[00:00:04]
BEFORE. MEETING BEGAN. WE ASKED THAT EVERYONE PLEASE SILENCE YOUR CELLPHONES. THE FORT BEING.
ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEE MEETING IS AN OPEN MEETING FOR THE PUBLIC TO OBSERVE THE BOARD CONDUCTING DISTRICT BUSINESS. THEREFORE PATRIOTS MAY ONLY ADDRESS THE BOARD DURING THE DESIGNATED AUDIENCE ITEM SECTION ON THE AGENDA. IF YOU ARE PRINTING MATERIALS YOU WANT TO GIVE TO BOARD MEMBERS. YOU MUST PROVIDE THEM TO ME OR ANY OFFICER PRESENT AND WE WILL PROVIDE THEM TO THE BOARD. WE ALSO ASKED THAT MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE BE RESPECTFUL OF OTHERS BY REMAINING QUIET SO THAT EVERYONE IS ABLE TO HEAR THE PROCEEDINGS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, OFFICER WALTON. THE TIME IS 6 P.M. AND THIS MEETING IS HEREBY CALLED TO ORDER. WE HAVE THE PRESENCE OF A QUORUM ATTENDING IN PERSON NOTICE OF THIS MEETING HAS BEEN POSTED ONLINE AND AT THE FOUR B IC ADMINISTRATION BUILDING FOR AT LEAST 72 HOURS. FIRST WE'RE GONNA HAVE A NATIONAL ANTHEM.
IT'S PERFORMED BY THE KEPNER HIGH SCHOOL BAND ENSEMBLE. PLEASE STAND.
THANK YOU. KOR HIGH SCHOOL. PLEASE REMAIN STANDING FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE.
[4. Recognitions ]
NEXT. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A RECOGNITION. UM MISS SMITH. I'M GONNA TURN THIS OVER TO YOU.THANK YOU. PRESIDENT DAY BEFORE WE BEGIN TONIGHT'S RECOGNITIONS. WE HAVE A SPECIAL PRESENTATION THIS EVENING FROM STUDENTS WHO ATTEND HUNTER'S GLEN ELEMENTARY LITERARY LITERARY CENTER. THIS UH, THESE STUDENTS WILL BE PRESENTING A PORTION OF THEIR BLACK HISTORY PROGRAM. STUDENTS CREATED THIS DURING THEIR THEATER OUTCLASS. THE PRESENTATIONS ARE IN THE STUDENT'S OWN WORDS AND BASED ON THEIR LEARNING ABOUT THIS BROAD AND RICH CULTURE HERE TONIGHT ARE JONATHAN CHU KUMA. MUSU CONTE, JOSHUA GRAHAM, ARIEL WPA, PADEN SPENCER, AND THEY ARE JOINED BY THEIR TEACHERS KATIE CLAYTON AND SARAH BASINGER. I. THAT IS. OH THANK YOU. KIND
[00:05:08]
WONDERFUL, SIR. WE READ A PIECE CALLED ALL BECAUSE YOU MATTER AND STUDENTS WERE ASKED. WHY DO YOU BETTER? AND SO THE ANSWERS THAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO HEAR ARE WHAT THE STUDENTS HAVE CONSTRUCTED. THEY ARE PART OF A LARGER PRESENTATION THEY'RE GOING TO BE GIVING ON THURSDAY AT HUNTER LYNN 8:30 A.M. COME JOIN US. ALL RIGHT, MY FRIENDS. ARE WE PREPARED? OK STRONG, PROUD ACTOR VOICES DO YOU WANT TO USE THE MIC? OK? OK? WE WILL. I'M OUT OF IT BECAUSE I'M GOOD AT DRAWING. I MARRIED BECAUSE, UH, MY TEACHER. MARRIED BECAUSE I'M PRETTY. I WILL, BECAUSE I RESPECTFUL. SO THIS IS JUST A SMALL SELECTION OF OUR FRIENDS WHO ARE GOING TO BE PRESENTING ALL OF THE REASONS THAT THEY MATTER ON THURSDAY AT HUNTER'S, GLEN. VERY NICE, MY FRIENDS TAKE A BOW, PLEASE. PAST AND SUPERINTENDENT CAN YOU PLEASE COME FORWARD AND WE'LL TAKE LIKE TO TAKE A GROUP PHOTO. AND YOU KNOW YOU HAVE THAT TOO. YEAH, YEAH.I NEED TO GO TO THE FRONT. THANK YOU. AT THIS TIME, WE'D LIKE TO WELCOME BACK THE KEMPNER HIGH SCHOOL BAND ENSEMBLE. I. OK AT THIS TIME, WE'D LIKE TO WELCOME BACK THE KEMPNER HIGH SCHOOL BAND ENSEMBLE WHO, UH, PLAY THE BEAUTIFUL NATIONAL ANTHEM THIS MORNING. UH, THIS EVENING. ENSEMBLE INCLUDES MEMBERS LEVI LEVITICUS CANO, ANGELICA LOPEZ, AARON LIU, ALISON PHAM, REBECCA MARTINEZ, TOM W, BAUCH W, MEGAN, WHO'S IN ORDER LAND AND TRAN, A LUCIANA MARTINEZ, THOMAS JUAREZ AND DIRECTOR POP WROTE. STUDENTS IF YOU CAN COME BACK, AND WE'RE GONNA TAKE A GROUP PHOTO. WELL. MM.
NEXT WE'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE COMMONWEALTH ELEMENTARY. COMMONWEALTH ELEMENTARY WAS SELECTED AS THE NUMBER ONE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN TEXAS BY THE NONPROFIT CHILDREN AT RISK ORGANIZATION. THE RECOGNITION IS BASED ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, SCHOOL PERFORMANCE AND STUDENT GROWTH HERE TONIGHT TO REPRESENT COMMONWEALTH ELEMENTARY IS PRINCIPAL LETICIA BOGLE AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL CINDY SNYDER.
[00:10:13]
CONGRATULATIONS. FOUR STUDENTS FROM ELKINS HIGH SCHOOL WERE SELECTED TO COMPETE IN NASA'S TECH RISE STUDENT CHALLENGE. THE TEAM IS ONE OF 60. WINNING TEAMS NATIONWIDE. THESE STUDENTS ARE A PART OF THE ENGINEERING ACADEMY. THEIR FOCUS IS ON AEROSPACE ENGINEERING. STUDENTS ARE RYAN BANDY, JASON NO THAN ESCOBEDO. SANTIAGO PACHECO AND TEACHER MISHA ADAMS. CONGRATULATIONS.OH, AND I BELIEVE A PRINCIPLE IS TO COME UP FOR THE PHOTO, PLEASE.
CONGRATULATIONS. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
NEXT UP DIRECTOR OF FINE ARTS IS HERE. JIM DREW TO PRESENT THE TEXAS ALLSTATE BAND CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA RECOGNITIONS. SO THE FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE THE 45 OUTSTANDING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT MUSICIANS SELECTED THIS YEAR BY COMPETITIVE AUDITION FOR THE TEXAS ALL STATE BAND CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA SPONSORED BY THE TEXAS MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION.
STUDENTS ARE CHO CHOSEN FOR THIS HONOR OF PARTICIPATING IN A SERIES OF RIGOROUS AUDITIONS BEGINNING IN SEPTEMBER AND CONCLUDING IN JANUARY OVER 70,000 STUDENTS INITIALLY ENTERED THE COMPETITION PROCESS WITH ONLY 1875 STUDENTS OR APPROXIMATELY 2% EARNING A SEAT IN ONE OF THE 18 ALL STATE ENSEMBLES. SO LET'S CONGRATULATE THESE STUDENT MUSICIANS, THEIR TEACHERS AND THEIR PARENTS. SO FOR THE ALLSTATE BAND FROM AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL, WE HAVE JAYLEN AW, AND DIRECTOR AND DIRECTOR ADRIAN CASWELL. FROM CLEMENTS HIGH SCHOOL. WE HAVE JOSEPH BELLEW AND EVA COBB AND THEIR DIRECTORS JEFF JOHNSON, LESLIE FLYNN AND BRIAN WAITS.
FROM DULLES HIGH SCHOOL. WE HAVE GABRIEL CLARK, CATHERINE HG AND ANA NWE AND THEIR DIRECTORS ARE NEEL DE AND SPENCER CLAYTON. FROM ELKINS HIGH SCHOOL. WE HAVE JACKSON PATE, JULIA WAY AND NEVIN ZINO AND THEIR DIRECTORS JOSEPH CHEN AND WILLIAM FEE. FROM GEORGE BUSH HIGH SCHOOL UMA ASHRAF AND THEIR DIRECTORS CARLOS CRUZ, JOANNE PROSY AND TOM MAGUIRE. FROM KEMPNER HIGH SCHOOL, LEVITICUS CANO AND HIS DIRECTOR, PAUL BRATT. AND FROM RIDGE POINT HIGH SCHOOL, SEBASTIAN ALVARADO AND HIS DIRECTOR ERIC WEINGARTNER. AND WE'LL TAKE A PICTURE WITH ALL THE BAND STUDENTS. IF YOU WANT TO COME DOWN IN FRONT OF THE DAIS AND LINE UP. AND DIRECTORS. YEAH. STUDENTS AND DIRECTORS. YES. AND PRINCIPLES.
THANK YOU. THIS IS LIKE MARCHING BAND. GET A WINDOW.
[00:15:04]
YEAH. ALL RIGHT, 123. WOW. ONE MORE 123. OK, SO NOW. RIGHT HERE. YES. RIGHT. EVERYBODY LOOKING AT THE CAMERA. WE TO ONE OR MORE. 321 THANK YOU. YEAH.YOU MEAN IT'S LIKE THE. AND NEXT WE HAVE ALL STATE CHOIR AND WE HAVE A RECORD NUMBER OF ALL STATE STUDENTS THIS YEAR AND ALL STATE CHOIR SO WE'RE HAPPY ABOUT THAT. YOU. TO SO FROM AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL, GRACIE PUG AND HER DIRECTOR, LINDA HOLK. FROM CLEMENTS HIGH SCHOOL. WE HAVE JIA GEORGE VICTORIA HUANG DNA, ROMERO. AND KEN WHEATLEY AND THEIR DIRECTORS JADE BLAKEY AND JUSTIN SHEN. FROM ELKINS HIGH SCHOOL. WE HAVE DAA GUARDO GUARDI SORRY, J JOSHI. MADISON PASCUAL. BRETT ROSNER AND EMILY ZITO AND THEIR DIRECTOR, JOHN RICHARDSON. FROM GEORGE BUSH HIGH SCHOOL. WE HAVE HOED SAVIA AND HIS DIRECTOR, MARINA MONS. FROM RIDGE POINT HIGH SCHOOL. WE HAVE ZACHARY MOCK AND HIS DIRECTOR, CHELSEA BERNER. AND FROM TRAVIS HIGH SCHOOL, SHELBY MORITZ. AND NOEL PAPA. AND THEIR DIRECTOR, DAN MINOR. COME BACK FOR A PICTURE. AND FIRST OF ALL, WE DON'T WANT TO THE PICTURE. YEAH. SORRY. GRAYSON. YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES, YEAH. AND WE DON'T AND I OK? THAT CALL GOOD. DON'T WE? ON MM. AND NOT YET COME IN. YEAH. YEAH. OK, AND THEN MORE AND MORE FOR ME, THE BIG CAMERA. ALL RIGHT, EVERYBODY LOOKING AT THE CAMERA. 21. ONE MORE 321 THANK YOU. YEAH. OK? AND FINALLY WE HAVE ALL STATE ORCHESTRA. E. THE MOVE THERE STILL FOUND IT. OK? FROM AUSTIN
[00:20:21]
HIGH SCHOOL. WE HAVE KEVIN CHEN. THE ZG. CHLOE LEE. AND CHRISTINA LEE. I'M SORRY. CHRISTINE LEE AND THEIR DIRECTOR, MATTHEW MADONIA. FROM CLEMENTS HIGH SCHOOL. WE HAVE ARION BORA.EMILY EFFENDI. AMANDA LEE. FELIX SHEN. ALEXANDER SONG. EMMA WANG. SAGE WONG. HENRY HU. ANDY ZOU.
AND THEIR DIRECTOR, NEIL SPRINGER. FROM DULLES HIGH SCHOOL. WE HAVE SHARON AYADI.
JOSHUA CHENG. LILLIAN LIA. AND KENDALL WU AND THEIR DIRECTOR, MICHAEL ISIDORE. AND FROM ELKINS HIGH SCHOOL. WE HAVE LAWRENCE FANG. AND LAWRENCE LONG. AND THEIR DIRECTOR. JOE GARCIA. BACK FOR THE PICTURE. COME BACK TO THE PICTURE. THAT OTHER PEOPLE. OK? WHERE YOU ARE.
OK? ONE. THAT. ONE. ONE. OK, RIGHT HERE. EVERYBODY LOOKING AT THE CAMERA. 321 AND MORE. TO ONE THANK YOU.
NEXT I'D LIKE TO INVITE DOCTOR LASHINDA PAGE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL COUNSELING AND ENRICHED OPPORTUNITIES TO PRESENT THE CREST RECOGNITIONS. GOOD AFTERNOON. TODAY WE ARE HERE TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR CONS OUR COUNSELORS FOR RECEIVING THE CREST AWARD, WHICH IS SPONSORED BY THE TEXAS SCHOOL COUNSELOR ASSOCIATION, AND AWARDED TO SCHOOL COUNSELING PROGRAMS THAT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS, CREST. CREST IS A CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT DOCUMENT THAT SCHOOL COUNSELING PROGRAMS CAN USE TO DEMONSTRATE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND A COMMITMENT TO OBTAINING RESULTS. SO FIRST WE HAVE ARIZONA FLEMING ELEMENTARY, MISS PARKER.
IF THE PRINCIPAL IS HERE, YOU CAN JOIN THEM FOR A PHOTO. YEAH. OH, YOU GUYS YOU.
[00:25:21]
OK, 21. MM. NEXUS CORNERSTONE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MISSY MASTERS. CORNERSTONE PRINCIPLE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN. OUR STAFF.MM. MHM. AND THE. ONE MISSION WEST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, KAREN POWELL AND STEPH YOU KNOW? MR PENA. MM. MMHM. MHM. MHM. MHM. NEXT WE HAVE SETTLERS WAY ELEMENTARY, MISS LE. UM. YEAH. NEXT. WE HAVE KRISTEN MCAULIFFE MIDDLE SCHOOL. MISS JONES, MISS LAKE AND MISS DOXY ARE THE COUNSELING TEAM.
DAVID CROCKETT MIDDLE SCHOOL. WE HAVE MR DANIELS, MISS MOORE AND MISS WILLIAMS PIERRE.
OH, MHM. MHM. FOR SETTLEMENT MIDDLE SCHOOL. WE HAVE MISS ANJO , MISS ARMADA AND MISS KENDRICK.
[00:31:02]
OR. NEXT. WE HAVE FIRST COLONY MIDDLE SCHOOL. MISS TANAKA, MISS N AND MISS LOONEY.NEXT. WE HAVE HODGES BENDS MIDDLE SCHOOL. MISS SHELTON, MISS BLACKMAN AND MISS STEWART.
YEAH. MM. RIGHT? MHM. YOU KNOW, AND. YOU. OR YOU. YOU.
NEXT. WE HAVE, UM JAMES BOWIE MIDDLE SCHOOL. WE HAVE THIS MARTIN, MISS JOHNSON AND MISS SMITH.
ALRIGHT. MHM. I 321 MORE. WE? WE . LIKE OLYMPIA MIDDLE SCHOOL. WE HAVE MISS BY MISS GOTTLIEB AND MISS SPENCER IS THE COUNSELING TEAM FOR LA O.
NEXT. WE HAVE MISSOURI CITY MIDDLE SCHOOL BEING REPRESENTED BY MS VAUGHN. THE COUNSELING
[00:35:04]
TEAM ALSO CONSISTS OF MISS SLY AND MISS SHAVER.31. ONE. RONALD THORNTON MIDDLE SCHOOL. WE HAVE MISS JEFFERSON, MISS TORRES AND MISS GREEN.
RIGHT? ONE. OK? NEXT. WE HAVE SIRSA MIDDLE SCHOOL. I. SO TASHA'S TEAM CURRENTLY CONSISTS OF MISS MELBY AND MISS LEPAGE. MHM. WE.
AND LAST, BUT NOT LEAST WE HAVE SUGAR LAND MIDDLE SCHOOL, MISS SMITH. MC WRIGHT AND MISS BRANSON. MHM.
MHM. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. THREE. THANK YOU TRUSTEES. FOR YOUR PATIENCE. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE A LOT OF GREAT THINGS HAPPENING IN FOR ISD. SO THIS IS OUR LAST GROUP OF RECOGNITIONS AND WE HAVE SIX FOURTH AND ISD TEACHERS WHO RECEIVE THEIR NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION AND TEACHING. THE PROGRAM IS A VOLUNTARY ADVANCED PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION FOR PRE K THROUGH 12 EDUCATORS THAT IDENTIFIES TEACHING EXPERTISE THROUGH A PERFORMANCE BASED PEER REVIEWED ASSESSMENT. NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION PROVIDES TEACHERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO HONE THEIR PRACTICE. DEMONSTRATE THE PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND REINFORCE THEIR DEDICATION TO THEIR STUDENTS AND THEIR CAREER. IF I CAN HAVE ALL OF THE TEACHERS UP AT ONE TIME AS I CALL YOUR NAME, AND WE'LL DO ONE GROUP PHOTO, THANK YOU. UH, FROM MADDEN ELEMENTARY. WE HAVE LINDSAY LEER. JOURNALIST MIDDLE MIDDLE CHILDHOOD. CATHERINE ROCKY, GENERALIST MIDDLE CHILDHOOD. FROM GARCIA MECO. WE HAVE KELSEY APPLEBEE MUSIC EARLY ADOLESCENCE TO YOUNG ADULTHOOD.
AMANDA SLUICE CAREER IN TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION, EARLY ADOLESCENCE TO YOUNG ADULTHOOD.
FROM RIDGE POINT HIGH SCHOOL. WE HAVE CASEY CAREY, MATHEMATICS, ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG ADULTHOOD.
AND LAST. WE HAVE LAUREN MARKLE, SCIENCE, ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG ADULTHOOD PRINCIPLES. CAN YOU PLEASE JOIN YOUR TEACHERS FOR A GROUP PHOTO?
[00:40:11]
DOESN'T. OK? I RECOGNIZE. SORRY. RIGHT HERE. LOOKING AT THE CAMERA 321. ONE MORE 21. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS. THIS CONCLUDES A RECOGNITION. THANK YOU. AND YOU WANNA GO? OK, SORRY. GIVE SOME VIEWS. THAT WAS A WONDERFUL 40 MINUTES. WHAT ACCOMPLISHMENT FROM, UH IN FOR BEN ST. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE GREAT PEOPLE IN FOUR BENAY. THANK YOU. SO NEXT. UM, WE HAVE SUPERINTENDENT UPDATE. DR SMITH.[5. Superintendent Update]
I'M TURNING THIS OVER TO YOU. THANK YOU, MADAM. PRESIDENT BOARD MEMBERS. THOSE THAT ARE IN AUDIENCE HERE HAVE A FEW ITEMS THAT I'D LIKE TO, UH, CONTINUE TO CELEBRATE THE GREAT THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON. AND FORT BEN ISD. UH, THE FIRST ITEM THAT I'D LIKE TO REPORT ON IS THE COFFEE AND CONVERSATIONS EVENT THAT I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND. IT WAS A GREAT GREAT DAY. IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GREET SOME OF OUR SENIOR CITIZENSS, WHO ARE VERY ACTIVE AND INVOLVED IN FOR BEN ID. MANY OF THEM ARE, UH RETIRED EDUCATORS, AND DURING THE EVENT, I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO JUST SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MYSELF. THE VISION FOR OUR DISTRICT. UH, WE ALSO HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO BREAK BREAD TOGETHER. EAT BREAKFAST. AND LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THE MENTOR PROGRAM AND THE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES THAT WERE SHARED IN THE DISTRICT. UH STUDENTS FROM CORNERSTONE ELEMENTARY AND MARSHALL HIGH SCHOOL. SAME FOR, UH, THE SENIOR CITIZENS AND THEY DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB, AND UH, BOARD SECRETARY DAVID HAMILTON AND TRUSTEE KRISTEN DAVIS. MALONE ALSO ATTENDED THE EVENT WITH ME, AND IT WAS JUST A VERY, VERY GREAT EVENT. UH, THE SECOND ITEM THAT I'D LIKE TO REPORT ON IS THREE OF OUR TALENTED CHO. WERE RECOGNIZED AS OUTSTANDING IN THEIR MUSICAL CATEGORIES AND WERE INVITED TO PERFORM AT THE TEXAS MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN SAN ANTONIO. THE THREE FORT BEND ISD CHOIR ENSEMBLES INCLUDED FIRST COLONY MIDDLE SCHOOL, SO I TOSA MIDDLE SCHOOL AND NEAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND, UH, THE FEEDBACK WAS ABSOLUTELY AWESOME. I HEARD THEY BLEW EVERYONE AWAY AND SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THE STUDENTS AND THE CHOIR DIRECTORS AND EVERYONE. ASSISTED IN THE SUCCESS OF THE STUDENTS. UM MISSION WEST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. I WANNA SAY CONGRATULATIONS OR IN ORDER FOR THE MISSION WEST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, THEIR TEACHERS AND THEIR ADMINISTRATORS AND PARENTS. THEY WERE RECOGNIZED AS A GOLD RIBBON SCHOOL BY THE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. CHILDREN AT RISK GO RIBBON SCHOOLS OR HIGH POVERTY SCHOOLS, BUT THEY'RE ALSO HIGH PERFORMING SCHOOLS AND IN ORDER TO QUALIFY, THE SCHOOL MUST RECEIVE AN A OR A B IN CHILDREN AND IN CHILDREN AT RISK ANNUAL SCHOOL RANKINGS. OUT OF 786 SCHOOLS IN THE REGION. ONLY 49 WERE AWARDED THE GOLD RIBBON STATUS, SO THAT IS A VERY SPECIAL ACCOMPLISHMENT. UH, FOR MISSION WEST, AND WE JUST WANT TO SAY KEEP UP THE GREAT GREAT WORK. UH, THE NEXT ITEM WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO PRESENT THE IMPACT AWARD. UH EACH MONTH. UH, THE DISTRICT HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO HIGHLIGHT THE SUCCESS IN THE CONTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYEES WHO REALLY, REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE. AND SO I WANNA CONGRATULATE MR WILLIAM HICKS. HE IS OUR FEBRUARY IMPACT AWARD RECIPIENT. UH, WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET HIM OVER AT ARMSTRONG ELEMENTARY, AND WE INDEED DID SURPRISE HIM WITH IT[00:45:03]
ANNOUNCEMENT. UH, HE IS A CROSSING GUARD, AND HE'S WORKED AT THE SAME INTERSECTION OF INDEPENDENCE AND FIFTH STREET FOR EIGHT YEARS. HE MOVES AND GROOVES WHEN HE'S OUT THERE, WORKING THE KIDS, THE PARENTS, THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD ACTUALLY CALLED HIM THE DANCING MACHINE.AND SO NOT ONLY DOES HE SHOW UP EVERY DAY TO MAKE SURE THE CHILDREN GET TO SCHOOL AND BACK HOME SAFELY. BUT HE ALSO VOLUNTEERS ON THE CAMPUS. HE SERVES AS A MENTOR, AND HE WORKS WITH THE DISTRICT'S BRIGHTER BITES PROGRAM TO GET FRESH PRODUCE TO THE UNDESERVED COMMUNITIES. HE IS A TRUE SUPERSTAR AND IS INDEED MAKING AN IMPACT. AND IT WAS A PLEASURE MEETING MR HICKS. ALSO I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND THE HAPS AWARD FOR FORT BEN ISD SCHOOL BOARD VICE PRESIDENT, DOCTOR SHIRLEY ROSE GILLIAM FROM ONE SUPERSTAR, MR HIGGS TO ANOTHER.
