Oct 21, 2025 School Board Regular Meeting

AND ADJOURN. AND THE TIME IS NOW 611.

[1.

CALL TO ORDER

[00:00:08]

[2.

ESTABLISH A QUORUM

AND THANK YOU FOR COMING.

I'M KIM MCMATH, PRESIDENT OF THE EANES ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

AND ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD AND THE ADMINISTRATION, WELCOME TO TONIGHT'S MEETING.

THE PURPOSE OF THE MEETING IS FOR THE BOARD TO DELIBERATE AND VOTE ON MATTERS LISTED ON THE AGENDA. WE'RE COMMITTED TO ENSURING A RESPECTFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE ENVIRONMENT, AND WE ASK FOR THE SAME COURTESY, WHICH I KNOW WE WILL GET.

THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT LATER IN THE MEETING, BUT WE HAVE HAD NO NO COMMUNITY MEMBERS SIGN UP.

WE WILL NOW MOVE INTO OUR MISSION STATEMENT.

AND THE MISSION STATEMENT 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.

WE INSPIRE EACH OTHER TO LEAD PURPOSEFUL LIVES OF EMPATHY, GRATITUDE, AND COMPASSION.

WE ARE NOW GOING TO MOVE TO THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

TYPICALLY, WE HAVE A STUDENT IN THE FORM OF STUDENT COUNCIL OR A SCOUT THAT WILL HELP LEAD US TONIGHT. WE BECAUSE OF CONFLICTS.

WE DO NOT HAVE A STUDENT AND WE WILL GO AHEAD AND SAY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

AS A GROUP, 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.

GREAT. WE ARE NOW GOING TO MOVE INTO THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.

[5.

SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT

IF WE CAN PUT UP THAT FIRST SLIDE, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT AND NEED TO BE SURE.

EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THIS IS HOMECOMING WEEK.

WE HAVE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES THAT ARE PLANNED.

YOU CAN SEE ON THE SLIDE HILL COUNTRY CELEBRATING ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY.

AND THEY HELD A PANEL WITH THE EANES HISTORIC CENTER LAST MONDAY.

THE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION IS HOSTING THEIR LEGENDS LUNCHEON TOMORROW.

IT'S THE FIRST OF HOPEFULLY MANY TO COME.

WILL THERE BE HONORING REMARKABLE COMMUNITY MEMBERS, ALUMNI AND STAFF? AND THEN, OF COURSE, HOMECOMING GAME FESTIVITIES FESTIVITIES ON FRIDAY NIGHT, INCLUDING DREW BREES BEING IN ATTENDANCE FOR HIS JERSEY, WILL BE RETIRED, THE FIRST JERSEY EVER AT WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL TO BE RETIRED. NO FUTURE ATHLETE WILL BE WEARING THAT REMARKABLE JERSEY, SO WE'RE EXCITED THAT HE'S AGREED TO COME.

AND OF COURSE, THEN WE HAVE THE FOOTBALL GAME AND THE VOLLEYBALL GAME HAPPENING THAT THAT EVENING. I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE BAND IN A MINUTE.

OCTOBER IS DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH.

WE ARE HOSTING AN AWARENESS NIGHT THIS THURSDAY AT 530 RIGHT HERE IN CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION BUILDING. PARENTS ARE WELCOME TO COME.

OUR STAFF WILL BE PRESENTING INFORMATION ABOUT DYSLEXIA.

THIS NEXT ONE IS REALLY AN EFFORT TO BE TRANSPARENT WITH OUR COMMUNITY.

IN COMPLIANCE WITH SENATE BILL 13, TEXAS SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE NOW REQUIRED TO PUBLICLY POST A LIST OF PROPOSED LIBRARY BOOKS THAT ARE GOING TO BE PURCHASED AT LEAST 30 DAYS PRIOR TO SCHOOL BOARD ACTION TO APPROVE, MODIFY, OR DENY THE ADDITIONS.

THE BOARD PLANS TO CONSIDER THIS LIST ON 1118, AND IT'S ALREADY BEEN PUBLISHED, SO YOU CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE AND SEE THAT THESE BOOKS HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDED BY CAMPUS LIBRARIANS AND TEACHERS, REVIEWED BY DISTRICT STAFF TO MAKE SURE THEY FIT OUR LEARNING GOALS, ARE AGE APPROPRIATE AND OFFER QUALITY READING CHOICES FOR STUDENTS.

ONCE AGAIN, WE JUST WANT TO BE SURE THAT OUR PUBLIC KNOWS AND UNDERSTANDS THAT WE'RE BEING TRANSPARENT HERE, AND IF THEY WANT TO GO VIEW THAT LIST AND HAVE ANY THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS, CERTAINLY WE'RE MORE THAN WELCOME TO RECEIVE THOSE.

THEN LASTLY, I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE A CHAPP BAND BECAUSE THEY PERFORMED AT THE UIL REGION 32 MARCHING CONTEST LAST WEEK, WHICH IS THE FIRST STOP ON THEIR JOURNEY AT STATE.

AT THIS PARTICULAR LEVEL, IT'S A IT'S A RATING, NOT A RANKING. AND OUR CHAT BAND DID RECEIVE THE HIGHEST RATING AVAILABLE SUPERIOR.

[00:05:03]

NOW THEY WILL BE MARCHING IN THE AREA U.I.L COMPETITION THIS COMING SATURDAY DEPENDING ON HOW THEY PERFORM. AND WE THINK THAT THERE'S A VERY GOOD CHANCE THEY WILL THEN MOVE ON TO THE STATE COMPETITION.

WE'RE EXCITED TO TO SEE HOW THEY DO.

AND BY THE WAY, THIS WAS THEIR 36TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR THAT THEY'VE RECEIVED A SUPERIOR RATING AT THIS PARTICULAR CONTEST.

AND THEN ALSO THEY WENT TO WACO LAST SATURDAY AND TO A BANDS OF AMERICA REGIONAL.

THEY PLACED FOURTH OVERALL AND WON THE VISUAL CAPTION EXTREMELY EXCITING YEAR FOR THE BAND.

THEY'VE PLACED IN THE TOP FOUR AT EVERY BOA REGIONAL COMPETITION THAT THEY'VE ENTERED.

SO WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE THEM PERFORM AT HALFTIME ON FRIDAY EVENING AS WELL.

THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT.

THANK YOU, DOCTOR TRIGG.

DO ANY TRUSTEES HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. WE'LL NOW MOVE TO OUR REPORTS PORTION OF OUR AGENDA.

AND WE HAVE MARIA ROGSTAD, OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE,

[7.1 Report on Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST)]

NO ONE HAS SIGNED UP FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING OR FOR OPEN FORUM.

THANK YOU. MARIA. SO YES, THIS IS A REPORT ON THE FINANCIAL INTEGRITY RATING SYSTEM OF TEXAS.

THIS IS WHY WE CALL IT THE FIRST REPORT.

SO IT'S THE LONG IT'S A LOT OF WORDS THERE.

SO A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON THE RATING SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE.

T IS REQUIRED BY TEXAS EDUCATION CODE TO HAVE SOME SORT OF RATING SYSTEM ON THE FINANCE SIDE, JUST LIKE THEY'RE REQUIRED ON THE CURRICULUM SIDE.

AND SO THEY HAVE WHAT THEY HAVE DEVELOPED IS WHAT IS CALLED THE FIRST, THE FIRST SYSTEM. AND THIS SYSTEM HAS BEEN IN PLACE SINCE 2003.

AND IT'S THIS IT'S A RATING.

IT'S ASSIGNED TO EACH DISTRICT BASED ON INDICATORS THAT THEY'VE COME UP WITH.

AND THEY CHANGE FROM YEAR TO YEAR.

SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FROM ONE YEAR TO THE NEXT.

BUT ULTIMATELY THEIR POINT IS TO DO A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS BASED ON THE LATEST COMPLETED FINANCIAL REPORT.

SO THIS IS A 2025 FIRST REPORT.

IT IS BASED ON DATA FROM THE 2324 FINANCIAL REPORT.

THE RATINGS COME OUT, THE PRELIMINARY RATINGS COME OUT IN THE MONTH OF AUGUST, AND THEN DISTRICTS HAVE 30 DAYS TO APPEAL IF THEY HAVE A REASON TO APPEAL.

AND THEN AFTER THOSE 30 DAYS ARE UP, THEY BECOME FINAL REPORTS.

EVERY YEAR SINCE THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED.

EANES HAS RECEIVED THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE RATING, SIMILAR TO OUR BAND SUPERIOR RATING.

SO THE SO WHAT IS REQUIRED BESIDES THE FACT THAT THERE'S THESE INDICATORS THAT WE GET RATED ON, THERE'S ALSO A COUPLE OF REQUIREMENTS THAT THEY HAVE.

AND ONE IS THAT WE HAVE TO PUBLISH A FIRST REPORT WHICH WE ACTUALLY HAVE PRINTED OUT.

IT'S ON THE BACK TABLE IF ANYBODY WANTS TO PICK ONE UP.

AND THEN WE'LL ALSO HAVE THE FIRST REPORT POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE UNDER THE BUSINESS SERVICES DEPARTMENT. BUT THE REPORT INCLUDES THE OVERALL RATING THAT EANES RECEIVES.

IT INCLUDES THE STATEWIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT RATINGS.

SO IT'S A COMPARISON BETWEEN DIFFERENT DISTRICTS AND HOW MANY FELL WITHIN EACH EACH RATING SCORE? IT INCLUDES THE INDICATOR RESULTS FROM 2025 AND THEN INCLUDES THE RESULTS FROM THE PRIOR YEAR AS WELL.

AND THEN ONCE WE GET THIS POSTED AND INCLUDING THE REPORT THAT'S PRINTED OUT, IT INCLUDES THE VARIOUS NUMBER OF DISCLOSURES THAT ARE REQUIRED.

THE RATING SYSTEM WAS LAST UPDATED, HAD MORE SIGNIFICANT UPDATES IN 2021.

REGARDING SOME CHANGES THAT WERE MADE IN THE COMMISSIONERS RULE FOR SCHOOL FIRST. AND THEN ONE ADDITIONAL INDICATOR WAS ADDED IN 2024.

THE ACCOUNTABILITY STANDARDS ARE NOW MADE UP OF 21 INDICATORS AS COMPARED TO 20 IN THE PRIOR YEAR. THE CRITICAL AND SEALING INDICATORS ADDRESS THE OVERALL COMPETENCY OF THE DISTRICT'S BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND ADHERENCE TO STATE AND FEDERAL MANDATES.

THE INDICATORS ONE, TWO, THREE AND FOUR ARE CRITICAL INDICATORS OF YES NO QUESTIONS. BASICALLY, IF THE ANSWER TO ANY ONE OF THOSE QUESTIONS IS A NO, THEN THE RESULTS IN THE DISTRICT FAILING THE FIRST.

AND THIS INCLUDES THINGS LIKE DID YOU MAKE TIMELY PAYMENTS TO THE IRS, DID YOU MAKE TIMELY PAYMENTS TO TEACHERS? DID YOU RECEIVE? DID YOU FILE YOUR FINANCIAL REPORT ON TIME? AND SO THOSE ARE THE YES NO QUESTIONS.

AND THEN INDICATORS FOUR, FIVE, SIX, 16, 17, 20 AND 21 ARE SEEING INDICATORS, MEANING THAT IF YOU DO NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENT THAT THEY HAVE LISTED, IT CAPS THE SCORE THAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE ON THE

[00:10:05]

IT'S KIND OF A HYBRID. SO IT HAS A YES NO INDICATOR.

AND THEN IF YOU ANSWERED NO THEN IT'S LIKE OH BUT DID YOU DO THIS WITHIN.

DID YOU GET IT CORRECTED WITHIN SO MANY DAYS.

AND IF THAT'S THE CASE THEN IT JUST GETS CAPPED WITH A SCORE RATHER THAN FAILING.

THE REMAINING INDICATORS THAT ARE LISTED ON THE REPORT ARE FINANCIAL RATIOS.

AND THOSE ARE THE THINGS YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU THINK OF A FINANCIAL RATIO.

YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE CURRENT RATIO, THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE THE FUND BALANCE.

AND IT'S JUST DESIGNED TO ASSESS THE OVERALL HEALTH AND THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE DISTRICT. EACH OF THESE INDICATORS HAS A RANGE OF POINTS THAT YOU CAN EARN ON THEM.

SO SEVERAL OF THEM RANGE FROM 0 TO 10.

AND THEN INDICATORS 15 AND 19 RANGE FROM 0 TO 5.

AND SO THE POINTS THAT YOU EARN ON THESE INDICATORS GET SUMMED UP TO GIVE YOU YOUR TOTAL SCORE. THESE WERE INDICATORS THAT WERE ADDED IN 2021.

WE, I SHOWED THIS TO YOU LAST YEAR, BUT JUST BECAUSE THEY WERE PART OF LIKE KIND OF THE LAST BIG CHANGE THAT HAPPENED, I'VE INCLUDED THEM AGAIN.

BUT IT IS, YOU KNOW, THINGS LOOKING AT YOUR CHANGE IN FUND BALANCE, WHETHER YOU'RE MAINTAINING YOUR 25% LOOKING AT YOUR ADA AND COMPARING IT TO WHAT WAS HOW MUCH NUMBERS HAVE CHANGED.

AND THEN THE LAST INDICATOR, THE INDICATOR THAT WAS JUST LAST ADDED WAS INDICATOR 21. AND SO THAT'S THE ONE THAT SAYS THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT RECEIVED AN ADJUSTED REPAYMENT SCHEDULE FOR MORE THAN ONE FISCAL YEAR OF OVERALLOCATION OF FSP FUNDS.

AND SO IN THIS EXAMPLE, THERE ARE INSTANCES WHERE T BECAUSE THERE'S STILL CATCHING UP WITH THE DATA THAT'S BEING SUBMITTED TO THEM, THAT THEY SOMETIMES PAY OUT MORE THAN WHAT THEY SHOULD TO A DISTRICT.

AND SO WHEN THEY COME BACK AND SAY, YOU NEED TO PAY US BACK, IF THE DISTRICT WASN'T ABLE TO PAY THAT BACK, THIS IS WHERE THEY WOULD BE FALLING UNDER. THIS THE RATING SCALE THAT WE USE FOR THE 2025 FIRST RATING IS IT'S YOU EITHER GET A SCORE OF AN A, B, C, OR F, SO A, B, AND C ARE WHAT YOU THINK OF 90 TO 100 IS AN A BELOW A 70 IS AN F AND EANES SCORED A 94, WHICH IS CONSIDERED A SUPERIOR RATING.

COMPARING IT STATEWIDE OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND CHARTER SCHOOLS THAT ARE RATED, THE 862 OUT OF THE 1018 RECEIVED A SUPERIOR RATING.

THAT'S ABOUT 85%. AND ABOUT 20 RECEIVED AN F SCORE ON IT.

SO THAT'S ALMOST 2%. THE RATINGS HAVE ACTUALLY, FOR THE PAST COUPLE YEARS, HAVE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF A DOWNWARD TREND IN THAT THERE'S LESS AS A LITTLE BIT LESS AS AND A LITTLE BIT MORE F'S ON IT.

SO AGAIN, SO AS IN PREVIOUS YEARS, EVERY TIME THAT I'VE BEEN PRESENTING THE, THE FIRST REPORT TO YOU THE ONLY INDICATOR THAT WE HAVE LOST POINTS ON IS INDICATOR EIGHT. AND SO INDICATOR EIGHT IS A MEASURE OF CURRENT ASSETS TO CURRENT LIABILITIES.

AND AGAIN, WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IS CAN YOU COVER THE SHORT TERM DEBT THAT YOU HAVE COMING UP WITH THE SHORT, YOU KNOW, THE SHORT TERM ASSETS THAT YOU HAVE? BECAUSE WE'RE A CHAPTER 49 DISTRICT, IT'S REALLY KIND OF SKEWED BECAUSE WE REACHED OUR AND AND BECAUSE OUR YEAR END IS JUNE 30TH, WE STILL HAVE THAT SIGNIFICANT LIABILITY RELATED TO THE RECAPTURE ON OUR BOOKS.

WE WAIT. WE WE'VE DECIDED, OF COURSE, MAKES MORE SENSE FOR US TO WAIT UNTIL AUGUST TO MAKE THAT PAYMENT. SO WE HOLD ON TO THAT MONEY FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.

BUT BECAUSE OF THAT, IT BRINGS US ON THE FIRST REPORT.

AND SO IN THIS EXAMPLE, FOR AS OF JUNE 2024, THE DISTRICT HAD CURRENT ASSETS OF $227 MILLION AND TOTAL LIABILITIES OF 126,000,090 MILLION. OF THAT, 126 IS RECAPTURE.

AND SO ONCE YOU IF WE WERE TO EXCLUDE BOTH THE LIABILITY AND THE ASSETS THAT CORRESPOND WITH IT, WE ACTUALLY WOULD HAVE RECEIVED A RATIO OF 3.85 ON THIS, WHICH WOULD HAVE ACTUALLY EARNED US A FULL TEN POINTS ON THAT INDICATOR. OR EVEN IF WE HAD JUST PAID THE LIABILITY BY JUNE 30TH, WE AGAIN WOULD HAVE RECEIVED THAT THE FULL POINTS ON IT. BUT WE THINK IT MAKES MORE SENSE TO HOLD ON TO THE MONEY UNTIL WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO GIVE IT AWAY.

AND SO WE ACTUALLY THIS YEAR SCORED A LITTLE BIT HIGHER ON INDICATOR EIGHT.

LAST YEAR WE HAD WE SCORED TWO POINTS HIGHER THIS YEAR.

WE HAD BEEN PRETTY MUCH SINCE I'VE BEEN LOOKING REVIEWING THE REPORT.

IT'S BEEN JUST GRADUALLY GOING DOWN.

AND THIS YEAR IT BUMPED UP A LITTLE BIT.

AND THAT'S THE LAST. THE LAST OF IT.

[00:15:03]

ANY QUESTIONS? JOHN. THANK YOU FOR THE REPORT.

JUST ONE CLARIFYING QUESTION.

SO FOR INDICATOR EIGHT, WHERE WE LOST POINTS, OUR OTHER COMPARABLE DISTRICTS THAT ARE ALSO CHAPTER 49, THEY'RE ALL LOSING POINTS ON THAT ONE AS WELL.

THEY WOULD BE. IT JUST DEPENDS ON HOW SIGNIFICANT THEIR THEIR BALANCE IS COMPARED TO THEIR TO THEIR ASSETS.

I MEAN, I WOULD SAY, I MEAN, WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR OUR TOTAL LIABILITIES AT THAT POINT WERE 126,000,090 MILLION OF IT WAS JUST RECAPTURE.

SO DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ONE OF THE DISTRICTS THAT HAS A BIGGER PERCENTAGE, A BIGGER BURDEN AS FAR AS RECAPTURE IS CONCERNED.

SO, SO BY DEFINITION, THAN ANY DISTRICT THAT HAS A SIMILAR BURDEN TO US WOULD BE LOSING THE SAME AMOUNT.

THEY WOULD LOSE POINTS MORE THAN LIKELY LOSE SOME POINTS ON THAT ON THAT RATIO.

SO IT'S JUST A MATTER OF HOW MANY ALONG THAT.

BECAUSE THAT WHOLE THAT ONE INDICATOR IS A TOTAL OF TEN POINTS.

SO IF YOU LOST TEN POINTS THEN YOU WOULD RECEIVE AN ID ON THE SCORE.

OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU JOHN.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? DIANE.

JUST A QUICK FOLLOW UP ON WHAT JOHN WAS ASKING ABOUT.

HAVE WE I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS, BUT IT JUST SEEMS I HATE IT WHEN THINGS DON'T MAKE SENSE.

IT'S LIKE THE MORE WE TRY TO BE SMART ABOUT OUR MONEY, THE WORSE WE SCORE ON THAT INDICATOR, RIGHT? HAS THERE BEEN ANY EFFORT TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE TO TALK TO T-E-A? TALK TO LEGISLATORS TO CORRECT THIS LITTLE TWEAK IN THE SYSTEM.

IS IT JUST NOT EVEN WORTH THE EFFORT? YOU KNOW, I'M ON THE LEDGE COMMITTEE THIS TIME, SO I'M THINKING WE'LL JUST ADD THIS TO OUR LIST OF THINGS. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT IT. I KNOW IN TERMS OF WHEN I TALKED EARLIER ABOUT THAT WE HAVE 30 DAYS TO APPEAL A RATING.

YOU WOULD YOU WOULD ONLY APPEAL SOMETHING RATING.

THEY WOULD ONLY ACCEPT AN APPEAL. I SHOULD SAY IF IT WAS, IT WAS GOING TO CHANGE FROM LIKE A B TO A.

SO DEFINITELY IF WE EVER REACHED A POINT WHERE IF THAT IF WE LOST ALL THE POINTS THERE AND HAPPENED TO BE DINGED ON ANOTHER RATE, ANOTHER INDICATOR THAT WOULD PUT US AT A B RATING, THEN WE WOULD APPEAL THE RATING AGAIN AND OF COURSE, MAKE THAT ARGUMENT BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, IF WE HAD JUST SIMPLY MADE THE PAYMENT BY THAT POINT, THEN WE WOULD BE WE WOULD HAVE EARNED THE FULL POINTS ON IT.

ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU FOR BEING SMART. IT HAS COME UP IN THE LEGISLATURE IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT TIMES. AND THIS LAST TIME WE WERE, WE THOUGHT IT WAS PROBABLY GOING TO GO THROUGH, BUT IT DIDN'T AT THE LAST MINUTE.

I DON'T THINK ANYBODY REALLY OBJECTS TO IT.

UNFORTUNATELY, IT USUALLY GETS ATTACHED TO SOMETHING THAT DOES GET OBJECTED TO.

SO WE'RE HOPING THAT ONE DAY IT'LL GET ATTACHED TO SOMETHING THAT EVERYBODY'S HAPPY WITH. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, DOCTOR DRAKE.

DOCTOR DRAKE, DID YOU HAVE A COMMENT? I'LL JUST ECHO WHAT CHRIS SAID.

I'M FAMILIAR. FAMILIAR WITH ANOTHER DISTRICT THAT HAD THE SAME ISSUE AND HAS TRIED EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO TALK TO LEGISLATORS AS WELL AS T-E-A, AND HAS NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING THIS CHANGED. JAMES, I'M CURIOUS, DO WE REPORT A 94 AND AN A, OR DO WE JUST IS IT JUST AN A JUST AN A? YEAH. SO YEAH. SO IT'S STILL CONSIDERED THE HIGHEST SCORE.

YEAH. LIKE I SAID IT'S SIMILAR TO THE BAND. IT WAS A SUPERIOR RATING.

SO THAT'S THAT'S WHAT IT'S CONSIDERED WHEN YOU'RE WHETHER YOU'RE A 90 OR 100, YOU'RE CONSIDERED SUPERIOR. SO OUR SCORE IS AN A, OUR GRADE IS AN A RIGHT.

THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS.

ALL RIGHT. CONTINUE THE SUPERIOR WORK.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP IN DOING THAT.

THANK YOU FOR THE NEXT ONE, I THINK.

ALL RIGHT. WE'RE AND AGAIN, AS I SAID, WE ARE REQUIRED BY LAW TO HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING. FOR THE COMMUNITY AT THIS POINT, NO ONE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.

SO WE'RE NOW GOING TO MOVE INTO THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT WITH MARIA ROGSTAD.

[8.1 Monthly Financial Report and Budget Amendment(s) for the Period Ending...]

I'M SORRY. OKAY, I'LL STOP TOUCHING THAT.

OKAY, SO THIS ONE'S JUST ONE PAGE.

SO, OF COURSE, THIS IS THE FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE MONTH ENDING SEPTEMBER 30TH.

A COUPLE THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO POINT OUT IS FOR THE TAX COLLECTIONS, THIS WILL BE THE LAST MONTH THAT YOU SEE UPDATES FOR THE 2024 TAX YEAR BECAUSE OCTOBER STARTS THE NEW TAX YEAR.

AND SO IN OCTOBER, WE'LL BE PRESENTING THE THE 2025 TAX YEAR.

SO, SO THIS IS THE FINAL, BASICALLY FINAL COLLECTIONS REPORT FOR THE

[00:20:05]

AND THEN ALSO, YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT ONE OF THE BOND REPORTS PROGRAMS DROPPED OFF OF THE REPORT, AND THAT WAS FOR THE 2019 LAST, YOU KNOW, LAST MONTH WHEN WE WERE AT WHEN WE CAME IN, OUR AUDITORS CAME IN AND PRESENTED THEIR FINAL REPORT ON THAT 2019 BOND PROGRAM.

AND SO ONCE WE HAVE OUR FINAL AUDIT REPORT DONE, THEN WE DROP IT OFF OF THE THE REPORT, THE MONTHLY REPORTS.

AND SO BUT YOU'LL CONTINUE TO SEE THE 2023.

FOR A WHILE. AND THEN AS FAR AS BUDGET AMENDMENTS ARE CONCERNED, WE HAVE ONLY A BUDGET AMENDMENT FOR THE GENERAL FUND.

AND AGAIN, IT IS ITEMS WERE REQUESTED FROM CAMPUSES AND DEPARTMENTS.

NET EFFECT ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AT THIS POINT ARE ZERO. AND THERE WAS NOT ANY BUDGET AMENDMENTS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEBT SERVICE FUND OR THE CHILD NUTRITION FUND. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU.

ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? DOCTOR TRIGG. I JUST MIGHT MENTION THAT WE ARE GOING TO MOVE TO A QUARTERLY REPORTING SYSTEM. SO MARIA WILL BE HERE FOUR TIMES PER YEAR.

YOU'LL CONTINUE TO GET THE MONTHLY REPORTS AND YOU'LL APPROVE THEM IN YOUR CONSENT AGENDA. BUT IN TERMS OF THE ACTUAL FISCAL REPORTING WERE WERE GOING TO CHANGE THAT SYSTEM UP A LITTLE BIT AND I THINK IT'LL MEET EVERYBODY'S NEEDS.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? I DID HAVE A COMMENT. MARIA.

I KNOW THROUGH THE YEARS I'M ALWAYS LOOKING AT THE TAX COLLECTION, AND YOU'VE EDUCATED US ON HOW WE WILL GO AFTER AND OUR COOPERATIVE WITH TRAVIS COUNTY.

TCAD. DO WE FIND THAT WE WILL EVENTUALLY COLLECT SOME OF THOSE MULTI YEAR DELINQUENT TAX COLLECTIONS, OR DO WE WRITE THEM OFF AT SOME POINT? WE THE WRITE OFFS WORK A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT WITH GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING.

I MEAN WE DO SET UP A KIND OF AN ALLOWANCE FOR UNCOLLECTIBLE.

BUT WE DON'T NECESSARILY WRITE THEM OFF.

THE ONLY TIME THAT THERE WOULD BE SOME SORT OF ADJUSTMENT WOULD BE IF IT CAME FROM THE TAX OFFICE IN TERMS OF SOMEBODY'S BILL CHANGED.

RIGHT. SO THAT SOMETHING, SOMETHING THAT THEY WERE BILLED BEFORE WAS CHANGED BECAUSE OF A DISPUTE.

RIGHT. BUT WE DON'T NECESSARILY WRITE THEM OFF, BUT WE DO CONTINUE COLLECTING ON THEM. I MEAN, I THINK, I THINK THE BALANCES HAVE TO BE PRETTY OLD BEFORE THE TAX OFFICE ACTUALLY DOES WRITE THEM OFF OF THEIR BOOKS.

BUT WE DO. I MEAN, WE'LL CONTINUE COLLECTING.

SO GOOD. IT'S GOOD TO KNOW THAT EVEN LARGELY DELINQUENT TAX COLLECTIONS CAN GET PAID.

GREAT. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MARIA.

THANK YOU. OUR NEXT REPORT IS THE POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS

[8.2 Post-Secondary Pathways Report]

WELCOME TO YOU ALL.

THERE YOU GO. TESTING.

OKAY. ALL RIGHT, YOU GUYS, I'M LISA SAUNDERS.

