[00:00:02]
[1.0 Call to Order]
REGULAR MEETING OF THE CROWLEY ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND CERTIFY THAT WE ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 551.041, SUBCHAPTER C, GOVERNMENT CODE, AS AMENDED BY THE 73RD LEGISLATURE.PURSUANT TO PUBLIC NOTICE OF THIS MEETING, I REQUEST THE OFFICIAL ROLL CALL, PLEASE, MR. KIRCHNER.
TRUSTEE PLACE 2, DR. LA TONYA WOODSON-MAYFIELD.
JOINING REMOTELY VIA ZOOM, TRUSTEE PLACE 3, DARYL R.
THANK YOU. TRUSTEE PLACE 4, MS. JUNE W. DAVIS.
TRUSTEE PLACE 5, MS. CECE WATKINS. TRUSTEE PLACE 6, MR. GARY GRASSIA. TRUSTEE PLACE 07, JOINING REMOTELY VIA ZOOM, MS. KELICIA STEVENSON.
THANK YOU. I EXTEND A WARM WELCOME TO EVERYONE PRESENT FOR TONIGHT'S MEETING. THE MONTHLY MEETINGS OF THE BOARD ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, AND WE ARE PLEASED THAT YOU HAVE JOINED US AS WE CELEBRATE ACHIEVEMENT, REVIEW INFORMATION, AND MAKE POLICY DECISIONS RELATED TO THE EFFECTIVE OPERATION OF CROWLEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE WILL BE CONFINED TO THE TIME DESIGNATED FOR CITIZENS TO ADDRESS THE BOARD. DECORUM AND COURTESY ARE IMPORTANT ELEMENTS IN EFFECTIVE PUBLIC MEETINGS.
PLEASE SILENCE YOUR CELL PHONES OR COMMUNICATION DEVICES BEFORE WE BEGIN OUR PROCEEDINGS.
AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING AND FOR YOUR INTEREST IN CROWLEY ISD SCHOOLS. UM, FOR TONIGHT, WE ARE GOING TO BYPASS AGENDA ITEM 2.0, CELEBRATIONS AND POINTS OF
[3.0 Superintendent Report]
PRIDE, AND MOVE TO AGENDA ITEM 3.0, SUPERINTENDENT REPORT. DR.MCFARLAND WILL PRESENT THIS ITEM.
SO, MADAM PRESIDENT, AT THIS TIME I DON'T HAVE A REPORT.
UH, IN THE INTEREST OF TIME AND TO MAKE SPACE FOR OUR PUBLIC HEARING, I'D LIKE TO DEFER THAT REPORT TO OUR NEXT MEETING.
[5.0 Recognition Item(s) ]
TO RECOGNITION ITEMS. AGENDA ITEM 5.1, UIL STATE SOLO AND ENSEMBLE COMPETITION.OUTSTANDING SOLOIST, AND MR. KIRCHNER WILL PRESENT THIS ITEM.
GOOD EVENING, MADAM PRESIDENT, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, AND DR.
MCFARLAND. THIS RECOGNITION TONIGHT ALIGNS WITH GOAL 1, THRIVING STUDENTS, AND TONIGHT WE'RE GOING TO GET TO MEET AND HEAR FROM A CROWLEY HIGH SCHOOL RECENT GRADUATE, CLASS OF 2026 ALUM, SKODRICK HAYNES. MR. HAYNES, WILL YOU JOIN ME UP HERE AT THE PODIUM? SO MR. HAYNES HAS ACHIEVED ONE OF THE HIGHEST HONORS IN TEXAS MUSIC, AND BEFORE WE SHARE WHAT THAT ANNOUNCEMENT IS, LET US TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HIM AND HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS. SO THROUGHOUT HIS 4 YEARS AS A MEMBER OF THE MIGHTY EAGLE BAND, SKODRICK HAS CONSISTENTLY DEMONSTRATED EXCEPTIONAL MUSIC, MUSIC SKILLS, LEADERSHIP, AND COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE.
HE HAS SERVED BOTH AS A CLARINET SECTION LEADER AND THE WOODWIND CAPTAIN. AND THIS PAST SCHOOL YEAR ALONE, IF YOU GO BACK THROUGH HIS FRESHMAN, SOPHOMORE, JUNIOR YEAR, HE WINS AWARDS EVERY YEAR.
BUT JUST THIS YEAR AS A SENIOR, HE MADE IT TO TMEA, WHICH IS THE TEXAS MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION, ALL-REGION BAND, WHERE HE WAS AN AREA QUALIFIER. THEN HE MADE IT TO THE TMEA ALL-STATE BAND. HE MADE IT TO UIL STATE ENSEMBLE, WHERE HE RECEIVED THE HIGHEST SCORE OF A DIVISION I, AND THEN ALSO UIL STATE SOLO, HIGHEST SCORE DIVISION I. SO DIVISION I'S HAVE BEEN WHAT HE DOES ALL THE TIME, BUT THIS YEAR WAS EXTRA SPECIAL BECAUSE THE UIL NAMED SKODRICK AN OUTSTANDING SOLOIST FOR ALL OF TEXAS. SO LET'S HEAR IT FOR SKODRICK. HIS PROUD BAND DIRECTOR HERE FOR THE MIGHTY EAGLE BAND IS MR. CHRIS DUNNING. HE'S HERE TONIGHT, AND WE'RE EXCITED TO TELL YOU ALL THAT SKODRICK, NOW THAT HE'S AN ALUM OF CROWLEY HIGH SCHOOL HE IS GOING ON, HE HAS RECEIVED A FULL RIDE TO BAYLOR UNIVERSITY.
YAY! I'LL STICK 'EM, I'LL STICK 'EM.
AND HE IS GOING TO BE STUDYING MUSIC EDUCATION.
WE TOLD HIM HE HAS AN OPEN INVITATION TO COME BACK TO CROWLEY ISD AND TEACH AND LEAD THE BANDS HERE IN CROWLEY ISD.
HE'S ALSO GOING TO BE A MEMBER OF THE BAYLOR BEAR MARCHING BAND, THE GOLDEN LINE, RIGHT? GOLDEN WAVE.
GOLDEN WAVE. SO WE'RE SO EXCITED TO WATCH HIM ON THE FIELD AND COMPETE AT THE COLLEGIATE LEVEL, BUT TONIGHT WE ASKED SKODRICK TO PERFORM A SMALL PORTION OF HIS AWARD-WINNING PERFORMANCE.
HE SAID THAT THE FULL THING THAT HE PERFORMED IS ABOUT 6 MINUTES LONG, ALL FROM MEMORY, AND THEY NAMED HIM OUTSTANDING SOLOIST, AND TONIGHT HE'S GOING TO PERFORM A PORTION OF THAT FOR ALL OF US. SO MR. HAYNES,
[00:06:49]
TAKE IT AWAY. MR. HAYNES RECEIVED HIS MEDAL THIS EVENING FROM UAL. DON'T GO FAR. SO MY 7TH GRADE DAUGHTER PLAYS CLARINET. I DIDN'T KNOW THEY COULD SOUND LIKE THAT. THAT'S INCREDIBLE.TRUSTEES, WE'D LOVE FOR YOU TO COME DOWN AND TAKE A PICTURE WITH OUR AWARD-WINNING MUSICIAN FROM CROWLEY HIGH SCHOOL.
THANK YOU, MR. HAYNES, FOR GRACING US WITH THAT BEAUTIFUL SOLO. ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS FROM ANY TRUSTEES? OKAY, TRUSTEE JAMES.
