May 14, 2024 Board Meetings

[00:00:03]

>> GOOD EVENING. WE'LL NOW TAKE THE CALL MEETING OF

[1. Call to Order]

WE WILL ADJOURN TO CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE,

[3. Closed Session]

551.071 CONSULTATION WITH THE BOARD'S ATTORNEY AND 551.072 REAL PROPERTY AND 551.076 TO CONDUCT DELIBERATION REGARDING SECURITY DEVICES OR SECURITY AUDITS.

WE WILL RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION NOW AT 6:01 P.M, AND WE'LL RECONVENE SHOULD BE AT SEVEN O'CLOCK.

GOOD EVENING. IT IS 7:00 P.M,

[4. Reconvene]

WE WILL BEGIN OUR PUBLIC MEETING WITH OUR PRAYER AND OUR PLEDGES, SO I'LL ASK IF EVERYONE WILL PLEASE STAND AS TRUSTEE DES RE THOMAS LEADS US IN A PRAYER AND TRUSTEE BIANCA BENEVIDES ANDERSON WILL LEAD US IN OUR PLEDGES.

THANK YOU. WE'LL NOW GO TO ITEM 6,

[6. Presentation]

DOCTOR CANTU, WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOUR TEAM FOR BOTH PRESENTATIONS.

>> I WOULD. FIRST UP TONIGHT, WE HAVE DOCTOR AMANDA BRONSON.

THERE IS A TON GOING ON LEGISLATIVELY IN THE STATE OF TEXAS THAT IS IMPACTING SCHOOL FINANCE.

I'M REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE DOCTOR BROWNSON HERE.

SHE HAS PRESENTED AT TASBO EVENTS BEGINNING IN HER TIME WITH MO CASEY AND ASSOCIATES, WHERE SHE PROVIDED ANALYSIS AND UPDATES RELATED TO SCHOOL FINANCE.

SHE ALSO WENT ON TO SERVE AS THE DIRECTOR OF STATE FUNDING FOR TEA AND THEN BECAME THE DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND POLICY FOR RAISE YOUR HAND, TEXAS.

NOW, SHE'S WITH TASBO.

THAT'S THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BUSINESS OFFICIALS.

SHE UTILIZES HER DEEP KNOWLEDGE OF THE INTRICACIES OF SCHOOL FINANCE FORMULAS AS SHE WORKS WITH MEMBERS DAILY TO DEEPEN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPACT OF SCHOOL FINANCE FORMULAS ON THEIR DISTRICT'S UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES, AND WE'RE REALLY HAPPY TO HAVE YOU HERE WITH US TONIGHT TO SHARE ALL THIS GREAT INFORMATION. THANK YOU.

>> I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

FIRST AND FOREMOST, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO FOR KIDS IN MANSFIELD ISD.

I WANTED TO TRY TO PUT THE DECISIONS YOU'RE MAKING FOR YOUR DISTRICT AS YOU GUYS ENGAGE IN THE BUDGET PROCESS IN CONTEXT A LITTLE BIT.

WE AT TASBO RECENTLY DID A SURVEY OF OUR MEMBERSHIP.

WE WERE TRYING TO GET OUR ARMS AROUND WHAT THE BUDGET SITUATION WAS LOOKING LIKE FOR YOU GUYS, FRANKLY, SO THAT WE COULD FIGURE OUT HOW WE BEST SUPPORT SCHOOL DISTRICTS AS WE FIGURE OUT OUR PROGRAMMING FOR NEXT YEAR, SO WHAT ARE THE NEEDS? WE REACHED OUT TO ALL OF OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND WE WERE REALLY HAPPY WITH THE RESPONSE RATE.

WE GOT BACK 330/330 RESPONSES FROM MORE THAN 300 SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

THOSE SCHOOL DISTRICTS REPRESENT WELL OVER HALF OF THE STATE STUDENTS.

[00:05:02]

WE FELT LIKE WE GOT A REALLY GOOD REPRESENTATIONAL SAMPLE OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND WE WANTED TO KNOW HOW THINGS WERE GOING.

INTERESTINGLY, ONE OF THE THINGS WE ASKED WAS, WHAT ARE YOUR TOP CHALLENGES.

OF COURSE, WE'RE SURVEYING THE BUSINESS OFFICE, SO THOSE ANSWERS REFLECT THAT.

BUT WHAT THEY TOLD US IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS IS DEFICIT BUDGETS, OUR TOP OF MIND FOR DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE, AND SO 80% OF DISTRICTS SAID THIS WAS A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE FOR THEM AND WELL OVER HALF SAID IT WAS A TOP THREE CHALLENGE.

THE INTERESTING THING TOO WHEN WE FOLLOWED ALONG WAS, WHAT ARE THE NEXT BIGGEST CHALLENGES? WELL, IN MANY DISTRICTS, AND I THINK THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE HERE AND YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR ME SAY THAT A FEW TIMES TONIGHT.

I THINK THAT IN A LARGE WAY, YOU GUYS ARE SITTING IN A BETTER POSITION THAN MANY OF YOUR COLLEAGUES AROUND THE STATE, AND SO YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR THAT.

BUT DISTRICTS FACING DECLINE IN ENROLLMENT ARE REALLY HAVING AN EVEN MORE SERIOUS, EVEN MORE DIFFICULT BUDGET YEAR THAN YOU GUYS ARE HAVING, BECAUSE YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE IS REALLY PER STUDENT FUNDING.

THEN THE THIRD CHALLENGE THAT PROBABLY YOU DO FACE IS COMPETING FOR QUALIFIED STAFF.

THOSE WERE REALLY TOP OF MIND ISSUES FOR OUR MEMBERS.

THE NEXT THING WE ASK WHEN WE PUT THIS SURVEY IN THE FIELD, FOLKS WERE JUST CLOSING THEIR BOOKS ON FISCAL 23, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES IT HARD FOR YOU AND ALSO HARD FOR THE LEGISLATURE, FRANKLY, IS THAT YOU'RE ALWAYS RUNNING FORWARDS, BUT THE DATA YOU HAVE IS ALWAYS ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF OLD.

YOU'RE RUNNING FORWARDS FAST WHILE LOOKING BACKWARDS.

WE WANTED TO TRY TO BRING SOME FRESHER DATA TO THIS CONVERSATION, AND SO WE ASKED HOW ARE YOU CLOSING FISCAL 23? BECAUSE AT THE TIME WE PUT THE SURVEY IN THE FIELD, THEY WERE JUST CLOSING THEIR BOOKS ON FISCAL 23, AND THEY WERE PRETTY CLOSE TO CLOSING FISCAL 24, SO HOW DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING TO CLOSE FISCAL 24? ABOUT A THIRD OF THEM TOLD US THAT THEY ENDED UP IN A DEFICIT EVEN IN FISCAL 23, AND THAT MADE US NERVOUS BECAUSE WHAT BIG SOURCE OF FUNDING WAS ALREADY OUT THERE IN FISCAL 23, YOU HAD ESR.

ABOUT A THIRD OF THEM TOLD US THEY WERE ENDING FISCAL 23 IN A DEFICIT.

THEN IT CAME UP TO HALF THAT TOLD US THEY WERE ACTUALLY THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO END FISCAL 24 IN A DEFICIT, AND NOW THOSE DISTRICTS ARE TRYING TO BUILD THEIR FISCAL 25 BUDGET WITHOUT ESR.

IT'S A REALLY DIFFICULT SITUATION STATEWIDE.

LUCKILY, YOU'RE NOT IN THE RED PORTION OF THIS GRAPH.

IN EITHER FISCAL 23 OR FISCAL 24.

AGAIN, I THINK THAT YOU ARE REALLY SITTING IN A STRONGER POSITION, COMPARED TO SOME OF YOUR PEER STATEWIDE, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOUR JOB IS EASY AND AND I CERTAINLY DON'T MEAN TO IMPLY THAT.

THEN WE ASKED, WELL, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT FISCAL 25? OF COURSE, OUR CFOS CAN'T TELL US WITH ANY DEGREE OF CERTAINTY WHAT THE BUDGET PICTURE WILL BE IN FISCAL 25 BECAUSE THEY'RE WAITING FOR DIRECTION FROM THE BOARD.

BUT THE MAJORITY, OVER HALF ARE IN THE RED BOX, WHICH IS WE ARE BOTH MAKING CUTS, AND WE THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO INVEST SOME FUND BALANCE.

BOTH OF THOSE THINGS ARE LIKELY TO HAPPEN IN FISCAL 25.

LESS THAN 10% ARE IN THE GREEN BOX, WHICH IS WE'RE SITTING PRETTY, WE DON'T NEED TO MAKE ANY CUTS AND WE DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO USE ANY FUND BALANCE NEXT YEAR.

I WILL TELL YOU, I'VE ACTUALLY RECOMMENDED THAT THOSE FOLKS MAYBE GO BACK AND DO THE MOUTH ONE MORE TIME AND MAKE SURE BECAUSE THAT REALLY IS THE EXCEPTION TO THE RULE AS WE LOOK AT WHERE DISTRICTS ARE STATEWIDE.

ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THIS IS YOU GUYS COMPETE WITH EACH OTHER FOR STAFF AND STUDENTS.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S BEEN A CHALLENGE IS MAKING SURE THAT YOU MAINTAIN COMPETITIVE SALARIES IN THE FACE OF DEFICIT BUDGETS.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE WANTED TO KNOW IS GIVEN ALL OF THE CHALLENGES THAT YOU'RE HAVING WITH DEFICIT BUDGETS, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT PAY RAISES FOR NEXT YEAR? WE WERE REALLY INTERESTED BY THIS GRAPH.

MORE THAN HALF OF DISTRICTS ARE PLANNING TO TRY TO GIVE SOME A PAY RAISE NEXT YEAR EVEN IF THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TO FUND IT OUT OF OTHER CUTS.

I THINK THAT'S WHAT A LOT OF FOLKS ARE DOING.

FRANKLY, THAT'S BECAUSE, IN MY OPINION, WE HAVE A REALLY TIGHT LABOR MARKET RIGHT NOW.

THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE WRONG CHOICE, WHEN YOU HAVE A TIGHT LABOR MARKET, AND IT IS HARD TO FIND QUALIFIED STAFF, MAYBE WHAT YOU DO IS YOU PAY FEWER PEOPLE BETTER SO THAT THE PEOPLE YOU KEEP ARE HAPPY AND READY TO COME TO WORK AND WORK HARD AND DO A GOOD JOB, YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR BEST STAFF FROM LEAVING FOR ANOTHER DISTRICT.

I THINK THAT'S WHAT THIS CHART SAID TO ME, WAS PEOPLE WE'RE DEALING WITH THAT REALITY.

[00:10:01]

WE USED ESR IN SOME CASES TO DO ONE TIME STIPENDS.

THAT'S DRYING UP AND YOU HAVE STAFF WHOSE FAMILY BUDGETS HAVE GROWN 20%, AND SO IT'S VERY HARD TO NOT DO ANYTHING.

THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE BALANCING, AND IT'S REALLY ALL ABOUT BALANCING THAT CAREFULLY.

BUT AS WE KNOW, ESSER IS GONE, SO THE VAST MAJORITY OF DISTRICTS TOLD US THAT THEY HAVE LESS THAN 25% OF ESSER REMAINING, THAT MAKES PERFECT SENSE.

THIS WILL ALL BE SPENT BY THE TIME IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE SPENT.

WE DON'T HAVE WORRIES THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO FIND WAYS TO USE THESE DOLLARS.

THEY'VE BEEN REALLY CRITICAL FOR DISTRICTS, FRANKLY, AS THEY'VE TRIED TO ADJUST TO WHAT THE WORLD HAS THROWN AT US OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS.

THEN I WANT TO TALK JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT DID HAPPEN DURING THE 88TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

IT'S BEEN A LITTLE TRICKY TO TEASE OUT WHAT EXACTLY DID THE 88TH LEGISLATURE DO.

I WANT TO JUST SHARE WITH YOU SOME COMMON TALKING POINTS THAT WE'RE HEARING AND JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTEXTUALIZE THOSE TALKING POINTS A LITTLE BIT.

THAT'S BECAUSE TWO THINGS CAN BE TRUE AT THE SAME TIME, AND LIKE IN ANYTHING SOMETIMES WHERE YOU SIT DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU STAND OR WHERE YOU STAND, DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU SIT.

IT'S JUST USEFUL TO CONTEXTUALIZE THESE STATEMENTS.

ONE IS, I THINK YOU'LL CERTAINLY HEAR FROM LEADERSHIP THAT EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT.

YOU'LL HEAR IT CONSISTENTLY, IT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THEY DO AND IN FACT THEY'LL SAY, IN FACT, WE SPEND 50% OF THE STATE BUDGET ON EDUCATION.

WHEN WE PULLED THE DATA DOWN, ONE THING THAT WE WOULD NOTE IS THAT'S THE COMBINATION OF PUBLIC ED AND HIGHER ED, SO THAT'S NOT ALL FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION.

BUT ALSO INCREASINGLY, THERE IS A GAP BETWEEN WHAT GETS APPROPRIATED FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION AND THEN WHAT ACTUALLY GETS SPENT.

WHAT WE'VE SEEN REALLY SINCE 2019 IS THAT GAP HAS GROWN.

WHAT I TRIED TO DO HERE IS SHOW THAT WITH THE RED LINE AND THE GREEN LINE.

THE GREEN LINE WAS WHAT GOT APPROPRIATED AND THAT'S JUST THE PERCENT OF THE GENERAL FUND STATE BUDGET THAT WENT TO PUBLIC EDUCATION.

THEN THE RED LINE IS WHAT ACTUALLY GOT SPENT AND THEN WE PROJECTED WHAT WE THINK WILL GET SPENT IN THE COMING AND OF COURSE, THAT WILL CHANGE.

BUT ONE THING THAT HAS BEEN INCREASINGLY HAPPENING IS AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY SESSION, THE LEGISLATURE PASSES WHAT THEY CALL THEIR SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS BILL.

FOR YOU, IT'S YOUR FINAL AMENDED BUDGET.

IT'S WHERE YOU TRUE UP WHAT YOU REALLY SPEND AND IN THAT BUDGET, FAIRLY CONSISTENTLY, THEY TAKE A GOOD CHUNK OF MONEY BACK FROM PUBLIC EDUCATION AND USE IT IN OTHER AREAS OF THE STATE BUDGET.

WHAT GETS APPROPRIATED AND WHAT GETS SPENT AREN'T THE SAME THING AND THAT SEEMS TO BE TRUE, AGAIN, THIS PER ANNUM.

THE OTHER PIECE IS, THERE'S A LOT OF TALK ABOUT WE APPROPRIATED FOR THESE SPECIFIC THINGS.

I THINK ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE TRUE AND WE HAVE TO REMEMBER TO BE GRATEFUL FOR THINGS THAT WE GET FROM THE LEGISLATURE.

I THINK IT'S NOT IN OUR BEST INTEREST NOT TO BE.

BUT THAT SAID, THERE'S BEEN A MISMATCH BETWEEN YOUR MOST SIGNIFICANT NEEDS AND SOMETIMES WHAT THOSE APPROPRIATIONS GO TOWARDS.

FOR EXAMPLE, PER ANNUM INCLUDED IN THIS RIDER IS $4.5 MILLION THAT WON'T GET SPENT BECAUSE IT WAS CONTINGENT ON LEGISLATION THAT DIDN'T PASS, SO THAT WILL GET SWEPT BACK IN NEXT SESSION, SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS BILL.

ADDITIONALLY, $300 MILLION WAS APPROPRIATED FOR SCHOOL SAFETY, WHICH OF COURSE IS HELPFUL, BUT LIKELY DIDN'T COVER YOUR COST, AS YOU TRIED TO FIND ARMED SECURITY OFFICERS FOR EVERY CAMPUS.

SO $15,000 A CAMPUS PROBABLY ISN'T COVERING THAT COST, I THINK WE CAN SAY WITH CONFIDENCE.

THEY ALSO PUT A BILLION DOLLAR INTO SCHOOL HARDENING GRANTS.

AGAIN, HELPFUL, AND I THINK YOU PROBABLY HAD SOME COSTS THERE THAT WERE COVERED UNDER THAT GRANT.

BUT WHEN I TALK TO CFOS AND FOLKS OUT IN SCHOOLS, WHAT THEY'RE CRAVING IS MONEY FOR STAFF.

WE ARE STILL A VERY PEOPLE ORIENTED BUSINESS.

IN MOST CASES, WE'RE SPENDING 80-85% OF OUR BUDGETS ON PAYROLL.

ONE TIME MONEY ISN'T VERY GOOD FOR THAT PURPOSE.

AS YOU READ COMMENTS ABOUT HOW MUCH WE'RE SPENDING ON PUBLIC EDUCATION, I THINK IT'S USEFUL ALWAYS TO ASK, WELL, HOW MUCH OF THAT IS MONEY I CAN REALLY INVEST IN THE MOST CRITICAL CHALLENGE I'M FACING, WHICH IS REALLY HOW DO I PAY TO KEEP A GOOD STAFF IN FRONT OF MY CHILDREN EVERY DAY.

