Northside Independent School District

The meeting featured the swearing-in of a new Police Chief and recognition of an administrator of the year. A public hearing was held for the 2025 Texas Academic Performance Report and the House Bill 3 Annual Report. The Board received reports from the Superintendent and individual Board members regarding district accomplishments, events, and community engagement. Following citizen input on various issues, including employee compensation and a potential school renaming, the Board approved consent agenda items, a resolution for an emergency weather-related school closure, and the fiscal year 2026 budget amendment. Additional actions included approving a delay for teacher certification requirements under House Bill 2, voting against designated prayer time in schools, and discussing future bond planning. The meeting concluded with an executive session to evaluate the Superintendent and approve several administrative appointments.

This document outlines the Northside Independent School District's Targeted Improvement Plans for campuses with low academic performance, specifically those rated "F" or "D." The three-year strategic plan, spanning 2025-2027, primarily focuses on Intensive Curriculum and Instruction improvements to elevate campus ratings to "C" or higher. It emphasizes comprehensive professional development, capacity-building for staff and leaders, and a detailed milestones and performance management framework to ensure sustained student outcome improvements.

This document outlines the Northside Independent School District's legislative priorities for the 2025 session, focusing on four main areas. These include advocating for adequate and recurring funding for public education, fully funding school safety mandates and special education needs, reforming the academic assessment and accountability system to focus on student growth and eliminate high-stakes testing, and supporting robust programs for educator recruitment and retention to address critical workforce shortages. The overall objective is to ensure strong public policy that promotes and protects educational opportunities for all students.

The meeting commenced with recognitions, including the Northside Citizenship Award presentation to John Gomez for saving a student's life, and presentations from various organizations honoring the Board for Board Appreciation Month. The Superintendent's Report covered the Board Luncheon, the 25th anniversary of Raba Elementary, a STEM lab activity at Glass Elementary, collaboration on the second annual School Connect Summit, and a video featuring school bus drivers. Board members reported on securing new traffic signals and school zone flashers at Jay High School, a new in-person tutoring pilot program for AVID students at Ross Middle School in partnership with Alamo Colleges District, gratitude for mental health workers, recent fine arts performances, the Holmes High School scholarship night, and updates on the Greater San Antonio Reading Challenge and the Juvenile Justice Jeopardy event. Key actions included approving the Consent Agenda, which involved various bids and policy reviews, though one policy item was pulled for separate reading. The Board also discussed plans to establish a Virtual Academy for grades 9-11 starting in the 26-27 school year and received a mid-year progress update. Financially, the Board approved the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) audit for Fiscal Year 2025, which received an unmodified opinion, and approved the selection of a Health & Wellness Benefits Consultant. Discussions covered District Optimization efforts and proposed changes to Board Operating Procedures and Internal Organization, including committee assignments. The Board convened in executive session to discuss the TxSSC intruder and detection audit, the Superintendent's Evaluation (deferred until February), and several personnel appointments (Assistant Principal, Assistant, Academic Dean, and Director appointments), which were brought back to open session for approval. The meeting concluded with the adjournment after necessary actions were taken in open session following the executive session.

The Superintendent reported on numerous district milestones, including the Marshall HS 75th Anniversary, participation in the School Connect Summit, acceptance into the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) program, the awarding of CAST Teach scholarships, record fundraising at the NEF Clay Shoot, and high artistic achievement in the Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE). Trustees provided detailed reports covering recognitions for staff accomplishments in Fine Arts and Special Education, collaboration with the City Council on mental health awareness, and highlights from various school events such as PTA Founders Day and campus Open Houses. Key actions included the swearing-in of the new Chief of Police, Richard B. Palomo. The Board held a public hearing on the Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR). The Trustees unanimously voted against adopting a measure for designated prayer time. The Board reviewed the timeline for a potential bond and Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election (VATRE), possibly for the November 2026 ballot, and reviewed survey results regarding the potential renaming of Colonies North Elementary School. Finally, several administrative appointments and contracts for facilities improvements, including various roof, flooring, and HVAC replacements, were approved, along with bids for goods and services.