Mar 05, 2024 School Board Study Session

THE TIME IS NOW 6 P.M.

[1. CALL TO ORDER]

[00:00:05]

MADAM SECRETARY, DO WE HAVE A QUORUM? WE DO. THANK YOU.

WE WILL NOW MOVE INTO CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTIONS 551.071 AND 551.074.

[3. CLOSED SESSION]

THANK YOU FOR COMING.

SEE YOU IN A BIT. THE TIME IS NOW 7:09 P.M.

[4. RECONVENE INTO OPEN SESSION (Approximately 7:00 PM)]

I JUST WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO WELCOME OUR LIVE AUDIENCE, VISITORS AND THOSE WHO ARE WATCHING ONLINE LIVE AND LATER, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST AND IN OUR COMMUNITY AND IN OUR SCHOOLS.

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.

DON'T EXPECT ANY OR ANY OTHER FORM OF DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR.

THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY IN OUR, ALL OF OUR AGENDAS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.

HOWEVER, NO ONE HAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK TONIGHT.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AND FOR YOUR INTEREST IN OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR SCHOOLS.

WE WILL NOW BEGIN OUR AGENDA.

AND TONIGHT, BY THE WAY, IS A STUDY SESSION.

AND IN STUDY SESSIONS WE DON'T TAKE VOTES.

IT'S JUST AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO GET UPDATED ON MATTERS PERTAINING TO THE DISTRICT.

AND I ALSO WANT TO EXCUSE TRUSTEES ELLEN BALTHAZAR AND JEN CHAMPAGNE, WHO ARE UNABLE TO JOIN US IN PERSON TONIGHT.

DR. ARNETT. ALL RIGHT.

[5. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT]

AND STEPPING THROUGH THESE, WANTED TO START BY ACKNOWLEDGING KINDERGARTEN ROUNDUP, WHICH OCCURRED A FEW WEEKS AGO.

BUT AFTER OUR LAST BOARD MEETING, WE HAD WHAT WE BELIEVE WAS AN UNUSUALLY LARGE TURNOUT, GREAT PARTICIPATION BY A NUMBER OF FAMILIES.

SO WE HOPE THAT THAT BODES WELL FOR UPCOMING KINDERGARTEN ENROLLMENT.

SPEAKING OF WHICH JUST MONDAY OF THIS WEEK, WE LAUNCHED AN ALL NEW PLATFORM FOR ENROLLING TRANSFERS AND SPANISH IMMERSION STUDENTS.

AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE ROOM THAT I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE WHO WORKED VERY HARD ON THIS.

JEREMY TRIMBLE AND RACHEL HIGGINS, ALONG WITH MOLLY MAY AND DOCTOR KRISTY SAILORS AND CLAUDIA MCWHORTER AND THEIR RESPECTIVE STAFFS.

AND SINCE MONDAY, WE HAVE HAD MORE THAN 500 FAMILIES THAT HAVE BEGUN THE APPLICATION PROCESS.

OF THOSE, ALMOST 370 HAVE BEEN COMPLETED AS OF ABOUT 4:00 THIS AFTERNOON.

SO WE, I THINK, ARE THE FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE UNITED STATES TO USE THIS ENROLLMENT AND REGISTRATION PLATFORM.

A NUMBER OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS USE IT, BUT WE ALL KNOW THAT WE'RE WORKING VERY HARD TO COMPETE WITH A LOT OF CHOICES THAT FAMILIES HAVE IN THE GREATER AUSTIN AREA.

AND SO THIS BEING THE FIRST TIME AND WE'VE HAD VERY GOOD RESULTS JUST IN THE LAST 48 HOURS.

SO WE'RE VERY ENCOURAGED BY THAT AS WELL.

SPEAKING OF WEBSITES, I WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT.

THEY ARE LAUNCHING A VIRTUAL RECRUITMENT EVENT ON MARCH THE 27TH AND FIRST TIME WE'VE DONE THIS, IN AN EFFORT TO TRY TO ATTRACT MORE CANDIDATES TO THOSE POSITIONS THAT WILL HAVE OPEN IN THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR.

SO KUDOS TO LAURIE LEE AND HER STAFF IN HUMAN RESOURCES IN CREATING THIS AND IT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT WE HAVE TRIED SUCH A RECRUITMENT EVENT LIKE THIS THAT WOULD BE VIRTUAL.

AND WE'RE VERY OPTIMISTIC THAT THIS WILL ALSO DRAW NEW INTEREST I WANTED TO REFLECT BACK ON VISITS THAT A NUMBER OF YOU AND I HAVE MADE OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, SINCE OUR LAST BOARD MEETING LAURA CLARK AND I VISITED AT BRIDGEPOINT ELEMENTARY, AND WE HEARD THE IMPASSIONED PLEA AND RESEARCH OF A NUMBER OF FIFTH GRADERS TALKING ABOUT BOTH THE BENEFITS AS WELL AS THE CONCERNS RELATED TO CHOCOLATE MILK.

THAT WAS VERY ENLIGHTENING.

AND ALSO, SINCE OUR LAST BOARD MEETING, WE HAD GO TEXAN DAY AND WE CELEBRATED TEXAS INDEPENDENCE DAY.

SO A NUMBER OF OUR CAMPUSES WERE INVOLVED IN THAT.

THESE PICTURES ARE FROM CEDAR CREEK AND FOREST TRAIL AND MR. SPRADLEY JOINED US AT FOREST TRAIL FOR TEXAS INDEPENDENCE DAY, DRESSED IN HIS FINEST WESTERN ATTIRE.

AND THEN LAST FRIDAY, THE WESTLAKE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HOSTED THE WESTIES AWARDS.

AND A NUMBER OF OUR STUDENTS AND OUR STAFF AND OUR COLLEAGUES WERE RECOGNIZED AND HONORED THAT DAY.

CERTAINLY WELL DESERVED.

EVEN THOSE WHO DIDN'T WIN THE AWARD TO HAVE BEEN HONORED, I THINK AS AN INDICATION OF JUST HOW WELL RESPECTED AND REVERED THEY ARE IN OUR COMMUNITY, SO MANY OF YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF THAT EVENT, AND IT WAS ALWAYS A VERY SPECIAL TIME FOR OUR DISTRICT AND OUR COMMUNITY.

EEF HAD ITS GALA AND WE'RE ANXIOUS TO HEAR HOW THEY DID, BUT IT WAS A VERY FESTIVE OCCASION.

AGAIN, MANY OF YOU WERE THERE WITH US THAT NIGHT, BUT WHAT WAS ESPECIALLY GREAT WAS TO SEE SO MANY STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE EVENT THIS YEAR AND SHOWCASED THE TALENTS OF

[00:05:01]

AND THEN AT HILL COUNTRY MIDDLE SCHOOL, WE HAD BAGELS WITH THE BAND AND KIM MCMATH.

I THINK THIS IS YOUR VIDEO THAT YOU TOOK THAT MORNING.

KIM AND MR. SPRADLEY WERE THERE A NUMBER OF PARENTS CAME TO HEAR THEIR STUDENTS PERFORM THAT MORNING, AND THAT'S AN EVENT THAT WE LOOK FORWARD TO AT EANES ELEMENTARY.

THEY HAD THEIR AUTHOR DAY, WHERE STUDENTS PORTRAY WELL-KNOWN CHARACTERS IN HISTORY.

AND MRS. BALTHAZAR AND I WERE THERE FOR THAT EVENT.

AND THEN ON THE SAME DAY, WE ALSO VISITED FOREST TRAIL ELEMENTARY WANTED TO GIVE YOU A GLIMPSE OF WHAT'S COMING TOMORROW NIGHT, A VERY SPECIAL OCCASION IN THE LIFE OF OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND THAT WILL BE THE PINNING CEREMONY WHEN WE COMMISSION ALL OF OUR OFFICERS AND THEY BECOME AN OFFICIAL POLICE DEPARTMENT.

LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.

WE EXPECT THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF REGALIA TOMORROW NIGHT.

BAGPIPES AND DRUMS AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT YOU WOULD ASSOCIATE WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT.

AND I DID NOT WANT TO REVEAL IT HERE TONIGHT, BUT YOU'LL ALSO SEE THE UNVEILING OF OUR NEW VEHICLES.

SO THEY WILL BE ON DISPLAY TOMORROW EVENING AND GOT A GLIMPSE OF THOSE EARLIER TODAY AND THAT'S VERY EXCITING AS WELL AND THEN OF COURSE, SPRING BREAK IS NEXT WEEK.

AND EVERYBODY'S LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT TIME OFF FROM SCHOOL AND SUCH BUSY ROUTINES.

AND WE HOPE THAT IT'LL BE A RESTFUL VACATION.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SPRING BREAK, WE HAVE THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE, AND I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE EANES EDUCATION FOUNDATION.

THEY HAVE SECURED THESE GLASSES FOR EVERY STUDENT AND EVERY STAFF MEMBER, AND WE INTEND FOR THIS TO BE A VERY SPECIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITY.

AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO APRIL THE 8TH.

I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT.

WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE MORE TO DISCUSS REGARDING OUR PLANS FOR THAT DAY WHEN WE COME BACK FROM SPRING BREAK AND STILL ANXIOUSLY AWAITING.

I KNOW THAT A LOT OF ATTENTION IS BEING FOCUSED ON THAT DAY, BUT WE'LL BE SHARING THOSE DETAILS WITH OUR COMMUNITY AND WITH PARENTS AFTER THE VACATION.

SO THAT'S A VERY QUICK STEP THROUGH OF MY REPORT.

HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.

SO KIM.

THANK YOU, DOCTOR ARNETT.

ONE OF THE FIRST ITEMS THAT YOU MENTIONED WAS THE KINDERGARTEN ROUNDUP, AND I KNOW THAT WITH THAT, AS WELL AS THE WEBSITE, DO WE HAVE ANY KIND OF BALLPARK ON WHERE WE ARE AS COMPARED TO LAST YEAR IN TERMS OF INTEREST IN KINDERGARTEN ROUNDUP AND THEN THE APPLICATIONS FOR TRANSFERS? ROUNDUP ITSELF IS AN INFORMAL OCCASION.

WE DID HAVE SOME DISCUSSIONS AS A RESULT OF THE SUCCESS OF THIS YEAR'S EVENT, TALKING ABOUT WHETHER WE NEED TO GATHER MORE DATA FROM ROUNDUP TO BENCHMARK FOR THE FUTURE.

BUT IT'S HARD FOR US TO TELL OR TO GAUGE WHETHER OR NOT THAT'S REALLY AN INDICATION OR A PRECURSOR OF WHAT OUR NUMBERS MAY ACTUALLY BE.

HOWEVER, IN TALKING TO OUR PRINCIPALS ANECDOTALLY, THEY BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A CORRELATION.

AND SO WHEN ROUNDUP ATTENDANCE IS UP LIKE THAT USUALLY WOULD INDICATE THAT A LOT OF FAMILIES WILL BE ENROLLING.

SO WE'LL BE WATCHING THAT AND MONITORING THAT THROUGH A NUMBER OF VEHICLES WITH MR. TRIMBLE AND MRS. HIGGINS AND OTHERS TO GET A BETTER SENSE, HOPEFULLY WITHIN THE NEXT 4 TO 6 WEEKS OF WHAT THOSE NUMBERS MAY BEGIN TO LOOK LIKE.

LAURA? I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION, BUT I HAVE A STORY.

DOCTOR ARNETT OBVIOUSLY SPENDS A LOT OF TIME ON THE CAMPUSES, AND HE IS HE KNOWS THE STAFF.

HE KNOWS EVERYBODY WHO WORKS ON THOSE CAMPUSES.

AND YOU ALL KNOW THAT.

BUT I WAS VISITING ONE OF THE CAMPUSES WITH HIM AND AS WE WALKED THROUGH THE HALLWAYS, WE PASSED A LITTLE BOY.

AND YOU KNOW, WE SAID HI TO HIM, AND WE GOT A FEW STEPS PAST, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN I HEAR THIS LITTLE VOICE GO, HEY, DOCTOR ARNETT, DID YOU FORGET SOMETHING? AND THIS LITTLE BOY HAD CALLED OUT TO DOCTOR ARNETT, AND HE WENT OVER AND THEY HAD A LONG TALK, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY TALKED ABOUT.

BUT EVEN THE STUDENTS, THE LITTLEST STUDENTS KNOW DOCTOR ARNETT.

IT WAS SO SWEET TO SEE.

SO IT ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING, I MEAN, I WAS IT WAS A LOVELY SCENE.

THANK YOU, LAURA. HEATHER I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR ADDRESSING THE ECLIPSE.

