[00:00:01]
[3. Call Meeting to Order]
EVERYONE.ARE WE READY? YOU GOT IT, GUYS.
UH, TODAY'S MEETING IS A BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING.
UM, AND SO NOW WE'LL CALL IT TO ORDER.
THE TIME IS NOW 5:38 PM WE ARE LOCATED AT THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, UH, LOCATED HERE AT 4 22 SOUTH CENTER AVENUE, UH, LANCASTER, TEXAS.
THIS MEETING HAS BEEN POSTED IN ACCORDANCE, UH, WITH THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT.
I WILL NOW TAKE ROLE, HAVE EVERYONE STATE THEIR NAME, SO IF EVERYONE WILL STATE THEIR NAME.
CAROLYN MORRIS, MARION HAMILTON, TY G JONES.
AND SO NOW I THINK WE'RE READY TO BEGIN.
UH, MR. GARRISON, ANY CITIZENS COMMUNICATION? CITIZEN? OH, I'M SORRY.
SO DID WE HAVE ANY CITIZENS COMMUNICATION? NO, SIR.
[6. Topics for Discussion - Todd Garrison, Presenter]
SORRY.AND AS, AS STATED, UH, WE'RE HERE FOR THE BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING.
UMD LIKE TO START, UH, THIS EVENING BY WELCOMING EVERYONE AGAIN, ESPECIALLY OUR COMMUNITY GUESTS THAT HAVE JOINED US.
WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE THIS EVENING.
UM, I'M GONNA GO OVER, UH, OUR SPRING, UH, BUDGET COMMITTEE AND, AND GO OVER AND JUST REVIEW A FEW THINGS.
THERE'LL DEFINITELY BE SOME TIMES FOR, UH, QUESTION AND ANSWER AT THE END, BUT IF THERE'S SOMETHING ALONG THE WAY THAT WE WANT TO STOP AND DISCUSS, WE CAN CERTAINLY DO THAT AS WELL.
WE'LL JUMP RIGHT IN, AND WE'LL START WITH, UH, THE FISCAL ROLES OF THE BOARD, UH, AND, AND WHAT THE, WHAT THE PURPOSE IS IN THE BUDGET PROCESS.
UH, THE MAIN, THE MAIN GOALS AND, AND ROLES OF THE BOARD IN THE FISCAL PROCESS IS TO, UH, APPROVE A CALENDAR.
OUR, OUR CALENDAR FOR THE BUDGET PRESENTATION, UH, WILL, AND WE'LL GO INTO THIS MORE DETAIL AT THE END.
UH, WE'LL, WE'LL END WITH SOME CALENDAR DATES IN MIND.
SO YOU CAN SEE THE SPECIFIC DATES OF WHEN WE'RE GOING TO REVIEW A BUDGET, ADOPT A TAX RATE, ADOPT A BUDGET, UH, AND, AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
BUT THAT'S A, THAT'S ONE OF THE BIG ROLES OF THE BOARD.
UH, EXAMINE BUDGET ASSUMPTIONS, BUDGET GUIDELINES.
UH, BASICALLY LOOK AT THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING TO, UM, DEVELOP OUR BUDGET.
HOW ARE WE, WHERE, WHERE DO WE COME UP WITH OUR BUDGET? WHERE DO WE COME UP WITH THE NUMBERS? HOW DO, HOW DO WE DERIVE THOSE? UM, HOLD PUBLIC HEARINGS, UH, SUCH AS THIS? AGAIN, UH, WE DO A FIRST REPORT, AUDIT REPORT, UH, TAX RATE.
UH, WE HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING FOR OUR BUDGET BEFORE IT'S ADOPTED.
UH, THAT'S ANOTHER IMPORTANT ROLE OF THE BOARD.
AND THEN TO ADOPT AND APPROVE A TAX RATE, UH, AT THE FUNCTION LEVEL.
AND THEN MONTHLY, WE MEET, UH, AS A BOARD TO MONITOR.
WE DO A FISCAL REPORT EVERY MONTH.
UM, THAT'S A PART OF OUR, UH, MONTHLY MEETING IS JUST TO REVIEW WHERE WE ARE FINANCIALLY IN OUR BUDGET.
AND THEN FINALLY TO HIRE AN INDEPENDENT AUDITOR TO AUDIT OUR BOOKS IN OUR, IN OUR BUDGET.
AND WE TYPICALLY DO THAT DECEMBER AND APPROVE THAT IN JANUARY.
SO, WITH THAT SAID, I'M GONNA JUMP IN AND START WITH A LITTLE BIT OF A, A HISTORY OF WHERE WE ARE AND HOW WE'VE GOTTEN TO WHERE WE'RE AT.
UM, THIS IS, IF YOU AS BOARD MEMBERS, AND ESPECIALLY WITH, UH, THE CABINET HERE, YOU GUYS HAVE SEEN THIS SLIDE BEFORE, BUT JUST A HISTORICAL, UH, UH, OF OUR VALUES OF THE DISTRICT AND HOW MUCH IT'S GROWN.
GOING BACK TO 2017 18, UH, THE CERTIFIED VALUES, THERE WE'RE JUST A LITTLE OVER $2 BILLION CURRENTLY, UH, WE'VE, WE'VE INCREASED ALMOST 2 BILLION SINCE, UH, 17, 18.
UH, THE DIFFERENCE HERE IN YOUR CERTIFIED VALUES AND YOUR COMPTROLLER T2 VALUES.
SO YOUR CERTIFIED VALUES ARE THE VALUES OF THE PROPERTY WITHIN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AS DETERMINED BY THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT.
UH, WE TYPICALLY GET THAT, UH, FROM THEM.
WE GET, WE'RE ABOUT TO GET AN UPDATE IN APRIL.
THEY SEND US PRELIMINARY VALUES FOR THIS COMING YEAR.
UH, AND THAT WILL BE THE FIRST START OF DEVELOPING OUR BUDGET FOR THE COMING YEAR.
UH, THOSE WILL BE FINALIZED IN JAN, UH, I'M SORRY, JULY, END OF JULY.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'LL ACTUALLY BUILD OUR BUDGET ON, IS WHAT THOSE VALUES ARE.
AND THEN THE T2 COMPTROLLER VALUE COMES FROM THE STATE, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THOSE NUMBERS ARE ALL PRETTY SIMILAR.
IT SAYS THAT DALLAS COUNTY DOES A PRETTY GOOD JOB OF ESTIMATING OUR, YOU KNOW, THE VALUES IN OUR AREA.
I CAN TELL YOU FROM BEING IN OTHER DISTRICTS, THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE.
AND IT'S A HUGE FINANCIAL PROBLEM, AND IT'S A BURDEN TO TRY TO BUDGET WHEN THOSE NUMBERS ARE NOT CONGRUENT.
AND SO, UM, THE, THAT'S A GOOD THING FOR US.
[00:05:01]
FROM THIS SLIDE IS THAT YOU CAN, AS YOU SEE THAT OUR VALUES HAVE GROWN, WE'RE FUNDED MORE LOCALLY THAN FROM THE STATE.AS THOSE VALUES GROW, UH, WE GET A LOT OF OUR TAX DOLLARS TO RUN THE SCHOOL FROM, FROM OUR LOCAL TAXES AND THE PROPERTY VALUES HERE.
UM, AND VISITING WITH THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT, UH, HAD A, UM, WEBINAR WITH THEM, UH, TEAMS MEETING, UH, THE EARLIER THIS MONTH.
AND THEY EXPECT THOSE VALUES TO GROW BY ABOUT 10%.
AGAIN, I COULD BELABOR A LOT OF THESE SLIDES FOR, FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
BUT THIS, THIS ALSO SPEAKS TO, UM, THE, THE VALUES BEING HIGHER, UH, US BEING FUNDED MORE LOCALLY, WHILE THE STATE HAS MORE MONEY, THEY'VE, THEY'VE PUSHED THIS ON US, BUT ALSO IT'S ALSO, YOU SEE THAT COMPRESSED RATE, OUR MAXIMUM COMPRESS RATE ON OUR TAX RATE GOING DOWN.
AND WE'LL SPEAK TO THAT ON THE NEXT SLIDE HERE.
SO THIS IS OUR TAX RATE AND HOW, UH, THE RATES THAT WE USE TO FUND.
NOW THESE, THESE FUND OFF OF THE VALUES WE JUST SAW IN THE PREVIOUS SLIDE.
SO WE'RE GONNA TAKE OUR, OUR VALUES OF OUR DISTRICT, AND WE'RE GONNA USE THESE TAX RATES TO APPLY THOSE TO GET OUR LOCAL REVENUE.
UH, YOU CAN SEE GOING BACK TO 2016, OUR TOTAL TAX RATE WAS A DOLLAR AND 54 CENTS.
UM, I'VE GOT THOSE BROKEN OUT THERE FOR YOU ON, UH, MAINTENANCE AND OP M OS, MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION, THAT'S BASICALLY ALL THE OPERATIONAL PIECES OF OUR DISTRICT.
ANYTHING THAT WE DO TO FUNCTION AS A DISTRICT, UH, NOT JUST MAINTENANCE.
ALL OF OUR SALARIES, ALL OF OUR PURCHASES SUPPLIES COME OUT OF THAT, UH, M AND O BUDGET.
THE IN NS BUDGET IS SIMPLY, UM, OUR DEBT SERVICE, ANYTHING THAT WE'VE GOT, UH, BOND, BOND WISE THAT WE'VE WE'RE PAYING BACK, UH, DEBT SERVICE.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT BOTH OF THOSE HAVE DROPPED, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY FROM 16 TO 22.
UH, OUR CURRENT TAX RATE FOR THE, FOR THIS, UH, CURRENT FISCAL YEAR IS A DOLLAR 40, A LITTLE OVER A DOLLAR 47 OF THAT, THE M AND O COMPRISES A DO, UH, A DOLLAR AND 3 CENTS.
AND THE I NS RATE AT 43, UH, JUST UNDER 43 CENTS OR JUST OVER 43 CENTS.
THIS, I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THAT M AND O RATE, THAT'S THE MAXIMUM COMPRESSED RATE FOR THE STATE.
UM, THE STATE SETS THAT WE GET, THAT, I'LL, I'LL REVISIT THIS IN A LATER SLIDE, BUT, UH, THAT NOW IS, UH, BASED ON OUR PROPERTY VALUE GROWTH.
IT GOES TO THE STATE TA SENDS US A RATE, THEY SET A MINIMUM RATE AND A MAXIMUM RATE FOR EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE STATE.
AND BECAUSE OF THE GROWTH IN OUR VALUES, WE HAVE THE LOWEST POSSIBLE RATE, UH, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE TRE THAT WAS PASSED.
AND THAT GIVES US SOME EXTRA PENNIES.
OKAY? SO GIVING YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, OUR TAX RATE AND HOW THAT'S DERIVED.
UH, PUTTING OUR BUDGET TOGETHER, THESE ARE THE MAIN COMPONENTS OF PUTTING OUR BUDGET TOGETHER.
AND THIS IS ACTUALLY WHAT WE USED, UH, THIS PAST YEAR TO PUT OUR BUDGET TOGETHER.
UH, WE PROJECTED AN ENROLLMENT OF 7,100.
UM, WE, UH, WITH AN ATTENDANCE RATE OF 94%, AND THAT GIVES US A REFINED ADA OF 66 85.
UH, WE ANTICIPATE A HUNDRED PERCENT COLLECTION AND PROPERTY TAX RATE, UH, BETWEEN WHAT WE COLLECT IN CURRENT YEAR AND PREVIOUS YEARS.
WE WERE ALWAYS GONNA BE REAL CLOSE TO THAT A HUNDRED PERCENT.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE BUDGETED FOR.
AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THERE ARE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS.
AND, UH, OVERALL, UH, THE SYNCING RATE, SAME FROM THE SAME, UH, THE PREVIOUS PAGE, YOU'VE GOT DALLAS COUNTY APPRAISAL, UH, VALUES.
SO THAT DALLAS COUNTY APPRAISAL VALUE, THAT'S WHAT THEY SENT US IN JULY.
WE HAD TO ESTIMATE THE T2 VALUE AT THE TIME THAT THIS SLIDE WAS PUT TOGETHER WHEN WE'RE DOING OUR BUDGET AT 4.1.
AND THEN WE RECEIVED THAT IN JANUARY.
AND THAT'S THE ACTUAL VALUE THERE IS 4.3 BILLION.
I THINK THAT THE THING TO NOTE HERE, THAT THREE DRIVING FORCES ARE THOSE, AGAIN, THE PROPERTY VALUE, YOUR ENROLLMENT AND YOUR ATTENDANCE RATE ARE HUGE FACTORS IN PUTTING YOUR BUDGET TOGETHER.
SO THIS IS THE BUDGET THAT WAS ADOPTED FOR THE 2223 YEAR, BASED ON, AGAIN, THIS DATA TO PUT THIS BUDGET TOGETHER.
YOU CAN SEE THERE, UM, THE BOARD ADOPTS THIS, UH, BUDGET AT THE FUNCTION LEVEL.
