[00:00:01]
WE WILL NOW OPEN OUR REGULAR MEETING THAT WAS POSTED FOR TODAY.
SO I HAVE SOME THINGS THAT I NEED TO READ AND OPEN US UP.
[1.
CALL TO ORDER
]THE TIME IS NOW 6:13 AND I CALL THE APRIL 28TH, 2026 REGULAR MEETING OF THE EANS ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES TO ORDER.[2.
ESTABLISH A QUORUM
]QUORUM? MADAM PRESIDENT, YES WE DO.I WANT TO WELCOME EVERYONE HERE.
I'M PRESIDENT OF THE EANS ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD AND THE ADMINISTRATION, I WELCOME YOU ALL TO TONIGHT'S MEETING.
THE PURPOSE OF TONIGHT'S MEETING IS FOR THE BOARD TO DELIBERATE AND VOTE ON MATTERS LISTED ON THE AGENDA.
AS ALWAYS, WE ARE COMMITTED TO ENSURING A RESPECTFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE ENVIRONMENT AND WE ASK FOR THE SAME COURTESY IN RETURN.
PLEASE REFRAIN FROM ANY OUTBURSTS OR DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR.
APPLAUSE IS ALWAYS WELCOME FOR THOSE BEING RECOGNIZED DURING THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT WHICH WILL HAPPEN SHORTLY.
THERE WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT LATER IN THE EVENING AND I WILL PROVIDE FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS WHEN WE REACH THAT PORTION OF THE AGENDA.
TONIGHT WE HAVE ONE PERSON THAT HAS SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
YOU ARE ALL WELCOME TO STAY FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE OPEN MEETING TO LISTEN TO THE BUSINESS OF THE BOARD.
IF YOU DECIDE TO LEAVE EARLY, PLEASE DO SO QUIETLY.
TAKE ANY CONVERSATIONS OUTSIDE INTO THE HALL TO AVOID DISRUPTING OUR DISCUSSION OR ANY PRESENTATIONS.
AS ALWAYS, IF YOU HAVE ANY FEEDBACK...
OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ITEMS DISCUSSED TONIGHT, FEEL FREE TO SEND AN EMAIL TO THE TRUSTEES AT TRUSTEES AT EANSISD.NET OR CONSIDER REACHING OUT TO ANY ONE OF US TO HAVE A CONVERSATION.
AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENCE TONIGHT AND FOR YOUR CONTINUED INTEREST AND SUPPORT OF OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR SCHOOLS.
WE ARE NOW GOING TO BEGIN OUR AGENDA WITH THE EANS ISD MISSION STATEMENT.
AND THAT MISSION STATEMENT IS, UNITE, EMPOWER, INSPIRE EVERY PERSON AND EVERY DAY.
WE UNITE OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS, CREATING A SENSE OF BELONGING FOR ALL.
WE EMPOWER STUDENTS, PROVIDING AN EXEMPLARY EDUCATION THAT DEVELOPS CURIOSITY, CREATIVITY, AND INDIVIDUAL TALENTS.
AND WE INSPIRE EACH OTHER TO LEAD PURPOSEFUL LIVES OF EMPATHY, GRATITUDE, AND COMPASSION.
OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM IS THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND TONIGHT WE'RE GOING TO BE LED IN OUR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE BY CAMERON SULLIVAN.
CAMERON IS FROM TROOP 70 AND HE'LL BE LEADING US IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
HE IS AN EIGHTH GRADER AT THE AUSTIN MONTESSORI SCHOOL AND HE PLANS TO ATTEND EANS IN THE FUTURE.
CAMERON ENJOYS CAMPING, THE OUTDOORS, SOCCER, AND JIU-JITSU.
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.
[5.
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT
]WE'RE NOW GOING TO MOVE TO THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA, WHICH IS THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.MR. KOENNECKE? GOOD EVENING, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.
THANKS FOR JOINING US THIS EVENING.
I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T START OUR MEETING TONIGHT WITH A QUICK REFLECTION.
WE SUFFERED A TRAGEDY IN OUR DISTRICT LAST EVENING AND LOST ONE OF OUR STUDENTS, A MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT, AND OUR HEARTS AND THOUGHTS GO OUT TO THE KELSO FAMILY.
MANY OF YOU MAY KNOW THE KELSO FAMILY AND IN THE COMING DAYS, I'M SURE YOU'LL HEAR INFORMATION ABOUT THIS TRAGEDY.
THE EANS EDUCATION FOUNDATION PUT OUT INFORMATION THIS AFTERNOON FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN HELPING THE FAMILY.
OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH THE FAMILY AT THIS TIME.
[00:05:01]
OKAY, CHANGING GEARS.I WANT TO WELCOME A COUPLE OF OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE HERE FROM WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL THIS EVENING WHO ARE GOING TO BE PRESENTING THEIR CIVICS FAIR PROJECT TO US.
AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE SARAH GRETEL SANDERS-SOMANO AND MILLER PEOPLES, PLEASE COME ON UP AND LET US KNOW WHEN YOU'RE READY AND WE HAVE YOUR SLIDE DECK READY TO ROLL.
I'M A WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR, VESPITIES AMBASSADOR, SPEECH AND DEBATE TEAM MEMBER, AND CHORAL SINGING EXTRAORDINAIRE.
A REAL EANS ALUM AFTER STARTING IN EANS AT THE AGE OF THREE.
I LOVE EANS AND I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION.
EANS HAS ALWAYS EXCELLED HERE, IN MY OPINION, BUT I BELIEVE WE CAN DO BETTER.
NOW, LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO MY TEAMMATE, SARAH GRETEL, WHO WILL TELL YOU ABOUT OUR STATE-QUALIFIED CIVIC FAIR PROJECT.
OKAY, HEY Y'ALL, MY NAME IS SARAH GRETEL, AND I'M A JUNIOR AT WESTLAKE, AND I'M GOING TO GO OVER OUR PROPOSAL TO CREATE MORE ACCESSIBLE DOORS AT EANS ISD.
SO I WANT TO PLAY A VIDEO AS TO HOW DIFFICULT IT IS FOR MILLER AND OTHER STUDENTS LIMITED TO WHEELCHAIRS TO PUSH HEAVY PUSH-PULL DOORS ON CAMPUS.
SO IT'S PRETTY CLEAR TO SEE THAT IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR STUDENTS IN WHEELCHAIRS, ESPECIALLY LARGE WHEELCHAIRS, TO BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH THE HEAVY PUSH-PULL DOORS THAT ARE SEEN ON CAMPUS.
PARTICULARLY THE ONE THAT WAS VISIBLE IN THE VIDEO WAS THE SHOP OR THE COMMONS ENTRANCE AT WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL.
AND WITHOUT ACCESSIBLE DOORS, SOME STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND LIKE LIMITED MOBILITY ISSUES WHO WOULD OTHERWISE BE ABLE TO MANEUVER THE SCHOOL AND CAMPUS INDEPENDENTLY REQUIRE A PARAPROFESSIONAL OR TA ONLY FOR DOOR ACCESS.
SO PARAPROFESSIONALS SPEND AROUND TWO HOURS EVERY SINGLE DAY TRANSITIONING STUDENTS FROM CLASS TO CLASS, AND THAT MEANS THAT THOSE STUDENTS HAVE TO LEAVE CLASS 10 MINUTES EARLY TO SAFELY TRANSITION BETWEEN THEIR DIFFERENT CLASS PERIODS.
THOSE ARE 10 MINUTES THAT THEY ARE MISSING OUT ON INSTRUCTIONAL AND FOUNDATIONAL LEARNING TIME.
TAS CAN BETTER BE SPENDING THEIR TIME HELPING THE STUDENT INSTEAD OF JUST TRANSITIONING THEM FROM CLASS TO CLASS SO HAVING TAS FOLLOW THEM AROUND ALSO SEVERELY LIMITS SOME STUDENTS INDEPENDENCE WHICH IS FOUNDATIONAL TO CHILD TEENAGE AND YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL AND MENTAL DEVELOPMENT ADDITIONALLY A LACK OF ACCESSIBILITY AFFECTS MORE THAN JUST PEOPLE WITH MOBILITY ISSUES SO OUR PROPOSAL IS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO INSTALL MORE ACCESSIBLE DOORS ON ALL EANS ISD CAMPUSES ESPECIALLY IN KEY ACCESS POINTS SUCH AS ACCESSIBLE BATHROOMS THE LIBRARY OR COURTYARD AREAS THE CAMPUS MAINTENANCE AND SECURITY OFFICERS WITH WHICH WE MET SUGGESTED IT COULD EITHER BE PUSH BUTTON OR AUTOMATIC DOORS FOR THE MOST SUCCESS.
THE PROCESS FOR INSTALLING THE DOORS DOES NOT VARY FROM DOOR TO DOOR OR BUILDING TO BUILDING, SO THAT MEANS THAT THE PROCEDURE WOULD BE RELATIVELY STANDARDIZED AND EASY TO EXECUTE.
SO, AS FOR SOME DETAILS, THE AVERAGE ACCESSIBLE DOOR USED BY SCHOOLS COSTS ANYWHERE FROM $8,000 TO $9,000 PER DOOR, WHICH IS THE SAME FOR PUSH BUTTON AND AUTOMATIC DOORS.
WHICH ALLOWS FOR ACCESSIBILITY OR FLEXIBILITY WHEN CHOOSING THE DOOR THAT MOST ALIGNS WITH EACH INDIVIDUAL CAMPUS'S NEEDS.
OUR PROPOSAL SUGGESTS THAT ACROSS THE NINE EANS ISD CAMPUSES, THERE WOULD NEED TO BE AROUND 18 DOORS IMPLEMENTED, TWO PER CAMPUS, BUT HOPEFULLY THE PROPOSAL COULD EXTEND TO INCLUDE FOUR DOORS AT WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL TO BE ABLE TO PROMOTE AND MAXIMIZE ACCESSIBILITY, WHICH WOULD TOTAL AROUND $216,000, SERVING AROUND 8,000 STUDENTS, NOT COUNTING ALL
[00:10:01]
OF THE STAFF, GUESTS, PERFORMERS, AND VISITORS.ALL BUILDINGS CAN BE FITTED WITH THESE DOORS.
THEY ONLY NEED ACCESS TO ENERGY AND WIRES, AND THE MAIN THING STOPPING THIS FROM HAPPENING IS A LACK OF AWARENESS AND FUNDING.
AND FINALLY, AS FOR SOME OF THE BENEFITS, HAVING ACCESSIBLE DOORS PROMOTES HANDS-OFF OPENING, WHICH MEANS THAT THERE'S LESS BACTERIA AND DISEASE BEING SPREAD, ESPECIALLY AT THE ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOL LEVELS.
THIS PREVENTS SICKNESS AND WOULD EVEN POSSIBLY LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN ATTENDANCE AND THEREFORE SCHOOL FUNDING, WHICH WE HAVE ACTUALLY SEEN AT OTHER PUBLIC SCHOOLS AROUND THE NATION THAT HAVE IMPLEMENTED A SIMILAR PROCEDURE.
ADDITIONALLY, THESE DOORS INCREASE THE TRAFFIC FLOW AT SCHOOL.
PUSH-PULL DOORS ARE HEAVY AND TAKE MULTIPLE SECONDS TO OPEN.
RIGHT NOW, MANY STUDENTS DO NOT OPEN DOORS FOR THE PEOPLE BEHIND THEM, WHICH MEANS THAT THERE'S OFTEN A CLOG IN KEY SPACES SUCH AS THE LIBRARIES.
HAVING ACCESSIBLE DOORS BENEFITS THE GENERAL FLOW OF TRAFFIC, ESPECIALLY WHEN A STUDENT WITH A DISABILITY IS COMING THROUGH SINCE IT TAKES THEM A LONG TIME TO WALK THROUGH.
THE STATUS QUO RESTRICTS THE MOBILITY OF VARIOUS TYPES OF PEOPLE, LIKE VISUALLY IMPAIRED STUDENTS, INJURED STUDENTS WITH BOOTS OR CASTS, OLDER STAFF, CAFETERIA WORKERS WITH UNSTABLE SUPPLIES, LARGE BAND INSTRUMENTS AND PEOPLE WITH MUSCULAR DETERIORATION BECAUSE OF THE LONGEVITY OF THESE DOORS AND THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE IT CAN SERVE AND BENEFIT THE RETURN OF ON INVESTMENT IS INCREDIBLY HIGH AND THE ISSUE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THANK YOU SO MUCH AND WE WERE WONDERING IF YOU COULD PLEASE HELP US WITH THIS PROPOSAL THANK YOU BOTH MILLER WHEN YOU ASKED ABOUT PRESENTING YOUR CIVICS FAIR PROJECT YOU EXPLAINED ABOUT THE PROCESS AND I THINK WE HEARD SARAH GRETEL SAY SECOND PLACE IN THE REGION.
THERE WAS A, CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT YOU ATTENDED AND WHERE YOU COMPETED SO EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS? BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN SPENDING A GREAT AMOUNT OF TIME ON THIS.
YEAH, SO YEAH, I THINK WHAT...
THAT'S PROBABLY WORTH A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
AND SARAH GRETEL, CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO EVERYBODY GOING THROUGH THE PROJECT, THE CLASS THAT YOU WERE DOING THIS PROJECT IN, AND HOW YOU GATHERED YOUR RESEARCH AND INFORMATION? BECAUSE I THINK YOU ALL TALKED TO SEVERAL FOLKS.
SO ACTUALLY THE WAY THAT MILLER AND I MET WERE WE WERE BOTH IN THE SAME SPEECH AND DEBATE CLASS PERIOD.
IT PERIOD AT WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL.
AND SO AFTER I QUALIFIED FOR STATE, IN MY SPEECH AND DEBATE EVENTS AND ONCE THAT SEASON HAD KIND OF ENDED, MS. IXPA, WHICH IS OUR DEBATE TEACHER, BROUGHT UP THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND THE CIVICS FAIR AND BRING A PROPOSAL WHICH IS LIKE VERY IMPORTANT TO US TO KIND OF STATE REPRESENTATIVES, STATE LEADERS FOR EXAMPLE.
I KNOW THERE WAS SOMEONE FROM THE CITY, THERE WAS A JUDGE WHO HAS WORKED AT THE WHITE HOUSE WHO WERE JUDGING NOT ONLY THE REGIONAL BUT ALSO THE STATE FAIR AND SO THAT'S THE WAY THAT WE KIND OF GOT INTO IT AND WE WORKED.
WE WORKED ON THIS PROPOSAL FOR I THINK TWO OR THREE MONTHS AT THIS POINT AND THEN THE WAY WE GATHERED OUR INFORMATION IS WE NOT ONLY MET WITH YOU MR. KOENNECKE BUT WE ALSO MET WITH MAINTENANCE AND SECURITY OFFICERS AROUND SCHOOL, THE SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT LEADER MATT ZEMO, AS WELL AS SOME OTHER PEOPLE WHO WOULD HELP BRING ATTENTION TO SPECIFIC ISSUES THAT WE COULD HIGHLIGHT IN OUR PRESENTATION.
WERE YOU GONNA SAY SOMETHING ELSE MILLER? I WAS JUST GOING TO SHOUT OUT TO MR. K HIMSELF BECAUSE THIS IS ACTUALLY HOW I MET HIM.
SO WHAT HAPPENED WAS MR. K HEARD THAT WE WERE DOING THIS AND HE WANTED TO...
HE GAVE US SOME CONTACT AND I TOLD HIM THAT WE QUALIFIED FOR STATE AND THEN HE MESSAGED ME SAYING CONGRATULATIONS.
I'D LIKE YOU TO COME TO MY OFFICE FOR THIS.
SO THANKS MR. KAYE, YOU REALLY HELPED.
WELL THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
I THINK YOU BROUGHT A LOT OF AWARENESS TO A GREAT TOPIC AND SOMETHING THAT WE CAN ALL RELATE TO.
THINK ABOUT AND REFLECT ON AS LOOKING AT THIS AND THAT CIVICS FAIR COMPETITION STATEWIDE IS A HUGE CIVICS FAIR COMPETITION AND AGAIN I THINK A GREAT EXAMPLE WHAT COMES OUT
[00:15:01]
OF A SPEECH AND DEBATE COURSE IN OUR HIGH SCHOOL A COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL SO MANY DIFFERENT ELECTIVE OFFERINGS AND SO I'M SO THRILLED THAT YOU TOOK THE TIME TO PRESENT AGAIN TO US AND PUT ALL THOSE MONTHS OF WORK INTO THIS TRUSTEES ANY COMMENTS BEFORE WE CONGRATULATE THEM AGAIN I JUST WANT TO, YEAH, THANK YOU FOR THE, WHAT A GREAT PRESENTATION.FOR MYSELF AND ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD.
I HAVE ALL BEEN TO MAINE AND I'M NOT SURE IF THIS IS POSSIBLE, BUT CAN I PLEASE GET A PICTURE? OF COURSE WE'RE GOING TO GET A PICTURE, YES.
WHY DON'T YOU COME RIGHT UP HERE AND OUR TRUSTEES, IF YOU WOULD PLEASE COME HERE.
OKAY, NEXT UP ON THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT, I WANT TO CONGRATULATE THE WESTLAKE BASEBALL TEAM WHO ADVANCED TO THE BI-DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP AND THEY'LL FACE VANDERGRIFT IN A BEST-OF-THREE SERIES BEGINNING THURSDAY AT 630 AT WERNER FIELD, WHICH IS RIGHT BEHIND US.
I ALSO WANT TO MENTION HOT OFF THE PRESSES THIS IS NOT ON MY SLIDES TONIGHT BUT WE JUST LEARNED THAT OUR BOYS GOLF CHAMPIONS ARE COMING HOME WITH ANOTHER STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TODAY THIS IS THEIR 15TH STATE CHAMPIONSHIP WHICH IS A STATE RECORD FOR ANY PROGRAM UNDER UIL IN THE STATE OF TEXAS SO CONGRATULATIONS ALSO TO OUR BOYS GOLF STATE CHAMPS.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK OUR TEAM AND THE MORE THAN 350 FAMILIES THAT REGISTERED FOR OUR FIRST EVER OPEN HOUSE EVENT DAY THAT WE HELD THIS WEEK.
FAMILIES WERE ABLE TO MEET WITH SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF, TOUR OUR CAMPUSES AND ASK QUESTIONS.
WE HEARD A LOT OF POSITIVE COMMENTS FROM INCOMING FAMILIES AND RETURNING FAMILIES, LEARNED A LOT, AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO EXPERIENCE OUR EPIC SCHOOLS WITH THESE FAMILIES, SO THANK YOU.
FINALLY, HE'S NOT HERE TONIGHT, SO OFFICER KEVIN HRABARSKI IS...
STEPPING IN, I THINK, IN REPRESENTING OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT WE'RE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT OUR INTERIM CHIEF, JEFF GREENWALT, WILL BE OUR NEW PERMANENT POLICE CHIEF.
JEFF GREENWALT STARTED HIS POLICE CAREER IN 2001 WITH THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.
DURING HIS 24 YEARS AT AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, JEFF WORKED PATROL IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN AS WELL AS DOWNTOWN BEFORE BEING PROMOTED TO DETECTIVE AND INVESTIGATING VIOLENT CRIMES FOR OVER EIGHT YEARS.