EARLIER THIS MONTH, OUR SCHOOL BOARD VICE PRESIDENT WAS PRESENTED WITH THE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER OF THE YEAR AWARD BY THE HOUSTON AREA ALLIANCE OF BLACK SCHOOL EDUCATORS. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU, DOCTOR. SHIRLEY ROSE GILLIAM. WELL DESERVED. I ALSO WANNA ADD THAT 62 OF OUR TEACHERS WERE ALSO HONORED BY PERHAPS HE AT THE AWARD CEREMONY, AND SO THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR EDUCATORS FOR ALL THAT THEY DO FOR OUR STUDENTS. THE NEXT ITEM IS THE UH FORT BEN D NATIONAL SIGNING DAY 80 OF OUR HIGHLY RECRUITED STUDENT ATHLETES SIGNED LETTERS OF INTENT AT OUR NATIONAL SIGNING DAY PROGRAM ON THE SEVENTH OF THIS MONTH AT WHEELER, PHIL HOUSE, THE STUDENTS EXCELLED IN VARSITY SPORTS, FROM GOLF TO SWIMMING TO FOOTBALL, TO VOLLEYBALL AND AS AN EDUCATOR AND ALSO AN ABBOTT FOR SPORTS FAN. IT IS ALWAYS EXCITING TO SEE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TAKE THIS BIG STEP IN THEIR ALE. AND THEIR ACADEMIC CAREER, SO I ALSO ENJOYED MEETING AND TALKING WITH MANY OF THE PARENTS AND MANY OF THE COACHES WHO PLAYED SUCH A KEY ROLE IN THE STUDENTS MAKING IT TO THAT POINT. THE SCHOLARSHIP MONEY GOES A LONG WAY WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT WRITING THOSE BIG COLLEGE TUITION CHECKS, SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THE STUDENTS AS WELL AS THE FAMILIES. WE ARE STILL IN THE PLAYOFFS. UH, RESULTS OF THE BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS AND SOME OF OUR STUDENTS WHO WERE RECOGNIZED ARE ALSO PARTICIPATING IN THE BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS. CLEMENTS AND MARSHALL HIGH SCHOOL BOYS TEAMS HAVE ADVANCED TO THE REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS, AND SO WE'LL BE CHEERING THEM ON AS THEY COMPETE ON TOMORROW FOR THE REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS. SO GO BUFFS AND GO RANGERS. NEXT I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT THE DULLEST EIGHT PEAT. STATE ACADEMIC DECATHLON CHAMPIONS. LET ME REPEAT THAT DO IS EIGHT PEATS. STATE ACADEMIC DECATHLON CHAMPS. THAT IS JUST AN AWESOME ACCOMPLISHMENT. SO THIS WEEKEND, DULLES BECAME THE STATE ACADEMIC DECATHLON CHAMPS FOR THE EIGHTH YEAR IN A ROW. EIGHT YEAR IN A ROW. UH, THEY GO ON TO REPRESENT TEXAS AT THE NATIONAL COMPETITION IN PITTSBURGH IN APRIL. UH, THIS IS AN OUTSTANDING GROUP OF STUDENTS.
THE TEAM TOOK HOME 26 INDIVIDUAL MEDALS AND FIVE OF THE TOP 15 SPOTS. THEY ALSO CLAIM 16. 1005 $100 IN SCHOLARSHIP MONEY FOR THEIR PERFORMANCE OVER THE WEEKEND. SO SPECIAL SHOUT OUTS TO AUDREY HANNON, WHO PLACED FIRST OVERALL IN THE SCHOLASTIC DIVISION IS ADRIAN HANNON. HERE OH, ANGIE HANNAN IS HERE. I DON'T KNOW. YES UH, SHE PLAYS FIRST OVERALL IN THE SCHOLASTIC DIVISION, AND KASHI CLII ALSO PLAYS SECOND OVERALL IN THE SCHOLASTIC DIVISION AND A NOT ASTANA PLACED SECOND OVERALL IN THE HONORS DIVISION, AND ALEX HE WHO PLAYS THIRD OVERALL IN THE SECOND IN THE SCHOLASTIC DIVISION. I ALSO WANT TO CONGRATULATE RIDGE POINTS TEAM THAT ALSO COMPETED AT THE STATE LEVEL. BOTH RIDGE POINT AND DULLES HAD BIG FOR THEIR TEAMS LAST WEEK. UH, ABSOLUTE AWESOME ACCOMPLISHMENT. UH, THE LAST ITEM I HAVE TONIGHT FOR SUPERINTENDENTS REPORT. UH, IS THE GRADUATION VENUE? UM WE HAVE A TOUR SET UP AT, UM FOR THE GRADUATION, UH, DISTRICT AND CAMPUS LEADERS. THEY TOURED THE VENUE EARLIER THIS MONTH, AND WE HEARD A LOT OF POSITIVE REACTIONS. UH, THE EPICENTER HAS 8500 SEATS AND THEY'RE ALL VERY COMFORTABLE. YOU WON'T HAVE TO SIT ON METAL BLEACHERS LIKE WE DID LAST YEAR AT MERCER STADIUM.
SO MY FIRST GRADUATION I'VE BEEN IN A COMFORTABLE SEATS. UH, TICKETS WILL NOT BE REQUIRED SO THE WHOLE FAMILY CAN ATTEND COMFORTABLY. OUR GRADUATION CEREMONIES WILL BEGIN ON THURSDAY, MAY 23RD FRIDAY, MAY 24TH AND SATURDAY MAY 25TH LAMAR GO CONSOLIDATED WILL HAVE THEIR
[00:50:01]
COMMITMENT THE WEEKEND BEFORE, SO IT'LL BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO WORK OUT THE KINKS WHEN WE COME IN, AND IT WILL BE SMOOTH SAILING. I WANNA THANK EVERYONE FOR ALL THE GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ALL THE EDUCATORS WHAT YOU DO EACH AND EVERY DAY, MA'AM PRESIDENT THAT CONCLUDES SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT. THANK YOU, DOCTOR SMITH. NEXT WE HAVE A BOARD ACTIVITY[6. Board Activity Report]
REPORT, MR HAMILTON. THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT, YOUR FBI SD SCHOOL BOARD AT WORK. THIS IS THE BOARD MEMBERS DISTRICT ACTIVITIES REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 26 2024. THE FREEDOM SHRINE, DEDICATION AND BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FOR JAMES PATTERSON DULLES HIGH SCHOOL THEATER PRODUCTION OF CHICAGO. COMMONWEALTH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PEP RALLY CELEBRATION TEXTBOOK REVIEW TOUCHDOWN CLUB OF HOUSTON SPORTSMANSHIP AWARDS DINNER 2024 DISTRICT TOY APPLICATION JUDGING 2024 FORT BEND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CHAIRMAN'S GALA DESTINATION IMAGINATION GULF COAST TOURNAMENT MEETING WITH STAFF REBUT STUDENT LEADERSHIP. 101 SESSION NUMBER FIVE FBI SD SPRING SIGNING DAY SPRING ACTIVE SENIORS 62 PLUS COFFEE AND CONVERSATIONS. TOY CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS FOR ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY INNOVATION HOUR AT SAR TARSIA MIDDLE SCHOOL BOARD AUDIT COMMITTEE MEETING SUGARLAND 95 COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUE INSTALLATION INNOVATION HOUR AT FLEMING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TOUCHED DOWN CLUB OF HOUSTON SCHOLAR ATHLETE AND STATE OF THE CITY OF SUGAR LAND. THORNTON MIDDLE SCHOOL CAREER DAY PRESENTER REGION, SEVEN ACADEMIC DECATHLON REGIONAL TOURNAMENT AWARDS CEREMONY AT PAO HIGH SCHOOL TASB FEDERAL ADVOCACY TASBY FEDERAL ADVOCACY CONFERENCE IN WASHINGTON. DC MEETING WITH SENATOR CORNYN'S EDUCATION STAFF MEMBER JOINT MEETING WITH ALE I. DS BOARD PRESIDENT AND CONGRESSWOMAN LIZZIE FLETCHER'S EDUCATION STAFF MEMBER TEXAS ACADEMIC DECATHLON. THOMAS E MOSLEY STATE FINALS AWARD BANQUET, VARIOUS VARSITY BOYS AND GIRLS PLAYOFF BASKETBALL GAMES. IT'S A LOT FOR ACTIVITIES. THANK YOU, MISS HAMILTON. MS HANNAN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO, UH, GIVE AN UPDATE TO THE BOARD REGARDING TO THE CONFERENCE YOU ATTENDED IN WASHINGTON DC. THANK YOU. SO MISS ALLEN COPIED, UM, TWO ITEMS FOR YOU. YOU HAVE IT IN A BLACK FOLDER AT THE DAIS, AND I JUST WANTED TO BRING YOUR ATTENTION. UM AT THIS CONFERENCE, THERE WERE, UM THERE WERE ABOUT 70 ATTENDEES. MOST OF MOST OF THE FOLKS WERE BOARD MEMBERS. BUT WE , UH THERE WERE SOME SUPERINTENDENTS THAT THAT JOINED AND THE UM ADVOCACY PORTION WHEN WE AS BOARD MEMBERS WENT TO ADVOCATE WE ADVOCATED, UM. THESE TWO THESE TWO ITEMS, AND IT WAS, UM MOSTLY, UM, THE FULL FUNDING OF IDEA ACT IS WHAT WE SPENT MOST OF OUR TIME IN SENATOR CORNYN'S OFFICE WITH HIS EDUCATION AID, AND DURING THAT TIME I REALLY APPRECIATED THAT DOCTOR SMITH, UM HAD STAFF SHARE SOME NUMBERS WITH ME AND SOME OF THE KEY THINGS THAT I SHARED, UM , THAT MR GWEN HAD PROVIDED WAS, UM, WHICH I DIDN'T KNOW. AND PERHAPS WE COULD SEND THOSE NUMBERS TO THE REST OF THE BOARD . UM THEY WOULD PROBABLY APPRECIATE THAT. UM BUT WHAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW, UM AND THE DESCRIPTION OF THE FULL FUNDING ACT IS IN HERE AND SO I WOULD REALLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ IT BECAUSE WHAT? WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, AND WE HAD A PRESENTER THAT CAME UM, SHE WAS FROM THE, UM AS AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, AND SHE CALLED THE IDEA ACT ONE OF THE GREATEST UNFUNDED MANDATES IN HISTORY. THAT CONGRESS, UM PUT FORWARD AND SO FULL FUNDING DOESN'T MEAN 100% FUNDING, OBVIOUSLY, BUT WE'RE SITTING AT ABOUT 13% AND FULL FUNDING SHOULD BE IT 40% AND SO FULL FUNDING WOULD HAPPEN OVER 10 YEARS, BUT, UM UH, SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ THAT. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I DID SHARE WAS THAT THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ABSORBS $46 MILLION TO MAKE SURE OUR KIDS GET THE SERVICES THEY NEED. THAT'S IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER MONIES WE GET, AND ONE OF THE OTHER KIND OF EYE OPENERS, AND YOU'LL HAVE TO REMEMBER THERE WERE SCHOOL DISTRICT UH, TRUSTEES THERE THAT HAVE UNDER 100 STUDENTS, AND THEN THERE WERE VERY LARGE SCHOOL DISTRICTS LIKE OURS. BUT SINCE OCTOBER, UM DURING THIS SNAPSHOT WE HAVE BY 550 SPECIAL ED STUDENTS, AND SO THAT'S A PRETTY THAT'S A PRETTY BIG PERCENTAGE. AND IF THERE'S[00:55:04]
ANY IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE, MISTER GWEN THAT YOU THINK THAT THE BOARD WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, UM, WITH THE INFORMATION THAT YOU PROVIDED ME I TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SARS AND WE WERE JUST TRYING TO MAKE THE EDUCATION AID UNDERSTAND WHERE WE ARE AS A DISTRICT. I THINK HE DID A VERY GOOD JOB, RECAPPING THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE CONTINUED TO EMPHASIZE THROUGHOUT ALL LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS IS THAT THE STATE CONTINUOUSLY UNDERFUNDED SPECIAL EDUCATION AND SO THE INTENSITY OF SERVICE MODEL IN PARTICULAR IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT. OUR POPULATION HAS CONTINUED TO GROW. AND YET THE STATE FUNDING THAT SUPPORTS STUDENTS WHO HAVE SOME OF THE HIGHEST NEEDS ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE DOLLARS ARE NOT NECESSARILY FLOWING WITH THOSE NEEDS. AND SO THIS THIS, UM, THE FULL FUNDING ACT, UM IS TRICKY.YOU GUYS AND I WOULD LOVE FOR THIS BOARD TO CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AS PART OF OUR JOB OF ADVOCACY. THE TRICK OF THIS THIS BILL RIGHT NOW IS THAT EVEN THOUGH IT'S A VERY NONPARTISAN ISSUE, UH, THE COSPONSOR'S IT'S A VERY PARTISAN. THE LIST OF, UM OF SPONSORS, SO I WOULD REALLY LOVE FOR THIS BOARD TO CONSIDER WRITING A RESOLUTION. UM, TO SUPPORT THIS SENATOR CORDEN.
CORNYN IS ALSO UM, LEADING A, UM , SOMETHING CALLED CARE FOR MENTAL HEALTH. ACT AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE OUGHT TO LOOK AT. UM ESPECIALLY SINCE SOME OF OUR ESSER MONEY IS BEING SPENT, UM ON ON MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS, AND, UH, THAT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE COULD GET BEHIND AND PERHAPS SUPPORT. UM THE OTHER MAJOR ITEM THAT, UH, BILL THAT WE LOOKED AT IS VERY BIPARTISAN. SPONSORED. UM BUT IT IS THE. SOCIAL SECURITY FAIRNESS ACT. AND FOR A LOT OF TEACHERS, UM A LOT OF TEACHERS UNDERSTAND? UM THE WINDFALL ELIMINATION. PROVISION AND THE GOVERNMENT. UM OFFSET THE PENSION OFFSET AND SO REALLY WHAT THOSE TWO ARE TRYING TO HELP WITH IS THAT PEOPLE HAVE PAID IN AND I'LL USE TEACHERS, FOR EXAMPLE, BUT POLICE OFFICERS THIS ALSO IMPACTS. UM THEY PAY INTO SOMETHING LIKE TEXAS RETIRED TEACHERS. UM, BUT THEY'VE ALSO EARNED THEIR CREDITS FOR SOCIAL SECURITY. UM WHEN THE BENEFITS COME ROLLING IN AT RETIREMENT, THEY'RE REDUCED. AND SO THERE'S ALSO AN IMPACT WITH, UM, GETTING YOUR SPOUSE OR YOUR YOU KNOW A WIDOW OR WIDOWER, SOCIAL SECURITY INCOME, SO THERE'S UM THERE'S LOTS OF SUPPORT. UM IF YOU LOOK AT THE COS SPONSORS OF THIS BILL , I AGAIN THIS IS ANOTHER ONE. I WOULD LOVE FOR US TO CONSIDER WRITING A RESOLUTION TO SAY THAT THAT WE AS A AS A BOARD SUPPORT THESE, UM ITEMS. I THINK THAT'S PART OF OUR ROLE IN ADVOCACY, AND IT'S ALSO PART OF OUR GOALS IS TO PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION FOR OUR KIDS AND TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN, UM HIGH QUALITY STAFF. AND I THINK THIS WOULD REALLY HELP NOT ONLY WITH, UH, RECRUITING PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOW EXITED THE BUSINESS, WORLD OR OTHER OCCUPATIONS TO COME INTO TO OURS, BUT NOT HAVE SOME KIND OF OFFSET OF THEIR THEIR RETIREMENT FUNDS. SO THAT WAS, UH IT WAS A VERY GOOD CONFERENCE. THE SPEAKERS WE HAD IF ANYONE WANTS TO KNOW, UM SOME MORE MISS, UH, MISS ALLEN DID SEND FORWARDED SOME OF THE POWERPOINT SLIDES TO YOU TODAY. SOME OF THEM DIDN'T COME. AND THE LAST. THE LAST THING I WILL MENTION IS THERE WAS A LADY AND I THINK THE BOARD WOULD FIND HER VERY INTERESTING AND HER NAME WAS DOCTOR, MARGARITA ROSA, AND SHE WAS FROM THE LOCAL STATE FEDERAL EDUCATION, FINANCE POLICY AND PRACTICE. UM IN AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY, AND, UM I WON'T SHARE THE DOOM AND GLOOM THAT SHE PROVIDED IN HER PREDICTIONS ABOUT WHAT THE BUDGET FOR SCHOOLS ARE GOING TO LOOK LIKE IN. 425 BUT IT WAS DISMAL AND BLEAK, AND I WILL ONLY QUOTE HER BY HER USE OF THE TERM. IT WILL BE BLOODLETTING. AND SO IT WASN'T SO I'M HOPING THAT THAT MISTER GWEN HAS BETTER NEWS THAN THAN SHE SHARED. BUT WITH ESSER ENDING SHE WAS JUST SAYING THAT THERE ARE GOING TO BE SOME HER. YOU KNOW HER AND HER COLLEAGUES AT GEORGETOWN LOOKING AT LOTS OF DATA, UM, THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME ADDITIONAL CHALLENGES FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. AND SO THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, IT WAS AN HONOR TO BE A PART OF THAT THAT CONFERENCE AND TO, UM WORK WITH, UM, BOARD MEMBERS FROM AROUND OUR STATE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MISS HANNAH. I WOULD MAYBE RECOMMEND YOU HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH OUR LEGAL COUNSEL TO SEE WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO START THE DISCUSSION REGARDING TO THE RESOLUTION.
[01:00:05]
THANK YOU. SO WITH THAT WE'RE GONNA GO TO NEXT, WHICH IS A PUBLIC COMMENTS. AND TONIGHT WE[7. Public Comment]
HAVE A 10 SPEAKERS TONIGHT. SO THE BOARD ENCOURAGES AND WELCOMES COMMENTS AND INPUT FROM OUR PATRONS. PLEASE LIMIT YOUR COMMENTS TO THREE MINUTES AND PLEASE REFRAIN FROM MENTIONING A STUDENT OR EMPLOYEE'S NAME. WHEN BOING A CONCERN OR COMPLAINT AS BOARD POLICY PROVIDES ALTERNATIVE PROCEDURES THROUGH THE GRIEVANCE PROCESS POLICY GF LOCAL OR D GB, A LOCAL TO SEEK RESOLUTION TO COMPLAINTS. I WILL READ THE NAME OF THE PERSON REGISTERED TO SPEAK AND SHARE THAT THEY HAVE THREE MINUTES TO MAKE THEIR COMMENTS. ONCE THE SPEAKER START THEIR COMMENTS, THE BOARD SECRETARY, MISS DAVID HAMILTON, WILL ANNOUNCE WHEN THEY HAVE 30 SECONDS REMAINING.ONCE ONCE THE THREE MINUTES LIMIT HAS EXPIRED, AND WHETHER THE SPEAKER HAS CONCLUDED THEIR COMMENTS. MISS HAMILTON WILL ANNOUNCE THAT THEIR SPEAKER'S NAME HAS THE TIME HAS ELAPSED.
AND THEN ASK YOU TO RETURN TO YOUR SEAT. SO UM, I'M GONNA CALL THE FIRST ONE WHO REGISTERED WAS I APOLOGIZE FOR IF I SEE YOUR NAME WRONG, I. I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE. WHILE QUEEN. THANK YOU, SIR. FOR COMING TONIGHT. WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU COMING TONIGHT. ALL RIGHT. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES WE CAN. THANK YOU. SO I HAVE A CONCERN ABOUT THE REPLACEMENT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE FINANCIAL IMPACT IT HAD ON THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. AS IT WAS NOTED EARLIER. MONEY IS TIGHT, GETTING TIGHTER AND THE BOARD UH, SPEND AND THEN OVER $500,000 OF TAXPAYER MONEY, AND I'M A TAXPAYER ON THIS REPLACEMENT, AND I'VE HEARD NO NO JUSTIFICATION FOR THIS CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP. IT'S CLOUDED IN SECRECY. SO CAN THE BOARD GIVE SOME CLARIFICATION ON THIS ISSUE ? AND WHERE? WHERE DOES THIS $500,000 COME FROM? EXCUSE ME, SIR. WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO RESPOND TO PATRONS SPEED. SO WHEN DO YOU WHEN DO YOU PROVIDE A RESPONSE? LEGALLY WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO RESPOND. ANY OF YOUR QUESTIONS. DO YOU SPEAK SO I'M YOU CAN EMAIL US AND THEN WE CAN WE CAN, UH, RESPOND THAT WAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR COMING TONIGHT. NEXT WE HAVE CB MOAMA. THANK YOU FOR COMING TONIGHT TO SPEAK. THANK YOU. YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. HI MY NAME IS RENA DARIA AND I'M, A SOPHOMORE IN THE GLOBAL STUDIES ACADEMY AT TRAVIS HIGH SCHOOL. I'M HERE TODAY TO PETITION TO YOU, SUPERINTENDENT SMITH AND THE FBI C BOARD OF TRUSTEES TO KEEP OUR ACADEMY AT TRAVIS HIGH SCHOOL. MY OLDER BROTHER IS NOW A SENIOR IN GSA. AND AFTER SEEING HIS EXPERIENCE AT TRAVIS FIRST HAND WHEN IT WAS TIME TO DECIDE MY HIGH SCHOOL PATH, THE CHOICE WAS OBVIOUS. THE GSA AIMS TO CREATE MULTIFACETED GLOBAL CITIZENS AND EMPOWER STUDENTS TO BECOME INNOVATIVE GLOBAL THINKERS WHO CELE DIVERSITY.
TRAVIS HIGH SCHOOL IS A PERFECT FIT FOR GS A FOR MANY REASONS. FIRST BEING THAT IT HAS THE MOST DIVERSE POPULATION IN FBI. SECOND THE GSA TEACHERS AT TRAVIS ARE VITAL TO SUCCESS. IT IS TAKING A LONG TIME TO BUILD THE TO WHERE IT IS TODAY, ESPECIALLY AFTER COVID AND THAT WAS ONLY POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF THE SUPPORT OF OUR CURRENT SITE COORDINATOR AND LANGUAGE TEACHER. SENOR BARROSO IS THE DISTRICT SPANISH CURRICULUM LEAD AND TRAVIS SPANISH THREE TEACHER , AND HE ALSO PROVIDES THIS COUNTLESS HOURS OF SUPPORT OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL LIKE SHOWING UP TO OUR MARCHING BAND COMPETITIONS EACH FALL. I REMEMBER MY FIRST DAY OF CLASS IN HIS IN HIS CLASS AFTER HEARING THE MANY STORIES FROM MY BROTHER ABOUT PUNTOS AND HOW I FELT BEFORE MY FIRST SPEAKING TEST, I WAS TERRIFIED, BUT SIGNOR BROSIO PUT ME AT EASE, AND I ACTUALLY LOOK FORWARD TO PRACTICING MY SPANISH. AND OF COURSE, MISS KANE. SHE SPENDS ENDLESS HOURS WITH US IN SCHOOL AFTER SCHOOL AND ON WEEKENDS TO LEAD AND ENCOURAGE GS A ACTIVITIES, HER DEDICATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE GSA MISSION IS A FUNDAMENTAL PART OF WHAT MAKES GSA A VALUABLE PROGRAM. THERE IS NO PS A WITHOUT HER AND LOSING HER WITH THE MOVE TO KEMPNER WILL BE THE END OF GSA. AND LASTLY, MOVING. OUR ACADEMY IS GONNA TAKE AWAY FROM MY EXPERIENCE TO LEAD AS AN UPPERCLASSMAN. THERE WILL BE NO FRESHMEN OR SOPHOMORES WHEN I'M
[01:05:03]
A SENIOR TO SHARE MY KNOWLEDGE AND ENSURE OUR ACADEMY CONTINUES STRONG. IT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE THE DISTRICT DOES NOT CARE ABOUT ME. THE DISTRICT HAS ALREADY NEGATIVELY IMPACTED THE CURRENT GSA CLASSES BY IMPLEMENTING THE RANKING BY ZONE SCHOOL POLICY, AND NOW IT IS TRYING TO DISRUPT OUR ACADEMY BY TAKING AWAY MY CHANCE TO MENTOR AND LEAD FUTURE GSA STUDENTS BY CREATING A DISJOINTED PROGRAM. FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS. WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO OUR ANNUAL GLOBAL ISSUE SUMMIT IN OUR MONTHLY SOCIALS AND ENRICHMENTS ALL OF THIS JUST TO DECREASE THE STUDENT POPULATION BY MAYBE 100 KIDS OUT OF 3300. WE HAVE GIVEN YOU COPIES OF TESTIMONIALS OF FORMER GRADUATES TO SHARE HOW THE GSA TRANSFORMS THEIR LIVES. WE'VE ALSO COMPILED A LIST OF SIGNATURES FROM FORMER AND CURRENT STUDENTS TO SHOW YOU HOW PASSIONATE WE ARE THAT THE GSA STAY AT TRAVIS, WE ARE HERE TODAY WITH NEW HOPE, WITH THE NEW SUPERINTENDENT AND NEW BOARD MEMBERS THAT YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THAT MOVING THE GS A TO ANOTHER SCHOOL IS A MISTAKE, AND IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO REVERSE THE DECISION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TODAY. THANK YOU FOR COMING TONIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR COMING. NEXT. WE HAVE TERRY MARSHALL. THANK YOU.THANK YOU, OFFICER. NEXT WE HAVE ROHAN. DI. THANK YOU FOR COMING TONIGHT. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING . MY NAME IS SY. MINIMAL. I SW SWITCH SPOTS, BUT I'M HERE TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF EVERYONE HERE . PLEASE STAND. UH, THE TRAVIS HIGH SCHOOL GLOBAL STUDIES ACADEMY. I'M A LIFELONG FORT BEND RESIDENT AND I ATTENDED LANA LANE ELEMENTARY, WELL, VALLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL AND DULLES.
