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THE TIME IS NOW FIVE O'CLOCK, AND I CALL THE DECEMBER 14 MEETING OF THE[1. CALL TO ORDER]
EISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES TO ORDER.MADAME SECRETARY, DO WE HAVE A QUORUM? YES.
[3. CLOSED SESSION]
WITH THAT, WE WILL NOW MOVE INTO CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE 551.074 AND 551.071.WE WILL RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION AT APPROXIMATELY SEVEN O'CLOCK.
ALL RIGHT, THE TIME IS NOW 7:00, AND WE WILL RECONVENE IN
[4. RECONVENE INTO OPEN SESSION (Approximately 7:00 p.m.)]
OPEN SESSION.GOOD EVENING, I'M GLAD YOU GUYS ARE HERE THIS EVENING, THANK YOU FOR COMING.
I HAVE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I NEED TO COVER QUICKLY FOR THE PURPOSE OF TONIGHT'S MEETING IS FOR THE BOARD TO DELIBERATE AND VOTE ON MATTERS LISTED ON ITS AGENDA.
THE DISTRICT IS COMMITTED TO TREATING EVERYONE HERE WITH RESPECT, AND WE EXPECT THE SAME IN RETURN.
PLEASE REFRAIN FROM OUTBURSTS OR ANY OTHER FORM OF DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR.
THERE WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT LATER IN THE MEETING.
WE HAVE FIVE GUESTS SIGNED UP AN EACH GUESTS WILL BE AFFORDED THREE MINUTES.
WHEN I GET TO THAT PORTION OF THE AGENDA, I WILL CALL YOU UP INDIVIDUALLY WHILE YOU [INAUDIBLE] AND LAST THING IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY.
TAKE NOTE OF THE EXIT NEAREST YOU, WE HAVE TO ON THIS FLOOR.
ONE IS THE DOOR THROUGH WHICH YOU ENTERED AND THE OTHER IS A DOOR RIGHT BACK HERE AT THE END OF THE HALL.
IF THE NEED ARISES, PLEASE HEAD TO THE EXIT NEAREST YOU IN AN ORDERLY MANNER.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AND FOR YOUR INTEREST IN OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR SCHOOLS.
WE WILL NOW BEGIN OUR MEETING.
THE FIRST ITEM IS THE EANES ISD MISSION STATEMENT.
[5. EANES ISD MISSION STATEMENT]
IT IS UNITE, EMPOWER, INSPIRE EVERY PERSON EVERY DAY.WE UNITE OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS, CREATING A SENSE OF BELONGING FOR ALL.
WE EMPOWER STUDENTS PROVIDING AN EXEMPLARY EDUCATION THAT DEVELOPS CURIOSITY, CREATIVITY AND INDIVIDUAL TALENTS, AND WE INSPIRE EACH OTHER TO LEAD PURPOSEFUL LIVES OF EMPATHY, GRATITUDE AND COMPASSION.
AND WITH THAT, PLEASE JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
[7. REPORTS]
THAT BRINGS US TO THE REPORT SECTION OF OUR MEETING AN THE FIRST REPORT IS OUR SUPERINTENDENTS REPORT.GREAT AND I HAVE A COUPLE OF THINGS I'D LIKE.
SO EANES ELEMENTARY HAD THEIR STEAM DAY AND YOU CAN SEE A COUPLE OF THE ACTIVITIES, BUT THERE ARE MANY WORKSHOPS RELATED TO SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, ART AND MUSIC THAT TAKE PLACE ON THAT DAY.
SEVERAL BOARD MEMBERS, I THINK, WERE ABLE TO GET THERE THAT DAY.
I REMEMBER SEEING MORE THAN ONE OF YOU THERE.
THIS WAS A CAMPUS WIDE EVENT IN WHICH PARENTS WERE INVITED TO COME IN TO THE BUILDING.
AND ACTUALLY, THIS WAS LIKE THE FIRST TIME WE'VE HAD A LARGE GROUP OF PARENTS IN SINCE COVID STARTED.
SO IT WAS REALLY NICE TO SEE PARENTS AGAIN IN THE BUILDING, INTERFACING WITH OUR STAFF AND WITH OUR TEACHERS, AND THEY EVEN HAD A WORKSHOP THAT INCLUDED A BABY ALLIGATOR AND AS YOU CAN SEE, A BABY KANGAROO.
AND SO I WANTED TO REPORT ON THAT, A NICE DAY.
WE DID DO A COMMUNITY WEBINAR, AND I JUST WANT TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT WAS DONE ON DECEMBER 2ND ON DEI.
DR. GOODEN, AS YOU CAN SEE, WAS ON THAT.
I SPOKE ON THAT AS WELL AS WELL AS THREE MEMBERS FROM THE DEI ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
SO YOU CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE ANYTIME YOU WANT.
AND IF YOU WANT TO SEE IT, YOU CAN SEE IT THERE.
I ALSO WANT TO LET THE BOARD KNOW THAT YOU'LL BE GETTING AN UPDATE CONNECTED TO FROM OUR CIA DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT CONNECTED TO OUR EFFORTS IN THIS DOMAIN AND WHERE WE WANT TO GO.
PROBABLY EARLY IN THE 2022, WHICH SOUNDS LIKE A LONG WAY AWAY.
BUT 2022 REALLY IS NOT THAT FAR AWAY.
SO I WANT TO LET YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT.
IF YOU HAVE DRIVEN UP PAST THE DOCK, YOU WILL SEE WE ARE GETTING VERY CLOSE TO
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THE THIRD MAJOR PROJECT THAT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE LAST BOND.REMEMBER, THIS IS THE AQUATIC CENTER.
IT'S GOING TO BE RIGHT UP OVER THERE.
IF ANYONE WANTS TO KNOW WHERE IT IS, THAT'S WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE.
THAT IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE RIGHT NOW.
SO IT IS GETTING VERY, VERY CLOSE.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THEY ARE ACTUALLY PUTTING THE PANELS TOGETHER FOR THE SWIMMING POOL AND IT IS PROGRESSING AS YOU CAN SEE ANOTHER PICTURE THAT IT'S GETTING CLOSER.
I'M TOLD BY JEREMY THAT AT SOME POINT IN JANUARY, WE SHOULD HAVE WATER IN THAT POOL.
HE'S IN THE BACK SAYING THERE'S GOING TO BE WATER IN THE POOL AND THEN IT'LL LOOK LIKE THAT, OK, AND YOU CAN SEE AN AERIAL PICTURE.
AGAIN, WE'RE GETTING THERE AND ELLEN, THERE WILL BE LANDSCAPING AT SOME POINT, BUT NOW IS NOT THE TIME.
OK, BUT IT WILL COME, I PROMISE YOU.
OK, FIRST YOU GOT TO BUILD A BUILDING.
SO ANYWAY, EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
A COUPLE OTHER THINGS I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR MYSELF EVERYWHERE.
BUT THERE IS A SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH SURVEY THAT'S OUT THERE RIGHT NOW, AND JUST TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT THAT CLOSES.
THAT SURVEY CLOSES DECEMBER 15TH AT 11:59 P.M.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT OR ANYONE ANY COMMENTS ON THAT OR.
WELL, LET ME, ME TURN MY BRAND NEW MIKE ON.
I'D LIKE TO SAY A COUPLE OF THINGS WITH RESPECT TO THE SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH RIGHT NOW.
AND FIRST AND FOREMOST, THANK YOU.
SO WE HAD, I THINK, SIX DIFFERENT COHORTS OF SIX DIFFERENT FOCUS GROUPS CONVENE ON THE 7TH AND THE 8TH, AND WE HAD SEVENTY TWO OF EIGHTY EIGHT COMMUNITY MEMBERS COME AND DEVOTE THEIR TIME TO THIS PROCESS.
THOSE MEETINGS RAN AN HOUR AND A HALF.
THEY WERE NOT INSIGNIFICANT COMMITMENTS, BUT PEOPLE SHOWED UP AND THEY SHOWED UP ENTHUSIASTIC AND COLLABORATIVELY.
WE OPEN ON THE 9TH WE OPENED ONLINE SURVEYS, AND AS OF EARLIER TODAY WE HAVE HAD 11 HUNDRED PEOPLE FILL OUT SURVEYS.
THAT IS A HUGE INVESTMENT THAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS MADE IN THIS PROCESS.
AND CLAUDIA TOLD ME THAT THAT THE CURRENT PAGE COUNT IS AT ROUGHLY EIGHT HUNDRED.
SO AT SOME POINT WE'RE GOING TO GET THOSE SURVEYS AND ALL THE INFORMATION THAT'S CONTAINED IN THERE.
AND WE WILL HAVE AT LEAST EIGHT HUNDRED PAGES OF READING TO DO OVER THE HOLIDAYS.
I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
SO THE SURVEY CLOSES TOMORROW, AND THOMPSON AND HORTON, THE CONSULTANTS THAT WE'VE HIRED, WILL TAKE THAT DATA THAT INFORMATION IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE INFORMATION THAT THEY COLLECTED DURING THOSE FOCUS GROUPS, AND THEY WILL COMPILE A REPORT THAT HELPS US IDENTIFY THE BROAD THEMES THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS IDENTIFIED AS IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NEXT SUPERINTENDENT.
AND WHEN WE RECONVENE IN JANUARY, THE DISCUSSION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE CHARACTERISTICS THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS IDENTIFIED WILL RESUME AND THIS PROCESS WILL TAKE OFF IN EARNEST.
SO I'D LIKE TO THANK EVERYBODY THAT HAS TAKING THE TIME TO COMPLETE AN ONLINE SURVEY.
EVERYBODY THAT MADE TIME IN THEIR SCHEDULE TO PARTICIPATE IN ONE OF THOSE FOCUS GROUPS.
AND IF YOU HAVEN'T YET TAKEN THE TIME TO FILL OUT A SURVEY, YOU STILL HAVE A DAY AND I REALLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO IT.
I PROMISE YOU, WHATEVER YOU PUT DOWN ON PAPER WILL BE READ BY ALL OF US.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO US AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO DO ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS OR DO WELL, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT WE DO AS TRUSTEES, PERIOD.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE WITH RESPECT TO OUR SURVEY AND OUR SEARCH.
THAT'S THE UPDATE TO THIS POINT.
I MEAN, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT ANY OF THE BOARD MEMBERS HAVE, BUT.
JOHN, I JUST WANTED TO SAY FOR THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT MAY NOT KNOW STUDENTS ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE SURVEY ALSO, AND I THINK THAT'S A FANTASTIC COMPONENT OF OUR
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POPULATION AND OUR COMMUNITY THAT IS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE.THAT'S ACTUALLY AN IMPORTANT POINT TO MAKE.
SO STUDENTS ARE PARTICIPATING, STUDENTS WERE IN THE FOCUS GROUPS AND STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ONLINE SURVEYS AS WELL.
AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO DISAGGREGATE THE SURVEY RESPONSES BASED ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT CRITERIA, ONE OF WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, BEING A STUDENT.
THANKS FOR THE UPDATE, BY THE WAY, THERE'S A FOOTBALL GAME GOING ON THIS SATURDAY NIGHT, AND I JUST WANTED TO MAKE NOTE OF THAT.
THIS WILL NOT BE ON [INAUDIBLE].
THIS ONE IS ON BALLY SPORTS IF YOU WANT TO WATCH IT ON TV BALLY SPORTS SOUTHWEST, THIS IS THE BIG ONE.
WE'RE 39 IN A ROW IN TERMS OF WINS HOPING TO MAKE THAT 40.
OBVIOUSLY, IF YOU DON'T KNOW, TODD DODGE IS RETIRING AT THE END OF THIS YEAR, AND SO IT SHOULD BE HOPEFULLY AN EXCITING TIME.
I KNOW THE BOARD MEMBERS TRUSTEES HAVE GOTTEN SOME INFORMATION.
THE COMMUNITY'S GOTTEN SOME INFORMATION ABOUT TICKETS.
YOU KNOW, PLEASE INTERFACE WITH TIFFANY TO MAKE SURE WE KNOW WHO'S GOING WHEN WE'RE GOING AND HOW WE'RE GOING.
IT'S BEEN QUITE A ROLL WATCHING THIS TEAM.
IT'S A VERY, VERY SPECIAL TEAM.
A COUPLE OTHER THINGS TO MENTION.
I WISH THERE WERE NO MORE VARIANTS.
WE DID HAVE A BOOSTER CLINIC RECENTLY ON DECEMBER 4TH.
WE HAD ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY ONE MEMBERS EMPLOYEES THAT CAME AND GOT THEIR BOOSTER SHOT.
HIGHLY ENCOURAGED THAT FOR ANYONE WHO WISHES TO GET THE SHOT, BUT THERE IS A NEW VARIANT THAT IS ACTUALLY IN THE AUSTIN AREA NOW, AND WE ASK EVERYONE TO BE AS SAFE AS THEY CAN BE BECAUSE THERE IS SOME TRAVELING GOING ON AND WE KNOW THAT.
I WILL OVER BREAK WE ARE DOING A MEETING THE SUPERINTENDENTS DOING A MEETING WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH ON DECEMBER 27TH, YOU KNOW, TO GET AN UPDATE TO THEM IN TERMS OF WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE NUMBERS IN OUR AREA.
BUT WE ARE GOING TO GO ON WINTER BREAK.
WE HOPE EVERYONE HAS A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY AND COMES BACK HEALTHY AND READY TO GO ON JANUARY 4TH.
IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME, I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM.
NOT A QUESTION I WAS GOING TO SAY BACK ON THE ON THE POOL THAT I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO WITH JEREMY AND WALK UP THAT WAY ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON, AND I THINK IT WAS ABOUT 80 OR 85 DEGREES.
YEAH, LET'S NOT TELL PEOPLE WHO AREN'T FROM BEAUTIFUL AUSTIN THAT IT'S THAT BEAUTIFUL ON A FRIDAY AND DECEMBER, BUT IT WAS LIKE EIGHTY FIVE DEGREES AND STANDING INSIDE RIGHT, RIGHT ABOUT WHERE THAT PICTURE WAS TAKEN.
I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED BECAUSE WHEN WE FIRST DESIGNED THE FACILITY, WE WERE TOLD ABOUT THE SHAPE AND HOW IT WAS GOING TO PULL AIR THROUGH, AND IT WAS DOING EXACTLY THAT.
IT'S PROBABLY WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE WITH THE DOORS OPEN AND THE VENTILATION WORKING.
YEAH, I THINK WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT AND WE'LL BE EXCITED TO GET THAT OPEN.
AND YES, IT'S ABOUT A MONTH LATE, BUT IT'LL BE WITH US FOR DECADES.
EVERYONE DECADES FROM NOW WILL NOT REMEMBER THE ONE MONTH LATE.
AND WITH THAT, WE ARE MOVING ON TO OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM.
ALL RIGHT, THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS OUR MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT AND BUDGET AMENDMENTS, AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE MARIA ROCKSTEAD AND CHRIS COMING UP.
OK, SO FOR THE MONTH ENDING NOVEMBER 30TH, YOU MAY NOTICE FOR THE TAX COLLECTED.
WE DEFINITELY HAVE A WHOLE LOT MORE COLLECTIONS COMING IN AT THIS POINT.
A VERY BIG DIFFERENCE FROM PRIOR YEAR.
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE PRIOR YEAR WAS, IF YOU REMEMBER, WE HAD THE ELECTION GOING ON, SO WE HELD OFF ON SENDING OFF THE STATEMENTS UNTIL THE RESULTS OF THE ELECTION.
SO THERE WAS FOR THAT REASON, NOT AS MUCH COLLECTED.
YOU'RE STILL ALSO SEEING FUND BALANCE BEING NEGATIVE RIGHT NOW.
ONCE THE DECEMBER COLLECTIONS START COMING IN AND THEY ARE STARTING, COMING IN ALREADY, THAT NUMBER WILL FLIP AN THE FUND BALANCE WILL YOU'LL SEE A POSITIVE NUMBER THERE.
THEN AS FAR AS BUDGET AMENDMENTS ONLY, WE ONLY HAVE SOME BUDGET AMENDMENTS FOR THE GENERAL FUND.
AND AGAIN, THAT IS ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN REQUESTED FROM CAMPUSES AND DEPARTMENTS AND THE NET EFFECT ON THE FUND BALANCE IS ZERO.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT.
BOARD POLICY CDE LEGAL, REQUIRES THAT EACH YEAR YOU REVIEW THE INVESTMENT
[00:15:01]
POLICY.JUST LAST MONTH, WE GAVE YOU THE INVESTMENT REPORT, WHICH IS DIFFERENT WHERE WE'RE TELLING YOU HOW OUR INVESTMENTS DID OVER THE LAST YEAR.
THIS MONTH, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE INVESTMENT POLICY FOR YOU TO REVIEW BOTH CDE, CDA LEGAL AND LOCAL, ARE INCLUDED IN YOUR PACKET FOR YOUR REVIEW.
BUT REMEMBER THAT THE MAIN THINGS THAT WE LOOK AT AS PART OF OUR POLICY IS THE THREE POINT INVESTMENT STRATEGY.
NUMBER ONE, WE'RE LOOKING AT SAFETY OF OUR CAPITAL.
TWO, WE'RE LOOKING AT LIQUIDITY SO THAT WE HAVE THE ACCESS TO THE FUNDS WHEN WE NEED THEM.
AND THREE, WE'RE LOOKING FOR YIELD.
AND THAT'S WHY YIELD IS PRETTY SMALL, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, THOSE VERY, VERY SAFE INSTRUMENTS THAT WE CAN INVEST IN ARE NOT DOING WELL.
RIGHT NOW WE'RE NOT RECOMMENDING ANY CHANGES AT ALL.
BUT AGAIN, I'M OPEN FOR ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? HEATHER.
FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ROOM, CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO US WHY WE CAN'T INVEST IN RISKIER THINGS? YES.
THE PRIMARY REASON IS IT'S IN CDA LEGAL, WHICH MEANS IT'S A REQUIREMENT OF THE STATE, SO IT LIMITS THE TYPES OF INSTRUMENTS THAT YOU CAN INVEST IN.
IF YOU REMEMBER, I THINK IT WAS BACK IN THE 80S OR THE 90S WHEN SEVERAL MUNICIPALITIES IN CALIFORNIA IN PARTICULAR WENT OUT AND INVESTED IN SOME HIGHLY LUCRATIVE AT THE TIME AND THEN TURNED OUT TO BE HIGHLY WORTHLESS INSTRUMENTS AND LOST A LOT OF MONEY.
WE CAN'T DO THAT AND WE WON'T DO THAT.
BUT WHAT YOU CAN DO IS YOU CAN LOOK AT, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S LIMITS ON THE RATINGS OF THE INSTRUMENTS THAT WE CAN INVEST IN.
REALLY KIND OF WHAT YOU CAN DO IS KIND OF TINKER AROUND THE EDGES OF THOSE.
NOT SO MUCH THE RATINGS, BUT MAYBE YOU CAN LOOK AT THINGS LIKE THE LENGTH OF AN INSTRUMENT WE COULD BUY.
FOR EXAMPLE, I THINK THE LAST TIME YOU MADE AN ADJUSTMENT, YOU WENT IN AND SAID WE HAD A LIMIT ON THE LENGTH OF TIME OR LENGTH OF AN INSTRUMENT OF A COMMERCIAL PAPER WE COULD BUY.
AND YOU WENT FROM 90 DAYS TO 180 DAYS.
YOU KNOW, THAT WAS A PRETTY BIG TWEAK.
BUT THAT WAS ABOUT TWO OR THREE YEARS AGO.
BUT AGAIN, WE'RE NOT LOOKING FOR ANYTHING RIGHT NOW.
THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION.
WE CAN MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT ITEM, AND THAT'S THE INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL OR THE AUDIT.
OH, I'M TARA HOJNACKI WITH MAXWELL LOCKE AND RITTER, AND I'LL BE PRESENTING THE RESULTS OF OUR AUDIT OF THE DISTRICT'S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30TH 2021.
SO STARTING ON PAGE THREE IS THE OPINION, SO WE'LL BE ISSUING AN UNMODIFIED OPINION, WHICH IS THE HIGHEST QUALITY OF OPINION THAT CAN BE ISSUED BY AN AUDITOR.
STARTING ON PAGE 15 ARE THE BASIC FINANCIAL STATEMENTS THE GOVERNMENT WIDE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ARE REQUIRED BY GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING STANDARDS AND ARE PRESENTED ON A BASIS CONSISTENT WITH THAT OF A FOR PROFIT ENTITY, SO IT HAS YOUR CAPITAL ASSETS IN YOUR DEBT.
THE DISTRICT ENDED THE YEAR WITH A NET POSITION OF SIXTY SEVEN POINT SIX MILLION, WHICH IS A TWO POINT EIGHT MILLION INCREASE FROM THE PRIOR YEAR.
THE FUND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS START ON PAGE 17.
SO THE TOTAL GOVERNMENTAL FUND BALANCE THAT YOU'RE IN WAS NINETY SIX POINT FOUR MILLION, WHICH IS AN EIGHTEEN POINT THREE MILLION DOLLAR DECREASE FROM PRIOR YEAR.
AND YOUR UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE, WHICH REPRESENTS FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR GENERAL USE, WAS TWENTY THREE POINT ONE MILLION AT YEAR END.
ON PAGE 20 IS THE BUDGET TO ACTUAL FOR THE GENERAL FUND.
THE GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES FINISHED THE YEAR, AHEAD OF BUDGET BY THREE POINT ONE MILLION, AND ACTUAL EXPENDITURES WERE LESS THAN BUDGET FOR EACH FUNCTION, EXCEPT FOR CONTRACTED INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES BETWEEN SCHOOLS.
THEN STARTING ON PAGE TWENTY SIX ARE THE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, AND I'LL JUST POINT OUT A COUPLE OF HIGHLIGHTS DURING THE YEAR, THE DISTRICT ISSUED THE SERIES 2020 T AND 2020 A BONDS.
AS OF YEAR END, THERE'S ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY FIVE POINT OR YEAH ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY FIVE POINT FIVE MILLION OF BONDS OUTSTANDING, OF WHICH TWENTY ONE POINT TWO IN PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST ARE DUE IN THE COMING YEAR.
[00:20:02]
AND THEN SAME AS LAST YEAR, WE INCLUDED A DISCLOSURE AROUND COVID, MENTIONING THE UNCERTAIN IMPACT THAT COVID MAY HAVE ON THE DISTRICT'S OPERATIONS.RIGHT ON PAGE, STARTING ON PAGE EIGHTY ONE IS THE FEDERAL AWARDS SECTION.
SO THE FIRST REPORT YOU'LL SEE IS OUR REPORT ON THE DISTRICT'S INTERNAL CONTROL AND COMPLIANCE UNDER GOVERNMENTAL AUDITING STANDARDS.
THE RESULT OF OUR TEST DISCLOSED NO INSTANCES OF NONCOMPLIANCE THAT IS REQUIRED TO BE REPORTED.
AND THEN THE SECOND REPORT IS OUR REPORT ON COMPLIANCE AND INTERNAL CONTROL REQUIRED BY THE UNIFORM GUIDANCE, AND THE DISTRICT WAS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS, AND WE DID NOT IDENTIFY ANY DEFICIENCIES THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED TO BE A MATERIAL WEAKNESS.
