT PRESENTATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH. BUT WHAT WE WILL DO IS JUST KIND OF GO AROUND AND SEE IF OUR TRUSTEES HAVE ANY COMMENTS. SO I GUESS I'LL START OVER HERE TO MY LEFT HAND SIDE. MS. PACHECO, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING THAT YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT IN REFERENCE TO OUR PROCESS? YES. I JUST WANT TO REITERATE THAT I AM GLAD THAT WE FOLLOWED A THOROUGH PROCESS. WE KEPT FOCUS ON WHAT OUR COMMUNITY ASKED AND THE EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS LEADER. THANK YOU, MISS TIMME. I JUST WANT TO I WANT TO FIRST SAY THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES, BECAUSE WE WENT THROUGH A VERY STRONG AND EXHAUSTIVE PROCESS, AND WE WERE ALL VERY COMMITTED TO IT. AND SO I'M CERTAINLY THANKFUL FOR THAT AND FOR WHERE WE'VE LEANED IT. I ALSO WANTED TO TO THANK ETHAN AND HIS TEAM AT O'HANLON, DEMARATH AND CASTILLO FOR LISTENING TO RISD'S NEEDS, ALSO TO TAILORING IT TO WHEN WE ASKED FOR ADJUSTMENTS BECAUSE WE FELT THE COMMUNITY INPUT WAS SO IMPORTANT AND REALLY TAILORING IT TO WHAT WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT WE HAD A ROBUST CANDIDATE POOL. AND I ALSO JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT HEARING FROM THE STAFF, PARENTS AND COMMUNITY WAS REALLY A PRIORITY AS WE STARTED, AND WE MAINTAIN THAT THROUGHOUT EACH AND EVERY PART OF THIS PROCESS. AND SO WE KNOW THIS IS THE MOST CRITICAL DECISION THAT WE WILL EVER MAKE AS A BOARD. WE TOOK IT SERIOUSLY. WE MAY HAVE SET A RECORD FOR MEETINGS, I DON'T KNOW, BUT I'M SUPER THANKFUL FOR THAT. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. TIMME. MR. EAGER? YOU KNOW, TO ME, CONSISTENT IN THE COMMENTS WE'RE MAKING, YOU KNOW, BEING ON A BOARD OF TRUSTEES, WE HAVE FIVE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL ONES IS HIRING A SUPERINTENDENT. AND SO THIS WAS A SITUATION WHERE THIS WAS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT AND IT WAS NOT TO BE RUSHED. WE HAD TO DO THIS ONE AS THOROUGH AND IS BY THE BOOK AS WE COULD. AND I WANT TO SAY AND AGAIN, THANK MY COLLEAGUES, BECAUSE I CAN TELL YOU IT WAS A LONG PROCESS, BUT IT WAS EXTENSIVE. AND AGAIN, IT WAS CRITICAL FOR US TO GET INPUT FROM ALL OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND THAT WE HAD MULTIPLE TOWN HALLS AND WE LISTENED TO AND COMPILED SO THAT WE COULD END UP WITH THE BEST. BASICALLY LISTING OF WHAT OUR COMMUNITY WANTED IN THE SUPERINTENDENT. AND I'M VERY PROUD OF THE WORK THAT WE DID AS A TEAM. THANK YOU, MR. EAGER. MS. RENTERÍA? YES. JUST TO ALSO JUST DITTO EVERYTHING THAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID SO FAR. BUT I DEFINITELY I DEFINITELY WANT TO JUST THANK WELL, AGAIN, I'M VERY IMPRESSED WITH O'HANLON, DEMARATH AND CASTILLO, BUT I WANT TO ESPECIALLY JUST I HAVE OR ESPECIALLY THANK, BUT I HAVE SO MUCH GRATITUDE FOR FOR MR. RAMIREZ, FOR MR. [00:25:02] DAVID AND MR. CASTILLO. I JUST CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT JUST HOW HOW PROUD I AM OF THE PROCESS, YOU KNOW, HOW DEFINITELY WE WERE WE WERE VERY COMMITTED, AS MY COLLEAGUE MS.. TIMI SAID. I KNOW THAT WE WERE ALL VERY DILIGENT, INTENTIONAL AND AGAIN, JUST VERY COMMITTED TO THE PROCESS. BUT YOU GUYS, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU BECAUSE YOU GUYS WERE OF THE UTMOST PROFESSIONALISM, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU EXEMPLIFIED THAT. YOU GUYS WERE JUST AMAZING. AND YOU WALKED THROUGH EVERYTHING. I THINK EVERYTHING THAT YOU