UM, LIKE MR. KIRCHNER SAID, UM, I TOO PLAYED CLARINET IN HIGH SCHOOL, OR I THOUGHT I DID UNTIL I HEARD YOU. AH, THAT WAS AMAZING. AND CONGRATULATIONS ON ALL OF YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND BEST OF LUCK AT BAYLOR.
UM, TRUSTEE STEVENSON OR DARRYL DAVIS, DO YOU HAVE A COMMENT? NO, NOTHING FROM ME. THANK YOU.
I JUST LIKE TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN ON YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
PLAYING AN INSTRUMENT TAKES A LOT OF WORK AND DEDICATION, AND YOU EARNED IT. SO I JUST LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU AGAIN, AND WE APPRECIATE YOU GRACING YOURSELF TO, UH, TO SHOWCASE TODAY FOR US.
[6.0 Public Hearing ]
AND THIS BRINGS US TO AGENDA ITEM 6.1, PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS BUDGET AND TAX RATE.AT THIS TIME, WE WILL BEGIN OUR PUBLIC HEARING TO DISCUSS THE BUDGET AND PROPOSED TAX RATE.
INDIVIDUALS DESIRING TO SPEAK DURING THIS PUBLIC HEARING WERE REQUIRED TO SIGN UP AT LEAST 1 HOUR BEFORE TONIGHT'S MEETING. WE WILL START WITH THE PRESENTATION AND THEN COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, FOLLOWED BY PUBLIC COMMENTS. MR. FISHER WILL REPORT ON THIS ITEM.
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GOOD EVENING, MADAM PRESIDENT, DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, DR.MCFARLAND. I AM EXCITED ON THIS 25TH DAY OF JUNE, UH, TO PRESENT TO YOU, UH, FOR THE PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS THE BUDGET AND PROPOSED TAX RATE. UH, THIS IS, UH, THE CULMINATION OBVIOUSLY OF OUR EFFORTS IN THE FINANCIAL DEPARTMENT.
UH, BOARD, AS YOU KNOW, UH, OUR FISCAL YEAR BEGINS JULY 1ST AND ENDS ON JUNE 30TH, SO WE ARE RIGHT THERE AT THE TAIL END OF OUR, UH, FISCAL YEAR END AND REPORTING ON THE, UH, BUDGET FOR '26-'27. WE'LL ALSO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE GOING TO LAND 25TH, 26TH. BOARD, AS YOU ARE AWARE, THERE'S A NOTICE THAT IS REQUIRED TO BE PUBLISHED NOTIFYING THE PUBLIC OF THIS MEETING. WE PUBLISHED THAT ADVERTISEMENT ON JUNE 7TH AND JUNE 14TH IN THE FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW, WELL, WHY DO WE APPROVE THE BUDGET BEFORE THE TAX RATE WHEN THE TAX RATE IS ACTUALLY A KEY COMPONENT OF THE, UH, THE PREPARATION OF THE BUDGET, RIGHT? WELL, TEXAS EDUCATION CODE 44.004 REQUIRES THAT THE BUDGET BE ADOPTED BEFORE THE TAX RATE ADOPTION.
AND SO OUR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS TAX BOARD, YOU ARE AWARE THAT WE HAVE TWO COMPONENTS TO THE TOTAL AGGREGATE TAX RATE THAT OUR RESIDENTS PAY, UH, FOR THE PROPERTY, UH, THAT THEY OWN IN THE, UH, CROWLEY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT FOOTPRINT. THERE IS THE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS TAX, UH, TAX RATE, AND THEN THERE IS THE INTEREST AND SINKING FUND TAX RATE. OUR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS TAX RATE REMAINED CONSTANT, UH, FOR '25-'26 AT THE 0.7552 PER $100 OF ASSESSED VALUATION.
UM, AND THE STATE CALCULATES THAT RATE FOR US. HB 3 WILL CONTINUE TO REQUIRE THAT THE STATE PROVIDES THE MAXIMUM COMPRESSED RATE FOR US EVERY YEAR. AND AFTER RECEIVING THE CERTIFIED VALUES, WHICH WE WON'T RECEIVE UNTIL ACTUALLY THE LATTER PART OF JULY, TYPICALLY AROUND JULY 29TH, UM, AFTER RECEIVING THE CERTIFIED VALUES, TEA WILL PROVIDE US, WITH THE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS TAX RATE APPLICABLE TO 26-27, AND THAT'LL HAPPEN IN AUGUST.
UH, WE'LL MEET AGAIN, UH, TO APPROVE THE CISD TAX RATE AT A BOARD MEETING IN AUGUST OF 2026. BOARD, JUST TO REMIND EVERYBODY, UH, WE ARE ONE OF THE ONLY SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE AREA, THAT CONTINUES TO OFFER A 10% OPTIONAL HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION TO OUR TAXPAYERS.
AND SO THAT IS COMPOUNDED ON TOP OF, UH, THE TAX RATE REDUCTIONS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN IMPLEMENTED AT, AT THE STATE LEVEL. UH, AND SO OUR RESIDENTS RECEIVE A 10% OPTIONAL HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION.
ALWAYS WANNA TALK ABOUT THE BIG SIX, UH, BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT ANYTHING, UH, FINANCIAL RELATED, RIGHT? UH, WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A VERY CONSERVATIVE APPROACH TO OUR REVENUE GENERATORS.
WHAT THAT MEANS IS OFTENTIMES, UH, WE WILL UNDERSTATE, UH, THE REVENUES THAT APPEAR ON OUR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OR OUR PROPOSED BUDGETS, IF YOU WILL. WE HAVE AN AGGRESSIVE APPROACH TO THE EXPENSE DRIVERS. WE ATTEMPT TO AGGRESSIVELY OVERSTATE IN MANY TIMES, MANY INSTANCES, UH, THE EXPENSE DRIVERS ASSOCIATED WITH OUR EXPENSES.
WE TALK ABOUT THE STUDENT CLASSROOM-CENTRIC BUDGET MANAGEMENT MODEL, WHICH SIMPLY SAYS THE STUDENTS ARE THE FOCUS OF WHAT WE DO FROM A FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, I LIKE TO REFER TO THE BUDGET AS REALLY, UH, THE DISTRICT'S ACADEMIC PLAN IN NUMERIC FORM. WE ALSO LIKE TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE CONNECTING ALL OF OUR EXPENSE DRIVERS TO REVENUE GENERATORS. AND WE WANT TO A KEY COMPONENT FOR US IS ALWAYS TO PROTECT THE RAINY DAY, UH, THE FUND BALANCE FOR A RAINY DAY. AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR CURRENT STUDENTS AND TAXPAYERS RECEIVE THE BENEFITS IN THE CURRENT YEAR FROM THE INVESTMENTS THAT THEY'VE MADE IN CROWLEY ISD. AND SO, BOARD, WE BEGAN OUR BUDGET SEASON WITH A BUDGET SURVEY. WE PLACED THIS SURVEY OUT ON THE INTERNET REALLY APPROXIMATELY 30 TO 35 DAYS. WE HAD 795 RESPONSES.
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OR THE REASON WE PLACE THIS SURVEY OUT FOR PUBLIC CONSUMPTION WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE TO THE ADMINISTRATION. WHAT EXACTLY IS IMPORTANT TO THEM? OUR CUSTOMERS WE CONSIDER TO BE OUR STAKEHOLDERS. THOSE ARE THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS, OUR STUDENTS, DISTRICT-LEVEL EMPLOYEES, UH, AND OTHER PEOPLE WITHIN OUR FOOTPRINT. BOARD, YOU'LL SEE THE RESPONSES HERE.THERE ARE 343 PARENTS OR GUARDIANS THAT RESPONDED, CAMPUS-BASED EMPLOYEES, UH, TO THE TOTAL OF ABOUT 321, UH RESPONDED TO THE SURVEY. UH, DISTRICT-LEVEL EMPLOYEES, UH, 87 OF THOSE RESPONDED.