THOSE FUNCTION NUMBERS ON THE, UH, FAR LEFT, 11, 12, 13, 21 20.
THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE LEVEL AT WHICH WE, UH, ADOPT OUR BUDGET.
THE TOP PORTION THERE IS THE REVENUE THAT WE ANTICIPATE.
UH, YOU CAN SEE THERE, 40 MILLION, A LITTLE OVER 40 MILLION LOCAL 33 STATE, AND THEN A LITTLE BIT OF FEDERAL DOLLARS.
AND THEN THAT, UH, EVERYTHING UNDER THAT ARE EX ANTICIPATED EXP EXPENSES.
UH, AGAIN, BY FUNCTION CATEGORY MAINTENANCE, UH, YOU KNOW, THIS IS AGAIN, UH, INSTRUCTION CURRICULUM.
THIS INCLUDES NOT ONLY SUPPLIES, BUT SALARIES, EVERYTHING IN THERE.
AND SO WE, WE DID THIS AS AN, UH, AS A, A BALANCED BUDGET WHERE WE ANTICIPATED THAT OUR REVENUES WOULD EQUAL OUR EXPENDITURES AND WE WOULD HAVE A, UM, YOU KNOW, A FLAT BUDGET.
UH, WE ALSO ADOPTED CHILD NUTRITION BUDGET AND A DEBT SERVICE BUDGET.
UH, WE, WE ANTICIPATE THAT WE'LL BRING IN A LITTLE MORE MONEY AND CHILD NUTRITION THAN WHAT WE SPEND.
AND THEN ALL OF OUR DEBT SERVICE, UH, AGAIN, IS GENERATED BY OUR INS RATE OF LITTLE OVER 43 CENTS.
AND ALL OF THAT MONEY IS APPLIED TO DEBT.
AND ACTUALLY WE'RE ABLE TO PAY DOWN SOME OF OUR DEBT AND SAVE THE, OUR
[00:10:01]
TAXPAYERS A LITTLE BIT OF INTEREST AS WELL.SO THIS GETS US TO WHERE, WHERE ARE WE AT TODAY? SO THAT'S, THAT'S HOW WE DERIVED OUR BUDGET, UM, A SNAPSHOT OF THE BUDGET WE ADOPTED.
AND THEN THIS SLIDE HERE SHOWS US, AND THIS IS ACTUALLY THE BOARD REPORT.
UH, THIS IS OUR, UH, GENERAL FUND STANDING THAT WILL BE ON OUR BOARD REPORT TOMORROW FOR OUR FINANCIALS.
WE'RE ABOUT SIX MONTHS, OR WE'RE SIX MONTHS INTO A 12 MONTH FISCAL CALENDAR.
SO WE'RE ABOUT 50% THROUGH THERE.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK OVER THAT YEAR TO DATE, CALENDAR OR, UH, COLUMN, UH, ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE COLUMNS OVER ALL OF THOSE, YOU SEE ALL THOSE NUMBERS HOVERING RIGHT AROUND THAT 50% MARK.
SO THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD INDICATOR.
IT'S NOT AN ABSOLUTE INDICATOR BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME THINGS LIKE, ESPECIALLY THAT DEBT SERVICE THERE WHERE WE'VE PAID SOME DEBT SERVICE.
WE'VE PAID, UH, UH, MORE THAN WHAT WE WOULD DO NORMALLY.
THAT'S, WE WOULD EXPECT THAT TO BE MORE BECAUSE WE PAID THAT DOWN A LITTLE BIT.
WE GENERATE A LITTLE BIT MORE PAID OUR, UH, INTEREST RATE DOWN.
UH, BUT AGAIN, THIS IS GONNA SHOW NOT ONLY AGAIN, THE REVENUE AT THE TOP, WHAT WE'VE ACTUALLY COLLECTED THOSE ACTUALS THERE IS WHAT WE'VE ACTUALLY COLLECTED, WHAT WE SHOW AS AN ANTICIPATED BALANCE TO COLLECT MOVING FORWARD.
AND JUST THE OPPOSITE ON THE EXPENDITURES, WHAT OUR BUDGET IS, WHAT WE'VE SPENT THE ENCUMBERED MEANS.
WE'VE GOT PURCHASE ORDERS, WE'VE GOT THINGS THAT ARE OUTSTANDING, UH, THE ACTUALS OR MONIES WE'VE ACTUALLY SPENT TO DATE.
AND THEN THE BALANCE IS WHAT WE HAVE LEFT TO SPEND THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
UM, AND THERE AT THE BOTTOM, WE'RE SHOWING RIGHT NOW A DEFICIT OF ABOUT $60,000, BUT WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT.
WE'VE GOT SOME AMENDMENTS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT, UM, BASED ON SOME OF THESE PROJECTIONS.
EVERYBODY GOOD? I'M GONNA PAUSE FOR A SECOND.
ANY, ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS POINT? YES, MA'AM.
UM, I SEE THAT WE HAVE BUDGET FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE.
AND, UH, NOW IS THIS, IS THIS THE ACTUAL FROM YEAR TO DATE, THIS 126,000 FOR JJ A E P? IT'S 95.
NO, THIS, THAT ONE IS, UH, 30,000.
AND THE ONE THAT J J A E P IS, AM I, IT? IT'S THE, OH, OTHER GOVERNMENTAL.
O OTHER GOVERNMENTAL IS THE 1 68.
OKAY, I'M GONNA MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE AND, AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, OUR MID-YEAR.
SO AS WE GO THROUGH THE YEAR, WE START TO LOOK AT THE INDICATORS THAT WE USED TO BUILD.
AGAIN, WE, WE WERE HOPING TO GET BACK TO PRE COVID NUMBERS AT, UH, 7,100 ENROLLMENT.
AND THAT OUR ATTENDANCE RATE WOULD BE ABOUT 94%.
THIS IS A SUPERINTENDENT'S PMS REPORT THAT SHOWS, UH, AND TRACKS, UH, OUR STUDENT ATTENDANCE ENROLLMENT DATA.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT WAS, UH, A SNAPSHOT FROM, UH, AUGUST ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH THE FIRST WEEK OF MARCH.
AND SO THAT TOP NUMBER THERE IS CRITICAL.
UH, WE'RE AT 62 51 IS WHAT WE'RE SHOWING.
THAT'S OUR ENROLLMENT, UH, INCLUDING OUR ATTENDANCE RATE.
NOW, ALL OF THOSE OTHER NUMBERS ARE IMPORTANT TOO, AND THEY'RE FACTORS IN PUTTING THIS TOGETHER, BUT NOT AS IMPORTANT AS THAT TOP NUMBER.
SO THE NUMBER THAT WE USED TO DO THIS TO, TO BUILD THIS WITH WAS 66 85, CUZ IT'S 7,100 ENROLLMENT.
AND IN 94% ATTENDANCE, THAT'S 600, UH, 6,685 AS A REFINED A D A.
AND WHERE WE STAND NOW COM AT THAT PMS REPORT IS AT 62 51.
SO THE SNAPSHOTS THAT YOU HAVE THERE, WE HAVE A, UH, A BUDGET TEMPLATE THAT WE PUT ALL OF THIS DATA INTO.
WE PUT IN THE T2 VALUES, YOUR CERTIFIED VALUES, ALL THOSE.
ALL OF THOSE NUMBERS GO INTO THAT TEMPLATE TO DERIVE WHAT WE'RE GONNA GET IN REVENUE.
THE STATE AID PORTION THERE, IF YOU'LL LOOK AT THAT TOP ONE WHEN WE HAVE, WHEN WE'RE ANTICIPATING 66 85 AS A REFINED ADA, YOU CAN SEE THAT FOUNDATION, UH, SCHOOL FUND 58 12 IS JUST OVER 25 MILLION AT 62 51.
JUST, JUST ALMOST 21 MILLION, ABOUT 4 MILLION DIFFERENCE.
SO THIS INDICATES THAT WE'RE GONNA BE ABOUT $4 MILLION LESS IN REVENUE THAN WHAT WE ANTICIPATED BASED ON ENROLLMENT BEING LOWER, UH, DECLINING AS WELL AS OUR ATTENDANCE RATE.
SO WHAT WE WOULD, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO, AND WE'LL BE PROPOSING THIS TOMORROW, IS A GOOD TIME TO HAVE THIS AS A COMMITTEE MEETING CUZ THERE'S NO ACTION TO BE HAD.
BUT I, I WANNA MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS THIS.
AND OF COURSE, IT'LL BE DISCUSSED FURTHER TOMORROW AT, UH, AT AN ACTION ITEM AT THE BOARD MEETING.
BUT A DECREASE, OOH, THIS IS NOT EVEN THE RIGHT, UH, IT'S NOT THE RIGHT SLIDE.
I MAY BE IN THE WRONG PRESENTATION.
THERE'S MORE TO THIS, BUT I, I'LL, I'LL, I CAN COVER IT RIGHT HERE.
THIS DOES COVER THE $4 MILLION DECREASE DUE TO THE DECLINE ENROLLMENT OF ATTENDANCE.
[00:15:01]
BE A BUDGET AMENDMENT TO REDUCE OUR ANTICIPATED REVENUE BY $4 MILLION.SO IF YOU LOOK THERE, AGAIN, IT SHOWS THE SAME REVENUE THAT YOU SAW ON THE OTHER PAGE FOR OUR BUDGET.
UH, WE'D BE LOOKING AT REDUCING OUR, UM, REVENUE PIECE BY $4 MILLION, UH, DOWN TO ABOUT 73 MILLION.
UH, THERE'S ANOTHER BUDGET AMENDMENT THAT'LL BE ON THERE FOR TOMORROW TO INCREASE OUR UTILITIES, UH, FOR TRASH, GAS AND FUEL, UH, FOR MAINTENANCE ABOUT $360,000.
BUT THAT'S NOT AS RELEVANT HERE.
WE CAN COME FOR THAT TOMORROW.
UH, THE MAIN THING FOR TODAY IS, IS THAT WE SEE, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT'S GONNA BE ABOUT A $4 MILLION DIP INTO OUR FUND BALANCE IS, IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
SO THAT LEADS US INTO FUND BALANCE.
AND THE NEXT SLIDE IS GONNA BE YOUR FUND BALANCE HISTORY GOING BACK TO 2015, THE GOOD NEWS IS, IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF FACTORS THAT LED LED US TO THIS POINT.
UH, COVID BEING THE, THE LARGEST, UH, OF THAT, UH, AFFECTING OUR ATTENDANCE, ATTENDANCE RATE, AND ENROLLMENT RATE.
UH, HOPING THAT WILL COME BACK UP.
UH, WITH THAT SAID, IN 2015, YOU HAD A 14 MILLION FUND BALANCE, AND TODAY YOU'RE, WE'RE STANDING AT JUST, JUST, UH, JUST UNDER 37 MILLION.
UH, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, THAT'S PROBABLY AN EXCESSIVE WHAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED AN EXCESSIVE FUND BALANCE FOR A DISTRICT OUR SIZE.
UM, PERSONALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT WHAT WHAT STATE REQUIRES, UH, A MINIMUM OF THREE MONTHS OPERATING.
UM, THIS MONEY HAS BEEN PUT TO WORK, IT DRAWS INTEREST AS, AS WE'VE GOT IT INVESTED IN, IN FUNDS TO, TO BE ABLE TO DRAW INTEREST ON.
UH, BUT THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT WE CAN DO FOR THAT.
SO I ONLY SHARE THIS TO SAY, UH, YOU KNOW, I TALKED TO DR PER WHEN WE WERE DEVELOPING THE BUDGET THAT I WAS CONCERNED A LITTLE BIT WITH THE AGGRESSIVE, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA BE AT THAT COVID LEVEL, UH, PRE COVID LEVEL OF 7194% ATTENDANCE RATE.
BUT I ALSO TOLD HER I WASN'T TERRIBLY CONCERNED ABOUT IT BECAUSE WE HAVE 37 MILLION FUND BALANCE.
AND SO IF, IF WE DON'T MEET THAT PROJECTION, IT'S NOT GONNA, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT GONNA PUT US IN ANY TYPE OF DANGER, UH, ANY TYPE OF, UH, LIABILITY FINANCIALLY TO, TO DIP INTO FUND BALANCE.
UM, TODD, CAN YOU SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, OUR BUDGET PROCESS THIS YEAR THAT, UH, WE ARE AS A DISTRICT TAKING SOME PROACTIVE STEPS AS WE MOVE FORWARD? UH, YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THAT? THAT'S THE LEADING RIGHT BASE.
THIS IS LEADING RIGHT INTO THAT.
SO JUST WANTED TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT YOU UNDERSTAND, LIKE, AS WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE'RE AT, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WE'RE, WE'RE IN REALLY GOOD SHAPE FINANCIALLY.
PEREZ SAID, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE WE DOING TO, UM, YOU KNOW, PREPARE FOR THAT? SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE HEADED.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS HOW WE STARTED.
