[B. CALL TO ORDER]
[00:00:04]
>> GOOD EVENING. IT IS 5:30 PM.
I WILL NOW CALL THE MEETING OF THE ROUND ROCK ISD SCHOOL BOARD TO ORDER.
PRESENT, WE HAVE TRUSTEE ZARATE.
TRUSTEE WILL WILL NOT BE JOINING US TONIGHT.
WE HAVE DR. AZAIEZ, MYSELF, TIFFANY HARRISON.
TRUSTEE MARKHAM, TRUSTEE LANDRUM, AND TRUSTEE ROSS.
WE WILL GO AHEAD AND STAND FOR THE PLEDGE, AND I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME FROM WESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL, BRILAN TARNO AS OUR PLEDGE.
THANK YOU, BRILAN. BRILAN, YOU CAN GO RIGHT THERE TO THE MIC.
DO YOU SEE THE MIC DOWN THERE? WE'RE READY WHEN YOU ARE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH BRILAN AND GO WOOD.
WE ARE GOING TO GO STRAIGHT INTO RECOGNITION OF STUDENTS AND STAFF.
[D. RECOGNITION OF STUDENTS AND STAFF]
ANNIE, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU.>> THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT HARRISON, TRUSTEES AND DR. AZAIEZ.
THAT TIME OF THE EVENING WHERE WE SHOWCASE SOME OF OUR OUTSTANDING STUDENTS AND STAFF.
THEY'RE IMPRESSIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
COULD ALL PLEASE JOIN US AT THE FRONT OF THE DIES? WE HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS TO RECOGNIZE TONIGHT, SO WE'RE GOING TO GET STARTED WITH THE 59 ROUND ROCK ISD STUDENTS WHO QUALIFIED FOR ALL STATE MUSIC ENSEMBLES.
THESE STUDENTS FROM ALL FIVE COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOLS REACH THE HIGHEST LEVEL A HIGH SCHOOL MUSICIAN CAN ACHIEVE BY EARNING A PLACE ON THE TEXAS MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION, ALL STATE BAND ORCHESTRA, OR CHOIR.
MORE THAN 70,000 HIGH SCHOOL MUSICIANS ACROSS THE STATE AUDITION EACH YEAR.
FOR THEIR TMA REGION GROUPS AND THEN GO ON TO THE AREA COMPETITION.
FROM THERE, ONLY THE HIGHEST RANKING STUDENT MUSICIANS QUALIFY TO PERFORM.
THE 59 ROUND ROCK ISD STUDENTS WHO QUALIFIED RECENTLY PERFORMED AT THE ANNUAL TMA CONVENTION IN SAN ANTONIO.
WE'RE GOING TO CALL UP LARGE GROUPS OF KIDS AT THE SAME TIME.
FIRST OFF, WE'LL START WITH CEDAR RIDGE.
WE'LL NEED THE CEDAR RIDGE BAND DIRECTORS, ARMENDA VELASQUEZ, RICK RODRIGUEZ, GREGORY HORNER, STUDENTS FROM THE RATER BAND, PRINCIPAL ARE YOU ALL IN HERE? SHAAN MILLER IN HERE? NO. THEY'RE ALL OUTSIDE.
Y'ALL CAN JUST STAND, HANG OUT FOR A MINUTE.
WHO'S COMING IN RIGHT NOW? ROUND ROCK IS COMING IN RIGHT NOW.
FANTASTIC. WE'LL START WITH ROUND ROCK.[BACKGROUND]
>> I CAN GET YOU GUYS, TO STRETCH IN, ONE TWO, THREE.
THEN ONE MORE FOR DOUBLE CHECKING.
>> [BACKGROUND] WESTWOOD IS NEXT. THEY WERE TOTALLY IN ORDER, Y'ALL.
[00:05:06]
WE HAD A SOLID PLAN OF DOING THIS IN ORDER.NO, NO, NOT CEDAR RIDGE GERMAN. NO, Y'ALL.
>> LOVE TO SHARE WITH YOU CEDAR GERMAN.
>> WELL, THEN HANG ON ONE SECOND.
WE ALSO HAVE [OVERLAPPING] CEDAR RIDGE GERMAN.
HOLD, PLEASE. THE GERMAN LANGUAGE STUDENTS AT CEDAR RIDGE PLAY THIRD IN THE STATE IN A SKIT DIVISION DOING A SKIT IN GERMAN.
WE HAVE THOSE STUDENTS, POTENTIALLY THEIR TEACHER, LISA DECKER, THE PRINCIPAL, AND DR. GUERRERO.
>> NEXT UP, WE HAVE GRISHAM MIDDLE SCHOOLS GERMAN LANGUAGE STUDENTS.
THEY PLACE IN THE TOP THREE IN THE STATE IN THE TEXAS STATE GERMAN COMPETITION.[APPLAUSE] GO ON.
>> ALL RIGHT, GUYS, 01, 2, 3. AWESOME. THANK YOU.
>> OUR FINAL GROUP OF GERMAN LANGUAGE STUDENTS IS FROM WESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL.
WILL THE STUDENTS AND THEIR TEACHER JENNIFER MELGAR AND PRINCIPAL CAMPBELL, PLEASE COME UP TO THE STAGE. [APPLAUSE] THAT?
>> THERE YOU ARE, 1, 2, 3. THANKS, GUYS.
>> IT SEEMS THAT THE RAIN IS MAYBE KEEPING AWAY EVERYONE ELSE.
YOU GUYS CAN GO SIT BACK DOWN.
YES. TO WRAP THIS UP, WE'RE GOING TO WATCH TONIGHT'S VIDEO, WHICH IS A CLASSROOM, FOCUSING ON OUR PARTNER, A PLUS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION.
THEY RECENTLY HOSTED A MAC LIFE FINANCIAL LEARNING EXPERIENCE WITH THE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS AT WALSH.
>> TODAY, WE ARE DOING A SIMULATION OF FINANCIAL LITERACY CALLED MAD CITY MONEY.
>> SINGLE WITH A EIGHT MONTH OLD CHILD.
>> I'M A SECURITY GUARD, AND MY WIFE IS AN ASSISTANT BUYER.
>> I'M A TV BROADCAST TECHNICIAN, AND MY WIFE IS A FAST FOOD CASHIER.
>> WHAT'S REALLY GREAT ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY IS THEY PUT PEN TO PAPER, AND THEY HAVE THEIR CALCULATORS, THEY'RE HAVING TO STRATEGIZE, THEY'RE HAVING TO BUDGET.
>> INVEST YOUR MONEY BEFORE YOU BUY EXPENSIVE STUFF.
>> IF YOU WANT TO BUY A LUXURY CAR, BUY A LUXURY CAR. MAKE YOU HAPPY.
[00:10:02]
>> THEY'RE GOING TO BE LIKE SALE, SALE.
THEN YOU'RE GOING TO BE LIKE, BUT IT'S ON SALE?
>> HOUSE, IS IT EITHER GOING TO BE NEXT, OR IT'S GOING TO BE MY LAST THING 'CAUSE I CAN JUST LIVE IN MY MINIVAN.
>> BASICALLY, THIS STATION IS GOING TO THROW A CURVE BALL AT EACH STUDENT.
>> OH FAMILY EMERGENCY, YOU HAVE TO TAKE A FLIGHT AND GET A HOTEL.
IT'S GOING TO BE $250 ACTUALLY. I'M SO SORRY.
>> WE JUST GET A RANDOMIZED ALL AND HERE'S YOUR BILLS.
THAT'S HOW MUCH YOU GOT TO PAY.
>> IS THAT HOW ADULTING LIFE [LAUGHTER]WORKS?
>> HOW I'M I SUPPOSED TO DO THIS?
>> MY PARENTS PLEASE GIVE ME MONEY.
>> IT'S HARDER THAN I THOUGHT WOULD BE.
>> I LEARNED HOW TO MANAGE TO BUY NEW THINGS LIKE GROCERIES AND STUFF LIKE THAT, BUT WHILE ALSO SAVING SOME MONEY TO PAY OFF MY MONTHLY DEBT.
>> JUST YOU GOT TO KEEP A BUDGET WITH ALL YOUR STUFF.
>> YOU CAN'T JUST SPEND YOUR MONEY ON ONE THING.
>> IT HELPS US GIVE A SIMULATOR OF OUR REAL LIFE WHEN WE'RE OLDER.
>> IN COLLEGE, THAT WOULD REALLY HELP BECAUSE IN COLLEGE, I'M NOT GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF MONEY, SO THIS TEACHES ME A LESSON.
>> I CAN SEE, LIKE HOW IT'S A LITTLE BIT HARD BEING A PARENT IN EVERYTHING.
>> WE HAVE WALSH AND THIS IS A CLASSROOM CLOSE-UP.
THANK YOU FOR THE AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES YOU'RE PRESENTING TO OUR STUDENTS, AND THANK YOU, ANNIE FOR BEING FLEXIBLE.
I KNOW WE DIDN'T FOLLOW THE PLAN, BUT THANK YOU.
I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS TONIGHT, IS THAT CORRECT? DR. AZAIEZ, I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND HAND IT OFF TO
[F. SUPERINTENDENT REPORTS]
YOU FOR THE LSG MONITORING REPORT. GO ON.>> YEAH. I HAVE A REQUEST IF POSSIBLE.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE A GUEST THAT WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO HELP US TALK ABOUT THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR.
I'M GOING TO REQUEST, OR I GUESS ASK THE BOARD IF IT'S OKAY FOR US TO START WITH ITEM NUMBER THREE BEFORE ITEM NUMBER ONE, THAT WAY HE CAN LEAVE BECAUSE HE'S JUST COMING TO SPEAK TO HELP US.
>> CERTAINLY. WE CAN TAKE IT OUT OF ORDER.
LET'S GO AHEAD AND START WITH ITEM 3, 2025, 2026, PROPOSED BUDGET.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH. PRESIDENT HARRISON, BOARD MEMBERS, COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND STAFF.
WE WOULD LIKE TO START WITH YOU START TALKING ABOUT THE NEXT YEAR BUDGET, OBVIOUSLY, 2025, 26, AND DENNIS IS HERE WITH US.
BUT REALLY, WE INVITED SOMEBODY WHO A LOT OF EXPERTISE, FORMER CFO FOR TEA, AND ALSO WORKED IN THE FINANCIAL BUSINESS WITH DIFFERENT SCHOOL DISTRICT LEO, AND SO WITH NO DELAY, PLEASE LEO TAKE OVER THE MIC.
>> THANK YOU. MY NAME IS LEO LOPEZ, CFO AT MOAKCASEY.
MOAKCASEY, WE PROVIDE CONSULTING SERVICES FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND AS YOU MENTIONED, I HAVE 17 YEARS AT TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY WHERE I SPENT THE LAST SIX YEARS RUNNING SCHOOL FINANCE FOR TEXAS, AND I DID SPEND FOUR YEARS AS THE DEPUTY CFO FOR AUSTIN ISD.
I DO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD.
WHAT I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU TODAY.
TONIGHT IS JUST GO OVER JUST A FEW OF THE BILLS RIGHT NOW IN THE LEGISLATURE RELATED TO SCHOOL FINANCE.
THERE'S A MYRIAD OF ISSUES, OF COURSE, MYRIAD OF BILLS, BUT I'M GOING TO REALLY JUST HIGHLIGHT THREE OR FOUR.
I'M GOING TO START OFF WITH HOUSE BILL 2.
HOUSE BILL 2 IS THE HOUSE'S SCHOOL FINANCE PACKAGE FOR THE 89TH LEGISLATURE.
IT WAS INTRODUCED A FEW WEEKS AGO, HAD HELD SEVERAL DAYS OF TESTIMONY AND RIGHT NOW IT IS UNDERGOING REWRITE IN WHAT'S CALLED A COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE.
IT WAS EXPECTED THAT THAT COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE WOULD BE LAID OUT AND VOTED OUT TODAY, BUT THAT WAS NOT THE CASE. AS INTRODUCED.
IT MADE A LOT OF DIFFERENT CHANGES, SO IT CHANGED THINGS RELATED TO THE SCHOOL FINANCE AS WELL AS THINGS RELATED TO SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING.
I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT LATER.
THEN THE HOUSE INITIALLY ESTIMATED THAT THE BILL WAS GOING TO SPEND AROUND 7.6 BILLION DOLLAR FOR THE BIENNIUM.
THAT'S STILL THEIR CURRENT TARGET FOR THIS BILL.
THEY WANT TO SPEND CLOSE TO 9 BILLION IN PUBLIC EDUCATION TOTAL, BUT THEY HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT BILLS.
THE SUM TOTAL BUDGET FOR THE HOUSE ANYWAY IS AROUND 9 BILLION, BUT FOR THIS BILL, IN PARTICULAR, THEY'RE LOOKING TO KEEP THEIR BUDGET AT 7.6.
THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IS TRYING TO FINE TUNE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE BILL.
SOMETHING SPECIFICALLY IN THE INTRODUCED VERSION OF THE BILL, IT PROPOSES TO INCREASE THE BASIC ALLOTMENT FROM 6,160 PER STUDENT TO 6,380, SO AN INCREASE OF $220.
IT ALSO PROPOSES TO INCREASE THE REQUIRED COMPENSATION INCREASE FROM 30% TO 40%.
NOW, WHAT THAT MEANS THAT REFERS TO IS THAT IN STATUTE, EVERY TIME THE BASIC ALLOTMENT IS INCREASED, THE LAW TELLS SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT THEY HAVE TO TAKE 30% OF ALL NEW MONEY YEAR OVER YEAR.
THEN SPEND 75% OF THAT 30% ON TEACHERS,
[00:15:04]
NURSES, COUNSELORS, LIBRARIANS, AND THEN THE OTHER 25% ON OTHER EMPLOYEES OTHER THAN ADMINISTRATORS.SO THIS BILL WOULD INCREASE THAT 30% TO 40% IF IT WERE TO PASS AS FILED.
THE BILL ALSO PROPOSE A DIFFERENT CHANGES TO THE TEACHER SALARY SCHEDULE TO CREATE FOR THE FIRST TIME DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN FIRST YEAR TEACHERS BASED ON THEIR CERTIFICATION STATUS, WHETHER THEY'RE CERTIFIED OR NOT.
IT ADDS SOME NEW CHANGES TO THE USE OF WHETHER A DISTRICT CAN USE UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS IN SPECIFIC FOUNDATION COURSES, REGARDLESS OF THE DOI STATUS.
THE TEA AND THE STATE ARE TRYING TO TIGHTEN UP THE CREDENTIALS OF THOSE TEACHERS IN SOME OF THOSE CORE CLASSES.
IT DOES CREATE A NEW GRANT TO HELP DISTRICTS OFFSET WHAT'S KNOWN COLLOQUIALLY AS THE RETIRED RE HIRE PENALTIES.
WHEN YOU HIRE TEACHERS THAT HAVE RETIRED, THE STATE DOES NOT PAY INTO TRS OR THAT NEW TRS ACCOUNT, AND THE DISTRICTS HAVE TO PAY FOR THAT.
THIS BILL WOULD PROPOSE TO CREATE A GRANT TO OFFSET THAT.
THEN WE ALSO CREATE, I WOULD NOW ALLOW DISTRICTS TO PASS THROUGH THAT COST TO POTENTIALLY IF THEY WANTED TO PASS THROUGH THAT COST.
>> THE BILL ALSO MAKES VERY BIG CHANGES TO TEACHER EDUCATION PIPELINES AND CERTIFICATION PATHWAYS AS FILED.
NOW, I HAVE HEARD THAT THE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE IS DOING AWAY OR PULLING BACK ON SOME OF THOSE CHANGES.
I HAVEN'T SEEN THE LATEST VERSION OF THE COMMITTEE, BUT THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD.
THERE IS ONE ARTICLE THAT REVAMPS AND PUTS NEW RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE IN TERMS OF HOW MANY YEARS A TEACHER CAN GO UNCERTIFIED.
I THINK THAT THE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTES IS GOING TO PULL BACK ON SOME OF THOSE REFORMS, AND I THINK FROM A COST PERSPECTIVE, THAT'S WHY THEY'RE PLANNING ON DOING THAT.
BUT AS FILED, THERE'S AN ALLOTMENT THAT COMES WITH THAT WOULD ALLOW DISTRICTS BASICALLY TO HELP TEACHERS COMPLETE A PRE SURFACE PRACTICE HOURS.
DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF DISTRICT AND THE TYPE OF CAMPUS THAT THE TEACHERS ON, ANYWHERE FROM 8,000-24,000 THAT TABLE OF DIFFERENT DOLLAR AMOUNTS MIRRORS, IN SOME RESPECTS, THE TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT TABLE.
AND SO THERE'S FOR HIGH NEEDS CAMPUSES WITH HIGH PERCENTAGES OF ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS AND/OR RURAL CAMPUSES, YOU GET HIGHER DOLLAR AMOUNTS PER TEACHER.
THIS BILL WOULD PROPOSE TO REPEALS THE CURRENT MENTOR ALLOWMENT AND REPLACE IT WITH A NEW STIPEND FOR MENTORS, $1,000 PER MENTOR, WHICH IS A LITTLE MORE THAN THE CURRENT FRAMEWORK.
IT DOES CREATE A NEW ALLOWMENT FOR COMPLETION OF READING $100 FOR LITERACY AND $500 FOR MATH ACADEMIES.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE BILL DOES IS IT CREATES A COMPLETELY REDOES THE WAY SPECIAL EDUCATION IS FUNDED IN TEXAS, AND IT MOVES FROM A PLACEMENT BASED FUNDING SYSTEM TO A INTENSITY OF SERVICES BASED SYSTEM.
FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE STATES LOOKING TO REIMBURSE FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION EVALUATIONS.
THIS BILL, AS FILED, WOULD PROPOSE $1,000 REIMBURSURSEMENT PER EVALUATION.
THEN THERE'S SOME OTHER SMALLER INCREASES RELATED TO SPECIAL EDUCATION, TRANSPORTATION AND GRADUATION BONUSES RELATED TO THE STUDENTS.
THIS BILL ALSO RESTORES AUTISM AND DYSLEXIA GRANTS THAT WERE PASSED IN PRIOR LEGISLATURES, BUT HAD EXPIRED SINCE.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE BILL PROPOSED TO DO.
ANOTHER BIG THING IT DOES FOR SMALL AND RURAL SCHOOLS.
THE BILL AS FILED, WOULD SPEND AN ADDITIONAL ONE BILLION DOLLAR TO HELP OFFSET THE DIFFICULTIES THAT SMALLER DISTRICTS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES HAVE ATTRACTING TEACHERS AND THEIR FUNDING ON A PER STUDENT BASIS JUST NEEDS TO BE HIGHER THAN A LARGER DISTRICT JUST BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE ECONOMIES OF SCALE.
THIS BILL IS TRYING TO ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE CHALLENGES BY PROVIDING MORE FUNDING FOR THE SMALL AND MID SIZE ALLOTMENT.
THIS BILL ALSO WOULD INCREASE THE TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT WEIGHTS, AS WELL AS CREATE A FOURTH TIER IN THE TIA SYSTEM TO ALLOW POTENTIALLY MORE TEACHERS ACCESS TO THOSE FUNDS.
THEN IT REQUIRES ALL TEACHERS TO BE ELIGIBLE AND IT'S LOOKING ALSO AT PRINCIPALS AND APS HAVING SOME COMPENSATION SYSTEM BASED ON PERFORMANCE IN ADDITION TO TIA.
THIS BILL WOULD INCREASE COMPED ALLOTMENTS BY A WEIGHT OF 0.005 ACROSS THE BOARD.
WE THINK THAT WOULD SPEND AROUND 600 MILLION FOR THE BIENNIUM.
IT CREATES A NEW HIGH SCHOOL ADVISING ALLOTMENT AS FILED, WHICH WOULD PROVIDE $50,000 FOR EVERY TEACHER.
THERE'S A RATIO TEACHER, COUNSELOR FOR EVERY 200 STUDENTS.
HOWEVER, I'VE HEARD THAT THIS HIGH SCHOOL ADVISING ALLOTMENT IS PROBABLY ON THE CUTTING BOARD.
WE MIGHT NOT SEE THIS ALLOTMENT IN THE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE.
[00:20:05]
THE BILL ALSO PROPOSES TO CREATE A FINE ARTS ALLOTMENT, AND RIGHT NOW, PROJECTIONS SHOW THAT THAT ALLOTMENT AS FORMULATED, WOULD GENERATE A LOT MORE MONEY THAN THE 30 MILLION FOR BINIUM.BUT BECAUSE OF BUDGET CONSTRAINTS, THE BILL IS PUTTING AN APPROPRIATIONS CAP AND ON THAT 30 MILLION.
THE BILL ALSO PUTS IN A $50 MILLION OFFSET FOR ADA DECLINE.
IF YOUR DISTRICT IS IN DECLINE, THE BILL ALLOWS TEA TO SPEND UP TO $50 MILLION A YEAR TO ESSENTIALLY INCREASE A DISTRICT'S AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THEM A LITTLE BIT OF TRANSITION FUNDING AS THEY RIGHT SIZE THROUGH DECLINING ENROLLMENT.
THERE ARE SOME OTHER MISCELLANEOUS INCREASES RELATED TO ADDITIONAL SCHOOL DAYS FUNDING, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT PROVIDES FULL DAY FUNDING FOR PRE K STUDENTS THAT ARE BEING SERVED THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS.
THE WORKFORCE COMMISSION AND TEA HAS A GRANT THAT TO ENCOURAGE THESE PARTNERSHIPS WITH PRIVATE PROVIDERS FOR PRE K. THIS BILL WOULD FURTHER INCENTIVIZE THOSE PARTNERSHIPS BY PROVIDING FULL DAY FUNDING FOR THOSE STUDENTS RIGHT NOW.
THE STATE ONLY PROVIDES HALF DAY FUNDING FOR PRE K KIDS.
BUT THE BILL WOULD ALSO ALLOW SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS TO GENERATE HALF DAY FUNDING.
THERE IS A NEW ALLOTMENT THAT WOULDN'T REALLY APPLY TO YOU.
IT'S MORE GEARED FORWARD DISTRICTS ALONG THE COAST TO HELP OFFSET THEM FOR INCREASED FACILITIES COSTS RELATED TO HIGHER INSURANCE RATES OR HAVING TO DO WITH STORMS AND WIND AND HAIL AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
THE BILL WOULD ALSO SPEND 250 MILLION PLUS ON INCREASING CHARTER FACILITY FUNDING.
THERE IS A WHOLE HARMS IN THERE FOR DISTRICTS THAT GET STATE VALUES.
I'M GOING TO FOCUS ON THE SECOND BULLET HERE.
THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT CONSTITUTION OF THREE SEPARATE WHOLE HARMLESS PROVISIONS IN THE BILL.
RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE THREE SEPARATE WHOLE HARMLESS CALCULATIONS HAVING TO DO WITH OVER 65 AND DISABLED CHANGES ESSENTIALLY WITH PRIOR EFFORTS FOR TAX RELIEF.
THE LEGISLATURE IN THE LAST THREE, FOUR, FIVE YEARS HAVE DONE A LOT OF TAX RELIEF, AND SOME OF THOSE CHANGES HAVE RESULTED IN HOLD HARMLESS ALLOTMENTS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
WHAT THIS WOULD PROPOSE TO DO IS IN A CLEANUP MEASURE, TRY TO CONSOLIDATE THEM INTO ONE BIG CALCULATION.
BUT IT DOES MAKE ONE NOTABLE CHANGE IN THAT IT EARMARKS OR IT ANCHORS THOSE CALCULATIONS TO THE '22 '23 SCHOOL YEAR, WHICH AS A RESULT, MANY DISTRICTS, INCLUDING YOURSELF, INCLUDING ROUND ROCK ISD WOULD NOT GAIN AS MUCH FROM THE OTHER CHANGES IN THE BILL BECAUSE THERE WOULD BE A LOSS RELATED TO THIS PROVISION NOW.
AS I UNDERSTAND IT IN THE PROPOSED COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE, THAT PROVISION IS GOING TO BE ADDRESSED.
CHAIRMAN BUCKLEY HAS RECOGNIZED THAT IT'S A PROBLEM.
I WAS NOT HIS INTENT FOR THIS CONSOLIDATION TO CAUSE LOSSES OR REDUCTIONS IN GAINS.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE CONSOLIDATION WILL REMAIN, BUT INSTEAD, THE COMPARISON IN THE CALCULATIONS WILL BE BROUGHT FORWARD TO CURRENT YEAR CALCULATIONS TO ESSENTIALLY GET RID OF WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A LOSS FOR SOME DISTRICTS OR A REDUCTION IN GAIN FROM THE BILL.
I'M ENCOURAGED BY THOSE EFFORTS, AND EVERY VERSION I'VE SEEN OF THE RUNS OR THE BILL LANGUAGE SINCE THE INTRODUCED BILL HAS ESSENTIALLY HAD THOSE CHANGES FIXED.
THAT'S ENCOURAGING. I'M MOVING ON TO THE SENATE.
WELL, BEFORE I MOVE ON TO THE SENATE, REAL QUICK ON HOUSE BILL TWO.
THEY ARE POTENTIALLY LOOKING AT INCREASING THE BILINGUAL WEIGHTS IN THE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE IS WHAT I'VE HEARD, WHICH IS A GOOD THING.
AS I MENTIONED, THE INTRODUCED BASIC ALLOTMENT WAS AT 6,380, I HAVE HEARD TALKS ABOUT IT GOING AS AS HIGH AS UP TO 6,500.
HOWEVER, IF THAT HAPPENS, I THINK THERE'S GOING TO HAVE TO BE OTHER TRADE OFFS AND OTHER CUTS IN THE BILL.
POTENTIALLY YOU COULD SEE A $6,500 BA, BUT MAYBE YOU MIGHT NOT SEE SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS I LAID OUT.
BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE A PRETTY EXPENSIVE INCREASE FOR THE STATE.
I DO THINK THAT THE BASIC ALLOTMENT OF 6380 IS PROBABLY THE FLOOR IN THE BUILD, AND I IMAGINE THAT IN THE COMMITTEE SUB, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A BASIC ALLOTMENT SOMEWHERE IN THE MID $6,400 RANGE WOULD BE MY GUESS.
MOVING ON TO SENATE PAL 26, THIS IS THE SENATE'S VERSION OF THEIR SCHOOL FINANCE PACKAGE, THEY REALLY DON'T HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL FINANCE PACKAGE.
SENATE 26 IS THE TEACHER PAY RAISE BILL.
THIS CREATES A TEACHER RETENTION ALLOTMENT THAT IS BIFURCATED BASED ON DISTRICT SIZE.
IF YOU'RE MORE THAN 5,000 STUDENTS LIKE ROUND ROCK ISD, THEN WHAT YOU SEE THERE $2,500 FOR EACH TEACHER WITH THREE TO FOUR YEARS EXPERIENCE,
[00:25:01]
AND THEN $5,500 FOR ANY TEACHER WITH FIVE OR MORE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE ARE NO PASS THROUGH OR REQUIRED ALLOTMENTS FOR TEACHERS WITH ZERO TO THREE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.
MOVING ON HERE, THERE IS ADDITIONAL STATE AID THAT ESSENTIALLY THE STATE WOULD PAY FOR THAT, ESSENTIALLY PASS THROUGH MONEY.
THERE IS SOME TECHNICAL PROBLEMS IN THE BILL BECAUSE I THINK SOMETIMES OFFICES DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THE FORMULAS ACTUALLY WORK AND THEY ATTEMPTED TO ENSURE THAT RECAPTURE DISTRICTS GOT THE ALLOTMENT IN ORDER TO PAY FOR THE PAY RAISES, BUT THE WAY THEY WROTE IT ACTUALLY MADE IT SO THAT RECAPTURED DISTRICTS ARE GETTING DOUBLE FUNDED.
I DON'T SEE THAT LANGUAGE STAYING IN THE BILL.
I SEE THAT BEING CLEANED UP IN FUTURE VERSIONS.
THIS BILL WOULD PROPOSE TO REPEAL ENTIRELY THE 30% COMPENSATION REQUIREMENT FROM HOUSE BILL THREE.
THERE ARE SIMILAR INCREASES TO TIA AS I ALREADY LAID OUT IN HOUSE BILL TWO.
ONE THING THAT'S NOTABLE ABOUT THIS BILL IS THAT IT WOULD ALLOW CHILDREN OF TEACHERS TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR HALF DAY PRE K FUNDING.
THEN THE BILL WOULD ALLOW DIRECT TEA, TO CONTRACT WITH THE THIRD PARTY TO WORK WITH TEACHERS DIRECTLY TO UNDERSTAND THE RIGHTS RELATED TO LIABILITY INSURANCE AND OTHER MATTERS THAT PERHAPS RIGHT NOW, OTHER ENTITIES ARE CURRENTLY PROVIDING.
THIS BILL HAS LEFT THE SENATE, AND SO RIGHT NOW THIS BILL IS ESSENTIALLY IN THE HOUSE AWAITING TO BE HEARD.
HOUSE TWO, LIKE I SAID, HAS NOT LEFT THE HOUSE COMMITTEE YET.
HOUSE SENATE BILL 260 IS THE SCHOOL SAFETY BILL.
THAT ALSO LEFT THE SENATE AND IS AWAITING BEING HEARD IN THE HOUSE.
THAT BILL INITIALLY WENT TO PROPOSE TO INCREASE THE PER STUDENT SCHOOL SAFETY AMOUNT FROM $10-20.
BUT IN THE COMMITTEE, THERE WAS AN AMENDMENT TO INCREASE THE FINAL NUMBER TO $28 PER STUDENT, AND IT DOUBLED THE CAMPUS MINIMUM FROM 15,000-30,000.
SENATE BILL 568, THIS IS SENATOR BEENCURTS BIG SPECIAL EDUCATION BILL.
THIS BILL ESSENTIALLY IS ALMOST IDENTICAL, OR I SHOULD SAY THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PROVISIONS IN HOUSE BILL TWO ARE ALMOST IDENTICAL TO WHAT'S IN SENATE BILL 568.
IT'S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE YOU COULD SEE THE SPECIAL EDUCATION REFORM STRIPPED OUT OF HOUSE BILL TWO.
IF THAT HAPPENS, IT'S NOT BECAUSE THE STATES NOT PLANNING ON REFORMING SPECIAL EDUCATION.
IF THAT HAPPENS, IT'S BECAUSE THEY'VE DECIDED FOR POLITICAL REASONS, WE'RE GOING TO THE SENATE BILL BE THE SPECIAL EDUCATION REFORM BILL.
THIS BILL AGAIN, WOULD PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FUNDING ASIDE FROM THE BA INCREASE.
A LOT OF THE THINGS I TALKED ABOUT ALREADY ARE IN THIS BILL RELATED TO SPECIAL EDUCATION.
ONE BIG DIFFERENCE IS THAT THE BILL IN COMMITTEE WAS SUBSTITUTED TO DROP DOWN THE $500 REIMBURSEMENT PER EVALUATION TO $250.
HOUSE BILL TWO IS CURRENTLY AT $1,000, BUT LIKE I SAID BEFORE, I'M PRETTY SURE, I THINK THE HOUSE VERSION IS ALSO GOING TO DROP THEIR ALLOTMENT DOWN FROM 1,000.
I'M NOT SURE WHETHER THEY'RE GOING TO DROP TO 500 OR 250, BUT I DO THINK THAT REIMBURSEMENT AMOUNT IS GOING TO COME DOWN.
THE 568, AGAIN, ALSO RESTORES THOSE AUTISM AND DYSLEXIA GRANTS.
IT CREATES SOME REFORMS AROUND WHAT'S CALLED AROUND STATE HIGH COST STUDENT STUDENTS IN RESIDENTIAL CARE AND TREATMENT FACILITIES, CREATE SOME NEW ALLOTMENTS RELATED TO PARENT CHOICE IN TERMS OF WHERE STUDENTS CAN GO.
WHEN I SAY THAT, I DON'T MEAN VOUCHERS OR ESAS.
THERE DOES ALLOW TA TO REQUIRE THAT DISTRICTS GET SPECIALIZED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IF THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING WITH REGARDS TO NON COMPLIANCE WITH CERTAIN STATE AND FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS.
BEFORE I OPEN UP QUESTION JUST IN SUMMARY, I COULD SEE A UNIVERSE WHERE YOU SEE SENATE BILL 568, SENATE BILL 260, THE SCHOOL SAFETY AND THE SPECIAL EDUCATION BILL PASS, AND THEN HOUSE BILL TWO IS TAILORED BACK TO INCLUDE THE ENTIRETY OF EVERYTHING ELSE FOR SCHOOL FINANCE, AND THEN POSSIBLY A TEACHER RETENTION ALLOTMENT.
COMPROMISE IS GOING TO BE THE NAME OF THE GAME TOWARDS THE END OF THE SESSION.
YOU'RE EITHER GOING TO HAVE HOUSE BILL TWO WITH A LOWER BA, AND THEN SENATE BILL 26 WITH A PASS THROUGH TEACHER PAY RAISE, OR YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE SOMETHING WHERE YOU HAVE A HOUSE BILL TWO THAT HAS EVERYTHING, AND IF I HAD TO PICK ONE, I WOULD THINK THAT HOUSE BILL TWO IS GOING TO BE THE VEHICLE FOR SCHOOL FINANCE AND A COMPENSATION INCREASE OR REQUIRED TEACHER PAY RAISE.
THAT'S JUST MY HUNCH FROM VARIOUS CONVERSATIONS I'VE HAD IN THE LAST WEEK OR SO.
WITH THAT, I'LL OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. LOPEZ, TRUSTEES.
[00:30:01]
I DON'T SEE YOUR LIGHT, BUT I SEE PUSHING.>> EVERYTHING'S STILL IN SO MUCH FLUX.
I HAVE LOTS OF QUESTIONS, BUT I'M NOT REAL CERTAIN THAT HAVING A LENGTHY DISCUSSION AT THIS POINT IS BENEFICIAL UNTIL WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY WITH THE REWRITTEN HOUSE BILL TWO OR SUBSTITUTED, WHATEVER IT'S CALLED.
I DO HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ON THE TRANSITION TO SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING AND HOW THE INTENSITY OF SERVICES WOULD IMPACT OUR DISTRICT AND HOW THAT'S CALCULATED.
BUT I DON'T THINK WE REALLY KNOW ANY OF THAT YET.
>> NO, BECAUSE THE TEA IS GOING TO BE THE ONE TO DETERMINE THOSE WEIGHTS.
RIGHT NOW, AS FILED, THAT WOULD HAPPEN EFFECTIVE '25 '26, BUT I HAVE HEARD THAT THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT PUSHING THAT BACK A YEAR TO ALLOW THE AGENCY A YEAR TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE WEIGHTS SHOULD BE.
THERE IS LANGUAGE IN THE BILL THAT WOULD PREVENT OR NOT PREVENT, BUT IT WOULD LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF THE NEW ALLOTMENTS TO WHERE IT'S NOT MORE THAN $615 MILLION OVER AND ABOVE STATEWIDE OVER AND ABOVE THE '24 '25 SPECIAL EDUCATION ALLOTMENT.
BUT REALLY THAT PROVISION DOESN'T REALLY WHEN YOU READ THAT, IT MAKES IT SOUND LIKE, THE STATES CAN SPEND $650 MILLION A YEAR ON THESE WEIGHTS.
BUT IN REALITY, WITH PROJECTIONS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION ENROLLMENT GROWTH AND WITH THE PROJECTED BASIC ALLOTMENT INCREASE, I THINK THAT THE SPECIAL EDUCATION ALLOTMENT UNDER CURRENT LAW, OR I SHOULD SAY, WITHOUT THE WEIGHT REWRITE, THAT $600 MILLION IS GOING TO BE ECLIPSED ANYWAY.
WHAT THAT MEANS IS THE COMMISSIONER IS NOT REALLY GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF ROOM TO CHANGE WEIGHTS AROUND BECAUSE HE'S ALREADY GOING TO HAVE HIT THAT $600 MILLION MARK.
THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HAVE A CALL INTO CHAIRMAN BUCKLEY'S OFFICE TO TALK ABOUT TO TALK ABOUT REWRITING HOW THAT'S PHRASED.
THE OTHER THING I WOULD SAY IS BECAUSE I'VE BEEN GETTING THIS QUESTION A LOT FROM A LOT OF CFOS.
LEO, LIKE, WHAT SHOULD WE BUDGET ON RIGHT NOW? SHOULD WE BUDGET FOR AN INCREASE? I WOULD NOT BUDGET FOR AN INCREASE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH I'VE HEARD EVERYTHING POSITIVE THAT BOTH CHAMBERS WANT TO WORK TOGETHER AND THEY WANT TO GET SOMETHING PASSED, THERE WAS A LOT OF STUFF THAT WAS NOT FINISHED IN THE 88 SESSION AND THEN THREE SPECIAL SESSIONS, AND FOUR, REALLY, ALMOST, ACTUALLY, THOSE FOUR, THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO BE BACK FOR A SPECIAL SESSION.
I REALLY DO THINK THAT EVERYONE WANTS TO FIGURE OUT A COMPROMISE AND GET SOMETHING PASSED.
HOWEVER, I DON'T KNOW THAT I WOULD RECOMMEND ADOPTING A BUDGET, PARTICULARLY, I KNOW YOU ALL ARE JUNE 30TH, YOU'RE END DISTRICT, IN LIGHT OF THAT, I WOULD PROBABLY ADOPT A BUDGET BASED ON CURRENT LAW.
THEN HAVE A BUDGET AMENDMENT READY TO GO BASED ON PRO PROJECTED INCREASES, NOW, BY THE TIME YOU GET TO MAY, I THINK WE'LL HAVE A BETTER IDEA WHETHER THE WHEELS HAVE FALLEN OFF OR WHETHER IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S A GO.
BUT IN MY EXPERIENCE, EVEN THINGS ARE LOOKING GREAT, YOU CAN GET TO THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE AND THINGS CAN JUST FALL APART.
HOUSE BILL 188 SESSION GOT ALL THE WAY TO GO THROUGH BOTH CHAMBERS, GOT THROUGH THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE, AND THEY COULDN'T GET IT DONE.
NOW, THAT WAS BECAUSE OF VOUCHERS AND THE ESA COMPONENT.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO REALLY PLAY A ROLE HERE IN THIS TIME AROUND.
I THINK VOUCHERS ARE GOING TO PASS FIRST, AND THEN SCHOOL FINANCE SECOND.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE THE REASON.
BUT I SAY ALL THAT TO SAY THAT IT'S CERTAINLY POSSIBLE, AND I'VE SEEN IT HAPPEN BEFORE WHERE THINGS JUST FALL APART FOR SOMETIMES, IT'S ONE REALLY WOULD BE A SEEMINGLY MINOR DETAIL THAT ONE OF THE MEMBERS AND ONE OF THE CHAMBERS DECIDES IT'S LIKE A DEAL BREAKER AND SUDDENLY YOU HAVE A PROBLEM.
THAT'S JUST, MY TWO CENTS IN TERMS OF I KNOW YOU'RE WORKING THROUGH BUDGET, BUT I WOULD WAIT IN TERMS OF ADOPT WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO ADOPT.
>> THANK YOU. TRUSTEE MARKHAM.
>> THANK YOU. I JUST HAVE TWO QUESTIONS.
>> FOR THE EVALUATIONS, AND WE KNOW THAT IT COSTS ANYWHERE FROM 1,300 OR $3,000 TO DO AN EVALUATION.
