Mar 12, 2026 Regular Board Meetings

[I. CALL TO ORDER]

[00:00:06]

GOOD EVENING, AND WELCOME TO THE MARCH MEETING OF THE RICHARDSON ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES. I'M CHRIS POTEET, BOARD PRESIDENT. WE DO HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT AT THIS MEETING, AND IT IS CALLED TO ORDER AT 6.05 P.M. DR. HELLER, WILL YOU PLEASE INTRODUCE OUR GUESTS TO LEAD US IN THE PLEDGES OF ALLEGIANCE THIS EVENING? YES, THANK YOU, PRESIDENT POTEET. GOOD EVENING. I'M SO EXCITED TO INTRODUCE TO YOU GIRL. SCOUT TROOP NUMBER 6685 FROM FOREST RIDGE ELEMENTARY. WE HAVE FOUR STUDENTS HERE THIS EVENING. WE HAVE LUNA HISSABOO AND REDDIT HISSABOO, ISRAEL JOHN AND ELIZABETH OVIEDO. AND THEY ARE GOING TO NOW LEAD US IN OUR PLEDGES. PLEASE JOIN US TO SAY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION, UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. NOW FOR THE TEXAS FLAG. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG. ONE STAY UNDER GOD, ONE AND INVISIBLE. GREAT JOB. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE THIS EVENING.

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR LEADING US THERE. AND IF THE AUDIENCE AND STAFF AND THE BOARD WOULD, PLEASE JOIN US IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE. THANK YOU. COLLEAGUES, IT IS NOW TIME FOR OUR RECOGNITIONS. DR.

HELLER. YES, THANK YOU. AND AS OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND SUPERINTENDENT BRANHAM ARE COMING FORWARD, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS EVENING.

THE RICHARDSON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES IS PROUD TO CELEBRATE THE OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS OF OUR STUDENTS, STAFF, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS.

TO ENSURE... EVERY HONOREE RECEIVES THE APPRECIATION THEY DESERVE. WE ASK THAT GUESTS REMAIN SEATED UNTIL THE ENTIRE RECOGNITION SEGMENT CONCLUDES.

FOLLOWING THE FINAL PRESENTATION, WE WILL HOLD A BRIEF RECESS.

AT THAT TIME, VISITORS WHO DO NOT WISH TO STAY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE BUSINESS MEETING MAY EXIT THE AUDITORIUM. AND WE WILL GET STARTED.

FOR THOSE THAT ARE NOT AWARE, EVERY YEAR IN THE MONTH OF MARCH, HERE IN RICHARDSON, ISD, WE CELEBRATE FINE ARTS. AND WE HAVE... SHOW OUR APPRECIATION ALL MONTH AND CELEBRATE THE ARTS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT.

AND THIS EVENING WE HAVE A VERY SPECIAL PARTNER RECOGNITION, AND WE HAVE TWO REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE AT&T PERFORMING ARTS CENTER HERE THIS EVENING. I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE UP AUTUMN GARRISON AND AUDREY RODRIGUEZ. IF THEY COULD, PLEASE COME FORWARD, I WILL SHARE WITH YOU WHY. WE ARE RECOGNIZING THE AT&T PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, WHICH REMAINS A CORNERSTONE OF INSPIRATION AND OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF IN RICHARDSON, ISD.

THROUGH A COMMITTED PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CENTER'S EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM, OUR FINE ARTS PROGRAMS CONTINUE TO FLOURISH WITHIN THE HEART OF THE DALLAS ARTS DISTRICT.

THIS YEAR, THE PARTNERSHIP PROVIDED EXPERIENCES THAT BRIDGED THE GAP BETWEEN THE CLASSROOM AND THE PROFESSIONAL STAGE, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING. SOME OF OUR STUDENTS RECEIVED COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS TO WORLD-CLASS THEATER AND DANCE PERFORMANCES. THEY ATTENDED A SPECIAL SNEAK PEEK INTO THE BACKSTAGE OPERATIONS OF THE WINSBORO OPERA HOUSE.

AND THE AT&T CAMPUS HOSTED THE NORTH TEXAS BALLET FOLKLORICO FESTIVAL AT THE WILEY THEATER. AND THOSE ARE JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OF HOW THEY HAVE BEEN SUCH A TREMENDOUS PARTNER WITH US. WE EXTEND OUR SINCEREST GRATITUDE TO THE ENTIRE TEAM AT THE AT&T PERFORMING ARTS CENTER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATED SUPPORT FOR RICHARDSON ISD FINE ARTS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND WE ARE GOING TO GRAB A PHOTO AFTER EACH RECOGNITION. SO WE WOULD ASK THOSE BEING RECOGNIZED TO PLEASE STAY UP FRONT. AND AS THEY ARE GOING THROUGH THE LINE AND WE GET THEIR PHOTO, I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE OUR TWO QUEST BRIDGE STUDENTS FROM RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL, IF YOU COULD, PLEASE COME FORWARD, YOU ARE GOING TO BE RECOGNIZED NEXT. GIVE IT

[00:05:13]

QUESTBRIDGE MATCHED SCHOLARSHIP FINALISTS NOT ONLY DEMONSTRATE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, BUT ALSO SHOW ENGAGEMENT BEYOND THE CLASSROOM, WHETHER THROUGH SUPPORTING THEIR FAMILIES, HOLDING LEADERSHIP ROLES IN EXTRACURRICULARS, OR GIVING BACK TO THEIR COMMUNITIES. THIS EVENING, WE HAVE TWO STUDENTS FROM RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL, AND I'M SO EXCITED TO INTRODUCE TO YOU. BOTH OF THESE STUDENTS HAVE BEEN MATCHED AND WILL ALSO BE ATTENDING. THE FOLLOWING UNIVERSITIES. WE HAVE CHLOE GRIMES, WHO WILL BE ATTENDING VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY. AND WE, YES, SHE'S ALREADY GOT THE SWAG AND THE SWEATSHIRT TO PROMOTE THE BRAND. AND WE ALSO HAVE MICAIAH MCKINNON, WHO IS MATCHED WITH MIT. HOW EXCITING FOR BOTH OF THESE STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES, AND WE ARE EXCITED TO SUPPORT THEM AS THEY PURSUE THEIR NEXT CHAPTER OF EDUCATION BEYOND RICHARDSON, ISD. AND AS WE ARE GETTING A PICTURE WITH BOTH OF THESE STUDENTS. I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE UP OUR ALLSTATE MUSICIANS IF YOU'RE HERE TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR ALLSTATE, FOR OUR MUSICIANS.

IF YOU CAN COME FORWARD AT THIS TIME, PLEASE. YES, LET'S GIVE IT UP ONE MORE TIME.

CONGRATULATIONS. AND NEXT, I KNOW. OUR FINE ARTS TEAM PROUDLY ANNOUNCES THE SELECTION OF 20 RISD STUDENTS TO ALLSTATE BAND, CHOIR, OR ORCHESTRA. THESE STUDENTS WERE SELECTED THROUGH A RIGOROUS STATEWIDE AUDITION PROCESS AND PARTICIPATED IN THE TEXAS MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION CONVENTION IN SAN ANTONIO LAST MONTH. MUSICIANS IN THE ALLSTATE BAND, CHOIR, AND ORCHESTRA ARE IN THE TOP, GET THIS, 0.5% OF ALL STUDENT MUSICIANS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. WHAT AN INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT. NOT ALL OF THEM COULD BE HERE THIS EVENING, BUT WE ARE EXCITED FOR THOSE THAT COULD, AND I'M EXCITED TO INTRODUCE THEM TO YOU AT THIS TIME. WE HAVE MAX MORROW, BERKNER HIGH SCHOOL BAND. WE HAVE ANTHONY NGUYEN, BERKNER HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR. WE HAVE SAYLOR SMITH, LAKE HIGHLANDS HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR.

ALSO WITH LAKE HIGHLANDS HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR, CATHERINE POTCOTTER. FROM RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL, ISLA YUSEI, CHOIR. ASHER LEE, RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR. CALEB CALL, RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL BAND. AND FROM PIERCE HIGH SCHOOL BAND, ABIGAIL DELIMA.

CONGRATULATIONS. SO EXCITED.

NOW, STUDENTS, ONCE YOU GO THROUGH THE LINE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE YOU COME BACK AROUND AND WE'RE GOING TO ORGANIZE YOU FOR A PHOTO.

OKAY, AND AS WE ARE GETTING THEIR PHOTOGRAPH, I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE UP OUR VISUAL ARTS STUDENTS. IF YOU'RE HERE TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR ANY ARTWORK, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE YOU COME UP AT THIS TIME. AGAIN,

[00:10:01]

GREAT JOB. AND AS WE CONTINUE CELEBRATING THE ARTS THIS EVENING, HERE IN RICHARDSON, ISD, WE HAVE SEVERAL STUDENTS THAT ARE BEING RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR VISUAL ART PROJECTS.

THE FIRST RECOGNITION IS GOING TO BE FOR ARTWORK THAT WAS SELECTED TO BE PART OF THE TEXAS ART EDUCATION ASSOCIATION'S YOUTH ART MONTH STATE CAPITOL EXHIBIT. THIS EXHIBIT SHOWCASES PRE-K THROUGH 12. GRADE WORKS OF ART FROM ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS. STUDENT ART FROM AROUND THE STATE WILL BE EXHIBITED AT THE TAEA TEXAS STATE YOUTH ART MONTH EXHIBIT AND CELEBRATION AT THE BOB BULLOCK STATE HISTORY MUSEUM IN AUSTIN. IT'S BEEN ON EXHIBIT THROUGH THE END OF FEBRUARY THROUGH THE END OF MARCH. SO IF YOU'RE TRAVELING IN AUSTIN NEXT WEEK FOR SPRING BREAK, BE SURE AND STOP BY THE MUSEUM AND SEE THE RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL ARTWORK.

WE HAVE TWO RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. CAN I INVITE DEMI AND EMMA FORWARD IF YOU'RE BEING RECOGNIZED? AWESOME.

SO, YES, WE HAVE DEMI BATTLE FROM RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL.

OKAY, AND THE NEXT GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT WE ARE RECOGNIZING ARE TWO OUTSTANDING STUDENTS, ALSO FROM RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL.

FOR EARNING NATIONAL RECOGNITION IN THE PRESTIGIOUS DREXEL UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST, HOSTED BY DREXEL UNIVERSITY. THIS IS AN ANNUAL NATIONAL COMPETITION WHERE OVER 2,100 SUBMISSIONS FROM HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ACROSS 33 WINNING ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. THE RECENT EXHIBITION SHOWCASED THE WORK OF 33 WINNING PHOTOGRAPHERS AND 195 ADDITIONAL SELECTED ARTISTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY. THE FOLLOWING STUDENTS HAVE THEIR PHOTOGRAPHIC WORK SELECTED FOR THE NATIONAL EXHIBIT. HOW EXCITING. WE HAVE LOLA.

MADERNOVSKY FROM RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL, AS WELL AS KAITLYN HO FROM RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL. OKAY, THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO BE HERE. WE WILL BE SURE THAT, YES, WE ARE GOING TO CELEBRATE THEM. YES, AND IF THEIR PARENTS ARE WATCHING FROM HOME, WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET THEIR MEDALS.

OKAY, WE ALSO HAVE STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHERS FROM RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL. I SEE A LITTLE TREND HERE, MAYBE WITH THE ART MAGNET. ALSO EARNED FIRST PLACE HONORS IN MULTIPLE CATEGORIES AT THE SPRING 2026 CITY OF RICHARDSON PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST. THIS ANNUAL COMPETITION WELCOMES STUDENTS, AMATEUR AND PROFICIENT PHOTOGRAPHERS FROM ACROSS THE REGION. FIRST PLACE WINNERS IN EACH CATEGORY ADVANCE TO COMPETE FOR THE BEST OF DIVISION, WITH TOP HONORS ULTIMATELY SHOWCASED AT THE RICHARDSON PUBLIC LIBRARY. HOW EXCITING. AND WE HAVE FIVE STUDENTS BEING RECOGNIZED FOR THAT. AIDEN, TOY, IS AIDEN HERE THIS EVENING? OKAY, MAGGIE PARKER. OKAY, KELLY AGUILAR. MILES JAMES. I KNEW MR. JAMES WAS HERE. AND MARGO NICHOLS. IS MARGO HERE THIS EVENING? OKAY. WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET THEIR RECOGNITIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND FINALLY, WE HAVE OUR FINAL VISUAL ARTS RECOGNITION THIS EVENING FOR RISD STUDENTS THAT HAVE ADVANCED TO STATE VISUAL ARTS SCHOLASTIC EVENT, ALSO KNOWN AS VASE, THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF RECOGNITION IN TEXAS FOR HIGH SCHOOL VISUAL ARTS STUDENTS. THE STATE VASE REPRESENTS THE PINNACLE OF ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT.

WITHIN THE VASE PROGRAM, HONORING EXEMPLARY STUDENT ARTWORK AT THE STATE LEVEL.

HOW EXCITING. WE HAVE SEVERAL STUDENTS FROM ACROSS OUR HIGH SCHOOLS BEING RECOGNIZED. SO I WILL INVITE YOU TO COME FORWARD NOW. WE HAVE LANA WONG FROM RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL. WE HAVE GABRIELLE MIRABEL SORIANO FROM RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL.

WE HAVE ANDREA PALKWAR FROM RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL, OLIVER MARSHALL FROM RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL, AND LESLIE SANCHEZ, ALSO FROM RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THESE VISUAL, ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY STUDENTS, AND WE'RE GOING TO GRAB A GROUP PHOTO. AND PARENTS AND FAMILY, THESE PHOTOS WILL BE ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS AND WEBSITE TOMORROW AS WELL. AND NOW WE NEED MARSTON TO GET THE OFFICIAL ONE. HOLD ON. GREAT JOB STUDENTS, CONGRATULATIONS AND WE ARE

[00:15:07]

AND AS THEY ARE COMING FORWARD, I WILL SHARE WITH YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS RECOGNITION. WE UNDERSTAND THAT OUR STUDENTS' PERFORMANCE IN THE CLASSROOM CAN SOMETIMES BE DIFFICULT TO MANAGE WHILE PARTICIPATING IN ATHLETICS, BUT THEIR HARD WORK HAS NOT GONE UNNOTICED.

THE ACADEMIC ALL-STATE RECIPIENTS ARE SENIOR STUDENT-ATHLETES WHO HAVE EXCELLED THROUGHOUT THEIR HIGH SCHOOL ACADEMIC CAREER IN THE CATEGORIES OF GPA, CLASS RANK, AND ACT-SAT SCORE. OUR ALL-STATE COMPETITION ATHLETES ARE RECOGNIZED FOR TOP-TIER ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE IN THEIR SPORTS AS WELL. WE APPLAUD THEM FOR THEIR COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION TO PERFORM AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. WE HAVE 31 STUDENTS DISTRICT-WIDE WHO HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR EITHER SWIMMING OR DIVING, AND WE ARE EXCITED TO CELEBRATE THOSE THAT COULD BE HERE THIS EVENING. SO COME ON UP AND LET'S READ YOUR NAME AND CELEBRATE YOU. WE HAVE CLAIRE MORRISON, RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL. SCOTT ELLIS, ALSO RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL. KEVIN ROBERTS, RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL. JORDIS WATKINS, LAKE HIGHLANDS HIGH SCHOOL. JORDIS WAS AN ACADEMIC ALL-STATE AND AN ALL-STATE ATHLETE, 14TH PLACE IN DIVING ACROSS THE STATE.

CONGRATULATIONS. LOVE IT.

GRAHAM RITALUCCI, RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL ALL-STATE ATHLETE.

THIRD PLACE IN THE STATE FOR DIVING. CONGRATULATIONS Y'ALL, THERE ARE AWESOME THINGS HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM AND OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM HERE IN RICHARDSON, ISD. SO WE'RE GOING TO CAPTURE A PHOTOGRAPH WITH OUR ALL-STATE ATHLETES.

YES, CONGRATULATIONS. WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE ARE LOTS OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND TEACHERS AND SPONSORS THAT ARE HERE TO SUPPORT THESE STUDENTS AND RECOGNITIONS. CAN YOU PLEASE STAND SO WE CAN RECOGNIZE YOU THIS EVENING FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT? AND THIS CONCLUDES THE RECOGNITIONS PORTION OF THE MEETING THIS EVENING.

THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, DR. HELLER. OUR NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS THE PUBLIC COMMENTS SECTION FOR OUR REGULAR BOARD MEETING.

MRS. RENTERIA, DO WE HAVE ANY PERSONS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP

[00:20:01]

[III. CONSENT / CONFIRMATION AGENDA ITEMS]

ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON THE MOTION? OKAY. HEARING NONE, ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THANK YOU. AND THAT IS 7-0. THANK YOU VERY MUCH ON THAT ITEM. OUR

[IV.A. Consider Gifts]

TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR OUR KIDS. AND, AS ALWAYS, I'VE ASKED MR. PATE TO PRESENT TONIGHT'S GIFTS AT $5,000 OR MORE. THANK YOU, MRS. BRANHAM. I'M HAPPY. TO PRESENT GIFTS RECEIVED THIS MONTH, WE HAVE TWO GIFTS OVER $5,000 SUBMITTED FOR BOARD APPROVAL. THE BOWIE ELEMENTARY PTA DONATED $16,800 TO BOWIE ELEMENTARY. THE PRESTONWOOD ELEMENTARY PTA DONATED $8,107.16 TO PRESTONWOOD ELEMENTARY FOR A TOTAL OF $25,157.16. AND WE HAVE THREE GIFTS, LESS THAN $5,000, FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES TO CAMPUSES ACROSS THE DISTRICT. TOTALING $2,461.39, WHICH ARE PRESENTED FOR THE BOARD'S INFORMATION.

TOTAL GIFTS THIS MONTH ARE $27,618.55. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. PATE. AND WITH THAT, I DO RECOMMEND THAT THE BOARD ACCEPT THE GIFTS OF $5,000 OR MORE AS PRESENTED. THANK YOU, MR. PATE, AND THANK YOU, MS. BRANHAM. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THESE GIFTS? SO MOVED. THANK YOU, MR. ANDREA.

IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND.

THANK YOU, MS. PACHECO. ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON THIS MOTION? YES, MS. PACHECO. I JUST WANT TO THANK THE PTAS WHO ARE DONATING AND ALSO THE RICHARDSON AREA ORCHESTRA CLUB FOR THE TRANSPORTATION. IT'S NOT EASY WORK. I KNOW FUNDRAISING TAKES A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT AND ALSO ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY. MS. BRANHAM, CAN EXPLAIN TO US HOW OUR COMMUNITY CAN DONATE IF THEY'RE NOT DONATING THROUGH THE PTA? YES, MA'AM. THERE ARE MULTIPLE DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES. MOST OF OUR LEARNING COMMUNITIES HAVE DIFFERENT CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS, AND SO THERE ARE GREAT WAYS TO PARTNER WITH THOSE ORGANIZATIONS. WE ALSO HAVE, OF COURSE, OUR AMAZING RIC FOUNDATION, AND THERE ARE MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES, IF YOU JUST VISIT THEIR WEBSITE THAT YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THAT. IF YOU MAYBE FISCAL RESOURCES. IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE AN AVENUE FOR, BUT YOU WOULD LIKE TO VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME. YOU CAN CONNECT WITH OUR STRATEGY AND ENGAGEMENT TEAM AND SONIA PARKER. THERE IS MANY OPPORTUNITIES LISTED ON OUR WEBSITE IN WHICH AN INDIVIDUAL OR AN ORGANIZATION CAN PARTNER WITH US. SO THERE'S A MULTITUDE OF WAYS, BOTH BIG AND SMALL, BOTH WITH TIME AND TREASURE, THAT ANYONE CAN SUPPORT. RISD, A LOCAL CAMPUS, OR EVEN A LOCAL PROGRAM. MAYBE YOU'RE PASSIONATE ABOUT A CERTAIN PROGRAM. WE CAN CONNECT YOU WITH ANYONE WITH AN AVENUE TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION AND COMMENT.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON THE MOTION? OKAY. HEARING NONE, ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. OKAY, AND THAT MOTION CARRIES 7-0.

[IV.B. Instructional Materials Update]

[00:25:01]

THANK YOU SO MUCH. GOOD EVENING AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE. WE ARE THRILLED TO HOPEFULLY BRING TO A CLOSE ALL THE WORK THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING THIS YEAR WITH THE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS REVIEW AND APPROVAL PROCESS.

SO THE APPROVAL PROCESS IS QUITE PRESCRIBED BY THE STATE. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THE DISTRICT HAS THE FREEDOM TO JUST MAKE UP AND DO WHATEVER WE WANT. SO IT ACTUALLY STARTS WITH THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION. THEY LEAD THE PROCESS. AND IT WAS ESTABLISHED BY HOUSE BILL 1605. SO, OF COURSE, THE DISTRICT CLOSELY PAYS ATTENTION TO THAT PROCESS AND MAKES SURE THAT WE DOT EVERY I AND CROSS EVERY T.

ALMOST SAID THAT BACKWARDS.

THE EVALUATION CRITERIA ON THESE SUBMITTED MATERIALS ARE, OF COURSE, EVALUATED FOR FULL ALIGNMENT TO THE STATE STANDARDS, MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE FACTUALLY ACCURATE, THAT THERE ARE NO ERRORS IN THE TEXT, THAT THEY'RE SUITABLE FOR ALL THE GRADE LEVELS AND SUBJECTS THAT THEY PERTAIN TO. AND THAT THEY WILL LEAD TO QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN, HAVE HIGH QUALITY FORMAT AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMPLIANCE BETWEEN THE DIGITAL AND PRINTED MATERIALS, AND ALSO THAT IT HAS THAT PARENT PORTAL ACCESS, SO THAT WE ARE FOSTERING THAT ALL IMPORTANT SCHOOL TO HOME CONNECTION. ALSO, THE COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW GOES THROUGH SEVERAL LAYERS OF TEAMS, WHICH I'LL OUTLINE QUICKLY TONIGHT, PROFESSIONAL REVIEWERS, AND THEY ALSO INCLUDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AT MULTIPLE POINTS. AND THEY'RE VETTED USING CONTENT SPECIFIC RUBRICS THAT ARE DEVELOPED BY THE STATE. AND THEN, OF COURSE, THERE ARE FUNDING AND USE IMPLICATIONS IN THIS, AND ONLY MATERIALS APPROVED VIA THIS PROCESS QUALIFY FOR SPECIFIC AND ADDITIONAL STATE FUNDING ALLOTMENTS. DISTRICTS DO RETAIN LOCAL DISCRETION ON IF THEY CHOOSE THOSE OR NOT, BUT THEY CERTAINLY COULD BENEFIT FROM PURCHASING THOSE APPROVED MATERIALS. AND THIS IS THE FOUNDATION OF WHY THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE WILL MAKE THIS EVENING ALL MEET THAT CRITERIA OF BEING HIGH-QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS. SO YOU SEE ON YOUR SCREEN THERE EXACTLY WHAT WE MEAN WHEN WE SAY HIGH-QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS, OR HQIM. THESE ARE MATERIALS THAT HIT ALL THOSE CRITERIA THAT I JUST MENTIONED.

AND SO IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE JUST SAY. IT ACTUALLY HAS A MEANING. SO TO DIVE A LITTLE DEEPER INTO HOW SOMETHING GOES.

FROM A DEVELOPED MATERIAL TO A HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL. IN THE EYES OF THE STATE, YOU SEE HERE THIS PRESCRIBED PROCESS AND RUBRIC THAT'S LAID OUT. SO THIS COMES FROM THE STATE BOARD AND FROM TEA. THEY GO THROUGH A VERY THOROUGH REVIEW PROCESS BEFORE THEY CAN EVEN GET THAT STAMP OF APPROVAL AS BEING HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS. ANY CURRICULA THAT'S ULTIMATELY DEEMED TO MEET THAT STANDARD. HAS GONE THROUGH TIGHT LOOKS AT THE STANDARD ALIGNMENT, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THAT MATERIAL ALIGNS DIRECTLY TO OUR STATE STANDARDS. IT ALSO, THEY TAKE A LOOK AT THE INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS NOT ONLY SOUND, BUT THAT'S GOING TO FOSTER GOOD TEACHING, GREAT TEACHING, HERE IN RICHARDSON, ISD. WE LOOK ALSO AT THE ACCURACY AND ALSO THIS PROCESS MAKES SURE THAT IT MEETS CERTAIN ASSURANCES. THAT IT'S GOING TO BE SUITABLE MATERIAL, APPROPRIATE MATERIAL FOR THE AGE AND THE GRADE THAT IT'S MEANT AND THE CONTENT THAT IT'S INTENDED FOR, AS WELL AS CREATING TRANSPARENCY FOR OUR PARENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY. SO THIS YEAR, WE ARE UP TO, OR WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT NEW MATERIALS IN THREE, TWO DIFFERENT, BUT BROKEN INTO THREE. KINDERGARTEN THROUGH FIFTH GRADE, READING LANGUAGE ARTS, SO OUR ELEMENTARY, AND THEN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH ALGEBRA ONE FOR OUR MATH ADOPTION. SO TO QUICKLY REVIEW THE JOURNEY, LIKE SUPERINTENDENT BRANHAM SAID, IT'S BEEN GOING ALL YEAR AND WE'RE GETTING TO THE CLOSE HERE. SO IT STARTED BACK IN NOVEMBER, A QUICK INFORMATION ITEM TO LET YOU ALL KNOW THESE ARE THE THINGS UP FOR ADOPTION THIS YEAR. THEN, IN DECEMBER, THE CONTENT COMMITTEE MEETINGS BEGAN IN EARNEST, AND THEY REQUESTED FROM THEIR TOP CHOICES OF PUBLISHERS, SAMPLES, BEGAN SETTING APPOINTMENTS FOR PRESENTATIONS, ET CETERA, SO THEY COULD REALLY GET INTO THE DETAILS. IN JANUARY, REGION 10 HOSTS A PUBLISHER TOUR, AND THAT IS BOTH IN PERSON, OR THERE'S A VIRTUAL OPTION TO SEE THE VARIOUS MATERIALS.

AND OUR CONTENT COMMITTEE MEETINGS CONTINUED AS THEY WERE DIGGING DEEPER INTO THOSE MATERIALS AND LISTENING TO THE PRESENTATIONS FROM THE PUBLISHERS. THEN, IN FEBRUARY, THEY HELD THEIR FINAL CONTENT COMMITTEE MEETINGS.

AND ALSO WE HELD OUR DISTRICT'S PUBLIC VIEWING, AGAIN, IN PERSON AND BOTH VIRTUAL, TO MAKE SURE WE WERE CREATING MAXIMUM OPPORTUNITY. AND THE VENDORS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THOSE PUBLIC VIEWINGS SAID THAT IT WAS. LIKE FAR AND AWAY, THE BEST ATTENDED VIEWINGS, THE MOST FEEDBACK THAT THEY'VE GOTTEN HERE IN RICHARDSON. SO

[00:30:01]

WE ALSO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE REPRESENTATION AMONG THE NUMBERS FOR MONOLINGUAL, BILINGUAL, ESL, SPECIAL EDUCATION, INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY, GIFTED AND ADVANCED LEARNERS.

SO WE'RE REALLY THINKING ABOUT IT. ALL THE STUDENTS THAT WE SERVE HERE IN RICHARDSON.

WE ALSO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE CENTRAL SPECIALISTS AND SUPPORT MEMBERS, CAMPUS ADMINISTRATORS, AND THEN, OF COURSE, THOSE CONTENT COMMITTEES ARE CHAIRED BY THE CONTENT AREA DIRECTORS.

SO, IN THIS CASE, ELEMENTARY READING AND MATH.

OUR K-5 READING COMMITTEE HAD 45 MEMBERS ON IT. OUR K-5 MATH COMMITTEE HAD 56 MEMBERS. AND REMEMBER, I MENTIONED MATH WAS BROKEN UP.

SO THAT'S 56 JUST FOR ELEMENTARY. WE HAD 29 SEPARATE MEMBERS ON THE COMMITTEE LOOKING AT GRADES 6 THROUGH 8, WHICH IS ALGEBRA 1, ON THAT COMMITTEE.

SO, BEFORE I MOVE ON, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK ANY OF THOSE COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHO ARE HERE TONIGHT TO PLEASE STAND. SO THAT WE CAN THANK THEM FOR THEIR HARD WORK AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL. THEN THERE'S ANOTHER LAYER. THERE'S A CENTRAL COMMITTEE THAT THIS GOES THROUGH. I KNOW, SO MANY LAYERS. AS THE CHAIR OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE, I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRINGING FORWARD THIS PRESENTATION TONIGHT. AND ALSO PROVIDING SOME GUIDANCE TO THE CURRICULAR AREA COMMITTEES IN MAKING THEIR SELECTIONS.

AND THEN BRINGING THIS TO YOU TONIGHT. THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE ALSO REPRESENTS MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE THOUGHTFUL AND RESPONSIVE TO ALL OF THE LEARNERS AND NEEDS IN OUR DISTRICT. THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE HAD CAMPUS ADMINISTRATORS REPRESENTING EACH LEARNING COMMUNITY, AND TRUSTEE PACHECO, AS YOU HAD PREVIOUSLY ASKED, WILL BE SURE THAT IN YEARS GOING FORWARD, WE ALSO HAVE A PARENT MEMBER FROM EACH LEARNING COMMUNITY.

I'D LIKE TO ASK THE FELLOW MEMBERS, MY FELLOW MEMBERS OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE, TO PLEASE STAND SO THAT WE CAN THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND EXPERTISE.

THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO LET'S GET TO THE GOOD STUFF. THE MOMENT YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR.

SO OUR ELEMENTARY READING COMMITTEE LOOKED AT HMH'S INTO READING FOR ENGLISH INSTRUCTION AND ARRIBA LA LECTURA FOR SPANISH, AND THEN ALSO AT BLUEBONNET RLA. THEIR TOP CHOICE, THEY UNANIMOUSLY VOTED FOR THE HMH INTO READING AND ARRIBA LA LECTURA FOR THE OUR BILINGUAL SPANISH CURRICULUM. THEY NOTED THE USE OF AUTHENTIC LITERATURE THAT REALLY DRIVES STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN THESE MATERIALS.

100% ALIGNMENT TO OUR STATE STANDARDS AND TO SCIENCE OF READING PEDAGOGY, AS WELL AS THE DIGITAL TOOLS THAT ARE PROVIDED. THAT THEY FELT WOULD REALLY SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS IN DEVELOPING THEIR LESSONS AND PROVIDING VERY IMPORTANT DIFFERENTIATION TO THE STUDENTS. THEY ALSO NOTED THAT THE ALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE ENGLISH AND SPANISH RESOURCES WAS SEAMLESS.

SO AS TEACHERS ARE WORKING TOGETHER, THEY'RE ABLE TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS THERE IN THEIR... PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES, WHETHER THEY'RE TEACHING FROM ENGLISH MATERIALS OR SPANISH, THEY'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO STILL COLLABORATE AND WORK TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF THE STUDENTS. I LEFT OFF THE MOST IMPORTANT PART.

THEIR RECOMMENDATION IS HMH INTO LEARNING AND ARRIBA LA LECTURA. FOR MATH K-5, THE COMMITTEE LOOKED AT SAVAS, IREADY, AND BLUEBONNET MATH.