UH, I'VE GOT, UH, UH, DR PER, I BELIEVE IT'S ACTUALLY THE NEXT SLIDE AFTER THIS, UH, BUT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, UH, SOME OF THE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO INCLUDE, INCLUDE IN THIS IS WE'RE DEVELOPING, UH, A BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR.
SOME OF THE CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT WE WOULD SEE, UH, I KNOW THAT WE MET, UM, LAST, I GUESS IT'S THE WEEK BEFORE SPRING BREAK, UH, WITH A, YOU KNOW, THE INTENT TO INFORM A COMMITTEE TO REVIEW, UH, CAPITAL PROJECTS, BIG PROJECTS THAT ARE NEEDED THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT.
UM, I KNOW ROGER'S DONE A GR MR. OSTERS DONE A GREAT JOB OF UPDATING.
AND, UM, WE'VE, WE'VE DONE A LOT OF THINGS.
WE'VE, UH, DONE A LOT OF ROOF WORK AND MADE SOME MAJOR PROGRESS.
WE'VE DONE THAT WITH THE USE OF, UM, UNUSED BOND FUNDS AND SOME CAPITAL FUNDS.
WE'VE, WE'RE REAL CLOSE TO EXHAUSTING THOUGH.
SO I SHARE THIS WITH YOU AS A GROUP AND AS A COMMITTEE TO MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND AND TO CREATE AWARENESS THAT THESE PROJECT, AND AGAIN, I'VE JUST LISTED A HANDFUL HERE.
AND THEN BY NO WAY ANY TYPE OF RANK ORDER, BUT THE COMMITTEE WILL LOOK AT THOSE THINGS AS TO WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO DO.
BUT THESE ARE THINGS THAT WOULD FURTHER COME OUT OF FUND BALANCE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF IF, IF A BOND ISSUE WAS CONSIDERED AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE FOR THESE TYPES OF PROJECTS.
PERRA MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE WE DOING? SO WHAT ARE WE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHERE WE'RE AT.
YOU LOOK DIPPING A LITTLE BIT INTO FUND BALANCE.
WHAT ARE WE DOING TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TO TACKLE THAT ISSUE AND PROBLEM? SO WE'VE, WE STARTED A ZERO BASE BUDGETING PROCESS BEFORE WE EVEN LEFT FOR CHRISTMAS.
AND WE'VE BEEN, UM, MEETING SINCE JANUARY.
AND THEN OVER THE LAST TWO MONTHS WE'VE BEEN MEETING WEEKLY, UH, WITH OUR DEPARTMENTS.
UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, EACH DEPARTMENT, UH, TO LOOK AT A ZERO BASED BUDGET.
SO WHAT, WHAT IS THE ZERO BASED BUDGET? UH, THE DEPARTMENTS ARE TAKING THEIR INDIVIDUAL BUDGETS AND GOING THROUGH LINE BY LINE AS TO WHAT THEY NEED.
IS IT, IS IT SOMETHING THAT'S REQUIRED? IS, IS ARE WE GETTING OUR RETURN ON INVESTMENT ON THAT? UH, ARE WE LOOKING AT ANY TYPE OF INCREASE IN INFLATION? ARE THERE ANY, UH, ITEMS OR, YOU KNOW, SOFTWARE OR ANY TYPE OF THING LIKE THAT THAT WE'RE GONNA SUNSET? UH, THAT'S WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT BUDGETS.
[00:20:01]
TO 10% REDUCTION, IS WHAT WE'RE ASKING THE DEPARTMENTS TO LOOK AT, IS TO REDUCE THEIR OWN BUDGETS BY FIVE TO 10%.I KNOW THAT MAY SEEM SOMEWHAT EXTREME, BUT THAT GETS US TO WHERE WE NEED TO BE.
IF WE DO FIVE TO 10%, THAT ELIMINATES THAT FOUR OR 5 MILLION DEFICIT IMMEDIATELY, UM, MOVING FORWARD.
FURTHERMORE, AS WE GET INTO OUR BUDGETS, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S NOT REALLY DIFFICULT TO IDENTIFY FIVE TO 10% IN OUR BUDGETS.
NO ONE IS REALLY, UH, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ROGER, WE GOT MAINTENANCE.
CAUSE YOU STILL GOT FI JUST LIKE THAT, GOT FUEL COSTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT THAT GO UP, THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE THAT, UH, TO, TO DO.
BUT WE WE'RE WORKING DILIGENTLY TO, UM, REDUCE THOSE BUDGETS.
ANOTHER PORTION OF THAT IS WORKING WITH HR TO RIGHT SIZE OUR STAFFING RATIOS.
YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT STANDS TO REASON IF WE'VE LOST THREE OR 400 KIDS OVER TIME, THAT WE MAKE CERTAIN THAT OUR STAFFING RATIOS ARE LOOKED AT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE'RE NOT OVERSTAFFED.
CUZ I'LL SHOW YOU A SLIDE LATER ON THAT WHERE, WHAT OUR BUDGET REALLY LOOKS LIKE AND HOW F HOW REALLY LITTLE DISCRETION WE HAVE IN OUR BUDGET.
THE MAJORITY OF OUR BUDGET, 80% OF OUR BUDGET STAFFING.
SO MAKING CERTAIN THAT WE'RE MAKING GOOD USE OF OUR STAFFING AND PAYROLL, UH, POSITIONS, UH, THE CAMPUS BUDGET ALLOCATIONS WILL REMAIN UNCHANGED.
I WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS.
AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVELS, THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS ARE FUNDED AT THOSE DOLLAR FIGURES THERE ON THAT SCREEN, UH, AND ON THE, UH, PRESENTATION FORMAT THERE IN FRONT OF YOU BY STUDENT.
AND SO HOW DOES THAT WORK? SO EACH, EACH YEAR WE, AT THIS TIME, WE KIND OF ANTICIPATE WHAT THE ENROLLMENTS ARE BASED ON WHERE THEY ARE NOW.
UH, WE BUILD THAT BUDGET FOR THEM.
IT'LL ALLOCATE THEM A DOLLAR AMOUNT PER STUDENT FOR THEIR BUDGETS TO OPERATE.
WHEN WE GET INTO NEXT YEAR, AND WE GET INTO OCTOBER, WE DO A PM SNAPSHOT, SAME SLIDE I SHOWED YOU EARLIER, WHERE IT SHOWS WHAT THE ACTUALS ARE.
IF THERE'S A HUGE INCREASE AT A DISTRICT, IF IF THEY'VE GOT SOMEBODY THAT'S GOT 50 MORE KIDS, THEN WE'RE GONNA ALLOCATE THEM THAT, THAT AMOUNT BASED ON THAT AT THAT TIME.
IF THEY'VE HAD A HUGE DECREASE, WE'LL PROBABLY LOOK AT TAKING SOME OF THAT.
IF IT'S SMALL FLUCTUATION, SMALL INCREASE, SMALL DECREASE, WE DON'T DO THAT.
SO THE CAMPUS ALLOCATIONS WILL REMAIN UNCHANGED AT THE, AT THE CAMPUS LEVEL.
SO WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT THE DEPARTMENT BUDGETS AS WELL AS THE PAYROLL AND STAFFING RIGHT SIZING.
SO, UH, JUST A QUICK SLIDE THAT SHOWS YOU A LITTLE BIT OF OUR REVENUE PROJECTIONS AND, AND WHERE OUR REVENUE'S MADE UP.
I KNOW YOU SAW THOSE NUMBERS, BUT, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK THAT'S INTERESTING TO LOOK AT IS HOW LITTLE FEDERAL DOLLARS WE GET THERE IS, THERE'S A SMALL SLIVER IN THAT PIE CHART.
UH, THE MAJORITY OF YOUR FUNDING COMES LOCALLY.
AND THAT STATE SIDE THERE, UH, AGAIN, WITH OUR VALUES GOING UP IS GONNA GET SMALLER AGAIN.
SO WE'RE SEEING LESS REVENUE FROM THE STATE AND MORE, UH, BASED ON OUR LOCAL VALUES.
AND THIS IS A, A PIE CHART THAT SHOWS AGAIN, THAT 80% OF YOUR BUDGET IS IN PAYROLL.
BUT I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO FOCUS ON THAT, UH, 20% THERE BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THAT 20% THERE IS COMPRISED OF EVERYTHING THAT'S NOT PAYROLL.
EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN THIS DISTRICT THAT'S NOT PAYROLL IS IN THAT 20%.
AND OF THAT 20% START THINKING OF THINGS LIKE FUEL, ELECTRICITY, GAS, UM, TEXTBOOKS.
SO YOU MAINTENANCE, ALL, ALL OF THOSE, EVERY PENNY THAT'S NOT PAYROLL IS IN THERE.
SO WHEN YOU TAKE THAT 20% AND YOU, THERE'S PROBABLY CLOSE TO 15% THAT IS ITEMS WE HAVE TO HAVE.
SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT 5% OF THAT BUDGET THAT WE REALLY HAVE LIKE SOME DISCRETIONARY FUNDING TO, TO SPEND.
I WANTED TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE HONED IN ON THAT.
SO AS WE MOVE FORWARD, UM, TAKING THOSE THINGS INTO CONSIDERATION, WHAT ARE THE THINGS AND, YOU KNOW, PROJECTIONS AND REVENUE CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE, YOU KNOW, MOVING FORWARD TO DEVELOP OUR 2324 BUDGET.
UM, AS I MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WAITING ON ON VALUES NOW, AND THOSE ARE PRELIMINARY VALUES AND THEY'LL CHANGE AND THEN WE WON'T GET 'EM, YOU KNOW, WE WON'T GET CERTIFIED VALUES UNTIL, UH, JULY.
UM, AND THEN THEY WON'T BE FINALIZED UNTIL JANUARY.
WE'LL BE MIDWAY THROUGH OUR BUDGET BY THE TIME WE GET THE ACTUAL NUMBERS.
UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, ANTICIPATING TEACHER VACANCIES, RIGHT SIZING FOR OUR FTES FOR THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WE HAVE, UH, BEING MORE, UH, CONSERVATIVE WITH OUR ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS WITH OUR, UM, REFINED ADA AND WHAT IS OUR WEIGHTED ADA, THAT'S ANOTHER, UM, WE GET WAITS FOR STUDENTS TO MAKE, UH, DEPENDING ON HOW THEY'RE CLASSIFIED AND MAKE CONCERN THAT THEY'RE CLASSIFIED CORRECTLY IN PMS. AND I KNOW THAT WE'VE HAD A GOOD GROUP AND COMMITTEE THAT HAVE REALLY REVIEWED THAT TO HELP, UH, HELP INCREASE OUR FUNDING IN THAT AREA.
AGAIN, I'VE MENTIONED COVID, UM, AND, AND THE OTHER FACTORS THAT, THAT COME INTO PLAY WITH ATTENDANCE AND, AND, AND PEOPLE MAYBE MOVING, RELOCATING, UH, THAT TYPE OF THING.
UH, TWO ITEMS ON HERE THAT I THINK ARE REALLY INTERESTING.
UM, WE'VE HAD ESSER FUNDS THAT WE'VE USED, UM, AND HAVE BEEN A, YOU KNOW, BIG BOOST EVERY DISTRICT AROUND IN, IN THE COUNTRY.
BUT THOSE FUNDS ARE BEGINNING TO SUNSET.
WE HAVE, UH, SR TWO AND S THREE ONE OF THOSE GROUPS ARE GONNA END THIS YEAR.
SO ONE, ONE OF THOSE FEDERAL SOURCES, UH, ENDS AT THE END OF THIS CURRENT YEAR.
[00:25:01]
BUDGET YEAR.AND SO WE'LL NEED TO BE PLANNING TO, UM, NOT, NOT HAVE THOSE FUNDS AVAILABLE IN THE FUTURE.
SO WE, I KNOW WE HAVE A GROUP THAT'S WORKING ON THAT.
UH, I PUT CHAPTER THREE 13 AGREEMENT ON THERE BECAUSE AS YOU GUYS KNOW, WE, WE'VE, UH, WE'VE, WE'VE APPROVED THAT AS A BOARD.
UH, WE GOT CONFIRMATION ON WHETHER THAT'S GOING THROUGH OR NOT.
BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT COULD HAVE, YOU KNOW, A, YOU KNOW, A POSITIVE CHALLENGE FOR US.
BECAUSE IF IT DOES COME IN, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GONNA SEE A LOT MORE VALUES COME, YOU KNOW, OUR VALUES, UH, OUR LOCAL VALUES ARE GONNA GO UP.
UH, AND IT'S ALSO GONNA BRING SOME ADDITIONAL REVENUE TO THE DISTRICT IN A POSITIVE WAY THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO USE.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR, UM, AS WE GO THROUGH AND WORK ON OUR REVENUE PROJECTIONS.
AND AS I PROMISED, UH, WE WOULD, UH, LOOK AT OUR CALENDAR AND I THINK THIS IS, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO THE END HERE AND A GOOD WAY TO, UH, WRAP UP AND THEN OF COURSE, ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.