AND NOW MY THREE KIDS GO TO FORT BEND. YOU'VE ALREADY HEARD ABOUT SOME OF THE ATTRIBUTES OF TRAVIS GS, A FROM HISTORIA, WHO'S A STAR STUDENT SOPHOMORE. SO WHY MOVE SUCH A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM OUT OF ITS STABLE HOME? SINCE NO ONE ASK THE STUDENTS, PARENTS OR TEACHERS. WE ALL ASSUME THAT'S DUE TO BALANCING ENROLLMENT IN THE DISTRICT WHILE AVOIDING THE R WORD REZONING. TRAVIS HIGH SCHOOL CLEARLY IS OVERCAPACITY, AND THERE ARE MANY UNDERUTILIZED SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT. THE EASY FIX TO AVOID REZONING WOULD BE TO MOVE THE ACADEMIES. HOWEVER THE GLOBAL STUDIES ACADEMY TYPICALLY ONLY HAS 120 TO 130 STUDENTS, OF WHICH 25% OF THEM ARE ZONED TO TRAVIS. SO THE NET SAVINGS OF MOVING ACADEMY IS ROUGHLY 100 STUDENTS IN A SCHOOL OF 3300 STUDENTS OR LESS THAN 3.
UTILIZATION IS A REAL PROBLEM, BUT THIS IS NOT THE RIGHT SOLUTION. IN ADDITION, THERE ARE COSTS INVOLVED BOTH TANGIBLE AND INTANGIBLE TO MOVING. WAR. BEN HAS REAL CHALLENGES WITH STAFFING AND FUNDING, ESPECIALLY WITH BUSES CURRENTLY DUE TO CUTS LAST YEAR. MANY GSA STUDENTS SIT ON THE BUS OVER AN HOUR EACH WAY TO GET TO SCHOOL. NOW YOU WILL NEED FOUR MORE BUSES AND FOUR MORE BUS DRIVERS TO TAKE LESS STUDENTS TO TWO DIFFERENT SCHOOLS. COURSES PROGRAMS AND TEACHERS WILL ALSO NEED TO BE DUPLICATED, AND THEY WON'T BE THE SAME. GS A, FOR EXAMPLE, RELIES ON THE STRONG FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT AT TRAVIS. YET LANGUAGES SUCH AS GERMAN, JAPANESE AND CHINESE ARE NOT EVEN OFFERED AT ITS NEW HOME. IN ADDITION, YOU WILL LOSE VALUABLE , UH, KNOWLEDGE FROM DEDICATED LEADERS LIKE MRS KANE AND SENIOR BROSIO, WHO HAVE WORKED OVER 10 YEARS BUILDING UP THE PROGRAM. FINALLY THE LEADERSHIP AND MENTORING THAT HAPPENS AMONGST THE STUDENTS THEMSELVES WILL BE DESTROYED DUE TO THE SPLIT WITH INCOMING STUDENTS HAVING NO ONE TO LOOK UP TO, AND, UH GRADUATING STUDENTS HAVING NO ONE TO MENTOR IT SPEAKS TO THE LARGER ISSUE OF UNDERFUNDING AND NEGLECT OF THE DISTRICT'S ACADEMIES. THERE USED TO BE A DISTRICT COORDINATOR FOR EACH ACADEMY, AND NOW THERE ARE TWO FOR THE ENTIRE DISTRICT. THEY WERE BOTH NEW AND HAVE ONE YEAR OF COMBINED EXPERIENCE BETWEEN THEM. THE DISTRICT HAS MISSED MOST OF ITS TARGETS FOR THE TRANSITION PLAN THAT THEY ALREADY SET OUT. THE ACADEMIES HAVE SO MUCH POTENTIAL FOR OUR DISTRICT AND THEY COULD BE A REALLY BIG DRAW AND BE THE CROWN JEWELS OF THIS DISTRICT. YET THEY'RE BEING USED AS PAWNS TO BALANCE ENROLLMENT. I LEAVE YOU WITH THE FINAL STORY. I'M AN AVID GARDENER, BUT AN AMATEUR AND MORE THAN ONCE I'VE TRIED TO MOVE A HEALTHY AND LIVING PLANT TO ONE ANOTHER PART OF MY YARD BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WOULD LOOK BETTER YET EVERY TIME THE TRANSPLANTED PLANT DIED, AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE IT WAS NOT GOOD SOIL OR LIGHT. IT'S BECAUSE I DISTURBED THE ROOTS WHEN I TRIED TO DIG IT UP AND MOVE IT. I'M NOT GONNA MAKE THAT SAME MISTAKE AND I ASK YOU NOT TO MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE FOR THE DISTRICT
[01:10:04]
TIME. PLEASE KEEP THE TRAVIS GS A AT, UH, AT ITS HEALTHY PLACE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR COMING TONIGHT. THANK YOU. SO NEXT WE HAVE JENNIFER DUPAS. DO WE HAVE A DO WE HAVE A JENNIFER DPA? OH I. I REMEMBER SHE'S NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO MAKE IT AND I DO UNDERSTAND WE HAVE HER. YEAH, HER DOCUMENTS ON THE DAT. SO NEXT WE HAVE SHELL MALU. NO, SHE'S NOT HERE. OK SO NEXT WE HAVE STEPHANIE BROWN. THANK YOU FOR COMING TONIGHT. THANK YOU. BLESS YOU. OKAY? HI MY NAME IS STEPHANIE BROWN. AND I'M JUST HERE TO, UM FOLLOW UP. I WASN'T HERE FOR THE LAST MEETING, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A SHORTAGE IN THE BOND THAT WE JUST VOTED FOR IN NOVEMBER. AND I JUST WANNA ADDRESS THAT BECAUSE ONE OF MY MENTORS UH LEOS MONTGOMERY TOLD ME THAT THE POWER OF THE BOND IS THE ONE THING THAT THE TAXPAYERS HAVE. AND IF WE VOTED ON A $1.2 BILLION BOND AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS GOING TO TAKE CARE OF CERTAIN THINGS. WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO HEAR. NOT LONG AFTER OUR VOTE, WHETHER IT WAS YAY OR NAY, THAT WE ARE THIS MUCH SHORT ON OUR GOALS NOW, I DON'T KNOW THE PROCESS. UH THAT'S GOING TO TAKE PLACE. AND I GUESS AN AUDIT IS GONNA TAKE PLACE AND I APPRECIATE THAT. BUT TAXPAYERS ALL OVER FORT BEN ISD. YOU SHOULD HAVE QUESTIONS AND WE SHOULD NOT BE GIVING MONEY AWAY UNTIL THOSE QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED. AND THIS IS FOR THE BOARD. UH JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE COMES BACK AND SAY I NEED 1000 MORE DOLLARS. IF IT WAS YOUR CHILD. YOU'RE GONNA ASK THEM. WHAT IS IT FOR? AND WHY? AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MONEY THAT I GAVE YOU LAST WEEK, SO LET'S BE MINDFUL AND HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE BEFORE WE JUST ISSUE OUT MONEY. WE STARTED OUT WITH A DEFICIT. WE GOT MONEY. VOTED ON AND WE'RE STILL IN A DEFICIT, SO LET'S NOT PLAY THE MONEY GAME. WE NEED TO HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE PHYSICALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MONEY THAT THE TAXPAYERS WORK HARD TO GET AND ANOTHER THING ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT WITH, UH, THINGS BEING TAKEN AWAY. WE HAVE TO HOLD THE PEOPLE THERE WITH ACCOUNTABLE AND WAS DOING THIS BEFORE OUR PRESIDENT CAME AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE DON'T HOLD DOCTOR MARK SMITH ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE THINGS THAT WERE DONE PRIOR TO HIS THERE'S A REASON WHY HE'S HERE. WE MAY NOT KNOW ALL OF IT. BUT THERE IS A REASON WHEN WE START HEARING ABOUT TE A TRYING TO TAKE OVER. THAT'S NO JOKE. TALKING ABOUT SPECIAL ED. THAT'S NO JOKE. TALKING ABOUT MONEY ISSUES. THAT'S NO JOKE. THEY'RE WATCHING AND WE NEED TO BE RESPONSIBLE WITH EACH AND EVERYTHING WE DO. BRING PEOPLE ON THAT YOU CAN TRUST DO ALL THE AUDITS THAT YOU CAN DO SO THIS DOES NOT FALL ON YOUR WATCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR COMING TONIGHT. THANK YOU FOR COMING TONIGHT. NEXT WE HAVE WE RAINWATER.THANK YOU, SIR, FOR COMING TONIGHT TO SPEAK. THANK YOU. WELCOME. HI. GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, FIRST, I'D LIKE TO SAY, UM WELCOME, DOCTOR SMITH, UH, ON YOUR NEW JOB AND STUFF, AND, UH, I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE, BUT WE JUST WANNA WELCOME YOU AND ALSO MISS DAY I WANT TO SAY YOU IS THAT, UH, I NOTICED THAT YOU WEREN'T RUNNING AGAIN. BUT UH, MY PERSONAL OPINION IS THAT YOU DID A GOOD JOB. YOU DID WHAT YOU BELIEVED IN AND THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD DO. I MAY NOT AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THAT WAS DONE, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT YOUR HEART WAS IN WHAT YOU BELIEVE, AND I RESPECT THAT SO I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS JUST TELL YOU THAT, UH, AGAIN ECHO ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY AND NONPARTISAN BECAUSE EACH OF YOU SHOULD BE NONPARTISAN. YOU SHOULD NOT BE, UM SAYING OR DOING THINGS THAT ARE FOR ONE GROUP OR THE OTHER.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IS MAKE SURE THAT EVERY CHILD EVERY PERSON GETS THE SAME OPPORTUNITY AND
[01:15:02]
THE SAME EDUCATION DISTRICT WIDE . IT'S FORT. BEN D IS THE ENTIRE DISTRICT. IT'S NOT JUST EAST SIDE WEST SIDE OR WHATEVER SIDE IS ALL OF US SHOULD WANT ALL OF OUR FUTURE EDUCATORS EDUCATED.WE SHOULD WANT OUR CHILDREN TO BE THE BEST THAT THEY CAN BE, AND THAT'S WHAT I WANT. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE BUDGET, THE MONEY THING WITH BRIARGATE AND EVERYTHING AND LIKE, UH, THE SPEAKER BEFORE ME JUST SAID IT SHOULDN'T BE A CHOICE THAT NOW THAT YOU'VE TOLD ME AND SHOWN ME THE SCHOOLS THAT YOU SAY YOU'RE GONNA BUILD, BUT NOW YOU COME BACK TO ME AND SAY OH, WAIT A MINUTE. I GOTTA THIS. I GOTTA CUT THAT I GOTTA DO THIS. I GOTTA DO THAT. OR YOU GOTTA PAY MORE. THAT'S LIKE A GUY BUYING A $500,000 HOUSE WHEN YOU SIGN THE PAPERS, THEY TELL YOU WELL, WE'RE GONNA BUILD YOU ONE FOR THREE. BECAUSE WE CAN'T BUILD THAT FIVE. YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GONNA GET TWO BATHROOMS INSTEAD OF THREE. AND THAT'S NOT THAT'S NOT RIGHT. YOU KNOW, AND WE HAVE PROFESSIONALS. THE ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF PROFESSIONALS THAT DO GIVE YOU ADVICE ABOUT HAVING THESE BOND ELECTIONS. AM I NOT CORRECT? ISN'T THAT WHAT ADMINISTRATORS DO? OK SO WHY ARE WE PAYING THOSE PEOPLE 67 FIGURE SALARIES. IF THEY MISSED THE MARK BY 100 AND $30 MILLION DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? SEE SO THE THING IS, IS THAT INSTEAD OF US SITTING HERE TRYING TO BE PARTISAN AND GETTING THINGS THE WAY WE WANT THEM DONE. TRY TO BE A GROUP AND GET THINGS DONE THE WAY EVERYBODY NEEDS THEM DONE. FOR BEN AS A WHOLE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. THANK YOU. NEXT. WE HAVE BARBARA GORDON. THANK YOU FOR COMING TONIGHT. THANK YOU. YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CAN YOU HEAR ME? I. I WANNA THANK DOCTOR SMITH AND ALL OF YOU BOARD MEMBERS FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK. YOU KNOW, THE STATE RECENTLY PASSED A LAW THAT REQUIRES YOU TO VOTE ON ADOPTING A POLICY THAT WOULD ALLOW, UH, CHAPLAINS TO ACT AS COUNSELORS IN THE SCHOOLS AND I URGE YOU TO APPROVE THE ADMINISTRATION'S RECOMMENDATION TO DECLINE TO ADOPT THIS POLICY. IT NOTED. THE CLERGY ARE ALWAYS WELCOMED NOW AND HAVE BEEN FOREVER PROVIDED THEY PASS. THE SAME CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK IS THE REST OF US. UM UNDER THE STATE PROPOSED POLICIES, CHAPLAINS WOULD BE REPLACING HIGHLY EDUCATED CERTIFIED PROFESSIONALS WHO KNOW HOW TO ADDRESS NOT JUST ACADEMIC SUCCESS, BUT ALSO, UM INTERPERSONAL PROBLEMS AND ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH MENTAL ILLNESS. CHAPLAINS ARE SIMPLY NOT PREPARED TO DEAL WITH SUCH THINGS AS EATING DISORDERS, ATYPICAL DEPRESSION. ANXIETY AND SUICIDAL IDEATION. SOME AREN'T EVEN TRAINED IN THEOLOGY AND FEWER PREPARED TO MINISTER TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE VERY DIFFERENTLY THAN THEMSELVES. UM THIS POLICY WOULD ALSO ALLOW CHAPS TO SEE STUDENTS WITHOUT PARENTAL PERMISSION. UM THERE IS NO RULE AGAINST THE CHAPLAIN TRYING TO CONVERT THE STUDENTS. I FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT THAT VIOLATES A LOT OF OUR BASIC FREEDOMS. EVEN CHAPLAINS THEMSELVES SUBJECT TO THIS POLICY. IN FACT, IN AUGUST, MORE THAN 100, TEXAS CHAPLAINS SIGNED A LETTER OPPOSING THE POLICY, CALLING IT HARMFUL TO OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE STUDENTS AND FAMILIES THEY SERVE. WHILE STATE LEADERS MAY VIEW THIS AS A LESS EXPENSIVE WAY TO PROVIDE COUNSELING IN THE SCHOOLS, WHICH WE DESPERATELY NEED. UM I BELIEVE IT COULD PROVE VERY EXPENSIVE AND I URGE YOU ALL TO JOIN THE ADMINISTRATION IN REJECTING THIS DANGEROUS POLICY BY VOTING IN FAVOR OF THE PROPOSAL AS WRITTEN THANK YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING TONIGHT. THANK YOU. THAT'S CONCLUDE OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS, AND NOW WE WILL NOW CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION UNDER TEXAS OPEN MEETING ACT. WELL. OH, YEAH, SHE'S HERE, OK? YEAH. I THINK IT'S A SHELL MY CLUE. NO. NICOLE HOLECEK. OH, NICOLE, HELO. OK
[01:20:01]
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT . THANK YOU. MY NAME IS NICOLE HOLE. I'M A RESIDENT OF FORTMAN ISD AND CURRENTLY HAVE A FIVE YEAR OLD SON WHO ATTENDS THE EARLY INTERVENTION ACADEMY AT VALLEY ELEMENTARY. ELIZABETH STONE ONCE WROTE THAT TO HAVE A CHILD IS TO DECIDE FOREVER TO HAVE YOUR HEART GO WALKING OUTSIDE OF YOUR BODY. AND I'M HERE TODAY WITH A HEART FULL OF GRATITUDE FOR THE EARLY INTERVENTION ACADEMY AT Q VALLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, A PLACE THAT HAS BECOME BECOME A BEACON OF HOPE AND PROGRESS FOR MY SON OVER HIS LAST TWO FORMATIVE YEARS AT THE E, I WE DISCOVERED NOT JUST A SCHOOL BUT A HOME FOR MY SON, WHO BRAVELY FACES THE CHALLENGES OF AUTISM AND SPEECH IMPAIRMENT. THE EARLY INTERVENTION ACADEMY REALLY STANDS OUT NOT ONLY FOR ITS EXCEPTIONAL STAFF BUT FOR ITS COMPREHENSIVE RANGE OF SERVICES THAT IT PROVIDES TO SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS. THE I A IS A LIFELINE FOR STUDENTS WITH AUTISM OFFERING NEEDED THERAPIES SUCH AS SPEECH, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY, MUSIC THERAPY AND APPLIED BEHAVIOR. ANALYSIS THESE THERAPY IN COMBINATION AND THE COMBINATION IS THE KEY. TO LEAN A FOUNDATION FOR OUR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM TO THRIVE WITHIN FORT MANIA, SD OUR COMMUNITY AND BEYOND. IT'S CRUCIAL TO EMPHASIZE THAT THERE'S NO SUBSTITUTE FOR THE SPECIALIZED SUPPORT AND THE TAILORED APPROACH THAT THE EARLY INTERVENTION ACADEMY DELIVERS TWO STUDENTS WITH AUTISM. THE PROGRAM HAS SIMPLY BEEN NOTHING SHORT OF TRANSFORMATIVE FOR MY SON, EQUIPPING HIM NOT ONLY WITH ACADEMIC SKILLS BUT ESSENTIAL BEHAVIORAL TOOLS AS HE PREPARES FOR THE EXCITING TRANSITION TO KINDERGARTEN NEXT YEAR. THE EARLY INTERVENTION ACADEMY, BY VERY NAME IS A STRONG INVESTMENT IN EARLY INTERVENTION. AND WE KNOW THE RESEARCH SAYS THAT PROACTIVE INTERVENTION WHEN YOUNG WHEN THE HUMAN BRAIN IS GROWING RAPIDLY, IS MORE EFFECTIVE AT PRODUCING FAVORABLE OUTCOMES THAN REMEDIATION OFFERED LATER IN A STUDENT'S CAREER. THE EIA IS A PROGRAM THAT SHOULD BE EMULATED WITHIN FORT BEND, ISD AND CERTAINLY NOT ELIMINATED. IN CLOSING. I EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION TO EACH ONE OF YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATION TO THE WELL BEING OF ALL OF OUR STUDENTS. I URGE YOU TO REFLECT ON THE PROFOUND IMPACT THAT THE CONTINUATION OF THE EARLY INTERVENTION ACADEMY CAN HAVE ON THE LIVES OF OUR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WITHIN ALL OF FORT MANIA, SD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING TONIGHT.THANK YOU. IS THERE ANY OTHER SPEAKER? UM HE'S HERE. THAT WASN'T HERE BEFORE. OK THANK YOU . SO THAT CONCLUDES OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS. AND WE WILL NOW CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION UNDER
[8. Convene in closed session]
TEXAS OPEN MEETING ACT. TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE CHAPTER 551 UNDER THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS SECTION 551071 FOR THE PURPOSE OF PRIVATE CONSULTATION WITH THE BOARD ATTORNEY ON E OR ALL SUBJECTS OR MATTERS AUTHORIZED BY LAW SECTION 551072 CONSIDER PURCHASE EXCHANGE LEASE OR VALUE OF REAL PROPERTY. SECTION 551074 PERSONNEL MATTERS, SECTION 551076 SECURITY MATTERS SECTION 551082 STUDENT DISCIPLINE MATTERS OR COMPLAIN OR SECTION 5510821 PERSONALITY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION ABOUT PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS. THE TIME RIGHT NOW IS[9. Reconvene in Open Session]
CONCESSION. WE WE HAVE A MOTION FROM CLOSED SESSION. I HAVE A MOTION FROM CLOSED SESSION.[10. Consider Action on Closed Session Items]
THANK YOU. YES, MADAM PRESIDENT. I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES ASSIGN THE LEVEL THREE FNG PARENT COMPLAINT OF RAFIK C TO THE BOARD'S DESIGNATED HEARING OFFICER UNDER BOARD POLICY, FNG LOCAL. SECOND WE HAVE A MOTION BY DOCTOR GILLIAM SECONDED BY MS HANNAN. DO WE HAVE A DISCUSSION? THE YINAN. LET'S VOTE.MOTION PASSES 70 DO WE HAVE ANOTHER O MOTION FROM CLOSED SESSION? YES I MOVED. THE BOARD
[01:25:02]
OF TRUSTEES ASSIGNED THE LEVEL THREE F AND G PARENT COMPLAINT OF SEAN AND CHANTEL S TO THE BOARD'S DESIGNATED HEARING OFFICER UNDER BOARD POLICY. FNG LOCAL A SECOND. WE HAVE A MOTION MADE BY DR GILLIAM, SECOND BY MM. AND DO WE HAVE A DISCUSSION? X YANG. LET'S VOTE. MOTION PASSES 70. SO NOT NEXT. ON THE AGENDA IS INFORMATION ITEM, DOCTOR SMITH. I'M GONNA TURN[11.A. Intruder Detection Report]
THIS OVER TO YOU. THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT. UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE OUR INTRUDER DETECTION REPORT. I'M GONNA ASK CHIEF RYDER IF HE COULD PRESENT THAT INFORMATION. YES SIR. THANK YOU, DOCTOR SMITH AND GOOD EVENING BOARD SINCE THE JANUARY 22ND REGULAR BOARD MEETING, THE TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY HAS CONDUCTED A 14 ADDITIONAL INTRUDER DETECTION AUDITS OF THOSE 14 AUDITS. 13.HAD NO FINDINGS AT ALL. UH, ONE HAD A CORRECTIVE ACTION FINDING THAT WE HAVE ADDRESSED AND WE WILL ALSO NOTIFY OUR SCHOOL, UH, SAFETY AND SECURITY COMMITTEE AT THE NEXT MEETING OF THIS ALL THE REQUIREMENTS TO REMEDY THAT FINDING HAVE BEEN MET AND REPORTED. THANK YOU, CHIEF WRITER. UM DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS FROM THE BOARD? I THINK WE ALL APPRECIATE THE WORK YOU'VE BEEN DOING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHIEF AND THE TEAM. DOCTOR SMITH. DO WE
[11.B. 2nd Quarter Financials and 2024-25 Budget Update]
