[00:00:02] I CALL THIS MEETING OF THE LOCKHART INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES TO ORDER ON APRIL 8TH AT 6:30 P.M., LET THE RECORD SHOW THAT A QUORUM OF BOARD MEMBERS IS PRESENT, [Call to Order] THAT THIS MEETING HAS BEEN DULY CALLED, AND THAT NOTICE OF THIS MEETING HAS BEEN POSTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEXAS OPEN MEETING ACT, TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, CHAPTER 551. LET THE RECORDS SHOW THAT TRUSTEES PULLIAM, SANCHEZ, BURNETT, WRIGHT, GUYTON LOCKHART OR PRESENT. WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM TWO, PUBLIC COMMENTS. NONE. ITEM THREE COMMUNICATION A, 2024-2025 STAFFING AND BUDGET SESSION. [2024-2025 Staffing and Budget Session] WHO'S STARTING THAT? IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT TIME, AND I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO MISS WEISER TO GET US STARTED. GOOD EVENING, SCHOOL BOARD AND MR. ESTRADA. WELCOME TO YOUR FIRST BUDGET WORKSHOP FOR 24-25 FISCAL YEAR. CAN I [INAUDIBLE]? ABSOLUTELY. FOR THE RECORD, NOTE THAT TRUSTEE RENE RAYOS MADE AN APPEARANCE AT 6:31 P.M.. OKAY. SORRY. CONTINUE, PLEASE. SO WE'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE 24-25 BUDGET WHEN WE HAD AN UPDATE A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, BUT TONIGHT WE'RE REALLY GOING TO GO IN TO THE DETAILS OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN PLANNING THUS FAR THROUGHOUT THE BUDGET PROCESS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DISCUSS ASK QUESTIONS ALONG THE WAY, AND THIS EVENING, THE FIRST THING I'M GOING TO DO IS GO OVER JUST A SCHOOL FUNDING REFRESHER AND THEN--LET ME INTERRUPT AGAIN. NO WORRIES. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A FIVE MINUTE RECESS AND WE'LL CONTINUE IN JUST A SECOND. 6:35, WE'RE GOING TO RESTART THE MEETING, BARRING ANY OTHER INTERRUPTIONS. WE'LL LET HER CONTINUE. OKAY, SO THE FIRST THING THAT I'LL GO THROUGH IS THE SCHOOL FUNDING REFRESHER, AND THEN WE'LL LOOK AT THE 23-24 BUDGET. WE ALWAYS WANT TO LOOK AT WHERE WE'RE AT BEFORE WE START PLANNING FOR THE NEXT YEAR. SO THEN WE'LL REVIEW OUR DEMOGRAPHIC STUDY. WE'LL LOOK AT A NEW THING WE DID THIS YEAR AND GO INTO SOME DETAIL ABOUT OUR SPECIAL ED PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING. I MENTIONED IT AT THE FEBRUARY MEETING, SO WE'LL GO INTO SOME DETAIL OF HOW THE OUTCOMES OF THAT PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING EXPERIENCE. [00:05:01] WE'LL LOOK AT REQUESTS THAT WE HAVE FOR NEW STAFFING POSITIONS, THE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS THAT WE OFFER OUR EMPLOYEES, WHICH GOES HAND IN HAND WITH OUR COMPENSATION PLAN, AND THEN OUR TAX RATE FOR NEXT YEAR AND THEN OUR BUDGET SUMMARY. SO WE'LL MOVE RIGHT THROUGH AGAIN IF PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS ALONG THE WAY, AND WE CAN HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT ANYTHING THAT MIGHT COME UP. SO JUST A REFRESHER, HOW DOES LOCKHART ISD RECEIVE FUNDS TO EDUCATE OUR STUDENTS? SO THIS BUCKET REPRESENTS THE TOTAL COST TO EDUCATE ALL THE STUDENTS ATTENDING LOCKHART ISD. EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT IN TEXAS GETS THIS BUCKET, AND EVERY BUCKET IS A DIFFERENT SIZE, AND THE SIZE OF THE BUCKET DEPENDS ON THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS, THE NEEDS OF THOSE STUDENTS, AND THE ATTENDANCE OF THE STUDENTS. I ALWAYS LIKE TO ALSO POINT OUT THAT I PUT TOTAL COST TO EDUCATE IN QUOTES, BECAUSE WE ARE NOT THE ONES THAT DECIDE WHAT THE TOTAL COST TO EDUCATE OUR STUDENTS IS IN LOCKHART ISD TO DECIDES BASED ON THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS, THE ATTENDANCE OF THE STUDENTS AND THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS. HOW BIG OUR BUCKET IS. SO I JUST WANT TO ADD ADD THAT. SO WHAT FILLS UP THE BUCKET? ONCE WE KNOW HOW MUCH BUCKET WE NEED TO EDUCATE THE STUDENTS, HOW DO WE FILL IT UP WITH FUNDS TO PAY FOR FOR THE NEEDS OF THE DISTRICT? AFTER OUR LOCAL SORRY, AFTER THE LOCAL TAX COLLECTION. THEN THE STATE WILL COME IN AND FILL UP THE REST OF THE BUDGET, THE BUCKET. SO TWO THINGS FILL THE BUCKET UP IS OUR LOCAL TAX COLLECTION, AND THEN THE STATE COMES IN AND FILLS UP THE REST. THEY ALSO LET ME ALSO SIDE NOTE. WE'RE PROJECTING THE SIZE OF OUR BUCKET FOR OUR 24-25 BUDGET. WE WILL FIND OUT THE FINAL SIZE OF THE BUCKET IN SEPTEMBER OF '25. SO THREE MONTHS AFTER THE FISCAL YEAR THAT WE'RE PLANNING RIGHT NOW, ENDS IS WHEN WE FIND OUT THE OFFICIAL SIZE OF THAT BUCKET. SO THAT'S JUST A SIDE NOTE TO THAT. I LIKE TO THROW OUT THERE THAT WE'LL FIND OUT IN, YOU KNOW, A YEAR AND A HALF FROM NOW. SO HOW CAN LOCKHART ISD'S BUCKET GET BIGGER? THE BUCKET CAN GET BIGGER THROUGH ENROLLMENT GROWTH. IT CAN GET BIGGER THROUGH A VATRE, AND IT CAN GET BIGGER THROUGH BETTER ATTENDANCE. ANOTHER WAY IT CAN GET BIGGER IS IF THE LEGISLATURE DECIDES TO INCREASE THE BASIC ALLOTMENT. I SHOULD HAVE PUT THAT IN A SLIDE. THAT WAS JUST A SIDE NOTE. SO WHEN WE START OFF AND LOOK AT OUR NEW BUDGET FOR THE YEAR, WE LOOK AT WHAT OUR GOALS ARE GOING TO BE FOR 24-25. OUR NUMBER ONE GOAL IS TO RETAIN OUR EMPLOYEES. SO WE WANT TO SEE IF WE'RE ABLE TO GIVE A PAY RAISE TO ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES. WE LOOK AT NEW POSITIONS THAT WE'LL NEED FOR THE GROWTH. WE DO KNOW THAT WE ARE IN A GROWING DISTRICT, AND THEN WE LOOK AT EXPANDING PROGRAMS THAT DEMONSTRATE SUCCESS. SO THOSE ARE THE GOALS WHEN WE START OFF. WE ALSO LOOK AT WHAT IS GOING TO GO IN, WHAT MIGHT BE A BIG FACTOR IN GOING IN TO CREATE THIS BUDGET. THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE OF 2023 DIDN'T REALLY DO ANYTHING. SO WE DON'T THAT DIDN'T DRIVE US THIS YEAR. WE'RE ALSO NOT IN A LEGISLATIVE YEAR. SO WHEN WE'RE IN A LEGISLATIVE YEAR, WE'RE REALLY KIND OF WAITING ON THEM. IT CAN WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO. WE DON'T HAVE TO FACE THAT THIS YEAR. SO WE'RE NOT FACING ANY KIND OF LEGISLATIVE CHANGES OR DOING NOTHING. A VATRE WHEN THAT PASSED THIS YEAR. SO THAT IS REALLY GREAT NEWS IN CREATING OUR BUDGET FOR FOR NEXT YEAR. LAST YEAR WE WERE WE GOING TO HAVE THE PENNIES. WERE WE NOT GOING TO HAVE THE PENNIES. NOW WE KNOW THAT THE VATRE PASSED, AND THEN THE BIGGEST THING THAT WE JUST FOUND OUT THAT WE'RE USING TO CREATE THE BUDGET IN 24-25 IS THAT WE DID RECEIVE LOCAL VALUES, AND THIS IS STRAIGHT OFF THE COMPTROLLER'S WEBSITE. IT'S NOT PRETTY, BUT IT JUST SAYS THOSE WONDERFUL WORDS THAT OUR LOCAL VALUE WAS CERTIFIED, AND SO THIS IS A BIG DEAL, AND I'M GOING TO GO INTO THE DETAILS OF THAT HERE IN JUST A MINUTE. SO WHEN WE START OFF, WE WANT TO LOOK AT THE 23-24 BUDGET WHERE WE ARE, AND THAT'S WHERE WE START. FROM THE BEGINNING, WE ADOPTED A BUDGET OF $61.7 MILLION IN REVENUE AND $62.4 MILLION IN EXPENDITURES, FOR A DEFICIT BUDGET OF $710,000. THIS WAS THIS DID NOT INCLUDE A RAISE PACKAGE AT ALL. [00:10:04] THIS IS WHAT WE ADOPTED BACK IN JUNE FOR THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR THAT WE'RE IN. WHEN WE ADOPT THE BUDGET. OH, I APOLOGIZE. LET ME BACK UP. I LIKE TO ALSO ALWAYS SHOW THAT WE ARE A DISTRICT THAT CONTRACTS OUT OUR TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT AND OUR CUSTODIAL SERVICES. SO IF YOU GO TO TRAININGS ON HOW MUCH A BUDGET IS PAYROLL VERSUS NON PAYROLL, YOU'RE USUALLY GOING TO SEE THAT IT'S AROUND 80% WOULD BE PAYROLL. WE FALL AT 73%, BUT THAT'S BECAUSE WE CONTRACT OUT. SO WHEN I MOVE THOSE IN TO WHAT WOULD BE THE COST FOR PAYROLL. WE'RE RIGHT AT WHERE WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE. OUR CURRENT GENERAL FUND BUDGET. SO MUCH HAS CHANGED THIS YEAR BASED ON EVERYTHING THAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT THE VATRE PASSING, GETTING LOCAL VALUES BACK, AND SO OUR CURRENT GENERAL FUND BUDGET ON THE REVENUES IS 66.5 MILLION, WITH OUR EXPENDITURES BEING 65.5 MILLION. WE LOOK AND WE SEE THAT WE HAVE $1 MILLION SURPLUS THIS YEAR DUE TO THE THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED, LIKE THE VATRE AND GETTING LOCAL VALUES B ACK. THE REVENUE CONSIDERATIONS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE FOR NEXT YEAR. SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THAT BUCKET AND WE THINK ABOUT WHAT'S GOING TO FILL IT UP, THE FIRST THING WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT IS HOW MUCH LOCAL VALUE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE, SO WE CAN PREDICT WHAT THE STATE IS GOING TO FILL UP THE REST OF THE BUCKET WITH. LAST YEAR WE HAD PROPERTY VALUES. THEY INCREASED BY 18% IN THE 2023 TAX YEAR. I RECEIVED A VERY, VERY PRELIMINARY VALUE. IT IS NOT CERTIFIED. THOSE ARE NOT DUE TO THE DISTRICTS UNTIL APRIL 30TH, AND IT IS SHOWING A 13% INCREASE IN PROPERTY VALUES FOR THE 2024 TAX YEAR. SO OUR REVENUE BUDGET WAS BASED ON OUR REVENUE BUDGET IS BEING BASED ON LOCAL COLLECTION. THIS YEAR AND STATE PROPERTY VALUES. SO THAT'S WHAT WE DID IN THE 23-24 FISCAL YEAR. I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH WHY I FEEL COMFORTABLE TO BUDGET DIFFERENTLY NEXT YEAR AS FAR AS BUDGETING FOR LOCAL VALUES VERSUS STATE VALUES. ENROLLMENT GROWTH, WE ARE GROWING DISTRICT. THERE'S A LOT OF DISTRICTS THAT ARE NOT GROWING EVEN SURROUNDING US, BUT WE ARE IN IN A GROWTH DISTRICT. SO WE CAN THAT'S GOING TO THAT IS DEFINITELY GOING TO DRIVE OUR REVENUES, AND ATTENDANCE IS SHOWING SOME IMPROVEMENT. YES, SIR, BUT SPEAKING OF ATTENDANCE, HOW FAR SHORT ARE WE, HOW MUCH ARE WE FALLING SHORT OF THAT? 93% THAT WE PROJECTED LAST YEAR. WE ARE FALLING ABOUT A PERCENT AND A HALF SHORT. SO WHAT DOES THAT REPRESENT IN MONEY? 700,000. SO THAT MILLION DOLLARS YOU WERE SHOWING A SURPLUS, DOES THAT INCLUDE THAT $700,000? YES, THAT DOES INCLUDE THAT. I HAVE CURRENT ADA IN ALL MY REVENUE PROJECTIONS OF WHERE WE CURRENTLY ARE, BUT AS OF MARCH 25TH IS WHEN I RAN IT. SO IT DOES ACCOUNT FOR THAT. SO WE'RE ONE YEAR. SO GRACE IS THREE YEARS, RIGHT? CORRECT, GRACE IS--SO WE'VE DONE ONE YEAR OF IT. YES. SO TWO MORE YEARS AND--TWO MORE YEARS IN A ROW. RIGHT. YES. TWO YEARS. IF WE DO IT, THEN WE'RE BACK TO. YES. THEN WE COULD GET GRACE AGAIN. OF ATTENDANCE A PERCENTAGE AND A HALF. SO WITH THE QUESTIONS, TOO, THAT WE'RE HAVING ABOUT THE LOCAL VALUES VERSUS STATE VALUES, I WANT TO WALK BACK THROUGH THAT AGAIN. WE WALKED THROUGH IT IN FEBRUARY, BUT IT IS A HUGE DRIVING FACTOR OF WHERE OUR BUDGET IS RIGHT NOW AND THEN WHERE WE WANT IT, WHERE WE SEE IT PLANNING IN THE FOR 24-25, AND SO I JUST WANT TO WALK THROUGH IT SO THAT YOU ALL CAN UNDERSTAND WHERE I'M COMING FROM AS FAR AS THAT PROJECTION FOR NEXT YEAR, BECAUSE IT IS A BIG DRIVER IN OUR BUDGET, BECAUSE IF WE SAY THAT THE STATE'S GOING TO FILL IT UP THE REST OF THE WAY, THAT'S WHAT THEY USE FOR RECONCILING THEIR THEIR FUNDS THAT THEY PUT IN. SO AGAIN, THE TOTAL BUCKET REPRESENTS A TOTAL COST TO EDUCATE THE STUDENTS. OUR LOCAL TAX COLLECTION COMES IN AND THEN THE STATE REVENUE FILLS UP THE REST. THE STATE RECONCILES THEIR AMOUNT THAT THEY PUT IN BY DOING THE PROPERTY VALUE STUDY, BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT GOING TO JUST FILL THE BUCKET WITHOUT NOT [00:15:03] MAKING SURE THAT AMOUNT WAS FAIR AND TRUE TO THEM, AND THAT'S THE WAY THAT THEY DO IT THROUGH THE THROUGH THE ANNUAL PROPERTY VALUE STUDY. SO WHAT THEY DO IS THE STATE COMPARES OUR LOCAL TAX ROLL TO THE STATE'S PROPERTY VALUES AND THE ANNUAL PROPERTY VALUE STUDY. THIS ENSURES THAT OUR COUNTY IS TAXING AT A PROPERTY VALUE THAT IS FAIR AND TRUE, AND THAT WE'RE NOT UNDER UNDERVALUING. SO EACH YEAR THEY RELEASE THOSE PROPERTY VALUE STUDY AT THE END OF JANUARY. AT THAT TIME, IT IS A COMPARISON BETWEEN LOCAL VALUES AND STATE VALUES IF WE'RE WITHIN RANGE. A PROPERTY VALUE STUDY IS CONSIDERED TO BE PASSED. IF THE LOCAL PROPERTY VALUES ARE LOWER THAN THE RANGE, A DISTRICT WILL GO INTO GRACE. THEY GET, THEY'RE IN GRACE PERIOD. SO YOU DON'T GET STATE VALUE ASSIGNMENT THE VERY FIRST YEAR THAT THE VALUES ARE NOT THERE. YOU HAVE TIME AND YOUR AND YOUR COUNTY IS AWARE OF IT, TOO, KNOWING THAT WHERE THE VALUES, WHERE THE VALUES ARE. SO A DISTRICT IS ALLOWED THREE YEARS OF GRACE AFTER THREE YEARS OF GRACE, IF THERE IS STILL A FAILED PROPERTY VALUE STUDY, THEN THAT DISTRICT IS ASSIGNED STATE PROPERTY VALUES. SO LOCKHART ISD WENT OUT GRACE AFTER THREE FAILED PROPERTY VALUE STUDIES IN THE YEAR OF 2020. RIGHT NOW, WE'RE IN TAX YEAR 2023 AND THOSE BUILDING THE ROLLS FOR TAX YEAR 2024. SO, YOU CAN JUST THINK ABOUT HOW FAR BACK THAT WAS. SO THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN, WITH TAX YEAR 2020, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IN OUR 2020-21 FISCAL YEAR. SO FISCAL YEAR 21. WE WERE ASSIGNED STATE PROPERTY VALUES. AT THAT TIME, I HAD JUST GOTTEN TO LOCKHART ISD THE NEXT DAY AFTER THE PROPERTY VALUE STUDY WAS RELEASED, AND THAT OUR LEVY WAS NOT AS BIG THEN. SO THE LOSS OF REVENUE WAS NOT AS SIGNIFICANT AS IT WAS LAST YEAR. SO ONCE A SCHOOL DISTRICT IS OUT OF GRACE, THERE HAS TO BE THREE PASSED PROPERTY VALUE STUDIES IN A ROW BEFORE A DISTRICT CAN GO BACK IN GRACE ALLOWING GRACE. WE DID RECEIVE A PASSED PROPERTY VALUE STUDY IN 2021, WHICH WAS THE START OF