[Hearings and Budget Workshop on April 23, 2026.]
[00:00:03]
THIS MEETING IS NOW CONVENED AT 5 P.M.
I'D LIKE TO ASK EVERYONE TO PLEASE SILENCE ALL CELL PHONES.
A QUORUM OF THE BOARD MEMBERS IS PRESENT IN THE AUDITORIUM.
OUR FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS HEAR FROM SPEAKERS TO AGENDA ITEMS. PUBLIC COMMENT DURING SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE TO THOSE PERSONS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK PRIOR TO THE MEETING TIME PER CURRENT PROTOCOL.
VERBAL AND OTHER DISRUPTIONS BY PERSONS DURING THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE.
AS THEY INHIBIT THE BOARD'S ABILITY TO CONDUCT BUSINESS AND THE PUBLIC'S ABILITY TO OBSERVE THOSE PROCESSES, PERSONS WHO PARTICIPATE IN SUCH BEHAVIOR WILL BE GIVEN ONE WARNING, AND IF THE BEHAVIOR IS REPEATED, THEY'LL BE ASKED TO LEAVE THE MEETING.
WE HAVE SIX REGISTERED SPEAKERS WHO WILL BE LIMITED TO TWO MINUTES EACH PER BOARD POLICY.
WE ASK THAT YOU STATE YOUR TOPIC AND REFRAIN FROM NAMING INDIVIDUALS, ESPECIALLY STUDENTS, AS THEIR IDENTITY IS PROTECTED UNDER THE LAW.
BUT YOU MAY NAME YOUR OWN CHILD.
I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE RESPECT.
OUR PROCEDURES AND THE OTHER SPEAKERS AND THEN YOUR COMMENTS PROMPTLY WHEN THE TIME HAS EXPIRED AND THE TIMER RINGS.
OUR PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD WILL BEGIN WITH PUBLIC OFFICIALS, STUDENTS, AND PARENTS, FOLLOWED BY OTHER SPEAKERS.
MS. SMITH, YOU MAY CALL OUR SPEAKERS.
I'D LIKE TO CALL OUR SPEAKERS WHO'VE SIGNED UP FOR 5 O'CLOCK HEARINGS, MARIA BINZON, ELLA TAYLOR, MELISSA YARBOROUGH.
ANN EAGLETON, DORCAS HAND, AND LISA ROBINSON.
ARE ANY OF THESE SPEAKERS PRESENT? PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND GO AHEAD.
DORCAS HAND, COMMUNITY MEMBER.
I'M HERE TO SPEAK FOR MICHELLE.
SHE'S GOT 26 YEARS AS A HIGHLY RESPECTED TEACHER IN HISD, AND I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE'S HERE TONIGHT.
FOR THIS REASON, HISD IS FORGETTING A REALLY IMPORTANT WORD.
THE SPECIAL IN SPECIAL EDUCATION MEANS THOSE STUDENTS NEED DIFFERENT TEACHING.
THEY WILL NOT THRIVE UNDER THE REGIMENTED NES SLIDE PROGRAM.
MICHELLE SHOULD BE IN CLASSROOMS INSPIRING STUDENTS NOW AND MOVING FORWARD.
SHE SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN REMOVED.
STOP THIS VINDICTIVE TRAVESTY.
SHE IS THE KIND OF TEACHER HISD STUDENTS NEED.
MY NAME IS LISA ROBINSON, LITERACY ADVOCATE, RETIRED EDUCATOR, AND FORMER ATTORNEY.
I'M SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF MICHELLE WILLIAMS AS THE MOM OF THREE HSD ALUMNI AND GRANDMOTHER OF A PROSPECTIVE PHUKET STUDENT.
LIKE ME, YOU ARE MORE THAN PROFESSIONALS IN YOUR FIELD, AND YOU ARE MORE THAN MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF MANAGERS.
YOU ARE ALSO PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS.
AS SUCH, I ASK THAT YOU PUT YOURSELVES IN THE SHOES OF THE PARENTS OF MS. WILLIAMS' STUDENTS.
WHAT IF IT WERE YOUR SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD REQUIRED TO TAKE A TIME TEST IN DIRECT CONTRAVENTION OF HER IEP? WOULD YOU WANT MS. WILLIAMS TO IGNORE THE LAWS GOVERNING SPECIAL EDUCATION? OR WHAT IF IT WERE YOUR NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING GRANDCHILD REQUIRED TO READ LONG READING PASSAGES IN ENGLISH AND THEN ANSWER A SERIES OF MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS.
WOULD YOU EXPECT MS. WILLIAMS TO VIOLATE HER DUTY TO PROVIDE ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION TO BILINGUAL STUDENTS BASED ON THEIR PROFICIENCY LEVEL? SURELY YOU WOULD WANT MS. WILLIAMS TO MEET YOUR CHILD WHERE THEY ARE ON THEIR EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY INSTEAD OF BLINDLY FOLLOWING COOKIE-CUTTER INSTRUCTIONS AND PROCEDURES THAT DO NOT WORK FOR EVERY SINGLE STUDENT.
THIS WAS THE CHOICE MS. WILLIAMS FACED LAST YEAR.
FALL BEFORE SHE WAS REMOVED FROM HER CLASSROOM.
SHE CHOSE TO DO WHAT SHE KNEW HER STUDENTS NEEDED BASED ON YEARS OF TEACHING EXPERIENCE.
THE DISTRICT CHOSE TO REMOVE HER.
MS. WILLIAMS APPEALED AND WON HER TEA HEARING IN WHICH THE INDEPENDENT HEARING EXAMINER FOUND THAT SHE HAD BEEN WRONGLY TERMINATED.
THAT HEARING DID NOT SETTLE THIS MATTER, SO YOU GET THE FINAL VOTE.
NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
VOTE IN LINE WITH THE HEARING EXAMINER'S FINDINGS.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, VOTE AS IF YOUR OWN CHILD WAS SITTING IN MS. WILLIAMS' CLASSROOM, KNOWING THAT MS. WILLIAMS WOULD ALWAYS PUT YOUR CHILD'S NEEDS FIRST.
BECAUSE IF IT'S NOT OKAY FOR YOUR CHILD, THEN IS IT OKAY FOR ANY CHILD? NO.
I'D LIKE TO WELCOME STATE REPRESENTATIVE CHRISTINA MORALES.
THANK YOU SO MUCH AND GOOD EVENING.
[00:05:01]
CHRISTINA MORALES I REPRESENT TEXAS HOUSE DISTRICT 145 AND I SERVE AS CHAIR OF OUR HDCC COMMITTEE I'M HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS ROOM HAS CONSEQUENCES FAR BEYOND THESE WALLS I WANT TO REMIND YOU THAT AN INDEPENDENT HEARING EXAMINER APPOINTED THROUGH TEA REVIEWED THIS CASE AND FOUND TWICE THAT HISD DID NOT MEET ITS BURDEN.IT FOUND MICHELLE WILLIAMS CREDIBLE.
SHE FOUND THE DISTRICT DID NOT PROVE ITS CASE AND RECOMMENDED REINSTATEMENT.
THE TEA ITSELF FOUND THAT THIS DISTRICT VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW IN HOW IT TREATED SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS, THE VERY STUDENTS MICHELLE WILLIAMS IS TRYING TO PROTECT.
SO TONIGHT THIS BOARD HAS A CHOICE.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE, FOLLOW THE LAW AND REINSTATE A 26 YEAR EDUCATED WHO PUT CHILDREN FIRST OR OVERRIDE AN INDEPENDENT EXAMINER FOR THE SECOND TIME AND SEND A MESSAGE TO EVERY TEACHER IN HOUSTON THAT SPEAKING UP FOR KIDS WILL COST YOU YOUR CAREER.
I WANT THIS BOARD TO KNOW THAT THE LEGISLATURE IS WATCHING, THE COMMUNITY IS WATCHING.
AND HOUSTON'S TEACHERS, PARENTS, AND FAMILIES WILL REMEMBER THIS VOTE.
SINCE WE ARE HAVING A BUDGET WORKSHOP AFTER THIS, I WANTED TO BRING UP THE CONCEPT OF HOW MUCH MONEY ARE WE SPENDING ON RETALIATION AGAINST A TEACHER? IF YOU END UP REINSTATING HER FOR A SECOND TIME, THAT WILL MEAN TWICE ALL OF THIS MONEY HAS BEEN SPENT ON ATTORNEYS, TIME, EFFORT THAT COULD BE SPENT BETTER, MAYBE TOWARDS OUR STUDENTS.
WE NEED TO BE FOCUSED ON WHAT REALLY MATTERS.
THINK I'M HOPING THAT THE BOARD OF MANAGERS WILL CONSIDER THE FACT THAT OUR SUPERINTENDENT MAY HAVE VENDETTAS WITH PEOPLE OR HAVE SUCH A RIGID CONCEPT OF HOW PEOPLE NEED TO BEHAVE AND BE IN LOCKSTEP WITH IT THAT IT'S LITERALLY COSTING TAXPAYERS MONEY BECAUSE WE HAVE TO PAY OUT SETTLEMENTS, WE HAVE TO HAVE LEGAL MACHINATIONS.
ALL OF THIS STUFF COSTS MONEY AND I WANT YOU TO START THINKING ABOUT ALL THE LITTLE LEAKS OF MONEY.
THAT WILL ADD UP TO BIG PILES OF MONEY.
THIS CONCLUDES OUR PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THE HEARING.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS MEETING IS TO CONSIDER...
THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE INDEPENDENT HEARING EXAMINER IN THE MATTER OF ALESTRA GAINES, A TEACHER AT PATRICK HENRY MIDDLE SCHOOL, HEARINGS INVOLVING COMPLAINTS AGAINST DISTRICT EMPLOYEES ARE TO BE HELD IN CLOSED SESSION UNLESS AN EMPLOYEE WHO IS SUBJECT TO THE HEARING REQUESTS AN OPEN HEARING.
IF BOTH PARTIES REQUEST AN OPEN SESSION DURING THIS HEARING, THE BOARD MAY GO INTO A CLOSED SESSION TO CONSULT WITH ITS ATTORNEYS UNDER THE TERMS OF TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551.071.
TO SEEK THE ADVICE OF COUNSEL, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
FOR THE RECORD, GIANNA ORTEZ IS WITH THE ORTEZ LAW FIRM.
WE'RE REPRESENTING ALISTAIR GAINES, WHO IS PRESENT.
ALISTAIR GAINES IS PRESENT AS WELL, TWICE.
IZZY ANDERSON WITH SPALDING, NICHOLS, LAMP AND LANGOLIS, REPRESENTING THE ADMINISTRATION, IS PRESENT.
GENERAL COUNSEL IS ALSO PRESENT.
MS. ORTIZ, DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE AN OPEN OR CLOSED SESSION? OKAY.
IF ANY PARTIES ARE NOT INVOLVED IN THE HEARING, YOU MUST LEAVE THE AUDITORIUM AT THIS TIME.
SO WILL YOU PLEASE CLEAR THE AUDITORIUM IF YOU'RE NOT INVOLVED IN THE HEARING? THANK YOU.
THE BOARD IS NOW RECONVENED IN THE AUDITORIUM.
IN THE CLOSED SESSION AT 5.49 P.M.
[00:10:01]
BOARD IS READY TO VOTE.LET'S SEE IF WE CAN GET OUR COMPUTERS TO DO THAT.
OKAY, DO WE HAVE A MOTION? WE NEED TO GO BACK AND OPEN BEFORE YOU VOTE.
OH, I'M SORRY, DO WE? THAT'S TRUE.
PLEASE OPEN THE AUDITORIUM DOORS AND BEGIN LIVE STREAMING.
LIVE STREAMING ON? OKAY, GOOD.
THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF THE HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT IS NOW RECONVENED IN AN OPEN SESSION.
DO I HAVE A MOTION? I HAVE A MOTION, MR. PRESIDENT.
I MOVE THAT WE ADOPT THE DECISION AND RECOMMENDATION OF THE INDEPENDENT HEARING EXAMINER, ADOPT THE FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW RECOMMENDED BY THE INDEPENDENT HEARING EXAMINER.
AND APPROVE THE ADMINISTRATION'S PROPOSAL TO TERMINATE RESPONDENT ALISTAIR GAINES' 2025-2026 ONE-YEAR EMPLOYEE TERM CONTRACT FOR GOOD CAUSE.
OKAY, THE MOTION PASSES WITH FIVE YEAS AND ONE ABSTENTION.
LETTER NOTIFYING BOTH PARTIES OF THE ACTION OF THE BOARD SHALL BE PREPARED AND SIGNED BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF BOARD RELATIONS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
THIS HEARING IS CONCLUDED AT 5.51 P.M.
OKAY, ARE WE READY TO BEGIN? OKAY, THE PURPOSE OF THIS MEETING IS TO CONSIDER THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE INDEPENDENT HEARING EXAMINED IN THE MATTER OF MICHELLE WILLIAMS, TEACHER AT BENBROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
HEARINGS INVOLVING COMPLAINTS AGAINST DISTRICT EMPLOYEES ARE TO BE HELD IN CLOSED SESSION UNLESS EVERYONE WHO IS THE SUBJECT OF THE HEARING REQUESTS AN OPEN HEARING.
IF BOTH PARTIES REQUEST AN OPEN SESSION DURING THIS HEARING, THE BOARD MAY GO INTO CLOSED SESSION TO CONSULT WITH ITS ATTORNEY UNDER THE TERMS OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551.071.
IF ANY BOARD MEMBER WISHES TO SEEK THE ADVICE OF COUNSEL, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
FOR THE RECORD, GIANNA ORTIZ IS WITH THE ORTIZ LAW FIRM, REPRESENTING MS. MICHELLE WILLIAMS, IS PRESENT.
MICHELLE WILLIAMS IS ALSO PRESENT.
ELLEN SPAULDING WITH SPAULDING, NICHOLS, LAMP, AND LANGOLIS, REPRESENTING THE ADMINISTRATION, IS PRESENT.
GENERAL COUNSEL IS ALSO PRESENT.
MS. ORTIZ, I UNDERSTAND YOUR CLIENT WANTS TO CONTINUE AN OPEN SESSION? OKAY, GREAT.
THE ISSUES BEFORE THE SCHOOL BOARD ARE WHETHER TO ACCEPT, REJECT, OR CHANGE THE INDEPENDENT HEARING EXAMINER'S FINDING OF FACT, CONCLUSION OF LAW, AND PROPOSAL BASED ON THE REVIEW OF THE RECORD.
WE MAY REJECT OR CHANGE A FINDING OF FACT IF AFTER REVIEWING THE RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE HEARING EXAMINERS, WE FIND IT IS NOT SUPPORTED BY SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.
IF WE REJECT THE INDEPENDENT HEARING EXAMINER'S RECOMMENDATION OR MAKE ANY CHANGES, WE MUST STATE THE REASON AND LEGAL BASIS IN WRITING.
MS. WALDING, YOU WILL PROCEED FIRST.
YOU WILL BE ALLOWED TO MAKE A 10-MINUTE PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD, FOLLOWED BY A 10-MINUTE PRESENTATION BY MS. ORTIZ.
MS. BALDING, YOU MAY RESERVE PART OF YOUR 10 MINUTES FOR REBUTTAL, AND THEN BOTH SIDES WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPLIT YOUR TIME? EIGHT AND TWO.
[00:15:02]
EIGHT AND TWO, IT IS.GOOD EVENING, MR. PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
WE ARE HERE TONIGHT ASKING YOU TO FIND THAT GOOD CAUSE EXISTS TO TERMINATE MS. WILLIAMS' TERM CONTRACT BASED ON MS. WILLIAMS' OWN UNDISPUTED ADMISSIONS IN THE RECORD.
CAN A TEACHER IN HISD TELL THEIR PRINCIPAL...
THAT THEY ARE NOT GOING TO USE THE HISD CURRICULUM AS WRITTEN AFTER BEING DIRECTED TO DO SO.
AND YOU'VE ALREADY DECIDED THAT QUESTION.
UNDER TEXAS LAW AND HISD POLICY, THE SUPERINTENDENT SETS THE CURRICULUM FOR THE DISTRICT AND THE PRINCIPAL SETS THE CURRICULUM FOR HIS CAMPUS.