HAVE ANOTHER? WE DO. THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT. I'M GONNA ASK OUR CFO MR BRIAN GWENN IF HE COULD REVIEW THE STRATEGIC AND BUDGETARY UPDATE GOOD EVENING, MADAM PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD DOCTOR SMITH THIS EVENING. THERE ARE THREE PARTS TO THE PRESENTATION THAT WE'LL BE DOING FOR YOU. FIRST I'LL REVIEW WITH YOU THE RESULTS OF THE DISTRICT SECOND QUARTER FINANCIAL REPORT. WE'RE ALSO PROVIDING AN UPDATE ON HOW WE ANTICIPATE ENDING THE CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR AND THEN FINALLY WE'LL PROVIDE AN OUTLOOK ON THE UPCOMING 2425 BUDGET. THE QUARTERLY FINANCIALS UPDATE WILL BE BRIEF AND THE INCOME STATEMENTS ARE PROVIDED TO YOU AS PART OF YOUR AGENDA PACKET AND THE INFORMATION THAT'S INCLUDED HERE WILL BE SUPERSEDED BY HOW WE ANTICIPATE ENDING THE CURRENT YEAR AND SO YOU'LL HAVE A MORE COMPLETE PICTURE THAN WHAT'S BEING GIVEN IN THE QUARTERLY FINANCIALS AND THE GENERAL FUND. OUR INTEREST REVENUES ARE TRENDING HIGHER THAN BUDGETED DUE TO HIGHER INTEREST RATES. WE DO EXPECT TO END THE YEAR IN A BETTER POSITION THAN WHAT WE BUDGETED FOR INTEREST EARNINGS. HOWEVER, THAT IS GOING TO BE OFFSET BY THE REDUCTION IN OUR SHAS REVENUE AS WE'VE PREVIOUSLY COMMUNICATED. THE US DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES DETERMINED THAT THE STATE OF TEXAS WAS RECEIVING A HIGHER REIMBURSEMENT RATE THAN IT WAS ENTITLED TO RECEIVE, AND AS A RESULT, SCHOOL DISTRICTS THROUGHOUT THE STATE ARE ALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE STATE ARE GOING TO SEE A REDUCTION IN SHAS REVENUE AS A RESULT OF THAT FINDING FOR EXPENDITURES. OUR VACANCY RATE HAS IMPROVED, BUT IT IS STILL GREATER THAN WHAT WE HAVE BUDGETED AND THAT'S RESULTED IN SALARY SAVINGS. HOWEVER WE'RE SEEING HIGHER COSTS IN AREAS SUCH AS SUBS, UTILITIES, HEALTH BENEFITS AND TRANSPORTATION THAT ARE OFFSETTING A PORTION OF THAT, AND YOU'LL HAVE A MORE DETAILED LOOK AT THAT AS WE GO INTO HOW WE ANTICIPATE ENDING THIS YEAR, BUT OVERALL AS WE ARE LOOKING AT THINGS NOW WE DO ANTICIPATE WE WILL END THE 2425 SCHOOL OR I'M SORRY, 23. FOUR SCHOOL YEAR WITHIN OUR 90 DAY OPERATING RESERVE REQUIREMENT, AS REQUIRED BY BOARD POLICY. AND OUR DEBT SERVICE FUND THE PARAMETER ORDER FOR DOING BOND ISSUES FOR THE CURRENT CALENDAR YEAR WERE APPROVED BY THE BOARD IN DECEMBER, AND WE ANTICIPATE THAT A TRANSACTION WILL OCCUR IN THE FOURTH QUARTER. CURRENTLY WE HAVE $50 MILLION IN COMMERCIAL PAPER THAT'S OUTSTANDING, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO UTILIZE THAT AS AS PROJECTS MOVE FORWARD, AND THEN IN OUR INTERNAL SERVICE FUNDS, OUR HEALTH BENEFITS FUND DOES CURRENTLY HAVE A POSITIVE FUND BALANCE DUE TO THE BUDGETED TRANSFER FROM THE GENERAL FUND. WE HAD PLANNED DESIGN CHANGE.THAT WENT INTO EFFECT JANUARY 1ST. AND SO WE ANTICIPATE THAT THE BENEFITS OF THOSE CHANGES WILL BEGIN TO ACCRUE REALLY STARTING IN MARCH APRIL TIME FRAME OF SOME OF THOSE OLDER CLAIMS FROM THE PRIOR PLAN PERIOD BEGAN TO PETER OUT, AS, UH, WE MOVE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND THEN FINALLY, BOTH OUR WORKERS COMPENSATION AND UNEMPLOYMENT FUNDS HAVE POSITIVE BALANCES. WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON PROJECTING HOW WE ANTICIPATE ENDING THE CURRENT YEAR 2324 AND THIS INFORMATION LIKE I MENTIONED IS MORE UP TO DATE THAN WHAT'S IN THE QUARTERLY FINANCIALS SINCE THAT JUST REFLECTS THE ACTUAL THROUGH DECEMBER. 31ST THIS IS ACTUALLY PROJECTING HOW WE ANTICIPATE ENDING THE YEAR EFFECTIVE JUNE 30TH. AND SO AS WE REVIEW THE
[01:30:02]
YEAR END ESTIMATE FOR 2324, THERE ARE SOME KEY ITEMS THAT HAVE IMPACTED US THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. FIRST THE STATE INCREASE TO GOLDEN PENNY YIELD, AND THAT RESULTED ABOUT $16 MILLION IN NEW REVENUE THAT WE WEREN'T PREVIOUSLY RECEIVING. AND SO THE END IMPACT OF THAT WAS IF YOU RECALL WE MADE THE $23 MILLION IN REDUCTIONS. WE RECEIVED THE $16 MILLION IN NEW STATE REVENUE . DUE TO THAT CHANGE ON OUR BUDGET FOR THE CURRENT YEAR WAS BALANCED AFTER THE BUDGET WAS BALANCED. WE ALSO HAD THE SUCCESSFUL VA TRE THAT ALLOWED US TO IMPLEMENT THE RAISES FOR STAFF AS WELL AS HAVING THE SAFETY AND SECURITY ITEM OF HAVING AN OFFICER OR ARMED SECURITY AT EVERY ELEMENTARY CAMPUS AND SO AFTER OUR BUDGET WAS ADOPTED AS BALANCED, WE HAD THE VA TR THAT ALLOWED US TO DO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RAISES. AND THEN I JUST MENTIONED TO YOU THE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FINDING THAT THAT WAS AGAINST THE STATE, AND THAT REDUCED OUR NEWS BY $4 MILLION AND THAT IS ANTICIPATED TO CONTINUE FOR NOW GOING FORWARD, AND SO WE DON'T ANTICIPATE THAT THOSE REVENUES WILL BE ADJUSTED GOING FORWARD. AND ALTHOUGH WE HAVE MADE STRIDES AND FILLING OUR VACANT TEACHING POSITIONS OVERALL ARE VACANCY RATE IS ABOVE 5% WHICH IS WHAT WE BUDGETED RIGHT NOW. WE'RE AT ABOUT THE 6% RANGE AND JUST TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF WHAT THAT 1% CHANGE IS WORTH. IT'S ABOUT $6 MILLION OUT OF 1% VACANCY FACTOR HAS AND SO ALTHOUGH IT BENEFITS US FROM A FINANCIAL POSITION, THAT DOES MEAN THAT WE NEED TO DO WORK TO FILL TEACHING POSITIONS TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THOSE QUALIFIED. MEMBERS IN FRONT OF OUR STUDENTS. AND SO IF WE TAKE THESE FACTORS THAT WE JUST DISCUSSED INTO CONSIDERATION, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE THIRD COLUMN THERE. THE 2324 YEAR END ESTIMATE ARE REVENUES ARE $809.4 MILLION. THAT'S ABOUT 4 MILLION LESS THAN THE AMENDED BUDGET OF 813.6 MILLION AND AGAIN THAT IS ALL ATTRIBUTABLE TO THAT SHAS REVENUE COMING IN LESS THAN WHAT WE EXPECTED ON THE EXPENDITURE SIDE, WE ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO BE LESS THAN BUDGET THERE AS WELL BY ABOUT $4.8 MILLION. AND AGAIN THAT IS PRIMARILY DUE TO THAT VACANCY FACTOR THAT WE JUST DISCUSSED. THE END RESULT IS WE ANTICIPATE A DRAWDOWN OF OUR FUND BALANCE, AND THE MAJORITY OF THAT DRAWDOWN IS A PLANNED DRAWDOWN. AND SO IT'S NOT AN INTENTIONAL DEFICIT. YOU MAY RECALL THAT AS ONE OF THE BUDGET AMENDMENT ITEMS THAT WE HAD PREVIOUSLY WAS THE ROLLOVER OF OUR OUTSTANDING BALANCES ON PURCHASE ORDERS AND SO EACH YEAR TOWARDS THE END OF EACH FISCAL YEAR, THEIR ORDERS PLACED PRIMARILY FOR ATHLETICS, FINE ARTS AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS THAT WE USE IN THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR. THIS RE ESTABLISHES THAT BUDGET IN THE CURRENT YEAR SO WE CAN MAKE THOSE EXPENDITURES AND SO AGAIN, ALTHOUGH WE ARE SHOWING A DEFICIT THERE, THAT WAS A PLANNED DRAWDOWN, AND WE STILL IN THE FISCAL GEAR WITH A 25% OPERATING RESERVE IN 91 DAYS AND SO AGAIN, ALTHOUGH WE'RE SHOWING A SMALL DEFICIT THERE THAT WAS A PLANNED DRAWDOWN OF FUND BALANCE. MOVING INTO OUR 2425 BUDGET PREPARATION. THESE ARE THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES THAT WE'LL USE AS WE DEVELOP THE 2425 BUDGET THAT INCLUDES ADDRESSING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, ADDING NEW CLASSROOM STAFF DUE TO ENROLLMENT GROWTH AND MAINTAINING AND OPERATING RESERVE REQUIREMENT OF 90 DAYS. AND THEN, OF COURSE, ANY OTHER BOARD PRIORITIES THAT COME UP DURING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BUDGET. WE WOULD WORK TO INCORPORATE THOSE IN AS WELL.BUT THIS IS OUR OVERARCHING THEME THAT WE HAVE. AS WE GO INTO THE AIR, I'M RELUCTANT TO SAY THAT THINGS ARE GOING TO GO WELL, JUST BECAUSE ANYTHING THAT CAN GO WRONG WILL GO WRONG, BUT AS WE GO INTO THIS PROCESS, THERE ARE SOME HEADWINDS WE'RE FACING, BUT I WOULD RATE WHAT WE ARE FACING IN THIS CURRENT UPCOMING YEAR TO BE MUCH LESS WORSE THAN WHAT WE FACED FOR THE CURRENT YEAR. AND SO I DON'T WANT TO SAY THAT THE WORST IS BEHIND US. BUT I THINK THAT WE HAVE GOTTEN TO A POINT WHERE, AS YOU'LL SEE IN JUST A SLIDE OR TWO THAT THINGS ARE NOT LOOKING BAD, BUT WE DO STILL HAVE SOME CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE FACING. AND SO THE FIRST ITEM THAT WE HAVE IS THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO INCREASE IN THE BASIC ALLOTMENT SINCE 2019. AND SO WE HAVE MADE ADJUSTMENTS LOCALLY THAT HAVE ALLOWED US TO CONTINUE TO OPERATE AGAIN. THE $23 MILLION IN REDUCTIONS THAT WE MADE FOR THE CURRENT YEAR AS WELL AS THE $16 MILLION IN THE PRIOR YEAR.
AND THEN THE SUCCESSFUL VA TRE. WE ALSO SHOWING SEEING A SLOWDOWN IN OUR ENROLLMENT GROWTH. NOW THIS IS NOT A REDUCTION IN ENROLLMENT, BUT OUR GROWTH RATE IS SLOW ENOUGH FROM WHAT WE'VE SEEN HISTORICALLY AND ONE OF THE WAYS THAT THAT IMPACTS US AS THE STATE DOES HAVE A FAST GROWTH ALLOTMENT THAT THEY ALLOW FOR, AND IF WE'RE NOT GROWING AT THE RATE THAT WE GROW IN, HISTORICALLY, WE COULD SEE THOSE FUNDS BEGIN TO DIMINISH OR GO AWAY ENTIRELY.
AND SO WE'RE NOT FACTORING THOSE INTO OUR PROJECTION, BUT PART OF THE CONSEQUENCE OF THAT IS AGAIN
[01:35:03]
WE'RE NOT GROWING AS QUICKLY AS WE HAVE BEEN IN THE PAST AND IT PROBABLY FEELS LIKE I'M A BROKERED RECORD AT THIS POINT, BUT THAT HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AUDIT FINDING FOR SARS IS AN ONGOING REDUCTION TO OUR REVENUES. AND SO WE DO NOT ANTICIPATE THAT WE WILL COME BACK NEXT YEAR AGAIN. THE FINDING WAS AGAINST THE STATE AND WHAT WE'VE HEARD FROM SOME OF OUR EXTERNAL ORGANIZATION AS TEXAS WAS RECEIVING ABOUT 40% OF THAT TOTAL ALLOTMENT AMONG ALL STATES, AND SO AS A RESULT, THE STATE DOESN'T HAVE THE REVENUES TO PROVIDE TO SCHOOL. STRICT AND THEY MADE SOME TYPE OF OTHER LEGISLATIVE ACTION IN ORDER TO DO THAT, AND I DON'T HOLD OUT MUCH HOPE FOR THAT HAPPENING. AND SO AGAIN. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S IMPACTING ALL DISTRICTS.IT'S ANTICIPATED TO BE ONGOING. AND THEN THE LAST ITEM YOU SEE THERE IS ANTICIPATED FED RATE CUTS WE HAVE BENEFITED IMMENSELY FROM THE INCREASE TO THE SHORT TERM INTEREST RATES, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WHAT WE'RE HEARING. IS THAT BEGINNING THAT SOME POINT IN THIS CURRENT CALENDAR YEAR, THE FED WILL BEGIN TO REDUCE RATES. TIME AND SO THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT MEANS OUR BORROWING COSTS WILL BE LOWER. THE BAD NEWS MEANS THAT IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE WILL BE EARNING LESS ON OUR ON THE FUNDING THAT THE DISTRICT KEEPS IN THE BANK, AND SO AGAIN, THERE IS A BENEFIT TO THAT. BUT ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE'RE NOT ANTICIPATING THAT THE RATES WILL REMAIN AT THE HIGH LEVEL THAT THEY ARE TODAY. BUT I MENTIONED OUR SLOWING ENROLLMENT GROWTH.
THIS IS OUR ENROLLMENT FOR THE 2425 SCHOOL YEAR AND YOU CAN SEE ON THAT LAST ITEM ON THERE LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME WHEN OUR DEMOGRAPHER POSSA PROJECTED WHAT THEY THOUGHT OUR ENROLLMENT WOULD BE FOR 2425. THEY PROJECTED IT AT 80,767. THE MOST RECENT UPDATE THAT THEY'VE GIVEN US FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR IS 80,572. AND SO THAT'S A REDUCTION OF ABOUT 195 STUDENTS.
AND SO AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE WE ARE STILL GROWING. AND SO I DON'T WANT TO SAY THAT THE GROWTH HAS STOPPED, BUT IT IS NOT AT THE RATE AT WHICH IT WAS ORIGINALLY ANTICIPATED. AND SO ONE OF THE BENEFITS TO THAT MEANS THAT WE WON'T HAVE NECESSARILY THE STAFFING THAT WE HAVE TO FIND.
BUT THE OTHER SIDE TO THAT MEANS THAT THE REVENUE THAT COMES WITH THOSE STUDENTS ALSO WON'T BE THERE. AND SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE MONITOR. I POINTED OUT TO SAY IT IS A HEADWIND THAT WE'RE FACING, BUT IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT I WOULD CALL CATASTROPHIC. IT'S JUST THE REALITY THAT WE ARE FACING. AND SO NOW I'LL WALK YOU THROUGH SOME OF THE ASSESSMENT OR ASSUMPTIONS THAT WE HAVE FOR THE 2425 BUDGET. THE FIRST IS WE ARE USING OUR DEMOGRAPHERS MODERATE GROWTH SCENARIO OF 80,572 STUDENTS. THIS IS WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE STARTING IN NOVEMBER AND RECENTLY PROVIDED US WITH THE MOST UP TO DATE INFORMATION THEY HAVE HISTORICALLY BEEN ABOUT 99.5% ACCURATE ON THEIR PROJECTIONS OVERALL, AND SO WE ARE COMFORTABLE USING THEIR MODERATE GROWTH, SCENIC AND WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE DO THAT. OUR ATTENDANCE RATE IS BUDGETED AT 95% RIGHT NOW. WE ARE JUST SLIGHTLY BELOW THAT AT ABOUT 94.8% ALTHOUGH TYPICALLY AFTER SPRING BREAK, WE START TO SEE A SLIGHT REBOUND OF STUDENTS RETURNING AND BEING PRESENT AFTER WE MAKE IT THROUGH THE WINTER MONTHS, BUT WE'RE ON TRACK TO BE AT 95% WE HAVE BUDGETED IN THE TEACHER STEP, AND I WOULD NORMALLY SAY THIS IS THE $500 STEP TEACHERS GET BUT AS YOU ALL ARE AWARE AS PART OF THE VA TRE WE HAVE DIFFERENTIATED STEP. AND SO THIS FULLY INCORPORATES THAT INTO THE BUDGET AND THEN, LASTLY, NEW CAMPUS BASED POSITIONS FOR STUDENT ENROLLMENT GROWTH OR ALSO BAKED INTO THE NUMBERS THAT I'M ABOUT TO SHOW YOU. AND SO AS WE LOOK AT THE 2425 FORECAST, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT OUR REVENUES AND NOW I'M LOOKING AT THAT THAT LAST COLUMN ON THERE ARE THE FIRST COLUMN IS OUR CURRENT BUDGET. THAT SECOND COLUMN IS WHAT WE'RE PROJECTING THE NUMBERS THAT I SHOWED YOU PREVIOUSLY AND NOW 2425 LOOKING FOR. THIS IS HOW WE LOOK TODAY. AND SO, MISS HANNAN, YOU SAID AT THE TOP OF THE PRESENTATION THAT YOU HOPE THINGS DON'T LOOK TOO BLEAK. AND I WOULD SAY THAT THIS IS THE LEAST BLEAK. OUR FORECAST HAS LOOKED IN. PROBABLY ABOUT FOUR YEARS. AND SO I'LL WALK YOU THROUGH THIS BRIEFLY. SO FOR OUR REVENUES, WE ARE SEEING AN INCREASE OVER THE 2324 YEAR END ESTIMATE OF ABOUT $7 MILLION, AND SO WE WOULD BE AT ABOUT $817 MILLION ON OUR REVENUES FOR 2425. OUR TOTAL EXPENDITURES BASED ON THE INFORMATION I JUST SHARED WITH YOU WOULD BE AT ABOUT $820.3 MILLION, AND THEN THAT ITEM YOU CAN SEE ON THERE CALLED OTHER SOURCES SLASH USES.
THIS IS A TRANSFER THAT OUR EXTENDED LEARNING PROGRAM MAKES INTO THE GENERAL FUND BASED ON THE REVENUE THAT THEY BRING IN. AND SO WHEN YOU COMBINE THAT TOGETHER, OUR CHANGE IN FUND BALANCE IS ABOUT $900,000. THAT IS A DEFICIT. BUT I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THINGS CHANGE VERY QUICKLY AND IN THIS CASE TO OUR BENEFIT, SO OVER ON FRIDAY, THIS INFORMATION GOT TURNED IN ON FRIDAY SENT OUT TO YOU ON FRIDAY. WE RECEIVED NOTIFICATION FROM OUR DELINQUENT
[01:40:03]
TAX ATTORNEY THAT THE PROPERTY VALUE AUDIT THAT WE HAVE CONDUCTED EACH YEAR CAME OUT BETTER THAN WHAT WE EXPECTED. SO WE HAVE BUILT INTO THIS FORECAST RECEIVING ABOUT $2 MILLION. IN REALITY, IT'S GOING TO BE CLOSER TO $5 MILLION. AND SO THERE IS A $3 MILLION BENEFIT THAT WILL BE COMING INTO THE GENERAL FUND THAT IS NOT REFLECTED HERE. AND SO WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT AS WE BEGIN THE PROCESS OF PUTTING TOGETHER THE BUDGET, WE WILL BE DOING IT FROM A SMALL SURPLUS POSITION. NOW I HATE TO BE A DEBBIE DOWNER NOW, BUT THAT THAT'S SOMETIMES MY JOB AS AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS OF DOING THE ONGOING WORK AND THE PROVIDING THE PRESENTATIONS TO YOU, ALL PART OF THAT WILL INVOLVE FINALIZING OUR REVENUE ESTIMATES. AND SO WE CONTINUE TO WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR VARIOUS SPECIAL EDUCATION, MULTILINGUAL SERVICES, CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY TO DETERMINE WHAT WE ANTICIPATE ENROLLMENT TO BE FOR NEXT YEAR. AND SO THOSE ADJUSTMENTS HAVE THE ABILITY TO POSITIVELY OR NEGATIVELY IMPACT WHAT OUR FINAL NUMBERS ARE, AND SO WE'LL WORK THROUGH THAT AND BEGIN TO REALLY GET THOSE NUMBERS TO A POINT OF COMPLETION BY THE TIME WE GET TO JUNE FOR FINAL ADOPTION. THE NEXT POINT IS THE CAMPUS STAFFING ALLOCATIONS WHAT EACH CAMPUS RECEIVES TO SET EVERYTHING UP FOR NEXT YEAR FOR STUDENTS THAT INFORMATION WILL BE COMING TO THE BOARD FOR CONSIDERATION IN MARCH, AND WE WILL BE BASED ON STAFFING GUIDELINES AND AGAIN THAT MODERATE ENROLLMENT ESTIMATE THAT WE RECEIVED FROM OUR DEMOGRAPHER AND THEN THE LAST ITEM THAT'S ON HERE IS THE MOST FUN AND THAT IS THE UNKNOWNS. WHAT IS IT THAT WE DON'T KNOW TODAY THAT COULD DEVELOP BETWEEN NOW AND THE FINAL BUDGET ADOPTION? WELL, THE FIRST BE ANY NEW PROGRAMS OR PROGRAM CHANGES THAT MAY NEED TO BE MADE, AND THE SECOND ONE IS MY FAVORITE ONE, AND THAT IS A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION. AT THIS POINT. WE DON'T HAVE ANY INDICATION THAT THAT WILL HAPPEN , BUT IT COULD HAPPEN. AND IF IT DOES HAPPEN THAT COULD EITHER POSITIVELY OR NEGATIVELY IMPACT US. WE KNOW THAT THE THING THAT IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE GOVERNOR AND THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNORS MIND IS ESS OR EDUCATIONAL SAVINGS ACCOUNT. AND SO IF THOSE GO INTO PLAY THAT COULD HAVE A NEGATIVE. IMPACT FOR US NEXT YEAR AND THEN THE ITEM THAT I HAVEN'T SPOKEN ABOUT . I MENTIONED TEACHER STEPS ARE INCORPORATED INTO THE BUDGET, BUT WHAT'S NOT AS ANY OTHER TYPE OF COMPENSATION ADJUSTMENT WHERE WE INCREASE STARTING TEACHER PAY OR MAKE ADJUSTMENTS FOR ANY OTHER STAFF MEMBERS, AND SO THOSE ARE STILL DETERMINATIONS THAT WE NEED TO MAKE AS WE GO FORWARD THROUGH THIS AND THE THING THAT I HAVE BEEN SAYING FREQUENTLY AMONG OUR STAFF HERE IS THAT IF WE WANT TO MAKE ANY INCREASES TO SPENDING, YOU CAN SEE THAT NOW WE'RE FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES BALANCED WITH A 3 MILLION SURPLUS. IT DOESN'T TAKE US TOO FAR AND SO WE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE REDUCTIONS SOMEWHERE IN ORDER TO MAKE ANY LARGE SCALE CHANGES THAT WE MAKE . AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THAT. AND THEN THE FINAL ITEM THAT'S ON HERE IS AS I MENTIONED OUR VACANCY RATE RIGHT NOW WE ARE BUDGETING FOR ABOUT A 5% VACANCY FACTOR. HOWEVER WE ARE CLOSER TO 6% TODAY, AND SO AGAIN THAT SICK 1% VACANCY FACTOR. WORTH CLOSE TO $6 MILLION. AND SO IF WE WERE TO UTILIZE A HIGHER VACANCY RATE , THE BENEFIT TO US IS WE CAN SPEND MORE. THE DRAWBACK TO THAT MEANS IS THAT WE'RE NOT EXPECTING TO FILL VACANCIES. AND SO THERE'S ALSO IT'S NOT NECESSARILY A POSITIVE THING FROM FROM A STAFFING PERSPECTIVE , AND SO WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT WE WANT TO BE CAUTIOUS WITH HOW WE TREAT THAT NUMBER BECAUSE WE WANT HR TO BE AGGRESSIVE IN RECRUITING AND STAFFING. BUT THE FLIP SIDE TO THAT IS IF WE CAN'T ATTRACT THE STAFF. THE BENEFIT.IT WILL BE AS WE WILL BE SPENDING LESS THAN WHAT WE EXPECT. AND MY CLICKER HAS DECIDED TO RETIRE ON ME THIS EVENING. THAT'S NOT INCONVENIENT AT ALL. OK, BACK IN ORDER NOW.
MOVING ON. SO AS WE WORK OUT, CLOSING THE 2324 BUDGET. WE ARE IN OUR FINAL YEAR OF ESSER AND YALL MAY RECALL THAT THIS WAS A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE RECEIVED DUE TO THE PANDEMIC.