STARTING THAT GRACE BACK OVER. THE PROPERTY VALUES THAT YEAR SKYROCKETED ALMOST 40%, SO THERE WAS NO REASON TO THINK THAT WE WOULD HAVE A FAILED PROPERTY VALUE STUDY IN 2022, BUT THAT DID HAPPEN. THE PROPERTY VALUE STUDY DID FAIL, AND THEN IN 2023, WE RECEIVED A PASSED PROPERTY VALUE STUDY. SO HERE WE ARE AGAIN ONE YEAR, ONE YEAR UNDER OUR BELT OF STARTING BACK OVER. HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET TWO MORE IN A ROW. THIS IS TINY NOW THAT I SEE THAT UP THERE, BUT I'M GOING TO JUST POINT OUT I'LL PULL OUT SOME PARTS. THIS IS JUST A REFRESHER. THIS IS THE 2022 YEAR, THE YEAR THAT THE DISTRICT FAILED. I SAY THE DISTRICT, THE YEAR THAT THE VALUES FAILED, AND WHAT WE LOOK AT IS WE LOOK AT THE LOCAL TAX ROLL. OUR LOCAL LEVY VALUES ARE IN THE MAROON BOX, AND THEN WE LOOK AT THE STATE VALUES IN THE RED BOX, AND THEN WE SEE THAT THIS RED BOX AT THE END MATCHES STATE VALUES. SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT THE DISTRICT WAS ASSIGNED STATE VALUES THAT YEAR AND I'LL GO PULL OUT THE DETAILS OF THAT. SO IF YOU CAN SEE ON HERE A LOT OF THE VALUES SAY N/A, N/A, N/A. THEY DON'T, THEY DON'T LOOK AT THEM IF IT'S NOT A HUGE PORTION OF THE LEVY. SO THEY PULL OUT THE BIG PORTIONS OF THE LEVY, WHICH ARE SINGLE FAMILY DWELLINGS OUR AG LAND, COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE, THOSE ARE THE BIG PROPERTIES IN THE DISTRICT THAT MAKE UP MOST OF THE LEVY. SO THAT'S REALLY WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT. OUR RESIDENTIALS DID GREAT AT 97%, BUT THEN WE COME IN AND WE LOOK AT THIS NON AG LAND IT WAS SO BELOW AT 81% THAT ONE AREA IS WHY THE PROPERTY VALUE FAILED. THE PROPERTY VALUE STUDY FAILED, AND WHAT THAT IS, IS THAT'S NON AG LAND BEING SOLD TO A COMMERCIAL DEVELOPER FOR A HIGH DOLLAR AMOUNT, AND THERE WERE MANY SALES THAT YEAR, AND THE COUNTY WAS ABLE WELL NOW HAS LEARNED ABOUT [00:20:04] THEM. LET ME ALSO HAVE A SIDE LITTLE FACT. IF A PROPERTY VALUE STUDY FAILS AT LESS THAN 80%, THERE IS NO THREE YEARS OF GRACE. THEY IMMEDIATELY FAIL SO THEY COULD GO FROM ONE YEAR DOING BEING FINE, HAVING NEVER HAD GRACE, AND THEN ONE YEAR, IF THEY HAVE THIS HAPPEN IN THEIR COMMUNITY, WHERE THEIR LAND IS STARTING TO SELL AT A HIGH RATES FOR TO DEVELOPERS, THEY COULD FAIL THAT IN THE VERY FIRST YEAR WITHOUT GRACE, BECAUSE IT WAS THIS FAR OFF AND I BELIEVE I DON'T WANT TO MISSPEAK, BUT I THINK LAGRANGE ISD DID LAST YEAR. I KNOW, I KNOW, A FEW DISTRICTS HAD NEVER BEEN IN GRACE, AND THEY DID FAIL THE SAME YEAR THAT WE DID FOR THE SAME THE SAME REASON. SO. WITH THAT BEING SAID, WHEN WE WERE PLANNING FOR THE 2023 TAX ROLL AND THE 23-24 FISCAL YEAR BUDGET. WHEN WE HAVE A FAILING IN SUCH A BIG PORTION OF OUR LEVY AT 81%, THERE WAS NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO, ESPECIALLY WITH THE LAND CONTINUING TO SELL TO DEVELOPERS, THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO CATCH BACK UP. SO AT THAT TIME, WE MADE A DECISION TO BUDGET AS IF WE WOULD RECEIVE STATE VALUES AGAIN, AND SO THAT'S WHERE WE ARE WITH OUR 23-24 BUDGET DECIDING BECAUSE OF THAT, THAT LARGE AREA THAT WAS FAILING. YES, SIR. FIRST OF ALL, I HAVE A. I GUESS THE COMMENT YOU KEEP SAYING WE FAILED, WE DIDN'T SET THE PROPERTY VALUES. YOU'RE RIGHT. SO HOW CAN WE FAIL? YOU KNOW, THE STATE RIGGED IT SO THAT WE FAILED, AND EARLIER YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT WHAT WAS IT FAIR AND SOMETHING FAIR AND TRUE LEVY, WHO DECIDES THAT THE STATE DECIDES THAT WE DON'T DECIDE THAT. THAT'S WHAT BOTHERS ME THE MOST ABOUT ALL OF THIS, IS THAT WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL OVER ANY OF THIS, AND WE'RE THE ONES THAT PAY THE PRICE. YOU KNOW, WE GET THE PENALTY AND WE HAD NO CONTROL OVER THOSE FARMERS SELLING THEIR PROPERTY. WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT SETTING THE APPRAISALS. THE ONE THAT DOES THIS, THE GOVERNOR AND THE COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE, AND THEN THEY GAVE US THIS BIG BREAK OF WHATEVER ON OUR HOMESTEADS, BECAUSE THEY HAD ALREADY PUSHED THE APPRAISALS UP SO HIGH. IT WAS RIDICULOUS, AND BACK ON PAGE NINE IT SAYS VERY PRELIMINARY VALUE. YOU'VE GOT 18% FOR 2023 VALUES INCREASED. IS THAT APPRAISALS OR IS THAT WE INCREASED OUR INTAKE OF TAXES SO THAT PROJECTION OF 13% IS AN INCREASE IN OUR TOTAL LEVY. SO IT DOESN'T JUST INCLUDE THE VALUE OF THE CURRENT PROPERTY THAT WE HAVE. IT INCLUDES THE INCREASE IN OUR WHOLE LEVY. SO IF WE HAVE BRAND NEW PROPERTIES IN 2024, THAT'S AN INCREASE TO ALL NEW PROPERTIES. SO WITHOUT SEEING THE DETAILS YET OF THE BECAUSE I WON'T GET THAT UNTIL APRIL 30TH. I DON'T WANT TO MAKE AN ASSUMPTION, BUT MY ASSUMPTION IS THAT ACTUAL RESIDENTIAL LIKE VALUES OR I'M SORRY, 2023 PROPERTY VALUES DID NOT INCREASE THAT MUCH. IT'S MOSTLY GOING TO BE NEW, NEW PROPERTY TO THE COUNTY. I COULD BE WRONG. THAT IS JUST A OKAY, THAT'S JUST A GUESS. THE WAY A LOT OF THIS IS WORDED BOTHERS ME IN A LOT OF THE WAY IT'S WORDED. WHEN WE TRY TO PASS A BOND, YOU KNOW, ONCE AGAIN, WE'RE GETTING SLAPPED ACROSS THE FACE BECAUSE THE VOTERS SEE WHAT THEY SEE AND IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE TRYING TO GET AWAY WITH SOMETHING. YES, AND I DON'T DISAGREE WITH YOU AT ALL, AND I WILL I WILL TRY TO SAY I WON'T SAY WE ALTHOUGH WE IT DOES AFFECT US, BUT WE PERSONALLY THE DISTRICT DID NOT FAIL ANYTHING BY, BUT YOU'RE RIGHT. WE'RE PENALIZED FOR THEIR AND THEY HAVE, THE STATE HAS MORE DATA SALES DATA THAN THE COUNTY DOES. SO THEY'RE ABLE TO CREATE, ESTIMATE AND VALUE AT A DIFFERENT ABILITY THAN THE COUNTY DOES. SO THAT'S ALSO NOT, I LIKE YOUR USE OF THE WORD CREATE, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT A LOT OF IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S CREATION, BUT SEE, IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE RULES OF THE GAME HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO PLAY, AND SO AS LONG AS YOU SAY WE WERE PENALIZED OR WE WERE SMACKED ACROSS THE HEAD BY THE STATE AND SUPPOSED TO, WE FAILED BECAUSE I DON'T THINK WE FAILED. I THINK WE'VE DONE THE BEST WE CAN. THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. I WILL SAY WE WERE PENALIZED. I WON'T SAY THE SMACK ACROSS THE HEAD PART. I THINK SHE WHAT SHE WAS TRYING TO SAY, MR. [00:25:01] LOCKHART IS THAT ACCORDING TO THE STATE STANDARDS, WE FAILED, BUT HOW THEY SAID IT NOT WHAT HOW WE WHAT WE DID, BUT JUST HOW THE STATE SAID IT, AND WE DON'T HAVE ANY INPUT IN THAT. RIGHT, BUT I THINK THAT'S WHAT SHE MEANT TO SAY. YEAH, AND THIS PARTICULAR YEAR IN 2022 IT I THINK IT WAS MORE THAN 50 ADDITIONAL DISTRICTS WERE PENALIZED IN A PROPERTY VALUE STUDY, AND BECAUSE OF THIS PARTICULAR YEAR, AND THAT WAS SHOCKING. THE INCREASE WENT FROM AROUND 90 SOMETHING DISTRICTS TO 152 DISTRICTS IN ONE YEAR, THAT WERE PENALIZED AND IT WAS A LEGISLATIVE YEAR, AND THAT THEY GO TO THE LEGISLATOR TO HOLD SOME OF THOSE DISTRICTS HARMLESS TO CHANGE THIS, THE WAY THAT THEY'RE DOING IT, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THAT DIDN'T THAT GAIN ANY TRACTION AT THE THINGS DURING THE--SO THEY COULD TELL THEM TO BE PROBLEM WITH THE WAY THEY DO, BUT THEY CHOSE NOT TO? NOW THEY WIN DOING IT THIS WAY. SO THAT WAS A REMINDER OF 2022 PROPERTY VALUE STUDY, AND WHAT WE USE TO CREATE THE 23-24 BUDGET. THE IMPACT OF THAT WAS, AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, OUR TOTAL LEVY IS AT THE BOTTOM. WE COLLECTED ON ALMOST 2.8 BILLION IN PROPERTY VALUE, AND THEY SAID THAT WE SHOULD HAVE COLLECTED AT 3.1 BILLION. SO WHAT THEY DO IS THEY SAY YOU FILLED YOUR BUCKET UP, BUT NOT HIGH ENOUGH. YOU SHOULD HAVE COLLECTED ON THE DIFFERENCE OF THAT LEVY. SO WE'RE GOING TO REDUCE OUR STATE PORTION BY WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE COLLECTED HAD YOUR LEVY BEEN THE $3.1 BILLION THAT THE STATE SAYS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN. THEN WE LOOK AT OUR 2023 PROPERTY VALUE STUDY, AND AGAIN, OUR LOCAL VALUES ARE IN THE MAROON BOX AND OUR THE STATE VALUES ARE IN THE RED BOX, AND SO AMAZING OUR LOCAL VALUES ARE IN THE GREEN BOX BECAUSE WE WERE ASSIGNED THE LOCAL VALUES, AND SO LET'S LOOK AT THE BIG PORTIONS OF THE LEVY THAT THEY LOOK AT. EVERYTHING IS OVER, BESIDES COMMERCIAL, EVERYTHING WAS OVER. OUR VALUES WERE HIGHER THAN THE STATE VALUES. I SAY OUR, I MEAN THE COUNTIES AND THAT AREA OF NON AG LAND. THE E IS OVER 100%. SO IT WENT FROM 81% OF THE STATE VALUES TO OVER 100% OF THE STATE VALUES. SO THAT WAS HOW THE PROPERTY VALUE WAS FOUND WAS CERTIFIED TO BE PASSED. I THINK THE IMPORTANT PIECE ON THAT COLUMN OR CATEGORY E IS NOW THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT HAS KIND OF A MARKET VALUE OF WHAT THINGS ARE SELLING FOR, SO THEY'RE GOING TO BE MUCH CLOSER IN THEIR EYES NOW, BECAUSE THEY'VE SEEN THE BIG PRICE INCREASE OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. SO NOW THAT'S KIND OF HELPING US CATCH UP, SO WE DON'T HAVE THAT BIG GAP. SO WITH THE RESULTS OF THIS IN OUR BIGGEST PORTIONS OF OUR LEVY BEING OUR SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL HOMES AND THAT NON AG LAND, BEING OVER 100%. I FEEL COMFORTABLE BUDGETING NEXT YEAR THAT WE WOULD HAVE LOCAL VALUES ASSIGNED FOR OUR 24 T AX LEVY. SO DO YOU ALL HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT OR? OKAY. BECAUSE THAT IS A BIG PART THAT DRIVES THAT DRIVES THE BUDGET WHAT WE DO. SO WE LOOK AT THAT AND THEN WE CAN, WE'VE LOOKED I REALLY LIKE THE FACT THAT TAKE THEIR NUMBER WHEN THEIR NUMBER IS WHAT IT IS, BUT THEY DON'T TAKE THEIR NUMBER WHEN OUR NUMBER IS HIGHER. THAT'S VERY KIND OF THEM TO TAKE OUR HIGHER NUMBER INSTEAD OF TAKING THEIR ASSIGNED VALUES, BUT THEY'RE REAL HAPPY TO TAKE THEIR NUMBER [INAUDIBLE]. THANK YOU, STATE. YES. [CHUCKLING] IT'S JUST RIDICULOUS. I UNDERSTAND. OKAY, SO WE LOOK AT WHERE THE REVENUES ARE THAT LIKE I SAID, THE VALUES IS A BIG DRIVING FACTOR GOING INTO THE BUDGET. [00:30:08] WE LOOK AT THE 23-24 BUDGET AND WE'RE READY TO REALLY START WORKING ON THE 24-25 BUDGET, BECAUSE NOW WE HAVE SOME. WE HAVE A GOOD FOUNDATION OUT OF [INAUDIBLE]. GOD BLESS YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. WE ARE WANTING TO ALWAYS THINK OUT OUTSIDE OF THE BOX. WE ARE LOCKHART LEADING, AND ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE DO THAT IS WE DON'T JUST TAKE OUR 23-24 BUDGET AND ADD TO IT. WE EVALUATE OUR CURRENT BUDGET. WE SEE WHAT WE'RE DOING. IS IT IMPACTING 1.5? ARE THERE AREAS THAT NEED SUPPORT? WE TAKE WE WANT STAKEHOLDER INPUT . AND WE DEFINITELY WANT TO AVOID, BUT WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IT THAT WAY AND WE JUST WE DON'T WANT TO KEEP DOING THE SAME THING. WE WANT TO EVALUATE WHAT WE'RE DOING AND THEN WE WANT TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO BETTER. YOU ABANDON ANYTHING THAT'S NOT WORKING? YES. YES, MA'AM. ON THE STAKEHOLDER INPUT LAST YEAR, IF YOU ALL REMEMBER, WE ASKED ELEMENTARY TEACHERS ABOUT IF THEY WOULD LIKE A PORTABLE ON THEIR CAMPUS TO RELIEVE CLASSROOM SIZE OR IF THEY WOULD WANT AN EXTRA STUDENT STIPEND, AND SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE STARTED TO GET STAKEHOLDER INPUT THROUGH OVER ALL THE YEARS. WE JUST ASSUME YOU DEFINITELY WANT A PORTABLE, YOU WANT MORE CLASSROOMS, AND THAT WAS THERE WAS A RESOUNDING WE WANT AN EXTRA STUDENT STIPEND INSTEAD OPPORTUNITY. SO WE DID THAT. THIS YEAR WE'RE TRYING TO WE'RE PILOTING PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING. I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT IN A MINUTE. LET'S BACK UP TO THAT, WHERE WE ASKED TEACHERS TO TAKE ON A FEW EXTRA STUDENTS, YOU KNOW. SO HOW DO WE FEEL IN TERMS OF THAT BEING SUCCESSFUL OR NOT? THINK IT WORKED OUT PRETTY GOOD? I THINK THERE'S SOME MIXED FEEDBACK. I'VE HAD SOME TEACHERS, YOU KNOW, EXPRESS SOME CONCERNS, BUT I THINK OVERALL FOR WHERE WE ARE WITH OPENING A NEW CAMPUS AND WITH THE BUDGET, I THINK IT'S STILL THE ONLY PATH FORWARD FOR NEXT YEAR. I THINK YOU KNOW, THERE HASN'T BEEN THIS HUGE ISSUE, AS WE'VE TALKED AT THE STAFF FORUMS, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GONE AND TALKED TO EVERY CAMPUS. IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT HAS EVEN RISEN AT, YOU KNOW, AT THAT LEVEL AS A MAJOR CONCERN. YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S BEEN KIND OF MORE OF SOME ISOLATED CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT I STILL THINK THAT IT IS THE BEST PATH PATH FORWARD. IN THE SHORT TERM, UNTIL WE HAVE THAT NEW SCHOOL BUILT. SO HOW DO YOU SEE THIS WORKING? SO DO WE ASK THOSE SAME TEACHERS TO TAKE A FEW MORE STUDENTS? OR DO WE LOOK FOR OTHER TEACHERS TO TAKE STUDENTS THAT DON'T HAVE THAT DIDN'T DO IT THIS YEAR? SO THE WAY THAT WE PRIORITIZE IT IS YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THE PRINCIPAL AND IDENTIFYING WHICH TEACHERS ARE OUR BEST TEACHERS THAT CAN BEST SUPPORT KIDS AND WHERE WE WOULD, YOU KNOW, WANT TO HAVE EXTRA KIDS IN THE CLASSROOM AND WORK IT THE SAME WAY, AND IT'S LIKELY THAT THOSE WILL BE THE SAME NEXT YEAR AS THEY WERE THIS YEAR, BUT AGAIN, I THINK, FOR ME, A BIG INDICATOR WHEN WE DO THOSE STAFF FORUMS AND WE GO AROUND OUR STAFF IS IS NOT AFRAID TO VOICE CONCERNS. THEY'RE