I MEAN, THAT'S REALLY WHAT RESEARCH WILL TELL YOU IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO FOR A CHILD.

JUST MAKE SURE YOU HAVE GOOD STAFF THERE READY TO WORK WITH THOSE CHILDREN.

THE OTHER THING THAT GETS LOST IN THIS CONVERSATION

[00:15:02]

ONE OF THE THINGS THEY DID TWO SESSIONS AGO WAS DO SOME BUDGET REDUCTIONS TO PUBLIC EDUCATION BECAUSE YOU HAD A LOT OF ESSER MONEY.

FOR EXAMPLE, YOUR TECHNOLOGY AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS ALLOTMENT GOT CUT BACK REALLY SIGNIFICANTLY, NOT THIS LAST SESSION, BUT THE SESSION BEFORE.

THEN THIS SESSION THAT WAS RESTORED BACK TO EVEN AND THAT WAS AN INCREASE.

IT'S SEMANTIC DIFFERENCE, BUT ALSO YOU MAY NOT BE FEELING THAT IS AN INCREASE, AS YOUR ESSER FUNDING DRIES UP.

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO CONTEXTUALIZE THIS AND MAKE IT VERY CLEAR, WHAT ARE OUR NEEDS AND HOW DO WE NEED THOSE DOLLARS TO FLOW TO US SO THAT WE CAN USE THOSE DOLLARS IN THE MOST EFFICIENT EFFECTIVE WAY POSSIBLE TO PUT PEOPLE IN FRONT OF KIDS.

THE OTHER THING I JUST WANTED TO REMIND YOU OF THAT MADE THIS HARD AND I THINK THAT EXPLAINS SOME OF THE CHARTS I SHOWED YOU EARLIER ABOUT DEFICIT BUDGETS IS THE TIMING OF THIS ARTICLE IN TERMS OF WHEN WE FINALLY GOT THROUGH OUR LAST SPECIAL SESSION AND REALIZED NOTHING WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.

WE WERE READY A FEW MONTHS INTO THE SCHOOL YEAR FOR FISCAL '24.

YOU DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT WAS GOING TO COME OUT OF THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION WHEN YOU ADOPTED YOUR FISCAL '24 BUDGET.

YOU HAD TO DO THAT A BIT WITH BLINDERS ON, AND THAT CAN BE REALLY HARD TO DO.

I COMMEND YOU GUYS FOR NOT PRESUMING THAT WAS GOING TO BE BETTER THAN IT WAS, AND I THINK THAT'S WHY YOU'RE PROBABLY IN A LITTLE BIT BETTER PLACE THAN YOU OTHERWISE MIGHT HAVE BEEN BECAUSE I THINK IT WAS HARD NOT TO THINK, WELL, SURELY, SOMETHING WILL WORK OUT HERE.

WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE YOU AS YOU START THINKING ABOUT NEXT YEAR, YOU'RE GOING TO BE DOING THIS AGAIN.

YOU'RE ADOPTING THIS YEAR'S BUDGET AND THEN WE'LL COME RIGHT BACK IN JANUARY AND START THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

NEXT YEAR, YOU'RE GOING TO BE FACING THIS AGAIN.

WE DO HAVE INTERIM CHARGES FROM BOTH THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE.

I SUMMARIZE NOT ALL OF THE INTERIM CHARGES, BUT I WANTED TO GIVE YOU WHAT WERE THE CORE INTERIM CHARGES THAT RELATE TO PUBLIC EDUCATION.

ON THE SENATE SIDE, THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR GETS TO CHOOSE THE INTERIM CHARGES.

ON THE HOUSE SIDE, THE SPEAKER CHOOSES THE INTERIM CHARGES WITH INPUT, OF COURSE, FROM THE MEMBERSHIP, BUT THIS REALLY SETS THE STAGE FOR WHAT WILL THE LEGISLATURE WANT TO TALK ABOUT AS WE COME BACK NEXT SESSION.

ADDITIONAL PROPERTY TAX REDUCTION RIGHT UP FRONT FOR BOTH THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE, AND THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOUR TAXPAYERS.

THE THING I WANT YOU TO NOTICE HERE IS WHAT'S NOT ON THIS LIST.

WHEN WE PREPARED FOR THE 88TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION, THERE WAS A SELECT COMMITTEE THAT WAS REALLY WORKING ON TEACHER RETENTION BECAUSE WE WERE WORRIED THAT RESIGNATIONS WERE INCREASING, AND SO THAT WORK WAS BEING DONE.

BUT WE DON'T REALLY HAVE AN INTERIM CHARGE THAT RELATES TO TEACHER COMPENSATION OR TEACHER RETENTION.

THERE IS ONE ON TEACHER CERTIFICATION, BUT NOT ONE ON TEACHER COMPENSATION, TEACHER RETENTION, OR SCHOOL FINANCE.

THAT'S NOT REALLY ON THE LIST OF THINGS THEY'RE STUDYING THIS INTERIM.

THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY WON'T DO ANYTHING.

WE'RE VERY MUCH IN TEA LEAVE READING MODE RIGHT NOW, BUT IT IS INTERESTING THAT THEY DON'T HAVE THAT CHARGE THERE.

THAT MAY BE BECAUSE THEY THINK THEY'RE GOING TO START NEXT SESSION WHERE THEY LEFT OFF AT THE END OF THE SPECIAL SESSIONS.

I THOUGHT THAT WAS INTERESTING.

JUST A REMINDER THAT I THINK, AGAIN, WE LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE BASIC ALLOTMENT BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT DRIVES CORE FUNDING, THAT'S FLEXIBLE THAT YOU CAN USE FOR SALARY INCREASES.

I WILL TELL YOU THAT'S NOT RESONATING IN AUSTIN, AND SO I THINK LEGISLATORS WANT TO TALK ABOUT ACHIEVEMENTS, JUST WHEN THEY GO HOME AND VISIT WITH THEIR COMMUNITIES, THEY WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY DID FOR TEACHERS, WHAT THEY DID FOR CHILDREN, AND BASIC ALLOTMENT AND SCHOOL FINANCE IS NOT RESONATE WELL IN THOSE KINDS OF SETTINGS.

I THOUGHT THAT WAS JUST AN INTERESTING STATEMENT BY THE GOVERNOR AND REINFORCED WHAT I THOUGHT WE ALREADY KNEW THERE.

THE OTHER THING I WANT TO REMIND YOU OF AS YOU GET READY TO ADOPT NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET, AND YOU REALLY NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT LONG-RANGE PLANNING, AND THE THING THAT'S GOING TO MAKE THIS HARD AGAIN NEXT YEAR, AND I HATE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT YOUR FISCAL 26 BUDGET WHEN YOU HAVEN'T EVEN ADOPTED YOUR FISCAL 25 BUDGET, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO THINK ABOUT DOING THIS IN STAGES IS THAT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO KNOW FOR SURE THE OUTCOME OF THE 89TH LEGISLATURE UNTIL JUNE 5TH AT BEST.

IF THEY GET ALL THEIR WORK DONE IN THE REGULAR SESSION, THEN WE'LL HAVE AN ANSWER FOR YOU ON JUNE 5TH, YOUR BUDGET WILL NEED TO BE ADOPTED BY JULY 1.

THAT DOESN'T LEAVE YOU A LOT OF TIME TO REALLY CONSIDER THE IMPLICATIONS OF EVERYTHING THEY DID AND DIDN'T DO.

[00:20:02]

HERE'S WHAT WE'LL DO IF WE GET EVERYTHING WE EVER HOPED AND DREAMED FOR.

BUT IF WE HAVE TO MAKE SOME HARD CHOICES, HERE'S A PRIORITIZED LIST THAT WE'VE ALL SPENT TIME WORKING THROUGH.

THAT'S MY BEST ADVICE TO FOLKS AS WE GO OUT INTO THE WORLD.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE RECOMMENDING THAT YOU DO IS REVIEW YOUR FUND BALANCE POLICY.

WE THINK IT'S PRUDENT THAT A BOARD HAVE A FUND BALANCE POLICY, AND WE ALSO THINK IT CAN BE OKAY TO USE FUND BALANCE SOMETIMES.

THERE MAY BE TIMES WHERE THAT IS ABSOLUTELY THE RIGHT DECISION, PARTICULARLY IF YOU'RE IN A TOUGH BUDGET YEAR, YOU'VE GOT MORE FUND BALANCE THAN YOUR POLICY CALLS FOR, AND YOU'RE COMPETING WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS FOR THE BEST TALENT.

THAT CAN BE AN ACCEPTABLE THING TO DO, BUT ONLY IF YOU HAVE A LONG-TERM PLAN TO GET BACK TO SOLVENT.

IT CAN'T BE SOMETHING THAT YOU PLAN TO DO YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR.

WHAT WE WOULD RECOMMEND THEN IS IF YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THIS YEAR, YOU PLAN EARLY IN THE FALL TO START COMING TOGETHER AND REALLY THINKING ABOUT WHAT ARE OUR CONTINGENCY PLANS FOR, SHOULD THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION NOT IN GIVING US EVERYTHING WE HAD HOPED AND DREAMED FOR? THE OTHER THING THAT I WOULD URGE YOU TO DO IS REALLY BE PREPARED TO SPEAK PROACTIVELY ABOUT GOOD USES OF SR FUNDING.

I THINK THE LEGISLATURE IS PLANNING TO LOOK AT THAT, TAKE A CAREFUL LOOK AT SR FUNDING, AND WE ALL NEED TO BE IN A POSITION TO TALK ABOUT OUR SUCCESS STORIES.

THOSE ARE THE TWO KEY TAKEAWAYS THAT I HAD IN TERMS OF GETTING READY FOR THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

THOSE ARE THE MAIN PIECES THAT I HAD FOR YOU.

I WANTED TO SEE IF YOU GUYS HAD ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME AS WE THINK ABOUT ALL OF THESE THINGS GOING FORWARD.

>> BOARD MEMBERS WILL START TO ARRIVE. MR. TIPPING.

>> THANK YOU, FIRST OF ALL, FOR THAT PRESENTATION. I JUST HAD A QUESTION.

YOU MENTIONED THAT, WHEN WE'RE TALKING TO OUR REPRESENTATIVES AND SO FORTH, YOU SAID BASIC ALLOTMENTS NOT GOING TO RESONATE WITH THEM.

BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE CHARGES WE HAVE FOR EACH OTHER IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO SPEND TIME SPEAKING WITH OUR REPRESENTATIVES TALKING WITH THEM AND SO FORTH.

WHAT WILL RESONATE? WHAT WORDS DO THEY NEED TO HEAR THAT ARE GOING TO HELP US?

>> I THINK YOU CAN TALK ABOUT PER-STUDENT FUNDING.

I DON'T MEAN TO SAY DON'T ASK FOR A BASIC ALLOTMENT INCREASE, WE PLAN TO.

IT IS A KEY CRITICAL ELEMENT IN THE SCHOOL FINANCE SYSTEM, BUT YOU NEED TO FOLLOW IT VERY QUICKLY WITH WHAT YOUR NEEDS ARE AND WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO FOR KIDS.

THE OTHER THING I WILL JUST SAY IS, IT'S NOT A BAD THING IF THE LEGISLATURE MAKES YOU BUY THINGS THAT YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO BUY ANYWAY.

TO THE EXTENT THAT WE ALWAYS GET FRUSTRATED WHEN WE GET A MANDATE, THEY MADE US GIVE A PAY RAISE.

WHAT THESE GRAPHS AND SURVEYS TELL ME IS YOU ALL WANT TO GIVE PAY RAISES.

IF THEY MAKE YOU GIVE A PAY RAISE THAT YOU WANTED TO GIVE ANYWAY, INSTEAD OF COMPLAINING, I WOULD RECOMMEND WE SAY THANK YOU.

BUT ALSO ASKING FOR MONEY FOR OTHER THINGS THAT YOU KNOW YOU NEED SPECIAL EDUCATION IS SUBSTANTIALLY UNDERFUNDED IN TEXAS. THEY KNOW THAT.

I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY'VE BEEN LOOKING AT FOR SEVERAL INTERIMS IN A ROW.

TRYING TO ALIGN IN SOME WAYS YOUR ASKS WITH THOSE THINGS THAT THEY KNOW YOU NEED AND WANT TO TALK ABOUT, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.

>> THE MIC IS OFF. MS. ANDERSON.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.

WHEN I WENT OVER IT, I WAS JUST ENTHRALLED OF ALL THE INFORMATION AND THEN HEARING EVEN MORE.

IT'S MORE OF A STATEMENT, WHICH I FEEL AND I KNOW THAT MS. TRONGGARD HASN'T SPOKEN YET, BUT IT'S NICE TO HEAR THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO DO FROM MAKING SR FUNDS VERY NOTABLE DOING PRESENTATIONS ON THEM, LETTING PEOPLE KNOW WHERE WE STAND, GOING OUT THERE AND GETTING MORE.

THANK YOU THAT'S REINFORCEMENT.

THE OTHER THING IS, MAKE A LIST OF PRIORITIES.

I'M ON THE AUDIT COMMITTEE. THAT'S WHAT WE DO.

WE MEET EVERY MONTH.

WE TALK ABOUT WHAT THE PRIORITIES ARE.

WE TALK ABOUT THE LEGISLATIVE ACTS.

I THINK MY LATEST ONE WAS SURELY THEY CANNOT DO THIS TO US AGAIN, AND EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM WAS LIKE, YES, THEY CAN.

THAT'S WHAT WE TRY TO FIGURE OUT.

THEN LASTLY IS ABOUT THIS FED FUNDING, AND THAT'S ONE OF OUR PRIORITIES AND YOU'LL SEE IT

[00:25:01]

I JUST APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME AND ACTUALLY GIVING US THE DATA AND REINFORCING THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS MOVING FORWARD IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> THANK YOU. OUR CATCHPHRASE FOR THIS BUDGET SEASON HAS BEEN, HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY.

IT'S REALLY GOOD THAT YOU'RE HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS, AND I KNOW MICHELE PRESENTS FOR US ON RETURN ON INVESTMENT.

I KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU GUYS LOOK AT REGULARLY AND IT'S TO YOUR CREDIT.

>> ANYONE ELSE DOWN HERE? [INAUDIBLE]

>> GOOD EVENING. AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

I DO HAVE JUST A QUICK QUESTION.

IT GOES BACK TO PAGE 10 ON THE GRAPH.

WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE GAP BETWEEN WHAT'S APPROPRIATED, FIRST IS WHAT'S ACTUALLY SPENT ON PUBLIC EDUCATION.

I WANTED TO SEE IF YOU COULD JUST EXPAND ON THAT JUST A LITTLE BIT, AND IF THERE'S REALLY WHAT THE REASONING IS BETWEEN THAT BIG GAP, AND THEN IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO AS A BOARD OR SCHOOL DISTRICTS AS A WHOLE, TO MAKE SURE THAT WHAT'S BEING APPROPRIATED FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION IS ACTUALLY BEING SPENT.

>> SURE. BUT PART OF IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE.

ONE THING THAT MAKES THE LEGISLATORS JOB HARD IS THEY HAVE TO WRITE A TWO YEAR BUDGET.

THEY DON'T KNOW WHEN THEY WRITE THAT TWO YEAR BUDGET.

ALL OF MY CFOS WOULD TELL YOU WHAT THEY KNOW IS THEY'D RATHER COME BACK HAVING MADE A MISTAKE THAT ADDS TO THE SURPLUS RATHER THAN ADDS TO THE DEFICIT.

PART OF IT IS CONSERVATIVE BUDGETING.

ONE OF THE THINGS THEY TEND TO DO IS UNDERESTIMATE HOW MUCH PROPERTY VALUES WILL GROW IN TEXAS, AND THEN PROPERTY VALUES GROW MUCH FASTER THAN THAT, AND WHAT WE KNOW IS WHEN PROPERTY VALUES GROW IN TEXAS, STATE AID FALLS OR RECAPTURE GROWS DEPENDING ON THE DISTRICT.

WHAT WE WISH WAS THAT THERE WAS A MECHANISM FOR REINVESTING THAT INTO PUBLIC EDUCATION.

THERE ARE SOME PROVISIONS IN THE EDUCATION CODE THAT THE COMMISSIONER IS ALLOWED TO USE THE SURPLUS FOR, BUT THAT HASN'T BEEN DONE IN RECENT SESSIONS.

BUT ALSO THE LEGISLATURE COULD INSTEAD OF PASSING A SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET THAT SWEEPS ALL THAT BACK, THEY COULD PASS A SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET THAT RE-APPROPRIATES IT AND ALLOCATES IT OUT TO YOU ALL.

I THINK IT'S JUST MAKING SURE THAT IT'S JUST A TRANSPARENCY ISSUE FOR ME THAT WE NOT JUST TALK ABOUT WHAT GETS APPROPRIATED, BUT WE TALK ABOUT WHAT GETS USED TO THE BENEFIT OF CHILDREN.