DID WAS JUST AWESOME. AND I WAS JUST SO GRATEFUL FOR JUST EVERYTHING THAT YOU DID. I MEAN, THE THE INPUT THAT WE GOT FROM THE COMMUNITY. I MEAN, I THINK THAT YOU LISTEN TO EVERYTHING THAT WE WANTED AND YOU JUST ALONG THE WAY, JUST EVERYTHING THAT THAT YOU COULD POSSIBLY DO TO MAKE THIS PROCESS AS JUST EVERYTHING THAT WE WANTED. SO TO YOU GUYS, I'M JUST VERY, VERY GRATEFUL AND I'M VERY THANKFUL. BUT AGAIN, TO I'M JUST JUST VERY HAPPY ABOUT THIS. IT'S VERY EXCITING. AND I'M JUST JUST THANKFUL. JUST VERY THANKFUL. THANK YOU. AND MS. MCGOWAN? I'D JUST LIKE TO AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUES AND THINK THANK YOU FOR THE SEARCH FIRM AND ALL THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS PUT IN. WE'VE DONE OUR DUE DILIGENCE AND I'M PROUD OF THIS BOARD AND THE COMMITMENT THAT EVERYONE PUT IN TO THIS SEARCH. SO THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES AS BEING A NEW TRUSTEE AND PART OF THIS TEAM. I COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD AND EXCITED TO BE PART OF THE FUTURE HERE. THANK YOU, MS. MCGOWAN. MR. POTEET? AND YOU CAN NEVER HEAR POSITIVE STATEMENTS ENOUGH, BUT BUT I'LL SPEAK TO HANLON, DEMARATH AND CASTILLO AGAIN AS WELL. BUT I DO WANT TO TAKE YOU BACK TO THAT NIGHT THAT YOU ALL INTERVIEWED FOR THE FOR THE ROLE. AND I THINK WE WERE ALL PRETTY SPECIFIC ON THIS WAS OUR PROCESS. WE WEREN'T CEDING THAT TO A SEARCH FIRM. AND YOU ALL UNDERSTOOD THAT. AND THEN YOU DEMONSTRATED THAT. AND THIS THE WHOLE TIME WAS A PROCESS THAT BELONGED TO THE BOARD, THAT HAD BEEN GIVEN TO US BY THE DISTRICT AND BY THE COMMUNITY. SO I WANT TO JUST SAY THANK YOU FOR MAINTAINING THAT IT WAS OUR PROCESS, BUT WE NEEDED A GUIDE AND YOU ALL DID A HECK OF A JOB GUIDING US THROUGH THIS. AND I CAN STILL RECALL, YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS WOULD GIVE US OPTIONS ON SCHEDULE, OPTIONS ON SCOPE OF WORK, AND YOU GIVE US A, B, C OR D, AND WE WOULD TYPICALLY RESPOND WITH E, ALL OF THE ABOVE. AND THE LOOKS ON YOUR FACES WERE A LITTLE STARTLED. AND THEN, OKAY, WE'LL MAKE IT HAPPEN. THAT WAS ALWAYS THE ANSWER. AND SO I JUST WANT TO COMMEND YOU FOR THAT EFFORT WORKING WITH HER. AND WE HAD OBVIOUSLY A CHANGE IN THE BOARD WITH NEW TRUSTEES FOR PHASE THREE OF THE PROCESS AND WORKING THAT THROUGH AND BRINGING THEM ONLINE I THINK WENT SMOOTHLY. SO I APPRECIATE MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS AND THE WORK THAT YOU ALL PUT IN AND BE HAPPY TO WORK WITH YOU ALL AT ANY GIVEN TIME IN THE FUTURE AS WELL. THANK YOU, MR. POTEET. AND I WILL TRY MY BEST NOT TO. DITTO. MOST OF THE THINGS IN MY COLLEAGUES HERE HAD TO SAY. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY ABOUT OUR SEARCH FIRM IS THE PROFESSIONALISM. I MEAN, THE DAY THAT WE INTERVIEWED YOU, YOU BROUGHT IT. AND I WAS EXTREMELY IMPRESSED. AND I WILL SAY THAT YOU CARRY THAT PROFESSIONALISM THROUGHOUT THIS SEARCH PROCESS, AND I THANK YOU FOR THAT. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. YOU GUYS DID A GREAT JOB. I THINK AT ONE TIME, WE ALL KIND OF FELT LIKE WE BECAME FAMILY FOR A SECOND THERE. WE SPENT SO MUCH TIME TOGETHER. AND THEN TO MY COLLEAGUES HERE, I MEAN, WE HAVE DONE AN AMAZING JOB WITH THIS SEARCH PROCESS. WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TOGETHER. SOME OF THE WORDS THAT I'VE HEARD EACH ONE OF YOU SAY IS INTENTIONAL, PROUD AND JUST INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY. THE OTHER THING THAT I WANT TO SAY AS WELL IS THE RESPECT THAT WE'VE GIVEN TO EACH OTHER