VERY OPEN AND HONEST, AND YOU KNOW, MR. RAYOS, YOU WERE YOU WERE THERE WITH ME AND, YOU KNOW, WE HEARD A LOT OF OTHER THINGS THAT THEY WANTED TO GIVE US FEEDBACK ON. THIS IS NOT ONE THAT THEY REALLY CHOSE TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME DISCUSSING. I WILL SAY ALSO DOCTOR SANCHEZ, IN TERMS OF YOUR COMMENT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE STILL EVALUATING THE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE AREN'T WORKING OR THINGS THAT AREN'T PROVIDING THE RESULTS THAT WE WOULD WANT. YOU KNOW, THIS IS OUR FIRST BUDGET WORKSHOP, BUT WE'RE STILL GOING THROUGH THAT PROCESS AS A TEAM. OKAY, SO THE NEXT THING WE WANT TO LOOK AT, WE KNOW ABOUT THE REVENUES. SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE KNOW THAT VALUES DRIVE REVENUE, BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT ENROLLMENT DRIVES REVENUE. SO IN YOUR BINDER I HAVE TWO DEMOGRAPHIC STUDIES I THINK IT'S ON TAB TWO. IT IS. SO THAT YOU CAN LOOK AT THEM AS I'M KIND OF TALKING THROUGH IT, AND YOU CAN KIND OF COMPARE THE TWO IF YOU WOULD LIKE. THIS IS THE DEMOGRAPHIC STUDY THAT WE LOOKED AT LAST YEAR, THIS TIME WHEN WE WERE PREPARING FOR THE 23-24 BUDGET, AND SO THIS IS WHERE THIS IS WHAT THE DEMOGRAPHER. [00:35:04] WAS PROJECTING FOR OUR ENROLLMENT FOR THE SNAPSHOT DATE OF OCTOBER AND OF 2023, WHICH WOULD HAVE DROVE OUR 23-24 ENROLLMENT, AND THIS IS WHAT THEY AT THAT TIME WITH A HIGH SCENARIO, 6843 STUDENTS, AND A MODERATE SCENARIO OF 6750 STUDENTS ESTIMATED WHAT OUR FALL OF 2024 ENROLLMENT WAS GOING TO BE, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE PLANNING FOR RIGHT NOW. OUR ENROLLMENT FOR NEXT YEAR, WHICH DRIVES OUR THE MAIN PART OF OUR BUCKET IS WHAT OUR HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE GOING TO BE HERE. SO I JUST WANTED TO SHOW YOU WHERE WE WERE WITH THEIR PROJECTIONS AND WHERE WE FELL. SO THIS IS FROM THIS YEAR. WE HAD 6619 STUDENTS ON THE OCTOBER SNAPSHOT, WHICH IF YOU GO BACK AND YOU LOOK AT THE ONE FROM LAST YEAR, WAS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MODERATE AND THE HIGH PLAN, AND THEN THIS YEAR, 6845 WAS THE MODERATE. I'M SORRY, WAS THE HIGH, AND IT'S NOW THE MODERATE. SO THERE'S A LITTLE BIT HIGHER GROWTH EVEN THAN THEY THOUGHT. THAT'S WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO POINT OUT IN SHOWING BOTH OF THOSE AS WE'RE PLANNING FOR FOR NEXT YEAR. SO THEY ORIGINALLY IT WAS THE HIGH. NOW IT'S THE MODERATE, AND RIGHT NOW OUR ENROLLMENT IS AT 6715. SO WHILE WE HAD 6619 IN OCTOBER, WE NOW HAVE 6715 STUDENTS. AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW WEEK BY WEEK STILL. THIS IS ABOUT THE TIME OF YEAR THAT WE START TO SEE A DECLINE IN ENROLLMENT. WE HAVEN'T QUITE SEEN THAT YET, BUT WE WATCH IT EVERY WEEK. I'D LIKE MAYBE MR. ESTRADA TO STATE WHAT YOU TOLD ME THE OTHER DAY THAT WE ALREADY HAVE A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT ARE ENROLLED WITH US AT THE MOMENT, BUT THEY PLAN TO ENROLL NEXT YEAR. I BELIEVE WE HAVE OVER 40 RIGHT NOW, IF I WAS READING THAT LAST CHART CORRECTLY. SO WE HAVE PARENTS WHO ARE MOVING INTO THE DISTRICT AND ENROLLING THEIR STUDENTS FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR, BUT THEIR KIDS CURRENTLY AREN'T IN OUR DISTRICT. SO YOU KNOW, WHICH TELLS US THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE BUYING A NEW HOUSE, THEY'RE FINISHING OUT THE SCHOOL YEAR, BUT I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IT'S PRETTY SURPRISING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T HAD THAT MANY STUDENTS IN THAT SITUATION, BUT I THINK THE TIMING OF YOU KNOW, WHEN THESE HOUSING DEVELOPERS ARE DELIVERING THEIR, THEIR HOMES AND PEOPLE ARE MOVING IN, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, ALREADY SEEING PEOPLE PLAN TO BE HERE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR, BUT THEY'RE NOT HERE YET, BUT THEY'VE ALREADY ENROLLED THEIR CHILDREN, AND THEN NOT IN THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION, BUT IN YOUR BINDER. I'VE INCLUDED THAT. IT'S NOT IN CHART FORM. IT'S IN SPREADSHEET FORM THAT ENROLLMENT AND WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE VERSUS CAPACITY OF THEIR PROJECTIONS OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS. SEE A LOT OF RED. YES, IT IS A LOT OF RED. YEAH, AND BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, THESE PROJECTIONS CONTINUE TO VALIDATE OUR THREE PHASE BOND PLANNING THAT WE HAD, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, AS WE OPEN UP THE NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AS WE OPEN UP THE NEW ADDITIONS AT LOCKHART HIGH SCHOOL, WE'LL REACH CAPACITY AGAIN IN A COUPLE OF YEARS, WHICH REQUIRES US TO PLAN TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, THAT A SCHOOL BOND NO LATER THAN 2025, AS WE SHARED WITH THE COMMUNITY A COUPLE YEARS AGO AND WE'RE RIGHT ON TARGET TO HAVE THAT NEED NEXT, NEXT YEAR AGAIN AS WELL. SO YOU KNOW, THE THREE PHASE BOND APPROACH IS PLANNING OUT EXACTLY AS WE THOUGHT IT WOULD AND SHARED WITH THE COMMUNITY. SO I HOPE THAT CLEAR COMMUNICATION WITH THE COMMUNITY THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS, YOU KNOW, WE STILL HAVE WHEN YOU GO INTO EVERY CAMPUS IN THE DISTRICT IN THE FRONT LOBBY, THERE'S THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A BIG POSTER WITH PHASE ONE, PHASE TWO, PHASE THREE, WHAT THOSE THINGS ENTAIL, AND ALL OF THAT IS PLAYING OUT BASED ON THESE DEMOGRAPHIC REPORTS. [00:40:12] OKAY. SO LET'S I WANT TO TELL YOU ALL HOW THE SPECIAL ED PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING WENT BACK IN FEBRUARY. SO WHAT PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING DOES IS IT ALLOWS THE STAFF IN A DEPARTMENT TO BE THE DECISION MAKERS ON HOW FUNDS, NEW OR CURRENT, HOWEVER YOU CHOOSE TO DO IT WOULD BE PRIORITIZED FOR SPENDING. SO THIS YEAR, THE SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WAS SELECTED TO BE A PILOT GROUP TO INVEST NEW FUNDS INTO THE PROGRAM FOR 24-25 FISCAL YEAR, AND THE WAY THAT WE DID THAT WAS ON FEBRUARY 22ND. WE HAD OUR FIRST MEETING. WE INVITED OVER 100 SPECIAL ED STAFF, WHICH INCLUDED INSTRUCTIONAL AIDES, TEACHERS AND THE SPECIAL ED SUPPORTS, AND EVERYBODY WAS INVITED IN THE SPECIAL ED DEPARTMENT. WE HAD OVER 40 SPECIAL ED STAFF THAT PARTICIPATED. WE MET IN HERE. WE HAD SIX TABLES AND THE TABLES WERE SET UP SO THAT THEY INCLUDED. EVERY EACH ONE OF THE THREE GROUPS WERE REPRESENTED, SO THE TABLE HAD SPED SUPPORT TEACHERS AND INSTRUCTIONAL AIDES. SO THAT THERE WOULD BE ALL THREE OF THEM IN EACH OF THE DISCUSSION GROUPS, SO EACH OF THE SIX TABLES WERE GIVEN OVER $1.3 MILLION IN DIFFERENT NEEDS, WITH INDIVIDUAL COSTS WRITTEN ON THEM THAT THEY HAD EXPRESSED, WHETHER IT WAS IN FORUMS OR OTHER MEETINGS, AND THEN WE ALSO PUT SOME BLANK CARDS ON THERE IN CASE THEY HAD NEW IDEAS THAT THEY WANTED TO BRING TO THE TABLE. SO WHAT THEY DID WAS EACH TABLE DISCUSSED, THEY PRIORITIZED THE IDEAS TO TOTAL $200,000, AND THEN THEY SHARED THOSE PRIORITIES OUT AT THE END OVER HERE ON THE RIGHT, AND I'M SORRY IT'S BEHIND YOU ALL. THESE ARE EACH TABLE WAS A DIFFERENT COLOR. THESE ARE THE SIX TABLES THAT CAME UP WITH THEIR BUDGETS, HOW THEY PRIORITIZED THE $200,000, AND WE WEREN'T SURE HOW IT WOULD GO. WE DIDN'T KNOW IF WE WOULD HAVE SIX OF THE EXACT SAME BUDGET, BECAUSE THEY ALL WANT THE SAME THING. WE WEREN'T SURE IF WE WERE GOING TO HAVE SIX COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BUDGETS, THAT NOTHING WAS THE SAME BETWEEN ALL SIX OF THEM, AND IT REALLY WAS A FRUITFUL NIGHT OF DISCUSSION, COLLABORATION. IT WAS REALLY, FOR ME, AN ENJOYABLE TIME. I HAD A LOT OF FUN HEARING EVERYBODY TALK ABOUT IT. YEAH, I THINK THIS EXERCISE IS EXTREMELY POWERFUL. YOU KNOW, WE RECEIVED FEEDBACK FROM OUR STAFF AND REALLY EXPLAINING LIKE, WOW, NOW I KIND OF UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THEY WERE ABLE TO TELL US EVERYTHING THAT THEY NEED, WHICH WAS OVER $1.3 MILLION, AND WE WERE ABLE TO SAY, WELL. WE DON'T HAVE $1.3 MILLION, BUT THIS IS WHAT WE WANT TO INVEST. HELP US MAKE THE BEST DECISION AND PRIORITIZE THE 200,000 THAT WE DO HAVE TO INVEST, AND I THINK IT REALLY EMPOWERED THE STAFF AND ALSO GAVE THEM A REALLY A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROCESS AND DECISIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE AS ADMINISTRATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE MAKE, AND THEN AS THE BOARD, AS YOU MAKE DECISIONS AS WELL. SO I THINK IT WAS IT WAS JUST A REALLY GREAT EXPERIENCE. I WANT TO COMMEND MISS WEISER FOR HER COURAGE AND INNOVATIVE THINKING TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS. YOU KNOW, THE STAFF, I MEAN, IT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL IN THE STAFF CONTINUING TO SHARE, LIKE, WOW, THIS WAS REALLY GREAT. WE HAD REAL OPPORTUNITIES TO GIVE FEEDBACK, AND I THINK IT'S IT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS AND SOMETHING THAT WILL CONTINUE TO DO AS A DISTRICT MOVING FORWARD. ABSOLUTELY, AND WHAT WHILE WE DID HAVE SIX DIFFERENT BUDGETS, WE DID HAVE A FEW THINGS THAT WERE THE SAME ON EVERY BUDGET, WHICH REALLY STOOD OUT AS A PRIORITY. LIKE I SAID, WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS GOING TO LOOK LIKE, BUT WE KNEW THAT WE WERE GOING TO MAYBE HAVE A SECOND MEETING IF THE BUDGETS DID LOOK DIFFERENT AND THEY DID, SO WE DECIDED TO HAVE IT. WE HAD A SECOND MEETING ONE WEEK LATER WHERE WE WOULD BRING BACK THE SIX BUDGETS AND NARROW IT DOWN TO WHAT WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO GO. SO THERE WERE TWO ITEMS THAT WERE SELECTED BY ALL SIX TEAMS AND MEETING NUMBER ONE. SO THAT LEFT 108,000 THAT NEEDED TO STILL BE PRIORITIZED BY THIS GROUP. SO WHAT WE DID WAS WE AFTER THE TWO CAME OFF OF THOSE LISTS, EVERYTHING THAT WAS LEFT OVER, THAT WAS PUT ON A LIST AS A PRIORITY. WHAT IS ON ARE ON THESE, THEY'RE IN SALMON. [00:45:03] THEY'RE THE TOP ONES IN SALMON, AND THE TEAMS AGAIN WERE GIVEN THE REST. WHATEVER WAS LEFT OVER THAT THEY DIDN'T ALREADY DECIDE AT MEETING NUMBER ONE. EVERYTHING ELSE WAS HERE, AND THEY WERE TO THEY WERE TO PUT WHERE THEIR TABLE PRIORITIZED THAT LAST 108,000, AND WE WENT FROM THERE. SO THEY PICKED. THERE WERE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WERE A MAJORITY. I BELIEVE THERE WERE THREE. I CAN'T SEE THEM FROM THIS ANGLE, BUT THERE WERE THREE. IF THEY HAD, THERE WERE FOUR TEAMS AT THE SECOND MEETING, AS OPPOSED TO SIX FROM THE FIRST MEETING, BUT THERE WERE 2 OR 3 ITEMS THAT HAD FOUR THAT HAD 3 OR 4 VOTES. SO THEY DEFINITELY WERE PRIORITIZED, AND THEN WE HAD A FEW $15,000 LEFT OVER. SO WE GAVE THEM GREEN DOTS TO PRIORITIZE THOSE ITEMS. THE MOST VOTES THAT THOSE ITEMS GOT MADE IT, AND THEY THEY WERE THEY CREATED THEIR BUDGET THROUGH PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING. IT WAS REALLY AWESOME. SO THIS IS THIS IS WHEN THEY WERE GOING UP AND PUTTING THEIR ITEMS UNDER EACH OF THE SALMON COLORED, THE LEFTOVER PRIORITIES THAT WERE FROM MEETING NUMBER ONE, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO SELECT THEIR BUDGET AND CREATE IT. THE OUTCOME OF THAT IS THAT THEY WANTED ONE MORE FOUNDATIONAL LEARNING TEACHER THAT WOULD BE AT A NEW CAMPUS THAT DOES NOT CURRENTLY HAVE FOUNDATIONAL LEARNING. 18 PLUS TEACHER A $1 PER HOUR RAISE FOR HIGH NEED TEACHING ASSISTANTS. SO THERE'S TWO TYPES. JUST LIKE THERE'S TWO SPECIAL ED STIPENDS. THERE ARE TWO SPECIAL ED INSTRUCTIONAL AIDES. THESE ARE FOR THE HIGH NEED INSTRUCTIONAL AIDES THAT WOULD BE IN FOUNDATIONAL LEARNING OR REDIRECTION OR PPC. A $500 INCREASE TO ALL SPECIAL ED TEACHER STIPENDS, $5,000 FOR FOUNDATIONAL LEARNING FIELD TRIPS, $6,800 FOR TEAM LOCKHART CEUS. TEAM LOCKHART IS A SUPPORT STAFF OF THE SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, LIKE THE [INAUDIBLE] AND THE SPEECH PATHOLOGISTS AND LSSPS, ETC, AND THEN SOME DYSLEXIA TRAINING OF 5200. SO THAT WAS WHAT THEY THAT WAS THE RESULT OF THE PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING PROCESS. I THINK IT'S A, I THINK IT'S LIKE A THOUSAND MORE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT A LITTLE BIT WENT OVER JUST A LITTLE. THEY GAVE THEM $1,000 EXTRA? NO, THEY WENT OVER. THEY WENT OVER JUST A LITTLE BIT. IT WAS HARD AT THE END TO GET IT TO MATCH EXACTLY 200,000. LET HIM GO OVER. WELL IT WASN'T ABOUT--AWESOME, THAT IS GREAT. IT WAS A REALLY IT WAS A I THINK IT WAS SUCH AN AWESOME LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR MYSELF AND FOR THEM, NOT UNDERSTANDING MAYBE HOW MUCH SOMETHING REALLY DOES COST, HOW BIG THE BUDGET IS, HOW QUICKLY IT ADDS UP, AND FOR ME, JUST HEARING THE NEEDS OF WHAT IS ON A CAMPUS THAT I DON'T GET TO HEAR ON A DAILY BASIS OR EVEN UNDERSTAND FULLY. SO WE HAD GREAT CONVERSATION AND IT WAS A REALLY GOOD EXPERIENCE. I LOOK FORWARD TO ALL THESE MEETINGS THAT MR. ESTRADA AND I HAD. WE TRIED TOGETHER TO MANAGE EXPECTATIONS A LITTLE BIT. I MEAN, LIKE PEOPLE JUST SEE, YOU KNOW, WHY CAN'T I HAVE ALL THIS MONEY? AND THEN WE TRY TO EXPLAIN, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE GOT THE BUCKET, YOU KNOW, WE GOT THE ONE BUCKET--IT'S ONLY SO BIG--THAT'S ALL WE GOT. YEAH, AND MOSTLY THEY SEEM TO BE UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THAT I THINK. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY, AND THEY REALLY WERE. THEY KNEW THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF GREAT OPTIONS ON THE BOARD. THEY TOOK A LONG TIME TO COME UP WITH THESE. THEY DIDN'T QUICKLY MAKE THEM. I MEAN THEY SPENT 45 MINUTES PROBABLY MAKING THEIR $200,000 BUDGET AND GOING THROUGH ALL THE ITEMS AND SO THEY THEY REALLY SPENT A GOOD AMOUNT OF TIME LOOKING AT IT AND LEARNING. SO IT WAS A GOOD EXPERIENCE. IT WAS REALLY GREAT. WITH THAT BEING SAID, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT INSTRUCTIONAL STAFFING AS WE ARE. WE TOOK A FEW ITEMS LAST TIME AT THE I BELIEVE IT WAS THE FEBRUARY MEETING, AS WE WERE PLANNING FOR 24-25, AND AS THAT CONTINUES, THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO GO OVER RIGHT NOW. SO AT THIS FROM THE SPECIAL ED PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING, THESE WERE THE ITEMS THAT WERE PAYROLL. ONE FOUNDATIONAL LEARNING TEACHER AT A CAMPUS THAT DOESN'T CURRENTLY HAVE FL, AN 18 PLUS TEACHER. [00:50:02] THAT DOLLAR PER HOUR RAISE FOR A HIGH NEED TEACHING ASSISTANT AT $500 INCREASE TO THE SPECIAL ED STIPEND FOR A TOTAL OF 184,160. POWERFUL BECAUSE ABSOLUTELY, DEFINITELY. I THINK ONE OF THE JUST SHOWS HOW GREAT OUR PEOPLE ARE, HOW COGNIZANT THEY WERE OF ALL DIFFERENT STAFF MEMBERS, AND HOW EVEN SOME WHO WEREN'T IN A SPECIFIC CATEGORY OR JOB ROLE WERE ADVOCATING FOR OTHER SUPPORT STAFF MEMBERS AND BALANCING THAT. IT WAS REALLY POWERFUL. THE DOLLAR UNANIMOUS AT THE FIRST MEETING, THEY ALL VOTED THAT IN RIGHT AWAY. THIS ONE'S REALLY EXCITING. ELEMENTARY NUMBER SIX, START UP STAFF. YAY! SO PRINCIPALS STARTING IN NOVEMBER OF 2024. THERE'S A LOT THAT GOES INTO PLANNING, ORDERING MATERIALS AND GETTING THAT SCHOOL STARTED SO THAT SALARY STARTS IN NOVEMBER OF 2024. RIGHT AFTER THE PRINCIPAL WOULD START, THEIR FIRST TASK WOULD BE TO HIRE AN ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT, AND THAT WOULD BE THAT WOULD THAT SALARY STARTS IN DECEMBER OF 2024, AND THEN IN MAY OF 2025, THEY WOULD HIRE THEIR ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL. SO THOSE THREE ARE ALSO UP FOR APPROVAL THIS EVENING. ARE THOSE PRORATED DOLLAR AMOUNTS? YES. OKAY. I WAS MAKING SURE. [CHUCKLING] I WAS LIKE, WAIT A SECOND, 12,000. THOSE ARE PRORATED RIGHT NOW. WE'RE GETTING A DEAL ON THAT. [CHUCKLING] THEY'RE AN INTERN. NO IT IS PRORATED DEPENDING ON THEIR START DATE. OKAY. YEP. THAT'S WHAT I FIGURED. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE. YES, MA'AM. YEAH, AND THEN WE HAVE OUR ESSER THREE FUNDS ARE ENDING IN THE 24-25 YEAR. WE DO HAVE POSITIONS IN THERE THAT WE FROM THAT PROGRAM WOULD LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH AND CONTINUE THEIR SERVICES. THAT INCLUDES FOUR SOCIAL WORKERS, FIVE RESIDENT TEACHERS AND ONE TAG TEACHER FOR A TOTAL OF 435,000. BACK UP, COULD YOU? SO IS THAT EVERYBODY THAT'S CURRENTLY BEING PAID WITH ESSER MONEY NOW, OR IS THAT SOME REDUCTION IN STAFF? HAVE THEY ALREADY MOVED INTO OTHER POSITIONS ALREADY? THERE ARE SOME LIKE THAT. IT DOES NOT INCLUDE EVERY POSITION FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN THAT WE'RE STILL PLANNING. THE PLAN IS TO DO WHAT WE CAN AS EACH MEETING COMES ALONG, BUT OUR PLAN IS TO, NO, YEAH, NO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE STILL SOME POSITIONS ON THERE THAT ACTUALLY AFTER LEARNING, YOU KNOW, WE JUST MET AS A STAFF THIS AFTERNOON IN PREPARATION AND WE CONTINUE TO LEARN OUR BUDGET SITUATION AND CONTINUE TO PLAN AS DATA COMES BACK FROM ALL THE DIFFERENT DATA SOURCES THAT WE HAVE TO CONSIDER, AND I DO EXPECT THAT WE WILL THE NEXT OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE BRINGING THE REST OF THESE POSITIONS OVER. WELL, I WOULD SAY FOR SURE ONE THING WE HEARD FROM OUR COUNSELORS AND NURSING STAFF THAT THE NEED FOR SOCIAL WORKERS WAS VERY IMPORTANT, THEY FELT. ABSOLUTELY. SO I'M STILL UNCLEAR. MAYBE I JUST GOT LOST THERE. THESE POSITIONS ARE CURRENTLY OCCUPIED BY SOMEBODY, AND THEY'RE BEING PAID WITH ESSER FUNDS. YES, AND WE'RE WANTING TO MOVE BECAUSE YOU KIND OF FADED AWAY. WELL, I WAS LOOKING TO MY LEADER HERE FOR JUST A SECOND, AS WE ARE, BECAUSE WE ARE STILL IN THE PLANNING PROCESS AND WE JUST WANT TO BE SENSITIVE TO THAT, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THE GOAL IS TO. YES, THEY'RE BEING THEY'RE CURRENTLY BEING PAID OUT OF ESSER FUNDS, AND YOU WANT US TO FUND THEM NOW? YES. CORRECT. THAT'S ALL I NEED. CORRECT. BECAUSE WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO TELL THESE EMPLOYEES YOU HAVE A JOB NEXT YEAR, AND THERE'S THERE ARE MORE EMPLOYEES AND THAT WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO TELL THAT TO YOU VERY QUICKLY. ALSO, WE WANT TO AT THE END OF THIS, RIGHT AT THE END OF THIS PRESENTATION, THIS IS OUR FIRST OPPORTUNITY THAT WE HAVE. REALLY? I WOULD SAY ENOUGH NUMBERS TO KIND OF GAUGE WHAT OUR [00:55:01] BUDGET'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE NEXT YEAR TO WHERE WE CAN FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH OUR BUDGET SITUATION, AND AT THE WHEN WE GET TO THE END, THAT KIND OF JUST PUTS IT ALL OUT THERE AND SAYS, THIS IS WHAT IT'S LOOKING LIKE. WE WANT TO GET FEEDBACK FROM YOU GUYS. I KNOW WHAT I WANT TO RECOMMEND, BUT I WE STILL NEED TO GET YOUR FEEDBACK, WHICH WOULD GIVE US THE ABILITY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH SOME OF THESE OTHER STAFF MEMBERS WHO ARE PAID OUT OF ESSER THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE, BUT ESSER MONEY IS GOING TO BE IS GONE AFTER THIS YEAR. SO WE'RE GOING TO PICK THAT UP IN THE GENERAL BUDGET, BUT WE'LL EXPLAIN MORE OF THAT LATER, BUT YES, ALL THESE THESE HAVE REAL PEOPLE WHO ARE WAITING TO HEAR FROM US, AND I WOULD GUESS IF WE WAIT TOO LONG, THEN THEY START LOOKING FOR OTHER JOBS. CORRECT. WE'VE ALREADY LOST. WE'VE ALREADY LOST ONE SOCIAL WORKER BECAUSE THEY THEY THEY WANTED, YOU KNOW, TO KNOW IF THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE A JOB. THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE A JOB. CORRECT, AND WE WANT TO HAVE JOBS, WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE. OTHERWISE THEY'RE GOING TO CUT OUR PAY [CHUCKLING] WELL FORGET ABOUT OUR PAY. IT'S ALREADY LOW ANYWAY. YEAH, BUT WE DO OUR GOAL IS TO MOVE OVER ALL OF OUR ESSER STAFF, BUT WE NEED TO GET YOUR FEEDBACK TONIGHT. ONCE WE LOOK AT WHAT THE FINAL NUMBERS ARE PROJECTING, AND SINCE YOU'RE THE MONEY PERSON, YOU FEEL CONFIDENT THAT WE'LL HAVE THE FUNDS TO FINANCE THESE POSITIONS. YES, AND I'LL AND I LIKE TO HOLD THE LIKE MR. ESTRADA WAS JUST SAYING SO THAT WE CAN KIND OF TELL YOU EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING. I LIKE TO YOU KNOW, HOLD THAT NUMBER TO THE VERY END SO THAT IT'LL BE VERY EXCITING. I UNDERSTAND, AND I LIKE THE FACT THAT YOU RESPONDED IMMEDIATELY INSTEAD OF LOOKING OVER AND GOING. I FEEL BETTER. GOOD. OKAY. SO OUR EMPLOYEES ARE OUR BIGGEST ASSET, AND SO WE ONE OF OUR WAYS THAT WE TAKE CARE OF OUR EMPLOYEES IS THROUGH OUR BENEFITS. THESE ARE ALL THE BENEFITS THAT WE OFFER OUR EMPLOYEES, AND THEN ONE GREAT BENEFIT THAT WE OFFER IS OUR LION CARE, OUR SELF-FUNDED PLAN. SO I WANT TO GO INTO SOME DETAILS ON THIS. THE NEXT SLIDE HAS A LOT OF INFORMATION ON IT BUT SO WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT IT PIECE BY PIECE. THESE ARE ALL THE DISTRICTS AROUND US OR ARE IN REGION. THEY'RE IN MAYBE SOME GROUPS THAT I AM IN, AND SO I'M ABLE TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH THEY CONTRIBUTE AS A DISTRICT TO THEIR EMPLOYEES MEDICAL PLAN, TO THE BENEFIT OF A MEDICAL PLAN EACH MONTH. SO THIS WOULD BE WHAT THE DISTRICT PUTS IN PER AN EMPLOYEE FOR THEIR MONTHLY HEALTH CARE PREMIUM. WE'RE IN YELLOW, AND WE PUT IN 396. WE'RE TOWARDS THE BOTTOM BECAUSE ALL THE DISTRICTS ABOVE US ARE AT, YOU KNOW, ABOVE WHAT WE PUT IN AT OVER $400 PER MONTH THAT THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR EMPLOYEES HEALTH CARE PLAN. THEN THE NEXT COLUMN IS WHAT THE EMPLOYEE PAYS IN TO THEIR HEALTH CARE PLAN FOR EMPLOYEE ONLY. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE DEPENDENT CARE, AND THE ONLY REASON WHY I DIDN'T INCLUDE DEPENDENT CARE IS JUST BECAUSE I FELT LIKE THERE WAS ALREADY A LOT OF INFORMATION ON HERE, AND WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT EMPLOYEE BENEFIT, BUT I WILL SAY THAT THE PREMIUMS. FOR ADDING DEPENDENTS AND SPOUSES AT THESE OTHER DISTRICTS WHEN I WAS LOOKING, WHEN I LOOK AT THEM ALL, THEY THEY FOLLOW THE COST OF WHAT WE SEE UP HERE. SO THEN WE LOOK, WE ARE THE ONLY DISTRICT THAT OFFERS EMPLOYEE ONLY ZERO COST. ACROSS THE BOARD. WE DO NOT OFFER MULTIPLE. WE DON'T HAVE A VERY HIGH DEDUCTIBLE PLAN THAT'S FREE AND THEN WE OFFER 4 OR 5 DIFFERENT PLANS THAT MIGHT COST YOU $20 A MONTH TO $50 A MONTH, ALL THE WAY UP TO $618 A MONTH. YOU CAN SEE ON SOME OF THESE 645 SO THESE ARE THE EMPLOYEE PORTIONS THAT THEY PAY MONTHLY FOR THEIR HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS, AND THEN WE GO OVER TO THE DEDUCTIBLES. THAT'S THE TOP NUMBER AND THE OUT OF POCKET MAX, AND I'M JUST SO PROUD TO SEE AGAIN, WE'RE THE BEST HERE. WE HAVE ONLY A $500 DEDUCTIBLE FOR AN EMPLOYEE, A THOUSAND FOR THEIR FAMILY, AND THEN A 4000 OUT [01:00:08] OF POCKET MAX FOR EMPLOYEE ONLY WHERE THAT YOU OBVIOUSLY CANNOT. THAT JUST DOESN'T EXIST. OUR EMPLOYEES ARE SAVING A TON OF MONEY. THEY'RE GETTING GREAT HEALTH CARE. WE'RE GETTING GREAT FEEDBACK. I'LL ALSO SAY, LIKE WHEN WE LOOK AT ONE DISTRICT, THAT'S TWO ABOVE US THOSE ARE THEIR IN-NETWORK DEDUCTIBLES. IF THEY GO OUT OF NETWORK, THEIR DEDUCTIBLE DOUBLES. I WAS SHOCKED BY THAT WHEN I SAW THAT AND MOST OF THEM, APART FROM US, NOT MOST OF THEM, ALL OF THEM APART FROM US, HAVE IN-NETWORK VERSUS OUT OF NETWORK. SO THESE DEDUCTIBLES ARE ALL IN NETWORK SERVICES. THERE'S AGAIN DIDN'T WANT TO ADD ANOTHER COLUMN, BUT ALL OF THE OUT OF NETWORK DEDUCTIBLES ARE EVEN HIGHER, BUT THE ONE DISTRICT THERE I PUT THE DOUBLES BECAUSE THAT JUST I COULDN'T I WAS SHOCKED BY THAT. NONE OF THEM WERE DOUBLED LIKE THAT. I FEEL BAD CALLING THEM OUT, BUT IT'S JUST WHAT I SAW. SO, ALL THAT TO BE SAID, I JUST WANTED TO SHOW WHERE OUR COSTS ARE FOR FOR THE DISTRICT AND FOR THE EMPLOYEE. COMPARED TO THE DISTRICTS SURROUNDING US. THE AVERAGE EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTION IS $427 IN THOSE DISTRICTS THAT WE JUST SAW. IF WE WERE THE AVERAGE, WE COULD CONTRIBUTE, WE WOULD BE CONTRIBUTING 260,000 MORE DOLLARS TO OUR HEALTH CARE PLAN, AND THEN PRIOR TO THE 2021 FISCAL YEAR, THE DISTRICT CONTRIBUTED $487. SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL REMEMBER, BUT IT WAS IT'S 396 NOW. IT USED TO BE $487. APART FROM THE HIGH DEDUCTIBLE PLAN. FOR MOST OF THE TRS PLANS, THIS WAS PRIOR TO THE 2021 FISCAL YEAR. IF THE DISTRICT WAS STILL CONTRIBUTING THAT $487 AMOUNT, WE WOULD BE CONTRIBUTING $764,000 TO OUR CURRENT LINE CARE PLAN. NOW THAT THE PLAN. WE'VE HAD THIS PLAN FOR 18, 19 MONTHS. WE ARE LEARNING WHAT THE PLAN COSTS US FOR THIS GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS THAT WE EMPLOY AND THE HEALTH CARE THAT THEY ARE GETTING AND NEEDING, AND OUR PLAN THIS YEAR COULD COST US ABOUT AN ADDITIONAL HALF A MILLION TO $700,000, AND THAT IS THAT IT'S HARD TO KNOW BECAUSE WE'RE ONLY HALFWAY THROUGH THE PLAN YEAR, BUT IF IT CONTINUES TO GO ON LIKE IT DOES WITH THEM GIVING THE SERVICES THEY NEED. SO I WANTED TO LET YOU ALL SEE HOW THE DISTRICTS AROUND ARE DOING, WHAT OUR EMPLOYEES ARE PAYING IN, AND WHERE THE PLAN IS RIGHT NOW. SO THE FIRST YEAR OF THE PLAN, WEREN'T WE DOWN AROUND $80,000? OR WAS THAT THE FINAL AMOUNT? YES, YES. SO WHAT SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING THIS YEAR THAT WE'VE WE SO EXCEEDING THAT SO MUCH SO A COUPLE OF THINGS. I'M GOING TO TRY TO EXPLAIN STOP LOSS, AND WE CAN IF I DON'T EXPLAIN IT WELL, YOU JUST TELL ME AND I'LL EXPLAIN IT AGAIN, MAYBE IN A DIFFERENT WAY OR ACTUALLY. NO, YOU CAN DO IT. OKAY. YOU TELL ME IF I, YOU TELL ME IF I DO IT WRONG. YEAH. SO ON OUR HEALTHCARE PLAN WE HAVE TWO TYPES OF INSURANCE THAT INSURES OUR PLAN. ONE IS A STOP LOSS ON AN INDIVIDUAL AND ONE IS A STOP LOSS ON THE PLAN AS A WHOLE. SO LAST YEAR WE DID HAVE SOME INDIVIDUALS THAT REACHED THE STOP LOSS AMOUNT. SO WHEN THEY REACHED THAT AMOUNT WE RECEIVED, WE STARTED RECEIVING OUR INSURANCE INSURANCE ABOVE OUR YES, IT WAS INSURANCE FOR INSURANCE. WELL, I BET YOU THEY DIDN'T LIKE THAT TOO MUCH EITHER. SO HAS OUR INSURANCE COSTS GONE UP IN THAT REGARD? SO THAT'S YOU? I GUESS I'M EXPLAINING IT WELL. SO YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT. THEN SO THEN OUR INSURANCE BECAUSE IT WAS OUR FIRST YEAR OF THE PLAN, WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY TYPE OF HISTORY. TRS PROVIDED NO HISTORY FOR OUR GROUP AT ALL. THE STOP LOSS THAT WE RECEIVED FOR THE PLAN ALSO PAID OUT, SO THAT ALLOWED OUR PLAN TO BE [01:05:05] FUNDED. THEN THEY CAME BACK AND THEY SAID, WELL, WE FUNDED YOUR PLAN, SO WE'RE GOING TO INCREASE YOUR STOP LOSS LIMIT. SO THAT'S WHERE OUR FOR THE PLAN, NOW THE STOP LOSS PER INDIVIDUAL STAYS THE SAME. THE STOP LOSS FOR THE PLAN AS A WHOLE IS WHERE THEY WENT UP. SO THE PAYMENT THAT I WOULD BE PROJECTING, WE'RE NOT GOING TO HIT, WE MAY NOT HIT IT IS WHAT I'M SAYING. SO THAT'S BECAUSE OF OUR NEW STOP LOSS AMOUNT, AND IT WOULD BE KIND OF LIKE THE SAME. WE KNOW NOW AGAIN LIKE WHAT OUR GROUP OF EMPLOYEES COSTS IN OUR AREA FOR WHERE FOR WHAT THE HEALTH SERVICES ARE. SO THAT'S I FEEL LIKE THE BEST WAY I CAN EXPLAIN THAT AS FAR AS THE INSURANCE GOES AND HOW THAT WORKS, BUT I'M HAPPY TO KEEP IF YOU DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE. SO IF WE INCREASE THE AMOUNT WE'RE PAYING PER STUDENT. I'M SORRY? IF WE INCREASE THE AMOUNT, YES, FROM THE 396 UP TO 427, WHATEVER, THAT WOULD FREE UP 260? DEFINITELY. YEAH. WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE TO RAISE WHAT WE'RE GIVING TO EACH STAFF MEMBER. YES, AND ACTUALLY, BEFORE I HAD THIS INFORMATION, THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS ON MY RADAR. I WAS LIKE, WE NEED TO BECAUSE I KNEW I WAS LIKE, IF WE'RE HITTING STOP LOSS AT $88,000, THEN I KNEW THAT WE WERE WE NEEDED TO INCREASE IT BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT WAS LIKE, I DON'T I STILL DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE PLAN IS GOING TO DO, AND THEN WHEN I GO AND I LOOK AT WHAT THESE OTHER DISTRICTS ARE DOING ON, A LOT OF THEM ARE ON TRS WHERE THEY'RE NOT GETTING CARE. I MEAN, THE EMPLOYEES WON'T GET THE CARE, SO WE'D BE PAYING THE SAME AMOUNT AS A DISTRICT, BUT WE WOULDN'T BE PAYING FOR ANYTHING BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT GETTING SERVICE. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT GETTING. YEAH, I THINK THIS CHART IS VERY POWERFUL. THAT REALLY SHOWS THE VALUE THAT OUR PLAN HAS FOR OUR EMPLOYEES. IT SHOULD BE THE NUMBER ONE ADVERTISING WE GIVE OUR, WE HIRE PEOPLE. I 100% AGREE. I THINK WHEN PEOPLE USE IT, THEY BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND IT. YEAH, AND OR IF THEY'VE BEEN SOMEWHERE ELSE AND THEY'VE HAD TO USE THEIR HEALTH INSURANCE AND THEY COME HERE, THEY UNDERSTAND. I THINK IF A LOT OF OUR STAFF, THIS IS THE ONLY THEIR FIRST JOB OR IT'S THE ONLY INSURANCE THEY'VE HAD, THEY REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH BETTER IT IS, BUT IT IS, HANDS DOWN, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT EVEN COMPARABLE, AND WE GET REALLY GREAT FEEDBACK ABOUT IT. THIS DOESN'T EVEN SHOW YOU THEIR PRESCRIPTION COSTS THAT ARE $0 THE FACT THAT THEY CAN GET THAT IS AMAZING. YEAH, AND IF YOU DO THE MATH AND WE WERE TO THINK ABOUT EVEN THE PEOPLE THAT REACH A $500, THAT HAVE A $500 DEDUCTIBLE, AND IF WE WERE TO INCREASE IT TO 750 OR 1000. WHAT DOES THAT SAY? THAT LIKE AT $500, A FEW EMPLOYEE LIKE, YEAH, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO DO MUCH OTHER THAN MAKE IT HARDER FOR THE EMPLOYEE, THAT'S EXACTLY, AND SO I DID I DID THINK OF WE WERE WE DID LOOK AT THAT, AND I WAS LIKE, WELL IT DOESN'T NEED A LOT AND THERE'S NOT ENOUGH. THERE'S NOT A STAFF HITTING THAT NUMBER BECAUSE IF THEY'RE GOING TO HIT 500, THEY'RE GOING TO HIT. YES. YEAH, BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT EVEN IF WE WERE TO INCREASE THE CONTRIBUTION TO THE HIGHEST THAT DISTRICTS ARE, I MEAN OUR, I MEAN OUR PLAN IS STILL JUST WE'RE GETTING THE VALUE FOR THIS PLAN. YEAH. COULD YOU GO TO THE BACK, BACK TO THE NEXT SLIDE AGAIN? YES. SO YOU'RE NO, I GUESS I JUST MAYBE YOU WENT TOO FAR OR. NO. THE ONE THAT WE SHOWED IF WE. OKAY THAT ONE. SO YOU THINK IT WILL NEED 500 TO $700,000? I GUESS, AND I'M NOT SURE IT MAKES SENSE TO ME. SO IF WE DONATED $427, WE WOULD GAIN AN EXTRA $260,000 WE WOULD BE PAYING, BUT BUT IF WE DONATE ANOTHER, WHAT, $60 A PERSON, IT JUMPS UP TO $764,000. THE MATH DOESN'T SEEM TO MAKE SENSE TO ME. WE PUT IN 3--HOW DOES $60 MAKE THAT MUCH DIFFERENCE? WELL, WE PUT IT'S $60 A MONTH PER EMPLOYEE AND WE HAVE 700 EMPLOYEES ON THE PLAN. WELL, $30 IS 260. IF YOU DID ANOTHER 60, THAT'D BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW TO 427 IS NOT MUCH. [01:10:04] THAT'S WHY THE NUMBER IS SO MUCH LOWER. YEAH IT'S ONLY $30 MORE. SO EVERY $30 IS 260. YEAH. TIMES THREE, BUT SAY THIS TREND CONTINUED OVER SEVERAL YEARS. AT WHAT POINT DO WE HAVE TO LOOK AT IT AND SAY. YOU KNOW, SOMEHOW WE HAVE TO MANAGE COSTS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY. YEAH. MORE NUMBERS, BUT I THINK MORE WE'LL. IT WON'T NECESSARILY. THE TREND WON'T INCREASE. WE STILL MAY NOT. WE'RE JUST GOING TO BE LIKE WE'LL JUST HAVE MORE STATIC NUMBERS. EXACTLY, AND THAT'S NOT HIT THE MAX THIS YEAR, RIGHT. WE MET YOU MEAN THE STOP LOSS? YES, YES. CORRECT. WE MAY NOT, BUT WE MIGHT HOPE WE DON'T. IF WE DON'T, WE'RE NOT GOING TO RAISE IT THE NEXT YEAR. RIGHT. SO WE'RE STARTING TO FIND WHERE THE SWEET SPOT IS. YEAH. YOU GOT TO FIND YOUR, EXACTLY, AND THEN YOU'RE GOOD FOR THE MOST PART. YEAH, AND THAT'S WHAT THEY THAT'S WHAT THEY WERE EXPLAINING IS THAT. WE NOW KNOW AT 18 MONTHS WHAT THE COST IS. WE KNOW WHERE OUR WHERE OUR STOP LOSS SHOULD BE WITH THE PLAN AND NOW WE NEED TO SEE WHERE WE NEED TO BE, TO BE ABLE TO FUND IT, AND I LIKE THE BACK TO THE HOPE OF THE SAVING MONEY MEANWHILE, BUT ALSO IF WE'RE GOING SAME AS EVERYONE AROUND HERE BUT PROVIDE A MUCH BETTER HEALTHCARE FOR EVERYBODY ELSE, I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO DO, BECAUSE BETTER CARE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SAVING MONEY. LONG AS [INAUDIBLE]. OH, I'VE HAD SEVERAL EMPLOYEES COME AND TELL ME THIS. HEALTH CARE IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN ANYTHING I'VE EVER HAD. HAVE WE SEEN A CORRELATION ON THIS NEW PLAN WITH THE AMOUNT OF LIKE, TEACHERS CALLING IN, BECAUSE THEY'RE LIKE [INAUDIBLE] FASTER SO [INAUDIBLE] FASTER. [INAUDIBLE] SICK FOR LIKE A WEEK OR TWO, YOU KNOW, LIKE, ARE THEY GETTING. WE DON'T HAVE DATA FOR THAT QUITE YET. I WAS JUST CURIOUS ON IF WE'VE SEEN A CORRELATE, BECAUSE THEN IT WOULD BE WORTH PAYING MORE KNOWING THAT WE'RE NOT, THE EMPLOYEES ARE AT WORK MORE. YEAH, WE DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE THAT DATA YET. WE ALSO KNOW TRS IS GOING TO RAISE THEIR, AND ONE THING NICOLE LEFT OFF IS THAT IF YOU RECALL, TRS WAS BAILED OUT. I MEAN, THE, YOU KNOW, THE STATE TOOK ESSER MONEY AND DIDN'T SEND IT TO THE DISTRICTS. THEY PAID INTO TRS TO HELP FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. SO YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. TRS IS WITH THAT ESSER MONEY GONE, UNLESS THE STATE CONTINUES TO PAY IT DOWN, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A HIKE IN IT. YEAH, IT'S GOING TO GO UP AND WE'RE STILL GOING TO BE IN BETTER SHAPE AND IT'S STILL TERRIBLE. SO IN THE BUDGET YOU'RE BUILDING RIGHT NOW, ARE YOU ASSUMING THESE COSTS TO GO UP? WE'RE GOING TO INCREASE THESE COSTS OR CONTRIBUTIONS? I DO HAVE IN THE BUDGET SUMMARY THAT WILL BE AT THE END. SHE WANTS TO HOLD IT TILL THE END, QUIT ASKING QUESTIONS. [CHUCKLING] IT'S THE BUILD UP. I DO HAVE AN INCREASE IN THE DISTRICT CONTRIBUTION TO $410. NOT $427, BUT IF WE CAN TALK ABOUT WHAT--DOES 410 COVER THE EXPECTED EXPENSE? NO, BUT IT'S A START. IT'S A START. HUH? IT'S GONNA HAVE TO COME FROM SOMEWHERE. YEAH. EITHER THAT OR OUR FUND BALANCE OR. YEAH, AND THAT SO THERE'S A, THERE COULD BE WHERE WE DECIDE TO PUT A CERTAIN PORTION IN LIKE DESIGNATED FUND BALANCE IN CASE WE HAVE YEARS WHERE WE'RE GOING TO WHERE THE FUND NEEDS, NEEDS IT. THAT'S AN IDEA. THE OTHER THE OTHER THING I WANT TO POINT OUT IS THAT THE GENERAL FUND DOES OBVIOUSLY PAY A MAJORITY OF OUR EMPLOYEES, BUT WE HAVE OTHER FUNDS THAT PAY OUR EMPLOYEES AS WELL, AND WITH THOSE FUNDS HAVING A CONTRIBUTION, THAT'S WHERE I WOULD THINK THE CONTRIBUTION INCREASE WOULD ALSO BENEFIT THE DISTRICT BECAUSE OF THOSE OTHER FUNDS. IF WE COME INTO A YEAR AND WE DON'T INCREASE IT ENOUGH, AND THEN THE GENERAL FUND PICKS UP THE DIFFERENCE. THOSE OTHER THOSE OTHER FUNDS COULD HAVE PICKED UP SOME OF THAT TOO. SO THAT'S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT TOO, BUT YES, I DO HAVE AN INCREASE IN IT. OKAY. WE SURE NEED TO BE TO COMMUNICATE THAT TO OUR STAFF TO KNOW WHAT THAT THEY'RE THEY'RE GETTING BETTER THAN MOST DISTRICTS AND, YOU KNOW, THE DISTRICT TAKING CARE OF THEM. YEAH, I HOPE THAT THEY FROM WHAT I HEAR, IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY KNOW BUT I DON'T KNOW. HOW DO WE CURRENTLY PITCH IT TO THEM? HOW DO WE CURRENTLY COME ACROSS TO OUR TEACHERS? WE LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY I MEAN, WE'RE THAT WE ARE THE ONLY DISTRICT THAT HAS A ZERO COST HEALTH INSURANCE, THAT WE HAVE THE [01:15:07] LOWEST DEDUCTIBLES, THE LOWEST OUT-OF-POCKET COST FREE PRESCRIPTIONS. OUR CO-PAYS ARE VERY LOW. THERE'S NO CO-PAY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SPECIALIST. WE DON'T HAVE ANY IN-NETWORK OUT-OF-NETWORK COST. SO THESE ARE ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE LET PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT. I THINK WHEN THEY'RE TRYING TO DECIDE ON WHERE THEY'RE GOING. THEY DON'T THAT MAY NOT BE THEIR DRIVING FACTOR, BUT ONCE THEY GET HERE AND THEY START USING IT, IT MIGHT BE THEIR DRIVING FACTOR TO STAY. PROBABLY WHY WE KEEP THEM, BECAUSE THEY MAY NOT UNDERSTAND IT WHEN THEY GET HERE, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE VERY IF THEY'RE YOUNG. I CAN GIVE YOU A REAL EXAMPLE. RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A PERSON WHO WE'RE TRYING TO RECRUIT AND, AND THEIR CURRENT DISTRICT THAT IS NEIGHBORING, YOU KNOW, MAY PAY $1,500 MORE, BUT THEIR DEDUCTIBLE IS $4,500 MORE, BUT PEOPLE REALLY STRUGGLE TO GRASP THAT BECAUSE THEY LOOK AT SALARY EVEN THOUGH IF THEY'RE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE A PROTECTION AND INSURANCE LIKE THAT, THEY, THEY LOOK AT, THEY LOOK AT SALARY AND THEY AND THEY KIND OF JUST WANT IT ALL TO BE HIGHER, BUT WHEN PEOPLE ACTUALLY NEED IT AND THEY AND THEY USE IT, AND ESPECIALLY IF THEY'VE BEEN SOMEWHERE ELSE WHERE THEY'VE BEEN LET DOWN BY THEIR INSURANCE, THAT'S WHEN IT REALLY SETS IN WITH PEOPLE. I LIKE THAT. I LIKE HOW WE CAME ACROSS, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU NEED IT. HISTORICALLY, YOU DON'T EVER EXPLAIN THE INSURANCE PORTION WHEN PEOPLE ARE COMING TO GET A JOB AND YOU'RE THINKING, OKAY, WHAT'S MY SALARY? [INAUDIBLE] VERSUS HAVING THIS, HAVING THAT [INAUDIBLE] BUT ONCE THEY ARE HERE WE NANCY DOES A SHE'S OUR BENEFIT SPECIALIST SHE DOES AN OUTSTANDING JOB OF EXPLAINING TO NEW EMPLOYEES WHAT THEIR FULL BENEFITS ARE SO THAT THEY CAN THEY CAN USE IT, AND THEY'RE USING IT WELL. SO EVEN THOUGH WE'RE IN THIS SITUATION, I DID ASK, ARE WE USING IT CORRECTLY? LIKE, ARE THERE WAYS THAT WE CAN TEACH OUR EMPLOYEES TO USE IT SO THAT. THEY'RE USING THE PLAN EFFICIENTLY, AND THEY SAID YOUR DISTRICT IS ACTUALLY THE BEST AT USING IT WITH ALL OF THE ONES THAT ARE WITH THE KIMPTON GROUP BECAUSE AND I THINK IT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE NANCY THAT TEACHES PEOPLE HOW TO USE IT AND LETS THEM KNOW WHAT THEY'RE, AND WE ALSO HAVE VERY I WAS TALKING TO OUR DIRECTOR OF HR, WE ALSO HAVE A ONE PAGER CALLED THE LINE ADVANTAGE, WHERE WE LIST ALL THOSE THINGS BECAUSE WE WANTED OUR POTENTIAL EMPLOYEES TO USE THAT AS A TOOL WHEN THEY'RE OUT THERE TALKING TO OTHER DISTRICTS TO SAY, DO YOU OFFER THIS? DO YOU OFFER THIS, AND DO YOU OFFER THAT? SO MISS SEIDEL SAID THAT WE STILL DO THAT. WE'LL UPDATE THAT TO INCLUDE THAT AS WELL. DO IT AT JOB FAIRS. I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT. YES, MA'AM. OKAY, ANY MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR LION CARE PLAN AND WHERE IT IS AND WHERE IT STANDS? WE CAN WE'LL CONTINUE TO KEEP YOU INFORMED ABOUT WHERE IT IS AT, AND THEN, LIKE I SAID, WE DO HAVE EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTION IN THE BUDGET CURRENTLY NOW IN THE PLAN AND WE CAN DECIDE IF WE WANT TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THAT. GOT IT. THANK YOU. OKAY, THE FUN STUFF. ALTHOUGH I THINK THE REST HAS BEEN FUN ALREADY. LOTS OF FUN. YEAH. OKAY. OUR TASB PAY STUDY WE HAD AT THE NOVEMBER AT THE MARCH MEETING WE HAD MR. ZACH COBBS WAS HERE FROM TASB TO GO OVER OUR PAY STUDY. SO I AM HERE TO BRING YOU THOSE MODELS IN A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL AS FAR AS THE TEACHER PAY SCALE. SO THESE ARE ALL THE DISTRICTS THAT WERE IN OUR PAY STUDY. ALL EMPLOYEES ARE IN THE PAY STUDY. EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEE THAT WE HAVE, WHAT IS EVALUATED, WE EVALUATE STARTING PAY TEACHER STEPS, PAY SCALES, EXPERIENCE, NUMBER OF DAYS. THAT'S NOT ON THERE, BUT WE DO NUMBER OF DAYS ALSO TO A POSITION. WHY DO WE NEED TO COMPLETE IT? WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE REMAINING COMPETITIVE SO THAT WE CAN RETAIN OUR EMPLOYEES AND RECRUIT NEW EMPLOYEES. SO WHERE DO WE FALL WITHIN THE MARKET AND WHAT IS OUR NEW GOAL? THAT'S WHAT COMES FROM THE TASB PAY STUDY. SO WHERE DID WE FALL TWO YEARS AGO? SO TWO YEARS AGO WE IT WAS IN THE 21-22 YEAR. WE WERE PLANNING FOR THE 22-23 YEAR, AND WE ARE THE ORANGE LINE AND THE GREEN AND THE BLUE LINE IS THE MARKET. SO WE SAW THAT WE NEEDED TO DO SOME