AND IF A PRINCIPAL TELLS A TEACHER THAT THE CAMPUS WILL USE THE HISD CURRICULUM, THEN THE TEACHER MUST EXECUTE THAT CURRICULUM WITH .
SO WE ARE ASKING YOU TO FIND THAT GOOD CAUSE EXISTS TO TERMINATE MS. WILLIAMS' CONTRACT BECAUSE SHE TOLD HER PRINCIPAL IN WRITING THAT SHE WOULD NOT USE THE HISD CURRICULUM AS WRITTEN.
IN FACT, ON THE RECORD, SHE ADMITS THE SUPERINTENDENT SETS CURRICULUM FOR THE DISTRICT, THE PRINCIPAL SETS CURRICULUM FOR THE SCHOOL.
SO LET'S STEP BACK AND LOOK AT SOME BACKGROUND.
MS. WILLIAMS WAS A TEACHER AT BENBROOK ELEMENTARY BEGINNING WITH THE 24-25 SCHOOL YEAR.
AFTER THE 24-25 SCHOOL YEAR, WE SAW MANY SCHOOLS IN HISD WITH INCREDIBLE GAINS IN THEIR STUDENT OUTCOMES AND ACCOUNTABILITY RATINGS.
NOT SO FOR BENBROOK ELEMENTARY.
BENBROOK'S ACCOUNTABILITY RATING DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM A B TO A LOW C AND DROPPED IN EVERY DOMAIN.
THEREFORE, AS WITH ANY HISD SCHOOL THAT SEES SUCH A SIGNIFICANT DECLINE, CHANGES WERE MADE.
THAT PRINCIPAL INFORMED THE STAFF, INCLUDING MS. WILLIAMS, THAT THEY WOULD BE USING THE HISD CURRICULUM.
MS. WILLIAMS IMMEDIATELY DISSENTED, AND THEREIN ENSUED A TUG-OF-WAR BETWEEN THE PRINCIPAL AND THE TEACHER, AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE RECORD AND THE HEARING EXAMINER'S RECOMMENDATION.
THE PRINCIPLE COACHED AND DIRECTED MS. WILLIAMS ON A REGULAR BASIS TO COMPLY WITH THE CURRICULUM.
AND MS. WILLIAMS RESPONDED DISAGREEING AND TELLING HIM WHY SHE DISAGREED AND DISAGREEING AND DISAGREEING.
NOW, MS. WILLIAMS ADMITS THAT DURING THIS TUG OF WAR, HER PRINCIPAL DIRECTED HER MORE THAN ONCE TO FOLLOW THE HISD CURRICULUM.
AND SHE ADMITS THAT AS A TEACHER, SHE'S REQUIRED TO FOLLOW THE DIRECTIVES OF HER PRINCIPAL.
HOWEVER, DESPITE THESE ADMISSIONS, ON AUGUST 19, 2025, MS. WILLIAMS SENT HER PRINCIPAL AN EMAIL, AND THAT'S HISD EXHIBIT 13, AND IT READ IN PART, I WILL NOT USE THE HISD AS WRITTEN BECAUSE IT DOESN'T MEET THE DEFINITION OF HIGH QUALITY.
I REWRITE THE OBJECTIVES AND ADD VISUALS AS NEEDED TO MAKE THE CONTENT COMPREHENSIBLE FOR THE APPROXIMATELY 40-PLUS EMERGENT BILINGUAL STUDENTS I CURRENTLY TEACH.
NOW IN THE HEARING, MS. WILLIAMS TESTIFIED THAT SHE LEFT OUT THE WORD CURRICULUM, AND WHAT SHE INTENDED TO SAY IN HER EMAIL WAS, I WILL NOT USE THE HISD CURRICULUM AS WRITTEN.
AND IT IS FOR THAT BLATANT, UNDISPUTED, ADMITTED REFUSAL TO FOLLOW THE HISD CURRICULUM AS DIRECTED THAT WE ARE ASKING YOU TO FIND GOOD CAUSE EXISTS TO TERMINATE MS. WILLIAMS' CONTRACT.
NOW AS YOU SAW, THE HEARING EXAMINER HAS RECOMMENDED THAT MS. WILLIAMS' CONTRACT NOT BE TERMINATED.
SHE BELIEVES THAT MS. WILLIAMS' CONDUCT IS REMEDIABLE.
TWO IMPORTANT POINTS ABOUT THE HEARING EXAMINER'S RECOMMENDATION.
FIRST, TEXAS LAW IS CLEAR THAT WHILE THE HEARING EXAMINER FINDS THE HARD FACTS, IT IS THE BOARD, IT IS YOU WHO MAKES A DETERMINATION AS TO WHETHER THOSE FACTS CONSTITUTE CAUSE, GOOD CAUSE.
AND SECOND, IN ORDER TO MAKE THAT DETERMINATION AS TO WHETHER THERE IS GOOD CAUSE, YOU RELY ON THE FINDINGS OF FACT OF THE HEARING EXAMINER, WHICH WE'RE NOT ASKING YOU TO CHANGE.
BUT YOU MAY ALSO LEGALLY RELY ON THE UNDISPUTED EVIDENCE IN THE RECORD.
AND THAT UNDISPUTED EVIDENCE IN THE RECORD IS WHAT WE ARE ASKING YOU TO RELY ON.
SO HERE, THE HEARING EXAMINER, AFTER LOOKING AT SOME OF THE FACTS, RECOMMENDED THAT MS. WILLIAMS CONTINUE TO BE EMPLOYED BECAUSE HER CONDUCT WAS REMEDIAL, OR REMEDIABLE.
WELL, WHILE THE HEARING EXAMINER TOOK GREAT PAINS TO GO THROUGH OVER A DOZEN COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN MS. WILLIAMS AND HER PRINCIPAL, BETWEEN AUGUST 1ST AND AUGUST
[00:20:02]
2ND, ON AUGUST 28TH, THE HEARING EXAMINER COMPLETELY SKIPPED OVER EXHIBIT 13'S STATEMENT, THE AUGUST 19TH STATEMENT, THAT MS. WILLIAMS WILL NOT USE THE HISD CURRICULUM AS WRITTEN.A STATEMENT THAT IT IS UNDISPUTED THAT SHE MADE.
AND YOU ARE ALLOWED TO CONSIDER THAT UNDISPUTED STATEMENT IN DETERMINING THAT GOOD CAUSE EXISTS FOR TERMINATION.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ASKING YOU TO DO.
THE DOCUMENT IN FRONT OF YOU WITH HISD'S PROPOSED CHANGES IS LONG, BUT IT REALLY BOILS DOWN TO TWO THINGS.
ONE, DID MS. WILLIAMS HAVE THE RIGHT AS A TEACHER TO TELL HER PRINCIPAL SHE WASN'T GOING TO USE THE HISD CURRICULUM AS WRITTEN AND THAT SHE WAS GOING TO REWRITE THE OBJECTIVES? AND TWO, SHOULD HISD HAVE TO REMEDIATE THAT CONDUCT? AND LET'S TALK ABOUT REMEDIATION.
THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION HAS HELD AND BEEN VERY CLEAR THANK YOU.
THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO REMEDIATE A FAILURE TO FOLLOW DIRECTIVES.
AND YOU ESPECIALLY DON'T HAVE TO REMEDIATE A BLATANT REFUSAL TO FOLLOW DIRECTIVES.
MS. WILLIAMS TOLD US IN WRITING THAT SHE WAS NOT GOING TO USE THE HISD CURRICULUM AS WRITTEN.
THAT'S SOMEONE WHO DOUBLED DOWN ON THEIR REFUSAL TO DO WHAT IS REQUIRED BY LAW, BY POLICY, AND BY DIRECTIVES.
AND IT IS THE OPINION OF THIS ADMINISTRATION.
THAT IF A TEACHER TELLS US THEY ARE NOT GOING TO USE THE HISD CURRICULUM AS WRITTEN, THEY CAN'T WORK FOR US ANYMORE.
WE CAN'T SIT AROUND AND WAIT TO SEE IF THEY CHANGE THEIR MIND AND DECIDE TO USE IT.
TIME ON TASK IS TOO PRECIOUS FOR OUR STUDENTS.
SO WHAT DO I THINK YOU'LL HEAR FROM MS. WILLIAMS? WELL, I THINK SHE'LL TELL YOU SHE FOLLOWED THE CURRICULUM MOSTLY, TO THE EXTENT SHE COULD.
YOUR STUDENTS DON'T HAVE TO FOLLOW THE CODE OF CONDUCT MOSTLY.
YOU DON'T DRIVE DOWN THE ROAD FOLLOWING THE RULES MOSTLY.
SHE WILL TELL YOU THAT SHE BELIEVES THE CURRICULUM WAS ILLEGAL, AND SHE COMPLIED TO THE EXTENT IT WAS LEGAL.
WELL, THERE IS ZERO EVIDENCE IN THE RECORD THAT THE CURRICULUM WAS ILLEGAL.
IN FACT, THE UNDISPUTED EVIDENCE IN THE RECORD IS THAT THE CURRICULUM HAD RECEIVED ALL REQUIRED APPROVALS BY THE STATE OF TEXAS.
SHE'S GOING TO TELL YOU SHE FILED TEA COMPLAINTS, AND SHE DID.
HOWEVER, THOSE TEA COMPLAINTS DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH HER CLASSROOM OR THE CURRICULUM.
THEY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO IN TEACHING THE CURRICULUM.
AND OF COURSE, SHE'S GOING TO TELL YOU SHE WAS RETALIATED AGAINST.
BUT YOU CAN SEE IN THE HEARING EXAMINER'S RECOMMENDATION, EVEN THE HEARING EXAMINER DIDN'T FIND THAT TO BE TRUE.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS MS. WILLIAMS TOLD HER PRINCIPAL SHE WOULD NOT USE THE HISD CURRICULUM.
AND IF SHE'S NOT GOING TO USE THE CURRICULUM WITH FIDELITY, THEN SHE IS NOT SOMEONE WHO CAN TEACH HERE.
AND WE ASK THAT YOU MAKE THE CHANGES TO THE HEARING EXAMINER'S RECOMMENDATION AND FIND GOOD CAUSE EXISTS TO TERMINATE MS. WILLIAMS' TERM CONTRACT.
MS. ORTIZ, YOU MAY MAKE YOUR PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD.
IS IT GOOD? YOU GOOD NOW? OKAY.
THE DISTRICT ASKS YOU TO RE-LITIGATE IN TEN MINUTES WHAT AN INDEPENDENT HEARING EXAMINER HEARD TWO DAYS OF EVIDENCE ON AND CONVINCE YOU THAT SHE GOT IT WRONG.
A HEARING EXAMINER WHO SPENT 16 YEARS AS AN ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS AND IN TEN MINUTES THE DISTRICT WANTS TO CONVINCE YOU THAT AFTER HEARING TWO DAYS OF EVIDENCE SHE GOT IT WRONG.
OVER 20 PAGES OF FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS AND THEY WANT YOU TO FIRE MICHELLE WILLIAMS TONIGHT.
BUT THE HEARING EXAMINER DID NOT GET IT WRONG.
YOU NEED TO REINSTATE MICHELLE AS THE RECOMMENDATION DEMANDS.
IT IS UNDISPUTED THE IHE CONCLUDED THE DISTRICT FAILED TO MEET ITS BURDEN.
THE EVIDENCE DID NOT SUPPORT THE ALLEGATIONS MADE.
AND EVEN IF THE ADMINISTRATION...
HAD PROVED ANY OF THE ALLEGATIONS, WHICH IT DID NOT.
SHE WAS GIVEN NO OPPORTUNITY TO REMEDIATE PERCEIVED DEFICIENCIES.
YOUR LAWYERS WANT TO CONVINCE YOU THAT BASED ON ONE EMAIL, MICHELLE WILLIAMS REFUSED TO IMPLEMENT HISD CURRICULUM, BUT THAT IS NOT THE CASE.
THE EVIDENCE SHOWED THAT MICHELLE WILLIAMS AGREED TO AND DID IMPLEMENT HISD CURRICULUM IN A WAY THAT COMPLIED WITH THE LAW.
SHE RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT THE CURRICULUM PACING AND SEQUENCE, THE FACT THAT IT DOES NOT PERMIT HER TO ACCOMMODATE SPECIAL POPULATIONS, EMERGENT
[00:25:01]
BILINGUALS, SPECIAL EDUCATION.SHE RAISED THESE CONCERNS VERBALLY AND IN WRITING AND SHE SAID SHE WOULD IMPLEMENT THE CURRICULUM IN A MANNER TO COMPLY WITH STATE AND FEDERAL LAW.
THAT'S WHAT THE RECOMMENDATION FOUND AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE FINDINGS IN THAT RECOMMENDATION IS SUPPORTED BY SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.
YOU ARE POWERLESS UNDER THE TEXAS EDUCATION CODE 21.259 TO CHANGE THOSE FINDINGS.
YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO CONSIDER UNDISPUTED EXTERNAL FACTS.
BUT EVEN IF YOU WERE, IMAGINE FIRING A 26-YEAR EDUCATOR FOR ONE LINE IN ONE EMAIL AND NO EVIDENCE THAT SHE REFUSED TO COMPLY WITH ANYTHING.
AND IN FACT, THE OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE SUGGESTING THAT IN FACT, SHE DID.
AND IN FACT, WHEN NO ONE AT THE CAMPUS, NOT THE PRINCIPAL, NOT THE ED, NOT EVEN HR, WOULD LISTEN TO HER CONCERNS ABOUT THE FAILURE OF THE HISD CURRICULUM, SHE MADE HER COMPLAINT TO TEA.
AND TEA SUBSTANTIATED MICHELLE WILLIAMS' COMPLAINT AND CONCERN THAT HISD IS FAILING TO IMPLEMENT IEPS, AND THAT IS IN THE RECORD.
AND ITS RESPONDENTS EXHIBIT 24 AND 25.
SO WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE? THE EVIDENCE SHOWED THAT TEA SAID HISD IS FAILING.
TEA NEVER SAID MICHELLE WILLIAMS IS FAILING TO DO ANYTHING OR REFUSING TO DO ANYTHING.
AND WITHIN DAYS OF HER COMPLAINT TO TEA, SHE WAS REMOVED FROM THE SCHOOL.
AND IN FACT, SHE ONLY WORKED THIS SCHOOL YEAR SEVEN DAYS AT THE MOST BEFORE SHE WAS REMOVED FOR A SINGLE LINE IN A SINGLE EMAIL.
HOW IS SEVEN DAYS ENOUGH TIME TO DECIDE IF MICHELLE WILLIAMS HAS REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING? IT'S NOT.
AND YOUR FORMER CHIEF OF HR TESTIFIED THAT SIX TO SEVEN DAYS IS NOT ENOUGH TIME TO COACH A TEACHER UP.
SO WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON HERE? THIS IS THE SECOND TIME MICHELLE WILLIAMS HAS BEEN THROUGH THIS GAUNTLET.
THE SECOND TIME YOU HAVE PAID LAWYERS AND INDEPENDENT HEARING EXAMINERS TO TRY AND GET RID OF MICHELLE WILLIAMS. AND THE SECOND TIME ADMINISTRATION HAS FAILED TO MEET ITS BURDEN TO PROVE A CASE AGAINST HER.
THE EVIDENCE AT TRIAL SHOWED WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON.
MIKE MILES KNOWS MICHELLE WILLIAMS. THE EVIDENCE BORE THAT OUT.
THE EVIDENCE BORE OUT THAT SHE IS A PROBLEM FOR HIM.
WITNESS TESTIMONY SAID SHE SPEAKS AT BOARD MEETINGS.
AND SHE MAKES COMPLAINTS TO TEA.
SHE SPEAKS FOR THE CHILDREN AND THE TEACHERS IN THIS DISTRICT.
SHE SPEAKS TRUTH TO POWER FOR THE POWERLESS.
AND THAT'S THE PROBLEM FOR THIS ADMINISTRATION.
THE EVIDENCE SHOWED THAT SHE IS A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEACHER, THAT SHE HAS BEEN AT ALL TIMES RESPECTFUL AND PROFESSIONAL, THAT SHE ACTED CONSISTENTLY WITH HER DUTIES.