I'M THE LEAD COUNSELOR AT THE HIGH SCHOOL. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US THIS EVENING.

WE ARE HERE TO PRESENT OUR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS REGARDING THE CLASS OF 2025 THAT JUST GRADUATED THIS LAST MAY.

AM I IN CHARGE OF THE POWERPOINT OR IS SOMEBODY ELSE? SOMEONE ELSE CAN DO IT. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. THANK YOU.

THERE WE GO. THIS IS, LIKE, TOO MUCH MULTITASKING.

OKAY, SO LAST YEAR, WE GRADUATED WITH 716 STUDENTS IN OUR CLASS.

SO OUR TOP 10% CONSISTED OF 71 STUDENTS.

THE REASON THAT THAT TOP 10% IS RELEVANT, CONCERNS.

AUTOMATIC ADMISSION IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, STUDENTS THAT ARE RANKED WITHIN THE TOP 10% OF THEIR GRADUATING CLASS GET AUTOMATICALLY ADMITTED INTO TEXAS PUBLIC COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. WITH THE EXCEPTION, OF COURSE, OF UT AUSTIN FOR LAST YEAR'S GRADUATING CLASS, THEY WERE AT THE TOP 6% FOR AUTOMATIC ADMISSION FOR THIS YEAR'S SENIORS ARE ACTUALLY MOVING TO THE TOP 5%.

FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT, I WILL THROW IN THAT UT AUSTIN THINKS OR PRESENTS THIS AS A GOOD CHANGE BECAUSE IT ALLOWS THEM A LARGER PERCENTAGE OF THEIR FRESHMAN CLASS TO CHOOSE FOR THEMSELVES, VERSUS HAVING TO BE REQUIRED TO SELECT THOSE STUDENTS THAT ARE IN A LARGER PERCENTAGE.

SO IT GIVES THEM A LITTLE BIT MORE FLEXIBILITY ON WHO THEY PICK BY HAND VERSUS

[00:25:01]

OUR CUTOFF GRADE POINT AVERAGE FOR THE TOP 10% WAS APPROXIMATELY 102, AND OUR HIGHEST GPA WAS NEARLY 107.

IT WAS 106.8, A LITTLE BIT ABOVE THAT.

WE HAD 27 NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS IN THE CLASS OF 2025, AND WE HAD A WHOLE LOT OF THEM TAKE AP EXAMS. WE HAD 447 SENIORS, TOOK ALMOST 1600 EXAMS LAST YEAR, WHICH WAS ABOUT 37% OF THE TOTAL EXAMS THAT WE GAVE AT OUR SCHOOL LAST YEAR.

I HEARD THE BACK BUTTON DOESN'T WORK.

OH, YOU DID IT. OKAY, THERE WE GO.

IN TERMS OF OUTCOMES FOR OUR COHORT OF 2025 WE HAD ABOUT 89% SAY THAT THEY WERE GOING TO GO TO A FOUR YEAR SCHOOL, 2% GOING TO A TWO YEAR COLLEGE.

THIS FALLS IN LINE WITH HISTORICAL DATA, WHICH GENERALLY FALLS BETWEEN 89 AND 92% HEADED TO A FOUR YEAR SCHOOL.

1.4% OF OUR STUDENTS WERE HEADED TO THE ADULT TRANSITION SERVICES.

AND THEN WE HAVE SOME THAT ARE DOING VARIOUS OTHER THINGS WHICH MIGHT INCLUDE GOING TO A GAP YEAR ATTENDING COLLEGE IN ANOTHER COUNTRY THAT MAYBE NOT BE ON THE SAME TIMELINE AS SCHOOLS HERE ARE IN THE UNITED STATES.

WE HAVE SEVERAL STUDENTS GOING DIRECTLY INTO THE WORKFORCE, SOME OF THEM IN THE AREAS OF PLUMBING, ROOFING REAL ESTATE INSURANCE SALES, AS WELL AS GOVERNMENT AUCTIONS, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS A LITTLE INTERESTING.

SOME OF THE STUDENTS GOING ON GAP YEARS WANTED TO TRAVEL TO JAPAN, ITALY, THAILAND, AFRICA.

WE HAD A STUDENT GOING TO A BASKETBALL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, AND THEN WE HAVE ONE WHO IS TAKING AN OFF YEAR SO THAT SHE COULD WORK ON A MUSIC ALBUM.

MR. ZEMO. THANK YOU. SO THIS FIRST SLIDE, JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME CONTEXT, IT'S REALLY EXCITING RIGHT NOW IN THE POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION WORLD, JUST BECAUSE THERE'S MORE AND MORE PROGRAMS THAT ARE ACCESSIBLE AND AVAILABLE FOR OUR STUDENTS AND FOR THE FAMILIES OUT THERE, SOME OF OUR FAMILIES HAVE BEEN GOING TO OUR MEETINGS FOR TEN YEARS PLUS.

AND, YOU KNOW, HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS AROUND SCAFFOLDING AND AND REDUCING THE SUPPORTS IN PREPARATION FOR COLLEGE BECAUSE IT TURNS TO MORE AROUND ACCESSIBILITY.

BUT COLLEGES ARE ALSO OFFERING VERY SPECIFIC PROGRAMS WITHIN COLLEGES.

AND SO THIS RESOURCE THAT YOU SEE HERE IS JUST A SNIPPET OF THE FRONT PAGE OF A RESOURCE THAT CARLY ROEBUCK AND KARI DALL'AGLIO ARE WORKING ON AND SHOULD BE PUBLISHED HERE PRETTY SOON.

AND SO THEY'VE BEEN CURATING ALL THE RESOURCES AND PROGRAMS IN AND AROUND TEXAS FOR OUR FAMILIES. AND SO THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE'LL BE SHARING HERE PRETTY SOON. AND AS I MENTIONED I'VE SHARED THIS IN THE PAST.

THESE ARE SOME OF THE MORE UNIQUE PROGRAMS IN TEXAS FOR STUDENTS THAT HAVE COMPLEX ACCESS NEEDS. AND SO STUDENTS WILL WANT TO CONTINUE TO TAKE POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION AND GET THAT COLLEGE LIVING EXPERIENCE.

THERE ARE OPTIONS IN TEXAS.

THERE ARE ALSO PROGRAMS OUT THERE THAT WILL DO WORK TOWARDS A CERTIFICATION AND A KIND OF A TRADE SCHOOL ATMOSPHERE.

WHAT'S UNIQUE ABOUT THESE AND OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE, WHICH WE HAVE ATS STUDENTS ATTENDING THIS YEAR IS IF YOU LOOK AT THE TWO A&M PROGRAMS, TEXAS AND TEXAS STATE.

IF MY MATH WAS CORRECT AND THE RESEARCH THAT I DID WAS WAS ACCURATE, THERE'S ABOUT 60 SLOTS IN ONE CALENDAR YEAR FOR ALL FOUR OF THOSE PROGRAMS COMBINED.

SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT STUDENTS AT WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL THAT ARE COMPETITIVELY TRYING TO GET INTO AN IVY LEAGUE OR UT OR SOME OF THOSE OTHER PROGRAMS, WELL, YOU'RE BEHIND US BECAUSE WE'RE OUR KIDS ARE WORKING REALLY HARD AND OUR FAMILIES ARE ARE SEEKING SOME INNOVATIVE PATHWAYS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION.

AND IT'S REALLY COMMENDABLE TO THE FAMILIES, THE STUDENTS AND THE STAFF.

AND SO THESE ARE GREAT PROGRAMS AND SOME OF THE WAYS THAT ATS WILL SUPPORT THESE PROGRAMS IS THEY'LL BE WORKING WITH THE STUDENTS AND THE FAMILIES ON THE APPLICATION PROCESS, DOING MOCK INTERVIEWS, BUILDING ON THOSE INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS, BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY THE NUMBER ONE SKILL THAT THESE COLLEGES ARE LOOKING FOR.

CAN YOU, YOU KNOW, SLEEP IN A DORM ROOM? CAN YOU GET UP, YOU KNOW, WITH AN ALARM? CAN YOU TAKE YOUR OWN MEDICATION? THESE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT OUTSIDE OF JUST THE OVERALL COLLEGE EXPERIENCE THAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR AS WELL.

AND THEN THIS DATA THAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE OVER THE NEXT TWO SLIDES IS COMING FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS. T IN INDICATOR 14 HIRES A OUTSIDE CONSULTING FIRM OR OUTSIDE FIRM THAT DOES ALL OF THE RESEARCH BEHIND GATHERING THIS INFORMATION.

AND SO WE PARTNER WITH THEM IN SUPPORTING CONTACT INFORMATION AND OTHER INFORMATION

[00:30:05]

AND SO THIS FIRST SLIDE IS IS PRETTY JUST STANDS AS IS IT REALLY DOCUMENTS HOW MANY STUDENTS AND WHAT PERCENTAGE OF KIDS ARE ACCESSING THE OFFICE OF DISABILITY SERVICES WHEN THEY LEAVE WESTLAKE OR ETS TO GO TO THAT FOUR YEAR INSTITUTION? AND FOR VARIOUS REASONS, WE'VE, YOU KNOW, INTERVIEWED KIDS IN THE PAST AROUND DO YOU OR DON'T YOU? AND IT REALLY COMES BACK TO WHERE ARE THEY LEAVING AT WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL.

AND HOW DO THEY FEEL ABOUT THEIR SUPPORTS AND NEEDS WHEN THEY GO TO A FOUR YEAR COLLEGE? AND I THINK NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER STUDENT AT WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL. THEY FEEL PRETTY PREPARED WHEN THEY GO TO A FOUR YEAR INSTITUTION, AND SO THAT SUPPORTS THAT. THEY MAY HAVE ACCESSED AT WESTLAKE.

THEY MAY NOT NEED THAT AS MUCH OR THEY FEEL MORE CONFIDENT.

WE ALSO DO A REALLY GOOD JOB OF, DURING THE JUNIOR AND SENIOR YEAR ART PROCESS OF TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THIS AND WHAT THIS WILL LOOK LIKE.

IT'S NOT YOU COMING TO AN ART MEETING WITH YOUR PARENTS AND, YOU KNOW, ADVOCATING FOR YOUR NEEDS. IT'S YOU SPEAKING ON YOUR BEHALF WITHOUT YOUR PARENTS AND ADVOCATING FOR YOUR SUPPORTS.

AND THEN THIS LAST SLIDE.

THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION, A LOT OF DATA IN.

BUT I'LL DISTILL IT DOWN TO A COUPLE NUMBERS HERE.

SO THIS REALLY TALKS ABOUT DATA ACROSS EANES REGION 13 AND THE STATE OF TEXAS.

AND SO IF YOU WERE TO LOOK A LITTLE BIT CLOSER AROUND PART A AROUND HIGHER EDUCATION, YOU WOULD SEE THAT EANES, AS IT'S REPORTED BY THE STATE OF TEXAS USING THEIR OUTSIDE FIRM WHEN THEY CONTACT FAMILIES.

WE HAVE ABOUT A 30% HIGHER RATE THAN REGION 13.

AND THE STATE AS IT RELATES TO KIDS ACCESSING HIGHER EDUCATION.

AND THEN WHEN YOU ADD IN COMPETITIVELY IMPORTED EMPLOYMENT, IT'S 10% HIGHER. AND SO JUST THAT'S A TESTAMENT TO, AGAIN, ALL THE HARD WORK THAT THE FAMILIES HAVE HAVE DONE WITH THEIR THEIR SON OR DAUGHTER AND THEN ALSO THE STAFF.

AND SO IT'S ALWAYS NEAT TO TO SEE THIS INFORMATION BECAUSE IT'S PRETTY CONSISTENT REPORTING OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.

OKAY. SO LOOKING AGAIN AT THE CLASS OF 2025 AND THEIR COLLEGE DECISIONS FROM LAST YEAR, THIS IS THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS BANNER THAT THE SENIORS SIGN IN THE END OF APRIL, THE BEGINNING OF MAY OF THEIR SENIOR YEAR TO INDICATE WHERE THEY INTEND TO GO TO SCHOOL.

WE DO ALSO HAVE REPRESENTATION UP THERE FOR GAP YEARS IN THE MILITARY, AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND THE OTHER ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS BESIDES GOING TO COLLEGE LAST YEAR, STUDENTS ARE ATTENDING 175 DIFFERENT COLLEGES, WHICH IS JUST A FEW MORE THAN THE CLASS BEFORE.

AND THEN ON THE NEXT SLIDE, WE HAD JUST UNDER HALF OF OUR STUDENTS STAY IN TEXAS. SO A FEW MORE THAN HALF LEFT THIS STATE.

WE ARE REPRESENTED IN 38 DIFFERENT STATES AND FIVE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES BESIDES THE US.

THAT INCLUDES CANADA, ENGLAND, FRANCE, SCOTLAND AND SPAIN.

AND THEN WE HAVE 95 STUDENTS FROM LAST YEAR'S CLASS ATTENDING A COLLEGE THAT NO ONE ELSE FROM THEIR GRADUATING CLASS IS ATTENDING.

I'D LIKE TO POINT THAT OUT AND TALK ABOUT THE INDEPENDENCE AND THE COURAGE THAT IT TAKES FOR THOSE KIDS TO DO THAT, TO GO SOMEWHERE BY THEMSELVES WITH NO ONE ELSE FROM THEIR HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDING. AND THEN ALSO THE REPRESENTATION IN THE DIFFERENT STATES AND THE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. LIKE, HOW MUCH COURAGE DOES IT TAKE TO GO MORE THAN A DRIVE AWAY FROM HOME? YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT SPEAKS A LOT FOR FOR OUR KIDS ABILITIES AND INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS. IF WE COULD LOOK AT THE NEXT SLIDE, THIS IS GOING TO SHOW THE TOP 20 COLLEGES THAT OUR STUDENTS APPLIED TO.

THE NUMBERS IN PARENTHESES INDICATE MOVEMENT IN THE LIST, NOT NECESSARILY THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY.

SO THIS IS WHETHER OR NOT THE COLLEGE WENT UP OR DOWN THE LIST.

THE BIGGEST JUMPS THIS YEAR WERE OU AND THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA.

NEW SCHOOLS IN THE TOP 20 ARE OU YOU? VIRGINIA PERDUE. UNC AND GEORGIA TECH.

AND THEN SCHOOLS THAT FALL OUT INCLUDE ALABAMA, SMU, WASHINGTON, RICE AND USC.

I WILL POINT OUT THAT WHEN WE GET INTO THOSE COLLEGES AROUND NUMBER 20, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE OF JUST A HANDFUL OF KIDS. SO YOU'LL SEE THESE SCHOOLS FALL OFF THE LIST AND JUMP BACK ON THE LIST YEAR AFTER YEAR, JUST BECAUSE IT REALLY IS CLOSE.

IN TERMS OF NUMBERS. I DID HAVE A CHANCE TODAY AT OUR COLLEGE FAIR TO SPEAK WITH THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT KNOXVILLE, AND I KIND OF ASKED HIM, WE'VE SEEN THAT SCHOOL HAS MADE TREMENDOUS STRIDES IN OUR POPULATION RECENTLY. AND I KIND OF WANTED TO GET HIS INSIGHT AS TO WHY THAT MIGHT BE.

AND HE OFFERED A FEW SUGGESTIONS.

ONE IS THAT HE FEELS LIKE THERE'S A LARGE ALUMNI BASE OF UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE GRADUATES HERE IN THE AUSTIN AREA.

HE SAID TODAY AT THE COLLEGE FAIR, HE'D HAD FOUR STUDENTS COME APPROACH HIM WHOSE PARENTS HAD GRADUATED FROM THAT SCHOOL.

SO I THOUGHT THAT WAS INTERESTING. HE ALSO POINTED OUT THE CONNECTION WITH THE MANNING FAMILY, BECAUSE WE HAVE ARCHIE MANNING AT UT AUSTIN, AND PEYTON WENT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE. I DON'T KNOW IF IF KIDS ARE

[00:35:01]

AND THEN HE ALSO TALKED ABOUT HOW UT-AUSTIN IS NOW IN THE SEC, AND THAT MIGHT JUST BE BRINGING MORE ATTENTION TO SEC SCHOOLS IN GENERAL.

FOR OUR STUDENTS. AND THEN ON THE NEXT SLIDE, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE TOP 20 COLLEGES BY THE NUMBER OF ADMITTED STUDENTS.

SO THIS IS WHERE OUR STUDENTS ARE GETTING IN.

NEW ON THIS SLIDE. WE HAD MORE STUDENTS APPLYING TO ACC THIS YEAR.

AND THEN THE OTHER SCHOOL THAT'S NEW ON THE CHART THIS YEAR IS INDIANA.

AND THE TWO SCHOOLS THAT FELL OUT WERE LSU AND ARIZONA STATE.

THE NEXT SLIDE TALKS ABOUT THE TOP 20 COLLEGES OUR STUDENTS ACTUALLY ATTENDED.

SO THE BIGGEST JUMPS ON HERE ARE OKLAHOMA AND THE COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES.

NEW SCHOOLS ON THE CHART ARE O.U.

BLINN, THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, THE COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES AND AUBURN.

AND SCHOOLS THAT FELL OFF THIS YEAR ARE ARIZONA STATE, UT, DALLAS, COLORADO STATE, LSU AND SMU.

I DO ALSO WANT TO OH, I GUESS IT'S ON THE NEXT SLIDE.

IF WE LOOK AT THE TOP 20 SCHOOLS IN TEXAS THAT OUR KIDS ARE ATTENDING YOU'LL SEE, NUMBER TEN IS NOW BLINN.

LAST YEAR IT WAS SMU. THIS IS A DIFFERENCE OF ONE STUDENT.

SO AGAIN, WHEN WE GET DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST, IT'S REALLY, REALLY CLOSE BETWEEN THOSE SCHOOLS. AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS STILL OFFERING THIS TUITION FREE PILOT PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS.

IF YOU ENROLL AT A FULL TIME DIRECTLY OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL, YOU CAN GET FREE TUITION THERE AS LONG AS YOU LIVE WITHIN THEIR ATTENDANCE ZONE.

TAXING DISTRICT. SO WE HAD 33 STUDENTS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT PROGRAM THIS YEAR.

LAST YEAR WE HAD ABOUT 44.

THAT PROGRAM IS A FIVE YEAR PROGRAM, SO IT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE CLASS OF 2028, AT LEAST AS A PILOT.

THE THE NEXT SLIDE SHOWS OUR NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS FROM LAST YEAR'S CLASS AND THE SCHOOLS THAT THEY ATTENDED.

THE NUMBERS IN PARENTHESES HERE INDICATE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT ARE ATTENDING EACH COLLEGE. IF IT'S MORE THAN ONE, I LOVE THIS SLIDE.

I THINK IT I MEAN, THOSE ARE SOME PRETTY STRONG SCHOOLS UP THERE FOR OUR SEMIFINALISTS. AND THEN THE NEXT SLIDE IS LOOKING AT THE HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGES.

THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST, BUT WE GENERALLY DEFINE THIS AS SCHOOLS THAT HAVE A LOWER THAN 10% ACCEPTANCE RATE.

WE HAVE COMPARED THIS.

WE'VE USED THE SAME LIST YEAR AFTER YEAR SO THAT WE CAN COMPARE LONGITUDINAL DATA IF WE EVER WANTED TO. I DID NOTICE WHEN ANALYZING THIS DATA THAT YOU'LL SEE THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS FOR THESE SCHOOLS WAS MUCH LOWER THIS YEAR THAN IT WAS THE YEAR BEFORE.

SO THE NUMBERS IN PARENTHESES ARE FROM LAST YEAR'S CLASS OR SORRY, I GUESS TWO YEARS AGO.

SO THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT APPLIED IS MUCH SMALLER, BUT THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ATTENDING IS ACTUALLY ONE LARGER.

SO I THINK OUR KIDS MIGHT BE IN THIS CLASS MAY HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BIT MORE SELECTIVE OR CAREFUL ABOUT WHICH SCHOOLS THEY WERE APPLYING TO. THE OTHER INTERESTING DATA POINT THAT I NOTICED HERE IS IF YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF ADMITTED VERSUS THE NUMBER ATTENDING FOR THIS YEAR'S OR FOR THE CLASS OF 2025.

SO OUTSIDE OF THE PARENTHESES, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT A LOT OF THEM ARE THE SAME WHICH INDICATES THAT THESE ARE INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS.

IT'S NOT THE SAME STUDENT APPLYING AND BEING ADMITTED TO ALL THESE SCHOOLS AND SHOWING UP OVER AND OVER IN THE DATA, BUT BECAUSE THEY'RE ACTUALLY ATTENDING THOSE SCHOOLS, WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE DIFFERENT STUDENTS BECAUSE THEY CAN'T BE ATTENDING MORE THAN ONE SCHOOL. AND THEN IF WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE HERE, WE'RE LOOKING AT TEXAS A&M AND THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN.

AND THIS THE PURPOSE OF THIS SLIDE IS TO POINT OUT THAT THESE TWO SCHOOLS DO CHOOSE MANY OF OUR STUDENTS THAT FALL OUTSIDE OF THE AUTOMATIC ADMISSION RULES.

SO IF YOU LOOK AT TEXAS A&M, WE HAD 22% OF OUR APPLICANTS WERE ADMITTED AUTOMATICALLY. 78% OF THEM WERE, I SHOULDN'T SAY APPLICANTS.

I SHOULD SAY ACCEPTANCES. SORRY, 22% OF THE STUDENTS THAT WERE ACCEPTED WERE ACCEPTED BASED ON AUTOMATIC ADMISSIONS.

THE OTHER 78% WERE BASED ON HOLISTIC REVIEW.

SO THEY ARE ACCEPTING A LOT OF OUR STUDENTS THAT AREN'T WITHIN THAT TOP 10%.

AT UT AUSTIN, I WILL POINT OUT THIS IS A TYPO.

THIS SHOULD BE THE TOP 6% FOR LAST YEAR'S CLASS.

STILL, THE TOP 5% DOESN'T TAKE EFFECT UNTIL THIS YEAR'S CLASS.

BUT WE HAD 12.4% GET ADMITTED THROUGH AUTOMATIC ADMISSION, AND THE REMAINDER OF OUR ACCEPTANCES WERE FROM HOLISTIC REVIEW.

SO AGAIN, THEY DO ACCEPT MANY OF OUR STUDENTS WITHOUT BEING IN THAT AUTOMATIC ADMISSION RANGE. AND THEN THE NEXT SLIDE TALKS ABOUT A SAMPLING OF OTHER COLLEGES THAT WERE ATTENDED. THESE ARE JUST RANDOM COLLEGES THAT I THOUGHT WERE KIND OF INTERESTING THAT I WANTED TO POINT OUT. THE PRATT INSTITUTE IS AN ART SCHOOL.

[00:40:01]

THE GEORGIA MILITARY COLLEGE IS MORE OF A COMMUNITY COLLEGE TYPE SITUATION THAT PREPARES STUDENTS FOR THE MILITARY.

THEY HAVE A FOCUS ON DISCIPLINE AND CHARACTER AND LEADERSHIP. AND THE STUDENT THAT WENT THERE WAS HOPING TO GO TO THE AIR FORCE AFTERWARDS.

AND THEN IHI UNIVERSITY IS A UNIVERSITY IN SPAIN THAT'S FOCUSED ON GLOBAL BUSINESS.

THE NEXT SLIDE TALKS ABOUT A FEW TRENDS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS.

THERE ARE THERE CONTINUE TO BE MORE SCHOOLS JOINING THE COMMON APP.

AND THE COMMON APP ITSELF SAW A 5% INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS THAT STUDENTS SUBMITTED AND A 2% INCREASE PER STUDENT.

SO STUDENTS ARE CONTINUING TO APPLY TO MORE AND MORE SCHOOLS TO GET.

IT'S EASIER TO DO THAT THROUGH THE COMMON APP. THEY CAN APPLY TO MULTIPLE SCHOOLS WITH MUCH MORE EASE THAN IT WAS WHEN I WENT TO COLLEGE.

THE ULTRA SELECTIVE SCHOOLS DID REPORT INCREASED SELECTIVITY, BUT THE MAJORITY OF INSTITUTIONS ARE ACCEPTING MORE AND MORE STUDENTS.

SO REDUCED SELECTIVITY AMONGST THE MAJORITY OF INSTITUTIONS, THEY ARE STILL ACCEPTING THE MAJORITY OF THEIR APPLICATIONS.

SO SOMETIMES I THINK KIDS HERE, LIKE IN THE NEWS AND IN THE MEDIA AND AROUND SCHOOL, THAT IT MIGHT BE REALLY HARD TO GET INTO COLLEGE. AND, AND WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THOSE HIGHLY SELECTIVE SCHOOLS, YES, IT IS REALLY HARD, BUT THERE ARE PLENTY OF SCHOOLS OUT THERE THAT ARE STILL ACCEPTING MANY, MANY STUDENTS. THAT CAN BE OPTIONS FOR OUR STUDENTS AS WELL.

THERE IS STILL AN EMPHASIS ON REMOVING BARRIERS AND MEETING STUDENTS WHERE THEY ARE IN TERMS OF ACCESS AND AFFORDABILITY.

ONE NEW PROGRAM THAT LAUNCHED THIS LAST YEAR WAS CALLED DIRECT ADMISSION.

THIS IS WHERE STUDENTS CAN SUBMIT AN ACADEMIC PROFILE TO A COLLEGE AND GET AN INSTANT ANSWER ON WHETHER OR NOT THEY WOULD BE ADMITTED WITHOUT HAVING TO GO THROUGH THE ENTIRE APPLICATION PROCESS.

THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT I'M AWARE OF THAT OFFER DIRECT ADMISSION. ONE IS THROUGH COMMON APP AND ONE IS THROUGH APPLIED TEXAS.

SO THAT IS YOUR TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

AND THEN IF THE STUDENT GETS ACCEPTED THROUGH DIRECT ADMISSION, THEY WOULD NEED TO GO AHEAD AND GO THROUGH THE REGULAR APPLICATION PROCESS. BUT KIND OF KNOWING THAT THEY'VE GOT THAT ADMISSION IN THEIR POCKET ALREADY, IF THEY DON'T GET ACCEPTED THROUGH DIRECT ADMISSION, THEY STILL CAN APPLY THROUGH THE REGULAR ADMISSIONS CYCLE AND SEE IF THEY CAN GET IN OR NOT COMPARED TO THE OTHER STUDENTS THAT ARE APPLYING. THERE'S ALSO FREE APPLICATION WEEK IN TEXAS.

THIS IS IN OCTOBER. THERE ARE OTHER SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT OFFER TIME SPANS WHERE STUDENTS CAN APPLY FOR FREE, BUT THEY AREN'T NECESSARILY ALL DURING THE SAME WEEK, UNFORTUNATELY.

SO IT'S KIND OF HARD TO KEEP TRACK OF WHAT SCHOOLS ARE FREE WHEN.

BUT THE STATE OF TEXAS DOES HAVE A SINGLE WEEK WHERE STUDENTS CAN APPLY FOR FREE.

THE NEXT SLIDE TALKS MORE ABOUT TESTING.

WE KNOW THAT WHEN COVID CAME AROUND, A LOT OF SCHOOLS STOPPED REQUIRING THE SAT AND ACT AND WENT INTO A MORE HOLISTIC REVIEW PROCESS.

WHEN REVIEWING THEIR APPLICATIONS, A LOT OF SCHOOLS ARE STILL DOING THAT. THEY THEY LIKED GETTING TO KNOW THE STUDENTS BETTER VERSUS JUST LOOKING AT THE DATA ON THEIR TEST SCORES AND THEIR GPAS.

SOME INTERESTING DATA THAT I THINK OUR COMMUNITY WOULD BE SHOCKED TO HEAR IS THAT OF THE SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES THAT ARE IN THE COMMON APP, ONLY 5% OF THEM ARE CURRENTLY REQUIRING TEST SCORES.

SO THAT IS REALLY NOT VERY MANY SCHOOLS.

UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN STUDENTS TALK ABOUT SHOULD I TEST OR SHOULD I NOT TEST? THE ANSWER IS STILL YES, BECAUSE IT DEPENDS ON WHAT SCHOOL YOU'RE GOING TO APPLY TO. AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE TO KEEP YOUR OPTIONS OPEN.