SEEING IT DROPPED TO 250, IT'S TOUGH TO SEE.
BUT I WAS WONDERING IF THERE'S ANY CONVERSATION ABOUT LEVERAGING THE KNOWLEDGE THAT IT'S SPELLED OUT IN HB3, THAT IF A STUDENT WHO CHOOSES TO GO INTO THE ESA PROGRAM OR ANY STUDENT WHO'S GOING TO PRIVATE SCHOOL, WE'RE STILL REQUIRED TO DO AN EVALUATION FOR THEM IF THEY REQUEST ONE.
IT'S SPELLED OUT IN HB3, EVEN THOUGH THAT'S CURRENT LAW.
IS THERE ANY TALK ABOUT LEVERAGING THAT KNOWLEDGE TO INCREASE THAT EVALUATION ALLOTMENT? THE DROP FROM $100.02 50.
WELL, LET ME BACK UP A LITTLE BIT.
IN THE 88 SESSION, AND I THINK APPRECIATE IT WAS AT THE $500 MARK FOR DURING THE 88 SESSION, AND THEN THEY CAME OUT WITH $100, RIGHT THIS YEAR IN BOTH THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE.
[00:35:01]
WITH UPDATED DATA IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF EVALUATIONS THAT WERE HAPPENING, AND THAT ESSENTIALLY ALMOST DOUBLED THE FISCAL NOTE FOR WHAT THEY THOUGHT THAT $1,000 POLICY WOULD HAVE BEEN.I THINK THEY SCALED IT BACK JUST FROM A BUDGET PERSPECTIVE.
I DO THINK THAT THEY RECOGNIZE THAT IT'S IMPORTANT, BUT I THINK NOT KNOWING WHAT ELSE IS GOING TO PASS OR THE CUT COMING OUT OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE, THAT'S EARLY ON.
I THINK IT'S MORE IMPORTANT AT THE END, WHICH VEHICLE IS IT? IS IT SENT 568, OR IS IT A HOUSE BILL? THEN WHAT'S IT AT A CONFERENCE COMMITTEE BECAUSE ONCE IT GOES TO CONFERENCE COMMITTEE.
INVARIABLY, HOSPITAL TWO IS GOING TO CHANGE ON THE SENATE AND IT'S GOING TO GO TO CONFERENCE.
THEN IT'S UP AT THAT POINT, WHAT'S THE TOTAL SPEND REALLY AT THE END OF THE DAY? THEY CAN PUT IT AT $1,000, BUT THEY MIGHT JUST NEED TO CUT SOMEWHERE ELSE.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION, BUT THAT'S HOW THE PROCESS WORKS SOMETIMES.
IT'S WHAT'S OUR BUDGET? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SPEND? THEN TRYING TO TWEAK THE COMPONENTS AND TO GET UNDER YOUR BUDGET?
>> THAT HELPS. THANK YOU. THEN ONE OTHER QUESTION ON THE LAST SLIDE AND I JUST DIDN'T HEAR WHAT YOU SAID.
YOU TALKED ABOUT POTENTIALLY GOING OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, THAT THERE'S A REQUIREMENT NOW TO TALK ABOUT GOING OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, WHAT THOSE OPTIONS ARE FOR HELP.
IT'S SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU USED TO BE CALLED SSES.
ESSENTIALLY, IT'S JUST REFRAMING THAT REALLY AND THEN THERE'S SOME GRANTS FOR DISTRICTS.
IT'S NOT REALLY, I THINK I USE THE WRONG WORDING THERE.
IT'S NOT REALLY VOUCHERS OR GOING OUTSIDE THE SYSTEM.
>> NO, THAT'S HELPFUL. IT'S NOW PDS, I THINK.
THAT LEADS ME TO THE QUESTION BECAUSE I WAS WONDERING IF YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE REQUIREMENT TO NOW TELL PARENTS ABOUT STATE SUPPORTED LIVING CENTERS AND THOSE TYPES OF RESOURCES.
>> YEAH, I BELIEVE IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, THERE WAS A NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE 2022 SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING COMMISSION, AND THAT WAS IN PLACE IN BEDIN COURT'S ORIGINAL BILL TWO YEARS AGO AND THEN THIS ONE.
I THINK ALL THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE IN BOTH VERSIONS OF THE BILL.
>> I'M CURIOUS YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT ARE THE LIABILITIES OF INFORMING PARENTS OF STATE SUPPORTED LIVING CENTERS BEING A RESOURCE TO THEM OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
>> THAT'S A LITTLE BEYOND MY EXPERTISE.
>> I'M JUST CURIOUS. I KNOW THERE'S BEEN PUSHBACK ON THAT AND CURRENTLY SCHOOLS CAN'T INFORM FAMILIES OF THAT.
I WAS JUST CURIOUS WHAT POSITION WE'RE PUTTING OURSELVES IN AND IF THAT'S ACTUALLY A HELPFUL RESOURCE.
>> I DEFER TO AN ATTORNEY FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
>> I JUST WANT TO ADD TO OUR TRUSTEES THAT OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED.
WE ALWAYS HAVE TO LOOK FOR THE WORST CASE SCENARIO, WE ACTUALLY LAST RIGHT BEFORE SPRING BREAK, WE SHARE WITH YOU A PRELIMINARY FIRST LOOK WITH THE CURRENT LAW WITHOUT ANY OF THIS PASSING.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER THAT DS WAS A 16 MILLION OR SO DEFICIT AT THAT TIME.
I'M HAPPY TO SHARE WITH YOU, I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO COME BACK TO YOU WAS IT NO NEXT WEEK WEEK AFTER, BUT I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT THAT NUMBER IS ACTUALLY DOWN TO ABOUT $9,000,000 NOW AS FAR AS THE DEFICIT.
WE'VE BEEN REALLY WORKING ON TRYING TO REDUCE THAT DEFICIT.
I WANT YOU TO KNOW WE'RE PREPARING FOR WORST CASE SCENARIO, BUT ALSO WE HAVE TO BE PREPARING CM, FOR EXAMPLE, IF SOME OF THESE BILLS PASS.
WE ALSO RUNNING SOME SCENARIOS OR NUMBERS IF WE GET THE EXTRA $220 INCREASE IN THE BASIC ALLOTMENT, FOR EXAMPLE.
IF WE GET SENATE BILL 260 PASS WITH THE SAFETY AND SECURITY, THAT NEW EXTRA ALLOTMENT.
WHAT IMPACT THAT WOULD HAVE ON OUR BUDGET? WHAT CAN WE DO AS FAR AS PROVIDING COMPENSATION RAISES TO OUR TEACHERS AND STAFF AND ALSO TAKE CARE OF ANY POSSIBLE DEFICIT.
AS FAR AS SPECIAL EDUCATION BILL, WE CANNOT DETERMINE THAT.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO CALCULATE IT, WE'RE NOT GOING TO EVEN WORRY ABOUT THAT AT THIS MOMENT, LIKE WE HEARD IT FROM NEO.
IT'S REALLY VERY MUCH UNKNOWN RIGHT NOW, SO WE CANNOT JUST PLAY A GUEST GAME WITH IT.
BUT THE REST WE ARE RUNNING SCENARIOS, AND WE'RE ACTUALLY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF ANY OF THIS PASSES, THAT WHAT IMPACT WOULD HAVE ON OUR BUDGET, AND THAT'S EVERYTHING ELSE WE DO IN OUR DISTRICT.
>> I WOULD ADD TO THAT, IF I HAD TO PICK ONE BILL TO HAS THE HIGHEST PROBABILITY RIGHT NOW, I THINK THE SCHOOL SAFETY ONE.
I THINK THAT'S ALMOST LIKE LOW HANGING FRUIT, THAT'S NOT NO ONE'S GOING TO VOTE AGAINST AN INCREASE IN SCHOOL SAFETY.
I WOULD BE SHOCKED, AND SO I WOULD IMAGINE THAT THAT SHOULD PASS ON ITS OWN.
IF IT DOESN'T, THEN IT'S BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE FOLDED INTO HOSPITAL.
BUT I'M THINKING THEY WANT TO JUST ACTUALLY GET SOME EARLY WINS AND GET SOME ISSUES OUT THE DOOR IN THE SENATE HAS BEEN THE THEY'VE SHOWN THAT THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT TO DO THE SESSION.
[00:40:01]
THEY WANT TO HAVE VERY SHORT FOCUS TARGETED BILLS ON SPECIFIC ISSUES, AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE JUST GOING TO PUSH OUT AND I THINK THE SCHOOL SAFETY BILL IS GOING TO BE PASSED FIRST, WOULD BE MY GUESS.BUT I'VE BEEN WRONG, WE'LL FIND OUT.
>> I DON'T SEE ANY LIGHTS. THANK YOU, MR. LOPEZ.
>> CAN YOU HIT YOUR LIGHT? LET ME SEE.
NO. CAN EVERYBODY DO ME A FAVOR AND HIT THEIR LIGHT? BECAUSE I HAVE ONLY SEEN ONE LIGHT.
DURING BREAK, WE MIGHT NEED TO FIX IT, SO YOU ALL MIGHT NEED TO FLAG ME BECAUSE TRUSTEE MARKHAM AND TRUSTEE WAY ALL THE ONLY LIGHTS THAT ARE COMING ON. TRUSTEE ROSS, GO AHEAD.
>> THIS MIGHT BE MORE APPROPRIATE TO TALK DURING TRUSTEE MARKHAM PRESENTATION, I DON'T KNOW.
BUT I WANT OUR COMMUNITY TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHERE THESE COSTS ARE HOW WE ARE FEELING THEM AS A DISTRICT AND HOW MUCH WE SPEND OUT OF POCKET ON CERTAIN THINGS, AND EVEN THOUGH THAT THEY ARE GIVING US SOME INCREASED FUNDING, HOW MUCH MORE WE STILL HAVE TO? I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S DEFINITELY FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY AND SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING.
>> YEAH, SORRY. I WAS ASKED THE QUESTION, HOW CAN WE GO BACK TO NORMAL EXPENDITURE, HOW WE USED TO BE STAFF BEFORE LIKE TALK IN 2019> HOW CAN WE NOT JUST STAFF, BUT ALSO THE MONIES LIKE WE HAD FOR DIFFERENT PROGRAMS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
MY ANSWER IS, IT'S 22% INFLATION SINCE 2019.
OUR OWN TEXAS CONTROLLER SAID THAT IN ORDER FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT TO HAVE THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY TO SPEND THE SAME WAY THEY USED TO DO BACK IN 2019, THE BASIC ALLOW WE NEEDED TO INCREASE BY ROUGHLY $1,300.
YOU JUST HEARD LATER, THE MAX WE'RE LOOKING AT $230, MAYBE $250, SO THAT'S LIKE ROUGHLY ONE FIFTH.
NO SCHOOL DISTRICT IN SET OF TEXAS CAN REALLY SPEND OR DO THINGS THE WAY THEY USED TO DO IT PRIOR OR BACK TO 2019, EVEN 2020.
BECAUSE THE STATE DID NOT AND NOW WILLING TO INCREASE THE BASIC ALLOW, BUT REALLY $1,300 PER STUDENT.
THINGS WERE NOT GOING TO BE THE SAME, NOT BECAUSE BY CHOICE, IT'S JUST BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A LACK OF FUNDING COMING FROM THE STATE.
>> ADD TO THAT, LET'S SAY HOSPITAL TWO PASSES WITH SOME FORM OF REQUIRED COMPENSATION INCREASE AND LET'S JUST SAY IT'S 7.6 BILLION THE TOTAL.
THAT COULD INCLUDE A PASS THROUGH REQUIRED COMPENSATION INCREASE IN THE THREE TO $4 BILLION RANGE, RIGHT? SO IN TERMS OF ACTUAL NEW MONEY, THAT'S NOT JUST GOING TO PASS THROUGH AND NOT MAKING ANY JUDGMENTS ABOUT WHETHER IT'S GOOD OR BAD EMPLOYEES NEED RAISES.
THAT'S THAT'S NOT EVEN UP FOR DEBATE.
BUT IN TERMS OF OTHER MONIES TO BE USED ELSEWHERE JUST FOR UTILITIES OR FUEL OR THINGS LIKE THAT.
I MEAN, IT'S NOT THE FULL 7.6 BECAUSE SOME OF THAT IS GOING TO BE PASSED THROUGH AS A REQUIRED INCREASE.
>> I GUESS IT'S THE IDEA THAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT THAT $28 PER STUDENT FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY, AND THEN THE 15,000 TO 30,000.
HOW MUCH DO WE SPEND PER CAMPUS?
>> SAFETY SECURITY, SO I THINK OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT LOAN IF AND I MEAN, AND ON TOP OF MY HEAD, I THINK ROUGHLY $4 MILLION BETWEEN $3-4 MILLION, JUST IN OUR CURRENT STAFFING BECAUSE REMEMBER, WE'RE NOT EVEN MEETING HOUSE BILL THREE.
HOUSE BILL THREE ASKED FOR ONE SECURITY OFFICER OR SRO AND EVERY ELEMENTARY CAMPUS AND EVERY MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL.
WE'RE NOT EVEN SCALING UP TO THAT YET.
WE ONLY HAVE ABOUT 30 OFFICERS AND THE CHIEF AND ASSISTANT CHIEF 32, AND WITH THAT, WE SPEND OVER 3 MILLION ALMOST $4 MILLION PER YEAR.
THIS AMOUNT OF MONEY, EVEN THE SCALED UP TO WHAT IS $28 AND THEN DOUBLE TO 30, WE'RE LOOKING AT POSSIBLY MAYBE $2 MILLION.
WE'RE STILL EVEN SHORT OF WHAT WE'RE SPENDING, CURRENTLY, NOT EVEN MEANING HOUSE BILL THREE.
>> THAT'S JUST ON OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE ANY OF OTHER SAFETY INITIATIVES, ANY OF OUR CAMERAS, ANY OF OUR BUSES AND SECURITY THAT WE HAVE ON THAT, ANY OF OUR BADGING SAFETY AND SECURITY.
THAT'S ONLY THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE SPEND ON OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, CORRECT?
>> JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT BECAUSE THE ACTUAL MONEY THAT WE SPEND ON SAFETY AND SECURITY IN THIS DISTRICT PROBABLY IS ASTRONOMICALLY HIGHER THAN JUST THE 3 MILLION.
>> I MEAN, THAT INCLUDES FENCING AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF.
>> THAT WAS TO ME ALSO HOW ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH.
HOW ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH FOR STUDENTS, TOO.
[00:45:02]
WE REMEMBER WE HAVE ALSO A WHOLE DEPARTMENT.WE WOULD LIKE TO EXPAND, HAVE MORE SOCIAL WORKERS OR SPECIALIZE IN MENTAL HEALTH IN OUR DISTRICT.
BUT THAT'S ALSO COMPLETELY SEPARATE.
BUT IN MY MIND, THAT'S ALSO PART OF ENSURING THAT OUR KIDS ARE SAFE, LIKE PROVIDING THOSE EXTRA SUPPORT, MENTAL SUPPORT IF THEY NEEDED.
>> THEN HOW MUCH WOULD BE THAT IS NOT REIMBURSED BY THE STATE FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING?
>> THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. AGAIN, I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER ALL THIS.
BUT I THINK WE RECEIVE ABOUT $42 MILLION SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING.
WE SPEND OVER 60, ABOUT 65, SO WE'RE ROUGHLY SPENDING ALMOST 150% FROM WHAT WE GET.
WE'RE ABOUT 150%, WE SPENDING 50% MORE WHAT WE GET IN, AND WE HAVE TO FUND THAT MONEY FROM OTHER RESOURCES, OBVIOUSLY SOURCES, AND WE HAVE TO ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENTS NEEDS ARE MET.
>> ANY MORE LIGHTS? I DON'T SEE ANY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. LOPEZ. APPRECIATE YOU.
>> THANK YOU. AN SO MUCH. THANK YOU FOR BEING FLEXIBLE, BOARD MEMBERS AND PRESIDENT HARRISON.
IT'S OUR MONTHLY LG MODERN REPORT, AND WE ARE HERE TONIGHT TO REPORT ON GOAL 1, AND ALSO GOAL 2 AND I THINK DR. NICHOLS WILL BE PRESENTING TONIGHT.
>> THANK YOU, DR. AZAIEZ, MADAM PRESIDENT, TRUSTEES.
THANK YOU FOR THE TIME TODAY TO SHARE THE COLLECTIVE WORK OF OUR STAFF AS IT RELATES TO BOARD GOAL 1 AND BOARD GOAL 2, WHICH RESPECTIVELY DEALS WITH EARLY LITERACY AND EARLY MATH.
FIRST, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR IN AS IT PERTAINS TO EARLY LITERACY.
ROUND ROCK ISD USES MCLASS AND ONLINE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM FOR THE SCREENING AND PROGRESS MONITORING OF EARLY LITERACY FOR STUDENTS IN KINDERGARTEN TO SECOND GRADE IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH.
IF A STUDENT SUCCESS IN BOTH LANGUAGES, THE HIGHER SCORE IS REFLECTED HERE.
THE RESULTS PROVIDE A COMPOSITE RATING FOR LITERACY.
STUDENTS HAD TO HAVE A COMPOSITE RATING AT OR ABOVE BENCHMARK TO BE CONSIDERED ON TRACK TO SCORE AT THE MEETS GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION AND ABOVE ON FUTURE THIRD GRADE READING STAAR.
NOW, BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD, GO AHEAD AND TAKE A LOOK BACK TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE HAS A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WE'RE DOING AND THE WHY BEHIND IT.
WE WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHY EXACTLY ARE WE SETTING BOARD GOALS AT THE MEETS GRADE LEVEL ABOVE AT OR ABOVE.
SPECIFICALLY IS BECAUSE IT CORRESPONDS TO THE MEETS GRADE LEVEL OR MEETS GRADE LEVEL AND ABOVE ON THE STAR PERFORMANCE.
OVERARCHINGLY, THERE ARE FOUR LEVELS AT WHICH A STUDENT CAN ACHIEVE ON THE STAAR, READING LANGUAGE ART, STATE ASSESSMENT.
IT'S DID NOT MEET, APPROACHES, MEETS AND MASTERS.
SPECIFICALLY, THOUGH, WE WANT TO CALL OUT THE FACT THAT APPROACHES MEETS AND MASTERS, A CONSIDERED PASSING ON THE STAR ASSESSMENT.
BUT IF YOU READ THE DESCRIPTORS, YOU'LL SEE THAT APPROACHES SAYS THAT YOU HAVE SOME KNOWLEDGE OF THE COURSE CONTENT, BUT YOU MIGHT BE MISSING CRITICAL ELEMENTS.
WHILE SPECIFICALLY IN THE MEETS GRADE LEVEL, YOU CONSIDERED STRONG KNOWLEDGE OF THE COURSE CONTENT AT MASTERS, YOU CONSIDERED TO HAVE ACHIEVED MASTERY.
THIS IS IMPORTANT ALSO BECAUSE WE WANT EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE REASON WE'RE SETTING OUR GOALS AND CORRELATING AT OR ABOVE IS BECAUSE IT CORRESPONDS TO MEETS GRADE LEVEL AND MASTER'S GRADE LEVEL.
BUT ALSO, IF A STUDENT IS PERFORMING AT THE MEETS GRADE LEVEL, IT MEANS THERE'S A 60% CORRELATION TO THEM BEING COLLEGE READY WHILE AT THE MASTER'S GRADE LEVEL, THERE'S A 75% CORRELATION.
OFTENTIMES IN OUR SYSTEM, IF OUR STUDENTS ARE SCORING AT MEETS OR MASTERS, IT'S AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL.
BUT FOR US, WE REALIZE THAT TO A CERTAIN DEGREE,
[00:50:02]
IT REALLY ISN'T ENOUGH.PART OF OUR GOALS AS A COMMUNITY IS THAT WE WANT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS TO NOT JUST GRADUATE, BUT GRADUATE COLLEGE CAREER AND MILITARY READY.
IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH THAT, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS GEARED TOWARDS THE STUDENTS PERFORMING AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS POSSIBLE.
JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY OF AWARES SPECIFICALLY WHY WE'RE SETTING THOSE GOALS AT THAT LEVEL.
I'M PASSING IS ONE THING, BUT IN ORDER TO REALIZE OUR STRATEGIC GOAL OF COLLEGE READINESS, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ENTIRE SYSTEM IS GEARED TOWARDS THOSE GOALS.
LET'S GO AHEAD AND GO SPECIFICALLY NOW INTO THE EARLY LITERACY DATA.
BOARD GOAL 1 SPEAKS TO THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS SCORING AT MEETS GRADE LEVEL AND ABOVE ON THE THIRD GRADE STAAR ASSESSMENT, READING LANGUAGE ARTS EXAM.
THE 24 END OF YEAR GOAL WAS 64%, AND WE HAD 61% OF OUR STUDENTS ACHIEVE AT MEETS GRADE LEVEL AND ABOVE.
THE SLIDE SHOWS A SIDE BY SIDE OF OUR GOALS FOR THE 2024 YEAR FOR EACH OVERARCHINGLY AND ALSO FOR EACH STUDENT POPULATION AS IT ALSO COMPARES TO WHAT WE ACHIEVED FOR THE 24 SCHOOL YEAR.
AS YOU CAN SEE, IF IT HAS COLORED IN WITH GREEN, IT MEANS THAT WE MET OR EXCEEDED THE GOAL THAT THE BOARD HAS SET FOR US.
IF IT IS IN YELLOW, WE WERE SLIGHTLY OFF TRACK, BUT WITHIN FOUR POINTS OF THE GOAL, AND IF IT IS IN ORANGE, IT MEANS THAT WE WERE OFF TRACK BY FIVE OR MORE POINTS.
OVERARCHINGLY FOR READING LANGUAGE ARTS, YOU SEE THAT AS A DISTRICT, WE HAD MORE GREEN, SOME YELLOWS, AND A COUPLE OF ORANGES THERE.
WE FEEL THAT WE'RE ON TRACK TO DO WELL IN READING LANGUAGE ARTS AND WE SHOW A STRONG SYSTEM.
>> NOW, SPECIFICALLY, WHEN WE LOOK AT A FOUR YEAR TREND AS FAR AS WHERE WE HAVE BEEN IN REGARDS TO THIS.
IN THE 2021 SCHOOL YEAR, WE SET THE BASELINE.
WE WERE AT 53%. 2022 SCHOOL YEAR, WE WENT TO 67%.
2023, WE SAW OURSELVES AT 66%, AND IN 2024, WE WENT DOWN TO 61%.
ABOVE IN THE ORANGE, YOU SEE WHAT THE GOALS WERE BY THE BOARD FOR US.
ALSO, YOU SEE, WE COMPARED OURSELVES TO THE STATE AND THE REGION.
THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE WHILE WE WERE NOT HAPPY WITH HAVING A DECREASE IN SCORES, WE DID SEE THAT THIS WAS A PATTERN ACROSS THE STATE AND THE REGION.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT, WE REALLY WANTED TO INTERROGATE THAT AND FIGURE OUT WHAT IS HAPPENING IF WE'RE SEEING A TREND OVERALL AND MOSTLY WHAT WE CAN DO TO REVERSE THAT TREND.
SO BECAUSE OF THAT, WE TOOK A SPECIFIC LOOK AT THE TEST ITSELF.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANT OUR COMMUNITY TO KNOW IS THAT IN 2023 WAS WHEN WE HAD THE STAR 2.0 REDESIGN AND CONCURRENTLY, WE ALSO FELT THE IMPACT OF THAT REDESIGN.
NOW, ALL OF THE CHANGES DID NOT HAPPEN IN THE 2023 SCHOOL YEAR, SOME WERE INITIALLY AND THEN SOME WERE ADDED AFTER THE FACT.
CHANGES NOT JUST TO THE TEST ITSELF AND THE MAKEUP OF THE TEST, BUT ALSO TO HOW THE TEST IS GRADED, AND THE WAYS IN WHICH THE STUDENTS HAVE TO TAKE THE TEST.
LET'S GO THROUGH THOSE SO YOU CAN SEE THE REASON FOR THIS IMPACT AS FAR AS THE TREND WITHIN OUR DISTRICT, BUT ALSO WITHIN THE STATE AT LARGE.
SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT HAS CAUSED THOSE DECREASE IN THAT TREND LINE IS NEW QUESTION FORMATS BEYOND MULTIPLE CHOICE.
PREVIOUSLY, THE TEST WAS 100% MULTIPLE CHOICE.
NOW THEY HAVE DIFFERENT WAYS, ALL POINT ENDED RESPONSE, ESSAY RESPONSES, AND SO FORTH, SHORT ANSWER RESPONSE, AND ALSO ESSAYS.
THEY INCREASE THE USE OF CROSS CURRICULAR READING PASSAGES, ADDITIONAL READING PASSAGES FOR THE STUDENTS TO CONTEND WITH.
YOU HAVE WHAT'S CALLED EVIDENCE BASED WRITING INCORPORATED INTO THE READING ASSESSMENTS.
IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE STUDENTS AT THE HIGHER GRADE LEVEL, I GIVE YOU AN ESSAY.
YOU MAY HAVE TO WRITE A SHORT ANSWER RESPONSE.
SHORT CONSTRUCTED RESPONSES, EXTENDED CONSTRUCTED RESPONSES.
THEN THERE WAS ALSO THE GRADING BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
THAT WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE SAW WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR.
BUT WHAT WE UNDERSTOOD THEN IS IT WENT FROM BEING SCORED BY PEOPLE TO BE SCORED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, AND ACROSS THE STATE, WHAT WE SAW IS THAT CHANGE IN JUST THE WAY THAT THEY WERE GRADING IT AND WHO WAS GRADING IT, REALLY IMPACTED THE SCORES FOR OUR STUDENTS.
THIS WAS SOMETHING BECAUSE OF OUR PRESENCE ONE TO ONE TECHNOLOGY PRESENCE.
WE HAD INSTITUTED WAYNE ADVANCED, I DID NOT IMPACT AS MUCH AS IT IMPACTED OTHER DISTRICTS.
[00:55:01]
YOU HAD SCALE SCORE READJUSTMENT, INCREASED NUMBER OF POINTS, INCREASED NUMBER OF HIGHER LEVEL QUESTIONS, AND THE HIGHER LEVEL QUESTIONS BEING WORTH MORE POINTS.TO BRING IT BACK TO WHAT MAYBE YOUR STUDENT WOULD GO THROUGH IN SCHOOL, SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU HAVE TWO TEACHERS WITHIN THE SAME GRADE LEVEL, SAME CONTENT.
BUT ON MY TEST, IF IT'S GOING TO BE A QUESTION THAT IS A LITTLE BIT MORE RIGOROUS, I'M GOING TO MAKE THAT QUESTION WORTH FIVE POINTS WHILE YOURS IS WORTH ONE POINT.
IF I AS A STUDENT WITH A TEACHER WHERE IT'S WORTH FIVE POINTS, I MISSED THAT QUESTION, MY GRADE IS AUTOMATICALLY GOING TO BE LOWER.
WE CAN ANSWER THE SAME AMOUNT AND SAME THINGS CORRECTLY, BUT BECAUSE NOW IT'S WORTH MORE, MY SCORE IS REDUCED.
ESSENTIALLY, WHEN YOU HAVE 1.0 VERSUS 2.0, THAT IS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE EXPERIENCING AND WE ARE EXPERIENCING AS A DISTRICT AND ALSO ACROSS THE STATE WITH THE CHANGES IN OUR STAR TEST.
SO REGARDLESS OF WHAT CHANGES THEY HAVE, WE HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? WE ALWAYS AS A DISTRICT, WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE DOING THEIR ABSOLUTE BEST AND THAT OUR TEACHERS ARE ALSO EQUIPPED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS CAN ACHIEVE AT HIGHER LEVELS.
IN GOING THROUGH AND SEEING WHAT THESE CHANGES ARE, OUR RESPONSE TO THAT DATA IS WE ALIGN THE SCIENCE OF TEACHING READING, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THAT ACROSS ALL THE GRADE LEVELS FROM KINDERGARTEN ALL THE WAY TO FIFTH GRADE.
WE INCORPORATED CROSS CURRICULAR PASSAGES IN OUR CURRICULUM.
WE TRAINED ON THE SHORT ANSWER RESPONSES AND EXTENDED RESPONSES WITH OUR TEACHERS AND ALSO WITH OUR STUDENTS.
WITHIN THE CURRICULUM, WE PROVIDED ADDITIONAL PRACTICES.
WE MADE SURE THAT WE PUT IN OUR INTERVENTION SYSTEM A WAY THEN TO MOVE STUDENTS FROM LEVEL TO LEVEL BASED ON THE SKILLS THAT WE KNOW THAT NEEDED TO BE ATTACKED AND REALLY HAVE BEEN TEACHING INTO IT.
AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL, WE TAUGHT INTO IT THROUGH THE CAMPUSES AND THROUGH THE CURRICULUM THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE SCHOOL YEAR, WHERE WE HAD A VERY DETAILED APPROACH AS FAR AS WHAT WE GAVE TO OUR TEACHERS AND OUR CAMPUSES TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAD THE SKILLS TO MAKE SURE THE STUDENTS WERE SUCCESSFUL.
NOW WE HAVE TAKEN A LOOK AT 2024 AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK WITHIN THIS SCHOOL YEAR TO LOOK AT WHAT ARE THE GOALS WE SET FOR OURSELVES.
FOR THIRD GRADE, YOU SEE A COMPARISON BETWEEN OUR 2024 BOARD GOALS FOR THIRD GRADERS AND OUR 2025 GOAL.
OVERARCHINGLY FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS, WE INCREASED TO SIX PERCENTAGE POINTS.
BUT WHAT YOU SEE BY STUDENT POPULATION, THE INCREASE IS NOT THE SAME.
AGAIN, WE HAVE EXPLAINED THAT THE REASON BEING WE WANT TO CLOSE THE GAPS IN ACHIEVEMENT BETWEEN OUR DIFFERENT STUDENT POPULATIONS.
SO THAT MEANS THAT CERTAIN GROUPS WILL HAVE TO HAVE EXPONENTIAL GROWTH VERSUS OTHERS IN ORDER SO THAT THEY CAN GET TO THE SAME LEVEL.
OVER ARCH LINK, THOUGH, AGAIN, OUR GOAL FOR THE 2025 SCHOOL YEAR FOR THE THIRD GRADE STAR, AS FAR AS THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS PERFORMING AT MEETS GRADE LEVEL AND ABOVE IS 70%.
NOW, THAT IS THE OVERARCHING GOAL FOR THIRD GRADERS, BUT WE NEED TO ALSO PROGRESS MONITOR HOW WE'RE DOING IN KINDERGARTEN, FIRST GRADE, AND SECOND GRADE.
GOAL PROGRESS MEASURES HELPS US ACCOMPLISH THAT.
WE SEE FOR KINDERGARTEN, WE HAVE AN END OF YEAR GOAL AT 78%, AND RESPECTIVELY 76 AND 79% FOR FIRST GRADE AND SECOND GRADE.
WE MAKE SURE ALSO THAT THESE GOALS DO NOT JUST LIVE DURING BOARD PRESENTATION THAN AS BOARD GOALS.
WE INCORPORATE THEM INTO OUR DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT PLAN AND OUR CAMPUS IMPROVEMENT PLANS AS WELL.
NOW TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT OUR DATA IS SEEING AS A DISTRICT.
THIS REPRESENTS OUR KINDERGARTEN DATA.
WHAT YOU SEE IS AND THIS IS ABOUT THE TIME WE INSTITUTE SCIENCE OF READING, A HUGE JUMP FROM THE 2022/23 SCHOOL YEAR BETWEEN THAT SCHOOL YEAR AND THE 23/24 SCHOOL YEAR, AS WE HAD WORKED REALLY HARD TO PUT THE SCIENCE OF READING INTO PLACE.
THIS YEAR, WE ARE SCORING AT ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT STATISTICALLY.
WE STARTED OFF AT ABOUT I'M SORRY, TRYING TO SEE THAT 57% AND OUR MIDDLE OF THE YEAR, STUDENT PERFORMANCE RIGHT NOW IS AT 71%.
OUR GOAL FOR THE END OF THE YEAR AGAIN IS 78%, AND BASED ON OUR TREND LINE, WE FEEL THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO REACH THAT GOAL AT THE END OF THE YEAR ASSESSMENT.
THIS GRAPH REPRESENTS YEAR OVER YEAR,
[01:00:04]
HOW EACH STUDENT POPULATION HAS PERFORMED.WE SEE THAT THEY ARE ALL STATISTICALLY SIMILAR TO EACH STUDENT POPULATION TO HOW THEY PERFORMED THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
THE ONLY BIG CHANGE IS IN OUR 504 POPULATION, WHERE YOU SEE A JUMP FROM 59%- 83% THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
NEXT, WE ARE REPORTING OUT ON OUR FIRST GRADE STUDENTS.
THEY STARTED THE YEAR AT 65% AND THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR ARE ACHIEVING AT 69%.
WE ARE ON TRACK TO MAKE OUR END OF YEAR GOAL AT 76%.
THE YEAR OF A YEAR, FIRST GRADE DATA SHOWS THE IMPACT OF OUR KINDERGARTEN GAINS, AND SO WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THAT.
WE'RE SEEING THAT BASED ON THE WORK THAT OUR KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS AND THE SYSTEM THAT HAS BEEN PUT IN, WE'RE REAPING THE REWARDS IN THE FIRST GRADE, AND HOPEFULLY THAT WILL CONTINUE AS WELL.
LAST YEAR, WE INSTITUTED DATA WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT THE STUDENTS AS A COHORT.
WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS THIS IS OUR FIRST GRADE COHORT.
IT TELLS US WHERE THEY PERFORMED IN KINDERGARTEN AND THEN OF THE STUDENTS WHO ARE IN THAT COHORT RIGHT NOW IN FIRST GRADE, HOW ARE THEY PERFORMING? WE SEE STATISTICALLY THAT THOSE STUDENTS HAVE NOT LOST GROUND.
LAST YEAR, WE SEE THAT COHORT IS STILL PERFORMING AT 73% AND THEY HAVE NOT LOST GROUND.
NOW WE MOVE OVER TO OUR SECOND GRADE STUDENTS.
OUR SECOND GRADE STUDENTS STARTED A YEAR AT 68% AND GREW TO 72%.
WHILE THIS IS AN IMPROVEMENT AS COMPARED TO PAST YEARS, THE DATA SHOWS THAT WE MAY STILL BE SLIGHTLY OFF TRACK TO MEET OUR END OF YEAR GOAL OF 79%.
WE LOOK AT OUR TREND LINES AND WE'RE NOT SEEING THAT OUR TREND LINE IN PREVIOUS YEARS WOULD SUPPORT OUR ABILITY TO GET TO 79.
OF COURSE, WE'RE STILL GOING TO PUSH TO GET THERE, BUT WE MIGHT BE SLIGHTLY OFF AND NOT QUITE MEET THAT 79% GOAL.
NOW WE ARE LOOKING AT THE STUDENT POPULATIONS FOR A SECOND GRADE, AND WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THE YEAR OVER YEAR COMPARISON SHOWS THAT EACH STUDENT POPULATION IS STATISTICALLY SIMILAR FROM THE YEAR BEFORE IN REGARDS TO HOW THEY ARE PERFORMING.
WE'RE NOT SEEING THAT THERE ARE ANY GREAT CHANGES YEAR OVER YEAR IN THESE POPULATIONS. LET'S SEE.
NOW, WITH THE COHORT DATA, THIS IS A POINT OF PRIDE.
WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS AN INCREASE YEAR OVER YEAR, WHICH MEANS THAT THERE'S GREAT IMPROVEMENT AND THE INTERVENTION PLANS WITH THIS STUDENTS, AND THE CURRICULUM IS WORKING IN ORDER TO HELP THEM IMPROVE.
THIS GROUP STARTED OUT IN KINDERGARTEN PERFORMING AT 58%, INCREASED IN THEIR FIRST GRADE YEAR AT 69, AND NOW CURRENTLY PERFORMING AT THE 75%.
WHAT WE SEE IS THAT STUDENTS WHO START WITH US ARE ABLE TO MAKE GREAT GAINS IF THEY STAY IN OUR SYSTEM OVER TIME.
WOULD WE LIKE TO ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS IN REGARDS TO THE FIRST PART OF THE PRESENTATION?
>> NOT REALLY A QUESTION, BUT I DID WANT TO ECHO HOW AMAZING SLIDE 22 IS THE GROWTH IN THAT COHORT IN KINDER FIRST AND SECOND.
I KNOW IF TRUSTEE WEI WAS HERE, SHE WOULD BE SINGING THIS AS WELL.
SHE'S A HUGE PROPONENT OF LOOKING AT A COHORT GROUP.
THIS SHOWS AMAZING GAINS FOR THIS GROUP OF STUDENTS WHO HAVE PROGRESSED THROUGH OUR SYSTEM.
I JUST WANTED TO ECHO THIS IS AMAZING WORK BY YOUR TEAM AND THE TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT. I THINK I WANT TO ECHO THANK OUR TEACHERS AND OUR LEADERS AND EVERYONE WHO WORKING HARD.
THIS IS REALLY, I THINK SOMETIMES FOR SOME FOLKS, I GUESS THEY THINK LIKE, IT'S MOVING 58-69.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IS REALLY NOT ONLY OUR TEACHERS ARE REALLY TRYING TO KEEP OUR STUDENTS PERFORM AT OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL, BUT ALSO THEY'RE BRINGING IN MORE STUDENTS WHO MAY BE BEHIND INITIALLY, AS THEY WORK WITH THEM, WE HAVE MORE AND MORE STUDENTS ARE CATCHING UP.
THERE IS WHAT WE CALL EXPONENTIAL LEARNING HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOMS, AND OUR TEACHERS ARE DOING AMAZING WORK.
BRINGING STUDENTS WHO ARE ACTUALLY BEHIND GRADE LEVEL EVERY YEAR.
MORE OF THEM ARE ACTUALLY CATCHING UP AND ACTUALLY OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL.
[01:05:04]
IT'S REALLY A LOT OF WORK THAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOMS AND OUR SCHOOLS, AND IT'S REALLY TESTIMONY OF THEIR DEDICATION AND HARD WORK EVERY DAY.WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT COHORT, IT'S SO HARD TO HAVE KIDS MAKE MORE THAN ONE YEAR'S GROWTH IN A SCHOOL YEAR, AND THESE KIDS HAVE DONE THAT OVER THREE YEARS NOW.
IT'S REALLY IMPRESSIVE. THANK YOU.
>> I JUST WANT TO ECHO JUST THE CONGRATULATIONS ON THE FABULOUS DATA.
ON SLIDE 7, IT'S VERY OBVIOUS HOW MUCH WORK HAS BEEN PUT IN TO CLOSE THE LEARNING GAP FOR THE SPECIFIC POPULATIONS THAT WE WERE TARGETING.
I'M REALLY APPRECIATIVE OF THAT AND ALL OF THE WORK YOU GUYS DID AND EVERYTHING OUR TEACHERS ARE DOING IN THE CLASSROOM IN ORDER TO CLOSE THOSE GAPS.
I AM GOING TO ASK THE QUESTION ABOUT IREADY.
SO I SEE ON SLIDE 11 WHERE WE TALK ABOUT WHY WE'VE IMPLEMENTED I READY AND HOW WE'RE USING IT.