AFTER THOROUGH DISCUSSION OF THOSE OPTIONS, THE COMMITTEE DID RECOMMEND BLUE BONNET LEARNING. THE COMMITTEE NOTED THAT IT HAD TIGHT ALIGNMENT TO OUR STATE ACADEMIC AND ENGLISH LEARNING PROFICIENCY STANDARDS, AS WELL AS THE STAR, AND ALSO THAT THE CONTENT WAS TEXAS-SPECIFIC. THEY ALSO, IF THIS IS APPROVED, IF YOU AS THE BOARD APPROVE THIS, ELEMENTARY CAMPUSES THAT ARE NOT YET USING THIS, CURRICULUM WOULD JOIN 14 CAMPUSES IN OUR DISTRICT. WHO ARE ALREADY USING BLUE BONNET MATH, AND THOSE THAT ARE IN YEAR THREE OF USING IT ARE SEEING REALLY PROMISING STUDENT GROWTH FROM USING THOSE MATERIALS.

FOR OUR 6TH THROUGH 8TH GRADE, OR 6TH

[00:35:01]

AS WELL AS RICH SPANISH RESOURCES THAT WERE PROVIDED, TRANSLATION TOOLS, AND LINGUISTIC ACCOMMODATIONS.

SO ALL OF THAT CONTRIBUTED TO SEVAS BEING THE RECOMMENDATION FOR GRADES 6 THROUGH 8 FOR ALGEBRA 1. SO THE NEXT STEPS HERE, WE GET TO CHECK THAT TOP BULLET, THE RECOMMENDATION. WE JUST DID THAT. AND THEN, SHOULD YOU CERTIFY THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, THEY'LL BE COMMUNICATED SO THAT THE BUDGETING AND ORDERING PROCESS CAN BE COMPLETE. BECAUSE MAY 1ST IS THE FIRST DAY WE CAN ORDER, AND WE WANT TO BE AT THE FRONT OF THAT LINE TO ORDER. SO THAT WE KNOW OUR MATERIALS ARE COMING. AND WE CAN CONTINUE NOW WITH THE DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ALL THE SUPPORTS AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING THAT WE'LL NEED FOR OUR TEACHERS, OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS, OUR ADMINISTRATORS, AND GETTING ALL THOSE COMMUNICATIONS TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR PARENTS ARE ALSO READY TO LEARN ABOUT AND SUPPORT THEIR STUDENTS. SO WITH THAT, WE'RE AT THE QUESTIONS SLIDE. NOT YET. I'M GOING TO MAKE THE MOTION FIRST.

WE'RE NOT IN THE OH, YES.

WE'RE ALMOST THERE. YES, ALMOST THERE. AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK MS. KARCHER, THE CENTRAL TEAM.

AND ABSOLUTELY THE CONTENT TEAMS WHO SPENT HOURS, UPON HOURS, UPON HOURS DIGGING INTO EVERY RESOURCE, LOOKING AT EVERY GRADE LEVEL TO MAKE SURE THAT THE RESOURCE SELECTION THAT WE CHOSE BEST MEETS THE NEEDS OF RICHARDSON ISD. AND HAVING THE NORTH STAR GOAL, HAVING OUR LEARNER FRAMEWORK, HAVING OUR GRADUATE PROFILE, THOSE WERE ALL CRITERIA, RUBRICS, LENSES BY WHICH THIS COMMITTEE LOOKED AT.

TO IDENTIFY WHAT MATERIAL AND RESOURCE WE FELT WAS BEST TO MOVE FORWARD WITH. SUPER PROUD OF YOUR WORK. DEFINITELY WANT TO THANK OUR PARENTS. I WAS ABLE TO SNEAK IN THERE AND SEE. WE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT SHOWED UP TO LOOK AT THE MATERIALS AND TO REALLY UNDERSTAND. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CURRICULUM AND MATERIALS ADOPTION, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, AND GETTING THAT FIRSTHAND LOOK AT IT, I THINK, WAS SUPER IMPORTANT. WE APPRECIATE THEM TAKING THAT TIME. BUT I ALSO WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT IN THE END, THIS IS, THIS IS A RESOURCE. AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN OUR CLASSROOM IS OUR AMAZING TEACHERS. A RESOURCE IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT CAN BE THAT RIGHT HAND TO THAT AMAZING TEACHER. THAT HELPS THEM SEAMLESSLY BRING THOSE TEKS OUT OF TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS TO LIFE AND LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR KIDS.

BUT IT DOES NOT, IT IS NOT, IT IS ALL ABOUT THE TEACHER.

AND THAT'S WHY WE REALLY LEAN ON WHAT IT IS THAT OUR TEACHERS FEEL LIKE. THEY NEED TO CONTINUE TO BRING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT TO OUR HIGHEST LEVELS. SO WITH THAT, I DO, OH, IT IS INFORMATION. NEVER MIND.

NOW WE CAN TAKE QUESTIONS.

WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS? I WAS EXCITED TO MAKE A MOTION. I'M LIKE, I'M ADOPTING. ALL RIGHT.

WELL, BOARD, THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY. WE'LL START WITH MR. EAGER AND THEN GO AROUND. I REALLY DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. I JUST WANT TO, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THANK THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS, ALL THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED.

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IN RICHARDSON, ALL THIS TAKES A VILLAGE. YOU KNOW, IT TAKES EVERYBODY TAKING TIME.

SO PEOPLE TAKING, YOU KNOW, TIME OUT OF THEIR DAY, THEIR LIVES. TO SHOW UP, TO GO THROUGH ALL THESE PROCESSES, TO ENSURE THAT EVERYBODY'S PARTICIPATING, EVERYBODY HAS A CHANCE TO REVIEW AND MAKE THE BEST CHOICES WE CAN FOR OUR KIDS AND EQUIP OUR TEACHERS.

WITH ABSOLUTE BEST TOOL SETS TO HELP THEM, YOU KNOW, MAKE THEIR LIVES SOMEHOW, YOU KNOW, MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER IN THEIR DAY. SO I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME OUT OF PEOPLE'S DAYS, AND WE APPRECIATE THE LEVEL OF EFFORT AND WORK THAT WENT INTO THIS PROCESS.

ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. YEAH, GREAT COMMENT. YES, OTHER COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? YES, MS. PACHECO. WHO IS IT? MS. MCGOWAN, AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK OVER TO MR. CHEKA. YES, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. AND AGAIN, LIKE MR. EAGER SAID, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND THE COMMUNITY THAT'S COME OUT.

JUST ONE QUESTION. YOU MENTIONED THAT THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE USING THE BLUE BONNET CURRICULUM RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE IN YEAR THREE, AND YOU'VE SEEN SIGNIFICANT GROWTH IN THOSE SCHOOLS. CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT SCHOOLS THOSE ARE THAT

[00:40:02]

LIEBER? OKAY. THERE'S 14 DIFFERENT CAMPUSES THAT ARE USING THAT RIGHT NOW. SO I CAN LIST THEM OFF. OKAY. WE CAN FOLLOW UP AND SEND YOU THE NAMES. YEP, WE WILL SEND THAT TO YOU. ALL RIGHT. LET'S GO TO MS. PACHECO. AND THEN BACK OVER TO MS. HARRIS. GO AHEAD.

ALL RIGHT, WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU FOR THE COMMITTEE WORK, FOR DRIVING THIS PROJECT. IT'S A LOT. IT'S SO MEANINGFUL, AND I'M JUST EXCITED TO SEE THAT. ALL THE RECOMMENDATIONS PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR OUR TEACHERS, RIGHT, TO MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER TO FOLLOW THE LEARNING PATH OF OUR STUDENTS AND TEACHING THEM.

I ALSO THINK IT'S AMAZING. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT ALREADY EXISTED, BUT TO HAVE THAT. RESOURCE AND TRANSLATION TOOLS IN THE MATH AND ALGEBRA ONE. I'M JUST SO EXCITED BECAUSE, I MEAN, IT'S A LANGUAGE IN ITSELF, RIGHT? IT'S MATH. BUT TO MAKE SURE OUR STUDENTS UNDERSTAND IT IN SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE MORE COMFORTABLE READING. AND ALSO FOR OUR TEACHERS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT TO SUPPORT, IT IS JUST GREAT. SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY I'M EXCITED FOR IT. THANKS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALL RIGHT, MS. HARRIS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. MY QUESTION IS IN REFERENCE TO BLUE BONNET.

OF COURSE, WE'VE ALL BEEN KIND OF WATCHING THE NEWS, WHAT'S GOING ON. AND SO WE'VE SEEN THAT THERE HAVE BEEN, THEY SAY, THOUSANDS OF ERRORS. I DON'T KNOW. BUT WHAT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS A DISTRICT, OR WHAT ARE WE DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ERRORS ARE BEING TAKEN CARE OF? AND ONCE THEY STATE THAT THOSE THINGS HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF, WHAT ARE WE DOING ON OUR END TO MAKE SURE THE ACCURACY IS THERE? BECAUSE IT'S KIND OF WEIRD THAT THOSE ERRORS WERE THERE AND THEY WEREN'T CAUGHT.

SO JUST KIND OF CURIOUS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO MOVING FORWARD? TRUSTEE HARRIS, IF I MAY ADDRESS THAT.

I THINK IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT. I WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR WITH OUR COMMUNITY. THOSE ERRORS AND THE CONCERNS THAT HAVE BEEN PRESENTED TO THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION HAVE BEEN ON THE RLA SIDE. SO THE, I BELIEVE IT WAS 5,032 ERRORS THAT THEY IDENTIFIED IN THE TEXT AND IN THE QUESTIONS, THAT WAS ON THE RLA SIDE, NOT ON THE MATH SIDE. SO TONIGHT WE ARE ONLY ASKING FOR THE ADOPTION ON THE MATH SIDE, NOT THE RLA SIDE. BUT AS IN ANY CURRICULUM, I WILL TELL YOU, WHEN I WAS TEACHING HISTORY, WE HAD SOME GREAT MATERIALS, BUT THERE WERE OFTEN ERRORS THAT WERE FOUND. AND SO, FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE HAVE AN AMAZING CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT THAT THEY ABSOLUTELY GO THROUGH AND THEY WILL VET RESOURCES. AND IF WE IDENTIFY THAT THERE ARE ANY ERRORS OR ANY CONCERNS, WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE ADJUST. AND WE WILL EITHER SEND OUT COMMUNICATION OR WE CREATE A MODIFIED KIND OF LESSON EXPERIENCE FOR OUR TEACHERS AND SAY, HEY, DON'T USE THIS. WE'RE GOING TO USE THIS MATERIAL INSTEAD IF WE HAPPEN TO FIND ANY OF THOSE ERRORS. ONE OF THE KEY REASONS WHY BLUE BONNET RLA DID NOT MOVE FORWARD FROM THE COMMITTEE WERE FOR THE VERY CONCERNS THAT YOU BROUGHT FORWARD. SO WE HEAR YOU. THAT IS REALLY GOOD TO HEAR. I AM SO GLAD TO HEAR THAT, YOU KNOW, THE ONE THAT WE DID SELECT IS NOT THE ONE THAT HAD THE ERRORS IN IT. SO THAT MAKES ME FEEL A LOT BETTER. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. AND THANK YOU FOR ASKING THE QUESTION SO OUR COMMUNITY CAN HEAR THAT AS WELL. YES, ABSOLUTELY. ALL RIGHT. OTHER QUESTIONS? MS. RENTERIA. IT'S JUST MORE OF A COMMENT AS WELL, TOO, JUST TO DITTO WHAT MY COLLEAGUES HERE SAID. I LOVE HEARING ABOUT THE ALIGNMENT WITH THE ENGLISH AND SPANISH AND HOW SEAMLESS IT WAS. I THINK, MS. PACHECO ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THIS, BUT ALSO SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THE TRANSLATION TOOLS AND THE LINGUISTIC ACCOMMODATIONS. I'VE BEEN TO SOME OF THESE PRESENTATIONS WHERE THEY OPEN IT UP SO THAT PARENTS CAN COME IN, AND YOU GUYS ALWAYS DO A FANTASTIC JOB. SO I'M GLAD THE COMMUNITY CAME OUT AND HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE EVERYTHING. AND, AGAIN, JUST THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HARD WORK THAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM DID. SO I REALLY DO APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. MS. PACHECO, YES. HI. I HAVE A FOLLOW-UP QUESTION, AGAIN, WITH MATH. BECAUSE SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS DON'T USE THE RECOMMENDED CARE, THE RECOMMENDED SUPPORT SYSTEM THAT WE'RE USING, THE SAVAS, ARE THEY USING SAVAS NOW, OR WHAT ARE WE USING NOW, AND LIKE, HOW DOES THAT...

FOR WHICH SUBJECT, MA'AM? FOR MATH, RIGHT? SO THE CAMPUSES THAT ARE NOT CURRENTLY USING LEVANTIC MATH, THEY'RE USING OUR OLD ADOPTION THAT IS GOMATH. AND IT IS A VERY, IT IS AN OLDER MODEL. AND OUR, AGAIN, OUR PHENOMENAL, JULIE TEAGUE AND HER TEAM HAVE DONE A PHENOMENAL JOB OF REALLY, KIND OF ALMOST CREATING AN IN-HOUSE RESOURCE FOR OUR TEACHERS THAT

[00:45:01]

TO GET A NEW RESOURCE. SO WE WOULD START THIS YEAR WITH READING AND ALLOW OUR TEACHERS TO HAVE A YEAR GETTING TO KNOW THAT RESOURCE. AND THEN, IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR, WE WOULD THEN ADOPT THE MATH RESOURCE AND WE WOULD BEGIN TO USE IT AT THE OTHER CAMPUSES. SO REALLY TRYING TO STAIR-STEP OUR TEACHERS, SO THEY'RE NOT LEARNING TWO AT THE SAME TIME. OUR CAMPUSES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN USING BLUE BONNET MATH, THEN THEY WILL HAVE THE READING, AND FOR THEM, IT WILL ONLY BE THAT ONE NEW RESOURCE THAT THEY'RE LEARNING. OKAY, GOOD. I COULDN'T EVEN...

ARTICULATE MY QUESTION, SO THANK YOU. UM, BECAUSE I WOULD INTERPRET YES, BECAUSE I'M LIKE, ARE THEY GOING TO JUST LIKE, LEARN ALL OF IT LIKE THIS COMING YEAR? LIKE, HOW IS THAT GOING TO WORK OUT? AND SO I APPRECIATE THAT. AND THANK YOU FOR THINKING ABOUT THOSE STAIR STEPPING.

AND PROVIDING THEM TIME TO, YOU KNOW, DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO AND HELP OUR KIDS THE BEST WAY THAT THEY DO. THANK YOU.

WELL, AND I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT BECAUSE I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. AND I WANT THE BOARD TO HAVE OUR ASSURANCE THAT WE RECOGNIZE THAT ANY CHANGE IS CHANGE. AND EVEN IF OUR TEACHERS ARE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT IT AND OUR PRINCIPALS ARE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT IT, IT'S STILL A LIFT. AND SO REALLY, EVEN BEGINNING WITH OUR NEXT PRINCIPAL MEETING, WE WILL BE CHUNKING AND SHOOING THIS FOR OUR STAFF, AND SO THEY'RE GOING TO GET A PREVIEW. AND THEN AT THE NEXT MEETING, THEY'RE GOING TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE.

AND THEN THIS SUMMER, THEY'LL TAKE AN EVEN DEEPER DIVE. AND THEN THERE WILL BE LOTS OF DIFFERENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER THAT OUR TEACHERS CAN CHOOSE FROM.

TO GO IN THERE AND START TO GET THAT EARLY, LOOK AT IT AND GET FAMILIAR WITH IT. BECAUSE, AGAIN, I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK OUR TEACHERS ARE OFF ALL SUMMER.

BUT BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THEY DO WORK OVER THE SUMMER.

THEY PLAN. THEY, LIKE, INTERNALIZE THE WORK THEY'RE DOING. AND THEN, OF COURSE, WHEN THEY RETURN BACK.

FOR THE START OF THE 26-27 SCHOOL YEAR, WE WILL HAVE A ROBUST PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND SUPPORT PLAN. SO AS THEY'RE LEARNING HMH FOR THE FIRST TIME, THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BEING WALKED ALONGSIDE HAND IN HAND. AS THEY'RE IMPLEMENTING A NEW RESOURCE. AND THEN WE WILL DO THE SAME THING THE NEXT YEAR TO HELP THEM IN THE NEW MATH RESOURCES.

OKAY, GREAT. WELL, I WILL BE HONEST. I MEAN, EVEN AS A KID, I THOUGHT TEACHERS WERE LIKE SUPERHEROES. THEY DIDN'T HAVE PHONES OR ANYTHING. THEY ALWAYS LIVED IN SCHOOL. SO, YOU KNOW, I WOULD THINK THAT THEY PROBABLY JUST INHERENTLY KNOW THESE THINGS, BUT I GET IT. I KNOW THAT EVERYBODY HAS, YOU KNOW, LITTLE CHANGES. IT'S HARD SOMETIMES, AND IT'S BEST TO GIVE THEM THE SUPPORT. SO THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY, AND ALL CREDIT TO OUR MATH DIRECTOR, JULIE TEAGUE, AND OUR ELEMENTARY RLA DIRECTOR, LISA STEWART, FOR THEIR WORK IN THIS COMMITTEE. AND THE WORK THEY WILL DO GOING FORWARD TO PREPARE ALL OF OUR TEACHERS AND CAMPUSES.

GOOD DISCUSSION. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? I JUST HAVE A QUICK CURIOSITY. SO ONCE THIS TAKES PLACE, HOW LONG IS THAT COMMITMENT FOR BEFORE WE HAVE TO REVIEW AND DECIDE? IS THAT DRIVEN BY? COST, IS THAT DRIVEN BY THE STATE? IS THAT JUST AN INTERNAL DECISION WE MAKE JUST TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND? YES, YES, AND YES. YES TO ALL OF THE ABOVE, YES. OKAY. IT'S VERY INTERESTING THAT THE STATE WENT FROM WHAT WE CALL THE PROCLAMATION, WHERE IT WAS PRETTY MUCH EVERY 10 YEARS. THERE WAS A NEW BIG ADOPTION FOR EITHER A GRADE LEVEL OR A SUBJECT. AND SO WE KIND OF KNEW EVERY 10 YEARS YOU WERE GOING TO GET NEW RESOURCES IN A CERTAIN CONTENT. I THINK THEY RECOGNIZE, FOR MULTIPLE REASONS, THAT THAT MODEL PROBABLY DID NOT WORK.

AND SO THERE'S A LOT MORE FLEXIBILITIES FOR DISTRICTS ON WHEN THEY WANT TO LOOK TO ADOPT NEW RESOURCES. I WOULD SAY MONEY ABSOLUTELY IS A DRIVER OF THAT. IF WE START TO SEE, FOR EXAMPLE, AFTER MULTIPLE YEARS OF IMPLEMENTATION, IF THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT ACHIEVEMENT, OR IF YOU HEAR TEACHER FEEDBACK OF CONCERNS. AND THERE AREN'T THINGS THAT WE CAN'T INTERNALLY MAKE ADJUSTMENTS FOR. THEN THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD RESEARCH AND POTENTIALLY BRING FORWARD. BUT, AGAIN, WE'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE BOTH OF THESE RESOURCES IN DISTRICTS THAT HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTING FOR MULTIPLE YEARS, AND THEY ARE SEEING GREAT OUTCOMES. SO WE'RE VERY CONFIDENT IN IT. SO WE HOPE WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO BRING THIS BACK TO YOU FOR, YOU KNOW, A LONG WHILE. EXCELLENT. AND ON THE MONEY PART, IF I UNDERSTAND IT, THERE ARE INCENTIVES. THE STATE DOES INCENTIVIZE. THESE PACKAGES, THESE CURRICULUMS TO DIFFERENT LEVELS, BASED ON WHAT WE DECIDE AS A DISTRICT.

YES, SIR. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, TO ADOPT FROM AN HQIM, THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL SUPPLEMENT THAT

[00:50:01]

AND REALLY... ALLOWS THE DISTRICT TO ADOPT THOSE MATERIALS WITHOUT IT IMPACTING THE DISTRICT BUDGET. OKAY, GOOD TO KNOW. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, LAST CHANCE, COMMENTS? OKAY. APPRECIATE THAT PRESENTATION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. KARCHER AND

[IV.C. Receive HR Report Update]

MS. BRANNON. THANK YOU, PRESIDENT POTEET. YES, YOU CAN ASK QUESTIONS AT ANY TIME YOU WANT. IT'S AN INFORMATION ITEM. THIS IS OUR ANNUAL REPORT ON THE WORK.

THAT, REALLY, I WILL SAY, REFLECTS THE BOARD'S PRIORITY OF INVESTING IN OUR STAFF AND ENSURING THAT OUR TEACHERS ARE COMPENSATED AND HAVE THE BENEFITS PACKAGE WHERE WE ARE.

THE DISTRICT THAT THEY WANT TO COME TO AND THAT THEY WANT TO STAY. AND SO WE HAVE SOME EXCITING INFORMATION TO SHARE WITH YOU AND OUR COMMUNITY AROUND THESE EFFORTS. THANK YOU, ALL COMMITTEE. GO HOME AND REST. HAPPY ALMOST SPRING BREAK. WE'RE SUPER EXCITED TO SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOU, AND I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO DR. GOODSON TO SHARE THIS GREAT NEWS. SHE JUST TOLD EVERYBODY TO GO HOME RIGHT WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO START. GOOD. OKAY.

THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT BRAND. I'M GOOD EVEN MORE. I'M EXCITED TO HAVE A CHANCE TO PROVIDE AN ANNUAL HR UPDATE FOR YOU.

BEFORE I GET STARTED, I DO WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE AMAZING TEAM THAT I GET TO SUPPORT AND WORK WITH. WE ARE EDUCATORS WHO ARE ALSO PARENTS OF CURRENT OR FORMER RISD STUDENTS. AND SO FOR US, AS WE DO THIS WORK, WHETHER IT IS ONBOARDING SOMEONE OR CHECKING CERTIFICATION, OR DOING AN INVESTIGATION, WE USE THE LENS OF WHAT IF THIS WAS MY CHILD, WHAT IF THIS WAS MY CHILD'S TEACHER, MY CHILD'S CLASSROOM. SO. I'M VERY PROUD OF THE WORK THAT THEY DO ON A DAILY BASIS. I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT THEM. ALL OF OUR WORK, EVEN IN HR, STILL SUPPORTS THE NORTH STAR. GOAL OF EVERY STUDENT, TEACHER, AND LEADER WILL MEET OR EXCEED THEIR ACADEMIC GROWTH GOALS. WE REALLY TAKE THAT TO HEART BECAUSE WE WORK WITH ALL LEVELS OF EMPLOYEES.

AND SO WE KNOW THAT AS A DISTRICT AND AS A BOARD, YOU'VE COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING AND INVESTING IN ALL EMPLOYEES. AND WE SEE THAT THAT IS DEFINITELY AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE WORK THAT WE DO AS WELL.

AS A REMINDER, THE STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL TWO IS RISD WILL REIMAGINE THE WAY WE RECRUIT, RETAIN, AND RETAIN QUALITY STAFF THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIES. AND HERE YOU SEE THE SPECIFIC RESULTS LISTED, AND WE HAVE THEM DELINEATED BY YEAR. BUT ONE THING TO KEEP IN MIND IS REALLY, WHEN IT COMES TO THIS GOAL AND THESE RESULTS, IT'S ALL OF THEM EVERY YEAR.

SO, FOR EXAMPLE, A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, WHEN YOU MADE THAT BOLD INVESTMENT INTO TEACHER COMPENSATION, IT'S NOT LIKE YOU HAVEN'T LOOKED AT IT SINCE THEN. YOU'VE LOOKED AT IT THE VERY NEXT YEAR.

WE'RE LOOKING AT IT AGAIN THIS YEAR. AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT ALL OF THIS IS KIND OF TOGETHER, AND THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US AS WE TRY TO STRIVE TO ACHIEVE THESE RESULTS. SO TONIGHT, WE'LL TAKE A BRIEF LOOK AT A DISTRICT SNAPSHOT. WE'LL REVIEW COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS. WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT VERY EXCITING TEACHER TURNOVER DATA. IT'S WEIRD TO SAY IT THAT WAY, BUT IT REALLY IS EXCITING.

TEACHER TURNOVER DATA. WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TEACHER INCENTIVE, ALLOTMENT AND NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION. WE'LL REVIEW SOME EXIT SURVEY TRENDS AND THEN REFLECT ON NEXT STEPS.

SO, BRIEFLY, YOU SEE, HERE IS OUR DISTRICT SNAPSHOT.

ON THE RIGHT SIDE, YOU SEE OUR STUDENT DEMOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWN.

AND THEN YOU'LL SEE IN THE MIDDLE, ALL EMPLOYEES AND TEACHERS.

EVERY DISTRICT STRIVES TO FIND A STAFF AND TEACHER CORE, IF YOU WILL. THAT IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE STUDENTS THAT THEY TEACH. IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT THAT REPRESENTATION MATTERS. SO THAT STUDENTS SEE THEMSELVES IN THE FRONT OF THE CLASSROOM AND IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS, AND IT HELPS THEM ACHIEVE THOSE GOALS.

AND SO THIS IS THE BREAKDOWN OF OUR GROUPS HERE. YOU CAN SEE THAT FOR ALL STAFF, OUR TOTAL MINORITY STAFF IS 53.6%. THE BREAKDOWN VARIES WHEN YOU SWITCH FROM ALL EMPLOYEES TO TEACHERS. SO WE STILL HAVE WORK TO DO. SO LAST YEAR I SHOWED YOU A SLIDE AND THIS PARTICULAR CHART, WHEN WE SHOWED YOU 23-24, I HAD TO CUT THE CHART IN TWO. BECAUSE ON THE FIRST PAGE YOU DIDN'T SEE RICHARDSON ISD AT ALL. AND I HAD TO PUT A DIFFERENT SLIDE ON WITH THE BOTTOM OF THE CHART, WHICH IS WHERE WE WERE. AND LAST YEAR, I WAS EXCITED TO SHOW YOU HOW THAT CHANGED, BASED ON THE BOLD MOVES AND INVESTMENT THAT YOU PUT INTO TEACHER COMPENSATION.

THIS IS A REFLECTION OF THE NEW TEACHER HIRE SCHEDULE.

FOR A GIVEN DISTRICT. SO IF A DISTRICT, IF A TEACHER CAME TO US WITH ZERO YEARS EXPERIENCE FOR 24, 25, FIVE YEARS EXPERIENCE, 10, 15, AND SO ON,

[00:55:03]

AND WE'VE ACTUALLY BECOME EVEN MORE COMPETITIVE FOR ZERO, FIVE, AND TEN YEARS. SO THERE'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT OF MOVEMENT.

BUT BY AND LARGE, YOU SEE, WE ARE COMPETING WITH A LOT OF DISTRICTS ALL OVER THE METROPLEX, AND PARTICULARLY WITH DISTRICTS WHO WE COMPETE WITH DIRECTLY. BECAUSE THEY'RE RIGHT NEXT DOOR. SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO SEE THAT. THE INVESTMENT THAT YOU MADE AS A BOARD AND THE LEADERSHIP YOU'VE SHOWN HAS REALLY PAID OFF AND CONTINUES TO PAY OFF EVEN TWO YEARS DOWN THE ROAD. SO WITH THAT, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ANALYZE.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE THAT OUR TEACHERS ACTUALLY HAD.BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WITH MORE EXPERIENCE IN THE CLASSROOM, THE MORE CONSISTENT AND THE BETTER QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION WE HAVE, AND THAT'S REALLY WHERE OUR STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO MEET THEIR GROWTH GOALS.

FROM 23, 24 TO 24, 25, YOU CAN SEE THE SHIFT, PARTICULARLY FROM 11 TO 20 AND 21 PLUS YEARS. WE WENT FROM 22.6 TO 26.5. THAT'S A CONSIDERABLE JUMP. WE WENT FROM 13.1 TO 15.9. AS WE LOOKED AT THE DATA THAT WE SUBMITTED FOR 25-26, YOU CAN SEE THAT THOSE TRENDS ARE CONTINUING, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT FOR 21-PLUS YEARS, WE HAVE EVEN MORE TEACHERS WHO HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE, AND THEY ARE IN THE CLASSROOM. I KNOW THAT IT LOOKS LIKE WE'VE LOST EXPERIENCE FROM ZERO TO FIVE. JUST KEEP IN MIND, WE DID NOT HAVE TO HIRE AS MANY TEACHERS, BUT THE ONES THAT WE DID HIRE CAME WITH MORE EXPERIENCE.

ADDITIONALLY, NOT JUST WITH COMPENSATION, THE BENEFITS AND OTHER INCENTIVES THAT YOU HAVE SUPPORTED. AND REALLY THE DISTRICT HAS BEEN ABLE TO PUT INTO ACTION HAS ALSO MADE A DIFFERENCE AS WE LOOK AT RECRUITING AND RETENTION. I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE CHILD LEARNING ACADEMIES HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BIGGEST SHOWCASES. AS WE NOT ONLY RECRUIT, BUT AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT RETENTION. AND WHEN YOU SEE THAT, WE'RE SERVING 221 CHILDREN ACROSS THE THREE LOCATIONS, AND I'LL JUST SHOW YOU A FEW OF THEM. HERE, THESE ARE THE FACES OF NOT ONLY HAPPY KIDS, BUT ALSO THE FACES OF THE HAPPY FAMILIES WHO GET TO STAY AND WORK IN RICHARDSON, ISD. I KNOW THAT YOU AS A BOARD AND WE AS STAFF MEMBERS HAVE HEARD DIRECTLY FROM EMPLOYEES WHO'VE SAID, I WAS ABOUT TO RESIGN. I TRAVEL VERY FAR, AND IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE. AND FOR US TO BE BLESSED TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE MY LITTLE ONE IN THE CHILD LEARNING ACADEMY.

AND TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF THE LOTTERY AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT THAT ENTAILS. AND TO HAVE THIS RESOURCE HERE FOR ME, THIS IS WHY I GOT TO STAY. IN RISD. GOD, LOOK AT HOW CUTE THEY ARE.

ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE LOTS OF OTHER BENEFITS AND PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE HAVE THE BENEFIT OF HAVING THAT HAVE ALSO PROVIDED QUITE A RESOURCE TO OUR STAFF. OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH METHODIST RICHARDSON AND THE ACUTE CARE CLINIC CONTINUES TO BE A VALUABLE RESOURCE.

JUST THIS YEAR ALONE, WE'VE HAD OVER 500 VISITS, AND THAT'S EMPLOYEES AND THEIR IMMEDIATE FAMILY, AND VIRTUAL AND IN PERSON. AND SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT ALMOST HALF OF OUR EMPLOYEES ARE NOT ON OUR INSURANCE. AND SO, AND EVEN FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE ON THE INSURANCE, THE TIME THAT IT TAKES TO SET UP AN APPOINTMENT, AND EVEN THE COST OF A REGULAR OFFICE VISIT, IS PRETTY EXTENSIVE.

FOR THIS RESOURCE, IT'S A $10 COPAY, WHETHER YOU'RE ON THE INSURANCE OR NOT, AND IT'S ALSO FOR YOUR IMMEDIATE FAMILY. AND SO IF YOU GOT THE SNIFFLES, OR YOU, YOU KNOW, FELL AND HURT YOUR ANKLE, THIS IS A VERY... CLOSE-BY RESOURCE THAT DOESN'T INVOLVE YOU HAVING TO TAKE A SICK DAY OR GETTING DOCKED BECAUSE IT'S ON-SITE, SO TO SPEAK. IT CAN BE A VIRTUAL VISIT. IT'S EASY TO GET IN AND SEE A PHYSICIAN'S ASSISTANT AND GET PRESCRIPTIONS IF NECESSARY, AND GET THE RESOURCES THAT YOU NEED. AND SO, WITH OVER 500 VISITS JUST THIS YEAR ALONE, WE CAN SEE THAT THIS IS BEING UTILIZED ON A REGULAR BASIS.