ALL RIGHT, AND BOARD, YOU'LL SEE SOME OF THE SURVEY PRIORITIES. UH, THIS IS WHAT OUR STAKEHOLDERS AND OUR COMMUNITY, UH, THOUGHT, UH, RELATIVE TO THE BUDGET SURVEY. THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT THEY IDENTIFIED AS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOR THEM. EMPLOYEE RAISES, SMALLER CLASS SIZES, INCREASE IN THE DISTRICT HEALTH INSURANCE CONTRIBUTION, THE FUTURE READINESS INITIATIVES, CLASSROOM SUPPLY ALLOCATIONS AS WELL, SPECIAL EDUCATION RESOURCES, FINANCIAL INCENTIVES TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEACHERS, UNIVERSAL PRE-K PROGRAMMING, SHOOTER DETECTORS, DETECTION SYSTEMS, AND AN INCREASE IN CAMPUS INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT POSITIONS. THEY ALSO THOUGHT, NUMBER 8, UH, CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS, PARENT ENGAGEMENT, HIRING OF SOCIAL WORKERS, AND EXPANDING THE COMMUNITY, UH, IN SCHOOLS PROGRAM. NUMBER 09, UH, WAS THE CAMPUS ARMED GUARDS, UH, SUMMER PROGRAMMING. AND NUMBER 10 IS A COMBINATION OF SECURITY CAMERAS, HIRING ADDITIONAL ADMINISTRATORS, GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAMMING, AND CAMPUS MONITORS. ALL RIGHT, AND SO OUR ESTIMATED YEAR END, WE ARE EXCITED TO PRESENT TO YOU, BOARD. WE HAD A BUDGET, UH, THAT WAS, UH, THE PLANNED EXPENDITURES WERE $206,173,728. WE ARE SO PROUD TO PRESENT TO YOU, BOARD, THAT WE REDUCED THOSE EXPENDITURES DOWN TO JAY, I CAN'T SEE THAT, THAT NUMBER $199 MILLION I CAN'T SEE THE, UH, $288,388.
THAT LEAVES, UH, US WITH A CHANGE IN FUND BALANCE. IF YOU CONTINUE TO SCROLL UP, A CHANGE IN FUND BALANCE OF APPROXIMATELY $3.7 MILLION..
WE ANTICIPATED THAT THAT WOULD BE A CHANGE SOMEWHERE AROUND $6.5 MILLION. WE WOULD, UH, WE END UP WITH AN ENDING FUND BALANCE OF $32,517,167, WHICH IS EQUIVALENT TO 16% OF THE GENERAL OPERATING EXPENDITURES, UH, FOR THE 2025-26 FISCAL YEAR.
AND BOARD, AS WE MOVE FORWARD TO THE 2026, UH, 2027, UH, PROPOSED BUDGET, UH, WE ARE PROPOSING A BUDGET WITH REVENUE IN THE AMOUNT OF $200 MILLION, UH, EXPENDITURES IN THE AMOUNT OF $207.8 MILLION, WITH A CHANGE IN THE FUND BALANCE ANTICIPATED CHANGE IN THE FUND BALANCE OF APPROXIMATELY $6.3 MILLION, WHICH WILL LEAVE US, UH, WITH A FUND BALANCE REPRESENTATIVE OF 13% OF OUR GENERAL OPERATING EXPENDITURES, UH, IN '26-'27.
AND SO, BOARD, ONE OF THE THINGS, UH, THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS. WE, IN OUR PHASE 2 OF THE TRS ACTIVE HEALTHCARE CONTRIBUTION, UH, WE HAVE ENSURED THAT OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS AND OUR MAINTENANCE EMPLOYEES OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS IN PAY GRADES CP 1 THROUGH 8 AND OUR MAINTENANCE EMPLOYEES AUXILIARY 1 THROUGH 2 WILL RECEIVE ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE DISTRICT, UH, FOR THEIR HEALTHCARE COSTS GOING FORWARD IN 2026-27. BOARD, YOU'LL REMEMBER, UH, THAT WE INCREASED THE PARAPROFESSIONALS AND AUXILIARY EMPLOYEES, UH, BY I BELIEVE IT WAS $150, UH, IN 2025-26, FROM $225 TO $375 PER MONTH. NOW THOSE EMPLOY OR IN THE CURRENT YEAR 25-26, THOSE EMPLOYEES PAY $179 PER
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MONTH FOR THE EMPLOYEE-ONLY PREMIUM.IN 26-27, WE ARE PROPOSING THAT THE DISTRICT WOULD PAY $420 A MONTH ON BEHALF OF THOSE EMPLOYEES, AND THE EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION WOULD BE $192 PER MONTH. ALL RIGHT.
INTO BOARD, WE ALSO TOOK INTO CONSIDERATION, UH, 2026-27, UH, EMPLOYEE PAYMENT CONSIDERATIONS. YOU'LL SEE THAT WE'VE, UH, WE'VE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION A $500 ONE-TIME PAYMENT, A $1,000 ONE-TIME PAYMENT, A 2% INCREASE AND A 3% INCREASE. ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT. AND BOARD, SO HERE WE SHOW, UH, THE IMPACT OF SEVERAL OF THOSE INCREASES AND WHAT THOSE WOULD DO TO OUR FUND BALANCE AND HOW THAT WOULD IMPACT OUR FUND BALANCE. AND SO BOARD, UM, WHAT I'VE SHOWN HERE IS THE PROPOSED INCREASES AND HOW THOSE COULD POTENTIALLY IMPACT OUR OPERATIONS AND OUR FUND BALANCES.
UM, WHAT YOU JUST SHARED, IS THAT STARTING WITH THE FUND BALANCE AT 13%? YES, MA'AM.
AND THEN USING THESE CONSIDERATIONS ACTUALLY, DR.
MAYFIELD, IF YOU SCROLL BACK UP, IT WOULD BE STARTING WITH THE FUND BALANCE AT 16%.
IF YOU SCROLL DOWN, YOU'LL SEE THE ESTIMATED YEAR-END, RIGHT? I GET THE YEAR-END, BUT YOU PROPOSED YES, MA'AM, FOR 26, 27, 26, 26, 27, 13%.
SO ARE WE STARTING AT 13% AND THEN TAKING THESE INTO CONSIDERATION? THOSE ARE THERE.
OKAY, THANK YOU. I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTAND. SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE AT 16%? YES, MA'AM.
ON BALANCE, IF WE DO THESE BASED ON THE CATEGORIES YOU HAVE LISTED HERE, WE COULD POSSIBLY END UP AT 13%? YES, MA'AM.
OKAY, THANK YOU. IS THAT OKAY? YOU MIGHT HAVE TO EXPLAIN THAT AGAIN, PLEASE.
OKAY, OKAY. SO, SO LET'S, LET'S, LET'S GO, LET'S GO BACK. CAN YOU GO BACK TO THE, TO THE VERY FIRST, UH, FIRST SLIDE? I JUST WANT TO KIND OF CLARIFY SOME THINGS. ALL RIGHT, UM, GO BACK 2 SLIDES.