I KNOW I'VE BEEN GETTING A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT AND BECAUSE SOME OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE CLOSING, AND I'VE HEARD THAT SOME PARENTS ARE CONCERNED OR NOT CONCERNED.

THEY JUST WANT TO SPEND THE TIME WITH THEIR KIDS TO SEE THE EVENT.

BUT I THINK IT'S SUCH A GREAT EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR STUDENTS TO LEARN ABOUT ALL THIS IN THE DAY.

SO I'M REALLY GLAD THAT YOU GUYS ARE HAVE THINGS PLANNED.

AND THANKS TO EEF FOR THE GLASSES THOSE ARE SUPER COOL AND EVEN BRANDED.

SO VERY COOL. AND I THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE OBVIOUSLY A REALLY NEAT EVENT TO GO THROUGH WITH THEIR CLASSMATES AND AT SCHOOL.

AND WITH THE TIMING, IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE IT WILL BE AN ISSUE BECAUSE IT WILL BE OVER SO QUICKLY AND THEN BACK TO THE REGULAR SCHOOL DAY.

[00:10:06]

WE ALSO BELIEVE THAT IT'S A FANTASTIC LEARNING OPPORTUNITY RELATED TO SCIENCE.

AND SO WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE PRECAUTIONS WILL BE FOLLOWED.

THERE MAY BE DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE REGARDING THAT DAY THAT ARE BEYOND OUR CONTROL AND WILL BE MINDFUL OF THOSE, AND WE'LL BE MONITORING THAT AFTER THE VACATION.

BUT UNTIL THEN, WE'RE TAKING ALL OF THE STEPS WE CAN TO ENSURE THAT WILL BE A SAFE AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS.

WHO EXACTLY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SURE WE HAVE A CLEAR, NO CLOUDLESS DAY? THAT DAY I JUST WANT TO MAKE IS THAT JEREMY? I THINK JEREMY WAS RAISING HIS HAND BACK THERE.

THANK YOU. OH, YEAH.

NO, HE'S MOVING, ISN'T HE? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, DOCTOR ARNETT.

NO MORE QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD, OKAY? WE WILL THEN MOVE INTO OUR AGENDA.

TONIGHT WE ARE GETTING A REPORT ON CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM FROM MOLLY MAY AND A BUDGET UPDATE FROM CHRIS SCOTT.

[7.1 Chronic Absenteeism]

AND BY THE WAY, THIS IS A FOLLOW UP TO A REQUEST THAT A TRUSTEE MADE DURING OUR WITH THE TAPER REPORT.

OKAY, SO A REQUEST FOR A DEEP DIVE ON THE CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM IN THE DISTRICT.

YES. THANK YOU. YES.

ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING.

SO WE WILL JUMP IN.

SO FIRST, JUST TO KIND OF START, YOU KNOW, ATTENDANCE MATTERS FOR MANY REASONS.

AND THE BIGGEST ONE, YOU KNOW, JUST OUR IMPACT ON STUDENTS.

AND SO WHEN STUDENTS MISS SCHOOL, OBVIOUSLY THEY'RE MISSING CONTENT.

OFTEN, YOU KNOW, JUST THAT DIFFICULTY CATCHING UP, THEY KIND OF FEEL BEHIND THAT CAN LEAD TO SOME FEELINGS OF BEING OVERWHELMED, AND THEN THEY JUST HAVE DECREASED OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE WANT OUR STUDENTS HERE.

WE UNDERSTAND AND I'LL GO THROUGH THIS EVENING.

THERE'S A LOT OF DETAIL, A LOT OF DATA.

WE WANT OUR STUDENTS HERE WHEN THEY CAN BE HERE.

WE UNDERSTAND THAT IF THEY'RE SICK, OTHER THINGS HAPPEN.

YOU KNOW, THAT HAPPENS TO EVERYONE AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT.

BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE IS NO REASON FOR OUR STUDENTS TO MISS SCHOOL.

THAT ISN'T SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, THAT'S KIND OF BEYOND THEIR CONTROL, THAT THEY FEEL LIKE THEY WANT TO BE HERE, THAT WE WELCOME THEM, AND THAT WE DO EVERYTHING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN BE HERE.

AND THEN THERE'S ALSO THE IMPACT ON OUR TEACHERS.

YOU KNOW, IT IS HARD WHEN STUDENTS ARE KIND OF COMING IN AND OUT WHEN THEY'RE GONE FOR PERIODS OF TIME, EVEN WHEN IT'S SOMETHING SCHEDULED, LIKE A, YOU KNOW, A FAMILY TRIP, AND THEY MIGHT BE GONE FOR TWO WEEKS AND THEY COME BACK IN.

SO, YOU KNOW, OUR TEACHERS FINDING TIME TO RETEACH THERE IS THAT DISRUPTION AND CONTINUITY OF LESSONS.

SOMETIMES THEY'RE NOT RETURNING THINGS TO OTHER STUDENTS BECAUSE IT MIGHT BE A TEST AND THOSE OTHER STUDENTS HAVEN'T TAKEN THE TEST.

AND SO THEY'RE NOT WANTING TO NECESSARILY HAND THAT BACK.

AND THEN AGAIN, ALSO WITH THEM, THOSE DECREASED OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS.

AND I'M NOT TALKING IN THIS, YOU KNOW, STUDENTS THAT ARE ABSENT HERE OR THERE, I'M TALKING STUDENTS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, LIKE OUR CHRONICALLY ABSENT STUDENTS THAT, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES THEY JUST DON'T FEEL AS CONNECTED TO THE SCHOOL IF THEY'RE NOT HERE.

AND THEN THERE ARE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS.

SO FOR EACH 1% OF STUDENT ATTENDANCE, THAT EQUATES TO APPROXIMATELY HALF $1 MILLION.

AND SO YOU'LL SEE EARLIER OR SEE LATER IN THE PRESENTATION, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE KIND OF ARE FOR OUR OVERALL ATTENDANCE RATES.

AND KNOWING THAT IF WE CAN GET THOSE UP, THAT HELPS US FINANCIALLY.

THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF A KIND OF MISNOMER THAT STUDENTS BEING ABSENT COSTS US MONEY, AND IT'S MORE SO THAT CHRIS BUILDS THE BUDGET ON WHAT HE ANTICIPATES ATTENDANCE BEING.

AND WE'RE GETTING ATTENDANCE FOR STUDENTS COMING.

SO IF THEY DON'T COME IN, OUR ATTENDANCE DROPS.

AND CHRIS HAS SAID, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHAT WE THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE.

THAT'S WHERE THAT IMPACT IS.

SO IT'S NOT LIKE IF THEY MISS SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY'S DEDUCTING OUR ACCOUNT.

IT'S MORE WE'RE JUST NOT GETTING THAT ADDITIONAL FUNDING.

AND HE'S COMING UP LATER.

SO YOU CAN ASK HIM FINANCIAL QUESTIONS IF YOU WANT.

SO THE FIRST SLIDE IS JUST SOME HISTORICAL ATTENDANCE RATES KIND OF LOOKING LONGITUDINALLY AND I WON'T READ THEM ALL TO YOU, BUT YOU CAN KIND OF SEE, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE ARE AND JUST A DIFFERENT LEVELS.

AND IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, OVERLY SIGNIFICANT.

I MEAN, WHERE WE WERE AND I GO BACK TO 17, 18, IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT IN 1920 AND 2021 TO REALLY COUNT THOSE.

IT WAS DURING COVID.

THERE WAS THE WAIVER KIND OF THAT HOLD HARMLESS.

SO THOSE YEARS ARE A LITTLE BIT WONKY.

BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT QUITE UP TO WHERE WE WERE.

[00:15:04]

BUT WE WOULD LIKE TO GET THOSE PERCENTAGES UP BECAUSE AGAIN, LOOKING AT EACH ONE OF THOSE PERCENTAGES BEING, YOU KNOW, HALF $1 MILLION, IF WE CAN GET THAT UP.

SO THAT'S JUST KIND OF AN OVERALL LONGITUDINAL VIEW.

IN TERMS OF ATTENDANCE RATE SO THIS IS FOR THIS YEAR.

WHILE WE ARE ON A 9 WEEKS SCHEDULE, TEAMS IS REPORTED ON A SIX WEEK SCHEDULE.

SO IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER HOW WE ARE, WHAT OUR GRADING PERIOD IS.

WE ARE REPORTING ATTENDANCE EACH SIX WEEKS, SO WE HAVE FINISHED FOR SIX WEEKS SO FAR THIS YEAR.

AND IF YOU SEE WE ARE DEFINITELY TRENDING DOWN MAKES A LITTLE BIT OF SENSE IN THE WINTER.

YOU KNOW, USUALLY WE'RE SEEING, YOU KNOW, MORE ILLNESS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST SOME INTERESTING DATA ON KIND OF HOW WE'RE TRENDING THIS YEAR.

SO NEXT I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.

AND WHEN WE SWITCHED OVER TO FROM NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND TO ESSA, THIS BECAME A REQUIRED REPORTING MECHANISM. AND IF YOU SEE THAT THE DEFINITION IT'S THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ABSENT, 10% OR MORE SCHOOL DAYS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR.

AND FOR US, THAT'S ANYTHING 17 DAYS OR OVER IS YOU'RE GOING TO BE COUNTED AS CHRONICALLY ABSENT.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM INCLUDES YOU BEING ABSENT FOR ANY REASON.

SO WHETHER IT'S EXCUSED WHICH IS FUNDED OR UNEXCUSED, WHICH IS UNFUNDED.

SO IT MAY BE LIKE YOU MAY BE THINKING, WELL, I MEAN, THERE'S REALLY GOOD REASONS WHY STUDENTS ARE ABSENT AND IT'S AN EXCUSED ABSENCE.

AND THAT'S OKAY.

BUT BECAUSE CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM, THERE'S NO PUNISHMENT FOR BEING CHRONICALLY ABSENT.

IT'S JUST AN INDICATOR.

BUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT EVEN IF STUDENTS HAVE REALLY GOOD REASONS FOR BEING ABSENT FOR 17 DAYS OUT OF THE SCHOOL YEAR OR MORE, THEY'RE MISSING A LOT OF INSTRUCTION. AND THAT'S WHAT CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM REALLY IS FOCUSING ON, IS, YOU KNOW, YES, THEY MIGHT BE IN, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT OUT OF SCHOOL ACTIVITIES.

THEY MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN REALLY SICK.

AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LIKE, THAT'S FINE.

WE UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WERE ABSENT.

BUT IT DOES IMPACT YOU.

AND THAT'S WHAT CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM LOOKS AT.

AND YOU'LL SEE THAT TEA BEGAN REQUIRED REPORTING ON THIS.

BACK IN THE 16-17 SCHOOL YEAR I SEARCHED EVERY SINGLE REPORT AND SPENT VERY MANY HOURS, I CANNOT FIND DATA FROM 16-17.

SO YOU'LL SEE ON THE NEXT SLIDE THAT WE START THE NEXT YEAR.

AND I KNOW THAT WAS A QUESTION THAT GOT ASKED, BUT I TRIED REALLY HARD AND I COULD NOT FIND THAT.

SO JUST AGAIN LOOKING AT OUR DATA, A LONGITUDINAL VIEW OF OUR DATA.

SO IN 17-18, WHEN WE WERE AT 6.1, THEN 18-19 AND 5.6, AND THEN AGAIN, IF YOU SORT OF SAY, OKAY, LET'S NOT REALLY COUNT 1920 AND 2021, THEN WE'RE AT 9.9 AND 8.5.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, THOSE NUMBERS ARE DEFINITELY HIGHER THAN PRE-COVID NUMBERS.

WE'RE ALWAYS GOING TO HAVE KIDS THAT ARE CHRONICALLY ABSENT.

BUT WE REALLY DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THOSE NUMBERS AND GETTING THAT AS LOW AS POSSIBLE.

AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, TRENDING RIGHT NOW IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, BUT STILL A CONCERN.

AND THEN IF YOU LOOK AT EACH OF THE GROUPS AND JUST TO GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT.

SO OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION POPULATION THAT'S AROUND 964 STUDENTS, WHICH IS 13% OF OUR POPULATION, OUR ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED IS 383 STUDENTS, WHICH IS 5% OF THE POPULATION.

AND OUR EMERGENT BILINGUAL 271 STUDENTS, WHICH IS 4% OF OUR POPULATION.

SO YOU CAN SEE THOSE GROUPS, THOSE ARE RECORDED IN TAPR.