THIS YEAR WE AUDITED THE SPECIAL EDUCATION CLUSTER AND THE EDUCATION STABILIZATION FUND AS MAJOR PROGRAMS, AND WE ISSUED AN UNMODIFIED OPINION.
LAST YEAR, WE REPORTED A FINDING RELATED TO THE FOUNDATION SCHOOL PROGRAM FUNDING ALLOTMENT, AND THAT FINDING HAS BEEN CORRECTED.
YOU SHOULD HAVE ALSO RECEIVED A COPY OF OUR GOVERNANCE LETTER.
SO THIS IS OUR REQUIRED COMMUNICATION FROM THE AUDITORS TO THE BOARD.
WE'RE PLEASED TO REPORT THAT WE DID NOT ENCOUNTER ANY DIFFICULTIES OR DISAGREEMENTS WITH MANAGEMENT, AND THERE WERE NO MATERIAL MISSTATEMENTS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED.
BIG THANKS TO MARIA AND CHRIS, AS ALWAYS, THEY'RE AMAZING FOR ALL THEIR HELP IN GETTING THIS AUDIT DONE.
ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? NO.
THANK YOU FOR THAT REPORT, THANK YOU FOR THE VERY SUCCINCT SUMMARY.
AND IT'S A BIG REPORT, AND THANK YOU, CHRIS AND MARIA FOR MAKING THIS A GOOD REPORT.
APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE.
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS OUR OPEN FORUM.
[8. OPEN FORUM]
I HAVE A STATEMENT I NEED TO READ BEFORE WE GET GOING.DUE TO THE NUMBER OF SPEAKERS TONIGHT, EACH SPEAKER WILL BE AFFORDED THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK, AND WHILE WE HAVE FIVE SPEAKERS SIGNED UP THIS EVENING, I'LL CALL YOU FORWARD WHEN IT'S YOUR TIME.
ONCE YOU WERE NOTIFIED THAT YOUR TIME IS UP, PLEASE FINISH YOUR SENTENCE AND THEN STOP.
OF COURSE, WE HAVE NO REASON TO SUSPECT THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN, BUT IF ANY SPEAKER REFUSES THIS WILL BE CONSIDERED A DISRUPTION OF THE BOARD MEETING.
WE WILL TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION.
SPECIFIC FACTUAL INFORMATION AND RECITATION OF EXISTING POLICY MAY BE FURNISHED IN RESPONSE TO INQUIRIES, BUT THE BOARD CANNOT DELIBERATE REGARDING ANY SUBJECT THAT IS NOT INCLUDED ON THE AGENDA.
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE AUDIO OF THIS OPEN FORUM PORTION OF THE BOARD MEETING IS RECORDED AS PART OF THE RECORDING OF THE ENTIRE MEETING AND IS PUBLISHED ON THE DISTRICT'S WEBSITE WITHOUT ALTERATION.
PERSONS WHO CHOOSE TO SPEAK IN OPEN FORUM ARE CONSENTING TO THE ONLINE PUBLICATION OF THEIR COMMENTS.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR TAKING THE TIME AND MAKING THE EFFORT TO SHARE YOUR COMMENTS WITH THE BOARD.
WE ARE NOW READY FOR OUR FIRST SPEAKER AND OUR FIRST SPEAKER THIS EVENING IS LEAH PAGANO.
OH, WAY TOO SHORT FOR THAT, THANK YOU.
OK, I'M GOING TO READ JUST SO I CAN FOCUS BECAUSE I'M A LITTLE TIRED.
I'M HERE TODAY TO EXPRESS MY CONCERN ABOUT THE OPTION TO WEAR MASKS IN EANES [INAUDIBLE] PREVIOUSLY, CDC CLASSROOMS, I REALIZED THAT YOU'RE CAUGHT BETWEEN LEGAL BATTLES OVER STATE EXECUTIVE ORDERS AND COMPLYING WITH LOCAL ORDINANCES LIKE THE ONE THAT WAS PASSED TODAY BY AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL.
IN MY EMAIL TO YOU, I KINDA GIVE YOU AN ANALOGY, AND I THINK IT'S PRETTY GOOD.
AS YOU KNOW, PEANUT ALLERGIES ARE REALLY RESTRICTIVE, AND WHILE THEY DON'T AFFECT MOST CHILDREN AND THEY MAY AFFECT SOME MILDLY, THE VERY FEW THAT MAY END UP IN THE HOSPITAL WITH ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK AFFORDS US ALL EATING SUN BUTTER SANDWICHES, WHICH ARE REALLY JUST NOT AS GOOD.
AND SO SIMILARLY, WHILE MOST CHILDREN HOPEFULLY WON'T BE AFFECTED BY COVID AND SOME MAY HAVE MILD SYMPTOMS, THE FEW THAT MIGHT END UP HOSPITALIZED IS A RISK THAT WE REALLY SHOULD JUST AVOID TAKING.
AS A TEACHER IN MY 9TH YEAR IN EANES, ALTHOUGH MY COPY PASTE IS SOMETHING OBVIOUSLY I'VE BEEN WEATHERING THE COVID STORM AND TEACHERS HAVE DONE SO MUCH TO ADAPT TO SUPPORT THE ACADEMIC NEEDS AND TRY TO MITIGATE THE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL CHALLENGES WE'VE TAKEN ON THE RESPONSIBILITY OF KEEPING THE COMMUNITY SAFE WITH MASKING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING FROM THE START AND HAVE CONTINUED TO DO SO IN ORDER TO BENEFIT YOUR KIDS.
IT'S CONFUSING TO ME THEN THAT GIVEN ALL THAT WE'VE DONE TO PROTECT THOUSANDS OF KIDS FOR MONTHS AND MONTHS, THAT THE SAFETY OF OUR OWN CHILDREN UNDER FIVE IS NOT GIVEN THE SAME PRIORITY, ESPECIALLY AT A TIME THAT THEY CAN'T GET THE VACCINE AND CASES ARE ON THE RISE.
MY TEACHER SHOULD FEEL OBLIGATED TO WEAR A MASK, BUT GIVEN YOUR VERBIAGE, THEY DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S NECESSARY AND THEY'RE PUTTING OUR MOST VULNERABLE
[00:25:01]
CHILDREN AT RISK.MAYBE THIS ISN'T ON YOUR RADAR BECAUSE IT ONLY AFFECTS ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY KIDS OUT OF EIGHT THOUSAND AND ONLY THIRTY FOUR STAFF.
BUT WHAT SEEMS TRIVIAL TO YOU KEEPING THESE KIDS UNDER FIVE SAFE IS MY WHOLE WORLD.
TO KIDS THAT I CAN'T PROTECT WITHOUT YOUR INVESTMENT AND THEIR WELL-BEING, I KNOW I'M NOT ALONE BECAUSE OF MY CONVERSATIONS WITH MY COLLEAGUES.
WE CAN'T HAVE THESE REACTIONARY MEASURES TO RECOVER, AND WE SHOULD INSTEAD IMPLEMENT PROACTIVE GUIDELINES.
A HOSPITALIZED TODDLER IS PRETTY BAD PR AND NOT WORTH THE RISK.
NO ONE ENJOYS WEARING MASKS, BUT WE NEED OUR TEACHERS TO BE ALLIES IN OUR FIGHT.
COVID CONTINUES TO PUT US ALL BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE IN MUCH OF OUR DECISION MAKING.
BUT IT FEELS LIKE KIDS UNDER FIVE WEREN'T EVEN PART OF YOUR THOUGHT PROCESS IN ENDING THESE MASK GUIDELINES.
BUT IT'S REALLY NOT TOO LATE TO EXPLICITLY ACT ON THEIR BEHALF WITH A REQUIREMENT UNTIL THEY HAVE THE OPTION TOO TO BE VACCINATED.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS RON G LOBO PERABO.
HI, THIS IS MORE OF A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.
SO MY SON WAS BULLIED IN SIXTH GRADE IN WEST RIDGE BY A KID AND THAT NOW HE'S IN NINTH GRADE.
THIS PAST SUMMER AT CATALINA SCOUT CAMP, FIVE KIDS WERE SENT HOME FOR BULLYING AND ASSAULTING HIM.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT ONE OF THE PARENTS AFTER THAT STARTED TOOK IT ON TOOK THE BULLYING ON AND IT BECAME HE STARTED SPREADING SEXUAL STORIES ABOUT MY SON OF RAPE, MASTURBATION AND OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT WAY AND BEYOND THAT.
SO, THOSE SORT OF ISSUES HAVE HAPPENED AND WE APPROACH THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL.
THE PRINCIPAL SAYS THAT IT DIDN'T HAPPEN ON SCHOOL PROPERTY, BUT THE ORIGINS OF IT HAPPENED ON SCHOOL PROPERTY.
AND SO HE CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
AND WE'VE APPROACHED THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE RECORDS FROM THE SCHOOL.
IT'S BEEN A VERY DIFFICULT TIME FOR OUR FAMILY.
THEN ANOTHER PART OF IT IS I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT WAS HOW DO WE THERE HAVE BEEN INSTANCES WHERE WE NEED EQUITY AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
WE ARE ON CAMPUS AND SOME SORT OF TRAINING FOR THE KIDS SO THAT THEY KNOW HOW TO TREAT EACH OTHER WITH RESPECT.
AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS IS THAT THE YOUNGER AGE THERE'S THIS ORGANIZATION WLYBA WESTLAKE YOUTH BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION THAT IS FAMILY RUN BUT USES EANES PROPERTIES BUT REFUSES TO HAS A FIVE PERCENT MINORITY KIDS OF COLOR THING IN THEIR PREP LEAGUES AND ONLY AND IN THE REST OF LEAGUES, IT'S LIKE 30 40 PERCENT LIKE IN THE REC LEAGUES, 30 40 PERCENT.
SO THEY BECAUSE IT'S VOLUNTEER COACH LAND AND PARENTS, THEY ONLY CHOOSE THEIR FRIENDS.
BUT SO IT'S ESSENTIALLY DISCRIMINATION THAT HAPPENS ON EANES PROPERTY WITH EANES THIS THING.
AND I'VE TRIED FOR FIVE YEARS TO ADDRESS IT WITH THE ORGANIZATION, THEY'RE FAMILY RUN, AND THEY REFUSE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
YOU ALL HAVE A POLICY IN PLACE WITH THE WLYBA.
PLEASE GET THEM TO ADDRESS IT BECAUSE SMALL PROBLEMS NOW LEAD TO BIGGER PROBLEMS LATER.
AND THIS SORT OF ISOLATION NOW FROM NOT BEING ALLOWED TO PLAY BASKETBALL GOES ON TO BIGGER PROBLEMS AS WE ARE DEALING WITH.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, I APPRECIATE THAT.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS BRIAN TALLEY.
AS I ALWAYS START, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS, TO THE STAFF AND THE VOLUNTEERS FOR YOUR WORK AND HELPING OUR KIDS AND KEEPING THEM SAFE AND EDUCATING THEM.
A BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOOTBALL TEAM FOR STATE.
IT'S SO HARD TO GET TO THAT PLACE AND THIS IS A SPECIAL TEAM AND SO MANY OTHER SPECIAL GROUPS WITHIN THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT, FROM ACADEMICS TO SPORTS AND EVERYTHING ELSE, IT'S REALLY MIND BOGGLING.
THERE WAS AN EVENT LAST NIGHT PUT ON BY SOME CONCERNED PARENTS WITH DR.
JAMES LINDSAY, WHO CO-WROTE CYNICAL THEORIES.
I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A CHANCE TO WATCH IT.
IT'S A COUPLE OF HOURS LONG, AND DR.
LINDSAY DOES A GREAT JOB OF EXPLAINING HOW WE HAVE BAKED IDENTITY MARXISM INTO EANES ISD.
SO THERE'S POLITICS BEHIND THAT, AND NOW THAT IT'S THERE, HE EXPLAINS THE
[00:30:04]
HISTORY GOING BACK 100 YEARS ALL THE WAY TO WHERE WE'RE AT TODAY AND WHY THE TRUSTEES FROM A POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE, ARE STICKING WITH IT, WHY THEY WILL CONTINUE TO STICK WITH IT AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO ADDRESS THIS.AND WE JUST NEED TO BE HONEST ABOUT IT.
YOU KNOW, THERE SHOULDN'T BE ANY BULLYING.
WHAT THIS GENTLEMAN DEALT WITH IS IS UNFORTUNATE, AND I DEALT WITH THAT IN MY HIGH SCHOOL MYSELF PERSONALLY.
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE DO, AND THERE SHOULD BE A METHOD AND A MEANS BY WHICH THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED WITH THE INDIVIDUAL, BUT THE PROBLEM WITH IDENTITY MARXISM IS IT PAINTS EVERYBODY INTO A GROUP, AN IDENTITY GROUP, AND IT PITS PARENTS AGAINST THEIR KIDS.
AND IT HAS LONG TERM CONSEQUENCES.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE DONE, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO ADDRESS.
BUT WHAT I WANTED TO BRING UP TONIGHT WAS SOMETHING POSTED BY THE ANONYMOUS SMEAR ACCOUNTS YET ANOTHER POST, AND I SAW IT PERSONALLY AS A THREAT TO THE TRUSTEES.
IT SAID TWENTY FOUR HOURS TO TELL THE DISTRICT WE DON'T NEED A RACIST SUPERINTENDENT WHO CLAIMS TO BE COLORBLIND AND CALLS ANTI-RACISM EFFORTS DIVISIVE.
THAT'S TELLING YOU, IF YOU DON'T DO OUR BIDDING AND PUT OUR POLITICAL PAWN AS A SUPERINTENDENT WE'RE GOING TO DO WHATEVER SOCIAL INJUSTICE, WHATEVER IT MAY BE.
DON'T LET PEOPLE WHO ARE DISCRIMINATING AGAINST WOMEN, IMMIGRANTS, MINORITIES, RELIGIOUS PEOPLE AND A BUNCH OF OTHER PEOPLE TO BULLY THEIR WAY INTO AN AGENDA AND A POLITICAL AGENDA THAT YOU'VE ALREADY ADOPTED AND BAKED INTO THE SCHOOL.
AND THEY'RE NOW SAYING, IF YOU GET RID OF THAT, WE'RE GOING TO SEND THE MOB, THE SOCIAL MEDIA MOB AFTER YOU.
AND YOU GUYS ARE IN A POSITION TO STOP IT.
SO, YEAH, LET'S CHOOSE A GREAT SUPERINTENDENT NOT BASED UPON DISCRIMINATION, SMEARS OR THREATS.
LET'S DO IT TO BRING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER AND TO PUSH EXCELLENCE, THANK YOU.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ERIN [INAUDIBLE].
I JUST WANTED TO SHARE SOME POSITIVE FEEDBACK ABOUT INCLUSION THAT I'VE SEEN IN EANES LATELY.
SO MY DAUGHTER ATTENDS WESTRIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND THEY HAD THEIR FIELD DAY.
AND I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT CEDAR CREEK ELEMENTARY HAD A CARNIVAL THIS YEAR THAT BOTH OFFERED CHILL ZONES, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS AN AMAZING IDEA FOR KIDS WHO NEEDED OR WANTED TO TAKE A BREAK FROM THE ACTIVITIES FOR A MINUTE.
AND THIS SAFE AND QUIET SPACE WAS INCLUSIVE OF KIDS WHO MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN INTERESTED IN ATTENDING SUCH AN EVENT IN THE PAST.
SO I WAS VERY EXCITED TO SEE THIS.
MY DAUGHTER ACTUALLY PARTICIPATED IN THAT AREA HERSELF AND WAS WAS VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT.
SOMETIMES THOSE KINDS OF EVENTS CAN BE OVERWHELMING OR OVERSTIMULATING FOR KIDS WHO AREN'T USED TO THAT.
SO THIS WAS A REALLY NICE EXAMPLE OF INCLUSION THAT I WAS VERY HAPPY TO SEE.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE WAS ACTUALLY JUST LAST NIGHT AT HER BEGINNER ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE, ALSO AT WESTRIDGE THEIR WINTER CONCERT.
THERE WERE LOTS OF TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS SONGS, BUT ALSO INCLUSION OF HANUKKAH SONGS, WHICH MY EIGHT YEAR OLD ACTUALLY COULD IDENTIFY, WHICH WAS AWESOME AND THE FACT THAT I KNOW HE HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO THAT IN SCHOOL AS WELL.
AND IT WAS JUST WONDERFUL TO SEE MOM, I'VE HEARD THIS SONG BEFORE, AND THE FACT THAT HE WAS INCLUSIVE OF JEWISH HERITAGE THAT WE'RE NOT EVEN A PART OF WAS REALLY I WAS VERY, VERY HAPPY TO SEE THAT.
AND SO JUST KNOWING THAT THERE ARE TRADITIONS AND AND OPPORTUNITIES TO UNDERSTAND OTHERS IN THOSE KINDS OF SETTINGS I WAS VERY EXCITED FOR THAT.
AND LEARNING ABOUT OTHERS AND THEIR TRADITIONS, BELIEFS AND HOLIDAYS DOESN'T DILUTE OUR OWN.
IT ACTUALLY BRINGS US STRONGER TOGETHER WHEN WE UNDERSTAND THAT AND THE COMMONALITY THAT WE ALL HAVE AS HUMAN BEINGS, ALL CHILDREN DESERVE TO BE CELEBRATED, TO BE INCLUDED AND TO BE AFFIRMED, AND I URGE US TO CONTINUE THIS AS A PRIORITY IN OUR DISTRICT.
I RARELY COME ACROSS ANYTHING WORTHWHILE WHILE I'M SCROLLING, BUT TODAY I HAPPENED UPON SOMETHING THAT HIT UPON TONIGHT.
IN BEING MY MOST COMPASSIONATE AND KINDEST SELF, I WILL INEVITABLY OFFEND OR BE UNLIKED BY THOSE WHO SEEK TO MAINTAIN THEIR PRIVILEGE AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHERS.
AND OUR FINAL SPEAKER THIS EVENING IS CARRIE COLLIER BROWN.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO
[00:35:02]
SPEAK.I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT JUST WHAT I'VE SEEN IN CEDAR CREEK ELEMENTARY, AND I THINK IT'S HAPPENING ACROSS THE DISTRICT, YOU KNOW, IMPLEMENTING THE DEI AND SORT OF THE REAL EFFECTS.
WE'RE A NEW FAMILY IN THE EANES DISTRICT, WE HAVE TWO KINDERGARTNERS AT CEDAR CREEK AND SIXTH GRADER AT HILL COUNTRY.
AND IN PARTICULAR, I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT I'VE SEEN WITH THE TEACHERS AND THE LIBRARIANS ACKNOWLEDGING THE DIFFERENT WINTER HOLIDAYS AND CELEBRATING THE DIFFERENCES IN HOW THEIR CLASSMATES AND OTHER PEOPLE CELEBRATE THEIR RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS OVER THE WINTER.
AND THAT, YOU KNOW, I'VE SEEN THAT IT FOSTERS, YOU KNOW, KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING AND EMPATHY.
YOU KNOW, I HAVE KINDERGARTNERS WHO COME HOME TALKING ABOUT HANUKKAH, AND THEY MADE DREIDELS AND TALKING ABOUT KWANZAA AND TALKING ABOUT HOW DIFFERENT PEOPLE CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS.
MY DAUGHTER, YOU KNOW, INFORMED ME THAT THERE ARE SOME PLACES WHERE CHRISTMAS IS IN THE SUMMERTIME AND THEY HAVE SANDMAN INSTEAD OF SNOWMEN.
SO THEY'RE PAYING ATTENTION AND THEY'RE LEARNING AND THEY'RE OBSERVING.
AND I JUST WANT TO REITERATE THAT, YOU KNOW, SINCE THIS DISTRICT HAS PRIORITIZED DEI, THAT THE SCHOOLS ARE IMPLEMENTING THIS IN VARIOUS WAYS, INCLUDING CELEBRATING DIFFERENT HOLIDAYS.
AND I'VE HEARD FROM MULTIPLE PARENTS WHO HAVE SHARED THE JOY THAT THEIR CHILDREN EXPERIENCED LEARNING ABOUT THOSE HOLIDAYS.
AND YOU KNOW THAT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT AND APPRECIATED THAT THERE WERE NO HOMEWORK EVENINGS ON DIWALI OR ROSH HASHANAH.
I JUST WANT TO REITERATE A COUPLE OF ANONYMOUS SUBMISSIONS THAT PARENTS HAVE SENT TO US.
ONE PARENT SAID IT WAS SO WONDERFUL THAT A DIWALI WAS A NO HOMEWORK NIGHT.
MY CHILD INVITED THEIR FRIENDS TO CELEBRATE WITH US AND WE HAD STUDENTS FROM FOUR DIFFERENT FAITHS JOIN US AND UNDERSTAND THE NUANCES OF A HINDU FESTIVAL AND SHARE INDIAN FOOD.
THANK YOU EANES BOARD FOR GIVING US THIS OPPORTUNITY BY MAKING MAJOR FESTIVALS NO HOMEWORK NIGHTS.
ANOTHER ONE SAID WE HEARD FIREWORKS THE OTHER NIGHT.
MY DAUGHTER GASPED AND SAID, I BET THEY'RE FOR DIWALI.
SHE THEN SHARED ALL THAT SHE HAD LEARNED ABOUT DIWALI WITH OUR FAMILY.
SO, YOU KNOW, WHILE SOME FEAR THAT DEI IS SECRETIVE OR LACKS CLARITY AND YOU KNOW, THE UNKNOWN CAN BE SCARY, THIS IS HOW IT GETS IMPLEMENTED.
AND THAT'S HOW CHILDREN STARTING IN KINDERGARTEN BECOME EMPATHETIC TEENAGERS AND ADULTS.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS, AND I CAN SEE THE RESULTS IN MY CHILDREN'S CLASSES.
THAT IS THE LAST OF OUR OPEN FORUM, THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS OUR FIRST
[9.1. Budget Update]
DISCUSSION ITEM AND IT'S A BUDGET UPDATE, AND WE HAVE CHRIS SCOTT COMING BACK UP.TOM, DO YOU WANT TO DRIVE THIS OR.
I TAKE YOU NEED ME, YOU'LL YELL.
OK, BUT I'LL KEEP YOU MOVING WHERE I THINK YOU ARE.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I'VE GIVEN KIND OF A BASIC UPDATE ON HOW THE TEXAS FUNDING SYSTEM WORKS, AND SO I THOUGHT THAT WE WOULD SPEND A LITTLE BIT OF TIME LOOKING AT THAT HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE HB THREE, BEFORE WE KIND OF GO IN AND SEE HOW WE THINK THAT MIGHT PROJECT OUT INTO THE FUTURE.
THREE THINGS ABOUT SIGNIFICANT ASPECTS OF HB THREE.
ONE EANES ISDS FUNDING DIDN'T IMPROVE VERY MUCH.
AND ANOTHER IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS THE THINGS THAT DROVE FUNDING UNDER THE OLD SYSTEM STILL DRIVE IT UNDER THE NEW SYSTEM, ALTHOUGH IT'S WEIGHTED A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY, BUT THE BIG DRIVERS ARE STILL ENROLLMENT.