TO THIS DISTRICT AND TO THE CHILDREN IT SERVES, ANY ARGUMENT ABOUT REFUSAL IS A PRETEXT AND FALSE.
YOU CANNOT CHANGE ANY OF THE FINDINGS OF FACT.
ALL OF THEM ARE SUPPORTED BY SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.
YOU SHOULD NOT FOLLOW YOUR ATTORNEY'S ADVICE TO CHANGE FINDINGS TO CONCLUSIONS.
THAT, TOO, WOULD BE REVERSIBLE ERROR ON YOUR PART.
YOU CANNOT SUBSTITUTE YOUR OWN JUDGMENT FOR THE FINDINGS MADE BY THE INDEPENDENT HEARING EXAMINER.
THERE IS NOT A SINGLE FINDING IN THE RECOMMENDATION THAT WOULD SUPPORT GOOD CAUSE.
AND AFTER ALL THAT, YOU HAVE ONE JOB TONIGHT, AND THAT IS TO REINSTATE MICHELLE WILLIAMS. BUT IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT THAT, BECAUSE NO DECISION THAT YOU MAKE FROM THAT DAIS AFFECTS JUST ONE PERSON.
THIS DECISION AFFECTS EVERY CHILD IN A SPECIAL POPULATION, EVERY EMERGENT BILINGUAL, EVERY SPECIAL ED CHILD, EVERY CHILD WITH AN IEP WHO GETS EXTRA TIME ON ASSESSMENTS, AND EVERY GIFTED AND TALENTED CHILD, AND EVERY TEACHER IN THIS DISTRICT WHO HAS A MORAL, LEGAL, AND ETHICAL DUTY TO SERVE THOSE CHILDREN.
IF YOU ACT TO FIRE MICHELLE TONIGHT, YOU SEND A MESSAGE.
TO ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE, YOU NEED TO REINSTATE HER, DO WHAT'S RIGHT, AND PUT AN END TO THIS BEHAVIOR ON THE PART
[00:30:01]
OF YOUR ADMINISTRATION.AND I'D LIKE TO GIVE THE REST OF MY TIME TO MS. WILLIAMS. THANK YOU.
MS. FAULDING WOULD LIKE YOU TO BELIEVE THAT I REFUSE TO IMPLEMENT THE HISD CURRICULUM.
WHAT WAS SAID IN THE EMAIL IS THAT I WOULDN'T IMPLEMENT IT AS WRITTEN BECAUSE I HAD 40 EMERGENT BILINGUAL STUDENTS WHO WERE TRANSITIONING FROM A BILINGUAL CLASS.
HISD HAS FAILED TO IMPLEMENT THE IEPS OF STUDENTS.
I HAD A STUDENT IN MY CLASSROOM WHOSE MOTHER WAS UNDOCUMENTED, CONTRACTED ARM AND LEG FROM CEREBRAL PALSY, AND MR. HURD WOULD NOT ALLOW US OR ME TO ACCOMMODATE THIS STUDENT OR THE OTHER STUDENT THAT WAS IN MY CLASS WHO WAS SPECIAL EDUCATION.
SHE WOULD LIKE YOU TO BELIEVE THAT I CANNOT CHANGE THE OBJECTIVES.
CHAPTER 149 OF THE TEXAS EDUCATION CODE TEACHER STANDARDS STATES THAT I CAN.
ALSO, CHAPTER 74 OF THE TEXAS EDUCATION CODE FOR EMERGING BILINGUAL SAYS THAT THE DISTRICT HAS A DUTY TO TEACH STUDENTS ACCORDING TO THEIR PROFICIENCY LEVELS, IS WHAT I DID.
MS. FAULDING WOULD LIKE YOU TO BELIEVE THAT I DID NOT.
I DID NOT REFUSE TO IMPLEMENT THE CURRICULUM.
THE TEAKS ARE OUR CURRICULUM, AND I IMPLEMENTED THAT WITH FIDELITY.
SHE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE YOU ALL BELIEVE, BASED ON ONE SINGLE SENTENCE OUT OF 12 EMAILS WHICH SHE STATED, THAT I REFUSE TO DO THAT.
I HAVE BEEN TEACHING FOR 26 YEARS.
I HAVE NEVER IN MY LIFE, MY TEACHING CAREER, BEEN ASKED TO VIOLATE LAW, YET I WAS ASKED BY YOUR ADMINISTRATOR NOT TO TEACH THE CHILDREN HOW TO READ IN ENGLISH.
THAT'S WHAT MS. SPALDING FAILED TO TELL YOU ALL, WHICH IS ALSO IN THE RECORD.
I WAS TEACHING SCIENCE OF READING, AND I WAS TOLD BY THE THEN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, OH, WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO TEACH THE KIDS HOW TO READ.
THEY TRIED TO FORCE ME TO GIVE LONG...
ENGLISH PASSAGES TO STUDENTS WHO COULD NOT READ IN ENGLISH.
WE HAVE A DUTY TO TEACH ALL CHILDREN.
IT IS NOT HISD'S RESPONSIBILITY TO PICK AND CHOOSE WHICH STUDENTS GET TAUGHT.
WE DID NOT ASK YOU TO DISREGARD ANY TRUE FINDING OF FACT.
WE ASKED YOU TO LOOK AT THE FINDINGS OF FACT AND SEE HOW MANY TIMES THIS PRINCIPAL COACHED AND DIRECTED MS. WILLIAMS TO FOLLOW THE HISD CURRICULUM.
WHAT WE ASKED YOU TO DO WAS RELY ON THE UNDISPUTED EVIDENCE THAT MS. WILLIAMS TOLD HIM THAT SHE WASN'T GOING TO FOLLOW IT AS WRITTEN AND THAT SHE WAS GOING TO REWRITE THE OBJECTIVES.
AND IF A TEACHER TELLS US THAT, WE ARE.
ENTITLED TO BELIEVE THE TEACHER.
HOW DO WE KNOW SHE WASN'T GOING TO IMPLEMENT THAT CURRICULUM, OUR CURRICULUM, SUPERINTENDENT MILES' CURRICULUM? WELL, SHE TOLD US SO, IN AN EMAIL.
AND WHEN HER LAWYER GOT UP HERE JUST A MINUTE AGO, HER LAWYER SAID THE SAME THING.
SHE DID NOT COMPLY WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT'S OR THE PRINCIPAL'S DIRECTIVE TO IMPLEMENT THE HISD CURRICULUM WITH FIDELITY.
IT'S NO DOUBT THAT MS. WILLIAMS HAS OPINIONS.
AND IT IS CLEAR IN THE RECORD THAT SHE BELIEVES HER WAY OF TEACHING IS THE RIGHT WAY OF TEACHING.
HOWEVER, IN HISD, UNDER THE LAW AND THE POLICY, THE SUPERINTENDENT GETS TO CHOOSE THE CURRICULUM.
SHE ADMITS THAT, BUT THEN SHE WON'T DO IT.
I DO WANT YOU TO LOOK AT HER TEA COMPLAINTS.
YOU WILL SEE THAT NEITHER OF THEM HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH HER CLASSROOM.
ONE WAS ABOUT THE NES MODEL, AND ONE WAS ABOUT THE SLC CLASSROOM.
HISD HAS MADE TREMENDOUS PROGRESS SINCE JUNE OF 2023, AND WE'VE DONE SO BY HAVING A PROCESS AND FOLLOWING OUR CURRICULUM WITH FIDELITY.
AND IF YOU TELL ONE TEACHER THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO FOLLOW THE CURRICULUM AS WRITTEN, YOU MIGHT AS WELL LET ALL TEACHERS NOT FOLLOW THE CURRICULUM AS WRITTEN.
AND THAT WOULD BE A TRAVESTY TO ALL OF THE STUDENTS WHO HAVE MADE INCREDIBLE GAINS, INCLUDING ALL OF THE EMERGENT BILINGUAL STUDENTS.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? YES, THANK YOU.
[00:35:02]
CHAIRMAN, I'M CURIOUS, WHAT IS THE PROPOSED STANDARD THAT YOU GUYS THINK IS APPROPRIATE FOR TEACHERS WHO FEEL LIKE THEY'RE TEACHING A CURRICULUM THAT IS, YOU KNOW, OUTSIDE THE BOUNDS OF WHAT THEY, THEIR PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT? LIKE, WHAT, IS IT UP TO THE INDIVIDUAL TEACHER TO MAKE THE ASSESSMENT? LIKE, HOW DO YOU, AT SCALE, HOW DO YOU BELIEVE? THAT DETERMINATION SHOULD BE MADE.IS IT IN THE MIND OF THE INDIVIDUAL TEACHER? IS IT IN THE PRINCIPAL? IS IT IN THE DISTRICT? WHO GETS TO MAKE THE FINAL CALL AS TO WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN'T? AND THEN THAT'S SORT OF PART ONE.
AND THEN PART TWO IS, GIVEN THE SUCCESSES OF THE CURRICULUM SINCE, YOU KNOW, OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, DO YOU STILL, WOULD YOU MAKE THE SAME DECISION TODAY, IF YOU WERE PUT IN THE EXACT SAME CLASSROOM TODAY, KNOWING THAT THE CURRICULUM HAS HAD SUCCESSES FOR THOUSANDS OF KIDS? DOZENS OF CLASSROOMS, WOULD YOU DO THE SAME THING TODAY? DO YOU STILL HAVE THE SAME OPINION? IS IT WORKING? THERE SHOULD BE A BUTTON.
IS THERE A BUTTON? IT'S A LITTLE SCREEN.
DO YOU SEE IT? NO? YOUR FIRST QUESTION IS, THE TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY IS THE AUTHORITY ON THE LAW, AND I FOLLOW THE LAW.
YOU KNOW WHY I KNOW I'M FOLLOWING THE LAW? IT'S BECAUSE THE HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT TAUGHT ME TO FOLLOW.
MS. SPAULDING WOULD LIKE YOU TO BELIEVE THAT I'M NOT.
YES, MR. MILES MAY SET THE CURRICULUM, BUT THE CURRICULUM HAS TO BE IN LINE WITH THE LAW.
YOUR SECOND QUESTION IS, IT'S SUBJECTIVE.
THE CURRICULUM HAS NOT HAD SUCCESSES.
AND THEY CHANGE THE CURRICULUM ALL THE TIME.
THAT'S WHAT SHE'S NOT TELLING YOU.
AND I HAVE TAUGHT UNDER OTHER CURRICULUMS. I'VE NEVER USED THEIR STUFF.
YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE YOUR CHIEF OF SCHOOL SAID I WAS A HIGH-PERFORMING TEACHER.
AT BENBROOK, WHEN MR. HURD TOOK OVER.
I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW YOU THINK.
I MEAN, THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT POINT.
I WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW YOU THINK ABOUT THIS.
SO, ON THE FIRST QUESTION OF WHO ULTIMATELY GETS TO MAKE THE CALL WITH RESPECT TO THE CURRICULUM IN THE CLASSROOM.
IS IT THE INDIVIDUAL, IN YOUR OPINION, IS IT THE INDIVIDUAL JUDGMENT OF THE TEACHER IN THE CLASSROOM WHO RECEIVES A DIRECTIVE FROM A PRINCIPAL WHO GETS TO MAKE THE ULTIMATE CALL AS TO WHAT QUALIFIES AS A VALID CURRICULUM OR NOT? TEA DOES.
DID YOU CONSULT WITH TEA BEFORE YOU MADE YOUR DETERMINATION? YES, I LOOKED AT THE LAW.
I KNOW CHAPTER 149, UNDER THE TEACHER'S STANDARDS, IT STATES WHAT WE'RE ALLOWED TO DO.
ALSO, WE HAVE OTHER LAWS THAT SUPPORT OUR PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT.
AND I PROVIDED THOSE LAWS TO MR. HURD.
MR. HURD IGNORED THEM, AS DID EVERYONE ELSE.
SHE WANTS YOU TO BELIEVE IT'S MY OPINION.
I THINK TUPAC, SHE ALSO OCCURRED HERE.
IS A COMPLIANCE WITH THE CURRICULUM WITH ADJUSTMENT TO CREATE SHELTERED INSTRUCTION, CREATE A TIME FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION LEARNERS, WHICH IS CURRICULUM IS, AND MS. WILLIAMS COULD TELL YOU BETTER, BUT IS THE CONTENT, RIGHT? BUT THE ACCOMMODATIONS ARE AN OVERLAY ALWAYS.
AND WE CAN'T WAIVE THAT BECAUSE OF A CURRICULUM THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT HAS CHOSEN.
WE ALWAYS HAVE TO SERVE THE SPECIAL POPULATIONS.
PARTIES HAVE COMPLETED THEIR PRESENTATIONS, AND IT'S NOW TIME FOR THE BOARD MEMBERS TO MAKE OUR DECISION ON THE ISSUES BEFORE US.
WE ARE GOING TO TAKE A CLOSED SESSION HERE, SO THE BOARD WILL NOW RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION UNDER CHAPTER 551 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, OPEN MEANS ACT, SUBSECTION 551.004 THROUGH 551.089.
SHOULD BOARD FINAL ACTION, VOTE, OR DECISION ON ANY MATTER CONSIDERED, IN THE CLOSED SESSION WILL BE REQUIRED SUCH FINAL ACTION A VOTE OR DECISION SHALL BE TAKEN AT THE OPEN MEETING COVERED BY THIS NOTICE UPON THE RECONVENING OF THE PUBLIC MEETING OR AT A SUBSEQUENT PUBLIC MEETING OF THE BOARD UPON NOTICE THEREOF THE BOARD HAS HIS RECESS IN A CLOSED SESSION AT 619 P.M.
[00:40:03]
THIS SPECIAL MEETING OF THE SCHOOL BOARD OF THE HOUSTON AND PENN SCHOOL DISTRICT IS NOW RECONVENED IN OPEN SESSION.DO I HAVE A MOTION? YOU'VE GOT TO READ IT.
MAKE SURE YOUR THING IS ON AND GET YOUR MIC CLOSER.
I MOVE AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION OF ALL EVIDENCE THAT THE BOARD APPROVE ALL CHANGES TO THE INDEPENDENT HEARING EXAMINERS RECOMMENDED FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW, NO MATTER HOW LABELED, AS SET FORTH IN THE PLEADING SUBMITTED BY ADMINISTRATION TITLED DECISION OF THE HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD PROPOSED BY ADMINISTRATION FOR THE REASONS AND LEGAL BASIS AS SET FORTH IN SUCH PLEADING.
AND THAT THE BOARD VOTE TO ADOPT THE HEARING OFFICER'S RECOMMENDATION FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AS AMENDED BY DEPLETING.
AND CONSISTENT WITH THIS MOTION THAT THE BOARD TERMINATE MICHELLE WILLIAMS' TERM CONTRACT FOR GOOD CAUSE AND TERMINATE HER EMPLOYMENT EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
OKAY, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
A LETTER NOTIFYING BOTH PARTIES OF THE ACTION OF THE BOARD SHALL BE PREPARED AND SIGNED BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF BOARD RELATIONS WITHIN TEN DAYS.
THIS LETTER SHALL INCLUDE THE FINDINGS OF FACT, CONCLUSION OF LAW OF THIS SCHOOL BOARD, AND ANY GRANT OF RELIEF OBTAINED.
FURTHERMORE, THE LETTER SHALL STATE THE REASONS AND THE LEGAL BASIS FOR THE REJECTING OR CHANGING OF THE FINDINGS OF FACT OR CONCLUSIONS OF LAW.
PROPOSED BY THE INDEPENDENT HEARING EXAMINER.
THIS HEARING IS CONCLUDED AT 6 34 P.M.
WITH NO FURTHER BUSINESS TO DISCUSS THIS MEETING OF THE BOARD IS ADJOURNED THE TIME IS AT 6:34 P.M APRIL 23, 2026.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.
I'D LIKE TO ASK EVERYONE TO PLEASE SILENCE ALL CELL PHONES.
A QUORUM OF BOARD MEMBERS IS PRESENT IN THE AUDITORIUM.
OUR FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS TO HEAR FROM SPEAKERS TO AGENDA ITEMS. PUBLIC COMMENT DURING SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE TO THOSE PERSONS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK PRIOR TO THE MEETING.
VERBAL AND OTHER DISRUPTIONS BY PERSONS DURING THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING.
ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE AS THEY INHIBIT THE BOARD'S ABILITY TO CONDUCT BUSINESS AND THE PUBLIC'S ABILITY TO OBSERVE THOSE PROCESSES.
PERSONS WHO PARTICIPATE IN SUCH BEHAVIOR WILL BE GIVEN ONE WARNING AND IF THE BEHAVIOR IS REPEATED WE WILL ASK THEY'LL ASK TO BE TO LEAVE THE MEETING.
WE HAVE NINE REGISTERED SPEAKERS WHO WILL HAVE UP TO TWO MINUTES EACH PER BOARD POLICY.
WE ASK YOU STAY ON TOPIC AND REFRAIN FROM NAMING INDIVIDUALS ESPECIALLY STUDENTS AS THEIR IDENTITY IS PROTECTED UNDER LAW, BUT YOU MAY NAME YOUR OWN CHILD.
I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE RESPECT OUR PROCEDURES AND THE OTHER SPEAKERS AND END YOUR COMMENTS PROMPTLY WHEN YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED AND THE TIMER RINGS.
OUR PUBLIC COMMENT WILL PROCEED BEGINNING WITH PUBLIC OFFICIALS, FOLLOWED BY HIC PARENTS AND STUDENTS.
DO WE HAVE ELECTED TRUSTEE MARIA BENZON? IS SHE HERE? THERE YOU ARE.
AND THEN WE'LL ALSO FOLLOW THAT WITH...
WITH TRUSTEE MICHAEL MCDONOUGH.
WE ARE HERE TODAY BECAUSE OUR CHILDREN DESERVE BETTER.
EVERY DOLLAR IN THIS DISTRICT BELONGS TO THE CHILDREN OF HOUSTON, NOT TO CONSULTANTS, NOT TO SITE CONTRACTS, TO OUR KIDS.
BEFORE I SPEAK ABOUT THE BUDGET, I WANT TO CELEBRATE MS. BROOKE CORSO FROM PINNOCK MIDDLE SCHOOL.
SHE RECENTLY WON THE TEXAS LIBRARY ASSOCIATION'S LIBRARIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD, A STATEWIDE HONOR.
SHE'S PROOF OF WHAT A GREAT LIBRARIAN DOES FOR A CHILD.
SHE OPENS WORLDS, SHE BUILDS READERS, AND SHE CHANGES LIVES.
AND HERE IS THE PAINFUL IRONY.
SHE EARNED THAT AWARD AT A TIME WHEN LIBRARIES ACROSS HOUSTON ISD ARE CLOSED.
EVERY CHILD DESERVES A LIBRARIAN LIKE HER.
THAT STARTS WITH HAVING A LIBRARY IN EVERY SCHOOL.
NOT JUST IN SCHOOLS IN MORE PRIVILEGED NEIGHBORHOODS.
NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT THE MONEY.
THE TEXAS OBSERVER REVEALED...
THAT SUPERINTENDENT MILES ALREADY EARNING 462 000
[00:45:01]
IN BASE SALARY PLUS 170 $23,000 IN BOARD-APPROVED BONUSES WITH SIMULTANEOUSLY MOONLIGHTING AS A PAID CONSULTANT FOR THIRD FUTURE SCHOOLS.THE CHARTER NETWORK HE FOUNDED COLLECTING AN ADDITIONAL $190,000 OVER THREE YEARS.
IN FEBRUARY, HE RENEGOTIATED THAT DEAL FOR A 58% RAISE RIGHT AS HE WAS CLOSING OUR SCHOOLS.
HOUSE BILL 3372 WAS PASSED SPECIFICALLY TO BAN THIS KIND OF MOONLIGHTING.
OUR SUPERINTENDENT CANNOT SERVE TWO MASTERS, AND HOUSTON'S CHILDREN SHOULD NOT BE THE ONES WHO PAY THE PRICE.
SINCE THE HISD TAKEOVER, SINCE THE STATE TAKEOVER, HISD IS SERVING 13,000 FEWER STUDENTS THAN JUST TWO YEARS AGO.
FEWER STUDENTS MEAN LESS FUNDING.
THE SHARE OF UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS JUMPED FROM .3% TO NEARLY 20%, AN UNTESTED EXPERIMENT ACCORDING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON'S RESEARCHERS.
AND THE TEACHERS WHO STAY, THEY KEEP SHOWING UP FOR KIDS.
RIGHT NOW, A TEACHER AT LANIER MIDDLE SCHOOL COACHED THREE ROBOTICS TEAMS TO A WORLD-LEVEL COMPETITION OUT OF 400 TEAMS. SHE AND HER STUDENTS RAISE FUNDS, THEY PUT IN HUNDREDS OF HOURS, AND THE DISTRICT WON'T ALLOW HER TO ATTEND BECAUSE OF STAR TESTING.
THIS IS INSPIRATION, THE MENTORSHIP, THE SPARK THAT MAKES A CHILD BELIEVE THEY CAN COMPETE WITH THE BEST IN THE WORLD.
THAT SPARK CAME FROM THEIR TEACHER.
SHE EARNED THE RIGHT TO SEE IT SHINE.
AND WHILE ALL THIS UNFOLDS, OUR CHILDREN STILL NEED COUNSELORS IN EVERY SCHOOL, LIBRARIES, AND EVERY BUILDING.
SO I URGE YOU, PROTECT OUR PUBLIC DOLLARS, FIRE MIKE MILES, HIRE A SUPERINTENDENT WITH INTEGRITY, ONE WHO PUTS OUR CHILDREN FIRST.
HOUSTONIANS ARE NOT ASKING FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE.
WE ARE ASKING FOR WHAT WAS ALWAYS PROMISED, ACCOUNTABILITY, EQUITY, AND LEADERSHIP THAT INVESTS IN OUR KIDS.
IT'S BUDGET SEASON AND THIS HAS LONG BEEN AN AREA OF FOCUS FOR ME.
FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS, I BUILT SOME OF THE LARGEST AND MOST COMPLEX CAMPUS BUDGETS IN THIS DISTRICT.
ACROSS MULTIPLE ADMINISTRATIONS AND CFOS, I SAW CONSISTENT EFFORT TO BE BOTH FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE AND RESPONSIVE TO CAMPUSES.
AT ITS BEST, THE SYSTEM WORKED BECAUSE THE DOLLARS FOLLOWED THE STUDENT.
IT WASN'T PERFECT, BUT ALLOCATING RESOURCES AS CLOSE TO THE CLASSROOM AS POSSIBLE SERVES SCHOOLS WELL.
AS THIS PUBLIC PROCESS BEGINS, I HAVE ONE CONCERN AND TWO REQUESTS FOR THE BOARD OF MANAGERS.
MY CONCERN IS STRAIGHTFORWARD.
SCHOOL BUDGETS IN HISD ARE A PRODUCT OF THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS, THEIR IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS, THE ASSOCIATED WEIGHTS, A UNIT ALLOCATION, AND A CAMPUS ATTENDANCE RATE.
YET THIS YEAR, CAMPUSES ARE SUBJECT TO A 4% CAP ON BUDGET INCREASES OVER THE PRIOR YEAR.
THAT MEANS A SCHOOL THAT LEGITIMATELY EARNS A 5%, 6%, 7% INCREASE, AND THAT COULD BE BY SERVING MORE HIGH-NEED STUDENTS.
GROWING ENROLLMENT AND OR IMPROVING ATTENDANCE WILL STILL BE LIMITED TO 4%.
REGARDLESS OF HOW DUTIFULLY THE CAMPUS LEADER APPROACHED THAT WORK, THERE IS AN ARTIFICIAL CAP ON HOW MANY DOLLARS THEY WILL GET IN THE COMING YEAR.
THIS CAP IS NOT A STATE REQUIREMENT.
AND IN EFFECT, IT TELLS CAMPUS LEADERS, YOU DID THE WORK, YOU GENERATED THE FUNDING, BUT YOU DON'T GET TO KEEP IT.
THIS AMOUNT RECAPTURED IS DETAILED FOR PUA SCHOOLS AS THEIR CEILING SLASH FLOOR.
THIS SELF-IMPOSED CAP THAT DISMISSES THE EARNEST WORK OF SCHOOL LEADERS BEGS THE CONCLUSION.
EITHER YOU HAVE A FUNDING FORMULA OR YOU DON'T.
IF WE DO HAVE A FORMULA, IT SHOULD BE HONORED.
IF IT CAN BE OVERRIDDEN, THEN WE NEED TO BE HONEST THAT IT IS NOT TRULY A FORMULA.
MY TWO REQUESTS FOR THE BOARD OF MANAGERS ARE SIMPLE AND ACTIONABLE.
ASK FOR THE CEILING FLOOR AMOUNT FOR EACH PUA CAMPUS.
RATHER, ASK FOR IT ITEMIZED BY SCHOOL.
THE BUDGET OFFICE HAS ALREADY MADE THIS CALCULATION, SO I WOULD SUSPECT YOU COULD HAVE IT BEFORE THE END.
I WOULD ALSO ASK THAT YOU ASK FOR PER-STUDENT FUNDING AT EVERY CAMPUS.
THE TOTAL CAMPUS BUDGET DIVIDED BY STUDENT ENROLLMENT.
REQUEST THIS FOR THE COMING YEAR AND FOR THE TWO YEARS PRIOR.
NOT UNITS, NOT WEIGHTS, JUST DOLLARS PER STUDENT.
IT'S SIMPLE MATH, AND IT WILL PROVIDE A CLEAR...
COMPARABLE PICTURE ACROSS THE DISTRICT.
NOW INTUITIVELY YOU MIGHT THINK IT IS BASICALLY THE SAME.
AGAIN DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT.
REQUEST THAT DATA, EXAMINE AND DISCUSS IT, AND SEE WHAT EMERGES.
FINALLY, DESPITE THE DISTRICT CONTINUING TO LOSE ENROLLMENT, WE KNOW THE PUA CAMPUSES AS A PERCENTAGE ARE HOLDING THEIR OWN.
WE KNOW THAT PUA CAMPUSES MAINTAIN THE CONFIDENCE OF THE COMMUNITY, CARRY THE LARGER LOAD OF THE OVERALL DISTRICT DATA, ...AND STILL DELIVER AN ACADEMIC PROGRAM THAT IS COLLABORATIVE, ENGAGING, AND RESULTS-ORIENTED.
IN ESSENCE, WE KNOW THAT PUA CAMPUSES
[00:50:02]
MATTER, AND THEY NEED TO BE SUPPORTED.THE STATE OF TEXAS HAS NOT FUNDED PUBLIC EDUCATION AT THE LEVEL IT SHOULD, PARTICULARLY SINCE COVID.
THAT IS NOT THE FAULT OF ANYONE IN THIS ROOM.
WHILE TIGHTENING BUDGETS IS NECESSARY, HOW WE DO IT MATTERS.
AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE TRADITIONAL TASK OF DIGGING THROUGH THE SOFA FOR LOOSE CHANGE.
THERE IS, HOWEVER, SOMETHING WRONG WITH TREATING THE PUA CAMPUSES LIKE THAT OLD RELIABLE COUCH.
I UNDERSTAND THAT TRUSTEE SAVANT MOORE HAS ARRIVED AS WELL.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME UP? GOOD EVENING.
TODAY, WHEN IT COMES TO THE BUDGET, ALL I ASK IS THAT YOU DO RIGHT BY TEACHERS AND THAT YOU DO RIGHT BY NORTHEAST HOUSTON, ESPECIALLY BLACK CHILDREN, HISPANIC CHILDREN THAT NEED YOU TO DO RIGHT BY THEM.
I ASK GOD WHY AM I CONTINUE TO BE SURROUNDED BY ELDERS THAT ARE NOT GOOD EXAMPLES TO ME.
WHEN I LOOKED AT THE VIDEO AND I SAW A COLLEAGUE QUESTION BECAUSE THEY WERE ASKING THE HARD QUESTIONS, IT HURT ME.
AND SO WE MUST RESPECT OUR COLLEAGUES.
WE CAN AGREE TO DISAGREE SOMETIMES, BUT WE CANNOT BE LED BY EMOTION.
WE HAVE TO RESPECT OUR COLLEAGUES.
WE ALSO KNOW THAT YOU MADE A DIFFICULT DECISION TODAY BY TERMINATING THE FUTURE STATE REP, MICHELLE WILLIAMS. BUT REMEMBER, YOUR TERMINATION IS ACTUALLY AN ELEVATION BECAUSE WHEN WE FIRST MET LAURA SIMMONS, SHE MET THE SUPERINTENDENT AND SHE BECAME A STATE REP.
AND NOW WE HAVE MET MICHELLE WILLIAMS AND THIS NOVEMBER SHE WILL BE ELECTED AS A STATE REP.
AND REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN DO WRONG.
TO GOD'S CHILDREN, BUT HE WILL ELEVATE THEM RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.
AND US THAT ARE POWERFUL MEN, WE MUST RESPECT WOMEN.
I MAY NOT AGREE WITH EVERYTHING SHE SAYS, BUT SHE STILL IS MY SISTER.
WE MUST RESPECT THE WOMEN THAT DO THE HARD WORK.
THERE'S MORE WOMEN THAN MEN THAT'S DOING THE WORK.
I'M A TEACHER, BUT THERE'S MORE WOMEN IN THE CLASSROOM THAT ARE DOING THE WORK.
SO US THAT CALL OURSELVES LEADERS.
LET'S CONTINUE TO DO RIGHT BY THEM BECAUSE GOD TOLD ME HE WILL SHOW ME EXAMPLES OF WHAT NOT TO DO SO THAT I CAN DO WHAT IS RIGHT.
GOD BLESS YOU AND GOD BLESS HISD.
MS. SMITH, YOU WANT TO SPEAK? REMAINING SPEAKERS ARE ELLA TAYLOR, STUDENT, LAURA HENRY, PARENT, CHRISTINE HURLEY, PARENT.
ANY OTHER SPEAKERS? PLEASE MOVE TO THE FRONT ROW.
I'M ALSO A NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHER IN A DIFFERENT DISTRICT.
I WANT TO PUBLICLY THANK MICHELLE WILLIAMS FOR ALWAYS PUTTING KIDS FIRST.
RIGHT NOW, WHEN IT COMES TO THE BUDGET, THERE'S A LOT OF TEACHERS THAT ARE SITTING AT HOME GETTING PAID BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN FIRED BECAUSE THEY ALSO, TOO, REFUSE TO BREAK THE LAW.
I WORK IN A DIFFERENT DISTRICT SO I GET A LOT OF HISD KIDS AND ONE OF THEM WOULD REALLY LAST YEAR GREW IN WRITING SO MUCH AND I SAID MAN YOU'VE GROWN SO MUCH THIS YEAR HE SAID MISS THAT'S BECAUSE I CAME FROM HISD I DIDN'T HAVE A TEACHER LAST YEAR MY TEACHER MISSED TOO MANY DAYS OF SCHOOL SO THEY FIRED HER AND THEN WE DIDN'T HAVE A TEACHER AT ALL AND HE DIDN'T HAVE ANOTHER TEACHER SO I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT IF YOU HEAR THAT ALL THE KIDS IN HISD TEACHERS ALL THE KIDS HAVE HISD TEACHERS THEY DON'T WE'RE MOVING THEM FROM CLASS TO CLASS A LOT OF THEM DON'T HAVE TEACHERS.
ALL OF US WHO ARE PARENTS KNOW THAT BECAUSE OUR KIDS HAVEN'T HAD TEACHERS.
AND I DIDN'T EVEN COME HERE TO SAY THAT TODAY, SO I'M NOT GOING TO FINISH MY SPEECH, BUT I'LL JUST START IT.
THE INTRODUCTION OF FUTURE TWO SCHOOLS WHERE THE FIRST FEW HOURS ARE DEVOTED TO ACADEMICS AND THE REST OF THE DAY IS DEVOTED TO EXPERIENCES, THAT'S KIND OF A NEW THING THAT WAS RECENTLY STARTED BY ANOTHER WOMAN WHO, NOW I'M NOT ON MY SPEECH, SO I FORGET HER NAME, BUT SHE'S GOT SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR.
YOU NEED TO TAKE THIS AS A WARNING.
THERE'S NO DATA FOR THIS STUFF.
ACCORDING TO THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE, MILES WANTS 100 OF THESE SCHOOLS.
YOU NEED TO ASK SOME REAL QUESTIONS.
WHEN YOU ASKED HIM WHAT THE DOWNSIDE WAS AT THE MEETING, HE SAID MAYBE THE MONEY.
YOU NEED TO LOOK INTO A LOT MORE THAN THAT.
LOOK AT THE WIRED ARTICLE WHERE THEY LOOK AT THE ALPHA SCHOOL IN BROWNSVILLE AND LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENED TO THE KIDS EMOTIONALLY THAT CAN'T GET THE REWARDS BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT FAST ENOUGH IN THAT TWO HOURS.
LOOK AT WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING AI DOES TO CHILDREN COGNITIVELY.
DON'T JUST LISTEN, AND I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE BUSY,
[00:55:01]
BUT WHEN YOU GOT PEOPLE EXPERIMENTING WITH KIDS, YOU GUYS HAVE GOT TO DO THE WORK.I'M GOING TO, I THINK WHEN WE LOOK AT THE BUDGET, THERE ARE THESE OBVIOUS CATEGORIES THAT WE LOOK AT AS AREAS TO SAVE MONEY, AND I WOULD LIKE TO KEEP EXPANDING ON, THERE ARE AREAS WHERE WE'RE MISSING OPPORTUNITY, AND ONE OF THEM WOULD BE IN RISK MANAGEMENT.
AND I'M BRINGING THIS UP BECAUSE I WAS VERY, I WAS GOBSMACKED.
TO READ THE 1882 PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS TO SEE THAT THE PARTNERSHIP SCHOOLS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO HAVE BASIC INSURANCE.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THE PAPER TOWEL VENDOR HAS TO HAVE MINIMUM INSURANCE, BUT THE 1882 PARTNERS DON'T HAVE TO HAVE INSURANCE.
THE TEA CONTRACT TEMPLATE HAD A WHOLE SECTION DEDICATED TO MINIMAL INSURANCE.
THAT EVERY 1882 PARTNER SHOULD HAVE.
NOW, WE DON'T WANT BAD THINGS TO HAPPEN, AND THEY USUALLY DON'T, BUT SOMETIMES BAD THINGS HAPPEN.
I THINK MR. MILES ACTUALLY KNOWS OF AN 1882 PARTNER IN JASPER ISD WHERE SOME BAD STUFF HAS HAPPENED.
IN HIS THIRD FUTURE SCHOOL IN 2025, A TEACHER WAS ARRESTED FOR MOLESTING A STUDENT.
TWO WEEKS AGO, ANOTHER TEACHER WAS ARRESTED.
I THINK THIS WOULD INDICATE THAT THERE ARE PROBLEMS THAT COME UP IN 1882 PARTNERSHIPS, AND IT SEEMS LIKE THE PARTNER SHOULD HAVE INSURANCE.
LAWSUITS ARE EXPENSIVE, AND WE SHOULD NOT, AS A TAXPAYER, I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR AN 1882 PARTNER FOR THEIR MISTAKES.
YOU'RE GIVING THEM ALL THE MONEY.
SO THEY HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY TO PAY FOR THEIR OWN INSURANCE TO COVER.
THEIR OWN DECISION-MAKING AND THEIR OWN ACTIONS.
DON'T PAWN THIS MISTAKE ONTO OTHER SCHOOLS THAT AREN'T GETTING THE FULL ALLOTMENT.
DORCAS HAND, SUZANNE LYONS, AND LISA ROBINSON, ANY OTHER REGISTERED SPEAKERS? THIS CONCLUDES OUR PUBLIC COMMENT.
WE'LL NOW HAVE A PRESENTATION ON OUR WORKSHOP.
TOPIC WHICH IS THE 2026-27 DISTRICT BUDGET.
SUPERINTENDENT MILES, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT, BOARD MEMBERS.
I'LL GIVE A PREAMBLE AND THEN I'LL GO UP FRONT AND PRESENT THE BUDGET PRESENTATION.
WE'RE HERE TODAY TO WALK THROUGH HOW OUR BUDGET SUPPORTS WHAT MATTERS MOST.
STRONG INSTRUCTION, BETTER OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS, AND RESPONSIBLE USE OF OUR DOLLARS.
THIS IS NOT JUST A FINANCIAL EXERCISE, IT'S A STRATEGIC ONE.
EVERY DOLLAR MUST SUPPORT INSTRUCTION, ACCELERATE ACHIEVEMENT, AND MOVE US TO OUR 2035 VISION.
WE'RE OPERATING IN A CONSTRAINED ENVIRONMENT, YES, WITH DECLINING ENROLLMENT AND REVENUE PRESSURES.
BUT WE ARE MAKING DELIBERATE CHOICES TO PROTECT CLASSROOMS, INVEST IN OUR TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS, AND MAINTAIN LONG-TERM FINANCIAL STABILITY.
YOU'LL SEE HOW THIS BUDGET REFLECTS THOSE PRIORITIES AND POSITIONS THE DISTRICT FOR THE FUTURE.
THIS IS AN ITERATIVE PROCESS AND TODAY IS ABOUT ENSURING ALIGNMENT AS WE MOVE FORWARD TOWARDS THE FINAL ADOPTION IN JUNE.
AND IF YOU'LL GIVE ME A MINUTE, I'LL DISPLACE TO THE FRONT.
THIS IS OUR FIRST BUDGET WORKSHOP.
WE HAVE MAYBE ONE, MAYBE TWO MORE, DEPENDING ON WHETHER THE BOARD WANTS AN ADDITIONAL ONE.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, WE HAVE THE JUNE BOARD MEETING TO CONSIDER PASSING THE BUDGET.
SO, JUST FOR TONIGHT, IT'S A BIGGER OVERVIEW.
WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE KEY PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE BUDGETING, THE FUNDING OVERVIEW, HOW THE BUDGET WORKS.
GRADUATE LEVEL COURSE ON IT, BUT WE'RE JUST GOING TO GO OVER THE HIGHLIGHTS.
OUR CURRENT FINANCIAL POSITION AND THEN ASSUMPTIONS AND METHODOLOGY FOR SCHOOL BUDGET, THAT'S HOW WE START.
IN THE END, WE HOPE THAT THE BOARD WILL UNDERSTAND HSD'S FINANCIAL PICTURE A LITTLE BIT BETTER, CONNECT THE 26-27 BUDGET TO THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND ACTION PLAN, AND THEN PROVIDE SOME TRANSPARENCY INTO THE SCHOOLS AND DEPARTMENT BUDGETS.
THIS IS WHERE WE ARE IN THE TIMELINE.
THIS IS JUST TO NOTE THAT THE BUDGET PROCESS STARTS BACK IN JANUARY, AN EFFECTIVE BUDGET
[01:00:01]
PROCESS STARTS BACK IN JANUARY.JANUARY AND IT STARTS WITH THE ACTION PLAN AND WE DO A LOT OF WORK PRIOR TO GETTING TO THIS POINT AND SO NOW YOU SEE THAT WE'RE AT THE BOARD BUDGET WORKSHOP NUMBER ONE AND THEN YOU CAN SEE IN MAY AND THEN IN JUNE. JUST A QUICK REMINDER ALL DOCUMENTS ALL PRESENTATIONS ARE DRAFT UNTIL THE BOARD ACTUALLY APPROVES OR DOESN'T APPROVE A BUDGET ON JUNE 11.
WE HAVE BUDGET ASSUMPTIONS AND CHANGES CONTINUALLY UNTIL WE GET TO THE BUDGET.
ALL RIGHT, SO THE KEY PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE BUDGETING.
I'LL TALK ABOUT EACH ONE QUICKLY.
YES, KEEP CUTS AS FAR AWAY FROM THE CLASSROOM AS POSSIBLE.
YOU HAVE TO PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR ACTIONS ARE.
MAKE DECISIONS NOW THAT WILL SUPPORT LONG-TERM FINANCIAL STABILITY, SUSTAINABILITY, AND THEN DESIGN THE DISTRICT TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR YEAR 2030, YEAR 2035 WORLD AND WORKPLACE.
KEEPING CUTS AWAY FROM THE CLASSROOM, I WON'T READ THIS, YOU CAN READ, BUT IT DOES MEAN WE HAVE TO HAVE HIGH-QUALITY INSTRUCTION, SAFE AND ORDERLY ENVIRONMENT, AND RESOURCES FOR SPECIAL ED AS A PRIORITY.
MAINTAIN COMPETITIVE SALARIES.
AND THEN ENSURE THAT WE HAVE INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP.
JUST ON THAT NOTE, KEEPING PETS AWAY FROM THE CLASSROOM, PUTTING YOUR MONEY INTO THE CLASSROOM, THIS IS THE TOTAL INVESTMENT ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE.
YOU SEE 57% OF THE BUDGET WENT TO INSTRUCTION AND INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN 2023.
THAT'S A HUGE INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF MONEY GOING TO KIDS AND TEACHER SALARIES AND INSTRUCTION.
BY THE WAY, TEACHER SALARIES HAVE GONE UP FROM ABOUT $65,000 PER TEACHER ON AVERAGE IN 2023.
NEXT YEAR IT WILL BE OVER $83,000 ON AVERAGE PER TEACHER.
THAT'S A $15,000 INCREASE IN THREE YEARS.
OUR MONEY AND OUR PRIORITIES IN THE TEACHERS AND EFFECTIVE TEACHING.
PRIORITIZE NUMBER TWO, KEEPING CLASSROOM, THE MONEY TOWARDS THE CLASSROOM WAS NUMBER ONE.
NUMBER TWO IS YOU HAVE TO PRIORITIZE TO MEET DISTRICT VISION AND GOALS.
THIS IS THE PRINCIPLE OF EVERY DISTRICT, BUT NOT EVERYBODY ACTUALLY PRIORITIZES.
YOU CAN'T SPEND ALL THE MONEY WHEN YOU HAVE DECLINING, YOU CAN'T AFFORD ALL THE THINGS.
WHEN YOU HAVE DECLINING ENROLLMENT OR NOT ENOUGH MONEY COMING IN FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OR THE STATE GOVERNMENT, YOU HAVE TO MAKE TOUGH CHOICES.
SO YOU'RE GOING TO SEE HOW WE PRIORITIZE.
AND BY THE WAY, IT SAYS HERE THAT THE PRIORITIES HAVE TO BE DONE SO THAT WE MEET THE DISTRICT'S GOALS AND VISION.
THIS VISION STATEMENT HASN'T CHANGED, SO YOU'RE GOING TO SEE OUR MONEY INTO TWO PLACES.
SIGNIFICANTLY NARROW ACHIEVEMENT GAPS, THAT'S READING, WRITING, MATH, AND SCIENCE.
AND THEN TWO, YEAR 2035 WORLD AND WORK PRICE.
SO THERE'S MONEY GOING INTO THAT.
AND, OF COURSE, THE BOARD GOALS, YOU KNOW BY HEART, BUT HERE THEY ARE, THE FOUR OF THEM.
SO YOU'RE GOING TO SEE HOW THAT'S TIED TO THE BOARD GOALS.
NUMBER THREE, THE PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE BUDGETING.
AND NUMBER THREE IS MAKE DECISIONS NOW.
THAT WILL SUPPORT LONG-TERM FINANCIAL STABILITY.
YOU'VE SEEN SIMILAR VERSIONS OF THIS FOR THREE YEARS.
THAT BLUE AND RED LINE, THOSE NUMBERS WERE GIVEN TO US IN MAY 2023.
THE ELECTED BOARD HIRED ALVAREZ AND MARÇAL TO PUT THAT GRAPH TOGETHER.
THESE ARE EXACTLY THEIR NUMBERS.
AND WHAT THAT SHOWS YOU IS THE DECLINING...
FUND BALANCE AND THEIR PREDICTION IN 24, 25, AND 26 FISCAL YEAR OF A DRASTIC DECLINE BECAUSE ESSER DOLLARS WOULD STOP.
YOU CAN SEE THAT STARTING IN 22, AND 21 REALLY WAS MONEY PLACED INTO THE FUND BALANCE BECAUSE THE DISTRICT DIDN'T SPEND AS MUCH MONEY DURING COVID WHEN KIDS WERE NOT IN SCHOOL.
AFTER THAT, IN 22, 23, AND 24 FISCAL YEAR, YOU SEE AN INFLATION OF THE FUND BALANCE BECAUSE OF COVID RELIEF MONEY.
[01:05:02]
BUT THEN ALVAREZ-MARCEL PREDICTED...THAT IT WOULD DROP PRECIPITOUSLY WHEN YOU STOP GETTING $325 MILLION IN ESSER FUNDING AND YOU WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE SALARY INCREASE THAT HAPPENED IN 21 AND ALL THE OTHER ESSER FUNDED POSITIONS.
BECAUSE THERE'S NO MORE ESSER MONEY, SO ANYTHING THAT WAS A RECURRING EXPENSE, YOU WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR.
WELL, YOU CAN SEE JIM TERRY, THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT, THIS...
DISTRICT AND THE BUDGET PRIORITIES THAT WE PUT IN PLACE OVER THE LAST TWO AND THREE YEARS HAS ACTUALLY AVOIDED THE CLIFF AND NOW WE HAVE A STABLE BUDGET THAT GREEN LINE IS THE THREE-MONTH RECOMMENDED 90-DAY BALANCE SO WE'RE WELL ABOVE THAT AND THAT IS WHAT TEA GUIDELINES SUGGEST THREE MONTHS OR 90 DAYS OF FUND BONDS SO THAT WAS PRIORITY NUMBER THREE IN THE LAST OR PRINCIPLE NUMBER THREE THE LAST PRINCIPLE IS UH AND I BELIEVE THIS IS NOT A PRINCIPLE FOR ALL DISTRICTS BUT IT IS FOR US THAT THE BUDGET NEEDS TO BE DESIGNED AT LEAST IN PART TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR YEAR 2030 YEAR 2035 WORLD AND WORKPLACE THAT'S NOT A TYPICAL GOAL BUT IT IS PART OF OUR VISION THOSE ARE THE FOUR PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE BUDGETING.
SO LET'S TALK ABOUT ACTION PLANNING AND BUDGETING.
I TRAIN THE CENTRAL OFFICE TEAM AND PRINCIPALS AND EDS ON THIS TIMELINE, THIS PROCESS.
IT STARTS IN JANUARY WITH THE DISTRICT ACTION PLAN.
AND YOU CAN SEE THROUGHOUT THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, IT'S AN ITERATIVE PROCESS WHERE YOU HAVE ACTION PLANNING, PRIORITIZING ON THE ONE SIDE, ON THE LEFT SIDE.
AND YOU HAVE THEN BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS THAT MATCHES THAT ITERATIVELY AT THE SAME TIME.
YOU DON'T DO BUDGET FIRST FROM LAST YEAR AND JUST CUT IT BY 5% OR ADD 2%.
YOU HAVE TO PRIORITIZE, AND THIS IS THE WAY TO DO IT.
AND THAT'S HOW WE AVOIDED THE FISCAL CLIFF, AND THAT'S WHY YOU SEE GREAT COHERENCE BETWEEN THE EXPENDITURES OF MONEY IN THIS DISTRICT AND THE ACTION PLAN THAT IS PRODUCED SO WE'RE NOW HERE AND YOU CAN SEE UH WE'RE AT THE APRIL 23RD BOARD WORKSHOP WE STILL HAVE SOME MORE WORK TO DO BEFORE IT'S ALL TIGHT UH TOGETHER BUT A LOT OF IT HAS ALREADY BEEN PLANNED OUT SO LET ME SHOW YOU HOW WE DO THAT UH QUICKLY I WON'T I'LL RACE THROUGH THESE SLIDES BECAUSE I PRESENTED TO THE BOARD THE ACTION PLAN A MONTH AGO, AND YOU KNOW, JUST KEY ACTION ONE, IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION.
