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DOING. I THINK I'M GOING FASTER THAN YOUR SLIDE SHOW. HERE'S WHAT I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT. YOU KNOW THE BOEING CENTER. I WAS SURPRISED I DIDN'T SEE MORE OF YOU LAST WEEKEND FOR THE FESTIVAL. WE BUILT THAT $73 MILLION BUILDING FOR ONE SINGULAR PURPOSE. WE'RE NEVER GOING TO MAKE A PROFIT OFF IT. THE PROFITS IN THAT BUILDING AND THE WAY WE STRUCTURE OUR NAMING RIGHTS AGREEMENT GO INTO OUR KELLEY HERITAGE FOUNDATION. SINCE WE OPENED THAT OPERATION, WE'VE HAD 200,000 STUDENTS COME THROUGH. OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE 150,000 STUDENTS A YEAR COME THROUGH WITH JUST 1% MUCH THEM BEING INSPIRED ENOUGH TO PURSUE PROGRAMS ON OUR CAMPUS . IF WE GET 1500 PEOPLE A YEAR, THAT'S 1500 NET RECRUITABLE, NET EMPLOYABLE, NET COLLEGE READY PEOPLE WITH NO INVESTMENT FROM SUN COST. IT IS A BUSINESS CREATION WHERE OUR $20 BEERS AND CONCERTS WILL FUND THIS. THIS IS SOME SHOTS WHEN THEY OPENED THEIR AEROSPACE ADVENTURE. LAST YEAR ALONE, WE PUT $460,000 INTO -- NEED OCCASIONAL PROGRAMS. WE HAD PEOPLE COME IN AND BUILD DRONES. THEY GOT AN FAA LICENSE. THEY LEARNED ABOUT THE INTERSECTION OF AVIATION AND SIGNALS WHICH IS WHAT WE ARE DOING ON OUR CAMPUS EVERY DAY. WITH EVERYTHING FROM AIR FORCE ONE TO THE ELECTRIC VERTICAL TAKEOFF AND LANDING AIRCRAFT. WE HAD 50 STUDENTS GO THROUGH THE LUNAR CAVES PROGRAM. THEY ARE THERE JUST DOWN THE ROAD. THIS IS A PROGRAM PUT TOGETHER BY SAM JIMENEZ. AS YOU MAY KNOW, THEY ARE ON THE 2026 MISSION FOR WHAT WILL BE A LUNAR MANUFACTURING FACILITY.
BUT THEY HAVE A NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT COME THROUGH FOR AN 8-MONTH PROGRAM THAT ARTICULATES YEAR-OVER-YEAR. THE SPACE ROBOTS THAT WE HAVE WERE BUILT A 8TH TO TWELFTH GRADE STUDENTS. WHAT'S WONDERFUL ABOUT THIS PROGRAM IS WE HAVE A NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO STARTED WENT ON TO BECOME INTERNS. SOME WHO WERE INTERNS AT UTSA ARE ENGAGED IN THE INDUSTRY. ONE OF THESE STUDENTS HAS A PROJECT GOING UP IN 2025. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, UNDER THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE
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AGENCY. THIS IS 100 KIDS WE HAD COME IN. THAT GUY ON THE STAGE HAS 2.3 MILLION TWITCH FOLLOWERS. I THINK THAT'S THE RIGHT THING.THOSE KIDS, 100 FROM FOUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS SURROUNDING US BUILT THEIR OWN GAMING MACHINES AND TOOK THEM HOME. THEY DID THAT HAND IN HAND WITH FOLKS FROM OUR CAMPUS. IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE INTEND TO KEEP ON DOING. BUT ALONG THE WAY, THEY ACTUALLY LEARNED HOW COMPUTERS WORK. YOU WOULD BE SHOCKED AT HOW MANY PEOPLE JUST DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE SYSTEMS. WE'RE GOING TO SLOWLY BUT SURELY ADDRESS THE DIVIDE. THAT CITY ROUTE WHO HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF THE FOUNDATION FOR MANY YEARS GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL THIS YEAR. SHE WILL BE INDUCTED INTO THE SAN ANTONIO AEROSPACE AND AVIATION HALL OF FAME AS A TWELFTH GRADE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT IN SAN ANTONIO. THE CITY HAS ALREADY BECOME ONE OF THE MOST DOTED PODCASTERS ON SPACE EXPLORATION ON THE PLANET. THIS IS WHAT WE ARE FUNDING WITH WHAT WE DO AT PORT SAN ANTONIO. THIS IS THE STANDARD ARROW ENGINE PROGRAM. SOME OF YOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME DOWN AND SEE IT. STANDARD ARROW, IF YOU HAVE A LEVEL OF TECHNICAL APTITUDE WILL PAY YOU WHILE THEY TEACH YOU OVER 16 WEEKS ENOUGH SKILLS TO BE ABLE TO BE ON THEIR FACTORY FLOOR WHERE YOU ARE ON A CAREER PATH THAT HAS TREMENDOUS UPWARD MOBILITY UP INTO THE 6 FIGURES. THIS GENTLEMAN WAS PROUD THAT HIS DAUGHTER WENT THROUGH THE PROGRAM. IT SHOWS GENERATIONS THAT WE HAVE OF FOLKS WORKING ON ENGINES. IT'S ANOTHER ASPECT OF WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH PORT SAN ANTONIO AND THE BOEING CENTER. THESE ARE NOT JUST FOR STUDENTS. WE WANT TO FIND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE CAREGIVERS TO ARTICULATE INTO THESE PROGRAMS. THIS IS FUNDED THROUGH BEER, METAL CONCERTS, AND INSANE CLOWN POSSE. WE'VE HAD THE WOMEN IN ROBOTICS MEET UP. I GET TIRED OF PEOPLE TELLING ME ALL THE TECHNOLOGY IS UP IN AUSTIN. THE SAT ROBOTICS MEET UP THAT STEPHANIE GARCIA PUT TOGETHER WITH ROBOTTISTS IN TOWN IS ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE ROBOTICS GROUPS AROUND THE COUNTRY. THEY WERE PART OF THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION. THEY HAVE GOTTEN PRESS GLOBALLY. THIS IS OUR NEW BUILDING. THIS WILL BE A SHOCKINGLY EXPENSIVE AND SHOCKINGLY CRAZY BUILDING. IT'S NOT QUITE THE SPHERE IN LAS VEGAS, BUT IT WILL SHOW UP AND SHAY COLORS. THE BIGGEST REASON IS WE NEED TO SHOWCASE THE VALUE OF OUR PEOPLE IN SAN ANTONIO FAR BEYOND SAN ANTONIO. I'M PLEASED TO SAY THE ARCHITECTS ON THIS PROJECT ARE THE SAME ARCHITECTS IN THE BUILDOUT AND OUR GOAL IS TO REALLY MODEL WHAT THEY DID OUT THERE.
SOME SHOTS OF THIS BUILDING -- AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. GOAT YOGA, HOT YOGA, AND NOT A SINGLE BATHROOM STALL IN THE PLACE BECAUSE NOBODY LIKES GOING TO PUBLIC BATHROOMS. EVERYBODY WILL HAVE A PRIVATE BATHROOM. WHAT ELSE CAN I TELL YOU HERE? NEED SOME TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION. SO THIS IS WHERE WE'RE GOING WITH THE CAMPUS. OVER THE PAST SIX, SEVEN YEARS, WE'VE ADDED 8,000 JOBS TO THE CAMPUS. OVER THE COMING 7 TO 10 YEARS WE PLAN ON ADDING 18,000 JOBS TO THE CAMPUS. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BUILD A TRUE ENVIRONMENT WITH AMENITIES DOWN THERE, AND THOSE ARE NOT THE WAY THE BUILDINGS WILL ACTUALLY BE LOCATED, BUT IT GIVES YOU A GOOD SENSE OF WHAT THE CAMPUS WILL BE WITH HOTELS, RESTAURANTS, FITNESS CENTERS, DAY CARE CENTERS E, SCHOOL, AND ACCESS INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS. WE WANT TO HAVE GROCERIES AVAILABLE ON AND OFF THE CAMPUS THAT THE NEIGHBORHOODS CAN WALK OVER AND WHAT SHOULD BE THE ULTIMATE VISION FOR THIS CITY, NOT CREATING LITTLE NODES WE INVEST IN BUT TRULY MAKING THE ENTIRE CITY ECONOMICALLY PARTICIPATING. IN DOING THAT, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS IS GOING TO BE NOT ONLY BEDDING DOWN BUT EXPANDING ON WHAT WE HAVE, WHICH IS ALL. NON KIN ET HE CAN PORTIONS. SO THIS -- PLEASE DO NOT TELL PUTIN -- IS A VISUAL OF TODAY'S 16TH AIR FORCE. IT IS NOT, DESPITE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, AN OFFICE BUILDING FROM 1979. THIS IS ALSO TODAY'S 16TH AIR FORCE, WHICH YOU CANNOT SEE IN THESE BUILDINGS IS THE ACTUAL CONDITIONS OF THE FASHION FAS -- FACILITIES. THIS IS THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY. THE COMPLEX WE ARE PROPOSING TO BUILD FOR THE UNITED STATES WILL BE MODELED AFTER THIS. IT WILL BE SOMETHING THAT WILL ALLOW OUR GOVERNMENT TO BETTER PROTECT US. IT WILL ALLOW US TO INTEGRATE WITH THE TECHNOLOGY AND THE TALENT THAT WE ARE DEVELOPING IN SAN ANTONIO AND TO TRULY INTERSECT WITH OUR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION. IT WILL ATTRACTED, RETAIN, AND INTEGRATE TALENT, NOT JUST INTO THE MILITARY BUT INTO THE CIVILIAN WORLD AS WELL. IT WILL
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DEAL WITH TECHNOLOGY. I CANNOT TELL YOU A SINGLE PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY THAT IS NOT BECOMING MORE AND MORE INTEGRATED WITH THE ELECTRONIC WORLD. IT WILL DO IT WITH A SHOW PLACE THAT WILL SHOWCASE THAT SAN ANTONIO IS TRULY A LEADER IN WHAT WE DO. THE BEST PART OF THIS, IT WILL SAVE THE UNITED STATES TAXPAYERS OVER $1 BILLION, AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET THIS BUILDING ON THE GROUND AND OPERATIONAL DECADES BEFORE IT WOULD BE ALLOWED TO BE DONE. THAT IS THE SHORT STORY. I TRIED TO PUT THIS ALL INTO 15 MINUTES, SO I RACED THROUGH AN AWFUL LOT. I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, GIVE YOU A LISTINGS OF THE SHOWS HE THAT WILL PAY FOR THESE OPPORTUNITIES OR GET OUT AND ALLOW MOREATTRACTIVE PEOPLE TO TALK TO YOU. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE TALKED ABOUT 20 MINUTES BEING A LOT. I WAS LIKE, JIM WILL TAKE AS MUCH TIME AS HE NEEDS. IF IT'S 20, 30, 40 MINUTES, IT'S FINE WITH ME. YOU USED HAD -- ENOUGH FOR MAKING US ALL BELIEVERS. WHERE ARE WE ON THE EAST SPORTS ARENA
AND WHAT YOU ARE DOING AROUND THAT? >> SURE. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR THE VERY KIND WORDS, AND A LOT OF IT IS DESERVING TO THE PEOPLE INCLUDING OUR BOARD CHAIR MARGOT WILSON AND FOLKS. THE EAST COAST ARENA IS OPERATIONAL EVERY DAY. WE HAVE THE R20 EVENT EVERY SATURDAY. EVERY SATURDAY THERE'S AN EVENT AT THE BOEING CENTER. SEVERAL HUNDRED STUDENTS. OUR PLAN, HOPEFULLY AS PART OF OF THE SISTER CITIES CONNECTION, WE PLAN ON DOING THAT THROUGH THE NATIONAL ACADEMIC EAST SPORTS FEDERATION WHICH WILL MAKE THIS EASIER TO GET THE LICENSURE. IT'S SHOCKINGLY MORE DIFFICULT THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. FOR EXAMPLE, WITHIN SOME OTHER NATIONS, THEY PLAY GAMES AND THEY PLAY THEM AT A HIGH LEVEL. THOSE GAMES ARE NOT OFTEN PLAYED IN THE UNITED STATES. SO WE ARE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THERE'S A GAME THAT IS EQUALLY COMPETITIVE WHERE OUR FOLKS CAN COMPETE WITH THEIRS. WE DON'T WANT SOMETHING WHERE WE'VE GOT A HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE OR WHERE THEY HAVE A HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE. BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT PART THAT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE HERE IS THAT THIS IS NOT JUST GAMING FOR GAMING SAKE. SO MANY OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES TRULY INTEGRATE INTO WHAT WE ARE DOING INDUSTRIALLY, AND THERE ARE SOME REALLY INTERESTING RESEARCH BEING DONE ABOUT HOW GAMING AND THE INTERFACES CAN ACTUALLY BE USED TO IMPROVE HUMAN PERFORMANCE WHETHER IT'S IN THE OPERATION OF MACHINERY, THE OPERATION OF VEHICLES, THE OPERATION OF AIRCRAFT. SO THERE ARE SOME REALLY NICE JUMPING OFF POINTS, AND I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO WHAT THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS ARE DOING. THEIR WORK WITH THE COLLECTIVE AND UT HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER IS DEVELOPING SOME REALLY AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES FOR US NOT JUST WITH ELITE ATHLETES BUT REGULAR HUMAN BEINGS. YOU ARE GOING TO SEE A LOT IMPLEMENTED IN OUR CAMPUS AND BEYOND.