THOSE ARE THOSE ARE REQUIRED GROUPS TO BE FOR THAT DATA TO BE COLLECTED ON THOSE GROUPS.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE CAN DEFINITELY SEE THAT OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION POPULATION LAST YEAR, THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, A VERY HIGH NUMBER.

AND SO THAT'S CONCERNING.

AND SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT OUR ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED THE YEAR BEFORE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER.

SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE DELVING DEEP INTO EACH ONE OF THESE STUDENTS REALLY, AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY IS IT THAT THEY'RE CHRONICALLY ABSENT AND WHY AREN'T THEY AT SCHOOL? AND WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THEM HERE? AND THEN THIS IS JUST BY LEVEL SO THAT YOU CAN SEE AND OBVIOUSLY I THINK THIS, YOU KNOW, MAKES A LITTLE BIT OF SENSE WHERE YOUR HIGH SCHOOL, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE AND THEN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND ELEMENTARY, YOU KNOW, ELEMENTARY.

USUALLY YOUR PARENTS ARE MAKING YOU GO TO SCHOOL.

IN HIGH SCHOOL YOU PROBABLY THINK YOU HAVE MORE CHOICE.

[00:20:04]

SO THIS IS WHERE WE WERE A WEEK AGO WHEN I DID THE REPORT.

AS OF TODAY, WHEN I PULLED UP THE DATA, WE ACTUALLY HAVE 310 STUDENTS, WHICH BRINGS US TO 4%.

AND I JUST INCLUDED THIS KIND OF SEE WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, IT'S HARD TO PROJECT WHERE WE'RE GOING TO END THE YEAR.

WE CURRENTLY HAVE 131 STUDENTS WHO ARE SITTING AT 15 ABSENCES.

AND SO IF THEY WERE ALL TO BECOME CHRONICALLY ABSENT, WE'D BE ALMOST AROUND 6%.

AND THEN WE HAVE 77 MORE STUDENTS WHO HAVE 14 ABSENCES.

AND SO THAT WOULD GET US CLOSE TO 7%.

SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS RIGHT NOW WHO ARE ON THAT BUBBLE THAT CAN REACH OVER INTO THAT 17, WHICH WOULD INCREASE THIS PERCENTAGE.

SO IT'S HARD FOR ME TO EXTRACT.

NOW WE HAVE THAT DATA WHERE, YOU KNOW, TAPR TWO YEARS IN ARREARS, WHICH IS NOT HELPFUL.

AND SO WITH OUR PROGRAM ON DATA SUITE, WE CAN ACTUALLY AT THE END OF THE YEAR, I SHOULD BE ABLE TO KNOW WHAT OUR CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM RATE IS.

SO THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL TO BE MORE, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THIS IN REAL TIME AND BEING ABLE TO LOOK AT EACH AN INDIVIDUAL STUDENT.

AND SO THIS IS JUST A LITTLE INFORMATION AROUND CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM IF YOU SEE KIND OF NATIONALLY.

AND THIS IS JUST INFORMATION I'VE TAKEN FROM DIFFERENT STUDIES, AROUND 15% AND IN 2022 IT'S 28%.

AND JUST, YOU KNOW, A QUOTE THAT THE POST PANDEMIC CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM LOOKS MORE LIKE A CULTURAL PROBLEM.

DURING THE PANDEMIC, ALTERED SCHOOL PRACTICES, LOOSENED ESTABLISHED NORMS FOR SCHOOL ATTENDANCE.

AND OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, STUDENTS AND FAMILIES HAVE GROWN ACCUSTOMED TO THOSE NEW NORMS. AND I WOULD SAY THAT IS PART OF WHAT IS ALSO GOING ON IN EANES ISD.

IT JUST SEEMS A LITTLE MORE OPTIONAL TO COME TO SCHOOL.

AND AGAIN, THERE ARE VERY VALID REASONS WHY KIDS ARE NOT HERE, BUT THERE IS A LITTLE BIT MORE, I THINK, CHOICE THAN HAS BEEN IN THE PAST AND JUST A LITTLE LESS PRESSURE MAYBE FOR KIDS TO COME TO SCHOOL.

SO IN LIEU OF ALL OF THIS, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE WE DOING AS A DISTRICT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE FOCUSING ON THIS? SO DURING THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS, WE HAVE MADE SURE THAT EVERY STUDENT LIST HAS BEEN DISTRIBUTED TO THE CAMPUSES, SO THEY KNOW ALL OF THEIR STUDENTS WHO. AND AT THAT POINT, THIS WAS STUDENTS WHO HAD JUST HAD TEN OR MORE ABSENCES.

AND SO THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY STUDENTS THAT WERE CHRONICALLY ABSENT.

BUT WE BECAUSE 10 IS ALSO A LOT.

AND SO WE STARTED THERE.

WE'VE HAD OUR ADMINISTRATION AND COUNSELORS REVIEW INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS AND THEIR AND TRENDS AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, OKAY, THIS YOU KNOW, THIS ONE MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. WE UNDERSTAND THIS ONE SEEMS REALLY, YOU KNOW, UNUSUAL.

WHAT'S GOING ON? WE HAVE NOTICED SOME TRENDS THAT THERE'S EXTENDED ABSENCES DUE TO MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.

AND SO THOSE STUDENTS, YOU KNOW WE'RE DEFINITELY REACHING OUT TO AND HELPING THOSE FAMILIES.

AND THEN WHEN WE WERE TALKING TO THE HIGH SCHOOL, THEY DID ACKNOWLEDGE THERE JUST SEEMS TO BE LESS PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AT THE HIGH SCHOOL.

LESS SORT OF, YOU KNOW, YOU NEED TO GET TO SCHOOL.

THIS IS, YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF THAT PARENT RESPONSIBILITY AND A LITTLE MORE HANDS OFF ON SOME OF THE STUDENTS.

SO WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB.

I THINK JUST WITH OUR COMMUNITY OF MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS OF MISSING SCHOOL AND HELP THEM IF THEY ARE STRUGGLING WITH THEIR STUDENTS, SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP THEM GET THOSE KIDS TO SCHOOL.

WE'VE INCREASED COMMUNICATION IN NEWSLETTERS, TRYING TO TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE IMPORTANCE OF ATTENDANCE INDIVIDUAL CALLS TO PARENTS A LOT OF CALLS OVER THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS TO PARENTS TO BE LIKE, HEY, THIS IS KIND OF WHERE WE ARE.

WHAT'S GOING ON? WE DID ONE CAMPUS NOTICED THAT ONE OF THEIR NOTIFICATION SYSTEMS IN SKYWARD WAS TURNED OFF.

WE'RE NOT SURE HOW THAT HAPPENED.

SO THE KIND OF AUTOMATIC NOTIFICATIONS WEREN'T COMING.

SO THEY LOOKED AT THAT AND WE FIXED THAT.

AND THEN THERE'S ALSO SOME JUST CODING ERRORS WHERE SOMEONE MIGHT BE IN THE NURSE'S OFFICE OR THE COUNSELING OFFICE, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE SYSTEMS IN PLACE, THAT THEY ARE PRESENT, THEY ARE AT SCHOOL AND THAT WE'RE NOT MIS CODING KIDS.

SO AS THEY STARTED REALLY DELVING INTO THE DATA, THAT WAS A FEW OF THE THINGS THAT WE FOUND.

I DON'T THINK THOSE ARE, YOU KNOW, STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT.

BUT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU GET A CALL AS A PARENT AND YOUR KID'S NOT AT SCHOOL AND YOU THINK THEY ARE AND THEY'RE IN THE NURSE'S OFFICE, LIKE, WE DON'T WANT TO MAKE THAT CALL, WE NEED

[00:25:01]

AND SO WHAT ARE SOME OF OUR NEXT STEPS AND WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO HELP INCREASE ATTENDANCE RATES? SO WE ARE GOING TO INITIATE A COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGN TO PARENTS.

AND I HAVE A WHOLE IDEA IN MY HEAD OF HOW I WANT THIS TO GO.

AND SOME LITTLE STUDENTS TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, $500,000 AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO WHAT THAT CAN DO FOR OUR DISTRICT ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE GOING TO BE CHANGING OUR CODING FOR PARENTS FOR ABSENTEEISM.

WHAT WE HAVE NOTICED IS THERE IS SOME CONFUSION IN OUR DISTRICT AND WE HAVE DONE THIS, I THINK TO BE RESPONSIVE TO PARENTS BECAUSE UNEXCUSED FEELS BAD, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BECAUSE SOME THINGS ARE UNEXCUSED, BUT IT'S REALLY JUST UNFUNDED.

AND SO WE ARE MOVING TO STOP SAYING EXCUSED AND UNEXCUSED TO FUNDED AND UNFUNDED.

AND IT MAY NOT SEEM FAIR, BUT IT IS.

IF YOU'RE SICK, IT'S UNFUNDED.

AND THAT'S OKAY.

PLEASE DON'T COME TO SCHOOL WHEN YOU'RE SICK.

BUT WE'VE WE DEVELOPED THIS CODE D FOR DOCUMENTED WHICH PEOPLE STARTED ASSUMING MEANT EXCUSED.

SO MY CHILD IS SICK AND I SEND YOU IN A LETTER THAT SAYS THEY'RE SICK AND YOU MARK IT AS A D.

AND SO IT'S LIKE THAT'S OKAY.

IT'S EXCUSED. WELL, IT'S NOT EXCUSED BECAUSE IT'S NOT FUNDED.

AND SO WE'VE JUST CREATED A LOT OF CONFUSION.

AND SO WE ARE GOING TO FUNDED AND UNFUNDED AND THERE'S A LIST AND IT'S VERY LONG.

AND IT'S IN THE STUDENT ATTENDANCE ACCOUNTING HANDBOOK IF ANYONE WANTS TO READ THAT AT NIGHT.

BUT WE WILL MAKE SURE OUR PARENTS ARE VERY CLEAR ABOUT WHAT IS FUNDED AND UNFUNDED SO THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT AND WE'RE ALSO GOING TO DISCONTINUE SOME THINGS THAT WE'VE USED THAT WE ALSO THINK HAVE ADDED SOME CONFUSION.

SO WE HAVE FOR INSTANCE, AN EXTENDED ABSENCE FAMILY TRAVEL NOTIFICATION FORM.

SO IF YOU AS A FAMILY SAY I'M GOING TO TAKE A TRIP AND WE'RE GOING TO BE GONE FOR TWO WEEKS, YOU FILL OUT THIS FORM, YOU GIVE IT TO THE PRINCIPAL, AND THE PRINCIPAL SORT OF SAYS, OKAY AND THEY SIGN IT AS LIKE RECEIVED.

AND I GOT THIS FORM AND WE HAVE PARENTS SAYING LIKE, OKAY, WELL, IT'S DOCUMENTED AND IT'S EXCUSED AND WE'RE ALL GOOD, AND IT'S FINE.

IF I GO OUT OF TOWN FOR TWO WEEKS, YOU CAN GO OUT OF TOWN FOR TWO WEEKS.

I CAN'T STOP YOU FROM DOING THAT.

IT'S UNFUNDED AND IT'S UNEXCUSED.

AND SO AGAIN, JUST TRYING TO HELP THE FAMILIES UNDERSTAND THAT FINANCIAL IMPLICATION FOR OUR LOSS OF FUNDING OR NOT GETTING THAT FUNDING WHEN THEY GO ON THOSE TRIPS OR TAKE KIND OF WHAT I WOULD CALL MORE DISCRETIONARY, YOU KNOW, ABSENCES.

A LOT OF TIMES YOU HAVE A STUDENT WHO MAY LIKE, HAVE AN APPOINTMENT.

IF THEY GO TO THEIR APPOINTMENT AND THEY COME BACK, THEN THAT'S FUNDED AND WE CAN GET WE GET OUR FUNDING FOR THAT.

IF YOU GO TO THE DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT AND YOU KNOW, AND IT'S AND I GET IT, YOU WANT TO SPEND THE DAY WITH YOUR KID, I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU NECESSARILY CAN'T.

BUT THEN IT'S UNFUNDED.

AND WE WOULD LOVE YOU TO GO TO THE DENTIST AND COME BACK.

AND SO JUST SOME OF THAT EDUCATION FOR OUR PARENTS, I THINK IS IMPORTANT.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ELEMENTARY SATURDAY SCHOOL AS A WAY TO MAKE UP SOME OF THAT LOST INSTRUCTION BECAUSE JUST, YOU KNOW, NOT BEING IN SCHOOL, EVEN FUNDED OR UNFUNDED, IT DOESN'T MATTER.

IT'S A LOSS OF LEARNING AND THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON THAT WE WANT KIDS IN SCHOOL IS I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY THE MONEY IS IMPORTANT, THE LEARNING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT.