AND YOU KNOW HOW MUCH TAXES YOU'RE TAKING IN? SO LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
KEEPING IN MIND, WE'VE SHOWN THIS SLIDE, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY DOZEN TIMES OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, BUT I THINK IT'S A REALLY GOOD SLIDE BECAUSE IT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF THE THINGS THAT YOU CAN REALLY DO.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, THE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE DIRECT INFLUENCE OVER ARE THE THINGS WE TALK ABOUT A LOT.
AND THAT IS WHAT ARE WE PAYING PEOPLE? AND HOW MUCH HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE WE PAYING AND HOW MUCH ARE WE PAYING THEM? YOU HAVE LESS INFLUENCE ON OTHER THINGS.
AND THAT'S UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE AS WE LOOK AT WHAT THE DRIVERS OF REVENUE ARE, STUDENT ENROLLMENT, THE BASIC ALLOTMENT, WHICH IS BASICALLY HOW MUCH MONEY A STUDENT IS WORTH ACCORDING TO THE STATE AND TAXABLE ASSESSED VALUE, YOU DON'T CONTROL ANY OF THOSE THINGS.
ON THE EXPENDITURE SIDE, THAT'S WHERE YOU HAVE YOUR CONTROL AND THE BIG DRIVER
[00:40:02]
IS PAYROLL .NOW, OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT IMPACT REVENUE.
THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT IMPACT EXPENDITURES, BUT THOSE ARE THE BIG DRIVERS, THE BIG, THE BIG LEVERS.
UNDER HB THREE, TAV GROWTH IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS IT WAS UNDER THE OLD LAW.
NOW IT STILL HAS IMPORTANCE BECAUSE ANY TIME TAV GOES UP, THAT'S IMPACTING HOW MUCH OUR GOLDEN PENNIES ARE WORTH.
THAT'S IMPACTING HOW MUCH OUR DEBT SERVICE PENNIES ARE WORTH.
AND SO THOSE ARE STILL VERY IMPORTANT.
ALTHOUGH IT USED TO BE UNDER THE OLD SYSTEM THAT IF WE WOULD COME IN WITH A MUCH HIGHER THAN EXPECTED TAV, THEN WE MIGHT HAVE AN EXTRA MILLION DOLLARS OR A MILLION AND A HALF DOLLARS.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO EXPERIENCE THAT ANYMORE.
THAT'S A PRODUCT OF THE OLD SYSTEM.
AND THAT'S PART OF ONE OF THE CHANGES IN HB THREE WAS AND WE'LL GET TO THAT IN A MINUTE.
BUT IT HAS TO DO WITH IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PRIOR YEAR VALUES VERSUS CURRENT YEAR VALUES, YOU KNOW, AND AS YOU WELL KNOW, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT A LOT OF TIMES.
HB THREE IS CURRENT YEAR VALUES.
SO LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT STUDENT ENROLLMENT AND THE BASIC ALLOTMENT.
SO JEFF SHOWED THIS REALLY COOL SLIDE.
I THINK IT WAS THE LAST MEETING, AND SO I STOLE IT.
AND I THINK IT'S REALLY GOOD BECAUSE IT KIND OF SHOWS THE WAY THAT OUR ENROLLMENT KIND OF UNGULATES, IT'S TYPICALLY BEEN GROWING A LITTLE BIT SINCE, YOU KNOW, THE LATE NINETIES WHEN THIS CHART STARTS.
BUT IT'S NOT A CONSTANT UPWARD SHIFT LIKE WE'VE SEEN IN A LOT OF DISTRICTS AROUND US THAT ARE GROWING A LOT EVERY YEAR, THREE TO FIVE PERCENT.
AND OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS WE'VE SEEN A DECLINE AND WE DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S, YOU KNOW, JUST PART OF THE NATURAL UNDULATION THAT'S DIPPING DOWN.
IF THAT WAS SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO COVID AND IT'S GOING TO COME BACK UP, WE FRANKLY, WE JUST DON'T KNOW.
AND HERE'S AN INTERESTING THING.
I TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE BASIC ALLOTMENT.
I SAID THAT'S HOW THE STATE IS BASICALLY MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO THE SYSTEM, HOW MUCH MONEY YOU GET.
AND I WANT YOU TO SEE SOMETHING BECAUSE I'VE MARKED EACH OF THESE YEARS ON THE YEARS THAT THE BASIC ALLOTMENT WAS INCREASED.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT IT, IT INCREASED.
IT USED TO BE A LONG TIME AGO EXPECTED THAT EVERY YEAR THERE WOULD BE AN INCREASE IN THE BASIC ALLOTMENT.
THAT'S BECAUSE IF WE COME BACK NEXT YEAR AND WE WANT TO HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM NEXT YEAR THAT WE HAVE THIS YEAR, WE WON'T BE ABLE TO BUY IT FOR THE SAME PRICE THAT WE'RE PAYING FOR IT THIS YEAR.
THERE'S A LITTLE THING CALLED INFLATION, AND THIS YEAR IT'S MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN IT'S BEEN IN THE PAST.
AND SO HISTORICALLY, THE BASIC ALLOTMENT WAS ADJUSTED ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.
SO, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE THE LEGISLATURE MEETS EVERY OTHER YEAR, AND THEY WILL TYPICALLY SAY, HERE'S THE BASIC ALLOTMENT FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR.
HERE'S THE BASIC ALLOTMENT FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR.
IF YOU LOOK UP THERE, WHERE THAT STARTED TO CHANGE WAS FOLLOWING THE THE HOUSING CRISIS, WHICH HAPPENED IN 2007 2008, WHICH REALLY DIDN'T HIT THE FUNDING OF SCHOOLS UNTIL THE 2010-11 AND 11-12 WHEN THEY FROZE THE BASIC ALLOTMENT.
AND THEY MADE SOME OTHER CHANGES THAT REALLY KIND OF MADE FUNDING MORE DIFFICULT AND KIND OF CHANGED THE WAY WE NORMALLY THINK ABOUT IT.
THEN THEY GOT BACK INTO THE IDEA OF, YOU KNOW, INCREASING THE BASIC ALLOTMENT EVERY YEAR UNTIL THAT 16 17 SCHOOL YEAR.
AND OF COURSE, WHEN THEY PASSED HB THREE IN 2019, THE BASIC ALLOTMENT HASN'T BEEN UPDATED AGAIN SINCE THEN.
THE NEXT TIME IT COULD HAPPEN WOULD BE THE 23 24 SCHOOL DISTRICT OR SCHOOL YEAR UNLESS THERE'S A SPECIAL SESSION JUST TO DO THAT.
YEAH, I JUST WANT TO MAKE A POINT HERE BECAUSE CHRIS, THIS IS REALLY A GOOD SLIDE, BUT I'M NOT SURE EVERYONE ALWAYS UNDERSTANDS EXACTLY WHAT WE MEAN BY THIS.
WHAT THE STATE OF TEXAS DOES WHEN THEY SET THE BASIC ALLOTMENT IS THIS THEY TELL YOU YOU'RE GOING TO GET X NUMBER OF DOLLARS FOR A CERTAIN STUDENT.
OK? AND WE KNOW THAT IN ORDER TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN STAFF, TYPICALLY WE NEED TO GIVE SOME TYPE OF A RAISE PER YEAR.
SO IF THEY ARE CHANGING THE AMOUNT OF MONEY WE GET PER STUDENT, THAT REALLY HELPS US IN THAT DOMAIN A LOT.
BUT WHEN THEY HAVE THESE YEARS WHERE THEY GO FOUR YEARS WITHOUT CHANGING THAT.
IMAGINE IF YOUR ENROLLMENT WAS FLAT, THE EXACT NUMBER OF SAME STUDENTS EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
AND YOU GET THE EXACT AMOUNT OF MONEY EACH OF THOSE FOUR YEARS.
THAT ONLY WORKS IN TERMS OF OUR STAFFING.
[00:45:02]
IF YOU DON'T PAY ANY OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS ANY MORE MONEY FOR FOUR YEARS, THEN IT WORKS.IT, YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY INTERESTING TO LOOK AT ALL THOSE YEARS WHERE IT KEPT CHANGING ON A REGULAR BASIS.
THAT KIND OF MAKES SENSE BECAUSE INFLATION HAS NEVER BEEN LIKE FLAT FOREVER.
WHEN IT WAS TWO PERCENT OR LOWER, IT WAS SUSTAINABLE.
NOW THAT WE'RE KIND OF CREEPING INTO SOME HIGHER DIGITS, IT'S GOING TO BE MUCH HARDER UNLESS THAT BASIC ALLOTMENT CHANGES.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT THAT'S ABOUT, AND WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER IT AT OUR LEVEL.
OK? OTHER THAN TO ADVOCATE WITH THE LEGISLATURE? ON THE EXPENDITURE SIDE, THE MAIN DRIVER IS PAYROLL, AND WE TALK ABOUT THIS ALL THE TIME AND YOU'RE WELL AWARE OF THIS, HOW MUCH OF OUR GENERAL FUND BUDGET IS TAKEN UP BY PAYROLL? YOU CAN SEE EIGHTY FIVE TO EIGHTY SIX PERCENT AND THAT 21 22 PROJECTED THAT'S THE BUDGETED AMOUNT IN A TYPICAL YEAR WHEN WE'RE NOT HAVING ISSUES FILLING ALL OF OUR POSITIONS AND WE'RE FULLY STAFFED, THAT WILL TYPICALLY DRIFT UP AS WE MOVE LIKE WE JUST TALKED ABOUT TO OUR FINAL NUMBERS.
ALL THE SAVINGS THAT WE TYPICALLY ANTICIPATE HAVING GENERALLY HAPPEN IN THAT ORANGE PART, WHICH IS THE OTHER EXPENSE AVERAGES.
AND I JUST WANT YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
OUR PAYROLL AVERAGE INCREASE FROM THAT FIRST YEAR 2009 10 TO THAT 21 22 AVERAGE TWO POINT TWO PERCENT PER YEAR.
NOW THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU GAVE A TWO POINT TWO PERCENT PER YEAR RAISE BECAUSE IF YOU REMEMBER BACK THE ENROLLMENT, OUR ENROLLMENT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER.
WE HAD FEWER EMPLOYEES BACK THEN THAN WHAT WE HAVE NOW.
AND SO WE'VE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT MORE EMPLOYEES THAT'S TAKING UP PART OF THAT TWO POINT TWO PERCENT AS WELL.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS WHAT OUR EMPLOYEES ARE SEEING, IT'S SOMETHING LESS THAN THAT IN GENERAL, THE OTHER EXPENSES INCREASING ABOUT TWO POINT THREE PERCENT PER YEAR ON AVERAGE.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE ALWAYS TRYING TO WRING WHATEVER WE CAN OUT OF THAT ORANGE SECTION, THOSE OTHER EXPENSES, WHAT CAN WE FIND THAT WE CAN MOVE FROM M&O TO THE I&S SIDE? WHAT ARE WE PAYING FOR OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND THAT WE COULD PAY FOR OUT OF A BOND? AND I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THAT OCCUPIES OUR THOUGHTS A LOT ON WHERE WE CAN GO WITH THAT.
AND AND WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING TO FIND MORE THINGS THAT WE CAN GET OUT OF THERE TO MAKE MORE ROOM FOR THE PAYROLL.
UNDER HB THREE, WE'RE STILL RELYING HEAVILY ON RECAPTURE.
AND AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THERE'S A SUBTLE CHANGE THAT THEY MADE AT THE END OF THE SESSION WHEN THEY PASSED HB THREE.
THEY HAD INITIALLY TALKED ABOUT A CURRENT YEAR VALUE, AND THEN THEY DECIDED THAT THAT WAS NOT WORKABLE.
SO THEY WENT BACK TO PRIOR YEAR VALUE.
AND THEN AT THE VERY LAST MINUTE, THEY MOVED IT BACK TO CURRENT YEAR VALUE.
AND THAT HAD A VERY DETRIMENTAL IMPACT ON WHAT HB THREE DID FOR US, WHICH PRIOR TO THAT, THAT LAST MOVE, HB THREE WAS GOING TO BE VERY FAVORABLE TO EANES ISD.
IT IS WHAT WHAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS NOW.
I WANT TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF A JUST A PRIMER ON WHAT IS RECAPTURE.
HOW DOES IT WORK? SO I'VE GOT TWO THINGS HERE AND THIS IS ON CLAUDIA.
SHE SAID, PEOPLE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT CHAPTER FORTY ONE AND FORTY TWO FOREVER.
NOW YOU'RE TALKING FORTY EIGHT, FORTY NINE.
THAT'S A CHANGE THAT HAPPENED IN HB THREE.
AND SO WHAT USED TO BE CHAPTER FORTY ONE UNDER THE OLD LAW IS NEW CHAPTER FORTY NINE OF THE EDUCATION CODE.
WHAT USED TO BE CHAPTER FORTY TWO IS NOW CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT.
AND SO HERE WE'VE GOT TWO DISTRICTS AND LET'S CALL IT EANES ISD ON THE RIGHT AND BIZZARO EANES ON THE LEFT.
AND THESE TWO DISTRICTS HAVE EXACTLY IDENTICAL STUDENT DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE, SAME NUMBER OF STUDENTS, SAME TYPE OF STUDENTS WITH THE SAME EDUCATIONAL NEEDS.
AND SO WHEN YOU GO IN THERE AND YOU PUT IT INTO YOUR CALCULATOR, THE STATE SAYS THIS DOTTED LINE, THAT'S HOW MUCH BOTH OF THESE SCHOOLS NEED TO HAVE.
AND SO WHEN WE LOOK AT IT, WE'RE BOTH COLLECTING TAXES.
BUT THE CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT DISTRICT COLLECTS LESS THAN THAT AMOUNT.
THE CHAPTER FORTY NINE DISTRICT COLLECTS MORE THAN THAT AMOUNT.
AND SO FOR THE CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT DISTRICT, THAT GAP IS MADE UP BY STATE AID.
FOR THE CHAPTER FORTY NINE DISTRICT THAT EXCESS AMOUNT, IN FACT, THEY'VE CHANGED WHAT THEY CALL RECAPTURE AT THE STATE LEVEL.
I HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT THIS, BUT THEY CALL IT EXCESS REVENUES.
[00:50:03]
AND SO THESE ARE THE EXCESS REVENUES THAT THE STATE IS RECAPTURING FROM US NOW.IF OUR STUDENT ENROLLMENT WAS ACTUALLY LOWER AND NOT AS HIGH AS IT WAS, THEN THAT LINE THAT WOULD ACTUALLY COME DOWN.
AND SO THE STATE AID THAT THAT CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT DISTRICT WOULD BE LESS THAN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN OTHERWISE.
AND OUR RECAPTURE BILL WOULD GO UP.
AND SO FOR US, IF WE BASED OUR ENROLLMENT OR OUR BUDGET ON SEVENTY FIVE HUNDRED KIDS AND WE ACTUALLY HAD SEVENTY SIX HUNDRED KIDS, WELL LET ME GO THE OTHER WAY, WE WENT TO SEVENTY FOUR HUNDRED KIDS, WE LOST 100 HUNDRED KIDS.
OUR RECAPTURE WOULD GO UP SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF SIX HUNDRED AND SEVENTY SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
AND SO FEWER KIDS, HIGHER RECAPTURE.
AND HERE'S WHAT THAT HAS LOOKED LIKE OVER THE YEARS, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT IT HAS GONE UP EVERY YEAR.
UNTIL WE GOT HUGE RELIEF FROM HB THREE.
IT DROPPED FROM ONE HUNDRED AND ONE MILLION TO NINETY SIX MILLION.
NEXT YEAR WENT BACK UP ONE HUNDRED AND ONE POINT EIGHT.
THIS YEAR, WE'RE PROJECTING ABOUT ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE POINT SEVEN.
AND HERE, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT OUR ENROLLMENT IS GOING TO BE.
WE DON'T KNOW ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
HERE'S OUR PROJECTION RIGHT NOW THAT IT'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO GO UP EACH YEAR.
SO WE'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS, BUT I THINK IT'S INTERESTING IN THE FIRST TWENTY TWO YEARS OF RECAPTURE THAT WE PAID RECAPTURE, WE PAID A BILLION DOLLARS TO THE STATE IN TOTAL.
THIS YEAR, WE'RE GOING TO HIT A BILLION AND A HALF.
AND I THINK WE'RE GOING TO HIT TWO BILLION IN 2026 RIGHT AROUND IN THERE.
IT MIGHT BE THE NEXT YEAR, IT MIGHT BE THE YEAR BEFORE, DEPENDING ON HOW THINGS SHAKE OUT, BUT I THINK IT'LL BE AROUND 2026 WHEN WE WILL HAVE HIT OUR SECOND BILLION DOLLARS THAT WE SENT TO THE STATE.
UM, ANOTHER INTERESTING ASPECT OF HB THREE WAS IT INTRODUCED THESE TIER ONE TAX RATE COMPRESSIONS.
AND THAT'S, I THINK, AN INTERESTING THING FOR OUR TAXPAYERS, AND IT COULD HAVE SOME IMPLICATIONS ON WHAT HAPPENS TO THE BASIC ALLOTMENT DOWN THE ROAD THAT WE PROBABLY NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT.
SO I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU KIND OF WHAT OUR TAX RATE LOOKS LIKE, AND SO THERE'S FIRST THING I'VE DROPPED IN HERE IS OUR DEBT SERVICE RATE.
SO WE EVERY SO OFTEN WE'LL GO TO THE COMMUNITY.
WE'LL SAY WE WANT TO DO THESE BOND PROJECTS.
IF THE COMMUNITY VOTES, YES, I'LL GO OUT AND SELL THE BONDS AND THEN WE HAVE TO PAY THOSE BONDHOLDERS BACK.
AND SO WE HAVE A DEBT SERVICE TAX RATE THAT WE USE TO PAY OFF THOSE BONDS.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THAT HAS GONE DOWN, AND IT'S GENERALLY GONE DOWN IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE GOLDEN PENNIES GOING UP, AND SO FOR YEARS WE HAD FOUR GOLDEN PENNIES.
IN 2017, WE WENT UP TO SIX AND THEN IN 2019 WE WENT UP [INAUDIBLE].
AND DURING THAT TIME, THIS IS THE PORTION OF OUR TAX RATE THAT IS NOT RECAPTURED.
SO THIS ALL OF THIS MONEY COMES TO US.
NOW TIER ONE IS WHERE RECAPTURE HAPPENS, AND THAT'S THE BIG HUNK.
AND IF YOU SEE STARTING THERE IN 2019 20, YOU START TO SEE THE TAX RATE COMING DOWN.
AND THAT'S A FUNCTION OF HOW MUCH THE TAX BASE GROWS.
SO THE MORE THE TAX BASE GROWS, THE MORE THE TIER ONE TAX RATE WILL SHRINK.
AND THAT'S THE MECHANISM THAT THE STATE LEGISLATURE PUT IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT THE TAXPAYERS ARE NOT SEEING THE FULL IMPACT OF THE CRAZY GROWTH THAT AND PROPERTY RATES THAT WE WERE SEEING.
BUT I SAID TIER ONE IS WHERE WE'RE HAVING OR WHERE WE PAY RECAPTURE FROM, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO KIND OF TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
AND SO WE STARTED OUT AT A BUCK 21 BACK AND IT WAS A $1.2125 FOR A LONG TIME.
SINCE THEN, BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE MOVES YOU'VE MADE WITH THE SWAP AND DROPS AND WITH THE TAX RATE COMPRESSION, WE'RE NOW AT 1.0608 TOTAL TAX RATE.
BUT THAT REPRESENTS THE AMOUNT OF TAXES WE HAD TO COLLECT IN ORDER TO PAY, RECAPTURE IN ALL THOSE YEARS.
THIS IS THE AMOUNT OF TAXES THAT WE COLLECTED THAT ACTUALLY STAYED IN THE DISTRICT.
AND SO ABOUT SIXTY SIX CENTS BACK IN 2012 2013 AND LESS THAN FORTY NINE CENTS TODAY.
THE REST OF OUR MONEY THAT WE COLLECT, WE SEND TO THE STATE.
[00:55:08]
GOLDEN PENNIES.SO WE TALKED ABOUT THE BASIC ALLOTMENT RECENTLY HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED ON A REGULAR BASIS.
YOU HAVE DONE WHAT YOU CAN DO AND TAKING A LOOK AT THE GOLDEN PENNIES TO TRY TO ADDRESS THAT.
AND SO HERE'S WHAT OUR DEFICITS HAVE LOOKED LIKE OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS.
AND 17 18 WAS THE FIRST GOLDEN PENNY.
AND THE FOLLOWING YEAR WE HAD A SURPLUS.
ANOTHER DEFICIT IN 2019 20 AND THEN ANOTHER SURPLUS IN THIS YEAR THAT TARA JUST TOLD YOU ABOUT.
AND IN BOTH OF THOSE YEARS, THAT'S WHERE WE HAD GOLDEN PENNIES.
WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF WE HADN'T HAD THEM? WELL, THAT DEFICIT IN 17 18 WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE THAN FIVE MILLION.
AND REMEMBER, IN 2020 2021 WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FOUR GOLDEN PENNIES THERE.
THIS YEAR, A GOLDEN PENNY IS WORTH ABOUT ONE POINT SIX MILLION DOLLARS.
SO FOUR OF THEM IS WORTH ABOUT SIX POINT FIVE MILLION DOLLARS AND THAT'S IF YOU WANT TO DIVIDE THAT BY FIFTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS, WHICH IS WHAT WE GENERALLY SAY A TEACHER COSTS THAT'S SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 120 TEACHERS OR 120 FTE.
AND TAKING A LOOK AT HOW IT IMPACTS OUR FUND BALANCE, REMEMBER THAT WE THIS REPRESENTS 25 PERCENT OF OUR GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES IN A YEAR.
REMEMBER, THAT'S KIND OF THE FLOOR.
THAT'S WHERE WE DON'T WANT TO GO BELOW ON OUR TOTAL FUND BALANCE, WHICH IS WHERE WE STAND AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR ON JUNE 30TH.
AND SO IF WE PLOT THAT OUT, THAT'S THE 25 PERCENT LINE.
AND HERE'S OUR ACTUAL NUMBERS, AND IF YOU LOOK AT THIS, THAT LINE LOOKS LIKE WHAT WE TOLD YOU, WE WANTED IT TO LOOK LIKE A FEW YEARS AGO WHERE THE THE LINE OF WHERE WE ARE IS KIND OF PARALLELING THAT TWENTY FIVE PERCENT LINE.
SO THAT'S WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE.
WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPEN AGAIN IF THOSE GOLDEN PENNIES HADN'T BEEN THERE? AGAIN, THAT'S ASSUMING YOU HAD DONE NOTHING, AND I DON'T THINK YOU WOULD HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT WHAT YOU COULD HAVE DONE BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GOOD.
AND SO IT'S AN EXTREMELY POSITIVE THING THAT YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THOSE GOLDEN PENNIES.
AGAIN, TALKING ABOUT THE BUDGET DRIVERS AND WHERE WE'RE GOING FORWARD.