BUT I THINK THIS KIND OF BRINGS IT ALL TOGETHER IN A FORMAT OF LIKE, WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN AND WHAT TO EXPECT, UM, AS A COMMUNITY AND, AND AS A BOARD.
UM, AGAIN, OUR PRELIMINARY VALUES SHOULD BE, UH, RECEIVED BY THE END OF NEXT MONTH.
WE'RE ANTICIPATING A 10% INCREASE.
WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF REVIEWING OUR PERSONNEL STAFFING IN MAY.
WE SHOULD HAVE OUR CAMPUS AND DEPARTMENT ZERO BASED BUDGETS REFINED, UM, ENOUGH THAT WHEN WE GET INTO JUNE, THAT WE SHOULD HAVE A BUDGET WORKSHOP WITH THE BOARD THAT WE CAN BRING A BUDGET TO YOU THAT WE FEEL GOOD ABOUT, UM, WITH OUR REVENUE PROJECTIONS AS WELL AS OUR EXPENDITURE PROJECTIONS.
UM, WE'LL BE SETTING DATES AGAIN.
THE JULY IS, UH, WE WILL ACTUALLY GET OUR CERTIFIED VALUES, UH, WE'LL SCHEDULE A PUBLIC HEARING AT THAT TIME.
AND I KNOW THAT THIS WAS A HOT TOPIC LAST YEAR, AND I THINK THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO, AS A GROUP AND AS A COMMITTEE TO LOOK AT THIS.
UM, IN THE PAST, YOU GUYS HAVE HAD THAT HEARING SET IN JULY AND HAD YOUR HEARING AT THAT TIME OR IN EARLY AUGUST.
AND THE PROBLEM WITH THAT IS THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE YOUR CERTIFIED VALUES TO A JU JANUARY 25TH, AND YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE YOUR MAXIMUM COMPRESSED RATE FROM T UNTIL AFTER AUGUST 5TH.
AND SO WHAT I WOULD, WHAT MY, AND AGAIN, I WORK AT THE PLEASURE OF THE BOARD, UH, AND, AND DR.
PERRERA, BUT MY RECOMMENDATION FROM A FINANCIAL STANDPOINT IS THAT WE WOULD SET A DATE IN EARLY AUGUST, MID MID-AUGUST TO ACTUALLY HAVE THAT PUBLIC HEARING WHERE WE DO OUR PRESENTATION BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE MOST ACCURATE DATA.
I KNOW THAT LAST YEAR WHEN WE DID THAT IN JULY, HAVING A PLACEHOLDER, BASICALLY WE USED, WE WOULD USE THIS YEAR'S TAX RATE AND OUR PRELIMINARY VALUES TO DETERMINE THAT.
WELL, WHEN WE TURN AROUND AND ADOPT A BUDGET, YOU'RE GONNA GET YOUR ACTUAL CERTIFIED VALUES AND TAX RATE AND IT'S GONNA BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
SO IF WE CAN SCHEDULE THAT AFTER AUGUST 5TH, WE'LL HAVE ACCURATE DATA, WE CAN STILL HAVE OUR HEARING, IT'LL GIVE US THE MOST, UH, TIME TO PREPARE BUDGET.
IT'LL GIVE US THE MOST ACCURATE INFORMATION.
IT STILL KEEPS US IN COMPLIANCE WITH, UM, THE LEGAL COMPLIANCE WITH, UH, T UH, WE HAVE TO POST THIS.
WE HAVE TO POST AND, UH, PUBLISH A PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS THE TAX RATE.
UM, AND IT HAS TO BE NO MORE THAN, UH, NO LESS THAN, NO MORE THAN 10 DAYS, NO MORE THAN 30 DAYS BEFORE YOU ADOPT A BUDGET.
UH, AGAIN, I'VE GOT THERE, THE TAX RATE COMES IN AUGUST 5TH.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL HA WE HAVE TO HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING TO, UM, ADOPT A BUDGET AND ADOPT A TAX RATE.
AND THEN WE POST A, UH, POST THAT ON OUR WEBSITE.
SO I KNOW I WENT THROUGH, THERE'S A LOT THERE TO COVER.
THERE MAY BE, YOU KNOW, QUESTIONS.
I'M, I'M VERY OPEN TO GOING BACK THROUGH SLIDES.
UH, ANY, ANY INFORMATION, UH, THAT YOU'D LIKE FROM ME OR ANY QUESTIONS THAT I CAN ANSWER, I'D BE GLAD TO DO THAT.
ANY QUESTIONS? I JUST HAVE A, A COMMENT.
UM, MR. LEWIS IS THAT, UM, I JUST WANT THE BOARD AND COMMUNITY BE AWARE THAT THE WAA, THE WEIGHTED AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE, THOSE NUMBERS HAVEN'T CHANGED.
THE PERCENTAGES HAVEN'T CHANGED IN TEXAS SINCE THE NINETIES.
SO WE'RE CALCULATING THE INFORMATION BASED ON THE 1990S IN THE LAST CENTURY, IF YOU WILL, AND TRYING TO GIVE OUR KIDS 21ST CENTURY EDUCATION.
UM, I, I JUST WANT EVERYBODY TO BE AWARE OF THAT THOSE NUMBERS HAVE NOT CHANGED.
MEANING THE AMOUNT, THE PERCENTAGES THAT THE STAKE GIVES YOU EXTRA MONEY FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS FOR STUDENTS WHO, ESL, ET CETERA, THAT ARE GOING TO, THEY KNOW ARE GOING TO COST THE DISTRICT A LITTLE BIT MORE.
UM, AND OF COURSE, YOU ALL KNOW THERE'S BEEN A NUMBER OF MANDATES, UM, BUT THOSE PERCENTAGES HAVE BEEN THE SAME QUITE SOME WHILE.
SO I, I, I THINK THE INFORMATION IS REALLY JUST TO SHARE.
BUT I THINK IN ALSO SPEAKING TO OUR LEGISLATIVE, UH, REPRESENTATIVES THAT REALLY NEED, THEY REALLY NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, UM, SIMPLY BECAUSE IT BECOMES A, UH, MORE OF A COST ON THE LOCALITY WHEN TRULY OUR STATE IS SUPPOSED TO SUPPORT US WITH THAT, IS WHAT I'M TRYING TO SHARE.
[00:30:02]
DR.PER, IF I CAN ADD, UM, THAT SLIDE THAT I'VE PULLED UP THERE, I KNOW WE FOCUSED ON THE REFINED ADA, BUT WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE WEIGHTED ADA, THAT THOSE, THOSE SMALLER NUMBERS WHERE THOSE ARE BROKEN OUT FOR, UH, CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY, UH, EARLY EDUCATION STATE COMPED, THAT THESE ARE THE NUMBERS THAT DERIVE OUR WATER.
AND SO THOSE ARE OUR ACTUAL FIGURES THAT WE DO THAT WITH.
AND SHE'S RIGHT, THOSE HAVE NOT CHANGED.
THE OTHER THING THAT I MIGHT NOT, THAT I MIGHT ADD IS THAT WE'RE HOPEFUL THERE'S SOME LEGISLATION, UH, THAT'S BEEN PROPOSED.
TEXAS IS ONE OF EIGHT STATES THAT DOES NOT FUND ON ENROLLMENT.
THEY FUND ON OUR ATTENDANCE RATES.
SO EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE TO STAFF OUR BUILDINGS BASED ON, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY KIDS WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UM, WERE BEING PAID ON HOW MANY KIDS SHOW UP.
AND SO THAT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE.
UH, AND THAT WOULD HELP US A LOT.
I KNOW THAT THERE'S SOME TRACTION FOR THAT DOWN THERE.
UH, THERE, THERE ARE SOME LEGISLATION THAT WE DEFINITELY NEED PEOPLE TO MAKE PHONE CALLS ON, UH, TO, UH, SENATOR WEST, UH, REPRESENTATIVE SHERMAN FOR OUR RESPECTIVE AREAS AS WELL AS INDIVIDUAL HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS, AS WELL AS EDUCATION COMMITTEES.
SO I, I'LL GET SOME INFORMATION OUT TO EVERYBODY PRETTY SOON ON THAT FOR US TO MAKE THOSE PHONE CALLS.
CAUSE THEY DO HAVE TO LOG THAT INFORMATION AND THE MORE THEY HEAR FROM US REQUESTING FOR THESE ITEMS TO MOVE ACCORDINGLY FOR US, UH, THAT PROVIDES US MORE TRACTION.
I KNOW RIGHT NOW THERE WERE, THEY HAVE A, UH, A VOUCHER CONVERSATION THAT WENT ON TODAY, UH, WHICH A LOT OF REPUBLICANS WENT DOWN THERE DISCUSSING THAT, THE, UH, VOUCHERS AND ALSO THE ESA, WHICH ARE EDUCATION SAVING ACCOUNTS.
SO A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT RIGHT NOW LEGISLATIVELY.
UH, SO I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS BRINGING THAT PART UP.
UH, SCAR, I DO HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
UH, ONE I KNOW ON THE SLIDE WITH THE PAYROLL, UH, WHERE WE GOT THE 80% GOING TO PAYROLL, WHICH IS 59 MILLION AND A LITTLE BIT MORE, UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE PAYROLL, HOW MUCH OF THIS IS COMING FROM VARIOUS FUNCTIONS? I KNOW THE CLASSROOM'S GONNA BE THE TEACHERS, RIGHT.
ADMINISTRATORS GONNA COME FROM OTHER FUNCTIONS AS WELL, RIGHT? RIGHT.
SO I CAN GET A BREAKDOWN OF THAT.
I DON'T HAVE THAT RIGHT AT MY FINGERTIPS, BUT YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT.
SO THAT'S THE ENTIRE PAYROLL FOR EVERYTHING.
IF I GO BACK TO THE SLIDE THAT HAS THE INFORMATION YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, SO IN THOSE EXPENDITURE CATEGORIES WHERE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ADMINISTRATORS WILL BE 41, TEACHERS ARE GONNA BE 11, CAMPUS PRINCIPALS, 23, UH, THO SALARIES ARE BURIED WITHIN THOSE.
AND SO I CAN DEFINITELY GET A SALARY LISTING, UH, BY CATEGORY.
UH, THAT'S ALSO SOMETHING, NOW THEY DON'T BREAK IT OUT BY CATEGORY, BUT I DO KNOW IT'S A PART OF OUR FIRST REPORT IS MONITORING HOW MUCH IS AT AN ADMINISTRATOR.
THAT'S USUALLY TYPICALLY THE BIG, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY SALARIES ARE ADMINISTRATIVE SALARIES, 41 AND 21 VERSUS ONES THAT ARE ACTUALLY CLASSROOMS. SO, UH, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S AN EASY REPORT FOR ME TO PULL AND I CAN DEFINITELY GET THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU GUYS.
GARON, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT YOU DEFINE WHAT ADMINISTRATORS ARE.
IT'S NOT ALL PRINCIPALS, ADMINISTRATORS, RIGHT? UM, SO THERE ARE DIFFERENT POSITIONS WITHIN OUR DISTRICT THAT ARE CATEGORIZED AS ADMINISTRATORS, BUT WHEN I THINK THE GENERAL PUBLIC THINKS ABOUT IT, THEY THINK ABOUT ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS, PRINCIPALS, STAFF IN MY OFFICE, ET CETERA.
UM, THERE'S CLARIFICATION FOR THAT.
WELL THAT MY, THE CLARIFICATION FOR THAT, UH, AS FAR AS THE FIRST REPORT GOES IS 21 AND 41 ARE THE ONES THAT THEY SEPARATE OUT BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT CAMPUS BASED.
THEY'RE GONNA BE CENTRAL OFFICE BASED.
YOUR 40 ONES AND 20 ONES, YOUR 20 THREES ARE YOUR CAMPUS LEVEL ADMINISTRATORS.
THERE ARE LOTS OF LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP AND, UH, ADMINISTRATION THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT, BUT CATEGORIZED THROUGH TE THROUGH THE FIRST REPORT.
THE 21 AND 40 ONES ARE THE ONES THEY TYPICALLY SEPARATE OUT.
BUT TO YOUR, UH, MR. JONES, TO YOUR POINT, UM, YOU KNOW, PULLING OUT TO SEE WHAT THOSE SALARIES, SALARIES ARE BY CATEGORY, THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM.
AND, AND THE OTHER QUESTION WITH THE, UH, PAT, PAT RAINEY CENTER YES, SIR.
AND THOSE LEASES, UM, HOW, HOW, HOW ARE WE DOING WITH THAT AS FAR AS INCOME FROM THE DISTRICT'S? THEY ONLY HAD DALLAS, MAYBE SOMEBODY ELSE LEASING FROM US? WELL, THE SHORT ANSWER IS NOT GREAT, BUT THE, BUT, BUT, BUT I WILL ALSO ADD THAT THE CAVEAT THAT IT, IT DOESN'T MATTER BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA GET THEIR MONEY REGARDLESS.