AND SO WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? SO WE'RE LOOKING AT MAYBE SATURDAY SCHOOL.

YES, IT'S PROBABLY GOING TO FEEL A LITTLE PUNITIVE.

BUT WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO GET OUR STUDENTS LEARNING, THEN LOOKING AT OUR ATTENDANCE LETTERS THROUGH SKYWARD AND JUST THAT REVIEW PROCESS.

IT'S A LITTLE CLUNKY WHEN PARENTS ARE GETTING THESE ATTENDANCE LETTERS, WHEN THEIR STUDENTS HIT CERTAIN THRESHOLDS THAT WERE REQUIRED BY THE STATE TO NOTIFY, THE PARENT HAS TO, LIKE, GO INTO THE PORTAL.

THEY HAVE TO GO INTO THE ATTENDANCE MODULE.

THEY HAVE TO OPEN THE LETTER, THEY HAVE TO READ IT.

IT TAKES A LOT OF WORK FOR YOU TO KNOW THAT YOUR KID HASN'T BEEN HERE.

SO WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO SEE IF WE CAN STREAMLINE THAT.

SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE UPFRONT BECAUSE I THINK THERE ARE PROBABLY SOME PARENTS WHO MAYBE DON'T KNOW THAT THEIR STUDENTS ARE AS ABSENT AS THEY ARE, ESPECIALLY AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL.

AND THEN UPDATING OUR WEBSITE AGAIN JUST WITH ALL THIS INFORMATION SO THAT PARENTS, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTAND THE CHOICES THAT THEY MAKE, THE IMPLICATIONS THAT HAS ON THEIR STUDENTS YOU KNOW, SHOULD THEY DECIDE TO DO SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, TAKE A VACATION OR DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT, JUST SO THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT'S FUNDED AND WHAT'S UNFUNDED, AND BEING A LOT MORE CLEAR ABOUT THAT? I THINK WE CAN DEFINITELY DO A BETTER JOB WITH THAT.

THIS CONVERSATION IS ASIDE TODAY FROM LIKE WHAT THE HIGH SCHOOL DOES AROUND LIKE, EXAM EXEMPTIONS.

THERE'S THINGS THAT ARE UNFUNDED THAT THEY ARE STILL GOING TO EXEMPT.

[00:30:03]

AND EVEN THOUGH THOSE ARE UNFUNDED, THE HIGH SCHOOL HAS SOME DISCRETION ON HOW THEY TREAT SEMESTER EXAMS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO THAT'S REALLY NOT WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT.

THIS IS STRICTLY LIKE, YOU KNOW, DISTRICT ATTENDANCE AND CODING AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO I KEEP WANTING TO TURN OFF MY MICROPHONE INSTEAD OF HITTING THE NEXT BUTTON.

OKAY. SO QUESTIONS I WILL START WITH LAURA AND THEN HEATHER [INAUDIBLE] MOLLY, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND FOR THIS PRESENTATION.

WE HAD LOTS OF QUESTIONS AND YOU ANSWERED A LOT OF THEM AND I APPRECIATE THAT.

I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK YOU PUT INTO THIS.

SO REGARDING THE FUNDED.

NON-FUNDED. EXCUSED.

UNEXCUSED. THERE'S.

WHAT IS OUR POLICY REGARDING THAT WORK? I MEAN, DO WE HAVE LIKE IF IT'S AN.

IS IT TREATED DIFFERENTLY IF YOU MISS BECAUSE FOR AN UNFUNDED REASON VERSUS A FUNDED REASON, LIKE REGARDING HOMEWORK, MAKE UP, HOMEWORK, MAKE UP TEST, THAT SORT OF THING. SO IT REALLY SHOULD NOT BE BECAUSE WHAT WE ARE INTERESTED IN STUDENTS LEARNING AND SO YOU KNOW I SO IT SHOULD NOT STUDENTS SHOULD BE AFFORDED AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE UP THEIR WORK.

NOW I DO KNOW THAT IF YOU HAVE A STUDENT THAT IS SKIPPING CLASS AND JUST SORT OF, YOU KNOW, DELIBERATELY NOT BEING THERE OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME OR SEVERAL TIMES, THE TEACHER MAY HAVE LESS PROVIDE LESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAT STUDENT TO MAKE UP THE WORK BECAUSE THEY'RE CHOOSING, YOU KNOW, VERY, YOU KNOW, DELIBERATELY NOT TO BE THERE.

BUT FOR THE MOST PART, WE REALLY WANT ANY STUDENT.

WE WANT THEM TO MAKE UP THE WORK.

OKAY. THANK YOU.

HEATHER. YES.

THANK YOU FOR DIGGING INTO THIS.

IT IS SUPER INTERESTING.

AND I WAS ACTUALLY I FELT A LITTLE BIT BETTER WHEN I SAW THE PRE-COVID NUMBERS BECAUSE AT FIRST I WAS LIKE THIS FEELS REALLY BIG.

SO THAT MADE ME FEEL A LITTLE BIT BETTER.

AGREE. YEAH. BUT I AND I'M REALLY GLAD THAT YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING INTO THIS, YOU KNOW, UNFUNDED FUNDED BECAUSE I THINK THAT THAT WILL HELP CLEAR UP SOME OF THE CONFUSION AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT LIKE WHEN I WAS READING THE PACKET, I WAS LIKE I WONDER HOW THIS PLAYS INTO THIS.

AND, YOU KNOW, I JUST HEAR A LOT ABOUT IT FROM MY OWN CHILDREN OR FROM OTHER PARENTS.

AND SO AND I KNOW AND MAYBE THIS IS A POSSIBLE NOT REALLY A QUESTION FOR YOU, BUT MAYBE FOR THE BOARD, MAYBE WE SHOULD LOOK INTO FOR OUR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES ABOUT COLLEGE VISITS, BECAUSE I KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A TON OF KIDS THAT APPLY TO A LOT OF SCHOOLS, AND THEY START LOOKING WELL BEFORE THEIR SENIOR YEAR.

AND YOU ONLY GET TWO DAYS YOUR JUNIOR YEAR AND LIKE FOUR DAYS YOUR SENIOR YEAR.

WELL, THEY BLOW THROUGH THOSE AND LIKE, YOU KNOW, NO TIME AT ALL.

RIGHT. SO MAYBE WE TRY TO ASK FOR MORE COLLEGE VISIT DAYS FROM THE LEGISLATURE TO BE FUNDED.

I DON'T KNOW, BUT THAT'S NOT THIS QUESTION.

BUT AND I HAD THE SAME QUESTION AS LAURA IN REGARDS TO THE SICKNESS AND MAKEUP DAYS.

BUT THANK YOU FOR ADDRESSING THAT.

BUT ALSO, I THINK THERE'S SOME CONFUSION EVEN LIKE HOW, YOU KNOW, LIKE THEY TAKE A CHOIR TRIP OR THEY HAVE A BASEBALL GAME AND THEY'RE OUT OF SCHOOL.

THEY'RE NOT COUNTED ABSENT PER SE, BUT THEY'RE STILL NOT AT SCHOOL LEARNING THOSE THINGS.

SO HOW DO WE, YOU KNOW, ADDRESS THAT MAKEUP? IT'S THE SAME AS IF THEY'D MISSED IT, RIGHT? YEAH, I MEAN THAT. YEAH IT'S REALLY HARD.

AND WE HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS THAT ARE IN MANY ACTIVITIES AND THEY DO MISS SCHOOL.

AND THOSE ARE FUNDED EXCUSED ABSENCES.

BUT THEY MISS THE WORK.

AND SO IT'S REALLY JUST, YOU KNOW, UP TO THAT STUDENT AND THAT TEACHER TO WORK THAT OUT AND TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY, YOU KNOW, MAYBE GET THE WORK AHEAD OF TIME OR WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO MISS.

BUT IT DEFINITELY IMPACTS THEM.

AND THAT'S WHERE, AGAIN, I MENTIONED EARLIER, CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM COMES IN.

IT'S NOT A PUNISHMENT THAT YOU'RE IN ALL OF THESE ACTIVITIES.

BUT WE DO SEE OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE IN A LOT OF ACTIVITIES AND THEY MISS A LOT OF SCHOOL.

YOU CAN SEE THAT ANXIETY AND THAT STRESS START TO BUILD WHEN YOU'VE MISSED A COUPLE TESTS, SOME QUIZZES, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S YOU'RE DOING THE THINGS YOU LOVE AND YOUR PASSIONS AND THE TEACHERS ARE WORKING WITH YOU.

BUT, YOU KNOW, THE CLASS MOVES ON.

AND SO WE JUST NEED TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN HELP THOSE STUDENTS.

AND, YOU KNOW, THE MORE PRE-PLANNING WE'D HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS WITH GREAT EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING.

I MEAN, THE MORE PRE-PLANNING WE CAN HELP THOSE STUDENTS WITH THE BETTER SO THAT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND I'M GOING TO BE OUT, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT THREE FRIDAYS BECAUSE THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON. WHAT DO I NEED TO KIND OF DO TO HELP MITIGATE THAT STRESS OF COMING?

[00:35:02]

THEY'VE MISSED, YOU KNOW, EIGHT CLASSES WHENEVER THEY MISSED ONE DAY OF SCHOOL.

AND SO REALLY JUST TRYING TO HELP THEM.

AND I THINK OUR TEACHERS ESPECIALLY, I'M TALKING MORE SO AT WESTLAKE.

I THINK OUR TEACHERS DO A REALLY GREAT JOB BECAUSE THAT'S A LOT OF WHAT OUR THAT'S WHO OUR KIDS ARE.

BUT IT CAN PILE ON.

YEAH. THE WORK AT WESTLAKE IS NO JOKE.

AND SO I'VE ALSO SEEN, YOU KNOW, THAT AND I THINK THIS IS A BLESSING AND A CURSE.

RIGHT. LIKE, SINCE COVID AND WITH, YOU KNOW, SINCE WE'RE 1 TO 1 SCHOOL DISTRICT, LIKE, THE KIDS OFTEN GET WORK THAT THEY CAN DO, YOU KNOW, VIA GOOGLE CLASSROOM OR WHATEVER, OR THEY'RE GOING TO WATCH A VIDEO AND THEN THEY HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, WRITE AN ESSAY OR WRITE A RESPONSES.

AND SO THAT'S GREAT THAT THEY HAVE THAT AVAILABILITY TO THEM TO DO IT, LIKE AT HOME OR WHEREVER.

BUT IT'S ALSO KIND OF A LITTLE BIT OF A, OH, I DIDN'T NEED TO GO TO CLASS.

I JUST HAVE TO FOLLOW THE LESSON ON MY IPAD.

SO, I DON'T KNOW.

I GUESS THAT'S KIND OF WHERE I ALWAYS GO BACK TO PROJECT BASED LEARNING, TOO.

BUT THEN THAT'S HARD BECAUSE IF YOU MISS THE PROJECT, YOU'RE NOT THERE TO MEET WITH YOUR GROUP.

YOU'RE OUT OF LUCK TOO.

SO I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S A GOOD ANSWER.

I DID LOVE THAT YOU WELL, I LOVE IT, AND I DON'T LOVE IT, BUT THE SATURDAY SCHOOL.

YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA FOR FAMILIES THAT WOULD LIKE TO TAKE OR NEED TO HAVE THEIR CHILDREN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT.

HAVE WE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL ALSO? MIDDLE SCHOOL HAS IT ALREADY.

THEY HAVE SATURDAY SCHOOL AND THEN THE HIGH SCHOOL HAS A LOT OF TUTORING.

THEY DO THEIR TUTORING AFTER SCHOOL.

AND SO YEAH, IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.

OKAY. AND THEN I KNOW THAT THERE'S STILL SOME CONFUSION TOO.

AND THIS IS PROBABLY JUST A HIGH SCHOOL THING ALSO.

BUT LIKE IF A STUDENT, YOU KNOW, DOESN'T NECESSARILY GO TO THE DENTIST, BUT THEY MISS EIGHTH PERIOD OR SIXTH PERIOD OR INSERT ANY PERIOD HERE, BUT THEY'RE THERE FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE DAY, BUT THEN JUST NOT A FEW.

AND I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF CONFUSION ABOUT THAT.

THERE IS A LOT OF CONFUSION ABOUT THAT.

AND I WAS ACTUALLY EMAILING TEA AND SAYING, CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO ME ON LIKE WHEN IS SOMEONE CHRONICALLY ABSENT, LIKE FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL.

LIKE WHAT? BECAUSE THEY COULD MISS, LIKE YOU SAID, DIFFERENT PERIODS.

SO CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.