>> BECAUSE I THINK AN IMPORTANT KEY TO THIS IS IF IT'S NOT ACTUALLY EXPENDED ON PUBLIC EDUCATION, THAT DIFFERENCE DOESN'T NECESSARILY GO BACK INTO PUBLIC EDUCATION. THANK YOU.

>> DR. RIED.

>> YES. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THEIR PRESENTATION.

I REALLY APPRECIATE IN AWE A BIT THAT THEY'RE NOT CONCERNED OR THEY HAVEN'T EXPRESSED AND STATED A CONCERN REGARDING TEACHER RETENTION. THAT'S IMPORTANT.

AS A MEMBER OF THE LAC, LEGISLATIVE ACTION COMMITTEE, WE'VE BEGUN TALKING ABOUT GETTING A GROUP OF PEOPLE TO GO AND TALK TO LEGISLATORS SO THAT THEY BECOME MORE AWARE OF WHAT THE MAJOR CONCERNS ARE.

YOUR PRESENTATION TONIGHT HAS SHED A LOT OF LIGHT ON THAT.

ONE IS TEACHER RETENTION.

THE OTHER IS HAVING A MECHANISM TO REINVEST THAT MONEY BECAUSE AS MISS FERRAS STATED THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO IF WE DON'T SPEND IT AND THERE DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE A NEED, THEN THEY WILL RE-ALLOCATE THAT MONEY TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE AND WE NEED TO STAY IN EDUCATION.

I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHAT LANGUAGE YOU WOULD EXPRESS TO US AS A PART OF THE LEGISLATIVE ACTION COMMITTEE TO PRESENT TO LEGISLATORS THAT WE NEED TO RETAIN GREAT TALENT.

IN MISD, WE TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN HAVING THE VERY BEST IN EVERY AREA.

>> YOU'VE SEEN TWO THINGS HAPPENING IN TEXAS OVER THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE YEARS.

ONE IS A LOT OF RETIREMENTS AS THE JOBS GOT HARDER.

LET'S BE HONEST ABOUT THAT THE JOBS GOTTEN HARDER.

FOLKS HAVE HIT THAT RETIREMENT AGE WHERE THEY CAN, AND SO THAT'S HAPPENED.

ALSO WE HAVE 1,200 LAS IN TEXAS ALL COMPETING WITH EACH OTHER FOR THE SAME SMALL POOL OF TEACHERS.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE DATA, AND I BRING THIS DATA WITH ME, SO I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU NUMBERS, BUT THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS WE PRODUCE EACH YEAR THROUGH OUR CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS IS SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER THAN THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS WE NEED TO HIRE EACH YEAR.

PART OF THE REASON WE HAVE TO KEEP HIRING EACH YEAR IS NOT JUST ENROLLMENT GROWTH, WHICH FRANKLY TOOK A DIP AND IS JUST NOW BACK UP, BUT IS BECAUSE OF NOT BEING ABLE TO RETAIN FOLKS.

I THINK IT'S A CRITICAL ISSUE THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WATCH GOING FORWARD.

[00:30:05]

>> THANK YOU. MISS NEWSOME.

>> THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE PRESENTATION.

THIS IS A NICE CONCISE WAY FOR US TO PUT A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT I THINK THAT WE'VE ACCUMULATED OVER TIME, AND PUT IT IN SOME VERY CLEAR DISTINCT BULLET POINTS AND IDEAS FOR US.

YOU DID MAKE A POINT ABOUT POSSIBLY MAKING CHANGES TO OUR OWN POLICY ABOUT FUND BALANCE.

I THINK THAT IN STRUCK A CHORD BECAUSE IN THE VERY BEGINNING, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW FUND BALANCE IS.

ANYBODY WHO'S GETTING SAVED RIGHT NOW IS GETTING SAVED BY THEIR OWN FUND BALANCE AND PREVIOUS GOOD DECISIONS.

I THINK THAT THAT IS A REALLY IMPORTANT MESSAGE THAT WE NEED TO NOT LEAVE HERE WITHOUT MISSING THAT POINT AND THAT IS PART OF THAT MESSAGE THAT WE NEED TO BE SHARING WITH LEGISLATORS AS WELL IS WE'RE GOING TO RUN OUT OF THESE SPECIAL TOOLS HERE, MAGIC PILLS SHORTLY AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO SOME OF THESE THINGS.

BUT YOU DID TALK ABOUT CONSIDERING POLICY CHANGES OF OUR OWN.

WHAT WOULD BE SOME OF THOSE POLICY CHANGES? WOULD IT BE MORE TO GIVE OURSELVES MORE LENIENCY, OR TO RESTRICT IT MORE?

>> I'M NOT NECESSARILY RECOMMENDING A CHANGE TO YOUR FUND BALANCE POLICY AND I DIDN'T EVEN GO LOOK AT IT, SO I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT IT SAYS.

>> NO.

>> WHAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING IS THAT FOLKS GO AND TAKE A LOOK.

NOT EVERY DISTRICT EVEN HAS A FUND BALANCE POLICY, SO TO THE EXTENT THAT SOME DISTRICTS DON'T HAVE ONE, WE'RE SUGGESTING THAT THEY GET ONE AND THAT'S BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY THE BOARD'S OPPORTUNITY TO SET A HIGH LEVEL GOALS.

I THINK THAT'S YOUR TOOL FOR SAYING, THESE ARE THE GUARD RAILS.

WE DON'T MIND USING SOME FUND BALANCE, BUT WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO STAY WITHIN THESE GUARD RAILS.

REALLY, WHAT THAT SLIDE WAS INTENDED TO SAY WAS GO BACK AND TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR FUND BALANCE POLICY.

MAKE SURE YOU LIKE IT, AND THEN IF THERE'S ROOM THERE.

>> JUST MAKE SURE IT MATCHES WHAT YOUR INTENTION [INAUDIBLE].

>> EXACTLY. YES. FOR DISTRICTS THAT DON'T HAVE ONE, WE THINK IT CAN BE A USEFUL TOOL IN GUIDING A BUDGET CONVERSATION SO THAT YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR GUARD RAILS ARE AND WHAT YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH.

>> I JUST THINK THAT YOUR DATA THERE ABOUT FUND BALANCE MAKES US UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND THE STATE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT INFORMATION.

I THINK THIS HELPS US FIND A LITTLE BIT OF WORDS THAT WE MIGHT NEED.

>> AS A COUPLE OF MY FELLOW TRUSTEES MENTIONED, I THINK IT WAS MR. TIPPING AND DR. RIED, WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN A BIG PROPONENT OF ADVOCACY, AND YEARS AGO, WE COULD TALK ABOUT BEING ADVOCATES FOR NOT JUST OURSELVES, BUT MAYBE A SMALLER DISTRICT THAT DOESN'T HAVE AS MANY HANDS TO PLAY IN THE GAME.

BUT NOW WHAT WE HAVE TALKED SOME ABOUT AND I KNOW THAT'S WHY MR. TIPPING ASKED FOR SOME OF THE VERBIAGE, WAS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU MENTIONED 1,200 DISTRICTS INSTEAD OF IT BEING JUST MANSFIELD DAY AT THE CAPITOL OR JUST TARRANT COUNTY DAY, OR WHAT HAVE YOU.

DID IT BE PUBLIC SCHOOL DAY AT THE CAPITOL. THINK ABOUT THAT.

IF YOU ONLY HAD ONE PERSON FROM EVERY DISTRICT IN TEXAS, YOU'RE TALKING 1,200 PEOPLE AND THERE'S ALWAYS POWERS AND NUMBERS AND SHOWING THAT WE ALL HAVE THE SAME CONCERNS, ALTHOUGH IT MAY LOOK DIFFERENT ON PAPER.

MISS NEWSOME MENTIONED THE FUND BALANCE, BECAUSE WHAT I THINK THAT NOT EVERYONE SEEING IN YOUR NUMBERS UP HERE WHERE IT SAID AND I DON'T REMEMBER THE PERCENTAGE, BUT WHAT THE DISTRICTS SAID THAT THEY'RE NOT TOUCHING THEIR FUND BALANCE.

BUT WHAT EVERYONE DOESN'T SEE IS IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THAT THEY'RE JUST THAT THRIFTY, THAT THEY'RE NOT TOUCHING IT.

IT'S BECAUSE THEY CAN'T.

I KNOW OF DISTRICTS THAT ARE ALREADY DOWN A THIRD OF THEIR FUND BALANCE.

EVEN THOUGH OUR POLICY MAY SAY ONE THING OR NOT FOR ALL DISTRICTS, THE RECOMMENDED AMOUNT AND YOU CAN HELP ME IF I'M WRONG WITH MY NUMBERS BECAUSE YOU'RE THE CFO NOT ME IS THAT IT'S RECOMMENDED TO HAVE 25% OF YOUR BALANCE OF YOUR BUDGET SO THAT YOU BASICALLY HAVE THREE MONTHS EXPENDITURES.

>> YES, THAT'S A VERY COMMON RULE [OVERLAPPING].

>> SAVINGS ACCOUNT READY DAY FUNDS.

IF YOU'RE FORTUNATE ENOUGH, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE ANY GLOWY AWAY FROM OUR NEXT PRESENTATION.

IF YOU'RE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE SOME OF THAT MONEY LIKE YOU SAID, WHERE WE STAY IN OUR PARAMETERS AND WE KNOW IT'S A 25%, THEN THESE DISTRICTS ARE ABLE TO USE THAT.

BUT I JUST DON'T KNOW THAT THE STRESS THAT IT'S REALLY PUT ON A LOT OF DISTRICTS JUST BECAUSE THEY SAY, NO, WE'RE NOT USING FUND BALANCE, WELL, IT'S PROBABLY BECAUSE THEY CAN'T.

THEY CAN'T EVEN HAVE IT DELETED.

>> I THINK THAT ABSOLUTELY.

WE DIDN'T SAW THAT A DISTRICT SAID THEY'RE NOT DOING A DEFICIT BUDGET IN 25,

[00:35:05]

THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY MORE RUNWAY LEFT.

>> THEY CAME WITH A NON DEFICIT BUDGET IS BECAUSE THEY'VE EITHER ALREADY HAD LAYOFFS OR THEY'VE NOT BILLED POSITIONS, AND THEY HAVEN'T GIVEN RAISES AND NOW GOING ON A COUPLE OF YEARS.

THEY'VE DONE THINGS LIKE THAT TOO.

JUST BECAUSE THEY CAN COME OUT WITH THESE GREAT NUMBERS, THERE'S A LOT OF HARD THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO GET THERE.

>> THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES MY JOB HARDER AND ALSO, FRANKLY, THE LEGISLATURE'S JOB HARDER IS THERE'S NOT A SINGLE STORY OUT THERE THAT APPLIES TO ALL DISTRICTS AND SO IF THEY'RE TRYING TO PASS POLICY THAT'S VERY CHALLENGING BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S IN A REALLY A UNIQUE VOTE.

>> BUT WE DO THANK YOU, AND I KNOW EVERYONE'S TOLD YOU THAT WE DO THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION YOU SHARED AND ALSO FOR THE SUPPORT THAT I KNOW YOU'RE STILL DOING AND HELPING AND FIGHTING FOR.

>> HAPPY TO BE HERE. IS THERE ANY MORE QUESTIONS FOR ANYONE. THANK YOU.

>> THANKS.

>> DR. CANTU, DID YOU NEED?

>> YES.

>> WE WILL MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT PRESENTATION.

BUT BEFORE MS. TRONGAARD GET STARTED, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY IT'S COMMENDABLE TO YOU GUYS AS A BOARD THAT YOU GUYS DO HAVE A POLICY.

IT IS LOCAL POLICY CE, WHERE YOU ARE ASKING YOURSELVES TO MAINTAIN ANYWHERE FROM 17-25% IN FUND BALANCE.

TWO TO THREE MONTHS EXPENDITURES IS YOUR GOAL AS DEFINED IN POLICY.

YOU GUYS ARE ROCKING IT.

BEFORE MS. TRONGAARD COMES UP, WHAT I DO WANT TO SAY IS AS WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE UPCOMING BUDGET FOR 24/25, I JUST WANT TO STATE THAT THIS BUDGET DOES NOT AND WAS NOT ACHIEVED BY CUTTING POSITIONS OR PEOPLE LIKE WE HAVE HEARD ON THE NEWS AND SEEN ALL AROUND US.

BUT HOW WE GOT HERE WAS PRETTY PAINFUL.

TO BE FRANK, MICHELLE TRONGAARD AND HER TEAM HAVE DONE A FABULOUS JOB, AND I WANT TO START OFF BY THANKING, BUT I ALSO WANT TO ALSO THANK THE MEMBERS OF OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM THAT ARE SITTING UP HERE WITH ME TONIGHT.

THERE WERE A LOT OF A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS.

WE ASKED AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS BUDGET SEASON THAT WE ALWAYS START OFF WITH BUDGET REQUESTS.

THE ASK WAS, IF YOU DON'T ABSOLUTELY NEED IT, PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT IT.

THEN AFTER THAT, THEY ACTUALLY WERE VERY UNDERSTANDABLE WHEN WE SAID, WE KNOW THAT YOU NEED IT, BUT WE CAN'T DO IT RIGHT NOW.

AGAIN, SOME REAL PAINFUL DECISIONS AND CONVERSATIONS HAD TO HAPPEN, BUT WE ARE STILL GOING TO DO THE VERY BEST THAT WE CAN FOR KIDS.

I THINK WHAT'S COMING THROUGH AND WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE TONIGHT IS GOING TO CONTINUE FOR MANSFIELD ISD TO BE SUCCESSFUL WITH OUR STUDENTS AND OUR FAMILIES AND OUR STAFF.

MICHELLE TRONGAARD, WOULD YOU PLEASE STEP UP TO THE MIC AND LET'S TALK ABOUT THE UPCOMING BUDGET.

>> THANK YOU, DR. CANTU.

SUCH A PRIVILEGE TO FOLLOW DR. AMANDA BROWNSON, BUT I'M ALSO A LITTLE SHY.

HERE WE ARE. THIS IS OUR ACTUAL FIRST BUDGET WORKSHOP BOARD MEMBERS, PRESIDENT LACKEY WILSON, DR. CANTU.

OUR FIRST BUDGET UPDATE WORKSHOP FOR THE 2024/2025 FISCAL YEAR.

AS YOU CAN SEE, I ALWAYS TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW WHAT AN OUTSTANDING FINANCE.

WE HAVE FINANCIAL AWARDS NATIONAL AND STATE WIDE, AND ALL THE AWARDS FOR FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY IS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE FOR ANYONE THAT WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A PEEK AT THAT.

HOW WE GOT HERE IS GOING BACK TO THE CALENDAR, WE PRESENTED IN JANUARY THE BUDGET CALENDAR, AND WE ALSO DO WHAT WE CALL ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS.

ARE TYPICALLY TAKEN FROM THE DEMOGRAPHERS LATEST REPORTS.

ADDITIONAL REQUESTS WERE SUBMITTED AS DR. CANTU SAID IN FEBRUARY.

CAMPUS AND DEPARTMENT BUDGETS ARE DUE AT THAT TIME AND THEN A CABINET REVIEW BUDGET REQUESTS IN MARCH.

BUT WE WERE ACTUALLY REVIEWING QUITE EARLIER THAN THAT.

WE KNEW WHAT WAS COMING.

THEN APRIL CERTIFIED ESTIMATE OF PROPERTY VALUES DID COME OUT.

I WILL TELL YOU I'VE SHARED THE PERCENTAGES AND THEY'RE ASTRONOMICALLY HIGH.

BUT THAT'S WITH EVERYBODY BECAUSE THE PROTESTS HAVEN'T STARTED.

THEY WERE FILING FOR THEM.

THE DEADLINE WAS EXTENDED IN TERRAN COUNTY DUE TO THEIR ATTACK.

SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU HAD WAS THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS WERE GETTING SETTLED UP.

YOU HAD THE PROPERTY PROTEST.

WE HAD FROZEN LEVEE-TYPE SITUATIONS WHERE THE OVER 65 AND THE DISABLED, AND WHAT HAPPENED IN 2019 OF HOUSE BILL 3 WAS PLAYING CATCH UP WITH THE OVER 65 AND DISABLED PEOPLE.

THERE WAS A LOT OF MOVING PIECES IN THERE.

I DO NOT ANTICIPATE THAT PERCENTAGE TO BE AS HIGH AS THAT.

[00:40:05]

THAT GOES ALONG WITH MY PROJECTION FOR THIS BUDGET.

I HAD THAT BEFORE HE SAID THAT.

I GOT TO GIVE MYSELF KUDOS HERE.

BECAUSE WE ARE ACTUALLY A ROOFTOP DISTRICT, WE'RE ALMOST 75, 80% ROOFTOP.

WHEN I LOOK AT THAT, THEN I THINK THAT'S MORE IN LINE WITH WHERE WE WANT TO BE.

BUT AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IN THE LAST BUDGET UPDATE, WE KNEW THAT AS PROPERTY VALUES GO UP, STATE AID GOES DOWN AND VICE VERSA.

