The Spring ISD Board of Trustees met at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 11, in person, and streamed via video conferencing, to address items on the agenda. President Justine Durant called the meeting to order. The Carl Wunsche Sr. High School Honor Guard led the presentation of colors, with Cadet Chief Carolina Montano leading the pledges to the flags. Carrying the U.S. Flag was Honor Guard member Madeline Ray. Carrying the Texas Flag was Melissa Sanchez. The Left Rifle Guard was Andrea Galvan. The Right Rifle Guard was Leyla Mendez. The Carl Wunsche Sr. High School Honor Guard is led by Instructors Waylon Randolph, Edward Price, Ramon Hernandez and Lykethia Collins.

Recognitions

Since January 1984, the Board has recognized students and staff for major accomplishments beyond the District with Points of Pride awards. ABCD awards are presented to individuals or groups that go Above and Beyond the Call of Duty.

Spotlight – District Science & Engineering Fair

The Board began with a Spotlight recognition for the Spring ISD students who excelled during the 2022-23 District Science Fair, held at Roberson Middle School earlier in the semester.

District science fair winners went on to take nine projects to the Science and Engineering Fair of Houston, a regional event held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in February.

“The journey to becoming district science fair winners began during the fall semester as students identified topics for research, conducted experiments and showcased projects at the campus level,” said Chief Communications Officer Shane Strubhart during the presentation. “Following campus science fair competitions, the top three entries from each school moved on to the district fair for a final round of judging.”

Student projects were judged in 14 entry categories, including Aerospace Engineering, Behavioral and Social Sciences, Biochemistry and Microbiology, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Materials, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental, Embedded Systems, Energy and Transportation, Engineering Mechanics, Environmental Engineering, Medical and Health, Plant Sciences, and Physics and Astronomy.

“We’re proud of all of our students who took part in this year’s district science fair event,” Strubhart said, before introducing students who attended the meeting to represent this year’s district winners and participants, including Twin Creeks Middle School eighth grader Nevaeh Carrasco, whose Prosthetic Hand science fair project – entered in the Biomedical Engineering category – was a first place district winner and went on to be awarded the Jacobs Science Explorer Award at the regional event.

The Science and Engineering Fair of Houston serves as the regional fair for all junior and senior high school students in Harris County and 22 surrounding counties. Major regional fair winners are eligible to compete in the annual International Science and Engineering Fair, set to take place May 13-19 in Dallas.

Read more and view a full list of district science fair winners on the Spring ISD News Blog.

Spotlight – District Spelling Bee

Next, the Board offered their congratulations to the winner of the annual Spring ISD Spelling Bee, Hirsch Elementary School fourth-grader William Hernandez, and honored student participants in this year’s event.

“We’d like to shine a spotlight on the Spring ISD elementary and middle school students who competed in this year’s District Spelling Bee in February,” said Chief Communications Officer Shane Strubhart during his remarks. “In all, 22 elementary and 8 middle school campus champions came together at Dekaney High School to compete for the top district prize.”

Hernandez emerged as the winner after more than 10 rounds of competition. He correctly spelled the word “topgallant” to secure the championship, and went on to represent Spring ISD in March at the Houston Public Media Regional Spelling Bee, which featured district champions from across the greater Houston area.

“We’d also like to extend congratulations to the runner-up, Bailey Middle School sixth-grader Mark Peterson,” Strubhart said, before also expressing the district’s “thanks to all the teachers and sponsors who made this year’s Spring ISD Spelling Bee possible.”

Read more.

Spotlight – Spring ISD “She Persisted” Writing Contest Winners

“As part of our Women's History Month celebration in March, students were invited to participate in the ‘She Persisted’ essay contest, based in part on the children's book ‘She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World.’” Chief Communications Officer Shane Strubhart said in introducing the next item. “Students wrote about a woman of their choice who changed the world and who had a powerful impact on them personally.”

Winners from each category received a trophy and a Kindle tablet to continue their journey of reading and learning. Most of the essay contest winners were able to attend the board meeting and receive congratulations directly from the trustees. The full list of essay contest winners is as follows.

