Lone Star College System

Lone Star College's "Best Start" is a quality enhancement plan chosen as part of its SACS accreditation process. The plan's primary focus is on assisting first-time college students and all other students in achieving success. Key objectives include supporting students in completing associate degrees, workforce certificates, or transferring to four-year universities. The plan outlines four steps for success: setting goals, making a plan, connecting with faculty advisors or counselors, and getting involved through campus organizations and volunteering.

The bond referendum plan for Lone Star College System aims to address growing enrollment and enhance educational and training capabilities through facility expansions and infrastructure improvements. Key priorities include increasing workforce training spaces for fields such as welding and machining, developing a dedicated student services facility, and improving campus access. The plan emphasizes fiscal responsibility and aims to educate the future workforce and provide quality, affordable higher education within Montgomery County, with initiatives expected to continue through 2020.

The meeting included recognition of Dr. Rebecca Riley upon her retirement after 29 years of service and congratulations to Dr. Mario Castillo on his appointment as the next Chancellor, pending a confirmation vote. The agenda covered the approval of multiple previous meeting minutes from June and July 2023. Employee groups provided commentary, welcoming new administrators, congratulating the Chancellor-select, and expressing gratitude for Dr. Riley's tenure. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) voiced support for several action items, specifically those concerning policy manual changes due to Senate Bill 17, codification of a personal leave system, the Fiscal Year 2024 budget proposal (Action Item 10), and requiring contractors to pay prevailing wages. Board members discussed efficient governance practices. The committee reports included the PRC reviewing compensation and paid time off policies, and another committee reviewing and making necessary changes to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies in alignment with statutory requirements. The consent agenda was addressed, with several items pulled for discussion, notably Action Item 10 (the FY 2024 budget). The CFO presented the proposed budget, detailing the timeline of its development, the three primary revenue sources (tuition/fees, state revenues, and property taxes), and the next steps in the Truth in Taxation process for setting the final tax rate.

The public forum addressed the redistricting process for Single Member District 8, focusing on the presentation by the legal and demographic team regarding redistricting methodology, the requirement to rebalance population based on 2020 census data, and initial proposed maps. Key discussion points included the definition of redistricting, the 10 percent rule trigger based on state law, the difference between total population, voting age population, and citizen voting age population (CVAP), and the constraints imposed by a 2013 consent decree and adopted map drawing principles. Analysis showed a 38.2 percent differential between the most and least populous districts, necessitating redistricting, with District 8 experiencing significant population growth since 2010. The board adopted a timeline aiming to complete the redistricting process by the end of June 2022.

The meeting was a public education forum focused on redistricting, which is periodically redrawing the boundaries of the nine single-member districts in response to population changes derived from census data. The presentation covered the legal overview of redistricting, the role of census data (2010 and 2020), and the statutory requirement to rebalance districts if the population difference between the most and least populous districts exceeds 10 percent, based on total population. The importance of the Citizen Voting Age Population (CVAP) data for complying with the Consent Decree, which mandates at least one majority Hispanic CVAP district and two influence districts, was emphasized. The board has adopted nine redistricting criteria to guide map judging, including observing natural boundaries and keeping communities of interest together. The discussion concluded with a review of population growth, noting that the district grew by 476,000 persons between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, with Hispanic population growth being the fastest.