Board UpdateHighlights of the Region One ESC Board of Directors Meeting

August 23, 2018

Action ItemsThe Board of Directors took action on the following items:

Approved the following items:

• Minutes of the June 19, 2018 Board of Directors Meeting,

• Budget Amendments for June, July, and August 2018.

• Expenditure Reports as of July 31, 2018

• Resolution for Review of Public Funds Investment Policy and Strategies

• Resolution to Update Individuals Authorized to Initiate Banking Transactions at Lone Star National Bank

• Child Nutrition Program-South Texas Cooperative Wireless Temperature Monitoring Systems RFP 19-AGENCY-000053 to Digi International (SMART Temps) – Minnetonka, MN and E-Control Systems, Inc. – Sherman Oaks, C

• Child Nutrition Program-South Texas Cooperative Removal of Grease from Traps and Barrels RFP 19-AGENCY-000054 to Fatty Chem By Products – Los Fresnos, TX; Liquid Environmental Solutions, LLC. – Irving, TX; and South Texas Wastewater – McAllen, TX.

• Child Nutrition Program-South Texas Cooperative School Nutrition Program Food Safety and Sanitation Products and Services RFP 19-AGENCY-000055 toSanitech Systems, Inc. – Lakeland, FL and PortionPac Chemical Corporation – Chicago, IL.

• Child Nutrition Program-South Texas Cooperative Dairy and Juice Products for Edinburg CISD RFP 19-AGENCY-000061 Dean Foods Company dba Southern Foods Group LLC dba Oak Farms Dairy – Dallas, TX.

Public Hearing Held to Announce Student, District Financial, and ESC Accountability

Good News Shared About Student Performance on State’s New Accountability System

In the inaugural year of the state’s new accountability ratings system, Region One area schools did “exceedingly well” out-performing students across the state. That was the news shared by Dr. Eduardo Cancino, Deputy Director for Instructional Leadership, School Improvement, and College Readiness Support to those in attendance at the Annual Public Hearing of the Region One Education Service Center. The public hearing was held in conjunction with the regularly called Board of Directors meeting held on August 23, 2018. The Texas Education Code, Sec. 8.003 (f), requires that the Board of Directors of a regional education service center conduct a public hearing on the center’s performance during the preceding year on standards established by the Texas Education Commissioner. Attending the public hearing were mostly school district superintendents, personnel, and charter school representatives.

In this first year of the new “A-F Accountability System,” mandated by the 85th Texas Legislature, school districts received a rating based on student performance in four domains: student performance, academic growth, and closing the gaps (equity). Individual school campuses will receive similar ratings beginning August 2019, explained Dr. Cancino. According to the new system, school districts could receive any of the following rating labels: A (Exemplary Performance), B (Recognized Performance), C (Acceptable Performance), D (In Need of Improvement) or F (Unacceptable Performance). In addition, districts were also eligible to receive Distinction Designations for postsecondary readiness.

Dr. Cancino reported that Region One school districts surpassed the performance of students statewide in each of the domains. With that in mind, 100% of school districts “Met Standard”. Overall, there were 10 school districts achieving the “Exemplary Performance” rating, 24 received a “Recognized” rating, and 6 received

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an “Acceptable” rating.

When comparing Region One student results with other comparable-sized education service centers, once again Region One area schools outperformed the San Antonio, Houston, Richardson, Austin, and Fort Worth areas. Of special note to this data, reported Cancino, was that the comparison did not account for special population groups; instead it was a direct comparison of ESC to ESC, based on size only.

He further explained that school districts that receive an A, B, C, or D rating were eligible for a distinction designation for outstanding performance in attainment of postsecondary readiness if at least 55% of all the campuses’ postsecondary indicators are in the top quartile. Receiving this achievement are: Edinburg CISD, Harlingen CISD, Lasara ISD, Los Fresnos CISD, Lyford CISD, McAllen ISD, Roma ISD, San Perlita ISD, Sharyland ISD, South Texas ISD, United ISD, Valley View ISD, Vanguard Academy, and Webb CISD. Of these districts, Los Fresnos CISD, Sharyland ISD, and South Texas ISD have achieved this level of achievement for the past five consecutive years since the distinction became part of the accountability system. To understand the magnitude of this feat, Dr. Cancino reminded attendees that of the 1,200 school districts in the state, only 5 districts have reached this honor “and three of those five districts are right here in Region One!”.