WE HAVE RECEIVED A LOT OF FEEDBACK, ESPECIALLY FROM STUDENTS ON IREADY AND HAVING TO USE ADVISORY PERIODS TO COMPLETE IT.
I JUST WANTED TO ASK IF YOU COULD EXPAND A LITTLE ON HOW IREADY HAS HELPED US IN OUR READING INITIATIVE.
THERE'S ANY THOUGHTS ON IMPLEMENTING IT DIFFERENTLY IN ORDER TO NOT GIVE UP SPECIFIC TIME PERIODS, LIKE ADVISORY OR I'M NOT SURE HOW IT'S BEING IMPLEMENTED IF IT'S THE SAME ACROSS CAMPUSES.
BUT I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND ON THAT BECAUSE I KNOW IT HAS BEEN A REALLY IMPORTANT TOOL.
>> THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
JUST JUMPED IN MY HEAD WHAT A FORMER SUPERVISOR SAID THAT ALL THESE OPPORTUNITIES.
HE'S LIKE, YOU CAN THANK ME FOR YOUR OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH.
>> FOR THOSE OF US WHO HAVE BEEN AROUND A WHILE, IF WE REMEMBER IN OUR DISTRICT, THE FIRST TIME WE CREATED INTERVENTION CLASSES, WHERE WE SAID, IF A STUDENT FAILED AT THAT TIME, I THINK IT WAS TAX.
WE HADN'T GONE TO STARS YET, THAT YOU WERE REQUIRED THEN WHERE WE WERE REQUIRED TO INTERVENE WITH YOU IN ORDER TO GET YOU CAUGHT UP SO THAT YOU CAN GRADUATE.
BECAUSE THEN THE STATE THEN SAID, IF YOU DID NOT PASS THAT YOU COULD NOT GRADUATE FROM SCHOOL, YOU HAD TO PASS THESE EXAMS. I REMEMBER I WAS A HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL WHERE THE PARENTS LIKE, "THERE IS NO WAY YOU ARE NOT PUTTING MY KID IN THIS INTERVENTION".
I WILL TELL YOU THE SAME THING THAT I SAID THEN TO MY STAFF AND ALSO WHAT I TOLD MYSELF REPEATEDLY.
THE FIRST YEAR OF DOING ANYTHING, THE SYSTEM IS ALWAYS GOING TO PUSH BACK.
IT DOES NOT MEAN IT'S NOT RIGHT OR IT'S NOT A GOOD DECISION.
WHAT IT MEANS IS THEY'RE NOT USED TO IT.
IT WAS THE SAME THING THEN AS FAR AS IT WAS NECESSARY, AS FAR AS TO GIVE THOSE STUDENTS THAT EXTRA TIME SO THAT THEY COULD WALK ACROSS THAT STAGE.
WHAT PEOPLE WERE REACTING TO IS JUST THAT I DON'T WANT TO DO IT.
YOU'RE PUTTING ME FACE TO FACE WITH SOMETHING WHERE I MAY HAVE FAILED.
THERE'S SPECIFICALLY ALSO ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I REALLY WANTED TO POINT THIS OUT.
THERE IS NO WAY THAT THE GOAL, WHAT WE'RE ASKING OF OURSELVES FOR US TO BE COLLEGE READY, WHERE WE PUT THAT IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
THERE'S NO WAY FOR THAT TO HAPPEN UNLESS WE HAVE MORE STUDENTS PERFORMING AT THE MEETS AND MASTER'S LEVEL.
AS A BOARD, IT'S ABSOLUTELY THE RIGHT THING THAT YOU ASK US TO SET OUR GOALS BASED ON THIS.
EVERYTHING IS LINED UP PERFECTLY WITHIN THE SYSTEM.
BUT AS WE CELEBRATE THE EXPONENTIAL GROWTH, HERE, AND ALSO IN THE COHORT DATA.
IN ORDER FOR THAT TO HAPPEN, WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE MENTALITY THAT IS NOT JUST ABOUT PASSING, AND I NEED TO KEEP YOU AT MEETS.
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT I PUSH YOU TO MASTERS.
THAT IS JUST SAYING 60%, YOU HAVE A 60% CORRELATION OF BEING COLLEGE READY WHILE MASTERS IS 75%.
THE IDEA WITHIN OUR SYSTEM THAT IF I'M AT MEETS OR IF I'M PASSING, I'M GOOD TO GO, I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DO THIS IS ONE OF THE MINDSETS THAT WE'RE FIGHTING AGAINST.
BUT OF COURSE, WE'VE CREATED THAT MINDSET.
BECAUSE NOW STRATEGICALLY AND OUR PLAN, WE HAVE SAID WE WANT SOMETHING DIFFERENT, WE NOW HAVE TO REALIGN THE ENTIRE SYSTEM.
[01:10:03]
IN REGARDS TO IREADY, I DO UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO DO IT.BUT BASED ON WHAT YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT YOU WANT US TO ACCOMPLISH, IT IS A NECESSARY STRATEGY.
>> I DON'T SEE ANY MORE LIGHTS, BUT DID ANYBODY PUSH THEIR LIGHT?
>> NOW LET'S MOVE ON TO EARLY MATH.
JUST LIKE IN EARLY LITERACY, WE HAVE TO PICK A SCREENER THAT IS ABLE TO GIVE US THE DATA ON OUR STUDENTS.
THE DATA THAT WE USE IS CALLED AMES WEB PLUS AND ANOTHER ONLINE ASSESSMENT FOR SCREENING.
AGAIN, IT'S BOTH IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH.
WE PROGRESS MONITOR OUR STUDENTS IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH SECOND GRADE.
BUT UNLIKE M CLASS, WHICH IS FOR EARLY LITERACY.
M CLASS IS A LITTLE NEATER, WHERE IF THE STUDENTS ARE SCORING AT OR ABOVE, IT ALIGNS PERFECTLY WITH THEM AT MEETS AND MASTERS.
IT'S NOT THE SAME THING HERE WITH THE DESCRIPTORS IN AMS WEB.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO GO IN AND WE PULL THE STUDENTS AT THE 40TH PERCENTILE IN ORDER FOR IT TO LINE WITH HOW THEY WOULD PERFORM AT MEETS AND MASTERS.
AGAIN, WHAT WE'RE DOING WITHIN THE SYSTEM IS WE'RE TRYING TO HAVE THE STUDENTS WHEN THEY START TESTING.
MOST OF OUR STUDENTS PERFORMING AT THE MEETS AND MASTER'S GRADE LEVEL, AND WE PROGRESS MONITOR AND KINDERGARTEN FIRST AND SECOND GRADE TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE IN TRACKED TO PERFORM THAT WAY IN MATH.
NOW, UNLIKE OUR READING LANGUAGE ARTS, WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IS OUR END OF THE YEAR GOAL FOR 2024 WAS 68%, BUT WE CAME IN AT 57%.
WHAT YOU SEE IN OUR STUDENT POPULATIONS IS A LOT MORE ORANGE AND YELLOW AS OPPOSED TO WHAT WE SAW IN READING LANGUAGE ARTS.
BUT BEFORE WE GET EXCITED, WE WANT TO GO AHEAD AND REALLY EXPLAIN WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE SYSTEM AND THE WHY BEHIND IT AND ALSO WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT.
HERE IS WHAT THE DATA LOOKS LIKE WHEN YOU SHOW US COMPARATIVE TO THE REGION AND THE STATE.
WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS THAT THERE ARE SIMILAR TREND LINES IN REGARDS TO THIRD GRADE ACHIEVEMENT.
BACK IN 2021 IS WHERE WE SET OUR BASELINE AND AT THAT TIME, THE DISTRICT WAS PERFORMING AT 40%, AND THAT IS WITH STAR 1.0.
AGAIN, WE TALKED ABOUT THE FACT STAR 2.0 IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TEST.
TO POINT OUT, OFTENTIMES WHEN YOU SEE THE INCREASE, YOU'RE SEEING AN INCREASE IN A TEST THAT EXPONENTIALLY MORE RIGOROUS.
I WANT US TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE NOT COMPARING APPLES TO APPLES WHEN WE LOOK AT THE INFORMATION AND TO KEEP THAT IN MIND AS WELL.
YOU SEE WITHIN THIS TREND LINE, THE BOARD IN 2022 SET A GOAL OF 55%.
WE ACHIEVED A 56%, THAT WOULD STILL STAR 1.0, IN 2023, WITH START 2.0, WE PERFORMED AT 62% SHOWING A 6% GAIN, AND IN 2024, THEN THAT GOT REDUCED TO 57%, AND WE DID NOT MEET OUR GOAL THAT THE BOARD SET FOR US AS FAR AS 68%.
BUT YOU'RE SEEING A VERY SIMILAR AGAIN TREND LINE ACROSS THE STATE AND THE REGION, WHICH ALLOWED US TO SAY, WELL, WE NEED TO REALLY INTERROGATE THIS.
WHILE COMPARATIVELY, WE'RE PERFORMING ABOVE EVERYONE ELSE, WE STILL DON'T LIKE DECREASES IN OUR NUMBERS.
AGAIN, 2023 REPRESENTS THE LINE OF DEMARCATION, AS WE MOVE FROM STAR 1.0 TO STAR 2.0.
LET'S LOOK AT SOME OF THE DIFFERENCES THAT STAR 2.0 YIELDED FOR ALL DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS.
YOU HAVE NEW QUESTION FORMATS BEYOND MULTIPLE CHOICE.
AGAIN, IF I HAVE A GREATER CHANCE, SOMETIMES OF GETTING SOMETHING RIGHT VERSUS IF IT'S OPEN ENDED AND I HAVE TO GET MY ANSWER PERFECTLY CORRECT.
THE SCALE SCORES HAVE BEEN READJUSTED, INCREASED NUMBER OF POINTS.
INCREASED NUMBER OF HIGHER LEVEL QUESTIONS AND THE HIGHER LEVEL QUESTIONS ARE WORTH MORE POINTS.
AGAIN, AS WE GAVE IN OUR EXAMPLE PREVIOUSLY, IF I HAVE A TEST AND NOW THE TEST, THE ANSWERS THAT ARE HARDER, THEY'RE NOT ALL WORTH THE SAME POINTS, THEN THERE'S LESS OF THE CHANCE.
I CAN GET THE SAME AMOUNT OF THINGS MAY BE CORRECT, BUT THE POINTS THAT I WILL GET BECAUSE NOW THEY HAVE CHANGED THE WAY THEY GIVE ME POINTS IS GOING TO BE VERY DIFFERENT.
THERE'S MORE OF A CHANCE THAT I WILL SCORE LOWER.
THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE IN WHAT YOU'RE SEEING BETWEEN THE TWO TESTS.
[01:15:01]
BASED ON THE QUESTIONS WE'VE GIVEN, A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE THINK THAT YOU'RE BEING ASKED TO COMPUTE AND SOLVE, AND THAT IS NOT WHAT THE TEST IS ABOUT.OFTENTIMES, IT IS ASKING YOU ABOUT PROCESS AND WHAT PROCESS YOU WOULD CHOOSE AND WHY\\\? THAT IS WHY WHEN YOU'VE LOOKED AT OUR CURRICULUM, YOU'VE SEEN THAT THE CURRICULUM HAS CHANGED TO WHERE IT'S ASKING THEM TO WHAT PROCESS WOULD YOU USE AND WHY? BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT COMPUTATION ON THE TEST.
THAT'S ANOTHER BIG DIFFERENCE AS FAR AS HOW OUR STUDENTS ARE BEING ASSESSED AS WELL.
HOW ARE WE RESPONDING TO DIFFERENCE IN MATH? WELL, WE IMPLEMENTED EUREKA MATH AT THE FOURTH AND GRADE LEVEL DISTRICT WIDE.
FOR OUR TITLE 1 CAMPUSES, WE MADE SURE AND IMPLEMENTED IN 2ND, 3RD, 4TH AND 5TH GRADE, AND WE SPECIFICALLY LOOKED AT THE DATA IN ORDER TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS AS FAR AS WHAT WE WOULD START WITH IN Y.
WE REALLY WORKED ON THE CURRICULUM, MAKING SURE EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS.
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT COMPUTATION.
MORE AND MORE, IT'S ABOUT THEM UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPTUAL KNOWLEDGE BEHIND THE CONCEPTS AND BEING ABLE TO SHOW PROCESS.
ALSO, WE MADE SURE TO INCORPORATE MORE OF THE MODELS THEY WOULD SEE IN THE STAAR ASSESSMENT IN OUR ASSESSMENTS, OUR CBAS, OUR BENCHMARK ASSESSMENTS, AND ALSO WITHIN OUR CURRICULUM.
WE IMPLEMENTED THE LOVELY IREADY DIAGNOSTICS AND 3RD AND 8TH GRADE DISTRICT WIDE, AND WHERE IT'S PROVIDING A TAILORED PATHWAY FOR STUDENTS BASED ON THEIR CURRENT SKILL LEVEL.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LIKE ABOUT IREADY IS THAT IT'S INDIVIDUALIZED.
ONCE I TAKE MY DIAGNOSTIC AND BASED ON MY SKILL SET AND SKILL SET BY INDIVIDUAL OBJECTIVES, THEN IT CREATES A VERY SPECIFIC LEARNING PATH FOR ME ONLY THAT WILL LOOK VERY DIFFERENT FROM EVERYONE ELSE.
I'M ABLE TO MOVE AT MY OWN PACE, INCREASE AT MY OWN PACE.
IT ALSO HAS THE CAPACITY, BOTH IN READING LANGUAGE ARTS AND IN MATH TO GO DOWN ALL THE WAY TO THE LOWER LEVELS.
IF I AM A 7TH GRADER, BUT THAT SKILL, I'M ONLY UNDERSTANDING AT A 4TH GRADE LEVEL.
IT HAS THE CAPACITY TO BRING ME ALL THE WAY DOWN TO 4TH GRADE AND THEN WORK ME ALL THE WAY BACK UP.
THAT'S THE ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE FELT THAT WAS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WHAT WE SAW IS WHEN WE WERE BUILDING INTERVENTION PLANS FOR OUR STUDENTS, WE WOULD TEACH THEM, BUT THEY WERE ACCESSING THE INFORMATION AT THE WRONG LEVEL.
THEY WERE NEVER GOING TO GET IT.
WE HAD TO MEET THEM WHERE THEY WERE AT AND THEN BRING THEM UP.
YEAR-OVER-YEAR, HERE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE 2024 GOALS VERSUS THE 2025 GOALS.
WHAT WE SEE AGAIN, THERE'S A 4% DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OVERARCHINGLY THE GOAL 2024-2025.
BUT LIKE THE READING LANGUAGE ARTS GOALS.
WHAT YOU SEE IS FOR CERTAIN GROUPS BECAUSE WE WANT TO CLOSE THE GAPS, THE PERCENTAGE OF THE INCREASE THAT THEY NEED TO ACHIEVE AT IS A LOT GREATER.
FOR EXAMPLE, YOU SEE WITH OUR AFRICAN-AMERICANS STUDENT POPULATION, GOAL SET FROM 45-55, SAME WITH HISPANIC FROM 47-57.
BUT YOU SEE THEN SOMETHING DIFFERENT FOR OUR ASIAN POPULATION THAT WENT UP TWO POINTS FROM 94-96, OR WHAT DO YOU CALL IT OUR WHITE POPULATION FROM 74-79%? FOR THOSE OUT THERE LISTENING TO UNDERSTAND THE REASON BEHIND WHY THAT SOME STUDENT POPULATIONS HAVE A HIGHER JUMP THAN OTHERS.
AGAIN, OUR YEAR 2025 END OF THE YEAR TARGET IS 72%.
WE SET GOALS FOR KINDERGARTEN 1ST GRADE AND 2ND GRADE.
RESPECTIVELY, THAT'S AT 77%, 76%, AND 82%.
THE REASON AGAIN, IS BECAUSE WE'RE PROGRESS MONITORING THOSE DIFFERENT COHORTS, HOW THEY'RE DOING, BECAUSE WE WANT THEM ONCE THEY REACH 3RD GRADE, THEIR ABILITY TO DO WELL AND PERFORM AT THE MEETS GRADE LEVEL OR HIGHER.
AGAIN, JUST LIKE WITH OUR EARLY LITERACY GOALS, WE MAKE SURE THAT THESE ARE INCORPORATED WITHIN OUR DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT PLAN AND ALSO ALL OF OUR CAMPUS IMPROVEMENT PLANS.
NOW LET'S START WITH KINDERGARTEN AND SEE HOW OUR STUDENTS ARE DOING.
TREND LINES ARE INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE LOOK AT IS, WHERE DO WE SEE THE JUMPS IN OUR DATA? WE SEE FOR THE 2024 2025 SCHOOL YEAR, WE STARTED OUT IN THE KINDERGARTEN CLASS AT 58%, AND WE'VE MADE A JUMP TO 71%.
THAT TREND LINE IS VERY CONSISTENT, WHAT WE SAW LAST YEAR AND A SLIGHT DEPARTURE FROM WHAT WE SAW THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
EVERY TIME WE SEE CERTAIN TREND LINES,
[01:20:01]
THEN WE TRY TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENTLY WITH THE DATA.FOR EXAMPLE, I REMEMBER, WHEN WE PRESENTED ON THE TREND LINE FOR THE 2022 2023 SCHOOL YEAR, WE TALKED ABOUT THE FACT THAT FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR TO THE END OF THE YEAR, THE DATA WAS FLAT, AND WE DIDN'T SEE ANY INCREASE.
WE WENT BACK TO THE DATA AND SAID TO OURSELVES, WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO DIFFERENTLY IN THE DATA IF WE'RE SEEING THAT WE'RE FLAT LINING WITH THE DATA.
THAT 2023 2024 SCHOOL YEAR WAS THE FIRST TIME, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ONLY BY 2%, WE SAW THAT WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE SOME CHANGES AND THEN IMPACT WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITH OUR STUDENTS.
WE'VE GONE BACK AND MADE SOME MORE CHANGES AS WELL.
WE FEEL VERY CONFIDENT THAT WE'RE ON A GOOD GLIDE PATH IN ORDER TO REACH OUR GOAL FOR THE END OF THE YEAR AT 77% FOR OUR KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS.
WE SEE YEAR-OVER-YEAR THAT IT IS STATISTICALLY ABOUT THE SAME WITH SOME INCREASES IN CERTAIN AREAS, WE WOULD POINT OUT WITH OUR 54 STUDENTS.
WE SEE A JUMP IN OUR ASIAN STUDENTS, ALSO IN OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE TWO OR MORE RACES.
BUT AGAIN, STATISTICALLY MORE OR LESS THE SAME YEAR-OVER-YEAR.
BUT WE'LL TAKE ANY AND ALL INCREASES AS WE SEE THEM.
WHEN WE HAVE THE FIRST GRADE, WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THAT WE PRETTY MUCH STARTED OUT THE SAME PLACE THAT WE DID LAST YEAR AT 53% FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
WHAT WE SAW THOUGH IS A GREAT DEPARTURE TO WHERE WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO THEN JUMP UP TO 68%.
YOU SAW THAT LAST YEAR, WE STARTED AT 53% AND WE'RE ABLE TO GET THE 61%.
AGAIN, WHENEVER WE SEE CERTAIN TREND LINES, WE GO BACK AND WE TWEAK THE CURRICULUM TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO DIFFERENTLY, AS WAS THE CASE HERE AS WELL.
WE WERE ABLE TO SEE SOME GREAT GAINS HERE, AND WE FEEL VERY CONFIDENT THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE THE END OF THE YEAR TARGET FOR THIS SCHOOL YEAR, WHICH IS 76% FOR OUR 1ST GRADERS.
WE SEE BECAUSE WE ENJOYED SUCH A HIGH JUMP YEAR-OVER-YEAR FROM 61 TO 68%.
YOU SEE THAT REFLECTED HERE IN THE STUDENT POPULATION FOR OUR 1ST GRADE STUDENTS, WHERE MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, YOU'RE SEEING A GOOD JUMP IN THE DIFFERENT STUDENT POPULATIONS.
FOR EXAMPLE, FOR OUR FIVE OR FOUR STUDENTS, 51-67%, DYSLEXIA STUDENTS, 25-33, 54-62, FOR THE ONES WHO HAVE BEEN IN PRE K WITH US.
YOU SEE ALSO FOR OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENTS GOING FROM I CAN'T SEE THAT. WHAT DOES THAT SAY? SOMEBODY? 40-50%. WE'LL TAKE THAT 10% JUMP.
WE FEEL VERY CONFIDENT THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO KEEP PUSHING AND MAKE A LOT OF THE END OF THE YEAR GOALS FOR A SPECIFIC STUDENT POPULATIONS AS WELL.
THIS IS OUR EARLY NUMERACY, OUR COHORT DATA.
YEAR-OVER-YEAR, HOW DID THEY PERFORM IN ONE GRADE AND WHETHER IT'S CONSISTENT OR WE'RE SEEING GROWTH? FOR OUR KINDERGARTEN CLASS, WE SEE THAT THEY WERE AT 70% AND I'M SORRY.
FOR THIS 1ST GRADE COHORT AS WHEN THEY WERE IN KINDERGARTEN, THEY 70% OF THEM PERFORM AT OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL, AND WE'RE SEEING THAT THEY'RE STAYING CONSISTENT IN THE FIRST GRADE CLASS WITH 71% AS WELL.
WHEN WE MOVE ON TO OUR 2ND GRADE STUDENTS, THIS IS WHERE WE SEE THAT WE HAVE NOT QUITE CRACKED THE CODE AS YET IN REGARDS TO THE CURRICULUM AND WHAT IS HAPPENING THERE.
WE SEE THAT FROM YEAR-OVER-YEAR, WE'VE REMAINED CONSISTENT WITH OUR STUDENTS.
LAST YEAR, WE STARTED AT 59, WENT TO 67.
THIS YEAR, WE STARTED AT 60% AND WE'RE AT 67%.
IF WE PERFORM AT THE SAME TREND LINE, WE'RE NOT SEEING THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO HIT OUR 82.
THIS IS SOMETHING WHERE WE REALLY HAVE TO INTERROGATE WHAT'S HAPPENING SPECIFICALLY WITH THE CURRICULUM AND OR INTERVENTIONS, AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO DIFFERENTLY HERE WITHIN THIS AREA, 2ND GRADE.
BECAUSE OF COURSE, IT'S SETTING OUR STUDENTS UP FOR WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AT THE 3RD GRADE LEVEL WHEN THEY TAKE THEIR STAAR ASSESSMENT.
>> WE SEE YEAR OVER YEAR, AGAIN, FOR THE STUDENT POPULATIONS, MORE OR LESS CONSISTENT, SOME INCREASES, SOME SLIGHT DECREASES, SOME OF IT REMAINING THE SAME.
AGAIN, IT'S REPRESENTATIVE OF WHAT WE SAW HERE, THE FACT THAT YEAR OVER YEAR, WE WERE STILL AT 67%, SO YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SEE THE DIFFERENCE BORNE OUT IN THE INDIVIDUAL STUDENT POPULATIONS EITHER.
WE LOOK AT THE COHORT DATA THOUGH, IT TELLS A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT STORY AND IT TELLS A GOOD STORY.
WHEN THE SECOND GRADE CLASS STARTED OUT IN KINDERGARTEN, 65% OF THEM WERE PERFORMING AT OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL.
THAT MOVED TO 63% IN FIRST GRADE.
[01:25:02]
WHAT WE'RE SEEING A GOOD JUMP IN RIGHT NOW, AS FAR AS 72% OF THEM WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US THE ENTIRE TIME AS A COHORT, WHERE THEY'RE PERFORMING AT 72%.IT ALSO BEGS THE QUESTION AS FAR AS WHAT CHANGES DO WE SEE IN THE SYSTEM IF STUDENTS ARE NOT CONTINUOUSLY ENROLLED WITH US.
AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, ONE OF THE THINGS WE WORK ON IS KEEPING STUDENTS WITHIN OUR SYSTEM, HAVING THEM START WITH US AND STAY WITH US BECAUSE WE KNOW THEN THE EXPONENTIAL GROWTH THEY ENJOY WHEN THEY STAY WITHIN OUR SYSTEM.
THAT IS THE END OF THIS PRESENTATION.
I WELCOME ANY AND ALL QUESTIONS.
>> TRUSTEES, I'M NOT SEEING ANY LIGHT.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S UP WITH YOU.
WE'LL TAKE A BREAK TO FIGURE OUT, BUT TRUSTEE ROSS GO AHEAD.
>> I'M ONE OF THE PARENTS THAT HAS THE JOYS ALREADY.
[LAUGHTER] WITHOUT GETTING INTO THE WEEDS FOR OUR PURPOSES, BUT MORE FOR OUR COMMUNITY, IS THERE ANY TIPS OR ANYTHING, WE'LL HEAR FEEDBACK ABOUT THE PROBLEMS THAT THAT STUDENT PARTICULARLY IS GETTING ISN'T WHAT THEIR ACADEMIC LEVEL IS, BUT I UNDERSTAND YOUR EXCELLENT POINT ABOUT WE ALL HAVE HOLES THAT ARE IN OUR PROCESSES AND FINDING THAT HOLE TO THEN BRING THEM UP.
BUT SHOULD THEY BE GOING TO THEIR TEACHER? WHO DO THEY GO TO WHEN PARENTS HAVE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH THIS OR NEED TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE IT A LITTLE LESS TIER FILLED? [LAUGHTER]
>> YOU DO, AND SO HOPEFULLY, MY ANSWER WAS NOT MEANT IN ANY WAY TO CONVEY THAT WE CANNOT MAKE IMPROVEMENTS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED IS, NUMBER 1 WHAT DOES SCHEDULING NEED TO LOOK LIKE? GIVING MORE FINE STRUCTURE AS FAR AS WHERE DO WE PUT THIS WITHIN THE SCHOOL DAY? WHAT HAPPENED WAS, I THINK WITHIN THE INTERVENTION PERIOD, PEOPLE WERE STRUGGLING TO FIGURE EXACTLY WHERE DO I PUT THIS? THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE WILL INTERROGATE WITH THE PRINCIPALS AND FIND A BETTER PLAN.
WHERE DO WE PUT IT SO THAT IT WORKS BEST FOR STUDENTS, FOR PARENTS, AND FOR TEACHERS? I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT.
THE OTHER THING IS WHAT DOES PARENT COMMUNICATION SPECIFICALLY HAVE TO LOOK LIKE.
I THINK MORE AND MORE PEOPLE, THE MESSAGING IS GETTING OUT, BUT IT HAS NOT FLOODED THE SYSTEM AS YET.
WE HAVE NOT REACHED CRITICAL MASS, AS FAR AS UNDERSTANDING THAT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT PASSING, AND EVEN IF YOU'RE PERFORMING AT A CERTAIN LEVEL, WE NEED TO KEEP YOU THERE OR AT LEAST EVEN TRY TO PUSH YOU TO MASTERS AND KEEP YOU AT MASTERS AND WHY THAT IS SO IMPORTANT.
EVEN AS FAR AS GETTING THAT MESSAGING OUT SO THAT PARENTS UNDERSTAND WHY IT IS THAT WE FEEL THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR THEIR STUDENT.
FOR US, I THINK MOVING INTO NEXT YEAR.
THAT'S SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE REALLY WANT TO FIX.
YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR LATER ON SOME MESSAGING IN REGARDS TO SOME THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING DIFFERENTLY IN THE MASTER SCHEDULE.
PART OF WHAT WE'RE GOING TO FIGURE OUT IS BASED ON THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS, WHERE WILL WE TELL PEOPLE TO PLACE THIS WITHIN THEIR SCHOOL DAY IN ORDER FOR IT TO MAKE MORE SENSE FOR THE SCHOOLS?
AGAIN, SORRY AS TWO EDUCATORS NERD OUT ON THINGS.
I KNOW IT'S NOT MY ROLE TO GET INTO THE WEEDS, BUT EVERYTHING BEING ON THE COMPUTER FOR TESTING IS CONCERNING.
FOR A LOT OF PARENTS, I THINK, AND PROBABLY A LOT OF TEACHERS.
MY DAUGHTER CAME HOME AND WAS TELLING ME ABOUT A TEST AND I WAS LIKE, DID YOU USE THE SCRAP PAPER? SHE WAS LIKE, NO.
AGAIN, WITH PARENTS IN MIND, IS THERE STUFF THAT WE SHOULD BE WORKING ON, MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE SHOWING THEIR WORK? THEY'RE NOT JUST TRYING TO DO IT ON THEIR HEAD, OR DO YOU NOT FEEL LIKE THAT THAT'S A CONCERN WHEN IT COMES TO TESTING, THAT THING?
>> THE STUDENTS CAN STILL USE SCRAP PAPER.
I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE I'M HEARING EVERYTHING.
BECAUSE OF THE CHANGES TO THE TEST AND THE FACT THAT MORE AND MORE, ALL OF OUR STUDENTS ARE HAVING TO TEST, 100% ON THERE.
PART OF WHAT WE SAW WAS MAKING SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE ALL THE TOOLS ON THE COMPUTER.
WHAT WE SAW IS IF THE FIRST TIME THEY TRIED TO FIGURE THAT OUT WAS WHEN THEY TESTED ON THE STAR, THAT IN OF ITSELF WAS FRUSTRATING OUR STUDENTS AND CAUSING SOME INEFFICIENCY.
[01:30:02]
WHAT THEY HAVE GONE TO EVEN FOR OUR STUDENTS WHO GET ACCOMMODATIONS THROUGH SPECIAL EDUCATION, EMERGING BILINGUAL, WHATEVER IT IS.NOW ALL OF THE ACCOMMODATIONS ARE ON THE COMPUTER, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
PART OF IT IS WE WANT THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE AND THEY'RE EMPOWERED AS FAR AS HOW TO USE THAT.
NOW, IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY CAN'T STILL USE SCRAP PAPER.
IT STILL IS SOMETHING IF THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE PAPER THEY CAN DO THAT TO WORK THROUGH IT.
IT'S NOT THAT THEY CAN'T USE IT, BUT EVERYTHING THEN HAS TO BE MANIPULATED ON THE SCREEN.
>> BUT THEY CAN STILL WRITE IT OUT AND DO IT ON THERE.
>> I THINK, FOR BOTH OF MY KIDS AND I KNOW PROBABLY OTHER PARENTS HAVE THE EXACT SAME CONCERN IS, HOW DO YOU GET THEM TO DO IT? I GET IT.
>> NO, THAT'S GOOD FEEDBACK AND WE CAN DEFINITELY WORK ON IT.
FOR SOMEONE WHO LOVES PAPER, LIKE MY TEAM KNOWS, IF THEY'RE GOING TO PRESENT ANYTHING TO ME, THE FIRST THING I'LL SAY IS, CAN YOU WAIT A SECOND? I NEED TO WRITE IN ORDER TO PROCESS.
NOW, I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THAT.
WE CAN DEFINITELY LOOK INTO MAKING SURE THAT EVEN IF IT HAS TO BE DONE WHERE I PUT THE ANSWERS ON THE COMPUTER, THAT THE RESOURCE AND THE SKILL OF HAVING TO USE THE SCRAP PAPER IS NOT TAKEN AWAY FROM THEM.
>> IF YOU GUYS THINK THAT THAT'S THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY.
>> SELFISHLY BECAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING I LIKE, I'M LIKE, I THINK THE KIDS SHOULD HAVE IT TOO IF I NEED THAT, AS AN ACCOMMODATION.
>> THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT.
FIRST ONE, THE THIRD GRADE MATH HAD THE GOAL FOR 2025 72%.
DO WE HAVE DATA FOR THIS YEAR, BEGINNING OF THE YEAR AND MIDDLE OF THE YEAR? FOR THIRD GRADE MATH?
>> I'M SO SORRY, WHAT SLIDE SO I CAN MAKE.
>> IT'S NOT ON THE SLIDE. THIS IS WHAT I'M CURIOUS.THIRD GRADE MATH.
THE GOAL IS 72%. BUT I DON'T SEE FOR 2025 DATA HERE.
I'M JUST CURIOUS WHAT'S THE PERCENTAGE?
>> I THINK THOSE NUMBERS COME FROM OUR STAR TESTING. CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.
WE WON'T HAVE THOSE FINAL NUMBERS FOR HOW OUR THIRD GRADERS DO UNTIL THE STAR TESTING RESULTS COME OUT.
THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THE GOAL PROGRESS MEASURES THAT SHOW US ALONG THE WAY, BUT WE DON'T HAVE ANY DATA POINTS FOR THIRD GRADERS THAT ARE REPORTED TO US OF HOW THE THIRD GRADERS THAT ARE REPORTED BASED ON THE BOARD GOALS.
>> LET ME MAKE SURE. ARE YOU ASKING ME, HOW OUR THIRD GRADERS ARE PERFORMING FOR 2025?
>> OKAY. ABSOLUTELY. THEY HAVE NOT TAKEN, THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS.
IN THE MONTH OF APRIL, THEY WILL BE TAKING THEIR STAR ASSESSMENTS, AND ONLY THEN WILL WE KNOW THEN HOW OUR STUDENTS PERFORMED AND WHAT THE NUMBER IS.
BUT WE DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER AS YET.
WHEN I PRESENT, I CAN ONLY TELL YOU WHAT WE DID FOR 2024, THE YEAR PRIOR FOR OUR THIRD GRADERS, AND THEN WE PROGRESS MONITOR FOR K1 AND 2 AS A WAY TO SEE HOW THEY WILL POTENTIALLY DO WHEN THEY HAVE TO TAKE THE STAR TEST.
>> THANK YOU. THE OTHER QUESTION IS FOR THE 504 STUDENT, I THOUGHT THIS IS A BIG INCREASE.
DO WE LEARNED ANYTHING FROM THERE, WHY THEY INCREASE SO MUCH? I'M JUST CURIOUS.
>> I NEVER USUALLY SAY THIS, BUT I HAVE NO IDEA.
I FIND IT VERY CURIOUS, LET ME GO BACK.
IS IT FOR MATH RIGHT HERE, DOCTOR?
>> YEAH, I THINK FOR BOTH OF IT YOU CAN [INAUDIBLE].
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS HAPPENED DIFFERENTLY IS THE FACT THAT WHO IS STILL IN 504.
BECAUSE MANY OF OUR STUDENTS WHO USED TO RECEIVE RESOURCES IN 504 HAVE NOW MOVED TO SPED, IT'S CHANGING WHAT THE POPULATION OF STUDENTS IN THAT GROUP.
I DON'T NECESSARILY THINK THAT IT'S BECAUSE SOMETHING DIFFERENT HAS HAPPENED.
I THINK IT'S MORE SO THE MIGRATION OF THE STUDENTS AND THAT THEY'RE NOW NO LONGER COVERED UNDER 504 AND HAVE MOVED UNDER THE SPED UMBRELLA, BASED ON DYSLEXIA, A COUPLE OF OTHER THINGS.
I THINK IT'S MORE SO WE'RE NOT DEALING AGAIN, APPLES TO APPLES WITH THE SAME POPULATION.
>> I DON'T SEE ANY MORE LIGHTS. I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION.
[01:35:01]
I JUST HAVE TWO COMMENTS.I THINK 504 IS AN INTERESTING CATEGORY AND I'M GLAD THAT WE LOOK AT IT, BUT SOMETIMES IT'S HARD TO GAUGE THAT DATA BECAUSE IT IS SO ALL ENCOMPASSING OF MANY DIFFERENT THINGS.
THAT ONE IS DIFFICULT TO TELL.
THEN I JUST WANTED TO AFFIRM AGAIN, I REALLY SEE THE STAFF TAKING THE NOTES AND THE REQUESTS WE HAVE AROUND COHORT DATA, FOR THE COMMUNITY TO BE ABLE TO FOLLOW.
I SEE THAT IMPLEMENTED IN THESE PRESENTATIONS, AND I JUST WANTED TO EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE.
THANK YOU. ANY OTHER COMMENTS QUESTIONS? SEEING NONE, TRUSTEES, I KNOW, THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
I KNOW WE HAVE A VERY LONG NIGHT AHEAD OF US, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND TAKE A TEN MINUTE BREAK AND COME BACK AT 7:15 AND WE ARE ON BREAK.
DOCTOR [INAUDIBLE], I'M TURNING IT OVER TO YOU FOR OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL SCHEDULING.
>> THANK YOU, PRESIDENT HARRISON.
IT WON'T BE ME AGAIN THIS TIME, BUT WE HAVE OUR WONDERFUL LEADERS HERE, ARE JOINING US.
WE HAVE DR. GUERRERO, DR. EFLIN.
NO YET DR. PARKS, BUT I'M SURE SHE'S WORKING ON IT.
MISS PARK AND ALSO MISS OATES.
THEY'RE ALL HERE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY STARTED THIS YEAR IS ACTUALLY IMPLEMENTING WHAT WE CALLED EIGHT PERIOD DAY AND OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL AT HERNANDEZ AND SCD.
THEY'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE AND ALSO THE GOOD THE BETTER UGLY AS FAR AS THIS NEW EXPERIENCE THAT WE'RE TRYING.
WITH NO DELAY, I WANT TO TURN IT TO YOU GUYS.
>> GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.
MY NAME IS PATRICIA EFLIN AND I'M THE AREA SUPERINTENDENT FOR THE STONEY POINT LEARNING COMMUNITY.
>> GOOD EVENING. I'M EVELYN PARKS, I'M THE PRINCIPAL OF A HERNANDEZ MIDDLE SCHOOL.
>> THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO BE HERE.
I'M NANCY GUERRERO, AREA SUPERINTENDENT FOR THE CEDAR RIDGE LEARNING COMMUNITY.
>> I'M PENNY OATES PRINCIPAL AT CD FULKES MIDDLE SCHOOL.
>> I'M GOING TO START US OFF THIS EVENING.
WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE EIGHT PERIOD DAY AT HERNANDEZ MIDDLE SCHOOL AND CD FULKES MIDDLE SCHOOL.
OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO DISCUSS THE EIGHT PERIOD DAY AND TO DISCUSS HOW IT HAS IMPROVED THE STUDENT ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE BY ENSURING ACCESS TO INTERVENTIONS AND ELECTIVES.
IN COMING UP WITH THE EIGHT PERIOD DAY, WE WERE LOOKING AT WHAT OUR STUDENTS NEEDED AND WE WERE LOOKING AT THE HB 1416 ACCELERATED INSTRUCTION, DYSLEXIA INTERVENTION SERVICES FOR OUR STUDENTS, AND ALSO ACCESS TO ELECTIVES.
NOW, WITH HB 1416, AS YOU MAY KNOW, THAT'S THE ACCELERATED INSTRUCTION.
STUDENTS WHO QUALIFY FOR HB 1416 ARE STUDENTS WHO NEED THOSE 1416 HOURS, AND THOSE ARE STUDENTS WHO SCORE DID NOT MEET SLOW ON STAR IN THE AREAS OF 6TH-8TH GRADE READING, SO THOSE ARE SIXTH GRADERS, SEVENTH GRADERS, AND EIGHTH GRADERS IN READING AND ALSO IN MATH AND FIFTH GRADE SCIENCE.
THOSE ARE THOSE INCOMING SIXTH GRADERS WHO SCORED DID NOT MEET LOW ON STAR.
THOSE STUDENTS WHO DID NOT MEET LOW AREA ARE REQUIRED TO RECEIVE 30 HOURS OF REMEDIATION IN NO MORE THAN TWO CONTENT AREAS.