ADDITIONALLY, SOME SCHOOLS THAT MAY NOT REQUIRE A TEST FOR ADMISSIONS ARE STILL GOING TO REQUIRE A TEST FOR SCHOLARSHIP CONSIDERATION.

SO IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THOSE KIDS HAVE A TEST IN THEIR POCKET THAT THEY CAN SUBMIT IF THEY WANT TO. ABOUT HALF OF THE APPLICANTS ARE STILL SUBMITTING SCORES.

AND OF COURSE, IT'S HIGHER IN MORE AFFLUENT AREAS WHERE STUDENTS CAN PUT MORE TIME INTO TEST PREP AND THEN MORE SUBMISSIONS AT THOSE HIGHLY SELECTIVE SCHOOLS.

AND THEN IN A SURVEY DONE BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE ADMISSIONS COUNSELORS, IT SAYS ONLY 4.9% OF THE SCHOOLS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE SURVEY CONSIDER THE SCORES TO BE OF CONSIDERABLE IMPORTANCE.

SO I DO THINK THERE'S A LOT OF EMPHASIS ON TEST SCORES, AND I HAVE TO GET THE HIGHEST SCORE. I SEE KIDS TAKING THE SAT AND ACT LIKE MORE THAN FIVE TIMES SOMETIMES. AND IT'S JUST LIKE YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE LOOKING AT MUCH MORE THAN JUST YOUR TEST SCORE. AND THERE IS A LARGE FOCUS ON THEIR TRANSCRIPT.

WHAT CLASSES DID YOU TAKE? DID YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WERE AVAILABLE TO YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL, AND DID YOU DO WELL IN THOSE CLASSES? WE DO HAVE ON THE NEXT SLIDE, WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF OPTIONS IN OUR DISTRICT FOR STUDENTS TO EARN COLLEGE CREDIT WHILE THEY'RE IN HIGH SCHOOL. THE FIRST ONE IS OUR DUAL CREDIT PROGRAM THROUGH AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE.

MOST OF THESE COURSES ARE TAKEN DURING THE SUMMER.

AND THESE CREDITS ARE ACCEPTED ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS AT PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

IF STUDENTS DECIDE TO GO TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL OR TO AN OUT OF STATE SCHOOL,

[00:45:01]

THE ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAM IS A NATIONWIDE PROGRAM.

IT'S ACTUALLY INTERNATIONAL. BUT IT IS BECAUSE OF THAT, IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE WELL KNOWN THAN AN ACC CREDIT.

SO COLLEGES CAN REQUIRE A CERTAIN TEST SCORE ON THE AP EXAM AND DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THEY'D LIKE TO GIVE CREDIT FOR THAT TEST SCORE AND HOW MUCH CREDIT THEY WOULD LIKE TO GIVE IN THAT SUBJECT. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO AGAIN, GOING BACK TO DUAL CREDIT, THIS IS WHERE STUDENTS CAN EARN BOTH HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE CREDIT SIMULTANEOUSLY.

THIS IS THROUGH ACC MOST OF THE COURSES THAT STUDENTS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS IN ARE IN SOCIAL STUDIES COURSES, FINE ARTS, HEALTH, AND OCCASIONALLY A WORLD LANGUAGE CLASS. MOST OF THESE STUDENTS DO THAT DURING THE SUMMER.

AND THIS PAST SUMMER, WE HAD 75 STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN ACC CLASSES AND TAKE 145 DIFFERENT COURSES.

AND THEN ON THE NEXT SLIDE.

DO YOU WANT TO PICK UP HERE? I THINK I MAY BE OVER DID MINE.

SORRY. IF YOU WANT TO GO YOU CAN GO.

I'LL ADD TO IT. I'LL ADD MY COMMENTARY.

GO AHEAD LISA. OH, OKAY.

YOU SEE THAT? ALL RIGHT.

LOOKING AT AP EXAMS, WE HAD 1656 STUDENTS LAST YEAR.

TAKE OVER 4300 EXAMS. ALMOST ALL OF THEM EARNED A THREE OR HIGHER ON AT LEAST ONE EXAM LAST YEAR. AND OF THE 2025 COHORT, 73% OF THOSE STUDENTS AT SOME POINT THROUGHOUT HIGH SCHOOL ENDED UP WITH A POTENTIAL TO HAVE COLLEGE CREDIT COMPLETED BY THE TIME THEY LEFT HIGH SCHOOL.

AND ONE THING I'D ADD TO THAT SLIDE AS WELL IS THAT WAS ALL TIME HIGH NUMBER OF AP TESTS WE'VE GIVEN AT WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL.

BUT I THINK ONE THING THAT WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THAT WE ARE A COMPLETELY OPEN ENROLLMENT AP BUILDING. SO ANY STUDENT AT ANY TIME, UNLESS THERE'S SOME VERY FEW PREREQUISITES YOU NEED TO TAKE, ANY STUDENT CAN TAKE AN AP CLASS AT WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL, AND WE SERVE ALL STUDENTS AT ALL EDUCATION LEVELS AT WESTLAKE.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE TAKE PRETTY SERIOUSLY.

AND YOU SEE THAT THEY'RE PRETTY SUCCESSFUL WITH THE RESULTS.

AND IF YOU GET THREE QUARTERS OF A SENIOR CLASS WITH COLLEGE CREDIT THROUGH CLASSES TAUGHT BY OUR TEACHERS AND OUR CAMPUS, THAT'S PRETTY SIGNIFICANT. AND IT'S PRETTY FABULOUS. SO NEXT ONE WE DO OFFER 36 OUT OF THE 40 CURRENT AP COURSES DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU GO IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, THERE'S SOME REALLY HIGH ACHIEVING SCHOOLS OUT THERE WHO ARE ABOUT 20 TO 25, AND THERE'S VERY FEW OF US THAT GET OVER 30, LET ALONE TO ABOUT 36.

SO THAT'S A TESTAMENT TO OUR TEACHERS TEACHING MORE THAN ONE PREP AND TAKING CHANCES, AND HAVING STUDENTS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT COURSES.

ONE THING IF YOU'VE EVER HAD A STUDENT WHO'S IN AP, FOR SURE, WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

YOU HEAR ABOUT NUMBERS ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, THREE GETS YOU CREDIT IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.

IF YOU GET A THREE ON ANY AP TEST, YOU GET CREDIT.

THAT WAS HOUSE BILL FROM ABOUT TEN, 12 YEARS AGO.

AND IF YOU DO HEAR STUDENTS TALK ABOUT THE FIVES ARE GOING TO BE EXTREMELY WELL QUALIFIED, THAT'S USUALLY GOING TO BE ABOUT SIX HOURS FOR COURSE. AND IF FOURS, DEPENDING ON THE INSTITUTION, YOU GET USUALLY 3 TO 6.

AND SOMETIMES THEY DO USE THEM FOR PLACEMENT.

SOME OF OUR STUDENTS DO ACTUALLY PICK THEIR UNIVERSITIES BASED ON HOW MANY AP CREDITS THEY'VE EARNED AND WHERE THEY WANT TO GO.

AND IF COLLEGES DO ACTUALLY ACCEPT AP CREDITS BECAUSE THEY WILL TELL YOU, I TOOK A COLLEGE LEVEL CLASS TAUGHT BY COLLEGE LEVEL FOLKS, AND I PUT THE TIME AND EFFORT IN. I WANT THAT CREDIT.

AND SO A LOT OF OUR KIDS WILL SCORE HIGH WHO ENTER COLLEGE WITH SOMETIMES 12, 15, 18, 24 TO 30 HOURS.

AND SO THAT'S QUITE A SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR THESE STUDENTS.

AND IT SETS THEM UP FOR SUCCESS.

WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN JUST A SECOND.

ONE THING THIS CHART KEEPS GOING UP.

I DON'T KNOW IF WE'LL HIT 100%.

I DIDN'T THINK WE'D EVER HIT 90%.

WE JUST KIND OF KEEP GOING UP. I KEEP PREPARING FOR THE REASON WHY IT WENT DOWN.

LUCKILY, I DON'T GET THAT QUESTION SO FAR.

BUT IT JUST KEEPS GOING UP.

AND SO 95% OF OUR KIDS GOT A THREE OR ABOVE.

THAT'S PRETTY REMARKABLE. IF YOU LOOK AT OTHER, OTHER SCHOOLS OUT THERE, PROFILE WISE 95 AT THE HIGHEST FOR SURE.

SO BENEFITS AND THIS IS ONE THING I THINK OUR STUDENTS REALLY ENJOY ABOUT THIS IS WORD OF MOUTH. WE DON'T HAVE TO SELL AP.

OUR KIDS BUY INTO IT BECAUSE THEY HEAR ABOUT IT FROM OLDER SIBLINGS OR FROM NEIGHBORS.

THE BIGGEST THING THAT YOU'LL HEAR FROM OUR KIDS OVER AND OVER AGAIN I WAS PREPARED FOR COLLEGE. NOT ONLY IS IT AP COURSES, IT'S ON OUR ON LEVEL COURSES.

WE'RE VERY RIGOROUS. WE GET THE CONTENT TAUGHT BY SOME VERY, VERY SKILLED PEOPLE. OUR KIDS GO TO COLLEGE CONFIDENCE.

I TELL THE SENIORS EVERY YEAR THIS WILL BE MY 10TH SENIOR CLASS.

COME BACK AND TELL ME YOU WEREN'T PREPARED. THEY USUALLY COME BACK. OH, COLLEGE IS AWESOME. I WAS SO MUCH MORE WELL PREPARED THAN ANYBODY IN MY ROOM.

AND I THINK THAT SPEAKS BECAUSE THEY LEARN SO MUCH ABOUT ORGANIZATION, ACTUALLY HOW TO STUDY AND TIME MANAGEMENT.

AND THOSE ARE THREE SKILLS THAT OUR KIDS GO INTO.

A LOT OF TIMES, UNIVERSITIES WHERE YOU HAVE VALEDICTORIANS WHO DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THAT FROM OTHER SCHOOLS, AND WE HAVE KIDS WHO ARE NOT IN THE TOP TEN, TOP 10% WHO ARE THRIVING.

WHEN THEY GET THOSE INSTITUTIONS AND THEY GO, I'M PRETTY SHARP,

[00:50:03]

I THINK THAT KIND OF JUST SPEAKS TO THAT.

OBVIOUSLY IT'S RIGOROUS.

YOU GET OUT OF THOSE INTRODUCTORY COURSES.

WHY IS IT AN ENGLISH ONE? IF I CAN GET SIX HOURS OF CREDIT, THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD DEAL.

I GET TWO ENGLISH CREDITS FOR ONE. SO PARENTS LIKE THE POTENTIAL SAVINGS.

KIDS LIKE THAT AS WELL, BECAUSE KIDS, WHEN THEY GO MEET WITH THEIR ADVISORS, THEY GET TOLD YOU HAVE 24 HOURS, YOU'RE ALMOST A SOPHOMORE.

SLOW DOWN. LET'S TAKE 12.

TAKE 15, YOU CAN DOUBLE MAJOR, YOU CAN HAVE MORE THAN ONE MINOR.

AND OUR KIDS LIKE THAT.

AND I THINK THAT THAT JUST SPEAKS TO THE PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE.

OBVIOUSLY THEY HERE, THEY HAVE VERY, VERY SMALL CLASSES AND THEY GET TO BUILD A HUGE RELATIONSHIP WITH THAT TEACHER AND THAT AMOUNT OF LEARNING TIME.

AND WE HAVE SOME GREAT MENTORS WHO GET PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT THEIR COURSES, FOR SURE. WHEN IT COMES TO SKILLS, ONE THING WE'LL MENTION IS I THINK WHAT WE'VE COMPLETELY CHANGED AND THE DATA BACKS IT UP IS KIDS NOW TAKE AP COURSES THEY'RE INTERESTED IN. WE HAVE KIDS GETTING THOSE SELECTIVE COLLEGES GOING OFF TO WEST COLORADO, STATE OF MINDS, MIT, WHO DO NOT TAKE AP COURSES IN ENGLISH BECAUSE THEIR STEM STUDENTS THEY GET IN THESE PLACES.

WE HAVE GREAT HUMANITIES KIDS.

I'M DONE AT PRE-CAL. PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME TAKE ANY MORE MATH.

THEY GET INTO SOME VERY HIGHLY SELECTIVE SCHOOLS AND THEY LISTEN TO THAT.

AND SO ONE QUICK EXAMPLE IS WE HAD 24 OUT OF 26 SENIOR SECTIONS WHEN WE GOT BACK TO WEST LAKE IN 2016 THAT WERE AP.

NOW WE ARE ABOUT 12 TO 13 EITHER WAY.

AND SO AS THAT'S BALANCED OUT MAGICALLY, THE SCORES HAVE GONE UP AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE SOME HAPPIER KIDS THAT ARE NOT POUNDING THEM. YOU KNOW, WHY TAKE ENGLISH IF I DON'T CARE? AND SO I THINK THAT'S ONE THING THAT'S CHANGED DRAMATICALLY. AND THE DATA KEEPS BACKING THAT UP AND THE RESULTS ARE THERE.

SO NOW IT IS TIME FOR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.

THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.

THIS IS ALWAYS A AN ANTICIPATED REPORT.

TRUSTEES. ANY QUESTIONS HERE.

OH COME ON. YEAH. LAURA.

I DON'T REALLY HAVE A QUESTION.

STEVE, YOU TOUCHED ON THE BIG THING THAT I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT.

WITH TRUSTEE BALTHAZAR NO LONGER SITTING ON THIS BOARD THAT WE CAN DO BOTH.

AND WE CAN DO BOTH. WELL, WE CAN HAVE HAPPY KIDS, AND WE CAN STILL HAVE HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL KIDS.

I LOVE SEEING THAT. THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENTERING INTO THE HIGHLY SELECTIVE UNIVERSITIES, AND I CAN'T FIND THAT RIGHT NOW.

SEEING THAT NUMBER THAT THE NUMBER OF KIDS ADMITTED AND THE NUMBER OF KIDS ATTENDING THAT, LIKE YOU SAID, THEY'RE VERY THEY'RE SELF-SELECTING.

THEY'RE SELF-SELECTING.

THOSE SCHOOLS. I THINK IT'S GREAT.

I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS AGAIN.

WE'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK OVER THE YEARS TO EDUCATE OUR KIDS AND OUR COMMUNITIES THAT THEY CAN FOCUS ON WHAT THEY LOVE AND WHERE THEIR STRENGTHS ARE.

AND THEY DON'T. THEY DON'T HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN.

THEY CAN FOCUS WHAT THEY WANT TO FOCUS AND BE HAPPY, HEALTHY KIDS AND EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL.

SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT Y'ALL HAVE DONE OVER THE YEARS ON THAT.

THANK YOU. LAURA. DIANE.

YES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THIS IS FANTASTIC TO SEE HOW MANY DIFFERENT PLACES THE KIDS ARE GOING INTERNATIONALLY TO.

AS YOU MENTIONED, I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, AND I GUESS I'LL START BY TALKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE HAD JEFF SELINGO GIVE A PRESENTATION LAST WEEK ON HIS NEW BOOK, DREAM SCHOOL, I THINK IS THE NAME OF IT. AND THERE WERE LIKE MAYBE 700 PARENTS WHO ATTENDED THAT.

IT WAS A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY.

A SHOUT OUT TO OUR PTO FOR HELPING FUND THAT EVENT.

AND HIS MESSAGE WAS KIND OF TO YOUR POINT ABOUT HAVING HAPPY KIDS AND TAKING THE RIGHT CLASSES THAT FIT THEM.

IT'S THE FIT OF THE COLLEGE THAT IS SO IMPORTANT.

I THINK WE'VE DONE WE'VE COME A LONG WAY IN HELPING GET THAT MESSAGE OUT TO OUR PARENTS.

IT'S IT'S NOT THE NAME OF THE COLLEGE THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT.

AND HELPING THE PARENTS AND THE STUDENTS MOST IMPORTANTLY, UNDERSTAND, HOW DO I EVEN GO ABOUT FINDING THE ONE THAT'S MY FIT? AND I THINK YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU'VE SHOWN US HERE TONIGHT IS THAT WE'RE MAKING SOME GREAT STRIDES.

I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION. HE JEFF WAS TALKING ABOUT SCHOLARSHIPS AND HOW SOME OF THESE FLAGSHIP UNIVERSITIES IN THE SOUTH IN PARTICULAR, LIKE MAYBE TENNESSEE, ARE OFFERING SUCH PHENOMENAL SCHOLARSHIPS TO QUALIFIED STUDENTS. DO YOU THINK THAT'S WHY WE SEE SOME OF THESE SCHOOLS BUMPING UP INTO THE LIST? IS IS BECAUSE OF THE FINANCIAL AID AND THESE TIMES WHERE IT'S SO EXPENSIVE? ABSOLUTELY. I MEAN, I THINK IT'S DEFINITELY A POSSIBILITY.

TO COUNTER YOUR POINTS, I KNOW OF A SCHOOL THAT DOESN'T OFFER SCHOLARSHIPS TO TEXAS STUDENTS. IT'S A STATE SCHOOL IN A DIFFERENT STATE, AND THEY JUST DON'T OFFER SCHOLARSHIPS TO TEXAS STUDENTS, TO ANY OUT OF STATE STUDENTS, FOR THAT MATTER. SO AND INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH THOUGH,

[00:55:03]

BUT I DEFINITELY I MEAN, I THINK, YES, FINANCIAL AID IS GOING TO HELP ANYBODY. AND THE NUMBER OF SCHOLARSHIPS THAT THEY CAN OFFER STUDENTS IS, IS GOING TO HELP INCREASE THEIR NUMBER OF APPLICANTS FOR SURE.

IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE TRACK IS, YOU KNOW, WHICH SCHOOLS ARE HELPING MORE FINANCIALLY THAN OTHERS FOR THE STUDENTS WHO WE KNOW NEED THAT ASSISTANCE.

I DON'T NECESSARILY THINK THAT WE TRACK IT. I KNOW THAT WE HAVE SOME KNOWLEDGE OF THAT. AND WE, YOU KNOW, THE COUNSELORS GO ON VISITS TO DIFFERENT SCHOOLS WHERE THEY KIND OF PROMOTE THEIR PROGRAMS AND TALK TO US ABOUT WHAT OPPORTUNITIES THEY HAVE THERE FOR STUDENTS.

AND WE DO SHARE THAT WITH THE KIDS IN THE HOPES TO KIND OF JUST MAKE THEM AWARE OF WHAT'S OUT THERE AND WHAT'S AVAILABLE TO HELP MAKE COLLEGE ACCESSIBLE TO THEM.

AND ONE THING THAT'S CHANGED, TOO, IS MERIT BASED MONEY NOW IS RATHER SIGNIFICANT. AND THAT'S ALL A LOT OF TIMES BASED UPON YOUR GPA AND TRANSCRIPT.

AND OUR TRANSCRIPT CARRIES A LOT OF WEIGHT OUT THERE WHEN COLLEGES GET IT. AND SO WHEN WE ACTUALLY HAVE COLLEGE COUNSELORS COME BY, THEY'LL MAY ASK A STUDENT, CAN YOU PRINT OUT MY YOUR TRANSCRIPT? LET ME SEE IT. AND SOME KIDS HAVE BEEN TOLD, HEY, IF YOU APPLY BASED UPON YOUR GRADES AND FROM BEING HERE, THESE ARE THE DIFFERENT LEVELS THAT WE WOULD INTEREST YOU IN WHEN IT COMES TO MERIT MONEY.

AND SO IT'S NOT AS SECRETIVE, I THINK, AS IT USED TO BE.

KIDS CAN NOW GO ONLINE AND SAY IF I HIT WHATEVER IT IS AT DIFFERENT UNIVERSITIES, THE HIGHEST ONE BECAUSE I HAVE A HIGH GPA.

I'M FROM WESTLAKE, GOT LOTS OF AP.

YOU KNOW, THEY CAN ACTUALLY KIND OF START PREDICTING WHERE THEY WILL HIT. AND I THINK THAT INCREASES THEIR OPPORTUNITIES.

BUT THE MERIT BASED MONEY IS PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL OUT THERE.

AND I MEAN, OUR KIDS GET INVITED TO A LOT OF HONORS COLLEGES WITHOUT ACTUALLY APPLYING BECAUSE THAT'S A POOL, BECAUSE OF WHAT THE FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE IS.

AND A LOT OF UNIVERSITIES SELL THAT TO OUR STUDENTS.

IF YOU COME HERE, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THIS KIND OF FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE. THEY REALLY PUT A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT INTO THAT. IF YOU HAVE A STUDENT WHO'S GONE TO COLLEGE LATELY, IT'S PRETTY AMAZING HOW MUCH THEY PUT INTO THE FIRST YEAR.

AND THEY ARE. IT'S A RECRUITMENT BUSINESS NOW, JUST LIKE JEFF WAS TALKING ABOUT LAST WEEK.

YEAH, IT TRULY IS. YOU TALKED ABOUT SOMETHING I WASN'T FAMILIAR WITH THE DIRECT ADMISSION THROUGH THE COMMON APP AND THROUGH APPLY TEXAS.

SO YOU'RE SAYING SOME STUDENTS KIND OF TO WHAT YOU WERE JUST SPEAKING TO, YOU JUST SAY I HAVE CERTAIN SCORES, I HAVE CERTAIN ACHIEVEMENTS.

AND HOW MANY SCHOOLS ARE PARTICIPATING IN THAT.

THE LAST I CHECKED I DON'T HAVE DATA ON THAT ON THE COMMON APP ONE, BUT THE APPLIED TEXAS ONE, THERE WAS PROBABLY ABOUT 20 TEXAS PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS THAT THAT WERE PARTICIPATING IN THAT PROGRAM.

INTERESTING. OKAY. I MEAN, I THINK IT'S A GREAT WAY FOR KIDS TO BE ENCOURAGED, LIKE KIDS THAT ARE LIKE, I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN IF I'M CUT OUT FOR COLLEGE. LIKE, THEY CAN JUST PUT THEIR DATA IN AND SEE RIGHT AWAY THAT THERE ARE SCHOOLS THAT WOULD ACCEPT THEM. YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY HELPFUL BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A TIME CONSUMING PROCESS. ALL CONSUMING.

RIGHT. I THINK I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAD.

THANK YOU. THANKS, DIANE.

KELLY. SO I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS EITHER.

BUT I DO HAVE TWO HIGH SCHOOLERS.

SO I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

AT THE YOU KNOW, EVERY YEAR WE KIND OF GO OVER AND WORK ON OUR BOARD STRATEGIC PRIORITIES. AND OUR NUMBER ONE WAS SUCCESS FOR ALL STUDENTS.

AND YOU GUYS HIT EVERYTHING IN THERE.

ACADEMIC GROWTH THROUGH HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION.

EXPLORATORY OPPORTUNITIES WITH A VARIETY OF PATHS.

TARGETED INTERVENTIONS.

I THINK IT'S JUST REALLY EXCITING WHEN I LISTEN TO HOW YOU TALK ABOUT THE HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE AND THE BALANCE THAT YOU PROVIDE FOR OUR KIDS WHERE YOU HAVE.

I SEE IT WITH MY KIDS.

YOU HAVE VERY HIGH EXPECTATIONS OF THEM, BUT YOU HAVE THIS HIGH SUPPORT IN PLACE.

SO I KNOW THAT EVEN THOUGH YOU EXPECT A LOT AND MY KIDS KNOW THAT YOU EXPECT A LOT FROM THEM, THAT THEY HAVE THE SUPPORT THEY NEED, THEY JUST HAVE TO GO AND GET IT.

SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU. KELLY. JOHN.

THANK YOU FOR THIS. I MEAN, THIS IS WHY A LOT OF PARENTS MOVE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE, RIGHT? SO THIS IS FASCINATING.

AND I APPRECIATE THE THE REPORT.

SO I JUST HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.

SO, MATT ON THE ON THE CHART THAT HAD THE 57%, THE 68 AND THE 71, YOU KNOW, THE ONE I'M TALKING ABOUT HAD THE THREE LINES AT THE TOP. YES, SIR. SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTOOD.

SO IT HAS YOUR LEE FOR 2023.

AND IT HAS US AT 91% FOR PART B AND 91 FOR PART C, AND THEN THERE IS A DROP TO FOR 2024 FOR YOUR LEE FOR THE PART B WITH 68.

PART C WAS 71. IS THAT JUST WE'RE TALKING WITH SO FEW STUDENTS.

YOU HAVE BIG THE SAMPLE SIZE IS IS PRETTY SMALL.

I FIGURED IT'S JUST SAMPLE SIZE.

THE REPORT. SO IF YOU WERE LOOKING AT ANY GRADUATING CLASS, YOU MAY BE AROUND 50 TO 60 KIDS THAT HAVE IDENTIFIED SERVICES.

AND THEN OUT OF THOSE 50 OR 60 KIDS FAMILIES, HOW MANY ACTUALLY REACH BACK OUT AND REPORT THAT INFORMATION TO THAT CONSULTING FIRM?

[01:00:05]

THANK YOU ON THAT. AND THEN LISA.

I WANTED TO THE NUMBER WHO APPLIED TO SELECTIVE SCHOOLS.

THAT WAS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT DROP, RIGHT? IT WAS IN 700 PLUS LAST YEAR, DOWN TO 400.

HAVE WE SEEN BIG SWINGS LIKE THAT IN PAST YEARS, OR DID THAT KIND OF STAND OUT TO YOU AS AN ATYPICAL SWING THAT WE DROPPED BY A FEW HUNDRED? I DO THINK IT'S ATYPICAL, AND I DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE A RATIONALE OR REASON AS TO WHY THAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED.

OKAY. WE DID CHANGE PLATFORMS LAST YEAR.

OUR COLLEGE RESEARCH AND APPLICATION PLATFORM THAT WE USE IS IS DIFFERENT NOW.

SO WE'RE STUDENTS CAN DO THAT COLLEGE RESEARCH AND SET THEIR FILTERS ON WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO THEM. IS DIFFERENT.

SO IT'S POSSIBLE, I THINK, THAT SOME DIFFERENT OPTIONS CAME UP FOR THEM THAT HAD COME UP IN THE PAST.

BUT OTHER THAN THAT, I, I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY REASON FOR THAT DROP.

I THINK ANECDOTALLY YOU CAN LOOK AT, I THINK SOME OF OUR STUDENTS WHEN IT COMES TO HOW SELECTIVE, BECAUSE THEY CAN GET SO MUCH DATA BACK QUICKER NOW WITH SCORE, AND THEY CAN KIND OF SEE WHERE THEY'RE AT IN THE SYSTEM.

I THINK OUR KIDS ARE BEING MORE SELECTIVE ABOUT THE SCHOOLS THEY APPLY TO NOW, FROM WHAT WE'VE KIND OF HERE, AND NO ONE GIVES US THE EXACT NUMBERS, HOW MANY APPLICATIONS THEY'RE FILLING OUT.

WE USED TO HAVE LOTS OF KIDS, 20 PLUS.

WE USED TO HAVE KIDS 30 PLUS.

WHEN YOU TALK TO THE KIDS NOW, THEY SEEM TO BE KIND OF BETWEEN 6 AND 12 ON THE SWEET SPOT VERSUS JUST THE WELL, I PUT IN 32.

AND SO NOW LISA FEELS LIKE, WELL, I'M GONNA DO 33 TONIGHT JUST BECAUSE I.

AND SO I THINK THAT HAS KIND OF CHANGED A LITTLE BIT FROM WHAT WE'VE KIND OF GATHERED ANECDOTALLY BECAUSE WE SEE BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF HARD TO COMPILE THAT.

AND I THINK IT KIND OF GOES BACK TO KIDS ARE MAKING BETTER DECISIONS WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT THEIR LIFE LOOKS LIKE.

BECAUSE IF THEY CAN GO HAVE FUN WITH SOME FRIENDS, THEY CAN GO TO ACL. IT'S A NO HOMEWORK WEEKEND.

IT'S A FOUR DAY WEEKEND.

THEY GO ON TRIPS, GO TO TEXAS.