ADDITIONALLY, OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH EAST TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY AND THEIR MENTAL WELLNESS CLINIC THAT WE HAVE ON SITE AT THE PDC. YOU CAN SEE, WE'VE HAD 456 SESSIONS. I THINK THAT WHAT THIS TELLS US, NOT ONLY IS IT A VALUABLE RESOURCE, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO TAKE CARE OF THE PHYSICAL AND THE MENTAL WELL-BEING OF OUR EMPLOYEES. THIS IS A RESOURCE THAT HELPS US KEEP OUR EMPLOYEES HERE, KEEPS THEM ACTIVE, KEEPS THEM PRODUCTIVE. AND KNOWING THAT THERE ARE ALMOST 500 SESSIONS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED THIS YEAR, WE SEE THAT IT'S NECESSARY.

AND SO WE'RE SO THANKFUL TO...

EAST TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY AND METHODIST RICHARDSON. FOR US TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THIS SUPPORT AND RESOURCES TO OUR EMPLOYEES. AND LASTLY, ON THIS ONE, YOU KNOW, A FEW YEARS BACK, YOU AS A BOARD APPROVED U.S.

PROVIDING EXPANDED ACCESS TO THE SICK LEAVE BANK TO INCLUDE BEREAVEMENT, MATERNITY, AND PATERNITY LEAVE. WE'VE HAD 522 AND A HALF DAYS THAT HAVE BEEN UTILIZED THROUGH THE EXPANDED SICK LEAVE BANK ACCESS. AND THERE YOU CAN SEE THE BREAKDOWN BY CATEGORY, BUT WHAT I REALLY WANT TO EMPHASIZES THESE DAYS, ALL

[01:00:02]

THEY ARE NO LONGER WITH US.

AND WHAT WE'VE SEEN, AGAIN, AS A TESTAMENT TO YOUR VISION AND YOUR INVESTMENT IN OUR STAFF AND IN TEACHERS IS.

OVER A TWO-YEAR PERIOD, WE'VE GONE FROM 17.4 TO 11.54 TEACHER TURNOVER RATE.

AMAZING. AND WE JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT VISION AND THANK YOU FOR THE INVESTMENT. BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE WE'VE SEEN TEACHER TURNOVER THAT LOW. PEOPLE WILL ASK, IS THERE A TARGET THAT WE'RE AIMING FOR? WHAT'S A GOOD NUMBER FOR TEACHER TURNOVER? WE HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND THAT TEACHER TURNOVER IS GOING TO HAPPEN, AND THEORETICALLY IT SHOULD.

THIS IS NOT THE PROFESSION FOR EVERYBODY. WHETHER THAT IS PERFORMANCE CONCERNS OR JUST PEOPLE REALIZING I HAVE OTHER OPTIONS THAT I WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF. OR IF WE HAVE TO FREE UP THEIR FUTURE.

THE REALITY IS WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A HEALTHY AMOUNT OF TURNOVER, AND THAT CAN BE ANYWHERE FROM 9 TO 10, MAYBE 11 PERCENT. SO WE'RE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT AND TARGET.

I'M BRINGING BACK THE CONVERSATION REGARDING THE TEA CALCULATION FOR TEACHER TURNOVER FOR ONE IMPORTANT REASON, BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS VERY EXCITING TO SHARE AS WELL. TEA CALCULATES TEACHER TURNOVER AS WHEN A TEACHER LEAVES THE CLASSROOM. SO I MIGHT HAVE BEEN A TEACHER, AND THEN I BECAME AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL. TEA COUNTS THAT AS TEACHER TURNOVER. I MIGHT HAVE BEEN A TEACHER, AND THEN I BECAME A SPECIALIST IN CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION.

THAT COUNTED AS TEACHER TURNOVER. NOW, THEY'RE STILL WITH RICHARDSON, BUT THEY LEFT THE CLASSROOM. I WANTED TO SHOW YOU THIS BECAUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER 10 YEARS, OUR TEACHER TURNOVER RATE, AS CALCULATED BY THE STATE, IS LOWER THAN THE STATE PERCENTAGE. I'VE BEEN IN THIS ROLE FOR 10 YEARS AND IT HAS NEVER, WE HAVE NOT BEEN LOWER THAN THE STATE. SO HERE'S WHAT THAT TELLS US. NOT ONLY PARTNERED WITH THE LEFT-HAND COLUMN, WITH THE LEFT-HAND CHART, IT TELLS US THAT TEACHERS ARE STAYING, BUT THIS ALSO SHOWS THAT THEY'RE STAYING IN THE CLASSROOM. THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO EMPHASIZE. AND SO WE'RE JUST SO THANKFUL THAT THE CULMINATION OF ALL OF THESE EFFORTS LED BY YOU.

AS A BOARD, ARE REALLY GETTING US THE RETURNS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. AND JUST FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES, I WANTED TO SHARE JUST SEVERAL OF OUR SURROUNDING DISTRICTS AND THEIR TURNOVER RATES. THIS IS ALL THROUGH THE ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT FOR 24-25.

SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THAT DATA AS WELL BECAUSE WE WANT TO KEEP THAT TREND GOING.

ANOTHER ELEMENT THAT WE BELIEVE IS CONTRIBUTING TO TEACHERS STAYING IN THE CLASSROOM IS THE TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT, AS WELL AS A NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION.

THESE ARE ALL OF OUR CAMPUSES THAT ARE CURRENTLY PARTICIPATING IN THE TIA LOCALLY DEVELOPED MODEL THROUGH RICHARDSON ISD. THE CAMPUSES ON THE LEFT HAVE ALREADY GONE THROUGH THEIR FIRST TWO YEARS OF PARTICIPATING. THE FIRST YEAR IS ALWAYS A DATA COLLECTION YEAR, AND THEN, STARTING WITH YEAR TWO, THE DATA CAN BE ANALYZED AND VALIDATED, AND THEN TEACHERS CAN EARN A DESIGNATION AND GENERATE AN ALLOTMENT, WHICH IS EXTRA COMPENSATION FOR THE QUALITY WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING. THAT DIRECTLY RESULTS IN STUDENT GROWTH. AND SO IT'S ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT. AS WE IMPLEMENTED TIA IN THE DISTRICT, WE WORKED HAND-IN-HAND WITH A REPRESENTATIVE GROUP FROM THE ORIGINAL FOUR CAMPUSES. TO CREATE A MODEL THAT THEY COULD BELIEVE IN, THAT THEY WERE INVESTED IN BECAUSE THEY HELPED BUILD IT.

WE KNEW VERY EARLY ON WE WERE NOT GOING TO DO THIS TO YOU. WE WERE GOING TO DO THIS WITH YOU. AND SO WHAT WE HAVE IS A MODEL THAT WORKS. WE HAVE A MODEL THAT'S BEEN VERIFIED AND VALIDATED ANNUALLY, AND TEA SIGNS OFF ON IT. RISD, THE MODEL IS WORKING. THE DATA THAT YOU SUBMIT SHOWS THAT THE STUDENT GROWTH DATA, THE TEACHER APPRAISAL DATA, THE MODEL THAT YOU'VE DEVELOPED IS SOUND. AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE SO EXCITED TO SEE SO MANY NEW CAMPUSES COME ON BOARD, BECAUSE, REMEMBER, WE, REALLY, ORIGINALLY, WE STARTED WITH FOUR. AND SO WE HAVE NEW TIA CAMPUSES WHO ARE IN THEIR FIRST YEAR OF DATA COLLECTION. AND SO FOR 26, 27, THESE CAMPUSES IN THE RED BOX WILL START TO, THE TEACHERS THERE WILL BE ABLE TO START GENERATING, EARN A DESIGNATION AND THEN GENERATE AN ALLOTMENT.

UNDER THE TIA UMBRELLA, THERE'S ALSO THE NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION. THIS IS A VOLUNTARY BUT VERY ADVANCED PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION PROCESS FOR PRE-K THROUGH 12 TEACHERS, AND IT'S NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED.

[01:05:01]

IT'S NOT ABOUT SUBMITTING JUST ONE VIDEO OF A LESSON. IT IS ABOUT TWO YEARS' WORTH OF RESEARCH AND MODELING AND LESSON PLANNING AND REVIEW THAT REALLY IS A DISTINCTION. IT DESIGNATES THESE TEACHERS AS SOME OF THE BEST, NOT JUST IN THE STATE, BUT ACROSS THE NATION. AND SO WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE OUR LATEST FIVE NATIONAL BOARD-CERTIFIED TEACHERS HERE ON THE SCREEN.

BUT WHAT THIS ALSO SHOWS US IS OVER THE COURSE OF TWO YEARS, OUR NUMBERS HAVE DOUBLED.

FROM 7 TO 14. AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT NEXT YEAR'S COHORT BECAUSE WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SEVERAL MORE JOIN THIS DISTINGUISHED GROUP. SO, WITH TIAN NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION, EACH TEACHER IN THESE AREAS HAVE THE ABILITY TO EARN EITHER A RECOGNIZED EXEMPLARY OR A MASTER TEACHER DESIGNATION. THERE'S THREE TOTAL RIGHT NOW, BUT WITH THE LATEST LEGISLATIVE SESSION, THAT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO BE EXPANDING TO FOUR. BUT WITH EACH DESIGNATION, IF I'M A TEACHER AND I EARN THE DESIGNATION, I HAVE THAT DESIGNATION FOR FIVE YEARS ON MY CERTIFICATE. AND THEN EACH YEAR, DATA IS SUBMITTED, EVALUATED, AND THEN WE LEARN FROM THE STATE WHAT ALLOTMENT EACH TEACHER WILL GENERATE.

ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED POPULATION.

AT THEIR GIVEN CAMPUSES, THE ALLOTMENTS CAN RANGE IN THE RANGES THAT YOU SEE HERE FROM 3 TO 9, 6 TO 18, OR 12 TO 32. I LOVE BEING ABLE TO EMPHASIZE THAT AS A DISTRICT, WHEN WE STARTED THIS PROCESS WITH THE GROUP FROM THE FOUR CAMPUSES, WE WORKED WITH THEM ON, OKAY, AS YOU GENERATE AN ALLOTMENT, THE STATE ALLOWS THE DISTRICT TO KEEP 10% FOR OPERATIONAL PURPOSES TO MAKE SURE THAT THE MODEL CONTINUES. AND THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT THAT THE TEACHER CAN ATTAIN IS 90%.

FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, RICHARDSON ISD MADE THE DECISION THAT WE ARE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE TEACHERS GET THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT THAT THEY HAVE EARNED. THIS IS THEIR QUALITY WORK. THIS IS THEIR HARD WORK. AND THEY HAVE BEEN INVESTED IN IT. AND SO OTHER DISTRICTS DO IT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY. SOMETIMES THE PERCENTAGE IS LOWER. MAYBE IT'S ONLY 70% OF THE ALLOTMENT. AND THEN THE 20% CHUNK IS USED TO GIVE TO OTHER PEOPLE AT THE CAMPUS. WE TOOK A DIFFERENT APPROACH. IT'S NOT RIGHT OR WRONG, BUT IT'S JUST. WE KNEW THIS WAS THE BEST MODEL THAT FIT RICHARDSON ISD'S NEEDS, AND THE CAMPUSES WERE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THAT. SO WE'RE EXCITED TO SHOW YOU THAT OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS, THE NUMBER OF CAMPUSES PARTICIPATING IS INCREASING.

AND LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF DESIGNATED TEACHERS IN RISD FROM 15 TO 102 LAST SCHOOL YEAR. AND THEN LOOK AT THE ADDITIONAL PAY THAT THESE TEACHERS EARNED, THAT 90% NUMBER, FROM $135,894 TO...

$1.3 MILLION. AND AGAIN, THAT IS MONEY THAT WENT TO THE TEACHERS DIRECTLY. SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO SEE THAT GROWTH. AND WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF FINALIZING WITH THE STATE THIS YEAR'S NUMBERS. AND SO WE'RE EXCITED TO BRING THOSE NUMBERS TO YOU WHEN WE FIND OUT. OTHER DATA POINTS THAT WE LOOK AT ARE THE EXIT SURVEY TRENDS, NOT JUST FOR TEACHERS, BUT FOR ALL EMPLOYEES. WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE WILL LEAVE FROM TIME TO TIME. AND SO WE STILL WANT TO STUDY. WHY DID THEY LEAVE? OUR GOAL WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE KEEPING... THE PEOPLE WHO WE NEED TO STAY.

BUT IT'S AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF DATA TO SEE, OKAY, IF THEY LEFT AND IF THEY COMPLETED THE EXIT SURVEY, WHAT WERE SOME OF THE REASONS THAT THEY PUT FOR LEAVING? OVER PAST YEARS, I'VE KIND OF LUMPED IT INTO A FOUR-YEAR AVERAGE, BUT I WANTED TO TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

AND JUST SHOW YOU ONE YEAR TO THE NEXT, JUST TO SEE IF MAYBE THE REASONS CHANGED FROM ONE YEAR TO THE NEXT. AS WE LOOK AT THE REASONS THAT TEACHERS PUT WHEN THEY LEFT, YOU CAN SEE THAT. THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR 24-25 WAS RETIREMENT, AND THEN OTHER REASONS, CAREER ADVANCEMENT, GREATER COMPENSATION, AND THEN POSITION CLOSER TO HOME. AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT THE INFORMATION WAS FOR THE PRIOR YEAR. WE'LL CONTINUE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT FROM YEAR TO YEAR TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY DRASTIC CHANGES. I WOULD ANTICIPATE THAT THAT GREATER COMPENSATION REASON IS GOING TO BE DROPPING DOWN A LITTLE BIT MORE EACH YEAR. WHEN WE LOOKED AT NON-TEACHER POSITIONS, THE REASONS ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT IN TERMS OF THE RANKING. THE NUMBER ONE REASON WAS OTHER, AND THEN POSITION CLOSE TO HOME, CAREER ADVANCEMENT, UNHAPPY WITH JOB, AND THEN RETIREMENT. AS WE LOOKED AT THE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN RISD, YOU KNOW, HOW LONG HAD THEY BEEN WITH US WHEN THEY DECIDED TO LEAVE? FOR TEACHERS, FOR BOTH OF THE LAST TWO YEARS, THE THREE TO FIVE, FIRST YEAR, SIX TO TEN, AND THE SECOND YEAR WERE THE GROUPINGS.

BUT AGAIN, WE HAD FEWER SEPARATIONS FROM TEACHERS. REMEMBER, THE TEACHER TURNOVER NUMBER HAS GONE DOWN. SO. ALTHOUGH THE RANKING MIGHT STILL BE THE SAME, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO LEFT, WHO PUT THAT, STILL DROPPED. AND THEN, FINALLY, THE EXIT SURVEY TRENDS FOR NON-TEACHERS. AGAIN, THE GROUPINGS ARE JUST ABOUT THE SAME IN TERMS OF THREE TO FIVE, FIRST YEAR, SECOND YEAR, AND THEN SIX TO TEN. SO AS WE CLOSE, WE ALWAYS WANT TO REFLECT AND TAKE A LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES AND NEXT STEPS.

WE REALLY NEED TO IMPLEMENT A MORE STREAMLINED APPLICATION AND REPORTING PROCESS WHEN IT COMES TO THE UM. HIRING OF NEW STAFF AND THEN EVEN REPORTING WITH SOME OF THE STAFF THAT WE HAVE. WE

[01:10:01]

EXCUSE ME, THE LASO GRANT ALLOTMENT. WE KNOW THAT WE NEED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EXPANDING OUR GROW YOUR OWN PROGRAMS, OUR RESIDENCY PROGRAMS, AND STRENGTHENING OUR MENTORING PROGRAMS. WE'RE VERY THANKFUL FOR THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE HAVE WITH FOLKS LIKE DALLAS, WITH FOLKS, WITH ENTITIES LIKE DALLAS COLLEGE AND OTHERS, BECAUSE WE HAVE STRONG PARTNERSHIPS WITH THEM. BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT WITH OTHERS AS WELL. AND SO, AS WE BEGIN TO IMPLEMENT OUR LASSO ALLOTMENTS FOR GROW YOUR OWN AND RESIDENCY AND MENTORING, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THOSE NEW PARTNERSHIPS. WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP PROGRAMS AND SUPPORTS AND RECRUITING EFFORTS FOR HIGH-QUALITY CAMPUS AND CENTRAL ADMINISTRATORS. WE FOCUS ON TEACHERS. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT. BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT QUALITY LEADERSHIP AT THE CAMPUS LEVEL IS WHY TEACHERS STAY AS WELL.

AND SO WE NEED TO BE SURE THAT WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES. LIKE OUR ASPIRING ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL INSTITUTE THAT IS TAPPING INTO EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WITH US RIGHT NOW, WHO MAY HAVE THEIR CERTIFICATION. MAYBE THEY'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT BECOMING AN ADMINISTRATOR, BUT THEY'RE NOT QUITE SURE IF THEY WANT TO TAKE THAT LEAP. WE WANT TO SHOW THEM WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN RISD ADMINISTRATOR.

WE WANT TO SHOW THEM HOW WE SUPPORT OUR CAMPUS AND CENTRAL ADMINISTRATORS SO THAT THEY ARE WELL-EQUIPPED TO REALLY BE THE KIND OF LEADER THAT WE NEED THEM TO BE. AND THEN, FINALLY, WE NEED TO COORDINATE ADDITIONAL ONBOARDING EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN EMPLOYEE RETENTION. WE FOCUS ON ONBOARDING NEW TEACHERS, AND I MEAN, BEYOND JUST FILLING OUT THE FORMS AND SIGNING THE CONTRACT.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CONNECTION. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CONNECTING WITH NEW EMPLOYEES SO THAT THEY NOT ONLY LEARN WHAT IT MEANS TO BE IN RISD, THEY DON'T HAVE TO TRY TO FIGURE IT OUT ON THEIR OWN. SO WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A NEW PRINCIPAL COMES IN AND THEY'RE LEARNING THE RICHARDSON ISD WAY? IT IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN OTHER DISTRICTS.

BUT WHAT IF I'M A CURRICULUM DIRECTOR? WHAT IF I'M AN AREA SUPERINTENDENT? WHO HAS NOT? WHO HAS IS NEW TO RICHARDSON ISD, YOU HIT THE GROUND RUNNING, NO MATTER WHAT POSITION YOU'RE IN. SOME POSITIONS ARE RUNNING A LOT FASTER THAN OTHERS. AND SO IF WE CAN CULTIVATE AND REALLY FINE-TUNE A SYSTEM OF, OKAY, AS A NEW ADMINISTRATOR COMES IN, IS THERE AN AMBASSADOR OR A MENTOR FOR THAT PERSON? AND WE PROGRESS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WITH SEVERAL CHECKPOINTS TO GO, OKAY, HERE'S THIS, HERE'S THAT EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK, THIS, HERE'S HOW YOU APPLY FOR A PERSONAL DAY, WHATEVER THAT MIGHT BE. WE NEED TO GO BEYOND JUST SOME OF THE INITIAL. TOUCH POINTS OF COME ON IN AND SIGN THE CONTRACT. AND WE KNOW THAT IF WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB OF THAT, WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE ESTABLISHING THEIR ROOTS EARLIER SO THAT THEY CAN STAY LONGER. SO WITH THAT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE'LL TURN IT OVER TO ANY QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU, CHRIS. THANK YOU TO THE HR TEAM. AND I ALSO, I THINK IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE DON'T HAVE THESE TURNOVER NUMBERS WITHOUT INCREDIBLE CAMPUS LEADERSHIP.

CENTRAL LEADERSHIP, WHERE OUR TEACHERS FEEL SEEN AND VALUED.

AND YOU ALL HAVE HELPED US TO CREATE A CULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT WHERE THAT MAIN, THAT, LIKE, WE KNOW AND WE FEEL THE EXPECTATION TO KEEP THAT OUR PRIORITY. SO AGAIN, JUST SUPER PROUD OF THE WORK. I ALSO, AS I MENTIONED LAST MEETING, LIKE, WE'RE STILL AT 70. SO WE ARE PROUD OF THIS AND WE CELEBRATE THESE NUMBERS, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO COME TO YOU NEXT YEAR WITH A DIFFERENT OUTCOME. AND SO WE ARE MAINTAINING A STEADFAST APPROACH TO OUR TEACHERS. WE'RE LISTENING. IF THEY SEE AN ISSUE, THEY BRING IT FORWARD.

WE WANT TO RESPOND TO IT. IF THEY HAVE FEEDBACK, WE WANT TO LISTEN. WE WANT TO RESPOND SO THAT THEY FEEL SUPPORTED IN WAYS OUTSIDE OF JUST COMPENSATION OR DAY CARES OR THE MENTAL HEALTH CLINICS, THAT THEY TRULY KNOW THERE IS A TEAM HERE. WHO WANTS TO CREATE THE VERY BEST WORK ENVIRONMENT FOR THEM ON AN EVERYDAY BASIS. SO WITH THAT, WE WOULD LOVE TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS, AND WE APPRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK. ALL RIGHT, WARD, AND THANK YOU, DR. GOODSON, FOR THAT PRESENTATION. VERY POSITIVE. OPEN TO QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS AROUND THE HORSESHOE. WHO'S GOING TO BE FIRST? YES, MS. TIMMING. HI, WILL. THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE TOPICS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION. A COUPLE YEARS AGO, THERE WAS CONVERSATIONS THAT I THINK WE ALL HAD. AND REALIZED THAT WHILE WE WERE BENCHMARKING FOR FIRST-YEAR TEACHERS, WHEN WE STARTED LOOKING AT OUR EXPERIENCED TEACHERS, WE WERE REALLY, REALLY LOPSIDED. AND AS A TEACHER, FORMER TEACHER, MYSELF IN PRINCIPAL,

[01:15:01]

BEING A NEW TEACHER AND HAVING THOSE TEACHERS WITH EXPERIENCE TO LEAN ON, WHO CAN HELP YOU THROUGH THAT. IT'S A TOUGH PROFESSION. ALSO. WHO ALSO HAVE BEEN THROUGH ALL THE UPS AND DOWNS TO HELP YOU THROUGH THAT, HAVING THOSE TEACHERS WITH THAT MID-LEVEL EXPERIENCE, BUT THEN ALSO HAVING NEW TEACHERS, RIGHT? THAT MIX IS WHAT MAKES IT REALLY GREAT AND BRINGS SOMETHING SPECIAL TO CAMPUS. SO WE'RE LOOKING SO MUCH MORE BALANCED, AND THAT, FOR ME, I THINK, IS REALLY GREAT TO LOOK AT THAT. I WOULD ALSO SAY, TOO, ANOTHER REASON WHY I THINK IT'S SO IMPORTANT, WE JUST TALKED ABOUT THE... CURRICULUM THAT WE'RE GOING TO IMPLEMENT. AND YOU CAN ADOPT ANY CURRICULUM ON EARTH. AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE A GREAT TEACHER TEACHING IT, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU ADOPT.

IT ABSOLUTELY MAKES NO DIFFERENCE WHAT YOU ADOPT IF YOU HAVE NOT QUALITY STAFF IN THERE. THAT'S RESPECTED AND EXPECTED TO CONTINUALLY HONE THEIR CRAFT. SO THAT INVESTMENT FROM OUR BOARD, BEING WILLING TO HAVE SOME HARD CONVERSATIONS FROM YOUR TEAM FOR BRINGING IT FORWARD. DR.

GOODSON, FOR YOU GUYS ON THE COMMITTEE AND BRINGING THOSE THINGS FORWARD, I CERTAINLY DO APPRECIATE IT. I THINK IT'S SO GREAT. AS WELL AS I THINK IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT THAT I, AND I WANT THE COMMUNITY AND EVERYBODY TO KNOW THAT. WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE GREAT TEACHERS WHO WANT TO STAY IN THE CLASSROOM AND FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE TO GO FOR ANOTHER POSITION BECAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY WAY THEY CAN INCREASE THEIR INCOME. IT'S THE ONLY WAY THAT THEY CAN DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. AND NOT EVERY TEACHER WANTS TO OR MAKES A GREAT ADMINISTRATOR OR A SPECIALIST OR WHATEVER. AND I WANT GREAT TEACHERS TO STAY IN THE CLASSROOM. I WANT THEM TO HAVE THE OPTION TO STAY IN THE CLASSROOM IS WHAT I WANT, BECAUSE THEY HAVE THAT OPTION.

AND THOSE WHO WANT TO BE LEADERS AND FEEL CALLED TO A DIFFERENT POSITION IN SERVING IN A DISTRICT, I WANT THAT ALSO TO BE AN OPTION. BUT STAYING IN THE CLASSROOM FOR A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WAS NOT AN OPTION PREVIOUSLY, AND THIS REALLY BOLD PIECE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE PUT OUT HAS MADE THAT HAPPEN. I WANTED TO HIT A LITTLE BIT ON JUST TIA AND NATIONAL BOARD BECAUSE IT GIVES TEACHERS SOME CONTROL IN INCREASING THEIR SALARY, TOO. ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK IS IMPORTANT, AND I WOULD JUST BE INTERESTED IN YOUR TAKE ON THIS, IS.

WHILE YOU STARTED WITH A SMALL NUMBER OF CAMPUSES AND NOW YOU ARE EXPANDING, ONE OF THE THINGS TIA DOES IS WHEN YOU SUBMIT YOUR SYSTEM AND IT GETS REVIEWED, IT'S NOT JUST FOR THOSE SCHOOLS. IT'S LOOKING AT YOUR DISTRICT SYSTEM. AND WHAT THAT'S TELLING US IN THE DATA VALIDATION IS THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO TELL, THROUGH HOW YOU EVALUATE TEACHERS, NOW YOU LOOK AT THEM, THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO, YOUR ENTIRE SYSTEM, REGARDLESS WHETHER THEY'RE TIA OR NOT, YOU CAN TELL WHO'S MOST EFFECTIVE, AND YOU CAN TELL WHO'S NOT BEING AS EFFECTIVE BECAUSE YOUR SYSTEM'S DELINEATING THAT, CORRECT? YES, MA'AM, THAT IS CORRECT.

OKAY, GREAT. SO THAT, I JUST THINK THAT SHOULD GIVE COMFORT TO FOLKS THAT, LIKE, YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING AT THAT AND IT IS DATA VALIDATED.

YES, IT'S EXTERNAL. SO WE SEND IT AWAY, AND TEXAS TECH AND THEIR RESEARCH AND DATA ANALYTICS TEAMS REVIEW IT.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THEY REVIEW ALL SYSTEMS. AND THERE'S A VERY STRICT ANALYTICS THAT THEY RUN, AND THERE IS NO VARIANCE.

THAT'S RIGHT. SO IF THERE IS A CONCERN THAT IN ANY WAY YOUR SYSTEM IS NOT MEETING THEIR EXPECTATION, THEY SEND IT BACK. AND YOU CAN EITHER BE DENIED OR YOU HAVE TO REVIEW AND MAYBE MAKE ADJUSTMENTS. SO IT IS A VERY STRINGENT PROCESS. SO CONGRATULATIONS. TO YOU GUYS ON ALL YOUR SYSTEMS. I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE AND CELEBRATE. WHAT A GREAT JOB THAT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE WITH THAT, BECAUSE THAT IS NOT EASY. YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING, DR.

GOODSON, AND I'LL, WHETHER YOU'RE ANSWERING OR DR. GOODSON, ABOUT THE POOLS OF APPLICANTS, AND YOU SAID THAT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY. AND I THINK YOU SAID IT, BUT I WAS WRITING DOWN A QUESTION, IF I'M BEING HONEST, I WAS A LITTLE OFF TASK. SO IF YOU DID ANSWER THIS, I JUST MIGHT NEED A REPEAT, AND IF NOT, HAVE OUR POOLS GROWN SINCE WE STARTED? LIKE, JUST ACROSS, ARE WE MORE ROBUST THAN WE WERE PREVIOUS TO THE SALARY ADJUSTMENT? WE ARE ABLE TO GIVE A DEFINED WINDOW TO SEE HOW MANY APPLICATIONS WE HAVE AT A GIVEN TIME. AND SO WE HAVE SEEN THOSE NUMBERS INCREASE.

WHAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO WITH AN IMPROVED SYSTEM IS HAVE A BETTER MECHANISM FOR NOT JUST QUALIFYING, BUT QUANTIFYING THAT ACROSS DIFFERENT POSITIONS AS WELL.

SO WE CAN LOOK AT THE RAW NUMBER AND SEE, OKAY, WE HAVE MORE TEACHERS.

BUT I THINK THE NEW. SYSTEM WILL GIVE US THE ABILITY TO HAVE BETTER REPORTING WITH THAT. OKAY, GREAT. ALSO, TOO, I KNOW YOU DIDN'T INCLUDE THIS IN HERE, BUT I THINK I DO KNOW THE ANSWER, BUT I JUST WANT TO BE SURE. WE'VE HAD, SORRY, IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER NOW, BECAUSE I'M, IT'S OKAY.

YOU CAN ALWAYS TELL ME LATER.

I'LL GET BACK TO IT.

BUT CAN YOU SEE A DIFFERENCE IN THE NUMBER OF OPENINGS WE HAVE FROM YEAR TO YEAR? LIKE WHEN WE START SCHOOL. SO LIKE, WHEN WE START SCHOOL, WE USED TO HAVE LIKE, YOU KNOW, BACK IN THE DAY, WE HAD A LOT OF OPENINGS, WHATEVER. ARE WE SEEING A DECREASE SINCE THE SALARY IMPLEMENTATION? YES. I CAN DEFINITELY YES ON THAT.

BECAUSE A FEW YEARS AGO WE WERE STARTING WITH 100 OR 75 VACANT CLASSROOMS, AND NOW WE'RE DOWN TO A DOZEN OR 15

[01:20:01]

PRE-K-12 OPENING VACANCY WHEN WE STARTED THE YEAR. THEY WERE ALL FILLED. THE ONLY VACANCIES WE HAD WERE IN CENTRAL SPECIAL EDUCATION AND BILINGUAL.

WELL, THAT'S AMAZING. I MEAN, OF COURSE, WE WANT NONE, RIGHT? BUT, LIKE, THAT'S AMAZING TO GO FROM WHERE WE WERE NOW. AND BECAUSE, AGAIN, WHOEVER IS IN THAT CLASSROOM, IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE, RIGHT? IF WE HAVE OPENINGS, I KNOW THAT'S, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE HITTING TO THE NORTH STAR GOAL, LIKE, WE HAVE TO HAVE GREAT PEOPLE IN THERE.

I WANTED TWO MORE THINGS, I PROMISE. I'M A REALLY VICIOUS MICROPHONE. I'M REALLY GLAD TO HEAR THAT YOU GUYS ARE RECRUITING AND LOOKING FOR A GOOD BENCH IN YOUR ADMINISTRATOR NUMBERS.

IT IS, I MEAN, HAVING A GREAT ADMINISTRATOR IS WHAT KEEPS.