AFTER BEING PROMOTED TO SUPERVISOR, HE OVERSAW MANY INVESTIGATIVE AND INTELLIGENCE UNITS THROUGHOUT THE APD.
IN AUGUST OF 2022, HE WAS NAMED AS AN ASSISTANT CHIEF WHERE HE REMAINED UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT LAST MAY BEFORE JOINING US.
JEFF STARTED AS INTERIM CHIEF FOR EANS ISD IN DECEMBER.
WE ARE GLAD THAT JEFF IS HERE AND SO PROUD THAT WE CAN NOW CALL HIM OUR PERMANENT CHIEF OF POLICE.
SO CONGRATULATIONS TO CHIEF JEFF GREENWALD.
[00:20:05]
THANK YOU, MR.[6.
OPEN FORUM
]KNICKY.WE ARE NOW MOVING TO OUR OPEN FORUM ITEM ON THE AGENDA.
AND BEFORE WE START OPEN FORUM, WE HAVE ONE PERSON SIGNED UP, BUT I HAVE SOMETHING THAT I NEED TO READ.
WE HAVE ONE SPEAKER WHO HAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ABOUT ITEMS ON THE AGENDA.
THE ONE SPEAKER WILL SPEAK NOW, AND WE'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO ADDRESS THE BOARD.
PLEASE WATCH THE TIMER ON THE SCREEN.
FINISH YOUR SENTENCE AND STOP.
IF YOU DON'T FINISH YOUR PREPARED REMARKS, YOU'RE WELCOME TO EMAIL YOUR FULL COMMENTS TO TRUSTEES AT EANSISD.NET.
WHEN SPEAKING, PLEASE DIRECT YOUR COMMENTS TO THE BOARD, NOT TO THE AUDIENCE OR TO OTHERS.
TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551 PROHIBITS DISRUPTION OF THE BOARD MEETINGS, SO WE ASK THAT ANY REACTIONS OR COMMENTS REMAIN BRIEF.
IF YOU WISH TO NAME A DISTRICT EMPLOYEE IN A COMPLAINT, PLEASE NOTE THAT THE BOARD MUST HEAR SUCH COMPLAINTS IN A CLOSED SESSION AS REQUIRED BY TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551.
THE BOARD CANNOT DELIBERATE OR COMMENT OR RESPOND TO COMMENTS ON TOPICS NOT LISTED ON THE AGENDA PER TEXAS LAW.
IT IS OUR TIME TO LISTEN, NOT TO ENGAGE OR RESPOND.
CLARIFYING INFORMATION MAY BE PROVIDED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT IF NECESSARY.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS PORTION OF THE AGENDA AND OF OUR MEETING IS BEING RECORDED AND WILL BE PUBLISHED ON THE DISTRICT'S WEBSITE WITHOUT ALTERATION.
BY SPEAKING, YOU CONSENT TO THIS PUBLICATION.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS.
WE'RE READY FOR TONIGHT'S SPEAKER.
TONIGHT'S SPEAKER IS, AND I MAY MESS UP THE NAME, MR. OR MRS. SACO? SCACO.
IF YOU WANT TO COME RIGHT UP HERE.
AND WE DO HAVE THE OPEN FORUM AND THE TIME RIGHT HERE FOR YOU.
MY NAME IS ROBERT ROWLAND, AND I WANTED TO INTRODUCE MYSELF BECAUSE I THINK SOME OF YOU HAVE GOTTEN SOME EMAILS CONCERNING THE SCHOOL-BASED THERAPIST POSITION AT THE TLC.
AND I KNOW THAT THE EANS DISTRICT IS FACING A...
BUDGET DEFICIT AND THEY'RE LOOKING TO MAKE CUTS.
I HAVE MY UNDERSTANDING THAT ONE CUT THAT'S BEING PROPOSED IS TO CUT THE POSITION AT THE TLC FOR THE ON-SITE SCHOOL-BASED THERAPIST WHICH GREATLY CONCERNS ME NOT JUST BECAUSE THAT'S WHO I AM BUT BECAUSE OF THAT POSITION IT IS AN INTEGRAL PART.
OF THE TLC AND IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT VERY IMPORTANT PART.
I'M GOING TO DO A LITTLE HISTORY.
YEARS AGO BACK IN THE EARLY 70S EANES HAD THE FORESIGHT TO HIRE A DR.
RUTH HACK AND SHE WAS IN CHARGE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND SHE REALIZED THAT KIDS WHO ARE STRUGGLING WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES PROBABLY ALSO, NOT PROBABLY, ALSO STRUGGLE WITH SELF-ESTEEM, ANXIETY, AND THEN WHICH LEADS TO DEPRESSION.
AND SHE CHAMPIONED THE CAUSE OF PUTTING SOCIAL WORKERS ON CAMPUSES TO WORK WITH THOSE KIDS IN EMOTIONAL DISTRESS.
AND THEN DOWN THE ROAD, THEY STARTED LOOKING AT...
OKAY WHAT ABOUT OUR KIDS WHO ARE NOT COVERED BY SPECIAL ED AND WHO ARE STRUGGLING THEY'RE THEY'RE OUT THERE TRYING BUT FOR VARIOUS REASONS WHO KNOWS YOU KNOW THEY'RE THEY'VE GOT THEIR OWN ISSUES SO THAT'S WHERE THE CONCEPT OF THE LEARNING CENTER CAME IN WE'RE GOING TO DEVELOP THIS ALTERNATIVE HIGH SCHOOL FOR THOSE STUDENTS AND THE SAME THING THESE KIDS ARE COMING
[00:25:01]
IN THEY'RE STRESSED OUT, THEY DON'T FEEL CONFIDENT ANYMORE ABOUT THEIR ACADEMIC ABILITIES, THEY'RE EXPERIENCING A LOT OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, WHICH ALSO LEADS TO SUBSTANCE ABUSE FOR SOME PEOPLE.SO TO ADDRESS THAT WE HAD ON-SITE SCHOOL-BASED THERAPISTS TO BE THERE TO ADDRESS THOSE NEEDS ON A DAILY BASIS, WHICH IS SO IMPORTANT TO ESTABLISH THAT.
RELATIONSHIP WITH THOSE KIDS WHO WILL NOT WALK ACROSS CAMPUS TO GO FIND SOMEBODY THEY DON'T KNOW.
MOST OF THESE KIDS, A LOT OF THEM, YOU TALK TO THEM AND THEY SPENT THEIR TIME HIDING IN THE BATHROOMS OR HIDING IN THE LIBRARY OR NOT COMING TO SCHOOL AT ALL.
I REALLY THINK IT WOULD BE A VAST MISTAKE.
FOR EAMES WHO AGAIN WAS A FOREFRONT OF PROVIDING FOR THE MENTAL HEALTH OF THEIR STUDENTS TO ELIMINATE THIS POSITION.
[7.1 Quarterly financial report and budget amendment(s) for the quarter end...]
WE ARE NOW MOVING TO OUR REPORTS PORTION OF THE AGENDA.AND WE WILL START OUR REPORTS, AGENDA NUMBER 7.1, WITH THE QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORT AND BUDGET AMENDMENTS FOR THE QUARTER ENDING MARCH 31ST, 2026.
AND WE WELCOME MARIA ROCKSTEAD.
SO AS YOU'LL RECALL, THE PERIOD THAT WE'RE COVERING RIGHT HERE IS FOR MARCH 31ST.
BUT THE TWO PREVIOUS MONTHS OF THE QUARTER WERE REPORTED THOSE REPORTS WERE PROVIDED TO YOU IN THOSE MEETINGS EVEN THOUGH I WASN'T AT THE MEETING AND SO THOSE MONTHLY REPORTS WERE APPROVED DURING THOSE MEETINGS THE INFORMATION THAT'S PROVIDED IN THIS REPORT IS RELATED TO THE MONTH OF MARCH SO AS FAR AS TAX COLLECTIONS WE'RE PRETTY MUCH IN LINE WITH WHERE WE WERE AT THIS POINT LAST YEAR MARCH IS PROBABLY THE LAST MONTH WHERE WE SEE SOME SIGNIFICANT COLLECTIONS COME THROUGH AND THEN THEY REALLY REALLY REALLY WILL TAPER OFF AFTER THIS POINT BUT THEY'LL STILL KEEP COMING IN AND OBVIOUSLY WE'LL STILL KEEP MONITORING THEM AND PROVIDING THAT IN THE YEAR REPORT AND THEN I WANTED TO POINT OUT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT LIFE BELIEVE IT WAS LAST MONTH WHEN SOMEBODY ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT THE RESERVE FUND BALANCE I DID MAKE AN UPDATE TO THE RESERVE FUND BALANCE TO REFLECT THE LATEST BUDGET REVISIONS THAT WE HAD MADE WHEN WE HAD OUR BIG MID-YEAR REVISIONS.
AND SO THE AMOUNT THAT'S ALLOCATED AS RESERVED HAS CHANGED BECAUSE OF THAT REASON, BUT IT JUST MOVES IT FROM THE RESERVED STATUS TO THE UNALLOCATED STATUS OR UNRESERVED.
AND THEN AS FAR AS BUDGET AMENDMENTS ARE CONCERNED, WE HAD BUDGET AMENDMENTS THAT WERE SUBMITTED BY CAMPUSES AND DEPARTMENTS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND, AND THE NET EFFECT OF THOSE WERE ZERO ON THE FUND BALANCE, AND THERE WERE NOT ANY BUDGET AMENDMENTS FOR THE DEBT SERVICE FUND OR THE CHILD NUTRITION FUND.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MARIA TONIGHT, TRUSTEES? THANK YOU, MARIA.
[7.2 Special Education performance report]
OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM UNDER THE REPORTS PORTION OF OUR AGENDA IS SPECIAL EDUCATION PERFORMANCE REPORT.AND WE HAVE MATT ZEMO AND EMILY DUNLAP.
YEAH, MAYBE WE CAN GET SOME HELP.
YEAH, WELL, YEAH, I THINK PATTY'S PULLING IT UP FOR US.
WHILE WE'RE WAITING, JUST TO REITERATE, ONE OF THE ANNOUNCEMENTS WE MADE AT THE CITY OF THE SCHOOLS
[00:30:01]
TRUSTEES IS THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE CREATING OUR NEW DEPARTMENT OF STUDENT SERVICES WHICH WILL BECOME OFFICIAL HERE AFTER MAY 1 AND MATT AND EMILY OF COURSE WILL BE LEADING THAT DEPARTMENT AND WE'LL BE SHARING SOME MORE DETAILS ABOUT THAT REORGANIZATION SOON.I CAN TALK ABOUT THE ONE IN SOUTH AUSTIN, THE SINGLE FAMILY HOME.
WHILE WE'RE WORKING ON THIS, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE THINGS, TRUSTEES, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE THINGS OUT OF ORDER AND WE'RE GOING
[7.3 Annual Board Member continuing education report]
TO MOVE OVER TO 7.3 IN OUR AGENDA, WHICH IS THE ANNUAL BOARD MEMBER CONTINUING EDUCATION REPORT.THERE IS SOMETHING THAT I HAVE TO READ.
SO, UNDER THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION RULE, COMPLETING REQUIRED CONTINUING EDUCATION EACH YEAR OF SERVICE IS A BASIC OBLIGATION AND EXPECTATION OF ANY SITTING BOARD MEMBER.
AS BOARD PRESIDENT, I AM REQUIRED TO ANNOUNCE THE NAME OF EACH MEMBER WHO HAS COMPLETED THE REQUIRED CONTINUING EDUCATION, HAS EXCEEDED THE REQUIRED CONTINUING EDUCATION, AND IS DEFICIENT IN MEETING THE REQUIRED CONTINUING EDUCATION.
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR TRAINING ARE MEASURED AS OF THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE DATE OF THE TRUSTEE'S ELECTION OR APPOINTMENT OR TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF HIS OR HER PREVIOUS TRAINING AS APPLICABLE.
THERE ARE EIGHT TRAINING AREAS FOR BOARD MEMBER CONTINUING EDUCATION.
ORIENTATION TO THE TEXAS EDUCATION CODE.
POST-LEGISLATIVE UPDATE TO THE TEXAS EDUCATION CODE.
ADDITIONAL CONTINUING EDUCATION.
EVALUATING STUDENT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND SETTING GOALS.
IDENTIFYING AND REPORTING ABUSE, TRAFFICKING, AND OTHER MALTREATMENT OF CHILDREN AND SCHOOL SAFETY.
AS OF APRIL 28, 2026, TRUSTEES KIM MCMATH, LAURA CLARK, KELLY MARWILL, JAMES SPRADLEY.
DIANE HERN, JOHN TROY, AND CATHERINE WALKER HAVE MET AND EXCEEDED ALL CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS.
[00:35:02]
WE WILL NOW MOVE BACK TO OUR AGENDA 7.2 AND THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PERFORMANCE REPORT.I'M THE DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
EMILY DUNLAP, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
AND JUST A REMINDER FOR THE BOARD, THIS IS A NEW REPORT THAT IS REQUIRED BY TEA.
SO THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING A FORMAL BOARD REPORT AS REQUIRED.
AND IF YOU WANT TO QUICKLY LOOK AT THAT PICTURE UP AT THE TOP RIGHT, THAT IS OUR UNIFIED CHAMPION SOFTBALL TEAM.
IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE PICTURES OF THIS YEAR FOR TWO REASONS.
ONE, JUST SIGNIFYING JUST THE CAMARADERIE AND THE TEAMWORK THAT THEY BUILD EACH YEAR.
BUT ALSO, THOSE JERSEYS ARE BRAND NEW, AND THEY WERE PURCHASED BY THE C-FUND.
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW, IF YOU'LL SEE ON THE SIDE OF THE RIGHT, WE HAVE DATA SOURCES, FIVE DATA SOURCES THAT WE'RE USING FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
THE OTHER ONE IS SPECIFIC TO SPECIAL EDUCATION, WHICH IS THE RESULTS DRIVEN ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT.
WE HAVE AN INDICATOR 14, WHICH IS FOR POST-SECONDARY OUTCOMES.
WE HAVE A PARENTAL REQUEST DATA FORM THAT WE WILL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE IN A LITTLE BIT.
AND THEN WE HAVE A POST-START SURVEY AND THEN AN OVERVIEW OF OUR CAFE SERIES FOR PARENT TRAINING.
AND I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT WE'LL BE GOING OVER SOME OF THE SUCCESSES, AREAS OF GROWTH.
AND OUR MAIN FOCUS IS ALWAYS JUST THAT CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT FOR OUR KIDS BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THEY DESERVE IT.
WELL, THE SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SINCE 2020 HAS BEEN BUSY.
WE HAVE GROWN BY 38.7% SINCE 2020.
AND AS YOU'LL SEE, THE TOP FIVE OR SO DISABILITY CATEGORIES THAT WE HAVE IN THE DISTRICT REMAIN PRETTY CONSISTENT.
THE DIFFERENTIAL FOR THE BOTTOM FOUR OR FIVE IS NOT NECESSARILY CHANGED MUCH.
IF YOU'LL SEE AT THE VERY TOP, THE LEARNING DISABILITY HAD A SIGNIFICANT JUMP FROM 30% TO 42.
0.4% AND SOME OF THAT IS DUE TO TEA'S CHANGE IN DYSLEXIA CRITERIA AND FOR STUDENTS THAT ARE RECEIVING THAT STRUCTURED READING PROGRAM, WHICH USED TO BE 504 TIER 2 IS NOW REQUIRED THROUGH SPECIAL EDUCATION.
AND SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATIONS FOR ALL THOSE STUDENTS OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS AND SO I SUSPECT THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THERE'S A JUMP THERE.
ALL RIGHT, SO DESPITE THE FACT THAT WE ARE GROWING, OUR NUMBERS ARE GROWING, OUR STUDENTS ARE STILL PERFORMING REALLY WELL.
AND SO SOMETHING WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF WHENEVER WE LOOK AT OUR STATE ASSESSMENTS, OUR STAR TESTING, IF WE COMPARE EANS ISD SPECIAL ED STUDENTS WHO HAVE IEPS TO ALL STUDENTS ACROSS THE STATE.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT STUDENTS WITH IEPS AND WITHOUT IEPS COMBINED.
YOU'LL SEE UP HERE THAT OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS ARE ACTUALLY OUTPERFORMING.
SO IF WE'RE COMPARING IEPS TO ALL STUDENTS, WE'RE STILL OUTPERFORMING OUR PEERS ACROSS THE BOARD.
IT'S JUST A TESTAMENT TO, YOU KNOW, US EMPHASIZING OUR INCLUSIVE EDUCATION, MAKING SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE STILL RECEIVING REALLY RIGOROUS ACADEMICS ALONGSIDE THEIR PEERS.
AND THEN IF YOU LOOK AT SPECIAL ED TO SPECIAL ED, THE NUMBERS ARE EVEN MORE STAGGERING.
WE ARE OUTPERFORMING OTHER SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS ACROSS THE STATE BY 30 PERCENTAGE POINTS OR MORE IN EVERY AREA.
AND SO AGAIN, THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM TO GROW, RIGHT? WE'RE ALWAYS WANTING TO IMPROVE AND GROW IN ALL AREAS, BUT YOU KNOW, OUR TEACHERS, OUR FAMILIES, OUR STAFF, AND OUR STUDENTS ARE WORKING REALLY, REALLY HARD.
AND YOU KNOW, WE EMPHASIZE LITERACY AT EARLY LEVELS FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS.
WE'RE IDENTIFYING STUDENTS WHO NEED SUPPORT.
EARLY ON AND WE ARE MAKING SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE EXPOSED TO THAT GRADE LEVEL CURRICULUM JUST LIKE THEIR PEERS SO THEY'RE ABLE TO PERFORM AT THE SAME LEVEL AND SO THAT'S REALLY EXCITING ALL RIGHT AND SO THEN IF YOU LOOK AT THE END OF COURSE EXAM SO THE OTHER RESULTS THAT WAS FROM OUR STAR THIS IS END OF COURSE WHICH IS LIKE OUR STAR AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL AND THESE ARE NOT THESE ARE NOT EASY TESTS THEY REQUIRE UM YOU KNOW HIGH LEVEL PROBLEM SOLVING AND CONTENT KNOWLEDGE.
AND SO IF WE LOOK ACROSS THE BOARD, AGAIN, IF WE COMPARE OUR SPECIAL ED STUDENTS TO ALL STUDENTS ACROSS THE STATE, SO THAT'S STUDENTS WITH AND WITHOUT IEPS, WE ARE RIGHT THERE PERFORMING RIGHT ALONGSIDE THEM AND EXCEEDING THEM IN SOME AREAS.