WE'VE GOT HERE ENROLLMENT, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO ENROLLMENT, IS IT GOING TO KEEP GOING DOWN LIKE IT HAS THE LAST TWO YEARS? IS IT GOING TO PEAK BACK UP? WE DON'T KNOW.
AND WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN ON THAT BASIC ALLOTMENT? WE KNOW THAT IT CAN'T REALLY CHANGE UNTIL THE 23 24 SCHOOL YEAR.
BUT MIGHT IT CHANGE THERE? I DON'T KNOW.
THE ASSUMPTION WE'RE GOING TO MAKE ON THIS, THOUGH, IS THAT IT'S NOT THAT IN THE 2023 LEGISLATIVE SESSION, THE BASIC ALLOTMENT WILL NOT BE INCREASED.
AND WE'RE GOING TO ALSO MAKE THE ASSUMPTION THAT FOR LACK OF A BETTER IDEA, THAT ENROLLMENT IS GOING TO REMAIN STEADY AT 7850.
TAV GROWTH, WE DO EXPECT TO BE STRONG OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
WE'VE ALL SEEN WHAT'S HAPPENED TO AUSTIN REAL ESTATE, SO I BELIEVE THAT'S A PRETTY SAFE ASSUMPTION.
AND AS ALWAYS, IN OUR PROJECTIONS, WE'RE MAKING THE ASSUMPTION THAT THERE'S A TWO PERCENT INCREASE IN.
TWO PERCENT INCREASE IN PAYROLL.
I DIDN'T MEAN TO THROW YOU OFF.
FINISH YOUR SENTENCE IF I EVER RAISE MY HAND.
IS SOME RESIDUAL GROWTH THAT WE'RE GOING TO BENEFIT FROM.
SO LAST YEAR ACROSS TRAVIS COUNTY, THE AVERAGE ASSESSED HOME VALUE GROWTH WAS SOMEWHERE SOMETHING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 19 PERCENT.
AND I DON'T KNOW SPECIFICALLY WHAT IT WAS IN OUR DISTRICT.
I THINK IT PROBABLY WAS A LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN THAT.
BUT HOMEOWNERS, THEIR HOMESTEAD IS RESTRICTED BY LAW TO ONLY INCREASE BY 10 PERCENT PER YEAR.
AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF BANKED VALUE IN THERE AND YOU KNOW, CONTINUING ON, 2021 WAS ALSO A STRONG GROWTH YEAR.
AND SO I ANTICIPATE THAT IN GENERAL, HOMESTEADS ARE GOING TO SEE A 10 PERCENT INCREASE ACROSS THE BOARD.
LAST YEAR WE SAW REALLY LOW GROWTH IN OUR COMMERCIAL PROPERTY ASSOCIATED WITH
[01:00:03]
COVID.I ANTICIPATE THAT THAT'S KIND OF BEHIND US AND WE'LL PROBABLY SEE SOME GROWTH THERE.
BUT, YOU KNOW, HOMESTEADS MAKE UP ABOUT 70 PERCENT OF OUR TAX BASE.
AND SO THAT'S REALLY THE DRIVER OF WHAT OUR TAV IS GOING TO DO.
AND SO JUST MAKE SURE IT'S CLEAR.
SO IF THE AREA WENT UP ABOUT 19 PERCENT LAST YEAR, RIGHT, AND THEY KEPT IT AT 10, WE'RE ALMOST STARTING AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR OF THE VALUES THAT BEING UP NINE PERCENT BEFORE ANYTHING HAPPENS.
SO IF YOU JUST GO UP A COUPLE OF PERCENT, YOU'RE WELL OVER 10 PERCENT.
SO WE GOT AND WE CAN ALWAYS CHANGE THESE ASSUMPTIONS ANYWAY THE BOARD WANTS.
AND IF THE BOARD SAYS, ADD ANOTHER HUNDRED STUDENTS, WE CAN TELL YOU WHAT THAT IS WORTH.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAD, SAY, TAKE ONE HUNDRED STUDENTS AWAY, WE CAN TELL YOU WHAT THAT'S WORTH, BUT WE WON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY STUDENTS WE HAVE FOR SURE UNTIL OCTOBER OF NEXT YEAR.
KEEPING IN MIND THAT OUR OUR ESSER FUNDS, I'M GOING TO TALK JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ESSER FUNDS ON THE NEXT SLIDE, BUT THEY'RE RUNNING OUT.
THEY'VE MANAGED TO GIVE US ESSENTIALLY BALANCED BUDGETS THIS YEAR AND NEXT, WE THINK, BUT THEN THAT'LL BE GONE.
AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT DEFICITS, OBVIOUSLY ABSENT SOME, YOU KNOW, ACTION BY YOU OR BY THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
AND WHEN WE TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, THEN WE START HITTING THOSE THAT GETTING CLOSER TO THAT 25 PERCENT, PARTICULARLY IN 24 25, THAT WE WANT TO AVOID.
WE WOULD ACTUALLY GO BELOW AND AGAIN MY PROJECTIONS FOUR YEARS OUT DON'T HAVE A STRONG TRACK RECORD, THIS IS AN IDEA BASED ON CURRENT SITUATION AND WHAT WE THINK COULD HAPPEN, BUT WHAT WILL ACTUALLY HAPPEN WILL OBVIOUSLY BE DIFFERENT FROM THIS.
BUT I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THE CURRENT TRENDS ARE SHOWING.
AND SO RIGHT NOW, WE'RE IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE THIS YEAR AND NEXT, THEN THINGS ARE NOT AS GOOD.
SPEAKING OF ESSER FUNDS, AND I KNOW THAT LOTS OF DISTRICTS ARE TALKING A LOT ABOUT THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE DOING, AND I WANTED TO KIND OF GIVE YOU AN IDEA.
WE'VE TALKED BEFORE ABOUT THIS ABOUT HOW ESSER FUNDS WERE DISTRIBUTED AMONG DISTRICTS.
WELL, I HIGHLIGHTED THOSE THINGS.
OK, [LAUGHTER] I FORGOT ABOUT THAT.
BUT LOOKING AT THIS, I PUT THESE DISTRICTS IN ORDER OF LOWEST PER CAPITA ESSER DISTRIBUTIONS THE HIGHEST.
AND SO EANES IS ON THE FAR LEFT SIDE.
OUR NEXT CLOSEST COMPARABLE DISTRICT, LAKE TRAVIS, IS GETTING ABOUT 50 PERCENT MORE PER KID THAN WE ARE.
AUSTIN ISD IS GETTING SEVEN HUNDRED AND THIRTY TWO PERCENT MORE PER KID, SO MULTIPLY THAT OUT BY THE NUMBER OF KIDS THEY'VE GOT, IT'S MORE THAN $100 MILLION DOLLARS.
WE GOT THREE ISH AND SO YES, WE WERE HAPPY TO GET THOSE ESSER FUNDS.
THEY'RE NOT A PANACEA AND THEY'RE GOING AWAY.
AND I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.
[LAUGHTER] AND BY THE WAY, CHRIS PUT THAT TOGETHER FAIRLY FAST BECAUSE I TOLD HIM TO RIGHT, CHRIS? THAT'S RIGHT.
AS TRUSTEES, WE ARE HERE TO ADVOCATE FOR OUR DISTRICT AND THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WISH MORE PEOPLE LISTENED TO US ABOUT AND HEARD, AND IT MAKES ME SO SAD THAT PEOPLE COME AND SPEAK TO US AND THEN THEY LEAVE BECAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS TO HEAR.
FIRST OF ALL, THE FACT THAT WE WILL BE PAYING, YOU KNOW, $2 BILLION DOLLARS BY 2026 WHEN WE'RE ALMOST TO 2022 IS JUST DISGUSTING.
AND I WILL CLARIFY THAT AT THE ORIGIN OF RECAPTURE OR EXCESS REVENUE, AS WE NOW CALL IT, THE IDEA WASN'T BAD.
I'M NOT AGAINST THE ORIGINAL IDEA OF RECAPTURE, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT WE HAVE ANYMORE.
AND NOW THE STATE IS STEALING OUR MONEY AND NOT GIVING IT BACK TO PUBLIC EDUCATION, AND I AM NOT MINCING WORDS ON THAT.
CHARTER SCHOOLS WERE NOT PART OF THE EQUATION AT ALL WHEN RECAPTURE STARTED, AND NOW CHARTER SCHOOLS GET EVERY PENNY OF OUR MONEY THAT WE'RE SENDING IN OF OUR HARD-EARNED TAX DOLLARS.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO CREDIT OUR BOARD AND THIS DISTRICT FOR SAVING OUR TAXPAYERS THE MONEY THAT WE HAVE AND LOWERING OUR TAX RATE WHILE THE STATE CONTINUES TO STEAL
[01:05:02]
OUR TAX MONEY.AND THERE'S A SURPLUS OF TWENTY SIX BILLION DOLLARS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS THIS YEAR ALONE.
AND YET WE STILL HAD TO GIVE ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS BACK THIS YEAR.
WHERE IS THAT MONEY? IT'S CERTAINLY NOT IN EDUCATION.
AND THAT IS JUST DISGUSTING AND SOMETHING THAT I THINK OUR COMMUNITY SHOULD REALLY UNITE AROUND AND DISCUSS WITH OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, NOT JUST IN OUR AREA, BUT AT THE STATE LEVEL FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR AND THE GOVERNOR AND EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN, BECAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S IMPACTING OUR STUDENTS AND ALL STUDENTS IN TEXAS, AS WELL AS THE FUTURE WORKFORCE IN TEXAS.
THAT WAS A RANT, BUT I'M REALLY MAD ABOUT IT AND I HOPE THAT OTHER PEOPLE GET REALLY MAD ABOUT IT, TOO.
I KNOW THAT YOU COME UP HERE PERIODICALLY AND YOU EDUCATE US AND YOU EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE BUDGET CONCERNS AND THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE.
AND EVERY TIME I SEE THIS, I LEARN SOME MORE ABOUT THE BUDGET.
AS HEATHER WAS JUST SAYING, I THINK THAT GOING BACK TO YOUR SLIDE AND WE'VE SEEN IT MANY, MANY TIMES ABOUT WHAT WE CAN INFLUENCE AND WHAT WE CANNOT INFLUENCE.
YOU KNOW ONE OF THOSE THINGS, AND IT'S IN YOUR MIDDLE SECTION IS TO HEATHER'S POINT IT'S ADVOCACY, AND I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND.
AND WE KNOW THAT BECAUSE WE WE'RE DEALING WITH IT CONSTANTLY AND YOU KNOW THAT.
BUT I THINK THE COMMUNITY NEEDS TO HEAR THAT OVER AND OVER AGAIN FROM US AND FROM ADMINISTRATION.
IT'S AN ADVOCACY AND IT'S IN EDUCATION TO OUR LEGISLATURE WHO SITS AND HAS CERTAIN ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THIS DISTRICT THAT JUST MAY NOT BE TRUE.
THE OTHER THING IN HERE THAT I GUESS I QUESTION AND IS THE SOME INFLUENCE CATEGORY ON ENROLLMENT AND AND THIS IS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE, BUT IT'S REALLY FOR THE COMMUNITY'S BENEFIT.
YOU KNOW, ENROLLMENT IS SOMETHING THAT IN THE FORM OF TRANSFERS THAT BRINGS IN MONEY TO OUR DISTRICT AND THAT'S A CONVERSATION THAT WE'LL HAVE IN THE SPRING.
BUT SOMETIMES THERE'S CRITICISM ABOUT TRANSFER STUDENTS AND THERE IS, YOU KNOW, THERE IS MONEY ATTACHED TO THOSE TRANSFER STUDENTS.
ON THE FUNDING SIDE, A KID IS A KID, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF THEY'RE A RESIDENT KID OR THEY'RE A TRANSFER KID, IF THEY'RE A STUDENT AND THEY'RE ENROLLED IN OUR SCHOOL, THEY GET EQUAL FUNDING TO ANY OTHER STUDENT.
THEN JUST THE THIRD POINT THAT I WANTED TO MAKE AND THAT'S AND AGAIN, IT'S FOR THE COMMUNITY'S EDUCATION, IS THAT THE ABILITY OF THE BOARD IN THE PAST TO BRING IN THE GOLDEN PENNIES IS NOT AN OPTION THAT WE HAVE GOING FORWARD.
THAT'S ALSO DEPENDENT ON THE LEGISLATURE AND WHILE WE DID IT IN THIS COMMUNITY STOOD BEHIND WHAT WAS NEEDED AT THE TIME WE DON'T HAVE THAT UNLESS THE LEGISLATURE CHANGES OR ALLOWS US.
TO SEND THOSE OUT TO THE SO THAT'S AN IMPORTANT POINT.
THE GOLDEN PENNIES ARE WHAT'S KNOWN AS TIER TWO, AND TIER TWO IS BROKEN UP INTO TWO DIFFERENT PARTS AND THE GOLDEN PENNIES AND THEN WHAT'S COLLOQUIALLY KNOWN AS THE COPPER PENNIES.
AND THERE ARE EIGHT GOLDEN PENNIES.
AND WHEN THERE WERE SIX, YOU WENT AND GOT SIX.
WHEN THERE WERE EIGHT, YOU WENT AND GOT THE EXTRA TWO TO GET EIGHT.
THERE'S SOME MORE PENNIES SITTING OUT THERE.
THE ISSUE WITH THOSE IS THE RECAPTURED AND THEY'RE RECAPTURED AT A HIGHER RATE THAN TIER ONE.
I HAVEN'T DONE THE CALCULATION RECENTLY.
THE LAST TIME I DID IT, THOSE PENNIES OUT BEYOND THE GOLDEN PENNIES, IF WE WERE TO GO FOR THEM, WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO GET ESSENTIALLY ALL OF THE REMAINING ONES TO EQUAL ABOUT TWO GOLDEN PENNIES FOR US.
AND THAT JUST SEEMS LIKE A REALLY BAD DEAL TO THROW OUT THERE TO THE VOTERS OF EANES ISD.
AND WE'VE NEVER BREACHED THAT, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT WE WILL.
YOU TALKED A WHILE AGO ABOUT, YOU KNOW, LEGISLATIVE TALKING ABOUT THINGS WITH YOUR LEGISLATORS AND IF THEY, YOU KNOW, IF THEY WERE TO GO OUT AND AND CREATE TWO ADDITIONAL GOLDEN PENNIES, THEN I THINK YOU AS A BOARD MIGHT REALLY WANT TO CONSIDER THAT.
[01:10:01]
A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.CHRIS, THANKS FOR THE REPORT, BY THE WAY.
AND I AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUES THAT, YOU KNOW, ULTIMATELY THIS IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE SOMETHING THE STATE WILL HAVE TO ADDRESS AND BUT I WANT TO THINK ABOUT I'LL GO BACK TO SOMETHING WE'VE SAID IN THE PAST, LET'S PLAY THE HAND THAT'S DEALT TO US.
LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW WE PLAY THIS MONEY WE'VE GOT.
SO COULD WE LOOK AT THE SLIDE THAT'S GOT THE COOL WAVE OF ENROLLMENT AND WHERE THE STARS ARE FOR IT? YEAH, SO WE SEE THE DIP.
THE DECLINE IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT POSSIBLE CAUSES, ET CETERA.
BUT HELP ME, DOES OUR SPENDING GO DOWN EQUAL TO OUR ENROLLMENT GOING DOWN? THAT IS REALLY HARD TO DO.
AND TOM COULD ADDRESS THIS AS WELL.
BUT THE KIDS THAT LEAVE? IF WE'VE GOT ONE HUNDRED KIDS FEWER AND THEY HAPPEN TO HAVE BEEN TWENTY TWO KIDS THAT WERE ALL IN THIS ONE FIFTH GRADE CLASS AND TWENTY TWO KIDS IN THAT THIRD GRADE CLASS, THEN YES, YOU JUST SAY, OH, THEY CORRESPOND TO EXACTLY FIVE TEACHERS AT THESE FIVE SCHOOLS.
LET'S GET RID OF THOSE, YOU KNOW.
BUT IT DOESN'T EVER WORK THAT WAY, AS YOU WELL KNOW.
I MEAN, IF YOU HAD TWENTY TWO KIDS IN A CLASS AND NOW YOU'VE GOT 20, YOU CAN'T REDUCE YOUR TEACHERS, YOU CAN'T REDUCE YOUR STAFF.
AND THAT'S GENERALLY WHAT WE FIND IS THAT IT'S REALLY HARD TO MATCH THAT UP.
YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, YOU'VE HAD PRESENTATIONS FROM JEFF WHERE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT HOW THEY MOVED THINGS AROUND THIS YEAR, AND IT'S REALLY, REALLY HARD TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
BUT WHAT I WOULD SAY IS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY.
IT USUALLY TAKES ABOUT TWO YEARS TO KIND OF MAKE THE ADJUSTMENT.
AND THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, LIKE LOOKING AT A TWO YEAR AVERAGE BECAUSE WE'RE MAKING STAFFING DECISIONS FOR THE MOST PART IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH AND THIS HAS BEEN A REALLY HARD TIME FOR ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, [INAUDIBLE] ENROLLMENT, SO WE PROBABLY CARRIED A LITTLE MORE STAFF, BUT A YEAR LATER, YOU CAN REDUCE A LITTLE BIT MORE AND DO IT IN A MORE STRATEGIC WAY.
AND IT REMINDS ME THAT FULL CLASSROOMS ARE MOST EFFICIENT FOR US, RIGHT? AND WE THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WE SEEK TRANSFERS.
WE WOULD REALLY LIKE TO HAVE CLASSROOMS FULL.
THAT'S OUR PEAK OPERATING POINT.
DOES SO WHEN WE SEE THESE STARS HERE, DOES THE ALLOTMENT INCREASE KEEP UP WITH INFLATION? NOT, USUALLY.
WHAT WE SAW IN 2019 WAS THAT WE HAD A FUNDING INCREASE THAT WAS ROUGHLY EQUIVALENT TO ABOUT THREE PERCENT.
BUT IF YOU LOOK AT IT, WE HAD AN INCREASED IN FOUR YEARS BEFORE THAT.
AND SO THAT DIDN'T EVEN MAKE UP FOR THE INFLATION THAT WE EXPERIENCED OVER THE PREVIOUS FOUR YEARS.
WE'RE IN A SITUATION WHERE OUR FUNDING WILL CONTINUE TO FAIL TO KEEP UP WITH INFLATION.
IF WE BASE IT ON HISTORY, OUR EXPENSES WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE BECAUSE SALARIES GO UP, COSTS GO UP, THE PRICE OF ELECTRICITY AND GASOLINE AND ET CETERA CONTINUES TO GO UP.
BUT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THE STATE IS GIVING US TO PAY FOR THAT WILL NOT KEEP UP WITH THOSE INCREASES IF WE BASE IT ON HISTORY, WHAT WE'VE SEEN.
AND THEN HOW ABOUT DO WE GET A BETTER DO HIGHER COST OF LIVING AREAS IN THE STATE GET A BETTER ALLOTMENT THAN, SAY, A LOW COST OF LIVING PLACE? THERE IS WHAT THEY CALL THE COST OF EDUCATION INDEX.
IT HASN'T BEEN UPDATED FOR QUITE SOME TIME, AND IT'S NOT A VERY GOOD MEASURE OF WHERE COSTS ARE HIGH.
AND ON THIS SLIDE, I'VE HAD THIS QUESTION ASKED TO ME FROM A COMMUNITY MEMBER.
WHY DON'T WE JUST LOWER OUR TAX RATE SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO PAY SO MUCH BACK TO THE STATE? WELL.
IT'S OPPOSITE OF HOW I SHOWED IT TO YOU, DROPPING IN TIER TWO ACTUALLY SITS ON TOP OF TIER ONE.
AND SO IF YOU REDUCE YOUR M&O TAX RATE BY EIGHT CENTS, THOSE ARE YOUR GOLDEN PENNIES.
AND THAT'S $13 MILLION DOLLARS THAT YOU'VE CUT AND HOW MUCH TAXES YOU'RE COLLECTING.
AND YOU'VE CUT YOUR RECAPTURE.
IF YOU ACTUALLY CUT FURTHER THAN THAT AND CUT INTO THAT TIER ONE, THE STATE HAS WHAT
[01:15:03]
THEY CALL TAX EFFORT.AND THEY WOULD INDICATE THAT WE WERE NOT WE DIDN'T HAVE A STRONG ENOUGH TAX EFFORT.
AND SO WE MUST NOT NEED AS MUCH FUNDING.
AND SO THOSE PENNIES WOULD ACTUALLY BE LESS VALUABLE TO US AS WELL.
THAT'S NOT A DOABLE WAY TO THERE'S NOT A DOABLE WAY TO THEY'VE THOUGHT OF HOW TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET TO GET THE RECAPTURE THEY'RE GOING TO GET THEIR PIECE.
JUST A COUPLE MORE REAL QUICK.
WHEN DO YOU THINK THE LINES WILL? BASED ON WHAT YOU'VE SHOWN US SO FAR, WHAT IS YOUR PROJECTION FOR WHEN THE FUND BALANCE AND THE COMFORTABLE LEVEL ARE GOING TO CROSS? IS THAT TWENTY FOUR? TWENTY FOUR, TWENTY FIVE? WITH OUR CURRENT PROJECTION, WE'RE JUST THREE YEARS.
AND HOW DO WE HOW DOES THE STATE REPLENISH OUR FUND BALANCE? THEY DON'T.
THEY DON'T WE DO IT BY HOW AN EXCESS IN.
SPEND LESS THAN OUR REVENUE, RIGHT? AND THEN THE LAST THING I HAD WAS SO A COUPLE OF TWO WEEKS AGO AT OUR MEETING, DR.
LEONARD SHOWED US WHAT SOME OTHER DISTRICTS ARE DOING RELATIVE TO COMING UP WITH BONUSES, ET CETERA.
IF THE BOARD DOES THAT AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE LOOKS AT A BONUS.
OBVIOUSLY, WE DIDN'T GET AS MUCH ESSER FUNDS AND A LOT OF DISTRICTS ARE USING THAT.
HOW WOULD WE FUND SOMETHING LIKE A BONUS? WHAT WOULD WE? WHERE IS THAT MONEY? DO WE CUT SOMETHING? DO WE SAVE SOMEWHERE? DO WE? AND BY THE WAY, I THINK YOU DO A TREMENDOUS JOB BECAUSE YOU COME IN HERE AND TELL US WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS DEFICIT AND THEN WE HAVE A TWO HUNDRED DOLLAR SURPLUS, TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLAR SURPLUS.
BUT I MEAN, WE'RE TALKING SIZABLE BONUS OR PAYMENT LIKE THAT? WELL, SURE.
I MEAN, DIFFERENT DISTRICTS ARE DOING IT DIFFERENT WAYS AND THE COST DEPENDS ON HOW YOU CHOOSE TO DO IT.
I KNOW, LAKE TRAVIS IS LOOKING AT A PERCENT OF MIDPOINT.
MOST DISTRICTS ARE GOING IN AND LOOKING AT A FLAT PAYMENT ACROSS THE BOARD.
SO FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS OR A THOUSAND PER EMPLOYEE, REGARDLESS OF THEIR WHAT THEIR SALARY IS, YOU CAN DO THE MATH ON THAT.