WORK ACROSS ALL AREAS OF OUR TEACHER PAY SCALE, AND WHAT YOU CAN SLIGHTLY SEE IS [01:20:08] THAT STARTING IN THAT TEN YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, THE GAP BETWEEN THE BLUE LINE AND THE ORANGE LINE STARTS TO GET BIGGER. SO WHAT THAT SHOWED IS THAT THE MORE EXPERIENCE YOU HAD, THE FURTHER FROM THE MARKET PAY YOU WERE. I THINK WHAT IT THE BIG THING TOO IS THAT WE PAID LOWER THAN THE MARKET AT ALL LEVELS OF EXPERIENCE. SO THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT THE THAT YOU ALL AS A BOARD TASKED US TO REALLY ADDRESS THAT, AND IT'S KIND OF, YOU KNOW STRATEGY BEHIND THAT SINCE THEN, AND NICOLE WILL GO INTO YOU KNOW HOW THAT'S WORKED. THIS ALSO WAS COMING OFF OF A YEAR, I BELIEVE, THAT DID NOT HAVE A RAISE THE PREVIOUS YEAR. SO WHEN YOU DO THAT, YOU REALLY CAN FALL FALL BELOW THE MARKET. IN THAT YEAR, A NEW STRATEGY WAS TO. PROMOTE EXPERIENCE THROUGH THE PAY SCALE, AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THAT DID. SO THAT THIS IS OUR 2023 MARKET COMPARISON, AND THIS IS OUR 23-24 MARKET COMPARISON. CAN CONTINUING TO MAKE THE TEACHER PAY SCALE LESS FLAT, MORE INCLINED. SO THERE'S A BIGGER DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EXPERIENCE IN IN YEARS IN PAY VERSUS EXPERIENCE. SO THIS IS WHERE WE FALL RIGHT NOW. MODEL NUMBER ONE FOR A GENERAL PAY INCREASE NEXT YEAR IS IN YOUR BINDER UNDER NUMBER THREE, BECAUSE IT AND I FEEL LIKE IT'S EASIER TO LOOK AT THE TEACHER PAY SCALE SO YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THE YEARS. THE STARTING PAY WOULD BE $56,300. ALL YEARS WOULD RECEIVE A $1,475 INCREASE, WHICH IS A 2.5% GENERAL PAY INCREASE. THE CURRENT YEAR FIVE TEACHERS. SO YOU'RE IN A CURRENT YEAR FIVE. YOU'RE GOING TO BE IN STEP SIX NEXT YEAR WOULD RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL $1,000, AND THAT IS WHAT WE STARTED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WHEN YOU REACHED THAT F IVE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. YOU MOVE ON INTO THE NEXT, YOU MOVE INTO A NEW CATEGORY OF PAY FOR YOUR EXPERIENCE TEACHING, AND THEN STARTING AT CURRENT YEAR TEN, YOU WOULD RECEIVE $150 A YEAR FOR EVERY YEAR OF SERVICE, AND IT TOPS OUT AT YEAR 19, CURRENT YEAR 19 AND AN ADDITIONAL $1,500. SO LIKE A YEAR, IF YOU LOOK AT YOUR CURRENT YEAR 19, THEY WOULD RECEIVE A $1,475 RAISE PLUS $1,500, AND GO INTO STEP 20 FOR NEXT YEAR. YEAH, I DO AGREE THAT IN TAB THREE THAT CHART REALLY GIVES YOU A VISUAL OF WHERE YOU'RE SHOWING YOU VALUE EMPLOYEES. YOU KNOW, EVERYONE'S GETTING $1,475, BUT THEN YOU'LL SEE THE LONGER YOU TEACH YOU KNOW, STARTING AT YEAR 19 AND UP, THAT'S WHERE YOU GET AN ADDITIONAL $1,500 YOU KNOW, SO IT'S REALLY REWARDING, REWARDING THE EXPERIENCED TEACHERS AND VALUING THE PROFESSION AND LONGEVITY. IF YOU LOOK FURTHER TO THE RIGHT OF THE PAY SCALE, WHERE IT SAYS CURRENT MARKET MEDIAN, YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE GO FROM BEING 95% OF THE MARKET IN THOSE EARLY YEARS, UP TO 98, 96 AND SO ON. SO YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE FALL WITHIN THE MARKET WITH THOSE NEW ADJUSTMENTS TO THE PAY SCALE. THIS IS WHAT MODEL ONE LOOKS LIKE. ACCORDING TO THE MARKET AND VERSUS WHERE WE ARE NOW. SO THE GREEN DOTTED LINE IS MODEL ONE. IT SAYS MODEL FOUR ON THAT CHART I APOLOGIZE. IT IS MODEL ONE, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THE STARTING PAY. IS INCREASED A LITTLE BIT, GETTING CLOSER TO THAT BLUE LINE, BUT THEN AGAIN, THE GOAL OF THE PAY SCALE IS TO INCREASE THAT EXPERIENCE PAY. THE COST OF THAT MODEL IS. $1.24 MILLION. IT ALSO WOULD INCLUDE A 2.5 GPA FOR THE REMAINING PAY SCALES, SO THOSE PAY SCALES ARE PAID. [01:25:05] VERY DIFFERENTLY. THEY THE SCALE WOULD MOVE OVER ACCORDING TO THE MARKET AND THEN THERE WOULD BE A 2.5 GPI RAISE ON THE NEW MIDPOINTS OF ALL THOSE THREE DIFFERENT SCALES. MODEL NUMBER TWO. IF WE TURN THE PAGE IS A IS VERY SIMILAR TO MODEL NUMBER ONE. IT HAS A LITTLE BIT SMALLER GPI. SO THE INITIAL RAISE OF $1,200 VERSUS THE $1,475 ALL YEARS GET A GPI OF $1,200 AND THEN 0 TO 4 YEARS AND 6 TO 9 YEARS CURRENT 6 TO 9 YEARS WILL GET AN ADJUSTMENT, AND THEN FIVE YEARS GETS THEIR ADJUSTMENT AND THEN AT TEN YEARS AGAIN IT STARTS DOING THAT. LONGEVITY PAY FOR EXPERIENCE AT $150 A YEAR, TOPPING IT YOUR CURRENT YEAR 21 AT $1,800. SO THIS IS WHERE THIS RAISE HAS A SMALLER ORIGINAL GPI FOR TEACHERS, BUT EVERY YEAR GETS AN ADJUSTMENT TO DO SOME WORK ON THE FRONT END OF THE SCALE ALSO. WITH THAT, ALL THE OTHER GROUPS WOULD GET A 3% OF THE MIDPOINT GPI BECAUSE OF THE AVERAGE RAISE THAT THIS WOULD BE FOR OUR TEACHING STAFF TO. THIS IS WHAT MODEL TWO LOOKS LIKE ON THE GREEN LINE. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT IT GETS A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO THE BLUE ON THAT FRONT END DOING A LITTLE BIT OF WORK AND THEN CONTINUES TO OPEN UP WITH MORE EXPERIENCE AT THE AT THE BACK END. THE COST OF THIS MODEL IS $1.3 MILLION. IT IS A 3% RAISE. UP TO 5% ON THE TEACHER PAY SCALE. MS. WEISER, I BELIEVE THIS IS THE MODEL THAT HAS THE HIGHEST TOTAL COST? YES IT DOES. HIGHEST TOTAL COST. WHAT DOES MODEL ONE COST AGAIN? I'M SORRY. NO, YOU'RE OKAY; WE CAN GO BACK. MODEL ONE COSTS $1.24, 1.2 MILLION AND MODEL THREE IS A LITTLE OVER 1.3 MILLION. I'M SORRY. MODEL TWO. I APOLOGIZE. MODEL THREE IS GOING BACK TO THE OLD WAYS OF DOING A TEACHER PAY SCALE WITH A FLAT $1,200 RAISE, BUT IT DOES GIVE ADJUSTMENTS FOR THE 0 TO 6 CURRENT 0 TO 6 YEARS, BECAUSE THAT IS THE AREA OF THE PAY SCALE THAT. IS LOWER ON THE MARKET. SO IT'S JUST A THE OLDER MODEL. JUST WANT TO SHOW THAT, AND THIS IS WHERE YOU KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE WHAT WE HEAR FROM OUR VETERAN TEACHERS HERE IS THAT YOU KNOW THAT $1,200 IF I'M IF I'VE BEEN TEACHING FOR 25 YEARS, MAKING 67 AND I GET A $1,200 RAISE, THAT PERCENTAGE IS A LOT LESS THAN A, YOU KNOW, A THREE YEAR TEACHER WHO'S GETTING ACTUALLY A $1,800 RAISE, AND THAT'S WHERE OUR VETERAN TEACHERS HISTORICALLY HAVE REALLY EXPRESSED CONCERNS BECAUSE WHILE THEY MAY GET THE SAME DOLLAR AMOUNT WHEN YOU DO IT ON A PERCENTAGE, THEIR PERCENTAGE IS ACTUALLY A LOT LOWER BECAUSE THEY HAVE A LOT MORE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND THEIR SALARIES HIGHER. SO THAT IS ONE PROBLEMATIC THING THAT WE'VE GONE AWAY FROM, BUT ALSO JUST WANT TO SHOW YOU AS AN OPTION TO GET FEEDBACK ON, AND THIS MAY BE GETTING LIKE REALLY INTO THE WEEDS ON PAY AND MONEY, BUT HAVE WE LOOKED AT? I KNOW ONE OF THE ONES WE WANT TO SHIFT. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT SHIFTING THE PIE OF LIKE SUCH NEW TEACHERS TO MORE EXPERIENCED TEACHERS, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE DOING THAT. HAVE WE LOOKED AT WHAT THAT POTENTIALLY COULD DO TO THE HEALTH INSURANCE COST AS WELL, LIKE HAVING I MEAN, IT'S CORRELATED. THE OLDER THE POPULATION, THE HIGHER THE HEALTH INSURANCE LIKE THAT MAY BE GETTING WAY TOO IN THE WEEDS OF STUFF I JUST WOULDN'T KNOW WE HAVE. SO THE WAY THAT WE THE WAY THAT WE CONSIDER THINGS IS IT'S VERY COMPLICATED. SO STICK WITH ME AND I'LL TRY TO I'LL DO MY BEST TO EXPLAIN IT. [01:30:03] SO IF YOU MODEL OUT BECAUSE NOW YOU'RE TALKING TEN, 15, 20 YEARS DOWN THE ROAD. YEAH, IT'S MORE SO IF YOU MODEL OUT ON AVERAGE USING STATE PERCENTAGE OF RETENTION OF TEACHERS, WHAT WE SEE, WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THAT OUR TEACHERS ARE MORE EXPERIENCED, ARE RETIRING AT FASTER RATES THAN WHAT THEY HAVE IN THE PAST. WE'RE SEEING A BIGGER NOT JUST RETIREMENTS, BUT PEOPLE LEAVING THE PROFESSION AT FASTER AND FASTER RATES. WHAT WE ALSO SEE IS LESS AND LESS PEOPLE ENTERING THE PROFESSION. SO SO WHEN YOU MODEL OUT, IT'S PRETTY BLEAK LOOKING AT STATE AND NATIONAL DATA BECAUSE ESSENTIALLY YOU KNOW, TEACHERS STAYING FOR 30 YEARS, AS YOU KNOW, IT'S GETTING LESS AND LESS AND LESS. WHAT THE DATA AND RESEARCH IS SAYING IS THAT IT'S HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK TO HOW EDUCATION WAS FIVE, TEN, 15, 20 YEARS AGO WHERE YOU HAVE LARGE NUMBERS OF 25, 30 YEAR YEAR TEACHERS. WHAT EVERYTHING SUGGESTS IS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO HAVE YOUNGER AND YOUNGER TEACHERS, ALSO TEACHERS WHO ARE ALT CERT THOSE TYPES OF THINGS, PEOPLE CHANGING CAREERS FOLLOWING, YOU KNOW, SO EVEN IF THEY'RE A FIRST YEAR TEACHER, YOU KNOW, THEY MAY BE 30, 35 YEARS OLD CHANGING CAREERS, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. SO ALL THE DATA SUGGESTS THAT OUR YEARS OF EXPERIENCE OF TEACHERS IS REACHING A CAP, IF YOU WILL, TOP OUT AT 15 OR 20 YEARS OR SO. CORRECT. YEAH. SO WHILE IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE STILL NEED TO CONSIDER. I THINK IT'S [INAUDIBLE] PLAY INTO THE EQUATION. SO, AND IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE [INAUDIBLE]. CAN WE SEE [INAUDIBLE] WHERE GETTING NUMBER THERE IS ABOVE [INAUDIBLE] IF WE GOT ABOVE MARKET WITH EVERYTHING. IF WE GOT ABOVE MARKET. YEAH. OH, JUST LIKE WE HAVE HERE. I WOULD JUST BE CURIOUS TO SEE. WHAT WOULD YOU WE CAN DO THAT, BUT I WANT TO GET SOME CLARITY ON WHAT WOULD BE THE EXPECTATION FOR, YOU KNOW, YEARS TEN, 15, 20 ON THIS CHART? ARE YOU SLOWING THAT DOWN OR KEEPING THE PACE OF. WELL, HOW CAN WE RAISE THIS STARTING UP TO WHERE IT'S ABOVE MARKET ALSO? BECAUSE WE'VE GOT THOSE. CORRECT. SO THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING. DO YOU WANT TO IF WE DO THAT, WE STAY STEADY HERE. DO YOU WANT TO HOLD THEM. YEAH OKAY, AND RAISE THESE GUYS OKAY. SO THE IMMEDIATE ISSUE THAT I COULD SEE BECAUSE WE CAN DO THAT, BUT YOU'RE GOING TO STILL YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THE ISSUE OF WHAT MODEL THREE DOES IN THAT YOUR YEAR 0 TO 5 ARE GOING TO HAVE LARGER RAISES THAN YOUR YEAR 20 AND 25. SO BUT WE CAN WE CAN PULL THAT. I'M JUST GOING TO SAY HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST. WELL BECAUSE ORIGINALLY WE HAD ALREADY SAID THAT WE'RE FOCUSED WAS TO KEEP TEACHERS THAT ARE EXPERIENCED, AND WE WERE WANTING TO PAY THEM MORE AND OF COURSE, TRY TO PAY D ECENT BEGINNING SALARY TO LESS EXPERIENCED. THAT'S WHAT WE HAD DONE INITIALLY. THAT'S WHAT WE DID OUR FOCUS ON GETTING TEACHERS AN INCREASE BECAUSE OF EXPERIENCE. WE CAN DO THAT. AT SOME POINT IN TIME WE HAVE TO [INAUDIBLE]. SURE. YEAH. CORRECT, AND THAT'S WHY WHEN YOU LOOK AT ON CHART THREE WHERE IT SHOWS YOU, YOU KNOW, 98% OF THE MARKET, LIKE RIGHT NOW, MODEL ONE WOULD, WOULD HAVE US AT 98% OF THE MARKET. SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, THE DIRECTION OF THE BOARD HAS ALWAYS BEEN 95% OF THE MARKET. YOU KNOW, UNDERSTANDING THAT, YOU KNOW, JUST JUST QUITE FRANKLY, WE WON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO HAVE 107, 105, 104% OF THE MARKET FOR YEARS TWO AND 15 LIKE WE HAVE TO WE THERE'S A GIVE AND TAKE. YOU KNOW, SO IF WE BUMP UP ZERO YEARS TO OVER 100%, THAT MEANS TAKING AWAY, YOU KNOW, FROM THE UPPER END. SO THAT'S THE FEEDBACK THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, AND WE CAN GET THAT ESTIMATE AND DROP IT IN THERE AND BOARD BRIEF SO THAT YOU CAN SEE, NUMBER ONE, HOW MUCH IT'S GOING TO COST, BECAUSE I SUSPECT THAT IT'S GOING TO WELL, I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE MORE THAN [01:35:01] WHAT THE ADMINISTRATION WOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE ASKING THE BOARD, BUT WE CAN DO THAT. I THINK YOU SHOULD GIVE IT TO HIM, BUT THE REST OF US, WE WANT TO KEEP THE EMPHASIS ON THE IN THAT LOWER RANGE. SO WHEN YOU START BUMPING THEM UP, YOU'RE REALLY YOU'RE GOING TO BUMP THAT UP AND THE THING IS WITH THE SHORTAGES, SOME OF THE PEOPLE IN THE UNIVERSITIES ARE SAYING A LOT OF TEACHERS ARE NOT GOING INTO THE PROFESSION. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE KEEP THE TEACHERS THAT ARE EXPERIENCED AND FOR THEM TO BELIEVE THAT WE'RE VALUING, BUT IF THEY'RE LEAVING ALSO, YEAH, HE SAID, THEY'RE LEAVING EARLY, THE TREND POINT IN TIME. YEAH, BUT THEY'RE NOT LEAVING BECAUSE OF THE THEY'RE NOT LEAVING BECAUSE OF THE PAY. NO, BUT I'M JUST SAYING BUT STUDIES SHOW THAT THEY'RE RETIRING EARLY. THEY'RE JUST YEAH, BUT I MEAN YOU'RE STILL GOING TO VALUE THE ONES THAT HAVE BEEN HERE. NO, I'M JUST I JUST SAID I JUST WANTED TO SAY I'M JUST HE JUST WANTS TO KNOW THE COST. I MEAN, IT'S JUST JUST A NUMBER. I MEAN, IT'S JUST YEAH THAT'S ALL. YEAH. I MEAN, IF YOU TELL US RIGHT NOW, YEAH, WE CAN DEFINITELY. WE CAN DEFINITELY RUN SOME NUMBERS. SO FOR YOU THAT IS NOT THAT IS NOT A PROBLEM. HE SAID THEY'RE IN THE PAY STUDY. HE SAID HE SEES MORE PEOPLE THAT WERE TEACHERS COMING BACK. HAVE YOU [INAUDIBLE]? YEAH, I'VE READ ABOUT THAT. I DON'T THINK IT'S A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT TO WHERE IF WE'RE THINKING THAT OUR TEACHER CRISIS IS OVER AND PEOPLE ARE COMING BACK, I THINK THAT'S A FAR STRETCH. YOU KNOW, BUT I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW IF WE'VE SEEN THAT IN THIS DISTRICT. I'M TRYING TO LOOK AT OUR PRINCIPLES. DO WE SEE TEACHERS WHO WENT TO EDTECH OR DIFFERENT SELLING? OH, WE HAVE ONE THAT WAS DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT. WHO WANTS TO COME BACK THAT I CAN THINK OF? SAM YOU PROBABLY. YEAH. DO WE WANT THEM BACK? I'M JUST KIDDING [CHUCKLING] YEAH. NO, THEY'RE GREAT. I'M JUST KIDDING, BUT ACTUALLY, THEY'RE NOT, THEY DON'T WANT TO COME BACK TO THE TEACH HERE. THEY WANT TO COME BACK TO DO OTHER LEADERSHIP TYPE ROLES. YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE ABANDONED THEM. JUST KIDDING. [CHUCKLING] SHE HAD A MINT, RIGHT? THAT'S WHY I DON'T DO HR. GO AHEAD, MS. WEISER. OKAY. SO THIS IS WHAT THE MODEL THREE LOOKS LIKE, AND YOU CAN KIND OF SEE WHERE THAT GREEN LINE JUST IS A SMALL INCREASE BECAUSE WE JUST DO THAT FLAT RAISE OF $1,200, BUT THE BEGINNING SIDE GETS A LITTLE BIT OF AN ADJUSTMENT THERE. THIS COSTS $971,000 AT A 2% GPI. I DO WANT TO ASK BEFORE WE WE'VE HAD SOME GOOD FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS. WE CAN FIND THAT DATA. ANY OTHER FEEDBACK ON THE THREE MODELS THAT YOU HAD--I DO NOT LIKE THREE. I DON'T EITHER. I KIND OF DON'T LIKE TWO MYSELF. I LIKE TWO. I WANT THE I LIKE ONE AND TWO THE ONE FOR THE, BUT AFTER GETTING SOME. [INAUDIBLE]. YEAH, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE MODEL THREE DOESN'T HAVE THAT MUCH INTEREST. NO. I THINK I'D HAVE TO SEE THE FINAL BUDGET. YEAH. WHERE'S OUR 5%? GETTING THERE. YEAH, BUT IT'S STILL, I GUESS REGARDLESS OF REGARDLESS OF THE BUDGET AND WHAT'S IT COST THE FEEDBACK ON BECAUSE OUR REALITY WHEN I, WHEN I JUST THINK OF IT JUST VERY FRANKLY RIGHT, IS THAT WE HAVE TO PRIORITIZE OUR FUNDS, AND WHILE I LOVE TO GIVE EVERYONE, YOU KNOW, A 5% RAISE, LIKE WE DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY AT LEAST TO MAKE THAT RECOMMENDATION IN GOOD CONSCIENCE TO THE BOARD AND BE RESPONSIBLE WITH WITH OUR FUNDS TO DO THAT. SO AS WE START TO PRIORITIZE, YOU KNOW, MODEL THREE ESSENTIALLY TREATS EVERYONE THE SAME AND JUST SAYS, YOU'RE ALL GETTING THE SAME DOLLAR AMOUNT, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE SOME PEOPLE DON'T LIKE THAT, AND THEN MODEL ONE AND TWO SHOWS VALUE IN LONGEVITY IN DIFFERENT WAYS. SO THAT'S KIND OF JUST THE GENERAL OVERALL FEEDBACK THAT WE'RE HOPING TO GET, REGARDLESS OF THE PRICE. JUST WHERE DO YOU WANT TO PRIORITIZE AS A BOARD. I LIKE MODEL TWO. JUST MY FEEDBACK ON IT IS BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE LEAVING THE PROFESSION. YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE MODEL TWO, EVEN IN THE EARLY YEARS. IT GIVES THEM INCENTIVE TO KEEP GOING INSTEAD OF LIKE, MAN, I'M NOT GOING TO GET THESE BIG RAISES FOR 10 TO 15 YEARS FROM NOW. I'M OUT TYPE THING. THAT'S WHY I LIKED MODEL TWO, IS JUST BECAUSE IT CONTINUOUSLY GIVES THEM A LITTLE BIT MORE REASON TO STAY LONGER INSTEAD OF JUST LEAVING AFTER IT'S MY FAVORITE BECAUSE YOU DO GET AN INCENTIVE TO STAY IN THE DISTRICT, BECAUSE ON YEAR SIX YOU GET AN INCREASE SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, AND YOU CAN SEE AN INCREASE AS A [01:40:05] TEACHER THAT IS WILLING TO STAY BECAUSE OF EXPERIENCE, AND THEN YOU'RE VALUING THE OTHER TEACHERS ON THE OTHER END THAT HAVE CHOSEN TO BE WITH THE DISTRICT, AND SO YOU SEE THAT THEY ARE BEING VALIDATED BECAUSE OF THEIR YEARS EXPERIENCES. SO ME PERSONALLY NO, THEY DON'T BECAUSE THEIR GENERAL PAY INCREASE IS 1200, WHEREAS IN MODEL ONE IT'S 1475, AND THEN IT VARIES IN WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT YEAR 14, 750 ON BOTH, BUT THEN ON 15 YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S HIGHER. SO ANYWAY, THAT'S MY PERSONAL OPINION. TEACHERS, ARE YOU LISTENING? [CHUCKLING] WELL, I'M GONNA HAVE TO SAY I HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE WHAT WE CAN AFFORD. WE'RE ALREADY LOOKING AT ADDING [INAUDIBLE] EMPLOYEES BACK IN. WE'RE ADDING THE COST OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NUMBER SIX. MORE INSURANCE COST. I'D LIKE TO SEE THE FINAL NUMBER [INAUDIBLE], WELL, I'M OPERATING. SHE HASN'T GOT TO THAT PART YET. NO, BUT I'M OPERATING. [INAUDIBLE] UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE THE BUDGET TO ADDRESS THESE DIFFERENT MODELS. YOU WOULDN'T BE PRESENTING IT TO US IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE AN IDEA THAT YOU HAD THE MONIES TO ACTUALLY GO WITH MODEL 1 OR 2. SHE WANTS TO KNOW, TO LISTEN TO YOU OR [INAUDIBLE]. OH, WELL THEN, YOU KNOW [INAUDIBLE]. WE LIKE TO LOOK AT ALL THE DIFFERENT MODELS AND THEN SEE WHERE THEY FALL WITHIN OUR GOALS AND OUR PRIORITIES, AND COST, OF COURSE, IS PART OF THAT, BUT THEN WE JUST ALSO WANT TO GET YOU ALL'S FEEDBACK ON IT. WE CAN LOOK AT THE AT THE EARLY YEARS AND SEE WHAT THAT COST IS, AND THEN WE'LL LOOK AT WHERE IT LOOKS. BECAUSE HERE'S THE AGAIN BLACK AND WHITE WHERE RUBBER, WHAT DO THEY CALL IT? RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD. WHEN WE PUT OUT OUR PRESS RELEASE, AND THIS IS THE RAISE RIGHT WHERE ARE YOU COMFORTABLE PEOPLE PICKING APART? RIGHT, BECAUSE BECAUSE WE CAN'T DO EVERYTHING, AND WHERE ARE YOU MOST COMFORTABLE JUSTIFYING WHERE HOW YOU MADE YOUR DECISION TO GIVE A RAISE, AND YOU KNOW IF IT'S EVERYONE GETS THE SAME THAT'S YOU KNOW, WE NEED THAT FEEDBACK. IF IT'S WE WANT TO VALUE EXPERIENCE, IF IT'S WE NEED TO FOCUS ON THE FIRST YEAR TEACHER BECAUSE THAT'S THE MAJORITY OF OUR TEACHERS, AND WE JUST NEED TO KNOW WHERE, KIND OF WHERE YOUR HEAD IS ON ON THAT SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO WORK ON THESE THINGS. DR. SANCHEZ EARLIER JUST MENTIONED THAT YOU HAVE OLDER EMPLOYEES THAT ARE CHANGING AS WELL . YOU HAVE YOU HAVE OLDER EMPLOYEES, LIKE, YOU KNOW, I GUESS I WANT TO SAY 40S, I'M SAYING TEN PLUS YEARS EXPERIENCE. RIGHT, BUT WHAT I'M SAYING IS THAT YOU HAVE THEY'RE CHANGING PROFESSIONS, OKAY? THEY'RE GOING FROM ONE CAREER TO ANOTHER AND THEY'RE GOING TO THEY'RE ALREADY OLDER AS IT IS. SO THEY'RE GOING TO NOT SEE IT AS OLDER, YOU KNOW, THE BIG BONUS, I GUESS, LATER, BECAUSE THEY'RE JUMPING IN AS AN OLDER AGE AS WELL. WELL, TO ME, TEACHERS THAT ARE COMMITTED TO THE PROFESSION AT TEN YEARS PLUS. SURE, I SEE THAT POINT AS WELL. THEY'RE GOING TO BE STAYING BECAUSE THEY'RE VALUED AND THEY SEE THAT THEY'RE GETTING PAID FOR THE JOB. RIGHT. I'M JUST LOOKING AT OPTIONS IN DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW. YEAH, BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT REALITY FROM TEACHER EXPERIENCE THAT TEACHERS STAY IN THE PROFESSION WHEN THEY SEE THAT, BUT THE TREND IS YOU HAVE ANOTHER OTHER CAREER OPTIONS [INAUDIBLE]. I DON'T SEE THE TREND LOCALLY IN THESE SMALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS. YEAH. I MEAN, IT'S GOOD TO LOOK AT OPTIONS. YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALWAYS GOING TO VALUE OUR EXPERIENCED TEACHERS. [INAUDIBLE], BUT WE'RE COMPETITIVE. WE'RE JUST LOOKING AT OPTIONS TO SEE FROM ONE CAREER TO ANOTHER. YOU KNOW. THAT'S NOT AN OPTION. I DISAGREE WITH YOU. SO WE CAN AGREE TO DISAGREE. OH ABSOLUTELY. I'M JUST THROWING IT OUT THERE. I'M ALWAYS GOING TO VALUE OUR EXPERIENCED TEACHERS JUST KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT E XPERIENCED TEACHERS. THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. YES, MA'AM. THE DIFFERENCE THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, I KNOW, BUT I ALSO VALUE EXPERIENCED TEACHERS AS WELL. THAT'S MY POINT IN KEEPING THEM AS WELL AS VALIDATING THE TEACHERS THAT WE DID THAT BEFORE IN OUR RAISE. WE DID VALUE YOUNGER TEACHERS, BUT WE EMPHASIZE GIVING A RAISE TO THE OLDER TEACHERS. THAT'S SHOWN IN THE GRAPH. WE DID TRY TO CLOSE THE GAP WITHIN SURROUNDING DISTRICTS. SURE. I'M JUST THROWING OPTIONS. THANK YOU. OKAY, ON TO THE TAX RATE. SO THE TAX RATE IS. CONSISTS OF THE COMPRESSED TAX RATE FROM THE TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY AND OUR EIGHT NOW GOLDEN PENNIES. YAY! SO OUR CURRENTLY IN OUR 23-24 BUDGET. OUR COMPRESSED TAX RATE IS 61.92 PENNIES. WE HAVE EIGHT GOLDEN PENNIES FOR 69.92 PENNIES NEXT YEAR AND 24-25. WITH OUR PRELIMINARY PROPERTY VALUE AMOUNTS TO COMPRESS, IT COULD COMPRESS OUR RATE BY .0023 PENNIES, SO LITERALLY LESS THAN A PENNY THAT IT WOULD BE COMPRESSED DOWN TO AT [01:45:05] .6169 AS THE CURRENT COMPRESSION VERY PRELIMINARY RATE, WE HAVE OUR EIGHT GOLDEN PENNIES. SO OUR PROJECTED 2024 TAX RATE WOULD BE FOR OUR M&O SIDE ONLY WOULD BE 69.69 PENNIES GO DOWN. SO LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION. IS THERE SOME WAY WE COULD COME UP WITH THAT TAX RATE WITHOUT HAVING TO TALK ABOUT PENNIES AND COMPRESSING AND ALL THIS OTHER STUFF THAT MAKES LITTLE TO NO SENSE TO PEOPLE LIKE ME. I MEAN, AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHO'S WHO WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO COME UP WITH PENNIES AS AN IDEA TO DO YOUR BUDGET? BECAUSE WE NEED TO TALK TO THAT PERSON. OH, YOU'VE ASKED ME TWO QUESTIONS THAT I CAN. THEY PROBABLY ARE, AND PROBABLY NOT BY NATURAL CAUSES. YEAH. YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE IF WE SEND YOU THERE. [CHUCKLING] YEAH, YEAH. BECKY MIGHT, BUT YEAH, NOT HATING ON YOU. I'M JUST--NO, I UNDERSTAND. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I UNDERSTAND. SO THERE'S TWO PARTS OF THE TAX RATE. ONE OF THEM IS THE TEA PART. ONE OF THEM IS OUR PENNY EFFORT OUR LOCAL EFFORT THAT WE HAVE. SO THE TEA PORTION OF IT THEY'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO SINCE THEY'VE BEEN COMPRESSING THE PENNIES FOR THE PAST FIVE, SIX YEARS SO THAT WHEN IT REMEMBER WHEN THE TAX RATE WAS A DOLLAR FOUR EVERYBODY HAD A DOLLAR FOUR UNLESS YOU HAD EVERY SINGLE DISTRICT HAD A DOLLAR FOUR, WELL, NOW THEY COMPRESS THROUGH TO HELP THE HOMEOWNER. THEY'VE DONE TAX RATE COMPRESSION, AND THAT'S WHERE WE ARE. IF THEY WANT TO HELP THE HOMEOWNER THEY NEED TO STOP RAISING THE APPRAISALS NOT PLAY WITH PENNIES. UNDERSTAND. OH THAT'S BAD. OH, IT'S TOO HOT IN HERE. SO HERE IT IS. THIS IS WHAT WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR. DRUM ROLL. [INAUDIBLE]. OH, OKAY. I AM USUALLY COLD. SO I WAS LIKE, AM I SICK? HOW MUCH IS CAPITAL OUTLAY IN THERE? JAMES, THE CHILLER IN THERE? YEAH. GO AHEAD. OKAY. SO WHAT THIS SHOWS WE LOOK AT THIS EVERY YEAR, AND IT'S ON NUMBER FOUR. IF YOU WANT TO WRITE NOTES OR KEEP IT TO LOOK AT FOR LATER. THE 23-24 BUDGET IS IN THE VERY FIRST COLUMN. THAT'S WHERE WE CURRENTLY ARE. THAT'S WHERE THE PROJECTION IS, AND THEN THE 24-25 BUDGET COLUMN. THAT'S THE PROJECTION FOR NEXT YEAR, A REVENUE OF NEARLY $69 MILLION, AND THE PROPOSED BUDGET OF $68.1 MILLION. THIS INCLUDES WHAT WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT LIKE THE ESSER FUNDS THAT WE HAVE GOALS WITH. IT INCLUDES THE WHAT IT INCLUDES EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED FOR GROWTH MINUS A RAISE. SO IT INCLUDES EVERYTHING WE NEED FOR GROWTH, MINUS A RAISE. THEN WE GO OVER TO THE NEXT THREE COLUMNS AND WE CAN SEE WHAT MODEL ONE PUTS US AT. WHAT MODEL BY ADDING IN A RAISE, WHAT MODEL TWO LOOKS LIKE, WHAT MODEL THREE LOOKS LIKE. SO MODEL ONE WOULD PUT US CURRENTLY AT A DEFICIT OF $386,000. MODEL TWO WOULD BE A DEFICIT OF $450,000 $457,000, AND THE MODEL THREE AT A DEFICIT OF $114,000. ARE THERE ANY ESSER OR OTHERWISE POSITIONS IN THIS PROPOSED BUDGET THAT WE HAVE NOT BROUGHT TO THE BOARD? YES. YES, SIR. THERE ARE OTHER PROPOSED. THEY'RE NOT THERE. THEY WERE NOT TAKEN TONIGHT, BUT THEY ARE THERE BECAUSE WE WANTED YOU ALL TO SEE WHERE WE STAND WITH THE MODELS THAT WILL HELP US DETERMINE WHERE TO GO NEXT WITH PRIORITIZING, WHERE WE WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO, WHAT OUR NEXT, WHAT THE NEXT VERSION OF THIS WILL LOOK LIKE. I DISCUSSED EMPLOYEES. WHAT IS THE VALUE OF THE REMAINDER OF ESSER PAYROLL PORTION OF THE POSITIONS? I BELIEVE IS AROUND $300,000. OKAY, NOT AS BAD, BUT YEAH, WE HAVE SOME NON PAYROLL ITEMS IN THERE TOO THAT WE STILL ARE ESSER FUNDED. THERE'S OTHER ESSER MONEY OUT THERE TOO THAT'S NOT CALLED ESSER. IT'S CALLED TCLAS. WE HAVE SOME NON PAYROLL STUFF IN THERE. SO BUT IT'S INCLUDED. SO ALL OF THE NEEDS SO FAR THAT HAVE COME UP DURING THE BUDGET PROCESS, AND THIS IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN THE WAY THAT I'VE DONE IT IN THE PAST, BUT I DECIDED THIS TIME, LIKE WHILE IT'S STILL ON THE TABLE, WHILE WE'RE STILL DISCUSSING IT, WHILE WE'RE STILL PRIORITIZING IT, LET'S LOOK AT ALL OF IT TOGETHER AND SEE SO THAT WE KNOW AS WE'RE CONTINUING TO PRIORITIZE, AS WE'RE CONTINUING TO FIND OUT THINGS, BECAUSE WE STILL ARE FINDING OUT THINGS AS [01:50:03] THE YEAR'S STILL PROGRESSING WHERE WE STAND WITH ALL OF IT ON THE TABLE. SO DO WE STILL FEEL COMFORTABLE USING A 93% NUMBER? YES. I MEAN, WE HAVEN'T MET THAT WE HAVEN'T MET THE PROJECTION THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. I SEE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. SO THIS IS WHERE IT GETS A LITTLE BIT COMPLICATED AND I'M NOT GOING TO BE ABLE I'M NOT GOING TO EXPLAIN IT VERY WELL. I'LL JUST SAY THAT FROM THE BEGINNING, BUT I'M GOING TO TRY. SO WHILE A 93% ATTENDANCE RATE IS ONE THING. OUR AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE IS DIFFERENT. SO THERE'S WEIGHTS IN THERE FOR DIFFERENT. SO THIS IS WHERE SO THIS IS WHERE THE THREE THINGS IN THE BUCKET MATTER ENROLLMENT AND STUDENT NEED. SO THE STUDENT NEED HAS DIFFERENT WEIGHTS. SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LIKE AN OVERALL ATTENDANCE RATE AND A GOAL THAT WE'RE