DURING THIS PROCESS. BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH WE MAY NOT HAVE AGREED WITH EACH OTHER ON EVERY LITTLE DETAIL, BUT WE RESPECTED WHAT EACH OTHER BROUGHT TO THE TABLE. AND SO I THINK EVERYONE HERE FOR THAT, IT HAS BEEN AN EXHAUSTIVE PROCESS. IT HAS BEEN LONG, BUT IT HAS BEEN INTENTIONAL BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO THE RIGHT THING FOR RICHARDSON ISD. SO WITH THAT BEING SAID AT THIS TIME, IS THERE A MOTION TO NAME A FINALIST FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT POSITION AND AUTHORIZE THE NEGOTIATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT CONTRACT? YES. MS. HARRIS, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION. I MAKE A MOTION TO NAME MS. TABITHA BRANUM AS THE LONE FINALIST FOR SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS FOR RICHARDSON ISD AND AUTHORIZE OUR BOARD PRESIDENT AND OUR GENERAL COUNSEL TO FACILITATE THE NEGOTIATION OF A [00:30:05] CONTRACT. THANK YOU, MS. TIMME. IS THERE A SECOND? I SECOND. THANK YOU, MS. MCGOWAN. I'LL SECOND. THANK YOU. SECOND. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. PACHECO. AND AS WELL OVER HERE. AND THANK YOU, MR. POTEET. WE'VE GOT PLENTY OF SECONDS AROUND THE HORSESHOE TODAY. SO ARE THERE ANY DISCUSSIONS OR ANY COMMENTS? AND I THINK WE WILL START OVER HERE WITH MR. POTEET. YES, SHORT COMMENT HERE. AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN EXHAUSTIVE, LIKE YOU SAID, AND NERVES KIND OF BEEN RATTLED. SO I HAD TO KIND OF TYPE THIS UP AND COLLECT MY THOUGHTS. BUT IT'S BRIEF. YOU KNOW, LEADERSHIP IS BEST SHOWN IN TIMES OF CHALLENGE. WE'VE SEEN THAT LEADERSHIP SUCCESSFULLY DEMONSTRATED OVER THE LAST SEVEN MONTHS. I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY QUESTION THEIR EXPERIENCE IN A DEVOTION TO STAFF, STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY IS CRITICAL FOR EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP. AND WE'VE SEEN THAT ALSO DEMONSTRATED WE'RE ON A VERY GOOD TRAJECTORY WITHIN RISD AS WE FINISHED OUT THE SPRING SEMESTER. A LOT OF IT DUE TO THE EFFORTS OF MS. TABITHA BRANUM. I HAVE FULL FAITH THAT SHE WILL CONTINUE THESE EFFORTS AND I'M PROUD TO SUPPORT THIS MOTION. THANK YOU, MR. POTEET. MS. MCGOWAN? I SEE TABITHA AS ONE OF OUR OWN. HER KIDS HAVE BEEN OUR CHILDREN AS WELL. SHE'S WORKED HARD TO PROVE THAT SHE'S THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR THIS JOB. SHE'S INVESTED IN THIS COMMUNITY AND SHE HAS SHOWN HOW MUCH SHE VALUES OUR STUDENTS, OUR TEACHERS AND OUR COMMUNITY. I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF RISD. THANK YOU, MS. MCGOWAN AND MS. RENTERÍA. YES. I'M ALSO, AGAIN, AS WE ALL MENTIONED JUST A LITTLE BIT AGO, ABOUT HOW VERY PROUD WE ARE OF THE PROCESS AND HOW DILIGENT, INTENTIONAL AND COMMITTED WE WERE TO THIS PROCESS. SO AGAIN, I THINK WITH MS. BRANUM DEFINITELY IS THE BEST LONE CANDIDATE FOR OUR NEXT SUPERINTENDENT. I THINK THAT HER SKILL SETS HAVE SHOWN EXACTLY WHAT SHE CAN DO. I'M GRATEFUL TO HER ALSO FOR STEPPING IN AT A TIME THAT SHE CAME IN AND SHE SHE LED WITH SUCH GRACE AND DIGNITY AND SHE WAS JUST AWESOME. AND SO I, TOO, HAVE ALL THE FAITH IN HER. AND I KNOW SHE'LL DO A GREAT JOB AND I, TOO, ALSO SUPPORT THIS MOTION. THANK YOU, MS. RENTERÍA. MR. EAGER? YOU KNOW, THE KEY THING HERE AND I'M JUST GOING TO KEEP REPEATING WHAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID. THIS PROCESS WAS EXTENSIVE BECAUSE WE WE TOOK IT SERIOUS. WE WANT TO LISTEN TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GOT