[1. Call to Order] [00:00:10] I CALL THIS PRE MEETING BRIEFING OF THE CARROLLTON-FARMERS BRANCH ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES TO ORDER AT 6:00 P M ON MAY 7TH, 2026. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PRE MEETING BRIEFING IS TO CONDUCT A BRIEFING SESSION WITH ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF REGARDING THE POSTED AGENDA FOR THE REGULAR BOARD MEETING SCHEDULED FOR 7 P.M. ON APRIL 2ND, 2026. FOR THE RECORD, BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT ARE KIM BRADY, ILIANA GARZA ROJAS, MARJORIE BARNES, PAUL GILMORE, RANDY SCHEKMAN, AND MYSELF, CASSANDRA HATFIELD. WE CONSTITUTE A QUORUM AND MAY CONDUCT BUSINESS ON BEHALF OF THE DISTRICT. OUR NEXT ITEM IS AUDIENCE FOR GUESTS, AND WE DID NOT HAVE ANYONE SIGN UP TO SPEAK PRIOR TO THE 1 P.M. POSTED DEADLINE, SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER THREE. [3. Administrative Reports] DOCTOR ELDRIDGE, DO YOU HAVE ANY ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS? YES. OUR FIRST ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT IS ITEM FIVE M. CONSIDER AND APPROVE THE MOU BETWEEN TARLETON STATE AND CFB ISD. SO MR. HUNTER WILL PRESENT THAT. THIS JUST GIVES OUR STUDENTS MORE OPTIONS FOR COLLEGE PREP. SO MR. HUNTER AND LET THE RECORD SHOW THAT MISS BENAVIDES HAS ARRIVED AT 6:01 P.M.. THANK YOU, MR. HUNTER. HELLO. OKAY, HERE WE GO. GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT HATFIELD. DOCTOR ELDRIDGE AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES. I'M HERE TO DISCUSS CMR, BUT MORE SPECIFICALLY ENSURING THAT WE UNDERSTAND A STRATEGY THAT WE'RE PURSUING HERE IN CFB ISD THAT RELATES TO OUR HOUSE BILL. THREE GOALS. THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS BRIEF PRESENTATION IS TO REVIEW CMR COMPONENTS, EXPLAIN THE STRATEGY THAT WILL BE THROUGH TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY, AND TO INFORM YOU OF THE POTENTIAL INVESTMENT OF THIS PARTNERSHIP AS IT RELATES TO MAINTAINING A HIGH CMR RATING, WHICH WE KNOW IS A DIRECT REFLECTION OF OUR STUDENT OUTCOMES AND POST-SECONDARY READINESS. TO REVIEW OUR HOUSE BILL THREE GOAL FOR CMR. I PRESENTED BACK IN FEBRUARY THAT WE'RE TRACKING IT AT A GOOD PACE RIGHT NOW. IN ADDITION, OUR 2025 GRADUATES SHOULD BE AROUND A 96% CMR RATE FOR THE 2026 ACCOUNTABILITY RATING. OUR 2026 GRADS ARE TRACKING ARE TRACKING AT A VERY SIMILAR PACE. HOWEVER, TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION IS ABOUT OUR 2027 GRADUATES AND THE POTENTIAL UPSTREAM PROACTIVE MEASURES WE NEED FOR 2028 ACCOUNTABILITY RATINGS. REMEMBER, OUR STUDENTS CAN EARN A CMR INDICATOR BY ACHIEVING ANY OF THE ELEMENTS YOU SEE ON THIS FLOW CHART. OBVIOUSLY, WITHIN THAT FLOW CHART, THERE ARE ALSO FLOW CHARTS WITHIN EACH PIECE OF THE FLOW CHART. RIGHT ON THE CAREER READY SIDE, OUR STUDENTS MUST MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF COMPLETING BOTH THE COURSEWORK THROUGH THEIR PROGRAM OF STUDY AND SUCCESSFULLY PASSING THEIR INDUSTRY BASED CERTIFICATION. ON THE COLLEGE SIDE, THERE ARE CUT SCORES FOR ALL OF THESE AREAS THAT YOU SEE UP THERE, OR A CUT SCORE OF NUMBER OF HOURS EARNED THROUGH DUAL CREDIT. TODAY WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON THE BLUE SIDE OR THE COLLEGE READY SIDE. WHILE OVERALL, CMR IS SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE VERY PROUD OF IN CFB