PEOPLE THERE AS WELL, LIKE CLIMATE, WE CANNOT SACRIFICE CLIMATE FOR ALL THE THINGS, WE WANT PEOPLE TO COME LOVING TO WORK. BECAUSE IF THEY LOVE TO COME TO WORK, THEY'RE GOING TO LOVE ON THOSE KIDS. AND IF THEY'RE CRANKY, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO LOVE ON THOSE KIDS THE WAY WE WANT THEM TO, RIGHT? SO THE OTHER THING, I BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT YOU, BECAUSE OF OUR COMPENSATION, WILL CONTINUE TO SEE, LIKE, CONTINUE TO BE MORE COMPETITIVE, RIGHT, WITH WHAT WE'VE DONE. I WOULD JUST CHALLENGE THE BOARD THAT IF WE REALLY WANT TO PRIORITIZE THAT NORTH STAR GOAL. AND IF WE REALLY WANT TO CONTINUE TO BE AS COMPETITIVE AND GROW IN THAT COMPETITIVE MARKET AND BE HIGHER ON THERE, IT CAN ONLY HAPPEN IF WE CONTINUE WITH THAT CHARGE. AND I KNOW THAT WE ARE IN SOME DIRE TIMES ON BUDGETS, AS ALL DISTRICTS ARE.

BUT THAT, TO ME, IF YOU'RE GOING TO ALIGN YOUR SYSTEMS AND IF YOU WANT TO STAY WHERE WE ARE AND CONTINUE THOSE TRENDS, THAT WE WOULD HOPE TO SEE THAT. THAT HAS TO DO WITH OUR COMMITMENT, RIGHT, AS A BOARD AND THE DIRECTION THAT WE'RE ASKING OUR DISTRICT TO TAKE. WHAT'S THAT? I RELINQUISHED THE MICROPHONE.

THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. YOU USED EVERYBODY ELSE'S TIME. IT'S JUST, THAT'S WHY. THAT'S ALL RIGHT. OKAY. WE'LL GO TO MS. PACHECO NEXT, AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK OVER HERE. OKAY. I'LL DO A QUICK TWO SECONDS SINCE WE ALL RAN OUT OF TIME.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. I REALLY LIKE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BENEFITS, USAGE AND, YOU KNOW, THE USE OF OUR DAYCARES, AND I KNOW THERE'S WAITING LISTS.

EVERYWHERE. I'M NOT GOING TO ASK HOW BIG THE LIST IS, BUT I'M SURE IT'S BIG. WHEN YOU LOOK AT, FOR EXAMPLE, AND HERE ARE MY QUESTIONS, WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT THE USE OF MENTAL WELLNESS AND THE ACUTE CARE CLINICS, AND OF COURSE, THE DAYS.

GRANTED, HAVE YOU SEEN LIKE AN INCREMENTAL INCREASE ON THE INVESTMENTS THAT WE'VE MADE? YES, MA'AM. I CAN SAY THAT THE NUMBER OF VISITS ARE DEFINITELY HIGHER THAN THEY HAVE BEEN IN THE PAST.

PREVIOUS YEARS, I THINK IN A WAY, WORD CONTINUES TO GET OUT, THAT THIS IS A RESOURCE. AND I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO EMPHASIZE IT'S A COMPLETELY CONFIDENTIAL PROCESS FOR THE EMPLOYEE. SO AS A DISTRICT, WE AREN'T LOOKING TO SEE WHO IS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE RESOURCES. WE'RE JUST LOOKING AT USAGE AND NUMBERS.

AND SO FOR, YOU KNOW, IF I'M AN EMPLOYEE WHO'S LOOKING FOR, YOU KNOW, THE MENTAL WELLNESS CLINIC OR EVEN THE ACUTE CARE CLINIC, I WANT TO HAVE PEACE OF MIND OF KNOWING THAT IT'S NOT GOING TO COME BACK TO ME OR ON ME FOR HAVING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS. AND SO WE'VE DEFINITELY SEEN THOSE NUMBERS INCREASE OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, FOR SURE. I'M EXCITED TO SEE THAT BECAUSE, YES, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO FEEL WELL IN ORDER TO HELP OUR STUDENTS LEARN EVERY DAY.

TRUSTEE PACHECO, IF I MIGHT ADD, TOO, I THINK. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE SEEN, ESPECIALLY NOW, LIKE MOVING INTO YEAR THREE WITH MOST OF THESE BENEFITS, IS THAT OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM IS MUCH MORE VERSE. AND MAKING SURE OUR STAFF IS AWARE OF IT, WHETHER IT'S AN AUXILIARY STAFF, PARAPROFESSIONAL, OR OUR EDUCATORS. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, WE RECENTLY HAD A PRETTY BIG ACCIDENT INVOLVING A BUS AND A STUDENT ON A SCOOTER, AND IT WAS KIND OF HARD TO WATCH AND HARD TO EXPERIENCE. AND, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST THING THAT WE OFFERED TO THAT BUS DRIVER... AND, BY THE WAY, IT WAS NOT THE BUS DRIVER'S FAULT. BUT THE FIRST THING THAT WE OFFERED TO THAT BUS DRIVER WAS, HEY, WE KNOW THAT THAT WAS A LOT, AND SO IF YOU NEED TO GO TALK TO SOMEONE, PLEASE KNOW, WE HAVE THESE SERVICES AVAILABLE.

WHEREAS EVEN I THINK IN YEAR ONE, THAT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THE FIRST THING THAT OUR SUPERVISORS OR OUR PRINCIPALS WOULD HAVE THOUGHT TO OFFER. SO I THINK WE ARE JUST EVEN MORE VERSED AND MORE COMFORTABLE IN SAYING, HEY, IT'S OKAY IF YOU NEED TO GO TALK TO SOMEONE. WE HAVE SERVICES RIGHT HERE, AND YOU'RE NOT CHARGED FOR THEM. IT'S OKAY TO GO TALK ABOUT IT. I LOVE THAT. AND JUST TO CLARIFY, EITHER DR. GOODSON OR MS. BRANHAM, EMPLOYEES THAT DO AND UTILIZE THESE SERVICES, THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE A PART OF THE INSURANCE PLAN, OR IT'S ALL EMPLOYEES? IT'S ALL EMPLOYEES, REGARDLESS OF INSURANCE. PERFECT. OKAY, THAT'S PRETTY AWESOME. AND YES, I AGREE. I MEAN, THERE ARE CERTAIN SITUATIONS THAT SOMEBODY NEEDS TO TALK ABOUT.

AND I'M GLAD THAT WE HAVE IT.

ALL RIGHT. SO NOW MOVING TO A LITTLE BIT ON THAT.

TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT AND THE NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION. IF YOU COULD JUST HELP ME UNDERSTAND OR

[01:25:02]

THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, SO THAT THEY CAN COME TOGETHER AS THEIR COHORT. AND THEN WE ALSO ARE NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS THAT HAVE COME BEFORE THEM. WE INVITE THEM INTO THE ROOM, AND SO THEY HELP KIND OF BE THAT MENTOR, THAT ENCOURAGER, EVEN HELP THEM. AS THEY'RE PUTTING TOGETHER THEIR PORTFOLIO PIECES AND THEIR REFLECTIONS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO SUBMIT. THEY MAY HELP THEM WITH EDITING OF THEIR VIDEOS THAT THEY HAVE TO SUBMIT. SO, YES, IT'S A LOT OF WORK OUTSIDE OF THE HOURS, BUT WE ALSO REALLY TRY TO SUPPORT THAT EFFORT INSIDE.

BECAUSE IF A TEACHER RECEIVES THIS CERTIFICATION, IT'S AN OUTSTANDING ACCOMPLISHMENT, AND WE KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS IN TERMS OF THE WAY THAT THEY'RE GOING TO GROW THEIR KIDS INSIDE THE CLASSROOM. SO THOSE INVESTMENTS PAY OFF TEN TIMES. YES, I'M SO EXCITED, AND I KNOW I'VE HEARD IT'S SO MUCH WORK, AND I DON'T KNOW. AGAIN, TEACHERS ARE LIKE SUPERHEROES, AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY FIND ENERGY TO DO ALL THESE THINGS AND TO DO SOMETHING WITH SO MUCH DEDICATION, SO MUCH HARD WORK AFTER HOURS, SO THAT THEY CAN TEACH BETTER AND BE BETTER.

THAT'S SUCH AN HONOR AND FOR US TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THAT. AND I'M JUST SO PROUD THAT WE HAVE INCREASED OUR NUMBERS THERE AS WELL. SO THAT'S IT. I DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'M HAPPY TO SEE THESE NUMBERS. I'M HAPPY TO SEE THE REDUCTION IN PEOPLE WHO, I GUESS, LEAVE THE DISTRICT, NOT JUST LEAVE BEING TEACHERS.

SO THANK YOU. GREAT CONVERSATION. ALL RIGHT, COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? WE'LL GO OVER HERE. MS. MCGOWAN, DID YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD? I WILL. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU FOR THAT. A COUPLE QUESTIONS.

SO WE TALKED BACK TO THE TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT.

YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THE 10% THAT DISTRICT THAT WE KEEP.

WE DO NOT DO THAT IN RISD, OR WE DO KEEP THE 10%. WE DO.

WE DO. DISTRICTS ARE ALLOWED TO KEEP 10% OF THE ALLOTMENT THAT'S GENERATED, AND SO WE DO BECAUSE WE NEED THOSE FUNDS TO KIND OF MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO CONTINUE WITH EXECUTING THE MODEL, SO TO SPEAK. OKAY. THE GREAT OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE IS THAT THERE DOES HAVE TO BE CENTRAL OVERSIGHT OF THE PROCESS. SO TRUSTEE TIMMY MENTIONED THE SORT OF THE DATA VALIDATION PIECE.

DR. PATRONELLA AND DR. ORTIZ, THEY WORK TOGETHER.

TO REALLY GO THROUGH OUR MODEL AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE SUBMIT IT TO TECH, WE DON'T WANT IT TO GET SENT BACK. AND SO THAT 10% HELPS COVER THE COST OF THAT CENTRAL PERSONNEL UNIT.

SO, AGAIN, IT'S NOT COMING FROM THE DISTRICT BUDGET. IT'S COMING FROM THAT ALLOTMENT.

DR. PATRONELLO WORKS WITH PRINCIPALS, FOR EXAMPLE, TO TRIANGULATE, SO TO SPEAK, OUR T-TEST DATA. SO IF I GO INTO A CLASSROOM AND I EVALUATE USING T-TEST, IF THAT PRINCIPAL GOES IN, IF THE AP GOES IN, IF DR.

LEEPER GOES IN, WE'RE GOING TO ALL SCORE THAT TEACHER THE SAME. BECAUSE, AGAIN, THAT'S SUPER IMPORTANT. IF THAT TEACHER IS GOING TO RECEIVE A DESIGNATION, THAT THAT'S TRIANGULATED AND THAT WE'RE NOT TRYING TO INFLATE THAT TEACHER'S SCORE. JUST BECAUSE WE'RE TRYING TO GET THEM THAT ALLOTMENT.

AND SO HE HELPS OVERSEE THAT AND MAKE SURE THAT IT'S REALLY TIGHT. SO THAT OUR SYSTEM, AS TRUSTEE TIMMY SAID, DOES GET APPROVED AND WE GET THAT GREEN LIGHT. PERFECT. THAT MAKES GREAT SENSE. THANK YOU FOR THAT. WE TALKED ABOUT TEACHER RETENTION AND HOW WE ARE WORKING HARD AS A DISTRICT TO MAKE SURE REPRESENTATION IS IN OUR CLASSROOMS, IN FRONT OF OUR KIDS THAT REPRESENT OUR DISTRICT. AND I THINK THAT'S CRITICAL, BUT I ALSO WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT I THINK OUR COMMITMENT TO BALANCE IS MORE CRITICAL, RIGHT? BALANCE IN LOVING KIDS AND HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATORS, RIGHT? SO WHERE I THINK REPRESENTATION IS A REALLY IMPORTANT PIECE, I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE REALLY PUTTING THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT PLACE. IN FRONT OF THOSE KIDS AND THE BEST TEACHERS IN FRONT OF THOSE KIDS, NO MATTER WHAT. AND THEN, AS FAR AS THE CARE CLINIC PARTNERSHIP, ARE WE CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR MORE PARTNERS? LIKE, ON THE DALLAS SIDE, I THINK

[01:30:01]

YES, SO IF THERE'S ANYONE OUT THERE IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE DISTRICT THAT WOULD LIKE TO PARTNER WITH US. I DO KNOW THAT THERE ARE COMMUNITY GROUPS THAT ARE LOOKING AT OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTNER, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH OTHER FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS.

TO TRY TO FIND MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO PROVIDE THAT IN THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF THE DISTRICT. ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE TRUTHFULLY RIGHT NOW HAVE IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF VACANT BUILDINGS. THERE'S NOT REALLY, IF WE WERE TO, FOR EXAMPLE, TRY TO OPEN UP A SECOND CLINIC, WE WOULD REALLY BE LEANING IN ON A PARTNER TO HAVE SPACE TO BE ABLE TO HOST IT AT THEIR LOCATION. BUT YES, WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE ANY CONVERSATION WITH ANY PARTNER WHO WOULD LOVE TO HELP PROVIDE THAT KIND OF SERVICE IN OTHER AREAS OF THE DISTRICT. PERFECT.

THAT'S EXCITING. SO HOPEFULLY OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS OUT THERE ARE LISTENING. LAST QUESTION. INCREASING SICK LEAVE AND THE SICK LEAVE BANK FOR OUR EMPLOYEES IS REALLY IMPORTANT AS WELL, AND I KNOW ALL THIS TAKES MONEY, SO I'D LIKE TO KEEP IT A HIGH PRIORITY THAT WE CONTINUE TO INCREASE THESE THINGS THAT ARE RETAINING OUR TEACHERS. I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO DO A SURVEY. WE DO AN END-OF-THE-YEAR SURVEY. WILL YOU ALL... IT'S ABOUT TO BE RELEASED. AND YOU'LL CONTINUE TO DISCUSS THOSE SURVEY RESULTS WITH US, RIGHT, SO THAT WE CAN CONSTANTLY BE LOOKING AT NEW WAYS TO KEEP OUR PEOPLE IN OUR SCHOOLS. YES, MA'AM.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MS. MCGOWAN. YES, MS. RENTERIA. YES, ALSO A GREAT PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. KIND OF TOUCHING ON WHAT MS. MCGOWAN JUST SAID ABOUT I COMPLETELY AGREE. I MEAN, RETAINING OUR HIGH-QUALITY TEACHERS IS SUPER IMPORTANT, SO I REALLY LOVE IT.

EVERYTHING THAT WE SEE.

BUT AS FAR AS RECRUITMENT, I KNOW WE HOLD AMAZING JOB FAIRS, BUT HOW FAR DO WE GO IN RECRUITING, DR. GOODSON? DO WE GO FAR DOWN SOUTH? DO WE GO, I MEAN, WHERE IS IT, UNIVERSITIES OR PLACES? SO IF YOU CAN JUST KIND OF EXPAND ON HOW WE DO THE RECRUITING AND HOW FAR WE GO WITH THAT. WE GO AS FAR AS WE CAN, TO BE HONEST. WE GO TO OKLAHOMA, WHEN WE GO TO NEIGHBORING STATES, WE GO.

TO ALL PARTS OF TEXAS, WE CONNECT WITH UNIVERSITIES AT THEIR JOB FAIRS AND ANY OTHER SPECIFIC COLLEGE OF EDUCATION OR OTHER COLLEGES THAT MAY HAVE STUDENTS WHO COULD GET INTO EDUCATION. THEY MIGHT NOT BE STUDYING IT RIGHT NOW, BUT WE TRY TO REALLY CAST A WIDE NET. THE TEAM IS REALLY GREAT AT TAKING A LOOK AT PRIOR YEARS TO SEE, OK, HAVE WE HIT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES? HAVE WE HIT HISPANIC SERVING COMMUNITIES? UNIVERSITIES, AND THEN WHAT'S THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT? SO WE'RE ABLE TO SEE OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, WE'VE MADE THIS MANY TRIPS TO THIS PARTICULAR LOCATION, BUT WE'VE NOT HIRED ANYONE, OR WE'VE HIRED 30 OR 40 TEACHERS OVER THE SPAN OF THREE YEARS. SO WE DIVE INTO THE DATA THAT WAY AS WELL.

WE MAKE ADJUSTMENTS.

OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE STILL DEALING WITH A BUDGET SITUATION, BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IF WE'RE GOING TO INVEST IN TRAVEL, WE'RE GOING TO HIT. THE PLACES THAT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE US WITH QUALITY TEACHERS. BUT IT'S A CONSTANT BACK AND FORTH OF JUST LOOKING TO SEE, WHERE ELSE CAN WE CONSIDER GOING, WHERE ELSE DO WE HAVE CONNECTIONS WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS? OR NOT CLUBS, BUT GROUPS OR ENTITIES AT A UNIVERSITY WHERE THE STUDENTS MIGHT BE A PART OF. SO WE CAN GET RICHARDSON ISD IN FRONT OF THEM. I LOVE THAT. I THINK THAT'S AWESOME BECAUSE I THINK WE TALKED ABOUT, AGAIN, I AGREE, I TOTALLY AGREE WITH MS. MCGOWAN AND, YOU KNOW, QUALITY TEACHERS, QUALITY TEACHER, RIGHT? NO MATTER WHAT.

BUT I THINK THAT ALSO HAVING TEACHERS THAT ARE REFLECTIVE OF THE STUDENTS. YOU KNOW THAT THAT WE'RE TEACHING, BUT ON ALL LEVELS. SO, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I'M THINKING ABOUT WHEN WE RECRUIT OUR HISPANIC OR SPANISH SPEAKING TEACHERS. AND AND I REALIZE THAT THERE'S A BIG NEED STATEWIDE FOR BILINGUAL TEACHERS.

BUT HAVING ALSO TO SEE THOSE TEACHERS OUTSIDE OF THAT. THAT THAT THEY ARE IN YOUR, YOU KNOW, YOUR YOUR AP CLASSES, THAT THEY ARE IN YOUR ADVANCED CLASSES. ALL OF THOSE THINGS AS WELL, TOO.

SO I LOVE THE WORK YOU DO, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS, TOO, THAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, OR I MADE A NOTE HERE, TOTALLY LOVE THE BENEFITS. I'M SO PROUD, ALONG WITH MY COLLEAGUES, OF HOW WE PRIORITIZE THAT, RIGHT, SO SEEING EVERYTHING. I MEAN, WE ALREADY, SOME OF, YOU KNOW, MY COLLEAGUES ALREADY MENTIONED IT. SO, YOU KNOW, KEEPING TEACHERS, YOU KNOW, STAYING THOSE TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM IS ALSO SUPER IMPORTANT. BECAUSE, TO MS. TIMMY'S POINT, I'VE MET MANY TEACHERS WITH THAT SAME. ISSUE AS THAT THEY WANT TO STAY IN THE CLASSROOM. YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THAT'S JUST WHERE THEY WANT TO BE. THE ADMINISTRATIVE PART IS NOT WHAT THEY WANT TO DO. SO KEEPING THOSE TEACHERS

[01:35:01]

ALLIES. I WANTED TO SAY THAT RIGHT, BECAUSE IT'S REALLY LONG THAT I CAN ASK.

BUT THIS IS A GROUP OF, YOU KNOW, AND WITH THE SUPPORT OF MS. BRANHAM WHO HAS, YOU KNOW? AND I THINK IT'S MS. BRENDA MARTINEZ, WHO IS ONE OF OUR ADMINISTRATORS AT ONE OF OUR JUNIOR HIGHS. IT'S BEEN WONDERFUL TO SEE ALL OF YOU KNOW, ALL OF THESE EMPLOYEES THAT ARE FOCUSED ON OUR LATINO STUDENTS, RIGHT, AND THE GROWTH OF OUR LATINO STUDENTS IN THE DISTRICT.

BUT WHAT I LOVED ABOUT LAST NIGHT, AND I THINK THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT, WAS THE IMPACT OF MENTORING. SO I REALLY LOVE... THIS, AND IT WAS GREAT TO HEAR THE STORIES OF HOW PEOPLE WERE THERE TO AND ALL LEVELS, RIGHT? YOU HAVE SOME THAT ARE PRINCIPALS, THEY'VE BEEN THERE A LONG TIME, YOU HAVE SOME THAT ARE NEW.

YOU HAVE PARAPROFESSIONALS THAT ARE STARTING THAT KIND OF JOURNEY AS TO WHAT THE PATHWAY WILL BE FOR THEM. BUT IT WAS WONDERFUL TO HEAR THE THE STORIES OF I WANT TO MENTOR SOMEONE, OR I WANT SOMEONE TO MENTOR ME, AND SO IT. IT WAS GREAT BECAUSE ALL OF THIS WAS ON ON THE CONVERSATION OF HELPING EACH OTHER, BUILDING EACH OTHER. AND FOR THE END RESULT, THE OUTCOME BEING TO HELP ALL STUDENTS, BUT WHEN WE'RE FOCUSING ON THE LATINO STUDENTS IN OUR DISTRICT, WHICH IS OUR LARGEST DEMOGRAPHIC GROUP. SO I LOVE THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING. I LOVE EVERYTHING THAT, ALL THE NUMBERS, AND I'M JUST SO PROUD OF THE WORK THAT WE CONTINUE TO DO. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. RENTERIA. OKAY, MR. EAGER. YOU KNOW, THERE IS A DIRECT CORRELATION, AND WE'RE GOING TO KEEP REPEATING THIS. IT IS SO CRITICAL FOR, WE'RE ALL STRIVING FOR THE BEST OUTCOME FOR KIDS. THIS IS WHY WE ALL ARE HERE, THIS IS WHERE OUR HEARTS AND DESIRES, AND EVERY ONE OF US IN THIS DISTRICT. THERE IS A DIRECT CORRELATION TO EXPERIENCED CLASSROOM TEACHERS TO GREAT STUDENT OUTCOMES. AND SO THIS KEEPING EXPERIENCED TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM. AND IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT WE EXPECT OF THESE SUPERHEROES, THINK ABOUT IT. IF YOU GO OUT AND DID JUST A REGULAR JOB SPEC AND SAID, I NEED A DOMAIN EXPERT. I NEED SOMEBODY THAT'S GOOD AT TEACHING KIDS. I NEED SOMEBODY THAT CAN CONNECT AND MOTIVATE KIDS. I NEED SOMEBODY THAT'S GOOD WITH PARENTS. AND OH, BY THE WAY, THEY'RE GOOD AT ADMINISTRATION. THAT REQUIRES A VAST SKILL SET. AND SO WHEN WE, AND TO MY COLLEAGUES, IT WAS A LEAP OF FAITH TO MAKE THAT INVESTMENT IN THE CHILD LEARNING ACADEMIES. AND TO THE PAY, BECAUSE HONESTLY, IF IT WAS UP TO ME, THEY DON'T GET PAID ENOUGH.

BUT IN TODAY'S WORLD, WE HAVE LIMITED RESOURCES AND WE'VE GOT TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO COMPENSATE WHERE WE CAN. SO WITH THAT, THOSE STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS YEARS AGO, WE'RE BEGINNING TO SEE THAT NOW. WE'RE BEGINNING TO SEE THAT REFLECTED IN THE EXPERIENCE. AND HERE'S THE OTHER THING, TOO, THERE'S A COST SAVINGS TO THAT. SO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT NUMBERS, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE TO RECRUIT, RETRAIN, AND WE GET THE BENEFITS OF KEEPING THOSE EXPERIENCED TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM. AND ONE LITTLE TIDBIT, BEING A NUMBERS GUY, WHEN YOU MENTION THAT TURNOVER, LIKE, YOU'VE NEVER SEEN IT THAT LOW. I ACTUALLY RESEARCHED, AND FOR WHATEVER DATE I HAD, IT'S A 20-YEAR LOW, 20 YEARS, THAT THE INVESTMENTS AND WHAT WE'RE DOING AS A COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THE BEST WE CAN FOR OUR KIDS, IT'S REFLECTING, AND WE'RE BEGINNING TO SEE THE REFLECTION IN GREAT STUDENT OUTCOMES. AND SO I WANT TO... THANK THE EFFORTS, SHOW THE APPRECIATION FOR THE CONTINUED BENEFITS AND THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING.

BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL STARTING TO ADD UP AND THEY'RE STARTING TO HAVE THE IMPACT THAT WE WANTED, BUT IT TOOK A LEAP OF FAITH A COUPLE YEARS AGO TO DO THESE THINGS. SO THESE WERE NOT SMALL INVESTMENTS, AND THEY WERE GOING TO TAKE TIME FOR US TO SEE THE RESULTS. AND WE'RE BEGINNING TO SEE THAT. WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THESE RESULTS AS A TEAM, AND WHO'S GOING TO BENEFIT FROM THESE GREAT TEACHERS IS OUR KIDS. AND SO I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER, MORE EXCITED, ALONG WITH MY COLLEAGUES. AND, OH, BY THE WAY, IT TAKES, I'M GOING TO STEAL MR. POTEET BECAUSE HE LOVES, IT TAKES A GREAT CULTURE, TOO.

THAT, BY THE WAY, MONEY DOES, YOU KNOW, WE STILL GOT BILLS, BUT GUESS WHAT? GREAT CULTURE IS WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE, TOO. SO WHEN YOU COMBINE FAIRLY COMPENSATED

[01:40:02]

THEY HAVE A CHOICE THERE AND THEY DRIVE AND COME BACK TO OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. THEY KEEP COMING BACK TO OUR DISTRICT AND THEY KEEP COMING BACK BECAUSE THEY'RE FAIRLY.

YOU KNOW, WE'RE DOING THE BEST WE CAN, BUT WE TRY TO COMPENSATE THEM GIVEN THE BENEFITS AND A GREAT CULTURE. AND I THINK THAT WE'RE BUILDING THAT AND IT TAKES TIME, BUT WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THAT AND ANYHOW, SO GREAT JOB. COULDN'T BE MORE EXCITED. AND AGAIN, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SEE THESE ASPECTS, THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE GREAT OUTCOME FOR KIDS. MR. EAGER IT'S SO FUNNY THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT I HAVE AN ACTUAL ANECDOTE.

FROM LITERALLY FIVE MINUTES BEFORE WE WERE COMING INTO THE BOARD MEETING, I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL. WE HAD A LONGTIME RIC EDUCATOR, PHENOMENAL ELEMENTARY TEACHER, THAT WENT TO WORK IN A NEIGHBORING DISTRICT BECAUSE IT WAS LITERALLY ACROSS THE STREET FROM HER HOUSE. AND SHE IS...

IN HER SECOND SEMESTER THERE, AND SHE CALLED ME BEFORE COMING INTO THIS MEETING TO SAY, WILL YOU HAVE ME BACK? I NEED TO COME BACK TO MY HOME. I NEED TO COME BACK TO RISD. I WAS LIKE, COME ON.

WHAT DID YOU SAY? I SAID, YES. OKAY. I SAID, YES. AND SHE SPOKE. SHE DIDN'T MENTION THE MONEY. SHE DIDN'T MENTION. SHE MENTIONED THE CULTURE AND THAT SHE WANTED TO BE BACK IN THE DISTRICT AND SPECIFICALLY BACK IN RISD.

FOR WHAT YOU JUST SAID. AND IT IS THAT CULTURE OF SUPPORT.

AND KEEPING, AS DR. LIEBER SAYS ALL THE TIME, THE MAIN THING, THE MAIN THING. AND IT REALLY DOES ILLUSTRATE EVERYTHING THAT Y'ALL ARE TALKING ABOUT.

LIKE, THAT'S THE PHONE CALL WE WANT. WELL, AND I'LL JUST, I GUESS I'LL SPEAK FOR THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION. WE'LL LEAVE THE LIGHT ON FOR YOU.

HEY, I WANT TO ADD SOMETHING TO WHAT MR. EAGER HAS JUST SAID. ABSOLUTELY. I'VE HAD THE HONOR TO SERVE ON THE STAR TEACHER COMMITTEE THIS YEAR.

BLESSED MY SOUL, MY HEART, ALL THINGS. BUT I JUST HAVE TO ADD SOME THINGS OR SOME ADJECTIVES. THEY ARE ADVOCATES.

THEY ARE COUNSELORS. THEY'RE MEDICS. THEY'RE CAREER COUNSELORS. THEY'RE MOM AND DAD TO SO MANY OF THESE KIDS IN THESE CLASSROOMS. ONE OF THE TEACHERS SAID, SHE TOLD ONE OF THE KIDS, LOOK, I AM YOUR MOM. I WILL BE YOUR DAD. I WILL BE YOUR ADVOCATE.

AND THAT'S WHAT THESE PEOPLE ARE DOING EVERY SINGLE DAY.

AND NOT BEING PAID TO DO ALL OF THIS, RIGHT? SO, LIKE YOU SAID, I AGREE. WE DON'T PAY THEM ENOUGH. WE NEED TO PAY THEM ALL MORE. SO, CHRIS, GO AHEAD. BOY, THAT'S A SETUP. WOW. OTHER BOARD MEMBERS. YES, MS. HARRIS, FOLLOW THAT, PLEASE. JUST REALLY, REALLY QUICK. HOW COULD I COME AFTER THIS ONE RIGHT HERE, I TELL YOU. SO, I JUST HAVE JUST A REALLY QUICK. KUDOS REPORT. SO I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND TWO EVENTS IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS.

ONE OF THOSE EVENTS WAS TAPSE, TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF BLACK SCHOOL EDUCATORS, AND THE EVENT WAS ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL. AND TO SEE OUR LEADERS LEADING THAT EVENT MADE ME SO PROUD. YOU KNOW, TO SEE DR. SPILLER, MISTY WILSON. JUST DOING THEIR THING. IT WAS AN AMAZING EVENT.

AND JUST TO KNOW THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE DOING THIS OUTSIDE OF THEIR JOB, LIKE, WE'RE ALREADY ASKING SO MUCH OF THESE EDUCATORS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND THEN TO GO TO THIS HUGE EVENT AND SEE THIS, IT WAS ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL. I APPRECIATE THEM.

I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT THEY DO. IT WAS GREAT. THE OTHER EVENT I ACTUALLY ATTENDED WAS A TASB EVENT. I TELL Y'ALL, TASB, SO AT THIS EVENT, ONE OF THE LADIES THAT WAS WORKING THE EVENT, SHE FOUND OUT. I WAS WITH RICHARDSON, AND I NOTICED, YOU KNOW, DURING THE SESSION, SHE KIND OF FOLLOWED ME AROUND A LITTLE BIT AND HELD A LITTLE CONVERSATION. FINALLY, THE LAST DAY, SHE PULLS ME TO THE SIDE AND SHE SAYS, HEY. SHE SAID, I REALLY WANT TO TAKE A PICTURE WITH YOU BECAUSE MY SON WORKS AT PIERCE. SHE SAID HE ABSOLUTELY LOVES IT. SHE SAID HE'S A FIRST-YEAR TEACHER, AND SHE SAID HE JUST CANNOT SAY ENOUGH GREAT THINGS

[01:45:01]

BUT THOSE MOMENTS ARE SO PERFECT. I MEAN, THEY MAKE YOU FEEL REALLY GOOD AS A TRUSTEE.

BECAUSE YOU'RE REPRESENTING THIS DISTRICT. AND I WAS NOT IN DALLAS WHEN THAT HAPPENED.

HIS MOM DOESN'T EVEN LIVE IN DALLAS. I WAS IN GALVESTON.

AND SO TO MAKE THAT CONNECTION WAS ABSOLUTELY AWESOME. SO KUDOS TO OUR STAFF, OUR TEACHERS, OUR BUS DRIVERS, CAFETERIA, EVERYBODY. YOU ARE DOING AN AMAZING JOB. THANK YOU, DR. DIXON, FOR YOUR REPORT. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MS. HARRIS. OKAY. ON THAT, YOU'RE WRITING ME A NOTE. NO, SIR. OKAY. YOU KNOW, YOU TALK ABOUT THE TABSE, AND THE WORD THAT I KEPT THINKING OF WAS JUST THEIR PASSION.