>> JIM, COUNCILMEMBER WHITE HAS AN EMPLOYER IN HIS DISTRICT THAT YOU AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT CALLED RENEW ROBOTICS. THEY MAY INDUSTRIAL SIZE AI ROBOTS THAT DO VEGETATION MANAGEMENT IN DIFFICULT TO GET TO PLACES. BUT I WENT TO GO TOUR THEM. WHAT BLUE ME AWAY WASN'T THE FACT THAT I WAS LOOKING AT ROBOTIC LAWNMOWERS, BUT THEY HAVE THIS ROOM
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CALLED MISSION CONTROL WHERE THEY HAVE A LOT OF YOUNG KIDS -- TO ME THEY'RE KIDS -- 20-SOMETHINGS IN THERE PROGRAMMING THESE MACHINES AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE DOING WHAT THEY ARE DOING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLANET FROM SAN ANTONIO BUT THEY ARE ALL USING MICROSOFT X BOX CONTROLLERS TO DO IT. IF EVER THERE WAS -- YOU NEEDED PROOF THAT GAMING IS NOT JUST FOR GAMING AT YOUR SITE, THAT'S IT.THAT'S THE FUTURE. IF YOU WANT TO BE A DOCTOR WHO DOES PROSTATE SURGERY OR LASIX SURGERY OR DOES LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERIES, IF YOU'VE GOT THAT NINTENDO MUSCLE WORKED OUT, YOU'RE GOING TO BE A BETTER DOCTOR.
I FULLY BELIEVE WHAT YOU'RE DOING OUT THERE IS AMAZING.
COUNCILMEMBER CASTILLO, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
>> THANK YOU, CHAIR, AND THANK YOU, JIM FOR THE PRESENTATION. I COULDN'T MAKE IT TO THE I CP CONCERT. I WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR THE WORK YOU'RE DOING AND I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND THE EVENT WHERE Y'ALL HAD STUDENTS FROM ALL THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO BUILDING THEIR OWN COMPUTER WHILE IT WAS BEING LIVE STREAMED. I THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS, CONNECTING THE STUDENTS TO TECHNOLOGY THEY MAY NOT HAVE HAD ACCESS TO BEFORE BUT INCREASING OPPORTUNITY FOR THE NEARBY SCHOOL DISTRICTS, AND ALSO ALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS DEMONSTRATING BE JUST THE ASSET THAT IT IS TO DISTRICT FOUR AND FIVE BUT TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. I'M HOPEFUL WITH WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED THAT AS A CITY WE SEE TECH PORT AS A CITY ASSET, SOMETHING THAT WE ALL SHOULD BE INVESTING IN SOME HELP SUPPORT TO COME INTO FRUITION FOR THAT VISION THAT YOUR BOARD HAS CREATED BY ALSO HIGHLIGHTING WHAT YOU ALL ARE RECOMMENDING TO ESTABLISH THAT, WHETHER IT'S A GOAT YOGA OR ACCESS TO CHILD CARE. A FEW MONTHS AGO WE WERE BRIEFED THAT JUST THE LACK OF ACCESS TO CHILD CARE AND HOW YOU ALL COULD POTENTIALLY HELP FILL THAT CITY GAP BUT CREATE A WORKING ENVIRONMENT WHERE YOUR EMPLOYEES OR EMPLOYEES OF BUSINESSES THERE HAVE ACCESS TO THAT CHILD CARE. SO I THINK THERE'S A NUMBER OF EXCITING MOVING PIECES THAT YOU ARE WORKING WITH, AND I KNOW WE'RE A WAYS AWAY, BUT IT'S SOMETHING EXCITING TO LOOK FORWARD TO. THANK
YOU, JIM. THANK YOU, CHAIR. >> THANK YOU, CHAIR, AND THANK YOU, JIM. THAT WAS TEN MINUTES. I TIMED IT. ALEX IS GOING
TO KICK ME IF I HAD TO STEP IN. >> I HAD 15. I WANTED
TO ADD TIME FOR QUESTIONS. >> I'VE NEVER HEARD YOU SPEAK THAT FAST. SO GOOD JOB. I FELT VERY MUCH LIKE SHARK TANK-ISH, LIKE YOU WERE PITCHING SOMETHING TO US OR SOMETHING. I, TOO, WANT TO JUST SAY CONGRATULATIONS. Y'ALL ARE DOING A GREAT JOB.
MARGARET, YOUR LEADERSHIP HAS BEEN JUST INCREDIBLE AS WELL AS A PREVIOUS CHAIR. WE NO THAT CHRIS ALDRETE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN STARTING THIS. THE BATON PASSED AND CONTINUES. SO, OF COURSE, SOPHIA AND JUAN ANTONIO AND THE ENTIRE TEAM, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO. I ALSO WANTED TO JUST SHARE THAT I AM VERY EXCITED. SO THERE'S JUST A SENSE OF OPTIMISM. WHEN YOU FLEW THE BALLOON, I GUESS IT WAS NOW A FEW MONTHS AGO TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT THE BUILDING THING OR WHATEVER, I WAS AFRAID THAT SOMEBODY WAS GOING TO THINK IT WAS A CHALOON. SO THANK YOU FOR MAKING SURE PEOPLE KNEW THAT THERE WAS SOME VALIDITY IN WHAT WE WERE DOING. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, I THINK THAT IT REMINDED RESIDENTS THAT THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON. THERE'S A BIG CHANGE.
THINGS ARE COMING. THINGS ARE HAPPENING. YOU ALL WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE WITHIN YOUR OWN COMMUNITY, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT PORT IS DOING SO WELL. SO BRIDGING THAT HISTORY AND BRIDGING THE FUTURE. RIGHT? AND SO YOU'VE SAID IT BEFORE, AND I APPRECIATE THE WAY THAT YOU PUT THAT CONTEXT TOGETHER BECAUSE WHEN I THINK OF MY RESIDENTS AND WHEN THEY THINK OF THE OLD KELLEY AIR FORCE BASE, THOSE ARE SOME OF THEIR HAPPIEST MEMORIES. SO THEIR PARENTS WOULD TAKE THEM ON THE WEEKEND BECAUSE MAYBE THEY WERE SHOWING THEM WHERE THEY WORKED OR THEY WOULD TAKE THEM TO SEE SOME OF THE PLANES. SO I'M REALLY HAPPY THAT IT CONTINUES TO BE ONE OF THESE PLACES WHERE KIDS WANT TO GO AND MORE IMPORTANTLY THAT SCHOOLS SUCH AS EDGEWOOD AND SOUTHWEST HAVE ACCESS TO IT. SO WE HAVE CITY WHO YOU MENTIONED AND WHO YOU HAVE THE PICTURE OF IS GOING TO BE OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT OUR GIRLS EMPOWERMENT SUMMIT, BECAUSE OF HER WORK. SO SHE IS LITERALLY BEING CALLED ON BY ASTRONAUTS. SO THIS IS A TEENAGE GIRL
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THAT PEOPLE ARE CONSULTING WITH. SO OUR FOCUS FOR THE GIRLS EMPOWERMENT SUMMIT IS GOING TO BE SPECIFICALLY ON SPACE. WE COULDN'T THINK OF A BETTER KEYNOTE SPEAKER. THE FACT THAT SHE'S IN THE SAME AGE RANGE. SO SHE'S DOING SOMETHING NOW AND SO BEING ABLE TO EMPOWER GIRLS -- SO THANK YOU FOR THAT AND ALSO TO THE KELLEY HERITAGE FOUNDATION. SO OBVIOUSLY THE COMMITMENT TO THE STUDENTS IN THE AREA CONTINUES TO BE IMPORTANT. I ALWAYS ASK OR HAVE MY TEAM ASK EITHER PACO OR SOMETIMES JUAN ANTONIO NUMBERS AND UPDATED NUMBERS. I'M ALWAYS IMPRESSED WITH HOW MANY KIDS ARE COMING THROUGH THE DOORS OF TECH PORT. SPECIFICALLY, HOW THE INITIATIVES THAT YOU ALL ARE PUTTING TOGETHER ARE REALLY HELPING TO EMPLOY WHAT I THINK THE FUTURE OF THE WORKFORCE. SO IT'S A PLACE RIGHT NOW FOR THE THEM TO PLAY, BUT IT'S ALSO A PLACE FOR THEM TO LEARN BECAUSE THIS IS THE FUTURE. SO I MENTIONED BEFORE LIKE KFC IS USING THIS TYPE OF TECHNIQUE.RIGHT? SO IF THEY'RE USING IT, WHY SHOULDN'T WE BE INVESTING IN OUR KIDS. EARLIER TODAY, I DON'T KNOW THAT YOU WATCH VERY MANY CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS, BUT WE HAD A COMMITTEE MEETING EARLIER TODAY AND I'M SURE JUAN ANTONIO WAS PROBABLY WATCHING AND TOOK REALLY GOOD NOTES.
JUST GET THEM FROM HIM LATER. WE HAD THE STATUS OF POVERTY REPORT. WE HAD STUDENTS FROM SOUTHWEST ISD HERE. I HAD 8 STUDENTS SHADOWING TODAY AND GREATER AST AND SA WORKS HAS BROUGHT THEM ALL OVER THE CITY TO SHADOW FOLKS. SO I KIND OF WISH THEY WOULD HAVE SHADOWED YOU INSTEAD AND YOUR TEAM IN PARTICULAR AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING, WHAT YOUR TEAM IS DOING FOR THEM BECAUSE THEY WERE EXCITED ABOUT WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HERE AT CITY COUNCIL. I WAS THINKING, MAN, I KIND OF WANTED TO SEE IF WE COULD MAYBE MAKE SURE THAT NEXT YEAR -- I
DON'T KNOW IF YOU DO HAVE ANY TODAY -- >> WE DO.
>> OKAY. HOW MANY DO YOU HAVE OUT THERE? >> HOW MANY DID WE HAVE
THIS MORNING, PACO? 30. >> WOW. SO THAT'S GREAT. AWESOME. SO HOPEFULLY THEY GO BACK AND THEY TELL THEIR FRIENDS. RIGHT? ABOUT IT AND ABOUT THE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES. SO IT'S ABOUT INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITY, LIKE YOU SAY, AND SO EVERY TIME SOMEONE DOES COME OUT TO A CONCERT OR EVERY TIME I ASK THEM, WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S FOR THE KIDS. SO PLEASE, ORDER AS MUCH FOOD AS POSSIBLE. SO BE RESPONSIBLE WITH YOUR DRINKING, BUT REMEMBER THIS IS GOING TO THE KIDS. SO I'M JUST GRATEFUL THAT WE HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT. ALSO, I THINK I SAW A PICTURE FROM THIS WEEKEND, AND I THINK THAT COUNCILMEMBER PELAEZ WAS THERE. HE WAS DISGUISED.