GOING. SO GO BACK TO THE FIRST SLIDE WHERE IT HAS A RECOMMENDATION ON IT. WE DIDN'T, WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT THE RECOMMENDATION, SO I WANT TO WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO JUST REALLY IS JUST FOCUS ON THE RECOMMENDATION AND KIND OF WHAT WE'RE WHAT WE WANT YOU TO CONSIDER. THE OTHER INFORMATION ARE THINGS THAT WE CONSIDERED IN COMING TO THAT RECOMMENDATION. ALL RIGHT, SO IF WE CAN GO TO THE, UH, TO THE FIRST SLIDE WHERE IT SAYS THE 26 HERE, YES. SO IN, IN, IN SUMMARY, WHAT WE WANT WHAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING IS THAT WE'LL APPROVE THE 26-27 BUDGET AS SHOWN, THAT WE WILL HOLD EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION CONSTANT.
AND, UH, ONCE THE '25-'26, UH, FINANCIAL AUDIT IS FINALIZED, THEN COMPENSATION OPTIONS WILL BE RECONSIDERED. WHAT WE WERE SHARING WERE ALL OF THE OTHER OPTIONS THAT WE'RE CONSIDERING, BUT OUR RECOMMENDATION IS THAT RIGHT NOW THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO HOLD, UH, THE EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION CONSTANT TO THE '25-'26 LEVEL, ALLOW US THE OPPORTUNITY TO EVALUATE THE FINAL AUDITED, UH, FIGURES THAT WILL COME OUT AROUND OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, THEN REVISIT THE POSSIBLE, UH, POSSIBLE EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION ADJUSTMENTS. WHAT WE WHAT YOU SAW IN THAT OTHER CHART WAS REALLY JUST THE BACKGROUND WORK THAT WE DO IN ORDER TO GET TO THE RECOMMENDATION. ALL RIGHT, SO NOT TO CONFUSE YOU, WE WANT YOU TO SEE THAT WE HAVE KIND OF LOOKED AT ALL THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS, BUT I JUST WANT TO BE REAL CLEAR THAT WE BELIEVE THAT WITH A 13% IN, IN, IN FUND BALANCE, THAT WE CAN MANAGE THAT BASED ON OUR PRACTICES PROCESSES THAT WE'VE BEEN WE'VE INSTITUTED IN THE PAST, THAT WE CAN MANAGE THAT FUND BALANCE TO A POINT TO WHERE WE HAVE IT WE'RE AT A
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PRETTY FINANCIALLY STABLE LEVEL. ANYTHING BELOW THAT WILL CREATE SOME CHALLENGES FOR US, POTENTIAL VULNERABILITIES FOR US.THANK YOU, DR. MCFARLAND, FOR THAT CLARIFICATION.
ALL RIGHT, AND THEN WE COULD GO WE CAN GO BACK ON TO THE, TO THE, TO THE FINAL SLIDE.
YEAH, TO THE YEAH, LET'S GO TO THE FOOD SERVICE.
OKAY, AND THESE REPRESENT OUR FOOD SERVICE BUDGET AND OUR DEBT SERVICE BUDGET. THESE ARE REQUIRED BY STATE STATUTE TO BE, UH, APPROVED BY THE BOARD. ALL RIGHT, SO BOARD, THAT CONTINUES MY PRES THAT, THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. I WILL ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE.
THANK YOU. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? THANK YOU, UH, MADAM PRESIDENT. UM, THANK YOU, MR. FISHER, UH, FOR THE, UM, OVERVIEW, THE DISCUSSION.
THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTIONS TOO, AND THE CLARIFICATION. THE QUESTION I HAD ABOUT WAS ABOUT THE INSURANCE CONTRIBUTION.
WAS THAT ALSO SHARED AS PART OF THE BACKGROUND? UH, IT IS.
UH, THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT. UM, A FOLLOW-UP QUESTION TO THE INSURANCE.
WITH US PAYING A PORTION OF THE PREMIUM. ARE THERE OTHER DISTRICTS DOING THAT? THERE ACTUALLY ARE, UH, MISS DAVIS, OTHER DISTRICTS THAT ARE DOING THE SAME THING.
OKAY. AND THEN, UM, JUST ONE OTHER QUESTION. IT WAS HE TALKED ABOUT, UH, HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. OKAY, SO I KNOW WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AT THE LAST MEETING AS WELL.
SO, UM, I THINK YOU SAID WE'RE ONE OF THE ONLY DISTRICTS IN THE AREA DOING THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION.
WHICH IS A REAL BENEFIT FOR THE COMMUNITY. UM, ARE THERE OTHER OPTIONS TO MAYBE NOT TO THE PERCENTAGE OF HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS WE GIVE, THERE IS AN OPTION FOR LOWER HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION PERCENTAGES, ACTUALLY.
HOWEVER, I DON'T I'M NOT SURE THAT, THAT, UH, THAT CROWLEY ISD, UH, WE, WE ADOPTED A 10% HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION.
OKAY. AND I THINK, UH, AT THE LAST MEETING AS WELL, THAT IS ABOUT $5 MILLION PER YEAR.
ABSOLUTELY. SO OVER THE LAST 5 YEARS, THAT WOULD BE EQUIVALENT TO $25 MILLION.
THE LAST 5 YEARS, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN IN OUR BUDGET, BUT WE ARE GIVING THAT EXEMPTION TO OUR RESIDENTS.
JUST, JUST IN ADDITION, I'D JUST LIKE TO LIFT JUST A COUPLE ITEMS. UH, ONE IS WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE BUDGET WE'RE PROPOSING, WHAT WE SEE IS THAT OUR REVENUE HAS INCREASED ABOUT 3%, UH, OVER, OVER THE YEAR BEFORE, WHICH IS A GOOD THING.
HOWEVER, OUR EXPENSES HAS INCREASED ABOUT 4.2%. AND SO YOU WE HAVE IN ESSENCE, UH, WHAT WE CALL, UH, A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT. AND SO IN ORDER FOR US TO ADDRESS THE STRUCTURAL DEFICIT, THERE ARE SOME VERY SIGNIFICANT AND STRATEGIC MOVES THAT WE WILL HAVE TO ADDRESS, UH, AS WE START THE SCHOOL YEAR OFF.
THIS IS NOT UNCOMMON, UH, ACTUALLY EVERY DISTRICT, UH, THAT I THAT WE'RE AWARE OF IN, IN THE AREA, UH, WE ACTUALLY HAD A GROUP THAT WE LOOKED AT. OF THE, OF THE 6 THAT WE LOOKED AT, 5 ACTUALLY HAS A SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DEFICIT, ANYWHERE FROM $17 MILLION TO $59 MILLION DEFICIT.
DEFICIT. AND SO EVERYBODY'S DEALING WITH EVERYBODY'S DEALING WITH THE, WITH THE SAME REALITY, AND IT'S ONE THAT WE HAVE TO ADDRESS. UH, IT'S ONE THAT'S A BYPRODUCT OF THE STATE FUNDING FORMULA, A BYPRODUCT OF THE CONSTRICTION OF PROPERTY VALUE, AND REALLY JUST A BYPRODUCT OF THE, THE LACK OF FUNDING THAT WE RECEIVED OVER TIME. AND SO WE'RE ADDRESSING THAT. WE'RE WE FEEL COMFORTABLE AND CONFIDENT THAT WE CAN ADDRESS THE STRUCTURAL DEFICIT BUT QUITE FRANKLY, THE ONLY WAY TO ADDRESS THE STRUCTURAL DEFICIT IS TO ENGAGE IN OPTIMIZATION OF PERSONNEL, UH, IMMEDIATELY, STARTING AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, BEING ABLE TO WORK OURSELVES DOWN. AS, AS MR. FISHER MENTIONED, WE WERE ABLE TO GO FROM THE $2.206 MILLION DOWN TO THE $1.99 MILLION, UH,
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AND THAT HAPPENED WITH SOME VERY STRATEGIC ACTIONS. WE'LL HAVE TO DO THE SAME, AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE DON'T COMPOUND THE ISSUE UNTIL WE'RE SURE OF EXACTLY WHERE WE ARE FINANCIALLY.THAT'S SIMPLY WHAT WE'RE REQUESTING, IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT.