THERE WERE TWO ROUNDS OF ESSER FUNDING THAT WE RECEIVED DURING THE PANDEMIC. FIRST WAS S OR TWO AND THEN THREE AND YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE DATES OF WHEN THEY WERE RECEIVED OR BACKWARDS. THAT IS NOT A MISPRINT THE WAY THAT THE STATE RELEASED AND THEY RELEASED OR THREE FIRST, FOLLOWED BY ESTHER TUBE ABOUT A MONTH AND A HALF LATER. SO THE DISTRICT RECEIVED $42.2 MILLION IN SR TWO FUNDINGS, AND WE HAVE FULLY EXPENDED ALL SR TWO FUNDS, SO THERE'S NO FUNDING REMAINING FROM THAT GRANT. AND THEN, AS A REMINDER ON THIS, THE STATE DID USE $11.7 MILLION OF THAT
[01:45:01]
FUNDING TO FUND THE AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE HOLD HARMLESS THAT THEY HAD IN PLACE FOR THE 2021 SCHOOL YEAR. AND SO ALTHOUGH WE RECEIVE $42.2 MILLION, THE STATE REDUCED OUR STATE PAYMENT. BY 11.7 MILLION, AND SO WE DIDN'T REALLY FULLY BENEFIT FROM TWO FUNDING.ALTHOUGH WE RECEIVED THE FULL AMOUNT WE RECEIVED LESS STATE FUNDING. THE THREE FUNDING TOTALED 94.7 MILLION AND AS OF THE END OF JANUARY OF THIS YEAR, WE HAVE EXPENDED 92% OF THAT TOTAL FUNDING AND SO THAT REMAINING ALLOCATION THAT WE HAVE, WHICH IS ABOUT 7.8 MILLION HAS TO BE EXPENDED BY SEPTEMBER OF 2024 AND SO TO QUICKLY RECAP FOR YOU WHAT THE EXPENDITURES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH BOTH TWO AND THREE. ON SR TWO. THE $42.2 MILLION ABOUT 56% OF THAT, OR 23.5 MILLION. THE DISTRICT USED TO REIMBURSE ITSELF FOR COVID RELATED EXPENDITURES THAT WERE NOT COVERED BY OTHER GRANTS. AND SO SOME OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS THAT WE HAD TO PURCHASE OTHER ITEMS LIKE THAT WERE COVERED AS PART OF THOSE COSTS 27% OR ABOUT $11.5 MILLION , WAS USED TO SUPPLANT FUNDING FOR INTERVENTIONISTS AND MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS. AND ESSENTIALLY WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE HAVE TO GO THROUGH A LAYOFF BECAUSE WE WEREN'T RECEIVING THE FUNDING WE NEEDED. WE RETAIN THOSE STAFF FROM THE GENERAL FUND AND MOVE THEM INTO ESSER FUNDING. AND THAT WAS AGAIN THE INTERVENTIONIST AND MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS AT THE DISTRICT HAD ALL FEDERAL GRANTS THAT THE DISTRICT RECEIVE. WE ARE ALLOWED TO CHARGE AN OVERHEAD COST FOR ADMINISTERING THE GRANT ABOUT 11% OF THE S OR TWO GRANT, OR $4.5 MILLION WAS USED TO COVER THOSE EXPENDITURES AND THAT WAS BROUGHT INTO OUR GENERAL FUND AS REVENUE. AND THEN THE LAST TWO ITEMS THAT WERE ON THERE WERE TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT AND OTHER REIMBURSEMENT WILL COST THE TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT WAS ABOUT $2.7 MILLION, AND THAT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH COLLECTING THE LAPTOPS THAT HAD BEEN BEEN DISTRIBUTED FOR REMOTE LEARNING, BRINGING THEM BACK, RECONFIGURING THEM AND THEN ALSO DEPLOYING THEM BACK TO THE CAMPUSES SO THAT THEY COULD BE USED BY STUDENTS ON OUR CAMPUSES. FROM THE S OR THREE PERSPECTIVE. WE HAVE $94.7 MILLION AND OF THAT WE HAVE AGAIN. $7.8 MILLION THAT IS STILL REMAIN TO BE REMAINING TO BE SPENDED. IT IS BUDGETED, AND WE ANTICIPATE THAT THAT WILL BE FULLY DRAWN DOWN BY THE YEAR END . SO ABOUT 47% OF OUR TOTAL ON THAT ESER ARE $44.6 MILLION WORTH OF USE TO ADDRESS LEARNING LOSS AND AGAIN. THIS WAS PRIMARILY TO ENSURE WE DIDN'T HAVE TO REDUCE ANY TEACHING STAFF DUE TO ENROLLMENT OR TO OFFSET THE LACK OF STATE FUNDING THAT WE WERE RECEIVING AT THE TIME. ANOTHER 26% OR ABOUT $25 MILLION WAS ALLOCATED TO ADDITIONAL TEACHER PLANNING TIME . THOSE EFFORTS OCCURRED DURING THE 2122 AND 2223 SCHOOL YEARS BUT WERE DISCONTINUED THIS YEAR AND SO THAT ADDITIONAL TEACHERS THE ADDITIONAL TEACHERS THAT WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT PLANNING TIME WERE PLACED BACK INTO CLASSROOMS AND WE'RE BACK TO OUR NORMAL PROCESS OF PROVIDING BASICALLY FOR SIX OF SEVEN PERIODS AT MOST OF OUR CAMPUSES. AND THEN WE HAD ABOUT 15% OF THE TOTAL ARE $13.7 MILLION THAT CONTINUED THOSE INTERVENTIONISTS AND MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS THAT WERE FUNDED WHEN SR TWO EXPIRED, AND SO THAT ROLLED FROM TWO INTO SR THREE TO ALLOW US TO CONTINUE TO SUPPLANT THOSE POSITIONS, AND THEN FINALLY, THE REMAINING PORTION OR ABOUT 12% 11.8 MILLION WAS ALSO FOR THE INDIRECT COST OR CONTACT TRACING AND THE CONTACT TRACING PART. I WOULD SAY THAT ACTUALLY ENDED.
THE 2021 SCHOOL YEAR, BUT THERE WAS A COMPONENT OF THAT COST THAT WAS PAID IN THAT OUT OF THIS FUNDING FOR THAT LAST YEAR OF CONTACT, TRACING THAT WE HAD. AND SO MOVING IT AWAY FROM ASSER . THIS SHOWS THE TIMELINE FOR THE BUDGET PROCESS. OUR CAMPUS BASED STAFFING AS I MENTIONED BASED ON OUR STAFFING GUIDELINES , WE'LL BE COMING TO THE BOARD FOR APPROVAL IN MARCH. THE DISTRICT JOB FAIR IS SCHEDULED FOR APRIL. THE SIXTH AND THE APPROVAL WILL ALLOW CAMPUS TO HIRE THOSE POSITIONS NEEDED TO FILL VACANCIES OR NEW POSITIONS DUE TO ENROLLMENT GROWTH ON THEIR CAMPUSES. AND THEN IN APRIL, WE'LL ALSO PROVIDE THE BOARD WITH AN ADDITIONAL BUDGET UPDATE. IN MAY. WE'LL REVIEW ANY COMPENSATION ADJUSTMENTS IF WE HAVE ANY TO MAKE TO RECOMMEND TO THE BOARD, AS WELL AS PUBLISH THE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE BUDGET AND TAX RATE AND PROVIDE ANOTHER UPDATE TO THE BOARD ON THE BUDGET, AND THEN IN JUNE, THE PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE HELD ON THE BUDGET AND TAX RATE AND THE BOARD WILL CONSIDER THE 2425 BUDGET FOR APPROVAL. AND THEN WE ALSO WILL HAVE A 2324 FINAL BUDGET AMENDMENT AS WELL AS A FUND BALANCE RESOLUTION FOR
[01:50:02]
CONSIDERATION AT THAT MEETING AS WELL. AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION, AND WE'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT THE BOARD MAY HAVE. THANK YOU, MR GUAN. UH, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? MS HANNAN. THANK YOU. UH THANK YOU, MR GWEN. AND THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTION TODAY. UM BUT IF WHICH, I I'M SORRY TO MAKE YOU GET UP IF YOU HAVE TO SHIMMY BACK OVER THERE, BUT COULD YOU PUT THAT 2024 25 INITIAL OUTLOOK UP THERE. YEP. THERE YOU GO. THANK YOU. SO WHAT I WANNA ASK AND FOR MY COLLEAGUES, I'M LOOKING AT THE PACKET. UM THAT WAS ON THE DAIS OF Q AND A PAGE TWO ON THERE. SO WHAT I'M LOOKING AT UM. WE HAVE 140.5 FULL TIME EQUIVALENT EMPLOYEES BEING PAID OUT OF THE 7.8 MILLION REMAINING FUNDS IN ESSER. SO YOU KNOW WHEN I'M LOOKING AT SOME OF THOSE, AND SOME, YOU KNOW THEY'RE THEY'RE REQUIRED BY THE STATE. AND SO OBVIOUSLY WE USED TO PAY FOR. SOME OF THESE OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND. SO CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO ME LOOKING AT THIS YEAR'S AMENDED BUDGET AND THE END OF THE YEAR. ESTIMATE IT FIRST IS THIS 7.8 MILLION BUILT INTO THIS BUDGET. IS THIS IS ARE THESE FUNDS REFLECTED THE 7.8 ARE THEY REFLECTED IN THOSE FIRST TWO COLUMNS, SO THAT'S A COMPLICATED QUESTION, BUT I'LL TRY TO GIVE AN EASY RESPONSE. SO ESSER IS REQUIRED TO BE ACCOUNTED FOR SEPARATELY. SO IT IS NOT REFLECTED HERE. WE'RE ACTUALLY SPENDING THE ESER FUNDS OUT OF OUR ESER POT OF MONEY. AND SO YOU DON'T SEE IN THE AMENDED BUDGET OR THE YEAR END ESTIMATE THAT $7.8 MILLION THAT'S REMAINING TO BE EXPENDED. BECAUSE IT'S BEEN PAID FOR OUT OF USER FUNDS. OK NOW, HAVING SAID THAT THIS IS WHERE IT GETS FUN AND COMPLICATED FOR A 2425 FORECASTED BUDGET, THE SUPPLANTED POSITIONS THAT WERE PAID OUT OF ESSER. SO THAT IS ALL INTERVENTIONISTS, REGULAR INTERVENTIONISTS AND MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS, WHICH WE HAD PRIOR TO COVID ARE BEING ROLLED BACK IN AND ARE INCLUDED THERE. THERE'S ABOUT 19 POSITIONS THAT WERE SUPPLEMENTAL THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE A DETERMINATION OF WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE WITH THOSE AND THAT IS THE ITINERANT INTERVENTIONIST. THERE'S A COORDINATOR POSITION FOR INTERVENTION SUPPORT AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR THE SAME AND THEN TWO HEALTH SPECIALISTS THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF THAT FUNDING, BUT THE SUPPLANTED POSITIONS, THE REGULAR INTERVENTIONISTS AND THE MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS ARE ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE 2425 FORECASTED BUDGET. OK, AND THAT INCLUDES THE DIFFERENTIATED A SCALE. IT'S ALL OF IT, AND SO. I. I WAS JUST TRYING TO WORK OUT BECAUSE YOU SAID FROM THIS YEAR TO NEXT YEAR , THE 8,000,016. SOME OF THAT WAS BECAUSE. THE REVENUE INCREASE, BECAUSE OUR OUR TAX. TAXES HAD IMPROVED THAT BRINGING IN THE GROWTH THAT YOU'RE SEEING THE EIGHT FROM THE 809 TO THE 817 IS ESSENTIALLY GOING TO BE BECAUSE OF STUDENT GROWTH TO SOME DEGREE INTEREST EARNINGS, BUT IT'S ALSO IT COULD LOOK BETTER IF WE HADN'T LOST THE $4 MILLION IN FUNDING, BUT IT'S MAINLY BEING DRIVEN BY ENROLLMENT GROWTH AND SOME OF THOSE SPECIAL CATEGORIES. OK, SO THE TOTAL EXPENDITURES THAT I'M SEEING UP HERE, THE BETWEEN THIS YEAR, THE 8 13 MILLION AND 820 IS BECAUSE YOU'VE WRAPPED UP THESE. THE MAJORITY OF THESE POSITIONS IN IN THERE WAS THAT ONE OF YES, MA'AM. THAT'S CORRECT. WE HAVE THE SER AGAIN.I WANT TO EMPHASIZE SUPPLANTED POSITIONS THAT ARE WRAPPED IN THERE ANY ENROLLMENT GROWTH POSITIONS AND THEN ALSO FACTORING IN SOME INFLATIONARY GROWTH THAT WE'VE SEEN ON THINGS LIKE PROPERTY, INSURANCE, FUEL AND TRANSPORTATION COSTS, BUT THE LARGE COMPONENT OF THAT IS GOING TO BE DUE TO STAFFING INCREASES FOR ADDING IN OUR THE ESER POSITIONS LIKE YOU POINTED OUT, AS WELL AS ENROLLMENT GROWTH, OK AND THEN AND THEN MY I JUST I REALLY, YOU KNOW, ESSER KIND OF WAS CONFUSING TO PREVIOUS BOARD MEMBERS AND CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS, SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE WERE CLEAR ON THAT. AND THEN THE OTHER ONE THAT YOU MENTIONED WAS THE ESSER FUNDING THAT WE WERE USING FOR PLANNING TIME. THAT HAS NOT MM. WE HAVEN'T USED ANY OF THAT. AND I DON'T SEE THAT HERE. SO WE HAVE JUST DO WE HAVE THREE CAMPUSES WITH EIGHT
[01:55:02]
PERIODS. YES MA'AM, AND THOSE WERE AT THE ONSET OF THE PANDEMIC. WE HAVE MARSHALL, WILLOWRIDGE AND HIGHTOWER THAT ALL HAVE A B BLOCK SCHEDULING. PART OF THE REASON THOSE CAMPUSES DO HAVE A BB IS BECAUSE THEY ARE THE HOMES TO THE P TECH AND EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL AND ONE OF THE ONLY WAYS THAT YOU CAN HAVE ENOUGH TIME FOR THE STUDENTS TO MEET THE CLASS REQUIREMENTS TO END UP WITH AN ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE IS TO DO BLOCK STYLE SCHEDULING AT THOSE CAMPUSES, BUT THAT THAT WAS PUT BACK INTO WE STOPPED PAYING FOR THAT WITH ESSER. THAT THAT'S JUST COME OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND, CORRECT AND THE WAY THAT IT WAS WORKING AT THOSE CAMPUSES . THOSE CAMPUSES ALSO HAD THE ADDITIONAL PLANNING TIME AND SO THEY WERE TEACHING AN ESSENCE INSTEAD OF SEVEN OF EIGHT PERIODS. THEY WERE TEACHING SIX OF EIGHT AND SO IT REQUIRED A MORE INTENSIVE TYPE SCHEDULING OR MORE TEACHING RESOURCES TO MEET THAT, WHEN THAT WAS DISCONTINUED THE ADDITIONAL PLANNING TIME IT IMPACTED THOSE CAMPUSES AS WELL. AND SO SOME OF THOSE THAT TIME THAT THE TEACHERS HAD FOR PLANNING THEY ENDED UP WITH ADDITIONAL CLASS TIME. SEVEN OF EIGHT NOW CORRECT . WOW THAT'S A LOT OF PREPS. OK WELL, I DIDN'T I THIS WAS NOT GOING TO BE ONE OF MY QUESTIONS, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE LOOK AT OUR PROGRAMS AND THE SUCCESS IN IN THE INTENTION OF ADDING THOSE EXTRA PLANNING TIMES AND THEN REMOVING IT, IT WOULD BE INTERESTING AT THIS POINT, BECAUSE WE'RE IN YEAR THREE. IS THAT RIGHT? WITH THE EIGHT PERIOD I'D JUST BE INTERESTED TO KNOW THE SUCCESS THAT OUR KIDS ARE HAVING. OUR TEACHERS. THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. HANEN, MS MALONE. THANK YOU. I'M GONNA BE FAIRLY BRIEF, UM IT SEEMS LIKE SALARY SLACK. GENERATES QUITE A BIT OF REVENUE. AND SO RIGHT NOW, YOU MENTIONED WE'RE AT 6. CURRENTLY GETS THE VACANCY EFFECT AND WHAT I WOULD SAY IS, IT DOESN'T GENERATE REVENUE. WHAT IT'S DOING IS REDUCING EXPENDITURE, REDUCING OUR COSTS. CORRECT.CORRECT, SO. HERE'S MY QUESTION WHILE YOU'VE BEEN IN FORT BEND WHAT'S THE LOWEST VACANCY RATE YOU'VE SEEN? AND I KNOW THESE LAST FEW YEARS HAVE BEEN ABNORMAL BECAUSE OF THE, UM, GREAT RESIGNATION. BUT HISTORICALLY WHAT ARE WE AIMING FOR? IS WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET TO AND I'M DOING THIS OFF THE CUFF AND WE PROBABLY WANT MORE INTENSIVE RESEARCH ON THIS BUT TYPICALLY PRE PANDEMIC. I WOULD SAY THAT 4% WAS PROBABLY A MUCH MORE REASONABLE EXPECTATION FOR VACANCIES AND PROBABLY EVEN GOING DOWN TO THE 3% RANGE IN SOME YEARS, DEPENDING ON WHERE WE WERE SALARY WISE COMPARED TO OUR PEER DISTRICTS. OK SO IF THAT'S THE CASE IN 1% IS 6 MILLION, WE'RE LOOKING AT AN ADDITIONAL $18 MILLION TO GET DOWN TO THAT 3. IF WE'RE AT 5% NOW, IT WOULD BE ACTUALLY SIX. AND YOU'RE INCLUDING FIVE IN THE FORECAST. SO THEN IN LET'S SAY ANOTHER 12 CORRECT, OK? ALL RIGHT. I JUST THINK THE GOAL IS TO STAFF OUR CLASSROOMS. AND SO THAT'S A PRETTY IMPORTANT NUMBER . UM AND I ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WOULD SAY THAT I THINK EMPHASIZES THE POINT THAT YOU JUST MADE THE IMPORTANCE TO STAFF OUR CLASSROOMS. THAT IS PART OF OUR RELUCTANCE TO STEP OUT BEYOND 5% BECAUSE IF WE COMMIT THE FUNDS, THAT MEANS THAT WHEN THE CAMPUS COMES TO US AND SAYS, I HAVE FOUND A POSITION, I FOUND A PERSON TO FILL A POSITION, BUT IF WE HAVE STEPPED AND SAID, WE'RE BUDGETING AT 6% VACANCY FACTOR.
THEN WE RUN THE RISK OF HAVING TO SAY OK, WAIT A MINUTE. WE CAN'T HIRE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WE'RE TRYING TO HIT THAT 6% THRESHOLD. AND SO THE RISK THAT'S THE RISK TO THIS, BUT THE FLIP SIDE TO IT IS WHEN IT TURNS OUT THAT WE DO HIT 6% WE'VE ESSENTIALLY LEFT AND I THINK THIS IS A POINT. YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE $6 MILLION SITTING THERE THAT COULD HAVE BEEN USED FOR OTHER PURPOSES. AND SO IT IS A BALANCE THAT WE THAT WE STRUGGLE WITH BECAUSE WANT TO FILL THE POSITIONS. BUT THERE'S ALSO THE REALITY THAT WE LIVE IN THAT RIGHT NOW. TEACHING POSITIONS ARE VERY HARD TO FILL. YEAH AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCES IS KEY. UM. AND WHILE I HAVE I HAVE APPRECIATE THIS, UM UH, I THINK IT'S CHALLENGING FOR ME AND MY WHEN I'M REVIEWING IT, BECAUSE IT'S IN SUCH A CONDENSED FASHION. AND SO I THINK IT'S GREAT. YOU KNOW, FOR THE BROADER AUDIENCE, AND ESPECIALLY FOR, UH, CONSIDERATION OF TIME AND EFFICIENCY. HOWEVER AS I ASKED DR SMITH EARLY, AND I'LL JUST IF YOU DON'T MIND, MAY I ASK NOW, UM IS IT POSSIBLE WE COULD HAVE MORE OF A DEEP DIVE WORKSHOP AND THIS GOES INTO HONESTLY WHAT YOU JUST MENTIONED MISS HANNON AS
[02:00:02]
FAR AS UNDERSTANDING THE PROGRAM AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS OF THE EIGHT PERIODS AND WHETHER IT'S WORTH THE BANK. YOU KNOW THE BANG FOR THE BUCK. UM AND ALSO UNDER IN THE IN THE INTENTIONALITY WITH THIS IS ONE E. WHAT PROGRAMS ARE POTENTIAL CUTS. AND US BEING MORE OF A PART OF THE PROCESS AND UNDERSTANDING THE PROS AND THE CONS OF THOSE, UM DECISION FACTORS. AND SO MY ASK IS COULD THE BOARD HAVE A DEEP DIVE WORKSHOP AS A WHOLE? NOT JUST AS A BUDGET FINANCE COMMITTEE, BUT I REALLY BELIEVE THAT WITH THE FINANCIAL CONUNDRUMS WE'VE BEEN IN AS OF LATE AND JUST THE, UM. THE CONSIDERATIONS OF THE. CULTURE IT WOULD BE GREAT FOR TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. IF IT COULD BE THE FULL BOARD, UM AND IN PURSUIT OF A BUDGET WORKSHOP. UH, YES. ABSOLUTELY BRIAN. IF YOU COULD PLEASE GO BACK TO THE TIMELINE SLIDE THERE. WANNA MAKE A COUPLE POINTS? UM. YEAH RIGHT THERE. SO UH, TO YOUR POINT, UH, TRUSTEE MALONE? ABSOLUTELY I DO FORESEE US ENGAGING IN A DEEPER MORE IN DEPTH CONVERSATION IN THE FORM OF A BUDGET WORKSHOP. UM THAT COULD POSSIBLY TAKE PLACE SOMETIME AROUND APRIL OR MAY.MARCH IS GONNA BE A KEY, UH MONTH FOR US, AS WE, UH AS A STAFF TRY TO WORK THROUGH SOME OF THE STAFFING QUESTIONS THAT, UM BRIAN MENTIONED AND AS WE TRY TO MAKE SOME DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT'S GOING TO BE INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET AND WHAT'S NOT, AND SO AS WE GO THROUGH THAT WORK, IT'LL BE, UH, A GREAT SEGUE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO TRANSITION APRIL OR MAY ISH IN A BUDGET WORKSHOP. ONCE WE HAVE A LITTLE MORE DEFINITIVE. FOR THE BOARD TO THINK THROUGH. THANK YOU, DOCTOR SMITH. AND THANK YOU, MR GWEN. UH, HONESTLY, FOR ME, THAT'S WHERE I INTEND TO HAVE MORE OF A DEEPER DISCUSSION BECAUSE I COULD GO ON AND ON AND I'D I'LL SPARE YOU. THANK YOU, GENTLEMEN. THANK YOU, MISS MALONE. UM I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. BUT I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF CLA CLARIFICATION QUESTIONS. SO, UM. DID I HEAR YOU CORRECTLY SEE? BECAUSE THE GOLDEN PENNY THE INCREASE FOR THE GOLDEN PENNY. YIELD WE HAVE $16 MILLION EXTRA REVENUE. THE GOLDEN YELLED, GENERATE THE INCREASE TO THE GOLDEN YIELD GENERATED $16 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL REVENUE FOR THE DISTRICT. HOWEVER IF YOU RECALL WE HAD ABOUT A $47 MILLION DEFICIT, AND SO ESSENTIALLY WHAT IT ALLOWED US TO DO IS ONCE WE REDUCE THE $23 MILLION FROM OUR BUDGET. IT FILLED IN THE REMAINING HOLE SO WE DIDN'T HAVE TO MAKE ADDITIONAL REDUCTIONS.
AND SO IT'S NOT. THERE'S NOT $16 MILLION IN AVAILABLE FUNDING THAT $16 MILLION OF FUNDING THAT PROVIDED US THE ABILITY TO MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT FURTHER REDUCTIONS. SO FOR THE I MILAN.
SO THE WHEN DID WE USE THIS? OR WHEN DO ARE WE AWARE OF THE $60 MILLION SO WE CAN USE IT FOR THE WHOLE? IT WAS PART OF OUR BUDGET DISCUSSIONS. LAST YEAR THE STATE APPROVED IT WAS ACTUALLY THEY HAD MULTIPLE SPECIAL SESSIONS, BUT THIS WAS APPROVED AS PART OF THE BUDGET THAT THEY ADOPTED IN MAY. AND SO WE KNEW IN THE APRIL TIME FRAME THAT THAT WAS INCLUDED AS PART OF THE BUDGET.
OKAY THANK YOU. UM, SO NEXT I HAVE. UM SO YOU ON THE SLIDE, YOU SAID WE AND MAYBE YOU. YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER ME RIGHT NOW, IF YOU DON'T KNOW, BUT I JUST WONDER WONDERING FOR OUR SUB. BECAUSE YOU SAID THE SUB COST HIGHER THAN BUDGETED. I MEAN, AMONG OTHER THINGS, I'M JUST WONDERING. DO WE HAVE A COMPARISON BETWEEN FOUR BINANCE D HOW MUCH WE PAY FOR OUR SUB COMPARED TO OUR NEIGHBORING, UH, DISTRICT? YES THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT DOES TO COMPARE WHERE WE STAND WITH OUR PEER DISTRICTS . THE AND I UNFORTUNATELY, I DON'T HAVE THE PRETTY VISUAL TO SHOW YOU. BUT IF YOU RECALL ONE OF THE IMPACTS OF THE VA R WAS MOVING OUR STARTING TEACHER PAY TO $62,000 RIGHT NOW, KATIE, I THINK IS AT ABOUT 62. AND 400 LAMAR AT ABOUT 62,500 WERE STILL BEHIND THEM ON STARTING TEACHER PAY, BUT NOT BY A LOT IF WE WERE SEVERAL $1000 BEHIND PRIOR TO THE VA TRE, BUT BECAUSE OF THAT DIFFERENTIATED TEACHER SKILL THAT WAS ADOPTED AS PART OF THE VA T ONCE YOU MOVE PAST YEAR, FIVE ON TEACHER EXPERIENCE, BASICALLY THE DIFFERENCE IN PAY BETWEEN KATIE AND LAMAR EVAPORATES AND WE'RE PAYING EITHER COMPARABLE TO WHAT THEY DO OR ABOVE. SO ACTUALLY, I THANK YOU FOR THAT INFORMATION.
[02:05:07]
BUT I MY QUESTION REALLY FOCUS ON THE OUR SUBSTITUTE TEACHER OR SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS. WE HAVE THAT COMPARISON. I DON'T I DON'T HAVE THAT ONE AS FRESH IN MY HEAD AS TEACHERS, BUT WE CAN PROVIDE THAT TO YOU ALL. THANK YOU. AND ALSO I WANT TO FOLLOW UP WITH MISS ANGIE'S QUESTION REGARDING TO IFI II. I THINK I BELIEVE I ASK YOU THAT QUESTION WHEN WE HAD A DISCUSSION.REGARDING THE A TRE, UH THE IS HOW DO WE USE? THE ISO FOUND TWO AND THREE. I BELIEVE BY THAT TIME YOU SEND ME A VERY COMPREHENSIVE EMAIL, WHICH, WITH A LOT OF INFORMATION, I'M JUST WONDERING, MAYBE YOU CAN FORWARD OR MAYBE REVEAL THAT INFORMATION . UNDERSTAND THAT TO THE FULL BOARD. UH I DO BELIEVE THAT HAS A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION IN THAT EMAIL. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT, UH, ALSO, I MEAN ON THE SLIDE. 10. YOU'LL HAVE A PASS. UH, PREDICTION, RIGHT. DO YOU DO WE KNOW WHERE WE ARE AT FOR THIS YEAR? 2324 IS THAT WHAT ARE WE MEETING THE PAST PREDICTION, OR ARE WE ABOVE THEIR PREDICTION? WHERE ARE WE? SO WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER WHAT PAST PROJECTION IS? THEY ARE PROJECTING AS OF P SNAPSHOT, WHICH IS IN OCTOBER AND IF I RECALL CORRECTLY, WE WERE WITHIN 20 OR 30 STUDENTS OF HITTING THEIR WE WERE ABOVE THEIR PROJECTION BY ABOUT 20 OR 30 STUDENTS AND SO AGAIN, THEIR ACCURACY ON THE AGGREGATE NUMBER HAS ALWAYS BEEN AND I'M HESITANT TO SAY SPOT ON, BUT WHEN THEY HIT THE NUMBER, THEY HIT THE NUMBER. THERE ARE TWO EXCEPTIONS TO THEIR NORMAL TRACK RECORD, AND THOSE OCCURRED IN 2021 AND 2122, AND THEY PROJECTED HIGHER. BUT UNFORTUNATELY BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC AND THEIR RESURGENCE OF THE VIRUS, THE NUMBERS ENDED UP NOT MATERIALIZING AS THEY PLANNED, BUT ALL YEARS PRIOR TO THAT THEY WERE SPOT ON AND SINCE 2223. THEY'VE ALSO HIT THAT NUMBER AGAIN WITH A 99% ACCURACY FACTOR OR BETTER. THANK YOU SO MUCH LATER ON. I HAVE. UM I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION. THANK YOU, DOCTOR SMITH. THANK YOU. SO NEXT. UM, WE HAVE A
[12. Consent Agenda]
CONSENT AGENDA. DOCTOR SMITH. I UNDERSTAND. YEAH YOU MAY WANT TO. YEAH SO, MADAM PRESIDENT, WE ARE STILL REVIEWING, UH, ITEM 12 A ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. RELATED TO THE MINUTES, SO I'M GONNA RECOMMEND THAT WE PULL THAT ITEM AND ALLOW ME AND THE TEAM TO CONTINUE YOUR REVIEW REVIEW AND REFINE THAT INFORMATION. THANK YOU, DOCTOR SMITH. SO CAN I HAVE A MOTION? UH, DO WE HAVE A DISCUSSION? DO WE NEED TO PULL ANY OF THE ITEM OF CONSENT AGENDA OTHER THAN THE 12 A YES, PLEASE. E ONE. AND E NINE. 12 E 112 E, NO E NINE SO CAN I HAVE DO I HAVE ANY OTHER ITEM NEEDS TO BE PUT. OK CAN I HAVE A MOTION FOR THE REST OF THE CONSENT AGENDA? YES I MOVED TO APPROVE AGENDA ITEMS. 12 B 12 C 12 D. 12 E TWO. 12 E THREE. E FOUR. E FIVE. E SIX E SEVEN, E EIGHT. AS PRESENTED. SECOND. WE HAVE A MOTION BY DOCTOR GILLIAM SECONDED BY MS HANEN. DO WE HAVE ANY DISCUSSION? BEING NOW LET'S VOTE. MOTION PASSES 70. CAN I HAVE A[12.E.1. Specialized Student Information Management System: Consideration and approval for the purchase of a Specialized Student Information Management System from TCASE Services, Inc. empoWer in an amount not to exceed $766,550.00 and authorization for the Superintendent to negotiate and execute the agreement through May 31, 2029.]
MOTION FOR 12 E ONE. I MOVED TO APPROVE AGENDA ITEM 12 E ONE. AS PRESENTED SECOND. WE HAVE A MOTION BY DOCTOR GILLIAM SECOND BY MS MALONE. DO WE HAVE DISCUSSION? MISS MALONE? YES, UM . DOCTOR HILL YOU MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY THAT, UM WE HAD ISSUES WITH THE PRIOR VENDOR.AND WE HAVE THIS VENDOR WHO'S SUPPOSED TO HELP ESSENTIALLY WITH THE DATA TO IMPLEMENT THE
[02:10:01]
IEP SI. GUESS MY QUESTION IS, I'M THINKING ABOUT T CASE. AND ISN'T THAT THE SAME FIRM THAT DID THE AUDIT FOR US? SO CAN YOU TELL ME AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW ALL OF IT, BUT, UM, WHAT OTHER SERVICES THEY PROVIDE? SO IF THEY'RE PROVIDING THIS SERVICE, WHAT A WHAT ELSE DO THEY DO FOR US? AND THEN I. I GO BACK TO READING THE AND I'LL JUST KIND OF TELL YOU WHY AND WHERE I'M AT WITH THIS, UM AND MAINLY, I'M USING THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY. I'M SEEING THE TK FOR US TO DISCUSS SINCE THIS IS OUR OUR CHANCE. WHEN I READ THE AUDIT, I'M WONDERING WHAT OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OR FACTORS WITHIN THE DIFFERENT PROPOSALS THAT T CASE HAS SUGGESTED. HOW THEY ARE INTENDING TO SUPPORT US WITH IMPLEMENTATION OF THEIR THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS. AND THEN AND THE WHY, AND IS THIS ONE OF THEM ? AND THEN IN ADDITION TO THAT, I KNOW THAT THEY DID DO THE AUDIT IS THERE ARE THEY GOING TO BE COMING BACK AND PRESENTING TO US AT ALL? OR IS THERE ANY FUTURE PLANS WITH THEM FOR, UM, A FOLLOW UP? OK, THANK YOU, UH, MISS MALONE. SO THE T CASE BY DESIGN IS SIMILAR TO TAS, B OR TASA. THEY'RE AN ORGANIZATION RIGHT? AN ASSOCIATION. AND SO THEY, UM RECENTLY AND THEY SERVED, YOU KNOW DISTRICTS ALL OVER THE STATE, AND SO ABOUT MAYBE THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO BECAUSE OF REQUESTS FROM SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND LEADERS LIKE MYSELF ABOUT THE CHALLENGES WITH A P SYSTEMS, THEY DECIDED TO GO OUT AND EMBARK ON ON THEIR OWN AND JUST REALLY, SO THAT IT WOULDN'T BE PRICE VERY PRICEY FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND SO THAT THEY COULD, UM, YOU KNOW, SERVE DISTRICTS WITH AN IEP SYSTEM, THE IEP SYSTEMS IN TEXAS THAT WE HAVE. THEY'RE VERY LIMITED. UM AND SO THERE'S REALLY LIKE THREE OR FOUR THAT USUALLY RESPOND TO RFPS AND SO THEY CREATED THIS, LIKE THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO AND DISTRICT STARTED PURCHASING IT AND USING IT. THE TK AUDIT WAS SOMETHING IT WAS REALLY A PROGRAM EVALUATION, NOT AN AUDIT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT JUST BECAUSE THE BOARD DID NOT, UM, RE REQUEST AN AUDIT LIKE THEY HAD IN THE PAST, BUT IT REALLY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT. THEY WERE SEPARATE ISSUES AND SO THE, UM, PROPOSAL THAT WE HAVE HERE FOR YOU TONIGHT IS REPLACE LIKE THAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED WHETHER OR NOT WE UTILIZE BY DESIGN TO DO A PROGRAM EVALUATION. WE WERE ALREADY STRUGGLING AND LOOKING FOR A NEW VENDOR, AND IN FACT WE CAME FORWARD TWO YEARS AGO, UM AND DID AN RFP TO CONSIDER A NEW VENDOR, AND AT THAT TIME THE TWO TOP ONES WERE FRONT LINE AND T CASE, UH, IN POWER, AND THAT WAS EVEN BEFORE WE EVEN DID THAT PROGRAM EVALUATION. AND SO, UM, WE WENT WITH FRONT LINE AT THAT TIME BECAUSE IT WAS THE VENDOR WE WERE USING AT THE TIME AND THAT WOULD BE AN EASIER TRANSITION AND THE COST. YOU KNOW, THEY WE THEY ENDED UP COMING UP AHEAD. BUT OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS WE'VE CONTINUED TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH FRONT LINE . UM THEY WERE THEY WERE BOUGHT OUT AGAIN. AND SO IT IT'S A VERY BIG COMPANY AND THE WHOLE IDEA OF SUCCESS, WHICH IS OUR PRODUCT THAT WE USE NOW, WITHIN THE FRONT LINE, UH, COMPANY WAS SUPPOSED TO MOVE TO A NEW, UM, IP SYSTEM WITHIN FRONT LINE, AND IT NEVER CAME TO FRUITION. AND SO THEY HAVE PUT A LOT OF THEIR RESOURCES INTO THE NEW PRODUCT, AND WE'RE STRUGGLING WITH SUCCESS, ED. AND SO THAT'S WHY WE JUST AFTER MONTHS REALLY STARTING LIKE THIS TIME LAST YEAR, WE STARTED HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH THE VENDOR AND SAYING THIS ISN'T WORKING.THIS IS HURTING THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. WE CAN'T RUN REPORTS. WE CAN'T GET DATA QUICKLY. AND SO THIS FALL WE BEGAN TALKING ABOUT IT, AND SO REALLY, THAT WAS THE REALLY PRETTY SEPARATE ISSUES. UM AND THEN AS FAR AS TK BY DESIGN THE PROGRAM EVALUATION THAT THEY DID THERE AT THIS TIME . WE DON'T HAVE ANY. THEY'RE NOT COMING BACK TO DO A PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD. UM THE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION THAT WE HAD PRIOR TO DR SMITH WAS THAT WE WOULD JUST PP YOU KNOW, WE WOULD SHARE THE RESULTS WITH YOU, WHICH WE DID. AND UM, BUT WE DON'T HAVE ANY. WE DON'T HAVE ANY PLANS TO BRING THEM BACK TO THEIR FUTURE WORK. I MEAN, THEY ARE A VENDOR AND APPROVED VENDOR, BUT WE DON'T REALLY FEEL THE NEED RIGHT NOW TO UTILIZE THEM FOR CERTAIN C FOR WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE SPECIFIC IEP YOU KNOW THAT WE BROUGHT FORWARD WITH YOU TONIGHT. THE IP PROGRAM. OK THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT, UM . I THINK I'VE BEEN HEARING AND WE'VE BEEN RECEIVING, UH, SOME COMMUNICATIONS FROM FOLKS FROM, YOU KNOW, CONSTITUENTS. RELATED TO THE TK, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS
[02:15:05]
AND THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING YOU ABOUT THAT. AND IF BY CHANCE, DOCTOR SMITH THERE WOULD THERE COULD BE SOME DISCUSSION IN IN DEPTH ABOUT IT. AND I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR INSIGHT. UM, DOCTOR HILL AS WELL. THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. AND THEN REGARDING THIS I MEAN, THIS MAKES SENSE.IT'S A IT'S A NO BRAINER IN THE ECONOMIES OF SCALE THAT THAT YOU MENTIONED AND WHY THEY ARE. WHY BEHIND IT. I DEFINITELY SUPPORT IT. I JUST WONDERED IF THERE WERE OTHER WHAT OTHER SERVICE THEY PROVIDE US FOR THIS, ESPECIALLY SINCE THIS IS THE BUSINESS THAT THEY DO, AND IT'S OBVIOUSLY THEY'RE HURTING THEIR MISSION SO I CAN SEE HOW THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE IES ARE SO CRUCIAL IN THAT DATA IS NEEDED FOR IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS MALONE. MR GARCIA. THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT. YES SO, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT LAST YEAR WAS ON THE AUDIT COMMITTEE WAS POSSIBLY AUDITING, AUDITING SPECIAL EDUCATION. AT THE TIME OUR CONTRACTS HAD LAPSED WITH GIBSON. SO THAT'S WHEN I WENT TO THE HQ PROCESS. AND THEN D CASES CAME UP AND THEN THE DISTINCTION IS IT IS IN A PROGRAM EVALUATION, NOT AN AUDIT, SO UM, THAT IS STILL ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WOULD CONSIDER, UH, SORT OF FUTURE AUDITS AND THINGS LIKE THAT WHICH II? I WOULD SUPPORT AND I THINK WE, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO DO ON A REGULAR BASIS ANYWAY, SO I JUST WANTED TO BRING THAT UP AND MAKE THAT THAT DISTINCTION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR GARCIA.
MR HAMILTON. THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT. THANK YOU, DOCTOR. HI. UM YOU MENTIONED THAT THE PREVIOUS BOARD REQUESTED AN AUDIT. AND THEN WE THIS TIME AROUND, IT WAS A PROGRAM EVALUATION. CAN YOU TELL ME WHEN THE LAST SPECIAL ED AUDIT IF YOU DON'T KNOW YOU CAN GET BACK TO ME, I GUESS, BUT, UH, WHEN? WHEN WAS THE LAST SPECIAL ED AUDIT? I GUESS. IT WAS 2018. BUT LET ME VERIFY THAT IT WAS 2020 18. OK CAN WE CAN WE VERIFY THAT I CAN'T OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD AND THEN, UM, THE PROGRAM EVALUATION . WHEN DID WE INITIATE THAT? YOU KNOW? WELL, WE REALLY THAT THOSE CONVERSATIONS WERE OCCURRING. UM THIS SUMMER BECAUSE THERE WAS THIS WHOLE, UH, CONCERN WITH THE INCREASE OF THE NUMBERS OF STUDENTS BEING I IDENTIFIED AND CONCERNS WITH, UM, BUDGET AND EFFICIENCY AND THE QUESTIONS THAT WE ASKED TK. THE MAIN QUESTION WAS, ARE YOU KNOW? ARE WE BEING EFFICIENT WITH OUR SERVICES? ARE WE MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS? BUT ARE WE GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND, AND ARE THERE ANY IDENTIFIED EFFICIENCIES? YOU COULD FIND FOR US. UM AND SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE PURPOSES OF THE AUDIT. OF COURSE, THEY ALSO DID OR THE PROGRAM EVALUATION.
THEY ALSO, YOU KNOW, SPOKE TO STAKEHOLDERS THROUGH DIFFERENT, UH, FOCUS GROUPS AND SURVEYS AND DIFFERENT THINGS. SO IT WASN'T JUST COMING IN AND LOOKING AT DATA. THEY KIND OF DID A WIDE LOOK, BUT IT CERTAINLY, UM, INITIATED BECAUSE OF THE INCREASED NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN THE BUDGET IMPACT AND JUST THE IMPACT OF THE DISTRICT. UM, OVERALL. I. I WON'T PUT YOU ON THE SPOT WITH THIS ONE RIGHT NOW. BUT UM, ALREADY SCHEDULED FOR AN UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE WITH THE DELINQUENT EVALUATIONS. WE HAVE AN UPDATE COMING. SOON OR YOU HAVE ONE. IT WAS IN LAST WEEK'S BOARD UPDATE. AND I DO WANT TO CONFIRM, MISS. UH, DOCTOR HILL WAS CORRECT. 2018 WAS OUR LAST AUDIT FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION AS POSTED PUBLICLY ON THE BOARD'S AUDIT SITE. AWESOME THANK YOU, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THAT MONTHLY UPDATE ON THE INITIAL EVALUATIONS AND HOW WE'RE DOING. I THINK WE'RE DOING IT THE 15TH OF EVERY MONTH AROUND THAT WEEK. AWESOME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR HAMILTON. MR JONES. THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT DOCTOR HILL. I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROGRAM. SO WHAT MAKES THIS PROGRAM BETTER THAN FRONT LINE? WHAT IS ITS DISTINCTIVE FEATURES? WELL I MEAN, ALL IEP SYSTEMS ARE ARE SIMILAR. RIGHT UM, WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE, UH, INITIALLY WHEN WE LOOKED AT HIM TWO YEARS AGO, UM PRICE WAS THE FACTOR THAT I THINK IS THE REASON WHY WE WENT WITH FRONT LINE OVER T CASE AND I THINK THAT'S BECAUSE THEY WERE OUR CURRENT VENDOR. BUT THE ACTUAL UM ADAPTABILITY OF THE FOR THE USER. WE FOUND THEM TO BE SIMILAR. WE THOUGHT THAT, UM BACK THEN, AND WE THINK NOW THE AVAILABILITY TO CREATE REPORTS AND TO BE ABLE TO GET INFORMATION. UH MORE QUICKLY. WE WILL WORK BETTER IN THE SYSTEM, AND I'M NOT A TECHIE PERSON, BUT IT'S SOMETHING WITH THE WAY IT'S DESIGNED ON THE BACK END, OK? AND UM, ARE THERE OTHER DISTRICTS THAT ARE USING THIS PROGRAM? YES THERE WERE. UH HUH. AND HOW WHAT TYPE OF SUCCESS HAVE THEY ENCOUNTERED IN USING THIS PROGRAM? WELL WE'VE HEARD GOOD THINGS, UM, ABOUT THIS PROGRAM AND OTHER DISTRICTS. WE
[02:20:01]
WILL BE ONE OF THE LARGER DISTRICTS. UM AND SO YOU KNOW, THAT'S THERE'S THAT'S ALWAYS THAT ALWAYS KIND OF HAPPENS WHEN YOU START OFF WITH A NEW PRODUCT , SO I THINK IT'S ONLY BEEN THREE OR FOUR YEARS IN, BUT WE'RE HEARING GOOD THINGS. FROM THE DISTRICTS THAT ARE USING IT.OK, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MISS JONES. I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, BUT I JUST WANNA CONCUR WITH MR GARCIA AND, UH, I THINK DR GILLIAM WILL AGREE WITH ME WHEN WE I REMEMBER OUR CONVERSATION REGARDING TO THE BOARD AUDIT AND ALSO USE STARTING THE PROGRAM AUDIT PROCESS BECAUSE AT THE TIME, UM IT'S MORE. IT'S FASTER AND MORE EFFICIENT FOR YOU GUYS TO START THE AUDIT FOR THE PROGRAM. THAT BOND THAN THE BOARD TO START THE AUDIT, AND WE DO HAVE EVERY INTENTION TO FOLLOW UP BECAUSE FOLLOW UP WITH, UH FROM THE 2018 THE AUDIT AND I APPRECIATE DOCTOR SMITH BECAUSE HE REALLY SUPPORTS THE AUDIT COMMITTEE WORK SO I. I DO LOOK FORWARD TO DO MORE AUDIT OR FOLLOW UP. UM ON THE BOARD. BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE INFORMATION. SO THERE'S NO MORE QUESTIONS. LET'S VOTE. MOTION PASSES 70. CAN I HAVE A
[12.E.9. Student Ridership System and Software: Consideration and approval for the purchase of a Student Ridership System and Software from Transfinder Corporation under multiple cooperative contracts in an amount not-to-exceed $2,744,361 and authorization for the Superintendent to negotiate and execute the agreement through February 2029. ]
MOTION FOR 12 E NINE, PLEASE. I MOVED TO APPROVE AGENDA ITEM 12 E NINE, AS PRESENTED A SECOND WE HAVE A MOTION BY DOCTOR GIDEON SECONDED BY MISS MALONE. DO WE HAVE DISCUSSION? MS. MALONE? YES, UM THIS IS SOMETHING THAT AS I WAS REREADING EVERYTHING AND GOING THROUGH IT, UM, THAT JUST CAME TO MIND, ESPECIALLY AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT POTENTIAL CUTS ON WHERE SAVINGS COULD BE.SO I CONTACTED DR SMITH EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON AND MENTIONED TO HIM MY APOLOGIES FOR THIS LAST MINUTE, UM, QUESTION, BUT ESSENTIALLY WHEN I WAS READING THIS AGAIN, I'M THINKING 35,000 STUDENTS, UM, FOR THE WRITERS PROGRAM, AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S USAGE FEE BASED ON EACH STUDENT. HOWEVER MOST STUDENTS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL HAVE A CELLULAR DEVICE. AND I THINK THE REASON THIS CAME UP SEVERAL YEARS AGO, AND THAT WE'VE HAD THIS PHASED IN APPROACH WAS MORE SO FOR OUR YOUNGER ELEMENTARY AGE STUDENTS WHO WERE LEFT BEHIND AND IT'S ROUGHLY $550,000 ANNUALLY, SO I DON'T KNOW IF HE'S BEEN ABLE TO GET THIS INFORMATION. BUT MY QUESTION TO HIM WAS COULD WE POTENTIALLY HAVE A SAVINGS WHERE WE STILL? UM, OFFER THIS? THIS RIDERSHIP WITH THE IT'S NOT THE. WITH THE SOFTWARE FOR THE GEO. IT'S GEO TRACKING, UM FOR ELEMENTARY AGE AND IF WE WERE TO NOT INCLUDE HIGH SCHOOL AGE KIDS. WOULD THERE BE A SAVINGS? YES AND IS THAT AN OPTION? YES THANK YOU. TRUSTING MALONE. I APPRECIATE YOU, UH, CONTACTING ME EARLIER TODAY, AND WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, HAVE A BRIEF CONVERSATION WITH MR BTS. AND HE'S PREPARED TO, UH, GIVE YOU, UM SOME INPUT ON THE QUESTION. GOOD EVENING AND THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. WE ARE ALL LOOKING FOR ANY OPPORTUNITIES TO SAVE MONEY. UM, I, I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S A REAL LIFE SAVINGS HERE, AND THAT'S BASED ON THE FACT THAT THE HARDWARE REQUIRED IS A LARGE PART OF THE COST, AND IT HAS TO BE INSTALLED IN EVERY BUS. WE DO NOT HAVE BUSES THAT ARE DEDICATED FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. ONLY THOSE SAME BUSES PICK UP OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS AND OUR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS AS WELL SO THAT THAT'S A SUNK COST. THAT'S ASSOCIATED WITH THIS WITH THIS PURCHASE. ALSO THE OTHER PIECE OF IT IS THE AD CARDS, AND WE DEFINITELY WANT OUR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. THEY HAVE ID CARDS AND THOSE ID CARDS NOT ONLY FUNCTION ON THE BUS, BUT THEY WILL FUNCTION, UH, ON THE CAMPUS WHEN THEY GO THROUGH THE LUNCH LINE AND FUNCTION IN THE LIBRARY TO CHECK OUT BOOKS, SO THERE'S NOT A REAL LIFE SAVINGS THERE, EITHER. BUT I DEFINITELY LIKE THE QUESTION AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO SAVE FUNDS.
WELL, IT WAS WORTH A SHOT. AND AGAIN MY APOLOGIES. AS I TOLD YOU EARLIER ON THE LAST MINUTE I WAS JUST READING LIKE, COULD THIS BE A POSSIBILITY? ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU. I'M READY TO VOTE. THANK YOU, MISS MALONE. I DON'T SEE ANY QUESTIONS. LET'S VOTE. MOTION PASSES 70. THANK YOU, EVERYONE. NEXT WE'RE GONNA HAVE ACTION ITEM. CAN I HAVE A MOTION FOR
[13.A. Resolution pursuant to Senate Bill 763 (2023): Consideration and approval of a resolution pursuant to Senate Bill 763 (2023) regarding whether to employ or accept as a volunteer, a chaplain.]