• Pre-K through Second Grade category:

  • Spanish winner – Lara Farmer (1st Grade, Booker ES)

  • English winner – Ana Rodriguez (2nd Grade, McNabb ES)

• Third through Fifth Grade category:

  • Spanish winner – Brianna Vera (4th Grade, Anderson ES)

  • English winner – Niya Lawrence (4th Grade, Booker ES)

• Sixth through Eighth Grade category:

  • Sanaia Kabara (8th Grade, School for International Studies at Bammel)

• Ninth through Twelfth Grade category:

  • Monya Nayil (12th Grade, Westfield High School)

The Board also honored the contributions of campus Library Media Specialists, who helped coordinate the contest and provide resources to help students in writing their essays. Representing the winning campuses were: Angela Galler, from Booker Elementary; Kristy Contreras, from Anderson Elementary; Leslie Cuevas, from McNabb Elementary; Meloni Williams, from the School for International Studies at Bammel; and Tania Dixon, Library Media Specialist at Westfield High School.

Point of Pride – Spring ISD Communications Department receives 37 TSPRA 2022 Star Awards

The Board also awarded a Point of Pride to the Spring ISD Communications Department, which recently won 37 Star Awards from the Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) for excellence in school communications during the 2021-22 school year.

The department’s honors included two Crystal Award Finalist entries – one for a video portfolio and one for a photography portfolio – and three Best of Category awards. The three Best of Category awards included the Spring ISD 2021-22 Anti-Drug Poster Series, Spring ISD Bedtime Stories Spanish videos, and a JROTC photo titled “Presenting Our True Colors.”

In all this year, the department earned 20 Gold Stars, 14 Silver Stars and one Bronze Star.

The recognition during the board meeting highlighted the work the Communications Department does to keep community members informed and to celebrate the achievements of Spring ISD students, staff and schools.

Representing the department and receiving the Point of Pride plaque award were Assistant Superintendent of Communications Sara Butler, Director of Communications Kristen Cobb, and Creative Services Coordinator Jim Wineman.

Read more.

Point of Pride – Dr. Hinojosa named a “Superintendent to Watch” by the National School Public Relations Association

The recognition portion of the meeting ended with a special Point of Pride honoring Spring ISD Superintendent Dr. Lupita Hinojosa, who was officially selected as a 2022 Superintendent to Watch by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) at the end of the fall semester.

Hinojosa was one of just 24 superintendents from across the nation selected this school year in recognition of their innovative and effective use of communications and communication technology to engage and inform their school communities.

Those receiving the NSPRA Superintendent to Watch award must have fewer than five years of experience as a superintendent. Hinojosa was honored both for embracing newer communications technologies -- like the district’s Let’s Talk online communication platform – and for emphasizing the value of regular face-to-face engagement with the community.

“We couldn’t be more proud of her for this accomplishment, and it’s no secret to those of us in Spring ISD that she is, without a doubt, a ‘Superintendent to Watch!’” Chief Communications Officer Shane Strubhart said during the presentation. “Congratulations to Dr. Hinojosa from all of us in Spring ISD, who see the hard work you do every day to communicate effectively with staff, students, families, and stakeholders throughout the district.”

Board President Justine Durant also offered congratulations to Hinojosa for the award.

“I want to say, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, we are very proud and very blessed and grateful to have you leading the ship here in Spring ISD,” Durant said, “and you are definitely the Superintendent to Watch!”

Hinojosa thanked the trustees for their support of her and their commitment to the success of students throughout the district. She also thanked her senior leadership team, as well as employees and members of the community who go out of their way each day to help build strong relationships between the district and those it serves.

“And so, to all of our 5,200 employees, our 34,000 students, this is an acknowledgment of Spring ISD,” Hinojosa said. “This is for you all.”

Read more.

Superintendent's Report

Superintendent Dr. Lupita Hinojosa began her remarks by recognizing the all-female group of students that presented the flags at the beginning of the evening, all from Wunsche High School.

“Just a taste of all the amazing things our students do every single day,” she said. “And they do this because of our amazing teachers that we have [and] our school leaders that support our students to ensure that they're having an opportunity to succeed and to lead.”

She followed that up by reminding parents of the ongoing Pre-K Roundup, which encourages community parents to sign up their children for pre-K in the upcoming school year. 

“Take a look at all of the opportunities that our students have when they come to our free, no-tuition-required all-day pre-K,” Hinojosa said. 

The superintendent then reminded the audience about the upcoming Boys’ Empowerment and Leadership Summit, which is set for Saturday, April 22. 

Next, Hinojosa mentioned the upcoming National Volunteer Week, set for April 16-22. 

“From our Board, from our administration, we want to do a special thanks to all of the volunteers that come – day in and day out – to support our students in person as well as online,” she said. 

She finished her remarks by mentioning the upcoming Tri-Club Show, which features the year-long efforts of Spring ISD students who are involved in FFA (Future Farmers of America), FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America), and Spring 4-H (Head, Heart, Hands, Health). This year’s event will be held April 13-15 at the Nagy Pavilion at 24037 West Hardy Road.