Individually, school campuses could earn a rating of “Met Standard”, “Improvement Required”, “Met Alternative Standard”, or “Not Rated”. Four school campuses (one traditional school and three alternative campuses) did not achieve the “Met Standard” rating, explained Cancino adding that staff from the Region One staff would be working individually with these campuses throughout the year to address areas of concern.

“We are extremely proud of the accomplishments of our school districts and commend school personnel and our Region One staff, for the dedication and commitment that they have demonstrated to our students so they could achieve such high levels,” said Dr. Cornelio Gonzalez, Region One ESC Executive Director. “Please know that the rest of the state is taking notice of what is occurring here in our region, they want to know what are we doing to achieve such phenomenal results. I say to them, ‘it’s simple, we have high expectations for all students and work together to make it happen!’”.

Financial Accountability System-FIRST

In the area of financial accountability, Connie Lopez, Region One ESC Deputy Director, Business, Operations, and Finance Support reported on the preliminary regional results of FIRST, the state’s financial accountability system. Lopez explained the FIRST system allows for transparency and is designed to encourage Texas public schools to better manage their financial resources

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Exemplary Performance Edinburg CISD Hidalgo ISD Los Fresnos CISD McAllen ISD Roma ISD Sharyland ISD South Texas ISD United ISD Valley View ISD Vanguard Academy

Postsecondary Readiness Distinction Edinburg CISD Harlingen CISD Lasara ISD Los Fresnos CISD* Lyford CISD McAllen ISD Roma ISD San Perlita ISD Sharyland ISD* South Texas ISD* United ISD Valley View ISD Vanguard Academy Webb CISD

Recognized Performance Brownsville ISD Harlingen CISD Horizon Montessori Public Schools IDEA Public Schools Jim Hogg County ISD La Feria ISD La Joya ISD La Villa ISD Laredo ISD Lasara ISD Lyford CISD Mercedes ISD Mission CISD Monte Alto ISD Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD Point Isabel ISD Progeso ISD Raymondville ISD San Isidro ISD San Perlita ISD Santa Maria ISD Santa Rosa ISD Weslaco ISD Zapata County ISD

Acceptable Performance Donna ISD Edcouch-Elsa ISD Rio Grande City CISD Rio Hondo ISD San Benito CISD Webb CISD

to provide maximum allocation possible for direct instructional purposes. The 2017-2018 ratings, based on the prior year’s data, is made up of fifteen different indicators which comprise groupings to include 5 critical indicators, 7 solvency indicators, and 3 indicators which look at financial competency. Districts earn points for each of these indicators, with the exception of the critical areas which are either a pass/fail for the district, making it possible for a district to earn a perfect score of 100.

Lopez reported that 26 districts received a Superior rating, six districts received an “Above Standard” rating, four districts received the “Meets Standard” rating, and one district received a “Substandard” rating. All six of the charter school systems of Region One achieved a “Superior” rating.

An overview of the Survey of Region One ESC Evaluation of Services was presented by Dr. Marco Antonio Lara, Deputy Director for Administrative Leadership, Community, & School Support. The statewide survey, conducted by the Texas Education Agency and administered by the University of Texas Organizational Excellence Group, analyzed the satisfaction of Superintendents and Charter School Directors with the regional education service centers. The survey measured satisfaction in three main areas: support of regular education programs, support of programs for special populations, and with other ESC services. Survey participants rated each area on a 1-5 scale (5=very satisfied to 1=very dissatisfied).