IT'S THEIR PASSION. THAT'S WHY THEY GO DO THE WORK AFTER THE WORK. YOU KNOW, IT'S THEIR PASSION. AND THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE WE WANT TO KEEP IN THE DISTRICT, AND WE WANT TO FIND THE ONES THAT AREN'T IN THE DISTRICT AND GET THEM TO THE DISTRICT. SO THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT OF. MR. EAGER WAS TALKING ABOUT IT. YOU KNOW, THE WORD THAT CAME UP WAS STRATEGIC. YOU KNOW, AND THESE ARE, IF WE'RE NOT REMEMBERED AS A TEAM OF EIGHT PLUS CABINET, IF WE'RE NOT REMEMBERED FOR ANYTHING ELSE, IT'S TAKING A STRATEGIC APPROACH. WE TRY REAL HARD AS A TEAM TO NOT BE REACTIVE AND TACTICAL ON DECISIONS. AND FROM THE NORTH STAR GOAL AND THAT DECISION, ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE COMPENSATION, AND THE CHILD LEARNING CENTERS, I MEAN, THOSE ARE ALL STRATEGIC DECISIONS, STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS THAT WILL SUSTAIN LONG-TERM AND SUPPORT THE CULTURE. I HAD TO THROW IN MY CULTURE IN THERE, SO I THINK STRATEGIC. AND THE LAST THING, I KNOW WE'RE NOT SAYING ANYTHING NEW HERE, BUT I THINK WE'VE ALL BEEN RELAYING VIGNETTES AND STORIES TO REINFORCE WHAT WE KNOW IS TRUE AND WHAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT.

BUT YESTERDAY I WAS AT WEST JUNIOR HIGH, AND THEY HAD THE AVID. THEY WERE AWARDED WITH THE AVID DEMONSTRATION CAMPUS. AND SO I GOT TO SIT IN THERE WITH OUR SUPERINTENDENT WHEN THEY HAD THEIR OUTBRIEF FROM THE AVID STAFF. AND A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I KIND OF COMMITTED TO MEMORY IN THERE THAT WAS PRETTY POWERFUL WAS WHEN THEY GIVE FEEDBACK TO THE STAFF OF THE CAMPUS, ONE OF THE THINGS THEY SAID WAS, AS WE WERE EVALUATING AND WATCHING THE STAFF IN THE CLASSROOMS, IT WASN'T THAT WE SAW. STAFF AND TEACHERS DOING SOMETHING BECAUSE THEY HAD TO DO IT, THEY DID IT BECAUSE THAT'S JUST WHAT WE DO. AND THEY COULD FEEL THAT AS A THIRD-PARTY OBSERVER, WHICH SPEAKS VOLUMES TO THE CULTURE AND WHAT WE'RE DOING FROM TOP TO BOTTOM. AND SPEAKING OF TOP TO BOTTOM, ONE OF THE COMMENTS THEY MADE WAS THROUGH THEIR EVALUATION PERIOD, THEY SAW THE UNITY AND THE ALIGNMENT. AND THEY SAID, YOU KNOW, IT GOES ALL THE WAY TO THE PRINCIPAL, BUT THEN THEY KIND OF PAUSED AND THEY SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT? AND THEY'VE LOOKED AT OTHER CAMPUSES, BERKNER, I KNOW, AND WE'VE GOT ANOTHER ONE, I THINK, COMING ON. THEY SAID WHAT THEY SEE IS THE ALIGNMENT AND THE UNITY ALL THE WAY AT THE TOP TO THE SUPERINTENDENT. AND THAT TOLD ME THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WORKING. WHAT WE'VE COMMITTED TO OVER THE YEARS IS WORKING. AND IT STARTS AT THE TOP, AND I DON'T THINK ANY OF US WOULD TAKE CREDIT FOR THAT. BUT TO BE PART OF THAT AND KNOW THAT THAT IS ACTUALLY DOING WHAT WE VISIONED IT TO DO. AND GETTING DOWN, AND NOW WE'RE REAPING THE STRATEGIC REWARDS, WHETHER IT'S AN AVID DEMONSTRATION, CAMPUS, STUDENT OUTCOMES, OR STAFF TURNOVER RATES BEING LOW. I MEAN, WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THOSE THINGS HAPPEN. BUT THOSE ARE THE STORIES THAT I HEARD YESTERDAY, AND, YOU KNOW, I WAS ONLY THERE PROBABLY 30 MINUTES, BUT THOSE ARE TWO POWERFUL THINGS THAT I GOT IN 30 MINUTES, AND I DIDN'T EVEN STAY FOR CAKE. SO, YOU KNOW, BUT I WANTED TO ADD THAT AT THE END. SO THANK YOU, DR.

GOODSON. THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT BRANHAM, FOR THAT GREAT PRESENTATION.

AND WITH THAT, LET'S TAKE A QUICK BREAK.

LET'S DO ABOUT 10 MINUTES, 10 TO 15. SO LET'S GO AT 8.10. WE WILL RECONVENE FOR OUR NEXT INFORMATION ITEM.

THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. WE'RE

[IV.D. Marketing & Advertising Update]

EVERYBODY TAKE SEATS AND LET'S GET THIS STARTED. OUR NEXT ITEM IS AN INFORMATION ITEM TO RECEIVE A PRESENTATION REGARDING MARKETING AND ADVERTISING AND UPDATE. MS. BRANDON. THANK YOU, PRESIDENT POTEET. DR. HELLER WILL BE PROVIDING TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION. REALLY, THIS IS A

[01:50:01]

AND WHAT IT MIGHT BE UNIQUE TO RICHARDSON ISD AND WHAT WE COULD OFFER TO THE DISTRICT, ONE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES WE SAW IS TO EXPAND OUR MARKETING. AND SO REALLY, WE CHARGED DR. HELLER AND HER TEAM WITH PUTTING OUT AN RFP TO FIND OUT. WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE EXPERTISE AREAS THAT OTHER FIRMS MAY HAVE? THAT OUR INTERNAL TEAM MAY NOT POSSESS CURRENTLY, BECAUSE THEIR ROLE IS TO MANAGE OUR DAY-TO-DAY COMMUNICATIONS.

THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY WHAT THEY HAVE THE TIME OR THE CAPACITY TO DO. AND SO WE'RE EXCITED TO BRING FORWARD WHAT THAT RFP REVEALED, SOME RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE HAVE, BUT REALLY, WE WOULD LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK.

THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE'RE SAYING, WE HAVE TO DO THIS.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE SAYING. IF THE BOARD WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THIS INVESTMENT TO SEE WHAT KIND OF INCREASE IN STUDENT ENROLLMENT IT COULD YIELD, WE JUST AT LEAST WANTED TO BRING IT FORWARD FOR CONSIDERATION. SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DR. HELLER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SUPERINTENDENT BRANHAM, BOARD OF TRUSTEES. WE APPRECIATE OUR TEAM, STRATEGY AND ENGAGEMENT, AND SANDRA AND I SPECIFICALLY, THE OPPORTUNITY TO REPORT BACK TO YOU ON OUR INITIAL PRESENTATION FROM DECEMBER AND THE RESULTS OF OUR RECENT RFP. YOU WILL SEE THAT...THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BUILD UPON SOME INITIAL BRANDING AND AWARENESS WE'VE BEEN DOING AROUND WHY RISD IS THE ONE.

ONE BEING AN ACRONYM FOR EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS, AND LIFELONG STUDENT EXPERIENCES.

AND YOU'RE GOING TO START SEEING WHAT WE'VE BEEN CALLING A SOFT LAUNCH OF WHY RISD IS THE ONE.

ESPECIALLY WITH OUR ENROLLMENT MARKETING EFFORTS FOR THE 26-27 SCHOOL YEAR. AS WE SHARED PREVIOUSLY WITH YOU, THIS OPPORTUNITY FOR A DISTRICT AWARENESS CAMPAIGN, AND THAT'S REALLY HOW WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO CALL THIS, IS GROUNDED IN CHANGES IN THE CURRENT EDUCATIONAL MARKETPLACE. IT IS SHIFTING AND CHANGING A LOT.

AS WE HAVE SHARED PREVIOUSLY, I THINK SUPERINTENDENT BRANHAM COINED, OUR ISD IS NO LONGER A MONOPOLY. PUBLIC EDUCATION, THE LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL, COMMUNITY SCHOOL, THE LOCAL ISD IS NO LONGER THE MONOPOLY.

FAMILIES AND PARENTS HAVE ALWAYS HAD CHOICES, AND NOW THEY HAVE MORE CHOICES AND ADDITIONAL CHOICES. AND THE TRADITIONAL ISD COMMUNICATIONS TEAMS ARE HAVING TO PIVOT AND REALLY THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NO LONGER EVOLVING OUR STORYTELLING WITH THE DAY-TO-DAY NEWS AND INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TO OUR PARENTS AND FAMILIES.

IT'S NOW PIVOTING TO MORE TARGETED SALES AND MARKETING AND HOW WE CAN RECRUIT, RETAIN, AND RECOVER STUDENTS. AS A REMINDER, AND THIS IS NOT ANY NEW DATA THAT WE'RE BRINGING FORWARD OR SHARING, BUT AS WE CONTINUE, AS WE, ALONG WITH EVERY OTHER ISD, MAJORITY OF ISDS. NOT ONLY IN OUR REGION, BUT ACROSS THE STATE AND EVEN THE COUNTRY, WE CONTINUE TO BE FACED WITH DECLINING AND SLOWED ENROLLMENT. AND WE'RE SEEING A VARIANCE IN THOSE NUMBERS ACROSS OUR LEARNING COMMUNITIES AND ACROSS THE DISTRICT. AND WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE FACTORS IMPACTING THIS.

IN ADDITION TO, YOU KNOW, SMALLER FAMILIES, AGING POPULATION, IT IS ALSO THAT EXTERNAL INCREASE IN COMPETITION, NOT ONLY FROM PRIVATE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE BEEN THERE AND CHARTERS, BUT ALSO WE'RE SEEING THE INCREASED NUMBERS IN FAMILIES CHOOSING HOMESCHOOL, AS WELL AS NOW, SPECIFICALLY HERE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, THE INTRODUCTION OF ESAS, EDUCATIONAL SAVINGS ACCOUNTS, ALSO KNOWN AS VOUCHERS. SO, AGAIN, WE KNOW THE MARKETPLACE HAS CHANGED. THIS SLIDE SHOWS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THIS COMPETITION THAT IS WORKING AGAINST, AND THEY ARE ACTIVELY MARKETING AGAINST RICHARDSON ISD. AND WE ARE IN COMPETITION WITH OUR PEER DISTRICTS FOR OPEN ENROLLMENT. EVERY DISTRICT, WELL, I SHOULDN'T SAY EVERY, BUT THE MAJORITY OF DISTRICTS AND MANY OF OUR PEER DISTRICTS ARE ALSO OPEN ENROLLMENT DISTRICTS. SO THEY ARE ALSO GOING AFTER THE SAME STUDENTS AND SOME OF OUR STUDENTS TO COME AND ENROLL IN THEIR LOCAL DISTRICT. AND SO AT THIS TIME, I'M GOING TO ASK SANDRA TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME ADDITIONAL SPECIFICS ON WHY. PARTNERING WITH AN OUTSIDE AGENCY CAN SUPPORT OUR GOALS HERE IN RISD AS PART OF THIS AWARENESS CAMPAIGN.

[01:55:04]

HELLER. GOOD EVENING, TRUSTEES, SUPERINTENDENT BRANHAM, AND MEMBERS OF THE CABINET. WE ARE EXCITED, AS DR. HELLER SAID, OF HAVING SOFT LAUNCH. OUR RISD IS THE ONE CAMPAIGN. THIS IS GOING TO HELP US TO BETTER TELL THE STORY OF WHAT WE ARE THE ONE FOR.

YOU GUYS WERE SHARING STORIES THAT JUST ENCOUNTERED WITH SOME OF THE TEACHERS AT THE CAMPUSES THAT YOU RECENTLY VISITED. THOSE ARE STORIES THAT WE MUST PUT OUT THERE, THAT WE MUST SHARE OUT OUTSIDE OF OUR COMMUNITY. AND THIS CAMPAIGN WOULD ALSO HELP US TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE IN THE MARKETPLACE. SO, AGAIN, WE SOFT-LAUNCHED THIS AS PART OF OUR CURRENT ENROLLMENT EFFORTS, AND IT'S BEEN A VERY EXCITED PROJECT TO BE WORKING ON. SO WE HAVE THREE TARGETED AUDIENCES FOR THIS CAMPAIGN, AND THESE TARGETS ARE ALIGNED.

FOR US TO MEET OUR THREE R'S, THE GOALS OF OUR THREE R'S.

YOU ALREADY KNOW THIS, RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND RECOVERY. THE PRIMARY AUDIENCE FOR OUR RECRUITMENT PURPOSES, AGAIN, THOSE ARE OUR THREE- AND FOUR-YEAR-OLDS THAT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR PRE-K TO COME AND ENROLL IN RISD.

ALSO, FAMILIES THAT HAVE OTHER STUDENT, SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN THAT ARE LIVING IN THE DISTRICT BUT THAT ARE NOT ENROLLED WITH US JUST YET. RETENTION.

RETENTION IS ONE OF THE, NOT EASY, BUT IT IS THE EASIEST FROM THE THREE OF THEM. IF WE, AGAIN, MARKET TO OUR CURRENT FAMILIES AND THOSE THAT ARE JOINING US. HOW DO WE RETAIN THEM? AND RECOVERY, AGAIN, GOING AFTER THOSE FAMILIES THAT, FOR WHATEVER THE REASON IS, THEY LEFT THE DISTRICT, BUT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRING THEM BACK. TO RICHARDSON, IUC. SO HOW ARE WE GOING TO TAKE OUR TARGETS OF CONVERTING THEM FROM AWARENESS TO CONVERSION? IT'S BY HAVING CUSTOMIZED STRATEGIES THROUGH THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS. WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT OUR PROSPECTS, AGAIN, THAT WE HAVE MULTIPLE TOUCH POINTS WITH THEM IN THESE THREE TIERS. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT AWARENESS AND GOING TO ENGAGEMENT AND THEN CONVERSION, CONVERSION IS WHEN WE GET THE STUDENTS ENROLLED AND INTO THE CLASSROOM. SO THAT IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL, NOT ONLY ENROLLING THEM, BUT, AGAIN, MAKING SURE THAT THEY GET TO THE CLASSROOM AND THAT THEY'RE ATTENDING DAILY. SO, OUR CAMPAIGN WILL HAVE A MULTI-CHANNEL ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY SO THAT WE CAN REINFORCE AND REPEAT OUR MESSAGING TO OUR PROSPECTS, TO OUR TARGETS. AS WE ALL KNOW, THAT'S WHAT OUR COMPETITORS ARE DOING. THEY'RE GETTING IN FRONT OF OUR FAMILIES MULTIPLE TIMES.

SO WE HAVE TO IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES, AGAIN, THAT ARE GOING TO HELP US TO GET IN FRONT OF OUR PROSPECTS. AND I DO WANT TO MENTION THAT THESE STRATEGIES WILL NOT BE BLANKETED MARKETING. THEY WILL BE TARGETED. AGAIN, VERY CUSTOMIZED TO THE AREAS, THE POCKETS IN THE DISTRICT WHERE WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES.

YOU SEE A NUMBER, SEVERAL TYPES OF THEM HERE, GRASSROOTS, EVENTS, DIRECT MAIL, TRADITIONAL, AND, OF COURSE, DIGITAL. DIGITAL IS ONE OF THE LEAST EXPENSIVE ONES, AND THAT IS ONE OF THE ONES THAT ALSO TAKES US FURTHER AND HELPS US TO BETTER REACH OUR FAMILIES OR OUR PROSPECTS. AND I WANT TO WALK YOU THROUGH SOME OF THE, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SOME OF THE DIGITAL DOMINANTS. WE ARE ALREADY DOING SOME OF THOSE EFFORTS IN-HOUSE, ORGANICALLY. THAT IS FOR FREE. THERE IS NO COST TO THEM. THERE'S NO BOOSTING.

WE'RE NOT INVESTING ANY DOLLARS. AGAIN, IT DOES HELP TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR CURRENT FOLLOWERS, BUT WE ARE VERY LIMITED ON THE REACH THAT WE HAVE FOR VARIOUS FACTORS, INCLUDING THE ALGORITHMS AND SOCIAL MEDIA. WHEN WE ARE FOLLOWING SOCIAL MEDIA, JUST THINK ABOUT, WE'RE JUST SHARING THE DISTRICT STORY AMONG EACH OTHER. WE'RE NOT GETTING THIS OUTSIDE OF OUR NETWORK. SO THAT IS, AGAIN, THE LIMITATION THAT WE HAVE WHEN WE'RE DOING ORGANIC DIGITAL PLACEMENT. HOWEVER, IF WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INVEST IN PAID TARGETED DIGITAL MARKETING, WE WILL BE ABLE TO START REACHING TO MORE PROSPECTS. BY TARGETING THEM STRATEGICALLY, WITH VARIOUS THINGS IN MIND, SUCH AS THEIR AGE. LOCATION, THEIR INTEREST, AND EVEN BY SOME OF THE COMPETITORS THAT THEY'RE LOOKING INTO IN THEIR PLATFORMS, WE'RE ABLE TO GEOFENCE AND RETARGET THEM WITH OUR PAID ADVERTISEMENT, WHICH AT THE END WOULD HELP US TO HAVE MORE GUARANTEED PLACEMENTS AND HAVE A BIGGER NUMBER OF CONVERSION TO ENROLLEES. SO WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTNER WITH AN AGENCY? AGAIN, OUR TEAM, AS DR. HELDER MENTIONED, IS DOING THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION AS WELL. WITH AN AGENCY, WE WILL BE ABLE TO DRIVE GROWTH, BRING GROWTH INTO THE DISTRICT. THEY ALSO HAVE THE EXPERIENCE OF ADVERTISEMENT, THE REGULATIONS THAT IS AROUND ADVERTISEMENT, ESPECIALLY FOR THE EDUCATION SECTOR. ONE OF THE KEY THINGS IS THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO BETTER NEGOTIATE FOR US WHEN MEDIA BUYING, AND ALSO THEY HAVE ANALYTIC TOOLS THAT WOULD HELP US TO PIVOT OUR ADVERTISEMENT. AS WE SEE THE NEED OF DOING SO, SO THAT WE CAN BETTER GUARANTEE A BIGGER ROI, WHICH WILL LEAD TO A BETTER OPTIMIZATION. AS I WALK YOU THROUGH THE FUNNEL OF THE MARKETING STRATEGY. AND

[02:00:03]

WE HAD SEVEN COMPANIES WHO RESPONDED AND SUBMITTED A PROPOSAL OF INTEREST TO WANT TO PARTNER WITH RICHARDSON ISD ON THIS AWARENESS CAMPAIGN.

WHAT WAS CONSISTENT AMONGST ALL SEVEN RESPONSES WAS THAT AN INITIAL YEAR ONE INVESTMENT WAS APPROXIMATELY BETWEEN $400,000 AND $500,000. THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE BREAKDOWN OF WHERE THAT INVESTMENT WOULD BE ALLOCATED.

YOU'RE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, 50% OF THAT INVESTMENT GOING INTO ADDITIONAL CREATIVE AND CONTENT PRODUCTION.

TO SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT THE STRATEGY AND ENGAGEMENT TEAM IS, YOU KNOW, OUR CURRENT CAPACITY. AND THEN THE OTHER HALF OF THAT INVESTMENT GOING INTO SPECIFIC AREAS SUCH AS, AS SANDRA MENTIONED, DIGITAL ADVERTISING.

CONTINUING TO BE STRATEGIC WITH OUR BRAND DEVELOPMENT, LOOKING AT SOME VERY TARGETED PRINT AND MAILINGS BASED ON NEIGHBORHOODS AND AREAS AND GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES. WHERE WE HAVE SEATS AND WHERE WE WANT TO RECRUIT, WHETHER IT'S PRE-K, ADDITIONAL ELEMENTARY, ET CETERA. AND THEN, AS WE CONTINUE TO EXPAND AND GROW OUR MAGNET SCHOOL PROGRAMMING, HAVING SOME ADDITIONAL.

SUPPORT IN ADVERTISING AND MARKETING.

THOSE EXPERIENCES AND VERY SPECIFIC EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAMILIES THAT ARE LOOKING FOR VERY UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEIR STUDENT, FOR THEIR CHILDREN AND STUDENTS, DR.

MILLER, IF I COULD ASK REAL QUICK ON THAT SLIDE RIGHT THERE.

YES. THIS IS NOT A YOU HAVE TO DO ALL OF THESE. NO, MA'AM.

IT MIGHT BE THAT THE BOARD SAYS WE'RE VERY INTERESTED IN MAYBE ONE OR TWO OF THESE.

CORRECT. OKAY. YES, AND I APPRECIATE THAT POINT OF CLARIFICATION. WE COULD ALSO APPROACH THIS MORE LIKE AN A LA CARTE. SO IF WE WANTED, YOU KNOW, A SMALLER DOLLAR AMOUNT INVESTMENT AND A DOLLAR AMOUNT POINT TO GO INTO, IT COULD BE. AN A LA CARTE, MAYBE MORE DIGITAL ADVERTISING, AND WE LET GO OF SOMETHING ELSE TO SEE WHAT TYPE OF ROI WE GET ON THAT SPECIFIC EFFORT. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. ONE OF THE REALITIES OF WHERE WE ARE IN THIS GREAT STATE OF TEXAS IS THAT IN THIS DFW METROPLEX, WE ARE IN A MEDIA MARKET THAT'S RANKED NUMBER FIVE IN THE NATION. SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS IT'S EXPENSIVE TO ADVERTISE AND MARKET IN THIS AREA. BECAUSE OF THAT. SO THESE ARE JUST EXAMPLES. BECAUSE I KNOW WHEN WE INITIALLY PRESENTED, SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS IN DECEMBER WERE AROUND COST. AND LIKE, WELL, WHAT IS THIS GOING TO, YOU KNOW, WHAT WOULD THIS INVESTMENT LOOK LIKE COST-WISE? HERE IS A BREAKDOWN OF WHAT SOME OF THOSE COSTS WOULD BE SPECIFIC TO THE DFW MARKETPLACE. AND SO, YES, AGAIN, IT COULD BE THAT WE INVEST IN ONE OR TWO OF THESE VERSUS ALL OF THEM, DEPENDING ON... FEEDBACK AND WHERE WE THINK WE WANT TO GO WITH THIS POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITY. THIS NEXT SLIDE SHOWS WHAT WE HAVE ANTICIPATED THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT TO BE. SO IF WE WERE TO LOOK AT A $450,000 INVESTMENT IN AN AWARENESS CAMPAIGN, BREAKING THAT DOWN.

BY OUR PER-STUDENT ALLOTMENT, WE WOULD NEED TO RECRUIT 75 NEW STUDENTS. TO BREAK EVEN ON THAT INVESTMENT. ANYTHING ABOVE 75 STUDENTS WOULD BE ADDITIONAL REVENUE TO OUR LOCAL BUDGET. AN IMPORTANT NOTE HERE IS THAT LAST SPRING, WHEN WE WERE GIVEN DIRECTIONAL APPROVAL TO MOVE FORWARD WITH OPEN ENROLLMENT, WE DID THAT. VERY, WE CALL THAT AGAIN A SOFT LAUNCH, WE DID NOT INVEST IN ANY MARKETING. THAT WAS ALL WORD OF MOUTH. AND WE SECURED JUST OVER 200 STUDENTS. AND THAT WAS WITH NO EFFORT BEYOND WORD OF MOUTH AND OUR CURRENT CHANNELS THAT WE'RE USING. AND THOSE 200 STUDENTS ENROLLED ARE CURRENTLY IN SEATS HERE IN RISD. WE HAVE ADJUSTED THE TIMELINE A LITTLE BIT FROM WHAT WE ORIGINALLY SHARED WITH YOU IN DECEMBER TO ALIGN MORE WITH OUR CURRENT BUDGETING PROCESS. AND, YOU KNOW, GOING INTO THE SUMMER, DEPENDING ON WHAT TYPE OF INVESTMENT WE WOULD WANT TO DO OR GET APPROVAL FOR, WE WOULD LOOK TO PARTNER WITH A FIRM AND TO BEGIN THE WORK WITH THEM.

LOOKING INTO THE FALL,

[02:05:02]

AND AS WE'RE WATCHING WHAT OUR COMPETITORS ARE DOING ACROSS ALL OF THE DIFFERENT. SPACES, WHETHER IT'S PRIVATE, CHARTER, PEER DISTRICTS, THEY ARE STARTING THEIR ENROLLMENT EFFORTS IN THE FALL. AND SO WE'RE LOOKING, WE'RE HAVING INTERNAL DISCUSSIONS ON HOW WE'RE SHIFTING FROM MORE OF AN EARLY SPRING TO MORE OF A FALL FOCUS WHEN WE KNOW.

FAMILIES ARE STARTING TO SHOP FOR THAT NEXT SCHOOL YEAR IN TERMS OF EXPLORING AND RESEARCHING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEIR FAMILY. ANOTHER THING TO NOTE IS THAT ALTHOUGH WE MAY HAVE AN INITIAL YEAR ONE INVESTMENT IN SOME SORT OF CAMPAIGN OR NOT, BUT IF WE WERE, THAT WOULD NOT NECESSARILY BE THE SAME DOLLAR AMOUNT INVESTMENT WE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE BEYOND YEAR ONE, INTO OTHER YEARS. IN FACT, WE WOULD ANTICIPATE NOT HAVING TO MAKE THOSE ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTS. WE WOULD LEARN A LOT. WE WOULD GLEAN, HOPEFULLY, SOME BEST PRACTICES FROM ANY PARTNERSHIP THAT WE MIGHT DO.

BUT AGAIN, THE GOAL BEING THAT WE COULD HELP, INFLUENCE AND IMPACT THAT REVENUE SIDE OF OUR LOCAL BUDGET. AND SO A FEW KEY TAKEAWAYS THAT WE WOULD SHARE WITH YOU, AGAIN, IS, YOU KNOW, WE ARE NO LONGER THE MONOPOLY IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC ISDS, RISD, OR ANY OF OUR LOCAL SCHOOLS. AND REALLY LOOKING AT THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY, AS AN INVESTMENT, ALTHOUGH WE... RECOGNIZE, WITH LIMITED FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND THE PRESSURE THERE, LOOKING AT THIS MORE AS AN INVESTMENT VERSUS AN EXPENSE, AND THEN HOW THAT INVESTMENT CAN REALLY BE AN INCREDIBLE... PROACTIVE APPROACH IN TERMS OF A LONG-TERM STRATEGY TO HELP SUPPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND FUNDING FOR PROGRAMS AND EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES THAT WE HAVE HERE IN RISD FOR YEARS TO COME. SO WITH THAT, WE ARE HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS AND SHARE ADDITIONAL REFLECTIONS WITH YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. LET'S GO AHEAD AND OPEN IT UP AROUND THE TABLE. SEE, WHO'S, IS THAT MS. MCGOWAN? ARE YOU READY TO? OH, NO, I'M SORRY.

QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD. MS. TIMMY. YES, THANK YOU. I DO HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS. FIRST OFF, I WANT TO SAY REALLY GREAT INFORMATION. I KNOW THAT WE'RE IN A NEW ENVIRONMENT, RIGHT? WE'VE GOT TO LOOK DIFFERENTLY. AND I THINK YOU GUYS HAVE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB EXPANDING YOUR TEAM AND RESTRUCTURING IN A WAY THAT ALLOWS US SOME MORE FLEXIBILITY WITH THAT AND TO BE MUCH MORE TARGETED. AND I THINK YOU GUYS HAVE DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB WITH THAT. I MEAN, 75 KIDS SOUNDS PRETTY DOABLE TO ME. IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE I'M ACTUALLY KIND OF SURPRISED BY THAT NUMBER. I DON'T KNOW WHY I SHOULDN'T BE, BUT, I MEAN, THE MATH KIND OF MAPS REALLY WELL WITH THAT. ASSUMING THAT PART OF THIS APPROACH ARE ALL THE THINGS YOU'VE LISTED, BUT I'M ALSO GUESSING THAT IT PROBABLY, IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO ADDITIONAL THINGS, YOU WOULD NEED POTENTIALLY ADDITIONAL PEOPLE, WHICH COULD MEAN ADDITIONAL FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES. AND ONE OF THE GREAT WAYS TO DO THIS WOULD BE ALLOW YOU TO KEEP YOUR STRUCTURE THAT YOU'VE DONE, BUT ALSO FIND DIFFERENT WAYS.

WITHOUT REQUIRING FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES AND GIVING US SOME FLEXIBILITY IN PACKAGES AND FIRMS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, SO THAT WE CAN BEST. IS THAT PART OF THE STRATEGY WITH THIS? YES. YES, IT IS.

YOU KNOW, WE DID RESTRUCTURE LAST YEAR.

SO WE TECHNICALLY, THE STRATEGY ENGAGEMENT TEAM CAME INTO THIS SCHOOL YEAR LESS ONE PERSON, ONE FTE.

BUT WE WERE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, RECRUIT AND RETAIN SOME REALLY GREAT TALENT FROM, YOU KNOW, SOME PEER DISTRICTS. THAT ARE BRINGING IN A LOT OF KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION AND EXPERIENCES.

BUT WE WOULD ALSO HOPE TO LEARN SOME OF THAT, TOO, WITH A PARTNERSHIP. AND ALSO KNOWING THAT THESE AGENCIES AND GROUPS ARE WORKING WITH OUR PEER DISTRICTS AND DOING WORK WITH SOME OF OUR COMPETITORS.

AND SO UNDERSTANDING FROM THEM, YOU KNOW, THE LANDSCAPE AND WHAT'S WORKED AND WHAT HASN'T WORKED. AND LEARNING FROM THOSE THAT HAVE GONE BEFORE US WOULD BE ANOTHER BIG PART OF THAT. ABSOLUTELY. I ASSUME, TOO, THEY HAVE SO MANY TOOLS THAT WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HAVE ON OUR OWN, RIGHT, WHICH IS ALSO A COST SAVINGS AND ALSO BENEFITS LOOKING AT.

YES, MA'AM. SUPER GOOD INFORMATION. I APPRECIATE THAT.

MS. RAM, THIS MIGHT BE TO YOU. ARE THREE- AND FOUR-YEAR-OLDS THAT ARE NOT IN RICHARDSON'S ATTENDANCE AREA ELIGIBLE FOR OUR PRE-K? THEY ARE ELIGIBLE, BUT THEY WOULD BE AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF OUR WAIT LIST BECAUSE, OF COURSE, FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE HAVE

[02:10:02]

AND THEN SECOND, IF WE HAVE, AND THEN ALSO EMPLOYEES. AND THEN AFTER THAT, IF WE HAVE ANY SEATS AVAILABLE, THEN THEY GO TO OUR COMMUNITY RESIDENT.

OKAY. AND THAT WOULD BE FOR TUITION. AND THEN ONLY AFTER THAT WOULD WE HAVE AVAILABLE SEATS FOR ANYONE INVOLVED IN OPEN ENROLLMENT. AND SO WE WOULD. AND AM I RIGHT? LISTEN, I COULD BE WRONG BECAUSE I CAN'T REMEMBER. THAT IF WE WERE GOING TO EXPAND OR DO ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY WITH FACILITIES, WE WOULD HAVE TO WORK WITH OUR PRIVATE.