I HAVE A QUESTION TO, UM, WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF NOT PASSING A BALANCED BUDGET? IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. SO THE IMPACT OF, OF NOT PASSING A BALANCED BUDGET FIRST, THAT WE'RE REQUIRED TO PASS A BALANCED BUDGET. AND SO THE CHALLENGE IS, IF YOU DON'T BALANCE THE BUDGET WITH THE OPERATING REVENUE AND EXPENSE, THEN YOU HAVE TO USE FUND BALANCE. AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'VE DONE. WE HAVE SUSTAINED OVER THE LAST 2 YEARS WITH FUND BALANCE, BUT THAT'S NOT A SUSTAINABLE MODEL. AND SO THERE IS NO OPTION OUTSIDE OF THAT. AND SO WE'RE AT THE POINT TO WHERE WE HAVE TO COME UP WITH SOME OTHER OPTIONS.
UH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT. I JUST WANT TO RESTATE SOMETHING THAT YOU SAID, DR. MCFARLAND, BECAUSE I WANT PEOPLE TO POINT FINGERS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION WHERE THEY BELONG, AND IT'S NOT WITH US.
UM, BACK HOW MANY YEARS DID WE NOT GET ANY FUNDING FROM THE STATE, AND SOMEHOW, MR. FISHER, YOU AND YOUR STAFF MANAGED FOR US TO BE ABLE TO GIVE RAISES, UH, DURING THOSE VERY LEAN YEARS.
BUT DOING THAT HAS CONSEQUENCES WHEN YOU CONTINUE TO NOT RECEIVE MONEY. AND, AND LIKE YOU SAID, DR. MCFARLAND, WHAT WE DID TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN IS NOT SUSTAINABLE. SO I JUST WANT, AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS BUDGET PROCESS I WANT THE FINGER TO BE POINTED WHERE IT SHOULD BE POINTED, AND IT'S NOT AT US. WE HAVE A FINITE AMOUNT OF MONEY, AND WHEN THE STATE DECIDES THEY'RE NOT GOING TO FUND US SUFFICIENTLY, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS. SO IT'S ALMOST LIKE, HMM, IT'S ALMOST LIKE THEY WANT PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO FAIL SO THEY CAN JUSTIFY VOUCHERS. THERE I SAID IT.
SO I JUST WANT THE FINGER TO BE POINTED WHERE IT BELONGS, BECAUSE CERTAINLY WE WANT TO GIVE RAISES, UM, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO BE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE. SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT.
UM, TRUSTEE DARRYL DAVIS OUR TRUSTEES STEVENSON, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT.
YES, THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT. UM, AND I, I THINK, UM, MY COMMENTS, UH, HAVE ALREADY KIND OF BEEN SPOKEN, UH, BOTH BY DR. MCFARLAND AND TRUSTEE DAVIS. UM, I AM, YOU KNOW, UH, REALLY DISAPPOINTED THAT WE ARE IN, UH, THE PREDICAMENT THAT WE'RE IN.
WE HAVE CONSISTENTLY PRIORITIZED BEING CONSERVATIVE WHEN IT CAME TO OUR BUDGET, AND BECAUSE OF THAT, WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE A HEALTHY FUND BALANCE.
AND WE, YOU KNOW, ALWAYS MAKE SURE TO STAY WITHIN THAT 17 TO 21%, AND HERE WE ARE., NOW GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER TO 10%, UH, BECAUSE OF INADEQUATE FUNDING FROM THE STATE. AND UNFORTUNATELY, WE ARE, UH, WE ARE BEING FORCED TO MAKE A DECISION, UH, BETWEEN, UH, PROTECTING, UH, HEALTH FUND BALANCE SO THAT WE CAN MEET THE NEEDS OF THE DISTRICT, UH, AND, UH, WE'RE HAVING TO MAKE A CHOICE BETWEEN THAT AND WHETHER OR NOT WE WE CONTINUE TO INVEST IN OUR EMPLOYEES. AND SO IT'S A DIFFICULT SITUATION FOR US.
AND TRUSTEE DAVIS, YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. I WANT TO MAKE SURE AS WELL THAT WE ARE IDENTIFYING THE SOURCE OF THIS PROBLEM, AND IT IS INADEQUATE STATE FUNDING. NO MATTER WHAT OUR STATE LEGISLATORS SAY, PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE IN A VERY DIFFICULT SITUATION OF TRYING TO DO MORE WITH LESS AND WITH UNFUNDED MANDATES AND ALL OF THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING WITH EACH LEGISLATIVE SESSION. I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE, AS THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE DISTRICT, THAT WE MAKE IT OUR MISSION TO ADVOCATE AS FIERCELY AS WE POSSIBLY CAN FOR ADEQUATE STATE FUNDING, NOT JUST FOR OUR STUDENTS HERE
[00:35:02]
IN CROWLEY ISD, BUT CERTAINLY FOR ALL THE PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. WITH THAT BEING SAID, DR. MCCRAWLER, I DO HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU BECAUSE THE RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU MENTIONED TONIGHT IS THAT WE, THAT WE CONSIDER THE BUDGET AS IT IS RECOMMENDED, WHICH DOES NOT ALLOW FOR INCREASES IN SALARIES WITH THE FLEXIBILITY COMING BACK TO TO REVISIT THAT ONCE WE HAVE HARD NUMBERS, ONCE WE HAVE AUDITED FINANCIALS, AND OF COURSE ONCE WE KNOW WHAT OUR ATTENDANCE IS GOING TO BE FOR THIS YEAR.BECAUSE WHAT WE ALSO HAVE TO UNDERSTAND AND WHAT WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED FOR IS THE IMPACT OF SCHOOL VOUCHERS. WE DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW, UM, WHAT HOW THAT IS GOING TO HAVE AN IMPACT ON OUR DISTRICT AS EVERY DISTRICT IN THE STATE. YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW BASED ON THAT $1 BILLION THAT THE STATE SET ASIDE TO GO TOWARDS PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
MCFARLAND, IN THE EVENT THAT WE ARE ABLE TO AT A LATER DATE REVISIT THIS, WHAT DOES THAT PROCESS LOOK LIKE? BECAUSE WE WILL ALREADY BE WITHIN THE CONTRACT YEAR, AND, AND SO WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE AS FAR AS AN ADJUSTMENT IN PAY FOR THE EMPLOYEES IF WE'RE ABLE TO DO THAT AT A LATER DATE? THANK YOU, TRUSTEE DAVIS, FOR THAT QUESTION. SO THIS IS A, A PRACTICE THAT WE HAVE ACTUALLY ENGAGED IN, AND I BELIEVE IF YOU REMEMBER A COUPLE YEARS AGO, WE ENGAGED IN A VERY SIMILAR PROCESS.
ONCE YOU HAVE SET THE TARGET FOR FUND BALANCE, WHICH WE HAVE DONE THAT, WE WILL GET OUR AUDITED FINANCIALS. UH, NORMALLY THAT TIME IS AROUND THE OCTOBER-NOVEMBER TIME PERIOD WHERE WE GET ASSURANCE FROM OUR AUDITORS OF WHAT WE WILL ACTUALLY HAVE AVAILABLE AS IT RELATES TO OUR, OUR FUND BALANCE FROM THE '25-'26 SCHOOL YEAR.
BY THEN, WE WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO EVALUATE OUR ADA, OUR ATTENDANCE, OUR ENROLLMENT, ALL THOSE EMERGING NUMBERS THAT WILL WE'LL HAVE THOSE FROM THE FOR THE '26-'27 SCHOOL YEAR.
IN ADDITION, WE WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO ANTICIPATE, OR WE'LL BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY KNOW EXACTLY THE IMPACT, UH, VOUCHERS HAVE HAD ON OUR DISTRICT AND THE AMOUNT OF, UH, REVENUE THAT'S EITHER HAVE BEEN, BEEN REDUCED, PUT POTENTIALLY OR, OR, OR NOT. SO WE'LL HAVE THOSE, THOSE VARIABLES, WE'LL HAVE REALLY GOOD INFORMATION ON. WE WILL THEN BE ABLE TO BRING BACK TO THE BOARD FOR CONSIDERATION, UH, IF WE FEEL LIKE THE FINANCIAL STABILITY IS WHERE IT IS AND WE'RE AT THAT 16% OR 17% TARGET, THEN WE WOULD BE ABLE TO SAY, HEY BOARD, WE, WE BELIEVE NOW IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO ADDRESS COMPENSATION. THE BOARD WILL THEN HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO, TO DIRECT US TO COME UP WITH COMPENSATION MODELS, WHICH COULD BE ANYWHERE FROM A PAYMENT, OR IT COULD BE A, AT THAT POINT IN TIME, UH, SOME TYPE OF ADJUSTMENT. BUT WE HAD YOU THE BOARD WILL RETAIN THE FLEXIBILITY AT THAT POINT, KNOWING THAT WE COULD HAVE KNOWING THAT FINANCIAL, UH, STABILITY LONG-TERM IS SECURE BASED ON THE BUDGET, BASED ON UNDERSTANDING THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT WE HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY VOUCHERS, AND ANY OTHER, UH, FACTORS OUT THERE.
SO MORE SPECIFIC QUESTION, AND I KNOW TRUSTEE STEVENS HAS, UH, SOME QUESTIONS AS WELL, SO I'LL KEEP THIS BRIEF, BUT SO IN THE EVENT, I KNOW WE'VE DONE HERO PAY, AND I KNOW WE'VE DONE SOMETHING AT CHRISTMAS IN THE PAST, WHICH ARE ALL GREAT THINGS WHEN WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO THEM. BUT IN THE EVENT, LET'S SAY, BECAUSE THERE WERE SEVERAL CONSIDERATIONS THAT WERE ON THAT SPREADSHEET, LOOKING FROM A $500 ONE-TIME PAYMENT, $1,000 ONE-TIME PAYMENT, 2%, 3% PAY INCREASE. SO IN THE EVENT, LET'S SAY WE WERE TO, UH, WE WERE TO, TO PRESENT A 1% INCREASE, UM, DOES THAT THEN MEAN THAT HOW, HOW ARE EMPLOYEES MADE WHOLE SEEING THAT THEY'VE BEEN PAID SEVERAL TIMES ALREADY UNDER THE CURRENT, UH PAY SCALE. SO ARE THEY ADJUSTED AND THEN THAT'S PRORATED THROUGHOUT THE REMAINDER OF THEIR CONTRACT? DO THEY GET BACK PAY? I'M JUST CURIOUS OF WHAT THOSE SPECIFICS ARE.
WELL, ACTUALLY, AND I'LL LET FISHER LEAN IN, BUT AS IT RELATES TO HOW THAT ACTUALLY IS IMPLEMENTED, THE BOARD WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE THAT DECISION. WHAT WE'LL DO, AND WE HAVE TO DO AT THIS POINT, IS ACTUALLY BUDGET AS IF WE PLAN TO DO THAT. AND SO WHAT WE'LL DO IS THAT FUND THE FUNDS WOULD BE AVAILABLE, AND IT COULD BE AVAILABLE IN A MYRIAD OF WAYS.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU CAN PULL THOSE DIFFERENT PROPOSALS UP AND YOU CAN ROLL UP TO THE TO THE TO THE SLIDE SO WE CAN
[00:40:01]
SEE THE ACTUAL BOTTOM AMOUNT.OKAY, SO, UH, WHAT IT'S NOT ON THIS FORM.
SO BASICALLY WHAT WE WOULD END UP BEING WHAT WE WOULD END UP DOING IS WE IDENTIFY WHAT THE WHAT THE TOTAL COST, PAYROLL COST, OF THE POTENTIAL ADJUSTMENTS.
AND WE WOULD BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, AND REALLY ACTUALLY IN JULY 1ST, WE WOULD BEGIN TO, UH, WE WOULD BEGIN TO REDUCE OUR PAYROLL COSTS, IN '26-'27 SO THAT IF WE GET TO A POINT AND WE SAY, HEY, WE BELIEVE THAT WE ARE, UH, ABLE TO SUSTAIN AN ADJUSTMENT, WE WOULD COME BACK AND SAY WE BELIEVE WITHIN OUR PAYROLL-APPROVED BUDGET WE HAVE $1.4 OR $2.9, UH, THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY APPLY TO, TO WHATEVER KIND OF COMPENSATION ADJUSTMENT WE MAKE. UH, AGAIN, IF WE STILL WOULD BE ABLE TO EVALUATE HAVE TO EVALUATE WHAT IMPACT THAT WOULD HAVE ON FUND BALANCE, BUT THE FUNDS WILL BE ALREADY AVAILABLE IF WE APPROVE THE BUDGET TONIGHT AND WE TAKE THE NECESSARY ACTIONS.
TRUSTEE STEVENSON FIRST, I WANT TO START BY SAYING, UH, TO MR. FISHER, THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING DIFFERENT OPTIONS SO THAT WE CAN SEE THOSE OPTIONS.
I DO HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS I WANTED, AND I KNOW YOU GUYS PROBABLY ALREADY THOUGHT ABOUT THESE THINGS, BUT AS A BOARD MEMBER AND A COMMUNITY MEMBER, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT, UM, WHAT OTHER COST, UH, SERVING MEASURES OR REVENUE GENERATING OPTIONS HAVE YOU CONSIDERED, UM, OR RECOMMENDATIONS RATHER THAN ELIMINATING THE HOMESTEAD? AND I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT THIS FOR A WHILE, THAT YOU AND I'M GRATEFUL, I AM, I AM A HOMEOWNER HERE IN THE CROWLEY COMMUNITY AND HAVE BEEN FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, BUT I, I I UNDERSTAND THAT AS A DISTRICT WE HAVE TO TAKE MEASURES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, UM, THAT WE CAN MAINTAIN A BUDGET, BUT WHAT OTHER GENERATORS HAVE YOU CONSIDERED? UM, CAN YOU SHARE THAT WITH US? TRUSTEE STEVENSON, THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION. UH, WE HAVE, UH, RECENTLY, UH, YOU, YOU GUYS KNOW THAT WE HAVE ENTERED INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH ONE OF THE LOCAL HEALTHCARE AGENCIES HERE IN OUR DISTRICT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE CONTINUE TO DO IS TO SEEK OPPORTUNITIES TO BOTH OFFSET EXPENDITURES THAT WOULD BE INCURRED BY OUR DISTRICT, BUT ALSO TO GENERATE REVENUE, MONETIZING PERHAPS THINGS THAT OUR DISTRICT HAS, OUR ASSETS. WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE SALES OF ANY ASSETS, LIQUID ASSETS THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE LIQUIDATED. SO WE'VE DONE THINGS IN NUMEROUS WAYS, TRUSTEE STEVENSON, TO GENERATE ADDITIONAL REVENUE.
THE FIRST AND FOREMOST THING THAT WE'RE DOING WITH ALL OF THE BOND CONSTRUCTION THAT WE HAVE GOING ON IN OUR DISTRICT, WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO ATTRACT NEW STUDENTS, MORE STUDENTS TO OUR ORGANIZATION ON AN EVERYDAY BASIS.
THANK YOU FOR THAT INFORMATION. I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION. UM, CONSIDERING WHAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH IN THE TIMES THAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH, IS THIS SOMETHING IS IF WE WILL THIS ADDITIONAL REVENUE SOLVE THE CURRENT BUDGET SHORTFALL AS IT NOW IS? TEMPORARY? UM, IS THIS A TEMPORARY SOLUTION? SO THANK YOU, MS. STEVENSON. THAT'S DEFINITELY A GREAT QUESTION. AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT, UNLESS WE CHANGE THE STRUCTURE, THE PROBLEM WILL CONTINUE TO PERSIST. AND SO WHAT THAT SAID FOR ME, WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS IS WE CAN GENERATE THE REVENUE AS WE, AS WE HAVE, HAVE ATTEMPTED TO DO AND WILL CONTINUE TO ATTEMPT TO DO. BUT UNLESS WE ARE VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT REDUCING OUR EXPENSES TO A LEVEL THAT IS, THAT, THAT WE CAN, WE CAN MANAGE, THEN WE'LL BE IN THIS POSITION. AND SO THAT'S WHY WE WHEN WE THINK ABOUT OUR DISTRICT, 80%, ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT MORE, ABOUT 85 TO 88% OF THE EXPENSE IN THIS DISTRICT IS IN PERSONNEL. AND IN ANY DISTRICT IN THE SCHOOL, IN, IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, IT'S GOING TO BE PERSONNEL. SO THERE'S GOING TO HAVE TO BE SOME REDUCTIONS. UH, THE GOOD THING ABOUT IT IS WE HAVE 148 POSITIONS RIGHT NOW THAT ARE, ARE VACANT. AND THESE ARE NOT ALL, ALL TEACHER POSITIONS.
ABOUT 70 OF THOSE ARE TEACHER POSITIONS OR SO. WE HAVE SOME ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS AND PARA PARA POSITIONS. ALL OF THESE POSITIONS, BASED ON HOW WE ARE BUDGETING, ARE CURRENTLY BAKED INTO OUR EXPENSE MODEL TODAY.
AND SO AS WE BEGIN TO HIRE NEW POSITIONS, OUR FIELD OPEN POSITIONS, WE HAVE TO WE HAVE TO INTENTIONALLY SCRUTINIZE THOSE POSITIONS. AND SO I JUST WANT
[00:45:01]
TO BE CLEAR THAT THE, THE REDUCTIONS AND THE WORK THAT HAVE TO OCCUR WILL INVOLVE PERSONNEL REDUCTIONS. THAT IS THE ONLY WAY THAT WE CAN GET TO A POSITION TO WHERE WE ARE ABLE TO REALLY HAVE A SOUND FUND BALANCE. AND AS WE SEE, YOU KNOW, ACROSS THE STATE, THERE WERE 55 DISTRICTS THESE ARE NOT SCHOOLS, IT WAS WAY MORE SCHOOLS BUT 55 DISTRICTS HAD TO CLOSE SCHOOLS. WE'RE NOT THERE YET, BUT IT'S THE REALITY IS 45 OF THOSE DISTRICTS ARE IN THE NORTH TEXAS AREA. AND SO WHAT WE RECOGNIZE IS THIS THIS IS A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT, AND SO THE WAY TO ADDRESS THAT WILL BE THROUGH, THROUGH STRUCTURAL CHANGES THAT WE'LL HAVE TO MAKE.OKAY, ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU, DR. MCCALLUM.
BEING AN EDUCATOR, THERE ARE ARGUMENTS WHEN YOU DO RECEIVE A RAISE, THE HEALTHCARE CONTRIBUTION OR HEALTHCARE INCREASES, UM, WASH OUT ANY RAISE THAT YOU RECEIVE.
SO I WAS CALCULATING, AND I SEE, UM, DEPENDING ON WHICH NUMBER YOU LOOK AT, BEFORE, BEFORE CONTRIBUTIONS, IT LOOKS LIKE A 10% INCREASE.
AFTER THE $225 CONTRIBUTION, IT'S ABOUT 18% INCREASE. I KNOW THAT WE CAN'T OFFER 18% RAISE, UM, BUT WHAT CAN WE DO TO OFFSET THE COST OF EMPLOYER HEALTHCARE SO THAT OUR EMPLOYEES AREN'T HURTING. I SEE THAT WE PROVIDED MONEY TO PARAS AND WE PROVIDE AN INCREASE, BUT, UM, FOR EMPLOYEES WHO ARE NOT PARAS, IT'S THE BASE LEVEL. AND SO I'M LOOKING AT ALL OF THE MODELS, THE $500,000, 2%, SO ON, BUT EVEN WITH THAT, WITH THE HEALTHCARE INCREASE, UM, IT'S NOT GOING TO MAKE MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE FROM THOSE FOR THE EMPLOYEES WHO USE DISTRICT HEALTHCARE.
WE CONTINUE TO TAKE ALL OF THOSE, UH, CONSIDERATIONS UNDER ADVISEMENT, UH, DR.
MCFARLAND MENTIONED, IT'S ABOUT ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY AND SUSTAINING THE DISTRICT FINANCIAL MODEL GOING FORWARD.
ALL OF THOSE THINGS WILL BE A PART OF OUR CONSIDERATIONS, BUT FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ORGANIZATION IS IN GOOD FINANCIAL STANDING AND ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD, UH, WITH, UH, THE APPROPRIATE WHEREWITHAL.
THANK YOU. BECAUSE I WAS LOOKING AT THE TOP 3 IN THE SURVEYS AND IT WAS RAISES, CLASS SIZES, AND HEALTHCARE CONTRIBUTIONS, AND I WAS LIKE, IN THE TOP 3 AND WE'RE NOT ABLE TO ADDRESS THE RAISES OR THE HEALTHCARE CONTRIBUTIONS? TRUSTEE JUNE DAVIS.
THANK YOU. MADAM PRESIDENT, IF YOU COULD BRING THAT SCREEN BACK UP THAT PRESIDENT ROBINSON JUST MENTIONED WITH THE SURVEY, BECAUSE I WANT TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THAT.
SO WE HAVE ADDRESSED THE EMPLOYEE RAISES, AND THEN I LOOK AT ONE THING THAT WAS MENTIONED IS STAFF AND, AND THE VACANCIES THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE, AND THE FACT THAT WE MAY BE LOOKING AT, UM, UH, DOWNSIZING IN TERMS OF STAFF. SO WHEN I LOOK AT THE BUDGET SURVEY HERE, AND, UM, ONE OF NUMBER 2 IS SMALLER CLASS SIZES.