SO THE, THE, THE INTERESTING THING WITH THE POWER RAINI CENTER, AND I KNOW THAT THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A CATCH IN THERE BECAUSE THERE'S ABOUT 657,000 ISH DOLLARS THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT DOING CATCH UP.
I KNOW DEBBIE DID A LOT OF WORK.
UH, HE WENT BACK WITH LEGAL TO GET EVERYTHING LINED UP.
UH, YOLANDA WILLIAMS IN MY OFFICE HAS SENT THAT, UH, BILL OUT.
WE DO, WE DID COLLECT FROM I THINK TWO SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
DON'T MAKE ME NAME WHO CUZ I COULDN'T TELL YOU WHICH ONES.
BUT SOME OF THEM ARE REALLY QUICK TO JUST PAY WHATEVER THEY OWE IT'S IN.
THE OTHER ONES ARE GONNA IGNORE IT.
UH, THE, THE CAVEATS TO THIS IS ALL THE MONEY COMES TO US ANYWAY CUZ WE HAVE TO PAY THEM BACK.
THE INTEREST PORTION OF IT, WE GET TO COLLECT, THERE'S A PORTION OF IT WE GET TO COLLECT, AND THEN THERE'S A PORTION WE REFUND TO THEM.
IF THEY DON'T SEND US THEIR MONEY, WE JUST KEEP THEIR MONEY UNTIL THEY'RE, IT'S PAID FOR.
SO, UH, WE'RE GONNA GET, I I SAY THAT TO SAY WE'RE GONNA GET THE MONEY REGARDLESS.
[00:35:01]
NICE, WOULD GET US CAUGHT UP IN CURRENT WITH ALL THE DISTRICTS ON THAT PAT RAINING CENTER.IF WE GOT THAT IN THIS FISCAL YEAR, WHATEVER'S NOT PAID, WE'LL KEEP A TAB ON THAT.
AND THEN THE PORTIONS THAT WOULD NORMALLY GET REFUNDED TO THEM, WE HOLD THOSE DOLLARS UNTIL THEY'RE WHOLE.
AND, UH, MY NEXT QUESTION IS PERTAINING TO, UH, THE SLIDE WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PRINCIPALS REPORT.
WE'RE LOOKING AT THE EARLY EDUCATION ALLOTMENT, UH, COURSE ADA, WHICH WE'RE HOPING IT CHANGES TO ENROLLMENT.
UH, WHAT'S OUR CAPACITY AS FAR AS GETTING MORE STUDENTS IN THE EARLY CHILDHOOD THREE AND FOUR YEAR OLD PROGRAM FOR THIS UPCOMING YEAR? UM, FOR NO PROBLEM.
UH, YEAH, BUT MY QUESTION IS, WHAT'S OUR CAPACITY FOR BUILDING, UH, A LARGER THREE TO FOUR YEAR OLD PROGRAM FOR THIS UPCOMING YEAR? I WOULD TELL YOU THE CAPACITY IS SPACE, BUT, UM, THAT COULD BE LOOKED AT, UH, A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO SEE WHERE WE CAN ADD.
UM, I KNOW THAT OUR PRINCIPALS ARE INTERESTED IN THAT.
UH, WE, IT JUST HASN'T BEEN SOMETHING ON THE FOREFRONT RIGHT NOW JUST TRYING TO GET WELL IN.
UM, BUT THE, THE CAPACITY WOULD BE REALLY TRULY SPACED.
UM, BUT I'LL ALSO KNOW THAT RIGHT-SIZING CLASSES AND CLASSROOMS WILL ALLOW US UP FOR US AT LEAST ONE CLASSROOM, SOMEWHERE A BUILDING.
AND THAT'LL ALLOW US TO UTILIZE THAT SPACE FORWARD.
AND MY OTHER QUESTION IS RANK, UH, GIFTED AND TALENTED ENROLLMENT.
UH, HOW ARE WE DOING WITH OUR PROCESS THOROUGH ON IDENTIFYING STUDENTS AT WHERE ARE WE STARTING AT, AT KINDERGARTEN, FIRST GRADE, THIRD GRADE, AND, UH, I, I THINK, UH, WITH OUR INSTRUCTIONAL TEAM WITH CREATING A, A MORE, A CLEARER FRAMEWORK FOR THAT IN THE PROCESS AND WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.
UM, SO IT'S, IT'S AT ITS INFANCY STAGE, IF YOU WILL.
UM, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF DR.
BARKER WANTS TO ADD MORE TO THAT.
HOWEVER, IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS NEEDS TO BE GROWN, UM, IN OUR DISTRICT.
UM, I THINK OUR PERCENTAGE SHOULD BE A LITTLE HIGHER THAN WHAT EXISTS.
UM, BUT WE ALSO ARE UTILIZING STANDARDIZED THINGS THAT ARE, UM, THAT CAN SOMETIMES WEED OUT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT, UH, MAY EXIST WITH OUR KIDS.
BARKER, I KNOW I CAN SPEAK TO THAT A LITTLE MORE, BUT I KNOW HER TEAM HAS BEEN BUILDING A FRAMEWORK FOR, UH, THE INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES THAT WE OFFER OUR STUDENTS.
AND YOU ANSWERED, UM, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.
UM, AROUND THIRD GRADE IS WHEN WE REALLY START LOOKING AT THE, THE, UM, THE ASSESSMENTS.
BUT ONE THING THAT WE'VE HAD A PRETTY ROBUST CONVERSATION AROUND, UM, WITH BOTH GT AND ON THE OTHER END OF THE SPECTRUM, SPECIAL ED IS TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION THAT SOME OF OUR STUDENTS, SOME OF THOSE INDICATORS, IT MAY TAKE US A LITTLE BIT LONGER TO IDENTIFY, WHICH IS WHY WE ARE HAVING THE CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT THE FRAMEWORK LOOKS LIKE.
SO TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THAT MANY OF OUR STUDENTS WERE NOT IN A STRUCTURED SCHOOL SETTING FOR TWO YEARS, A TRADITIONAL SCHOOL SETTING FOR TWO YEARS, UM, NOT WANTING A TEST TOO EARLY AND HAVE THEM, UM, UM, UM, LABELED SO TO SPEAK.
I WAS TRYING TO LOOK FOR A POLITICALLY CORRECT WORD,
UM, BUT REALLY IT WOULD BE A MISIDENTIFICATION.
SO THAT, THAT IS WHY WE'VE BEEN HAVING DISCUSSIONS AROUND THE WIN.
UM, AS IT RELATES TO WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN THE PAST.
CUZ WE WANNA, UM, BE AND RECOGNIZE THE FACT THAT MANY OF OUR STUDENTS HAVE NOT, HAD NOT BEEN INTO A STRUCTURED SCHOOL SETTING FOR, UM, ALMOST TWO YEARS.
ALSO WITH KIDS ARRIVING AT THOSE LEVELS AT DIFFERENT POINTS.
BARKER ABOUT TO SHARE WITH HER TEAM IS THAT I THINK IT SHOULD BE MORE THAN JUST A, A THIRD GRADE IDENTIFICATION.
I THINK THIS IS WHAT SHE WAS TRYING TO SHARE.
UM, CUZ YOU CAN COME BACK AROUND AGAIN A YEAR LATER OR TWO YEARS LATER.
REALLY, A PARENT CAN NOMINATE THEIR CHILD REALLY AT ANY POINT.
HOWEVER, THAT'S WHEN WE REALLY DO THE SCREENING.
UM, AND I THINK SIXTH GRADE WOULD BE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO LOOK AT.
CUZ AGAIN, YOU HAVE KIDS WHO, WHO ARE GOING THROUGH THAT FOUNDATIONAL PIECE.
THIRD GRADE IS THIRD GRADE, AND SOMETIMES KIDS ARRIVE WHERE THEY NEED TO BE AT THAT POINT.
BUT I THINK IF ANY OF US HERE, WE ALL HAVE KIDS AND WE HAVE MORE THAN ONE.
YOU KNOW, THEY ARRIVE AT THINGS AT DIFFERENT POINTS.
I HAVE TWINS AND THEY, THEY DIDN'T GET TO THE SAME PLACE AT THE SAME TIME.
AND TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT CAPACITY FOR PRE-K, SEND THEM ALL MM-HMM.
UM, WE, WE, UM, WE RIGHT SIZED SOME OF THE CLASSROOMS THIS YEAR AND LEVELED AND, AND EVEN, UM, MOVED SOME STUDENTS TO OTHER BUILDINGS AS WELL AS TEACHERS TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, WE HAD RIGHT SIZED OUR STAFF, UM, TO ACCOMMODATE GROWTH WHERE THERE WAS GROWTH AND THEN ALSO WHERE THERE WAS, UM, YOU KNOW, DECLINE IN ENROLLMENT.
BUT YEAH, IF YOU HAVE SOME EXTRA THREE, FOUR YEAR OLDS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, JUST
[00:40:01]
SHUFFLE 'EM ON OVER TO THE ENROLLMENT CENTER.WE, WE ARE NOT TURNING ANYBODY AWAY.
THE REASON WHY I POSE THOSE QUESTIONS, I THINK THOSE ARE SOME AREAS WE, WE CAN DEFINITELY IMPROVE SOME, IMPROVE SOME REVENUES THERE BY GETTING MORE THREE AND FOUR YEAR OLDS WITHIN THE PROGRAM.
AND ALSO IDENTIFYING MORE OF OUR, UH, GIFT AND TALENT AND STUDENTS, UH, WITH THE GT.
WHAT GRADE LEVEL DOES THAT? UM, NOT LABEL, BUT DESIGNATION STYLE DIRECTLY SERVICED? I'LL ANSWER IN THAT WAY.
YEAH, DIRECTLY SERVICE AFTER THAT, WE, AND WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT AND REVAMPING CURRICULUM AS IT RELATES TO PRE-AP.
SO WE'LL SEE MORE PRE-AP OFFERING STRUCTURED PRE-AP, NOT JUST HONORS WHERE THERE'S JUST EXTRA WORK.
UM, AND SO THAT WILL ALSO GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE MORE STUDENTS TO, UM, BE ABLE TO ENGAGE IN MORE RIGOROUS CURRICULUM AND HELP US TO GROW OUR EARLY COLLEGE ENROLLMENT AS WELL.
CUZ THAT IS ONE ENTRY POINT THAT, THAT, UM, WE SEE SOME GROWTH AGAIN.
UM, WHEN I THINK THE EARLY COLLEGE WAS STARTED THO THE, THE NUMBERS WERE CAPPED SOMEWHAT JUST BECAUSE OF CAPACITY AND GROWING THE PROGRAM.
IF YOU HAVE SOME EARLY COLLEGE KIDS AND TOMORROW AWAY, WELL, ALL RIGHT, THE DOORS ARE, THE DOORS OF THE CHURCH ARE OPEN.
SO, SO I'M, I'M LOOKING AT DIFFERENT WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN CAPITALIZE ON WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING WITH THE CTE, ADDITIONAL FUNDING AND THOSE FACTORS BEING MORE THAN ONE.
SO OUR CTE, I WILL SAY OUR PATHWAYS, WE ARE REDOING THOSE.
WE PUSH SOME CLASSES DOWN TO MIDDLE SCHOOL.
WE'VE LOOKED AT ALIGNMENT TO INTRODUCE SOME THINGS IN SIXTH GRADE TO HELP WITH THAT ONCE THEY GET TO HIGH SCHOOL.
WE'VE ALSO TALKED ABOUT, JUST RECENTLY TALKED ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS GRADUATE WITHIN A CT PATHWAY.
AND SO THAT SHOULD HELP US AS WELL.
SO WE, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE.
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF, AND WE'VE COME OVER AND OVER AND TALKED ABOUT THIS BEING INTENTIONAL AND FOCUSED, UM, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE DO THOSE THINGS WELL.
AND SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS RIGHT NOW.
I DID WANNA JUST ADD THAT I KNOW THAT AND, AND MS. MS. SIMPSON'S HERE, UH, ONE WAY THAT WE'RE TRYING TO IN INCREASE ENROLLMENT AND, UM, SHE AND I, DR.
TAYLOR REALLY TALKED ABOUT HAVING A, A, A MARKETING PLAN.
LIKE WHAT ARE WE GOING OUT AND SAYING ABOUT OURSELVES TO PEOPLE AND AGAIN, BEING INTENTIONAL ABOUT THOSE THINGS.
AND SO, UM, WHAT, WHAT ARE WE SENDING HOME WITH OUR STUDENTS? AND SO ALL OF THOSE THINGS I THINK REALLY PLAY INTO, YOU KNOW, HEY, COME TO LANCASTER AND GETTING OUR MESSAGE OUT ABOUT WHO WE ARE, MAKING US ATTRACTIVE, UM, AND NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, HEY, I STOPPED BY AND LET ME ENROLL, BUT TO SHOW UP AT THE ENROLLMENT CENTER AND SAY, OH MY GOD, I'M HERE AT LANCASTER.
YOU KNOW, I'M TELLING EVERYBODY TO COME WITH ME.