WHILE IT'S A NUMBER THAT I'M GIVING YOU, THE MAIN REASON I WANT TO BE AS ACCURATE AS POSSIBLE AS I CAN OR CLOSE TO IT, IS IT DOES DRIVE THE TAX RATE AND IT GIVES A GOOD INDICATION OF WHAT THE TAX RATE WILL BE AS IT COMES OUT IN AUGUST.

I DON'T WANT TO BE WAY OFF.

YOU GOT YOUR BUDGET WORKSHOP TONIGHT AND THEN THE LAST PIECE IS IN JUNE.

WE'RE GOING TO PUBLISH THE NOTICE AND MEETING TO DISCUSS THE BUDGET AND PROPOSED TAX RATE AT LEAST 10 DAYS AND NO MORE THAN 30 DAYS BEFORE THE BUDGET ADOPTION ON JUNE 25TH WHICH IS A PUBLIC HEARING.

THE LAST BIT IS YOU GOT JULY ACTUAL CERTIFIED VALUES ON JULY 25TH, FROM TWO COUNTIES, TERRAN JOHNSON COUNTY, AND WE COME BACK TO SCHOOL.

WE'RE NOT DONE YET, BUT WE'RE GOING TO BACK TO SCHOOL, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO ADOPT THE TAX RATE IN AUGUST.

AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, WE ALWAYS KEEP THAT FOCUS ON VISION 2030 AND LIFE READY, CAREER READY, COLLEGE READY.

WE KEEP THAT ALWAYS IN THE FOREFRONT ALONG WITH THIS IS THE BUDGET DECISION LANE THAT DR. CANTU HAS SET FOUR IS OUR GOALS.

YOU'VE GOT VISION 2030 THAT STUDENTS FIRST.

ALL THOSE THINGS THAT GO INTO VISION 2030, COLLEGE AND CAREER, SAFETY IS A PRIORITY AND EQUITY AND ACCESS.

ALL OF THAT GOES INTO WHAT WE HAVE AS OUR DECISIONS.

THEN THE GOALS OF THAT IS TO THE MISSION AND VISION OF MANSFIELD ISD IS AT BIG CENTER STAGE TO INSPIRE AND EDUCATE STUDENTS TO BE PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS.

THAT'S OUR FOCUS.

THEN OF COURSE, RIGHT ALONG THERE IS ALL OF THE STUDENT'S FIRST RESILIENCY, POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS, COMMUNICATION, INTEGRITY, CONTINUOUS AND IMPROVEMENT.

THEN WHEN I HAVE MY LITTLE PROCESS, AS I WALK THROUGH THE PROCESS OF A BUDGET WITH Y'ALL.

WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS WITH THE VATRE BECAUSE IT'S A CHALLENGE TO TRY TO WALK THROUGH THE STEPS.

WE PLAN AND PREPARE AND THEN WE SET INSTRUCTIONAL PRIORITIES.

WE GOT TO KNOW HOW TO PAY FOR THOSE PRIORITIES.

WE IMPLEMENT THAT PLAN AND THEN WE HAVE TO ENSURE THE SUSTAINABILITY.

THAT'S THE CHALLENGE, IS ENSURE THAT SUSTAINABILITY.

BUT WE HAVE THAT IN THE FOREFRONT.

THE BUDGET IMPACT IS ALWAYS THE ENROLLMENT ATTENDANCE PERCENTAGE, THE ADA.

AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE STILL IS A CHALLENGE.

THE PROPERTY VALUES IN THE TAX RATE, THESE ARE THINGS WE DON'T KNOW.

WHEN WE GET FUNDED ON THE ENROLLMENT, IT'S ON SNAPSHOT, LAST FRIDAY IN OCTOBER AND THEN A SETTLE UP AT THE END OF THE YEAR.

WE'RE MAKING THIS ADOPTION IN JUNE.

THIS IS BEFORE WE SEE THE [INAUDIBLE].

WE GOT TO RELY ON THE DEMOGRAPHER.

LEGISLATIVE SESSION, I STILL HAVE THAT ON THERE, EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT A LEGISLATIVE SESSION YEAR, BUT IT'S COMING UP IN JANUARY.

IT STILL IMPACTS US WHAT YOU HEARD DR. BROWNSON SAY ABOUT WHAT DIDN'T HAPPEN, AND WHAT DID HAPPEN.

THEN THE FEDERAL FUNDING.

RIGHT HERE, THIS IS A LIST OF LIVE NEWS ARTICLES RIGHT IN OUR DISTRICTS AND ALL AROUND THE STATE OF TEXAS THAT IT'S IMPACTED EVERYBODY IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

BUT LIKE YOU SAID, I SHARED THIS QUOTE WITH ED WEEKLY.

I SAID SOME PEOPLE ARE FACING DEFICITS, SOME PEOPLE ARE BALANCING OR ARE OKAY, BUT NOBODY IS RICH, BECAUSE THAT IS TRUE.

NO ONE HAS A WHOLE BUNCH OF MONEY SITTING THERE TO TRY TO HELP EVERYTHING OUT.

ANYWAY, ALL THESE DISTRICTS AND SOME ARE DOING RAISES, SOME ARE NOT DOING RAISES, AND SOME HAVE A FUND BALANCE, SOME DON'T REALLY HAVE LIKE YOU SAID, A FUND BALANCE.

THAT IS A STRUGGLE BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY DISTRICT IS LIKE YOU SAID, IN A DIFFERENT STAGE.

WE'RE NOT IN THAT STAGE WHERE WE'RE GOING PAST THE BOARD GOALS FUND BALANCE YET. HOPEFULLY NEVER.

SOMETHING I WANT TO POINT OUT HERE IS THAT THIS IS THE STATE OF TEXAS AND THE FUNDING THAT WENT THROUGH ALL THE DISTRICTS AND THE SPENDING, AND THIS IS THE PER PENNY.

THE ONES I WANT YOU TO SEE IS THE INSTRUCTION $0.56 OF THAT DOLLAR WAS SPENT ON INSTRUCTION OR 56%.

ONE PENNY WAS FOR SAFETY,

[00:45:04]

IF YOU TAKE THAT SAME INFO, AND LET'S LINE IT UP WITH MISD, AND THIS IS BASED ON 22-23 AUDITED NUMBERS AND FINANCIAL NUMBERS, WHERE AT $0.57 TOWARDS INSTRUCTION, SAFETY IS TWO PENNIES AND DISTRICT LEADERSHIP IS TWO PENNIES.

WE WANT YOU ALL TO SEE THEM.

BUDGET ASSUMPTIONS.

NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW WE PUT ALL THE PIECES TOGETHER TO DEVELOP OUR BUDGET.

WE LOOK AT ENROLLMENT, 35,885 KIDS.

I'M ASKING FOR 34 MORE STUDENTS FROM SNAPSHOT DATE TO SNAPSHOT DATE, LAST OCTOBER TO LAST OCTOBER.

AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE WE'RE GOING 94.5%, AND WE'RE SITTING ABOUT 95. WE'RE RIGHT.

I'M GOING A LITTLE CONSERVATIVE, BUT I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO.

I'D LOVE TO SAY WE'RE BACK AT 96-97, BUT WE'RE JUST NOT THERE.

IF THERE WAS A WAY WE COULD INCREASE THE ATTENDANCE PERCENTAGE, THAT'S ONE MILLION OR 1% EQUALS TWO MILLION MORE FUNDING.

INCREASE IN PROPERTY VALUES.

I'M GOING WITH THE 7% AND THE TAX RATE IS ALSO PENDING THE PROPERTY VALUES.

BUT I HAVE A VERY GOOD INDICATION OF WHAT THAT NUMBER MIGHT BE.

ENROLLMENT HISTORY.

YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'RE STILL GROWING.

THE LAST NUMBER THERE, IT'S A LITTLE BLURRY, BUT THERE'S THE PROJECTED 34 KIDS.

DEMOGRAPHERS PROJECTED 124 KIDS FOR THIS YEAR AND WE ENDED UP AT 130.

THAT WAS PRETTY SPOT ON.

I'M GOING TO GO WITH COST OF THEIR NUMBERS.

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ENROLLMENT CHANGES, SO SOMETIMES YOU HEAR US SAY, YOU GREW 1,000 KIDS OR YOU MIGHT HAVE NO, WE'RE ONLY ASKING FOR 34 KIDS IN THE BUDGET.

WELL, HOW CAN THAT BE? IT'S REALLY WE GROW QUITE A BIT FROM THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL TOWARDS THE END OF THE SCHOOL.

THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL IS THAT NAVY BLUE BAR YOU SEE THERE, AND THEN SNAPSHOT IS THE RED, AND THAT'S WHAT WE BASE OUR BUDGET ON, AND THEN YOU HEAR END OF YEAR BLUE BAR, THAT'S THAT ONE.

THEN YOU START OVER.

PEOPLE GRADUATE, YOU GOT THE LOWER KINDERGARTENERS, PRE K COMING IN, THAT MIGHT BE A SMALLER CLASS THAN THE SENIORS, BUT LOOK HOW IT STILL GROWS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WE ANTICIPATE THAT TO BE THE SAME AT THE END OF THIS YEAR.

THAT'S A GOOD SIGN FOR OUR BUDGET.

THEN ONE THING THAT WE DO HAVE GOING FOR US AND WHY I HESITATE TO SUGGEST ANY MAJOR PROGRAM CHANGES OR ANYTHING BECAUSE THE KIDS ARE STILL COMING.

IT HAS SLOWED DOWN A LITTLE BIT HERE, BUT THEY START TO INCREASE OVER THE LATTER YEARS.

THAT'S SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN WE'RE MAKING OUR PLANS.

A LOT OF OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS, SOME OF THEM ARE HAVING TO FACE MAJOR DECLINES IN ENROLLMENT AND THEY HAVE TO MAKE THOSE MAJOR CHOICES AND PROGRAM CHANGES.

THEN TAX RATE HISTORY.

HAS GONE DOWN DOWN DOWN.

I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT ARROW IS IN THERE, BUT IT'S GONE DOWN EVERY YEAR, BUT I WANT TO POINT OUT TOO IS THAT BECAUSE WE'VE HAD SUCH AN INCREASE IN OUR PROPERTY VALUES THAT WE'RE AT WHAT'S CALLED THE FLOOR, AND THAT'S THE BOTTOM, Y'ALL MIGHT HAVE HEARD ME SAY AT THE LAST BUDGET SESSION.

THERE'S A BOX THAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE TO FALL INTO IN THE TAX RATE.

AS LONG AS IT'S NOT GOING TO GO AWAY UP HERE AND BE TAXED DOWN AND AS LONG AS IT'S NOT GOING TO GO TOO FAR DOWN.

THAT'S THE SCHOOL FUNDING FORMULA.

THAT'S WHY YOU CAN'T SAY, WE'LL JUST DON'T CHARGE ANY TAXES AND LET THE STATE PICK UP THE WHOLE THING.

WELL, THIS KEEPS IT FROM HAPPENING RIGHT THERE.

WE'RE ALREADY AT THE FLOOR.

IF WE'RE SAYING ANYTHING ABOVE 2.5%, BASICALLY, WE'LL DROP US TO THE FLOOR AGAIN.

THAT NEW FLOOR IS 0.002 PENNIES RIGHT AROUND IN THERE.

YOU SEE IT'S ONLY GOING 1.1492 TO 1.1469.

SOUND ABOUT RIGHT, DR. BRONSON.

CORRECT. THERE WE HAVE ESSER.

SOME THINGS WE'VE DONE WITH ESSER FUNDS, AND WE ORIGINALLY HAD 30 MILLION ALLOTTED OUT OF ESSER 3, AND WE WERE VERY MINDFUL OF TRYING NOT TO FIND THOSE THINGS THAT WERE SUSTAINABLE TYPE ITEMS THAT WE'RE GOING TO KEEP HITTING OUR BUDGETS.

BUT THERE WAS A HUGE NEED FOR STAFF, FOR BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION, FOR AP INTERNS, FOR THESE TYPES OF THINGS THAT WERE DESPERATELY NEEDED, AND SO WE ADDED THEM AND WE MET WITH THE CABINET AND WE SAID, WE GOT TO HAVE THESE.

THEY SAID WE GOT TO HAVE THESE. THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT.

THOSE ARE BEING BROUGHT INTO THE BUDGET,

[00:50:01]

FINANCIAL CHALLENGES YOU'VE HEARD WITH DR. BRONSON AND MYSELF, ENROLLMENT GROWTH IS SLOWING A LITTLE BIT.

LACK OF LEGISLATIVE FUNDING, NO INCREASE IN BASIC ALLOTMENT RECORD INFLATION.

LET'S SEE THE PRESSURE TO INCREASE WAGES AND COMPETITION FOR TALENTED STAFF AND LOSS OF ESSER FUNDING.

ANOTHER CHALLENGE ALSO MENTIONED WAS THE MEDICAID SARS LOSS IN OUR FUNDING THAT WE HAD AND THE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT THAT HAD COME BACK TO TELL US AND NOTIFY SCHOOL DISTRICTS WAY LATE IN THE GAME, AND WE WERE FACING FOR MANSFIELD ID, THAT'S A 2.1 MILLION DOLLAR LOSS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE WAS 300 MILLION.

THAT WAS A HIT, AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE HAVE TO CONSIDER GOING FORWARD AND WE HAVE CONSIDERED IT IN THIS BUDGET.

BUT IT IS JUST A DIFFERENT THE AUDIT AND THE WAY THEY CODED CERTAIN THINGS WAS NOT ELIGIBLE, AND THAT WAS A WHOLE STATE WIDE EFFECT.

THAT WASN'T JUST MANSFIELD ID, THAT WAS A WHOLE ACROSS THE STATE.

SO THEY CHANGED THEIR MINDS ON WHAT WAS ELIGIBLE.

IF I'M BRINGING YELLOW BUDGET, IF I'M ONLY ADDING 34 KIDS, BUT WHAT'S IMPACTING AT THE MOST IS WHAT TYPE OF KIDS.

WE HAVE GT, WE'RE ADDING 122 KIDS, DYSLEXIA, 184 KIDS, SPECIAL ED, 445 KIDS.

THESE ARE ACTUAL NUMBERS FROM YEAR TO YEAR.

THEN EMERGENT BILINGUAL, 659 MORE KIDS.

THOSE ALL COST MORE MONEY TO EDUCATE.

WE DO RECEIVE SOME FUNDING FROM THEM, AS YOU HEARD DR. BRONSON SAY THERE IS NOT NEAR ENOUGH FOR SPECIAL ED.

WE SPEND ABOUT 20 MILLION MORE THAN WHAT WE RECEIVE IN STATE AID.

PRE-K AS WELL, NON-TUITION BASED 58 MORE KIDS.

WE ADDED THAT TUITION BASE AT THREE OF THE CAMPUSES WITH YOUR APPROVAL LAST YEAR THAT GAINED US 80 MORE PRE-K STUDENTS, AND THEN A TOTAL OF 138 OVERALL, BUT THAT BOX RIGHT THERE IS REQUIRED FULL DAY PRE-K, BUT YET WE'RE ONLY FUNDED ON THE HALF A DAY.

THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE PROPOSITION OF A AND B BECAUSE WE WOULD HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT BUDGET LOOKING AT YOU TONIGHT.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT DID NOT PASS, BUT WE WILL NEED TO SUPPORT THAT IS HIGH SCHOOL TURF FIELDS AND THE HIGH SCHOOL TRACKS.

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THOSE FOR SAFETY CONCERNS FOR OUR STUDENTS AND THAT AS OF RIGHT NOW, IS GOING TO HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO COME OUT OF THAT MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS BUDGET OR FUND BALANCE OR SOMETHING.

THAT'S SOMETHING ON MR. BROGN'S RADARS IN MINE AS WELL.

WE'RE WORKING ON A SCHEDULE FOR THAT.

THOSE THAT CAME TO EVERY BOND PRESENTATION HAS SEEN THIS SLIDE NUMEROUS TIMES.

WE TALKED ABOUT THE ONE ON THE RIGHT.

NOW WE WANT YOU TO TALK ABOUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE ONE ON THE LEFT TONIGHT, THE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS BUDGET.

BUT THAT RIGHT ONE IS YOUR BOND BUCKET.

THAT'S THE DIFFERENT TAX RATES.

THERE'S A REMINDER, THE GENERAL FUND IS MADE UP MAINLY PEOPLE, 85% PAYROLL, 15% NON PAYROLL, SO WE HAVE TO BE MINDFUL WHEN WE MAKE DECISIONS.

ONE THING THAT I LIKE TO POINT OUT.

THIS IS WHY MANSFIELD IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE, LEARN AND TEACH.

THE TEACHER STARTING PAY IS 63,000, AND THAT IS THE HIGHEST I'VE HEARD SO FAR FROM SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

THAT IS WHAT WE ACTUALLY DID THIS YEAR.

WE'RE GOING TO RECOMMEND THAT WE KEEP THAT GOING INTO THIS YEAR, NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET.

WE ALSO HAVE AN EMPLOYEE CLINIC FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW, WE DO HAVE ONE.