Ms. Sara Alvarado, Chairperson of the Regional Advisory Council of Superintendents, provided an overview of the Region One ESC Client Satisfaction Survey distributed to all users of Region One ESC services. Overall, Alvarado reported that school districts and their superintendents were pleased with the level of service and support provided to them by their education service center. v

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Board of Directors2018-2019

Ricardo Gutierrez, Chairperson Place 2 – Jim Hogg County, Starr County

& Zapata County

Ruben Cortez, Jr., Vice-Chairperson Place 5 – Cameron County

Raul R. Chapa, Secretary Place 7 – Willacy County

Alicia E. Requenez Place 1 – Hidalgo County

Laura A. McCoy Place 3 – Webb County

Sonia A. Falcon Place 4 – Hidalgo County

Dr. Manuel Gomez, Jr., Place 6 – Cameron County

Roberto Moroles Charter Schools Representative

AdministrationDr. Cornelio Gonzalez

Executive Director

Dr. Eduardo Cancino Deputy Director, Instructional, School

Improvement, & College Readiness Support

Dr. Marco Antonio Lara, Jr. Deputy Director, Administrative Leadership,

School & Community Support

Connie Lopez, CPA Deputy Director, Business, Operations

& Finance Support

Ali Kolahdouz Chief Technology Officer

Board Update is an electronic publication of the Region One Education Service Center Office of Creative Services and is available on the Region One Web Site.

Board Update is intended as an informational document only and does not reflect the official board minutes. For questions or concerns, contact the Office of Creative Services at (956) 984-6011.

Region One Education Service Center does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, origin, gender or disability.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Region One ESC Board of Directors is

scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on September 18, 2018.

Executive Director’s ReportIn his Executive Director’s Report, Dr. Gonzalez presented the following items:

• In his Personnel Matters Report, Dr. Gonzalez reported on the following Additions: Lisa Beccera, Speech Language Pathologist, Office of Early Childhood Intervention; Karla Lara, Learning Resources Specialist, Office of Learning Resources Integration; Ashley Shaw, Speech Language Pathologist, Office of Early Childhood Intervention; and Gloria Vera, Lesson Study Specialist/Brownsville, Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment.

• Dr. Gonzalez also reported on the following resignations: Rodney Elizondo, Health & Safety Specialist, Office of Health, Safety, & Transportation, Maru Falletich, LEDC Specialist, Office of LEDC; Estela Garcia, Speech Language Pathologist, Office of Early Childhood Intervention; Carina Robles, Speech Language Pathologist, Office of Early Childhood Intervention; and Xochitl Rocha, Instructional Support Specialist, Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. v

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• Region One Purchasing Cooperative Fire Suppression System and Vent Hood Installation, Training, Parts and Repairs RFP 19-AGENCY-000056 Industrial Fire and Safety, LLC – Donna, TX; and RMZ Kleaning Zolutions, LLC – Mission, TX.

• Region One Purchasing Cooperative Fire Suppression System and Vent Hood Scheduled Maintenance, Inspection and Cleaning RFP 19-AGENCY-000057 toE I Fire & Safety Inc. – Mission, TX; Industrial Fire and Safety, LLC – Donna, TX; and RMZ Kleaning Zolutions, LLC – Mission, TX.

• Region One Purchasing Cooperative Facility Products, Services and Rentals RFP 19-AGENCY-000058 to Model Laundry, LLC – San Benito, TX; Productos Ramsa, LLC – Pharr, TX and UNIFIRST HOLDINGS, INC – Harlingen, TX

• Region One Education Service Center Grounds Maintenance and Upkeep RFP 19- AGENCY-000059 to Kopara Group, LLC dba The Grounds Guys, Mission TX.

• *Region One Education Service Center Meal Catering Services and Supplies RFP 19-AGENCY-000060 to All Affairs and Occasions, Elsa, TX.; Atencion Selecta dba Terestias at Los Lagos, Edinburg, TX; Chickfil-A, McAllen, TX; HEB, San Antonio, TX; Rebecca’s Mexican Restaurant and Catering, McAllen, TX.

• Texas Energy Center Energy Supply and Related Services RFP 16-03-12, Extension 2 of 4 to Constellation NewEnergy – Houston, TX; Hudson Energy – Houston, TX; Reliant Energy – Houston, TX; Source Power & Gas, LLC – Beasley, TX

• Approve Awarding Service Providers and Construction of ORION Fiber Optic Network

• Region One ESC Delegate and Alternate Appointments to TASB 2018 Delegate Assembly-Mr. Ricardo Gutierrez and Ms. Laura McCoy

• 2018-2019 Official Budget General Fund Only.