OOH. AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO NECESSARILY JUST GRIND AND THINK ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME.

I THINK THEY'RE MAKING BETTER DECISIONS WHEN IT COMES TO THAT, BECAUSE 175 DIFFERENT COLLEGES IS RATHER EXTRAORDINARY, OR HOWEVER YOU WANT TO DESCRIBE IT, FOR SURE. I MEAN, THAT'S THERE'S SOME HIGH SCHOOL'S BEEN AROUND 30 OR 40 YEARS AND NEVER EVEN HAD THAT MANY KIDS GO TO DIFFERENT SCHOOLS. WE HAVE THAT IN A YEAR. SO I THINK KIDS ARE LOOKING AT THINGS DIFFERENTLY.

AND I WILL GO WITH LISA JUST FROM BEING DOING THIS FOR OVER 30 YEARS NOW.

TO HAVE THAT MANY KIDS WHO GO TO A COLLEGE BY THEMSELVES IS PRETTY POWERFUL.

WE'VE BUILT SOME PRETTY GOOD SELF-CONFIDENCE IN THESE KIDS THAT THEY CAN DO THAT. SO I THINK WHEN THEY LOOK AT THE LIST NOW, LIKE WE DON'T HAVE EVERYBODY DOING, WE USED TO HAVE KIDS WHO DID EVERY EIGHT I'VE I GOT TO GET IN, I'M GONNA GET IN ONE RIGHT WHEN THEY GO FOR EIGHT.

WELL THAT WAS EIGHT APPLICATIONS. EIGHT ESSAY. I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT THAT GOES INTO OUR KIDS NOW ARE WELL, I REALLY DON'T LIKE THAT CITY I REALLY LIKE I LIKE BEING OUTSIDE. I'LL APPLY TO THIS SCHOOL VERSUS BEING IN THE CITY. AND I THINK THAT'S THE THING THAT'S CHANGED. AND I THINK IT WAS KIND OF INTERESTING. WHEN JEFF CAME, THERE WERE MORE PARENTS NODDING IN AGREEMENT AND CONFIRMATION THAN BEING FLOORED AND GOING, WHAT? THIS IS INSANE. YOU MEAN YOU ACTUALLY PICKED THE RIGHT SCHOOL FOR YOUR KID VERSUS THE OTHER WAY AROUND? SO I THINK THAT WAS REALLY A GOOD NIGHT FOR US TO SEE MORE HEAD NODDING VERSUS BEING EXASPERATED THAT SOMEHOW THEY'VE BEEN LIED TO.

SO I THINK THAT WAS THAT WAS A GOOD THING.

YEAH, I THINK ALSO WITH SCORE THERE'S PROBABLY AN IN SCORE AND OUT OF SCORE, BUT THERE'S JUST MORE RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS TO RESEARCH AND TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS ON WHICH SCHOOLS ARE GOOD FITS FOR THEM TO APPLY TO.

AND I KNOW THOSE OF YOU, I THINK YOU ARE ALL PARENTS, BUT YOU KNOW HOW LIKE, SOMETIMES YOUR KIDS DON'T LISTEN TO YOU, BUT WHEN SOMEONE ELSE SAYS IT LIKE THAT'S HOW THE COUNSELING DEPARTMENT FELT ABOUT JEFF SELINGO LIKE, THIS IS THE MESSAGE THAT WE'VE BEEN HAMMERING TO KIDS ABOUT BEST FIT.

AND IT'S NOT ABOUT PRESTIGE. IT'S ABOUT THE BEST FIT SCHOOL FOR YOU.

AND SO TO HEAR HIM SAY THAT WAS VERY VALIDATING FOR US AS WELL.

AND PRESTIGE TOO. IF YOU LISTEN TO SOME OF THE KIDS, THEY LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE HIGHEST ACHIEVING PEOPLE NOW AND THEY SEE SOME OF THESE KIDS, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE WHATEVER YOU WANT TO THEIR HEROES, THEIR MENTORS, THEY'D LIKE TO BE ONE DAY THEY LOOK AT WHERE THOSE PEOPLE WENT TO SCHOOL AND THEY HAVE THE RESEARCH THAT BACKS IT UP.

NOW. SAYS THEY ALL DIDN'T GO TO THIS SCHOOL.

LOOK, THIS PERSON WENT TO A VERY SMALL STATE SCHOOL IN A STATE FIVE STATES AWAY.

AND LOOK, THEY'RE ONE OF THE TOP CEOS IN THE NATION. MAYBE IT'S YOU VERSUS WHERE YOU GO TO SCHOOL. SO I THINK OUR KIDS REALLY TAP INTO THAT NOW AND DO A LITTLE MORE RESEARCH.

AND WHAT WE SEE, TOO, WITH OUR KIDS, IT'S LESS COMPETITIVE BECAUSE WE TALK ABOUT BEING AMBITIOUS VERSUS BEING COMPETITIVE NOW, WHERE THEY HAVE MORE HONEST CONVERSATIONS WITH THE OTHERS, TOO. IT'S LIKE, WELL, YOU CAN MAKE IT IN THERE BUT DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE THAT SUCCESSFUL THERE BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT YOU REALLY LIKE.

THIS IS YOU WENT TO THAT SCHOOL AND ALL YOU DID WAS TALK ABOUT ONE SMALL TOWN.

I WANTED SMALL CLASS SIZE.

AND HERE YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT A 60,000 PERSON SCHOOL,

[01:05:02]

I'M GOING TO GET SO I CAN HAVE THAT.

AND ONE THING WE'VE DONE TOO, AND IT'S A SMALL THING BACK WAY BACK WHEN IN OUR GRADUATION PROGRAM.

FOR SOME OF US WHO'VE BEEN HERE A LONG TIME, EVERY KID COULD PURPORT HOW MUCH MONEY THEY GOT IN MERIT MONEY OR SCHOLARSHIP MONEY.

AND WE PULLED THAT OUT.

AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY CHANGED THINGS, BECAUSE I JUST KNOW FROM MY TWINS, BASED UPON WHAT THEY HAD, IT WAS ASTRONOMICAL BECAUSE THE SCHOOLS THEY APPLIED TO AND I WAS LIKE, OH, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN AWESOME. AS A PARENT, YOU KNOW, 12 YEARS TO PUT THAT IN.

LOOK AT MINE. BUT THEY KNOCKED THEM OFF AND THEY KNOCKED OFF ONE OF THEIR TOP SCHOOLS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T TAKE AP. I'M DONE. I'M NOT THEY DON'T TAKE AP.

I'M NOT GOING. SO OUR KIDS GENERATE A LOT MORE CONVERSATIONS WITH THEMSELVES AND WITH OTHERS. IT'S REALLY INTERESTING TO SEE HOW THE PROCESS WORKS. THAT'S GREAT.

THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT.

THANK YOU. JOHN. CATHERINE, HI.

THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT ON HOMECOMING WEEK.

I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER THINGS YOU HAVE ON YOUR PLATE RIGHT NOW BESIDES GOING THROUGH THIS. YOU KNOW, I FIND IT FASCINATING AS I'M THINKING ABOUT THE HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGE LIST, AND MY QUESTION PROBABLY APPLIES TO ANY COLLEGE THAT STUDENTS ARE ONCE THEY'VE FIGURED OUT THE SCHOOLS THAT SEEM LIKE A GOOD FIT AND THEY SPEND THE TIME TO DO THE APPLICATION AND THEY'RE ADMITTED.

I SEE SOMEONE LAST YEAR WHO WAS ADMITTED TO HARVARD BUT CHOSE NOT TO GO.

AND I SAY TO MYSELF, WELL, WHY? WHY WAS THAT? DO WE HAVE ANECDOTAL INFORMATION THAT TELLS US MAYBE IT WAS A LACK OF SCHOLARSHIPS, OR MAYBE THEY DIDN'T GET TO CHOOSE THE MAJOR THAT THEY WANTED.

IF THE SCHOOLS REQUIRING LIKE, LIKE CHOOSE YOUR MAJOR AUTOMATICALLY.

DO WE HAVE INFORMATION OR IS IT JUST ANECDOTAL AT THIS POINT? IT IS ANECDOTAL. IN THAT PARTICULAR SITUATION, I DON'T KNOW WHY THAT STUDENT CHOSE NOT TO GO TO HARVARD, BUT I CAN ALMOST GUARANTEE YOU THAT THEY WENT TO A DIFFERENT ONE OF THOSE HIGHLY SELECTIVE SCHOOLS ON THAT LIST. I HAVE TRACKED THAT IN THE PAST, AND THAT'S WHAT WE FOUND, IS THAT, YES, THEY GOT INTO STANFORD, BUT THEY CHOSE NOT TO GO THERE BECAUSE THEY WENT TO RICE INSTEAD. THINGS LIKE THAT.

AND SOMETIMES MONEY DRIVES THAT DECISION AS WELL.

WE HAVE KIDS WHO GET INTO SOME VERY ELITE SCHOOLS OUT OF STATE WHO DECIDE TO STAY IN STATE BASED UPON MONEY, AND THEY ALSO KNOW THAT GRADUATE SCHOOL WILL BE THE NEXT STEP OR WHATEVER PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL THEY GO TO.

SO LET'S SAVE THE MONEY FOR THAT ONE. SO, KIDS, I THINK IF YOU DO LOOK AT SOCIAL MEDIA YOU CAN HIT THAT REAL QUICK.

IF YOU HIT AN ALGORITHM ABOUT HOW MUCH SCHOOL COST, HOW MUCH DEBT YOU CAN GET YOURSELF INTO AND STUFF. KIDS ARE PRETTY SAVVY WHEN IT COMES TO THAT, AND SOME DON'T WANT THEIR PARENTS TO SPEND HAVE TO WORK TILL THEY'RE 92 YEARS OLD.

YEAH, WHEN THEY HAVE COMPARABLE SCHOOLS OUT THERE THAT THEY'VE RESEARCHED.

I MEAN, I CAN TELL IT'S ASPIRATIONAL HERE, RIGHT? FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD THIS YEAR 39.

I'M PICKING ON HARVARD, BUT 39 PEOPLE APPLIED.

ONE PERSON WAS ACCEPTED.

SO VERY, VERY SELECTIVE.

BUT GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS, THERE WAS A DESIRE AT SOME POINT TO GO RIGHT.

SO MY SECOND QUESTION WAS AROUND AI AND THE IMPACT THAT AI IS NOW HAVING ON THE COLLEGE.

MAYBE THE SELECTION PROCESS, THE ADMITTANCE PROCESS.

CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH WHAT YOU'RE SEEING AS FAR AS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND HOW THAT'S IMPACTING THIS WHOLE PROCESS? I THINK IN TERMS OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS ITSELF IT IS OBVIOUSLY A RESOURCE FOR STUDENTS TO USE ON THEIR ESSAYS AND THE ADMISSIONS REPS THAT WE HAVE TALKED TO KNOW THAT THAT'S A RESOURCE, AND IT'S NOT ONE THAT THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, MONITOR. REALLY KIDS ARE GOING TO USE IT IF THEY WANT TO.

THEY HAVE ADVISED US THAT WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO THEM IS THE CONTENT OF THE STORY THAT THE STUDENT IS TELLING, NOT THE WAY IN WHICH IT IS BEING TOLD.

SO WHETHER THEY CAN WRITE IT, YOU KNOW, LIKE AI WOULD WRITE IT, OR IF THEY WRITE IT LIKE A FOURTH GRADER WOULD WRITE IT LIKE THAT IS NOT AS IMPORTANT TO THEM AS WHAT THE STORY IS BEHIND THOSE WORDS.

DO YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNIVERSITIES THEMSELVES AND THEIR HOW THEY'RE ABSORBING APPLICATIONS AND FILTERING THROUGH THOSE BEFORE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE THEY'RE FILTERING OUT STUDENTS? RIGHT. DO WE HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT HOW AI IS IMPACTING THAT? NO. AND ONE THING THAT'S FRUSTRATING FOR PEOPLE IS UNIVERSITIES ARE GOING TO TELL YOU HOW THEY DO THINGS, BUT THAT MAY NOT NECESSARILY BE TRUE.

WAY BACK WHEN, PROBABLY 18 OR 19, I HAD A GUY COME INTO MY BACK DOOR WHO HAD BEEN AT 4 OR 5 MAJOR UNIVERSITIES WHO CAME IN, AND HE JUST TALKED ABOUT HOW THINGS ARE DONE.

AND YOU KNOW, WHEN IT COMES TO EVEN GPA, WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT COURSES THEY PULL OUT TO ACTUALLY CREATE THEIR OWN GPA, WHAT THEY ACTUALLY DO IN THEIR HOLISTIC PROCESS, THEY'RE GOING TO KIND OF TELL YOU SOMETHING IN A LARGE GROUP, BUT THEN THEY KIND OF FINE TUNE IT ON THEIR OWN, AND YOU MAY NOT ACTUALLY KNOW 100% HOW THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.

AND THAT'S JUST KIND OF THE BEAST OF IT, BECAUSE THEY JUST GET SO MANY APPLICATIONS WITH SO FEW PEOPLE. I MEAN, A LOT OF WAYS.

THANK YOU. CATHERINE. DIANE, I JUST WANTED TO LOOP BACK AROUND REALLY

[01:10:04]

THE JEFF SELINGO PRESENTATION.

IS THAT AVAILABLE ONLINE FOR ANY OTHER PARENTS WHO DIDN'T ATTEND TO VIEW? I DON'T KNOW, WE CAN FIND OUT.

I KNOW THEY DID IT, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS DEPENDING ON THE QUESTIONS THEY'RE ASKED.

THE AUTHOR STILL KIND OF MANAGES THE VIDEO, BUT YES, IT WAS VIDEO AND THAT'S THE THAT'S THE HOPE IS THAT IT'LL BE ABLE TO BE AT LEAST SEEN AND VIEWED IF NOT SENT OUT.

YEAH, WE WERE TALKING WITH HIM AFTERWARDS AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT'S THE INTENT. AND I ENCOURAGE, YOU KNOW, CATHERINE, I THINK YOU WOULD FIND IT INTERESTING AS WELL. YOU'RE HEADED THERE. THANK YOU AGAIN.

THIS WAS FANTASTIC. THANKS, DIANE.

JAMES. THANK YOU ALL. I LOVE THE INFORMATION.

AND YOU KNOW, I LOVE THE NUMBERS, BUT OBVIOUSLY BEHIND THE NUMBERS ARE NAMES AND FACES, AND I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A SECOND TO SHARE MY STORY OF MY SON.

IT'S PROBABLY THE LAST TIME I WILL BECAUSE HE'S A GRADUATE OF COLLEGE NOW AND I JUST WANTED. HE RECENTLY GRADUATED.

HE AND I SAY THIS NOT TO BRAG ON HIM, BUT TO BRAG ON YOU AND WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL AND HIS EDUCATION THAT HE GOT IN EANES.

AND HE GRADUATED IN DECEMBER WITH HIS UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING FROM PURDUE.

AND THAT WAS THREE AND A HALF YEARS, AND HE NEVER TOOK SUMMER SCHOOL.

AND IT'S BECAUSE OF THE AP CLASSES THAT HE TOOK AT WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL AND, AND HOW HE WAS ABLE TO APPLY THOSE.

AND THEN IN MAY, HE HE GRADUATED WITH HIS PLUS SIX, WHAT, SIX MONTHS LATER HE GRADUATED WITH HIS PLUS ONE MASTER'S DEGREE.

AND HE'S EMPLOYED NOW AND I THAT IS SUCCESS THAT HE BUILT ON FROM WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL.

AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR THAT.

I WASN'T GOING TO GET EMOTIONAL ABOUT THAT. BUT BUT IT MEANS A LOT TO ME.

AND IT'S REALLY WHY I SERVE ON THE BOARD AND GIVE BACK BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU'VE GIVEN TO MY FAMILY. AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR THAT.

AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS THAT.

AND JUST TO WRAP UP, I WANT TO SAY THERE'S A LOT OF CURIOSITY FROM THE BOARD AND WHAT YOU'RE DOING, BUT BUT THERE'S ALSO A JOB THAT WE PERFORM FOR THE DISTRICT.

AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF THAT THIS BOARD CAN DO TO SUPPORT YOU, PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO LET US KNOW, BECAUSE WE WOULD.

WE WANT TO CONTINUE YOUR GOOD WORK.

SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU JAMES. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I'LL JUST ADD TO THE ESTEEMED COLLEAGUES HERE TO THIS BOARD, THIS PANEL. YOU KNOW, WE ALL HAVE OUR STORIES.

AND THANK YOU, JAMES, FOR SHARING.

YOU KNOW, MY CHILDREN AS WELL BENEFIT FROM EANES ISD.

AND FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, WHAT I HEAR YOU SAY AND WHAT I'VE HEARD NOW FOR FIVE YEARS, IS WE FIND A PLACE FOR BUILDING THE CONFIDENCE OF ALL OF OUR STUDENTS TO DO WHATEVER THEY NEED.

AND IT'S NEVER COME UP IN A PRESENTATION.

BUT I THINK, LISA, AS YOU WERE SPEAKING, I THOUGHT, I HAVE HEARD OF MY, MY CHILDREN'S FRIENDS AND, AND MY FRIENDS CHILDREN THAT THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO GO OUT THERE AND TRY SOMETHING AND THEY HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO SWITCH GEARS AT TIMES.

SO THEY MAY NOT START AT A SCHOOL AND GO FOR YEARS, BUT THEY HAVE THE CONFIDENCE. AND THIS ISD HAS BUILT THAT CONFIDENCE TO LET PEOPLE GO OUT AND EXPERIMENT A LITTLE BIT AND MAYBE THINK, WELL, THAT WASN'T FOR ME, AND GO ON TO SOMETHING ELSE.

AND I THINK THAT'S A IT IS SHOWING WHAT WE HAVE BROUGHT TO THOSE STUDENTS AND WHAT YOU HAVE BROUGHT TO THOSE STUDENTS. SO THANK YOU AGAIN.

I THINK YOU'VE HEARD A LOT OF APPRECIATION FROM THE BOARD, AND I KNOW YOU HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE WE WE GRADUATE AND WE EDUCATE SUCH GOOD STUDENTS. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR ALREADY.

AND WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO OUR OUR THIRD REPORT.

[8.3 Board Strategic Priority: Finance, Facility & Asset Management Par...]

WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU.

GOOD EVENING. LAURIE. LAURIE HAS AGREED TO COME AND SIT WITH ME, EVEN THOUGH SHE WASN'T ON THE THING SO THAT SHE CAN HELP ME ANSWER QUESTIONS.

BECAUSE I'M BETTING YOU THROW SOME AT ME THAT I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO. SO THIS IS PART TWO OF TWO. CHRISTIE GAVE A PRESENTATION TWO WEEKS AGO FOCUSING ON ASSETS AND FACILITIES.

SO THIS ONE IS REALLY FOCUSING MOSTLY ON 5.1 WHICH IS EFFICIENT USE OF LIMITED RESOURCES.

[01:15:06]

SO WHEN WE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT STATE AID, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

YOU CAN'T REALLY JUST LOOK AT TAXES.

YOU CAN'T LOOK AT STATE AID.

YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT ALL OF THOSE. BOTH OF THOSE THINGS IN COMBINATION WITH RECAPTURE TO FIND OUT WHAT IS YOUR FSP ALLOTMENT OR FOUNDATION SCHOOL PROGRAM ALLOTMENT.

AND IF YOU LOOK AT IT, YOU SEE, BACK IN 20 2021, IT WAS ABOUT $69.5 MILLION.

AND BETWEEN 2020 AND 21 AND THIS YEAR THIS YEAR'S ALLOTMENT IS ABOUT 65.6 MILLION.

IF WE TAKE OUT THAT PART OF IT, THAT'S REQUIRED SPENDING.

THAT WAS THAT WAS PART OF THIS MOST RECENT THAT DROPS IT DOWN TO ABOUT $73 MILLION.

AND YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'VE BEEN REALLY FLAT OVER THE LAST NUMBER OF YEARS.

IF THAT $69.5 MILLION HAD JUST BEEN ADJUSTED FOR INFLATION WHICH WAS ALMOST 25% BETWEEN THEN AND THIS YEAR, THAT NUMBER WOULD BE CLOSER TO 86 MILLION RATHER THAN 73 MILLION.

AND SO THAT'S THE STATE SIDE OF IT.

BUT THAT'S NOT THE ONLY PART OF IT. WE ALSO HAVE SOME OTHER REVENUE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. AND I KIND OF WANTED TO BREAK OUT SOME OF THE MORE VOLATILE ONES AND THE ONES THAT HAVE BEEN CHANGING ON THE TOP ROW YOU SEE BACK THERE IN 20 2021 WE WEREN'T EARNING VERY MUCH AT ALL. THAT'S BECAUSE OUR, OUR INVESTMENT EARNINGS ARE VERY CLOSELY TIED TO THE FED RATE. BACK THEN WE WERE SITTING AT THE ZERO LOWER BOUND.

AND SO WE WERE EARNING VERY, VERY LITTLE.

THAT CAME UP A LOT WHEN INFLATION WENT UP FOLLOWING THE PANDEMIC.

AND YOU SEE, BACK IN 23, 24 WE EARNED ABOUT $5.5 MILLION IN INVESTMENTS. BUT SINCE THEN, WE'VE BEEN COMING DOWN, AND I'M ANTICIPATING THIS YEAR WE'RE GOING TO EARN LESS THAN WE DID LAST YEAR.

AND MOST LIKELY THE 26, 27, WE'RE GOING TO EARN LESS OR WE'RE GOING TO EARN THIS YEAR. AND SO THAT KIND OF PEAKED A FEW YEARS AGO.

AND OBVIOUSLY BEYOND. PROBABLY NEXT YEAR.

IT'S OUR 2627. YOU KNOW, IT'S PRETTY WORTHLESS TO EVEN ATTEMPT TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO BE HAPPENING AT THAT POINT.

BUT THE TREND SEEMS TO BE THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE EARNING LESS SHAH'S IS REIMBURSEMENT THAT WE GET FOR MEDICAID, COMPENSABLE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE.

AND SO YOU SEE THAT AGAIN EARLIER IN THIS DECADE, WE WERE WE WERE GETTING CONSIDERABLY MORE MONEY.

THERE WAS A CHANGE IN THE STATE PROGRAM AND, AND HOW THEY'RE DISTRIBUTING THAT MONEY.

AND NOW WE'RE GETTING ALMOST NONE.

WE'RE PROVIDING THOSE SAME COMPENSABLE SERVICES.

WE ALWAYS WERE. WE'RE JUST NO LONGER GETTING REIMBURSED FOR IT.

AND THEN I'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THIS, THESE AUSTIN ENERGY SOLAR REBATES.

AND SO THESE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE COMING IN TO THE, TO THE GENERAL FUND. THEY THEY'RE LIMITED IN TIME.

SO THEY HELPED US IN 24, 25.

THEY'RE HELPING US A LITTLE BIT THIS YEAR, BUT THEN THEY'RE DONE AND THOSE ARE GOING TO BE GONE. ALL THE OTHER REVENUES, YOU SEE HAVE BEEN FAIRLY CONSISTENT ACROSS THEIR SEVEN. 6 MILLION ROUGHLY.

AND SO THAT INCLUDES THINGS LIKE THE, THE CONTRIBUTION FROM EDF, BUT IT ALSO INCLUDES A LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE KIND OF PASS THROUGH.

SO WE COLLECT, FOR EXAMPLE, KIDS TO GO ON THERE, THE ELEMENTARY KIDS WHO GO TO THEIR LIVE OAK TRIPS, WE COLLECT THAT IN THE GENERAL FUND, BUT THAT'S A PASS THROUGH AND WE DON'T REALLY GET TO KEEP IT. BUT IT SHOWS AS AS A LOCAL REVENUE.

ALSO, WE HAVE IN HERE THE MONEY THAT WE ARE TRANSFERRING IN FROM OUR ENTERPRISE FUNDS.

WE ARE SEEING THAT GO UP A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE WE'RE INCREASING THE RATES THAT WE'RE CHARGING. BUT IN GENERAL, WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS THOSE NON FSP REVENUES ARE ALSO KIND OF ON A DOWNWARD TREND.

ONCE WE LOOK AT WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE THE AUSTIN ENERGY.

THE CHARGES CONTINUE GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE LOW AND INVESTMENT REVENUE IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO DECLINE. THAT THAT NUMBER IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE GOING DOWN FROM WHAT IT'S BEEN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

OUR EXPENDITURES, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAVE BEEN GOING UP.

[01:20:03]

AND, YOU KNOW, THAT PAYROLL IS OUR IS OUR BIGGEST EXPENSE.

AND WE LIKE TO GIVE OUR STAFF RAISES AS, AS MUCH AS WE CAN AFFORD TO GIVE.

AND SO WE'VE NOT COMPLETELY MATCHED INFLATION, BUT WE'VE, WE'VE DONE OUR BEST.

AND AND PAYROLL IS, HAS INCREASED CONSIDERABLY SINCE 2021.

ALL THOSE OTHER NON PAYROLL THINGS HAVE BEEN PRETTY FLAT.

WE'VE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD TO NOT SEE THAT INFLATIONARY INCREASE ON THAT.

AND SO AND YOU KNOW, HOW WE DO THAT BY TRYING TO MOVE ANYTHING THAT WE CAN POSSIBLY CAPITALIZE TO, TO THE, TO THE BOND FUNDS TO, TO TRY TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE PAYROLL SIDE.

AND SO AGAIN YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHERE OUR MONEY GOES.

AND UNFORTUNATELY, IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO FIND MONEY AND YOU NEED TO CUT EXPENSES, THAT'S WHERE YOU FIND THE MONEY.

THERE'S REALLY NOT MUCH LEFT IN THE NON PAYROLL THAT YOU CAN CUT.

AND SO THAT'S KIND OF OUR EXPECTATION THAT OVER THE NEXT NUMBER OF YEARS WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SEE KIND OF A DECLINE IN THAT FSP BECAUSE WE ANTICIPATE THAT OUR ENROLLMENT IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO DECLINE ROUGHLY 100 KIDS, $700,000 MORE OR LESS.

DEPENDS ON THE KIDS INVESTMENT REVENUE AGAIN, EXPECT THAT TO CONTINUE TO DECLINE.

THE AUSTIN ENERGY REBATES ARE DONE.

AND IF WE WANT TO GIVE SALARY INCREASES I USUALLY BUILD INTO MY MODELS A 2% ANNUAL INCREASE THAT COST ABOUT 11.

$6 MILLION A YEAR. SO HERE'S WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT.

AS YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT A DEFICIT THIS YEAR, BUT RIGHT NOW WE'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN FOR THE NEXT YEAR.

2627 HOW DO WE GET WRESTLE OUR BUDGET UNDER CONTROL IN 26, 27? AND I THINK WE NEED TO FIND SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 5 TO $6 MILLION THAT FROM WHAT THE STEADY STATE BUDGET WOULD BE IF WE CHANGED NOTHING.

I ANTICIPATE WE'RE GOING TO BE 5 TO $6 MILLION IN IN THE HOLE NEXT YEAR.

AND SO IF WE DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN, WE NEED TO FIND 5 TO $6 MILLION SOMEWHERE EITHER IN REVENUES OR IN AVOIDED EXPENSES.

KEEPING IN MIND THAT THIS, THIS LONGER TERM TREND IS OUR ENROLLMENT IS GOING DOWN WE'RE SEEING LOWER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ENROLLMENTS.

COSTS ARE CONTINUING TO GO UP, INCLUDING THE COST OF YOU KNOW, GIVING RAISES TO OUR TO OUR ONGOING STAFF.

AND SO IT'S NOT JUST A FINE $5 MILLION GET A BALANCED BUDGET, AND THEN WE'RE GOOD. YOU NEED TO START THINKING ABOUT WHAT? ABOUT THE YEAR AFTER THAT.

ONCE WE GET THE BALANCE IF WE HAVE LESS MONEY TO WORK WITH AND HIGHER EXPENSES, THEN WE'VE GOT TO LOOK AT THAT EACH YEAR, KIND OF ON AN ONGOING BASIS.