ISD, T IS MAKING CHANGES TO THE PATHWAYS FOR CMR MET ON THE COLLEGE READY SIDE. WHILE THE APPROVED LIST FOR COLLEGE PREP WILL NOT BE RELEASED UNTIL JUNE, WE ARE PREPARING THAT THIS LIST WILL NOT HAVE AN APPROVED COLLEGE PREP COURSE THAT SUPPORTS MET CRITERIA FOR CMR. CURRENTLY, COLLEGE PREP COURSE COMPLETION ACCOUNTS FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 TO 35% OF OUR CMR MET FOR ALL GRADUATES IN CFB ISD AND WE'RE NOT ALONE. THIS IS A VERY SIMILAR PERCENTAGE TO WHAT OUR REGION. IN OUR STATE. WE ARE PROUD OF OUR CMR ACCOUNTABILITY RATING, BUT AS I SHARED, WE'RE EXCEEDING BOTH THE STATE GOAL AND THE CFB ISD. HOUSE BILL THREE GOAL. HOWEVER I SHARED THAT THAT WE PROBABLY SHOULDN'T CHANGE OUR DISTRICT GOAL JUST YET. RIGHT? BECAUSE WE KNEW AND PREDICTED THAT THERE COULD BE SOME CHANGES TO THE CRITERIA COMING, MISS HOLCOMB LIKES TO SAY. SO WHAT NOW? WHAT? AND THAT SEEMS TO BE WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. RIGHT. GREAT THAT WE'RE ACHIEVING AT HIGH RATES. BUT IT'S TIME TO RAISE THE RIGOR FOR OUR STUDENTS. THE. NOW, WHAT PART IS REALLY MOVING THE FOCUS FROM COLLEGE PREP ON THIS FLOWCHART TO THE DUAL CREDIT PORTION ON THIS FLOWCHART? FIRST OF ALL, OUR GOAL IS TO OFFER AN ARRAY OF DUAL CREDIT OPTIONS FOR ALL STUDENTS IN CFB ISD, BUT WE WANT TO PURSUE AN AVENUE OF RAISING THAT RIGOR FOR OUR STUDENTS THAT ALSO CONNECTS TO OUR CMR ACCOUNTABILITY. DEA SAYS THAT A STUDENT CAN EARN THREE CREDIT HOURS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS OR MATH, AND THAT WOULD SUPPORT OUR OUR CMR COLLEGE READINESS COMPONENT. WE NEEDED TO FIND THE RIGHT INSTITUTION THAT REALLY MATCHES THE VALUES OF OUR DISTRICT THAT WE COULD PARTNER WITH. FIRST AND FOREMOST, THIS HAS TO MAKE SENSE FOR THE STUDENTS IN CFB ISD. WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO POTENTIALLY OFFER THIS TO OVER 600 STUDENTS IN THE DISTRICT IN 12TH GRADE. AND THEN REALLY, FINALLY, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S ALSO OPTIONS WITHIN THIS PARTNERSHIP THAT AREN'T JUST SPECIFIC TO, TO THE COLLEGE PREP PORTION. AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION, THE UNIVERSITY THAT WE FEEL THAT PROVIDES THE BEST OPTION FOR OUR STUDENTS IS THROUGH [00:05:08] TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY, THROUGH A PROGRAM THEY CALL TARLETON TODAY. WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL MOU WITH TARLETON STATE. FOR MORE DUAL CREDIT OPTIONS, AND SPECIFICALLY FOR A COURSE TO SUPPORT CMR FOR COLLEGE READINESS. TSU OFFERS AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS COURSE THROUGH COM 1315 CALLED COLLEGE READINESS AND STUDY SKILLS. THIS COURSE IS SPECIFICALLY FOR NON TS. I MET SENIORS WHICH IS THE TARGET GROUP WE'RE LOOKING FOR FOR CMR. THIS INVESTMENT WOULD BE VERY SIMILAR TO THE INVESTMENT THAT WE ALREADY USE FOR COLLEGE PREP. AND FINALLY IT HAS TO BE A PROGRAM THAT REALLY IS A PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR HIGH SCHOOLS, THAT FITS WITH OUR SYSTEMS, OUR ORGANIZATIONS, AND IS WILLING TO WORK WITH OUR TEACHERS, WHICH WE BELIEVE TARLETON STATE WILL DO. THE INVESTMENT FROM CFB ISD IS PREDICTED TO BE SIMILAR TO WHAT WE WERE ALREADY SPENDING FOR TEXAS COLLEGE BRIDGE. ADDITIONALLY, THE FINANCIAL PIECE ONLY COMES AFTER WE ENROLL STUDENTS, WHICH WOULD BE IN AUGUST IF WE SO CHOOSE. WHILE WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR STUDENTS, IT DOES ALLOW US TIME TO REVIEW WHAT TE RELEASES IN JUNE BEFORE WE MAKE FINAL NEXT STEPS WITH TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY. ADDITIONALLY, THE PARTNERSHIP WOULD ALSO PROVIDE SOME SOME OTHER AVENUES FOR DUAL CREDIT THROUGH CTE COURSES, COURSES, OR JUST ADDITIONAL DUAL CREDIT COURSES IN, IN GENERAL THAT ARE NOT JUST ABOUT COLLEGE READINESS. WE ARE REALLY CONFIDENT THIS MOU ALIGNS WITH OUR DISTRICT VALUES AND STUDENT OUTCOME GOALS, AND PROVIDES FURTHER DUAL CREDIT OPTIONS FOR ALL STUDENTS. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE BOARD APPROVE AN MOU WITH TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY TO SUPPORT ADDITIONAL DUAL CREDIT OPTIONS AND COLLEGE READINESS FOR ALL GRADUATES. AT THIS TIME, I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. BOARD MEMBERS. ANY QUESTIONS? MR. SHACKMAN. THANKS FOR THE REPORT. REMIND ME THE TEXAS BRIDGE PROGRAM THAT WE'VE BEEN USING HAS GONE AWAY, CORRECT? IT HASN'T GONE AWAY. THERE IS AN APPROVED LIST THAT HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED. OKAY. AND THERE IS A CHANCE THAT TEXAS COLLEGE BRIDGE IS GOING TO BE ON THAT APPROVED LIST IN JUNE. HOWEVER, WE DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THAT LIST THAT WILL BE APPROVED IS GOING TO BE CONNECTED TO COLLEGE CAREER MILITARY READINESS MOVING FORWARD. AND IT CURRENTLY IS. RIGHT. AND SO THE RECOMMENDATION FROM ADMIN IS THAT THE TARLETON WILL REPLACE THAT. YES, SIR. THAT'S CORRECT. AND THEY HAVE THE COURSE THAT WE THINK MAKES THE MOST SENSE TO REPLACE IT WITH. ALL RIGHT, MISS BRADY. THANK YOU, MR. HUNTER. I ACTUALLY I THINK RANDY'S QUESTION YOUR ANSWER KIND OF ANSWERED MY QUESTION, WHICH WAS WHAT WOULD WE BE DOING WITH THE TSI INELIGIBLE KIDS IF WE DIDN'T HAVE THIS OPTION. SO WE WOULD DO THE BRIDGING OPTION. CORRECT. GOTCHA. OKAY. AND WE STILL OBVIOUSLY WANT TO PROVIDE A COLLEGE PREP COURSE FOR OUR NON C MET SENIORS, BUT WE WOULD LOVE IT IF THAT WAS ALSO A COURSE THAT SUPPORTS ALL OF OUR HOUSE BILL THREE GOALS. THANK YOU. BOARD MEMBERS ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING. HOW ARE WE ANTICIPATING THE IMPACT TO OUR TEACHERS WITH THEIR INTEREST WITH THIS? SO THE FIRST PLACE WE'RE STARTING IS WITH OUR ENGLISH FOUR ON LEVEL STUDENTS. THAT IS WHERE MOST OF OUR NON TSI MET SENIORS. THEY ALL HAVE TO TAKE ENGLISH FOUR. SO WE'VE ALREADY SORT OF BRIEFED THE HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPALS ON, ON WHAT THIS PARTNERSHIP COULD LOOK LIKE. AND THEY'VE ALREADY STARTED SORT OF TALKING TO THE ENGLISH TEAM BECAUSE THOSE TRAININGS ARE OVER THE SUMMER. YES, MA'AM. GREAT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? SHOUT OUT FOR A PULLING UP OUR PROGRESS MONITORING REPORT, AND B FOR BRINGING BACK THE SAME DIAGRAM THAT SHOWS THE PATHWAYS. IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO SHOW THE REPETITION. BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T DO THIS EVERY DAY. AND SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THE REPETITION. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTENTIONALITY WITH THE PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. DOCTOR ELDRIDGE, ANY ADDITIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS. OKAY. THE NEXT ITEM IS FIVE N WITH OUR TECHNOLOGY GROUP. AND I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS. TECHNOLOGY IS EVER CHANGING. BUT WE NEED UPGRADES IN OUR NETWORK AND THIS BOARDROOM AND EVEN AT THE WALTON CENTER, EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKS A SHINY NEW BUILDING TECHNOLOGY CAN ALWAYS MOVE FASTER THAN WE CAN UPKEEP SOMETIMES, BUT THEY HAVE A GREAT PLAN. SO DOCTOR STOUT THANK YOU, DOCTOR ELDRIDGE. PRESIDENT HATFIELD, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. I'M PULLING UP. OKAY, THERE WE GO. SO WE ARE HERE TO TALK TO YOU ALL ABOUT THE AGENDA ITEM CONCERNING THE NETWORK OPERATING CENTER AND OTHER DISTRICT INFRASTRUCTURE. [00:10:01] WE CAME TO THE BOARD AND THANKS TO THANKS TO YOUR SUPPORT AND THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY AND SUPPORT FROM OUR VOTERS IN THE CFB AREA, WE HAD OUR 2023 BOND APPROVED IN THAT THERE WAS $38.88 MILLION APPROVED FOR THE FIBER REFRESH REPLACEMENT PACKAGE. THAT PROJECT IS 99% COMPLETE RIGHT NOW. AND TO DATE, WE HAVE SPENT $14.8 MILLION OF THAT 38.8 $8,000,001.8 MILLION OF THAT IS STILL REMAINING IN OUR CONTINGENCY FUND. SO THAT WILL COME BACK WHEN THE PROJECT IS CLOSED OUT. WHATEVER IS LEFT IN THE CONTINGENCY WILL COME BACK. SO WE ARE QUITE A BIT UNDER BUDGET. THANKFULLY, IN PART BECAUSE OUR OUR CONDUIT THAT OUR OLD FIBER WAS RUNNING THROUGH IS IN MUCH BETTER SHAPE THAN WHAT IT POSSIBLY COULD HAVE BEEN. IF, IF A LOT OF IT HAD BEEN CRUSHED, IT WOULD BE MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE THAT THAN IT WOULD BE JUST TO THE OLD FIBER THROUGH AND PUT NEW FIBER IN. SO WE'RE HERE TONIGHT TO ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN REPURPOSING SOME OF THOSE UNSPENT BOND FUNDS ON THE DISTRICT'S NETWORK OPERATING CENTER THAT IS AT THE NANCY WALTON BUILDING. I WOULD GO THROUGH AND EXPLAIN EVERYTHING THAT GOES INTO THE NETWORK OPERATING CENTER, BUT I'D RATHER LET OUR NETWORK ENGINEERS DO IT FOR, FOR ME. WELL, I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, DEPENDING ON TECHNOLOGY AND EVENT CENTER INSIDE OUR NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTER. HI, MY NAME IS JOHN CARLO. ISD. SO I THINK THE CORE OF OUR NETWORK OPERATION RIGHT NOW. SO WE'RE BEHIND. SO COME ON IN. ALL RIGHT. LET'S KEEP OUR WI-FI SAFE BY ACTING AS A SECURITY DESK THAT VERIFIES YOUR PERMISSION. SO IT'S LIKE A GPS. THEY PUT YOU ON A FAST TRACK TO YOUR FAVORITE WEBSITE AND LEARNING CURRICULUM. FIREWALLS ARE LIKE THE BOUNCER. YOUR NAME ON THE LIST. YOU'RE NOT GETTING IN. YOUR SERVERS. ALL THE RESOURCES ARE SPECIFICALLY TAILORED TO THE NEEDS OF OUR EMBASSY. THEY CONNECT US WITH EACH OTHER AND PURPOSE FOR THE CLOUD. WE ALSO HAVE SERVERS FOR OUR SECURITY CAMERAS AND ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEMS. FOR THE POWER SUPPLY. BATTERIES. AND WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS FOR? AND WE'RE AT THE CAMPUS. IS OUR SYSTEM RUNNING AT. HOME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR FEEDBACK. AND THANK YOU FOR PRCHAL FOR THE CONVERSATION. AND I WANT TO GIVE A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO THOSE FIVE ENGINEERS. THEY TRULY ARE THE WIZARDS BEHIND THE CURTAIN. NOT ONLY DO THEY HAVE THEIR NORMAL 8 TO 5, BUT THEY PUT IN LONG HOURS, EVENINGS, NIGHTS, WEEKENDS, HOLIDAYS TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR NETWORK IS SAFE AND SECURE FOR OUR STUDENTS. SO A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO THEM. A LITTLE BIT ON THE NOC NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTER TIMELINE. YOU CAN SEE THERE BACK IN MARCH OF 2019 IS WHEN WE FIRST PUT OUR VERY FIRST ELECTRONICS IN THE NANCY WHARTON TECHNOLOGY AND EVENT CENTER NOC FOR THE BETTER PART OF A YEAR, WE WERE RUNNING DUAL NOCS FOR SOME OF YOU REMEMBER OUR OLD TLC BUILDING? THAT WAS OUR OLD NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTER, AND WE HAD A CONNECTION WHERE WE WERE RUNNING DUAL NOCS FOR PRETTY MUCH FOR A FULL, [00:15:05] SOLID YEAR. WE CONVERTED OVER TO WHERE OUR PRESENT, OUR PRESENTLY NOC IN THAT NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTER, NOW AT NANCY WHARTON IN MARCH OF 2020 IN 2023 IS WHEN WE HAD OUR BOND FIBER INITIATIVE AND OUR BOND PACKAGE FOR ALL OF CFB ISD IN 2425, WE WERE ANTICIPATING LEVERAGING SOME TIF FUNDS TO BE ABLE TO UPGRADE SOME OF THIS NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE. AND THEN IN 2027 IS WHEN A LOT OF THIS NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE COMES END OF LIFE. LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE COMPONENTS THAT ARE IN OUR DATA CENTER. WE HAVE FIREWALLS, NETWORK FIREWALLS. WE HAVE NETWORK SWITCHES AND ROUTERS. WE HAVE PIECES OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. WE HAVE OUR THE INFRASTRUCTURE OVER OUR NANCY WHARTON, OUR BANQUET ROOMS THAT A LOT OF THAT EQUIPMENT WAS PUT IN IN 19 2019 AND 2020, THAT WE NEED SUBSTANTIAL UPGRADES THERE. WE'VE ALL SEEN THE TECHNOLOGY THAT'S IN THIS BOARDROOM. WE'RE LOOKING AT UPGRADING THE TECHNOLOGY IN THIS BOARDROOM. OUR UPS WHAT YOU MIGHT THINK, WHAT DO WE NEED UPS FOR? WE LOSE POWER IN OUR, IN OUR SCHOOLS QUITE OFTEN. AND WHEN WE LOSE POWER, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO KEEP UP OUR NETWORK AT THOSE CAMPUSES FROM A SAFETY AND SECURITY PERSPECTIVE. WITHOUT THOSE UPS, OUR PHONES WOULDN'T WORK, OUR SECURITY CAMERAS WOULDN'T WORK, OUR BADGE ACCESS WOULDN'T WORK. SO WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE THOSE UPS TO BE ABLE TO KEEP OUR STAFF AND STUDENTS SAFE AT OUR CAMPUSES AND OUR VIRTUAL VIRTUALIZATION NETWORK FOR OUR STAFF AND THE VIRTUALIZATION THAT CONTROLS THE BACK END OF ALL OUR ACCESS CONTROL FOR OUR STAFF AND OUR AND OUR STUDENTS AS WELL. YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE WE RFP A LOT OF THIS OR ALL OF THIS, WE RFP, WE WILL HAVE TO GET SOME UPDATED PRICING BECAUSE THE PRICING THAT WE HAVE NOW IS NULL AND VOID. SO THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A PRETTY GOOD HEFTY CONTINGENCY IN THERE. AND DUE TO THE $2,627 MILLION IN SAVINGS IN THE BOND FIBER PACKAGE, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE ASKING YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN BEING ABLE TO LEVERAGE THAT SAVINGS, BEING ABLE TO UPGRADE A LOT OF THESE COMPONENTS ON OUR IN OUR NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTER AND OUR AV INFRASTRUCTURE. AND THEN IT'S RECOMMENDED THAT THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVE THE LISTED RFP, AUTHORIZES THE SUPERINTENDENT AND HER DESIGNEE TO AWARD ACCORDING TO THE EVALUATIONS AND TO EXECUTE THE PURCHASES AND CONTRACTS WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE RFPS AND RFQS THAT ARE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE DISTRICT. AND WITH THAT, WE'LL HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. BOARD MEMBERS QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? WOULD YOU LIKE TO COMMENT ON THE BOK THAT THIS WAS PRESENTED TO THE BOK? COULD YOU. THANK YOU GUYS AND THANK YOU FOR COMING IN UNDER BUDGET. I CAN TELL YOU THAT AT THE BOCC MEETING THEY GOT A ROUND OF APPLAUSE BECAUSE IT'S VERY EXCITING TO COME IN SO FAR UNDER BUDGET. AND THEN TO ALREADY KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO REALLOCATE THE REMAINING FUNDS FOR. SO THANK YOU ALL VERY, VERY MUCH. BOK WAS VERY MUCH IN FAVOR OF THIS IDEA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WITH THE NEW CHANGES, HOW MANY YEARS WILL THAT HELP US BE AT A HIGHER LEVEL OF TECHNOLOGY OR NOT? YEARS. BUT TIME WISE, THE AVERAGE, THE AVERAGE COST OF INFRASTRUCTURE IN A NETWORK OPERATION CENTER IS 5 TO 6 YEARS. SO THIS WILL GET US THROUGH THE NEXT 5 TO 6 YEARS. THANK YOU. WE WILL THEN THE REASON WHY WE WERE WANTING TO LEVERAGE THE BOND FUNDS, BECAUSE WE JUST GOT OUR NEW ALLOCATION OF FUNDS, WHICH IS, ACCORDING TO OUR DISTRICT 5.2 MILLION. WE HAVE FIVE YEARS TO USE THAT. SO THAT'S WHY WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE THE BOND FUNDS SO THAT IN FIVE YEARS FROM NOW FOR ANOTHER REFRESH KNOCK REFRESH, WE COULD LEVERAGE E-RATE. THAT WAS A GREAT ADDITION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. AND THIS IS ON THE AGENDA LATER TONIGHT. ALL RIGHT. DOCTOR ELDRIDGE, ANY OTHER REPORTS? I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU BJ IN THE VIDEO. THAT WAS VERY GOOD WITH THE SO WE APPRECIATE THAT. OKAY. THE LAST ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT WE HAVE IS ITEM FIVE X AND IT'S ABOUT OUR EXTERNAL AUDIT SERVICE. I WILL TELL YOU THAT MR. ART MARTIN WILL GIVE A A SHORT PRESENTATION ON OUR AUDIT SYSTEM AND PROCESS AND BASICALLY HOW WE GO ABOUT CHOOSING WHO OUR AUDITOR IS. SO WE HAD SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT. SO MR. MARTIN. YES. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND THIS ITEM HERE IS AS I UNDERSTAND IT THE STAFF DECIDED THAT WE NEEDED TO GO OUT FOR A, A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL OR QUALIFICATIONS FOR AN AUDIT FIRM. [00:20:01] WE'VE BEEN USING WHITLEY PEN FOR, FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. WHITLEY PEN IS A VERY EXPERIENCED AUDITOR. AND THEY, THEY SPECIALIZE, AMONG OTHER THINGS, IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THEY DO A LOT OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS AROUND THE STATE. BUT THEIR PROPOSAL WAS DESIGNED TO, TO JUST TEST THE MARKET AND AND MAKE A DECISION ON WHETHER OR NOT WE NEEDED TO STAY WITH WHITLEY PEN OR MAKE A CHANGE. AND THE THE BID WENT OUT AND IT CAME BACK AND IT WAS EVALUATED AND THE THE EVALUATORS DECIDED THAT WILLIE PENN WAS STILL OUR BEST OPTION FOR CONDUCTING THE AUDIT. AS YOU KNOW, WE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WE'VE ALREADY DECIDED THAT WE'RE GOING TO NEXT YEAR GO THROUGH A FISCAL YEAR CHANGE. AND SO WILLIE PENN IS, IS WELL POSITIONED TO HELP US WITH THAT IN THAT REGARD, BECAUSE THEY'LL BE DOING THE AUDIT WORK TO SHIFT OVER FROM A SEPTEMBER 1ST FISCAL YEAR START TO A JULY 1ST FISCAL YEAR START. AND THEY, THEY'RE GOING TO BE WE BELIEVE VERY COMPETITIVE ON THEIR PRICE AND THEY'RE VERY EXPERIENCED, FIRM. AND WE'D RECOMMEND THAT YOU KNOW, WE STAY WITH WILLIE PENN. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, SIR. BOARD MEMBERS, ANY QUESTIONS? MR. GILMORE? ALL RIGHT. THANKS. I'M THE F ING, YOU KNOW, SO I HAD TO LEARN A LOT. THAT STANDS FOR FUN NEW GUY, IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING. HE'S NOT A POLICY. SO AS I WAS GOING THROUGH IT AND PREPARING, I NOTICED UNDER THE EVALUATOR AND THE PROCESS INTEGRITY, THE ONLY ONE MRS. ESPINOSA WAS, IS THE ONLY REMAINING EVALUATOR THAT'S STILL EMPLOYED BY THE DISTRICT, AS I UNDERSTAND IT. THE OTHER TWO HAVE LEFT. SO WITH THAT I LOOKED AT THE, YOU PROVIDED US WITH THE SCORING EVALUATIONS AND THERE WAS QUITE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO AND MRS. ESPINOSA IN HOW THEY, THEY CAME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION. BUT IN MY MIND, I THINK IF WE HAD TWO OTHER EVALUATORS THERE, IT COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN THE NUMBER TWO WHO CAME IN. BUT. THE QUESTION IS, ARE Y'ALL CONFIDENT WITH THIS DECISION? HAVING TO EVALUATORS THAT EVALUATED NOT HERE TO STAND BEHIND BECAUSE WHERE IT SAID NOTES ON PAGE 12, THERE WERE NO NOTES ABOUT THE EVALUATIONS. ABSOLUTELY. I AM AGAIN, WHITLEY PEN IS, IS A FIRM THAT THEY DO AUDIT SCHOOL DISTRICT AUDITS ACROSS THE STATE LARGE AND SMALL. AND THEY'RE VERY GOOD FIRM. AND IF, IF I WERE ON THAT EVALUATION TEAM, I WOULD, I WOULD HAVE RECOMMENDED WHITLEY PEN. THEY'RE, THEY'RE A GOOD FIRM. AND LIKE I SAID, THEY'RE VERY FAMILIAR WITH OUR DISTRICT AND WE'RE GOING TO BE GOING THROUGH SOME SIGNIFICANT CHANGES OVER THE NEXT YEAR OR SO. AND, AND I, I'M, I'M, I'M VERY COMFORTABLE WITH THE RECOMMENDATION. YEAH. AND I TALKED TO DOCTOR E ABOUT THAT. AND SO THAT MAKES SENSE. AND JUST SO EVERYBODY KNOWS, THIS IS NOT AN. I DIG IN AUDIT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE DOUBLE PAYING FOR THIS OR DOUBLE PAYING FOR THAT. IT'S OF THE BOOKS TO MAKE SURE MONEY IS GOING WHERE IT'S SUPPOSED TO GO. AND WE'RE COMING UP, RIGHT. IT'S VERY STANDARDIZED THROUGH GAAP, GAP AND TEA. AND SO MY QUESTION IS, WITH ALL THESE, WE LOOKED AT FOUR AND YOU PUT A RFQ OUT. AND SO IT WAS FIGURED ON QUALIFICATIONS NOT PRICING. BUT WHAT IS I DON'T EXPECT YOU TO TELL ME RIGHT NOW, BUT ARE THOSE CLOSE AND PRICING BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT SINCE IT'S SO REGULATED, WE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE GOTTEN THE SAME RESULTS, BUT ANOTHER FIRM MIGHT HAVE FOUND OTHER AREAS OF CONCERN BECAUSE WE'VE USED, AS FAR AS I COULD SEE, BACK TO 23, WE HAVE USED THIS SAME FIRM. JUST MY THOUGHT IS A FRESH SET OF EYES SOMETIMES IS GOOD TO BRING IN AND MAYBE GOING FORWARD. WE HAVE A ROTATION POLICY OF SOME KIND EVERY 5 TO 7 YEARS, JUST SO IT CREATES MORE TRANSPARENCY AND MORE EYES ARE ON IT. YES. AND THAT'S THAT'S A LEGITIMATE A LEGITIMATE QUESTION. AND, AND WHEATLEY PENN IS A LARGE ENOUGH FIRM THAT IF WE CHOOSE TO, WE CAN ASK FOR A ROTATION OF PARTNERS, WE CAN ASK FOR ROTATION OF SENIORS AND ALSO THE AUDITORS THAT ACTUALLY DO THE TO DO THE BULK OF THE WORK WE CAN. AND WHEATLEY PENN HAS THEY, THEY, THEY TYPICALLY AND OTHER AUDITORS DO TOO. THEY HAVE A, THEY HAVE A PRACTICE OF MOVING AUDITORS FROM JOB TO JOB SO THAT THEY CAN, SO THAT THEY CAN GET EXPERIENCE IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF OF THEIR AUDIT [00:25:08] WORK. BUT WE CAN REQUEST A ROTATION ANY TIME WE CHOOSE. AND SO YOU GET A NEW SET OF EYES ANYTIME YOU WANT, ANYTIME YOU WOULD WANT THAT YOU CAN ASK FOR