AGAIN, THAT JUST GOES TO SHOW THAT WE ARE EXPOSING OUR STUDENTS TO THAT GEN ED CURRICULUM AND THEY'RE PERFORMING RIGHT ALONGSIDE
[00:40:03]
THEIR PEERS.ALL RIGHT, AND SO THIS KIND OF SPEAKS TO I THINK WHY OUR STUDENTS DO PERFORM SO HIGH ACROSS THE BOARD OVER 74 PERCENT OF OUR STUDENTS ARE IN THE GEN ED CLASSROOM 80 PERCENT OR MORE THROUGHOUT THEIR SCHOOL DAY AND THE YOU KNOW THE STATE THRESHOLD FOR PERFORMANCE IS 70 PERCENT SO WE'RE EXCEEDING THAT AND WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE AGAIN RECEIVING ALL THE EXPOSURE TO THE SAME TEKS AS THEIR PEERS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
WE DO HAVE STUDENTS WHO MIGHT GET PULLED OUT FOR MAYBE A STUDY SKILLS CLASS OR THAT READING CLASS DURING THEIR DAY, BUT WE HAVE THEM INCLUDED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE RIGHT SIDE, THIS IS A SECTION THAT REALLY SPEAKS TO MY HEART BECAUSE YOU KNOW WE TALK A LOT ABOUT ACADEMICS, BUT WE ALSO REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS, THEIR SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE, AND YOU KNOW IF WE LOOK AT THE DISCIPLINE RATES, RIGHT, THAT'S MAYBE WHEN SOME OF OUR STUDENTS ARE HAVING SOME OF THEIR TOUGHEST DAYS.
AND OUR DISCIPLINE RATES ACROSS THE BOARD FOR OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS ARE WELL BELOW THE STATE THRESHOLD.
AND WHILE WE WOULD LIKE ALL THOSE NUMBERS TO BE ZERO AND WE WANT OUR STUDENTS TO BE IN CLASS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, THAT REALLY SPEAKS TO OUR STRONG BEHAVIOR SUPPORT TEACHER SYSTEMS. WE HAVE BEHAVIOR SPECIALISTS, OUR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS, AND OUR GEN ED COUNSELORS AND SCHOOL-BASED THERAPISTS, AS WAS KIND OF TOUCHED ON EARLIER.
ALL OF THOSE STAFF REALLY HELP SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS WHENEVER, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE STRUGGLING, AND I THINK THAT'S WHY OUR DISCIPLINE RATES ARE WELL BELOW THE STATE AVERAGES.
ALL RIGHT, AND SO WE ALSO REPORT ON FOUR STATE PERFORMANCE PLAN INDICATORS, INDICATORS 11 THROUGH 14, AND SO IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THOSE, WE ARE COMPLIANT 100% ACROSS THE BOARD IN ALL FOUR OF THOSE AREAS.
AND SO INDICATOR 11, THAT'S OUR CHILD FIND.
AND SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE IDENTIFYING AND EVALUATING ANY STUDENT THAT WE SUSPECT OF HAVING A DISABILITY AND MEETING THE REQUIRED TIMELINES.
AND SO PROBABLY ACROSS THE STATE, YOU GUYS MIGHT HEAR SOME DISTRICTS, PARENTS ARE WAITING MONTHS AND MONTHS OR, YOU KNOW.
STUDENTS AREN'T GETTING EVALUATED, BUT WE'RE 100% COMPLIANT WITH NOT ONLY MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE IDENTIFYING THOSE STUDENTS, BUT WE'RE EVALUATING THEM TIMELY.
AND THEN INDICATOR 12, THOSE ARE OUR YOUNGEST LEARNERS, AND SO OUR ECI TRANSITION INDICATOR, THAT IS WHENEVER WE'RE LOOKING AT THOSE ECI STUDENTS.
AND SO THOSE ARE OUR KIDS SERVED BIRTH TO THREE BY ECI, AND THEN IT'S THE LEA'S RESPONSIBILITY TO HAVE AN IEP OR A TRANSITION PLAN IN PLACE BY THOSE STUDENTS' THIRD BIRTHDAY.
AND AGAIN, WE'VE BEEN 100% COMPLIANT IN THAT AREA, AND THAT JUST MAKES SURE THAT WE ARE COMMUNICATING WITH THOSE ECI AGENCIES AND MAKING SURE OUR BABIES THAT ARE TURNING THREE, WE ARE GETTING THEM AN IEP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO WE CAN SUPPORT THEM MOVING FORWARD INTO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
INDICATOR 13 IS OUR SECONDARY TRANSITION INDICATOR.
AGAIN, WE'RE 100% COMPLIANT IN THAT AREA.
AND THAT JUST LOOKS AT IF A STUDENT IS 16 AND OVER, WE LOOK AT THEIR IEP AND WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S MEASURABLE POST-SECONDARY GOALS.
AND SO ARE WE LOOKING AT WHAT THAT STUDENT'S GOAL IS FOR AFTER HIGH SCHOOL? AND ARE WE DOING THINGS TO HELP SUPPORT THAT? AND ARE THEY OUTLINED WITHIN THEIR IEP? AND SO WE'RE 100% COMPLIANT IN THAT AREA.
AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE START THE TRANSITION PROCESS WAY BEFORE THEY TURN 16.
SO IF ANY OF YOU GUYS HAVE HAD A STUDENT WITH AN IEP AT ELEMENTARY LEVEL, YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD THEM PRESENT ON THEIR SPIN.
SO EVEN OUR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS ARE TALKING ABOUT THEIR STRENGTHS, PREFERENCES, INTERESTS, AND NEEDS.
AND SO THAT REALLY HELPS SET THEM UP FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL WHEN THEY MOVE INTO THEIR IEP MEETINGS AND THEY BEGIN TO FACILITATE THIS TRANSITION PROCESS.
AND THEN INDICATOR 14, THAT'S KIND OF THE OPPOSITE END OF THE ECI.
SO THAT'S LOOKING AT OUR STUDENTS ONE YEAR AFTER THEY GRADUATE.
A YEAR AFTER THEY GRADUATE, WE LOOK TO SEE ARE THEY IN COLLEGE, ARE THEY IN A VOCATIONAL PROGRAM, ARE THEY EMPLOYED.
AND SO WE'RE 100% COMPLIANT IN THAT AREA AS WELL.
AND SO THIS IS A LITTLE MORE ABOUT INDICATOR 14.
IT IS A SURVEY THAT IS SENT OUT BY A THIRD PARTY.
AND SO IF YOU LOOK DOWN AT THE BOTTOM, IT SHOWS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAD, I THINK IT'S A 39% RESPONSE RATE.
AND THAT SOUNDS REALLY LOW, BUT IT IS HIGHER THAN THE STATE OR THE REGION.
WE KNOW THAT A LOT OF FAMILIES MIGHT NOT CLICK ON SOMETHING THAT COMES FROM SOMEONE THAT THEY DON'T KNOW.
AND SO WE'VE REALLY BEEN TRYING TO EDUCATE THEM ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PROVIDING THAT DATA FOR US.
SO WE HOPE THAT THOSE NUMBERS INCREASE.
BUT IF YOU LOOK ACROSS THE BOARD, WE'RE WELL OUTPERFORMING THE STATE
[00:45:01]
IN THIS AREA AS WELL.EIGHTY-EIGHT PERCENT OF OUR GRADUATES ARE ENROLLED IN HIGHER EDUCATION.
THE STATE AVERAGES 29 PERCENT.
96% OF OUR STUDENTS ARE EITHER IN HIGHER ED OR COMPETITIVELY EMPLOYED AND THEN ACROSS THE STATE THAT'S 54% AND THEN THE SAME AT THE END FOR BEING IN ANY EDUCATION OR EMPLOYMENT SETTING SO AGAIN I THINK ALL OF THIS IS THE CULMINATION OF EVERYTHING WE TALKED ABOUT WITH THE RIGOROUS INSTRUCTION WE'RE PROVIDING THE INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AND ALL THE THINGS THAT OUR STAFF ARE DOING ALONG THE WAY THIS IS THE OUTCOME ALL RIGHT.
THESE NEXT COUPLE SLIDES ARE GOING TO BE AROUND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT.
AND THE FAMILY ENGAGEMENT STARTS WITH, DO WE HAVE A ROBUST CHILD FIND PROCESS? AND WE'VE CHANGED THE PROCESS A LITTLE BIT TO MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR FAMILIES.
AND SO WE DO HAVE A LINK ON OUR WEBSITE THAT IS EASY TO FILL OUT AND EASY TO FIND.
AND IT GOES DIRECTLY TO THE CAMPUS TEAMS UPON COMPLETION BY A PARENT.
AND SO FOR SINCE 2022, I THINK WE STARTED THAT NEW PROCESS UP UNTIL APRIL 16TH OF THIS YEAR, WE'VE HAD 647 REQUESTS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION.
AND SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THAT NUMBER, THAT IS ONE OF THOSE REQUESTS REQUIRES A SCHOOL TEAM TO REVIEW THE REQUEST, MEET AS A TEAM, GATHER THE DATA, AND RESPOND WITHIN 15 SCHOOL DAYS OF THE DECISION.
AND SO THAT IS A HEAVY LIFT FOR THE CAMPUSES.
AND THEY WORK REALLY HARD TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE BEING THOUGHTFUL IN THEIR DECISION MAKING.
AND SO IF YOU'LL SEE TO THE RIGHT AND UNDERNEATH THERE, THE TOP THREE AREAS IN WHICH WE RECEIVE PARENTAL REQUESTS FOR EVALUATIONS ARE IN READING AND LITERACY, EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING AND ATTENTION, AND THEN ANXIETY AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL.
AND A LOT OF THOSE CAN BE COMBINED, BUT THEY CAN ALSO BE IN ISOLATION.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WITH THE READING AND THE WRITING LITERACY.
PORTIONS WE THINK THAT REALLY ALIGNS WITH WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THE STAR AND THE MAP DATA AND OUR DYSLEXIA SCREENING TRENDS EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING AND ATTENTION, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE COMMON BARRIERS TO LEARNING AND WE OFTEN SEE YOU KNOW A LOT OF THOSE REQUESTS COME THROUGH AND WE ALREADY HAVE A PRETTY GOOD READ ON THE KIDS THAT NEED THAT LEVEL OF SUPPORT AND THEN YOU KNOW FOR THE ANXIETY IN THE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING.
THIS IS WHERE OUR SCHOOL TEAMS I WORK REALLY HARD WITH WHETHER IT'S OUR SCHOOL GEN ED COUNSELORS, OUR SCHOOL-BASED THERAPISTS, OR OUR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS ON MEETING THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS WITH ANXIETY AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL NEEDS.
AND SO THE MOST IMPORTANT PART IS THAT WE'RE IDENTIFYING AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.
AND SO ALMOST 60% OF THESE PARENT EVALUATION REQUESTS ARE COMING AT THE ECSE AND ELEMENTARY LEVEL.
AND THEN ON THE BACK END, AFTER STUDENTS ALREADY BEEN IN SPECIAL EDUCATION AND THEY COMPLETED AN ANNUAL ARD, WE SEND THE FAMILY AND TALK ABOUT IT THROUGH THE ARD PROCESS, THIS POST-ARD SURVEY.
AND SO WE SEND THE SURVEY OUT AS PART OF THE PRIOR WRITTEN NOTICE, AND WE HAVE RECEIVED OVER 300 RESPONSES SINCE THE 2021 SCHOOL YEAR, I BELIEVE.
AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALWAYS AREAS OF GROWTH IN THIS, AND WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT TO ME IS THAT PARENTS FEEL HEARD AND RESPECTED.
AND SUPPORTED THROUGH THAT PROCESS.
AND I THINK THAT'S THE PART IN WHICH, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE DIFFICULT MEETINGS SOMETIMES TO ATTEND AS A PARENT.
YOU KNOW, YOU'RE COMING IN WITH YOUR HUSBAND OR WIFE OR A GUARDIAN, AND THERE'S FIVE OR SIX OR MORE PROFESSIONALS AT THE TABLE, AND IT'S INTIMIDATING SOMETIMES.
AND SO WE TRY TO SOFTEN THAT CONVERSATION WITH A PRE-ART PROCESS AND TO GET JUST A MORE INFORMAL CONVERSATION THROUGH BEFORE THE FORMAL ART PROCESS STARTS.
AND THEN OUR YEAR-ROUND KIND OF SYSTEM OF FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, WHICH WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF.
WE'VE GROWN OVER THE YEARS IN SOME OF THESE AREAS, AND WE HAVE A COUPLE THINGS ON THE BURNER FOR NEXT YEAR.
THIS YEAR WE STARTED A CAFE SERIES, PARENT TRAINING SERIES, WHERE WE IDENTIFIED THE FIVE MOST IMPORTANT TOPICS FAMILIES HAVE REPORTED BACK ON NEEDING INFORMATION ON, AND WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE TO START OFF WITH WHAT ARE YOUR RIGHTS AS A PARENT.
AND WE HAD A GREAT TURNOUT FOR THAT.
TRAINING THAT WE HAD IN APRIL WAS A PARTNERSHIP WITH TEXAS STATE AND WE HAD THEIR OFFICE OF DISABILITY SERVICES COME IN AND PRESENT TO OUR FAMILIES AND WE HAD A COUPLE STUDENTS AND WE HAD A COUPLE IDEAS AROUND MAYBE DOING THIS THIS ACTUAL TRAINING AT THE HIGH SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS BECAUSE IT IS KIND OF AN EYE-OPENER TO GO FROM AN IEP TO JUST ACCESSIBLE SERVICES THROUGH A 504 IN COLLEGE BUT WE'RE PROUD OF THE THE LIFT ON THAT WITH THE PARENT TRAINING AND THEN WE CONTINUE TO HAVE TRAININGS WITH, MEETINGS WITH PARENTS IN OUR PROGRESSION MEETINGS.
[00:50:01]
ARE TRANSITIONING FROM ECSE TO KINDER, FROM FIFTH TO SIXTH, FROM EIGHTH TO NINTH, AND THEN ALSO FROM.12TH ATS WE HAVE A DEDICATED MEETING JUST FOR THOSE FAMILIES AND WE DO IT INTENTIONALLY BEFORE THE GEN ED VERSION COMES OUT SO WE CAN KIND OF GET THEIR QUESTION THE ANSWER BEFORE THEY HEAR SOME OF THE OTHER INFORMATION AND THAT'S ALWAYS WELL ATTENDED AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE OUR PARENT PARTNERS AND THIS IS AN ONGOING PARENT LED CONNECTION NETWORK IN WHICH WE TRY TO GET PARENTS FROM EVERY SINGLE CAMPUS AND ALSO HAVE REPRESENTATION FROM EVERY SINGLE DISABILITY AREA AND WE MEET MONTHLY TO TALK ABOUT JUST DIFFERENT PARENT-LED INITIATIVES, INITIATIVES THAT EMILY AND I AND THE DEPARTMENT ARE WORKING ON.
WE GET A FEEDBACK LOOP FROM THEM, AND WE ALSO TALK ABOUT OTHER AREAS OF GROWTH.
AND THEN OUR BEST BUDDIES UNIFIED CHAMPIONS, I THINK IT'S PRETTY WELL DOCUMENTED THAT WE'RE THE LONE DISTRICT IN THE COUNTRY WITH BEST BUDDIES ON EVERY SINGLE CAMPUS, AND WE JUST HAD OUR FIFTH ANNUAL FRIENDSHIP WALK THIS PAST MONTH, RIGHT? A COUPLE SATURDAYS AGO.
AND WE CONTINUE TO JUST TRY TO BUILD CONNECTION AND COMMUNITY, AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO IS PUTTING KIDS TOGETHER JUST TO STAY CONNECTED, AND THOSE RELATIONSHIPS CONTINUE ON WELL OUTSIDE OF THE BILL SCHEDULE.
AND THEN WE HAVE OUR WE'RE TRYING TO LAUNCH A C-FUND AMBASSADOR LITTLE COMMITTEE TO HELP US GROW AND SPOTLIGHT THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT HAVE COME OUT OF THE C-FUND.
INITIAL SEED INVESTMENT, SO THIS COMING MAY WE'RE GOING TO BE DELIVERING SOME WELL-EARNED CHECKS OF RECOGNITION TO OUR TEACHING ASSISTANTS FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, AND SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
AND THEN EMILY AND THE TEAM AT ATS ARE STARTING AN ALUMNI NETWORK, AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING EXCITING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO LAUNCH AND GET STARTED IN 26-27.
WHEN THEY HAVE THAT FINAL IEP MEETING AT ATS, THERE'S A LOT OF REFLECTION, THERE'S A LOT OF EMOTION, AND THERE'S SOME FEAR.
AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALSO SAYING THAT THE IEP MAY END, BUT THE RELATIONSHIP CONTINUES, AND THIS IS HOW WE'RE GOING TO DO IT.
AND THEN JUST A QUICK LITTLE SUMMARY.
I WON'T GO OVER THE STRENGTHS.
THOSE WERE KIND OF ALREADY COMMUNICATED.
BUT SOME OF THE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES THAT WE HAVE FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR IS...
WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO STAY CONNECTED WITH OUR POSTSECONDARY TRANSITION PLANNING AND MAKING SURE THAT STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO AN AGENCY OR A CONNECTION THROUGH POSTSECONDARY EMPLOYMENT OR CONTINUING EDUCATION.
AS MANY OF YOU MAY KNOW, THERE'S A NEW TIERED SYSTEM OF FUNDING THAT'S COMING OUT THROUGH SPECIAL EDUCATION.
EMILY AND I AND THE REST OF THE SPECIAL EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION TEAM HAVE BEEN ATTENDING WEBINARS AND TRAININGS ON WHAT THIS IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE.
I THINK TA IS DOING A GOOD JOB OF GIVING SOME INFORMATION OUT.
AND SO THEY'RE SCAFFOLDING THAT INFORMATION FOR EVERYONE AND HOPEFULLY WE LEARN MORE SOON.
AND THEN WE HAVE MR. KOENNECKE IS OING, WE'RE LEADING A NEW STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS AND WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO ALIGN OUR PROGRAM INITIATIVES WITH THE RESULTS OF THAT IN OCTOBER.
AND THEN WE WANT TO ALSO MAINTAIN A STRONG INCLUSION TRANSITION MODEL FOR PROGRAMMING.
AND THEN THE LAST PIECE IS IN OCTOBER OF THIS UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR, WE WILL GO THROUGH OUR CYCLICAL REVIEW THROUGH TEA.
AND SO THAT WILL BE A HEAVY LIFT FOR OUR TEAM AND OUR DEPARTMENT, BUT THEN THERE WILL BE SOME GOOD INFORMATION THAT WE CAN TAKE BACK TO CONTINUE TO PROGRAM AROUND GOALS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.
AND I JUST WANT TO SAY AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR ALWAYS PRIORITIZING SPECIAL EDUCATION AND STUDENT SERVICES.
THANK YOU TO EMILY AND TO MATT.
AND TO THE TEAM AROUND THE SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES.
TRUSTEES, DO WE HAVE QUESTIONS FOR EMILY OR MATT? LAURA? AND THEN DIANE? WE GOT JUST CONFIRMED FOR ME.
WE STILL HAVE, AND I THINK IT'S CHANGED.
WHAT IS THE NAME OF OUR, IT USED TO BE SPECIAL ED PARENT WORKING, SDWG? PARENT PARTNERS.
IT'S PARENT PARTNERS, AND WE STILL HAVE THAT IN PLACE.