LIKE OTHER PRE-KS AROUND, LIKE, SO, LIKE, IT IS SOME LIMITATIONS IN HOW MANY WE COULD DO, CORRECT? YES, MA'AM.

ABSOLUTELY. JUST WAS CURIOUS ON THAT. AND THEN, JUST LASTLY, JUST COMMENT. I THINK WE ALL KNOW THAT GREAT OUTCOMES WILL LEAD TO DEMAND, AND I THINK WE WERE DEFINITELY ON THAT ROAD.

BUT I ALSO THINK WE HAVE TO WAIT TO COMMUNICATE THOSE GREAT OUTCOMES THAT WE'RE GETTING AND THE GROWTH THAT WE HAVE. IF WE REALLY, A, WANT TO RECRUIT FOLKS. BUT ALSO, TOO, LIKE, I WANT OUR PEOPLE IN OUR DISTRICT TO BE PROUD.

RIGHT, AND THEY DON'T ALWAYS KNOW EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING ALL THE TIME. I DON'T THINK YOU ALL CAN DO THAT ON YOUR OWN. IT IS A HUGE LIFT TO DO THAT, AND I THINK HAVING NEW, DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

BUT MY LAST QUESTION IS, AND YOU MAY NOT HAVE THIS INFORMATION, AND I DO NOT EXPECT YOU TO ANSWER ON THE FLY, SO LET ME BE SUPER CLEAR ABOUT THAT, SOMETHING MAYBE FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION, IF WE SHOULD NEED.

BUT ARE WE LOOKING AT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING AND DOING FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME? IF WE HAVE DATA FOR THAT, WE COULD STRATEGICALLY ABANDON, RIGHT, FOR NEW PURPOSES, BECAUSE I'M ALL ABOUT, LIKE, FINDING NEW WAYS TO DO THINGS, BUT ALSO I'M ALL ABOUT STRATEGIC ABANDONMENT WHEN IT'S NOT WORKING AS WELL.

SO IF Y'ALL MAY NOT HAVE THAT YET, BUT I WOULD BE INTERESTED ON THIS TIMELINE SOMEWHERE IF WE COULD SEE SOME OF THAT.

ABSOLUTELY.

TO PUT SOME PERSPECTIVE INTO THIS, WE'RE, I MEAN, WE JUST ACTUALLY PARTICIPATED IN A REGIONAL SURVEY. SO. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING DATA BACK ON SOME OF OUR PEER DISTRICTS. BUT OUT OF OUR LOCAL BUDGET, WE CURRENTLY SPEND AROUND $35,000, $40,000 A YEAR ON MARKETING. AND THAT INCLUDES A SUBSCRIPTION TO NICHE. WHICH WE WERE TRYING TO USE NICHE BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THAT'S A VERY POPULAR PLACE WHERE FAMILIES GO, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY'RE RELOCATING NEW TO THE AREA. TO RESEARCH SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND CAMPUSES AND SCHOOLS. SO, YES, WE ARE DEFINITELY LEARNING TO LET GO, JUST LIKE, I THINK, MANY, ALL OF MY PEERS AROUND THE HORSESHOE HERE.

IN TERMS OF HOW ARE WE GOING TO RESPOND. AND, YOU KNOW, BE SURE THAT WE KEEP OUR COMPETITIVE EDGE. IN TERMS OF HONORING JUST THE STRONG HISTORY THAT THIS DISTRICT HAS AND THE STRONG, RICH REPUTATION.

BUT ALSO UNDERSTANDING THAT, YOU KNOW, THE ONLY WAY WE CAN IMPACT REVENUE IS BY SECURING NEW STUDENTS. AND SO A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I DO THINK WE HAVE A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES OF, YOU KNOW, FOR. YOU KNOW, WE DID A PODCAST, AND WHEN YOU LOOKED AT VIEWERSHIP, WHILE IT IS, THAT WASN'T A FINANCIAL INVESTMENT, IT WAS A STAFF INVESTMENT. AND IT WAS TAKING TIME TO FILM, YOU KNOW, TO RECORD THAT AND TO EDIT THAT, AND TO PUBLISH THAT. WE WEREN'T GETTING THE VIEWERSHIP, SO WE LET THAT GO. WE HAD A DIGITAL, WHAT WAS A PRINT, ACTUAL KIND OF A MAGAZINE THAT WE USED.

AND WHILE THAT WENT TO A LOT OF OUR FAMILIES, WE RECEIVED A LOT OF FEEDBACK, THAT. WE KNOW THAT THAT'S COSTING A LOT OF MONEY, AND A LOT OF WHAT IS PRESENTED IN HERE ARE THINGS THAT WE KNOW. SO INSTEAD, WE'VE WORKED STRATEGICALLY TO EMBED, LIKE IN THE TAX BILL OR THE WATER BILL, OR WHATEVER IT IS, DR. PATE, YOU KNOW, THE SPECIFIC THING THAT WE'RE ABLE TO PUT IT IN.

BUT IT'S A BLACK-AND-WHITE, FACT-BASED, RISD CELEBRATION.

ONE PAGE. YES, THANK YOU, A ONE-PAGER. THAT WE PUT IN THAT IS VERY EFFECTIVE, ESPECIALLY FOR OVER 65 HOMEOWNERS WHO WANT TO HEAR WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT. BUT THEY LIKE THAT. IT IS SIMPLE AND CLEAN. AND SO, AGAIN, WE DIDN'T HAVE THE EXTENSIVE PRICE FOR SENDING HOME THAT COLOR MAGAZINE. IT WASN'T ALSO STAFF TIME. BUT WE FOUND A MORE EFFECTIVE WAY AND A CHEAPER WAY. TO COMMUNICATE. AND SO WE'RE HAPPY TO REVIEW THAT AND KIND OF DO A LITTLE BIT OF AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR THE BOARD, JUST TO EVALUATE. HERE ALL OF OUR COMMUNICATION TOOLS, HERE'S OUR VIEWERSHIP, HERE WHAT WE THINK IS WORKING, AND MAYBE WHAT'S NOT WORKING SO WELL. I APPRECIATE THAT. I THINK WE WANT, LIKE, GOOD RETURN ON INVESTMENT. AND I THINK NEW STUDENTS IS CERTAINLY A GREAT WAY TO DO THAT. BUT I ALSO THINK, LIKE, HOW MANY ARE ACCESSING? AND THE ANALYTICAL TOOLS THAT A COMPANY WOULD HAVE WOULD REALLY BE ABLE TO SAY, IS OUR GEOFENCING WORKING? IS THERE OTHER THINGS? LIKE, HOW IS IT HAPPENING? IS IT TARGETING SPECIFIC AREAS AND AREAS THAT WE WANT? SO I THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION INFORMATION. THAT WAS FANTASTIC. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MS. TIMMY. OTHER BOARD MEMBERS, COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? OKAY.

YES, MR. EGAN. I JUST WANT

[02:15:01]

BUT HERE'S A COUPLE THINGS. WE NEED TO START THINKING ABOUT THE INVESTMENTS NOW, BECAUSE SOME OF THE GROUNDWORK, BECAUSE GUESS WHAT? IN A COUPLE YEARS, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT SIX NEW MIDDLE SCHOOLS, SO WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING A TRANSFORMATION.

WELL, PART OF THAT. IS ALSO GOING TO GIVE US SOME ABILITIES TO REIMAGINE SOME NEW, INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS. OKAY, WELL, THESE PROGRAMS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW, IF WE SEQUENCE THE TIMING ON THAT, SOME OF THIS STUFF IS GOING TO TAKE A YEAR OR SO TO EVEN JUST GET IMPLEMENTED.

SO AS YOU BEGIN TO IMPLEMENT, THE TIMING OF THAT IS THAT. WE NEED TO START THINKING ABOUT THESE INVESTMENTS NOW, MUCH LIKE WE'VE SEEN THIS BOARD HAS DONE BEFORE. WE MADE THE INVESTMENT EARLIER, KNOWING THAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE A COUPLE OF YEARS TO SEE THE EFFECTS OF THAT.

BUT IF WE TIME IT RIGHT WITH NEW, INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS, WE'VE LEARNED IN THE FOUNDATION OF THESE THINGS, THEN WE'LL START TO SEE THE BENEFITS. AND REALLY, IT'S REALLY JUST MAKING PEOPLE AWARE OF THE OPTIONS THAT YOU DO.

HAVE SOME GREAT PROGRAMS, A GREAT CULTURE, A GREAT SCHOOL SYSTEM IN RISD. AND SO, YES, IT IS AN INVESTMENT, AND PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GO, WELL, WHY ARE YOU SPENDING MONEY ON THIS? WELL, IT'S BECAUSE IT'S REALLY AN AWARENESS CAMPAIGN THAT NOT ONLY INTERNALLY, BUT ALSO EXTERNALLY, THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO OFFER AS WE START TO UNVEIL NEW PROGRAMS, AS PARENTS ARE EVALUATING THEIR OPTIONS, THEY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT AT LEAST THEY ARE AWARE OF WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER. AND THIS WOULDN'T BE, AND I HAVE FULL FAITH IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS.

WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN GROUNDBREAKING, AND AGAIN, KUDOS TO OUR SUPERINTENDENT AND OUR STAFF, BECAUSE I KNOW SNEAK PEEK OF THE IDEAS AND THOUGHTS, AND THE NEXT GENERATION OF IDEAS TO HELP OUR KIDS. WE GOT TO JUST BASICALLY PUT THE INVESTMENT AND THE FRAMEWORK IN PLACE TO DO THAT. AND SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. I THINK IT'S TIME THAT WE PROBABLY NEED TO LOOK AT THIS A LITTLE BIT CLOSER.

IT'S A NEW WORLD ORDER, AND WE JUST KIND OF HAVE TO ADJUST AS THE WORLD'S CHANGING ON US. YES. ALL RIGHT, MS. HARRIS. SO I WAS JUST KIND OF SITTING HERE, JUST TRYING TO THINK ABOUT, I HAD SO MANY THINGS JUST GOING ON IN MY BRAIN. AS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS, AND I WAS TRYING TO DECIDE WHAT I ACTUALLY WANTED TO SAY. I LOVE MARKETING. I LOVE ALL THE FUN STUFF. I LOVE THE ENERGY. I LOVE... THE REBRANDING, BASICALLY. AND THAT'S HOW I FEEL ABOUT ALL OF THIS. I LOVE IT BECAUSE AS I DRIVE THROUGH THE CITY OF RICHARDSON AND I SEE CORE, CITY OF RICHARDSON, MAKING THEIR ALTERATIONS, THEIR CHANGES, DOWNTOWN IS GETTING A FACELIFT, SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE WE'RE KIND OF BEHIND. I KNOW WE'RE DOING ALL THE GREAT THINGS WITHIN THE WALLS. I KNOW ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON IN OUR SCHOOLS, BUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT, TO LET PEOPLE KNOW REALLY WHAT'S GOING ON. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I GET REALLY JEALOUS ABOUT, AND I HEARD SOMEBODY JUST SAY IT A SECOND AGO, MY MOM, SHE LIVES IN HAMILTON PARK, SO IT MEANS SHE'S IN DALLAS. SO WE DON'T GET ALL THAT FUN STUFF BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ANY KIDS IN THE DISTRICT EITHER. SO WHEN I GO TO ONE OF MY FRIEND'S HOMES WHO LIVES IN RICHARDSON, AND HE'S GOT ALL THIS STUFF ON HIS TABLE, THAT'S ADVERTISING ALL THE COOL STUFF THAT'S GOING ON, I'M LIKE, HEY, WHY DON'T I HAVE THIS? YOU KNOW, AND SO I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, IN MY COMMUNITY. FOR THE SENIOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T GET ALL OF THAT STUFF AND SEE AND HEAR WHAT'S GOING ON, YOU KNOW, IN OUR GREAT DISTRICT. AND I THINK ABOUT THAT ALL THE TIME WHEN I SEE THIS STUFF, YOU KNOW, AT HIS HOUSE. I'M LIKE, HEY, WHERE'D YOU GET THIS FROM, DUDE, YOU KNOW? SO I THINK THAT IS A HUGE AREA THAT WE CAN DEFINITELY IMPROVE ON. I LOVE THE MARKETING. I LOVE IT. I'M ALL IN. YEAH, AGAIN, I HAD SO MANY THINGS GOING ON IN MY HEAD THAT I WAS TRYING TO PICK AND CHOOSE WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO SAY. BUT I THINK IT'S GREAT. I THINK IT'S TIME FOR US TO REBRAND OURSELVES. I THINK IT'S TIME FOR US TO PUT RICHARDSON BACK ON THE MAP.

THANK YOU, MS. HARRIS. YES, MS. ANDREA. I TOTALLY AGREE

[02:20:03]

NOW, WE WON'T BE ABLE TO DO THAT BY 2027. IF WE COULD, YOU KNOW, TO THE POINT, IF IT'S 75 STUDENTS FOR A RETURN ON AN INITIAL INVESTMENT, IF WE COULD DOUBLE, TRIPLE THAT IN YOUR ONE. AND GROW THAT TO 500 STUDENTS IN YEAR TWO AND INCREMENTALLY.

SO OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT THREE TO FIVE YEARS, WE COULD CHIP AWAY AT THAT.

TO ME, IN MY HEAD, AND A LOT OF THIS IS PERSONAL. RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO GO GET THOSE 2,000 STUDENTS THAT WE HAVE LOST SINCE THE PANDEMIC. AND MAKING SURE THAT ANYONE NEW TO RISD. I GOT A VOICEMAIL.

THIS AFTERNOON, THAT ENDED UP IN MY OFFICE FROM A PROSPECTIVE FAMILY.

THEY'RE PURCHASING A HOME IN THE PIERCE LEARNING COMMUNITY, AND THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE ZONED AND CAN GO TO PIERCE HIGH SCHOOL. WELL, YES, YOU ARE, AND YES, YOU CAN, AND GO BUY THAT HOUSE, RIGHT? WE WANT THOSE PHONE CALLS. AND SO WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THROUGH THIS AWARENESS AND THIS INVESTMENT IN, YOU KNOW, I THINK, YOU KNOW, MAYBE NOT, I THINK. RISD HAS ALWAYS BEEN ON THE MAP, BUT JUST MAKING SURE THAT OUR PLACE ON THE MAP IS LARGER AND EVERYBODY SEES IT, RIGHT? SO I DEFINITELY THINK, YOU KNOW, A YEAR ONE, IF WE COULD DO 250, 300 STUDENTS AND THEN INCREMENTALLY GROW THAT OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT THREE TO FIVE YEARS, AN END GOAL BEING GETTING US CLOSE TO THAT 2,000 STUDENT MARKER.

KNOWING WHAT SOME OF OUR PEER DISTRICTS HAVE DONE, BUT THEN ALSO KNOWING WE'RE GOING TO HAVE LOTS OF GREAT NEW OPPORTUNITIES COMING IN A COUPLE YEARS. I WAS JUST GOING TO MENTION THAT, TOO. I'M THINKING, I TOTALLY AGREE, DR.

HELLER, AND I THINK THAT THAT'S AWESOME. I JUST WONDERED IF THERE WAS ALREADY KIND OF AN IDEA OF A NUMBER.

BUT I THINK THAT TO MR. EAGER'S POINT ABOUT WITH THE JUNIOR HIGHS, EVERYTHING THAT'S COMING WITH THAT, MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND THEN THE CTE. WHEN WE PASS THE BOND, I MEAN, THERE'S SO MANY EXCITING THINGS. SO I CAN ABSOLUTELY SEE HOW IT WOULD GROW IN INCREMENTS.

BUT I THINK IT'S ALSO, I AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUES, GREAT PRESENTATION. I THINK IT'S TIME. I THINK WE NEED TO STAY, AS EVERYONE HAS SAID, YOU KNOW, WITH THE TIMES AND STAY COMPETITIVE. AND I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. RENTERIA.

YES, MS. PACHECO. GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT PRESENTATION. I REALLY LOVE THE VISION AND HOW DETAILED YOU GUYS HAVE BROKEN IT OUT FOR US, HELPING OUR COMMUNITY UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT THIS IS. AND WHAT WE DO INTERNALLY FOR OUR DISTRICT, I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT IS A NUMBER, RIGHT? IT'S A PRETTY BIG NUMBER. AND, YOU KNOW, WE DID TALK ABOUT LIMITED FUNDS.

BUT AS ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID, IT IS AN INVESTMENT. AND WE HAVE TO BE WATCHING HOW DO WE PREPARE AND LAY A GOOD FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE, RIGHT? WE CAN'T GET KIDS FOR PRE-K AFTER THE LAUNCHING OF OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS, IF NOBODY KNOWS THAT, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE. SPACES, RIGHT? AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET ADDITIONAL MIDDLE SCHOOLERS, AND NOBODY KNOWS THAT. WE'RE LAUNCHING MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND THEY'RE NEW AND GREAT, AND WE'RE OFFERING THESE WONDERFUL PROGRAMS. THAT TAKES TIME. I REALLY LIKE THAT SLIDE THAT YOU GUYS PUT OUT THERE ON NUMBER SIX, WHERE YOU PUT THE QUOTES RIGHT.

IF YOU DON'T GIVE THE COMMUNITY THE STORY AND YOU KNOW OTHER PEOPLE, THEY'RE GONNA. THEY'LL DEFINE IT, RIGHT, AND IT'S UP TO US TO DEFINE THE STORY AND TALK ABOUT IT. AND WITH THAT, I THINK IT'S ALSO SO CRITICAL AND CRUCIAL, RIGHT, BECAUSE IT IS THE RICHARDSON ISD BRAND. IT IS THE RICHARDSON ISD VISION, AND WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT IS PROTECTED.

SO THAT OUR COMMUNITY, WHEN THEY SEE IT, THEY KNOW IT CAME FROM US. IT CAME FROM OUR DISTRICT. IT CAME FROM OUR TEAMS, AND IT'S NOT SOME EXTERNAL, YOU KNOW, SOURCE OR SOMEONE TRYING TO, SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, LIKE A DIFFERENT DISTRICT, RIGHT, MAYBE BAD-MOUTHING OR SAYING, OH, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT SO GREAT AND UTILIZING THAT, RIGHT? WE WANT TO MAKE

[02:25:01]

OKAY, AND THAT'S WHAT WE DID ON OUR OWN. WORD OF MOUTH.

WORD OF MOUTH. OUR EXISTING CHANNELS.

WITH EXISTING CHANNELS. IT WASN'T LIKE UTILIZING A BRANDING COMPANY OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. WE BROUGHT THAT NUMBER OF STUDENTS, AND I REALLY LOVE WHAT I SEE. I MEAN, 75 STUDENTS FOR THIS INVESTMENT, AND WE DID THIS 200 STUDENT PLUS WITH A WORD OF MOUTH. I MEAN, SO THERE'S GREAT CAPACITY.

THERE IS GREAT POTENTIAL.

AND, AGAIN, THANK YOU. I REALLY THINK THAT THE OPPORTUNITY THAT WE HAVE IS TO COMMUNICATE THE GREATNESS THAT EXISTS AND THE VISION THAT WE HAVE FOR THE FUTURE. I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TO ONE OF OUR FAITH-BASED PARTNERS, AND THERE WERE 60 COMMUNITY MEMBERS, MANY OF WHICH ARE GENERATIONAL RISD, HAVE YOUNG KIDS IN THE FAMILY, SOME THAT ARE NEW TO THE COMMUNITY. AND WHEN I SHARED SOMETHING SIMPLE ABOUT OUR VISION THAT WE HAVE TO TO CREATE EXPERIENCES, ALL OF OUR STUDENTS GOING TO BE LIKE ME, ALL OF OUR FIFTH GRADERS. GETTING AN OPPORTUNITY NEXT YEAR TO GO THROUGH BIZTOWN, ENTERPRISE CITY 2.0. Y'ALL, THEY, LIKE, STOOD UP AND CLAPPED. AND SO SOMETIMES I THINK WE PUT A PRESSURE ON THAT. WE THINK EVERY COMMUNITY MEMBER IS LOOKING FOR JUST THIS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT MODEL OF ALL THE THINGS. AND I THINK THERE ARE SOME FAMILIES THAT WANT THAT, AND WE DO NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING THOSE ALTERNATIVE MODELS THAT WE KNOW MEET THE NEEDS OF FAMILIES. BUT A LOT OF OUR COMMUNITY DOES WANT JUST A REALLY STRONG NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL. A LOT OF OUR COMMUNITY WANTS JUST EXPERIENCES THAT THEY KNOW THAT THEIR KIDS, WE CALL THEM STICKY, THAT OUR KIDS ARE GOING TO REMEMBER. WALK OUT THE DOORS, YES, THEY'RE GOING TO REMEMBER THEIR WRITING AND THEIR READING AND THEIR ARITHMETIC. THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT WE'RE OBLIGATED TO.

BUT ON TOP OF IT, THEY'RE GOING TO REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO SIT IN TO BE LIKE ME. OR TO GO TO BIZTOWN OR TO HAVE ENTERPRISE CITY. AND WHEN THEY'RE TELLING THEIR KIDS ABOUT THEIR HIGH SCHOOL CAREER OR THEIR ELEMENTARY CAREER, IT'S GOING TO BE THOSE TEACHERS, THOSE RELATIONSHIPS, AND THOSE EXPERIENCES THAT THEY REMEMBER.

AND WE'VE INVESTED A LOT. AS A TEAM, AS A CENTRAL TEAM, AS A COMMUNITY, TO BRING THOSE THINGS BACK AND TO AMPLIFY THOSE, AND NOW WE JUST NEED TO SHARE THAT. AND WE NEED TO CREATE AN AVENUE AND A PATHWAY TO GET THAT INFORMATION, MAYBE OUT TO FAMILIES WHO LEFT AT A TIME WHEN THOSE THINGS WEREN'T IN PLACE, BUT NOW THAT THEY KNOW, LIKE, HEY, WAIT A MINUTE, THIS IS WHAT RST IS ALL ABOUT, THAT THEY MIGHT CONSIDER, HEY, WAIT A MINUTE, YOU KNOW WHAT, OUR KIDS DO NEED TO BE THERE.

BUT FIRST AND FOREMOST, TO WHAT TRUSTEE TIMMY SAID, WE HAVE TO HAVE STRONG OUTCOMES FOR KIDS. BECAUSE WITHOUT THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALL LIKE SHINY THINGS UNTIL YOU HAVE STRONG ACADEMIC OUTCOMES. AND THEN YOU HAVE TO HAVE, WE HAVE TO WORK EVERY DAY TO EARN AND MAINTAIN THE TRUST OF OUR PARENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY. THAT WE ARE MAKING THE BEST DECISIONS, WE'RE DOING THE RIGHT WORK EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR THEIR KIDS. AND THAT WE DO NOTHING BUT LOVE THEIR KIDS.

SO THAT IS WORK THAT WE ARE ALWAYS WORKING ON, YOU KNOW, JUST HOW DO WE HELP AMPLIFY THAT MESSAGE. AND I THINK THESE ARE SOME OF THE TOOLS THAT WE NEED TO DO THAT, THAT IN-HOUSE CURRENTLY WE JUST DON'T HAVE.

YES, LET'S GO THIS WAY. IF I MAY, I KNOW, I ALREADY SAID, BUT JUST TO KIND OF PIGGYBACK ON WHAT MS. BRANHAM SAID. YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S AWESOME WHAT YOU JUST SAID, MS. BRANHAM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, ALSO, ONE OF THE THINGS I RECENTLY GOT TO DO WAS TO ATTEND THE ARAPAHO CLASSICAL MAGNET MUSICAL. AND IT WAS THE ABSOLUTE. BEST. IT WAS AMAZING.

DR. GIBBONS WAS THERE WITH ME. AND I MENTIONED THIS BECAUSE TO SEE THE CALIBER AND TO SEE THE WORK THAT WENT INTO THIS ON THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL, RIGHT, ELEMENTARY LEVEL. AND A LOT OF TIMES WE THINK OF THEATER, ARTS AND ALL OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, GREAT EXTRACURRICULARS WHERE OUR KIDS JUST EXCEL.

BUT THEY'RE ON THE HIGH SCHOOL, THEY'RE IN THE SECONDARY, JUNIOR HIGH, HIGH SCHOOL. AND TO SEE THIS IMPLEMENTED IN THE ELEMENTARY, I THINK LIKE, AS A PARENT, LIKE MY HUSBAND, WENT WITH ME. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT HE ALSO HAS SEEN THE ARTS THROUGH OUR KIDS, THROUGH MY OWN TWO KIDS.

BUT HE WAS JUST BLOWN AWAY. HE WAS BLOWN AWAY. AND HE WAS JUST LIKE, OH, MY GOSH. HE SAYS, CAN YOU IMAGINE, YOU KNOW, WHEN PALOMA WAS HERE, WHEN DIEGO WAS HERE? THOSE ARE MY SON AND DAUGHTER BECAUSE THEY WENT TO ARAPAHOE. CLASSICAL MAGNET ALSO.

BUT HE WAS SAYING, OH, MY GOSH,

[02:30:01]

BUT THAT WAS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF JUST HOW AMAZING AND TO SEE THAT JUST KIND OF COME TO FRUITION. AND, AGAIN, IT WAS, AND I'M TALKING ABOUT NOT JUST THE SINGING, THE DANCING, THE CHOREOGRAPHY, THE ACTING. IT WAS THE CREW.

TO SEE ALL OF THESE FIFTH GRADERS, FOURTH GRADERS, RIGHT, THAT WERE THERE, AND THEY WERE RUNNING IT, THE LIGHTS. THEY WERE RUNNING THE BACKSTAGE, AND THEY WERE ON IT. I MEAN, RIGHT, THEY WERE VERY MUCH ABOUT EVERYTHING. SO I WAS VERY IMPRESSED, AND YOU CAN TELL THAT THE TEACHING THERE, THE TEACHERS, THE COMMITMENT TO REALLY INSTILL THAT FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE. AND THAT'S SOMETHING TO REALLY TALK ABOUT AND FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT. THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF RISD. THANK YOU, MS. RENTERIA. OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? YES, MS. HARRIS.

JUST REAL QUICK, JUST FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE JUST UPSTAIRS, WE WANT TO GO BACK TO MEMORIES LIKE PANCHO AND OLIVA JETER.

RAISE THE FLAG OH, OKAY. GOOD JOB, MS. HARRIS. NOW, MS. MCGOWAN HAS SOMETHING TO SAY BECAUSE OF THAT. WELL, SINCE YOU WANT TO PULL THAT CARD, I'M JUST GOING TO ADD, YOU KNOW, BACK IN THE DAY, WE WERE THAT COUTURE BOUTIQUE DISTRICT, RIGHT? DISD, THE BIG SHINY OBJECT IN DALLAS, RIGHT? AND WE WERE JUST KIND OF A. QUIET, AMAZING DISTRICT. EVERYONE WANTED TO BE HERE, BUT IT WAS VERY QUIET. IT WAS A SUBTLE, VERY DISTRICT. IT'S NOT ALL THIS MARKETING, ALL THE FANCY THINGS. ANYWAY, I SAY ALL THAT TO SAY, DON'T FORGET ABOUT WHERE YOU'VE COME FROM, RIGHT? DON'T FORGET THE ROOTS OF THE DISTRICT, THAT WE ARE A NICHE, WE ARE SPECIAL, AND WE DO SOMETHING VERY SPECIALIZED HERE IN THIS DISTRICT. IT IS THE PRIVATE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF DALLAS, RIGHT? AND I THINK THERE'S A STORY TO TELL THERE TO THE DALLAS RESIDENTS. I AGREE. THAT THEY WILL NOT FORGET. THEY HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN. MAYBE THINGS HAVE CHANGED A BIT, BUT I THINK WE CAN BRING THAT STORY, THAT NARRATIVE BACK, AND PUT AN EXTRA LITTLE SPIN ON IT FOR THE TEXT, RIGHT? THANKS. OKAY. GREAT COMMENTS.

GREAT COMMENTS. A COUPLE OF QUICK THINGS. YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT THE ENROLLMENT, INCREASED ENROLLMENT EQUALS INCREASED REVENUE, WHICH WE NEED TO PROVIDE OUTCOMES TO THE KIDS WE HAVE. THE LEDGER HAS TWO SIDES, AND JUST FOR ANYBODY LISTENING, WE'RE ACTIVELY. WORKING ON THE OTHER SIDE AS WELL, AND THAT'S. WE'RE TRYING TO RIGHT-SIZE A BUDGET THAT INCLUDES INCREASING THE REVENUE SIDE, BUT ALSO LOOKING AT HOW WE SPEND THE REVENUE THAT WE COLLECT. SO WE'RE ACTIVELY, AND I THINK THAT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD SEGUE INTO THE NEXT PRESENTATION ON BUDGET, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING JUST TO REMEMBER THAT WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON INCREASING STUDENTS AND GIVING THEM OPPORTUNITIES RIGHT NOW, BUT WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE OTHER AT A FUTURE DATE AS WELL.

FOR THOSE THAT DON'T LIVE ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE DISTRICT, LIKE RACHEL AND I AND SOME OTHERS DO, THERE'S DISD BANNERS ON OUR STREETLIGHTS. RIGHT BY MERRIMAN PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WITHIN RISD. SO OUR SURROUNDING DISTRICTS ARE MARKETING IN OUR DISTRICT, AND THEY'VE BEEN DOING THAT FOREVER. GARLAND'S BEEN DOING IT. YOU DRIVE DOWN 75 IN RICHARDSON, AND YOU SEE BILLBOARDS FOR OPEN.

FOR ENROLLMENT IN DISD. SO THIS ISN'T A NEW GAME. THIS IS A GAME WE JUST HAVEN'T DECIDED NOR HAD TO JUMP INTO YET. SO IT'S TIME. THE GAME CHANGED, AND NOW IT'S TIME FOR US TO PLAY THE GAME. AND THAT'S SOMEWHAT UNFORTUNATE, BUT THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT.

THAT'S THE REALITY THAT WE'VE GOT TO DEAL WITH. AND I WOULD RECOMMEND, I'M NOT SURE WHERE THIS GOES GOING FORWARD WITH, I KNOW WE MENTIONED ALL THE CART, ALL OR NONE, ALL THIS STUFF. BUT I'D RECOMMEND IF WE DO BREAK IT UP AND YOU'RE LOOKING FOR KIND OF SOME FEEDBACK FROM THE BOARD, KIND OF BREAK IT UP INTO SOME TWO OR THREE OR FOUR RECOMMENDATIONS, KIND OF LIKE WE DO ON THE COMPENSATION SIDE AS WELL.

BECAUSE IF YOU LEAVE IT TO US TO TRY AND PEEL THIS THING APART AND GIVE YOU RECOMMENDATIONS, IT COULD BE A MESS. SO JUST SOMETHING AS WE GO FORWARD WITH THIS AND HAVE DISCUSSIONS.

SO GREAT DISCUSSION. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION, BOTH

[IV.E. 2026-2027 Budget Discussion]

AND I'M SURE WE WILL HEAR A LOT MORE SOON ON THAT. SO THANK YOU. A LOT OF SUPPORT. OKAY, THAT TAKES US TO OUR NEXT ITEM, ANOTHER INFORMATION ITEM ON THE 26-27 BUDGET. MS.

[02:35:01]

REALLY, TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION IS MORE JUST PROVIDING AN UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE WITH FUND BALANCE. AS WE KNOW, YOU KNOW. YOU ALL SEE WHAT YOU'RE PAYING AT THE GAS TANKS RIGHT NOW, LIKE WHEN YOU GO TO FUEL UP.