THAT. AND BUT YOU DON'T IN IN THIS CASE, WHERE YOU HAVE A FIRM THAT HAS SUCH A LARGE STAFF, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO CHANGE FIRMS TO TO GET THAT ROTATION OR A NEW SET OF EYES LOOKING, LOOKING AT OUR TRANSACTIONS. MR. GILMORE, I'D ALSO LIKE TO CLARIFY THAT WE WE HAVE SWITCHED BEFORE. SO BACK THE LAST TIME WE ADOPTED THE RFQ, THE INITIAL RFQ FOR WHITLEY PEN, WE DID SWITCH. AND SO THAT HAS BEEN DONE AS TO SWITCH COMPANIES. AND I REMEMBER ACTUALLY, I BELIEVE I REMEMBER A CONVERSATION WITH MR. SHACKMAN BEHIND THE DAIS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT. I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE THE CONTRACT IS FOR ONE YEAR WITH AN OPTION OF FOUR YEARS OF EXTENSIONS AND WITH US CHANGING THE FISCAL YEAR. I PERSONALLY BELIEVE IT BEHOOVES US TO STAY WITH THE SAME COMPANY BECAUSE OF THE EXPERIENCE THEY HAVE AND THE MONITORING THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN USE THEIR PAST EXPERIENCE OR THEY CAN SWITCH PEOPLE. LIKE I SAID, THEY'RE BIGGER, BUT IT DOES NOT PUT US IN A POSITION WHERE WE HAVE TO STAY WITH THEM FOR FIVE YEARS. WE'RE ONLY GOING IN FOR ONE. SO THAT'S JUST MY ANY. BOARD. MEMBERS. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? MR.. YOU HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION, PAUL. NO, I WAS GONNA SAY I AGREE. I JUST WANT A CLARIFICATION. YEAH, I WAS HERE WHEN WE MADE THAT SWITCH FROM THE SMALL FIRM IN DENTON THAT WAS HANDLING OUR AUDIT PRIOR TO GOING TO WHITLEY PEN. AND BY THE WAY, WHITLEY PEN, I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING THE AUDIT COMMITTEE AND THEY DO AN EXCELLENT JOB. ARE THERE ANY ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES THAT WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF THAT ADVOCATE FOR THE TIME ALLOWED. HOW OFTEN YOU SHOULD MAKE A SWITCH. THERE'S NOT THERE'S NOT A REQUIREMENT. THERE ARE THERE ARE A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT WILL GO OUT EVERY FIVE YEARS OR SO. BUT I'VE I'VE KNOWN DISTRICTS THAT STAY WITH THE SAME AUDITOR FOR DECADES. BUT BUT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN THEY WILL ASK FOR A CHANGE IN STAFF. YEAH. THEY'LL THEY'LL ASK ASKED FOR A ROTATION OF PARTNERS OR SENIORS OR OR AUDIT STAFF. AND THAT'S NOT UNCOMMON. BUT THERE'S NO REQUIREMENT THAT YOU THAT YOU GO OUT TO BID EVERY FIVE YEARS OR THAT YOU THAT YOU GO OUT TO BID AT ALL. IT'S A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AND IT'S COVERED UNDER THE UNDER THE GOVERNMENT CODE OF TEXAS. IT'S LIKE AN ENGINEER OR A, A DOCTOR OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICE, AND YOU'RE NOT EVEN REQUIRED TO BID IT. YOU CAN YOU CAN CHOOSE IT WITHOUT BIDDING. THAT'S YOUR COMPANY. OKAY. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS. ALL RIGHT. DOCTOR ALDRIDGE, ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS. NO. ALL RIGHT. WITH THAT WE WILL MOVE. THANK YOU. YES THANK YOU SIR. WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR. [4. Briefing Session with Administrative Staff Regarding the Posted Agenda for the Regular Board Meeting Scheduled for 7:00 PM on May 7, 2026] BOARD MEMBERS. DO YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS REGARDING THE CONSENT AGENDA. ALL RIGHT. SEEING NONE, WE WILL MOVE TO ADJOURNMENT AND THE TIME IS 6:28 P.M.. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.