ARE WE STILL DOING THE, DO WE STILL HAVE A FRAMEWORK FOR INCLUSIVE EVENTS TO ENSURE THAT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO THE EVENTS ON THE CAMPUSES? YEAH, THERE'S A DOCUMENT THAT...
I WILL SAY, ADMITTEDLY, THAT WE HAVEN'T PUSHED IT OUT AS MUCH AS WE COULD TO BOOSTERS AND TO OTHER PTOS.
I THINK PART OF THAT IS, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT WAS ORIGINATED, WE WERE IN A DIFFERENT SPACE WITH INCLUSIVE PROGRAMMING, BUT I THINK IT'S ALWAYS A GOOD REMINDER TO FOLKS THAT ARE HOLDING EVENTS TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO
[00:55:01]
TO BETTER SUPPORT.YEAH, ABSOLUTELY, BECAUSE IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT NOT ALL OF OUR CAMPUSES ARE REALLY AWARE OF THAT, AND THAT WAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL THING, AND A LOT OF PARENTS PUT A LOT OF WORK INTO THAT, AND I THINK THAT WAS SORT OF A, I MEAN, THAT WAS SUCH A HIGHLIGHT OF OUR INCLUSIVE CULTURE THAT WE HAD.
DID YOU START OFF BY SAYING THAT THIS PRESENTATION ITSELF IS A NEW REQUIREMENT BY THE STATE AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU'RE DOING IT? CORRECT.
I'M HAPPY TO SEE THAT AND YOU SAID SOME OTHER THINGS THAT INDICATED THAT THE STATE IS STARTING TO THINK ABOUT SPECIAL EDUCATION DIFFERENTLY AND THAT'S A VERY GOOD THING FOR US BECAUSE WE DO IT WELL AND WE NEED MORE FUNDING AS YOU'VE MENTIONED.
THIS GRAPH THAT YOU SHOWED US WHERE YOU INDICATED, YOU KNOW, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF OUR STUDENTS ARE IN REGULAR CLASSES 80% OF THE DAY AND THERE'S A TARGET OF 70% OR MORE, LIKE WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON'T MEET THAT TARGET? WHAT DOES THAT TARGET MEAN? YEAH, SO I THINK ANY OF THOSE INDICATORS YOU WOULD, YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD BE, MIGHT HAVE TO DO A CORRECTION ACTION PLAN DEPENDING ON THE LEVEL OF, YOU KNOW, THAT PERCENTAGE DIFFERENTIAL I DON'T THINK WE'VE EVER HAD THAT COMPONENT.
I DO KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN OTHER STATES THAT HAVE LIKE A FULL INCLUSION MODEL WHERE ALL STUDENTS ARE ACCESSING ALL SERVICES IN GEN ED.
YOU KNOW, WE BELIEVE IN A CONTINUUM OF SERVICES AND WE KNOW THAT SOME STUDENTS DO NEED A SMALLER SETTING, A DIFFERENT TYPE OF CURRICULUM, DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, SKILLS TO WORK ON.
YEAH, MY FOLLOW-ON QUESTION, WHICH YOU'VE SORT OF ALREADY ANSWERED IS, YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHAT AND I GUESS IT'S CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PARENTS AND WITH YOUR EXPERTISE UNDERSTANDING.
SO EVERY STUDENT STARTS OFF WITH A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE.
AND WHEN THEY TAKE A COURSE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION, IT DOES CHANGE THAT PERCENTAGE ON OUR SOFTWARE.
AND THE SPP INDICATORS THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT, INDICATOR 11, THE CHILD FIND, AND IDENTIFYING THESE NEEDS AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE IS OF COURSE SO IMPORTANT.
WHAT IS, AS YOU KNOW, THE STATE FUNDS EVALUATIONS, AND WE GOT SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THAT.
ARE WE UNDERWATER, YOU KNOW, IN FUNDING FOR THOSE EVALUATIONS? DO THEY VARY IN LEVEL OF LIFT AND LEVEL OF COST DEPENDING ON WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO EVALUATE FOR THE STUDENT? AND IS THAT? TO ME, IT SEEMS LIKE AN AREA WHERE WE NEED TO DIG IN A LITTLE BIT MORE AS WE CONTINUE TO TALK WITH THE STATE ABOUT MORE FUNDING THAT'S NEEDED BECAUSE I GUESS A REAL QUESTION HERE IS IT'S POSSIBLE FOR ANY STUDENT WHO DOESN'T EVEN ATTEND EANS SCHOOLS TO COME TO US AND SAY WE WANT OUR STUDENT EVALUATED EVEN IF THEY'RE A PRIVATE SCHOOL STUDENT.
ARE WE SEEING THAT HAPPEN NOW? WE'VE ALWAYS HAD TO EVALUATE STUDENTS OR HAVE CHILD FIND PROCEDURES FOR STUDENTS THAT WERE NOT ENROLLED IN EANS BUT MAY BE ATTENDING A PRIVATE SCHOOL WITHIN EANS BOUNDARIES.
AND SO WE DO HAVE STUDENTS THAT ARE LIVING IN AISD BUT ATTENDING TRINITY AND WE HAVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR CHILD FIND AND THAT'S BEEN IN PLACE FOR YEARS.
I THINK SOME OF THE COMPONENTS THAT YOU'RE REFERENCING IS YOU KNOW RELATED TO THE TEXAS EDUCATION FREEDOM ACCOUNT.
WE HAVEN'T SEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN REQUESTS THIS YEAR BUT I KNOW SOME COUNTERPARTS AND OTHER DISTRICTS HAVE.
THE STATE HAS ALLOWED I THINK, $1,000 FOR EVERY INITIAL EVALUATION.
AND SO WE SHOULD BE GETTING SOME OF THAT FUNDING AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
AND WE HAVEN'T HAD TO USE CONTRACTED SERVICES FOR ANY OF THOSE EVALUATIONS THIS YEAR? WE DID ONLY FOR, I THINK, WE HAD A MATERNITY LEAVE, AND SO WE HAD TO CONTRACT FOR AN EVALUATOR.
THE POST-ART SURVEY THAT YOU SHARED THAT DATA FROM, YOU INDICATED IT WAS GOING ON FROM STARTING IN 2021 THROUGH NOW.
YOU'VE HAD QUITE A FEW RESPONSES.
ARE YOU FINDING THAT THE RESPONSES TO THAT IS INCREASING OVER TIME? PEOPLE ARE GETTING MORE USED TO THIS BEING IN PLACE? I'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.
AND THEN I THINK THERE MIGHT BE AN OPEN-ENDED QUESTION ON THERE.
ARE YOU? AND OF COURSE EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE WONDERFUL SCORES THERE'S ALWAYS A FEW PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT YOU KNOW WHO ARE BELOW THE AVERAGE SCORE HOW ARE
[01:00:01]
YOU USING THAT? ARE YOU FINDING THAT IT'S A USEFUL TOOL THEN? IMPROVING THE SERVICES THAT YOU'RE GIVING AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION COMES FROM SOME OF THAT QUALITATIVE, OPEN-ENDED RESPONSE.
WHETHER IT'S THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE EXPERIENCE THAT THEY WERE HOPING FOR OR THEY HAVE SOME NEEDS AS A PARENT THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE TRAINING ON.
A LOT OF TIMES OUR COORDINATORS...
WE'LL BE TRACKING THAT AND KIND OF, YOU KNOW, LOOK FOR SOME TRENDS.
AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S A PARENT THAT JUST DIDN'T GO THE WAY THAT THEY HAD HOPED, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL CIRCLE BACK WITH THAT PARENT AND KIND OF, YOU KNOW, TEASE THAT OUT A LITTLE BIT.
SO A COMMENT THERE FOR ME WOULD BE IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO TRACK FOR THE INDIVIDUAL FAMILY, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEIR LEVEL OF RESPONSE IS OVER TIME IF WE COULD DO THAT IN THE FUTURE.
I THINK I'LL JUST ADD BY SAYING I LOVE THAT THE BATS ALUMNI NETWORK IS FORMING.
WE LOVE TALKING ABOUT ALUMNI HERE, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THAT.
AND, YEAH, THE TIERED SYSTEM AND FUNDING, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HOW THE STATE IS GOING TO HELP US OUT WITH THAT.
I JUST HAD A REALLY JUST ONE OR TWO CLARIFYING QUESTIONS.
SO ON THE FOR INDICATOR 14 FOR THE CLASS OF 2024 THERE I THINK THEY'RE THERE PERFECT BACK ONE IF THAT'S LIKE PERFECT THANK YOU SO MUCH SO COULD YOU JUST ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THAT GREAT GROWTH HERE IF I'M JUST LOOKING AT THE YEAR-OVER-YEAR IMPROVEMENT AND I WAS SUPPOSED TO ADDRESS THAT AND I HOPPED PAST IT YEAH SO MATT, GO FOR IT.
INDICATOR IS QUITE VARIABLE FROM YEAR TO YEAR AND IT DEPENDS ON THE RESPONSE THE RESPONSE RATE AND BECAUSE THE THERE'S ONLY A YOU KNOW A SHORT AMOUNT OF RESPONSES IT'S YOU KNOW A COUPLE YOU KNOW RESPONSES IN ONE WAY OR THE OTHER KIND OF SHIFT THE NUMBERS A LITTLE BIT WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN ABOVE THE STATE EVERY YEAR I'M GOING TO HOLD YOU TO GAMES LIKE THIS YEAH WE'RE TRYING TO GET MORE PEOPLE TO FILL IT OUT SO THAT IT'S MORE AND MORE ACCURATE TOO BECAUSE AND LIKE EMILY SAID, IT DOES GO THROUGH THIS THIRD PARTY THAT TEA HIRES, AND SO I'M ASSUMING THAT THIS EMAIL DOES LOOK LIKE, OH, SPAM OR SOMETHING.
I THINK LAST YEAR WE TRIED TO SHARE WHO WAS SENDING IT, AND WE'RE LIKE, HEY, YOU'RE GOING TO GET THIS FROM THIS COMPANY.
PLEASE FILL IT OUT, BUT WE'LL CONTINUE.
I FIGURED WHEN I SAW IN THE FINE PRINT THERE THE N WAS 25.
I ASSUMED IT WAS DUE TO THAT, BUT JUST WANTED TO CONFIRM.
ANY EDUCATION OR EMPLOYMENT SETTING, WHICH SEEMS VERY HIGH, WHICH IS GREAT, ESPECIALLY COMPARED TO STATEWIDE, THE 4% THAT AREN'T, IS THAT A HIGH-NEED STUDENT OR WHAT IS? I MEAN, YEAH, COMPETITIVELY.
AND IT'S PROBABLY ONE STUDENT.
AND, YOU KNOW, COMPETITIVELY EMPLOYED, YOU KNOW, ALTHOUGH THAT'S A GOAL THAT WE HAVE FOR ALL STUDENTS, THAT'S NOT SOMETIMES THEIR TRANSITION GOAL.
AND SO, YEAH, I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, ONE OR TWO STUDENTS.
AND THEN THIS IS, SO THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR FOR THE REPORT, BUT IT'S AN ANNUAL REPORT GOING FORWARD, IS THAT RIGHT? YEAH, IT'S THIS WHOLE REPORT.
IT'S AN ANNUAL REPORT THAT WE'LL REPORT BACK ON.
SO YOU'LL BE BACK EVERY YEAR AT THIS TIME.
QUICK QUESTION ABOUT THE CYCLICAL AUDIT THAT'S COMING UP FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR.
WHAT IS THE CYCLE? IS THAT A BIENNIAL, TRIENNIAL? HOW OFTEN IS THAT? I THINK IT'S EVERY FIVE YEARS.
ALL RIGHT, SO IT WOULD BE AN EVERY FIVE-YEAR REPORT.
IS THAT AN INDEPENDENT AUDITOR THAT COMES IN THAT'S ASSIGNED BY TEA, OR DO WE HIRE OUR OWN AUDITOR? IT'S ALL THROUGH TEA.
HOW LONG DOES THAT PROCESS TAKE? BECAUSE I'M THINKING FIVE YEARS, THEY'RE GOING TO LOOK THROUGH RECORDS, ET CETERA.
HOW LONG WILL THEY BE? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION BECAUSE THE FIRST TIME WE DID THIS AUDIT WAS THE FIRST YEAR THAT I BELIEVE THEY HAD IT.
AND THEY WERE ONLY SAMPLING A PERCENTAGE OF KIDS, AND THEY WOULD GIVE YOU THAT LIST AHEAD OF TIME.
AND NOW I THINK IT'S A SIGNIFICANT LARGER LIST.
AND SO ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE'VE BEEN LEARNING, AND WE'RE GOING TO DO A TRAINING THIS SUMMER TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EXPECTATIONS, IS THAT THEY'LL ASK YOU FOR...
THE CERTAIN PRE-POLLED LIST THAT THEY'VE ALREADY HAD AND YOU GOT TO SEND THE REPS WITHIN LIKE A WEEK OR TWO AND THEN THEY GO THROUGH THEIR PROCESSES ALL RIGHT SO UM THE REASON I'M ASKING, I'VE GONE
[01:05:01]
THROUGH A NUMBER OF JUST AUDITS BEFORE, AND SO THERE'S MULTIPLE PHASES, AND IT CAN BE QUITE DISTRACTING FROM THE BUSINESS THAT YOU HAVE TO DO.SO I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND EVERY FIVE YEARS HOW ALL-ENCOMPASSING AND HOW MUCH EXTRA WORK WILL THIS BE FOR YOU ALL.
WE THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A HEAVY LIFT COMPARED TO WHEN WE DID IT THE FIRST TIME BECAUSE I THINK THEY'VE CHANGED THEIR PROCESSES A LITTLE BIT MORE.
AND WE'RE HAPPY IF YOU WANT TO KIND OF HELP US THROUGH THAT PROCESS IF YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH SOME PREVIOUS AUDITS.
WELL, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE RESULTS OF THE AUDIT.
QUESTION THEN JUST BACK TOWARDS THE TOP.
THIS REPORT, WHICH WILL NOW BE OUR YEARLY REPORT, THIS IS THE FORMAT THAT'S BEEN STANDARDIZED BY TEA? TEA DIDN'T PUT OUT A STANDARD FORMAT.
AND SO WHAT WE DEFAULTED TO IS USING THE RESULTS-DRIVEN ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT THAT'S SPECIFIC TO SPECIAL EDUCATION.
AND THEN ALSO THE TAPER AND THEN OTHER RELEVANT DATA THAT WE'VE COLLECTED OVER THE YEARS.
AND IF AT ANY POINT YOU ALL WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING DIFFERENT OR WANT MORE INFORMATION ON A SPECIFIC AREA, WE'RE HAPPY TO DO THAT.
IT'S INTERESTING TO SEE THIS 2020 TO 2025 GROWTH IN STUDENTS.
AND I JUST, I ALWAYS HAVE MAYBE A MATH QUESTION BECAUSE IT'S SAYING THAT WE HAVE 1,104 STUDENTS IN OUR SCHOOL.
SPED RIGHT NOW AND THAT WE GREW BY 308 STUDENTS OVER THAT PERIOD FROM I'M GUESSING WE HAD 796 STUDENTS AT THE BEGINNING OF 2020 I THINK THAT WAS THAT FALSE SNAPSHOT THE FALSE SNAPSHOT IT'S JUST PECULIAR TO ME BECAUSE IF YOU START AT 796 AND YOU ADD 308 YOU GET 1104 SO THAT'S NOT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE STUDENTS THAT WERE ON THE BACK END.
SO IT'S REALLY HARD FOR ME TO THINK THAT THAT'S A, THAT NUMBER JUST MAKES ME GO, HMM.
SO WE HAD A BEGINNING POPULATION AND WE ADDED 308 STUDENTS, BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STUDENTS THAT GRADUATED? I WOULD ACTUALLY EXPECT THAT MAYBE WE WOULD HAVE MORE STUDENTS NOW.
I GUESS I'D NEED MORE INFORMATION ON THAT QUESTION.
IT JUST COULD BE THE WAY THAT I'M DESCRIBING THE POPULATION GROWTH HERE AND OUR SPED.
SO WE ARE CONSISTENTLY EVALUATING KIDS THROUGHOUT A SCHOOL YEAR AND QUALIFYING STUDENTS.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE DO RESPECT LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT, WHICH IS NOT SPECIAL EDUCATION.
AND SO WE ARE ALSO DISMISSING KIDS AT DIFFERENT VARIOUS POINTS OF THE YEAR.
BUT AT THE VERY BEGINNING, THE FIRST DAY OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, IS OUR LOWEST NUMBER BECAUSE WE GRADUATED THOSE SENIORS.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS TAKING A SNAPSHOT OF, WHAT, 2020.
AND THEN THE 1104 IS, I THINK, WITHIN THE LAST WEEK OR TWO.
IT'S PERHAPS NOT AS LARGE AS I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE, BECAUSE IF THIS IS OVER A FIVE-YEAR PERIOD, THEN IT'S REALLY MAYBE ONLY 60 STUDENTS PER YEAR ADDED TO OUR FAMILY OF SPED SUPPORT STUDENTS.
YOU KNOW, I'M THINKING ABOUT THOSE 60 STUDENTS THAT COME IN AND HOW WE CAN BRING THEM INTO THE FOLD OF OUR POPULATION, RIGHT? AT FIRST, WE THINK OF LIKE SPED AS BEING, I MEAN, AS A PARENT AND YOU ENTER INTO SPED, MAYBE IT'S A SCARY THING.
BUT WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT IN TERMS OF MAYBE ANNUAL GROWTH AND MAYBE IT'S ONLY 60 STUDENTS PER YEAR, IT DOESN'T SEEM THAT OVERWHELMING.
AND I'M JUST WONDERING ABOUT...
HOW TO BRING THOSE FAMILIES INTO THE FOLD WHEN IT'S MAYBE NOT AS AS LARGE OF A POPULATION AS I WAS EXPECTING, RIGHT? TO GET THEM INVOLVED, TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND, HERE'S YOUR, HERE'S YOUR, LIKE IN ONBOARDING, RIGHT? HERE'S YOUR RESOURCES.
THIS IS SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENT PARTNERS.
THESE ARE THE DIFFERENT RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO YOU.
SIXTY STUDENTS PER YEAR ARE JUST, I TAKE THE THREE OF EIGHT AND DIVIDE BY FIVE.
THAT'S WHERE I COME UP WITH THIS NUMBER.
IT DOES SEEM LIKE A MORE MANAGEABLE NUMBER THAN I REALIZED BECAUSE WE TALK ABOUT SPED A LOT AND WE TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT IT IS ON OUR STUDENT LEARNING AND HOW EXPENSIVE IT IS BECAUSE WE SPEND SO MUCH OF OUR RESOURCES, BUT MAYBE IT'S NOT AS, IT'S JUST, IT'S AN AHA MOMENT FOR ME.
I WILL SAY THAT OUR PARENT PARTNERS, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS, YOU KNOW, QUITE A BIT AROUND HOW DO WE ONBOARD NEW PARENTS.
AND SO WE HAVE SOME IDEAS THAT WE'RE.