The Superintendent’s Stampede Buyers Group is still accepting donations at Paypal, with a goal of $25,000.

Trustees Remarks

At each regular board meeting, during Opening Remarks, each board member is given the opportunity to share information with those present.

Deborah Jensen
Position 1

Kelly P. Hodges
Position 2

Justine Durant
Position 3

Winford Adams Jr.
Position 4

Rhonda Newhouse
Position 5

Carmen Correa
Position 6

Natasha McDaniel
Position 7

Assistant Secretary Rhonda Newhouse began the remarks by mentioning her involvement in judging senior capstone projects at Wunsche High School. These projects are presented by graduating seniors to industry partners in their chosen prospective career fields. Trustee Newhouse judged the projects in the Veterinary Science field. 

“Thank you to the judges from our community, our businesses and partnerships that we have with various companies. They came together for the students,” Newhouse said. “I want to give a big shout-out and thank you to our community for supporting the seniors at Wunsche High School for their capstone projects.” 

Trustee Newhouse then echoed the superintendent’s remarks on the upcoming Boys’ Empowerment and Leadership Summit, encouraging anyone eligible to attend. 

Vice President Winford Adams Jr. followed up by mentioning that he had briefly attended the Girls’ Summit in March, where his two daughters attended as guests and found value in the presentations.

He then mentioned that he has had the privilege of attending several performing and visual arts performances recently, including the Spring High School choir performance and the Dekaney High School UIL One Act Play preview performance.

“I wanted to comment on how well attended these events are, and how much I appreciate the support from families and communities,” Adams said. “I want to encourage us and the community to get out, support the dance teams, the cheerleading squads, all the kids that are putting in the really hard work to make Spring a great place to be.” 

Trustee Kelly P. Hodges also mentioned that she had attended the Girls’ Summit in March, and echoed the sentiments of others.

“The enthusiasm of the young ladies is what I really enjoyed, especially from the opening presentation and going into some of the sessions,” Hodges said. “The girls were really, really engaged and interested. They had their notepads, they were taking notes. [It is] very exciting to know that the girls are there because they want to be.”

Trustee Dr. Deborah Jensen then followed, saying, “I just wanted to urge everybody to see those science projects out there in the hall. They are just awesome.” 

The science projects were on display outside the Board Room, representing the research and scientific experiments of students from throughout Spring ISD.

Assistant Secretary Rhonda Newhouse then made a few more additional remarks, to announce that the softball coach at Spring High School, Julie Wyrick, was celebrating 500 wins with the team. In addition, the softball team is currently leading the district.

President Justine Durant finished the Trustee Remarks by reminding those in attendance that the Texas Legislature is currently in session and that several bills are up for debate that could impact public education in Texas. “For your legislators, your elected officials, to hear from you, from parents and community members,

it carries a lot of weight,” Durant said. “So always take that opportunity to send them an email or write them a letter to let them know how you feel.”

She then thanked her fellow Board of Trustees members for their hard work in advocating for Spring ISD and its students not only in Austin but also on a federal level in Washington, D.C.

Updates

Audit Committee provides update

Assistant Secretary Rhonda Newhouse recounted recent audit activities completed in coordination between the Board and Spring ISD Internal Auditor Patricia Rios, including review of 24 activity funds, together with select campus attendance rosters and additional compliance projects.

In addition to ongoing audits, Newhouse noted that the committee had temporarily paused a Payroll Supplemental Timesheet Audit while awaiting completion of the Position Control Audit.

“I’d like to thank our internal auditor, Ms. Patricia Rios,” Newhouse said. “We know we have given her a lot to do in a short amount of time of auditing, but we thank you for your work.”

Newhouse also added the board’s congratulations to the district’s staff audit specialist, Marcus Davis, who is completing a master's program this semester.

Board Governance Committee provides update

Trustee Dr. Deborah Jensen spoke about the committee’s upcoming schedule and discussed its work to review statewide updates in board policy and their impact on the Spring ISD Board Policy Manual. She also put out a reminder to all stakeholders that the Board and the Board Governance Committee are always happy to hear from community members who may have questions or concerns about any aspect of existing board policy.

Jensen also mentioned a conference session she had recently attended that suggested districts maintain an updated code of conduct for board members. Jensen noted the collegiality of the Spring ISD Board of Trustees and its commitment to working together as a team, but said that the committee would consider the question of a code of conduct.

“Thankfully, we have a very professional, polite board,” Jensen said. “I tell people that we certainly disagree, but we listen to each other.” 