SO WE KNOW AND WE ANTICIPATE WHERE WE MIGHT SEE SOME INCREASE IN EXPENDITURES THAT ARE OUT OF OUR CONTROL. ALSO, WE KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, IF THERE ARE CERTAIN PROGRAMS THAT WE KNOW WE HAVE TO EXPAND, WHAT THOSE POTENTIAL COSTS WOULD BE AS WELL. SO WE WANTED TO PROVIDE THE BOARD WITH SOME INSIGHT IN WHAT THAT LINE ITEM IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE. THEN WE ARE ALSO, AND IT'S VERY EARLY, BUT WE ALSO WANTED TO BRING SOME COMPENSATION MODELS. YOU KNOW, IT'S ALWAYS OUR DREAM THAT OUR TEACHERS, BEFORE THEY'RE SIGNING THEIR CONTRACTS, WOULD KNOW WHAT THEIR COMPENSATION WOULD LOOK LIKE FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR, BUT SOMETIMES THAT TIMING DOES NOT ALWAYS ALIGN. BUT WE WANTED TO AT LEAST BRING SOME MODELS TO GET YOUR FEEDBACK. AGAIN, WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE THE ANSWERS. WE'RE NOT LOOKING EVEN FOR DIRECTIONAL APPROVAL TONIGHT. WE ARE SIMPLY LOOKING AT HERE ARE THE MODELS.

REMEMBER, THIS IS WHAT IT COSTS TO GIVE A RAISE, AND SO KEEP THAT IN MIND. THE TIMING OF THIS THEN WOULD BE LIKE, OKAY, HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW.

COULD BE SOME INCREASES IN COST. HERE'S BOARD, IF YOU WANT TO GIVE ANY KIND OF COMPENSATION INCREASE, THIS IS WHAT IT WILL ADD TO OUR EXPENDITURE LINE. AND THEN, IN THE FIRST APRIL MEETING, I WILL BE BRINGING FORWARD OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REDUCING THOSE EXPENDITURES, ANYWHERE BETWEEN $20 AND $24 MILLION. IT COULD BE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER DEPENDING UPON WORK THAT WE DO IN THESE NEXT TWO WEEKS. OUR TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING REALLY ALL YEAR ON IDENTIFYING WHERE CAN WE CONTINUE TO RIGHT-SIZE OUR BUDGET. SO OUR GOAL IS TO BRING $20 TO $24, IF NOT A LITTLE BIT MORE.

AND SO WE'RE HOPING THAT THAT KIND OF HELPS YOU AND OUR COMMUNITY WALK THROUGH THE ADOPTION OF THIS BUDGET, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN NORMAL, JUST BECAUSE OF WHERE WE ARE FINANCIALLY.

SO, AGAIN, TONIGHT'S ABOUT HERE'S WHERE WE THINK WE'RE GOING TO LAND WITH COST INCREASES. BOARD, GIVE US SOME FEEDBACK SO WE KNOW. DO WE NEED TO GO BACK AND FIND EVEN MORE COST SAVINGS BECAUSE YOU WANT TO FOLLOW A CERTAIN COMPENSATION MODEL, ET CETERA. SO. I WILL TURN IT OVER TO OUR AMAZING FINANCIAL SERVICES TEAM TO LAUNCH US INTO OUR PRESENTATION. OKAY, WELL, GOOD EVENING. WE DO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BRING FORTH THIS BEFORE WE PREPARE FOR OUR JUNE BUDGET ADOPTION. OUR NORTH STAR GOAL GUIDES EVERYTHING HERE, AND THIS DOES INCLUDE OUR BUDGET AS WELL. YOU DO SEE IN FRONT OF YOU, MS. BRANHAM HAS EXPLAINED EVERYTHING YOU'RE ABOUT TO HEAR TONIGHT, SO WE WILL JUMP RIGHT INTO IT. AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND FUND BALANCE. FUND BALANCE CAN BE A CONFUSING TERM, AND AS MANY DISTRICTS FIND THEMSELVES IN THE SAME FINANCIAL POSITION, WE ARE. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GONE BACK THROUGH THAT TERM.

IN THE MOST SIMPLEST OF ACCOUNTING TERMS, YOU'LL FIND THAT IT'S JUST OUR ASSETS MINUS OUR LIABILITIES.

BUT DEPENDING ON THE DATA THAT'S CALCULATED, THAT NUMBER CAN CHANGE, AND THAT'S EVERY DAY. AS OUR DISTRICT LOOKS AT IT, WE'LL LOOK AT IT AS OF JUNE 30TH. THAT IS OUR FISCAL YEAR END. WE, OF COURSE, WANT TO HAVE A STRONG FUND BALANCE JUST FOR HEALTHY FINANCIAL OPERATIONS, BUT WE ALSO LOOK AT IT IN TERMS OF BORROWING NEEDS. IT HELPS US NOT HAVE TO DO ADDITIONAL BORROWING.

AND THEN IT ALSO HELPS OUR CREDIT RATING. WE WANT TO HAVE THE STRONGEST CREDIT RATING, ESPECIALLY WITH THE NEW BOND PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE. WE'LL ALSO COVER WHAT IT'S NOT.

SOMETIMES IT CAN BE CONFUSED FOR JUST A SAVINGS ACCOUNT, WHICH IT'S DEFINITELY NOT, JUST A CASH ACCOUNT. ALSO NOT A RAINY DAY FUND OR JUST ANY EXCESS TAXES. WE KNOW OUR TAX RATE IS SET INDEPENDENTLY AND WITH YOUR APPROVAL. FUND BALANCE, ALTHOUGH PRESENTED TO YOU AS ONE NUMBER, IT DOES HAVE FIVE COMPONENTS.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THAT AS WELL. THE MOST RESTRICTIVE WOULD JUST BE NON-SPENDABLE ITEMS. THAT'S GOING TO BE OUR INVENTORY. WE HAVE RESTRICTED FUNDS THAT WILL HAVE A FEDERAL OR STATE RESTRICTION, OR THAT ALSO INCLUDES OUR BOND FUNDS.

COMMITTED FUNDS ARE ONES THAT COME BEFORE YOU. TYPICALLY, YOU SEE THOSE IN JUNE, AND THE BOARD WOULD COMMIT ANYTHING.

AND THEN ASSIGNED FUNDS WOULD BE ONES THAT THE ADMINISTRATION, SPECIFICALLY MR. PATE AND MS. BRANHAM, HAS THE ABILITY TO ASSIGN. AND THEN THE UNASSIGNED ONES ARE THE ONES THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR ANY LEGAL PURPOSE WE HAVE.

HOW MUCH DO WE NEED? THERE'S NOT EXACTLY A BLACK AND WHITE ANSWER ON THAT. WE DO HAVE BOARD POLICY CE LOCAL, WHICH DOES STATE THAT WE WILL MAINTAIN AN ADEQUATE FUND BALANCE FOR SOUND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, FISCAL MANAGEMENT. AND THE TEA LOOKS AT IT IN TWO TERMS. THEY'LL LOOK AT IT, THEY EVALUATE US ON FUND BALANCE THROUGH OUR SCHOOL FIRST RATING, WHICH YOU HEAR IN THE FALL.

THERE ARE TWO INDICATORS

[02:40:02]

WE KNOW WITH EXPENDITURES THAT THOSE ARE PLANNED. THOSE ARE IN OUR DISTRICT ALMOST 90 PERCENT OF OUR SALARIES. THOSE ARE VERY EASY TO FIGURE OUT, BUT WHAT IS NOT, AS WE'VE JUST TALKED ABOUT, IS THE REVENUE. AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE UNDERSTAND FUND BALANCE CAN HELP US AT THAT TIME, ESPECIALLY AT YEAR END. WE ARE PRE OUR TAX COLLECTIONS. WE'RE ALSO PRE OUR FIRST STATE AID PAYMENT FROM TEA. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE MONEY TO COVER THOSE PAYROLLS THAT OCCUR BEFORE OUR FIRST PAYMENT COMES IN, AND BEFORE THOSE HEAVY PROPERTY TAX COLLECTIONS COME IN. STARTING IN DECEMBER. AND HERE IT IS, THAT FUND BALANCE WE TALKED ABOUT, BROKEN OUT INTO CATEGORIES. THIS IS JUST THE GENERAL FUND FUND BALANCE, SO THERE ARE NO OTHER FUNDS COMBINED WITHIN HERE. YOU WILL SEE THE THREE CATEGORIES YOU'LL FIND. GENERAL FUND TYPICALLY IS OUR NON-SPENDABLE, OUR ASSIGNED, AND OUR UNASSIGNED.

OUR TOTAL BALANCE, THIS IS FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS, IN ADDITION TO THE ADOPTED BUDGET FOR THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, AND THEN LOOKING AT IT AS A PERCENT OF OUR EXPENDITURES. I'LL GIVE YOU A MINUTE TO LOOK AT THAT. WE ALSO HAVE A TABLE THAT WILL FOLLOW THIS UP THAT MIGHT MAKE IT A BIT MORE CLEAR WITH ALL THESE NUMBERS. MS. DAVENPORT OR MR. PATE, WE KNOW, AND AGAIN, PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND BOARDS HAVE SET ASIDE THE PERMANENT SCHOOL FUND, AND REALLY, ALMOST FOR MOMENTS LIKE, WHAT WE'RE FACING RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF. IT WAS KIND OF REFERRED TO AS THE RAINY DAY. WHEN FUNDING, OR WHEN THERE WAS A CRISIS IN THE DISTRICT, THAT THEY SET ASIDE THOSE FUNDS. AND I KNOW WE HAVE... CONTINUE TO SET ASIDE THOSE FUNDS, CONTINUE TO ALLOW THEM TO EARN INTEREST. SO CAN YOU PROVIDE A QUICK UPDATE FOR THE BOARD ON WHERE WE ARE WITH THAT PERMANENT SCHOOL FUND? YES, MA'AM. AND YOU'RE CORRECT, YES. GOSH, THE LOCAL PERMANENT SCHOOL FUND EXISTED BEFORE I ARRIVED IN THIS DISTRICT NINE YEARS AGO. THE FORESIGHT OF... BOARDS AND ADMINISTRATIONS PREDATING. ALL OF US CREATED THIS, AND WE CURRENTLY HAVE $27.2 MILLION SITTING IN THE LOCAL PERMANENT SCHOOL FUND, AND THAT IS ONE OF THE FUNDS THAT YOU ACTUALLY COMMIT EVERY YEAR IN JUNE.

IT'S NOT REFLECTED IN ANY OF THESE NUMBERS THAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN. IT IS REFLECTED IN A... LOCAL SPECIAL REVENUE FUND, SO IT IS NOT PART OF THESE NUMBERS. BUT AT THE BOARD'S DIRECTION, WE COULD ACCESS THOSE FUNDS TO HELP ACHIEVE THAT SOFT LANDING THAT WE ALL WANT TO ACHIEVE.

AND PROVIDE THAT STABILITY.

AND NOT HAVE TO DO AS DRASTIC OF THINGS AS SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORING SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE DOING. I HOPE I ADDRESSED.

ALL THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR.

AGAIN, THIS IS JUST A TABLE OF THAT FUND BALANCE, EXCLUDING THAT NUMBER THAT MR. PATE JUST MENTIONED. AND THEN THIS IS HOW WE GET TO THE FUND BALANCE. WE KNOW THAT FUND BALANCE WAS JUST THOSE ASSETS MINUS LIABILITIES, BUT TO ACTUALLY CHANGE THE FUNDS BALANCE. EVERY YEAR, WE LOOK AT OUR REVENUES, WE TAKE OUT OUR EXPENDITURES, AND WE ADD IN OUR OTHER SOURCES. AND SO THAT'S HOW THE BUDGET'S PRESENTED TO YOU, AND THAT'S HOW THE ACTUALS WILL COME TO YOU. YOU CAN SEE THIS WILL INCLUDE THE LAST FIVE AUDITED FISCAL YEARS. IN ADDITION TO WHAT WE'RE ESTIMATING FOR THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.

SO THAT NET CHANGE, THAT BULL DEADLINE, WILL BE THE ANTICIPATED $27 MILLION. WE'RE GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO THE EXPENSES SIDE NOW. SOME ADDITIONS I'M GOING TO TURN OVER TO MR. PATE. THANK YOU, MS. DAVENPORT. AND JUST BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT PART OF THIS, MS. DAVENPORT AND I HAVE LIVED IN THE WORLD OF GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING FOR SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF YEARS. AND TALKING ABOUT FUND BALANCE AND THE CHANGE IN FUND BALANCE. SO FOR OUR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AND JUST OTHER BUSINESS OWNERS IN THE COMMUNITY, EVEN BIG BUSINESSES, FUND BALANCE WOULD BE SIMILAR TO EQUITY IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR. AND THE CHANGES IN FUND BALANCE IS BASICALLY NET INCOME OR NET LOSS, AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ADDING TO FUND BALANCE, ESSENTIALLY, WE'RE HAVING NET INCOME. IF WE TALK ABOUT DECREASING FUND BALANCE, WE HAVE A NET LOSS KIND OF IN THE EVERYDAY DISCUSSION OF HOW BUSINESSES OPERATE.

BUT GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING, FOR REASONS THAT I CAN'T REALLY EXPLAIN, HAS TAKEN UP A WHOLE DIFFERENT SET OF VOCABULARY.

TO DESCRIBE THINGS THAT THE REST OF THE WORLD DESCRIBES ONE WAY.

IT'S KIND OF LIKE

[02:45:01]

BECAUSE OF WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, WE DID SEE A DECREASE IN THIS YEAR FOR OUR PROPERTY INSURANCE.

AND SO. AT THIS POINT, WE'RE NOT ANTICIPATING AS LARGE AN INCREASE IN OUR INSURANCE AS WE'VE SEEN IN PRIOR YEARS, BUT WE'RE STILL HAVING SOME EXPECTATION THERE.

UIL OFFICIALS AND ENTRY FEES, UIL SETS THE RATE FOR A LOT OF THAT, AND WE REALLY DON'T HAVE A CHOICE IF WE WANT TO PARTICIPATE. AND SO WE'RE ANTICIPATING SOME SMALLER INCREASES THERE, AND I KNOW THAT A LOT OF THESE NUMBERS ARE ON THE SMALLER SIDE, BUT WE'RE JUST TRYING TO PROVIDE FULL TRANSPARENCY OF EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE HAVING TO CONSIDER. AND THEN SOME FINE ART SUPPLIES. AND THEN WE'VE GOT AN ELEMENTARY CAMPUS THAT WE HAVE BEEN TOLD WE NEED TO ADD AN EXTRA CROSSING GUARD AT BY ONE OF OUR CITY PARTNERS. AND SO THIS SLIDE, I KNOW, MS. BRANHAM WANTS TO COVER IT. I WILL JUST LEAD INTO IT A LITTLE BIT. THE COLUMNS ON THE BLUE COLUMNS ARE ALL ENROLLMENT, AND THE YELLOW ARE ALL STAFF FTES. AND WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO MS. BRANHAM. THANK YOU.

AND, AGAIN, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KNOW ON THAT EXPENDITURE SIDE, THOSE ARE PRELIMINARY NUMBERS.

SO, FOR EXAMPLE, AS WE'RE LOOKING.ENROLLMENT, WE MAY NOT ACTUALLY HAVE TO ADD ANY ALLOCATIONS BECAUSE WE MAY BE ABLE TO ADJUST ALLOCATIONS ACROSS THE DISTRICT.

FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE SEE ENROLLMENT IS DOWN IN ONE AREA, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO ABSORB THAT, BUT WE JUST RIGHT NOW PUT IT AS A PLACEHOLDER. SAME THING, WE MAY NOT DECIDE, AND THE BOARD MAY DECIDE. THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE THAT FULL PACKAGE THAT YOU JUST HEARD, AND THAT THERE ARE SOME ELEMENTS OF IT THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE AND OTHERS THAT YOU WON'T. SO WE ARE JUST PUTTING THIS AS A PLACEHOLDER. SO AGAIN, EVERYONE, THANK YOU. I'M KIND OF SEEING THE CUMULATIVE VALUE OF WHAT IS BEING ADDED TO THE BUDGET AS WE THINK ABOUT WHAT REDUCTIONS WE NEED TO MAKE. SO ON THIS NEXT SLIDE, AND REALLY, WE'RE SETTING THIS UP AS YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO RECEIVE IN APRIL. AND AS MS. DAVENPORT MENTIONED, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF DISCRETIONARY BUDGET NOW THAT WE CAN CUT OR THAT WE CAN FIND EFFICIENCIES. IT'S REALLY GOING TO BE IN WHERE WE ARE WITH OUR STAFFING MODELS. AND SO THERE ARE SOME THINGS, FOR EXAMPLE, IN CENTRAL OFFICE THAT WE ARE CONTINUING. WE ARE GOING TO BE BRINGING A LITANY OF CENTRAL OFFICE REDUCTIONS.

WE'RE GOING TO BE RECOMMENDING A STRAIGHT ACROSS DISCRETIONARY FUND BUDGET CUTS FOR CENTRAL OFFICE OF A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE.

BUT THERE IS NO WAY FOR US TO GET TO THAT $24 MILLION SAVINGS MARK NOW WITHOUT IMPACTING STAFFING MODELS. SO I THINK THIS IS JUST AN ILLUSTRATION OF WHERE WE HAVE SEEN A DECREASE IN ENROLLMENT. WE KNOW WE NEED TO BRING THOSE YELLOW BARS DOWN TO BETTER ALIGN WITH WHERE OUR ENROLLMENT IS.

HOWEVER, IT IS ALSO INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THERE ARE SOME STAFFING THAT PRIOR TO COVID WERE NOT IN PLACE, THAT NOW WE ARE REQUIRED TO.

FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD TO ADD 39.

REALLY, IT'S 42, IF YOU ADD OUR CENTRAL OFFICE TEAM, 42 ALLOCATIONS JUST FOR THE SAFETY AND SECURITY REQUIREMENT. THAT IS OUT OF OUR CONTROL. AND, AGAIN, I'M NOT SAYING THAT'S A BAD THING. WE ARE SO GRATEFUL THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE THAT EXTRA LAYER OF SUPPORT. BUT THOSE ARE POSITIONS THAT WE HAD TO ADD, ARE NOT FULLY FUNDED, AND I CANNOT CUT. WE CAN'T BE

[02:50:03]

AND WE HAVE TO, ONE NECESSARILY CAN'T BACKFILL THE OTHER, AND SO THAT IS WHY YOU SEE THAT ALL STAFF FTE THERE. SO, AGAIN, I JUST WANT TO TAKE YOU BACK.

THIS GENERAL FUND MULTIYEAR FORECAST IS...

FROM WHEN YOU ADOPTED THE BUDGET FOR THIS CURRENT YEAR, BACK IN JUNE OF 2025. AND THIS DOESN'T REFLECT, THIS ONE IS, AGAIN, WHEN YOU ADOPTED THE BUDGET, SO IT DOESN'T REFLECT ALL OF THE CHANGES THAT CAME THROUGH THE 89TH LEGISLATURE AND THE SUBSEQUENT SPECIAL CALLED SESSIONS. BUT WHAT I'D LIKE TO JUST REMIND YOU IS, YES, YOU CAN SEE IN THAT 2526 COLUMN, THAT DEFICIT THAT YOU ADOPTED, $28 MILLION. WE'RE EXPECTING CLOSER TO $27 MILLION NOW. BECAUSE ALL THE FUNDING DID WAS, ALL THE LEGISLATION DID REALLY WAS JUST MOVE THINGS AROUND. IT CHANGED THE COLOR OF THE MONEY, IF YOU WILL, THAT WE WERE PAID WITH AND DIDN'T INCREASE THE DOLLARS, REALLY. AND PART OF IT WAS JUST WHAT WAS, THEY INCREASED IT AND THEN WE FLOWED IT THROUGH TO OUR EMPLOYEES WITH THE MANDATED RAISE. I WOULD POINT OUT THERE, KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT 2526 COLUMN, AS PART OF PROJECT RIGHT SIZE, WE SOLD OFF. OUR PROPERTIES ON SHERMAN AND GENERATED $10.5 MILLION TO PUT INTO THE GENERAL FUND FOR THAT YEAR. AND THEN THE RAISES YOU ADOPTED. AND THEN, BELOW THE RAISES YOU ADOPTED, YOU KNOW, WE'VE CONTINUED TO MODEL THE IMPACT OF FUTURE RAISES AND WHAT COULD FUTURE RAISES MEAN TO THE FUND BALANCE. SO I JUST KIND OF WANTED TO TAKE THAT STEP BACK IN TIME FOR A MINUTE AND JUST REMIND EVERYONE. AND WE'LL... WE'LL CERTAINLY BE BRINGING BACK SOMETHING LIKE THIS WITH CURRENT YEAR NUMBERS AS WE BUILD UPON THAT AND WE BRING FORWARD THE REDUCTIONS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. THAT, MS. BRENNA MENTIONED NEXT MONTH. SO THIS IS A VERY PRELIMINARY AND VERY HIGH LEVEL WALK FORWARD, REALLY OF OUR 2026 FISCAL YEAR EXPECTATION TO A FIRST BLUSH OF THE 2027 FISCAL YEAR. WE HAVEN'T REALLY EVER LOOKED AT IT THIS WAY BEFORE. AND SO LOOKING AT THAT REVENUE IN 2026, ESTIMATING ABOUT $402 MILLION. AND AS MS. BRANHAM MENTIONED EARLIER, THE DEMOGRAPHIC PRESENTATION, THEY'RE ESTIMATING ABOUT A LOSS OF 408 KIDS A YEAR OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. SO, TAKING THAT 408 STUDENT REDUCTION AND OUR BASIC ALLOTMENT, THAT YIELDS YOU ABOUT $2.5 MILLION. SO $2.5 MILLION DECREASE IN REVENUE, THAT MILLION DOLLARS OF EXPENDITURE INCREASE FROM THE PREVIOUS SLIDES THAT WE KNOW IS NOT. A DONE DEAL YET, BUT THAT, AGAIN, DOES NOT INCLUDE THE COST OF A RAISE FOR 2627. YOU CAN SEE THE ONE-TIME PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF SHERMAN THERE, SOME SMALL OTHER SOURCES AND USES, PRIMARILY NET USES, AND MOVING THAT FUND BALANCE DEFICIT THAT WE EXPECT FOR THE CURRENT YEAR OF $27 MILLION TO IF WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE. A $41 MILLION DEFICIT THERE. NOW, THIS DOES NOT REFLECT, AGAIN, ANY EXPENDITURE REDUCTIONS THAT MS. BRANDON MENTIONED, THAT $20-24 MILLION THAT WE'LL BE BRINGING FORWARD IN APRIL. WE ARE STILL, THE INK IS STILL DRYING, SADLY, ON THE REVENUE CALCULATIONS FROM TEA. WE'RE TRYING TO GET UPDATES STILL ON, AND WE HAVE HEARD THAT THEY ARE FIXING AN ISSUE WITH THE OVER 65 LEVY.

FREEZE REVENUE.

BUT WE'RE ALSO WAITING FOR SOME DATA FROM DCAD TO TRY TO ESTIMATE FOR NEXT YEAR WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THAT BUSINESS.

PERSONAL PROPERTY EXEMPTION THAT'S INCREASING. AND SO WE'RE HOPEFULLY GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF BOTH OF THOSE. BUT I JUST WANT TO KIND OF GIVE YOU A KIND OF A WORST-CASE STARTING POINT THERE FOR 26-27. AND WITH THAT,

[02:55:03]

YEAH, I MEAN, UNLESS SOME OF THE OTHER TRUSTEES WANT TO, I'D SAY, LET'S MOVE FORWARD AND HEAR IT, AND THEN, IF YOU ALL HAVE QUESTIONS ON THE OVERALL PICTURE. DO YOU ALL HAVE QUESTIONS NOW THAT YOU WANT TO DIG INTO? YOU DO? OKAY. LET'S KEEP, CAN YOU HOLD THAT AND MAKE SURE? OKAY.

LET'S KEEP GOING, AND THEN WE'LL, I KNOW, MS. PACHECO'S GOT A QUESTION, SO LET'S HOLD ON TO THAT SPACE AND GET BACK TO HER IN A MINUTE. THANK YOU.

OKAY. HELLO AGAIN, BOARD.

WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT COMPENSATION AND SOME MODELING THAT WE'VE PUT FORWARD. JUST AS A STARTING POINT, AND YOU'VE HEARD IT SEVERAL TIMES, THESE ARE ALL THEY CAN BE CONSIDERED PLACEHOLDERS.

YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO BRING SEVERAL DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF WHAT RAISES COULD LOOK LIKE FOR YOU TO KIND OF GIVE US FEEDBACK, AND SUPERINTENDENT BRENNAN SHARED THAT AS WELL. WE HAVE ALREADY STARTED CONNECTING WITH DISTRICTS AROUND US, AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, IT IS STILL VERY EARLY. SO WE DON'T HEAR, AT LEAST NOT AT THIS POINT, WHAT AN INDIVIDUAL DISTRICT IS PLANNING ON PROVIDING AS A RAISE. AND SO THEY ARE VERY MUCH IN THE SAME BOAT THAT WE ARE IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO BE THE FIRST ONE TO PUT SOMETHING OUT THERE.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK. LET'S TAKE OUR TIME. LET'S SEE IF WE HEAR SOMETHING FROM ANOTHER DISTRICT FIRST, AND THEN WE'LL GIVE IT A SHOT.

SO THESE ARE JUST SOME INITIAL IDEAS OF WHAT YOU CAN CONSIDER FOR RAISES FOR 26-27. THE NUMBERS PROVIDED HERE ON THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE ARE JUST THE APPROXIMATE COST IF YOU WERE TO PROVIDE A FLAT PERCENTAGE RAISE TO ALL EMPLOYEES IN THE DISTRICT. SO, IF YOU PROVIDED A 1% RAISE TO ALL EMPLOYEES, IT WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY $3.6 MILLION. 2% WOULD BE DOUBLE THAT, AND THEN 3% WOULD BE $10.8 MILLION. AND AS NOTED HERE, THIS PARTICULAR RATE CALCULATION IS GENERAL FUND ONLY WITH EMPLOYER BENEFITS, EXCLUDING WITH EMPLOYER BENEFITS, BUT EXCLUDING HEALTH INSURANCE CONTRIBUTIONS. SO WE STARTED TO GET A LITTLE CREATIVE AND COME UP WITH A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT MODELS. THESE ARE, AGAIN, NOT RECOMMENDATIONS.

THESE ARE NOT PROPOSALS. THESE ARE JUST REALLY. HERE ARE SOME THOUGHTS, HERE ARE SOME IDEAS THAT YOU CAN CONSIDER AS WE START TO GET CLOSER AND CLOSER TO FINALIZING. WHAT WE ARE CONSIDERING FOR NEXT YEAR. SO SOMETHING THAT WE'VE PLOTTED HERE IS. YOU COULD CONSIDER, FOR EXAMPLE, GIVING TEACHERS WHO HAVE COMPLETED ONE TO TEN YEARS A FLAT DOLLAR AMOUNT OF A THOUSAND DOLLARS. AND THEN, IF A TEACHER HAS COMPLETED 11 PLUS YEARS OF SERVICE, THEY WOULD GET A TWO THOUSAND DOLLAR RAISE. WHEN WE LOOKED AT THAT, THE OVERALL IMPACT, THE APPROXIMATE COST WOULD BE ABOUT $4.7 MILLION. AND THEN WHAT WE ALSO TOOK A LOOK AT WITH THE BULLETS BELOW IS, OKAY, A $1,000 RAISE IS APPROXIMATELY 1.5% PAY INCREASE FOR A FIVE-YEAR TEACHER. A $1,000 RAISE FOR A 10-YEAR TEACHER WOULD BE ABOUT 1.4%. YOU WOULD WANT TO KEEP THAT IN MIND, BECAUSE IF YOU CHOSE THAT ROUTE, THEN THE OTHER BULLETS DOWN AT THE BOTTOM, YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER WHAT RAISES WOULD YOU PROVIDE FOR EVERYBODY ELSE.

AND SO, A 1% INCREASE FOR THE REST OF THE EMPLOYEES IN THE DISTRICT, AFTER CHOOSING THE $1,000 AND $2,000 AMOUNT, WOULD BE ABOUT $1.7 MILLION THERE. A 2% INCREASE WOULD EQUATE TO ABOUT $3.3, AND THEN A 3% WOULD EQUATE TO ABOUT $5 MILLION. SO THE NEXT SEVERAL SLIDES, WE CAN DO A LITTLE BIT OF ANY OR ALL OF IT, ALMOST LIKE A MENU SELECTION, IF YOU WILL. IF WE INCORPORATE THIS PARTICULAR VERSION OF A PAY INCREASE TO CLASSROOM TEACHERS. WHAT THAT WOULD DO IS WE WOULD NEED TO MAKE OUR ENTRY-LEVEL STARTING TEACHER SALARY $63,500.

TO BE SURE THAT THE TEACHER WITH ONE-YEAR EXPERIENCE ISN'T MAKING ALMOST THE SAME AS A NEW FIRST-YEAR TEACHER. OKAY? AND SO THEN, ALSO IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION, WE ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE DELINEATION BETWEEN CERTIFIED TEACHER SALARY AND UNCERTIFIED TEACHER SALARY. WE WILL STILL HAVE. UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS, THOSE NUMBERS ARE GOING TO BE COMING DOWN BECAUSE WE'RE MINIMIZING DOI AND ASSOCIATE TEACHERS. BUT IF WE HAPPEN TO HIRE A TEACHER WHO IS UNCERTIFIED, WE WOULD PROPOSE THAT THE STARTING TEACHER SALARY FOR THAT GROUP, WE WOULD KEEP THAT AT $63,000.

SO OUR CERTIFIED TEACHERS, IF WE'RE HIRING THEM INTO THE DISTRICT, WOULD STILL BE MAKING MORE THAN AN UNCERTIFIED TEACHER AT ANY PARTICULAR LEVEL. THE OTHER THING I WANT TO SHARE IS THAT AS THE DECISION FOR THE PAY RAISE, COMES TO FRUITION, SO TO SPEAK. WE GET MORE OF A SOLID NUMBER.

INTERNALLY, AS A DEPARTMENT WORKING WITH BUDGET AND PAYROLL, WE GO BACK AND RESTRUCTURE THE NEW TEACHER SALARY SCHEDULE. THEY ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE BILL 2 COMING INTO THIS SCHOOL YEAR, AND SO WHAT WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE DO IS BASED ON THE STARTING SALARY, BASED ON THE RAISES. WE GO BACK AND DOUBLE CHECK TO SEE WHAT 5, 10, 15, 20-YEAR TEACHERS WOULD BE MAKING AS THEY ARE HIRED IN,

[03:00:02]

IN THIS PARTICULAR MODEL, IT'S A RANGE OF 1 TO 2 PERCENT.

WITH THE BREAKOUTS, YOU KNOW, WITH 1 TO 4, 5 TO 9, 10 TO 15, AND THEN 16 PLUS. THAT APPROXIMATE COST WOULD BE $3.7 MILLION. IF WE INCORPORATED THAT RAISE STRUCTURE, WE WOULD NEED TO HAVE THE ZERO-YEAR STARTING SALARY FOR 26, 27. WE WOULD NEED TO SET IT AT AT LEAST 63,000, REALLY HAVE IT SET AT 63,130.

AND THEN THE ZERO-YEAR STARTING SALARY FOR UNCERTIFIED, WE WOULD AGAIN SAY, LET'S LEAVE THAT AT 63,000.

THERE'S A LITTLE BIT SHORTER OF A GAP BETWEEN THE TWO, BUT THERE'S STILL A DISTINCTION.

