KIPP Texas’ executive committee on Aug. 14 announced a special board meeting for Tuesday, Aug. 19, to approve policies that the board said are required by recent Texas legislation and to adjust the district budget based on a House Bill 2 salary scale. The meeting was called during the committee’s regular session in Houston and by videoconference.

Board Chair Darla Whitaker and committee members said the special meeting was necessary to meet statutory deadlines tied to the latest legislative session; the committee also said some of the new policies carry a Sept. 1 compliance date. The committee indicated the board will take formal action at the special meeting to adopt the policies and to approve budget updates that reflect the salary scale that staff will present.

The committee said the Aug. 19 agenda will begin with a roll call and include public comment at the start of the meeting, which it described as a new requirement from bills passed this session. Staff said a named staff member will present the official House Bill 2 salary scale and that another staff member will present budget updates derived from that scale. Committee members were told they will receive a preread document in advance describing the proposals.

At the Aug. 14 session, the committee identified roles for specific staff in the Aug. 19 meeting: a staff member will present the House Bill 2 salary scale for review and a budget staffer will present adjustments for board approval. The committee also said a staff lead will review all legislative-policy items scheduled for board action and will be available to follow up on questions after the preread is circulated.

The committee adjourned to executive session shortly after calling the special meeting and returned to open session roughly 1 hour and 20 minutes later. In open session the committee confirmed the recording and adjourned. The Aug. 14 minutes were approved unanimously at the start of the meeting.

The committee did not take any formal votes at the Aug. 14 session to adopt the legislative policies or to approve the budget; instead, members scheduled the Aug. 19 special meeting specifically to consider those actions. The committee described the Aug. 19 meeting as necessary to meet legislative deadlines and said it would include time for questions of staff and potential executive-session deliberation where authorized by law.

Board members and staff noted logistics: a preread will be provided to board members in advance, the special meeting will include public comment at the start consistent with new legislative requirements, and staff presenters will include the chief of staff and the legal counsel as appropriate. No specific salary numbers, budget totals or other dollar amounts were presented during the Aug. 14 meeting; those figures were described as part of the materials to be circulated ahead of the Aug. 19 meeting.