IT IS THE FUNDING PERIOD.

AND SO FOR FOR US IT'S THAT SECOND PERIOD NOW WHERE MISSING AND SO AND THEY EVEN WROTE IN THEY WROTE THE RESPONSE TO ME IS LIKE, YOU KNOW, SO WHY DO WE CARE? WHY ARE WE TAKING ATTENDANCE EVERY SINGLE PERIOD? IF YOU'RE ONLY LOOKING FOR THAT FOR SECOND PERIOD? AND THAT'S FOR A WHOLE DIFFERENT MECHANISM, WHICH IS THE 90% RULE, WHERE YOU HAVE TO BE IN YOUR SEAT 90% OF THE TIME TO BE ABLE TO EARN CREDIT FOR THAT COURSE. AND SO THAT'S WHY YOU'RE TAKING ATTENDANCE EVERY SINGLE PERIOD.

BUT FOR SOMEBODY TO BE CHRONICALLY ABSENT, THEY'VE MISSED THE FUNDING PERIOD, SECOND PERIOD 17 TIMES.

SO OR MORE.

THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE ALL OF YOUR WORK.

IT'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT OF A LEARNING JOURNEY FOR ME TOO, ON SOME OF THIS.

THANK YOU, HEATHER. DIANE? THANK YOU. VERY INTERESTING.

AND I'LL JUST ADD MY ADDITIONAL FAVORITISM FOR THIS FUND AND UNFUNDED SWITCH.

I REALLY LIKE THAT. THANK YOU.

A COUPLE OF QUICK QUESTIONS.

HOW QUICKLY WOULD THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SATURDAY SCHOOL POTENTIALLY START? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT DID YOU SAY? SORRY, I DIDN'T SAY.

I THINK WE WOULD PROBABLY BE LOOKING AT THAT FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR.

AND THAT'S AN OPTIONAL THING.

OR HOW IS IT RUN IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS NOW? I'M NOT USUALLY THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS.

IT'S MORE OF YOUR ASSIGNED TO COME.

IT'S NOT REALLY OPTIONAL. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, IT'S YOU NEED TO COME TO SATURDAY SCHOOL FOR ATTENDANCE OR MISBEHAVIOR USUALLY.

THANK YOU ALSO FOR ANY ASSISTANCE YOU CAN GIVE US FOR NOT HAVING TO GO INTO SKYWARD UNNECESSARILY.

DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THAT.

AND. I'M THINKING ABOUT THAT.

WHAT IS IT 3.8 NUMBER THAT WE'RE SITTING AT RIGHT NOW AND TRYING TO PROJECT? I UNDERSTAND IT'S HARD TO REALLY PROJECT WHERE WE'RE GOING TO END UP AT, BUT EVEN IF WE GET TO 6%, WE'RE BACK DOWN WHERE WE WERE PRIOR TO COVID.

WHICH IS NICE TO SEE.

BUT WHAT DO YOU THINK IS OUR ULTIMATE GOAL.

WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO GET TO WITH THAT NUMBER.

IF WE'RE TRYING TO TAKE SOME, YOU KNOW, GET ALL THE CHILDREN WHO HAVE MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES TO BE BACK IN SCHOOL THAT WE KNOW THAT SOME KIDS JUST LEGITIMATELY HAVE, YOU KNOW, SOME HEALTH CONCERN THAT THEY YOU KNOW, I WOULD TRY TO BE AROUND THAT FIVE, I THINK BETWEEN 5 TO 6, I THINK WOULD BE YOU KNOW, A GOOD GOAL.

OKAY. YEAH. I THINK THE 9.9 AND THE 8.5 ARE NOT GREAT.

OKAY. AND JUST FOR MY OWN CLARIFICATION, I AS I SAID, I'M LEARNING HERE THE SO A CHILD WHO LET'S SAY HAS A HEALTH ISSUE AND THEY'RE OUT OF SCHOOL FOR TWO MONTHS, WE GET FUNDING FOR THAT.

[00:40:01]

SO A STUDENT IN THAT CASE WOULD BE PUT ON HOMEBOUND SERVICES.

AND YOU CAN GET HOMEBOUND SERVICES EITHER THROUGH SPECIAL EDUCATION OR THROUGH 504 SERVICES.

AND SO, YES.

AND SO AS SOON AS THOSE STUDENTS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR HOMEBOUND, THEN WE START SERVING THEM AND WE GET FUNDING FOR THEM THE SAME WAY WE GET IF THEY WERE AT SCHOOL.

SO THAT IS THE OTHER PIECE OF THIS IS WE SHOULDN'T HAVE KIDS EVEN WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, JUST OUT OF SCHOOL FOR, YOU KNOW, MONTHS AT A TIME. WE SHOULD BE THEN LOOKING AT WHAT WE NEED TO DO IN TERMS OF THOSE HOMEBOUND SERVICES, TRYING TO GET THEM BACK IN SCHOOL.

AND, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THOSE, WORKING WITH THOSE FAMILIES.

DO WE HAVE CHILDREN AT THIS TIME WHO HAVE MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS, WHO ARE GOING WHO DO HAVE HOMEBOUND SERVICES? YES, FOR SURE.

DEFINITELY. THANK YOU.

KIM. THANK YOU.

MOLLY. AND THANKS FOR ALL THE PRIOR QUESTIONS.

THEY'VE COVERED A LOT OF WHAT I HAD WRITTEN DOWN.

I FIND THIS FASCINATING TO LEARN ABOUT IT.

BECAUSE I HADN'T FOCUSED ON IT UNTIL THE QUESTION CAME UP RECENTLY.

AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, I HEARD IT ON THE RADIO THIS MORNING.

THERE WAS AN INTERVIEW IN PHILADELPHIA, I THINK, I CAN'T REMEMBER AN URBAN CITY, BUT AND I WENT OUT ON TEA AND I LOOKED AT SOME OF THE STATE TAX INFORMATION ON CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.

AND SO I GUESS THE WHAT I SAW THAT WAS HELPFUL TO US IN THIS COMMUNITY WAS WHILE OUR NUMBERS SCARE ME WHEN I LOOK AT THEM AND THE CHANGES IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, YOU PUT SOME COMPARISON NATIONAL NUMBERS.

BUT WE ALSO LOOK QUITE WELL COMPARED TO STATE NUMBERS AND AREAS OF OUR STATE TO FOLLOW UP. SO I HAVE A COUPLE OF JUST COMMENTS AND THEN AND QUESTIONS FOLLOW UP.

AS DIANE WAS ASKING ABOUT THE SATURDAY SCHOOL, IF WE WERE TO IMPLEMENT THAT, HAVE WE PUT A PRICE TAG OR A COST, OR HAVE WE DONE A COST ANALYSIS ON WHAT THAT MIGHT COST AND HOW IT MIGHT PLAY OUT? WOULD IT BE IN ONE SCHOOL FOR ALL ELEMENTARIES TO ATTEND OR WE HAVEN'T.

WE DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE OVERLY EXPENSIVE TO RUN IT.

WE HAVE THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD PROBABLY BE BEST TO HAVE IT AT ONE SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, AND MAYBE THAT SCHOOL ROTATES AND IT PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE EVERY SATURDAY.

SO WE WOULD BE LOOKING AT A TEACHER TO COME IN AND, YOU KNOW, NO MORE THAN, YOU KNOW, 2 OR 3 HOURS AND, YOU KNOW, ON ANY GIVEN SATURDAY AT ONE SCHOOL. SO I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE VERY EXPENSIVE TO RUN TO RUN THAT.

OKAY, GOOD.

I MEAN, IF IT'S NEEDED, IT'S NEEDED.

RIGHT? I MY THOUGHT WAS WHAT IT MIGHT COST.

YEAH. THEN AS I WAS LOOKING THROUGH THE MATERIALS OVER THE WEEKEND AND THEN LISTENING TO YOUR PRESENTATION AND HOW WE EDUCATE BOTH ADMINISTRATION AND DECISION MAKERS AS WELL AS THE COMMUNITY, WHICH I THINK IT IS GREAT TO GET THIS OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND HAVE THEM UNDERSTAND IT, IN ADDITION TO THE FUNDING IMPLICATIONS, I THINK FOR MYSELF TO UNDERSTAND THE LEARNING IMPLICATIONS OF WHAT IT COSTS TO OUR CHILDREN AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF THEIR EDUCATION JOURNEY TO HAVE MISSED AND TO HAVE TO MAKE UP AND THE ENTIRETY OF THAT IS HUGE, RIGHT? AND I WOULD HOPE THAT AS WE GO OUT TO EDUCATE OUR COMMUNITY, WE'RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT THOSE LEARNING GAPS AND EARNING IMPLICATIONS. THE THIRD POINT, I GUESS, IS I WAS VERY SURPRISED AT THE DISPARITY BETWEEN THE HIGH SCHOOL ABSENTEEISM AND MIDDLE SCHOOL AND ELEMENTARY, WHICH I'LL LUMP TOGETHER.

AND I JUST WONDER HOW MUCH WE KNOW OUR COMMUNITY.

WE KNOW HOW BUSY OUR HIGH SCHOOLERS ARE.

BUT WHEN I LEARNED THAT IT WAS FUNDED AND UNFUNDED, HOW MUCH OF THAT IS SCHOOL ASSOCIATED FIELD TRIPS PROJECTS, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE THINGS THAT ARE GOOD FOR STUDENTS BUT THAT TAKE OUR STUDENTS AWAY FROM THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT.

RIGHT? RIGHT. IS THERE ANY DATA ON, YOU KNOW, WHEN I LOOK AT 22, 23 AND THERE'S 13% ABSENTEEISM, IS THERE A THIRD OF THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH SANCTIONED EVENTS? AND I DON'T HAVE THAT DATA.

IT WOULD BE A LITTLE TRICKY TO DRILL DOWN ON BECAUSE IT'S SO INDIVIDUALIZED.

BUT, YOU KNOW, I CAN TRY TO SEE OR EVEN JUST MAYBE MORE ANECDOTALLY, LIKE KIND OF WHAT THE HIGH SCHOOL SEEING.

[00:45:05]

BUT IT SEEMS OUT OF WHACK RIGHT NOW WITH WHERE WE ARE AND THAT'S A GOOD POINT, BECAUSE PRE-COVID, OUR KIDS HAD JUST AS MANY OPPORTUNITIES AS THEY HAVE RIGHT NOW.

YEAH AS I WAS THINKING THROUGH, THOUGH, AND LOOKING AT THIS LEARNING OPPORTUNITY ABOUT CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM, I WONDERED IF CULTURALLY WITHIN THE HIGH SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT THAT PEOPLE COULD BE NOT JUST OUR STUDENTS, BUT OUR AND OUR PARENTS, BUT OUR TEACHERS COULD BE MORE COGNITIVE OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES THAT TAKE STUDENTS AWAY FROM THE CLASSROOM BEING OPTIONAL AND HAVING THAT AS PART OF OUR CULTURE, SO THAT WHEN WE GET TO THAT POINT, A VERY BUSY STUDENT THAT'S VERY INVOLVED, THAT THEY'RE NOT OUT 30 DAYS A SCHOOL YEAR AND MISSING LEARNING.

THAT'S A GOOD POINT. AND I DO THINK SOME OF OUR STUDENTS, I MEAN, I KNOW SOME OF THEM ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES AND ASK TO NOT SOMETIMES PARTICIPATE IN THINGS IF THAT'S, YOU KNOW, OKAY, BECAUSE THEY ARE FEELING THAT PRESSURE TO BE AT SCHOOL.

SO AND IT'S HARD, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T WANT A 17 YEAR OLD TO HAVE TO MAKE A CHOICE BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, THIS AND THAT, BUT YOU KNOW, IT IS THE REALITY. AND A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF OUR STUDENTS THAT ARE VERY ACTIVE ALSO TAKE A LOT OF AP COURSES.

AND, YOU KNOW, THE CURRICULUM IS RIGOROUS AND IT'S FAST AND, YOU KNOW, IT IS HARD TO MISS.

YES IT IS AND ALL THE GOOD REASONS WHY OUR STUDENTS TAKE EVERYTHING AND TAKE ADVANTAGE.

THEY DO HAVE THIS DOWNSIDE.

ABSOLUTELY. YEAH.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. SURE.

THANK YOU. DR.

ARNETT. MOLLY, CAN YOU CLARIFY THE CORRELATION BETWEEN AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE AND ABSENTEEISM? SO. WELL, YOU TALK ABOUT AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE RATE AND YOU TALK ABOUT CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.

IS THERE A CORRELATION BETWEEN THOSE TWO? SORRY I'M STILL.