THERE'S A SEPARATION BETWEEN THOSE TWO ZERO-YEAR SALARIES.

AND THEN AGAIN, THE BULLETS FOR ALL OF THE OTHER EMPLOYEES, THOSE ARE THE SAME AS THEY WERE ON THE PRIOR OPTION. AND DR.

GOODSON, BASED ON BOARD FEEDBACK, THESE PERCENTAGES, WE COULD ADJUST THESE? ABSOLUTELY. SO IF THE BOARD WANTED TO GO AS HIGH, YOU KNOW, FROM 1% TO 3% OR 2% TO 4% LIKE? YES, MA'AM. YES, MA'AM. AND ACTUALLY, OPTION C DOES A LITTLE BIT OF THAT, WHERE WE JUST UP THE PERCENTAGES. WE STARTED AT TWO AND WENT TO THREE.

BUT AS SUPERINTENDENT BRANHAM SAID, WE CAN BREAK THAT AND CHUNK THAT ANY WAY THAT YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH. WE CAN RUN MODELS WITH THAT AND PROVIDE THE APPROXIMATE COST FOR YOU.

KNOWING THAT EACH TIME WE CHANGE THE PERCENTAGE OR CHANGE THE DOLLAR AMOUNTS, WE WOULD GO BACK AND DOUBLE CHECK. TO BE SURE THAT THAT ZERO-YEAR STARTING SALARY IS AT AN APPROPRIATE LEVEL. SO, IN THIS PARTICULAR MODEL, THE ZERO-YEAR TEACHER SALARY FOR CERTIFIED WOULD HAVE TO GO TO $63,760. AND THEN AGAIN, TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CERTIFIED AND UNCERTIFIED, WE WOULD LEAVE THE UNCERTIFIED ENTRY LEVEL AT $63,000. AND DR. GOODSON, CAN YOU JUST REMIND THE BOARD AND THE COMMUNITY, WHAT IS OUR STARTING SALARY FOR 25-26? WE ARE AT $63,000 RIGHT NOW. THOSE ARE THE MODELS THAT WE'VE DONE. AND, OF COURSE, I WON'T BORE YOU WITH THE BUDGET CALENDAR, BUT IT, AS ALWAYS, IS INCLUDED FOR YOUR REVIEW IF YOU NEED TO DOUBLE-CHECK ANYTHING.

PAT? THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, LET'S OPEN. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION, BOTH DAVID PATE, MS. DAVENPORT, AND DR. GOODSON. AND WITH ALL THAT INFORMATION, LET'S GO TO SOME QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS.

WE'LL START WITH MS. PACHECO TO GO BACK TO THE EXPENSES.

ALL RIGHT. WELL, GREAT PRESENTATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE NUMBERS. VERY INTERESTING. THEY'RE JUST, I MEAN, IT'S INTERESTING. THAT'S ALL I'M GOING TO SAY ABOUT THAT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK TO YOU AND THE TEAM. WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT BRIEFLY. MS. BRANDON MENTIONED THE SECURITY PERSONNEL WHERE WE HAVE THEM.

WE HAVE TO KEEP THEM. WE ARE SOMEWHAT FUNDED, BUT NOT FULLY. AND IT IS WHAT IT IS, RIGHT? SO. WHEN WE CONSIDER THAT, AND WE CONSIDER, FOR EXAMPLE, HOW ARE WE GOING TO KEEP EVALUATORS OR PROFESSIONALS THAT HAVE TO DO EVALUATIONS, I BELIEVE, AND MAYBE IF YOU CAN EXPLAIN IT BETTER THAN I CAN, I'M SURE YOU CAN, WHAT THAT NEW MANDATE IS, RIGHT? I THINK WE HAVE TO EVALUATE ALL STUDENTS, EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT IN OUR DISTRICT, FOR SERVICES. YES, MA'AM.

RIGHT? SO THEN WE NEED PEOPLE FOR THAT. YES, MA'AM. BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WE CURRENTLY HAVE HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS ALREADY. SO HOW DO WE FORESEE THAT COMING ALONG? YES, MA'AM. SO I BELIEVE YOU'RE SPEAKING ABOUT THE LEGISLATION RELATED TO EDUCATIONAL SAVINGS ACCOUNT OR VOUCHERS. A SCHOOL DISTRICT IS OBLIGATED TO PROVIDE A SPECIAL EDUCATION EVALUATION, IF REQUESTED, BY AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS APPLYING FOR THAT VOUCHER TO EITHER HOMESCHOOL OR TO GO INTO A PRIVATE SCHOOL. I BELIEVE AT THIS POINT WE'VE RECEIVED 78 REQUESTS FOR EVALUATIONS.

WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH IF THEY ACTUALLY LIVE HERE AND MEET THE REQUIREMENT FOR THAT EVALUATION. SO WE HAVE BEEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO IDENTIFY TO WHAT LOAD CAN OUR CURRENT DIAGNOSTICIANS MANAGE. OR LSSPS,

[03:05:02]

BUT WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT? BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE TO KIND OF MATCH IT, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS ARE GREATER.

THAT IS WHAT'S KEEPING ME UP AT NIGHT. AND I ACTUALLY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRING ALL OF OUR CAMPUS TEACHERS OF THE YEAR TOGETHER THIS WEEK, AND I DID A WORKSHOP FOR THEM ON THE BUDGET TO JUST HELP THEM UNDERSTAND.

HERE'S OUR REALITY. HERE IS, AGAIN, MOST OF OUR BUDGET NOW IS PURELY.

SPENT ON PEOPLE. AND WE TALKED A LONG TIME, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT, FOR EXAMPLE, OUR CENTRAL STAFF. AND THAT I KNOW IT'S AN EASY, YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER AS A TEACHER, LIKE, WHAT DO ALL THE PEOPLE IN, YOU KNOW, THE ADMIN BUILDING DO? BUT THEN WHEN YOU REALIZE, YOU KNOW, ALL OF WHAT IT TAKES, I HAVE TO HAVE SOMEONE THAT MAKES PAYROLL BECAUSE YOU WANT TO GET YOUR PAYCHECK EVERY MONTH. AND I HAVE TO HAVE A TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR TO DESIGN THE ROUTES AND TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR BUS DRIVERS KNOW WHERE TO GO EVERY SINGLE DAY. NO, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE CAN'T BE MORE EFFICIENT. BUT OUR TEAM HAS PAINSTAKINGLY GONE, AND EVERY ONE OF THE CABINET MEMBERS WE'RE CHARGED WITH LITERALLY LOOKING AT EVERY ALLOCATION. LOOKING AT OUR BENCHMARK DISTRICTS, AND THEN IN THE END, WE HAVE A SET OF CRITERIA. I WOULDN'T SAY NECESSARILY A RUBRIC, BUT REALLY, AND IT REALLY CAME FROM THE COMMUNITY BUDGET STEERING COMMITTEE. IN THE END, HERE ARE THE THINGS WE WANT YOU TO CONSIDER AS YOU HAVE TO IDENTIFY THESE CUTS, OR THESE EFFICIENCIES, OR THESE REDUCTIONS. KEEP IT AS FAR AWAY FROM KIDS IN THE CLASSROOM AS POSSIBLE. AND, YOU KNOW, AND SO ON, AND SO FORTH. SO WE'VE WORKED REALLY HARD. IN THE END, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE JUST EITHER LOCALLY OR STATE OR FEDERALLY REQUIRED, LIKE SECURITY OFFICERS, LIKE PROVIDING SERVICES FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS.

THERE'S NO DISCRETION IN THAT.

BUT THERE IS SOME DISCRETION, FOR EXAMPLE, IN HOW WE STAFF CERTAIN THINGS.

AND WHERE WE HAVE HAD THE LUXURY IN THE PAST TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS, THOSE ARE JUST THINGS THAT NOW WE'RE HAVING TO LOOK AT DIFFERENTLY. AND WE WOULD ALL LOVE TO CONTINUE TO STAFF AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL BECAUSE, AGAIN, THE WORK IS HARD, BUT FINANCIALLY, THAT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE. AND WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THAT SUFFICIENT FUND BALANCE SO THAT WE CAN MAKE PAYROLL. AND SO I THINK THAT'S THE BALANCE, THAT'S THE DANCE WE'RE HAVING TO CHOREOGRAPH RIGHT NOW IS WHERE DO WE FIND THOSE EFFICIENCIES, BUT STILL HONOR THE NORTH STAR GOAL AND KEEP KIDS AND STUDENT LEARNING AND STUDENT GROWTH AND STAFF SUPPORT AS OUR PRIORITY.

OKAY, PERFECT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I DON'T ENVY WHERE Y'ALL ARE AT WITH FINDING THE EFFICIENCIES, BUT I DO THANK YOU AND RECOGNIZE THAT YOU CONSIDER THE NORTH STAR GOAL. YOU ARE ALWAYS GROUNDED. ON WHAT'S BEST FOR THE STUDENTS, AND I MEAN, I SPEAK FOR MYSELF. AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT ALL OUR OTHER TRUSTEES BELIEVE THE SAME. WE ARE ALSO, YOU KNOW, AS US, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ENTRUSTED WITH THESE FUNDS, RIGHT? WE HAVE TO MAKE THOSE HARD DECISIONS AND MAKE THOSE CHOICES. AND I DO WANT TO PAY ALL OUR TEACHERS A LOT OF MONEY, I WANT TO PAY OUR ADMIN A LOT OF MONEY. THIS IS NOT ENOUGH, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE ALSO DON'T HAVE ENOUGH. AND IT IS SO HARD AND I'M SORRY THAT IT'S MADE SO DIFFICULT.

[03:10:01]

SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. ONE LAST THING, AND YOU DID BRIEFLY MENTION IT, I KNOW. WE HAVE CHANGES AND MOVING PARTS AND COSTS, AND ONE OF THEM IS WE HAVE OUR OWN BUS SYSTEM, RIGHT? SO ARE WE PUTTING AWAY, DO WE ALWAYS PUT AWAY A PERCENTAGE ON HOW MUCH IT'S GOING TO COST US ON FUEL? SO WE PLAN FOR THE FUTURE. OR IS IT JUST SOMETHING THAT FLUCTUATES AND WE JUST KIND OF, HOW DO WE DO THAT? YES, MA'AM.

SO WE STUDY, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION, BY THE WAY. IRONICALLY, WE MET THIS MORNING TO REVIEW SOME FUEL COSTS.

WITH AN EYE TO, IS THERE A DIFFERENT VENDOR THAT WE CAN USE TO REFUEL OUR TANKS, WHICH THEN FUEL OUR BUSES? AND SO WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF STUDYING THAT, ALWAYS KEEPING AN EYE OUT.

THERE'S A BETTER OPTION, A MORE COST-EFFICIENT WAY TO DO THAT. WE'RE GOING TO BE CERTAINLY OPEN TO DO THAT. AND THEN AS WE GET INTO THE SPRING, GOING INTO NEXT YEAR AND WE START ROUTING, WE HAVE AN EYE TOWARDS ROUTING IN THE MOST EFFICIENT MANNER POSSIBLE. THAT MIGHT MEAN THAT SOME OF OUR BUSES MIGHT CARRY MORE KIDS AND MIGHT HAVE A LITTLE LONGER ROUTE, A TIME AND ROUTE, BUT WE HAVE LESS BUS DRIVERS AND WE CAN GET EVERYBODY WHERE THEY NEED TO BE, WITH FEWER BUSES ON THE ROAD, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. THOSE ARE ALL THINGS WE CONSIDER. OKAY, GREAT.

WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF MOVING PIECES, A LOT OF MOVING PARTS, A LOT OF UNKNOWNS, AND I SAW, YOU KNOW, THE INCREASES THAT WE KIND OF KNOW THAT MIGHT BE STABLE, BUT WE HAVE UNSTABLE THINGS, SO I WAS JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THAT, AND I APPRECIATE IT. I'M NOT GOING TO ASK ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT THE SECOND PART AT THIS MOMENT. ALL RIGHT.

OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS? MS. TIMMY? YEAH, THANK YOU.

LISTEN, I KNOW WE ARE WHERE WE ARE, NOT TO BELABOR IT, BUT THERE'S NO LOW-HANGING FRUIT ANYMORE. THERE ARE ONLY DEEP CUTS, RIGHT? AND THERE'S JUST REALLY HARD DISCUSSIONS AND HARD DECISIONS THAT YOU ALL HAVE TO BRING FORWARD TO US, AND WE HAVE TO DECIDE WHERE WE'RE GOING TO COMMIT TO. AND SO, FIRST OFF, THANK YOU FOR THAT. BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REAL THINGS THAT HURT REAL PEOPLE, AND WE HAVE TO STAY FOCUSED ON WHERE WE'RE FOCUSED, RIGHT? SO JUST I UNDERSTAND THAT. AND A COUPLE OF JUST... QUESTIONS. SO I WAS LOOKING ON SLIDE 15, AND ON THERE IT TALKS ABOUT A, WHEN IT LOOKS AT THE 26, 27, 3% RAISE, RIGHT, IT LOOKS AT A $9.7 MILLION, RIGHT, INCREASE. ANTICIPATED PIECE ON THERE.

BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT, WHEN YOU GO BACK TO LIKE SLIDE 21, IF YOU LOOK AT THE LARGEST 3%, IT SHOWS 5.7. AND I'M ASSUMING THAT THAT'S ONLY BECAUSE IT'S TEACHERS AND THE LARGER NUMBER DOESN'T INCLUDE, LIKE, ALL STAFF WHEN YOU DO THAT.

LIKE, HOW DO YOU COME UP, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 9.7 NUMBER ON SLIDE 15 AND THE 5.7 NUMBER ON SLIDE 21? SO I'LL LET CHRIS EXPLAIN THE METHODOLOGY OF HOW SLIDE 21 WAS CALCULATED.

BUT I CAN TELL YOU, THIS WAS.

THIS DOESN'T INCLUDE ANY OF THE STATE-MANDATED PORTION OF THE RAISE, AND SO SOME OF OUR TEACHERS GOT LARGER RAISES THAN WHAT WAS LISTED HERE, AND SO THAT INCREASED THE PAYROLL COST, BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT YOU ADOPTED IN JUNE OF 2025.

THAT'S THE $12 MILLION, RIGHT? YES, THAT'S THE $12 MILLION IS WHAT YOU ADOPTED IN JUNE.

CORRECT. THAT WENT UP WHEN THE STATE-MANDATED RAISE WAS ADDED IN. AND SO THIS WAS MORE JUST KIND OF, WHERE ARE WE ALL STARTING FROM.

THAT 26-27 IS NOT MEANT TO REPRESENT A CURRENT MULTI-YEAR FORECAST. THIS IS WHERE WE STARTED FROM IN JUNE, PRE-LEGISLATION, JUST SHOWING YOU HOW THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THE ONE-TIME PROPERTY, AND THEN JUST HOW FUTURE RAISES LAYER IN. SO I'M SORRY IF I ADDED TO EVERYONE'S CONFUSION ON THEIR SLIDE 21. IT JUST SAYS APPROXIMATE COST OF 5.7. 5.7.

THAT 5.7 IS JUST TEACHERS. IF YOU WANTED IT TO BE A LITTLE MORE CONSISTENT, YOU WOULD ADD THAT TO SLIDE 15. YOU WOULD NEED TO ADD THE 3%, THAT $5,062,000 AT THE BOTTOM, TO THE 5.7 AT THE TOP. AND THAT WOULD GET YOU CLOSER TO AN OVERALL 3% NOW. IF I CAN STEP IN REAL QUICK. SO JUST TO CLARIFY, THE $5.7 MILLION IS, IF YOU APPLY, THAT VERSION OF A RAISE THAT'S STRATIFIED ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT, OKAY, THE PERCENTAGES DOWN AT THE BOTTOM WOULD BE A 1% PAY INCREASE FOR ALL OTHER EMPLOYEE

[03:15:02]

WE'RE GOING TO SECTION OFF THE EMPLOYEES INTO THESE TWO MAIN GROUPS, TEACHERS AND THEN EVERYBODY ELSE. WE JUST USE THAT GENERAL PERCENTAGE OF, OKAY, 1% OF ALL THE OTHER EMPLOYEES WHO ARE LEFT IN THE DISTRICT, WHETHER THEY ARE COUNSELORS, LIBRARIANS, PRINCIPALS, ALL OF US, LOOKING AT THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE LEFT, A 1% PAY INCREASE WOULD COST THESE PARTICULAR AMOUNTS. SO, MS. TIMMY, JUST TO PROVIDE CLARITY, THAT THE JUNE 5, 2025, WAS... THAT $9.7 MILLION AT THAT TIME WAS WHAT THE COST OF WAS. A 3% RAISE, AND WE SIMPLY WANTED TO MODEL FOR THE BOARD, IF YOU WANTED TO CONTINUE TO GIVE A 3% RAISE. AND NOTHING ELSE CHANGED, THIS IS, AGAIN, THAT COMPOUNDS, THAT COST COMPOUNDS. SO EACH YEAR, IF YOU'RE ADDING ROUGHLY WHAT A 3% RAISE COSTS, THIS IS WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE WITH OUR TOTAL EXPENDITURE, AND THIS IS WHERE IT'S GOING TO HIT US IN FUND BALANCE. SO THIS IS JUST A SNAPSHOT OF JUNE. 2025, HERE'S WHERE WE ARE. NOW, ROLLING FORWARD, WE'RE WORKING WITH REAL NUMBERS OF BOARD.

HERE ARE SOME DIFFERENT OPTIONS, AND HERE'S THE REAL COST BASED UPON CURRENT SALARIES RIGHT NOW, AND WHAT THOSE ACTUAL COSTS WOULD BE IN AN ADOPTED BUDGET IN JUNE OF 2026. DOES THAT HELP? I MEAN, IT DOES, BUT WE'RE ESSENTIALLY LOOKING AT MORE, LIKE, IF WE'RE SAYING 3%, WE'RE REALLY LOOKING MORE TO $10 MILLION. OH, ABSOLUTELY.

CORRECT? YES. OKAY. YES, IT'S THIS SLIDE. SO A 3% OVERALL IS THE 10.8 HERE. YES, IF THE BOARD JUST WANTED TO DO A 3% RAISE, IT WOULD ACTUALLY BE 10.8 VERSUS THAT 9.7 THAT WAS MODELED. THAT 9.7 WAS BASED UPON THE SALARIES IN 2025, AND THAT WAS BEFORE THE STATE DID THAT ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION.

WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THOSE NUMBERS WERE GOING TO BE. SO NOW THAT WE HAVE TEACHERS THAT ARE MAKING $2,500 AND $5,000 MORE, AND WE ALSO INSTITUTED THE RAISE FOR EVERYONE ELSE. LAST YEAR, NOW A 3% RAISE COSTS EVEN MORE.

OKAY. AND AS OUR... TEACHING STAFF HAS BECOME MORE EXPERIENCED, THEY'VE BECOME MORE EXPENSIVE, AND SO 3% OF A LARGER NUMBER GIVES US A LARGER COST OF A 3% RAISE. OKAY, AND THEN ALSO TOO, WHEN WE WENT BACK TO THAT, WHEN I WENT BACK TO THAT HR PRESENTATION, THAT DR. GOODSON, THAT YOU DID BEFORE, AND YOU LOOKED AT WHERE OUR $63,000 STARTING SALARY IS, RIGHT, THAT PUTS US AT A TIE AT 15TH, RIGHT, IN THE METROPLEX AREA FOR STARTING SALARIES. THAT'S CORRECT, ON THE ZERO YEAR.

YEAH, ON THE ZERO YEAR. SO IF YOU GO BACK AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE OPTIONS A, B, AND C FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, AND YOU LOOK AT IF WE GO 63.5, WELL, WE'RE NOT, I MEAN, THERE'S JUST A REALITY OF THEN WHERE DO WE FALL WHEN WE'RE RECRUITING TEACHERS THERE, RIGHT? LIKE, IF WE GO TO 63.130, RIGHT? LIKE, WE'RE...

RIGHT NOW, AND NOBODY'S PROBABLY STAYING WHERE THEY ARE, RIGHT, IN OTHER DISTRICTS, RIGHT? SO JUST THINKING ABOUT WHAT THAT COMPETITIVELY LOOKS AT. AND THEN GOING TO 63-760, RIGHT? LIKE, WE'RE PROBABLY NOT STAYING WHERE WE ARE, RIGHT, IN LOOKING AT THAT. LIKE, I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO KNOW, LIKE, IF WE'RE IN OUR PRIORITIES OR LOOKING AT THAT. JUST MY TWO CENTS ON THIS. I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN SEEING THE SALARIES MODELED OUT. I BELIEVE YOU MENTIONED THAT, DR. GOODSON, OF HOW WE'VE DONE IT BEFORE SO WE CAN SEE THE IMPACT OVER TIME, OF LIKE HOW THAT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO LOOK IN REAL NUMBERS.

BUT ALSO, TOO, IF WE ARE GOING TO LOOK AT A SITUATION AND YOU ARE GOING TO BRING FORWARD SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO INCREASE COMPRESSION, AS WE'VE HAD BEFORE, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE OPTIONS OR YOU'RE NOT SEEING IT, I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR THAT POINTED OUT, BECAUSE I THINK WE'VE DONE REALLY GOOD WORK IN REVERSING. THE COMPRESSION THAT WAS REAL SIGNIFICANT THERE. AND I'M NOT INTERESTED IN PUTTING US IN A POSITION, MYSELF, ONE OF SEVEN, I UNDERSTAND, THAT WOULD PUT US BACK IN TIGHT FUTURE BOARDS.

TO HAVE TO UNDO SOME OF THOSE THINGS. UNLESS WE'VE REALLY LOOKED AT IT AND WE JUST DON'T SEE ANOTHER OPTION FORWARD. MAY I ASK FOR A LITTLE FEEDBACK, THEN? SO, IF YOU LOOK AT OPTION A, FOR EXAMPLE, VERSUS LIKE AN OPTION C. WOULD YOU LIKE FOR US TO MODEL SOMETHING THAT LOOKS A LITTLE BIT MORE LIKE AN OPTION? A, WHERE? KIND OF WHAT WE DID WITH THAT INITIAL BIG JUMP, WHERE WE MADE SURE THAT EVERY STEP HAD A CERTAIN DOLLAR AMOUNT BETWEEN EACH ONE, AND WE DID IT KIND OF

[03:20:01]

BUT DO YOU KNOW, LIKE, WHEN YOU FIRST BROUGHT IT TO US AND YOU SHOWED US, LIKE, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT? A ZERO, A FIVE, A TEN, LIKE, AN ACTUAL, LIKE, SALARY NUMBERS? PERFECT. I MEAN, LISTEN, 3%, LIKE, I CAN THEORIZE AND TRY TO PLAY THAT IN MY HEAD, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE ACTUAL DIFFERENCE.

AND IF THERE ARE PLACES WHERE WHEN WE'RE PUTTING IN 3%, IT'S CAUSING COMPRESSION, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THAT.

JUST BECAUSE I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THAT WHATEVER WE'RE DOING, ESPECIALLY OVER TIME, LIKE, WHAT ARE WE SETTING UP FOR? POTENTIALLY. AND LISTEN, I TRUST THAT YOU GUYS KNOW HOW TO MODEL THAT OUT AND YOU'LL SHOW THAT TO US. I JUST WANT TO KNOW IF THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING. IS IT SOMETHING, WOULD THE BOARD LIKE TO SEE THAT MODELED FOR ALL THREE OPTIONS? WHAT IT WOULD BE FOR A STRAIGHT RAISE? THAT $1,000, $2,000, OR IT CAN BE WHATEVER NUMBER. I WOULD SAY, FOR ME, AND EVERYBODY ELSE CAN PUT THEIR TWO CENTS IN, I WANT TO SEE IT FOR THE ONE THAT YOU'RE RECOMMENDING. OKAY. AND THEN, MAYBE THEN, THE ONE THAT'S THE MOST AGGRESSIVE.

GOT IT. THAT WOULD BE WHAT I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN MYSELF.

BUT EVERYBODY ELSE MAY HAVE A DIFFERENT FEEL FOR THAT.

BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT THE REAL NUMBERS LOOK LIKE ON THAT. IT IS, AGAIN, JUST ME, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ME THAT WE HAVE THE BEST TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM. AND THAT EVERYTHING ALIGNS WITH OUR NORTH STAR GOAL. AND SO, I MEAN, WHILE I UNDERSTAND THAT MEANS THERE ARE OTHER CUTS THAT YOU HAVE TO FIND, AND THEY ARE DEEP, AND THEY ARE UNFUN, AND THEY ARE POTENTIALLY NOT POPULAR, I DEEPLY FEEL THAT THAT CLASSROOM TEACHER MAKES THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE IN STUDENT OUTCOMES. AND IF THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'RE FOR, AND WE ARE WHERE WE ARE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE SOME OF THOSE HARD DECISIONS. BUT FOR ME, THAT WOULD BE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. YES, THANK YOU, MS. TIMMY. MS. MCGOWAN. I AGREE. LOOKING AT THE LOCAL NEWS AND FORT WORTH ISD AND WHAT'S HAPPENING THERE, WE HAVE TO BE REALLY AGGRESSIVE. SO I AGREE WITH MS. TIMMY.

IN THE ESSER FUNDS, THE ESSER-FUNDED EMPLOYEES, DO WE STILL HAVE THEM? NO, MA'AM. WE WORK TO OFF. ANY INDIVIDUAL, FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD INTERVENTIONISTS. WE HAD ELEMENTARY MATH AND READING INTERVENTIONISTS AT ALL OF OUR CAMPUSES. AND WE LOST THOSE THROUGH ATTRITION, REALLY, MEANING THAT THOSE INDIVIDUALS, THEY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY FOR INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES OR TO MOVE BACK INTO THE CLASSROOM. SO THOSE POSITIONS HAVE ALL BEEN ABSORBED. OKAY. WHY ARE UNCERTIFIED AND CERTIFIED TEACHER SALARIES SO CLOSE? AND I'M JUST CURIOUS BECAUSE OF THE PROFESSION, I DON'T KNOW. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO BECOME CERTIFIED? HOW MUCH TIME DO CERTIFIED TEACHERS PUT INTO BECOMING CERTIFIED VERSUS UNCERTIFIED? SO, FIRST AND FOREMOST, THIS IS A NEW REQUIREMENT PER TEA, AND REALLY THROUGH THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION, AND NOW TEA IS GIVING US GUIDANCE.

THAT THERE HAS TO BE SOME DIFFERENTIAL BETWEEN THE COMPENSATION MODELS FOR AN UNCERTIFIED VERSUS CERTIFIED. I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF WHERE, BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S SOMETIMES A NEGATIVE CONNOTATION AROUND BEING UNCERTIFIED.

BUT, FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE MANY CTE TEACHERS THAT HAVE RICH INDUSTRY EXPERIENCES AND. AS A SECOND CAREER, THEY ARE NOW WORKING IN OUR EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN THOSE CTE PATHWAYS. SO THOSE INDIVIDUALS MAY NOT BE CERTIFIED, BUT THEY ARE INCREDIBLE. AND SO WE WANT TO BE CAREFUL THAT THERE IS NOT SUCH A DIFFERENTIAL THAT WE HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING THOSE INDIVIDUALS. MANY OF OUR AMAZING SPECIAL EDUCATION STAFF, THEY MAY BE WORKING TOWARDS THAT SPECIAL EDUCATION.

THEY MAY BE AN ASSOCIATE TEACHER. THEY MAY BE IN THEIR RESIDENCY PROGRAM, AND THEY'RE WORKING TOWARDS THAT.

AND WE NEED TO KEEP THEM. WE NEED TO KEEP THEM IN THE DISTRICT. AND, AGAIN, HAVING A SALARY, WE RECOGNIZE WE'RE HONORING THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE A DIFFERENCE, BUT WE JUST DON'T WANT IT TO BE. THERE'S SUCH A CHASM BETWEEN THE TWO THAT WE CAN'T RECRUIT AND MAINTAIN THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE MAKING PROGRESS. WE HAVE BROUGHT TO THE BOARD, AND YOU ALL HAD TO APPROVE, OUR PLAN TO REDUCE. OUR UNCERTIFIED TEACHER, ESPECIALLY IN THOSE CORE AREAS, IN THOSE CORE TESTED AREAS, AND WE ARE COMMITTED TO DOING THAT WORK. BUT THERE ARE OTHER AREAS WHERE THERE HAS BEEN JUST TREMENDOUS CONTRIBUTION BY THOSE INDIVIDUALS. SO WE'RE HONORING THE LAW, BUT ALSO NOT CREATING A SITUATION WHERE WE ALSO ARE MISSING OUT ON SOME GREAT PEOPLE. BECAUSE THEY'RE STILL WORKING ON THAT PROCESS. RIGHT. AND I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT UP THE CORE CURRICULUM CLASSROOM TEACHERS BECAUSE OF. BEING CERTIFIED, I

[03:25:03]

IT'S JUST BUDGETED SEPARATELY.

AND IT'S, LET ME START OVER WITH THE EASIER ANSWER. IT'S NOT CALCULATED AS A PERCENT OF SALARY, AND THAT'S WHAT I SHOULD HAVE SAID TO START WITH. AND MY LAST QUESTION, IN THE MARKETING PIECE, WE TALKED ABOUT THE 75 ADDITIONAL NEEDED STUDENTS ANNUALLY TO RECOVER THOSE FUNDS FOR MARKETING. AND THEN, IN THIS PRESENTATION, WE LOOKED AT A DECREASE OF 408 STUDENTS ANNUALLY.

IN THE PREDICTION. I'M TRYING, I'M WRESTLING WITH ALL OF THIS IN MY HEAD, LIKE, OKAY, SO WE'RE GOING TO GO SPEND MORE MONEY, BUT WE'RE GOING TO LOSE ALL THIS MONEY. YEAH, SO REALLY WHAT WE WANT TO BUILD A BUDGET ON AND MAKE DECISIONS AROUND IS WHAT WE BELIEVE IS MOST PREDICTABLE. WE SAW THAT WE SAW A DECLINE IN STUDENTS THIS YEAR, AS WE'VE SHARED WITH YOU. THE DEMOGRAPHER ANTICIPATES US SEEING A REDUCTION AGAIN NEXT YEAR, JUST BASED UPON COHORT SIZE.

AND SO IF WE'RE GOING TO BUILD A BUDGET, WE NEED TO BE CONSERVATIVE AND REALISTIC IN WHAT THAT REVENUE LINE IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE.

WHAT MELISSA AND HER TEAM HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH IS, I DON'T WANT TO SEE 408. I WANT TO SEE, YOU KNOW, 250. I REALLY WANT TO SEE A ZERO. YOU KNOW, I WANT TO SEE A GAIN IN STUDENTS. BUT IF THAT'S...

MAY NOT HAPPEN IN ONE YEAR, THEN LET'S BRING THAT LINE DOWN, AND WE WOULD LOVE TO BRING AN AMENDED BUDGET TO YOU. THAT SAYS, OOPS, GUESS WHAT? WE ACTUALLY HAVE MORE REVENUE BECAUSE WE ONLY LOST 250 KIDS VERSUS 408. BUT TO BUILD A BUDGET, I FEEL LIKE IT WOULD BE IRRESPONSIBLE FOR ME TO SAY, I HOPE AND I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS GOING TO WORK. AND I HOPE IT'S GOING TO WORK. AND SO WE'RE GOING TO BUILD A BUDGET THAT, LIKE, WE'RE GOING TO ONLY LOSE 325.

AND THEN IN THE END, WE LOSE 408. THAT, AGAIN, WE WANT TO BE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE.