[00:00:04]
[A. CALL TO ORDER: Establish a quorum]
THANK YOU GUYS ALL FOR BEING HERE, AND THOSE THAT MAY BE LISTENING ONLINE.THE TIME IS 5:30 AND THIS MEETING OFFICIALLY TO ORDER, ALL OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS ARE PRESENT, AND AT THIS TIME, THE BOARD WILL ADJOURN TO A CLOSED SESSION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT,
[B. CLOSED SESSION]
TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, SECTION 551 SUBCHAPTERS D AND E, OR TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 418.183F.ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. WE'RE BACK IN OPEN SESSION. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TONIGHT.
WE ARE GOING TO MOVE, OH WAIT IS THERE ANY PUBLIC, ANY GREEN SHEETS TONIGHT? NOPE. ALL RIGHT. GOOD DEAL. WE'RE GONNA MOVE INTO OUR ACTION ITEMS TONIGHT, WHICH IS THE HOLD ON JUST ONE SECOND.
[D.1. Consideration and possible action, if any, resulting from closed session]
IT'S GOING TO BE THE CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE APPROVAL OF THE SUPERINTENDENT'S RECOMMENDATION TO CONTRACTUALLY EMPLOY THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER.THE SUGGESTED MOTION IS THAT THE HAYS CISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVE THE SUPERINTENDENT'S RECOMMENDED RECOMMENDATION TO CONTRACTUALLY EMPLOY THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, AS DISCUSSED. MOVED BY TRUSTEE OROSCO, SECONDED BY TRUSTEE VELA.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE.
OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES SEVEN ZERO. CONGRATULATIONS.
TURN IT OVER TO DR. WRIGHT. ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE LISTENING ONLINE AND HERE IN THE ROOM.
DEBORAH HAS OVER TWO DECADES OF CFO EXPERIENCE, AND SHE IS A RENOWNED TRAINER WITH TASBO AND IS A RESPECTED AUTHORITY OF ALL THINGS FINANCE AND BUSINESS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, AND WE ARE BLESSED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE HER COME ON BOARD AND JOIN OUR FAMILY.
YOU KNOW, I TOLD I TOLD THE SCHOOL BOARD THAT I FEEL LIKE WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE THE NUMBER ONE DRAFT PICK IN, IN THE STATE, LIKE WHEN YOU'RE WHEN YOU'RE A PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM AND WE GOT OUR STARTING QUARTERBACK.
GOOD EVENING PRESIDENT SEVERANCE, BOARD OF TRUSTEES, DR.
WRIGHT SAID, I HAVE BEEN A CFO FOR OVER 20 YEARS, BUT ANOTHER 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE BEFORE THAT, AND I WORK FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS BECAUSE I FIND THAT IT IS THE MOST REWARDING JOB.
WE HAVE A PURPOSE, AND THAT PURPOSE IS OUR STUDENTS AND THEIR FUTURE, AND AS A AS AN ACCOUNTANT, AS A CPA, I COULD WORK IN ANY BUSINESS THAT I WANTED TO, BUT NONE OF THEM HAVE THE REWARDS THAT EDUCATION DOES, AND SO THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO STARTING AND BEING HERE IN HAYS.
THANK YOU [APPLAUSE]. CAN WE TAKE A PICTURE WITH YOU? GREAT. THANK YOU.
[00:05:44]
OKAY TEAM SO NOW WE ARE GOING TO GET INTO OUR REGULAR SCHEDULED PROGRAMING WHICH IS OUR BUDGET WORKSHOP.[E.1. 2025-2026 Budget Workshop]
I WANT TO JUST AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.I'M NOT SAYING YOU HAVE TO STAY THE WHOLE TIME, BUT YOU CAN DEFINITELY LISTEN BACK IN LATER IF YOU NEED TO, BUT ANYWAY, JUST THANKS FOR BEING HERE AND THANKS FOR BEING OUR TEAM. APPRECIATE IT.
ALL RIGHT. SO WE'RE GOING TO WE'RE GOING TO OPEN THIS UP.
THE FIRST SECTION IS GOING TO BE I'M GOING TO HAVE DR. WRIGHT KIND OF GO OVER THE PHILOSOPHY THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF HOW WE GOT HERE WITH SOME OF THE NUMBERS AND THE LEGISLATIVE UPDATES AND HOW THAT'S ALL GOING TO TIE TOGETHER AND HOW WE GOT HERE TODAY, AND THEN I'M GOING TO HAVE AND THEN AFTER WE HAVE THREE SECTIONS.
SO AFTER EACH SECTION I'M GOING TO BREAK AND THEN LET EVERYONE ASK QUESTIONS OF EACH OF THOSE.
AND THEN THE SECOND PART WILL BE MR. SALAZAR COME UP PRESENTING THE BUDGET SCENARIOS FOR US TO REVIEW, AND THEN JUST KNOW THAT IF ALEX CAN'T ANSWER ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS TONIGHT, WE WILL DEFINITELY GET THOSE ANSWERS THROUGH DR.
WRIGHT, ALEX OR MISS OTTMERS, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE PROCESS UNTIL WE GET TO OUR 24TH MEETING, AND THEN THE THIRD SPEAKER WILL BE CHRISTINA, MISS COURSON, SHE'LL COME UP TO DISCUSS STAFFING BENEFITS AND THE FLOW THROUGH COMPENSATION RESULTING FROM THE PASSAGE OF HB TWO.
I ALSO WANT TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO THANK WE'VE HAD A BUDGET SUBCOMMITTEE FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS TO KIND OF HELP BE A ADVISORY TO OUR ADMINISTRATION TO KIND OF HELP GET US TO THIS POINT TODAY, AND , YOU KNOW, AND AS HAMSTRUNG AS THE STATE ALLEGED, YOU KNOW, THEY VOTED THEY SIGNED THE BILL TODAY AND THEY THEY VOTED ON IT YOU KNOW, THIS PASSED YESTERDAY, I BELIEVE, KIND OF HAMSTRUNG, YOU KNOW, TIED OUR HANDS WITH SOME OF THIS STUFF. IT'S GOING TO BE IT'S GOING TO BE A LITTLE DIFFICULT YEAR FOR US, BUT I THINK THIS MEETING IS GOING TO BE KIND OF SHED SOME LIGHT ON JUST HOW WE'RE, WE'RE HOW WHERE WE'VE BEEN AND WHERE WE'RE GOING TO GO AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, GET IT ALL TAKEN CARE OF AND CLOSE THE GAPS WHERE WE CAN.
SO AT THIS TIME, I THINK I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO DR.
WRIGHT AND KICK US OFF. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
SO I WANTED TO START OFF BY JUST GIVING YOU AN UPDATE ON HOUSE BILL TWO.
I KNOW I PROVIDED A MEMO TO THE BOARD ON ON THE 29TH, BUT JUST WANTED TO REITERATE SO THAT THOSE OUT IN THE PUBLIC WOULD BE AWARE OF WHAT HOUSE BILL TWO LOOKS LIKE. THE GOVERNOR JUST ACTUALLY SIGNED IT TODAY, AND SO WE'LL BE GETTING MORE DETAILED INFORMATION, BUT WE HAVE CURSORY INFORMATION BASED ON THE ANALYTICS FROM OKC THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO RUN, AND WE'LL BE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE MAKING A FEW ADJUSTMENTS, BUT I CAN GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE FOR FOR HAYS CISD.
SO THE MAJOR FUNDING PROVISIONS OF THE OF THE NEW BILL INCLUDE A BASIC ALLOTMENT INCREASE OF $55.
IT'S NOT THE $1,000 THAT WE WERE HOPING FOR TO GET US TO WHERE WE SHOULD BE TO COMBAT INFLATION, BUT IT WAS SOMETHING THAT THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE AGREED TO DO, AND BASICALLY IT WILL OCCUR BY FREEZING THE CURRENT GOLDEN PENNY YIELD. THAT WAS IN PLACE. SO BASICALLY, IT'S PRETTY MUCH THE SAME MONEY THAT WE GOT BEFORE FROM THE GOLDEN PENNY, BUT THEY'RE CALLING IT A $55 BASIC ALLOTMENT INCREASE, AND SUPPOSEDLY THIS WILL BE AN INCREMENTAL ADJUSTMENT THAT WILL OCCUR EACH BIENNIUM AND SO WE'LL SEE HOW THAT GOES.
FOR US THIS ONE IS ACTUALLY BASED ON AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE.
AND SO USING A LOW CONSERVATIVE NUMBER, WE'RE LOOKING AT ADA OF $23,000, AND SO WITH THE $55 INCREASE, THAT'S $1.265 MILLION THAT WILL BE AN INCREASE FOR US THERE.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING NEW. THEN THE REAL WINNERS IN HOUSE BILL TWO ARE OUR TEACHERS, AS THEY SHOULD BE, BECAUSE THEY'RE THE BACKBONE OF OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. SO I'M VERY PLEASED WITH THIS COMPONENT.
[00:10:05]
AND BLESS YOU, MAX, AND $8,000 FOR TEACHERS WITH FIVE YEARS EXPERIENCE.OF COURSE WE ARE OVER 5000, AND SO OUR TEACHERS, WITH THREE AND FOUR YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, WILL RECEIVE $2,500 AND OURS THAT HAVE FIVE OR MORE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WILL RECEIVE $5,000, AND THESE RAISES ARE PERMANENT AND THEY'RE NOT ONE TIME BONUSES, AND SO THE MONEY ASSOCIATED WITH THAT FOR US IS AROUND $7,235,123, AND SO WE ARE WORKING ON ON THE ALLOCATIONS, OUR UNDERSTANDING AND WE WON'T SEE WHAT, WHAT OR HOW THE LAW READS UNTIL WE GET MORE INFORMATION MOVING FORWARD, BUT OUR UNDERSTANDING IS THAT A TEACHER IS CLASSIFIED AS ANYONE THAT PROVIDES INSTRUCTION FOR FOUR OR MORE HOURS PER DAY, AND SO WE'LL HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK AND SEE WHO ACTUALLY QUALIFIES FOR THAT.
THE NEXT ONE IS THE SUPPORT STAFF ALLOTMENT. EACH DISTRICT IS ENTITLED TO $45 PER REGULAR PROGRAM ADA TO PROVIDE SALARY INCREASES FOR NON ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF. THAT INCLUDES EVERYBODY OTHER THAN ADMINISTRATORS.
SO THAT IS COUNSELORS, NURSES, LIBRARIANS, CUSTODIANS, MAINTENANCE, BUS DRIVERS, YOU NAME IT IT'S EVERYBODY ELSE OTHER THAN ADMIN, AND FOR US THE AMOUNT ON OUR EARLY CALCULATIONS IS $1,035,000 FOR THAT PARTICULAR PIECE OF THE LEGISLATION. NEXT, THEY WANTED TO PROVIDE SOME SOME RELIEF FOR INFLATION AND SO THEIR, THEIR, THEIR PLAN WAS TO DO SO THROUGH THE ALLOTMENT FOR BASIC COST, AND SO STATEWIDE IT PROVIDED $1.3 BILLION FOR NEW ALLOTMENT, AND IT WAS TO TRY TO COMBAT THE HIGH COST OF INSURANCE, THE ADDITIONAL COST FOR TRS THAT WILL BE INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE TEACHER PAY RAISES AND UTILITIES TRANSPORTATION. ALSO, BECAUSE THERE IS A HUGE TEACHER SHORTAGE ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS.
A LOT OF DISTRICTS ARE NOW HIRING RETIRED TEACHERS, AND SO THAT WILL HELP PAY FOR THE SURCHARGES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH RETIRED TEACHERS AND ALSO THE SKYROCKETING HEALTH INSURANCE. SO THIS WILL PROVIDE $106 PER ENROLLED STUDENT TO EACH EACH DISTRICT, AND SO OUR ENROLLMENT NEXT YEAR AND I ALSO USE CONSERVATIVE OUR DEMOGRAPHER SAID OUR GROWTH FOR NEXT YEAR WILL BE 25,517 STUDENTS, BUT I JUST USE THE FIGURE OF 25,400, AND SO WITH THAT, WE SHOULD SEE $2,692, 400 WITH $106, AND SO THAT'S THE ALLOTMENT FOR BASIC COSTS, AND LATER IN THE PRESENTATION, CHRISTINA WILL BE TALKING TO YOU ABOUT SOME DIFFERENT SCENARIOS THAT YOU CAN LOOK AT TO SEE HOW WE WANT TO ALLOCATE THE, THE, THE DOLLARS THAT WE HAVE IN NEW MONEY, ESPECIALLY IN THE LAST ONE, THE SUPPORT STAFF ALLOTMENT.
OTHER FOR OTHER FUNDING FORMULAS INCLUDE $2.2 BILLION FOR SPECIAL ED, FULL DAY PRE-K, EARLY LEARNING, SCHOOL SAFETY, CTE AND ALSO A NEW SAFETY ALLOTMENT, AND BASICALLY WHAT WHAT I'VE KIND OF FACTORED IN ON THE ON THE LIMITED INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE SO FAR IS THAT FOR OUR NEW PROGRAMMATIC MONEY AND FOR ALL OF THESE, THESE NEW FORMULA ADJUSTMENTS, WE SHOULD SEE ABOUT $6.4 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL FUNDING COMPARED TO THE LAST VERSION OF SCHOOL FINANCE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE ARE WITH WITH HOUSE BILL TWO, AND ONE OF THE GOALS WAS TO CONTINUE TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT AND ALSO EXPAND IT, AND THERE'S ALSO, YOU KNOW, HOW WE HAD THE TEACHER READING ACADEMIES, K3 MANY YEARS AGO. THEY'RE LOOKING AT EXPANDING THAT TO MATH AS WELL, WHICH I THINK YOU CAN ALL AGREE THAT IS A GOOD THING, AND WITH SPECIAL ED FUNDING THEY'RE LOOKING AT INCREASING THE FUNDING TO HELP US WITH ALL OF THE TESTING THAT IS ASSOCIATED, AND SO WE HAVE SOME INCREASED WEIGHTS WITH DYSLEXIA AND ALSO WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION.
[00:15:04]
BALANCE OVER THE YEARS. SO IN 2019, THAT'S THE LAST TIME WE HAD A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE TO THE TO THE BASIC ALLOTMENT.AND SO WE SAW OUR FUND BALANCE BLOSSOM AT THAT TIME.
IT WENT UP $13 TO $14 MILLION FROM 2019 TO 2020, AND THEN IT WENT UP AGAIN IN 2021, AND AT THAT TIME WE WERE DEALING WITH THE PANDEMIC, AND SO THE BOARD THAT WE HAD AT THE TIME STRATEGICALLY DECIDED THAT WE NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TAKE CARE OF OUR, OUR EMPLOYEES, AND SO WE HAD SOME SIGNIFICANT PAY INCREASES THAT WE ALL AGREED ON, AND WE KNEW THAT THESE WOULD NOT BE JUST ONE TIME FEES, THAT THEY WOULD BE PERPETUAL.
BECAUSE IF YOU GIVE A 3% INCREASE, THAT 3% IS GOING TO CONTINUE FROM FROM YEAR TO YEAR, AND SO WE GAVE SOME SIGNIFICANT INCREASES OVER THAT TIME BECAUSE WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN OUR PERSONNEL, AND IT'S WORKED, WE WE'VE ONLY HAD A 6% TURNOVER AMONGST OUR TEACHERS FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS IN A ROW, AND SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HAVE SOME, SOME, SOME REALLY GOOD TEACHERS IN CONTINUITY, SO, SO HUGE IN OUR PROFESSION, AND WE THOUGHT THAT IN THE 21 CYCLE THAT BECAUSE WE WERE IN THE PANDEMIC, THAT WE WOULD SEE AN INCREASE BECAUSE IT WAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST INFLATIONARY PERIODS OF ALL TIME, BUT WE DIDN'T SEE AN INCREASE IN 21 BECAUSE THEY FELT LIKE THEY HAD GIVEN US ENOUGH IN 2019, AND THEN IN 23, WE WERE FOR CERTAIN THAT THEY WERE GOING TO COME BACK AND INCREASE THE BASIC ALLOTMENT BECAUSE OF ALL THAT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH, AND THAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAD LOST A LOT OF MONEY BECAUSE OF DECREASED ATTENDANCE ISSUES AND BECAUSE OF JUST ADDITIONAL COST DEALING WITH THE PANDEMIC AND, AND ALL THE THINGS THAT GO ALONG WITH THAT.
WELL, AS YOU KNOW, IN 23, ALL OF THE MONEY WAS HELD HOSTAGE BECAUSE THE STATE WAS NOT WILLING AND ABLE AT THAT TIME TO PASS SCHOOL VOUCHERS, AND SO WE DIDN'T SEE AN INCREASE WHATSOEVER, AND SO WE CONTINUE TO OPERATE USING WHAT WE PUT IN, AND WE KNEW THERE WAS GOING TO BE A TIME WHEN WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO DRAW A LINE IN THE SAND, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO HAVE ENOUGH MONEY IN THE FUND BALANCE TO HAVE CASH TO BE ABLE TO MAKE MONTHLY PAYROLL, AND WE SAID THAT ONCE WE GOT TO THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT PARTICULAR POINT THAT WE WOULD DRAW A LINE IN THE SAND AND, AND THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE ARE NOW, AND SO AS WE AS WE TALK ABOUT THE STRATEGIC USE OF OUR FUND BALANCE OVER THE YEARS, I JUST WANTED TO REMIND YOU OF WHAT ALL THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE DONE, AND SO SINCE 2019, WE'VE OPENED BUDA ELEMENTARY, JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL, SUNFIELD ELEMENTARY, CULLEN ELEMENTARY AND WE'LL BE OPENING RAMAGE ELEMENTARY THIS YEAR.
AND SO YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'VE UTILIZED A LOT OF OUR FUND BALANCE FOR FOR THAT AS WELL, AND SO AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO BEGIN TO BUILD THAT BACK UP, BECAUSE WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ELEMENTARY 18 OPEN PROBABLY IN 28, AND THEN HIGH SCHOOL 4 COMPREHENSIVE OPEN UP IN 29 SO WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO BUILD OUR FUND BALANCE BACK FOR THAT, AND THEN BASED ON CHANGING SYSTEMS AND ON THE ADVICE OF OUR ATTORNEY TO DEAL WITH THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT, WE DECIDED THAT WE WOULD PAY PEOPLE WHAT THEY EARNED, AND SO WE TOOK COMP TIME OFF THE BOOKS AND WE PAID FOR THAT, AND THAT WAS A STRATEGY, AND NOW THAT'S BEEN TAKEN CARE OF.
SO ALL THOSE COSTS ARE OFF THE OFF THE OFF THE BOOKS.
I'VE ALREADY MENTIONED THE INCREASED COMPENSATION TO BATTLE INFLATION, AND CHRISTINA HAS THE ACTUAL PERCENTAGES THAT SHE'LL DETAIL IN HER REPORT SHORTLY, BUT THEN MAX CAN ATTEST TO THIS, THE SKYROCKETING FIXED COSTS FOR PROPERTY INSURANCE.
I THINK OUR PROPERTY INSURANCE HAS DOUBLED SINCE WE'VE BEEN HERE, OUR HEALTH INSURANCE CONTINUES TO GO UP EACH AND EVERY YEAR, AND THAT'S ANOTHER ITEM THAT CHRISTINA'S GOING TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT, AND THEN OF COURSE, UTILITIES, WATER, SEWER, ELECTRIC, ALL THE THINGS TRASH SERVICE IT'S ALL INCREASED.
THEN WHILE ALL THIS IS GOING ON THE STATE OF TEXAS HAD KIND OF A SQUABBLE WITH WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND, AND DIDN'T ALLOW ALL OF THE FEDERAL MONEY TO FLOW THROUGH FOR SCHOOL HEALTH AND RELATED SERVICES FUNDING.
[00:20:02]
AND THEN JUST AS A REMINDER, PRIOR TO THE K4 CAPACITY, WHICH CHRISTINA BROUGHT TO US.THE DISTRICT HAD JUST THE PHILOSOPHY THAT ANYTIME WE WENT ABOVE 22 TO 1 AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL, WE WOULD JUST ADD A NEW TEACHER AND FOR YEARS WE DID, AND YEAR OVER YEAR, THE GROWTH IN THAT AREA WAS ABOUT $1.5 MILLION A YEAR, AND SO CHRISTINA IS GOING TO SHARE SOME INFORMATION WITH YOU ABOUT THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD TOO AND PERHAPS A NEW STRATEGY SO THAT WE CAN KIND OF GET A GET A GRASP OF OUR, OF OUR SPENDING, AND THEN THE LAST THING BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO ALEX IS I CAN'T STRESS TO YOU ENOUGH HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR US TO HAVE A BALANCED BUDGET, AND SO WE'RE GOING TO OFFER SOME SCENARIOS TO YOU, BUT WHATEVER WE DO, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MAINTAIN A BALANCED BUDGET FOR THIS YEAR AND THAT WE START TRENDING THE OTHER WAY AND THAT IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT TO ADD, THEN THERE'S THEN THERE'S THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN WHERE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CUT SOMETHING IN ORDER TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
SO IF WE'RE GOING TO PUT SOMETHING ON, WE GOT TO TAKE SOMETHING OFF, AND SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CLEAR ON THAT, AND YOU KNOW, I WAS REALLY HOPEFUL THAT THEY WERE GOING TO BOLSTER OUR BASIC ALLOTMENT AND WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION, BUT IT JUST DIDN'T HAPPEN. I'M THANKFUL FOR THE LITTLE BIT THAT WE DID GET, BUT I'M, I'M I'M SAD THAT THEY DIDN'T DIDN'T HONOR US THE WAY THAT I THOUGHT WE SHOULD BE BE HONORED MOVING FORWARD, BUT WE MUST REBUILD OUR FUND BALANCE FOR FUTURE RAISES AND FUTURE SCHOOL OPENINGS.
WE CAN DO IT. OUR STAFFING IS ALMOST 87%, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT HIGH, AND SO ALEX IS GOING TO DETAIL IN A LITTLE WHILE WHAT ALL OF OUR NUMBERS LOOK LIKE, BUT RIGHT NOW WE HAVE ABOUT $10 MILLION WORTH OF VACANCIES.
ABOUT $6.3 OF THOSE ARE AT THE CAMPUS LEVEL, AND THEN THE OTHER PERCENT, I THINK THREE, $3.3 OR $3.4 IS AT THE DEPARTMENTAL LEVEL, AND SO WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO TRIM AS MUCH AS WE CAN OFF OF, OFF OF THOSE BUDGETS TO TRY TO INCREASE THAT FUND BALANCE WHERE WE DON'T, WE DO AS LITTLE HARM AS POSSIBLE. I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I CAN TELL YOU AT THE CENTRAL OFFICE LEVEL, WE HAVEN'T ADDED STAFF IN 5 YEARS, EVEN THOUGH WE'VE ADDED A THOUSAND KIDS FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS.
AND WE'VE MAINTAINED AND WE'VE ASKED PEOPLE TO DO MORE, AND SO MANY PEOPLE ARE WEARING 2 OR 3 HATS, AND NEXT YEAR, SOME OF THEM WILL PROBABLY BE WEARING FOUR HATS IN ORDER TO GET ALL OF ALL THE THINGS ACCOMPLISHED THAT WE NEED TO ACCOMPLISH.
THE LEGISLATURE ALWAYS MAKES A POINT TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, ADMIN IS BLOATED AND THEY TRY TO CREATE A DIVISIVE CULTURE WHERE IT'S US AGAINST THEM, AND I'VE EVEN HEARD SCHOOL BOARDS SAY, WELL, YOU JUST NEED TO CUT FROM, FROM FROM ADMIN AND YOU NEED TO CUT FROM THIS.
I GOT TO TELL YOU, WE DON'T HAVE A SINGLE POSITION IN OUR DISTRICT THAT WASN'T NEEDED OR WASN'T VALUABLE, AND EVERY TIME WE HAVE TO CUT THROUGH ATTRITION, IT HURTS, AND IT REDUCES THE QUALITY OF SERVICES THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE, BUT DEBORAH CAN TELL YOU, AT 87% OF PROBABLY A LITTLE HIGH, WE NEED TO GET THAT DOWN BY A PERCENT, MAYBE 2% AND THEN WE CAN BE HEALTHY, BUT HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT THROUGH THROUGH ATTRITION AS, AS WE MOVE FORWARD, BUT WITH THAT BEING SAID, I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU, BYRON, AND I'M GOING TO DELIVER THIS TO ALEX, AND HE CAN MOVE OVER, AND THEN WE'LL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU GO.
THANK YOU, DR. WRIGHT. OKAY, TEAM, I'M GONNA LOOK TO MY RIGHT.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT DR. WRIGHT'S ROLE? MR. VELA. I'LL WAIT FOR DR. WRIGHT TO GET BACK TO THE DAIS.
DR. WRIGHT, THANK YOU FOR THE OVERVIEW, AND 363 DAYS AGO WE SAT IN THIS VERY ROOM AND WE HAD THIS VERY SIMILAR TONE, VERY SIMILAR CONVERSATION. SO I APPRECIATE, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS THAT ARE STILL A CHALLENGE.
WE KNOW I DON'T APPRECIATE THEM. I JUST, I KNOW THAT THE THINGS THAT ARE NOT WITHIN OUR CONTROL.
DID YOU GET ANY INSIGHT AS TO WHY THE BASIC ALLOTMENT WAS ONLY INCREASED BY $55? I MEAN, WAS THERE AT ONE TIME AND THIS MAY HAVE BEEN A NEWS MISREPORT, BUT AT ONE TIME THEY WERE THINKING $400 TO $500 IS WHAT WE WERE GOING TO GET.
RIGHT. SO THERE WAS A DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN WHAT THE HOUSE WANTED TO OFFER AND WHAT THE SENATE WANTED TO OFFER, AND THE SENATE WANTED TO BE MORE STRATEGIC WITH WHERE THEY WANTED TO APPROPRIATE THE DOLLARS.
[00:25:02]
SO THEY SPECIFICALLY WANTED TEACHER PAY RAISES, AND THEY DIDN'T TRUST SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO GIVE AS LARGE OF INCREASES TO TEACHERS AS THEY WANTED TO GIVE. SO THEY WERE WORRIED THAT IF THEY GAVE ALL THE MONEY IN BASIC ALLOTMENT AND THEN ALLOWED LOCAL DISCRETION THAT THEY MAY NOT SEE THE, THE, THE LARGE NUMBER OF, FOR, FOR DOLLAR INCREASES FOR TEACHERS.OKAY, AND THANK YOU. SINCE YOU MENTIONED THE TEACHER PAY RAISES.
SO YEAH, I'M EXCITED THAT WE, WE HAVE THAT AS WELL, $7 MILLION IS WHAT WE'RE ANTICIPATING.
SO THAT'S NOT GOING TO IMPACT US FOR 2025 -2026, BUT THEN 2026, 2027, THAT IS ON OUR BOOKS AS FAR AS JUST THOSE THOSE RAISES THAT ARE THAT ARE THERE. THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A PERMANENT ALLOCATION, AND SO IT WILL FLOW THROUGH SO THAT AMOUNT WILL BE THERE ANYTHING THAT THE BOARD WOULD CHOOSE TO ALLOCATE ON TOP OF THAT WOULD HAVE TO GO BEYOND THAT.
OKAY. SO THEN TO MAKE SURE THAT I HEARD IT CLEARLY, THEN THE $7+ MILLION DOLLARS THAT WE'RE GETTING FROM THE STATE THAT IS GOING TO BE GIVEN TO US YEAR OVER YEAR. SUPPOSED TO BE PERPETUAL.
PERPETUAL. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, I LIKE I LIKE THE SOUND OF THAT.
I DO HAVE QUITE A FEW QUESTIONS HERE. I'LL MAKE SURE JUST KEEP THEM PERTINENT TO WHAT WE DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW, BUT THE FUND BALANCE BY THE WAY, I DID GO BACK AND I WATCHED OUR LAST YEAR'S MEETING JUST BECAUSE I WAS JUST IN THAT MOOD.
SO THE FUND BALANCE, WE KNOW THAT WE WANT TO HAVE TWO MONTHS WORTH OF EXPENSES COMING INTO 2024- 2025. THE $31,460,000 THAT WAS ABOUT ONE MONTH'S WORTH, AND SO WE'RE NOW PROJECTING $20 MILLION FOR 2025. THAT IS LOWER THAN WHAT WE PROJECTED LAST YEAR.
WHAT ARE THE JUST BULLET POINT BIGGER, BIGGER REASONS WHY IT'S LOWER THAN WHAT WE PROJECTED? YEAH, SURE. I KNOW I SHARED IN A MEMO WITH YOU WHAT WHAT WE REALIZED.
SO IN THE TRANSITION FROM OUR MUNIS SYSTEM TO FRONTLINE, WE DIDN'T GET THE NEW POSITIONS ADDED FOR CULLEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND THEN WE HAD OVERAGES AT NEGLEY, AND BECAUSE THEY WERE ABOUT 140- 150 KIDS MORE THAN WHAT WE THOUGHT, AND WE BELIEVED THAT WE WERE GOING TO JUST BE ABLE TO REASSIGN TEACHERS FROM NEGLEY OVER TO CULLEN, AND WE WEREN'T BECAUSE THEY HAD A LOT OF THEM HAD TO END UP STAYING AT NEGLEY, AND SO RANDY EXPLAINED TO ME AND TO, TO YOU GUYS THAT HE WAS GOING TO PUT IN A PLACEHOLDER BECAUSE WE THOUGHT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO JUST THROUGH ATTRITION, MOVE PEOPLE OVER TO COVER, AND IT WOULDN'T COST US THE $5 MILLION OUT OF THE BOX COST, AND SO HE WAS JUST GOING TO DO A BUDGET AMENDMENT, AND SO I THINK HE BUILT ABOUT $1.2 MILLION IN FOR THAT, AND THEN THE REST WE WERE GOING TO TRY TO MOVE AROUND AND THEN COME BACK FOR A BUDGET AMENDMENT LATER. THAT ENDED UP BEING MORE THAN WHAT HE ANTICIPATED AND WASN'T QUITE THE FULL $5 MILLION, BUT IT WAS AROUND AROUND $4 MILLION THAT WE HAD TO ADD.
AND THEN WITH THE WITH THE WITH THE COMP TIME PAYOUT, THAT WAS ANOTHER LARGE CONTRIBUTOR TO THAT, AND THEN OUR PROPERTY INSURANCE WENT UP, ALMOST ALMOST DOUBLED, AND THAT WAS ANOTHER BIG CONTRIBUTOR FOR THAT, AND SO THAT'S KIND OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT WHAT WE ORIGINALLY SHOWED AND THEN WHAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BRING TO YOU MONDAY FOR DISCUSSION FOR A BUDGET AMENDMENT. OKAY. THANK YOU, AND AGAIN, YOU PROBABLY TOUCHED SOME AREAS THAT I'LL ASK QUESTIONS LATER WHEN WE GET DEEPER INTO THOSE PRESENTATIONS, BUT THE OPENING OF A NEW SCHOOL DR.
HOW CAN WE BE MOVING FORWARD AND I'M PRETTY OPTIMISTIC, I'M AN OPTIMISTIC PERSON.
HOW CAN WE BETTER ALLOCATE FUNDS FOR THE OPENING OF A NEW SCHOOL SO IT'S NOT DEPLETING OUR FUND BALANCE OR THAT IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, JUST OUR OPERATING BUDGET AS IS. WHAT WHAT COULD WE DO, I GUESS? WELL, ONCE YOU ONCE YOU MAKE YOUR CUTS, THEN YOU HAVE TO PUT THAT MONEY BACK IN YOUR FUND BALANCE AND YOU HAVE TO RESERVE IT FOR THE OPENING OF A NEW SCHOOL, AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO BE DOING.
OKAY. WE DIDN'T DO THAT BEFORE. WE WERE PUTTING THIS A PLACEHOLDER.
WE DID, AND YOU SAW THAT WE UTILIZED THAT THROUGHOUT THE TIME AND THAT BECOMES A COST THAT IS PERPETUAL AS WELL, BECAUSE YOU'RE OPENING OPENING A NEW SCHOOL, SOMETIMES YOU CAN TRANSFER SOME TEACHERS AND YOU CAN MINIMIZE THAT COST DEPENDING ON WHERE YOUR HOTSPOTS ARE AND WHAT YOUR STAFFING NUMBERS INDICATE.
[00:30:01]
AND THEN THE OTHER BIG, ANOTHER BIG HICCUP, WHATEVER WE WANT TO CALL IT THE GOING FROM MUNIS TO FRONTLINE.WE ARE WE'VE GOTTEN ALL THE AIR BUBBLES OUT, IF YOU WILL, OF, OF.
SO WE DIDN'T HAVE IT DURING BUDGET TIME LAST YEAR, AND SO RANDY WAS HAVING TO WORK FROM SPREADSHEETS FROM MUNIS AND IN FRONTLINE, AND SO YOU KNOW, I THINK WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD WAY TO TRIANGULATE BETWEEN CNI, HR AND FINANCE NOW, AND, AND ALL THE NUMBERS ARE FLOWING THROUGH FRONTLINE NOW, AND SO I THINK I THINK WE HAVE THAT HICCUP BEHIND US.
OKAY. GREAT. THANK YOU FOR MENTIONING THAT, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT IT WAS JANUARY TIMEFRAME WHEN WE WHEN WE HEARD THAT, HEY, WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE AN A-RATED DISTRICT.
RIGHT. RIGHT, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT WE DISCUSSED I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WAS A QUESTION ON OUR BLOG ABOUT THAT, BUT WHAT WHAT PARAMETERS ARE GOING TO BE THERE FOR 25-26 THAT WE SHOULD SEE THIS WELL IN ADVANCE OF X DATE. I MEAN, WE'RE GOING TO WE'RE GOING TO SEE ANYTHING THAT'S TRENDING NOT IN OUR FAVOR.
CORRECT. YEAH. WE'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE MONTHLY REPORTS AND BE ABLE TO TRACK.
THANK YOU. MR. FLORES. THANK YOU, DR. WRIGHT, FOR THAT OVERVIEW.
I HAVE A QUESTION ALSO, JUST JUST ONE ON THE FUND BALANCE, AND JUST FOR THE VIEWING PUBLIC, CAN YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN THE NECESSITY OF HAVING A HEALTHY FUND BALANCE IN THE CASE OF BUDGET SHORTFALLS, UNANTICIPATED COST, COST INCREASES, OR EVEN UNANTICIPATED EMERGENCIES.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT JUST THE JUST THE BENEFIT OF HAVING THAT HEALTHY FUND BALANCE? SURE.
YEAH. THE FUND BALANCE IS YOUR CASH FLOW ACCOUNT WHEN YOU AREN'T RECEIVING PROPERTY TAXES OR STATE AID, AND SO IT'S WHAT HELPS YOU PAY ALL YOUR COSTS IN BETWEEN PAYMENTS FROM EITHER THE STATE OR FROM LOCAL TAXPAYERS, AND SO IT'S CRUCIAL THAT YOU HAVE HAVE THE MONEY IN THAT ACCOUNT.
WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN FORTUNATE THAT WE'VE HAD BOND PROJECTS GOING AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, TO UTILIZE SOME OF THOSE DOLLARS WHEN WE'VE HAD ISSUES, BUT THAT'S EXACTLY WHY YOU WANT TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY FUND BALANCE IS BECAUSE OF, OF, FOR EMERGENCIES AND FOR YOUR CASH FLOW.
AND JUST A BIT YOU TALKED ABOUT THAT LINE IN THE SAND DURING YOUR PRESENTATION THAT LINE KIND OF STUCK WITH ME AND WHERE WE ARE AND TAKING THAT TURN TOWARD BEING ABLE TO CONSERVE THAT FUND BALANCE. CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, ON THAT, ON HOW WE'VE MADE THAT TURN? YEAH WELL, WE JUST WE NEED TO DRAW THE LINE AND WE NEED TO HAVE A BALANCED BUDGET.
SO THAT WAY WE CAN HAVE A BASELINE AND THEN WE CAN BEGIN TO TREND UP, AND SO WHEN WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO CUT, HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO SAVE ENOUGH MONEY WHERE WE'LL PUT MONEY BACK INTO THE FUND BALANCE, AND THEN, AND THEN WE HAVE SOME OTHER MECHANISMS WHERE WE'RE, WE'RE GOING TO LOOK.
I KNOW ALEX AND RANDY WERE LOOKING AT RECLASSIFYING SOME ITEMS THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO BE CODED TO FEDERAL FUNDS, FOR EXAMPLE, BUT THAT WERE PAID FOR OUT OF GENERAL.
SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO CLEAN UP A LOT AND HOPEFULLY ADD TO THAT FUND BALANCE BETWEEN NOW AND THE CLOSE OF THE BUDGET, AND THEN SAME THING NEXT YEAR. WE JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS CODED CORRECTLY SO THAT WE CAN BEGIN TO TREND UP, BUT WE ARE BLESSED IN THAT WE'RE A GROWING SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND SO BECAUSE OF THAT GROWTH WE GET ADDITIONAL REVENUE EVERY YEAR.
SO WE HAVE. THANK YOU DR. WRIGHT. MR. OROSCO.
SO, DR. WRIGHT SINCE WE ARE OPENING UP A NEW SCHOOL NEXT YEAR, SO HAVE WE ENCUMBERED, IF YOU WILL, THAT MONEY, $5 MILLION TO OPEN THAT BOX. BECAUSE WE HAVE HISTORICALLY ALWAYS SET ASIDE $5 MILLION TO OPEN UP AN ELEMENTARY.
HOWEVER, THIS PAST YEAR, I WAS RECOMMENDED BY OUR CFO THAT WE DID NOT ENCUMBER THE WHOLE $5 MILLION AND WENT WITH A LESSER AMOUNT, WHICH HAS KIND OF PUT US IN A BIND NOW, RIGHT? BECAUSE IT WAS NOT REALLY FORECASTED ALL THE WAY THROUGH.
SO WE DO HAVE THE MONEY SET ASIDE FOR THAT $5 MILLION OPENING? WE DO NOT. WE DO NOT HAVE IT SET ASIDE YET, AND I'VE TALKED TO MAX AND TO NATE, AND WE'RE LOOKING AT MAYBE DELAYING THE OPENING OF THE NEXT SCHOOL BY YEAR. THAT'S WHY I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT WE WOULD BE SAVING UP TO OPEN IT IN THE FALL OF 28, AND THEN THE HIGH SCHOOL IN THE FALL OF 29. I'M TALKING ABOUT RAMAGE.
OH RAMAGE IS BUILT INTO THIS YEAR'S BUDGET. YES.
[00:35:03]
YES. THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO CONFIRM. I THOUGHT YOU MEANT 18.I'M SORRY. NO, NO. YEAH. YES. I NEED HIM TO CONFIRM THAT.
YEAH. FOR SURE. YOU KNOW MAKING SURE THAT WE DO HAVE THAT WHOLE AMOUNT INSTEAD OF JUST THE ONE POINT, SOMETHING THAT WE HAD DONE FOR CULLEN, WHICH WAS NOT CORRECTLY DONE.
CAN YOU SHARE WHAT THAT SHOULD LOOK LIKE BASED ON POLICY? OUR POLICY IS TO RETAIN 25%, AND SO ALEX WILL HAVE THAT DETAILED, I THINK, IN HIS PRESENTATION, BUT I THINK IN ORDER TO BE AT, AT THAT, I THINK IT'S AROUND $69, $67 MILLION THIS YEAR.
YEAH. SO IT REALLY NEEDS TO BE AROUND $67 MILLION AND TEA HAS CHANGED IT.
BEFORE IT WAS HAVING THREE MONTHS WORTH OF MONEY SET ASIDE IN FUND BALANCE AND NOW IT'S TWO MONTHS.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT WE'RE AT A ONE MONTH IS WHAT WE'RE AT.
SO I JUST WANT TO KIND OF HIGHLIGHT THAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HIGHLIGHTING THE STRATEGIC USE OF THE FUND BALANCE, BECAUSE WE AS A BOARD AND NOT EVERYBODY WAS ON THE BOARD FOR ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT WERE DONE, BUT WE VERY MUCH WERE VERY STRATEGIC ON THE PAY INCREASES FOR OUR EMPLOYEES, MAKING SURE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO RETAIN AND RECRUIT THE BEST EMPLOYEES, AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THAT TURNOVER RATE THAT HAS DECREASED FROM 18% TO 6% AND LESS UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP.
SO THAT WAS VERY INTENTIONAL THAT WE DID, AND WE HAD SAID AT EVERY BUDGET MEETING BEFORE, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO DO IT. WE KNOW IT'S GOING TO CUT INTO OUR FUND BALANCE, BUT IT HAS TO BE DONE.
WE NEED TO SET THAT FOUNDATION. SO THANK YOU FOR REMINDING US OF THAT, BECAUSE SOMETIMES WE FORGET ALL THE THINGS THAT IT ENTAILS, RIGHT? I MEAN, OPENING ALL THESE NEW CAMPUSES DOES COST A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY, AND THE COMPENSATION, THE COMPENSATION LEAVE, THAT WAS ALSO A HUGE THING THAT WE REALLY HAD TO DISCUSS AND TALK ABOUT, WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS TO DOING THAT RIGHT AWAY AND WHAT WAS IT GOING TO COST US? AND OF COURSE, WE KEEP HEARING EVERY MONTH WHEN WE DO HAVE OUR CONSTRUCTION FOLKS OUT HERE, OR WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DAMAGES TO ANY OF OUR FACILITIES, AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT INSURANCE ONCE A YEAR, UTILITIES, GAS, EVERYTHING CONTINUES TO INCREASE.
SO THANK YOU FOR HIGHLIGHTING THAT, BECAUSE I THINK SOMETIMES WE FORGET ABOUT THOSE LITTLE THINGS, IF YOU WILL. I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, AND I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THE SHARS FUNDING ON THAT.
SO THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT PIECE ABOUT THE FEDERAL FUNDING PIECE OF IT.
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW ANY FEDERAL CUTS ARE GOING TO IMPACT US ON THE LOCAL LEVEL? SO THE FEDERAL BUDGET IS IS ALSO APPROVED IN TWO YEAR INCREMENTS, JUST LIKE THE STATE BUDGET, AND THE ONE FOR 25-26 IS THE SAME AS LAST YEAR.
BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN THE RELEASE OF THE FEDERAL BUDGET FOR THE FOLLOWING BIENNIUM, AND SO WE'LL HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE TAKE ACCOUNT OF IT AS, AS WE MOVE FORWARD. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. MR. VELA. HEY, DR. WRIGHT I THINK IT WAS ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT MR. FLORES HAD ASKED, IT KIND OF GOT ME THINKING THE LAST YEAR'S DISCUSSION AS WELL. ANOTHER SURPRISE FOR US LAST YEAR WAS THAT FUNDING GAP, THAT WAS ABOUT $1 MILLION HIT TO US. I'M QUOTING DIRECTLY, SO IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT, MAYBE WE CAN JUST TAKE THAT AS A, AS A, YOU KNOW, QUESTION FOR LATER, BUT I KNOW LAST YEAR WE HAD THE GRAPH THAT IT WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE BLUE BAR AND THE RED BAR AND USUALLY HOW WE'RE FUNDED IN THE PAST.
THERE WAS A FUNDING GAP THAT HIT US FOR ABOUT $1 MILLION.
YEAH. ALEX, ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THAT? TURN ON YOUR MIC.
THERE YOU GO. THERE YOU GO. IS IT ON? YES, SIR.
AFTER HOUSE BILL THREE, OUR REVENUE OR PRIOR TO HOUSE BILL THREE, OUR REVENUE IS BASED OFF OF PREVIOUS YEAR VALUES, AFTER HOUSE BILL THREE IT WENT TO CURRENT YEAR VALUES.
SO YOU HAD TO YOU HAD TO PREDICT OR PROJECT YOUR TAX COLLECTIONS FOR THAT SAME YEAR, AND SO YOU KIND OF LOST THE ABILITY TO KIND OF FLOAT BECAUSE YOU WERE OPERATING FROM LAST YEAR'S VALUES.
SO SINCE HOUSE BILL THREE, THAT'S NOT BEEN THE CASE.
OKAY. DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION AS WELL? BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WAS ALSO ANOTHER IMPACT TO US LAST YEAR.
IT DOES AFFECT OUR TOTAL FUNDING BUT IT'S NOT THE SAME.
OKAY. SO WHAT ARE WE DOING FOR 25-26 KNOWING THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THAT?
[00:40:03]
I MEAN, WE HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE FOR THAT ASPECT.YES. OKAY. WE'RE ACCOUNTING FOR IT NOW. OKAY.
I'LL JUST FORESHADOWING FOR WHAT'S COMING UP.
RIGHT. SO YEAH, HE HAS THAT IN HIS PRESENTATION.
ALL RIGHT. GOOD DEAL. THANK YOU, MISS RUNKLE.
YES. THANK YOU. I DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW.
I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS WRITTEN DOWN, AND I'M GOING TO GET INTO THOSE AS WE GET INTO SOME OF THESE OTHER SLIDESHOWS LATER, BUT I DID WANT TO JUST KIND OF MAKE A COMMENT.
I DO REMEMBER THAT MEETING AND I DID GO BACK AND WATCH IT, BUT I DO REMEMBER THE TIME WHEN WE WERE WITH A $70 MILLION FUND BALANCE AND I IT'S JUST IT'S SO DISHEARTENING TO SEE WHERE WE ARE JUST A FEW YEARS LATER AND TO BE MAKING THESE DECISIONS.
SO BASICALLY I WILL SAY THAT I WAS I WAS A LITTLE SHOCKED WHILE I WAS A LOT SHOCKED WHEN I REALIZED THAT WE WERE NOT AT A $6.2 MILLION DEFICIT AND IT WAS AT A NEARLY $14 MILLION DEFICIT, AND SO TO MR. VELA'S POINT YOU KNOW, THERE WERE A LOT OF THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT WERE GIVEN TO US IN THIS BUDGET SUMMARY THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THEM, TO ME, THEY ARE THINGS THAT WE LIKELY SHOULD HAVE ANTICIPATED.
THERE'S ONLY QUITE, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THIS LIST.
I MEAN, I KNEW OF THE SPECIAL EDUCATION IMPACT THAT WAS GOING TO HIT US BECAUSE WE KNEW ABOUT THAT.
I, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT ANYTIME THAT, YOU KNOW, WE AS A BOARD HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT BUDGET DEFICITS AND WE PASS BUDGETS WE NEED TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE BOARD WHEN WE GO ABOVE AND IT'S NO LONGER AT A $6.2 MILLION DEFICIT, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT CONVERSATIONS HAD HAPPENED IN BUDGET COMMITTEES, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE STATED TO THE ENTIRE BOARD AND NOT BE MADE AWARE AT THE END OF THE YEAR. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I GO ON RECORD AND SAY THAT BECAUSE IT WAS A HUGE SHOCK TO ME TO SEE A $13 MILLION DEFICIT VERSUS A $6.2 WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT LAST YEAR.
I AM VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR NEW CFO COMING ON BOARD AND TAKING A LOOK AT A LOT OF THESE THINGS AND HOW WE FORECAST THINGS MOVING INTO THIS NEXT BUDGET, BUT I COULDN'T JUST SIT HERE AND NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WAS A HUGE SHOCK TO ME, AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT I WANT US TO BE IN AGAIN.
AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DOTTING OUR I'S AND CROSSING OUR T'S ON EVERY BUDGET ITEM AS WE FORECAST THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, OPENING SCHOOLS K THROUGH FOUR TEACHER ADD ONS, COMP TIME PAYOUTS, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN FORECAST. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT GOING INTO THIS NEXT BUDGET AND WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE CAPTURING EVERY ALL OF THAT, BUT I'LL RESERVE SOME MORE QUESTIONS UNTIL LATER.
THANK YOU. MISS PETREA. HI. YES, THANKS FOR THIS PRESENTATION SO FAR.
I FEEL LIKE IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A PERFECT STORM WE'RE WE'RE GOING THROUGH. WE'VE GOT A LEDGE THAT HAS THEIR MIND MADE UP ON HOW WE SHOULD SPEND OUR MONEY, WHICH IS UNFORTUNATE. WE MISSED THE MARK HERE WITH SOME OF OUR FINANCES AND OUR CFO CONVENIENTLY LEFT.
THANKFULLY, WE HAVE A NEW ONE COMING IN THAT WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT, AND , AND I KNOW THAT UNDER THIS LEADERSHIP, WE'RE GOING TO TURN THIS, THIS AROUND, EVEN THOUGH WE'VE GOT SOME HEADWINDS.
I DID WANT TO GO BACK TO THE DISCUSSION ON FUND BALANCE, BECAUSE THERE'S A AS MR. FLORES BROUGHT UP, YOU KNOW, WHY DO WE CARE ABOUT FUND BALANCE? THE OTHER PIECE OF FUND BALANCE THAT I WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERY BODY REMEMBERS AND KNOWS AND I WORKED FOR BOND COUNSEL FOR A LONG TIME.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER IMPORTANT ASPECT OF A OF A HEALTHY FUND BALANCE.
SO I KNOW MR. OROSCO TALKED ABOUT WELL, WE CAN DEPLETE IT BECAUSE HE SAID IT WAS OKAY, BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THERE ARE THERE ARE NOT JUST REASONS FOR YOU TO DEPLETE IT JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO, BECAUSE WE'RE IN A POSITION WHERE WE KIND OF HAVE TO, AND WE MAY NEED TO CHANGE OUR POLICY, BUT I THINK PART OF THE REASON WE HAD OUR POLICY WRITTEN THE WAY IT WAS IS BECAUSE THEY LIKE TO SEE A 20 TO 30% FUND BALANCE ON MOODY'S AND FITCH AND S&P. SO JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND HOW BOND INTEREST WORKS AND WHEN WE SELL OUR BONDS AND HOW.
[00:45:05]
SO THAT'S ANOTHER SORT OF JUST LIKE WHEN YOU GET A HOUSE AND YOU HAVE A STRONG SAVINGS ACCOUNT, SIMILAR OR ASSETS. ALL RIGHT. THAT WAS IT. THANKS.MR. VELA. YEAH. THIS IS TURNING INTO A VERY ROBUST DISCUSSION THIS EARLY ON.
SO LOOKING AT FUND BALANCE, AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THE CLARIFICATIONS AND THE QUESTIONS.
THIS IS ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT FROM 2020 THAT I'VE ACTUALLY GET.
I'VE, I'VE HAD A VOTE IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE, THOSE. AND I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT SO I'M REALLY I'M REALLY PLEASED OF WHERE WE WERE IN 2020 AFTER COVID. WE KNEW THAT WE WERE TAKING CARE OF OUR KIDS BY TAKING CARE OF OUR STAFF.
RIGHT. I KNOW WE HEARD IT EARLIER. SO SO I'M VERY I'M VERY PROUD OF OF HOW WE HAVE MOVED IN TERMS OF COMPENSATION FOR OUR STAFF ESPECIALLY IN TIMES WHEN OUR STUDENTS NEEDED IT MOST. WE INVESTED IN OTHER ESSENTIALS, OTHER COUNSELING PROGRAMS AND ALL THOSE THINGS.
SO I DON'T WANT TO DIMINISH WHAT WHAT HAS BEEN DONE IN THIS BODY THAT'S BEEN DONE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, DR. WRIGHT I MEAN, WE'RE AT THE POINT NOW, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE GOOD BAD AND THE UGLY. WE'D LIKE TO GET RAISES EVERY YEAR. YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WE'RE REWARDING OUR TEACHERS FOR GREAT PERFORMANCE, AND THAT PERFORMANCE IS MEASURED THROUGH ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH 100% HAYS INITIATIVES. I MEAN, ALL OF THE ABOVE. SO I APPRECIATE AGAIN WHERE WE WHERE WE'VE BEEN, WHERE WE WHERE WE ARE JUST IN TERMS OF THE FINANCES, 87% OF OUR OF OUR BUDGET IS STAFFING. OKAY. YOU KNOW, WE CAN CURTAIL SOME OF THAT.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME WORK, BUT IT'S NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF, AGAIN, HAVING THE BEST STAFF.
SO WE WE'VE MADE SOME VERY CONSCIOUS DECISIONS.
WE WENT FROM NUMBER WHAT NUMBER 19 OUT OF 20 IN THE AREA AS FAR AS OTHER COMPARABLE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN TERMS OF COMPENSATION FOR THAT FIVE YEAR AND ABOVE WASN'T FOR VETERAN TEACHERS. AND NOW WE'RE NUMBER ONE, AND THAT'S WHY WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ATTRACT THE TALENT THAT WE HAVE.
SO I KNOW THAT WAS SAID. I JUST I WANTED TO ECHO THAT SENTIMENT.
SO AGAIN, KUDOS TO US IN THAT SENSE, NOT, YOU KNOW, PATTING OUR BACK, BUT JUST THE WORK THAT OUR STAFF DOES, OUR ADMINISTRATORS, YOU KNOW AND, AND SO WE DO HAVE OUR WORK CUT OUT FOR US AND YES, WE WILL RIGHT THE SHIP, LIKE I SAID, I MEAN, I'M PRETTY OPTIMISTIC, BUT BUT I ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE WE'RE PUTTING OUT THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY AND WHAT ARE WE DOING MOVING FORWARD AND I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT. SO THAT WASN'T ONE OF MY QUESTIONS THAT I HAD WRITTEN DOWN.
SO THERE'S MORE TO COME BUT BUT THAT WAS JUST CONVERSATION THAT SPARKED THAT, SO THANK YOU.
MISS OROSCO. I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY A FEW THINGS.
I KNOW IT WAS STATED THAT WE ARE BARELY GETTING NOTIFIED OF THIS $13.8 DEFICIT AND WE WERE NOTIFIED IN IN APRIL, AND OUR SUBCOMMITTEE ALSO KNEW AROUND THE SAME TIMEFRAME AS THAT.
SO THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT'S NEW TO US THIS MOMENT.
THAT IS NOT WHAT I STATED. I SAID TEA CHANGED IT FROM THREE MONTHS TO TWO MONTHS, AND THAT WAS STRATEGIC ON THE SIDE OF THE STATE THAT WANTED ANOTHER WAY TO GO AFTER PUBLIC ED. SO LET'S BE CLEAR ABOUT THEIR INTENTIONS ABOUT US USING OUR MONEY AND HOW TO USE IT, AND NOT HAVING THAT LOCAL CONTROL. FUND BALANCE WAS SOMETHING THAT THE STATE LOOKED AT AND SAW THAT A LOT OF DISTRICTS WERE SAVING.
THEY DID HAVE A VERY ROBUST FUND BALANCE, AND THEY SAID, YOU NEED TO USE THAT UP, AND SO THAT'S WHY THEY CHANGED IT FROM, YOU KNOW, RECOMMENDATION OF THREE MONTHS TO TWO MONTHS, AND THEY KEEP GOING AFTER THAT FUND BALANCE BECAUSE THEY SAY WE'RE FLUSHED WITH MONEY.
WE KNOW IT TAKES MONEY AND WE NEED TO HAVE THAT SAVINGS AVAILABLE AS WELL, IN CASE, AS IS OFTEN CALLED THE RAINY DAY FUND, FOR A REASON, BECAUSE EMERGENCIES AND SITUATIONS COME UP THAT WE HAVE TO ADDRESS.
THANK YOU. MISS RUNKLE. YES. MR. SEIBEL, IF YOU'LL PLEASE CAPTURE THIS QUESTION, CAN YOU PLEASE PROVIDE THE BOARD IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER TODAY, WHEN WE WENT OVER THE DEFICIT BUDGET OR WHEN THE ADMINISTRATION WAS MADE AWARE THAT WE WERE GOING TO GO OVER $6.2 MILLION DEFICIT BUDGET? I'M AWARE THAT WE WERE MADE AWARE IN APRIL.
IT'S ONLY JUNE 4TH, AND WE HAVEN'T HAD A BUDGET DISCUSSION YET.
THANKS. OKAY, TEAM, THANKS FOR THAT THOSE DISCUSSIONS AND GOOD QUESTIONS YOU KNOW, GOING INTO THE NEXT PART OF OUR AGENDA, I BELIEVE. WE'VE GOT TO REMEMBER TWO THINGS. WE MUST HAVE A BALANCED BUDGET. WE MUST REBUILD OUR FUND BALANCE FOR FUTURE RATES AND FUTURE SCHOOL OPENINGS. SO WITH THAT BEING
[00:50:04]
SAID ALEX, WELCOME TO WELCOME TO THE WELCOME TO THE MEETING.YOU'RE UP. THANK YOU SIR. GOOD EVENING, BOARD OF TRUSTEES, BOARD PRESIDENT SEVERANCE, DR.
WRIGHT. I MEAN, OKAY, COOL. SO THIS IS THE PRESENTATION THAT WAS PRESENTED LAST YEAR, JUST WITH UPDATED NUMBERS SO YOU MIGHT RECOGNIZE SOME OF THIS WORDING HERE. SO WE'RE GOING TO START WITH BUDGET ASSUMPTIONS ON THE REVENUES, TALK ABOUT STUDENT GROWTH. WE DID GO WITH SOMEWHAT OF A LOW GROWTH ESTIMATE HERE OF 25,400 STUDENTS.
THE ADA FOR THAT IS ESTIMATED AT $23,622, AND WE'RE USING THE ATTENDANCE PERCENTAGE OF 93%.
OUR PROPERTY VALUES LOCAL VALUES, CERTIFIED ESTIMATES FROM ALL THREE DISTRICTS, OUR APPRAISAL DISTRICTS HAYS, CALDWELL, TRAVIS TOTAL OF THAT CAME TO $20,000,358 OR SORRY, $20,358,000,000.
IT IS AN INCREASE OF 4.67% OVER THE PRIOR YEAR.
THEN YOU'VE GOT YOUR STATE VALUES OF $19, 340,000,000 MILLION.
YOUR TAX RATE TOTAL RATE OF $1.14. M&O RATE OF $0.65.
I&S RATE OF $0.48. THAT HAS NOT CHANGED. THIS IS JUST A GRAPH OF OUR REVENUE SOURCES.
CERTIFIED PROPERTY VALUES. SO THIS IS WHAT WHAT I HIGHLIGHTED IN THE FIRST SLIDE, JUST SHOWING THE DIFFERENCE OF WHAT WE GET FROM THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT VERSUS WHAT THE STATE COMPTROLLER CALCULATES, AND THEN HERE'S A GRAPH OF OUR TAX RATES ALSO GOING DOWN. OKAY SO TO SUMMARIZE THE REVENUE AGAIN LOCAL PROPERTY TAXES IN THE STATE ACCOUNT FOR 97% OF OUR BUDGETED REVENUE.
THE TOTAL TAX COLLECTIONS FOR OUR GENERAL OPERATING FUND ARE ESTIMATED AT $130 MILLION.
THAT'S ABOUT 49% OF OUR TOTAL REVENUE, AND THEN THE STATE ALLOCATION DOES HAVE THE ASSUMPTION BUILT IN OF OUR LATEST HOUSE BILL. THAT DOES INCLUDE WHAT WE'RE ASSUMING WILL COME FROM THOSE AMOUNTS, AND THEN THE LAST BULLET POINT THERE IS KIND OF HIGHLIGHTING THE FUNDING LAG THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT MR. VELA. SO IT IS STILL SOMEWHAT OF A THING TO ACCOUNT FOR SO WE JUST HAVE TO KIND OF HIGHLIGHT AND MENTION THAT THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW, IT'S A PROJECTION OF CURRENT YEAR TAX AMOUNTS.
OKAY. SO MOVING INTO OUR EXPENDITURES, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE PROJECTING OUR TOTAL EXPENDITURES TO BE BROKEN OUT AS WE'VE GOT ABOUT $87.9 ISH IN PAYROLL AND ABOUT $12 IN OPERATIONAL.
SO WE'LL GO OVER SOME OF THE BUDGET ASSUMPTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPENDITURES.
PAYROLL. THERE WILL BE FOUR DIFFERENT SCENARIOS.
I'LL I'LL LET CHRISTINA EXPLAIN THOSE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS.
ALL OF THEM INCLUDE THE HOUSE BILL TWO INCREASE FOR TEACHERS AND THEN SOME OTHER DETAILS THERE.
THE OPERATIONAL BUDGET. THIS YEAR WE DID INCREASE BY 2.8 MILLION.
SO IT'S AT A TOTAL OF 33 MILLION IN OUR OPERATING BUDGET, OUR CAMPUS BUDGETS, IT'S BASED ON.
PROJECTED STUDENT ENROLLMENT DID INCREASE 1.5% OVER THE PRIOR YEAR AMOUNT.
OUR FIXED COST BUDGETS, THOSE ARE ITEMS SUCH AS UTILITIES, THE CAD COST AUDIT AND LEGAL FEES, PROPERTY INSURANCE, SECURITY COSTS. THOSE DID INCREASE BY 13% OVER THE PRIOR YEAR, AND THEN THE LAST PIECE OF IT.
CENTRAL OFFICE AND DEPARTMENTAL BUDGETS. WE DID HAVE TO INCREASE THEM BY 7.86 OVER THE PRIOR YEAR.
SO THIS IS A KIND OF A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING, AND I'LL GO OVER SOME OF THE ASSUMPTIONS BEHIND THIS IN THE NEXT SLIDE, BUT WE ARE ESTIMATING OUR BEGINNING FUND BALANCE THIS NEXT YEAR TO BE AT 20 MILLION.
[00:55:07]
AGAIN, JUST COVERING THE LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL REVENUE.WE DO HAVE OUR OTHER SOURCES IN THERE. OUR TOTAL REVENUE COMES OUT TO 268 MILLION.
OUR PAYROLL EXPENDITURES ARE ABOUT 239 MILLION, AND AGAIN, OUR OPERATIONAL IS AT 33 MILLION.
EVEN. SO THE ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDATIONS, THE REDUCTION OF THE 4.1.
THESE ARE THESE ARE REDUCTIONS THAT NECESSARILY AREN'T SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIED JUST YET, BUT WE WILL NEED TO RECLASS ABOUT 4.1 MILLION TO GET TO A BALANCED BUDGET, AND THERE'S OUR FUND BALANCE REQUIREMENT THERE 25%. IT'S ROUGHLY 67 MILLION.
IF WE DO KEEP A BALANCED BUDGET, OUR ENDING FUND BALANCE SHOULD BE 20 MILLION AS WELL.
WE ARE INCLUDING SOME OF OUR HOUSE BILL TWO ASSUMPTIONS ON BOTH THE REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE SIDE.
SO WE'RE ACCOUNTING FOR 7.2 MILLION IN FLOW THROUGH FOR SALARY INCREASES AND ABOUT 6.4 MILLION IN NEW MONEY, PART OF OUR STRATEGY FOR CURRENT YEAR TO GET THAT FUND BALANCE TO $20 MILLION IS TO RECLASS EXPENSES TO OTHER SOURCES, HOPING TO RECLASS ABOUT TWO AND A HALF TO $3 MILLION FROM CURRENT YEAR, AND THAT WILL PUT OUR FUND BALANCE AT 20 MILLION.
ANOTHER STRATEGY IS FOR NEXT YEAR TO REDUCE THE DEFICIT ALSO BY RECLASSING AN ESTIMATED 3 MILLION TO BOND INTEREST FOR THE 2526 YEAR. THE NEXT TWO POINTS, WE'VE KIND OF QUANTIFIED AND IDENTIFIED.
SO THOSE HAVE BEEN THOSE HAVE BEEN REDUCED FROM THE BUDGET PROPOSAL, BUT THAT IS TO MOVE OVERTIME, EXTRA DUTY PAY ALL YOUR NON-STANDARD HOURLIES WILL COME FROM THE OPERATING BUDGET, AND THEN ANOTHER STRATEGY OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WILL NO LONGER OCCUR ON THE SCHOOL DAY, WHICH WILL SAVE THE DISTRICT APPROXIMATELY 1.4 IN SUB COST, AND THEN AS DR. WRIGHT MENTIONED, WE WILL ALSO CUT THROUGH ATTRITION IN OUR DEPARTMENTAL FTES.
SO ALL OF THOSE COMBINED TOGETHER, WE ANTICIPATE WILL HELP US REDUCE ABOUT 4.1.
56 OF THOSE WERE AT THE DEPARTMENT LEVEL. THOSE DO INCLUDE BUS DRIVERS, CUSTODIANS.
SOME MAINTENANCE WORKERS. FINANCE SPECIALISTS A FEW OF THE SPED EVAL STAFF LIKE LSSPS OR SLPS, C&I DIRECTORS AND A TECH SUPPORT POSITION. SOME OF THOSE ARE HARDER, HARDER POSITIONS TO FILL.
ESTIMATED COST ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE 56 DEPARTMENT VACANCIES IS AROUND $3 MILLION, AND THEN WE HAVE ABOUT 109 VACANCIES AT THE CAMPUS. THOSE DO INCLUDE ABOUT 65 TEACHERS, 31 PARAS.
AGAIN, THIS WAS A SNAPSHOT AT MAY 15TH. SO SOME OF THOSE TEACHERS HAVE PROBABLY BEEN HIRED BY NOW.
SOME OF THEM DID INCLUDE RAMAGE POSITIONS. SO JUST KEEP THAT IN MIND, BUT THAT'S THAT DOES INCLUDE 65 TEACHERS, 31 PARAS, AND THE ESTIMATED COST ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE VACANCIES IS ABOUT 6.9 MILLION, AND THEN HERE IS JUST A GRAPH REPRESENTING THAT WHERE THE WHERE THE VACANCIES SIT 69% AT THE CAMPUS AND ABOUT 30% AT THE DEPARTMENT, AND THAT'S IT. ANY QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AND WE'LL LOOK TO MY LEFT.
ANY QUESTIONS TO MY LEFT. MR. FLORES. YEAH. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT INFORMATION.
I JUST HAVE A JUST A QUESTION. YOU DON'T HAVE TO OBVIOUSLY ANSWER NOW.
SECRETARY, IF YOU COULD PLEASE GET THIS DOWN, IF WE COULD JUST HAVE AN UPDATED NUMBER OF CAMPUS VACANCIES AS OF AS OF TODAY WHENEVER WE CAN. I'D LOVE TO SEE WHERE WE'VE BROUGHT THAT, BROUGHT THAT NUMBER DOWN.
BUT IF WE COULD JUST HAVE THAT AS SOON AS WE CAN.
THAT'S ALL I HAVE. MR. SEIBEL. YES. OKAY. SO I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT PROPERTY TAX OR PROPERTY.
[01:00:02]
I'M SORRY. PROPERTY INSURANCE INCREASES AND WE HAVE JUST IT'S LUMPED IN THERE WITH THAT GENERAL INCREASE OF 13%, BUT HAVE WE RECEIVED RENEWALS YET FOR PROPERTY INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR FOR NEXT YEAR.I THINK WE RECEIVED THEM IN SEPTEMBER, BUT I WILL CHECK WE DID RECEIVE LAST YEAR'S.
WELL, I MEAN I'M TALKING ABOUT FOR 25-26 YET WE HAVEN'T RECEIVED THOSE YET.
I ASSUME THEN BECAUSE I WILL I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE PERSONALLY RECEIVED THEM, BUT I WILL CHECK.
I'M JUST CURIOUS WHAT OUR ASSUMPTION IS ON THAT AND MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT ALLOCATED APPROPRIATELY, BECAUSE THAT JUST CONTINUES TO GO UP MORE THAN EVER EXPECTED.
WE, I THINK, HAVE TYPICALLY USED AN ASSUMPTION FOR PROPERTY VALUE INCREASES OF, I THINK AROUND 10% A YEAR IS THAT? DOES ANYBODY REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS FOR? THE PRIOR YEAR WAS 10%, AND THEN WE ENDED UP COMING UP AT 4.67%.
YES, SIR. FOR THIS YEAR, WHICH ISN'T THAT SURPRISING TO ME PERSONALLY, BUT SO DOES THAT GOING TO HAVE ANY IMPACT FOR US? I MEAN, OUR BUDGET IS ALL INCLUSIVE OF OUR BOND REPAYMENTS AND EVERYTHING, SO FORGIVE ME IF THIS IS OUT OF LINE FOR WHAT OUR DISCUSSION IS, BUT IS THAT GOING TO IMPACT ANY OF OUR BOND PAYMENT ABILITIES? I NEED TO GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE SO.
OKAY. I CAN ANSWER THAT ONE I THINK IN SPEAKING WITH OUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR, IF WE GET ON THE BOOKS, OUR 25 BOND, AND WE SELL AND MAKE A PAYMENT ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1ST, THEN I DON'T THINK IF THE, YOU KNOW, THE VOTERS APPROVED THE ADDITIONAL 40,000 HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION THAT IT'S GOING TO IMPACT US FOR THIS PARTICULAR SERIES.
I WOULDN'T EXPECT IT BECAUSE WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO DEFEASE A FAIR AMOUNT OF OUR BONDS EVERY YEAR, SO THERE'S ALWAYS A LITTLE BIT OF, BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS OF THAT, YOU KNOW, GOING FORWARD THAT LONG TERM IMPACT OF SLIGHTLY LESS PROPERTY VALUE INCREASE, I THINK WE'LL GET BACK TO OUR NORMAL ASSUMPTION VERY SOON, BUT I UNDERSTAND WHERE WE'RE AT.
OKAY. THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR NOW. THANK YOU. MR. VELA. HEY, MR. SALAZAR, THANK YOU FOR PRESENTING TONIGHT, AND WE KNOW JUST FROM YEARS PAST THAT YOU'VE DONE A LOT OF THE HEAVY LIFTING ON ON JUST THE WORKSHEETS, AND. SO GREAT JOB. THANK YOU FOR FOR DOING THIS YEAR OVER YEAR.
I WANT TO GO BACK TO OUR AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE BECAUSE WE MAKE THE ASSUMPTION, AND I BELIEVE IT WAS THE 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR THAT WE SAID, HEY, WE'RE GOING TO BE HELD HARMLESS AGAIN. SO WE THOUGHT THEN IT WAS DECEMBER OF 2022 THAT WE WERE NO LONGER HELD HARMLESS, AND WE FOUND OUT IT NEGATED OUR ENTIRE YEARS.
MATTER OF FACT, YOU CAN SEE THE BIG DROP IN OUR FUND BALANCE FROM 22 TO 23.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING TO NOTE. SO THEN FOR 23-24 WE GOT WISE AND WE SAID, OKAY, WE'RE NOT GOING TO HIT A 94%, 95% AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE. WE'RE GOING FOR 92%.
SO FOR 23-24 WE INCREASED IT AS WELL. SAME THING FOR 2020.
WE FINISHED THE YEAR AT 93.32%. OKAY. SO WE'RE GOING TO KEEP OUR THRESHOLD AT 93% JUST TO BE CONSERVATIVE, AND THEN ANYTHING THAT IS ABOVE AND BEYOND, WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO ADD TO THE FUND BALANCE.
PERFECT I LIKE IT, AND SO BECAUSE WE FORECASTED FOR THIS PAST THROUGH 24- 25.
WE FORECASTED AT 93%. SO THAT 93.3, 93.4, SO WHAT IS THAT NET GAIN? ABOUT 400,000, 500,000 TO OUR BUDGET? YES. SO FOR EVERY PERCENTAGE IT'S 1.5 MILLION FOR US.
SO BASICALLY 30% OF THAT. OKAY. GOOD DEAL I LIKE THAT, AND THEN ON ONE OF THE SLIDES, MR. SALAZAR, YOU MENTIONED THIS WAS ABOUT THE PASS THROUGH COST.
THIS IS JUST FOR MY SAKE, BUT , YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE SEE THE GRAPHS AND WE SEE THE TREND LINES, BUT WE'VE GAINED A THOUSAND STUDENTS EVERY YEAR.
I THINK THAT WOULD THAT WOULD BE THE MISSING PIECE TO THAT GRAPH.
OTHERWISE, THAT LOOKS PRETTY, AND THEN THE LAST QUESTION THAT I HAD WAS JUST ON THE REVENUE SUMMARY,
[01:05:07]
WE TALKED ABOUT THAT, THAT THE, THE $7 MILLION THAT WE'RE GETTING FROM THE STATE, SIX POINT SOMETHING OF THAT MILLION WE'RE CALLING NEW MONEY.WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, NEW MONEY? IT SITS OUTSIDE OF OF FLOW THROUGH ESSENTIALLY.
OH, IT WAS IN THE MEMO THAT DR. HAD SENT OUT.
YEAH. SO WE BASED THE TEMPLATE ON CURRENT LAW BECAUSE AT THE TIME THAT WE GOT THIS TOGETHER, WE JUST USED OLD LAW, AND THEN WE PUT IN WHAT, WHAT WE CAN GLEAN FROM HOUSE BILL TWO RUNS, AND SO THAT'S WHERE WE GOT THE 6.4 TOTAL. OKAY.
WE'RE CALLING IT NEW MONEY BECAUSE WE RAN IT BASED ON CURRENT LAW AND THEN WE JUST ADDED THAT INTO THE, THE REVENUE SIDE. OKAY. SO THEN JUST TO JUST TO BE CLEAR, THANK YOU FOR THAT EXPLANATION, BUT SO SO THE NET GAIN FOR US WAS NOT A PASS THROUGH OF WHAT WE'RE GETTING FROM THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
WE HAD ALREADY ACCOUNTED FOR SOME OF THAT MONEY. THE NET GAIN FOR US IS STILL 6.4 MILLION.
WE HAVEN'T BUILT IN THE PASS THROUGH MONEY YET.
WE JUST BUILT IN WHAT THE NEW MONEY ON TOP OF THE OLD WOULD BE.
SO WE COULD KIND OF TAKE A LOOK AT OUR FUND BALANCE.
ONCE WE GET ALL OF THE INFORMATION AND ARE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND LIKE THE OTHER STAFF SALARY INCREASE OF THE $45. IS THAT GOING TO BE ONE TIME. IS IT GOING TO BE PERPETUAL.
WE DON'T KNOW YET, AND SO WE JUST FELT LIKE IT WAS BETTER TO BE CONSERVATIVE AND RUN IT ON OLD LAW THAN NEW LAW UNTIL WE GET MORE INFORMATION, AND SO BASED ON WHAT WE CAN TELL THE 6.4 WILL BE WHAT WE CALL NEW MONEY ON TOP OF THE OLD FORMULA.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE ADDED. OKAY. THANK YOU. YEAH, JUST WHEN I HEARD THE PHRASE NEW MONEY.
I'M LIKE, WAIT A SECOND. THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS NEW MONEY ME OR EXTRA MONEY, BUT .
YEAH. THANK YOU FOR THE EXPLANATION. ALL RIGHT, THAT'S IT. THANK YOU.
MS. PETREA. OKAY. YEAH. SO I JUST HAVE SOME SIMILAR TO MR..
VELA, AND MAYBE IT'S JUST BECAUSE MY EYES ARE OLD, BUT IF WE SEE THIS AGAIN IN A FUTURE MEETING.
SO GO BACK, MISS GLORIA, TO THE ONE RIGHT BEFORE THE STUDENT ENROLLMENT TO REVENUE SOURCES.
SO TO ME, THIS LOOKS LIKE ON MY PAPER, DARK BLUE AND DARKER BLUE, AND IT'S HARD TO KNOW WHAT IT IS.
SO IT'D BE AWESOME IF WE COULD USE RED OR DIFFERENT COLOR AND SIMILARLY, HAVE THE NUMBERS HERE YOU KNOW, LIKE THE PERCENTAGES. RIGHT. IT'S 48 AND 47.5, AND WHAT ARE THESE OTHER LITTLE PIES? WOULD BE HELPFUL TO KNOW WHAT THOSE ARE. I MEAN, I KNOW I THINK WE HAVE THEM SOMEWHERE ELSE, BUT AND I LOVE A GOOD PIE CHART, SO, BUT MY WHEN I IT'S ACTUALLY CLEARER ON THE SCREEN THAN IT IS MY PAPER.
JUST SO WE'RE CLEAR, AND THEN THE NEXT ONE. YES, I WAS GOING TO SAY THE SAME THING, BUT ALSO AT THE BOTTOM WHERE IT SAYS SERIES ONE, SERIES TWO. I KNOW WHICH ONES ARE STUDENTS AND WHICH ONES ARE ADA, BUT THE PUBLIC MAY NOT.
OR OTHER PEOPLE THAT GET THEIR HANDS ON THIS MAY NOT UNDERSTAND.
SO WE MAY JUST WANT TO CLEAN UP THE KEY DOWN THERE AT THE BOTTOM, AND I KNOW, LOOK, YOU WERE YOU WERE MENTIONING AND THIS IS NOT PLEASE, YOU'RE DOING AWESOME. THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF WE SEE THIS AGAIN IN A FUTURE MEETING FOR THIS TEAM. OKAY, AND THEN I HAD SUBSTANTIVE QUESTIONS, I PROMISE.
ALL RIGHT, SO ON THE EXPENDITURE SOURCES PAGE, THERE'S NOT PAGE NUMBERS ON HERE, MISS GLORIA.
SO IT'S JUST A FEW LATER WE'RE AT WE'RE ACTUALLY LIKE BASICALLY AT 87.9.
SO BASICALLY 88% OF STAFF, AND I FEEL LIKE WHEN I GOT ON THE BOARD IN 2017, WE WERE LIKE AT 84%.
84. OH, WELL, MAYBE WE DROPPED. MAYBE WHEN DR.
WRIGHT GOT HERE, HE WANTED IT TO BE AT 84 OR 85 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO I FELT LIKE, DID WE EVER GET TO 85? DID WE GET TO 85? AND WE'VE KIND OF CREPT BACK UP, DR. WRIGHT? THE BEST THAT WE'VE GOTTEN DOWN TO, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, IS AROUND LIKE 85.3. OKAY, AND IT CREEPED UP DURING THE PANDEMIC BECAUSE WE HIRED ALL THE MENTAL HEALTH PEOPLE, THE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT SPECIALISTS, ALL THE ALL THE DIFFERENT ONES.
WE PAID FOR A LOT OF THOSE OUT OF OUR ESSER FUNDS AT THE TIME, AND SO, YOU KNOW AND THEN WE'VE TRIED TO REDUCE THE ATTRITION, BUT SOME HAVE STILL STAYED ON, AND WE'VE ADDED YOU KNOW, IN DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT CATEGORIES FOR DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, AND SO THAT NUMBER DOES NEED TO, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO GET IT BACK DOWN TO THE 85% MARK IF POSSIBLE.
OKAY. I MEAN, I JUST DON'T FEEL LIKE WE'RE OVERSTAFFED, SO IT'S GOING TO BE HARD TO FIGURE OUT W HERE WE CAN CUT OR DO WE NEED TO HAVE AN AUDIT OR, YOU KNOW, WHAT STRATEGIES WE CAN LOOK AT.
[01:10:06]
OBVIOUSLY, ATTRITION IS IS ONE STATISTIC, BUT I DON'T LOVE JUST AN ARBITRARY NUMBER TO MEET AN ARBITRARY NUMBER.LIKE I WANT TO BE STRATEGIC ABOUT HOW WE GET TO THAT NUMBER.
OKAY, AND THEN I HAD A QUESTION ABOUT VACANCIES, BECAUSE WE'VE HEARD A LOT FROM OUR SLPS AND LLSPS.
SO THANK YOU FOR POINTING OUT THAT THE SPED STAFF ON THE VACANCY SIDE WAS WAS ENCOMPASSED THOSE FOLKS, AND WE'RE NOT ON THIS BUDGET ASSUMPTIONS. THESE ARE THESE FOLKS ARE IN THE BUDGET.
THAT'S THE ASSUMPTION. OKAY. PERFECT. THAT IS HELPFUL, AND THEN F OR THE 6403 IN NEW MONEY. IS THERE A BREAKDOWN OF THAT COMING AT SOME POINT? YES. OKAY. SO WE'RE GOING TO GET MORE DETAIL ON THAT.
ALL RIGHT. THEN I WON'T WASTE ANY MORE TIME. VANESSA, IT'S ACTUALLY IN YOUR MEMO.
OKAY. PERFECT. YEAH. IT MIGHT BE SOMEWHERE ON ONE OF THE PAPERS.
OKAY, SO THAT ONE IS CURRENT FORECAST 6403. THANK YOU.
OKAY, THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. OKAY, TEAM.
IS THAT MAINLY UMAX? IS THAT JUST THE MAINTENANCE SIDE? JUST THE HOW MUCH THINGS JUST COST NOW PLUMBING, HVAC.
OKAY. IS THAT RIGHT? YES. CORRECT. FOR THE, LIKE, THE AVERAGE INCREASE? WELL, THE AVERAGE OF THE LAST FIVE YEARS. TAKE EACH YEAR, ADD THEM UP.
DIVIDE BY FIVE, AND THAT'S THE ALLOCATION FOR THIS YEAR, AND WHAT DO YOU.
SO THAT WOULD ACCOUNT FOR SURE INCREASES OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
ALL RIGHT. GOOD. OKAY. SO LOOKING AT THE PROPOSED BUDGET ESTIMATE, ADMINISTRATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS IS WE NEED TO CUT 4.1 MILLION TO GET TO OUR EXPENDITURES DOWN TO OUR BUDGET DEFICIT OF ZERO, AND THEN IN THE PAYROLL SCENARIOS A, B, C AND D IS WHAT MISS CORSON IS GOING TO COME UP AND THEN PRESENT NEXT.
SO JUST TO THROW THAT OUT THERE, BUT OKAY. ANY MORE QUESTIONS FOR ALEX? OH, MISS RUNKLE. YES. REMINDED ME, MR. SEVERANCE.
OKAY. CAMPUS BUDGETS. I TALK ABOUT THEM EVERY YEAR, AND I ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS. SO CAMPUS BUDGETS.
HAVE OUR CAMPUSES ALREADY STARTED WORKING ON THEIR CAMPUS BUDGET FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR? YES. THEY HAVE. DO THEY HAVE THOSE FINALIZED? NOT QUITE YET. OKAY. DO YOU HAVE A DATE OF WHEN THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE FINALIZED? SUPPOSED TO BE DONE FRIDAY. FRIDAY. OH, PERFECT.
CAN YOU PLEASE PROVIDE THE BOARD WITH A COPY OF THE CAMPUS BUDGETS AS WELL? YES AND MY QUESTION REALLY IS TO YOU, ALEX, OR EVEN DR.
WRIGHT. IS THERE HAVE WE TAKEN A LOOK OR WHO IS TAKING A LOOK AT THE CAMPUS BUDGETS AND LOOKING AT WAYS THAT WE CAN ALSO ENSURE THAT WE ARE BEING FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE AT THE CAMPUS LEVEL.
SO TYPICALLY THAT COMES WITH DOWDY OVERSIGHT AND THE CAMPUS WORKS WITH THEIR CAMPUS IMPROVEMENT TEAM, AND THEY'RE GIVEN AN ALLOCATION PER STUDENT, AND THEN THEY PRIORITIZE BASED ON THEIR NEEDS AND THEIR STRATEGIC PLAN ON EACH CAMPUS.
PERFECT. THANK YOU. SO THE DAOS ARE OVERSEEING THE CAMPUS BUDGETS.
PERFECT, AND THE DAS WILL SIGN OFF ON THOSE. OKAY.
SO WHEN THOSE ARE FINALIZED, IF YOU WOULD JUST PROVIDE US A A COPY OF THEM, I, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT THIS AND I KNOW THAT WE HAVE SOME OPINIONS AND WE CERTAINLY DON'T MICROMANAGE CAMPUSES, BUT WE DO APPROVE THE BUDGET, AND SO IT'S ALL THE SAME MONEY.
SO I JUST WANT TO SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. SO THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING THAT.
MISS PETREA. OKAY. SORRY. I HAD ONE OTHER QUESTION ABOUT PD DAYS AND SAVING MONEY THERE.
HAVE WE HAS ANY OF THIS BEEN FLOATED BY OUR TEACHER ORG LEADERSHIP OR REPS ON ON SAVING SOME COSTS ON PD TRAININGS? WE ACTUALLY HAVE OUR MEETING IN BETWEEN OUR TWO REGULAR MEETINGS, AND IT'S ON THE AGENDA TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT AT THAT TIME.
OKAY, GREAT, AND THEN SO WHAT WOULD BE THE WHAT WOULD BE THE PLAN.
WOULD THEY JUST DO PD ON SATURDAYS OR ON TEACHER WORK DAYS, OR WOULD THEY HAVE LESS REQUIREMENT.
LIKE HOW DOES THAT WORK? GOOD EVENING. IT WOULD ACTUALLY BE ON THOSE HALF AND HALF DAYS.
[01:15:01]
WHETHER IT'S CAMPUS BASED OR DISTRICT BASED, AND SO THAT IS ONE OF THE STRATEGIES THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT THE FUNDING SOURCE OF HOW WE'RE COVERING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND I KNOW MISS CORSON MIGHT SHARE THAT, AND I THINK SHE'S REALLY BROKEN DOWN HOW MUCH WE'RE ACTUALLY SPENDING OUT OF LOCAL AND FEDERAL.
SO WE ARE THINKING ABOUT THAT, AND JUST TO PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE SO WE HAVE 168 STUDENT DAYS AND TEACHERS ARE ON 187 DAY CONTRACT. SO THERE ARE 19 DAYS THAT ARE WORK DAYS OR PD DAYS, AND SO, ALTHOUGH IT WON'T BE WHAT THEY CALL JUST IN TIME WE'LL TRY TO UTILIZE THOSE EXTRA 19 DAYS. WE'LL BUILD IN WORK DAYS AS WE NORMALLY DO, BUT WE'LL, WE'LL ALSO TRY TO EMBED PD DURING THOSE DAYS.
OKAY, GREAT, AND SO YOU'VE DONE THE MATH OF JUST THESE ARE THE SUBS THAT WE GOT JUST FOR PD, NOT FOR DOING, YOU KNOW, TESTING OR I'M BEING PULLED FOR SOME OTHER PURPOSE.
CORRECT. I BELIEVE THAT MISS CORSON AND HAS ACTUALLY BROKEN THAT DATA DOWN REGARDING SCHOOL BUSINESS DAYS A LOT OF TIMES WE USE SCHOOL BUSINESS DAYS FOR PLANNING, AND SO PRINCIPALS WILL GIVE TEACHERS TIME TO PLAN, AND SO WE OFTEN NEED SUBSTITUTES FOR PLANNING DAYS.
WE OFTEN SOMETIMES USE PD TO PROVIDE JUST IN TIME.
SOMETIMES IT'S FOR TEACHERS GOING OUT OF TOWN FOR CONFERENCES.
I THINK THAT WAS KIND OF OPTIMISTIC, BUT WE'LL GET THE NUMBERS FROM DARLA AND THEN WE'LL ADJUST THAT AND WE'LL BRING IT TO YOU IN AN UPDATED FASHION BEFORE Y'ALL HAVE TO VOTE ON IT, BECAUSE THAT WAS KIND OF A, THAT WAS A PLACEHOLDER BASED ON AN ASSUMPTION, AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE GET THE ACCURATE INFORMATION FOR THAT.
I THINK THE OTHER THANK YOU. DR. WRIGHT. I THINK THE OTHER PIECE OF DATA THAT WE HAVE, WE'VE LEARNED OR GATHERED IS THAT WE ARE SEEING A HIGH NUMBER OF ABSENTEEISM, AND SO I BELIEVE THAT NUMBER ALSO INCLUDES THAT.
OKAY, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S GOING TO BE ANY EXCEPTIONS TO THIS.
MAYBE IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE STILL KIND OF WORKING THIS OUT, BECAUSE I KNOW SOMETIMES THERE ARE CONFERENCES THAT WE CAN'T CONTROL THE DATES, BUT WE GO EVERY YEAR OR, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S FINE ARTS OR SOME OTHER SPECIALIZED PROGRAM THAT WE DON'T WE DON'T GET TO PICK WHEN THEY GET TO GO, AND IT'S SOMETIMES A BIG DEAL OR THEY'RE ONLY PD.
SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT JUST CUTTING ALL OF THAT OFF.
IF THERE ARE SOME EXCEPTIONS THAT CAN BE MADE.
ABSOLUTELY. WE'LL HAVE TO CONSIDER ALL OF THAT.
OKAY, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. I'M JUST SPIT-BALLING, BUT I KNOW SOMETIMES WE MAKE RULES AND THEN WE GET PHONE CALLS BECAUSE WE MAYBE THERE'S SOMETHING WE DIDN'T KNOW OR THINK ABOUT. SO. OKAY.
SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH THAT, WHICH IS GREAT. THAT IS IT FOR ME FOR NOW.
MR. FLORES. YES. DR. WRIGHT. CAN YOU SPEAK TO.
WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE ELIMINATION OF ESSER FUNDS.
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT. I KNOW THAT WE HEAR SOMETIMES ABOUT SUPPORTS THAT WE NO LONGER OFFER, MAYBE POSITIONS THAT NO LONGER EXIST. CAN YOU SPEAK TO HOW THOSE ELIMINATION OF ESSER FUNDS ARE AFFECTING US EVEN TODAY, LIKE SOME OF THE POSITIONS THAT WE DON'T HAVE OR SOME OF THE WAY WE USE THAT FUNDING IN THE PAST, AND WE DON'T HAVE THOSE POSITIONS IN THE DISTRICT ANYMORE.
SURE. SO YEAH, DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE ADDED SOME SOME POSITIONS FOR BEHAVIORAL SUPPORT OR MENTAL HEALTH OR FOR VIRTUAL VIRTUAL EDUCATION, AND WE DIDN'T WE ELIMINATED ALL THOSE POSITIONS ONCE THE ESSER FUNDS RAN OUT, BUT WE DID ALLOW THOSE PEOPLE TO FILL IN VACANCIES ELSEWHERE THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT.
SO THAT'S HOW THAT WORKED, AND ALSO AND JUST TO ECHO THE PART ABOUT THE PDS, RIGHT? HOW ARE WE MAKING SURE THAT THOSE TEACHERS ARE GETTING THE OR THOSE INSTRUCTORS ARE GETTING THE, THOSE AREAS OF HIGH NEEDS COVERED AS FAR AS IMPLEMENTING NEW STRATEGIES WHEN WE'RE ELIMINATING THIS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ON SCHOOL DAYS.
[01:20:05]
AND SO I THINK THAT'S LIKE DR. WRIGHT SAID, A PLACEHOLDER, AND WE'RE STILL STUDYING THAT JUST TO MAKE SURE, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT A LOT OF OUR PD IS ALSO COVERED BY TITLE ONE AND TITLE TWO FUNDS VERSUS LOCAL FUNDS.SO I THINK, AS DR. WRIGHT SAID, IT'S A PLACEHOLDER.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO STUDY IT. WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, NOT ALL PD IS ELIMINATED.
WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO NEED PD. I KNOW MY C&I STAFF.
YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THEY'RE JUST THEY'RE SUPER WORRIED THAT WE WON'T BE ABLE TO PROVIDE ANY PD BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE JUST INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES, TRAINING ON BEST PRACTICES, AND I JUST AT THIS TIME, I CAN'T REALLY TELL YOU CONFIDENTLY THAT WE WOULD ELIMINATE ALL PD BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO NEED IT, BUT WE'LL DEFINITELY BE MUCH MORE STRATEGIC IN TERMS OF WHEN AND HOW LONG AND IF WE CAN GET, YOU KNOW, SUB COVERAGE. THAT'S ALL I HAVE.
THANK YOU. MR. SEIBEL. I JUST IT JUST TRIGGERED FOR ME JUST BACK WHEN I WAS IN THE CLASSROOM, I THINK, I MEAN, I JUST ONLY REMEMBER AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS MAYBE 2 OR 3 DAYS A SCHOOL YEAR WHERE WE WERE DOING ACTUAL LIKE IT WAS AN ACTUAL SCHOOL DAY WITH KIDS IN SESSION WHERE I WAS GOING TO DO LIKE A VERTICAL ALIGNMENT MEETING OR SOMETHING WITH THAT, AND SO IT WASN'T OFTEN THAT I WAS ACTUALLY OUT OF A CLASSROOM WHERE MY STUDENTS WERE THERE WITH THE SUB THAT I WAS IN PD, AND THAT WAS EVEN BEFORE WE HAD ACTUAL BUILT IN DAYS IN OUR SCHOOL CALENDAR TO HAVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAININGS AND THINGS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR.
SO I DON'T ANTICIPATE IT'D BE A WHOLE LOT AND SO YEAH, I'M CURIOUS TO SEE HOW THIS EVOLVES, BUT , YOU KNOW, I THINK WE DO ACTUALLY STILL HAVE QUITE A BIT OF DEVELOPMENT IN THERE, BUT OBVIOUSLY WE'RE RIGHTLY CONCERNED OVER MAKING SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE SERVED APPROPRIATELY, BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A HUGE NUMBER OF NUMBER OF DAYS THAT STAFF ARE ACTUALLY PULLED OUT OF A CLASSROOM, JUST FROM MY EXPERIENCE, FROM A LONG TIME AGO.
SO I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT. OKAY, GREAT. ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU, MR. SALAZAR. APPRECIATE IT. NICE JOB. I KNOW IT WAS A LOT FOR HER, BUT GOOD JOB.
APPRECIATE IT. ALL RIGHT. MISS CORSON.
GOING TO LOWER THE CHAIR A LITTLE BIT. IT DOESN'T LOOK, OH IS LOWERING.
OKAY, GREAT. I'M A LITTLE BIT SHORTER. GOOD EVENING, MR. PRESIDENT. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
SUPERINTENDENT. DR. WRIGHT. I AM PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO SHARE WITH YOU THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE MOST UP TO DATE. THIS IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO EVOLVE. SO WE'LL NEED TO CONTINUE TO ADJUST AND TO COMMUNICATE AS WE MAKE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS, BUT I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A GLIMPSE OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AS WE ARE PLANNING FOR THE NEXT YEAR.
FIRST, I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO REALLY JUST TO REMIND EVERYONE HOW MUCH THIS EMPLOYEE FRIENDLY BOARD HAS INVESTED IN OUR STAFF. IF YOU LOOK FROM FISCAL YEAR 2021 THROUGH THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, YOU SEE THE COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN PROVIDED.
YOU'LL NOTICE IN FISCAL YEAR 24, WE HAD TO BREAK OUT AND TEAR THOSE INCREASES, AND IN IN THIS CURRENT YEAR ONLY OUR STAFF ON THE C SCALE RECEIVED A 1% INCREASE.
NO ONE ELSE RECEIVED AN INCREASE. THIS, THIS FISCAL YEAR.
SO YOU SEE THE AVERAGE INCREASE OVER TIME, 4.4% FOR TNLC, 4% FOR ADMIN BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS, 4.4% AVERAGE FOR PARAS, AUXILIARY AND BUS DRIVERS.
OUR STAFF IN THIS DISTRICT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BETTER WEATHER THE STORM.
WITH THE SHORTFALL IN REVENUE FROM THE LEGISLATURE AND ALSO JUST INCREASING COST OF LIVING IN, IN OUR CURRENT ECONOMY. SO THIS GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF JUST HOW WELL YOU POURED THE FOUNDATION FOR OUR STAFF. IN TERMS OF OUR TEACHER SALARY.
WE CONTINUE TO BE THE LEADERS. WE ARE NUMBER ONE IN VETERAN TEACHER PAY IN OUR REGION.
[01:25:03]
OF COURSE, WE ARE ON THE LOWER SCALE FOR ZERO YEAR SALARY, BUT THAT WAS BY DESIGN, BY THE BOARD, BUT YOU SEE, WE CONTINUE TO BE THE LEADER IN THE REGION FOR TEACHER PAY.THIS IS THE MOST CURRENT MARKET DATA FROM TASB.
YOU'LL SEE THAT WE ARE ABOVE MARKET ON MANY OF THESE KEY ROLES.
OUR AUXILIARY STAFF ARE 5% ABOVE MARKET AS A GROUP AND I TEASED OUT OUR BUS DRIVER SPECIFICALLY.
THEY ARE 10% ABOVE MARKET. OUR CLERICAL STAFF 3% ABOVE MARKET, BUT THEN YOU SEE BELOW.
INSTRUCTIONAL AIDE 22% ABOVE MARKET SPED INCLUSION RESOURCE.
INSTRUCTIONAL AIDES 25% ABOVE MARKET. SPECIALIZED INSTRUCTIONAL AIDE 21% ABOVE MARKET.
SO THIS IS A REFLECTION OF THE PRIORITIES OF THIS BOARD PRIORITIZING OUR PEOPLE AND PRIORITIZING THE STAFF WHO TAKE CARE OF OUR STUDENTS, AND SO ONCE AGAIN, AN EXAMPLE OF HOW YOU HAVE INVESTED IN OUR MOST IMPORTANT RESOURCE AND THAT'S OUR STAFF. YOU'VE ALSO HELPED US THROUGH A NUMBER OF EMPLOYEE FRIENDLY STRATEGIES.
YOU EMPOWERED US TO ADDRESS THE COMPRESSION FOR SPECIAL ED PARAPROFESSIONALS IN TERMS OF YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, AND EMPOWERED US TO DO THE SAME FOR OUR AUXILIARY AND PARA STAFF IN THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR TO ADDRESS THE COMPRESSION, ADDRESSING YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, AND THEN AT THE END OF THE FALL, IN THIS FISCAL YEAR, IN RESPONSE TO GROWING CONCERNS ABOUT SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM STAFFING, YOU EMPOWERED US WITH ADJUSTMENTS THAT ALLOWED US TO INCREASE STIPENDS FOR CLASSROOM TEACHERS.
SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM TEACHERS. YOU GAVE US MORE MONEY TO INVEST IN THE GROW YOUR OWN PROGRAMS. I MEAN, WE HAVE OUR, YOU KNOW, FIRST EVER SPECIAL ED COHORT OF GEN ED TEACHERS THAT ARE GETTING THEIR CERTIFICATIONS FOR SPED AND WILL BE ABLE TO WORK AS SPED TEACHERS NEXT YEAR BECAUSE OF THAT INVESTMENT, AND OF COURSE, YOU ENABLED US TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT THAT WE PAY SUBSTITUTES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSROOMS, AND THIS IS I'VE LEARNED A STRATEGY THAT A NEIGHBORING DISTRICTS HAVE ADOPTED FROM US AND SO IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO BE THE LEADER OF THE PACK, AND OUR STUDENTS BENEFIT IN THE END.
IN APPROACHING STAFFING FOR THIS YEAR CNI, HR AND FINANCE REALLY WORKED COLLABORATIVELY IN APPROACHING THIS, US WITH THE DAOS, WITH C&I DIRECTORS, CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER, MYSELF, HR DIRECTOR, OUR DEPUTY HRO AND ALEX SALAZAR WAS ALSO THERE AT THE TABLE WHERE WE ALL TOOK A LOOK AT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE CAMPUS STAFFING SHEETS. EVERYONE. I KNOW YOU HAD HEARD ABOUT US LOOKING AT CAMPUS VACANCIES.
I DO WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT WE COLLABORATIVELY LOOKED AT EVERY SINGLE CAMPUS STAFFING SHEET AND SCRUBBED IT TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY ALREADY FOR THINGS THAT WERE ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY AND BEING AS EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE WITH WHAT? WHAT IS PROVIDED AND ALLOCATED TO STAFF, AND WE DID SOME SHIFTS.
SO AS YOU'LL SEE HERE, AND AS NOTED IN PREVIOUS BOARD COMMUNICATION, WE WERE VERY CONSERVATIVE IN THE WAY WE STAFF FOR PRE-K AND KINDERGARTEN. WE LOOKED AT THE PROJECTIONS AND WE MADE ADJUSTMENTS AND SHIFTED STAFF EITHER WITHIN THE CAMPUS FROM ONE GRADE LEVEL TO ANOTHER OR TO ANOTHER CAMPUS ALTOGETHER.
WE ALSO TOOK A LOOK AT THE SPECIALS AND WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY FOR THOSE CAMPUSES WITH LESS THAN 110 STUDENTS IN EVERY GRADE LEVEL, WE WERE ABLE TO REDUCE AND SHIFT THE ADDITIONAL ENRICHMENT TEACHER TO BACK TO A DIFFERENT CLASSROOM, AND SO WE'RE HAPPY THAT WE'RE ABLE TO PLACE TEACHERS IN ANOTHER ROLE WHERE STUDENTS ARE STILL BENEFITING FROM THEM.
[01:30:01]
AT CAMINO REAL AND NEWLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, WE HAD BEEN APPROVED FOR ADDITIONAL APS AT THOSE CAMPUSES BECAUSE THEY EXCEEDED 900 STUDENTS THIS YEAR. WITH THE OPENING OF THE NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, THOSE STUDENT POPULATIONS DROPPED BELOW 900, SO THERE'S NOT A NEED FOR THE ADDITIONAL AP. BECAUSE WE WERE UNABLE TO HIRE FULL TIME FOR THOSE ADDITIONAL AP POSITIONS, WE UTILIZED GUEST ADMIN TO PROVIDE THAT SUPPORT.WE WERE WE'RE ABLE TO CUT THOSE VACANCIES WITHOUT ACTUALLY CUTTING PEOPLE, AND , AND SO THAT HELPS WITH OUR BUDGET AT LIVE OAK ACADEMY, THE AP POSITION BEING VACATED WILL NOT BE FILLED.
YOU REMEMBER THAT WE ADJUSTED SOME OF THE SECONDARY RATIOS.
THEY WERE SLIGHTLY INCREASED, AND DEPARTMENT VACANCIES ARE BEING REVIEWED, AND YOU ALREADY KNOW A NUMBER OF DEPARTMENT VACANCIES. THE DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EDUCATION WE HAVE DEPUTY ACADEMIC OFFICER.
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF POSITIONS WITHIN ADMINISTRATION, LARGELY IN C&I THAT ARE ON PAUSE AS WE CONTINUE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE VACANCIES SEEING HOW WE CAN REALLOCATE RESPONSIBILITIES AND REALLY REVIEWING WHAT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY AND WHAT COULD BE REDESIGNED AND SHIFTED, BUT AS OF MAY 15TH, THE DISTRICT IDENTIFIED 44 PCNS AS A RESULT OF ALL THE SCRUBBING AND SHIFTING THE COLLABORATIVE EFFORT, AND ALEX SALAZAR AND I SAT DOWN SIDE BY SIDE AND WE WERE ABLE TO CONFIRM 44 PCNS TO DELETE WITH A TOTAL SAVINGS OF $3,120,000. NOW, I WOULD LIKE TO NOTE THAT AS OF MAY 15TH AND THAT IS A REFLECTION OF PHASE ONE STAFFING.
PHASE TWO STAFFING IS NEXT, AND IT'S WHEN WE'RE REVIEWING THE MOST RECENT STUDENT REGISTRATIONS FROM THE MOST RECENT IN-PERSON REGISTRATION EVENT AND CONTINUED STUDENT ENROLLMENT, WE'LL BE DOING SOME PHASE TWO ADJUSTMENTS.
SO INSTEAD OF 44 PCNS, NOW IT'S 43, RIGHT? SO IT'S GOING TO BE A MOVING TARGET, BUT WHAT I WILL TELL YOU IS THAT ANY FUTURE ADDITIONS TO STAFF WILL ONLY BE BASED ON STUDENT ENROLLMENT, ADDITIONAL STUDENT ENROLLMENT, AND ONLY WITH THE APPROVAL OF CABINET.
SO IT IS GOING TO BE INTENTIONAL AS WE ADD, BUT IT WILL HAPPEN.
SO YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT THE BUDGET ASSUMPTIONS.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE $13.7 MILLION REVENUE SHORTFALL FOR HAYS FOR THE CURRENT YEAR.
WE ARE LOOKING AT A DISTRICT FUND BALANCE OF $20 MILLION, WHICH IS NOT WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE.
IT NEEDS TO BE MUCH HIGHER. WE LEARNED YESTERDAY THAT TRS ACTIVE CARE RATES HAVE INCREASED AS WE ANTICIPATED, AND SO THE DISTRICT HAS PROUDLY OFFERED A ZERO COST PLAN FOR OUR EMPLOYEES, AND FOR THAT PLAN TO REMAIN AT ZERO COST, IT WOULD. IT'S A $39 INCREASE.
HB TWO PROVIDES FOR $2,500 PAY INCREASES FOR TEACHERS 3 TO 4 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.
$5,000 INCREASES FOR THOSE TEACHERS WITH FIVE OR MORE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.
SO VERY EXCITED TO SEE OUR TEACHERS BEING PROVIDED THESE RAISES IN ADDITION TO TIA.
I THINK THAT IS A VERY GOOD INVESTMENT. HOWEVER, FOR THE REST OF OUR STAFF, WHO ARE EQUALLY AS INVESTED IN OUR STUDENTS THE LEGISLATURE HAS PROVIDED TO US ESSENTIALLY A MILLION, $35,000 FOR EVERYONE ELSE EXCEPT FOR ADMIN, THEY SAID. SO IT'S A MILLION, $35,000 FOR EVERYONE EXCEPT ADMIN, AND THOSE TEACHERS RECEIVING THE INCREASES OF 2,500 AND 5,000.
THE BUDGET ASSUMPTIONS FOR PAYROLL ALSO BE GIVEN THE GIVEN WHAT THE LEGISLATURE HAS PROVIDED MOST
[01:35:02]
RECENTLY GIVEN THE FUND BALANCE AND GIVEN THE INCREASE IN INSURANCE RATES, WE ARE NOT RECOMMENDING ANY CHANGES TO STIPENDS AT THIS TIME OTHER THAN THE PRE-APPROVED SPED CLASSROOM TEACHER ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE PRESENTED TO YOU IN THE LATE FALL OF LAST YEAR, AND ONLY FOR THE CLASSROOM TEACHERS, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT HAD BEEN PROPOSED AT THAT TIME.IT WOULD BE NEARLY AN ADDITIONAL MILLION DOLLARS TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT STIPENDS.
SO THE WORK THAT WE DO IS HARD, AND IT WILL ALWAYS BE HARD, AND THE DIFFERENCE IN HAYS CISD IS THAT WE'RE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO DO IT TOGETHER, AND WE HAVE SHARED PRIORITIES ORTIZ, AND AS WE'RE THINKING ABOUT OUR BUDGET AND THINKING ABOUT STAFFING, THE THINGS THAT REALLY POP OUT AS THE TOP PRIORITIES IS WE WANT TO BALANCE THE BUDGET.
WE CAN'T AFFORD NOT TO. WE NEED TO BALANCE IT.
STOP THE BLEED AND FIND WAYS TO BUILD BACK THAT FUND BALANCE.
NUMBER TWO, WE'VE GOT TO PROTECT OUR PEOPLE, AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR FAMILIES ARE NOT IMPACTED BY THE CHANGES THAT WE MAKE. WHAT THEY MAY HAVE TO DO IN THE DISTRICT MAY LOOK A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
WE ALL MAY BE DOING DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT OUR MAIN GOAL IS TO PROTECT OUR PEOPLE, TO MITIGATE IMPACT TO THEIR FAMILIES. SO T HE OTHER THING IS PROTECTING OUR STUDENTS, BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT, AND THE CHANGES THAT WE MAKE, WE'RE TRYING VERY HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT IT DOES NOT HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON OUR STUDENTS.
SO BALANCE THE BUDGET, PROTECT OUR PEOPLE. PROTECT OUR STUDENTS.
WHEN WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF STAFF, WE ACTUALLY HAVE 3600 STAFF, BUT OF THE 3600, ONLY 3185 ARE LOCALLY FUNDED. SO I'M GIVING YOU THIS BREAKDOWN OF NUMBERS, BECAUSE THE PIECES THAT YOU ALL WILL CONSIDER INVOLVE THESE DIFFERENT GROUPS.
YOU HAVE 137 ADMINISTRATORS. YOU HAVE 135 TEACHERS THAT ARE THREE AND FOUR YEAR TEACHERS, 1148 ARE TEACHERS WITH FIVE OR MORE YEARS, AND THEN THERE'S EVERYONE ELSE, 1765.
THE REASON WHY YOU SEE EVERYONE ELSE CIRCLED IS THAT 'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO DIVIDE THE MILLION 35,000 FOR THOSE 1765, BECAUSE THE THREE PLUS TEACHERS ARE ALREADY PROVIDED FOR, RIGHT, WITH THAT FLOW THROUGH MONEY, THE ADMINISTRATION WAS LEFT OUT ALTOGETHER. SO THE MILLION 35 IS FOR THAT 1765.
SO WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE WHEN YOU TAKE A MILLION, $35,000 AND YOU DIVIDE IT BY 1765 EVENLY, IT COMES OUT TO $586. SO THAT'S ONE APPROACH.
SO IF WE TAKE AN APPROACH TO DIVIDE THAT AMOUNT EQUALLY, THAT'S $586.
ANOTHER APPROACH YOU COULD CONSIDER IS A 1% INCREASE, BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? I'M VISITING WITH FINANCE. A 1% INCREASE FOR ALL STAFF WOULD BE ABOUT $1,900,000. SO WHEN WE TAKE OUT THE TEACHERS WITH THREE PLUS YEARS BECAUSE THEY'RE BEING PROVIDED FOR, THAT LEAVES THE COST OF A 1% INCREASE AT 1,222,861 LOCAL IMPACT.
SO YOU COULD DO A FIXED INCREASE OR YOU COULD DO A PERCENTAGE INCREASE.
SO GOING INTO THE SCENARIOS. SCENARIO A THIS IS THE SCENARIO THAT'S BUILT INTO THE BUDGET THAT ALEX HAS PREPARED FOR YOU. AS A PLACEHOLDER, AND YOU'LL HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE THE CHOICE WHICH SCENARIO YOU WANT TO USE.
THIS ONE PROVIDES FOR TEACHERS, WITH ONE AND TWO YEARS GETTING THE $586 FIXED INCREASE.
SO YOU SEE THE LOCAL COLUMN. THAT'S THE HIT TO OUR LOCAL BUDGET.
[01:40:01]
YOU SEE THE HB TWO TEACHER RAISES TO THE SIDE BECAUSE I STILL WANTED YOU TO SEE THEM, BUT I WANTED TO REALLY ISOLATE THE PART THAT THE DISTRICT WOULD BE PICKING UP.ADMINISTRATORS WOULD GET THE SAME INCREASE THAT EVERYBODY ELSE DOES.
$586. IT DOESN'T COME OUT OF THE MILLION 35. SO THE DISTRICT WOULD HAVE TO PROVIDE $80,282 FOR THE ADMINISTRATORS TO GET A $586 INCREASE. AS YOU RECALL, LAST YEAR, ONLY TEACHERS ON THE TNLC SCALES RECEIVED AN INCREASE IN ONLY AT 1%. ALL OTHER EMPLOYEES, THE 1666 AT $586 APIECE.
YOU SEE THAT FIGURE? $976,276. SCENARIO A IS ASSUMES THAT WE MAINTAIN THE CURRENT EMPLOYER INSURANCE CONTRIBUTION. THAT MEANS THAT WE DON'T PROVIDE ANY MORE OFFSET TO THE INCREASE THAT THE STATE IMPOSES UPON OUR STAFF FOR THE HEALTH INSURANCE. IN THIS SCENARIO, WE'RE LOOKING AT $1,114,572.
NOW I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE WITH THE HEALTH INSURANCE.
THE HEALTH INSURANCE. WE HAVE 3600 STAFF. 75% OF OUR STAFF TAKE HEALTH INSURANCE.
SO WHEN WE TAKE A LOOK AT IT IN THAT WAY, AND YOU MULTIPLY THE 2700 TIMES $39 A MONTH, YOU GET THAT MONTHLY COST, YOU MULTIPLY IT BY 12. THE ANNUAL COST TO OFFSET THAT $39 $9 IS $1,263,600.
SO IF WE GO WITH SCENARIO B, STILL THE $586 FIXED INCREASE FOR EVERYBODY, THE TEACHERS THREE PLUS HAVE THEIR OWN MONEY, AND THEN THE EMPLOYEES THAT DO TAKE HEALTH INSURANCE GET A $39, OFFSET BY HAYS CISD FOR THE INCREASE IN THE HEALTH INSURANCE.
THAT MEANS THAT WE WOULD NEED TO FIND AN ADDITIONAL $1,263,600 TO CUT.
FROM WHAT WE'RE ALREADY LOOKING AT. OKAY, SO.
WHAT IF WE DID 1%? WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE? THERE ARE OTHER DISTRICTS KIND OF TALKING ABOUT THE 1% AS WELL, BUT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTOOD WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE AT DIFFERENT LEVELS AND SO YOU SEE HERE WE HAVE SELECTED EXAMPLES FROM DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE DISTRICT, AND WHAT THE 1% OFF THE CURRENT MIDPOINT WOULD LOOK LIKE. SO FOR A CUSTODIAN IT WOULD BE $376.96 AS THEIR ANNUAL INCREASE. BUS DRIVER $402.05 ANNUAL INCREASE.
FOR A CHIEF $1,919.03 INCREASE, IT'S 1% OFF THE MIDPOINT.
SO 1% ACROSS THE BOARD. SOUNDS LIKE IT'S EQUAL, BUT IT'S REALLY DEPENDENT UPON WHAT YOU MAKE, AND SO FOR SOMEBODY ON ON ON OUR AUXILIARY SCALE, THEY MAY NOT SEE AS MUCH OF AN INCREASE AS SOMEBODY ON OUR PROFESSIONAL SCALE, OUR ACADEMIC PROFESSIONAL SCALE.
SO THERE'S DIFFERENT WAYS TO LOOK AT IT. SO SCENARIO C TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE IDEA OF A 1% INCREASE FOR ALL EMPLOYEES OTHER THAN TEACHERS WITH THREE PLUS YEARS.
BECAUSE REMEMBER THE TEACHERS ARE GETTING MONEY FROM HB TWO.
SO FOR EVERYBODY ELSE A 1% INCREASE. TOTAL 1,222,861.
NOW, IF YOU SUBTRACT THE 1,000,035 THAT THEY'RE GIVING US, THEN THE AMOUNT THAT THE DISTRICT HAS TO PONY UP, IN ADDITION TO MAKE THE 1% HAPPEN, IS $187,861.
SO WITH SCENARIO C, THAT'S HOW MUCH WE'D HAVE TO MAKE IN ADDITIONAL CUTS TO DO A 1% WITH NO INCREASE IN THE INSURANCE CONTRIBUTION. SCENARIO D IS THE 1%, BUT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE INCREASE OF $39 A MONTH BY THE EMPLOYER TOWARDS THE INSURANCE CONTRIBUTION, AND YOU SEE THAT IF WE GO THAT ROUTE, THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE ADDITIONAL CUTS OF $1,451,461 IN OUR IN OUR CURRENT BUDGET,
[01:45:04]
87% OF OUR STAFF, AS YOU SAW, 88%, 88% OF OUR BUDGET IS PEOPLE.SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ADDITIONAL CUTS, IT'S GOING TO COME IN THE FORM OF PEOPLE, AND POSITIONS.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND. I WANTED TO PROVIDE THIS TABLE JUST SO THAT YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS ALL IN ONE PLACE, AND WHAT WHAT AMOUNTS WE WOULD HAVE TO ADDITIONALLY CUT TO SUPPORT THOSE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES, AND WE WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU ANOTHER POTENTIAL STRATEGY TO CONSIDER. WE WHEN WE DID THE STAFFING.
FOR THIS YEAR, IT IT WAS BASED ON FOR ELEMENTARY ON 22 TO 1.
NOW ON THE ON THE SECONDARY CAMPUSES WE KNOW THAT THE PROJECTIONS THEY OVERESTIMATED THE STUDENT ENROLLMENT AND WE ACTUALLY WERE QUITE UNDER FOR SECONDARY.
SO WE TOOK A KIND OF A HYBRID APPROACH WITH STAFFING, TAKING A LOOK AT PASA, MODERATE NUMBERS, BUT ALSO LOOKING AT ACTUAL ENROLLMENT, ENROLLMENT, AND TRYING TO FIND A HYBRID OF THE TWO SO THAT WE WOULDN'T BE OVERSTAFFED WITH ELEMENTARY CAMPUSES. WE STAFFED ON 22 TO 1 FOR THOSE GRADE LEVELS, AND THE BOARD DID APPROVE TWO YEARS AGO FOR THE DISTRICT TO IMPLEMENT THE K-4 CAPACITY INCENTIVE, AND FOR THOSE LISTENING AND WHO ARE NEW, WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT THIS THIS DISTRICT HAS BEEN VERY PROTECTIVE OF THE 22 TO 1 RATIO HISTORICALLY, SO MUCH SO THAT, AS DR. WRIGHT HAD SHARED EARLIER IN THE PRESENTATION, WHEN WE'RE IN A SITUATION WHERE WE'RE OVER 22 TO 1, EVEN IF IT'S ONE STUDENT THAT WOULD TRIGGER A TEACHER HIRE, OKAY, WE'RE OVER 22 TO 1.
WE'RE GOING TO HIRE A TEACHER, AND THAT COMES AT A COST AT ABOUT $75,000 NOWADAYS PER TEACHER.
SO THE BOARD DID PROVIDE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO OFFER A VOLUNTARY OPTION, NOT A MANDATORY, BUT A VOLUNTARY OPTION WHERE A TEACHER WHO IS NOT A FIRST YEAR TEACHER, WHO HAS AT LEAST PROFICIENT ON ALL THE T-TESS DOMAINS, NO, DEVELOPING THAT WITH THE APPROVAL OF THEIR PRINCIPAL, THE DAO, THE CAO , AND THE CHRO VOLUNTEER TO TAKE ON ADDITIONAL STUDENTS BEYOND THE 22 TO 1 AT PAYMENT OF $3,000 PER STUDENT ABOVE 22 TO 1 FOR THE YEAR, CAPPING AT 25 STUDENTS.
IN 23-24, WE HAD A TOTAL OF 33 TEACHERS PARTICIPATE IN THE K FOR CAPACITY, AND I LOOK TO SEE HOW MANY OF THEM WERE JUST AT THE 23 TO 1, NEVER GOING TO 24 OR 25, AND OF THOSE 33, 20 WERE AT 23 TO 1. LAST YEAR WE HAD A TOTAL OF 20 TEACHERS PARTICIPATE IN K-4 CAPACITY, AND OF THOSE 20 TEACHERS, SEVEN WERE AT 23 TO 1. THE REST HAD 24 OR 25.
SO REMEMBER, FOR EVERY VOLUNTEER FOR K-4 CAPACITY, WHEN WE DON'T HAVE A VOLUNTEER AND WE HAVE TO HIRE A TEACHER, THAT'S $75,000 IN ADDITION TO WHAT WE'VE ALREADY BUDGETED FOR THE YEAR.
SO A CONSIDERATION POTENTIALLY IS TO ALLOW THE DISTRICT TO ADD STUDENTS BEYOND THE PROJECTED ENROLLMENT TO CLASSES AT 23 TO 1 FOR NEW STUDENT GROWTH, AND LET ME CLARIFY THAT A LITTLE BIT.
WE ARE STAFFED AND READY AND ROSTERING 22 TO 1.
WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN THE SCHOOL YEAR THAT WAY.
WE HAVE STAFFED LOOKING AT GROWTH NUMBERS FROM PASA.
IF IT'S AT 23 TO 1 WHERE IT'S ONE ADDITIONAL STUDENT, COULD THE BOARD CONSIDER ALLOWING US
[01:50:07]
TO FILE AND APPLY FOR THOSE CLASS SIZE WAIVERS AT 23 TO 1 AND MOVING THE THRESHOLD FOR THE K-4 CAPACITY INCENTIVE, WHICH IS THE $3,000 PER EXTRA STUDENT ABOVE RATIO, HAVING THAT ACTUALLY BE VOLUNTARY AT 24 AND 25 INSTEAD OF VOLUNTARY AT 23, AND THAT THE $3,000 PER STUDENT WOULD BE AT THE 24 AND 25 LEVEL, STILL AT A VOLUNTARY BASIS.THIS IS DIFFERENT. IT'S IT IS A CONSIDERATION, AND IT'S ONE THAT WE PUT BEFORE YOU TO GUIDE US, BUT IT IS A POTENTIAL WAY TO OFFSET AND PREVENT HIRING ADDITIONAL TEACHERS AT 75,000 APIECE. IN THOSE CASES WHERE IT'S JUST THE ONE STUDENT.
WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR ME? THANK YOU, MISS CORSON.
ALL RIGHT, TEAM, I'LL LOOK TO MY RIGHT. MR. VELA? MISS CORSON, THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION AND THE PRESENTATION.
I FEEL LIKE WE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE BROKEN THAT UP A LITTLE BIT MORE.
I DO WANT TO BACK UP, AND YOU MENTIONED THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO CUT PEOPLE.
SORRY. GOING BACK TO THE COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT CONTEXT THAT VERY FIRST SLIDE, DR.
BASED ON THE HISTORICAL I MEAN, IT MAYBE IT WASN'T AS HARD OF A LINE IN THE SAND, BUT I KNOW WHAT YOU MEANT EARLIER, BUT BUT I DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT WE HAD TAKEN THAT APPROACH AS A BOARD TO ALREADY PUT SOME, SOME PARAMETERS IN PLACE, THAT WE COULD NOT BE AS GENEROUS AS WE WANTED TO IN THE PREVIOUS YEARS, BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE, AND COMMENT ON THAT.
I MEAN, I'M VERY PROUD OF WHERE WE'RE AT. PARAPROFESSIONAL AUXILIARY.
OKAY. EMPLOYEE FRIENDLY STRATEGIES. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS FOR A MINUTE, BECAUSE I'VE USED THE PHRASE EARLIER ABOUT THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. WE AS A BOARD, WE ADOPTED THESE THESE BUDGET ITEMS IN THE END OF 2024.
HEARING FROM OUR STAFF. DR. WRIGHT, TO YOUR POINT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE IN THE SOLUTIONS BUSINESS.
WE DID THESE THINGS AGAIN. WE'RE AN EMPLOYEE-FRIENDLY BOARD, BUT WE DID THESE THINGS UNDER A PRESUMPTION OF A DIFFERENT FORECAST, A DIFFERENT A DIFFERENT BUDGET MODEL. SO I DO WANT TO PUT THAT CAVEAT OUT THERE.
IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO WITH OUR STAFF. IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO IN OUR AREA, IN OTHER AREAS, BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CLEAR TO THOSE THAT ARE LISTENING.
YES. THIS BOARD WILL HEAR ANY CONCERN THAT COMES TO US.
WE'LL LISTEN TO ANYBODY THAT COMES TO OUR MEETINGS.
WE KNOW THAT SEVERAL FOLKS REACH OUT TO US VIA MANY FORUMS, BUT WE'RE NOT IN THE PLACE THAT WE WERE EXPECTED TO HAVE BEEN A YEAR AGO AND SO TO YOUR POINT, I MEAN, IF WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE, AT THESE OPTIONS, OPTION A, B, C OR D OR SOME OTHER COMBINATION THEREOF.
DR. WRIGHT YOU LET IT OFF, YOU SAID IF WE ARE GOING TO GIVE A, B AND C.
THEN WE GOT TO CUT X, Y, AND Z SOMEWHERE, RIGHT.
SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT 'S, THAT'S UNDERSTOOD THAT YOU KNOW THAT THE I DON'T THINK ANYBODY WOULD THINK THAT, BUT I MEAN, YOU KNOW THAT THIS BOARD IS WE'RE NOT LOSING OUR, OUR EMPLOYEE FRIENDLY BELIEF.
IT'S JUST WE'RE IN A DIFFERENT REALITY IN TERMS OF THE FINANCES.
SO I THOUGHT THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO MENTION AGAIN, BECAUSE THAT'S $1.8 MILLION RIGHT THERE THAT WE AS A BOARD SAID, HEY, WE NEED TO DO THESE THINGS AGAIN, BUT THAT WAS UNDER, YOU KNOW, MRS. RUNKLE TO YOUR POINT, YOU KNOW, EXPECTING A SIX POINT SOMETHING MILLION DOLLAR BUDGET, YOU KNOW, A DEFICIT. EXCUSE ME. SO. YEAH, THERE'S A THERE'S QUITE A BIT TO CHEW ON HERE OKAY.
[01:55:04]
THE INSURANCE RATES, AND TEAM FORGIVE ME BECAUSE I WANT TO BACK UP I KNOW OKAY.INSURANCE PUT A PUT A PIN ON EMPLOYEE INSURANCE, BUT GOING BACK TO OUR PROPERTY INSURANCE.
WE'RE SAYING THAT 'S NEARLY DOUBLED. IS THAT WHAT I HEARD EARLIER? SO I WENT BACK AND LOOKED. OUR PREMIUM ALL PREMIUMS, A PROPERTY WORKER'S COMP AND AUTO IN 2022, AND THIS IS SEPTEMBER. WE RENEW EVERY SEPTEMBER, SO WE DON'T HAVE THIS YEAR'S YET 991,000,000 IN 2022.
I'M SORRY, 991,000. SORRY, 991,000 IN 2022. 2023, 1.9 MILLION, 2024 2.6. SO 991, 1.9, 2.6 IN THREE YEARS . OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THAT, MR. CLEAVER, AND I'M BACKTRACKING A LITTLE BIT, BUT ARE WE SHOPPING AROUND? IS ARE THERE WAYS THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO GET THOSE RATES? YES, SIR. WE ENTERED INTO A BENCHMARKING STUDY THIS YEAR, SO THANK YOU.
GOOD INFORMATION. OKAY. SAME THING ON THE STAFFING SIDE.
SO WE KNOW THAT LAST YEAR IT WAS KIND OF AN UNEXPECTED INCREASE.
RIGHT, AND WE AND WE'RE KEEPING OR WE KEPT THAT ZERO COST BENEFIT TO OUR EMPLOYEES.
THAT INCREASE LAST YEAR FOR THE FOR THE BENEFITS FOR EMPLOYEES.
YESTERDAY. THANK YOU. THAT IS WHEN THE STATE RELEASED THE INFORMATION.
OKAY. SO WE'RE I MEAN AND AGAIN, MISS CORSON, THANK YOU FOR THE SUCCINCT, YOU KNOW, SCENARIO A, B, C AND D. IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A LOT, BUT AGAIN, 3700 EMPLOYEES, RIGHT? I MEAN, YOU KNOW WHAT? WHAT 1.2 MILLION, I THINK IS WHAT I SAW ON THE SLIDE.
WE DON'T HAVE TO GO THERE. EXACTLY, BUT YEAH, 1.2, 1.22? FOR THE INCREASE WOULD BE $1,263,600. OKAY. ARE THERE MARKETPLACES THAT WE LOOK AT FOR BENEFITS FOR OUR EMPLOYEES? ARE THERE ANY OTHER OPTIONS IN THAT AREA FOR HEALTH INSURANCE? YES. IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE BEGUN DISCUSSIONS AS TO WHETHER OR NOT TRS ACTIVE CARE IS REALLY SERVING OUR NOT ONLY HAYS CISD STAFF, BUT, YOU KNOW, CLEARLY ACROSS THE STATE.
RIGHT. WE ARE INTERESTED IN EXPLORING OPTIONS POTENTIALLY TRYING TO ENGAGE OTHER DISTRICTS TO SEE IF WE CAN GO INTO SOME SORT OF CO-OP. WE DO KNOW THAT IF WE WITHDRAW FROM ACTIVE CARE, WE MUST DO SO FOR FIVE YEARS.
RIGHT? AND SO IT'S A DECISION NOT TO BE MADE LIGHTLY AND NOT WITHOUT GREAT PLANNING.
WE'D BE LOOKING TO PARTNER WITH OTHER DISTRICTS TO GO INTO A CO-OP.
RIGHT, AND SO IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE CONSIDERING.
I DON'T THINK THAT WE CAN AFFORD NOT TO CONSIDER IT.
THANK YOU. YEAH, AND I'M NOT THROWING SOMETHING OUT THERE TO, YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE WILLY NILLY DECISIONS, AND I KNOW A SEMI DECENT ACTUARY THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO ASSIST US.
I MEAN, I'M KIDDING. SORRY, BUT YEAH, I JUST I WANT TO HEAR THAT WE ARE EXPLORING OPTIONS.
YOU KNOW, WHAT IS WHAT IS THE NOT HAVING THE GREAT IMPACT TO OUR STAFF, NOT NEGATIVE IMPACT TO OUR STAFF THAT IT WOULD BRING BUT WHAT IS THE COST BENEFIT OF LOOKING AT OTHER OPTIONS? WE'RE DOING IT WITH PROPERTY AND WORK COMP AND ALL THESE OTHER INSURANCE NEEDS.