AND ULTIMATELY, WE WANT TO REBUILD THE FUND BALANCE BECAUSE WE'RE SITTING RIGHT NOW KIND OF AT THE MINIMUM, WHERE WE WANT TO BE, WE ANTICIPATE AT THE END OF THIS SCHOOL YEAR WILL BE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 25%, WHICH IS WHICH IS OUR MINIMUM.

SO AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE STRATEGIES THAT WE WANT TO LOOK AT ON HOW WE GO ABOUT ADDRESSING THIS BUDGET SHORTFALL WE KIND OF IN OUR IN OUR BOARD BUDGET SUBCOMMITTEE, WE TALKED ABOUT AT THE CORE OF WHAT WE DO IS WHAT HAS THE MOST IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING AND THEIR CORE EXPERIENCE AND, AND THE NEED TO STAY AS FAR AWAY FROM THAT AS POSSIBLE.

AND SO WE KIND OF THOUGHT ABOUT IT IN RINGS THE THINGS THAT HAVE THE LEAST IMPACT.

THAT'S WHERE WE WANT TO FOCUS OUR ATTENTION AS MUCH AS WE CAN.

WE PROBABLY CAN'T FIND EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED THERE.

BUT WE ALWAYS NEED TO KEEP IN MIND WHAT IS THE IMPACT ON THE KIDS.

AND SO THAT'S WHERE WE CAME UP WITH THIS KIND OF I SAID IT'S A IT'S A REVERSE TARGET.

WE DON'T WANT TO HIT THE CENTER. WE CENTER. WE WANT TO HIT THE WE WANT TO HIT THE EDGES OF THIS TARGET. SO WE TALKED ABOUT FIVE AVAILABLE OPTIONS.

AND INTERNALLY LAURIE AND I HAD BEEN CALLING THEM BUCKETS AND WE WERE WE WERE INFORMED THE OTHER DAY THAT BUCKETS DOESN'T SOUND GOOD. SO LET'S GO WITH OPTIONS.

SO WE'VE GOT FIVE KIND OF BIG OPTIONS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT.

AND THE FIRST ONE I'VE GOT ON THERE DOESN'T IMPACT KIDS AT ALL.

AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT BEFORE, BUT I'M GOING TO MENTION IT AGAIN. AND THAT IS THE VATRE, WHICH IS A VOTER APPROVED TAX RATE ELECTION.

[01:25:04]

THIS IS SEPARATE FROM THE INS SIDE.

INS. IS YOU ARE REQUIRED TO SET THE INS RATE AT A LEVEL IN ORDER TO SUPPORT YOUR DEBT.

BUT THE NO SIDE YOU'RE CONSTRICTED.

AND YOU CAN'T PASS A AN M AND O RATE HIGHER THAN THE VOTER APPROVED RATE WITHOUT CALLING A VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE, ELECTION OR TAX RATIFICATION ELECTION.

SO THE WAY THAT WOULD WORK IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO IT, IS YOU WOULD ADOPT THE TAX RATE AND TAX RATE HIGHER THAN, THAN THE VOTER APPROVED RATE.

THEN YOU WOULD IMMEDIATELY HAVE TO CALL AN ELECTION FOR THE COMMUNITY TO EITHER AFFIRM OR, OR DECLINE THAT RATE INCREASE.

AND SO I DON'T KNOW, AGAIN, I'M TALKING TO PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND THIS, SO I'M BUT I'M ALSO TALKING TO PEOPLE WHO, WHO ARE HEARING THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME.

AND SO THERE'S A LIMIT TO HOW MANY PENNIES BEYOND THE WHAT'S KNOWN AS THE TIER ONE RATE THAT YOU CAN, THAT YOU CAN HAVE.

WE THE FIRST EIGHT PENNIES ARE KNOWN AS THE GOLDEN PENNIES.

AND WE HAVE ALL OF THOSE, AND THEY'RE GOLDEN BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT RECAPTURED. AND SO ALL THE MONEY WE COLLECT ON THOSE GOLDEN PENNIES WE GET TO KEEP.

BEYOND THAT, THERE ARE NINE AVAILABLE WHAT ARE KNOWN AS COPPER PENNIES, COPPER BECAUSE THAT'S MUCH LESS VALUABLE THAN GOLD.

AND SO WE HAVE THE OPTION OF ADOPTING UP TO NINE COPPER PENNIES.

AND THOSE COPPER PENNIES, IF YOU WENT FOR ALL OF THEM, WOULD BRING IN ABOUT $20 MILLION OF TAXES.

ACTUALLY, I'VE GOT A WHOLE SCREEN THAT DESCRIBES THIS, AND I'VE NOT FLIPPED OVER TO IT. THERE IT IS.

SO IT WOULD BRING IN ABOUT $20 MILLION IN TAXES, UNFORTUNATELY YOU WOULD ONLY GET TO KEEP THE DISTRICT WOULD BE ABLE TO USE ABOUT 3.8 MILLION OF THAT. THE REST OF IT, 16 PLUS MILLION WOULD BE RECAPTURED BY THE STATE AND ADDING TO OUR ALREADY PRETTY HIGH RECAPTURE BURDEN.

SO THAT'S THAT'S WHAT THAT IS.

AND THAT'S WHY YOU'VE NEVER REALLY JUMPED AT IT BEFORE.

YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S NOT AN APPEALING PROPOSITION.

WE RECOGNIZE THAT TO COLLECT THAT MUCH MONEY AND SEND MOST OF IT AWAY, BUT IT DOES PROVIDE $3.8 MILLION OF USABLE FUNDS.

THAT DOES NOT IMPACT KIDS.

AND THAT'S WHY WE THINK, ONCE AGAIN, THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU NEED TO AT LEAST BE AWARE OF AND THINK ABOUT IN YOUR DELIBERATIONS.

WE ALSO HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT HOW CAN WE INCREASE REVENUE, AND THERE'S NOT A LOT OF WAYS THAT WE CAN INCREASE REVENUE.

WE ALREADY ARE VERY AGGRESSIVE IN RENTING OUR FACILITIES.

IF YOU EVER DRIVE BY OUR, PARTICULARLY OUR ATHLETIC FACILITIES IF IT'S BEFORE 9:00, I THINK IS OUR CUTOFF THERE IN USE? AND LAST YEAR, WE, WE INCREASED OUR RENTAL RATES BY 25%, WHICH WAS MUCH HIGHER THAN WE'D DONE IN THE PAST.

AND WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO INCREASE THEM AGAIN THIS YEAR.

AND SO THAT'S ONE PLACE WE'RE LOOKING AT WE'RE LOOKING AT CREATING SOME ONLINE COURSES. WE'RE HOPING THAT WE CAN MAYBE PILOT THIS THIS SUMMER AND HOPEFULLY THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO YOU KNOW, EXPAND THIS IN THE YEARS TO COME.

THIS IS THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE THINK THAT THIS HAS POTENTIAL, BUT IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN RAMP UP REALLY FAST.

IT WOULD THIS WOULD BE A RAMP UP, REALLY SLOW KIND OF THING.

BUT I THINK THAT IT WOULD BE AN INTERESTING THING FOR US TO EXPLORE AND LOOK AT.

AND, AND WE ARE DOING THAT.

AND FINALLY WE PUT THIS ON THE REVENUE SIDE AND THAT'S LOOKING AT ADDITIONAL TRANSFER STUDENTS. JUST AS AN EXAMPLE.

WE HAVE ROOM AT BARTON CREEK ELEMENTARY AND BARTON CREEK ELEMENTARY IS ONE OF THE SCHOOLS THAT IS MOST IN DEMAND BY BY TRANSFER STUDENTS.

AND SO FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW, NOT ALL OF OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ARE EQUALLY AS ATTRACTIVE TO OUTSIDE PEOPLE.

AND IT'S NOT BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT AS GOOD AS SCHOOLS.

THEY'RE ALL REALLY GOOD SCHOOLS. IT'S BECAUSE OF WHERE THEY ARE. SO BARTON CREEK ELEMENTARY HAPPENS TO BE LOCATED, YOU KNOW, VERY NEAR BEE CAVE AND, AND LAKE TRAVIS ISD. AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS VERY CLOSE TO THERE WHO HAVE EXPRESSED TO US THEY WOULD LIKE TO GO TO SCHOOL THERE.

AND RIGHT NOW WE JUST WE HAVEN'T ACCEPTED THEM.

[01:30:03]

BUT WE COULD TAKE SOME AND SO WE THINK THAT THAT'S A POSSIBILITY, AND WE JUST WANT TO AGAIN, THROW THAT OUT THERE.

THAT WOULD THAT WOULD INCREASE THE ENROLLMENT AT BARTON CREEK ELEMENTARY, BUT IT'S GOING TO GO DOWN THIS YEAR A LITTLE BIT ANYWAY BECAUSE WE'RE GRADUATING A FAIRLY LARGE FIFTH GRADE CLASS.

AND AGAIN, WE ANTICIPATE THAT OUR KINDERGARTEN CLASS WILL BE ON THE SMALLER SIDE. STAFFING OPTIMIZATION THIS THIS IS A BIG ONE.

AND SO FOR THIS, WE ARE WE'RE.

I DON'T I DON'T THINK THERE'S A THERE'S AN EASY WAY TO SAY IT, BUT BASICALLY THIS WOULD BE NOT TO SUGARCOAT IT, THIS IS MAKING CLASS SIZES BIGGER.

THIS IS MAKING PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT IN CAMPUS, YOU KNOW, TEACHING ROLES HERE IN OUR OFFICE IS HAVING FEWER PEOPLE DOING THE SAME AMOUNT OF WORK.

AND SO WE, WE THINK THAT WE CAN DO THIS IN SUCH A WAY THAT WE COULD SAVE UP TO ABOUT A LITTLE OVER $3 MILLION.

AND WE PROBABLY NEED TO DO THIS, YOU KNOW, NOT I'M NOT SAYING THAT ANYBODY'S NOT WORKING HARD ENOUGH. EVERYBODY'S WORKING VERY HARD.

BUT THIS IS AN OPTION THAT WE CAN DO THAT DOES NOT HIT STUDENT PROGRAMS. STUDENT SERVICES. SO THIS WOULD BE LOOKING AT STUDENTS AND SLIGHTLY LARGER CLASSES THAN WHAT WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST.

AND FRANKLY IT WOULD BRING US MORE IN LINE WITH A LOT OF OUR PEERS, PARTICULARLY IN, IN THE, THE HIGH, THE HIGH PERFORMING CONSORTIUM THAT WE'RE A PART OF. WE ARE WE HAVE SMALLER CLASSES IN MOST OF THOSE SCHOOLS.

SO THEN WE GET TO THE REALLY HARD PARTS.

AND THAT'S LOOKING AT ELIMINATING OR REDUCING PROGRAMS. SO IF WE HAD ANY PROGRAMS THAT DIDN'T HAVE ADVOCATES AND DIDN'T HAVE PEOPLE THAT LOVED THEM, WE WOULDN'T HAVE THOSE PROGRAMS. WE WOULD HAVE ALREADY GOTTEN RID OF THEM. SO EVERY ONE OF OUR PROGRAMS HAVE ADVOCATES BOTH IN THE, IN THE SCHOOL AND IN THE DISTRICT, AND OUR PARENTS WHO LOVE THAT PROGRAM AND WHO HAVE BENEFITED FROM IT AND WHO AND WHO BELIEVE THAT IT'S ADDED VALUE TO THEIR KIDS EDUCATION. SO WE WANT TO BE REALLY CAREFUL WHEN WE LOOK AT THESE PROGRAMS AND FRANKLY WE DON'T HAVE ANY PROGRAMS THAT LIKE THE SPANISH IMMERSION PROGRAM THAT YOU LOOKED AT LAST YEAR THAT WOULD THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO CREATE A HUGE EFFICIENCY.

AND SO THERE ARE A LOT OF THEM ARE NOT GOING TO GRAB A LOT.

SO YOU'D KIND OF HAVE TO LOOK AT A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS TO DO THIS, AND I NOTICE I'M BEING REALLY VAGUE HERE.

AND THAT'S BECAUSE WHENEVER YOU START MENTIONING SPECIFIC PROGRAMS THOSE INVOLVE SPECIFIC PEOPLE. AND WE DON'T WANT TO CALLOUSLY THROW THROW PROGRAMS OUT THERE.

AS FOR CONSIDERATION BEFORE YOU'VE HAD A CHANCE TO TO LOOK AT THEM AND CONSIDER THEM BECAUSE THAT, THAT JUST CREATES A LOT OF STRESS ON OUR STAFF.

AND SO WE'RE REALLY NOT INTERESTED IN TALKING ABOUT THAT IN AN OPEN SESSION RIGHT NOW.

I RECOGNIZE THAT EVENTUALLY WE MAY HAVE TO GET THERE.

BUT WE DON'T WANT TO DO IT YET.

WE DO HAVE ANOTHER COMMITTEE MEETING COMING UP LATER THIS WEEK.

AND WE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THOSE THINGS IN THE COMMITTEE MEETING.

AND FINALLY LAST DITCH EFFORT IS A SALARY FREEZE.

AND SO I MENTIONED THAT A 2% INCREASE COST ABOUT $1.6 MILLION.

AND THAT'S WHAT I HAVE BUILT INTO MY MODEL FOR NEXT YEAR.

AND SO THAT'S ONE WAY THAT YOU CAN LOOK AT YOU KNOW, MAYBE MEETING WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

AND I THOUGHT THAT THAT'S AN UNPOPULAR THING THAT CAN BE TIED TO OTHER THINGS.

SO, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU COULD IF YOU DECIDED THAT YOU WANTED TO LOOK AT A VATRE, YOU COULD SAY, WE ALSO WANT TO DO A SALARY FREEZE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.

IF THE VATRE PASSES, WE GO BACK AND WE RETROACTIVELY APPLY THE SALARY INCREASE.

IT MIGHT BE ONE WAY YOU COULD LOOK AT IT.

WE KNOW THAT YOU CAN'T FREEZE SALARIES FOREVER.

OUR STAFF WILL LEAVE. AND I THINK LAURIE WOULD TELL US IT DOES A NUMBER ON MORALE WHEN

[01:35:07]

AND SO WE KIND OF THINK OF THAT AS A LAST DITCH EFFORT, BUT IT IS AN EFFORT THAT COULD BE MADE.

AND SO IF WE JUST LOOK AT THOSE, THOSE FIRST THREE THINGS THAT I LISTED, WHICH ARE REALLY KIND OF HITTING IN THE THE FIRST TWO RINGS AND NOT HITTING THE CENTER RING THAT'S IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF ABOUT $7 MILLION.

KEEPING IN MIND THAT THE STAFF OPTIMIZATION ANYTIME THAT WE'RE REDUCING, THAT TAKES A LITTLE BIT OF TIME.

THAT'S NOT ALL GOING TO WE'RE NOT GOING TO ACHIEVE ALL THE STAFF OPTIMIZATION IN THE FIRST YEAR. BECAUSE WE RELY AGAIN ON, ON NATURAL TURNOVER AND WHAT WE'LL WHAT WE'VE FOUND IN THE PAST IS, OKAY, WE HAD FIVE TEACHERS LEAVE TEACHING THIS SUBJECT, BUT NO TEACHERS LEFT LEAVING THIS SUBJECT.

AND, AND SO YOU YOU KNOW, AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL, TEACHERS ARE FAIRLY FUNGIBLE, BUT AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL, YOU CAN'T NECESSARILY TAKE IN EXCESS SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER AND PLUG THEM INTO SCIENCE.

AND SO YOU IT TAKES A LITTLE BIT OF TIME, BUT WE WOULD GET THERE IF THAT WAS THE WAY THAT YOU CHOSE TO GO. OBVIOUSLY, IF YOU DON'T DO THE VADER THEN WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO MOVE DOWN TO OPTIONS FOUR AND FIVE AS WELL, OR CONSIDER THOSE, AT LEAST IN ORDER TO GET TO TO THAT 5 TO 6 MILLION DOLLAR GOAL.

OOPS. I DIDN'T MEAN TO SHOW YOU THAT SLIDE.

I, I WENT THROUGH A NUMBER OF REVISIONS AT THE LAST MINUTE AFTER THE SLIDES HAD ALREADY BEEN SUBMITTED. SO THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A TIMELINE SHOWING YOU WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.

AND SO I'LL JUST GO FROM MEMORY.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IN HERE, I WAS JUST SHOWING THE PUBLIC MEETINGS.

AND SO OUR INTENT IS TO COME BACK TO YOU AS A FULL BOARD.

WARD. THAT'S THE ONE. AT LEAST TWICE MORE.

PROBABLY IN NOVEMBER AND THEN AGAIN IN DECEMBER POSSIBLY AT A SPECIAL SPECIAL CALLED MEETING IN DECEMBER SO THAT YOU COULD FOCUS JUST ON THIS MATTER AND THEN PROBABLY HAVE SOME, SOME TIME TO, TO GET COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT.

AND WE'D REALLY LIKE YOUR INPUT ON HOW YOU WOULD LIKE THAT TO HAPPEN AND WHEN YOU WOULD LIKE THAT TO HAPPEN. WE KIND OF PENCILED SOMETHING IN YOU KNOW, END OF THIS MONTH, FIRST OF NEXT MONTH AND THEN AGAIN, MAYBE END OF NOVEMBER, 1ST OF DECEMBER WHEN IT STARTS REFINING DOWN WHAT WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT TO TRY TO GET SOME SOME COMMUNITY INPUT ON THAT.

BUT AGAIN, WE'RE OPEN TO, TO YOUR SUGGESTIONS ON THAT.

AND FINALLY, WE'RE LOOKING AT ULTIMATELY, YOU MAKING A COMMITMENT OR KIND OF GIVING US THE THUMBS UP ON WHICH WAY YOU YOU WOULD LIKE TO GO? PROBABLY IN THE FIRST MEETING IN JANUARY.

I THINK THAT NO MATTER HOW WE LOOK AT THIS, WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO BE LOOKING AT SOME FORM OF TOTAL STAFF REDUCTION.

AND SO WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.

ONCE WE START THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE SPRING SEMESTER, WHICH IS WHEN OUR RECRUITING SEASON TYPICALLY BEGINS.

SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.

AND I'M OPEN FOR ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION THAT, THAT YOU HAVE. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU CHRIS. THANK YOU LORI.

ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? CATHERINE. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

I LOVE THE CONCEPT OF AN INVERSE.

BULLSEYE. IS THAT WHAT YOU CALLED IT? YES. AVOID THE THINGS THAT IMPACT OUR STUDENTS.

SO I'M GOING TO START FROM THE TOP DOWN BECAUSE THAT'S THE WAY YOU LISTED THEM WITH REGARDS TO THE VADER AND A COPPER PENNY.

SO A COUPLE QUESTIONS.

WHEN WOULD THE BOARD HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION AND VOTE WHETHER WE WANTED TO DO ALL OR SOME OF OR NONE COPPER. PENNY'S YOUR ABSOLUTE DROP DEAD DATE.

SO THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT HAVE TO HAPPEN FOR A VADER INCLUDING WE WOULD HAVE TO GO OUT FOR WHAT'S KNOWN AS AN EFFICIENCY AUDIT.

I TALKED TO OUR AUDITORS LAST YEAR ABOUT THIS.

THE FIRST TIME WE DID AN EFFICIENCY AUDIT WHICH WAS IN WHEN WE WENT FOR THE LAST GOLDEN PENNIES IN 2020. WE KNEW WAY AHEAD OF TIME THAT THAT WAS THE WHERE THE BOARD WANTED TO GO. AND WE WENT OUT FOR THAT EFFICIENCY AUDIT IN THE SPRING.

BUT I TALKED TO OUR AUDITORS LAST YEAR, AND THEY BELIEVED THAT THEY COULD FIT IT IN

[01:40:01]

AND SO SO IT'S POSSIBLE THAT WE COULD GET THAT DONE AT THE LAST MINUTE.

BUT THE DROP DEAD DATE WOULD BE WHEN YOU THE LIMITATION IS WHEN YOU HAVE TO CALL THE THE ELECTION IN NOVEMBER, WHICH IS IN AUGUST, AND IT MOVES AROUND DEPENDING ON EXACTLY WHEN THE UNIFORM ELECTION DATE IS, BUT IT WILL BE PROBABLY SLIGHTLY EARLIER THAN, THAN OUR SECOND MEETING. SO YOU WOULD EITHER NEED TO GO AT YOUR FIRST MEETING OR HAVE A SPECIAL CALL MEETING JUST TO DO THAT, TO ADOPT YOUR TAX RATE.

BUT IT WOULD BE IN AUGUST.

AND THEN OF COURSE, THE ELECTION WOULD BE IN NOVEMBER.

OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, THE SOONER WE KNOW, THE EASIER IT IS FOR US TO GET EVERYTHING IN LINE AND GET READY TO GO.

BUT THAT'S YOUR YOUR ABSOLUTE DROP DEAD ON THAT ONE.

SO DO VEDAS HAVE TO BE PART OF A NOVEMBER ELECTION, OR COULD THEY BE PART OF A MAY ELECTION? THEY MUST BE IN NOVEMBER. MUST BE BECAUSE THE TRIGGER IS YOU ADOPTING A TAX RATE HIGHER THAN THE VOTER APPROVED RATE.

AND YOU CAN'T DO THAT UNTIL AUGUST.

OKAY. ARE VEDAS REVERSIBLE? SO THE. YES, YOU KNOW, LONG STORY SHORT.

YES. SO. SO IF YOU ADOPTED THE NINE COPPER PENNIES, WE WENT WITH THE NINE COPPER PENNIES. IF YOU CHOSE TO REDUCE THE TAX RATE BY $0.05 THE NEXT YEAR, THAT'S ABSOLUTELY WITHIN YOUR RIGHT TO DO.

AND NO, NO FURTHER ELECTION IS REQUIRED TO DO THAT.

YOU CAN JUST DO IT. OKAY.

SO THEY'RE NOT LIKE A PERMANENT THING.

WELL IT'S PERMANENT, BUT YOU CAN LOWER IT.

AND ONE QUESTION I WOULD ASK BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS, I THINK I KNOW THE ANSWER TO IT, BUT I'M NOT CERTAIN IS SAY YOU GOT THE NINE PENNIES THE NEXT YEAR, YOU SAID WE ONLY NEED FIVE.

AND THEN TWO YEARS LATER.

OH WE DO. WE WANT NINE AGAIN.

I THINK YOU WOULD HAVE TO HAVE ANOTHER VATRE TO DO TO DO THAT.

I DON'T THINK YOU COULD USE THE OLD VATRE TO TO BOUNCE AROUND IN THAT RANGE.

I THINK ONCE YOU COME DOWN, YOU'VE YOU'VE GIVEN UP YOUR RIGHT TO THOSE PENNIES. THAT MAKES SENSE.

OKAY. AND THE TIMING OF THIS DECISION WOULD BE A NOVEMBER 2020 2026.

SIX. AND THEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT POTENTIALLY OUR LONG RANGE FACILITY PLAN THE FOLLOWING MAY. SO THAT'S VERY AWKWARD.

VERY AWKWARD. OKAY. JUST CALLING THAT OUT AS WE JUST HAD A LAST DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT.

OKAY. SO ON THE SLIDE HERE, IT SAID, YOU KNOW, 100 LESS STUDENTS MEANS THAT WE HAVE A REVENUE LOSS OF $700,000.

BUT THE INVERSE SAYS 100 MORE STUDENTS IS $700,000 MORE.

AND THEN YOU MENTIONED BARTON CREEK, WHICH IS A REALLY DESIRABLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. AND FOR ANY PARENTS WHO ARE STILL WORKING THROUGH THE BLEND, I THINK THEY WOULD SAY, WELL, HOLD ON. EANES YOU TOLD US NO MORE STUDENTS. SO OF COURSE I WONDER, WELL, HOW DO WE DO THAT? AND THE A VERY DIFFICULT STEP WOULD BE A REDISTRICTING.

YES. DO WE HAVE TIME TO CONSIDER A REDISTRICTING IN ORDER TO GET TO A PLACE WHERE WE'RE VOTING ON A BUDGET? I THINK WE COULD ACTUALLY FIT MORE STUDENTS IN THERE WITHOUT A REDISTRICTING.

DO WE HAVE TIME TO DO REDISTRICTING? I THINK THAT'S PRETTY CRUSHED, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, SCHOOL DISTRICTS OUT THERE WHO ARE BUILDING AND OPENING NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ON A YEARLY BASIS. AND IF YOU'RE OPENING A NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ON A EVERY YEAR, THEN YOUR REDISTRICTING EVERY YEAR.

SO OBVIOUSLY IT CAN BE DONE.

I'M NOT SURE THAT IT COULD NECESSARILY BE DONE THE WAY WE WOULD WANT TO DO IT WITH OUR COMMUNITY, GIVING LOTS OF LOTS OF TIME FOR LOTS OF INPUT.

BUT LOGISTICALLY, I THINK IT COULD BE.

YES. WELL, I MEAN, I REALIZE WE DO HAVE A SMALLER KINDERGARTEN CLASS, BUT WE DID GET SOME LAST MINUTE ENROLLMENTS IN KINDERGARTEN AT BARTON CREEK, SO THAT I'M REMEMBERING A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO THAT HELPED GROW THAT CLASS.

BUT YOU'RE RIGHT. FEWER KINDERGARTNERS COMING IN THAN GRADUATING FIFTH GRADERS.

SO MAYBE THERE IS SOME MORE ROOM AT BARTON CREEK.

WE DON'T KNOW YET. YEAH, WE DON'T KNOW, BUT WE ANTICIPATE.

IT'S HARD TO ANTICIPATE. I HOPE I'M WRONG.

I HOPE THAT WE GET SIX CLASSROOMS FULL OF KINDERGARTNERS NEXT YEAR, AND AND THAT'S NOT AN OPTION, BUT YOU KNOW, IF WE JUST ANTICIPATE THAT, WE WON'T HAVE THAT THEN WE THINK THAT THERE WILL BE ROOM.

ALL RIGHT. COULD YOU COULD YOU HELP US UNDERSTAND FROM DESIRABILITY OF A TRANSFER PERSPECTIVE? I THINK OF BRIDGEPOINT, WHICH WAS WHERE TWO OF MY THREE CHILDREN WENT ALL THE WAY THROUGH. WHAT? THE CAPACITY IS THERE.

THAT WOULD SEEM LIKE AN LIKE, COME TO COME TO BRIDGEPOINT.

IT'S A BIG SCHOOL WITH FEWER STUDENTS.

BUT I THINK WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS IT'S NOT AS DESIRABLE FOR TRANSFER FAMILIES.

[01:45:04]

AND SO OBVIOUSLY THE, THE OBVIOUS PLACE THAT PEOPLE WOULD, WOULD WANT TO TRANSFER IN TO BRIDGEPOINT ARE THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING, YOU KNOW, JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PENNYBACKER BRIDGE. AND I THINK THEY'VE BEEN GOING DOWN IN NUMBER OF KINDERGARTEN AGE KIDS OVER THERE AS WELL.

AND SO THERE'S NOT AS MANY TO GET BUT THERE ARE STILL QUITE A FEW KIDS YOU KNOW, OUT IN THAT CAVE LAKE TRAVIS AREA WHO ARE INTERESTED IN GOING TO BARTON CREEK.

YOU KNOW, THE OUR OTHER PROBABLY MOST DESIRABLE SCHOOL IS IS CEDAR CREEK.

AND AND AGAIN, IF YOU NOTICE WHERE THESE SCHOOLS ARE, THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE EASIEST TO GET TO IF YOU'RE DRIVING BY, IF YOU'RE DRIVING BY THE DISTRICT.

CEDAR CREEK IS EASY TO RELATIVELY EASY TO POP OFF OF MOPAC AND AND DROP OFF A KID THERE.

SAME THING FOR THOSE FAMILIES OUT THERE ON THE WEST SIDE. AND THEN YEAH, IF IF THERE WERE MORE IF THERE WERE MORE KIDS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PENNYBACKER THAT WOULD BE A FAIRLY EASY TRIP, BUT PARTICULARLY WITH THREE 60 AND THE MESS IT IS RIGHT NOW, I DON'T THINK THAT'S REALLY AN EASY TRIP FOR ANYBODY RIGHT NOW, WHICH MAKES IT, AGAIN, LESS DESIRABLE.

OKAY, WELL, I UNDERSTAND THE BARTON CREEK IS VERY DESIRABLE BASED ON PULLING FROM LAKE TRAVIS AND DRIPPING SPRINGS AND THE WESTERN SIDE OF OUR COMMUNITY.

I, I JUST THINK THAT AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TRANSFER STUDENTS AGAIN, IF WE WERE TO LOSE 100 STUDENTS, THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY EQUATE TO AN EXACT NUMBER OF TEACHERS THAT MAYBE WE WOULDN'T NEED TO STAFF.

RIGHT? RIGHT. YEAH. YOU COULD SAY, IF WE ALSO GREW, WE COULD POTENTIALLY GROW OUR STUDENT POPULATION WITHOUT HAVING TO ADD TEACHERS.

AND SO IT TRULY IS A VERY POSITIVE REVENUE FORCE BECAUSE THERE'S NO NOT NECESSARILY A HEAVY OPERATIONAL COST.

RIGHT. THAT'S THE WAY WE LOOK AT ADDING TRANSFER STUDENTS, PARTICULARLY AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, IS WHERE DO WE HAVE SPACE THAT WE CAN ADD THEM WITHOUT HAVING TO, YOU KNOW, ADD TEACHERS? WE'RE NOT TRYING TO ADD TEACHERS.

WE'RE TRYING TO UTILIZE THE STAFF WE HAVE AS EFFICIENTLY AS WE CAN.

OKAY. SO JUST ONE MORE QUESTION.

STEVE RAMSEY AND HIS STAFF DID AN AMAZING JOB JUST TALKING ABOUT OUR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THEY MENTIONED WAS THIS EARNING COLLEGE CREDIT IN A DUAL CREDIT PROGRAM.

AND HE SAID THAT THERE WERE 75 STUDENTS TAKING WHO TOOK 145 COURSES.

THOSE STUDENTS WERE PAYING FOR THOSE COURSES.

RIGHT? I MEAN, I DON'T THINK THIS WAS A SERVICE.

THAT WAS THE COLLEGE CLASSES.

THE COLLEGE CLASSES? THEY DON'T DON'T GET ME WRONG, I THINK THE ONLY THING THAT THEY PAY FOR ON THE AP EXAMS IS THE EXAM ITSELF.

I DON'T THINK THEY DON'T PAY THE COURSE IF THEY'RE TAKING A DUAL ENROLLMENT CLASS I IS THERE. I'M LOOKING AT LAURIE.

I'M NOT SURE. I THINK I THINK THERE IS A CHARGE FOR THAT. OKAY.

YEAH. I'M PRETTY SURE THAT THEY PAY THE FOR THE DUAL CREDIT COURSE DIFFERENT THAN THEY'RE PAYING FOR IT. SO IT'S EANES IS NOT PAYING MONEY OUT OF OUR POCKET TO GO ASSIST THE STUDENTS TO GO TAKE DUAL PROGRAMS. STUDENTS ARE SAYING THEY'RE RAISING THEIR HAND. THEY'RE SAYING, I'M WILLING TO PAY FOR THE DUAL CREDITS. CORRECT.

IS IS THERE A WAY THAT EANES COULD EVEN CONSIDER FOR OURSELVES TO CREATE SOMETHING LIKE THAT? I MEAN, THESE IT SAYS THAT OVER THE SUMMER, SO DOESN'T IMPACT THE SCHOOL YEAR PER SE, BUT JUST AS ANOTHER CREATIVE OPPORTUNITY FOR US. AS FAR AS A DUAL ENROLLMENT, I DON'T WE CAN'T OFFER COLLEGE CREDIT BECAUSE WE'RE NOT A COLLEGE, WHICH IS WHAT WE DO IS THE AP PROGRAM.

SO THE AP TEST IS THE THE PROOF OF PUDDING, I GUESS THAT THAT THEY'VE EARNED COLLEGE CREDIT. SO WE COULDN'T DO A DUAL ENROLLMENT LIKE THAT.

SO THE, THE, THE CLASSES WE WERE LOOKING AT, WE HAVE A LOT OF KIDS WHO ARE TAKING CLASSES TO GET HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT, NOT DUAL CREDIT, BUT HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT.

AND SO THESE ARE THINGS LIKE YOU KNOW, PE IS A BIG ONE.

THE US HISTORY. THANK YOU FOR JUMPING IN.

AND RIGHT NOW THEY'RE DOING THERE ARE SEVERAL COLLEGES THAT PROVIDE THIS SERVICE, BUT THEY'RE NOT PROVIDING COLLEGE CREDIT. THEY'RE THROUGH COLLEGES. SO TEXAS TECH IS ONE OF THEM. AND THE KIDS PAY THOSE COLLEGES A FEE.

AND ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH THOSE COURSES IS THAT, YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU PAY YOUR FEE, THE TEXAS TECH DOESN'T CARE.

THEY'RE NOT KEEPING UP AND MAKING SURE THAT YOU KNOW, YOU'RE PROGRESSING ALONG AND YOU'RE GOING TO BE FINISHED IN TIME TO GET YOUR CREDIT.

AND WE'RE THINKING THAT IF WE COULD CREATE OUR OWN CLASSES LIKE THAT, NOT ONLY COULD WE GET THE MONEY RATHER THAN TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY, BUT WE WOULD ALSO HAVE THE ABILITY TO TRACK THE KIDS AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE

[01:50:03]

AND THAT SEEMS LIKE A A WIN WIN, ACTUALLY.

RIGHT. IT EXPANDING OUR SERVICES, NOT CONTRACTING OUR SERVICE, BRINGING IN MORE REVENUE, NOT LOSING REVENUE.

WE KNOW THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE WILLING TO PAY FOR, WELL, DUAL DUAL COLLEGE CREDIT IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, BUT OUR FAMILIES ARE WILLING TO COME OUT OF POCKET FOR SOME EXTRA CLASS OPPORTUNITIES.

SO SOMETHING I WOULD LOVE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT.

YEAH, A LOT, A LOT OF KIDS, AS I UNDERSTAND IT LIKE TO TAKE THESE COURSES SO THAT THEY CAN TAKE EVEN MORE AP EXAMS, FOR EXAMPLE.

SO IF I, IF I TAKE THIS VIA TEXAS TECH THEN I CAN ADD A MORE CHALLENGING COURSE AT AT WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL. AND SO I DON'T I AGREE, I THINK THAT IF WE CAN RAMP THAT UP OVER TIME THAT THAT'S A IT'S A WIN WIN.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU.

CATHERINE KELLY. OKAY.

SO MY FIRST QUESTION IS AT THE END, YOU HAD QUESTIONS TO THE BOARD AND COMMUNITY.

ARE WE SUPPOSED TO ANSWER THAT NOW? I MEANT TO PULL THAT SLIDE.

AND AND I FAILED TO DO IT, I GUESS.

SO, POTENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR US TO ASK THE COMMUNITY FOR INPUT AND WAS GOING TO BE AN EXAMPLE. YES. SO WE'RE NOT, LIKE, ASHAMED OF THE QUESTION OR ANYTHING, BUT. YEAH, BUT BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S BASICALLY WE JUST DON'T THINK WE'RE THERE YET. WE THINK WE WILL BE THERE, BUT BASICALLY WE WANT TO KNOW BOTH WHAT YOU AND WHAT THE COMMUNITY WOULD SAY IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL TO EANES EDUCATION.

AND WHAT COULD WE CONSIDER LOOKING AT? BUT BUT AGAIN WE DON'T THINK WE'RE TO THAT POINT OF THE DISCUSSION YET.

OKAY. SO I WAS GOING TO START AT OPTION TWO WHERE YOU TALKED ABOUT INCREASING REVENUE AND THE ADDITIONAL TRANSFER STUDENTS.

SO I'M JUST TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IN COST BETWEEN INSTEAD OF HAVING ADDITIONAL TRANSFER STUDENTS, BUT INSTEAD CONSIDERING HAVING RIGHT SIZED SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMS. SO MATCHING OUR PROGRAM AND OUR STAFFING AND OUR FACILITIES FOR THE STUDENTS THAT WE HAVE, WHICH WOULD BE OUR RESIDENT STUDENTS AND OUR STAFF STUDENTS. IS THERE HAVE WE EVER LOOKED AT, YOU KNOW, OPTIMIZING ON THAT AND WHAT THAT EXPENSE WOULD BE OR SAVINGS? MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION. SO IF, IF WE JUST LOOKED AT OPTIMIZING HOUSING.

RESIDENT KIDS ONLY AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL.

IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? YEAH. LOOKING MORE INTO OPTIMIZING OUR PROGRAMS FOR WHAT WE HAVE, INSTEAD OF TRYING TO BRING IN OTHER STUDENTS AND CREATE THIS JUST BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE AN EXCEPTIONAL LEVEL OF EDUCATION WE GIVE HERE.

AND SO WE'RE SPENDING A LOT MORE THAN WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BRING IN WITH A STUDENT.

AND SO HOW DO WE BALANCE THAT OUT? BECAUSE AGAIN, IT DEPENDS ON THE STUDENT.

AND SO OBVIOUSLY ANY ANY RESIDENT KID YOU KNOW HAS HAS A LEGAL RIGHT TO BE HERE, AND WE TAKE THEM WITH OPEN ARMS. BUT WE CAN EVALUATE STUDENTS AS THEY TRANSFER IN AND WE TRY TO DO THAT.

SO, SO THAT WE ARE NOT TAKING STUDENTS, THAT WE SPEND MORE THAN WE TAKE IN ON SO I, I HOPE MOLLY'S NOT CRINGING BACK THERE.

YOU'RE GOOD. OKAY, SO SOME SOMETIMES PARENTS WHEN THEY'RE TRANSFERRING IN, ARE NOT ENTIRELY TRUTHFUL WITH US.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE END UP WITH A STUDENT THAT HAS MORE NEEDS THAN WE REALIZED WHEN WE ACCEPTED THEM. BUT FOR, FOR THE MOST PART, WE'RE TRYING TO GET STUDENTS WHOSE WHOSE NEEDS ARE YOU KNOW EASY TO MEET.

SO NOT AN EXPENSIVE KID.

AND SO THE AMOUNT OF MONEY WE GET IS ENOUGH TO PAY FOR THEM.

OKAY. AND I KNOW WITH THE TRANSFERS YOU TEND TO KIND OF RIGHT SIZE THE CLASSROOMS AS WELL.

I'M JUST WONDERING WHAT, YOU KNOW, IF THERE IS A WAY TO OPTIMIZE JUST FOR WHAT WE HAVE AND HAVE THE BE RIGHT SIZED WITH WHAT WE HAVE AND CLOSER TO THAT THAN TRYING TO GET HUNDREDS OF TRANSFERS.

SO BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S LIKE AN IMPOSSIBLE.

WELL, I MEAN, WE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF INEFFICIENCY THIS YEAR WITH OUR WE,

[01:55:01]

AND SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE A PART OF LOOKING AT THIS NEXT YEAR IS WORKING REALLY HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN.

SO SOMETIMES WE WE, YOU KNOW WE'VE BEEN HESITANT IN THE PAST TO HIRE A TEACHER TO TEACH AT ONE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND THEN SAY, OOPS, WE REALLY NEED YOU OVER HERE INSTEAD.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE STILL DON'T WANT TO DO THAT, BUT WE MIGHT BE MORE WILLING TO DO THAT JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT YOU KNOW, BEING BEING MORE INEFFICIENT THAN WE NEED TO BE.

I KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT OF EFFICIENCIES BY SHARING TEACHERS BETWEEN CAMPUSES.

LIKE THE BAND, WE HAVE CHUCK FISHER, WHO GOES BACK AND FORTH CEDAR CREEK AND BRIDGEPOINT HAVE SHARED OUR, YOU KNOW, TEACHERS BEFORE, TOO. SO I KNOW YOU'VE FOUND EFFICIENCIES, BUT JUST THINKING ABOUT OUR STUDENTS HERE AND JUST IF THERE WAS ANY WAY TO KNOW ABOUT RIGHT SIZING, BUT THAT I MEAN, I KNOW THAT'S REALLY IT'S A LOT.

SO ANOTHER THING THAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT WITH THE REVENUE GENERATION AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR LAST YEAR, YOU HAD GIVEN US THIS TRANSPORTATION COST SHEET, AND WE KIND OF LOOKED AT LIKE HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE UTILIZING BUS TRANSPORTATION AND HOW MUCH THAT COST? AND THEN IT GOT ME THINKING.

SO I STARTED LOOKING ONLINE AND I FOUND ALAMO HEIGHTS, KELLER, ISD AND CARROLL ISD ALL HAVE LIKE A SMALL FEE THAT THEY USE FOR BUS RIDERSHIP.

AND IT'S JUST TO COVER THE COST OF TRANSPORTATION, NOT TO NECESSARILY BE A REVENUE SOURCE, BUT THAT BECOMES MONEY WE'RE NOT SPENDING.

YEAH. SO THERE IS A LIMITATION ON WHEN YOU CAN CHARGE FOR BUS SERVICE IF YOU PROVIDE BUS SERVICE AND I'LL AND I'LL AND I'LL EMPHASIZE THE IF BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT REQUIRED TO PROVIDE DOOR TO DOOR BUS SERVICE FOR ANY BUT PARTICULAR SPECIAL ED KIDS.

SO THERE ARE SOME KIDS THAT ARE REQUIRED BY LAW.

YOU MUST PROVIDE THEM TRANSPORTATION. BUT MOST OF WHAT WE DO IS NOT REQUIRED.

WE DO IT BECAUSE NUMBER ONE, IT'S IT'S IT'S JUST WHAT SCHOOLS DO.

AND IT PROVIDES A SERVICE FOR PARENTS TO GET THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL.

AND IT HELPS CUT DOWN ON THE TRAFFIC THAT WE'D HAVE AROUND OUR SCHOOLS OTHERWISE.

BUT WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO DO IT WHERE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE TIME THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY CHARGE PARENTS FOR, FOR TRANSPORTATION IS WHENEVER THEY'RE IN THE WHAT'S KNOWN AS THE WALK ZONE, WHICH IS AT THREE MILES FOR, I FORGET, THE DISTANCE.

IS IT TWO MILES? WITHIN TWO MILES OF OF THE CAMPUS.

AND SO IF A FAMILY LIVES WITHIN TWO MILES OF THEIR CAMPUS, WHICH REALLY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CEDAR CREEK HERE, AND PROBABLY BARTON CREEK WOULD BE THE ONES THAT THIS WOULD APPLY TO.

THEN YOU DON'T HAVE TO.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO PICK UP IN THAT TWO MILE ZONE AND YOU CAN CHARGE THOSE KIDS FOR THAT.

HOWEVER, IF YOUR, OR IF THE IF THE WALKING AREA IS DESIGNATED AS A HAZARDOUS ZONE.

AND AND HERE. CHRISTY, AM I USING THE RIGHT TERM? CLOSE ENOUGH. OKAY, THAT'S CLOSE ENOUGH.

AND SO DEPENDING ON WHAT THE WALK IS, IS PHYSICALLY LIKE FOR THE KIDS YOU CAN DESIGNATE THAT AS A NON WALKING ZONE.

AND MOST, IF NOT ALL OF THE PLACES CLOSE TO OUR CAMPUSES ARE DESIGNATED THIS WAY.

AND SO WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO CHARGE THOSE KIDS THAT ARE THAT WOULD HAVE TO WALK IN A HAZARDOUS WALKING AREA.

SO THE NUMBER OF KIDS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, WHO WE COULD ACTUALLY CHARGE IS VERY SMALL.

AND SO WE HAVE LOOKED AT IT BUT WE DON'T THINK THERE'S A LOT, A LOT TO GAIN THERE. BUT I WILL EMPHASIZE.

TRANSPORTATION IS EXPENSIVE.

AND I DID SAY IF YOU PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION.

AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THAT MIGHT SHOW UP ON THOSE PROGRAMS SHEETS AT SOME LATER TIME THAT YOU CAN CONSIDER.

MAYBE WE DON'T DO THAT.

SO WHEN I LOOKED AT THOSE SCHOOLS, IT DID SAY IT WAS ANY GEN ED STUDENT.

IT WASN'T REQUIRED FOR THE SCHOOL.

IT DIDN'T ADD THAT TWO MILE.

WELL, THAT IS IF YOU DO PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION THEN THAT FALLS IN.

SO IF YOU IF YOU SAY WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION,

[02:00:02]

BUT IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO THEN NOBODY GETS IT OTHER THAN THE SPECIAL ED KIDS.

I KNOW TO FROM PAYING FOR NOT ONLY CONSUMABLES, BUT LIKE, ATHLETICS HAS A FEE.

MUSIC. WE RENT OUR INSTRUMENT.

IS THERE ANY DIFFERENCE IN COST IN, LIKE, IF YOU HAVE A STUDENT IN A ON LEVEL HONORS OR AP CLASS, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S ANY A DIFFERENT COST TO, LIKE TEACHING THAT OR FOR THAT CLASS, EXCEPT FOR, OF COURSE, THE AP EXAM, WHICH I KNOW WE PAY FOR SEPARATELY.

OR IS THAT THE SAME COST? I'M NOT SURE OF THAT. I WOULD I WOULD SAY THAT'S GOING TO DEPEND ON THE SIZE OF THE CLASS. AND PROBABLY I SHOULD HAVE INVITED MOLLY UP HERE.

PROBABLY THE I WOULD GUESS THAT THAT AP CLASSES MIGHT BE ON AVERAGE A LITTLE SMALLER THAN REGULAR CLASSES, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT TO BE THE CASE.

I WOULDN'T THINK FROM CLASS TO CLASS THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF DIFFERENCE IN HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO RUN, YOU KNOW, A CLASS, UNLESS YOU ARE LOOKING AT ONE OF THOSE REALLY SMALL, INEFFICIENT CLASSES, SOME OF WHICH WE HAVE STOPPED OFFERING IN THE PAST, AND SOME OF THE WORLD LANGUAGES OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOL.

AND THAT'S ALWAYS ONE OF THE THINGS WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT OPTIMIZATION OR EFFICIENCIES, WE ARE LOOKING AT THOSE REALLY SMALL CLASS SIZES.

AND THAT MIGHT MEAN THAT WE AREN'T OFFERING, YOU KNOW, AN ELECTIVE BECAUSE WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE, THE INTEREST IN THAT CLASS.

AND THEN ON THIS ONE WOULD BE FOR LORI, FOR THE STAFFING OPTIMIZATION.

WE TALKED ABOUT ADJUSTING THE CLASS SIZES OR DECREASING STAFF.

IN YOUR OPINION, HOW HOW WOULD THESE HOW WHAT COULD THE POSSIBLE IMPACTS FOR OUR STAFF BE IF WE LOOK INTO THESE OPTIONS? WELL, OBVIOUSLY, WE'D BE LOOKING AT LARGER CLASS SIZES.

SO, YOU KNOW, AT THE ELEMENTARY AND THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL, THE SECONDARY. THERE WOULD BE MORE KIDS IN THOSE CLASSES.

TEACHERS AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL OBVIOUSLY WOULD HAVE PROBABLY LARGER CLASSES THAN THE ELEMENTARIES. OBVIOUSLY, OUR CLASSROOMS ARE ONLY BUILT SO BIG, BUT AND WE WANT TO HONOR THAT K YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF THAT K1K2 AREA AND MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS STILL STAY CLOSE TO THAT 22 TO 1.

BUT WE WOULD JUST BE LOOKING AT MORE KIDS IN THEIR CLASS AND, YOU KNOW, LESS LESS TEACHERS THAT WAY THE THE OPTIMIZATION WOULD BECOME THROUGH ATTRITION AND LESS TEACHERS IN THE, IN THE BUILDING.

OKAY. AND THEN AND YOU SAID THIS WOULD MAKE US IT WOULDN'T BE THAT IT WOULDN'T BE THAT DISSIMILAR FROM THE DISTRICTS AROUND US.

SOME OF THE CLASS SIZE CHANGES.

I'M JUST LOOKING TO SEE IF IT WOULD AFFECT OUR ABILITY TO, LIKE, ATTRACT TEACHERS TO OUR DISTRICT OR RETAIN A TEACHER.

YEAH. I DON'T THINK THAT WE WOULD GO SO LARGE THAT WE WOULD LOSE THAT.

YOU KNOW, WE REALLY WANT TO YOU KNOW, OUR TEACHERS HERE ARE ARE SO VALUABLE TO US.

AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WE KEEP THEM.

BUT WE DO KNOW THAT WE NEED WE NEED TO INCREASE SOME OF THOSE CLASS SIZES.

SO JUST, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THE PRINCIPALS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE REALLY HAVE A GOOD NUMBER, LIKE, LIKE CHRIS HAD MENTIONED THIS YEAR, KIND OF AT THE LAST MINUTE, WE HAD SOME CHANGES IN A COUPLE OF OUR ELEMENTARY CLASSES, AND WE PROBABLY REALLY COULD HAVE OPTIMIZED IN, IN, YOU KNOW, MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS.

BUT, YOU KNOW, LEVELING AFTER SCHOOL STARTS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT EANES ISD HAS DONE IN THE PAST. AND THAT IS WHAT OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS DO.

AND IT MAY BE, YOU KNOW, A PROCESS THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT IN THE FUTURE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT MAY JUST BE THAT WE DO NEED TO BE THAT EFFICIENT, YOU KNOW, AND REALLY LOOK AT IT AND SAY, WE KNOW WE HAVE KIDDOS ALREADY IN A CLASS.

NO ONE WANTS TO MOVE CHILDREN OUT OF A CLASS WHEN THEY'VE ALREADY STARTED WITH A TEACHER.

THAT IS SO HARD. AND MOVE THAT TEACHER FROM THEIR FAMILY.

NO ONE WANTS TO MOVE THEM FROM THEIR CAMPUS.

EXCUSE ME. SO IT'S. THOSE ARE A LOT OF BIG DECISIONS TO REALLY HAVE TO THINK ABOUT.

THANK YOU FOR THAT ANSWER.

SO FOR OPTION FOUR. OH, NO, WAIT, I ALREADY ASKED THAT QUESTION.

AND THEN THE SAME THING ON, LIKE, IF WE WERE TALKING ABOUT OPTION FIVE, TALKING ABOUT THE SALARY FREEZE, WHICH ONCE AGAIN IS GOING TO AFFECT OUR STAFF. IF WE DO HAVE TO CONSIDER SOMETHING LIKE THIS YOU KNOW, ARE THERE LIKE, LOW COST, NO COST THINGS THAT WE CAN USE TO,

[02:05:01]

IN THE END, I THINK THAT AS MUCH AS WE CAN TAKE CARE OF OUR STAFF IN OTHER WAYS, THEY STILL HAVE TO PAY THEIR RENT AND INSURANCE IS STILL GOING UP, AND, YOU KNOW, NOTHING'S GOING DOWN, UNFORTUNATELY.

SO IT IS A REALLY DIFFICULT DECISION TO THINK ABOUT A SALARY FREEZE AT THIS TIME.

THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS.

I KNOW THEY'RE REALLY HARD, BUT IF WE HAVE TO CONSIDER THESE THINGS, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THE EFFECTS WILL BE.

SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

KELLY. JOHN. WELL TO START, THANK YOU, CHRIS, TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM. AND THANK YOU TO CATHERINE AND DIANE FOR THE ON THE FINANCE COMMITTEE. THIS IS A PAINFUL CONVERSATION.

AND, I MEAN, I'M SO GLAD WE'RE HAVING IT BECAUSE WE DON'T REALLY HAVE ANOTHER CHOICE.

WE HAVE TO HAVE IT. AND I'M GLAD WE'RE HAVING IT NOW IN OCTOBER.

SO THAT WE CAN HAVE TIME TO GET COMMUNITY INPUT.

WE CAN HAVE TIME TO PROCESS THROUGH AS A BOARD TO WORK WITH YOU ALL, TO TURN OVER EVERY STONE, THINK AS CREATIVELY BUT IT'S NOBODY WANTS TO BE GOING THROUGH THIS. AND SO I APPRECIATE YOU ALL FOR DOING THE HARD WORK TO DIG INTO THIS, BECAUSE HERE WE ARE.

AND WE WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE REALITY OF WHERE WE ARE.

SO THANK YOU FOR FOR DOING IT.

SO JUST TO CLARIFY ON THE, THE 5 TO $6 MILLION DEFICIT FOR NEXT YEAR, THAT'S BASED UPON A 2% RAISE, RIGHT? CORRECT. AND THEN A DECLINE IN ENROLLMENT OF 100 KIDS OR HOW MANY? RIGHT NOW I'M MODELING A 150.

I'M HOPING IT WON'T BE THAT MUCH, BUT THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING AT.

OKAY. BUT THE 5 TO 6 IS BASED ON 150.

RIGHT? OKAY. AND HAVE WE.

SO I KNOW THE LEGISLATURE HAS GOTTEN VERY PRESCRIPTIVE IN HOW THEY GIVE US FUNDS AND HOW THEY FUND PUBLIC EDUCATION IN GENERAL.

AND SAYING, DO THIS, THERE'S MONEY ATTACHED TO IT.

HAVE WE EVALUATED EVERY SINGLE FUNDING STREAM AND MADE A YES OR NO ON IT? AND FOR EXAMPLE BLUEBONNET CURRICULUM, I DON'T KNOW IF WE WANT BLUEBONNET CURRICULUM OR NOT. BUT I KNOW THE STATE'S PUT MONEY BEHIND IT.

THE STATE, AS FAR AS I UNDERSTAND, JUST SAID, HEY, DISTRICTS, IF YOU WANT TO RUN A VIRTUAL SCHOOL, GO FOR IT. AND WE COULD LAUNCH A VIRTUAL SCHOOL, AND YOU GET FUNDED FOR A VIRTUAL KID AT THE SAME RATE AS YOU DO FOR AN IN-PERSON KID.

THAT'S OBVIOUSLY A PRETTY BIG STRATEGIC CHANGE.

BUT I BRING THOSE UP AS EXAMPLES THAT THERE ARE SUSTAINABLE FUNDING STREAMS FROM THE STATE THAT ARE OUT THERE.

AND I'M CURIOUS IF YOU ALL AND THE COMMITTEE HAVE LOOKED AT THESE AND GONE THROUGH LINE ITEM BY LINE ITEM AND, AND EVALUATED EACH OF THE NEW FUNDING STREAMS TO SEE IF THAT'S WHEN WE WANT TO DISCUSS MORE AS A BOARD OR NOT.

AS FAR AS THE BLUEBONNET CURRICULUM THAT WOULD BE A DECISION THAT WE WOULD DEFER TO TEACHING AND LEARNING.

AND, YOU KNOW, I DON'T I DON'T FEEL IT'S APPROPRIATE, YOU KNOW, FOR FOR US TO JUMP IN THERE AS AS THE FINANCE TEAM AND AND GUIDE CURRICULUM DECISIONS. AND I BELIEVE THEY HAVE LOOKED AT THOSE MATERIALS AND AND I'M, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THE ACTUAL EVALUATION, BUT I THINK NOT OVERLY IMPRESSED.

WAS PROBABLY THEIR ANALYSIS, I CAN JUST SAY THAT OUR TEAM IS VERY WELL AWARE OF THE FUNDING SOURCES FOR THOSE DIFFERENT RESOURCES.

AND WE ARE LOOKING AT WHAT WE'VE ALREADY PURCHASED AND HOW LONG THOSE ENGAGEMENTS ARE, BECAUSE SOMETIMES YOU'RE PURCHASING, YOU'RE DOING THREE AND FOUR YEAR YOU KNOW, RIGHT, PURCHASES. AND SO TO SWITCH SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE WOULD ACTUALLY BE HIGHLY INEFFECTIVE FINANCIALLY.

AND SO WE ARE LOOKING BUT WE DO KNOW WHAT'S ON THE APPROVED LIST.

WE KNOW WHAT RESOURCES YOU GET.

THE EXTRA $20 FOR STEM SCOPES IS ONE OF THOSE THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE A DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCE OF MONEY THAT WE HAVE.