>> I SAW HIM IN THE RING. >> THAT'S EXACTLY WHERE, WITH ALL THE OTHER 30 PEOPLE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANKS FOR ALL
YOU DO AND THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHAIR. >> JIM, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT YOUR STRENGTHS. WHAT ABOUT HEADWINDS? WHAT CHALLENGES ASIDE FROM HIGH INTEREST RATES FOR CHALLENGING? WHAT CHALLENGES ARE YOU IDENTIFYING THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP YOU WITH?
>> THERE ARE TWO CHALLENGES, AND YOU CAN HELP US WITH BOTH. THE FIRST ONE IS BASIC GOOD OLD FASHION INFRASTRUCTURE. AS THE PORT AUTHORITY, WE OWN OUR STREETS WITH ONE EXCEPTION. WE OWN GOOD CHUNKS OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE. THERE IS A MASSIVE INVESTMENT THAT'S GOING TO NEED TO BE CREATED. SOME OF THAT IS CONNECTED US UP WITH THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY. DISTRICT FIVE HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC WITH SOME FORWARD LOOKING CONCEPTS ABOUT HOW WE CAN GET THE NEIGHBORHOOD MORE EASILY PARTICIPATING WITH WHAT WE DO ON THE MAIN CAMPUS. WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE SOME GROWTH UP THE MCMULLIN CORRIDOR.
INVESTMENT CORRIDORS THE SAME WAY THAT WERE DEVELOPED WOULD BE WONDERFUL TO SEE SO THAT THE WEALTH AND OPPORTUNITIES CAN GROW INTO THE COMMUNITIES BEYOND PORT SAN ANTONIO AS WELL. THAT IS SOMETHING I WOULD REALLY LIKE THE CITY TO TAKE A LOOK AT. IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY DIRECTLY BENEFIT US, BUT WE WILL BE THE BENEFICIARIES OF SEEING OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. THE SECOND ASPECT IS SOMETHING MORE PERSONAL TO ME. THIS BUILDING, IRONICALLY, THE DAY THAT JUAN ANTONIO AND I WERE FLYING TO SPAIN, I SAT DOWN WITH A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE WHO IS A REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER AT THE AIRPORT. I SAID, JIM, WE HADN'T GOTTEN TO THIS LEVEL YET. I SAID THAT'S A REALLY, REALLY AMBITIOUS BUILDING FOR SAN ANTONIO. THEN I FLEW UP TO CHICAGO, AND I LOOKED OUT AND THERE'S ABOUT 30 BUILDINGS IN CHICAGO THAT ARE EQUAL TO THIS. THERE'S TEN ON THE WEST SIDE OF HOUSTON. PART OF WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS SPEAK TO THE PEOPLE WHO WILL NEVER GO INTO THESE BUILDINGS, AND I REMEMBER WHAT THE MAYOR TOLD ME, THAT PEOPLE RISE TO WHAT YOU TELL THEM THEY ARE WORTHY OF. OUR INVESTMENT IN THIS
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BUILDING IS BECAUSE WE WANT FOLKS TO RECOGNIZE, BOTH THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THE COMMUNITY AROUND US AS WELL AS PEOPLE AROUND THE CITY AND AROUND THE COUNTRY TO KNOW, THAT THE PEOPLE WHO CREATED WHAT IS NOW PORT SAN ANTONIO HAVE BEEN DOING AMAZING WORK HERE IN SAN ANTONIO FOR CENTURIES. THE FIRST EVER ROBOTIC AIRCRAFT WERE BUILT HERE IN SAN ANTONIO IN 1946. THE WAY WE DO INSTRUMENT FLIGHT WAS DEVELOPED HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. THESE ARE STORIES THAT WE DON'T DO A GOOD JOB OF TELLING. THIS LEVEL OF OPTIMISM IS SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US DO MORE. SO PART OF OUR HOPE FOR THIS BUILDING AS IT BECOMES A BEACON NOT JUST FOR OUR SIDE OF THE CITY AND OUR SIDE OF THE COMMUNITY BUT BECOMES SOMETHING WHERE EVERYBODY AROUND TOWN STARTS DOING THE SAME THING. THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING A LITTLE BIT OF OPTIMISMAND MOVING A LITTLE BIT FORWARD. >> WILL THERE BE -- HOW DO YOU FOLLOW UP WITH THAT? WILL THERE BE HOUSING? IS THERE A
CONVERSATION AROUND HOUSING AROUND CAMPUS? >> WE OWN ONE APARTMENT COMPLEX, BUT WE HAVE THOUSANDS, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF SOME OF THE GREATEST SAN ANTONIANS THAT LIVE ALL AROUND US. WHAT WE DON'T WANT TO DO IS BUILD HOUSING TO DRAW NEW PEOPLE IN. A BIG PART OF OUR MISSION -- WE SPEND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS EVERY YEAR ON EDUCATIONAL AND COMMUNITY INITIATIVES. PARTIALLY IT'S BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. PARTIALLY IT'S BECAUSE OUR HOPE IS THAT THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE ARE CREATING AND THE TALENT THAT WE ARE DEVELOPING, WHICH IS ATTRACTING PEOPLE TO WANT TO OPEN BUSINESSES IN SAN ANTONIO, ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PEOPLE FROM OUR COMMUNITY. WHAT COUNCILMEMBER CASTILLO WAS TALKING ABOUT AS DAY CARE IS A REAL PASSION PROJECT FOR US. DAY CARE IS A SINGLE DRIVING ISSUE, NO MATTER WHAT THE WORKFORCE IS, MILITARY, CIVILIAN, GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC SECTOR, HIGH INCOME, LOW INCOME. SO A PROJECT THAT WE ARE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW IS PROBABLY A 700 TO 900 SEAT CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER.
GOING DOWN AS YOUNG AS YOU CAN POSSIBLY TAKE THEM, GOING UP TO BEYOND PRE-K WHICH DOES A COUPLE THINGS. ONE, IF WE PROVIDE THAT AS A BENEFIT SO IT CAN ACCEPT MILITARY VOUCHERS, WE CAN TAKE A LOT OF PRESSURE OFF OF THE MILITARY COMMUNITY. WE CAN ALSO USE THIS AS AN AMENITY. WE HAVE A LOT OF VERY HIGH PAYING, VERY GLOBAL EMPLOYERS THAT WOULD LOVE TO PROVIDE DAY CARE AS AN AMENITY. BUT THIS IS SOMETHING -- I STOLE THIS FROM SOME OF THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS I GREW UP IN. WE ALSO WANT TO SEE A NUMBER OF SPOTS RESERVED FOR PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY. THAT WOULD PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY CHILD CARE AND A HIGH QUALITY START TO EDUCATION BUT ALSO WHERE THESE CHILDREN CAN BE PART OF THE SAME ENVIRONMENT, GETTING THE SAME EXPERIENCE AS KIDS WHO HAVE A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE. IF YOU DO THAT, YOU START TO BRING COMMUNITIES TOGETHER. SO THE SAME THING YOU'RE GOING TO SEE HAPPEN WITH THE FITNESS CENTERS, THE RESTAURANTS, AND EVERYTHING ELSE WE DO IN THE COMMUNITY, WE HAVE TO STOP BUILDING THESE SILOS, THESE COMMUNITIES OF DIFFERENCES, AND PARTIALLY IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. PARTIALLY I'M GOING TO ADMIT, I'VE GOT A SELFISH MOTIVE.
THE CHALLENGES THAT WE ARE FACING WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY, THE COMMUNITY THAT WE'RE BUILDING UP AT PORT SAN ANTONIO, INVOLVED THE INTEGRATION OF TALENT AND TECHNOLOGY INTO A HOST OF CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE. TO DO THAT, THE BEST SOLUTIONS COME FROM PEOPLE WITH A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON IT. SO BY CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAT DIVERSITY AND DRIVING VALUE INTO THE COMMUNITY, WE ARE GOING TO DO OUR JOB. SO THE HOUSING THAT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IS NOT NECESSARILY NEW HOUSING BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE ALREADY OWN THEIR HOUSING WHERE THEY LIVE, BUT CREATING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES SO THAT THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS CAN BECOME ECONOMICALLY PARTICIPATING AND HAVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES AND THE SAME ADVANTAGES PROVIDED TO THEM THAT WE PROVIDE TO OTHER PARTS
OF OUR COMMUNITY, OTHER PARTS OF OUR COUNTRY. >> I THINK THAT'S VERY SENSITIVE TO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT COUNCILMEMBER CASTILLO TALKS A LOT ABOUT,WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER EDGE OF THE SWORD OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WHICH IS GENTRIFICATION. SO I APPRECIATE THAT.
I'M GOING TO ASK YOU ONE LAST FAVOR. THE -- JUAN ANTONIO AND I WITH OTHER PROFESSIONALS GOT TO GO TO PANAMA TO CHECK OUT WHAT THEY'RE DOING WITH FORMER MILITARY BASE, A HUGE PLACE CALLED THE CITY OF NATIONAL IN PAN -- KNOWLEDGE IN PANAMA CITY, THEY ARE IN A DIFFERENT EVOLUTIONARY STAGE THAN YOU ARE. YOU'RE AT THE BEGINNING COMPARED TO WHAT THEY'VE ACCOMPLISHED OUT THERE. I REALLY AM -- WE SPENT THREE DAYS OUT THERE, I KEPT SAYING TO MYSELF, JIM NEEDS TO SEE THIS, AND YOUR BOARD MEMBERS NEED TO SEE THIS AND SEE WHAT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED AND WHAT YOU'RE WORKING TOWARDS. I THINK WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO HEAD BACK THERE IN NOVEMBER,
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AND SO SOON WE'LL GIVE YOU ALL SOME DATES FOR A VISIT TO THIS PLACEBECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH TO LEARN AND BENCHMARK. >> I WOULD LOVE TO. CAN
I ADD ONE THING? >> CLOSING ARGUMENTS, SIR.
>> SO COUNCILMEMBER ROCHA GARCIA WAS THERE WHEN IT CAME DOWN. A YEAR AGO WE WERE ASKED TO HOST THE ROYAL AIR FORCE. SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW EDDIE ALDRETE'S PODCAST. A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER, I SAW A SOCIAL MEDIA POST LINKEDIN NOTIFICATION FROM THE GENTLEMAN WHO WAS CHARGED WITH THE REIMAGINING OF THE ENTIRE ROYAL AIR FORCE INFRASTRUCTURE. WHAT HE SAID TO YOUR POINT -- I ABSOLUTELY WANT TO SEE WHAT HAS BEEN DONE IN PANAMA -- BUT HE SAID THAT WHAT SAN ANTONIO IS DOING IS LEADING THE WAY, AND A LOT OF THE LESSONS THAT WE DEVELOP THEY PLAN ON BUILDING INTO THE ROYAL AIR FORCE. THIS IS A STORY I TELL YOU NOT TO BRAG ON ME BECAUSE COUNCILMEMBER ROCHA GARCIA KNOWS I DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WELL BUT TO BRAG ON SAN ANTONIO. WE ARE EARLY IN OUR EVOLUTION. WE'VE ONLY BEEN DOING THIS FOR A COUPLE YEARS, BUT THE ATTENTION THAT IS COMING TO SAN ANTONIO IS ATTENTION THAT WE GET OUT THERE IN THE WORLD, AND ONE OF THE THINGS I WOULD LOVE TO SEE -- THANK YOU ALL BECAUSE EACH OF YOU DO THIS -- BUT THE PEOPLE OF SAN ANTONIO AND THE WORK THAT WE DO REALLY DESERVES THAT INTERNATIONAL STAGE. WE WILL GO AND SEE IT BECAUSE THOSE ARE WONDERFUL FACILITIES, BUT IF YOU HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO BRING OTHER FOLKS, THERE ARE GOING TO BE MORE FOLKS FROM THE ROYAL AIR FORCE COMING DOWN AND ONE FROM THE 601ST SQUADRON CITY OF LONDON IS BRUCE DICKINSON AS A COMMANDER. WE EXPECT TO BE HOSTING HIM OR I EXPECT TO BE HOSTING HIM. WHETHER THEY SEND
HIM IS UP TO THEM. >> THANKS FOR COMING OUT. THANKS TO YOUR ENTIRE TEAM. I KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE BEHIND YOU MAKING THIS VISION POSSIBLE AND MARGARET, EXCELLENT JOB. I'M PROUD OF YOU. THANK
YOU. >> THANK YOU. >> WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT ITEM WHICH IS GOING TO BE A BRIEF REGARDING LAUNCH
SA. WHO IS HANDLING THAT? >> THIS IS GOING TO BE A PRESENTATION BY A COUPLE DIFFERENT PEOPLE, BUT WE'RE GOING TO START OFF WITH DANIEL HICKS WHO IS PART OF OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM.