BY THE WAY, WORK COMP, I MEAN, COULD WE BE SELF-INSURED? ANYWAYS, ANOTHER TOPIC FOR ANOTHER DAY, BUT YEAH, I MEAN, WE'VE GOT TO BE SMART SHOPPERS WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT PACKAGES WE'RE INVESTING IN, AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S A VERY HEFTY LIFT. IT INCREASED LAST YEAR, IT INCREASED THIS YEAR, AND I'M NOT HERE TO BASH THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY, BUT WE KNOW THAT PREMIUMS ARE GOING TO JUST CONTINUE TO GO UP, AND SO ANYWAYS, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE BEING FISCALLY SOUND AS WE AS WE EVALUATE OPTIONS. YES, IT IS SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
WE'RE ALREADY LEADERS IN COMPENSATION, AND NOW WE WANT TO BE LEADERS IN MAKING SURE THAT OUR EMPLOYEE DOLLARS STRETCH, AND THAT'S WHY THIS CABINET, WITH THE BOARD SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE, HAS BEEN ABLE TO ENTER INTO THE INCENTIVIZED HOUSING WITH THE APARTMENTS AT THE CHLOE AND THE OASIS THROUGH THE TEXAS WORKFORCE HOUSING FOUNDATION,
[02:00:05]
WHERE OUR EMPLOYEES RIGHT NOW ARE ABLE TO MAKE THEIR DOLLAR STRETCH FURTHER, AND WITH THE PARTNERSHIP WITH UPWARD COMMUNITIES AND 300 SINGLE FAMILY HOMES BUILT BY PERRY HOMES AT BELOW MARKET RATES.ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO HELP OUR EMPLOYEES DOLLAR STRETCH, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT ALL THE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE CAN MAKE THOSE DOLLARS STRETCH TO SUPPORT OUR STAFF, BECAUSE THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH WE CAN DO WITH COMPENSATION, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE LEGISLATIVE TONE AND PRIORITIES, AND SO WE CAN'T CONTROL THAT.
WE CAN CONTROL WHAT WHAT WE CAN DO TO SUPPORT OUR STAFF.
WE I SAID THIS LAST YEAR, I'M GONNA SAY IT AGAIN THIS YEAR. WE KNOW THAT THERE'S OTHER DISTRICTS THAT ARE IN FAR WORSE SHAPE THAN WHAT WE'RE IN, AND I DON'T MEAN THAT AS A POKING FUN OR OR, YOU KNOW, BUT IT GOES TO SHOW THAT PUBLIC EDUCATION WE ARE UNDERFUNDED.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THE $1,000, $1,200 INCREASE THAT WE WERE HOPING FOR TURNED INTO $55 THE CONTROLLABLES THAT WE CAN CONTROL THAT. I MEAN, THAT'S WHERE I EXPECT THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE ON OUR P'S AND Q'S AND SHOULD HAVE ALWAYS HAVE BEEN.
I CERTAINLY WANT TO HEAR WHAT OTHER TRUSTEES SAY ABOUT THAT AS WELL, BUT , I MEAN, WE MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS THAT WE HAVE WITH THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE AT THAT TIME, AND SO I KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS AT WORK, THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER AREAS THAT WE'RE PURSUING COST SAVINGS OR BEING YOU KNOW, IN A MORE COMPETITIVE MARKETPLACE FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR DISTRICT AND OUR EMPLOYEES, AND SO I'M HAPPY TO HEAR THAT.
LIKE I SAID, I'LL LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU.
IS THAT TRUE? YES. I DEVELOPED THIS IN THE LAST 24 HOURS WITH THE MOST UP TO DATE INFORMATION FROM THE LEGISLATURE ON THE HEELS OF THEIR MOST RECENT APPROVAL OF THE LEGISLATION, WHICH IS DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT THAN WE ANTICIPATED IT TO LOOK LIKE WHEN WE BEGAN THESE PLANNING DISCUSSIONS.
SO WE PIVOTED QUICKLY. WELL, I APPRECIATE THE OPTIONS.
I'M NOT READY TO ENDORSE ANY OF THEM YET. CERTAINLY, I WANT A SPREADSHEET TO PLAY AROUND WITH NUMBERS THAT I DON'T HAVE ANY BUSINESS DOING, BUT I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. DO WE HAVE IT SEEMS LIKE WE HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY WITH THIS MONEY.
IS THAT WHAT I'M GATHERING? WE CAN WE CAN APPLY IT THIS WAY OR THAT WAY.
RIGHT. OKAY. SO, WE'VE HEARD A LOT FROM OUR LLSPS AND SLPS, AND SO I DIDN'T SEE WHETHER WE WERE GOING TO DO ANYTHING AND WE'VE GOT VACANCIES THERE. SO I FEEL LIKE WE MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER DOING SOME THINGS LIKE WE'VE DONE FOR SOME OTHER HEART TO HIRE OR HARD TO FILL POSITIONS. IS, IS THAT COMING TO US? I SHARED IN BOARD BLOG INFORMATION ABOUT OUR SLPS AND OTHERS BEING ABOVE MARKET RATE.
OKAY. ACCORDING TO TASB, ON A REGIONAL LEVEL, EVEN IN OUR AREA AND WITH OUR COMPETITORS.
OKAY. IN SOME CASES IN OTHER DISTRICTS. THEY'RE BEING PAID LESS AND WORKING MORE DAYS.
HERE, THEY'RE ACTUALLY BEING PAID MORE AND WORKING LESS DAYS.
IN TERMS OF WORK CALENDAR. THERE ARE PLACES THAT HAVE LARGER STIPENDS, FOR EXAMPLE, AISD, WHICH HAS AN INCREDIBLE SHORTAGE WITH THE MASSIVE SPED TURNOVER THAT THEY'VE EXPERIENCED WHOLLY AS A DISTRICT, BUT IN TERMS OF MARKET RATE AND TAKING A LOOK AT IT, WE ARE ABOVE MARKET.
OKAY. GOOD TO KNOW. I JUST KNOW THAT WE'RE HAVING A REAL HARD TIME FILLING THOSE POSITIONS, AND SOMETIMES THAT IS CORRECT TO GET CREATIVE NOT ONLY IN THIS DISTRICT BUT ACROSS THE STATE.
THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF SLPS ACROSS THE STATE, AND MANY WHO ARE CHOOSING TO LEAVE PUBLIC EDITOR. YEAH, WELL, THEY MAKE A LOT OF MONEY CONTRACTING AND WE CORRECT SEEM TO PAY THEM FINE AS CONTRACTORS.
[02:05:08]
SCHEDULES AND SEE WHAT WE'RE DOING THERE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL.SOMETIMES I THINK WE CAN GET CREATIVE. THERE, AND I KNOW WE'RE LOOKING AT INCREASING OUR SECONDARY R ATIOS, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, AND MAYBE MR. SEIBEL CAN RECORD THIS AND YOU CAN GET BACK TO US, BUT I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO.
PINKY PROMISE. THIS BOARD IS GOING TO BE THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF STUDENTS SITTING IN A CORE CLASSROOM IN OUR HIGH SCHOOLS B ECAUSE THERE ARE SOME SPACE CONSTRICTIONS AND SOME FURNITURE RESTRICTIONS IN SOME OF OUR BUILDINGS WASN'T GREAT THIS YEAR. I'VE SEEN PICTURES AND SO I KNOW I WOULD GO HIGH EVEN HIGHER THAN WE ALREADY ARE.
I'M NOT SURE WHERE PHYSICALLY WE CAN PUT CHILDREN WITHOUT.
ADDING TO THEIR PHYSICAL SPACE. RIGHT. SO BUT TAKE A LOOK AT THE MASTER SCHEDULES OR, YOU KNOW, HAVE THE DAYS. I KNOW MR. PIERCE IS REALLY GOOD AT THAT, AND HE'S DONE IT, BUT THAT MIGHT BE ANOTHER AREA WHERE WE CAN KIND OF SEE WHAT ELSE WE CAN DO THERE. OKAY, AND THEN ASKED ABOUT SLPS ON THE INSURANCE CONTRIBUTION, WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT OTHER DISTRICTS IN TERMS OF THE ZERO COST? M Y LAW FIRMS HAVEN'T BEEN ZERO COST IN QUITE SOME TIME.
SO I'M JUST WONDERING LIKE THE COST OF INSURANCE HAS SKYROCKETED FOR THE LAST DECADE.
SO I'M JUST WONDERING WHAT OTHER DISTRICTS ARE DOING.
ARE WE? ARE WE? IS EVERYBODY STILL ZERO? I CAN PULL UP MY FELLOW CHIEFS.
WE'VE BEEN KIND OF IN DISCUSSIONS OVER A LOT OF THINGS JUST COMING OUT OF THE LEGISLATION, AND I CAN FIND OUT HOW MANY OF THEM ARE HAVING THESE SAME DISCUSSIONS.
I KNOW SOME OTHER DISTRICTS AROUND US HAVE GONE TO SELF-FUNDED I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY NEARBY DISTRICTS STILL HAVE A ZERO, AND I CAN DO THAT RESEARCH. YEAH, AND IT MAY NOT BE.
YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE DON'T PAY ANYTHING, BUT THERE COULD BE SOME KIND OF BALANCE THERE WHERE WE PICK UP $10 OR $15 OR WHAT? YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? LIKE, THAT COULD HELP US.
THE REASON I ASK FOR FLEXIBILITY IS I KNOW, I KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME POSITIONS THAT WE HAVE REALLY FOCUSED ON OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS AND DONE SOME REALLY GREAT THINGS, LIKE OUR SPED PARAS, AND WE'VE DIFFERENTIATED AND THEN THERE MAY BE OTHER POSITIONS THAT MAYBE I'M NOT EVEN AWARE OF OR THINKING OF.
THAT'S WHY I WAS ASKING ABOUT FLEXIBILITY. SO MAYBE IT'S A 0.5 HERE AND A 1.5 THERE.
AGAIN, IT'S A LOT OF SPREADSHEET WORK FOR SOMEBODY.
WE'VE JUST GOTTEN THIS. SO BUT JUST SOMETHING TO CONSIDER AND YOU KNOW, I KNOW IT LOOKS THE EASIEST TO JUST DO THE 586 ACROSS THE BOARD, AND THAT'S A ZERO COST, BUT THIS IS ALL WE GET, AND WE KNOW LAST YEAR WE WEREN'T ABLE TO DO A WHOLE LOT.
WE FOCUSED ON A FEW FOLKS. JUST SOMETHING ELSE TO CONSIDER.
OKAY. I'LL LET OTHER TRUSTEES ASK THEIR QUESTIONS, MR. RUNKLE. YES. THANK YOU, MISS CORSON, FOR ALL OF THE INFORMATION THIS EVENING.
CAN YOU. I KNOW THAT I ASKED THIS ON BOARD BLOG, BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN A RECENT UPDATE.
DO WE HAVE THE MOST RECENT MARKET ANALYSIS FROM TASB? YES, IT'S SHARED ON BOARD BLOG. THAT IS ALL IN DRAFT FORM RIGHT NOW, AND TASB.
I WAS ON THE PHONE WITH THEM YESTERDAY. THEY ARE ALSO SCRAMBLING TO UPDATE EVERYBODY'S INFORMATION, SO WE DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY FINALIZED INFORMATION.
I'M ABLE TO GO ONLINE AND I'M ABLE TO TAKE A LOOK AT DIFFERENT GROUPS ONLINE, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE ACCESS TO AT ANY TIME OF THE YEAR, AND SO WE'RE ABLE TO DO THE MARKET ANALYSIS WHENEVER WE WANT, BUT IN TERMS OF THE ACTUAL TASB STUDY, THEY ARE, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE 90 DISTRICTS WITH JULY 1ST BUDGET START DATES THAT THEY ARE TRYING TO SUPPORT RIGHT NOW.
ON THE HEELS OF JUST NOW GETTING THE UPDATES LIKE WE DID ON ON ALL THE MONIES AND WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE, AND DOING DIFFERENT SCENARIOS FOR EACH ONE OF THEM.
SO AS SOON AS WE HAVE THAT UPDATED INFORMATION, WE'LL DEFINITELY PROVIDE IT TO YOU, BUT THEY ARE THEY ARE DOING A LOT OF COMPARISONS AND CHANGES RIGHT NOW TO TRY TO FINALIZE THOSE FOR ALL THE DISTRICTS THAT HAVE THOSE JULY 1ST START DATES.
[02:10:08]
OKAY. SO DO WE NOT EXPECT TO HAVE THAT BEFORE WE VOTE ON A COMP PLAN? WHEN I SPOKE WITH ZACHARY AT TASB, WE ARE ONE OF THE DISTRICTS THAT HE'S PRIORITIZING, AND SO I'M I TOLD HIM ABOUT OUR BOARD DATES. I KNOW OTHER DISTRICTS HAVE TOLD HIM ABOUT THEIR BOARD DATES, BUT I DO KNOW THAT HE'S BEEN EMAILING US AND ASKING US FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS, SO I KNOW IT'S SOMETHING HE'S ACTIVELY WORKING ON.I JUST CAN'T TELL YOU A DATE. OKAY. CAN YOU GIVE US AN UPDATE ON FRIDAY IF THERE'S A RECENT UPDATE WITH THAT, I'M JUST TRYING TO GAUGE IF WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO HAVE SOMETHING TO LOOK AT, AND THEN ARE THERE ANY POSITIONS THAT OFF OF THE MARKET VALUES THAT YOU'RE GOING OFF OF? MRS CORSON ARE THERE ANY POSITIONS THAT ARE NOT COVERED IN WHAT SB TWO IS WILLING TO DO? THAT IS UNDER MARKET VALUE. DO WE HAVE ANY POSITIONS UNDER MARKET VALUE THAT ARE NOT BEING TAKEN CARE OF UNDER SB TWO? HB TWO HB TWO. SORRY, HB TWO PROVIDES $1,035,000 THAT WE CAN APPLY.
SO THERE'S FLEXIBILITY THERE. THE RULE IS THAT IT CAN'T BE USED FOR ADMIN.
OKAY. CAN YOU LET ME KNOW WHAT POSITIONS ARE UNDER MARKET VALUE? SURE, AS SOON AS WE HAVE THAT UPDATED INFORMATION, I'LL BE HAPPY TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU BASED OFF OF THE CURRENT DATA THAT YOU HAVE, BECAUSE YOU'RE PROVIDING DATA FOR US. YES. SOME OF THESE POSITIONS, YES, I CAN PROVIDE TO YOU THE MOST RECENT PAY STUDY, WHICH ACTUALLY I DID SHARE ON BOARD BLOG WITH YOU SO YOU COULD LOOK AT LAST YEAR'S, AND THEN IF THERE'S ANYTHING SPECIFIC WE CAN DIG INTO WE CAN DO THAT. OKAY. CAN YOU ALSO MR. SEIBEL, YOU MAY JUST WANT TO CAPTURE THESE QUESTIONS.
CAN YOU PLEASE PROVIDE THE ENROLLMENT AT CAMINO IN UPLAND AT THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL AND THE CURRENT ENROLLMENT TODAY, MEANING JUST HOW MANY STUDENTS HAVE CURRENTLY ENROLLED AND WHERE ARE WE AT? WHERE WE'RE AT WITH THOSE NUMBERS, BUT ALSO WHERE WE'RE EXPECTED TO BE AT THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR CAMINO AND UHLAND.
I JUST I APPRECIATE THE TRUSTEES BRINGING UP THE INSURANCE SHOPPING AROUND.
I KNOW I PERSONALLY SHOP AROUND INSURANCE EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
THEY CONTINUE TO INCREASE RATES ALL ACROSS THE BOARD.
LET'S SEE. MRS. COURSON, I KNOW THAT YOU TOUCHED ON STIPEND REVIEW.
I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE NOT TOUCHING TYPE OR STIPEND RIGHT NOW.
HOWEVER, I DO WANT YOU TO TALK ABOUT IT. I HAVE TALKED ABOUT STIPENDS SINCE I WAS ELECTED ON THIS BOARD, AND I HEAR ABOUT STIPENDS ALL YEAR LONG FROM STAFF.
I HEAR CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS THAT THINK THAT THEY ONLY GET STIPENDS FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR, AND NOT THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR WHEN THEY'RE STILL DOING WORK, WHEN OTHER PEOPLE ARE GETTING STIPENDS.
WE HEAR THAT PEOPLE THINK THAT THEY SHOULD BE GETTING STIPENDS.
SO I JUST WANT I AND YOU GUYS HAVE DONE A LOT OF WORK ON THIS STIPEND REVIEW, SO I DON'T WANT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THAT, AND I WANT OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR STAFF TO HEAR THAT.
SURE. WE DID A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF ALL STIPENDS, AND MARY TORRES, ASSISTANT HR DIRECTOR, WORKED WITH STAFF FROM ACROSS THE DISTRICT COLLABORATIVELY TO LOOK AT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE STIPENDS THAT ARE ASSIGNED AND TO COLLABORATIVELY DEVELOP JOB DESCRIPTIONS FOR EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE STIPENDS THAT WE PROVIDE.
ALSO IDENTIFYING THE INDIVIDUAL FOLKS THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SURE THAT THOSE JOBS ARE DONE.
SO THAT WAS WORK THAT WAS DONE THIS YEAR. ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE TASB MARKET INFORMATION ABOUT STIPENDS, WHICH, IN TAKING A LOOK AT IT YOU KNOW, WE DID SEE AREAS WHERE WE ARE BELOW MARKET ON STIPENDS AND SO IN ORDER FOR US TO BE ABLE TO DO THE NECESSARY MARKET ADJUSTMENTS IT WOULD BE $965,000 TO DO THAT. BECAUSE WE ARE HAVING TO TAKE A LOOK ALSO AT THE LACK OF
[02:15:09]
PROPER FUNDING FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION BY LEGISLATORS.WE'RE TRYING TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO US TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO IN TERMS OF NUMBER ONE, CONTINUING TO TAKE CARE OF STUDENTS. NUMBER TWO, MAKING SURE WE'RE NOT HAVING TO LAY ANYBODY OFF, AND THEN NUMBER THREE, TO SEE THAT WE CAN PROVIDE SOME SORT OF COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT, ESPECIALLY SINCE MANY PEOPLE DIDN'T GET ONE LAST YEAR, EVEN AS THE DISTRICT HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY GENEROUS YEARS PRIOR, AND SO BECAUSE OF THAT AND HAVING TO LOOK AT ALL THE PIECES ADDING AN ADDITIONAL NEARLY MILLION DOLLARS TO DO THE MARKET ADJUSTMENTS FOR STIPENDS MEANT THAT WE'D HAVE TO CUT SOMETHING ELSE ELSEWHERE, AND AT A TIME THAT WE'RE ALREADY TRYING TO CUT.
SO IT'S R EALLY HARD AND FRUSTRATING AS AN EMPLOYEE FRIENDLY DISTRICT TO HAVE TO MAKE THESE KINDS OF DIFFICULT DECISIONS, AND UNFORTUNATELY, THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE WE ARE.
THANK YOU FOR EXPLAINING THAT. I DEFINITELY WANTED THE COMMUNITY AND OUR STAFF TO HEAR THE WORK THAT HAD BEEN DONE IN THAT, AND I KNOW MRS. TORRES HAS REALLY DONE A LOT OF IT.
SO I WOULD JUST SAY FOR ANYONE THAT HAS ANY CONCERNS TO REACH OUT TO YOUR DEPARTMENT AND TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW THOSE STIPENDS AFFECT THEM AND, YOU KNOW, IN THE FUTURE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AND KIND OF WHERE WE THINK WE NEED TO BE MORE ALIGNED.
I THINK WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE STAFF WHO ARE QUITE FEEL QUITE SAFE IN OUR EMPLOYEE FRIENDLY CULTURE TO ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES. WE HAVE HAD MEETINGS WITH NUMBERS OF COACHES.
I THINK ABOUT GOLF AND I THINK ABOUT TENNIS, AND I THINK ABOUT, I MEAN, I CAN GO DOWN THE LIST OF ALL THE FOLKS THAT HAVE REACHED OUT AND HAVE PASSIONATELY AND INTELLIGENTLY AND LOGICALLY PROVIDED THE DATA AND THE INFORMATION AND SHARED THEIR EXPERIENCE TO LET US KNOW REALLY WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE TO BE YOU KNOW, TO E A 100% HAYS DISTRICT AND YOU KNOW, I'M SO PROUD AS A PARENT TO BE, YOU KNOW, THE PARENT OF AN ATHLETE WHERE THESE FOLKS POUR INTO OUR STUDENT ATHLETES OR, YOU KNOW, IN BAND OR IN ORCHESTRA OR IN ANY NUMBER OF THINGS, AND THEY DO IT BECAUSE THEY REALLY CARE ABOUT OUR KIDS, AND THEY REALLY CARE ABOUT CULTIVATING THOSE TALENTS AND THOSE GIFTS IN OUR KIDS.
PLEASE KNOW THAT WE AGREE WITH THEM. THERE'S NO DISAGREEMENT ABOUT WHAT THEY CONTRIBUTE AND WHAT WE WISH WE COULD DO FOR THEM, AND IT'S DISHEARTENING TO HAVE TO TELL THEM WHAT THE IMPACT OF THE LACK OF PROPER FUNDING BY THE LEGISLATURE CREATES FOR LEADERS IN A DISTRICT AND FOR BOARD MEMBERS OF A DISTRICT MEANS REALLY DIFFICULT CHOICES, AND IT DOESN'T EVER FEEL GOOD TO SAY, I'M SORRY, WE CAN'T DO THAT BECAUSE WE'RE A DISTRICT THAT LIKES TO SEE WHAT WE CAN MAKE 100% POSSIBLE BUT WHEN WE'RE NOT 100% FUNDED, THAT'S REALLY HARD TO DO.
SO WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO LISTEN TO OUR STAFF.
I AM PROUD THAT WE HAVE A CULTURE WHERE OUR STAFF FEEL SAFE COMING TO US AND TELLING US.
I HOPE THEY CONTINUE TO DO THAT. I HOPE IF THEY'RE LISTENING, THEY UNDERSTAND THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR THEM IN ALL THE BEST WAYS THAT WE'RE ABLE. THANK YOU FOR THAT.
I KNOW THAT 'S VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. I KNOW YOU GUYS, AGAIN, HAVE DONE A LOT OF WORK ON THAT, AND I JUST WANT TO SAY I'M ALSO NOT READY TO SIT HERE AND SAY I'M READY TO ENDORSE ONE OF THESE SCENARIOS.
I HAD THIS CONVERSATION WHEN WE FIRST STARTED TALKING ABOUT K THROUGH FOUR.
IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO GET ON BOARD WITH THAT.
I TOTALLY LOVE AND APPRECIATE THAT A TEACHER DOES NOT WANT TO SPLIT A KID FROM A CLASS.
THAT'S INCREDIBLY HARD ON A STUDENT AND IT'S HARD ON THE TEACHER.
[02:20:03]
AND SOMETIMES WHEN WE WALK INTO CLASSES, YOU'VE GOT KIDS SITTING ON TOP OF EACH OTHER, AND SO WHILE I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT A TEACHER WANTS TO TAKE THAT ON AND IT SAVES US MONEY, I DON'T EVER WANT TO DO ANYTHING THAT'S AT THE COST OF A STUDENT'S EDUCATION, AND THEM GETTING YOU KNOW, THE, THE MOST INSTRUCTION THAT THEY POSSIBLY CAN.YOU KNOW, ONE STUDENT SOMETIMES ISN'T. NECESSARILY JUST ONE STUDENT.
RIGHT. THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT GOES TO. THAT.
SO I WANT TO BE REAL CAREFUL WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT INCREASING CLASS SIZES AND INCREASING INCLUSION RATIOS AND JUST CLASS TEACHER STUDENT RATIOS. I WASN'T QUITE ON BOARD WITH THAT WITH K THROUGH FOUR.
WE DID SOME OF THEM, AND YES, WE SAVED SOME MONEY AND IT WAS GOOD FOR OUR DISTRICT, BUT I DON'T WANT THAT TO BE SOMETHING THAT IS JUST A STANDARD IN HAYS CISD THAT WE JUST INCREASE CLASS SIZES B ECAUSE TO ME, AS A PARENT, THAT'S NOT IN THE BEST INTEREST OF STUDENTS, AND I CERTAINLY DON'T THINK IT'S IN THE BEST INTEREST OF MY CHILD, AND I WOULD AGREE, I WOULD THINK THAT OTHER PARENTS PROBABLY FEEL THE SAME WAY.
SO I'M JUST GOING TO SAY THAT AND BUT AGAIN, I THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THESE SCENARIOS TO US.
I DO LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING SOME MORE INFORMATION TONIGHT.
MR. FLORES? YEAH. THANK YOU, CHRISTINA, AND THANK YOU, TRUSTEES PETREA AND RUNKLE FOR BRINGING UP THE POTENTIAL STRATEGY FOR DEALING WITH THE UNEXPECTED GROWTH AND THE 23 TO 1 RATIO AND DR.
WRIGHT. SO THE DISTRICT APPLIED FOR THIS CLASS SIZE WAIVER.
WOULD THIS WOULD BE DISTRICT WIDE, OR WE COULD HAVE CLASSROOMS WITH 23 KIDS PER ONE TEACHER.
CORRECT? YES. THAT'S CORRECT. WE STAFFED IT 22 TO 1, BUT AS CHRISTINA SHOWED YOU IN THE ILLUSTRATION, THERE MAY BE 20 TO 30 CLASSROOMS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
WE HAVE 12 WEEKS FROM THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL AND THEN 12 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL, WHERE WE DON'T HAVE TO APPLY FOR WAIVERS, BUT ALL THOSE WEEKS IN BETWEEN, IF WE GET A STUDENT THAT'S OVER THE 20, THE 22, FOR MORE THAN 30 DAYS. WE HAVE TO EITHER APPLY FOR A WAIVER OR HIRE ANOTHER TEACHER, AND SO WHAT THIS WOULD DO OUR STAFFING WOULD STILL BE 22 TO 1, BUT IT WOULD ALLOW US TO MAINTAIN WITHOUT HAVING TO INCREASE, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I POINTED OUT, THAT DECISION.