ALSO, OUR 1416 STUDENTS ARE THOSE STUDENTS WHO DID NOT MEET HIGH AREA ON STAR IN THOSE SAME GRADE LEVELS AND CONTENT AREAS, OUR SIXTH GRADERS, OUR SEVENTH GRADERS, OUR EIGHTH GRADERS IN READING AND MATH, AND OUR STUDENTS IN SIXTH GRADE WHO DID NOT MEET HIGH IN FIFTH GRADE SCIENCE.
THOSE STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED 15 HOURS OF REMEDIATION IN NO MORE THAN TWO CONTENT AREAS.
ADDITIONALLY, OUR DYSLEXIA STUDENTS, AS YOU KNOW, WE'RE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING RELIABLE INTENTIONAL SUPPORT WITHIN PROGRAMMING THROUGH A CONTINUUM OF SERVICES AND RESOURCES TO ENSURE STUDENT SUCCESS.
OUR DYSLEXIA PROGRAMMING IN MIDDLE SCHOOL HELP STUDENTS THROUGH INSTRUCTION, ACCOMMODATIONS, AND EARLY IDENTIFICATION.
WE NEEDED TO PROVIDE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL ACCESS TO THOSE SERVICES.
BUT WHAT WE WERE NOTICING IS IN ORDER FOR OUR STUDENTS TO REACH THAT HIGHEST LEVEL OF PRODUCTIVITY, WE NOTICED THAT THEY WERE LEAVING EARLY TO ACCESS ELECTIVES.
WE'RE NOTICING THAT PARENTS WERE CHOOSING EARLY EXIT OF DYSLEXIA SERVICE AS IT OCCUPIED A CLASS PERIOD FOR STUDENTS, AND THEY WANTED TO TAKE THE ELECTIVE INSTEAD OF UTILIZING THAT PERIOD FOR DYSLEXIA SERVICES.
[01:40:01]
>> THANK YOU, PATRICIA. WE REALLY HAD TO EXAMINE OUR MASTER SCHEDULES, OUR BELL SCHEDULES AND DETERMINE HOW WE COULD CONTROL FOR ALLOWING STUDENTS TO ACCESS ACCELERATED INSTRUCTION INTERVENTION, DYSLEXIA INTERVENTION, WHILE ALSO ENSURING THAT STUDENTS HAD ELECTIVES AND CHOICE FOR ELECTIVES.
WE HAD TRADITIONALLY HAD WHAT SOME MAYBE CALL AN EIGHT PERIOD DAY.
IT REALLY IS A SEVEN PERIOD DAY.
THAT'S THE TRADITIONAL MIDDLE SCHOOL SCHEDULE WITH AN ADVISORY AND A LUNCH.
WHAT OUR TWO CAMPUSES HERE HAVE DONE, THEY'VE ADOPTED AN EIGHT PERIOD DAY.
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT EACH BELL SCHEDULE LOOKS LIKE.
A SEVEN PERIOD DAY HAS FOUR SECTIONS TO ADDRESS CORE ACADEMICS, OUR TIER 1 CLASSES.
THREE SECTIONS TO ADDRESS INTERVENTION NEEDS, INCLUDING DYSLEXIA.
PE IS A REQUIRED COURSE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR TWO OF THE THREE YEARS MINIMALLY, AND THEN ELECTIVE CHOICES AS WELL.
THE SEVEN PERIOD DAY HAS TO ENCOMPASS ALL OF THAT.
THE EIGHT PERIOD DAY ALLOWS FOR OUR TIER 1 COURSES, OUR FOUR SECTIONS ADDRESSING TIER 1 CORE ACADEMICS, FOUR SECTIONS TO ADDRESS INTERVENTION NEEDS, DYSLEXIA NEEDS, PE REQUIREMENTS, AND THEN ELECTIVE CHOICES.
WE WERE ABLE TO ENSURE THAT WE COULD ADD ANOTHER CLASS PERIOD.
>> WE WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT IT LIKE STUDENT FACING.
A STUDENT WITH DYSLEXIA INTERVENTION IN A SEVEN-PERIOD DAY, COULD HAVE THE FOUR CORE CLASSES READING, LANGUAGE ARTS, MATH, SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES, THE DYSLEXIA CLASS, AN ART ELECTIVE, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT WAS THE CHOICE, AND THEN PE ELECTIVE, AGAIN, REQUIRED IN SIXTH AND SEVENTH GRADE.
IN AN EIGHT-PERIOD DAY, THE DYSLEXIA STUDENT GETS THE FOUR CORE CLASSES, DYSLEXIA, THE ART ELECTIVE, THE PE ELECTIVE REQUIRED IN SIXTH AND SEVENTH GRADE, AND NOW ALSO GETS TO ACCESS THAT ADDITIONAL FINE ARTS OF BAND.
THIS IS JUST TWO STUDENT FACING ELECTIVE CHOICES AND COURSE SCHEDULED.
FOR A STUDENT THAT PERHAPS NEEDED THAT HOUSE BILL 14 16 MATH INTERVENTION.
YOU NOTICE, AGAIN, THE FOUR CORE CLASSES, THE MATH INTERVENTION, THE ART ELECTIVE, THE PE ELECTIVE IN THE SEVEN-PERIOD DAY.
HOWEVER, THIS STUDENT IS EITHER AT HERNANDEZ OR CD FULKES AND WE GET THE CORE CLASSES, THE MATH INTERVENTION, ART, PE, AND BAND.
YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE THAT FOR THEATER OR A CTE CLASS.
WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO AS WE JUST RECONSIDERED THAT BELL SCHEDULE IS, WE WERE ABLE TO GUARANTEE THAT 45-MINUTE CLASS PERIOD AND WE KNEW THAT WAS A NON NEGOTIABLE.
THAT WOULD ENSURE OUR CTE MINUTES.
WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THE CTE COURSES THAT WE OFFER IN OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS.
WE WERE ABLE TO ENSURE THAT TEACHERS PLT TIME FOR CORE ACADEMICS, STILL WAS BUILT INTO THE SCHEDULE, WHILE ALSO TEACHERS CONFERENCE TIME FOR THE ACADEMIC COURSES AND THE ACADEMIC ELECTIVE COURSES ALL OF OUR TEACHERS STILL HAD THEIR CONFERENCE TIME.
THEN INTERVENTION NEEDS MET FOR STUDENTS REQUIRING MINUTES IN THE SCHOOL DAY.
WE ALWAYS THINK ABOUT WHAT WE CONTROL AND THAT'S THE SCHOOL DAY, BELL TO BELL.
THIS ALLOWED US TO BUILD IN THAT INTERVENTION TIME WHILE ALSO ALLOTTING FOR ELECTIVE CHOICE AND ENSURING THE REQUIRED MINUTES.
I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO MISS PARKS.
>> IN THINKING OF WAYS TO BE CREATIVE TO SUPPORT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS AND ENSURING THAT THEY HAD A GOOD STUDENT EXPERIENCE, WE REALLY LOOKED AT OUR MASTER SCHEDULE AND LOOKED AT WAYS THAT WE CAN SUPPORT THEM DURING THE SCHOOL DAY.
AT OUR CAMPUS, WE NEEDED TO PROVIDE INTERVENTION CLASSES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF 300 PLUS STUDENTS THAT SCORE DOES NOT MEET HIGH OR DOES NOT MEET LOW ON THE PREVIOUS YEAR STAR.
WE WANTED TO ENSURE THAT WE CREATED SPACE IN THE SCHOOL DAY TO PROVIDE THEM WITH INTERVENTION.
WE ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MAINTAIN MANAGEABLE CLASS SIZES FOR OUR TEACHERS.
WE DIDN'T WANT TO OVERLOAD THOSE CLASSES, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT NEEDED THE EXTRA SUPPORT.
THEN WE WANTED TO PROVIDE WITH ACCESS TO THEIR PREFERRED ELECTIVES.
[01:45:03]
THIS DIRECTLY IMPACTS OUR STUDENTS SENSE OF BELONGING.WE WANT THEM TO FEEL LIKE THEY GET THE THINGS THAT THEY WANT THROUGHOUT OUR DAY, AND US BEING AN IB CAMPUS, ALL OF OUR STUDENTS HAVE TO TAKE PE ALL THREE YEARS, SO WE REALLY LIMITED OUR STUDENTS ACCESS TO ELECTIVES AND WE REALLY CONSIDERED THAT IN MAKING THIS SCHEDULE.
IN CREATING THE SCHEDULE, WE WERE ABLE TO CREATE SOME COMMON VERTICAL PLANNING TIME FOR OUR TEACHERS.
IN OUR SCHEDULE, ALL OF OUR MATH TEACHERS ARE OFF AT THE SAME TIME, ALL OF OUR ELA TEACHERS ARE OFF AT THE SAME TIME.
THEY'RE ABLE TO REALLY HAVE AN IN-DEPTH CONVERSATION ABOUT OUR CURRICULUM AND WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE THROUGHOUT OUR ENTIRE SYSTEM.
WE ALSO SHIFTED OUR SCHEDULE TO REALLY SUPPORT OUR STUDENT NEEDS, AND WE'VE HAD GREAT FEEDBACK FROM OUR STAFF ABOUT JUST THE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT.
AS DR. GUERRERO MENTIONED, WE STILL ACCOMMODATE THE NEEDS FOR ALL OF OUR CORE CLASSES, AS WELL AS OUR ELECTIVE CLASSES.
IT ALLOWS SOME CORE TEACHERS TO TEACH INTERVENTION DURING THE DAY.
WE KNOW THAT PUTTING OUR STUDENTS IN FRONT OF THE EXPERTS IS WHAT WE REALLY NEED, AND SO WE WANTED TO ENSURE THAT OUR CORE TEACHERS HAD ACCESS TO THEIR STUDENTS TO INTERVENE FOR THEM BECAUSE THEY SEE THEM IN THE CORE, SO THEY CAN ALSO SUPPORT THEM IN THE INTERVENTION.
WE HAVE INTERVENTION CLASSES FOR ALL OF OUR SIXTH SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADE MATH AND READING LANGUAGE ARTS.
WE ALSO OFFER SIXTH GRADE SCIENCE, SIXTH GRADE SCIENCE AND EIGHTH GRADE SCIENCE.
WE ADDED AN INTERVENTION TO SUPPORT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM RIGHT NOW FOR OUR CURRENT EIGHTH GRADERS.
WE'RE USING DATA THAT WE COLLECT ON A WEEKLY BASIS FOR OUR STUDENTS, AND IF WE SEE GAPS IN THE MOMENT, WE HAVE IT BUILT IN OUR SCHEDULE THAT TEACHERS CAN INTERVENE FOR THOSE STUDENTS AT THAT TIME FOR BOTH SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES.
AGAIN, AS WE MENTIONED, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED THAT DYSLEXIA SUPPORT CONTINUED TO HAVE ACCESS TO THEIR ELECTIVES AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT IN CREATING THIS SCHEDULE.
THEN THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT OUR BELL SCHEDULE LOOKS LIKE.
IT'S PRETTY SIMILAR TO THE ONE THAT THEY USE AT CD FULKES.
THE DIFFERENCE IS, WE START OUR DAY WITH ADVISORY.
IT'S OUR LAUNCH PAD FOR OUR STUDENTS, AND SO SOME STUDENTS CAN GET INTERVENTION THROUGH ADVISORIES WHILE OTHER STUDENTS GET THEM THROUGH THE INTERVENTION CLASS.
OTHER BENEFITS FROM US CREATING THIS SCHEDULE, A HUGE ONE WAS THE REDUCED CLASS SIZES.
A LOT OF OUR CLASS SIZES ARE BETWEEN 18-24, WHICH ARE IDEAL FOR TEACHERS, ESPECIALLY AS WE ARE WORKING THROUGH STUDENTS AT DIFFERENT TIERS.
THEY HAVE THE ACCESS TO SUPPORT THEIR STUDENTS IN THOSE SMALLER GROUPS.
WE WERE ABLE TO MAINTAIN OUR ADVISORY SECTIONS, AS WELL AS THE USE OF THE TEACHING AND LEARNING CREATED INTERVENTION CURRICULUM AND OUR INTERVENTION CLASSES. NOW PENNY.
>> THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THE HARD WORK OF OUR STAFF AT CD FULKES.
JUST TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF COMPARISON, WE WERE ABLE TO BUILD IN THIS YEAR 34 SECTIONS OF MATH AND READING INTERVENTION INTO OUR SCHEDULE FOR 371 STUDENTS TO GIVE YOU CONTEXT.
WE HAVE A POPULATION OF ABOUT 600 STUDENTS.
LAST YEAR, WE OFFERED 24 SECTIONS OF MATH AND READING INTERVENTION VIA FOR FULL-TIME INTERVENTIONISTS.
INTERVENTIONS ARE NOW OFFERED BY A COMBINATION OF INTERVENTIONISTS AND CORE TEACHERS.
FOR EXAMPLE, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY MATH TEACHERS, EXCEPT FOR MY ALGEBRA 1 GEOMETRY, COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHER HAS MULTIPLE SECTIONS OF INTERVENTION AS A PART OF THEIR DAY.
THIS DID GIVE US MUCH LIKE MISS PARK SAID, GAVE US ANOTHER TOOL TO MANAGE CLASS SIZE, AND IT ALLOWED US TO OFFER LIZARD SCHOOL.
WE ARE THE LIZARDS, AND SO GAVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO OFFER LIZARD SCHOOL, WHICH IS A NEW INTERVENTION, SEL BEHAVIORAL WELCOMING INTERVENTION TO OUR CAMPUS SCHOOL DAY.
THEN ULTIMATELY, IT DID GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS MULTIPLE AREAS OF OUR VISION FOR OUR CAMPUS WORK.
BENEFITS FOR US IS IT DOES ACCOMMODATE AGAIN ALL FOUR CORE AND FOUR ELECTIVES FOR STUDENT SCHEDULES.
[01:50:01]
AND I KNOW YOU ALL BELIEVE IN THAT.I WILL JUST GIVE THIS LITTLE STORY, IF YOU WILL.
MANY OF YOU KNOW I WAS AN ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL PRIOR TO BEING AT CD FULKES IN THE SAME LEARNING COMMUNITY WITH MANY OF THE SAME STUDENTS, AND IT HAS BEEN WONDERFUL TO SEE AS MY STUDENTS THAT I'VE KNOWN SINCE THE FIRST GRADE ARE COMING INTO MIDDLE SCHOOL AND SEEING HOW THEY GROW AND CHANGE AND DEVELOP AND THEIR INTEREST CHANGE AS THEY ARE INTRODUCED TO THESE VARIOUS ELECTIVES OPPORTUNITIES AT MIDDLE SCHOOL.
THAT IMPORTANCE OF THAT ACCESS FOR THE KIDS JUST CAN'T BE OVERSTATED.
IT DOES, AS I DESCRIBED ON THE LAST SLIDE, ALLOW SOME OF OUR CORE TEACHERS TO TEACH INTERVENTION DURING THE SCHOOL DAY, WHICH IS A NICE TIE INTO THEIR REGULAR CLASSES, THEIR JOINED READING AND MATH.
WE HAVE THE INTERVENTION CLASSES IN MATH AND READING.
WE DO HAVE SOME PUSHING FOR SCIENCE.
THEN ALSO, OF COURSE, OUR INTERVENTION AND DYSLEXIA HAVE ELECTIVES.
THE TEACHERS THEMSELVES, IT'S NICE WHEN IT'S LIKE THE TEACHER AND THE INTERVENTIONIST IS THE SAME PERSON.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, OR AT LEAST ON THE SAME TEAM TIGHTLY.
IT'S JUST A NICE TIGHT CONNECTION BETWEEN FIRST INSTRUCTION AND THAT NEXT TIER.
I DON'T THINK WE'VE SAID THIS, OUR TEACHING AND LEARNING DEPARTMENT FOR THE DISTRICT CREATES THE INTERVENTION LESSONS AND THE ASSESSMENTS, INCLUDING DAILY CHECKS, AND SO THAT MAKES IT ALL VERY ALIGNED AND VERY TIGHT.
WE'VE ALREADY TALKED A LOT ABOUT REDUCED CLASS SIZES.
WE DO STILL HAVE ADVISORY SECTIONS, AND THOSE ADVISORY, AS YOU KNOW, IS LARGELY READY, BUT IS STILL A KEY PART OF OUR 14, 16 HOURS AND INTERVENING WITH OUR STUDENTS.
OUR SCHEDULE LOOKS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
AGAIN, MISS PARKS ALLUDED TO THEIR ADVISORY STARTS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DAY.
WE INTENTIONALLY BROKE OUR ADVISORY INTO THOSE GRADE LEVEL SECTIONS, AS YOU CAN SEE.
WE HAVE A LOVELY THREE STORY BUILDING THAT HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY OUR COMMUNITY AND WE ARE THANKFUL TO HAVE IT, AND THIS HELPS ALL OF OUR STUDENTS BE ESCORTED FROM THEIR ADVISORY CLASS TO THE CAFETERIA.
IT IS A NICE THING FOR US TO HAVE THAT TRANSITION GO THE BEST WAY THAT IT CAN AND BRINGING THEM DOWN.
>> AS BOTH CAMPUSES ADOPTED THAT EIGHT PERIOD SCHEDULE, YOU SEE THERE'S STILL SOME FLEXIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT WE MEET THE NEEDS OF THAT SCHOOL COMMUNITY.
CONSIDERATION, AS WE START TO TALK ABOUT AN EIGHT-PERIOD DAY FOR THE CONTINUATION OF THE EIGHT-PERIOD DAY AT THESE TWO SCHOOLS AND OTHER CAMPUSES.
ALL OF OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN SHARED.
THEY HAVE EXAMINED WHAT THEIR DATA LOOKS LIKE IN RELATION TO ACCELERATED INSTRUCTION NEEDS.
WE HAVE A CONTINUUM OF WHEN YOU WOULD CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY OF ADOPTING AN EIGHT-PERIOD DAY.
WE DETERMINED THAT IF YOU HAVE LESS THAN 30% OF YOUR CAMPUS IS ACCELERATED INSTRUCTION AND APPROACHES LOW, YOU MAY CONTINUE WITH A SEVEN-PERIOD DAY.
WE CAN ACCOMMODATE THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS THAT REQUIRE INTERVENTION, SO THAT'S AN OPTION.
WE HAVE, AS WE'VE EXPRESSED THE EIGHT-PERIOD DAY, WE ALSO ARE VERY DATA-DRIVEN AND NEED VOICE FROM THE CAMPUS LEADERS AND THEIR TEACHERS AS WELL.
WE ALSO IN CONSIDERATION, HAVE SAID, IF YOU HAVE LESS THAN 25% OF OUR CAMPUSES, NEEDING THAT ACCELERATED INSTRUCTION AND APPROACHES LOW, THEY TOO MAY CONSIDER CONTINUING WITH THE MORE TRADITIONAL SEVEN-PERIOD DAY.
OF HIGH CONSIDERATION, OF COURSE, IS, IF WE HAVE GREATER THAN 30% OF THE CAMPUS, REQUIRING ACCELERATED INSTRUCTION AND APPROACHES LOW TO ADOPT THE EIGHT PERIOD DAY, IT IS THE RECOMMENDATION.
IF YOU HAVE GREATER THAN 25%, WE HAVE A CAMPUS, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT HAS 27%.
THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THEN AS A LEADERSHIP TEAM THAT YOU WOULD CONSIDER AN EIGHT-PERIOD DAY.
THIS WAS THE CRITERIA FOR HOW YOU VET IF YOU WANT TO GO DOWN THE PATH OF THAT EIGHT-PERIOD DAY AND WHERE IT REALLY BECOMES ALMOST ESSENTIAL TO ENSURE THAT STUDENTS HAVE WHAT THEY NEED AND OUR TEACHERS HAVE WHAT THEY NEED.
CANDIDATES FOR THE EIGHT-PERIOD DAY ARE LISTED FOR YOU HERE.
[01:55:03]
CAMPUSES THAT ARE CONTINUING IN THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR UNDER THE AMAZING LEADERSHIP OF THESE TWO PRINCIPALS, INCLUDE CD FULKES AND HERNANDEZ, CANDIDATE CAMPUSES FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR THAT ARE REVIEWING THE EIGHT-PERIOD DAY INCLUDE GRISHAM, CHISHOLM TRAIL, HOPEWELL, DEER PARK, AND RIDGEVIEW.AGAIN, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE CANDIDATES AND YOU GO BACK TO THE CRITERIA, THE CANDIDATES THAT ARE LISTED MEAN THAT THEY EITHER ARE FALLING AT ABOVE 30% OF STUDENTS NEEDING THAT LEVEL OF INTERVENTION OR GREATER THAN 25%, PERHAPS FALLING BETWEEN 25 AND 29.
WITH THAT SAID, WE WILL OPEN IT UP AND SEE WHO HAS THE FIRST QUESTION.
>> I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU.
I FEEL LIKE THE THEME BETWEEN THE LAST TWO PRESENTATIONS HAS BEEN THE DISTRICT, LOOKING AT BOARD GOALS AND LOOKING AT THE DATA AND RESPONDING IN WAYS THAT THIS EFFECTIVELY PROVIDE INTERVENTION TO OUR STUDENTS, RESPONDING TO THE COMMUNITY AND OUR STUDENTS, NOT WANTING TO GIVE UP AN ELECTIVE, TO CONTINUE WITH DYSLEXIA INTERVENTION OR ANY OTHER INTERVENTION THEY MAY NEED AND GIVING THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAINTAIN THOSE ELECTIVE SELECTIONS BECAUSE IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO STUDENT WELL BEING.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THE RESPONSIVENESS OF THE DISTRICT IN ALL OF THESE AREAS.
I THINK MY ONLY QUESTION IS, I REALLY WANT TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT LIZARD SCHOOL.
>> THE LIZARD SCHOOL IS NEW TO US THIS YEAR, AND THAT IS ONE THING THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PUT IN PLACE REALLY BECAUSE OF THIS.
I HAVE, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THREE OF MY ELECTIVE TEACHERS, LET'S SEE, BAND TEACHER, CHOIR TEACHER.
ALL MY LIZARD SCHOOL TEACHERS, AND THEN MY BEHAVIOR INTERVENTIONIST IS PART OF THAT TEAM AS WELL.
WE OFFER A VARIETY OF LESSONS.
THE FIRST ONE IS, IF YOU ARE A NEW STUDENT AT CD FULKES, THEN PART OF YOUR ORIENTATION IS WE ASSIGN YOU TO LIZARD SCHOOL THE FOLLOWING MONDAY THAT YOU START, AND THAT TEACHER PULLS YOU AND DOES A FULL ORIENTATION OF WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR THE CAMPUS.
WE LOVE THAT BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST A ONE TIME THING, IT'S OFFERED CONTINUALLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FOR ANY NEW STUDENTS THAT COME.
THEN ALSO, I FELT THE NEED FOR US TO HAVE A TEACHING RESPONSE TO SOME OF THE BEHAVIORS THAT WE WERE SEEING.
I DIDN'T WANT IT TO BE THAT IF A STUDENT CAME TO THE OFFICE FOR A CERTAIN BEHAVIOR WAS REFERRED TO US, THAT WE MAYBE JUST CALLED THE PARENT COUNSEL.
THEY MAY HAVE A CONSEQUENCE AND SO FORTH, BUT IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR ME THAT THERE BE SOME TYPE OF TEACHING PIECE ALSO TO THAT.
WE CAME TOGETHER AND WE CREATED A SERIES OF LESSONS ON A VARIETY OF TOPICS, CELL PHONE USE, TARDIES THE CLASS, ETC.
THEN THAT'S ONE THING THAT WE DO IS WE'LL ASSIGN KIDS INTO ONE OR MORE SESSIONS OF LIZARD SCHOOL AS TO BE THE RETEACH OF THE POSITIVE BEHAVIOR THAT WE'RE EXPECTING, AND THEN ALSO THE WHY?
>> WHY IS THIS AN EXPECTATION THAT WE'RE ASKING STUDENTS TO FOLLOW? AN EXAMPLE IS TARDIES.
THAT'S A TRICKY ONE TO ADDRESS IN A MEANINGFUL WAY FOR KIDS.
IF WE ASSIGN A STUDENT TO LIZARD SCHOOL FOR TARDIES, THE LIZARD SCHOOL TEACHER WILL PULL THEM DURING ADVISORY.
THEN THEY WILL BRING A MAP OF THE BUILDING AND THE STUDENTS SCHEDULE, AND THEY WILL SIT DOWN WITH THEM AND WE ALWAYS TAKE THE APPROACH OF MAYBE YOU HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT THE BEST WAY SO WE'RE GOING TO HELP YOU FIGURE OUT THE BEST PATH TO GET TO YOUR CLASSES ON TIME.
THEN THE LIZARD SCHOOL TEACHER WILL FOLLOW UP WITH THEM AND SO FORTH.
AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'RE TRYING TO CREATE THAT POSITIVE TEACHING PART FOR OUR STUDENTS AND NOT JUST CHECK A BOX AND MOVE FORWARD.
>> THANK YOU. I THINK THAT'S ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL.
JUST THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING.
>> MADAM CHAIR, I HAVE QUESTIONS FOR THE PANEL, A COUPLE.
THE FIRST ONE, AND THESE MIGHT BE THINGS THAT YOU ALL SAID OR IS IN THIS, AND I DIDN'T SEE IT OR MISSED IT.
WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE ACCELERATED INSTRUCTION, IT SAYS, STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED 30 OR 15 HOURS, IN NO MORE THAN TWO CONTENT AREAS.
HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHICH TWO CONTENT AREAS FOR A STUDENT THAT MIGHT HAVE A THIRD OR FOURTH EVEN?
>> ESPECIALLY FOR OUR FIFTH TO SIXTH GRADE STUDENTS, THEY MAY COME TO US WITH DOES NOT MEET LOW IN MATH,
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SCIENCE, AND LANGUAGE ARTS, AND WE PRIORITIZE MATH AND LANGUAGE ARTS.BUT IF THEY FAIL TWO AND THE OTHER HAPPENED TO BE SCIENCE, THEY WOULD JUST DO THOSE TWO.
>> COOL. THEN THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE BECAUSE IT WASN'T MAKING SENSE TO ME A LITTLE BIT.
IF A STUDENT DOESN'T HAVE ANY INTERVENTIONS, DO THEY JUST HAVE A FOURTH ELECTIVE?
>> WOW. [LAUGHTER] THAT'S PRETTY COOL.
>> WE DO NOT HIGHLIGHT THAT PIECE, BUT YES. IT'S ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL.
EBONY TALK ABOUT THIS, BUT WE HAVE STUDENTS AT HERNANDEZ WHO ARE IN THE BAND AND IN THE ORCHESTRA.
>> OR BAND AND JAZZ BAND OR CHOIR AND THEATER.
OUR MUSICAL THEATER KIDDOS, THEY'RE RISING.
>> THAT'S GREAT. THAT'S ALL I GOT.
>> WE ARE SO NICE TO EACH OTHER. THANK YOU.
THIS IS A VERY GOOD CASE STUDY AND I REALIZED THAT AT THE END, YOU HAD THE RECOMMENDATION FOR WHAT IF YOU WANT TO DO IT OR NOT, THE SLIDE NUMBER 20 IS REALLY GOOD.
I JUST HAD ONE QUICK QUESTION.
I KNOW WE SHOW ALL THE BENEFITS, AND I'M JUST CURIOUS, IS ANY TEACHER OR ARE WE PUTTING MORE WORK LOAD ON TEACHERS IF WE CHANGE THE APR?
>> CERTAINLY, IF A TEACHER GOES FROM ONE PREP TO TWO PREP, IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT THERE IS MORE WORKLOAD TO THAT.
BUT I THINK THE DISTRICT SUPPORT FOR THAT IS THAT THEY PROVIDE THE LESSONS AND ASSESSMENTS, EVEN THE DAILY ASSESSMENTS.
THERE IS HEAVY SUPPORT FROM THE DISTRICT FOR TEACHERS.
THEY'RE NOT HAVING TO CREATE INTERVENTION LESSONS ON THEIR OWN.
THEY ARE NOT ONLY SUPPORTED IN BEING PROVIDED, BUT THERE ARE COACHES THAT COME OUT AND MEET WITH THEM AND HELP THEM WITH THAT AS WELL AND EVEN COME INTO THE CLASSROOM AND WE SUPPORT IN ANY WAY THEY CAN SO THERE IS HEAVY SUPPORT FOR THEM.
I WILL SAY, FOR US, AND I KNOW THIS IS TRUE FOR MS. PARKS AS WELL, EVERY TIME WE TAKE MAJOR ASSESSMENTS, WE COME THROUGH THAT DATA TO SEE WHO MIGHT NEED TO BE ADDED INTO THOSE.
EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE 30 HOURS, THEY HAVE 15 HOURS, WE DON'T PULL KIDS OUT OF THOSE.
THEY WOULD MEET THOSE 30 HOURS, THERE'S 45 MINUTES A DAY.
THEY'RE GOING TO MEET 45 MINUTES OR THOSE 30 HOURS VERY QUICKLY.
BUT WE RECOGNIZE THAT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THOSE 30 HOURS, IT'S ABOUT ACTUALLY CLOSING THE GAPS AND MEETING THE NEEDS FOR THOSE STUDENTS AND SO THEY STAY IN THERE.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS IS THAT THE TEACHERS OFTEN ADVOCATE FOR STUDENTS TO BE MOVED INTO THOSE INTERVENTION CLASSES AS WE ARE ABLE TO SEE HOW THE KIDS ARE PERFORMING NOT ONLY ON BENCHMARK ASSESSMENTS, LIKE OUR BIGGER ASSESSMENTS, BUT ALSO JUST IN THE DAILY PRACTICE WITH THE KIDS.
>> I ALSO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT AS MS. SATES TALKED ABOUT THE WHY.
I THINK OUR TEACHERS DO A REALLY GREAT JOB OF UNDERSTANDING OUR ULTIMATE GOAL OF THAT MEETS AND MASTERS.
POURING INTO OUR STUDENTS AND BUILDING THAT LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE IN THOSE INTERVENTION CLASSES, THEY CAN GO BACK TO THEIR TIER 1 CLASSES AND REALLY BE LEADERS IN THAT SPACE AS WELL BECAUSE WE DON'T EVER LOSE SIGHT OF THE FACT THAT WE KNOW MEETS GETS US TO 60% AND MASTERS GETS US TO 75%, AND THERE'S STILL THAT ROOM FOR CONTINUED GROWTH AND SO THAT REALLY IS SOMETHING TO HIGHLIGHT.
>> THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO BURN OUR TEACHERS.
THAT'S WHY I ASKED THIS QUESTION.
>> THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. IF I CAN, WEI, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW, OUR TEACHERS ACTUALLY TEACH SIX OF EIGHT PERIODS.
WE ALLOW OUR TEACHERS TO HAVE WHAT WE CALL TWO PLANNING PERIODS, WHICH IS TWO 45 MINUTES PLANNING PERIOD TO REALLY WORK.
WE TALKED ABOUT IT, MS. PARKS TALKED ABOUT THE PLC, BUT ALSO GIVING THEM ANOTHER 45 MINUTES TO WORK ON THEIR OWN IN THEIR CLASSROOMS OR DO WHATEVER THEY NEED TO DO.
THEN THANK YOU PENNY FOR SO MENTIONING THAT OUR TEACHING AND LEARNING, OUR COACHES WORKED AND SOME OF OUR TEACHERS WORK REALLY
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HARD TO CREATE THOSE INTERVENTION LESSONS TARGETED.THAT TO SUPPORT ALSO OUR TEACHERS BECAUSE, LIKE WHAT YOU JUST SAID, WE WANT TO MINIMIZE THE WORKLOAD ON OUR TEACHERS.
OBVIOUSLY, THEY CAN MODIFY IT AND TWEAK IT THE WAY THEY WANT TO TWEAK IT TO ACCOMMODATE THEIR STUDENTS NEEDS, BUT REALLY THE BULK OF THE WORK IS ALREADY DONE BY OUR, AS I SAID COACHES, TEACHERS, AND STAFF, CENTRAL OFFICE FOLKS WHO SUPPORTS THE WORK.
>> I WOULD ALSO ADD THAT BY CREATING AN ADDITIONAL PERIOD, THEY HAVE ABOUT THE SAME NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT THEY HAD IN THE SEVEN PERIOD DAY, THEY'RE JUST IN SMALLER CHUNKS AS OPPOSED TO HAVING 30 KIDS IN A CLASS.
>> TO SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS AN ACADEMIC TEACHER IN A SEVEN-PERIOD DAY TEACHES FIVE OF SEVEN AND HAS A PLC PERIOD AND A CONFERENCE PERIOD.
IN THE EIGHT-PERIOD DAY, THE ACADEMIC TEACHER TEACHES SIX OF THE EIGHT STILL GUARANTEED THAT PLC PERIOD AND THAT CONFERENCE PERIOD.
OUR ELECTIVE TEACHERS IN A SEVEN-PERIOD DAY TEACH SIX OF SEVEN.
IN THIS SCHEDULE, THEY ARE TEACHING SEVEN OF EIGHT, AGAIN, STILL HAVING THAT CONFERENCE PERIOD.
I REALLY WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO OUR ELECTIVE TEACHERS BECAUSE THEY ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY, OUR BAND TEACHERS THAT SAY, I GET THEM FOR BAND AND FOR JAZZ BAND.
THEN IF THEY WANT TO STILL GO TO THEATER, THEY CAN.
THEY'VE REALLY SEEN IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE WE KNEW THAT A NON-NEGOTIABLE WAS, WE WERE GOING TO PROTECT THAT 45-MINUTE CONFERENCE PERIOD.
>> MY QUESTION IS, WHAT ARE THE NEGATIVES OF IT? I THINK THIS IS AMAZING AND WHY WOULDN'T WE DO THIS ACROSS THE BOARD? IT'S MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR KIDS? IT'S MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERVENTION.
IS THERE A NEGATIVE TO THIS? IS THERE A NEGATIVE GOING I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG A NORMAL IN A SEVENTH PERIOD DAY? IS IT A 55-MINUTE CLASS PERIOD? IS IT A NEGATIVE THAT THEY HAVE 10 MINUTES LESS PER DAY TO HAVE THE CONTENT FOR THE CORE CLASSES? WHAT ARE THE NEGATIVES IN THIS? IF IT'S SO GREAT, I LOVE THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE MORE OPTIONS FOR ELECTIVES.
WHY AREN'T WE DOING THIS AT EVERY CAMPUS?
>> TO CREATE THE SCHEDULE, WE TOOK FIVE MINUTES FROM EACH CLASS.
IT'S FIVE MINUTES LESS THAN IT WAS PREVIOUSLY.
THEN OUR FOCUS WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GAVE STUDENTS WHO NEEDED ACCESS TO THAT SUPPORT IN CLASS.
WHILE THEY MIGHT HAVE LOST FIVE MINUTES IN THEIR CORE MATH CLASS, THEY GAINED 45 IN THEIR INTERVENTION CLASS TO REALLY SUPPORT THE NEED FOR THEIR GROWTH IN THAT AREA.
I WOULD SAY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S BEEN JUST A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE AS IT DOES INCREASE OUR ELECTIVE SIZES.
WE JUST HAVE TO BE CREATIVE OF WHEN WE OFFER CLASSES AND ENSURE THAT WE STILL GIVE THEM THAT ACCESS.
IT GROWS OUR PROGRAMS AND IF WE DIDN'T GROW IN PEOPLE.
WE JUST HAVE TO BE CREATIVE AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS OUR TEACHERS HAVE BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT LIKE, "WE HAVE 175 KIDS WHO WANT TO TAKE ART, BUT I CAN ONLY OFFER IT TO 120 BASED ON HOW MANY THEY CAN SEE IN A DAY." BUT I WOULDN'T SAY THAT THAT'S A DRAWBACK.
IT'S JUST THE WAY IT FALLS WHEN YOU HAVE A PERIOD LIKE THIS OR A SCHEDULE LIKE THIS.
>> I WOULD SAY THAT SCHOOL SIZE IS A FACTOR TO A CERTAIN EXTENT LIKE THE PHYSICAL BUILDING BECAUSE NOTICE WE HAVE ONE SIXTH GRADE LUNCH, ONE SEVENTH GRADE LUNCH, ONE EIGHTH GRADE LUNCH.
YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE UNLESS THERE'S A WAY TO THINK ABOUT IT THAT I DON'T KNOW, NOT SURE HOW YOU COULD HAVE TWO SIXTH GRADE LUNCHES, TWO SEVENTH GRADE LUNCHES, AND TWO EIGHTH GRADE LUNCHES.
I COULD BE WRONG, BUT I THINK THAT THAT IS PROBABLY A PART OF THE FACTOR TOO.
>> YOU'RE NOT WRONG. I LOOKED.
>> I THINK ONE OF THE OTHER PIECES IS IT SOUNDS VERY DIFFERENT AND IT WAS SCARY.
HONESTLY, I EXPECTED HEARING MORE CONCERN.
BUT I THINK IT WAS ABOUT REALLY EXPLAINING THE WHY AND GETTING PEOPLE AROUND THE TABLE BECAUSE IT'S IMPACTING OUR TEACHERS DIRECTLY.
I HAVE TO SAY, AS THE AREA SUPERINTENDENT OVER CD FULKES, I HAVE BEEN DELIGHTED WITH THE ENERGY, THE POSITIVITY AND THE KIDS.
WE HAVE THREE-MINUTE PASSING PERIODS AND YOU GO WALK THE HALLS OF CD FULKES, AND KIDS AREN'T IN THE HALLWAY, AS SOON AS THEY'RE IN CLASS AND THE LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT.
BOTH DR. NICHOLS AND DR. AZAIEZ HAVE BEEN
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IN THAT BUILDING AND I KNOW THAT YOU WILL HEAR THE SAME AT HERNANDEZ.IT IS REMARKABLE THE LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT.
I THINK A LOT OF IT HAS TO DO WITH THE CONFIDENCE THAT OUR KIDS ARE EXPERIENCING NOW FROM GETTING WHAT THEY NEED WHILE HAVING OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT MIDDLE SCHOOL IS ABOUT.
>> IF I MAY ADD, DOESN'T MATTER WHAT NEGATIVE STUFF.
I DON'T THINK THERE IS PROBABLY ONE.
I USED TO BE A MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL.
WE TRIED EVERY DIFFERENT BUS SCHEDULE UNDER THE SUN.
I CAN TELL YOU ONE OF THE COMPLAINTS WOULD BE LIKE, THEY HAVE ANOTHER PASSING PERIOD FOR THE STUDENTS, SO HAVE A CHANCE TO WALK OR SKIP A CLASS OR WHATEVER.
BUT REALLY THAT'S NOT REALLY A BIG THING WHEN YOU CONSIDER ALL THE BENEFIT THAT APR WILL ALLOW FOR STUDENTS TO HAVE, WHETHER IT'S INTERVENTION, ACCESS TO OTHER ELECTIVES, AND INCREASE THE SENSE OF BELONGING, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
WE DIDN'T WANT AS A DISTRICT, AND I WANT TO ALSO REALLY THANK OUR TWO AMAZING PRINCIPALS HERE AND OBVIOUSLY OUR ERA SOUPS FOR BEING TRAILBLAZERS BECAUSE WE CAN JUST LIKE SAY, LET'S GO EVERYBODY DO IT.
APPLAUD THEM FOR TRYING IT AND TESTING OUT AND REALLY PILOTING IT.
BUT PERSONALLY, I DON'T SEE NOTHING NEGATIVE.