>> ALL RIGHT. WELL, LIKE ALEX SAID, I'M THE COORDINATOR WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE AND GIVE YOU AN UPDATE. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN PERCOLATING. WE'RE JUST ABOUT READY TO RELAUNCH, LAUNCH SA.
WE HAVE THE DIRECTOR OF LAUNCH SA. WE'LL HEAR FROM THEM THROUGHOUT THE PRESENTATION AS WELL. BUT BACKGROUND, IT WAS FIRST ESTABLISHED BACK IN 2012. IT WAS KIND OF IMAGINED TO BE A ONE STOP FOR RESOURCES AND REFERRALS FOR ENTREPRENEURS AND SMALL BUSINESSES FROM SAN ANTONIO AND PROVIDE THAT ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION AND MENTORING THAT SMALL BUSINESSES NEED TO SUCCEED. IT WAS REBRANDED TO LAUNCH SA IN 2016, BUT THROUGHOUT THE LIFE OF THE CONTRACT UNTIL LAST YEAR, IT WAS OPERATED BY LIFT FUND. WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT LAUNCH SA WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT ITS COMMUNITY IMPACT. I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THINGS ON THIS SLIDE. FIRST OFF, IT SERVED MORE THAN 14,500 UNIQUE WALK-INS OVER THE LIFE-SPAN. THIS HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED FOR A PHYSICAL SPACE THAT'S ACCESSIBLE DOWNTOWN THAT PEOPLE CAN GET TO BY BUS, WALKING, BIKE. IT REALLY SHOWS THE DEMAND IN THE COMMUNITY FOR THESE SERVICES. IT'S ALSO ASSISTED OVER 37,000 CLIENTS. BECAUSE WE JUST -- WE KNOW HOW IMPORTANT ACCESS TO CAPITAL IS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT LAUNCH SA HAS HELPED SMALL BUSINESSES ACCESS OVER $4.5 MILLION IN FUNDS OVER THOSE TEN YEARS.
WITH THE CONTRACT WITH LIFT FUND SUN SETTING LAST YEAR, WE LOOKED AT THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ISSUE AN RFP AND EXPLAIN WHAT IT COULD BE AND LET COMPANIES COME TO US WITH PROPOSALS. THROUGH THAT PROCESS, WE RECEIVED A PROPOSAL. WE THOUGHT THERE WAS INTERESTING SYNERGIES THERE. IT WAS COMPELLING TO US AS WELL. SO AS YOU'RE PROBABLY AWARE, CITY COUNCIL APPROVED THE CONTRACT AND AWARDED THAT IN SEPTEMBER OF LAST YEAR. IT'S A THREE-YEAR CONTRACT WITH TWO, TWO-YEAR EXTENSIONS POSSIBLE. NOT ONLY IS IT JUST THE PARTNERSHIP WITH GEEKDOM, BUT WE'RE ALSO RAMPING UP THE INVESTMENTS THERE. THEY ARE COMMITTING TO MATCH THOSE FUNDS. IT'S GOING TO FUND PROGRAM ENHANCEMENTS AND DIRECTOR DOWN TO BUSINESS ADVISERS. IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE IMPACT, IMAGINE IT WITH A MORE ROBUST STAFF AND PROGRAMMIN PROGRAMMING. WE ARE SET TO DO GREAT THINGS. I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE CHARLES UP TO SHARE THE PERSPECTIVE ON IT AND
TELL THEM A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT. >> GOOD AFTERNOON,
[00:35:03]
COUNCIL. APPRECIATE YOU GUYS HAVING US. I'M GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT GEEKDOM AND WHAT LED LED US TO APPLYING. I'M TALKING TO THE COUNCIL THAT UNDERSTANDING THIS BETTER THAN ANYBODY ELSE. BUT SMALL BUSINESSES ARE SUCH AN IMPORTANT PIECE TO THIS ECONOMY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, AND WE SEE LAUNCH SA'S POSITION IN THAT AS BEING A RESOURCE AND AN IMPORTANT COG IN THE MACHINE OF MAKING SURE IT CONTINUES TO WORK AND GROW IN SAN ANTONIO. SO I AT LEAST WANT TO PLACE THAT THERE. I ALSO WANT TO GIVE YOU BACKGROUND ABOUT GEEKDOM. I TOOK OVER AS CEO FIVE YEARS AGO NEXT MONTH. DURING THAT TIME, ONE OF THE MAJOR SHIFTS THAT WE HAD TAKEN WAS FROM BEING MOSTLY KNOWN AS A COWORKING SPACE TO BEING FOCUSED ON PROGRAMS. THOSE PROGRAMS RANGE FROM CULTIVATE, SHAPE, AND GROW, THE FIRST FOUR STAGES OF ANY BUSINESS CREATION. ANOTHER THING WE DID WAS EXPAND TO BE MORE AGNOSTIC, LESS TECH FOCUSED. WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO ASSIST THEM IN GROWING. YOU CAN SEE THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT GEEKDOM DOES. WHAT WE DO IS MOSTLY FOR THE PEOPLE WHO OCCUPY OUR SPACE, WHO PAY FOR MEMBERSHIP. WHAT LAUNCH SA IS DOING, IT OFFERS THE ABILITY TO BRING THE LEARNINGS THAT WE'VE HAD FROM HELPING THESE COMPANIES GET STARTED AND BRINGING THOSE TO THE SMALL BUSINESSES WHERE THEY ARE. THEN ALSO JUST, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO BE A BETTER PARTNER THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. JUST TO GIVE YOU ADDITIONAL CONTEXT, GEEKDOM'S MISSION IS TO LAUNCH 500 START-UP AND 75% OF THEM CALLING SAN ANTONIO HOME. WE CAME UP WITH THAT THREE YEARS AGO BACK IN 2021, OCTOBER. WHEN WE CAME OUT IN JUST THE LAST TWO YEARS OF TRACKING, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO LAUNCH 250 NEW COMPANIES IN THIS ECOSYSTEM. WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT ATTRACTION AND HOPEFULLY CONTINUE TO DOUBLE DOWN ON THAT AREA. AS WE SHIFT TO LAUNCH SA, I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU THAT WE HAVE A GRAND VISION FOR WHAT LAUNCH SA IS GOING TO BE. REALLY, WHAT THAT MATTERS IS I APPROACH -- ME AND MY TEAM APPROACH A MISSION BY USING START WITH WHY. IT'S A BOOK.HE DOES A THING CALLED THE GOLDEN CIRCLE AND CENTERING ON WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO THE ECOSYSTEM AND US. ANY BUSINESS NEEDS TO KNOW WHERE TO START THEIR JOURNEY. THAT'S WHAT WE WANT LAUNCH SA TO BE.
WE'RE GOING TO ACT AS AN ADVISER OR NAVIGATOR. WHEN YOU NEEDED TO GO TALK TO YOUR COUNSELOR TO BE ABLE TO FIND OUT WHAT YOUR CAREER PATH IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE, THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO BE. WE WANT TO BE THAT RESOURCE TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY ALL THE DIFFERENT RESOURCES THAT COULD HELP SMALL BUSINESSES ACROSS SAN ANTONIO AND THEN POINT THEM TO RESOURCES AS THEY NEED THEM AND THEN FOLLOW THEM THROUGHOUT THAT ENTIRE JOURNEY BUT ALSO BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH THE PARTNERS TO BE ABLE TO BRING THAT INFORMATION BACK SO WE CAN SHOWCASE THE IMPACT IN WHICH THESE CONNECTIONS HAVE MADE. THEN ULTIMATELY, WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE IS THE FRONT DOOR TO SMALL BUSINESSES [INDISCERNIBLE] OF SAN ANTONIO. SO I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT JUST A FEW OF THE GOALS THAT WE HAVE FOR 2024. WE'RE GOING TO BE FOCUSING ON SPACE ACTIVATION AND NETWORKING AS ONE COMPONENT. THERE ARE FOUR COMPONENTS I'M GOING TO TOUCH ON REAL QUICK HERE. WE'RE GOING TO DO WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS AND WE'RE ALSO GOING TO HAVE WORKING SPACE, A COMPONENT THAT DANIEL WILL TALK ABOUT IS RENOVATING THAT SPACE AND MAKING IT MORE FRIENDLY FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE.
WE'LL ALSO BE ACTING AS ECOSYSTEM HUB. SO BEING, AGAIN, GOING BACK TO THAT IDENTIFYING THE DIFFERENT PARTNERS AND BEING AN IMPORTANT PIECE TO THAT NAVIGATION JOURNEY. THAT'S WHAT ROLE WE'RE GOING TO BE PLAYING AND THEN ALSO WITH WHAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS DOING WITH AN ECOSYSTEM MAPPING TOOL WILL BE THE PARTNER TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHERE THOSE DIFFERENT RESOURCES LIVE AND HOW TO DIRECT PEOPLE THROUGH THEM. THEN ALSO, EDUCATION AND PROGRAMMING. WE'VE ALREADY KIND OF KICKED SOME OF THIS STUFF OFF WITH SMALL BUSINESS OFFICE HOURS, WORKSHOPS, AND FUNDING EVENTS. ECOSYSTEM PARTNER EVENTS, ALLOWING OUR ECOSYSTEM PARTNERS, WHETHER THAT BE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, OTHER BDOS ACCESS TO THE SPACE TO BE ABLE TO HOST DIFFERENT EVENTS. BUT ALSO RELAUNCHING 1 MILLION CUPS WHICH WE'VE HAD GOING FOR THE LAST MONTH OR SO. IT'S BEEN GREAT. THE TURNOUT CONTINUES TO INCREASE. MATT AND HIS TEAM ARE DOING AMAZING WORK. ONE OF THE PICTURES WHEN DANIEL WAS PRESENTING EARLIER WAS FROM A NEWLY FORMED GROUP CALL SAN ANTONIO CBG STANDING FOR CONSUMER PACKAGED GOODS WHICH WE'RE SEEING RESURGENCE OF A GROUP FOCUSED ON GETTING BETTER RESOURCES FOR CPG FOCUSED COMPANIES. THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST IS AROUND FUNDING SOLUTIONS AND BEING ABLE TO CONNECT SMALL BUSINESSES TO FUNDING. SO FAR, WE'VE ALREADY BEEN ABLE TO CONNECT 20 SMALL BUSINESSES TO CAPITAL AND WE CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THAT IN 2024. ONE ADDITIONAL PIECE THAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS HOW IMPORTANT MARKETING
[00:40:01]
IS TO IDENTIFYING LAUNCH SA. I THINK AS I STAND IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY, I THINK WE ALL KNOW THE GREAT WORK THAT LIFT FUND DID IN THE PREVIOUS LEADERSHIP. NOW THAT IT'S BEING RELAUNCHED IS RETELL THE COMMUNITY WHAT RESOURCE IT IS AND DIRECT PEOPLE THERE. SO A LARGE PUSH FOR US IS ENHANCING THAT AWARENESS AND ENGAGEMENT FOR WHEN PEOPLE SHOULD BE ABLE TO CONTACT US, REENGAGING IN ACTIVE WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE.WE'VE SEEN GREAT SUCCESS FROM THAT. ALSO, FOCUSING ON STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE. WE REALIZE NOT EVERYBODY HAS ACCESS TO THE INTERNET. SO WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO GET MARKETING MATERIALS TO THEM SO THESE BUSINESSES KNOW WHEN TO REACH OUT AND SHOWCASING BUSINESSES BY HE CAN CONNECTING THEM TO DIFFERENT PARTNERS. ALL THIS LOOKS LIKE THE DIFFERENT NOT KHAKI ELS -- CHANNELS WE'RE GOING TO BE FOCUSING ON. ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT AVENUES TO BE ABLE TO GET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE. BUT LAST THAT I WANT TO TOUCH ON IS OUR Q1 SUCCESS THUS FAR. I WANT TO PUT THIS INTO CONTEXT. WE TOOK OVER OPERATIONS FOR LAUNCH SA IN OCTOBER OF '23. WE HIRED MATT IN DECEMBER.
