Advisory Board Meeting:
Monday, November 10, 2025, 1:00 PM

1. Call to Order
2. Establish Quorum
3. Meeting Minutes
   1. Presentation and approval of Meeting Minutes, October 20, 2025 (Consent)
4. Public Comment
5. Superintendent’s Report
6. Leadership Updates
7. Calls with UT & TEA
8. People First Spotlight: Testing Team
9. December EOC Plan
10. Targeted Improvement Plan
11. Adjourn

Call to Order:

• Superintendent Robert Bayard called the meeting to order at 1:06 p.m.
• Quorum established; majority of board members present.

Board Members Present:

• Kayla Morrison
• Jon McNaughtan
• Shawn Mason
• Cameron Brown

Consent Items:

• Minutes from the Oct. 20, 2025 meeting were reviewed and approved by the advisory board.
• No public comment.

Superintendent’s Report:

• Mission and Vision: Dr. Bayard reviewed the school’s mission and vision to reaffirm goals and ensure alignment with current initiatives.
• Attendance and Enrollment Update: Enrollment numbers were reviewed, noting that 49 students were administratively withdrawn due to lack of progress in compliance with the Texas Administrative Code for excessive absences. Local school districts are being contacted to ensure follow-up. Despite these withdrawals, spring enrollment remains strong, with a waitlist of 191 students in both tuition-free and tuition-paid programs. Overall enrollment continues to increase. The December 12 lottery will be conducted, followed by ongoing enrollment assessments.
• Leadership Updates: Several leadership updates were shared. Marissa continues work with the technology team to support ongoing development. Michelle Cannon has joined the district as the executive assistant to the superintendent. In the finance department, Brittany Sikes has been promoted to director of finance, while James Priess will continue supporting K-12 finance in a different capacity.
• Collaboration with UT High School: Dr. Bayard met with Martha Brown, vice chancellor for governmental relations, and representatives from UT High School to discuss potential collaboration. Both schools face similar challenges. Next steps include exploring shared testing sites and legislative support. He also met with Texas Education Agency representatives to discuss school improvement initiatives. The district highlighted its strong academic performance and unique program model. Dr. Bayard requested TEA consider an alternative rating system for the district and provide support in testing students across all 254 counties. TEA will review the requests internally.

Staff Spotlight:

Professional Development/People First Spotlight: Testing Team

Cory Ann Miller reviewed her team and their roles in supporting student testing. The team works closely with the Special Populations team to provide accommodations as needed. Recently, they coordinated SAT School Day and administered the SAT to about 14 students. The district hosts fall and spring testing dates, and SAT fees are eligible for state reimbursement. The team also works with regional sites, including Angelo State University and the Health Sciences Center locations in Abilene, El Paso and Amarillo, to ensure students have access to testing opportunities.

Targeted Improvement Plan:

• Keetha Chadwick provided an overview of the Targeted Improvement Plan, emphasizing the continued focus on student growth. She noted that even with an “A” rating, improvement efforts would remain in place to support excellence. She reviewed student outcome goals and shared that the district is participating in FLIPS coaching to strengthen instructional practices. The district is exploring a new curriculum that will incorporate discussion-based assessments to increase student engagement. Two new assistant principals will be hired to lead professional learning communities and support instructional alignment. Tutoring will continue through the MTSS framework, with additional support through IXL and Brainfuse.

The advisory board unanimously approved the Targeted Improvement Plan.

Adjourned:

2:15 p.m.

Next Meeting:

The December meeting is canceled. The next meeting will be held Jan. 12, 2026.