I MEAN, SO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE ABSENTEEISM.

OH, I GET IT.

YEAH. I'M SORRY. TOTALLY.

DOES THAT HAVE ON AVERAGE. SORRY, IF THAT WASN'T CLEAR.

NO, I UNDERSTAND, NO.

YEAH. SO YES.

VERY INTERESTING.

YOU CAN HAVE A VERY HIGH ATTENDANCE RATE AND ALSO HAVE A VERY HIGH CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM RATE BECAUSE YOU'RE IT COULD BE DIFFERENT STUDENTS.

SORRY. I'M TOTALLY WITH YOU NOW.

SO FOR INSTANCE, AND IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE A LITTLE CHART, BUT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAD TEN STUDENTS THAT WERE LIKE, YOU HAVE 100 STUDENTS, YOU HAVE TEN STUDENTS THAT WERE ABSENT 17 DAYS.

AND SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT LIKE MAYBE A 90% ATTENDANCE RATE AT 90%.

WELL, THOSE KIDS COULD COME BACK AND THEN YOU COULD HAVE A TOTALLY DIFFERENT GROUP OF 17 KIDS OR TEN KIDS THAT ARE GONE FOR 17 DAYS, AND YOUR ATTENDANCE RATE IS STILL AT 90%. AND SO IT IS REALLY CRITICAL TO NOT JUST LOOK AT OUR OVERALL ATTENDANCE RATE AND THINK THAT WE'RE FINE BECAUSE WE NEED TO DRILL DOWN AND SEE WHO ARE THOSE KIDS AND HOW MANY DAYS ARE CERTAIN KIDS MISSING.

SO YES. SO THERE SO IT YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GOING TO EXPECT PROBABLY THAT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE LIKE ALL THESE DIFFERENT KIDS THAT ARE ABSENT FOR 17 DAYS.

BUT IT DEFINITELY IS NOT JUST LIKE, OH, IF OUR ATTENDANCE RATE WAS 98%, THEN WE DON'T HAVE A CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM PROBLEM.

YOU STILL ABSOLUTELY COULD.

SO THANK YOU.

GOT IT. THANK YOU.

ANY MORE QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? THANK YOU, MOLLY, VERY MUCH.

VERY THOROUGH.

I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME TONIGHT.

OUR NEXT PRESENTER WILL BE CHRIS SCOTT WITH A BUDGET UPDATE.

[7.2 Budget Update]

GOOD EVENING EVERYONE, SO I CAME TO YOU IN JANUARY AND WE STARTED THE WHOLE BUDGET YEAR PROCESS, AND I SHOWED YOU THIS INITIAL PROJECTION. AND IT WAS QUITE SCARY.

AND SHOWING THAT IF WE JUST WENT WITH WHAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT, WHICH WAS A 3% INCREASE IN COMPENSATION AND A DECREASE IN FIVE FTE TOTAL, THAT WE WOULD DROP BELOW THE 25% OF FUND BALANCE THAT WE TRY TO MAINTAIN.

[00:50:06]

AND SO I'VE INCORPORATED A LOT OF THAT.

IN FACT DIANE'S SEEN SOME OF THIS INFORMATION.

AT OUR FINANCE AND PERSONNEL COMMITTEE MEETING.

BUT IT'S CHANGED.

WE'VE HAD AT LEAST 2 OR 3 RELEASES SINCE THEN.

AND SO THINGS HAVE CHANGED A LITTLE BIT.

AND THEY LOOK A LITTLE BIT BETTER THAN THEY DID THEN, BUT THEY STILL DON'T LOOK GREAT FOR ALL THE REASONS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE, WHICH THERE HASN'T BEEN A CHANGE IN THE BASIC ALLOTMENT SINCE 2019.

HERE'S THE BIG CHANGE THAT I WANT TO INCORPORATE.

WELL, THERE'S ACTUALLY A COUPLE OF CHANGES AND I'LL GO THROUGH THROUGH THEM SO THAT RELEASE THAT I SHOWED YOU IN JANUARY DID NOT INCORPORATE THE HOLD HARMLESS THAT WERE A PART OF THE CHANGES TO THE ADDITIONAL COMPRESSION THAT THE LEGISLATURE PASSED IN ONE OF THEIR SPECIAL SESSIONS.

DURING THAT, THEY WILL OFTEN INCLUDE WHAT'S KNOWN AS A HOLD HARMLESS BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT US TO BE HURT BY THE CHANGES THAT THEY'RE MAKING. AND THESE HOLD HARMLESS WERE RELATED TO THAT ADDITIONAL COMPRESSION.

AND THERE ARE ACTUALLY THREE OF THEM.

SO YOU YOU MIGHT THINK, OH, JUST GO AND RUN THE TEMPLATE WITHOUT THE COMPRESSION AND WITHOUT CHANGING YOU KNOW THE TAXES ON YOUR FROZEN TAXES AND THEN RUN IT UNDER THE NEW THING, SUBTRACT ONE FROM THE OTHER.

AND THERE'S YOUR ANSWER.

BUT OF COURSE IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY.

SO THERE ARE THREE SEPARATE HOLD HARMLESS.

ONE OF THEM WAS SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSING THAT, ONE OF THOSE ISSUES THAT I TALKED ABOUT TO YOU, I THINK LAST FALL WHICH WAS THE CHANGES THAT RESULTED FROM THE COMPRESSION OF THE FROZEN TAXES.

NOW I KNOW THAT YOU GUYS ARE AWARE OF THIS, BUT FOR THOSE LISTENING SO ONCE YOU REACH THE AGE OF 65 AND YOU'RE IN YOUR HOMESTEAD, YOU CAN APPLY FOR A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. AND WHAT THAT DOES IS IT FREEZES HOWEVER MUCH SCHOOL TAXES YOU PAID THE YEAR YOU TURNED 65 AND YOU PAY THAT SAME FLAT RATE INDEFINITELY.

HOWEVER, AS YOU KNOW, BACK IN 2019, WHEN HB THREE PASSED THE LEGISLATURE INTRODUCED TAX RATE COMPRESSION.

AND SO DURING THAT TIME, EVEN THOUGH THOSE RATES OR EXCUSE ME, THOSE THAT AMOUNT THAT THEY WERE PAYING STAYED FLAT.

THE TOTAL TAX RATE HAS CONTINUOUSLY DECLINED.

AND SO AS A PART OF THIS LEGISLATION THAT WAS JUST PASSED, THEY SAID WE WANT TO HELP OUT OUR SENIORS WHO HAVE FROZEN TAXES.

AND WE WANT TO INCORPORATE ALL THAT COMPRESSION THAT'S TAKEN PLACE SINCE 2019 TO 2024.

AND SO I THINK OURS IS SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 20 SOMETHING PERCENT.

AND SO WHAT THEY DID WAS THEY JUST WENT AND WHATEVER THE COMPRESSION RATE WAS FROM 2019 TO NOW.

THEY REDUCED THEIR FROZEN TAX RATE BY THAT SAME AMOUNT.

AND WE SAW A PRETTY BIG CUT IN HOW MUCH OUR SENIOR CITIZENS ARE PAYING, AND THAT HAD AN IMPACT.

AND SO ONE OF THE HOLD HARMLESS WAS CALLED THE HOLD HARMLESS FOR THE HOMESTEAD OF ELDERLY OR DISABLED.

AND WHEN WE RUN THAT PARTICULAR PART OF IT CAME OUT TO BE JUST SHORT OF $900,000.

AND THEN THERE WAS ANOTHER HOLD HARMLESS FOR COMPRESSION.

AND SO WHERE THIS IS GOING TO HIT US IS WE'VE BEEN DOING COMPRESSION EVERY YEAR, BUT THERE WAS AN ADDITIONAL COMPRESSION OF A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN $0.10 THIS YEAR.

AND SO FOR MOST DISTRICTS, THIS WON'T MATTER IF YOU ARE A CHAPTER 48 DISTRICT AND YOU'RE RECEIVING STATE AID, IF YOU ARE A CHAPTER 49 DISTRICT, LIKE WE ARE AND WE'RE NOT BEING RECAPTURED.

SO THAT LOSS WAS AN ACTUAL LOSS FOR US.

OR PART OF IT WAS ANYWAY.

AND SO THERE'S A HOLD HARMLESS FOR COMPRESSION AND THAT'S ABOUT ANOTHER HALF $1 MILLION.

AND SO THERE'S A TOTAL OF IT'S JUST SHY OF ABOUT $1.4 MILLION THAT WE QUALIFY FOR IN THESE HOLD HARMLESS.

THERE'S A THIRD ONE WHICH.

I'M NOT SURE HOW YOU WOULD DEFINE IT.

IT'S GOT A WEIRD NAME, AND IT'S CALLED HOLD HARMLESS FOR CERTAIN DISTRICTS IMPACTED BY COMPRESSION.

AND SO. AND THOSE CERTAIN DISTRICTS ARE RECAPTURED DISTRICTS.

AND SO I REALLY EXPECTED THAT WE WOULD BE INCLUDED ON THIS ONE.

[00:55:04]

THAT COULD CHANGE, BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO IMPACT US VERY MUCH.

I FEEL LIKE JUST LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS THAT I'M SEEING NOW I DON'T WANT TO GO TOO TOUCHY FEELY, BUT THEY FEEL ABOUT RIGHT ABOUT WHAT I WOULD WHERE I'D EXPECT THEM TO BE AND THE TRAJECTORY.

SO I THINK THAT WE'RE PROBABLY STILL GOING TO SEE A LITTLE BIT OF CHANGES AS TEA CONTINUES TO COME OUT WITH SOME GUIDANCE ON WHAT THESE ARE GOING TO LOOK LIKE.

BUT I DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE BIG MOVES ANYMORE.

I THINK THIS IS PRETTY CLOSE TO WHERE WE'RE GOING TO END UP.

AND THEN BECAUSE OF OUR DEMOGRAPHER COMING IN, WE ADJUSTED WHAT WE LOOKED LIKE WE WERE GOING TO HAVE ON OUR ENROLLMENT FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS AND A LITTLE BIT HIGHER.

AND SO WE'RE TAKING THAT INTO ACCOUNT.

AND I'VE ALSO MADE A SLIGHT ADJUSTMENT TO OUR PAYROLL COSTS BASED ON PRELIMINARY REPORT THAT WE'RE RECEIVING FROM TASB AND SO THIS IS REALLY NOT SO MUCH HAVING TO DO WITH THE PERCENT THAT YOU'RE, THAT YOU MIGHT END UP GIVING TO OUR STAFF.

BUT THIS HAS TO DO WITH THE LITTLE TWEAKS THAT THEY ALWAYS RECOMMEND TO GET THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES IN THE RIGHT PLACE.

SO LOOKING AT PARTICULAR CATEGORIES OF EMPLOYEES, WE NEED TO ADD A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY HERE.

WE NEED TO ADD A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY THERE.

AND I ALWAYS INCLUDE SOME MONEY IN THE MODEL FOR THAT.

BUT WITH TASB COMING IN IT'S A LITTLE BIT BIGGER THAN WHAT I NORMALLY DO.

SO I ADDED ABOUT $150,000 BEYOND WHAT I'D ALREADY INCLUDED TO TO ACCOUNT FOR TASB RECOMMENDATIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, FROM THE PRELIMINARY REPORT.

SO HERE'S WHERE WE STAND LOOKING AGAIN WITH THOSE SAME ASSUMPTIONS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE.

SO 3% INCREASE ACROSS THE BOARD ON SALARY CHANGES.

AND ALSO A DECREASE IN FIVE FTE.

NOW, WE'VE BEEN WORKING HARD ON THIS FTE REDUCTION, AND WE THINK THAT WE WILL PROBABLY ACTUALLY DO BETTER THAN FIVE.

RIGHT NOW I'M JUST SHOWING FIVE, BUT WE FEEL LIKE FIVE IS WE'RE GOING TO HIT THAT.

NOT A PROBLEM. AND WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO GO BEYOND THAT.

BUT I HESITATE TO ESTIMATE WHERE THAT'S GOING TO BE YET.

SO THERE MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT OF ADDITIONAL SAVINGS THERE ONCE WE FINALLY LET THAT ALL SHAKE OUT.

AND WHEN YOU LOOK ACROSS HERE, YOU SEE GOOD NEWS THAT ROUGHLY $1.4 MILLION BRINGS US TO ROUGHLY A BALANCED BUDGET ON PERFORMANCE FOR THIS YEAR THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW.

AND IF YOU LOOK, WE'VE GOT PRETTY SIGNIFICANT DEFICITS GOING FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS.

AND AGAIN ABSENT SOME SIGNIFICANT INPUT THAT WE MIGHT MAKE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS.

