Dr. Marie Gamel, superintendent of Cedar Hill Independent School District, presented a set of proposed "superintendent guardrails" to the Board of Trustees and asked the board to adopt them and allow administration to develop monitoring calendars.

The guardrails are framed as limits on superintendent action tied to community values and include: preserving student engagement and social–emotional wellness; maintaining staff effectiveness; strengthening family and community engagement; ensuring equitable distribution of resources; and protecting physical and emotional safety for staff and students. The superintendent and administration said many of the guardrail progress measures will serve as baseline data this year because reliable, recent measures are not available across all domains.

Examples of proposed guardrail progress measures included 100% campus implementation of the district’s SEL practices (measured by implementation rubrics and walkthroughs), raising staff attendance from a baseline (the administration suggested moving from 93.3% toward 96% by the 2030 target year), and developing an annual schedule of high‑quality community engagement (including a new face‑to‑face program separate from prior Parent University events). The administration also proposed tracking wrap‑around services delivered by external agencies and measuring participation in a student‑led social‑emotional organization (HILO — Hillside Youth Leadership Organization), which the superintendent said already exists in the district.

Trustees discussed clarity on “who/what/when/how” for each progress measure, how much direct control the superintendent can exert over items such as staff attendance and external wrap‑around services, and whether measures should include specific x→y by date targets. Trustees asked for specific timelines and measurement details before final adoption; Superintendent Gamel and staff said the presentation year would establish baselines and that the administration would return with detailed goal progress measures.

The board will vote on the superintendent guardrails at an upcoming meeting; the administration will produce a monitoring calendar for guardrail progress measures and the existing student outcome goals progress measures.