BUT WE CAN'T IF WE HAVE TO REDUCE STAFF, AND OF COURSE THE CLASSROOM WOULD BE THE LAST PLACE, BUT JUST TRYING TO MAKE THIS MAKE SENSE FOR ME, IF WE HAVE TO REDUCE STAFF, SOMEHOW THE TWO JUST DON'T QUITE MATCH UP FOR ME. SOME OF THE, THE BUDGET PRIORITIES HERE BECAUSE WE CAN'T DO IT ALL. WE CAN'T DO IT ALL. WE CAN'T HAVE A BALANCED BUDGET AND HAVE SMALLER CLASS SIZES BECAUSE THEN THAT MEANS MORE EMPLOYEES. AM I CORRECT? IF WE'RE GONNA HUH? YEAH, IF WE'RE GONNA GET SMALLER CLASS SIZES, THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO HAVE MORE EMPLOYEES. ALL AT THE SAME TIME, WE'RE LOOKING AT PROBABLY HAVING TO REDUCE SOME EMPLOYEES. SO JUST TRYING TO MAKE THAT CONNECTION FOR ME IN MY MIND IS THAT THESE PRIORITIES, ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY.
BUT I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE IT MAKE SENSE FOR ME.
AND THEN I LOOK AT NUMBER 6 FINANCIAL INCENTIVES TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEACHERS. OKAY, AGAIN, THAT'S GOING TO REQUIRE MONEY, ADDITIONAL
[00:50:04]
DOLLARS THAT WE DON'T HAVE. SO I'M JUST TRYING TO GO THROUGH THIS AND, LIKE I SAID, TRY TO MAKE IT MAKE SENSE FOR ME, BECAUSE ALL OF THESE THINGS REQUIRE MONEY THAT WE DON'T HAVE. AND ONE THING I'D LIKE TO ADD IN TERMS OF, I THINK I THINK IT WAS TRUSTEE STEVENSON THAT TALKED ABOUT ADDITIONAL RESOURCES. I DON'T REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT SHE SAID, BUT I'D LIKE TO ALSO ADD THAT DR. POLK DOES A GREAT JOB IN SECURING AND LOOKING FOR GRANTS TO KIND OF OFFSET SOME OF THE DEFICITS THAT WE HAVE.SO LIKE YOU SAID, THINGS ARE BEING DONE. AND I'LL STOP THERE.
THANK YOU, MR. OH YES, TRUSTEE STEVENSON.
I JUST ONLY HAVE MAYBE JUST A COMMENT OR SOMETHING. SO I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, THE FUNDING THAT WE GET FROM STATE, BUT I ALSO WANT TO MISS DAVIS TALKED ABOUT THIS A LITTLE BIT EARLIER ABOUT, UM YOU KNOW, NOT BEING ABLE TO GET FUNDS FROM THE STATE.
AS A PARENT, GRANDPARENT IN THE DISTRICT, AND STUDENTS THAT HAVE CHILDREN THAT COME THROUGH THE DISTRICT, I JUST WANT OUR COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND AND, YOU KNOW, THAT WE ALL CAN ADVOCATE FOR FUNDING FOR OUR SCHOOLS.
YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S WRITING YOUR CONGRESSMAN, YOUR REPRESENTATIVE, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ALL SHOULD DO. BECAUSE CROWLEY ISD IS NOT JUST ONLY OUR SCHOOL, IT IS OUR COMMUNITY SCHOOL.
AND LIVING WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, I THINK IT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO PURSUE AND ASK OUR COMMUNITY TO WRITE OUR LEGISLATORS, BECAUSE UNTIL WE GET PROPERLY FUNDED, WE'RE GOING TO ALWAYS HAVE PROBLEMS. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THESE ISSUES. SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE ANYONE THAT IS IN CROWLEY ISD AND SURROUNDING DISTRICTS TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMEN, YOUR REPRESENTATIVES, AND LET THEM KNOW, HEY, WE NEED FUNDING BECAUSE WE CAN'T CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN OUR SCHOOLS AND FUND OUR SCHOOLS IF WE'RE NOT GETTING THE PROPER FUNDING AND OUR TEACHERS ARE NOT GETTING THE PROPER FUNDING, BECAUSE THEN WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE TEACHERS TO WORK IN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT BECAUSE WE'RE ALWAYS TRYING TO PICK AND CHOOSE, UM, WHAT WE'RE GOING TO CUT. AND SO I THINK WE, UH AND THAT'S JUST MY TAKE. I JUST THINK THAT WE ALL SHOULD PLAY A PART IN ADVOCATING FOR OUR SCHOOLS.
YES, SO MADAM PRESIDENT AND ALSO BOARD MEMBERS, I JUST WANT TO, YOU KNOW, SAY A SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO MR. FISHER AND THE FINANCE TEAM WORKING. I'VE KIND OF WATCHED AND SAW HOW DILIGENTLY AND INTENT THEY'VE WORKED OVER THE LAST LAST, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY MONTH JUST TRYING TO RUN DIFFERENT MODELS TO GET US IN THE BEST FINANCIAL POSITION POSSIBLE. IT'S A, IT'S A VERY COMPLEX AND YOU ALL KNOW THIS BECAUSE YOU ALL BEEN ENGAGED IN SCHOOL FINANCE FOR QUITE SOME TIME BUT IT IS EXTREMELY COMPLEX, UH, CHALLENGE, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE HAVE EVOLVING PROJECTIONS THAT CHANGE REGULARLY, RIGHT? IT WAS AS EARLY AS LAST WEEK WE GOT INFORMATION ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WOULD EITHER INCREASE REVENUE OR DECREASE REVENUE, AND IT'S JUST IT'S A CONSTANT MOVING TARGET. SO, MR. FISHER, I APPRECIATE YOUR DILIGENCE AND MOST OF ALL YOUR FAITH, BECAUSE YOU ALWAYS BELIEVE THAT IT'S GOING TO BE BETTER AND IT ALWAYS ENDS UP BEING BETTER. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE, FOR SURE.
THANK YOU, MR. FISHER. UM, THIS IS A PUBLIC MEETING. MR. KIRCHNER, DID WE HAVE ANYONE WHO SIGNED UP
[7.0 Adjournment of Public Hearing]
TO MAKE COMMENTS? NO, MA'AM, NO SIGNUPS.OKAY, THANK YOU. SO WITH THAT, THIS MEETING THAT OUR PUBLIC HEARING IS ADJOURNED AND WE WILL TRANSITION INTO OUR REGULAR MEETING.
[8.0. Executive Session]
THAT BRINGS US TO AGENDA ITEM 8.1. WE WILL ADJOURN TO EXECUTIVE SESSION.THE BOARD WILL NOW ADJOURN TO EXEC TO EXECUTIVE SESSION PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE 551.071 FOR PRIVATE CONSULTATION WITH THE BOARD'S ATTORNEY, AND 5.1074, EMPLOYMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL. THE BOARD WILL RETURN IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING EXECUTIVE SESSION.
WE ARE ADJOURNING TO EXECUTIVE SESSION AT 6:56 PM HELLO, WE ARE BACK IN OPEN SET WE ARE BACK IN OPEN SESSION AT 7:53 PM
[10.0 Consideration and Possible Action Item(s)]
THE REMAINING ITEMS ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA WILL BE BROUGHT BACK FOR[00:55:01]
CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION WHEN WE HAVE A QUORUM OF TRUSTEES PRESENT. IN PERSON AT THE NEXT MEETING SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, JUNE 29TH AT 5 PM.WITH NO FURTHER BUSINESS TO BRING BEFORE THE BOARD, WE ARE ADJOURNED AT 7:54 PM.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.