THIS IS ACTUALLY WOULD BE BENEFICIALLY TO OUR STUDENTS AND TO OUR TEACHERS TOO.
THE FACT THAT THEY CAN SEE THEIR KIDS TWICE A DAY, SOMETIMES.
OUR TEACHERS WANT TO HELP THEIR STUDENTS.
THEY KNOW THAT SOME OF THEM NEED THAT EXTRA SUPPORT, BUT THE PROBLEM IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE TIME FOR THEM BUILT IN TO ALLOW THEM TO SEE THEIR KIDS, SPEND MORE TIME WITH THEM AND HAVING EIGHT PERIODS WILL ALLOW THEM TO SEE MORE OF THEIR STUDENTS EVERY DAY, AND SO THEY CAN ACTUALLY HELP THEM CATCH UP, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE FUN AND BEHIND IN READING OR MATH OR WHATEVER.
>> I DIDN'T MEAN THAT AS A NEGATIVE QUESTION.
I KNOW I ASKED FOR THE NEGATIVES, BUT IT SOUNDS SO WONDERFUL.
MY APPLAUSE TO THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX OF, HOW DO WE PROVIDE MORE SUPPORT TO OUR STUDENTS WHILE ALSO ALLOWING THEM THE OPTIONS TO STILL EXPLORE THEIR INTERESTS? I THINK THAT THAT IS SUCH A WIN WIN FOR EVERYBODY.
I'M EXCITED FOR THESE OTHER FIVE SCHOOLS THAT MAYBE WILL BE CANDIDATES THAT CAN HAVE THESE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEIR KIDDOS AS WELL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> TRUSTEE ROSS, I DIDN'T SEE YOUR LIGHT AGAIN, BUT GO AHEAD.
>> PUSHED THE BUTTON. [LAUGHTER] THERE'S A LOT THAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS.
DEFINITELY, IT SEEMS LIKE THAT WOULD OPEN UP A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR EARNING HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT.
YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT YOUR TEACHERS ON YOUR CAMPUSES ARE REALLY EXCITED AND THEY LIKE IT.
IS THERE A PROCESS FOR FEEDBACK FROM THE POTENTIAL SCHOOLS? IS YOUR TEACHERS TALKING TO THOSE POTENTIAL TEACHERS, ANY OF THAT KIND OF STUFF?
>> NALEY, IF YOU CAN ANSWER THAT BECAUSE THEY DID THE SAME PRESENTATION.
YOU TALKED TO OUR PRINCIPALS, SO GO AHEAD.
>> WE HAVE WHAT WE CALL OUR CASCADE OF INFORMATION WITHIN SCHOOLS AND INNOVATION.
BEFORE I ANSWER THAT, CAN I FIRST JUST GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE? I AM INCREDIBLY BLESSED TO HAVE SUCH A WONDERFUL TEAM.
THE IMPETUS FOR THIS IDEA FIRST STARTED WITH MS. PARKS. SHE WAS TRYING TO SOLVE A PROBLEM FOR A MASTER SCHEDULE ONE YEAR.
WE WANTED TO CHANGE OVER AT THE BREAK, BUT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO.
AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, WE SAID, WE'RE GOING TO INTERROGATE THIS IDEA AS FAR AS WHAT WE WANTED TO DO.
SHE KNEW THAT DEFINITELY SHE WANTED TO GO TO AN EIGHT-PERIOD DAY.
THEN WHAT WE SAID IS, HEY, THIS WILL ALLOW FOR MORE INTERVENTION PERIODS.
THIS IS WHERE IT INITIALLY STARTED.
THEN AFTER THE CONVERSATION, ONE OF THE BOARD MEETINGS IN REGARDS TO DYSLEXIA IT JUST STARTED TAKING ON A LIFE OF ITS OWN AS FAR AS WHAT THIS COULD POTENTIALLY DO FOR OUR CAMPUSES.
I WANT TO APPLAUD THE FACT THAT AS DR. AZAIEZ SAID, THAT THEY DECIDED TO BE TRAILBLAZERS AND GO FOR IT AND BUILD ALL THE SYSTEMS IN AND AROUND IT.
IT'S NOT JUST A MATTER OF THAT THEY BUILT THE MASTER SCHEDULE, BUT THEY ALSO HAD TO BUILD THE CULTURE AND THE BUY IN FROM THEIR TEACHERS.
THEY SPENT EXTRA TIME DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR TO COME TO A TWO-DAY TRAINING WHERE THEY CAME AND LED THE WAY WITH THEIR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS, THEIR REGISTRARS, AND THEY ALL SAT DOWN IN THE ROOM WITH THE AREA SUPERINTENDENTS AND TALKED THROUGH THIS AND PLAN THIS TOGETHER.
WHAT DO WE WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE? WHY DOES IT HAVE TO LOOK? WHAT THINGS ARE WE GOING TO KEEP THE SAME? WHAT THINGS ARE GOING TO BE DIFFERENT?
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I REALLY WANT FOR EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND THE LEVEL OF WORK AND THINKING AND THOUGHT AND PLANNING THAT THEY PUT WITHIN THIS PROCESS.I'M SO INCREDIBLY PROUD OF THEM.
I WANT TO ALSO CALL OUT TEACHING AND LEARNING, RODRIGO, LAUDA, YOU HAVE SONNY AND KIMBERLY, AND THE MTSS TEAM AND THE WORK THEY HAD TO DO IN ORDER THEN TO SUPPORT THE INTERVENTION.
EVERYONE ALTOGETHER IN THE SYSTEM CAME TOGETHER TO FIGURE OUT, IF THIS IS GOING TO WORK, HOW ARE WE GOING TO MAKE IT WORK? THEY TOOK THAT SUMMER AND BUILT THAT CURRICULUM FROM SCRATCH IN ORDER TO SUPPORT THOSE CLASSES TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING TO DO WITHIN THAT SPACE.
EVEN AS FAR AS HOW RODRIGO AND HIS TEAM LOOKED INTO I-READY WAS PART OF THIS PROCESS AS WELL.
HOW WOULD IT SUPPORT INTERVENTION?
I>> CAN'T REMEMBER HOW MANY MONTHS BACK, WE DID A PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD IN REGARDS TO THE SCHOOL TARGETED SUPPORT AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
EVEN THAT WAS PART OF THE PROCESS.
WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO GO AND GET LIKE 20 INTERVENTIONS BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT IT WOULD TAKE IF WE HAD TO GO AND CREATE MORE ALLOCATIONS IN ORDER TO MEET THE INTERVENTION NEEDS OF THE CAMPUSES.
EVEN AS FAR AS GETTING THE BIND FOR THE TEACHERS WAS HUGE.
ONCE THEY WERE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THIS EXPERIENCE LOOKED LIKE FELT LIKE, HOW TO SUPPORT IT, THEN THEY WERE THE ONES THEN THAT WENT TO THE REST OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOL ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS IN ORDER TO GIVE THEIR TESTIMONY.
HERE'S WHAT IT FELT LIKE, HERE'S WHAT WE DID.
HERE'S WHY WE DID IT, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO HAVE FIRSTHAND EXPERTS IN THE FIELD TO ASK THAT QUESTION IN ORDER TO GAIN THAT BUY-IN.
LAUDA WAS AMAZING AS FAR AS CREATING AN ALGORITHM, AS FAR AS WHY.
IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE PEOPLE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS, WHO NEEDS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT, AND WHY DID THEY NEED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT AND TO STILL GIVE THEM VOICE AND CHOICE.
A COUPLE OF MONTHS BACK, WE PRESENTED THIS INFORMATION.
THEY WERE ABLE TO TALK TO PENNY AND EBONY, AND THEN THE PRINCIPALS THEN TOOK IT BACK TO THEIR CAMPUSES.
THE INFORMATION THAT WE GAVE, THEY THEN TALKED THROUGH IT WITH THEIR STAFF.
IT WAS NOT A MATTER OF ANYONE WAS TOLD.
HERE'S THE WHY, HERE'S WHAT WE'RE ACCOMPLISHING.
HERE'S THE ALLOCATIONS WE HAVE.
EVERYTHING WAS PRESENTED, AND WHERE TO MAKE A DECISION TO CONVINCE THEIR STAFF, HERE'S WHY THIS IS A GOOD THING.
ALL OF THOSE PRINCIPLES HAVE ALREADY HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH THEIR TEAM.
THERE WERE MAYBE WEDNESDAYS OR TUESDAYS AS FAR AS PEOPLE WERE STILL HAD A CONCERN, BUT THE PRINCIPALS DID THE HARD WORK OF SITTING DOWN AND TALKING ONE-ON-ONE WITH THE STAFF MEMBERS WHO HAD PROBLEMS. STAND BEFORE YOU AS A PROUD SENIOR CHIEF OF EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING WITH MY ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENTS, MY AREA SUPERINTENDENTS, THESE PRINCIPALS.
I LOVE THE FACT THAT YOU CAN ALSO SEE THE SYNTHESIS OF THE WHOLE ENTIRE SYSTEM COMING TOGETHER.
IT'S NOT JUST A SILO, YOU DO THIS HERE AND HERE.
EVERYTHING IS INTERDEPENDENT, INTERRELATED.
I'M INCREDIBLY PROUD OF YOU GUYS.
I WAS SMILING THE WHOLE TIME. YOU GUYS KILLED IT.
>> MAY SHE ADD ONE MORE PIECE AS SHE'S LIKE WHISPERING HERE.
I WANT HER TO GO AHEAD IF WE MAY.
>> I THINK WHAT DR. NICHOLS WAS SAYING ABOUT WITH EBONY SOLVING FOR A PROBLEM, AND YOU HEARD ME TALK ABOUT LIZARD SCHOOL AND OTHER PIECES.
I THINK ALL OF THAT IS THE SAME FOR US, TOO.
WE HAD ALREADY, BEFORE WE WERE EVEN REALLY SERIOUSLY THINKING ABOUT THE INCREASED PERIOD, WE WERE ALREADY SPREADING INTERVENTION ACROSS OUR WHOLE MATH DEPARTMENT.
FOR US, SINCE WE WERE ALREADY THINKING DIFFERENTLY ABOUT HOW WE WERE GOING TO SERVE OUR KIDS IN TIER 1 INSTRUCTION AND TIER 2, IT WASN'T A GREAT LEAP BECAUSE IT'S PART OF A BIGGER PICTURE OF ALL OF THE EFFORT AND WORK ON THE CAMPUS.
TO ME, I THINK THAT'S THE KEY THAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT TO SAY IS IT'S NOT JUST A THING ISOLATED UNTO ITSELF, IT'S ONE PIECE OF A BIGGER PUZZLE, A BIGGER PICTURE.
>> I THOUGHT I HAD IT ON THEM. SORRY. NEW TO THIS.
WE HEARD A LOT ABOUT CORE TEACHERS AND HOW IT SEEMS THE CASE LOAD OR THEIR TOTAL AMOUNT OF STUDENTS SEEM TO BE ABOUT THE SAME.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR ELECTIVES AS A FORMER ART TEACHER? THE REMOVAL OF FIVE MINUTES GIVES ME HEART PALPITATIONS LATELY, [LAUGHTER] I DON'T KNOW, ATHLETICS, HOW DO YOU GET THEM DRESSED OUT? THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. THEN I WOULD BE WORRIED WHEN THEY ADD ON ANOTHER CLASS, ARE THEY ADDING ANOTHER 30 KIDS TO THAT LOAD?
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>> THEY CAN ANSWER THE SECOND ONE.
LET ME ANSWER THE FIRST, JUST FOR SOME CONSISTENCY.
IT'S THE SAME THING WE'RE DOING AT THE HIGH SCHOOLS.
EVERY PERIOD AT THE HIGH SCHOOL IS AN HOUR AND A HALF.
NOW WHAT YOU HAVE THERE IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME THING.
IT'S MORE ALIGNED MORE THAN IT EVER IS.
ALL YOU'RE SEEING IS THE SAME AMOUNT OF MINUTES YOU HAVE IN HIGH SCHOOL FOR A CLASS IS NOW WHAT YOU'RE SEEING THERE AS WELL.
BECAUSE NOW THERE ARE 45 MINUTES EACH, TWO PERIODS TOGETHER.
NOW, WHAT YOU SEE IS A TITLE ALIGNMENT BETWEEN WHAT A HIGH SCHOOL SCHEDULE IS AND A MIDDLE SCHOOL SCHEDULE.
REMEMBER, HIGH SCHOOL IS EIGHT PERIODS.
>> BUT IF YOU TAKE ART, YOU'RE ONLY TAKING IT FOR 45 MINUTES AND THEN YOU'RE MOVING ON.
YOU'RE NOT TAKING IT FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF.
>> JUST LIKE OUR PERIOD AT HIGH SCHOOL IS DIVIDED IN FOUR PERIODS, THEY'RE DIVIDED IN EIGHT, BUT IT'S MORE CLOSELY ALIGNED AS FAR AS THE MINUTES IN THE CLASSROOM.
>> I GUESS IT'S JUST THAT I DON'T SEE THE CONNECTION THE SAME WAY YOU DO, BUT FOR ME, IT WOULD BE IF I WAS TEACHING SCIENCE, GETTING THE LAB, GETTING THEM OUT AND WHATEVER, GETTING THEM DRESSED FOR PE AND BACK OUT.
IT REALLY DECREASES THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT THEY HAVE.
THEN MY BIGGEST CONCERN WOULD BE IF WE'RE ADDING ANOTHER 30 KIDS.
>> I WOULD SAY, YES, WE DO ADD MORE KIDS TO THAT, BUT OUR TEACHERS ARE EXCITED TO GROW THEIR PROGRAMS. OUR BAND AND ORCHESTRA ARE EXCITED THAT THEY HAVE BIGGER GROUPS OF STUDENTS TO MAKE THEIR MUSIC.
LIKE I SAID EARLIER, ART, WE DON'T HAVE AS MANY PEOPLE TO SPREAD THAT OUT, BUT I WOULD SAY ENLARGE OUR PERFORMING ARTS ARE EXCITED TO GROW THEIR PROGRAMS.
>> I ALSO WANT TO ADD, AND WHEN WE LOOK AT THE CONSIDERATION.
AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR MENTIONING DR.
CARLIN GONZALEZ BECAUSE SHE REALLY DEVELOPED THE CRITERIA OF WHAT WE WOULD CONSIDER.
SO MANY TIMES, AND THIS HAS BEEN FOR DECADES IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, OUR ELECTIVE TEACHERS HAVE BEEN DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE THEY DON'T GET TO HAVE THE STUDENT THAT IS PASSIONATE ABOUT ART OR BAND, BECAUSE THE CHILD NEEDED THAT INTERVENTION.
IN THIS SITUATION AND FOR OUR CAMPUSES, WHEN WE LOOK AT GREATER THAN 30% OF OUR STUDENTS NEEDING AN INTERVENTION, AND THEN ADD ON TOP OF THAT OUR DYSLEXIA INTERVENTION.
IT IS MORE, BUT I THINK IT'S BALANCING OUT TO WHAT WE HONESTLY HAVE LONGED TO HAVE IN THOSE ELECTIVE PERIODS.
COULD SOME OF THOSE CLASSES BE BIGGER NOW? ABSOLUTELY, BUT ACTUALLY IT'S A WELCOME BENEFIT FOR OUR STUDENTS AND OUR PROGRAMS AND TEACHERS.
>> JUST TO ADD TO WHAT NANCY IS SAYING.
IF I'M A STUDENT, I NEED TO RECEIVE DYSLEXIA SERVICES, AND I ALSO NEED INTERVENTION.
I HAVE MY FOUR CORES, I HAVE TO BE IN THOSE FOUR BECAUSE THAT'S THE STATE REQUIRES.
THEN I HAVE TO BE TAKING DYSLEXIA SERVICES. THEN I HAVE TO BE PE.
REMEMBER, TWO YEARS, I HAVE TO TAKE PE.
THEN THE LAST ONE IS INTERVENTION.
SEVEN. AS A STUDENT WHO MAY BE RECEIVING DYSLEXIA SERVICES AND ALSO INTERVENTION, I HAVE NO ROOM IN MY SCHEDULE TO TAKE ANY FINE ARTS, ANYTHING THAT HAS RELATED TO THEATER ARTS, ARTS, ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
BY GOING TO EIGHT PERIOD NOW, THAT'S ALLOWING THAT STUDENT TO AT LEAST TAKE THAT CLASS IF THEY WANT THAT KID TO TAKE THAT CLASS, IS THAT MAKE SENSE? IT'S REALLY THINKING ALSO FOR AGAIN, STUDENTS WHO SENSE OF BELONGING AND TAKING COURSES THAT THEY REALLY WANT TO TAKE THAT IN THE PAST, MAYBE WE HAD TO MAKE THAT DIFFICULT DECISION, OR SOMETIMES THE PARENT WILL DECIDE, YOU KNOW WHAT, I DON'T WANT MY STUDENTS TO BE IN DYSLEXIA PROGRAM ANYMORE.
NOW THAT'S EVEN A BIGGER PROBLEM FOR THE CHILD.
>> DO YOU HAVE YOUR BUTTON? I DON'T.
[LAUGHTER] IT'S NOT ON. BUT GO AHEAD.
>> I THINK IT'S THE ENDS. THAT'S THE PROBLEM.
ONE COMMENT, FIRST OF ALL TO DR. AZAIEZ.
I TAKE UMBRAGE WITH THE FACT THAT OUR STUDENTS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL SKIP CLASS.
THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS [LAUGHTER] ESPECIALLY SATURDAY.
THEN THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS, AND THIS MAY BE SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN'T GET LEGITIMATE ANSWERS TO.
BUT WHAT IS THE STUDENT FEEDBACK ON THIS? HOW DO THEY LIKE IT? I KNOW A LOT OF KIDS ARE GOING TO BE LIKE, I'M GOING TO LOSE FIVE MINUTES IN MATH. THAT'S TERRIBLE.
BUT FOR A MAJORITY OF THE STUDENTS,
[02:25:03]
IF YOU GET A GAUGE, I KNOW YOU KNOW YOUR CAMPUSES VERY WELL, BUT I KNOW IT'S HARD BECAUSE THEY'RE NEVER GOING TO TELL AN ADULT EXACTLY HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT IT.>> WE ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT THIS, ESPECIALLY WITH OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE IN MATH INTERVENTION.
THEY WERE ANNOYED WITH US, THAT THEY HAD TO HAVE MORE MATH.
BUT BECAUSE THE CURRICULUM IS SO WELL WRITTEN AND TIGHTLY ALIGNED TO WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN THEIR CORE CLASS, THEY GET ACCESS TO THE VOCABULARY BEFORE THE LESSON STARTS.
WHEN THEY GO INTO THEIR MATH CLASS, THEIR CORE MATH CLASS, THEY HAVE A LITTLE MORE CONFIDENCE THAN THEY WOULD HAVE HAD NORMALLY.
NOW THEY SEE IT AS A BENEFIT, WHEREAS BEFORE THEY WERE NOT AS PLEASED TO HAVE MORE MATH TIME.
>> LOVE MIGHT NOT BE THE WORST, BUT THEY APPRECIATE IT [LAUGHTER]
>> I KNOW MOST OF THEM WOULD RATHER HAVE A ZERO-PERIOD DAY, BUT STILL GREAT. THANK YOU.
>> I'M SORRY. CAN I JUST ADD ON TO THAT? JUST TO SAY I HAVE A SIXTH GRADER ARE GOING INTO SIXTH GRADE NEXT YEAR AND IS THRILLED THAT HE GETS TO TAKE SPANISH IN SIXTH GRADE AND GET THOSE ELECTIVES THAT LANGUAGE STARTED EARLY SO THAT HE HAS MORE OPPORTUNITY LATER ON.
EVEN JUST FOR STUDENTS WHO AREN'T GOING TO NEED THAT EXTRA FOR INTERVENTION, BEING ABLE TO, LIKE YOU SAID, MORE COLLEGE COURSES LATER ON, IT GIVES MORE OPPORTUNITY.
>> I JUST HAVE A COUPLE COMMENTS AND ONE QUICK QUESTION, WHICH IS REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE HEARING YOU VOICE OVER, ALL MY QUESTIONS YOU WERE ANSWERING AS YOU WERE VOICING OVER.
FIRST OF ALL, DR. AZAIEZ, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AND TO ADMINISTRATION, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING PRINCIPALS.
IT IS SO LOVELY, PRINCIPAL PARKS AND PRINCIPAL OATS, TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM PRINCIPALS.
SOMETIMES WE'RE REALLY HUNGRY FOR SKI-LEVEL FEEDBACK ON THIS BOARD.
TO BE ABLE TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR LIVED EXPERIENCE FEELS SO GOOD AND SO RIGHT AND SO IMPORTANT.
THANK YOU. IF THERE'S ANY WAY FOR MORE OF THIS, HOORAY, MORE OF THIS, PLEASE.
I WANT TO SAY THAT I'M NOT SURE WHO SAID IT, BUT I APPRECIATE YOU THINKING ABOUT INTERVENTION DURING THE SCHOOL DAY BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF CONSTRAINTS AROUND TRANSPORTATION.
OF COURSE, COST-WISE, BUT REALLY TIME-WISE, AND SO THEY ARE NOT OPTIONS FOR LATE BUSES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL BY AND LARGE, AND THAT IS AN EQUITY ISSUE BECAUSE THAT MEANS STUDENTS THAT NEED INTERVENTION DON'T ALWAYS HAVE THE OPTION TO STAY AFTER OR COME EARLY.
I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THINKING ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S BRILLIANT.
MY MAIN QUESTION IS, WILL THIS ALLOW AND THINKING ABOUT THE COMMUNITY? AND I'M THINKING ABOUT THE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK A LOT BECAUSE WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR OR SO WE'LL GO BACK INTO GOAL SETTING AGAIN, AND WE'LL GET THAT COMMUNITY FEEDBACK.
ONE THING WE HEAR OVER AND OVER AGAIN IS CTE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL.
IS THIS SOMETHING THAT OPENS THE DOOR FOR MORE CTE COURSES IN MIDDLE SCHOOL? IF SO, HOW WILL YOU HANDLE THAT DISPARITY BETWEEN CAMPUSES THAT DON'T HAVE THE EIGHT-PERIOD DAY AND CAMPUSES THAT DO?
>> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. I'M GOING TO OBVIOUSLY ONE OF OUR PRINCIPALS TO ANSWER.
OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE CTE, AS YOU KNOW, IN OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS, AND WE'RE PROUD OF THE WORK THAT OUR CTE TEACHERS ARE DOING AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL.
BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, EIGHT-PERIOD DAY WILL ALLOW FOR MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR KIDS.
THAT'S WHY WE TRY TO TALK TO OTHER MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPALS ACTUALLY BOTH AND WE BOTH TALKED TO THEM BEFORE.
WE DON'T WANT IT TO BE MORE LIKE A DISTRICT AND PUSH COMING FROM CENTRAL OFFICE.
WE WANT OUR PRINCIPALS WHO ARE ALREADY IMPLEMENTING THIS GREAT PROGRAM IS FOR THEM TO TALK TO THEIR COLLEAGUES AND ALSO SHOW THEM.
BUT PERSONALLY, I THINK IT'S A GREAT THING FOR THEM TO IMPLEMENT.
WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT MANY ALREADY THINKING ABOUT IT FOR NEXT YEAR, THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THOSE OPPORTUNITY FOR MORE STUDENTS.
BUT I GUESS WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT IT. [LAUGHTER]
>> CAN I OFFER JUST A DIFFERENT WAY TO LOOK AT IT? I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER THE PERCENTAGE.
CAN YOU GO TO WHAT SLIDE IS IT? IS IT 22? I'M MAKING NUMBERS UP. NOPE, BACK, RIGHT THERE.
WE DIDN'T GIVE YOU THE REAL NUMBERS, BUT IF I GAVE YOU, WE TALKED ABOUT TARGETED SUPPORT AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
WE KNOW WHAT OUR RATINGS AND WHAT THESE PERCENTAGES ARE.
REALLY AND TRULY, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, FOR THE CAMPUSES THAT ARE, LET'S SAY, I HAVE 50% OF MY KIDS NEEDING INTERVENTION.
THE WAY TO THINK ABOUT IT ALSO, IF I'M OFFERING AN EIGHT-PERIOD DAY, WITH THE SEVEN-PERIOD DAY, THERE WAS A HUGE AMOUNT OF KIDS WHO DIDN'T ACCESS ELECTIVES BAN.
EVEN THOUGH, AS WE'RE SAYING, THE CLASS IS BIGGER, REALLY,
[02:30:02]
THEY'RE NOT THE SAME SIZE AS OTHER CAMPUSES, BECAUSE MORE STUDENTS COULDN'T ACCESS IT BECAUSE THEY HAD TO BE IN INTERVENTION CLASSES.I WANT FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT DISPARITY.
WITH THE EIGHT-PERIOD DAY, THEY'RE ACTUALLY LEVELING WHAT OTHER PEOPLE WOULD NORMALLY GET.
THE BAND, COMING FROM CAMPUSES LIKE CD FULKES AND HERNANDEZ AND FEEDING INTO THOSE HIGH SCHOOLS, THEY DIDN'T HAVE AS MANY STUDENTS THEN THAT WERE FILLING.
IF YOU'VE EVER SEEN ON FRIDAY NIGHT, ONE OF OUR, WELL, I'LL JUST SAY STONEY POINT BAND.
I REMEMBER WHEN I BECAME AN AREA SUPERINTENDENT, I WAS USED TO THE ROUND ROCK HIGH SCHOOL BAND AND 20 MILLION PEOPLE.
IT WAS A SENSE OF DISSONANCE TO ME.
THE REASON IS, IF I HAVE A CAMPUS WHERE MORE KIDS HAVE TO TAKE INTERVENTION, THEN I CANNOT GO INTO BAND.
I CANNOT GO INTO THE ATHLETICS PERIOD.
THAT EXPERIENCE, THAT PRACTICE AND ALL THOSE THINGS THAT ARE REGULAR FOR OTHER CAMPUSES, THESE STUDENTS DON'T GET A CHANCE TO ACCESS.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LARGER CLASS SIZES, IT'S NOT LARGER BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE LARGER THAN OTHER SCHOOLS, IT'S NOW GOING TO BE ON PAR WITH WHAT OTHER CAMPUSES WE'RE HAVING IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I PUT THAT OUT THERE SO WE DON'T THINK THAT THEY'RE HAVING MORE.
NOW IT'S A MATTER I HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THE SAME LEVEL OF STUDENTS THAN OTHER PEOPLE HAVE.
THEN YOU WERE ASKING ABOUT THE [OVERLAPPING]
>> I WANT TO BE CLEAR. I DON'T HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THE CLASS SIZES.
I THINK THIS IS BRILLIANT BECAUSE IT SPREADS OUT THE KIDS.
THE FACT THAT IF YOU HAVE DYSLEXIA AND YOU GET PULLED OUT, IT REALLY OTHERS YOU IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN ELECTIVE.
I THINK THAT'S BRILLIANT. I'M NOT CONCERNED ABOUT THAT PART WHATSOEVER.
IT'S JUST WHEN WE START THINKING ABOUT HOW THIS ALSO OPENS OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADDITIONAL OFFERING.
THINKING ABOUT ONE THING I HAVE HEARD AT EVERY COMMUNITY FORUM, ANYTHING RELATED TO MORE CTE MIDDLE SCHOOL WITH PEOPLE NOT UNDERSTAND THE LIMITATIONS OF EXACT.
HOW MANY TEACHERS YOU HAVE BUDGET? IS THIS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADD MORE CTE? I'M NOT ASKING THIS BECAUSE I WAS A TEACHER; I'M ASKING BECAUSE THE COMMUNITY IS HUNGRY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. BUT THE THING IS FOR THESE CAMPUSES, EVEN IF WE ADDED, THEY COULDN'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT.
NOW THAT WE HAVE THE SCHEDULE, IF WE ADDED, THEY COULD NOW TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT, WHICH IS THE DIFFERENCE.
GIVING IT TO THEM WASN'T THE ISSUE.
IT WAS A MATTER OF THE KIDS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ACCESS BASED ON THE THINGS BY LAW THEY HAD TO TAKE.
>> PENNY OR EBONY AGAIN, THEY CAN TALK ABOUT.
I DIDN'T RUN YOUR NUMBER AS FAR AS CTE, BUT I GUARANTEE YOU THE CTE NUMBERS ARE HIGHER THIS YEAR THAN PREVIOUSLY.
JUST BECAUSE OF THE AP, MORE STUDENTS THAT HAVE ACCESS TO EXTRA PERIOD WHERE THEY CAN SELECT NOW A CTE CLASS.
MAYBE THEY COULDN'T DO IT LAST YEAR, BUT NOW I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT.
WE CAN RUN THE NUMBERS TO DOUBLE-CHECK ON THAT TOO.
>> I KNOW THE NUMBERS DISCUSSION CAN BE MAYBE DAUNTING FROM THE OUTSIDE, SO I UNDERSTAND THE QUESTIONS BECAUSE YOU'RE LIKE, IS IT GOING TO WORK OUT?
>> BUT IT HAS WORKED OUT, AND ALL OF THAT IS THE PUZZLE, THE GIFT, THE SKILL OF MASTER SCHEDULING AND BALANCING YOUR CORE CLASSES AND YOUR ELECTIVES CLASSES AND SO FORTH.
BECAUSE YES, WE'RE POURING MORE KIDS IN, BUT WE'RE ALSO OPENING MORE CLASS PERIODS.
I THINK FOR US, OUR CLASS SIZES ARE PROBABLY JUST LIKE WHAT DR. NICHOLS DESCRIBED.
OF COURSE, LIKE ALL MASTER SCHEDULES, SOME CLASSES ARE BIGGER AND SOME CLASSES ARE SMALLER JUST BY HOW THE SCHEDULE WORKS OUT.
BUT YES, I EXPERIENCE THE SAME THING WHEN I GO TO FIFTH-GRADE MEETINGS THIS TIME OF YEAR OR IN JANUARY, AND TALK TO PARENTS OR TALK TO PARENTS AT OUR SCHOOL NOW, THERE'S DEFINITELY A HUNGER FOR MORE CTE OFFERINGS FOR SURE.
I THINK IT'S WISE, I THINK PARENTS ARE WISE TO ASK FOR THOSE GIVEN HOW OUR WORLD IS.
>> ABSOLUTELY. WELL, I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR PUTTING THIS WORK TOGETHER AND FOR BRINGING THIS TO US AND FOR BRINGING IT TO US IN THE WAY THAT YOU HAVE.
I THINK SOMETIMES AS TRUSTEES, I'M WITH YOU, TRUSTEE LANDRUM.
I WAS SITTING HERE THINKING, WHAT COULD BE THE DOWNSIDES TO THIS? BUT I'M SURE THERE ARE, BUT THIS SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING YOU ALL, ESPECIALLY YOU PRINCIPALS HAVE LOOKED AT FROM ALL THE ANGLES, HAVE RECEIVED SOME FEEDBACK.
I'M EXCITED AND I HOPE THAT OTHER CAMPUSES WILL CONTINUE TO SEE THE BENEFIT.
THE AVERAGE ATTENTION SPAN OF A MIDDLE SCHOOLER IS LIKE 10-12 MINUTES.
PERSONALLY, I'M NEVER GOING TO BE WORRIED ABOUT SHORTENING CLASS A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO VARY THE ACTIVITIES ANYWAY.
I THINK THIS IS BRILLIANT AND SUPER GRATEFUL.
THANK YOU FOR COMING TONIGHT AND SHARING WITH US.
WOW. I FEEL LIKE WE'RE ON SUCH A HIGH NOTE.
LET'S KEEP IT UP AND GO TO TASB AND HUMAN RESOURCES COMPENSATION UPDATE.
[02:35:06]
WE ALSO HAVE OUR FRIEND FROM TASB, AMY.YOU'RE PROBABLY FAMILIAR WITH AMY.
HE HAPPENS TO BE A PARENT, TOO.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER, AND A TAXPAYER.
>> A PARENT AND A TAXPAYER. GOOD EVENING, TRUSTEES.
EXCUSE ME, GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT HARRISON, TRUSTEES, AND DR. AZAIEZ I'M A LITTLE RUSTY AT THIS.
WE ARE HERE TONIGHT TO PRESENT A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF COMPENSATION, WHERE WE STAND, AND IT'S REALLY TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL CONTEXT FROM WHAT YOU HEARD FROM MR. LOPEZ EARLIER IN REGARDS TO THE BUDGET.
USUALLY AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR, WE COME FORWARD WITH JUST STARTING TO TALK ABOUT RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT WE'RE NOT AT THAT PLACE RIGHT NOW WITH WHAT'S HAPPENING DOWN THE ROAD.
AMY'S GOING TO START US TODAY WITH A GENERAL MARKET OVERVIEW AND WHERE WE ARE POSITIONED IN THE POSITIONS, NOT JUST THE TEACHING POSITIONS, BUT ALL THE POSITIONS THAT WE STAFF IN THE DISTRICT, AND THEN KRISTIN'S GOING TO TALK A LITTLE MORE ABOUT LOCAL COMPARISONS AS WELL.
AS DR. AZAIEZ MENTIONED, AMY HAS BEEN WORKING WITH US FOR QUITE A WHILE, AND I'VE KNOWN AMY FOR OVER 10 YEARS.
SHE'S A GOOD PARTNER IN ALL OF THIS WORK, SO WE'RE REALLY GLAD TO HAVE HER HERE TONIGHT, AND I WILL TURN IT OVER TO HER.
IT'S GREAT TO SEE MANY OF YOU AGAIN AND NICE TO MEET THOSE OF YOU WHO I HAVEN'T YET.
IT'S A GOOD THING THAT EDDIE LIKES WORKING WITH ME BECAUSE IT IS A LEGISLATIVE SESSION YEAR WHERE THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE HAVE NOT YET AGREED ON ANYTHING SO IT COULD DRAG OUT VERY LONG.
WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ME SAY, AND I'M SKIPPING TO THE VERY LAST SLIDES NOW IN THIS TEASER, BUT YOU'LL HEAR ME TALK ABOUT THREE DIFFERENT COST MODELS.
I JUST WANT TO BE SUPER CLEAR THAT THAT IS WE'RE PUTTING A PIN IN SOME COST NUMBERS, AND WE WILL COME BACK WITH ANY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT NEED BE BASED ON WHATEVER THE LEGISLATURE ENDS UP DECIDING.
AS ALWAYS, WE WORK THROUGH YOUR DATA AND DATA WE COLLECT FROM SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND OTHER MARKET SOURCES TO ANALYZE HOW YOU COMPARE TO THE MARKET, ANALYZE INTERNAL EQUITY CHALLENGES, AND RECRUITING AND RETENTION CHALLENGES.
THEN WE MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADJUSTMENTS TO YOUR PAY PLANS AND PAY RATES.
ALL OF THAT IS DONE WITHIN THE SCOPE OF YOUR BUDGET.
THAT'S WHY, AGAIN, WE HAVE THREE DIFFERENT MODELS NOW AND IT'S STILL TO BE DETERMINED WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE MOVING FORWARD.
AS A REMINDER, ALL OF YOUR JOBS ARE GROUPED TOGETHER BASED ON THEIR VALUE.
THAT'S BOTH INTERNAL VALUE AND MARKET VALUE, WITH THE GOAL BEING PAYING AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE, MARKET-COMPETITIVE WAGES.
THE MARKET MOVES EVERY YEAR AND IT DOESN'T MOVE IN TANDEM.
JOBS CHANGE AT DIFFERENT RATES, AND IT IS VERY COMPLICATED TO CHECK.
WE DO OUR BEST TO PROVIDE THE DISTRICT WITH AS FRESH MARKET DATA AS POSSIBLE, AND THEN YOU DO YOUR BEST AS A DISTRICT TO ALIGN PEOPLE'S PAY WITH THOSE MARKET VALUES.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MARKET, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE MEDIAN VALUE OF THE ENTIRE DATASET THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
AS A REMINDER, THAT MEANS HALF OF THE PEERS ARE GOING TO BE ABOVE THAT POINT AND HALF BELOW.
WHEN WE'RE SAYING YOU'RE AT MARKET VALUE, IT MEANS YOU'RE THE MIDDLE OF THAT TARGET.
THIS YEAR, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE RECOMMENDING IS THAT YOU NARROW YOUR RANGES A LITTLE BIT, AND WHAT THAT DOES IS JUST BRING PEOPLE IN YOUR PAY STRUCTURE A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO THAT MARKET TARGET.
SOMETIMES PEOPLE THINK MARKET IS THE BEST IN THE AREA, WE'RE THE TOP PAYER, AND IN THIS CASE, IT'S NOT; MARKET IS THE MEDIAN.
THE PEER DISTRICT LIST IS SHOWN HERE, AND THIS HAS BEEN THE SAME PEER DISTRICT LIST THAT YOU'VE USED FOR MANY YEARS.
I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT WE WORK WITH 10 OF THE 11 PEERS MOST EVERY YEAR.
WE WILL BE DOING THESE EXACT SAME PRESENTATIONS FOR MOST OF THOSE PEERS.
I'VE ALREADY DONE ONE FROM THE GROUP, ONE OF YOUR NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBORS.
THERE WILL BE MANY MORE TO COME OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS.
YOU GET A LITTLE BIT OF A SNEAK PEEK BEING YOUR ONE OF THE EARLIER LEARNING ABOUT MARKET ADJUSTMENTS, BUT THEY'RE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT AS FAR AS WAITING FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION.
IN ADDITION TO LOCAL MARKET DATA FROM OUR SURVEY FOR ABOUT 150 DIFFERENT JOBS.
WE ALSO PURCHASE NON-SCHOOL MARKET DATA BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT JUST COMPETING WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS FOR A LOT OF THE POSITIONS YOU'RE FILLING.
WE PURCHASE NON-SCHOOL DATA FROM TWO DIFFERENT SOURCES, AND THAT'S OTHER PUBLIC SECTOR AND PRIVATE SECTOR VALUES,
[02:40:01]
AS WELL AS STATEWIDE DATA FOR POSITIONS IN CENTRAL ADMIN.MANY OF YOUR PEERS ARE SMALLER THAN YOU AND SO WE WANT TO BE SURE WE'RE COMPARING APPLES TO APPLES WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT JOB VALUE.
WE'RE GOING TO START WITH TEACHER DEMOGRAPHICS.
WHAT THIS LOOKS AT IS YOUR TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS, THEIR YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATION.
THE RIGHT HALF OF THAT PI REPRESENTS THE THREE SLICES ON THE RIGHT, REPRESENT ALL OF YOUR TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS WITH 10 TOTAL YEARS OR FEWER, AND THAT IS RIGHT AT 50%.
THAT'S A VERY TYPICAL DISTRICT DISTRIBUTION ACROSS THE STATE.
THAT COULD BE WITHOUT YOUR LABEL ON HERE THAT COULD BE ANY DISTRICT IN THE STATE.
LARGER URBAN DISTRICTS TEND TO HAVE A HIGHER POPULATION OF LESS EXPERIENCED TEACHERS, AND SMALL RURAL DISTRICTS TEND TO HAVE A SMALLER POPULATION OF LESS EXPERIENCED TEACHERS, AND YOU ARE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT.
ONE AREA THAT MAY, I GUESS, RAISE EYEBROWS A LITTLE BIT, BUT I WANT TO SAY IT SHOULDN'T, BECAUSE EVERYONE'S IN THE SAME BOAT, IS NEW HIRES.