WE USE STEM SCOPES. YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE HAVE TEACHERS SAY, WELL, CAN WE USE SOMETHING ELSE? AND WE'RE LIKE, THIS IS REALLY FINANCIALLY, YOU KNOW, IT'S A GOOD RESOURCE BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO START WITH WHAT'S A HIGH QUALITY RESOURCE

[02:10:02]

AND WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING TO SEE WHAT'S THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE, BEST RESOURCE AVAILABLE.

AND THEN EVEN THE VIRTUAL SCHOOL, THERE'S A THERE'S A LOT TO THAT.

WE HAVE DISCUSSED ALL THE OPTIONS AROUND WHAT YOU CAN DO IN TERMS OF VIRTUAL LEARNING.

THERE'S AND THAT'S WHY ONE OF THE REASONS WE ARE NOW BEING ABLE TO OFFER THESE COURSES THROUGH SUMMER SCHOOL THAT CHRIS WAS TALKING ABOUT EARLIER AS A FUNDING SOURCE.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, YOU DO HAVE TO KIND OF START SLOWLY.

YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT ALL OF THAT.

BUT ALL OF THAT STUFF THAT COMES IN, I WOULD TELL YOU THAT TEACHING AND LEARNING IS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAXIMIZE THAT.

A VIRTUAL SCHOOL IN AND OF ITSELF IS VERY, VERY COMPLEX.

BUT OFFERING COURSES AND DOING SOME OF THAT IS ACTUALLY A WAY TO GET SOME REVENUE THAT WE THINK WE NEED TO TAP INTO.

AND THAT'S GREAT. AND AND FOR FOR NOW, I MEAN, I'M NOT FIXATED ON ONE OF THE PARTICULAR OPTIONS.

JUST SPEAKING FOR MYSELF, I WOULD KNOWING THAT THE STATE IS MOVING AWAY FROM GIVING TO THE BASIC ALLOTMENT AND THEY'RE FUNDING ALL THESE SPECIFIC THINGS.

I'D LOVE TO SEE A LIST OF THOSE SPECIFIC THINGS AND HAVE A SENSE OF LIKE, IF WE DID THIS, IT'S X NUMBER OF DOLLARS PER KID.

IF WE DID THIS, IT'S Y NUMBER OF DOLLARS PER KID.

AND ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT NUMBER FOUR, WHICH IS REDUCING OR ELIMINATING PROGRAMS FOR PROGRAMS AND SERVICES, I'D LOVE TO ALSO SEE THE OPPOSITE OF THAT, WHICH IS IF WE ADDED THIS PROGRAM OR SERVICE, THIS IS HOW MUCH THE STATE FUNDS US.

I WANT TO ONLY WANT TO LOOK AT REDUCTION.

I'D ALSO WANT TO LOOK AT ADDITION SO THAT WE COULD SEE, YOU KNOW, THE FULL PICTURE.

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? I WOULD SAY THAT THERE'S NOT MUCH THAT WE COULD GET FUNDING FOR THAT WE DON'T. THE THE ISSUE IS MOST OF THEM ARE FUNDED ON A PER UNIT BASIS.

AND SO YOU'RE LIMITED BY, YOU KNOW, THE DEMAND OF YOUR KIDS.

THERE THERE ARE SOME AREAS PARTICULARLY IN KATE THAT I THINK WE WOULD LIKE TO EXPAND AND OFFER MORE BECAUSE THERE IS A DEMAND THERE.

AND WE'RE ACTIVELY LOOKING AT THAT, FOR EXAMPLE.

AND THERE IS SOME SIGNIFICANT MONEY TO BE HAD.

YOU KNOW, IF WE IF WE CAN GET OUR, OUR PROGRAM BUILT OUT THE WAY WE'D LIKE TO.

OKAY. DO WE AND, AND I CAN REACH OUT TO T.A.

TO, TO GET IT, BUT DO WE HAVE A LIST OF ALL THOSE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT THAT ARE FUNDED THIS WAY THAT CAN BE SHARED WITH THE BOARD? I DON'T THINK I HAVE A LIST LIKE THAT, BUT I CAN PROBABLY CREATE SOMETHING THAT YOU COULD TAKE A LOOK AT. YEAH.

WELL I SO WE WE WENT TO THIS.

I WENT TO A NEW TRAINING FOR BRAND NEW TRUSTEES.

FIRST TIME T HAS EVER OFFERED IT AND THEY AND THERE WAS A GENTLEMAN THERE WHO DOES THIS FOR THE STATE. SO BEFORE I PUT MORE WORK ON YOUR PLATE, I'LL EMAIL HIM AND SEE IF HE CAN SEND ME THE LIST.

AND THEN IF WE CAN'T, THEN I'LL FOLLOW UP AND SEE IF IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE TO GET THAT JUST TO HELP SEE THE OTHER SIDE OF OF NUMBER FOUR.

SOUNDS GOOD. OKAY. I SO ALSO SPEAKING ABOUT NUMBER FOUR OF THE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES AS ENROLLMENT DECLINES, ARE WE SEEING THAT AND WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT SPECIFIC PROGRAMS OR SERVICES? BECAUSE THAT'S NOT THE PURPOSE OF TONIGHT, ARE WE SEEING THAT SOME PROGRAMS WERE FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE AT A LARGER ENROLLMENT.

SAY BACK WHEN WE WERE 8000 KIDS, A FEW A FEW YEARS AGO, THAT NOW, AS WE HAVE DOWNWARD PRESSURE ON ENROLLMENT, THAT SOME PROGRAMS ARE JUST NO LONGER FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE AS ENROLLMENT SHRINKS BY 100 150 KIDS A YEAR.

IS THAT A IS THAT HAPPENING, OR IS THAT NOT REALLY THE RIGHT WAY TO LOOK AT IT? I DON'T THINK I WOULD LOOK AT IT THAT WAY.

I WOULD SAY THAT 5 OR 6 YEARS AGO WE OFFERED ESSENTIALLY THE SAME PROGRAM WE'RE OFFERING NOW. AND BECAUSE OF ENROLLMENT DECLINES AND BECAUSE OF STAGNANT FUNDING FROM THE STATE IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW WE CAN'T OFFER IT COSTS MORE TO, TO OFFER THE PROGRAM THAN IT DID 5 OR 6 YEARS AGO.

AND SO IT'S NOT SO MUCH THAT THIS WAS FINANCIALLY VIABLE.

AND NOW IT'S NOT. I MEAN, WELL, I GUESS SORT OF IT IS,

[02:15:02]

BUT KEEPING IN MIND LIKE I SAID, THERE'S THERE'S NOT ANY PROGRAM OUT THERE THAT'S GOING TO TURN TO TURN THE SWITCH TO SAY, OKAY, WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO THIS ANYMORE. AND NOW WE'VE GOT AN EXTRA, YOU KNOW, MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR OR $500,000 A YEAR.

THE THE PICKUP IS GOING TO BE MUCH SMALLER THAN THAT.

SO WHERE WOULD WE BE LOOKING IF IF WE END UP GOING AND LOOKING AT PROGRAMS ARE GOING TO BE THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE NOT, YOU KNOW THE SMALLER PROGRAMS, THE MORE BOUTIQUE PROGRAMS, THE ONES THAT HAVE 15 KIDS IN THEM INSTEAD OF 30 KIDS IN THEM. AND SO YOU, YOU KNOW, SAY, WE JUST CAN'T OFFER THAT ANYMORE AND WE'RE GOING TO PUT YOU IN A, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GOING TO NEED TO GO TO A DIFFERENT CLASS. YEAH.

SO I, I'M NOT SURE IF I ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION OR NOT, BUT I DON'T FEEL LIKE THE WHAT WE'RE SEEING NOW IS THE, THE STRAIN THAT WE'RE SEEING, IT'S NOT SAYING, OH, THAT CLEARLY MEANS THAT PROGRAM IS, YOU KNOW, THE IS THE ONE THAT'S CAUSING US PAIN.

IT'S IT'S MORE LIKE IT'S WE USED TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE 18 KIDS IN A CLASS AND IT WAS FINE.

AND NOW WE HAVE 18 KIDS IN A CLASS, AND IT'S NOT FINE THAT BECAUSE THE, THE COST OF JUST BECAUSE THE COST HAVE GONE UP AND IN THE IN THE FUNDS HAVEN'T.

OKAY. AND I DO I MEAN TALKING ABOUT GETTING THE THE COMMUNITY INPUT, I DO WANT TO UNDERSCORE WHAT I BELIEVE WAS KELLY'S QUESTION ABOUT RIGHTSIZING.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HEAR AS I AM TALKING WITH VARIOUS COMMUNITY MEMBERS IS WHAT WOULD BE A BETTER COURSE FORWARD IS IT TO TO SIGNIFICANTLY RAMP UP TRANSFERS AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO FILL EVERY SINGLE GAP WE CAN AND TRY TO BRING IN MORE KIDS? OR WOULD IT BE BETTER TO RIGHTSIZE TO OUR RESIDENT POPULATION? AND, AND KIND OF SHUT OFF THE FLOW OF TRANSFERS? AND I RECOGNIZE THAT THAT ANSWER MAY BE DIFFERENT IN THE SHORT TERM VERSUS THE LONG TERM AS WELL BECAUSE YOU MAY SAY, HEY, FIXED COSTS ARE MOSTLY WHAT THEY ARE FOR NEXT YEAR, BUT FIVE, YOU KNOW, FIVE YEARS FROM NOW, AFTER WE GO THROUGH SOME OF THE LONG RANGE FACILITY PLANNING AND SOME OF THESE THINGS ARE ACTUALLY COMING ONLINE, THE COST COULD BE DIFFERENT.

AND SO AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, I DO KNOW THAT AS A QUESTION THAT A LOT OF FOLKS HAVE SURFACED IN THE COMMUNITY IS KIND OF THE THE BACK AND FORTH OF THAT.

AND I AND I WOULD NOT TO PUT WORDS IN KELLY'S MOUTH, BUT I THINK THAT'S AT LEAST SOMETHING I'D LIKE TO KNOW.

AND I AM HEARING THAT FROM FOLKS ON THE COMMUNITY.

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YEAH.

I MEAN, JUST AS AS AN OVERALL VIEW.

I MEAN, IF YOU IF YOU COULD PUT ALL YOUR KIDS IN FOUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS INSTEAD OF FIVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, THAT'S A BIG SAVINGS. AND IF WE MOVE TOWARDS THAT, COULD WE COULD THAT HAPPEN WITHOUT THE IMPLEMENTING THE PC STUFF.

MAYBE, I DON'T KNOW. I THINK WE COULD LOOK AT THAT.

BUT I DON'T THINK THAT WOULD.

I DON'T THINK THAT WOULD BE A QUICK THING TO DO.

I THINK IF I UNDERSTAND THE BOARD FROM BEING HERE FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS, I THINK THAT YOU WOULD NOT SUPPORT TELLING A BUNCH OF KIDS THAT HAVE BEEN ADMITTED THAT YOU'RE NO LONGER WELCOME.

I THINK YOU WOULD SAY, LET'S STOP ADMITTING KIDS AND WORK THESE KIDS OUT OF THE SYSTEM. WHICH, YOU KNOW, WOULD TAKE LONGER TO GET THERE.

BUT IT WOULD ALSO INCREASE, YOU KNOW, ADD SOME, SOME INEFFICIENCIES. AND SO WE'LL END UP WITH SOME YOU KNOW, WE MIGHT HAVE THREE THIRD GRADE CLASSES WITH, YOU KNOW, 18 KIDS EACH IN THEM.

WHEN WE COULD HAVE HAD 21 KIDS IN THOSE IN THOSE CLASSES, AND SO THERE WILL BE LESS MONEY COMING IN.

EVENTUALLY, YOU WOULD PROBABLY GET TO THE POINT WHERE YOU COULD CONDENSE THEM DOWN TO FOUR SCHOOLS AND YOU WOULD HAVE RECOGNIZE THE SAVINGS, BUT IT MIGHT HAVE A COST INITIALLY TO DO THAT.

[02:20:02]

I MEAN, WE'RE PROBABLY ALWAYS GOING TO HAVE A FUTURE WHERE LET'S RIGHTSIZE AS MUCH AS WE CAN. AND THEN ALSO, WE'RE STILL GOING TO HAVE PLACES WHERE IT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO, TO BRING IN TRANSFERS TO FILL IN THE GAPS, EVEN IN A WORLD WHERE WE HAD FOUR CAMPUSES.

AND I ALSO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO JUST TURN ON A SPIGOT AND SAY, ALL RIGHT, THIS YEAR WE WANT TO HAVE 8000 KIDS. SO BRING IN THIS MANY TRANSFERS.

WE NEED, YOU KNOW, 12 AT THIS PLACE AND SIX AT THAT PLACE.

AND WE WE DON'T HAVE THAT ABILITY.

I DON'T THINK WE'LL EVER HAVE THAT ABILITY. SO WE'RE LIMITED BOTH.

IN THAT THERE'S A FINITE NUMBER OF FAMILIES WHO, WHO LIVE CLOSE ENOUGH TO US AND HAVE THE ABILITY TO COMMIT TO LONG TERM TRANSPORTATION INTO OUR DISTRICT, BECAUSE WE'RE CERTAINLY NOT PROVIDING TRANSPORTATION TO THOSE KIDS.

AND SO WHEN WHEN A PARENT SIGNS UP TO, TO TO TRANSFER THEIR KIDS IN, IN KINDERGARTEN AND THEY'RE HOPING THEIR KID TO GRADUATE FROM WEST LAKE HIGH SCHOOL IN 13 YEARS, THEY KNOW THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE PROVIDING THAT TRANSPORTATION AT LEAST UNTIL THAT KID CAN DRIVE. SO 10 OR 11 YEARS, YOU'RE GOING TO BE YOU'RE GOING TO BE DRIVING IN TO THE HEART OF WEST LAKE EVERY DAY TO DROP YOUR KID OFF.

AND SO THERE'S A LIMITED NUMBER OF FAMILIES THAT CAN DO THAT, WHO LIVE CLOSE ENOUGH, WHO WHO HAVE THE ABILITY TO COMMIT THE TIME TO DO IT. AND SO IT SEEMS LIKE I THINK AT ONE POINT WE THOUGHT, OH, YEAH, WE CAN WE CAN DIAL OUR ENROLLMENT TO WHEREVER WE WANT IT.

BUT IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE WE SEEM TO HOVER AROUND THE SAME PERCENTAGE OF TRANSFER KIDS YOU KNOW, WE CAN INFLUENCE IT A LITTLE BIT BY REALLY TARGETING OUR ADVERTISING.

BUT LIKE I SAID, WE CAN'T JUST YOU KNOW, TURN A DIAL.

SO AGAIN, I'M NOT SURE IF I ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION, BUT I THINK I, I THINK FOR THE TIME BEING THE THE TRANSFER KIDS DO CONTRIBUTE TO THE, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF I'LL CALL IT RIGHTSIZING, BUT AT LEAST CREATING EFFICIENT CLASSROOMS. AND, AND I THINK THAT GOING TO A RIGHTSIZING COULD EVENTUALLY INCREASE EFFICIENCY, BUT I THINK YOU'D GO THROUGH A PERIOD OF INEFFICIENCY BEFORE YOU GOT THERE.

OKAY, THAT MAKES SENSE.

ALL RIGHT, WELL, LOTS MORE TO DIG INTO, BUT THANK YOU FOR THIS.

AND AND I, AND I DO LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING TIME TO TO GET IN FRONT OF THE COMMUNITY AND GET COMMUNITY INPUT ON THIS, BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS EVERY SINGLE THING ON THERE IS GOING TO TOUCH THE COMMUNITY QUITE DEEPLY. SO APPRECIATE YOU ALL SURFACING IT THIS EARLY. SO WE HAVE TIME TO DO THAT.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU JOHN.

WE'RE NEXT GOING TO HEAR FROM DIANE AND FOLLOWED BY JAMES.

THANK YOU DIANE. OKAY.

THANK YOU. MY FELLOW TRUSTEES HAVE ALREADY ASKED SOME REALLY GOOD QUESTIONS, SOME REALLY TOUGH QUESTIONS. SO I'LL FILL IN WITH A FEW OTHERS.

YOU'VE GIVEN US SOME ESTIMATES ON THESE DIFFERENT OPTIONS.

FOR EXAMPLE, WITH THE REVENUE, I THINK YOU HAD $600,000 AND THAT WAS TALKING ABOUT POTENTIAL INCREASING OF FACILITY RENTAL FEES.

YOU SAID WE'VE ALREADY INCREASED SOME 25%.

THERE REALLY ISN'T MUCH MORE TO DO.

THERE IS WHAT I'M HEARING.

THAT $600,000 INCLUDED THAT I WOULD INCREASE RENTAL RATES BY ANOTHER 10% OVER THE 25% WE DID THIS PAST YEAR.

IT INCLUDED EARNING SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF $100,000 WITH THESE CLASSES THIS SUMMER. AND IT INCLUDED ADDING 50 ADDITIONAL TRANSFER STUDENTS AT TARGETED SCHOOLS. OKAY. WHICH, AGAIN, THERE'S A DEMAND FOR.

OKAY. AND SO WHEN YOU WHEN YOU DID THE 25% INCREASE, DID WE SEE A DEMAND DROP? WE DID NOT. NO. AND IN FACT I, I PROBABLY UNDERESTIMATED HOW MUCH WE'RE GOING TO GET THIS YEAR.

I'VE GOT A, I'VE GOT A TEAM THAT WORKS REALLY, REALLY HARD TO, TO GET PEOPLE IN AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE DOING A REALLY GOOD JOB THIS YEAR, AND I HAVEN'T RUN THE NUMBERS IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS.

BUT THEY HAD BEEN RUNNING AHEAD OF EXPECTATIONS.

AND AND I THINK WE'LL PROBABLY END UP BRINGING IN MORE FROM OUR ENTERPRISE FUNDS

[02:25:03]

I'VE HEARD OF SOME CREATIVE MOVIE FILMING THINGS WHERE WE'RE DOING A LOT WITH WITH COMMERCIALS AND FILM WORK HERE RECENTLY, AND WE INCREASE THOSE RATES AS WELL.

YEAH. IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE AT WHAT POINT, HOW FAR WE CAN GO WITH INCREASING IF WE DON'T QUITE UNDERSTAND THAT YET.

BUT I THINK WE COULD GO A LOT FARTHER.

I MEAN, AS FAR AS WHAT THE MARKET WOULD BEAR.

WE DON'T WANT TO DO IT TOO FAST.

AND, AND AGAIN WE WANT TO BE AWARE OF HOW MUCH WE ASK OF OUR PARENTS.

SO THAT WE'RE CHARGING TO, YOU KNOW USE SOCCER LEAGUE OR WHATEVER TO, TO USE OUR FIELDS. BUT THE BUT THAT ULTIMATELY GETS PAID BY OUR FAMILIES TO PARTICIPATE IN THOSE SPORTS AND THOSE ACTIVITIES.

AND SO WE ASK A LOT OF OUR PARENTS YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING SOMEBODY MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT PARTICIPATION FEES FOR U.I.L, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST U.I.L, BUT OTHER EXTRACURRICULAR EVENTS.

AND WE'RE ONE OF THE FEW DISTRICTS THAT EVEN CHARGE THAT.

AND WE INCREASED IT PRETTY SIGNIFICANTLY THIS YEAR, AGAIN, TO INCREASE REVENUE.

AND, AND OUR PARENTS HAVE HAVE PAID IT.

BUT WE LIKE I SAID, WE ASK A LOT OF THEM AND I'D LIKE TO ASK LESS OF THEM IF WE COULD.

THANK YOU. MOVING ON TO THE STAFF OPTIMIZATION CATEGORY AND TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THAT 3.3 MILLION THERE, YOU TALKED YOU MENTIONED TWO DIFFERENT WAYS TO ACHIEVE THAT. ONE WAS CLASSROOM SIZES.

ONE WAS OTHER EFFICIENCIES WITHIN THE SCHOOLS.

HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT IDENTIFYING THOSE OTHER EFFICIENCIES? IS IT PUT ON THE PRINCIPALS OR HOW DO YOU FIGURE OUT HOW LEAN YOU CAN GO BEFORE YOU ARE CUTTING TOO FAR INTO BONE? YES, WE ALREADY ARE. WE STARTED THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PRINCIPALS.

WE'LL BE MEETING WITH THEM INDIVIDUALLY.

AND YOU KNOW, THAT STARTED THAT CONVERSATION WAS ALSO TO KIND OF GET THEM THINKING, RIGHT. WE KNOW WE'RE VERY LEAN IN MANY PLACES, AND WE DO NOT WANT TO ASK MORE OF OUR TEACHERS, BUT WE KNOW THAT WE WILL NEED TO IN THE FUTURE.

AND SO REALLY, JUST SPEAKING WITH OUR PRINCIPALS AND AND SEEING WHAT'S THE BEST PLACE TO TO UTILIZE AND OPTIMIZE SOME OF THESE STAFFING CONCERNS THAT WE KNOW WE HAVE.

AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE JUST REALLY TALKING WITH THEM.

SO OF THE 3.3 MILLION, WOULD YOU SAY MOST OF THAT IS THROUGH CLASS SIZE GROWTH? REALLY? AND FROM OUR COMMITTEE MEETING, I RECALL THAT MAYBE MORE OF THAT WOULD BE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL IS THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR SECONDARY LEVEL DOES OUR ELEMENTARIES ARE ALREADY VERY, YOU KNOW, THEY OPTIMIZE AND ARE VERY EFFICIENT.

AND IT'S REALLY, YOU KNOW, WE WE KNOW WE CAN HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF OF MOVEMENT THERE AND GET SOME, SOME SAVINGS OF FTE IF WE, YOU KNOW, RAISE THOSE UPPER GRADE LEVELS.

BUT OUR SECONDARY, WHEN WE GO TO THEM YEAR AFTER YEAR, THIS IS IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT BECAUSE WE ARE EVERY YEAR REALLY SCRUTINIZING WHEN WE FILL POSITIONS AND DO WE NEED IT AND WHAT ARE THESE CLASS SIZES LOOK LIKE.

AND SO WE ARE JUST REALLY, YOU KNOW, LOOKING HARD AT THAT.

AND WE'LL BE DOING THAT AGAIN THIS YEAR.

YOU KNOW, THAT WE ASKED OF THEM LAST YEAR AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL.

AND YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS LIKE WE GO TO THEM EVERY YEAR TO, TO LOOK AT THIS FOR ME.

WHEN YOU COMBINE THAT WITH THE POTENTIAL SALARY FREEZE, THAT'S WHEN YOU RUN INTO SOME REALLY HARD.

THAT'S A BAD SCENARIO.

YOU'RE ASKING MORE ESSENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, GIVING NO MORE.

RIGHT, RIGHT. AND THEN I KNOW THAT WE'RE TRYING TO KEEP OUR STUDENTS AT THE CENTER OF THIS AND STAY AWAY FROM THAT, THAT BULL'S EYE.

BUT IT MUST BE REALLY TRICKY TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH CAN YOU CUT WITHOUT IMPACTING THE STUDENTS? I MEAN, RIGHT, BECAUSE, I MEAN, REALISTICALLY, OUR STUDENTS ARE GOING TO BE TOUCHED IF WE IF WE DO CHANGE THOSE CLASS SIZES AND IF WE DO REDUCE TEACHERS AT THE ANY OF THE ANY OF THE LEVELS.

RIGHT. WE KNOW THAT OUR KIDS WILL BE AFFECTED, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT. SO WHEN YOU'RE COMING BACK TO US WITH THESE SUGGESTIONS, ARE YOU IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE TRYING TO COME BACK, THOUGH, WITH THESE EFFICIENCIES THAT YOU FEEL REALLY ARE GOING TO MAINTAIN THE QUALITY OF

[02:30:01]

YES, YES. WE'VE TALKED IN THE PAST ABOUT HOW OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT BEING THE TYPE OF SCHOOL DISTRICT IT IS.

WE'RE NOT ONE THAT OFTENTIMES GOES OUT FOR GRANTS OR IS CONSIDERED FOR GRANTS, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME TIMES WHERE WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.

MAYBE SAFETY AND SECURITY COMES TO MIND.

BUT WE'RE LIKE, OH, THEY WENT OUT FOR A GRANT AND THEY GOT A GRANT.

IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE STILL REALLY EXPLORING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE SO THAT, YOU KNOW, ANYWHERE WE CAN FIND MONEY, WE CAN HOPEFULLY FIND IT.

WE LOOK AT A LOT OF GRANTS.

WE DON'T HAVE ANYBODY DEDICATED TO LOOKING AT THEM.

BUT T ALWAYS LETS YOU KNOW WHEN SOMETHING IS COMING UP.

SO THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF GRANTS. THERE ARE SOME TYPES OF GRANTS THAT IF YOU QUALIFY FOR THEM, YOU KNOW THAT YOU WILL GET THEM.

AND SO THIS OFTEN HAPPENS WITH OUR WITH OUR BUSSES FOR EXAMPLE, THAT THAT THEIR GRANTS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. YOU'RE RIGHT. WE RECENTLY HAD ONE ASSOCIATED WITH SAFETY AND SECURITY THAT WE USED TO OFFSET SOME SOME SALARIES OF OUR POLICE OFFICERS IN THE FIRST YEAR OF OPERATION.

THAT WAS 700 SOMETHING THOUSAND DOLLARS.

WE'VE GOTTEN SOME GRANTS FOR EQUIPMENT FOR OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT SO THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE, YOU KNOW, SOME TARGETED THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WE DO QUALIFY FOR.

A LOT OF THEM ARE SPECIFICALLY LOOKING, TO SEND THEIR GRANTS TO SCHOOLS WITH HIGH HIGH LEVELS OF SOCIOECONOMIC NEED.

AND WE DON'T APPLY FOR THOSE BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET THEM.

BUT THAT THAT'S A COMMON A COMMON CRITERIA FOR GETTING GRANTS.

AND SO THE ONES THAT, THAT WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO GET, WE APPLY FOR AND THOSE THAT WE THINK THAT WE COULD GET, WE APPLY FOR BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF THEM THAT, THAT IT'S THAT, YOU KNOW, LISTING FROM THE CRITERIA.

WE DON'T EVEN QUALIFY TO APPLY FOR THEM.

OKAY. WELL, WE'LL BE HAVING A LOT MORE DISCUSSION.

I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR RIGHT NOW.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

DIANE. WE'LL NOW MOVE TO JAMES AND HEAR FROM JAMES.

AND THEN FOLLOWED BY LAURA.

THANK YOU. CHRIS, I APPRECIATE THIS IS DIFFICULT TO TALK ABOUT.

I APPRECIATE YOUR DIRECTNESS.

ON THIS, I I KNOW YOU.

YOU'VE DANCED AROUND THINGS, YOU VERY SENSITIVE THINGS, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT I APPRECIATE THE GRAVITY OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING HERE.

I WILL ECHO SOMETHING.

LORI JUST SAID THAT BASED ON WHAT I'VE SEEN, I THINK IT WILL BE VERY CHALLENGING TO BALANCE THE BUDGET WITHOUT HAVING AN IMPACT ON STUDENTS.

IN FACT, I WOULD I WOULD ARGUE THAT SEVERAL, IF NOT ALL, OF THE BUDGET CHANGES WE MADE LAST YEAR HAD SOME IMPACT ON ON STUDENTS.

WE'RE ALREADY THERE. IN OTHER WORDS, WE WE'VE TRIMMED WHAT WE COULD WITHOUT IMPACTING STUDENTS. AND NOW WE'RE GETTING INTO MORE AND MORE OF THINGS.

THAT, AND I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S IMPACTING TO THE TO THE POINT THAT WE'RE RUINING OUR STUDENTS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. BUT IT THERE'S A BROAD BUCKET OF IMPACTING STUDENTS AND WE'RE THERE. A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, WE WERE SHOWN THE LATEST ENROLLMENT REPORT, AND IT SHOWED AT LEAST I THINK IT WAS VERY CLEAR ON THE ELEMENTARY SIDE, A DECLINING NUMBER OF CLASSROOM TEACHERS THERE, AND A LOT OF THAT WAS AN IMPACT OF OF CLASS EFFICIENCIES.

AND THEN I THINK AND ADDED TO THAT WAS THE BLEND.