SO JUST REALLY TRYING TO CONTROL THE NARRATIVE AND TELL OUR STORY, UM, WHICH IS THE TRUE STORY OF WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER OUR STUDENTS.
AND THAT, THAT MARKETING PLAN, UM, THE TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING ON THAT.
WE WILL BE PRESENTING THAT TO THE BOARD.
UM, I WANT TO SAY APRIL, BUT KIMBERLY WILL PROBABLY TELL ME.
MAY, UM, MS. SIMPSON WILL PROBABLY TELL ME MAY, UH, HERE TO GET IT FULLY TOGETHER.
UM, I WANNA RUSH IT, BUT I KNOW IT NEEDS TO BE COMPLETE AND DONE WELL, AND HE'S GOTTA DRAG ME BACK.
AND COULD I HAVE A, I GUESS MR. GARRISON, MY LAST COMMENT FOR, FOR YOU IS AS WE LOOK AT, UH, OUR GOALS 1, 2, 3, AND FOUR IN THE BUDGET, IS THERE WAY TO ALIGN PERCENTAGE WISE OF OUR BUDGETS? WHICH GOING THERE, WHICH GOAL? UM, WE HAVE NOT.
UH, BUT I CAN SAY THAT PART OF THE DIP, PART OF THE, UH, DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT PLAN, UM, AS IN THE CAMPUS IMPROVEMENT PLANS CAN BE ALIGNED TO THAT.
UH, WE HAVEN'T PUT NUMBERS TO IT, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN LOOK AT DOING, GOING FIR UH, FORWARD.
I CAN TELL YOU WHERE THE BIGGEST CHUNK WOULD BE IS WRITING IN THE INSTRUCTION.
GO AHEAD, MR. YEAH, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR DR.
YOU WAS, I WAS RIDING ON WHAT MR. JONES SAID.
MARK, I KNOW A LOT OF, OR STUDENTS WOULD COME FROM RED OAK AND OTHER DISTRICTS BECAUSE ALL AGE LEVEL IS LOWER FOR, YOU KNOW, THE PRIEST.
K HOW DO YOU HOLD THEM? THAT'S WHAT I WAS GONNA ASK YOU TALKING ABOUT MARKETING.
LET 'EM AFTER THE PRE-K IN THE FIRST, DO THEY STAY AT LANCASTER? DO THEY GO BACK TO RED OAK, THE SODA? SO I CAN SAY, UM, EMPHATICALLY YES.
THAT ONCE WE GET THEM HERE, OUR THREE AND FOUR YEAR OLDS, THEY STAY, UHIT ACTUALLY DID A STUDY.
WE HAVE MORE THAN 80% OF OUR STUDENTS.
THAT IS WHY YOU SEE, OR WE'VE ALL SEEN THE SUCCESS THAT WE HAD AS FAR AS OUR LITERACY RATES AND MATH AND THINGS LIKE THAT IN ELEMENTARY.
THOSE ARE STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US SINCE THEY WERE THREE YEARS OLD.
[00:45:01]
YEAH.SO WE KEEP, WE KEEP THE MAJORITY OF THEM.
WHAT WHAT, WHAT WE'RE COMPETING WITH NOW IS ONCE UPON A TIME, LANCASTER WAS THE FIRST, IS, YOU KNOW, LANCASTER ALWAYS IS THE FIRST, BUT LANCASTER WAS THE FIRST TO HAVE THE PRE-K THREE FOUR PROGRAM.
AND SO NOW IT'S MORE READILY ACCESSIBLE TO SOME PLACE, YOU KNOW, IN SOME PLACES, OUR, OUR, UH, MARKETING IS TO TELL PEOPLE WE DO IT BETTER, YOU KNOW, AND THIS IS WHY WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, 10 YEARS OF DATA TO SHOW THAT WE DO IT BETTER.
AND SO WE JUST, WE ARE NOW BEING MORE INTENTIONAL ABOUT TELLING OUR STORIES SO THAT PEOPLE KNOW THAT.
SO WE HAD COMMIT, UM, TO COME OUT AND THEY TALKED TO US AND, YOU KNOW, PUT OUT STORIES AND VIDEOED AND ALL OF THAT STUFF.
AND A BIG PART OF THE VIDEO WAS TO TALK ABOUT THE SUCCESS THAT WE'VE HAD BECAUSE OUR FOUNDATION HERE IS REALLY BEEN BUILT FOR A LONG TIME.
WE'RE NOT JUST POPPING UP NEWS SAYING, HEY, WE'RE DOING PRE-K THREE AND FOUR AS SOME DISTRICTS AREN'T EVEN THAT DALLAS COMMON.
THE WHAT? DALLAS COMMON? YEAH.
SO THAT, THAT'S A NEW PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE TO, UM, COMPETE WITH, YOU KNOW, THAT, AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE ADVERTISING IT ON MARKETING AS FREE DAYCARE.
PLUS WE ACTUALLY HAVE CURRICULUM FOR, SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE, TRULY.
I MEAN, WE, WE RECENTLY HAD TI TO COME OUT, UM, RIGHT BEFORE SPRING BREAK, AND THEY, THEY VISITED ALL OF THEIR DISTRICTS AND EVERYWHERE ELSE THEY WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL JUST TO KIND OF SEE, YOU KNOW, WHAT, UH, WHERE THEIR MONEY WAS BEING PUT.
THEY WENT TO DESOTO, CEDAR HILL, ALL OF THAT FOR US.
WE, IT JUST HAPPENED THAT THEY CAME ON THE DAY THAT, THAT WE WERE DOING SCHOOLWIDE A C T.
SO CAN'T GO TO THE HIGH SCHOOL OR GIVE THE A C T, WE TOOK 'EM TO BELTLINE.
AND THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY AMAZED THAT OUR FOUR YEAR OLDS COULD READ, LIKE, COULD, COULD READ THE, THEY WENT INTO CLASSROOMS. THE TEACHERS HAD NO IDEA THAT THEY WERE COMING.
AND THEY WERE LIKE, OKAY, PEOPLE ARE HERE.
SO THEY GOT A CHANCE TO SEE ALL OF THAT.
SO, YOU KNOW, I EXPECT OUR STORY TO BE TOLD MORE, AND A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE HAVE TO SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT.
BUT THEY, THE FEEDBACK THAT WE GOT WAS ABOUT THE FOUR YEAR OLDS WHO COULD READ, NOT CALL WORDS WHO WERE READING MM-HMM.
GOT A QUESTION FOR THE FINANCE DIRECTOR PLEASE.
I HAD ONE FOR THE FINANCE DIRECTOR.
WELL, WHAT'S GOING ON IN AUSTIN? WE DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE GONNA BE, YOU KNOW, LIKE PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHER.
THEY SUPPOSED TO BE TAKING MONEY FROM THE PUBLIC SCHOOL TO SET ASIDE FOR THAT.
AND THEN MOST LIKELY, EACH DISTRICT GONNA HAVE A DECLINE IN ENROLLMENT, BUT YOUR MAINTENANCE, YOUR TEACHERS RACES, EVERYTHING STILL GONNA HAVE TO GO AS FORWARD.
SO WHERE WOULD THAT MONEY COME FROM? HONESTLY, THAT'S IT.
THAT REALLY JUST COMES DOWN TO RIGHT SIZING.
I MEAN, HON HONESTLY, THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT, AND I, AND I SHOULD HAVE REITERATED THIS EARLIER.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE A $4 MILLION DEFICIT IN OUR REVENUE RIGHT NOW.
EVERY SCHOOL'S FUNDED THE SAME.
IT'S JUST ABOUT HOW YOU SPEND THE DOLLARS, MAKE CONCERN THAT YOU'RE GETTING THE HOW, WHERE YOU'RE ALLOCATING THOSE RESOURCES.
UH, I THINK THAT WE'VE PUT A LOT INTO CATCHING KIDS UP FROM COVID.
I, AND, AND THAT'S WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING.
UM, WE'VE SEEN A LITTLE BIT OF A DECLINE IN ENROLLMENT, BUT ONCE, ONCE THIS GETS DONE, I, IF, IF, AND WE DON'T WANNA LOSE ANY MORE KIDS, JUST TO BE CLEAR.
WE WANT TO, WE WANNA OPEN THE DOORS, GET THREE AND FOUR YEAR OLDS IN, AND WE WANT TO BRING THEM IN.
BUT IF WE WERE TO LOSE MORE KIDS, WE JUST HAVE TO PREPARE FOR THAT AND PLAN FOR THAT.
BECAUSE EVERY SCHOOL'S GONNA BE FUNDED THE SAME WHEN THEY PUT THIS EQUITY FORMULA IN.
UM, WITH, WITH LOSING KIDS, THE ONLY WAY, THE ONLY WAY YOU'RE GAINING MONEY IS GAINING KIDS, BECAUSE THE MORE MONEY YOU GAIN LOCALLY, WE TALKED ABOUT OUR PROPERTY VALUES GOING UP, THE MORE IT GOES UP, IF OUR ENROLLMENT STAYED THE SAME AND OUR PROPERTY VALUES GO UP, WE GET LESS MONEY FROM THE STATE, MORE MONEY WE GET LOCALLY, THEY'RE GONNA TAKE FROM THE STATE IF IT DROPS AND IT'S NOT GOING TO.
BUT IF OUR, IF OUR HOUSING MARKET CRASHED AND THEN WENT DOWN, THE STATE WOULD SUPPLEMENT THAT.
AND SO WE'RE TRULY FUNDED IN, IN OUR BUDGET IS TRULY CONTROLLED ON ENROLLMENT.
SO GETTING OUR BUDGET IN LINE WITH OUR ENROLLMENT AND HOW WE'RE ALLOCATING THOSE RESOURCES THAT ARE GONNA BE CRITICAL REGARDLESS OF WHETHER, YOU KNOW, WE CHARTER SCHOOLS OR THAT KIND OF THING.
AND I DON'T FORESEE THE STATE TAKING MONEY FROM SCHOOLS, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT DR.
PER AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT AT LENGTH IS THAT, UH, THERE'S NOT A LOT, THEY LIKE TO TALK ABOUT OUR FUND BALANCE, BUT THEY'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THEIR 30 BILLION FUND BALANCE THAT THEY'RE SITTING ON DOWN THERE.
THEY'VE DONE THIS INTENTIONALLY.
YOU GIVE ME, YOU, I MAY START A SERMON UP HERE, YOU WANNA START A FIRE UP HERE, BUT THEY,
[00:50:01]
THE, THIS WHOLE, YOU KNOW, T2 VALUE INCREASE IN YOUR PROPERTY VALUES AND ALL THOSE THINGS THAT TOOK THE BURDEN OFF OF THEM AND PUT IT ON US, AND THAT, AND THAT'S QUIETLY ADDED TO THEIR COFFERS DOWN THERE BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T CARVE OUT AWAY.SO NOW THEY DO HAVE MONEY AND THEY DO HAVE REVENUES AT THEIR DISCRETION TO SPEND.
IT'S NOT COMING TO US NOW ANYWAY, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOWN THERE FIGHTING FOR, IS TO HAVE THINGS LIKE THAT WHERE WE'RE FUNDED ON AT ENROLLMENT RATHER THAN ATTENDANCE, UH, GIVEN US AN INCREASE TO OUR BASIC ALLOTMENT BASED ON THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE'VE SEEN INFLATION, THINGS OF THAT NATURE, BUT I DON'T FORESEE THEM TAKING MONEY FROM US TO FUND CHARTER SCHOOLS.
BUT I DO SEE THEM DIVERTING FUNDS FOR FU FUTURE FUNDS TO, UH, START SOME OF THEIR INITIATIVES THAT THEY HAVE.
BUT OVERALL, YOU'RE SAYING THAT WHATEVER THE STATE GIVE YOU IN SO MANY WAYS THEY WANT YOU TO SPEND IT.
ARE THEY TAKEN OR YOU CAN, THEY'VE THREATENED THAT, BUT THEY'RE NOT GONNA DO THAT.
I'M JUST, I, I WOULD, I WOULD, I WOULD, I WOULD STATE MY, I WOULD STAKE MY NAME ON THAT.
THEY, THEY, THEY LIKE TO THREATEN THAT, BUT THAT'S, THAT WOULD BE, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS, AGAIN, IT'S LOCAL CONTROL.
THAT'S, THAT'S FOR OURS TO BE, YOU KNOW, UH, TO BE, TO BE ALLOCATED HOW WE NEED TO.
UM, BUT A, A AGAIN, I THINK THE MAIN THING IS, IS JUST, AND I, I HATE TO KEEP COMING BACK TO JUST RIGHT-SIZING, BUT JUST ALLOCATING AND BUDGETING BASED ON, ON, ON OUR NEEDS AND USING THE FUNDS THAT WE HAVE IS WHAT WE, IS WHAT WE HAVE TO FOCUS ON.
AND AGAIN, WE'VE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF MONEY PUT IN FUND BALANCE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
AND SO IT'S NOT WOR, THERE'S NO REASON FOR PANIC HERE, BUT, UH, AGAIN, JUST GETTING THAT DIALED IN IS WHAT WE, WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
MS. MORRIS, THANK YOU SO MUCH, SIR.
