The board may approve the proposed revision to restrict public participation on first reading, effective Wednesday.
The average number of registered speakers at board meetings has almost quadrupled since the takeover, according to a Chronicle analysis, and the number of unique speakers tripled in the 2023-24 school year compared to the year prior.
The policy changes also remove language requiring community hearings, defined as the time people speak regarding any district-related matter not listed on the meeting notice, held no later than 7 p.m.
The changes to board policy on meetings and public participation are to modify and clarify practices related to public comment, language assistance for public participation, the process for withdrawing items, changes to order of business and more, according to the agenda.
Language regarding students speaking first will specify HISD-enrolled students, and added language specifies speakers will appear in an order determined by the presiding office. Language around speakers going in the order they signed up is struck through.
The language regarding public complaints and concerns — where the presiding officer or designee shall determine whether an individual addressing the board has attempted to solve a matter administratively through resolution channels established by policy — is stuck through "because those topics are addressed in other policies," according to the board agenda.
The board will also consider ratifying more than 100 vendor awards under cooperative agreements since Aug. 11, 2023, ranging from technology and software used for administration to air conditioning and janitorial services.
The district will also consider modifying a constraint on the superintendent and adding board constraints 1 and 2 in policy. The superintendent's constraint would dictate he cannot "make significant changes, directly or indirectly, to magnet or other specialized programming" without first conducting and communicating to the board and community an analysis of stakeholder engagement, impact on board-adopted student outcome goals, budget and enrollment; and any related research-based studies, according to the policy.
For that constraint, the board defines "significant changes" for the purposes of that constraint as the projected share of impacted students, such as more than 30 percent of students at any school. Language around magnet programming will be up for change in step with that constraint.
The board will also consider amendments to the 2024-2025 budget, indicating that the district has more revenue than expected via state and federal sources for the year but will spend more than planned for student transportation (about $9 million) and plant maintenance and operations (about $30 million). A function, Contracted Instructional Services Between Public Schools, had no allocation in the budget, and the requested amendment would allocate nearly $57 million there. It is unclear what that function is for.
There is also a new policy entitled "Safety Program/Risk Management: Security Personnel" in place of existing policy around commissioned peace officers. The agenda indicates the change is recommended by the Texas Association of School Boards and administration to comply with House Bill 3.
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