WELL, IN TRS MEDICAL RATES.

WE'RE JUST RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THERE BY REGIONS, WE'RE IN THE ONE OF THE HIGHEST MOST EXPENSIVE REGIONS, REGION 11, AND WENT UP 9.5% ON AVERAGE.

THAT MAKES IT REALLY TOUGH ON SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS THAT ARE STILL SITTING AT 15 AN HOUR OR SOME OF THE LOWER WAGE.

WE ARE RECOMMENDED TO INCREASE THE MEDICAL CONTRIBUTION FROM OUR HALF FROM $250-350 A MONTH.

THEN WE ALSO OFFER CHILDCARE AND AFTER SCHOOL CARE.

THEN THESE ARE THE FULL TIME EQUIVALENTS THAT WE WERE BRINGING TO YOU.

YOU SAW THE CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION, THE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION CLASSROOM TEACHERS, THOSE ARE AS A RESULT OF MORE AND MORE CASES THAT ARE BEING REPORTED RIGHT MR. WRIGHT?

[00:55:03]

THEN SPECIAL ED.

THAT GOES WITHOUT EXPLAINING WHAT THE INCREASE THAT WE HAVE IN OUR STUDENT POPULATIONS.

THEN WE ALSO ADDRESSED THE INCREASE IN THE BILINGUAL THAT YOU SAW EARLIER, BUT WE ADDRESSED THAT ALREADY IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET BY ADDING $479,000 TO THEIR BUDGET.

IT HELPS MEET MINIMUM COMPLIANCE, BUT IT GIVES THEM A LOT OF MORE SUPPORT THEY NEED.

THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT AS IT GROWS FOR THE HOWARD DANCE TEACHER WITH A TOTAL OF 25 MORE FULL TIME EQUIVALENTS.

THEN ON THE NON FTE SIDE, WE HAD OVER 20 MILLION IN REQUESTS.

SOME OF THOSE WERE TECHNOLOGY THINGS.

WE WENT THROUGH THEM AND TRY TO IDENTIFY, HOW CAN WE GET THIS TAKEN CARE OF.

WE DID HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF SR FUNDS THAT WE TOOK CARE FOR THE TEACHER LAPTOPS CHROME BOOKS, USING THE REMAINING SR FUNDS.

WE'RE PRETTY MUCH DONE WITH ALL THE SR FUNDS, AND YOU'LL GET A FRIDAY FAX ON THAT ONE.

THE TOTAL NON FTES, WE'RE ASKING FOR JUST POLICE STEM DEPARTMENT OF INSTRUCTION, ATHLETICS AND FINE ARTS.

YOU CAN SEE THE LITTLE LISTINGS THERE, SAFETY AND SECURITY.

THAT'S ADDING THE WEAPON DETECTION SYSTEM AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS.

THEN THE TECHNOLOGY, THOSE ARE CLOUD STORAGES AND MONITORING AND DATA STORAGE RIGHT THERE.

THEN HOW DOES IT FORMULATE AND COMMINGLE IN WITH YOUR BOARD'S GOALS AND VISION 2030, SO $801,602 WILL SUPPORT THE STUDENTS GRADUATE CAREER READY AND 812,082 WILL GRADUATE COLLEGE READY, AND $1,183,930 WILL GRADUATE LIFE READY.

THAT'S THE SUPPORT GOES INTO THOSE THINGS.

NOW WE'RE INTO OUR BUDGET.

THIS IS OUR PROJECTED BUDGET, PROPOSED BUDGET.

LET'S START WITH THE FIRST COLUMN ON THE LEFT.

THAT WAS WHAT WAS ADOPTED THIS YEAR WITH A $3.2 MILLION EXPENDITURES OVER REVENUES.

BUT OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE'VE BEEN TRANSFERRING THOSE MONEY, THE EXCESS FUNDS OVER TO A CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND.

THAT HAS ALLOWED US TO TRANSFER IT BACK FOR THINGS WE NEED.

A LOT OF THAT WAS SET UP BECAUSE OF SUPPLY CHAIN DEMAND ISSUES AND SOME OF OUR CLAIMS THAT WE HAD THE INSURANCE AND STUFF ALLOWED US TO DO THIS AND KEEP THE DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS SEPARATE AND KEEP IT OVER THERE.

THAT SHOWS RIGHT THERE THE ZERO.

I'M NOT EXPECTING A HUGE INCREASE FOR THIS YEAR LIKE WE HAVE IN THE PAST, BUT WE HAVE TAKEN CARE OF A LOT OF NEEDS THAT WE'VE HAD OUT OF THIS YEAR'S BUDGET.

NO RAISE WOULD BE $5.8 MILLION DEFICIT, BY DEFINITION, EXPENDITURES OVER REVENUES, BUT WE HAVE SOME FUNDING WE CAN HELP THAT OUT WITH.

AGAIN, THAT'S 873,000 CAPITAL PROJECTS, AND THEN WORKERS' COMPENSATION.

THAT'S A FUNDING THAT'S BEEN SET ASIDE FOR THE LAST THREE, FOUR YEARS THAT WE HAVEN'T USED ALL OF THE CLAIM MONEY FOR.

IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE BY ALLOWING THE TRANSFER OF $5 MILLION WILL ALLOW US ABOUT TWO YEARS OF WORKERS' COMP CLAIMS AVAILABLE BASED ON THE LAST YEAR'S AVERAGE PAY.

THEN THE 2% RAISE, 11.8 MILLION AND THEN A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS, CAPITAL PROJECTS AND WORKERS COMP.

SAME THING WITH A 3% RAISE THERE, 14.8 MILLION, 6.7 AND THEN FIVE MILLION.

YOU'RE LIKE, WHAT'S AT 3.1 MILLION, WHERE DOES THAT GO? WELL, THAT WILL COME OUT OF FUND BALANCE.

THAT'S WHERE WE GO TO THE NEXT STAGE, AND YOU GO, WELL, WHERE DO WE STAND IN FUND BALANCE.

FUND BALANCE IS AT 33.7% OF EXPENDITURES OR 116.5 MILLION ROUGHLY IN DOLLARS.

YOUR BOARD'S GOAL IS 25%.

ALSO, ANOTHER FACTOR IS CONSIDERING YOUR FIRST REPORT, FINANCIAL INTEGRITY RATING SYSTEM OF TEXAS.

THEY REQUIRE 90 DAYS OF CASH ON HAND TO GET TO SCORE ON THAT AND WE HAVE 136 DAYS OF CASH ON HAND.

IF I WAS TO GIVE YOU A NUMBER FROM THE 25%-33%, THAT'S ABOUT $22 MILLION.

THEN I'M AT THE END.

JUNE 25, WE'LL ADOPT THE BUDGET AND THEN AUGUST 27, ADOPT THE TAX RATE.

I'M DONE. ANY QUESTIONS?

>> ARE YOU READY FOR THIS? I'M JUST KIDDING. [LAUGHTER]

>> I'M READY.

>> I'LL START TO MY LEFT.

TRUSTEES. IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT?

[01:00:01]

>> NO.

>> MISS NEWSOME.

>> I'M READY. WOW, SO MUCH.

THANK YOU ISN'T EVEN ENOUGH WORDS FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER IN SUCH A CONCISE MANNER FOR US.

FOR EVERYONE WATCHING AND SHARING TODAY.

I THINK SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE HEARD DURING THIS CONVERSATION, WERE KEY POINTS ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING, HOW WE'RE DOING IT, HOW WE CAN BE CREATIVE, WHERE OUR ACTION NEEDS TO TAKE PLACE.

BUT SOMETHING THAT STOOD OUT TO ME AND I WROTE IT DOWN ONE MORE TIME WAS THAT WE ACTUALLY HAD $20 MILLION OF REQUESTS THAT CAME IN, IS WHAT DR. CANTU STATED.

I GUESS WHAT I TAKE AWAY FROM THAT AND I'M LOOKING FOR YOU GUYS TO COMMENT ABOUT THAT.

BUT WHAT I'M LOOKING AT IS THAT WHILE IT LOOKS LIKE THIS IS SOMETHING MANAGEABLE FOR US TODAY.

IT'S NOT WITHOUT US MAKING SOME SACRIFICE IS THE BEST WORD I CAN THINK OF.

CAN YOU SHARE WITH ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THAT $20 MILLION SACRIFICE LOOKS LIKE THAT WE ARE NOT ACTUALLY SHOWING ON THE BOOKS.

THAT WOULD BE FOR KIDS.

>> SURE. SOME OF THE 20 MILLION REQUESTS, I MENTIONED SOME OF TECHNOLOGY THAT WE HAD.

BUT WE FOUND ANOTHER WAY WE SAID, WE STILL HAVE SOME REMAINING SR FUNDS.

THAT ACTUALLY GOT INTO A DIFFERENT POT OF MONEY, AND IT DID GET ACCOMPLISHED.

THERE WERE POLICE CARS THAT WAS IN THE REQUEST, VANS.

>> TIERED CHROMEBOOK ROLLOUT.

>> YEAH. [INAUDIBLE]. SOME TECHNOLOGY THAT WAS KICKED DOWN THE ROAD.

>> YES, MA'AM. WE MAXIMIZE AS MANY CHROME BOOKS AS WE COULD WITH THE FUNDS THAT BASED ON THE NEED BECAUSE REMEMBER WE BOUGHT THEM IN 2019 AND ALL THAT WHEN THE COVID WAS HIT.

IT'S TIME TO BUY THEM.

WE MAXED OUT WHAT WE COULD AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BUY SOME MORE.

REPLACEMENT CYCLE.

>> I THINK JUST, WE ASKED THEM, DON'T SUBMIT ANYTHING THAT IS JUST A WANT.

ONLY SUBMIT THINGS THAT YOU NEED.

THERE WERE SOME REAL TOUGH CONVERSATIONS ABOUT EVEN TECHNOLOGY, I KNOW YOU NEED THIS RIGHT NOW, BUT CAN WE WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THAT CAN WE DO NOW AND WHAT CAN WE WAIT ON CAN WE REALLY WAIT ON ANY OF IT? NO, BUT WE'RE FIGURING OUT AND TECHNOLOGY IS FIGURING OUT A WAY TO MAKE IT WORK.

IT'S NOT IDEAL, BUT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO KEEP TRACKING.

>> I DON'T REALLY DOUBT THAT WE CAN'T KEEP TRUCKING.

I GUESS I'M WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE SACRIFICES THAT THE STAFF AND THE LEADERS AND THE TEAMS AND THE IT AND BUSES.

THERE'S SO MANY THINGS AND TEACHERS AND SUPPLIES AND WHAT WE COULD BE DOING FOR KIDS.

I JUST THAT IS NOT A SMALL NUMBER TO BE THROWN AROUND AND I KEEP LOOKING AT MISS YOUNG AND HER HEAD IS LIKE THIS.

>> I'LL JUST ADD A LITTLE BIT TO THAT.

THERE WERE 20 MILLION IN REQUESTS THAT WE WERE EITHER ABLE TO FIND A DIFFERENT WAY TO PAY FOR OR PUT OFF.

WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THINGS.

BUT THERE'S ALSO PLACES WHERE OUR DATA TELLS US THAT AN INSTRUCTIONAL COACH WOULD BE HELPFUL ON THIS CAMPUS OR A INTERVENTIONIST WOULD BE HELPFUL TO WORK WITH THIS GROUP OF KIDS.

MS. YOUNG DIDN'T BRING THOSE FORWARD THIS YEAR. WE SHIFTED.

WE'RE EITHER GOING TO DO WITHOUT WHICH IS GOING TO AFFECT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, OR WE'RE GOING TO SHIFT IN ANOTHER WAY.

MAYBE MOVE SOMEONE FROM OUR INSTRUCTIONAL CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION TEAM FROM DOING THINGS FOR THE ENTIRE DISTRICT TO GO SERVE A SMALLER NUMBER OF KIDS, SO IT AFFECTS US THAT WAY.

THE CUTS THOSE AREN'T VISIBLE BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T MISS WHAT THEY DID THEY DON'T HAVE.

THEY'RE FELT BY THE TEACHERS AND THE APS AND THE COUNSELORS ON THOSE CAMPUSES THAT ARE TRYING TO CONTINUE THAT WORK AND MAINTAIN THE STANDARD THAT WE'VE SET.

THE FUTURE, THINGS WILL BE VISIBLE.

OUR COMMUNITY WILL SEE A REDUCTION IN EXTRACURRICULARS OR REDUCED COURSE OFFERINGS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL OR REDUCTION IN SCHOOL OF CHOICE OFFERINGS BECAUSE THAT'S THE MOST EXPENSIVE MODEL THAT WE RUN OR RESTRUCTURING THE ACADEMIC DAY.

OR INCREASING STUDENT TO TEACHER RATIO, I MEAN,

[01:05:01]

IF TWO CAMPUSES ARE SHARING A SPECIAL VERSUS SOMEONE BEING THERE TO SERVE MY CHILD EVERY DAY, THEY'LL NOTICE THAT, THEY'LL SEE THAT.

RIGHT NOW WE'VE BEEN KIND OF ABLE TO KEEP THINGS INTERNAL, BUT THAT CAN'T GO ON FOREVER.

>> I THINK AS WE THINK ABOUT EVEN WHAT DR. BROWNSON SAID, WE HAVE TO BE FUTURE PLANNING.

WE'RE ALREADY THINKING RIGHT NOW ABOUT NEXT YEAR, AND IF THINGS AND JUST GOING TO ASSUME THINGS WON'T GO OUR WAY.

WHAT'S NEXT YEAR GOING TO LOOK LIKE? SOME OF THE THINGS DR. SCOTT TALKED ABOUT.

WHAT WOULD THE FOLLOWING YEAR LOOK LIKE? WE HAVE TO START LOOKING TWO OR THREE YEARS DOWN THE ROAD SO THAT WE'RE PLANNING EFFECTIVELY.

PREPARE FOR THE WORST AND HOPE FOR THE BEST.

>> I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT WE'RE, I FEEL LIKE AS A BOARD AND AS A TEAM, YOU GUYS, WE'RE ALWAYS PENDING FOR THE FUTURE.

BUT THE KEY WORD THAT I REMEMBER THAT STANDS OUT THAT HE JUST SAID IS FELT.

WE ALL FEEL IT, AND AT SOME POINT, THOUGH, Y'ALL, THE KIDS ARE GOING TO FEEL IT AND THE COMMUNITY IS GOING TO FEEL IT AND OUR NUMBERS ARE GOING TO FEEL IT AND OUR GRADES ARE GOING TO FEEL IT AND I THINK WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ACTION WE NEED TO TAKE SO THAT WE DON'T FEEL IT AND WE CAN PROTECT THESE KIDS FROM FEELING, AND THAT'S A HUGE THING.

>> WELL, AND THAT'S WHY I THINK IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT WE KNOW THE 89 LEGISLATIVE SESSION IS COMING UP.

THE TIME IS NOW TO START CALLING YOUR LEGISLATORS AND WHEN THEY'RE DOWN IN AUSTIN TO DRIVE DOWN THERE, PICK UP THE PHONE, SEND AN EMAIL.

DO ALL OF THOSE THINGS, SO THAT WE'RE ADVOCATING FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION AND THE FUNDING THAT WE NEED TO DO RIGHT BY OUR KIDS AND BY OUR STAFF.

>> I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TAKE AS A TASK ON AS A BOARD.

NUMBER 1, WE CAN GO THERE AND THE OTHER THING THAT WE CAN DO IS WORK TO GET SOME OF THOSE LEGISLATORS HERE AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO BE HEARD HERE, WE CAN'T GET 200 PEOPLE TO AUSTIN, BUT WE SURE CAN GET 200 PEOPLE TO THE PACK TO TALK TO SOMEBODY THAT NEEDS TO BE HEARD.

THESE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY, THESE STUDENTS NEED TO BE HEARD AND WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO VOUCH FOR THEM.

OTHERWISE, JUST LIKE ONE OF YOUR FIRST SLIDES WITH THE HEADLINES ON THERE, WHILE OUR PICTURE DOESN'T SEEM AS STRONG AS THAT, IT'S ONLY BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN MAKING SOME DIFFICULT CHOICES AHEAD OF TIME AND SOME EARLY SACRIFICES SO THAT OUR KIDS AREN'T FEELING IT YET, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE FELT.

THANK YOU, MR. STRANGARD.

>> BEFORE WE CARRY ON WITH THE QUESTIONS, I WANTED TO POINT OUT AND GIVE CREDIT TO DOCTOR CANTU CHARGE THAT WAS GIVEN TO THE STAFF AND WHAT THE STAFF WAS ABLE TO DO WITH THAT CHARGE, THAT THERE WAS ONE THING YOU SAID THAT CUTS WOULD STOP BEFORE SOMETHING'S UPPER AND WHAT WAS THAT?

>> THAT WE CAN LOOK AT A LOT OF THINGS, BUT I DON'T WANT TO TOUCH THE CLASSROOM AND INSTRUCTION.

THAT'S OUR LAST RESORT IS CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION.