UH, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU.
BARKER THE BIG QUESTION THAT EVEN I WANNA KNOW.
I CANNOT ANSWER THAT QUESTION JUST YET, BECAUSE THAT IS, THERE IS AN IMPACT ON BUDGET.
THERE IS AN IMPACT ON BUDGET TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
SO, UM, AS WE WORK THROUGH, BUT WE ARE GETTING MONEY AS WE WORK THROUGH THE ZERO BASED BUDGETING.
AND, AND, AND TODD CAN TALK, UH, MORE ABOUT HOW THE THREE YEAR OLD PROGRAM IS FUNDED DIFFERENTLY FROM SAY, A KINDERGARTEN OR FIRST GRADER.
BUT THEY'RE THERE, THEY HAVE TO IMPACT ON BUDGET.
THE OTHER THING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS, IF WE WERE TO DO IT, UM, ONE THING THAT I CAN SAY ABOUT OUR SUPERINTENDENT, SHE ALWAYS TELLS US TO START SMALL.
UM, WE TALKED ABOUT IT EXTENSIVELY.
THAT AND FULL DAY AND, YOU KNOW, SURVEYED THE TEACHERS WORK WITH SOME PARENTS.
THERE'S SOME CONCERN ABOUT STAMINA OF THE STUDENTS BEING THERE ALL DAY.
UH, WHEN I TALK ABOUT BUDGET IMPACT, WE WOULD, WE WOULD HAVE TO BUY MORE CURRICULUM.
IT'S A, IT'S A CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE HAVING.
CAN I GIVE A SUGGESTION? OKAY.
SO WHEN YOU ALL ARE IN DISCUSSION, UHHUH,
WELL, WHEN THE THREE YEAR OLDS COME TO SCHOOL, HALF A DAY, AND FOR THOSE PARENTS THAT WORK, THEY GOTTA PAY DAYCARE.
SO COULD WE OFFSET THAT? SO WE DO HAVE, UM, AN, UM, A, I DON'T, A A HALF DAY PROGRAM MM-HMM.
AND, AND IT'S AT A MINIMAL COST TO PARENTS.
AND AS A RETENTION EFFORT FOR OUR STAFF, WE, THIS PAST YEAR, WE ABSORBED THAT, UM, FOR STAFF TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THEIR STUDENTS STAY FULL DAY.
SO WE DO HAVE FULL DAY, UM, IN A SENSE, AND THERE'S, THERE IS A SOMEWHAT OF A CURRICULUM THAT HAPPENS THERE.
SO IT'S NOT JUST DAYCARE AFTER SCHOOL, BUT IF WE GO FULL DAY THREE, THEN, I MEAN, FOR ME, I'M ALL IN, WE'RE HAVING SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES, WE'RE DOING HANDS ON STUFF.
I NEED SOME NEW, UH, IPADS FOR ALL DAY.
YOU KNOW, I, I'M GOING ALL IN.
UM, SO MIGHT BE COMING WITH A BIG TICKET TO Y'ALL SAYING, OKAY, YOU WANT THREE, THIS IS HOW MUCH IT COSTS.
AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.
AND I WANTED TO COME IN ON SOMETHING MR. JONES SAID ABOUT OUR LEGISLATOR CALLING.
I THINK WE AS A BOARD MAY WANNA CONSIDER PUTTING ON OUR AGENDA AND THE BOARD AS A WHOLE VOTE, UH, AND SEND OUR LEGISLATOR SOMETHING FROM THE WHOLE BOARD SO WE CAN ENSURE THAT OUR VOICE IS HEARD BUT HEARD IN BLACK AND WHITE.
CAUSE THE PHONE CALL CAN GET LOST IN THE MIDST OF IT.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE,
[00:55:01]
HOPEFULLY PLACED ON OUR AGENDA TO CONSIDER DOING LETTERS FROM OUR BOARD AS A WHOLE.UH, I WASN'T THERE, BUT GO AHEAD.
AND I DO AGREE WITH YOU DOING THAT, BUT AS FAR AS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE CALLING, THEY LOG THOSE CALLS AS INDIVIDUAL CALLS.
SO WHENEVER WE CALL US, GOING AS A BOARD MAKES ONE IMPACT.
BUT IF EVERYONE OF OUR CONSTITUENTS CALLS, THAT'S GONNA BE LIKE 7,000 PEOPLE CALLING RATHER THAN JUST US REPRESENTING THOSE.
SO WE REALLY HAVE TO ENCOURAGE THE WHOLE BOARD TO DO THAT.
AND SO I'M, I'M ON BOARD WITH IT.
I'M, I'M DEFINITELY ON BOARD WITH IT.
I THINK IT'S, UH, IT'S A GREAT THING FOR US AS BOARD MEMBERS TO RESPOND TO A NEED FOR OUR CHILDREN IN LEGISLATION.
SO, UH, AND MY NEXT QUESTION WAS, OH, DR.
IT'S OKAY BECAUSE YOU CAN ONLY IDENTIFY TO CORRECT AND TO FIX MM-HMM.
AND SO I JUST WANT YOU TO SAY THAT WORD.
DON'T BOTHER ME, YOU KNOW,
BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.
AND I THINK THAT WAS ALL FOR YOU.
AND MY NEXT ONE IS MR. GARRISON.
THAT'S I WAIT TO CAROLYN GET THROUGH.
YOU SAID SOMETHING THAT I TOTALLY AGREE WITH.
LOCAL CONTROL THAT'S IN CONTROL.
NOW, WHEN I SAID LOCAL CONTROL, OUT OF CONTROL IS WHEN YOU GOT BOARD MEMBERS WANNA DO THEIR OWN THING.
AND I LOOK BACK THROUGH YOUR, UH, DATES FOR SCHEDULING FOR THE WORKSHOPS.
I DON'T KNOW HOW, BUT I THINK, I THINK EVERY BOARD MEMBER PERHAPS SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE THEY WOULD'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET A LOT OF CLARITY TO THE TAX, HOW WE BALANCE EVERYTHING, WHAT PERCENTAGE GOES TO WHAT, AND FROM THE HIGHEST TO THE LOW.
SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD FOR JUNE, 2023 BOARD BUDGET WORKSHOP MEETING.
AND IF WE CAN GET EVERYBODY HERE TO PAL THOSE QUESTIONS, THEN IN THIS ROOM WHERE THEY CAN PICK IT UP, I THINK IT WOULD BE MORE CLARITY TO THEM WHEN WE HAVE TO MAKE, HAVE THAT PUBLIC MEETING AND THAT FOLK.
COME IN A LOCAL CONTROL THERE.
AND I DO AGREE THAT, UH, AND THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF THAT JUNE MEETING.
WE'LL HAVE A TONIGHT WAS TO CREATE SOME AWARENESS TO GET SOME INPUT.
UM, I CAN ELABORATE MORE ON THAT, BUT THIS IS NOT REALLY A BUDGET PLANNING, BUT MORE OF AN INFORMATIONAL MM-HMM.
BUT THAT WILL BE MORE OF A PLANNING IN A LOT MORE DETAIL AND A LOT MORE Q AND A.
UH, THIS IS MORE OF THE PROCESS AND KIND OF WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS.
YOU KNOW, I HAVE BEEN IN SEVERAL, UH, BUDGET MEETINGS AND, UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU ON THE BUDGET, HOW YOU PUT IT TOGETHER AND HOW YOU'RE LOOKING AT KIDS FIRST AND WHAT WE GONNA DO WITH OUR MONEY.
IF YOU DON'T MIND, SAY IT ONE MORE TIME.
I CAN I SPEAK TO THAT? THANK YOU.
YEAH, I, I WOULD, I GOT MY OWN MAJOR.
MR. JONES SPOKE OF OUR ENROLL.
INCREASING YOUR PRE-K AND ALL MAY HELP REVENUE.
BUT IF YOU HAVE TWO TEACHERS IN A REGULAR CLASS IN A PRE-K, YOU NEED FOUR OR FIVE TEACHERS GO ALL DAY.
HOW IS THAT GUNNER? I MEAN, YOU GOT THREE YEARS OLD, YOU GOTTA CHANGE DIAPER POSTS, FEED THEM.
I DIDN'T HEAR THAT TIME WITH THAT.
I, I, NO ONE HAD TO TELL ME TO SPEAK INTO THE MIC ON THAT ONE.
I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT'S ON THE RECORD.
CAUSE I WAS THEN SAYING WHY DON'T THE DISTRICT CONTRACT WITH SOME OF THE DAYCARES IN THE COMMUNITY? BUT I DIDN'T KNOW THAT YOU SAID THREE YEAR OLD.
WELL, WE TRYING TO BRING THEM HERE TO OUR SCHOOL.
NOT PAID, NOT PAY TO OUTSIDE PEOPLE.
NO, I THOUGHT IT WAS, THEY WOULD NEED MORE ATTENTION THAN A SCHOOL COULD GIVE THEM.
WHEN THE LAST TIME YOU TALK TO A THREE YEAR OLD.
THEY LITTLE KIDS ARE PEOPLE TOO.
[01:00:01]
YOU NEED TO TALK TO ONE OF 'EM.THAT'S ALL I WANTED TO HAVE WE EVER CONSIDERED A STANDALONE FACILITY BUILDING FOR PRE-K THAT WOULD BE, UM, A DISCUSSION FOR THE BOARD.
SO I MEAN, WE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS.
WE TALKED ABOUT THE, THE PROS AND THE CONS OF HAVING SO MANY TRANSITIONS.
WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT, UH, STUDENTS BEING ABLE TO GO TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, OR TO THE SAME SCHOOL, ESPECIALLY AT ELEMENTARY WITH THEIR SIBLINGS, THEIR ELEMENTARY SIBLINGS.
THAT MAKES IT EASIER ON THE PARENTS.
I HAVE ONE DROP OFF OR ONE PICK.
SO WE'VE WEIGHED A LOT OF PROS AND CONS, BUT THAT WOULD BE AT THE, YOU KNOW, DISCUSSION FOR YOU ALL WITH DR.
JERRY, YOU WOULD NOT GET A PUSHBACK.
UM, AND IN, IN AN AREA THAT REALLY HAS SOME ECONOMIC CHALLENGES.
BUT YOU, AGAIN, WE ALL KNOW POVERTY'S NOT A LEARNING DISABILITY.
UM, BUT WHEN YOU DO BUILD PROGRAMS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR KIDS MM-HMM.
BUT THEY ALSO HAD A UNIFIED, UH, UH, CAREER IN TECH ED FACILITY AS WELL.
WHICH AGAIN, EVERY STUDENT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY SHINE.
UM, AND SO IF, UH, KATRICE PER COULD BUILD THEIR OWN DISH, THAT DEFINITELY WOULD BE, UH, ONE, CUZ I'D LIKE TO HAVE 'EM ALL TOGETHER.
BUT WE HAVE ENOUGH FACILITIES TO LOOK AT HOW DO WE RENOVATE, HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE RECONFIGURE? UM, AND AGAIN, I'M NOT SAYING WE'RE DOING THAT RIGHT NOW, BUT, UM, THE, WE DO HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO DO THAT FACILITY.
THAT WOULD DEFINITELY, I THINK WOULD PROBABLY BE A DRAW FOR SOME PARENTS AS WELL.
SO, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY, MR. GARRIS, I HAVE A QUESTION OR TWO FOR YOU.
UM, CAN YOU CLARIFY THE FIVE TO 10% BUDGET BUDGET REDUCTION? WOULD THAT BE INCLUSIVE OF THIS CALENDAR YEAR OR THIS SCHOOL YEAR WE'RE CURRENTLY IN? OR NO, THIS, UM, IT WOULD BE FOR THE 2324.
AND SO THE, THE FIVE TO 10% IS DERIVED FROM ESSENTIALLY WE'RE, WE'RE ABOUT FOUR AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS INTO OUR FUND BALANCE RIGHT NOW IN OUR CURRENT YEAR.
UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF FACTORS THAT KEEP US FROM PANICKING THE, MAINLY THE FUND BALANCE.
BUT I, I SWITCHED BACK TO THIS SLIDE, BUT I'M GONNA DO ONE THAT'S A LITTLE BIT BIGGER.
SO THE GENERAL FUND REVENUE THERE IS 77 MILLION.
IF WE CUT FIVE TO 10% OF THAT, YOU'RE RIGHT AT THAT FOUR OR 5 MILLION AND, AND WE'RE RIGHT BACK TO RIGHT SIZED AND BALANCED.
UH, AGAIN, I DON'T FORESEE US, UM, I THINK AGAIN, JUST TO POINT OUT THAT I THINK THAT NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET WITHOUT SEEING ANY DATA RIGHT NOW WILL BE, WILL LOOK REAL SIMILAR TO THIS BECAUSE I THINK OUR ENROLLMENT WILL BE REAL CLOSE TO WHAT IT IS CURRENTLY.