IT RIGHT. AND WHEN YOU LOOK DOWN, ALL THE SUPERINTENDENT PROFILE, IT WAS IT BECAME VERY EVIDENT AS WE WENT THROUGH THIS PROCESS. AND IT WAS I AM WE'RE NOT KIDDING. IT WAS MEETINGS AND MEETINGS AND INTERVIEWS AND REVIEWING QUESTIONS, ET CETERA. AND IN THIS PROCESS, IT BECAME VERY CLEAR THAT WE HAD A GREAT CANDIDATE AND AT THE SAME TIME WAS EXECUTING, NOT KNOWING IF SHE WAS GOING TO BE IN THIS POSITION, BUT CONTINUE TO EXECUTE WITH GRACE AND EXECUTED WITH ALL THE BEST INTEREST OF OUR ISD. AND I THINK THAT IS PROVEN TO THIS FACT, AND I AM PROUD TO SAY I DON'T THINK WE JUST GOT A GOOD ONE. I THINK WE GOT A GREAT ONE. AND SO I FULLY SUPPORT THIS MOTION. THANK YOU, MR. EAGER. MS. TIMME? I HAVE THE UTMOST CONFIDENCE THAT TABITHA BRANUM IS THE PERSON TO MOVE OUR DISTRICT FORWARD. SHE HAS THE KNOWLEDGE, THE INVESTMENT IN OUR DISTRICT AND THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS FOR RISD. SHE HAS SHOWN A WILLINGNESS TO LISTEN AND TO ALL AND TO COMMUNICATE HONESTLY IN TRANSPARENCY. SHE IS COMMITTED TO ENSURING THAT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS ARE PREPARED TO CHOOSE THE LIFE THEY WANT AND TRULY HAVE ALL THE POSSIBLE OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO THEM. THAT'S WHAT I WANT FOR MY KIDS. THAT'S WHAT I WANT FOR THE STUDENTS HERE, ALL THE STUDENTS HERE IN RICHARDSON ISD. THIS BOARD IS DEEPLY COMMITTED TO OUR COMMUNITY, NOT JUST OUR SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS, BUT OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY AND ALL THE STUDENTS THAT WE REPRESENT. MAKING SURE OUR STAFF HAS WHAT THEY NEED TO DO THEIR JOB. AND THE BEST WAY IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO ME AND TO ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES. WE NEED A PERSON WHO CAN DELIVER ON THESE EXPECTATIONS. I KNOW THAT TABITHA BRANUM IS THE PERSON WHO CAN BUILD UPON OUR CURRENT SUCCESSES AND TAKE US TO THAT NEXT LEVEL. SHE LOVES OUR STAFF, OUR STUDENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY, AND I'M FULLY CONFIDENT THAT TABITHA BRANUM IS THE ABSOLUTE RIGHT PERSON FOR RISD. THANK YOU, MISS TIMME. MS. PACHECO? YES. THANK YOU. I STRONGLY BELIEVE MS. BRANUM HAS HER FOCUS ON OUR DISTRICT. SHE IS INTENTIONAL WITH IMPROVING OUR STUDENT OUTCOMES. [00:35:03] SHE'S INNOVATIVE AND THOUGHTFUL TO MAKING SURE THAT ALL OUR STUDENTS ARE GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL HERE IN RISD. SO I'M VERY EXCITED AND I'M SO PROUD TO BE PART OF THIS BOARD AND MAKE THIS DECISION. THANK YOU. AND I, TOO, ABSOLUTELY AGREE WITH THIS DECISION TODAY. I HAVE SEEN MS. BRANUM STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND TAKE US TO ANOTHER PLACE AS INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT. AND EVEN PRIOR TO HER ROLE AS INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT, I'VE SEEN HER BRING TO THE TABLE INNOVATION. I'VE SEEN HER TURN THINGS AROUND SO QUICKLY THAT IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPRESSIVE. SO I AGREE WITH THIS. AND SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I'M SUPER EXCITED. LET'S GO AHEAD AND SAY WE HAVE A MOTION BY MS. TIMME, A SECOND BY MS. MCGOWAN. IF THERE ARE NO OTHER QUESTIONS BY SHOW OF HANDS, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HANDS IF YOU AGREE. MOTION PASSES 7-0. THANK. WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING OUT. THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 6:16 P.M. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.