I'M GOING TO EXPLORE AROUND MAYBE CAPTURING SORT OF SOME OF THIS CONTENT IN A VIDEO FORMAT AND COMING AT IT FROM THE LENS OF A CURRENT PARENT AND CURRENT
[01:10:01]
STAFF MEMBERS.PRIOR TO WHEN WE DO AN INITIAL EVALUATION, THE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST DOES SIT DOWN WITH THE PARENT, GO THROUGH THE EVALUATION, AND ALSO GO THROUGH THE PROCEDURAL SAFEGUARDS.
BUT I THINK WHAT YOU'RE HITTING ON IS, LIKE, LEARNING MORE ABOUT SPECIAL EDUCATION AS A WHOLE AS IT RELATES TO EANS, AND I THINK THAT'S A WINNING FORMULA.
ESSENTIALLY, THE BEGINNING SLIDE SAYS HERE'S OUR POPULATION.
WE'RE GOING ABOUT 60 NEW STUDENTS A YEAR.
AND THE END SLIDE IS HERE ARE ALL THESE GREAT THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING THAT FAMILIES, WHEN THEY'RE GOING INTO OUR SPED PROGRAM OR THEY'RE STARTING TO RECEIVE SERVICES, THEY DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING THAT'S AVAILABLE TO THEM.
MAYBE IT'S A PLUG FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT GOING FORWARD.
I'D JUST LIKE TO COME BACK AS WE FINISH UP THIS PRESENTATION TO REMIND EVERYBODY THAT THIS IS A PERFORMANCE REPORT AND THE HOLISTIC VIEW HERE THAT HAS BEEN PRESENTED TONIGHT REINFORCES ONCE AGAIN, INCLUDING THAT NUMBER FOR ENROLLMENT GROWTH OVER THE LAST FIVE TO SIX YEARS, THAT THERE IS NO OTHER PUBLIC SCHOOL IN TEXAS PROVIDING SERVICES AT THIS LEVEL OF QUALITY OR STANDARD, INCLUDING PUTTING TOGETHER THE LOOK OF THE REPORT.
AND ALONG WITH THE UNFUNDED MANDATES THAT THE DISTRICT HAS DEALT WITH FROM TEA FOR THIS CHANGE TO OUR SERVICE MODELS OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, IT IS JUST, AGAIN, SO IMPORTANT THAT CASE BY CASE WE LOOK AT THIS DATA AND THEN WE THINK ABOUT EACH CHILD AND EACH FAMILY SERVED AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS THAT OUR TEACHERS WORK TO GET THAT RIGHT.
AND THIS PERFORMANCE REPORT, I THINK, IS A...
A GREAT SNAPSHOT ABOUT THE WORK THAT EVERYBODY PUTS IN, BUT SPECIFICALLY THE RESPONSES THAT WE GOT FROM THE SURVEY WOULD NOT READ THE WAY THEY DID UNLESS WE HAD SOME SPECIFIC WORK TO CELEBRATE ON THE PART OF GREAT CHILDREN WORKING WITH GREAT TEACHERS.
AND AGAIN, THIS TEAM SPENDS TIME LOOKING AT EACH ONE OF THOSE CASES TO MAKE SURE IT'S DONE WITH FIDELITY.
THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE ENTIRE TEAM.
ANY OTHER? TRUSTEE COMMENTS? JAMES? JUST REAL QUICK, GOING BACK TO ONE OF THE COMMENTS EARLIER.
I'M EXCITED TO SEE THIS GOING FORWARD.
I WOULD ENCOURAGE THE TEAM TO THINK ABOUT A NUMBER, FIVE TO TEN KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO TRACK YEAR AFTER YEAR, BECAUSE I THINK THE BOARD WOULD APPRECIATE SEEING THE MOVEMENT YEAR OVER YEAR VERSUS JUST A SERIES OF.
THEY'RE ALL GREAT AND IT CERTAINLY LOOKS GREAT, BUT BEING ABLE TO TRACK A FEW OF THESE CONSISTENTLY YEAR AFTER YEAR WOULD BE GREAT.
THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT REPORT.
I'LL WRAP UP WITH THANKING BOTH OF YOU AND THANKING THE ENTIRE TEAM.
HAVING BEEN ON THE BOARD FOR SIX YEARS NOW AND LISTENING TO VARIOUS REPORTS ON THESE PROGRAMS, AGAIN, I'M...
AS MR. KOENNECKE SAID, I'M SO IMPRESSED IN HAVING THE ABILITY TO TOUR THE ATS FACILITY AND KNOW WHAT WE DO FOR OUR STUDENTS.
I MEAN, IT IS EXEMPLIFIED OF THE CARE THAT GOES IN TO ALL OF OUR STUDENTS, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THE COMPREHENSIVENESS OF YOUR REPORT IS, IT REITERATES WHAT WE DO FROM OUR EARLIEST AND YOUNGEST STUDENTS THROUGH OUR POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
WE ARE NOW MOVING FROM OUR REPORT SECTION.
[8.1 2025-26 Property value review, staff compensation, and b udget update]
AS WE HAD ALREADY FINISHED 7.3, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE INTO OUR DISCUSSION SECTION OF THE AGENDA, AND WE ARE GOING TO START WITH OUR CFO, CHRIS SCOTT, TALKING ABOUT THE 2025-26 PROPERTY VALUE REVIEW, STAFF COMPENSATION, AND A BUDGET UPDATE.WE HAVE CHRIS SCOTT, AND WE HAVE OUR CHIEF HR, AND I'VE I'M GOING TO MESS UP ON YOUR TITLE, BUT LAURIE LEE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
SO WE'VE GOT SEVERAL THINGS WE NEED TO GO THROUGH TONIGHT.
THE FIRST ONE THAT YOU SEE LISTED UP THERE IS PROPERTY VALUE REVIEW.
WE'RE GOING TO MEET OUR STATUTORY REQUIREMENT TO TALK ABOUT IT TONIGHT.
WE'RE GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT STAFF COMPENSATION AND THEN FINALLY A BUDGET UPDATE.
FIRST, I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE STILL HAVE LEFT IN THIS BUDGET YEAR AS FAR AS THE STEPS WE HAVE TO TAKE.
SO AS I SAID, WE HAVE A STATUTORY REQUIREMENT TO TALK ABOUT CERTIFIED VALUES AND HOW THEY IMPACT THE BUDGET, AND WE ALWAYS SCHEDULE THAT TO HAPPEN AFTER WE GET THE PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE OF CERTIFIED VALUES,
[01:15:01]
WHICH WE GOT AT THE END OF MARCH.AND IN APRIL, WE ALWAYS DISCUSS EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION OPTIONS, WHICH IS...
WHY MS. LEE HAS JOINED ME TONIGHT.
BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THAT, IT SAYS THAT IN MAY IS WHEN YOU WOULD TYPICALLY APPROVE THE COMPENSATION PLAN.
I'M GOING TO PROBABLY ASK YOU TO DEVIATE A LITTLE BIT FROM THAT TONIGHT.
I'M GOING TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION, AND I HOPE THAT I CAN GET KIND OF A HEAD NOD FROM YOU.
AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT THE REST OF THE LIST, YOU SEE THAT YOU HISTORICALLY AND TYPICALLY WE HAVE TO ADOPT THE BUDGET IN JUNE BEFORE THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR AND BEFORE THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR BEGINS WHICH WOULD BE THE LAST MEETING IN JUNE WHICH IS I FORGET WHICH ONE WANTS TO DATE ON THAT I THINK IS JUNE 24TH THIS YEAR AND WHAT THE WAY THAT WORKS IS WE HAVE TO PUBLISH IN THE THE NEWSPAPER TEN DAYS BEFORE THAT MEETING SO THE 14TH AND WE HAVE TO GET THAT TO THE NEWSPAPER FOUR DAYS BEFORE THAT, SO THAT'S THE 10TH.
AND TYPICALLY FROM THE END OF MAY, THE LAST MEETING WHEN YOU WOULD GIVE THAT GUIDANCE UNTIL THEN IS A MAD DASH TO GET EVERYTHING READY, TO GET PUBLISHED AND BE READY.
AND THE LAST MEETING IN MAY WILL ACTUALLY BE MY LAST MEETING IN FRONT OF YOU, AND WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS HAVE THE ENTIRE BUDGET READY TO PUBLISH SO THAT SOMEBODY CAN STEP IN AND PRESENT IT TO YOU AND DO.
IN JUNE, THE BUDGET AND TAX RATE HEARING, SO THAT YOU CAN ADOPT THOSE REQUIRED STATUTORY BUDGETS.
OF COURSE, YOU WON'T ADOPT THE TAX RATE UNTIL YOU GET THE MCR FROM TEA, WHICH WON'T HAPPEN UNTIL THE END OF JULY.
AND THEN YOU'LL ADOPT THAT TAX RATE IN AUGUST.
SO WE'LL START OUT TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROPERTY VALUE REVIEW.
A COUPLE OF HIGHLIGHTS FROM IT.
AND ONE THING I WANT TO POINT OUT IS IF YOU LOOK AT ALL OF THESE NUMBERS, IT'S SHOWING AN INCREASE OF ABOUT 9.4% ON ONE, 7.4%.
THOSE NUMBERS THAT I'M SHOWING IS WHERE WE ARE NOW OF AVERAGE VALUE, AVERAGE APPRAISED VALUES OF HOMESTEADS.
IT WAS ALMOST EXACTLY $2.1 MILLION THIS TIME LAST YEAR, AND NOW YOU SEE THAT I'M SHOWING 1.92%.
THAT'S BECAUSE WE ANTICIPATE AND WE KNOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO LOSE SOME VALUE THROUGH APPEALS.
THROUGH THE TCAT PROCESS AND AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT IN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THAT TYPICALLY HAPPENS BUT YOU'LL SEE IN JUST A MINUTE HOW CLOSE OUR NUMBERS THIS YEAR ACTUALLY TRACK WITH LAST YEAR'S AND SO LOOKING DOWN AT THAT LAST ONE WELL LET ME TALK ABOUT THE THIRD BULLET POINT FIRST KEEP IN MIND THAT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE THE TOTAL VALUE OF THE DISTRICT IT IT IS AT A POINT IN TIME, AND IT IS AT...
THE LAST DAY OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
SO DECEMBER 31ST, 2025, THIS WAS THE ESTIMATE FROM TCAD OF WHAT THE VALUE OF ALL THE PROPERTY AND TAXABLE VALUE IN THE DISTRICT IS.
THERE'S MORE VALUE THAN JUST THAT WHICH IS TAXABLE, OF COURSE.
AND YOU'LL SEE THAT I PUT IN HIGHLIGHT THAT I'M PROJECTING NO CHANGE IN THE TAXABLE ASSESSED VALUE, AND THAT'S SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT TCAD IS SHOWING AND I'LL SHOW YOU THAT ON THIS NEXT SLIDE.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE VERY TOP ROW THERE.
YOU CAN SEE, TRACKING OVER TIME, WHAT THE PRELIMINARY NET TAXABLE VALUE IS.
AND SO THAT IS TCAD'S ESTIMATE OF THE TOTAL VALUE BEFORE ANY APPEALS TAKE PLACE.
AND SO NOTHING'S BEEN APPEALED.
THEY SAY, HERE'S WHAT WE THINK THE VALUE IS.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT 2025, YOU'LL SEE THAT THE PRELIMINARY NET TAXABLE VALUE WAS $20.58 BILLION, AND THIS YEAR IT'S $20.5 BILLION.
IT WENT OUT MULTIPLE DECIMAL POINTS.
SO IT STILL ROUNDED OFF TO 0.00 WHEN I DID THE CALCULATION ON CHANGE IF WE JUST LOOKED AT THAT NUMBER.
AND THEN THE NEXT NUMBER, THE PERCENT, SHOWS HOW MUCH DID THE JULY CERTIFIED TAXABLE VALUES CHANGE FROM THAT PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE.
AND YOU'LL SEE THAT OVER TIME, THAT CHANGE HAS INCREASED OVER TIME.
AND IN FACT, LAST YEAR, SO TCAD WILL ALWAYS GIVE AN ESTIMATE, AND HISTORICALLY TCAD WILL OVERESTIMATE HOW MUCH THEY THINK THE VALUES ARE GOING TO DECLINE.
AND SO LAST YEAR THEY ALSO SAID THEY THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO DECLINE BY 11%.
THE ACTUAL NUMBER ENDED UP BEING 8.8%.
[01:20:01]
11%.AND IF THEY ARE CORRECT ON THAT, AND IT REALLY DOES DECLINE BY 11%, MEANING THAT WE WILL HAVE A DECLINE OF ABOUT 2.3% OVER WHAT OUR VALUES WERE LAST YEAR.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN, WHICH IS WHAT YOU'LL SEE IN MY MODELS THAT I'LL SHOW YOU IN JUST A LITTLE WHILE.
I'M STILL GOING TO SHOW ZERO LIKE I HAVE FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR.
HOWEVER, IF 2.3% WAS CORRECT, THEN THAT WOULD MEAN THAT MY MODELS ARE OFF BY ABOUT $350,000 TO $400,000.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, WE WON'T KNOW UNTIL JULY.
I'M GOING TO HAND IT OFF TO LAURIE AT THIS POINT.
SO AS CHRIS MENTIONED, I HAVE JUST A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION FOR YOU TONIGHT.
I FEEL LIKE MY FONT ON THE FIRST SLIDE SHOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE A 10 COMPARED TO CHRIS'S, 25 OR SO.
BUT I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT COMPENSATION.
WE KNOW WE'RE HEARING A LITTLE BIT OF BUZZ, BUT NOTHING HAS BEEN REALLY.
FORMAL AND OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS WE'VE HAD, FLICKERVILLE HAS ADOPTED, BUT IT WASN'T NECESSARILY A PERCENTAGE INCREASE.
IT WAS MORE LIKE A TARGETED INCREASE.
TASB CAME IN AND LOOKED AT THEIR SALARY SCHEDULES AND MADE SOME SUGGESTIONS.
SO WE REALLY ARE NOT HEARING ANY FINALIZED NUMBERS FROM ANY DISTRICTS, BUT I KNOW THEY'RE HAVING THE SAME CONVERSATIONS THAT WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
I JUST WANTED TO REALLY REMIND YOU ABOUT THE TEACHER RETENTION ALLOTMENT.
74 TEACHERS WHO WILL BE MOVING OR IN IT CURRENTLY OR MOVING UP TO THE 2500 UM FOR NEXT YEAR FOR THE UM 25 26 27 SCHOOL YEAR SORRY ABOUT THAT AND THEN UM WE HAVE ABOUT 406 TEACHERS WHO ARE EARNING THE FIVE THOUSAND DOLLAR THE FIVE UM PLUS YEARS SO REMEMBER THE TEACHER RETENTION ALLOTMENT IS DIFFERENT THAN THE TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT ONES RETENTION IS GIVEN BY THE STATE OF TEXAS.
OBVIOUSLY THAT'S TO HONOR THOSE TEACHERS WITH EXPERIENCE.
OUR INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT IS THE ONE THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY IN OUR DATA YEAR STILL.
WE WILL NOT FORMALIZE THE INFORMATION TO TEA UNTIL THE FALL OF 2026 AND THEN WE WOULD KNOW MORE IN JANUARY OF 27.
SO JUST TO KEEP THOSE A LITTLE BIT, I KNOW THEY SOUND VERY SIMILAR, BUT TO KEEP THAT SEPARATE FOR YOU.
AND I JUST WANT TO SHOW YOU SOME ATTRITION RATES.
YOU KNOW WE'VE BEEN REALLY RIGHT BELOW THE STATE OF TEXAS AVERAGE AND SO THAT FEELS REALLY GOOD.
OBVIOUSLY WE WANT TO RETAIN AND KEEP OUR TEACHERS AT EANS ISD.
SO WE RECEIVED THIS INFORMATION FROM THE TAPER REPORT SO THAT'S WHY WE'D LIKE TO HAVE THAT SAME KIND OF COMPARISON OF NUMBERS EVERY YEAR BECAUSE TAPER REALLY DOES PULL IN ALL TEACHING AND STAFF ALLOTMENTS AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MATCHING EVERY YEAR NUMBER TO NUMBER.
AND THEY DON'T COME OUT WITH 2526 UNTIL LATER ON.
SO THAT'S WHY I'M NOT SHOWING YOU THAT YEAR YET.
BUT WE'LL BRING THAT BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS WE HAVE THAT, OR WE'LL SEND THAT YEAR AWAY.
SO WE STILL HAVE SEVERAL UNKNOWNS.
SO WE DO HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE TO GO ON ON THE TCAD PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE.
AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, IT SUGGESTS NO GROWTH, BUT THE REALITY IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE THAT WE'LL SEE SLIGHT GROWTH OR SLIGHT DECLINE.
I DON'T KNOW WHICH IT WILL BE, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE PRETTY CLOSE TO ZERO, I BELIEVE.
NEW TEA SPED FORMULAS, I THINK THE LAST TIME I TOLD YOU THAT I WOULD BE SHOCKED IF WE HAD THEM BEFORE YOU HAD TO ADOPT A BUDGET, AND THEY'VE SINCE TOLD US THAT WE'LL HAVE THEM IN JUNE OF 2027.
THE IDEA IS THAT NEXT YEAR WE ARE TO TRACK SPED TWO DIFFERENT WAYS, BOTH BY THE OLD MODEL AND WE'RE TO TRACK UNDER THIS NEW MODEL.
AND THEN AT THE END OF THE YEAR, THEY WILL FINALIZE THE FORMULA AND TELL US WHAT IT IS.
AND SO YOU'LL PROBABLY BE ADOPTING NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET AS WELL WITHOUT ACTUALLY KNOWING WHAT THE MODEL IS.
BUT ONE THING THEY HAVE TOLD US IS THAT EVERYONE WILL BE HELD HARMLESS.
NOBODY WILL GET LESS THAN WHAT THEY WOULD HAVE UNDER THE OLD FORMULA SYSTEM.
AGAIN, WE BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF OUR MODEL, WE SHOULD DO PRETTY WELL UNDER THE NEW FORMULA, BUT YOU NEVER KNOW WITH THAT KIND OF THING.
THE VOUCHER LAW IMPACT, WE DID GET SOME INFORMATION THAT SOMEWHERE AROUND 100 CURRENT STUDENTS, PARENTS HAD SOUGHT VOUCHERS.
WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF THEM ARE GOING
[01:25:06]
TO GET THOSE VOUCHERS.WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF THEM ARE GOING TO ACCEPT THEM AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.
BUT THAT'S STILL AN UNKNOWN QUANTITY FOR US THAT WILL IMPACT US IN SOME WAY, WE THINK.
AND FINALLY, THE STAFF REDUCTION THROUGH ATTRITION.
SO THE FIRST ROUND OF BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE LOOKED AT IN THE SPRING.
MOST OF THAT WAS BASED ON ATTRITION, SO AS TEACHERS LEAVE NATURALLY, WE'LL NOT REPLACE THEM DEPENDING ON WHERE AND WHAT THEIR ASSIGNMENT IS.
AND WE ESTIMATED THAT WE WOULD GET ABOUT 70% OF OUR TOTAL CUTS THERE.
BUT FOR ALL THE REASONS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, NAMELY THAT OUR SURROUNDING DISTRICTS ARE GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING WE ARE, HAYES, LEANDER.