SO HE'S REALLY ONLY BEEN ON THE JOB OFFICIALLY FOR LAUNCH SA FOR A COUPLE MONTHS NOW, BUT ALREADY YOU CAN SEE THE IMPACT THAT'S ALREADY BEEN SEEN, 130 SMALL BUSINESSES SUPPORTED, 4 EVENTS, 2 WORKSHOPS.
$25,000 ALREADY RAISED BY A COMPANY IN THIS SPACE. AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE RENOVATION OF THE SPACE AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, BUT BEFORE I DO THAT, I'M GOING TO PASS IT BACK TO DANIEL.
>> THANKS FOR THAT, CHARLES. YEAH. SO LIKE CHARLES WAS TALKING ABOUT, WE GOT THESE BUCKETS FOR HOW WE'RE LOOKING AT EVALUATING OUR SUCCESS IN THE TYPE OF PROGRAMS AND ASSISTANCE THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO OFFER. THEY FALL UNDER WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT, WHETHER IT'S AN ECOSYSTEM HUB, WHETHER THE SPACE IS ACTIVATED AND PROVIDING FOR NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES, WHETHER THE MARKET IS ALLOWING US TO REACH COMMUNITIES WE HAVEN'T TOUCHED BEFORE, WHETHER THE EDUCATION ASK PROGRAMMING IS MEETING THE NEEDS AND WHETHER MATCHING FUNDS ARE INJECTED INTO LAUNCH SA TO SUPPORT THE MISSION.
YOU CAN SEE STATS GOING FOR ON THE RIGHT. IT'S REALLY MIRRORING WHAT HE HAD MENTIONED.
THE NEW PARTNERSHIP BUT IT'S WORKING TOWARDS THESE GOALS YOU SEE ON THE SLIDE. ARE WE TURNING THERE INTO A SPICE -- THIS INTO A SPACE THAT'S INVITING? IS IT TECH ENABLED WITH VIDEO CONFERENCING ENVIRONMENT? AS PART OF THIS WE'RE SUPPORTING THE RELAUNCH OF LAUNCH SA WITH $300,000 WITH ARPA FUNDS THAT'S GOING TO PAY FOR PHYSICAL RENOVATIONS, KNOCKING DOWN A WALL, CREATING AN ADAPTABLE TRAINING SPACE FROM WHAT WAS AN UNDERUTILIZED BOARDROOM. WE'RE GOING TO PURCHASE FURNITURE AND REPAINT THE SPACE, TURNING IT INTO A MORE INVITING ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE WE KNOW IT'S NOT JUST THE PEOPLE THERE. IT'S NOT JUST THE SERVICES PROVIDED. BUT IT'S AN ENVIRONMENT THAT'S WELCOMING THAT PEOPLE WANT TO COME AND COLLABORATE IN. OF COURSE, ONCE THAT'S ALL FINISHED, WE'RE GOING TO HOST A GRAND REOPENING EVENT, BECAUSE WHY NOT? IT'S NOT JUST CELEBRATING THELE PROGRESS, CELEBRATING THE RENEWED LOOK TO LAUNCH SA AND NEW BRAND BUT IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRING PEOPLE BACK INTO THE FOLD, INTRODUCE THEM TO THE NEW LAUNCH SA, GET THEM EXCITED ABOUT THE SERVICES BEING PROVIDED. ALSO, TURN THEM INTO CHAMPIONS FOR LAUNCH SA AS WELL.
WE'RE ALSO GOING TO COORDINATE THIS WITH THE LAUNCH OF ENHANCED MARKETING EFFORTS AS WELL AS ECOSYSTEM MATCHING TOOL WE WE TALKED ABOUT PREVIOUSLY BUT IT'S A WAY NOT ONLY FOR LAUNCH SA BUSINESS ADVISING SERVICES TO NAVIGATE THE COMPLEX SERVICES THAT ARE AVAILABLE, BUT IT'S A FREE ONLINE TOOL FOR SMALL BUSINESSES. I'M A MICRO ENTERPRISE AND I'M LOOKING FOR ACCESS TO CAPITAL. AGAIN, IT WILL DISTILL DOWN TO SOMETHING THAT'S MEANINGFUL FOR THEM. SO FAR, WE'VE PRESENTED TO SBAC. WE GOT THEIR IMMEDIATE BACK. WE WENT TO THE LIBRARY FACILITIES COMMITTEE AS WELL. AFTER THIS, WE'RE GOING TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR THE LIBRARY TOMORROW EVENING AS AN INFORMATIONAL ITEM. BUT AS SOON AS THAT'S DONE, WE'RE LOOKING TO START CONSTRUCTION. WE'VE RETAINED A CONTRACTOR. WE'RE WORKING ON THAT AS SOON AS WE CAN. THAT WILL TAKE A COUPLE MONTHS JUST DUE TO THE LONG LEAD TIME ON ITEMS. AS SOON AS THAT'S FINISHED, WE'RE SHOOTING FOR EARLY SUMMER. WE'RE GOING TO BRING EVERYBODY BACK AND THAT HAVE EVENT AND CELEBRATE IN RELAUNCH OF LAUNCH SA. WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO LAUNCH SA WHEN THAT CONSTRUCTION IS GOING? SO WITH THAT, I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE MATTHEW ESPINOZA UP HERE TO TALK ABOUT THAT AND CLOSE OUT
THE PRESENTATION FOR US. >> ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU, DANIEL. HELLO, COUNCIL. AS WE'RE PREPPING FOR THE PUBLIC RELAUNCH OF THE LAUNCH SA, I'VE BEEN NAVIGATING US THROUGH THE SOFT RELAUNCH. SO WE'VE HOSTED A LOT OF EVENTS THROUGH THE FIRST QUARTER THIS YEAR, CONTINUING LETTING BUSINESS OWNERS KNOW WE'RE OPEN FOR BUSINESS AND HERE FOR SUPPORT. A LOT OF THIS FIRST
[00:45:04]
QUARTER HAS BEEN PRIORITIZING DISCOVERY, POST-COVID, SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS ARE FACING CHALLENGES. NAVIGATING AND WORKING WITH THEM ONE-ON-ONE WITH WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE. AS WE GO THROUGH THE PUBLIC RELAUNCH TOWARDS THE SUMMER, I THINK THERE'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO GET OUT THERE AND CONNECT WITH THE COMMUNITY ACROSS THE CITY AND HOST EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. SO LOOK FORWARD TO ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT LAUNCH SA. THANKYOU. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LET'S GO AROUND THE HORN AND COUNCILMEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?
>> THANK YOU, YEAH. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION TO EVERYONE. I APPRECIATE IT. I ALSO WANTED TO JUST TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUBLICLY RECOGNIZE CHARLES AND GEEKDOM BECAUSE LAST YEAR, WE HAD A GROUP OF UKRAINIAN REFUGEES WHO WERE LOOKING TO SEE HOW THEY COULD CONTINUE BUSINESS, AND YOU ALL OPENED UP THE SPACE AND TEAMED UP WITH FROST AND GAVE THEM REALLY GOOD FEEDBACK. I FEEL LIKE I JUST NEVER PUBLICLY THANKED YOU OTHER THAN THROUGH A POST. YOU DO EXCELLENT WORK IN THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU FOR THAT. MY FIRST QUESTION IS, AT FIRST, I DIDN'T SEE ANY LOGOS. I WAS LOOKING THROUGH THE ANNUAL REPORTS. I HAVE SEVERAL IN HERE FROM 2014 THROUGH 2018. I HAVEN'T SEEN UPDATED ONES. SO I'M WONDERING IF THERE'S ANY UPDATED
REPORTS. MAYBE I'M JUST NOT FINDING THEM. >> FOR LAUNCH SA?
>> YOU HAVE I HAVE. >> WE CAN MAKE THOSE AVAILABLE.
>> IMPACT REPORTS. >> I'M SURE WE HAVE THEM DOCUMENTED.
>> GREAT. I MEAN, I'M SURE YOU DO. I JUST COULDN'T FIND THEM. I WAS JUST TRYING TO DO A YEAR-OVER-YEAR COMPARISON. SO I NOTICED WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT THOSE REPORTS THAT THERE IS -- IS THERE ANY PARTICIPATION FROM THE CITY?
>> WE DON'T HAVE ANY ENGAGEMENT, BUT I THINK IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY THAT
WE CAN EXPLORE THROUGH THE PROCESS. >> YEAH, DEFINITELY. SO JUST, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER AVENUE. AT THE PUSH OUT GOOD MESSAGES AS WELL.
I KNOW THAT YOU ALL -- AND I APPRECIATE THAT YOU ALL ARE TRYING TO FOCUS ON DIFFERENT TYPE OF MARKETING AND NOT NECESSARILY JUST SOCIAL MEDIA. I REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. WITH THAT SAID, DO YOU ALL HAVE A BREAKDOWN MAYBE OF THE DISTRICTS SPECIFIC AND WHAT DISTRICTS YOU ALL ARE CURRENTLY SERVING OR PEOPLE FROM WHAT AREAS
BY ANY CHANCE? >> I DON'T THINK WE HAVE THAT YET, COUNCILMEMBER, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT I KNOW OUR TEAM IS CENTRIC OR FOCUSED ON DOING, SPECIFICALLY ONE OF THE ROLES MATT IS TRYING TO FILL IS OUR PARTNERSHIP ROLE. PART OF THEIR DESCRIPTION IS TO TRACK ALL THAT INFORMATION. SO BY THE TIME WE MEET AGAIN, I GUARANTEE WE'LL HAVE
SOME OF THAT INFORMATION. >> AWESOME. SOUNDS GOOD. I WAS -- I DID THIS -- I KEEP VOLUNTEERING MY FIELD OFFICE FOR STUFF. WE'RE GOING TO RUN OUT OF ROOM. BUT LIKE IF YOU ALL WANT TO COME OUT AND HOST LIKE A RELAUNCH AND COME OUT LIKE FOR A DAY OR SOMETHING, WE WOULD BE HAPPY TO HOST YOU ALL OUT THERE AND JUST KIND OF GET YOU ALL INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY. BUT MORE TO COME ON THAT.
WE'LL FOLLOW UP ON THAT. BUT I LOVE THE IDEA ALSO OF THE MENTORING MEETINGS AND CONNECTING PEOPLE TO THE RESOURCES. I APPRECIATE THAT. LIKE I MENTIONED, I LIKE THAT YOU ALL ARE TRYING TO FOCUS ON OTHER MARKETS, OTHER THAN JUST YOUR TRADITIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA. I HAVE A QUESTION NOW ABOUT HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS AND YOUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH THEM. DO YOU ALL WORK WITH HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS TO DO LIKE BUSINESS CONSULTING FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS OR MAYBE LIKE TO JUST EXPOSE THEM TO FUTURE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
THROUGH YOU ALL? >> I'LL SPEAK ON BEHALF OF GEEKDOM AND MATT WITH JUMP IN. WE DO WORK WITH ALL THE MAJOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING IN SAN ANTONIO. WE HAVE A GREAT PARTNERSHIP WITH TRINITY AND UTSA IN PARTICULAR. WE ALSO HAVE WITH ST. MARY'S AND OLU AND UIW AS WELL. WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE ON BEHALF OF GEEKDOM HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND BEING ABLE TO GIVE THEM PATHWAYS INTO THAT. WE'VE HOSTED TRINITY'S ACCELERATOR DURING OUR INCUBATOR AND WE DO THINGS LIKE THAT WITH THE OTHER INSTITUTIONS ACROSS TOWN HELPING THEM SPECIFICALLY IN THEIR ENTREPRENEUR AVENUE, BUT I DO THINK TO THE POINT THAT YOU'RE MAKING, THERE ARE OTHER AVENUES THAT WE CAN HELP THEM SPECIFICALLY IN WORKFORCE IN CONNECTING THEM TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES, BUT I'M SURE MATT HAS MORE INSIGHT INTO WHAT THE PLANS ARE.
>> YEAH. I THINK TOWARDS THAT MISSION OF WORKING TOWARDS LAUNCH SA BEING A HUB, A TIME WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL, LAUNCH SA WAS A GREAT PLACE FOR ME TO LEARN ABOUT ENTREPRENEURSHIP. SO CREATING THAT ENVIRONMENT. ONE MILLION CUPS IS USUALLY OUR OUTLET. WE'VE HAD STUDENTS PITCH SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR LONGER. SO CREATING THAT PHYSICAL OPPORTUNITY TO NETWORK AND ALSO THROUGH THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND EVENTS WE WERE TALKING AND
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PARTNERING WITH UTSA AND ST. MARY'S ON POTENTIAL EVENTS ON NOT TO YOUR POINT, NOT ONLY THE STUDENTS LEARNING ABOUT ENTREPRENEURSHIP BUT HOW THEY CAN SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS IF THEY HAVE ONE OR TWO EMPLOYEES AND CONSULTANTS CAN BE REALLY IMPACTFUL FORTHEIR BUSINESS. >> I THINK THAT WOULD BE LIKE GOOD LITTLE PILOTS FOR YOU ALL. LET'S FOCUS ON THE WEST SIDE FOR THIS AND WORK WITH ST. MARY'S AND UTSA AND OLU. SO TRYING TO HAVE STUDENTS COME UP WITH PITCHES LIKE YOU SAID FOR THESE DIFFERENT AREAS. BUT ANYWAY, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. ON YOUR NET PROMOTER SCORE, HOW DO YOU ALL -- WHAT THE SERVICE RATING -- LIKE WHAT IS COLLECTED? WHAT IS EVALUATED?
>> SO THOSE WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH NET PROMOTER SCORE, IT'S A SIMPLE QUESTION. WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THIS SERVICE? THEN BASED OFF OF THAT, YOU GET THE SCORE. I THINK OUR GOAL THAT WE SET OUT IS -- WAS IT ABOVE 60 OR 40? HO. THAT'S WORLD CLASS FOR CONTEXT. SO THE QUESTION THAT YOU'RE ASKING IS JUST AROUND HOW DO WE GATHER THAT
INFORMATION? >> NO. IT'S SPECIFICALLY LIKE HOW DO YOU EVALUATE -- HOW DO YOU -- SO ONCE YOU GET IT, HOW DO YOU DO MORE
OR ARE YOU COMFORTABLE? TELL ME WHAT -- >> I'LL TELL YOU WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE IMPLEMENTING AS LAUNCH SA ROLLS OUT SURVEYS.
WE HAVE A PLAYBOOK THAT IF WE GET A PROMOTER THAT COMES BACK, WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH THEM AND TELL THEM THANK YOU FOR THE FEEDBACK. OFFER THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO OTHER SITES, LET'S SAY GOOGLE, AND BE ABLE TO RATE US ON THERE SO WE BECOME MORE PUBLICLY AWARE OF WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO. IF WE GET A DETRACTOR, WE'LL REACH OUT TO THEM AND SET UP SOME TIME TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND ULTIMATELY WHAT THEIR ISSUES WERE.
THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM IN THE SURVEY TO GIVE CONTEXT, BUT THAT'S ONLY SURFACE LEVEL. WE WANT TO DIVE DEEPER. ANY TIME WE GET LESS THAN AN 8, WE REACH OUT TO THEM AND WE ASK THEM TO SET UP TIME AND
TO CONTINUE TO CARRY ON THAT CONVERSATION. >> PERFECT. I GUESS THAT'S WHERE I WAS GOING. SO ARE WE LEARNING FROM AND DOING
REAL TIME IMPLEMENTATION. >> ABSOLUTELY. I THINK I'LL ADD FOR YEAR ONE AT LEAST FOR THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS, GETTING THAT FEEDBACK IS SUPER IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE'RE TRYING AND OPENING NEW PROGRAMMING AND SEEING WHAT FITS. YOU TALK TO SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS ESPECIALLY SMALLER BUSINESSES, THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT PROBLEMS AND ISSUES THEY FACE. THE SAME FORMAT AND EVENT WE DO MAY NOT BE APPLICABLE FOR OTHER SINGLE BUSINESS. FROM THAT FEEDBACK, WE CAN TRY DIFFERENT EVENTS, VIRTUAL, DEPENDING ON WHAT THAT FEEDBACK IS.
>> ONE OF THE -- I GUESS I'M HEARING THIS AND I'M THINKING ABOUT ACCESS TO CAPITAL IS THE ONE THAT CONTINUES TO BE. RIGHT? AND SO A LOT OF OUR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE TO TURN TO. SO THAT MIGHT BE ANOTHER ONE. I LIKE THE FACT THAT YOU ALL HAVE OFFICE HOURS, BUT, AGAIN, IF YOU ALL CONSIDER TAKING THE SHOW ON THE ROAD. FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT. WE CAN SET YOU UP IN MY OFFICE BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE EVEN WITH THE RELAUNCH, IT'S STILL COME TO US. I FEEL LIKE IT'S A COME TO US APPROACH. HOW DO WE GO TO THE PEOPLE THAT NEED US? THEN I'M EXCITED THAT YOU ALL USED THE SMALL BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMISSION. REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK FROM THEM. THEN JUST IN MEASURING SUCCESS, I THINK THAT THERE'S SOME -- WELL, THERE'S A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESSES, UNFORTUNATELY, THAT HAVE CLOSED OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS. SO I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO FOCUS OUR EFFORTS ON INTERVENTION STRATEGIES TO PREVENT A BUSINESS FROM CLOSING. SO I COULD THINK OF LIKE BROWN COFFEE SHOP WHICH WAS ONE OF THE ONES THAT WE COULD JUST GO TO, LIKE MOST RECENTLY. SO THERE'S PLACES THAT HAVE CLOSED FOR LUNCH. THEY TRIED OPENING AGAIN FORELAIN; AND IT'S NOT HAPPENING. I WAS HAPPY BECAUSE WE WALKED TO LUNCH WITH MY TEAM. THERE WAS A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THE SIDEWALK.
IT HAPPENED TO BE A MONDAY. MAYBE THEY TOOK THE EXTENDED. SO WHAT HAPPENS THE REST OF THE DAY OR THE WEEK. JUST LIKE SOME GENERAL IDEAS OF THINGS THAT MAYBE WE CAN TAKE AND MAKE LITTLE PILOTS AND FOCUS ON THESE DIFFERENT KEY AREAS THAT WE KEEP HEARING OVER AND OVER AND THEN, OF COURSE, IN OUR AREAS. BUT THAT'S IT. OTHER THAN THAT, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE RELAUNCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU,
CHAIR. >> THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, CHAIR.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. A LOT OF GOOD QUESTIONS TO ASK.
OFF-LINE, IF YOU CAN PROVIDE A BREAKDOWN OF THE SMALL BUSINESSES SUPPORTED FOR THE 130, IF YOU ALL CAN BREAK IT DOWN BY COUNCIL DISTRICT SO WE HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHO IS BEING SUPPORTED. IT WAS REALLY GOOD TO SEE THAT 64% INCREASE IN SALES FOR THE COMMUNITY IMPACT. I'M CURIOUS IF THAT'S THE 64% INCREASE IS WITH A SPECIFIC INDUSTRY AND IF SO, WHAT IS THAT? OFF-LINE, IF YOU CAN SHARE MORE DETAILS ON SOME OF THE METRICS. BUT THOSE ARE ALL MY COMMENTS. THANK
YOU, CHAIR. >> THAT'S FROM A REPORT WE CAN SHARE WITH YOU.
>> THANK YOU. >> I HAVE TO TELL YOU, I'M LOOKING AROUND THE
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ROOM TRYING TO SEE IF ANYBODY HERE WAS PRESENT 7 YEARS AGO. MAYBE MATT WALLACE WAS. YOU ALL ARE NEW. THAT FIRST PRESENTATION YOU GUYS GAVE TO ME WHEN I WAS A NEW COUNCILMEMBER, I JUMPED DOWN YOUR THROATS AND I WAS SO ANGRY AT YOU GUYS. THIS IS A COMPLETE 180 DEGREE IMPROVEMENT. I MEAN, YOU GUYS ARE REALLY BLOWING THE DOORS OFF OF THIS. I'M VERY, VERY IMPRESSED. I THINK YOU GUYS TOOK THE CHALLENGE THAT WE GAVE YOU SERIOUSLY, WHICH PROFESSIONAL EYES THIS THING BECAUSE IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE MENTORING NEW ENTREPRENEURS, THEY HAVE TO LOOK UP TO YOU AND YOU GUYS HAVE TO -- YOU HAVE A MUCH HIGHER STANDARD OF CARE THAN THEY DO. YOU'VE DELIVERED. I'M VERY, VERY IMPRESSED. I WANT TO TELL YOU GUYS THAT I ACTUALLY -- THERE'S A LITTLE FOOD TRUCK IN DISTRICT 8, AND I WENT UP THERE WITH MY SON AND WE NOTICED THE LAUNCH SA STICKER ON IT AND WE WERE TALKING TO THE OWNERS. THEY ARE BELIEVERS. THEY ARE OUT THERE. LAUNCH SA GOSPEL. IT WAS AMAZING. PEOPLE WERE LIKE, WAIT. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? HOW DID YOU DO IT? FATHER-DAUGHTER TEAM WHO BOTH SAID WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT WE WERE DOING. WE KNEW WE WANTED A FOOD TRUCK. WE DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT BUSINESS. WE KNOW WE MADE GOOD TACOS AND GOOD FOOD, BUT ASIDE FROM THAT, YOU HELD THEIR HAND AND MADE IT POSSIBLE. I THINK THAT'S THE BEST KIND OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH IS TO HAVE TESTIMONIALS FROM SUCCESS STORIES LIKE THAT. CONGRATULATIONS,GUYS. I'M IMPRESSED. THANKS FOR COMING OUT. >> THANKS FOR HAVING US.
ONE THING I WANT TO ADD IS, MATT BEING THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB SPECIFICALLY FOR THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF HIRING NOW THREE TIMES. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME I'VE HIRED HIM FOR A POSITION. HE GOT HIS CAREER STARTED AS AN INTERN AT LAUNCH SA.
HIS PASSION FOR SMALL BUSINESS IS UNMATCHED. HE CANNOT BE A BETTER PERSON, PLACE IN THIS ROLE. HE ALSO HAS, JUST AS YOU MENTIONED WITH THAT FOOD TRUCK, HE HAS A LARGE COMMUNITY OF INDIVIDUALS, WE ALL HAVE, FOR LAUNCH SA THAT SUPPORTED TO INCLUDE THE PREVIOUS ADVISORY BOARD WHO HAS BEEN OFFERING A LOT OF SUPPORT AS WE'VE TAKEN OVER CONTROL OF THIS ORGANIZATION. SO WE'RE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THE FUTURE BRINGS. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS. I APPRECIATE
IT. >> THANKS, GUYS. I APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE. OUR NEXT ITEM IS A DISCUSSION REGARDING HEAD START. THERE'S
POSSIBLE ACTION ON THIS ONE. >> YES, SIR. THIS PRESENTATION IS A BRIEFING BY OUR HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT, REBECCA FLORES, OUR HUMAN SERVICES EDUCATION IS PROVIDING IT.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M REBECCA FLORES WITH DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES. WHEN I FIRST SAW THE AGENDA, YOU GO PORT TO LAUNCH SA AND HEAD START, BUT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT HEAD START, OUR PARENTS COULDN'T WORK IF THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO FULL DAY HIGH QUALITY, STABLE EDUCATION. THAT REALLY, I THINK, IS WHY THIS IS A GREAT BLEND OF CONVERSATIONS TO HAVE BECAUSE I REALLY THINK HEAD START, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE ECOSYSTEM, WE'RE THE BEGINNING OF THE ECOSYSTEM, NOT ONLY PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY CHILD CARE BUT ALSO GETTING OUR KIDS THEIR FIRST START INTO THE EDUCATION REALM. SO HEAD START STARTED AS PART OF AN AWARD IN 1979. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY WE'RE AN OLDIE BUT GOODY. WE'VE BEEN A TRIED AND TRUE PARTNER AND OUR EDUCATIONAL PROVIDERS. IN 2009, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO ENTERED INTO A PARTNERSHIP WITH EDGEWOOD ISD AND SAN ANTONIO ISD TO OFFER HEAD START SERVICES IN THE INNER CITY AND THE TWO SCHOOL DISTRICTS. IN 2020, WE EXPANDED THIS PARTICULAR GRANT INTO EARLY HEAD START. SO NOW WE'RE DOING ZERO TO FIVE CHILD CARE AND EDUCATION WITHIN EDGEWOOD ISD AND JUST LAST MONTH, WE WRAPPED UP OUR FIVE-YEAR GRANT CYCLE, AND WE'RE PLEASED TO SAY THAT WE WERE REAWARDED ANOTHER FIVE YEARS BASED ON OUR SUCCESS WITH THE GRANT AND THE PAST. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT HEAD START TO REALLY LOOK AT WHO WE ARE SERVING IN HEAD START.
72 OF THE CHILDREN THAT WE SERVE WITHIN OUR PROGRAM IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS COME FROM LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS, LOW INCOME AS DEFINED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. ABOUT 11% OF OUR CHILDREN WITH CONSIDERED HOMELESS. 17% OF OUR CHILDREN ARE DIAGNOSED WITH SOME DISABILITY.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE, WE REALLY ARE PROVIDING SOME GREAT SERVICES TO
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OUR CHILDREN IN OUR COMMUNITY. IN TERMS OF OUR FAMILIES SERVED, YOU KNOW, I DON'T HAVE TO TELL THIS COMMITTEE HOW IMPORTANT AN EDUCATION IS AND ABOUT 56% OF OUR FAMILIES THAT WE SERVE, THE PARENTS OR HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD DO NOT HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA. SOME HAVE HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMAS AND SOME HAVE STARTED COLLEGE. SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE WORK WITH WITH THE FAMILIES ON TO IMPROVE THEIR EDUCATION OUTCOMES. IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE ARE PROVIDING FINANCIAL BACKING TO OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS. SO THE WAY THAT PRE-K OR PREKINDERGARTEN WORKS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, SCHOOL DISTRICTS RECEIVE HALF DAY FUNDING FOR PRE-K FOR THREE AND FOUR-YEAR-OLDS. THE WAY THAT HEAD START COMES IN, WE PROVIDE FUNDING SO THEY CAN PROVIDE THE FULL DAY CLASSROOM. WITHIN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THROUGH THIS GRANT, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE ALMOST 66 MILLION TO SAN ANTONIO ISD, AND OF THAT 65 MILLION, ABOUT 3 MILLION HAVE BEEN PUT INTO BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS. SO THAT GOES FROM OUTDOOR LEARNING SPACES TO MAKING SURE THAT OUR CLASSROOMS HAVE ACCESS TO WASHER AND DRYERS BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HAVE YOUNG KIDS. WITHIN EDGEWOOD ISD, ALMOST 27 MILLION WE'VE PROVIDED FUNDING AND, AGAIN, THE MAJORITY OF THE FUNDING GOES TO TEACHING STAFF SALARIES. THEN ABOUT 2.1 MILLION, 2.2 MILLION FOR BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS. KINDER READINESS, SO THIS -- THE BOI IS BEGINNING OF THE YEAR AND THEN WE TEST OUR KIDS MIDDLE OF THE YEAR AND END OF THE YEAR. IF YOU -- DURING THE PANDEMIC, KIND OF LIKE ALL OTHER PROGRAMS WHERE WE'RE REALLY STRUGGLING AND WE HAVEN'T QUITE GOT THERE YET IS WHEN YOU LOOK AT FOR THE 2022-2023 MATH SCORES, BASED ON THEIR AGE WHEN THEY COME INTO AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, ABOUT 76% ARE ABOUT WHERE THEY SHOULD BE. YOU LOOK AT THE END OF THE YEAR AND WE'RE ABOUT 79%. I THINK THIS IS AN AREA THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON WITHIN OUR PROGRAM. READING WE'RE DOING A LOT BETTER, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL ARE BIG READERS OF EDUCATION WEEK, BUT IN DECEMBER, THERE WAS LIKE TONS OF ARTICLES ABOUT HOW NOT ONLY THE UNITED STATES BUT THE WORLD HAS SEEN MATH SCORES DROP ACROSS THE BOARD. SO WE ARE NOT ALONE. WE'RE STILL IMPACTED BY THE PANDEMIC, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE CONFIDENT THAT OUR KIDS WITH OUR WONDERFUL TEACHERS WILL CATCH UP. WE PLACE A HUGE AMOUNT OF IMPORTANCE ON EMPOWERING OUR PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS. EACH OF OUR CAMPUSES THAT WE HAVE A HEAD START PROGRAM, WE HAVE A PARENT, SITE LEADER COMMITTEE. SO WE MEET WITH THEM REGULARLY.OUR HEAD START POLICY COUNCIL IS MADE UP OF PARENTS OF OUR PROGRAM.
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL PROGRAM. WE LOVE HAVING POLICY COUNCIL MEETINGS.
WE PROVIDE CHILD CARE ON SITE AND ALSO IF THEY NEED HELP WITH TRANSPORTATION, WE REIMBURSE THEM FOR TRANSPORTATION. WE WORK WITH PARENTS AT OUR PARENT ACADEMY. THIS IS WHERE WE REALLY TRAIN PARENTS TO ADVOCATE FOR THEIR CHILDREN. SO WHEN THEY LEAVE US FOR HEAD START, THEY STILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO GO FORWARD AND CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE. SO WE WORK WITH THEM ON HOW DO YOU TALK TO YOUR PRINCIPAL? WHAT QUESTIONS? WHAT IS STAAR? REALLY, JUST -- IT'S A WONDERFUL PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTING WITHIN EDGEWOOD ISD. A LOT OF THE SUPPORT STAFF THAT WE HAVE WITHIN THE DHS FOR HEAD START ARE FAMILY SUPPORT WORKERS. THESE WORK DIRECTLY WITH OUR FAMILIES AND OUR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS WHERE WE WORK WITH THEM ON RESOURCES, MAKING SURE WE DO GOAL SETTING. WE PROVIDE TRAINING FOR OUR PARENTS. ALSO, HEALTH IS A HUGE COMPONENT. SO MAKING SURE WE HAVE DENTAL CLINICS AND WORKING WITH FAMILIES ON MAKING SURE THEY HAVE MEDICAL HOMES AND INSURANCE FOR THEIR CHILDREN. FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, WE'RE GOING TO STILL -- WE'RE WORKING ON OUR STRATEGIC PLAN. WE'VE ALSO BEEN HAVING A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS OF INFANT AND TODDLER CARE. SO RIGHT NOW, MAJORITY OF OUR SLOTS ARE SLOTS FOR 3 AND 4-YEAR-OLDS, BUT YOU HEARD IN OUR PRESENTATION THAT WE'RE HAVING MORE PEOPLE COMING INTO THE 3 AND 4 SPACE. WE HAVE PRE-K FOR SAME SA. DOES
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IT MAKE SENSE THAT WE SHIFT THEM FOR SIX WEEKS TO 3-YEAR-OLD WHERE THE NEED IS GREATER IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO THOSE ARE GOING TO BE CONTINUING CONVERSATIONS. OF COURSE, AS THE GOVERNING BOARD OF HEAD START, WE WILL BE HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH YOU ALL. AGAIN, JOB TRAINING AND WORKFORCE OUTCOMES, THAT'S GOING TO BE HUGE PRIORITY THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO PUSH WITH OUR PARENTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL CREDENTIAL AS HOW DO WE GET THEM INTO READY TO WORK? HOW DO WE GET THEM INTO OTHER JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS? WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH READY TO WORK. THEY HAVE COME AND TRAINED ALL OF OUR FAMILY SUPPORT WORKERS, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE A CONTINUED PARTNERSHIP. I THINK WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THE FRUITS OF OUR LABOR. YOU'RE GOING TO SEE MORE OF OUR HEAD START PARENTS WITHIN THAT PROGRAM. WELLNESS SERVICES, WE'VE BEEN PLACING A HUGE AMOUNT OF ATTENTION ON ENTER MENTAL HEALTH AND -- MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS. WE HAVE A SPECIALIZED TEAM THAT FOR OUR FAMILIES THAT ARE GOING THROUGH SEVERE TRAUMA OR DIFFICULTIES, WE HAVE OUR WELLNESS TEAM WORK WITH THE FAMILY. WE ALSO HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS. SO THEY WILL WORK WITH THE KID, AND THEN WE WORK WITH THE PARENTS SO THAT WE MAKE SURE WE'RE DOING THAT COMPREHENSIVE SERVICE FOR THE FAMILIES. THEN CONTINUING TO WORK WITH STAFF RETENTION AND WORKFORCE CONDITIONS JUST LIKE ALL, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE BEEN HEARING, THE CHALLENGES THAT TEACHERS ARE FACING AND THAT HAS IMPACTED OUR PROGRAMMING, PARTICULARLY IN OUR CHILD CARE CENTERS. THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING ON WITHIN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. AS I SAID, AS THE GOVERNING BODY OF HEAD START, WE WILL NEED TO PRESENT YOU ALL WITH THIS UPDATE.WE ARE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT Y'ALL MAY HAVE.
>> THANK YOU, CHAIR. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. MORE OF A COMMENT THAN A QUESTION. LAST WEEK I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO OVER TO THE MUNICIPAL COURTS BECAUSE THEY WERE FACILITATING A YOUTH DAY FOR HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS. AROUND THE COURT WAS JUST A WEALTH OF RESOURCES. WE WERE STOPPING BY TALKING TO EACH BOOTH. I'M LOOKING AT THE NO HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA DATA AT 56% OF THE FAMILIES THAT PRE-K FOR SA SERVES. THERE WAS ONE TABLE WITH SAISD IN PARTICULAR AND THEY WERE OFFERING SERVICES FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS TO OBTAIN THEIR GED. THEY HAD SO MANY FAMILIES SIGN UP THAT WERE INTERESTED. RIGHT? AND THEN ONCE I SAW THAT THERE WERE FIVE SHEETS THAT WERE FULL, I STARTED LOOKING AT EVERYONE ELSE'S SIGN-IN SHEET AND IT DIDN'T COMPARE TO THAT. SO I KNOW PRE-K FOR SA IS DOING A LOT, BUT IF THERE'S OPPORTUNITY TO PARTNER WITH SAISD TO PROVIDE FLYERS, I THINK THIS COULD BE VERY IMPACTFUL AND VALUABLE BECAUSE I WAS SUPPOSED TO SEE THAT MANY FOLKS -- SURPRISED TO SEE THAT MANY FOLKS COMPLETE THE SIGN-IN SHEET THAT EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THE
PROGRAM. >> WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH MUNICIPAL COURT. THAT'S
A GREAT RESOURCE. >> THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHAIR.
>> THANK YOU, CHAIR. YES, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH REBECCA FOR THE INFORMATION. DITTO ON WHAT COUNCILMEMBER CASTILLO SAID. IT WAS INCREDIBLE. THERE WERE A WHOLE LOT OF TABLES. IT WAS JUST NEAT TO SEE THAT. I THINK WE CAN HAVE A TABLE NEXT YEAR. READY TO WORK WAS THERE AS WELL. THEY WERE A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE. EVEN IF YOU'RE TRYING TO PROBABLY JUST GET ANY INFORMATION OUT, JUST IN GENERAL, OTHER THAN ENROLLMENTS, ET CETERA, I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY.
>> WHEN THEY DO THE DOCKET FOR THE YOUNGER FOLKS AT THE COURTS, EX IN -- NEXT LEVEL DOES COME. WE'RE THERE ALMOST EVERY WEEK. WE
DO HAVE THAT CONNECTION. >> THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THEY DID THIS. IT SOUNDED LIKE THEY WERE DOING LIKE A PILOT WITH SAISD, BUT THEY WANT TO TAKE IT ACROSS THE CITY AND DO IT WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS EVERYWHERE. SO THAT WOULD BE AN EVEN GREATER OPPORTUNITY FOR SURE. SO EXCITED ABOUT THAT. THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER, FOR BRINGING THAT UP. THANK YOU, AGAIN, FOR THE INFORMATION. THANK YOU SO THE TEAM AND HEAD START POLICY COUNCIL AND THE CAB FOR A JOB WELL-DONE IN REPRESENTING ALL OF OUR CHILDREN. I HAVE A QUESTION. OF THE 3,148 CHILDREN THAT YOU REFERENCE, THAT'S
ANNUAL? >> CORRECT. >> JUST MAKING SURE. SO THAT'S TYPICAL -- LIKE THAT'S -- OKAY. SO JUST DOUBLE-CHECKING ON THAT.
UTSA WAS DOING SOME ANNUAL COMMUNITY ASSESSMENTS. DO THEY
STILL DO THOSE? >> YES. >> AWESOME. IS THERE ANY SLOT RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THEY'VE DONE BASED ON THOSE, OR HOW DO WE
INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SPOTS. >> THEY HAVEN'T MADE A
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SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATION ON NUMBER OF SLOTS, BUT THEY HAVE ADVISED US TO LOOK AT CONVERSION OF THREE AND FOUR SLOTS TO ZERO TO THREE. I MEAN, THAT REALLY IS THE GREATEST NEED THAT WE HAVE AND THE BIGGEST GAPTHAT WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY. >> WONDERFUL. HOW CAN WE SEE THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THEY'VE GIVEN? DO YOU
HAVE THOSE AVAILABLE ANYWHERE? >> WE CAN PROVIDE THE
COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT. >> OKAY. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. AND SO I DEFINITELY THINK -- I LOVE SEEING STRATEGIC PLANS AND COMPARING THEM WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND TRYING TO SEE, OH, I REMEMBER I SAW THIS. SO MAYBE THIS WORKS HERE. SO ANYWAY, THAT'S THE ONLY REASON. I'M SURE THEY ARE DOING A GREAT JOB, I JUST WANT TO SEE WHAT ELSE WE CAN ACCOMPLISH IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. TO THE POINT THAT YOU MADE EARLIER WHERE THEY ARE CHANGING THE -- THEY ARE MAKING THE RECOMMENDATION OF CHANGING THE SLOTS, HOW DO YOU SEE -- BECAUSE WE HAVE WAITING LISTS. HOW BIG ARE OUR WAITING LISTS?
>> WE HAVE SEVERAL HUNDRED IN OUR WAITING LOTS FOR ZERO TO THREE
AND WE CAN PROBABLY TRIPLE IT TO BE HONEST. >> SO AS WE'RE -- HOW ARE WE WORKING THEN WITHHE THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT ARE CLOSING
SCHOOLS? >> WE ARE IN CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM NOW ABOUT -- THE WAY WE DO ZERO TO THREE RIGHT NOW BESIDES -- EDGEWOOD HAS A SMALLER PROGRAM, BUT OUR PRIMARY VEHICLE FOR ZERO TO THREE IS WITH CHILD CARE CENTERS. SO WE WORK WITH SIX CHILD CARE CENTERS, AND SO WE NEED TO HAVE FURTHER CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR CURRENT PARTNERS AND PROBABLY EXPAND IT TO SEE WHO ELSE HAS SPACE FOR ZERO TO THREE BECAUSE, ONE, IT'S EXPENSIVE TO DO ZERO TO THREE, AND, TWO, TO BE HONEST, THE WORKFORCE. WE'RE REALLY STRUGGLING WITH FINDING TEACHING STAFF FOR OUR ZERO TO THREE POPULATION. SO EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE THE WAIT LIST, WE DON'T HAVE THE TEACHERS. THAT REALLY
IS THE CONUNDRUM THAT WE'RE FACING RIGHT NOW. >> AND I THINK THIS
>> GARCIA: I THINK THIS IS ANECTDOTAL, BUT I HAD SOMEBODY POST ON FACEBOOK THE OTHER DAY THIS IS LIKE THEIR SECOND TEACH THEIR QUITS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. AND SO I KEEP HEARING THAT, RIGHT, IN GENERAL, LIKE FROM --S TEACHER QUIT. I'M LIKE WAIT A SECOND. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY IT'S BEING DONE HALFWAY THROUGH. IS THERE -- DO YOU SEE -- ARE THE SAME REASONS THEY ARE GIVING FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT THE SAME REASONS YOU ARE SEEING THAT WE'RE
NOT RECRUITING ENOUGH TEACHERS? >> FOR ZERO TO THREE, IT'S PROBABLY SALARY. LIKE OUR TEACHERS OR OUR CHILDCARE CENTERS MAKE $12, $14 AN HOUR. AND SO WE ALWAYS SAY WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU MORE MONEY SO YOU CAN PAY THEM MORE, BUT THEN THEY HAVE OTHER CLASSROOMS THAT ARE NOT HEAD START SO THEY HAVE THAT TENSION OF THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO PAY SOME OF THEIR TEACHERS THAT SALARY. THAT'S AN ISSUE WE'VE BEEN FACING.
WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM TO INCREASE THOSE FOR OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS, WE'VE BEEN IN CONVERSATIONS WITH RETENTION BONUSES. SO SAISD AND EDGEWOOD ARE -- WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM NOW THAT WE WILL PROVIDE THEM SOME FUNDING WITHIN THEIR GRANT TO PROVIDE RETENTION BONUSES FOR TEACHERS. SO IF THEY RETURN FROM THE FALL SEMESTER TO TEACH IN THE SPRING SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR,
THAT THEY WILL BE GETTING A BONUS. >> GARCIA: OKAY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, REBECCA. I APPRECIATE YOU ALL. THANK YOU, CHAIR.
>> PELÁEZ: THANKS. I'M WONDERING IF YOU COULD SEND US -- IF IT'S JUST A ONE-PAGER, IT'S FINE, SORT OF METRICS TO SEE YOUR PERFORMANCE FROM INCEPTION TO TODAY JUST SO WE CAN KIND OF UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU ARE GETTING YOUR
MOST TRACTION, RIGHT? >> FOR THE KIDS LEARNING OR --
>> PELÁEZ: YES. >> JUST SO YOU KNOW, THE ASSESSMENT HAS CHANGED SINCE WE FIRST STARTED, SO IT'S NOT APPLES TO APPLES COMPARISON, BUT WE CAN
PROVIDE YOU SOME HISTORICAL DATA ON ACHIEVEMENT. >> PELÁEZ: THAT WOULD HELP ME. THE SECOND THING IS WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS, ARE YOU TALKING WITHIN THE CLASSROOM OR ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT
HEATERS, AIR CONDITIONING, EVERYTHING? >> ANYTHING THAT IMPACTS OUR KIDS. ONE OF THE THINGS WHEN THE JOY OF PRE K FOR SA WAS IT SET A MODEL OF BEST PRACTICES WITH OUTDOOR LEARNING MANIPULATIVES SO WE HAD TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITHIN HEAD START EQUITY. PRE-K 4 SA PARTICULARLY FOR
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OUTDOOR LEARNING, DID WE SEE THE SAME IN CLASSROOMS. WE MADE A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS ON OUTDOOR LEARNING, BUT WITHIN BOTH SCHOOL DISTRICTS, I KNOW SAN ANTONIO IS GOING THROUGH SOME CLOSURES, BUT WE HAD WHOLE CAMPUSES THAT TAUGHT HEAD START KIDDOS. ON AN HVAC SYSTEM WITHIN THAT WHOLE CAMPUS IMPACTED OUR KIDS AND IN SOME CASES WE THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD INVESTMENT TO MAKE WITHINTHAT. >> PELÁEZ: CAN I GET A LIST OF SORT OF LAST TWO, THREE YEARS OF YOU ARE DOING IT. LASTLY, I KNOW THAT SAISD AND I KNOW THAT NAISD HAVE THESE PROFESSIONALS CALLED THE FAMILY SPECIALISTS, RIGHT? AND I THINK IN SAISD THEY ARE CALLED THE FACE SPECIALISTS OR -- ARE THEY PART OF YOUR TEAM? BECAUSE THEY ARE ENGAGING DIRECTLY WITH THE FAMILIES,
CORRECT? >> WE COORDINATE WITH THEM. WE TEND TO WORK WITH OBVIOUSLY THE HEAD START KIDDOS. IF THE HEAD START STUDENT HAS A SIBLING IN ANOTHER GRADE, THEN WE COORDINATE SERVICES TO THE FAMILIES
WITH OTHER STAFF WITHIN THE SCHOOLS. >> PELÁEZ: DO YOU FIND THAT YOU ARE GETTING WHAT YOU NEED AS FAR AS LONG SUPPORT FOR PARENTS THAT
DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH AS WELL AS WE WISH THEY WOULD? >> YES, SIR.
I THINK WE HAVE A FEW PARENTS, I THINK THE CONVERSATIONS WE'RE STARTING TO HARD, WE HAVE FAMILIES COMING FROM AFGHANISTAN AND DO WE HAVE ALL OF THE SUPPORTS WE NEED. AND LUCKILY THE CITY HAS BEEN VERY, YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR -- LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS ACTUALLY WE'VE HAD SOME ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO THE CITY THAT WE ARE MUCH GRATEFUL FOR. BUT AS OF NOW, WE FEEL THAT WE HAVE THE TRANSLATION SERVICES THAT WE NEED, SO THANK YOU FOR ASKING FOR
THAT. >> PELÁEZ: I TRIED TO STUMP YOU AND YOU GOT ALL THE ANSWERS RIGHT. SOUNDS LIKE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.
APPRECIATE YOU COMING OUT AND THANKS TO THE LADIES BEHIND YOU.
>> I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE AUDREY JACKSON, SHE RUNS OUR HEAD START PROGRAM.
WE COULDN'T DO WITHOUT HER. MELODY SAYS THAT'S HER FAVORITE HIRE AND I GET A LITTLE JEALOUS, BUT AUDREY IS FANTASTIC AND SHE'S JUST BEEN A FABULOUS PARTNER IN
CRIME AS WE WORK TO IMPROVE EARLY CHILDHOOD IN OUR CITY. >> PELÁEZ: THANKS SO MUCH AND TO ALEX AND BRENDA, EXCELLENT WORK, YOU ALL. WE ARE ADJOURNED.
THAT BRINGS US TO THE END OF ANOTHER GREAT MEETING. >> WE NEED ACTION.
>> PELÁEZ: WE NEEDED AN ACTION. >> I JUST WANT TO CONFIRM
THAT WE NEED ACTION. >> PELÁEZ: MELODY, DO YOU NEED ACTION?
>> NO. >> PELÁEZ: WASTED A PERFECTLY GOOD MOTION.
THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN. HAVE A GREAT WEEK, THANKS SO MUCH.
WE'RE ADJOURNED.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.