HITTING FOR, WE WOULD REALLY LIKE TO HIT 93%. THE ADA IS NEVER WHAT THE ATTENDANCE RATE IS BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE SAME. IT WEIGHTS DIFFERENTLY FOR DIFFERENT NEEDS, LIKE SPECIAL NEEDS WEIGHTED. YES, LIKE LESS. IF THEY'RE ABSENT, THEY DON'T COUNT AS MUCH TOWARDS THAT 93 COMPARED TO [INAUDIBLE]. ABSOLUTELY. SO AS OPPOSED TO ME GIVING THE WHAT LITERALLY THE 20 DIFFERENT RATES AND LOOKING AT ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT WEIGHTS WE JUST AVERAGE IT OUT. SO THIS IS WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE IN THAT SCENARIO, BUT WHAT I DO ON MY END IS I TAKE A HISTORY OF THE CHANGE IN THOSE WEIGHTS. NOW THAT I'VE BEEN HERE A FEW YEARS, I'M ABLE TO TAKE A HISTORY OF THAT GROWTH CHANGE, AND THAT'S WHAT I'M BASING MY, LIKE REVENUE PROJECTIONS ON, KNOWING THAT IF WE'RE STAYING IN THAT ATTENDANCE WHERE WE'RE AT NOW. SO THIS IS WHAT WE BUDGETED FOR LAST YEAR. THIS IS NOT INCREASING. THAT JUST PULLED BACK THE CURTAIN. NO, I THINK ALSO THAT IS VERY TRUE, BUT ALSO WHEN WE'RE BEING VERY FRANK ABOUT IT, WE HAVE ONE CAMPUS WHO IS NOT HITTING OUR GOALS. I MEAN, WE HAVE THREE PRINCIPALS HERE WHO ARE CRUSHING, YOU KNOW, OUR ATTENDANCE GOALS, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE ISOLATED WHERE CRUSHING, I THOUGHT YOU SAID QUESTION. NO, CRUSHING LIKE THEY'RE DOING LIKE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE DOING OUTSTANDING, AND I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE FAIR TO ALL OF OUR OTHER SCHOOLS EXCEPT LOCKHART HIGH SCHOOL WHO ARE HITTING IT BECAUSE WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN IS THAT EVERYONE WOULD WOULD LOSE IN THEIR BUDGETS. WE NEED TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF ATTENDANCE AT LOCKHART HIGH SCHOOL AND NOT NECESSARILY PUNISH EVERY OTHER CAMPUS FOR THAT ISSUE, BUT I DO AGREE THAT, YOU KNOW, AS NICOLE EXPLAINED, IT'S MUCH MORE COMPLICATED THAN JUST A FLAT ATTENDANCE PERCENTAGE, BUT YOU KNOW, AS WE'VE CONTINUED TO DO EVERY YEAR, WE ALSO KNOW THAT ALL THESE ARE PROJECTIONS WE LIVE THROUGH, YOU KNOW, OUR SCHOOL YEARS. WELL, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HISTORICALLY, YOU KNOW DON'T SPEND ALL OF OUR BUDGET, ETC., AND I THINK IT WOULD BE A SHAME TO SHORTCHANGE OUR KIDS AND OUR STAFF ON THE FRONT END. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO PUT PRESSURE ON OURSELVES TO GIVE OUR STAFF THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED AND THEN ADDRESS, YOU KNOW, ISSUES HEAD ON WHEN THEY COME AT US. YEAH, AND I'M HAPPY TO BRING. I DON'T WANT YOU TO THINK THAT I JUST DON'T BRING LIKE THE, THE DETAIL OF IT BECAUSE IT IS REALLY A LOT AND BUT I'M HAPPY TO BRING THAT IF YOU WANT TO SEE IT IN THAT TYPE OF DETAIL. I FEEL CONFIDENT WITH LOOKING AT THE HISTORY OF THE CHANGE IN THE WEIGHTS, IN THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS AND THE GROWTH IN THAT AREA. SO I ACCOUNT FOR THOSE TYPES OF GROWTH IN ADA. IT EVENS OUT. I'M NOT INCREASING THAT THAT'S GOING TO GET ANY DIFFERENT. THAT IS DIFFERENT NEXT YEAR, BECAUSE OF ATTENDANCE. I HAVEN'T INCREASED IT. LAST YEAR WAS 93%. THAT HASN'T BEEN INCREASED BECAUSE OF HOW THIS YEAR HAS SHAKEN OUT AT THE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL. [INAUDIBLE]. YES. MODERATE WE WERE WELL WE THE DEMOGRAPHER CAME RIGHT IN BETWEEN MODERATE AND HIGH. IT DID. YEAH. SO IF WE WANT TO ADJUST THAT WE CAN, BUT THAT'S KIND OF WHERE. THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE I GUESS IN MY MIND WE WOULD GIVE A LITTLE BIT, AND UNTIL WE KNOW WHAT THIS ATTENDANCE IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE NEXT YEAR IF THAT MAKES SENSE, AND JUST WHAT OUR ENROLLMENT IS GOING TO DO WITH ALL THE NEW [01:55:06] HOUSING GOING IN. WE OPENED UP ENROLLMENT MUCH SOONER THIS YEAR. SO WE'RE ABLE TO [INAUDIBLE] SO WE'RE ABLE TO. YEP. I HAVEN'T DONE IT YET. I'M SORRY. WE HAVE THE [INAUDIBLE]. THAT THE KINDERGARTEN KIDS THEY ALREADY STARTED. THAT'S A COUPLE OF DAYS. YEAH, AND I CAN UPDATE IN BOARD BRIEF. HOW MANY HAVE REGISTERED ALREADY? GET THOSE NUMBERS FRIDAY. SO THIS IS OUR WE WENT OVER THIS IN FEBRUARY. THIS IS OUR PROJECTED GENERAL FUND BALANCE FOR WHAT'S PROJECTED AT JUNE 30TH. WE ARE PROJECTED TO INCREASE THE FUND BALANCE THIS YEAR. YES, I THINK WE FORGOT ONE THING ABOUT POTENTIAL INDIRECT COSTS FOR ESSER. CAN YOU TAKE A STAB ON SURE EXPLAINING THAT BRIEFLY. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO THE ESSER FUNDING IS COMING TO AN END. THERE IS SOMETHING THAT FEDERAL FUNDS THAT WE DO FOR ALL OF OUR FEDERAL FUNDS. IN FACT, IT'S IN THIS FEDERAL REVENUE. I THOUGHT I KNEW HOW TO DO IT. IT'S IN THE FEDERAL REVENUE AMOUNT THAT WE HAVE OF 691,000 IN THE BUDGET RIGHT NOW. THE FEDERAL FUNDS THAT WE HAVE, SUCH AS OUR TITLE ONE FUNDS OUR IDEA BE WE'RE ABLE TO CLAIM AN INDIRECT COST ON THAT, AND WE DO WE CLAIM INDIRECT COST ON ALL OF OUR FEDERAL FUNDS. THE TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY GIVES US TWO TYPES OF INDIRECT COST RATE. ONE IS RESTRICTED AND ONE IS UNRESTRICTED. RESTRICTED IS A LOT LESS UNRESTRICTED IS A LOT MORE. SO WHEN WE CLAIM INDIRECT COST, THE INDIRECT COST WOULD BE TO RUN THESE FEDERAL PROGRAMS LIKE IDEA B, TITLE I, CARL PERKINS. TO RUN THESE PROGRAMS IN OUR DISTRICT, WE CHARGE AN INDIRECT COST RATE OF ABOUT 3.5% SO THAT WE CAN USE THOSE FUNDS TO HELP FUND THE HR NEEDS THAT GO TO RUNNING THE PROGRAM, THE SPACE THAT IS NEEDED TO RUN THE PROGRAM AND SO THAT'S WHAT INDIRECT COSTS ARE. SO WE CHARGE THEM TO ALL THE GRANTS, AND I, WE THE ONLY GRANT THAT IS CHARGED AN UNRESTRICTED RATE, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT OVER 15%, IS THE CHILD NUTRITION FUND. THAT'S THE ONLY FUND THAT WE'RE ALLOWED ON THE FEDERAL SIDE TO CHARGE AN UNRESTRICTED INDIRECT COST RATE TO. SO I LAY THAT FOUNDATION TO TALK ABOUT ESSER INDIRECT COSTS. ESSER HAS BEEN AROUND FOR THREE YEARS. IT WAS A HUGE GRANT, OVER $7 MILLION THAT WE HAD OVER A THREE AND A HALF YEAR PERIOD FOLLOWING COVID-19. THE INDIRECT COST RATE ON THIS GRANT IS THE UNRESTRICTED RATE AT A LITTLE OVER 15%. SO SOMETHING THAT WE COULD DO IS WITH THE FUNDS THAT ARE REMAINING IN T HE ESSER FUNDS IS CHARGED THAT UNRESTRICTED INDIRECT COST RATE TO THE GENERAL FUND. IT WOULD BE JUST LIKE WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW, WHERE WE'RE PAYING EXPENDITURES OUT OF ESSER THREE VERSUS PAYING FOR THEM OUT OF OR ESSER VERSUS PAYING THEM OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND. EXCEPT THAT THIS TIME WE WOULD BE RECEIVING REVENUE ON THE GENERAL FUND SIDE AND THE EXPENDITURES WOULD BE IN THE GENERAL FUND, BUT AGAIN, THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE COULD ONLY DO JUST TO CLOSE THE GRANT OUT. HOW MUCH DO YOU ESTIMATE? THAT WOULD BE ABOUT 800,000. WHAT HAPPENS TO FEDERAL COVID MONEY IF WE DO NOT SPEND IT? WE LOSE IT. THANK YOU. YEAH. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THAT'S ONE OF THE STRATEGIES THAT WE COULD USE. THAT WOULD BE FOR NEXT YEAR ONLY BECAUSE THEN IT WOULD BE IT WOULD BE ONE YEAR ONLY, JUST KIND OF LIKE WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH ESSER WHAT WE'VE BEEN DEALING WITH ESSER FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS. SO THAT IS A THOUGHT AS WE DON'T AS WE HAVE ENDED SOME OF THOSE PROGRAMS THROUGH ATTRITION OR THEY'RE DONE. THEY WERE ONE TIME EXPENSES LIKE TECHNOLOGY COSTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, AND WE'RE CLOSING THE FUNDS OUT, WE'RE ABLE TO SEE HOW MUCH THE INDIRECT COST IS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO TAKE. WE'RE ABLE TO TAKE OVER A MILLION, BUT WE HAVE ABOUT 800,000 THAT WE SHOULD THAT COVERS 400,000 [INAUDIBLE]. IT GIVES US AN EXTRA YEAR [INAUDIBLE]. BECAUSE YOU CAN USE IT FOR SALARIES, RIGHT? YES, BECAUSE THEN AND IT'S SO IT'S UNRESTRICTED. [02:00:04] IT WOULD JUST GO INTO OUR GENERAL FUND REVENUE AND THEN THAT'S AND THAT 800,000 IS NOT SHOWN IN ANY OF THESE MODELS. CORRECT. IT IS NOT SHOWN IN THE MODEL. STILL TRYING TO DECIDE IF WE WERE GOING TO DO THAT, HOW WE WANTED TO UTILIZE THAT, IF WE WERE GOING TO USE THAT STRATEGY WITH THOSE FUNDS. YEAH SO FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS, WE'VE BEEN IN A PLACE OF HARDSHIP I WOULD REALLY, I MEAN, I THINK WE WOULD ALL SAY HARDSHIP. THAT MIGHT EVEN BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT, AND THIS YEAR WE'RE IN A DIFFERENT SITUATION WHERE WE'RE GROWING. THERE'S A LOT OF DISTRICTS THAT ARE NOT GROWING. WE CONSERVATIVELY BUDGETED BECAUSE OF THIS STATE VALUE ASSIGNMENT THAT WE HAD, AND WE WENT INTO FUND BALANCE LAST YEAR DUE TO THAT STATE VALUE ASSIGNMENT AND BY OVER $1 MILLION. SO WE'VE BUDGETED BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN IN LOW ATTENDANCE, STATE VALUE ASSIGNMENT, ALL OF THESE THINGS, AND BY DOING THAT. WE NOW HAVE REACHED A POINT WHERE WE HAVE A PAST BATTERY. WE HAVE LOCAL VALUES BACK, ALL OF THESE AREAS THAT NOW THE PENDULUM HAS KIND OF SWUNG. I'M AFRAID TO SAY IT OUT LOUD. IT HAS SWUNG OUR WAY, AND I'M INCREDIBLY THANKFUL FOR IT, AND WE'RE. TRYING TO CONTINUE TO REMAIN. STEADY WITH THAT AND NOT, YOU KNOW. GO CRAZY WITH IT, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT WITH OUR GROWTH, WITH LOCAL VALUES, WITH OUR VATRE. WE ARE IN A SITUATION TO BE THANKFUL FOR. SO, I MEAN, I THINK WE'RE A LOT BETTER OFF THAN MANY DISTRICTS. YES, SIR, AND HOPEFULLY THIS TIME NEXT YEAR YOU WILL BE IN A LEGISLATIVE SESSION, AND IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THEY WON'T ACT DO SOMETHING ON SCHOOL FUNDING AT THAT POINT. I MEAN I WOULD THINK THEY'D BE INCREASING FUNDING AT NEXT YEAR, I WOULD HOPE. YEAH, RIGHT. COUPLED WITH VOUCHERS, BUT I AGREE. YEAH. I MEAN I WOULD THINK ETHICALLY THEY WOULD NEED TO, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF I'M ALLOWED TO SAY THAT, BUT YEAH, I WOULD THINK I WOULD AGREE WITH YOU THAT NEXT YEAR THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE SOMETHING THE BASIC ALLOTMENT SINCE 2018. 2019 OR WHATEVER. WHICH IS THEY CAN'T LEAVE THAT THE SAME AT LEAST I MEAN THEY GOT ALL THESE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THEY NEVER SPENT. YEAH. INFLATION IS I MEAN IT'S KILLING US. WE'RE SEEING IT WITH OUR TECHNOLOGY LEASE. WHAT'S THE PERCENT INCREASE ON THAT I DON'T I DON'T REMEMBER OH GOODNESS. 50% OR SOMETHING. I MEAN IT'S AND SOME OF THAT DOES INCLUDE GROWTH BUT A LOT OF IT IS INFLATION. YEAH. THE COST OF EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING IS GOING UP. CONTINUE. OKAY SO WE TALKED ABOUT FUND BALANCE. NEXT STEP IS THE MAY 6TH BUDGET WORKSHOP. WE WILL CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT OUR BUDGET WITH YOUR FEEDBACK THIS EVENING, AND WITH THE PLANNING THAT IS JUST GOING TO CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT MONTH. ON MAY 13TH, WE'LL REVIEW OUR PUBLIC HEARING DATE FOR THE PROPOSED TAX RATE. WE'LL APPROVE A COMPENSATION PLAN FOR 24-25 IF IT IS READY AFTER THE MAY 6TH MEETING, AND THEN WE HAVE OUR LAST BUDGET WORKSHOP ON JUNE 3RD, AND WE WILL ADOPT OUR BUDGET ON JUNE 24TH. ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS? THIS WAS GREAT DISCUSSION. I FEEL GOOD ABOUT WHERE WE CAN CAN JUST CONTINUE TO KEEP PLANNING. I APPRECIATE YOU ALL'S FEEDBACK. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU. THE LAST FEW YEARS HAVE NOT BEEN THE BEST MONEY WISE, BUT B ECAUSE OF THOSE HARD YEARS IN MAKING THE WISE DECISIONS THAT THE TEAM MADE. WE'RE NOT IN THE SAME SITUATION THAT A LOT OF OTHER DISTRICTS ARE IN. IT MAKES IT A LOT EASIER ON US. THERE ARE A LOT OF DISTRICTS THAT ARE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OVER BUDGET. THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO GIVE ANY RAISES, AND THEY'RE LETTING A BUNCH OF PEOPLE GO. ABSOLUTELY. I JUST COMMEND THE HARD WORK THAT YOU ALL PUT IN, AND LIKEWISE SO MUCH THE TAXPAYERS AS WELL APPROVING THE VATRE. IT'S A BIG DEAL. THAT REALLY IS A [INAUDIBLE]. I TOTALLY AGREE. [INAUDIBLE] OUR STAFF AND OUR. [02:05:04] ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. THAT HAS BEEN THAT WAS HUGE. THE VATRE REALLY DOES SET US APART AS FAR AS OUR FINANCIAL ABILITIES, YOU KNOW. ARE YOU DONE, MISS WEISER? ANYBODY ELSE? I AM. OKAY, WE'LL MOVE TO ITEM FOUR COMMUNICATION ACTION A. [Approve Staffing for the 2024-2025 School Year] APPROVE STAFFING FOR THE 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR. WHO'S GOING TO HANDLE THAT? YOU SHOULD HAVE A [INAUDIBLE]. DID WE PASS OUT THE, DO THEY HAVE THE DETAIL? YOU HAVE IT? MR. PRESIDENT, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD APPROVES THE POSITIONS AND STIPENDS AS [INAUDIBLE]. I SECOND. WE HAVE A MOTION. WE HAVE A SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? PASSES 7 TO 0. ITEM FOUR B APPROVE BUDGET AMENDMENTS. [Approve Budget Amendments] MR. PRESIDENT, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD APPROVES THE BUDGET AMENDMENT AS WRITTEN. I SECOND. WE HAVE A MOTION. WE HAVE A SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? PASSES 7 TO 0. THAT IS ALL WE HAVE ON THE AGENDA TONIGHT. THE MEETING IS OVER. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.