THAT'S NOT GOING TO CHANGE.

ABSENT THE LEGISLATURE COMING IN AND DOING SOMETHING, WHAT IT DOES DO IS IT PUSHES US TO WHERE WE'RE NOT GOING TO EXCEED THAT 25% NEXT YEAR.

WE FEEL PRETTY SAFE THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE GOOD THERE.

IF WE TALK ABOUT LIKE WE DID BEFORE, LET'S DO OUR BEST TO BE EFFICIENT IN THE NEXT YEAR AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS IN 25 AND PLAN ON MAKING BIG CHANGES IF WE HAVE TO IN 25, 26.

I DID ALSO WANT TO SHOW YOU BECAUSE I THINK.

PART OF THAT.

JUST BEING CAUTIOUS MOVING FORWARD OVER THE NEXT YEAR OR SO IS.

3% MIGHT BE ON THE STRONG SIDE FOR WHAT WE FEEL COMFORTABLE DOING.

SO I WENT IN AND SHOWED WHAT A 2% CHANGE WOULD LOOK LIKE.

AND YOU SEE THAT IF WE DO THAT, THEN THAT PUSHES IT OUT.

SO WE'RE THE 25-26 WOULD BE WHEN WE WOULD GO UNDER THE 25%.

BUT JUST BY A LITTLE BIT.

AND I ACTUALLY LOOKED AT IF WE LEFT IT AT TWO, I DIDN'T CREATE A SLIDE FOR THIS.

BUT IF WE LEFT IT AT 2% INCREASE IN 25, 26 AND 26-27 AND WENT ZERO ON 24-25 THAT IT WOULD PUSH THAT 25% THRESHOLD OUT TO THE 26-27 SCHOOL YEAR.

SO WE WOULD WE IT WOULD GIVE US ANOTHER COUPLE OF YEARS YOU KNOW, TO PERHAPS WAIT FOR A 27 LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

NOW I DON'T THINK YOU PROBABLY WANT TO WAIT FOR A 27 LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

AND SO WE HAVE LOOKED AT STARTED LOOKING AT SOME POTENTIAL THINGS THAT WE COULD CONSIDER.

[01:00:01]

IF YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GET READY TO LOOK AT THOSE, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THEM.

BUT THEY'RE UNPLEASANT TO CONSIDER.

AND SO AT THIS POINT I THINK OUR RECOMMENDATION IS LET'S DO ALL THAT WE CAN TO MAKE THE NEXT YEAR NOT PUT US IN TOO BIG OF A HOLE AND THEN REASSESS, PROBABLY THIS TIME NEXT YEAR TO DECIDE WHERE WE WANT TO GO WITH THAT.

AND WITH THAT, I'LL OPEN IT UP FOR ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.

TRUSTEES, ANY QUESTIONS? OH, THEN IT'S MY TIME TO SHINE.

I RECOGNIZE LAURA.

OUR NUMBERS IN THE DECK AREN'T ADDING UP TO THIS.

SO YOU'VE BROUGHT US DIFFERENT NUMBERS.

YOU UPDATED THE DECK.

SO THE PRESENTATION THAT WE SENT YOU LAST FRIDAY WAS SUPERSEDED BY A RELEASE LAST SUNDAY.

OKAY AND SO THESE ARE THE NUMBERS FROM THE MOST RECENT TEMPLATE.

ANY. THAT'S A BIG CHANGE.

YEAH. IT'S BAD.

NO, IT'S. YEAH.

OKAY. SORRY.

YEAH. WHY DON'T YOU GO? SO I'M STILL PROCESSING BECAUSE THEY'RE SO DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE TWO.

SO A COUPLE OF THINGS, CHRIS.

YOU SAID IT AND WE UNDERSTOOD IT.

BUT I WANT TO MAKE IT SURE IT'S CLEAR FOR THOSE WHO ARE LISTENING AND WATCHING THIS, THE VERY BOTTOM LINE HERE, WHERE WE'RE AT 31.4% TODAY, THAT MEANS OUR FUND BALANCE, OUR RAINY DAY, OUR MONEY IN THE BANK CURRENTLY REPRESENTS 31.4.

GO AHEAD. EXPLAIN THAT.

BOTTOM LINE I WOULD LIKE YOU TO COVER.

SO WHEN DO YOU START TO SWEAT? WHEN THAT NUMBER GETS TO WHAT'S YOUR THRESHOLD FOR COMFORT THERE? I WOULD SAY PROBABLY 27, 28 IS KIND OF MY THRESHOLD.

AND I'D LIKE TO EXPLAIN THAT BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE A MISCONCEPTION ABOUT WHAT THE FUND BALANCE IS.

SO A LOT OF PEOPLE CONSIDER IT KIND OF LIKE THE RAINY DAY FUND AT THE STATE LEGISLATURE, WHICH IS ACTUALLY A PILE OF MONEY THAT SITS THERE AND IS NOT USED.

AND THAT'S NOT WHAT THE FUND BALANCE IS.

FOR US, FUND BALANCE IS A SNAPSHOT OF A POINT IN TIME WHERE YOU LOOK AT YOUR ASSETS MINUS YOUR LIABILITIES.

AND THAT DATE FOR US IS THE END OF OUR FISCAL YEAR, WHICH IS JUNE 30TH.

AND SO THAT'S NOT ALL CASH.

BUT A BIG PORTION OF IT IS CASH.

BUT KEEP IN MIND THAT OUR OPERATING EXPENSES FOR THE YEAR ARE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF $90 MILLION IN THE GENERAL FUND.

AND SO THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY, ROUGHLY $30 MILLION, NEEDS TO GET US UNTIL WE CAN REPLENISH THOSE AND WE REPLENISH THOSE WITH TAXES.

AND THOSE START COMING IN MOSTLY IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY.

AND SO THAT $29.1 MILLION THAT WE ANTICIPATE HAVING THIS SUMMER, IN JUNE OF 2024 WE'LL ACTUALLY USE MORE MONEY THAN THAT TO GET US TO WHERE OUR TAXES START COMING IN.

AND SO THAT'S REALLY THE ISSUE IS IF IT WAS JUST MONEY SITTING THERE THAT OH, OKAY, REACH OVER THERE AND GRAB A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY FOR THIS SPECIAL EVENT.

THAT'S ONE THING, BUT THIS IS MONEY THAT WE USE.

AND THAT'S WHY WE START TO GET NERVOUS WHEN IT GETS BELOW A CERTAIN POINT.

BECAUSE IF IT GETS TOO LOW, THEN WE START RUNNING INTO ISSUES, PROBABLY IN NOVEMBER AND THERE ARE WAYS THAT YOU CAN ADDRESS THAT.

BUT IT COSTS MONEY AND IT'S ESSENTIALLY IT'S TAKING IT'S SELLING TAX RECEIPT BONDS.

SO BASICALLY WE GET A SHORT TERM LOAN THAT WE REPAY WHEN OUR TAX RECEIPTS COME IN.

WE'D RATHER REALLY RATHER NOT DO THAT.

AND WE'RE NOT IN DANGER OF DOING THAT RIGHT NOW.

BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S SOMEWHERE DOWN THE LINE.

IT WOULD BE AN ISSUE.

THANK YOU FOR THAT EXPLANATION.

SO WHEN WE SEE 28.3% NEXT YEAR, WE'RE STILL COMFORTABLE.

[01:05:04]

AND SO WE DON'T WANT TO DO THAT, NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE WAY IT LOOKS, ALTHOUGH I WANT TO LOOK GOOD.

BUT ALSO FOR THE EXACT REASON I SAID THAT'S MONEY THAT WE USE AND THAT WE NEED.

SO, OF COURSE, EVERY LINE HERE HAS AN IMPACT ON THAT BOTTOM LINE THE TAX BASE GROWTH, THE 3%.

YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY YOU'RE MODELING WHAT YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH.

WOULD YOU SAY THAT'S KIND OF CONSERVATIVE AT THIS POINT OR PROBABLY VERY REALISTIC OR IT'S GOING TO BE LOW THIS YEAR.

HOW LOW I DON'T KNOW.

AND SO THE ISSUE IS GOING TO BE I THINK WHAT HAS BECOME OF OUR COMMERCIAL PROPERTY.

SO LAST YEAR WE HAD VERY LOW FOR THOSE OF YOU LISTENING AT HOME AGAIN, OUR TAX BASE IS MADE UP OF ABOUT 80% ROOFTOPS AND ABOUT 20% COMMERCIAL.

AND KEEP IN MIND THAT YOUR HOMESTEAD IS LIMITED ON HOW MUCH IT CAN APPRECIATE.

IN A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, WE HAD HUGE APPRECIATIONS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE SAW 50% INCREASES.

AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF ASSESSED VALUE THAT'S NOT TAXABLE YET.

AND SO WE CAN STILL SEE SOME GROWTH IN THE VALUE OF THE HOMESTEADS AND I EXPECT THAT WE PROBABLY WILL SEE A LITTLE BIT, EVEN THOUGH IF YOU LOOK AT ANY OF THE LOCAL REAL ESTATE PROJECTIONS, THAT'S SAYING THAT HOME VALUES IN AUSTIN HAVE LOST VALUE THIS YEAR. BUT IF OUR COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE HAS REGAINED SOME OF ITS LOST VALUE, THEN THAT CAN MAKE UP FOR IT.

I FEEL LIKE 3% IS KIND OF MIDDLE OF THE ROAD.

I WOULDN'T BE SHOCKED IF WE WERE A LITTLE BIT BELOW THAT.

I WOULDN'T BE SHOCKED IF WE WERE ABOVE IT.

I TRIED I'M NOT TRYING TO BE FANCY WITH THIS PROJECTION.

THAT'S ABOUT WHERE I THINK WE'LL BE.

OKAY. AND REAL QUICK ENROLLMENT HERE LOOKS TO ME MORE COMFORTABLE THAN WHAT WE WERE SEEING IN ONE OF OUR CHARTS. SO I'M OKAY WITH THAT, AND I UNDERSTAND.

I SORT OF QUESTION THE REDUCTION IN HEADCOUNT WHEN WE'RE KEEPING STUDENT ENROLLMENT THE SAME, BUT I'M ASSUMING THERE'S SOME EFFICIENCIES FOUND THERE.

WE HAVE PARTICULARLY MOLLY AND LAURIE HAVE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD TO FIND SOME EFFICIENCIES AND SHOUT OUT TO MATT ZEMO AS WELL FOR REALLY HAVING SOME, SOME GOOD IDEAS FOR EFFICIENCIES.

AND AGAIN, IS IT PRETTY SAFE TO SAY THAT THOSE WOULD BE PEOPLE WHO RETIRE OR OTHERWISE LEAVE THE DISTRICT VERSUS HANDING SOMEONE A PINK SLIP AND SAYING, DON'T COME BACK ON MONDAY. WE REALLY CAN'T DO THAT.

WITHOUT GOING THROUGH SOME EXTRA STEPS THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO IT.

SO YES ANY IN REDUCTIONS, WE'RE LOOKING AT OR LOOKING AT JUST BY ATTRITION.

AND SO THAT MEANS THAT SOMETIMES THOSE LOSSES ARE NOT WHERE YOU WANT THEM TO BE.

BUT IF YOU'RE TAKING THE ATTRITION IN THE RIGHT PLACES, THEN YOU CAN PROBABLY MAKE IT WORK.

AND THEN REAL QUICK, ARE WE? HOW HAVE WE BEEN IMPACTED BY INFLATION? I LOOK AT LIKE TEXAS SCHOOL COALITION IS QUOTING ABOUT 19% INFLATION SINCE 2019.

LET ME PUT IT ANOTHER WAY.

ABOUT 19% SINCE THE LAST TIME THE STATE INCREASED OUR FUNDING.

YEAH. I DON'T KNOW ANY PERSON WHO BUYS ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD WHO HASN'T SEEN AN INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT THEY'RE SPENDING.

AND THAT EQUATES TO THE DISTRICT.

AND NOT JUST BY CHOICES WE MAKE TO INCREASE SALARIES, FOR EXAMPLE, WHICH WE WERE ABLE TO DO LAST YEAR.

BUT FUEL FOR OUR VEHICLES, THE MAINTENANCE ON THINGS WE BUY, EVERYTHING IS UP.

AT THE SAME TIME THAT THE STATE HAS DECIDED THAT WE DON'T NEED AN INCREASE IN OUR FUNDING, IS THAT CORRECT? AND WHAT ARE WHAT IS YOUR BACK OF THE ENVELOPE KIND OF ESTIMATE? MY ESTIMATE IS YOU NAILED IT.