WE'VE GOT SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 1100 EMPLOYEES.
IF YOU DID A THOUSAND BUCKS, THAT'S ONE POINT ONE MILLION DOLLARS.
WHERE WOULD IT COME FROM? I MEAN, IT COULD BE PAID FOR OUT OF ESSER, BUT THEN YOU CAN'T SPEND THAT MONEY ON SOMETHING ELSE, RIGHT? YOU COULD, YOU KNOW, IT COULD INCREASE THE DEFICIT.
AND THAT BENDS THE CURVE A LITTLE BIT.
WE WOULD CROSS THAT LINE A LITTLE EARLIER.
IT PRETTY MUCH EITHER, CHRIS, COMES EITHER OUT OF THE ORANGE OR OUT OF THE BLUE IS WHERE IT COMES FROM AND THE ORANGE IS NOT A LOT OF PLACES.
AND THE ONLY WAY IT COMES OUT OF THE BLUE IS IN ONE OF TWO WAYS.
ONE WAY IS NOT GIVING AS MUCH SALARY INCREASE ON A PARTICULAR YEAR OR HAVING A SMALLER HEADCOUNT.
SO THE ORANGE WELL, SO THE BLUE THAT IS OUR 11 HUNDRED STAFF SALARIES.
SO THAT IS THE BULK OF OUR GENERAL FUND, OUR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS FUND, IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S RIGHT.
SO THE ORANGE, THE STUFF THAT'S LEFT IN THE ORANGE, THAT'S BASICALLY OUR UTILITIES.
AND ANYTHING THAT WE ARE BUYING TO HAVE SCHOOL TOMORROW IS COMING OUT OF THERE.
SO, YOU KNOW, I JUST SEE THAT THERE'S NOT A LOT OF WIGGLE ROOM FOR US IN ANY OF THIS.
SO IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO THIS AND DONATING TO EANES EDUCATION FOUNDATION BECAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY WAY WE ARE AT THIS POINT, KEEPING OUR MONEY LOCAL AND PROVIDING MORE TEACHERS.
THIS IS A RHETORICAL QUESTION, BUT I'LL LET YOU HAVE A STAB AT IT.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER MECHANISMS OUT THERE, LIKE THE GOLDEN PENNIES THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO EXERCISE IN THE FUTURE? I REALLY, REALLY WISH THERE WERE, BUT I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY.
THE ONLY THING THAT I THINK WE DO NEED TO THINK ABOUT IS AS WE LOOK AT
[01:20:04]
FUTURE BONDS BECAUSE ALL OF THAT MONEY STAYS IN THE DISTRICT AND ANY TIME WE CAN DO SOMETHING IN THAT AREA FOR MAKING SOMETHING MAYBE GOOFY UP.BUT LET'S SAY WE PUT LED LIGHTS IN OUR BUILDINGS AND THAT WOUND UP ON BOND MONEY AND THAT SAVED US THREE OR FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR.
OH MY, WE DID THAT RIGHT? BUT THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF THINGS.
COPY MACHINES WHERE WE CHANGE THAT, THERE'S SOME SMALL PERSONNEL COSTS ASSOCIATED THAT YOU CAN PUT INTO THE BOND.
IF WE WERE TO DO MORE SOLAR IN THE FUTURE OR SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO REDUCE OUR ELECTRICAL, WHICH MIGHT HELP US.
WE SPEND MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR ON ELECTRICITY.
AND SO I THINK THERE IS AT LEAST SOMETHING YOU COULD WORK AT, BUT THAT WOULD BE IN THE NEXT BOND.
WE ALREADY HAD WE DID UTILIZE SOME OF THAT IN THE LAST ONE.
BUT AS THE LEGISLATION STANDS NOW, THERE'S NOT ANOTHER SILVER BULLET THAT WOULD BRING IN REVENUE THE WAY THAT THE GOLDEN PENNIES DID.
AND I JUST WANT TO REITERATE BACK TO WHAT KIM SAID THAT I AGREE THAT I THINK WE EXERT MORE INFLUENCE OVER ENROLLMENT THAN THE SLIDE MIGHT SUGGEST.
IN FACT, LISTENING TO YOU EXPLAIN THOSE ASPECTS TODAY I THINK IF WE DIDN'T HAVE A TRANSFER POLICY AFTER HEARING YOUR PRESENTATION, WE WOULD SERIOUSLY CONSIDER CREATING ONE BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENT WAYS IT ALLOWS US TO LEVERAGE THAT.
AND ALSO, WHY I ADD MY GRATITUDE TO THE EANES EDUCATION FOUNDATION THAT AS THIS, ESPECIALLY THREE YEARS FROM NOW, THEIR SUPPORT WILL BE CRUCIAL FOR US TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE.
OK, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CHRIS, I APPRECIATE THAT REPORT, IT'S SOBERING, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT WE REGULARLY PUSH OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AS WE REMIND OURSELVES.
THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS OUR ACADEMIC CALENDAR AND WE HAVE THE DOCTOR, JEFF
[9.2. Academic Calendars (SY22-23 & 23-24)]
ARNETT, COMING UP.ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SO EVERY TWO YEARS, THE DISTRICT LEADERSHIP TEAM BRINGS TO YOU PROPOSED CALENDARS FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS AND THE DLT HAS BEEN WORKING HARD THIS FALL.
THEY'VE HAD THREE MEETINGS AS A LARGE GROUP, THEY'VE HAD SUBCOMMITTEE MEETINGS.
AND AS WE SHARED WITH YOU AT YOUR PREVIOUS MEETING, THEY NOW HAVE WHAT WE'LL CALL THE ESSENTIAL CALENDARS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND TO YOU FOR THE 2022 23 AND 23 24 SCHOOL YEARS.
SO I'M VERY, VERY QUICKLY GOING TO STEP THROUGH JUST AN OVERVIEW OF THE CALENDARS.
SO WE REVIEWED THIS WITH YOU PREVIOUSLY.
THIS KIND OF SHOWS YOU THE MAIN PARAMETERS FOR THE CALENDARS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BEGIN THE SCHOOL YEAR ON A WEDNESDAY FOR STUDENTS THAT'S BECOME QUITE POPULAR WITH BOTH TEACHERS AND PARENTS.
WE'RE GOING TO START NO EARLIER THAN MID-AUGUST.
BY THE WAY, THERE ARE SOME SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE GREATER AUSTIN AREA THAT ARE NOW STARTING A WEEK EARLIER THAN WE ARE, BUT WE'RE GOING TO HOLD TO THAT MID-AUGUST START DATE, AS YOU'LL SEE IN A MOMENT.
WE DID INTRODUCE A NEW RULE THIS YEAR, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO CALL THE HALLOWEEN RULE, WHERE WE'RE GOING TO ALIGN PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES IN THE ELEMENTARY GRADES WITH OCTOBER 31ST AND NOVEMBER 1ST.
SO NO MATTER WHAT DAYS OF THE WEEK THOSE OCCUR, IF THEY'RE ON WEEKDAYS, THEN THAT'S WHEN PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES WILL BE.
AS YOU'LL SEE IN A MOMENT, WE DID MAKE ONE SLIGHT ADJUSTMENT TO THE SECONDARY CALENDAR ON NOVEMBER 1ST.
AND I'LL GO OVER THAT IN JUST A MOMENT.
WE'RE GOING TO MAINTAIN THAT WEEK LONG THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY.
EVERYBODY ENJOYED THAT A FEW WEEKS AGO, SO THAT'S BECOME A STANDARD NOW.
AND WE'RE GOING TO END THE SCHOOL YEAR BY MEMORIAL DAY ON THE SAME DAY FOR EVERYONE.
AS WAS MENTIONED EARLIER TONIGHT IN THE PUBLIC COMMENTS, WE'RE HONORING DIVERSE HOLIDAYS WITH NO HOMEWORK NIGHTS.
WE WORK VERY HARD TO TRY TO ALIGN THOSE HOMEWORK NIGHTS THROUGHOUT THE CALENDAR WITH THOSE OBSERVANCES.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, WE WANT TO ALIGN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE WITH SOME OF THE OTHER AREA ACADEMIC CALENDARS, PARTICULARLY THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AND AUSTIN ISD.
SO AGAIN, WE'RE GOING TO CALL THIS THE ESSENTIAL CALENDAR, AND WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO BRING THE CALENDAR TO YOU IN TWO PHASES THIS YEAR.
AND EVERYBODY ON THE DLT UNANIMOUSLY AGREED WITH WHAT WE'LL CALL THE FRAMEWORK FOR THESE CALENDARS.
AND THAT'S THE START AND END DATES TO THE SCHOOL YEARS, THE MAJOR HOLIDAYS, THE NO HOMEWORK NIGHTS.
SO WE DON'T ANTICIPATE ANY CHANGES TO THOSE.
SO THIS IS THE BASIC CALENDAR THAT WE'RE PROPOSING FOR THE 22 23, AS WELL AS THE 23 24 SCHOOL YEAR.
I'LL STOP HERE AND POINT OUT SOMETHING WITH REGARD TO THAT HALLOWEEN RULE
[01:25:14]
THAT I MENTIONED A MOMENT AGO.I THINK WHEN WE SPOKE WITH YOU A MONTH AGO, THE QUESTION WAS RAISED ABOUT A LATE START.
LATE STARTS ARE ALWAYS COMPLICATED FOR US BECAUSE WHEN YOU RUN YOUR BUS SYSTEM IN TIERS, WHEN ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL ARE ALL IN SESSION ON THE SAME DAY AND THOSE BUS ROUTES ARE CONCURRENT, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE, TO DO A LATE START.
IT JUST CREATES A LOT OF ISSUES.
HOWEVER, NOW WITH THERE NOT BEING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ON NOVEMBER THE 1ST, AND SO WE ONLY HAVE THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND THE HIGH SCHOOL IN SESSION ON THAT DATE.
IT DOES ALLOW US THE FLEXIBILITY TO DO A LATE START ON THAT DAY.
SO WHILE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS MAY NOT NECESSARILY BE OUT TRICK OR TREATING THE NIGHT BEFORE, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT OUR STAFF DON'T HAVE YOUNG CHILDREN AND THEY'RE OUT TRICK OR TREATING WITH THEM, ESPECIALLY AT THE HIGH SCHOOL AND THE MIDDLE SCHOOL.
SO WE'RE GOING TO DO A LATE START.
WE'RE GOING TO TRY THIS ON NOVEMBER 1ST FOR OUR SECONDARY STUDENTS AND STAFF.
SECONDARY STAFF WILL STILL BE IN SESSION, EVEN THOUGH THE STUDENTS WON'T START UNTIL A PERIOD OF TIME LATER AND THAT DAY, THAT WILL BE A STAFF DEVELOPMENT TIME OR A WORK TIME FOR THEM.
BUT STUDENTS WILL START LATER ON NOVEMBER THE 1ST.
SO THAT'S THE ESSENTIAL CALENDAR FOR THE 22 23 SCHOOL YEAR.
YOU KNOW, YOU'LL NOTICE IN A MOMENT THAT WE HAVE TAKEN OUT ALL OF THE EARLY RELEASE DAYS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE EARLY RELEASE DAY ON THE FINAL DAY OF THE TWO SEMESTERS THE DAY BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THE WINTER VACATION, THE DAY BEFORE THE SUMMER VACATION.
AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN JUST A MOMENT.
THIS IS THE 23 24 SCHOOL YEAR.
THE ONE DIFFERENCE IS THAT YOU PICK UP ONE MORE DAY FOR THE WINTER VACATION IN THIS CALENDAR BECAUSE OF WHERE NEW YEAR'S DAY FALLS.
AND AGAIN, EVERYTHING ELSE IS STILL THE SAME.
FOR THE MOST PART, ALL OF THE MAJOR HOLIDAYS ARE INDICATED HERE AS WELL.
SO I INDICATED THAT WE'RE GOING TO BRING THIS TO YOU IN TWO PHASES.
SO LATER IN TONIGHT'S AGENDA, YOU'LL BE ASKED TO APPROVE BASED ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF DLT, THE ESSENTIAL CALENDARS FOR THE NEXT TWO SCHOOL YEARS.
ON JANUARY THE 11TH WE ANTICIPATE COMING BACK TO YOU BECAUSE THE DISTRICT LEADERSHIP TEAM IS STILL WORKING, TRYING TO BE RESPONSIVE TO A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAVE HAD AND THOUGHTS THAT WE'VE HEARD FROM BOTH TEACHERS AND PARENTS ABOUT THE NEED TO PROVIDE MORE TIME IN THE CALENDAR FOR OUR STAFF SO THAT THEY CAN ACCOMMODATE AND MEET THE GROWING DEMANDS THAT ARE PLACED ON TEACHERS IN PARTICULAR.
SO THEY ARE WORKING RIGHT NOW ON SOME NEW POSSIBILITIES.
THEY ARE WEIGHING THE PROS AND CONS OF BOTH EARLY RELEASE DAYS, AS WELL AS THE POSSIBILITY OF FULL DAYS THAT WE COULD DEVOTE TO STAFF DEVELOPMENT, BUT ALSO PROVIDE A BENEFIT TO FAMILIES.
SO WE'LL BE OUTLINING THAT MORE FOR YOU IN DETAIL AT THE JANUARY 11TH MEETING.
SO THAT'S A VERY QUICK WALKTHROUGH OF THE CALENDARS THAT WE'RE PROPOSING IN THE BASIC ESSENTIAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH DR. ARNETT.ANYWAY.
I'LL TURN MY MIC OFF OVER HERE.
WE HAVE ONE MIC, AT LEAST NOT WORKING.
SO LAST TIME WHEN WE DISCUSSED THIS, I REQUESTED SOME INFORMATION ON THE EROSION OF INSTRUCTIONAL TIME THAT WE'VE HAD SINCE WE'VE SWITCHED BY LAW, BY THE LEGISLATURE'S LAW FROM DAYS TO MINUTES, AND WE'VE DEFINITELY LOST DAYS.
HAVE YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT HOW MUCH INSTRUCTIONAL TIME WE'VE ACTUALLY LOST? YEAH, WE HAVE LOOKED AT THAT.
AND AS A MATTER OF FACT, THAT'LL BE A PART OF THE JANUARY 11TH PRESENTATION.
OBVIOUSLY, YOU'LL GET SOME INFORMATION PRIOR TO THAT, SO YOU CAN CONSIDER HOW THAT HAS CHANGED.
IT'S DIFFICULT EVERY YEAR BECAUSE THE CALENDAR ALSO SHIFTS.
I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S A DIFFICULT ANALYSIS, BUT I'M GOING TO BE HONEST, I'M HAVING A HARD TIME MAKING THE DECISION TO APPROVE THIS CALENDAR WITHOUT THAT INFORMATION AND WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT WE ARE GOING TO BE PRESENTED WITH IN THE AUGMENTED CALENDAR.
PRESUMABLY, THE COMMITTEE IS CONSIDERING ADDITIONAL DAYS OFF, HALF DAYS OFF, TIME OFF FOR OUR STUDENTS THAN LAST YEAR.
CAN YOU GIVE US A ROUGH IDEA OF HOW MUCH TIME THAT'S GOING TO BE? IN MINUTES OR IN.
SO WHAT WE'RE ESSENTIALLY LOOKING AT IS A RANGE OF EARLY RELEASE DAYS AND WE
[01:30:03]
UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES THAT THAT PRESENTS FOR FAMILIES.THERE HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT SCENARIOS THAT THE DLT HAS LOOKED AT.
SOME OF THOSE SCENARIOS HAVE GONE UP TO AS MANY AS 20 OR 22 EARLY RELEASE DAYS OVER THE YEAR, BUT THEY HAD THE SAME REACTION THAT YOU JUST HAD.
SO THE PARENTS IN PARTICULAR, ALONG WITH THE STAFF, WHILE EVERYBODY WANTS TO DO WHAT THEY CAN TO ACCOMMODATE TEACHERS, REALIZES THAT THAT FEELS EXCESSIVE.
AND FROM A CHILD CARE STANDPOINT, IT'S VERY COMPLICATED.
LOOKING AT A SERIES OF EARLY RELEASE DAYS, WHAT THE COMMITTEE IS NOW WEIGHING IS SOMETHING SIMILAR TO OTHER DISTRICTS SUCH AS LAKE TRAVIS HAVE DONE, AND THAT IS CONSOLIDATING THEIR EARLY RELEASE DAYS INTO A SMALLER NUMBER OF FULL DAYS.
AND THEY FEEL THAT THERE WOULD BE SOME GREATER BENEFIT NOT ONLY TO TEACHERS, BUT ALSO TO STAFF IN DOING THAT, AND IT WOULD BE LESS COMPLICATED FROM A CHILD CARE STANDPOINT.
SO WHAT IS THAT RANGE THAT THEY'RE CONSIDERING? FIVE FULL DAYS.
AND COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, HOW MUCH MORE TIME IS THAT THAN LAST YEAR? IN MINUTES? IN DAYS SINCE WE'RE TALKING DAYS.
SO RIGHT NOW, IF YOU LOOK AT OUR CALENDAR SPEAKERS] FOR THE CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR, FOR EXAMPLE, OUR CALENDAR FOR THE LAST FOUR TO FIVE YEARS HAS TYPICALLY BEEN ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FIVE DAYS.
SO IF YOU WERE TO TAKE FIVE FULL DAYS FROM THAT, THAT WOULD PROBABLY PUT US AT ABOUT 170 IF THAT'S THE PROPOSAL THAT THEY DO INDEED BRING FORWARD TO YOU.
AND THEN THE HALF DAYS WOULD CONTINUE TO BE THE.
SO IT'S AN EQUIVALENT OF SIX DAYS SO.
NOW BY COMPARISON, AND WHEN WE WERE DOING DAYS AS OPPOSED TO MINUTES, WE HAD HOW MANY DAYS PER YEAR? ONE, EIGHTY.
SO BUT WHAT YOU'RE FINDING ACROSS THE STATE AND IN FACT, CHRIS SCOTT WAS VERY HELPFUL IN HELPING US SURVEY SOME DISTRICTS BECAUSE ORIGINALLY WE DIDN'T THINK THAT WE COULD DO FULL DAYS.
WE FELT OR WE WERE UNDER THE UNDERSTANDING A CONCERN THAT IF WE DID FULL DAYS THAT WE WOULD LOSE ADA FUNDING ON THOSE DAYS OR THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE THE DAYS UP, WE WOULD HAVE TO ADD THEM SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE CALENDAR.
NOW OUR UNDERSTANDING AND LOOKING AT THE FUNDING FORMULA IS THAT AS LONG AS WE MEET THE STATE'S THRESHOLD FOR INSTRUCTIONAL MINUTES, WHICH IS SEVENTY FIVE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED, SEVENTY SIX THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED MINUTES, AS LONG AS WE MEET THAT THRESHOLD, WHICH WE DO EVERY YEAR, AS LONG AS WE MEET THAT THRESHOLD, THEN OUR FUNDING IS NOT IN JEOPARDY.
AND AS A MATTER OF FACT, THERE ARE SOME SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN CENTRAL AUSTIN, FREDERICKSBURG AS AN EXAMPLE, THEIR CALENDAR IS NOW DOWN TO ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE DAYS PER YEAR.
SO AND TO BE CLEAR, INSTRUCTIONAL MINUTES, ACCORDING TO THE LAW, INCLUDE PASSING PERIODS.
IT INCLUDES RECESS, WHICH, YOU KNOW, WE NEED RECESS.
IT INCLUDES EVERY SECOND THAT THE CHILD IS ON CAMPUS.
I'M SUPER UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THIS.
I'M NOT GOING TO LIE, I'M REALLY, REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THIS BECAUSE IT'S JUST GOING TO CONTINUE AND I MEAN, GREAT FOR FREDERICKSBURG, IF THAT'S WHAT THEIR COMMUNITY WANTS, I GUESS, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S THE EXAMPLE WE WANT.
OUR KIDS NEED TO LEARN A CERTAIN AMOUNT EVERY YEAR, AND AT SOME POINT OUR TEACHERS ARE GOING TO REALLY RUN INTO A PROBLEM BEING ABLE TO GIVE THEM WHAT THEY NEED.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS SOME DESIRE AMONG ALL OF US TO GIVE OUR TEACHERS SOME TIME TO GIVE OUR STUDENTS TIME TO DECOMPRESS AND HAVE THOSE DAYS OFF, BUT TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT IN THE SAME PARAMETERS.
IT'S JUST IT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE.
AND TO BE CLEAR, IT'S NOT TIME OFF FOR THE TEACHERS.
AND WE COULD, YOU KNOW, THEY ALREADY HAVE.
WE COULD EXTEND THE CALENDAR, YOU KNOW, AND I KNOW IT'S NOT THE POPULAR VIEWPOINT WE COULD START A WEEK EARLIER IN AUGUST, THE WAY MANY DISTRICTS AROUND CENTRAL TEXAS ARE DOING.
AND SOMETHING'S GOING TO HAVE TO GIVE IF THIS IS THE WAY WE WANT TO GO TO INTERSPERSE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MORE EVENLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR THAN SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE.
ARNETT FOR THIS CALENDAR UPDATE AND ALSO FOR SERVING IN THE EANES ELEMENTARY CAFETERIA THIS MORNING BECAUSE MY MIC WASN'T ON WHEN I SAID THAT EARLIER.
BUT SO I APPRECIATE WHAT JEN IS SAYING, AND I DO WORRY THAT THERE ARE THE SAME
[01:35:04]
AMOUNT OF TEKS.ACTUALLY, THERE'S PROBABLY MORE TEKS NOW BECAUSE THE SBOA KEEPS ADDING INSTEAD OF TAKING THINGS OUT.
BUT THE ONE THING I THINK THAT I FEEL OK ABOUT IS IF WE DO PROVIDE OUR STAFF MORE TIME, THEY CAN DO PLCS AND THEY CAN GET TOGETHER TO PLAN AND AND LEARN FROM EACH OTHER.
AND I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS SUFFERED DURING COVID WAS THE TEAMING THAT USED TO HAPPEN ON OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL CAMPUSES ESPECIALLY.
AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH IT HAPPENED AT THE HIGH SCHOOL.
I WOULD ACTUALLY LIKE TO KNOW THAT, BUT I THINK THAT THEY DO BENEFIT FROM THAT TIME TOGETHER WITHOUT STUDENTS.
THAT ACTUALLY MAKES IT MORE BENEFICIAL FOR OUR STUDENTS ALSO.
EVERYONE KNOWS I HATE HALF DAYS.
I LOATHE THE HALF DAYS BECAUSE AS A WORKING PARENT, THEY'RE MISERABLE.
BUT I APPRECIATE THAT OUR STAFF NEEDS MORE TIME.
I LOVE THAT YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING AT MORE FULL DAYS BECAUSE I THINK THAT THAT'S EASIER TO PLAN.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THE LATE START AFTER HALLOWEEN AND THE MOVEMENT OF THOSE CONFERENCE DAYS.
AND AGAIN, JUST WHAT SOME OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SAID TONIGHT.