>> I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WAS CLARIFIED BECAUSE I DO KNOW THAT WHEN I SAY THE TEAM THAT WAS EVERY ONE WAS INVOLVED ON THAT.

AND SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THAT YES, HARD DECISIONS WERE MADE, BUT NOT AT RISK OF HARMING OUR INSTRUCTION OR TIME.

I THINK DR. RED, YOU HAD YOUR HAND UP NEXT?

>> YES. THANK YOU, MR. TROGAR FOR THAT AND THANK YOU, DR. CANTU YOU AND YOUR TEAM FOR MAKING THAT STATEMENT PRONOUNCED AND DIRECTING EVERYONE TO ENSURE THAT WE DID NOT HAVE TO TERMINATE ANYONE TO MAKE THIS BUDGET, AND THAT'S HUGE.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT TRUSTEE NEWSOM WAS SAYING IS THAT AND I WROTE THIS DOWN AS DR. BROWNSON WAS SPEAKING, IS THAT WITH THE LAT COMMITTEE, MAYBE WE COULD HAVE SOME MEETINGS HERE WHERE YOU DISCUSS HOW YOU FORECAST.

YOU HAD THAT AS ONE OF THE HEADINGS ON SLIDE, BUT IT'S OBVIOUS YOU'RE FORECASTING.

YOU'RE PREDICTING WHAT IS TO COME, AND SO IF YOU ARE ABLE TO SHARE THAT WITH EVERYONE, I THINK THAT WILL BE BENEFICIAL.

YOU MENTIONED TWO THINGS, FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY, AND WE CAN FIND ALL OF THIS INFORMATION ONLINE, WHICH IS EXCELLENT.

THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE CAN SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING WITH EVERY PENNY.

THE OTHER PART, YOU SAID, FINANCIAL INTEGRITY, WHICH I THINK IS HUGE BECAUSE YOU'RE SAYING WE ARE SPENDING THE MONEY WISELY, BEING VERY EFFICIENT.

[01:10:01]

I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.

I'M SORRY, BUT I DID WANT TO HIGHLIGHT, WE DID NOT HAVE TO TERMINATE ANYONE AND THAT'S A BLESSING.

>> CORRECT.

>> ONE OF THE THINGS, COULD YOU SPEAK JUST A BIT MORE TO SPECIAL EDUCATION.

WE KNOW THAT THE STATE CUT OFF $300 MILLION IN SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING, AND WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE IT WORK.

SOME KIND OF WAY, COULD YOU SPEAK TO THAT. SURE.

>> YES. YOU'RE HIGHLIGHTING THE MEDICAID SARS REIMBURSEMENT THAT GOES INTO THE GENERAL FUND.

IT'S NOT A IDA B FEDERAL FUND.

IT GOES INTO THAT POT OF MONEY RIGHT THERE.

YOU CAN SEE THAT WE WENT FROM 4.2 MILLION TO 3 MILLION, THERE WERE SOME CHANGES IN THERE AS WELL.

NOT JUST A MEDICAID CHARGE, BUT THAT'S WE'RE SHOWING IT GOING DOWN IN THE FUTURE BECAUSE WE'RE NOT ELIGIBLE, THEY'RE BACKTRACKING SOME OF THE INELIGIBLE FUNDING.

IT'S GOING TO BE THAT AMOUNT EVERY YEAR.

BUT WE JUST HAVE TO KNOW THAT THAT IS NOT AN ELIGIBLE CRITERIA THAT WE CAN TAKE FORWARD ANYMORE. I WILL SAY THIS.

I'LL SAY IT'S BEEN A LITTLE PING PONG BATTLE.

WE FIND THE NEWS OUT THAT DAY, AND THEN NOT LONG AFTER THAT, WE FILED A PROPERTY TAX AUDIT FOR 2022, AND WE GET 2.3 MILLION MORE IN STATE AID.

THEN WE SETTLED ON SOME MINERAL RIGHTS THINGS.

THOSE THINGS, IT'S BEEN LIKE, OKAY, WHAT DO I SAY? DO I DO? BUT FOR THE MOST PART, WE'RE PLANNING ON GOING FORWARD WITHOUT THAT REIMBURSEMENT, AND THERE'S NOT MUCH ELSE WE CAN DO UNLESS YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO ADD TOWARDS THAT.

>> I THINK YOU'RE DOING IT RIGHT. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING.

>> I DON'T KNOW.

>> AS MS. NEWSOME SAID, WE WANT THE COMMUNITY TO KNOW THAT YOU'RE MAKING THOSE CUTBACKS AND YOU'RE FORECASTING, WHICH MEANS YOU'RE PREDICTING BASED ON YOUR EXPERTISE, WHAT IS LIKELY TO HAPPEN.

>> CORRECT.

>> BUT THERE ARE SOME GREAT THINGS STILL HAPPENING.

WE APPRECIATE ALL OF THE JUGGLING OR THE PING-PONGING THAT YOU DO BECAUSE IT'S A PREDICTABILITY.

IT'S NOT AN EXACT SCIENCE IF YOU WILL, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.

>> MS. FLORA.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO.

I DON'T EVEN BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND HOW YOU ARE ABLE TO COME UP WITH THIS. THANK YOU.

JUST A FEW THINGS THAT I THINK ARE WORTH HIGHLIGHTING JUST IN THE PRESENTATION THAT CAUGHT MY EYE.

SLIDE 12 WHERE YOU HAD THE PIE CHART AND IT WAS BROKEN DOWN.

I THINK IT'S WORTH NOTING, WE SPEND 57% ON INSTRUCTION, OR IS THE STATE AVERAGE. I THINK IT IS 56%.

ALSO ON SAFETY, WE SPEND DOUBLE WHAT THE STATE AVERAGES, SO TWO CENTS, WHERE IS THE STATE IS ONE.

I THINK ANOTHER THING THAT WE HEAR OR I HEAR A LOT EVEN JUST RUMBLINGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA OR CONVERSATIONS I HAVE WITH PEOPLE IS THAT WE'RE JUST SO TOP HEAVY, WE SPEND WAY TOO MUCH MONEY ON UPPER ADMINISTRATION, AND I THINK THIS JUST GOES TO SHOW STATE AVERAGES FOUR CENTS WHERE WE'RE AT TWO, SO IT'S LITERALLY A HALF.

AT THE SNAPSHOT OF LAST YEAR, WE HAD 35,851 PEOPLE.

IT TAKES PEOPLE TO RUN THIS DISTRICT.

WITH THE ACCOLADES THAT YOU GUYS RECEIVED ALL THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, I THINK IT SHOWS THAT WE SPEND OUR MONEY WISELY, BUT IT STILL TAKES PEOPLE TO DO THAT JOB.

THANK YOU FOR BEING INTENTIONAL WITH WHO IS IN LEADERSHIP AND ONLY EMPLOYING THOSE THAT ARE NECESSARY.

I THINK JUST COMPARING IT TO THE STATE IS JUST HUGE.

THE NUMBERS DON'T LIE, AND SO I THINK THAT THAT'S JUST A NARRATIVE THAT I OFTEN HEAR.

I JUST THINK IT'S WORTH NOTING THAT, WE SPEND HALF OF THE [INAUDIBLE], TWO PENNIES RATHER THAN FOUR.

ANOTHER THING THAT CAUGHT MY EYE OR THAT YOU SAID, I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS ON HERE OR NOT, BUT FOR EVERY 1% IN ATTENDANCE, IT INCREASES OUR BUDGET BY $2 MILLION.

PARENTS GET THOSE BABIES TO SCHOOL.

AS MUCH AS WE WANT THAT PERCENTAGE TO GO UP IF STUDENTS AREN'T SITTING IN THE SEATS ARE NOT LEARNING.

AND SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

I HOPE THAT WE CAN FIGURE OUT A WAY OR LOOK AT WAYS THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO TRY TO INCREASE THAT NUMBER.

BUT THAT WAS BIG.

I DON'T THINK I REALIZED THAT THAT 1% MADE THAT BIG OF AN IMPACT.

[01:15:01]

JUST WORTH NOTING THAT IS SUPER IMPORTANT TO GET YOUR KIDS TO SCHOOL IF THEY CAN BE THERE.

ANOTHER THING THAT I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS, TAKING A LOOK AT IS INCREASING THE COVERAGE FOR MEDICAL $100.

WHEN I SAW THOSE NUMBERS THAT WERE RELEASED A WEEK OR SO AGO, IT'S EXPENSIVE.

I APPRECIATE YOU PRIORITIZING THAT AND FINDING A WAY TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT COST IS OVERALL, BUT $100 A MONTH IS GOING TO BE A HUGE IMPACT FOR A LOT OF OUR FAMILIES IN OUR DISTRICT.

THANK YOU FOR FINDING A WAY TO MAKE THAT WORK.

ON THE DETECTION SYSTEMS, I KNOW YOU SAID THEY WERE GOING TO BE, DID YOU SAY MIDDLE SCHOOLS? DO WE HAVE A TIME FRAME OF WHEN THOSE ARE GOING TO BE ROLLED OUT OR IS THAT COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE AT SOME POINT?

>> MISS YOU'RE RIGHT.

>> I KNOW PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN ASKING.

>> RIGHT NOW WE'RE EXPECTING IT TO BE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR NEXT YEAR.

>> WE'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE THEM AT THE HIGH SCHOOLS AND THEN MIDDLE SCHOOLS WILL BE THE NEXT.

PERFECT. THEN AGAIN, I WROTE DOWN THE 20 MILLION DOWN TO $855,000.

THAT'S OVER 19 MILLION, AND THAT'S ON TOP OF ALREADY ASKING FOR CUTS.

I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS REALLY FIGURING OUT HOW TO DO THAT.

THEN I THINK REALLY MY LAST QUESTION, SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE SITTING AT ABOUT 8% OVER OUR GOAL IN OUR FUND BALANCE.

LOOKING AT THOSE FINAL NUMBERS, IF WE WERE TO DO THE FULL 3% RAISE AND COVERING THAT $3 MILLION.

I'M SORRY. I'M TRYING TO FIND THAT SLIDE.

LET ME SEE IF I CAN FIND IT REAL QUICK.

THREE MILLION AND SOME CHANGE, 3.013339.

IF WE WERE TO TAKE THAT $3 MILLION OUT OF FUND BALANCE, DO WE KNOW WHAT PERCENTAGE THAT WOULD LEAVE US AT IN THE FUND BALANCE?

>> DOWN TO. LET'S SAY THAT WOULD BE AT ABOUT 19 MILLION. [INAUDIBLE]

>> PLENTY OVER THE 25% THRESHOLD THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.

I DIDN'T NEED AN EXACT AMOUNT. I WAS JUST KIND OF CURIOUS.

I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS, HIGHLIGHTING AND CONTINUING TO ENGAGE OUR LEGISLATORS.

I THINK WE ALL DO THAT REALLY WELL, BUT I REALLY AM COMMITTED AND I HOPE THE REST OF US CAN REALLY COMMIT I LOVE THE IDEA OF INVITING THEM HERE AND TO SEE WHAT THE GREAT THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING IN THIS DISTRICT BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF AMAZING THINGS THAT THEY ARE AND REALIZING THAT PUBLIC EDUCATION HAS TO BE A PRIORITY IN THIS NEXT SESSION.

I'M COMMITTED TO DOING THAT, CONTINUING TO DO IT AND DO IT EVEN MORE.

THEY'RE GOING TO GET TIRED OF HEARING FROM US.

THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL YOU DO.

EVERY ONE OF YOU SITTING UP HERE, I APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK.

>> MS. LIKER WILSON. I'M SORRY.

I MENTIONED WE TALKED ABOUT THIS.

>> THIS IS DR. REED.

>> I'M SORRY, MR. WILSON. SORRY ABOUT THAT.

WE TALKED ABOUT THIS AND I THINK THIS IS WORTH MENTIONING THAT TRS HAS INCREASED THE INSURANCE TO 250.

WE'RE NOT JUST MATCHING THAT FOR OUR EMPLOYEES, WE ARE PROVIDING $100. DID YOU SAY THAT?

>> YEAH. I THINK THAT'S IT.

>> HUNDRED DOLLARS IS MORE, $350.

WE'RE NOT JUST MATCHING, WE'RE ADDING TO THAT?

>> THE NEW PREMIUM RATE FOR AN EMPLOYEE ONLY THE CHEAPEST ONE IS $505, AND SO WE'RE CONTRIBUTING 350 TOWARDS THAT.

>> THANK YOU.

>> THANK YOU FOR SAYING THAT AND CLARIFYING THAT.

I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE PROPOSE TO DO A 3% RAISE.

WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL LIKE DR. KANT.

YOU HEAR PEOPLE. WELL, THEY TOOK THE MONEY FROM HEALTH INSURANCE.

IT'S A WIN WIN, IF YOU WILL, WHICH IS WHAT YOU SAID, MR. LIKER WILSON.

SO WIN WIN. A RAISE WILL BE A RAISE. THANK YOU.

>>MRS. ANDERSON.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, MRS. [INAUDIBLE], I KNOW WE WORK A LOT TOGETHER.

I WILL SAY, NUMBER 1, WHEN I ENTERED THIS GROUP IN THIS POSITION, OUR OVERALL STAFF WAS AT 80% AND WE'RE NOW AT 85, WHICH GIVES A TESTAMENT TO HOW COMMITTED WE ARE TO OUR EMPLOYEES.

I KNOW THAT THAT'S REALLY NOT ALL US. IT'S LEGISLATIVE.

IT'S THINGS, BUT THAT'S HOW WE ENSURE THAT WE KEEP AND RETAIN OUR STAFF.

THAT'S THE NUMBER 1 THING BESIDES OUR KIDS, OBVIOUSLY.

I SAW MANY DIFFERENT THINGS ABOUT HOUSTON WITH 150 LAYOFFS, AND THEY'VE ALSO BEEN RECAPTURED, ET CETERA.

I COMMEND YOU FOR KEEPING OUR BOARD IN OUR DISTRICT WITH THE DOLLARS IN LINE.

ALSO WITH ENROLLMENT, I REMEMBER LAST YEAR, EVEN AFTER IT WAS A WEEK AFTER WE BEGAN,

[01:20:02]

I APPRECIATE THAT YOU KEEP THE NUMBERS STILL NOMINAL SO THAT WE HAVE SOME ROOM. THE SR FUNDS.

WHEN WE NEEDED THE BEHAVIORAL SPECIALTIST AND I REMEMBER DISTINCTIVELY AT MARY O, THERE WAS A GENTLEMAN THAT CAME IN AND EVEN WROTE A BOOK ABOUT IT AND WAS HELPING WITH THE KIDS.

THOSE WERE POSITIONS THAT WE FOUND MOST NECESSARY, SO WE HAD NO CHOICE, AND NOW WE'RE ROLLING THEM IN.

WHEN I HEAR DR. SCOTT AND EVERYONE, WE SPEAK ABOUT, AND MS. NEWSOME, ET CETERA, THAT WE'RE GOING TO FEEL IT.

IT IS VERY VITAL THAT WE SPEAK OUT TO OUR LEGISLATIVE.

THEY'RE OVERBOARD, AND THAT'S WHY FROM THE TEA AND THIS BOARD RIGHT HERE, OBVIOUSLY IS IN A LAWSUIT, BUT THAT'S ALSO WHY WE PUT THE RESOLUTION IN FOR NO VOUCHERS.

WE CONTINUE TO FIGHT, BUT AS WE ALWAYS SAY, IT TAKES A VILLAGE, SO IT TAKES ALL OF US AND THE MORE THAT WE CAN GET DOWN THERE WITH THEM.

I LOOK AT SLIDE 12 AND 13.

MS. FARRAR HAD ACTUALLY POINTED IT OUT, BUT THE ONE THING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT IS ON CAMPUS.

WE'RE STILL SPENDING SIX CENTS JUST AS THEY ARE OVER THE STATE, AND YET THEY'RE SPENDING DOUBLE IN LEADERSHIP AND WE'RE SPENDING TWO PENNIES.

IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO SHOW THAT WE INVEST IN OUR PEOPLE EVEN AT THE CAMPUS LEVEL HIGHER.

THE OTHER THING IS ON PAGE 27 WITH THE MISD 63K IN PHYSICIANS ASSISTANCE.

LIKE ALL OF THE THINGS, PEOPLE BROUGHT THEM UP, $100 EXTRA FOR OBVIOUS INSURANCE.

THE 63K THAT WE DID IN MISD, IS THE HIGHEST IN THE STATE RIGHT NOW, WHAT WE PAY TEACHERS TO RETAIN THEM.

PHYSICIANS ASSISTANTS, SO THAT THEY ALWAYS HAVE SOMEONE TO CALL.

IT'S ON THE WEBSITE, THEY CAN GO AT ANY TIME OF THE DAY IN CHILDCARE.

THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT THE LEGISLATIVE IS NOT EVEN LOOKING AT TEACHER RETENTION.

HERE WE HAVE FOUR THINGS ON ONE SLIDE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO TO ENSURE THAT WE KEEP THOSE.