THERE ARE HIGHER PERCENTAGES OF LESS EXPERIENCED STAFF THAT DISTRICTS ARE HIRING THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
MOST DISTRICTS THAT I'M WORKING WITH, INCLUDING MANY ON YOUR PEER'S LIST HAVE A MUCH HIGHER POPULATION THAN YOU DO OF INEXPERIENCED NEW HIRES.
WHILE THIS IS PROBABLY MORE INEXPERIENCED NEW TEACHER HIRES THAN YOU'RE ACCUSTOMED TO SEEING YOUR YEAR EVERY YEAR, YOU'VE HIRED MORE NEW TEACHERS WITH EXPERIENCE THAN MANY OF YOUR PEERS HAVE BOTH LOCALLY AND ACROSS THE STATE.
I THINK THERE'S JUST A THERE'S A LOT OF TEACHER TURNOVER IN THE STATE, AND MANY DISTRICTS ARE HIRING UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS AND LESS EXPERIENCED TEACHERS TO FILL VACANCIES, WHICH DRAWS THESE NUMBERS DOWN.
TEACHER MARKET COMPARISON, WE'RE GOING TO SEE FIRST TWO CHARTS SHOWING VISUAL DEPICTIONS, AND THEN WE'LL LOOK AT THE ACTUAL NUMBERS.
THIS IS LAST YEAR, JUST TO BE CLEAR, THIS IS 23-24.
I JUST WANTED TO SHOW YOU FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR HOW THAT COMPARISON HAS CHANGED.
LAST YEAR, YOUR ORANGE LINE THERE WAS ABOVE THE MARKET MEDIAN AT EACH OF THE SURVEYED POINTS IN THE RANGE.
THIS YEAR, YOU ARE EVEN WITH MARKET MEDIAN, NOT IN A BAD POSITION AT ALL, JUST NOT AS COMPETITIVE AS YOU WERE LAST YEAR.
THAT'S IN PART BECAUSE YOUR INCREASE WAS LOWER THAN THE MEDIAN PAY INCREASE FOR THIS YEAR, 24-25, YOUR PEER DISTRICTS GAVE ANYWHERE 0-4% PAY INCREASES, AND THE MEDIAN WAS A 2%, WHICH WAS MORE THAN ALL GAVE.
AGAIN, YOU DIDN'T FALL BELOW MARKET MEDIAN, BUT YOU ARE NOT AS FAR ABOVE AS YOU WERE LAST YEAR.
NUMBER-WISE, I'LL DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO THE BOTTOM TWO ROWS.
THOSE COLUMNS REPRESENT THE YEARS OF SERVICE BENCHMARKS THAT WE SURVEY FOR.
BUT YOU'LL NOTICE AT ZERO, FIVE, AND 10 YEARS, YOU'RE WITHIN ONE DOLLAR OR EVEN WITH MARKET MEDIAN, WHICH MEANS THE DISTRICT HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD AS FAR AS BEING COMPETITIVE.
THEN AT 15 AND 20, YOU ARE SLIGHTLY ABOVE MARKET, WHICH AGAIN IS A STRONG COMPETITIVE PLACE TO BE.
JUST NOT AS FAR AS YOU HAD BEEN IN PRIOR YEARS.
TEACHING AREA STIPENDS THESE ARE ADDITIVES PAID TO TEACHERS IN PARTICULAR AREAS OR FOR PARTICULAR DEGREE ATTAINMENT.
YOU ARE MARKET COMPETITIVE IN EACH OF THESE AREAS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SECONDARY SCIENCE, WHERE YOU'RE NOT OFFERING A STIPEND AND MORE OF YOUR PEERS DO.
THAT JUST MAY BE SOMETHING YOU CONSIDER, WHETHER THERE IS A NEED TO ADD THAT TO SUPPORT RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION.
THAT'S AN AREA, MARKET VALUE HAS BEEN PRETTY VOLATILE IN THE PAST TWO YEARS, BECAUSE FIRST ONE, THEN TWO OF YOUR NEIGHBORS DOUBLED AND TRIPLED THEIR VALUES FOR THAT, AND THAT DRAWS THE MEDIAN VALUE UP SIGNIFICANTLY.
WHERE MANY OF YOUR PEERS ARE PAYING 2,000 TO $3,000.
YOU HAVE A COUPLE PEERS PAYING PEERS PAYING 7,000 TO $7,500 FOR THAT.
THAT MAY BE AN AREA THAT IN THE FUTURE, YOU WANT TO CONSIDER ADJUSTING AS WELL.
NOW MARKET COMPARISONS FOR THE OTHER NONTEACHING AREAS.
YOUR JOB GROUPS ARE ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE, AND THEN THERE ARE A COUPLE OF COLUMNS.
I'LL TALK THROUGH IT ONCE, AND THEN WE'LL SPEED THROUGH THE NEXT ONE.
THE FIRST NUMBERS COLUMN IS YOUR AVERAGE EMPLOYEE PAY RATES COMPARED TO THE MARKET MEDIAN, SO 100% IS EVEN WITH MARKET, ANYTHING LESS THAN 100% IS BELOW MARKET ON AVERAGE, AND ANYTHING ABOVE 100% IS SLIGHTLY ABOVE MARKET ON AVERAGE.
THAT NEXT COLUMN IS YOUR PAY STRUCTURE MIDPOINT TO MARKET.
THE REASON WE LOOK AT BOTH OF THOSE IS BECAUSE AVERAGE PAY
[02:45:03]
IS HOW COMPETITIVELY YOU'RE PAYING THE PEOPLE CURRENTLY IN THE DISTRICT, AND STRUCTURE COMPETITIVENESS MEASURES HOW EASY IT WILL BE TO FILL A VACANCY WHEN YOU HAVE ONE.YOU WANT COMPETITIVE STRUCTURE SO THAT WHEN YOU POST VACANCIES, THE SALARIES YOU'RE OFFERING IN THE MARKET PLACE ARE COMPETITIVE.
YOU'LL NOTICE ALL OF THOSE NUMBERS ARE WITHIN JUST A COUPLE PERCENTAGE POINTS OF MARKET.
YOU'RE PAYING VERY COMPETITIVELY.
I ALSO SHOULD POINT OUT THAT QUITE A FEW OF THE POSITIONS AND INSTRUCTIONAL EXEMPT AND BUSINESS EXEMPT ARE SINGLE INCUMBENT POSITIONS.
IT'S ONE PERSON, ONE JOB TITLE COMPARED TO A WHOLE BUNCH OF ONE PEOPLE AND ONE JOB TITLES IN THE MARKET.
IT'S A LOT HARDER TO BE ON TARGET WITH MARKET COMPETITIVENESS THERE, BUT YOU ARE FOR ALL OF THOSE.
OTHER PROFESSIONAL IS WE'LL CALL IT YOUR PAPERY OF OTHER TEACHING JOBS LIKE A SCIENCE TEACHER, ROTC TEACHERS, AND ATHLETIC TRAINERS, THINGS LIKE THAT.
YOUR NON-EXEMPT GROUP INCLUDES THE BULK OF PEOPLE IN YOUR HOURLY JOBS IN THE DISTRICT, AND THIS IS QUITE A FEW PEOPLE IS WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET AT.
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT, INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT, OR STUDENT-FACING POSITIONS, OPERATIONAL SUPPORT OR YOUR AUXILIARY, CUSTODIANS, BUS DRIVERS, AND FOOD SERVICE WORKERS, AND THEN POLICE.
AGAIN, ALL OF THESE POSITIONS ARE PAID RELATIVELY CLOSE TO MARKET.
THIS GROUP ADDS IN PAY GRADE MINIMUM TO MARKET BECAUSE THAT IS A STRONGER MARKET POINT TO COMPARE.
THESE JOBS HAVE THE HIGHEST TURNOVER IN ANY DISTRICT, AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO OFFER STRONG STARTING PAY RATES.
AGAIN, AS EDDIE SAID, RECOMMENDATION HERE IS PROBABLY A MISNOMER, BUT CONSIDER THIS A FUTURE RECOMMENDATION, POSSIBLY.
WE CERTAINLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU CONSIDER SOME PAY GRADE ADJUSTMENTS TO BETTER ALIGN WITH MARKET WHERE INDIVIDUAL JOBS ARE NOT COMPETITIVE AND WHERE OTHER DISTRICTS AROUND YOU ARE INCREASING THEIR STARTING PAY RATES.
I'VE CREATED MULTIPLE PAY STRUCTURE OPTIONS SO THAT WHATEVER PAY INCREASE YOU'LL DO END UP WITH, THERE WILL BE A MATCHING PAY STRUCTURE TO GO WITH THAT.
THE PAY INCREASE OPTIONS THAT YOU'LL SEE NUMBERS FOR ARE ONE, TWO, AND 3% INCLUDING ADJUSTMENTS.
THOSE ADJUSTMENTS INCLUDE ALL OF THE THINGS WE'VE PRESENTED IN THE PAST.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE'S PAID AT LEAST AT THE MINIMUM OF THEIR NEW STRUCTURE.
STRATEGIC ADJUSTMENTS TO ADDRESS THOSE FOLKS WHO REFER THIS FROM MARKET.
TEACHER PAY EQUITY TO MAKE SURE THAT ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN PROMOTED TO A POSITION HIGHER IN THE EDUCATOR CAREER PATHWAY MAKES MORE THAN THEY WOULD MAKE ON A DAILY RATE BASIS AS A TEACHER.
THEN PLACEMENT SCALE ADJUSTMENTS TO ALIGN PAY WITH YEARS OF EXPERIENCE FOR HOURLY STAFF.
THERE ARE EXTRA COLUMNS THIS YEAR AND I'LL TALK THROUGH THEM REAL QUICK, BUT THE VERY FIRST COLUMN IS YOUR PAY GROUP NAMES.
THE SECOND COLUMN IS THE COST OF THE GENERAL PAY INCREASE BY PAY GROUP.
THAT'S THE ACROSS-THE-BOARD PORTION.
THE COLUMN FOLLOWING THAT ARE ADJUSTMENTS.
THOSE TIE BACK TO THAT LIST OF ADJUSTMENTS I JUST RAMBLED THROUGH.
THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES RECEIVING ADJUSTMENTS JUST SHOWS YOU HOW MANY PEOPLE IN EACH JOB GROUP ARE GETTING ADJUSTMENTS, SO YOU HAVE SOME FRAME OF REFERENCE FOR THOSE DOLLAR AMOUNTS.
THEN PERCENT OF EMPLOYEES SHOWS YOU EXACTLY WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE.
THE PERCENT OF EMPLOYEES RECEIVING ADJUSTMENTS IN EACH JOB GROUP, AND THEN THE AVERAGE TOTAL INCREASE BY JOB GROUP, AND THEN THE FINAL COLUMN JUST ADDS UP THE TOTAL COST.
WHILE SOME OF THE TOTAL ADJUSTMENT COST MAY BE SMALL FOR ADMIN SUPPORT, FOR EXAMPLE, THOSE ADJUSTMENTS ARE SPREAD THROUGH NEARLY THREE-QUARTERS OF THE STAFF.
THEN FOR SOME AREAS WHERE THE ADJUSTMENTS ARE LARGE, LIKE INSTRUCTIONAL EXEMPT, THAT IS ALL OF YOUR COUNSELORS, YOUR NURSES, YOUR RELATED SERVICES JOBS, CAMPUS ADMINISTRATORS, THOSE INCREASES ARE DISTRIBUTED TO MORE THAN 60% OF STAFF AS WELL, 2% LOOKS VIRTUALLY THE SAME EXCEPT YOU'LL NOTE THAT THE HIGHER THE PAY INCREASES, TYPICALLY, THE LOWER THE ADJUSTMENTS ARE, AND THE TOTAL BOTTOM LINE FOR THAT IS 2.5%.
THEN THE 3% IS AGAIN, VIRTUALLY THE SAME, WITH A TOTAL COST IMPACT OF 3.4%.
HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE.
>> TRUSTEES, WOULD YOU LIKE TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS NOW, OR WOULD YOU LIKE US TO CONTINUE ON WITH THE NEXT PRESENTATION AND SAVE QUESTIONS TILL THE END?
>> I DON'T SEE ANY LIGHT, SO I'M GOOD WITH YOU CONTINUING. THANK YOU.
>> BEFORE SHE GETS STARTED, I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE KRISTIN GRAY FOR OUR NEW TRUSTEES.
[02:50:01]
KRISTIN IS THE DIRECTOR OF COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS FOR OUR DISTRICT, AND SHE'S BEEN WITH THE DISTRICT FOR A LITTLE WHILE SHE TAUGHT ME MOST OF WHAT I KNOW.KRISTIN HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR A WHILE, AND SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR NEW TRUSTEES WERE FAMILIAR WITH HER? YOU'LL SEE HER AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR, AND THEN SHE GOES AWAY AND DOES ALL THE MAGIC WORK BEHIND THE SCENES. TURN IT OVER TO KRISTIN.
>> THANK YOU, EDDIE. LET'S WAIT FOR THE PRESENTATION HERE.
>> I'M SAD THAT I'VE MOVED TO HAVING TO WEAR GLASSES FROM A LONG TIME AGO WHEN I FIRST STARTED COMING TO THESE MEETINGS.
BEAR WITH ME AS I GET THROUGH MY GLASSES.
WE JUST WANTED TO DIG A LITTLE BIT MORE INTO SOME OF THE MARKET DATA.
THIS DATA THAT YOU'RE SEEING ON THE SCREEN HAS ACTUALLY PULLED FROM AMY'S TEAMS DATABASE.
IT'S A LOT OF WHAT SHE'S ALREADY TALKED ABOUT.
WHAT I LIKE TO JUST EMPHASIZE HERE IS ANYTHING IN THE GREEN FOR THOSE LOCAL DISTRICTS THAT HAVE A SALARY HIGHER THAN ROUND ROCK ISD.
FOR THE NUTA PROFESSION TEACHERS, WHAT WE SOMETIMES CALL THE ZERO-YEAR SALARY.
THAT'S WHERE WE HAVE SEEN SOME MOVEMENT IN OUR DISTRICT.
LAST YEAR, I THINK WE WERE AROUND THE THIRD HIGHEST AMONG THESE DISTRICTS WITH THE STARTING SALARY, AND NOW WE'RE TIED FOR I THINK IT'S LIKE SIXTH PLACE.
THAT'S JUST AN AREA AS WE TRY TO BE THE BEST AND RECRUIT THE BEST, THAT'S AN AREA THAT WE ALWAYS LOOK AT TO SEE HOW WE RECRUIT THE NEW TEACHERS.
WE'LL MOVE ALONG INTO SOME COMPARISONS AS WELL TO THAT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT A TOTAL HEALTH AND SALARY PLAN.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE IS TAKING TEACHER PAY AND ADDING IN WHAT THE DISTRICT HEALTH CONTRIBUTION IS ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, AND THEN TAKING OUT WHAT THE EMPLOYEE WOULD PAY IN TERMS OF EMPLOYEE PREMIUMS. THIS IS COMPARING ONE OF THE LOWEST COST OPTIONS OR THE LOWEST HEALTH PLAN OPTION IN THESE DISTRICTS.
WHEN YOU ADD UP THE TOTAL HEALTH VALUE, WE HAVE THEM LINED UP HERE IN ROUND ROCK ISD THERE IN THE BLUE HAS THE FIFTH HIGHEST SALARY VALUE FOR A TENURED TEACHER.
WHEN YOU COMPARE THE SAME THING FOR THE STARTING NEW TO PROFESSION TEACHER, WE'RE COMING OUT INTO THE MIDDLE THERE AT THE SIXTH HIGHEST.
I KNOW WE'VE TALKED BEFORE IN BOARD MEETINGS ABOUT THE HEALTH PLAN AND WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO INCREASE THE DISTRICT CONTRIBUTION FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS.
I KNOW THAT'S GOING TO BE JUST SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO CONSIDER AS WE GET THROUGH THE BUDGET DISCUSSIONS.
THE COST OF LIVING COMPARISON IS SOMETHING THAT I'VE JUST LOOKED AT THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, AND I WANT TO BE CLEAR: THIS ISN'T INFLATION.
WHAT THIS IS IS IT'S A SOURCE THAT I FOUND THROUGH THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CALLED BESTPLACES.NET.
WHAT IT DOES IS IT JUST LOOKS AT VARIOUS TYPES OF EXPENSES IN THE AREA.
WHEN YOU THINK OF THE US AVERAGE OF BEING AT 100 ROUND ROCK ISD OR THE CITY OF ROUND ROCK, I SHOULD SAY, IS ABOUT 17% HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGE OF THE US AND 29% FOR AUSTIN.
WE JUST LOOK AT THIS EACH YEAR.
WHEN I LOOKED AT BEST PLACES THIS YEAR, THE NUMBERS DIDN'T CHANGE.
ROUND ROCK HAS REMAINED ABOUT 17% ABOVE THE US AVERAGE.
WE TAKE THIS DATA AND WE COMPARE IT TO HOW WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO INCREASE SALARIES AND THE WHOLE TOTAL HEALTH PLAN.
THESE ARE JUST LOOKING AT SOME OF THE FOUR BENCHMARK JOBS IN OUR DISTRICT.
WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT A TEACHER ON THE LEFT SIDE, THE BLUE LINE REPRESENTS THAT SALARY AND HEALTH PLAN VALUE AS IT'S INCREASED OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, AND THEN THE ORANGE LINE IS THAT COST OF LIVING INDEX.
AROUND THE 2020 YEAR, WE HAD A SPIKE IN THE AREA JUST IN TERMS OF COST OF LIVING.
THE SALARIES WEREN'T QUITE THERE AND THEN IT LEVELED OFF.
THEN AS YOU LOOK AT THE '23, '24, AS WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE OUR VOTERS APPROVE THE PROPOSITION A, THAT ALLOWED THE SALARIES TO TAKE A BIT OF A CLIMB ABOVE THAT COST OF LIVING INDEX.
THEN YOU CAN SEE A SIMILAR COMPARISON TO AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL.
THE SAME CHARTS AGAIN, FOR EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANT AND OUR CUSTODIANS FOR THE HOURLY REPRESENTATION.
AGAIN, YOU SEE THAT SPIKE FROM THE PROPOSITION A IN '22, '23.
THEN JUST TO GIVE SOME CONTEXT TO SOME OF THE HISTORICAL ACTIVITIES.
BACK FROM '21, '22, YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENT GENERAL PAY INCREASE PERCENTAGES THAT WE'VE GIVEN. THAT YEAR WAS A 1%.
THEN, IN '22, '23, WE DID SOMETHING A LITTLE OUT OF THE ORDINARY.
WE HAD A TIERED APPROACH WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO GIVE TEACHERS 5% PERCENT FOR OUR HOURLY SUPPORT STAFF,
[02:55:03]
AND THEN 3% FOR THE REST OF THE DISTRICT.THEN '23, '24 WAS THE YEAR OF PROPOSITION A.
THANK YOU TO THE VOTERS WE WERE ABLE TO NET OUT A 6% INCREASE FOR TEACHERS AND A 5% INCREASE FOR ALL OTHER STAFF.
THEN AS WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, WE GAVE THE 1% LAST YEAR.
THEN WE JUST WANTED TO SHOW THE CONTEXT THAT STARTING TEACHER PAY HAS GROWN BY ABOUT 12% SINCE THE '21, '22 SCHOOL YEAR.
>> JUST TO ADD SOME CONTEXT ON THAT AS WELL.
IN THE SAME PERIOD OF TIME, THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX IS ABOUT 22.5%.
I AM VERY GRATEFUL TO OUR BOARD FOR THE AGGRESSIVE COMPENSATION INCREASES WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE TO STAFF, BUT IT'S BEEN AN UPHILL STRUGGLE WHICH WE ALL KNOW.
>> I'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
>> MAY I SAY SOMETHING. I JUST WANT TO REMIND I DON'T KNOW OUR BOARD AND OUR COMMUNITY THAT A LOT OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS, WHAT AMY WAS TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, HOW WE WERE ON TOP, WHEN IT COMES TO '23, '24 SCHOOL YEAR.
THANKS IN PARTS TO THE VADER OR PROP A THAT PASSED, THANKS TO OUR VOTERS.
BUT I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW, BUT A LOT OF OUR SURROUNDING SCHOOL DISTRICT ACTUALLY WENT OUT AND ADDED.
WE WENT FOR THE THREE GOLDEN PENNIES, IF YOU REMEMBER BACK IN 2023.
A LOT OF OUR SERRANO SCHOOL DISTRICT ACTUALLY WENT FOR THE COPPER PENNIES, LIKE FUGAVIL WENT FOR 09.
THEY ALREADY HAVE ALL THEIR COPPER PENNIES USED.
AUSTIN IS. IF YOU REMEMBER, LAST YEAR, THEY WENT FOR 09 ALSO.
A LOT OF SERRANO SCHOOL DISTRICT BEEN USING COPPER PENNIES TO BE ABLE TO CATCH UP TO US, WHEREAS WE ARE NOT USING ANY OF THE COPPER PENNIES, AS YOU KNOW, SO WE ONLY USE THE GOLDEN PENNIES.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY KNOWS THERE IS A REASON WHY THEY WERE ABLE TO GIVE THE RAISE AND CATCH UP TO US IS BECAUSE THEY WENT OUT MANY OF THEM FOR VADERS AND ACTUALLY USED SOME OF THE COPPER PENNY REVENUES TO CATCH UP TO OUR SALARIES.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY. TRUSTEE [INAUDIBLE].
>> THANK YOU. I LOOK AT THE DATA.
IT LOOKS LIKE THE COST OF LIVING, WE ARE PRETTY COMPARABLE TO THE END ISD, AND THEN I LOOK AT SLIDE NUMBER 2.
THE ONLY THING THEY PAY HIGHER IS FOR THE ZERO-YEAR TEACHER SALARY IS ABOUT $500 MORE.
MY QUESTION IS WHAT CONCLUSION OR WHAT'S OUR PLAN AFTER LOOKING ALL THOSE DATA?
>> DO WE TRY TO IF WE WANT TO DO THE TEACHER INCREASE, ARE WE FOCUSED ON THE ZERO-YEAR TEACHERS.
>> THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFYING QUESTION, SIR.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO IDENTIFY THE ZERO TEACHING.
AMY PRESENTED SOME DATA EARLIER TO SHOW THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF OUR TEACHING AND OUR WORKFORCE.
WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A COMPETITIVE STARTING POINT FOR TEACHER SALARIES.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS AS WELL THAT WE'VE REALLY FOCUSED ON FOR RECRUITMENT THIS YEAR IS WE ARE A DISTRICT THAT'S PRIDING OURSELVES AND ALWAYS HAS DONE ON THE EXPERIENCE, THE TENURE OF OUR TEACHERS.
WHAT USED TO HAPPEN WAS, WELL, I WOULD HIRE THEM IN AUSTIN ISD, AND THEN ROUND ROCK WOULD POACH THEM, AND THEY WOULD COME UP HERE AS EXPERIENCED TEACHERS.
WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS KIND OF GET BACK TO THAT.
AMY SPOKE TO THE NEW TEACHERS WE HIRED LAST YEAR, AND WE ACTUALLY HIRED A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF EXPERIENCED TEACHERS.
I THINK THAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE WHAT HAPPENS AS A DESTINATION DISTRICT AND AS A SUBURBAN SCHOOL DISTRICT AS WELL.
BUT WE HAVE TO ALSO REMEMBER THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH A TEACHER SHORTAGE ACROSS THE NATION AND WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO HAVE TO FOCUS ON THAT EARLY CAREER SALARY.
THAT BEING SAID, WE NEED TO INCREASE SALARIES ACROSS THE BOARD.
I WOULD SAY WE DO NEED TO KEEP THAT FOCUS, AND WHEN WE GO OUT, DOCTOR WAY AND WE TALK TO IN OUR UNIVERSITY JOB FAIRS.
EVERY JOB FAIR TABLE YOU GO TO, THEY HAVE A BIG RED SIGN THAT SAYS, THIS IS OUR STARTING SALARY.
THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE LOOK AT AT THE JOB FAIRS.
BUT WE ALSO AGAIN, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BALANCED ACROSS THE SYSTEM TO MAKE SURE WE CAN BE COMPETITIVE FOR EXPERIENCED TEACHERS TOO.
>> I MAY ASK THIS QUESTION EVERY YEAR, AMY.
BY THE WAY, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU WITH HEADPHONES IN THE MICROPHONE, AND I SAID THAT EVERY YEAR.
>> ITS JUST TALKING ABOUT IT IS THE FIVE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THAT, AND I ALMOST BROUGHT IT JUST FOR YOU.
>> I ALMOST BROUGHT IT FOR YOU.
[03:00:01]
THAT'S SO FUNNY WE WERE THINKING ABOUT THAT.I THINK I MIGHT ASK THIS EVERY YEAR.
BUT JUST DOING SOME ROUGH MATH.
I KNOW WE'RE IN A LEGISLATIVE YEAR MAY TAKE ME JUST A HOT MINUTE TO GET THIS QUESTION OUT, BUT I HAVE A POINT BEHIND IT.
AT 47,125 KIDS, IF WE GET A BASIC ALLOTMENT INCREASEMENT OF $220, GIVES US JUST A LITTLE OVER 10 MILLION TO OUR DISTRICT IN THE BASIC ALLOTMENT INCREASE, 40% OF THAT IS A LITTLE OVER FOUR MILLION THAT WE WOULD THEN BE REQUIRED TO SPEND ON PAY RAISES.
THERE'S SO MANY OTHER AREAS OF THIS DISTRICT THAT THAT OTHER $6 MILLION, WHATEVER NEEDS TO ADDRESS AS WELL.
BUT THAT DOESN'T EVEN COVER THE 1% COST MODEL IF WE JUST LOOKED AT THAT 1% AND SPENDING 40% OF THE BASIC ALLOTMENT INCREASE.
WHAT ARE THE NEGATIVE OUTCOMES IF WE WERE TO NOT DO THE ADJUSTMENTS.
I KNOW I ASK THIS ALL THE TIME.
BUT I LOOK AT 1.6 MILLION THAT WILL IMPACT 1,500 EMPLOYEES.
THEN I LOOK AT 3.6 MILLION THAT IMPACTS EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEE.
IF WE'RE LOOKING AND HAVING TO MAKE REALLY TOUGH DECISIONS, I KNOW WHAT THE ADJUSTMENTS DO AND I KNOW ALL OF THAT, BUT HOW MUCH WOULD THAT REALLY AFFECT US IN TERMS OF COMPETITIVENESS? CAN WE CATCH UP FROM THAT? TRYING TO BE AS COST-CONSCIOUS AS WE POSSIBLY CAN WITH OUR MONEY.
I KNOW THAT WAS A REALLY LONG QUESTION, BUT IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE?
>> IT DID. YES. I THOUGHT AT FIRST YOU WERE GOING TO ASK ME ABOUT THE COST DIMPLICATIONS OF HB2 RUNS THAT I SAID.
>> THAT'LL BE MY FOLLOW UP QUESTION.
I'M SPECIFICALLY LOOKING AT SLIDE NUMBER 18 IN YOUR PRESENTATION, IF ANYBODY WANTS TO LOOK AT THAT.
>> GOT YOU. I DON'T HAVE A NUMBER ANSWER, I HAVE WORDS TO ANSWER.
IN THE ADJUSTMENTS, THERE ARE COST TO MINIMUM.
THAT'S TO ENSURE THAT EVERYONE AT LEAST MAKES THE MINIMUM OF THE NEW PAY STRUCTURES.
THERE'S TEACHER PAY EQUITY ADJUSTMENTS, WHICH I THINK HR WOULD SAY IS A HALF TO BECAUSE THAT MAINTAINS THE SANCTITY OF YOUR EDUCATOR CAREER PATHWAY, WHICH THE DISTRICT HAS WORKED FOR MANY YEARS TO ENHANCE AND IMPROVE.
ALL OF YOUR NEIGHBORS ACROSS THE STATE ARE TRYING TO GET WHERE YOU ARE.
IT WOULD BE DETRIMENTAL, I THINK TO NOT MAINTAIN THAT.
THOSE TO ME, ARE THE TWO HAVE TO HAVE? THERE'S STRATEGIC ADJUSTMENTS. GO AHEAD.
>> PAUSE THAT. CAN THAT BE BROKEN OUT EVEN FURTHER? IF WE HAVE TO GET TO THAT MUCH OF A NITTY GRITTY OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AND WHAT WE HAVE? LET ME PREFACE THIS BY SAYING, I WANT TO GIVE A 10% PAY RAISE TO OUR STAFF.
THEY'RE NOT PAID ENOUGH, WE COULD GO DOWN THAT ROAD.
BUT IF WE ARE REALLY LOOKING AT HAVING TO BE THAT FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE WITH OUR MONEY, CAN WE LOOK AT HOW LIKE WHAT ARE THE HALF-TWOS ON THE ADJUSTMENTS.
>> YES, ABSOLUTELY AND EDDIE AND I TALKED ABOUT THAT ALREADY.
I THINK HE ANTICIPATED THAT THAT MIGHT BE A QUESTION.
IN THIS WHEN I HAD TWO MONITORS FROM MY HOUSE AND WAS TALKING TO YOU WITH MY HEADSET ON, I COULD LOOK UP OUR COST FILES ON THE OTHER MONITOR.
I DON'T HAVE THAT LUXURY HERE.
I DON'T HAVE A NUMBER FOR YOU.
BUT WHAT WE CERTAINLY CAN DO IS AS YOU START TO REFINE YOUR BUDGET ESTIMATES MOVING FORWARD, I WOULD VIEW THAT COST AS A MENU OF OPTIONS.
I'VE GIVEN YOU SO FAR THAT IF YOU CHOSE EVERYTHING ON THE MENU, THAT'S WHAT IT WOULD COST.
I THINK AS YOU MOVE FORWARD, IF YOU HAVE TO PICK AND CHOOSE WHAT YOU WANT TO IMPLEMENT OR WHAT YOU CAN IMPLEMENT, WHAT I CAN DO IS TELL YOU WHAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE TO IMPLEMENT THE SYSTEM VERSUS WHAT'S NICE TO HAVE.
I THINK A LARGE PORTION OF THOSE ADJUSTMENTS ARE STRATEGIC THINGS THAT WE WERE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH, WORKING ON SPREADING PAY OUT FOR PEOPLE WHO PAY WAS RIGHT ON TOP OF EACH OTHER.
BUT THEY HAD VARIOUS YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. IT'S IMPORTANT.
BUT IF YOU'RE REALLY TRYING TO REFINE THOSE COSTS TO GET IT AS LOW AS POSSIBLE, THEN CERTAINLY THOSE THINGS COULD COME OUT.
>> I KNOW YOU'RE HAVING A MINI HEART ATTACK IN THIS CONVERSATION OF OH MY GOSH.
MICHELLE SAID IT'S TWO MINUTES.
>> WELL, I JUST WANTED TO ADD AS WELL.
I WORKED IN A SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT DIDN'T DO ADJUSTMENTS FOR A LONG TIME.
AMY AND I BOTH WORKED IN THAT SAME SCHOOL DISTRICT.
>> THEN I CAME AND HELPED YOU FIX IT.
>> YES. IT WAS VERY EXPENSIVE TO FIX THAT.
[03:05:04]
WHAT HAPPENS OVER TIME IS WHEN YOU DON'T DO THOSE STRATEGIC ADJUSTMENTS, YOU DEAL WITH COMPRESSION, WHICH GETS COMPOUNDED YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR.OVER TIME AS YOU TRY TO UNPACK THAT, IT BECOMES MORE AND MORE EXPENSIVE TO DO.
I THINK I WOULD JUST URGE CAUTION.
I THINK LAST YEAR, WE DID A FLAT 1% PAY INCREASE WITH NO ADJUSTMENTS AND SO WE HAVE SOME THINGS TO FIGURE OUT THEN AS WE MOVE FORWARD IF WE CONTINUE WITH THAT APPROACH.
BUT THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT ABSOLUTELY WELL TAKEN, AND AS WE COME FORWARD WITH RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON WHAT THE BUDGET REALITIES ARE, WE WILL DEFINITELY TAKE THAT IN MIND.
ONE THING I DID WANT TO CLARIFY AS WELL, THOUGH ON HOUSE BILL 2, THE 40% WOULD ALSO COME WITH SOME HANDCUFFS AROUND WHO YOU CAN PAY IT TO.
THE 75% OF THAT 40% WOULD HAVE TO BE FOR TEACHERS, NURSES, LIBRARIANS, AND COUNSELORS AND EVERYBODY ELSE IS WITHIN THE 25%.
THAT'S ANOTHER CONSIDERATION THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE IF THAT PASSES.
>> IF I MAY ADD ALSO TO WHAT ACTUALLY WE RUN THE NUMBERS.
BUT WE RUN THE NUMBERS, AND OUR GOAL IS NEXT TIME.
NEXT BUDGET UPDATE WITH OUR BOARD IS TO SHARE WITH YOU WHAT THAT MEANS, REALLY.
THE ONLY THING THAT WE LOOKED AT THE $220 INCREASE IN BASIC ALLOTMENT.
WE LOOKED AT THE SML BECAUSE I THINK WHAT YOU HEARD LIER TO, I THINK THAT'S ONE IS PROBABLY GOING TO PASS SENATE BILL 260, I THINK.
THE ONE THAT WE DID NOT LOOK AT IT, AGAIN, IS SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING BECAUSE IT'S STILL UNKNOWN.
WE DON'T KNOW. WE DID RUN SOME NUMBERS AND THEN WE WILL BE ABLE TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH OUR BOARD HOPEFULLY NEXT TIME.
>> THANK YOU. ANY OTHER LIGHTS? AMY, IT'S ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
KRISTIN, YOU TOO, DON'T LET EDDIE HIDE YOU AWAY FROM US.
>> I'M A LITTLE THROWN OFF WITH OUR NEW SEATING ARRANGEMENTS, BUT IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU ALL.
WELL, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT OUR NEXT PRESENTATION.
THIS HAS BEEN A LONG JOURNEY TO GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE CAN ACTUALLY COME IN FRONT OF THE BOARD AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT.
WE HAVE SENT SOME BOARD UPDATES OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS OF THIS ONE, BUT TONIGHT, I'M VERY EXCITED TO BRING FORWARD MORE INFORMATION ON WHERE WE ARE AND HOW WE GOT THERE, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, SOME CELEBRATIONS OF THE GREAT WORK ACROSS OUR DISTRICT THAT HAVE REALLY GOTTEN US TO THIS PLACE TODAY.
I'VE GOT TO DO THE CLICKER NOW.
OUR TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT IS VERY MUCH ALIGNED TO OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
AGAIN, I MENTIONED EARLIER, IT'S ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION.
USUALLY, I COME HERE AND I TALK ABOUT STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL 5, AND THAT'S MY SOLE FOCUS BECAUSE THIS IS SUCH A TEACHING AND LEARNING-FOCUSED INITIATIVE.
IT'S ALLOWED DR. NICHOLS, MR. PORTILLO, AND THE TEACHING AND LEARNING TEAM, AND HR TO REALLY COLLABORATE ON THIS, SO IT'S BEEN A GREAT PROJECT FOR US TO BRING THAT SYNTHESIS TOGETHER.
WHAT IS THE TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT? IF YOU DON'T KNOW, BASICALLY, IT WAS PASSED THROUGH HOUSE BILL 3 IN 2019, I'M GOING TO SIT BACK A LITTLE BIT.
THE GOALS OF TEA WHEN TIA WAS IMPLEMENTED WERE AS LISTED.
TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN TEACHERS, AND THEN TO PROVIDE TEACHERS WITH AN ACCESSIBLE PATHWAY TO A SIX FIGURE SALARY.
BUT THEN LASTLY, TO REALLY INCENTIVIZE TEACHERS TO WORK IN HIGH NEED SCHOOLS AND DIFFICULT TO STAFF POSITIONS.
WITH THAT EQUITY FOCUS IN MIND AND REALLY FOCUSING ON THE CAMPUSES WHERE STAFFING WAS ALWAYS A LITTLE MORE CHALLENGING.
HOW DO WE INCENTIVIZE THE TEACHERS TO WORK WITH THOSE STUDENTS? SCHOOL DISTRICTS WHO ARE PART OF TIA CAN IDENTIFY AND DESIGNATE TEACHERS BASED ON THE STUDENT GROWTH THAT HAPPENS AT THAT CAMPUS, AND IN THOSE CLASSROOMS, BUT ALSO BASED ON THEIR T TESTS OR OTHER EVALUATION INSTRUMENT, THEIR OBSERVATION DATA.
THAT'S HOW WE DESIGNATE TEACHERS.
EMPLOYING DESIGNATED TEACHERS GENERATES ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR DISTRICTS, AND WITH THAT FUNDING, WE CAN REWARD THOSE TOP PERFORMING TEACHERS IN TERMS OF COMPENSATION.
THERE ARE CURRENTLY THREE LEVELS OF DESIGNATION THAT A TEACHER CAN RECEIVE IF THEY'RE APPROVED THROUGH THE TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT, RECOGNIZED EXEMPLARY AND MASTER, AND THERE ARE TIA FUNDS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF THOSE LEVELS, BUT THOSE TIA FUNDS ARE NOT DISTRICT DETERMINED, THEY'RE DETERMINED BY TEA, AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY CAMPUS SPECIFIC.
[03:10:01]
DEPENDING ON THE CAMPUS THAT YOU'RE AT, WHEN YOU EARN YOUR DESIGNATION, THAT WILL DETERMINE THE FUNDING AMOUNT THAT YOU WOULD RECEIVE THROUGH THE TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT.WE WERE PART OF COHORT F. WE GOT THERE IN THE END.
WE WERE ORIGINALLY PART OF COHORT D, AND THEN WE WERE PART OF COHORT E, AND THEN WE WERE PART OF COHORT F. MY SUPERVISOR TOLD ME WHEN I WAS HIRED, WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE PART OF COHORT G, SO WE ARE PART OF COHORT F, AND WE'VE WORKED VERY HARD TO MAINTAIN THAT.
WE STARTED IN 2022-'23, WHEN WE SUBMITTED OUR ORIGINAL APPLICATION.
DR. NICHOLS AND I COLLABORATED VERY CLOSELY AND WE IDENTIFIED THE NINE OF OUR TITLE I CAMPUSES TO BE OUR INITIAL FOCUS.
IF YOU GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL SLIDE AND REMEMBERING THE FOCUS TO FIND AND RECRUIT AND RETAIN TEACHERS IN HARD-TO-FILL AND CAMPUSES WHERE WE NEED THEM THE MOST, THAT'S THE REASON WHY WE SELECTED THOSE CAMPUSES.
>> EDDIE, UPON A CLARIFICATION.
EDDIE AND THE TEAM SUBMITTED AN APPLICATION IN '22-'23 SCHOOL YEAR, '23-'24 WAS THE FIRST YEAR OF THE COLLECTION OF DATA. RIGHT, EDDIE?
>> REALLY, THE APPLICATION WENT OUT TO D FOR INITIAL APPROVAL ON THE 2022-'23.
>> THAT'S CORRECT. YES, SIR. IN THE FIRST YEAR, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT DATES HERE.
THIS IS A LOT OF DIFFERENT OVERLAPPING, SO BEAR WITH ME FOR JUST THE SEC.
WE SUBMITTED THE APPLICATION IN '22-'23.
ONCE IT'S APPROVED, OUR FIRST YEAR IN TIA IS '23-'24, FOR CLARIFICATION ON THAT.