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ECHO THAT I APPRECIATE THE THOUGHTFULNESS OF PROVIDING THE NO HOMEWORK NIGHTS ON ON HOLIDAYS.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT OUR DLT COMES UP WITH BECAUSE I KNOW EVERY TIME WE HAVE THIS CONVERSATION, I'M REMINDED OF WHEN I SERVED ON DLT AND THE CALENDAR COMMITTEE, AND IT IS NOT THAT FUN BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY AND THAT'S JUST NOT POSSIBLE.
I WILL SAY THAT MAYBE IF WE DO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION YEAR OVER YEAR AND IT'S ALWAYS A STRUGGLE THAT MAYBE WE SHOULD GO BACK TO A SURVEY AT SOME POINT TO SURVEY OUR PARENTS AND SAY, WOULD YOU BE IN FAVOR OF STARTING A WEEK EARLIER OR GOING AFTER? AND I THINK WE KNOW THE ANSWER, BUT I THINK MAYBE THAT MIGHT BE WARRANTED AT SOME POINT.
AND ELLEN AND THEN KIM, THANK YOU FOR COORDINATING THIS.
AS HEATHER SAID, IT'S NOT THE MOST FUN TASK.
I'M GLAD YOU'RE GOING TO BE COMING BACK TO US IN JANUARY WITH SOME IDEAS BECAUSE I THINK PARTICULARLY FOR NEXT YEAR AS AN EXTENSION OF THIS YEAR.
SO I'LL TALK ABOUT THIS YEAR, POST-COVID.
I HAVE BEEN SO IMPRESSED WITH WHAT I'VE SEEN IN TERMS OF THE STAFF DIFFERENTIATING, AND WE ALWAYS WANT THEM TO DIFFERENTIATE.
BUT THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS HAVE BEEN MAGNIFIED.
WE ALSO HAVE DATA, A LOT OF DATA.
THE PRESENTATION WE HAVE FROM BRIDGEPOINT A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO SHOWS THE DEPTH TO WHICH WE CAN GO TO TRY AND MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS ARE ACHIEVING AT THEIR GREATEST POTENTIAL.
AND I THINK PARTICULARLY FOR THIS YEAR AND NEXT YEAR, THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THAT STAFF TIME TO DO THAT DIFFERENTIATION WELL IS IMPORTANT.
YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY THE WORLD WILL GET BACK TO NORMAL AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT NORMAL WILL LOOK LIKE.
BUT FOR THIS YEAR AND NEXT, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT.
AND MANY ON THE DLT DID POINT TO THE BRIDGEPOINT PRESENTATION AS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW MORE TIME FOR COLLABORATION AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES COULD BE USED.
I JUST HAVE TWO QUICK QUESTIONS.
CAN YOU I GUESS, GOING FORWARD TO ONE SIDE THEN? SO REALLY, MY YEAH, MY QUESTION WAS JUST CAN YOU? STARTING TALKING AND THANK YOU.
SO IS THE LIGHT START ON NOVEMBER 1ST.
I MEAN, UNDERSTAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIDS AND THE SUGAR AND THE CANDY AND THE TRICK OR TREATING, BUT IS LATE START THEN ONLY FOR 6 THROUGH 12.
BECAUSE THE ELEMENTARY'S RIGHT, RIGHT? THEY HAVE TWO FULL DAYS FOR PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES.
WHAT I HEARD YOU SAY WAS WE'RE DOING A LATE START.
I GUESS I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THE BASIS OF A LATE START FOR SIX THROUGH 12.
IF IN PLANNING THIS, WE'RE LOOKING AT TEACHERS NEEDS AS WELL.
YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WE'RE NOT PLANNING AROUND WHAT AGE CHILDREN, IF THEY HAVE CHILDREN AT ALL, THAT WE HAVE THAT ARE THEN HAVING TO SHOW UP EITHER FOR CONFERENCES OR IT JUST IT DID NOT QUITE MAKE SENSE TO ME THE BASIS FOR A LATE START, SIX THROUGH 12.
THE LATE START IS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE STUDENTS.
WE ALL KNOW ADOLESCENTS GAIN FROM ADDITIONAL SLEEPING TIME, SO THAT WOULD BE FOR THEIR BENEFIT PRIMARILY.
THE STAFF IN GRADES SIX THROUGH 12 WOULD STILL BE AT WORK THAT MORNING.
[01:40:01]
IT WOULD BE A MORE RELAXED MORNING THAT THEY COULD USE FOR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES, STAFF DEVELOPMENT, DATA ANALYSIS, PLANNING UNTIL STUDENTS WOULD ARRIVE THREE HOURS INTO THEIR SCHOOL DAY.AND THAT'S WHAT I MISSED IN THE EXPLANATION.
I THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS SOME BENEFIT TO TEACHERS, BUT THERE'S REALLY NOT.
WELL IT'S THE PLANNING TIME FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN THE SECONDARY GRADES.
AND THEN MY SECOND QUESTION THESE ARE REALLY JUST QUESTIONS, NOT COMMENTS, BUT ARE WE BEING ASKED TO VOTE ON THE CALENDAR TONIGHT AND THEN TURN AROUND IN JANUARY? SO TONIGHT YOU COULD APPROVE THE CALENDAR WITH NO ADDITIONAL TIME FOR EARLY RELEASE? WHEN WE COME BACK TO YOU IN JANUARY, WE WOULD PROBABLY PROVIDE YOU WITH DIFFERENT OPTIONS AS WELL AS A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE DISTRICT LEADERSHIP TEAM, AND YOU COULD DETERMINE WHAT ADDITIONAL TIME WE MIGHT PLUG INTO THE CALENDAR.
IT COULD BE THE EXACT SAME THAT WE'VE HAD FOR OUR CURRENT CALENDAR OR PRECEDING YEARS, WHICH IS THE EQUIVALENT OF SIX EARLY RELEASE DAYS, THE END OF SEMESTER DAYS AND THEN FOUR DAYS INTERSPERSED FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
IT MAY NOT BE ANY MORE THAN THAT BASED ON WHAT YOU DECIDE, BUT I THINK THE DLT WILL PROBABLY HAVE A RECOMMENDATION, OR THEY MAY HAVE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS THAT THEY WOULD WANT TO PRESENT TO YOU AT THAT MEETING.
BUT IF NOTHING ELSE, YOU HAVE THE FRAMEWORK OR THE BOOKENDS FOR THE TRADITIONAL CALENDAR SO THAT FAMILIES COULD GO AHEAD AND BEGIN TO PLAN FOR THOSE MAJOR HOLIDAY BREAKS LIKE WINTER AND SPRING BREAK.
AND I GUESS THEN IF IT IS STILL BEING CONTEMPLATED AND I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, YOU KNOW, WE PLAN FOR THE THE LARGER TIME OFF.
BUT IF IT'S STILL BEING CONTEMPLATED, I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE NEED TO VOTE RIGHT NOW, WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO VOTE AGAIN.
WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE WELL, WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS.
I WOULD RATHER SEE THIS OUT THERE AS A PROPOSAL AND PEOPLE COULD PLAN AROUND IT.
INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT IT AND THEN LOOKING AT VERSION TWO.
TRADITIONALLY WE BRING CALENDARS TO YOU FOR APPROVAL IN DECEMBER, WE WANTED TO MAINTAIN THAT TIMELINE WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT GIVEN ALL OF THE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ADDITIONAL TIME, THE DLT FEELS, IT NEEDS A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME TO PROCESS THEM.
I MEAN, AND I SEE WHY, WHY YOU'RE DOING IT.
I JUST HATE TO VOTE ON SOMETHING AND THEN TURN AROUND IN A FEW DAYS, A FEW WEEKS AND AND RELOOK AT IT.
LET'S SEE I'VE GOT ELLEN, NO OK.
IT'S DEFINITELY A BALANCE WE'RE TRYING TO FIND THE BALANCE BASED ON WHAT WE HEARD FROM BRIDGEPOINT LAST TIME AND WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE OTHER SCHOOLS, AS WELL AS THE STATE AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
WE NEED OUR KIDS IN SCHOOL, WE NEED THEM IN THE SEATS AND WE NEED THEM LEARNING.
AT THE SAME TIME, TEACHERS ARE ASKING FOR THIS ADDITIONAL TIME.
I'M KIND OF I'M STRUGGLING A LITTLE BIT.
I KNOW IT'S A VERY, VERY FINE LINE.
THE LESS TIME YOU HAVE KIDS IN THE SEAT, IT CAN BECOME MORE DIFFICULT FOR TEACHERS.
I MEAN, I WELL, I USED TO TEACH AND I COULD PLAN UNTIL THE COWS CAME HOME, YOU KNOW? BUT AT SOME POINT YOU GOT TO GET THOSE KIDS IN THE BUILDING AND YOU HAVE TO TEACH THEM.
I'M STRUGGLING WITH WHAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE IN JANUARY.
AND ACTUALLY, I KIND OF TAKE A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO IT IS THAT I WOULD RATHER GO AHEAD AND VOTE ON THIS AND GET THIS THERE AND OUT THERE.
AND THEN THAT WAY, IT'S IT'S SET.
AND THEN WE WOULD LOOK AT THE OPTION IN JANUARY.
I KNOW IT'S JUST FINESSING IT, BUT THAT WOULD BE I'D LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND VOTE ON THIS TONIGHT.
I MEAN, I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT THAT ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, ADDITIONAL COLLABORATIVE TIME DOES NOT HAVE TO EQUAL FEWER INSTRUCTIONAL DAYS.
I CAN'T VOTE FOR THIS TONIGHT.
THIS IS AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED IT'S INCOMPLETE INFORMATION AND IF IT COMES TO A VOTE, I'LL VOTE AGAINST IT.
[01:45:02]
THANK YOU FOR THAT, DR.THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIPS, AND I BELIEVE
[9.3. Committee Memberships determined by the Board of Trustees]
YOU ARE STILL IN THE HOT SEAT.AND I'M GOING TO BE JOINED BY MY COLLEAGUES, LINDA RAWLINGS AND JEREMY TRIMBLE THIS EVENING BECAUSE I HAVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR TWO OF THE COMMITTEES THAT WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS WITH YOU TONIGHT.
WELL, THE BOARD HAD REQUESTED PREVIOUSLY THAT WE PROVIDE SOME INFORMATION ON THE STATUS OF THE MAJOR COMMITTEES THAT ARE AT WORK AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL, AND THERE ARE EIGHT IMPORTANT COMMITTEES, AND WE'RE GOING TO STEP THROUGH THOSE VERY QUICKLY FOR YOU THIS EVENING SO THAT YOU AND THE PUBLIC CAN SEE HOW THOSE COMMITTEES ARE COMPRISED, WHAT THE NUMBER OF MEMBERS ARE AND THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING.
AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO LAND ON TWO COMMITTEES IN PARTICULAR BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE TWO COMMITTEES THAT CURRENTLY HAVE VACANCIES.
AND WE KNOW THAT THE BOARD WOULD PROBABLY LIKE TO HAVE SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW WE MIGHT GO ABOUT FILLING THOSE COMMITTEES.
SO THESE ARE THE EIGHT COMMITTEES.
THE FIRST ONE THAT WE'RE GOING TO INTRODUCE IS THE BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.
OF COURSE, YOU'RE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THAT.
THE BOARD HAS A VERY CLOSE WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BOC OR IN SOME CASES, THE BAC.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE ARE 13 CURRENT MEMBERS.
PRESENTLY, THERE ARE NO UNFILLED POSITIONS AND NO RECOMMENDATIONS OR NEEDS RELATED TO THE BOC AT THIS TIME.
THE NEXT COMMITTEE IS THE DISTRICT LEADERSHIP TEAM, WHICH WE'VE JUST DISCUSSED.
THAT'S ACTUALLY THE LARGEST DISTRICT WIDE COMMITTEE THAT'S AT WORK.
THE MEMBERSHIP OF THAT GROUP IS PRESCRIBED BY THE TEXAS SCHOOL CODE.
IT ACTUALLY INDICATES HOW THE COMMITTEE NEEDS TO BE COMPOSED.
AND SO WITH FORTY SIX INDIVIDUALS, YOU CAN IMAGINE WE HAVE VERY ROBUST CONVERSATIONS AROUND TOPICS LIKE CALENDAR AND COURSE PROPOSALS AND THEN EVENTUALLY THE APPROVAL OF THE DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT PLAN.
THERE ARE NO UNFILLED POSITIONS EVERY YEAR THE MEMBERSHIP OF THAT COMMITTEE ROTATES.
AND SO RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A FULL COMMITTEE THAT'S AT WORK.
SAFETY AND SECURITY COMMITTEE IS COMPRISED OF 11 MEMBERS.
THERE ARE NO VACANCIES ON THAT COMMITTEE AT THIS TIME.
ALL OF THE POSITIONS HAVE BEEN FILLED AND CLEARLY THEY'RE FOCUSED ON THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF OUR SCHOOLS.
WE HAVE THE SCHOOL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADVISORY COUNCIL, WHICH MRS. RAWLINGS HAS BEEN VERY INVOLVED IN, AS WELL AS MOLLY MAY AND LAURIE LEE AND OTHERS.
WE KNOW THAT COMMITTEE AFFECTIONATELY AS THE SHAC AND THAT HAS 30 INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS AND THERE ARE NO VACANCIES ON THAT COMMITTEE AT THIS TIME, EITHER.
THEN WE HAVE THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENT WORKING GROUP, THERE ARE 14 MEMBERS WHO COMPRISE THIS COMMITTEE, NO UNFILLED POSITIONS AT THIS TIME, AND THEY LOOK VERY CLOSELY AT ALL ASPECTS AND ISSUES RELATED TO OUR SPECIAL NEEDS POPULATION.
WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY COMMITTEE, THAT DR.
SAILORS HEADS, THERE ARE 28 CURRENT MEMBERS, NO UNFILLED POSITIONS AT THIS TIME AND THEY'RE VERY HELPFUL AS WE EVALUATE OUR INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND OUR HARDWARE NEEDS, PARTICULARLY AS WE MOVE TOWARDS FUTURE BOND ISSUES.
SO THESE ARE THE TWO COMMITTEES THAT WE WANT TO KIND OF PAUSE ON THIS EVENING AND TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THEM BECAUSE THEY BOTH HAVE VACANCIES.
THESE ARE BOTH BOARD APPOINTED COMMITTEES, AND BOTH ARE VERY ACTIVE AND HAVE A HIGH LEVEL OF VISIBILITY.
AND I'M GOING TO ALLOW MR. TRIMBLE TO TALK ABOUT THE ENVISION EANES COMMITTEE.
THAT COMMITTEE HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR MORE THAN THREE YEARS NOW.
BUT JEREMY IS NOW TAKING ON A MORE ACTIVE LEADERSHIP ROLE WITH THAT COMMITTEE AS ITS CHARGE AND CHARTER HAS CHANGED.
OBVIOUSLY, YOU HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THAT WITHIN THE LAST YEAR, BUT I'M GOING TO LET JEREMY TALK ABOUT ENVISION EANES AND WHAT SOME THOUGHTS ARE REGARDING HOW WE MIGHT FILL SOME OF THE VACANT POSITIONS ON THAT COMMITTEE GOING FORWARD.
SO WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT ENVISION EANES AND WHAT IT MAY LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE FOR QUITE A WHILE NOW.
AND AS MOST RECENTLY AS THE MEMO THAT WE KIND OF SUMMED EVERYTHING UP AND WHAT SOME OF THE NEXT STEPS ARE.
OBVIOUSLY, IT'S THREE YEARS AGO, WE STARTED THIS COMMITTEE BACK IN 2018 WITH ABOUT 32 MEMBERS.
TWENTY FIVE OF THOSE VOTING AND SEVEN ALTERNATES.
THROUGH THE PROCESS OF THAT COMMITTEE, IT GOT DROPPED DOWN TO TWENTY FIVE AND THEN DOWN TO 18.
SO MOVING FORWARD, WE SURVEYED THOSE MEMBERS THAT WERE STILL ON THE ENVISION EANES AND IF THEY WANTED TO CONTINUE ON THAT COMMITTEE.
RIGHT NOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT APPROXIMATELY 17 MEMBERS WHO STILL WANT TO CONTINUE TO SERVE ON THIS COMMITTEE, GIVEN THE NEW CHARTER, LOOKING AT FACILITIES AND TECHNOLOGY AND WAYS TO SAVE MONEY ON THE M&O.
AND SO OUTLINING THAT AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO NEXT, WE HAVE THOSE MEMBERS.
AND THE GOOD THING IS, AND WE'VE HIGHLIGHTED HERE ON THAT FIRST BULLET THAT
[01:50:04]
INTERESTINGLY, THE REPRESENTATION IS STILL CONSISTENT WITH HOW WE ORIGINATED THAT COMMITTEE BEING THAT ALL NINE CAMPUSES ARE REPRESENTED AND VERY IMPORTANTLY, THE THREE ORIGINAL ATTENDANCE ZONES IN WHICH THEY WERE SELECTED THROUGH THE PROCESS ARE STILL REPRESENTED AND DISTRIBUTED ACROSS THOSE.BUT LOOK, MOVING FORWARD, WHAT WE NEED TO DO WORKING TOWARD A NEW BOND IS TO START MEETING.
AND WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS START MEETING THIS EARLY THIS SPRING AS EARLY AS JANUARY WITH THIS COMMITTEE AND HAVING THE CO-CHAIR MODEL STILL BE CONSISTENT ACROSS THIS COMMITTEE BECAUSE I THINK THAT WORKS VERY WELL.
MYSELF AND MY TEAM WILL HELP FACILITATE THESE MEETINGS AND HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS AROUND WHAT A FUTURE BOND COULD LOOK LIKE.
OUTLINE THE CHARTER THAT THAT YOU ALL APPROVED.
ALSO, SOMETHING NEW HERE, THAT SECOND BULLET ADMINISTRATIVELY COMING FROM A DISTRICT STANDPOINT, WE DO BELIEVE THAT ADDITIONAL REPRESENTATION MAY BE NEEDED ON THIS COMMITTEE DUE TO THE CONTENT THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE EXPLORING.
AND SO WE ASK HERE POSSIBLY UP TO EIGHT MEMBERS BY ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENT AND THESE APPOINTEES WOULD WOULD HELP US FACILITATE THIS PROCESS AND HAVE SOME OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS, WHICH WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IN THE PAST.
DEVELOPING A NEW BOND, WE MAY NEED SOME ASSISTANCE AND SOME CONTENT EXPERTS TO HELP US THROUGH THAT.
YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD AND LOOK AT THE NEXT COMMITTEE, OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO PAUSE FOR CONVERSATION AROUND ENVISIONING? LET'S KEEP GOING.
OK, SO THE FINAL COMMITTEE IS THE DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION COMMITTEE THAT LINDA RAWLINGS HAS HELPED FACILITATE DURING ITS LIFE OVER THE LAST YEAR, I SUPPOSE.
SO I'M GOING TO LET LINDA WALK THROUGH THAT COMMITTEE IN ITS CURRENT WORK.
WELL, YOU REMEMBER THAT WE HAD TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY PLUS APPLICATIONS THAT WE WENT THROUGH TO PUT PEOPLE ON THIS COMMITTEE, AND WE'VE HAD A GREAT YEAR AND A HALF WITH THAT GROUP.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, THIS WEEK WE ARE A BOARD APPOINTED COMMITTEE.
SO EVEN THOUGH WE'VE LOST SOME PEOPLE AND PEOPLE HAVE ASKED, PRINCIPALS HAVE ASKED CAN I JUST NAME SOMEBODY TO THE COMMITTEE OR WE HAVE REALLY NOT DONE THAT BECAUSE WE RESPECT THAT YOU ARE THE ONES WHO APPOINTED THE PEOPLE WHO SERVE.
WE HAVE SIX VACANCIES RIGHT NOW, AS YOU SAW IN THE BOARD PACKET, SO WE HAVE FOUR STAFF MEMBERS.
THREE OF THOSE ARE DUE TO ATTRITION THAT HAPPENS IN A DISTRICT, RIGHT? WE KNEW THAT THAT WOULD.
WE HAVE ONE STUDENT WHO MOVED OUT OF DISTRICT AND THEN WE HAVE A PARENT.
AND SO I WILL SAY THAT WE DO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS.
STILL, IF YOU WERE LOOKING AT US AS BEING LIKE AN ENVISION EANES COMMITTEE, JEFF AND I LOOKED AT THE MEMBERS AND WE DO HAVE PEOPLE REPRESENTING ALL OF THE ATTENDANCE ZONES.
BUT WE DO HAVE FOUR STAFF MEMBERS, ONE CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION PERSON BEING ONE OF THOSE STAFF MEMBERS, A STUDENT AND A PARENT THAT WE HAVE LOST OVER THE PAST YEAR.
SO YOU'LL REMEMBER IN THE CHARGE, I'M JUST GOING TO REMIND YOU OF THIS, THAT WE SAID PEOPLE WOULD SERVE A MINIMUM OF TWO YEARS, THE DEI ADVISORY COMMITTEE, VERY MUCH.
THE PEOPLE ON THAT COMMITTEE VERY MUCH WANT TO CONTINUE TO SERVE BEYOND THOSE TWO YEARS THEY FEEL THEY'RE DOING.
AND SO DOES DR. GOODEN REALLY IMPORTANT WORK IN THE DISTRICT AND THAT IT'S GOING TO BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER TO KEEP THAT COMMITTEE INTACT AS WE MAKE SOME TRANSITIONS OVER THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO? SO WE REALLY FEEL THAT WE'RE HOPING THAT YOU FEEL THE SAME WAY AND WANT THEM TO CONTINUE BEYOND TWO YEARS.
SO WE SEE THAT YOU KIND OF HAVE SEVERAL WAYS YOU COULD GO.
WE'VE NARROWED IT DOWN TO TWO.
ONE WOULD BE THAT YOU COULD LOOK AT BECAUSE REMEMBER, YOU WENT THROUGH AND SCORED ALL OF THOSE APPLICANTS.
YOU COULD LOOK AT THOSE SIX POSITIONS, KEEP GOING DOWN LOOKING AT WHO'S THE NEXT PERSON? ARE THEY [INAUDIBLE] STILL? ARE THEY STILL APPARENT HERE, WHATEVER, AND THEN MOVE SOMEBODY INTO THAT SLOT SO THAT WE HAVE THOSE SIX POSITIONS FILLED? OR YOU CAN LOOK AT IT AS CHANGING YOUR CHARGE TO MAKE IT MORE CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WE'VE DONE WITH ENVISION EANES WHERE IT'S BY ATTENDANCE ZONE, IN WHICH CASE THAT COMMITTEE WOULD STAY AS IT IS FOR NOW.
AND SO THE THING THAT I WOULD SAY TO YOU IS TWO THINGS.
GOODEN AND I VISITED WITH HIM THIS AFTERNOON.
[01:55:01]
HE REITERATED THIS.HE'S ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO TALK TO YOU AND ADVISE YOU IF YOU WANT HIM TO DO THAT IN THIS AREA.
AND THEN THE OTHER THING IS THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE CONSISTENCY WITHIN THIS COMMITTEE.
AND SO I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT EVERY YEAR HAVING TO COME IN AND REPLACE THE COMMITTEE WITH PEOPLE.