AND SO IF OUR ENROLLMENTS CURRENT IS GONNA BE CLOSE TO THAT AND REGARDLESS OF OUR PROPERTY VALUES GO UP, WE'RE GONNA GET A LITTLE MORE, MORE LOCAL REVENUE.
OUR OTHERS GONNA STAY THE SAME.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE REAL CLOSE TO THAT BUDGET NUMBER TO STAY WITHIN.
AND IF WE CAN CUT FIVE, YOU KNOW, FIVE TO 10%, UM, WE'LL COME IN AT A 72 MILLIONISH ISSUE, BUDGET IN REVENUE AND 72 MILLION-ISH IN EXPENSES.
BUT THAT'S, IF I WAS GONNA PREDICT RIGHT NOW, I'D SAY THAT'S PROBABLY WHERE WE'RE GONNA BE AND THAT'S WHERE THEY, YOU GONNA HOLD ME TO THAT? MM-HMM.
SO ONE, ONE MORE QUESTION FOR YOU.
GOING BACK TO THE, TO THE, UH, CAPITAL PROJECTS, WIND SCREEN REMOVAL AT WEST MAIN AT PLEASANT RUN.
UH, ADDITIONALLY THE ROOF REPAIRS.
SO WITH THE ROOF REPAIRS, DID WE NOT HAVE A WARRANTY WITH THE COMPANY? AN ONGOING NARRATIVE INFLUENCE THAT, UM, CANNOT BE FOUND OR SEEN, BUT WE DO KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT CUZ HE'S GONNA CREATE A BIGGER ISSUE FOR US.
UM, AND ROGER COULD PROBABLY EXPLAIN THIS IN BETTER OPERATIONAL TERMS THAN I CAN, BUT IN, IN, IN MY LAYMAN'S TERMS IS THEIR OFFENSE IS THERE AND THE WIND BLOWS IT, IT WIGGLES BACK AND FORTH AGAIN, JUST LIKE A LOOSE TOOTH OR SOMETHING.
IT BEGINS TO, TO CREATE A LITTLE HOLE AND THAT'S WHAT'S OCCURRING.
YOU CAN'T REALLY, IT'S NOT ALWAYS VISIBLE, BUT I KNOW ROGER AND HIS TEAM DID SOME TESTING WHERE THEY PULL WATER AND YOU CAN SEE THE WATER COMING THROUGH.
SO IT IS AN ISSUE AND, AND KNOW, AND I'D LIKE TO ADD, I DON'T WANNA BE EVASIVE AND NOT ANSWER THE QUESTION, BUT I THINK THE, MY MY POINT IN HAVING THIS ON HERE IS THAT WE DO HAVE FURTHER CAPITAL PROJECTS IN THE FUTURE.
UH, AGAIN, THERE'S LITERALLY 40 OTHERS ON A, ON
[01:05:01]
A, ON A SLIDE THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT.I LISTED A HANDFUL THAT, THAT I KNOW THAT HAVE BEEN TALKED ABOUT.
MY, MY INTENTION WITH THIS SLIDE WAS JUST TO BRING AWARENESS TO, WE HAVE OTHER CAPITAL PROJECTS, WE DON'T HAVE A BUDGET FOR THAT.
WE, WE'VE EXHAUSTED OUR BOND FUNDS AND ANYTHING THAT WE WANT TO DO CAPITAL PROJECTS WISE WOULD NEED TO BE PRIORITIZED AND COME OUT OF FUND BALANCE UNTIL SUCH TIME WE CAN PASS A BOND ISSUE.
SO CURRENTLY THERE IS NO COMMITTEE, NOT NOT TO DATE, UM, UH, CHIP LEWIS, BUT WE HAVE MET WITH SOME CONSTITUENTS AND, UM, IN THE COMMUNITY, UH, AND ALSO SHARED WITH THEM THAT WE WOULD BE, I WILL ACTUALLY, UM, FOR APRIL ASKED THE BOARD, UH, TO NOMINATE SOMEONE FROM THEIR COMMUNITY, UH, CONSTITUENT TO PARTICIPATE ON THAT.
AND AGAIN, IT COULD BE A COMMITTEE THAT ADVISES ALONG THE WAY.
UH, JUST MUCH LIKE THIS BUDGET COMMITTEE, UH, REVIEWING INFORMATION.
UM, AND SO WE ARE, UH, FORMING THAT.
I KNOW ROGER WAS TRYING TO FINALIZE A LOT OF THE PROJECT STUFF CUZ DOING A LOT OF ASSESSMENTS, BUT ALSO TRYING TO FIX WHAT WE KNOW IS NEEDS TO BE FIXED.
SO IT IS A, UM, IT HAS BEEN A, A, A ALMOST A YEAR OF BUILDING, UM, A LIST OF ITEMS AND NOW IT'S TIME TO HOW DO WE PRIORITIZE THOSE, WHETHER IT'S COMMUNITY WANTS TO SEE US DO, BUT I ALWAYS ALSO WILL SAY IN THAT SAME BREATH, LAST YEAR, THE BOARD AFFORDED US, UM, 1.8 MILLION IN ORDER TO DO SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS.
UM, I COULD SAY ROGER UTILIZED THOSE DOLLARS EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY ENOUGH THAT HE HAD ENOUGH TO TAKE ON A PROJECT THAT WASN'T ORIGINALLY ON THE LIST, WHICH WAS THE ELEVATOR OVER AT, UM, THE STADIUM, THE FOOTBALL STADIUM THAT HAS BEEN DYSFUNCTIONAL SINCE 2005.
UM, AND I SAY THAT OUT LOUD AND THEN TO THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE IT IS NOT A NEW ISSUE.
UM, THESE ARE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE.
UM, AND, AND YOU KNOW, PRESIDENT HAMILTON MAY NOT WANT ME TO SAY, BUT I WILL SAY IT WAS A USED U ELEVATOR WHEN YOU INSTALLED IT.
AND SO IT HAS NEVER WORKED IN OPERATED FUNCTIONALLY PROPERLY.
THERE ARE SOME OTHER I BIG TICKET ITEMS TOO THAT ARE ALSO AN ISSUE SCOREBOARD CALL US.
AND AGAIN, I DON'T WANT YOU TO TALK ABOUT ATHLETIC STUFF, BUT I'M JUST SHARING THAT THESE THINGS ARE BIG TICKET ITEMS THAT NEED TO BE REDONE THAT HAVE BEEN DYSFUNCTIONAL FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS AND WE ARE GETTING TO THEM AS EX EXPEDITIOUSLY AND AS EFFECTIVELY EFFICIENTLY AS WE CAN.
UM, AND SO I KNOW I'VE TALKED TO A COUPLE BOARD MEMBERS JUST INDEPENDENTLY TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO WE DO, UH, WITH A BOND OR SO DO WE DO THAT? WELL, I'M NOT AGAINST IT, BUT WHAT I, I WILL SAY, I LIVE HERE TOO.
I WOULD SAY WE HAVE TO UTILIZE SOME OF OUR FUND BALANCE THAT EXCESS PIECE BEFORE I CAN ASK IMMUNITY FOR ANYTHING THAT'S TRUE.
NOW AGAIN, IF THE BOARD DIRECTS ME TO DO THAT, THEN I'M DOING THAT.
BUT I'M JUST TELLING YOU FROM PERSPECTIVE OF I CAN'T ASK WHEN I KNOW WE HAVE, UM, OVER WHAT THE STATE REQUIRES AND THAT'S A GOOD THING, BUT IT'S A BLESSING AND A CURSE BECAUSE YOU ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT UTILIZING THOSE DOLLARS, AND WE HAVE THOSE AGAIN BECAUSE ITS, UH, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OFFSET SOME THINGS THROUGH ESSER.
UM, AND SO WHY NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT, UTILIZE THOSE DOLLARS IN WHICH, WHICH THE COMMUNITY AFFORDED THIS DISTRICT TO UTILIZE THEM FOR NOT TO PUT IN A SAVINGS ACCOUNT, IF YOU WILL, AND JUST HOARD THOSE DOLLARS.
IT IS TO BE UTILIZED FOR OUR KIDS.
AND PEOPLE LOOK AT DISTRICTS AND SAY, WELL, YOU'RE SPENDING A LOT.
WE ARE NOT HERE TO SAVE A WHOLE WAY.
I MEAN, WE ARE TO BE EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT WITH THE DOLLARS, BUT THE FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITIES THAT WE HAVE AS A, AS A SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AS BOARD AND MYSELF AS SUPERINTENDENT, IS TO ENSURE THAT WE INVEST IN OUR STUDENTS, NOT THE HOARD THE DOLLARS.
UM, AND I'M GONNA GET OFF MY SOAPBOX
I CAN GO ON MY TEAM LIKE SOMEBODY DOING A TIME OUT SHERIFF.
I WANNA SAY YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD WHEN YOU SAID, BECAUSE I HAD TO KIND THINK, WELL, THE WARRANTY MAY BE OFF, BUT THE WARRANTY SHOULD NOT BE OFF ON WEST MAINE IN PLEASANT RUN.
IT SHOULD NOT BE BECAUSE WHO LOOKED AT THE CONTRACT ON COMPLETION, IT HAD TO BE A COMPLETION, UH, LETTER SIGNED ON BOTH OF THESE, THE SCREEN REMOVAL, I MEAN THE WIND SCREEN AND THE ROOF.
THIS SHOULD HAVE, YOU KNOW, WHEN ALL OF THAT WAS DONE, THERE HAD TO BE A FINAL SIGN OFF ON THAT AND TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU AT LEAST GET 20, 30 YEARS ON A ROOF.
AND SO THANK YOU FOR POINTING THAT OUT.
IF, IF I MAY ASK MR. ROGER A QUESTION FOR CLARIFICATION.
THE WIND SCREEN, IF I'M STANDING AT THE, THE FRONT OF WEST MAIN OR PLEASANT RUN, IT'S, THE SCREEN IS AT THE VERY EDGE OF THAT TOP, THE TOP PART OF THE BUILDING, CORRECT? YES, SIR.
IT LOOKS JUST LIKE A FENCE RIGHT ON THE TOP OF THE EDGE OF THE BUILDING.
BECAUSE I, I I, I THINK BACK AND I THOUGHT THAT THOSE WERE PLACED THERE TO
[01:10:01]
HIDE THE AIR CONDITIONER UNITS.BUT IF YOU LOOK AROUND AT THE REST OF THE SCHOOLS AND OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS, THEY DON'T HAVE THAT.
AESTHETICALLY IT'S NICE, BUT YEAH.
IT PUTS STRESS ON THE BUILDING GOING BACK AND FORTH, JUST LIKE DR.
SO IF WE TAKE THEM OFF, DOES IT CREATE MORE OF A PROBLEM? BECAUSE IF THEY WERE, IF THEY WERE THERE FOR THE PURPOSE OF WHEN, SO IF WE TAKE THEM OFF, OH NO, THEY WERE, THEY WERE PUT THERE JUST FOR AESTHETICS.
THEY'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING OTHER THAN MAKING IT, MAKING IT TO WHERE YOU CAN'T SEE THE UNITS.
AND I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, LIKE GO BY CARVER, YOU CAN PRETTY MUCH SEE EVERY UNIT THERE,
UM, SAME WITH, UH, LC ROBINSON.
YOU CAN, YOU CAN SEE THE LARGE 50 TON UNITS THERE.
I WOULD JUST, UM, AGAIN, ESPECIALLY LIKE TO THANK THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS FOR BEING HERE.
UM, WE WILL, WE WILL HAVE MORE, UM, MEETINGS AS MENTIONED.
UM, NOT ONLY BOARD, BUT ALSO COMMUNITY, UH, THE COMMITTEE MEETINGS AS WELL.
UM, AGAIN, THE MAIN POINT OF THIS IS THE, THE BUDGET CAN BE OVERWHELMING.
UH, THERE'S A LOT OF FACTORS THAT COME INTO IT, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S COMPLICATED TO PUT TOGETHER, BUT IT'S, IT'S NOT A, IT'S, IT'S NOT A COMPLICATED, WE HAVE SO MUCH MONEY TO SPEND AND SO MUCH AND, AND HOW WE SPEND IT.
AND SO JUST TRYING TO MAKE THAT MORE UNDERSTANDABLE, UH, MORE TRANSPARENT.
UH, WE DON'T WANT IT TO, WE DON'T WANT IT TO SEEM SECRETIVE.
AND WE WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH IT, AND WE WANT THE QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED.
UH, AND WE WANT TO, UM, WE WANT TO HAVE THE CONFIDENCE OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS AND HOW WE'RE SPENDING OUR DOLLARS AND, UH, AND BE TRANSPARENT WITH THAT.
SO AGAIN, I THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT AND, AND GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THIS.
UH, IF WE CAN BE OF ANY HELP ALONG THE WAY, UH, PLEASE LET US KNOW AND WE'LL BE IN TOUCH WITH FUTURE DATES FOR, FOR MEETINGS.
SO WE WE'RE DONE, UH, ADJOURNMENT TIME IS WHAT? SIX 50? THERE IS FOOD.