IF WE LOOK AT ALSO OUR POLICY ON SR FUNDS, NONE OF US UP HERE RUN A HOUSEHOLD ON A DEFICIT BUDGET.

WHEN WE LOOKED AT THAT, I COMMENDED YOU AND YOUR TEAMS BEING ABLE TO CUT PLACES AND BEING ABLE TO MOVE THINGS AROUND, BUT WE HAVE OVER 33% IN THAT, AND OUR POLICY IS REALLY ONLY 17-25.

WE'RE GOING TO BE OVER, I CALCULATED TO 31 SOMETHING PERCENT STILL, EVEN WITH THE ONLY THREE MILLION THAT WE'RE GOING TO UTILIZE JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GIVE THAT 3% RAISE.

WE'VE SEEN IT AROUND THE STATE THAT THEY'RE NOT GIVING RAISES OR THEY'RE GIVING 1-2 PERCENT, SO WE'LL BE IN THE HIGHEST ON TOP OF OUR STARTING SALARY.

I'M VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THE DOLLARS THAT WE SPEND, IT'S OUR FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE DOING THE RIGHT THING FOR THIS COMMUNITY AND ALL OF THESE THINGS SHOW THAT WE'RE MOVING FORWARD.

WHENEVER MS. BROWNSON WAS TALKING, SHE SAID, GOOD STAFF, READY TO WORK FOR CHILDREN, AND I FEEL LIKE WE'RE FOCUSING ON THAT, AND WE'RE TRYING TO ENSURE WE HAVE THAT GOOD STAFF TO FOCUS ON CHILDREN.

I HAVE SO MUCH MORE LIKE PRE-K AND HOW WE'VE FINAGLED WITH THAT AS FAR AS GOING DOWN.

WHAT PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE IS WE'RE PAYING THE STAFF AND WE'RE NOT GETTING PAID THE AMOUNT FROM THE TEXAS STATE ANYMORE. THEY TOOK IT OFF.

WE WENT FROM HALF A DAY TO FULL DAY.

BUT WHAT THEY DON'T ALSO REALIZE IS WE ALSO HAD TO CUT OFF 400 KIDS TO DO THAT BECAUSE WE HAD AN EARLY MORNING AND THEN WE HAD A LATE MORNING.

HERE WE NOW ONLY HAVE TO HAVE KIDS THE WHOLE DAY, WHICH IS WHY IN SOME OF THAT BOND PROGRAMS AND OTHER PLACES, WE WERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW CAN WE BUILD MORE FOR PRE-K STAFFING.

I DON'T THINK PEOPLE REALIZE THAT.

ALREADY THE TEACHERS, AT LEAST WE CAN RETAIN THEM, BUT NOW WE'VE CUT CHILDREN AS WELL ALL BECAUSE OF TEXAS STATE.

I GUESS I'LL BE DONE, BUT THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS.

WE ALL SPOKE ABOUT THE THREE MILLION AND MEDICAID [INAUDIBLE] AND WE WENT DOWN FROM 4-2.

IT SEEMS LIKE WE KEEP HAVING TO DECREASE, DECREASE BECAUSE OF TEXAS STATE.

I'M SAYING THIS OUT THERE BECAUSE I DON'T THINK PEOPLE REALIZE BEHIND THE SCENES ALL THE ADJUSTMENTS THAT HAVE TO BE MADE.

[01:25:02]

IT'S A LOT. I APPRECIATE YOU, AND I APPRECIATE YOU ALWAYS PLANNING, AND I KNOW WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT NEXT YEAR.

[LAUGHTER] ANYWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> MS. THOMAS.

>> THANK YOU FOR BOTH PRESENTATIONS.

I THINK THEY WERE VERY INFORMATIVE, VERY DETAILED, AND I THINK THAT NEEDED TO BE COMMUNICATED.

THANK YOU BOTH FOR THAT.

ONE OF MY SLIDES THAT I LIKED WAS THE HEADLINE NEWS ARTICLES WHERE IT BASICALLY SAID, ALL OF OUR DISTRICTS ARE IN DIFFERENT STAGES, BUT THE COMMONALITY IS WE'RE ALL HAVING BUDGET ISSUES.

EVERYBODY UP THERE HAS A BUDGET ISSUE.

YOUR BUDGET ASSUMPTIONS, THEY'RE VERY CONSERVATIVE, AND I APPRECIATE THAT.

YOU'RE BASING IT 34 STUDENTS, SO WE'RE NOT BANKING ON INCOME THAT WE'RE PROBABLY NOT GOING TO GET, SO I APPRECIATE YOU BEING CONSERVATIVE THERE.

THEN IT TAKES A VILLAGE.

IT'S NOT JUST THE BOARD, IT'S JUST NOT THE ADMINISTRATION.

THERE ARE THINGS THAT OUR COMMUNITY CAN DO.

LIKE MS. FARRAR TOUCHED ON IT, IS ONE LITTLE THING THAT WE CAN ALL DO AS PARENTS IS MAKE SURE OUR KIDS ARE GOING TO SCHOOL, MAKE SURE THEY'RE THERE TO BUMP THAT ATTENDANCE RATE FROM 94-96.

WAY BACK WHEN I FIRST CAME ON THE BOARD, WE HAD A HIGH ATTENDANCE RATE.

I CAN REMEMBER BEING ALMOST 97%.

THAT'S BIG. IT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE.

THAT'S ONE LITTLE THING THAT WE CAN DO FOR THIS VILLAGE THAT WE ARE ALSO VERY PROUD OF AND BE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR PARENTS, GET OUR KIDS TO SCHOOL.

WE'VE TALKED ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'RE LACKING OR WHATEVER.

OUR LEGISLATORS NEED TO HEAR THAT.

THEY NEED IT BROKEN DOWN.

THEY DON'T WANT TO JUST HEAR US SAY WE NEED MORE FUNDING.

UP THE ALLOTMENT, THEY WANT TO KNOW WHY.

WHAT DO WE NEED IT FOR? BREAK IT DOWN.

YOU COULD PROBABLY REACH OUT AND SEND AN EMAIL TO ANYBODY ON THIS CABINET AND THEY CAN GIVE YOU A FEW THINGS.

WELL, STATE USED TO PAY FOR THIS, THEY DON'T ANYMORE. ASK THEM FOR THAT.

DETAIL IT OUT.

WE ARE GOING TO NEED HELP WITH THIS NEXT LEGISLATION.

I KNOW WE HAVE A TON OF FACEBOOK AND SOCIAL MEDIA WARRIORS OUT THERE BECAUSE I SEE YOUR POST HOURLY, SO I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE OUT THERE.

PLEASE TAKE THAT GIFT THAT YOU ALL HAVE OF EMAILING US CONSTANTLY AND PUT IT TO OUR LEGISLATION.

ASK US WHAT WE NEED.

WE'LL TELL YOU WHAT WE NEED HELP WITH, AND WE NEED PEOPLE SETTING BEHIND THE COMPUTER AND ADVOCATING FOR US, SO HELP US THAT WAY.

BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF YOU OUT THERE, I KNOW YOU DO BECAUSE WE GET THE EMAILS, WE SEE THE FACEBOOK POSTS.

WE COULD USE YOU TO HELP FIGHT FOR OUR KIDS BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE NEED.

WE NEED YOU ALL WORKING TOGETHER FOR THIS COMMUNITY BECAUSE IT TAKES A VILLAGE FIGHTING FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF OUR KIDS. THAT'S ALL I'M GOING TO SAY.

>> MR. TIPPING.

>> THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND ALL OF THE HARD WORK THAT WE KNOW HAS GONE INTO THIS BY YOU, BY ALL OF CABINET, AND SO FORTH.

I DON'T WANT TO BELABOR TOO MANY OF THE POINTS BECAUSE BEING LAST, THEY ALL SAID WHAT I WANTED TO SAY.

BUT I DO THINK WE NEED TO JUST REITERATE THE POINT THAT ALTHOUGH YES, WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET TO A BALANCED BUDGET, AND I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT AND VERY CRITICAL.

IT WASN'T WITHOUT PAIN TO GET THERE, IT WASN'T HAVING TO MAKE SOME TOUGH DECISIONS TO GET THERE.

ALTHOUGH WE WERE ABLE TO GET THERE THIS YEAR, WE SEE THE OUTLOOK FROM THESE OTHER DISTRICTS WHERE WE COULD BE HEADED IF THINGS DON'T CHANGE FROM THE LEGISLATURE AND SO FORTH.

IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED HAS GONE BACK TO, WE'VE GOT TO HAVE THE FUNDING TO BE ABLE TO DO THESE THINGS.

I MEAN, WE'RE MAKING MAGIC WORK HERE, BUT THAT MAGIC RUNS OUT AT SOME POINT.

JUST ONE THING THAT I WROTE DOWN HERE, YOU SAID, "WE FUND 20 MILLION MORE THAN WHAT THE STATE PROVIDES FOR SPED." I DON'T THINK PEOPLE REALIZE THAT HOW MUCH MORE WE SPEND THAN WHAT WE'RE ALLOTTED.

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT WE DO OUR BEST.

WE'RE TRYING, BUT AT SOME POINT, THAT'S GOING TO RUN OUT AND THOSE EVEN HARDER DECISIONS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE MADE, THAT DOCTOR SCOTT WAS TALKING ABOUT EARLIER.

WE WILL BE ADVOCATING FOR THAT FUNDING.

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THOSE TANGIBLE THINGS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT ABOUT GETTING KIDS IN THE CLASSROOM, EVERY DAY.

THOSE ARE TANGIBLE THINGS THAT WE ALL AS A COMMUNITY CAN WORK

[01:30:03]

BUT AGAIN, THANK YOU.

I KNOW THE HARD WORK THAT HAS BEEN PUT INTO THIS AND WE DEFINITELY APPRECIATE IT, AND WE'VE GOT CHARLES BACK WITH THIS, TOO.

WE'RE GOING TO DO OUR PART WITH IT. THANK YOU.

>> ACTUALLY, I GET TO GO LAST.

DO YOU WANT ME TO REPEAT EVERYTHING EVERYBODY SAID OR JUST WANT ME TO WRAP IT UP.

WELL, ACTUALLY, EVERYTHING LITERALLY EVERYONE DID SAY THIS EVENING I THINK WAS SUPER IMPORTANT, INCLUDING BOTH OF YOU GUYS WITH YOUR PRESENTATIONS.

IT WAS PAINFUL TO MAKE SOME OF THESE CUTS, I'M CERTAIN, AND I KNOW IT TOOK A LOT OF WORK FOR EVERYONE TO COME DOWN WITH IT.

BUT ALSO, I WANT TO RECOGNIZE YOU AND YOUR TEAM BECAUSE OF THE FACT OF YOUR FRUGALNESS GOING BACK TO THAT BUDGET.

WITH YOUR FRUGALNESS AND YOUR THINKING OF HOW TO MAKE SAVINGS LEADING UP TO WHAT WE DIDN'T KNOW WAS GOING TO HAPPEN HAS NOW SAVED US, SO TO SAY.

IT'S STILL NOT TAKING A CRUNCH TO THOSE ACCOUNTS.

IF PERCENTAGES MAY NOT WORK IN EVERYONE'S HEADS, WHEN WE SAY 25%, WHAT'S THAT? 25% OF WHAT? BUT WITH HAVING THE SURPLUS, THAT'S LIKE YOU SAID EARLIER, 22 MILLION IS SURPLUS, IS EXTRA IN OUR FUND BALANCE IN OUR RAINY DAY FUND.

THAT'S THANKS TO YOU GUYS AND ALSO WITH THE CAPITAL AND THE WORKERS' COMP.

AGAIN, THEY'RE STILL WELL CUSHIONED.

IT'S BEEN AN ONGOING SAVINGS ON YOUR PART AND WORK AND THINKING AHEAD OF THE GAME.

BECAUSE OF THAT, WE ARE ABLE, AS I THINK ALMOST EVERYONE HAS STATED, MAYBE WE CAN SAY IT AGAIN REALLY FOR THE PUNCH LINE IS A 3% RAISE WITH THE INCREASE THANKS TO THE INCREASE THAT WE'VE GOT HANDED TO US AT A 9.5% INCREASE ON THE INSURANCE RATES.

WE CAN DO A $350 GO UP TO AND NOT MAKE ANY KINDS ON OUR POSITIONS.

I'D ALSO LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT WE HAVE NOT ONLY JUST GAINED THE CHILDREN THE NUMBERS AND CHILDREN THAT WE LOST DURING COVID, WHICH A LOT OF PEOPLE STILL HAVE NOT.

BUT WE CAPTURED THEM, SO TO SAY.

THEN WE ALSO INCREASED OUR STUDENT POPULATION.

WAS IT INCREASING AS IT WAS IN THE PAST? WELL, NO, BUT THAT WAS ALSO WHEN WE WERE OPENING UP FIVE SCHOOLS A YEAR BECAUSE AT THE TIME, WE WERE BUILDING EVERYWHERE.

ACCORDING TO THE CITY, WE'RE ABOUT TO HIT SOME MORE BOOMS LIKE THAT.

MAYBE NOT QUITE AS MANY AS IT USED TO BE BECAUSE THERE'S NOT THAT MUCH SPACE LEFT, BUT THERE IS SOME MORE BUILDING COMING.

WE ARE A BLESSED DISTRICT AND A VERY FORTUNATE DISTRICT BECAUSE OF OUR STAFF AND ALSO BECAUSE OF OUR COMMUNITY, AND WE ARE A PLACE THAT PEOPLE WANT TO BE AND LIVE, AND SO WE GET TO KEEP GROWING AT A TIME LIKE THIS.

AGAIN, THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL THIS WORK.

IT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU DIDN'T DO OVERNIGHT.

LIKE I SAID, A LOT OF THIS CAME FOR YEARS OF YOU TAKING THE TIME TO LOOK FORWARD.

THANK YOU, MICHELLE, AND THANK YOU TO THE REST OF THE TEAM.

THAT'S EVERYONE UP HERE AND THEN YOUR TEAMS ALSO BECAUSE I KNOW IT TOOK EVERYONE IN THE LONG RUN TO DO WHAT YOU'VE DONE. WE APPRECIATE YOU.

>> THANK YOU. THANK YOU, TEAM.

IS A TEAM EFFORT. THANK YOU.

YOU ARE RIGHT. ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO ADD? IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY BASED ON THEIR COMMENTS OR ANYTHING?

>> THANK YOU GUYS. YOU DID A GREAT JOB.

IT FEELS LIKE CAPTURED IT REALLY WELL.

>> I GUESS WE'RE DONE. THANK YOU.

>> I THINK WE'RE GOOD. WELL, YOU CAN TELL WE'RE SUPER EXCITED FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE OR WE WOULD HAVE ALL HAD SO MUCH TO SAY.

WE WILL NOW MOVE ON TO ITEM 7, OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS.

[7. Public Comments]

YOU CAN REGISTER TO SPEAK UP UNTIL ONE O'CLOCK THE DAY OF THE BOARD MEETING.

BEFORE I CALL THE TWO SPEAKERS THAT WE HAVE UP, I'LL JUST REMIND EVERYONE THAT THE CORRECT PROCEDURE FOR ADDRESSING THE BOARD DURING PUBLIC COMMENTS IS AS FOLLOWS: EACH SPEAKER SHOULD ADDRESS THE BOARD FROM THE PODIUM MICROPHONE AND STATE HIS OR HER NAME BEFORE SPEAKING, ALL SPEAKERS WILL BE LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES TO MAKE COMMENTS REGARDING ITEMS ON THE AGENDA UNLESS MODIFIED BY THE BOARD PRESIDENT BASED ON BOARD POLICY BED LOCAL, COPIES OF THE PRESENTATION SHOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE TO ALL TRUSTEES AND THE SUPERINTENDENT, BOARD POLICY PROHIBITS A DISCUSSION OR COMPLAINTS AGAINST DISTRICT EMPLOYEES DURING AN OPEN FORUM.

OUR FIRST SPEAKER THIS EVENING IS TAMALA MALTRY. DID I SAY IT CORRECTLY?

[01:35:08]

>> NO.

>> I'M SORRY.

>> THAT'S OKAY.

>> YOU CAN CORRECT ME THOUGH. LET'S DO IT.

>> IT'S TAMALA MALTRY.

>> I ALMOST SAID THAT.

>> GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. I HAVE COPIES, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF I HAVE MANY COPIES FOR EVERYONE.

>> THAT'S OKAY. I WILL SAY ANYTHING.

>> GIVE THE AROUND SO THAT I CAN [INAUDIBLE] THREE MINUTES.

I JUST WANT TO SAY BEFORE I START, I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO EVERYTHING AND I KNOW THAT WHAT I'M ABOUT TO REQUEST IS GOING TO REQUIRE FUNDING, BUT I STILL WANT TO MAKE MY REQUEST, SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE THAT KNOWN.

FIRST, AGAIN, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE SCHOOL BOARD FOR ALLOWING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT AN ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING TOO FREQUENTLY.

WE'RE LOSING TOO MANY STUDENTS TO SENSELESS DEATHS FROM GUN VIOLENCE IN THE US.