LAKE TRAVIS, AUSTIN, ALL OF THE DISTRICTS THAT WE NORMALLY SHARE STAFF WITH ARE DOING THE EXACT SAME THING THAT WE ARE.
AND SO WE THINK THAT THERE MIGHT BE LESS MOVEMENT FROM, YOU KNOW, AN ELEMENTARY TEACHER HERE TO AN ELEMENTARY TEACHER IN ANOTHER DISTRICT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND SO WE MAY OR MAY NOT SEE AS MUCH ATTRITION AS WE WANT.
THE LAST TIME THAT I PRESENTED TO YOU BACK IN MARCH, AND I CAN'T SEE THAT VERY WELL, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THE TOTAL PROJECTED DEFICIT WAS ABOUT $1.2 MILLION.
THE BUDGETED DEFICIT WAS ABOUT $2.2 MILLION.
THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW THINGS THAT HAVE WIGGLED SINCE THEN.
AGAIN, TAV GROWTH NOT BEING ONE OF THEM.
I'M STILL LOOKING AT ZERO GROWTH THERE.
BUT I DID, I HAVE GONE IN AND UPDATED MY SUBPOPULATION NUMBERS FOR THE CURRENT YEAR BASED ON YEAR-TO-DATE PEMS REPORTING.
AND THE WAY THAT I WORK MY MODEL IS I ASSUME THAT THE FOLLOWING YEAR WILL ROUGHLY MATCH OUR SUBPOPULATIONS ADJUSTED FOR, YOU KNOW, THE NEW STUDENT POPULATION.
AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING, AS YOU KNOW, FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS IS THAT WE'VE SEEN A GROWTH IN OUR TOTAL NUMBER OF SPECIAL ED STUDENTS, EVEN AS WE'VE SEEN A DECLINE IN THE TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS.
TENDED TO INCREASE OUR MONEY A LITTLE BIT, NOT A WHOLE LOT, BUT SOME.
WHERE MORE OF THE CHANGE CAME WAS WHEN I ADJUSTED THE PRE-COMPRESSION FROZEN TAX LEVY TO MATCH SOME TCAD DATA.
THAT HAD TO DO WITH ONE OF OUR HOLD HARMLESS, AND THAT MOVED OUR DATA OR MOVED OUR PROJECTION BY ABOUT $400,000.
SO BASED ON THOSE CHANGES FROM WHAT HAPPENED IN MARCH, WE'D BE LOOKING AT A BUDGETED DEFICIT OF ABOUT $1.7 MILLION OR A PROJECTED DEFICIT OF ABOUT $700,000.
BUT ALSO, AS YOU KNOW, WE'VE RECENTLY BEEN GOING THROUGH A RIGHT-SIZING PROJECT WITH MR. KOENNECKE.
AND SOME OF THE BIG THINGS THERE IS OBVIOUSLY WE'VE CHANGED OUR HEADCOUNT SOMEWHAT, AND THAT'S THE BIG CHANGE.
BUT WE'VE ALSO SEEN SOME OTHER EVEN ONE-TIME.
REVENUES THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT WILL IMPACT 26-27.
AND WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT, WE SEE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT A SURPLUS OF ABOUT, BUDGETED OF ABOUT $600,000 AND A PROJECTED SURPLUS OF ABOUT $1.6 MILLION.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THAT NOW, YOU KNOW, IF ALL THOSE ASSUMPTIONS HOLD, THAT PUSHES OUR UM, PERCENT FUND BALANCE BACK OVER 25% WHEN WE THINK WE'RE GOING TO DROP JUST BELOW IT AT THE END OF THIS YEAR.
AND I TOLD YOU EARLIER THAT I WAS GOING TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION AND LOOK FOR A HEAD NOD.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE SHEET, YOU'LL SEE THAT I'M STILL SHOWING A 0% SALARY INCREASE.
MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE, BECAUSE OF THOSE UNKNOWNS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW THEY'RE GOING TO TURN OUT.
MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE THAT YOU NOT SAY THAT THERE WILL BE NO RAIDS, BUT THAT YOU HOLD OFF ON MAKING THAT DECISION UNTIL THE FALL.
BY AUGUST, YOU SHOULD KNOW, HAVE A MUCH BETTER IDEA, NUMBER ONE, OF AN ENROLLMENT.
YOU'LL ALSO HAVE YOUR FINAL TAV, SO YOU'LL KNOW WHICH WAY THAT'S SWINGING.
AND WE'LL HAVE A MUCH BETTER IDEA OF WHAT SAVINGS WE ACTUALLY HAVE ACHIEVED THROUGH OUR ATTRITION MODEL AND SO THAT WOULD CREATE A LOT OF WORK ON
[01:30:01]
ON THE YOU KNOW SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS TO PUT THAT IN PLACE BUT IT WOULD ALLOW YOU TO MAKE THAT DECISION WITH A LOT MORE INFORMATION THAN WHAT YOU HAVE NOW CAN I JUMP IN THERE FOR A MINUTE CHRIS? ABSOLUTELY TRUSTEES JUST WANT TO POINT OUT A COUPLE OF THINGS FIRST BEHIND THESE NUMBERS AGAIN YOU'RE CHARGED TO US IN FEBRUARY WITH THE RESOLUTION THAT WAS PASSED WAS TO CONTINUE TO LOOK AT OUR OPTIMIZATION STRATEGIES AND THE TEAM HAD WORKED VERY HARD ON THAT THROUGHOUT THE WINTER MONTHS AND CONTINUE THAT SO I WANT TO THANK CHRIS AND LORI AND THE ENTIRE TEAM FOR ALL THE WORK.THEY DID THE TEAM WENT THROUGH THREE DIFFERENT BUDGET EXERCISES OVER THE LAST SIX WEEKS AND CHRIS JUST MENTIONED A MINUTE AGO ABOUT THE WORK THAT IT TAKES TO DO THIS.
WE KNOW THAT WORK NOW, AND THE TEAM HAS GONE THROUGH EVERY FACET OF THIS BUDGET ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS, AT ALL LEVELS, ALL CLASSIFICATIONS OF EMPLOYEES.
AND EVERY MEMBER OF THAT TEAM, INCLUDING THOSE WHO PRESENTED EARLIER TONIGHT, HAVE BEEN A PART OF THOSE BUDGET EXERCISES.
SO BEYOND THIS FORECASTED BUDGET.
WE UNDERSTAND ALSO WHAT MAY NEED TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE STRATEGICALLY.
WE CAN NOW PROACTIVELY MONITOR AND SHARE THOSE ITEMS WITH YOU STRATEGICALLY, QUARTERLY, AND HOPEFULLY SET OUR ENTIRE TEAM UP AND THE ORGANIZATION FOR MORE SUCCESS IN THE FUTURE AS WE COMMUNICATE OUT, REMOVING SOME OF THE GUESSWORK ABOUT WHERE OUR PAIN POINTS ARE AND WHAT WE CAN CHANGE.
WHILE THIS IS A PEOPLE ORGANIZATION, THE TEAM HAS TRIED TO FIND EVERY OTHER NON-HUMAN ITEM THAT IT CAN.
AND THEN SPECIFICALLY WHAT I WANT TO REITERATE, BECAUSE I SHARED THIS WITH OUR STAFF ACROSS THE DISTRICT LAST WEEK, WHAT YOU SEE HERE AND THE MONEY THAT'S FACTORED INTO THE RIGHT SIZE PLAN THAT I IMPLEMENTED LAST WEEK IS A CONCENTRATION ON CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SERVICES CUTS.
NO OTHER PARTS OF THE DISTRICT.
THAT IS WHERE THE CONCENTRATION LIED WITH THIS PLAN.
AND SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE REITERATE THAT AND ALSO THAT WE ARE TRYING TO PROTECT CLASSROOMS, PROTECT INSTRUCTION, CURRICULUM AND PROGRAMMING.
AND THAT WAS AT THE HEART OF THE RATIONALE FOR RANK ORDERING THE ACTION STEPS THAT WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED.
WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.
THANK YOU, LAURIE, AND THANK YOU, CHRIS, FOR THE PRESENTATION.
TRUSTEES, ARE THERE QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? CATHERINE? ALL RIGHT.
I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR BUDGET PROJECTIONS WITH A BALANCED BUDGET.
WE HAVEN'T HAD THIS IN MANY, MANY YEARS, AND I THINK THIS IS AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF WORK AND HARD DISCUSSIONS THAT HAD TO HAPPEN BEHIND CLOSED DOORS TO COME UP WITH THIS.
WE HAD PUBLIC DISCUSSION ABOUT BUDGET CUTS IN JANUARY, AND WE VOTED, I THINK IT WAS IN FEBRUARY, AND YET WE LOOK AT...
THE OUTCOME OF THAT, AND WE WERE STILL LOOKING AT A BUDGET DEFICIT THAT WAS BETWEEN $1.2 MILLION TO $2.2 MILLION.
AND DESPITE THOSE HARD CONVERSATIONS, WE WERE LOOKING AT A FUND BALANCE THAT WOULD STILL ONLY BE 23.5%, AND WE WANT OUR FUND BALANCE TO BE 25%.
I KNOW THAT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE A LOT IN PERCENTAGE TERMS, BUT IT ACTUALLY MEANS A LOT FOR CHRIS AS YOU'RE WORKING THROUGH YOUR ANNUAL CASH FLOW.
SO THE FUND BALANCE IS ACTUALLY VERY IMPORTANT.
THE WORK THAT KIRK HAS DONE ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT WE HAD DISCUSSED IN BOARD MEETINGS TAKES US TO A POINT WHERE WE ARE LOOKING AT A FUND BALANCE OF 27.5%, WHICH IS TREMENDOUS.
IT'S ACTUALLY SAYING WE'RE GOING TO PUT MONEY BACK INTO OUR GENERAL FUND, WHICH IS SOMETHING I THINK THE DISTRICT ALSO HASN'T DONE IN MANY, MANY YEARS.
I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT, BECAUSE IT'S BEEN THE CASE FOR ALL TEXAS SCHOOL DISTRICTS, THAT THE DISTRICTS ARE KIND OF WAITING WITH BATED BREATH FOR THE LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS TO MEET EVERY TWO YEARS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO WITH FUNDING FOR THE SCHOOLS? WHAT ARE WE WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO? AND SO THIS IS A YEAR WHERE WE WON'T HAVE TO WAIT TO SEE WHAT OUR STATE LEGISLATURES ARE DOING.
WE HAVE JUST A TINY BIT OF BREATHING ROOM THAT SAYS WE KNOW WE CAN MANAGE OUR.
WE CAN MANAGE THE DISTRICT OURSELVES.
[01:35:02]
THE STATE COMES UP WITH.AND IF THE STATE GIVES US MORE MONEY, THAT'S JUST A BONUS.
I WOULD LOVE FOR US TO GET TO A POINT, THOUGH, AND I GET WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, CHRIS, ABOUT TEACHER SALARIES, WAITING TO MAKE THE DECISION ON THAT UNTIL WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY UNKNOWN UNKNOWNS.
WE KNOW THAT OUR TEACHERS ARE SO IMPORTANT TO THE SUCCESS.
WE SAW THE NUMBERS WITH THE SPED PRESENTATION THAT OUR SPED STUDENTS PERFORM BETTER THAN STATE NON-AVERAGE STUDENTS IN THE DISTRICT, IN THE STATE.
SO THAT JUST GOES TO HOW WE ARE.
WHERE YOU PUT YOUR MONEY IS WHAT YOU VALUE.
AND I THINK IF WE VALUE OUR TEACHERS, WE NEED TO PUT ANY EXCESS MONEY THAT WE HAVE TOWARDS OUR TEACHERS.
I THINK THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS BESIDES JUST SALARY INCREASES AS A PERCENT, BECAUSE I KNOW WHEN YOU'RE BUILDING BUDGETS, THE CUMULATIVE BUILD OF A BUDGET, A PERCENT ON A PERCENT ON A PERCENT, GROWS YOUR COSTS IN AN INFINITESIMAL WAY.
AND SO MAYBE I THINK THIS BOARD HAS DISCUSSED IN CERTAIN TIMES, AND MAYBE THERE'S A ONE-TIME SALARY BUMP FOR TEACHERS IF WE CAN'T DO MERIT INCREASE.
WHATEVER THIS BOARD OF TRUSTEES DECIDES, I'M ADVOCATING FOR A SALARY INCREASE AND NOT A 0%.
BUT MY COMMENT IS KUDOS TO GETTING US TO THE POINT WHERE WE ARE NOT IN THE RED, LITERALLY OR FIGURATIVELY.
I SEE BLACK NUMBERS IN THIS COLUMN FOR NEXT YEAR, AND I'M JUST SO PLEASED.
JOHN? I WANT TO ECHO CATHERINE'S COMMENTS ON HOW PLEASED I AM TO SEE THESE NUMBERS IN THE BLACK.
LIKE, WE, AND THAT THE, AND SO, MR. KOENNECKE, I APPRECIATE HOW YOU HAVE DOVE INTO THIS WITH THE TEAM AND HOW THIS WAS A TEAM EFFORT IN ORDER TO HELP RIGHT-SIZE THE DISTRICT.
AND HOW YOU DID IT, HOW THE WHOLE TEAM DID THIS.
THROUGH LOOKING AT CENTRAL OFFICE AND ADMINISTRATIVE CUTS AND KEEPING IT AWAY FROM STUDENTS.
SO I THINK THAT IS A HUGE WIN.
AND I DON'T SAY THAT LIGHTLY BECAUSE I KNOW THIS IS A, YOU KNOW, WE ARE RIGHT-SIZING.
SO THIS IS A REDUCTION IN STAFF.
AND IT'S NOT LIKE THERE'S GOING TO BE LESS WORK TO DO.
AND I KNOW THAT FALLS ON THE REMAINING STAFF.
AND SO I DON'T, I KNOW IT'S A BITTERSWEET WIN.
AND SO TO SEE OUR FUND BALANCE GO BACK UP AND TO BE SOLIDLY ABOVE THE 25 PERCENT MARK, TO SEE THAT WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF CUSHION FOR, AS YOU SAID, CHRIS, BECAUSE WE'VE SEEN THIS TIME AND TIME AGAIN.
AND WE SEE CHANGES IN THE END.
AND I CAN THINK BACK TO THIS SPRING AND LAST SPRING WHERE CUTS WERE MADE TO THE BUDGET.
AND THEN YOU CAME BACK THE NEXT BOARD MEETING OR TWO BOARD MEETINGS LATER AND SAID, WELL, HEY, IT'S GOTTEN WORSE SINCE THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE.
AND NOW IT LOOKS LIKE THIS INSTEAD.
AND SO TO HAVE A BIT OF A CUSHION FOR THAT UNPREDICTABILITY, I THINK IS HEALTHY AND IS GOOD FOR OUR DISTRICT.
AND I'M JUST I'M THANKFUL BECAUSE I THINK IT PUTS EANS IN A LONG TERM.
SUSTAINABLE DIRECTION AND SO VERY PLEASED TO SEE THAT AND THAT IT WAS DONE AWAY FROM STUDENTS AND SO TRULY A BIG APPLAUSE FOR THAT I THINK THAT IS FANTASTIC LAURIE I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND BACK ON THE TEACHER RETENTION ALLOTMENT SO WE THE 2500 WE HAVE 74 TEACHERS THAT ARE BASICALLY YEAR THREE OR YEAR FOUR TEACHERS IS THAT CORRECT THAT WILL THAT IS CORRECT OKAY AND THAT SO THEY'LL GET THE 2500 SO IF THEY GOT THE 2500 THIS YEAR BECAUSE THEY WERE A YEAR THREE TEACHER THEY GET IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR AS A YEAR FOUR TEACHER THAT IS CORRECT AND THEN TWO YEARS FROM NOW THEY'LL BUMP UP TO THE 5000 YES THAT HYPOTHETICAL OKAY AND REMIND ME IS THIS THIS THIS ALLOTMENT DO WE EXPECT THIS, AND CHRIS MAYBE THIS IS YOU TOO,
[01:40:02]
DO WE EXPECT THIS TO CONTINUE INDEFINITELY BY THE LEGISLATURE OR NO? WE'VE BEEN TOLD YES, THAT IT SHOULD CONTINUE.WE'VE BEEN TOLD YES, BUT WE HAVE PLANNED FOR POSSIBLY NO.
SO WHEN WE SHOW THIS TO OUR STAFF MEMBERS, WE'VE CREATED, WE BASICALLY SAY HERE'S YOUR BASE SALARY, HERE'S YOUR TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT.
ADDED TOGETHER AS YOUR TOTAL SALARY WITH THE IDEA THAT IF AT SOME POINT THE LEGISLATURE DEFUNDS IT, THEN WE WOULD REMOVE THAT LINE.
WELL, HOPEFULLY, I MEAN, I ASSUME NOW THAT IT'S HERE, HOPEFULLY IT'S HERE TO STAY BECAUSE IT WOULD BE AWFULLY PAINFUL TO TAKE IT AWAY.
BUT I THINK THAT'S REASONABLE TO NOT BANK ON IT, AND I APPRECIATE THAT MESSAGING.
SO THEN, AND THEN I'LL GO BACK UP AGAIN.
OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S ALWAYS WORK TO DO ON TEACHER RETENTION.
AND, YOU KNOW, I HATE TO SEE EVEN 7.2% TURNOVER.
BUT I AM PLEASED THAT IT'S IMPROVING AND THAT WE'RE BEATING THE STATE.
AND THEN HOPEFULLY WE, AND YOU KNOW, WE LOOK AT EACH OF THESE YEARS GOING FROM 20.6 TO 18.6 TO 17.2.
AND I LOVE THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO BEAT THE STATE AND OBVIOUSLY MORE WORK TO DO.
BUT I LIKE THAT TREND AND THE DIRECTION WE'RE HEADED IN.
AND HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT COMES OUT HERE, YOU SAID IT COMES OUT WHEN? AND IN THE SUMMER, WE'D BE ABLE TO SAY WHAT IT IS? IT ONLY COMES OUT IN THE FALL.
SO HOPEFULLY THAT TREND CONTINUES.
TO WHERE YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A HEAD NOD, THIS IS TOUGH FOR ME BECAUSE MY DAY JOB IS WITH TALENT.
I BELIEVE YOU HAVE TO REWARD TALENT, YOU HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF TALENT, AND NOTHING IMPACTS OUR STUDENTS MORE THAN OUR STAFF.
LIKE THAT IS WHAT DRIVES IT MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.
TRULY, YOU COULD RATTLE OFF ANYTHING ELSE AND IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT IT IS.
I'M GONNA COME BACK TO STAFF IS WHAT MATTERS MOST WITH OUR KIDS.
I ALSO LOOK HERE AND I LOOK AT THE TREND LINE OF WHERE WE ARE PROJECTED AND HOW, YOU KNOW, WE'RE RIGHT BACK TO DEFICIT PROJECTED HERE IN A YEAR AND THEN RIGHT AFTER THAT.
AND I LOOK AT WHERE WE'VE BEEN HISTORICALLY.
AND I THINK MY INSTINCT IS TO WAIT, LIKE YOU'RE SAYING, UNTIL.