THAT'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE KEY ACTION NUMBER ONE.
NUMBER TWO, SUSTAIN AND ACCELERATE ACHIEVEMENT FOR HIC STUDENTS.
NUMBER THREE, IMPLEMENT THE FUTURE 2 PROGRAM.
NUMBER FOUR, EXPAND ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS.
IMPROVE SPED INSTRUCTION SERVICE DELIVERY AND OUTCOMES.
DIVIDE ACCURATE, TIMELY INFORMATION TO THE HIC COMMUNITY.
STRENGTHEN THE TEACHER EVALUATION AND COMPENSATION SYSTEM.
AND THEN STRENGTHEN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, PRE-K THROUGH SECOND GRADE.
AND THEN FINALLY, STRENGTHEN CENTRAL OFFICE OPERATIONS AND EFFICIENCIES.
THOSE WERE THE NINE KEY ACTIONS THAT I PRESENTED TO THE BOARD.
AND THE QUESTION THEN IS, ARE THOSE KEY ACTIONS...
FIRST OF ALL, TIED TO THE BOARD GOALS AND THE VISION, AND THEN SECOND OF ALL, IS IT PRIORITIZED IN THE BUDGET? AND HOW CAN IT BE? SO THE ANSWER HERE IS YOU CAN SEE THE ALIGNMENT TO THE BOARD GOALS.
I'M RACING THROUGH THEM, BUT STOP ME ANY TIME.
AND THEN WHAT WE DO IN THE ACTION PLAN, YOU'VE SEEN THIS IN THE HARD COPY OF THE ACTION PLAN.
THERE'S MONEY TIED TO EACH ACTION.
THIS IS NOT THE WHOLE SET OF MIND.
THIS IS MONEY THAT WE'RE GOING TO PRIORITIZE OVER AND ABOVE WHAT WE WOULD NORMALLY DO.
SO, QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION, THERE'S ALREADY, I TOLD YOU, 72% OF THE BUDGET IS TIED TO INSTRUCTION AND INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP.
WHAT THIS SAYS IS WE'RE NOT GOING TO GROW THAT MORE NEXT YEAR.
WE'RE GOING TO SPEND THE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE SPEND IN INSTRUCTION.
FOR EXAMPLE, SUSTAIN AND ACCELERATE ACHIEVEMENT, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT ACCELERATE MATH OR THE LITERACY THINGS WE'RE GOING TO DO OVER AND
[01:10:01]
ABOVE WHAT WE DID THIS YEAR, THAT OVER AND ABOVE WILL COST $3 MILLION.WE'RE GOING TO PRIORITIZE THE BUDGET SO WHERE WE DO THESE THINGS FIRST.
SO THESE ARE ON TOP OF WHAT WE ALREADY SPEND.
AND IN SOME CASES, IN A DEPARTMENT IT WILL BE AN ADD-ON.
IN SOME CASES IT WILL BE A REPRIORITIZATION OF RESOURCES.
BUT THE BIGGEST POINT HERE IS THESE FIGURES ARE IN THE ACTION PLAN.
AND THESE FIGURES YOU'RE GOING TO SEE ARE AT THE TOP OF THE BUDGET ALLOCATION.
SO THAT WE KNOW WE WILL SPEND THE MONEY ON THE PRIORITIES.
SO IF SOMETHING HAS TO GET CUT, IT WON'T BE THESE THINGS.
ALL RIGHT, SO THAT'S HOW WE GET TO THIS POINT.
WE START WITH OUR ACTIONS AND OUR PRIORITIES.
WE MAKE SURE THEY'RE ALIGNED WITH OUR GOALS AND THE VISION.
AND NOW WE CAN START A BUDGET, WHICH ACTUALLY STARTED BACK IN JANUARY ALSO.
BUT LET ME GO QUICKLY ON HOW THE BUDGET WORKS.
WE CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT IT IF YOU WISH.
BASICALLY THERE'S THREE SOURCES OF FUNDS.
THE LARGE PORTION DOWN THERE, THE GREEN, IS LOCAL FUNDING AND THAT'S MOSTLY PROPERTY TAXES.
THE BLUE PORTION IS THE FEDERAL FUNDING AND THAT'S MOSTLY TITLE MONIES, TITLE I, TITLE II.
ALL THE TITLE MONEY TO FEDERAL GRANTS.
IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE 12% THAT WE'RE NOT GETTING.
PROBABLY A LITTLE OVER $21 MILLION WE'VE BEEN SHORTED.
WE MAY STILL GET IT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE WE MAY NOT.
DECREASING THE TITLE MONEY DURING THE YEAR, DURING THIS YEAR.
IT WASN'T BUDGET OR DECREASE OF 21 MILLION IN TITLE FUNDS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
NONETHELESS, IT'S USUALLY AROUND 12%.
IN THE GREEN, YOU HAVE THE STATE FUNDING, AND THAT IS THE STUDENT ENROLLMENT TIMES ADA.
WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT STATE FUNDING IN THE NEXT SLIDE.
THOSE ARE THE THREE SOURCES OF REVENUE, AND THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO WORK WITH FOR OUR BUDGET, AND FOR US IT'S SOMEWHERE AROUND...
AT LEAST IN THE GENERAL FUND, NOT COUNTING THE OTHER FUNDS, AROUND $2 BILLION.
SO THE ELEMENTS OF STATE FUNDING, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE SIMILAR TO THIS IN THE SCHOOL FUNDING IN A MINUTE, BUT IT IS A BASIC ALLOTMENT FROM THE STATE.
THE LEGISLATURE OFTEN INCREASES THAT A LITTLE BIT, AND WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR MORE DOLLARS PER STUDENT ON THAT BASIC ALLOTMENT.
AND THEN OBVIOUSLY MAYBE NOT OBVIOUSLY, BUT IT'S MULTIPLIED BY ENROLLMENT.
SO OUR ENROLLMENT PERCENTAGE IS SOMEWHERE AROUND 94 PERCENT.
ENROLLMENT IS DECLINING, SO IT'S THE NUMBER OF KIDS THAT WE HAVE ATTENDING.
AND THEN THE AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE IS THE ATTENDANCE OF THE STUDENTS.
SO ENROLLMENT IS THE NUMBER OF KIDS.
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE IS WHAT PERCENTAGE DO THEY ATTEND SCHOOL.
AND THEN WE ADD, NOT MULTIPLY, THE WEIGHTED ADA.
WHAT THAT MEANS IS THE STATE ALSO GIVES US A WEIGHTED ADA.
WHAT THAT MEANS IS THERE'S DIFFERENT WEIGHTS OR ALLOCATIONS FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF KIDS.
SO SPECIAL EDUCATION, WE'LL GET THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WE HAVE, 22,000-SOMETHING, TIMES A WEIGHT, AN ALLOCATION, AND THAT IS ADDED, NOT MULTIPLIED, TO THE FUNDING.
EMERGENT BILINGUAL, HOMELESS, ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES GET A DIFFERENT WEIGHT.
AND SO THAT'S ALL THAT TOGETHER IS WHAT THE STATE FUNDING IS THAT PART OF THE CIRCLE, I THINK IT WAS 14% RIGHT THERE.
ALRIGHT, JUST QUICKLY, I KNOW YOU KNOW ABOUT RECAPTURE, BUT THIS IS ALWAYS AN IMPORTANT THING FOR A DISTRICT THE SIZE OF HOUSTON IN A LARGE URBAN AREA.
THE COMBINATION OF THE LOCAL FUNDING AND THE STATE FUNDING IS YOUR ENTITLEMENT.
AND IF THE DISTRICT, AND THERE'S A SET NUMBER THAT THE STATE WILL LOOK AT TO SAY, THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE ENTITLED TO.
AND IF WE GET MORE MONEY COMING IN THROUGH PROPERTY TAXES GENERALLY, THEN WE ARE ENTITLED TO, THEN WE HAVE TO GIVE THAT MONEY BACK TO THE STATE, AND THAT'S CALLED RECAPTURE.
IF WE HAVE LESS MONEY THAN WHAT WE'RE ENTITLED TO, OTHER DISTRICTS WILL BE SENDING MONEY
[01:15:01]
TO THE STATE THAT WILL BE GIVEN TO US.AND SO WE ARE OFTEN IN A RECAPTURE SITUATION.
IT DEPENDS ON A LOT, BUT MOSTLY TAXES.
HERE'S OUR CURRENT FINANCIAL POSITION.
I KNOW YOU'VE HAD BRIEFINGS EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, AND YOU'VE HAD AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORTS, SO I'M NOT GOING TO GO INTO A LOT OF DETAIL.
ONLY TO CALL OUT THE BEGINNING FUND BALANCE THIS YEAR.
THE $748 MILLION AND WE'RE PROJECTING A FUND BALANCE OF $751 MILLION.
SO A FAIRLY BALANCED BUDGET, IN OTHER WORDS, IF WE GET TO THE PROJECTED FUND BALANCE OF $751 MILLION, OUR EXPENDITURES WILL ALMOST MATCH OUR REVENUE THIS YEAR.
AND THAT IS A BALANCED BUDGET AND THAT WOULD BE HUGE SINCE WHEN WE GOT HERE THAT...
BUDGETING FOR THE SECOND YEAR, WE HAD A $520 MILLION DEFICIT THAT WE HAD TO OVERCOME.
AND BY THE WAY, WE DECREASED PURCHASE SERVICES FROM $520 MILLION IN 2023 TO $250 MILLION.
THERE'S NOT A LOT OF VENDORS WHO ARE HAPPY ABOUT THAT, BY THE WAY, IN CONTRACTS.
$520 MILLION DECREASED TO $250 MILLION.
THAT'S HOW MUCH OUTSIDE PEOPLE ARE GETTING.
NOW, WE NEED SOME VENDORS, OF COURSE.
LIKE HAZEL HEALTH IS A GOOD VENDOR THAT HELPS OUR KIDS WITH HEALTH CARE IN THE SCHOOLS AND IN THE SUNRISE CENTERS.
AND SO I DON'T WANT TO DISS ALL VENDORS.
ALL I'M SAYING IS WE HAD WAY TOO MUCH MONEY BEING SPENT ON OUTSIDE CONTRACTORS, AND NOW WE HAVE THAT MONEY GOING INTO INSTRUCTION.
WE'RE HOPING WE GET A BALANCED BUDGET THIS YEAR THAT WOULD REDUCE OUR BUDGET DEFICIT.
YOU SEE THAT LINE GOING HORIZONTAL.
THAT'S HUGE FOR A DISTRICT WITH DECLINING ENROLLMENT TO BEAT BALANCED BUDGET.
YOU HEAR ALL THE STORIES OF COUNTIES AND CITIES AND OTHER DISTRICTS HAVING HUGE BUDGET DEFICITS BECAUSE MOST OF THEM ARE IN THE SAME PLACE.
A LOT OF EXTRA MONEY GOT PLACED IN TO RECURRENT EXPENSES.
BAD FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT BY OTHER PEOPLE GOT US TO A HUGE DEFICIT, AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO BE BALANCED.
WE MAINTAINED OUR MOODY'S 8 AAA RATING.
WE'RE ONE OF FIVE OR SIX DISTRICTS IN THE STATE WITH THAT RATING.
AND THIS IS NOT MAGIC, THIS IS NOT EASY.
YOU NEED A GOOD FINANCIAL PERSON AT THE HELM AND A TEAM, AND THEN GOOD PRIORITIZATION, GOOD DISCIPLINE IN SPENDING, NOT TRYING TO DO ALL THE THINGS THAT EVERYBODY WANTS US TO DO.
THAT'S HOW YOU MAINTAIN YOUR MOODY'S AAA RATING.
AND THEN CONTINUED CENTRAL OFFICE.
WE CONTINUE TO FIND WAYS TO BE MORE EFFICIENT.
I JUST NEED TO POINT THEM OUT.
IF WE'RE GOING TO POINT OUT THE BRIGHT SPOTS, HERE ARE THE CONSTRAINTS.
WE ARE PREDICTING MORE ENROLLMENT DECLINE.
THAT WASN'T A BRIGHT SPOT WITH DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES.
WE DIDN'T GO OVER ECONOMIC MOBILITY, BUT THAT'S HAPPENING TOO.
PRICES RISE, PEOPLE SEEK LOWER INCOME HOUSING.
LOSS OF DISASTER PENNIES, WHAT THIS MEANS IS LAST YEAR WE WENT OUT FOR THREE DISASTER PENNIES.
THAT'S A ONE-TIME EXPENDITURE, SO YOU WON'T SEE THAT.
THAT'S ACTUALLY A DECREASE TO THE BUDGET BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET THAT MONEY.
AND THEN THIS IS NOT A HUGE CONSTRAINT, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT...
TO BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT, AND THAT IS THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION STARTS UP ANEW IN JANUARY DURING THIS COMING SCHOOL YEAR, 26-27 SCHOOL YEAR, AND USUALLY THERE ISN'T A HIT MID-YEAR, BUT IT COULD MEAN LOW REVENUE OR FLAT REVENUE, AND WHEN YOU HAVE DECLINE IN ENROLLMENT, THAT MEANS, OR INFLATION, THEN THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TO BE CONSERVATIVE IN YOUR BUDGETING.
ALL RIGHT, SO LET'S START THE BUDGET PROCESS.
THIS STARTED AT THE END OF JANUARY, AND THEN WE MAKE TWEAKS TO IT ALL ALONG.
ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE, AND THIS IS REAL FAST, BUT TO DO EFFECTIVE BUDGETING AND TO BUILD A PROPER BUDGET, YOU HAVE TO MAKE SOME ASSUMPTIONS AND YOU HAVE TO MAKE SOME EDUCATED GUESSES AS TO YOUR REVENUE STREAM FOR THE NEXT YEAR AND YOUR EXPENDITURES FOR THE NEXT YEAR.
SO ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE, YOU SEE...
THIS IS WHAT WE THINK THE REVENUE SIDE OF THE HOUSE WILL LOOK LIKE.
[01:20:01]
YOU SEE THAT GREEN NUMBER THERE, $55 MILLION.I THINK OUR REVENUE WILL DECREASE OVERALL.
YES, THERE ARE SOME AREAS WHERE WE'RE GOING TO ADD MONEY, LIKE THE TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT.
WE WILL BE ABLE TO SELL SOME PROPERTY.
WE THINK $25 MILLION IN PROPERTY SALES.
THAT'S BECAUSE WE DIDN'T MAKE AS MANY SALES LAST YEAR OR THIS YEAR.
AND WE MAY HAVE A FEW MORE PROPERTIES COMING ONLINE FOR THAT.
I ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THE DISASTER RELIEF PENNIES, 50 MILLION THAT WE WON'T BE GETTING, SO IT'S A DECREASE IN REVENUE.
THE ENROLLMENT DECLINE I TALKED ABOUT, SO WE WON'T BE GETTING THAT.
SO ALL TOTAL, WE SEE A DECREASE IN OVERALL REVENUE, MEANING THAT OUR ESTIMATED BUDGET REVENUE FOR FISCAL YEAR 27 IS $2 BILLION.
ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE, AGAIN, THIS IS A...
A DRAFT DOCUMENT, THESE NUMBERS WILL CHANGE AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT, AND THEN WHEN WE ACTUALLY GET THE NUMBER OF ENROLLMENT DECLINE OR PROPERTY SALES, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, IT SHORES UP.
ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE, YOU HAVE TO MAKE SOME EDUCATED GUESSES ABOUT YOUR EXPENDITURES, AND YOU CAN SEE AT THE TOP, WE'RE ALREADY, BECAUSE OF THE PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE PLAN, THAT INCREASES THE AMOUNT OF MONEY GOING TO TEACHER SALARIES.
IN PARTICULAR, IN THIS CASE, TUA SALARIES ARE GOING TO INCREASE BY 12 MILLION.
NES SALARIES ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO DECREASE, PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE DECLINE IN THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS, BECAUSE OF ENROLLMENT DECLINE, AND PARTLY BECAUSE THEIR BUDGET IS GOING FROM THE HOSPITAL MODEL TO PAY FOR PERFORMANCE.
SO THEY WILL LOSE A LITTLE BIT, NOT A LOT, INSTEAD OF BEING ABOUT $11,000 ON AVERAGE OVER...