HOW IS OUR NON-CLASSROOM PAYROLL CHANGING AT THIS POINT? HOW HAS IT CHANGED YEAR OVER YEAR? DO YOU KNOW? I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT.

DO YOU KNOW, OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD, LAURIE? I MEAN, I WOULD THINK WE'VE STAYED.

I MEAN, WE REALLY HAVE STAYED FAIRLY.

I MEAN, WE HAVE SOME POSITIONS THAT ARE JUST THEY STAY THE SAME, RIGHT? AND SO ESPECIALLY ASSOCIATED WITH SPED, WE DO NOT HAVE A LOT OF EXTRA NON CLASSROOM POSITIONS THAT SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS.

SO YOU KNOW ANOTHER SCHOOL DISTRICT, YOU MAY HAVE MORE TEACHING ASSISTANTS THAN WE DON'T. WE DON'T HAVE A THE NUMBER OF TEACHING ASSISTANTS WE HAVE THE SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHING ASSISTANTS, BUT NOT NOT REGULAR GEN ED TEACHING ASSISTANTS.

SO WE'VE REALLY STAYED THE SAME.

OUR CAMPUSES HAVE OPERATED WITH THE SAME YOU KNOW, PARAPROFESSIONAL OR CLERICAL STAFF.

WE HAVE NOT INCREASED THAT IN ANY WAY.

YOU KNOW, SO WE REALLY WITH OUR NUMBERS, YOU KNOW, STAYING WHERE THEY ARE, WE WE REALLY ARE VERY LEAN IN THOSE AREAS.

AND SO REALLY, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF OPTIMIZATION IN THAT AREA.

I WILL SAY THAT THE THE $3.3 MILLION FIGURE THAT WE SHOWED ON STAFF OPTIMIZATION INCLUDED

[02:35:04]

OKAY. AND I MEANT TO POINT OUT IN THE BEGINNING, OBVIOUSLY THERE WERE CHANGES WE THERE WERE EFFICIENCIES IN SHUTTING DOWN VALLEY VIEW, SUCH AS THE OFFICER THAT WAS THERE.

WE NO LONGER HAVE THAT OFFICER.

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT CAFETERIA WORKERS OR OR OTHER THINGS LIKE FRONT OFFICE STAFF AND STUFF LIKE THAT, BUT THERE WERE SOME NON-CLASSROOM EFFICIENCIES THERE.

AND I SUPPOSE WHAT I'M WONDERING, WHAT I'M THE MEAT OF MY QUESTION IS WE'RE NOT REALIZING EFFICIENCIES IN THOSE AREAS AT THE SAME TIME THAT WE'RE INCREASING IN OTHER AREAS. HOPEFULLY, IF THIS CAN STAY FLAT AND WE'RE SEEING SOME EFFICIENCIES THERE, THAT'S A THAT'S A YEAH, THAT'S THE PLAN.

YES. OKAY. CHRIS THIS THIS COMES UP EVERY TIME WE HAVE THIS DISCUSSION.

I KNOW THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE A COMMUNITY QUESTION.

AND I APPRECIATE YOUR REAL QUICK REMINDER OF THIS.

CAN WE CHARGE FOR TRANSFERS? NO. OKAY. I'VE HEARD THIS SUGGESTION BEFORE, AND I REALIZE THAT THERE'S A HUGE AMOUNT OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND CHALLENGES THAT GO WELL BEYOND WHAT I'M ABOUT TO SAY.

BUT NONETHELESS, I'LL ASK IT, COULD WE PUT A BUS, RUN A BUS FROM, SAY, THE WESTERN PART OF OUR DISTRICT, MAYBE EVEN THE HEB OUT THERE AT BEE CAVE IN 71, AND RUN A BUSLOAD OF OF KIDS TRANSFER KIDS TO BRIDGEPOINT FROM THERE.

LEGALLY? YEAH, PROBABLY.

YEAH. OR LIKEWISE. WE COULD RUN A BUS SOMEWHERE UP IN NORTHWEST HILLS IF WE WANTED TO, AND BRING THEM DOWN.

THAT I, I'M NOT SURE WHAT YOUR YEAH.

WHAT? YOU MIGHT HAVE A LOCAL POLICY THAT RESTRICTS YOU.

I'M NOT SURE. I THINK YOU MIGHT.

I KNOW AT LEAST THAT THAT'S BEEN OUR POLICY IN THE PAST, THAT WE DO NOT TRANSPORT NONRESIDENT STUDENTS.

SO THERE MIGHT YOU MIGHT HAVE TO MAKE A CHANGE IN ORDER TO DO THAT.

BUT THEORETICALLY, I THINK.

YEAH, YOU COULD DO THAT. AND GIVEN THE CHALLENGES OF DROPPING KIDS OFF IN A PARKING LOT AFTER SCHOOL, I MEAN, IT MAY NOT BE WORTH IT, BUT I'M JUST SAYING I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE WOULD THINK ABOUT IT. BUT YEAH, WE WOULDN'T WE WOULDN'T WE WOULDN'T ASK. WE WOULD ASK FORGIVENESS.

YEAH. CATHERINE BROUGHT UP A GOOD QUESTION ABOUT IS A VADER REVERSIBLE? AND I AND I UNDERSTAND YOUR ANSWER.

I WOULD SAY, THOUGH, THAT ONCE WE GET STARTED ON ON THAT WE WOULDN'T.

I DON'T THINK A BOARD WOULD EVER REVERSE THAT.

AND AND THE REASON IS BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THAT THE STATE FUNDING IS EVER GOING TO CATCH UP TO THE INCREASES IN OUR SPENDING.

AND WE CONTINUE TO GET THESE UNFUNDED MANDATES WHERE, YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY SAY, WE NEED YOU TO SEND US ANOTHER REPORT, IT TAKES A HUMAN BEING TO MAKE THAT REPORT, AND WE HAVE TO HIRE THAT PERSON.

SO THAT'S WHAT I MEAN BY AN UNFUNDED MANDATE.

SO I DON'T I DON'T THINK WE WOULD EVER SAY I DON'T THINK I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY, VERY DIFFICULT FOR A BOARD TO TO GET OFF THE VADER.

AND PART OF THE REASON IS, FRANKLY, IF IF YOU ALLOWED US IF YOU ALLOWED THIS BOARD $3.8 MILLION, I WOULD SAY, LET'S PUT IT ON PEOPLE RIGHT NOW. I MEAN, WE HAVE VERY DESERVING STAFF WHO WHOSE PAY INCREASES HAVE NOT KEPT UP WITH INFLATION. AND I WOULD GLADLY DO THAT IF I HAD EXTRA FUNDING.

SO THE IDEA THAT I'M GOING TO CUT THAT, AND AT THE SAME TIME, I MEAN, OUR PARENTS HAVE PAID MORE THAN THEIR FAIR SHARE INTO EDUCATING KIDS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND WE'RE NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT THAT. BUT GIVING MORE MONEY BACK IS HURTFUL.

AND I THINK THAT'S ALL THAT I HAVE RIGHT NOW.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU.

JAMES. LAURA. WELL, THIS HAS BEEN A VERY ROBUST DISCUSSION, AND I APPRECIATE Y'ALL'S TIME, AND I APPRECIATE THE QUESTIONS THAT MY FELLOW TRUSTEES HAVE ASKED AND SOME OF THE THINGS THEY'VE BROUGHT UP.

IT FEELS MORE LIKE A WORKSHOP OR A SPECIAL MEETING THAN JUST A REGULAR OLD BOARD MEETING. I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF LITTLE QUICK QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS.

YOU KNOW, I'M NOT A FAN OF COPPER PENNIES.

I REALLY DON'T LIKE THEM.

I REALLY STRUGGLE WITH THAT FROM A IT'S JUST BAD BUSINESS FOR US.

IT'S BAD BUSINESS TO BE BRINGING IN $20 MILLION FROM OUR COMMUNITY AND KEEPING LESS THAN 4 MILLION. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT YOU MADE ME.

YOU GOT A HEAD TILT FROM ME THIS TIME, LIKE, OH, THIS IS INTERESTING.

AND THAT IS IT IS THE ONLY THING ON THIS LIST THAT SITS IN THAT OUTSIDE WHITE CIRCLE IS THE ONLY THING THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT THAT DOES NOT IMPACT OUR KIDS.

[02:40:08]

BUT YOU'RE MAKING HEADWAY WITH ME ON THAT.

JAMES THANKED YOU FOR YOUR CANDOR TONIGHT, AND I APPRECIATE THAT AS WELL.

I WILL I'M GOING TO ASK A COUPLE OF PRETTY TOUGH ONES.

I THINK WITH THIS TARGETED OPTIMIZATION, THE STAFFING OPTIMIZATION.

IT THAT TAKES TIME BECAUSE IT'S A IT'S A IT'S A PROCESS.

RIGHT. AND THAT'S HOW WE'VE WE'VE DONE THIS IN THE PAST.

YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING NEW TO US.

I THINK WE'RE PAST THE POINT OF BEING ABLE TO JUST NICELY SORT OF LETTING IT BE SUPER GENTLE. AND I THINK THAT WE COULD BENEFIT FROM A TARGETED RIFF.

SO. WE. I DON'T BELIEVE WE CAN LEGALLY DO THAT.

AND AND THE THE CIRCUMSTANCE OF THE STAFFING OPTIMIZATION.

WE CERTAINLY COULD DO IT.

IF WE ELIMINATE A PROGRAM.

SO IF WE SAID, FOR EXAMPLE, WE DON'T OFFER THIS PROGRAM ANYMORE, THEREFORE, THESE PERSONNEL WHOSE JOB IT WAS TO PROVIDE THIS PROGRAM, YOU DON'T HAVE A JOB, YOU CAN DO THAT.

BUT AS FAR AS SAYING WE NEED TO LAY OFF OR WE NEED TO HAVE, YOU KNOW 50 FEWER PEOPLE THAN WHAT WE HAVE THIS YEAR.

WE WANT IT TO BE YOU, YOU, YOU AND YOU.

I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE CAN DO THAT.

I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN.

IT'S JUST SUBJECT TO A LOT MORE CHALLENGE BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN CLAIM SOME KIND OF DISCRIMINATION OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. OKAY. OKAY.

THE I'M NOT AFRAID OF CLASS SIZES THAT ARE A LITTLE BIT BIGGER THAN WHAT WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST. AND I AM HAPPY TO HEAR THAT THAT THE DISTRICTS IN THE HIGH PERFORMING CONSORTIUM DO HAVE LARGER CLASS SIZES AND ARE STILL PERFORMING AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL.

WE MADE SOME CHANGES LAST YEAR THAT ALLOWED SOME FLEXIBILITY FOR OUR CAMPUS LEADERS.

WE ALL KNOW THAT YOU CAN HAVE A CLASS.

IT DEPENDS ON WHO'S IN THE CLASS, AND IT DEPENDS ON THE TEACHER THAT YOU CAN HAVE A CLASS OF 28 KIDS AND IT'S JUST THE RIGHT MIX, AND YOU'VE GOT THE RIGHT TEACHER AND THEY'RE KNOCKING IT OUT OF THE PARK.

WHEREAS YOU CAN HAVE A CLASS OF 15 KIDS AND IT'S A HOT MESS IN THERE.

SO I LIKE I APPRECIATE THAT WE NOW HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY TO DO THAT.

AND ALSO I'M NOT AFRAID OF OF LARGER CLASS SIZES.

THE LAST THING I HAVE IS, IS SORT OF A REQUEST FOR THE COMMITTEE.

THE FINANCE COMMITTEE IS I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT OUR SACRED COWS AND SEE IF THEY'RE STILL SACRED. WE'VE DONE A LOT OF THINGS FOR A LONG TIME BECAUSE THIS IS HOW WE DO IT.

AND WE NEED TO BE VERY CLEAR ON IF WE'RE DOING IT, IF IT STILL MAKES SENSE, AND IF IT STILL ALIGNS WITH THE VALUES OF OUR COMMUNITY. AND I WOULD SAY THAT IF IT'S IN THAT WHITE OUTSIDE RING AND WE'RE THINKING IT'S A SACRED COW, WE NEED TO LOOK AT IT SERIOUSLY.

THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT. THANK YOU.

LAURA. ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? I'VE GOT JUST TO WRAP IT UP.

I'M WITH THE BOARD AND AND APPRECIATE WHAT THE BOARD HAS SAID IN TERMS OF THANKING YOU FOR CANDOR, FOR THIS HARD CONVERSATION OR STARTING THIS HARD CONVERSATION.

I KNOW THAT YOU STARTED OUT OR DOCTOR TRIGG MENTIONED THAT EVENTUALLY WE WOULD GET SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE, BUT WE MIGHT ALSO HAVE A STUDY SESSION.

AND I WOULD LIKE US TO SERIOUSLY LOOK AT STUDY SESSIONS WHERE WE CAN GET DOWN INTO DETAILS. BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE CAN TALK ABOUT COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS.

WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE NUMBERS.

BUT WE JUST HAD A PRESENTATION ON THE KIDS AND, AND, AND THE PRODUCT OF EANES ISD.

SO IT IS A DELICATE, DELICATE BALANCE.

AND IT IS AN ART OF WHAT WE CAN DO, BUT NOT HURT OUR KIDS OR

[02:45:07]

WITH THE CARDS THAT WE ARE DEALT AND WITH THE FUNDING THAT WE HAVE.

I AM APPRECIATIVE THAT WE ARE OPEN TO LOOKING AT NUMBER ONE, THE VADER. I KNOW THAT WHEN WE HAD THE DISCUSSION LAST YEAR THAT WAS ALMOST OFF THE TABLE THERE WAS ONE OF US THAT WAS EVEN INTERESTED IN CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION.

AND SIX PEOPLE THAT WERE, YOU KNOW, IT WAS A SACRED COW.

BUT, YOU KNOW, AND AND I WOULD HOPE THAT AS WE LOOK AT IT, IT'S A BAD DEAL. I AGREE WITH EVERYONE.

THAT SAID IT'S A BAD DEAL, BUT WE FOCUS ON THE 3.8 AND NOT THE 16.

BECAUSE THOSE ARE NUMBERS AND WE GET TO KEEP IT.

AND I'M ASSUMING THAT JUST LIKE THE GOLDEN PENNIES, SHOULD WE HAVE 3.8 IN THOSE COPPER PENNIES, THEY'RE NOT SUBJECT TO RECAPTURE.

AND AND THEY GROW. NO.

OH, NO. THEY ARE SUBJECT TO RECAPTURE.

YEAH, THEY ARE SUBJECT TO RECAPTURE.

AND THEY SO THEY CREATE WHAT'S KNOWN AS A YIELD PER PENNY, PER WADA. AND SO ESSENTIALLY, I DON'T WANT TO GO THIS DEEP, BUT YOU BASICALLY YOU LOOK AT, AT YOUR WADA, WHICH IS NOT YOUR ADA, IT'S YOUR WEIGHTED ADA, AND YOU MULTIPLY IT BY THE, THE YIELD PER PENNY AND THEN MULTIPLY THAT BY THE NUMBER OF PENNIES, WHICH IS WHERE THAT YOU COME UP WITH THE 3.8.

ANYTHING BEYOND THAT GETS RECAPTURED IF OUR ENROLLMENT GOES DOWN.

OUR WATER GOES DOWN. THAT 3.8 IS NO LONGER 3.8.

IT'S 3.7. UNLESS THE THE LEGISLATURE CHANGES THE YIELD PER PENNY.

OKAY. OKAY. NO, THANK YOU FOR THAT.

THANKS FOR THE CLARIFICATION.

YOU KNOW, AS WE ARE TALKING ABOUT LESS OF A GOOD DEAL, BUT STILL MONEY NONETHELESS.

YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WE GET DOWN TO LOTS OF DETAILS.

YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT WE I STARTED OUT AS A TRUSTEE TALKING ABOUT TRANSFERS.

AND, CHRIS, YOUR POINT OF WE TARGET HOW MANY TRANSFERS WE THINK WE'RE GOING TO GET IN AND WE BASE OUR BUDGET ON THAT.

AND I REMEMBER DOING THAT AND WE DIDN'T MAKE THAT YOU KNOW.

AND SO IT CREATES PROBLEMS AS WE GO THROUGH THE YEAR.

AND WE'VE GOT TO BE REALISTIC ABOUT WHO AND WHO COULD COME HERE AND WHO WANTS TO COME HERE AND WHO WE WANT TO COME HERE.

AND SO IT AGAIN, IT IS AN ART.

I FEEL LIKE WE'VE GOTTEN A MUCH BETTER INTUITIVE SENSE OF WHERE THE KIDS ARE IN THE LAST FEW YEARS THAN WHAT WE THAN WHAT WE HAD A FEW FEW YEARS BEFORE THAT.

SO YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WITH THE TRANSFER STUDENTS YOU CAN IT'S IT'S NEVER A GUARANTEE, BUT I FEEL LIKE WE'RE MUCH BETTER AT PREDICTING WHERE THEY ARE AND HOW MANY WE CAN GET NOW. RIGHT. AND I KNOW WE'VE AND I AGREE, WE'VE PUT IN A LOT OF EFFORT.

AND WE BROUGHT IN THOSE TRANSFERS AND WE HEARD TWO WEEKS AGO OR FOUR WEEKS AGO THOSE TRANSFERS CONTINUE TO GO UP FOR US.

BUT AGAIN, THERE'S AN ART TO THIS.

AND AND WE CAN'T TARGET A NUMBER AND RELY ON THAT NUMBER.

BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY VARIABLES THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT ARE OUTSIDE.

I AGREE WITH. I THINK IT WAS KELLY'S SUGGESTION ON AS WE LOOK AT THIS, WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT SIZING.

BUT AGAIN, THERE ARE VARIABLES THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF OUR CONTROL.

AND I THINK THAT THOSE ARE PART OF OUR DISCUSSION AS WE KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

AGAIN, I'D, I'D JUST ENCOURAGE THAT.

WE DIG DEEP AS WE MOVE FORWARD.

WE GET THAT COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, AND WE GET SOME FEEDBACK SO THAT WE CAN MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS AND WE CAN DO WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR STUDENTS AND OUR STAFF.

SO I THANK YOU BOTH. I THANK MOLLY AND AUDREY FOR THEIR COMMENTS.

THIS HAS BEEN A GREAT PRESENTATION AND I KNOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE MOVING FORWARD.

THANKS, DOCTOR. I MIGHT MAKE JUST A COUPLE OF SUMMARY COMMENTS AND IT'S GOING TO SOUND A LITTLE REDUNDANT. BUT FIRST, I REALLY DO WANT TO THANK CHRIS AND LORI, BUT NOT ONLY THEM, THE ENTIRE CABINET, BECAUSE I'VE I'VE BEEN A PART OF ONGOING MEETINGS ALL LATE SUMMER AND FALL LONG DEALING WITH THESE KINDS OF THINGS.

THE CONVERSATIONS ARE ROBUST AND THEY'RE DIFFICULT, BUT YOU ALL JUST NEED TO KNOW YOU'VE GOT A REALLY STRONG CABINET HERE.

I MEAN, THEY REALLY CARE ABOUT KIDS.

THEY REALLY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING, AND THEY DON'T ENJOY BRINGING THIS KIND OF THING TO YOU, BUT THEY KNOW THAT'S WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO.

SO KUDOS TO THE ENTIRE CABINET.

SECONDLY, THE FINANCE COMMITTEE IS GOING TO MEET LATER THIS WEEK, AND A NUMBER OF THE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TALKED ABOUT WILL BE AGENDA ITEMS FOR THAT

[02:50:06]

AND I JUST SENSE YOU ALL ARE THAT ARE NOT ON THE COMMITTEE ARE READY TO GET INTO THE DETAILS AND YOU SHOULD BE.

BUT WE'VE GOT A PROCESS PUT IN PLACE AND I THINK IT'S A REALLY GOOD PROCESS.

AND SO THAT'S GOING TO BECOME A REALLY ROBUST DISCUSSION WITH A COUPLE OF TRUSTEES AND FIVE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO WRESTLE WITH ALL THIS AND THEY'RE GOING TO SEE SOME SPECIFICS AND WHATEVER.

SO JUST KNOW BEHIND THE SCENES ALL A LOT IS GOING ON.

AND THEN WE WILL BE VERY TRANSPARENT WITH THAT.

I MEAN THAT WILL COME BACK ONLY TO YOU BUT TO THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE WE HAVE TO BE FORTHCOMING WITH THE COMMUNITY.

SO JUST JUST HANG IN THERE WITH THE PROCESS BECAUSE IT'S ULTIMATELY GOING TO GIVE US THE VERY BEST POSSIBILITY OF THE BEST SOLUTION THAT WE CAN POSSIBLY COME UP WITH.

BECAUSE REALLY, WHAT WE'RE DOING IS TRYING TO COME UP WITH THE LEAST BAD DECISION.

I MEAN, I HATE TO SAY IT THAT WAY, BUT I MEAN, THE THERE ARE NOT GOOD SOLUTIONS REVENUE WISE OR BUDGET CUTTING WISE, EXPENSE CUTTING WISE. AND I'M SITTING BACK HERE AND LISTENING.

I'M, I'M REALLY ENCOURAGED BY THE, THE DISCUSSION AND THE COMMENTS THAT YOU MADE, THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAD TODAY.

I THINK THEY'RE INSIGHTFUL.

I THINK IT'S HARD SOMETIMES TO ASK HARD QUESTIONS.

AND IT'S OBVIOUS THAT YOU'RE WRESTLING WITH THIS AND YOU'RE WILLING TO DO THAT.

I MEAN, IF THERE'S A BRIGHT SIDE, IT'S THAT YOU ALL ARE GOING TO DO A GREAT JOB MAKING A VERY, VERY DIFFICULT DECISION WHEN TIME COMES TO DO THAT.

AND I DON'T MEAN TO SOUND LIKE A CHEERLEADER OR A TEAM CAPTAIN OR WHATEVER.

I JUST I JUST KNOW. I MEAN, I'VE GOTTEN TO KNOW YOU.

I'VE. AS I'VE GOTTEN TO KNOW THE CABINET.

YOU'RE THE RIGHT PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE THIS DECISION.

AND IT'S GOING TO BE PAINFUL, AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO AGREE 100%, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT COMES TIME TO DO THAT.

AS LONG AS I'M HERE, I'M GOING TO DO MY BEST TO HELP YOU TO GET TO THOSE DECISION POINTS AND GET TO THEM, AS JOHN KEEPS SAYING, IN A IN A TIMELY MANNER SO THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT THEM AND, AND REALLY DO IT IN, IN A WAY THAT'S NOT GOING TO IMPACT YOUR NEW LEADERSHIP IN A NEGATIVE WAY, IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, AND LET THAT PERSON COME IN AND UNDERSTAND, OKAY, THIS IS WHERE WE'RE STARTING FROM, THIS IS WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE AND WE'RE MOVING FORWARD. AND I THINK THAT'S THE TIMELINE THAT YOU'VE ALL PUT FORTH AND, AND ASK FOR US TO PUT TOGETHER.

IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. AND THAT'S GOOD.

SO I COULD SAY SOME OTHER THINGS, BUT I THINK I'LL STOP THERE.

I JUST REALLY DIFFICULT DISCUSSIONS TODAY BUT NEEDED TO HAPPEN.

AND WHAT I APPRECIATE MAYBE MOST IS THE SUPPORT THAT YOU'RE PROVIDING FOR OUR KIDS, FOR OUR CAMPUS ADMINISTRATORS, OBVIOUSLY FOR OUR TEACHERS, BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN SO MUCH TALK ABOUT TEACHERS.

AND THEN ALSO OUR DISTRICT OFFICE ADMINISTRATION AND FOLKS.

SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DOCTOR TRIGG.

THANK YOU EVERYONE. WE ARE NOW GOING TO MOVE FROM THE REPORT SECTION OF OUR AGENDA TO THE DISCUSSION ACTION. AND RIGHT NOW, WE'RE NOT AT CONSENT YET.

[9.1 Request to approve Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD) resolution...]

AND WE HAD A ROBUST DISCUSSION TWO WEEKS AGO.

DO I HAVE A MOTION AT THIS TIME? LAURA. I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES CAST ITS ALLOTTED 66 VOTES FOR DEBBIE CARTWRIGHT.

TO BE REFLECTED IN A RESOLUTION FOR AN APPOINTMENT TO THE TRAVIS CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

I HAVE A MOTION. I HAVE A MOTION FROM LAURA.

DO I HAVE A SECOND? I HAVE A SECOND.

I HAVE A MOTION FOR LAURA AND A SECOND FROM DIANE.

DO WE HAVE ANY DISCUSSION OR EXPLANATION? THANK YOU. LAURA. SO Y'ALL MIGHT REMEMBER FROM OUR LAST MEETING WHERE WE VOTED TO APPROVE A RESOLUTION. WE WERE WE HAD TWO NAMES IN ADDITION TO DEBBIE.

WE HAD BLANCA ZAMORA GARCIA.

AFTER SHORTLY AFTER WE SUBMITTED OUR RESOLUTION.

DOCTOR ZAMORA GARCIA CAME BACK AND SAID THAT SHE WAS NOT INTERESTED IN CONTINUING HER POSITION ON THE TCAD BOARD, AND THAT SHE WAS OPENING UP HER SPOT TO SOMEBODY NEW. SHE WAS THE LONGEST SERVING MEMBER OF THAT BOARD.

[02:55:03]

WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.

IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION FROM THE BOARD? CATHERINE, THIS IS THIS IS ONLY PROCEDURAL.

BUT ON THE ACTION SHEET, THE DATE IS WRONG.

DOES THAT MATTER? I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE.

OH, IT DOES SAY 24. YEAH.

DOES THAT MATTER IF THIS IS PART OF THE OFFICIAL RECORD? TYPO THE. OKAY. THE RESOLUTION IS OKAY.

NO WORRIES. THANK YOU FOR THE CATCH.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT.

WE HAVE A MOTION BY LAURA AND A SECOND BY DIANE.

ALL IN FAVOR OF THE RESOLUTION? AYE. WE HAVE SEVEN EYES.

ZERO NOES. THE THE MOTION PASSES.

THANK YOU. WE NOW HAVE AN ACTION ITEM OF OUR CONSENT AGENDA.

[10.

ACTION - CONSENT AGENDA

HAVE A MOTION BY KELLY FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA AS POSTED SECOND BY LAURA.

IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION? KELLY. I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT, BECAUSE I DID REACH OUT TO HILL COUNTRY TO THANK THEM, THE BOOSTER CLUB THERE FOR THEIR DONATION AND TO JUST GET SOME INSIGHT ONTO IT. AND AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR BUDGET AND OUR EXPENSES AND KEEPING EXPENSES DOWN, LIKE A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO OUR BOOSTER CLUBS FOR WHAT THEY DO AND FOR THE EXPENSES THEY KNOCK OUT. THIS WAS $31,000 FOR SHE SAID ROBOTS.

I SAW A TEACHER REQUESTED HEADPHONES FOR CLASS SUBSCRIPTIONS.

JUST ALL THESE THINGS THAT REALLY TAKE OUR EDUCATION TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS. AND IT TAKES THAT EXPENSE AWAY FROM THE DISTRICT.

AND OUR BOOSTER CLUBS WORK SO HARD. SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU. I AGREE.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND A MOTION BY KELLY AND A SECOND BY LAURA.

ALL IN FAVOR OF THE APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA.

THE MOTION PASSES SEVEN ZERO.

[11.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

WE HAVE A LOT OF UPCOMING MEETINGS.

WE WILL MEET AS A BOARD AGAIN.

OCTOBER 28TH, 2025. WE WILL MEET NOVEMBER 3RD, NOVEMBER 4TH AND NOVEMBER 5TH OF 2025.

SOME OF THOSE MEETINGS ARE GOING TO BE SPECIAL MEETINGS WHERE WE WILL MAINLY BE DELIBERATING IN CLOSED SESSION FOR OUR SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH.

BUT TWO OF THE MEETINGS WILL BE WITH THE PUBLIC INVITED.

AND WITH THAT, WE WILL STAND ADJOURNED AT 909 TONIGHT.

THANK YOU.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.