I MEAN, AND IT'S A DECISION THAT YOU MAKE, AND JUST LIKE ANYTHING ELSE, IF YOU MAKE THAT DECISION AND YOU AND YOU WANT TO BUILD IN THE BUDGET ANOTHER 1.5 MILLION TO FILL EVERY TIME WE GO OVER ONE ONE STUDENT TO 23 TO 1, THEN YOU JUST HAVE TO CUT 1.5 MILLION SOMEWHERE ELSE.
SO I MEAN IT'S THE PUT AND TAKE PRINCIPLE, BUT WE THOUGHT THAT WAS A WAY THAT WE COULD HOLD SERVE.
IT'S BEEN PROVEN TO WORK WITH THE K-4 CAPACITY AND SO WE JUST WANTED TO EXPAND IT WITHOUT HAVING TO CUT OTHER ITEMS THAT MAY BE NEAR AND DEAR TO YOUR PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWPOINT OR TO WHAT OUR COMMUNITY MAY WANT.
AS FAR AS I KNOW, WE'RE NOT THERE YET, BUT IF WE WERE TO PURSUE THIS STRATEGY, THE SUPPORTS THAT WOULD BE GIVEN TO TEACHERS THAT DO HAVE TO, YOU KNOW BASICALLY IMPROVE THEIR CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT SKILLS, HANDLING 23 KIDS TO ONE TEACHER.
IT CHANGES THE GAME IN MANY CASES. SO I GUESS THAT WOULD BE MY NEXT QUESTION IS WHAT SUPPORTS WOULD WE GIVE TEACHERS WHO WOULD HAVE AN EXTRA KID IN THAT CLASSROOM? YOU KNOW, I GUESS WE DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER THAT NOW BECAUSE WE'RE NOT THERE YET, BUT I MEAN, THERE IS THAT UPSIDE OF SAVING $75,000, IS THAT CORRECT, HIRING A NEW TEACHER? THAT'S TRUE, AND AND, YOU KNOW, THE SUPPORTS THEY DON'T THEY DON'T CHANGE A LOT UNLESS YOU GET THAT ONE KID THAT IS THAT HAS HAS A LOT OF HIGH NEEDS. IF YOU I THINK I HEARD JEFF PHRASE IT.
IF YOU GET THE KID, THAT'S THE ANGEL. IT'S NOT A PROBLEM IF YOU GET A KID THAT JUST REQUIRES A LOT OF ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS, THEN THEY MAY WANT TO RETHINK THAT. SO THE ANSWER IS WHAT MY ATTORNEY ALWAYS TELLS ME.
IT DEPENDS, AND SO IN MANY INSTANCES IT'S NOT AN ADDITIONAL BURDEN.
IN SOME INSTANCES IT IS, AND SO FOR THOSE INSTANCES WHERE IT IS A BURDEN AND WE DO HAVE TO COME UP WITH SUPPORTS, AND THAT'S WHERE MARIVEL AND HER TEAM COME UP WITH STRATEGIES ON HOW TO BEST SERVE THAT ADDITIONAL, ADDITIONAL KID. THANK YOU. DR. WRIGHT I KNOW IT'S A TOUGH POSITION THAT WE'VE BEEN PUT IN, AND TO COURTNEY'S POINT, I MEAN, PARENTS DO WORRY ABOUT THOSE CLASSROOMS THAT ARE OVERCROWDED, AND THEN TRUSTEE PETREA BROUGHT UP A GOOD POINT ABOUT SPACE, AND IT DEFINITELY HAS THE EFFECT ON A TEACHER'S ABILITY TO MANAGE A CLASSROOM,
[02:25:02]
BUT I KNOW WE'RE NOT THERE YET. I ALSO AM IN THE SAME POSITION AS AS MY FELLOW TRUSTEES, AS FAR AS I REALLY WOULD LOVE TO LOOK AT THESE SCENARIOS SIDE BY SIDE, AND I APPRECIATE YOU, CHRISTINA, FOR COMING UP WITH THESE SO QUICKLY, AND REALLY JUST WEIGHING OUT YOU KNOW, THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF ALL THESE SCENARIOS.I DO WANT TO GO BACK TO, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT WAS BROUGHT UP EARLIER FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS FAR AS THE REDUCTION OF SPECIALS AND CAN YOU SPEAK MORE ABOUT HOW THE ENROLLMENT NUMBERS AT THESE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CAMPUSES DICTATE THE NUMBER OF SPECIALS AVAILABLE? THIS MIGHT BE A QUESTION, AND I'LL LET CHRISTINA TAKE IT, BUT, AND HOW THIS DICTATES THE NUMBER OF SPECIALS AVAILABLE JUST ON THOSE CAMPUSES.
SURE. YEAH. WE HAVE THE BREAD AND BUTTER FOR SPECIALS AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
YOU ALWAYS HAVE ART, YOU ALWAYS HAVE PE, YOU ALWAYS HAVE MUSIC.
YOU HAVE THOSE THREE. THOSE ARE THE THREE THAT YOU ALWAYS HAVE IN HAYS CISD AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN PE, YOU COULD HAVE UP TO 50 IN IN MUSIC OR ART YOU CAN HAVE UP TO 30 APIECE.
SO 60 PLUS 50, THAT'S 110 WHEN YOU HAVE MORE THAN 110 IN A GRADE LEVEL.
RIGHT. BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL GOING TO SPECIALS WHEN YOU HAVE MORE THAN 110 IN A GRADE LEVEL, THEN THE TWO THE MUSIC AND ART AND PE IS NOT ENOUGH.
SO WE START TAKING A LOOK AT WHAT ELSE CAN WE OFFER? BECAUSE NOW WE HAVE MORE THAN 110 IN A GRADE LEVEL, AND SO THAT'S WHERE HISTORICALLY, YOU COULD HAVE A LIBRARIAN USED AS ONE OF THE SPECIALS IN, IN THE DISTRICT, YOU'VE SEEN THE ADDITION OF STEM OR TECHNOLOGY ENRICHMENT CLASSES, NOT PROGRAMS, THEIR ENRICHMENT CLASSES, BUT OFFERING JUST ADDITIONAL FOCUS ON STEM TO COMPLEMENT WHAT'S ALREADY HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOMS, AND SO PART OF THIS IS TO PROVIDE ANOTHER OPTION, BUT ALSO IT'S TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T HAVE TOO MANY STUDENTS IN ANY OF THESE CLASSES.
I MEAN, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE STILL HAVE TO HAVE ALL OF THESE STUDENTS, RIGHT, IN A CLASSROOM, AND SO IN SOME CAMPUSES WHERE WE'VE SEEN KIND OF THE AGING OF THE STUDENTS STUDENT BODY, RIGHT WHERE WE HAD VERY LARGE CLASSES BEFORE THAT, ARE NOW GRADUATING ON INTO MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL WHERE WE'RE SEEING DROPS IN ENROLLMENT AT ELEMENTARY. NOW WE HAVE GRADE LEVELS AT CAMPUSES THAT HAVE FEWER THAN 110.
WELL, WHEN THAT'S THE CASE, THEN WE'RE OVERSTAFFING BY HAVING AN ADDITIONAL SPECIAL ADDITIONAL TO THE BREAD AND BUTTER OF PE MUSIC AND ART. NO, THANK YOU FOR THAT INFO, AND I THINK IT'S AND I KNOW THAT WE AS TRUSTEES DON'T DEAL WITH PROGRAMMING AND WITH STAFFING NECESSARILY. HOWEVER, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THESE THAT THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF MISINFORMATION ABOUT THINGS ABOUT BEING BEING CUT, ETC., BUT THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT ON THE NUMBERS BECAUSE THESE WERE CUT FROM OR THESE WERE ELIMINATED OR REDUCED BASED ON THE NUMBERS OF KIDS THAT WERE ENROLLED AT THESE CAMPUSES, AND I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE, AND THAT'S WHY I BROUGHT THAT OUT, BUT ABSOLUTELY, AND I WOULD LIKE TO NOTE THAT IN THESE CASES, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY'RE NOT GETTING STEM OR TECHNOLOGY.
WE STILL TEACH SCIENCE, RIGHT? WE STILL TEACH, YOU KNOW, ALL THE OTHER THINGS IN OUR CLASSROOMS. STEM WAS A CHANCE TO PROVIDE ENRICHMENT AND ADDITIONAL FOCUS, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY'RE NOT LEARNING THOSE THINGS.
YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE MUSIC. THEY HAVE YOU KNOW, THEY CAN LEARN TECHNOLOGY IN THOSE OTHER CLASSES.
WE'RE PROVIDING THAT INSTRUCTION JUST IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
THANK YOU, AND I KNOW DR. WRIGHT MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT THE TEACHER PAY RAISES AND HB TWO, AND THAT THERE WERE CERTAIN IT'S BASED ON FOUR HOURS OF INSTRUCTION THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
DO YOU KNOW WHEN WE COULD POSSIBLY HAVE THAT LIST OF WHAT POSITIONS WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR THAT? YES. SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS TEXAS RIGHT NOW ARE SCRUBBING TO TRY TO FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT THAT MEANS.
WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT HOUSE BILL TWO SPECIFIES THAT IN TERMS OF TEACHERS, THAT IT'S THE DEFINITION OF A CLASSROOM TEACHER AS DEFINED BY TEXAS EDUCATION CODE 5.001, AND IT'S IN THAT CODE WHERE IT TALKS ABOUT MORE THAN FOUR HOURS OF INSTRUCTION, BUT THERE IS SOME WONDERING ABOUT WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS.
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF STAFF THAT ARE ON THE TNL SCALE THAT CERTAINLY CONTRIBUTE TO INSTRUCTIONAL EXCELLENCE, BUT DON'T MAYBE MEET THIS EXACT DEFINITION, AND SO I'VE ALREADY HAD A ZOOM CALL WITH TASB AND THEY'RE TRYING TO GET CLARIFICATION AS WELL, AND SO AS SOON AS WE HAVE DEFINITIVE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS, WE WILL HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF WHO ELSE GETS TO BENEFIT FROM THE FLOW THROUGH 2500 AND 05,000.
[02:30:01]
GOSH, IF WE CAN FIND MORE THAT QUALIFY, THAT'S BETTER FOR EVERYBODY.EVERYBODY WINS, BUT , WE ALSO HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE GETTING IT RIGHT, BECAUSE WHAT WE DON'T WANT TO DO IS, IS TO WE'RE PLANNING FOR A WORST CASE SCENARIO BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO HAVE SURPRISES LATER ON.
LET ME TAKE A QUICK SIX MINUTE BREAK. OKAY, GREAT.
YEAH. CAN WE DO THAT? THANK YOU ALL. JUST BE BACK ON THE DAIS AT ABOUT JUST SIX MINUTES, 08:50.
THANKS. SORRY ABOUT THAT TEAM. GLAD WE'RE ALL READY TO GO.
WE'RE ALMOST TO THE FINISH LINE. I PROMISE WE'RE ALMOST DONE. ALL RIGHT. RIGHT NOW, WE'RE MR. FLORES, YOU WERE DONE WITH YOUR QUESTION. OKAY.
MR. SEIBEL, GO AHEAD. ALL RIGHT, I HAVE A FEW.
SORRY. OKAY, SO I KNOW THERE'S SOME LANGUAGE IN HB TWO ABOUT ADVANCED CERTIFICATION.
TEACHERS GETTING MORE MONEY THAT TO BE IT'S LIKE 3000 MORE THAN ANYBODY ELSE.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW ANY OF THIS YET, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF IT FORCES US TO ADJUST OUR PAY SCALES.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE ANYBODY THAT FILLS IN THAT BUCKET. THIS IS A REALLY WEIRD QUESTION. I KNOW, BECAUSE IT'S JUST I'M LIKE, TRYING TO FIGURE THIS OUT. WHAT THAT ACTUALLY MEANS, BECAUSE THEY DON'T DEFINE THINGS VERY WELL SOMETIMES. SO ANYWAYS, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANY CHANCE OF BUDGET IMPACT FOR US TO HAVING TO ADJUST SOME SALARY SCHEDULES BASED ON ADVANCED CERTIFICATION, WHICH I THINK IS LIKE NATIONALLY BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS, WHICH I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF WE HAVE ANY.
I DON'T YEAH, WE ALREADY DO THAT. WE PROVIDE A STIPEND FOR NATIONAL FOR THE NBCT TEACHERS.
YAY! WE'RE AHEAD OF THE CURVE. SO WE'RE AHEAD OF THE CURVE.
SO YEAH. ALL RIGHT OKAY. SO I LIKE MISS PETREAE BROUGHT UP OUR MASTER SCHEDULE DISCUSSION.
I KNOW THIS IS NOT THAT'S NOT IN OUR PURVIEW, BUT ONE THING I KNOW WE'VE DONE REALLY WELL AT MOVING, SHIFTING SOME HIGH SCHOOL COURSES DOWN TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL, AND WE'RE OFFERING SPANISH ONE IN SEVENTH GRADE, WHICH IS AMAZING COMPARED TO SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORING DISTRICTS, BUT THE DOWNSIDE OF THAT IS BY THE TIME THEY GET TO SENIORS OUT OF CLASS, THEY'VE ALREADY COMPLETED, YOU KNOW, MOST OF THEIR SCHEDULE EXCEPT FOR THEIR SENIOR COURSES, AND SO WE'RE RUNNING INTO SOME ISSUES. I THINK THAT'S LEADING TO SOME OF OUR ATTENDANCE ISSUES.
SO I'M CURIOUS IF WE'VE EVER EXPLORED LIKE, WORK PROGRAMS FOR SENIORS.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS WE HAVE TO SOMEHOW INCENTIVIZE STUDENTS THAT BEING IN ATTENDANCE AND ACTIVE IS IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO CONTINUE LEARNING AND PROGRESSING, AND SO YOU KNOW, WITH THEIR GAPS AND POTENTIAL SCHEDULES, YOU KNOW, CAN WE SET UP WORK PROGRAMS IN THE COMMUNITIES WHERE THEY'RE ACTUALLY WORKING AND EARNING HIGH SCHOOL CREDITS, AND WE'RE GETTING CREDIT FOR ATTENDANCE? I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT WORKS BUT ANYWAYS, SOMETHING I THOUGHT OF AS MISS PETREA WAS TALKING ABOUT MASTER SCHEDULES.
SO OKAY. I'LL JUST SAY THAT FOR THE TRS CARE.
WE PASS THAT ON TO EMPLOYEES AT $39 THIS YEAR.
NEXT YEAR. TRS SAYS, HEY, IT'S ANOTHER $39. WE HAVE TO TAKE IN THAT WHOLE $39 PLAN FOR THAT $1.263 MILLION BUDGET IMPACT FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR, OR PASS ON $39 AGAIN. SO NOW IT'S $78, YOU KNOW, AND SO THAT JUST, YOU KNOW, I THINK I DON'T KNOW WHO MENTIONED COST SHARING, SPLITTING SOME THINGS, MRS. PETREA. SOME OF THAT $39 INCREASE JUST TO YOU KNOW, MITIGATE SOME OF THAT IMPACT FOR YEARS DOWN THE LINE.
ON THAT NOTE, ON TRS CARE YOU KNOW, THIS IS MORE IN MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE AND WORKING IN THAT, YOU KNOW, GOING SELF-FUNDED. IT'S A RISK, AND SO IDEALLY, WE'RE IN A BETTER FINANCIAL SITUATION TO TAKE ON THAT RISK BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO ABSORB THE NEGATIVE SIDE OF THAT, THAT RISK AND THAT ADVERSE DEVIATION FROM WHAT WE EXPECT.
DOCTORS COST MORE. THERE'S BEEN STAFFING ISSUES, COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS, ETCETERA, ETCETERA.
[02:35:05]
MORE SPECIFIC TO OUR EMPLOYEES. TRS CARE, OBVIOUSLY, IT'S ALL EDUCATORS, SO IT IS SOMEWHAT COGNIZANT OF THAT, BUT WE COULD BE WAY MORE EMPLOYEE FRIENDLY IN SOME AREAS AND HAVE SOME MORE FLEXIBILITY IN THAT REGARD, BUT COST WISE, I'D BE REALLY CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT THAT ENDS UP AT, AND LOOKING AT THAT OPPORTUNITY.OKAY. QUESTIONS? WHEN WE LOOK AT TEACHERS THAT ARE YEARS THREE AND FOUR, AND I THINK THIS IS KIND OF VAGUE A LITTLE BIT IN THE LEGISLATION TOO. IS THAT AFTER THIS YEAR THAT THEY'VE COMPLETED THREE YEARS OF SERVICE, OR IS IT THEY'VE COMPLETED TWO YEARS THIS YEAR AND THEY WILL HAVE COMPLETED THREE YEARS. SO FOR THREE YEAR NEXT YEAR, THEY WOULD HAVE COMPLETED THEIR SECOND YEAR THIS YEAR AND SO LIKE--OR THIRD YEAR THIS YEAR--SO WHAT WE HAVE IS WE'RE ROLLING UP THE NUMBERS.
WE TOOK THE NUMBERS FROM THIS YEAR. WE ROLLED THEM UP.
YEP. YEP. THAT'S WHAT I WOULD WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT WHERE THEY WOULD BE FOR NEXT YEAR, AND I ASK THIS A LITTLE BIT AGO, BUT HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU THINK THERE WERE TEACHERS THAT WE ACTUALLY WENT TO A 23RD STUDENT WHERE WE DID NOT ACTUALLY HAVE A VOLUNTEER ABSORB THAT 23RD STUDENT IN A CLASSROOM AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL, BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY THOSE THAT TOOK THE 23RD STUDENT WE'RE NOT REALLY SAVING ANYTHING IN THAT REGARD, BECAUSE WE ALREADY HAVE A MECHANISM IN PLACE FOR THEM TO TAKE THAT 23RD STUDENT AND GIVE THEM THAT, THAT STIPEND, BUT IT'S REALLY THOSE OPPORTUNITIES WHERE WE HAD A 23RD STUDENT ENROLL WHERE WE DIDN'T HAVE A VOLUNTEER, WHERE WE HAD TO HIRE SOMEBODY NEW. THAT'S WHERE THE SAVINGS WOULD COME.
SO I'M CURIOUS HOW MANY INSTANCES THAT WE'VE HAD THAT OVER THE LAST YEAR OR TWO.
OKAY, AND DO WE NORMALLY REFLECT ANY IN OUR BUDGET FOR GROWTH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR? WE OBVIOUSLY KNOW WE'RE GOING TO GROW THROUGHOUT THE YEAR BECAUSE WE DO. SO WHEN WE SET OUR BUDGET RIGHT NOW, OR WE KNOW WHAT OUR CURRENT STAFFING LEVEL REQUIREMENTS ARE FOR 22 TO 1 OBVIOUSLY WE'LL GET INCREASED FUNDING FOR NEW STUDENTS ENROLL, BUT ARE WE ALSO ACCOUNTING FOR INCREASED STAFF AS WE LOOK AT IT? SO WHEN WE DO THE STAFFING, WE'RE TAKING A LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT WERE IN THAT GRADE LEVEL.
EVEN AS WE'RE LOOKING AT ROLLING UP ALL THOSE NUMBERS, WE'RE ALSO TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE DEMOGRAPHIC REPORT, TAKING A LOOK TO SEE WHAT KIND OF GROWTH IS EXPECTED FOR THAT CAMPUS, AND THEY'RE EVEN ABLE TO HELP US TRY TO PROJECT HOW MANY WE WOULD GROW IN CERTAIN GRADE LEVELS, AND THAT'S SUPER HELPFUL INFORMATION FOR US TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THE ROLL UP, PLUS THE DEMOGRAPHIC REPORT, AND BETWEEN THE TWO OF THOSE, WE'RE ABLE TO PLAN.
OKAY. WELL, GIVEN THIS, WE KNOW THIS, WE EXPECT THIS.
WE'RE ALSO TAKING A LOOK AT BILINGUAL. THERE ARE SO MANY MOVING PARTS HEARTS TO THAT.
NOW, IN TERMS OF HAVING A CERTAIN NUMBER OF TEACHERS, FOR EXAMPLE, CONTINGENCY TEACHERS PRE-APPROVED, WE DON'T HAVE THAT IN OUR BUDGET. I MEAN, COULD WE COULD.
SO WE DON'T HAVE ANY CONTINGENCIES. WE, WE ADD OR WE LEVEL.
SOMETIMES WE DO CAP AND OVERFLOW. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT STRATEGIES THAT WE DO TO TRY TO MITIGATE IT, BUT IN MANY CASES WHEN THOSE THINGS DON'T WORK AND WE CAN'T GET A K-4 VOLUNTEER, YOU KNOW, IT MEANS HIRING AN ADDITIONAL TEACHER. THAT BECOMES TROUBLESOME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, BECAUSE IT'S REALLY HARD TO FIND GOOD TEACHERS TO HIRE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
OKAY. ALL RIGHT. WE'VE APPROVED IT. WE'RE GETTING A NEW ONE.
OKAY. NOW WE GOT TO FIND A GOOD ONE, AND THAT MAY TAKE A LONG TIME, AND OH, THEY MIGHT NOT BE CERTIFIED, AND OH, WE MIGHT NEED A LONG TERM SUB, AND SO EVEN THEN, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S THE NEED FOR A BILINGUAL TEACHER FINDING A BILINGUAL TEACHER IN THE
[02:40:08]
MIDDLE OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. THAT IS HARD. SO YES, WE CAN POST AND WE CAN TRY TO HIRE FOR IT AND SAY, OH, WE'RE GOING TO HIRE WITH WHEN WE WELL, THAT'S ONLY, YOU KNOW, TIMING IS EVERYTHING, AND THAT ALSO COMES INTO PLAY AS TO THE QUALITY OF TEACHER THEY'RE GOING TO GET IF WE CAN GET ONE. YEAH.OKAY. BECAUSE I THINK OVERALL I MEAN WE'RE LOOKING AT PROJECTING OUR REVENUE FOR NEXT YEAR BASED ON PROJECTED ENROLLMENT, BUT WE'RE PROJECTING OUR EXPENSES ON MAYBE NOT MAKING SURE THOSE ARE ALIGNED ESSENTIALLY AND SO IF WE GROW THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND THOSE AREN'T ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE BUDGET, THEN WE'RE OBVIOUSLY GOING TO HAVE TO COME UP WITH THAT MONEY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR REGARDLESS, OR IT'S GOING TO REFLECT AT THE END OF THE YEAR, AND WHEN WE CLOSE OUT THE FISCAL YEAR ANYWAYS, THAT MAY NOT END UP BEING BALANCED, RIGHT? SO WE DO BUDGET FOR THE GROWTH THAT WE EXPECT, RIGHT? WE'RE NOT BUDGETING ON A CURRENT SITUATION. WE'RE BUDGETING ON A GROWTH SITUATION, AND THEN WE ROSTER AND ASSIGN ACCORDING TO THAT.
YEAH. SO IF WE'VE GOT TO BE CAREFUL AND I WAS TALKING ABOUT THIS AS WELL, BUT YOU KNOW, WE GOT TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT OVERSTAFFING.
I MEAN ONE OF, WELL, A COUPLE OF OUR SECONDARY CAMPUSES WHERE THE PROJECTION WAS MUCH HIGHER THAN THAN THE ACTUAL, AND THAT MEANT THAT THERE WAS NO REVENUE ATTACHED TO THE STUDENTS WE WERE EXPECTING, AND THAT HURTS OUR BUDGET BECAUSE WE BUDGETED WE STAFFED BASED ON THOSE PROJECTIONS AND, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S NOT ANYTHING KNOCKING POSITS FOR ANY DEMOGRAPHER TO TRY TO PREDICT HIGH SCHOOL NUMBERS IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT.
YOU KNOW, AT THE SAME LEVEL OF PREDICTABILITY, AND , AND IN THIS YEAR, WE SAW A NUMBER OF OUR SECONDARY CAMPUSES THAT WERE WELL BELOW PROJECTIONS. I MEAN, THE ONLY THING I CAN SPEAK OF AS AN ACTUARY IS THE ONLY GUARANTEE I CAN MAKE IS THAT MY NUMBERS ARE DEMOGRAPHER NUMBERS.
SO I APPRECIATE ALL THAT IN PUTTING THIS TOGETHER IN SUCH SHORT TIME, BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S BEEN A LOT TRYING TO DISCERN, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED ALL FOR MONTHS ABOUT WHAT THIS LEGISLATIVE BILL IS GOING TO BE, AND NOW WE KNOW WHAT IT IS.
YOU KNOW, IT'S ULTIMATELY DISAPPOINTING THE WAY THE STATE HAS ALLOCATED IT DOWN TO US EVENTUALLY.
YOU KNOW, AS WE'VE SAID ALL NIGHT WE HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB OF TAKING CARE OF OUR PEOPLE OVER THE YEARS, AND YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, THE STATE SAW THAT THEY NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THAT OTHER DISTRICTS THAT MAY NOT HAVE DONE THE SAME THEY TOOK CARE OF TEACHERS THAT WAY, TOO, WHICH I'M JUST I'M HAPPY THAT THE TEACHERS ARE GETTING THE RAISES THAT THEY NEED AS WELL BUT OBVIOUSLY WE'RE IT'S JUST A IT'S A CRAPPY SITUATION THAT WE ARE BEING PLACED IN THERE, AND WE'RE GOING TO DO THE BEST THAT WE CAN WITH WHAT WE'RE GIVEN, AND SO THAT'S JUST WHERE WE'RE AT. I THINK STILL ONE SCENARIO I'D STILL LIKE TO, YOU KNOW, STILL CHEWING ON, YOU KNOW, OUR FOUR SCENARIOS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT NOW, BUT YOU KNOW, I'M ALWAYS MINDFUL OF OUR LOWEST WAGE EARNERS IN OUR DISTRICT AND THE DEDICATION AND SERVICE THAT THEY PROVIDE, AND , AND I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO BALANCE THE, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY WHAT AMOUNTS TO $586 FOR EVERYBODY, BUT , YOU KNOW, TRYING TO SEE IF, YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES THAT $586 DO TO OR WE SAW THE BREAKDOWN OF WHAT 1% DOES FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT EARN LESS THAN ESSENTIALLY WHAT $586 WOULD GIVE THEM IN A 1% SCENARIO, AND SO I'D BE CURIOUS WHAT A SCENARIO WHERE WE GIVE EVERYBODY THE MINIMUM OF 586 UP TO 1% INCREASE OR EVEN IF WE WANT TO BALANCE THAT ALL COMPLETELY AND SAY WE GIVE A MINIMUM OF 586 TO EVERYBODY. YEAH.