IT'S DIFFICULT TO DO THE WORK WHEN YOU'VE ESTABLISHED A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ENGAGED IN IT.
IT TAKES A WHILE TO KIND OF BUILD THAT TRUST AND TO BE ABLE TO GET PEOPLE TO A LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT BOTH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AS WELL AS DEI.
AND NOW THEY'RE BEGINNING THEIR WORK ON SUBCOMMITTEES.
SO IF IN THE FUTURE WE ARE LOSING FIVE TO SIX PEOPLE EVERY YEAR, THAT'S A TURNOVER THAT YOU HAVE TO THEN TURN AROUND AND ASSIMILATE THEM INTO THE LARGER GROUP.
AND SO THAT'S JUST SOMETHING FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT AS YOU LOOK AT THOSE COUPLE OF OPTIONS.
I'M GOING TO START WITH JAMES.
LET ME JUST VERY QUICKLY, SINCERELY THANK YOU FOR THE WORK YOU'VE DONE TO PUT THIS TOGETHER.
AND I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT FOR NOW.
ON ENVISION EANES IS THERE A NEW CHAIR OR CO-CHAIRS ON ENVISION EANES AT THIS POINT? SO SO AT THIS POINT, WE'RE TRYING TO SOLIDIFY THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT WOULD SERVE AS CO-CHAIRS.
AND THEN FROM THAT POINT ON, THEN WE WOULD CREATE WHAT THAT STRUCTURE WILL LOOK LIKE GOING INTO THE SPRING.
WELL, AND I THINK THE CHARTER SAYS THEY'LL SELECT THE CO-CHAIRS IS THAT RIGHT.
AND I GUESS WHERE I AM ON THAT ONE IS I WONDER IF WE'RE FAR ENOUGH IN TO KNOW IF WE NEED TO ADD PEOPLE BECAUSE THERE'S PART OF ME THAT SAYS SOME OF THESE SMALLER COMMITTEES ARE MORE AGILE AND ABLE TO DO THE WORK A BIT QUICKER.
AND SO I WONDER ON THAT ONE, AS FORMER CO-CHAIR OF ENVISION EANES WITH THIRTY TWO MEMBERS THAT, YOU KNOW, GETTING A MEETING WHERE YOU GET EVERYBODY THERE AND BEING ABLE TO KEEP EVERYBODY UP TO SPEED AND DOING THAT SORT OF ANALYSIS THAT YOU NEED TO DO.
SO I'M WONDERING IF WE DON'T WAIT UNTIL WE SEE THE SIZE THAT YOU END UP WITH AND WHO THE CO-CHAIRS ARE AND WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT ADDING MEMBERS.
ON THE OTHER HAND, I DON'T WANT TO OVERTHINK IT.
AND IF YOU'RE REALLY SURE THAT YOU'VE GOT IT PRETTY WELL DEFINED, HOW YOU WOULD BREAK THOSE OUT TO GO OFF AND DO SOME ANALYSIS, THEN YOU KNOW, I CAN BE PERSUADED TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD THAT WAY.
BUT ULTIMATELY, YOU'RE SUGGESTING THESE WOULD BE ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS.
SO WOULD YOU GO OUT? HOW WOULD YOU FIND THE PEOPLE TO DO THAT? CORRECT.
AND SO DEPENDING ON THE CONTENT THAT WE'RE EXPLORING, I THINK WILL DETERMINE THE CONTENT EXPERTS THAT WE NEED, BUT WE WOULD WANT TO BRING THOSE CONTENT EXPERTS IN EARLY, NOT JUST AS NEEDED, RIGHT? SO I THINK AS WE LOOK AT WHAT EXPLORATIONS WILL GO DOWN, I THINK THEN THAT WILL DETERMINE WHAT CONTENT EXPERTS WE HAVE.
ADDITIONALLY, EVEN WITHIN THIS COMMITTEE AND OUTSIDE THIS COMMITTEE, WE HAVE A LOT OF CONTENT EXPERTS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND SO THAT WOULD BE OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE THOSE APPOINTMENTS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE BE COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS WELL TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE.
AND SO BOTH OF THESE WOULD REQUIRE A CHANGE.
WELL, I THINK SOME OF THE THINGS IN EITHER THIS ONE OR THE DEI COMMITTEE WOULD REQUIRE A CHANGE IN THE CHARTER, WHICH WOULD REQUIRE A BOARD VOTE.
SO WE'RE NOT TEED UP FOR THAT CHANGE TONIGHT.
THE OTHER, IF I MIGHT, IS ON THE DEI COMMITTEE.
I HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT REVIEWING NEXT IN LINE CANDIDATES, MOSTLY BECAUSE I TURNED IN ALL MY PAPERWORK.
I DON'T THINK I HAVE ALL OF MY STUFF, BUT MAYBE CLAUDIA DOES OR SOMEBODY DOES, AND WE HAVE VISIBILITY INTO THAT.
BUT AGAIN, I'M IT'S FOR STAFF.
AND THE QUESTION IS AROUND, DO WE CHANGE THE GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARY TO BE MORE, I THINK IT WAS LIKE TWO ELEMENTARY'S WERE GROUPED TOGETHER, SO THERE WERE THREE ATTENDANCE ZONES.
I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS ALL ALONG AS BEING CAMPUS REPRESENTATIVES THAT WORKED WITH THE TEAMS ON THE CAMPUS AND HELPED THOSE SCHOOLS.
AND SO I HAVE DIFFICULTY BACKING OFF OF THAT.
I REALLY LIKE THE IDEA OF THE PARENT CHILD AT THE SCHOOL, HELPING WITH COMMITTEES AT THE SCHOOL, DOING WORK.
[02:00:07]
YEAH, THIS IS HELPFUL FOR US TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND WHERE WE'RE AT ON ALL OF THESE COMMITTEES.SO I KNOW AS A FORMER COMMITTEE MEMBER ON SEVERAL COMMITTEES, ATTENDANCE HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN THE BEST WITH THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
SO I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW ATTENDANCE IS WITH ALL OF THEM.
AND I KNOW THAT'S NOT WHAT WE TASKED YOU WITH.
WE ASKED YOU TO COME UP WITH HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE MISSING, BUT I THINK THAT THAT MEANS SOMETHING TO ME BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE A LOT OF ENGAGED PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING, THEN MAYBE YOU DON'T NEED MORE PEOPLE.
BUT IF YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT AREN'T COMING, THEN WE NEED MORE PEOPLE THAT ARE COMMITTED AND THAT WILL COME.
AND I FEEL STRONGLY THAT YOU SHOULDN'T BE ON A COMMITTEE IF YOU DON'T ATTEND THE MEETINGS, BUT THAT'S JUST ME.
YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT FIRST OR DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ON THAT OR DO YOU WANT TO COME BACK TO ME ON? I CAN TELL YOU WITH THE DEI ADVISORY COMMITTEE THAT THE ATTENDANCE HAS BEEN GREAT.
MAYBE TWO TO THREE PEOPLE A MEETING AND THEY ALWAYS LET US KNOW.
AND SO I FEEL REALLY GOOD ABOUT THAT AND SO DOES DR.
AN EXCEPTION TO THAT WAS THE LAST MEETING THAT WE HAD BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER THIS OR NOT, BUT WE LOST OUR DISTRICT INTERNET AND IT CAUSED SOME ISSUES.
THE DOORS LOCKED, PEOPLE COULDN'T GET INTO A DOOR BECAUSE THAT WAS SHUT DOWN, AND SOME PEOPLE SAID THERE WAS A ROGUE THING ON THE CALENDAR THAT APPEARED THAT INDICATED THERE WAS A ZOOM.
SO THAT WAS AN EXCEPTION, NOT THE RULE.
BUT WE REALLY MOSTLY HAVE HAD.
WE'VE HAD 100 PERCENT ATTENDANCE SEVERAL MONTHS, BUT AT THE MOST TWO TO THREE GENERALLY, OK? WHAT ABOUT ENVISIONING OR JEFF DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD? I'LL SPEAK TO ENVISION EANES BECAUSE I PROBABLY HAVE WORKED WITH THEM MOST RECENTLY, YOU KNOW, AS JAMES SAID WHEN IT BEGAN AS A COMMITTEE OF 32.
WE RARELY SAW 32 INDIVIDUALS AT A MEETING.
MOST OFTENTIMES IT WAS AROUND 20 OR TWENTY TWO.
BUT ONCE WE REACHED AS A COMMITTEE, THAT 17 OR 18 THAT JEREMY REFERRED TO.
IT'S BEEN A REALLY STABLE CORE, AND IT'S BEEN ALMOST A STASIS IN THEIR WORK, WHERE CONSISTENTLY WE'LL SEE PRETTY MUCH EVERYBODY ATTEND THE MEETINGS WHEN WE'VE HAD THEM, AND THEY HAD A MEETING RECENTLY IN NOVEMBER, THAT WAS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THEM.
I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I LIKED AND THREE OF US UP HERE ON THE BOARD SERVED ON ENVISION EANES, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS I LIKED ABOUT THE WAY THAT ENVISION EANES WAS STRUCTURED WAS THAT WE HAD ALTERNATES THAT WERE NON-VOTING.
BUT THEN IF SOMEONE DROPPED OFF, THEY WERE ELEVATED.
AND SO IT WOULD BE MY PREFERENCE TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND IF SOMEONE ISN'T ATTENDING A MEETING, THEN SORRY, THANK YOU FOR COMING.
BUT LET'S ADD SOMEBODY WHO IS COMING BECAUSE I THINK THAT THIS WORK IS TOO IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO MISS.
SO THAT WOULD BE MY PREFERENCE.
I JUST WANT TO ECHO WHAT JAMES SAID, BECAUSE I'M UNCOMFORTABLE WITH IT, TOO, AND THAT IS AN EXPECTATION THAT THE DEI ADVISORY COMMITTEE WAS TO FEED IN EVENTUALLY THE WORK OF THE EQUITY TEAMS ON CAMPUSES.
SO IN MY MIND, IT WAS VERY DIFFERENT FROM ENVISION EANES WHERE WE WANTED GEOGRAPHIC DISPERSION, BUT WE DIDN'T WANT CAMPUS CHAMPIONS, IF YOU WILL.
WE MAY WANT THEM NOW AS WE GET CLOSER TO A BOND.
SO AS YOU KNOW, THAT MAY BE CHANGING NOW, BUT WHEN WE ORIGINALLY SET UP ENVISION EANES, WE WANTED EVERYBODY TO HAVE A BROAD VIEW, EVEN THOUGH WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE DISTRICT HAD REPRESENTATION.
BUT THE DEI TEAMS WERE SET UP TO HAVE THAT STAFF MEMBER AND THAT PARENT ON EACH CAMPUS.
I MEAN, THAT'S WHY IT'S A FAIRLY LARGE COMMITTEE BECAUSE NON PARENTS, NON STAFF MEMBERS.
I ALSO THINK IT'S INTERESTING THAT MOST OF THE TURNOVER HAS BEEN IN STAFF, I MEAN, THAT IS TO BE EXPECTED BECAUSE THERE IS ATTRITION AND SO YOU DON'T [INAUDIBLE] FROM BEING A PARENT.
AND HOPEFULLY WE WON'T LOSE MANY MORE STUDENTS, BUT STAFF IS WHERE THE DIFFERENCE IS.
AND I WOULD THINK THERE IT WOULD BE PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE A STAFF MEMBER FROM EACH CAMPUS, GIVEN THAT WE WILL NEED AN ADVOCATE AND A CHAMPION ON EACH TO CARRY THE WORK BACK.
SO SINCE IT IS STAFF RELATED, IT MAKES ME EVEN MORE UNCOMFORTABLE THAT WE ARE MOVING OFF OR CONSIDERING MOVING OFF OF THAT INDIVIDUAL CAMPUS.
ARGUABLY, I MEAN, I HEAR EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT THE TRUST AND IN THIS TOPIC AREA THAT IS SO VERY IMPORTANT.
AND YOU DON'T WANT NEW PEOPLE COMING IN THAT DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE DISTRICT.
ARGUABLY, STAFF HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF THE DISTRICT AND MIGHT BE EASIER TO INTEGRATE.
A STUDENT, YOU COULD ARGUE, WOULD BE THE SAME WAY THAT THEY KNOW A LOT ABOUT WHAT
[02:05:01]
THE DRILL IS.DO YOU ANTICIPATE AN ISSUE WITH PARENTS BEING ONES WHO MOVED UP FROM ONE LEVEL TO THE NEXT LEVEL? YOU KNOW, THEY WERE APPOINTED, SAY, WHEN THEIR CHILD WAS AT CEDAR CREEK AND THEN THEIR CHILD ISN'T AT CEDAR CREEK ANYMORE.
AND IS IT HILL COUNTRY IS? IS THAT CREATING? YES.
NOT AN ISSUE, BUT A DIFFERENCE IN THE STRUCTURE OF THAT.
YEAH, DEFINITELY IS, ELLEN, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, ORIGINALLY WE LOOKED AT IT AS A TWO YEAR COMMITTEE, WE SET A MINIMUM OF TWO YEARS.
AND SO WHEN YOU LOOKED AT PARENTS THAT WERE ASSIGNED TO SCHOOLS, THAT WAS WHAT WAS IN THE MIND.
AND SO THAT MEANS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE GOING BACK.
PERIODICALLY TO REPLACE PEOPLE WHO HAVE AGED OUT.
RIGHT, SO TO SAY SO, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO RESPOND TO THE EQUITY TEAM PIECE AND JUST SAY TO YOU, I TOTALLY GET THAT AND I SEE THAT AND I DO FIND I DO THINK THAT THAT'S VERY VALUABLE.
AND I KNOW THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THE DEI ADVISORY COMMITTEE, THE STAFF MEMBERS ARE WORKING WITH THE EQUITY TEAMS ON THEIR CAMPUSES.
BUT I WILL TELL YOU, THE EQUITY TEAMS AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL ARE NOW OPERATING REALLY WELL.
THE ELEMENTARY CAMPUSES JUST STARTED.
SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, AS YOU KNOW, THAT'S YOU'RE NOT WHERE YOU WERE WHEN YOU STARTED A YEAR AND A HALF AGO.
AND SO WHATEVER CHANGES YOU MAKE, HOPEFULLY ARE GOING TO LAST FOR THE LONG TERM, NOT JUST RIGHT, THIS SECOND.
AS WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THAT NEED AT ELEMENTARY, RIGHT? IF THAT'S MAKING SENSE TO YOU.
ONE THING YOU MIGHT THINK ABOUT IS TO HELP SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF VACANCIES HAPPENING, AND THEN WE HAVE TO COME BACK TO THE BOARD AND GET THE BOARD TO APPOINT SOMEBODY IN NEW AND SO THERE'S A DOWNTIME THERE YOU COULD BE FOUR MONTHS, RIGHT? I MEAN, WE'VE KNOWN ABOUT THESE SINCE AUGUST.
AND SO YOU COULD ALLOW CHANGE YOUR CHARGE AS WELL TO SAY THAT THE BUILDING PRINCIPAL, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS ON SHAC.
WHEN WE LOSE MEMBERS, I REACH OUT TO THE BUILDING PRINCIPAL AND SAY, WHO ON YOUR STAFF WOULD YOU LIKE TO APPOINT? UNDERSTAND THAT THEY'RE RECOMMENDED TO THE SCHOOL BOARD.
THE SCHOOL BOARD HAS THE APPROVAL PROCESS.
YOU COULD STILL BE A PART OF THAT ON A YEARLY BASIS, JUST LIKE YOU ARE WITH SHAC.
BUT THAT WOULD AT LEAST GET SOMEBODY IN THERE, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE COULD BRING THAT TO YOU.
WE COULD DO IT MORE OFTEN THAN THAT BECAUSE YOU COULD HAVE A QUARTERLY UPDATE WHERE THERE ARE NO CHANGES.
WE DO HAVE ONE PERSON WHO'S LEFT.
THIS IS THE INDIVIDUAL THE PRINCIPAL RECOMMENDS.
YOU COULD DO THAT WITH STAFF AND STUDENTS EASILY.
I THINK YOU COULD ALSO DO IT WITH THE PARENTS.
BUT IF YOU DIDN'T FEEL AS COMFORTABLE WITH THAT, THEN YOU COULD MAINTAIN THE APPOINTING PIECE OF THE PARENTS AND THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
SO THERE ARE LOTS OF WAYS THAT YOU CAN LOOK AT IT AND DISCUSSION YOU ALL NEED TO HAVE AROUND THAT.
AND DO YOU THINK THERE IS VALUE IN PERHAPS LOOKING AT THE CHARGE TO SEE IF THOSE PARENTS WHO'VE AGED OUT REMAIN ON THE COMMITTEE, EVEN IF.
SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, PARENTS, A PARENT AGED OUT FROM AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL INTO MIDDLE SCHOOL, WOULD THERE WOULD IT BE A GOOD IDEA FOR US TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THEM AND THEIR EXPERTISE, BUT PERHAPS APPOINT A PERSON FROM THAT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN THEIR PLACE? AND I MEAN, THERE'S ONE PARENT.
SO WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT HUGE NUMBERS ASSUMING THAT PATTERN CONTINUES.
YOU KNOW, THERE WOULDN'T BE MUCH NEED FOR THAT, BUT.
YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'VE DONE IN SHAC IS YOU'LL NOTICE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE LIST THAT YOU HAVE, IN SOME CASES, TWO PARENTS FROM ONE SCHOOL, EVERY SCHOOL HAS AT LEAST ONE PERSON.
BUT WE HAVE HAD CASES WHERE SCHOOLS HAVE HAD A COUPLE OF PEOPLE WHO ARE BOTH VERY ENTHUSIASTIC AND WE'VE NOT LIMITED IT TO ONE PERSON AT EVERY SCHOOL, RIGHT? YOU COULD.
I MEAN, IF THE CHARGE GAVE US THAT FLEXIBILITY, YOU COULD SAY THAT IF THEY WERE WILLING TO SERVE AND THEIR ATTENDANCE HAD BEEN GOOD, THEY COULD SLIDE INTO BEING AT THE SCHOOL WHERE THEIR CHILD NOW IS RIGHT.
AND YOU JUST MIGHT HAVE TWO PEOPLE FROM ONE SCHOOL.
WE'VE OPERATED VERY WELL AS A SHAC COMMITTEE NOT BEING SO STRICT ABOUT IT THAT IT'S ONE PERSON PER.
THE OTHER THING I FAILED TO ADD THAT I WANT TO PUT IN FRONT OF YOU, AND I KNOW
[02:10:06]
WE'LL COME BACK WITH SOMETHING PROBABLY MORE CONCRETE FOR YOU AFTER YOUR DISCUSSION, BUT WE DO FEEL WE LOST THE CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION PERSON WHO LEFT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TOOK A PROMOTION.BUT WE DO FEEL THAT IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO HAVE ON AS OUR CA REP, OUR CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION REP, SOMEBODY FROM CIA BECAUSE WE FEEL LIKE THAT'S GOING TO BECOME EVEN MORE IMPORTANT IN THE COMING YEARS.
SO WE WANT YOU TO KEEP THAT IN MIND.
WE THINK ABOUT HEATHER MEEKS, OBVIOUSLY, BECAUSE SHE IS OVER THE LANGUAGE ARTS PIECE.
AND SO THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING WE WOULD RECOMMEND TO YOU.
SO WE'RE GOING TO GO, KIM, JEN, LAURA.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND IN THE INFORMATION.
I JUST I HAVE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS ON DEI AND THEN A QUESTION FOR ENVISION EANES.
AND SO STARTING WITH DEI, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY REALLY ASSIMILATE.
BUT WHAT I'VE HEARD FROM EITHER DR.
GOODEN TALKING TO US OR TALKING TO COMMITTEE MEMBERS ON DEI IS THAT THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS HAVE REALLY WORKED VERY HARD TO WORK TOGETHER.
THEY'VE GONE THROUGH A PROCESS TO LEARN SOME UNDERLYING COMMON LANGUAGE.
AND SO THAT WHEN I HEAR THAT WE WANT TO REPLACE, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT DOING THE MATH RIGHT, BUT WHEN A LARGE NUMBER, 20 PERCENT OF THEM.
THAT CHANGES THE DYNAMIC OF SOMETHING THAT IS IN PROCESS.
SO NOW I'M GOING TO SAY SOMETHING CONTRADICTORY, WHICH IS I DON'T LIKE THE FACT THAT I'M LOOKING AT IT FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.
ELLEN, FROM OTHER COMMENTS THAT WE'VE HEARD BECAUSE I WANT THOSE PARENTS AND I WANT THE STUDENT ESPECIALLY REPLACED AND I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT A STAFF MEMBER FROM CIA.
I DON'T DISAGREE WITH THAT, BUT I WOULD LIKE THE THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO BE REPLACED, BUT I WOULD LIKE THEM, I HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THEM COMING FROM THE PRINCIPALS AND IT'S NOTHING AGAINST ANY PRINCIPAL, BUT IT IS I THINK IN A PROCESS OF APPOINTING SOMEONE, SOMETIMES YOU GET THE EXTROVERTS OR THE DYNAMIC PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY, AND WHEN IT'S A MORE FULSOME PROCESS, YOU'RE GOING TO LOOK AT A LOT OF DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS OR STUDENTS.
WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT THIS EARLIER, I THOUGHT A LOT OF IT MAKES SENSE.
THE MORE I THINK ABOUT IT, THE MORE CONCERNS I HAVE ABOUT BOTH BREAKING THE PROCESS IN THIS COMMITTEE AND THEN EITHER LEAVING THE POSITIONS UNFILLED OR JUST HAVING THEM APPOINTED, I DON'T KNOW WHERE I END UP, BUT THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS AND THAT'S WHAT I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT DEI.
ON THE ENVISION EANES, YOU KNOW, BECOMING A BOND ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
JEREMY, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I WENT THROUGH THAT PROCESS AND IT WAS A SMALLER IT WAS A FOUR MONTH PROCESS, NOT A LARGER PROCESS, BUT WEREN'T THERE MORE LIKE 12 OR 13 PEOPLE THERE WERE TWO FROM EVERY SCHOOL, SO THERE WAS 12 VOTING MEMBERS ON THE BOC THAT TURNED INTO THE BAC.
GOOD QUESTION, BECAUSE I WANT TO DIFFERENTIATE THE TWO.
ENVISION EANES WOULD AGAIN START EARLIER THAN THE BAC, AS WE AS WE MAY CALL IT, THE BOND ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
SO HOW THE PROCESS WOULD WORK IN OUR EYES IS THAT THE ENVISION EANES WOULD KIND OF GET TOGETHER AND START IN EARLY SPRING JANUARY.
THEY'D WORK OVER THE NEXT FIVE TO SIX MONTHS, JUST EXPLORING KIND OF SOME OF THOSE BIG IDEAS FOR A POTENTIAL BOND.
FROM THERE, THEY WOULD CONTINUE ON.
BUT REALLY, THE BOND ADVISORY COMMITTEE, THIS IS ALL BASED ON, SAY, A SPRING OF 2023, WHICH WE DON'T KNOW IS THAT GOING TO HAPPEN? BUT WITH THE PLAN FOR THAT, IF WE WANTED TO.