[02:25:03]
ACTION ITEM? 13, A I MOVED TO APPROVE ACTION ITEM 13 A AS PRESENTED A SECOND. UH WE HAVE A MOTION BY DOCTOR GIDEON AND SECOND BY MISS MALONE. UM DOES HAVE DO I HAVE A DISCUSSION. UM, MR HAMILTON, CAN CAN YOU CLARIFY THE MOTION? YES. JUST TO BE CLEAR FOR EVERYBODY. SO THIS IS THE MOTION ON WHETHER OR NOT WE DO A CHAPLAIN POLICY AND SO THE VOTE. IF, AS I UNDERSTAND IT IS ON THE RESOLUTION THAT WE READ DURING THE AGENDA REVIEW MEETING , WHICH IS DECLINING TO ENACT A CHAPLAIN PROGRAM, EITHER AS A VOLUNTEER PROGRAM OR A PAID CHAPLAIN PROGRAM. SO JUST FOR CLARITY. SO IF WE ARE VOTING YES . IF YOU'RE VOTING, YES, THAT MEANS WE ARE REJECTING FOR THE YEAH, FOR THE PROGRAM. UM I HAVE A LEGAL QUESTION, MR BRUSH, DO WE DO WE NEED TO READ THE RESOLUTION OR NO. NO, YOU DON'T NEED TO READ IT. WE DON'T NEED TO. OK GREAT. IT DOES NEED TO BE A RECORD VOTE, WHICH I THINK YOU'LL BE DOING THROUGH THE OK SOFTWARE. THANK YOU. SO, MS HANNAN I JUST WANNA CLARIFY. COULD YOU TURN ON THE MIC? I'M SO SORRY. SO MR HAMILTON IS THIS LAST. NOW THERE, LET IT BE RESOLVED THE SAME AS THE LANGUAGE THAT YOU'RE GONNA READ IN THE MOTION. YEAH, WE'RE WE'RE WE DON'T HAVE TO READ IT AGAIN. BUT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING ON.I KNOW, BUT I WANT TO MAKE. I WANNA MAKE SURE FOR OUR AUDIENCE THAT IF THIS IS NOT EXACTLY HOW YOUR MOTION READS, I WANNA READ THIS LAST BIT. OK SO HOW ABOUT THIS? UM MR HAMILTON, CAN YOU READ THE MOTION LANGUAGE AS IT STATED RIGHT HERE. THE MOTION THAT'S ON THE TABLE IS TO APPROVE AS PRESENTED, UM, AND SO THE MOTION LANGUAGE DOES NOT INCORPORATE ANYTHING DIRECTLY FROM THE RESOLUTION. YOU'D HAVE. TO CHANGE THE MOTION OR AMEND THE MOTION. BUT AS IT STANDS IF THE BOARD WERE TO PASS THE MOTION, IT WOULD BE SIMPLY TO ADOPT THIS RESOLUTION AS WRITTEN. SO WE. WE? WE HAD A WE HAD A PRINTED MOTION, AND SO, UM , SHOULD WE WITHDRAW THE CURRENT MOTION SO THAT I CAN READ THE PRINTED MOTION. IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT LANGUAGE. IS THAT? IS THAT WHAT WE NEED TO DO? YOU COULD CERTAINLY DO THAT IF THE BOARD AGREED TO WITHDRAW AND SUBSTITUTE BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT. OK, SO DO WE HAVE A CONSENSUS TO WITHDRAW THE MOTION SO WE CAN HUH? THAT'S WHAT DO YOU MEAN AS LONG AS WE HAVE A CONSENSUS ON THE BOARD? WELL, CAN WE? YEAH.
DO YOU THINK WE NEED TO DO THAT, OR NO OK, I THINK WE ALREADY SAID NO HE SAID. IT'S NOT NECESSARY. IS THAT WHAT I HEARD? CORRECT, OK? OK SO BASICALLY LET ME CLARIFY IF YOU ARE VOTING YES , BASED ON THE RESOLUTION WE ARE REJECTING. THE BILL. AND THAT'S THAT'S THE THAT'S THE MOTION ON THE TABLE. THE DECLINING TO IMPLEMENT A CHAPLAIN PROGRAM. IS THE IS THE RESOLUTION WE'RE CONSIDERING. AND SO A YES VOTE DECLINES TO IMPLEMENT A CHAPLAIN PROGRAM. I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M VOTING ON. BUT PEOPLE WATCHING MAY NOT AND IF THEY HADN'T READ THE RESOLUTION WHAT WE'RE SAYING TO EACH OTHER. WE KNOW ANYWAY, I THINK I THINK YOU CAN WE CAN DIRECT THOSE PEOPLE TO WATCH. DR GILLIAM'S FABULOUS READING OF THE RESOLUTION AT THE AGENDA REVIEW MEETING. IF THEY HAVE QUESTIONS, DOES THAT WORK FOR YOU? SURE. THANK YOU. SO NO MORE DISCUSSION. I DON'T SEE ANY MORE DISCUSSION. LET'S VOTE. MOTION PASSES 61. I HAVE A MOTION. I THINK, MR GARCIA, YOU
[13.B. 2023 Bond Audit: Consideration and approval of audit process for cost estimation of 2023 bond projects.]
HAVE THE MOTION FOR ACTION ITEM. 13 B. AND WE HAVE THE MOTION FOR THAT. MADAM PRESIDENT. I MOVE THE BOARD APPROVE A PROCESS AUDIT OF THE COST ESTIMATION EMPLOYED FOR THE 2023 BOND PROJECTS TO BE COORDINATE BY THE AUDIT COMMITTEE. MY SECOND WE HAVE A MOTION BY MS GARCIA AND THE SECOND BY MR MALONE. DO WE HAVE A DISCUSSION? MS HANNAN. UM OK, SO I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR[02:30:08]
ON WHAT I'M VOTING FOR HERE. I KNOW I CAN READ, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I COMPREHEND. SO BECAUSE THERE WAS ONLY ONE LINE IN HERE. DOES THE AUDIT CAN CAN THE AUDIT COMMITTEE SPEAK TO THIS? YEAH. WHAT. IS THIS IS THIS THE ITEM? CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF AUDIT PROCESS COST ESTIMATION. UM MISS GARCIA, WOULD YOU LIKE TO, UH, ADDRESS THAT? SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE A CALL THIS WEEK WITH GIBSON AND WE'RE GONNA DETERMINE WHAT THE SCOPE OF THE AUDIT IS GOING TO BE.IT'S GOING TO BE BASED ON, UM, OVERALL PROCESS PROCEDURE. UH, COST ESTIMATION. KIND OF GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING AND FIGURE OUT WHERE, UH, SOME OF THE GAPS OCCURRED AND GET SOME INFORMATION FROM THE AUDIT. UM AND HELP US MOVE FORWARD, SO IT'S IN THE LANGUAGE ITSELF IS A LITTLE BROAD. BUT THAT'S OK PROCESS FOR THE AUDIT COMMITTEE IS TO NARROW THE SCOPE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT EXACTLY WE NEED TO GO. I'VE BEEN WORKING UM, WITH THE COMMITTEE AND I'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF WORK OVER THE WEEKEND ON TRYING TO GET THE SCOPE READY TO GO. SO WHEN WE TALK TO GIBSON THIS WEEK. HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE I THINK A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A FULL PICTURE, BUT NEXT, UH, NEXT WEEK, UH, NEXT MONDAY AGENDA REVIEW MEETING. THAT'S THE OK. SO GO AND TIMELINE, MR GARCIA.
AM. I JUST ARE WE VOTING? YES OR NO? JUST TO GIVE THE AUDIT COMMITTEE PERMISSION TO HAVE A CONVERSATION TO GET AN ESTIMATE. I'M SORRY, I. I. AND WE'RE WE'RE VOTING TO APPROVE A PROCESS AUDIT. OK, BUT WOULD WE DON'T HAVE ANY WE DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THIS IS GONNA BE. IS THERE BECAUSE I DIDN'T SEE A COST IN HERE? NO. SO BASICALLY OK, SO LIKE I'LL TRY, UM, THE AUDIT COMMITTEE HAD A MEETING AFTER WE LEARN THE I WASN'T THERE. THAT'S WHY I'M TRYING TO SO BASICALLY DOING OUR CONVERSATION. BECAUSE IF YOU REMEMBER WE PROVED A LIST OF THE VENDORS TO BE OUR AUDITORS. YES SO IT'S RFQ. SO IN ORDER FOR US TO, UH PROCEED WE NEED THE BOARD APPROVAL JUST FOR THE AUDIT ITSELF, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE VENDOR AND DURING THAT CONVERSATION BECAUSE HE'S AN RFQ. IT'S NOT BASED ON RFP, SO IT'S NOT ON THE BASED ON THE PRICE. AND DURING THAT CONVERSATION, WE'RE GOING TO NARROW DOWN BASED THERE BASED ON THEIR EXPERTISE AND THE STAFF'S RECOMMENDATIONS AND OUR THE. THE AUDIT COMMITTEE MEMBERS DISCUSSION TOGETHER. WE'RE GONNA DEFINE THE AUDIT SCOPE AND THEN THEY GONNA SEND THE PROPOSAL AS WELL. BASED ON THAT PROPOSAL WILL HAVE A PRICE AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO BRING THAT BACK TO THE BOARD APPROVAL. AND I KNOW THAT GIBSON WORKS WITH CONSULTANTS TO HELP THEM. BUT CAN I ASK WHY YOU LANDED ON GIBSON AND WHY? YOU THINK THEY HAVE THE BANDWIDTH TO DO THIS WELL TO BE HONEST, BECAUSE THEY ARE, UM, THEY'RE BASED ON I MEAN, WE DIDN'T REALLY SAY WE ALREADY DECIDED ON GIBSON. WE HAVE WE KIND OF INCLINED TO GIVE SOME DEPENDS ON THE DISCUSSION IF EVERYTHING WILL WORK OUT OR NOT, BECAUSE REMEMBERING ALL THE VENDORS THAT I REVIEWED FOR HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS. UM IT COULD BE THAT WE HAVE SOME OTHER VENDORS ON OUR LIST THAT WE COULD, YOU KNOW, THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. MAYBE BECAUSE WE DO YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SEVERAL FOLKS HANOVER GIBSON. WE USE THEM. OVER AND OVER. AND NO, YOU KNOW, NO OFFENSE TO THE VENDORS. THERE ARE VARYING DEGREES, DEPENDING UPON WHO THE CONSULTANT IS THAT DOES THE WORK FOR THEM AND THE DATA WE PROVIDE. THERE'S VARYING LEVELS TO ME OF QUALITY. AND SO, UM, THIS ONE'S TRICKY FOR ME, I.
I MEAN, I WILL, OF COURSE, APPROVE. UM BUT I'M I'M HESITANT BECAUSE I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE AUDIT COMMITTEE AND TO THE PUBLIC I REST. THERE'S THREE ON THE AUDIT COMMITTEE. THE REST OF US AREN'T PRIVY TO THE CONVERSATION. AND SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE BECAUSE HERE WE'RE HAVING A BOND AUDIT AT THE BEGINNING OF A BOND . I UNDERSTAND THE INTENTION BECAUSE STAFF HAS BROUGHT US UM YOU KNOW THAT WE'RE WE'RE PERHAPS WORKING AT A, YOU KNOW, $118 MILLION DEFICIT. I, YOU KNOW, I JUST. I. I WAS JUST TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND.
[02:35:06]
HOW GIBSON UM, WELL, I DON'T. I DON'T THINK WHAT THE AND I THINK THAT'S THE FIRST STEP. THEY'RE THE VENDOR THAT WE WORKED WITH IN THE PAST. AND THEY'VE DONE SEVERAL AUDITS FOR US, RIGHT.I'M JUST YOU KNOW, I'M SO WHAT WE'RE WANTING IS AN AUDITOR TO COME IN AND SAY. TO DOUBLE CHECK THE WORK OF STAFF. IS OR TO DOUBLE CHECK THE WORK OF THE ESTIMATES THAT CAME IN NO OK, THAT THAT THAT'S AND I'M AND SO PLEASE DON'T. I'M NOT TRYING TO OFFEND THE AUDIT COMMITTEE. I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M VOTING ON. ACTUALLY THAT'S THEY ARE ALL VALID QUESTIONS. I TO BE HONEST TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION. THAT'S NOT WHERE I APPROVING TODAY. SO WE'RE APPROVING TODAY IS TO START THE PROCESS AND THEN THE SCOPE OR EVERYTHING ELSE, JUST LIKE I SAID. IT'S DOING THE CONVERSATION WITH THE YOU KNOW WE'RE GONNA THIS NEXT STEP. SO EVEN I KNOW MR GARCIA MENTIONED GIBSON. I THINK I BELIEVE HIS INTENTION IS USE GIBSON AS AN EXAMPLE. BUT WE WILL HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH GIBSON. MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING THEY DON'T DO, OR THEY DON'T WANNA DO OR WE CAN REACH AGREEMENT OF THE PROCESS, SO WE'RE GONNA GO TO OTHER VENDOR. UH, TODAY. IT'S NOT. WE'RE NOT APPROVING THE COST OF THE AUDIT, OR WE ARE NOT PROVING THE SCOPE OF AUDITS IS SIMPLY ASK THE BOARD TO PROVE THIS PROCESS SO WE CAN TAKE THE NEXT THING TO SAY YES. WE WANT AN AUDIT. THAT'S JUST WHAT OTHER AUDITS DO. WE HAVE OUTSTANDING RIGHT NOW THAT THAT ARE ALREADY BEING GOING ON. SO UM WELL, I SHOULD LET MISS GARCIA ANSWER THAT QUESTION. HE'S THE CHAIR FOR THE PROCESS THAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH. WE FIRST LOOKED AT COST SAVINGS AUDIT, AND WE LOOKED AT SPECIAL EDUCATION AUDIT. THAT'S WHEN THE PROGRAM EVALUATION FROM TK CAME UP SO UH, THE FOR US. THE CHALLENGE WE HAD LAST YEAR WAS OUR CONTRACTS AND LAPSED WITH OUR AUDITOR. SO WE GOT OUR SCHEDULE GOT PUSHED, AND THAT'S SORT OF THE HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS OF EVALUATIONS, AND THAT'S WHEN WE DECIDED TO ADD A COUPLE MORE VENDORS TO THE LIST. AND NOW WE'RE UM, AS WE WERE GOING THROUGH TRYING TO DECIDE ON AN AUDIT SCHEDULE THIS CAME UP. SO THIS IS KIND OF LIKE 1ST, 1ST AND FOREMOST ONE OF THE THINGS WE FELT LIKE WE COULD UH, WORK WITH STAFF. UM WORK MORE CLOSELY TO STAFF TO UNDERSTAND ANY GAPS IN PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES HELP PROVIDE ANY INSIGHT GUIDANCE ON THE BEST PATH FORWARD. SO UM, ME ON ON BEHALF OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE AND IN COLLABORATION WITH DR SMITH. UM, YOU KNOW THE BOARD AUDIT CHAIRMAN. THAT'S ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE'RE PRESENTING TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS PARTICULAR AUDIT. ON THE 2023 BOND. IT'S ONLY LOOKING AT THE 2023 BOND. NO OTHER NOT IT WOULD NOT BE LOOKING AT ANY OTHER. I THINK IN GENERAL, IT'S SPECIFICALLY FOR 2023 BOND, BUT ANY PROCESSES THAT ARE IN PLACE OR PROCESSES THAT WERE AND PROCEDURES THAT WERE UM, DEVELOP MORE THAN LIKELY DURING 2018 AND THEN UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN 2018 AND 2023. IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT CHANGED, WE WERE SUCCESSFUL DURING THE 2018 BO SO SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES BETWEEN 2018 2013. THE PROCESS HAS CHANGED. DID PROCEDURES CHANGE? IS IT IS IT A IS IT A TRAINING THING? SO THOSE ARE THOSE ARE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS. WE JUST DON'T KNOW THE ANSWERS TO THAT SOME OTHER THINGS THAT WERE NOT AWARE OF. SO THAT'S THAT'S SORT OF THE PURPOSE OF THIS IS JUST, UH, TAKE A DEEPER LOOK AND UNDERSTAND. UM THOSE GAPS, OK? AND THEN I HAVE ONE FINAL QUESTION BECAUSE WE HAVE BOARD POLICY THAT DICTATES, YOU KNOW, SORT OF OUTLINES. PROGRAM EVALUATION, BUT NOT NECESSARILY THE AUDIT PROCESS. AND SO I'M WONDERING IF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE COULD WORK WITH DR SMITH. YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE WE'RE TALKING, YOU KNOW, WE HEARD FROM DOCTOR HILL. YOU KNOW, 2018. WE HAD A AN AUDIT, BUT THEN 22 NO T. IT WAS LA WAS IT LAST YEAR, THE SP THE PROGRAM EVALUATION FOR SPED SO UM. IF THERE'S ANY WAY THAT YOU COULD WORK TO PROVIDE THE BOARD. AN AUDIT SCHEDULE AND I'M NOT TALKING. I MEAN, THIS IS SEPARATE FROM THIS ITEM. UM, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT. FISCALLY AND PROGRAMMATICALLY THAT WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE AUDITING. YOU KNOW TO LOOK AT AN AUDIT FORECAST RIGHT? BECAUSE IF WE HAD AN AUDIT FORECAST, WE MIGHT SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT IF WE WERE ADHERING TO OUR FORECAST THAT WE HAVE THE LONGITUDINAL TIMELINE, WE MAY SAY YOU KNOW WHAT? WE'RE WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN AUDIT AND WE GOT AN AUDIT. WE GOT THIS AUDIT COMING UP IN TWO YEARS. MAYBE MAYBE RIGHT NOW ISN'T THE TIME FOR THIS AUDIT, BUT IT'S TO MY UNDERSTANDING. WE DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THAT. WE DO. WE
[02:40:06]
TALKED ABOUT IT AND I HEAR YOU. AND THEN, UM, THE CHALLENGE WAS THAT WE COULDN'T PUT ANYTHING ON A SCHEDULE BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY CONTRACTS WITH MONITORS. SO THAT WAS KIND OF THE YOU KNOW, WE COULD PUT IT ON THE SCHEDULE. BUT THEN IT TOOK US. HOW LONG DID IT TAKE US TO GET APPROVAL FOR THE AUDITORS THAT WE WENT THROUGH. SO THAT WAS THAT WAS KIND OF THE CHALLENGE AND SO MOVING FORWARD. I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IN IN NUMEROUS MEETINGS. OK, SO FOR THIS BOARD, IF MAYBE I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT WORKS BECAUSE WE CAN'T HAVE A WALKING FORUM. BUT IF THERE IS A POLICY THAT WE NEED TO DRAFT TO MASSAGE OR CREATE THAT HELPS US AS THE GOVERNANCE BODY. PROVIDE THE DISTRICT WITH. POLICY THAT SAYS, YOU KNOW, HERE ARE OUR EXPECTATIONS FOR HOW WE PROCEED WITH AUDITS, JUST LIKE WE HAVE WITH BQAA. I MEAN, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF THERE, BUT IT'S MORE THERE THAN ANY POLICY. I KNOW OF AUDIT, SO LET ME, UM, ADD SOMETHING BECAUSE I WAS THE AUDIT COMMITTEE CHAIR LAST YEAR, SO IN IN HISTORY, WE DO HAVE A DASHBOARD. YOU KEEP THE RECORD, UM, THE AUDITS, WHICH YEAR WE DON'T REACH AUDIT, AND THEN THE CYCLE, HOW MANY YEARS DOWN THE ROAD? WE HAVE TO DO A RE AUDIT.WE HAVE THE SCHEDULE IN PLACE. UH, NOT ABLE TO CONTINUE THAT PROCESS BECAUSE THE PRIOR ADMINISTRATION WAS NOT REALLY SUPPORTING. THE AUDIT LAST YEAR DUE TO BUDGET, UH, DEFICIT UM AND THE OTHER ISSUES, SO THAT'S WHY WE KIND OF, UM, STOPPED THE AUDIT WORK HALFWAY THROUGH THE YEAR. ACTUALLY I, I GOT AN EMAIL TELLING ME WE NEED TO STOP THE AUDIT WORK. UM SO THAT'S WHY I.
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU. I THINK MAYBE IT MAKES SENSE. UM MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE A BOARD HAVE, UM, A WHOLE LIKE WORKSHOP TO BRING SOMEONE IN OR THE AUDIT CAN COME IN TO SHOW US THE DASHBOARD AND HOW IN THE HISTORY THE BOARD WAS DOING AUDITS IN A CYCLE MOTION, BUT I MEAN, I AGREE WITH YOU THAT MAKES TOTAL SENSE. WHAT IS IN TWO YEARS? WHAT IS GONNA BE ADDED. FOR EXAMPLE? ADD OUR AUDIT. WE HAVE A 2018. IT WILL STILL 20 LAST YEAR. BUT WE WERE NOT ABLE TO DO IT. SO THAT'S WHY IT'S WE DIDN'T CONTINUE THE WORK AND THEN THAT'S WHY I APPRECIATE DOCTOR HILL. PICK IT UP, SAYING OK IF THE BOARD CAN WAS NOT ABLE TO DO AUDIT, WE'LL DO A PROGRAM AUDIT.
SO AND THINGS. ALSO THE SAME THING GOES WITH THE CONSTRUCTION AUDIT. THERE WAS A BOND CONSTRUCTION AUDIT FOR THE 2014 BOND. UH, IT WAS, I THINK, 2017 BUT YOU SHOULD HAVE THE FOLLOW UP AUDIT. BUT WE DIDN'T. WE DIDN'T REALLY FOR SURE. SO I TOTALLY I THINK YOUR QUESTION IS TOTALLY VALID. SO MAYBE MR HAMILTON, MAYBE THAT IS SOMETHING WE COULD PUT ON THE POLICY AGENDA BECAUSE YOU KNOW YOUR POLICY IS YOUR BLUEPRINT, AND IT SHOULDN'T MATTER WHO YOUR ADMINISTRATOR I LEADING LEADING THE CHARGE. IT SHOULDN'T MATTER WHO THE SUPERINTENDENT IS. YOUR POLICY SHOULD BE THERE. AND UNEQUIVOCALLY UNEQUIVOCALLY. YOU SHOULD BE AUDITING YOUR PROGRAMS ON THE CYCLE, 100% THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO NEXT WE HAVE MR HAMILTON. YES UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT, UH, M ANNON. I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH THAT. UM, SO JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I SUPPORT DOING THE BOND AUDIT. UM SO THE I WOULD SAY THAT THE THREE KEY PERSONNEL MEMBERS DURING IN IN REGARDS TO THE BOND DURING THE BOND PLANNING. HAVE ALL THREE CHANGED, AND SO WE HAVE THREE NEW PEOPLE IN THOSE THREE KEY ROLES. UM AND SO THOSE THREE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE EVALUATED ON ON WHAT THEY INHERITED TO SOME EXTENT. UM AND SO I THINK AND TO SOME EXTENT, JUST JUST AT A BARE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF FAIRNESS TO THE THREE OF THEM, WHICH WOULD BE SUPERINTENDENT, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION. UM SO WE HAVE 33 NEW PEOPLE IN THOSE POSITIONS AND, UM, I, I THINK OUT OF FAIRNESS TO THEM, UH, JUST TO VARYING DEGREES. THEY THEY KIND OF INHERITED, UH, THE SURPRISE THAT WE ALL KIND OF GOT HERE RECENTLY. UM AND SO, I. I JUST, UM I, I DEFINITELY SUPPORT GOING THROUGH THAT AND ALSO UH, WITH THE CONCERNS WE'VE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY AND FROM THE BOARD, UH, WITH BEING LESS THAN A YEAR INTO THE BOND AND ALREADY PROJECTING TO BE MORE THAN 10% ABOVE THE BUDGET.
UM, I. I THINK WE OWE IT TO AGAIN. THE THREE OF YOU IN IN THOSE KEY ROLES, AND, UH, THE COMMUNITY TO BE ABLE TO, UH, GO BACK AND BE ABLE TO GIVE THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, WE
[02:45:04]
CAN'T REALLY GIVE TWO DETAILED OR SPECIFIC ANSWER AS FAR AS HOW WE GOT INTO THIS SITUATION THIS QUICKLY. UM AND SO, I. I THINK IT DEFINITELY MAKES SENSE TO GO BACK AND DO THE OR TO GO DO A BOND AUDIT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR HAMILTON, MS MALONE. THANK YOU. I'M GONNA ASK, UM.ATTORNEY BRUSH A QUESTION. SO WHEN I READ THIS FOR THE MOTION CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF PROCESS AUDIT, FOR COST ESTIMATION OF 2023 BOND PROJECTS. THIS IS AN APPROVAL OF THE GOT IT. FOR COST ESTIMATION, CORRECT. SO OK? THANK YOU. I GUESS I'M GETTING MIXED MESSAGES BECAUSE I'M I'VE HEARD ALL OF THE DIALOGUE AND I APPRECIATE THE DIALOGUE AMONGST YOU. UM BUT THEN WHEN I READ THE ACTUAL MOTION LANGUAGE, WHAT I'M READING IS THAT WE ARE APPROVING WITHOUT PARAMETERS OR COST. AND MR GARCIA YOU MENTIONED YOU WORKED ON IT ALL WEEKEND, AND I APPRECIATE YOU DOING THAT. AND YOU SAID, YOU'RE TRYING TO FINE TUNE THE SCOPE OF WORK. AND IT SOUNDED LIKE YOU'RE ALMOST THERE. BY CHANCE, WOULD YOU BE THERE BY? WE'RE IN A WE HAVE A MEETING IN A WEEK. SO I GUESS WHAT I'M REALLY GETTING AT IS IF YOU'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO FINE TUNE THE SCOPE AND HAVE MAYBE KIND OF LIKE WITH WITH SOME OF THE OTHER ITEMS FOR THE DISTRICT IF IT'S YOU KNOW, GONNA COST ANYTHING BEYOND 50 K? MAYBE THEY HAVE UP TO 65 K OR UP TO 75. IF YOU HAVE SOME SORT OF SCOPE THAT YOU COULD PRESENT IN ONE WEEK. MY QUESTION IS. IS THAT A POSSIBILITY, SIR? THAT'S THAT'S THE GOAL. UM AND THIS IS WE'RE NOT APPROVING ANY MONEY. WE'RE APPROVING THE GO FORWARD ON THE PLAN, AND THE NEXT STEP IN THE PROCESS OF THE COMMITTEE GOES AND WORKS WITH THE VENDORS TO DEFINE WHAT THE SCOPE LOOKS. LIKE. WHAT? WE'RE WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. UH, LEARN WHAT THE GET THE COST. THE QUOTES AND THEN DECIDE WHICH ONE WE WANT TO GO WITH. AND THEN THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE PRESENTING WITH THE BOARD. WE HAVE A BUDGET. UH, FOR AUDITS. SO WE OBVIOUSLY DON'T WANT TO SEE WHAT WE'RE WHAT WE HAVE IN THE BUDGET. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS GOING TO BE A PART OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS IS THIS IS WHAT YOU TELL US. YOU KNOW WHAT? WHAT THEY, UH HOW MUCH IT IS, AND THEN WE'LL TELL YOU WHAT YOU KNOW. SO, UM, BUT WE'RE NOT APPROVING ANY THERE'S NO EXPENDITURE HERE. THERE THIS IS JUST WE'RE GONNA WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THE PROCESS. SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, THANK YOU, SIR.