YOU SAID YOU WOULD SUGGEST WAITING UNTIL AUGUST.
WE'LL SEE HOW THINGS SHAKE OUT.
I ALSO, WE HAVE A BIT OF GOOD NEWS.
WE'RE AT THE SURPLUS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A WHILE.
AND I DON'T WANT TO TURN AROUND AND SPEND IT RIGHT OFF THE BAT.
I THINK WE NEED TO BE A LITTLE MORE CONSERVATIVE FINANCIALLY WITH...
AND I THINK PART OF, YOU KNOW, I THINK WHILE WE KEEP ADVOCATING AT THE CAPITOL AND WE'RE TRYING TO DO OUR BEST AND WE'RE LOOKING FOR MORE MONEY, I THINK WE HAVE TO PRESERVE, WE HAVE TO, WE CAN'T WAIT ON THE STATE.
WE CAN'T ASSUME WE'RE GOING TO GET MORE FROM THE STATE.
AND AS CATHERINE POINTED OUT, WE'RE NOT EVEN IN A LEGISLATIVE YEAR.
AND SO I WOULD RATHER BE A LITTLE MORE CONSERVATIVE, NOT IMMEDIATELY SPEND OUR FIRST PROJECTED SURPLUS, ESPECIALLY KNOWING WHAT'S COMING, BUT ALSO RECOGNIZING IF THAT ZERO ENDS UP STAYING ZERO, YOU CAN'T DO THAT FOREVER.
AND SO I WOULD BE VERY, VERY COMMITTED TO THESE FUTURE RAISES.
BUT I DON'T WANT TO IMMEDIATELY HAVE A LITTLE EXTRA CASH IN OUR POCKET, SO TO SPEAK, AND FLIP AROUND AND IMMEDIATELY SPEND IT.
AND I SAY THAT VERY AWARE OF THE IMPACT.
I ALSO KNOW THAT OTHER DISTRICTS ARE DEALING WITH THIS, TOO, AND WE'RE NOT.
AND THIS IS A BROADER SITUATION ON THE WHOLE LANDSCAPE, WHICH MEANS I DON'T.
WITH OTHER DISTRICTS DEALING WITH THIS TOO, HOPEFULLY OUR STAFF WILL STICK AROUND WITH US FOR A YEAR WHILE WE DO THIS, KNOWING THAT IT'S NOT MUCH
[01:45:02]
BETTER ELSEWHERE.AND ALSO KNOWING THAT IF WE DON'T DO IT THIS YEAR, HOW COMMITTED WE WOULD BE TO THAT 2% RAISE IN THE FUTURE AND MAKING SURE THAT WOULD HAPPEN.
AND SO I WOULD RATHER PAUSE FOR A MINUTE, TAKE THE WIN.
AND NOT FLIP AROUND AND SPEND IT RIGHT AWAY.
AND SO I WOULD BE INCLINED TO WAIT WITH THE RECOMMENDATION LIKE YOU'RE SUGGESTING UNTIL AUGUST.
WE'RE NEXT GOING TO HEAR FROM KELLY, FOLLOWED BY LAURA AND THEN DIANE.
I JUST WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR THE HUMAN CAPITAL LOSS AND CHANGE THAT WE HAVE.
I KNOW EAMES IS A GREAT PLACE TO WORK, AND I KNOW WE HAVE GREAT PEOPLE, AND THEY LOVE IT HERE, AND SO I KNOW THAT'S BEEN REALLY DIFFICULT.
I KNOW WE'VE RECEIVED EMAILS FROM FAMILIES, SO SOME OF THESE CHANGES ARE AROUND OUR STUDENTS, AND THEY'RE CONCERNED, AND I KNOW THAT WE WILL RISE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS, AND WE'LL CONTINUE AS TRUSTEES TO EVALUATE THAT AND MONITOR THAT, AND I HAVE FAITH.
AND THE STAFF THAT WE HAVE, BUT I STILL, AND I APPRECIATE THE DIFFICULT DECISIONS THAT HAD TO BE MADE.
BUT I JUST REALLY, I JUST WAS WONDERING WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR RIGHT SIZING, WILL ANY OF THOSE CHANGES BE INCLUDED? WILL THOSE NUMBERS OF TEACHERS BE INCLUDED IN THE RETENTION NUMBERS, OR ARE THOSE DIFFERENT? SO WHEN WE HAVE TEACHER CHANGES, AS THEY, I MEAN, WE'LL HAVE LIKE THE NATURAL ATTRITION AND SUCH.
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN A TEACHER RETENTION NUMBER? SO IN THE OPTIMIZATION PLAN, ANY LOSS OF TEACHERS WOULD BE INCLUDED IN THOSE ATTRITION NUMBERS.
FOR EXAMPLE, AN ENGLISH DEPARTMENT WERE TO HAVE LOST A TEACHER THERE, THAT WOULD BE IN THAT NUMBER.
YES, BUT THOSE ARE ATTRITION NUMBERS.
THOSE ARE NATURAL ATTRITION, RIGHT? SO IN THE OPTIMIZATION PLAN, THERE ISN'T ANY TEACHERS ARE NOT GOING AWAY.
WHEN SOMEONE LEAVES BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO BE MOVING OR WHATEVER REASON THEY GIVE US, WE JUST AREN'T FILLING THAT POSITION.
SO JUST TO MAKE THAT MORE CLEAR TOO.
THAT'S ALL I HAD THANK YOU THANK YOU KELLY UM NEXT WE HAVE LAURA FOLLOWED BY DIANE AND THEN JAMES UM YEAH I'M Y'ALL UH I'M IMPRESSED THANK Y'ALL UM YOU KNOW THIS THIS SHOULD BE IN SOME WAYS CELEBRATORY BUT IT'S ALSO INCREDIBLY PAINFUL AND WE HAVEN'T BEEN FACED WITH THESE TYPES OF DECISIONS IN A LONG TIME AND WE HAVEN'T HAD TO DO THESE THINGS IN A LONG TIME AND I THINK IT'S NEVER EASY BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT THIS TEAM HAS GONE THROUGH AND THE STAFF HAS GONE THROUGH OVER THE LAST SIX YEARS AND I THINK THAT MAKES IT EVEN MORE DIFFICULT.
LORI, JUST REAL QUICK, I WANT TO CHRIS, YOU WANTED TO GET A HEAD NOD.
I WOULD LIKE FOR THE BOARD TO HAVE SOMETHING OF A DISCUSSION OR YOU WANT SOME DIRECTION FROM US ON WHAT TO DO WITH INCREASES, RIGHT? IDEALLY.
SO I WOULD LIKE AT LEAST THE OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYBODY TO FEEL COMFORTABLE.
WITH WHAT WE THE DIRECTION THAT WE WE GIVE TO THE CABINET TONIGHT AND LORI FOR THE WE'RE GETTING READY TO RENEW ALL THE CONTRACTS FOR OUR TEACHERS AND I KNOW THAT WE HAVE TYPICALLY LIKED TO WE MAKE THIS DECISION NOW SO THAT OUR TEACHERS KNOW WHEN THEY AGREE TO TO RENEW THEIR AGREE TO THEIR CONTRACTS WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON PUSHING TO FALL AN INCREASE? HOW WOULD THAT IMPACT OUR STAFFING? WELL, WE WILL NOT, WE'LL SEND CONTRACTS OUT THE FIRST WEEK IN MAY.
AND SO OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE OUR STAFF HAS BEEN REALLY CLUED INTO THESE CONVERSATIONS.
I THINK THEY KNOW OR EXPECT THAT THERE WILL BE A FREEZE.
I DO YOU KNOW, WE TALKED IN THE FINANCE COMMITTEE.
CATHERINE AND DIANE WERE THERE, AND THE FINANCE COMMITTEE HAD
[01:50:02]
MADE A RECOMMENDATION OF MAYBE THAT ONE-TIME PAYMENT AND LOOKING, WAITING UNTIL AUGUST, WHICH I THINK IS A GOOD IDEA, AND MAYBE EVEN MAKING THAT PAYMENT CLOSER TO THE HOLIDAYS IF WE DECIDED TO DO THAT.SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING TO AT LEAST LOOK AT IN AUGUST.
YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SURE WHAT PEOPLE ARE DOING AROUND US, BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT...
I OBVIOUSLY ALWAYS WANT OUR STAFF TO GET RAISES, BUT I KNOW THAT I THINK THEY UNDERSTAND WHERE WE ARE.
IT DOESN'T MAKE IT ANY BETTER, BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT IF WE COULD GIVE ANYTHING, THEY WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE VERY HAPPY.
COULD I JUST ADD ON TO THAT FOR A MOMENT? I THINK IT'S JUST REALLY IMPORTANT.
I'M GLAD YOU'RE ASKING THE QUESTION, LAURA.
I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WHEN WE LOOK AT A BUDGET THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT THE FORECAST HERE.
OVER THE PERIOD THAT WE'RE SHOWING, I THINK STRATEGICALLY HOW THE MONEY FLOWS THROUGH THE BUDGET ANNUALLY IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN VERY STRATEGIC ABOUT WITH THE RIGHT SIZE PLAN AND KEEPING IN MIND THAT WE HAD BAKED IN FUTURE PERCENTAGE SALARY INCREASES.
AND SO OVERALL ADJUSTMENTS TO THAT ENTIRE MODEL THEN CHANGE THE PROJECTIONS FOR ALL THREE YEARS.
AND I THINK ALL OF US UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT I WOULD REITERATE TO THE PUBLIC WHAT YOU SAID A MOMENT AGO, WHICH IS THIS RIGHT-SIZE PLAN THAT I IMPLEMENTED LAST WEEK REPRESENTS THE LARGEST INTERNAL CHANGE TO OUR BUDGET IN OVER 11 YEARS.
THAT IS NOT INSIGNIFICANT, AND IT IS ALSO HARD.
AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO PROTECT QUALITY AND SERVICES OVERALL.
AND SO, AGAIN, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES, AS JOHN SAID, THE STANDARD REMAINS, THE WORK REMAINS, BUT ALSO IF WE CHANGE THE STRATEGY BEHIND THE PLAN, KNOWING THAT WE HAVE FUTURE ACTIONS WE CAN TAKE FOR CERTAIN QUANTITIES OF DOLLARS, WE CAN HAVE MORE PROACTIVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THOSE IN THE FUTURE.
AND I WOULD JUST SAY, RESPECTFULLY, I HEAR WHAT CHRIS IS SAYING TO YOU.
AND I AGREE THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO DECISION MADE PERSONALLY OR PROFESSIONALLY AT THIS TIME.
AND MY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT WE KEEP ALL THREE YEARS IN MIND STRATEGICALLY AS WE THINK ABOUT THIS YEAR AND HEADING INTO NEXT YEAR.
WELL, THANK YOU FOR SAYING THAT.
AND THAT ACTUALLY KIND OF TIES INTO WHERE I WAS GOING WITH THIS.
SO, LOOKING AT A 27.6% FUND BALANCE, THAT GIVES US A CUSHION, LIKE YOU WERE SAYING, JOHN, AND THAT'S A CUSHION THAT THIS BOARD WOULD NEED TO DECIDE IF STRATEGICALLY WE WANTED TO DO THAT.
AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT BOARDS OVER PAST YEARS HAVE DONE.
WE DID HAVE A ROBUST FUND BALANCE IN PAST YEARS.
THOSE BOARDS MADE STRATEGIC DECISIONS TO DIP INTO THOSE FUND BALANCES, TO GIVE RAISES, TO HIRE PEOPLE, TO HIRE.
WE CREATED OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT.
WE'VE DONE SOME REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS THAT THOSE BOARDS DECIDED ALIGNED WITH THE COMMUNITY'S VALUES.
THOSE WERE VERY, VERY TOUGH DAYS.
AS MUCH AS DIFFICULT AS THIS IS, MY FEELING IS THAT WE NEED TO MAINTAIN A LITTLE BIT OF A CUSHION.
SINCE WE HAVE IT, IT'S RIGHT THERE.
LET'S HOLD ON TO THAT, AT LEAST UNTIL THE FALL.
LET'S HOLD ON TO THAT UNTIL WE CAN GET OUR CERTIFIED TAV.
SO WE GET OUR PRELIMINARY NUMBERS IN MARCH, WE WORKSHOP IT IN APRIL, MAY WE GET A BUDGET, JUNE WE HAVE TO ADOPT OUR BUDGET.
BUT WE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT OUR FUNDING IS, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT OUR CERTIFIED TAV IS UNTIL AFTER WE'VE ADOPTED OUR BUDGET FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
SO WE ARE ALWAYS HAVING TO MAKE THESE ADJUSTMENTS.
SO MY PREFERENCE, AND I REALLY DO WANT TO DISCUSS THIS BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S GOT TO BE COMFORTABLE WITH THIS, BUT MY GUT IS SAYING WE HOLD ON TO THAT AT LEAST UNTIL WE HAVE OUR CERTIFIED TAV AND WE KNOW WHERE WE ARE AND WE HOLD ON TO THAT FUND BALANCE.
[01:55:02]
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK THAT'S GONE INTO THIS RIGHT-SIZE PLAN.I'VE BEEN TRYING TO SHARE WITH PEOPLE THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE SEEING SOME NEW NUMBERS, AND JUST TO ECHO THE SENTIMENTS OF OTHERS, IT'S NICE TO SEE A BUDGET IN THE BLACK.
THIS CONCEPT OF TEACHER RAISES AND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THIS EVENING, I REFLECT AND I THINK THE FACT THAT WE DID, WE WERE ABLE TO GIVE 6 AND 7% RAISES BECAUSE OF THE TEACHER RETENTION ALLOTMENT LAST YEAR.
AND I ALSO THINK ABOUT THAT ULTIMATELY IT'S THAT RETENTION NUMBER THAT WE CARE ABOUT THE MOST.
AND I WONDER, I WANT MORE INFORMATION.
I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM TEACHERS AS WE'RE PULLING BACK SOME OF THE SUPPORT FOR THE TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOMS. YOU KNOW, THE GOAL OF TOUCHING THE CLASSROOM THE LEAST, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM OUR TEACHERS WHETHER THEY WOULD PREFER A RAISE OR WHETHER THEY MIGHT THINK THAT THAT MONEY COULD BE BETTER DIRECTED IN OTHER WAYS.
ALSO WITH THE CAVEAT, THOUGH, THAT I UNDERSTAND THAT JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A BUFFER, A LITTLE BIT OF A BUFFER, WE DON'T NECESSARILY NEED TO SPEND IT.
BUT AS WE CONSIDER, I DON'T THINK THE DEBATE SHOULD JUST BE WHETHER WE GIVE TEACHERS SALARIES.
I THINK THE DEBATE IS HOW DO WE BEST SPEND OUR DOLLARS TO SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS TO KEEP OUR TEACHERS IN EANS.
AND I THINK THERE MIGHT BE SOMETHING OTHER THAN SALARIES THAT COULD POTENTIALLY DO THAT.
I'D JUST LIKE TO HEAR MAYBE A LITTLE MORE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT.
I THINK THAT'S MOSTLY WHAT I WANTED TO SAY.
JAMES? CHRIS, CAN YOU REMIND US, WHAT IS A 1% PAY INCREASE EQUAL TO DOLLAR-WISE? $700,000 TO $800,000.
AND I DON'T WANT TO GET TOO FAR INTO THAT.
I GUESS WHERE I'M ULTIMATELY HEADED IS IF WE'RE ADVOCATING FOR RAISES AT THIS POINT, IT NOT ONLY HAS THAT $1.6 MILLION, WELL, YOU COULD JUST CUT IT IN HALF A NUMBER.
SOME NUMBER THAT WE WOULD ADVOCATE FOR RAISES TODAY IMPACTS THE BUDGET PROJECTION YOU'RE SHOWING FOR NEXT YEAR.
AND THE YEARS AFTER THAT AND CONTINUES IN A WAY TO GROW.
SO THE BOARD NEEDS TO CONSIDER THAT.
I KNOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MAYBE A ONE-TIME PAYMENT OR RAISE, AND I THINK THAT WAITING UNTIL WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION, GIVEN THE SMALL MARGIN THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, I THINK THAT'S APPROPRIATE.
I WILL SAY THAT ONE OF THE WEIRD THINGS OF JOINING THE SCHOOL BOARD IS YOU GET SWORN IN IN MID-MAY, AND BY THE END OF JUNE YOU'RE APPROVING A BUDGET.
YOU'RE DRINKING FROM THE FIRE HOSE AT THAT POINT, AND ESPECIALLY PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T BEEN ATTENDING MEETINGS WOULD BE DRINKING FROM A FIRE HOSE.
WHEN I FIRST JOINED THE BOARD IN 2019, I THINK THE VERY NEXT MONTH, WE VOTED TO NOT GIVE RAISES.
IT WAS THE TOUGHEST THING I'VE HAD TO DO AS A TRUSTEE, AND I'VE BEEN THROUGH COVID.
ALL KINDS OF STUFF ON THIS BOARD, GIVING 0% WAS THE TOUGHEST THING I HAD TO DO AS A TRUSTEE.
AND I THINK ANYONE WHO WAS THERE AT THAT TIME SITTING ON THIS BOARD WOULD AGREE.
SO THAT DECISION IS NOT MADE LIGHTLY.
I HOPE WE'RE NOT MAKING IT SOUND LIKE IT'S SOMETHING EASY THAT WE WOULD BE CONSIDERING HERE.
IT'S A VERY DIFFICULT DECISION.
I DID WANT TO SHOW APPRECIATION TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM FOR THE WORK THAT WAS DONE.
VERY DIFFICULT EXERCISE TO DO.
AND I'VE WORKED IN CORPORATE WORLD WHERE I HAVE DONE LAYOFFS MYSELF.
IT IS NOT EASY TO DO THAT BUDGETING EXERCISE.
HAVING SAID ALL THAT, ULTIMATELY, I DON'T WANT TO DO 0%.
I'M SAD FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WE'RE GOING TO LOSE FROM OUR TEAM.
BECAUSE OF THESE ACTIONS THAT WE NEED TO TAKE.
I AM MINDFUL THAT THAT WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING DOESN'T GO AWAY.
A LOT OF TIMES THAT JUST GETS PUT ON SOMEONE ELSE, AND EFFECTIVELY THEY MAKE LESS MONEY.
THEY'RE DOING MORE WORK FOR THE SAME PAY.
IT'S A VERY DIFFICULT DECISION, BUT I UNDERSTAND THE NEED TO DO 0% NOW AND REEVALUATE THAT.
AND, CHRIS, I THINK IT'S A GOOD POINT THAT YOU CONTINUE TO MAKE FOR US IS THESE ARE
[02:00:01]
NOT, THIS IS NOT EQUIVALENT TO PEOPLE WHO GET, YOU KNOW, OUR HOME BUDGET WHERE WE GET A PAYCHECK, AND WE KNOW HOW MUCH IS COMING IN NEXT MONTH AND THE MONTH AFTER THAT.OUR FINANCING IS A LOT DIFFERENT THAN THAT, AND WHEN, OVER THE YEARS WE HAVE PASSED DEFICIT BUDGETS, BUT USUALLY IT'S BEEN A STRATEGIC DECISION, I THINK LAURA ALLUDED TO THIS, IT'S BEEN A STRATEGIC DECISION BECAUSE WE ALWAYS THOUGHT MAYBE THERE WAS ANOTHER NUMBER THAT WAS GOING TO CHANGE, THERE WAS ANOTHER NUMBER THAT WAS GOING TO COME IN, AND IT WAS IMPORTANT TO US TO GIVE RAISES.