WE AS PARENTS, SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION, AND COMMUNITY MUST GET AHEAD OF THIS TO MINIMIZE OR ALLEVIATE THESE TRAGIC DEATHS FROM OCCURRING IN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT AND COMMUNITY.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION CREDITS ARE A REQUIREMENT FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 12TH GRADE.

MY REQUEST THIS EVENING IS FOR THE MISD BOARD TO SUBMIT A REQUEST TO INCORPORATE A MENTAL HEALTH COURSE OR COURSES AS A REQUIREMENT FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AS A STARTING POINT.

ADDING A MENTAL HEALTH COURSE TO THE CURRICULUM WILL NOT SOLVE EVERY PROBLEM, BUT IT WILL BE A GREAT STARTING POINT.

AFTER THE MOST RECENT STUDENT GUN VIOLENCE AT BOWIE HIGH SCHOOL IN ARLINGTON, IT PROMPTED ME TO SEE THE URGENCY IN SPEAKING WITH MISD BOARD TO SUGGEST ADDING A MENTAL HEALTH COURSE TO THE CURRICULUM AS A REQUIREMENT.

WHENEVER THERE IS A SCHOOL SHOOTING, USUALLY THE NEXT DAY, COUNSELORS ARE IMMEDIATELY CALLED UPON TO ASSIST.

IT IS A GREAT RESOURCE, HOWEVER, WE NEED TO GET AHEAD OF IT INSTEAD OF BEHIND IT.

INCORPORATING A MENTAL HEALTH COURSE WILL GIVE THE STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MENTAL HEALTH LITERACY TO HELP YIELD MENTAL WELL-BEING.

IF MENTAL HEALTH IS TAUGHT AT SCHOOL, IT COULD HELP SOME OF THESE ANGRY KIDS LEARN TO PROCESS THEIR ANGER WITHOUT SHOOTING SOMEBODY, COULD HELP SOME OF THE KIDS REALIZE THAT TAKING DRUGS, COMMITTING SUICIDE, AND EXPERIENCING MAJOR NEGLECT IS NOT A REASON TO HARM THEMSELVES OR ANYONE ELSE.

I MENTIONED NEGLECT BECAUSE UNFORTUNATELY, EVERY STUDENT DOES NOT HAVE A HEALTHY FAMILY ENVIRONMENT.

I THINK PARENTS SHOULD BE HELD MORE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE MISBEHAVIOR OF THEIR CHILDREN THAT ARE ATTENDING PRE-K THROUGH 12TH GRADE, ESPECIALLY IN HIGH SCHOOL.

I BELIEVE IF PARENTS ARE HELD MORE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE OFFENSES OF THEIR CHILDREN, DEPENDING ON THE SEVERITY OF THE OFFENSE OR MISBEHAVIOR, THIS WOULD CHANGE THINGS AS WELL.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE CRUMBLEY CASE FOR THE OXFORD HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING IN MICHIGAN.

THE MICHIGAN SCHOOL SHOOTER'S PARENTS WERE SENTENCED TO TEN YEARS IN PRISON FOR THE MISSED OPPORTUNITIES THAT COULD HAVE PREVENTED THEIR TEENAGE SON FROM POSSESSING A GUN AND KILLING FOUR STUDENTS IN 2021.

I TRULY BELIEVE THAT DISCIPLINE STARTS AT HOME, BUT THE SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY MUST CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE A SAFER ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR CHILDREN WHILE ATTENDING SCHOOL.

OUR KIDS ARE SUPPOSED TO GO TO SCHOOL TO ACQUIRE AN EDUCATION.

I AM SURE NO PARENT IN THIS ROOM WANTS TO GET THAT PHONE CALL THAT THEIR CHILD HAS BEEN SHOT OR KILLED FROM GUN VIOLENCE AT SCHOOL.

SCHOOL SHOULD BE A SAFE PLACE.

AGAIN, MY REQUEST TO THE MISD SCHOOL BOARD, PLEASE ELECT TO INCORPORATE MENTAL HEALTH COURSES AS A REQUIREMENT FOR AT LEAST ONE OR TWO SEMESTERS STARTING WITH HIGH SCHOOL.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION IS A GRADED REQUIREMENT FOR CURRICULUM, BUT MENTAL HEALTH SHOULD BE INCLUDED AS WELL FOR TOTAL WHOLENESS OF THE BODY.

WE NEED SOMETHING MORE THAN METAL DETECTORS, WE NEED MENTAL HEALTH COURSES AS A PART OF REQUIRED CURRICULUM TO CHANGE THE WAY THE STUDENTS THINK. THANK YOU.

>> THANK YOU, MS. [INAUDIBLE].

OUR SECOND SPEAKER IS SHETTIMA FRANCIS.

>> [NOISE] HI. GOOD EVENING.

MY NAME IS SHETTIMA FRANCIS, AND I'M A RESIDENT OF MANSFIELD.

MY CHILDREN ATTEND MANSFIELD ISD SCHOOLS.

[NOISE] FIRST OFF, I JUST WANT TO SAY, I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THE CANVASSING OF THE VOTES BECAUSE THAT'S LATER ON THE AGENDA.

BUT CONGRATULATIONS TO DR. CRITCHFIELD.

WE ARE SO PROUD TO HAVE YOU AND WE KNOW THAT YOU'RE GOING TO REPRESENT US WITH INTEGRITY GOING FORWARD.

NOW, I REALLY LIKED MS. BROWNSON'S TALK AND MS. TRONGAARD, I THINK THE SUBJECT WAS SUPER SALIENT.

I PULLED SOME BIG TAKEAWAYS.

NOW, NOT MUCH BECAUSE THE PRESENTATIONS WEREN'T POSTED UNTIL LATER THIS AFTERNOON.

I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT, THAT THIS BOARD HAS A POLICY.

[01:40:01]

THE BOARD MEMBERS HAVE TO GET THEIR PACKETS WITHIN 72 HOURS, ANYTHING THAT IS NOT PERSONNEL-RELATED OR CONFIDENTIAL IS ALSO SUPPOSED TO GO OUT TO THE PUBLIC AS WELL, WE ALL HAVE A RIGHT TO REVIEW THAT INFORMATION WITH ADEQUATE AMOUNT OF TIME BEFOREHAND SO THAT WE CAN ASK INFORMATIVE QUESTIONS AND SPEAK FROM A PLACE OF UNDERSTANDING.

NOT A LAST MINUTE, WE GOT FIVE MINUTES TO GLANCE AT IT BEFORE IT GOT UPLOADED.

JUST TO START WITH, WE NEED YOU GUYS TO ABIDE BY THE POLICIES THAT YOU VOTED TO APPROVE, HOLD YOURSELVES TO YOUR OWN STANDARD.

NOW, THE BIG TAKEAWAYS ON WHAT SHE POINTED OUT IS WHAT OUR LEGISLATURE IS DOING.

I THOUGHT YOU ALL WERE LIKE, OH, WE'RE JUST SUFFERING UNDER THE BRUNT OF THIS.

LET'S KEEP IN MIND THOSE PEOPLE ARE ELECTED, THEY ARE VOTING AND MAKING DECISIONS ALONG PARTY LINES.

WHEN YOU AS BOARD MEMBERS SUPPORT THOSE TYPE OF POSITIONS THAT ARE DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED TO PUBLIC EDUCATION, THAT'S A LITTLE BIT HARD AS A TRUSTEE.

HOW DO YOU DO THAT? HOW DO YOU CAMPAIGN, SUPPORT, AND BOOTSTOMP FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE LITERALLY TAKING THE DOLLARS AWAY FROM OUR EDUCATION, WHO ARE LITERALLY VOTING TO DEFUND MEDICARE? THAT'S WHY OUR SARS IS GETTING THAT BIG HIT.

NOW, I DON'T THINK THAT MONEY SHOULD GO TO THE GENERAL FUND, BUT IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME AND EVERYBODY'S DONE IT AND IT'S A COMMON SCHOOL BOARD PRACTICE.

BUT KEEP IN MIND, [NOISE] THOSE FUNDS WERE GIVEN TO YOU FOR STUDENTS WHO QUALIFIED FOR MEDICAID AND YOU ARE NOW USING THEM FOR WHATEVER ELSE, AND THEN NOT GIVING THEM TO THE SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS WHO REALLY ARE PROBABLY YOUR MEDICAID RECIPIENTS WHO ARE ENTITLED TO THE FUNDS TO COME BACK AND SAY, OH, HEY, WELL, WE GAVE THEM AN EXTRA 20 MILL OR WHATEVER.

NO, YOU SIPHONED OFF OF REALLY WHAT WAS THEIR MONEY TO BEGIN WITH.

I UNDERSTAND IT'S COMMON FINANCIAL BOARD PRACTICES AND THAT'S WHAT'S BEEN DONE, BUT LET'S JUST KEEP IT REAL AND SAY THAT'S WHAT IT IS.

AGAIN, THE EFFECT ON THIS STRAIGHT PARTY LINES IN OUR LEGISLATURE, THEY WANT TO TAKE OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDS AND GIVE OUT SCHOOL VOUCHERS SO THAT PEOPLE CAN GO TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS.

AS A TRUSTEE, YOU SHOULDN'T WANT TO SUPPORT THESE PEOPLE.

>> THANK YOU, MS. FRANCIS.

>> YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO WHAT YOUR POSITION IS.

>> THANK YOU, MS. FRANCIS.

>>.THIS TAKES US TO ITEM 8,

[8. Human Resources Report ]

MAY I PLEASE RECEIVE A MOTION ON 8.1, OUR NEW HIRES FOR BOARD APPROVAL?

>> SO MOVED.

>> SECOND.

>> WE HAVE A MOTION MADE BY MS. [INAUDIBLE] AND A SECOND, I BELIEVE, BY MS. ANDERSON, IS THAT CORRECT? DID ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING THEY WOULD LIKE TO ASK? NO. SEEING NONE, MAY I PLEASE SEE A SHOW OF HANDS FOR ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION? MOTION PASSES SEVEN TO ZERO.

GIVE ME 1 SECOND TO GET, I GOT KICKED OFF THE WIFI HERE, AND I NEED TO PULL UP MY THING FOR THE NEXT ITEM.

[9. Canvass the Votes of the May 4, 2024, Board of Trustees General Election for Place 1 and Place 2 and Special Election]

YES. TRUSTEES, IT'S JUST ME, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT.

IT WAS FICKLED, WHEN I GOT HERE, KEPT SHUTTING DOWN ON ME.

TRUSTEES, AFTER THE RESOLUTION FOR THE BOND, WE HAVE THE CUMULATIVE REPORT ON YOUR ATTACHMENTS ON THE AGENDA, AND THAT SHOULD BE THE NUMBERS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.

I'LL GIVE EVERYONE A SECOND TO REVIEW THOSE NUMBERS REALLY QUICK, AND THEN WE WILL CANVASS THEM BY ANNOUNCING THEM.

[BACKGROUND].

[01:45:37]

IT SAYS JC AND TC COMBINED, MEANING JOHNSON AND TARRANT COUNTY.

IT WAS THE SECOND ATTACHMENT, AFTER THE COVER SHEET.

WE'LL START WITH OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES PLACE 1, MICHELLE NEWSOM, RECEIVING 6,077 VOTES, WHICH IS 59.56%, MATTHEW HERZBERG, RECEIVING 4,127 VOTES, WHICH IS 40.44%, WHICH LEAVES US WITH MICHELLE NEWSOM WINNING PLACE 1.

WELCOME BACK, MS. NEWSOM, AS IF YOU WENT SOMEWHERE.

FOR PLACE 2, THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES RACE, JANDEL CRUTCHFIELD RECEIVED 6,348 VOTES AT 63.28% OF THE VOTES.

ANGEL HIDALGO RECEIVED 3,684 VOTES, WHICH IS 36.72% OF THE VOTES RESULTING IN JANDEL CRUTCHFIELD WINNING PLACE 2 ON THE BALLOT.

SHE WILL BE JOINING US ON THE 28TH AS SHE HAS SWORN IN AT THAT TIME.

MS. NEWSOM WILL ALSO BE SWORN IN AGAIN ON THE 28TH.

WE MOVE TO OUR PROPOSITION A FOR OUR BOND ELECTION.

THE FOR VOTES WERE 5,838 AT 54.38% OF THE VOTES.

THE AGAINST NUMBERS WERE 4,897, RESULTING IN 45.62% OF THE VOTES.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR TEAM AND OUR COMMUNITY.

PROPOSITION A PASSES.

PROPOSITION B WITH FOR VOTES AT 5,662 52.91% AGAINST 5,039, WHICH IS 47.09%.

AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS, EVERYONE.

PROPOSITION B PASSES.

PROPOSITION C HAD 4,739 VOTES AT 44.34% FOR AND 5,949 VOTES AT 55.66% AGAINST.

PROPOSITION C DID NOT PASS.

PROPOSITION D, 5,122 VOTES AT 47.91% FOR, 5,568 VOTES AT 52.09% AGAINST.

PROPOSITION D DID NOT PASS.

PROPOSITION E, WE HAD 4,633, WHICH IS 43.49% VOTES FOR, 6,019, WHICH IS 56.51% AGAINST.

PROPOSITION E DID NOT PASS.

THAT IS ALL WE HAVE FOR DECLARATION, SO TO SAY, ON OUR CANVASSING AND ALL THAT WE HAVE TO DO AS FAR AS THAT GOES.

I'M HOPING THE LADIES IN THE ROOM ARE EXCITED BECAUSE I KNOW IT WAS QUITE A CAMPAIGN SEASON.

WE WILL MOVE TO ITEM 10 BUSINESS ITEMS REQUIRING BOARD ACTION.

[OVERLAPPING] I'M SORRY. SAY IT AGAIN?

>> DO WE NEED TO VOTE ON THEM?

>> NO, WE'RE JUST CANVASSING.

>> IS IT POSSIBLE?

>> THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION, DR. REED.

I KNOW IT'S I THINK TECHNICALLY YOUR FIRST TIME TO DO IT, CORRECT? FOR THOSE INVOLVED, CANVASSING HAS ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTING TO ME.

WE'RE LITERALLY JUST VERIFYING AND READING OFF THE NUMBERS THAT WE WERE GIVING FROM THE COUNTIES.

IT DOESN'T EVEN TAKE A QUORUM AND WE DON'T NECESSARILY VOTE ON IT.

WE JUST REVIEW OF THEM, SO TO SAY. SAY SOMETHING.

>> I JUST WANTED TO SAY, MADAM PRESIDENT, YOU DID SAY IT WAS QUITE A BIT OF A CAMPAIGN SEASON.

I WANTED TO CONGRATULATE BOTH OF THE LADIES,

[01:50:04]

I DO WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE ACKNOWLEDGE IT WAS A DIFFICULT CAMPAIGN SEASON.

WE PRAY THAT GOING FORWARD, WE WON'T HAVE THOSE SAME TYPES OF ISSUES.

I AM COMMITTED TO ENSURING THAT WE AS A BOARD REPRESENT MISD VERY WELL AND THAT WE ENSURE THAT WE TREAT EACH OTHER WITH THE RESPECT AND DIGNITY THAT WE WANT OUR KIDS TO DO.

I WANT TO APOLOGIZE FOR ALL OF THE INCONSISTENCIES AND THINGS THAT WERE HAPPENING, BUT WE ARE COMMITTED TO UPHOLDING THE UPMOST INTEGRITY.

WE CAN SEE WITH THE PROPOSITIONS PASSING.

MS. [INAUDIBLE] HAS SAID THAT HAS HELPED TREMENDOUSLY, SO WE CAN SERVE OUR KIDS WELL.

I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT TO THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU.

[10. Business Items Requiring Board Action]

>> WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM 10.1 UNDER OUR BUSINESS ITEMS REQUIRING BOARD ACTION IS RESOLUTION NUMBER 24-18, CONSIDER ALL MATTERS INCIDENT AND RELATED TO DECLARING EXPECTATION TO REIMBURSE EXPENDITURES WITH PROCEEDS OF FUTURE DEBT, INCLUDING THE ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION PERTAINING THERE TOO.

MAY I PLEASE RECEIVE A MOTION.

>> MOTION.

>> WHO WAS THAT, MS. THOMAS? A MOTION MADE BY MS. THOMAS, IS THERE A SECOND?

>> SECOND.

>> WHO WAS THAT? SECOND MADE BY DR. REED.

IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS REGARDING THIS TOPIC? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, MAY I PLEASE SEE A SHOW OF HANDS? THE MOTION PASSES 7:0.

WE HAVE ONE ITEM IN CONSENT,

[11. Consent Agenda ]

IN THAT CASE, DOES ANYBODY NEED TO DISCUSS THE ITEM? THEN WITH THAT, I WILL SEE A SHOW OF HANDS FOR ALL THOSE THAT APPROVE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA AS PRESENTED.

THE CONSENT AGENDA IS APPROVED AND VOTED ON UNANIMOUSLY 7:0.

THIS BRINGS US TO THE END OF OUR CALLED MEETING.

WE WILL NOW ADJOURN AT 8:51 PM.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.