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Heads up, Texas taxpayers: we’ve reviewed the upcoming HARRIS COUNTY DEPT OF ED agenda and found 5 items that deserve your attention before the gavel falls.
| ALERT (LEVEL 8) |
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Student Surveillance Vendor on Approved List
Item 6.H.1 approves a 5-year list of software vendors, including Navigate360, LLC, a company known for student surveillance and ‘threat assessment’ software. Placing this vendor on a pre-approved list makes it easier for the district to purchase these controversial services in the future with less public scrutiny.
Response
DEMAND A RECORDED VOTE: Email Gil Gaona at ggaona@hcde-texas.org and ask him to forward your message to the entire Board: ‘I demand Consent Item 6.H.1 be pulled for a separate discussion and a roll-call vote. The Board must publicly justify why a student surveillance vendor like Navigate360 belongs on an approved list.’
💰 Impact: Student Data Harvesting
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| WARNING (LEVEL 7) |
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Board Pre-Approves 5 Years of Vague Consultant Contracts
Item 6.H.2 asks the board to approve a massive list of ‘Advisors, Coaches, Consultants, Counselors, Speakers, and Trainers’ for a five-year period. This creates a blank check for spending on vague ‘professional services’ with no specific deliverables or individual oversight for future contracts.
Response
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Email Gil Gaona at ggaona@hcde-texas.org for the Board of Trustees: ‘Regarding Item 6.H.2, a 5-year pre-approved consultant list avoids accountability. Please vote NO or amend this item to require individual Board approval for all consultant contracts.’
💰 Impact: Vague Consultant Spending
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| WARNING (LEVEL 6) |
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Board Accepts $1.4M in Federal Grants with Potential Strings
Items 6.F.8 and 6.F.9 ratify the acceptance of over $1.4 million from the federal ’21st Century Community Learning Centers’ program. These federal grants often come with data-sharing mandates and create programs that local taxpayers are forced to fund permanently after the grant money runs out.
Response
DEMAND THE DETAILS: Email Gil Gaona at ggaona@hcde-texas.org for the Board: ‘Before ratifying the grants in Items 6.F.8 and 6.F.9, please publicly disclose all data-sharing requirements and the long-term plan to fund these programs without federal money.’
💰 Impact: Future Unfunded Mandates
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| WATCH (LEVEL 4) |
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Report Reveals Rapid Growth in Data Collection Dashboards
A presentation under item 5.C reveals the district’s ‘Research and Evaluation Institute’ has increased its number of data dashboards from 28 to 43 in just one year. This rapid expansion of data collection infrastructure warrants public oversight to ensure it is used for academic improvement, not student surveillance.
Response
ASK FOR OVERSIGHT: Email Gil Gaona at ggaona@hcde-texas.org for the Board: ‘Regarding the presentation on the Research and Evaluation Institute (Item 5.C), what specific data is being collected in these 43 dashboards, and what policies are in place to protect student privacy?’
💰 Impact: Potential Student Surveillance
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| WATCH (LEVEL 2) |
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Vague Title — Manual Review Required
The agenda references two files, ‘2025–2026 Academic Calendar (.pdf)’ and ‘2026–2027 Academic Calendar (.pdf),’ but their contents could not be extracted for analysis. While likely routine, these documents should be reviewed to ensure they do not contain hidden policy changes.
Response
INVESTIGATE: Open the files attached in the Official Agenda (linked above) to confirm whether they contain hidden debt or policy changes.
💰 Impact: Undisclosed
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