I'M GONNA GO BACK TO COUNCIL. UM THEY ALREADY HAVE A COMMITTEE CURRENTLY. AND BY THE WAY, I DO SO FIRST OF ALL, I JUST WILL GIVE YOU MY VERBAL SUPPORT THAT, UM, I'M I'M FINE WITH DOING AN AN AUDIT ON THE COST ESTIMATION OF THE 2023 BOND. I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT AND THINK THAT'S REASONABLE. HOWEVER, BACK TO THE MOTION LANGUAGE THEY ALREADY WE HAVE A COMMITTEE. IS THIS A REQUIREMENT FOR THEM TO GET A, UH, SCOPE OF SERVICES DO THEY NEED A APPROVAL FROM THE BOARD TO GET A SCOPE AND THEN TO, UM IF THEY'RE GONNA COME BACK TO THE BOARD, ANYWAY, WHEN I READ THIS, WHAT I'M READING IS THAT WE ARE APPROVING, APPROVING AN AUDIT WITHOUT PARAMETERS AND WITHOUT COST ASSOCIATED THAT ESSENTIALLY WE ARE GIVING AN APPROVAL NOW. FOR WHATEVER THEY THEY DEEM AND I UNDERSTAND. AND HERE THEY'RE GONNA BE COMING BACK. SO CAN YOU HELP ME WITH THIS, PLEASE? YES THE AUDIT COMMITTEE STANDING ALONE CANNOT AUTHORIZE A SPECIFIC AUDIT THAT DOES NOT HAVE BOARD APPROVAL SO THE BOARD MUST AUTHORIZE THE PROCESS AUDIT, BUT THAT JUST ALLOWS THEM TO GET THE BALL ROLLING. THEY HAVE NOT RETAINED AN AUDITOR OR INTERVIEWED AN AUDITOR OR DEFINED THE PARAMETERS. UM AND SO AS I APPRECIATE IT, IT'S GIVING THE AUTHORITY TO UNDERTAKE AN AUDIT. UNDERSTANDING IS THAT IT'S THE INTENTION TO BRING THE SCOPE AND COST BACK TO THE BOARD. BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH THE AUDIT. OK? AND THAT IS CORRECT. ALL RIGHT WITH THAT BEING SAID, BECAUSE THE CUSTOMERS TRAIN FOR 23 B. DO YOU RECOMMEND THIS MOTION BEING AMENDED? TO STATE AS SUCH. IT COULD BE AMENDED. I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S NECESSARY, BUT AN AMENDMENT COULD BE MADE. OK? SO THEN YOU'RE SAYING THAT THERE IS NO FINANCIAL CONSIDERATION IN
[02:50:03]
THIS BACK TO MISS HANNAN'S, UM COMMENTS. EARLIER. THAT AS IT'S WRITTEN, THERE IS NO FINANCIAL CONSTRAINT TO THE DISTRICT. AS I APPRECIATE IT. IT IS AUTHORIZING AN AUDIT BUT NOT THE RETENTION OF THE SPECIFIC AUDITOR OR THE SCOPE AS YET. OK WELL, I'LL SUPPORT THAT COMING BACK WITH THE SCOPE AND THE PARAMETERS. THANK YOU. THEN TECHNICALLY DO WE EVEN NEED TO ASK THE BOARD TO START A PROCESS TO HAVE TO TALK TO PEOPLE TO HAVE AN A BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE FUNCTION OF THE COMMITTEE IS. WE WOULD STILL NEED TO BRING IF WE JUST MET WITH AUDITORS LAST WEEK AND SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT? I THINK IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA IF WE AUDITED. YOU KNOW THE BOND? NO BUT THE AUDIT COMMITTEE COULD NOT DIRECT THAT THE AUDIT COMMENCE WITHOUT I'M JUST SAYING WE COULD HAVE THE DISCUSSION WITH THE VENDORS AND SAY WE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN OUR COMMITTEE MEETINGS. YES WE WANT TO GO FORWARD WITH THIS AUDIT. WE COULD HAVE JUST COME IN AND STRAIGHT UP JUST SAID BOOM. THIS IS HOW MUCH IT'S GONNA BE. AND THIS IS WHAT THE PROGRAM WE'RE GONNA AUDIT. PLEASE APPROVE IT. YES OR NO? Y? YES EX. EXACTLY THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WAS KIND OF GETTING AT. AND THAT'S WHY I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE HAVING EMOTION ON THE WHY WE EVEN HAVE MOTION ON THE TABLE. THE REASON WHY WE DO. THIS IS JUST SORT OF IN THE ESSENCE OF TRANSPARENCY AND IN IN LIGHT OF THE LITTLE RECENT SOCCER THAT WE RECEIVED AND JUST JUST FOLKS ARE ASKING A LOT OF QUESTIONS. AND WE JUST WAITING WAITING A WEEK. FOLKS WANT TO KNOW FOLKS WANNA HEAR WHAT'S GOING ON, AND WE'VE HAD THIS DISCUSSION ABOUT COST SAVINGS. UM, SO THIS IS JUST MORE OF A UH, BEING A LITTLE BIT MORE UPFRONT AND JUST LETTING Y'ALL KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING IT AS WE'RE DOING IT AND WHAT WE'RE THINKING. UM BUT III. I THINK THAT'S THAT'S JUST REALLY. THE ULTIMATE REASON BEHIND IT IS TO MOVE. TO GET THE BOARD'S APPROVAL TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PROCESS. OF DOING AN A. LIKE I SAID, I DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS WE'D HAVE TO DO, BECAUSE THAT'S SORT OF THE FUNCTION OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE. ANYWAY IT COULD HAVE JUST SAID. HERE'S A HERE'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON. AND HERE'S HERE'S WHAT WE RECOMMEND, AND HERE'S HOW MUCH IT'S GONNA COST. SO, BUT MR BRUSH. CAN YOU CLARIFY THAT? YES I THINK THAT THE AUDIT COMMITTEE COULD CERTAINLY SOLICIT INFORMATION AND PROVIDE A PROPOSAL THAT HAS MORE DETAIL, BUT THEY'RE NOT REQUIRED TO. IT'S PERFECTLY APPROPRIATE TO DO WHAT THE AUDIT COMMITTEE HAS DONE HERE, WHICH IS TO COME TO THE BOARD WITH A REQUEST FOR AUTHORITY TO BEGIN THE ESSENTIALLY BEGIN AN AUDIT AND RETAIN A CONSULTANT AND THEN BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD.THANK YOU. I HAVE. OK SO THAT I SEE A LOT OF NAMES, SO I I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT DR GM, SINCE YOU'RE ON A COMMITTEE, AND SINCE I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO SPEAK, MR BRUSH, UM THANK YOU FOR TAKING EVERY WORD IN MY HEAD AND YOU SHARING THE WAY THAT YOU DID. I APPRECIATE IT. EVERYTHING THAT MR BRUSH SAID IS PRETTY MUCH WHAT THE COMMITTEE UH WHAT? WE DECIDED WHAT MR GARCIA IS SAYING, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE DECIDED THERE WASN'T ANYTHING DIFFERENT. WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT MONEY. IT WAS A MATTER OF, UH AND, UH, DOCTOR SMITH WAS WITH US. ALSO WE HAD A VERY GOOD CONVERSATION. ABOUT WHAT? UM THE AUDIT COMMITTEE WHAT WE FELT WE NEEDED TO DO SO. I JUST WANTED TO, UH, SUPPORT THE MEETING THAT WE HAD AS WELL AS THE, UH, MOTION. THAT IS HERE. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU, DOCTOR GIDEON. MM. MS JONES. THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT. SO FOR THE PUBLIC WHO'S WATCHING BECAUSE I KNOW THEY'RE PROBABLY REAL CONFUSED BY THIS CONVERSATION, AND I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY A COUPLE OF THINGS. SO BASICALLY THE RECOMMENDATION IS FOR THE AUDIT COMMITTEE TO BASICALLY FIND OUT WHO CAN CONDUCT THE AUDIT. AND HOW MUCH IS GONNA COST PRETTY MUCH RIGHT. AND THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE ASKING. AND YOU'RE JUST ASKING THE BOARD. CAN YOU DO IT? PRETTY MUCH THAT IS CORRECT. THAT'S CORRECT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MISS JONES. MS HANNAN. SO I WANNA SAY EVEN THOUGH II I GENUINELY WAS NOT CLEAR WHAT MY VOTE WAS ABOUT, OR I WOULDN'T HAVE CONSUMED ANY TIME. BUT WHAT I WANT TO SAY IS, I APPRECIATE THE AUDIT COMMITTEE , BRINGING IT TO THIS BOARD TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION. BECAUSE I THINK AUDIT IS A HUGE FUNCTION AND SO AND MR GARCIA MENTIONED MENTIONED TRANSPARENCY. NOT ONLY IS IT TRANSPARENT TO THE PUBLIC, IT'S TRANSPARENT TO THE OTHER BOARD MEMBERS BECAUSE WE CAN'T DISCUSS WHAT YOU'RE DOING OUTSIDE YOUR AUDIT COMMITTEE, SO I ACTUALLY THINK THAT'S A GOOD PROCESS. UM YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY WHEN LARGE DOLLAR AMOUNTS ARE ATTACHED TO THAT, UM, FOR ANY COMMITTEE, UM, ESSENTIALLY, BUT ESPECIALLY THE AUDIT COMMITTEE, SO THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU TO MR BRUSH FOR HELPING CLARIFY
[02:55:04]
THAT. SO WHILE I HEAR THAT THIS YOU KNOW YOU DIDN'T NEED OUR VOTE OR BLESSING TO MOVE FORWARD . I ACTUALLY REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. YOU DID THAT. THANK YOU, MS HANNAN. MR HAMILTON? YES. SO JUST WANT TO MAKE ONE MORE COMMENT. SO UH, SO JUST FOR ME, PERSONALLY, I I'M IN FAVOR OF HOLDING THE VOTE. UM, JUST TO MAKE IT CLEAR, SO WE RECENTLY HAD SOME ALLEGATIONS MADE AGAINST THE FORMER EMPLOYEE. THE FORMER EMPLOYEE RESPONDED, AND SO I THINK THAT WE FROM THE BOARD'S PERSPECTIVE. I THINK WE NEED A BOND AUDIT TO TRY TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF WHAT HAPPENED WITH THAT SITUATION. UM AND THEN I WOULD ALSO ADD. I THINK, I. I WAS ASSUMING THAT THIS WAS PART OF THE PROCESS TOO, I GUESS. BUT JUST THE DECISION FROM SO THE ADMINISTRATION KNEW ABOUT THIS IN SEPTEMBER. THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION AND WE DIDN'T REALLY LEARN ABOUT THE EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM UNTIL JANUARY, AND SO, UH, TO ME, THOSE ARE THOSE ARE MY TWO MAIN REASONS FOR WHY I WOULD LIKE TO GO AHEAD. HAVE THE VOTE. UM AND THEN I AND WHY I SUPPORT, UM GOING GOING AHEAD AND GIVING THE AUDIT COMMITTEE THE DIRECTION TO PERFORM A BOND AUDIT SO WE CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE COST ESTIMATION PROCESS. UM AND THEN ALSO THAT DECISION NOT TO COME TO THE BOARD AS SOON AS THE FORMER ADMINISTRATION KNEW THAT THE BUDGET WAS LOOKING IT WAS LOOKING LIKE WE WERE GOING SIGNIFICANTLY OVER BUDGET. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. HAMILTON, MS JONES. UM I DIDN'T SAY THIS EARLIER. UM I'M FOR THE AUDIT, AND I JUST WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW THAT THIS IS JUST REALLY PROVIDING US WITH A SECOND SET OF EYES AND LOOKING INTO IF WE'RE HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, AS FAR AS THE BOND I MEAN, WE CAN'T GO BACK IN TIME, BUT AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE CAN LOOK AT THE MISTAKES THAT WERE MADE CORRECT THEM AND JUST KEEP IT MOVING AND CONTINUE WITH OUR PROJECT. SO THAT'S WHY I'M I I'M I'M AT WITH THAT. SO HAVING SAID THAT, I THINK WE SHOULD JUST LEAVE IT WHERE IT IS, AND LET'S JUST VOTE. THANK YOU, MS. JONES, MS MALONE. THANK YOU. UM, YOU KNOW, I WASN'T GONNA SPEAK AGAIN. SO FIRST OF ALL, I ALREADY STATED MR GARCIA AS FAR AS THE 2023 COST ESTIMATING BOND PROJECT FULLY SUPPORTED SECONDLY, MR HAMILTON. THOSE COMMENTS YOU JUST MADE HAVE ALREADY BEEN. REFUTED BY STAFF MEMBERS AND PRESENTATIONS. AND I SIT UP HERE AND I HEAR IT ALL. AND. MIND BOGGLED BECAUSE HERE WE ARE STATING THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO AN AUDIT TO GET THE FACTS IN THE INFORMATION AND THEN YOU SIT THERE AND YOU CLAIM FACT OF OR FACT OF WHAT PEOPLE KNEW OR DID NOT KNOW. AND FRANKLY, I FIND IT APPALLING. AND SO I'M SORRY I NEEDED TO STATE THAT FOR WHOEVER IS WATCHING. UM I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO COME OUT OF IT. WE'VE HEARD VARIOUS THINGS. AND YES, THERE'S AN ISSUE.THERE'S AN ISSUE WITH THE BOND. AND COULD IT BE INFLATION? IS IT SOMEBODY HAD COST ESTIMATES WRONG? I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWERS. AND DO I LIKE IT? ABSOLUTELY NOT. I DON'T LIKE IT. BUT I ALSO DON'T APPRECIATE PEOPLE COMING UP HERE AND STATING FACTS AS IF THEY'RE FACTS WHEN THEY'RE NOT.
AND THERE IS NOT EVIDENCE THAT NECESSARILY SUPPORTS IT. I DO SUPPORT THE AUDIT, AND I HOPE THE EVIDENCE COMES OUT AND THEN WE CAN HAVE THE FACTS THERE TO PRESENT. AND SO I'LL MOVE MOVING FORWARD AND READY TO VOTE. I JUST AND VERY FRUSTRATED AT FOLKS PRESENTING INFORMATION.
WHETHER IT'S HERE ON THIS DAIS OR ELSEWHERE, AS IF IT'S FACT WHEN IT'S NOT. AND I MY APOLOGIES, FOLKS. I REALLY AM FRUSTRATED WITH THAT. I THINK THAT THE PUBLIC AND THE DISTRICT AND ALL STAFF DESERVE BETTER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. MALONE UM, I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS. I'M GOING TO ASK THE BOARD TO GIVE ME A FEW MINUTES. SO I WASN'T HERE LAST FOUR MEETING. I WAS VERY SICK. UM I GOT SICK. I WHEN I WAS OVERSEAS, SO I DIDN'T BRING THE I DIDN'T WANT TO BRING THE VIRUS TO THE BOARDROOM. SO I WASN'T HERE. SO FIRST I WANT TO THANK DR GILLIAN FOR RUNNING THE MEETING, AND SHE HAS DONE A GREAT JOB. THANK YOU. AND I WATCHED THE BOARD MEETING ONLINE . I HAVE TO SAY I WAS VERY SURPRISED BY THE INFORMATION WAS
[03:00:04]
PROVIDED. BUT I DO WANNA THANK YOU, DOCTOR SMITH AND THE TEAM BY PROVIDING THAT INFORMATION BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT TAKES COURAGE TO BRING FORWARD THE BAD NEWS TO THE BOARD AND TO THE PUBLIC. SO I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR BEING HONEST. AND HERE IS SOME OF MY THOUGHTS ON THIS YUSHU AND ALSO I WANT TO SHARE SOME INFORMATION BECAUSE I DID SEND SOME FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS AFTER THE MEETING AND THANKS TO THE STAFF, IF YOU CAN LOOK, IT'S ON YOUR DIET. THERE'S INFORMATION REGARDING TO THE MEETINGS. SO I REALLY FEEL I TRUSTEES. WE ARE ENTRUSTED WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF OVERSEEING THE BUDGETING AND THE EXPENDITURE OF TAXPAYER DOLLAR.WE CAN'T WE CANNOT DO OUR JOB UNLESS THE STAFF AND OUTSIDE PROFESSIONAL PROVIDE US WITH ACCURATE INFORMATION. BUT AT THE SAME TIME WE ALL KNOW LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER VOTER APPROVED 2023 BOND PROGRAM, WE WERE INFORMED THE COST ESTIMATE THE PRIOR ADMINISTRATION PROVIDED TO THE BOARD AND THE PUBLIC WAS NOT ACCURATE. SO ALSO AT OUR LAST FOUR MEETING, WE WERE TOLD ONE FORMER EMPLOYEE FAILED TO SHARE THE INFORMATION. THE OUTSIDE CONSULTANT PROVIDED TO HER AND SHE WAS HOLDING THAT INFORMATION FOR PRETTY LONG TIME. THE FORMER EMPLOYEE HAS SINCE DENIED THE ALLEGATION. SO I. I HAVE SOME INFORMATION I WANTED TO SHARE. SO THANK YOU FOR, UH, MR BASSETT , CAN YOU PUT BACK THAT INFORMATION? SO HERE'S SOME SUMMARY. THE FORMER EMPLOYEE RECEIVED TWO EMAILS FROM PPK. THE FIRST EMAIL WAS ON DECEMBER 14TH 2021 AND THE OTHER EMAIL WAS SENT ON NOVEMBER THE 4TH 2022 IN THE FIRST EMAIL PPK ACKNOWLEDGE THE CHANGE, UH, ESCALATION FACTOR. IT SHOULD HAVE CHANGED FROM 8% TO 10% FOR YEAR TO, UH 22 2. YEAH, 2022.
AND THEN CHANGE IT FROM 7% TO 8% FOR, UH, 2023. SO IN THE SECOND EMAIL, PB K ALSO KNOWLEDGE THE COST PER SQUARE FOOTAGE AND THE SIZE OF THE BUILDING USED IN THE ESTIMATE FOR BRIAR GATE AND THE MISSION BAND WERE INCORRECT. THE ESTIMATE SHOULD BE CHANGED FROM 315 SQUARE FEET TO 400 SQUARE FEET, AND THEN THE BUILDING SITE SHOULD BE CHANGED FROM 100,000 SQUARE FEET. 236,000 SQUARE FEET . BASED ON THE STATEMENT FROM THE STAFF, THIS TWO EMAILS WERE NOT SHARED WITH ANY OTHER PERSON IN THE DISTRICT. NO ONE ELSE WAS AWARE OF THIS INFORMATION TILL JANUARY. 22ND 2024. THE FORMER EMPLOYEE LEFT THE DISTRICT FOR ANOTHER JOB OPPORTUNITY ON OCTOBER 13TH 2023. AND I ALSO WANTED TO, UH. I ASKED THE STAFF TO PREPARE A TIMELINE, WHICH IS ON THE SCREEN FOR ALL THE BOARD MEETINGS, UH, WITH BOND DISCUSSION AND THE TIMELINE FOR ALL THE BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETING. UH, DURING THE TIME, DECEMBER 2021 AND THE MAY 2023 AND I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE INFORMATION, BUT I COMPILED THE DATA STARTING FROM AUGUST 15TH 2022 BECAUSE THAT'S THE FIRST TIME THIS BOARD HAD A DISCUSSION THE POSSIBILITY OF A NEW BOND. AND DURING THAT WINDOW, WHICH IS AUGUST 15TH 2022 TO MAY 2023 WE? I HAVE SOME DATA TO SHARE. THE BOARD CALLED FOR THE BOND ELECTION ON FEBRUARY 16TH 2023. THE BOARD HAD SIX MEETINGS BETWEEN AUGUST 15TH 2022 AND FEBRUARY 16TH 2023, INCLUDING ONE SPECIAL CALLED MEETING, WHICH IS THE BOND WORKSHOP ON FEBRUARY 9TH. THE MEETING ON FEBRUARY 9TH WAS VERY SIGNIFICANT FOR ME, AT LEAST FOR TWO REASONS. AS YOU MAY RECALL, I WAS ADVOCATING FOR THE FOR THE BOARD TO COVER A BOND THAT WAS BELOW $1 BILLION AT THE TIME, BUT ASKED AT THE END OF THAT MEETING, IF $1.2 BILLION WAS ENOUGH, BECAUSE DURING THAT MEETING, THE A LOT OF INFORMATION WERE PRESENTED AND
[03:05:03]
IT LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF OUR SCHOOLS ARE IN THE CONDITION THAT REALLY NEED TO BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY. I REMEMBER. OTHER BOARD MEMBERS ALSO ASK IF WE NEED MORE MONEY FOR THE BOND.THE SECOND REASON. I THINK THIS MEETING IS IMPORTANT TO MENTION HERE BECAUSE IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, THE PB K WAS AT A MEETING AND ALSO DID THE PRESENTATION FOR THE DATA. I REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THERE'S NOBODY MENTIONED THE MISTAKES IN OUR ESTIMATES AT THE MEETING, ESPECIALLY WHEN MULTIPLE BOARD MEMBERS WERE WAITING TO CONSIDER INCREASE THE BOND AMOUNT. I ALSO WANT TO SHARE SOME INFORMATION BASED ON MY MATH. BETWEEN AUGUST 15TH TO DECEMBER 11TH 2023, THE BOARD HAD A TOTAL OF 23 MEETINGS THAT HAD THE AGENDA ITEM RELATED TO THE BOND. WE HAD EIGHT BOUND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETINGS DURING THAT WINDOW, AND THE BOARD ALSO HAVE A BOND BUDGET COMMITTEE. AND I BELIEVE THEY ALSO HAD A MEETINGS DURING THAT.
DURING THAT TIME. I ALSO WANTED TO POINT OUT THERE IS A WEEKLY BOND MEETING CALLED THE BRASS TO BRAS, FOR WHICH THE ATTENDEES, INCLUDING THE SUPERINTENDENT, DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT, COO CFO.
AND ALSO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTIONS. WITH ALL THOSE INFORMATION. I AM A DATA PERSON WITH ALL THIS DATA IN FRONT OF ME. I FEEL THIS ALL VERY TROUBLING. SO WHERE IS THE CHECK AND BALANCE IN OUR SYSTEM DURING ALL THIS TIME, HOW WE GET TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY? SO AS A TRUSTEE. WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS COULD HAPPEN. I BELIEVE THE FIRST STEP TO SOLVE A PROBLEM IS TO UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM, SO WE NEED TO HAVE A THIRD PARTY AUDITOR TO REVIEW THE PROCESS AND DETERMINE WHAT WENT WRONG AND HOW TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. I BELIEVE WE OWN THIS TO THE TAXPAYERS AND OUR COMMUNITY TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS, AND I WILL URGE ALL MY FELLOW TRUSTEES TO SUPPORT ACTION ITEM TO CONDUCT THE AUDIT ON THIS, UM BOND. THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU. I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS. PLEASE VOTE. MOTION PASSES 70. THANK YOU, EVERYONE. THAT SORRY. SO NOW. WE
[14. Convene in closed session]
WILL NOW CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION UNDER TAXES. OPEN MEETING ACT, TEXAS GOVERNMENT CALLED CHAPTER 551 UNDER THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS SECTION 551071 FOR THE PURPOSE OF A PRIVATE CONSULTATION WITH THE BOARD'S ATTORNEY ON ANY OR ALL SUBJECTS OR MATTERS AUTHORIZED BY LAW SECTION 551072 CONSIDER PURCHASE EXCHANGE LEASE OR VALUE OF REAL PROPERTY SECTION 551074 PERSONNEL MATTERS SECTION 5510. SIX SECURITY MATTERS. SECTION 551082 STUDENT DISCIPLINE MATTER OR COMPLAINT OR SECTION 55108 21 PERSON PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION ABOUT PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS. THE TIME RIGHT SESSION. OH, UH, DO WE HAVE A MOTION FROM CLOSED SESSION? YES[15. Reconvene in Open Session]
[16. Consider Action on Closed Session Items]
WE DO. I MOVED TO A WARD EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS TO CAMPUS AND DISTRICT ADMINISTRATORS FOR THE 2024 2025 CONTRACT YEAR AS PRESENTED UNDER SEPARATE COVER. IT'S LIKE. WE HAVE A MOTION BY DOCTOR GIDEON SECOND BY MR GARCIA, DO WE HAVE A DISCUSSION? NO, LET'S VOTE.MOTION PASSES 70 KIND OF A MOTION TO ADJOURN A MOTION TO ADJOURN.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.