IN THAT '23-'24 YEAR AT THOSE NINE CAMPUSES, WE FOCUSED ON KINDERGARTEN, FIRST, AND SECOND GRADE TEACHERS.
THE BOARD IS AWARE WE HAVE [INAUDIBLE] 1, WHICH WAS AROUND EARLY CHILDHOOD LITERACY, AND DR. NICHOLS WAS A VERY STRONG ADVOCATE FOR FINDING AND RETAINING THE STRONGEST TEACHERS IN THOSE GRADE LEVELS.
WE DESIGNED OUR INITIAL LAUNCH AROUND THAT MODEL.
IN '24-'25, SO THIS YEAR, WE ADDED THE FIVE REMAINING TITLE 1 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
WE ALSO ADDED THREE TITLE 1 MIDDLE SCHOOLS, SO GRADUALLY SCALING UP THROUGH THE SYSTEM AND ADDING MORE GRADE LEVELS, MORE CONTENT AREAS, AND MORE TEACHERS WHO COULD BE ELIGIBLE TO EARN A DESIGNATION.
THEN IN '24-'25, WE HAD K-2 READING AT ELEMENTARY, BUT THEN WE'D ADDED 6TH-8TH GRADE MATHEMATICS AT MIDDLE SCHOOL.
MATHEMATICS WAS A BIG AREA OF FOCUS FOR US AS A DISTRICT, AND SO WE DECIDED THAT IN ORDER TO REALLY PUSH THAT AND GET THE STRONGEST TEACHERS IN THOSE AREAS, WE SELECTED CD FULKES, DEERPARK MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND HERNANDEZ TO BE OUR ORIGINAL THREE TITLE 1 MIDDLE SCHOOL CAMPUSES TO BE PART OF TIA.
THIS IS WHERE IT GETS ALL MUDDY WITH THE DATES.
'23-'24, AS DR. AZAIEZ MENTIONED, WAS OUR DATA COLLECTION YEAR.
FOR THAT FIRST COHORT, YOU START YOUR YEAR, YOU DO YOUR BEGINNING OF YOUR ASSESSMENT, YOU DO YOUR END OF YOUR ASSESSMENT, THAT'S YOUR STUDENT GROWTH.
FOR '23-'24, THAT'S THE DATA WE MEASURED FOR THAT COMPONENT, AND THE '23-'24 TEACHER OBSERVATION WAS BASED ON THEIR T TEST EVALUATION FOR THAT YEAR.
WE COLLECT THAT DATA FOR THE YEAR FOR ALL OF THE TEACHERS WHO ARE PART OF THE PROGRAM.
WE EVALUATE THE YEAR, AND THEN ROD, ERICA, SIMMONS, MYSELF, WE PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER AT THE END OF LAST YEAR, MAKE SURE WE HAD ALL THAT DATA IN PLACE, SO THAT'S OUR DATA COLLECTION PROCESS.
TIA DESIGNATIONS EARNED FOR THE '23-'24 DATA COLLECTION YEAR, SO FOR LAST SCHOOL YEAR.
THEY WOULDN'T ACTUALLY GET THEIR DESIGNATION UNTIL THE '24-'25 SCHOOL YEAR, SO WE'RE STILL WAITING ON THE OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION OF THOSE DESIGNATIONS.
THOSE TEACHERS FOR THE '23-'24 SCHOOL YEAR WOULD RECEIVE TIA PAY COMPENSATION IN JUNE OF 2025, SO IT'S A YEAR IN ARREARS, ESSENTIALLY. YES, SIR.
>> JUST ANOTHER POINT OF CLARIFICATION.
I KNOW IT'S A NEW CONCEPT BECAUSE IT'S NEW TO ROUND ROCK ISD FOLKS.
YOU SUBMIT THE APPLICATION YEAR 1, YOU GET HOPEFULLY INITIAL APPROVAL FROM TEA.
THEN YEAR 2, YOU COLLECT THE DATA, AND THAT'S EVALUATION AS WELL AS STUDENT DATA.
THEN YEAR 3, THAT'S WHEN THE DATA GETS ASSESSED AND EVALUATED AND VALIDATED BY TEA AND TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY.
THEN THE SUMMER, END OF THIRD YEAR, THAT'S WHEN OUR TEACHERS, IF THEY GET A DESIGNATION, THAT'S WHEN THEY GET PAID.
IT TOOK THREE YEARS TO GET HERE, AND IT WILL TAKE THREE YEARS EVERY TIME WE TRYING TO EXPAND THE PROGRAM.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS HOW THAT WORKS.
IT'S A LOT OF HARD WORK THAT EDDIE, HIS TEAM, AS WELL AS NATALIE AND HER TEAM, INCLUDING RODRIGO AND ERICA SIMMONS, REALLY WORK HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT HAPPENS ALONG WITH OUR PRINCIPALS AND THEIR TEAM, TOO, BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO DO THEIR EVALUATION AND DO WHAT'S CALLED CALIBRATION.
[03:15:03]
THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO MAKE SURE POINT OF CLARIFICATION.>> THE FUNDING. HOW DOES THAT WORK? UNDER TIA, THE DISTRICT RECEIVES A FUNDING AMOUNT FOR A DESIGNATED TEACHER THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER, IT'S DETERMINED BY TEA BASED ON THE CAMPUS WHERE THAT TEACHER IS SITUATED.
THE DISTRICT SPENDING PLAN SEES 90% OF THOSE TIA FUNDS RECEIVED FOR THAT TEACHER, THEY GO DIRECTLY TO THAT TEACHER.
WHY 90% AND NOT 100%? WELL, A FEW YEARS AGO, WE MADE A CHANGE TO OUR SPENDING PLAN APPROACH BECAUSE WE KNEW WE WERE GOING TO LAUNCH THIS SYSTEM WIDE.
THE REASON WE DECIDED TO DO 90% AT THAT TIME WAS, TIA DOLLARS BY THEMSELVES ARE NOT TRS ELIGIBLE, SO IT'S NOT RETIREMENT ELIGIBLE INCOME.
IN ORDER TO MAKE ANY PAYROLL DOLLAR RETIREMENT ELIGIBLE, IT COSTS THE DISTRICT ABOUT AN EXTRA 5% ON TOP OF THAT, EVERY PAYROLL DOLLARS.
WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WITHIN THE TIA FUNDS THAT WE RECEIVED, WE WERE ABLE TO BE BUDGET NEUTRAL AND NOT PULL ON THE LOCAL BUDGET ANYMORE, BUT WE ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT NOT ONLY WAS TIA COMPENSATION SOMETHING A TEACHER COULD BENEFIT FROM THAT YEAR, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT IT PROVIDES A BUILDING BLOCK FOR THE RETIREMENT INCOME BEYOND WHEN THEY FINISHED WITH THE DISTRICT AS WELL.
THAT WAS THE REASON FOR THAT DECISION.
WHAT WE'RE ALSO ABLE TO DO PER TEA IS WE'RE ALSO ABLE TO RESERVE SOME OF THAT 10% THAT WE HOLD NOT JUST FOR THE TRS AND THE PAYROLL IMPLICATIONS, BUT ALSO IN THE EVENT THAT WE SCALE UP THE SYSTEM.
WE NEED ADMINISTRATIVE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, AND SO IT ALLOWS US TO DO THAT.
NOW, THERE'S NOT AN AWFUL LOT OF MONEY LEFT ONCE WE GET THE TRS RETIREMENT PIECE TAKEN CARE OF, BUT AS WE GET LARGER AND LARGER, WE SHOULD RECEIVE MORE FUNDS, WHICH SHOULD ALLOW US TO RETAIN MORE OF THAT MONEY AND BE ABLE TO CREATE SOME RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAM.
MORE DATES. HERE'S SOME CELEBRATIONS, THOUGH. THIS IS GREAT.
ANY DAY NOW, WE'RE EXPECTING FINAL CONFIRMATION FROM TEA.
THEY'VE GIVEN US A FEW CARROTS SO FAR, BUT IN A WEEK OR TWO, WE SHOULD GET FINAL CONFIRMATION OF, GOOD TO GO.
HERE ARE THE FUNDING AMOUNTS, HERE ARE THE TEACHERS, HERE ARE THE CAMPUSES.
THAT'S PARTY. THIS IS GOING TO BE GREAT.
IT SHOULD BE THE MIDDLE OF APRIL.
IT'S TYPICALLY BEING AROUND THE MIDDLE OF APRIL.
WE'RE HOPEFUL WE SHOULD GET THAT THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO.
WE HAVE 61 TEACHERS THAT WERE SUBMITTED TO TEA FOR A LOCAL DESIGNATION.
I WANT TO GIVE YOU A POINT OF REFERENCE ON THAT, WHICH WE'LL GET TO LATER, THAT'S 61 OUT OF A TOTAL OF 116 ELIGIBLE TEACHERS THAT FIRST YEAR.
REMEMBER THAT NUMBER, 116 TOTAL ELIGIBLE TEACHERS OF WHICH 61, WE WERE ABLE TO SUBMIT TO TEA AND RECEIVE APPROVAL ON THAT DESIGNATION.
IT'S A GOOD NUMBER. WE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER 26 TEACHERS IN OUR SYSTEM WHO ARE IN TIA DESIGNATIONS THROUGH EITHER A PROGRAM CALLED NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION, WHICH MANY OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH OR TEACHERS THAT WE'VE RECRUITED FROM OTHER DISTRICTS WHERE THEY HAD A DESIGNATION SYSTEM AND THEY WERE ABLE TO EARN THAT DESIGNATION PRIOR TO BEING HIRED BY ROUND ROCK ISD.
BASED ON THE '23-'24 FUNDING AMOUNTS, SO BEAR WITH ME AGAIN, TEA HAS NOT CONFIRMED THE '24-'25 FUNDING AMOUNTS YET, SO THAT'S PART OF THE REASON FOR THE DELAY IN ANNOUNCING THE COMPENSATION AMOUNTS FOR TEACHERS.
BUT BASED ON THE '23-'24 FUNDING AMOUNTS, WHICH WE THINK WILL BE RELATIVELY CLOSE, WE ANTICIPATE APPROXIMATELY $800,000 IN TIA FUNDING FOR ROUND ROCK ISD THIS YEAR.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT'S NOT FOR ROUND ROCK ISD, $740,000 IS FOR TIA COMPENSATION WHICH IS PRETTY EXCITING.
THAT'S ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION ON TOP OF BASE SALARY FOR 61 TEACHERS IN OUR SYSTEM.
THE LAST BULLET IS SOMETHING THAT EVERY TIME I READ THAT, MY JAW ALMOST HITS THE FLOOR WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS.
WE WILL HAVE SOME TEACHERS IN OUR DISTRICT WHO EARN APPROXIMATELY $21,000 IN ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION THIS JUNE, WHICH IS PRETTY EXCITING.
MORE SUCCESS. I WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY FRIENDS TO THE RIGHT IN THE HIGHER SEATS THAN ME TODAY.
MY FRIENDS, DR. NICHOLS AND MR. PORTILLO.
I ALSO WANTED TO RECOGNIZE OUR PRINCIPLES AS WELL BECAUSE THIS IS A LOT OF WORK, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT MORE IN A SECOND, BUT IT'S JUST BEEN EXCITING TO SEE, AGAIN, THE SYSTEM BEING ALIGNED IN ONE DIRECTION, AND THE CALIBRATION THAT'S HAPPENING ACROSS THE SYSTEM AS LARGE AS OURS.
IT'S BEEN GREAT TO SEE THAT IN THE OPERATIONAL SIDE OF THE HOUSE.
BUT SOME OF OUR DATA IS REFLECTIVE OF THAT.
[03:20:01]
THE STATE, THEY'RE INDICATING THAT BASED ON DATA THAT THEY PULLED, ABOUT 33% OF YOUR TEACHERS SHOULD BE RECEIVING A TIA DESIGNATION.THEY SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED OR ABOVE.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR DATA OF THE 61 TEACHERS, THEY'RE GOING TO RECEIVE DESIGNATIONS THIS YEAR, WE HAVE 42.62% THAT ARE GOING TO RECEIVE A MASTER LEVEL, 37.7% THAT WILL RECEIVE AN EXEMPLARY, AND 19.67% THAT WOULD RECEIVE RECOGNIZED OVERALL, THAT EQUATES TO 52.59% OF OUR TEACHERS RECEIVING A DESIGNATION.
WE ARE 20% ABOVE THE STATE RECOMMENDATION.
YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD, I KNOW YOU HAVE.
I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE WERE AT ALL OF OUR TITLE 1 CAMPUSES THIS YEAR.
THE PREVIOUS YEAR, WE WERE AT NINE CAMPUSES.
WE'RE TAKING A STAIR STEP APPROACH SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SCALING UP REALLY INTENTIONALLY, TO MAKE SURE THAT NOT ONLY DO WE FOCUS ON AREAS WHERE WE REALLY FEEL LIKE THAT'S WHERE WE NEED TO PRIORITIZE, BUT ALSO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO SCALE UP IN A WAY THAT'S SUSTAINABLE AND THAT DOESN'T PULL TOO MUCH ON RESOURCES THAT WE REALLY DON'T HAVE THAT ARE DEDICATED TO TIA.
WE WILL BE AT ALL ELEMENTARY CAMPUSES NEXT YEAR, WE WILL BE AT ALL MIDDLE SCHOOL CAMPUSES NEXT YEAR, AND WE WILL BE AT ALL HIGH SCHOOLS NEXT YEAR. BUT HOLD THE PHONE.
IT'S NOT ALL TEACHING POSITIONS YET.
WE WILL BE EXPANDING OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS GRADUALLY.
ACTUALLY, I WILL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT.
WE HAVE OUR K-2 PROGRAM PRETTY TIGHT.
THANKS TO THE WORK OF OUR TEACHING AND LEARNING TEAM AND OUR PRINCIPALS, WE FEEL LIKE WE HAVE SOME GOOD SYSTEMS IN PLACE THERE THAT WE'RE COMFORTABLE SCALING THAT UP ACROSS OUR ELEMENTARY CAMPUSES.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS, AGAIN, WE PILOTED LAST YEAR AT OUR TITLE 1 MIDDLE SCHOOLS, SO WE HAVE THAT SYSTEM IN PLACE.
WE HAVE SOME FAMILIARITY WITH THOSE PROTOCOLS.
AGAIN, THE DECISION TO SCALE TO OUR OTHER MIDDLE SCHOOLS FOR MATH MAKES SENSE.
WE ALSO WANTED TO EXPAND INTO HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE FIRST TIME.
HIGH SCHOOL IS TRICKY. OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT CONTENT AREAS, DIFFERENT SUBJECT AREAS.
THERE'S ALSO SO MANY DIFFERENT STUDENT GROWTH MEASURES THAT ARE BASED ON THE CONTENTS THAT WE'RE TEACHING.
THAT STUDENT GROWTH MEASURE IS SOMETIMES THE TRICKY PART TO FIGURE OUT, BUT DR. NICHOLS, MR. PORTILLO AND THE TEAM HAVE FIGURED OUT A WAY TO BE ABLE TO ASSESS ALGEBRA ONE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, BUT ALSO EXCITINGLY, WE ARE GOING TO DIP OUR TOE INTO CTE FOR NEXT YEAR.
I'D LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO MR. PORTILLO AND DR. NICHOLS, IF THEY WANTED TO SHARE SOME OF THAT EXPANSION PLAN AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING THERE.
>> HI. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.
WE'RE GOING TO START SMALL IN CTE, AND WE'RE GOING TO INCLUDE AUTO TECH.
THE REASON WHY BEHIND AUTO TECH, AUTO TECH PROVIDES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERY COURSE WITHIN THE PATHWAY, STARTING FROM THE FRESHMAN YEAR THROUGH SENIOR YEAR FOR THEM TO BE SUCCESSFUL THROUGH AN IBC.
THERE'S AN IBC ATTACHED TO THE COURSE.
NOT ALL COURSES IN CTE ARE ATTACHED TO AN IBC.
SOME OF THEM WAIT TIL THE JUNIOR LEVEL, SOME OF THEM ARE UP TO THE SENIOR LEVEL AS WELL.
AUTO TECH IS THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO PASS THAT IBC.
THERE'S ALREADY AN ASSESSMENT THAT THE STUDENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO PASS THEIR IBC, SO IT'S AN EASIER WAY FOR THEM TO ATTAIN THAT GROWTH MEASURE BETWEEN A PRE-TEST AND A POST-TEST.
THE OTHER COURSES IN CTE, WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND START PILOTING WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE FOR THOSE COURSES THAT DON'T HAVE AN IBC.
WHAT WOULD A PRE-TEST LOOK LIKE AND WHAT WOULD A POST-TEST LOOK LIKE FOR THEM? THEN ALSO MOVE INTO THOSE THAT DO HAVE AN IBC.
IT'S ALL WITHIN THE ASSESSMENTS, VERY PURPOSEFUL AND INTENTFUL AS TO WHY WE STARTED JUST WITH AUTO TECH.
>> THANK YOU, SIR. I THINK THAT'S ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A GREAT WAY TO SCALE UP TOO.
WE HAVE THIS PROGRAM IN PLACE.
IF WE GET COMFORTABLE WITH THAT, WE ALSO GET TEACHERS ON BOARD WITH IT, AND YOUR TEACHERS ARE YOUR BEST BRAND AMBASSADORS ANYTIME WE PUT A NEW PROGRAM IN.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE OUR TEACHERS FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH IT, AND THEN THEY CAN ACTUALLY HELP WITH THAT PEER SUPPORT AND THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT COMES ALONG WITH THAT, TOO.
THIS IS WHAT THE NUMBERS LOOK LIKE.
I KNOW SOME OF US LIKE OUR DATA, AND ME TOO.
'23-'24, YOU REMEMBER THAT'S THE YEAR FROM LAST YEAR WHERE WE COLLECTED DATA,
[03:25:05]
AND THOSE ARE THE TEACHERS THAT WE WILL BE GETTING DESIGNATED HERE SHORTLY.AGAIN, 52.59% OF OUR TEACHERS WOULD RECEIVE A DESIGNATION THIS YEAR, WHICH IS PRETTY AWESOME.
IF WE WERE TO MAINTAIN THAT SAME PERCENTAGE, GIVEN THE EXPANSION PLANS FOR '24-'25, AGAIN, DATA COLLECTION '24-'25, YOU GET YOUR DESIGNATION '25-'26, WE'D BE LOOKING AT ABOUT 105 OF 200 TOTAL TEACHERS.
BUT THE NEXT YEAR IS THE BIG SCALE UP.
THAT'S WHEN WE ADD ALL ELEMENTARY, WE ADD ALL OF OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS, AND WE SCALE INTO HIGH SCHOOL.
WE'RE QUADRUPLING THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS IN THE TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT PROGRAM.
IF WE WERE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THAT SAME 52% SUCCESS RATE, THAT WOULD BE OVER ALMOST 450 TEACHERS WHO WOULD BE TIA DESIGNATED ONCE WE GOT TO THAT DESIGNATION PLACE.
NOW, AGAIN, THAT SOUNDS REALLY EASY. THAT'S 52.59%.
AS WE SCALE UP, IT'S GOING TO BE MORE AND MORE IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THE SYSTEM CALIBRATED AND THAT WE HAVE ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES AND TEACHERS, PARTICULARLY BOUGHT INTO THE PROGRAM AS WELL.
I WOULDN'T NECESSARILY HANG MY HAT ON THE 52.59%, BUT THAT'S A GOOD TARGET FOR US TO SHOOT FOR. YES, MA'AM.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS I WANTED TO ADD TO THIS IS THE WHY BEHIND.
I KNOW WE'VE RECEIVED SOME QUESTIONS FROM OUR TEACHERS IN REGARDS TO WHY WE ARE SCALING UP IN THIS WAY.
AN IMPORTANT POINT FOR EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND IS, ROD IS THE ONE WHO REALLY TAUGHT ME ABOUT THIS AND REALLY LOOK INTO IT UNDERSTANDING THE IDEA OF SKEW.
THEN IF WE'RE USING WHATEVER ASSESSMENT TO MEASURE GROWTH, AND THEN WE'RE ALSO COMPARING IT AGAINST HOW THE TEACHERS ARE DOING ON THEIR EVALUATIONS.
WHAT THE STATE SAYS IS THIS, IF THERE IS SKEW BETWEEN THE TWO.
IF WE'RE RATING A TEACHER REALLY HIGH, BUT THE GROWTH THEY'RE CAUSING IS DOWN HERE, AND THERE'S TOO MUCH SKEW IN THE SYSTEM, IT'S ALL OR NOTHING.
IF AS A SYSTEM, OUR ABILITY TO EVALUATE OUR TEACHERS AND ALIGN THAT TO WHAT GROWTH THEY'RE CAUSING IN THEIR STUDENTS IS OFF, EVERYONE LOSES.
WE EITHER WIN AS A TEAM OR LOSE AS A TEAM.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE TAKING THIS APPROACH TO REALLY TRAIN INTO OUR PRINCIPLES AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPLES, AND THAT'S WHY WE WENT TO TO GET BETTER FASTER PROTOCOL AS FAR AS WALK THROUGH AND MEASURING WHAT EXCELLENCE LOOKS LIKE WITHIN THE CLASSROOM BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT FRAMEWORK BEFORE.
WE INSTITUTED THIS FRAMEWORK AND REALLY THEN TAUGHT INTO IT, AND THAT IS WHAT WE CALIBRATED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTOOD THEN WHAT GOOD TEACHING LOOKS LIKE SPECIFICALLY WITHIN CERTAIN CONTENT AREAS.
PEOPLE LIKE, WHY DIDN'T YOU GO FOR EVERYTHING? WE DID SCIENCE OF READING, AND WE HAD TO UNDERSTAND, IF I'M EVALUATING IT WITH THAT FRAMEWORK, WHAT THIS EXCELLENCE LOOKS LIKE BECAUSE SOMETIMES SOMETHING LOOKS GOOD, BUT IT'S NOT THE RIGHT STRATEGY IN ORDER TO CAUSE GROWTH.
IF FOR EXAMPLE, I'M A PRINCIPAL AND ME AND MY TEAM, WE DO A GREAT JOB.
THERE'S ALIGNMENT IN HOW I'VE EVALUATED YOU AND THE GROWTH YOU'RE CAUSING IN SOMEONE ELSE, AND I HAVE TWO OTHER PRINCIPLES, IT'S NOT THAT ALIGNMENT.
WHEN WE TURN OUR DATA IN, IF WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH THAT'S ALIGNED, NO ONE GETS ANYTHING.
IT DOESN'T MATTER THAT I DID A GREAT JOB, THE WHOLE ENTIRE DISTRICT, NO ONE EARNS ANY MONEY.
WHEN PEOPLE ASK THAT QUESTION, I REALLY WANT EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND WHY WE WANT TO MAKE SURE.
THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT MAY HAVE GOTTEN THERE FASTER, AND THEY'RE IN A OR B COHORT, WHATEVER IT IS, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THERE PEOPLE ARE EARNING MONEY.
>> THAT'S CORRECT. JUST TO ADD TO, THERE ARE A LOT OF SCHOOL DISTRICT WHERE ACTUALLY THEIR PLANS WAS REJECTED, OR THEY HAVE TO VALIDATE THE DATA.
LIKE THE TEAM WAS SAYING HERE, THEY HAVE TO MATCH, BUT ALSO THEY HAVE TO SEE THERE'S A CORRELATION BETWEEN EVERYTHING.
THE LOT OF SCHOOL DISTRICT GET THEIR DATA.
I'M NOT GOING TO NAME A SCHOOL DISTRICT BUT THE COUPLE OF SCHOOL DISTRICT AROUND US HERE, WHO I THINK THEY ARE COHORT, THE C OR D, AND THEY'RE NOT EVEN GETTING THE SAME RESULTS THAT WERE GETTING.
BECAUSE WE ARE VERY STRATEGIC AS FAR AS HOW WE CAN GET IT DONE, AND REALLY WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE START SMALL, WE VALIDATE, WE MAKE SURE WE HAVE A GREAT, AND THEN WE SCALE UP.
SOME OF THEM WILL GO ALL IN, AND THEN THEY GET THEIR PLAN REJECTED.
TALKING ABOUT TEACHERS, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH YOU KNOW, BUT THERE ARE ABOUT 400 AND SOME SCHOOL DISTRICT WHO HAVE THE PLANS SUBMITTED OUT OF 1,200 SCHOOL DISTRICTS, BUT NOT ALL THE 400 SOME SCHOOL DISTRICT, ACTUALLY THEIR TEACHERS ARE GETTING MONEY, JUST FOR YOU TO KNOW.
[03:30:01]
>> CAN I JUST AT A POINT AND THIS IS A POINT OF PRIDE.
WE WANTED OUR SYSTEM TO BE SUPER TIGHT, AND YOU CAN TELL BY THE VALIDATION SCORE.
THE FORMULA IS CRAZY, BUT OUT OF THE 51 TOTAL POINTS THAT WE COULD EARN, WE EARNED 50.
THAT'S HOW TIGHT OUR SYSTEM WAS IN OUR APPLICATION. IN OUR VALIDATION.
>> AS ROD ALLUDED TO, IT DOES TAKE ALL OF US.
IT TAKES A LOT OF US TO MAKE THIS WORK.
OUR TEACHERS WORK HARD AND REALLY DEVELOPED THROUGH THIS SYSTEM.
OUR CAMPUS ADMINISTRATORS HAVE DONE AN AMAZING JOB, TEACHING AND LEARNING.
SCHOOLS AND INNOVATION ARE VERY SUPPORTIVE AND DO AN AMAZING JOB.
BUT WE'VE GOT PEOPLE IN THE BACK OF THE HOUSE THAT ARE WORKING HARD FOR THIS TOO.
WE'VE GOT OUR PIEM STAFF BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF THIS THAT'S RELATED TO PIEM'S CODING.
ROD AND I PULL OUR HAIR OUT OF E-SCHOOL MUNIS AND CODING, MY GOSH.
THERE'S JUST A LOT TO THIS, OUR TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENTS INVOLVED, HR IS OBVIOUSLY INVOLVED.
IT REALLY IS A WHOLE SYSTEM WITHIN A SYSTEM.
AGAIN, I THINK TO ROD'S POINT, I THINK HAVING THAT CALIBRATION IN PLACE AND SEEING THE SUCCESS THERE AND SEEING THE SUCCESS UP ON THAT SCREEN AS WELL IS A REAL POINT OF PRIDE FOR US.
BUT JUST KNOW IT'S COME WITH A LOT OF EFFORT ON THE PART OF OUR STAFF AS WELL TO MAKE THAT PLACE.
BUT WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT.
WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS EARLIER.
THERE WOULD BE SOME IMPACTS ON TIA, AND LEO ALLUDED TO THIS EARLIER.
I WON'T GET TOO FAR INTO THAT.
BUT WE TALKED EARLIER ABOUT THREE DESIGNATIONS.
HOUSE BILL 2 WOULD ACTUALLY CREATE A FOURTH DESIGNATION.
THAT WOULD CREATE A DESIGNATION OF ACKNOWLEDGED.
CURRENTLY, YOUR NATIONAL BOARD-CERTIFIED TEACHERS ARE AUTOMATICALLY DESIGNATED AS RECOGNIZED TEACHERS.
UNDER HOUSE BILL 2, THEY WOULD BECOME ACKNOWLEDGED TEACHERS AUTOMATICALLY, AND SO THEY WOULD BUMP UP THE OTHER LEVELS TO A HIGHER LEVEL.
THAT'S ONE PIECE WE'RE KEEPING AN EYE ON.
IT WOULD INCREASE THE BASE DOLLAR AMOUNTS OF EACH CURRENT DESIGNATION LEVEL, WHICH IS EXCITING AS WELL.
SENATE BILL 26 ALSO HAS SOME IMPACTS POTENTIALLY.
TIA'S TARGET OF TIA DESIGNATED TEACHERS AND DISTRICTS YOU SAW EARLIER IT WAS 33%.
THE LEGISLATION SAYS 30%, AND THEY WOULD SAY, WELL, WE WOULD REALLY PUSH THAT UP TO 50%.
AGAIN, WE'RE FAR OUTSTRIPPING WHAT TIA'S GUIDANCE AND THEIR BENCHMARKS ARE.
THERE ARE NO CAPS TO THE NUMBER OF TIA TEACHERS WE CAN HAVE CURRENTLY.
AGAIN, I'M VERY EXCITED THAT WE'RE ABOVE BENCHMARK ALREADY.
BUT WHAT SENATE BILL 26 COULD DO, WHICH I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF DISCUSSION DOWN THERE RIGHT NOW ABOUT THAT IS THAT THEY WOULD REMOVE THE AUTOMATIC RECOGNIZED DESIGNATION FOR NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS.
THAT'S ONE WE'RE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A LOT OF OUR TEACHERS WHO'VE EARNED THAT DESIGNATION THROUGH THAT PROGRAM.
IT'S A VERY RIGOROUS PROGRAM TO BECOME A NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHER, AGAIN, I THINK IT WOULD HAVE SOME NEGATIVE IMPACT ON SOME OF OUR EMPLOYEES IF THAT WAS THE PATH.
OUR TIMELINE. LOTS OF DATES TODAY.
APRIL 2025, AGAIN, WE'RE WAITING FOR TIA TO GIVE US OUR FINAL APPROVAL ON THE LIST OF TEACHERS IN THE FUNDING AMOUNTS.
OUR PLAN THEN IS WE WILL NOTIFY OUR CAMPUS PRINCIPALS AND OUR TEACHERS OF THEIR SUCCESS.
THAT'LL ALL HAPPEN VERY QUICKLY ONCE WE GET THAT NOTIFICATION.
WE'D REALLY LIKE TO ENGAGE WITH OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND ASK YOU TO SUPPORT US IN THIS EFFORT TO RECOGNIZE THESE TRAILBLAZERS, THE FIRST COHORT OF TIA TEACHERS THAT ARE DESIGNATED FROM ROUND ROCK ISD.
MEANWHILE, WE'RE WORKING ON OUR 2025-26 EXPANSION PLAN.
OH MY GOODNESS, WHICH IS A WHOLE MOTHER THING.
REMEMBER, DR. AZAIEZ TALKED ABOUT THE THREE-YEAR CYCLE.
WELL, THIS IS THE THIRD THREE-YEAR CYCLE, SO WE'RE GOING TO GET THAT KICKED OFF HERE VERY SHORTLY FOR OUR NEXT COHORT.
THEN IN JUNE, WE'LL START TO COLLECT OUR TIA DATA FOR THIS YEAR FOR '24-'25.
THOSE TIA TEACHERS, THE DESIGNATED TEACHERS, THE 61 THAT WE THINK WE'RE GOING TO GET DESIGNATED, THEY WOULD RECEIVE THEIR TIA COMPENSATION IN THEIR JUNE PAYCHECK, RIGHT AT THEIR SUMMER BREAK.
I'M HAPPY TO ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE.
>> MAY I ADD SOMETHING TO OUR BOARD MEMBERS, ALSO.
I THINK EDDIE MENTIONED EARLIER, ACTUALLY, WE ARE VERY CERTAIN THAT MANY A GOOD GROUP OF THE 61 TEACHERS WILL BE GETTING A BIG CHECK, SOME OF THEM UP TO $21,000.
WE ARE HOPING ONCE TIA RELEASES EVERYTHING, MAKE IT REALLY OFFICIAL, PER SE, IS FOR US REALLY TO GO WITH BIG CHECKS AND MAYBE TO SOME OF THEM.
WE WILL INVITE YOU IF SOME OF YOU WANT TO JOIN. WE DO THAT.
AGAIN, IT'S THE FIRST COHORT, WE ARE SUPER EXCITED FOR THEM, AND SO WE WANT TO CELEBRATE WITH THEM WITH THE BIG CHECKS.
[03:35:05]
BUT ANYWAY THEY WON'T GET THEIR OFFICIAL CHECK UNTIL JUNE, BUT WE WANT TO MAYBE TRY TO DO IT APRIL OR MAYBE EARLY MAY, DEPENDING WHERE TIA MAKES THAT OFFICIAL.ALSO, I THINK EDDIE MENTIONED THIS, BUT IT'S A FIVE-YEAR THING FOR THEM.
IF A TEACHER GET THAT, WHAT IS IT? THE MASTER, WHICH IS THE HIGHEST ONE, AND THEY GET THE $21,000 AND THEY REMAIN AT THAT SAME CAMPUS, THEY GET 21,000 FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
IT'S ACTUALLY FIVE YEARS, AND THEN OBVIOUSLY, THEY GET ASSESS EVERY YEAR, AND SO THEY CAN BE EXTENDED BEYOND THE FIVE YEARS, BUT REALLY GUARANTEE FIVE.
AS LONG AS THEY STAY IN THE SAME CAMPUS, IF SOME OF YOU HAVE A QUESTION, HOW WE DETERMINE HOW TIA ACTUALLY DETERMINES THE AMOUNT OF MONEY IS REALLY THEY LOOK AT A COUPLE OF THINGS.
ONE IS THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WHO ARE IN SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS.
THE HIGHER THE PERCENTAGE, THE HIGHER IS THE CHECK THAT THEY'LL GET.
ALSO, THEY LOOK AT FITS RURAL OR NOT A SCHOOL DISTRICT.
OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE NOT A RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICT.
SOME SCHOOL DISTRICT TEACHERS MAY GET UP TO 30,000, 33,000, I THINK.
FOR US, OUR HIGHEST ONE WILL BE ACTUALLY AT BROOKMAN, AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE SOME TEACHERS, AND WE WILL HAVE SOME TEACHERS WHO WILL BE GETTING THAT $21,000 CHECK AT BROOKMAN.
WE ARE SUPER EXCITED FOR THEM.
WE'RE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT WHAT OUR TEACHERS CAN DO IN THE FUTURE.
EDDIE HAS ALREADY GIVEN ME AN LIKE, HOW WOULD YOU SAY THIS? [LAUGHTER] BUT WE DON'T HAVE NAMES YET, BUT WE KNOW SOME OF THEM WILL BE FROM DIFFERENT CAMPUSES.
I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO ASK MY QUESTIONS FIRST.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN IN THE SIMPLEST TERMS WHY THIS IS NOT FULLY ROLLED OUT TO EVERY TEACHER IN THE DISTRICT? I HEARD IT, BUT CAN WE MAKE IT SUPER SIMPLE?
>> YES, MA'AM, A COUPLE OF THINGS.
THE FIRST THING IS, I THINK WE REFERRED TO THE FACT THAT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PUT A SYSTEM IN PLACE THAT WOULD BE SCALABLE.
ANY GOOD SYSTEM THAT WE PUT IN PLACE IN OUR DISTRICT IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, WE'VE STARTED SMALLER, AND WE'VE SCALED UP.
THE SECOND PIECE WAS REALLY WANTED TO FOCUS ON OUR STRATEGIC CAMPUSES INITIALLY.
WHERE DO WE HAVE THE HARDEST TIME FINDING AND RETAINING STAFF? REALLY MAKING SURE THAT THAT WAS A PRIORITY FOCUS AREA.
THE THIRD THING FOR THAT INITIAL FOCUS WAS THE BOARD GOAL AROUND EARLY CHILDHOOD LITERACY AND REALLY MAKING SURE THAT THAT WAS IN PLACE.
NOW, AS WE SCALED UP, SELECTING WHERE OUR NEXT PRIORITY AREAS ARE WAS THAT NEXT CONVERSATION WITH DR. NICHOLS AND I PRIMARILY WHERE MATHEMATICS, A BIG AREA FOCUS, PARTICULARLY AT MIDDLE SCHOOL.
THAT'S THE REALITY I MEAN, NATALIE PULLS ON THE LEASH ON ME SOMETIMES BECAUSE I'M LIKE, CAN WE JUST GO AND SHE'S, NO, STOP.
BECAUSE WE JUST CAN'T BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE DEDICATED RESOURCES FOR TIA.
HOPEFULLY, JUST WITH THE DESCRIPTIONS THAT WE PROVIDED TONIGHT, YOU GET SOME SENSE OF THE SCALE OF IMPLEMENTING THE SYSTEM.
IT IS A SYSTEM WITHIN A SYSTEM.
I THINK THAT TO BE SAID, WE WOULD LIKE TO DO IT REALLY WELL, BUT JUST BECAUSE WE ARE IN TIA, IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU AUTOMATICALLY GET TIA DOLLARS.
THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT GOES ALONG WITH THAT.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT AS MANY OF OUR TEACHERS BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR DESIGNATIONS AS POSSIBLE.
I FEEL THAT HAVING THAT SYSTEM IN PLACE IS OUR BEST WAY TO GET THAT AND TO SCALE IT UP MOST SUCCESSFULLY.
>> IF I CAN ADD, I KNOW YOU WANT TO ADD SOMETHING.
BUT WE HAVE 3,500 TEACHERS, BUT THEY'RE NOT ALL TEACH THE SAME SUBJECT, NOT ALL TEACH THE SAME GRADE LEVEL.
BECAUSE WE HAVE TO HAVE SOME TYPE OF ASSESSMENT FOR EVERY TEACHER THAT WE WANT TO BE PART OF THE TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT.
BECAUSE REMEMBER, THAT DATA, WE HAVE TO GET STUDENT DATA PIECE AS LONG AS WITH THAT EVALUATION, AND THEY HAVE TO CORRELATE, IN ORDER FOR THIS TO WORK AND FOR TIA REALLY TO APPROVE IT OR REJECT IT.
WE COULD RISK IT, AS A DISTRICT, WE COULD HAVE DONE LIKE MORE YEAR 1 OR EVEN YEAR 2.
BUT THEN WE CAN END UP GETTING NOTHING.
THEN PLUS THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN, WE'RE GOING TO NEED THE WHOLE TEAM JUST TO DEDICATE THEMSELVES TO TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE.
JUST BECAUSE THERE ARE DIFFERENT ASSESSMENT, DIFFERENT SUBJECTS, DIFFERENT GRADE LEVELS, WE HAVE TO START SMART, STRATEGIC, AND THEN SCALE IT UP.
THAT'S THE ONLY WAY WE CAN ENSURE THAT OUR TEACHERS ACTUALLY OR MAJORITY OF OUR TEACHERS THAT WE'RE SUBMITTING ARE ACTUALLY GETTING THE TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT.
>> SO EVEN MORE SPECIFICALLY, EDDIE AND DR. AZAIEZ,
[03:40:01]
OF COURSE, ALWAYS GIVE BRILLIANT ANSWERS.BUT THERE WAS NO LEASH, BUT WE DID HAVE DEEP CONVERSATIONS.
SOMETHING TO ABSOLUTELY KNOW, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SYSTEM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT EDDIE AND HIS TEAM DID IS LOOKED AT OUR EVALUATIONS.
ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS HE SAID IS, HERE ARE ALL YOUR TEACHER EVALUATIONS.
HERE ARE THE PERCENTAGE OF THEM THAT ARE COMPLETE.
THERE ARE SEVERAL PROBLEMS WE HAD TO SOLVE FOR, MAKING SURE ALL EVALUATIONS WERE DONE.
THEN WE LOOKED AT WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS FLUFF IN THE SYSTEM.
THERE WAS A COMPARISON OF, HOW DID THAT KIDS DO VERSUS WHAT WERE THE GRADES, SO TO SPEAK, THAT THE TEACHERS RECEIVED ON THEIR T-TEST EVALUATIONS.