NO, IT WOULD BE 586 FOR EVERYBODY THEN. SO YEAH, THAT WOULD BE ONE SCENARIO THAT I WOULD BE CURIOUS WHAT THAT COST CHANGE WOULD BE ACROSS THE BOARD, BUT AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR WORK AND PUTTING THIS TOGETHER ON SUCH SHORT NOTICE.
I JUST WISH WE WERE IN A BETTER SITUATION THAT WE'VE BEEN PROVIDED BY THE STATE, SO THANK YOU.
[02:45:08]
MRS. OROSCO. CHRISTINA, CAN YOU GO TO THE SLIDE WHERE IT SAYS 1% AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF COMPENSATION AND YOU HAVE LIKE, CUSTODIAN ALL THE WAY TO THE CHIEFS? OKAY. SO MUCH TO WHAT MR. SEIBEL WAS TALKING ABOUT. LOOKING AT A TIERED APPROACH IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE DONE BEFORE, AND WHAT I WAS THINKING WAS SOMETHING SIMILAR IN THE LINES OF THAT, BUT I WAS LOOKING AT THE BREAKDOWN FOR AFTER LIKE FROM CUSTODIAN TO BUS DRIVER, LOOKING AT 1% FOR THAT THOSE CLASSES AND THEN LOOKING AT 0.5% INCREASE FOR ACCOUNTANT TO CHIEF. BECAUSE WHEN YOU SEE THE NUMBERS, A CUSTODIAN WILL GET THREE 7696, RIGHT, AND THEN IT LIKE DOUBLES FOR IF YOU'RE ON THE ACCOUNTING SIDE.SO TO BALANCE THAT AND TO MAKE IT MORE EQUITABLE, CAN WE LOOK AT WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE AT 1%.
WE HAVE THAT 1% AMOUNT ALREADY, AND WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE FOR 0.5% INCREASE FOR ACCOUNTANT THROUGH CHIEF JUST TO CREATE SOME BALANCE THERE. SO WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE PAY SCALES, WHAT I'M THINKING ABOUT IS 1% FOR OUR AUXILIARY AND PARAPROFESSIONALS AND 1% FOR OUR ONE AND TWO YEAR TEACHERS.
THEN BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT INCLUDED IN THE TEACHER PASTOR, AND SO I'M THINKING THAT MUST MEAN THAT WE WOULD DO A POINT FIVE FOR THE BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS AND THOSE ON THE ACADEMIC PROFESSIONAL SCALE, AND DOES THAT SOUND LIKE A FAIR WAY TO BREAK IT OUT? YEAH, THAT MAKES SENSE AND I'M NOT EVEN OPPOSED TO INCLUDING TEACHERS THAT ARE 1 TO 2 YEARS AT THAT 0.5, JUST LIKE WE HAVE BEEN VERY STRATEGIC WITH OUR SALARY SCHEDULE IN MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE NOT OVEREMPHASIZING YEAR 0 TO 5, RIGHT. BECAUSE IN THE PAST, THAT'S WHERE WE SAW THAT WE'RE PUTTING ALL OUR MONEY IN THOSE EARLY YEARS, AND THOSE TEACHERS WOULD LEAVE OUR DISTRICT HAVING OVER $20,000 WORTH OF PD TRAINING, AND WE WERE NOT REALIZING THAT.
THAT'S WHY WE MADE THAT STRATEGIC SHIFT ON THE SALARY SCHEDULE TO PAY MORE IN THE MIDDLE, AND , YOU KNOW, TOWARDS THE END. SO I'M NOT OPPOSED TO THAT EITHER.
1% FOR AUXILIARY AND PARAPROFESSIONALS AND BUS DRIVERS.
RIGHT, AND THEN WE DO POINT 5% FOR THE ONE AND TWO YEAR TEACHERS AND FOR OUR BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS AND ACADEMIC PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND WHATEVER WOULD BE EASIER.
IF IT'S EASIER TO DO TEACHERS AT 1%. I'M NOT SAYING I'M NOT SPEAKING FOR THE BOARD, I'M JUST SAYING I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, JUST TO HAVE A MORE EQUITABLE APPROACH AT COMPENSATION, AND WE HAVE BEEN CREATED BEFORE.
SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE REALLY GOOD TO DO. NOW, CAN YOU MOVE UP TO PAGE FOUR, THE EMPLOYEE FRIENDLY STRATEGIES? OKAY. SO RIGHT HERE, MR. VELA BROUGHT A REALLY GOOD POINT UP WHEN HE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE MADE THESE DECISIONS, WE THOUGHT WE HAD A BETTER FORECAST.
YOU KNOW, THAT WAS OUR REMEDY AND THAT WAS BASED ON A GRIEVANCE.
SO A LOT OF THAT WAS DECIDED THROUGH OUR GRIEVANCE AS A BOARD.
SO I JUST WANT TO PUT THAT OUT THERE AS WELL, THAT IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAD AS A REMEDY FOR THAT.
NEXT QUESTION I HAVE IS NOT RELATED TO THIS, BUT IF MR. SEIBEL CAN CAPTURE THIS, IF YOU DON'T KNOW THIS OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD IS HOW MUCH DID WE LOSE BECAUSE OF OVERSTAFFING IN THE SECONDARY LEVEL? AND YOU CAN SHARE THAT LATER, AND MR. SEIBEL WILL CAPTURE IT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I'M HEARING AND I KNOW THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WE HEARD ABOUT THE OVERSTAFFING IN SECONDARY AND NOT REALIZING THE NUMBERS THAT WERE PROJECTED.
SO BASED ON THAT OVERSTAFFING, WHAT DID IT COST? RIGHT? SURE. OKAY, AND THEN IF YOU CAN AND OKAY.
SO UNDER BUDGET ASSUMPTIONS FOR PAYROLL. YOU KNOW, THESE ARE THE BUDGET ASSUMPTIONS.
WE HAVE NO CHANGES TO STIPENDS OTHER THAN THE PRE-APPROVED SPED CLASSROOM TEACHER ADJUSTMENTS.
[02:50:05]
THE COMMITMENT WE HAD TO LOOKING AT STIPENDS.SO THAT HAS DEFINITELY BEEN ONE OF OUR PRIORITIES AS A BOARD, BUT UNDERSTANDING WHERE WE ARE AT IN OUR FINANCIAL SITUATION, I THINK IT'S SO CRITICAL THAT WE DO LEVERAGE THAT $1.3 MILLION TO HAVE A BIGGER IMPACT ON MOST EMPLOYEES, ALL EMPLOYEES, INSTEAD OF JUST GROUPS OF EMPLOYEES, AND THAT'S WHAT STIPENDS DOES, RIGHT? IT'S NOT GOING TO IMPACT. SO I THINK THAT'S A GREAT APPROACH TO LEVERAGE OUR MONEY IS MAKING SURE THAT WE THAT WE FOCUS ON THAT, AND I KNOW THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE BEEN COMMITTED TO STIPENDS AND PHASING THEM IN, BECAUSE IT DOES COST A LOT OF MONEY TO MAKE THESE ADJUSTMENTS, AND USUALLY WE ARE OVER, OVER MARKET ON SOME STIPENDS, SOME STIPENDS.
WE'RE NOT BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING COMPARABLE OUT THERE.
WE HAVE SPECIFIC STIPENDS THAT WE GIVE OUT AND NOBODY ELSE IS DOING THAT RIGHT.
I AM DEFINITELY ON BOARD WITH LEVERAGING OUR MONEY TO IMPACT ALL EMPLOYEES AND NOT JUST GROUPS OF EMPLOYEES, BUT MAYBE LOOKING AT A PLAN FOR ONCE WE HAVE MORE FUND BALANCE DR.
WRIGHT LOOKING AT THAT. MAYBE THAT'S THREE YEARS FROM NOW WHERE WE ARE AT THE 25% LEVEL, RIGHT? MAYBE IT'S FIVE YEARS, AND MAYBE THAT'S WHEN WE CAN REALLY DIG A LITTLE BIT DEEPER AND I DON'T WANT TO WAIT 3 TO 5 YEARS.
I'M JUST SAYING WE NEED TO BE REALISTIC, BECAUSE I AM ALL ABOUT AND I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SINCE 2016, BEING UNION PRESIDENT FOR SEVEN YEARS, I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT LET'S DO THE COMPENSATION, LET'S DO 7%, LET'S DO THE INSURANCE, LET'S DO ALL OF THESE THINGS.
I'M ALL ABOUT THAT LIFE, BUT I KNOW WHERE WE'RE AT, AND IT HURTS.
IT HURTS THAT WE CANNOT DO THOSE THINGS. SO DEFINITELY I UNDERSTAND PUTTING A PIN ON THE STIPENDS, BUT COMING BACK TO THEM WHEN WE'RE IN A BETTER FINANCIAL SITUATION AND PHASING THOSE IN, I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE A REALLY IMPORTANT THING.
CAN YOU TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS YOUR DEPARTMENT OR MARIVEL'S.
THERE'S SOME OVERLAP THERE, BUT TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE OUTREACH WE HAVE DONE FOR THOSE ENROLLMENT NUMBERS, BECAUSE WE'RE BASING THE PRE-K AND THE KINDERGARTEN STAFFING BASED ON ENROLLMENT THAT WE HAVE AS OF TODAY.
THAT'S A LITTLE SCARY THAT WE'RE DOING THAT. WE HAVE HAD A PRE-K FAIR AS WELL ATTENDED, BUT WHAT OTHER OUTREACH ARE WE DOING, AND WHAT OUTREACH ARE THE CAMPUSES DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET TO KEEP THEIR STAFFING BECAUSE THEY'RE OUT MAKING SURE TO CONTACT THOSE CHILDREN, THOSE STUDENTS THAT WERE IN PRE-K CONTACT.
YOU'RE COMING TO KINDE, RIGHT, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE OUTREACHING TO OUR FAMILIES.
THAT'S GOING TO BE A HUGE PIECE. USUALLY OUR FAMILIES WAIT TO ENROLL VERY LATE IN THE GAME, BUT THIS REALLY IS A DIFFERENT WORLD, RIGHT? WE REALLY NEED TO KNOW WHAT THAT STAFFING IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER IT HERE. WE CAN. MR. SEIEBL IS GOING TO CAPTURE THAT ABOUT THE OUTREACH THAT WE ARE DOING, AND HOW WE CAN REALLY HAVE A SENSE OF URGENCY BEHIND THAT OUTREACH, AND AGAIN, IT'S GOING TO GO ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE CAMPUS LEVEL.
I KNOW I TALKED TO SOME CAMINO REAL TEACHERS AT THE PRE-K FAIR THAT WERE SAYING THEY WERE ACTUALLY WALKING NEIGHBORHOODS AND TAKING LAPTOPS TO REGISTER STUDENTS. SO WHO ELSE IS DOING THAT? WHAT ARE WE DOING TO MAKE SURE? SO IF YOU CAN JUST ANSWER THAT LATER BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S LATE THAT'S GOING TO BE A HUGE PIECE THAT OUTREACH.
OKAY. ALSO, ON THE 23 TO 1, AGAIN, I HAVE BEEN OPPOSED TO INCREASES IN OUR CLASS RATIO. RIGHT. I'M ALL ABOUT 18 TO 1.
YOU KNOW, WE ALMOST MADE IT A LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY AT ONE POINT TO DO 18 TO 1, BUT BEING REALISTIC IN WHERE WE ARE NOW IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT STORY, BECAUSE IT IS. WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE DATA AND WE HAVE TO SEE WHAT IT SAYS AND WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT HERE.
CAN YOU GO TO THAT STRATEGY OF THE 23 TO 1? I ALWAYS TAKE PAUSE WHENEVER IT'S LIKE, OH, INCREASING THOSE NUMBERS 23 TO 1 AND I WAS FREAKED OUT WHEN I SAW IT, BUT LOOKING AT THE DATA AND SEEING THAT ONLY 20 HIT THAT THRESHOLD OF 23 TO 1 IN 23-24, ONLY SEVEN WERE AT 23 TO 1 MEETING THAT THRESHOLD IN
[02:55:03]
24-25, RIGHT, 20 TOTAL, BUT SEVEN WERE 23 TO 1, WHICH WOULD CALL FOR A WAIVER.THE OTHER 13 WOULD CALL FOR THAT INCENTIVE PIECE.
I THINK THAT'S HUGE. WE NEED TO LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS.
SO I KNOW IT SOUNDS PRETTY AND GREAT TO SAY WE'RE OPPOSING WAIVERS AND EVERYTHING BECAUSE I'VE ALWAYS OPPOSED THEM AND I'M ALL ABOUT THAT LIFE, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, THIS TRULY CAN BE A COST SAVING MEASURE THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAVE A HUGE, DRASTIC IMPACT. NOW, AS A FORMER CLASSROOM TEACHER, I HAD A WAIVER IN MY CLASSROOM ONE YEAR AND YOU KNOW, I WAS GOOD. WE DEALT WITH IT. IT WAS GREAT. BEING STRATEGIC ABOUT HOW YOU PLACE THOSE STUDENTS IS GOING TO BE CRITICAL, BECAUSE IF I ALREADY HAVE MAYBE TEN HIGH NEED STUDENTS, AND DEFINITELY EVEN THOUGH I VOLUNTEERED, AND I KNOW YOU ALREADY HAVE GUARDRAILS TO ENSURE THAT IS TAKEN CARE OF.
WELL, THIS WAS THE IMPACT LAST YEAR. IT WAS ONLY SEVEN THAT WERE IMPACTED OR 20 CLASSES AND THIS IS WHAT WE DID TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD SPECIFIC TEACHERS THAT WERE THERE, MASTER TEACHERS, TIA, AND, YOU KNOW, CERTIFIED TEACHERS THAT WERE LIKE AT THE MASTER LEVEL OR WHAT HAVE YOU. SO THOSE ARE IMPORTANT PIECES AND VARIABLES THAT WE NEED TO KEEP SHARING AND NOT JUST THINK, YOU KNOW, IT'S 23 TO 1 AND IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD.
I LOVED MY BABIES AND I LOVED HAVING A WAIVER FOR MY KID.
SO PROS AND CONS TO EVERYTHING. I'VE BEEN ON BOTH SIDES OF IT AS A TEACHER AND AS A PARENT.
DR. WRIGHT, TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS.
OKAY. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INSURANCE AND THE $39 AND EVERYTHING.
WE KNEW THIS WAS HAPPENING. DR. WRIGHT HAD A FABULOUS IDEA IN 2019, REALLY OF GOING TO LOOKING AT INSURANCE SOME OTHER WAY.
SO WE ACTUALLY ADOPTED AS A BOARD ON JANUARY 27TH, 2020, WE ADOPTED A DOY AMENDMENT TO ADDRESS THIS.
SO TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED, BECAUSE YOU WERE ALL ABOUT ABOUT IT, AND YOU'RE LIKE, I'LL BE THE GUINEA PIG BECAUSE YOU JUST NEED ONE PERSON TO STAY IN THE SYSTEM AND WE'RE GOING TO GO LOOK AT GOING SELF-FUNDED.
WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT CO-OPS. WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT ALL THIS.
RIGHT, AND TRS SAYS ONCE YOU DROP, IT'S FIVE YEARS.
I REPRESENTED THE UNION IN OUR INSURANCE RIGHT, AND JOINING TRS, AND AT THAT TIME, WE WERE PRESSURED INTO MAKING THAT DECISION OF GOING WITH HUMANA BECAUSE WE HAD HUMANA, BUT THEY WERE INCREASING OR GOING WITH TRS, AND THAT WAS A BIG DECISION, AND I REALLY THINKING BACK, I REALLY WISH WE WOULD HAVE MORE TIME TO KIND OF TALK IT THROUGH BEFORE WE MADE THAT JUMP, BECAUSE ONCE YOU'RE IN TRS, YOU'RE IN TRS, RIGHT.
YEAH. SO, SO HISTORICALLY WE WANTED TO SEE IF WE COULD SAVE MONEY AND PROVIDE BETTER HEALTH CARE COVERAGE FOR OUR EMPLOYEES, AND SO WE, WE AT THAT TIME, TRS ALLOWED YOU TO REMAIN A MEMBER OF TRS AND YOU COULD BE SELF-FUNDED, AND SO WE WENT OUT AND UTILIZED A BROKER FOR BETTER TERMS AND THEY THEY SOLICITED THROUGH RFQS, AND WE CAME UP WITH A PROGRAM AND IT WAS LOWER COST FOR THE EMPLOYEE.
THERE WAS A NO DEDUCTIBLE IF YOU USED IN-NETWORK SERVICES.
SO MANY OF OUR, ESPECIALLY OUR LOWER WAGE EARNERS WERE ABLE TO GET THE, THE, GET THE MEDICAL ATTENTION THAT THEY NEEDED AND GOT LOTS OF GREAT FEEDBACK, BUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NEXT YEAR.
THE LEGISLATURE MET AND DECIDED THAT YOU HAD TO GO ALL IN OR ALL OUT AND FOR THAT FIVE YEAR PERIOD, AND SO WE HADN'T EVEN BEEN ABLE TO ANALYZE WHAT OUR PROFIT OR LOSS WAS FOR THAT PARTICULAR PROGRAM,
[03:00:01]
AND SO WE JUST DECIDED TO BE CONSERVATIVE AND MAKE THE DECISION TO GO BACK TO TRS JUST BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY NET.TO JEFF'S POINT, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T KNOW REALLY THE RISK THAT'S INVOLVED, AND WE DIDN'T WANT TO WE DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE ON THAT RISK WITHOUT FURTHER STUDY, AND SO OUR GOAL WAS TO GET BACK INTO TRS BUT THEN TRY TO FIND A CO-OP OF I'VE TALKED TO REGION 13 SUPERINTENDENTS AND, AND THEY'RE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT AND THEY, THEY WANT TO HAVE A POINT PERSON.
JUST STUDY WHAT THE POTENTIAL OPTIONS ARE TO SEE IF IT WOULD BE MORE AFFORDABLE, AND SO RANDY AND I WERE ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT THAT BEFORE HE MADE HIS DECISION TO GO ELSEWHERE. SO IT'S STILL ON THE TABLE, AND IT'S SOMETHING HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO STUDY AND BRING YOU BACK SOME NUMBERS IN THE FUTURE, AND BUT IT'S GOING TO THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN BRING DOWN THOSE COSTS IS TO HAVE NUMBERS, AND SO THAT CO-OP APPROACH AND HAVING MORE THAN ONE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS GOING TO BE IMPORTANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT.
SO WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT IT. OKAY, GREAT, AND IT'S NOT GOING TO BE LIKE FIVE YEARS LATER, RIGHT? YOU'RE GOING TO MOVE. YOU'RE GOING TO BRING THAT SOONER THAN LATER SINCE THESE COSTS KEEP INCREASING.
RIGHT? IT'S JUST GOING TO GET WORSE AND WORSE, AND YOU HAD THAT FORESIGHT TO BRING THAT TO US.
RIGHT, AND MISS PETREA, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING UP THE COST SHARING PIECE FOR THE INSURANCE.
I LIKE THAT IDEA OF COST SHARING, BECAUSE, AGAIN, I'M ALL ABOUT ZERO COST INSURANCE.
I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO OUR EMPLOYEES, BUT I'M NOT BEING IN THE FINANCIAL SITUATION WE ARE.
I AM NOT OPPOSED TO DOING A COST SHARING PIECE ON THAT $39 .
MAYBE WE CANNOT AFFORD ALL $39, BUT MAYBE WE CAN DO HALF OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT.
SO MAYBE WE CAN SEE WHAT THOSE NUMBERS LOOK LIKE FOR US.
THAT IS ALL I HAVE RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR ALL THIS INFORMATION.
SO I THINK AS WE GET THOSE ANSWERS AND HAVE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE VIEW OF WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH, IT'S GOING TO HELP US MAKE A SOUND DECISION COME TIME.
RIGHT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. AWESOME. ALL RIGHT.
WE ARE GETTING CLOSE TO THE END HERE. I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR MR. SEIBEL. IF YOU COULD MAYBE TAKE THIS DOWN. OUT OF THE 165 VACANCIES THAT WE HAVE, I KNOW WE HAVE SOME OF THOSE VACANCIES THAT WE HAVE TO FUND THAT WE JUST HAVE TO DO, AND I THINK THERE'S ALSO SOME THAT ARE PROBABLY PRIORITY VACANCIES THAT WE WANT TO TAKE CARE OF, BUT THERE MIGHT BE SOME THAT I LIKE TO LOOK AT IF THEY'RE OVER A YEAR OLD, IF THERE'S SOME THAT WE CAN JUST TAKE OUT ALTOGETHER WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE THAT WOULD BE GREAT. THIS IS THIS IS NOT EASY. THIS IS A PRETTY SMART TEAM.
A LOT OF GOOD QUESTIONS TONIGHT. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT WE STRATEGICALLY HAD THIS MEETING AFTER THE LEDGE FINISHED UP, SO WE COULD HAVE THE MOST ACCURATE INFORMATION EVEN MS. CORSON, I APPRECIATE YOU STAYING WORKING LATE YESTERDAY, PUTTING THIS TOGETHER WITH THE NEWEST INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE. SO I KNOW WE'RE KIND OF UP AGAINST, YOU KNOW, OUR BUDGET SEASON.
I KNOW THAT WE'RE WORKING TOMORROW WITH ALL THESE QUESTIONS.
[F. UPCOMING BOARD MEETINGS]
MIGHT BE A HEAVY DAY TO KIND OF TRY TO GET SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS ANSWERED AHEAD OF OUR TUESDAY, JUNE 10TH MEETING, WHERE WE CAN KIND OF OUR FIRST BLUSH AT MAYBE SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS BEING ANSWERED TO POSSIBLY TAKE A LOOK AT WAYS TO, TO CLOSE THE GAP, ESPECIALLY IN THE HEALTH CARE MAYBE FOR SCENARIO A, I MEAN, EVEN SCENARIO A AT 574 BUT IF WE DON'T PAY FOR THE INSURANCE, THAT'S 484. THAT'S STILL $118 NET POSITIVE FOR EVERYBODY WITHOUT DOING ANY CUTS, BUT I APPRECIATE BRINGING THE WAIVER, THE SCENARIO TO US, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO, BASED ON OUR QUESTIONS TONIGHT, IF THERE'S ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO MAYBE PAY FOR THAT $39 WITH SOME OF OUR VERY CREATIVE IDEAS THAT WE CAME UP WITH TONIGHT.I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S POSSIBLE, BUT MAYBE WE CAN LOOK AT THAT. I'D APPRECIATE THAT, AND THEN WE HAVE A WEEK BETWEEN THE 24TH MEETING, WHICH IS OUR THE WE'RE SUPPOSED TO VOTE ON OUR BUDGET IS ON THE 24TH MEETING.
I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE ENOUGH TIME BETWEEN NOW AND THEN TO GET SOME SCENARIOS THAT WE CAN KIND OF FOLLOW ON THAT KIND OF MAKE SENSE FOR US, BUT JUST SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO PANIC IF SOMETHING COMES UP ON THE 24TH AND WE'RE NOT READY, THEN WE COULD PUSH OFF AND MAYBE DO A MEETING THE NEXT WEEK, A SPECIAL MEETING TO FINISH IT UP IF WE NEED TO BY THE 30TH.
I MEAN, AND WE GET SLI INVOLVED IN THERE, BUT SO THAT'S KIND OF JUST AN OLIVE BRANCH.
LIKE, I DON'T WANT TO DO THAT OTHER MEETING. SO MAYBE THE BETTER WE CAN KIND OF GET THESE SCENARIOS TOGETHER, THE FASTER. I MEAN, IT'S TEAM THIS SIDE. IT'S TEAM THIS SIDE.
WE'RE AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS, BUT I THINK WOULD BE GREAT.
[03:05:01]
OKAY, TEAM, IF THERE'S NOTHING ELSE--OH, YES, MR. VELA, GO AHEAD. YEAH. THANK YOU FOR A GOOD RECAP THERE.I JUST I ALSO WANT TO I KNOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS YEAR'S BUDGET OR THIS UPCOMING YEAR'S BUDGET, BUT I KNOW IN THE PAST, LIKE, MISS PETREA AND A FEW OTHERS HAVE MENTIONED, JUST KIND OF THAT BUDGET CYCLE, THE BUDGET TALKS ESPECIALLY WITH OUR NEW INCOMING CHIEF.
WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TO REALLY BE MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE IN OUR BUDGET PLANNING? SO THAT'S JUST REMINDING US OF QUESTIONS THAT HAVE COME UP IN THE PAST THAT WE'LL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT FOR NEXT YEAR'S CYCLE.
YEAH. THANKS FOR BRINGING THAT UP. YOU KNOW, NEXT YEAR WON'T BE A LEGISLATIVE YEAR. SO I THINK WE MIGHT HAVE SOME OPPORTUNITY TO BE MORE FLEXIBLE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO GET THESE THINGS A LITTLE BIT FASTER. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT GOING FORWARD. THANKS FOR ALL. ALL RIGHT. IF THERE'S NO FURTHER OBJECTIONS, WE'RE GOING TO BE ADJOURNED TONIGHT AT 9:28 P.M..
THANKS, TEAM. APPRECIATE IT.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.