Jensen also said that the Board would be resuming its Employee Excellence Award presentations, and reminded attendees that any member of the Spring ISD community – including staff, parents, students and others – could submit a nomination.

For more information, or to nominate a Spring ISD employee, visit the Employee Recognition webpage.

Community Engagement Committee provides update

Board Secretary Kelly P. Hodges explained that the committee had been working on compiling and reviewing the data from the recent “Building Bridges with the Board” and “Table Talk” sessions, which were held to elicit honest and direct feedback from staff and Spring ISD families. The committee will continue reviewing the full report before bringing recommendations to the superintendent and administrative team for consideration and implementation.

“There were some hot topics,” Hodges said, “and so we have drilled down on a few and look forward to working with the leadership on identifying next steps and making a few of the recommended changes.”

She also mentioned the ongoing 88th Texas Legislature Session and the need for an informed, engaged electorate in Spring ISD, including those students who are eligible to vote.

“One of the things that I am going to propose to the committee is that we work to have voter education and voter registration at all of our community events,” Hodges said. “It's just good for our students to be aware – and definitely our parents – and I think as a school district we can definitely help provide some of the education that's needed, so that we can be informed, and our community can be informed when they go to the polls to vote on a particular topic.”

Finally, Hodges reminded the community about the upcoming Boys' Empowerment and Leadership Summit on April 22 and the April 20 Volunteer Appreciation Reception. She recommended following the Spring ISD website and the district’s events calendar as great ways to find out about the many events happening regularly across the district.

“Pick something to attend – and then also bring a neighbor!” Hodges encouraged.

Action Items and Presentations

Board receives update on 2022 Bond

Chief Operations Officer Mark Miranda presented the Board with updates regarding the district’s 2022 Bond, including an update on bond processes and timelines.

“Our first quarter of this year has concentrated on the architects, and the contractor timeline has concentrated on review of the Requests for Qualifications (RFQ),” Miranda said, adding that an external auditor had also been approved to help oversee the numerous processes involved in implementing the bond.

The second quarter of 2023 will involve the various architect and professional services RFQs for the bond projects, followed by soliciting and then evaluating construction proposals over the summer and into the fall months, accompanied by the beginning of the design process on several projects, including the new Spring High School campus and the district’s new Education, Performance and Instruction Center (EPIC).

“If this timeline works out the way we hope it to, we'll be very excited in Quarter 4 to be able to present the first schematic designs for EPIC and Spring High School,” Miranda said.

Miranda also offered trustees an overview of the RFQ process for architectural services and introduced board members to Debbie Townsend, the president of R.L. Townsend & Associates, LLC, the firm selected to provide general bond and construction auditing services to the district.

More information about Spring ISD’s 2022 Bond, as well as a PDF copy of Miranda’s presentation, can be found on the district’s bond webpage.

In other action, the Board approved:

• Minutes from the March 7, 2023 work session; March 20, 2023 special called session; and the March 21, 2023 regular meeting;

• Facility Use Agreement Between Lone Star College and Spring Early College Academy (allowing the use of the gym and performing arts center at Lone Star College-North Harris for Spring Early College Academy events);

• 2023-2024 Texas Education Agency (TEA) Annual Textbook Allotment and Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Certification (Recurring Item);

• Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Rice University Regarding the Kinder Institute for Urban Research (Recurring Item);

• Second Reading of TASB Local Update 119 – Proposed Revisions Affecting the Following Board Policies:

  • CPC(LOCAL) – OFFICE MANAGEMENT – RECORDS MANAGEMENT

  • EHAA(LOCAL) – BASIC INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM – REQUIRED INSTRUCTION (ALL LEVELS)

  • EHB(LOCAL) – CURRICULUM DESIGN – SPECIAL PROGRAMS

  • EHBAA(LOCAL) – SPECIAL EDUCATION – IDENTIFICATION, EVALUATION, AND ELIGIBILITY

  • EHBB(LOCAL) – SPECIAL PROGRAMS – GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS

  • EIF(LOCAL) – ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT – GRADUATION

  • FFBA(LOCAL) – CRISIS INTERVENTION – TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE

  • FFH(LOCAL) – STUDENT WELFARE – FREEDOM FROM DISCRIMINATION, HARASSMENT, AND RETALIATION;

• Request for Proposal (RFP) 23-018 – Pre-owned Truck Tractors;

• Depository Contract Extension with PNC Bank (Third Two-Year Term);

• Elementary School Boundary Adjustments; and

• Taxpayer refunds (Recurring item).