THEN THE SECOND THING WE HAD TO SOLVE FOR WAS THE INFLATION WITHIN THE GRADES ON THE TEACHER EVALUATIONS.
BECAUSE THEN AGAIN, IF WE DIDN'T FIX THAT IN THE SYSTEM, NO ONE WOULD MAKE ANY MONEY.
ANOTHER PROBLEM WE HAD TO SOLVE FOR IS THIS.
WE ALREADY HAD THE DATA AS FAR AS WHERE WE WERE EXPERIENCING GROWTH WITHIN OUR SYSTEM.
IF WE WENT WITH THAT, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE FACT THAT THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACHIEVEMENT AND A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROWTH.
IT'S VERY POSSIBLE TO HAVE A HIGH ACHIEVING CAMPUS, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT EACH STUDENT IS GROWING BASED ON THE DEFINITION GIVEN.
ONCE WE LOOKED AT THAT DATA, WE REALIZED THAT WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY GREAT AT CREATING GROWTH WITHIN THE SYSTEM.
HAD TO FIND A WAY TO MEASURE IT, AND THEN WE HAD TO FIND A WAY TO HOW DO WE CREATE IT, AND ALSO LOOKING WHERE WE COULD CREATE IT.
BECAUSE WE THEN HAD STARTED WITH THE CURRICULUM FOR EARLY LITERACY, IT WAS A PERFECT PLACE TO START BECAUSE WE KNEW THEN WE WERE WORKING ON EXACTLY THAT.
WHAT WAS THE CURRICULUM WHERE WE WOULD SEE THE MOST AMOUNT OF PEOPLE BEING SUCCESSFUL? BECAUSE WE HAD THE CURRICULUM, IT WAS A GREAT PLACE TO START WITH K-2, AND THAT'S WHY WE STARTED THERE.
WE ALSO HAD INITIATIVE WHERE WE WERE WORKING SPECIFICALLY WITH THE PRINCIPALS ON SCIENCE OF READING, HOW DO I EVALUATE IT AS A TEACHER TO GIVE REALLY GREAT FEEDBACK.
WE KNEW WE WERE ALREADY TRAINING INTO IT.
POTENTIALLY, THEN WE WOULD NOT SEE ANY SKEW BETWEEN THE TEACHER EVALUATION AND ALSO THE GROWTH EXPERIENCED BY THE STUDENTS.
WE STARTED IN A PLACE WHERE WE KNEW THAT WE WERE TEACHING INTO IT AND MAKING CERTAIN STRATEGIC CHANGES, WHERE THE TEACHERS WOULD BE SUCCESSFUL.
AS WE DEPLOY CURRICULUM, AS WE FIX CURRICULUM, AS WE SEE THAT THERE'S GROWTH, AS WE TRAIN INTO HOW TO DO THE WALK THROUGHS AND THE EVALUATIONS, THEN WE KEEP ADDING THOSE BECAUSE WE KNOW IT'S A PLACE THEN WHERE THEY CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.
>> BY DESIGN, IS TIA EVER DESIGNED TO BE 100% OF TEACHERS IN A DISTRICT ALL SUBJECT MATTER?
>> I THINK ACCORDING TO TEA, IT'S NOT BECAUSE THEY SAY 33% OF YOUR TEACHERS SHOULD BE DESIGNATED.
BUT GIVEN WHERE WE ARE AND OUR JOURNEY SO FAR, I THINK NATALIE JUST SAID IT.
THERE'S NO REASON WHY WE CAN'T GET THERE.
DR. AZAIEZ MENTIONED STUDENT GROWTH MEASURES IN CERTAIN CONTENT AREAS.
THAT'S THE MOST CHALLENGING PART TO ALL OF THIS IS TO REALLY NAIL THAT DOWN BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE SAME GROWTH MEASURE IN EACH CONTENT.
FOR SOME AREAS, WE CAN USE STAAR, THE GROWTH MEASURE, AND SOME, EARLY WE USE READING DIAGNOSTICS.
SOME AREAS, WE HAVE TO COME UP WITH A LOCAL COMMON ASSESSMENT.
THAT'S SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE HAVE TO PUT IN PLACE AS WE MOVE FORWARD, BUT I FEEL THAT WE'VE HAD A REALLY GOOD START AND WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD SYSTEM AND WE HAVE REALLY GOOD COHESION ACROSS DEPARTMENTS AS WELL, WHICH SHOULD HELP US BE SUCCESSFUL WITH GETTING A LOT OF TEACHER IN.
>> I JUST WANT TO ADD, WE CAN COME UP WITH ALL THE ASSESSMENT AND THE SUIT OF MEASURES.
IT'S NOT UP TO US, TEA STILL HAVE TO APPROVE IT, AND ACTUALLY, THEY WORK WITH TEXAS TECH, REALLY TO VALIDATE EVERYTHING.
AGAIN, WE ALWAYS IF IT'S NOT A TIGHT SYSTEM, WE EASILY CAN GET REJECTED, AND THEY REJECTED A LOT OF SCHOOL DISTRICT STUFF AND THERE ARE MANY OF THEM ACTUALLY.
THEY CLAIM THEY ARE AT TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT.
I LOOKED GOOD ON THEIR WEBSITE OR WHEN THEY GO AND RECRUIT TEACHER, BUT REALLY, HOW MANY OF THEIR TEACHERS ACTUALLY GETTING IT? WHAT IS THE PERCENTAGE OF TEACHERS FROM THAT PARTICULAR DISTRICT WHO ARE ACTUALLY GETTING MONEY?
>> TEACHERS AREN'T SEEING THE MONEY.
>> BINGO, AND REALLY WE ARE INTENTIONAL ABOUT IT BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO JUST TO BE ON WHAT LOOKS GOOD ON OUR WEBSITE OR WHEN EDDIE AND HIS TEAM GOES AND RECRUIT.
WE ARE TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT, WE WANT OUR TEACHER TO ACTUALLY WIN MONEY, TO GET MONEY BECAUSE THEY DESERVE TO GET THIS INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT.
BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, I DON'T THINK THE SYSTEM WAS DESIGNED TO GIVE EVERY TEACHER MONEY.
I THINK THE WAY SET UP IS TO REWARD YOUR HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEACHERS.
YOU'RE GOING TO SEE SOMETIMES AND MOST LIKELY A GROUP OF LET'S SAY YOU HAVE FOUR KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS,
[03:45:04]
YOU'RE GOING TO SEE ONE OR TWO GET THE INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT, THEN ONE OR TWO NOT GETTING IT.BECAUSE AGAIN, THE WAY TEA WANTED THIS TO WORK AND THE COMMISSIONER WANTED THIS TO WORK IS TO REWARD YOUR HIGHLY, LIKE YOUR EFFECTIVE TEACHERS.
AGAIN, WE HOPE TO GET 100%, BUT I DON'T SEE TEA APPROVING THAT AND ALLOWING EVERY ONE OF OUR TEACHERS TO GET IT.
>> TWO MORE VERY QUICK QUESTIONS.
NUMBER 1, WHAT EDUCATION ARE WE DOING WITH OUR TEACHERS TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THE TIA PROCESS AND THE OPPORTUNITY?
>> I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO ROD IN JUST A SECOND BECAUSE ROD IS A ONE MAN TIA ROAD SHOW.
BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, WE HAVE SOME WEB CONTENT.
IN FACT, I THINK THAT QR CODE TAKES YOU TO IT IF YOU'RE INTERESTED.
OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM, THAT'S WHY I DIDN'T CALL IT EARLIER.
WE HAVE AN AMAZING COMMUNICATIONS TEAM, AND THEY'VE BEEN A PARTNER WITH ME AS WE START TO BUILD THIS PROGRAM TO TRY TO PUT PIECES OUT.
I THINK IT'S NOT PERFECT, BUT WE'RE GETTING THERE, SO WE HAVE FAQS, THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT THE WORD OF MOUTH IS NOW HAPPENING AS TEACHERS GET MORE FAMILIAR WITH IT.
ROD, DO YOU WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU DO AT THE CAMPUSES?
>> THE PROCESS STARTED LAST YEAR WITH OUR FIRST NINE CAMPUSES.
WE ACTUALLY WENT TO ALL NINE CAMPUSES, CREATED A TEACHER FRIENDLY SLIDE SHOW FOR THEM, AND THEN JUST ANSWERED ANY QUESTIONS AS WE WERE COLLECTING THE DATA.
WHAT WE DID THIS YEAR WITH THE EXPANSION OF OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS, AGAIN, WE WENT BACK TO THE CAMPUSES AND PRESENTED THAT SAME PRESENTATION, TEACHER FRIENDLY TO THEM, AND I THINK THE ADDITION OF THE TITLE 1 CAMPUSES THAT WE INCLUDED ALSO THIS YEAR, WE JUST MADE SURE THAT WE WENT AND SCHEDULED THEM FOR A PRESENTATION, AND WE'LL DO THE SAME THING FOR NEXT YEAR.
>> JUST ASK THAT BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A MISUNDERSTANDING FROM SOME OF THE EMAILS THAT WE'RE GETTING.
PEOPLE DON'T HAVE THE FULL PICTURE OF WHAT THIS PROGRAM IS AND HOW IT APPLIES AND WHY IT'S BEING ROLLED OUT? THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION.
I'M WONDERING IF THERE IS SOMETHING.
I KNOW THAT THERE'S A WEBSITE, BUT YOU HAVE TO GO AND SEE IT.
I KNOW THAT THERE'S MAYBE SOME HESITATION ABOUT SENDING OUT COMMUNICATION THAT DOESN'T APPLY TO EVERYONE, BUT IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO CLARIFY FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND.
LAST QUICK QUESTION, THE ADDITIONAL PATHWAY IS THE NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION.
ARE WE DOING ANYTHING TO SUPPORT THAT PROCESS FOR TEACHERS OR IS THERE ANY WAY TO SUPPORT? I KNOW TEA WILL REIMBURSE.
BUT IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO ENCOURAGE TEACHERS TO SEEK THAT PATHWAY?
>> EDDIE IS NOT HERE, BUT EDDIE ACTUALLY, WE APPLIED FOR A GRANT, AND MAYBE I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THIS.
BUT WE GOT A GRANT, AND SHE WORKED ON REALLY TRAINING AND HELPING OUR TEACHER GET THAT CERTIFICATION.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE STILL GOING.
YOU STILL HAVE IT? YOU WANT TO EXPAND ON THAT, PLEASE?
>> IT'S EXACTLY THAT THE GRANT JUST PROVIDES US WITH SOME MONIES TO ENCOURAGE TO SUPPORT THE TEACHERS THAT WANT TO GO THROUGH THE NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION.
ONCE THEY DO GET THAT NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION, THEN TEA ALSO REIMBURSES ALL THE FEES TO THEM.
WE HAVE THAT SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR THEM, AND SO IT'S JUST APPLYING FOR THE GRANTS TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE AND SUSTAIN IT FOR THE COMING YEARS.
>> IT'S A LONG PROCESS. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW, BUT IT'S A TWO YEAR PROCESS.
IT TAKES ABOUT TWO YEAR WORTH OF WORKING AND TO GET THROUGH THE WHOLE SYSTEM. THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU. I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU FOR SITTING THROUGH TWO PRESENTATIONS. THANK YOU, EDDIE.
I KNOW THAT WE STILL HAVE A LOT TO GO, BUT LET'S TAKE A BREAK UNTIL 9:40, STRETCH, DO WHATEVER YOU NEED TO DO UNTIL 9:40, AND WE ARE ADJOURNED UNTIL 9:40.
[INAUDIBLE] JOB OF ESTIMATING HOW MUCH TIME WE NEED TONIGHT, AND WE ARE BACK IN SESSION.
[G. DISCUSSION ITEMS]
WE'RE MOVING ON TO AGENDA ITEM G.1, BOARD STUDENT OUTCOME GOALS TIME TRACKER.>> TURN OVER TO ME. THERE ARE FOUR FILES ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA WITH THIS.
IF YOU CLICK ON THE ONE THAT SAYS FEBRUARY TOTALS TIME TRACKER, WE'LL LOOK AT THAT ONE FOR THE MONTH.
I WILL SAY THERE IS ONE SMALL ERROR AT THE TOP OF THAT SHEET.
IT DOES SAY FEBRUARY 20TH PUBLIC HEARING.
I'LL GET THAT CORRECTED AND RE-POSTED TOMORROW.
BUT THIS IS THE TOTAL FOR THE WHOLE MONTH.
WE HAD THREE MEETINGS THAT COUNTED TOWARD THESE TOTAL.
WE HAD A PUBLIC HEARING, AND WE HAD A REGULAR BOARD MEETING.
WE ENDED UP SPENDING 22.6% OF OUR TIME TALKING ABOUT STUDENT OUTCOMES, AND ALL OF THAT,
[03:50:06]
IT CAME FROM DOING OUR BOARD SELF EVALUATION.WE DID GET SOME CREDIT FROM OUR PUBLIC HEARING BECAUSE WE ADDRESS SOME OF OUR STUDENT OUTCOME GOALS IN OUR PUBLIC HEARING, AND SO THAT GAVE US 61 MINUTES TOTAL.
FOR THE MONTH, WE ARE AT 22.6%. ANY QUESTIONS?
>> NO QUESTIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE'VE SLIPPED A LITTLE BIT AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL PUSH OUR WAY BACK UP.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. MOVING ON TO ITEM G.2, ACADEMIC CALENDAR.
>> CARRIED ZERO, SO YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE CARE.
>> GOOD EVENING. PRESIDENT HARRISON, TRUSTEES, BOARD, COMMUNITY.
HERE TO PRESENT THE WORK OF THE ACADEMIC CALENDAR COMMITTEE FOR THE 2026 AND 2027 SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR.
THIS WORK IS LED NOT ONLY BY ME, BUT BY A COMMITTEE AND OUR ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES, DR. GERARD, AND OUR ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF ACADEMICS, RODRIGO PORTILLO.
JUST THE PURPOSE OF THE COMMITTEE.
IT IS COMPOSED OF PARENTS, TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS, DISTRICT STAFF FROM ALL FIVE VERTICAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES.
WE'RE TASKED WITH NOT ONLY LOOKING AT THE ACADEMIC PRIORITIES AND INSTRUCTION AND PRIORITIZING THAT, BUT ALSO BALANCING THE DIVERSE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
WE COME TOGETHER SHARING A SPACE WITH EVERYONE AT THE TABLE, PROVIDING INPUT AND FEEDBACK ALONG THE WAY AS WE BUILD THE CALENDAR TOGETHER TO PRESENT TO YOU TONIGHT.
THIS IS THE TIMELINE THAT OUTLINES THE CALENDAR PROCESS.
WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT AND DISCUSSING THE 2026-2027 CALENDAR IN OCTOBER.
WE'VE MET ALL THE WAY THROUGH FEBRUARY WHERE WE PUT TOGETHER TWO OPTIONS, HAD A SURVEY TO ALL OF THE STAKEHOLDERS, AND THEN WE'RE PRESENTING TONIGHT THE RECOMMENDATION FOR THE '26-'27 SCHOOL YEAR.
OUR PROCESS INCLUDES FIRST, GATHERING AWARENESS JUST ABOUT THE CALENDAR PROCESS.
WE HAVE NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS THAT JOIN, SO UPDATING THEM ON THE CONSTRAINTS, THE CONSIDERATIONS.
ONCE WE DO THAT, WE GATHER FEEDBACK WITHIN THE COMMITTEE.
WE BEGIN TO DRAFT AT LEAST TWO OPTIONS SO THAT THE STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS THE DISTRICT, STAFF, PARENTS, COMMUNITY, AND EVEN STUDENTS TO GIVE THEIR FEEDBACK ON WHICH OPTION THEY LIKE BEST.
FROM THAT FEEDBACK, WE CREATE A PRESENTATION AND PUT FORWARD A RECOMMENDATION.
SOME OF JUST A REMINDER OF THE CONSIDERATIONS AS WE CO COLLABORATE AND DRAFT THE CALENDARS.
WE HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND THE STATE REQUIREMENTS OF THE 75,600 INSTRUCTIONAL MINUTES, THINGS THAT ARE PREFERRED BY THE DISTRICT OVER THE YEARS.
FOR EXAMPLE, INCLUDING TWO TEACHER WORK DAYS SO THAT TEACHERS HAVE TIME TO DO GRADES AT THE END OF EACH SEMESTER, AS WELL AS 5, 4 PD DAYS.
THIS INCLUDES ONE DAY IN OCTOBER, WHERE ELEMENTARY CAMPUSES HAVE TIME TO DO THOSE PARENT CONFERENCES.
WE ALSO LOOK AT COMMUNITY PREFERENCES.
WE PUT OUT SURVEYS AND GET FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMITTEE, AND SOME OF THOSE INCLUDE KEEPING THE AMOUNT OF TIME WE HAVE OFF DURING WINTER AROUND SPRING BREAK.
THEN THE TWO FULL WEEKS IN WINTER AS WELL AS THE SPRING.
WHAT IS OUT OF THE COMMITTEE SCOPE? WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S BALANCED WITH 187 TEACHER DAYS FOR CONTRACT AND THEN LOOKING AT THE INSTRUCTIONAL MINUTES FOR STUDENTS.
THINGS OUT OF THE SCOPE ARE GRADUATION, SUMMER SCHOOL, THINGS LIKE THAT ARE NOT DECIDED BY THE COMMITTEE, SO WE JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE TASKED WITH AS WE GO FORWARD AND DRAFT THE CALENDARS.
WE PUT OUT A SURVEY AND THE WINDOW WAS FROM FEBRUARY 24 THROUGH MARCH 5.
WE WERE ABLE TO DRAFT A CALENDAR DRAFT OPTION A AND B, BOTH IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH.
WITHIN THAT SURVEY, WE WORKED WITH THE ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION TEAM WHO PUT TOGETHER THE SURVEY ALONG WITH THE DIFFERENCES OUTLINED IN EACH OF THE CALENDARS.
THAT WAY, IT WAS EASY TO SEE THE TWO OPTIONS AS WELL AS THE DIFFERENCES.
[03:55:04]
YOU COULD SEE OPTION A AND B.THERE WERE TWO DIFFERENT START DATES.
THE DIFFERENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND STUDENT HOLIDAY DATES WERE ALSO DIFFERENT.
THERE WERE SOME YOU DAY DIFFERENCES AS WELL AS THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL.
WITHIN THAT SURVEY, WE PROVIDED AN OPEN ENDED QUESTION FOR FEEDBACK FROM THE RESPONDENTS AS WELL.
THE SURVEY DATA THAT WE RECEIVED, WE HAD A LITTLE OVER 4,000 RESPONSES.
YOU CAN SEE THE BREAKDOWN OF STUDENT, STAFF, AND OUR COMMUNITY AND FAMILIES.
OVERALL, THE PREFERRED CALENDAR WAS OPTION B AT 64%.
WHEN WE BREAK THAT DOWN, THE STUDENTS, 484 RESPONDED TO OPTION B AT 70%, OPTION A AT 30%.
OUR STAFF OPTION B, 61%, AND OPTION A, 39%.
OUR FAMILY AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS, PARENTS AND GUARDIANS, PREFERRED OPTION B AT 64%.
OUR RECOMMENDATION IS CALENDAR OPTION B BASED ON THE FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMITTEE, AS WELL AS THE STAKEHOLDERS RESPONDING TO THE SURVEY.
THAT MEANS THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR THE 2026 SCHOOL YEAR WOULD BE TUESDAY, AUGUST 18.
THE STAFF HOLIDAYS AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAYS ARE OUTLINED THERE, AS WELL AS THE YOU DAYS BEING OCTOBER 19 AND MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15.
THAT WAS SOMETHING ON THE SURVEY, KUDOS TO HR, BRINGING FORTH THAT IDEA, BUT MANY OF THE STAFF AS WELL AS PARENTS, OVERWHELMINGLY LIKE THE YOU DAYS.
THEN THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL WOULD BE THURSDAY, MAY 27.
OUR NEXT STEPS FOR THE CALENDAR IS WE LIKE TO STAY TWO YEARS AHEAD.
RIGHT NOW, WE'VE PAUSED ON '27-'28 AS WE'RE WAITING FOR LEGISLATIVE UPDATES THAT MAY IMPACT THE CALENDAR.
WE'RE GOING TO RESTART THE COMMITTEE IN AUGUST SEPTEMBER, AND THEN ALSO WAITING FOR THE UNIVERSITY SCHEDULES AS WE MIRROR THOSE SAME SCHEDULES BECAUSE MANY OF OUR KIDS TAKE THOSE COLLEGE CLASSES.
EXCELLENT, THOROUGH PRESENTATION.
[OVERLAPPING] THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE'RE CHOPPING ALONG TO DISCUSSION ITEM G.3, LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE UPDATE. TRUSTEE MARKHAM.
>> THERE WE GO. WE'VE HAD A VERY BUSY MONTH FOR LEGISLATIVE WORK.
IF YOU WILL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
I JUST WENT AHEAD AND GAVE YOU ALL AN OVERVIEW OF ALL OF THE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES THAT WE HAVE APPROVED.
IF YOU NOTICED GOING FORWARD, I HAVE ATTACHED A MORE DETAILED REPORT OF OUR LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY OVER THE LAST MONTH, AND I'LL START DOING THAT EVERY MONTH JUST SO YOU GUYS ARE ALL AWARE OF ALL OF THE CONVERSATIONS WE'RE HAVING, ALL OF THE NEXT STEPS, AND THEN EACH ITEM, I'LL SHOW HOW IT'S ALIGNED WITH OUR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES AND I'LL DO THAT BY NUMBER, LIKE YOU SEE IN THE OVERVIEW HERE.
FIRST UP, I INTRODUCED THE SAFETY AND SECURITY SUMMIT IN MY LAST UPDATE.
WE DID HOLD THE SAFETY AND SECURITY SUMMIT.
WE HAD VERY GOOD PARTICIPATION.
WE HAD 15 LEGISLATIVE OFFICES ATTEND AS WELL AS THE LOCAL MEDIA.
A LOT OF MEDIA INTERVIEWS AFTER THE SUMMIT AS WELL WITH OUR SUPERINTENDENTS AND OUR CHIEFS OF POLICE.
SO THERE'S DEFINITELY A LOT OF INTEREST IN WHAT SCHOOLS ARE ASKING FOR AND HOW THAT'S ALIGNING WITH THE LEGISLATURE IS POTENTIALLY OFFERING THIS YEAR.
THE SUMMIT WAS LED BY ROUND ROCK ISD, LEANDER ISD, AND PFLUGERVILLE, ISD.
WE DID HAVE SIX CENTRAL TEXAS SCHOOL DISTRICTS PARTICIPATING.
WE HAD SIX SUPERINTENDENTS IN ONE PLACE IN FOUR CHIEFS OF POLICE IN ONE PLACE FROM SURROUNDING DISTRICTS.
I THINK THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF INTEREST IN HAVING ALL OF THOSE DEPTHS OF KNOWLEDGE IN ONE ROOM.
WE HAD A LOT OF REALLY GREAT QUESTIONS.
SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ALL OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS OFFERED WERE TAILORING SAFETY AND SECURITY SOLUTIONS FOR BOTH URBAN AND RURAL SETTINGS.
WE DID HAVE MANOR ISD THERE AS WELL.
[04:00:02]
THEY'RE ON THE LINE OF BEING A RURAL DISTRICT, SO THEY SPOKE TO THAT.EXPANDING THE FUNDING MECHANISMS FOR MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT AND REDUCING THE COUNSELOR TO STUDENT RATIO.
THERE WERE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT MENTAL HEALTH LOOKS LIKE IN THE CURRENT REALITY OF MENTAL HEALTH IN OUR DISTRICTS AND WHAT THE CURRENT COUNSELOR TO STUDENT RATIO IS.
THERE WAS, I THINK, A LOT OF SURPRISE IN THE ROOM OF WHAT THAT RATIO CURRENTLY LOOKS LIKE COMPARED TO WHAT THE RECOMMENDATION IS.
HOUSE BILL 3. HOUSE BILL 3 IS THE EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNT BILL.
TRUSTEE LANDRUM WENT AND TESTIFIED IN PERSON AGAINST THIS BILL.
SHE WAITED 17.5 HOURS TO TESTIFY, SO KUDOS TO HER FOR BEING THERE THAT LONG.
THEN I ALSO SUBMITTED WRITTEN TESTIMONY AGAINST HB3.
HOUSE BILL 6, WHICH IS THE DISCIPLINE BILL, BOTH I AND TRUSTEE ROSS WERE THERE FOR 13.5 HOURS WAITING TO TESTIFY NEUTRAL ON THE BILL.
BY NEUTRAL, IT WAS OPPOSED UNLESS RECOMMENDATIONS WERE ADDED TO THE BILL.
THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE PROVIDED AND CONTINUING TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS AROUND THAT ARE NOT JUST PUNITIVE MEASURES, WHICH IS WHAT THE BILL CURRENTLY HAS, BUT ALSO TEACHER TRAINING AND SUPPORT AND PARAMETERS FOR THE DISCIPLINE MEASURES.
THERE'S A LOT OF OPEN-ENDED DISCIPLINE IN THE BILL, AS FAR AS NO CAP ON ISS, LOWERING THE OUT-OF-SCHOOL SUSPENSION TO KINDERGARTEN THROUGH SECOND GRADE, AND THERE JUST AREN'T A LOT OF GUARD RAILS ON IT.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO TALK TO.
THE STUDENT BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT COALITION, WHICH IS A GROUP OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS WHO PUT THIS BILL TOGETHER.
TRUSTEE ROSS AND I ALONG WITH SOME TRUSTEES FROM PFLUGERVILLE, AND LEANDER ARE IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH THEM AND TRYING TO GET SOME AMENDMENTS TO THE BILLS TO ADD FUNDING FOR TEACHER TRAINING.
IN PROGRESS, WE ARE ENGAGING WITH SENATOR ECKHARDT'S OFFICE ON HEALTH INSURANCE.
WE KNOW THAT EVEN WHEN WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GIVE OUR TEACHERS RAISES, THE INCREASE IN THE COST OF HEALTH INSURANCE BASICALLY NEGATES THOSE RAISES.
WE'RE LOOKING TO ALIGN WITH THE ADJUSTMENTS THAT THE STATE HAS MADE FOR THOSE WHO OPT INTO THE TRS SYSTEM.
FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE SELF-FUNDED, WE'RE LOOKING TO HOPEFULLY GET THE SAME ADJUSTMENTS.
THEN WE ARE ALSO MEETING WITH REPRESENTATIVE GONZALEZ'S OFFICE AND REPRESENTATIVE BERNAL.
REPRESENTATIVE GONZALEZ IS ON THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE, AND REPRESENTATIVE BERNAL IS ON THE PUBLIC EDUCATION COMMITTEE, SO WE'LL BE TALKING TO BOTH OF THEM ABOUT FUNDING.
THEN I JUST ALSO INCLUDED SOME UPCOMING ADVOCACY EVENTS FOR YOU ALL AND FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND HOW TO REGISTER FOR THOSE.
THEN I DID WANT TO TELL YOU GUYS, IF YOU'RE DOING LEGISLATIVE WORK, IF YOU WANT TO SEND THAT TO ME, THAT'S SOMETHING THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE IS GOING TO MEET WEEKLY NOW.
WE CAN DISCUSS IN OUR COMMITTEE MEETINGS, BUT ALSO I CAN ADD IT TO MY REPORT TO MAKE SURE IT'S AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE.
THEN AGAIN, JUST RESOURCES OF OUR PRIORITIES AND THEN THE FUND SCHOOLS FIRST ORGANIZATION.
THEN THAT'S IT. THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS.
>> I DON'T SEE ANY LIGHTS, BUT I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE AND NOT JUST TO THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE, BECAUSE TRUSTEE LANDRUM, YOU'RE NOT ON THAT COMMITTEE, BUT YOU HAVE BEEN AT THE CAPITOL.
THANK YOU TO ALL TRUSTEES WHO ARE POUNDING THE PAVEMENT IN THESE OFFICES, MAKING SURE THAT OUR VOICES ARE HEARD.
ROUND ROCK ISD IS A VERY POWERFUL FORCE, AND I AM VERY APPRECIATIVE OF HOW WE'RE SHOWING UP THIS YEAR.
I ALSO WANT TO SAY IT'S GREAT THAT IT'S COLLABORATIVE.
IT'S NOT LIKE ONE OR TWO PEOPLE.
IT'S EVERYBODY GOING, MAKING OUR VOICES HEARD, AND REPRESENTING OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT.
>> I KNOW YOU'RE PROBABLY GOING TO INCLUDE THIS IN A FUTURE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE AS WELL, BUT BASED ON MY PERSONAL TESTIMONY AGAINST HOUSE BILL 3, THERE IS A NEW AVENUE FOR SOME PEOPLE TO REACH OUT TO THEIR LEGISLATORS AS TO WHY HOUSE BILL 3, THEY FEEL WILL NOT WORK FOR THEIR FAMILY.
THERE'S A WEBSITE FOR OUR SCHOOLS OUR DEMOCRACY.
IT'S ACTUALLY BLOCKED BY ROUND ROCK ISD FILTERS, BUT IT IS A WEBSITE THAT REALLY IS HOPING TO FURTHER ALONG FREE AND APPROPRIATE EDUCATION, AND THERE'S A WAY TO ENGAGE WITH THAT.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO GO TO THE CAPITOL TO CONNECT WITH YOUR LEGISLATORS.
IT'S OSOD.ORG, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN FOLLOWING UP ON THAT AS WELL.
>> I'LL INCLUDE THE LINK IN THE NEXT REPORT.
[04:05:06]
>> I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER COMMENTS.
[H. ACTION ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION BY CONSENT]
WE'RE MOVING ON TO ITEM H, ACTION ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION BY CONSENT.>> PRESIDENT HARRISON, I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE ITEMS H1 THROUGH 11 BY CONSENT.
>> ANY COMMENTS? SEEING NONE, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING ITEMS H1 THROUGH H11 BY CONSENT.
ALL OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES SIX, ZERO.
[I. ACTION ITEMS]
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTION TO NOMINATE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, DR. HAFEDH AZAIEZ FOR SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR.>> MADAM PRESIDENT, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD ADOPT THE RESOLUTION TO NOMINATE DR. HAFEDH AZAIEZ, SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS FOR SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR AS PRESENTED.
>> WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION?
>> I JUST WANT TO SAY, I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD FOR SIX YEARS, AND WE'VE NEVER NOMINATED A SUPERINTENDENT BEFORE, BUT THIS SEEMED LIKE SUCH A NO-BRAINER AFTER LOOKING AT ALL OF THE CHANGES THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN ROUND ROCK ISD IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP, DR. AZAIEZ.
I KNOW THAT YOU'RE JUST ONE PERSON AND YOU HAVE AN INCREDIBLE TEAM THAT SUPPORTS YOU IN IMPLEMENTING ALL OF THIS, BUT WE CAN'T NOMINATE EXECUTIVE TEAM OF THE YEAR.
IF THERE WAS, I WOULD NOMINATE THE EXECUTIVE TEAM OF THE YEAR AS WELL.
WE'VE SEEN MOVEMENT IN OUR NUMBERS, WE'VE SEEN MOVEMENT IN THE COLLABORATION WITH OUR COMMUNITY.
I COULD GO ON AND ON AND ON, BUT IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR TO SERVE WITH YOU AND IMPACT THE STUDENTS, STAFF AND FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS OF ROUND ROCK ISD.
I WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORT THIS RESOLUTION MOVING FORWARD.
WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
ALL IN FAVOR? I MISSED YOU, CHUY.
I'M SO SORRY. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES SIX, ZERO. WE'RE TO ANNOUNCEMENTS.
[J. BOARD BUSINESS]
CONGRATULATIONS.I DON'T HAVE ANY, BUT DR. AZAIEZ, DO YOU HAVE SOME ANNOUNCEMENTS?
>> YEAH. FIRST, LET ME START BY THANKING YOU FOR THE NOMINATION AND IT REALLY MEANS A LOT, AND I'M REALLY A PROUD SUPERINTENDENT.
I'M BLESSED TO BE HERE AND WORK WITH YOU, WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY, OUR TEACHERS, STAFF, OUR PARENTS.
OUR FIRST EARLY LEARNING DAY IN OUR DISTRICT THIS TIME.
THIS IS OUR FIRST TIME DOING SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
WE HAVE, ON TUESDAY, APRIL 1, AT ALL OUR 35 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
WE'RE GOING TO OPEN OUR DOORS TO OUR COMMUNITY.
THESE ARE PRIMARILY FOR FAMILIES WHO ARE WANT TO ENROLL THEIR KIDS OR MAYBE THINKING ABOUT ENROLL THEIR STUDENTS IN ROUND ROCK ISD, SPECIFICALLY EARLY CHILDHOOD, LIKE PRE-K AND KINDER.
WE HAVE ABOUT 1,600 FAMILIES ALREADY SIGNED UP FOR THIS DAY.
WE HAVE TWO SESSIONS TO ACCOMMODATE OUR PARENTS.
WE HAVE A 9:00 AM SESSION AND ALSO WE HAVE A ONE O'CLOCK SESSION, AGAIN, ON ALL OUR 35 ELEMENTARY.
SO FAR WE HAVE 1,600 FAMILIES WHO SIGNED UP FOR IT.
IF YOU WANT TO ATTEND ONE OF THESE SESSIONS, PLEASE LET US KNOW.
WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU WALK WITH US AND GET TO MINGLE WITH OUR HOPEFULLY NEW FAMILIES, NEW STUDENTS, THAT THEY MAY BE A ROLE IN OUR DISTRICT.
WE ALSO HAVE A BIG EVENT COMING UP NOT THIS WEEKEND, BUT THE WEEKEND AFTER.
WE HAVE A BIG ANNUAL DISTRICT TEACHER HIRING EVENT.
APRIL 5 WILL BE AT CEDAR RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL FROM 9:00-11:30.
AGAIN, WE'RE INVITING OUR PROSPECTIVE STAFF TEACHERS, BUT ALSO OUR BOARD.
IF ANY OF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING, PLEASE LET US KNOW, WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU MINGLE WITH ALL OUR PRINCIPALS WILL BE THERE, A LOT OF THEIR STAFF MEMBER WILL BE THERE.
AGAIN, WOULD BE NOT THIS SATURDAY BUT THE FOLLOWING SATURDAY APRIL 5 AT CEDAR RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL.
ALSO, A COUPLE MORE ANNOUNCEMENT.
THE OTHER ONE IS ALSO, THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING THE PI FOUNDATION GALLEY EVENT, MANY OF YOU DID.
I WANT TO THANK, OBVIOUSLY, MARIANNE REAP AND ALL HER TEAM AND EVERYONE WHO REALLY PARTICIPATED IN RAISING $468,000.
[04:10:06]
I KNOW IF NOT ALL OF IT, MOST OF IT WILL GO BACK TO OUR STUDENTS AND GO BACK TO OUR TEACHERS.WAS REALLY A GREAT EVENT AND IT'S A WAY OF HELPING OUR TEACHERS AND OUR STUDENTS OBVIOUSLY MEET THEIR NEEDS.
THEN FINALLY, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW ABOUT BOTH ROUND ROCK HIGH SCHOOL AND WESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS SOCCER TEAM.
WESTWOOD IS ACTUALLY PLAYING HOME, AND THEN ROUND ROCK HIGH SCHOOL WILL BE TRAVELING THREE HOURS FROM HERE.
WE ARE REALLY VERY PROUD OF THEM, BUT ALSO WE'RE VERY OPTIMISTIC THAT THEY CONTINUE PROGRESSING IN THESE PLAYOFFS.
HOPEFULLY, WE'LL SEE THEM AT THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE HOPEFULLY WITHIN A COUPLE OF WEEKS.
THAT'S IT FOR ME. I THINK THAT'S IT. THANK YOU.
>> WOW. SO MANY THINGS TO CELEBRATE.
VERY EXCITING. TRUSTEES, NORMALLY, WE GO OVER DATES.
I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I KNOW, WE'RE TRACKING TO HAVE A MEETING A WEEK FROM NOW UNTIL MID-JUNE.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'LL BE LOOKING AT BECAUSE I THINK THAT WE'LL NEED TO MAYBE MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS, BUT JUST MAKE SURE YOU'RE GETTING YOUR CALENDAR INVITES, BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY NOTES ABOUT THAT TONIGHT.
JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I KNOW THAT OUR SCHEDULE IS PACKED.
PLUS WE'RE GETTING ALL THE INVITES FOR ALL OF THE EXCITING END-OF-THE-YEAR THINGS, AND I KNOW WE WANT TO ATTEND AS MANY OF THOSE THINGS AS POSSIBLE.
I THINK THAT'S IT. ANYTHING ELSE? ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS? WOW. WE REALLY DID CHOP THROUGH THIS AGENDA.
WE HAVE TO BE OUT HERE BY 11:39, LET'S SEE IF WE CAN DO IT.
[K. CLOSED SESSION]
I'M GOING TO READ US INTO CLOSED SESSION.PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTIONS 551.071 AND 551.076, THE BOARD WILL REVIEW, DELIBERATE, AND DISCUSS THE SAFETY AND SECURITY COMMITTEE REPORT REGARDING THE INTRUDER DETECTION AUDIT FINDINGS.
PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551.072, THE BOARD WILL MEET TO DISCUSS AND DELIBERATE ON THE PURCHASE, EXCHANGE, LEASE, OR VALUE OF REAL PROPERTY, AND PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE 551.071, THE BOARD MAY SEEK LEGAL ADVICE REGARDING THE PROPOSED CONVEYANCE AND SALE OF LAND.
PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTIONS 551.071 AND 551.074, THE BOARD WILL MEET TO DISCUSS THE SUPERINTENDENT'S FUTURE EVALUATION INSTRUMENT.
PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTIONS 551.071 AND 551.074, THE BOARD WILL MEET IN CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY TO CONSIDER AND DISCUSS LIGHTHOUSE COMPLAINTS OR CONCERNS AGAINST THE SUPERINTENDENT AND TRUSTEES.
IT IS 10:06 PM, AND WE ARE IN CLOSE SESSION.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND HAVE IT IN THIS ROOM.
10:06, WE'RE IN CLOSE SESSION.
[L. CALL BACK TO ORDER/EXECUTIVE SESSION MOTIONS]
IT IS 11:54 PM.ARE THERE ANY MOTIONS COMING OUT OF CLOSED?
>> I MOVE THAT THE BOARD APPROVE THE ROUND ROCK ISD SAFETY AND SECURITY COMMITTEE REPORT AS DISCUSSED IN CLOSED SESSION.
>> ANY DISCUSSION? WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
>> I ALSO HAVE A MOTION ON K.4.
I MOVE THAT THE BOARD AUTHORIZE THE DISTRICT INTERNAL AUDITOR TO TAKE ACTION AS DISCUSSED IN CLOSED SESSION.
ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR? ALL THE OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES FIVE, ONE. ANY OTHER MOTIONS? I JUST WANT TO SAY ONE THING.
THANK YOU TO THE STAFF FOR ADVANCING OUR CTE BUILDING.
WE ARE SCHEDULED TO CLOSE, AND THAT IS SUPER EXCITING.
THERE WILL BE MORE DETAILS TO COME, BUT WE JUST WANT TO CELEBRATE THAT IMMENSE VICTORY AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ADVOCATING FOR OUR STUDENTS.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS? SEEING NONE, IT IS 11:55 PM, AND THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.