EVERYTHING IS MORE EXPENSIVE FROM FOOD TO FUEL TO THE SUPPLIES THAT JEREMY'S CREW HAS TO BUY EVERY DAY TO KEEP THE SCHOOLS RUNNING.

EVERYTHING IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN IT WAS IN 2019.

AND THIS JUST GOES MY CHERRY.

ON THE TOP OF THAT STATEMENT IS THIS IS NOT.

MISMANAGEMENT BY THIS DISTRICT.

THIS IS NOT POOR FORESIGHT BY THIS BOARD.

THIS IS NOT ANY THING OUTSIDE OF OUR LEGISLATURE'S INABILITY TO INCREASE FUNDING FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION IN TEXAS.

[01:10:01]

I THINK YOU DO A TREMENDOUS JOB, AND I'M AND I IF ANYTHING, THESE NUMBERS LOOK AS GOOD AS THEY DO BECAUSE OF YOUR ABILITY TO LOOK OUT AND KEEP US ON A SOUND FINANCIAL FOOTING, AS SOUND AS POSSIBLE, GIVEN THE CHALLENGES THE STATE PUTS US THROUGH.

I WILL NOTE THAT THERE ARE MANY DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE THAT ARE STARTING TO MAKE SOME OF THOSE DRASTIC CHANGES TO THEIR COSTS THAT WE MENTIONED THAT COULD BE ON THE HORIZON.

YEAH, I HOPE WE DON'T FACE THAT.

OKAY. LAURA. DID YOU? I DRONED ON AND ON LONG ENOUGH.

THANK YOU, LAURA. YOU DID.

THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO TO GATHER MY THOUGHTS.

DID YOU HAVE ANOTHER SLIDE THAT SHOWED SORT OF THE ABILITY TO PUSH OUT OUR FUND BALANCE, GETTING THAT LOW IN 26, 27, OR DID YOU JUST TALK ABOUT.

I DIDN'T MAKE THE SLIDE.

BUT THE SCENARIO THAT I MENTIONED WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT WAS A 0% PAY RISE THIS YEAR, FOLLOWED BY 2% FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS. PUSHES THAT THRESHOLD OUT TO 26, 27.

OKAY. AND 26-27 WOULD BE THE FIRST YEAR THAT WE WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE POSITIVELY IMPACTED BY WHAT HAPPENS AT THE STATE LEDGE, CORRECT? WELL, IF THEY 26-27 WELL, 25-26 TYPICALLY IF THEY ADOPT SOMETHING IN MAY OF THE YEAR, THEN IT'LL TAKE EFFECT THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR.

SO 25-26 PROBABLY.

I'M SORRY. SO 25, 26.

OKAY. AND THE 25% FOR OUR FUND BALANCE IMPACTS OUR BOND RATING, CORRECT? YES, BECAUSE IT IMPACTS THE FIRST.

IN FACT THE AS YOU KNOW, S&P MOVED US FROM A DOUBLE A PLUS TO A DOUBLE A ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO.

AND THAT WAS THEIR STATED REASON WAS OUR PERSISTENT BUDGET DEFICITS.

AND I DISAGREED WITH THEIR DECISION AND TOLD THEM WHY, BUT THAT WAS THE REASON.

YES. AND HOW WOULD THAT IMPACT OUR ABILITY TO GO AFTER A TRANSFORMATIVE BOND? IT SHOULDN'T HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON US BECAUSE WE CAN USE THE PERMANENT SCHOOL FUND WRAPPER.

AND SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO.

SO THE PERMANENT SCHOOL FUND IS ESSENTIALLY A BIG POOL OF MONEY, AND IT GETS SOME OF IT GETS DISTRIBUTED TO SCHOOLS ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.

BUT BECAUSE THEY HAVE A BIG POOL OF MONEY, THEY HAVE WHAT'S KNOWN AS THE PERMANENT SCHOOL FUND GUARANTEE.

AND SO WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO GO OUT FOR A BOND ISSUE, YOU APPLY FOR THEIR GUARANTEE AND YOU ARE ALLOWED TO SELL YOUR BONDS WITH THEIR RATING, WHICH IS A TRIPLE A.

AND SO THE BUYERS, THE INVESTORS WHO WILL LOOK AT OUR BONDS, WHICH ARE PRIMARILY BANKS AND INSURANCE COMPANIES AND, YOU KNOW, A FEW MUTUAL FUNDS AND THAT SORT OF THING.

WHO WILL LOOK AT THEY WILL LOOK AT THE UNDERLYING RATING.

BUT WE'RE GOING OUT WITH A TRIPLE-A.

SO THE HOW MUCH THAT DOUBLE A PLUS VERSUS A DOUBLE A IMPACTS, YOU KNOW, THE RATES WERE ABLE TO GET PROBABLY NO MORE THAN A COUPLE OF BASIS POINTS.

TWO HUNDREDTHS OF A PERCENT.

OKAY. ROUGHLY.

SO WE HAVE SOME COMMITTEES AND SOME GROUPS THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING AND LOOKING AT THIS AND FROM ALL DIFFERENT ANGLES, I KNOW THAT YOU ALL HAVE GOT THE FINANCE COMMITTEE.

WE'VE GOT LONG RANGE FACILITY PLANNING THAT CAN DEFINITELY PLAY INTO THIS.

AND WE NEED TO KEEP OUR FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR ON THIS.

THANK YOU, CHRIS.

I'M JUST GOING TO SAY THAT, AS CHRIS MENTIONED, WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME POTENTIAL SCENARIOS THAT WE COULD BRING BACK FOR DISCUSSION WHEN AND IF THE BOARD IS READY FOR THAT.

THOSE WOULD REQUIRE EXTENSIVE PUBLIC REVIEW AND ENGAGEMENT BECAUSE OF WHAT THE IMPLICATIONS MIGHT BE.

[01:15:02]

BUT I APPRECIATE CHRIS SETTING THE STAGE FOR SOME FUTURE CONVERSATIONS.

I'M JUMPING IN WITH ONE MORE THING.

YES, LAURA. CAN WE GET A COPY OF THOSE SLIDES AT SOME POINT? SURE. BECAUSE THOSE THE UPDATED THESE SLIDES, WE DON'T HAVE THESE YET.

RIGHT. YEAH.

[INAUDIBLE] HEATHER.

YEAH. THIS IS NOT MY FAVORITE BUDGET UPDATE.

I MEAN, I'M GLAD THAT WE HAVE.

IT'S BETTER WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE WIGGLE ROOM, BUT IT'S NOT A LOT OF WIGGLE ROOM.

AND SO IT DOES MAKE ME A LITTLE BIT NERVOUS OR A LOT NERVOUS AND SEEING WHAT OTHER DISTRICTS ARE DOING TO TRY TO BALANCE THEIR BUDGETS.

I STILL FEEL VERY LUCKY THAT WE ARE IN THE POSITION THAT WE ARE AS OPPOSED TO SOME OF THESE OTHER PLACES, BUT I DO FEEL LIKE WE MAY I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE IT'S JUST MY PERSONAL PREFERENCE. MAYBE WE'D LIKE TO START THE CONVERSATION SOONER THAN LATER.

BECAUSE I DO KNOW, YOU KNOW, THAT THIS IS GOING TO HURT NO MATTER WHAT.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY COMES ALONGSIDE OF US AND UNDERSTANDS THE IMPLICATIONS AND WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE, I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

AND I WOULD RATHER THERE BE A LONGER LEAD TIME ON THAT RATHER THAN SPRINGING SOMETHING BIG AND NOT FUN ON OUR COMMUNITY.

SO I WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF HAVING THE CONVERSATIONS SOONER THAN LATER.

AND THEN IF WE DON'T HAVE TO DO SOME OF THOSE HORRIBLE THINGS BECAUSE WE ACTUALLY GET SOME RELIEF FROM THE STATE, FANTASTIC.

BUT YOU KNOW, JUST THE TAX BASE GROWTH MAKES ME NERVOUS.

THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF IN THIS THAT MAKES ME NERVOUS.

AND SO I DO THINK THAT WE NEED TO BE OPEN AND VERY TRANSPARENT WITH OUR COMMUNITY SO THAT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING.

I ALSO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT SOME OF THE THINGS WE'RE LOOKING AT IT'S THEY'RE NOT A SWITCH YOU CAN FLIP.

THEY TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF LEAD TIME.

BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS, I APPRECIATE IT.

I APPRECIATE THAT.

WE DO HAVE TO LOOK AT THESE SOME TOUGH DECISIONS, I GET IT.

I WILL SAY THAT AS I THINK HEATHER AND I ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE AT THE DAIS RIGHT NOW WHO HAVE HAD TO VOTE FOR A 0% RAISE FOR STAFF, AND I LOST SLEEP OVER THAT.

YOU KNOW IT WAS ONE OF THE TOUGHEST THINGS I'VE EVER HAD TO DO AS A TRUSTEE.

SO WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT THOSE THINGS, IT'S A HARD SELL FOR ME.

BUT I GET IT. THAT'S WE HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT WE DO.

WE DO THE HARD DECISIONS THAT WE HAVE TO DO AND GOSH, I HOPE IT'S NOT A ZERO, BUT.

LET'S START LOOKING AT WHAT WE NEED TO DO.

AND IT'S NOT A FINAL DECISION.

I MEAN, THE BOARD WILL LOOK AT IT.

I DON'T LIKE THIS FEAST OR FAMINE THING.

I DON'T LIKE THE 5% ONE YEAR TO ZERO TO WHATEVER IT.

I DON'T LIKE THAT I STAND BEHIND OUR DECISION TO DO 5%.

LAST YEAR, THE BUDGET PROJECTIONS WERE MUCH BETTER.

BUT NONETHELESS, WE'LL GET WHAT WE GET FROM YOU.

WILL YOU PROVIDE US? I ALSO THINK WHEN YOU MADE THAT DECISION FOR 5%, WE HAD EVERY INDICATION THAT THE LEGISLATURE WAS GOING TO ACT AND THEY DIDN'T. YEAH, I TOTALLY AGREE.

WILL YOU GIVE US THE SPREADSHEET THAT WE CAN? TWEAK THE NUMBERS A LITTLE BIT.

I'LL GET THAT READY AND GET IT OUT TO YOU BEFORE WE GO ON SPRING BREAK.

OKAY. AND SHOULD ALSO MENTION TOO, THAT ON MARCH THE 26TH, WHICH IS YOUR NEXT MEETING, TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BOARDS AND THEIR COMPENSATION REVIEW WILL BE HERE WITH MRS. LEE AND HER STAFF TO WALK THROUGH WHAT THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS ARE.

SO YOU CAN TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT WHEN YOU CONSIDER COMPENSATION FOR NEXT YEAR.

HEATHER, JUST A FOLLOW UP ON WHAT CHRIS WAS SAYING.

YOU'RE RIGHT. YOU KNOW, WE WENT INTO THIS LAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION WITH, I THINK IT WAS 33 OR $38 BILLION IN SURPLUS.

AND EVEN THE ARTICLE THREE APPROPRIATIONS BUDGETED $10 BILLION OF MONEY THAT COULD FLOW TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS, BUT NO LEGISLATION WAS PASSED TO ALLOW THAT MONEY TO BE APPROPRIATED AND FLOW TO OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

SO UNFORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A BETTER OUTLOOK, BUT THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN.

IT DIDN'T COME THROUGH.

SO I DO APPRECIATE THAT, CHRIS, BECAUSE THAT IS AN IMPORTANT NOTE TO MAKE.

YEAH. AND IT'S NOT LOST ON ME THAT FILLING THIS $2.5 MILLION DEFICIT COMES OUT OF OUR POCKET, AND WE'RE JUST SAVING THE STATE. I MEAN, IF WE MADE THE DECISION TO BE ZERO THERE, THE IMPACT OF THAT WOULD HAVE OUR PARENTS POUNDING ON THE DOORS OF THE CAPITOL AND I THINK WE'RE SEEING THAT IN OTHER DISTRICTS, TOO.

SO, OKAY, I HAVE STOOD ON MY SOAPBOX QUITE A WHILE TONIGHT.

I APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR THOUGHTS FROM THE TRUSTEES? OKAY. THANK YOU, CHRIS, VERY MUCH.

APPRECIATE IT. YEAH.

[01:20:05]

PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF UPCOMING MEETINGS.

[8. UPCOMING MEETINGS]

HAPPY SPRING BREAK IN BETWEEN FOR EVERYONE.

AND THEN A STUDY SESSION ON APRIL 9TH.

AND WITH THAT, WE STAND ADJOURNED AT 8:29.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.