AND SO THE BAC WOULDN'T REALLY BE INTRODUCED UNTIL AROUND SEPTEMBER OF NEXT
[02:15:01]
YEAR.SO WHAT HAPPENS IS ENVISION EANES DEVELOPS IDEAS AND THEN WE ALSO OVER THE SUMMER, THEN WE START ATTACHING YOU KNOW DOLLAR FIGURES THINGS LIKE THAT THAT THEN CAN BE PRESENTED TO THE BOND ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
SO ENVISION EANES IS GOING TO WORK SEPARATELY, THEY WILL NOT BECOME THE BOND ADVISORY COMMITTEE NECESSARILY, BUT THEY WOULD DEVELOP A TYPE SCENARIO RECOMMENDATION THAT THE BOND ADVISORY COMMITTEE WOULD, IN THE END, REVIEW AND MAKE AN ULTIMATE RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD.
AND I WAS KIND OF MELDING THE TWO, I GUESS.
AND I KNOW ADMINISTRATION HAD THAT ROLE IN 2016 BECAUSE WHEN THE BOND ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECEIVED A NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WAS FILTERED DOWN, A LOT OF WORK HAD BEEN DONE BY ADMINISTRATION.
AND WE WILL CONTINUE THAT WORK.
SO THE ENVISION EANES WON'T GET INTO THE WEEDS NECESSARILY ON WHICH ROOF NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.
SO ADMINISTRATION WILL STILL HAVE A ROLE IN AN ULTIMATE RECOMMENDATION.
YOU KNOW, KIND OF FRAMING THE M&O PORTION OF A POTENTIAL BOND AND ENVISION EANES WILL GO KIND OF BEYOND THAT SCOPE AND THINK BIG.
OK, AND THEN REALLY, WHERE I WAS GOING WITH MY QUESTION WAS IF THERE'S SEVENTEEN CURRENT MEMBERS AND KNOWING WHAT WAS DONE, ALBEIT BY ADMINISTRATION IN THE PAST, DO YOU SEE THAT THERE'S A NEED? I MEAN, I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND YOU SEE A NEED FOR ANOTHER SEVEN OR EIGHT OR SOME AMOUNT OF MEMBERS BEING APPOINTED.
YOU THINK THAT TO DO THIS PROCESS, YOU WANT TWENTY FIVE PEOPLE AS OPPOSED TO 17 PEOPLE.
SO I THINK WE LOOK AT THEM DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE I THINK THOSE ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTEES WOULD SUPPORT THE COMMITTEE IN A ROLE AND LOOKING AT CONTENT AND HELP FACILITATING SOME OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
WHILE WE DO HAVE SOME FACILITY TYPE EXPERTS HAVING A VERY HEALTHY BENCH TO HELP US GET THROUGH THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND PRODUCE DELIVERABLES AND THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WE AS A COMMITTEE CAN REVIEW CAN PRESENT TO THE BOARD.
I THINK THAT'LL BE VERY VALUABLE TO THE PROCESS IN THAT KIND OF A SUPPORTING ROLE, WHAT WE'RE DOING IS KIND OF BACK FILLING, MAYBE SOME OF THE AREAS THAT WE FEEL WE NEED TO HELP GET THROUGH THAT PROCESS THAT WE MAY NOT HAVE ON THE COMMITTEE CURRENTLY, EVEN THOUGH THE COMMITTEE IS DEDICATED TO THE WORK, WE MAY NEED TO BACKFILL SOME TO HELP US THROUGH THAT PROCESS.
AND AGAIN, JUST SO I UNDERSTAND IT'S BACKFILLING, BUT IT'S CONTENT BACKFILLING AND YOU THINK THAT THAT NUMBER WOULD BE AROUND EIGHT AND GET A GET A GOOD SIZE.
BUT REALLY THE DRIVER IS THE CONTENT THAT SOMEONE THAT A COMMITTEE MEMBER MAY BRING.
SO ENVISION EANES QUICKLY I'M COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE, JEREMY, WITH THE ADMINISTRATION BRINGING ON THE PEOPLE THAT THEY NEED TO HELP ENVISION EANES BE SUCCESSFUL AS WE WORK TOWARDS OUR NEXT POTENTIAL BOND, WHETHER THAT'S TWENTY THREE OR TWENTY FOUR, WHATEVER THAT IS.
SO I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT AT ALL.
AND THEN DEI I'M ON THE SAME PAGE AS ELLEN AND JAMES IN THE SENSE THAT I REALLY LIKE THE IDEA OF HAVING REPRESENTATION FROM EVERY CAMPUS.
I TRULY HOPE THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE PRESERVE.
YOU MAKE A LOT OF REALLY GOOD POINTS ABOUT CONTINUITY, ABOUT BRINGING PEOPLE UP TO SPEED.
BUT THEN WHEN I HEAR THAT BALANCED WITH THE DESIRE OF THE CURRENT COMMITTEE TO CONTINUE, THE REALITY IS THAT WE WILL HAVE ATTRITION AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE SOME TURNOVER FROM YEAR TO YEAR.
SO I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE A STRONG OPINION AS OF YET AS TO WHAT IT SHOULD BE, BUT IT'S CLEAR THAT WE DO NEED TO CHANGE THE CHARTER TO MAKE THAT PROCESS SIMPLER SO THAT THE THE COMMITTEE CAN CONTINUE TO EVOLVE AND CAN CONTINUE TO ADD VALUE THAT THEY ALREADY HAVE.
SO AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE THE RIGHT ANSWER, BUT I DO I WOULD LIKE US TO CONTINUE WITH A PARENT ON EVERY CAMPUS, A STAFF MEMBER AT EVERY CAMPUS STUDENTS AS WE STARTED WITH IT.
I MEAN, IF THIS COMMITTEE IS TO GO ON MORE THAN THREE YEARS, REALISTICALLY WE ARE GOING TO LOSE HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS.
WE'RE GOING TO LOSE OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL KIDS TO HIGH SCHOOL.
AND WE COULD CERTAINLY STRUCTURE THE CHARTER IN SOME WAY.
[02:20:04]
THAT, AS ELLEN SAID, ALLOWS THAT MIDDLE SCHOOL KID TO CONTINUE ONCE THEY GET TO WESTLAKE OR ALLOWS THAT ELEMENTARY PARENT TO CONTINUE ON THE COMMITTEE.SO YOU HAVE THAT CONSISTENCY WITH THE COMMITTEE.
BUT WE DO NEED A METHOD TO BRING NEW PEOPLE IN AND SO THAT MAY BE A DISCUSSION FOR ANOTHER DAY, BUT MY TWO CENTS.
THANK YOU ALL, SO YEAH, ENVISION EANES, I'M PRETTY FAMILIAR WITH THAT COMMITTEE.
AND JEREMY, I SAT ON ONE OF THE SUBCOMMITTEES THAT YOU RAN, AND ABSOLUTELY I HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE THAT YOU ALL WOULD BE ABLE TO COME UP WITH EIGHT PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT YOU COULD PLUG IN WHERE YOU NEED THEM.
AND YOU KNOW, THIS IS JUST SORT OF A KIND OF A HOUSEKEEPING, OH, OF COURSE, WITH INPUT FROM THE EXISTING COMMITTEE BECAUSE THEY PROBABLY KNOW SOMEBODY WHO WOULD BE A GOOD FIT, JUST SORT OF HOUSEKEEPING AS FAR AS THE CHARTER, THAT IF WE DID IT AND I DON'T HAVE THE CHARTER IN FRONT OF ME, BUT ENVISION EANES IN BOTH AND DEI BOTH HAVE THESE POSITIONS ARE APPOINTED BY US.
BUT COULD IT BE THAT THEY BRING A RECOMMENDATION TO US AND THEN WE APPOINT THEM SO WE DON'T GO THROUGH AN ACTUAL SEARCH? I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A SYSTEM IN PLACE.
YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT QUARTERLY BECAUSE WE SHOULD BE FILLING THESE POSITIONS MORE QUICKLY.
SO IT WOULD BE GREAT TO SEE A SYSTEM IN PLACE WHERE, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE TIMES A YEAR, YOU BRING THESE OPENINGS TO US.
I'M TRYING TO GET THROUGH THIS QUICKLY BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN HERE A WHILE.
SO I AM IN SUPPORT OF KEEPING IT LIKE, I'M GOING TO ECHO WHAT A LOT OF MY FELLOW TRUSTEES HAVE SAID.
I'M IN SUPPORT OF KEEPING IT WITH A REPRESENTATIVE FROM EACH CAMPUS, AND I WILL GIVE SUPPORT FOR THAT BY PRAISING THE SPECIAL ED PARENT WORKING GROUP.
WE HEARD FROM A PARENT TONIGHT ABOUT SOME ACCOMMODATIONS THAT WERE MADE AT BOTH AT WEST RIDGE AND AT CEDAR CREEK, AND THOSE WERE THE DIRECT RESULT, RIGHT MOLLY OF THE WORK OF THAT SPECIAL ED PARENT WORKING GROUP, AND THEY HAVE A REP ON EACH CAMPUS.
AND THOSE REPS HAVE BEEN COORDINATING WITH THE BOOSTER CLUBS TO GET THOSE PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES INTO PLACE.
SO WE HAVE GREAT EVIDENCE THAT THAT WORKS REALLY WELL.
SO THAT'S MY REASONING BEHIND WANTING TO KEEP THE DEI THE WAY THAT IT IS AND ALSO A SHOUT OUT TO MOLLY IN THAT GROUP.
AND AGAIN, THE SAME WHERE THE CHARTER, THE EXISTING CHARTER, I BELIEVE, SAYS THAT WE THE BOARD SCREENS AND APPOINTS THE MEMBERS OF THIS COMMITTEE.
KIM I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT TAKING RECOMMENDATIONS FROM PRINCIPALS THAT YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT WE MIGHT NOT GET? WE MIGHT NOT HEAR FROM EVERYBODY WHO'S INTERESTED IN IT.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT RIGHT NOW, WE'VE GOT ONE PARENT AND ONE STUDENT.
I AM CONFIDENT THAT THE PRINCIPALS HAVE ENOUGH KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR SCHOOLS TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT AND BRING US SOMEBODY.
SINCE I SPOKE FIRST, I THOUGHT LOT CAME AFTER ME.
I LIKE YOUR IDEA OF PEOPLE WHO ARE GOOD MEMBERS IN STANDING BUT AGE OUT THAT MAYBE WE THINK ABOUT.
THE WORD THAT COMES TO MIND IS MAYBE EMERITUS OR SOMETHING.
BUT A MEMBER WHO CAN REMAIN AND HELP THE COMMITTEE.
I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF BACKGROUND TO CONSUME THERE, AND I HATE LOSING THOSE PEOPLE.
AND THE OTHER THING IS, AND IT KIND OF GOES TO BOTH KIM AND LAURA.
MAYBE THERE'S A WAY THAT A PRINCIPAL COULD APPOINT AN INTERIM PERSON TO SERVE ON THE COMMITTEE UNTIL THE BOARD TAKES UP THE ACTION TO REPLACE? AND MAYBE.
A NATURAL THING WOULD BE TO CONTINUE WITH THAT INTERIM.
I HATE TO GET SOMEBODY IN THERE FOR TWO MONTHS AND THEN HAVE THE BOARD KICK THEM OFF, SO THAT'S NOT A GREAT WAY TO DO IT EITHER.
BUT I THINK THAT WE NEED TO CONSIDER.
AT THE SAME TIME, IT ISN'T FAIR.
THE BOARD HISTORICALLY HAS TAKEN MONTHS TO FILL THESE THINGS, AND THAT'S NOT FAIR EITHER.
SO WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT A WAY TO DO THIS RIGHT.
MAYBE IT NEEDS TO BE A REGULAR CALENDAR ITEM OR SOMETHING THAT'S ON OUR SCHEDULE REGULARLY TO DO THIS OR OTHERWISE, IT NEEDS TO BE AN APPOINTMENT THAT FILLS THAT TEMPORARILY.
[02:25:05]
[LAUGHTER] OK, I JUST WANT TO SAY I ACTUALLY LOVE THE NOTION OF PRINCIPALS APPOINTING THE STAFF BECAUSE ONE WE STRUGGLED WITH THAT THE LAST TIME AROUND BECAUSE WE DON'T ALL KNOW THE STAFF THAT WELL.ALSO, YOU HAVE SOME CAMPUSES THAT HAVE VERY ACTIVE GROUPS AND SOME CAMPUSES THAT DON'T.
AND GIVEN HOW THE PRINCIPALS POLL GENERALLY POLL THE STAFF, FIND OUT WHO'S INTERESTED IN THIS AREA, KNOW WHO'S DOING WHAT ELSE ON CAMPUS.
I THINK THEY ARE SUPREMELY QUALIFIED TO FILL THOSE STAFF POSITIONS, WHICH CERTAINLY SEEMS TO BE THE BIGGER PROBLEM.
SO I HAVE NO I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IN TERMS OF THE PARENT AND THE STUDENT, PERHAPS.
BUT WITH STAFF, I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO BE THE ONES TO PUSH US AND GET CANDIDATES IDENTIFIED ANYWAY.
AND IT WOULD BE A MUCH QUICKER PROCESS FOR THEM TO APPOINT.
I GOT A QUESTION SPEAKERS] I JUST NEED A LITTLE CLARIFICATION.
SO IN TERMS OF PARENTS AND STUDENTS, WHAT I'M HEARING YOU SAY IS AS A BOARD, IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE YOU WOULD STILL LIKE TO RETAIN THE POSITION OF YOUR APPOINTING THOSE PEOPLE.
AS OPPOSED TO SOMEBODY BRINGING RECOMMENDATIONS TO YOU, AS WE WOULD DO WITH STAFF MEMBERS, WE WOULD STILL BRING THOSE TO YOU LIKE WE DO WITH SHAC, BUT I'M HEARING YOU SAY FOR PARENTS AND FOR NOW.
ONE, I APPRECIATE YOUR ATTEMPT TO SUMMARIZE, AND I'M GOING TO KICK IT TO TOM IN JUST A SECOND.
AND HE'S GOT AN IDEA ABOUT HOW TO FIND A BOW AND WRAP THIS UP.
BUT WHAT I WANT TO STRESS IS THAT THE WORK OF THESE COMMITTEES HAS NOT STOPPED.
THESE COMMITTEES CONTINUE TO BE GOOD, STRONG, WELL-FUNCTIONING COMMITTEES.
THEY'RE REPRESENTING THE BOARD AND THEY'RE REPRESENTING THE COMMUNITY AND THEY'RE WORKING HARD ON THE ISSUES THAT ARE IN FRONT OF THEM AND THE VACANCIES HAVE NOT CRIPPLED THEM.
SO I DON'T FEEL A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF URGENCY TO ADDRESS THIS BECAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE ISSUES THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON ARE BEING NEGLECTED.
THAT SAID, I DO WANT TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES.
AND TOM? WELL, JUST LISTENING AND I'VE BEEN TRYING TO BE REALLY QUIET, SO I DID A PRETTY GOOD JOB.
PRETTY GOOD, I THINK AS I'M LISTENING TO THE BOARD, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO GET CONSENSUS.
WE ALL WANT TO JUST GET GOOD WORKING COMMITTEES.
I ACTUALLY BELIEVE THERE IS A PRETTY GOOD CONSENSUS AROUND ENVISION EANES.
IT'S MAYBE NOT PERFECT, BUT IT'S PRETTY.
AND I WOULD CHARGE JEREMY JEFF ON THAT ONE JUST TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE CHARTER.
SQUEEZE A FEW LITTLE CHANGES INTO THAT CHARTER AND BRING A STRAW MAN BACK TO US TO CHANGE THAT CHARTER, AND I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING IMMEDIATE THAT YOU NEED RIGHT NOW ON THAT COMMITTEE.
OK, I'M LEAVING ALL THE OTHER COMMITTEES TO THE LEFT.
I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO THEIR SLIDES IF THAT'S OK.
WHAT I'M HEARING YOU SAY AND DEI COMMITTEE IS A COUPLE MULTIPLE THINGS, BUT I THINK THERE IS A PIECE ON THE VAST MAJORITY OF THESE OPENINGS RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT ARE STAFF, YOU KNOW, THE FOUR, OF THE SIX THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH.
AND AGAIN, I THINK JEFF MAY BE WORKING WITH LINDA.
LET'S TWEAK WHAT THE CHARTER MIGHT BE AND TAKE SOME OF THE INPUT HERE AND TRY TO GET A STRAW MAN ON THIS AND TRY TO GET IT BACK TO YOU FAIRLY SOON.
I THINK IF YOU FILL THE STAFF POSITIONS PRETTY RAPIDLY, OK? AND TAKE A SHOT AT AT POTENTIALLY THE STUDENT, WE'RE IN A PRETTY GOOD PLACE, PRETTY FAST WITH THIS COMMITTEE.
I HAVE NO TROUBLE COMING BACK TO YOU AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT.
JAMES, I THINK WE CAN ALSO LOOK AT THAT IN TERMS OF THE CHARTERS AND OTHERS WHO HAVE SAID THAT LET'S DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE OPENINGS FOR QUITE A WHILE.
BUT I THINK RIGHT NOW WE'VE GOT ENOUGH INPUT, I THINK FROM THE BOARD THAT I THINK WE CAN KIND OF NAIL SOMETHING DOWN AND GET SOMETHING TO YOU, HOPEFULLY BY MID-JANUARY TO TAKE A LOOK AT AND BLESS.
IS THAT OK? AND IF WE'RE WRONG, YOU'LL LET US KNOW WHERE WE'RE WRONG.
EVERYBODY, COMFORTABLE WITH THAT GENERAL APPROACH.
YEAH, SORRY AND NOT TO BE A THORN IN ANYBODY'S SIDE, BUT I THINK JEREMY WOULD LIKE THESE ENVISION EANES PEOPLE SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.
AND I'M CONCERNED ABOUT OUR ABILITY TO SLOW ROLL THINGS BECAUSE YOU'D LIKE THEM.
WHEN WOULD YOU LIKE THESE ADDITIONAL ENVISION EANES MEMBERS IN PLACE? WELL, WE'VE GOT THIS ISN'T A VOTING ITEM, SO IT'S GOING TO HAVE TO COME BACK TO US.
[02:30:08]
AND ANYWAY, JEREMY, YOU WANT TO RESPOND? WELL, OK, SO WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS WAY, WE'LL JUST DOUBLE MIC IT.[LAUGHTER] WE'LL FIND SOLUTIONS FOR ANYTHING.
SO REALLY, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE EIGHT, THE APPOINTEES, ONE THING WE HAVE TO DO IS WE HAVE TO KICK OFF THE ENVISION EANES GET IT KIND OF RESTARTED AND AND KICK START THAT.
AND SO IF WE'RE LOOKING AT A JANUARY, DO THOSE NEED TO BE APPOINTED IN PLACE IN JANUARY I THINK WE CAN INJECT THEM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, YOU KNOW, POSSIBLY SOON AFTER THAT.
BUT I THINK JANUARY, IF WE NEED SOME FLEXIBILITY THERE, I THINK WE.
WE CAN CHANGE THE CHARTER BETWEEN THAT TIME AND MOVE FAST ONCE WE GET YOU GUYS TO AGREE.
YEAH, WE CAN DO THAT IN MID-JANUARY.
WE'LL WORK HARD ON GETTING THAT TWO CHANGES DONE AND THEN YOU GET SOMETHING TO LOOK AT QUICKLY.
AND WE'RE NOT KIND OF AMORPHOUS IN TERMS OF WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO GO RIGHT NOW.
IS THAT OK? THAT SOUNDS GREAT.
THANK YOU, GUYS FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE TO SHEPHERD THESE COMMITTEES ALONG.
THEY ARE IMPORTANT AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CONTINUE TO DO THEIR GOOD WORK.
NEXT TIME ON THE AGENDA IS OUR CONSENT AGENDA OR CONSENT TO ACTION ITEMS.
[10. ACTION - CONSENT AGENDA]
DO I HAVE A MOTION.I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE OUR CONSENT AGENDA AS PRESENTED.
OK, I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
WE'RE NOW MOVING TO THE ACTION ITEMS.
[11.1. Approval of New Course Proposal for Hill Country Middle School and West Ridge Middle School]
THE FIRST ACTION ITEM IS THE APPROVAL OF A NEW COURSE PROPOSAL FOR HILL COUNTRY MIDDLE SCHOOL AND WEST RIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL.I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVE THE NEW COURSE PROPOSAL FOR IS THAT THE ONE FOR PRE ATHLETICS COURSE AT THE HILL COUNTRY MIDDLE SCHOOL AND WEST RIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL.
DOES SECRETARY NEED NAMES FOR THE NOTES.
ALL RIGHT MOTION BY JAMES, SECOND BY JEN.
[11.2. Approve Academic Calendar for 2022-23 and 2023-24]
OH, SORRY, I MOVE THAT WE TABLE THE APPROVAL OF THE ACADEMIC CALENDAR TO OUR NEXT MEETING SO THAT WE CAN HAVE MORE INFORMATION.OK? ANY DISCUSSION? I JUST WANTED TO ASK DR.
LEONARD IF THIS HAS ANY BIG IMPACT ON ANYTHING AT THIS POINT OR ARE WE CAUSING RIPPLES? I'VE LOST.
HONESTLY, THERE'S BETWEEN NOW AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A TWO WEEK BREAK.
I THINK THE PLAN WAS JANUARY 11TH.
THAT'S A WEEK AND A HALF WHEN WE GET BACK.
IF THAT MAKES PEOPLE GIVE A LITTLE MORE COMFORT.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WHEN WE START PLUGGING IN OTHER DAYS, MAYBE PEOPLE DO WANT TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT START OR FINISH.
IS THERE ANY MORE DISCUSSION? SEEING, NONE, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR.
THE NEXT ITEM IS THE ANNUAL INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL AUDIT.
[11.3. Annual Independent Financial Audit Report]
I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES ACCEPT THE ANNUAL SPEAKERS] MOTIONS.[LAUGHTER] WE'RE IN A HURRY TO GET OUT.
I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, ACCEPT THE ANNUAL INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL AUDIT REPORT FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2021.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? THANKS FOR A LOT OF GREAT WORK TO THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT.
YEAH, I'LL ECHO THAT, MARIA, AND CHRIS.
YOU KNOW, CLEAN AUDITS ARE A GREAT THING.
IS NOW WE'VE HAD OUR A MOTION, WE'VE HAD OUR SECOND WE'RE UNPLUGGING OUR MIC'S.
WE HAVE THREE MEETINGS OUT THERE ON THE CALENDAR, ONE JANUARY 11TH IS A SPECIAL
[12. UPCOMING MEETINGS]
MEETING ON JANUARY 13TH IS ANOTHER SPECIAL MEETING AND THEN JANUARY 25TH WE HAVE A REGULAR MEETING.THAT SAID, WE ARE NOW ADJOURNED FOR 2021.
I'D LIKE TO THANK EVERYBODY THAT STUCK WITH US THROUGH THIS LONG, LONG, LONG
[02:35:06]
[INAUDIBLE] YEAR.AND I WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY HOLIDAY.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.