THAT'S A DECISION WE MADE STRATEGICALLY TO DIP INTO OUR FUND BALANCE.
AND I THINK THE MAXIMUM FUND BALANCE I EVER SAW WHEN I JOINED THE BOARD WAS 35%-ISH. I WOULDN'T SAY WE'VE EVER BEEN FLUSH.
WE'VE NEVER BEEN IN A HUGELY COMFORTABLE POSITION, BUT WE'VE ALWAYS SPENT A LITTLE BIT SO THAT WE COULD GIVE RAISES AND MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR OUR TEACHERS WHO A 2% RAISE DOES NOT EQUAL INFLATION.
OVER YEAR OVER YEAR OVER YEAR AND I WOULD LOVE TO GIVE A LOT MORE AND I'VE SAID THAT MANY TIMES HERE IT'S DIFFICULT TO DO ZERO I'LL GO BACK TO THAT IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO DO ZERO BUT I UNDERSTAND THE NEED TO DO IT RIGHT NOW AND WOULD LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING SOME GOOD NEWS WITH THE NUMBERS BEFORE NOW BETWEEN NOW AND IN THE FALL AND BEING ABLE TO DO SOMETHING MEANINGFUL FOR OUR STAFF AND TEACHERS THANK YOU THANK YOU JAMES KELLY? I'LL AGREE WITH JAMES ON THE 0%.
BUT AFTER LISTENING TO THE DISCUSSION TODAY AND REALLY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE TAV VALUES AREN'T GOING TO BE IN UNTIL JULY, I AGREE THAT IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO WAIT AND KNOW WHAT KIND OF MONEY WE'RE WORKING WITH BEFORE WE MAKE ANY DECISIONS.
I DON'T NEED TO NOD MY HEAD OR YES OR NO BECAUSE I WON'T HAVE TO MAKE THAT TOUGH DECISION.
WHAT I WOULD HOPE THAT FELLOW TRUSTEES TAKE AWAY FROM THIS DISCUSSION AND THE EXERCISES THAT WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR WITH VARIABLES THAT CONSTANTLY CHANGE, WITH TOUGH DECISIONS THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE.
THAT THEN THE RUG GETS PULLED UP, OUT FROM UNDER US BECAUSE OF DECISIONS THAT ARE OUT OF OUR CONTROL.
HI JOHN, I THINK YOU TALKED ABOUT THE TALENT AND AND YOU KNOW WHAT MAKES EANES EANES IS OUR TALENT AND OUR STAFF SITTING HERE IN THIS ROOM AND OUR STAFF SITTING IN EVERY BUILDING AND DRIVING EVERY TRUCK AND EVERY BUS AND I THINK IT'S A LOVELY IDEA TO WANT TO VALUE OUR STAFF AND OUR TEACHERS THROUGH THINGS OUTSIDE OUTSIDE OF RAISES.
BUT THE REALITY IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ALL HAVE TO PAY MORTGAGES AND RENTS AND BUY SHOES AND CLOTHES FOR OUR KIDS.
SO I THINK THAT THOSE ARE IMPORTANT.
AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT IF I WERE SITTING HERE IN JUNE THAT I WOULD DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT THAN THE REST OF YOU.
BUT I DO THINK THAT WE HAVE TO VALUE WHAT OUR GREAT STAFF AND WHAT OUR GREAT TEACHERS BRING.
THEY EDUCATED ALL OF US SITTING UP HERE IN THIS DAIS AND PEOPLE SITTING OUT IN THIS BOARDROOM AND ONLINE, OUR TEACHERS AND OUR STAFF AND ALL OF THAT SUPPORT IN ADMINISTRATION, IN OUR BUSES, EVERYONE THAT MAKES THIS VERY UNIQUE SCHOOL DISTRICT THE BEST IN THE NATION.
IT COMES FROM VALUING THOSE PEOPLE.
AND I THINK THAT WE HAVE GOT TO CONTINUE.
AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT WE WOULDN'T, BUT OUR TALENT IS WHAT MAKES ANY SCENES.
AND I DO HOPE THAT AS YOU MOVE FORWARD, AND IF SOMETHING CHANGES, IT HASN'T IN MY TENURE ON THE BOARD, YOU KNOW, THINGS HAVE ALWAYS SEEMED TO GO AT TIMES AGAINST WHERE WE HAD HOPED.
YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE CATCH A BREAK AND MAYBE THERE IS HIDDEN MONEY.
CHRIS, YOU'VE BEEN SO FANTASTIC IN THE LAST 10 YEARS.
IN FINDING THINGS ON THE UPSIDE.
SO I DO HOPE THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND IF THERE IS SOME UPSIDE COMING TO US, THAT THAT IS SOMETHING WE LOOK HARD AT OUR TEACHERS AND HOW WE CAN REWARD OUR TEACHERS.
I THINK THAT IT WAS BEFORE I WAS ON THE BOARD WHEN THE VOTE, JAMES, HAD TO BE FOR A ZERO BUDGET.
AND EVEN LAST YEAR WHEN WE HAD A ONE PLUS.
[02:05:01]
BECAUSE THAT PROBABLY DIDN'T MOVE THE NEEDLE IN ANYONE'S PAYCHECK.SO I DO HOPE AND I DO KNOW THAT ALL OF US UP HERE ARE GOING TO KEEP OUR EYE ON HOW WE, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT THAT TALENT IS VALUED AND THAT TALENT AND WE VALUE THOSE.
AND THE HARD CUTS THAT ARE MADE TO SIMPLY CENTRAL ADMIN TO SCHOOLS TO DEPARTMENTS THAT JUST PUTS MORE WORK ON THE REST OF US WHO ARE LEFT.
SO I HOPE THAT WE KEEP AN EYE ON THAT I KNOW THAT YOU WILL BECAUSE WE ALL REALIZE THE VALUE THAT WE HAVE IN OUR TEACHERS AND WE'VE GOT THE BEST THAT THERE ARE THAT'S IT WE ARE NOW GOING TO MOVE THANK YOU BOTH, CHRIS AND LAURIE.
I APPRECIATE YOU GIVING US TOUGH NEWS AND GOOD NEWS.
WE'RE NOW GOING TO MOVE TO DISCUSSION ITEM 8.2, WHICH IS THE BACK COMMITTEE UPDATE,
[8.2 BAC committee update]
AND WE'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM MR. KOENNECKE.I SHARED OUT BACK PROCESS RESOURCES WITH ALL OF YOU.
WE MET WITH OUR BOND ADVISORY TEAM A WEEK AGO.
WITH SOME OF OUR CABINET MEMBERS AND THEY WALKED US THROUGH THE PROCESS OF THE WORK THAT WOULD HAPPEN WITH A BOND ADVISORY COUNCIL SO TRUSTEES YOU HAVE THAT RESOURCE I'VE ALSO TAKEN FEEDBACK FROM BACH MEMBERS LRFPEC COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND PROSPECTIVE BACK MEMBERS FROM TRUSTEES AND FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND FROM OUR TEAMMATES AND WE HAVE THAT LIST NARROWED DOWN FOR THE NEXT STEP OF SENDING OUT INVITES FOR APPLICATIONS FOR FORMING A BACK.
THAT WILL BE HAPPENING IN THE COMING WEEK.
AND THEN WE'LL MOVE FORWARD TO REPORT BACK TO YOU ONCE WE RECEIVE THAT INFORMATION.
SO THAT'S THE UPDATE THAT I HAVE ON THAT.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROCESS THAT I SHARED WITH YOU IN THAT RESOURCE, I'D BE GLAD TO TALK WITH YOU OFFLINE ABOUT THAT.
AND WE CAN REVIEW WHAT NEXT STEPS LOOK LIKE WITHIN THAT RESOURCE.
THERE ARE SOME CALENDAR ACTIVITIES, AND WE OUTLINED SOME OF THOSE DATES PRIOR, AND THE NEXT TIME WE COME BACK TO YOU WITH AN UPDATE, WE WILL PUBLICLY SHARE ALL OF THOSE DATES THROUGHOUT AUGUST THROUGH DECEMBER OF NEXT YEAR AND REVIEW THOSE AGAIN.
ANY COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? ALL RIGHT.
THE DECISION TO FORM A BACK WILL COME UP FOR VOTE IN OPEN SESSION? IS THAT PART OF OUR PROCESS? I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S BEEN DISCUSSED AS A PART OF THE PROCESS.
WE'RE GONNA NOW WE ARE NOW MOVING TO OUR DISCUSSION ACTION
[9.1 Discuss and consider approval to terminate probationary contract emplo...]
PORTION OF OUR AGENDA AND WE HAVE AN ACTION A DISCUSSION AN ACTION ITEM AND THAT IS TO DISCUSS AND CONSIDER APPROVAL TO TERMINATE PROBATIONARY CONTRACT EMPLOYEE NOAH JONES.DO I HAVE A MOTION? I HAVE A MOTION FROM CATHERINE.
I MOVE TO APPROVE THE TERMINATION OF THE 2025 TO 26 PROBATIONARY CONTRACT OF NOAH JONES AT THE END OF THIS TERM BASED ON THE BEST INTEREST OF THE DISTRICT.
I HAVE A MOTION FROM CATHERINE.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? I HAVE A SECOND FROM JOHN.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION OR COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? I HAVE A MOTION FROM CATHERINE AND I HAVE A SECOND FROM JOHN.
ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION BY CATHERINE? THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR? THE MOTION PASSES 7-0.
OUR NEXT ACTION ITEM, OUR NEXT ACTION, MR. JONES, MR. JONES, MR. JONES, PLEASE.
PLEASE DON'T INTERRUPT THE MEETING.
PLEASE SIT DOWN AND NO MORE OUTBURSTS, NO MORE COMMENT.
[10.
ACTION - CONSENT AGENDA
]CONSENT AGENDA.[02:10:07]
DO I HAVE A MOTION? I HAVE A MOTION FROM KELLY.I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS POSTED.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? I HAVE A MOTION FROM KELLY AND A SECOND FROM LAURA.
IS THERE ANY COMMENTS? LAURA FOLLOWED BY DIANE.
ONE OF THE ITEMS IN OUR CONSENT AGENDA IS A VERY GENEROUS DONATION FROM THE BRIDGEPOINT ELEMENTARY BOOSTER CLUB.
THERE'S SO MUCH THAT OUR BOOSTER CLUBS DO TO SUPPORT OUR STAFF ON THEIR INDIVIDUAL CAMPUSES AS WELL AS THE DISTRICT AS A WHOLE AND SO IT IS WITH GREAT APPRECIATION THAT WE ACCEPT THIS DONATION.
PLEASE HELP ME IF I'M NOT FOLLOWING ROBERT'S RULES PROPERLY HERE, BUT I HAD MENTIONED WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THE BOARD OPERATING PROCEDURES LAST TIME THAT I HAD A SUGGESTED CHANGE IN HOW WE ELECT OUR OFFICERS, AND I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST AN OPTION.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE? I KNOW THAT WE WERE ASKED TWO OR THREE WEEKS AGO IF WE HAD ANY CHANGES THAT WE, I MEAN, I THINK YOU CAN.
WE CAN TAKE THIS OFF OF THE CONSENT AGENDA AND WE CAN LOOK AT IT SEPARATELY IF THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE MOVING BECAUSE WE CANNOT WE CAN'T APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS POSTED WITH A CHANGE.
WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO MOVE TO REMOVE THIS FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA IS THAT THE PROCEDURE THAT I NEED TO DO? AND YOU'RE ASKING ME ROBERT'S RULES I'M NOT QUITE SURE.
OKAY YOU CAN MAKE A MOTION TO AMEND.
I MOVE TO REMOVE ITEM 10.8 FOR THE ADOPTION OF OUR BOARD OPERATING PROCEDURES TO REMOVE THAT FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION.
THERE'S A MOTION AND THERE'S A SECOND.
BE A DISCUSSION ON THE AMENDMENT MOTION OKAY RIGHT NOW YES YES DO YOU WANT TO BRING UP YOUR AMENDMENT OKAY, SO THE REASON FOR THIS MOTION IS BECAUSE WE CURRENTLY HAVE A VIVA VOCE MODEL FOR ELECTING OFFICERS, AND ACCORDING TO TASB, THERE ARE TWO WAYS THAT WE COULD GO ABOUT THIS.
ONE IS THE OTHER OPTION IS A ROLL CALL ELECTION, AND THAT WOULD BE A...
SITUATION IN WHICH PEOPLE ARE NOMINATED SIMILARLY TO OUR PROCESS BEFORE BUT INSTEAD OF GOING IN ORDER OF HOW THEY WERE NOMINATED EACH MEMBER IS CALLED UPON ONE AT A TIME TO ANNOUNCE WHO THEY VOTE FOR OUT OF THE THE POOL OF NOMINEES.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, IF YOU GET A MAJORITY, THAT IS THE PERSON WHO IS ELECTED.
IF NO ONE GETS A MAJORITY, THEN THE VOTING CONTINUES.
YOU NEVER REMOVE ANYONE FROM THE LIST BECAUSE YOU COULD END UP WITH THE PERSON WITH THE LOWEST VOTES BEING THE COMPROMISE VOTE ULTIMATELY.
BUT BASICALLY YOU GO THROUGH A PROCESS WHERE YOU VOTE UNTIL YOU HAVE SOMEONE WHO RECEIVES THE MAJORITY FOR WHATEVER POSITION IT IS THAT YOU'RE CONSIDERING.
AND SOMEONE CAN REMOVE THEMSELVES.
FROM CONSIDERATION AT ANY POINT AS WELL.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THE AMENDMENT? JAMES? CAN YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT PROBLEM THAT SOLVES? WHAT'S BROKEN THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED AT THIS POINT? I BELIEVE THAT WHEN WE USE A VIVA VOCE METHOD, THE PERSON WHO IS FIRST LOOKED AT TO DO THE FIRST NOMINATION HAS AN ADVANTAGE IN THE SENSE THAT THAT PERSON GETS THE FIRST VOTE.
SO MY, I THINK THIS OFFERS MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR CONSIDERATION OF MULTIPLE CANDIDATES.
SO JUST A REMINDER, AS THE WAY THAT THAT WORKS IS.
I WAS GOING TO SAY PRESIDENT, BUT THE PERSON RUNNING THE MEETING TAKES NOMINATIONS.
AND THE FIRST NOMINEE, CURRENTLY THIS IS THE WAY IT WORKS.
[02:15:02]
THE FIRST NOMINEE, WE TAKE NOMINATIONS.THERE COULD BE FOUR NOMINATIONS.
THERE COULD BE TWO, WHATEVER THAT NUMBER IS.
THEN THE PERSON RUNNING THE MEETING SAYS WE'LL VOTE ON THIS PERSON FIRST.
AND THEN THE SECOND AND THEN THE THIRD.
AND YOU'RE SAYING THAT IF THE BOARD WANTS TO ELECT THE SECOND PERSON IN THAT LIST, THEY WOULDN'T VOTE FOR THE FIRST.
I GUESS I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW IT FIXES.
SO MAYBE WE DON'T GO INTO THIS.
ARE YOU SAYING, LAURA, THAT THIS IS NOT THE WAY THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO DO THIS? I THINK THE RATIONALE.
I THINK WHAT THE ADVICE THAT I'M GETTING IS THE RATIONALE HAS BEEN GIVEN FOR AMENDING.
YOU WOULD VOTE ON THAT MOTION.
OKAY, SO WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO AMEND CONSENT AGENDA.
TO PULL ITEM 10.8. AND WE HAVE A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION TO PULL 10.8 FROM THE AGENDA? ALL OPPOSED? THE MOTION PASSES 4-3. ALL RIGHT. AS AMENDED, WE WILL GO BACK TO 423. I RAISED. I OPPOSED. SO THE CONSENT AGENDA IS NOW AMENDED THROUGH PULLING ITEM 10.8. DO WE NEED, MR. KOENNECKE, DO WE NEED TO MAKE ANOTHER FURTHER MOTION? A MOTION TO APPROVE 10.1 THROUGH THE END OF THE ACTION ITEM AGENDA EXCLUSIVE OF 10.8. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA 10.1 THROUGH 10.7 AND 10.9 THROUGH 10.16? A MOTION FROM DIANE TO HAVE A SECOND. SECOND BY JOHN. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? WE'RE IN THE THICK OF IT WITH ROBERT'S RULES TONIGHT. I WOULD LIKE TO REMOVE ITEM 10.6 FROM OUR CONSENT AGENDA AND MOVE TO DISCUSS THIS IN CLOSED SESSION AT OUR NEXT POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITY. ITEM 10.6. OKAY, I HAVE A MOTION FOR THE REMOVAL OF ITEM 10.6.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? WE HAVE A MOTION FROM CATHERINE AND A SECOND FROM JOHN. TO REMOVE FROM CONSENT AGENDA ITEM 10.6.
CAN YOU SHARE YOUR RATIONALE? OKAY, CATHERINE. YEAH, WE'RE BEING ASKED TO APPROVE CONTRACTS THAT WE HAVEN'T REVIEWED OR READ, SIMPLY PUT.
WE READ MANY OTHER CONTRACTS THAT WE HAVE ACCESS TO AND READ OTHER CONTRACTS THAT WE APPROVE, BUT WE HAVEN'T SEEN THESE, SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M APPROVING.
DID YOU REQUEST TO SEE THE CONTRACTS? I MEAN, WE WOULD ALL HAVE TO SEE THE CONTRACTS, RIGHT? SO, I DON'T THINK SO. I HAVE A MOTION. BY CATHERINE AND A SECOND BY JOHN TO REMOVE ITEM 10.6 FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA.
ALL IN FAVOR? THE MOTION PASSES 6-1. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION?
[02:20:04]
ALL RIGHT, WE NOW HAVE A FURTHER AMENDED CONSENT AGENDA.IS THERE A MOTION? IS THERE A MOTION FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA 10.1 THROUGH 10.5, 10.7, 10.9 THROUGH 10.16? SO MOVED. IS THERE A SECOND? ALL RIGHT.
THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THOSE CONSENT AGENDAS. ALL IN FAVOR? MOTION PASSES 7-0.
OUR NEXT, JAMES AND LAURA, WE HAVE UPCOMING MEETINGS. OUR
[11.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
]NEXT MEETING IS MAY 12, 2026 AND PATTY, I NEED THE FOLLOWING. I THINK IT'S MAY 26TH. WE HAVE UPCOMING MEETINGS. WE ARE NOW AT AT[12.
CLOSED SESSION
]08:34. THE BOARD IS GOING TO MOVE INTO CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE 551.072, 551.074, AND 551.071.AND WE WILL ADJOURN FROM CLOSED SESSION TONIGHT.
THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING THIS EVENING, AND WE WILL SEE YOU AGAIN MAY 12TH. THANK YOU, EVERYBODY.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.