THE AVERAGE SALARY, THEY'RE ONLY GOING TO BE $9,000 OVER THE AVERAGE SALARY.
SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE DECREASES.
SO THE OTHER THINGS AT THE TOP THERE ARE FROM THE ACTION PLAN.
SO A LOT OF THE THINGS ON THE TOP THERE ARE FROM THE ACTION PLAN.
SO WE PUT IN THE EXPENDITURES RIGHT AWAY SO THAT THAT'S WHAT WE WILL FUND, AND THOSE THINGS DON'T GET CUT.
NOW, AS FAR AS THE DECREASE IN EXPENDITURES, YOU SEE THERE THE CENTRAL OFFICE CUTS, WE ARE GOING TO BE DOWNSIZING A LITTLE BIT.
WE ARE CONSOLIDATING SCHOOLS, MEANING WE'VE CLOSED 12 SCHOOLS.
I ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THE NES.
CUTS TO OVERTIME AND EXTRA DUTY PAYMENT, ACCOUNTING FOR VACANCIES AND ONE-TIME EXPENDITURES.
SO WE ACTUALLY WILL DECREASE EXPENDITURES 46, $47 MILLION.
YOU SEE, SO YES, THE TOP IS AN INCREASE.
THE SECOND HALF IS A DECREASE.
THE TOTAL THEN IS A DECREASE OF 46 MILLION.
THAT BRINGS US ALMOST TO A BALANCED BUDGET.
YOU SEE THAT THE DECREASE TO THE REVENUE WAS 55, DECREASE IN TOTAL EXPENDITURES 46.7.
DEPENDING ON WHERE OUR ENDING FUND BALANCE IS, WE MIGHT, WE'LL BE CLOSE TO.
THAT BALANCE THAT YOU SEE AT THE BOTTOM THERE, $753 MILLION.
SO THAT IS A FAIRLY BALANCED BUDGET.
WHEN WE'RE NOT DONE, THERE'LL BE SOME CHANGES HERE AND THERE.
BUT YOU HAVE TO START WITH GENERALLY A BALANCED BUDGET IN ORDER TO DO THE WORK.
AND SO THESE NUMBERS WILL GET FINE-TUNED OVER THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS BEFORE WE BRING THE BUDGET TO THE BOARD.
SHOULD I KEEP GOING, SIR? NO, CHECK THAT OUT.
BECAUSE I'M ABOUT TO GO INTO THE SCHOOL BUDGET FORMAL.
WE'LL TAKE SOME QUESTIONS NOW, AND THEN WE'LL GO TO THAT.
I'M LOOKING AT THE SLIDES YOU JUST SHOWED WITH THE GRID OF ALL THE REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES.
AND, YOU KNOW, EACH ONE OF THESE LINES TELLS A STORY.
IT SPEAKS TO THE KEY PRIORITIES, TO THE ACTION PLAN.
AND ONE THAT I REALLY WAS SURPRISED TO SEE, AND MAYBE YOU CAN GIVE A LITTLE COLOR, IS A $6 MILLION INCREASE TO MINIMUM WAGE EMPLOYEES IN THE CENTRAL OFFICE.
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT MOTIVATED THAT AND THE SPIRIT OF WHY WE'RE DOING THAT? YES, I CAN.
AND WE'LL HAVE MORE TIME ON MORE SPECIFIC LINE ITEMS AT THE NEXT WORKSHOP.
BUT FOR RIGHT NOW, THERE'S A COUPLE THINGS.
[01:25:01]
WE KNOW THAT WHEN WE CUT STAFF, WE CUT CENTRALIZED STAFF, WE CUT THE OFFICE DEPARTMENTS, A LOT OF TIMES THAT MEANS PEOPLE.THE REST OF THE FOLKS ARE WORKING AS HARD OR HARDER THAN THEY HAD BEFORE, AND IT'S A CHALLENGING TIME.
THE ECONOMY'S NOT TOO GOOD, OR AT LEAST IS A LITTLE UNSTABLE OR UNPREDICTABLE.
INFLATION IS UP, GAS IS UP, AND SO WE HAVE TO TRY.
IT CAN IMPACT OUR BUDGET BOTTOM LINE, BUT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO RAISE OUR SALARIES FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THIS BUILDING AND OUT IN THE SCHOOLS WHO ARE HOURLY EMPLOYEES.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE STATE FUNDING FORMULA.
CONFIRM THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE VERSUS ENROLLMENT, WHICH IS WHY IT'S IMPORTANT FOR STUDENTS TO BE IN THE CLASSROOM, CORRECT, IN THAT CALCULATION? ABSOLUTELY.
I MEAN, TWO PERCENTAGE POINTS CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
SO, YES, THAT'S, AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE IS THE PERCENTAGE OF WHICH STUDENTS ATTEND SCHOOL.
SO YOU COULD HAVE A HUGE, YOU COULD HAVE AN ENROLLMENT INCREASE, BUT IF YOUR AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE GOES DOWN ENOUGH, YEP.
IT WILL WIPE THAT INCREASE IN ENROLLMENT OUT.
AND TO THAT END, IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, THAT THE ENTITLEMENT THAT'S GENERATED BY THE STATE FUNDING COMES TO THE DISTRICT AND THE DISTRICTS GET TO DECIDE HOW THAT MONEY IS SPENT AT THE CAMPUS LEVEL.
THE IDEA ISN'T THAT THE MONEY FLOWS AS AN INDIVIDUAL.
BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ADA AND NOT ENROLLMENT, IT DOESN'T FLOW TO THE CAMPUS THAT WAY.
THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF DIFFERENCE THERE, AND JIM, MAYBE YOU CAN WEIGH IN IF YOU WANT.
BUT THERE ARE SPECIFIC ENTITLEMENTS FOR SPECIFIC GROUPS OF KIDS.
SO A SCHOOL, IN SOME CASES, WILL GET THAT DIRECTLY.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF THERE'S A SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENT, THAT MONEY WILL BE ALLOCATED TO THAT SCHOOL OR TO THE DISTRICT TO SUPPORT THAT STUDENT.
I KNOW IT'S A LITTLE BIT COMPLEX, BUT THAT MONEY WILL FLOW.
IF A SCHOOL HAS EMERGENT BILINGUAL STUDENTS, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE HERE IN A MINUTE WHEN I GO TO SCHOOL FORMULAS, THEY WILL GET THAT EMERGENT BILINGUAL WEIGHT.
THAT'S THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE.
CAN YOU GO ONE BACK, I THINK? THAT ONE.
IS THAT NET OF RECAPTURE, THIS DISTRIBUTION? DOES THIS HAVE RECAPTURE INCLUDED IN IT? NO, THIS IS JUST, I MEAN, IF WE DIDN'T HAVE RECAPTURE, WOULD IT STILL BE 74%? THE ASSESSED VALUE OF OUR DISTRICT WILL BE...
WE'RE APRIL 30TH, AND THAT WILL THEN ALLOW US TO GO BACK IN AND LOOK AT THE CALCULATIONS AND SEE IF, IN FACT, WE WILL BE PAYING IT RECAPTURE.
BUT RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE NOT INCLUDED RECAPTURE INTO OUR CALCULATIONS.
YOU DIDN'T SEE IT ON THE ASSUMPTION PAGE.
YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT, BUT THAT WOULD MEAN THAT THE OTHER PIECES OF PIE WOULD GO DOWN.
REMEMBER, THIS IS A REVENUE CHART, NOT AN EXPENDITURE CHART.
AS WE GO THROUGH THIS, ONE THING I'M WONDERING IF YOU COULD SHARE AS WE CONTINUE THE PRESENTATION IS, AS I LOOK AT THE BUDGET OVERVIEW SLIDE, IF YOU COULD HIGHLIGHT ANY RISKS TO THESE ASSUMPTIONS THAT WE'RE MAKING AT THIS POINT.
I KNOW YOU HIGHLIGHTED THE WHOLE THING THAT IT COULD CHANGE.
THE THING I'M THINKING ABOUT IS, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU'RE CALLING OUT THE CHANGE IN FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT WE DIDN'T EXPECT.
AS WE LOOK AT THESE OTHER NUMBERS ON THIS TABLE HERE, IF YOU COULD JUST HIGHLIGHT OTHER RISKS TO THESE ASSUMPTIONS THAT WE MIGHT EXPECT AN IMPACT.
I MEAN, SOMETIMES SOME THINGS COME OUT OF THE BLUE, LIKE THE FEDERAL, SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT THE
[01:30:02]
DEPARTMENT OF ED AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL HAS....HAS HAD AND SOME OF THE GUIDELINES AND POLICY CHANGES MID-YEAR.
SO THAT'S ONE THING, AND WE FRANKLY DIDN'T PREDICT THAT.
SOME OF THE OTHER BUDGET CHALLENGES OR CONSTRAINTS, ENROLLMENT.
IF WE LOSE 2,000 MORE STUDENTS, THAT'S A HUGE HIT TO THE REVENUE SIDE.
THE TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT WE THINK IS PRETTY SOLID.
I DON'T THINK THERE WILL BE ANY LEGISLATIVE CHANGE TO THAT.
IN FACT, THAT HOPEFULLY WILL JUST BLOW.
PROPERTY SALES, WE HAVE A COUPLE THAT ARE UNDER CONTRACT OR NEARING CLOSE OF CONTRACT, SO WE FEEL PRETTY CONFIDENT.
BUT IF THE ECONOMY IS LIKE IT WAS LAST YEAR WITH THE MARKET GOING DOWN, THEN WE MAY NOT GET TO 25.
WILLIAM, SO JIM AND I, MOSTLY JIM'S TEAM, DOES MARKET ANALYSIS.
THEY DO A GOOD JOB OF WHAT IS OUR BEST GUESS, AND WE'RE USUALLY PRETTY CONSERVATIVE ON OUR BUDGETING SO THAT WE DON'T GET HIT.
EVEN IF WE DID GET A HIT, WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE IT.
LET'S SAY A LOT OF PEOPLE, THEIR PERSONAL BUDGETS MIGHT BE IMPACTED BY THE RISING COST OF GAS, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
ARE THERE OTHER COSTS MAYBE IN THAT PERSPECTIVE, WITH THAT PERSPECTIVE, THAT WE MIGHT BE THINKING ABOUT AS A DISTRICT AS, LET'S SAY, COST OF CERTAIN THINGS ARE GOING UP? YEAH, I THINK, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE ALREADY BUDGETED FOR INFLATION OR AN INCREASE IN COSTS.
YEAH, THE INDIVIDUAL CHIEFS IN THEIR DEPARTMENTS AND OVER IN TRANSPORTATION, THEY HAVE MADE AN ESTIMATE THEY KNOW THAT THE YIELD WILL BE GOING UP.
AND SO WE CERTAINLY PROVIDE THE SUPPORT AND HELP TO EACH DEPARTMENT IN TERMS OF ALLOWING OUR EXPERTISE TO HELP THEM IN THEIR BUDGETING PROCESS.
BUT I THINK THAT EVERYBODY IS VERY AWARE OF THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS.
HAPPENING OUT IN THE ECONOMY? ESPECIALLY TRANSPORTATION AND FMO.
I KNOW THAT FMO UNDERSTANDS THAT MATERIAL COSTS GO UP, SUPPLIES GO UP, AND SO THEY BUDGET FOR THAT.
SO QUICKLY ON THE SCHOOL BUDGET FRAMEWORK, AGAIN, WE'RE GOING TO BRING ALL OF THESE BUDGETS TO YOU.
IF YOU HAVEN'T RECEIVED THE SCHOOL BUDGETS ALREADY, YOU'LL GET THEM.
DURING THE COVID YEARS AND THE ESHER YEARS, THIS DISTRICT AND LAST YEAR, THIS DISTRICT TRIED TO KEEP THE BUDGETS THE SAME.
THAT MEANT HOLD HARMLESS ON ENROLLMENT.
HOLD HARMLESS OR KEEP THE BUDGET ALLOCATION AND THE WEIGHT THE SAME.
THAT MEANT GIVING MORE DOLLARS DURING THE ESSER FUNDING TO SCHOOLS FOR MORE PEOPLE, MORE PROGRAMS, MORE EVERYTHING, BECAUSE IT DIDN'T NEED TO BE PAID FOR, AT LEAST AT THAT MOMENT.
THAT WAS VERY IRRESPONSIBLE, AND I'LL SAY THAT NOT TO BE MEAN, BUT JUST SO THAT YOU KNOW THE EXTENT OF WHAT WE HAD TO DO TO CHANGE IT, AND WHAT WE HAD TO DO TO PRIORITIZE AND CLAW BACK SOME OF THOSE EXCESSES SO THAT WE WOULD HAVE MONEY TO PUT INTO INSTRUCTION AND TO TEACH YOUR SALARIES.
SO THERE WASN'T A REAL GOOD FORMULA IN THE PAST BECAUSE WE KEPT...
IF YOU HAD 100 EB, EMERGENT BILINGUAL STUDENTS, AND YOU LOST 50, YOU STILL GOT MONEY FOR 100 EB STUDENTS.
IF YOU GOT THIS MUCH MONEY FOR HOMELESS STUDENTS, AND YOU LOST STUDENTS, HOMELESS STUDENTS, YOU DIDN'T HAVE AS MANY, YOU STILL GOT THAT MUCH.
WE HELD HARMLESS, THIS DISTRICT HELD HARMLESS ON ENROLLMENT.
UNTIL LAST YEAR, WE STOPPED THAT, FINALLY.
IN OTHER WORDS, YOU GOT THIS MUCH MONEY FOR 10,000 OR 1,000 STUDENTS, YOU WENT DOWN TO 800 STUDENTS, YOU STILL GOT MONEY FOR 1,000 STUDENTS.
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THAT IS NO WAY, THAT IS NOT A FORMULA.THAT IS A FORMULA FOR DISASTER.
...OVER BUDGETS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
THIS YEAR WE FINALLY USED ACTUALLY THE FORMULA THAT ALMOST EVERY OTHER DISTRICT USES.
AND SO TO COMPARE THAT FORMULA AND THE BUDGET, SO LAST YEAR'S FORMULA OR THE YEAR BEFORE'S FORMULA OR TWO YEARS AGO'S FORMULA, IS NOT REALLY ACCURATE BECAUSE WE WOULD LOCK IN...
THE HOLD HARMLESS, THE EXCESSES, SO IF A SCHOOL HAD 100 TEACHERS AND REALLY THEY DIDN'T HAVE AS MANY KIDS BUT THEY KEPT 100 TEACHERS BECAUSE THEY COULD BECAUSE THEIR BUDGETS DIDN'T DECREASE, WE CAN'T LOCK THAT FORMULA IN.
SO SCHOOLS MAY THINK THEY STILL NEED 100 TEACHERS BUT THEY HAVE 200 FEWER KIDS WHEN THEY'VE BEEN HELD HARMLESS.
WE FINALLY PUT THE REAL WEIGHTS IN PLACE.
AND THAT'S WHY, IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T CONTINUE THIS HOLD HARMLESS, WE DID REDUCE, WE ARE KEEPING THE BUDGETS HOLD AT LEAST FOR THIS YEAR, THE NEXT YEAR, NO LESS THAN 1% AND NO MORE THAN 4%.
THE DIFFERENCE, THOUGH, IS THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY FOR THE TEACHER SALARIES AND WE'RE NOT HOLDING THE...
NOT HOLDING HARMLESS ON ENROLLMENT.
YOU KNOW THAT THESE ARE THE PARTS OF THE FORMULA.
SO AGAIN, LET ME GO BACK AGAIN.
WE'RE GOING TO USE THE FORMULA ALMOST EVERY OTHER DISTRICT USES, WHICH IS YOU LOOK AT ENROLLMENT, YOU LOOK AT ADA, YOU LOOK AT A BASE RESOURCE ALLOCATION, YOU LOOK AT WEIGHTS, AND IN OUR CASE, WHICH IS DIFFERENT.
THE SALARY THAT WE WILL PAY FOR THE TEACHER IS NOT THE SALARY SCHEDULE.
THE SALARY IS PAID FOR PERFORMANCE.
I'LL EXPLAIN THAT IN A MINUTE.
EVERY SCHOOL GOT A BASE OF $1,400.
WE MULTIPLY THAT BY THE ENROLLMENT.
THIS IS, AGAIN, LIKE THE STATE.
AND THEN WE MULTIPLY IT BY THE AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE.
NOW THAT'S NOT MUCH DIFFERENT.
HERE'S WHERE IT REALLY DIFFERS.
WE'VE CHANGED THE WEIGHTS TO FIT THE STATE'S WEIGHTS, AND WE'RE NOT HOLDING HARMLESS ANYMORE.
SO WHATEVER THE STATE GIVES US FOR EB STUDENTS, THAT'S WHAT WE GIVE TO THE SCHOOL.
THEY HAD A LOT MORE EB STUDENTS THAN BEFORE, SO THEY'RE GETTING MORE MONEY.
SOME STUDENTS LOST MONEY BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE EB STUDENTS ANYMORE, NOT THE SAME AMOUNT.
OR HOMELESS ANY OF THESE SPECIAL CATEGORIES AND THERE'S ONE OTHER THING I GOT TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE WEIGHTS WHICH IS DIFFERENT THAN THIS DISTRICT HAS EVER DONE AND IT'S ABOUT TIME NOW WE HAVE A ACADEMIC ACADEMIC NEED WEIGHT FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS PER STUDENT FOR NES AND SPECIAL FOCUS SCHOOLS TO PUA SCHOOLS THAT ARE SPECIAL FOCUS FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS PER STUDENT ACADEMIC WEIGHT, WHICH IS MATCHES, AND IN SOME PLACES A LITTLE LOWER, IN SOME PLACES A LITTLE HIGHER, THAN THE MAGNET SUBSIDY.
AND I'LL JUST SAY IT, IN PUBLIC, IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A MAGNET SUBSIDY, WHICH WE SHOULD, AND SUPPORT OUR MAGNET PROGRAMS, WE ALSO SHOULD HAVE AN ACADEMIC NEED SUBSIDY, BECAUSE YOU'RE THE MOST EFFECTIVE TEACHERS, YOU'RE HIGHEST PAID TEACHERS, AND YOU'RE...
RESOURCES SHOULD BE PRIORITIZED OR SKEWED TOWARDS THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE STRUGGLING THE MOST OR THE STUDENTS THAT ARE STRUGGLING THE MOST.
AND SO THAT'S PART OF THE WEIGHTS THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN BEFORE.
AND THEN FINALLY, LIKE I SAID, THE PLAYFUL PERFORMANCE.
ONE THING WE DID TO CUT SOME SLACK IS WE KEPT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT YOU HAD LAST YEAR AT SCHOOL.
THE SAME, THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS.
AND WE MULTIPLY THAT BY THE AVERAGE PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE SALARY.
AND IF AT THE END OF OCTOBER WHEN WE SHOW UP, YOU HAVE MORE TEACHERS ON THE HIGHER END, WE WILL MAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE.
IF YOU HAVE FEWER TEACHERS ON THE LOWER END, YOU MAY GET THE DIFFERENCE.
SO HERE'S THE AVERAGE FOR THE PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE THAT WAY.
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TRYING TO GET HIGHER PAID OR HIGHER PERFORMING TEACHERS DOESN'T SO THAT'S THE PAY FOR PERFORMANCE SALARY PER BENEFITS, AND THAT IS WHAT THE SCHOOLS ARE GETTING PER PUPIL.AND SO YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THAT IN ANY CASE, WE TRY TO MAKE IT SO THAT IT'S FAIRLY FAIR.
YOUR BUDGET IS ABOUT THE SAME AS LAST YEAR.
YOU CAN'T GO 4% HIGHER OR 1% LOWER, EXCEPT THAT NOW, BECAUSE THE TEACHER SALARIES ARE HIGHER, SCHOOLS ACTUALLY HAVE LESS MONEY FOR NON-SALARY THINGS, OR THEY HAVE TO CUT SALARY.
SO THAT SCHOOL I WAS TALKING ABOUT, THAT EXAMPLE OF 100 TEACHERS, THEY LOST 800 KIDS, THEY'RE STILL GETTING PAID FOR 100 TEACHERS, OR THEY STILL HAVE 100 TEACHERS, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CUT SOME STUFF, MOST LIKELY, TO WORK EFFICIENTLY.
THAT'S THE SCHOOL BUDGETS IN BROAD PICTURE.
IF YOU HAVEN'T GOT THEM ALREADY, YOU WILL GET THE SCHOOL BY SCHOOL.
YOU'LL SEE BASE, PROJECTED ENROLLMENT, ADA, WEIGHTS, SALARY FOR PEOPLE, EVERY SCHOOL.
AND KEEP IN MIND, WE TRUE UP, MEANING IF IN AUGUST YOU HAVE MORE KIDS COMING, WHEN WE TRUE UP, AND IT'S USUALLY IN DECEMBER, JUNE, JANUARY.
IN NOVEMBER, WE WILL TRUE UP MEANS IF YOU GOT MORE KIDS, YOU GET MORE MONEY.
IF YOU HAVE HIGHER ATTENDANCE, YOU'LL GET YOUR HIGHER ADA.
AND IF YOUR WEIGHTS MAY CHANGE BECAUSE YOU MIGHT GET MORE EB STUDENTS, MORE SPED STUDENTS, FEWER SPED, WHATEVER IT IS, YOUR WEIGHTS MAY CHANGE A LITTLE BIT.
AND IN SOME CASES, WE'VE TRUED UP IN THE END OF AUGUST.
IN THOSE CASES, THEY HAVE WIDE SWINGS IN ENROLLMENT, SO THEY NEED THE MONEY EARLIER.
MR. PRESIDENT, THAT'S THE END OF MY PRESENTATION.
NEXT WORKSHOP, YOU'LL SEE THAT WE'RE GOING TO DETAIL THE ASSUMPTIONS A LITTLE BETTER.
WE'LL GIVE YOU ACTUAL PROPOSED BUDGET FOR THE DISTRICT.
WE'LL SEND YOU EVEN MORE DETAIL ON SCHOOL BUDGETS.
AT THAT POINT, WE'LL GIVE YOU THE CENTRAL OFFICE BUDGET, THE DEPARTMENT BUDGET, AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT HEALTH INSURANCE.
ON THE ACADEMIC WEIGHT, IS THAT SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN THE WAY WE'VE DONE IT BEFORE? AND WHEN WILL THE SCHOOLS KNOW THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE RECEIVING THOSE EXTRA FUNDS? AND WILL IT BE THE WHOLE YEAR, OR DOES IT GO BACK TO ENROLLMENT AGAIN? IT IS THE WHOLE YEAR.
IT IS A PER PUPIL FUNDING MEASURE.
AND YOU'LL ONLY GET THAT WEIGHT IF YOU'RE A SPECIAL FOCUS SCHOOL.
IT'S INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET FOR THE NAS SCHOOLS, SO THAT'S HOW WE BUDGET FOR THE NAS PROGRAM.
I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION ABOUT THAT.
YOU MENTIONED, AND I THINK I JUST AM NOT.
I HAVE NOT BEEN FOCUSED ON THIS.
SO YOU MENTIONED THAT THE MAGNET SCHOOLS ALREADY HAVE A PER PUPIL.
CAN YOU JUST RUN THAT BY ME? I'M SORRY.
YEAH, IT IS A VERY COMPLICATED FORMULA.
DOES ANYBODY WANT TO TACKLE THAT? I DIDN'T MEAN THE FORMULA.
I DID NOT REALIZE THAT THERE WAS A PER PUPIL ALLOCATION FOR THE MAGNET SCHOOL.
THERE'S WHAT WE CALL A SUBSIDY, MAGNET SUBSIDY, AND IT'S VERY COMPLICATED.
IT HAS TO DO WITH YOU GET A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR THE KIDS WHO ARE IN PERFORMANCE ARTS.
YOU GET A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR KIDS WHO ARE IN A DIFFERENT MAGNET KIND OF PROGRAM.
AND SO IF YOU HAVE SEVERAL DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, YOU GET SEVERAL DIFFERENT FUNDING STREAMS FOR THE MAGNET SUBSIDY.
SOME SCHOOLS GOT $800,000 TOTAL AS THEIR MAGNET SUBSIDY.
$50,000, $60,000 FOR THE MANUAL SUBSIDY.
AND SO WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR SOME TIME, AND NOW YOU'RE ADDING THIS ALLOCATION FOR OUR ACADEMIC WEIGHT.
I HOPE YOU DIDN'T HEAR ME SAY, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK I SAID YOU'RE CUTTING MANUAL SUBSIDIES.
SO HERE'S MY FOLLOW-UP TO THAT, BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO FOLLOW.
SO I FOLLOWED EVERYTHING UP UNTIL YOU SAID, SO IF, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU SAID, SO IF YOU HAVE LOTS OF HIGH PERFORMANCE PERFORMING TEACHERS, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE LARGER SALARIES, AND YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE UP THE
[01:45:01]
DIFFERENCE.I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHEN YOU SAID IF THEY HAVE A DISPROPORTIONATE AMOUNT OF...
TEACHERS THAT ARE AT THE OTHER END OF THE SCALE.
I DIDN'T GET THE PART ABOUT THAT YOU MAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE, MEANING THAT I DIDN'T GET THAT PART.
YES, SO IN ORDER TO BUDGET, THE PRINCIPALS HAVE TO KNOW WHAT AMOUNT OF MONEY THE TEACHERS ARE GETTING.
AND IT'S EASIER WHEN YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, I ALREADY KNOW I HAVE 15 YEARS, I HAVE FIVE TEACHERS ON THE 15TH YEAR BECAUSE THERE'S A SALARIES SCHEDULE.
RIGHT NOW, IT'S HARD FOR A PRINCIPAL TO KNOW WHAT THEIR TOTAL SALARY AMOUNT IS BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PROFICIENT TEACHERS THEY'LL HAVE, HOW MANY PROGRESSING TEACHERS THEY'LL HAVE, AND HOW MANY EXEMPLARY TEACHERS THEY'LL HAVE.
BECAUSE STARTING IN AUGUST, THAT'S HOW TEACHERS WILL GET PAID.
SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IS SAID, LOOK, WE GET YOU DON'T KNOW THAT, BUT WE'RE GOING TO COVER THE COST OF THEIR SALARIES.
WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU THE AVERAGE AMOUNT.
SO IF YOU HAVE 50 TEACHERS, WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU 50 TIMES THE AVERAGE SALARY, I THINK IS SOMEWHERE AROUND $83,000.
SO MULTIPLY 50 TIMES 83, THAT'S YOUR SALARY AMOUNT.
BUT LET'S SAY NOW IT'S SEPTEMBER, AND WE KNOW WHAT THE RE-EVALUATION IS.
WE KNOW HOW MANY NEW TEACHERS ARE STARTING AT PROGRESSING ONE OR PROGRESSING TWO.
AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO MULTIPLY THAT OUT.
AND IF IT'S MORE THAN 50 TIMES 83,000, WE'RE GOING TO ADD THAT TO YOUR BUDGET.
IF, HOWEVER, YOU'VE GOT ONLY NEW TEACHERS, WE'RE NOT MAKING AN AVERAGE OF 83, WE'RE GOING TO MULTIPLY THAT OUT, AND WE'RE GOING TO TAKE MONEY FROM YOU, SO WE WILL PAY FOR THE TEACHERS THAT YOU HAVE.
SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT IF THERE'S A SURPLUS IN THE POT AT THE END, THEY OWE IT BACK TO THE DISTRICT.
I MEAN, WE DON'T THINK ANYBODY WOULD...
STRIVE TO GET JUST NEW TEACHERS BUT I MEAN THAT WOULD BE ONE WAY THAT GET MONEY I GUESS IF WE DIDN'T HAVE THIS RULE THANK YOU SO I WAS KIND OF STRUGGLING WITH THE THE SAME ISSUE AND I THINK I'VE CLARIFIED IT I'D LIKE TO PRE-ARTICULATE IT IN A WAY THE COST OF TEACHERS IS GOING TO BE THE COST OF TEACHERS THE $1,400 BASE TIMES ENROLLMENT TIMES ADA IS TO COVER EVERYTHING ELSE IS THAT A WAY OF THINKING ABOUT IT? OR THE TEACHERS ARE GOING TO COST WHAT THE TEACHERS ARE GOING TO COST, AND THEN THE TWO ITEMS ABOVE IT COVERS EVERYTHING ELSE? YEAH, I THINK THAT'S A GOOD WAY OF THINKING ABOUT IT.
WHAT A PRINCIPAL IS THINKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW, THOUGH, IS I HAVE ONE POT OF MONEY.
THE TEACHERS ARE GOING TO COST WHAT THE TEACHERS ARE GOING TO COST, BUT WHAT THE TEACHERS ARE GOING TO COST IS MORE THAN WHAT IT WAS LAST YEAR.
SO THAT'S, SO YES, THEY HAVE ONE POT OF MONEY, THE TEACHER'S GOING TO TAKE ONE PART OF IT AND EVERYTHING ELSE IS LOST.
OKAY, GREAT. WELL, I THINK THIS HAS BEEN A GREAT PRESENTATION.
CLEARLY THIS IS, YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO AND WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO TO ABSORB IT ALL AND I APPRECIATE THE WORK IN PUTTING THIS TOGETHER. I KNOW IT'S A LOT AND I KNOW THE TEAM OVER HERE HAS DONE A LOT OF GOOD WORK ON THE ACTION PLAN AND ON GETTING THIS TO THE POINT WHERE IT IS. I KNOW THAT COMING UP IN OUR NEXT SESSION WE'LL HAVE DETAILED BUDGETS AND PER PUPIL BUDGETS FOR PUA AND NES, AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO SHARE THAT WITH THE COMMUNITY AT THE NEXT MEETING. AND I BELIEVE THIS IS GOING TO BE POSTED AS WELL AFTER THIS MEETING. YES, SIR.
EVERYBODY WILL HAVE THESE DOCUMENTS. AND SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE HARD WORK. HERE WE AND I DO RECOGNIZE I KNOW THE BOARD RECOGNIZES THAT YOU HAVE TO START WITH AN ACTION PLAN YOU HAVE TO PRIORITIZE AND WHEN YOU HAVE A TIGHT REVENUE PROJECTION WITH WITH FALLING ENROLLMENT WE HAVE TO MAKE TOUGH DECISIONS AND I KNOW THAT'S HARD ON PEOPLE BUT I APPRECIATE THOSE TOUGH DECISIONS BEING MADE SO THANK THE TEAM AND THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION SO AT THIS POINT WE ARE GOING TO GO INTO AN EXECUTIVE SESSION JUST A VERY QUICK ONE SO WE WILL THEN, THIS WILL GO INTO A CLOSED SESSION UNDER CHAPTER 551 OF TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE OPEN MEETINGS ACT, SUBSECTION 551.004 THROUGH 551.089. SHOULD BOARD FINAL ACTION VOTE OR DECISION ON ANY MATTER CONSIDERED IN THE CLOSED SESSION BE REQUIRED, SUCH FINAL ACTION VOTE OR DECISION SHALL BE TAKEN IN AN OPEN MEETING COVERED BY THIS NOTICE UPON THE RECONVENING OF THIS PUBLIC MEETING OR AT A SUBSEQUENT PUBLIC MEETING.
[01:50:01]
OF THE BOARD UPON NOTICE THEREOF THE BOARD IS RECESSED TO CLOSE SESSION AT 7:53 P.M ON APRIL 23 2026. OKAY WE ARE NOW UM BACK INTO OPEN SESSION AT 8:21 P.M ON APRIL 23RD I BELIEVE WE HAVE. NO OTHER ITEMS ON THE AGENDA. SO IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING OR SAY GOODNIGHT, WE'LL BE ADJOURNED. SO WE'LL SEE YOU AT THE NEXT GOODNIGHT. WE'LL SEE YOU AT THE NEXT BOARD MEETING, WHICH IS IN THE FUTURE. OUR NEXT WORKSHOP IS ON MAY 20TH, AND OUR NEXT REGULAR BOARD MEETING IS ON THE 14TH OF MAY.* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.